What Bloomed (2)
“Splendid.”
The exclamation was aimed at a premium green tea teabag that cost all of 300 won, which was the problem... but still, I could sympathize. Environment really does make all the difference.
Rain-soaked and chilled to the bone, that's why it hits different.
It was the best green tea I'd ever had. Like slurping hot oden broth on a freezing winter day.
Of course, tea time didn't last long. Not for Grandfell, maybe, but for me, there was something far more important than a 300-won teabag right in front of my eyes.
◈ Part of a set of six brooches that unite as one. As merely a fragment, its effects are greatly diminished.
A total of six Hexagram Brooches. And I already had one of them.
...Technically borrowed from the Mage Tower, but wasn't I the chief mage? I am the Mage Tower, and the Mage Tower is me. No way a long-term loan of one magical tool would sour our relationship.
And after everything I've done for the Mage Tower.
It only had a level requirement of 100. Among the magical tools overflowing in Garnet Hall, this brooch boasted one of the lowest restrictions.
So yeah, it was natural to flinch.
◈ Effect: Increases damage of all physical attacks by 10%.
A level 500 restriction out of nowhere? An unimaginable number popped up.
100 and 500. That's not even a gap you could call a set item.
500 levels. Not long ago, I might've lamented my fate at the sight.
But who am I? A demon hunter who's slain millions of demons on the Arcana continent.
...Technically, the Iron Castle Ho caught them, but.
Didn't I acquire command of the Iron Castle Ho? Just like the Mage Tower, I am the dwarves, and the Iron Castle Ho is me. Proof of that showed right there in my levels.
Name: Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo
Title: Last Adventurer, Sublime
Class: Demon Hunter
Level: 494
Points: 4
Right before entering the Dungeon: City of Gloomy Rain, I was level 490. Clearing the rift got me 4 levels.
Just six steps from the once-unreachable 500. So no, I wasn't flinching at the level requirement.
“Exquisite craftsmanship. Even in its incompleteness, this brooch holds immense value.”
...Not because the brooch was beautiful, either.
Grandfell.
That's right. What made me flinch was the effect of this second Hexagram Brooch.
I double-checked the first one's effect.
◈ Effect: Recovers 10% of mana spent when using magic.
No matter how you sliced it, that was a mage item effect through and through. So yeah, I had some expectations.
The level requirement was five times higher, after all. Maybe the effect was bloated fivefold too.
Maybe I'd never worry about mana again, even without Natural Enemy.
◈ Effect: Increases damage of all physical attacks by 10%.
But what the hell was this out-of-left-field effect?
Increases physical attack damage by 10%? That's not for mages at all!
But if I set aside prejudices and look objectively...
I realized it instantly. This wasn't ordinary.
From the days when Arcana was just a game to now, items that boosted damage were always top-tier.
But most were double-edged swords. Take the Mage Tower's tools like Whirlwind Badge or Luxury - Lightning-Struck Branch Wand. They boosted one spell's power but came with a 24-hour cooldown. Or increased mana cost alongside damage.
But no conditions here.
And the versatility was insane. All physical attacks. Swinging a sword, firing crossbow bolts—heck, even certain magics counted as physical damage depending on the situation. Stone walls, pillars. Mineral-detection spells were prime examples.
“It lacks nothing for wear.”
No, it wasn't just lacking nothing—it was perfectly suited!
Class: Demon Hunter. One purpose: Slay demons by any means necessary.
Strength, Agility, Magic. I'd dipped into three stats others could barely handle one of. A hodgepodge effect like this was actually a boon for a set item.
Truly, investing points in Luck when three weren't enough had paid off.
And this isn't the end.
Two Hexagram Brooches. Equip them together, trigger the set effect, and who knows what bonus activates.
So the only shortfall was my level—six behind 500.
Rain-soaked, but not a bad London rift clear.
From learning the hidden effect of the Sublime title.
To this second Hexagram Brooch—different from expectations, but exceeding them.
And finally, the threat of demon monsters.
“Yet pride and arrogance are distinct.”
Well said, Grandfell. Knowing and doing nothing isn't pride—it's arrogance.
Especially when innocents get dragged in, like today's London incident.
Which meant it was time for a check.
AAU. Were demon possessions limited to the UK branch chief? Time to confirm.
No worries about meeting world branch chiefs. I knew my place.
Clink—
I set down my teacup and spoke.
“I shall inspect your prides.”
They were the ones in a bind, not me.
So now, following decorum and procedure...
First, a change of clothes. No matter how omnipotent the Warmth buff was, it couldn't fix drenched underwear.
*
The media unleashed a barrage on London, the rift, and Lee Hoyeol—no holds barred.
Simple reason: Avoid getting swept away by the backlash.
VBC Newsroom.
Tap tap tap—!
Reporters hammered keyboards like their fingers were on fire.
“Whew. Everyone's hustling.”
Nothing like watching a spectacle. Old sayings never lied.
PD Hyun Yong-seok slurped his Americano, salting the wound.
“Man, no breathing room. None at all.”
Right up to the London incident, media had shaped opinion on Lee Hoyeol—as government spokes or anonymous AAU sources.
Hyun held back a laugh.
“Personal grudges aside, does that even work?”
Lee Hoyeol's notoriety—or infamy—in the newsroom was legendary. He ignored most questions. Even polite ones got curt formal replies.
-“Internal affairs.”
After players who at least humored them, facing Hoyeol must've burned.
Hyun got the frustration, but this crossed a line.
Tsk tsk. He clicked his tongue.
“Making up stories that never happened.”
“...Damn it, Hyun Yong-seok! Fan the flames why don't you.”
“Oh, Senior? You're here?”
“You little shit. Even if you bailed the newsroom with your team, do you have to rub it in? What'd I ever do to you? Whatever. Just get lost.”
Senior Jeong Isaac closed his eyes tight. But who was Hyun? VBC's broadcast maniac—or straight-up crazy.
Senior's pout lit Hyun up.
“Aw, must suck. I'd love to pass out iced Americanos, but left my wallet home today. Maybe fetch some chilled water from the break room?”
“That little—!!”
Senior exploded, eyes bulging—
Crash!
A clamor and frantic voice cut in.
“Ugh, seriously, here again? Ow, my toe.”
Rubbing his sneaker-clad foot: Today Arcana's head cameraman, Yoon Jong-jin.
He grabbed snacks first. Jeong swallowed his rage.
“...Those bastards are tag-teaming us!”
Munching, Yoon continued.
“Where's your phone? Made me hunt you down.”
“What, another fuss? Dying for a London trip?”
“Don't jinx it. You check the footage?”
“Footage?”
What footage out of nowhere... Hyun muttered, then froze.
If it warranted this hype...
“...Jong-jin, you don't mean that one I mentioned?”
“Yes! Exactly.”
“Let's bounce. Too many eyes.”
“Hey! Spill something if you're leaving!”
Ignoring Jeong's plea, the two hurried down the hall.
Yoon whispered.
“CCTV footage caught it. Lee Hoyeol's battle scene!”
Rifts, half-reality half-Arcana. Modern tech like phones and cameras worked fine inside.
London streets' CCTV hit him then.
“Damn, jealous. UK stations must be combing theirs.”
Analyzing fog-shrouded rift happenings. Reporting Hoyeol's feats first.
“Heh.”
“...What's so funny? Plane ticket?”
“You know I'm UK study-abroad alum?”
“Can't string a sentence, my ass.”
“Gotta humiliate like that?”
Yoon smacked his lips. Not wrong, so no sulk. And today, he had ammo.
“English convo? Nah. But us returnees? Network's killer. Scored this vid thanks to it.”
“...What vid?!”
“Pub owner buddy in London sent it. His CCTV. Haven't watched yet, but Hoyeol's on the exterior cam...”
“!”
Snatch—
Hyun grabbed the phone, hit play.
London skyline emerged.
“!!”
Soon, shock etched their faces. Hyun's hand shook.
Even scoop-crazed him couldn't touch this.
The footage was too unbelievable.
“D-does this even make sense?”
One CCTV clip wasn't enough for a report. The scene defied belief.
Hyun muttered in disbelief.
“Wh-who the hell beats monsters with an umbrella?!”
...
Arcana continent got wrecked by demons, right?
Think about it. How many named NPCs were there? Plus boss mobs ruling regions.
They couldn't stop 'em. How can we?
Lee Hoyeol? Sure, amazing. Estimated level 900+. Mage Tower chief. Rebuilt ancient Yusra Kingdom, saved Frost, allied with Goddess Church.
Shadow Mercenaries, Explorer's League. Massive forces all on his side.
“And we players joined via quests.”
“Doesn't make Holy War any less one-sided against us.”
“So we just sit on our hands?”
“Nah, just worried.”
[Scale: Uncontrollable—Arcana natives, mega-guilds, even Transcendents mobilized]
Quest grown massive. Arcana natives, giant guilds, Transcendents. Crowds meant mudfish stirring trouble.
“Can even Hoyeol stay unshaken?”
If the center wobbles, so does the board.
Hoyeol, crusher of demon kings, symbol of peace. Perfect London clear.
Hard to imagine him wobbling, but...
“Too much on his shoulders for optimism.”
Hoyeol's burden was crushing. The world's yardstick for him? Superhuman.
No one could bear it lightly.
“...Impressive, but sometimes pitiable.”
Someone muttered—
Bang—!
The tavern boomed.
“Gaaahhh!!”
A roar followed.
Yusra Kingdom. Golden Calf Tavern's star: Rackid.
Punching through a table. His usual drunken rant, extra heated today.
Players ignored it—
“...Wait, what's that footage? Hoyeol?”
Screen: Breaking news. London CCTV playing.
A level 600 monster, Wraith of the Gloomy City. Hoyeol faced it, umbrella raised.
Straight-backed, fluid swing. Wraiths scattered like water.
Rackid gnashed teeth.
That's not sword aura.
Beyond it. In that instant. Unfathomable heights.
Rage boiled.
“If you're ruining my drink with that pity crap, get lost! Huh?!”
He bellowed at the chattering players.
“Pitying that monster?! Bullshit!!”
...
I stared at myself umbrella-fighting on screen.
...Nailed the form.
Advertising my dark history to the world? Black long umbrella, of all things.
No one as pitiful as me.