Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Royal Invitation
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Players Chapter 63
“Solomon’s 72 demons.”
The 72 demons said to have been subjugated by the great King Solomon.
Choi Yu-ra suddenly clapped her hands.
“Right, yes. I think I’ve heard of them too. Honestly, the only one I really know is Barbatos, but yes… 72 demons, that sounds plausible.”
King Solomon’s 72 demons were a legend used as frequently in subculture as the ‘Seven Deadly Sins’.
Choi Yu-ra remembered encountering the names of the 72 demons in various games.
Unable to follow the flow of the conversation, Seong Yu-jin quickly asked.
“Wait, the Solomon from the story about judging who the baby’s real mother is? The King Solomon from the Judgment of Solomon?”
“Yes, that’s the one. It’s not in the Bible… but anyway, there are various legends that say King Solomon was a very powerful magician. It’s said he commanded demons with power received from God. There’s also a story that he had demons build the holy sites of Jerusalem.”
“Whoa.”
Yang Jun-gyu’s mouth fell open in pure wonder.
But Kang-seok couldn’t share the sentiment. He crossed his arms and tilted his head several times.
Kang-seok had also heard of King Solomon’s 72 demons, though he didn’t know which specific demons were on the list.
“Ms. Han-yeong… no, if what Han-yeong says is true, then it’s a bit strange.”
Strange.
Something was off.
All eyes turned to Kang-seok at his words.
“Strange?”
“Yes, why do the names overlap? The names of demons from our world’s legends and this world’s demonic beasts.”
The number is the same, and the names are the same.
Why is that? Weren’t these supposed to be different worlds?
Yang Jun-gyu shot his hand up as if presenting in class.
“Uh, maybe King Solomon summoned the 72 demonic beasts from this world and used them as his underlings? And that was passed down in our world as the 72 demons.”
“That seems like too much of a leap…”
It was plausible, but a bit of a stretch. As Choi Yu-ra showed her reluctance, Park Han-yeong added to the conversation.
“The appearances of the 72 demons from King Solomon’s legend and the demonic beasts of this world are also quite different. Take Andras, who just appeared. In King Solomon’s legend, he’s a man with a crow’s head and angel-like wings. He rides a large, black wolf. But the Andras of this world was a lizard-like earth dragon, right?”
In fact, it wasn’t just Andras.
Unlike the Demonic Beast Cimeries, who appeared as a half-man, half-horse centaur, the Cimeries from King Solomon’s legend was a black soldier riding a black horse.
If, as Yang Jun-gyu hypothesized, the demonic beasts of this world had been summoned and used as demons, there was no reason for such a drastic difference in their appearances.
The new information presented by Park Han-yeong left the group with baffled expressions. Amidst the confusion, Yang Jun-gyu’s eyes lit up again. He looked up at Park Han-yeong with sparkling eyes and asked.
“Wow, but how do you know all this?”
From the way she was talking, it seemed she knew not only the names of the 72 demons but also their appearances.
Instead of looking proud, Park Han-yeong shrank back at Yang Jun-gyu’s question, and her voice became as timid as it had been when they first met in the Labyrinthos dungeon.
“Huh? Uh… w-well… I’m a… a lore nerd…”
Park Han-yeong had been what you would call a shut-in, a recluse who never left her room.
As if the answer to Yang Jun-gyu’s question had struck a sore spot, she became infinitely dispirited. Seeing her face, which looked like it was on the verge of tears, Choi Yu-ra quickly changed the subject.
“But the number of matching names is too high for it to be a simple coincidence, isn’t it? Right?”
“W-well… we don’t know the names of all 72 demonic beasts yet. B-but since four of them already match, doesn’t it seem like there might be something to it?”
She managed to answer, but Park Han-yeong’s voice was much more fragile than before.
This time, Seong Yu-jin spoke up.
“Hmm, for now, I think this is something we should just keep in mind. We have too few clues at the moment.”
Solomon’s 72 demons and this world’s 72 demonic beasts.
Even Alberto, who managed Andras’s nest, knew nothing about the 72 demonic beasts. All he knew was that they were ‘a group to which the former master belonged.’
Kang-seok once again looked up at the empty air. He tried calling for Iris under his breath, just in case, but there was no reply.
The true nature of the 72 demonic beasts.
The seven World Quests.
Since the first World Quest was related to Raum, one of the 72 demonic beasts, there was a high probability that clearing it would yield more clues.
Just as Seong Yu-jin had said, Kang-seok decided to put his thoughts in order. Choi Yu-ra clapped her hands together sharply.
“Anyway, back to the guild name, then?”
Her cheerful voice was pleasant to hear, but her sidelong glance seemed to be full of mischief.
Slightly sulking, Kang-seok pouted.
“You have any good names in mind?”
Having teased Kang-seok endlessly about the name, no one dared to speak up rashly. Unless it was a name anyone would agree was cool, it would just be more of the same.
Seong Yu-jin gently patted Kang-seok’s shoulder as if to soothe him.
“Let’s think about it a bit more. It’s not like we have to make it right this second, right? Since it’s a guild name, if you’re okay with it, Kang-seok, I think it would be best for all of us to discuss it and decide together.”
Creating a guild required ten thousand Kron.
Although Kang-seok had secured a whopping thirty thousand Kron from the discovery reward and defeating Andras, he couldn’t just shoulder the ten-thousand-Kron cost alone.
Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra had also secured a considerable amount of Kron, but it was unreasonable for them to contribute to Kang-seok’s fund while enduring the extremely inefficient conversion rate. For Kim Kang-san, Park Han-yeong, and Yang Jun-gyu, it was even more impossible.
It was most appropriate to create the guild after everyone had gathered more Kron or found a way to solve the conversion rate issue.
‘And one more thing.’
Neither Kang-seok nor Seong Yu-jin voiced it, but they both had it in mind.
The party was already known for discovering a World Quest. They didn’t want to heighten the vigilance of other Players unnecessarily by also becoming the founders of the second guild.
“Alright, then let’s move on to the next item on the agenda.”
As Kang-seok concluded the discussion about the guild, Kim Kang-san expressed his confusion.
“Next item? What agenda?”
It seemed he still wasn’t used to speaking casually.
Kang-seok suppressed a smile and answered in a calm tone.
“I’m not too keen on meeting the other Players, but we should probably tell them the gist of what happened. I also need to talk to Mr. Hunt about the airship… and we should stop by the Adventurers’ Guild.”
To dispel any doubts, they needed to share some of the story.
It was also about time for Hunt to return to Roselburg, so they needed to talk to him soon, and since he had made a promise, he had to see Cliant as well.
“Busy, huh.”
“Of course, because he’s a hero!”
Yang Jun-gyu quickly responded to Choi Yu-ra’s chuckle. His bright eyes were filled with adoration.
A hero.
The word resonated in his chest, but recalling the citizens he had encountered on the way here, Kang-seok gave a bitter smile. Seong Yu-jin patted his shoulder again.
It was at that moment. The sound of rather loud footsteps came from beyond the door, followed by a heavy knock.
“Is Kang-seok in there? I heard he was here.”
It was a deep, rough, manly voice. Recognizing it, Kang-seok hurried to open the door.
“Mr. Curios?”
“Hey, I’ve been looking all over for you. Let’s go to the city hall.”
Without giving him a chance to say hello, Curios clapped a hand on Kang-seok’s shoulder and urged him on. Kang-seok took a step back and asked.
“To the city hall?”
“Yeah, the city hall.”
“Is this about Andras’s body, by any chance?”
Seong Yu-jin, who had approached Kang-seok’s side, asked Curios. Curios shook his head.
“That issue will probably come up, but the main business is something else. Fame is truly a powerful thing.”
“Pardon?”
Kang-seok flinched at the word ‘fame’. Unaware, Curios kept patting his shoulder and laughed heartily.
“An invitation came from the royal family in your name.”
Choi Yu-ra shot up from her seat and asked.
“From the royal family of the Britton Kingdom?”
“That’s right. I don’t know the full details myself, so let’s hurry. Lady Abigail and the mayor are waiting.”
Defeating the earth dragon Andras was certainly an act worthy of spreading his fame.
But was that alone enough for the royal family to invite Kang-seok?
And on the third day after Andras was defeated?
Considering the time it would take for the order to be delivered, it meant they had decided to invite Kang-seok almost immediately upon hearing the news of Andras’s defeat.
Kang-seok hesitated for a moment, then looked toward Kim Kang-san. Kim Kang-san spoke first.
“I’ll look after Han-yeong. You should go.”
This was an invitation from the royal family, not just any noble. It was urgent to go to the city hall and find out what was going on.
Kang-seok nodded and exchanged glances with Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra. He gestured for Yang Jun-gyu as well, then said to Curios.
“Understood. Let’s go.”
Kang-seok, Seong Yu-jin, Choi Yu-ra, and Yang Jun-gyu—the four of them headed to the city hall with Curios.
* * *
Same time, different place.
The great power of magic allowed one to transcend time and space, albeit in a limited capacity.
It took less than a day to learn of an event that would take several days to reach by horse, and likewise, it didn't take long to send one's intentions.
But it was not omnipotent. The magical power granted to humans had clear limits. And that was true for Vivian, the head mage of the Britton Kingdom, as well.
Having inherited the blood of the ancient ‘Elder’ race through atavism, she not only possessed magical power on a different level from ordinary mages, but her aging was also slowed.
Despite having devoted herself to magic for nearly a century, she still retained the mature yet sultry beauty of a woman in her early thirties.
“Too fast.”
Vivian, perched askew on an ash wood chair with her chin in her hand, muttered with a displeased expression.
Her skin was so white it was almost pale, and her long black hair seemed to melt into the night.
A practitioner of Druidic magic, which emphasized unity with nature, she wore nothing but a thin, soft gown of deep blue.
Though usually intellectual and virtuous, her mind was not always as calm as a clear mirror.
It was rare, but she knew how to get angry and how to show her irritation.
Therefore, the boar beastman, Oboro, who stood before her, swallowed nervously.
That was the title of the report Oboro held in his hands.
The Players were getting stronger at an alarming rate.
Superhuman from the moment they passed the tutorial, they grew stronger by leaps and bounds with each battle.
The primary observation subject, a male Player named ‘Daniel,’ could initially only use magic similar to the lowest-level, 1st-tier spells.
But now, a month later, the magic he used had power comparable to 3rd-tier spells.
Vivian, who had been called a ‘magical genius’ since birth, had taken a year to reach the 3rd tier.
The Players’ growth rate was not just abnormal; it was frightening. If even Vivian, who had already reached the 11th tier, felt this way, what must the ordinary mages of this world think?
“What’s even more infuriating is that they don’t understand magic when they use it.”
Magic could not be described simply as ‘mystery.’
It was a ‘miracle’ that could only be performed by those who had at least a partial understanding of the world’s system, which composed and maintained this world.
Yet, the Players didn’t understand the world’s system, let alone how the magic they used even worked.
In this respect, one could say it was similar to divine magic, but there was a crucial difference between divine magic and the Players’ magic.
Divine magic was the result of prayer to a god. A miracle bestowed by a deity.
The Players believed in no gods, not the Four Great Gods or any other. Had a god bestowed a miracle upon them when they had never even prayed?
Of course, the gods of this world, including the Four Great Gods, were merciful. They sometimes bestowed unsolicited miracles to care for humanity on earth.
But Players were not beings of this world. In other words, they were not Their children.
What on earth were Players?
Did the Four Great Gods truly summon the Players to this world?
If so, for what reason did They summon them?
Vivian eventually let out a long sigh. It was not a matter that could be solved by pondering, so she decided to wait for more clues to emerge.
“Oboro, has His Majesty the King returned from his hunt?”
“He is scheduled to return late this afternoon.”
Vivian sighed again. Galahad Euster Britannia, the rightful king of the Britton Kingdom, whom she had practically raised. It was good that he was healthy, but he was excessively fond of hunting and women.
‘Did I lead him down the wrong path when he was young…?’
He was naturally intelligent, and with Vivian herself by his side, he had so far ruled justly without any major issues, but she couldn’t help but worry.
Vivian asked again.
“The Dark Destiny Lord—his arrival?”
“Uh… we sent word to the city of Ahen this morning, so I believe it should be possible in about seven days, give or take.”
“I see. Good work. You may go rest.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Bowing, Oboro waddled out of Vivian’s room, which was filled with all sorts of plants.
Left alone, Vivian wiggled her fingers, creating an illusion in the air.
Green hair, red and blue eyes. A handsome young man in a black combat uniform.
It was more of an imagined portrait based on what she had heard, but it was effective in imprinting the ‘image’ in her mind.
Three months had already passed since the first Player appeared in this world after the Great Summoning.
How should they treat the Players? How could they coexist with them?
‘I hope this will help in providing some guidance.’
Vivian dispelled the illusion. She leaned back deep into the ash wood chair and sought some much-needed sleep.
* * *
News of the World Quest shook the Seven Sword Knights as well.
As the Seven Sword Knights maintained deep relationships with the natives of this world, it didn’t take long for them to find out the time and place of the World Quest.
The appearance of ‘Raum’s’ tower was roughly two months away.
There was a considerable distance between the Seven Sword Knights’ headquarters and the Duchy of Avalon, but it wasn’t so pressing that they had to rush to leave now.
Therefore, the Captain of the Seven Sword Knights, Park Chang-ho, went about his daily routine as usual and found himself facing Khalid in front of the tobacco patch he tended to as a hobby.
“You seem very disappointed.”
Khalid was afraid of Park Chang-ho—a fact Park Chang-ho knew better than anyone. But right now, Khalid was fidgeting with a sense of disappointment greater than his fear of being alone with Park Chang-ho.
Park Chang-ho asked again.
“What kind of ability user was he? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this.”
Khalid, who had been clenching and unclenching his fists, quickly nodded. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“His grade is Super Rare. Not Unique, but… if my guess is correct, he most certainly possesses a truly useful ability.”
“So what is that ability?”
Khalid swallowed dryly once more. He cautiously revealed his thoughts.
* * *
“So that’s the Britton Kingdom.”
A man with a laid-back air stood at a crossroads.
Dressed in a tattered gray cloak and a cowboy hat, the man’s eyes were droopy, and his chin was covered in the rough stubble of a beard he hadn’t shaved in a while.
The gray-haired Player, Antonio Choi.
Though his appearance suggested a gunslinger from the wild west, his game of origin was not an FPS.
“There are many people with the same name in the world, but I hope it’s him.”
The four discoverers whose names were announced along with the World Quest.
Muttering one of their names under his breath, the man headed southeast.
It was the road that led to Visbaden, the capital of the Britton Kingdom.