Chapter 165 – Left Something Precious (1)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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The calm before the storm.

The holy war that will begin in earnest starting from the Demon King Continental Clash.

Even so, time flowed as always.

Yusra, Frost, Muon, Mage Tower, and lastly the rifts.

Players spurred on their growth at their respective positions.

“Ugh, I’m really gonna die!”

It was a daily life they hadn’t experienced before.

To think they had no time to rest even after clearing a rift.

A free schedule, leaving work on time, a life with evenings.

These days, the biggest reasons for choosing to be a player had disappeared.

“Just what the heck is that damn pride.”

Does it have to make a person this tired?

However, they had to endure it.

They had to grit their teeth and endure with sheer grit and malice.

“Stop grumbling. I have no desire to get kicked out getting tangled up with you, you know?”

“What are you saying. Get kicked out, who’s getting kicked out? I will endure to the end.”

“Yeah, just shut your mouth a bit.”

Because this wasn’t an opportunity that came often.

The universally acknowledged strongest knight order of the Empire, Lionheart.

If it had been the days when Arcana was merely a game.

Players wouldn’t even be able to converse with the Knights of the Lionheart with average fame. No, they couldn’t even have a point of contact. But it was a special situation ahead of a holy war.

Is a conversation or a point of contact the issue?

They were receiving training under the guidance of a Lionheart Knight of all things.

“Basic stamina is the foundation of everything. Now, run everyone!”

In the Frost training ground, Harkon’s hearty voice rang out.

“Chatting during training is forbidden.”

In the Yusra training ground, Jesica’s strict voice rang out.

Muon’s situation wasn’t much different.

“……How many hours has it been just doing repentance prayers.”

“Ha, man, I think I’m gonna get a cramp.”

“I lost sensation in my lower body a long time ago.”

Groans leaked from the mouths of priests praying on their knees.

“Why did I choose something like a paladin!”

“At least barbarians can take off their tops.”

“I really resent plate armor…….”

Paladins poured out beads of sweat.

The situation at the Mage Tower wasn’t much different either.

The Mage Tower’s library.

Players first admired the vast amount of magic books once.

Next, they were astonished by the level of those books.

To think there were this many books related to high-level magic.

“……But what the heck does this even mean?”

“Exploration, interference, manifestation……?”

“It’s incomprehensible enough to slap pride in the cheek.”

It was natural.

Because 『Magic』 and [Skills] were completely different concepts.

However, even the Chief Mage, Marcelo, hadn’t perfectly understood that fact yet. There’s no way players who just became apprentice mages could understand it.

“I feel like I’m studying for the university entrance exam again.”

“……Did you even study?”

“If I did, do you think I would have been able to reach ranker in Arcana.”

“What.”

Pedantic content to the point where silly words came out automatically.

If it were the Mage Tower of the past.

No one would have paid any attention to the agony of apprentice mages. Because the Mage Tower of the past was about each advancing forward while looking only at truths they couldn’t grasp.

It means they did not care for those who fell behind.

However.

“What? An irregular academic conference is being held in the Crystal Hall?!”

The Mage Tower had changed.

They no longer chased after vain truths.

They did not look down on their surroundings while chasing vain truths.

The expansive Crystal Hall.

The Chief, Marcelo, stood in the center of the Crystal Hall.

Is it thanks to the players, the hall looked fuller than usual.

‘Though I take pride in thinking more than anyone else.’

The founder of Theoretical Magic Studies.

In order to organize all magic into theory.

It was Marcelo who usually observed everything from various perspectives.

It was natural for various thoughts to follow in that process.

But even among those countless imaginations.

An academic conference in front of adventurers.

A scenery like now had never existed.

‘Of course, not my current appearance either.’

His body was still skinny, but it didn’t creak anymore.

Blood didn’t regurgitate into his mouth, nor was pain felt.

Most of all, his mind was clear.

Is the inside of the head originally this crisp.

To the point of realizing it anew.

At that point, he couldn’t help but recall it again.

‘……Did the curse of terminability truly disappear?’

Because among the millions of demons Sir Ho-yeol defeated, there was one related to the curse? That’s a ridiculous coincidence. So he hadn’t even considered it seriously.

He hadn’t harbored vain expectations.

‘Is it okay for me to grasp such luck?’

The curse of the Simuard family.

The faces of those who passed away first faintly brushed past his mind.

“…….”

It made him recall forgotten emotions.

Soon after, Marcelo shrugged his shoulders.

‘No, this is not the time to be drowning in sentimentality.’

Yes, the road to advance was far and rough to be lost in sentimentality.

Moreover, the luck Sir Ho-yeol brought from the Arcana continent.

Because he didn’t want to waste it in vain for even a single moment.

Such Marcelo opened his mouth.

“Theoretical Magic Studies was established to aid in the understanding of abstract magical structures. What is exploration, and what is interference, how can magic be manifested from magic power…….”

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Yusra Kingdom, Golden Calf Tavern.

Now that Lockid was being treated for his injuries.

An untimely peace descended upon the tavern.

Keuu

Alcohol washing away fatigue.

At the same time as swallowing alcohol down their throats.

The players spat out exaggerations as if competing.

“I’m not joking, it’s because you guys don’t know Commander Harkon’s personality! He’s not called a lion for nothing. He’s glaring with eyes wide open……!”

“Running is rather better.”

“What did you say?”

Puck puck puck.

A priest roughly hitting his own thigh.

However, his expression was motionlessly stoic to a worrisome degree.

“From dawn until a little while ago. I just prayed on my knees. Look at this, no sensation in my lower body. No, stepping away from that, my head was spinning so much because blood wasn’t circulating.”

I’m pitiful.

No, I’m more pitiful.

A sound heard amidst the exaggerations going back and forth.

Bang!

First of all, it wasn’t Lockid.

“……Why are you banging your head against the table again?”

“Did something happen at the Mage Tower?”

“There was. I realized I am a blockhead. Look at this, I banged my head this hard and yet I’m completely fine, right? I really feel a sense of shame. Exploration my ass, I should start exploring what’s inside my head…….”

Just what kind of hardship did he suffer at the Mage Tower.

His condition looked very serious.

Yeah, where in the world is there an easy job.

Because there wasn’t even enough time to console each other.

“That’s enough. Have a drink.”

Clink

The three players continuing to tip their glasses.

Among them, a man suddenly brought up a topic.

“But, by the way, about Lee Ho-yeol.”

“Sseub! What do you mean Lee Ho-yeol. To our holy war Commander-in-Chief.”

“It’s just us here, come on. Anyway, about Ho-yeol-nim.”

It’s hard to say a word because of that damned title.

The man awkwardly smacked his lips and continued.

“How is he surviving?”

It was Ho-yeol who was always confident.

Since there was no hesitation or hiding his steps.

Ho-yeol’s daily routine going back and forth between Yusra Kingdom, Frost, and the Mage Tower was widely known. So he couldn’t understand. Harkon had certainly said it.

“Even the unparalleled Sir Ho-yeol performs physical training every single day without missing a day…….”

It wasn’t just Harkon.

“……Wait a minute, you guys haven’t heard that news yet, have you? The widespread rumors of Commander-in-Chief Lee Ho-yeol at the Mage Tower. I really couldn’t believe it even after hearing it, so I checked several times.”

Ho-yeol’s heroic tales widespread in the Mage Tower and also in Muon.

After having a conversation, they couldn’t understand it even more.

“Not only physical training, but after returning to the Mage Tower, he stays holed up in his office handling his duties as Chief? And when a rift is generated, he appears faster than anyone else? And he’s repeating that lifestyle constantly?!”

Is he truly a human being?

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I, Lee Ho-yeol, declare.

The statement that I didn’t need the [Blessing of the First World Tree] is fully withdrawn.

This isn’t a human’s life……!

‘If it wasn’t for the Blessing of the World Tree even.’

I would’ve really crossed the River Styx from overwork.

First of all, more than anything else, the rapidly increased amount of physical training was the problem.

Thanks to the blessing buff, fatigue didn’t accumulate in my body, but as the amount increased, the time invested also had to increase.

Look at right now too.

I’ve been merely doing push-ups for dozens of minutes already.

I stared at the messages popping up.

─Train your weakened body. (Repeat) ▲

● Run 40KM (Success)

● 3,500 Push-ups (Success)

● 2,000 Pull-ups (Success)

● 1,200 Burpee Tests (Success)

Finally success.

Endured today as well, I’ve laid down one worry.

However, words different from my inner thoughts pop out of my mouth.

“There is nothing gained without pain. To think this is a blessing.”

……Seriously, that damn stubbornness!

Well yeah, I agree to some extent.

Because sometimes, only when my arms and legs tremble do I feel like I’ve properly trained. But thinking of the next schedule, there’s no complaining on a full stomach like this.

Sreuk

Sitting at the desk in an upright posture without resting.

What I turned were the pages of books. Because there wasn’t just one or two flesh-dug holes or wells.

The fields of books I have to read every day are also truly countless.

‘With my head, I wouldn’t have understood even if I held onto it my whole life.’

However, because Granfel’s brain was there.

I piled up knowledge of books in an amount that would make one freak out just looking at it neatly into my head.

Of course, did they say there is no end to learning? Though I couldn’t see the end at all.

Also, even the duties as Chief.

Still, the fortunate thing was that the workload decreased thanks to Marcelo completely recovering.

Moreover, Marcelo was putting effort for the players who had entered the Mage Tower to adapt.

‘If I had to deal with the players…….’

There’s no worse thing than that.

Because it’s obvious I would’ve poured out even harsher venomous remarks than what I poured onto the apprentice and skilled mages of the Mage Tower. Wouldn’t breaking news about Lee Ho-yeol’s venomous remarks and personality controversies pop up on the internet.

“The gazes and evaluations of others are meaningless.”

Though the person himself would be fine with it.

That wasn’t the end of it.

[Quest: Unfinished Holy War].

I was basically the Commander-in-Chief of the holy war.

Yusra, Frost, Muon, the Mage Tower. Plus the Commander-in-Chief of the holy war with players added to it. Truly, it couldn’t help but be a maddeningly burdensome position.

‘Do I even have the experience to take on such a heavy responsibility.’

There’d be no need to go as far as the Mage Tower.

Just Harkon alone, his level is a whopping 600.

His combat and war experience was also incomparably greater than mine.

However, I will not make excuses.

At least right now, ahead of a grand event called the [Demon King Continental Clash], I don’t even have time for that.

“Numbers are merely numbers.”

Yes, shamelessly.

It means I will bear the weight I have shouldered.

If it’s that sort of thing again, I am confident.

Because there was Granfel’s setting of an ultimately unbreakable spirit.

『Underestimation requires proof. Overestimation has been made into reality without fail.』

Of course, thanks to that, the one dying was me.

Once reading is over, I have to immediately head to the Yusra Kingdom to prepare for the holy war. I didn’t unnecessarily feel thankful for the Blessing of the World Tree for nothing.

“However, maintaining a sense of real combat will also be an important task.”

Also, whenever I had time, I had to enter rifts, emit sword force, manifest magic, and diligently gather experience points through hunting step by step.

I really have no time to rest.

To the extent that my mouth goes dry longing for green tea.

And I long for teatime.

Tap

After closing the book, I examined the information on the currently generated rifts.

Let’s see, the rift with the highest recommended level right now is…….

……Wait, what is this.

What is this article?

[Live Coverage: Rumors circulating the Mage Tower……. Lee Ho-yeol, defeated millions of demons in just two hours?]

It’s not a wrong statement but.

Anyone can clearly see it’s misleading?!

Even now I am struggling my butt off to reach the pouring overestimation.

For the bubble to increase rather than pop.

However.

“For words without feet, they are slow.”

Who could I resent?

Everything was self-inflicted by my loose muzzle.

Ultimately, it meant I had no choice but to diligently struggle.

I tidied my attire.

A neat and upright appearance.

If only to not sink under the weight I’m shouldering.

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Although I resolved not to stagger.

Making the resolve pointless.

I, having entered the rift, was tense without showing it.

Hiel bowed to me.

“These are the remains of the core of the Quernberg Machine Tower you mentioned.”

She added while bowing her head.

“The degree of damage was so severe that the dwarves tried to restore its condition even slightly, but there was no result. I, Hiel, am deeply ashamed for not properly carrying out Ho-yeol-nim’s request.”

You’re too polite, Hiel.

If anyone saw this, they’d think I’m strictly enforcing discipline like the World Tree.

I spoke with a generous voice.

“There is no need to bow your head.”

“……?”

“This is sufficient.”

The core of the Quernberg Machine Tower that was disastrously shattered.

Even if the dwarves who created it said it’s in a state that cannot be fixed, it’s no problem.

Because from the past until now.

I had a trick I heavily utilized.

『Reversal Magic』.