The Heavenly Demon Faces a Raid (3)

Washing Wolfie wasn’t a task that could be finished in just one or two tries. The little rascal had lived in the wild for so long that no matter how much I scrubbed him, more black grime kept pouring out. Thankfully Pipi joined midway and lent a hand, so it went far more smoothly than if I’d done it alone, but the work was still brutally exhausting. After investing a long stretch of time and effort, I finally finished cleaning him up and returned to the castle—only to find Enry had just gotten back.

Maybe because he’d caught some sleep, the energetic fellow spotted me and came running at full speed, voice raised high.

“Hwaryeong! You said a raid was coming?!”

“Your news is rather late.”

After the fact was already over, how was I supposed to react to all this fuss?

“It’s not just any raid—it’s a server raid! How can you stay so calm about it?!”

“Haa. Enry. Do I look like someone who’s going to lose?”

“Of course… Huh? Wait, what? Hmm?”

Enry, who had been about to argue, suddenly stopped and tilted his head. Even he couldn’t picture me losing. After all, he was the one who had spent the most time at my side. Having watched everything I’d done with his own eyes, there was no way he could imagine my defeat.

“Enough with the useless chatter. Go help carry some wood.”

While washing Wolfie yesterday, a thought had occurred to me and led to several long discussions, but the only real conclusion was that there was no shortcut except taking the proper time.

The advice from the self-proclaimed animal lover carried real weight. The idea that my greedy desire to enjoy that fluffiness right away could actually damage Wolfie’s coat came as a serious shock. I resolved to dry his fur slowly and meticulously, with the patient heart of a master craftsman.

I built a large bonfire and had Wolfie wait at a safe distance. At first he trembled, probably thinking he was about to be roasted alive. But the warmth of the fire melted away the exhaustion from all his ordeals, and before long he flopped onto the ground and fell fast asleep.

All that remained now was to wait for his fur to dry, like a potter patiently waiting for his kiln to finish its work.

“First of all, the fundamental rule of this raid is that we must avoid close-quarters combat at all costs. No matter how thoroughly we prepare, it would be meaningless against Hwaryeong-nim.”

The Anti-Hwaryeong Alliance’s greatest advantage was numbers, and the most effective way to use those numbers was usually a close-range swarm. But this fight was the exception. Their opponent was a close-combat specialist. Even if they tried to overwhelm her with sheer numbers, she wouldn’t panic—she would simply crush that numerical advantage without breaking a sweat. This was the same person who had blown away a mountain along with a giant’s head using only her bare hands. Taking out an army of a hundred would be child’s play.

“Therefore, we will not set foot inside Hwaryeong-nim’s battlefield.”

It was true that Hwaryeong possessed terrifying strength. But no matter how strong she was, she was still human. A player. She couldn’t breathe fire, drop meteors from the sky, or spam countless spells. Her true power lay in martial arts that had reached a realm of marvel. If they denied her the distance required to use those arts, they could neutralize her greatest strength.

“We will overwhelm her with firepower. Let’s crush Hwaryeong-nim using the overwhelming barrage made possible by every user on the streamer server uniting as one.”

This was the conclusion the Anti-Hwaryeong Alliance had reached after their long meeting. They would not give her the chance to throw a single punch. They would smash her flat with pure, overwhelming firepower. If her strength shone in close range, they would simply never allow her to get close. They would beat her so thoroughly she would be nearly unable to recover—and claim victory.

“All right, everyone! Start farming! Farm like your lives depend on it! Half-hearted preparations won’t cut it! We need to be ready to sink the entire island! The moment we give Hwaryeong-nim even the smallest gap, she’ll wipe us all out!”

Bae Min-hwang, leader of the Anti-Hwaryeong Alliance, shouted the orders and began assigning quotas to each party.

Hmm. On the surface Wolfie’s fur looked completely dry, but I wondered what it was like underneath. Unable to endure the wait any longer, I slipped my hand into the fur of the snoring wolf.

Ooh. Ooooooh!

The instant my fingers touched his coat, the word “softness” itself seemed to wrap around my hand. Fluffy. Silky. Even his scent was perfect. This was heaven. I almost wanted to dive straight into that fur and fall asleep right there.

Feeling the corners of my mouth rise on their own, I reached deeper to enjoy it more—only to frown at the lingering dampness beneath the surface.

It still wasn’t completely dry?!

Ugh. At this rate I wouldn’t be able to enjoy what I truly wanted.

I had spent the time feeding the bonfire imagining all sorts of wonderful things: stroking Wolfie’s silky fur and soft paw pads in pure bliss, using his broad back as a bed and sleeping wrapped in that cozy warmth, or vigorously rubbing his forehead until he melted with pleasure. Of course I could still do those things now. Most of his coat was indeed dry. But that wasn’t perfect happiness. Did they think I had waited this long just to settle for something half-finished?

Never. What I aim for is always the absolute best!

This… this level of satisfaction was not enough!

“Looks like I’ll have to wait a little longer.”

“Team C! Are you ready?!”

“Yes. Chain ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Explosion scrolls are fully prepared.”

“Team F! What about the Meteor scrolls?!”

“We’re ready, so can we please start already? I’m so sleepy I feel like I’m going to die.”

“Team I! Magic stones—”

“All set! We can move out anytime!”

“And…”

Bae Min-hwang continued checking every team, making sure nothing had been overlooked in their raid preparations. Having served as raid leader in many other games, his commands carried natural authority. Once he confirmed that every detail was complete, he rose from the table and stepped outside the makeshift meeting room.

Countless streamers had gathered there to participate in the raid. A hundred streamers together formed something like an army. An alliance that would have been impossible in the normal world of Thread had formed in the face of the disaster called Hwaryeong.

Bae Min-hwang looked at the crowd and smiled.

Whether they won or lost, the broadcast material was guaranteed.

“Everyone!”

Still, a victorious idiot was better than a defeated one. Obviously.

“We will now begin the raid! Prepare yourselves!”

I glanced away from helping Pipi with the construction and looked toward Wolfie ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after checking the donation someone had sent. Right. It had been quite a while since I judged that more than half was dry. I asked Pipi for a moment and headed over to him.

The dignity of the ruler of the forest had apparently been thrown away somewhere. Melted by the warmth of the bonfire, Wolfie was glued flat to the ground and showed no sign of getting up. Even when he saw me coming he kept his head pressed to the earth, only twitching his ears and wagging his tail to show he was happy to see me.

In such a short time he had thrown away his wild instincts and become a pet dog. Still, could you at least wag your tail a little more gently? Every time you swing that thing the bonfire nearly flies away with the wood still in it.

Watching him pant with his tongue out made me smile without realizing it. I unconsciously reached out, then froze in shock the moment my hand sank into his fur.

This… what is this murderous softness?!

It was softer than any fur I had ever touched before. Softer than the plush dolls modern technology created specifically to deliver comfort to humans! No. This wasn’t the time to be impressed. If I got too excited I would only end up disappointed again like last time.

A trace of fear flickered across Wolfie’s face when he saw my greedy expression. Don’t worry. I’m not planning anything bad. I simply want to confirm that your fur is truly dry. The viewers are waiting for it too.

Let’s see underneath.

I pushed my arm deep into his coat. There was no unpleasant sensation at all—only pure fluffiness. Ahh, this is happiness. The unique warmth of an animal. Silky, fluffy fur. A pleasant scent. The sound of his tail swishing behind him. Everything I had been longing for was right here.

No. No, this isn’t the time. After such a long wait I have finally reached the paradise I desired—am I really going to be satisfied with just this and call it a day?! That cannot be allowed. Now is the moment to reveal my true desire!

With the heart-wrenching pain of tearing out my own tongue, I pulled my hand from Wolfie’s fur, stepped back, and prepared to leap onto his back.

All right. Here I come, Wolfie. Prepare to receive me. In this moment I shall reach hea—

“Tsk. What a bunch of uncultured, damned fools.”

I stopped at the wave of presence I felt from far away. There wasn’t just one or two. It was a group—no, an army. They had probably gathered to kill me. Haa. My brow furrowed on its own.

It was fine that they had gathered to defeat me. But they should have chosen a better time and place. To interrupt the very moment I had finally reached happiness after such a long wait—what exactly were they thinking? If they had stepped forward as challengers, they should at least show proper respect to the one they were challenging! These people were old enough to know better, yet they had thrown basic courtesy away.

“A little.”

I couldn’t hold back my irritation, so I put my pipe between my lips and exhaled a long stream of smoke. Wolfie, who had noticed their presence late, lifted his head. He raised his tail and bared his hostility; it was quite reliable, but this was not his battlefield.

“Wolfie. Go somewhere else for a while.”

“Woof?”

When I spoke, Wolfie shook his head. Did he want to show that he could be useful too? Haha. How admirable. Normally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I would have allowed it, but not this time.

“You mustn’t get caught up in the aftermath of my attacks.”

What I was worried about wasn’t that they would harm him. It was that his precious fur would be ruined by getting tangled up in my fight. The clever wolf immediately understood the situation and turned away.

“It’s fine. I’ve already memorized that fellow’s presence.”

Even if he doesn’t return, I can simply follow after him later. As I watched Wolfie’s retreating back, the moment I bit down on my pipe a massive surge of energy erupted from where the enemies were gathered. Soon the high clouds in the sky split in two, and from the gap a gigantic boulder revealed itself.

A meteor?

Puhuhu. They’re starting with a flashy move.

If that thing fell straight down, the entire area would be turned to ash. Very well. Since they had prepared something on this scale to defeat me, I should respond in kind.

I drew the sword Pipi had given me some time ago and raised it high. I had once seen a swordsman who dropped the sun itself. In the past I had believed that was the ultimate limit a swordsman could reach, but I had been wrong. Who would have guessed it was a fusion of martial arts and Taoist magic? Since I had known nothing about Taoist magic back then, there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was no way I could have recognized it. But now it was different. I knew the endpoint of the swordsmanship that swordsman had used, and I knew the endpoint of the Taoist magic he had used. I also knew how to combine the two.

I looked up. I saw the split sky. I saw the meteor falling toward me. I saw the sun positioned beyond it. And then I swung my sword downward.

The clouds that stretched all the way to the horizon split in two. The falling meteor was sliced apart, lost its direction, and began to plummet according to gravity. As the sun standing at the end was cut, darkness descended upon the world.

“Now then… shall we have some fun?”