Chapter 630 – Even So, Leave It to Me (1)
Light.
Fast.
Powerful.
The Holy War Alliance forces.
“!!”
There was no need to differentiate between players and Arcanians. Even if they couldn’t see the messages, everyone could feel the change. It was as if they had cast off heavy shackles, allowing them to move effortlessly.
Pop!
As they closed the distance with the enemy, the battlefield seemed to respond in turn.
The ground erupted beneath them like a springboard, launching them forward.
Their weapons swung with a force far beyond their usual limits.
[Critical hit inflicted on the Blessed Guardian of the Verdant Forest.]
“…Huh?”
A critical hit on a level 2,000 boss monster?
“……What?”
At the frontlines, Taemin, who had just landed a blow, blinked in disbelief.
Given how much level disparity mattered in Arcana Chronicles, this should have been impossible.
Fwoosh!
Hisagi approached, suppressing the flames on his spear. He, too, noticed a message similar to a Burn status effect flashing in his vision.
“As expected of the Supreme Commander’s influence.”
“……Influence?”
“It’s so comfortable, I don’t even dare think of stepping out of it.”
At those words, Taemin turned his gaze toward the sky, where the Holy War Alliance Supreme Commander, Hoyeol, hovered.
He had been too focused on the battlefield to realize it before.
“!”
A truly elegant command.
Only now did Taemin understand—Hoyeol had been orchestrating the battlefield all along.
Taemin smirked.
“No wonder I felt so energized.”
“Taemin.”
“Can you stop calling me that so formally?”
Even as Taemin shot back a retort, Hisagi’s voice remained serious.
“You really didn’t notice?”
Taemin frowned.
“Notice what? The Commander’s tactics? Yeah, I had no idea. I just thought I was in top form today. I was too focused on that bastard in front of me, and I was still reeling from the Commander’s opening attack…”
“And?”
“…What kind of answer do you want?”
The two had been tangled in rivalry for ages.
They had gone from sworn enemies—Gaon and Inazuma—to comrades in the same alliance.
They knew each other too well.
“You understand what I mean.”
“Seriously, what—”
“Something feels off.”
“!”
At Hisagi’s words, Taemin flinched.
That off feeling.
With his instincts honed to an animalistic level, Taemin had noticed something.
‘This isn’t the same as before.’
It wasn’t his first time experiencing Hoyeol’s leadership in battle.
Long ago—what now felt like ancient history—Hoyeol had led them during the Frost update in Hokkaido.
Taemin had felt it back then.
‘But this time, his support is so natural, I didn’t even notice it.’
Yes.
This was different.
Hoyeol’s command had evolved into something broader, deeper—
It was as if he already knew exactly what actions each of them would take, down to the precise timing.
Hisagi continued.
“As you know, a Magic Spearman’s magic power is ridiculously limited. Even if I fully invest in [Magic Power], I still have to spread points into [Agility] as well.”
For reference, a Magic Spearman didn’t need to invest in [Strength] at all.
They wielded spears through magic, not raw physical force.
In Arcana Chronicles, investing in [Strength], [Agility], and [Magic Power] simultaneously was practically unheard of.
If someone did, they’d be labeled a “failed build” without a doubt.
And [Luck]? That wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Hisagi released a surge of magic power.
Hwoooom.
“Yet, as you can see, my magic power is still intact. Even though I’ve already unleashed multiple mid-tier spells. That’s why I felt something was off—and now I understand. The Commander’s magic power is supporting me.”
It wasn’t just the two of them.
Taemin and Hisagi’s gazes turned toward Leonie, further down the battlefield.
“…She’s barely injured.”
Class: Berserker.
Normally, she should’ve been soaked in blood by now.
Yet, she was still standing strong.
Clearly, Hoyeol’s command was affecting every soldier on the battlefield.
Hisagi adjusted his grip on his spear.
“Has the Commander changed? Or…”
“……?”
“…Have we grown enough to finally perceive his will?”
Taemin thought for a moment before answering.
“Damn snake, you really like twisting your words, huh?”
“Oh?”
“I mean, could you just say it normally for once?”
Hisagi chuckled.
“Either way, our duty remains the same, doesn’t it?”
Tap, tap, tap.
“That bastard—!”
With that, Hisagi dashed back into battle, leaving Taemin behind.
Not about to be outdone, Taemin activated [Call of the Wild], sprinting forward with beast-like speed.
Of course, even then…
“Harmonize.”
Hoyeol’s command continued to weave through the battlefield—seamless and unyielding.
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Damn it.
This is why role distribution is so important.
Grandfell, the shameless one responsible for handling arrogance, had disappeared.
Meanwhile, I was left speechless from the overwhelming shame,
yet my mind was still working—somehow.
I need to memorize the pattern.
Phases exist for boss monsters.
Why else would the [Hexagram Brooch] set effect have such a similar mechanic?
When HP drops below certain thresholds, the “Awakening” effect is triggered.
Soon, it’ll be back to full strength as if nothing happened.
All [Blessed] boss monsters shared the “Forest” attribute.
AAU and Nam Taemin found this unprecedented, but—
if it was the World Tree’s doing, then it wasn’t an unreasonable phenomenon.
The World Tree could alter attribute values as it pleased.
That meant I needed to memorize the Forest-type boss patterns.
The AAU database had some information,
but theory and actual combat were two different things.
At the same time…
I scanned the battlefield.
[Blessed Bandit of the Verdant Forest: Lv.1,200]
[Blessed Antlered Wyvern: Lv.1,300]…
A multitude of Named Monsters that followed the Guardian of the Verdant Forest.
Most of the Holy War Alliance was taking them down while advancing toward the next phase of the boss fight.
Minimizing allied casualties is key.
As I said before, what we needed was a perfect victory.
Only then could I keep Grandfell’s absence hidden.
Wasn’t I the one who stayed up all night, planning for this exact moment?
Thanks to that, I overslept—but that just meant my condition was perfect.
Go ahead, rampage all you want.
As Supreme Commander of the Holy War Alliance,
I would analyze everything, command perfectly, and secure absolute victory…!
Just as I was confidently waving the Conductor’s Baton—
KUUUUUUUUUUNG!
A massive tremor shook the ground.
The giant Guardian of the Verdant Forest—
was falling?!
And then—
Ding!
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]…
The messages kept flooding in.
I immediately stopped commanding—no, I had to stop.
Not because I was excited about the level-ups,
but because I couldn’t comprehend what just happened.
Wait… you’re the boss. Where’s the next phase?!
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who was confused.
“H-He’s collapsing?!”
“The boss just got taken out in a single blow…?”
“Wait, what happened to all the remaining phases?!”
And then—
Chuk.
Countless eyes turned toward me.
They wanted answers.
But I have no idea either!
The system doesn’t lie.
I glanced at my Hexagram Brooch.
────────
[4. When HP reaches 70%, 50%, 30%, 10%, and 1%, the “Awakening” effect is activated.]
[5. Upon entering “Awakening” state, magic power consumption becomes 0 for a certain duration.]
────────
As stated, phases were triggered at set HP thresholds.
And each phase included an Awakening pattern, making the boss even more dangerous.
Did my Anomaly ignore the system’s mechanics?
I knew my place well enough not to delude myself.
Even Grandfell couldn’t pull this off.
Even he wouldn’t be able to ignore the system—
unless he was fighting a demon-type monster…
“……!”
Then—
A memory flashed through my mind.
There was a message.
[The Blessed Guardian of the Verdant Forest has been inflicted with the Fear status effect.]
I had seen this before.
When a demon faced Grandfell and was unable to withstand the fear,
it would choose death over continuing to fight.
Of course, demons were just demons.
Grandfell had coldly remarked when witnessing such an act—
“Such a transparent and shallow tactic.”
After all, only a Demon Hunter could truly banish demons to hell.
If a demon chose suicide, it would eventually resurrect.
Grandfell and I understood that better than anyone.
But what if it wasn’t a demon?
The final flashing message—
[You have obtained loot due to your high contribution.]
If a level 2,000 monster had truly chosen to die rather than face me,
instead of Grandfell, then this situation actually made sense.
But why?
I couldn’t understand.
It’s not like I was so terrifying that anything would be afraid of me.
No, if it was Hiel, the World Tree’s Avatar, she should know better than anyone—
That I am not Grandfell.
…Well, either way, I needed to confirm it for myself.
I opened my inventory, checking the loot I had automatically acquired.
At first glance, it seemed unremarkable.
A small orb of light, flickering like a firefly.
It was an itemized “Blessing.”
────────
[Blessing of the World Tree]
[Grade: Mythical]
[Restriction: Unknown]
[Effect: Greatly increases all primary and secondary stats.]
[Description: A blessing from the World Tree, the will of Arcana. Only those acknowledged by Arcana may receive the World Tree’s Blessing.]
────────
A Mythical grade item.
A huge boost to all major and secondary stats.
Any player who knew how Arcana worked would drool over this effect.
But what caught my eye was the description—
[Only those acknowledged by Arcana may receive the World Tree’s Blessing.]
As if to prove that statement—
Fssssh.
The Blessing of the World Tree inside my inventory vanished into thin air.
And then, as if to taunt me, a new message appeared.
[World Quest: To the One Feared by Arcana.]
At last—
I understood everything.
It wasn’t Grandfell.
It was me.
Hoyeol.
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Jesse pulled down her pointed hat against the raging winds.
-What’s the point of raising a single disciple? When the dust storm comes, instead of shielding her master, she’s too busy covering her own face…
The Tower Master’s nagging barely registered in Jesse’s ears.
How could it?
She was completely distracted.
“What kind of Anomaly was that?”
You see as much as you know.
To Jesse, the Anomaly that Hoyeol had manifested was simply that—an Anomaly.
She had no idea what it was composed of.
Perhaps that’s why—
Jesse’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Chief Lee seemed intent on leading us… but maybe the power of his Anomaly exceeded even his own expectations? If that’s the case, then it means his Anomaly has evolved to another level…”
But Jesse’s academic fervor did not last long.
It couldn’t.
Jesse—
No, all players in the Holy War Alliance saw it.
[World Quest]
A system message that never lies.
[World Quest: Enemy of the World Tree]
Jesse’s head slowly lifted.
As if in complete denial.
Her gaze turned skyward.
“…Chief Lee?”