Chapter 63
Chapter 63
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Being a Guild Master Isn't Enough with Just the Game
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Heroes have the ability to track members of their affiliated guilds. Something serious is about to happen."
But the incident had already erupted.
They had come to protect the key figures because it was impossible to safeguard everyone.
Naturally, the two broadcast hosts were left dumbfounded and aghast upon hearing the Gentle Knights guild member's explanation.
They exchanged a glance.
Then both rushed inside to grab their essential belongings.
They had no idea why Gentle Knights was doing this, but for now, preserving their lives took priority.
And just as the suspicious Gentle Knights affiliates had warned, at that very moment, grave events were unfolding in real time across Seoul.
* * *
Hunter personal channel.
The streamer reflected on screen wore an exceedingly grim expression.
["K has been killed..."]
News of the famous celebrity's death had drawn an enormous surge of real-time viewers.
["Everyone killed besides K were all SpaceKing guild members. I can't believe it, but after reviewing the CCTV footage myself, the culprits are unmistakably the heroes."]
There was no detailed explanation of what heroes were or who they specifically were.
Hunters who had already gotten the gist from the community knew full well, while civilians hearing the killers' identities for the first time were plunged into shock.
-I hope it's not those heroes I know? The siege warfare human weapons, right??
-This is fucking terrifyingㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-What the hell is this... I'd rather have a ghost jump out of the TV.....
-Why our K of all peopleㅠㅠ Kㅠㅠㅠ Kㅠㅠㅠㅠ Save our handsome K, you crazy hero bastardsㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
The streamer wiped his terrified face and spoke.
["These bastards killed civilians too."]
The shocking news that the heroes had slain civilians—something the media hadn't reported—spread like wildfire.
["But what about the first-stringers who entered the gate? Huh? Didn't all the heroes come out from inside the gate? The first-stringers are still alive, right? If they're all dead, what the hell are we supposed to do?!"]
The hunter community exploded over the broadcast.
Hunters watching Goldbunker guild members' personal streams in real time flooded the community posts with comments.
[Live Viewer Comments](1121)
-What the fuck is going onㅠㅠㅠ
-Reality is stranger than drama, but this is too much.....
-These psycho heroes, why kill civilians and make a mess;; Why isn't the media talking about it?; Do they not know the hunters' identities?;;
-Didn't the hunters get off easy though
-You crazy? Four hunters got offed and you call that easy??
-Fact: The murdered SpaceKing guildies, Goldbunker guildies, and civilians were all together.
-K really did nothing wrong...
-If you wanna nitpick, hanging with SpaceKing scum;; So fucking pitiful;;
-Targeting SpaceKing obsessively
-Phew, dodged a bullet lol
-Did they piss someone off bad?
-I know that SpaceKing asshole who got done in this timeㅋ In-game, he straight-up tortured NPCs like a total sadist till the bitter endㅋㅋ
-No way....
-Fuck, I messed with NPCs tooㅠㅠ I'm shook, gonna get stabbedㅠㅠㅠ
-Hellcannon hasn't shown up, right?
-If Hellcannon pops up, SpaceKing's in for a massacre. Dude executed like all the Abrilian royalty.
-Nah nah, just the king and crown princess.
-SpaceKing really needs a public apology, no? This is what you get for treating NPCs like shit.
-That's a bit much
-Above commenter barking madㅋㅋ You'd get it if you were Fullminak first-stringer
-Hey, how saintly are you? Be real, anyone here never killed a mob or player in-game?
-Don't fight guys
-Anyone ever summoned a hero? Can you still summon heroes right now?
-???? You wanna die????
-In this mess, anyone trying hero summons deserves jail time fr
-Goldbunker site admins, track that guy's IP and kill him
-When's Kaisha coming out? She's alive, right? No matter how I think about it, she's our only hope.
-Déjà vu hitting hard
-Kaisha come out already
-Kaisha noonaㅠㅠ
-If Kaisha went in, Dart should've stayed behind.
-Gilgamesh at least
-Hyunwoo even
-All the guild masters stuck in the gate for real...? Really hits home how crucial diversified investments are....
…
Announcements popped up one after another on Goldbunker's Bipa site.
[2nd and 3rd-string group chat invites](4)
[SpaceKing emergency meeting](17)
The three guilds' 2nd and 3rd strings.
Just over 70 people in total, all siege warfare participants.
They'd sub in for absent first-string elites occasionally, or during all-out siege pushes, fight alongside the first-string before pulling back for strategic rear support if needed.
Bipa users called the 3rd string the "ranker recognition Maginot Line."
With all three guilds' elite first-strings trapped inside the gate, the 2nd and 3rd strings were now assembling to shoulder the crisis.
* * *
Shocking news hit the 2nd and 3rd-string emergency group chat.
[38: Site was near my place, so cops called me over. The perp butchered the body to hellㅠㅠㅠ]
[60: What????]
[53: Why drag your bro to a gruesome crime scene?]
[38: Cuz I'm a hunter duh]
[53: Wtf...]
[44: Insane;; Pay him at least;;;]
Numbers indicated rankings.
Since Bipa was a siege game, rankings plummeted at light speed for inactive players, so rankers were all active siege participants.
Military and police were already treating hunters like special experts in military-related fields.
Hunters' fragile civilian minds were shattering.
[38: For realㅠㅠㅠ Officials calling me sir hunter this and that, couldn't just ignore themㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[38: Fact is, cops know less about heroes than we do]
[53: Fair point]
[44: Still, tell 'em to pay you]
[38: I actually did get paid]
[44: Hmm....]
[78: How much?]
[96: How much?]
Even amid the chaos, hunters perked up at 38's mention of payment, firing off questions about the amount.
[38: Later on that]
[53: Bro, this ain't the time lolㅋㅋㅋ]
[38: Oh, and I ran into this cop at the scene who said he met some guy claiming to be at the gate entrance]
[38: Asked if there's a hunter called Hellcannon]
[38: Or if that guy's one of the dangerous heroes]
The group chat went dead silent.
More precisely, it was frozen in shock and terror.
For Awakeners, it was a nightmare scenario too horrific to imagine, making them want to log off and escape reality.
No hunter who entered the gate had ever returned.
[61 has left the chat.]
[44 has left the chat.]
[57 has left the chat.]
[49: ????]
[53: Wtf;;;]
[40: Re-invite all the deserters and pin no leaving.]
[41: Screw these disloyal bastards]
[44 has been invited.]
[61 has been invited.]
[61: ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I'm really scared to death, save meㅠㅠㅠ]
[63: Calm down]
[63: In this situation, not sharing info is riskier]
[57 has been invited.]
[38: Everyone chillㅎㅎ... No one's crazy enough to go hunt heroes in this messㅎㅎ.....]
[38: We're here to survive, not dieㅎㅎㅎㅎ]
[61: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[40: He's SpaceKing, cut him slack.]
[53: Oh right... All the deserters are.....]
[38: Tough breakㅠㅠ]
[81: Hey everyone]
Then someone else piped up with fresh news to lighten the mood.
[81: Heroes fighting each other vid just dropped online]
[81: Good news maybe]
[81: Looks like they're splitting into factions and scrapping]
[81: Wanna watch...?]
A link went up in the chat.
[(Live/Real Situation) Mega Incident!!! Heroes Appearing in Downtown!!!!]
* * *
GodGold's Czar and Golden Su were glued to the unfolding real-world chaos, too shocked to move for a while.
Gentle Knights' headquarters was a massive building.
Amid diligently commuting office workers in standard attire, the two blended in with their own salaryman getups for camouflage.
In a separate office providing room and board.
"Uh, uh yeah. We're fine."
Czar took a call from the guild's broadcast contacts.
"No worries about us. No special grudges with the heroes. SpaceKing's the one in deep shit, right?"
Golden Su watched Czar on the phone, then glanced sideways.
A Gentle Knights guild member.
Peeking at his group chat, he looked up, sensing the gaze.
Gentle Knights members, perfectly disguised as ordinary office workers, took turns standing watch.
As Czar hung up, an odd silence settled over the room.
"......"
Complicated expressions.
The Gentle Knights member, staring at the uneasy pair, finally spoke.
"Any questions?"
This was the same guild member who had first brought Czar and Golden Su here.
Nickname: Mikael.
"Lots of questions, yeah......"
Czar and Golden Su were gauging the room.
From the news and hunter sites, they knew these people were protecting them, but beyond them being Gentle Knights, they knew nothing.
Mikael pocketed his phone and said,
"If the first-stringers get completely wiped out,"
They flinched.
"Then I'll tell you everything. For now, knowing details won't help you."
"May we ask why?"
Mikael nodded.
"Yes. For trust's sake, a simple explanation: If you learn too much and it leaks, we won't be able to protect you anymore."
The two tensed up sharply.
Whatever it was, with hunters dropping left and right, the threat was real.
Mikael scanned the room: their computers perfectly replicated from home, the neatly arranged interior.
All set up to look identical to their original setups.
"Before delays breed suspicion, you should resume the GodGold channel broadcast."
"Q-question: Why protect us over other hunters?"
"In wartime, broadcasting is crucial. They say you destroy TV stations first in war."
"!"
Mikael let out a small sigh at their ashen faces.
As expected, knowing wouldn't do them any good.
If the first-stringers are annihilated, the enemy will come for you soon enough, even if a bit late.
Of course, we won't let that happen.
One of the stunned pair snapped out of it and asked,
"Heroes vs. hunters—why call that war?"
"Huh? Yeah? What power do these heroes who just crossed from another world even have to make it some grand war......"
Silence blanketed the office.
He had hit the nail on the head.
Mikael replied in a sigh-tinged voice,
"Can't say more. But to fool the enemy, GodGold's broadcast must continue."
* * *
Ding!
[You have entered the Babel Tower.]
The moment I chose to enter the Babel Tower, my body vanished, my vision flooded with white light, and a warm sensation enveloped me.
Somehow,
comfortable and familiar......
["Welcome."]
["We've been waiting for you."]
["Fullminak's Guild Master."]
["Kaisha."]
I opened my eyes.
"!"
As my hearing returned, cheers erupted from the guild members.
Whoaaaa!
Before me stretched a tear-jerkingly familiar, achingly nostalgic landscape.
[Babel Tower Channel 43]
The users' heartfelt hometown.
[Welcome back to Midgard.]
It was Midgard.