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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 102
“Hu-urk!?”
Hearing the broadcast alert that confirmed it, the middle-aged man let out a sound like he was about to pass out, gasping as he stared at the sky.
Seeing this, a young man nearby hurriedly came over and asked,
“Aigo, Hyungnim. What's wrong?!”
“Tha-that young man!?”
“Ah, the Demon King? Amazing, right? Heh, I tell you, he really seems like someone from a different world than us.”
“N-no, that's not it...”
The middle-aged man already knew the Demon King well.
How could he not know, being a fan of Eternal World videos?
He even subscribed to the Rapid Guild's channel, after all.
So, imagine how he felt when he realized the young man he'd spoken to earlier was, unbelievably, the Demon King.
He was gulping as if he couldn't breathe.
Then, he recalled what he had said to the young man.
Asking if he wanted to join them since he seemed to be alone without a guild?
He had spouted such foolish words.
Could he possibly have also heard him wondering if he'd come back if things got tough alone?
‘Is-is he going to retaliate!?’
He had seen the Demon King's bare face, hadn't he?
He was a flawlessly handsome young man.
He didn't seem particularly bad or anything, but... his title was the Demon King, wasn't it?
Watching the videos, you could even see his ruthless side, dealing with monsters without a shred of emotion.
As those images overlapped in his mind, he shuddered.
You couldn't judge a person just by their appearance, could you?
‘Uwaaah! Why did I have to stick my nose in!!!’
While the middle-aged man was having such absurd thoughts, everyone else was staring blankly towards where the Demon King, Seonghyun, was.
The jet-black thorns that fell over a vast area along with the black sun.
And the deadly jet-black flowers that bloomed from those thorns.
The sight momentarily stopped the tidal wave named the Legion of Calamity, stunning not only the users present but also the other guilds who had prepared to start their own live broadcasts for the event.
For the Demon King to interfere like this... it was completely unexpected.
Because it had been handled top-secret even within the Rapid Guild, not only was it impossible to know, but they couldn't even imagine the Demon King would have met the level requirement already.
And for him to pull off such a surprise with a new skill right upon appearing!
“Is-is he really in the same level range as us?”
“I-I bet he's way past level 120!?!”
“Enough power to temporarily stop an advancement of that magnitude...”
“Th-those black flames raining down from the black sun are burning everything...”
“Insane...”
“A-as expected... he didn't clear the Fortress of the Past just by sheer luck.”
As everyone was stunned and spacing out, a few guild officials quickly regained their senses and looked up at the sky.
And there, occupying the 1st place position with imposing confidence:
[Contribution Rank]
[1st 『Seonghyun』 - 1,783 Points]
[2nd None.]
Seeing Seonghyun's name etched there all alone, the guild officials urgently shouted.
“Is this the time to just stand and watch!? G-get moving! Quickly!”
“Charge right now!!!”
“Throw some skills!!! Ranged ones!!!”
“Don't forget to funnel contribution points!!!”
As the guild officials shouted, thoroughly agitated, members from various guilds began to move.
The first to react were the trio who had already bolted forward even before the guild officials started shouting.
Needless to say, it was Junhyuk, Kurosawa Ren, and Meiran.
True to his class as an Elemental Gladiator, Junhyuk enveloped himself in various elemental attributes, wielding a massive greatsword. He moved like a launched projectile, maximizing his speed by manipulating the elements of lightning and wind.
Kurosawa Ren similarly rode the wind using his Storm Shadow class, then suddenly vanished, transforming into a shadow along with the wind, increasing his speed.
Finally, there was Meiran.
Befitting her class, 'Spear Sovereign of Dawn', she grasped a spear of dawning light, like that which heralds the dawn, in mid-air, launched it, then rode upon it, cutting through the sky towards the Legion of Calamity.
“Wahahaha!!! Let's compete!!!”
The trio flew towards the Legion of Calamity. Especially the noisy Meiran.
Seeing this, Seonghyun adjusted the black mask he was wearing, a departure from his usual appearance.
The reason for this change was simple: unlike the ease of editing videos after recording, real-time adjustments during a live broadcast were not so straightforward.
Since it was a large-scale event, he would be exposed in front of many people.
Therefore, following the opinions of Ahn Yoojin—no, Rapid—and his noona Yoo Mina, he covered his face.
Apparently, it's inconvenient if your face becomes well-known?
‘It's not wrong, though.’
By now, didn't Seonghyun understand the status of Eternal World at least a little?
At first, he had wondered if people would really watch game videos that much, but because of him, the subscriber count had apparently increased to nearly a million.
It was probably best to be careful.
Anyway, this was what Seonghyun and Rapid had been preparing.
None other than a live broadcast.
-???????? What is this?
-It's the Demon King's live!!!!
-Did it finally start!?
-Crazy!!!! What is that skill!?
-This is that place, right?
-Crazy! I'm in!
The viewers who had purchased tickets and been watching the Rapid Guild live stream from the beginning couldn't help but be surprised either.
Because shortly after joining, they saw the black sun and the jet-black thorns.
-???????
-Woah.......
-This is one person's skill???
-Insane....
While the viewers were exclaiming in admiration like that.
They too could see the trio flying in.
-Huh? That's Junhyuk from Sick Brothers!?
-Kurosawa Ren from Tempest Wing is there too!!!
-Crazy! It's Meiran!!!
-Meiran!?
Unlike the other two, Meiran, whose guild name wasn't mentioned.
It showed just how outstanding her reputation was.
Although Seonghyun wasn't looking at the chat window due to the Rapid Guild administrators managing it, his reaction wasn't much different from theirs.
‘So that's her. The one they called Loudmouth Light-Lancer...’
The Loudmouth Light-Lancer that Yoo Mina had told him about.
At first, he had wondered what that meant, but—
“Wahahahaha!!! O Light!!! O Spears!!! Descend!!! Wahahahaha!!! This will be a fun competition!!!”
As Meiran shouted like that, he saw countless spears of light materialize around her. An attack with spears that looked quite powerful.
Watching it, Seonghyun gave a slight nod.
It was certainly quite a strong power.
However.
As she got closer, he felt the decibels naturally rising.
He thought he understood why she was called loudmouth.
Her loud and energetic appearance gave exactly that impression.
He had wondered what it meant, but there couldn't have been a more fitting expression.
‘Loudmouth Light-Lancer.’
Seonghyun mulled that over while observing the skills of the trio for the time being.
First, Junhyuk, the Korean wielding the greatsword that used the power of various elements, stepped up.
Using storm, lightning, and earth to envelop his greatsword, he fell from the sky and slammed the greatsword into the ground.
Then, from the greatsword embedded in the earth, brown, silver, and yellow light spread in all directions as the ground split open, a storm raged within it, and the earth itself was lifted up.
The storm raged along with the earth, sweeping the surroundings, and the remaining creatures were electrocuted by another power mixed in the storm—lightning—vanishing as if turned to ash.
A considerable area-of-effect skill.
However, it seemed lacking.
‘Hmm, it's a bit disappointing.’
Although he combined them, and each attribute seemed to mesh together, in Seonghyun's eyes, they looked like they were acting separately.
A distinct difference from the build Seonghyun was currently using.
Just as he was feeling a bit disappointed, another person emerged.
Next to appear was Kurosawa Ren.
Having hidden like a shadow within the wind and appeared amidst the Legion of Calamity, he fiercely swung the daggers held in both hands.
A storm raged.
Unlike Junhyuk's storm, which was covered in silver, a dark, shadow-laden storm raged, slicing apart everything nearby.
He focused purely on raw power, setting aside combinations.
‘Ah, using it as a single skill... certainly.’
Without combination, the power was lacking.
The range was wide, but unlike Junhyuk, quite a few monsters were missed.
Seonghyun hadn't done much of this himself, but... for some reason?
It was plainly visible to his eyes.
Was it thanks to the memories and experiences of the ghosts who had lived in this game world for a long time?
He knew that their methods of using skills were fundamentally flawed.
Finally, the remaining Loudmouth Light-Lancer, no, Meiran.
Flying on her spear of dawning light, she led the spears of light following in a line behind her back and spread her hands wide.
Then, the spears behind her back flew out all at once, embedding themselves among the Legion of Calamity positioned on the ground, and Seonghyun quietly watched to see what would happen.
“Wahahaha!!! O Liiight!!!”
Reacting to Meiran's loud shout, the embedded spears of light began to respond.
The spears trembled, emitting intense light in all directions.
And finally, the spears erupted in radiance along with the light, transforming into pure light as if purifying the surroundings.
Light exploded, and spears of light swept the area.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga——!
After engulfing the surroundings, the explosion condensed back into light and was grasped in the hand of Meiran as she descended from the sky to the ground.
At the same time, Meiran, holding the spear, landed not where the light spears had just swept, but in a different spot, and slammed the spear into the ground.
Kwa-jijik——!
Beon-jjeo-eoeoeok——!
Light split the ground, and intense light burst forth from the fissures.
“Oho?”
It was clearly a display of using two skills.
A clean combination of the light spears and the explosion of light, followed by a subsequent combo of gathering the light again, descending, and dealing area damage.
From what Seonghyun saw, it was flawless.
Seonghyun wasn't the only one thinking that.
“Ha, damn it. She keeps getting stronger. Isn't that too much?”
“Chikusho, I thought I had caught up at least a little...”
The two men, who had been earnestly getting stronger aiming to catch up to Meiran, also watched Meiran's splendid achievement with gloomy expressions.
That single blow had created two huge holes in the Legion of Calamity's formation.
As the two looked up at the sky with slightly despairing eyes.
[Contribution Rank]
[1st 『Seonghyun』 - 1,783 Points]
[2nd 『Meiran』 - 1,264 Points]
[3rd 『Junhyuk』 - 827 Points]
[4th 『Kurosawa Ren』 - 814 Points]
The score difference between Meiran and Seonghyun had drastically decreased.
And even if they doubled their own scores, they couldn't even chase Seonghyun.
Rather than despairing, they resolved to move diligently and secure 3rd place at least.
Just as Junhyuk and Kurosawa Ren began moving desperately, starting their battle for 3rd place, Seonghyun also looked at the contribution ranking, a peculiar light in his eyes.
Meiran looked at Seonghyun and simultaneously pointed at him with her index finger, shouting in her boisterous voice,
“Demon Kiiiiing!!! Did you see thaaaat! Wahahahahaha!!!”
Was she showing off that she too had unleashed an AoE skill, as if responding to what Seonghyun had done?
Seonghyun smiled faintly at the sight.
It felt as if he had just received a challenge.
Well, something like this wasn't so bad.
Thump—thump!
As the teal heart held in Seonghyun's hand began to beat, the members of the Legion of Calamity that Junhyuk, Kurosawa Ren, and Meiran had just defeated revived.
They revived as the Death Legion, emitting teal energy and shrouded in darkness.
Upon reviving, they simultaneously generated a deep green mist.
A virulent, poisonous green mist that melted everything it touched instantly.
-Guwooooooo!
-Kyaaaaaaaa!
-Keooooooo!
Roaring, the soulless Death Legion numbered over two hundred.
Even Meiran couldn't manage a laugh, staring blankly at the Death Legion that had appeared in an instant.
While she was stunned, more of the Legion of Calamity, exceeding the number the trio had defeated, swarmed forward.
But the Death Legion charged into the midst of the incoming Legion of Calamity, then began to sparkle as if igniting.
The Legion of Calamity appeared to outnumber the charging Death Legion by at least several times.
However, the Death Legion charged as if setting death itself ablaze.
And at that moment, Seonghyun used his skills.
As Venomous Detonation and Deadburst occurred simultaneously due to the Self in Darkness, intense heat radiated out, emitting a fierce light.
A massive explosion mixing teal, deep green, and ash-gray engulfed the surroundings with tremendous heat.
——————!
And then the delayed blast wave struck the ground.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga———!
-Wh-what the hell was that????
-A nuke went off?!?!?
-Holy shit;;;;
-No way, seriously.......
-This is below level 120?
-Not 220?
As the viewers typed frantically in astonishment and the dust cloud from the explosion cleared, a rather large crater—no, a pit large enough to be called a valley—had formed.
And Meiran, before she knew it, looked up at the sky.
[Contribution Rank]
[1st 『Seonghyun』 - 10,029 Points]
[2nd 『Meiran』 - 1,264 Points]
[3rd 『Junhyuk』 - 827 Points]
[4th 『Kurosawa Ren』 - 814 Points]
Faced with such an overwhelmingly dominant sight, Meiran couldn't even let out her trademark hearty laugh.
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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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