◈ Episode 450. Not My Taste (3)

『The reason for Grampel’s distance from the social world is simple. There are too many stories being told. In the social circles where only gossip is exchanged for amusement, Grandfell did not want his eyes and ears to be polluted…….』

Where did that come from?

‘It’s a rationalization from the days when I kept my mouth shut.’

Me, Lee Hoyeol.

My cheeks are burning at the sudden realization.

It was because an additional reason for the unfamiliar setting came to mind.

‘Back then, I also suffered quite a bit from rumors.’

There’s a famous senior girl in the third grade above him, and a classmate next to him saw Lee Hoyeol going to and from school with her. Shouldn’t we be friends with Lee Hoyeol from now on…….

‘……Anyway, Lee Yerim.’

What a love-hate relationship.

There’s nothing wrong with the set-up itself. It’s good to not be swayed by unfounded rumors and not pay attention to them in the first place.

‘I’m the only one who has to pretend I don’t know where it came from, Hoyeol.’

I repeated to myself, never taking my gaze off the transcendents’ faces. I think back to my words. I’m no more a frog in a well than I am a frog in a social hall.

‘Anyway, one piece of harsh language is shocking.’

Where’s the skill that rattled so many adept mages in the Topaz Hall of the Magic Tower, Grandfell? The Transcendents looked as if they’d been hit on the head. Of all things.

A creature of eternal life.

Passs.

He is the strongest among the gathered transcendents, and that is why he is involved in the 『Spacetime Duel』. Urs, who took care of the most difficult tasks, is melting into the aphids and disappearing without shape.

The young Transcendent muttered in vain.

“……You’ve got to be kidding me, right? You really lost to that little mage?!”

If you don’t believe me, I’ve reviewed the 『Cultivation of the Elixir Herb』.

1,324 pages.

I was willing to recite the fifth paragraph to him.

A wary voice followed.

“What do you want?”

It’s a struggle, but somehow he’s convinced.

‘If you don’t believe me, I don’t know what else I can do.’

I don’t turn to look, but it’s reassuring. Mary and the Four Families had somehow gotten their heads together. I craned my neck even straighter.

“I already told you.”

“What are you talking about?”

Mary speaks up for me.

“From now on, no one can enter the social hall without my permission. You can’t leave. You can’t bring in ugly trash.”

I nodded in approval and thought to myself.

‘It’s a completely unfair rule’

So it’s worth listening to.

What a load of bullshit, I thought.

Of course, when it comes to rules, our fair Grandfell is a just man.

‘I didn’t mean it when I suggested such a vicious rule.’

After all, I’m not crazy enough to be in charge of a Spacetime Social Hall when I’m in charge of Magic Tower? And being the top floor doesn’t give me the right to enforce such rules.

It would be a different story if our relationship and friendship reached its peak and I activated the [Authority] function……. Well, that was a long way off for now.

[Relationship with Spacetime Social Hall : 40%]

[Friendliness with Spacetime Social Hall: 40%]

So I unpacked the hidden meaning and said.

“Don’t be unnecessarily territorial, frog.”

From here on, I was sincere.

“It means not to block the path of my disciples.”

“……!”

As I said, it started with Jesse Heinness.

I’m not sure of the exact order, but she was followed by Nam Taemin and Hisagi. Then Skal and Leonie. One after another, players would enter the realm of the Anomaly and prove their transcendent status.

‘Someone is teaching.’

[The Great Master of Anomaly]

Since I’ve earned the title, I’ve become the teacher of all those who enter the realm of Anomaly, which is why I can shamelessly call them disciples.

The faces of the Transcendents twisted at my words.

“A disciple? Is that the mage……?”

“That’s not the point. For sure……!”

“That’s right. ‘Disciples.'”

Just a frog’s insight.

They think they’re the chosen ones, the ones who have access to the spacetime social hall, But I know, having experienced it.

That’s why I can say without reservation.

“You’d better get rid of that distorted perspective as soon as possible. What you’ve accomplished is nothing to sneeze at. What you’ve accomplished is nothing compared to what you could have achieved by just eating grassroots.”

“……!”

The listener thinks I’m referring to Urs.

But grassroots, elixir.

I had a past where I was forced to form a circle.

‘I’m glad I’m an iron-faced person at times like this.’

If it were my face, my cheeks would burn with embarrassment, I swear.

But the shameless snout had no intention of stopping.

“For hunting down a demon that was nothing more than trash. A place where you can enter unanimously.”

He goes one step further and expressed his disdain for society.

“This is the place you think so noble and grand, the spacetime social hall.”

The trashy demon here was the High Raanking Demon King, Gamigin, who had hunted down and unanimously admitted me to the Social Hall.

I stuck my tongue out in disbelief.

‘There’s nothing to say about being an asshole.’

Even to me, it’s disgusting to hear someone say that it was nothing after making such a huge achievement. Even if I were a transcendent, I would have blushed red in the face.

But the venom was effective.

“……Tch.”

They are so dispirited that they can’t even think of retorting. Even though they know that this is a social place in time and space, a place where all acts of force are forbidden, they don’t dare to open their mouths.

‘Then let’s get down to business.’

Now that we’ve seized the momentum perfectly, it’s time to get down to business. But first, I need to give you a way out of this situation the right way.

“For your information.”

Of course.

“The dueling grounds are always open to you.”

I don’t even have the slightest intention of looking at it moderately.

*

I can’t take it.

‘You mean, if I want to get out, I have to knock you out?’

I was still a little shocked to see Mary and the three others

The last man who appeared was on a different level.

I had my doubts.

‘It seems like just yesterday you were dueling with Shagwin…….’

It was as if the ‘character’ itself had changed since then. The Sunrise Warrior rolled his eyes. They say that a wound on the back should be considered a shame

‘Impossible.’

Even if he were to reach the level of Divine Sword Unity, he had no confidence that he could outwit the silver-haired man, let alone the Witch of the Southern Sea.

Then there was only one option.

‘Abandon ship.’

The Sunrise Warrior remembered his dream. Even if the Transcendent Alliance were to break, it would only delay his reaching his dream.

Worst of all.

‘Despicable, Oxidin.’

Oxidin, the one who had caused this.

He hasn’t been seen in the social hall since.

So the Sunrise Warrior made a decision.

‘I will tell the truth about everything.’

And beg for mercy.

The Eastern Continent is now sunken in the ocean, but I know the example, and I recognize the man’s example. If I’m sincere, he’ll be sincere, too.

It was a moment of decision for the Sunrise Warrior.

Suddenly, he had a question.

‘……however.’

Including the Lightning Child, whose mouth was unusually light.

The other Transcendents had closed their mouths.

No one, including Urs, who had turned to dust, had any reason to keep Oxidin as king, for no one would serve him as king, even if he claimed to be.

The Sunrise Warrior organized his thoughts.

‘Anyway, it’s none of my business.’

Then he opened his mouth.

“……?”

No, he tried to open his mouth.

“!”

But his lips wouldn’t part.

His throat wouldn’t listen.

He couldn’t get his voice to work on his own terms.

His gaze naturally turned toward the door.

‘Is it pressure from this man……?’

No, it couldn’t be.

If he was capable of inflicting harm like this, he had the power to crush them all long ago. Even the rule of spacetime social hall must be maintained.

A sudden thought.

‘No way, why did they keep their mouth shut?’

Judging by the looks on their faces, they were.

It had started with the voice, but now the hands and feet were silent as well.

Sunrise had a hunch.

‘Surely, before entering the social hall.’

Before entering the social hall.

Someone has played a cowardly trick on us.

At that thought, he could think of only one person.

‘Oxidin, the bastard!’

It was then.

“Unfortunately.”

The silver-haired man’s patience had reached its limit.

“I see none of you are willing to answer.”

ttogag.

The man stood up from his leisurely chair and began to walk. Reaching out into thin air, he flicked a feather quill across the spacetime social hall.

All I can do is swallow dryly.

I roll my eyes. He can’t be writing orders out of thin air. If so, is he really modifying the rules of spacetime, and is he really given that power at the top?

“…….”

I force myself to keep my mouth shut and watch.

“As of this hour.”

The man’s jaw dropped.

“We will begin an unofficial Spacetime duel.”

……An unofficial duel?

At the same time, the landscape changed.

The Spacetime Colosseum is revealed, and the battlefield is set.

Soon, the Transcendents were face to face.

On opposite sides of the Colosseum battlefield.

“!!!”

The man standing tall and alone before them.

*

Sparkling to the point of insanity.

[You have acquired the privilege for the top floor of the Spacetime Social Hall].

[You now have access to the top floor of the Spacetime Store].

[From now on, you can use items worth 10 gold or less in the Spacetime Store for free] …….

Spacetime Social Hall.

As I unblocked it, a flood of messages popped up.

I, Lee Hoyeol, have not yet been freed from material desires.

‘What, free?!’

I rolled my eyes a few times.

Thanks to our innocent Grandfell.

I could not let it go.

[From now on, you can use the Spacetime Duel Arena at will].

The Spacetime Arena.

Back in the days when Arcana was just a game, the Coloseum was a place for PVP. It still serves the same purpose today, but with a twist.

‘The power of resurrection is gone.’

Now you have to risk your life.

In that sense, if there were people watching.

they would be horrified.

I was standing in such a Spacetime Duel Arena, facing five Transcendents, and now that I’ve entered the dueling arena, I finally know their names.

[Lightning Child entry complete.]

[Sunrise Warrior entry complete.]

[Rotten Shaman, Uriah’s entry complete.]

[Everything Store, Pocom has been entered.]

[Master, Killerband entry complete.]

[Soon, the Spacetime Duel will begin].

This is not a normal spacetime duel.

What a one-on-one duel with a transcendent brat in the world……! Even a person who was crazy about dying wouldn’t choose their end in this way. Even with the rules of the dueling arena, it was impossible.

But, as I said, I was the one who had been granted ‘arbitrarily’ use the Spacetime Arena, and I had added an arbitrary rule to it: one versus many.

‘I will say one more time.’

I wasn’t crazy about wanting to die.

The reason I summoned the Transcendents to the duel was simple.

It was plain as day to me.

The hidden class, the [Tyrant] is [Brainwashing].

So I had no choice.

I’m a Demon Hunter, of course.

I don’t know of any magic that cures [Brainwashing].

I doubt it even exists in the first place.

Which means I have no choice but to use the only cure for [Brainwashing] I know.

It is.

It was a [Brainwashing] that was neatly removed by beating it right before death.

I muttered nonchalantly.

“Even if you become dull, you should never forget the preciousness of time.”

I looked at them as they looked at me.

That gave me the quote.

I’m not losing.

“Come on. I’ll take you all at once.”

Even against five transcendents!