Chapter 191
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: The Final Crossroads - 4
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Players, the protagonists of this game, are granted several ‘abilities’ upon awakening.
Their ‘position’ or ‘class’ is then determined by the combination of these abilities.
In other words, designations like warrior, archer, or mage are classifications created by humans, also referred to as ‘traits’ or ‘affinities.’
To elaborate, an ability in ‘melee combat’ combined with a ‘defense’ ability would classify one as a ‘knight’ affinity. If one were to additionally gain a ‘holy’ ability, they could become a paladin—a very rare and powerful Player.
‘In that sense, this guy’s ability isn’t named Necromancer.’
That was merely a ‘nickname’ given to him because he controlled the undead.
The Necromancer's ability would probably be classified as something like ‘Death Control.’
And all Players gradually change in appearance according to the abilities they accumulate and build upon as they grow.
Just as Lee Hyun-wook could imbue his weapons with holy power by accumulating it within his body.
‘If I had accumulated dark-affinity power, I would have become something entirely different.’
That was why an unexpected phenomenon occurred when the Saintess was healing the man's wounds and injecting holy power into him.
According to her explanation, the ‘power to control death’ could be reorganized based on holy power.
‘Come to think of it, a death power based on holy power… there was something called the <Banner of Valhalla>.’
It was an item based on Norse mythology that could summon ghost warriors called ‘Einherjar’ and even conscript dead Players to turn them into ‘Einheri.’
In his past life, a Norwegian guild that had obtained such an item had many of its Players commit suicide to be conscripted as Einheri in order to stop the advance of the Dark Elf kingdom… but even then, they couldn't prevent its fall.
‘Wait a minute, if this guy holds animosity toward Gordon Price for exploiting him… perhaps he could obtain the <Banner of Valhalla> and be made to command holy ghost warriors.’
‘But this is just wishful thinking…’
It was questionable whether he even disliked Gordon Price, let alone if he was still sane.
For now, the top priority was to keep him alive, neutralize his power to control the undead, and then extract information.
“So, was this guy trapped inside this weird device the whole time?”
Emilia Müller asked, pointing at the spherical capsule that had contained the Necromancer.
“Hmm… I’m not sure, but based on the circumstances, it seems so.”
“I don’t know what they did, but all the magic circuits in his body have been artificially manipulated.”
She shook her head, her brow deeply furrowed.
Indeed, it seemed they had used some bizarre method to compel his actions.
“Tsk—I don’t think he’ll be functional anymore…”
And since it seemed he wouldn't regain consciousness anytime soon, the interrogation would have to wait.
It was then.
- *Chkk*— All commanders, please come to the wall where the signal flare went off immediately.
The voice belonged to Colonel Kim Kang-seok.
Turning his head, Lee Hyun-wook saw an orange signal flare rising from one of the castle walls.
- We have located where those unidentified beings disappeared to.
***
“This is insane…”
The one who spat out the curse was Kang Seo-yoon.
With a tense expression, she gripped the bow slung over her shoulder tightly.
“So you’re saying those weirdos from before… just attacked the Giants’ Citadel?”
They were all watching a video together, projected as a hologram by a mana crystal.
“It happened about ten minutes ago.”
The scene was nothing short of shocking.
The beings who had just fought them here had appeared in the sky about 19 kilometers away.
That place, designated as the ‘5th Battlefield,’ was the Giants’ Citadel, presumed to be where the Titan boss monsters ‘Atlas’ and ‘Cronus’ were located. It was originally supposed to be the final battleground of the Titanomachy, but…
*Whoosh— Whoosh—*
The sky above it was covered by colossal, leathery wings.
“Is that… a dragon?”
“Looks like it.”
“No way, but there are three of them…”
Lee Hyun-wook answered.
“…I believe they are Bone Dragons.”
They were the strongest undead, which had not been summoned here out of caution for Lee Hyun-wook's holy sword. They looked down upon the ‘5th Battlefield,’ spraying black breath, and Titan Hoplites could be seen being blown away.
“Why are they attacking that place?”
“…Are they trying to steal our achievement?”
But a moment later, the battle ceased, and the Necromancer was seen entering the Giants’ Citadel.
Due to the magic drone camera's perspective, they couldn't see clearly, but it appeared he had encountered the Titan boss monsters.
Then, a massive portal suddenly opened, and they all entered it together before the video ended.
With a soft *flick*, the magic crystal stopped working, and a heavy silence fell.
The implications of that scene were, no matter how they thought about it, too horrifying.
“…It looks like those two groups joined forces and went somewhere, doesn't it?”
A man spoke, and Lee Hyun-wook thought the same.
‘To think he could recruit monsters…’
Villains had often colluded with monsters in the past, including Black Orcs and Dark Elves. But that was always a matter of appeasing the monsters and satisfying their desires.
Even for a Villain, monsters were beings with clear ‘objectives,’ making them difficult to handle.
But…
‘…Could this be one of the Demon King’s abilities?’
A Demon King—wasn't he a being who could literally be called the king of monsters?
If so, he would possess extraordinary abilities, and one of them could very well be the power to subjugate monsters.
“Uh, what happens to the Titanomachy now?”
A woman asked. She was the guild master of a Polish guild.
“It was supposed to end only when we captured all five of the Giants’ Citadels…”
“Well, the quest still shows as being in progress.”
“Then that means our objective hasn't changed.”
“Seriously, does it make sense for monsters to just abandon an event and disappear?”
The lord of the castle was gone, but they still had to plant their flag in it.
“…What in the world is going on?”
“Hah… my head is throbbing.”
Even though they were all among the world's most renowned Players, their expressions showed they couldn't make sense of the situation. The events of the past few days were all so incomprehensible that it was difficult to find any context.
Their gazes naturally turned to Lee Hyun-wook, the one who knew the most.
“I will go and find out that information.”
“…Huh? How are you going to do that?”
The question came from Kang Seo-yoon.
“Did I not capture a hostage?”
“Ah, that man…”
She glanced at Lee Seong-yoon.
His expression remained unchanged.
Lee Hyun-wook knew the intent behind their exchange of glances.
‘She must have recognized him as the Blood Lord.’
And the Guardians knew he was a Villain.
“…Yes, I’ll go have a word with him.”
Leaving the numerous gazes fixed on him behind, Lee Hyun-wook entered Prydwen.
***
- *An utter catastrophe. Is the end of this endless string of major events annihilation?*
- *Players all over the world testify to receiving a ‘World Quest’…*
- *What kind of monster is the Demon King? And where did he come from?*
The entire world was in an uproar, slowly being colored by despair. Until now, the <Titanomachy> had been a distant affair for anyone not European, something not directly affecting them.
But this time, the ‘World Quest’ explicitly mentioned a ‘World Game Over’—the end of the world.
- Warning! Failure to complete objective ‘3’ will result in a ‘World Game Over.’
If this incident wasn't handled properly, the entire world would be destroyed, not just a single city like in a wave.
As such stories spread, it was perhaps only natural that the world would descend into a state of uncontrollable chaos.
Soon, the highest level of alert was declared in various parts of the world, and all Players began to arm themselves.
- *The whole world begins preparations for battle against the Demon King… but where is he?*
And along with the Demon King, another keyword was being mentioned: the ‘Hero.’
- *Well, from what I'm hearing, the Hero is to be chosen by a vote, correct?*
- *Yes, rumor has it that it’s an ability that can kill the Demon King.*
The broadcast of <Kill the Monster> was also covering the topic.
- *Well, major events always come with a special method of conquest. For example, before a Dragon's Citadel appears, a lesser dragon appears first, leading to the power of a ‘Dragon Slayer.’*
- *So you're saying the Hero is the right person to defeat the Demon King. A predictable story.*
- *Yes, this game has always been a cliché-fest based on fantasy from the very beginning.*
- *Hmm, in that case… the problem now is who should be elected as the Hero. Based on the current information, any Player who meets certain conditions can run for Hero, and all Players have the right to vote. But… only one person comes to mind, right?*
The vast majority of the world was thinking of just one person who could resolve this crisis.
- *Steel Rain. We hope he will perform another miracle…*
***
About an hour later, however, guild masters and influential Players from around the world issued a joint statement.