Who Do You Think We Are? (2)

Akshan. Really, no matter how many times I think about it, it's absurd. Can't even retire in death? What kind of class is this, seriously?

But now I finally understand. With the gates of hell flung wide open, the reason demons couldn't pour out from hell.

Clank— Because their natural predator was guarding the gates of hell.

The flames of hell gradually took on human form. The blazing inferno made it impossible to discern specific facial features, but it was clear enough. Swords and crossbows gripped in both hands. Nothing symbolizes a demon hunter more vividly than that.

Soon, a message appeared before my eyes.

The reward that had popped up the moment I completed the Simuard Family's Request quest. Increased relationship and influence with Akshan.

So it wasn't some bug after all. Everything had its use.

Back then, no matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn't make sense ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of it. Akshan was wiped out—what did this even mean? I even got annoyed about it.

'Well, who would've thought Akshan would be in hell...'

If not for the AAU's intel, I wouldn't have even considered it.

My influence in Akshan? Obviously. Back when Akshan existed on the Arcana Continent, I was just a low-level scrub. I should be grateful even one responded.

But still. Demon hunters being headstrong? No one knows that better than me.

......Totally doing their own thing, all of them.

With the gates of hell open now, the demon hunters in hell must be watching the rift's spectacle too. Which means, for demon hunters like the ones I know, regardless of relationship or influence, they couldn't just stand by and watch demons right in front of them.

Clank! Clank! Clank! The loading sounds never stopped.

Before I knew it, dozens of demon hunters stood beside me.

"!!!"

The snake, which had been arrogantly consistent until now, along with the dog and bird's momentum, deflated in an instant.

No wonder. You know better than anyone why natural enemies are natural enemies.

I opened my mouth.

"I know of your labors."

Before the message appeared, I had suspected but wasn't certain.

As expected, how brazen, Grandfell.

But this time, I won't nitpick his words.

Demon hunter. I don't know each one's individual story. But I can guess.

They must have endured Akshan's absurd training because each had their own backstory and motivations.

The sole survivor of the Claudy family, Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo—hereinafter Grandfell—walked the path of the demon hunter to avenge himself against that demon.

Just like Grandfell.

So they had no choice but to be serious.

Even if they became demons while hunting demons. Even if they died by their comrades' hands and fell to hell because of it.

Their pride remained unbroken. Just like that nameless youth from Dreadsden village.

"I too know that solitude."

And that pride was preserved, passed down to Akshan's last survivor—me.

A legacy isn't something taken lightly.

But my innate pride is so heavy that, to keep from sinking, I've been thrashing steadily.

Clank— Amid the demon hunters of hell, I too drew my sword ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and crossbow.

Why, didn't I say it clearly with my own mouth?

—"The demon king struggle is mere fodder to us."

I know full well that players aren't up to snuff to shine in the Holy War.

I know that without Predator-Prey Relationship or the First World Tree's Blessing, I'd be no different.

But if you've realized your shortcomings, you just push forward.

Not just the demon king struggle. Everything in the Holy War becomes fodder for growth.

No, we must grow.

—"We'll be the adventurers' shield."

For Arcana, to repay their sacrifices.

So from now on, I need to focus too. This is my first time witnessing true demon hunter combat.

I can't miss a single thing.

'How did they perform like that in the Holy War?'

I'll witness Akshan's demon hunter secrets firsthand.

Why, I'm confident in copying what I see, at least.

Good thing I focused. Demon hunters aren't called that for nothing.

They can't hold back when they see a demon.

Whoosh! Crossbow bolts shot out in an instant.

[Nine-Headed Hellhound: Lv.900]

[Anaconda that Devoured Great Demons: Lv.920]

[Demon Realm Legendary Species, Banshee Bird: Lv.900]

'Starting with ranged suppression, huh.'

The moment I tried to fire my crossbow following the demon hunters.

Thud!

A sound rang out.

Thud! Thud! Three times, even.

Wait a second...... What am I looking at right now?

"Is that so."

What do you mean 'is that so' so calmly, Grandfell?

900-level named demons dropping from mere crossbows?

They weren't just staggering. They were collapsing like they'd taken fatal wounds!

"......At last, we draw near the throne."

Then they closed their gleaming eyes as if in final words.

Hold on. Where's the demon hunter combat, the secrets? What am I supposed to copy?

Taking down those monsters with just a few crossbow shots?

"Akshan's pride has not dulled in the slightest."

Regardless of his calmly chattering mouth, I racked my brain.

A few crossbow bolts felling a 900-level monster. Thanks to Grandfell's eyes, I could see it.

'They just pulled the trigger plain and simple.'

No skills or special techniques in the process. It was just ordinary shooting.

In crude terms, a 'basic attack.'

They'd hunted a 900-level named monster with basic attacks.

'......Purely overwhelming with stats.'

Is that even possible? It defies common sense......

The moment that thought crossed my mind, a word flashed through my head.

Class quest.

—Train your weakened body. (Repeat)

If you infinitely repeat a pure physical training quest like that, maybe it was possible.

No, wait. Don't go there, Lee Hoyeol......!

Think about your current routine.

'Even now, the training volume is unbearable!'

The more you repeat it, the higher your stats, the more the quest goals would rise. Obviously.

Demon hunter, this damn class is all grinding!

But despite my inner scream, my mouth opened.

"Indeed, you remain wholly Akshan."

......I thought I'd absorb Akshan's secrets and take the easy route.

In the end, I'm still doomed to pure suffering.

Soon, a message appeared in my view.

Rumble!!

At the same time, the rift began to shake.

Normally, I'd sigh in relief that it didn't collapse today either.

But not today. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠'plan' isn't over yet.

In the crumbling rift, I straightened my back rigidly.

Now the real start begins.

......Clear messages popped up one after another.

The players couldn't hold back their awe.

Is this the true power of the Arcana natives?

Amid eyes of reverence, Harcon Kingsguard spoke.

"Have you seen it, adventurers? Whether you believed or not, we have kept our promise."

To ensure not a single casualty.

To the demons who turned our home, the Arcana Continent, into scorched earth—no more would we lose anything.

The Arcana natives had staked their pride and upheld their vow.

Harcon continued.

"So will you believe us now, adventurers? You possess infinite potential. You can grow stronger than us—beyond us."

Players, stats, skills. Concepts still incomprehensible to Harcon.

But these weren't empty words for morale.

Why, hadn't they watched over the adventurers even before the cataclysm?

Harcon smiled faintly.

"Do not forget the past."

"......?"

"In Arcana, your very existence was a miracle in itself."

"!!!"

Back when Arcana was just a game. Players could naturally respawn.

There was a death penalty, but the Arcana natives couldn't comprehend the system.

To them, players were miracles incarnate.

Harcon pressed on.

"Of course, I still believe in that miracle."

Rumble!!

The crumbling rift.

Harcon murmured inwardly.

'......No, even if I can't believe it, I have no choice but to believe.'

The meeting in the Golden Palace came to mind.

—"At least millions of demons will swarm us."

—"Have you considered it?"

—"What do you mean, Lord Hoyeol?"

—"Among millions of demons, only a few dozen will claim thrones. Those who fail perish in the process."

Hoyeol's question was one they hadn't considered.

—"Then what becomes of the millions of demon corpses?"

—"......Corpses?"

—"Do you remember, Harcon? And Giant Alliance?"

Giant Alliance. Nam Taemin, Leoni, Hisagi.

The moment their names were mentioned, Harcon easily recalled.

The memory of Frost. The day Frost appeared in the adventurers' world, it was filled with citizens' corpses and blood.

Corpses and blood were the sacrifices for the demon king's resurrection.

—"......Lord Hoyeol, you don't mean...?"

To him, who belatedly realized the demon king struggle's hidden side, Hoyeol had said:

—"The demon king struggle won't end with selecting new demon kings. The newly arrogant throne-holders need to be instilled with hierarchy."

Yes, for that.

—"The upper demon kings will have no choice but to reveal themselves."

Upper demon kings. Beings of such vast power that even manifesting required immense sacrifices.

But the demon king struggle had plenty of sacrifices.

As Hisagi confirmed:

—"When the demon king summoning in Frost was interrupted, Decarabia used his subordinates as sacrifices to revive. Sacrifices don't have to be human. Which means......"

Hoyeol concluded.

—"Even if we slay all demons and prevent new demon kings' ascension, the upper demon kings manifesting remains unchanged."

As always, he continued.

—"But our goal of demon hunting remains the same."

To hunt even the belated upper demon kings.

But contrary to the grand goal, the plan was simple and clear. Summarizable in one of Hoyeol's phrases.

—"Yes. I will hunt the upper demon kings."

That was why Hoyeol entered the rifts alone.

"......How will you hunt demon kings—upper ones, no less—in a collapsing rift? My lord, I still cannot comprehend."

But he simply believed.

Adventurer, Lee Hoyeol. That he would work his usual miracle.

The moment Harcon desperately hoped for arrived.

From the sky of the crumbling rift, a massive shadow loomed.

Murmuring players.

"......What the hell is that?"

Clop!

Soon, an eerily massive horseshoe sound echoed.

A message appeared in the players' views.

......Wait, an appearance message?

When a rift clears, players return to reality. That's an unbreakable Arcana system rule.

But they aren't instantly booted. Like now, until the rift fully collapses, there's a brief grace period.

So they can watch, just like this.

Countless demon corpses floating in the air.

As the rift crumbles, the distances between rifts collapse too?

Corpses gathering from all directions.

Damn, there are a ton.

'Well, not surprising.'

They're sacrifices for upper demon kings, after all.

Soon, a massive shadow loomed over the rift.

But the shadow's shape felt familiar. A horse.

The [Cracked Dimensional Gap] rift Karim Jeba summoned. The exact same horse silhouette.

"Persistent, are you? Or perhaps."

You never gave up since then, huh?

"Do beasts lack the capacity to learn?"

As if answering my words.

Clop!

The horseshoe rang out.

A message appeared before my eyes.

With Grandfell's brain that memorizes magic tomes by heart, how could he not know the rankings of the seventy-odd demon kings?

Gamigin. I remember that name vividly.

Demon king ranking 4th. One of the absolute top upper demon kings.

No joke, normally I'd bolt to reality immediately.

'An appearance message in a level-1000 appropriate rift......'

How strong could it be? Beyond imagining.

But thanks to your miscalculation. Thanks to your arrogance in opening hell's gates.

I wasn't alone.

Just like Grandfell, not cowed before an upper demon king.

Roooar— Instead, hell's demon hunters burned with pride beside me.

The demon hunters who, in that disadvantageous Holy War, forced Greed to suicide and cast ten demon kings into hell—they were with me.

So everything is going according to my plan.

I pulled a demon item from my inventory.

The rift's collapse meant my time was fleeting.

But the flow of time in the 'ritual' was under my control.

"Tremble in fear."

So come, Gamigin.

Demon king of the fourth throne.

I chanted proudly, as always.

"Akshan has returned."