Novel Will Be Taken Down on 17 May or Earlier Chapter 57 - Our pride matches (1)

– Stop the demon king summoning ceremony. (In progress)

 

• Defeat the commanders of the demon army (0/10)

 

Perhaps the investigation had been completed.

 

A new quest goal appeared.

 

As I watched, I gradually began to understand.

 

‘There was a reason why they were desperately blocking us.’

 

In order to successfully complete the demon king summoning ceremony.

 

It seemed that the demon army was desperately blocking the way forward.

 

Knowing that fact, I could guess the reason why the demon army came rushing in.

 

They didn’t know the rank would collapse so soon.

 

“Is there any way to quickly evacuate the survivors?”

 

Harkon asked the Shadow Mercenary Corps.

 

“Well.”

 

Well?

 

So is there a way or not?

 

Kitch made eye contact with me while acting differently.

 

Startled, she urgently called someone.

 

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

 

Alkari was the old man who offered me potions.

 

If he could manifest a portal, he must be a mage.

 

‘It seems he’s well versed in potion making.’

 

The more things I could use, the better.

 

It wouldn’t be bad if we had a conversation at least once.

 

“I didn’t step out because Lord Hoyeol was here, but if you need my help.”

 

Alkali looked at me and raised his magic power.

 

By the way, he didn’t come forward because I was here.

 

He definitely had a misunderstanding.

 

‘Of course, I can manifest it.’

 

Although not as great as the portal of the Mage Tower.

 

I was also able to manifest a portal.

 

Even if it was some high-ranking magic.

 

The moment I saw it.

 

Granfel’s talent could understand the process of exploration, interference, and manifestation.

 

In other words, it wasn’t difficult for me to manifest a portal if backed by mana.

 

However.

 

‘I have to save up my mana.’

 

In the battle with the demon king’s army just now.

 

I had used up a lot of mana.

 

Who would have known?

 

I didn’t know there would be a lot of survivors like this.

 

“…Thank you. Knights.”

 

“No. We are not in a position to receive your gratitude,”

 

“Thank you again. Adventurer-nim…?”

 

I looked at the girl bowing to me.

 

…Please be modest.

 

Don’t take that gratitude for granted.

 

I managed to nod my stiff head.

 

‘Did the rest of them fight against the demons?’

 

All the survivors who were hiding were elderly and vulnerable.

 

They were people who were unable to fight properly.

 

We needed to evacuate them to a safe place quickly.

 

‘But there is no need to add confusion.’

 

The fact that they had fallen into another world.

 

The survivors didn’t seem to realize it yet.

 

A safe and familiar place for them.

 

Needless to say, there was only one place.

 

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

 

Alkali tactfully summoned the portal.

 

Since the coordinate distance and the number of users on the portal were quite large.

 

It seemed to consume a considerable amount of mana.

 

Alkali swallowed potions as if they were water.

 

Harkon instructed several knights, including Yesica.

 

“Join the survivors after they have settled down.”

 

The survivors moved swiftly.

 

Is this also counted as a contribution?

 

I checked the flashing quest window.

 

──────

 

– Current contribution: 32,700p

 

──────

 

…It was a huge increase.

 

Harkon told me.

 

“Sir Hoyeol. No matter what you think. I think we need to settle down quickly and rescue other survivors. Survivors probably aren’t just on this street.”

 

“I feel the same way.”

 

“Ah, I shouldn’t have said anything to Sir Hoyeol.”

 

Since I knew that when I did good things, contributions followed.

 

I had no reason to oppose it.

 

And, of course, before that, I had to quickly settle it…

 

Therefore, I would have to finish the subjugation of the demon king.

 

‘Demon king summoning ceremony.’

 

I looked back on my memory.

 

The words of Akshan demon hunters passed by.

 

But no distinctly helpful memory came to mind.

 

‘If this was just a demon, it might be different, but this is the demon king.’

 

It had been 10 and 2 years ago.

 

In other words, the background of the times was different.

 

But one thing was certain.

 

Every ritual needed a sacrifice.

 

Just like how [Exorcism] required a sacrifice called a demon’s item.

 

I was sure a sacrifice was needed for the demon king summoning ceremony.

 

‘…Wait a minute.’

 

All of a sudden, something occurred to me.

 

The scenery of the street looked different.

 

A street where blood and corpses never ceased.

 

I turned around and looked at the misery once more.

 

It was as if a line was drawn with blood and corpses.

 

“…!”

 

The straight line was connected to Frost’s main street.

 

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

 

I put my thoughts together at that point.

 

It was just a wild guess.

 

But even if that guess was true.

 

My behavior wouldn’t change.

 

I knelt down and closed the eyes of the body that hadn’t been closed.

 

I turned a blind eye toward the demons.

 

Stopping the demon king’s summoning ceremony was meaningless.

 

Yeah, the pride in my heart was saying that.

 

‘Besides, if my guess is right…’

 

It wasn’t me who was in a hurry, but rather the side over there.

 

That’s what this proud act of recovering the bodies meant.

 

It was not enough to interfere with the demon king’s summoning ceremony, so it was no different from causing a ruckus.

 

I opened my mouth.

 

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of matching your rhythm.”

 

If you’re nervous, go to hell.

 

*

AAU.

 

The branch moved busily.

 

The emergence of the demon army.

 

It was definitely a different situation than when facing the great evil.

 

The Korean branch, Sung Hyunjoon, searched in the USB.

 

“Please. Please. Have something…!”

 

Back when Arcana was just a game.

 

It was the USB used in Cosmo.

 

Did it have any useful files that had been backed up?

 

Sung Hyunjoon began to search the folder eagerly.

 

“The great evil was unheard of, but the demon king is a different story.”

 

Yoon Sookyum, his senior, did the same.

 

Hyunjoon also began to rummage through his work notes.

 

Then suddenly, he discovered.

 

“…I-I found it. Sunbae!”

 

“What? Let me see.”

 

“It’s not specific information. This is the concept.”

 

“Yes, that’s right. My memory was not wrong!”

 

Demon king

 

A boss monster who would appear in Arcana in the distant future.

 

Since it only happened in the future.

 

There was only a basic concept in the backup file found.

 

But what kind of place was AAU?

 

They thought about the time when they were just sucking their fingers.

 

“That’s right. The concept was taken from the demon king that exists in reality.”

 

If the concept hadn’t changed.

 

The demon king who appeared in Frost must be real.

 

In other words, he must be the demon king in myth and legend.

 

They breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“I am glad.”

 

“What a relief. So the question is what kind of guy the demon king is.”

 

“Ah, we have to figure it out…!”

 

Tak–!

 

Sung Hyunjoon hit his forehead.

 

Then Yoon Sookyum found something in his notebook.

 

“…I found it, too.”

 

“Huh? What did you find, sunbae?”

 

“The concept of the demon king raid stage.”

 

Stage concept.

 

It was really helpful information.

 

Yoon Sookyum clicked his tongue.

 

“But this is also just a concept.”

 

“But you never know!”

 

“Yeah. I don’t know about anything else, but there is a high probability that this concept remains.”

 

“Le’s see. A demon king summoning ceremony?”

 

There was a reason why Yoon Sookyum was certain.

 

It was because there was a familiar word at the end.

 

Sung Hyunjoon’s eyes widened.

 

“…Contribution system! Sunbae, is this perhaps?”

 

“That’s right. The ongoing quest also has a contribution system.”

 

“But the quest’s goal is to recapture Frost.”

 

“Yes, but in a big way.”

 

Yoon Sookyum posted Frost’s map on the monitor.

 

Frost, a large city surrounded by walls.

 

Yoon Soogyeom drew a circle with his finger along Frost’s wall.

 

“Maybe recapturing Frost will be treated the same as preventing the demon king summoning ceremony. Well, that’s it if you think of the whole city of Frost as a place for the demon king summoning ceremony.”

 

“…What? What do you mean?”

 

Sung Hyunjoon looked at Yoon Sookyum’s notebook again.

 

Then he realized that those words were not pointless.

 

Sung Hyunjoon carefully opened his mouth.

 

“Then, depending on the progress of the players’ quest to recapture Frost, the demon king summoning ceremony may or may not succeed? Is that what it means?”

 

“Most likely.”

 

“If the demon king summoning ceremony is successful…?”

 

“Just like with the case of great evil. You have no choice but to hope for a miracle.”

 

But miracles were called miracles because they didn’t happen often.

 

In addition, unlike in the case of the great evil, those two people knew the strength of the demon king better than anyone else.

 

Sung Hyunjoon uttered words mixed with sighs.

 

“I hope that anyone can contribute a little more.”

 

“So who’s the current lead contributor?”

 

“Um, among the players that have been revealed, it’s Union.”

 

Click–

 

Sung Hyunjoon continued.

 

“Master of Union, Liu Jinchun. Contribution 1,800.”

 

“…1,800?”

 

“I can’t shake the feeling that something is missing. I can’t figure it out.”

 

After checking the numbers, their anxiety got worse somehow.

 

Shake.

 

Yoon Sookyum trembled and asked again.

 

“Then what if you count the players who haven’t been revealed?”

 

“…Then it must be Lee Hoyeol, right?”

 

“Yes, if it isn’t Lee Hoyeol, there must be a really serious bug.”

 

Lee Hoyeol’s performance!

 

It was inexplicable even from the developer’s point of view.

 

He had destroyed the walls of Frost, which boasted tremendous durability.

 

Knights of Lionheart and the Shadow Mercenary Corps.

 

Most players couldn’t even talk to them, but he commanded those people…

 

“How far has he gone now?”

 

Smoke was rising from Frost.

 

Because of that, it was difficult to film Hoyeol entering Frost.

 

Only smoke was recorded on the screen of VBC, which was filming Hoyeol’s every move.

 

Yoon Sookyum shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Well, I don’t know.”

 

Just to be able to help a little bit.

 

They had no choice but to do everything they needed to do.

 

Soon after, Yoon Sookyum continued.

 

“Let’s keep watching. AAU has face. Shouldn’t we at least uncover the demon king’s identity? How long are we going to be called salary thieves?”

 

“But Lee Hoyeol probably got about 5,000 points, right? Oh, is 5,000 too much? Then at least 3,000 points…?”

 

“Uh-huh, is it time to think about that?”

 

*

 

If my guess was correct.

 

As much as the contribution rose sharply.

 

──────

 

– Current contribution: 50,900p

 

──────

 

The demon king’s summoning ceremony would also be disrupted.

 

Of course, that speculation soon became a certainty.

 

“…Something big is flying? Ah, so troublesome.”

 

They kept saying it was troublesome.

 

Anyway, they were Shadow Mercenary Corps.

 

Regardless of their personality, they were sure of their skills.

 

They couldn’t have been mistaken.

 

However.

 

‘…It’s flying?’

 

I laughed inwardly.

 

‘Yeah, I guess you’re going to hell because you’re scared?’

 

They weren’t just running, they were flying.

 

They must be nervous because the demon king’s summoning ceremony was interrupted.

 

Rolling my brain was worth it.

 

That’s what I thought…

 

What is that?

 

It wasn’t a metaphor, they were really flying!

 

Flap–!

 

The sound of flapping.

 

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

 

A huge bird showed up.

 

If there was a bird living in hell, I wondered if it would look like that.

 

It was enough to cause a bird phobia.

 

Its red pupils stared at this side.

 

I had a hunch.

 

That the huge bird was the commander of the demon army.

 

– Stop the demon king summoning ceremony. (In progress)

 

• Defeat the commanders of the demon army (0/10)

 

The flashing quest window proved it.

 

So, you mean I have to kill 10 of those guys?

 

I wasn’t the only one who noticed that.

 

More than anyone else, the one who had been waiting for the arrival of the commanders.

 

Harkon was here.

 

“Your Majesty, I will surely accomplish my duty.”

 

Goo–

 

Harkon’s sword began to radiate aura.

 

It was shining with light that I had never seen before.

 

Aura.

 

It became thicker as it grew and took on its own unique light.

 

‘He’s reached that level.’

 

With Grandfel’s talent.

 

I was able to grasp Harkon’s growth.

 

So naturally, I felt reassured in the corner of my heart.

 

My comrades were so strong.

 

Of course, the hell commander of the demon army was flying in the sky.

 

He must be looking for an opportunity without coming down.

 

But I had no intention to wait.

 

Even if I couldn’t give Harkon wings.

 

I could release stairs.

 

However, before that, I had to limit his movement.

 

I raised my mana.

 

A magic suitable for breaking that wing.

 

At the same time, still allow me to save up mana as possible…

 

As I was in the middle of choosing magic.

 

Crackle–!

 

I heard a faint sound.

 

At the same time, the sky darkened for an instant.

 

The flow of air changed.

 

Dark clouds hung over.

 

‘…This is.’

 

A thunderbolt rattled in the dark clouds.

 

This was magic I’d seen before.

 

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

 

I opened my mouth.

 

“Jessie Heinness.”

 

As if responding to it.

 

The [Divine Punishment].

 

It fell on the commander’s head.

 

Sizzle–!

 

The power was different from that time with Count Ascura.

 

As if she had a grudge against the commander of the demon king’s army.

 

Without the slightest consideration for the mana consumption.

 

It was the most emotional and harsh manifestation.

 

I had the audacity to rate the skill.

 

“There’s still a lot to be desired.”

 

…It’s not enough.

 

What I lacked was my level.

 

So I didn’t hesitate.

 

I have to do something…!

 

That way, I could pick up soybeans ^[1] Soybeans here figuratively mean ‘unexpected profit’. I usually just translate it to ‘unexpected profit’ but using soybeans here would fit more. and I might even be able to eat them.

 

I sprang up the stairs at once.

 

“Sir Hoyeol. I will return after completing His Majesty’s order.”

 

Then, Harkon stepped on the stairs and flew into the sky.

• 1. Soybeans here figuratively mean ‘unexpected profit’. I usually just translate it to ‘unexpected profit’ but using soybeans here would fit more.