‘Darticon’, a city of honor and warriors.
“Oh… it’s a really cool city.”
“Right.”
Aracelli wandered around the city with a wide smile. It was a beautiful city. The roads were paved with pure white tiles, the buildings were painted in colorful colors, and the streets were filled with tourists who came to watch the warriors fight, and of course, the merchants were full of vigor.
“Is this your first time coming to the city?”
“Of course not. I’m completely a city person.”
“…Not just a city person but completely a city person? What the hell does that mean?”
Pasios stared at Aracelli. The city reflected in her blue eyes, unlike her young appearance, her eyes were calm and deep, like a veteran who had seen the reality of the world for decades.
Aracelli’s eyes were glued to the skewer and snacks sold by the street vendors. And unlike her mature image from before, she looked rather cute right now. Looking at Aracelli reminded Redurun of his little sister, and in the end Redurun ended up buying a lot of snacks for her.
Then Aracelli began to munch on the enormous amounts of snacks in her hands without any care in the world.
Pasios and Redurun may not know, but Aracelli was having a good time after so long.
She had lived a life where she couldn’t eat properly, so a food that really tasted like food really spurned her appetite.
And then, one of the street vendors asked Aracelli when she was in the middle of ordering a rice cake skewer.
“Hey, student, in hot weather like this, aren’t you feeling stuffy in those clothes?”
“It’s because I don’t have any other clothes.”
“Oh my god…”
When Aracelli answered without thinking much, a lot of people were looking at her with pitiful eyes. Redurun, who couldn’t take it anymore, pulled out a suitcase full of clothes.
“When I succeed later, I’ll be sure to pay you back!”
It is questionable when she would succeed.
“It’s a really nice city. There are also a lot of people.”
“Do you think so? In the past, there were more people.”
“More than now?”
“Yes. It has started to decrease this year.”
“Why?”
“Well, it can’t be helped. The law has become weird since players took over the city’s ‘mayor’ position.”
It can be said that Darticon was the most culturally bustling city on the east side of the Marodon Empire. Originally, this place was a city of barbarians, or ‘warriors’ which were very far from the term culture. However, along with time, they were also changing.
This city has a really unique culture. Only the strongest warrior could be the ruler (Mayor) of Darticon. Even the Marodon Empire couldn’t touch that rule.
That rule has existed there throughout the history of Draticon without any problem.
However, starting from this year, problems began to arise. Somehow, if one became the champion of Darticon and won the position of the mayor, one would acquire wisdom that accompanied strength through ‘enlightenment’. But, the players didn’t get it at all.
Just in less than three years, players who suddenly gained strong power become arrogant. They implemented several strange policies with the pride that they became the mayor of the strongest city. So, this city, which is usually crowded every year, was strangely quiet this year. Most of the people around the city were players.
“I can’t believe that even the city of Honor, Darticon, has been eaten by people from another world. It’s a mess.”
Redurun said with a complex expression on his face. Unlike his bright personality, he is clearly not in his best mood right now.
After listening to Redurun’s story, Aracelli recalled the existence called ‘Player’ once again.
‘Those who can quickly gain power by simply killing a monster….’
Just how many tears and blood had she spilled to be a 9th Circle wizard?
And how much ‘enlightenment’ did she achieve in the process of becoming strong?
And if, those players who gained strength without any ‘Enlightenment’ existed all over this continent….
‘…..It’s a good city with many good people. But, I don’t want to live in a world like this.’
Aracelli decided she will accomplish what she needs to do as soon as possible and return.
“I actually have someone I’ve been looking for….”
“Huh? Who? Parents? Friend? Family? Brother? Sister? if not…..”
“Shut up, Redurun. Who are you looking for?”
“He’s a man called Yoo Seodam, Do you perhaps know him?”
Both Redurun and Pasios’ expressions crumpled.
“Yeah, we know him. But even if you want to find him, you won’t be able to.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Because there are many other people who are looking for that man besides you.”
Pasios said as he pointed his finger to the poster where people were gathered.
“Go there. There’s information about him there.”
“Really? Where……”
Originally, Aracelli didn’t expect them to know about Yoo Seodam. She was quite taken aback by Pasios’s answer.
With an excited expression, she turns her head to the direction Pasios was pointing at.
[WANTED]
[Serial murdered ★★★★★]
[Player Yoo seodam]
[Dead Or Alive]
[1,000,000 G]
She saw a wanted poster with Yoo Seodam’s face on it. He even had a five-star rating that was given to only the most heinous criminals in the entire continent.
“Huh…?”
It wasn’t just some person with the same name as her professor.
That face, that nose, that sleazy but bright smile, those clear eyes, and that lips that seem to hide those teeth.
How could she forget that face? It was the face of someone she had never forgotten even once throughout the decades.
“Why….”
She slowly approached the wanted spot on the wall.
“Is that the person you are looking for?”
When Pasios asked, Aracelli nodded her head blankly.
“It’s something that a player-killer like me shouldn’t say, but…… That man is a fairly heinous serial murderer. In this city, Darticon, he’s attracting attention for killing all the Government executives.”
Aracelli proceeded to read his offense.
Assassination, assassination, murder, assassination, etc.
Most of his victims were noble, politicians, merchants, and important figures.
It’s no wonder that his wanted posters were scattered across the continent.
Pasios said after roughly tearing off one of many wanted posters of Yoo seodam.
“He is also someone I need to kill.”
“Pardon me?”
When it comes to Pasios of the Black Knight Guild, there is no one who doesn’t know.
He was the very first player to enchant a Legendary-grade weapon into +7, and was the first ranker to reach level 200, and now he was a very vicious player who had left the guild and worked as a solo player as well as a PK.
The fall of Pasios, who used to be called the best player!
However, he had his reason for doing so.
“If he keeps going like this, this world will be in a mess. He’s so drunk on his power, he needs someone to prevent him from abusing his power.”
“….Do you intend to play that role, Mr. Pasios?”
“Yes. Yoo Seodam has already crossed the line. In only one month after he started his activity, he’s been gaining a lot of despise from the natives.”
Aracelli somehow felt terrible. A clear sadness was visible on her face.
“…..But don’t worry. That guy is still only in second place.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Pasios has someone he really wants to kill. His name is Perutius… He’s a really lucky player. He will throw this world into chaos soon. Well, I’m not particularly opposed to it. Because I have a pretty deep grudge against players since I lost my job because of them! Haha, actually, after becoming unemployed, I realized it was good to be free.”
After Aracelli heard all the story, she felt something was off.
She has traveled to many dimensions, and has been able to see and hear many things by belatedly following Yoo Seodam’s footsteps. Wherever he goes, he always tries to balance the world by hunting very special people who are ‘loved by the world’.
‘Perhaps……’
Aracelli asked Redurun once again.
“Can you explain to me more about the player named Perutius?”
“Ah, that friend…”
After hearing all the explanations, Aracelli was convinced.
‘There is no mistake. Professor is aiming for Perutius.’
* * *
That evening, Aracelli headed to the scene where Yoo seodam committed a murder with Pasios and Redurun in tow. It’s been a week since the incident and for some reason, the case has been handed over to investigate without giving any details about what happens to the public. The Empire only stated that a player had killed an innocent noble.
But.
What if they weren’t actually innocent nobles?
‘There is no mistake. If you’re the same professor I’ve been following and know, you’ll never kill innocent people.’
So, Aracelli infiltrated the crime scene using her leftover Mana to prove Yoo Seodam’s innocence and secure Pasios and Redurun’s help.
“….It is an extraordinary magic. What kind of magic is it?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this…. It’s different from a simple ‘Invisible’ magic….”
Pasios and Redurun stiffly examined the translucent membrane surrounding their bodies.
The act of hiding one presence with magic could be done with 3rd Circle magic ‘cognition reduction’, 4th Circle magic ‘wide area cognition cancellation’, and 6th Circle magic ‘invisibility’.
However, the magic Aracelli cast wasn’t simply lowering the enemy’s cognition or making their body turn invisible. It was akin to walking on a ‘another dimension’ altogether. This magic was at least at the level of the highest tier magic that Redurun, a 7th Circle wizard, could not understand.
A sword expert-class guard passed right next to them. However, even if they waved, jumped, and shouted in front of him, the guard didn’t notice them at all.
“This way.”
Aracelli closed her eyes and put her hand together. She meticulously poured her Mana to all nooks and cranny and led the two men. She forced herself to use her Mana that could not be recovered. The white blouse Redurun bought for her was soaking wet, but she couldn’t care less, she was already struggling to keep her magic going.
‘Professor needs help.’
However, there’s a limit for what she could do with her current Mana pool and fragile young body. But what if she could assure Pasios, the master of the Black Knight guild as well as the highest level player in the past, and Redurun, who was once the chief sorcerer, to help?
‘I can help him.’
Aracelli thought it must be a destiny to meet Pasios and Redurun as soon as she arrived in this world.
[The cliché flows.]
That was a pretty, accurate judgment.
Creaaaak…. Thud!
The heavy iron door, which was layered with defensive magic, opened and revealed the bleak interior of the room.
Redurun immediately plugged his nose while Pasios frowned, but Aracelli walked in nonchalantly.
“This is crazy…. What is all this…?”
“To think there’s a large room in the basement….”
There’s blood everywhere. There’s also rotten body, flesh, and dark red magic circles scattered here and there.
Redurun created a flame with his magic to incinerate all the corpses.
Unfortunately, his flame wasn’t able to burn the corpses, because….
“…Rotten corpses and Dark red magic circle. It must be ‘black magic’.”
They found black magic in the basement of a government building in Draticon, a city of warriors, protected by the Emperor of the Marodon Empire. Black magic was something that was used by ‘Black dragon king’ and his followers. In other words, it could be said that the government official that was killed by Yoo Seodam was actually a traitor who was the enemy of mankind.
“In the end, he only killed those who were worth killing.”
Redurun rebuke Pasios’s words because he still couldn’t understand.
“He could be a hero just by revealing this fact. But why didn’t he do it? Does he have another plan?”
Obviously, his doubts were valid. Pasios also couldn’t completely erase his suspicion.
But then Aracelli said.
“Mr. Pasios. You said that players need some kind of restrictions in order to live in this world.”
“That’s right.”
“What if you weren’t the only one who thought that way?”
“What?”
Pasios had never thought about it. Because all players he knew were always too drunk in the power they got.
“Just like you Mr.Pasios, Yoo Seodam was a unique existence among players. Aren’t you deliberately killing players to put a leash on them by using terror?”
It was a simple yet effective way.
Obviously, players will be afraid of Pasios.
But……
“…My intuition said, you will die in the hand of Perutius soon.”
Aracelli, who had indirectly experienced numerous ‘episodes’ in so many worlds, thought so. Although she had no knowledge about probabilities of the world, clichés, episodes and the existence of the protagonist, she was able to see through the essence of the world using insights of the 9th Circle Wizard.
“A player who hunts other players, is In the end, only an individual, and you will be the cause which will make the players unite.”
Aracelli glanced at the terrible corpses that had fallen victim to black magic with her sad eyes.
“Professor Yoo Seodam probably had thought that far. So he took a completely different path from you. For example, exposing the danger that the player possesses to the world and deliberately inducing antagonism.”
What Aracelli means was that Yoo seodam showed the world about what will happen in the future when players grow even stronger.
“Huh, so he killed those who deserved to be killed, but deliberately let people hate him by not revealing it?”
Pasios and Redurun could not understand the meaning behind Yoo Seodam’s action. No, even if they had the same thought as him in the first place, they didn’t have any confidence to do it like Yoo seodam. How can a person do that, even at the expense of their life?
“…It was bigger than I thought.”
“If it’s true… I don’t want to leave him alone.”
Probably, Yoo Seodam won’t stop assassinating native humans to keep their hostility towards him. And finally, he will sacrifice himself to self-destruct along with the evil player, allowing the good players to naturally assimilate into this world and live.
That’s what they thought….
‘In fact, the professor cannot really sacrifice himself..’
Somehow, Aracelli, who remembered Yoo Seodam’s hateful yet unhateable behavior, calmed down.
‘Now, we can really meet.’
Pasios and Redurun made their decision after contemplating their choice for a while.
“I think I know the group of players that are just right for this situation. Let me try to help Yoo Seodam’s next action.”
“…I have to contact the princess. I don’t care about what will happen, but, It’s for the future of the continent, so…..”
“Thank you very much!”
When Aracelli smiled brightly at their positive decision, Redurun asked, as if he really did not understand.
“By the way….. Why are you going so far trying to help him?”
To that, Aracelli replied with a smile brighter than ever.
“I want to meet my Professor.”
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