Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Surprise Attack
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# 100
Players, Chapter 100
Inside the cabin of the Black Dragon, which also served as the Adamas Guild’s meeting room.
Choi Yu-ra, having muttered to herself, glanced at Kang-seok as if seeking his agreement. Kang-seok nodded wordlessly.
Player Jang Tae-san.
The Guild Master of the Slayers Guild.
Summoned to the western part of Shangri-La about six months ago, he was not only the master of a guild composed of players but also the leader of a group of ‘adventurers.’
“So, in the end, he’s the master of a guild that adventurers have also joined?”
Go Min-gu asked, scratching under his chin in confusion. Kim Kang-san answered.
“Essentially, yes. But the unusual part is that the adventurer group came first, not the player guild… Yes, a mercenary company would be a better term. In any case, that mercenary company was founded first.”
While many players maintained friendly relations with the adventurers of this world, it was almost unheard of for one to become the head of an adventurer organization.
“Achieving victory by commanding troops without fighting directly… It sounds like something a strategy simulation player would do. But I still don’t have a good grasp of what kind of abilities he has. Do you know anything more?”
Christian asked, massaging his left wrist—a new habit he’d developed since it had finished regenerating.
Kim Kang-san hesitated for a moment, his lips parting and closing before Park Han-yeong, who was looking up at him from the side, spoke up instead.
“Apparently, he can see a mini-map.”
“A mini-map?”
“Yes, the exact range isn’t known, but it seems he can observe the surrounding area as if looking down from the sky. Just like in a game… he can see a certain distance around his ‘allies’ in real-time, and areas he’s only passed through or hasn’t reached yet appear black.”
Considering this world lacked satellites or radar equipment, it was an astonishing information-gathering ability.
“And within a certain range—this range isn’t known either—he can apparently send simple messages to his allies. Things like, ‘Enemy nearby,’ ‘Attack,’ or ‘Retreat.’”
“It’s like having a satellite and a radio at the same time. That’s definitely useful. I can see how he gained a reputation for subjugating monsters.”
Communicating with allies within one’s line of sight was easy.
But communicating with allies out of sight and earshot required pre-arranged plans or signals like flares, which were obvious to the enemy.
Looking back at warfare in eras before the development of long-range communication, it was easy to find instances where units failed because they couldn’t coordinate smoothly.
To be able to observe the overall movements of friend and foe in real-time and send messages.
It was truly a special ability optimized for a battlefield commander.
“Um, but…”
Yang Jun-gyu, who had been listening quietly until now, shot his hand up. Park Han-yeong, smiling slightly at the gesture that reminded her of a student asking a teacher a question, nodded.
Yang Jun-gyu asked.
“In strategy simulation games, you usually build buildings and produce troops, right? Is that player, Jang Tae-san, like that too?”
Not just Yang Jun-gyu, but Kang-seok, Choi Yu-ra, and Go Min-gu also showed a sudden surge of interest. Considering that the TCG player Kim Ha-neul had summoned monsters with cards, it didn’t seem entirely impossible.
Faced with everyone’s suddenly sparkling eyes, Kim Kang-san gave a bitter, troubled smile.
“That, I don’t know yet.”
“Even though it’s the most important part?”
Choi Yu-ra grumbled, but it couldn’t be helped. Kim Kang-san continued.
“That much hasn’t been revealed. Players are intensely curious because of his RTS background, but he himself hasn’t arrived yet. It seems he’ll get here by boat tomorrow morning.”
“But if he was leading a mercenary company, wouldn’t his fighting style have been exposed?”
Seong Yu-jin asked gently. Kim Kang-san shook his head again.
“I heard he almost always commands from the rear. And if he has to pay the cost for producing units and constructing buildings with Kron… even if he has the ability, he probably couldn’t create troops recklessly. Considering the Kron Yu-ra spends to summon Gigantes just once, the cost for units or buildings would likely be substantial.”
It was a plausible explanation. Since players had only recently begun to accumulate Kron in earnest, it was entirely possible that he couldn’t use his ability even if he had one.
Choi Yu-ra shrugged.
“Well, anyway, the mini-map and messaging functions are enough for his role. The fact that he’s been leading adventurers to hunt monsters means his skills are at least above average. He’d make a good commander.”
From the beginning, nothing was clear about this World Quest except that sea monsters would appear, and the battle would take place on the wide-open sea.
Just being able to send messages to ensure that scattered units could coordinate in a timely manner would be a huge help.
Kim Kang-san nodded.
“Yes, most players feel the same way as you, Yu-ra. Some of those who were hoping to snag a position for themselves are protesting, but they’re a small minority. I think he’ll probably be appointed as the players’ commander without much trouble after he arrives.”
Jang Tae-san, the player from an RTS background.
There were many questions, but for now, this was all they could learn from the conversation.
Since he had never been seen producing units or buildings, it was impossible to guess which RTS game he came from.
With the talk about Jang Tae-san mostly concluded, there wasn’t much else to discuss, so Kang-seok and the others were about to end the meeting and get up.
But it was at that very moment.
“Since everyone’s gathered, I have something to say, too.”
It was Park Han-yeong.
Since she rarely took the initiative except to supplement Kim Kang-san’s words, everyone was surprised.
Park Han-yeong awkwardly scratched the back of her hand as if embarrassed, then spoke.
“I’ve mentioned the names of the demonic beasts before, right? How they overlap with King Solomon’s 72 demons.”
“Oh, right. The demonic beasts from Raum’s Tower also had overlapping names.”
Choi Yu-ra responded immediately.
The 72 Demonic Beasts and King Solomon’s 72 demons.
The three demonic beasts encountered in Raum’s Tower—Raum, Oriax, and Vapula—also shared names with demons belonging to King Solomon’s 72.
Seong Yu-jin tilted her head slightly. They had already discussed the names of the demonic beasts from Raum’s Tower.
Of course, Christian and Oh Ha-na hadn’t been there at the time, but it didn’t seem necessary to bring it up now.
There was something more than just the names.
Seong Yu-jin’s guess hit the mark.
Park Han-yeong spoke in a slightly urgent tone.
“Besides the demonic beasts’ names, there are a lot of other strange overlaps. Of course, it could all be a coincidence, but as they keep piling up, it’s starting to bother me.”
“Like what?”
Kang-seok asked in a calm tone, as if to soothe Park Han-yeong. Kim Kang-san, who had already discussed this with her, gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Park Han-yeong resumed her story.
“First, Gawain and Percival.”
“The Three Great Martial Gods?”
Go Min-gu asked, and Park Han-yeong nodded.
“Yes, except for Cnut, they’re all names of the Knights of the Round Table. And among the lesser gods of the Four Great Gods, there’s Merlin, Morgana, and even Guinevere.”
“I know Merlin… but are the other two also from the Arthurian legends?”
This time, it was Yang Jun-gyu who asked.
Although the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were very famous, if you asked people to name the knights, few could name anyone other than Lancelot.
Among the group, only Choi Yu-ra, a hardcore gamer who was naturally exposed to the lore of various games, knew that Gawain and Percival were among the Knights of the Round Table.
As for the witch Morgana, it was natural that very few among the nine thousand players would know of her.
“Yes. And Kang-seok’s Durandal.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly being called out during a discussion about the Knights of the Round Table, Kang-seok tilted his head.
‘Could Durandal also be the name of a Knight of the Round Table?’
The question arose for a moment, but thankfully he didn’t ask. Park Han-yeong immediately explained.
“Durandal is the name of the legendary sword used by Roland, the protagonist of The Song of Roland. Its meaning, ‘the unbreakable sword,’ is also the same.”
Not a Knight of the Round Table.
But the same as the name of a sword from The Song of Roland.
“Yu-jin’s Almace and Kang-seok’s other sword, Laevateinn, are also names of legendary swords. Like I said at the beginning, it could just be a coincidence… but isn’t this too much?”
“That’s true, but by that logic, shouldn’t we also be questioning names like John or Abigail? Maybe people here just think similarly, so similar names happen to overlap by chance?”
Choi Yu-ra presented a counterargument.
It was a fairly valid point.
In the first place, it was strange enough that the people of this other world were so similar to the ‘humans’ from the players’ home world.
Putting that aside, the lifestyle, way of thinking, and ideas of the people in this world were nearly identical to those from the players’ home world.
If so, couldn’t similar names naturally arise?
As Choi Yu-ra pointed out, if they were to question Gawain or Percival, they should also question John or Abigail.
Of course, what Park Han-yeong said was very interesting.
The fact that many names from one category, the ‘gods,’ overlapped with another category, the ‘Knights of the Round Table,’ was more special than individual names being similar or the same.
After all, Kang-seok’s party had previously taken an interest in the 72 Demonic Beasts and King Solomon’s 72 demons because of the matching number 72 and the identical names of their constituent members.
However, not all the gods had names matching the Knights of the Round Table, which made it ambiguous.
Furthermore, Cnut, who played a central role among the Three Great Martial Gods, had no name that overlapped or was similar to any of the Knights of the Round Table.
“You’re right, Yu-ra. That’s why I haven’t mentioned it separately until now. But after hearing about the continent across the sea from Sekhmet yesterday… should I say the sense of unease just exploded?”
Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to Sekhmet.
Sekhmet, who had been sitting next to Yang Jun-gyu and just blinking—most natives had this reaction when players got deep into game-related talk—flinches in surprise at the sudden attention.
“Han-yeong, are you talking about Greco-Roman mythology?”
Seong Yu-jin asked, looking back at Park Han-yeong.
The Olympian Sea and the Olympians who lived across it.
Olympus was the word for the world where the gods lived in Greco-Roman mythology, and Olympian referred to athletes participating in the Olympics.
Park Han-yeong answered calmly.
“Yes, last night Sekhmet and I talked about the old gods the Olympians used to believe in.”
“Old gods?”
As Yang Jun-gyu tilted his head, Sekhmet, who had been quietly rolling her eyes, opened her mouth. She spoke as if explaining to everyone, rather than just to Jun-gyu.
“Nowadays, most Olympians across the sea also believe in the Four Great Gods. It’s a forgotten faith that only a very few people still follow.”
“Zeus, Hera, Athena, Poseidon.”
Park Han-yeong listed them off. This time, even Kang-seok, who was somewhat ignorant of subculture, widened his eyes. In fact, almost everyone in the meeting room knew those names.
The gods of Greco-Roman mythology.
Once again, a category was formed.
Across a sea named Olympus lived people called Olympians, and they believed in gods with the exact same names as the gods of Greco-Roman mythology.
Seemingly satisfied with everyone’s reaction, Park Han-yeong said with a strangely excited face.
“At this point, it feels like there are too many overlaps, right?”
“Are you saying this world is connected in some way to the world we lived in?”
Christian asked seriously. As Park Han-yeong was still shy around Christian, she answered in a suddenly timid tone.
“Uh, well. It seems difficult to deduce anything beyond that.”
“Hmm, it’s certainly a point worth noting, but since we can’t go any further, it’s giving me a headache.”
There were many overlapping names.
It was an undeniable fact. But it was impossible to form any new hypotheses based on that alone.
“I guess we’ll just have to keep it in the back of our minds as ‘something is strange about this,’ just like with the 72 Demonic Beasts.”
Choi Yu-ra concluded, sounding a bit disappointed. Seong Yu-jin also let her shoulders droop in disappointment, but then she saw Oh Ha-na dozing off next to Christian and let out a small laugh.
“Ha-na is sleeping soundly through all this.”
Christian and Oh Ha-na had not yet joined the Adamas Guild.
Christian had politely declined, saying he wanted to operate alone for a while, and Oh Ha-na, whose game of origin was still unknown, had taken the stance of watching from a distance for now. Although she had followed them to Sicily, she didn’t seem to have any intention of participating in the World Quest.
It felt cruel to just cast Oh Ha-na aside, and since she had given Choi Yu-ra a small amount of money for food expenses, she was staying with them for the time being.
“She really sleeps a lot. It feels like she sleeps 12 hours a day, don’t you think?”
Choi Yu-ra laughed emptily.
Although Oh Ha-na had started dozing off almost as soon as the meeting began, her presence helped to lighten the mood at the end.
Kim Kang-san stood up from his seat and said.
“Anyway, let’s wrap up the headache-inducing talk for now and get some rest. It seems we’ll be starting training in earnest tomorrow when that Jang Tae-san player arrives.”
“Ugh, training?”
Go Min-gu’s face immediately scrunched up, as if he’d just received a draft notice for reserve duty. Kim Kang-san chuckled.
“There are only about five days left until the predicted start of the World Quest. We need to at least get a feel for working together. It’s nothing grand, just confirming units and checking if communication works properly, so don’t worry.”
“Ugh, well, if that’s all.”
Since it was necessary, Go Min-gu didn’t grumble any further.
Only five days remained until the date announced by the Shangri-La royal family for the start of the second World Quest.
‘Is the Heavenly Dragon Emperor not here yet?’
The discoverer of the second World Quest.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor of the Northern Kingdom. The man called the ‘strongest player’ in the north.
Kang-seok felt a strange emotion. Was he waiting for him because he wanted a reliable ally, or because he wanted to see the skills of a man he had subconsciously become aware of?
Either way, the second World Quest was more important right now. Kang-seok steeled his mind.
* * *
Jang Tae-san, the RTS player who had captured everyone’s attention, had an ordinary appearance with no particularly striking features, other than being larger and more well-built than even Kim Kang-san.
Dressed in light armor and a cloak, which could be called the standard equipment for adventurers, he took the commander’s position as many players had expected.
In the first place, the number of players and adventurers Jang Tae-san brought with him was close to fifty, so his base of support was already different from that of other small-scale guild masters.
Time flew quickly even after Jang Tae-san’s arrival. As the start date of the World Quest drew closer day by day, some players showed excessive fear and tension, but others, on the contrary, grew more spirited.
It was the power of the ever-increasing number of players and the naval fleet, which was a magnificent sight just lined up in a row.
The day after Jang Tae-san’s arrival, the Divine Artifact of the Red God Cult, ‘Thunderclap,’ and its bearers, the hunters of the Hunting God Cult, reached the island of Sicily.
And two days after that.
The day right before the anniversary of the Legendary King’s death.
The night sea, after the sun had set, was as calm as usual. As one felt the gentle breeze blowing along the ripples, the fact that the second World Quest would begin tomorrow felt like a lie.
Most of the Shangri-La navy lived in military barracks set up on land, so the number of soldiers guarding the fleet was small. This was especially true since the entire island could be considered friendly territory.
Two men per ship.
Someone was watching the sailors who were scanning the night sea, relying on torches.
Melding into the darkness, he walked along the coast, looking at the fleet lined up in a row, and thought.
What was going on?
The fleet was too large for the size of the island. The number of military barracks filling the coast was also excessive, as was the number of sailors staying within them.
The one who had melted into the darkness turned his head. It wasn’t just the army that was abnormally large.
Strong humans.
Beings that had clearly transcended ordinary humans.
There were many. At least several hundred, for sure.
What was going on?
“It’s as if they knew we were coming.”
Whose doing was this?
And if so, what should be done now?
It was simple. There was no need to think too hard.
Demonic Beast Allocen.
Golden flames erupted from the entire body of the one with burning eyes. In an instant, it swallowed the darkness, revealing five other demonic beasts that had been hiding in the night’s shadows to the world.
The sight of the giant, radiating light as bright as the sun, immediately drew the gazes of all who were awake. At the sight of the bizarre demonic beasts lined up on its back, the Shangri-La navy’s night watchmen screamed and frantically rang bells and beat drums.
The Demonic Beast Allocen stood still and watched it all. He focused everyone’s attention on himself.
And thus, he erased the sixth demonic beast, approaching from the opposite side, still shrouded in darkness, from people’s consciousness.
Jang Tae-san was no different. Waking from his sleep, he stepped out of his barracks and was immediately captivated by the light of the Demonic Beast Allocen that poured down as if to swallow him whole.
Five demonic beasts.
An enemy attack.
A state of emergency.
A series of chaotic thoughts rattled the minds of the navy and the players. And so, they all noticed far too late.
Midnight.
The moment the day changed.
A wave surged forward.
Guided by the Demonic Beast Crocell, it rose high, creating silence with silence.
When Jang Tae-san and the players belatedly turned their heads, they witnessed only one thing.
A jet-black wave, swallowing the Shangri-La fleet.