Chapter 119

Chapter 119 – Prelude the Great Battle (3)

7 .

“Go!”

At Sohank’s shout, Natal started running away with Bagel on his back . Natal didn’t hesitate at all as he moved his feet .

The Corrupted Centaurs wore full armor that made them look more knightly than most knights . Sohank didn’t show any hesitations as he faced 10 Corrupted Centaurs .

‘Even if I die, it’ll only be for 48hrs . Let’s do this!’

Instead of running away, Sohank used his Charge skill to run towards the approaching group of Centaurs . Sohank was charging like a mad bull, and he used Body Slam to send the leading Centaur flying . The Centaur was 4 meters long, and it was 3 meters in height . The massive body of the Centaur was thrown backwards just like that .

At the same time, the Centaur closest to Sohank thrust its spear accurately towards Sohank’s head .

Shweeek!

The sound of destruction coming towards him was frightening .

Ggahhng!

Sohank’s response to the sound of destruction was to use the Heading skill . Instead of avoiding the spear coming towards his head, he used Heading to deflect the attack .

It was inelegant, but the result was indisputable . The spear bounced off his head, and the Centaur showed an opening . Sohank didn’t miss capitalizing on the opening that was created . Several skills were stacked on the sword, and Sohank swung it towards the Centaur’s forelegs .

Kwah-jeek!

Sohank’s sword strike broke both its forelegs . When the Centaur lost its use of its forelegs, it fell over . Sohank punched the fallen Centaur’s head .

Ggwahhng!

It was a single punch, but the Centaur’s body shook uncontrollably as it lay on the floor .

It was a level 170 Unique Skill exclusive to the Fighter class . It was called Concussion Punch .

The skill had the powerful effect of causing a Stun status, and the skill was worth its price . It was such an expensive skill that one had a hard time acquiring it even if one had money .

Of course, Sohank possessed a skill that was more expensive than the Concussion Punch .

“Awooooo!”

A wolf’s cry exploded forth from Sohank’s mouth .

Howling!

It was a level 190 Unique Skill exclusive to the Fighter class . It was the last skill one could get as a Fighter Class, who had gone through only the 1st Advancement .

It had the effect of adding an additional 10% damage to the monsters in the surrounding for a limited amount of time! It also reduced the damage the User took by 10%!

At the same time, it gave the Fear effect to the surrounding monsters . It also had secondary Option of pulling the aggro .

Currently, there were only two Fighter class Users in Warlord who possessed this skill . The skill was possessed by the First One Sulwoo, and the Second Head Sohank .

Several Corrupted Centaurs had ignored Sohank as they were about to chase after Natal, who was running away with Bagel on his back . The Howling had the effect of focusing all the attention of the Corrupted Centaur on him .

In a flash, Sohank was surrounded .

Sohank laughed at his own situation .

‘Mission complete . ’

Sohank’s role was to make sure there were no pursuers following after Natal . Natal understood this fact, so he immediately stopped running . He checked up on Bagel’s condition .

“Are you ok, Bagel-nim?”

When meeting with Prince Dean, Bagel had observed decorum as he took off the heavy armor he always wore . Instead, Bagel had worn luxurious clothes one might see on an entertainer . However, Prince Dean wasn’t there to greet Bagel .

“I’m all right . I avoided the critical blow . ”

“Still, you are bleeding heavily . ”

“If such a flesh wound could kill me, someone else would have already taken my place as the caretaker of the Terube castle walls by now . Moreover, I refuse to die by Agardo’s hands . ”

Sir Agardo .

He was a blonde haired knight, who was known as the left hand of Prince Dean . He had disguised himself as Prince Dean, and he had been waiting for Bagel . Bagel tried to observe etiquette by kneeling on one knee with his head lowered . As soon as Bagel was raising his lowered head, a sword stabbed towards Bagel’s heart .

In that brief moment, Bagel avoided the attack . As a result, Sir Agardo’s sword pierced through Bagel’s shoulder instead of his heart . Afterwards, Bagel let out a counterattack, and he was able to escape the room . Natal and Sohank had been on standby, and they attempted to escape with Bagel . Natal let out a sigh when he exited the castle .

‘I was fortunate . ’

[You’ve earned the Title ‘Those who Helped Bagel Escape’ . ]

[You’ve earned the Title ‘Bagel’s Savior’ . ]

[You’ve earned the Title ‘Observer of History’ . ]

At that moment, the consecutive Announcement rang out in his ears to announce the three titles he had earned .

Sohank used the Voice Talk to speak to Natal . Sohank was far away from Natal now .

– Natal! Did you also get the Titles?

Sohank’s voice was still overflowing with energy .

“How are you faring?”

– I did well in taking down five of them, but it seems I’ll be taken down soon!

Even though he was about to die, Sohank’s voice was upbeat . Sohank was that type of a person . If he died, he died . He’ll just catch up on dramas he missed for the next 48 hours! This was how he played the game .

Of course, from the Hyrdra guild’s perspective, this trait worried them the most about him .

“If you hold out a little bit longer, the support team will be there!”

– I don’t think I’ll be able to hold out any longer .

Sohank was Hydra guild’s best fighting power . The very best Items and Skill Books they gained was given to Sohank first . For the Hyrda guild, he was like a walking treasure box, yet he treated himself without much care . This frustrated the other officers of the Hydra guild to no end .

‘Shit . I still need more time until the support team arrives . ’

Sohank and Natal were the only two allowed to participate in the meeting with Bagel and Prince Dean .

Still, they had prepared a contingency plan . There was a support team on standby, but they were a long distance away .

As with any business, it wasn’t easy for the support team to arrive on time . They only moved if something went wrong . The support team stayed in place until that actually happened .

If Natal’s calculations were correct, the support team needed 5 minutes until they would be able to arrive near Sohank .

– The support team is here!

“What?”

Unlike Natal’s prediction, the support team arrived immediately .

– Uh? Why are you guys here so early?

Sohank was surprised .

– We received an order from the First Head . When Prince Dean insisted on a private meeting with Bagel, we were told to go to the agreed escape route .

“You should have told me about it earlier!”

Natal yelled out as if he was angry, but there was no signs of anger on his face .

‘As expected of our guild, everyone is quick thinking . ’

He had just escaped danger, so there was no reason to feel bad .

“What’s going on?”

Natal looked as if he was talking to himself . Of course, Bagel didn’t understand what was going on, so Bagel asked Natal a question .

Natal shut his mouth .

“It is nothing . I was just talking to myself . ”

“This situation is urgent . These facts… . We have to notify the Secret Society . ”

“I’ll inform them . ”

When he said those words, Bagel immediately handed over its Secret Society Ring, and a letter soaked in blood .

“Please deliver this to Ahimbree . ”

[The Quest ‘Prelude to the Great Battle’ has started . ]

“Yes . Of course, I will deliver it to him . ”

That moment was the start of a new age .

8 .

[This is an announcement . ]

‘Huh?’

When Hyrkan connected to the game, an announcement immediately arrived .

‘What kind of announcement?’

There were usually two types of announcement . The first type was from the creator of Warlord, Tobot Soft, sending out an important announcement . The other instance was when there was a change to a currently progressing Quest . If it was an issue regarding an electronic gear, Hyrkan would have known about it before he accessed the game . He was one of the numerous Users, who gathered and organized new informations before he connected to the game . This type of information gathering was a basic of basics for those who earn their keep through playing this game .

This meant this was an announcement related to a Quest .

‘Can it be?’

Before Hyrkan could check the exact content of the announcement, he already had a hunch on what this was about .

Moreover, Hyrkan’s hunch was right on the money .

[NPC Maeung and every quest related to him will be restricted from progressing . ]

Progress Restricted!

This wasn’t just any NPC . His progress in the Maeung’s Quests was restricted!

‘Someone stepped on the Prince Dean’s tail . ’

It was the start to the great battle .

‘Who was it? It couldn’t be the Storm Hunters, since they were on the same Quest Route as me . Was it the Red Bulls? Or was it some guild outside of the 3 great guilds?’

Hyrkan had his suspicions, but he decided not to act based on his suspicions .

He didn’t have much time . Hyrkan wasn’t the only one, who noticed the change . A great number of Warlord Users probably realized what was happening, and they’ll immediately mobilize .

If everyone suddenly moved at the same time, the person who got up first would beat the traffic jam . He had to go meet Maeung before the traffic congestion occurred, and he had to receive the new Quest .

This was why Hyrkan was running full tilt towards the Bulkas mountain range . He had been waiting for this . There would be confusion caused by Maeung’s disappearance, and he had the secret note given to him by the Bulkas’ Ranger .

9 .

It was a forest .

This forest was like the Elven villages . Only select Users could enter it . However, Users had come to the circle around the forest like a pack of hyenas .

“Shit! I lost it again!”

“It seems they are planning on taking everything . Isn’t this a bit too much?”

They had come here to eat the scraps, yet they were left to sucking on their thumbs . Of course, they vented their frustrations .

Moreover, the people online were also in an uproar .

– Isn’t the Maeung’s side incredible? Someone caught sight of Ballista and the Storm Princess moving together .

– I think all of Red Bulls is moving on towards here .

– Hahoe Mask! The Hahoe Mask has appeared!

The Main Scenario Quest had been progressing on the down low, and this moment was when the front-runners were revealed .

This information caused a ruckus, and it was impossible for the user base to stay composed .

Those who carried out the Main Scenario Quests faithfully gathered in one place to fight the Immoral Prince . The atmosphere between them was frigid .

Even though some of them saw each other on a regular basis, they didn’t even give each other a smile .

It was the same when Hyrkan appeared . Usually, the reaction to Hyrkan’s appearance was quite predictable . Usually, the Users became surprised as they conversed with each other or they glared at him with an annoyed expression .

However, everyone was silent as they focused their attention on Hyrkan . They merely registered the Hahoe Mask as a new rival in their minds . Even the Storm Princess, who had been going crazy wanting to beat Hyrkan with her own two hands, was standing still .

What other explanation was needed?

Hyrkan was also acting in a similar fashion .

He looked at the noteworthy Users . Even though the Stormhunters guild members were present, Hyrkan didn’t get angry .

‘It’s the Storm Princess and Ballista . Have they started dating? Or did they start dating at a later date?’

Everyone just too note of who was present here .

They kept their mouth shut as they waited . Several more people were joined the pool of rivals . After a brief amount of time, Maeung finally appeared .

“Prince Dean has finally revealed his evil influence!”

After he appeared, Maeung went into a one-sided speech .

“I don’t have the time to get into the details . ”

First, Maeung made sure no one would ask him questions .

“Prince Dean… No, the Immoral Prince used the power of Corruption to form the Corrupted army . Moreover, this army is filled with powerful and scary beings . This horde will move to swallow this world . ”

The Users gathered here had invested a great amount of time, effort and money into the Main Scenario Quests over a several month span . In the end, they were being gathered under the same coat of arms .

One would expect them to feel despondent, but no one present here fidgeted from being let down . The anxiousness of waiting for a new mission blew away any let down they would have felt .

“Ours first task is to save the continent from this war!”

The Users were listening to the speech with serious expressions . This was evidence that the Users present weren’t feeling letdown .

“Furthermore, our second task is to defeat the Immoral Prince!”

Most of the Users had a smile as excitement overtook their expressions .

“Our third task is is to save the world from the fear caused by the power of Corruption!”

[The Quest ‘Great Battle’ will start . ]

He couldn’t help, but also be excited .

‘Oh oh oh!’

‘I’ll be the protagonist this time . ’

This was a scary venture, but at the same time, they were the selected few . They’ll be given a chance to open a treasure chests with incredible value .

Who wouldn’t feel excited by such news?

There was exactly one person who wasn’t .

‘Ah . I remember now . ’

Hyrkan was the only one who didn’t have an excited smile on his face . His lips turned down as it settle into a frown .

‘At the time, the Users ignorantly launched attacks, and it had been quite the spectacle to see them wiped out . ’

Hyrkan knew what would happen . The great battle that’ll start from this point was much more difficult than any battles everyone in this game had experience before .

This was the reason why Hyrkan was confident in himself .

‘I have good enough odds in this great battle . ’

10 .

[This will be the start of Warlord’s second Main Scenario Quest . It is the last chapter of the ‘Immoral Prince’ chapter!]

[It is the Great Battle!]

[Those with the bracelet can participate in the Immoral Prince Raid . Let us find out who possesses the bracelets!]

[The Hyrdra guild revealed the identity of the Immoral Prince . Exclusive interview!]

The start of the great battle created a bigger ripple effect than expected . Of course, the portion of the media that focused their topics around Warlord talked about it . However, even the media that had been disinterested in the game quickly moved to push out articles related to Warlord . In Japan, the news programs reported on contents relating to the great battle .

Even those who had been disinterested in Warlord were paying more interest now . Of course, the Warlord Users and the fans, who enjoy watching the game, wouldn’t stay calm for this . They all gathered online, and their interest was intense like a molten lava .

– Yes . This is it!

– This Main Scenario Quest is a jackpot . Aren’t normal Users able to participate?

– We can’t participate in the Immoral Prince Raid, so how is this a jackpot for us? It was the same with the Corrupt Count . In the end, didn’t the Users, who already have a lot, benefit the most? This is a really dirty game . I don’t know why I play this game .

ㄴ This bastard will be cut down by the Immoral Prince in 3 seconds .

ㄴ I predict 2 seconds .

ㄴ I bet my V gear that we wouldn’t be able to last 1 second .

– I’ve never fought a Corrupted monster before . Just being able to fight them will be a reward in itself .

– I feel the same way . Always, will we be able to gain the Pursuer of Corruption title from fighting these Corrupted monsters?

– There is a rumor that says the Corrupted Items will start dropping again!

– Really? It’ll be a jackpot if Corrupted Items appears .

The Warlord Users were a hopeful bunch . No… They were filled with romanticism more so than hopefulness . The Main Scenario Quest was like a story from a different world, but they became filled with romanticism when they realized they would be able to enjoy a part of the Main Scenario Quest .

– The Corrupt Arrmy has appeared at the Bulkas mountain range! They are level 100 monsters!

– Wow! Let’s go immediately and kill them!

– I’m gathering a team to fight the Corrupt army . Anyone above level 100 may join .

The Users were full of romanticism, and there wasn’t a single inkling of fear as they charged into battle .

However, when the romanticism inside the battlefield… .

– What the hell? Why are they so strong?

– The difficulty level is fucked up!

– Warlord is really a dirty game .

…immediately turned into lamentation .