NOVEL WEB Chapter 173
“…So, during your confinement, you were with Taggiros?”
“Yes, he’s also trapped in a certain space. I walked directly from there to the arena.”
“Can you remember the path you took?”
“Of course.”
From Akata’s testimony, Rudel deduced that the guild fortress and all the arenas were interconnected. Mijon had meticulously designed even the places that didn’t appear in the game. The admins, being recognized as individual entities within the game, likely had their own dedicated pathways.
“Blance, what do you think? Can you map it out?”
“…Yeah. This is incredible.”
Upon sharing this with Blance, he painstakingly completed a map of all the areas in “Ranking of Soul.” All the viewers were likely marveling at Mijon’s capabilities.
Rudel, armed with the map, began a grand migration with many characters who had joined their cause.
“Akata, stay at the back and make sure no one gets left behind.”
“Understood.”
Not all those who agreed to cooperate had the strength to destroy the arenas, so the weaker ones were sent to a safe place. Kanel and Unahar, waiting in the game planner’s fortress, would take good care of them.
As Rudel’s group of about a hundred people wound their way through the corridors, the situation suddenly changed.
Zing-!
A loud ringing sound echoed. The characters started covering their ears. Rudel merely grimaced until Akata used his hands to cover Rudel’s ears, allowing his expression to relax. But Rudel quickly sharpened his gaze.
“I told you to stay at the back. Why did you fly up front?”
“Sorry. It was a reflex.”
“I’m also a B-rank Pure Nature, you know.”
“No, it’s not that I thought you were weak, Rudel!”
Aaaah-!!
Suddenly, screams erupted from the back, causing their conversation to halt. Huge shadows loomed along the wide corridor’s sides, and soon strange forms appeared. They were hideous creatures, covered in black fur with a single eye, possessing grotesque large arms and tails.
“The system released monsters?”
Rudel shouted mockingly to ease the group’s fear. Given that the last round was being consumed as content, the GMs seemed to have released the monsters to make things more exciting.
And incidentally, they probably genuinely wanted to thwart Rudel’s rebellion.
‘If a character dies here, will they resurrect at the guild fortress? But some guilds have already abandoned their fortresses.’
In the worst-case scenario, they might be permanently deleted, and it could take time to retrieve their data later.
“Akata, let’s aim high.”
Akata, who had been watching the flood of monsters with a bored expression, perked up his ears.
“Let’s win this without losing a single person.”
His eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. He was pleased that Rudel had given him a command.
“If that’s what you want.”
The monsters hissed and piled in, pressing against the corridor walls, which buckled under their weight. Rudel ignited flames to block their approach from the front.
Lilith, in the middle, was comforting the frightened characters. Rudel glanced at Lilith, then turned to see a white phoenix scorching the monsters at the rear.
Having Akata slice through the monsters in a spectacular display would be impressive… but…
‘That kind of showmanship was already done in the third quarter. It doesn’t fit the current goal.’
So far, the arenas that had fallen included the Commander’s Cave, the Abandoned Factory of Occupation, the Colosseum of Combat, and the Onroad Racing Arena, right? Each was destroyed solo by a top-ranking player with a camera strapped to their back.
While such performances by a single, overwhelming force looked better on screen than a group effort, Rudel turned to the 100 or so nondescript characters behind him.
‘Should these characters remain as burdens, protected by the strong?’
This was the final round of “Ranking of Soul.” Rudel wanted a game where every character was recognized as an individual, as a protagonist.
‘These monsters can be defeated if everyone works together.’
A team play involving many, not just the solo act of a single strong player, would be better. Just like she had trained the subordinates group in the past.
Soon, a message from Rudel appeared on Akata’s status window.
[Akata, it’s a bit troublesome, but from now on, focus on supporting other players rather than attacking directly.]
[Okay.]
Akata nodded fervently, as usual, though he bit his lip, not fully understanding. There was no time to explain in detail. Rudel thought to herself:
‘I’ll bet on today’s luck and paint a grand picture.’
“Lilith.”
Rudel called out to her friend next. A response came immediately.
“Yes.”
Her green eyes shone brighter than ever. Without needing further explanation, Lilith knew what Rudel wanted from her and had the ability to deliver it.
Lilith walked confidently into the middle of the characters and took a deep breath.
“…!”
Those close to Lilith let out gasps of surprise.
‘No matter which guild, no matter if they’re top players or bottom players, no matter our relationship with their guild, …whether they liked me or hated me, it doesn’t matter. Everyone is within my warmth.’
Many of the lower-ranked players found their base stats boosted to at least B-rank thanks to Lilith’s buff. Realizing it was Lilith’s unique ability, the murmur of excitement grew louder. Some immediately tested their newfound strength against the corridor walls.
Rudel glanced at the characters and smirked.
“How’s the blessing of the goddess? Feels good, right?”
“Ludel, goddess, really?”
Lilith felt embarrassed, but Rudel’s beaming smile didn’t fade.
Lilith refocused, expanding the range of her warmth further. Even Akata and Rudel, at the extremes of the group, fell within her influence. Sweat formed on Lilith’s brow as she concentrated.
One character, glancing around, turned to Lilith in panic.
“But won’t the monsters get the buff too?”
He seemed aware of the drawback of Lilith’s unique ability. Lilith shook her head.
“The monsters aren’t included.”
Turning anyone into an enemy required great courage and determination for Lilith. For her friend’s goal, she set aside her own reservations. A swirl of vibrant color churned in her irises.
“I’ve decided to consider the system as my enemy.”
One character, eager to test his newfound strength, drew a sword from his inventory and charged at a nearby monster.
Just then, Rudel spoke.
“We need to move to the sanctuary, so it’d be great if we all fought our way there together. I’d appreciate everyone’s cooperation.”
Other characters started joining in one by one. The corridor filled with determined shouts, and the monsters, overwhelmed by sheer numbers, were pushed back and soon cut down in droves.
[Standard Time 14:13, Game Planner ‘Shemarin’ Camera]
Meanwhile, Shemarin, under the guise of filming, was closely following Jail.
While others made a big fuss with their unique abilities to break down the arena walls, this man’s mere touch caused them to crumble like a sandcastle.
Shemarin, savoring his every move, spoke up.
“Truly a remarkable man.”
“……”
“If you grabbed my waist, would it shatter like that too?”
“……”
“Want to try?”
Finally, at her last remark, Jail flinched slightly. Shemarin chuckled softly. Despite his considerable discomfort, he never asked for someone else to take over the filming.
***
[Standard Time 14:17, Game Planner ‘Akata’ Camera]
Back to Rudel’s perspective, the number of people she was escorting had swelled to over 300.
“If we pass through this fortress, we’ll gain another 100.”
The large number Rudel mentioned momentarily confused Akata. But upon checking the guild name, he understood.
Ice Castle.
Thunk! Thunk! Clang-!
As Akata’s phoenix and Rudel’s flames emitted energy, the fortress’s barrier shattered. The majestic Ice Castle appeared before them, its blue surface reflecting light so brightly it hurt their eyes.
“Huh?”
Instead of Aleon coming out to greet them enthusiastically, only the reliable vice guild leader Ifrea stood at the entrance. Rudel looked around for the familiar blue-haired head.
“Where’s Aleon? Is something wrong?”
“There is.”
“What? What kind of-?”
“Aleon sulked because you didn’t come sooner.”