Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The All Master Who Regressed to Bronze
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Demon King's Castle.
The heart of the Demon King Subjugation War, where the castle's core and the Demon King himself resided.
The final battlefield that was clearly destined to be the center of this game.
Naturally, the raiding party gathered to conquer this place consisted solely of top-tier players from the Integrated Gold League participants.
A coalition of nearly fifty elite players.
They were confident.
'This is a sure thing.'
'Choi Shin-hyeok. The perfect chance to put that arrogant bastard under my heel.'
'Heh heh, I wonder which piece of gear that guy will drop.'
'Hiya! My world! This world's about to be mine!'
They were certain they couldn't lose even if they wanted to this time.
With such unshakeable bravado, they scoured the Demon King's Castle, and the moment they arrived at its core...
-Kroooaaarrr!
-Kraaaah!
-Roooaaar!
"...It's pretty packed in there."
"Those things are corrupted by demonic energy. They're not ordinary monsters—they're demonic beasts."
"Hmm, demonic beasts are always about one and a half times tougher than regular monsters."
The castle was filled to the brim with monsters.
More precisely, they were awestruck by the demonic beasts tainted by the Demon King's Castle's energy.
"Hoo, what are you all afraid of! We're the heroes here to sever Demon King Choi Shin-hyeok's head and shatter the castle's core! Charge! Heroes!"
"Yeah! High risk, high return!"
"Forward, holy knights! It's time to grant peace to these souls corrupted and fallen to darkness!"
"Light, grant us the power to stand against the demonic here."
But with Hong Deung-pyeong and the other top players stepping forward to rally morale, and holy knights and priests scattering radiant holy power to push back the demonic energy...
Preparations for battle were complete.
Kwaaaang!
The castle's forces and the raiding party's players clashed ferociously.
Kwachak! Peoseok! Udeuk! Bwaaaaang!
Hundreds—no, thousands—of demonic beasts against dozens of players.
Numerically overwhelmed, but the players were seasoned, capable, and coordinated.
And surprisingly, at the center was Hong Deung-pyeong.
"Left flank! They're forming a wedge! Watch for breakthroughs! Front line first row, fall back! Second row, advance! Third row, hold! Second row and beyond, move immediately after!"
His rare-class job was Warrior, but his trait was Martial Arts Library.
A trait that let him access any martial arts manual matching his rank.
Thanks to mastering the Zhuge family's strategy-related arts from within, he could command dozens of players single-handedly.
'It's a shame I can't lead from the front, but my strength isn't standout compared to the others. Better to rack up contributions this way.'
Hong Deung-pyeong had risen to this position later than most, so he lagged behind the other elites.
To be precise, he couldn't overwhelm the other top players.
But since no one else could either, it wasn't an issue—
'Elise Veronica. She's just circling the outskirts, so first place in contributions is basically mine.'
Elise, one of the few who could dominate others, had been schemed into the outer party, letting Hong Deung-pyeong command without worry.
And there was another perk to being the commander.
"Duvil! Take out that one over there!"
"...Isn't that too deep?"
"Didn't you already agree to follow my orders? Talking like that now won't make me think well of you."
"Tch, fine."
'Phew, this'll wear down the stamina and mana of players on my level.'
He could push potentially threatening rivals into the toughest, riskiest spots.
As Hong Deung-pyeong smirked...
"Krooooaaaarrr!!!"
"...Gah! What the—"
"Fear! There's a fear user?!"
"Tch, fall back first—get out of the fear range—"
"Uwaaaah, we're getting pushed! Pushed back!"
A single sudden roar flipped the battlefield.
The fear embedded in it sent some exposed players into panic, tilting the balance toward the beasts.
Players, including Hong Deung-pyeong, widened their eyes searching for the roar's source—no such thing had appeared in the castle before.
But their efforts were in vain; the source had no intention of hiding.
Thud!
A heavy thud echoed.
With it, a black giant emerged.
"Th-that's..."
"No way, why's your bro there?"
"Invalid! Invalid!! This game's invalid, totally invalid!!!"
No player could forget the two stars from that infamous recent broadcast.
Especially since they'd come to catch the other one.
"Slaying the Sovereign's enemies is the duty of his subordinates. Warriors, your great warrior has arrived to lead you. Charge!"
A black-skinned orc, bare-chested without proper armor.
A crude glaive slung over his shoulder, his deep, resonant voice instantly commanding the beasts.
-Roooaaar!
-Kraaaah!
-Keeeek!!
The brief lull shattered as the beasts charged madly. Players scrambled to block them, eyes locked on the massive black orc approaching slowly.
For them, the surprise guest Tarkan lowered his glaive from his shoulder and took stance.
"Kraaaah! Earth Shatter!!!"
Kwaaaaaang!!!
A brutal strike cracking the entire floor before him.
As if an earthquake hit, players bounced up into the air, and Tarkan followed with a cleave.
"Tree Splitter!!!"
Kwaaaaaang!!!
An aerial attack, weakened but devastating to airborne foes.
"Kuhhh!!!"
"Damn, what power!"
"Shit! My armor! I just got it fitted!"
Most caught in it took heavy damage or irreparable gear harm.
Yet players sighed in relief.
"That guy's weaker than on the broadcast?"
"Broadcast level and half would've wiped most of us. But we survived. Simple: even if Choi Shin-hyeok's a monster, he can't control something like that at full strength."
"Alright, let's do this."
"Just this once—'temporary alliance.'"
Tarkan's strength was markedly less than the broadcast, still brutally strong but manageable for fifty elites.
They rallied their will.
But they'd forgotten something.
"Eagle's Eye, Stag's Legs, Wind's Embrace, Earth's Gallop."
Chwahhh!
Shamanism etched into the beasts' flesh.
"Earth God's Blessing."
Hwaaaah!
Blessings rose from the ground, coursing through their bodies.
When it ended...
-Grrrrowl...
-Kroooaaar!
-Kueeek!
"...Don't fuck with me."
"A skilled buffer equals dozens, but this is ridiculous..."
"Didn't notice in the 1v1 with Choi Shin-hyeok, but it's this bad?"
"...Hah, Diamond warriors are tough enough, now hundreds of beasts buffed by Diamond shamanism?"
"This calls for giving birth to Dottie?"
"If birthing fixed it, I'd pop one out too, damn it."
Hundreds of beasts empowered by Diamond shamanism.
Players sighed and charged at the growling horde with blood-red eyes drooling at the mouth.
Sgagagak! Kwaaaang! Kwaddddduk! Wooddddduk! Bwaaaaang!
A symphony of combat sounds echoed through the Demon King's Castle.
Just hearing them conveyed the battle's urgency, ferocity, and explosiveness.
Hundreds of demonic beasts.
Empowering shamanism.
Yet they didn't dominate the field.
"Fuck! Block that damn orc bastard!"
"You wanna try it your—kwek!"
"Shit, another one down near the lord. Call up the next frontliner!"
"Goddamn. That's 'weakened'? Then how the hell did that psycho Choi Shin-hyeok beat him at full power?"
Tarkan.
That single black orc ruled the field.
Shabby attire.
Crude glaive.
But like a wolf among sheep, he butchered players—or crushed them, same result: death.
Yet the players prevailed.
"Goddamn orc bastard."
"Hated that guy since the broadcast."
"...? Racist much, judging by skin color?"
"Shut it."
"Yes sir."
Hundreds of beasts annihilated.
Tarkan surrounded by twenty players.
Survivors weren't pristine, but Tarkan was far worse.
His obsidian skin dulled, countless wounds bleeding profusely.
Yet unyielding, showcasing transcendent will, spirit, and body—but defeat loomed.
"Orc. Any last words as the loser?"
"Loser... Fits me perfectly. But isn't it funny? A flock fearing even a loser like me dares ask that."
"...Tch! Shut up! You're done anyway. If you want an easy death, stick out your neck. You don't even die permanently, right?"
Hong Deung-pyeong stepped forward for a safer capture; Tarkan chuckled bitterly, realizing something.
"...Ah, right. This place still has death immunity. Sweet deal. But sadly, I'm not bound by this dimension's rules. Can't hand over my neck easily."
"What bullshit. Speak plainly."
"No words left for frogs in a well. Sigh, but you've restored some stamina and morale—fair trade for the fun. Come on, round two."
"This crazy fuck... Kill him! He's out of strength and energy!"
Still under death immunity—the "newbie tag" of the Integrated League.
Realizing his sovereign Shin-hyeok was beyond norms, Tarkan gripped his glaive anew.
"Sorry, can't let that happen. Subordinates aren't bound by dimension rules—dying's a hassle."
"...What?"
"Choi Shin-hyeok..."
"Why's he coming from outside?"
"Wasn't he at the top of the castle?"
"Shit, were we just played by Chain Sickle Jenny...?"
"Too burly for Jenny, though..."
"Doesn't change we're fucked."
From the rear—through the door they'd opened—came Shin-hyeok's footsteps.
Players whipped their heads around.
He was the Demon King, so shouldn't he greet heroes from the throne with 'Fufufu, I've been waiting'?
This absurdity twisted their faces.
"...You went to clean up the outer party."
"Yeah."
"Cowardly feint..."
"Wish I had; you beat the drums and gongs."
"...Damn."
Hong Deung-pyeong bit his lip, realizing why Shin-hyeok came from outside, trembling.
'It's over. Him here means outer party's wiped. Raiding party's barely twenty, all battered. It's clear.'
He'd thought he'd overcome all trials.
But the real trial stood unscathed before him. Hong Deung-pyeong stepped forward resolutely.
Conserving most stamina and mana via command, pristine, Shin-hyeok tilted his head.
"What?"
"I challenge you to 1v1. The league's decided anyway—let me die honorably."
"Hm."
Hong Deung-pyeong's ploy: defeat certain, nothing to gain—fight 1v1, lose "honorably," scavenge scraps.
Shin-hyeok replied gravely.
"Our Hong Deung-pyeong is absolutely not world-class."
"...What?"
"Don't delude yourself into 1v1ing me. Associating with you is insult and shame."
"Th-this, thiiiis!!!"
One line shattered Hong Deung-pyeong utterly.
No scraps allowed—pure cruelty.
Unable to retort, choking on curses, his face flushed crimson.
"Farewell. You mere mortals who played in my absent Demon King's Castle."
"W-wait...!"
Kwaduk!
Shin-hyeok clenched his fist to end them.
Seeing it, players scrambled for defense, attack, pleas—
"...!!!"
Kwaaaaaang!!!
Heaven-Destroying Peng Bird Fist.
The heaven-shattering peng bird fist pronounced their end.