When Whales Clash, Yet Another Whale Appears (4)
I never thought I, a liberal arts major, would say something like this:
Science is the best.
The constant flood of system messages was proof of that.
A level 350 monster.
The destructive power of its charge must be immense.
Literally.
Even brushing against it would mean certain death for me.
But with great power comes great recoil as well.
[Count Askura's Knight has been inflicted with 'Stun'.]
[Count Askura's Knight has been inflicted with 'Stun'.]
[Count Askura's Knight has been inflicted with 'Stun'...]
That reminded me of a previous fight with soldiers.
"Back then, I collapsed the wall using reversal magic…"
But in this situation…
That didn't feel like a good move.
Most of all, there were just too many players here.
Since I had erected a much larger and thicker stone wall to block the knights' charge,
If it collapsed, the aftermath would be devastating.
"I don't know what that is, but… just attack for now!"
"This is our chance! Finish them off!!"
Players were tangled up with the knights.
But I didn't have any fancy technique that would let me collapse the wall without harming the players.
If I had that kind of skill,
I wouldn't have bothered building a wall in the first place — I'd have just wiped them all out.
"So instead…"
I thought a little differently.
The biggest disadvantage at the moment was the terrain.
A wide-open battlefield is advantageous to cavalry.
Sure enough, aside from the direction where I'd raised the wall,
Clatter clatter—!
"Damn it! They're coming again! Brace yourselves!!"
Charge, retreat, and another charge.
Knights on horseback were wreaking havoc.
Thanks to that, the player formations were breaking down fast.
"Building things like that… What arrogance."
That's why I couldn't just stand back and watch anymore.
Yes — I was going to change the terrain that favored the enemy.
I didn't hesitate.
Search. Interfere. Manifest.
The entire process was swift and seamless.
RUMBLE—!
Stone pillars shot up from the ground.
Across the plaza, they erupted everywhere.
Neighhh—!
The horses were clearly disturbed.
Their movement had been restricted.
Though not intentional, some pillars directly struck the knights.
[Count Askura's Knight has suffered 'Fracture'.]
[Count Askura's Knight has been inflicted with 'Stun'.]...
I checked how much mana I had left.
"As expected."
That kind of efficiency only applied to normal situations.
Level 91.
Only 42 MP remaining.
And yet, with just that, I had reshaped the battlefield.
Meaning… I had just enough magic left to steep a cup of green tea.
All I could do now was collapse the walls and pillars using reversal magic in a way that avoided harming players.
But that was fine.
I don't know about Granpelle's pride or whatever…
But I never intended to get tangled up with those knights anyway.
Well, to be precise, I did at first...
But that intention had since disappeared.
"These bastards can really take a hit. Tough sons of…"
"Damn, I'm bleeding. Someone heal me!"
"What the hell are these monsters? Even when they fall off their horses, they're insane!"
Each one of those knights must be over level 300.
And even the high-level players were struggling against them.
A testament to how powerful the knights truly were.
Could I possibly go toe-to-toe with them?
Considering my Predator Relationship passive…
Maybe in a 1-on-1 fight, yes.
But this was a battlefield.
A battlefield where opponents change constantly and unpredictably.
And I was here alone — without a single ally.
So this wasn't a bad move at all.
No — pouring all my mana into changing the battlefield was the best possible decision.
And that too was proven by the system messages:
[You have been credited with contribution for defeating Count Askura's Knight.]
[You have been credited with contribution for defeating Count Askura's Knight.]
[You have been credited with contribution for defeating Count Askura's Knight...]
Arcana's experience system.
Players gained EXP based on contribution.
The reason Arcana remained the most popular game for over a decade?
It had a logical and fair system — as seen here.
And my contribution?
If anything, it was high, not low.
I had inflicted major status effects on the knights.
I had clearly broken their momentum.
Which again, the system messages confirmed:
[Level Up.]
Every time a player took down an enemy,
A line confirming my contribution was added:
[Level Up.]
I was still observing from this proving ground.
Even now, with my mana completely drained.
"Maybe I could pull off something similar again…"
I was still struggling, still moving.
[Level Up.]
[Level Up...]
Level 376.
6th-ranked player.
Kazuma Hisagi, the Spear of Lightning, thought:
"Where the hell did that monster come from?"
Even his appearance was out of the ordinary.
Unarmed — inside a Rift.
Even Kazuma couldn't afford to let his guard down in a new Rift.
Who knew what threats might emerge?
And this time, demons had spawned.
"Mental resistance accessories should be mandatory…"
Yet the man had no visible gear.
No earrings, no necklace, no rings.
Flap—
His long coat fluttered in the wind.
Clack—
The sound of his confident heels echoed.
As if he needed none of those things.
His expression showed no fear.
Not even the slightest trace of tension.
Clearly, this man's confidence was well-founded.
"!"
Building a wall to block an enemy charge?
No — more than that, he was erecting pillars throughout the plaza.
Kazuma immediately grasped his intention.
"…He's trying to neutralize cavalry mobility."
Just as planned, the knights' movement was restricted.
Some had even succumbed to status effects.
Kazuma still couldn't figure him out.
"Just who is this guy?"
No class, no name, no mana level, not even a hint of his actual level.
Everything was a mystery.
"At least that's a relief."
If that monster had been part of Gaon…
"Just imagining it is terrifying."
The important thing was, he probably wasn't part of Gaon.
If he were, he wouldn't be acting separately.
More importantly, Gaon's players looked just as confused as he was.
"Anyway, this is our chance."
Kazuma didn't miss it.
Class: Spear Mage.
Crackle—!
Lightning wrapped around his spear.
The Spear of Lightning.
Just like his nickname, Kazuma darted across the battlefield.
"Grrr…"
Barbarian's unique skill: [Berserk].
Because of it, Nam Tae-min was breathing like a wild beast.
Gaon guild members looked at Nam Tae-min and said:
"This is the perfect battlefield for Master to rampage, huh?"
"No idea who that guy is… but maybe we should thank him?"
"Thank him? Worry about surviving first!"
Each one of them — high-level and famous members of Gaon.
And with high levels came plenty of experience.
There was a discernment that came only with experience.
And indeed, what they said was true.
Walls and pillars had suddenly risen from the ground.
Because of that, the knights' formation had collapsed.
A complete melee.
But in such chaos, Nam Tae-min was second to none.
Shwoosh—!
All that remained was his primal instinct.
Nam Tae-min moved purely on raw animal instinct.
Not only was he swinging a massive greatsword with one hand—
He climbed atop the newly risen stone pillars and pounced on the knights.
And amid all that, a voice echoed in his ears — Nam Cheol-min's.
"Tae-min, I know you probably can't hear me right now… But even if I have to say the same thing again later, I just have to say it now."
Even if it meant repeating himself.
He couldn't help but speak — the urge was overwhelming.
"…That's the guy I told you about!"
At first, he was doubtful.
No, it couldn't be — it had to be someone else.
He kept repeating that to himself.
But in the end, he had no choice but to accept it.
"How could I forget that face?"
The man who had saved him when his body had been taken over by a demon.
No matter how he looked at him, it was clearly the same face.
And just like back then—
That well-groomed, perfectly formal appearance.
"…But honestly, I still don't get it."
How is this even possible?
He couldn't figure out what class that man belonged to.
In the Line 4 Rift, that man had clearly used a dagger to hunt imps.
Sure, he had used a bow as well.
And that much was understandable.
Both weapons were affected by the [Strength] and [Agility] stats.
"But now… magic? What the hell…?"
This was different.
Magic was governed by the [Magic Power] stat.
A class that required strength, agility, and magic?
He had never heard of such a thing. And even if it did exist, it couldn't possibly be viable.
Stat points were limited, after all.
"He was totally fine even in front of those imps, so I figured he just had high mental resistance. I never imagined he could actually use magic!"
And it wasn't just any magic.
Even watching through a screen, it was clear the plaza was at least twice the size of a football field.
And yet, the man had filled that space—
With enormous walls and stone pillars.
As if that wasn't enough—
Rumble—!
He strategically collapsed those pillars to attack the knights.
"What do you guys think?"
Nam Cheol-min tapped into his full knowledge as an analyst.
Everything he knew about Arcana.
Even input from fellow analysts who were watching the same feed.
But no matter how much they pooled their knowledge—
They couldn't come up with a single guess.
"This may sound bad coming from an analyst, but… I don't know, Tae-min."
However, one thing was absolutely clear:
"…No matter what, we have to get him on our side, little bro."
Even if they couldn't recruit him—
They had to avoid making him an enemy at all costs.
There was nothing to gain from opposing a player of that caliber.
Wasn't that obvious right now?
"Both of us owe him. What do you even call that?"
If that man hadn't shown up—
There would've been mass casualties by now.
For both Gaon and Inazuma.
But thanks to that man's intervention, the tide of the battle had turned.
He had changed the entire course of battle on his own.
His value was immeasurable.
"But of all the people to witness this with me… it had to be those damn Inazuma guys."
Inazuma had many Korean players.
Some of them were former Gaon members who had been poached.
It wasn't just a matter of conditions.
Inazuma had aggressively recruited Korean players, even at the cost of internal backlash.
It was a well-known fact that they did so with backing from the Japanese government.
That's exactly why Nam Tae-min harbored such animosity toward Hisagi.
"So yeah. There's no way I'm backing down."
The moment Nam Cheol-min said that—
"!"
Nam Tae-min's sanity returned.
There's no way I'm backing down.
That was the only thing he clearly remembered in his rational mind.
But he knew exactly what he couldn't give up.
A grin slowly spread across Nam Tae-min's face.
"10 to 0? Deal. Let's see what I can stack on top of that."
Meanwhile,
NetTuber Park Hwi-gang's chat was going wild.
lmao this is insane
Is this even real??? What class is that dude??
That "shrimp" that got in between whales is too damn big lol
I heard this is the place. Had to come see for myself.
Between Gaon and Inazuma—
A mysterious player had suddenly jumped into the fray.
And the one NetTuber who had been broadcasting him from the beginning was:
Title: Relentless Like a Cockroach! Hwi-gang's Live Stream~Current Viewers: 68,923
Because of the rumors spreading, nearly 70,000 viewers had flocked to his stream.
It was a mind-blowing number — enough to make anyone faint from shock.
"Whoa...!!"
But Park Hwi-gang didn't even have the time to register the viewer count.
The spectacle before his eyes—
Was far more unbelievable.
"Can you all see this? Looks like we've almost won!"
Only a handful of knights remained.
And even they looked like ragged stragglers.
The players had won.
"I knew from the moment I saw him — that guy's no ordinary person…"
But this much?!
Moreover, viewers who had been watching from the start, including Park Hwi-gang himself, knew the truth:
That man hadn't even used his full strength in this battle.
lol the newbies probably haven't even seen the Ego Sword yet~
Ego Sword?? What's that??
No idea, but that name alone is badass.
If you missed it, go watch the replay lol
For real lol that was god-tier style back then
Yeah, the man hadn't even drawn his weapon.
The same weapon that had obliterated Count Askura's soldier in one hit.
Park Hwi-gang cautiously spoke:
"...Feels like he's watching all of us, doesn't it?"
Exactly.
The man had built walls and pillars—
But then remained still.
As if EXP and loot didn't matter at all.
Weird. I'd have wiped everyone out if I were him lol
Just saw the Ego Sword replay. That thing's nuts
It changes shape and stuff?? Gotta be at least Unique-tier
With that sword, even the knights would be one-shot lol
...Just who is he?
Naturally, all eyes turned toward him.
The last knight finally collapsed.
As if on cue—
"Could he be Korean? If so…""No way I'm letting him get taken again.""I just want to at least ask his name…"
Everyone's attention focused on the man standing alone at the center of the plaza.
And yet—
His expression remained completely unchanged.
As if all this attention was only natural.
Amidst the flood of questions, I thought to myself:
"...So tiring."
From now on, I need to stop pushing my mana to the limit.
The side effects are worse than I expected.
Probably because I don't have any mana recovery gear.
What's your name?
Are you part of a guild?
Are you Korean?
Honestly, answering wouldn't have been hard.
But I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
Not because of Granpelle's moody personality—
But because I myself was just too damn exhausted.
And with barely any gear on—
Now suffering from complete mana depletion—
Did I really have to be pestered like this?
"No sense of formality whatsoever."
I added in a cold tone:
"Therefore, I will not be taking any questions."