◈ Episode 29. Knights of the Lion Heart (2)
This is crazy, to say the least.
I must have escaped overboard without realizing it……!
It’s bad enough that I’m the chief mage of the Magic Tower.
Now he’s the leader of the Lion Heart Knights.
“He’s a pushover, really.
I wasn’t exaggerating.
The level of the Knights of the Lion Heart was actually quite high.
Even back then, I was told that the terminal knight was level 300.
Even if the level of most NPCs was fixed, the level of the Templar, Harkon, would be well over 400, if not higher.
“……You’re right.”
But what a reaction.
It was Harkon, who had just received a reprimand from me.
“You just convinced him?
And there it was.
“I must have a purpose.
Or, more accurately, the Tower has a purpose.
The brooch was how he knew I was connected to the Matriarchy.
I glanced down at the brooch pinned to my suit.
‘……Maybe it’s a better item than I thought.
It’s just that it has a low level cap.
That’s all I had to choose from.
I picked up the brooch.
Judging by the way Harkon recognized it, it seemed to be a better item than I thought, at least.
Of course, it’s only a loan, and there will come a day when I’ll have to return it.
I’ll make the most of it.
Until then, I’ll just have to pluck mulberries.
While I was thinking to myself.
Harkon came to his senses and shouted.
“Knights with the hearts of lions!”
It was a cringe-worthy line.
Maybe it was the awe-inspiring atmosphere.
Or maybe it’s just Grandfell’s personality.
“Still, they look good.
I gazed at the lined-up knights with satisfaction.
And then, just like that.
A thud!
With a loud bang, the named monster appeared.
It was a giant turtle.
Its fangs protruded like a fierce beast.
A giant turtle with a carapace that glistened like gold.
Suddenly, I recognized the name from the new update.
“Golden Fang Giant Turtle: Lv.450”
The toughest of the toughest.
It was a level 450 monster.
The Yusra Islands consisted of ten islands.
Ten named monsters inhabit each island.
The highest level of them all was the giant turtle.
Not an easy start.
But it might be worth a try.
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Natural Enemies: Increases your combat power by leaps and bounds when battling with demons.
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That turtle wasn’t a demon.
Thanks to the Greed of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Enmity is activated.
Moreover, I had the greatest knightly order in the empire by my side.
The Knights of the Lion Heart.
“Now that we have learned of your connection to the Magic Tower. It would be presumptuous of me to tell you to stay out of harm’s way, so come on, adventurer. Won’t you join us to take down the beast?”
For some reason.
The Templars are being so polite to me.
I feel it again.
“I wonder if they have connections in ……Arcana.
I didn’t realize the halo of the tower was so bright.
In any case, I had no reason to refuse.
I replied as I always do.
“If you need my help, I’m happy to oblige.”
I added shamelessly.
“But there is give and take in all things. Always remember that. Sir Lion Hart, Knight Commander, Harkon Kingsguard.”
……I know I’m rambling.
And yet, I couldn’t believe it.
I mean, even if you put aside the sagas.
“You’re asking me to give you a drowning man, and you’re asking me to give you a bag?
Me and the Knights of Lion Hart.
We may have a common front.
The Knights of the Lion’s Heart will always be the superior force.
Why, they outnumbered me a hundred to one.
Levels?
Honestly, I’m embarrassed to even compare.
My level was a mere 146.
“The bus passenger said he’d rather take the bus fare.
And yet he was willing to help me.
As if that weren’t bad enough, he wanted to get paid for his help.
…… Or maybe he’d rather die of embarrassment than be killed by a monster.
Of course, she wasn’t wrong.
First and foremost, there is a certain dignity in dying.
It wasn’t the least bit offensive.
“I’ll keep that in mind. Adventurer.”
Boom!
A fist pounded on his heart.
Harkon answered with a grunt.
I said to myself.
“I shouldn’t raise him just because he’s in puberty.
He’s going to be spoiled if I keep accepting him like this.
But I’m glad I did.
It wasn’t a bad trade-off for my internal shame.
Lion Hart on the bus with the Knights of Columbus……. No, it wasn’t enough that I was forced into an alliance, I was forced into debt to them.
Add to that Harkon’s inexplicable reaction to the tower.
“You’ve got a lot on your plate.
That golden tortoise’s neck.
Not to mention the island’s treasure.
There were no more distractions.
Thump!
The giant tortoise bared its fangs at them.
“Knights of the Lion Heart! Charge!”
The knights rushed forward with Harkon’s shout.
They can’t lose.
I also manifested 『Magic』.
*.
Park Huigang stared at the scene in front of him in a daze.
‘……What the hell is this situation?’
He didn’t have the energy to be surprised or fuss.
The Emerald Tiger was simply subdued.
That alone was enough to make me shudder.
It was beyond my expectations.
-What is this, the Knights of Lion Heart?
-Wow, there’s an NPC and a route overlap.
-It’s a little hard to eat the island’s treasures on this island?
Yeah, as per the chat.
No luck this time, I thought.
What kind of NPCs are the Lion Heart Knights?
From when Arcana was a game to now.
They’ve been one of the most powerful military organizations outside of the Mighty Tower.
Number one in the guild rankings for sheer force.
Dwarfed only by the Shining.
-Faith Shakes Homen
Say what you will about power.
Lion Hart was Lion Hart.
Above all, the leader of the Knights, Harkon Kingsguard, was still alive and well.
Even Ho Yeol can’t compete with them.
Not even the viewers, not even Park Hwi Kang.
That’s what everyone thought.
But then a development that no one could have predicted began!
-What’s with the look on Harcon’s face?
-He looks so scared.
-What the hell is going on?!!
I’ll try to stay out of the way.
We were too far away to hear what Ho-yeol and Harkon were saying.
But those expressions.
It was obvious they were having a long conversation.
Moreover.
“Eh? Now, wait!!!”
Boom.
Harkon swore in his heart.
-No, wait, wait, wait, wait.
-That’s an imperial greeting, isn’t it?
Why are you doing that in front of Lee Ho-yeol?
-I had no doubt, Homen.
The heart of the lion.
To them, swearing an oath to the heart
meant a great deal to them.
So my curiosity was bound to grow.
Another pilgrimage had begun.
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Current viewers: 512,998
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And now.
An ever-increasing number of viewers.
In front of all those eyes.
The union of Ho Yeol and the Knights of Lion Hart was unfolding.
-Is that even possible?
Ho Yeol hunting the Golden Fang Giant Turtle as if he had a party with the Lion Heart Knights.
It’s amazing that they’re united in a common front with the Lion Heart Knights of Heaven.
-…… What the hell is this class?!
-And his support skills are amazing.
-Does it make sense to utilize those skills outside of class?
The viewers are purely
They were purely focused on Ho Yeol’s combat.
A battle they had never seen before.
Because Ho-yeol was showing it to them.
So it’s not a broadcast, it’s an intuition.
All Park Hwigang could say while watching was…….
“……wah.”
Those were the only words.
*.
“What is the advantage of [magic] over [skill]?
Honestly, I’m not sure anymore.
“It is what it is.
I realized that after meeting Marcelo and the other mages at the Magic Tower.
It’s not that magic is superior, it’s that Grampel’s talent for it is fraudulent.
“I didn’t realize it was so difficult.
Exploration, interference, manifestation.
The search is just the beginning.
I didn’t realize it was so much work.
In that way, the skill had a definite advantage.
“All you have to do is shout it out.
But the downside was also clear.
For one thing, it didn’t allow for creativity.
“For example.
Fire Arrow.
For skills.
All you could do was shoot a fire arrow.
At best, you could direct it.
But magic is different.
When you add the laboriousness of interference to the equation, you get…….
Bam!
Intense.
I was able to manifest a spinning, blazing Fire Arrow.
Its destructive power is incomparable to a normal fire arrow.
The acceleration of the spinning Fire Arrow increased its firepower even more.
Pah-bah-bah-bah!
Just like that.
A normal Fire Arrow would have been blocked by the dense vegetation, unable to reach the turtle.
But with a few more spins, it reduced the obstacle to ashes.
Boom!
You hit the giant turtle in the head.
I dealt enough damage to make it groan.
This was not an easy manifestation.
Not only was it harder, but it cost a lot more magic.
“Of course, that doesn’t apply to me.
I should be grateful, right?
To my former self, who was suffering from a secondary illness.
Of course, my magic wasn’t enough to take him down.
‘Even with the brooch’s effects in effect.
than his health.
My magic would be depleted first.
But at this moment, I was not alone.
“Attack his legs! Bring him to his knees!”
It’s encouraging to see……!
As high level as they were, the knights certainly fought well.
More than anything, their movements showed that they were well trained.
Harkon and the others were relentlessly attacking the turtle’s legs.
‘Just less efficient.
Not for lack of ability.
I’d say it’s a bad matchup.
We were racking up hits, but it seemed like it would be a while before he was brought to his knees.
Thick legs.
I couldn’t do any real damage.
[The Yusra Island begins to be tainted by greed].
[Collapse Progress: 4/10]
Four already.
I can’t help but realize that time is passing.
“So.
We’re going to have to get a little more creative here.
I said to Harkon.
“Harkon. I will assist you.”
“Assist, what does that mean, adventurer?”
“I will open the way.”
“……?”
On the face of it, that sounds pretty cool.
But that’s not what I meant to say.
I was only going to open a literal ‘path’.
“I just happen to have enough materials.”
A giant turtle on a rampage.
His rampage took down trees.
A mountain crumbled to the ground.
A giant boulder is broken into smaller pieces.
Exploring, interfering, manifesting.
Moment by moment, the shape of the rubble changed.
I added creativity to the mix.
Inspiration, from the stupa.
‘On the steps of the stupa, to be precise.
Mm-hmm.
A set of stairs appeared out of thin air.
The stairs are the giant tortoise’s only weakness.
The tortoise’s head was embroidered.
‘It’s worth spending more than half my magic power.
Thousands of steps in thin air.
Although I manifested…….
Just looking at it makes me feel magnificent.
“Now, you……!”
Harkon stuttered in surprise for a moment.
He quickly grasped my intentions.
And gave the command.
“The way is open. Do not waste the opportunity. We’ll finish them off!”
Tadak─!
The knights ascended the stairs.
Indeed, the hearts of lions.
They’re not like me, the one who stood at the top of the stairs.
I immediately cast a reversal spell.
The stairs they climbed were torn down and new ones were built.
I didn’t do this because I wanted to replicate the staircase of the magic tower.
It was simply the limitations of my meager magic power.
“It’s hard enough to maintain……!
Thrifty horsepower.
It takes energy to levitate a staircase out of thin air.
I had to cut out as many corners as I could.
‘It’s a great illusion.
If you didn’t know any better.
It doesn’t look like a very high level of magic.
Once again, I realize my plight.
A swan on a lake.
Feigning grace.
I’m forced to flail my legs incessantly.
But for this moment, I don’t feel sorry for myself.
Tadadat─!
Up the stairs.
Pook─!
Pook!
The knights’ swords plunged into the nape of the giant turtle’s neck.
At the same time.
A message came to me.
[Knight, ‘Harkon Kingsguard’ gives up his kill credit for the Golden Fang Giant Turtle].
[Knight, ‘Enoch Loren’ relinquishes kill credit for Golden Fang Giant Turtles].
[Article, ‘Yeshika Bright’ waives kill credit for golden-fanged giant tortoise]…….
At the end of the dizzying message.
[Relinquished kill credit is transferred].
[Loot is automatically claimed for high kill contributions].
[You have leveled up].
[You’ve leveled up].
[You’ve leveled up.]…….
I said shamelessly.
“Indeed, you are as honorable as your name. Knight of the Lion Heart.”