◈ Episode 145. Protecting pride (1)

The [Authority] feature is huge, but it’s not universal.

I can’t make quests appear at will.

Well, it might be possible to do some minor quests. If it’s something like an errand quest that most players can easily complete.

‘Of course, as long as my pride allows.’

And like this moment.

Players in Yusra, Frost, and Muon. It’s impossible for me to issue a quest that will be seen as a message to all of them, no matter how much I invoke my authority.

For the first time in a while, I spoke from the heart.

“I’m glad to be among you.”

Seriously, thanks for not being a jerk……!

Actually, I wasn’t too worried.

Hakuna, Harkon, and Talim.

It wouldn’t be as bad as the Grandell, but they all had bad luck with the demon.

Harkon was especially motivated.

“Time to sharpen my dull blade, indeed.”

Harkon had been living in Frost, serving as an unfit acting lord.

He was already getting tired of it. Of course, his loyalty to the Empire was more important than that.

“My lord, can you tell me, once again, the situation on the continent?”

Harkon asked.

Hakuna and Talim seemed to be waiting for me to speak.

I spoke the truth, without mincing words.

I began by telling them that it was not the Milky Way that adorned the night sky of Arcana, but the eyes of countless demons, the Evil Eyes. To the fact that the millions of demons I’ve slain are nothing more than the blood of a bird’s foot.

“Benefactor, I’m glad you returned safely.”

Hakuna said in a relieved voice.

……I died once, how can you say I returned safely?

Anyway, Harkon and Talim took in the situation from the knight’s perspective.

“Thousands of evil eyes are floating in the sky……. I guess they have a clear view of the battlefield.”

“I’d say there’s practically no blind spot on the continent.”

“Does that mean that no matter where you hide, you’re within the palm of the Demon?”

“And according to your Lordship’s words, millions of demons gathered in a matter of tens of minutes……. Perhaps it’s not an exaggeration to say that millions is a tiny fraction.”

……You asked me to tell you, so I did.

It must be so grim that you wonder if you’ve been told.

The reason the three of them were having a serious conversation was simple.

They’re stuck.

Even if they were to recruit adventurers and players through quests, how many would they be able to recruit? The gap between them and the demons that have taken over the continent of Arcana…….

You don’t have to look far to see that when a demon appears in the real world.

‘Even the lowest level demon, Decarabia, was too much to defeat.’

In that sense, I couldn’t help but admire it again.

Holding a crossbow and a sword.

Running into the midst of millions of demons.

Even if you lose your cowardly head, how much have you lost, Grandfell?

It’s a wild time, indeed.

A time when I believed I was the center of the world.

But thanks to you.

Even though I entered the Arcana Continent and witnessed the most despairing continent, I was able to think about the next move with the same attitude as always. It’s all thanks to you.

“But that’s okay.”

Of course, this damn cubic is all because of you.

“?”

The three men stopped talking at my declaration.

In the brief silence, I spoke nonchalantly.

“Because it’s not just our fight.”

“……?”

But really, it’s not just us.

The continent of Arcana, the dwarves included, are fighting with all their might. In my dying moments, I could not forget the message that came to mind.

[Your deeds echo throughout the continent of Arcana].

[The lives of the Arcana Continent speak of your sacrifice].

Yes, if the emergence of the New World Tree was the beginning of a full-scale counterattack.

My sacrifice would have served as the nutrient for the counterattack.

Of course, since I was brought back to life.

It’s a stretch to call it a sacrifice, but…….

‘Well, there’s no law that says you only give nutrients once, right?’

The first time is the hard part.

The second time is the charm.

Because I knew that the effect of [The Last Adventurer] was effective. This means that if you only know how to access the Arcana Continent, you can provide at least some nutrients every day.

‘Giving my body away was more profitable than I thought.’

Even at the cost of a huge Arcana death penalty.

What I am saying is that there was much more to be achieved than that.

It would be another year before I could talk about the rewards.

Moreover, right now, the priority is to resolve the questions of the three people rather than compensate them.

I continued.

“There are others on the continent of Arcana who have joined the Holy War.”

“……!”

“Dwarves. Quernberg Machine Tower, the ultimate weapon of Akshan’s pride. And all those on the continent who fight the demons with pride in the face of despair. It’s safe to say they’re all joining the Holy War.”

“……I see.”

“You’re right.”

If you look at it from that perspective, we might be the ones who are late joining the war. So, since we’re the ones who are late, we’ll have to shake things up in earnest.

That was the quest.

“As you know, there is no material reward at the end of the holy war.”

Not for the sake of fucking innocence.

If wars were fought for rewards and spoils.

It would never have been called a holy war.

It’s not about taking, it’s about continents and realities.

A war to protect two worlds.

“But pride remains.”

Because it was also a war to protect pride.

At this point, let’s switch sides.

Let’s look at it from the perspective of a very realistic player.

How many of them would be willing to embark on a quest with no reward? This isn’t a war from the days when Arcana was just a game, this is a real war where you have to risk your life.

I don’t know, I didn’t expect it, but I’m sure it’s less than I expected.

But I could guarantee one thing.

“A pride that cannot be broken by any trial.”

For those who have joined this holy war quest with no reward.

would not be afraid in the face of any demon.

Why, like me, who is carrying out the demon hunter class quests with no particular reward more faithfully than anyone else.

So my task is simple.

I just have to wonder how many other players are like me.

It’s a matter of watching and waiting.

In that case, let’s take it easy.

Dakkak─

On a golden round table.

I lifted my teacup high and spoke.

“We’d better start drinking this before it gets cold.”

“……Ah, I forgot.”

“I’ve never seen green tea before.”

The 300 won green tea bag rattled as usual.

*

[Quest: The Unfinished Holy War]

Arcana Continent to Reality.

The crusade against the demons is far from over.

There are no rewards and no loot at the end of this war.

All that remains is pride.

Prove yourself worthy.

─Prove your worth in your area. (Ongoing)

Areas covered.

Quests from the Yusra Kingdom, Frost, and Muon.

Even when Arcana was just a game, war-related quests were not common.

Such a war quest in three regions at the same time?

Naturally, the rice cake had no choice but to return.

-Well, it wasn’t for nothing that the demonic mobs were pouring in;;;

-No;; how would we know there was a holy war going on?

-Rayman Sean, is he slowly starting to get his rice cake???

-I’ve never seen a quest of this scale before, by the way.

An unusually large number of demonic monsters.

If there was a Holy War going on in the Arcana continent, I could somewhat understand the quest. And why players were being reminded of holy war related quests.

AAU emergency meeting.

“Is the British side still not coming today? Never mind.”

Things being what they are.

There were no pleasantries.

The meeting got straight to the point.

“A holy war, a holy war, a holy war we don’t even know about.”

“Does anyone have any guesses?”

“Well, …….”

“Not even a little bit, or anything. Even pods are good.”

In the flowing silence, someone spoke up.

“Well, for starters, it seems pretty clear that the Goddess Church is involved, right?”

“Of course it is, which is why the quest came up in Muon. Well, even Frost would understand. They were nearly devoured by a demon, so they must be the enemy. But the Yusra Kingdom?”

I don’t know about the Yusra Islands, but isn’t the Yusra Kingdom an ancient kingdom that has been resurrected in the real world? Park Minjae, the AAU Korea branch manager, clenched his jaw.

‘It must be Lee Ho-yeol again.’

It shouldn’t be hard for anyone to figure it out.

Lee Ho-yeol, he was the player who activated the [Authority] function in the Yusra Kingdom. If the Yusra Kingdom wanted to participate in the Holy War, they would definitely need Lee Ho-yeol’s consent.

‘In that case, I have no choice but to pretend not to know even more.’

Park Minjae glanced at the monitor.

AAU.

An international cooperation organization was established to counter the threat of Arcana’s erosion.

But it’s only a cause.

Behind the scenes, the interests of each country are intricately intertwined.

“What do you think, Mr. Park?”

I could guess the intention behind the question.

‘Are you speculating?’

He must think that I have a close relationship with Lee Ho-yeol.

Well, you only see what you can see.

You’re generalizing about their relationship.

‘Damn it, I should be able to do that even if I wanted to.’

Park Minjae didn’t want to pretend to be clean.

He’d spent too many years rolling in the muck of society for that, but he had no desire to splash that dirty water on Lee Ho-yeol.

He didn’t need my help in the first place.

He wasn’t alone.

Wasn’t Ho-yeol already ahead of the AAU’s intelligence?

It was probably an overestimation to think that his cooperation, as a mere AAU branch leader, would be of any use, but he had to admit it.

It doesn’t mean I’m going to stand idly by.

I don’t think I’m going to stand idly by while they throw shit at Lee Ho-yeol.

You think I’m going to stand by and watch?

Like I said, his clothes are already dirty from rolling around.

A few more drops of dirt?

Not even a blow.

No, he could have rolled on the ground.

‘Please, don’t interrupt me.’

Lee Ho-yeol, he was different from the other players.

He didn’t seek material things, he didn’t seek honor.

He walked only one path.

“‘Do not interfere with the path he has taken for mankind.’

Starting with the [Broken Dimensional Rift].

To the [Demon Castle] Rift.

He was the one who solely solved the rifts that no great power, let alone the AAU, could solve.

Yes, Lee Ho-yeol’s path was that of a noble hero, one that no one else could match.

So Park Minjae vowed to himself.

‘If I can’t walk with him, I’ll have to get rid of those who stand in his way.’

That’s my role.

Then Park Minjae opened his mouth.

He cut to the chase.

“I don’t know, and I can’t guess, but I do know one thing.”

“……?”

“Player Lee Ho-yeol, you’d better stay out of his way. I know you’re trying to help, but if you’re thinking of grabbing his ankle, you’re going to…….”

It was a clear warning.

“You’d better be prepared to give him your own ankle, too.”

.

.

.

End of AAU meeting.

“You’ve grown up a lot.”

After the Cataclysm.

A Magic Tower appeared in Seoul, the South Korean capital.

The country took advantage of the opportunity and grew rapidly.

Lucky enough to have an out-of-the-ordinary player named Lee Ho-yeol. Thanks to him, South Korea’s influence in the international community has soared, rivaling that of the United States and China.

“But this time, you are completely mistaken.”

Branch Manager Park, did you tell me to be prepared to sacrifice my ankle?

Unfortunately, there was no need to hold on to the ankle.

For this quest, Give and Take.

Because there was no conflict of interest.

“You really do overestimate animals, don’t you?”

Sigh─

The man exhaled a puff of smoke.

Humans are a foolish and clever people.

Players are the same way.

Risking your life for no reward, no loot?

No pride, no peace, no reason to move.

Whoa.

“Pride? Ha, that’s not even funny.”

Smoke dispersed through the sneers.

.

.

.

“……?!”

But the man’s snickering didn’t last long enough to burn out his cigarette.

Breaking news popped up on the monitor.

As if it had been waiting for this moment.

What it revealed.

An emerging force The pride of the United States, The Shining.

A mega-coalition of Gaon, Inazuma, and Berserker.

“A mega-coalition is joining the holy war?”

“You made a quick decision, any particular reason?”

“Why did you join a quest with no rewards and no loot?”

Among the countless questions that poured in.

Gaon’s Guild Master, Nam Tae-min, raised his fist.

Tuk-tuk─

He pounded his chest with his fist.

He spoke as if he were asking for the obvious.

“To protect the pride in my heart.”