Provocation in Alsace-Lorraine
Alsace-Lorraine.
A border region touching western Germany, a land whose ownership had been disputed between the two nations for centuries.
The setting of the novel The Last Letter, featured in Korean language textbooks.
—You chose quite the appropriate location.
“Thanks to studying the textbook properly back in school.”
Before my regression, when I visited this land, only ashes remained.
One of humanity’s six Monarchs. A traitor.
Because Rene Davis had begun his actions in France, there had been no time for the world to resist the invasion from another dimension.
I glanced behind me.
Youngsoo hyung-nim, once a High Ranker of England.
In his previous life, after immigrating to England, he had protected the European front with his belatedly reevaluated command ability.
Now that I had scouted him, if the same thing happened again, there would be no one left to stop it.
I would make sure of that.
All I had to do was eliminate the root cause, right?
“Master, I have a question.”
Karla approached suddenly.
“What question?”
“This is French territory. We’re in enemy land.”
“Potentially.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to be fully armed?”
“We didn’t come here to fight them.”
“Then why come to enemy territory?”
“It’s a form of provocation.”
“I thought we were going to fight.”
Karla muttered in a deflated voice.
Did she think we were going to have a big battle?
Well, if Rene Davis took the bait and moved, that would be fine too.
No, I actually hoped he would step forward.
—What do you think the chances are?
“Less than ten percent.”
—What a pathetic man.
Nyx clicked her tongue.
The official goal of this trip to Alsace-Lorraine was gate closure.
After the first Great Erosion, the EU had established a joint agency to manage the gates that appeared throughout Europe.
The European Player Union, or EPU for short.
Its purpose was to support countries with weaker player forces.
After the agency was created, France had never received support from other countries.
All thanks to Rene Davis, an unparalleled Ranker.
The greatest player in all of Europe, called the Shield of France, had successfully closed even high-risk gates.
“That doesn’t mean there’s a rule against us clearing French gates.”
—Oh? You exploited a loophole.
“It’ll hurt their pride quite a bit.”
The gate had appeared in Alsace-Lorraine of all places.
A land whose ownership had been contested with Germany for hundreds of years.
A place so historically complicated that even the residents’ surnames and given names followed German conventions.
An obvious provocation.
Now, how will you respond?
When we raised the Dryad Strega guild flag on the vehicle, it easily drew attention.
“That’s a German guild.”
“A German guild clearing a gate in France?”
“Damn it, what are our country’s players doing?!”
The people’s gazes were quite heated.
After some time passed, the church on the hill that was our destination came into view.
—It’s quite noisy.
“Yeah. That’s the emblem of Arme Rouge.”
Players blocking the entrance road.
Those wearing the Arme Rouge emblem on their chests radiated a menacing aura.
“Stop for a moment.”
We parked the vehicle and got out.
A thick killing intent poured toward me.
It felt like standing in the middle of a battlefield.
Even faced with malice intense enough to cause cardiac arrest in an ordinary person, I let out a chuckle.
There was no need to activate Cold Blood.
Sssssss!
My intent, deepened further after reaching 6-star in Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts.
It wasn’t yet at the level of Mind Sword, but I could infuse my will into my internal energy and release it into the air as much as I wanted.
The internal energy forged through Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method drove away the killing intent of the Arme Rouge players.
“Getting cocky, aren’t you?”
I stepped forward and expanded my intent.
“Hup!”
“W-what is this trembling?!”
The group of Arme Rouge players stepped backward.
With every step I took forward, dozens of players retreated.
“My, to meet the hero of the Spice Islands here.”
Whooooosh—
My internal energy carrying my intent scattered like alcohol diluted in water.
The one who casually unraveled the tangled intents of both sides in the air.
Rene Davis had inserted himself between us.
“And you are?”
“Rene Davis. I thought I was somewhat famous, but it seems I need to try harder.”
Rene lightly brushed off my provocation.
The atmosphere that had been on the verge of exploding instantly relaxed.
Oh ho.
So that’s how it was.
—Why are you smiling?
—Rene received a baptism.
I was certain.
I could confidently say that at this point in time, there was no player stronger than me on Earth.
Various opportunities I had monopolized using knowledge from before my regression, such as Demonic Power and Fusion Qigong (Incomplete).
Stats that increased every time I devoured.
Various arts such as martial arts, Seon magic, magic, physical techniques, dark magic, and the power of Polar Night.
And even my realization.
To naturally unravel my intent, one would need to be at least twice as strong.
—Are you certain he is weaker than you?
—Of course.
—Huhu, as my contractor, you should naturally have such a mindset.
Obviously.
Since Rene couldn’t possibly be better than me, he must have borrowed the power of some sorcery!
“By the way, what brings France’s Ranker here?”
“Ah, I decided to personally handle the clearing of the Valley of Illusions. It seems the EPU hasn’t been notified yet.”
Rene Davis smiled brightly.
The special nature of the Alsace-Lorraine region.
By involving the German guild Dryad Strega, the provocation had worked perfectly.
“It seems we’ve made a wasted trip.”
“My apologies.”
I hadn’t made a wasted trip.
Rene wasn’t sorry.
Both people facing each other were lying.
—Humanity’s traitor. It’s quite hard to see your face.
At my telepathic message, Rene’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
—To come before my domain relying on such a trivial trick, you have no fear.
—Your subordinate Nadia Cassel said something similar.
—What happened to her?
—I killed her.
—You claim to have defeated Nadia?
—If you don’t believe me, test it yourself.
A situation on the verge of exploding at any moment.
I secretly concentrated the internal energy I had drawn up into my fingers.
Rene’s sleeves fluttered.
He too had drawn up his mana and was ready to release it at any time.
—Consider yourself lucky. Since I cannot damage my country’s beautiful scenery, I’ll let this pass just once.
Rene withdrew his hand first.
The condensed mana disappeared along with the wind.
He sure made a grand excuse.
—You’re not going to avenge your subordinate? How cold.
I provoked him once more through telepathy, but he only gave a strange smile and showed no fighting spirit.
I swallowed my disappointment.
I couldn’t attack first someone called the Shield of France who received the public’s love.
I had to induce Rene Davis to attack first, then eliminate him.
However.
Even after mentioning Nadia Cassel, there was no sign of him taking the bait.
—We’ll meet again soon.
He turned his head sharply.
* * *
The meeting with Rene Davis.
Even when we exchanged telepathic messages, it had felt like an active volcano about to erupt.
But after clashing over the gate clearing matter, he became quiet.
—That murderous telepathy seemed like a lie.
“That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
The angrier Rene got, the calmer he became.
The anger he showed when we met in Alsace-Lorraine was partly an act.
—Then was everything deception?
“He was probably actually angry. He just drew out that emotion and acted on it.”
Because of me, he had lost most of the Klyphoth forces he had spread across North Africa.
If he wasn’t angry, he wouldn’t be human—he’d be a saint.
“Since I provoked him, he’ll react somehow.”
Even after the Alsace-Lorraine incident, I designated several gates that opened within French territory as targets for clearing.
No matter what Rene Davis plotted.
If he got caught up in my pace, he would have no choice but to revise his plans.
Or grow impatient.
The bait had been cast, so all that remained was to wait.
On the fifteenth day since the clash with Rene in Alsace-Lorraine.
A sudden abnormal weather phenomenon struck Western Europe.
* * *
Abnormal weather phenomena appearing throughout French territory.
By the time eyewitness accounts were published as articles, the next stage had already begun.
Dark clouds appeared without warning and dyed the entirety of France black.
The clouds that blackened the sky soon fell to the ground and piled up layer by layer along the borders.
France, separated from the outside world.
Mobile phones and the internet were completely cut off.
Even information transmission media like TV became useless as they couldn’t receive signals.
A situation where even satellites couldn’t peer inside the clouds.
“Code 1.5.4. Unable to receive. Attempting contact again.”
“Impossible. No signals are being emitted from France.”
“All radio waves we transmit are being blocked.”
Multiple EU member states attempted to contact their embassies in the country, but it was useless.
The thick darkness enveloping France.
Even though radio transmission and reception were impossible, people could still enter and exit directly.
The problem was getting inside the clouds in the first place.
Strange monsters visible through the pitch-black fog.
“Kuaaaargh!”
“Krak! Krakak!”
Bizarre beings never before discovered blocked entry into French territory.
Modern weapons were useless.
Even the players assigned as escorts couldn’t put up a fight.
Each individual’s combat power was on par with a Diamond-rank player.
If their numbers were small, it might have been different.
But the number of monsters flickering beyond the clouds exceeded a thousand.
“Retreat.”
“If you want to live, get away from the clouds!”
“Damn it, where did these monsters come from!”
Clouds covering the entire French territory.
Counting how many monsters had crossed over from another dimension was meaningless.
A situation where no one knew what was happening inside the clouds.
World Severance.
A powerful formation that only a follower of the [Tree] level of Harab Serapel could deploy had separated France from the rest of the world.
An emergency that occurred without warning.
EU member states, practically in the same boat, sharpened their senses toward the strange phenomenon in France.
At that moment.
“We will solve this problem for you.”
The hero of the Spice Islands and the player who had recently emerged as Europe’s problem-solver.
Jinho declared his intent.