[Translator: Dawn]
[Proofreader: Karane]
The distance from De Munt Castle to Asparagan is so great that it would take at least four hours even with a really fast wagon.
However, it seemed very short when it was compared to the speed of the Sky Lord.
The moment I got back to my senses and decided to look around the inside of the ship,
"We've reached Asparagan."
Elsha's triumphant voice had already begun to spread throughout the ship.
It hadn't even been 20 minutes since we left De Munt Castle, and yet we've landed on the pier of Asparagan already.
We got off the airship just as flustered as we were when we got on it, unable to exchange a single word with each other during the flight.
As we finally reached the ground from the airship, Guile suddenly appeared in front of me from behind and grabbed my hands.
"Brother, I'll say this again. Meeting you was the most fortunate thing that ever happened and will ever happen to me."
Guile's eyes were filled with faith towards me, almost blind or fanatic. Sharan was still looking at the golden ship with a dumbfounded expression, and Swordsman seemed like he wasn't feeling well with his very pale face.
"Mose, aren't you something like a 'Magician of the White Tower'?"
"Not at all."
As I reactively answered Khea's question with an abstruse expression on her face, I realized I had run into another problem.
I've accidentally gathered everyone's attention to my Sky Lord, which was anchored at the pier of Asparagan, shining the brightest among all the other ships.
"First time I've ever seen a ship that huge."
"That shit almost blinded me, I was just drinking a strawberry smoothie!"
The crowd started to make noises about the ship, and naturally, their attention shifted to us who got off.
As if the fire had been transferred to our body, the party members and I hurriedly left the pier and buried ourselves in the rushing crowd.
We headed to the Asparagan Information guild as we successfully seeped into the crowd.
I still heard some passerby saying something about a spectacle at the pier in the midst of the crowd.
In this unexpected sudden atmosphere, Sharan threw in a quick strike.
"We probably won't be able to have dinner in Asparagan anymore."
Swordsman started to chuckle after hearing Sharan.
"Maybe this is what it feels like to be a celebrity?"
"A celebrity? You mean the clowns who do acrobatics on a ball on the battlefields?"
But the highlight was what Khea said. Everyone laughed out loud after hearing what she said.
"I still can't believe that we've earned such a huge amount of money. I'm sorry to say this, but I would like some time to spend with my family after this quest."
Starting from Swordsman, we began to talk about our future plans after completing the quest in that small moment of walking to the Information guild.
Sharan laughed with her red hair fluttering.
"I'm going to go shopping after we complete this quest, for an entire week!"
"I might go on a family trip. And with my girlfriend too..."
Guile also started to list his pleasant worries without having to be concerned about money.
The new paradigm of economic activity presented by virtual reality was making people's dreams a reality.
"Personally, I'd like to give you something, Mose."
Swordsman continued the conversation with a smile as Guile and Sharan also nodded in agreement.
That was the moment we reached the Information guild.
This place felt so familiar that I almost felt comfortable. However, the moment we entered through the door, an unfamiliar atmosphere greeted us unlike what we expected.
***
Reaper Scans
[Translator - Dawn]
[Proofreader - Karane]
Join our Discord for updates on releases! https://discord.gg/reapercomics
***
Every informant in the building had turned pale.
They were all engrossed in something that they didn't even notice us coming in.
"My most sincere apologies. Because we have to update sudden urgent information, all the services regarding the Information guild on all continents are temporarily suspended."
The gatekeeper of the Information guild ran to us in a rush and explained the situation.
"Excuse me?"
Sharan raised one of her eyebrows without noticing herself. We've always gone to the Information guild in order to receive new quests in this major city called Asparagan, yet none of us had ever seen a scene like this before.
And so, we turned to leave the building with each of us having a question mark up above our heads, and noticed that the situation outside wasn't like what it used to be.
"Hey, did you see that ship by the pier?"
"That's not the important thing, we've got bigger things on our hands right now."
"What? What is it?"
"You know Circuit Foods, right? The Mukbang channel that goes around famous restaurants in Circuit."
"No, shit. Of course, I know! Are you kidding me right now?"
"The channel literally blew up, nobody can get into the channel right now. It's been attacked."
"What? Attacked? For real? Who? Wow, that's insane..."
I heard the conversation between the two players sitting at the square as if they were spectating a wildfire.
"What in the world is happening?"
The moment Guile questioned, a player running in a rush shouted as loud as he could.
"Everyone! To the square! Everyone, please come to the square right now!"
And with that, everyone started to run to Asparagan square. It reminded me of a scene in a disaster movie.
"We should go check it out too."
Khea said with a stiff facial expression, and the rest of the party nodded in agreement as we moved to the square in a hurry.
The Asparagan square, which became full in an instant, was filled with clamors from the crowd.
Meanwhile, on a simple temporary stage set in the square, various players and NPCs were busy holding crystal balls and installing something.
"Hey, what are they doing up there?"
"I don't know. Apparently, a channel just went down or somethin'?"
"I heard that NPCs started to PK in the middle of a live broadcast."
"Obviously, this has to be scripted. They're doing it for the views."
"That'd be pretty terrible. It did gather a whole bunch of attention for sure."
A moment later, a number of crystal balls were placed at multiple spots on the stage, and when a player operated them beams were projected from the spheres and a clear gigantic screen showed up.
It was the Circuit TV Channel which was known to have the highest viewing rate.
The Mukbang show must be in progress since on one top corner of the screen, there was a logo that read 'Circuit Foods Road'. However, there was nobody to be seen on the screen.
And at that moment, the gray screen that continued with only its logo and noises suddenly returned.
And,
"What?"
"Aaah!"
"Crazy."
"What in the...!"
"Is this for real?"
Screams and shouts of terror started to come out from the crowd gathered in the square.
My party members and I were also speechless in shock.
The famous comedian, who is the MC of the show, had his head facing down without even a twitch.
It was because the top of his head had been crushed and something that looked like mashed potato was spewing out from his head.
Behind this horrible scene, a small village was entirely on fire. Soon, next to the comedian's corpse, a man in dull gray armor appeared.
"We have successfully taken over. The Players will not be able to forcefully stop the broadcast."
As soon as the man finished speaking, the camera slid to turn to the other side.
"Wow..."
"Oh my god!"
"Is that actually happening?"
Clamors and shouts came out from the crowd once more. There appeared the famous guests invited to the broadcast were seen crying and screaming for help while tied up.
They had burn marks on their necks seemingly from being soldered.
A very heavy voice began to speak like a narration after the camera was fixed on them.
"Witness."
The camera closed up to each face of the tied-up guests one by one.
"The faces of these losers who cannot even go back to their own world."
The camera awkwardly focused on the burn marks on the neck as if they were trying to show it.
"We've forbidden them from speaking the language of cowards. The rotten flowers that bloom from the tongues of you cunning snakes called Players."
Then a moment later, the screen turned completely to show a single man.
Equipped with gray armor, and a crimson cape, the man stared at the camera with cold blue eyes.
His golden hair, which completely contrasted the of his armor, flowed down smoother than the ocean waves as it covered one side of his forehead.
The man stared at the screen and continued his speech.
"You, who are also called the Users, Players, Immortals, Visitors, and Adventurers, have come to our land as if foretold and shook up our world."
It felt as if I was going to get frostbite from staring at his cold blue eyes.
"And who allowed such a thing?"
He continued with a voice filled with a thirst for blood.
"Bellica the God of the Sun? Velluce the Goddess of the Moon? No, you have entered this world under no approval. You have 'invaded' our lands."
Then he started to slowly walk to the right side. And the camera followed him.
Approaching the comedian's dead body, he grabbed the hair from the back of the corpse's head and exposed it to the camera.
"Ugh!"
"Kyah!"
Screams poured out from all over the square.
"We are the masters of this land. Ours was just an ordinary world, where even the inevitable destruction for survival was done with our own hands. However, once you showed up to this world, everything changed."
The man thrust the corpse with a hideous face from the damage done beforehand into the ground. Blood from the corpse splattered onto his gray armor, but he seemed to pay no attention to it and continued to fiercely stare into the camera with burning hatred in his eyes.
"We have never allowed the trash that is called the Players to walk on our lands! You have entered our world after allowing yourselves in, you're no more than just clowns!"
He changed his direction and started to walk towards the left side, and the desperate screams from the guests grew louder and louder as he got closer.
"You have trampled on us, robbed us, and pillaged us with no remorse. Did you think we'd do nothing? Did you truly believe that the hooves of the Black Griffins cavalry would stay silent after watching what you have done!"
A soldier rushed to the screen and handed him a heavy iron hook. People in the square started screaming or covering their eyes saying they couldn't watch.
"Players! Immortals! I, the prince of Logis, Lidornn, declare a war against you all! The beginning of the war shall start from the sound of the wings of Black Griffin cavalry!"
Stab!
After his roaring declaration of war, Lidornn pierced the stomach of one of the guests with the iron hook and pulled it out.
I lowered my head.
My whole body started to shiver.
What had just happened? Even though I had my eyes away from the screen, the piercing screams from the broadcast tormented me.
However, even in the midst of all the screams, the man named Lidornn never ceased to continue his roaring.
"First, we shall destroy the temples that you are revived in! And every single one of you that crosses my sight will be ripped into pieces so you won't be able to ever return to this world! Open your eyes wide and witness! How this world and I will treat you unwelcome swines!"
The screams continued even after his speech was finished. And when the screams stopped, and the overwhelming silence was established among the countless people gathered in the square, a flaming pop-up window appeared in front of my eyes.
And this didn't seem to be only visible to me.
I realized that by noticing how other Players around me had their shoulders tremble or eyes wide open. And among the Players, the people of this world, including Khea, were just looking around with their eyes out of focus.
< Event Quest Activated! >
[ Large scale Co-op Quest ]
[ Prince of Rebellion ]
Difficulty: S
Defeat the Prince of the Logis Kingdom, 'White Wolf of Logis', Lidornn.
History: The prince of Logis, Lidornn, also known as, 'Unusual Genius', 'Dark Rider', 'White Wolf of Logis', had just overturned his public reputation of always having a calm demeanor. He had now pulled out his sword to point at the Players with a burning hatred.
Why does the ever-wise Lidornn, the 'Sage', have his blade aimed at you, the Players!
Why did Lidornn the 'Dark Rider', the protector of frontiers, inflict such harsh punishments on the innocents!
That is because not all of you are innocent. Some have committed taboos, and evil deeds against the people of this world, enjoying the pleasures that you could not have achieved in your world.
That is right! To borrow a word from your world, they are 'trolls'! And you would know that we're not talking about those drooling idiots who crunch on stones!
This rebellion is against you bystanders who hide under the fact that the criminal scoundrels only represent an extreme minority of the immortals.
This is the conclusion reached by the 'Sage' Lidornn that the immortals also need to experience an equal amount of pain,
And the decision made by the 'Dark Rider' Lidornn, in order to protect this world from the Players,
And the resolution of the Lidornn the 'White Wolf of Logis'!
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