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The Great War of Humans and Demons (13)

The Northern Demon Clan of the vast Eight Realms.

The alien dominant species that signals the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2, an unprecedented apocalyptic disaster.

Human civilization suffers severe damage from the Northern Demon Clan’s army, and they take on the role of ‘villains’ that users must defeat.

It was a straightforward narrative arc. A textbook story that could satisfy gamers’ desire for vicarious fulfillment and showcase humanity’s heroism by making the heroes nurtured by users the protagonists.

That is, if we limit the scope to just the game.

“150 million people.”

That was the number of deaths caused by the Demon Clan’s army. Each one of them was someone’s family or dear friend.

Yet, ironically, Earth could still be considered ‘peaceful’.

The Earth, which should have lost more than half of its population according to the story, was still enjoying the abundance of modern civilization.

“It was a dangerous encounter. Even if we were to send an envoy, it should have been from our side.”

“We didn’t expect the Demon Lord himself to make an appearance. However, I believe we’ve shown Earth’s potential in our own way.”

“Five Awakened gathered in one place?”

“Yes. This Champion Citadel has become the temporary residence of the World Hero Association. It’s as if 90% of Earth’s power is concentrated on the Korean Peninsula.”

It was Hero Sword Emperor’s response.

At the top of the Skyline, along with him, the Association President Machine Commander and the Chief of Staff were welcoming Isaac.

1. All-out war.
2. Decisive battle.

These were the concise options being displayed on the full screen. Isaac, who had been nodding, slightly furrowed his brow.

“Are they trying to lure us into complacency?”

“What do you mean?”

“Wouldn’t we obviously choose ‘decisive battle’? It means they won’t be using their army of millions of demons, from common types to variants to champions. What benefit does that give them?”

Decisive battle.

It literally means determining the outcome of the war through a small-scale battle of elite forces.

The total number of heroes in all of humanity doesn’t even reach 2 million. This was the sum of all ranks from F to S.

Even if we add the land, sea, and air forces of each country to this, it’s no match for the Northern Demon Clan’s army.

‘You’re considering the worst-case scenario.’

Hero Isaac.

The next stage of awakening that Earth’s civilization has newly embraced, a 6-star hero.

His greatness wasn’t limited to just his combat prowess. Isaac was a one-man army and a cool-headed strategist at the same time.

His exceptional intelligence was overshadowed by his extraordinary combat ability.

“That’s right. They know we have no choice but to choose ‘decisive battle’. They’ll either break their promise and launch surprise attacks on major strongholds of each country, or they’ve prepared a dangerous trap.”

“Or it could be both. And that trap is likely aimed at me.”

It was absolutely correct.

There was no one who could stop the enemy’s Demon Lord except Isaac. Their strategy would be entirely focused on restricting Isaac’s movements.

This was why Isaac was revered as humanity’s hope. If he hadn’t contributed to world peace, Earth’s civilization would have been devastated long ago and regressed to the past. To the era of the Great Extinction when more than 60% of humanity disappeared.

Isaac, who seemed to be in deep thought for a moment, said:

“We’ll do as they want.”

Know your enemy and know yourself.

Even skilled hunters show vulnerabilities at times. When they’re about to capture their prey that’s helplessly caught in a trap, that’s the perfect moment for a counterattack.

If we could set up another trap surrounding their trap, even the demon army, well-versed in warfare, would be caught off guard.

The Machine Commander, who had been holding back his words, expressed deep concern.

“Isaac. You are Earth’s savior. They will set traps with bizarre techniques, do you have any other plans?”

The worry was immense.

If the demon army’s scheme was clear, it might be better to save Isaac, the wild card, until the very end.

It was reckless to try to withstand an apocalyptic disaster for humanity with minimal sacrifice.

Even if numerous heroes were sacrificed, they should draw out the enemy’s trump card early and preserve Isaac’s strength.

To put him at the forefront, Isaac as a hero had grown too big.

Isaac spoke meaningfully.

“I’ll do what I can. You do what you can.”

He was a vessel before being a hero. Vessels had their own ways of doing things.

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***

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A shabby house.

It was a familiar place he was visiting after a long time.

The world’s best apothecary and herb merchant on Earth was still welcoming Isaac in the same place.

“It’s been a while. Hehe.”

He had changed. The information window remained the same. But the atmosphere and aura he exuded had changed.

“You seem unburdened?”

“Yes. It feels like I’ve been reborn.”

“Have you forgotten your grudge?”

“That’s not it. How could I forget that lightning bastard?”

“Then?”

“The world’s most successful hero is visiting me like this. How could I greet him with a gloomy face? Hehe.”

As fame increases, the attitude of major NPCs also changes. From small things like speech patterns to big things like prices.

Isaac suddenly recalled his prickly first meeting with Farmer Man.

He had been quite nervous, wondering what if the man swung his fist at him with all his might.

It was a time when he couldn’t even imagine beating up Emperor-class monsters like he does now.

‘I’ve really been through a lot.’

It’s a wonder he’s still alive. Somehow he fell into the parallel universe of Clan of Heroes, and in his desperate struggle to survive, he became strong.

If it was fate, then it was fate.

The will of the system had arranged for Isaac to become today’s SS-rank hero. It’s still uncertain whether he can break free from the arbitrary constraints of the system.

It was a life blessed yet frustrating.

“What’s the recipe for the elixir ‘Roaring Pride’?”

“Hehehe. Who do you think I am? Even though time was tight, I managed to complete it somehow.”

Farmer Man was indeed a genius.

Having worked with elixirs myself, I could appreciate it even more.

Swish. Thud.

He handed over the improved recipe. It was over 200 pages, almost the volume of an entire book.

I could tell without asking how much Farmer Man must have racked his brains and struggled behind the scenes.

“As you requested, I focused on less neutralizing the potency of the Purple Spirit Root. But who are you planning to give it to? Yoho? Or perhaps the Machine Commander?”

Even if they were 5-star S-rank heroes, they weren’t close enough to be given elixirs.

Roaring Pride was, of course, intended for Isaac himself to consume.

“I’ll be taking it myself.”

“Heck?! Oh my, what a waste of money. If you want to gain cold energy, there are many other ways. Why waste the Purple Spirit Root like that? Oh, Director. Please reconsider. This is meant to induce a breakthrough for 5-star heroes…”

His unnecessary words dragged on the conversation.

Not content with just revealing the true effects of the elixir ‘Roaring Pride’, Farmer Man began listing other elixirs that were more suitable for gaining cold-attribute magic power, trying to dissuade Isaac.

Isaac, with a deadpan expression, said,

“Enough, just research these.”

“What? What’s all this? Eek! Oh my… No, this is… Huh? What on earth is this?!”

This was the result of handing over one of each type of Tier 2 common-grade ingredient obtained from the Ark of Trials.

The recipes for Tier 2 ingredients didn’t exist even in Ifrit’s memories, so to use them, one would have to farm for recipes in the dangerous wilderness of Terraria.

If it was Farmer Man, who was more trustworthy than anyone when it came to ingredients, he might be able to succeed in developing recipes for Tier 2 elixirs.

“What kind of ingredients have this much magical power…! If you eat these monstrous herbs as they are, you’d likely die from a ruptured stomach!”

“Anyway, try researching them. The ones who had these classified them as Tier 2 or mid-boundary items.”

“Oh my… What does that even mean? Where on earth have you been wandering to get things like this? Well, since you’ve entrusted them to me, I’ll have to tighten my belt and get to researching. Hehehe.”

A glimmer of madness flashed in Farmer Man’s eyes as he examined the ingredients. He seemed determined to produce results no matter what, even if heaven tried to stop him.

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***

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A single root of Purple Spirit Root obtained from Overlord Mordu, who had now become an immortal being. Along with it, Earth Spirit Grass, Water Spirit Grass, and Fire Spirit Grass, each bought at a high price from the auction house, were laid out on the workbench.

With this, all the ingredients for the elixir ‘Roaring Pride’ were gathered.

“Ifrit, assist with the work.”

Whoosh!

The flames shot from Isaac’s chest transformed into a blue firebird. Cold and hot properties clashed fiercely.

The heat, needless to say, emanated from the firebird.

Swoosh-

On the other hand, the biting cold air was flowing from the Purple Spirit Root. It was early summer outside, but inside it was like an ice chamber.

The Purple Spirit Root had such strong cold properties that if consumed raw, one would suffer from high fever and possibly die, rather than achieving a breakthrough. It was a legendary grade ingredient.

Therefore, the key to making the elixir was to balance and neutralize the cold properties using Earth Spirit Grass, Water Spirit Grass, and especially Fire Spirit Grass.

Whirr―

Prepare, grind, and craft the ingredients, then mix and boil them.

They turn to powder, then liquid, are filtered and purified. The resulting essence is poured into a container.

With extreme concentration, the three-day manufacturing process passed like a moment.

If the ingredients hadn’t been handled with 6-star late-stage spiritual power at the right time, it would have taken at least three months.

“To think we went through all that trouble for this.”

The liquid in the glass container was as blue as the sea. It had a cold and clear scent, as if the arctic sky had been captured within. One breath made his spiritual power surge. It was a craving similar to hunger.

His body and mind seemed to be screaming to gulp down that blue liquid quickly.

‘Not now.’

Reason held back instinct.

It wasn’t time yet. The direction he needed to go had been shaken.

Awakening is the process of forging an ‘ultimate’. The vague ultimate of controlling the Shadow King with the mystical powers of the Deep Pool Tranquility Technique and the Heavenly Wood Lotus Technique was no longer ultimate.

Because the self had already recognized it as such.

Recklessness and delusion cannot create a masterpiece. A work worthy of being called ultimate must be forged with a belief that matches it.

‘I need to contemplate what is truly Isaac-like, no, what is truly ‘me-like’.’

He had felt it through several real combat experiences.

Isaac is weak.

Even wielding summons and the realm of shadows, and handling the mystical powers of the Deep Pool Tranquility Technique and the Heavenly Wood Lotus Technique, Isaac was still weak.

Based on his strong spiritual power and mental strength, he could match Awakened ones or Emperors, but he couldn’t overwhelm them.

‘If it were those kids, they could take down an Emperor even in their current state.’

On the other hand, Man-deuk, Jin-soo, Eun-ha, and Gil-seong were different.

The Harmony Clan’s first-string squad could cover more than two weight classes with just the four of them. Their specialized equipment, magic circuit specialization, and Isaac’s orders would make it possible.

It was possible because the four of them, extremely specialized in the positions of melee, ranged dealer, tank, and supporter, came together as one team.

‘Heroes are heroes, and the director is the director.’

If those kids were born heroes, Isaac was in the director position, supporting the squad’s performance with battle skills gained from absorbing unique magic stones.

Not to mention his management and on-site command abilities. Orders and management were the specialties of the human ‘Lee Geon-ha’.

‘I was never cut out for fighting from the beginning.’

Such a person learned cultivation techniques and built up spiritual power. He reached the 5-star realm in just two months, and with the restrictions removed on his Final Finish, he even annihilated Salarotse, a second-stage Awakened.

It was an achievement that could make one’s shoulders swell with pride to lethal levels.

‘Let’s admit it.’

The human Lee Geon-ha was, and still is, immature. Thinking he had become someone special for a moment, he vowed to willingly shoulder the responsibility that comes with great power.

Having made such a vow, he thought he had become a hero.

‘Even with such abundant spiritual power, I couldn’t become an Awakened. A hero doesn’t grow just by leveling up stats.’

In short, the problem was his mindset. With such a meager hero spirit, one cannot reach Awakening.

The delusion that Isaac could become a righteous and noble hero ends here. He needs to change direction.

He had failed to objectively assess himself, caught up in a protagonist complex.

Zing.

Isaac, having stored the elixir in his inventory, left the training center.

He missed his team members after a long time.