Storm Warrior - Chapter 348



Only Krnovel

#348, A Decision Is Needed

The situation on Katrinan’s side was so urgent that she passed through the portal before the full 30 seconds had passed.

Patch!

Only the players who had made a last-minute spurt with their wits poured out to the other side with me.

Kwaaaa …

As the space changed, Katrinan’s piercing body transformed into a body and struck my ear.

“Eww!”

“What, what the heck! The F*ck!”

Those who crossed the portal without any protection were shocked and fell into an abnormal state.

The battle had already begun.

‘Damn it! I should have taken action sooner.’

Kookung! Bang!

The good news is that it wasn’t a player-versus-player conflict.

Also, it wasn’t a player vs. Katrinan fight.

The problematic parties were Katrinan and Kwon Ha-sun.

It was my fault for overlooking the fact that their first meeting had left Katrinan with a grudge.

“Katrinan! She is not the enemy! Stop!”

I immediately sent a telepathic message to Katrinan,

She pretended not to hear and fired Ice Breath at Kwon Ha-seon.

Quagagagaga!

Cheeeeek!

The shield of Kwon Ha-seon, wrapped in steel, collided with the cold air of the breath and released steam.

Whoosh! Boom!

Then, Katrinan swung her tail and aimed for Kwon Ha-seon’s torso, and Kwon Ha-seon dug in, striking it with his golden mallet.

Pot!

At that moment, I sensed danger and stepped right in front of Kwon Ha-seon.

Kwaaaaang!

As the Absolute Barrier was deployed, Katrinan’s magic, which was created without a process, hit the barrier directly.

It was a close call.

In the past, Katrinan had underestimated Kwon Ha-seon and suffered a loss, but even Kwon Ha-seon was no match for a determined Dragon Lord.

Of course, I won’t be behind in my temperament at all.

“You damn dragon! Get out of the way! From today on, our military will take over.”

Drying an open kettle is something I also want to avoid if possible.

But, he said with a serious expression, because the situation that was about to unfold was much more serious.

“Are you trying to ruin all my plans?”

“… … !”

At the same time, he warned Katrinan.

“Katrin, I won’t talk to you anymore. Come to your senses right now. If you make a mistake, you could lose the floor.”

This plan didn’t have a second chance.

They don’t even know the details of the plan, but it’s ultimately about protecting Maru and bringing back Kwon Ha-seon’s dead father.

“… … .”

Both of them knew that fact, so they soon calmed down their speculation.

With that, silence fell over Katrinan’s room.

Aside from the two who had a fight, the silence had continued since before, but I now know that the silence is on the verge of being broken.

At that moment, I made eye contact with Richard, and he was glaring at me as if to say, ‘What are you trying to do?’

At the same time, I also checked Gu Chang-soo’s field of vision.

[The raid against 《Lord Charybdis》 has begun.]

[Defeat Lord Charybdis within the time limit and survive.]

[Survival time: 19 minutes 17 seconds]

‘… Tsk!’

As expected, the countdown began with the battle between Kwon Ha-sun and Katrinan.

Telling people to ignore that system message won’t work.

It means that a time attack with their lives at stake has begun.

‘If it comes to this…, of course you’ll think you’ve fallen into a trap.’

Using that system to lock them up was also part of the original plan.

However, the order was not like this.

If you push a person into a pit full of poisonous snakes and say, “Listen to me!” will they listen?

If the explanation had come first like in the previous church missions, it would have been a little different.

Anyway, it was understandable that Richard’s face now looked betrayed.

Before appearing in front of the players,

I told Richard about the identity and purpose of the system and why we need to break away from the current system.

I told it as it was, but of course there were lies involved in making the process understandable.

Because there is no benefit in eliciting cooperation from them by informing them that tampering with the system means committing a crime.

So the argument that was already out of line was that ‘the core contents of each chapter had to be destroyed’.

Since we ran into each other at the Tower of Desire brawl a while ago, it must have made sense from his perspective.

That is, it was not awkward to hint that Charybdis would be beyond the portal.

I don’t know what Richard was expecting next, but he followed my instructions and didn’t attack or provoke Katrinan first, and he did a good job of keeping the other players in check.

But then, all of a sudden, Kwon Ha-seon and Katrinan started fighting and the message floated up.

They have no way of knowing why the two are fighting to the death.

Moreover, those who crossed the portal without knowing where they were going would have needed time to understand the message that appeared before their eyes.

And perhaps, if a little more time had passed, the players would have decided to help Kwon Ha-seon and save themselves.

Even Richard, who had been trying to keep himself from causing friction, might have taken Kwon Ha-seon’s fight as a signal.

I arrived on time, but things got awkward after I broke up the fight.

『… I will explain everything.』

I tried telepathically sending Richard a message hoping that he would at least remain silent, but he just kept spewing out words that lit the fire.

“… So in the end, this is how they planned to corner us and get rid of us.”

As soon as Richard finished speaking, the two thousand players stirred.

“Is that true?”

“What? Are you saying this is a real trap?”

“What the heck! You got tricked?”

“What the hell! Then we need to take care of Charybdis first!”

I shouted over the commotion.

“Where in the world is there a trap that you can fall into yourself! Oh, come on. Calm down and listen to me!”

But as Richard continued to speak, I realized that I was no longer in a position to be persuaded.

“It’s a very simple and clear problem. The only way to prove that this is a misunderstanding is for you to take the lead and kill Charybdis.”

“… … .”

My keeping my mouth shut must have seemed to them like I was admitting to lying.

Sling! Ping!

Immediately, the players drew their weapons, exuding a ferocious aura.

My classmates and professors also gathered around me, ready for battle.

At that moment, Goo Chang-soo’s blank gaze turned towards me.

[Event Notice: Raid special rewards have been updated. If you survive, you will receive an ‘Elixir’.]

‘Chew, elixir….’

This is just another ploy to add fuel to the fire.

A mythic-grade consumable that permanently increases all abilities by 1 point.

It’s been a while since I forgot about stats, but for players who still can’t get out of the system, it’s an eye-opening item.

Even though that 1 point may not seem like much, a 0.1 difference in ability value over 10 points is equivalent to the efficiency of 1 point under 10 points.

In other words, if you use an elixir when your main stat has passed 10 points, you will gain the effect of becoming 100% stronger.

Anyway, they were in no hurry considering that the situation involved compensation in addition to survival issues.

Naturally, Richard became their leader, because he was a very cautious guy.

‘Richard must know.’

About 2,000 people, but only about 20.

It’s a 100 to 1 ratio, but it’s definitely not a power you can easily see.

Most people who are quick-witted, including Richard, would have guessed it.

As in Loco 33, the main characters are given combat power adjustments only when fighting against players.

It is unclear whether this means a damage reduction penalty for the player or a damage reduction buff for the main characters, but in short, the player is structurally set up so that they can never hunt the main characters.

That was the reason why Seo Beom-jin’s gang could easily slaughter players.

(Of course, many of the professors, including Nana, were not included among those ‘main’ figures.)

However, not supporting and winning are two completely different matters.

Because we were the ones who had something to protect.

Maru is a character that doesn’t receive any compensation, and Katrinan is just a boss mob.

‘I guess Richard is superior to me in terms of fighting sense.’

I have already experienced that being better at Roco33 helps in real combat.

It wasn’t just because he had an advantage in training know-how, but his fighting sense was literally different.

You may be wondering what use clicking your keyboard and mouse will be, but think about it.

If you meet the conditions of the scene that has been imprinted in your head, including your motor skills and senses, and if all the movements you imagine are actually possible, then at that moment, all the plays will soon become an experience.

Richard, the first person with that experience, slowly walks around the inside of the boss room.

The original interior of the common area was large enough for a dragon to rampage around in its entirety, so it could accommodate two thousand people without feeling cramped.

But as the guys lined up in a C shape took steps, our space became smaller.

I told Katrinan.

“Things are going to shit. It seems like things are already out of control.”

-Can’t we just sweep it all away?

If your goal is to eliminate them, you only need to hold out for about 18 minutes. That’s possible… .

But that was a means that could only be used when the plan’s failure was acknowledged.

『No. We shouldn’t kill them. And we’re being pushed back by force. If each of them is similar to the guy Katrinan fought earlier, then it makes sense.』

-That can’t be… .

It’s an exaggeration to say that they’re all ‘Kwon Ha-sun-level,’ but the result is the same.

We don’t get hurt,

Without killing them,

It is impossible to subdue top players who are 2,000 strong.

『They also know that the vessel on the ceiling is Katrinan’s weakness. So they are a group that receives the oracle of the system… no, Marduk.』

To be exact, you may know it as a seizure button used to relieve aggro, but the problem was that there was a floor in this spot.

‘If the Life Vessel is actually hit, Maru will feel pain… .’

I only ever hit it in a game and didn’t even know Maru existed, but thinking about it now, I feel sorry.

-So, that doesn’t mean there’s no way, right?

『… Of course not. But Katrinan’s decision is needed.』

-… Decision? About what?

“I think you should become my subordinate.”

-What, what did you say…? You’re mocking me right now-

『Don’t get excited, listen to the reason first. If you want to leave this place right now, you have to give up one thing. The Vessel on the floor and the barrier that holds Katrinan.』

-Isn’t that different from what you promised? You said both were possible, and then you lied again!

『When I made the promise, it was before Katrinan made this saddle. Anyway, listen to the end. The only way that both methods are still possible is the one I mentioned.』

-That’s ridiculous! You’re telling me, the Lord of the Clan, to become a servant of a human… and now a demon… . I’d rather stay here.

『I knew it would come out like that. It’s a choice that a Lord of the Clan would never make. However, when dealing with Marduk, you have to break that fixed idea. Think about Umor’s position, who will be left alone and unaware of anything. And also… Do you think I would treat the Lord like a real servant, even though he is only a servant in name?』

-… … .

『… Yes. I’ll stop persuading you here. Please tell me when you’ve decided. There’s not much time.』

The players who had been gradually closing the distance suddenly stopped moving.

Peeing!

Richard, in the lead, launched a surprise attack with a green sword blast towards the vessel on the ceiling.

At that signal, two thousand players rushed in, shouting.

“Dolgyeogeok!”

“Kill him!”