◈ Episode 32. The Basics Are Important
A scream.
Nam Tae-min’s face contorted like the famous painting of the same name.
“……aaaaaaaaa!!!”
He suddenly screamed.
There’s no monster in sight.
He must have gone berserk.
“What’s wrong, Nam Tae-min?”
“Hyung, did you eat something wrong?”
“That’s why I told you to eat less cup noodles…….”
The guild members’ faces were colored with embarrassment.
They had noticed his change in emotion.
Blood is thicker than water.
It was only his brother, Nam Chul-min.
-……Wow, I told you he was tough!
He didn’t let go of his hope and pushed to sign Lee Ho-yeol.
They were attacking the Yusra Islands, thinking that no news was good news.
But what did they see in front of them?
“Ugh, how can this be!”
Knight Lion Hart.
He showed up with a bunch of monstrous NPCs!
I would have been less shocked if I had given up earlier.
But this is a neat way to end it.
-Tae Min Ah. Now we have no choice but to go to Plan B.
As expected, Nam Chul-min is a quick thinker like an analyst.
His lane was simple.
-Friendship, and if that doesn’t work, at least avoid hostility.
If you can’t handle it, don’t touch it.
Tae-min nodded.
“……Yes, I’ve seen it in person, you’re good at it.”
A greatsword the size of a man and a one-handed sword.
Despite their different sizes, Nam Tae-min wielded the swords just like Harkon.
That’s why I could tell.
The level of difference.
It was the same with the berserker from the neighboring island.
“Huh?!”
It was Leonie who made the odd noise.
“……, is that a new trick you’ve developed?”
Shut the f*ck up.
I need to tackle him right now.
I was too stunned to react.
The instincts of a berserker who only knows how to fight.
Leonie reflexively started quoting.
“……Frontal? Surprise? Daguri?! No matter what.
Harkon Kingsguard.
There was no way the old man could win.
Leonie scratched her head impatiently.
“Ugh. No way!”
The last island.
Since you haven’t claimed the island’s treasure.
I’m going to go full-on crazy, I promised myself.
“That’s not fair!”
The Knights of Lion Hart.
Where do they come out of nowhere?
This is why we don’t have the island’s treasure.
I wonder if I can get a kill credit for a named monster.
Thud, thud, thud.
Leonie had no choice but to stumble.
“……?”
Small stature.
It was due to his relatively narrow vision.
Leonie was a beat behind the others.
She spotted the man with the knights.
“Is that……?!”
A knight in gleaming plate armor.
A silver-haired man in an ink-colored suit.
Ho Yeol.
“I knew it.”
Shining.
“How could a Korean brat?”
Cheon Ha Tong Il.
Tudududududu.
Even the helicopters in the sky.
There was no distinction to be made.
This moment.
All eyes turned to Ho Yeol and the Lion Heart Knights.
.
.
.
Let’s see.
Had I ever been the center of such intense attention in my life?
That alone should make you swoon.
“At least you’ve got the formality.”
I’d been reveling in the attention.
It’s a reminder.
“It’s a significant development.”
This shameless……!
Can you even say that now?
I wanted to ask myself if I could.
I can’t help it.
I’m supposed to notice.
I can see that the silence, the stares, are not an innocent reaction.
If you put it another way, it’s understandable.
“I’d be surprised, too.
A player shows up with the Knights of the Lionheart, once the strongest in the Empire. And with the island’s treasure at stake.
“It’s natural to be wary.
But.
“I’m just as crazy as you are……!
Me and the Knights of Lion Hart.
Wasn’t this a relationship born of misunderstanding?
More accurately, it started with an overestimation of myself.
I wonder what kind of gaze everyone is looking at me with.
Pondering it wouldn’t tell me.
But I could be sure of one thing.
“At least they can’t imagine I’m level 166.
What if the bubble bursts?
Maybe I’d feel like a fraud later.
I might have gotten restless.
That’s the old me.
But today, I was confident.
And it wasn’t just because I was under the influence of the Grandfell.
It was because I was fighting.
Because I’m always fighting.
I knew I wasn’t sinking.
“Underestimation requires proof, and overestimation requires that you make it happen.”
……In the setting.
It was becoming more and more like the Grandfell.
It doesn’t matter.
Black history is not to be immersed in, but to overcome.
Grandfell was just me in the past.
‘It’s a lonely fight, where no one understands.
At least I wasn’t lonely now.
Harkon was beside me, echoing my words.
“Indeed, it looks disciplined. Is this the work of Lord Ho-Yeol?”
I had a feeling he had a better idea than I did.
Anyway, I must now focus on the enemy in front of me.
The last named monster of the Yusra Islands.
[Lava Giant Carp: Lv.420]
The tension in the air was palpable.
Indeed, as its name suggests.
It was fiery from the start.
Goo-goo-goo-goo-!
“……Can you feel it? The ground is shaking!”
“Is it an earthquake?”
“No, it’s an explosion. It’s a volcano!”
The players shouted.
They were right.
Puff-puff-puff!
Smoke rose from the mountain in the center of the island, and red lava began to spew out.
A Named Monster is a Named Monster.
There’s definitely something out of this level.
“Don’t worry, we’ll stick to the plan.”
“Did everyone get their gear with the Fire Resistance option?”
“Cooldown, anyone? Can I get a blessing?”
Of course, none of the players panicked or fumbled.
The information was there in the update history.
The Lava Giant Carp.
The name alone should have told you what to expect.
“This is not good.”
Harkon’s brow creased.
It was hard to imagine NPCs summoned from Arcana checking their homepage for updates.
Even if they had, it would have been difficult to prepare for.
After a moment of silence, I spoke up.
“You have nothing to worry about. Lord Harkon.”
It wasn’t a bluff.
Fire resistance gear?
Fire resistance buffs?
Why would I need such a thing?
“I have magic.
I checked my magic level.
‘It’s a bit, but it’s about 8% of my regenerated magic.
Indeed, it’s worth saving my magic instead of being satisfied with the brooch’s effect.
If it’s this much magic on the last island.
I’ll be able to manifest my magic without worry.
I finished speaking.
“I did not bring you here without a plan.”
* * * * *.
Arcana Today.
The experts spoke up on the screen.
“Hey, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’m pretty sure this is unprecedented, even before and after the Cataclysm! A player showing up with a Knight, and the strongest in the Empire, the Lion Heart Knights!”
“I agree. He’s been on a ridiculous run since his first appearance. Player, Lee Ho-yeol!”
“According to the reports that just came in, Player Lee Ho-yeol has also obtained the island’s treasure. It is said that he has united with the Lion Heart Knights to defeat the named monster, Lava Giant Carp!”
“Speaking of the Lava Giant Carp, wasn’t it the highest leveled Named Monster in the new update, expert?”
Gaon’s performance.
This made the excited studio atmosphere even more heated.
Lee Ho-yeol, whether his interview demeanor was honest or cocky.
What’s the point?
“With a performance like this, even if you can’t say anything else, you’ll understand! I’m proud of you, player Lee Ho-yeol!”
It felt like something pent up had been released.
For a moment, the cast is drunk on the afterglow.
The Named Monster had made his appearance.
From the moment he appeared, there was a lot of noise.
“Yes, it’s the Named Monster, changing the environment.”
Shooting from above, I could see the changing landscape at a glance.
Gushing lava was covering the island at a rapid pace.
Experts were concerned.
“……This is going to be tricky, isn’t it?”
“There’s bound to be restrictions on movement.”
“I hope players are properly prepared.”
But it wasn’t just the environment that was tricky.
It was like swimming underwater.
A lava giant carp begins to swim through the lava behind it.
Bam!
He’s huge, and he’s kicking up lava.
No wonder lava was flying everywhere.
The players’ struggles were also broadcast.
“If it weren’t for the …… buff, I would have taken a lot of damage.”
“It’s very annoying, it won’t fight at all.”
“It’s just running away, and the damage is piling up on the players! It’s a goldfish, why are you being so clever with the fish theme!”
“Expert, it’s not a goldfish, it’s a koi…….”
“Well, well, well, aren’t they both fish!”
I found myself getting irritated.
The situation was dire.
Worst of all, he had no intention of fighting.
The roiling lava makes melee combat impossible.
Any ranged attack, including magic, would be met with the creature hiding in the lava, minimizing its damage.
The cast cautiously gathered their thoughts.
“This is going to be a long battle.”
Then it happened.
That prediction was overturned.
The broadcast screen zoomed in on them.
The onlookers gasped in horror.
“Now, wait a minute, the lava is cracking, eh?!”
*sigh
Levels have always been the absolute measure.
Sometimes, compatibility was just as important.
Like now.
“It doesn’t look like it’s easy to get to. Sir.”
A level 600 harkon.
To him, a level 420 Named Monster wouldn’t be a problem.
As long as he could get close.
No, if it even showed the slightest sign of attacking, he’d be able to spin it out of existence.
“If only you’d show me the slightest sign of weakness, but you don’t seem willing to do that.”
So they were compatible.
In that environment, in that personality.
But it applied differently to me.
I looked at the lava.
Exploring.
Because this lava wasn’t a [skill].
Just like the stones.
I didn’t have to go through an inefficient process.
‘All thanks to Grandfell’s setup.
Of course, it’s not a familiar material like stone, so creative interference was out of the question.
But that’s okay.
I’m not alone.
I have manifested magic.
Adding to the interference process was simple positional manipulation.
It was an unfamiliar exploration material, so the energy drain was significant.
It was no problem to manifest.
That’s right.
Sooooo─!
Immediately, the lava cracked.
Harkon spoke to me.
“How foolish of me to doubt you for a moment, Lord Ho-Yeol!”
Harkon was astonished.
The great Harkon was astonished.
No wonder the players were stunned.
“What a crazy……!”
“I can’t believe it. Now he can split lava?!”
“I don’t even know what a skill is!”
Unlike skills, magic allows for creative expression.
It took me a few days to realize it, even with Grandfell’s brain.
Even if I explained it to him, he wouldn’t understand.
So I said to Harkon.
“You don’t have to climb the stairs this time. Lord Harkon.”
He’s not one for jokes.
Even in a situation like this, he can make a joke.
The corner of his mouth lifted as he drew his sword.
“How can I not return the favor!”
Through the cracked lava.
The knights of the Lion’s Heart rush in.
Pure admiration.
“I don’t know whose party this is, but they’re strong. All of them.
But my work is not done here.
I must do my best with what little magic I have left.
Now that I’m in a party.
I had to contribute some kills to earn experience and loot……!
Of course, you can only use so much magic.
Until Harkon and the knights were no longer engulfed in lava.
I needed to maintain my current manifestation.
‘I can only use a very small amount of magic.’
There’s only so much I can do with a small amount of magic.
to interfere with the most familiar navigational material, stone.
And that’s it.
the reason I was confident I had the upper hand.
Cracked lava.
The rapidly cooling lava changed shape as a result.
“……Well, I can’t help it.
I promised myself I wouldn’t put up a good fight.
After all, I’m going to have to drag out another elementary science course.
Basalt is what happens when lava cools.
It may have a different name, but it’s always stone.
Stone is a familiar material for exploration.
So, searching, interfering, manifesting.
The process is swift.
The consumption of magic power is also extremely minimal.
Quadruple-quadruple-quadruple!
Soon, dozens of stone spears appeared in the air.
Shush, shush, shush─!
I sent those stone spears flying towards the side of the lava carp.
“……This is crazy!!!”
“Sh*t, is this for real?!”
“Ooh, what are we looking at……?”
In this moment, I didn’t care what they were looking at me.
It was a magical manifestation that brought everything out of nothing.
Because that was my way too.
I said nonchalantly.
“It’s a hit.”