Chapter 97

“Aw, wh-y! You promised to tell me about the Ice Archipelago! I sent you everything I recorded on the Vision!”

Im Seojun shouted at his older sister, Im Huijeong.

“But the most important part is missing. I told you, didn't I? To go straight back to Thorn Bach. But you didn't go.”

“W-well, that was...”

“By the time you finally logged in, it was all over. Now nobody knows how the Black Dragon was driven off.”

“Urgh...”

‘You made two whole specials out of the footage I sent you... I checked, and the views were through the roof. So petty...’

Seojun pouted.

“Still, thanks to me, you got footage of his face. It was pixelated on the broadcast, so we're probably the only ones who know what he looks like.”

“What do you mean, the only ones? Apparently some of the people from the raid teams that got wiped out saw him too.”

“Ha, haha...”

He scratched his head sheepishly.

“Well, I'm glad everything worked out in the end. I hear they found the Immortal's Stake and brought it back to the Third Holy See.”

“Yeah. Because of all this, I think they'll reconvene the Round Table, even though it only met recently.”

“The clan heads must have a headache. All those big-name clans sat around waiting to see what everyone else would do, and some newbie nobody's ever seen before became the hero.”

“Exactly. It'll probably cause quite a stir. Some clans are friendly toward him, but more of them aren't.”

Huijeong nodded at her brother's words.

“From the looks of it, he was pretty hostile toward the raid teams. In the end, they all got wiped out while he survived alone... so they don't really have a leg to stand on.”

“What about you guys?”

“We lean toward liking him. He's the reason we were able to find the Immortal's Stake, after all.”

“But is it true? That Zion Muren was in league with a demon?”

Although they were alone, she lowered her voice as though someone might overhear.

“We don't know yet. It does seem he used demonic power... I heard the Kingdom of Bolton will conduct an official investigation.”

“The Black Dragon was one thing, but a demon... It's been years, and there's still so much we don't know.”

“We've only just cleared the Labyrinth Tower's tenth floor.”

“The Phoenix Corps probably lost some face over this too. The number-one raid team never said a word.”

Seojun agreed.

“Well... they've always specialized in the Labyrinth Tower, so they aren't interested in what happens on the continent, but...”

The Black Dragon's appearance had been a genuine crisis.

There were posts in the community criticizing Kerga for turning a blind eye, but plenty of people defended him, saying no one had the right to force him.

“Some people on our side are even suggesting we have him fill Sir Charlo's vacant position.”

“Huh... Seriously?”

“The pope is quite curious about him.”

Huijeong's eyes sparkled at that.

Pope John VII.

In a word, he was an unpredictable eccentric.

A former inquisitor, he was also a hardliner who rejected every church other than the Church of Rashin.

There were all sorts of unsavory rumors about him. Still, it was common knowledge that, after John VII became pope, the Church of Rashin had acquired the most powerful paladin order in its history.

‘And under those circumstances, they lost the Knight of Glory and most of the Holy King's Knights...’

John VII's fury had reached its peak.

“Urgh...”

Seojun, who had been summoned by the pope and subjected to every insult imaginable, pressed his temples as though the memory alone was giving him a headache.

‘Ugh. Having to put up with being chewed out by NPCs just to play a game... What a load of crap.’

“The Church is looking for the hero of Thorn Bach... That could make for quite a story.”

“Quite a story? It's giving me one hell of a headache.”

“Why?”

“The Church of Rashin isn't the only church on the continent. If we're making a move, that means the other churches are too.”

Besides the Church of Rashin, the central continent was home to the Church of Haden and the Church of Mha, which served the other two gods.

“Don't tell me... the Church of Haden too?”

“That's right.”

Huijeong looked startled at his answer.

“You'd occasionally see pilgrims from the Church of Mha wandering around, but the Church of Haden hasn't been active at all, has it?”

“Right. They're a thorn in the pope's side. If they start moving, there's bound to be friction.”

“Wow... The Church of Haden is showing itself again. How long has it been?”

“Wouldn't you know? It's never happened since I started playing Evil Tale.”

“Just once. There's a player who used to be as famous as Kerga. You don't see him anymore, so maybe he quit.”

“... Pathfinder?”

She nodded at her brother's answer.

“That's right. Baal. He was a follower of the Church of Haden. A newbie like you wouldn't know, but things were really exciting back then. The three churches fought an all-out war called the Holy Grail War.”

“A newbie? I'll have you know I'm the top-ranked priest.”

The combatants alone numbered some seven thousand.

With over two thousand players participating as well, it was the largest battle in the history of [Evil Tale].

“Their ally, the Church of Mha, secretly joined forces with the Church of Rashin, and Haden was nearly wiped out. If they'd pushed just a little harder... the Church of Haden probably would've disappeared from the continent.”

“And that Baal guy stopped them?”

“Right. The two churches cornered Haden in Sudo Gorge. But it turned out they hadn't cornered them at all. Haden had lured them there.”

Seojun's lips twitched.

The Sudo Gorge Massacre, which had brought the Holy Grail War to an end.

It was a famous battle.

Even Seojun had watched the Vision recording over and over.

“Baal was a really unusual character. It wasn't just how incredibly fast he cleared quests. None of his skills were ordinary either.”

All anyone knew was that his class was Ranger.

But besides the usual daggers and bows, he was proficient with poisons, throwing weapons, and even unarmed combat.

“I know. He set poison traps inside the gorge. His poison killed fifteen hundred people.”

It was truly an astonishing capacity for slaughter.

The gorge had given him a geographical advantage, but even so, that power defied common sense.

“Right. Strangely enough, even now, nobody's figured out what poison he used.”

When Baal vanished, having etched himself into players' memories in a very different way from Kerga, the Church of Haden disappeared without a trace as well.

“Maybe they're trying to fill the void Baal left... but I really hope there won't be a second Holy Grail War.”

“Same here. That pope hates heretics more than demons.”

He was the sort of man who might spare a demon but would summarily execute followers of other churches.

“I just hope it doesn't spread into a war between kingdoms.”

Having lived through the Holy Grail War, Huijeong knew all too well the tremendous impact a war could have on the continent, even in a game.

“During the Holy Grail War, an entire kingdom was branded heretical and destroyed.”

Even the players who had made their base there had suffered terribly as a result.

‘It's a game, but in some ways, it's brutally realistic.’

“The peaceful central continent is about to get noisy.”

“You say that, but you look awfully happy about it.”

“Of course I am. Until now, nothing much has happened except the Phoenix Corps clearing the Labyrinth Tower.”

There was a reason the central continent had become stagnant.

After the great conflict known as the Holy Grail War ended three years ago, the rankers had gradually begun taking their cues from one another.

An unspoken rule had emerged: rather than fight one another to the death, they would protect their own territories and simply reap the profits.

That was how the ten great clans had taken shape and the Round Table had been founded.

“It's been two years like that. Nothing happening, everyone just maintaining the status quo.”

Huijeong spoke with undisguised dissatisfaction.

“The Ulda Alliance and a few clans are working on quests... but honestly, they've barely made any progress.”

But that peace had finally been shattered.

“A dragon appearing, the fairy race emerging, and now even a demon.”

Beings of legend, unseen for years, had appeared all at once.

They were clearly listed on the official website, yet no one could find them. People had even begun to wonder whether the developers had simply put them on the site without actually patching them into the game.

“And it all suddenly started when one person came over to the central continent. As a veteran player, this is the moment I've been waiting for... but the clans aren't all going to look kindly on him.”

There was a strong chance he would become a target of the ten great clans.

“I'd like to recruit him into our clan if I can.”

“Hmm, I don't know. What good would an offer from some scrub outside the top thousand Rangers do... Uh... Aaargh!”

A pillow struck Seojun, sending him tumbling onto the bed.

“Shut it, little brother. I leveled up a skill a few days ago. I'm ranked 998th now.”

“Same differ—Ack!”

Huijeong pressed the pillow firmly over her fallen brother's face and gleefully pummeled his side with her fist.

“Stop! Stop!”

“So keep your pointless comments to yourself from now on.”

“Urgh. Speaking of which, how long are you going to keep playing nothing but your alt?”

Leaving her flailing brother behind, she stood up.

“I've got a special broadcast today. I'm heading out.”

“What special broadcast?”

“A Phoenix Corps special. Apparently Kerga is making some kind of announcement today. I'll probably be late. Make sure you do the dishes and the laundry. Got it?”

With that, she hurried out of the house.

“Tch... She didn't even answer my question.”

Left alone in the room, Seojun could only take it out on the blameless pillow, giving it a few thumps.

* * *

[Yorka Village]

Upon reaching the outskirts of the village, Woojin raised a hand to stop the others.

-The smell...

Though they had yet to enter the village, an unidentifiable stench reached them.

Setsuna pinched her nose shut in distress.

“It's probably... coming from the mana stone mining machinery.”

HISSS! HISSS!

White steam poured out here and there to the sound of machinery running in the mine.

Woojin crouched down and surveyed the village.

“Even a healthy person would get sick living here.”

There were certainly people visible in the village.

Yet strangely, their faces were devoid of life, as though this were a dead city.

The portal had even been installed outside the village, almost as if to keep people from seeing its condition.

“This place wasn't like this before...”

Karlan, who had guided them here, could not hide his dismay at the sight of the village either.

“Master, do you see that?”

Peron pointed to a sign erected at the village entrance.

“It's a private property declaration. Now I see why they put the portal outside. It looks like they've barred entry to the village.”

When Woojin looked where Peron was pointing, a red warning window appeared.

[This village is currently a player's private property.]

[If you trespass, you may be subject to punishment at the owner's discretion.]

“They must have something to hide if they've gone to these lengths.”

Just what were they doing in there?

Amid the acrid stench, Woojin began searching for a route to sneak into the village.

“Boss, over there!”

Everyone turned at Weden's voice.

A laborer was staggering out of the mine with something slung on his back.

Woojin nodded, then followed him.

SPLAAASH!

The laborer went to a clearing not far from the village and emptied the filth from his box.

“... Urp.”

Even Woojin, who had endured the smell well enough so far, turned his head away, unable to stomach this.

TRUDGE. TRUDGE.

But the laborer who had dumped the waste seemed unbothered as he began staggering back toward the village.

“Excuse me. Could I ask you something?”

Woojin hurriedly stopped him before he could go back inside.

“...?!”

The laborer seemed genuinely startled by Woojin's voice, dropping the box he was holding and flailing about.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you.”

At the man's violent reaction, Woojin decided he needed to calm him down first.

“I just have a quick question.”

“Uh... uhhh...”

The man began saying something as he waved both arms, perhaps trying to answer.

‘... What's going on?’

Woojin was taken aback by the slurred, unintelligible speech.

“Uh-buh... uh... uh-buh-buh...”

Then the man opened his mouth to show him something.

His tongue had been cut out.