◈ Episode 500. Contradiction (1)

The vision of the [Bow Master] who led the Shining.

She had overcome countless crises with her eyes.

Unlike Lox, Camilla was not confused.

‘It’s not a dream.’

In this moment, Lox was corrupted.

The wings that sprouted from his shoulder blades were clearly those of a demon.

Scream.

“Lox……!!!”

Status abnormality, [Corruption].

Joshua, the head of the Western U.S. branch, had warned about the danger early on.

Joshua’s voice pleading with God appeared in Camilla’s mind.

-“It’s not the same as possession, Camilla! If possession is simply having your body taken over by a demon……. Corruption is the demonization of the body itself!”

Where in the world is there such a state?

-“So you’re saying that it’s a High-Ranking Demon King, a Demon of the Ten Thrones, of which there are only ten? Of course, we haven’t heard of any players demonizing themselves with [Corruption]…….”

You really shouldn’t be worried.

“But, if I had known this would happen…….”

If I had known something, anything, just a little more about the Corruption.

Lox, I might have been able to save you.

She cursed herself for letting Joshua’s words slide so casually.

No, before that.

‘I shouldn’t have left you alone, for any reason.’

Negative emotions fuel demons.

Sadness washed over Camilla’s face.

I hadn’t even guessed.

“What depths of grief have you fallen into, you…….”

Did he become a demon because he couldn’t handle his negative emotions?

She clenched her fists into trembling fists.

Still, Camilla didn’t break down.

Because she saw hope in Lox’s eyes.

“Camilla, I’m okay.”

“?!”

Confused.

Still holding his head.

Lox answered the call.

“Yeah, it’s me!”

Camilla waved eagerly at him.

She didn’t want to lose sight of his humanity.

But also because she trusted him.

“Hey, what’s that thing in the sky with wings?”

“Wait, isn’t that Lox with the blonde hair and the armor?!”

“What, is that a new item?”

The chattering citizens.

Yes, it is.

This is the center of Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

‘……If it’s him, definitely.’

Lee Hoyeol is the man who brought the extinct Akshan back to the Arcana continent, and at the same time, his existence is also considered a demon hunter by some.

It was then.

“!”

Camilla’s vision flashed.

[※Warning: your guild house is under attack.]

……pas!

‘Intruder.’

Camilla quickly pulled out her bow and drew the string.

This was the top floor.

Common sense dictated that guild house invaders couldn’t have arrived.

“Gotcha.”

Her opponent was a player with the same lack of common sense as her.

Suooooo.

A voice rang out first, followed by a spark of magic in the air.

Short-range teleportation.

Camilla aimed her bow at the magic reaction.

“Are you sure you want to pull that?”

“……Who are you?”

She assumed it was Bohemian, Guyver.

Since he got stabbed in the back by Lox, he must have responded thoroughly. It was determined that the main force would block Lox and target Shining’s guild house with the remaining troops.

But.

“It’s a shame. Even after all this, we are a mid-sized guild in the top 100.”

“I’m embarrassed to say it. Let’s just shut up.”

“I know, I wasn’t hoping for that.”

From the conversation, it became clear.

‘It was purely aimed at Shining’

To be exact.

The guild house of Shining.

A ragged exclamation bursts out.

“Wow, that’s awesome~”

“We couldn’t roll in a rift and see it in our entire lives.”

“So this building will be ours, right? Let’s see, we just need to kill Lox and Camilla, and we’ll get it through the Arcana system without any of that hassle!”

If it were Bohemian, there was at least room for negotiation.

‘Because we were the ones who started first.’

But with these guys, it was a no-brainer.

Ssak.

Camilla’s arrow whizzes by like a gust of wind.

ssaeaeaeaeg.

They split off in different directions.

pupupug.

Shining’s executive.

Players from the top 100 guilds are no match for her.

The hedgehog-turned-man knelt down in front of Camilla.

“Keuheugh. I thought it was so bitter that it was sore.”

“……!”

“What a surprise. You think we weren’t prepared?”

It’s not like we’re dealing with a new update monster with no information.

Named players like Camilla are well known for their behavior.

Grumble.

The body of the man who had become the target of the arrow became fluid.

Soon the arrow that had hit the target fell to the floor.

The man smirked.

“You’re surprised? I’ve been slathered with some slime.”

“Ignorant destructive power. I thought the sting would kill me.”

“You guys are seriously insane, aren’t you?”

A counter to the archer class, a liquid monster.

But I never thought anyone would be stupid enough to actually try that.

The men took a step closer to Camilla, who was stunned.

“You really think so?”

“……What?”

“Well, with a body like this, my defense skills are poor, but…….”

After hearing the next words, Camilla suddenly realized something.

“So what do you think you can do, Camilla? How do you think we managed to get to the top floor bloodlessly? Shining, even with your name on it, it lacks discipline, doesn’t it?”

Lox’s weakened grip on the guild.

And a lack of cause.

Camilla made a cold judgment.

‘We can’t hope for support.’

Yes, she understood.

The words grated on Camilla’s nerves.

She continued, more relentlessly.

“And there’s no Dmitri there, either!”

“Hey, don’t even bring up that story with that bastard.”

“It’s horrible to imagine. If I had been caught in that strong grip with a body like that, wouldn’t it have just exploded? He was a monster with the same muscle strength as Nam Taemin, wasn’t he?”
An arrowhead filled with quiet anger.

[Skill, ‘Melody of Carnage’ triggers].

They were right.

Camilla was beyond help at this point.

It’s not a time to save any tricks.

[Melody of Carnage: Consumes a large amount of Magic Power to release a barrage of arrows. The skill will remain active until all of your magic is consumed. Not affected by the number of arrows.]

pusyusyusyusyug.

‘The damage is accumulating, albeit slightly.’

Right now, I needed to kill the vanguard quickly, even if it meant using up all my magic. The more they swell, the less the odds are in my favor.

Besides.

Camilla glanced back.

‘Someone’s blocking Lox.’

An Asian player whose face I couldn’t identify.

For even approaching Lox in that state.

I couldn’t help but be concerned about that man.

Quick resolution.

It was the moment when Camilla pulled the bowstring even harder. The opposing side also began to launch counterattacks. Camilla clearly felt Dmitri’s absence.

“Gap!”

A ranged dealer without a tank cannot focus on attacking. Because it lacks vitality and defense. It is not for nothing that people say that glass cannons kill people if they touch them.

Urgent emergency avoidance.

“Josephine!”

[Skill, ‘Call of the Firmament’ triggers].

Camilla summoned her pet bird, Josephine.

Although not specialized in combat.

Josephine’s help was desperately needed.

“What a surprise.”

“I thought you were bringing in some big reinforcements.”

“Camilla, is your judgment clouded, or have you run out of magic?”

No, I have plenty of magic power.

There was a system message.

But there was no sign of Josephine.

Camilla’s panic was short-lived, however.

Soon, her vision picked up.

“……Josephine, you.”

Josephine, perched on someone’s shoulder, rubbing her head in friendliness. Only one person could have such an attitude toward Josephine, whose noble name was as sassy as her personality.

Camilla’s voice wavered in disingenuousness.

“Now, I told you, Jesse can’t pretend to know.”

“……what?”

Jesse?

No way, Jesse Heinness?!

The men’s faces went blank.

“What is it, you little shit?”

Goooooo.

The gruff words come through the violet magic.

Berserker Guild, teleporting with Jesse, was behind them in an instant.

It was Leonie.

“Hey, Camilla. Let’s get this interruption out of the way before we talk.”

……nodded.

Camilla nodded, and the situation was over. A difference was more overwhelming than the vague gap in rankings. The gap between those who have entered the realm of anomalies and those who have not.

Suddenly.

“……Keogh!”

“My leg, my leg!”

“It’s not your leg, asshole, I just cut a muscle, so shut up.”

Thump.

There was no need to draw the twin swords. With a couple of light swings of his single sword, the players who had attacked the Shining Branch fell to the ground.

It’s just that.

Then Jesse landed in front of Camilla.

Jesse’s face peeking out from beneath her cone hat.

Camilla couldn’t hide her true colors after all.

“Jesse……. Help Lox.”

Jesse replied.

“Even if that wasn’t the case, I was planning on doing that.”

“You should have said something. Camilla, you asshole.”

“Leonie…….”

The three of them watched Lox flap his wings in the air.

Then they looked at the mysterious man standing in front of him.

The man spoke to Lox, who was clearly confused.

Jesse mimicked the man’s words.

“Corruption, a mixed race demon……. That’s the one that’s tricking Lox with words.”

“What are you doing, asshole, do you want me to fly up and beat the shit out of him?”

“No, not yet, Lox is still fine.”

The flapping wings looked like the wings of a demon, but Lox was keeping his wits about him. He was taking out his anger on the man who was spouting bullshit at him.

“Thank goodness…….”

A moment of relief.

ttogag.

“!!!”

A sound rang out, raising the tension to the extreme.

Camilla, Jesse, and Leonie.

The three of them could feel it in their gut.

‘……Dangerous.’

The person responsible for the sound of shoes.

It didn’t mean that Hoyeol was in danger.

I meant that Lox might be in danger.

Yes, for a demon whose actions had shown no mercy.

Hoyeol had shown no mercy.

If you consider Lox a demon, then…….

Camilla shook her head in denial.

“He’s not a demon, he recognized me……!”

But the wail was muffled.

More like a scream.

Lox’s voice echoed through the city center of Seoul.

“Get away from me, Hoyeoooool!!!”

The ominous premonition seemed to be coming true.

*

It was clear hostility.

“This guy is mine!”

By this guy, I assume you mean Long Shenglac?

‘At least we’re not on bad terms, Lox.’

I swallowed my disappointment and turned to look at Long Shenglac.

Or, more accurately, I looked at Paimon, disguised as Long Shenglac.

How did I recognize him right away?

‘It’s strange if I don’t recognize something like that.’

His eyes were so happy to see me that he was thrilled to see me.

In this world, he might have looked up to me.

I’ve never seen him stare at me like that before.

I opened my mouth without question.

“I’ll hold you accountable for your words and actions next time, Lox.”

“……What?”

“Because you are not in perfect condition right now.”

Flashing Message.

[Skill, ‘Natural Enemy’ is triggered.]

It wasn’t just Paimon.

Black bat wings sprouted from behind Lox’s shoulders.

Because I am a Demon Hunter.

I recognized it as soon as I saw it.

A status abnormality.

Corruption.

Lox has been corrupted into a half-demon.

‘As expected, it wasn’t only effective for monsters.’

Just like possession.

The effect worked on the player as well.

If that’s the case, I’ll listen to my inner voice even more from now on.

I had no choice but to listen.

‘Grandfell.’

What do you propose to do with Lox, who has been corrupted and turned into a demon……? Of course, I, Lee Hoyeol, could not rush to judgment.

‘That’s right…….’

I could guess why Lox was corrupted and what caused it, so I took my gaze away from him at this moment. Instead, I looked at Paimon, who was all smiles.

‘Paimon, if it were you.’

Unlike Lox, he should be able to hunt without anguish.

But I, Lee Hoyeol’s shallow choice, would not last long.

Paimon spoke respectfully in his Long Shenglac form.

“My dear. I, the noble Paimon, ask for your forgiveness.”

He bowed down to his waist.

“Please, just for a moment.”

……for real.

“Forgive me for doubting you.”

Paimon, are you a demon?

Even if you weren’t, Lox is making me nervous.

Why, you’re so formal!!!

*

Hell.

“I hear his call, brothers.”

Beneath a green flame.

Men in black assemble.

A gravelly voice rings out.

“Yes, Akshan is calling us.”