Yor Subjugation Battle
Yor Subjugation Battle
Deng- De-eng-
Somewhere, the sound of a bell seemed to ring.
It was probably the bell tolling the end of my life.
The moment I saw the notice they'd brought, I felt my mind go blank.
It wasn't as if I had never considered this situation.
From the instant my identity was exposed because of Dantalion... no, long before that, ever since I first came to live in this forest.
I had always vaguely expected this day.
That one day the Knight Order might charge in to hunt me down. They might put a sword to my neck, carry my severed head back to the city.
And shout before a crowd, holding my head high: The Empire has vanquished the vile fugitive who slipped through their grasp thirteen years ago. Stability has been restored once more.
When I was young, I often terrified myself in advance with such ominous imaginings.
More than this forest. More than the monsters that sometimes descended from the Deep Layer.
Because to me, the Knight Order was a far more concrete and threatening enemy.
And now, the danger that had only existed in my imagination came to visit me as reality.
In a form far more wretched than I had ever imagined, at that.
A staggering bounty totaling 100 million gold had been placed on my head. Which meant not just the Knight Order, but Otherworlders too could come after me.
No, it was practically a certainty, not just a possibility.
Fortunately, my hands weren't trembling from tension like when I was young.
Maybe it was because it still didn't feel real.
One thing was for certain, though. The everyday life I'd known until now had definitively crumbled.
"Are you all right, Yor?"
"Your face is awfully pale..."
As I was lost in thought, I heard their voices from in front of me.
It seemed my agitation had shown on the outside. I could see the worry on their faces.
I pretended to be fine and spoke to them.
"Don't worry, I'm okay. More importantly... aren't you two in danger too?"
"Huh?"
"That line at the end of the notice. Saying you'd face penalties if you were discovered being with me."
Even as I said it, I felt strangely odd.
Penalties for associating with me. It sounded like some childish bullying, like 'don't play with him.' Wasn't it? The problem was that the scope wasn't just some school, but an entire nation.
"Th-that's..."
At my words, I saw them hesitate for a moment. Just a brief hesitation.
That sight didn't particularly upset me. It was a natural reaction, after all.
Even for Otherworlders, turning a nation into an enemy was a major issue.
Of course it would cause them trouble, and at worst, they could even end up imprisoned.
Not just for a few days like when I locked up Shin Han-byeol, but for years without ever stepping out of that place. It could even be decades, if things went badly.
It was practically a ban. So there was no way they could answer lightly.
Especially not for them, whose livelihoods were directly tied to the game.
I let out a sigh and said to them.
"Go back for now."
"No, it's not that..."
"I'll just stay here. We'll have to figure out a way together anyway, won't we?"
"No, I'm saying it because I'm worried about you two. I'm fine, so just keep an eye on the situation for me."
At my persuasion, they reluctantly turned back the way they had come.
I forced myself to ignore their glances back over their shoulders. I needed time to think alone right now.
After they disappeared, I started to mull things over on my own.
'Okay, then... what do I do now?'
I didn't know. Perhaps because the situation bearing down on me was so immense, no easy plan came to mind.
Should I run? If I did run, where would I even go?
No, in the first place, could I even shake them off by running? Hearing that every demon who'd ever had a subjugation order issued against them had been destroyed, I couldn't help thinking my fate wouldn't be much different.
How strong was the Knight Order's military power? What was the average level of the Otherworlders by now?
Countless questions rose in my mind and then fizzled out. Not a single clear answer emerged.
As I was thinking, a feeling of injustice suddenly welled up inside me.
'Why in the hell do I have to suffer this...?'
It was a thought I'd had even back when I fled the Empire as a child.
Was being born with Demon's Blood truly such a sin?
When I'd had to endure alone in this forest for over ten years all because of that one blood.
And now, were they going to destroy even the home I had barely managed to create?
In the end, from the moment I was born, I was always fated to die like this.
"Heh..."
As I entertained those negative thoughts, a hollow laugh escaped my lips.
It could have been a laugh born from the absurdity of my situation, or perhaps a laugh squeezed out of sheer malice.
Whatever it was, one thing was certain.
I wouldn't go down easily.
Even if I had to fight and die, or flee somewhere, I had absolutely no intention of retreating without a fight.
"Found him!"
"It's a Golden Goblin! Attack!"
Just as I'd sorted out my thoughts to some degree, I heard voices nearby. They were Otherworlders who'd come hunting the bounty on my head.
They'd found me this fast, even before I'd started burning the goblin houses. For them too, the official notice was truly extraordinary.
Without a word, I charged at the bastards and thrust my spear. At this point, I had no intention of going easy on them.
Shunk—!
"Gahk, guh-urk...!"
"Ah, no, warrior!"
"If you die that fast, who's supposed to tank?!"
One Otherworlder's throat was pierced, an instant death. The Otherworlders who saw it widened their eyes.
It was a group of about six. Thinking they'd obviously fail alone, they'd mobbed up like this to try and claim the glory.
None of it mattered.
"Yeah, come on. Let's play."
And so I swung my weapon.
Sending all six of those Otherworlders to meet their maker didn't take very long.
*
+
[Let's just be cool and admit it]
Be honest, if the Knight Order is showing up too, there's basically no chance he lives
Yor is just a boss mob. From the moment he was assigned to that forest, his fate was always going to be a raid like this.
So you guys should stop whining and just think about cashing in.
+
[Is this right though?]
[↳ yeah it's right, unless you wanna help him and go to jail?]
[↳ well, it's not that either but...]
[↳ tbh trying to kill every single Manifestor on sight is kinda messed up]
[These mfers just trying desperately to save him cuz he's got a dick lmao. Fuckin weebs, stop being so overly immersed!]
[↳ fr lol if having a dick was enough we would've saved Seere too lol]
[↳ Seere... I miss him...]
After the official notice went up, the community was abuzz with lively debate.
But before long, opinion coalesced around a single conclusion. This was a boss battle.
It was a bit of a shame, but the flow of the game had designated him as an enemy.
And if so, it was only right that the players should follow suit.
+
[Knight Order's coming a bit later, they say]
The region is what it is, and they still don't know his exact skill level, so they're gonna prep more before coming.
They also told us to do some scouting and try fighting him first.
+
[Yet again these mfers trying to use us as cannon fodder]
[↳ instead, if we scout ahead and get some hits in, they said they'll take note of it favorably when it's time to claim credit]
[↳ oh..]
[I think I'm gonna sit this one out, I play games with my heart]
Of course, there were plenty of players who didn't necessarily take part in the subjugation.
The 100 million was tempting, sure, but the odds that they personally would be the one to claim it were slim. And there were also some fairly sentimental players who didn't want to go so far as to harm an NPC with their own hands.
But the sentiment in favor of participating was far larger.
In reality, there were already posts going up from people who'd entered the forest to hunt him.
Yet compared to the number of those posts, there was absolutely no news of any success coming back.
+
[Story time: tried to dogpile him with 6 people and got wiped in 10 minutes]
I'll never forget the moment our frontline got obliterated by a single spear thrust...
+
+
[Wasn't he only supposed to use a spear?]
I was trying to keep distance and shoot arrows, but then a dagger came flying out of nowhere and I died
Just bought that bow yesterday too, and I lost it;
ffs my 100k gold bow!!!!!
+
[moron lol]
[Burned over a thousand bucks in one go lol]
+
[Holy shit we finally got a hit in!]
Yor suddenly slashed his own hand, and then this wad of blood flew at me and I insta-died
But still, we wounded him somehow, so you could say we got a hit in, right?
+
[What happened to the wound?]
[↳ prob regenerated lol;]
[↳ well then it's fucking pointless]
[↳ it's fine, I'm sure he's getting tired lol it won't be long now]
The next day, too.
+
[Sword Aura, is it just invincible or what?]
If you can use sword aura, can you just pierce through greatshields and everything?
And where the hell did he get that double-bladed axe?
Holy shit ffs I went in with just a shield, trying to just hold out, and I got pierced shield and all
+
[That's cuz you're a scrub...]
[↳ you try it ffs]
[Double-bladed axe? That's the gear I dropped when I died?]
[↳ holy shit that was yours? now he's even yoinking our gear and using it ffs lol]
+
[Live boss battle pics...]
(png)
The traces of dead players lying everywhere...
And our boss, bloodstained and charging in all menacing...
He was so terrifying I almost pissed myself before I died
+
[Whoa look at that look in his eyes, completely murderous;]
[↳ you can literally feel the killing intent]
[We can't even reach the cave rn, idk how he knows, but whenever we enter the forest he finds us first and slaughters us;]
[↳ he seems seriously pissed off]
[What's the total kill count right now?]
[↳ idk but it's gotta be dozens at least]
[↳ that means he doesn't have much left lol, he's definitely gonna run out of steam and collapse]
+
[Breaking News) Yor's really in for it now lol]
Samsunhi, ranked third domestically, has announced their participation.
They say they're bringing their guild members—all of them ranked players—to attempt the raid tomorrow.
They said they'd bring at least thirty people.
Whether it's for stream content or whatever, looks like they've prepared thoroughly
+
[daaamn]
[Isn't that guild the one that was first to clear an ogre?]
[↳ yeah, all their guild members have A-Rank mercenary licenses now, so he should be nervous]
[They prob prepped like crazy, this is actually dangerous for real]
[↳ T.T so this is how it ends]
The day after that, too.
+
[Breaking News) Samsunhi declares absolute defeat lmao]
Saw the stream
Less than 20 min into the fight, over half were dead, and the rest ran off in every direction but got hunted down
Some of them even ran into monsters and got mauled to death
Out of 30 who went in, about 2 made it out alive
+
[That thing where they tried to throw holy water at him mid-fight and it suddenly teleported to Yor's hip, what's that about?]
[↳ fr that was crazy mysterious]
[↳ prob Seere's arm, I think when they dropped it back then, Yor ended up getting it]
[↳ wait so then that hooded NPC from back then was also Yor?]
[↳ holy shit, now that I think about it, he's really the only one who could 1v1 a demon like that]
[I tuned into Samsunhi's stream where they're telling the story, and their face is gloomy as hell]
[↳ whoa, how much was just the gold they lost there? lol]
[↳ they probably went in with solid prep]
[↳ at this point, just the gear value of the dead players combined could prob buy you a car;]
[Did they at least injure him?]
[↳ what's the point of injuring him? he just heals it right away anyway]
+
[The fact is that Yor is still getting exhausted at this very moment]
It really won't be long now fr
If we just push a little more, feels like we can start winning soon
+
[Yeah but when the hell]
[When is he getting exhausted, like dozens have been slaughtered over 3 days]
[You can't even get restoration for the lost gear this time, can you? lol]
[This is the victory of me who didn't even sign up for the subjugation lol]
[Can we maybe just stop here...? huh?]
Time passed.
The precarious slaughter continued just the same.