Chapter 4
Chapter 4
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Reunion (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A few short days passed, leaving only hours until the Labyrinth Break. During this time, Kim Hyunwoo did what he could.
That was requesting reinforcements from the surrounding territories.
The territory of Lartania, which he needed to rebuild, had been in no state to sustain itself even when he first returned.
Fortunately, not all the nearby territories were in the same dire straits as his. Some seemed capable of self-sufficiency. With that in mind, Kim Hyunwoo sent messages requesting aid, sweetened with overly generous rewards.
He had no rewards to offer right now, but if reinforcements arrived and helped avert the Labyrinth Break, he could secure plenty to hand over.
Of course, this all hinged on reinforcements actually showing up. Kim Hyunwoo waited anxiously.
With only about thirty minutes left until the Labyrinth Break...
[My Lord, people are approaching from the east.]
"!"
At Loria's words, Kim Hyunwoo whipped his gaze eastward. Sure enough, soldiers were trudging toward the Lord's Castle, stepping over the desolate ruins of the territory.
★★★ Hero 'Knight Alto' has entered the territory.
※Caution: Hero from another territory.
As the soldiers drew closer, an alert popped up before his eyes.
Relief washed over Kim Hyunwoo, but he also pondered what additional information he could glean from these rescuers who had come all this way.
His knowledge of this world was sorely lacking overall.
He began mulling over what questions to ask once they arrived—but only for a moment.
"?"
One odd detail struck him.
'...There are too few soldiers.'
By his rough count, fewer than fifty were hauling a massive cart. Realizing something was off, he watched as they arrived alongside a knight who wore an unmistakably arrogant expression—with about ten minutes left until the Labyrinth Break.
"Sorry, but we're not reinforcements."
"...What?"
He heard those words.
"I'll say it again. We're not reinforcements."
The knight introduced himself as coming from the northern territory of Harancia. He responded to Kim Hyunwoo's stunned question from outside the Lord's Castle without missing a beat. Kim Hyunwoo's face twisted in confusion and irritation. But the knight, unfazed, kept his smug smile as he continued.
"Looks like you were counting on us, huh."
Kim Hyunwoo stared incredulously at the knight's mocking sneer.
"If you're not reinforcements, then why are you here?"
"Just here to snatch up the scraps left after your territory vanishes, on our lord's orders."
At the knight's words, Kim Hyunwoo pieced it together, his scowl deepening.
"...Don't tell me you're after the Territory Stone fragments?"
The knight's smile was answer enough. Kim Hyunwoo let out a hollow laugh. Territory Stone fragments. Exactly as the name implied, they were items that emerged naturally when a player abandoned a territory for years, leading to a Labyrinth Break that obliterated it. The number of fragments depended on the territory's level. In Arteil, they were the unique cash shop equivalent—able to substitute for Red Stones, the game's premium currency. That's what this knight was saying. They'd sit back, wait for the Labyrinth Break to shatter the territory and kill Kim Hyunwoo, then collect the fragments.
"What a bunch of bastards."
Understanding dawned, and the curse slipped out naturally. The knight dropped his smirk, frowning instead.
"Watch your mouth."
"Screw off."
The knight flashed the sword at his hip. Kim Hyunwoo chuckled derisively. Of course, he wasn't immune to the fear of a blade. Even knowing he was inside the game, his real-world sensibilities made such overt threats rare and terrifying. But with things as they were, the knight no longer scared him. To Kim Hyunwoo, dying by the knight's sword or exploding like in Arteil's lore during the Labyrinth Break was all the same. Besides, if the knight wanted the fragments, he wouldn't swing that sword. Per Arteil's rules, fragments only dropped from a Labyrinth Break destroying the territory. Invading and destroying it another way yielded only Blue Stones—nowhere near as valuable as fragments. The knight scowled, knowing this full well. Kugrrrggggh—!■■■■■■■—! A monster's roar echoed from afar, accompanied by massive tremors. The knight sighed, a faint smile creeping onto his face.
"No need for me to dirty my hands. You'll burst open anyway."
"..."
The knight twisted his lips into a grin, stepping back from his soldiers—who mirrored his smirk—and putting some distance between himself and Kim Hyunwoo. Not too close, not too far. From there, they could clearly see each other's faces as he sneered. As if intent on watching Kim Hyunwoo die right there.
"What a motherfucking prick."
Kim Hyunwoo barked a hollow laugh at the knight's behavior. ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■—!!! The roars grew closer. Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze. No walls, no barricades. He easily spotted the horde beyond.
"Filthy numbers on them."
He'd endured Labyrinth Breaks dozens of times—in game, anyway.
"..."
But this horde charging straight at them, still distant yet oppressive, hit different in reality. The closer they got, the more Kim Hyunwoo's laugh rang hollow. Up front: goblins clutching rusted weapons, driven mad in the Labyrinth Break frenzy unique to the event. Behind: orcs, wolves infused with labyrinth mana. ...And an ogre, nearly matching the crumbling three-story Lord's Castle in size, barreling forward with a massive club.
"First time seeing a man burst apart. Should be fun."
Kim Hyunwoo ground his teeth at the knight's taunt, loud enough to carry from that distance. Knight Alto stood firm at a safe remove, watching the lord freeze as the monsters closed in. Satisfaction and scorn filled his smirk. 'I wanted to kill him myself, but spectating will be entertaining enough.' As Kim Hyunwoo predicted, Alto couldn't kill him—not with the fragments at stake. Killing the lord outright meant no fragments. If things went south like that, his own master would punish him harshly. A twinge of annoyance aside, Alto smiled, picturing the rude lord of this pathetic territory dying before him. Then...
"...?"
Alto's brow furrowed in confusion. Kim Hyunwoo's face had changed—from tense dread to puzzled curiosity. And atop that... A slight smile tugged at Kim Hyunwoo's lips. Alto mirrored the puzzled look. The monsters were nearly upon the Lord's Castle now. No reason for a cornered lord to smile like that. 'Has he lost his mind?' But Kim Hyunwoo hadn't. The reason he smiled unconsciously at the approaching horde...
The alert floating before his eyes.
That instant.
Kwaaaang—!
A massive explosion rocked the front lines of the charging monsters, flinging them in all directions.
A goblin gripping a rusted sword tumbled headless, confusion etched on its severed head.
An orc split clean in half spilled guts across the barren earth.
Wolves, bloated with labyrinth mana, were pulverized and hurled from the dust cloud.
And when the dust finally cleared...
Kim Hyunwoo saw her.
"...Merrillda."
The wolf with red eyes.
And at the same moment, the knight saw her too.
"...!"
She halted the horde's advance, radiating killing intent so thick it numbed limbs and stopped breath.
Her vivid red eyes glared at Alto, promising to tear him apart, emotions laid bare.