Chapter 34
The Archfiend, who had descended through Myinandes’ body, glanced around a few times and then smiled as if to assess the situation.
“Hehe. Are you remnants of Arkram? It’s been hundreds of years since someone woke up here. Whoever’s doing this trickery, I’m not pleased.”
A black aura emanated relentlessly from her body.
“Now that the rare opportunity of the mortal realm has been disrupted, you must take responsibility.”
The swirling black aura condensed into the shape of a massive sword.
Witnessing the spectacle, Carpe couldn’t help but marvel, forgetting the situation.
“Wow, it’s the Ragnar Blade!”
“What’s that, nerd?”
“It’s something only insiders know.”
“Your nonsense is clear, but why are you so calm?”
“Well, there’s no other way.”
Carpe shrugged.
In LaSé’s setting, Archfiends were powerful beings that provided players with quests and skills. To NPCs, they were literally ‘gods’.
Such an Archfiend directly descending left Carpe with no intention of fighting.
No, even if he wanted to fight, he couldn’t due to the ‘Holy Sacrifice’ penalty.
“Generally, you can only counter a Divine Descent with another Divine Descent.”
“Oh? Can players use Divine Descent too?”
“After the second advancement, yes. But the cost is too high, so even if they can, they usually don’t.”
“What’s the cost?”
“Losing the Archfiend. After the Divine Descent, you have to play the game without an Archfiend.”
“Wow, damn.”
Just imagining it made curses spill out. Playing the game without an Archfiend in a game where Archfiends did everything.
If it were an NPC with only one life, it wouldn’t matter, but for players, it was a function they wouldn’t use even if they died.
“Why are you muttering so much? Arkram’s nothing but a bunch of unpleasant guys, now and forever.”
With each step the Archfiend took, the ground cracked.
“I don’t like you lounging around in front of me either. Do you have any faith? Or are you just a fool who can’t even grasp the situation?”
In a situation where his HP was only 1, there was no way he had any faith left.
Being able to lounge around was because the quest completion notification had appeared.
Now, even if he died here, the quest wouldn’t disappear. Probably.
“Die.”
Just as the Archfiend was about to swing the massive sword at Carpe—
Bang!
The red gem in Carpe’s hand emitted a bright red light.
“The Soul Stone reacts to the powerful aura of the Archfiend!”
Before there was a chance to react to the notification—
The red gem in Carpe’s hand slipped into the knight doll like a stream.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
Kaaaang!
With a loud clang, the wind swept through.
“…Huh?”
When he came to his senses, someone was deflecting the Archfiend’s sword in front of Carpe.
“W-who are you?!”
“I have no name to give to pseudo-gods.”
A silver-armored knight.
A girl who looked exactly like the doll Carpe had been holding just moments ago fiercely swung her sword at the Archfiend.
Whoosh.
Was it surprise that overwhelmed them?
The Archfiend surprisingly allowed the attack with ease, to the point of absurdity.
“[Cough!] This, this can’t be… There was such power left in Arkram…?”
“Refrain from speaking. It’s not a name to be uttered by filthy mouths.”
“How dare you!”
Despite the Archfiend’s anger, the situation didn’t change.
Whether the initial allowed attack was fatal or not, the Archfiend continued to be pushed back until she was pierced through the chest.
“You… this is the end…”
“I will find you even without haste. I will bring you down no matter how many times it takes.”
“Ah, Arkram!”
That was her final word.
Thud.
Myinandes’ body collapsed to the ground and turned to ashes.
Considering the force she had when she appeared, it was an astonishingly anticlimactic end.
The silver-armored knight, confirming the Archfiend’s demise, slowly turned towards Carpe.
“Wow.”
Her appearance was so perfect that even a demon like Carpe, who often used the phrase ‘graphic junk,’ couldn’t help but admire her.
Her translucent blue eyes fixed on Carpe.
After a brief moment, almost as if it were a misconception, a slight smile formed on her lips.
“The First Sword of the Mad King. Tistania, the Radiant.”
It was a voice that carried a delicate yet resolute will.
“I awakened in this place under the guidance of Arkram.”
Huh?
Where have I seen this before…?
“I have a question.”
Her golden hair, tinged with a faint red, fluttered with magic.
Oddly enough, Carpe’s first impression upon seeing her was a far cry from admiration or awe, but rather a pragmatic concern: “Is this a real plagiarism case?”
***
“Tistania the Radiant?”
“Please, just call me Tina. A lengthy title may delay our correspondence.”
“Alright then, Tina.”
“Feel free to speak casually. Even to a deity, maintaining a high tone doesn’t preserve royal dignity. Master.”
With one knee bent in front of Carpe, she spoke.
Admiration sprung forth involuntarily at her knightly appearance, as if she had leaped out of a novel.
“Yeah, got it. So, Tina, you’re saying you’re an homunculus created directly by the Mad King himself?”
“That’s correct. Technically, I am an Homunculus, but you can understand it that way as well.”
According to her explanation, the Mad King poured all his essence into creating seven dolls.
These were the closest aides to the king who would protect him until the final battle with the Archfiends.
Tina was the first doll created among the seven.
Furthermore, Tina recognized Carpe as a descendant of the Mad King at first sight.
However, asking if she was his master was just a line she wanted to try out… In many ways, she was an extraordinary doll.
“No way, the Mad Overlord was a summoner class?”
Cheonma rolled his tongue.
With firepower surpassing that of a large-scale damage mage, and strangely high HP, she could even fight as a close combat sword master.
And what’s more? She even had an 8-star creation skill. What? Now she’s summoning a 9-star familiar?
“Maybe I threw everything in, not knowing what you guys would like. What’s this?”
By now, it felt like the developers were not just breaking the balance under the name of ‘mythology.’
“Anyway, this turned out well. Alone, there’s eventually a limit.”
If you enjoy MMORPGs, you’ve probably dreamt of this at least once.
A one-man army! A foe to ten thousand!
Soloing raid bosses that require countless users to defeat.
Bringing down the impregnable fortress of a giant guild single-handedly!
But of course, this was an impossible dream.
Even the current top-ranked player, Gunter, couldn’t handle the top 10 rankers.
Being a one-man army was a story that only existed in novels.
“But summoners are a bit of an exception. If you’re really good, being a one-man army is not just a dream.”
Necromancers, tamers, spirit mages, and so on.
Occupations that utilize their lineage to fight in battle sometimes solo raid monsters.
Of course, such occupations typically hit a limit sooner or later, as most of them have fragile main bodies.
But Carpe was different.
Her individual combat power was unparalleled, an overwhelming mythical class!
And if you add her powerful lineage to the mix, it’s truly…
“Hmm. If it’s like this, I’ll have to revise my plans. First, I need to strengthen my lineage…”
“Master. I’ve been curious for a while now, but what is this evil spirit?”
“You even need evil spirits… Hey, what did you just say? Evil spirits?!”
“I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”
She rose from her seat, drew her sword, and aimed it directly at Cheonma.
“If you permit it, I will immediately vanquish that insignificant evil spirit. Master, your command.”
“Wait, wait! Absolutely not!”
“Why not? Although very feeble, I sense the aura of a false deity. I propose vanquishing it just in case, despite its insignificance.”
“Very… feeble… Insignificant…”
Were these Arkram people actually a group of exorcists? Why do they keep calling themselves evil spirits when they see me? Despite her rough exterior, another scratch was made on Cheonma’s tender-hearted soul.
“Wait a minute….., wait a minute…..! Absolutely not!”
“Enough. Before you swing your sword, let me explain!”
Carpe quickly clarified the situation before Tina could strike, and the latter nodded as she listened attentively.
“I see. You were involved in an unknown incident, and when you regained consciousness, you were wearing the guise of a false deity.”
“That’s right.”
“In that case, it may be the curse of these false gods.”
“I don’t think so…”
“The feebleness of their energy indicates they were originally ordinary humans. However, their knowledge reached the heavens, so they became the guardians of the king, teaching as true loyal subjects. Yes, I understand the situation.”
With a nod, Tina bowed respectfully towards Cheonma. It was a deeply sincere apology.
“I have committed a breach of etiquette towards the strategist.”
“Hmph. It was unintentional, so I’ll overlook it. But what’s this strategist thing?”
“Isn’t it? I thought you were a strategist since you’re teaching the king.”
“Hmm. Strategist. A strategist, huh…”
Cheonma repeated the title several times, seeming somewhat pleased.
“Do you have any other questions, Master?”
“I do, but before that, I think we should change the title ‘Master.’”
“What seems to be the problem?”
“It’s about plagiarism…”
“Plagiarism?”
Tina chuckled slightly at the unfamiliar term.
“If it bothers you, I’ll change it.”
“Alright, just call me by my name. That’s fine with me.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. As your loyal subject, I cannot casually address the king by his name. I will continue to address you as ‘Master.’”
“Well then, let’s compromise for now.”
Although the title of ‘Master’ was somewhat uncomfortable, as long as it wasn’t ‘Master,’ it was fine.
“Yes, Master. I pledge to be your sword and vanquish your enemies.”
“Good, I’ll count on you from now on.”
Ding!
[Quest Event ‘Divine Power’ has been cleared. It will be linked to the next quest.]
“Oh?”
It seemed hearing Tistania’s pledge was the condition for clearing the event.
Just as Carpe was about to check the next quest…
Beep, beep, beep…
“Oh, no.”
An alert indicating that the login time was about to end sounded. It seemed he would have to check the quest details tomorrow.
“Well then, see you tomorrow.”
“Rest well.”
After bidding farewell to Cheonma, Mukhyang, and Tina, Carpe ended the session.
Swoosh!
At the same time, Cheonma’s body was transferred to his former room when he was alive.
“It’s already the third time, and I still can’t get used to it. What’s the principle behind this?”
“Kyuu!”
“You’re the most mysterious one, aren’t you? Why do you keep following me? Don’t you have a spirit realm or something?”
“Kyukyuu!”
“Sigh, what am I supposed to do with you? I must be crazy…”
“Indeed, is this General’s office? It’s a unique space.”
Whip.
Cheonma’s head snapped back like lightning. There stood Tistania, with an expression of admiration.
“Huh? What? Why are you here?”
“Well…”
After pondering for a moment in response to Cheonma’s question, Tina replied.
“I’m not sure either.”
“This is getting weird.”
What’s going on? What’s happening?
Then, an alert window appeared in front of the bewildered Cheonma.
[The number of your subordinates has increased.]
[The ‘Room’ function is now open.]
[The Room serves as a resting and production space for the player and their subordinates. As you upgrade the Room, various functions will be added, and the abilities of your subordinates will improve.]
[You are the manager of the Room.]
“…What’s going on with this?”
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