Chapter 134
Its appearance was sudden.
The blue sky hadn't turned blood-red, nor had a Demon appeared from somewhere to wreak havoc. The Demon simply materialized out of nowhere, standing before the Kingdom.
“Who goes there!”
Yet, its appearance was undeniably imposing: a body made entirely of flesh, without skin, a face more hideous than any other, and an unusually massive frame. It writhed as it walked, both repulsive and grotesque.
It was an unknown life form, but now people know to group such bizarre and monstrous beings under one name.
Demon! A Knight of the Kingdom, seeing the Opponent, hastily stepped forward.
“Damn it... Of all places, this Demon had to appear on our side. For now, while we hold them off, assemble the Extermination Squad.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Although the Empire boasted the strongest Knight Forces, it didn't mean the Knights of Other Countries were weak.
The Ruryeon Kingdom, located near the Empire especially, possessed considerable combat power. To survive next to the Empire, a certain level of competitiveness was necessary. As such, Ruryeon's Troops were well-equipped with both strength and mental fortitude.
Nevertheless, the Knight couldn't help but tremble the moment he stepped forward.
As he faced the Opponent, a chilling sense of dread gnawed at the Knight's mind.
This Demon possessed not only a grotesque appearance but also an intangible aura that overwhelmed people. It was like the charisma of a monarch, or the bloodlust of a murderer. The opponent spoke.
“A disgusting human scent permeates the air...”
There was a harsh, grating voice, like metal scraping. The Demon, made of flesh, stretched its hand forward. Its mass of flesh immediately swelled, crushing the Knight's arm.
*CRUNCH-!
A gruesome sound, like an insect being crushed, echoed as the Knight's arm burst. A scream of agony reverberated.
“Worship. And fear. For the King has arrived upon this land.”
“Damn it!”
Some Knights, feeling fear, raised their shields. The Demon plunged its arm into the ground. The arm, made of flesh, writhed, and red spikes soon erupted from underground.
“Henceforth, you shall live bowing your heads, trembling in fear like cattle. I am the one who rules the Northern Region.”
*Thud! Thwack!
The Knights' limbs were pierced, shields and all.
*This is insane...*
It was unbelievable, even after seeing it. They hadn't been unprepared, yet nearly half of their forces were incapacitated after just two attacks.
“Ugh, uwaaah!”
To make matters worse, some of the waiting Soldiers even fled. They were terrified of dying a dog's death like this.
The Demon, who called itself King, continued its slow attack and spoke.
“*Lord of Terror*. Beled.”
And so, without retreating a single step, it walked straight forward and strangled the King. It took less than two days for the Ruryeon Kingdom to fall into ruin.
*
[Русский такой сложный]
+ [Плохие новости под дождем! Плохие новости под дождем!] +
+[Спасибо, как всегда, за прочтение]+
What are these Soviet commie bastards saying right now?
— They're saying the Developers' parents went to heaven?
— OMG They're super pissed off.
— A whole country they were active in just got wiped out by an Update, so it's understandable.
— And they're saying they're bringing NPCs to the Empire for forced immigration, so please take care of them?
— Oh lol So we get to meet the Russian fellows?
— Is that what's important right now? The Hunting Ground is going to be swarming. Ugh.
Whether it was an Update or not, something monumental had certainly changed for the game's second anniversary. Naturally, the Community was ablaze with activity due to the fallout. This time, it was bad news for Users and NPCs alike.
The news of a country's collapse was enough to alarm the users. If they weren't careful, they too could face forced immigration, just like the users of the Russian server. They never thought, not in a million years, that a thriving server would actually be shut down like this. The users hadn't anticipated it.
What was even more terrifying was that the danger was still ongoing because that Demon was still rampaging everywhere.
+[So what's that Demon bastard doing now?]
*Seriously?*
Nobody knows. Normally, Players would stick around to figure out what's happening, but everyone's too busy running away to check. — The last User who escaped said it was collecting dead bodies? — Seriously, that bastard is grotesque from head to toe.
[What are the Knights on our server doing now?]
[— They probably just heard the news and are having a meeting about what to do.]
[— What a complete disaster for them.]
An official notice was posted on the Guild Bulletin Board.
It says they'll actively accept refugees for now. Since it's quite a distance, it seems they won't send out any deployments due to the danger. Instead, they plan to form an Extermination Squad in advance, and they're asking for a lot of support, especially from Otherworlders.
[When are the Russian fellows arriving?]
[— It's a long distance, so it'll probably take a while just to walk here.]
[These bastards are going to use us as cannon fodder again.] [— Well, their actual lives are on the line, so it's understandable lol]
For the first time in a long while, a serious atmosphere hung over the Community. Everyone instinctively felt that this Demon was different somehow.
*
A Demon appeared. Not long after hearing the news that the Russian Server had collapsed, I heard all the subsequent details.
Honestly, I had expected it. A meteor wouldn't just suddenly fall from the sky, after all. And no country would start a war in this situation.
“Yor, what are you going to do?”
Chaerin, who had delivered the news, asked. I replied:
“First, I'll have to apply for the Extermination Squad, since I have an Adventurer Card.”
“And after that?”
“Well...”
Honestly, there wasn't much else to do. The Knight Order had also opted for defense for now. Even though a Country had been destroyed, it didn't feel particularly real to me, being so far away. A Demon hadn't appeared right before my eyes, after all.
“For now, I'll just live as usual. And I will keep going to the Arena.”
Now was the time to maintain my Combat Senses. And in my opinion, there was no better place to maintain them than the Arena. I could fight as much as I wanted, and my safety was somewhat guaranteed.
When I said this, Chaerin nodded. But she still seemed to have something to say. I saw her lips part. I tilted my head and asked her,
“Why?” “Um... I've been curious about something for a while. Can I ask?” “Just ask. Don't make me wonder.” “You have an identification card now, so why do you keep living in the Cave? You're not short on money, are you?”
It was a rather sudden question. But at the same time, it was a perfectly understandable one. It had been quite a while since I received my identification card. If I wanted to, I could easily get a House in the City.
No matter how attached I was to the Cave, it wasn't comfortable enough to surpass a civilized House.
When the wind blew, dirt got into the House; there was no heating or cooling, and even if I fortified my Domain, Demonic Beasts still sometimes found their way in... It was certainly inconvenient. From an outsider's perspective, I might seem foolish for stubbornly clinging to a life in nature.
But I had my reasons. I scratched my cheek and answered her.
“Well... people get uncomfortable if I'm there.”
Even if Otherworlders were fine with it, Gaians were often still hostile. Of course, some people had lowered their guard, but it was still too much to change the deeply ingrained perceptions about Manifestors. At age 10, they are supposed to have their heads cut off, but now Gaians are suddenly told to accept one.
The Emperor was being too radical; it wasn't easy for ordinary Medieval people with closed minds.
When I explained this, Chaerin made an awkward expression and apologized.
“I'm sorry. I asked a pointless question.”
“No, it's fine. I don't mind at all.”
After that, we chatted as usual before parting ways.
After that, I continued to visit the Arena.
Perhaps because of the recent news, the spectators in the spectator room had noticeably dwindled.
Fortunately, it wasn't enough to disrupt matchmaking. In fact, Hanbyeol Shin, who often came with me, seemed to prefer the smaller crowd.
I spent a few more days at the Arena. During that time, news from outside occasionally reached me. Someone who fled on horseback arrived in the Empire, trembling in terror. A Scouting party went out, but the Demon Beled wasn't seen; instead, other strange things were roaming around. A Masked Group was spotted in the distance, probably those Lemegeton guys, and so on.
All of them were just rumors, like ghost stories. The fortunate thing was that when they investigated, the number of Deceased seemed lower than expected. Everyone seemed to have suffered some Trauma from the fear, but quite a lot of Personnel had joined the refugee lines.
Thanks to that, they were now worrying if there would even be enough residential areas left. This happened while I was listening to information about the Demon, maintaining a moderate level of tension.
“Oh, hello? Long time no see... hehe.”
One day, a new guest came to my Forest.
A slender figure with long white hair and red eyes visible behind red glasses, a woman who could be called quite a beauty, greeted me awkwardly. It was her first time visiting this forest, but she was someone I had a long-standing connection with, because she had come from the same orphanage as me, for some reason.
Livia, the 3rd Branch Leader, looked at me and said,
“Today, I've come to take you to Lemegeton.”
“Hmph...”
I let out a sigh first.