Chapter 315 – What If That Is Also Me (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Am I seeing things because I covered one eye with an eyepatch?

……No, that’s impossible.

System messages floated in one’s mind. Even if one could not see, system messages could be seen clearly. Nevertheless, I muttered because I couldn’t believe it.

“It’s real?”

[You have entered the Arcana Continent.]

The Arcana Continent heading toward destruction.

That despairing modifier that adorned the entry message had disappeared. But that wasn’t the reason the World Unification guild members were surprised. Since it was their first entry, they couldn’t know what kind of message had popped up in the past.

If so.

[It was one man who saved the Arcana Continent, which was falling into despair. He breathed new hope into the Arcana Continent.]

The identity of the man who brought hope.

Did they guess and get astonished?

Not yet.
For there was nothing to guess from the message alone.

The reason for their astonishment lay in the messages that followed.

[The Arcana Continent now sings of that legend. The cold wind blowing across the entire Arcana Continent stops, and the frozen land melts and thrills with vitality. : Experience acquisition increases by 50%.]

“N-Nonsense……!!”

That was right.

The reason the World Unification guild members were astonished as soon as they stepped on the Arcana Continent was because of the ridiculous buff. A 50 percent increase in experience acquisition without any conditions. That alone was a buff unimaginable to players in reality.

That was also just the beginning.

[The spirits of the universe rejoice greatly at the reversed entropy. Their playfulness has greatly twisted the causality of the Arcana Continent, but no one will blame them. : Item drop rate increases by 50%.]

[The pure-blood magic race, the Descendants of Twilight, scatter purple mana across the Arcana Continent. The mana concentration of the Arcana Continent thickens. The prelude to the Great Magic Era opens. : Magic manifestation power increases by 30%.]

[The missing master of martial arts, the Weapon Master, has returned. All weapons on the Arcana Continent revere him and harbor sharpness to surpass him. : Acquisition of proficiency in all weapons increases by 30%.]

[The missing romantic explorer, Lorentzk, has returned to the Arcana Continent. The knowledge of the romantic explorer, who wants to end his reclusive life upon his dramatic survival, makes the Arcana Continent even richer. : The romantic explorer, Lorentzk, wanders the continent spreading knowledge.]

…….

Each one was a buff capable of overturning Arcana’s order.

Those messages were popping up continuously as if competing.

They were players who were able to step onto the Arcana Continent because they were considered skilled even in World Unification. Their extensive knowledge as players instantly concluded what these buff messages meant.

All seven of them harbored the same thought.

‘This is an opportunity to shed one’s mortal coil and be reborn.’

Performing missions on the Arcana Continent along with such ridiculous buffs. By the time they returned to reality…… They were confident they would grow to the point of being completely different from the past.

So they couldn’t help but be moved.

“It is an honor that you give me such an opportunity. My Lord!”

Of course, that emotion did not last long.

A moment of admiring the buffs, their brains spun.

The message definitely mentioned ‘that man’.

‘Just what kind of man is he.’

To be able to bring such a buff across the entire Arcana Continent?

The question regarding that did not last long.

Hadn’t it been said continuously.

A legend is something that swells more and more as it is passed from mouth to mouth.

In that sense.

It was natural for the man’s legend to have spread across the Arcana Continent.

More than enough to be output as a message.

The final message flickered.

[All of this was the arrangement of the Dark Dragon.]

“……?!!”

Dark Dragon.

At that word, the complexions of the World Unification guild members turned pale.

That name, incessantly in reality, a world completely different from the Arcana Continent. As someone said, it was a name that echoed hundreds of millions of times a day.

“L-Lee Ho-yeol……?”

Yes, because it was Ho-yeol’s alias.

In shock, they carefully tore into and read the message.

One man, Dark Dragon, arrangement……

The knowledge of an experienced player produced a conclusion.

“All of this is the change brought about by that guy, Lee Ho-yeol……?”

The days when Arcana was just a game.

Occasionally, buffs would be activated depending on a player’s achievement.

But this was a different story.

It wasn’t a buff activated in a limited area like a hunting ground or a village at best, but valid across the entire Arcana Continent. Moreover, each effect was an effect enough to overturn order and balance.

The player’s knowledge spoke.

“……Just what kind of achievement?”

Even with that extensive knowledge of a veteran, they couldn’t even guess. What they didn’t forget even with a confused mind was their loyalty to the monarch. Their loyalty warned them.

“My Lord, that guy is dangerous……”

Lee Ho-yeol, he was on a different level.

Different by several dimensions!

If all of this was due to Lee Ho-yeol’s influence, it meant the Arcana Continent was already no different from being in his grasp. The Arcana Continent, which looked like heaven, began to look like the middle of the enemy camp.

The guild members of World Unification made a decision.

“We must retreat for now, my Lord.”

However, they too.

Like their lord, were overlooking something.

What was shared with Liu Oujunchun was only their vision.

“……Can you not hear us?”

That their lord could not hear their voices.

Or see the messages that popped up.

And.

“……More importantly, how do we return?”

That there was no such thing as a log-out function on the Connector.

*

Yusra Kingdom.

I moved the chess pieces scattered on the round table.

Opposite me sat the King, Hakuna.

To others’ eyes, it might look like I was leisurely playing chess and resting. But to me who heard that, it was unfair. How could Granfel be someone who easily takes a rest.

This was also an extension of work.

Besides.

‘Why did I even touch the chess pieces?’

I don’t know how to play chess.

I might know how to play Omok or Janggi, but I know nothing about chess.

Moreover, I don’t even know the exact names or functions of the pieces.

‘Was this called a pawn? And the crown is the king so it’s a King?’

And yet, I shamelessly moved the chess piece.

“The remaining forces are largely three.”

Saying it was an extension of work wasn’t just a convenient excuse. As the Commander of the Holy War Allied Forces, I was reviewing the power of our allies and enemies with Hakuna, the King of Yusra.

Since the power of our allies was engraved in my mind without even needing to mention it, thanks to being faithful to my daily routine every day. Now was the situation to recite the power of the enemy, the demons.

Clack.

My fingers moved and put down a chess piece.

“High-ranking Demon Kings.”

A term referring to the Demon Kings ranked in the top 10.

From there, rank 4.

Gamigin was dragged down to hell by me and the Akshan seniors, so excluded.

Then there would be exactly nine left.

Clack.

“Great Evil, Seven Deadly Sins.”

Clack.

“And the Primordial Evil.”

Two chess pieces put down in succession.

“Of the Seven Deadly Sins, there must be five left.”

“That is so.”

At Hakuna’s words, I nodded my head.

Greed, who possessed Hakuna, had its sprout cut from the start and was thrown into hell.

And Jealousy was hunted with the sacrifice of the Shadow Mercenary Corps.

‘It’s a lot if it’s a lot, and a little if it’s a little.’

But demons are growth-type monsters.

Troublesome guys who get stronger through negative emotions.

The scary thing is not knowing how far a lower demon Imp might become stronger through some opportunity.

That proof was precisely shown as a class quest.

– Hunt demons. (Repeatable)

● Follow the bloodstains to track the mixed-blood demon. (In Progress)

Seeing that it’s the target of a grand class quest called [Reconstruction of Akshan], it must not be an ordinary guy. However, the fact that there is no information about the mixed-blood demon tells how troublesome demons are.

‘Besides.’

Demons weren’t everything.

In the first place, the source of a demon’s power is someone’s negative emotions. Forces as vicious as demons are overflowing both in reality and on the Arcana Continent.

Of course, it’s a natural phenomenon.

Debating the theory of innate goodness or innate evil in reality is a philosophical story, but……

At least on the Arcana Continent, there was a clear answer.

Why, the Fruit of Good and Evil.

‘Even that World Tree accepted it as such, didn’t it?’

That the coexistence of good and evil is natural.

That was also something the great Granfel acknowledged.

Of course, it meant it didn’t matter because evil would yield to good.

Anyway.

‘Let’s try not to extend our meddling that far if possible, please.’

Just the remaining demons alone were all big shots, weren’t they?

I was busy enough just caring about demons.

Still, if there was a comforting point, it would be that I had gained reliable and steadfast allies starting with Hakuna.

Hakuna stared piercingly at the chess piece.

……Is it because I moved three times in a row?

I wondered if he was taking chess seriously. But it didn’t seem so. Soon, as Hakuna raised his head, his resolutely shining pupils could be seen.

“Since I was one whose body was taken over by a demon, I will not boast that I will boldly stand against demons. However, please do not forget my existence, my benefactor. Whether it is here or the Arcana Continent, I am ready.”

The Arcana Continent is in the midst of a cataclysm.

I heard through Hiel, those who poured out from the Omen were bringing new vitality to the desolate Arcana Continent.

It was obvious, but there were bound to be conflicts with each other.

You ask if everyone knows the existence of Akshan?

That’s right.

But Akshan is Akshan, and they are them.

‘Well, it’s not like Akshan is a god either.’

To hope that the conflicts between them would be resolved just by the name of Akshan is nonsense.

‘It doesn’t mean that’s bad.’

As I said, it’s a natural thing.

But at the same time, I know.

Negative emotions blooming from conflicts become the power of demons.

So there would be a need to mediate appropriately from behind.

Making such a resolution brings up another word……

‘In the end, Dark Dragon became a true word, didn’t it?’

The giant Dark Dragon mediating the Arcana Continent from behind, Claudi!

As expected, the mouth is the problem.

Because I spat it out, it was realized in some way, wasn’t it?

‘There’s a reason they say watch your mouth, really.’

In that sense, Hakuna, our King of Yusra, should also be careful? It’s the same at work; the words a person should be most careful of are ‘ask me to do anything’.

‘I know it well because I’ve been terribly played by an enemy too.’

I sincerely told Hakuna.

“It is best not to say things you cannot handle, Hakuna.”

Of course, because that was Granfel-style speech, it didn’t sound like warm advice. Fortunately, someone of Hakuna’s level would have already suffered enough Granfel-style speech for his ears to callous.

Hakuna smiled softly and answered.

“I will keep that in mind, my benefactor.”

.

.

.

After Ho-yeol left, Hakuna, left alone, looked at the chessboard. The pieces that were moved were all three Pawns. Hakuna retraced the names attached to the three pawns.

“High-ranking Demon Kings, Great Evil, and the Primordial Evil.”

Seven Deadly Sins Greed.

Hakuna was the one who knew its viciousness better than anyone.

That’s why he could guess how great those existences were.

“Even so, it must mean they are nothing but mere foot soldiers.”

However, Ho-yeol had given all three of them as examples of Pawns alike.

Someone might say.

Aren’t you underestimating them too much?

No, that was a sound of only knowing one meaning of the words and not the other.

“Demons grow through negative emotions……”

In the rules of chess, a Pawn also promotes.

What the pawn meant was that even if a demon was nothing but a trivial minion, it could grow unpredictably. It must be an expression of a metaphor that he would never let his guard down.

At the same time.

“Even so, a Pawn cannot become a King.”

It must be his intention to make one feel the difference in class.

Hakuna deeply engraved the chessboard in front of his eyes into his mind.

If he let Ho-yeol’s words slip even a little.

He would not be able to fathom that deep meaning.

*

“……Gasp!”

A rapidly twitching heart.

Unfamiliar scenery and sensations.

The mixed-blood demon opened its eyes.

Just what the hell happened……?