◈ Episode 188. I will not forget my debts
It’s easy to say.
“……Now that’s discipline.”
Even the [Blessing of the First World Tree] couldn’t offset it.
Even the greatest Grandfell can’t bluff.
That was training beyond the limits!
I am truly shocked in many ways.
Training beyond limits, no matter how you package it, the secret to a Demon Hunter’s strength is to play, right? That’s an astonishing level of consistency, isn’t it?
Grandfell, the same goes for you.
You’ve abused your body to the point of no return, even with the World Tree buff.
What?
You think that’s discipline?
Then what the hell have I been doing all this time?!
‘I feel sorry for you.’
But more than anything, it was the message.
[Additional rewards will be given for training beyond your limits].
I had seen messages like this before.
I mean, I’d gotten an extra stat point or two, right?
Actually, that was a huge extra reward.
A stat point is worth a level.
But.
[You’ve gained the stat, ‘Tenacity’].
This time it’s different.
It’s an unlocked stat.
The moment you acquire it, like [Aesthetics] did.
The effects of Tenacity imprinted on my vision and mind.
[Tenacity: Converts mental strength into stats. Each increase in Tenacity increases the stats converted by an additional amount].
I couldn’t help but be dazzled.
This is a Demon Hunter’s unique stat level?
Anyway, I’m making a lot of jokes today…
I can assure you, there is no one in Arcana with more mental strength than a Demon Hunter. That’s because the weaker minds don’t survive in Akshan.
‘It used to be that way.’
It wasn’t enough with the endless grinding quests.
Demon Hunter training was more like a horror game than an RPG. There was no reason to stick with the Demon Hunter class when so much Arcana content was available.
‘You’d have beaten me for that.’
If I hadn’t been forced to quit Arcana.
If that were the case, I would naturally be cured of my second year of middle school illness and say goodbye to Grandfell.
Wouldn’t you have created a new account and nurtured it?
‘Technically, yes…….’
I guess I’ve skipped the process once again.
To acquire [tenacity] in a normal way.
It would require a great deal of training.
So much so that I would have to train my body in hell.
But where is this shamelessness?
Even in this moment.
I said to the demon hunter who wouldn’t stop doing push-ups.
“We’re finally on equal footing.”
Then I went back to doing push-ups.
Sure enough, the effect of the new stat [Tenacity] was felt.
“I’m not done yet.”
Demon hunter, more than a mental strength.
I can feel Grandfell’s mental strength supporting his physical body.
It’s not just an illusion, but a message.
[Your ‘Strength’ temporarily increases as an effect of Tenacity].
I squeeze my muscles and check the numbers.
[Strength: 112 → 162]
……No, but this.
A 50-point increase in strength, even temporarily?
I was stunned and my muscles twitched.
It was inevitable.
Even if Grandfell’s mental strength wasn’t at the level of ordinary humans…….
[Tenacity: 1]
That means my [Tenacity] point, which I’ve only just acquired, is only 1.
As the description says.
The stats that are converted are affected by the [Tenacity] level.
‘So how much does that mean I’ll get later?’
I’m stunned.
What kind of ridiculous efficiency is this?
I wonder if the effect of [Tenacity] is a fraud.
Or if the mental strength of Grandfell is a fraud.
There was no way to know right now.
But one thing was certain.
‘For the time being, level-up points are all-in on Tenacity.’
It goes without saying.
No matter how great his mental strength was, the stat gap was insurmountable. Eventually, after soaking my shirt with sweat that I could see through it, I spoke up.
“It was a good match.”
A good match?
It couldn’t have been a worse match, Grandfell.
You must be happy to have beaten the only junior, very happy.
“…….”
The demon hunter stopped doing push-ups and stood up.
Roar.
And the hellfire began to engulf his flesh.
“…….”
No socializing.
Nice to see you stick to the rules.
Like the first time, there was no greeting.
But I had witnessed it.
‘?’
The corner of a mouth peeked out from under the hood.
The corners of the mouth were clearly turned upward.
It was clearly smiling.
‘…… Are you just laughing at that?’
You’re bragging about winning, right?!
Yes, I’m grateful for the lesson in [Tenacity].
But he’s just doing a bunch of push-ups.
At the end of the day, he just laughs at me and walks away.
What a character you have, Akshan!
However, Grandfell was never harmed either.
“Sometimes things are said without being said.”
……No, I’ve had enough.
A demon hunter turning back into the flames of hell.
I declared to the back of his head.
“Next time, I will repay this debt, demon hunter.”
……Sincerely, I have lost to you, Grandfell.
*
Demon Castle of Tears.
56th in the hierarchy.
The Demon King, Gremory, wiped her eyes.
A wistful voice echoed down the hall.
“With no friends above or below, I am lonely.”
Above, 55th in rank.
Below, 57th in rank, on the throne.
I thought their vacancies would be filled by the battle for the Demon King.
But there was a twist no one could have anticipated.
The resurrection of Akshan.
And the death of the High Ranking Demon King, Gamigin.
Gremory spoke up.
“What do you think?”
“……ne, nes?”
It was a human who answered the demon’s question.
Not corrupted, not a demon worshipper, just a normal human.
Just a viscount who had once been the owner of this small castle.
The man broke out in a cold sweat.
‘……Answer, answer, answer well.’
While he was thinking, Gremory spoke in a whisper.
“Look at me straight in the eye.”
“……!”
The man lifted his head and locked eyes with Gremory.
He despaired.
‘How can you be so harsh on me……!’
It felt like a trial from a goddess.
How is it that this vicious demon, who has destroyed my lands and slaughtered my people, my vassals, my flesh and blood, is seen as a beautiful woman?
The man struggled to come to his senses and answered.
“……I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t think that’s possible unless Akshan is truly resurrected.”
“Mmm, I suppose so.”
Gremory puffed out her cheeks.
Hanging apricot-colored hair and bright skin.
And the lively expression.
No one could mistake her for a demon.
“But I still don’t understand.”
Gremory’s gaze shifted to the man.
“Do you know? The offerings for Gamigin-sama were unintentionally much richer than usual, thanks to the deaths of all the demons who participated in the Battle for the Demon Kings.”
Technically, in addition to the planned sacrifice.
Ten and two more demons of the Demon King level appeared as sacrifices.
Gamigin’s prowess had been confirmed by Gremory.
“Foolish, foolish, foolish Gamigin.”
The man doubted his ears.
‘……Foolish, foolish?’
There is a hierarchy among demon kings.
I’d recently learned that from talking to Gremory.
In particular, the power of the high ranking demon kings varies greatly.
Gremory slowly opened one eye.
“You must have thought it was a blasphemous title, didn’t you?”
“Oh, no!”
“That’s okay, a lowly human wouldn’t understand.”
“……Yes.”
Those up to the tenth rank in the hierarchy are categorized as high ranking demon kings.
Even among demon kings, their treatment was unusual; Gremory was better, but most demon kings treated the high ranking demon kings like tools.
They didn’t even speak to them, did they?
“He was used until the very end, and then he ended up in hell………. I was just depressed over that pitiful ending.”
“……I see.”
Gulp.
The man swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
So this is what it’s like to be possessed by a demon?
I knew that everything about that demon was a pretense and a fake. However, when I looked at Gremory acting pitifully, compassion really sprouted in my heart.
Gremory stole a finger from the corner of her eye and said.
“But it’s not all sadness. There are those who will make a move for us when we are pushed to the brink like this.”
One of them was Shegwin the Sword Saint.
Gremory couldn’t forget the glimpse she’d gotten through Evil Eye not long ago. The power that radiated from the old man was beyond her imagination.
“How grateful and pitiful they are.”
After all, they were still human.
Lowly humans who were dying every day because they were not like her.
In that case, Shegwin was on the smart side.
To go out and give up being human, to walk the path of corruption.
Gremory raised the corner of her mouth.
‘Some demons would have been disappointed.’
Even in his old age, Shegwin’s body was the finest for possession.
Of course, Gremory had no interest in human flesh.
…… Gulp.
Look.
So much so that it makes you drool when you see your enemy.
Because his body was perfect just as it is.
“I, Gremory, am sad.”
Gremory rose from her seat and went to the window.
The night sky was full of stars.
Soon, Gremory’s eyes turned black.
Then the vision of Evil Eye burrowed into her mind.
‘I don’t know what you’re thinking, Shegwin.’
Retreating from Antony, the capital of the Empire.
It was an absurd decision.
Even she, Gremory, who had never been used to war, thought so.
The reactions of the other demons were obvious.
‘Everyone is watching your every move.’
In that sense, Shegwin’s destination was unexpected.
I thought you would have gained enlightenment in killing useless nobles and wielding demon power. I thought you would have left the human-infested empire for the mountains.
The corners of Gremory’s mouth twisted.
“……You’re not trying to impersonate a human, are you?”
Even if he was, it would be pointless.
It didn’t really matter.
A human, corrupted though he might be, was still a lowly human at heart.
“All you have to do is light the way.”
A vision through Gamigin’s eyes.
-“Akshan has returned.”
I can’t describe the chills I felt.
It was as if a fear I’d forgotten since Akshan’s destruction was reawakened.
Akshan has returned.
The culprit was not hard to guess.
A silver-haired demon hunter.
The man who had appeared out of nowhere on the Arcana continent had vanished without a trace that day, along with millions of demons. It was a fact that Evil Eye had clearly confirmed.
‘But you mean he’s really resurrected.’
I can’t believe they’re sending that Gamigin-sama to hell.
There’s no better proof of resurrection than that.
Gremory turned away from the window.
“No wonder you’re holding your breath so pitifully.”
Shortly after Gamigin was sent to Hell.
The demon kings set out to find Akshan.
Now that he had fought Gamigin to the death.
They saw this as their chance to crush the resurrected Akshan.
But they couldn’t figure it out.
‘Where is this place?’
The landscape could not be more foreign.
No matter where I looked on the continent of Arcana, I couldn’t find the same place, the same Akshan, or the same silver-haired demon hunter.
Even though I borrowed the vision of the evil’s eye.
Sure enough, it was Akshan.
“Just by showing up, you’re giving me the creeps?”
But time was on their side.
Even if Gamigin had been cast into Hell, there were still nine High Ranking Demon Kings left, and the presence of the Great Evils, however unfortunate, could not be ignored.
Shegwin’s role among them was merely that of a scout.
An Akshan, or silver-haired demon hunter.
A bait to lure them into revealing their presence once more.
Why, if it were a demon, wouldn’t it be an Akshan who would charge without thinking?
It was only a matter of waiting for them to bite.
It was just a matter of waiting.
“In that case, the Zero Mountains wouldn’t be so bad, Shegwin.”
*.
Thursday.
Regular update.
The AAU was tense for once.
“Please, make it something decent.”
Sung reverently clasped his hands together and prayed.
“Our general manager, please enjoy your vacation properly!”
“Just a little more than I have these days?”
“You should pray faster, too. If you ask earnestly, it will come true.”
“What are you doing?”
“Just homen…….”
Click.
Yoon Soogyeom smirked and clicked refresh.
Then he turned to Sung, who was muttering.
“At least it won’t be an update about demons.”
“Is that so?”
“They must have suffered a lot of damage from the Battle for Demon Kings, and after all, if there’s a victory, there’s a defeat, so at least it won’t be as big a deal as the Battle for Demon Kings.”
As long as it wasn’t a demonic monster of a different level, there was no need to go all out.
At that, Sung Hyunjoon began to pray more specifically.
“Then please don’t let it be a demonic monster……!”
“But who are you praying to?”
“……God, or Buddha, I guess?”
“Yeah, well, technically, shouldn’t Raymond Sean be the one to answer the prayer?”
“Wait, then cancel, Pray to that guy who says I’m crazy!!”
But had the prayer already reached Raymond Sean?
Click.
The Arcana official website refreshed.
I remembered the regular updates.
It didn’t take long for me to realize who it was.
AAU Korea Branch.
No, the same words popped up from all the branches.
“The Zero Mountains!!!”
The symbol of Arcana continental electricity.
The Zero Mountains would be added as a new region?
Sung Hyunjoon’s face lit up.
“Senior, isn’t this great news? If the Zero Mountains are going to be added as a region, at least players won’t have to worry about hunting grounds!”
In the vast Zero Mountains, there were players from low to high levels.
There was content for every player.
Especially in the Hundred Thousand Caves, there were quite a few items hidden there.
“……That’s the problem.”
“What? What’s the problem?”
A problem?
Sung Hyunjoon was dumbfounded by the unexpected answer.
Yoon Soogyeom spoke up with a shaky voice.
“It’s a problem because it’s too big!”
Tadadak!
At the same time, urgent footsteps were heard.
It was Park Minjae, the branch leader.
Park Minjae shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Everyone, start calculating!”
“Calculate, what are you talking about……?”
“What, hasn’t Sung Hyunjoon figured it out yet?”
Yoon Soogyeom spoke up on Park Minjae’s behalf.
“Hyunjoon, do you remember the size of the Zero Mountain Range?”
“Of course. It’s so huge that a dragon lives on top……?!”
……Wait a minute.
If such a Zero Mountain Range appeared in reality.
What would be the aftermath?
A tectonic shift that has never been seen in the history of the planet.
If the Zero Mountains were to rise in a country.
That country could be wiped off the map forever.
Even if it rises from the sea…….
Yoon said.
“That’s right, a natural disaster of a different magnitude would follow.”
“……!!!”
How the hell am I supposed to prepare for that?
This was a completely different problem than the rift.
We need to prevent a natural disaster that could destroy the world.
Someone muttered.
“Unless it’s really magic, how can…….”
“……?!!”
……Wait, magic?
That’s when it dawned on everyone.
Beings capable of stopping cataclysmic natural disasters.
.
.
.
“You said it yourself, there is give and take in everything.”
Marcelo picked up the feather pen.
Scribbled.
He scribbled neatly on the parchment.
“I will put those words into practice, my lord.”
──────
As of this hour, I grant you full permission to leave.
──────
For the purpose of salvation.
──────
Gathering of all members of the Magic Tower.
──────
Acting Chief Lee Hoyeol and Marcelo Simuard.
──────