◈ Episode 504. I Wanted to Be the Light (3)

Beginning?

-“How about we do something right about this, Lox?”

-“What is it, Dmitri? You still haven’t given up on me~”

-“Will you shut up, Camilla? I’m not going to hang on for dear life. I’m not saying that, I’m saying that the three of us, together, can make a name for ourselves on the Arcana continent!”

Not that there was much purpose to it.

-“Yeah, sure.”

In the back of my mind, I wondered if I’d gotten myself into trouble by founding a guild. I’d heard that guilds have to manage their prestige levels.

-“I guess you’ll have to refrain from PKing from now on, huh, Lox?”

That’s when I realized.

-“Well, I’ll try to do that.”

I started my inappropriate guild master act.

Back when Arcana was just a game.

When Lox founded the guild, he said.

-“I wonder what we should name the guild.”

-“Let’s make it as cool as possible!”

-“Dmitri, are you trying to show off in front of women again?”

-“What, what did you say?!”

-“That’s not your real problem~”

-“……Camilla, what do you mean by that?”

Be cool.

Let’s go with The Shining.

Shining.

At Dmitri’s urging.

I thought it was a good guild name.

It was interesting in that sense.

Even if it wasn’t the right one.

The place makes the man.

-“Congratulations, Lox.”

-“Congratulations?”

-“Don’t act like you don’t know, Guildmaster, our Shining is number one in the guild rankings!”

For a guildmaster who started out as a force, I thought I’d done a decent job. Of course, after the Cataclysm, it started to creak a bit…….

I remembered Dmitri shouting in Lox’s headlights.

-“Do you understand me? Run before you collapse, Lox!”

The moment of collapse.

A rift that could spew back all the high-level monsters in its depths at once. A rift that can kill you if you’re hit by one of the flowing monsters, Dmitri once said.

-“You don’t think you’re going to jump out? Are you out of your mind, Lox? Remember, you’re the Guildmaster of our Shining, and you’re also the light of our fucking country, which means that if you get killed, it’s not the same as if I get killed!”

Of course, Dmitri didn’t die in that rift.

-“Shit. I’ve got all the forms, with and without…….”

Rival guilds reach the depths of the rift first.

They had defeated the Named Monster in vain.

But Dmitri’s actions were enough to send a ripple through Lox.

Lox laughed bitterly.

That must have been it.

That’s when his dangerous act really began.

Like his impersonation of the ill-fitting Guild Master.

Lox had been playing the Light.

Camilla, Dmitri, to become the guild masters you all desire.

To be the player your country wants you to be.

To be a hero.

He wore a mask.

And then Lee Hoyeol appeared.

Lee Hoyeol.

He was extraordinary from the start.

He entered Count Ascura’s Citadel as a single player, a place no top guild could clear. He defeated Count Ascura by allying with Jesse, an Archmage that even I couldn’t control.

Of course, there were many players who rose to prominence after the Cataclysm.

As long as they were willing to do whatever it took.

There were countless ways to become powerful.

At first, I thought Lee Hoyeol was one of them.

But he wasn’t.

Because Lee Hoyeol was the real light.

A light that illuminates even the darkness.

‘…… A light that even I, with my mask on, could not escape.’

There are countless proofs of that.

The one that stuck with me the most was Jesse Heinness’ exit from The Shining.

At the same time, Jesse’s attitude towards Hoyeol.

At the time, Lox was torn by his feelings.

‘I just thought it was all an act.’

At some point, it wasn’t.

As the Guild Master of The Shining, Lox was devastated by Jesse’s decision to leave. It shouldn’t have happened……. Dmitri, I’ve said some hurtful things to you.

-“Hmmm, I can understand Jesse when she looks like that.”

-“The door is always open for you to leave, Dmitri.”

-“……What? That’s not what I meant, Lox!”

Maybe it was then.

-“Lox, you’ve got a weird look in your eyes lately, you need to relax.”

I started to whip myself more harshly.

Despite his efforts, when he heard that the Shining’s arch-nemesis, the Heavenly Unity, had actually been overthrown by Lee Hoyeol.

‘I really wanted to beat them all up.’

If only I could shed the mismatched clothes of the Shining.

I even thought I could catch up to him.

I suppose that’s why.

For irresponsibly letting go of the guild master’s duties.

The scum had spoken to him well.

-“The future of the United States depends on you, Lox.”

-“It’s necessary for world order!”

-“People change. Do you think Lee Hoyeol is an exception?”

And then, out of nowhere, the final blow hit me in the back of the head.

-“Do you think Dmitri would want a weakling like you?”

Dmitri was dead.

In the real world, not the Rift, not the Arcana continent.

Yeah, no matter how much I thought about it, I could never be normal.

Thud.

I got a slap in the face from the great minister in the White House.

-“Say that name again.”

-“Lo, Lox, I didn’t mean to say that……!”

-“Dmitri is not a name to be thrown around with that kind of intent.”

So…….

‘Maybe it was meant to be.’

It’s a common story, right?

People think they’re something because everyone around them supports them, but when faced with the real thing, they try to deny it, only to realize it when they lose everything.

‘That’s exactly what he was saying about me and Lee Hoyeol.’

Lee Hoyeol never founded a guild.

He led the Holy War Alliance, an unstoppable force.

Although Lee Hoyeol did not claim to be the light.

He was the light.

Indeed.

‘Everything is against me.’

So there were no excuses.

Why did I rush to Lee Hoyeol?

It wasn’t just the quest objective.

It was because I, Lox, knew better than anyone else.

So I didn’t think it was strange to receive that disposition.

But even I was wrong.

Lee Hoyeol called me Light.

He said he saw the light in me.

From then on.

Lox was able to look at himself fully.

Thanks to you.

The reason he was able to bring the sword to the back of his own neck without any regrets.

It was because of Paimon’s whispers.

It was me, not you, that I wanted to kill in the first place.

But.

[The blessing of the First World Tree bestows upon you.]

[Blessing of the First World Tree rejects status abnormality, ‘Bleeding’.]

[Blessing of the First World Tree rejects the status abnormality, ‘Stunned’.] …….

Lee Hoyeol, the moment I reached out to him.

A warm feeling filled my body.

Not only that.

The class quest would have been a disastrous failure.

It had taken on an entirely new form.

[Class Quest: Wandering Knight]

A knight who has abandoned his loyal subordinates, his estate, and even himself. No matter what you seek, you still have one sword, and your chivalry will begin again at the lowest point.

-Become a Wandering Knight (in progress)

※To become a Wandering Knight, you must not be a member of any guilds, and your [Reputation] system will be permanently disabled.

Two choices: [Hero] or [Wandering Knight].

In the past, I would have done the [Hero] class quest without a second thought, but now that I realize it, it’s different. even.

[The Great Master of Anomaly leads you to the realm of Anomaly].

How could I refuse the path of a [Wandering Knight], guided by a true ray of light like no other?

Lox didn’t hesitate.
He embraced the new opportunity presented to him.

[You have changed class to ‘Wandering Knight.’]

At the same time, something changed in him.

A giant scar on his back, was created by the rustling of demon wings. A fluttering cloak hid the scar. His once ornate armor has changed shape as well, wrapping roughly around his enlarged right arm.

‘Wanderer Knight.’

Lox lifted his head and looked at Hoyeol.

‘The last chance he gave me.’

The reason he was sure it was his last chance was simple.

A flashing system message told him he had been corrupted.

Demonized.

Lox opened his mouth.

“I am eternally grateful for your mercy.”

Demons, even mixed-blooded ones, cannot live among humans.

Leave as a Wandering Knight.

That is the last mercy I have for you.

Lee Hoyeol, that’s what he’s saying.

As I said, I can’t express my gratitude anymore.

I was infinitely grateful.

……seug.

So Lox took in the landscape of reality with his eyes one last time.

And he saw it.

Camilla stared back at him with an uncharacteristically tearful face.

And Jesse.

Perhaps a message came to mind.

A message that I was out of the Shining.

Lox muttered, barely audible.

“At least this is a happy ending, Camilla.”

But it wasn’t an ending.

“It’s not over yet.”

Yes, because the “end” after someone’s back was pretty nasty.

……seug.

The words made Lox turn around again.

“You have not yet convinced me.”

Yes, it was the voice of Hoyeol.

“Until you provide a valid reason for that mistake.”

“……?”

“Wandering Knight, Lox.”

“……!”

“You will not escape the Holy War Alliance.”

“……!!”

*

Are you just sick of it?

‘Your face says it all, Lox.’

You look so surprised that I shouldn’t have to see it.

So you might as well give up early.

Change to a [Wandering Knight] or something.

‘Grandfell’s pretty strict about that sort of thing.’

Why, how cheesy…….

‘No, you’d be better off asking Senior Bensch William in the Magic Tower over there. In short, don’t even think about leaving the Holy War Alliance for a while.

‘Anyway, I’m glad.’

Newly unlocked {Nature} Abilities.

I was able to utilize the Blessing of the First World Tree more freely, just as Hiel had done. I was able to heal Lox’s severe wounds.

‘By the way.’

I looked at Paimon’s incarnation, breathing heavily.

What the hell were you thinking, you?

That was clearly a possession.

‘I don’t know about anyone else, but you can’t fool my eyes.’

The restraints came off.

Lox lunged at me.

But it wasn’t his will.

A split second.

It was the will of Paimon, who had abandoned his body and possessed Lox.

‘You’re a pest, really.’

What reason did Paimon have to raise his sword against me?

Now that I think about it…….

That’s it.

Our seniors Akshan of Hell……!

‘No, how long did you catch it like a rat?’

Paimon turned and lunged at me, ready to kill me!

Indeed, by the look on his face…….

I was right about the fed-up look on his face.

‘Well, the seniors may not know.’

What I owe to Paimon.

In that sense, I had no reason to antagonize Paimon.

Let’s just chalk it up to a mishap in the exchange.

‘What more?’

A favor for me.

I felt like I needed to know the source of this favor to make sense of it. A connection to Paimon, especially since I’ll be entering the Demon World soon?

‘It’s necessary to maintain a good relationship.’

Besides, Paimon is a demon with his own pride.

In that sense, I was planning to talk to Paimon.

But…

[※Note: black magic power surges.]

……What’s up, Grandfell?

It was unexpected because there was no reason for it. Paimon was not a common demon king. He wasn’t like the other high-ranking demon kings. It made sense, on some level.

‘……No, there was a good reason for that, right?’

The black magic that seemed to shake its head at my question.

Paimon was startled by the force.

He catches his breath and turns to face me.

“My dear…….”

But I, no, Grandfell, did not listen.

“Shut up.”

Blatant, uncontrollable anger.

“This moment, I.”

The sight of Grandfell like this was unfamiliar, even to me.

“I’m extremely suppressing the urge to tear you to pieces.”

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tl/n: to make it easier, suitable magic -> black magic