Chapter 145 – To Protect Our Pride (1)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Although the [Jurisdiction] function is immense, it is not omnipotent.

It means I cannot just pop up a quest as I please.

Well, a trivial quest might be possible. Something like an errand quest that most players could carry out without difficulty.

‘Of course, within the limits permitted by this damn pride, that is.’

Moreover, like this very moment.

Players in the Yusra Kingdom, Frost, and Muon. To hand out a quest significant enough to pop up as a message to all of them, no matter how much I bring up jurisdiction, is impossible.

I opened my mouth sincerely after a long while.

“I am glad to be able to be together with you.”

Really, I’m thankful you didn’t say a single word of complaint……!

In truth, I wasn’t too worried.

Hakuna, Harkon, even Tallim.

They might not be at Granfel’s level, but they all had ill fate with demons.

The particularly motivated one was Harkon.

“It seems the time has come to hone my dulled sword.”

Harkon had been staying in Frost carrying out the role of Acting Lord which didn’t suit his aptitude.

It seemed his body was already itching. Of course, more importantly, it must be because of his loyalty to the Empire.

“Sir, could you tell us the situation of the continent once more?”

Harkon asked.

Hakuna and Tallim also seemed to be waiting for my mouth to open.

I told them the unexaggerated truth.

From the fact that what decorates the night sky of Arcana is not the Milky Way or the like, but countless demon’s pupils, Demonic Eyes. Even down to the fact that the millions of demons I defeated were merely a drop in the bucket.

“Our savior, I am relieved you have returned safely.”

Hakuna opened his mouth with relieved voice.

……Can it really be called returning safely when I died once?

Anyway, Harkon and Tallim grasped the situation from the perspective of knights.

“Thousands of Demonic Eyes are floating in the sky……. They must be clearly looking into the state of the war.”

“Practically, we should consider there are no blind spots on the continent.”

“Does it mean wherever we hide, it is within the demons’ palm?”

“And according to your words, Sir, millions of demons assembled in tens of minutes……. It might not be an exaggeration to say that millions are merely an extremely small fraction.”

……I told you because you asked to be told but.

It must be a situation so dismal you wonder if you shouldn’t have listened.

The reason the three men conversed seriously was simple.

Because it’s bleak.

Even if we recruit adventurers and players through a quest, how many numbers would that be. And the gap with the demons occupying the Arcana continent is…….

There’s no need to look far, you can just tell by looking at when a Demon King appeared in reality.

‘Because it was overwhelming to defeat even the lowest-ranking Demon King, Decarabia.’

In that sense, they had no choice but to admire him once again.

Holding only a single sword and a crossbow.

To think he jumped into the middle of millions of demons.

How much of your fear did you lose, Granfel.

Indeed, the stormy period of puberty.

It’s befitting of the days when you believed without a doubt that you were the center of the world.

But it’s thanks to you.

Even though I entered the Arcana continent and witnessed a more desperate continent than anything, being able to think of the next move with the attitude of ‘always’ is entirely thanks to you.

“However, it is fine.”

Of course, this loose muzzle of mine is all because of you too.

“?”

At my declaration, the three men stopped talking.

Within the short silence, I opened my mouth calmly.

“Because it is not a fight of ours alone.”

“……?”

But really, it’s not just us, you see.

Because the Arcana continent, including the dwarves, that side is also struggling with all their might. In the moment of death, I could not forget the messages that floated up.

[Your achievement echoes across the Arcana continent.]

[The lives of the Arcana continent speak of your sacrifice.]

Yes, if the appearance of the New World Tree was the start of a full-scale counterattack.

My sacrifice must have played a role no different from nourishment for the counterattack.

Of course, now that I’ve resurrected again.

Calling it a sacrifice is somewhat grandiose but…….

‘Well, there’s no law saying you have to give nourishment only once, right?’

Originally, the first time is hard.

It’s easy from the second time onwards.

Because I found out the [The Last Adventurer] effect is valid. As long as I find a method to access the Arcana continent, I can give nourishment every single day.

‘Because offering my single body was a much more profitable business than I thought.’

Even if I burdened myself with Arcana’s massive death penalty.

What I gained was far more than that.

If I were to talk about those rewards, it would take ages again.

Moreover, for now, resolving the questions of the three men was the priority procedure rather than the rewards.

I continued my words.

“There are those who participated in the holy war in the Arcana continent as well.”

“……!”

“The dwarves. The decisive battle weapon, the Quernberg Mechanical Tower, which carries on Akshan’s pride. And all the beings of the continent fighting against demons while carrying through their pride even amidst despair. It would be safe to consider all of them are currently participating in the holy war.”

“……Indeed, that is so.”

“The Sir’s words are correct.”

If we think about it from that perspective, maybe our side is the one that’s late. So, as much as we jumped into the holy war late, we must shake up the state of the war in earnest.

A quest for that purpose.

“As you all know, there is no material reward at the end of the holy war.”

It’s not because of my damn cleanliness and honesty.

If it were a war that occurred for rewards and spoils.

It would have never been given the name holy war.

This is not a war to take, but the continent and reality.

A war to protect the two worlds.

“However, pride remains.”

At the same time, because it was a war to protect pride.

Let’s switch perspectives here.

Let’s view it from the perspective of an extremely realistic player.

Just how many people would warmly start a quest where not even a single reward is placed? It’s not a war from the days when Arcana was merely a game, but a real war where you must risk your life.

Well, I didn’t expect much, but wouldn’t it be even less than expected.

However, I could guarantee one thing.

“Pride that does not break in the face of any trial.”

If they are those who joined in this kind of holy war quest that doesn’t even have rewards.

They wouldn’t be afraid before any demon.

You know, like me, who is earnestly completing the Demon Hunter Class Quest that has no particular rewards better than anyone else.

So what I have to do is simple.

Just how many players like me will there be.

It’s a matter of watching and waiting.

In that sense, let’s take a breather.

Clack

On the Golden Round Table.

I opened my mouth while lifting the set teacup.

“Everyone, it would be best to drink it before it gets cold.”

“……Ah, I had forgotten.”

“I am seeing that green tea for the first time.”

As always, a 300 won green tea teabag swayed.

*

[Quest: Unfinished Holy War]

From the Arcana continent to reality.

The holy war with demons has not yet ended.

At the end of this war, there are no rewards or spoils.

The only thing that remains is pride.

Prove your own pride.

─Prove your worth in the corresponding region. (In Progress)

Corresponding region.

The quest that popped up in the Yusra Kingdom, Frost, and Muon.

Even back when Arcana was merely a game, war-related quests weren’t common.

Such a war quest popped up in three regions simultaneously?

Naturally, baits were bound to circulate.

– Crazy, those demon mobs weren’t pouring in for nothing;;;

– No;; How were we supposed to know a holy war is going on

– Is Raymond Sean slowly starting to recover the baits???

– By the way, this is the first time I’ve seen a quest on this scale lollllll

The demon monsters that poured in abnormally.

If a holy war was in progress in the Arcana continent, they could understand the mystery to some extent. And why a holy war-related quest popped up for players.

AAU emergency meeting.

“Is the UK absent again today? Well, never mind.”

As the situation was what it was.

Greetings were skipped.

The meeting immediately went into the main topic.

“A holy war, they say, a holy war! A holy war we don’t even know of.”

“Does anyone have a guess?”

“……Well.”

“Even just a little, no, anything. Even a small hint is fine.”

In the flowing silence, someone opened their mouth.

“First of all, it seems certain that the Goddess Church is involved, right?”

“I suppose so. That’s probably why the quest popped up in Muon too. Well, I can understand even up to Frost. Because it was almost completely swallowed by the Demon King. Meaning they are enemies. But the Yusra Kingdom?”

Leaving aside the Yusra Islands, wasn’t the Yusra Kingdom an ancient kingdom resurrected in reality? South Korea AAU Branch Director, Park Min-jae, kept his mouth firmly shut.

‘It must be Lee Ho-yeol again this time.’

If everyone’s brains were working, they should be able to deduce it without difficulty.

Lee Ho-yeol, because he was the player who activated the [Jurisdiction] function in the Yusra Kingdom. In order for the Yusra Kingdom to participate in the holy war, Lee Ho-yeol’s consent must have definitely been required.

‘Then I have no choice but to feign ignorance even more.’

Park Min-jae glanced around the monitor once.

AAU.

An international cooperation agency established to respond to Arcana’s erosion.

However, that was nothing more than a cause.

Behind it, the complicated interests of each nation are intertwined.

“What does Branch Director Park Min-jae think?”

Thanks to that, he could quickly guess the intention contained in the question.

‘Are they testing the waters?’

They must be arbitrarily misunderstanding that I am forming a close relationship with Lee Ho-yeol.

Well, you only see what you know.

They’re generalizing their own relationships.

‘Dammit, even if I wanted to, I’d need to be able to do that first.’

Park Min-jae didn’t want to pretend to be clean.

For that, he had rolled around for way too long in the muddy water called society. However, he didn’t have the slightest intention of splashing that dirty water onto Lee Ho-yeol.

‘Because he never needed my help in the first place anyway.’

It wasn’t just him.

Wasn’t Ho-yeol someone who stayed ahead of even the AAU’s information gathering power?

Thinking that the cooperation of just a mere AAU Branch Director would be helpful to him would be an overestimation of himself. But even if he admitted that.

‘It doesn’t mean I’m just going to sit and watch either.’

Do you think I’ll just sit and watch you guys splashing dirty water onto Lee Ho-yeol?

As he said, his own clothes were already dirty from rolling around so much.

A few more drops of muddy water splashing?

No damage at all.

No, he could even roll on the bare ground openly.

‘Please, do not interfere with him.’

Lee Ho-yeol, he was different from other players.

Because he didn’t pursue material wealth, nor did he pursue honor.

The path he walked was only a single path.

‘Do not interfere with the path he has walked for humanity.’

Starting from the [Rift of the Broken Dimension] rift.

To the [Demon King’s Castle] rift.

Because he was the one who had solitarily resolved rifts that not only AAU but even powerful nations couldn’t provide solutions for.

Yes, the path Lee Ho-yeol walked was truly the path of a sublime hero that no one could approach.

So Park Min-jae made a resolution.

‘If I cannot walk together, I should at least cut off the obstacles.’

Because that’s my role.

Such Park Min-jae opened his mouth.

He openly hit the nail on the head.

“I know nothing, nor do I have any guesses. However, one thing is clear.”

“……?”

“It would be best for you not to interfere with the path Player Lee Ho-yeol walks. Unless it’s offering help, if you by any chance think of holding his ankle…….”

That was an explicit warning.

“Then you should also be prepared to offer your own ankles as well.”

.

.

.

AAU meeting ended.

“He’s grown quite big.”

After the Cataclysm.

The emergence of the Mage Tower in the capital of South Korea, Seoul.

Taking that as an opportunity, South Korea grew rapidly.

Not to mention the luck, even the appearance of an out-of-standard player named Lee Ho-yeol. Thanks to that, South Korea’s influence in the international society soared to the point where it wouldn’t lose even compared to the USA or China.

“However, he is severely mistaken this time around.”

Branch Director Park, did he tell us to be prepared to offer our ankles?

Regretfully, there was no need to hold his ankle either.

In this quest, it was Give and Take.

Because there were no interests involved.

“He is overestimating the animal called human, indeed.”

Ssss

The man drew in the smoke.

Humans are a foolish and cunning kin.

It’s the same for players.

To risk their lives for a task that has neither rewards nor spoils?

Pride, peace of humanity, it’s not enough of a reason to move them.

Hooo

“Pride? Hah, it’s not even a funny joke.”

Smoke scattered out through his sneer.

.

.

.

“……?!”

However, the man’s sneer did not continue even until he burned out one cigarette.

A breaking news that popped up on the monitor.

As if waiting precisely for this moment.

What revealed themselves was.

The emerging force threatening America’s pride, Shining.

The Giant Coalition of Gaon, Inazuma, and Berserker.

“Is the Giant Coalition participating in the holy war?”

“You made a quick decision, do you have a special reason?”

“What is the reason for participating in a quest with neither rewards nor spoils?”

Amidst the pouring countless questions.

Gaon’s Guild Master, Nam Tae-min, raised his fist.

Thump thump

He pounded his chest with his fist.

He spoke like a person wondering why they were asking such an obvious thing.

“It is to protect the pride in our hearts.”