◈ Episode 237. True Discipline

General manager of the AAU Yusra Branch.

I am more faithful than anyone else to the weight I carry.

The day the dragon, Eunaxus, tore through the dimension and crossed over to the Arcana Continent.

I also read the AAU records carefully.

‘Energy response at a level that cannot be measured with modern equipment.’

No wonder, I thought.

The moment I channeled my magic, I realized.

This is too much for me to manifest right now!

The connector was essentially a portal.

The difference is that the power consumption of a portal increases exponentially the farther the coordinates of the destination are from the current location.

In the real world, setting the coordinates of the destination to the Arcana continent would cost a huge amount of magic.

‘Even when I’m in good shape, I’ll probably only be able to enter by myself.’

Currently, I was holding onto the rift with a reversal magic.

I’m pouring all the mana regenerated by the [Blessing of the First World Tree] into the rift. How could I possibly manifest a portal to the Arcana Continent in such a situation?

Sussss─

Mana harvesting.

That’s the way it is.

The snout blurted out shamelessly.

“No matter how urgent it is.”

I will return to the Arcana Continent.

That was me.

And there was a quest.

[Class Quest: Summoning All Dragons]

The old dragon cried out.

The Great House has returned to the Arcana Continent.

All dragons want to know the truth of the matter.

─Witness the dragons gathering on the continent. (Failed)

─Encounter the dying old dragon, Eunaxus. (Ongoing)

These are not my quests, but the class quest for Skal, the Dragon Knight.

I needed to talk to Eunaxus, too.

What the meaning this, Mother, the First World Tree?

I hate to put it out of my mouth, but…….

And the story of House Claudi.

I needed to hear it for sure.

In that sense.

‘Just a little longer, Eunaxus.’

This place.

I needed to get back to the real world.

It’s all of a sudden resolved.

If anyone asks, I’m happy to answer.

“We cannot allow our discipline to waver.”

Like I said.

The situation where Raymond was considered the prey.

Because it was clear to my demon hunter eyes.

Raymond Sean’s ulterior motives for the World Quest.

Now that I know that.

Do you think I’ll stand still?

I drew magic from the rift that held me.

The message flashed back to me.

[Rift, Dungeon: You have cleared CODE-009].

Pow!

In the crumbling landscape.

I hissed.

“To understand the topic.”

To no one else.

It was a discipline I had fought tooth and nail to establish.

Do you think I’m going to stand by and watch it crumble?

“Don’t try to go against the discipline when it comes to hunting.”

*

AAU branches develop close relationships with their national governments.

The AAU would be the organization responding to the surreal disaster of the Cataclysm.

The safety of the people meant that the government and AAU had no choice but to work together.

AAU branch leaders meeting.

From prototype monsters.

The arrival of a prototype connector.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the branch leaders worked closely together.

As Park Minjae had said, the Heavenly Unification, lest they pull the trigger. At the request of the AAU, government officials from each country had requested cooperation from the Chinese government.

However.

Jim Joshua, the head of the North American branch, opened his heavy mouth.

“We, the United States of America, are wiped out.”

There was no response from China in either country.

Mr. Okazaki, the leader of the Tokyo branch, shook his head.

After all, China was not a member of the AAU.

” …… is unprecedented, isn’t it?”

Never before had there been such uncooperative behavior in the face of a cataclysmic event. It was the least they could do when their people’s lives were on the line.

Park Minjae nodded.

“That’s why Liu Zhunqun and other members of the Heavenly Unification Guild have always been able to freely visit other countries, even if they weren’t part of any international agreements, the power of the Heavenly Unification was clearly beneficial to mankind.”

But, somehow.

“I’m becoming more and more uneasy.”

Baker, the head of the London office, swallowed hard.

“The General Manager’s discovery of the Connector will have a significant impact on the players, because the General Manager I know will not hesitate to enter the Arcana Continent.”

The Arcana Continent was overrun by demons.

But to put it another way, it was also a land of opportunity, just like the world quest said. Park Minjae flipped through the records of the Arcana Continent that Hoyeol had given him.

‘Even the capital city of Antonium is in a precarious state…….’

Even the empire that ruled the continent was in such a state.

The situation in the marginal regions must be unspeakable.

Park Minjae judged soberly.

‘But heroes are born in difficult times.’

Moreover, given the system in Arcana…….

‘There will be no end to the quests and rewards.’

The ten adventurers, including Hoyeol, would be able to reap rewards so great that their rankings would be meaningless. The players weren’t drooling for nothing.

Of course, I don’t blame them.

Humans are animals.

Which is why I was stuck.

In the silence.

Joshua spoke up, cautiously.

“So let’s assume that.”

“What do you mean, Joshua?”

“I’m saying, suppose we lose contact with the Chinese government. Whatever the reason, they’re going to take action, one way or another. They’re going to pull out of the Zero Mountains right now, they’re going to throw all of their forces into finding a code rift.”

Joshua’s eyes turned serious.

“We have no reason to stop them, because we have no control over their movements to clear the rift, unless they’re breaking the agreement, don’t you agree, Mr. Okazaki?”

“That’s right.”

When Frost appeared in Hokkaido.

The Japanese government broke the agreement and controlled the players.

As a result, they paid a heavy price for violating international agreements.

Someone spat out a sneer.

“That’s some damn discipline.”

“It is.”

“Discipline for whom, exactly?”

It was discipline that only favored those who didn’t follow it.

Worse, they weren’t the only ones who noticed.

“But unlike the government and the AAU, the players won’t stand idly by, because they, like the rest of the world, are unrestrained in their behavior.”

What he meant by that was simple.

“We could see a massive armed conflict between the players ……, with the possibility of Arcana factions like the Carpen Rebellion getting involved.”

An objective assessment of the situation, without the slightest hint of fantasy.

Aah!

Park Minjae clenched his fist.

‘This guy’s got a temper.’

I wanted to slap him, discipline and all.

“Damn it.”

It was frustrating.

I thought I could do something to help Hoyeol. As you can see, he wasn’t doing anything to help. Still, Park desperately suppressed his emotions.

‘If it weren’t for my discipline, I would have…….’

That’s right.

Hoyeol was more disciplined than anyone else.

If Hoyeol found out that he broke the discipline for his own sake.

It would be like putting a burden on him.

“You look unusually serious, Mr. Park.”

” ……I have some work to do.”

“I’m guessing.”

“……?”

……How do you know how I feel?

A rebellious temperament that does not break even in this situation.

Soon, Park Minjae’s head was raised.

“!”

It was Baker, who was wearing an expression as complicated as his own.

No, it wasn’t just Baker.

Baker opened his mouth.

“At least everyone here is on the same page as Mr. Park.”

“……I overlooked my pride for a moment.”

Park gave a small laugh.

Yes, things are much different than they used to be.

It would be better to have a blank sheet of paper.

Even if you wrap your head, many people will be able to wrap it together.

“If we suffer together, we can come up with something, right?”

Park Minjae spoke up.

“Then let’s all work late tonight!”

“Mr. Park, why is the conclusion so……?”

“All of a sudden, working overtime. What an insult.”

There were a few scowls, including Joshua’s.

He’d said something nice just moments before.

Moreover, it was not for nothing that even the employees of other branches shuddered at the name Park Minjae. In the end, the branch leaders nodded due to Park Minjae’s persistence.

“Whoa.”

Now that we’ve lost contact with the Chinese side.

We have to find the next best thing.

Park Minjae took a breath.

Ding!

Suddenly, a notification popped up in the video chat room.

Soon, the news was shared with the branch leaders.

Their jaws dropped at the news.

“Okay, wait a minute.”

“What if this news is true……?”

“Does this mean we won’t have to work overtime……?!”

Park Minjae wiped away the goosebumps.

” ……I truly can’t fathom the discipline, General Manager!”

.

.

.

Magic Tower.

It was an unscheduled, unannounced roundtable.

There was no obligation to attend.

The Crystal Hall was already full.

Lynne, an adept mage, spat out an exclamation.

“Wow! All the seniors are here? Not just Marcelo, but even Elder Yugweed? What’s with that cat, anyway? I’ve been seeing it for a while now……. Shouldn’t we be chasing that thing away, it’s shedding fur.”

It was Jibril who interrupted Lynne’s chatter.

“Why don’t you sit down before you get kicked out first, Lynne.”

” ……yes?”

“The moment you let out that exclamation, a fleeting but stinging gaze fell on you. You saw Klee too, right? Particularly the disapproving look in Senior Bensch William eyes.”

“Huh!.”

Bensch William, senior in Fire Magic.

He had a reputation for being the crankiest of the seniors.

Of course, it may be a strange reputation to those who know its true nature.

“Ha, Senior Bensch!”

Bensch had an aristocratic and sharp appearance when he kept his mouth shut, but of course, he didn’t have the mental capacity to care about a adept mage.

Bensch whispered to Vangrit.

“Surely, something big has happened, Senior Vangrit!”

“……You seem rather pleased.”

“No, I’m not happy……! Senior Vangrit, you have to walk a mile in my shoes to understand. Do you really realize how frustrated I am?”

Infinite rejection.

Endless applications to leave the tower.

The only time Bensch had ever left the tower to blow his nose was when something big happened, like the crushing of the Demon Castle or the emergence of the Zero Mountains. Bensch spoke up in an appealing voice.

“You don’t think I’d want to be this nasty, do you?”

In that sense, Bensch was looking forward to it.

No one else.

It was an emergency roundtable call from Hoyeol.

“Chief Lee, you’re not one to break discipline for nothing.”

In other words.

This would mean that this incident is not an easy one.

Is it possible to pick up and eat the falling soybeans?

Bensch’s heart was pounding with excitement.

Ttogak─

As if on cue, Hoyeol appeared.

One turn.

He looked around the crystal hall and spoke up.

“The purpose of this emergency roundtable is simple and clear. However, time is short. To help you understand, I will show you rather than tell you.”

And with that, magic surged through the air.

A ‘something’ emerging from subspace.

Bensch squinted.

“Is that…….”

……An animal egg?

A moment of thought.

Hoyeol spoke up.

“This is the way to the Arcana Continent.”

“……!!!”

Apprentice, Adept, Senior, Chief, and even the Cat Tower Master.

No one was spared.

Crystal Hall, everyone’s pupils widened.

.

.

. . .

What is pride?

The pride in my heart is so heavy.

It would take me all night to describe it in words.

But one thing is clear.

It’s hard to use a connector like this by myself.

This is something that the pride of Grandfell cannot tolerate.

‘Actually, I don’t think so.’

Innocence.

Maybe Grandfell, who transcends material desires, can.

I, Lee Hoyeol the snob, was not.

The reason for this nonchalance was simple.

As I said.

I had entered the realm of the anomaly and understood the structure of the connector perfectly.

‘I don’t need a connector, I just need magic.’

I was able to tear through dimensions and enter the Arcana Continent.

That’s why I can reveal myself so boldly.

I could puff out my chest and stand tall as usual.

I spoke.

“I know that you, and all of us, have a purpose for returning to the Arcana. None of us can weigh the weight of that purpose, but with limited opportunities, someone must play the role.”

You dared to break the discipline you had established with pride, Raymond Sean.

You seem to have a knack for scams.

This side also has a hard time keeping rules.

“The role and all the responsibilities that come with it.”

Also, he is a person who has a knack for carrying things on his back.

“……!”

Before I could finish, I locked eyes with Marcelo.

You’re looking at me with a mixture of surprise and concern, Marcelo.

But don’t worry.

I told you I was getting the hang of it.

This isn’t the first time.

I declared nonchalantly.

“I will handle it all.”

Why, the process would be no different than a tower leave examination.

So…….

You have no reason to be as happy as you are, Bensch William Senior?