◈ Episode 34. A True Nemesis (2)

Why did my body recover from magic exhaustion?

‘Perhaps it’s the synergistic effect.

If the demon hunter’s relationship with his demon nemesis simply improved his combat power.

Grandfell’s relationship with the demon gave him additional stats, including magic regeneration.

“Unbreakable Pride.

As upright as ever.

He should be pleased, but he couldn’t like it.

I knew from experience.

The setup for the Grandfell is never a one-size-fits-all.

‘……It’s scary.

It took a lot of hard work to get there.

From the physical training of repeated quests to the A4 sheets of paper I had to fill up.

I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve lost sleep over the Rare Genius setting.

But it was all worth it now.

‘Not another demon, but a great evil.

Well, technically, it was an incarnation of evil, but whatever.

An enemy that would make even the mighty Harkon nervous.

It would be ridiculous to face such a creature with depleted magic.

First, let’s be grateful.

While I was thinking about that, Harkon approached me.

“Lord Ho-Yeol, do you know why you came to the Yusra Islands……?”

It was because of the renewed quest.

Or, to put it another way, because of evil.

I replied as if it were obvious.

“I see. Lord Harkon.”

“……!”

His pupils dilated for a moment.

Harkon muttered to himself.

“……I’m sorry, Your Majesty. If only I had realized it sooner.”

When he says sire, he means emperor.

There was no reason to respond to the mutterings.

Of course, what was unknowing?

This was no time to rack his brains.

“…… Prepare for battle! They’re coming!”

An ornate palace that seemed to embody greed.

Soldiers began to spring up around it.

They weren’t summoned, but sprouting was the right word.

Hood, Hood, Hood!

They were actually crawling out of the ground.

Someone shouted.

“It’s the undead!”

Sure enough, they were right.

A skeleton had emerged from the dirt.

“The undead are not demons, but…….

I checked the skill window.

───────

Natural Enemy: Increases combat power by leaps and bounds when fighting demons.

───────

Enemy Relations was still active.

It had been activated while the beast was crouching.

Now that it was fully revealed, there was no need to check.

But I needed to make a sober judgment.

I looked around the battlefield.

I saw players scrambling.

“We’ll have to take it down before we can enter, right?”

“We need to fight them with as little damage as possible!”

“That’s a good idea, it’ll be more competitive inside!”

Unlike me, the demon hunter.

The players didn’t realize the gravity of the situation.

They were excited and eager to capture the Golden Palace and the Great Evil.

Maybe they would.

The Golden Palace.

From the looks of it, it looked like it would be a great source of loot.

Greed, itself.

The Golden Palace, by its very existence.

It clouds the players’ judgment.

A symbol of integrity, of course.

For Grandfell, greed is a non-existent emotion.

This means that my judgment is intact.

Thanks to him, I was able to make rational decisions.

“We must conserve our magic.

The embodiment of evil.

Its strength cannot be compared to that of Count Ascura.

I had no energy to waste on a skeleton.

In that sense, I was fortunate.

I had the most reliable ally of all.

Even if it was only in the Yusra Islands.

“Lord Harkon. Does your vow still stand?”

“Of course.”

With that, Harkon donned his helmet.

Clang.

Then he and his knights raised their swords and shields.

“I have sworn to the king that I will be your sword and shield in this place. Ser Hoyeol, you are authorized to lead us, the Knights of the Lionheart.”

He added a word.

“Especially since I have learned that you have come here to slay a demon. At the very least, you can rest assured that I will not back down in the face of the enemy.”

Oh, and line up.

The Knights of Lion Hart lined up in front of me.

I feel like a big deal.

I didn’t feel smug.

It’s just me taking their loyalty for granted.

‘……It’s a tiring thought.

But it was a burden.

Responsibility comes with the territory.

In a word, noblesse oblige.

I wondered why I’d even bothered with such a tired setup, when my past self would have used……! At least I was sure of this. I just took a word that sounded cool.

Regardless of its truth, of course.

I opened my mouth proudly.

I turned to the players and said.

“The Knights of the Lion Heart need your blessing and favor to face the undead. If you will cooperate, I would be deeply grateful for the favor.”

……It’s shameless to ask for favors!

He’s just saying he needs a buff.

God bless you.

Skeletons and other undead had no such weaknesses.

Naturally, I had no such skill.

I thought to myself.

“An order, maybe, but a favor.

I never thought I’d say this.

It’s like I’ve grown up with responsibilities, or something.

As if that weren’t enough, I’m grateful for the favor.

Of course, it still sounds arrogant to the players.

I’m just going to say thank you with no concrete reward.

Especially after all the unkind looks I’ve gotten.

Not a single one of them would say…….

“We’ll help you…….”

“We’ll work with you!”

I thought …… would say.

Somehow, the answers came at the same time.

I looked at the two men and women.

……Wait, isn’t that us?

*** read first on https://pindangscans.com

Eventually, the collapse progressed to the end.

The golden palace that appeared at the same time.

Nam Tae-min muttered.

“My brother was right after all.”

-Be careful. Tae-min, it won’t be easy.

The Yusra Islands.

It was too calm to be the legendary treasure island.

Unless, of course, ten Named Monsters were guarding the treasure.

The rice cakes that had been thrown there since the days when Arcana was just a game were huge.

Nam Chul-min continued.

-Don’t be greedy. Let’s go slowly.

Nam Tae-min stared at the golden palace.

……Why am I staring at it like this?

As he stared at the golden palace, he felt like he was mesmerized by something.

“Eh? Eh, yeah. Hyung. You need to wake up.”

Nam Tae-min quickly shook his head.

Then he spoke to his guildmates.

“The opponent is a demon race. Mental strength items, buffs. Prepare what you can in advance. We don’t know when the battle will begin……. Well, you didn’t have to tell me.”

Skeletons rise from the ground.

Demons, and now the undead?

“You’re just plain f*cked up.”

Nam Tae-min forced the corners of his mouth up.

“If you will cooperate, I am deeply grateful for the favor.”

…… This voice?

It was Ho-yeol’s voice.

Not just Nam Tae-min.

Even Nam Chul-min, who was listening through his earphones.

-Tae-min, this is your chance!

It was Ho-yeol’s favor, not anyone else’s.

Even if the other players didn’t know, the brothers did.

How many times had they seen Ho-yeol’s abilities in front of them?

He couldn’t pass it up.

“We’ll cooperate!”

I replied reflexively.

And then our eyes met.

“……What the f*ck?”

With Leonie looking up at me very disapprovingly.

“We’ll help you…….”

Leonie, her reason for using a forced respectful tone was simple.

Those crazy things were stabbing her in the side.

Cackle, cackle, cackle.

And she was screaming like a crow.

“Sis, it’s a favor!”

“Quick, quick!”

“No, shit.”

Of course, Leonie had some will of her own.

Just like the Nam siblings in Gaon.

“That monster.

Leonie was one of the people who had witnessed Ho Yue’s abilities.

Witnessed?

Thanks to Ho Yeol, the Berserker Guild had the honor of being the first to clear the new Rift.

“Well, it’s a way of returning the favor.

A favor should be paid back while it was still possible.

After all, Leonie knew better.

-I’m afraid I don’t have a car for you.

I’m afraid I don’t have a car for you.

Leonie stifled a giggle.

“But you said you wouldn’t forget the favor first.

If all goes well, I’ll be able to get a decent cup of tea, right?

I’m getting my appetite back just like that…….

Suddenly, a giant unwelcome visitor appeared in the form of Gaon.

Bam!

Gaon and Berserker.

Barbarian and Berserker.

A barbarian and a berserker.

The tension between them was palpable.

But it was a tension that would not end easily.

“I remember you.”

“……!!”

It only took one word.

*sigh

The world is so warm.

We haven’t even talked to each other in person.

You’re so willing to help me.

I feel that there is still some kindness in the world.

‘I regret it.

Nam Tae-min and Leonie.

They were both involved in the Count of Ascura rift.

I was so rude to them then.

‘It’s not polite. I don’t have a bus to offer.’

……You’ve said all you need to say, and more.

Of course, regret was not a word in Grandfell’s vocabulary.

I said nonchalantly.

“I won’t forget the favor.”

“Oh.”

At my words, Nam Tae-min clapped his hands.

Gaon, the best guild in Korea.

And the guild master of Gaon, Nam Tae-min.

Even I, who hadn’t been interested in players in the past, couldn’t help but recognize Nam Tae-min.

In Korea, Nam Tae-min was a hero beyond players.

“A favor like this is nothing, Mr. Ho-yeol……. Or should I say Sir. Ho-yeol? Anyway, I have some help from Sir. Ho-yeol!”

By help, I assume you’re referring to the square battle.

Should I call it help?

“Just luck.”

A time when magic was all you had to build walls.

It was a matter of meeting the right cavalry at the right time and winning.

But as with regrets.

It was an emotion Grandfell had no humility for.

“So be it. I suppose there’s give and take in everything.”

As if the Knights of Lionheart weren’t enough?

……I don’t know. Now I’m afraid of myself.

I looked at Leonie.

“I’m watching your every move, too.”

The Berserker Guild.

One of the top guilds, if not the top.

I could still see the way she wielded her twin swords.

Though I never really got to copy it because I didn’t have a sword I could wear.

“Hic.”

Why does she look so surprised?

Leonie’s eyes widened at my words.

There’s no way his straightforward nature would let a question like this slip past him.

“What are you so surprised about?”

“Oh, no, I’m not surprised. I……?!”

But enough to force the unspeakable.

It’s not like Grandfell is another narrow-minded aristocrat.

“Good, then.”

Besides, now was not the time for small talk.

They were about to enter the Golden Palace.

Harkon turned to the two men.

“Thank you, adventurers. Your blessing will be a great help in our fight against evil.”

Knights of Lionheart armed with buffs.

A player who appeared to be a healer approached me and asked.

“Do you happen to have any buffs you need? A goddess prayer, a blessing, something. I have the highest skill proficiency in the Gaon Guild!”

I replied nonchalantly.

“I don’t believe in gods.”

……I’m losing my mind. Seriously!

Cringe-worthy line.

The look on his face that didn’t change after he said it.

I’ll be honest with you.

I’m more afraid to open my mouth than the great evil in front of me……!

“Prayer is a blessing to the mind, and physical power is a boost to the body.

I have both, but they were one mana buffs.

So that just means I don’t need a buff.

Damn it.

Internal shame boiled over.

So I didn’t hesitate.

To the Palace of Greed.

I walked quickly.

Another angle─

Before anyone could catch me off guard,……!

*** Read First on https://pindangscans.com

AAU Korea Association.

Sung Hyun-joon accessed the official Arcana website.

He checked the status of the latest update.

“……I knew it!”

“What is it? Is there an additional patch?”

“Yes, sir. I swear, even Raymond didn’t see this coming!”

Yusra Islands.

No, more precisely, the Kingdom of Yusra.

It was a large piece of content that Sung had been preparing since his days as a developer at Arkana.

Not only him, but the entire Arcana development team was aware of the Yusra Kingdom.

“No, if you’re going to do it alone, at least do it right!”

The target of his anger was Raymond Shen.

What the hell did I do wrong?

“……Hyunjun, I’m not the only one who’s mistaken, am I?”

“You can’t be mistaken, it was supposed to be the end of the Kingdom of Yusra, Raymond Sean, until that bastard went missing and Cosmo was ruined!”

“But, why, is that now……?”

Had the now-defunct Golden Palace reappeared, along with an unheard-of monster called the Great Evil?

“What’s with the Seven Deadly Sins and Greed, which I only know about.”

The good news is.

The good news is that there was an update, complete with additional details.

We just had to extract the bits and pieces of information that would help players.

That was AAU’s job.

But.

” ……, senior?”

Sung was speechless.

“Holy sh*t.”

Senior Yoon Soo-gyeom was no different.

In the back of his mind.

Sung Hyun-joon struggled to open his mouth.

“Well, there’s still the Lionheart Knights, and then there’s Lee Ho-yeol. The big guilds are still alive and well…….”

“The Knights of the Lion Heart? You think they’d risk their lives for that? I don’t know how they got so far, but it’s hard to expect any more help from them.”

“……That’s true.”

But his voice trailed off.

Yoon urgently dialed the number.

“It’s impossible! No one, absolutely no one, can enter!”

The monitor showed.

A despairing update.

“『New Collapse Rift, ‘Golden Palace’ is added.

Suitable level: Lv.600~650

New Boss Monster, ‘Seven Deadly Sins, Greed Incarnate’ : Lv.650

New monsters will be added.

“The Sleepless Soldier” : Lv.500』

Yoon Soo-gyeom shouted.

“We’re all going to die if we keep this up!”

.

.

.

But he was wrong.

No one died.

It was like a flash of light.

It was a flash of light, about level 600 to 650.

It crossed the Collapse Rift, the Golden Palace.

Predictions were wrong again.

At the forefront were the Knights of the Lion Heart.

“Knights of the Lion Heart.”

Harkon’s sword glowed with black steel.

His eyes glowed with the same determination.

So I was wrong about everything.

“Give your hearts. So that Lord Ho Yeol can reach the Great Evil!”

They really did risk their lives.

” I found him.”

In the distance, a throne was seen, the embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins of Greed.