Don't Worry, You Won't Die Even If You Try

Despite my repeated warnings about the Kraken's danger and the threat to the coastal cities, land prices hadn't dropped one bit.

There were roughly two reasons for that.

The first was that, to kill the Kraken living in the sea, you obviously had to go out to sea.

But humans can't stand barefoot in the ocean, and unless you're a superhuman capable of fighting freely on its surface, you have to take a ship. Even those superhumans, with only a handful of exceptions, had to sail out for the sake of conserving their strength.

In other words, the place where virtually all of the raid's fighting force would gather and assemble could only be a port.

And everything they ate, slept in, and lived on would move an astronomical amount of money. After all, most of what rankers used was of the absolute highest quality.

"If you run a World Boss raid, 'support' also takes a considerable share of the profits. Running the port itself will probably rake in an enormous cut on its own."

"Which will mean nothing."

Of course, that was only true as long as the port stayed above water.

If the port, the city, everything ended up swallowed by the sea, what good would a share of the profits do?

"Do you really think the Kraken will be that dangerous, Lily?"

"Yes."

The Kraken was dangerous.

Among the countless monsters I had faced in my life, it belonged firmly in my top five.

True, it had died raving and thrashing, torn apart by a high-ranked Celestial—but I knew it well. I had crossed blades with the Kraken many times, matching strength against strength.

It was the very being that, even back then, I could not have guaranteed victory over. And if the Kraken was stronger now than it was in those days, then something was bound to go terribly wrong.

"Its strength is one thing, but what really matters is the Initial Damage. Something is definitely going to happen."

The Initial Damage—a World Boss's opening act upon its first emergence.

Just as I had blocked Sgaredo's 'Deep Freeze' back then, this time the Kraken's currents would come crashing down over the continent.

Paang!

"Really? Then is everything just gonna flood? Aren't we in big trouble then?"

"I'll block it, but I can't say where it'll break through first."

This time, too, I would hold the damage back, same as before. The only problem was that the continent was so vast, I genuinely couldn't promise I'd stop all of it.

"Imperial territory, the Empire will handle on its own. For now I plan to hold back as much as I can, but honestly, I have no feel for it yet."

"The Empire, well... oh, do you know that one reason land prices are so high is because of the Empire?"

"I know it well."

Most of the continent's ports belonged to the Empire—that was exactly why the land was so expensive. It had been pricey enough already, and after this news it had climbed even higher.

Paang!

We'd been trading shots and conversation for a good while when the tennis ball Yena had smacked dug into the corner and skidded deep into my court.

Beep.

Three to one.

"Awooo! Yes!"

"Oh. Congratulations."

"Hehe. And with that, I'm one step closer to victory~"

Yena clenched her racket in a tight grip, then unleashed a flurry of flashy footwork and blasted the ball back at blistering speed. Whether it was the thrill of scoring for the first time, she was pushing far harder than before.

"This time I'm going to win."

"We shall see."

"You'd better brace yourself. This one's gonna be different, I'm telling you—"

"Mm."

I won.

"...This damn game."

"Anyway, do stay careful. I know your guild's territory isn't close to the sea, but you never know."

Even I couldn't say how far the sea level would rise.

"...Hm. It's a bit awkward to say this, but."

"Go ahead."

"Won't the Empire end up moving anyway? I mean, they go around calling themselves masters of the continent all day, so I don't think they'd just sit back and watch the continent disappear..."

Yena scratched her head with the hand still gripping her racket.

She had a point. If it was the Empire, that was entirely possible.

The reason every World Boss raid so far had ended in the hands of kingdoms and players was simply that the Empire had never stepped in. When it came to matters that didn't require them, the Empire maintained an ironclad policy of watchful indifference, showing itself only when something abnormal like Sgaredo appeared.

Granted, my involvement had thrown plenty of their plans off the rails, but the gist was this: if they stood to lose, they would move without fail.

There were even rumors floating around that a World Boss born within Imperial territory had been put down by Leo, the Sword God, or one of the Eight Swords.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, most likely... though they did lose a war recently, so who knows."

"Then let's just ask."

As it happened, I knew someone deeply connected to the Empire.

"Well, of course. Is that even a question?"

Skaak.

Interior training hall of Eli Academy—Illusion Hunting Ground, Stage 7.

Birang Brenis, a ranking dignitary of the Empire, turned her head and answered as she cleaved a massive drake clean in two.

Giiiiiii—

A strange, eerie sound echoed from the severed cross-section. Gray clouds spilled out with the noise, and the drake quickly dissolved into scattered blue mana.

"The Empire is the victor of the continent. Should an insurmountable crisis descend upon it, the Empire, as its ruler, will protect Imperial soil without fail."

"Only Imperial subjects, though?"

"Every living soul on the continent is, in effect, a subject of the Empire. They simply haven't become one yet."

"Well, I haven't."

"...In any case, that is the truth of it."

Birang recalled her Ghost Cloud Sword, its edge still gleaming cold, and pressed her hand against the empty air. Her reaction still carried a hint of unfamiliarity. Then the illusory darkness collapsed around us, and we returned to the large white room.

At the far end, a colossal Blue-Red Stone sat atop a magic circle, both radiating mana in waves.

"So if the continent were about to drown, the Empire would move on its own?"

"Precisely. With a single gesture from the Duke of Spirit Gods, that overgrown octopus's little splashing would be shut down on the spot."

Birang shrugged and sang her master's praises to the skies. The overgrown octopus's little splashing, was it...

"The splashing might get a bit loud, though."

"Hah. Granted, an ancient monster would be formidable. But there is no place in existence the Duke of Spirit Gods' authority cannot reach."

"There is—anywhere the wind doesn't blow."

That was exactly why Duke Mageuk's laboratory went unfound for three hundred years, after all.

Birang's footsteps stopped dead on their way to the next exercise. A hairline crack seemed to split her placid expression.

"...Have you come looking for a fight?"

"I came to see how the training's going."

"It is not going well. Far too weak. At this rate I fall hopelessly short of the Duke of Spirit Gods' teachings."

"Really?"

"Really. It is so boring it makes me yawn."

Birang answered flatly, bluntly.

It was a markedly different attitude from the rigid, businesslike demeanor and manner of speech I'd seen when we first met. The reason her personality had changed... well, she simply had no further reason to keep her mask on.

Birang's purpose in entering the Academy had been to observe me, but she'd been caught red-handed on day one. Worse, she'd learned of Duke Hwangyeol's hidden schemes—schemes even she hadn't known about.

The problem was that although she'd been caught in a ploy she herself didn't fully understand, her mission hadn't ended, so she had to keep hovering at my side, picking me apart.

'She must be beyond ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠frustrated. No clue what my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠game is, stuck sitting through pointless "Fireball" lectures.'

If she'd taken Pharaoh's Summons and Combat class instead, it might have actually helped her somewhat, but no—she'd come my way and was just burning time. For a non-player like her, all of this meant absolutely nothing.

I smiled and operated the Blue-Red Stone. My divinity had just swollen enormously, which meant I could probably manage that now.

"If you're bored, why not raise the difficulty?"

"Difficulty?"

"Yes. Of course, if you're worried, staying at Stage 8 is also an—"

"Worried? Raise it. Right now."

"How far?"

I said that, glancing sidelong at Birang. She answered resolutely.

"To the very end."

"You're sure? The last one is monstrously strong."

"It will not be a match for me regardless."

"Oh. Then I can look forward to it?"

"Naturally. Even if that beast itself showed up, no problem."

"...What's with these ominous lines?"

"Standard warnings. They're telling you to be careful."

"......."

"Don't tell me you're backing out?"

Back out? Hardly.

When I stared straight at her, Birang ground her teeth and tightened her grip on her sword. A chill, electric thrill of power was rolling in from beyond.

"No. I'll do it. In exchange, I have one condition."

"A condition? What is it?"

Birang Brenis, the Sixth Sword of the Empire.

Despite standing among the Empire's five strongest, she was toiling away, caught between Duke Hwangyeol and the Duke of Spirit Gods. What could she possibly want from me?

"...Erasing my penalty points."

"Penalty points?"

Ahem!

"Wipe my penalty points clean. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That is my condition."

"...?"

Penalty points?

Her pride in the Empire ran nearly as deep as Duke Hwangyeol's, so I'd expected her to ask for something that benefited the Empire. Instead, she wanted something utterly, personal to the bone.

Her face flushed red as she asked,

"I-is that not allowed?"

"Nothing's not allowed. Deal. Land a single wound on it, and I'll erase your penalty points—plus throw in the shop on top."

".....!"

Drdrdrdr!!!

That is, of course—

—assuming I could land one at all.

The sky howled.

Beasts dwelling in the earth fled shrieking, and every creature of the heavens scattered in terror, desperate to escape the roaring thunder.

Birang braced herself against the sword she'd clutched, barely keeping her feet. Even I was driven back a single step by the viciously arcing current.

'Now that's a proper shock.'

It had been a very long time since I'd felt a current this fierce.

"Th-the Spirit King of Lightning...?"

Birang turned to me, her voice anything but calm. I shook my head.

"You shouldn't compare it to 'that little thing.'"

After all, this was a being that had once aimed for the title of Dragon Lord itself.

Krrrrr...!

A dragon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forged of yellow lightning opened its jaws.

"...Uh."

"Don't worry—you won't die even if you die."

"Wait, what do you mea—"

The breath of thunder erased Birang from existence.