Chapter 63

◈ Chapter 63. That Difficult Thing (2)

Buzz─

A smartphone vibrates loudly.

Kazuma Hisagi checked the caller.

As expected, it was them.

A bald man beside him asked cautiously,

"Kazuma, are you really okay with this?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, can you handle it? I'll always follow you, but..."

A tanned woman with dark skin spat and continued,

"Those bastards. They don't even know what they're talking about."

Frost.

In the same space.

With the same player's perspective.

The Inazuma guild members could bow their heads to Ho Yeol with all their hearts.

If it weren't for Ho Yeol, Hokkaido would be...

"Can't you even say thank you to someone who saved hundreds of thousands, no, millions of lives? Just because he's Korean? I've always thought that the higher-ups are...!"

"Don't get angry. It'll just make you feel bad."

"...Huh. So, are you going, Kazuma?"

The bald man asked in a tone that didn't match his rough appearance.

Hisagi's snake-like eyes flashed.

"Yeah, to show those old farts the reality."

...

Thud─

Hisagi knelt.

Surrounding him were the ministers of the Japanese government.

They began to hurl insults at him.

"Isn't it a sign of incompetence, Hisagi?"

"Bowing to a Korean? You're an idiot...!"

"Given that Gaon has surpassed Inazuma. Your actions have no meaning at all!"

Slurp─

I'll kill them.

Hisagi moistened his dry lips, seriously considering it.

Piercing those greasy bodies like skewers.

It wouldn't take more than a few seconds.

But he had to hold back.

For his own sake.

For the sake of his comrades who had his back.

'I was a fool.'

Hisagi realized in Frost.

He had been under a major delusion all this time.

[Reclaim Frost].

He had forgotten about the quest that suddenly appeared.

Blinded by the contribution points, he had forgotten that Frost, where the demon first appeared, was in Hokkaido.

He realized this after facing Ho Yeol.

'Even now, I have nothing to say.'

Especially after witnessing Ho Yeol rescuing survivors.

Not only rescuing survivors, but also collecting the scattered bodies.

Hisagi felt a moment of dizziness.

...If Ho Yeol had been just a little late.

'The residents of Hokkaido...'

They could have ended up the same way.

Thinking about it, he felt like an idiot.

'What was I doing all this for?'

But only Hisagi had gained this realization.

The higher-ups were the same.

"For the sake of national interests, it's not enough. Tsk."

"That's right. Didn't I suggest delaying their entry?"

"You're right. If a few dozen Hokkaido civilians had been involved and we used that as an excuse to launch missiles, the situation would be much better now."

For their own interests.

They treated other people's lives like trash.

As the illusion shattered, reality began to set in.

'In the end, I'll be discarded too.'

Of course, Hisagi had no intention of going down quietly.

He stood up.

The sake-drinkers flinched and asked,

"What are you doing, Hisagi?"

"Our conversation isn't over yet!"

"Hey, sit down!"

They must have been mistaken.

Hisagi responded with a burst of killing intent.

Class, Lance Knight.

Player ranking 6th.

His nickname is Lightning Lance.

The killing intent he emitted was thicker than a snake's venom.

"Hi, Hisagi!"

"There seems to be a misunderstanding...?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

Clang─

Shaking hands.

The sake cups they dropped shattered.

Their crotches were soaked with something unknown.

Hisagi replied,

"In the future, Inazuma will not cooperate with the government."

"...What, what?! What do you mean by that!"

"Do what you will with the consequences."

Hisagi's eyes flashed.

"See if you can even breathe after that."

The ministers realized the reality.

"..."

The position they had controlled and manipulated!

A player ranked among the top ten in the world.

Even a decent security team would be meaningless against Hisagi.

To stop him, they would need a player on the level of Nam Tae Min.

But.

'That's impossible...'

Players of that caliber wouldn't move for personal requests or money.

Hisagi's words were not empty threats.

'Really, they'll die...'

The frozen ministers.

Leaving them behind,

"I'll take my leave then. Enjoy your time."

Hisagi bowed and left the room.

In the end, he had done it.

Hisagi shrugged.

"Maybe I won't be able to live in my country anymore?"

For now.

They wouldn't let a snake that had escaped from the cage go easily.

Hisagi seriously considered his options.

"Well, asylum isn't bad."

His country was a powerful nation.

Considering the complex international relations.

There might not be many countries willing to accept him...

But Japan wouldn't care.

Or even notice.

There was one person he knew.

The Inazuma members, bowing their heads.

The vessel that accepted their sincere gratitude.

The formality that flowed from his actions.

Hisagi counted his balance on his fingers.

"...How much do I need for investment immigration to the Yusra Kingdom?"

*

The taste of alcohol in this world gradually suited my palate.

"Kyaa. I really like this green bottle~"

"Your taste for cheap stuff hasn't changed, Captain."

"Cheeep stuff? Are you ignoring me because I'm from the slums?"

"...Wow. Captain is already drunk. What a mess."

The sister who doesn't drink.

The kid who hates trouble.

The old man who leaves when he gets old.

Except for a few.

The Shadow Mercenary Corps held a drinking party under the guise of a regular meeting.

Kichi hiccuped and shouted,

"Hey, fatty! Turn it down!!"

"Damn, just a moment. I'm coming. Here."

"Trouble and more trouble. Sigh."

The loud TV.

Fatty, Rockid, was sitting right in front of it.

A muscle mass that made even a 100-inch TV screen look small.

Despite his intimidating presence, Rockid's eyes were sparkling.

"Wow, they were watching this all by themselves."

He thought it was just a frame.

But when he touched something, an image appeared.

A living, moving image.

In the Arcana continent, this was something that couldn't be bought for a billion gold.

It was so amazing that his eyes widened.

Rockid focused on the news.

-There are quite a few positive reactions to Inazuma's actions. What do you think, expert? Does their action represent the Japanese government's stance?

-I don't think so. According to a government official, Inazuma's recent actions do not align with the government's stance...

While uninteresting and boring conversations were going on.

Endless data screens appeared.

There, a familiar face, Ho Yeol.

"So, next is. I am."

Yes, Ho Yeol.

Rockid understood generously.

'Well, that guy did do a good job.'

But this Rockid also did a great job.

Just like praising Ho Yeol, Rockid should be praised too.

"...So, why are they showing the same face over and over?"

But his patience was in vain.

No matter how long he waited, no matter how many channels he changed.

It was all about Ho Yeol.

"...The same thing, front and back?! Suddenly. What is this?"

When the breaking news ended and a hateful commercial popped up.

Rockid's patience exploded.

Gulp, gulp─

Approaching with a huff, Rockid drank the liquor like water.

After draining three bottles of liquor, matching his size, Rockid asked with a pained expression.

"What am I worse than Ho Yeol for?"

Here we go again.

The usual complaint from the corner, ignored as usual.

Only Kichi, who was tipsy, responded.

"...You can't use magic. You can't fight."

"Magic is one thing, but what about fighting?! What kind of fighting does a mage do...?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You know nothing, Rockid. Hic."

That monster.

Can freely use sword energy...

"Hic─"

He had a lot to say.

But his body, his tongue, wouldn't listen.

But there was one thing he had to say.

Kichi drove the point home.

"And most importantly..."

"...What. What kind of drunk talk are you trying to give?"

"Ho Yeol is much better looking than you."

"What?! What did you say?!"

He could tolerate everything else, but not this!

Rockid's face turned bright red.

Kichi added sincerely,

"Hic─ Anyway, don't touch him. If you don't want to die."

Rockid had a sense.

'Old man and now the captain?'

After Alkari, Kichi.

They highly evaluated Ho Yeol.

There must be a reason.

Rockid had no objection to that.

'...That magic was not ordinary.'

So Rockid could only scream.

"Then where am I supposed to vent my frustration?!"

Of course, only the drunk Kichi responded.

"Ho Yeol? He's probably at the magic tower now?"

Rockid inwardly sighed.

There's a limit to being diligent.

From the moment he observed in the Yusra Kingdom.

There might be no one who lives as tiringly as Ho Yeol.

'His strength makes sense now.'

Still.

"...But if you say not to touch him, why tell me?"

"Too noisy. Maybe he'll be quiet after a beating."

"I have no intention of going to get beaten. And what? Magic tower? Why would I go to a place swarming with monsters? Am I crazy?!"

*

Drip, drip.

Beads of sweat pouring down.

A message appearing.

[Conditions met.]

[Reward granted.]

I panted and said,

"Easy."

This damn show-off.

A class quest that boosts strength and agility.

I, who repeat aerobic and anaerobic exercises daily.

Handling a massive amount of exercise.

Naturally, my basic stamina increased, aside from stats.

"Drinking tea after exercise isn't bad either."

Click─

Enjoying tea time while suffering from thirst.

I asked as usual,

'...Am I really going to die doing this?'

Drowning in pride and formality.

But I could feel it in my body.

Maybe because I struggled so much.

Now, even if I want to sink, I can't sink anymore...

"This is getting familiar too."

Yes, humans are adaptive creatures.

Thanks to improved stamina, no matter how exhausting the tasks, I still have energy left.

It's a truly perplexing situation.

Why, even now.

In the past, I could take legal breaks due to physical fatigue.

But with improved stamina.

I have to keep up with Granfel's endless pride talk.

Returning to the magic tower right after defeating the Demon King.

And to a laboratory, no less.

But there's no point in whining anymore.

'...Fine.'

I knew this pride would never be broken.

I gave up and checked the quest window.

"Akshan. A nostalgic name."

[Class Quest: Akshan's Legacy]

The beacon of survival was clearly transmitted.

O last demon hunter.

Retrieve your lost legacy.

─Train your weakened body. (Repeat)

As expected.

The smoke rising from the demon's remains was the beacon.

The beacon of survival was clearly transmitted.

Though the specific situation is unknown.

Completing the quest conditions by defeating Dekarabia.

'I can only wait for the next goal to appear.'

Akshan's legacy.

Still, let's think logically.

'Naturally, there's a high probability it's in the Akshan base. Well.'

The problem is that the Akshan base disappeared from Arcana overnight.

In the past, players didn't seem to care much.

-It's a failed class, so they probably just deleted the area.

-Yeah, there are no demon hunter players, so it makes sense.

-Deleting content that only takes up space is right, lol.

I would have thought the same.

If Arcana was a normal game.

But I learned through experience.

Arcana is not a normal game.

Even the Yusra Islands, which I thought were just a treasure island.

Had a story of an ancient kingdom and great evil.

There's a high probability that the Akshan base has a backstory.

'That's why it appeared as a class quest...'

I get it.

I opened my mouth.

"I look forward to the day we meet again."

Even though you can't remember my face or name.

You're shameless, aren't you?

'The quest goal will appear when the time is right.'

So, for now, it's best to focus on the given tasks.

Organizing my thoughts.

I sat down in a straight posture.

Swoosh─

Words appeared on the parchment.

Checking the sender, it was the head mage, Marcello.

Click─

I calmly tilted the teacup.

Reading the words that appeared.

'...This?'

But the content was unexpected.

Quite unexpectedly.