Chapter 89 |
“It’s an emergency.”
On the morning of the third day, all players and the otherworlders were gathered in the courtyard in front of the castle.
All eyes were on me, and I naturally felt their gaze.
“Everyone, please open your status window.”
-73:11:41
The timer had decreased overnight. It had been about two days since we arrived at this castle.
“What’s the deal with the time?”
At someone’s offhand question, I subtly stepped aside.
“Mr. Kyung Nam, could you please explain?”
While the man with glasses was explaining ‘how they found the secret library’ in front of everyone…
“Mr. Junghyun.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you have anyone you can trust?”
“...Two people.”
“That makes four of us, then. Bring them quietly after the meeting is over.”
“...Understood.”
I had given a heads-up to Junghyun Yoon, the narrow-eyed man, and meanwhile, the man with glasses was wrapping up his story.
“Only after deciphering the language could we read this in red ink. The book states: When the past and future become the same, you will all realize again that you are destined to die.”*
“Well done, Mr. Kyung Nam.”
As soon as the man with glasses finished his story, I stepped forward again.
“You might think this is nonsense. We did too at first. But after a thorough analysis of the sentence, we came to the following conclusion.”
The statement about the past and the future becoming the same refers to exactly 60 hours remaining.
And the phrase about realizing again that everyone will die suggests that something ominous will happen.
It’s an intuitive interpretation, and the course of action is clear.
“Starting now, not only the castle walls but also the entrances will be barricaded. Let’s prepare for any potential disaster by considering all possible scenarios.”
To survive.
**
Everyone on the fourth floor was divided into three categories.
“We’re short on stones!”
“Just make do! We don’t have time!”
First, those blocking the entrances of the high castle.
There were six entrances to the castle, and after much deliberation, we decided to block five of them.
If something were to happen inside the castle, it would be a foolish choice, but we had no plans to be within the castle when the fated time arrived.
“Have you checked all the weapons here?”
“Yes, they’re all accounted for!”
Second, those rechecking everything we currently have, including weapons and food supplies.
Though the man with glasses had predicted that something would happen, many did not believe him. And not believing him was tantamount to a lack of motivation.
“It’s not a hard job. Just do it correctly. Let’s finish early and rest early.”
“…Understood.”
These people lacked motivation but not awareness. They knew slacking off while others worked hard could earn them resentment.
And finally, the third group.
“Mr. Junghyun, something is shaking here.”
“Ah, that’s just because it’s old.”
Junghyun Yoon, myself, and two other players unknown to me were part of the third-floor search team.
Although I had told Junghyun yesterday that there was no need to search the third floor, that was merely a decision to maintain the status quo, a choice to casually observe the end of the floor. But given how things had progressed, I had no intention of sticking to the original plan.
“Ah, something’s caught here.”
Rumble.
As I gently pulled on a torch hanging on the wall, it rotated to reveal a hidden space.
“This is...”
A large chest sat alone. I immediately opened it, but it was empty.
“We still have the whole floor to search, but it’s still disappointing for the third floor.”
Junghyun shrugged his shoulders with a chuckle.
“...”
An empty reward had appeared... Honestly, I inwardly felt relieved.
I don’t fully trust Junghyun. If a portal had appeared here, I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t have entered it right away.
I was rather glad that didn’t happen.
“Let’s continue searching. Who knows what else we might find.”
After noting the location where we found the chest, we thoroughly searched the rest of the third floor for the remaining time.
However, ultimately, we found nothing.
And finally, the fated time arrived.
**
“Does the moon not rise here normally?”
“I think it rose last night...”
It was a night so dark that without torches, one could not see an inch ahead.
Ninety-nine players and about three hundred otherworlders stood atop the castle walls. (It’s said that one player has fled outside the castle.)
“Just act as I’ve informed you beforehand.”
If something were to happen, there are broadly three possibilities.
First, something could be approaching from outside the castle.
Second, something could be emerging from within the castle.
Third, something that appeared human could transform into a monster and attack.
Considering these possibilities, paradoxically, the safest place turned out to be atop the castle walls.
The arrangement of personnel was straightforward.
The players spaced themselves out along the castle walls, each standing guard against the outside.
This way, they could prepare for attacks from outside, and being on the walls, they wouldn’t be ambushed by anything emerging from within the castle. The spacing also meant that if someone transformed into a monster, it wouldn’t immediately affect others.
“Are we just supposed to stand here?”
“The baron and his guards should come up here too.”
In contrast, the otherworlders were positioned below, in the courtyard. They were more numerous and potentially a threat to us.
However, it was agreed that if monsters emerged from inside the castle, the players would quickly descend from the walls to subdue them.
“Is everyone ready?”
Gradually, everyone took their place.
“...Soon.”
-60 : 03 : 10
The sands in the hourglass steadily fell. Three minutes. Two minutes. One minute.
-60 : 00 : 00
Finally, when the fateful time arrived…
“…!”
“…”
Everyone stopped even breathing, their senses heightened as they watched their surroundings.
Is there something visible outside the castle walls? No.
Any signs of something emerging from within the castle? Also no.
Any signs that someone might transform into a monster? None at all.
About 30 seconds of silence passed, but the players’ keen senses detected nothing.
“...”
Just as everyone started to wonder, ‘Is this it? Are we just going to move on?’
“Wait, just a moment.”
The man with glasses spoke to me, his eyes trembling.
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel it... I feel something...”
Pointing towards the horizon, the man with glasses seemed remarkably shaken, his glasses askew.
“...My ability’s name is ‘Analysis Complete.‘”
“...”
“And according to my ability... something is coming from that direction. I can’t analyze it in detail yet...”
“That direction?”
Everyone looked in the direction the man with glasses pointed, but the night was moonless and nothing could be seen.
“Sir Thomas, can you see anything? Aren’t your eyes naturally sharp?”
Baron Jorge placed a hand on the shoulder of his guard, Sir Thomas.
“I see something. But I’m not sure yet. Please give me a moment.”
Sir Thomas responded in a rigid tone, squinting into the darkness beyond.
How much time had passed?
“...There are waves.”
“Pardon?”
Sir Thomas suddenly uttered nonsense.
“It’s very dark, so I can’t see well either. But... there are waves.”
“…”
“…”
Everyone stared at Sir Thomas, half expecting a joke, but his face was dead serious.
Snowflakes danced in the air, ears reddened by the biting cold, and now he claimed there were waves? How could that be?
“...Could it be a magical wave?”
“Is there such a thing?”
“Well, it’s magic, isn’t it possible...”
“...Perhaps?”
While some players were having meaningless conversations and babbling…
“Move aside. I need to concentrate. We’re looking in that direction, right?”
The woman with a prominent jaw stepped forward with confident strides.
She was the one who had previously argued meticulously why they needed to join forces with the otherworlders.
“Huup...!”
The woman stepped to the forefront, raised her hands above her head, and closed her eyes.
Her already protruding jaw jutted out further, and her face turned red. Objectively, it was quite a comical scene, but no one laughed.
“Oh, ohh...!”
Above the woman’s hands, a large fireball began to form.
“Huuuuuuh...!”
What started as a fist-sized fireball quickly grew to the size of a human head, and then ballooned to the size of a gym ball.
Though not enormous, the fireball carried an impressive force. Any average player struck by it would not escape unscathed.
“Watch...! I’m... throwing it... like a flare...”
Struggling to speak, the woman then stretched her arms forward. Simultaneously, the large fireball began slicing through the cold night air.
Whoooosh!
“Wow!”
“That’s so cool!”
Inspired by the players’ admiration, the massive fireball surged forward, blazing towards the horizon.
As the fireball illuminated its surroundings and continued its relentless charge...
“Do you see anything?”
“Just the snow on the ground...”
Even as the gym ball-sized fireball shrank to the size of a grain of rice in the distance, nothing else was visible.
“Hmm...”
“Huh...”
As skeptical glances started to turn toward the man with glasses…
Boom!
The fireball finally reached its destination and exploded magnificently, fulfilling its role.
“Ah, all this fuss for nothing.”
“Let’s just go to sleep. I’m getting sleepy.”
“I could really go for some chicken, damn it.”
The tension dissipated and the players began to joke among themselves. After all the drama, it seemed there was nothing there.
“Hey, bro. Let’s go. We’re cold.”
Players were smiling and nudging me, urging me to move.
However, I stood frozen, like a statue.
Not just me, but Sir Thomas, Junghyun Yoon, and others known as ‘competent’ weren’t moving either.
“What’s the matter? Why are you like this?”
Finally, a player, realizing something was off, cautiously asked me.
“...The waves.”
I muttered cryptically.
In fact, I was confident. If my ‘Hero’ ability was fully activated, I believed I could take down whatever came.
“Gather everyone on the walls.”
But when the fireball exploded, I saw something.
At first, I thought it was truly a wave. It was vast enough to cover the horizon, constantly undulating, almost like a wave.
But upon closer observation, I realized I had been wrong.
“...They’re coming.”
“They’re coming? What is? How many?”
Orcs, wolves, goblins, and other strange creatures not yet named by humankind.
“...Countless.”
From beyond the horizon, a tide of blood and death was surging towards us.
– – – End of Chapter – – -
[TL: *: Since it’s written in a language no one knows and Kyung Nam is just analyzing the line using his trait, he translated it with slight differences every time.
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