Disaster Level: Claudy (1)
Yong Seong Rak made his mark in Cheonha Tongil after the cataclysm. Whether due to Ryu Ojuncheon's brainwashing or not, he knew he'd lived more fiercely than anyone.
Even abandoned on the Arcana Continent, Yong Seong Rak never despaired.
"......What the hell?"
But despair now clouded the eyes that had once shone with conviction.
Yes. Because the system message he trusted as much as himself had issued its verdict.
'N-No way.'
Lee Hoyeol. He was beyond anything he could gauge.
Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo appears.
His long full name didn't register. All he saw was Claudi. That single word.
It confirmed the man before him was Lee Hoyeol.
A question was directed at Yong Seong Rak.
"Is that man the adventurer claiming to be Claudy?"
At Letel Akmond's question, Yong Seong Rak's nerves frayed.
'You still don't get the situation......?'
Back when Arcana was just a game, he'd experienced war quests like this many times. Of course, his relatively low level meant he never played a key role.
But one thing was clear: hunting might be solo, but war wasn't. Even boss raids required a party.
Solo clears were possible because monsters had predictable patterns. Break the pattern, and you win.
War was different. In a chaotic battlefield of tangled players, no fixed patterns existed.
Standout players were often swiftly crushed by organized tactics.
'I'm specialized for that role myself.'
His class: Blockader.
Yong Seong Rak glanced at the chains coiled around his forearms.
The Blockader applied debuffs through chains and linked enemies to restrict their movement.
No matter who Lee Hoyeol was, he couldn't focus on Yong Seong Rak's class amid the chaos.
If push came to shove, Yong Seong Rak might even chain him to snag contribution points.
He'd half-jokingly considered it in his mind.
But an appearance message? It hit him too late how insane that idea was.
The voice came again.
"Are you listening, adventurer?"
Asking for a name in this situation? Did she truly feel no threat?
Yong Seong Rak ground his teeth and spoke.
"Yes. The adventurer Lee Hoyeol for sure."
Not satisfied, he added,
"I wondered who was claiming to be Claudy—Grandfell, no less. He's mimicked it pretty meticulously. That shining silver hair and radiant halo exceed my imagination of Claudy."
Daring to appraise Lee Hoyeol?
'......Not the time.'
Yong Seong Rak reached a conclusion.
An appearance message on the battlefield signaled an overwhelming power gap. His extensive player knowledge confirmed it.
No chance for Akmond, let alone the four families.
His survival-honed mind gave the answer.
'Split now.'
Slip away unnoticed. Or if impossible, grovel at Lee Hoyeol's feet.
Extreme choices only.
But Yong Seong Rak overlooked something.
"Everyone, prepare."
Pledge loyalty to Akmond.
🎁 Reward:(Success)
"?!"
Hadn't he said it himself? The system was absolute.
He'd already kissed the back of Letel Akmond's hand. That act pledged his loyalty.
Thud—
Yong Seong Rak hesitated as he undid the chain knots.
'Damn it!'
If he could, he'd shove the appearance message in Letel's face.
But impossible.
Thus, against his will, the war began.
East, west, south, north. The four family heads declared open battle.
"Advance."
"Tear apart the ghosts of the past."
"Trample them. The empire is ours."
But they all overlooked it.
They weren't in a position to issue orders here.
Silence crept into the family heads' voices.
"Igignite □□□......?!"
"In the name of □□□......!!"
"Warriors of □□......?"
"□□□□. □□□□? □□□□......!!"
Letel clutched her throat, coughing.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't utter "Akmond." Not her family name, her own surname.
"Family head, are you alright?"
"No mana reaction detected."
"What trick is this?"
Retainers and soldiers murmured.
"......Don't waver."
Even then, Letel hadn't realized.
She thought it some bizarre ploy by the Claudy impostor.
This was why she couldn't trust adventurers.
"Ignore it and advance."
But that was another misjudgment.
Her servants had betrayed her expectations long ago. Her mercy was withdrawn.
At the battlefield's center. Toward Hoyeol, standing tall on both legs.
Soldiers charged from all sides.
Thud thud thud thud—!
"!!!"
The ground shook simultaneously.
From the soldiers' momentum? No, beyond that.
Crunch crackle thud crunch—!
"......Th-The ground is moving!!"
The earth quaked violently. As if it might collapse or erupt any moment.
"What sorcery......!"
Soldiers' eyes turned to the lone enemy.
But the man didn't twitch.
He stood arrogantly, as if he'd foreseen everything. Expression unchanged.
That composure unnerved the charging soldiers.
'......His doing, surely.'
'Magic? Impossible. No detection or interference caught.'
'Can't cast with arms crossed anyway!'
For player Yong Seong Rak, it was shock.
'N-No way?'
Like a boss monster warping the field. Was Lee Hoyeol reshaping the battlefield?
Could a mere player do that?
Did he have to die like a dog?
'No, can't be.'
Yong Seong Rak gritted his teeth and shouted—not at Lee Hoyeol, but at Letel and the four families.
"Please lead the way, family heads! Without your aid, we're nothing. Mere meat shields. So."
Prove your confident attitude.
If you truly seek to rule.
Don't just stand back while allies die.
"Lee Hoyeol...... No, Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo. As he stands alone to defend the empire, prove your unyielding might!!"
Murmurs rippled.
Proof the soldiers empathized with Yong Seong Rak.
'You think I'll die alone?'
Letel's gaze nearby, the other three heads' from afar.
But Yong Seong Rak wouldn't back down.
If death loomed, why not rage at the end?
Did his desperation reach them?
A voice echoed in the silence.
One he'd heard countless times in reality.
Lee Hoyeol's voice.
"Courageous one."
"......?"
Their eyes met.
"I shall remember thy face."
"......!"
Short exchange. His lenient tone seemed no warning.
Yet chills worse than the appearance message prickled Yong Seong Rak's skin......
*
The four families. Under Claudy's discipline, stripped of names and blessings.
Choking unable to speak their names.
Yet their formidable forces showed no leaks.
'Damn.'
This unyielding pride.
As their family heads, vowing responsibility, I stood alone before them.
'These guys are no joke.'
Even with Predator-Prey Relationship active, victory wasn't assured. Numbers overwhelmed.
'But I have my aces.'
I eyed the shaking ground.
Some might think I was recycling architecture magic again.
Fair, since I'd leeched off it plenty.
'But not this time.'
Yes. Shaking the earth now wasn't me.
The four families' symbols guarding Claudy Territory.
Statues modeled after the first generations.
Why buried underground?
-We have no excuse, family head.
They couldn't believe their descendants' betrayal.
Politely asked via Diend to confirm the unworthy heirs themselves.
Desperate enough, I approved and opened a portal.
Target: beneath my feet. Antonium Plains underground.
Standing them openly would've drawn insane aggro.
And now.
Krunch—!
The statues, having witnessed all.
Their emotions transmitted through the ground.
Then, resolute voices.
-Grant us the chance to end our family histories with our hands. Give this meager house Claudy bestowed the final pride.
You have acquired command over Igignite Maxima's Incarnation.
You have acquired command over Clenz Yugric's Incarnation.
You have acquired command over Smite Kansel's Incarnation.
You have acquired command over Letel Akmond's Incarnation.
Current status: Awaiting orders
Tsk.
I clamped my mouth shut and whispered inwardly.
'Stay still and half are done, Hoyeol.'
Best to nose-pick without lifting a finger, right?
Especially since the incarnations did nothing wrong.
Ignoring ancestors' pleas due to descendants' sins felt off.
'Still, insurance means allies are needed.'
As I pondered leeching fully.
Among charging soldiers, a familiar-looking man shouted.
"Please lead the way, family heads!"
Fine so far.
"Lee Hoyeol...... No, Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo. As he stands alone to defend the empire, prove your unyielding might!!"
What? Grandfell Claudi Arpeus Romeo?!
Who the hell was that? He knew my full embarrassing name!!
Luckily, the mystery cleared fast.
Why he looked familiar: I clocked him as a player.
Unknown player? Must be Cheonha Tongil. Only they had log-in devices besides me.
But that wasn't the point.
'Cheonha Tongil or whatever......'
How did he know Grandfell's full name?!
I wanted to seal his mouth and erase the memory with magic.
But Grandfell's pride wouldn't allow it.
Besides.
'Why are they moving?'
Responding to the man's plea?
The four family heads stepped forward—toward me.
Boldly, unaware what awaited below.
'......Saved some effort, at least.'
Had they not, I'd waste mana or time fighting soldiers.
Grateful yet queasy.
Unable to show it, I calmly spoke.
"Courageous one. I shall remember thy face."
We'll chat later, you and I. Starting with how you learned my full name. And your schemes on Arcana.
But first.
Time to deal with the root cause.
I shifted my gaze to the approaching family heads.
Was Claudy's lore ordinary? Naturally, each head was formidable.
Blessings mere scraps to Claudy.
Over ages, unchallenged, they'd grown mighty.
Heirs of that caliber? Expected.
But you know, right?
I, Grandfell, followed procedure.
Kindly wrote it on parchment and sent it.
Confiscation.
All they possessed—returned to me.
In Claudy's name, stripped.
So.
Rumble—
The ground split.
The four families' incarnations emerged as if waiting.
"!!!!"
I timed it perfectly.
"If ye have forgotten thy place, I shall remind thee."
Precisely.
"Receive."
As Claudy's family head, I declared.
"I am thy master."
"......!!!!"
Then, in the silence.
Successive thuds.
Thud.
'Submission' occurs to Letel □□□□.
One thud.
'Submission' occurs to Clenz □□□.
Another thud.
'Submission' occurs to Smite □□.
Finally.
'Submission' occurs to Igignite □□□.
Thud.
The four families. All heads knelt before me.