by Park Saenal
Chapter 1035
“A Berith raiding strategy exists.”
The place where Berith was summoned was too far from the empire. The empire had little room to intervene, and the military power of ordinary kingdoms couldn’t bear Berith’s power. In order to minimize the damage, players had to move and raid Berith.
However, it was impossible. In this case, half the continent would really be destroyed. Hundreds of billions of quests would be permanently destroyed, and hundreds of millions of players would lose what they had built up. Was this really what the S.A Group wanted?
Some intellectuals weren’t convinced. The S.A Group also hoped for Berith to be raided and analyzed that they should’ve arranged a strategy.
“The 33 great demons are based on Solomon’s 72 demons.”
The fact that the 1st great demon was Baal and the existence of Belial and Berith were obvious proofs of this. Not all 33 great demons might have the same settings as the 72 demons of Solomon, but many of the great demons were created the same or had slightly modified configurations as Solomon’s 72 demons. The Berith depicted in Solomon’s 72 demons was a target that could be controlled by the ‘Magic Ring.’
“We will be able to drive Berith out with the Magic Ring. The balance makes it impossible for a player to control a great demon, so we can’t completely control Berith. Still, we should be able to command him to return to hell.”
“How can we get that Magic Ring?”
“We should make it.”
“How can one player make an item that drives away a great demon?”
“It will be easy to make if we cooperate.”
At the boundaries between the ruined Rotemon Kingdom and the Haken Kingdom, the 1st ranked alchemist Zelgah had gathered the players of the Haken Kingdom to defend their country. People were angry.
“Alchemy and lies. We know that Berith’s power is consistent with the depiction of Solomon’s 72 demons, but the ranks are different. Berith is 28th in the 72 demons of the Lesser Key of Solomon while he is 22nd in Satisfy. It means there is some variation in the setting.”
They couldn’t be sure if Berith still had the same weakness.
“What if the Magic Ring doesn’t work? What do you intend to do then?”
The 5,000 players gathered here hadn’t come to play around. They were here so that they would not lose their home kingdom where they had been active for a long time. The players were determined to sacrifice their lives in order not to lose their precious relationships and assets.
From their position, Zelgah was seen as a scammer. He was trying to take advantage of the desperate people who were on the edge of a cliff.
“Moreover, you need our cooperation to make the ring? What? Should we give you money?”
The players showed obvious hostility, but Zelgah wasn’t shaken. Their suspicions were natural and their reactions were within the range of his expectations. Zelgah said calmly, “No, I don’t want your money. The material needed to make the Magic Ring is the Stone of Life. It is the ultimate alchemy stone that can’t be valued.”
“…?”
The Stone of Life—there were many people who had heard of it, even if they weren’t alchemists.
“…Crazy guy.”
The stunned people soon regained their senses. Then they sent even more explicit hostility toward Zelgah.
“You aren’t a scammer trying to fool us but a madman playing with us. The 1st ranked alchemist? You can only use low-grade alchemy. It’s that why you don’t have any pride as a ranker?”
They didn’t know what the Stone of Life was exactly. According to what they had heard, it was a universal alchemy stone that was almost a fantasy. Yet the material of the Magic Ring was the Stone of Life…? It was like saying they couldn’t make the Magic Ring. This meant Zelgah didn’t know how to raid Berith to begin with. He was just making fun of them.
Some of the players started to grab their weapons. It was to condemn Zelgah. Still, Zelgah remained calm. “Did you know that a few months ago, Mad Dog Agnus was going around murdering accessory makers in each country? The Overgeared Guild revealed that he was framed, but it was obvious that Agnus was looking for them.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
How did the story that began with Berith lead to Agnus? It was a stupid way of talking. Zelgah threw decisive words at the frowning players, “It was to make the Stone of Life.”
“What?”
“Agnus has the Stone of Life. According to the information I’ve obtained, Agnus is currently in the Haken Kingdom.”
“…!!”
“Of course, it would be impossible to take the Stone of Life from Agnus. However, there is a way to get him to do it himself.” Zelgah looked around at the 5,000 players. “We can use the justification that the world needs the Stone of Life. Berith is threatening 2 billion players. All the players in the world will start crying out to Agnus for the Stone of Life, and it won’t be possible for him to endure the pressure.”
Moving public opinion was simple. Zelgah’s argument was reasonable. Agnus just had to give up one thing and they could raid Berith. The moment this news was announced, people would start pressuring Agnus. None of the 5,000 players gathered here had to take any risks.
It was a great way to do it. However, this was on the premise that the Magic Ring would really work.
“Let’s say Agnus yields the Stone of Life. Then what if the Magic Ring doesn’t work?”
“In that case, I will bear all the blame and violence. You don’t have to worry.”
It was a chance to blow their nose without touching it. Even if nothing was blown out, there wouldn’t be a problem.
“…Hrmm.” After thinking about it, they made a decision. “Okay. We will tell the world about how to raid Berith and make the demand that Agnus yield the Stone of Life. On the other hand, you will bear all responsibility for subsequent problems.”
“Of course. You can rest assured about that part. I don’t have the power to go against you anyway.”
After that…
(Haken Kingdom players in crisis, find out how to get rid of Great Demon Berith!)
(The strategy of the Great Demon Berith raid is the ‘Magic Ring’.)
(The material needed to make the Magic Ring is the Stone of Life.)
(The Stone of Life turns out to be possessed by Agnus.)
(The campaign of thousands of players have started… They are demanding for Agnus to yield the Stone of Life.)
(Agnus hasn’t expressed any stance.)
(The accusations toward Agnus are becoming fiercer every day.)
A huge 5,000 people contacted the media and used all means and methods to move public opinion. The media from countries all over the world started to mention the Berith strategy, the Stone of Life, and Agnus. It didn’t matter if the Berith strategy was real.
The players were just looking forward to the possibility, and the media was happy to report it. The high-quality topic boosted the enthusiasm of the media. If the attack strategy turned out to be wrong, it wasn’t the public or the media who would suffer. They cornered Agnus without hesitation. It would be natural for him to give up the Stone of Life.
On the outskirts of Innsbruck, Austria…
“Uhhhh…” Agnus sat alone in a lonely ancient castle, with his trembling body wrapped in a blanket. He was a sinner without knowing why. In the past and even now, he had to endure the contempt and reproach that people sent toward him.
“Kuweek!”
Everyone hated him. There was no one he could rely on. He was alone. Reminded of this reality, Agnus trembled with fear and horror. He didn’t understand why he had to go through this again and was terrified by the emptiness of his heart. Then suddenly…
“Why…” He questioned it. Why should he be a target? He wasn’t going to be weak anymore. There was no reason for him to succumb to violence without reason.
Stagger.
Agnus raised his body and approached
the capsule that he had been away from for a few days. His body was now trembling with rage, not terror. It was anger toward the entire world for persecuting him and trying to take away what was his.
***
“Wow, really… I sat down with a bunch of creeps.”
Those who would sacrifice a minority under the name of the majority… He witnessed a herd that hid behind the name of the ‘masses’ and forced sacrifices on others. In this case, the theory that ‘human nature is fundamentally evil’ came to mind. It was disgusting to see the players chanting Agnus’ name due to the uncertain solution of the Stone of Life. The discomfort simmering inside him made him feel disgusted.
“Tsk.”
Zibal—who deserted his unit on the magic machine, Raiders—arrived at his home, the Haken Kingdom, after a few days but lost his burning sense of duty. Tens of thousands of players were gathered under the kingdom’s walls. What right did they have to call for Agnus to sacrifice the Stone of Life for the sake of humanity? Why couldn’t they think of raiding Berith directly with such enthusiasm?
Zibal shook his head.
“Zibal! You really came!” An old friend came up and hugged him. It was Earl Flenitium—a person who had fought together with Zibal when he was a noble of the Haken Kingdom, even though he was a NPC. At first, Earl Flenitium was just a target Zibal recognized as part of the quest, but he later became a valuable friend. The fact that the earl’s life was finite caused Zibal to feel anxiety and sorrow.
“It is because of this great demon that my home is in crisis. Of course, I should come. Is everybody gathered?”
“Everyone is here apart from Marquis Yulan, who is protecting the king. This place is so raucous. We should head to my mansion.”
“Um…” Zibal walked with Earl Flenitium and felt the chaos of the kingdom. The people showed a variety of reactions to the fact that the fearsome great demon was approaching. Young parents learned to use spears to protect their children while young children dressed in military uniforms to protect their old parents. Then there were others who just sat down and sobbed. Could he really protect them?
Frankly, Zibal had no confidence of that. The end of the already ruined Rotemon Kingdom was terrible. The great demon Berith was a formidable opponent. However, Zibal wanted to fight. If even he turned away from them, the people of the Haken Kingdom would die without a single bit of hope.
‘…Crazy.’
Was it due to the desperate situation…? Zibal kept wanting to rely on someone. He wanted a person stronger than him to fight with him. The one who came to mind was Grid—a person who had frustrated him many times. Why did the person Zibal usually hated come to mind now? It was because he acknowledged Grid’s skills.
“I’m past my prime now.”
Zibal made a bittersweet smile. He was never weak. In fact, he was much stronger than when he was the leader of the Seven Guilds and had shouted that he would be the best. Nevertheless, Grid was a special existence.
Chapter 1036
The Berith crisis spread to Agnus. The masses urged him to yield the Stone of Life, and the media further encouraged them by convincing and defending the public’s attitude. It was an abnormal flow. There was no certainty that the Stone of Life could drive Berith away, and the public had no right to demand that someone give up their private property. So, why was Agnus a target?
The experts analyzed this.
『 You reap what you sow. In the meantime, Agnus has been famous for his PK. In order to monopolize the hunting grounds and fulfill his own quests, Agnus slaughtered players for selfish reasons. There are many people who are afraid of him. He is a suitable target to be a scapegoat. The public’s anxiety and fears—which have been called unavoidable despair—need hope to be resolved, and Agnus was chosen as the subject of hope. 』
『 It doesn’t matter to people if the Stone of Life is effective or not. They just want to share their insecurities and fears with others. Agnus is a good fit for the target. 』
Kraugel headed to the Haken Kingdom along with Kirinus and Spear Saint Rachel. As the night deepened, Kraugel logged out while the two people were sleeping, and he became unnerved. He felt disgusted when he heard the story of Agnus, which had been a hot topic lately.
Reap what you sow? It was nonsense. The PK was just a good excuse to buy people’s hatred. PK was a system that used both the strong and weak as needed. It was the PK system that protected one’s rights, interests, and self-esteem, making it loved by many people.
Those who were talking on the news panels right now would be the same. PKing wasn’t exclusive to Agnus, yet only Agnus was harshly criticized. Why? It was because he was easy to deal with. The Agnus of a few years ago had been the head of a huge organization called Immortal while the current Agnus was alone. He was easy prey because his position was weak, just like when he was falsely accused and on the guillotine. The people who once envied him for running wild in the world without any fear were now trying to touch him.
‘That person named Zelgah is counting on this and targeting Agnus.’
Zelgah was the essence behind it. He used the people’s fear of Berith and turned Berith into a target to be avoided rather than raided. The players of the ‘absolute majority’ weren’t capable of raiding Berith and easily agreed with Zelgah, causing the enthusiasm of those dreaming of raiding Berith to cool down. In the end, Berith entered the vicinity of the Haken Kingdom, but no players were willing to stop him.
‘Based on what I see, the Stone of Life isn’t what Zelgah wants.’
The destruction of the Haken Kingdom—this was Zelgah’s wish. There was no other way to interpret the situation. Kraugel was convinced.
‘There is the Yatan Church behind him.’
The purpose of the Yatan Church was to summon the 33 great demons and turn the world into hell. From their perspective, they didn’t want Berith to be raided. However, if they openly helped Berith, then they would be pointed out as the enemy of the entire human race and completely isolated. Thus, they played tricks by using Zelgah.
‘In the first place, Agnus was framed by the Yatan Church for killing the accessory makers…’
The Yatan Church’s plan was to protect Berith and eradicate Agnus. The influence of the public and media could be maximized because they exerted influence in the background.
‘Rose…’
She was first on the black magician rankings and someone who possessed enormous wealth and power as one of Yatan’s Servants. When Kraugel met her by chance, Rose’ attitude had been kind and friendly.
‘In fact, she might be a scary woman.’
In any case, it was a headache. Since people stopped coming to raid Berith, Kraugel had to fight Berith purely with Kirinus, Rachel, and Rachel’s knights. It was a struggle without any helpers. Kirinus’ life could be in danger.
‘It might be presumptuous… but I have to ask Hao and Alexander to participate.’
Kraugel needed enough power to open up a chance to retreat at any time. Thinking this, Kraugel pressed the button of his smartwatch.
***
“Bah!”
“Che!”
The imperial army barely reached the ruins after a few weeks of sailing. They came here in a hurry as reinforcements for the vanguard. After more than a month, they arrived at the historical site and had to quickly join the vanguard to support them. However, the procession of the soldiers wasn’t smooth, and the marching rate was as slow as a tortoise.
The 10,000 soldiers and dozens of nobles were busy looking at each other with distrustful eyes. At the centre was Huroi, who was disguised as Earl Baget.
“Huhuhut…” He was the only laughing man in the procession of 10,000 troops who were filled with confusion and anger. Huroi was very pleased with the current situation that occurred due to his high-level incitement.
‘I have delayed the meeting of the empire’s advance team and the reinforcements by three times the original length of time. I should be proud and consider it a grea
t success.’
His liege, King Grid, had already arrived at the site and must’ve had a hard time exploring while avoiding the eyes of the empire. He might’ve suffered hair loss because he was threatened by the powerful imperial army led by three dukes.
‘If the empire’s reinforcements arrive in such a crisis…’
His liege would suffer a greater crisis and would have to give up on his exploration of the ruins. However, Huroi had taken action. The supreme loyalist managed to use maneuvers to prevent the empire’s reinforcements from arriving in a timely manner, helping King Grid to explore the ruins. Huroi was confident that he had been active enough. He shrugged as he was reminded that Grid was somewhere praising him.
Marquis Fulbas approached Huroi and sighed, “Hah.”
The marquis’ eyes, which used to be full of energy, were long dead now. The dark circles under his eyes had also deepened. He had been suffering too much during the last few months. Marquis Fulbas felt betrayed by the colleagues he trusted his whole life, and every day was like hell.
Huroi got rid of his smile and faithfully played the role of Earl Baget. He looked at Marquis Fulbas with a worried expression. “You look very sad.”
Marquis Fulbas said to him, “There is a rumor that Earl Silva is talking nonsense again.”
“No, really? That dog again… No, why are you worried about his absurd insinuations?”
“He said that my daughter, who married two years ago, would be with her husband for 100 years.”
“N-No? Such shit…! That son of a bitch! He is truly a lowly human!”
“Haha… That’s right. I never dreamed that I would hear such a terrible curse in my life.”
Marquis Fulbas’ daughter had married a 41-year-old man. It was an arranged marriage. Marquis Fulbas had always felt guilty for being forced to send his daughter to an older man. The marquis hoped that his white-haired son-in-law, who recently started to suffer from dementia, would die as soon as possible. He prayed that his daughter would be able to enjoy freedom, even if it was late. Yet Earl Silva, who had been respectful to him for 20 years, was hoping that his daughter would spend 100 years with her husband. A great shock and sense of betrayal caused Marquis Fulbas’ eyes to darken. He felt there was no one in this world he could believe in.