Translator: rainbowturtle
[Alley Leaderâs Marathon Experience (feat. Battle Royale)]
Hyeonuâs stream title was the most appropriate representation of the current situation. Currently, Hyeonu could barely accept his situation.
âMonsters.â
The emperor and Lebron took slow and light steps like they were walking. Yet every time the two of them took a step, they moved dozens of meters. Hyeonu summoned Tang-E and used the buffs to chase the two men.
âWhat type of war is this?â
Of course, it was a war. However, his opponents were the emperor and Lebron, not the demons and demonic creatures. He had to run if he didnât want to lose the two people.
-This is the main scenario, right?
-Is it like a hidden camera?
-Why keep running?
-Since the NPCs are running, the players are also running.?????
The viewers laughed at the rare skit of thousands of rankers running around. People who didnât know what was going on were busy laughing after finding out the details.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
-So why is it a battle royale?
-Why?Just take a moment to look.
-Look at the demonic creatures over there.
-What demonic creatures?
-You will know once you see it.
At this moment, a group of demonic creatures appeared. The demonic creatures attacked the rear of the gathered players. Apart from those forced to fight the demonic creatures, the other players continued to chase the emperor and Lebron.
-Do you see?
-This is a battle royale.
-If you are in the back, you will fall behind.
-Forced to fall behind?????????.
-This is why the streaming title is called battle royale.
âStill, there isnât much time left.â
Hyeonu pulled out Balerâs map from the inventory and opened it. The map displayed his current location in white.
âIt will take around an hour to reach Penn.â
The result of running for more than half a day meant they were able to reach the vicinity of Penn in 15 days. It was six days shorter than the expected three weeks. Of course, this was the result of running without a break.
âIf this were in reality, I would have no feet left.â
Hyeonu had an absurd imagination. It wouldâve been impossible to come all the way here without these thoughts. The others had many friends and colleagues to talk to, but Hyeonu only had Lebron and the emperor.
âI would rather do this alone than talk to those two.â
The two people werenât suitable for conversation at all. It was inconvenient. He didnât feel comfortable with them, so he was unable to speak properly. Naturally, Hyeonu just shut up. Thus, the three of them rarely talked while they ran. The emperor opened his mouth that had been firmly closed and said, âThere isnât long left.â
"Is that so? If I have to live like this for a few more months⦠I really have no confidence in your estimate, Your Majesty,âLebron grumbled. It was like he'd forgotten he was in front of the emperor.
âThen you can go back. When did you ever only move with my permission?âThe emperor imposed no restraints on Lebronâs actions.
âHow can I leave Your Majesty alone in a dangerous place? The nobles of the empire might want to eat me alive if they find out.â
âWho would blame Duke Lebron, the best swordsman of the empire? If they donât want their territory to become a ruin overnight, everyone will shut their mouths.â
The emperor was right. None of the nobles could raise their voices before Lebron.
âI swung my sword so lightly as a young man⦠How could anyone be scared of me?"
"On the day when the Knights of Keon came for them, they were all wiped out, without even ants left in their familyâ¦â The emperor once again spoke about destruction.
âIsnât that because Your Majesty told me to do it? I have been wronged. Everything was for the empire.â
Lebron felt wronged. Why did he see blood as he roamed the continent? It was all because the emperor ordered him to cut off the rotten parts of the empire.
âMe? I donât remember⦠Iâm getting older too.âThe emperor shook his head as if he had never heard of it.
Seeing this, Lebron's hands trembled.
âThe nobles arenât afraid of the emperorâ¦?â Hyeonu wondered inwardly. At first glance, it was hard to understand. However, Hyeonu soon figured out what the situation was like.
âThe emperor should show tolerance, but Lebron doesnât need to.â
The emperor was literally the emperor, the ruler of the empire. Many things were required of him. Among them was the need for tolerance. He couldnât always go out in an upright manner. Sometimes, it was necessary for a gentle embrace. The nobles believed this and occasionally lent a helping hand to the emperor. Of course, it was within a very limited range.
Meanwhile, Lebron was the sword of the empire; he had to wield his sword. Moreover, he was a duke. A duke was below only one person and stood above 10,000 people. No one dared to say anything to Lebron unless it was the emperor.
Just then, Hyeonu pointed at the walls in the distance and said, âI can see the city walls over there. I think we need to slowly stop and organize the battle lines, Your Majesty.â
âIâll do so.âThe emperor abruptly stopped moving.
Naturally, Lebron beside him also stopped walking. Hyeonu, who was behind the two men, also stopped. The three of them were able to stop naturally. It was a different story for those running behind them. In particular, the further behind they were, the harder it was for them to stop.
"Aaaack!"
âCrazy!â
âDonât push!â
This was pandemonium. It wasnât the demonic creatures and demons threatening the rankers but themselves. They hit each other and rolled onto the ground.
-??????What is this?
-This is the danger of an emergency stop.
-Is this how Alley Leader is getting rid of them without any effort?
-The competitors are rolling on the ground~
This sight was conveyed to the viewers through Hyeonuâs live stream, and they laughed at the rankers. The scene was too ridiculous.
-However, he seems very close to the emperor and Duke Lebron.
-He is speaking formally, but it is almost like talking informally.
-I thought the atmosphere was horrible, but it wasnât the case.
The viewers quickly shifted their attention from the rankers to the emperor and Lebron. It was natural since they were NPCs that were rarely met or were close to impossible to meet.
âTsk⦠They canât even control their bodiesâ¦âLebron clicked his tongue when he saw the players tangled up together.
He was like a person who thought he hadn't done anything wrong. Hyeonu looked at the city walls and carefully asked the emperor, who showed no signs of action, âYour Majesty, are you going to battle personally?â
âIf I go⦠wouldnât they dislike it?âThe emperor turned and looked at Hyeonu.
âI think it is likely. There will be less things they can obtain. They might feel it isnât worth the time it took to get here.âHyeonuâs word were closer to a fact than a guess.
Penn would be destroyed the moment the emperor stepped out.
Damanos, who wasnât weak among the demon kings, had knelt down in front of the emperor without being able to resist.
âIt will just be a massacre.â
How could Penn resist the emperor when it didnât even have a noble?
âThe emperor shouldnât handle everything just because he is capable. It is the emperorâs role to create capable people. Right, Marquis Gang Hyeonu?âThe emperor smiled.
Hyeonu got chills when he saw the smile, but he remained calm on the outside.
âUwah.â
âIâll keep it in mind, Your Majesty.â
As Hyeonu and the emperor were talking, the scene of the accident became organized to some extent. The priests of each guild came out and cast treatment magic. Then they took their original formation again. In addition, those who were left behind in the middle started to catch up in succession.
-From Gang Junggu:Hyeonu, it is over.Weâve all arrived.
-To Gang Junggu:I understand, Hyung-nim.The battle will begin soon, so please be prepared.
-From Gang Junggu:Yes, donât worry.Iâll do well on my own.
After hearing from Gang Junggu that all the players participating in the main scenario had gathered, Hyeonu approached the emperor.He told the latter, âYour Majesty, the adventurers are all ready.â
The emperor closed his eyes and slowly turned away.
âAll adventurers, listen up.âThe emperorâs voice resonated through the area.âThis is a test. Cross the walls in front of you and prove that you deserve to be part of the expedition representing the empire.â
The moment the emperorâs words ended, the same message window appeared in front of thousands of players. A quest was created.
[Prove Your Qualifications]
[Capture Penn, the first demon world city. The noble that governs the city is absent from Penn.
Rating: MS
Conditions: Occupy Penn 0/1, kill the demonic creatures 0/???, kill the demons 0/???.
Rewards: Experience, imperial contributions, the acknowledgment of the emperor (in case of failure, you can no longer participate in the main scenario).]
Murmurs started to flow among the players who checked the contents of the quest window.
âIt is over if we fail?â
âWe donât even know how many monsters there are?â
âHowever, there are no nobles. It is just a tough hunt without any boss monsters.â
At first, they panicked, but they soon regained their calmness. The absence of a nobleâthis sounded like a boss monster wouldnât appear. It meant there would be no monsters strong enough to threaten them. In other words, it was a quest that could be completed without much difficulty if they fought while distributing their magic power properly.
âPlease gather all the guild masters!âa man shouted loudly.
Then people in colorful clothing gathered beside him. At one glance, it appeared they numbered over a hundred. The gathered people made a small circle.
âAs you can see from the quest window, cooperation is needed this time. It is all over if it fails. If we leave the emperorâs sight⦠It isnât just the imperial contributions weâve built up so far; we might also be at risk.âThe man called for a temporary ceasefire.
Of course, there had never been an open fight during the main scenario, but everyone knew there was a strange atmosphere here. It was even weirder not to know because they acted like they would fight right away just by looking into each otherâs eyes.
âIâm not stupid. I can tell this much.â
âTell me if you want to fight. I will end it here before going. I canât let my back be uncomfortable.â
"Instead, the surviving side will have to fight us too. I donât need fools who canât tell the time and place.â
Several of the gathered guild masters spoke boldly. They had something in common. They had a personality that could be called hot-tempered or reckless, and they were better at PvP than anyone else.
At their peak was Kim Seokjung.
âSince weâve all agreed, letâs come up with a strategy to attack Penn. I hope everyone remembers one thing. Any action comes with a responsibility.âKim Seokjung left these words and returned to the place where the New World members were gathered.
The moment Kim Seokjung left, all the other guild leaders returned to where their guild members were and started to work. Moments later, thousands of players started running toward Penn at the same time to clear the emperorâs quest. However, Hyeonu stayed motionless beside the emperor and Lebron. He just watched the rest of the players.
-By the way, why isnât Alley Leader going?
The viewers saw it and questioned Hyeonu. He could get huge rewards if he moved. So why wasnât he moving?
âThere is no boss monster.â
He would only be able to get rewards for small fries.
âI need to rest at times like this.â
âIt is a moderate concession. If I have to do everything from A to Z⦠wouldnât it be too unfair?âA nice smile appeared on Hyeonuâs face.