The Names of You and It (2)
Agentress asked.
"Tempest Over the... Is that your name?"
No, don't say such horrifying things, you too. ...I'd rather die of shame than endure this.
This utterly absurd naming sense shows no sign of improving.
That aside.
I'd wondered if it was okay to name the Akshan wolf whatever I wanted.
"Awoo—"
Well, it seems happy, so let's let it slide for now.
Of course.
Grandfell was not one to gloss over anything carelessly.
"Tempest over the horizon. There is no name more fitting."
As if worried Agentress might not understand,
he even added a most gracious explanation.
Thanks to that, Agentress nodded in understanding.
"Indeed, if it carries such meaning, I comprehend."
At this point, it's a matter of pride.
To think she'd accept such a ridiculous name.
Of course, it wasn't entirely wrong.
Recalling the Akshan wolf's appearance...
It had truly swept in like a storm—no, the name Tempest wasn't the least bit undeserved.
The only issue was the overly flashy packaging...
Thus.
"Lee Hoyeol."
Be grateful he didn't say "Lee Hoyeol Claudy"—sincerely.
Agentress murmured my name repeatedly, as if committing it to memory—Lee Hoyeol, Lee Hoyeol—before continuing.
"We should settle on a form of address."
A form of address? Fine, whatever.
Now that we've resolved to work together,
we can't keep calling each other by name so stiffly forever.
Truth be told, whether by age or the World Tree's lineage,
I should be the one deferring...
As if that's possible.
With Grandfell's personality? No chance.
Nor did we have cause to demand equality outright.
So, some vague sidestepping was the only option.
"A title is but an empty formality."
"...Is that so?"
"Call me as you wish."
"Very well... I understand."
Up to here, it was perfectly ordinary conversation.
But this damn mouth of his.
That loose tongue was always the problem.
"Just as Yunak Seus addresses me with respect."
"...?"
Anyone could see it was blatant prodding!
Our Grandfell's thick-skinned impudence knew no bounds.
Agentress feigned surprise.
"Hm..."
Not just any dragon—Yunak Seus addressing me formally was clearly shocking.
In the old days, she wouldn't have batted an eye.
Our relationship was that bad.
Unlike Yunak Seus, who diligently called me "little brother,"
Agentress had called him not "elder brother" but "lizard."
But that was the past.
After a brief hesitation, Agentress continued.
"...Then I shall do the same."
This must be what it feels like to receive a full bow on your knees...?
It felt utterly embarrassing somehow.
But I couldn't show it.
Better hurry before that tongue wagged again.
— Track the Primordial Evil.
(In Progress)
Did it sense my intent?
Or perhaps it lived up to the Akshan name.
Sniff sniff!
Tempest's nostrils twitched as it swiftly tracked the Primordial Evil's scent.
It was a relief, really.
Times like this, no eyes from the Arcana continent—no players watching.
Objectively speaking, my current appearance...
...must be quite the spectacle, no?
The faster we moved, the more my Dawn Jacket draped over my shoulders billowed—simple physics.
And atop it all, riding the Akshan wolf, once the face of the Akshan.
An unforgettable sight.
Any ranker would recognize us instantly.
It'd be like advertising to the world:
Lee Hoyeol's class is Demon Hunter!
Of course, no reason to hide my class.
I just didn't want to flaunt this garishly extravagant look to anyone else...
In that sense, it was fortunate.
Only Agentress and the Sky Demon Eye bore witness to this mess.
I was steeling myself with positive thinking, forcing gratitude,
when—
"!"
Our pursuit path.
Something loomed on the horizon, as if blocking our way.
No need to identify it visually.
The presence hit my skin first.
No doubt.
A demon.
And no ordinary one.
"Grrrr!"
Tempest sensed it too.
It veered sharply, charging toward the writhing demon.
So very Akshan—to never let a demon be.
As I thought that—
Crunch!
On the barren plains of the Arcana continent.
A demon emerged from the ground.
The stench wafting forth.
Flesh chunks of unknown origin tangled chaotically.
Its size alone was ominous.
Not reality, not a rift—no update notes to check.
But the rising message told all.
You're no ordinary one, are you?
Appearance message.
Triggered when a monster overwhelmingly stronger than local foes emerges.
No comparisons nearby, though.
But a Demon Hunter's instinct sufficed.
No mere true-named demon.
No—even stronger than a Demon King.
The next message confirmed it.
Like the ice dragon Proznax.
Its mere presence began altering the surroundings.
Its flesh rapidly covered the ground.
Someone might question it.
Just a random encounter—how could it be stronger than a Demon King?
But don't overlook this.
I wasn't crossing the continent for ordinary reasons.
I was hunting the Primordial Evil.
The Primordial Evil.
Not content with sowing discord among the World Tree, dragons, and elves,
it tampered with the Tree of Good and Evil, ultimately toppling the World Tree.
Would such a being meekly let us chase its tail?
What do you think? Right on the money?
The quest updated in response.
— Track the Primordial Evil.
(In Progress)
● Defeat the Primordial Evil's Byproduct.
(In Progress)
Class-exclusive skill as reward.
Use it to slay the monster.
Grow stronger through experience.
Now that's a class quest progression.
Yes, all good, but...
This scale is way too huge!
No wonder even Agentress said it.
"I shall handle it."
Even without the World Tree's blessing, elves are mighty.
Just look at Elcidoir slaughtering demons players couldn't touch.
Yet.
"I shall follow shortly."
Agentress said that.
Meaning, she needed to send me ahead—an opponent not to be taken lightly.
That's why the scale, the difficulty, was insane.
And its name: Primordial Evil's Byproduct?
How is that a byproduct?!
Different.
From ordinary demons, even Demon Kings—the aura alone.
Above all, no emotion in its movements.
Purely.
Moved by evil alone.
I spoke.
"The bottom of the bottom, is it."
The stronger the demon,
the more Grandfell's sneering maw belittled it.
"Worst of the worst" meant exceedingly powerful.
Think, Hoyeol.
Joint assault first.
And gauge its strength.
Primordial Evil's byproduct, was it?
Needed to measure its power.
How many more byproducts we'd face in pursuit?
I couldn't know.
Need to conserve strength.
Tempest, Agentress, and me in tandem.
Quickly dispatch the byproduct.
Chase the Primordial Evil together.
Obviously the better judgment.
Of course, I revealed none of my meticulous calculations.
I moved fluidly, like flowing water.
Dismounted Tempest, stood beside Agentress.
And intoned.
"Then I shall hurl that bottom into the depths of hell beyond."
My words barely fell when—
"Awoooo!"
Tempest kicked off the ground, lunging at the byproduct.
A speed befitting its name.
In an instant, nose-to-nose.
Crunch!
Its fangs severed a tentacle, tearing it free.
No flinching—lacking emotion, perhaps.
Just writhing flesh as ever.
Feels no pain?
Well, no emotions.
Bold enough to appear amid the Black Dark Dragon Legend raging on the Arcana continent.
Agentress spoke as I watched.
"I shall join."
A mana bow materialized in her grasp.
Grandfell's talent: awakening to it from mere observation.
Thus, I instantly grasped Agentress's mana mastery.
Search, interference, manifestation. No process at all.
Simply put.
If ordinary mages calculate with formulas and tools,
Agentress computes in a flash.
And elven magic evolved differently from human.
This wasn't mere curiosity.
"A splendid manifestation."
Yet Grandfell deemed it satisfactory.
No wonder she manifested the portal to Peace, Sisli.
Her arrow flew from her grasp toward the byproduct.
Whoosh!
Tempest's close combat.
Agentress's ranged support.
Perfect synergy.
Not even a Great Evil could withstand such onslaught.
Akshan's spirit beast, Tempest, instilled terror in demons.
Agentress's strikes guaranteed criticals.
Yet no messages rose.
Tempest's command under me, as was Agentress's.
Any status effect should notify.
Silence meant simple: no status inflicted.
From that, I intuited.
"I see."
You have something like mine, do you?
"If there is blessing, there must be its shadow."
The World Tree, where good and evil coexist.
Opposite the First World Tree's Blessing must exist "something."
Apparently countering status effects.
That realization?
...Infuriating all over again.
This a real class quest?
Need the Blessing just to contend with it?
Meaning, perhaps only I—who monopolizes the Blessing—
can fell it.
And its master, the Primordial Evil.
Another burden laid upon me.
Want to whine, but...
To Grandfell, meaningless.
Would he ever refuse hurling demons to hell?
No hesitation.
"Withdraw, Tempest."
"Grrr..."
Even at my word, Tempest couldn't calm its excitement.
I understood.
Couldn't forgive the demon that ruined Akshan so.
But as I said: now it's fine.
I spoke magnanimously.
"I know your heart."
"Grrr..."
"My heart is no different."
"...Rr?"
No, perhaps.
Deeper, darker even.
Bearing Akshan's weight like Tempest, plus Claudy's past.
Me and Grandfell.
Yes, in demon hostility,
my backstory yielded to none.
But.
"You know, don't you."
"...?"
"Negative emotions fuel demons."
"...!"
"Even if forgotten, we awaken them one by one."
Ever the proper posture, for reason.
Only then did Tempest distance from the byproduct, returning to my side.
Agentress asked, eyes fixed on it.
"Will you face it alone?"
Yes.
Seemed only I with the First World Tree's Blessing
could inflict proper damage.
Of course, not confirmed yet.
I replied to Agentress.
"For now, no other way."
"Such..."
"But not forever."
"...?"
Watch closely, Agentress.
In my battle with the byproduct.
Its weakness!
I reached for the sword at my waist.
Felt it before even grasping.
Illusion Breaker's pulse.
Impatient, was it?
The moment I gripped it, a voice rang.
"I have been waiting, my master!"
Ugh, deafening.
That aside...
What were you waiting for, so ominously?
"At last, the time to unfold my legend!"
What? Legend?
Illusion Breaker, you don't mean...
All this time, fixated on the Black Dark Dragon Legend?
Some rivalry? A competitive spirit?
If so, please stop.
Even now, it's overwhelming enough...
But salt in the wound.
Agentress's keen eyes.
Wouldn't overlook the sword's extraordinariness.
She politely inquired repeatedly.
"...If I may, might I ask the sword's name?"
N-Name? Illusion Breaker, Sword that Cleaves Phantasms?!
Excuse me or not, this is hell in every way...!!