I'll Put an End to It (1) - Demon King Deletion

The shocking regular update known as the demon king deletion had repercussions too profound to put into words. It was far too severe a change among the players to dismiss as just another routine patch.

Seoul Station was swamped with players milling about. Sure, the colossal hunting ground called the Zero Mountains had opened, but only high-level players could access it anyway, boasting appropriate levels that deterred anyone else. Even with the overall player base leveling up recently, low-level players still outnumbered everyone else by far.

Lee Hoyeol, Skal, Jessie, Nam Taemin, Hisagi, and the like... They should have been gazing upward with burning ambition. But instead...

"Sigh, damn it."

Not a single one wore even a hint of a smile. Their faces screamed they no longer dreamed of a brilliant future as players.

And who could blame them?

"...Should I just quit being a player right now, for real?"

It had felt off somehow from the start. He exhaled smoke from a cigarette burned down to the filter.

"Hoo— Even after the cataclysm, they could still do balance patches. Raymon Sean, that bastard, just sat back and watched people—players—die to demon mobs."

"What a piece of trash."

"Even if you grind levels like crazy, isn't it all pointless in the end? What's the use of barely surviving rifts after all that suffering? If Raymon Sean pulls another balance patch out of his ass, it could all be for nothing."

With trust shattered, the players' spirits broke. Just as feared.

It was a more terrifying shift than the demon kings' disappearance. After all, deleting the demon kings didn't erase the demon threat. Demons lurking in reality saw the news as good fortune.

Demons hiding in shadows chuckled.

'Not only did they croak, but they scattered this negative vibe everywhere before going! Should've played along with his king act while he was alive.'

The pervasive sense of loss among players was already bearing fruit.

Nam Cheolmin flinched upon receiving data from the AAU.

"...What the hell is this number?"

Rift collapse rates had skyrocketed in just one day. Players who'd been proactively clearing rifts had slacked off for a mere 24 hours, and the numbers had exploded like this? Unbelievable. He rubbed his eyes.

"Isn't this a calculation error somewhere?"

Nam Cheolmin clutched his hair, gathering and recalculating data. But nothing changed. The AAU's figures were flawless.

A sigh escaped him.

"So we just didn't notice the feel before...?"

As mentioned, players had advanced greatly—not just the Zero Mountains rankers, but even low-level ones.

In other words...

"Rift spawn rates have been surging way beyond before."

As players grew, the number of rifts they cleared at the risk of their lives had risen proportionally.

Gulp. Nam Cheolmin swallowed dryly.

The AAU must have sent this seeking solutions.

"Damn it."

But he hung his head.

"We're barely holding our own as it is..."

The Giant Alliance. They were players first, before being the Holy War Alliance.

They were steeling themselves with pride against this cursed update, trying not to show it, but it was still grueling.

'If Hoyeol wasn't around...'

At least there was solace in the forces from the Arcana Continent that Hoyeol had rallied. They were once called NPCs. Would they be swayed now by Raymon Sean's balance patch?

Marcelo's words echoed in Nam Cheolmin's mind.

—"We've endured far too many trials, after all."

Thus, the Arcana natives' mental fortitude had hardened through adversity.

"They're reliable, truly."

Mage Tower, Yusra, Frost, Muon. While players ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠drowned in chaos, Arcana forces mobilized in earnest—ready to tackle rifts in their stead.

Nam Cheolmin muttered.

"...But we need to see the forest, not just the trees."

Quenching the immediate fire was temporary.

'Of course. Right now, the Arcana natives are strong.'

Currently, no player except Hoyeol could claim to match their level.

But players grew fast. His brother Nam Taemin's words surfaced.

—"Harkon acknowledged my talent as a master."

Through the system, players could outpace Arcana natives.

Nam Cheolmin kept it in mind.

'If it's a world Raymon Sean designed...'

Someday—though uncertain when—foes beyond even these Arcana natives would emerge. Only grown players could counter them then.

Yet...

"To plant seeds of doubt like this."

It was now certain. Raymon Sean was humanity's enemy—not just any foe, but a vile one deceiving and dooming them.

Nam Cheolmin shook his head.

"Get it together, Cheolmin."

Shake off distractions, devise countermeasures. Disperse the Giant Alliance's forces at the Zero Mountains, deploy to collapsing rifts, rotate shifts...?

As he racked his brain for the best option, his wrist buzzed loudly.

"...!"

The smartwatch vibrated only for one thing: new posts on the official Arcana homepage.

Nam Cheolmin swallowed unconsciously.

Bzzz—

"..."

Thursday had passed. This was an emergency update, not regular. Normally, he'd dive in excitedly from occupational habit.

"Hoo."

But now, it felt obligatory. No matter the update, it reeked of dancing in Raymon Sean's palm—naturally unappealing.

"Pull yourself together, Cheolmin."

Still, duty called. That was an analyst's pride.

Nam Cheolmin logged in with a grim face.

"...What the hell is this all of a sudden?"

*

AAU. Branch chiefs in emergency session. An unusually heated debate unfolded.

"So how exactly are we supposed to take this?"

Park Minjae nodded slowly. Finally, something solid—made him feel like he was actually working.

"What do you think? Twilight Descendants popping up out of nowhere at this timing! A pureblood magic race scrapped in development!"

London branch chief Baker chimed in.

"As far as I know, there was no lore tying Twilight Descendants to the Demon Realm... Why appear right after the demon kings' deletion?"

Park Minjae nodded.

"Precisely. Twilight Descendants had zero ties to demon kings or demons. Their only lore was wielding 'Twilight Mana' and 'Twilight Magic', inaccessible to ordinary mages."

Twilight Descendants— the name alone screamed prestige. They were a race linked to classes.

Memories from his Cosmo days resurfaced vividly.

—"Yes, mages were overly popular from launch. Just announcing a mage-exclusive race would've wrecked class balance. Twilight Descendants? Wielding mysterious purple magic? The future was obvious, wasn't it?"

Raymon Sean had scrapped the project for that reason. Back then, Park Minjae and many developers had swallowed their regrets.

Someone noted.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Ditching that lore left the mage class unbalanced."

Especially the class [Grand Archmage].

Grand Archmage Jessie Haynes—a vital asset to humanity. Though ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the cataclysm hit during setup, preventing AAU from sharing much intel...

"If Twilight Descendants were realized, wouldn't some of the Grand Archmage's late-class quest lore involving them remain? What do you think?"

"I hope so. We can't rely on the Chief forever. If Jessie grows from this update..."

"But coldly speaking, are they even allies?"

A sharp point. AAU lore was mere blueprint. Experience had taught them no one could predict realization.

Silence fell again.

Baker suddenly asked.

"You're awfully quiet today, Mr. Park?"

"Haha, am I?"

Normally, Park Minjae would dive in most passionately in such frustration. Especially with a regular and emergency update—he'd seethe at Raymon Sean.

Yet he calmly checked his watch.

Someone probed slyly.

"Got a hot date after?"

Park Minjae waved it off.

"No, just checking the time."

"Come on, a date?"

"...Your outfit says otherwise."

It sounded like an excuse, but it was true. He'd been glancing at his watch before the meeting.

The reason was simple.

'It's about time...'

AAU Chief. The deadline in Hoyeol's submitted statement was approaching.

'No, practically simultaneous.'

Hoyeol's deadline matched the emergency update timing.

That let Park Minjae stay calm. Hoyeol had never betrayed trust once.

"Huh? What's up?"

Breaking news spread to the chiefs: word from the Mage Tower.

Amid startled chiefs, only Park Minjae nodded.

"I've been waiting, Chief...!"

*

Mage Tower's top floor. I descended the stairs.

Clack— Heels clicked, mingled with gasps of awe.

"To think they've advanced this far."

Pureblood magic race, Twilight Descendants.

'Gilded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to excess.'

The descriptors and name hit 'someone's' tastes dead-on.

But set that aside. Plenty else demanded thought.

Start with basics.

'So the Claudys are tied to them too.'

The great house's meddling knew no bounds. Influence stretching to places even I didn't know.

Of course.

'Past is settled; now matters.'

Debts I didn't know? I'd rather not owe them, and we'd cleared them with Omen anyway.

No need for debate. Debts aplenty regardless.

Thanks to my and the Akkshan seniors' diversion, Mary's clan—the Twilight Descendants—had been restored to the Arcana Continent.

"I wonder if I can even be of help like this."

Mary scanned the tower as she spoke. I clicked my tongue inwardly.

That's not humility, Mary—it's deception.

'Insane manifestation power.'

Portals between reality and Arcana drained even me heavily. Especially post-mana exhaustion and rejection loops.

Yet she'd kept that damn timely promise.

'Impossible alone.'

Returning to the tower on schedule? Thanks to Mary's 'aid' in manifesting the portal.

Not mere mana—'power'. Simple reason: her purple mana aided every step—scouting, interference, manifestation.

Magic harmonizing perfectly with others'.

'No such thing in my magical knowledge.'

Parachute? I've published enough research. As a proper Mage Tower chief now, me too?

Anyway.

"No need to limit yourself, Mary."

I'd glimpsed potential in that Twilight Mana and Magic. So I brought her to reality.

Now knowing Omen's nature, borrowing its power offended Grandfell's noble pride—unthinkable.

Yet I'd glimpsed a substitute in Twilight Descendant Mary.

And more.

'Must be chaos.'

Reality without me. Most players knew nothing of Omen. Then the demon king deletion update hit.

I could imagine their mood. Yes, Mary was the card to reverse it.

Balance tweaks. Deletions. Raymon Sean's meddling—all rendered meaningless.

I figured Mary alone sufficed. Even in Grandfell-speak to reporters, AAU would follow with Twilight Descendant supplements.

But our Grandfell ever the eccentric...!

Reaching the Mage Tower lobby.

Clack— Flashes burst with the sound.

Before the throng of reporters, I declared.

"I know your concerns. Yet all is mere unfounded worry."

Properly riling Raymon Sean's nerves.

"If proof is needed, behold."

Flutter— The Dawn Jacket on my shoulders billowed.

Unyielding, arms spread wide, I concluded.

"For balance's sake, deny my very existence if you dare."

Grandfell-speak translated: Delete me, player Lee Hoyeol.

With Omen pinned by Akkshan seniors, impossible—but!