Chapter 335 – Write It Grandly (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Justification was always important.

Moreover, wasn’t I someone who added all sorts of flowery words just to sip a cup of green tea bags? But when it came to hunting? Justification had to be strictly considered.

‘I made the priorities clear.’

It was so.

As a result, I, Lee Ho-yeol, had successfully kept World Unification in check by monopolizing potions. Of course, such hardship would be nothing but unnecessary effort to Granfel.

But let’s never forget, Ho-yeol.

Even if everyone in the world is assimilated.

Even I shouldn’t be swayed by Granfel’s storm and stress……!

‘It’s not as easy as it sounds.’

First of all, World Unification was not an ordinary guild.

It was thanks to being the only one not belonging to the AAU international agreement.

It meant it was safe to consider them as one body with their home country.

That evidence could be seen just by watching their activities in the Zero Mountain Range.

‘It’s like a guild leading an army.’

To get to the core, the confrontation between me and World Unification could spread to a confrontation between South Korea and China, between nations. Moreover, would the level of confrontation that would occur between me and Liu Oujunchun be ordinary?

‘Considering that Granfel is certain he’s prey.’

Depending on the situation, it meant there might come a situation where we had to risk our lives against each other. Considering that intensity…… there was a high possibility it could spread into a war between South Korea and China.

So I, Lee Ho-yeol, used my brain.

That World Unification bought potions in large quantities was a rumor well known among players.

To dry out such World Unification, I had set up a plan to sweep up the potions first from our side.

They probably wouldn’t last long.

‘Dark history and karma always returned.’

According to former World Unification guild member Yong Seong-rak, Liu Oujunchun had thrown all high-level players who could give him a lot of experience points into death traps, regardless of their class.

World Unification’s ratio of dealer, tank, and healer classes would have collapsed early on. Since there were no healers to replace the lacking amount of potions, it was natural that the aftermath would show immediately.

The Golden Round Table of the Yusra Kingdom.

The Holy War Allied Forces meeting began, and the situation in the Zero Mountain Range was delivered.

The analyst of the Great Alliance, Nam Cheol-min, briefed the situation.

“As you can see, what stands out above all is the weakness of World Unification. If they had succeeded in raiding a cave Rift, they would have distributed press releases like they always did…… The media is quiet.”

They would have no choice but to be.

‘As someone said, everything had a procedure.’

I knew very well what happened if you forced water into a bottomless pot. It wasn’t for nothing that I had struggled diligently to repair my own broken bottom pot.

At Nam Cheol-min’s words, Nam Tae-min scratched his head.

“It’s strange. With their recent momentum, there’s no way they’d fail……”

Honestly, my mouth was itching.

‘In a way, the strategy is a complete success.’

I shall personally feed World Unification a big one!

It was a complete hit from the first step.

But how great was Granfel’s pride?

Because of his stubbornness in considering even making a strategy against prey a luxury, I couldn’t even praise myself. To soothe my regret, I had to at least put forward a justification.

Only after the briefing was over did I open my mouth.

“The time has finally come.”

“……!!!”

Focused gazes.

Tension dwelled on the faces of those gathered.

I continued my words.

“The time to step onto the Arcana Continent.”

It was so.

Reality and the Arcana Continent.

Full-scale travel was no longer a dream.

‘I learned for sure with this entry.’

I had added twilight mana to the portal manifestation process. Thanks to that, I confirmed that even if I passed through the portal with Freija, there was no great burden on mana consumption.

‘If I can only graft the subtle sensation I realized thanks to Granfel’s talent onto the Mage Tower’s portal…… About twenty people can travel to the continent at once.’

In the end, it was thanks to my magic manifestation power increasing compared to before.

But as mentioned repeatedly, above and below heaven, I alone am honored.

Could he obediently admit his shortcomings?

I shamelessly continued my words.

“It is thanks to you all seizing the qualification yourselves.”

“……Is that true, Sir Ho-yeol!”

“Finally……!”

“We are glad to reward the General Commander’s expectations.”

Looking at those immersed in emotion, I swallowed a sigh.

You should feel the pang of conscience too, Granfel……!

It felt like I had inadvertently gaslighted them with pride, so my heart was not at ease…… In times like this, the only thing I could do was lift the burden I was shouldering even higher.

“Nevertheless, the Arcana Continent will not be easy. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that everything on the current Arcana Continent, where everything is different from the past, has been mixed together, including timelines.”

The Demon Realm and the Arcana Continent were connected, causing a crustal movement on the continent, and as if that wasn’t enough, the Omen even spat out existences of the past that had been deleted.

Even if the Holy War Allied Forces had grown, the fact that it was dangerous did not change. It meant thorough preparation was required. And that was exactly the justification for me buying up the potions.

“However, you all have nothing to worry about.”

“……?”

“Because all preparations regarding that are proceeding according to my procedure.”

“The General Commander’s words are correct.”

The one who supported my words was the King of the Yusra Kingdom, Hakuna.

He stood up from his seat and continued.

“A massive quantity of potions and magic tools for the Holy War Allied Forces are steadily piling up in the supply depot. To the extent that there would be no shortage even if a continent-wide all-out war started right now.”

Even if it was a potion, I absolutely couldn’t drink it from the bottle.

‘It’s not like I can pour potions into a teacup and drink them during a battle……’

I couldn’t carry around potions in my inventory that I didn’t even use because of formalities. So I had made a request to Hakuna to borrow the vast warehouse of the Golden Palace for a bit.

A parchment containing the summarized details regarding that was presented.

Nam Cheol-min, who was reading it, pushed up his glasses.

Soon, he muttered with a flustered expression.

“N-No. How could you already have this much quantity……?”

“Hyung, don’t just be surprised alone, explain it to us too.”

“At this level, these are items we couldn’t even dare to afford with our Great Alliance’s capital! It would have to be at least Shining’s level to try…… No, even they wouldn’t be able to?!”

Of course they shouldn’t.

‘I bought them all paying whatever premium they asked.’

I, Lee Ho-yeol, had firmly resolved to the old saying, ‘Earn like a dog and spend like a minister.’

But it was always beyond imagination.

The consuming power of a great family went several steps further than a minister!

Did it mean being clean and honest was different from being stingy?

When purchasing an elixir that cost billions instantly, it really was……

‘I thought my heart was going to drop.’

However, thanks to the grand money-flexing, World Unification couldn’t even notice the signs and ended up just sucking their thumbs without being able to take any particular action. They probably felt like they were slapped in the face with a wad of cash, didn’t they?

I looked at the audience, whose excitement was evident.

Starting with Harkon, everyone must have felt a renewed sense of emotion.

But, what should I do about this.

Regrettably.

“However, all matters require a proper procedure.”

I had no choice but to throw a wet blanket.

“From this time forward, I plan to select an advance party that will step onto the Arcana Continent first. The number of people in the advance party is exactly twenty. The purpose is to pave a way on the Arcana Continent. Of course, the evaluation criteria depend entirely on my subjectivity.”

“……!!!”

As I said before, even utilizing the portal of the Mage Tower, twenty people I could handle was the limit at the current stage.

I could have honestly said it was due to my lack of ability, but an advance party? The excuse was quite plausible, wasn’t it?

Thanks to that, the innocent audience was agitated.

Hisagi’s eyes had narrowed before I knew it.

“If so…… From now on, everyone is each other’s competitor.”

At those words, the gazes burned even more.

Within those gazes, I felt guilty once again.

I was just a guilty man, high treason personified……

──────

Orc Auction.

It was no exaggeration to say that the undergrounds of the orcs were spread across the entire Arcana Continent. Kitch strolled through the organized underground city and needlessly poked at the ornaments around.

Poke.

Each time, he made sarcastic remarks.

“I’m jealous.”

Poke.

“Our hideout is only filled with the smell of rotting corpses.”

Poke.

“Is it a right world where the guys who just take a cut in the middle eat and live better? Just how full is your stomach? To be able to pile up mana stone magic tools like this, you guys?”

The guiding orc squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Lord Ulich, you must never see this……’

On the Arcana Continent, mana stones containing mana were traded at high prices. Mana stones had value as materials themselves, but it was because they became the fuel for specific high-performance magic tools.

Wobble~

Those precious magic tools were tottering precariously at Kitch’s rough touch. Considering Ulich’s prickly personality, he had to stop it right away.
For no matter who the opponent was, he would yell that it was the responsibility of the ones who couldn’t do their job properly.

However.

“Right, isn’t that so?”

“……That is correct.”

The problem was that the opponent was the head of the Shadow Mercenary Corps, Kitch.

Not to mention the underworld, they were an extremely atrocious criminal group that didn’t have many who could match them even in the overworld.

‘……It’s better to be scolded than to die.’

At Kitch’s insolent attitude, the orc shrank his large body and hurried his steps. Gooooo─ Only after passing through several mana stone portals did the office of the boss of the Orc Auction, Ulich, become visible.

Creak─

The office door opened.

Glasses pulled way down.

An antique fountain pen.

Ulich, who was writing something, raised his head.

Like a merchant, he immediately brought up the purpose.

“What is the item you’re looking for to make this fuss, Kitch?”

Kitch laughed.

“This orc with the blood of a sly snake is pretending not to know?”

The orc, intimidated by the momentum of the two, left the office after bowing his head.

“Th-Then please have a comfortable chat.”

Only after he left did Kitch continue his words.

“Hand over the hair.”

“Hair? Why come to me looking for your cut hair, Kitch?”

“Oh really? Making jokes?”

“Was it not funny? Anyway, short hair suits you too.”

“Stop the bullsh*t and bring it.”

A joke thrown to lighten the mood.

However, Kitch’s sharp reaction was enough to stiffen Ulich’s expression as well.

Ulich answered with a much lower voice.

“The Commander of the great Shadow Mercenary Corps has visited the Orc Auction…… Not to sell something, but to seek. I guessed from the moment I heard that. If you came seeking, it means it’s an item that is one of a kind in the world and simultaneously cannot be extorted from someone.”

Ulich’s pupils flashed.

“Right, you must have come to find the hair of Claudi that no longer existed in the world, right? So are you planning to break the rules of the Orc Auction, Kitch? Because you think the hair sold a long time ago has more value than that?”

“Phew.”

Kitch let out a short sigh.

From where to where should he explain?

Starting from the fact that he wouldn’t have even moved if it was just for money?

Or starting from the fact that he had wandered the continent for days just to find the hair?

If not that, starting from correcting that green pig’s words by asking why Claudi wouldn’t exist in this world when he actually did?

“Unfortunately, words won’t work.”

Kitch’s head throbbed.

As expected, doing something he wasn’t meant for, it was clear his body was showing a rejection reaction from his head down.

So Kitch reached for his waist.

“I feel sorry. It’s a past affair I don’t know about, but anyway, it must have been a successfully completed transaction for you. If you go back on such a transaction, the Shadow Mercenary Corps will no longer be able to continue trading with the Orc Auction in the future.”

Ulich nodded.

“That is so, Kitch. Even if the Arcana Continent collapses, that’s a story limited to the overworld. You also know that we in the underworld will survive somehow, don’t you?”

He continued speaking as if complaining to Kitch.

“I have no intention of needlessly increasing my enemies, Kitch. Just Gamond Phil of the Diamond Merchant Group stretching his hands into the shadows recently is enough of a headache for us.”

“Really?”

But Kitch finally drew his dagger.

“But, I’m no longer part of the Shadow Mercenary Corps.”

“……What does that mean?”

“What do you think it means? It means I quit being the Commander and the mercenary corps.”

“……Quit? The Shadow Mercenary Corps, the position of Commander?!”

Ulich was quick at calculating.

“Hmm.”

What Ulich had worried about was severing ties with the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
For there was no skilled person in the shadows who could compare with them, that mutual relationship was a property that couldn’t be exchanged for anything at the Orc Auction.

But for Kitch to no longer be part of the Shadow Mercenary Corps……

He finished calculating.

“If so, there will be no loss to the Orc Auction even if I kill you.”

“Right. Even if I kill you, the Shadow Mercenary Corps can continue to trade with the Orc Auction.”

“We were having the exact same thought. The burden of a leader.”

Ulich looked at the documents he was writing.

“It’s a pity. I wanted to process this much.”

“Shall I wait?”

“No need. It’s not a problem that will be solved in a day or two. Dealing with the great merchant of the overworld, the Diamond Merchant Group, is not an easy task for us either.”

He set down the fountain pen.

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Even if he died at Kitch’s hands, the Orc Auction would run perfectly fine.

Just as it had all this time.

Everything was thanks to the strictly established rules and procedures.

So now.

“Do you truly think you can find it, Kitch?”

“I must find it. Even if it means killing a few obstacles.”

“Really? Then I will have to try and stop you even if I die dozens of times.”

The one who allowed such rules and procedures to be established, it was time for his loyalty toward ‘that person’ to step forward to prove, even if belatedly.

Ulich took off the clothes he was wearing.

A thick neck.

Rough skin.

Innate strong bones.

The orc’s body was truly worthy of being called a combat race without falling short.

Ulich was about to take out a weapon from the drawer when suddenly, a question arose.

“By the way, may I ask you one thing, Kitch?”

“As much as you want.”

“Why are you suddenly looking for the hair? It was proven by your sigh that it’s not simply for money.”

“That’s a somewhat bothersome question.”

“They say they even grant the wish of a dying man, can’t you satisfy one curiosity of a man about to die? Still, we have affection from the past, it would feel unfair for me to die without even hearing the reason.”

Kitch kept his mouth shut and thought.

……How should I explain these complex inner feelings?

After contemplating, Kitch finally answered.

“……Pride. I don’t know what it is, but probably because of that?”

At those words, Ulich’s eyes changed.

“……Did you clearly just say pride?”

“Why? What? Can’t I copy and say it too?”

“No, it’s not that……”

Ulich’s hand wandered, albeit for a moment.

How could it be…… that she would say the same words as ‘that person’?

As mentioned.

‘……Don’t tell me, the reason she’s looking for the hair is?’

Ulich was quick at calculating.

“As I thought, we might have no reason to fight, Kitch.”

“What kind of sudden bullshit is this?”

“The reason I bought the hair……”

Thud─

What he placed on the desk was not a weapon, but a jewelry box.

When Ulich opened the jewelry box, silver hair poured out light.

“No, the reason I’ve protected it was also because of pride.”

“……!”