Episode 196
“Lord Black Dragon, I don’t think that person is an NPC.”
“I know, right?”
Hanbit nodded at Avantgarde’s words as he slowly rose to his feet. The four-letter name tag
[Ostis]
and the dark red line attached next to it.
The viewers were just as puzzled by this situation.
-?
-Isn’t this a quest field?
-Who are you?
-A bug?
-If it’s a bug, why is it attacking Banga?
-??
External players cannot intervene in independent quest fields.
In that case, there are two possibilities to consider.
One. That he is an ambiguous existence somewhere between a player and an NPC, like Momo.
Two. That he is a player who is also involved in this episode.
If it is the first reason, it is not surprising, as there is a precedent.
The problem arises if the second is the cause.
'It is true that he belongs to the Holy Kingdom.'
That man, Ostis’s white armor, was crafted using the technology of the Holy Kingdom.
The materials used in its production and the unique shapes visible here and there
were one of the common characteristics seen among the artisans there.
However, he has no recollection of hearing the name Ostis in the Holy Kingdom.
Whoosh!
Hanbit took a stance, gathered the wind, and swung his weapon wildly forward.
Swish!
“Cough!”
“Groan!”
The enemy mages and troops waiting in the forest were sliced through in an instant.
Hanbit looked at Ostis, who was rising alone a short distance away, and asked,
“Who are you?”
His face was sinister, even in the dim light.
He looked as if he would unleash a curse just at the mere mention of conversation.
“…Black Dragon.”
Ostis glared back and muttered quietly.
As expected, this man had come seeking out someone who knew exactly who the Black Dragon was.
“Well, I suppose asking won’t get me an answer.”
Hanbit let his sword hang down and simply set his target.
He could try to provoke a conversation by bringing up the Holy Kingdom, the Goddess, and the Other World.
However, expecting that conversation itself was merely wishful thinking.
Now was the time to attempt subjugation first.
Ta-ta!
Hanbit kicked off and instantly closed in on the enemy.
Ostis, gripping the handle of his mace, watched the movement and swung his weapon.
Whoosh!
The chains that appeared as the gap opened strangely altered the trajectory of the mace.
Reading even that fleeting change, Hanbit struck upward with his wind-blown sword.
*Kaang!*
The colliding mace was engulfed in a storm and bounced away.
*Whoosh!*
Ostis, having hooked his arm onto the chain to protect his weapon, quickly stepped back.
*Pow!*
At the same time, the creature's body began to glow white.
A radiance strong enough to dispel the darkness.
It was the same type of power used by the assassins of the Holy Kingdom.
It was quite unexpected that this had been manifested as a skill.
*Thump!*
Just as the radiance reached its peak, Ostis kicked off and charged forward.
*Whoosh!* The
mace surged forward, scattering afterimages of light.
The weapon, which was heading toward Hanbit's face, changed direction at the last moment and headed toward the ground.
*Kwa-gwa-kwang!*
Along with a tremendous roar, a violent impact shattered the ground.
*Thump!*
The fragmented earth disoriented Hanbit.
Seizing the opening, Ostis swooped in, pulled the chain, and swung the mace with great force once again.
Whoosh!
This time, the attack flew directly at his face.
With his balance broken, he had no choice but to endure it.
But Hanbit was different.
Bang!
Deliberately leaning back even further, he kicked the handle of the charging mace hard.
Thump!
The mace, having slipped from Ostis's hand, finally bounced into the air.
Whoosh!
At the same time, flames shot up from Hanbit's sword.
Giving no time to react, he immediately kicked off and charged forward.
Whoosh!
A sharp blade flew toward Ostis's waist.
Reacting belatedly, he tried to dodge, but his body wouldn't cooperate.
Slash!
Ta-da!
A long, sharp cut to the waist.
Despite the damage, Ostis did not falter.
Pulling another hammer-like weapon from his inventory, he charged at him once more.
Slash!
Hanbit sliced it down, handle and all, and approached half a beat faster.
Whoosh!
The blade struck Ostis in an instant.
Just before it could sever the neck, Hanbit changed his trajectory.
Swish!
The pure white blade dug deep into the shoulder of the black creature.
Swoosh—
At the same time, a shadow stretched out from beneath Hanbit's feet.
It surged forward in an instant, snatching freedom from Ostis's body.
Whoosh—
Hanbit drew his pure white sword.
Then, turning off the broadcast microphone, he said,
"I think I won."
"…Heh."
Ostis let out a snort at the casual remark.
Raising only his gaze, he glared at Hanbit and said,
"You are destined to lose in the end. Just as the incompetent Goddess of Silence did."
It was a statement with no intention of hiding the truth about the gods.
Something fanatical was carried in his gloomy eyes and voice.
He was not merely provoking, but genuinely condemning the Goddess of Silence.
Watching this, Hanbit decided to add his own provocation to the mix.
“Did you say you’re the Goddess of Turmoil? You seem just as incompetent.”
“How dare you…!”
Ostis’s body twitched violently at the abrupt remark.
Had it not been for the Shadow Binding, he looked ready to headbutt.
Hanbit continued his provocation.
“Isn’t that right? Just the fact that we haven’t found Erfort yet shows we’re on the same level.”
“Shut up! That’s all our fault for being inadequate as mere servants!”
“Then I guess you have no eye for people either. The goddesses’ level is pathetic, isn’t it?”
“You damn bastard…!”
As if reaching his limit, Ostis’s face turned bright red.
His uninhibited reaction was transparent enough to see right through him.
Grinding his teeth, he continued in a voice filled with rage.
“You seem to be acting arrogantly without knowing your place. Do you think I’m the only player deployed in this episode? Not a chance.”
“Yeah, I suppose there are others.”
Just as Hanbit’s party did, it is, in a way, only natural that they, too, form teams to act.
The problem lay in failing to anticipate the intervention of the enemy player.
“You devised a plan to lure us in. But that meticulously drawn plan will be twisted from start to finish. That unwavering face of yours will soon crumble.”
All of Hanbit’s progress information from the broadcast had been shared with them.
Intervening at this time must have been a decision made with all of that in mind.
However, there was one thing they overlooked:
not every element was revealed through the 'broadcast.'
“You think the plan will be twisted?”
“While we are wasting time like this, what do you think the situation in other cities has become? The Royal Capital? Artois and the nobles? They will make movements much more rapidly than you anticipated; do you think there is a way to deal with them?”
A sneer mixed with a gloomy voice.
Hanbit, watching this dryly, straightened his pure white sword.
“Fine, kill me. Nothing will change. Soon, my hair will turn white…”
Slash—!
Ostis’s head was severed before he could even finish his sentence.
*Swoosh*
—as if it had been an instant death judgment, his body began to fade away in an instant.
[Experience points increased by 3,000,000.]
A message appeared the moment it completely vanished.
A voice followed.
“Lord Avant-garde!”
The man who had rushed over from beyond the forest was Cowen.
Approaching closer, he spotted another person and his eyes widened.
“Black Dragon!”
Cowen seemed relieved for some reason.
Hanbit pointed to the dark forest and said,
“We’ve cleared out all the troops on this side. We won’t be able to use the decoy strategy, though.”
“No, that operation has been halted. It seems the enemy’s offensive is so fierce that retreat itself is impossible. It looks like monsters are even swarming in.”
“Really?”
The strategy of luring them to the defensive line, chosen to capture the ringleaders of the anti-state forces and the nobles,
was naturally halted due to the appearance of a player from the Holy Kingdom.
“What is more serious is that a massive military force has reportedly appeared in the royal capital. According to Zenith’s report, it seems to number in the tens of thousands, so we might have to prioritize that place.”
“Ah.”
The reason Ostis had displayed such an arrogant attitude.
If he had deployed troops of that magnitude to the royal capital, it would be understandable that he would feel confident.
“Alright. I’ll handle it.”
Ding-
[Experience points increased by 3,000,000.]
[Hidden Achievement: The Invisible Shadow achieved.]
[Main Quest #6 completed.]
[Main Quest branching point reset.]
[Progress rate increased significantly.]
[Main Quest #7: Invasion II]
Facing a new enemy of the Holy Kingdom.
We must stop the massive military force of the Royal Capital, which has emerged as a major variable.
Objective: Stop the large-scale troops appearing near the Royal Capital.
Reward: Distributed after results are assessed.
Time Limit: 2 hours
*Current Progress: 58 percent
*If the time limit is exceeded, the main quest will be treated as a failure.
The main point of the continuous message was simple:
eliminate the invading forces within two hours.
Failure is unacceptable.
“Cowen, you and Edlen, keep an eye on the situation in the nearby city. Monsters might storm in.”
“Understood. I entrust the Royal Capital to you.”
Nodding, Cowen rushed straight to where the troops were.
Hanbit turned on the broadcast microphone and addressed the viewers.
“Since a player has intervened on the Holy Kingdom side, we will proceed with the episode broadcast turned off.”
-??
-It was a real player?
-Was it even possible to intervene in an episode?
-Is it even possible to be affiliated with the Holy Kingdom?
-I can't even watch the broadcast because of these vermin;
-Ah, sh*t;
-Anyway, good luck
-Come back victorious.
Viewers poured out all sorts of reactions to the unexpected situation.
Most were pure condemnation of the enemy side.
The rest were chats of support.
“I’ll record this video and upload it to the channel. I’ll wrap this up quickly and see you again.”
With those words, the stream ended.
Avant-garde, who had been watching, approached.
“I ended my broadcast early as well, but I never imagined there would be a player in the Holy Kingdom. It looks like the situation is going to get quite complicated; what do you plan to do?”
Avant-garde had turned off his stream the moment Hanbit arrived.
It was only natural that the Holy Kingdom player, whose very existence he was unaware of, appeared as a bundle of variables.
“It’s fine. We can deal with the increased troops, and I can anticipate how the situation will change.”
“What about Artois and the nobles? Won’t they make sudden moves, just as that man said earlier?”
“Those sudden moves will be poison. After all, it is the incompetent sword, Lakmos, who is rallying the nobles.”
Ostis aimed for a result where the Royal Way would be defeated without giving anyone a chance to respond.
However, Lakmos was a man who always stumbled at the most critical moments.
Their failure to grasp this habit was their mistake.
Conversely, it was also a formidable weapon Hanbit possessed.
He immediately opened the screens of his party members.
'Ifrit is fine.'
Ifrit, specialized in city defense, was handling the surging offensive well.
Although it appeared to be aiming for a pincer attack from monsters and the army from a different direction, it could not penetrate the wall-like city.
'Is that a player?'
Beyond Kim Jae-ha's gaze, a woman was casting spells while holding a staff. Her
attire, a blend of modern real-world fashion, clearly did not belong to an NPC.
'Temosha… as expected, it is not easy.'
The forces of Temosha, to which the twins had been deployed, were being pushed back to one corner.
The terrain there was vast, and the dynamics of the battle were unbalanced.
With so much cover such as rocks and trees, it was naturally difficult to react accurately to the situation.
Fortunately, thanks to the abilities of Noeul and Haneul, they were retreating with minimal damage.
“There are players mixed in with the forces of the Holy Kingdom. I will go, so please wait instead of engaging them head-on. Noeul and Haneul, please hold out just a little longer.”
After conveying this message to the party members, Hanbit took out a ring.
Then, looking at Avantgarde, he said,
“I will head to Temosha. Let’s take care of that area first.”
