Akkshan Hungers (2)
Let's compare our forces. On one side stands the colossal evil, the Sin of Envy among the Seven Deadly Sins. It's in peak condition, having absorbed a torrent of negative emotions like a fish in water. Not content with that, it's warped the field itself into its home turf, Pis.
On the other side is me, clad in the Dawn Jacket as commander, along with roughly ten Akkshan seniors who have emerged from hell. And that's not all— the Shadow Mercenaries are starting to come to their senses, one by one.
'A pretty sparse lineup for a raid.'
Back when Arcana was just a game, I was clueless about boss raids. My measly level 50 was part of the problem, but the real issue was my demon hunter class. If I was getting kicked from parties, raids were a pipe dream.
But didn't I have players around me who'd been through those days?
'Nam Taemin, Hisagi, Leoni, Shreyg...'
Rankers who'd boasted top-tier skills since the early days. After the Holy War Alliance launched, I'd picked up their knowledge over their shoulders.
That's why I knew just how hastily thrown-together and understaffed this Sin of Envy raid was.
'You'd need at least a hundred bodies piled on.'
Boss monsters were on another level entirely. Without an overwhelming power gap, you needed sheer numbers to back it up. Their defining trait was that insane life force.
Envy opened its maw.
"So this is how the fallen Akkshan rose again..."
Sharp instincts for a colossal evil.
"In the end, just the greenhorns who tumbled into hell, aren't they?"
Hell. Where demons fall.
Right, Arcanshan's Legacy isn't some ordinary skill that summons deceased Akkshan demon hunters. To be precise, it calls forth those demon hunters who peered into the abyss to hunt demons, only to become demons themselves and plummet into hell.
'Like Sword Saint Shegwin.'
Envy burst into laughter.
"How intriguing."
No, it was beyond laughter—pure mania.
"Drag me to hell if you wish."
It gasped between howls, barely stringing words together.
"Creatures left with nothing but their pathetic remnants of past glory!"
I get that assessment. From a colossal evil's perspective, the view would be different.
Demon hunters who'd fallen to corruption and ended up in hell? Yeah, they'd look laughable.
But you don't know, do you? What's happening in hell right this moment.
"Your ignorance makes you all the more demonic."
You've never fallen there yourself.
Of course, neither have I experienced hell firsthand.
But unlike you, I have the experience. The kind where I sweated buckets every single day, without fail...!
"Do not scorn humanity's pride."
Even if they fell to hell.
The Akkshan spirit never fades.
Yes, the grind etched into their very flesh.
Our Akkshan seniors who've repeated physical training in hell, honing their Tenacity.
Tenacity: Converts mental strength into ability scores. Each increase in Tenacity boosts the converted stats further.
And moreover. Unlike me, these seniors have eternally hunted demons in hell.
No matter if they once fell as demons.
Shing—
Now, each and every one boasts peak demon-hunting prowess. That's what it means.
As if to prove it, the Akkshan seniors kicked off the ground and charged.
Hiss!
A visceral reaction echoed from their movements.
"...Who the hell are they, Vice Captain?"
"Where'd these humans pop out from?"
"Never seen Arcana natives like that...?"
The Shadow Mercenaries coming to after Wolf and Alkari.
Even on the brink of death, it was a sight to snap their eyes wide open.
That immeasurable Tenacity. The Strength and Agility converted from it. Plus their seasoned demon-hunting experience.
"Think charging in will change anything?"
The ten demon hunters pressed Envy like a single organism.
No falling for petty taunts and rushing in.
Demon hunters know demon habits better than anyone.
"...!"
Envy's massive body twitched.
With that freely malleable flesh, it'd been lying in wait for a chance to snag one.
Told you. These guys aren't ordinary.
Clank—
Thud—
Stab—
A seamless sequence, utterly unshaken.
It was so concise, you wouldn't believe they faced a colossal evil.
Pure hunting. Just going through the daily motions, the Akkshan seniors felled the colossal evil.
Now the questions turned to groans.
"...Vice Captain Wolf, who the hell are they?"
I answered for the stunned Wolf.
"Akkshan."
"...Akkshan?"
"No way... demon hunters...?"
Now they knew too. Excluding the twitching Henderson and Rackid still down, the Shadow Mercenaries realized I was connected to Akkshan.
But that's not all.
'If the continent has the Demon Eye.'
Reality has camera lenses.
Helicopter cams or satellites.
Now, or just a bit later.
My image would spread across the world soon enough.
Smooth—
Gazes naturally drifted to my attire.
As plain old human Lee Hoyeol, this was mortifying.
'...This suits a stage costume more than battle gear.'
But steel yourself, Hoyeol. Why, they say turn crisis into opportunity?
This was practically a golden chance.
'I can send a proper warning.'
The upper demon kings were already running low on buffs from hunting Gamigin.
Hunting Envy, one of the Seven Deadly Sins colossal evils at this timing?
As Grandfell said...
'It'll make the demons know their place and cower.'
And that's not all.
This warning isn't just for demons.
Cheonha Tongil and Ryu Ojuncheon, clearly tied to Envy.
And Raymon Sean, who unleashed a colossal evil into reality without a single update notice, for whatever reason.
It'll be a stern warning to those no better than demons too.
I raised my gauntlets.
Recalling the sensation from the Sanctuary of the Small Champion Beneath the Mountain Range.
With Natural Enemy boosting my combat power.
Reviving that sense was child's play now.
Mana, sword aura, tenacity—the trinity.
For hunting demons, no holds barred.
The quintessential demon hunter tactics.
I opened my mouth.
"Insignificant demon."
Just phase 2 now, was it? I don't know how many patterns you have left.
But we've got escape routes galore from the wells we've dug.
"Are your stored forms sufficient?"
Ki, Diend, the Black Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol legend...!
Too many to list, the evidence of your flailing litters the field.
*
"You sure that's solid intel?"
AAU Korea Branch.
Yoon Sugyeom questioned the report.
He had to.
Click-click—
He'd been smashing refresh for a while now.
Yet the official Arcana homepage hadn't updated.
His colleague replied.
"Told you, right? It's not just anyone—Second Sun's Shreyg, and the Baker branch chief wouldn't feed us fake news."
London's miracle. Since that day, Korea and the UK had grown close fast.
That led to tight cooperation with the AAU London branch too.
This scoop came from that.
Still, it was hard to buy...
"An appearance message in the Zero Mountains? Without a recommended level? How's that even possible? And no emergency update notices for something that huge?"
Unprecedented events piling up.
"Even calling that bastard every curse in the book... Raymon Sean always delivered. Regular updates for expected stuff, emergency ones for surprises."
But.
Click—
Even now, with the appearance message up and the field warping, no homepage update.
Where did it go wrong?
As Yoon Sugyeom clawed his hair in frustration, quiet Seong Hyunjun spoke.
"What if it's intentional?"
"...Intentional?"
"Raymon Sean's holding back the notices on purpose."
Yoon Sugyeom eyed Seong Hyunjun.
His face asked: Why? What's the sudden wind change?
Raymon Sean had always been pro-humanity.
Providing updates, massive rift clear rewards for players.
Seong Hyunjun continued.
"He doesn't like the recent momentum."
"Momentum?"
"The changes led by Chief Lee Hoyeol."
"...!!!"
Lee Hoyeol. The Yusra chief.
I knew he didn't care for Raymon Sean.
Even those massive rift rewards tempting to any player? Meaningless fame and fortune to the chief.
He'd always said so.
But the open rift hit the world when...
"The clear clash over the access devices."
Raymon Sean's access device grab. The moment Hoyeol doused it like it was nothing.
A voice came from behind.
"In simple terms, a pissing contest?"
"...Chief Park?"
"Not some old fogey. No need for greetings every time. Keep going, Seong Hyunjun."
"Ah, yes sir."
Seong Hyunjun pressed on.
Public reaction to the fiasco. Cheonha Tongil's lone opposition to Hoyeol.
But the core stayed the same.
"He's straight-up blackmailing humanity, that fucker."
Raymon Sean. His game was obvious.
Using update notices to undermine Hoyeol's position.
To crack the world's infinite trust in him.
'What a slimy bastard you are.'
Yoon Sugyeom nodded in understanding.
"Then the colossal evil, Sin of Envy's emergence is a declaration of war."
A warning to humanity defying him.
AAU knew info's value best.
Without Raymon Sean's updates, humanity might've fallen to rift erosion long ago.
That made it all the more suffocating.
Park Minjae ground his teeth.
"Even blackmail from that dogshit..."
Demon monsters. AAU had no solid data even internally.
With them as main foes now, Raymon Sean's info was priceless.
"This goes beyond slimy—it's cheating."
Everyone knew it, not just them. Governments, players too.
If they learned it stemmed from Hoyeol vs. Raymon Sean...
'The arrows might turn on the chief...'
Fucking chest-tightening situation.
Colossal evil. No doubt a beast not to underestimate.
The Zero Mountains message alone proved it.
'Even for the chief...'
He'd struggle against it.
That's what Raymon Sean was banking on.
The moment Hoyeol faltering against a demon—with zero info—hit the world.
Trust in him would crack.
Then, breaking news poured in.
"We've pinpointed the colossal evil's location!"
AAU locked onto it in the Zero Mountains.
The colossal evil appeared on the big monitor.
And.
"...!!!"
All worries proved baseless.
"...W-Wait a sec!"
Even if humanity lacked demon info.
If there was one more versed in demons than Raymon Sean.
Info gaps meant nothing.
The room buzzed—
"That outfit looks familiar..."
"Flowing robes, and that crossbow."
"Th-That wolf over there...?!"
Yes.
More demon-savvy than Raymon Sean.
Bound by instinct to be.
"It's an Akkshan wolf!"
Demons' natural enemy.
Akkshan.
They'd raised the curtain on their revival.
Pssh—!