Naming (2)

The holy city of Muon, now settled. The ticking time bomb on the verge of explosion had been defused. Everyone knew that the attack on the player, Gaiber, was just the beginning. There was even a real possibility of an all-out war erupting around Muon.

"But then, the Mage Tower's chief mage steps in just like that!"

Yet the Mage Tower's unexpected intervention. Muon flung open its gates as if nothing had happened. And then, the utterly unforeseen appearance of that tentacle monster. The rapidly shifting situation in Muon was vividly relayed to players everywhere.

Tens of thousands of holy knights. The sight of them charging toward the mass of tentacles was nothing short of spectacular. Did it even need further explanation? The figure of Hoyeol commanding them all with a mere gesture.

"Just thinking about that moment still gets my chest swelling, you know?"

"Only those who saw it get it. That feeling."

"It's a shame we can't release the footage freely. It was really something."

Of course, the star of the video was none other than Hoyeol. Even the most views-obsessed, aggro-hungry nettubers knew where to draw the line. In times like these, uploading Hoyeol's footage without permission would just invite backlash like, "Did you even get his okay?"

No one could publicly share footage of Hoyeol without his consent. But how many had witnessed the scene live? Countless players and viewers all agreed: Lee Hoyeol was on another level.

"Tens of thousands of lives in my hands? I would've been paralyzed by the pressure, not knowing what to do... But he moved without a hitch."

"Even without the holy knights, I bet he could've soloed it. You saw him freeze that massive tentacle blob in one shot, right?"

"So what's the deal with that skill? Huh?! High-level magic even frost mages don't know? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Guy's got no limits. No wonder he's chief mage."

And that wasn't all. After the battle, the conversation between Hoyeol and the holy knight captain of the Goddess Church, Tarim Eber, became the hot topic.

The holy knight captain who had spat hostile words at humanity. Yet before Hoyeol, he knelt politely—and that wasn't even the half of it.

"His voice all low and gravelly... 'I'll take full responsibility!'"

Declaring responsibility—no, even judgment. The ripple effect was bound to be bigger than Hoyeol's battle display. But perhaps due to the gathering crowds? Hoyeol and Tarim moved elsewhere. No one knew what conversation followed.

But one thing was certain.

"In the end, player Lee Hoyeol pulled it off again."

Hoyeol had succeeded. Why, even now, without him stepping up to slay the tentacle mass, the lives of players who entered Muon wouldn't be as safe as they were.

Those who grasped this fact earliest were Nam Taemin, Leoni Bellucci, and Hisagi Kazuma.

"See? Instead of worrying about Hoyeol, we just gotta do our part!"

"Not sure I can keep up with that level, but..."

"Shut up and rest's over. No time to slack."

"...What? You were the one making the biggest fuss just now."

"Fuss? Who? When? Me?! Bullshit. No I wasn't?"

Hoyeol didn't need their help right now. With their trust in him, they could focus purely on growth amid the Muon crisis. Jessie Haynes was no different.

"Even ice freeze magic like that! Amazing as always!"

The more she knew, the more she saw of Hoyeol's realm. But the one more excited than Jessie was her pointed hat.

The hat bobbed wildly, making a fuss.

Those who felt this most painfully were, of course, the AAU.

They reached a conclusion in their branch meeting.

"The Muon incident confirms it. Arcana's updates have surpassed what AAU can predict or prepare for."

Silence flowed—they'd known for a while. Since monsters not in the database appeared. Or tracing back, since demons showed up in rifts.

Someone smacked their lips and spoke.

"In a way, it's obvious, right? Even when Arcana was just a game, it overwhelmed us. Now as another world, predicting the continent's flow is impossible."

AAU knew their role well. That's why their incompetence stung so deep. Another spoke.

"The official announcement can't be far off."

The official announcement. AAU admitting its limits to the world. The fallout was unimaginable. Plenty of players still relied solely on AAU intel.

But they couldn't hide forever. The gloomy meeting ended. AAU Korea branch chief Park Minjae took a deep breath.

"...Is there even a lifeline for humanity?"

He recalled his past as an Arcana developer. Even unserved content was slated for release someday. No need for examples. Just one: 'Dragon'.

Yeah, even dragons.

"They'll show up eventually? In rifts or reality."

Park Minjae imagined humanity facing dragons. Ran simulations.

"Damn devs made 'em too strong."

A deep sigh escaped. Even with player level-ups and armies mobilized, outcome was defeat. Or pyrrhic victory at best.

But Park Minjae knew. The lifeline he'd witnessed. The one possibility.

"...Lee Hoyeol."

Player Lee Hoyeol. AAU had no certainties—not his level, not his class. But his actions suggested much.

"Just how much does he know?"

The Muon incident alone. He'd acted like he knew everything. And people can't hide fleeting emotions. Even with the sudden tentacle blob, Hoyeol's expression hadn't changed—that was proof.

"Even a hardcore realist like me starts hoping."

He got why people were obsessed with Lee Hoyeol. Soon, Park Minjae's shoulders shook.

"Yeah. Hope or whatever, he has to make it work, right?"

Yeah. No time to nitpick possibilities. It was all or nothing. Park Minjae was ready to throw caution to the wind.

What he could do was simple. Relay any helpful info to the sole hope, Hoyeol.

But.

'AAU's tangled in national interests. Can't go public. And leaking internal info to one player...? Even if it's Lee Hoyeol, plenty will oppose to check Korea.'

Even so. Hadn't Park Minjae vowed? No more holding back.

So.

"From here, it's personal. Park Minjae's rogue bet."

Of course, that first step looked tough.

"And not just chatting one-on-one with Lee Hoyeol... Might keep in touch ongoing."

Those cold eyes. Prickly attitude. Reporters and nettubers quaked before him. Park Minjae groaned again.

"Damn my luck. Pushing past fifty and back to etiquette lessons. Gotta unlearn these ingrained habits..."

Suddenly, he grabbed two passersby.

"Hey, Sugyeom. And... yeah! Employee Seong Hyunjun."

"Yes? Branch chief."

"Just checking. Am I a boomer?"

"...Huh? What, out of nowhere?"

"Hey. Yes or no. Am I a boomer?"

Of course, a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step...

*

Feels unfair all of a sudden. Sleep's short anyway. Days fly by at an unnatural pace. Drip drip—Bet one cause is this body training. Class quest changes, but the first goal's always the same.

[Strength], [Agility] stats matched my level. Higher absolutes meant exponentially more training per point. Goals always pushed to near-collapse.

"...A breeze."

Breeze my ass. Nearly passed out how many times today, yet that damn pride. Small improvement: potions. Thanks to elixir herbs.

Clink—I lifted the teacup.

"But proper rest aids muscle growth as well."

Cool ice water not enough, now hot tea. Tastes like death. But it's good for the body, so I endure. Gotta fuel up to survive.

I caught my breath, checked the next quest goal.

─Grasp forces involved in the holy war. (In Progress)

●Meet Goddess Church saint. (Success)

●Uncover Goddess Church saintess's true nature. (Success)

●Hunt demon disguised as Goddess Church saintess. (Success)

●Uncover Mage Tower's original sin. (Success)

Goddess Church goals all cleared. Yet Akshan's Annihilation quest unfinished. Meant some backstabbing force against Akshan remained.

Suddenly, a thought: 'Demon hunters all had twisted personalities.'

You know, that saying: When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.

'Especially in training grounds—like demons themselves.'

Perfect fit for demon hunters. Back when Arcana was a game, their attitudes—contrasting friendly NPCs—were infamous among players.

'Thought it was cool back then. Weird taste.'

Of course, it never bothered me then. Anyway, backstabbed just for being disliked? Even if, impossible.

That was.

"Merely the schemes of lowly rabble."

Ultimately, demon schemes. Arcana's largest religion, Goddess ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Church—even its saintess was a demon. No region or faction safe from demonic clutches.

In that sense, my rest was brief.

Clink—Set down the cup.

...Gotta finish 500 burpees. To turn overestimation real. To advance. Can't stop struggling even a moment.

.

.

.

Of course, good news amid my day-night grind. Spirit school senior mage Payan Lot. Her letter on parchment. Unexpectedly huge help.

I entered the rift. Common rift, unmentioned in updates. At my level vs. recommended, hunting hundreds of monsters wouldn't net even one level-up.

But leveling wasn't my goal. I spoke.

"High El."

Mana drained instantly. Whoooosh—Emerging from thin air: a nymph. Flawless ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠form, even by Grandfell's aesthetics.

Yes. As Payan informed, I'd named the nymph.

My spirit knowledge was surface-level.

'Didn't know names meant that much to spirits.'

Per Payan: Names were vessels for spirits. Calling her "nymph" post-contract kept her surface-level despite fulfilling {unique spirit} conditions via world tree germination...

Relieved when I learned it wasn't my mana.

'My mana wasn't the issue.'

But relief premature. I'd overlooked.

[Name: Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo]

My naming sense, creator of that monstrosity.

The nymph offered elegant greeting.

"High El responds to your call."

Yes. 'High El'. Precisely, 'High El Criesiad Four Seasons Leaf'. Grandfell-level full name. That's what I'd slapped on the nymph...!

...Damn. Calling High El always surged indescribable emotions. But no sign shown. Brazenly, I got to business.

"What of Arcana Continent's situation."

High El's report followed. Listening silently, I escaped those emotions. glimpsing possibility in her news.

'An event this big might just...'

...Lead to the next regular update?