Chapter 636. We, Not Me (1)
Somehow, my side felt strangely empty.
‘Well, I suppose I’ve been a bit out of it.’
I had collapsed on my office desk.
Even had to rely on the Healing School’s private quarters.
Considering Grandfell’s heavenly-awful temper…
‘Even so, I could have wielded Gwicheol just fine.’
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And a sword for a sword.
[ A chilling cold sweeps through the air. ]
[ The master of North Sea Glacier welcomes you. ]
[ The First World Tree’s blessing rejects the status effect, Frostbite. ]
The opponent was called the Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star, after all.
‘And Gwicheol is particularly suited for ever-changing environments like this.’
This was the perfect setting to make use of Gwicheol.
Still, it was too late to go back and retrieve it from Yusra Kingdom’s office now.
Might as well make the best of it, Hoyeol.
‘…No, actually, this might be a blessing in disguise.’
Whenever Gwicheol adopted a new form,
I had to come up with a ridiculous, over-the-top name for it—
like “Imagine Breaker” or something equally flashy.
I glanced at the thousands of Holy War Alliance troops.
‘If I had to yell out another dramatic name right here, in front of all of them…’
Good job, Hoyeol!
Even if I could compensate for the lack of Gwicheol,
If I died of embarrassment, then none of it would matter.
Therefore, this blunder was nothing but a strategic choice—
one befitting a Supreme Commander…!
Mentality upgrade complete: Hoyeol, now even more shameless than Grandfell.
“The wind is refreshing.”
I muttered as I adjusted my Dawn Jacket, draping it properly over my shoulders.
Not because I was cold—
but to activate the set effect of [He Who Awaits the Dawn].
[ He Who Awaits the Dawn 5/5 ]
[ Set item effects are now active. ]
[ Currently active set effects: 5/5 ]
[ 1. When designated as commander, all allies’ morale reaches maximum. ]
[ 2. All attacks deal additional damage. Additional damage has the Light attribute and applies even against enemies of the same attribute. ]
[ 3. Once per battle, nullifies an ally’s status effect. ]
[ 4. Once per battle, nullifies an ally’s damage. ]
[ 5. When not designated as commander, activates alternative effects. ]
A grand effect, fitting for a grand set.
‘But thanks to a certain someone, I’ve never had the chance to properly use it.’
Because of Grandfell and his tendency to take on everything alone.
I had never fully utilized the He Who Awaits the Dawn set.
Now that I finally had the chance, first—
‘Let’s assess the battlefield, Hoyeol.’
The Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star ruled over North Sea Glacier.
As the notification suggested, this field was anything but welcoming.
‘Given its location, the name feels a little out of place.’
I needed to manage my mana efficiently.
That’s why I had set the portal’s destination to the nearest spawning ground of the Blessed Monsters.
Teleporting thousands of Holy War Alliance soldiers to the far northern end of Arcana Continent?
‘Doable, but I’d pass out from mana exhaustion immediately.’
To put it simply, just listen to Nam Cheolmin’s briefing.
“As you might have guessed, this is an island located in the southwest region of Arcana Continent! Based on the latest update, we suspect it emerged from beneath the sea!”
“…You’re saying an island this big was underwater?”
“What, you scared? Why are you stuttering?”
“Scared? No, it’s just a bit chilly, that’s all.”
“If you’re cold, keep your damn shirt on, dumbass.”
Bickering.
Nam Taemin and Leonie, trading banter.
A familiar sight by now.
I nodded to myself.
‘At least Arcana Continent is still relatively intact.’
Considering the entire Eastern Continent had vanished without a trace,
an island emerging after an update was hardly unusual.
‘Anyway, time to focus.’
Even though morale was at its maximum,
the notifications didn’t lie.
As long as we stood on this field,
the status effect [Frostbite] would continue to trigger.
My own vision had been flickering nonstop.
[ The First World Tree’s blessing rejects the status effect, Frostbite. ]
[ The First World Tree’s blessing rejects the status effect, Frostbite. ]
[ The First World Tree’s blessing rejects the status effect, Frostbite. ]
…
The World Tree’s blessing was but a speck of dust compared to before,
but at this moment, I was genuinely grateful for it.
I flicked my jacket, activating the set effect.
[ Select a status effect to nullify. ]
Since morale was already at its peak,
it was better to nullify a physical effect like [Frostbite]
rather than one that affected the mind.
[ The Holy War Alliance’s status effect, Frostbite, has been nullified. ]
“……?!!”
The effect was immediate.
Thousands of soldiers turned to stare at me all at once.
No need to say thank you, guys.
‘That’s my line, after all.’
If not for the image I had to uphold,
I would have expressed my gratitude openly.
But since that wasn’t an option,
I had to secure an even more complete victory.
I clenched my fist.
‘I’ll make it as flawless as possible.’
Now that I knew
the World Tree feared not Grandfell, but me, Lee Hoyeol,
I was going to exploit that advantage to the fullest.
‘Survival is about using whatever you can, Hoyeol.’
Which meant now was the time for a declaration of war.
“Lonely Warrior of the Northern Star.”
Was this method acting?
Or had it simply become second nature?
I wasn’t sure.
But the words rolled off my tongue in perfect Grandfell fashion.
“You need not tremble in solitude any longer.”
And to lessen my embarrassment just a little—
“For we have come.”
Not “I”—but “we.”
Yet instead of a response from the Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star,
it was the Holy War Alliance that erupted into murmurs…?
“W-What did you say?!”
…Now what?
The sudden outburst came from Analyst Nam Cheolmin.
Even before the opponent could respond, he fired off another question.
“Two unknown individuals have already arrived on this island?!”
At the same time, he turned to look at me.
Me, Lee Hoyeol.
Honestly?
‘Why are you looking at me?’
I don’t know everything either!
But as I said—
I couldn’t afford to tarnish the image Grandfell had built.
So in times like these—
‘If I stay silent, at least half the battle is won.’
This was a time for silence.
Of course, even as I stayed quiet,
I racked my brain to figure out who the two individuals on this island were.
What helped was Nam Cheolmin’s over-the-top reaction.
“W-What?! They’re standing their ground against it? No, that’s impossible! Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Maybe they mistook a Named Monster for the Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star… No? You’re sure?!”
Level 2,400.
No matter how vast Arcana Continent was,
and no matter how much level became meaningless in the realm of the Arcane,
only a handful of individuals had reached that level of power.
And the majority of them…
‘Are affiliated with the Holy War Alliance.’
From that, I could narrow it down.
‘Could it be the senior mages of the Magic Tower?’
No, there was no need to waste time speculating.
With morale maxed out, and with the status effect [Frostbite] nullified…
The Holy War Alliance soldiers were fully prepared,
their eyes locked onto me, waiting for my command.
I hesitated no longer.
Less talking, more action.
Ttoggak.
I stepped forward onto the glacier where the Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star awaited.
And in that moment—
I found out.
Who the two unidentified individuals were.
“……Ah, AAAAAHHHHH!!”
One of them, the first to recognize me,
screamed as if they had seen a ghost.
And the other, who turned to look at me after hearing the scream—
“!”
Still, actions spoke louder than words when it came to greeting me.
Thud.
Though, from my perspective, their form of greeting was rather burdensome.
‘Is this really a situation where you should be kneeling?’
Indeed.
The two unknown individuals turned out to be the Sunrise Warrior and the Lightning Child.
Now that I saw their faces, it all made sense.
‘Warrior—it’s certainly not a term from the Arcana Continent’s language.’
Which meant that the Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star was also likely from the Eastern Continent, just like the Sunrise Warrior.
As if to confirm my reasoning, the Sunrise Warrior spoke.
“I was exchanging swords with an old comrade.”
Exchanging swords, huh?
‘I did that with Harkon once too.’
It wasn’t actual combat but rather a battle of words—a theoretical exchange of swordsmanship.
Of course, the result was always the same.
I had never lost to Harkon in a theoretical match.
Suddenly, a certain humiliating memory surfaced.
-“Your sword is far too light.”
-“I will not defend. Counterattack instead.”
-“This is my victory.”
As if I would’ve said such nonsense to Harkon myself!
‘Thinking about it now, it makes me cringe, Grandfell.’
Back then, I knew nothing about swordsmanship—I was just mimicking sword aura.
But, thanks to Grandfell’s sheer stubbornness, the only thing I could do in those debates was make absurd claims…!
-“I shall admit my defeat, my Lord.”
It was only thanks to Harkon’s patience that I didn’t completely disgrace myself.
‘Really, just thinking about it makes me shudder.’
But more importantly, can you two stop kneeling now?
“Our? He wasn’t talking about us, was he?”
“More importantly, are you sure he’s from Arcana? His outfit looks kind of unfamiliar.”
“Now that you mention it, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before…”
Considering these two had once been part of the Transcendental Alliance and had stirred up the Arcana Continent quite a bit, it wasn’t surprising that some among the Holy War Alliance recognized them.
“I-I just followed along! I swear!”
Of course, even if they didn’t recognize them, these two were clearly no ordinary individuals.
And now, they were kneeling before me, one of them trembling in fear while desperately trying to justify himself.
“I told you, we’re not qualified to be called ‘we’ by the Supreme Commander yet.”
“…Tch.”
“We must strive even harder.”
No wonder the Holy War Alliance was getting the wrong idea.
‘Is there a way to solve this through connections?’
Not all monsters had to be slain.
I had learned that from experience—take the Lava Siren from Zero Mountain, for example.
‘The Siren is still assisting players to this day.’
I turned my gaze toward the Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star.
Like the Sunrise Warrior, he also had jet-black hair, but his demeanor was completely different.
His skin was so pale that it was almost ghostly.
Despite receiving the World Tree’s Blessing and thus inheriting the Forest attribute,
his gaze still exuded an icy chill.
‘Still, I’m lucky the Sunrise Warrior is here.’
I had no idea what kind of nonsense the World Tree had been whispering to him…
But these two were supposedly friends, weren’t they?
If so, maybe he could help clear up the misunderstanding about me.
Just as I was holding onto that hope—
Screech.
…Figures, huh?
“Baekseo, what are you doing?”
The Sunrise Warrior called out urgently.
Yet, the Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star, Baekseo,
did not halt his actions.
Instead of mere words, he had drawn his sword against me.
“Dongchun.”
…Dongchun?
Was that the Sunrise Warrior’s real name?
‘Dong’ as in east, and ‘chun’ as in spring…
A name even more old-fashioned than mine.
Regardless, Baekseo continued speaking.
“This man is the mortal enemy of the Eastern Continent.”
Wait, what kind of absolute nonsense is this?!
*
tl/n: I guess Eastern Continent is Murim
read only on pindangscans
help me to buy raw chapters: https://ko-fi.com/pindangscans
*
Harkon gripped the Demonic Sword tightly.
‘This is not the arrangement left by Lord Hoyeol.’
Grandfell.
Another Lord, another guiding hand left for me.
“What a bizarre sword. But it changes nothing.”
The God of War—his words were correct.
No matter what sword Grandfell had prepared,
the one wielding it was still just me, an old, toothless lion.
Harkon nodded in agreement at the words that followed.
“You old knight, your sword is pitifully light.”
But his nod was not in agreement with the mockery.
No—Harkon had anticipated it.
He had foreseen the unpredictable actions
of an absolute powerhouse.
…Thunk.
Indeed.
The old lion had managed to sink his fangs into the God of War
only because a certain memory had resurfaced.
“God of War.”
“…?!!”
“Do you still think my sword is light?”
The memory of his sword theory debates with Grandfell.
-“Your sword is far too light.”
-“I will not defend. Counterattack instead.”
-“This is my victory.”
-“Engrave today’s defeat in your mind, Harkon.”
Harkon gripped the Demonic Sword even tighter and roared.
“God, I Harkon will never forget…!!”
Swaaash—!