Chapter 54 – Misunderstanding is Freedom (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Guild, Gaon’s Analyst.

Nam Chul-min checked the details of the additional update.

『New monsters are added.

‘Demon King’s Army Infantry’ : Lv.350

‘Demon King’s Army Demonic Beast Cavalry’ : Lv.400

‘Demon King’s Army Centurion’ : Lv.420

‘Demon King’s Army Fighter’ : Lv.420…….』

“Phew.”

Looking back and forth between the monitor and those update details.

A sigh naturally came out.

The panoramic view of Frost in the footage sent by the filming drone.

It was natural that a sense of helplessness preceded.

“Does it mean the attack on the gate isn’t the end.”

Right, even attacking the gate alone was a hard-fought struggle.

But the real thing started from after the gate crumbled.

Why, look at the number of the Demon King’s Army waiting behind the gate.

Level 350 monsters.

It seemed there were at least a thousand of them.

A scale that couldn’t even be compared to Count Ascura’s time.

But on one hand, it was also understandable.

Nam Chul-min looked back at the update details again.

“……Demon King’s Army.”

Demon King.

If the boss monster is the king of demons.

Right, Frost falling wouldn’t be a strange thing either.

Nam Chul-min shook his head.

Putting on the in-ear.

He spoke to Gaon’s executives including Nam Tae-min.

“There are monsters waiting behind the gate. Meaning there’s no time to rest. You’d better manage your vitality and magic power properly. Don’t linger on the contribution quest.”

Zzzzt

The monitor screen that cut off at that moment.

Nam Chul-min’s sigh deepened even further.

“Okay. Even our last drone crashed.”

Befitting the name Demon King’s Army.

Those guys were cunning.

As if they wouldn’t give away their information.

They simply destroyed the filming drones as soon as they saw them.

“I still consider it getting off cheap. Fortunately amidst the misfortune. It seems those guys’ long-range attack means are not that outstanding.”

Now the only sight left to Nam Chul-min was one.

It was only the footage sent by his younger brother, Nam Tae-min.

But then.

‘He’s quiet.’

Nam Tae-min was different from usual.

Because he’s his older brother.

He could realize the reason.

‘The shock is bound to be big, as much as he was excited.’

Because Frost was a city holding significant meaning to Nam Tae-min.

To the point he could call Frost his hometown regarding Arcana at least.

Such Frost was trampled.

Vividly, in reality at that.

The decapitated heads seen through Nam Tae-min’s vision.

Nam Chul-min could realize.

That his younger brother’s silence was a serene anger.

So he added one more word.

“Tae-min-ah, don’t get too excited. You know, right?”

Well, he didn’t know if that would be possible but.

Actually, even he himself who was merely watching through the monitor had his fingers trembling.

Tension, anger, worry, expectation…….

Because of various complex emotions.

‘The person who can probably be fine in a situation like this is…….’

……As expected, wouldn’t it be only Ho-yeol-ssi?

That’s because when recalling the appearance he had shown so far.

He couldn’t even imagine an appearance of Ho-yeol being nervous.

Thinking like that made him curious.

“……I wonder if he made any progress?”

The gates of Frost are a total of 10.

Gaon and Ho-yeol’s side were positioned quite far apart.

Such Nam Chul-min connected to the internet and then was astonished.

“……Th-This is the siege warfare I knew?”

Arcana’s common sense that doesn’t fall behind anyone.

That common sense of his as an analyst was crumbling.

*

Rumbbbble

The gate crumbling was a signal flare.

Tatatak!

With Harkon, Jesica, and Enoch at the head.

The Lionheart Knights rushing out like flashes of light.

The Shadow Mercenaries attaching closely behind them.

I watched that sight for a moment.

‘Strong.’

It was an instant, but I could feel the disparity.

No matter how strict military discipline the Demon King’s Army had.

It meant the difference in weight class couldn’t be ignored.

Wooooo!

Sword Energy blooming from Harkon’s sword.

When Harkon swung his sword, the formation crumbled right away.

Instant death in one strike.

It was due to even the raised shields being sliced off like tofu.

“Charge!”

Tatatak!

The enemy’s formation became disarrayed.

The knights of the lion heart did not hesitate in the slightest.

Digging in among the Demon King’s Army.

And eliminating the Demon King’s Army’s headcount in an instant.

Stab

There was no hesitation in their actions.

Swish

Like a lion that captured its prey.

Crunch

Just like the heart of such a lion.

Even facing the momentum of the Demon King’s Army that was several times their number.

They did not show an appearance of shrinking back in the slightest.

I marveled anew.

‘Holy.’

Indeed, a majesty befitting the Empire’s strongest order of knights.

Even if it’s the Demon King’s Army, they wouldn’t be able to keep up with them in a many-to-many fight.

Right, I was surprised anew but.

‘The Lionheart Knights, since they were amazing from the start.’

In that sense, the Shadow Mercenaries were unexpected.

Their complete total headcount, including the Commander Kitch, was merely ten people.

However, I could tell just by looking.

‘Every single individual is not ordinary.’

Systematic movement?

As Kitch had said, there was no such thing.

But each of them was playing with the Demon King’s Army on their own.

Plus the Players who joined them.

“We will support too!”

“Thank you, adventurer.”

“Healers stick right close to them! Don’t care about guilds or parties, heal the injured first!”

Of course, the reason the Players joined must be because of Contribution.

Since they were on the attacking side, they were allies.

It seemed the act of helping an ally also affected Contribution.

There is no causeless goodwill in this harsh society.

Right, it means they are cooperating with each other precisely because there are things to give and take.

I’m well-versed in corporate society too.

‘At this rate I can save my magic power.’

At any rate, I was greatly benefiting from them.

Because I could take a step back and monitor the battle situation.

Thanks to that, the magic power consumed to tear down the gate was regenerating.

In that momentary rest, I coldly finished comprehending my position.

‘……There’s no reason for me to step forward, is there, this?’

Above all, my reliable backing…….

No, the level of my allies was way too high.

Did they say it’s the Emperor’s last command.

Even just that alone would fill them with motivation.

But aren’t they the Lionheart Knights who gained the goals of rescuing survivors and recapturing Frost?

It was natural their morale was soaring to a degree entirely incomparable to usual.

Moreover, the combat power of the Shadow Mercenaries which exceeded my expectations as well.

However.

‘Just because I comprehended my position.’

It didn’t mean I was going to stand still with my hands clasped behind my back either.

Because every single one of those Demon King’s Army monsters.

Was precious experience points and Contribution to me.

Of course, there is a need to stockpile magic power as much as possible.

‘When thinking about the time of the Great Evil, Seven Deadly Sins Greed…….’

Wasn’t it me who poured out all my magic power to defeat a lethargic guy?

Even assuming I’ve grown since then, the opponent was a Demon King.

The more thorough the preparation for that, the better it was.

So.

“To know when to step forward and when to step back.”

While piling up magic power as much as possible.

Simultaneously having to acquire considerable contribution.

Yet an action that also does not violate Granfel’s pride.

I continued my words shamelessly.

“Such restraint would also be a part of formality.”

……To become more shameless as time goes by. Really!

Alright, let’s just gloss over the cringeworthy line.

The important thing was, what is that action then.

To a listener, there wouldn’t even be a greater riddle than this.

But not to me.

Because I’ve already done it several times before.

That action, you see.

Verification was finished a long time ago, so there was no hesitation.

It’s natural that series of processes is also exceedingly swift.

A subject of exploration that is exceedingly familiar to me.

And proficient interference.

I thought as I looked at the manifested magic.

‘Eating things raw, that’s my specialty too, you see.’

Craaaaack!

*

Frost was overflowing with things to see.

Even just the gates where siege warfare was progressing were nearly 10.

Top-tier guilds attacking each gate.

On top of that, star Players who commanded popularity slapping the cheeks of celebrities.

The sight of them alone was already being broadcasted on dozens of channels.

Then among those numerous things to see.

Who is receiving the highest attention?

The response to that was on the laptop monitor.

It was showing up as a real-time viewership graph.

“……Director! We’re 1st place in our time slot!”

News that burst out amidst the silence.

The viewership rating of the VBC channel had breached a whopping 20 percent.

Considering that it’s not terrestrial broadcasting.

It’s at a level where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to consider its ripple effect more than double that.

However, there was no fuss.

Even President Nam Jin-man, who couldn’t be satisfied with low viewership ratings.

“Be quiet. Let’s watch that first.”

“Ah, yes yes. S-Sorry…….”

He didn’t even give a glance to the viewership rating graph.

That’s how immersed he was in the studio situation.

VBC, which has flexibility in its programming compared to terrestrial broadcasting.

The one who took charge of directing this special program was none other than Today Arcana’s PD, Hyun Yong-seok.

Everything was thanks to what he strongly insisted on.

“In a word, it’s a Lee Ho-yeol special.”

Several hours.

No, a recapture of Frost that could take days.

Hyun Yong-seok pushed forward with programming a special program focused solely on Lee Ho-yeol for that long period of time.

It was practically a gamble.

Because no matter how amazing Lee Ho-yeol is, there is fatigue in everything.

If they just change the channel, an entirely different picture unfolds, so how many viewers would continue to watch only Lee Ho-yeol.

There were many opposing opinions during the programming meeting too.

However.

“I knew it’d be like this. I did……!”

That was merely a groundless fear.

Lee Ho-yeol.

His big performance was at a level that, far from making people change the channel, didn’t even allow them to think of touching the remote control.

It was no joke right from the start.

Rumbbbble!

The gate crumbling in an instant.

And the battle between the Players and the Demon King’s Army starting.

At that sight, the cast couldn’t hide their astonishment.

“……He, he brought down the gate all by himself!”

“It’s truly an unbelievable skill application even while seeing it.”

“At the moment we speak, Harkon’s sword strike!”

“It’s a level that players can’t keep up with. That.”

“The Shadow Mercenaries are sticking right behind them right away. Expert, how do you evaluate the level of the Shadow Mercenaries?”

“In Arcana, evaluating mercenaries is simple. What allows one to judge their abilities is precisely the commission fee. The commission fee of the Shadow Mercenaries is at an astronomical level…….”

“Ahhh! At the moment we speak!”

A movement that forced them to cut off the explanation was captured.

Ho-yeol, who had kept silent, began to manifest magic again.

Craaaaack!

Simultaneously with that familiar field sound, a memory they had momentarily forgotten about.

“That’s right. When it comes to Player Lee Ho-yeol, it has to be that!”

Chunks of stone soaring from the ground.

In the past, when Ho-yeol was illuminated by the mass media for the first time.

That skill that made people misunderstand Ho-yeol as an alchemist.

“That’s the skill that saved our Gaon and Inazuma from crisis!”

Manifesting stone pillars and stone walls.

To block the calvary’s charge and support Gaon and Inazuma, Ho-yeol’s appearance became a huge topic.

In that sense, Ho-yeol’s action made sense.

“He intends to assist strong allies. That’s what he’s thinking, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. No matter how strong Player Lee Ho-yeol is, it’s a fact that there’s still a big gap between Players and Arcanaians…….”

“Ahhhhh! At the moment we speak!”

However, the explanation getting cut off again this time.

Because an appearance that forced them to do so was captured this time too.

The cast watching the screen stuttered their words.

“……Just w-what is this skill? Expert?”

“I, I don’t know. I’m also seeing it for the first time in my life too though?!”

“Viewers! Do you believe this!”

Inside the blooming dust.

What revealed its appearance was.

“Th-They are stairs! Player Lee Ho-yeol has……!!”

Dozens of stone stairs connected to the walls.

And the appearance of Players climbing such stairs.

That wasn’t all.

Swoosh. Shushush

The long-range attacks of the Demon King’s Army flying in.

Cr-crack

Even the massive barriers soaring in reaction to that.

Even if taking a step back from the vanguard.

The influence of Ho-yeol’s big performance was way too vast to call it a simple assist.

Right, if one had to call it something, this wasn’t an assist or anything like that…….

“He is perfectly ‘commanding’ the battlefield……!”

The appearance of a commander perfectly controlling and coordinating the battle situation.

The cast could not hide their marveling anew.

“Players, of course. The Lionheart Knights. And even leading the Shadow Mercenaries. It’s an unbelievable appearance even while seeing it. Really!”

“Looking at it again, even that attire looks a bit like a conductor’s…….”

“Then what happens to the Contribution, Expert?”

“Isn’t this an appearance no different from everyone else just putting a spoon on the dining table prepared by Player Lee Ho-yeol? We can probably expect that he has accumulated a tremendous Contribution!”

They couldn’t help but feel a doubt anew.

Lee Ho-yeol holding such abilities.

How could he have stayed silent until now.

Will we still be unable to guess even his class.

The host sincerely opened his mouth.

“It truly is a moment that makes one curious about his past!”

*

The quest window blinking without rest.

I checked the current Contribution.