Episode 221
[This ranking was determined by considering all complex factors. Please be advised in advance that the calculation criteria may be changed or adjusted depending on changes within the game.]
[Player Ranking]
1st Sirius (Adult Faction)
2nd Steel (Hardliners)
3rd Cheon Su-rin (Adult Faction)
4th Kenshin (Adult Faction)
5th Everett (Adult Faction)
6th LLLL (Moderate Faction)
7th Vishne (Adult Faction)
8th Nightmare (Hardliners)
9th Xiaohui (Adult Faction)
10th Erich (Adult Faction)
… … .
-?
-Huh?
-Is this for real?
-7 out of the top 10 are Adult Faction?
-Even looking at the top 100, over 60 percent are Adult Faction. Lol
-Is this balance for real?;
-Weren't those bastards secretly cheating?
-Crossing the line?
-Huh? I'm getting angry?
[Scammer has donated 5,000 won.]
[Something smells fishy.]
Viewers expressed skepticism regarding the Adult Faction that had taken over the rankings.
“Wow, this is unbelievable…”
“I didn’t know the gap would be this wide.”
“The Moderate Faction is barely ten or so.”
The Twins and Pingpong also reacted with disbelief.
However, Hanbit’s gaze remained fixed on the number one ranked member.
'…Sirius.'
The Black Dragon’s records, confirmed through the lightless tablet.
They mentioned the two goddesses who existed in the beginning and the two dragons of black and white.
And the name of the White Dragon in Hanbit’s knowledge was none other than Sirius.
'It can’t be a coincidence.'
The Black Dragon nickname that had been forcibly assigned to him.
That dragon, whose name and existence were not clearly known, was clearly on the side of the Goddess of Silence.
And knowing this background, the nickname of the Adult Faction’s number one ranked member overlapped with the White Dragon’s name.
Just like an adversary standing on behalf of the goddesses.
[Ranking: 4,502]
'He was already at the level of the advance team.'
Hanbit's ranking was 4,502nd.
Although he didn't fully understand the calculation criteria, he had reached a position equivalent to the previous mid-level advance team while the 7th episode was in progress.
-Wow, f*ck.
-4,502nd?
-If it was 'previous,' wasn't it the advance team?
-Breaking the all-time record;
-He's just a crazy guy. Lol.
Viewers who saw the ranking were astonished.
It was indeed a phenomenal rate of growth.
Ding-
Just then, an alarm sound rang in his ears.
It was a message from Yeonwoo.
"Yeonwoo"
"Hyung! Go to this link and watch the press conference! It's starting right now!"
'A press conference?'
Taken aback by the sudden news, Hanbit accessed the link.
In the video that played immediately, he saw a press conference venue bearing the logo of the large corporation, Eblio.
"Hello." "I am Everett, ranked 5th."
The brown-haired woman stared at the camera with green eyes.
Rank 5.
She was a player of the Holy Body Faction.
"-Huh?
" "-Isn't that person a singer?
" "-If it's Everett, he's world-class.
" "-But he's ranked 5th?
" "-That's totally cheating, lol."
Viewers who saw the woman's face poured out all the information they knew.
Meanwhile, Everett continued his remarks.
"We members of the Holy Body Faction are doing our utmost to bring victory to the Goddess of Turmoil. This unwavering will is the driving force that allows us to become an even more powerful force." "
-?
" "-Goddess again?
" "-Are they all collectively insane?
" "-I admit they're over-immersed
." "-Please live your real life."
Once again, the story of the Goddess was tossed out.
Just like Verdict, he seemed to have no intention of hiding it at all.
There might have been a change in the internal policy of the Holy Body Faction.
"We do not seek the understanding of ordinary people." "But let me warn you of just two things."
Everett stared at the camera with an expressionless face.
After a brief pause, she continued in a clear voice.
"Do not interfere with us. And do not side with our arch-enemy, the Black Dragon. One wrong choice will lead to ruin."
Having delivered this chilling warning, Everett rose from her seat.
She walked around the desk and headed toward the camera.
Once she was completely within close range, she lowered her stance.
Then, grinning, she said,
"Black Dragon, the real competition begins now. I hope to see you suffer a crushing defeat alongside your goddess."
*Click*—the
live video cut off with the cursed words.
The viewers were the first to be shocked.
-Whoa.
-The main enemy?
-No wonder they were picking fights like crazy;
-One faction actually declared him the main enemy. Haha.
-Why are you doing this to our kid?
-Black Dragon, I think we're screwed.
-This won't do. Let's rally the viewers.
-Fact) Even having a million viewers is useless.
-???: How are we supposed to beat Balder?!
The declaration thrown out by the Adult Faction, and by the 5th ranked one at that, carried considerable weight.
It was a determination to punish not only Black Dragon but also anyone helping him.
They appeared overflowing with confidence and hostility.
“They just said it outright.”
“It looks like there will be a lot of clashes going forward.”
The twins’ reaction was nonchalant.
It was likely because they had considered them enemies all along.
However, Pingpong’s expression was grim.
“No…….”
Having only spent a mere few hours with him, he did not know the full story.
It wouldn't be surprising if the warning from the Adult Faction, which appeared overwhelmingly dominant just by looking at the rankings, weighed heavily on him.
“Why, do you want to back out?”
“Huh?”
“You’re just scared of getting swept up in it.”
“…Ah.”
At those words, Pingpong let out a short sigh as if he understood.
Then, showing his screen, he continued speaking.
“It wasn’t that I was scared, it was that I was shocked. I even went to the Everett concert a few months ago. To think he’s ranked 5th while doing that activity… it’s truly unbelievable.”
“……?”
-?
-Were you a fan?
-A twist of fate, *shivers
* -Fan meeting (ruin)
-I even went to the concert in Korea… … .
Hanbit was left dumbfounded by this reaction that completely defied his expectations.
Watching him, Pingpong smiled and said,
“Did you think I would run away? Absolutely not.”
“Don’t what you mean?”
“You said you’d take me to DD Studio, didn’t you? I’m someone who wants to see the peak. Enough to empty my entire fortune to buy this shield.”
-Oh.
-You’re not running away from this?
-You have ambition.
-Hmm, the peak is the Black Dragon.
Pingpong banged on the Guardian's shield.
He had looked flustered when the recruitment was mentioned, but it seemed he was just surprised.
After glancing at the ranking list for a moment, Hanbit averted his gaze and said,
"Then let's stop here for today. The actual progress won't happen until tomorrow anyway. Viewers, I'll see you tomorrow."
– "The waiting time can't be helped. " – "
My dopamine levels just went through the roof;" – "Too bad . " – "See you tomorrow." – "Ryongba. " – "Bye bye ." Thanks to the 12-hour waiting time, the viewers obediently accepted the broadcast ending. Hanbit immediately ended the stream. "Is it okay to leave from here? The Adult Faction might storm in." Haneul, who had been keeping watch outside the window, asked in a low voice. It was a natural concern, but there was no need to worry about it in this place. "It's fine. Even if they come looking, there is nothing we can do." The Old Elf Village was under the jurisdiction of the Investigation Team. And the team that brought Hanbit's party consisted of Hylen and Ivela. In other words, launching an ambush had to be interpreted as a declaration of intent to fight them. If they made such a foolish choice, I was actually willing to applaud them. “Send me your contact information, Pingpong. I’ll contact you tomorrow, Haneul and Noeul.” “Understood!” “Yes!” *Click*—Hanbit ended the game and removed his gear. Picking up the smartphone lying by the bedside, he sent a message to Yeonwoo. “You have the National Game Strategy Center contact information, right? Send it to me.” *** The next morning. Leaving home early, Hanbit arrived at the semi-basement of a building. It was the meeting place Ryu Seong-ryong had sent. *Creak*—the iron door opened with a sound before he could even ring the doorbell. The face that appeared was familiar. “Please come inside.” Ryu Seong-ryong, with an appearance similar to his character. The way he exuded both sharpness and tranquility simultaneously felt intriguing. “Is this an unused office?” Hanbit asked, looking around the shabby interior. Aside from a whiteboard, a table, and a chair, there was nothing else in the place. “I’ve prepared a spot that is as inconspicuous as possible. I’m worried that the movements of the Holy Body faction might become strange.” “Are you referring to the real world?” “They are the people who serve the Goddess of Turmoil. They wouldn’t pick a fight only within the RP, would they? Ah, you may sit over here.”
Ryu Seong-ryong guided me to my seat with heavy words.
As I sat down at the table, he took his place opposite me and continued speaking.
“Our center has identified the Black Dragon’s residence. I do not want to cause you any inconvenience, but it seems we will need to keep the surroundings on alert for the time being.”
“I expected this from the moment I heard you were a state agency. If you mean a dispute, how far should I go?”
“Just as it is for us, RP is not a simple game for the enemies. You must assume that if things go wrong, they could easily resort to contract killing. Even if that doesn't happen, there will be plenty of people whose eyes will go wild for the ownership of the RP.”
“…Well, I suppose so.”
A game is just a game.
There were far too many complex elements to apply this sentence to RP.
Although Hanbit’s identity was not yet known, I did not expect it to remain hidden forever.
“Will the time for extreme action come after you obtain a clue about Erfort?”
“That is my opinion. It seems even the members of the Holy Faction haven't quite grasped the situation yet. The reason they aren't taking down Lord Black Dragon immediately is likely due to the possibility that they might find something. So that they can seize that clue at any time.”
Erfort, who must be found to clear the RP.
Even the Holy Faction, with their many Rankers, seemed unable to find a decisive clue yet.
However, the situation was the same for the Hanbit of the past.
“I have no clues regarding Erfort either. I haven't found anything even by the final round.”
“I think Round 55 was probably preparation for this moment. Actually, you have never experienced becoming this strong so quickly, have you?”
“…That is true.”
Hanbit had grown at an incredible speed thanks to various benefits and systems.
Although there were many mixed elements here and there, it was to an extent unimaginable in the past.
Surpassing his own peak was not a distant prospect.
Of course, that was a story likely to be experienced by other survivors of the Other World as well.
“Mr. Ryu Seong-ryong, you said you only completed one round, right?”
“Yes. The Goddess of Silence guided me just before I was involved in a traffic accident.”
“A traffic accident?”
“You know the story about being sent to another world if you get hit by a truck? You could consider it similar to that.”
“…….”
Ryu Seong-ryong, who had been transported at a very critical moment,
was completely different from Hanbit, who had been dragged away while drinking water.
“Is that why you follow the Goddess of Silence?”
“I cannot say it’s not at all, but I revere her character and sincerity. It must be because I clearly felt her determination to try to stop the destruction of the world all by herself.”
Ryu Seong-ryong wore an expression as if recalling a happy memory.
Hanbit had also had quite a few conversations with the Goddess, but he hadn't heard a single word of the story on the stone tablet.
What kind of discrimination was that, considering he had rolled the dice 55 times?
“Ah, by the way, I kept asking questions. There was no way that blunt Goddess would speak first.”
“It seems your demeanor was quite different from mine.”
Reading his expression, Ryu Seong-ryong added an explanation to clear up the misunderstanding.
However, Hanbit, having returned to the Goddess's presence after passing through death, always poured out his anger and lamentations.
Come to think of it, there wasn't even the luxury of listening in detail to matters of the distant past.
Ding-dong—
just then, the doorbell rang loudly from the entrance.
Ryu Seong-ryong rose from his seat, approached, and opened the door.
“You’re here.”
“What? You’re a bit late?”
The face of the man entering was familiar.
Short hair and shabby tracksuits.
It was Haemu, a member of the top advance team.
“Haemu?”
“Black Dragon, why do you look so good? In this absurd situation?”
He leaped over and took the seat beside him, scrutinizing Hanbit’s complexion as he asked.
Although he had fallen asleep yesterday while conducting various investigations and formulating plans, a certain amount of sleep was enough.
“Why did you call Haemu?”
“It is because of Odin. Right now, he is the only one who can provide information…”
“Ah, let’s finish one thing first before we start that story.”
Just then, Haemu touched the smartphone screen.
A unique shield-shaped logo appeared.
“What is this?”
“The Alliance of Hardliners and Moderates.”
“An Alliance?”
“If we leave the Seongche faction like that, the RP is over. Players from other factions will just end up being controlled.”
Continuing his explanation, he moved his finger to turn the page.
There lay a long list of players.
It was an excellent lineup, with quite a few rankers within the top 100 visible.
Stopping at the last blank page, Haemu looked at Hanbit and said,
“Ranked 6th, LLLL has agreed to join on the condition that you join. What do you want to do?”
