A Villain Descends Over Proiden
“Me too, popcorn.”
“99… I'm sorry, what?”
“One percent of the original price. A small vessel runs about 500 million won, so that would put it at roughly 5 million won.”
Frankly, the small-class ships were so bare-bones that even that price was a rip-off — but assuming they wouldn't simply be stolen outright, it was more or less fair. The mid-class ships I hadn't seen yet, but judging by their size, the discount would be more than reasonable.
“You can keep the large vessels at full price. They're hard to produce anyway, and the class itself comes with special capabilities. But for the small and mid-sized ships, let's settle on the reduced price.”
“……”
“For the record, I'll be selling them at that rate to everyone.”
“EVERYONE?!”
KA-BOOOM!!
Food sprayed across the table as Robus radiated a murderous aura, glaring daggers at me.
“Who said you could do that?!”
“Please calm down and have a seat.”
“I've been tolerating as much as I can, but clearly that's not enough. Get out. Right now. We don't need your security or anything else.”
“That's right! You're what, Rank 1? That makes you special, does it?!”
“Do we look like complete suckers to you?! Hey! How old even are you?!”
The elders — Golem Lover conspicuously excepted — and the guild master glowered at me, a hostile pressure rolling off them thick enough that they looked ready to attack the moment anyone gave the word.
“……”
Hmm
They're telling you to kill them, Lily lol
These kids have lost their minds lmaooo
Total scam artist behavior
So they jack up their prices like crazy, and the second they're called back to a "normal" rate they lose it lmaooo
KILL GO GO GO GO GO
1% LOLOLOLOLOLOL
Just take everything, Lily.
They're basically begging to be conquered, yep yep yep
As of today, the Proiden Kingdom is Elbritte territory
“Is that truly what you want?”
“YES!”
“Seventy percent was me being generous! And what was that?! Sell to everyone? Obviously it should be you and you alone — what kind of nonsense is…”
“Understood.”
Screeeech.
I rose from my seat.
The elders of the Magic Engineering Guild, who'd been bellowing like runaway freight trains, flinched — and even Robus's magnificent mustache trembled violently.
They'd tensed for an attack that never came; watching me simply turn and walk toward the door instead, they could only gape.
“Y-you're really leaving?”
“If I'm not needed, then yes, I should go.”
“F-fine! Fine! Goodbye! And don't come back!”
“But—”
Creeeeak…
“—if your security stays exactly as it is now… something rather catastrophic might happen. Who can say.”
“Wh-what's that supposed to mean?!”
THUD!
As I stepped out the door, silence swallowed the room behind me.
No way she's actually leaving??
“If I'm not needed, then I'll be on my way.”
They had refused my offer to handle their security and minimize the damage from the Great Cataclysm. If they didn't want it, I couldn't very well force it on them.
With that, I stepped out of the spire, and Leo — riding one of the five airships linked together like cars of a train — came to greet me.
“Miss Lily! Are you all done with your business-y stuff?”
“Just wrapping up the final stage. How's my sulking little one doing?”
“Hmph… I wasn't sulking.”
Leo puffed out her cheeks, and I couldn't help but smile, giving them a firm poke and a good long stretch.
“Phbbbbt!”
“You had fun today, didn't you?”
“Super duper fun.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“What are you doing now? Weren't you doing price negotiation-y things?”
“That was the plan… but it didn't go so well.”
What a shame, really.
Truly.
KUGUGUGUNG!!
?
?????
?
what
there are ships in the sky
huh??
airships??? what the hell lmaoooo?
Lily??
blood??
From the outskirts of the Proiden Kingdom, dozens of airships rose into the sky in perfect unison.
More than fifty small vessels, and twelve mid-sized ones capable of carrying a substantial complement of crew. And a half-finished large-class ship, swollen with some peculiar power, lifted off alongside them — every single vessel gleaming a deep, vivid crimson.
A red the color of blood.
With the churning tide of blood, alarms blared across the whole of Proiden —
Kiiiing! Kiiiing!
In the blink of an eye, thousands upon thousands of crimson cannons, loaded with blood-tide shells, swiveled to aim at the Proiden Kingdom.
The world hung on a hair trigger.
“Huh. That's Ilmacheonwang.”
“Oh dear… what a disaster this has become. Some wicked villain has seized the airships.”
“Huhhh?”
?
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Lily??
no that's ILM-something isn't it
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLO
“This is dire, truly. If we do not hurry to stop that villain, the Proiden Kingdom will be wiped from the face of the earth.”
“?”
Wearing my gravest expression, I patted the head of Leo, who was still going huhhh?
Before long, the elders and the guild master arrived around me, bristling with fury.
“YOU LITTLE PUNK, LILY!!!”
“Is something the matter?”
“Is something the matter?! You ask us what's the matter?!”
“What is the meaning of this?! Have you completely lost it?!”
“Me?”
“That's YOUR summon, isn't it! Don't pretend we wouldn't figure it out!”
Ino-o pointed boldly at the vampire hovering in the air, its cannons trained below.
An ominous tide of blood circled the lofty villain like a dark halo — and honestly, he looked every bit the archfiend who'd come to invade the kingdom.
I put on my most understanding face.
“So the villain has finally come this far… how dreadful! If this continues, the kingdom stands on the brink of ruin—”
“No, you lunatic, YOU did—”
“If only the ships' security had been properly maintained, we might have prevented that villain from swelling his forces… Truly, the situation has grown dire.”
“This punk doesn't listen to a word we say.”
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
ah lol so ANYWAY a villain has invaded
ILMACHEONWANG HAS ARRIVED!
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
is she actually insane??
and she still doesn't count as a bandit lmao
this is hilarious as hell lmaooooooo
if she's gonna bring someone out it should be Rasty noona, dumbass
what are you all doing, stop it
where's the Progenitor
ah lol well, guess I NEED to buy Lily's security system right now?
“We must hurry, and with the full might of the Magic Engineering Guild, strike down that wicked villain.”
“Why us?”
“Because if you fail to stop him, the kingdom falls.”
“This little sh—”
KUUUUNG!!
The barrier shuddered.
A protective dome of blue mana blanketed the skies above Proiden. It was this barrier that kept the kingdom safe — but with every blood-tide shell that rained down, it shook harder and harder.
It still held, for now. But give it time, and it would shatter.
“…Is THIS who you've been all along?”
“How dreadful… the minions of wicked evil, come at last…”
“You're an NPC, that's what you are.”
“If a villain attacks, the person responsible should be the one to stop him, no? You stop everything else — why not this?”
Craft Empress, the elder with the mechanical arm, snarled at me.
I quietly closed my eyes.
“The villain draws his power from an entity known as the Evil God — and that god has laid upon me the Curse of True Blood. By that curse, I am rendered incapable of standing against any villain. I'm sorry, heroes.”
“Isn't that 'Evil God' just that girl? The superpowers professor who's always frosty to Gunner?”
“…Please. Save this world.”
“She's insane. She's actually insane.”
Craft Empress sighed and swung her mechanical arm at me.
Of course, it never landed — the strike bounced clean off a pristine white barrier. I activated my fourth-stage state, the one that forbids harm to life, and regarded her with divinely glowing eyes.
“Please be careful. Attacking another player without cause will mark you as a bandit.”
“…And whatever our goddess is doing is fine, is it?!”
“I have done nothing at all.”
Ilmacheonwang's soul and body had been reborn through Lasti, the Progenitor of Vampires. And Lasti belonged not to the system, but to my soul. Nothing Ilmacheonwang did could ever touch my player data.
The elders jabbed their fingers uselessly at the vampire floating in the air, and finally gave up. They'd realized, at long last, that complaining would get them nowhere.
LOLOLOLOL
Goddess Lily…
THE GOAT. LILY. THE GOAT.
legendary
look at Lily going full insane-woman mode lmao
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
ah lol go on then, save the world
she IS a goddess, no argument here
honestly if I were in the Magic Engineering Guild I'd genuinely want to kill Lily lmaooo
wait though, if she pulls this during the Cataclysm too, aren't they just Kraken food anyway
fr lol
Crack-crack…! By the time half the sky over the Proiden Kingdom had fractured and the tide of blood was starting to seep into the kingdom proper, Guild Master Robus approached me, looking utterly worn down.
“One question. You're doing all this to show us how dangerous our lack of security is, aren't you? 'Fix it now, or this happens.'”
“…Peace unto this world.”
“No. Ha. Whatever. If we stop that thing, will you accept the terms?”
“Gladly.”
As long as they stopped it.
“If you repel the wicked evil and neutralize the ships, we'll agree.”
“One hundred and fifty percent.”
Flash. Robus's gaze flicked up toward the sky, and a moment later something blue came hurtling out of the spire.
“We'll set the price at one hundred and fifty percent of the original rate, with Miss Lily purchasing first. And going forward, you'll promote us steadily on your broadcasts. What say you?”
“…What is desired shall be made reality.”
“Deal.”
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Three black bags had slammed into the ground, and with a series of mechanical clacks, they began venting an immense mana across the ground. In an instant, machine parts burst forth and latched onto the guild master's body, assembling themselves piece by piece.
When they had covered half his frame, a blue gemstone flew in and seated itself squarely in his chest.
huh
?
wait that's literally just Iron lmao
A helmet of magitech machinery locked over his head — and with that, his suit was complete.
Matte black luster, with circuits of blue line traced here and there across its surface. The helmet bore a single straight seam across the eye slits, and from the blue gem in his chest, a staggering power poured out.
That suit was at least Mythic Grade — if not higher.
A mechanical voice hummed from within.
“You promised.”
“A magnificent suit indeed. We'll be counting on you.”
“MOVE OUT! To the Magic Engineering Guild!”
“““TO THE GUILD!!!”””
The war to repel the wicked evil from the Magic Engineering Guild had begun!
Rustle.
“Miss Lily, I'd like some popcorn too.”
“Here you go.”
Delicious.