◈ Episode 423. The Story I Don’t Know (1)
Line 4 on the way to work.
A conversation that pierced my eardrums.
……I didn’t want to listen to it.
Perhaps it was an occupational disease, but Sung Hyunjoon’s ears twitched spontaneously.
“When Lee Hoyeol put up the Imperial Flag everywhere, I wondered what kind of show he was putting on, because if it were me, I’d be thinking about swallowing the Empire as soon as possible.”
“Ugh. You’re an asshole with no pride.”
“Okay, this time, even if I swear, I’ll eat it sweetly. How could he really come up with the idea of rejecting the position of emperor? You can’t predict it, you can’t predict it?!”
Former Cosmo, current AAU member.
Not a player, thankfully.
He understands Arcana better than most players.
Every system message has a reason.
But the world messages that flash in front of every player’s eyes.
It means knowing that it has an even greater meaning.
‘I was shocked at night too.’
I would have called my boss, Mr. Yoon, on a weekend evening to talk to him about work. Of course, brainstorming didn’t get me any answers.
It was not for nothing that it was better to face a blank piece of paper.
-“No, does it make sense to refuse the position of emperor?”
-“No way. How much is the tax alone?”
-“Tax? Wait a minute, after listening to it, it seems to make sense……?”
What’s the biggest reason players want to claim a territory?
Besides the prestige of being a player who owns a territory.
The biggest reason was the steady supply of gold.
‘Even in a small city, the taxes are huge.’
It wasn’t just gold. The title of lord was a prestigious one, and with that increased prestige, you could get early access to higher-tier items that gold alone couldn’t buy.
However.
-“That doesn’t apply to him, General Manager, does it?”
What could Hoyeol gain from being a lord?
-“Isn’t that right……? He didn’t lack anything in the first place.”
It was safe to say that the garage was not overflowing.
The value of the Treasure Island Yusra Kingdom alone.
It’s indescribable.
Valuable items?
He didn’t have to look far, just the equipment he was currently wearing.
The Ego Sword and Excalibur, the glittering uniforms…….
‘Even I, the operator.’
Because they were items of a level whose grade I couldn’t even guess.
“But even so. An empire is not a common territory, is it? You can tax it on a continent-by-continent basis, and both Arcanians and players will pay huge bribes to impress the new emperor…….”
Monday morning on the way to work.
“My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”
Hoyeol’s refusal to be crowned emperor was bound to be a hot topic in the office, more so than lottery numbers. Of course, as much as many people were talking, there were also those who looked at the situation calmly.
“That’s the problem.”
“Trouble? What else is wrong?”
“If Lee Hoyeol had been crowned emperor, no one would have even thought of taking over the empire. Who is Lee Hoyeol? Isn’t he a perfect superhuman, beyond human strength?”
“Right. Only a madman would want to claim the Lee Hoyeol family estate.”
“However, Lee Hoyeol has declined to become emperor, so the position is technically vacant. That means the empress or the young prince will take the seat, right?”
At that point, Sung looked around.
There was interest in the eyes of several people who were eavesdropping on the conversation. It was definitely a reasonable guess as to whether he was giving the Arcana community a hard time.
“Are you just going to watch that happen?”
“Not if you’re an Arcanian…….”
“Greedy players?”
Sung swallowed a sigh.
‘I know the players inside out.’
I’ve been watching players since the days when Arcana was just a game.
It must have helped.
Their behavior was predictable, like a pattern.
Snap.
His grip on the subway handle tightened.
‘Moreover, there’s a reason, and the temptation is pouring in.’
News from the players.
Currently, there was no shortage of world quests on the Arcana Continent. Moreover, it was said that they all had a common goal: to stand on the other side of the Empire.
This was the reason why Sung Hyunjoon’s expression was not a happy one.
‘…… I wonder what the General Manager wants.’
I wonder if he just wants the empire to be intact.
If that’s the case, why hasn’t he ascended to the throne?
I chatted with Yoon Soogyeom all night, but I couldn’t find an answer.
My head was spinning as I thought about it alone.
‘Forget it, I’ll say the same thing in the meeting.’
What’s the point of working on the subway when you don’t get paid?
Doridori.
It was the moment when Sung Hyunjoon shook off his itching head.
“What?”
The two college students weren’t the only ones talking.
The passengers who were looking at their smartphones were stunned.
Breaking news had just popped up.
“They’ve added Antonium to the target coordinates for the Magic Portal!”
“……!”
Antonium, the capital of the Empire.
As I said, the Empire was on the brink.
Of course, the person who can ignite that fuse is the player.
Letting them go straight to Antonium?
“This is a recipe for disaster.”
“Isn’t this going to cause chaos in Antonium?”
“I hear some guilds are starting to leave the Holy War Alliance.”
So much for gauging public opinion.
The subway doors opened.
Sung rushed out.
Tadadak.
‘What the hell is going on?’
Only you, Marcelo, can set the target coordinates on the portal of the Magic Tower.
And only you, General Manager Lee Hoyeol.
What the hell are you drawing?
Sung Hyunjoon scratched his head.
“Seriously, General Manager, I can’t keep up with the pace of your work……!”
*
Player.
Because each one is faithful to their desires.
An existence that no one can control.
But.
“……Here, what’s the mood?”
After the Cataclysm.
Players who have survived their time in the Rift have been forced to develop a survival instinct, and that survival instinct is warning the players who have entered Antonium through the portal in the Magic Tower.
[You have entered ‘Antonium’, the capital of the Pious Empire].
[Mourning period for the Emperor].
[Your head will be humbled of its own accord].
Don’t be rash.
“This isn’t exactly what we thought it was, is it?”
“World Quest definitely comes to mind…….”
“Maybe we’re all just getting carried away.”
But instinctive warnings are everywhere.
There were always those who tried to ignore them.
But Antonium was in no mood for frivolity.
Suddenly, a voice spoke.
“So it’s true, adventurers will pour through this portal. It’s so amazing that I can’t understand it. If it were me, I wouldn’t listen to his words out of fear.”
……What kind of bullshit is that?
seueug.
Where the players turned, there were red eyes.
That’s right.
It was Shahin Dune, who had been informed of everything through the Holy War Alliance.
“I don’t know anything else, but those who look particularly excited need to be observed closely. good night. You may go. These red eyes have remembered your faces.”
……gulp.
There was no malice in his words.
The pressure was indescribable.
Shahin Dune finished speaking.
“Please, do not disgrace my dignity, for I have earned his trust.”
“!!!”
The players suddenly realized.
Lee Hoyeol, how could he.
He added Antonium to the portal’s target coordinates.
That’s right.
Confidence.
No matter what forces raged outside Antonium.
Even if the players inside were being manipulated.
It was an expression of confidence in his ability to maintain discipline.
Shahin Dune.
Diamond Top.
4 Families.
“……Where the hell did those NPCs come from?”
No matter what kind of storm was raging on the Arcana Continent.
Always the same attitude.
It was a declaration that he would stand firm as always.
“Yes, I was a fool to falter for a moment!”
And for those with pride, even more pride.
” ……, I don’t think I can even get the soup, eh, brother?”
It made those who didn’t feel even more intimidated.
And then.
The Mother of the Empire was watching the scene.
The Empress spoke with a determined expression.
“I will keep your teachings in mind, Claudi.”
The tattered rose had become the nourishment of an empire, and such an empire was imbued with a honeydew-like pride. Yes, to sprout the rose of a new age.
*
Matisse, Bellier, and Bensch.
The three Senior Mages returned to the Magic Tower.
They had no favors or requests.
The Magic Tower has a master, Marcelo.
Marcelo knows my heart better than anyone.
‘I’m sure you won’t mind my absence.’
Chief’s authority activated.
I’ve added Antonium to the portal’s target coordinates, so that if something were to happen there, the Magic Tower would be able to respond immediately.
Of course, given the level of reinforcements that are now gathering in Antonium…….
‘Attacking Antonium would be suicidal, but oh well.’
I shrugged.
“Then, I wish you peace.”
Matisse and Bellier.
The two Seniors didn’t seem to have much love for the Arcana continent.
Only Bensch had a look of regret on his face.
I’ve heard that even a dog in a school can recite a poem in three years.
“Why? I feel like I’ll never come back…….”
Bensch seemed to have realized something.
Bensch stands in front of the portal, gazing at the panoramic view of Antonium with admiration.
I added a special word for him.
“[Small Magic Sun].”
“……yes?”
“I will keep that magic tool in my possession, Bensch William.”
“Yes, yes?!”
“That, too, is the proper authority of the Chief.”
I am keeping the reason for the disqualification of the application to go out the tower.
In the future, you won’t have to be so humiliated by your failure.
Most of all, you truly exceeded my expectations.
‘You’ve proven yourself worthy.’
All of this, of course, when he understood Grandfell’s way of speaking.
“No, Chief, you don’t even need a magic tool……!!”
Unfortunately, Bensch didn’t seem to understand me until he disappeared through the portal. As much as I would have liked to stamp his application for admission in person, I couldn’t afford to stop by the Magic Tower right now.
‘I’m pretty busy myself.’
It wasn’t until I saw Bensch off that I spoke up.
“Hiel.”
“Hiel, I have answered my lord’s call.”
“Let us depart.”
I must find him, Diend.
For some reason, he had not answered my call.
But my contract with the Dark Spirit, Diend, is not broken.
Hiel shook her head at me.
“I feel deeply the responsibility of the name Chrysiad, the name you have bestowed upon me, and as a fellow Chrysiad, I am responsible for failing to recognize Diend’s abnormality.”
You have nothing to apologize for, Hiel.
As long as the contract was in effect, it was unlikely that anything was wrong with him. So why was he not responding to my call?
I could guess.
“It seems like you’re obsessed with the past and background.”
Dark Spirits.
The suitable magic, itself.
Maybe Diend is like me.
Maybe he’s suffering from the [Blackening]. [Blackening], Just as the personalities of Grandfell and I are being reversed, and perhaps that is why he cannot answer my call.
But fear not, Diend.
‘Will I release you to the world because I’m insane?’
Imagine Diend as a monster, antagonizing the players.
Surely, an appearance message would come to mind.
And then there’s the grotesque name: Diend Chrysiad Eternal Darkness.
I’m sure I’d also come up with a grotesque name.
What if it turns out that’s the name I gave it?
‘Dark Dragon, full name, Eternal Darkness…….’
That’s when.
I wouldn’t be surprised to be stepping on the tail of dark history……!
So I followed Hiel’s lead and manifested the portal.
“This is it.”
Hiel shook her head again.
“Unfortunately, Diend’s presence ended here.”
I nodded lightly in response.
Because my intuition was not satisfied?
No, of course not.
It is the vast Arcana continent.
If I were alone without you, Hiel, I could search for a lifetime and never find Diend. Why, even the Senior Mage of the Spirit School, Feiyan Lot, said so.
-“Even if there is a contract, spirits are sensitive beings. Even my fire drake doesn’t even respond when called near water. Pretty obnoxious, right? They don’t even tell us where they usually stay. So, on the one hand, I am envious of Chief Lee who communicates deeply with Hiel……”
So there was another reason for my speechlessness.
Yes, the Arcana continent.
It really is vast.
The Zero Mountains must have been updated to the real world.
I didn’t know there was anything like this left on the continent…….
[Entrance of the Canyon of the Forgotten]
[Appropriate Level: 1,000]
A proper level of one thousand.
Diend, you dared to enter a place like this alone.
I took a step back in disbelief.
“!”
My eyes flashed.
It was a quest.
A class quest that hadn’t sparkled much lately.
However…….
[Class Quest: Akshan Civil War]
……A civil war?
No, seniors.
You’ve been fighting without my knowledge?!