Chapter 53

◈ Chapter 53. Misunderstanding is Free, Right? (1)

[Quest: Reclaim Frost]

Frost, which has fallen into the hands of demons.

Reclaim Frost.

Your bravery will be rewarded.

─Current Contribution: 0p

...A quest!

The reclamation of Frost began with Ho Yeol's magical manifestation.

At the same time,

A quest appeared to the players gathered in Frost.

This was enough to awaken the players who had fallen into panic.

"How long has it been since we had a quest?"

"Rewards will be given based on contribution, right?"

"Let's just charge in."

"Everyone, get ready. We're attacking right away."

Of course, this included guilds that were about to launch a siege.

"Brothers, we can't just stand by and watch, can we?"

Even the netcaster players who came to Frost for broadcasting purposes.

This quest was one that those who once enjoyed Arcana couldn't just pass by.

"I was holding back, but I can't hold back anymore, me too!"

Wasn't Frost a place with considerable influence?

Malon, who was practically the mascot of Frost.

The residents of Frost, whose heads were on the line.

The quest poured oil on the barely suppressed emotions.

Posts flooded the player community.

-Can't hold back for a quest, lol. I'm low-level, but I'm going.

-In a siege, the key is numbers.

-Level doesn't matter, so let's all gather.

-Will we have a new bragging right if we reclaim it? I'm going right away, lol.

Yes, the reasons were varied,

But the atmosphere changed in an instant.

"You're awfully arrogant."

Without a moment's hesitation,

Thanks to Ho Yeol, who cast magic at the gate!

However, for some reason,

The players around Ho Yeol were in a state of confusion.

It couldn't be helped.

After all, the magic that extended from Ho Yeol's hand...

"...What is that?"

It was a form they had never imagined.

The gate of Frost was made of thick steel.

To break it,

Even a powerful high-level magic might not be enough.

But the magic Ho Yeol cast, no matter how you looked at it...

Bouncy─

"...Hey, isn't that [Light]?"

The most basic of basic skills.

Its effect was merely to illuminate the darkness.

[Light] was nothing more than a simple mana orb, wasn't it?

"...Maybe he pressed the wrong shortcut key?"

"Idiot. Where are there shortcuts in real life?"

"No, it's a joke. It's that strange, all of a sudden."

Bouncy─

It wasn't just one or two.

Mana orbs, [Light], flying towards the gate and walls.

"...How much mana do you have, really?"

The number seemed to be over a hundred.

In this situation, to have that much mana to waste?

Just as the players were about to be bewildered,

The [Light] mana orbs stuck to the gate and walls.

"...?"

And that's when it started.

Whoosh─!

"...What, what?!"

Crackle─!

"The form is changing?!"

Whir─!

"Wait, what is this skill?!"

Marcello, the chief magician of the Magic Tower.

Even he was amazed.

Ho Yeol's magic casting ability, which was 'strange' in its height, began to show its true worth.

At a speed that couldn't be followed by the eye.

A continuous process of agile exploration, interference, and manifestation.

Of course, you only see what you know.

"Exactly what level is Ho Yeol...!"

Exploration, interference, manifestation.

The players who didn't even know the basics of magic could only gape in amazement.

"Indeed, Sir Ho Yeol..."

The same went for the Lion Heart Knights, including Harcon.

They were knights, after all, regardless of their insight.

They could recognize excellence, but they couldn't evaluate it beyond that.

"...Damn."

But from the perspective of those who knew,

There was no more insane scene than this...

The Shadow Mercenary Corps.

The 7th Stone, Alkali.

He twitched his nose.

"...!"

The trace of mana in the wind was enough to make Alkali's bent spine shudder.

Alkali chuckled.

Beside him, the last stone, Lucky, interjected.

"Why are you laughing so unpleasantly, old man?"

"Kuk. I think I understand why the captain followed."

"What? You understand that annoying reason? What is it?"

Alkali looked at the captain, Kichi.

Kichi had a thoughtful expression.

Alkali replied for him.

"Well, it's best not to take the lead in this mission. No, not just this mission. At least as long as that noble is watching. It would be good for your safety to tone down that stubborn personality, Lucky."

...Is this old man losing his mind?

Lucky had a puzzled look.

However, Kichi's thoughts were not much different from Alkali's.

If anything, they were even more so.

After all, Kichi had seen it all.

'...I said we shouldn't meet again because of this. Why now?'

Not only casting high-level magic,

But also handling sword energy.

And the terrifying growth rate.

That's why Kichi's face was so complicated.

'There's no way to deny this now...'

And that stubborn personality.

His intuition told him.

This was a mistake, no matter how you looked at it.

*

[Quest: Reclaim Frost]

A quest I have no reason to refuse.

Well, it felt like a bonus quest.

Perhaps it naturally followed from completing the class quest.

'A contribution system, huh.'

─Current Contribution: 0p

Bravery will be rewarded.

Rewards will be given based on contribution.

Of course, aiming for the top contribution was unrealistic.

'Just as a side task.'

Look at the number of players gathered here.

Besides, they were guilds.

Naturally, they were skilled in large-scale battles.

Of course, I had the Lion Heart Knights and the Shadow Mercenary Corps,

But their contributions wouldn't count towards my own.

'If they did, I wouldn't be saying this.'

So, the conclusion I reached after assessing the situation was simple.

'Let's do one thing properly.'

In that sense, the top priority was 'investigating Frost.'

I interfered and manifested the mana orbs, thinking.

'Glad I practiced.'

I almost set the Magic Tower and the laboratory on fire, but still.

It was worth it to have considered the potential uses.

Fire, wind, electricity, water...

The basic magic of pure mana, [Light].

The various attribute magics manifested from the mana orbs.

Perhaps because I was manifesting various attribute magics simultaneously,

'I can feel the mana consumption.'

The newly opened stat.

[Appreciation] was suppressed as much as possible.

It wasn't a situation where its effect was needed.

But the consumption of precious mana was worth it.

The scene of various attribute magics intertwining.

'...I found it.'

I could find the most effective combination of attributes for attacking the gate.

Thinking about it again, there's no one more reckless than me, really...

'I have no choice. This is my best.'

A desperate struggle.

Using everything I have, everything I don't have.

My own way...

Fire (火), Ice (氷).

The gate of Frost was vulnerable to the combination of these two attribute magics.

The principle or reason?

I don't know. If I did, I would have said so.

There would have been no need to consume mana like this.

But there's no need to know anymore.

'Whether I hit it by knowledge or by guesswork.'

As long as I hit the right answer, it's the same.

All that was left was to concentrate the firepower.

I immediately manifested fire and ice.

Through a series of processes.

The magic poured onto the gate.

Indeed, it was worth the effort, even if it was a guess.

Crack─! Crack─!

The tightly closed gate began to collapse.

Exclamations erupted from all around.

Somehow, the players couldn't hide their shock.

"...You broke the gate that quickly?"

"What is that? That skill? The destructive power is insane!"

"...Is this real?"

If I could, I would have corrected those evaluations.

'I'm not that well-off...'

How much I struggled to attack the gate.

To think they would mistake it for just raw power...

But this noble pride.

Wouldn't budge for such trivial matters.

"As long as the Lord is with us, there's nothing to worry about."

Of course, there was no time for that.

The collapsing wall.

The ominous aura flowing from beyond.

Clank─!

Halcon, who spoke to me, put on his helmet.

"Sir Ho Yeol. From now on, we will open the way."

Swish─!

The moment Harcon and the Lion Heart Knights drew their swords.

Boom─!

The wall completely collapsed.

At that moment, the quest window flashed.

──────

─Current Contribution: 5,000p

──────

Did the contribution increase because I broke the gate?

'5,000 points.'

Without a point of comparison, I couldn't tell if it was high or low. But it wasn't important right now. Regardless of whether it was a bonus quest or not...

From the collapsed gate,

The demons of Frost revealed their appearance.

Indeed, they were worthy of being called the army of the Demon King.

Formed in neat rows.

The level of their equipment.

It was as if they had anticipated the collapse of the wall.

Their swift movements.

The Demon King's army.

Yes, bright red skin.

If it weren't for the horns on their heads,

They could be mistaken for a human army, so disciplined were they.

The sight of them was enough to dampen the players' morale.

"...This is serious."

"It's best not to approach recklessly."

"Maintain distance."

They were clearly different from the demons seen so far.

They were systematic.

The demonic voices echoing.

"Kill them all! Absolutely do not let them in!"

Some were in attack formation.

Some were in defense formation.

It seemed they even had a specific strategy.

But,

So what?

I adjusted my clothes, which were ruffled by the wind.

With complete indifference.

"Pathetic."

To me, to Granfel,

Every demon is nothing but trash.

The appearance of the Demon King's army is just a pile of similar trash.

Just well-sorted trash.

Moreover,

"Jessica, Enoch."

"Yes, Captain."

"I will break their formation with you at the front."

"Understood."

In terms of systematic approach, we are not inferior.

'Of course, not just the Lion Heart Knights.'

I turned my head.

Kichi, who met my eyes, immediately spoke.

"...We will assist the Lion Heart Knights as much as possible. As we have done so far, everyone, do your best. Everyone understand? Let's start."

The Shadow Mercenary Corps, bound by a strict master-servant relationship.

This was a confidence based on reason.

I declared as I followed them.

"There's no time to waste."

The class quest.

The ultimate goal is to slay the Demon King.

"Out of the way, trash."

*

Frost has a total of 10 gates.

As a large city, it's natural for it to have many gates.

This is good news for the giant guilds who are competing with each other.

Especially the top two guilds in the rankings.

Shining and Heaven Unification.

Two guilds that must be clearly divided.

"We're experts at this, right, Rocks?"

In the Arcana era.

Shining, a guild that owned a territory.

Shining had a wealth of siege experience.

Heaven Unification had experience that matched Shining.

Moreover, in sieges, Heaven Unification had a clear advantage over Shining.

"We don't have a better opportunity than this."

That was the overwhelming number of guild members in Heaven Unification.

The player ranking of the master, Liu Jun Chun, was only 14th.

But the strength of Heaven Unification lay in the number of guild members and their average level.

"Charge!"

Heaven Unification deployed a strategy based on their numbers.

Their attacks poured onto the gate.

Pouring mana in one go and then switching to the back row.

Recovering mana and stamina, then switching again.

"Hehe."

Liu Jun Chun smiled.

Yes, no matter how great Shining was,

They couldn't keep up with them in this siege.

Liu Jun Chun's quest window flashed.

'The contribution is going to be huge.'

Currently, Frost was not in a normal state.

It was uncertain whether the lord was even alive.

Liu Jun Chun's expectations grew.

'...If the lord is dead?'

There was a possibility of becoming the new lord of Frost based on the contribution.

The lord of a large city, Frost.

Even in the days when Arcana was just a game,

It held a value that couldn't be measured.

'I can rise to the top with an overwhelming lead!'

Not just Heaven Unification, but himself as well.

Liu Jun Chun checked the rising contribution in real time.

'Rocks, you can't even dream of this contribution.'

As a guild master, Liu Jun Chun was receiving a significant contribution for [Command].

But Shining couldn't do that.

You could see this just by looking at Jesse Haines.

Rocks didn't have the same leadership as him.

Thinking about this, his enthusiasm boiled up.

"Hahahaha!!"

──────

─Current Contribution: 120p

──────

At the same time.

The fact that Ho Yeol's contribution had surpassed 5,000 points.

Liu Jun Chun couldn't possibly know.

He burst into laughter.

"I'll show you what overwhelming contribution is, Rocks!"

Yes, sometimes ignorance is bliss...