Chapter 54

◈ Chapter 54. It's Free to Have a Misunderstanding (2)

In the Gaon guild's analysis room.

Nam Cheolmin checked the additional update details.

"New monsters have been added.

'Demon King Army Infantry': Level 350

'Demon King Army Beast Cavalry': Level 400

'Demon King Army Centurion': Level 420

'Demon King Army Warrior': Level 420..."

"Hmm."

As he alternated his gaze between the monitor and the update details, a sigh escaped him involuntarily.

The view of Frost in the video feed from the drone.

It was only natural to feel overwhelmed.

"Is it over just by capturing the city gates?"

Indeed, they were struggling just to capture the city gates.

The real battle would begin only after the gates were breached.

Why, just look at the number of Demon King Army troops waiting behind the gates.

Level 350 monsters.

There seemed to be at least a thousand of them.

A scale incomparable to when the Ascuran Count was around.

But on the other hand, it made sense.

Nam Cheolmin looked at the update details again.

"The Demon King Army, huh."

The Demon King.

If the boss monster is the king of demons, then it's not strange that Frost has fallen.

Nam Cheolmin shook his head.

He put on his in-ear headphones and spoke to the Gaon guild's officers, including Nam Taemin.

"There are monsters waiting behind the city gates. There's no time to rest. Make sure to manage your health and mana well. Don't get too caught up in the contribution quest."

Static─

At that moment, the monitor screen went black.

Nam Cheolmin's sigh deepened.

"Okay. We've lost our last drone."

Fitting the name of the Demon King Army.

They were cunning.

Determined not to reveal their information, they had destroyed the drones as soon as they were spotted.

"But we should consider ourselves lucky. Fortunately, it seems their long-range attack capabilities are not outstanding."

Now, the only view left for Nam Cheolmin was the video feed from his brother Nam Taemin.

But.

'It's quiet.'

Nam Taemin was different from usual.

As his older brother, he could sense the reason.

'The shock must be as great as the excitement he felt.'

Frost was a city of great significance to Nam Taemin.

In Arcana, he could even call Frost his hometown.

And now, it had been trampled.

In reality, vividly.

The decapitated heads visible in Nam Taemin's view.

Nam Cheolmin could tell.

His brother's silence was a calm rage.

So, he added a word of caution.

"Taemin, don't get too worked up. You know, right?"

Well, whether that was possible or not.

Even just watching on the monitor, his fingers were trembling.

Due to tension, anger, worry, and anticipation...

A mix of complex emotions.

'In such a situation, the only person who might remain calm...'

...would probably be Ho Yeol.

Given the impression he had shown so far.

It was impossible to imagine Ho Yeol being tense.

Thinking about it, he became curious.

"Has there been any progress?"

Frost had a total of ten city gates.

Gaon was quite far from Ho Yeol's position.

Connecting to the internet, Nam Cheolmin was shocked.

"Is this what I know as a siege battle?"

The common sense of Arcana, which no one could surpass.

As an analyst, his common sense was crumbling.

*

Boom─

The collapse of the city gate was the signal.

Thud─!

Led by Harcon, Yeshika, and Enoch.

The Lion Heart Knights charged out like lightning.

The Shadow Mercenary Corps followed closely behind.

I watched the scene for a moment.

'They're strong.'

Even for a moment, I could feel the gap.

No matter how disciplined the Demon King Army was.

The difference in level couldn't be ignored.

Roar─!

Harcon's sword, glowing with sword energy.

As Harcon swung his sword, the ranks immediately crumbled.

Instant death with one strike.

The shields raised were cut like tofu.

"Charge!"

Thud─!

The enemy ranks were in disarray.

The Knights of the Lion Heart didn't hesitate for a moment.

Plunging into the Demon King Army.

They quickly reduced their numbers.

Thud─

Their actions were without hesitation.

Swish─

Like lions that had spotted their prey.

Crack─

With hearts like lions.

Despite the overwhelming numbers of the Demon King Army.

They didn't show the slightest sign of fear.

I marveled anew.

'Wow.'

Indeed, the might of the Empire's strongest knight order.

Even in a battle of many against many, the Demon King Army couldn't match them.

Yes, I was surprised anew.

'The Lion Heart Knights are great, after all.'

In that sense, the Shadow Mercenary Corps was unexpected.

With a total of only ten members, including Captain Kitch.

But even at a glance, it was clear.

'Each one is extraordinary.'

Systematic movement?

There was none, as Kitch had said.

But each one was toying with the Demon King Army on their own.

And the players who joined in.

"We will support you too!"

"Thank you, adventurers."

"Healers, follow immediately! Don't distinguish between guilds or parties, treat the wounded first!"

Of course, the reason the players joined was for contribution points.

Since they were on the same side in the siege.

Helping allies also affected contribution points.

In this harsh society, there's no such thing as unrequited kindness.

Yes, everyone cooperates because there's something to give and take.

I'm well-versed in social life.

'I can conserve mana.'

In any case, I was benefiting greatly from this.

I could step back and observe the battle.

Thanks to this, the mana I had used to break the city gates was regenerating.

In that brief respite, I calmly assessed the situation.

'I don't need to step in, do I?'

Most importantly, my solid backup...

No, the level of my allies was too high.

Wasn't it the last order of the Emperor?

That alone would be enough to fill them with enthusiasm.

The Lion Heart Knights, who now had the goal of rescuing survivors and retaking Frost.

Their morale was naturally much higher than usual.

Moreover, the combat power of the Shadow Mercenary Corps exceeded my expectations.

But.

'Just because I've assessed the situation...'

It doesn't mean I'll just stand by with my arms crossed.

After all, each of those Demon King Army monsters.

Was valuable experience and contribution points for me.

Of course, I need to conserve as much mana as possible.

'Thinking of the Seven Deadly Sins, Greed...'

Wasn't I the one who poured all my mana into defeating a weakling?

Even if I've grown since then, the opponent is the Demon King.

The more thorough the preparation, the better.

So.

"Knowing when to step in and when to step back."

While conserving as much mana as possible.

I need to gain a significant amount of contribution points.

And do so without compromising the pride of Granfel.

I continued boldly.

"Such restraint is also part of the formality."

...I'm getting more and more shameless. Really!

Yes, let's gloss over the lines that make my skin crawl.

The important thing is, what action will I take?

To the listener, it might be the greatest mystery.

But not to me.

After all, I've done this several times already.

That action, I mean.

The verification was already complete, so there was no hesitation.

The entire process was swift and natural.

A familiar target for exploration.

And skilled interference.

I thought as I watched the manifested magic.

'Freebie, that's my specialty.'

Crack─!

*

Frost was full of sights to see.

With nearly ten city gates under siege.

Each gate being attacked by a top guild.

And star players with celebrity-like popularity.

Their appearances alone were already being broadcast on dozens of channels.

Then, among all these sights.

Who was receiving the most attention?

The answer was in the laptop monitor.

The real-time viewership graph showed it.

"Director! Number one in the same time slot!"

The news broke the silence.

The VBC channel's viewership had surpassed 20%.

Considering it wasn't a terrestrial channel.

The impact was at least twice as significant.

But there was no fuss.

Even the CEO, Nam Jinman, who usually couldn't stop talking about ratings.

"Too noisy. Let's just watch this first."

"Ah, yes, sorry..."

He didn't even glance at the viewership graph.

He was that engrossed in the studio situation.

VBC, with its flexible scheduling compared to terrestrial channels.

The special program was directed by Today's Arcana PD, Hyun Yongseok.

It was all thanks to his strong advocacy.

"In short, it's a special on Lee Ho Yeol."

The retaking of Frost, which could take hours, or even days.

Hyun Yongseok had pushed for a special program that would focus solely on Lee Ho Yeol for the entire duration.

It was a gamble.

No matter how great Lee Ho Yeol was, everything has a fatigue point.

How many viewers would keep watching Lee Ho Yeol when they could switch to a completely different scene?

There were many opposing opinions at the scheduling meeting.

But.

"I knew it. I did..."

It turned out to be just a worry.

Lee Ho Yeol.

His fierce performance was so captivating that no one even thought of changing the channel.

It started from the beginning.

Boom─!

The city gate crumbled in an instant.

The battle between players and the Demon King Army began.

The cast members were amazed.

"Lee Ho Yeol... He breached the city gate alone!"

"His skill usage is truly unbelievable, even to watch."

"Right now, Harcon's sword strike!"

"The level is beyond what players can achieve. This is it."

"Immediately, the Shadow Mercenary Corps is following. Expert, what do you think of the Shadow Mercenary Corps' level?"

"In Arcana, mercenaries are evaluated simply by their commission fees. The Shadow Mercenary Corps' fees are astronomical..."

"Ah! Right now!"

The movement that forced the explanation to stop was detected.

The silent Ho Yeol began to manifest magic again.

Crack─!

The familiar sound and the memory that had been momentarily forgotten.

"Right, that's what Lee Ho Yeol is known for!"

The boulders rising from the ground.

When Ho Yeol was first featured in the media.

The skill that made people mistake him for an alchemist.

"The skill that saved our Gaon and Inazuma from danger!"

Manifesting stone pillars and walls.

Stopping the cavalry charge and supporting Gaon and Inazuma, Ho Yeol's actions were a major topic.

In that sense, his actions were understandable.

"He must be thinking of supporting strong allies."

"Yes, that's right. Even if Lee Ho Yeol is strong, the gap between players and Arcanians is still significant..."

"Ah! Right now!"

But the explanation was cut off again.

The cast members, watching the screen, stuttered.

"What is this skill, expert?"

"I, I don't know. I've never seen it before?!"

"Viewers, do you believe it?"

In the rising dust.

What was revealed was.

"Stairs! Lee Ho Yeol...!!"

Dozens of stone stairs connecting to the city wall.

And the players climbing those stairs.

That wasn't all.

Swish─

The long-range attacks from the Demon King Army.

Crack─

The massive wall that rose in response.

Even though he had taken a step back from the front.

Ho Yeol's contribution was too significant to be called mere support.

Yes, if we had to be precise, this wasn't support...

"He's perfectly 'commanding' the battlefield..."

The image of a commander perfectly controlling and coordinating the battle.

The cast members were amazed again.

"Not just players. Leading the Lion Heart Knights and the Shadow Mercenary Corps. It's an unbelievable sight. Really!"

"Looking again, his outfit is somewhat like a commander's..."

"Expert, how does this affect contribution points?"

"This is like everyone just eating from the table Lee Ho Yeol has set. I expect he's accumulated a tremendous amount of contribution points!"

Again, the question arose.

With such abilities, how could Lee Ho Yeol have remained silent until now?

Do we still not even know his class?

The host spoke sincerely.

"Truly, a moment that makes me curious about his past!"

*

The quest window flashing non-stop.

I checked my current contribution points.