Chapter 154 – Cataclysm (3)
Not everyone received a skill like the Flying Heaven Sword Style, but it was obvious that users were starting to become stronger than before. After hearing this news, users who left Elder Lord came back.
People speculated that this was Elder Saga Corporation’s attempt at marketing to increase the dominance of Elder Lord. The event seemed to be an extraordinary success.
Elder Lord became boisterous as people played more aggressively in order to gain achievement points.
***
“Should I play again?” Yiyu muttered. However, her friends all shook their heads.
“It is too late to start now, and the result would be the same. You are already doing what you want to do, so there is no need to play the game again.”
“I see…”
“Now you need to prepare for the certification. Graduation is soon.”
“Hell..”
She was chatting with her friends in a café in front of the school. They wanted to get off the hot streets and into the air conditioned café, hanging out while eating bingsoo. (TL: shaved ice)
“Is your brother well? It seemed like the matter was urgent.”
“Yes, it wasn’t a big deal. He said to apologize to you.”
“There is no need to be sorry, as I got to eat thanks to him. It is the first time I ate such food. Jung Yiyu, isn’t your brother a gold spoon?”
“Hey, that was also the first time I had a meal like that.”
Ban Taehoon was with them, but he was dozing off in the corner. Apparently, the boys had gathered together and played until extremely early in the morning. Yoon Bora clicked her tongue at his appearance.
“Pathetic guy.”
“…I can hear you.” Ban Taehoon replied.
“Your sisters are working so hard while you drink all night.”
“I’m graduating so let it go this once.”
“You shouldn’t live like this.”
“I don’t like your tone. You sound like a real mother. It is creepy.” Ban Taehoon got up. His eyes were hollow. He had washed up so he didn’t smell like alcohol, but his movements were uncomfortable. “What is Crockta doing these days?”
“How should I know?”
“You’re a member of He’s an Orc, yet still Praiseworthy.”
“I was so busy that I couldn’t…let’s see.”
Yiyu held out the bowl of bingsoo to Ban Taehoon and said, “Eat some.”
“That’s okay…I will die…”
“Tsk tsk. It is better than drinking alcohol.”
“Is it up to you?”
They smiled, enjoying the first leisure time they had in awhile.
Yoon Bora was manipulating her phone and mounted it on an LCD holder. Both Yiyu and Ban Taehoon looked at it.
“What is it?”
“Bora?”
It was a live channel. As soon as she hit the button, the video was played. In Elder Lord, there were a lot of users in a region, so big battles and issues were usually broadcasted in real time. This was one such relay channel. However, this time there was the name, ‘Crockta’ in the title.
On the screen, Crockta was fighting against knights. Recently, an emperor had emerged in the south and was conducting a war. At the forefront was the Heaven and Earth Clan. The video didn’t contain the Heaven and Earth Clan, but it might be an extension of that battle.
It was a fierce fight. Crockta alone wielded his greatsword against dozens of knights. He defeated the knights, but he couldn’t protect all the residents.
–Killing innocent people, how shameful!
–Shut up! It is in the emperor’s name!
Crockta and the knights wielded their weapons against each other. Unlike the users who had ambiguous positions in Elder Lord, the NPCs sincerely wielded their weapons at their enemies.
“Is this real?”
“Yes.”
In a corner of the screen, the chat history of the viewers was continuously updating. The people who supported Crockta and those who wanted him to die were fighting.
“Crockta won’t die, right?”
“He is a monster. He can’t die. It is the other people that are the problem,” Ban Taehoon said. His words were correct. While Crockta was stronger than the knights, he couldn’t protect the entire area alone.
The knights continued to capture and kill the rebellious residents. Crockta tried to save the residents, but he was surrounded by knights.
–You aren’t worthy to be called knights!
–We are the emperor’s knights.
The knights didn’t care. Crockta’s sincerity in wanting to save people was passed through the screen towards the viewers. He broke through the encirclement, regardless of any injuries to himself. However, the other knights came back together, forming a thicker encirclement. The angry Crockta fought against them.
“It is strange. These people are fighting seriously.”
“I guess it is because they’re artificial intelligence.”
The users filming the situation suddenly hid themselves. The screen darkened. He seemed to be running from a knight who found his traces. His rough breathing was heard. Then he spoke from the black screen.
–Heok, heok. Since a few days ago, Crockta has been helping residents all over the south. He also hit the Heaven and Earth Clan once. Instead of wasting troops trying to catch Crockta, the emperor is spreading the knights in various directions to stop residents from leaving the empire…
He suddenly became quiet as he hid his body somewhere. He whispered to the viewers watching his broadcast.
–Knights are nearby. What should I do?
His voice paused before continuing.
–This is a junction. If you donate to me now, I will do as you please. Brothers! Sisters! If you go a donation, I will react however you want! Please support me!
It was common for BJs to receive donations that would decide their actions.
As the user declared this, the chat window became noisy as something appeared on the screen. It was an amount. Someone watching the broadcast had spent money. His command was simple.
–Run out to the knights and chant ‘I am hard’ five times.
The chat was filled with laughter. The BJ groaned as he received the command, but his determination was firm. In the end, the BJ was forced to do it. The entire chat window was filled with laughter and emoticons.
In the end, the video started showing again. The user had turned on the relay. The point of view was changed to third person, showing the user. As the donor instructed, he ran through the bushes towards the knight.
The knights raised their swords at his sudden emergence.
He shouted.
–I am hard! I am hard! I…!
However, before his words could continue, a knight’s sword quickly cut off his head. The video ended. The chat window was a sea of laughter.
“This is funny?”
“It isn’t funny? Kukuku.”
Yiyu couldn’t help laughing. Ban Taehoon chuckled.
“People earn a living in their own way.”
Yoon Bora turned off the video and grabbed her phone. Then she started eating the bingsoo again. A lot of the ice had already melted.
“Crockta is living a hard life.”
“Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Perhaps. A named NPC won’t die easily. The knights will be killed.”
Crockta was acknowledged as the strongest warrior right now in Elder Lord. It was why BJs chased after him. He was so important they would risk danger to film him.
“There are Crockta’s videos and the Heaven and Earth Clan videos, so I don’t need to connect to play the game.”
“What about the Heaven and Earth Clan?”
“They are just burning everything.”
The Heaven and Earth Clan also wasn’t idle. The ‘cursed army’ received the emperor’s favor and carried out his orders. The biggest advantage was that soldiers didn’t die permanently and Rommel’s amazing commanding ability. Rommel’s tactical ability meant that the emperor even gave him troops.
A user leading an army of NPCs was a tremendous achievement in Elder Lord. He used it to carry out the emperor’s commands. The achievement points were huge and the rewards would be bigger.
The Heaven and Earth Clan were gradually rushing towards a monopoly.
“Are you going?”
“I am busy. I’ll call you later.”
No matter what happened in Elder Lord, the group was having a leisurely afternoon.
***
Crockta was having a busy time without any breaks. He started helping the residents leave the south.
Thanks to the skill ‘Gray God’s Eyes’, he could see people’s death. The south was a land where death prevailed. When he rescued a group of villagers, the alarm was shifted to a village in another area. After saving them, another village was given a day or two. There were passing travelers also destined to die.
He just wanted to close his eyes, but the fate of death caught his tail and led him to another fight.
“Thank you!”
“Go to a safe place.”
Crockta once again listened to the gratitude of the farmers that he saved. It wasn’t a large group so Crockta could save all of them alone.
“Yes! We will act as if we are dead for the time being. Thank you Crockta!”
If they followed the emperor’s coercion, Crockta might’ve passed them by. However, none of the humans outside the kingdom were willing to follow the emperor. They were already familiar with the fact that they would be war consumables when dragged into the empire
The inhabitants of Elder Lord held a deep-rooted reluctance towards emperors. Their judgment wasn’t wrong. There were rumors that those conscripted by the emperor were dying from harsh training.
“Then I will…”
At that moment, Crockta flinched. The Gray God’s Eyes’s opened and a new fate caught up with the residents. It was pointing to the foreseeable future. He saved the residents who were destined to die tomorrow. But despite Crockta’s actions, death would find them again a week later. He didn’t know if the emperor’s knights would come back or if it was some other reason, but Crockta only added a few days to their lifespan.
“Be careful.”
It was the only thing Crockta could say. He couldn’t become attached to them. He barely stepped away from the farmers who continued to express gratitude. His heart was heavy. The ability that the gray god gave him was pushing him to the edge. Those who were destined to die were everywhere. The emperor was turning the south into a land of death.
But even this agony was a luxury. As long as he fought, he would struggle to do his best. No matter what the results were.
“This way.”
The people of the south, who decided not to follow the emperor, was forming a coalition. They were weak compared to the empire, but they were determined to fight. The coalition reached out to other species.
Tiyo and Anor headed to Espada, the center of the coalition, while Crockta moved quickly on his own. Crockta once again found signs of death in a young man who was searching for help for his village. Crockta heard that the situation was urgent and was told the location.
“Let’s go see.”
Crockta kicked his horse. The horse started galloping. It had accompanied him on this hard journey. As if it felt Crockta’s nervousness, the horse ran at the fastest speed.
He soon encountered a group of users. Crockta stopped. The Heaven and Earth Clan. He moved his hand to the handle of his greatsword. The number was enough to take on his own. But their reaction was unexpected.
“Ah, Crockta!”
“He really is here!”
“Amazing, amazing!”
Crockta noticed quickly. It was an astute insight that grasped the situation in an instant. This was how he became the best agent on the battlefield when he used to be a soldier. They were obviously members of his fanclub, ‘He’s an Orc, yet still Praiseworthy’.
“What do we do?”
“Get a signature?”
“An NPC doesn’t even know what that is!”
Crockta got down from his horse. They panicked as Crockta suddenly approached them. The legendary Crockta was staring at them with deep eyes.
“Who are you?”
It was the voice that they always listened to in videos. None of them could open their mouths. They only saw him in videos, but the Crockta in front of them seemed bigger and fiercer.
Then one person replied, “F-Fan! I really admire Crockta! I came here because I wanted to see you once!”
“Admire…”
Crockta shook his head.
“I don’t believe in that admiration.”
“It is true…”
“If you really admire me…” Crockta pointed behind them. “Go with me.”