◈ Episode 309. The World May Have Abandoned Them (5)
Part 2.
I define dark history as a time when I could not distinguish between reality and ideals. It’s no wonder I was so fascinated by Akshan.
Case in point.
Let’s take a look at the flashy demon hunter’s outfit.
Although it looks very plausible on the surface.
But it doesn’t hold up to performance.
What about the weapon?
A silver sword in one hand.
Crossbow in the other.
Sounds versatile, but they’re both below average and vague.
Same goes for demon hunting.
Demon hunting.
It feels like digging into the hidden evils of the Arcana continent, but at best, it’s just a matter of exorcizing demons possessing NPCs the old-fashioned way.
It was a nice little gimmick.
At that point, I should have been just as disappointed as the rest of the players in the shithole reality of Akshan, which was far from idealized, but I didn’t recognize that at the time. I built a class called the Demon Hunter.
I still do.
I stared at the quest objective in front of me.
‘Why the hell am I doing this?’
Class Quest.
Demon Hunters in the stomach of the Bad Omen.
Probably the only way they could communicate with me.
Knowing that, it didn’t make sense.
‘You were betrayed, weren’t you?’
Akshan warned the Arcana Continent of the existence of demons.
‘It will be unstoppable when it is fully active.’
They should declare a holy war and act quickly.
But the result was annihilation.
They were stabbed in the back by the Arcana Continent, their bodies torn apart by the demons they hunted, and finally swallowed by the Bad Omen, disappearing from the Arcana Continent without a trace.
‘Even if you laugh at me and say it’s a shame, no one will say anything, right?’
Even if Akshan laughs at the devastated Arcana continent.
There would be no one to criticize Akshan.
If they had any sense of decency.
But what is so good about the Arcana Continent?
●The Last Demon Hunter. (Success)
●So that no one gets swallowed up ever again. (Success)
●So that no one is forgotten. (Success)
●Seal the Bad Omen in the southern sea with us. (Proceeding)
You want to be sealed in the southern sea with the Bad Omen?
I, Lee Hoyeol.
Personally, I hate new dramas.
I’m a tired old socialite who’s sick and tired of heroic stories that emphasize sacrifice. Naturally, I would have complained about this shitty quest, and in the old days, I would have grumbled about what kind of quest this damn thing was so sick of.
But now that I’ve gotten to know Akshan better.
I couldn’t just laugh it off.
And deep down, I was worried.
The Bad Omen is not a monster that can be defeated.
Even if you believe in the [Last Adventurer] effect and run for your life, that’s it. Didn’t AAU also tell you that the Bad Omen are there to give [Creation] and [Deletion] a possibility.
Even if it’s defeated. Raymond, if he tampered with the code, it might be able to move again. In that sense, it might be the only way.
No one can predict it, no one can handle it.
An Akshan demon hunter with a [Natural Enemy] triggered.
Sealed in the southern seas with them.
‘And why do you do it?’
A dizzying array of restoration messages.
There was no Akshan among them.
No way.
Operation Bucket wasn’t over yet, or so I thought. After the Bad Omen hunt was over, I’d sipped my kimchi, thinking about the beans that would fall from Akshan.
But this is how you plan the finale of Operation Bucket.
I wanted to call it quits now.
But damn Akshan’s sensibilities.
There’s a writer here who understands it better than anyone.
“That is your pride.”
Yes, my childhood ideal.
An ideal realized.
Grandfell is here.
He doesn’t seem to want to, but the words come out calmly.
“I knew it.”
…… Is this my own karma?
If only I had a better plan than this bucket of shit.
I would have pushed for it long ago.
But you’re not seniors for nothing.
‘……This plan was conceived by the great Akshan.’
And at a time like this, I’ve never heard such a compliment in my life.
●Well done. (Success)
Isn’t that cheating, you guys?
Sigh.
And now that I’ve said it.
I have no choice but to keep my word.
If that’s your pride.
It’s best I give you the benefit of the doubt.
I raise the Illusion Breaker.
“I will join you, Mr. Grandfell.”
Mary’s violet magic intensifies.
Still, I don’t expect to be able to kill the Bad Omen.
My role is simple.
is to send the Bad Omen into the southern sea.
Isn’t that the least you can do, Grandfell?
With that, I took to my feet.
Levitating, I walked through the air and approached the Bad Omen.
It’s all very formal, but the seniors are going through all this trouble.
How can a junior carry the burden?
Ssuk─
It didn’t take long for me to go from walking to running.
Then, I unleash the Illusion Breaker.
Boom!
A sharper sword force emanates.
Plunges the Illusion Breaker into the body of the Bad Omen.
Operates [Tenacity] like water.
Converts all [Tenacity] stats to [Strength].
[Tenacity is converted to Strength].
[Strength: 570].
My limit without Natural Enemy triggered.
I know it without anyone telling me.
I can’t do much damage to a creature with my bottomless pile of stacks. But even if the bottom was pierced and leaking.
“Too light.”
The burden I carried.
It’s heavy enough to make the water that leaked out only ‘barely’.
In contrast, Bad Omen, you are light for your size.
I spoke coldly, as if addressing a demon.
“The Akshan you swallowed will not weigh as much as this.”
The Illusion Breaker’s edge glows even as it’s plunged into the Bad Omen.
As if that weren’t bad enough, the Bad Omen begins to move.
It shakes its massive body like it’s shaking off a pesky fly.
Mary warns me.
“Mr. Grandfell!”
Permission to delete. Everything in its path is sucked into the mass of machinery. For now, I need to keep my distance, and then I think.
‘What does he, Raymond Sean, want?’
Swoosh.
I summon the magic I’ve been reserving for teatime.
I close the distance in an instant and continue to think.
It was a calmness that was not unlike cold blood.
It wasn’t hard to think of something.
‘What was deleted has been restored.’
Let’s go back in time.
Deletion is not a power of the Bad Omen.
It is the power of Raymond Sean, who controls the Bad Omen.
‘We don’t know what the purpose of the manipulation was.’
But it’s clear that Raymond Sean deleted Akshan for a reason.
There’s a reason he erased those who poured out of the Bad Omen from the Arcana.
There must be some ulterior motive.
How can you be so sure?
‘Just look at the deletion of the demons.’
And just as I suspected, the Bad Omen was at work.
Goooo……!
As if it didn’t matter that everyone was aware of its existence.
Or, at least, as long as it’s making itself known.
As if it needed to swallow back what it had spat out.
It was trying to get out of the southern sea with its huge body.
No wonder.
“The Creator to the creature.”
I have no intention of letting you go quietly.
[Tenacity] flowing like water once more.
[Tenacity converts to magic power].
[Magic: 1,120]
I don’t know about other stats, but I’ve been steadily improving my [Magic Power] through leveling up and herbs. Isn’t it enough because [Natural Enemy] isn’t triggered? No, it’s enough.
I don’t need to manifest anything big.
I pour in a thin, steady stream of magic. A manifestation that makes the most of the [Blessing of the First World Tree], which keeps my magic regeneration close to maximum.
That’s right, I’m going to manifest the [『Anomaly』] that brought the fourth-ranked Gamigin down to hell. I scatter magic particles into the air. I had to add [gravity] to the interference process to pull the Bad Omen down to the southern sea.
Of course, things are different now.
『Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo’s pride is paradoxically heightened the most in the presence of the demon』
What lies ahead is not the demon, nor is it a monster.
I don’t see anything resembling the Hellfire that was so instrumental in killing Gamigin. Still, I don’t doubt. It was too much to doubt.
The struggle I’ve been having since Gamigin.
Even a [『Anomaly』] isn’t enough?
Don’t think that the only thing I’ve grown is my level and stats.
I have yet to unleash my full power.
Then, a noise in my ears.
Sussss─
I’m not even close to being pushed back.
A giant silhouette looms over Mary.
Realizing what it is, Mary opens her mouth.
“Dr, dragon……?”
[The legendary “Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol” materializes].
Its massive wings flap.
At my command, it envelops the Bad Omen with its entire body.
With its wings and tail, it grasps the Bad Omen and reveals its razor-sharp teeth.
I can only be grateful for this moment.
‘To all my bubbles.’
Two completely different worlds.
The Arcana Continent and the real world.
The legend of the Dark Dragon echoes in both worlds.
The power of a legend depends on how widely and truthfully it is told, so it’s no wonder that the Dark Dragon has grown to rival the Bad Omen in size.
‘Even if you just count the number of times it’s been written about on the internet…….’
I’m not exaggerating, that’s hundreds of millions of times a day.
The joining of the Dark Dragon.
The Bad Omen was no longer as fierce as before.
Indeed, my legend.
You won’t be able to resist the Dark Dragon’s grasp on your ankles.
But don’t overlook it now.
Illusion Breaker is not pleased.
-I’ve been waiting, Master. Time to call the shots!
Ego Sword.
I still haven’t gotten the best out of the Gwicheol. What a legendary item. With my [Strength] and [Dexterity] totaling in the low 300s, it’s honestly a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.
‘It’s best to leave everything to Gwicheol.’
Just as we did when you defeated Sword Saint Shegwin.
But I will not allow the noble pride of Grandfell to be swayed by the Gwicheol, and I have used it to my own detriment.
But.
“Go on a rampage, Illusion Breaker.”
It’s legal now?
In this moment.
The Illusion Breaker was out of my hands and stuck in my chest.
Boom!
With a grinding noise, the Illusion Breaker begins to dig into the Bad Omen body. Illusion Breaker, I hear a voice in my head that lives up to its name.
-It is only my Master who can touch me and remain alive. Don’t you dare stand on the same eye level as the Master on an illusory subject. I will not tolerate it.
Dark Dragon and Gwicheol.
The two legends intertwine fiercely to bring down the Bad Omen.
So persistent, the Bad Omen, and Raymond.
Mary’s eyes widen, and she opens her mouth.
“I’ll lend a hand.”
She’s one of the few allies who’s willing to hand over command.
But don’t overlook her now.
The main characters, our seniors, haven’t even shown up yet.
Still, they’re no pushovers.
……Ka-dunk-!
A noise rings out from deep within the Bad Omens body.
At the same time, it begins to twist.
Akshan began to rampage.
I said.
Not towards the Bad Omen.
Toward Raymond Sean, who must be watching this from somewhere.
“Don’t you dare try to judge me with your ignorance.”
Goooooooo……!!!
At the same time, the Bad Omen begins to sink.
Dark Dragon, Illusion Breaker, and Mary.
Akshan presses on even further.
“The sublime pride of humanity.”
……How shameless of you, using the word sublime.
‘By the way.’
It was like declaring victory early.
Now you’ve really gone all out.
If you still can’t quell the Bad Omen.
‘It must be quite embarrassing.’
It was a moment of thought.
I realized it again.
Kugugugugugung……!!!
This snout doesn’t say anything it can’t keep.
Flickering Vision.
[Status abnormality, ‘Magic Exhaustion’ occurs].
[Blessing of the First World Tree rejects ‘Magic Exhaustion’].
[Status abnormality, ‘Magic Exhaustion’ occurs] …….
Between the alternating messages.
●Seal the Bad Omen into the southern sea with us. (Success)
A flashing quest flashes by.
[You have successfully completed the quest].
[You will be rewarded].
[Your relationship with Akshan increases to maximum].
[Your friendship with Akshan increases to maximum] …….
I looked out over the southern sea.
It’s all over, like the quest is over.
It’s so still.
‘Damn.’
Finally, I opened my mouth.
“Akshan.”
I don’t care if this fucking ending is Akshan’s pride.
I don’t care if Grandfell approves.
This is me, Lee Hoyeol’s vow.
“I look forward to reuniting with you.”
A promise made with a mouth that never utters a word it cannot keep.
It was then.
‘……?’
Suddenly, a beam of light rose from the southern sea.
‘……Aesthetic?’
[Aesthetic has reached [Top].
A beam of light from [Aesthetic].
The beam of light rippled like waves.
It stretched out across the entire Arcana continent.
“……!”
It didn’t take long to realize the identity of the light.
*
“What the hell is going on?”
“Shit, my head…….”
“……Does everyone remember?”
It wasn’t the same.
Back on the Arcana continent.
Because they remembered.
“Those demons, surely. Yeah, they were screaming Akshan!”
“That’s right, Akshan……!”
“Akshan, did they save us……?”
Akshan, who sacrificed for them in the belly of the Bad Omen.
So Akshan is not forgotten.
From mouth to mouth.
For in their stories, Akshan will live on.
On the Arcana continent, forever.
Yes, indeed.
The world calls such stories “legends.”
[‘The legend of Akshan, Hero of the New Era’, echoes across the Arcana continent].
.
.
.
[Your legend becomes reality.]
……No, wait a minute.
If I’d known we’d be reunited so soon.
Even though tears welled up, I held them back!!