◈ Chapter 68. Akshan’s Legacy (2)

When Arcana was a game.

Traps were familiar to players.

“Finally, the treasure……!”

“Hey, wait, don’t touch that chest!!!”

“Aaahhhh! What, what?!! Did the box move?!”

“That idiot! It’s Mimic!”

Starting with Mimic, a monster disguised as a treasure chest.

Dangerous traps lurk throughout the dungeon.

There’s even an explorer class with the skill to dismantle them, as well as nettubers who make traps their content.

“For me? Barely? That’s too easy for me~”

So.

When a trap popped up in the Quernberg Machine Tower.

Netizens who specialize in traps rushed to turn on the broadcast.

“Part of me wants to run right now. It’s a shame, really.”

On the outside, they were bummed.

This was a great opportunity to attract viewers.

The live broadcast alone was already the main event, and more.

But.

Apart from that, the level of traps in the Quernberg machine tower was not ordinary.

First and foremost, that pattern.

The intricate pattern was unlike any trap he had ever seen.

“If I jump here, I’ll be able to easily……?!”

“No, you mean arrows will come from all directions at this timing?”

” …… Brothers, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can break something like that.”

The technology of the machine tower was incorporated into the trap.

It was so sophisticated that it seemed almost evil.

Many players were knocked to their knees by the traps.

“Oh, if I hesitate here!”

“That’s right, you’ll end up looking like a hedgehog.”

“The record is gone.”

“That’s a good thing, though. It doesn’t look like much damage was done.”

If you’re lucky.

Aside from the difficulty, the traps don’t seem to do much damage.

The traps were all made of silver.

“This confirms that this is competitive content.”

The Quernberg Machine Tower wasn’t built to kill you.

As the quest objective suggested.

It’s clearly competitive content that pits players against each other and rewards them accordingly.

“It’s a bit of a game changer.”

“We’re asking players to prove themselves!”

“Let’s see who comes out on top!”

Such moments of conviction.

The interest in the Quernberg machine tower could only grow.

And with all that attention.

The line finally started to move.

And then the panic.

“What the hell?”

“What, what am I looking at?”

“Ha, I hope the trap isn’t broken.”

Didn’t I just say that?

The trap in the machine tower is the most complicated thing I’ve ever seen.

I know there’s no way it’s going to suddenly break down…….

An incomprehensible sight was unfolding before my eyes.

Shush!

The trap misses.

Shush!

Ho Yeol didn’t dodge.

Shhhhh!

Ho-yeol was just walking casually.

That’s right.

The trap was avoiding him!

It was as if a shield had been created around him.

All the traps that flew at him were deflected.

It was an amazing sight that needed an explanation.

The chat window exploded.

But aren’t we all NetTubers who specialize in traps?

No commentary on such an unheard-of spectacle.

“Wow, I’ve never seen this tactic before!”

“……I never thought you could just walk through a trap.”

“What have I been doing all these years, brothers?”

“……Suddenly I can’t wait to retire.”

Is that a skill?

If it is a skill, where in the world is that skill?

What class uses that skill?

In the end, as usual, it’s just questions after questions after questions.

And in the midst of it all.

Ho-yeol reached the other side of the portal.

It had only taken him a minute.

And he didn’t even run, he walked.

Once again, the chat window exploded.

It was just Gentleman……!

*

Searching, interfering, manifesting.

Of the three stages.

Search was by far the most challenging.

Search is the magic first step.

If you get it wrong, you can’t even move on to the next step.

And even if you did, your magic would be extremely inefficient.

“Of course.”

The chief wizard of the tower.

Even Marcelo couldn’t weed out the bullsh*t in his search.

But for me.

No, that doesn’t apply to Grandfell.

“His innate magical talent was such that he could imitate most magic simply by looking at it.”

Who made that up.

A talent, indeed, so great as to be unrecognizable.

It’s why I was able to break through the trap on foot.

‘Of course, it’s all silver.’

Because I was able to skip the most important part of the search.

It was possible.

Even if it was a gift from Grandfell.

It would have been impossible to navigate unfamiliar targets simultaneously. If the trap had been made of something other than silver…….

‘We would have had to run, not walk, through it.

One would run through it.

Another by avoiding it like the rest of the players.

Well, it didn’t turn out too badly.

─Current standings

1st place: 1:01

2nd place: 4 minutes, 41 seconds

3rd place: 4 minutes, 50 seconds

I didn’t expect to be in first place.

The difference in time between the second place and the third place was also significant.

Probably due to the high level of traps.

“Wow. This trap is no joke, Mr. Ho-yeol.”

Nam Tae-min arrived, breathing heavily.

The record wasn’t broken.

Not even in the top three.

Tae-min wiped the sweat off his face.

“Hmph, just 10 seconds short.”

Even Nam Tae-min couldn’t believe his ears.

His skill is amazing.

That makes it even more unbelievable.

“…… is really Akshan’s ultimate weapon?

I can’t believe it, even after checking the quest window again.

I can’t believe it, so I check the quest window again, but I still can’t believe it.

The Akkshan Base I know.

I can’t believe the Akshans have such sophisticated war machines all over the continent…….

‘Even if I can’t believe it, I’ll figure it out. I will.’

To find out, I must go on a quest.

In that sense, I looked at the portal.

A portal manifested through a mechanical item.

A technological feat I hadn’t even seen in Akshan.

One step.

As I approached, a message flashed before my eyes.

[Quernberg Machine Tower-Center]

[Recommended Level: Lv.450]

[Collapse Progress : 0.1%]

The first thing I saw was the appropriate level.

A whopping 450 levels.

But I wasn’t as worried as before.

“I’m pretty sure that’s not a player level.

Yes, the Quernberg Machine Tower will always be the Demon Hunter’s ultimate weapon.

It was built to fight demons.

Just look at the traps now.

“It’s not so bad to have a crack like this once in a while.”

It was natural to think like Nam Tae-min.

The trap’s damage was weak.

Even players who didn’t avoid the trap didn’t suffer much damage.

So everyone thinks it’s just a break in the action, a simple competitive quest.

But I know.

It’s serious.

It’s not negotiable……!

“What kind of a fool would give away his legacy?

Well, I wasn’t expecting it.

I don’t like to have things taken away from me.

Of course, that includes quest rewards.

So I quietly headed for the portal.

“I’ll go first.”

“What? Oh, I’ll go with you!”

Nam Tae-min hurriedly followed.

When I passed through the portal, a message appeared in front of me.

[You have met the conditions].

[Your reward will be paid].

[You will be assigned to a team based on your ranking].

……Wait, a trap followed by a team competition?

A pause.

A string of letters.

[You’re “number one.”]

[You’ve broken an overwhelming record].

[Your teammates, based on rank and record, are ‘1’].

[We’re currently searching for a suitable opponent…….]

“!”

No, wait.

A surge of frustration as you check the message.

You’re alone in a team match……?!

It must be because I’m so far ahead of everyone else.

No, but still.

“What are all these rules?!

I was actually relieved that it was a team competition.

I had Nam Tae-min by my side.

But when we went through the portal.

Our positions seemed to be mixed up.

I couldn’t see Nam Tae-min.

Ironically.

Suddenly, a mechanical device started to move.

The platform shook with steam.

Aside from my resentment.

The part of me that lives and dies by formality and procedure understood the situation.

“If the procedure is the case, then I have no choice but to follow it.”

…… Do not be persuaded by these evils, Grandfell.

Oh, well, what can you do.

There was no turning back the message.

I checked the quest window.

[Quest: Tournament]

A platform that moves with victory or defeat.

Win points, 30 points, be the first to reach the top.

─Current Victory Points (W: +3p / L: -2p)

1st place: none

2nd place: none

3rd place: None

Thud─

There’s a reason that platform moves with a clatter.

If it wins, it moves up.

If it loses, it moves down.

By the way.

‘I have to earn 30 victory points?’

Because it was 3 points for a win…….

That meant I had to win 10 games.

If you lose along the way, you lose all your hard-earned points.

Most importantly, I was alone in that team game.

……Lonely.

All I can hear is the sound of machinery engaging.

I miss the chatty Nam Tae-min…….

‘If I knew this would happen, I would have said it was a quest reward or something…….’

……Yes!

Quest rewards!

I suddenly thought of rewards.

Maybe it would help me in the battle.

I opened my inventory and checked the reward.

“Is this ……?

• https://pindangscans.com

Those ratings-grabbing bastards.

The studio was already recording.

“A tournament. I don’t know who designed that machine tower, but I have to give them credit. Where else could you watch players pit their wits against each other!”

“That’s right. Thanks to the Crack in the Quernberg Machine Tower, I get to see what I could only see in the Colosseum, back when Arcana was a game.”

“As we speak……. Well, it looks like the other team has shown up!”

Clang─

A mechanical device that moved with a loud clanging sound.

The players on it ran into each other.

The moderator said in an excited voice.

“It seems that the players who passed through the portal have all traveled to one place. As you can see, players who entered through different cracks are now on the same team, right?”

“This is another interesting system!”

“Okay, for now, the number of players on each side is three on three, and the competition is……!”

The mechanical device that both teams boarded.

A large cog floated in the center of it all.

If you had eyes, you could see it.

“…Are we fighting for that cog?”

“By getting that cog before the other team does. Getting it into their machine seems like a win condition!”

“The cog is the only way the machine will go upstairs. That’s a pretty good idea.”

“As we speak, it looks like the war of words has already begun between the two teams, eh?”

As the cast predicted.

The tension between the two machines was already there.

It was inevitable.

“The average level of the players seems to be similar.”

Weren’t they two teams that met after searching for a suitable opponent?

Their average level was exactly the same.

No wonder they couldn’t make a rash move.

“……, wait.”

Beep.

Sudden mute.

The cast stiffened.

What the hell is this, right in the middle of the big moment?

“Why are you turning down the sound on the TV! You’re crazy!”

“No, listen. This is really important.”

“What? You’re making a fuss again.”

“No, I’m not fussing, I’m talking about Lee Ho-yeol!”

“Lee Ho-yeol? What happened to Lee Ho-yeol?”

Tournament Quest.

Both teams are matched up with opponents of a similar level to themselves.

So, if you consider the average level of the players on the other side who will face Lee Ho-yeol……?

“If I play well, I might be able to figure out Lee Ho-yeol’s level!”

……Lee Ho-yeol’s level?

It was a topic that caught the attention of the players and the world.

Viewers swallowed hard and waited for Ho-yeol’s appearance.

-Ahhhh, so when is Lee Ho-yeol coming out?

-Lol I’m waiting to see when Lee Ho-yeol comes out more than anything else.

-How come there’s no word on who he’s teamed up with????

-I looked all over nettube, but there’s nothing but aggro;

Of course, the players in the machine tower are the same.

clap─

A mechanical device that rises when a cog is inserted.

Guild Master of the Shining.

Rox checked the quest window.

─Current Victory Points (W: +3p / L: -2p)

1st place: 15p

1st place: 15p

3rd place: 13p

Five wins in a row.

15 points earned.

That puts you in a tie for first place.

As you can see, there was a team that reached 15 points before him.

Rox could guess who it was.

“Lee Ho-yeol.”

It was Ho-yeol, who had set a dominant record for trap breaking.

It was only natural that he would lead the way in this quest as well.

But Rox was confident.

“This is a team competition, not an individual one. Ho-yeol Lee.

A team battle with a balance system.

The higher the level of a player.

the lower the level of his teammates.

Rox planned to exploit the teammate loophole.

“We’re bound to meet.”

Only two teams have 15 points.

A head-to-head battle was inevitable.

Clunk!

A mechanical device slowly shut down.

“Come on.”

The opponent on top of the mechanical device appeared.

Immediately, Rox’s face was colored with horror.

“……!”

Unfortunately.

Rox was only half right.

Five straight wins.

A 15-point lead.

Ho-yeol was there.

But he was alone.

So Rox’s confidence was overflowing.

“…… won five games in a row by himself?”

It was bound to turn into anxiety.

‘It’s impossible! How could he do that by himself?!

Because that’s just not possible!

* httpa://pindangscans.com

What a ridiculous stroke of luck.

The clink.

A mechanical device closing in.

The message that comes to mind.

[We are currently searching for a suitable opponent…….]

I thought to myself.

‘So much for sucking the nectar of a minor victory.’

I was only level 295.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, I was alone.

There was no way I could find a suitable opponent at my level.

Or to put it another way.

I was a poor match for teams with the same number of points.

This excluded me from competing against other teams.

It was a five-game winning streak with only a bye.

[There is ‘1’ team with the same number of points].

But now it was inevitable.

There’s only one other team with 15 points.

So from now on, I’m like.

“I have to play against three people.”

Against players much higher in level than me.

But it was worth it.

They’re exhausted from fighting over and over again.

Besides, I had quest rewards.

But it’s just a match.

It’s not a life-and-death duel.

It’s more formal.

I bowed lightly.

“I’ve been expecting you.”

“……!!!”

……But did I say something I shouldn’t have?

What’s with the looks?