Episode 235
-?
-What's wrong with this?
-The forest has turned strange.
-Someone explain this.
-They're all dead;
The chat window erupted at the sight of the transformed forest.
It was something Hanbit hadn't anticipated either, but assessing the situation was his priority.
Swooping
down, he ran his hand across the red-stained ground.
Heat that hadn't been there just moments ago and the pungent smell of blood assaulting his nose.
The true nature of this phenomenon suddenly flashed through his mind.
'Surely not…'
Frowning, Hanbit raised his head.
Then, pushing off with his feet, he climbed a nearby tree.
The sight of the bright red forest came into view.
There was only one way to make the Forest of Illusions look like this.
'…Is this already coming out?'
Hanbit recalled the episode where he had possessed the First Bishop.
The operation that had begun by the Pope's command.
It was still as vivid as if it happened yesterday.
[Artifact – Head of the Blood-stained Mandragora]
The investigation into the Forest of Illusions and the Elves was essential for the inquiry into Erfort.
However, for some reason, the members of the Holy Kingdom could never become allies of the Elves.
Faced with such a frustrating situation, the choice was chaos and destruction.
Whoosh!
Streams of blood gushed from the ground.
The Forest of Illusions was no ordinary place.
It was alive and breathing as a being akin to a living organism, distinct from the World Tree.
The Head of the Blood-stained Mandragora, created by modifying an artifact, served to drive that life force insane and lead it to death.
The Elves, whose souls and bodies were connected, could not escape its influence either.
'It's those guys again.'
The development of the Blood-stained Mandragora had never been completed during this period.
If such an unexpected variable had appeared, there was only one possible reason to speculate:
the intervention of the Adult Faction players.
“Looks like you’ve picked a fight again.”
-?
-Adult Faction?
-You mean them again?
-Their activity level is insane;
-Probably because there are way too many of them?
As soon as I spoke, the viewers unleashed their fury.
There was no real need to stop the stream.
In fact, it was baffling that I was using the Bloody Mandragora Head at all.
Normally, having modified a one-of-a-kind artifact, I should have planned carefully. I suppose
I would need to speculate on the reason for that later, too.
*Ding*
[Sword God has registered a 10,000,000 Won challenge mission.]
[If you're not going to end the stream, how about a mission for the first time in a while? Success if I teach the Adult Faction a lesson.]
-Shudder;
-Is this the Sword God?
-Can they really be taught a lesson?
-It'll be tough if they came sharpened.
-But what if the Elves wipe them all out?
-An annihilation ending?
-???: Shall we just call it a draw? It felt
like it had been a long time since I'd done a challenge mission.
Ten million won was still a huge sum.
“Thank you. Let’s give it a try.”
[OO has donated 1,000,000 KRW to the Challenge Mission.]
[Let's go~]
[Barunsori has donated 1,000,000 KRW to the Challenge Mission.]
[Go go go]
[Black Dragon and Guardian of Truth has donated 1,000,000 KRW.]
[Black Dragon! Please properly educate the Adult Faction, who are disrupting the pursuit of truth in RP, on what is real… … .]
[Yeonhwa Gaming has donated 10,000,000 KRW.]
[We are rooting for you.]
Frequently seen nicknames and embarrassing organizations that had been forgotten.
What stood out was the drastic decrease in corporate sponsorships.
It seemed that the warning from Everett, ranked 5th, had certainly been significant.
“Thank you. I’ll give the mission a try.”
After expressing his gratitude, Hanbit turned his gaze away from the tree branch.
The party members' screens were displayed there.
'They are a bit far away.'
The chaotic Forest of Illusions forcibly relocated every creature within its territory.
It was a random transfer without any criteria or standards.
However, this place was more vivid in Hanbit's memory than any other.
It was a place where the adage "ignorance means death" held true perfectly.
Hanbit delivered a message to everyone.
"Everyone, climb up the trees and hide. Even the elves are insane right now, so if you run into them, you're dead."
Ta-da!
Having finished the warning, Hanbit kicked off and leaped between the trees.
The person closest was Noeul.
He was also the most essential presence in this situation.
Bang!
Just then, an explosion was heard from not far away.
What was visible through the bushes was the figure of a man bound to a tree.
“Fuck!”
Crunch!
His body, appearing to be that of an adult player, was being torn apart by a moth-like monster.
Green arrows were embedded in the man’s two arms and legs.
Directly in front of him stood a tall man with a bow hanging down.
-Wow;
-It’s an Elf.
-First appearance on the broadcast, shudder
-What the hell is this bug eating show;
-Did an Elf do that?
-That’s so scary;
Pointy, long ears and silver hair.
Even the long bow engraved with unique patterns was the perfect appearance of an Elf.
However, he was fully stained by the evil influence scattered by the blood-red Mandragora head.
“Groaning.”
A bizarre sound came from the Elf’s mouth.
Moving slightly, his eyes, stained crimson, came into view.
The clear and deep colors that had always been there were completely gone.
-Huh?
-Why are his eyes like that?
-Rage, shudder
-That’s scary;
The terror unleashed by the elf was fully conveyed even through the screen.
Crunch!
“Aaaargh!”
The player was being devoured by the increasing number of moth monsters.
They were struggling to break free, but the arrows embedded in their body were incredibly hard.
Swipe—
The elf glanced at the man and calmly raised a hand.
At that moment.
Whoosh—!
Dozens of green rings sprang from the palm and headed toward the player’s neck.
Swish—!
Smack—!
Rings covered the face in the blink of an eye.
Wounded beyond recognition, the player instantly turned to dust and scattered.
“Groan.”
Showing no reaction, the elf turned around and began walking away.
They appeared to be searching for their next target.
-Hunting… shudder;
-Damn scary.
-The mission isn't the problem, though.
-Should we switch to Survival?
-We're already screwed.
The viewers seemed to sense that something was going wrong.
However, it wasn't something to be that shocked about.
'It was going to be the same in the first place.'
It was clear that the blood-red effect had heightened the elves' aggression and cruelty. After all
, it was an item designed to render them in a monster-like state.
However, conversely, it was much easier than dealing with an elf in their right mind.
If they had to fight sober and face their wisdom and experience as well, defeat would have been inevitable.
Ta-da!
Hanbit quickly slipped away and began jumping over the trees again.
Reaching his target location was a breeze.
*Whoosh*
“Lord Black Dragon!”
As he passed through the gap between the trees, he saw Noeul, who had been waiting.
Clutching his newly upgraded staff tightly, he looked quite nervous.
Hanbit spoke in a low voice.
“You don’t have to worry too much. It won’t take long.”
“Huh? Do you have a way to solve this?”
“Yes. And in a very good way.”
“If you mean in a good way…”
Noeul looked puzzled by the strange expression.
Hanbit pointed to the area beneath the trees and said,
“Look there.”
“Yes?”
Noeul's gaze, following the movement of his fingertips, landed on the path through the crimson-tinged forest.
There, he saw a female elf with long silver hair walking toward him.
"-Wow.
" "-So beautiful, shudder
." "-Elves are the future.
" "-Let's just blame the Black Dragon.
" "-I admit it.
" "An elf…!"
Noeul's eyes widened as
he gripped his staff tighter. The elf asked with a serious expression,
"Is it possible to subdue her?"
"Hmm."
Noeul's hesitation was understandable.
It was best not to face an elf, an overwhelming presence.
However, in a situation where they had gone mad, neutralizing them was the most ideal course of action.
"Wait."
"Huh? Lord Black Dragon…!"
With those words, Hanbit jumped down from the tree branch.
Noeul reached out his hand, but it was already too late.
Thump!
Landing on the ground, Hanbit walked toward the path.
He stood face-to-face with the approaching elf.
"I want to talk to you."
"…!"
Whoosh!
As I spoke abruptly, the female elf stepped back, her hair fluttering in the wind.
Holding daggers in both hands, she looked different from the elf from a moment ago.
“…Huh?”
A flustered face and a voice filled with wariness.
Her eyes sparkled with a blue light like jewels.
-?
-Why are this older sister's eyes fine?
-Is it only a part that goes crazy?
-Selective debuff;
-Seems like they let it slide because of her face.
Viewers also expressed doubts at her appearance, which looked normal from every angle.
Naturally, there were no conditions anywhere that discriminated against the blood-red effect. There
was only one reason she was fine.
It was because she was a being not connected to the Forest of Illusions.
[???]
The name tag floating above her head provided no information.
Hanbit thought this was only natural.
To an elf, a name held immense significance.
It was safe to say that simply knowing that name was a form of content in itself.
“Why, why is a human here? No, surely you…!”
Her expression was terrified as she raised her dagger and asked the question.
It was due not only to anxiety about the Forest of Illusions suddenly turning red, but also to the unique personality of that elf.
Simply put, she was akin to a heretic of the elf village.
“It was another human who did this. I came with Charlotte.”
“…Charlotte?”
The Investigation Team Leader, a close friend of the Elf and a member of the village.
Upon hearing her name, the Elf’s expression brightened for a moment.
However, trust was a separate matter.
“Th-how can I trust that?”
“Wendy. It’s your name.”
“……!”
Shocked to the core, the Elf, Wendy, could not even utter a word.
She was a friend whose reactions were always amusing, but there was no time to play around right now.
Ta-ta!
Hanbit immediately kicked off and charged at Wendy.
“Wait… Ah!”
Startled, she dropped her dagger.
In the meantime, Hanbit, who had quickly approached, grabbed her shoulder and pulled her.
“Ugh!”
Wendy slumped to the side.
Whoosh!
At the same time, something whizzed past her head.
“…Huh?”
Seeing a green afterimage, she opened her eyes wide.
Naturally turning her head in the direction the projectile had come from, Wendy spotted a male Elf emerging from the forest.
“Kyle!”
She sprang to her feet and ran toward her comrade with a joyful voice.
However, he was completely different from the one she usually knew.
“Kaaak!”
Shaking his head as he approached, the elf’s eyes were filled with an ominous red light.
“…Kyle?”
Wendy, who had been running, instinctively stopped in her tracks.
She looked full of bewilderment, unable to understand or do anything.
Just then, Hanbit kicked off.
Ta-ta!
Surged forward, swirling the wind, and used the World Tree branch in his hand.
Quadru-du-du!
Thick vines emerged from all corners of the crimson forest.
They glided toward the elf’s body, which was making a bizarre voice.
But the opponent’s reaction was swift.
Whirl!
Leaping with tremendous force, the elf drew his bowstring in mid-air.
It was a nimble movement unimaginable for someone in a state of madness.
Ping!
Whoosh!
The arrow released the bowstring rushed toward Hanbit’s forehead in an instant.
A tremendous wind, distinct from that of a spirit.
Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been surprising if he had died without even being able to react.
That is, strictly speaking, if it were a normal situation.
*Whoosh!
* Having read the trajectory early on, Hanbit checked the crack etched into the incoming arrow of wind.
Griping the hilt, he brought the wind-wrapped sword down with force.
*Bang! *
The power of the elf and the spirit collided head-on .
It unleashed a massive whirlwind, scattering powerful aftershocks around them. *Whoosh! * The elf, struck head-on by the surging wind, stumbled against a tree. At that moment, Hanbit used the World Tree Branch once again. *Quaddud! * Vines sprouting from the tree the elf was leaning against instantly wrapped around his body. "Aaaargh!" As he approached, the elf growled with murderous ferocity. Hanbit took a pouch from his inventory and grabbed a handful of purple powder. He then tossed it directly at the mad elf's face. *Swoosh!* The flying powder instantly covered his skin. At that moment. *Swoosh*—The elf, who had been making a bizarre sound, closed their eyes and fell asleep just like that. It was the effect of the sleeping powder, powerful enough to put even a large monster to sleep. “…Huh?”
Wendy, who had been slumped over staring blankly at the situation, finally got up.
Stumbling closer, she checked on her colleague's condition.
“Is he… asleep? Not killed?”
“You said Charlotte brought him. We shouldn’t have killed him.”
“Haaah…”
Wendy let out a deep sigh of relief and slumped back down.
Meanwhile, Hanbit scanned the Ping Pong screen.
'That one looks pretty strong.'
A man was surveying his surroundings from beneath a tree.
The name 'Mason' appeared above his head.
When the ranker list popped up, the high number of 350 caught her eye.
After thinking for a moment, Hanbit looked at Wendy and said,
“You want to put it back the way it was, right?”
“…Do you know a way?”
She asked pitifully, her face contorted as she looked at her colleague.
Turning her gaze, Hanbit looked up at the tree.
There, Noeul was scanning the area below with a tense expression.
“I know a way. There will be some troublemakers, though.”
Mason’s figure remained visible on the screen.
Ranked 350th, he was clearly one of the key forces.
Dealing with that guy was the priority for now.
“Let’s go. I’ll help.”
