Chapter 638. The Red Pill (1)
The Arcana Continent had once been just a game.
Accepting this fact was nearly impossible.
Even the Arcanians who had been updated into reality hadn’t fully come to terms with it yet.
-“So the Arcana Continent was nothing more than a playground for adventurers…?”
-“Of course, if that is what you say, then it must be so, my Lord.”
-“I apologize, Chief. My understanding of anomalies is still lacking, and I do not yet comprehend. However, I will believe your words. No, I have no choice but to believe them.”
Not only Harkon, but even Marcelo, a Chief of the Magic Tower who had been delving into [『Anomalies』], still didn’t fully grasp the concept of the [Arcana Continent Chronicle].
‘I completely understand.’
To realize that the world you’ve lived in was nothing more than a game in another world—
To find out that your life and history were perfectly aligned with someone else’s scribbled notes—
‘Even if you understand it, you may not want to accept it.’
That was why I never delved too deeply into the subject.
‘…More than that, I wasn’t certain myself.’
Or rather, I suppose my perspective had changed.
The Claudii family’s backstory.
The setting of Grandfell, which I used to jot down in my notebook—
That wasn’t everything.
I had learned that there was more to it.
Was it simply that Arcana Continent Chronicle, a virtual reality game, had turned real?
Or had Arcana Continent Chronicle been a replica of an already-existing Arcana Continent?
‘It’s the classic chicken-and-egg dilemma.’
Trying to convince others of something I didn’t even know was impossible.
So I deliberately avoided mentioning it.
But now…?
This changes everything.
I stared at the flashing messages before me.
[The Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star has been affected by ‘Aesthetic Sense.’]
[World Quest, ‘The Culprit,’ has begun.]
[A bounty event has been triggered in Arcana Continent.]
[Wanted Target: Raymond Sean]
Raymond Sean.
The fact that a bounty event had triggered meant that other players had received the same message.
Sure enough, the Holy War Alliance was in an uproar.
“Bro! Did you see this?! Raymond Sean!”
“Yeah, I can see it too, clear as day.”
“Is that bastard finally revealing himself? That damn trash!”
The Holy War Alliance, which had been focused on the Blessed Warrior of the Northern Star, Baekseo, had now turned their attention toward Raymond Sean.
And understandably so.
Players had already experienced his schemes firsthand.
Regular updates.
Emergency patches.
And worst of all, nightmare-level difficulty rebalancing.
“…Honestly, I do feel a little guilty considering how much reward money I’ve gotten from Raymond Sean over time. But do you think a little money will buy my loyalty? Hell no! If anything, this just makes me want to hunt that bastard down even more!”
Because Raymond Sean had been using every possible method to throw reality into chaos.
At that point, I subtly shifted my gaze away from the Holy War Alliance—
And toward the Lightning Child, who was murmuring to himself.
“Wh-what is this…?”
His youthful face didn’t match the sheer despair in his voice.
I, Hoyeol, drew upon my extensive knowledge of Arcana Continent Chronicle.
‘World Quests are no exception for Arcanians.’
You didn’t need to see a system message to realize something was happening.
If it was a world-class quest, then Arcanians would always sense it in some way.
In Arcana Continent Chronicle, this had been clear when—
‘NPCs would drop hints about major quests in advance.’
I made sure to glance at Baekseo and the Sunrise Warrior, Dongchun, just as I had observed the Lightning Child earlier.
As expected, their reactions were the same.
They were visibly shaken.
‘This is the power of Aesthetic Sense.’
The issue was that it never appeared when I wanted it to.
But as you can see, when I followed the path it set, a solution always emerged in some form.
Just as I was marveling at this, Baekseo’s cold voice cut through the air.
“…Even now, the warmth of the World Tree lingers within my body. That means no harmful tricks could possibly infiltrate my mind.”
Ah, that? I know all about that.
‘No one has made better use of the World Tree’s Blessing than I have.’
It didn’t just nullify status ailments—
It rejected them outright.
Baekseo’s shaking pupils turned to me.
That previously cold gaze was no longer there.
“Are you telling me that what you showed me was truly real?”
…Wait, memories?
‘What?! What did you guys see?!’
All I did was follow the path laid out by Aesthetic Sense.
The sunlight had shone down on me.
And now, the three of them had clearly witnessed something in me.
‘Damn it, someone tell me what it was…!!’
I racked my brain.
If this were Grandfell, what kind of reaction would he have given?
There was no need to think about it.
I responded with utter confidence.
“A true pity.”
“A pity?”
“For I have never spoken anything but the truth.”
“!!!”
Sure, I may have exaggerated at times.
But we had never lived by lies.
That said, I hadn’t forgotten the most important point.
‘Whatever they saw in that memory, the conclusion is the same.’
They had now realized the truth about Raymond Sean.
At that moment, Baekseo sheathed his sword at his waist.
Then, he bowed to me with deep respect.
“I have committed a great offense, O Light.”
There it was again—this damn “Light” title…!
As much as I hated it, it was a relief that the misunderstanding had finally been cleared up.
Even if I still only understood about 30% of what Grandfell was truly about.
‘There’s no way Grandfell was responsible for the fall of the Eastern Continent.’
I could already guess why Baekseo had been so mistaken.
No doubt, the World Tree had fed him false information.
At least it seemed like the World Tree had some shame left.
“Baekseo, there’s some strange mist rising from your body…!”
Swoooosh.
“I know, Dongchun.”
Baekseo seemed to understand.
He could feel that the World Tree’s Blessing was fading.
Of course, I knew exactly what that felt like.
Which meant my advice was simple.
“Be careful.”
“…?”
“The winds of change may feel cold to you.”
“!”
In other words—
Now that you’ve lost the blessing, watch out for the [Frostbite] status effect.
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“!”
Ssshhh…
The moment the God of War collapsed onto the ground,
Harkon felt the energy surging from the demonic sword.
He was a knight, not a demon hunter, so he couldn’t be certain.
Gulp.
‘…This energy isn’t so different from what I’ve felt before demons.’
The commander of the Empire’s strongest order, the Lionheart Knights.
Harkon’s mental fortitude was unwavering.
Meaning, he neither felt fear nor wavered in the face of ordinary demons.
However.
‘This, at the very least…’
The energy emanating from the demonic sword in his grasp was beyond ordinary.
It easily surpassed a True Name Demon—no, beyond a Demon Lord.
Similar to when he had faced the Seven Deadly Sins, the so-called Great Evils…
“?”
Harkon’s thoughts came to a halt as he gauged the intensity of the energy.
A sight reminiscent of when a demon’s possession was undone.
The fallen God of War.
No—the player let out a groan.
“Ugh…”
It was as if he was waking from a deep sleep.
Harkon urgently asked if he was alright.
However—
“You there, are you alrigh—?!”
Harkon was left speechless at what happened next.
Floating in midair, separating from the player’s body—
was the God of War’s form.
Ssshhh…
“!”
The God of War, unconscious from shock,
was being completely devoured by the demonic sword.
And yet, to Harkon, this sight felt eerily familiar.
Unconsciously, he muttered to himself.
“…Is this what it means to be engulfed by the infinitely deep darkness…?”
Ssshhh…
Where had he vanished after being swallowed by the darkness?
When the darkness cleared, the God of War’s form was gone without a trace.
“Could it be…”
As Harkon pondered, he realized something.
The past locations that had been engulfed in infinite darkness—
Jeju Island, where Paimon, the Ninth Throne Demon King, had appeared…
“…Could all of them have been devoured by the darkness?”
A sudden chill ran down his spine.
Harkon, silent for a moment, finally spoke.
But unlike his expectations, his voice carried no fear.
“…And yet, that only makes it all the more like him.”
Despite possessing such overwhelming power.
Despite the Great Sage’s prophecy.
He had never once devoured anything.
Instead, he had been desperately resisting all this time.
Harkon finally understood.
“…I now have a guess as to why you seek a reunion.”
When they had been together—
the infinitely deep darkness had never consumed anything.
Because there had undoubtedly been a single ray of light illuminating that darkness.
“…My apologies, Hiel.”
If there was anyone who understood their bond better, it would be Hiel.
“And yet, I still do not understand.”
Why did she not wish for their reunion?
Regardless, now that he had acted,
now that his intentions had been revealed—there was no turning back.
Harkon retrieved the Celestial Sword, Excalibur.
“In the end, I have only caused an uproar, haven’t I?”
Having lost the World Tree’s Blessing,
Harkon could no longer wield Excalibur.
Securing it at his waist, he then turned to the demonic sword.
Clank.
“Even so, confirming their arrangements was worth it.”
Indeed, it was a far greater gain than Excalibur itself.
Thinking of what lay ahead, he felt a sense of unease.
Even so, he had to follow the path laid before him.
Carrying the unconscious player on his back,
Harkon placed him down along the main street leading to the Golden Palace.
“Hey, sir! You can’t just sleep out here, you’ll catch a cold.”
“…Ugh, w-what?!”
“You reek of alcohol. Judging by the smell, you must’ve been drinking at the Golden Calf Tavern. Get it together, will you? The world’s still dangerous, you know. Just because the Evil Eye is gone doesn’t mean you can pass out anywhere.”
“G-Golden Calf Tavern…? Wait, is this Yusra Kingdom? Why am I here…?”
“Geez, you’re wasted, man.”
Once Harkon confirmed the player had safely woken up,
he finally resumed his journey.
Only now did the weight of his uncertain path settle upon him.
“For now, I cannot even set foot in the Magic Tower.”
Bellier Yusia.
If he encountered her now, he might be turned to dust by her magic
before he could even explain himself.
Of course, that didn’t mean he could stay in Yusra Kingdom forever either.
“…Even my mutterings must be cautious now.”
Elsidor.
If the elf’s keen ears caught wind of his voice—
it wouldn’t be surprising if his head were severed at any moment, anywhere.
Harkon glanced at his tattered armor.
‘I cannot let this life he spared go to waste.’
His future remained uncertain.
Harkon, aware of how modern society functioned,
regretted his recent actions.
“…I should not have drawn Excalibur so brazenly.”
The image of him wielding Excalibur had surely spread far and wide.
That was why he hesitated to leave the forest.
‘If things had gone according to plan…’
He should have retrieved Excalibur,
used the Magic Tower’s portal before Bellier returned,
and set foot back onto the Arcana Continent.
Yet, due to the battle against the God of War,
he had lost valuable time.
In the end, he muttered.
“…What am I to do now?”
But Harkon’s worries did not last long.
For as he had said before—
the only difference was in their methods and direction.
Their pride was still aimed toward the same goal.
Ssshhh…
“!”
Darkness leaked from the demonic sword.
“…Is that what you mean, Lord Grandfell?”
Though he could not speak directly,
Harkon could feel it.
Just as the Lord of Light had once shown him the way,
the Lord of Darkness was now guiding him forward.
Only moments ago, he had witnessed—
how the infinitely deep darkness had consumed the God of War without a trace.
And yet, not a single shred of fear or hesitation existed within Harkon’s eyes.
Step.
Harkon took a step toward the darkness and muttered.
“This life—
I had already sworn it to you, had I not?”
And so, Harkon was swallowed into the darkness.
“?”
When he regained his senses,
he was met with a breathtaking sight.
“What in the world…?”
Before him lay an expansive view of the Arcana Continent.
Stepping back from the edge, he finally realized—
This was no cliff.
It was the top of a structure.
The remains scattered across the ground—
were not mere rocks.
They were the bones of a dragon.
Then, this structure was not simply a building, but rather—
“…A fortress?”
And then, within his mind—
a voice echoed.
-So, you have brought me a precious guest.
That voice—
somehow, it resembled his lord’s.
-Grandfell, my proud son.
“A… A son? Could it be—?!”
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