Chapter 57 – Our Pride Aligns (1)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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─Thwart the Demon King summoning ritual. (In Progress)

●Defeat the Demon Legion Commanders. (0/10)

Is it because the investigation is over.

The newly popped up quest objective.

Looking at it, I gradually began to understand.

‘There was a reason they were desperately standing in the way.’

To successfully finish the Demon King summoning ritual.

The Demon King’s Army seemed to have been desperately blocking the path ahead.

Now that I know that fact, I could also guess the reason why the Demon King’s Army swarmed in in droves.

They must not have known the defense line would collapse this quickly.

“Is there a method to swiftly evacuate the survivors?”

Harkon asked the Shadow Mercenaries.

“Well.”

Well?

So is there a method or not.

Kitch looked away, pretending not to notice, and then met my eyes.

Startled, she then urgently called someone.

“……Akari. Portal, I need a portal. Hiccup.”

Akari was the old man who offered me potions.

If he can manifest a portal, he must be a mage-type class.

‘He seemed to have deep knowledge in potion crafting.’

Since the more things to put to use, the better.

It wouldn’t be bad to converse with him at least once.

“Because you were here, Sir, I did not step forward, but if my help is needed.”

Akari drew up his magic power while reading my countenance.

By the way, to think he didn’t step forward because I was there.

He’s firmly misunderstanding.

‘Of course, it’s not like I can’t manifest one.’

Even if not to the extent of the Mage Tower’s portals.

I could also manifest a portal.

Because no matter what kind of high-ranking magic it is.

Granfel has the talent of realizing the process of Search, Interference, and Manifestation the moment he simply sees it.

As long as I’m backed up by magic power, manifesting a portal isn’t difficult either.

However.

‘I must save my magic power.’

In the battle with the Demon King’s Army just before.

I had consumed a considerable amount of magic power.

Who would have known?

That there would be survivors like this, and not just a few at that.

“……Thank you. Knights.”

“No. We are not in a position to receive greetings.”

“Thank you too. Adventurer-nim……?”

I looked at the young girl bowing her head deeply to me.

……Please be a bit humble.

Don’t consider words of gratitude as exceedingly natural.

I barely managed to nod my stiff head.

‘Did everyone else fight against the demons?’

The hidden survivors were all the old and the weak.

Those for whom proper combat is impossible.

There would be a need to swiftly evacuate them to a safe place.

‘However, there is no need to add confusion.’

The fact that they fell into another world.

It seemed the survivors hadn’t realized it yet.

A safe yet familiar place to them.

Even without specifically mentioning it, there would only be one place.

“I will set the coordinates to the Yusra Kingdom.”

Akari sensibly summoned a portal.

Because the distance between the coordinates and the number of users of the portal was quite a lot.

It seemed a considerable amount of magic power was being consumed.

Akari gulped down potions like water.

Harkon instructed some knights including Jesica.

“You all shall join us after the survivors have found stability.”

The movement of the survivors happened swiftly.

Is this also measured as Contribution?

I checked the blinking quest window.

──────

─Current Contribution : 32,700p

──────

……It was a tremendous margin of increase.

Harkon properly said to me.

“Sir. I do not know what you think. But I believe we must swiftly bring this to a conclusion and rescue the other survivors as well. Since there’s no law stating the survivors would only be on this street.”

“I also share the same thought.”

“My, I said something needless to you, Sir.”

Since I knew that Contribution follows when doing good deeds.

There was absolutely no reason to oppose.

Of course, swiftly bringing it to a conclusion before that…….

Meaning we would have to finish the Subjugation of the Demon King but.

‘A Demon King summoning ritual, huh.’

I traced back my memories.

The passing words of the Akshan Demon Hunters.

However, no clearly helpful memory came to mind.

‘If it were just demons, maybe, but up to a Demon King.’

It was a whopping 10 years and 2 years ago.

It meant the historical background was different.

However, one thing was certain.

That every ritual requires a sacrifice.

Just as the [Exorcism Ritual] requires a sacrifice of an demonic item.

A Demon King summoning ritual would definitely require a sacrifice as well.

‘……Wait.’

Thinking like that, suddenly.

The scenery of the street looked different.

The street where blood and corpses were endless.

I looked back and stared at that miserable sight once again.

That was like a single line drawn with blood and corpses.

“……!”

That straight line was connected to the downtown of Frost.

‘Don’t tell me, are these corpses and blood the sacrifices.’

I stopped my thoughts thereabouts.

Because it was merely a hasty conjecture yet.

However, even if the conjecture becomes fact.

There wouldn’t be a change in my actions.

Kneeling down, I closed the unclosed eyes of a corpse.

Turning away from them.

Thwarting the Demon King summoning ritual is a meaningless thing.

Right, because the pride in my chest was saying so.

‘Moreover, if my conjecture hits the mark…….’

The one in a hurry wasn’t me, but rather that side.

Because this prideful action of recovering corpses.

Not only hindered the Demon King summoning ritual but was practically at the level of making a mess of it.

I opened my mouth.

“It is regrettable, but I have no intention of dancing to your tune.”

If you’re scared, why don’t you die.

*

AAU.

The branch office moved busily.

The appearance of the Demon King’s Army.

Because it was definitely a different situation from the Great Evil’s time.

Korea Branch, Sung Hyun-joon rummaged through the USBs.

“Please. Please. Please let there be something……!”

Back when Arcana was merely a game.

It was a USB used in Cosmo.

Could there perhaps be a work file backed up just in case.

Sung Hyun-joon earnestly wished and began to rummage through the folders.

“Since the Great Evil was something completely unheard of, but a Demon King is different.”

His senior, Yoon Soo-gyeom, was the same.

He also began to rummage through his work notes.

Then suddenly, he found it.

“……I-I found it. Senior!”

“What? Let me see.”

“It’s not specific information. Here’s the concept.”

“Right. That’s right. My memory wasn’t wrong!”

Demon King.

The boss monsters that would reveal their appearances in Arcana in the distant future.

Because that point in time was truly in the distant future.

Even in the found backup file, only the basic concept existed.

But even this, what an achievement is it?

When thinking about the Great Evil’s time when they could only suck their fingers.

“Right. The concept was taken from demon kings existing in reality.”

If that concept hadn’t changed.

The Demon King that appeared in Frost is also from reality.

Meaning it would be a demon king existing in legends or folktales.

At least a sigh of relief was breathed.

“Thank goodness.”

“Thank goodness my ass. So the question is what kind of guy the Demon King is.”

“Ah, we have to figure that out……!”

Slap!

Sung Hyun-joon slapped his forehead.

At that time, Yoon Soo-gyeom discovered something in his notes.

“……I found it too.”

“Huh? What is it, Senior?!”

“The Demon King Raid stage composition concept.”

Stage composition.

That was information that might really be helpful.

Yoon Soo-gyeom clicked his tongue.

“But this is also just a concept.”

“Still, you never know!”

“Right. I don’t know about other things, but there’s a high probability this concept remained.”

“Let’s see. Demon King summoning ritual?”

There was a reason Yoon Soo-gyeom was certain.

Because at the end of it was a familiar word.

Sung Hyun-joon’s eyes widened.

“……Contribution system! Senior, don’t tell me this is?”

“Right. The ongoing quest also has a Contribution system.”

“But that quest’s objective is the recapture of Frost.”

“Right, but if you look at the big picture.”

Yoon Soo-gyeom pulled up the map of Frost on the monitor.

The large city surrounded by walls, Frost.

Yoon Soo-gyeom drew a circle with his finger following Frost’s walls.

“Perhaps recapturing Frost might be treated exactly the same as thwarting the Demon King summoning ritual. Like, if you consider the entire city of Frost as the Demon King summoning ritual location.”

“……Yes? What do you mean?”

Sung Hyun-joon examined Yoon Soo-gyeom’s notes again.

Then he realized that statement wasn’t just empty words.

Sung Hyun-joon carefully opened his mouth.

“Then according to the Players’ progress on the Frost recapture quest, the Demon King summoning ritual could succeed or fail? Is that what you mean, Senior?”

“That there’s a high probability of that.”

“If, the Demon King summoning ritual succeeds……?”

“Like during the Great Evil’s time. We would have no choice but to hope for a miracle.”

However, a miracle is called a miracle because it doesn’t happen often.

Moreover, unlike the Great Evil, the two knew the Demon King’s strength better than anyone.

Sung Hyun-joon spat out words mixed with a sigh.

“I wish whoever it is would rake in the Contribution points.”

“So who’s currently in the lead for Contribution?”

“Well, among the Players who disclosed it, it’s Unification of the World.”

Click

Sung Hyun-joon continued his words.

“Unification of the World’s Master, Liu Zunchun. Contribution 1,800.”

“……One thousand eight hundred?”

“I can’t erase the feeling that it’s somewhat lacking. I don’t know for sure but.”

Checking that numerical value somehow made the anxiety even worse.

Tremble tremble tremble.

Yoon Soo-gyeom shook his legs and asked again.

“Then what if we estimate including the Players who haven’t disclosed it?”

“……Then it would be Lee Ho-yeol, right?”

“Right, if it’s not Lee Ho-yeol, that’s a seriously critical bug.”

Lee Ho-yeol’s big performance!

That was to the point it couldn’t be explained even from a developer’s perspective.

To bring down Frost’s walls, which boasted terrifying durability, in a single breath.

The Lionheart Knights and the Shadow Mercenaries.

To command those whom ordinary Players couldn’t even converse with…….

“How far do you think he advanced by now?”

The smoke blooming from Frost.

Because of that, it was difficult to film Ho-yeol’s appearance after entering Frost.

Even VBC’s screen, which filmed Ho-yeol’s every move, only captured smoke.

Yoon Soo-gyeom shrugged his shoulders.

“Well. I wouldn’t know.”

Only to be of small help.

We have no choice but to do everything we can do.

Yoon Soo-gyeom soon continued his words.

“Let’s keep watching. AAU has its face to maintain. Shouldn’t we at least uncover the Demon King’s identity? We can’t keep hearing we’re salary lupins forever, can we?”

“Still, if it’s Lee Ho-yeol, he probably earned around 5,000 points, right? Nah, no matter what, is 5,000 too much? Then at least around 3,000 points……?”

“Ahem. Is this the time to be thinking about such things?”

*

If my conjecture is correct.

By the steeply rising Contribution.

──────

─Current Contribution : 50,900p

──────

It meant the Demon King summoning ritual was also experiencing a setback.

Of course, it wasn’t long before the conjecture became certainty.

“……Seems like something big is flying over? Ah, this is so damn bothersome.”

Saying it’s bothersome is a habit of hers, that one.

Anyway, wasn’t it the Shadow Mercenaries.

Aside from personality, a group whose skills were absolutely solid.

There’s no way he saw it wrong.

By the way.

‘……It’s flying over?’

I laughed inwardly.

‘Right, you must be dying of anxiety?’

Not just running, but to the point of flying over.

It must mean their assholes are burning because the Demon King summoning ritual is being hindered.

There’s a reward for racking my brain.

I was thinking like that but…….

What is that.

It wasn’t a metaphor but meant it was literally flying over?!

Flap!

The sound of flapping wings.

At the same time, Frost’s acrid smoke clearing.

What revealed its appearance was a giant bird.

To the extent of wondering if a bird living in hell would look like that.

Its appearance was enough to even cause avianophobia that one didn’t have.

The guy’s red pupils stared this way.

I could intuite.

That that giant bird is a Demon Legion Commander.

─Thwart the Demon King summoning ritual. (In Progress)

●Defeat the Demon Legion Commanders. (0/10)

The blinking quest window proved it.

So, you’re saying I have to defeat 10 of those kinds of guys?

I wasn’t the only one who realized that fact.

Because there was Harkon, who was waiting for the Demon Legion Commander’s appearance more than anyone else.

“Your Majesty. I shall definitely complete the mission.”

Wooooo

Harkon’s sword, which began to emit Sword Energy.

Such Harkon’s sword was shining with a light unseen until now.

Sword Energy().

Did they say it becomes denser and takes on a unique light as it grows.

‘You’ve stepped up to that stage.’

Granfel’s talent.

Thanks to it, I could grasp Harkon’s growth.

So naturally, a corner of my heart felt reassured.

My comrade-in-arms is that strong.

Of course, the Hell Demon Legion Commander was flying in the sky.

It must be looking for an opportunity without coming down.

However, I had no intention of waiting for it as it thought.

Even if I can’t attach wings to Harkon.

I can lay down stairs for him, me.

Only, there was a need to restrict the guy’s movements beforehand.

I drew up my magic power.

A magic suitable to break those wings.

Yet one that can save magic power as much as possible…….

It was while I was selecting the magic.

Rumbbbble!

A dreary sound was heard.

At the same time, the sky darkened momentarily.

The flow of the air changed and.

Dark clouds cast over.

‘……This is.’

The lightning crackling within those dark clouds.

This was a magic I had seen before.

No, to be exact, it was a [Skill].

I opened my mouth.

“Jesse Heinness.”

As if responding to that.

[Heaven’s Punishment] fell on top of the Demon Legion Commander’s head.

Crack-crackle!

Its power was on a different dimension from Count Ascura’s time.

As if she had a grudge against the Demon Legion Commander.

Without considering the consumption amount of magic power in the slightest.

It was an exceedingly emotional and rough manifestation.

I shamelessly delivered an evaluation of that skill.

“You still have many points lacking.”

……Lacking my ass.

What is actually lacking is my level.

Therefore, I did not hesitate.

I need to do something too……!

So that I can even pick up and eat the falling crumbs.

I immediately manifested the stairs.

“Sir. I shall complete His Majesty’s mission and return.”

Soon, Harkon stepped on the stairs and soared into the sky.