LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 158
Even though he was a 20-year-old young man, sitting hunched over on the screen made him look even smaller than when he was a boy.
Nahean mumbled blankly on the screen.
[“Someday, Rudel apologized to me. Said she had to go somewhere. No matter how much I asked where or why, she never answered.”]
If only I had known what he meant by that…
His comrades comforted the teary-eyed commander of the subordinates. I couldn’t bear to look at the screen any longer and lowered my head.
The scene then shifted to the Red Monarch’s fortress.
The Red Monarch’s fortress resembled a European palace.
At the top, Shemarin stood in a slip, leaning against the railing, catching the night breeze.
A man approached her from the darkness and stood beside her. It was Zaet, who always was a good conversationalist and confidant for Shemarin.
“You haven’t been able to sleep for several days. …Is it because of Rudel?”
Her pitch-black hair, tinged with blue, fluttered slightly. On the surface, Shemarin’s expression was calm and languid.
Soon, she slowly raised the corners of her mouth.
“Who knows?”
After a long pause, she murmured softly, still holding that deep smile.
“Even being the number one guild like this doesn’t make me happy at all.”
…It was clear to me, and surely to the viewers who watched Shemarin’s face every day, that she was deeply affected by my death.
Shemarin never smiled like that normally. This meant she, too, felt a profound emptiness from my death.
The special video wasn’t long. It didn’t cover all the guilds but only those related to the Agasa guild.
Blance had no notable reaction, and Lesia seemed a bit gloomy, as if bored with the game.
There was even a shocking story about how his usual pranks on his guild members had halved.
Although the camera didn’t show the inside of Yudirei’s Skull Fortress for some reason…
The sound of something breaking and being destroyed, followed by the scream of a young girl, echoed faintly through the screen.
“…”
Even after the video ended, I remained still for a while, like someone sitting alone in a movie theater as the credits rolled.
I felt strange. Like a soul watching its own funeral.
I’m here, alive and well.
‘With everyone grieving like this, how can I face them again?’
Especially if I appear in front of Yudirei, will I not be torn apart…?
To clear my mind, I entered one of the live chat rooms.
Even though the viewer chat rooms were mostly solemn, there were always a few who spouted nonsense.
‘Doesn’t Aleon look like a widower?’
‘Rudel’s subordinates are like children left behind by a dead wife…’
‘ㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ’
…Aleon’s eyes did get teary whenever he saw our subordinates.
‘Rudel is irreplaceable…’
‘He goes around saying she’s a lowlife, but no one believes her, lol.’
‘If she really were a lowlife, would there be so many people mourning her? ㅠ’
‘If you can’t see Rudel, at least watch Runehan;;; How long are you going to keep looking for someone who’s dead?’
‘↑…..Joking?’
‘Runehan is Runehan, and Rudel is Rudel;; Completely different.’
‘So come back, Rudel…’
The chat room was bustling. Eventually, one of the members from the Agasa fan café even suggested holding a tearful event on the day of the Champion Challenge, calling it an “anniversary.” I soon left the chat room that I couldn’t make sense of.
* * *
Time passed… The first round of the third quarter, the 9th round, was held.
The four of us—me, Kanel, Unahar, and Lilith—huddled around a small spare phone to watch the broadcast, but thankfully, Han Nayeon connected it to the TV screen.
The screen was small, but it allowed us to gather on the sofa, just like in the guild fortress, and watch the round like a movie.
[“Ranking of Soul”]
Abbreviated as RankSo. The much-anticipated third quarter round began.
But why was the first round’s broadcast time only from 6 PM to 8 PM? Just two hours?
The reason was explained in the announcement.
– Typically, the first round has been a selection match for new players, but this quarter, it will be a small-scale guild war with no new recruits.
However, the results of the chase will not affect the rankings.
– Among the numerous helmet NPCs spawned in the field, there is a single hidden player.
The guild that catches the hidden player within 2 hours wins. If no one catches them within 2 hours, the hidden player wins.
– The winning guild can recruit the hidden player, who has strong abilities, as a guild member.
If the hidden player wins, they can choose their guild, and the chosen guild cannot refuse.
– Up to two members from each guild can participate. For this round only, all players’ unique abilities are prohibited.
It was the first time I was watching an announcement as a spectator, rather than a participating player.
I crossed my arms and looked at the announcement screen with disdain.
Hmph, it’s bound to be less interesting than when we were there. Mijon’s sales will plummet too.
The GMs, they’ll regret deleting us later and hit the ground in frustration.
Feeling a bit lighter after my mental victory, I turned on the broadcast.
The broadcast allowed for automatic angle viewing by designating a single character.
‘Whose cam should I set? Aleon? Shemarin? Since they’re chasing the hidden player, should I watch from the hidden character’s perspective?’
When I searched for the hidden character, their name appeared as ‘?’, but I could still designate the cam. For now, it showed a black screen.
While waiting for the start, I opened the chat on the spare phone.
‘I always watch with automatic cam on VR.’
‘Agreed… There’s no way I can follow the cam better than Mijon’s broadcast directors.’
“Wow, respect to those who persistently take life shots of the characters in free control mode.”
Soon, the whistle signaling the start of the round blew.
Han Nayeon chuckled as soon as the hidden character appeared on the screen.
“It’s the delivery man.”
Just like the helmet NPCs, the hidden character was also wearing a helmet. This ensured thorough security but slightly diminished the character’s majesty.
‘From the build, it’s a man.’
Apparently, many others had also set their cams on the hidden character.
The chat rooms were divided based on the cam perspectives, and the one I was in had the largest number.
The field was an empty amusement park. The hidden character seamlessly blended in with the identical-looking NPCs as soon as the round started.
‘Wow, look at that body… You can’t hide that even with clothes.’
‘I’ve never seen such an impressive and elegant build before.’
‘ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ’
‘Looks like the design team went all out this timeㅋㅋ’
Despite wearing the unflattering helmet, the chat was abuzz with comments about the hidden character’s appearance.
With less than 100 characters participating, each guild sent out two members.
To locate the hidden character, they began attacking every NPC they encountered.
The scene quickly turned chaotic, with shouts and the clanging of weapons echoing through the field.
The hidden character skillfully used the NPCs as shields, evading detection.
At one point, it seemed like the hidden character’s perspective caught a glimpse of Lesia, but he disappeared before Lesia, who had no wind abilities, could notice.
I briefly switched the cam to Aleon, who was nearby.
[“I can sense the blood flow.”]
Aleon’s blue eyes scanned for the real one among the identical helmeted figures.
[“There’s only one living being here.”]
Amazingly, he pinpointed the hidden character accurately.
[“Is it that one?”]
[“No, it moved over there.”]
[“Then, is it this one?”]
[“Disappeared?”]
But it wasn’t easy.
Even if the hidden character stayed still, the unusual amusement park structure made it hard to catch them. Their elusive movements only added to the confusion.
[“……!”]
With her top-tier stats, Shemarin suddenly leapt onto the hidden character’s head.
Fortunately, he narrowly escaped her grasp, but couldn’t avoid the object she threw.
Something splattered on the hidden character’s helmet with a loud smack.
It was a bomb made of yellow paint.
[“So it was the real one, after all—? I was just going on instinct.”]
The hidden character was exposed instantly. His fingers twitched in brief panic.
What followed was no longer a search but a genuine chase. The hidden character’s movements became frantic and quick.
“What do we do, what do we do?”
Watching like a relatively normal viewer, clasping her hands and trembling slightly, was Lilith.
The rest of us…
“No way, they can’t catch him?”
“That’s not how you shoot.”
“I wouldn’t be as dumb as that guy.”
“Did you see that flying kick? Even Lilith could do better.”
Han Nayeon’s tiny apartment was overflowing with forcibly retired armchair experts.
The homeowner, finding the spectacle on her sofa more entertaining than the round itself, giggled as she watched us.
At that moment, Blance, hidden somewhere, suddenly extended his arm towards the hidden character.
However, the hidden character immediately bent backward, dodging the attack.
In a seemingly impossible position, he performed a backflip, then, without any running start, leapt onto an amusement ride. He survived once again.
Blance looked up at him and murmured.
[“That’s a feat only possible with Agility A+. His stamina and strength must also be at least A-grade.”]
Considering that the only ones with S-grade base stats were the lower-tier player Zaet and the champion Taggiros, this was almost the highest praise.
Thunk!
The hidden character’s hand landed firmly on the top of the gyro drop.
The camera captured a pale, slender hand with jade-like fingers.
I was suddenly struck by a sense of déjà vu.
“Rudel, what’s wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing. Just…”
Lilith’s voice brought me back to my senses.
[Time out! The hidden player wins!]
In the end, no one caught the hidden player. It was his victory.
Standing tall atop the amusement ride, the hidden character, as if in triumph, slowly raised his hand to his helmet at the signal indicating the match’s end.
The chat on my phone also sped up.
‘Take it off, quickly!’
‘dkdkdkdkdk’
‘Bet he’s handsome.’
‘Unahar’s gone, we need a new top-tier guy.’
The round helmet made a thud as it hit the ground, revealing a cascade of red hair that flowed smoothly like waves.
The chat, which had been buzzing with excitement, fell silent. The conversations froze as if time had stopped.
“……”
We, too, couldn’t move, as if time had come to a standstill.
He shook his slightly sweat-dampened hair. His graceful eyes met the crowd below and, further beyond, locked onto mine through the screen.
Under long eyelashes, brown eyes reflected a deep light.
[“I am Akata. Nice to meet you.”]