Chapter 60

Temple Breeze Volume 13 - Chapter 7

Bubat, the master of the Yak Guild.

He was renowned as the strongest initiator in Satisfy, possessing bold decisiveness, powerful CC skills, and tanking capabilities.

Whenever he initiated combat from the front, the situation always turned to the advantage of his allies. No wonder his nickname was 'The Yak of Promised Victory.'

However, during the national competition, Bubat was powerless. His performance, far from his reputation, disappointed his countrymen.

Was it because his condition was particularly poor?

No.

It was because he encountered Yura and Grid one after another.

Yura's superior physical abilities neutralized his CC skills, and Grid's resistance to CC skills made the matchup extremely unfavorable.

Bubat had to taste an overwhelming sense of frustration.

Since then, for several months, Bubat worked hard.

He focused on hunting to level up, acquired new skills, and maximized his control skills, gaining the ability to counter Yura and Grid.

He was confident that if he ever faced them again, he would surely grab their ankles and hold on tight.

But.

"Damn it...!"

Before even meeting Yura and Grid, he once again felt a sense of powerlessness and frustration!

For Bubat, the current reality was terrifying.

Viscount Ashur was sneering.

"Poor skills."

"Ugh!"

Bubat could not refute the mocking Viscount Ashur.

Viscount Ashur was truly outstanding.

His quick reflexes and judgment in countering any skill with appropriate magic were beyond comprehension.

In the midst of a fierce battle that shook the earth, Bubat was already covered in wounds, while Viscount Ashur's white robe remained spotless.

One of the top ten mages on the continent.

A monster whose mere existence could deter wars, akin to nuclear weapons in modern society.

Their reputation was well-known, but who would have thought it would be to this extent.

'He is far stronger than Yura.'

It is not an exaggeration.

Even if we assume that Viscount Ashur and Yura have the same level and stats, Viscount Ashur is superior in many aspects.

This is due to the named NPC adjustment effect.

Named NPCs, like Viscount Ashur, who have a significant impact on the game's world and story, have all their abilities (attack power, defense power, magic power, health, mana, skill cooldowns, etc.) set higher than players.

This is a fixed effect applied regardless of stats, serving as a kind of protection system.

Even among named NPCs, there are different ranks. Although Viscount Ashur had been defeated by Piaro,

"You are not a relic that can be easily challenged by the likes of you."

Rumble!

In one hand, lightning,

Whoosh—

In the other, a mist of water, Viscount Ashur simultaneously manifested both.

The destructive power of this individual, who has mastered various elemental magic, becomes even more evident when facing multiple opponents.

"Leave your bones in my city. I will use your corpses as fertilizer to grow roses."

Rumble!

As the mist of water spread and connected with the lightning, a thundercloud formed.

All members of the Yak Guild and the Jeraf Guild within the affected area were electrocuted.

Smoke billowed from their mouths as they convulsed, and a rain of arrows from the soldiers fell upon them, followed by a charge from the knights.

"Uaaaaa!"

Bubat and other top-ranked players fought valiantly. After overcoming the electrocution as quickly as possible, they shattered the knights.

Bubat's performance was particularly outstanding. With a single shoulder charge, he sent two knights flying, embodying the fury of a yak.

A knight like Dio, who had a blue rose in his mouth, was only at a level where he could barely match Bubat for a few rounds.

But even so, in Viscount Ashur's eyes, they were insignificant.

"Planning to invade Reidan with such mediocre skills? You clearly have no grasp of the situation. Do you not know that Reidan has a monster?"

Snap! Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

With a flick of Viscount Ashur's finger, flaming arrows began to form continuously.

Viscount Ashur demonstrated that even a C-rank magic, when mastered, can have the power of an A-rank magic, with his overwhelming magic power and casting speed.

Boom!

"Kaaaaa!"

People burned like straw.

The earth trembled and a storm raged.

The surreal scene of two of the seven major guilds in Satisfy being utterly destroyed was being recorded in high definition by BunnyBunny.

"Wow...! This is amazing! Hahaha!!"

One of the top ten mages protecting Grid!

BunnyBunny was confident that the current live broadcast would break the record for the highest number of viewers. Interviews from various media outlets seeking detailed information would also flood in.

His return as the world's top game streamer was just around the corner.

***

"Ugh... Ugh!"

Raze, the last survivor of the Ice Flower Guild.

Even he, who had been struggling, finally fell to the swift sword.

The moment one of the seven major guilds was completely wiped out by Faker.

Why did such an unbelievable event occur?

The timing worked in Faker's favor.

It was the period when 3rd class, which has a different level of power compared to 2nd class, had just started to appear.

Among the 30 members of the Ice Flower Guild, only one was a 3rd class user.

In other words, only one person could match Faker.

But even that one person was a mage.

He was countered by Faker, an assassin.

The class difference, combined with the matchup disadvantage, led to the Ice Flower Guild being easily and completely destroyed by Faker.

If this moment had been three months ago, or even later,

No matter how great Faker was, he could not have single-handedly destroyed the Ice Flower Guild.

[Stamina has been depleted.]

[You cannot take any action.]

Thud!

Faker collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

The fatal weakness of the Swift Sword.

The faster he moves, the higher the stamina consumption rate, which is unparalleled.

This was a difficult problem to overcome even with Temple Breeze.

Grid was trying to find a solution, but the result was uncertain.

Shaking.

Faker struggled to get up.

With his stamina fixed at 0, it was difficult to move even a finger, but he tried to take a step.

Driven by the determination to protect Reidan.

'I am the only one.'

From the conversations of the Ice Flower Guild members, it was highly likely that all seven major guilds were invading Reidan.

With all Temple Breeze members busy with tasks like mine development, Faker knew he was the only one who could protect Reidan.

But.

Thud!

Faker could not take even a single step. He kept collapsing on the spot.

The depletion of stamina was not a problem that could be overcome by willpower alone.

"Grid..."

If you were here instead of me, it would have been better.

Faker felt regret.

His face, which had always been expressionless, was now distorted by despair and frustration.

Suddenly, the Uls, who had been hiding, ran over in concern.

Initially, they had feared Faker, but over time, they had come to trust him.

On this day,

Faker became a legend.

He was revered as a hero for single-handedly wiping out a portion of the seven major guilds.

The reputation of Grid, who had such a hero as a subordinate, naturally rose.

***

Just before Faker attacked the Ice Flower Guild,

Rauel received a shocking private message from Faker.

- The seven major guilds are advancing on Reidan. The current location of the Ice Flower Guild is the Thorn Vine Forest. The locations of the other six guilds are unknown.

'What?'

Of all times, a large-scale attack when Reidan is empty?

This indicates that the enemies have accurately grasped Reidan's situation.

'I was too complacent.'

I should have been more thorough in fortifying and blocking spies. But I failed, and it is all my fault. As the acting lord, my incompetence led to this.

Crack!

Anger boiled within him.

I had clearly anticipated that many people were keeping an eye on Reidan, yet I failed to prevent this situation.

I have no face to meet Grid, who entrusted everything to me.

"Damn it...! Damn it!"

"Rauel? What's wrong? What happened?"

Alzar Mountains.

Temple Breeze members, who were working to clear the monsters near the mine and connect the path to Reidan, gathered one by one.

They felt uneasy as Rauel, who rarely showed excitement, was pulling his hair.

After taking a deep breath and calming down, Rauel relayed the situation.

"The seven major guilds are advancing on Reidan."

"What?!"

The Temple Breeze members were outraged. Among them, Bantner gnashed his teeth.

"Those bandits are looting an empty house...! Damn it! What can we do? It will take at least half a day to get to Reidan from here!"

Rauel turned to Huroi.

"Huroi, what is the maximum number of passengers your wyvern can carry?"

"Three."

With the wyvern's speed, they could reach Reidan in three hours.

Rauel looked at the Temple Breeze members.

He was selecting two who could arrive in Reidan with Huroi and perform well.

"..."

There was a sense of regret.

The strongest forces of Temple Breeze, Fon and Regas, were on a dungeon exploration mission and were out of contact. Faker was also on a personal mission, and Jishuka was far away in Baryan.

The next best forces were...

"Bantner and Toon. Please go to Reidan with Huroi. If the enemies have not invaded when you arrive, work with Judd's security forces to fortify the defenses. If the battle is already underway..."

Rauel closed his eyes tightly and continued with difficulty.

"Abandon Reidan. Focus on rescuing Khan, Rabbit, and Piaro, and on Judd's aid."

It was a realistic judgment.

Resisting the seven major guilds with a small number of people was practically impossible.

The destruction of the internal facilities must be expected. The priority now is to save the lives of the valuable members.

"Understood..."

Honestly, Bantner wanted to argue. Why abandon Reidan? He wanted to shout that he would protect Reidan alone.

But Rauel was acting on behalf of Grid. He could not argue with his orders and chose to obey.

Now, Bantner recognized Grid as the leader.

"Let's go!"

Huroi, Bantner, and Toon, riding the wyvern, set off for Reidan first.

The remaining members moved with Rauel as the leader.

"Let's run. Don't conserve your stamina and mana. Our goal is to reach Reidan as quickly as possible."

Even if Reidan is in ruins when we arrive,

"We will definitely kill the invaders."

Grid is the first user to become a king. He must be an untouchable existence.

Those who dare to raise a sword against him?

There is no thought of forgiveness, not even a bit.

***

Reidan.

Jibbal surveyed the vast wheat fields and sneered.

"To develop such a major city into just an agricultural city, Grid is clearly incompetent in administration."

Indeed, Grid is incompetent. The only thing he can boast of is his legendary class.

The qualifications to become the first user king?

Grid does not have them.

"Shall we turn this wheat field into ashes first?"

For some reason, many guilds had not yet arrived, but Jibbal did not care.

He ordered the mages to burn everything with fire magic.

"Who are you?"

"…?"

Four farmers appeared.