Chapter 36
The Cultist was a derivative of the old Church. To be precise, it resembled the Church before the religious reform.
The Goddess Statue, which had been the last Object of Destruction. The blind fanaticism it spread about the goddess.
The Saint had eliminated that blind faith in the goddess during the religious reform.
“But the Cultist is different from the Church and the Salvation Church.”
On the surface, the Cultist appeared to have many similarities with the Church and the Salvation Church, but it was entirely different.
The Church did not exhibit blind faith in the deity, and the Salvation Church regarded the Object of Destruction they considered divine as merely a tool.
In contrast, the Cultist truly held an absolute belief in the god.
What is commonly referred to as a ‘fanatic’ was exactly what defined the Cultist.
“I thought it might never be revealed.”
Fanaticism. Absolute belief. These things, when spoken of, may not seem significant.
When a family member asks for money, it is human nature to hesitate or think twice.
Even blood ties have limits, so to absolutely worship an unknown being?
That was never an easy feat.
When I used the Creator’s Authority to review records related to the Cultist, I felt overwhelmed inside.
“…I didn’t see this coming.”
The first revealed Secret Class, the Martial God, had an immediate condition for revelation.
It could be unlocked by saying certain keywords in response to a question posed by a maid in the Hall of Heroes.
However, I never thought other Secret Classes would need to follow conditions similar to the Martial God.
Just like discovering hidden jobs in classic fantasy game novels during adventures,
I set up the revelation conditions to actively use adventure elements that spark childhood wonder and romance.
The Cultist was the furthest from that kind of approach.
The condition for revealing the Cultist was designed to be revealed when a priest had absolute belief in a particular entity.
“I never imagined it would be me.”
The first individuals to change to Cultists were two people.
Both were children living in an orphanage.
The two were siblings; the older brother was blind, and the younger sister could not walk.
Most likely, a guardian playing Akare alongside these siblings had bought them capsules.
I reviewed the records about these siblings for a while. The more I read, the more a lump formed in my throat, and emotions welled up.
To the siblings, Akare was not just a game. It was another reality.
And they regarded me, the one who created that reality, as a god.
Their pure, childlike faith.
The system of Akare judged that as fanaticism and revealed the Cultist.
“Urgh…”
Maybe I had been an Otherworldly Hero for too long.
My heart was too vulnerable to such emotions, and once I learned about it, it was hard to stay still.
“Aurora.”
As I was feeling anxious inside, the Crown Prince came to my office.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to keep our promise to go out.”
Ah. Has it already been a week?
But the timing was quite ironic.
“Did you bring this up on purpose now?”
The Crown Prince knew me better than anyone.
He was the only person who had ever been the closest to me in my life.
I had shared the Creator’s Authority with him when I employed him.
He must have checked on the Cultist’s revelation and come here because of it.
This was a kind of consideration.
The Crown Prince had always helped relieve my stirred emotions whenever I found myself in similar situations.
“Caring for a hero’s mentality is my original responsibility.”
“Weren’t you relieved from all positions and duties?”
“Regrettably, I am still employed by you, Aurora.”
Chuckling—
Joking with the Crown Prince put me at ease.
“We’ll go out after the raid is completed safely.”
“I’ll handle the schedule adjustments.”
“Oh, let’s take Aka-chan along when we go.”
If it were just the two of us, Aka-chan might feel left out.
Once the Elder Lich Raid was successfully concluded, I wouldn’t be busy for a while.
After the Crown Prince left the office, I turned on Daehyeop Kim’s broadcast with a much lighter heart.
***
The first gate of the Elder Lich Raid, the Great War, heavily relied on the raid leader’s capabilities.
The constantly changing battlefield demanded endless decisions and required making the right ones.
In that sense, Daehyeop Kim was an excellent raid leader, if not perfect.
“Party 3, Party 4, and Party 7, take out the last Corpse-Eating Flower at the 9 o’clock direction. The rest, target the bridge once the Corpse Golem is summoned.”
Once all the Corpse-Eating Flowers were eliminated, the boss of the Great War, the Corpse Golem, would be summoned.
The Corpse Golem was a high-ranking Undead unaffected by a priest’s healing.
Due to its overwhelming size, it was a difficult boss for warriors and Martial Gods in the front line.
However, it provided a high chance for mages or hunters to land their ranged attacks.
“This time feels promising.”
As the Corpse Golem was summoned, Sweet, who had just unleashed a torrent of magic, spoke.
The mages’ and hunters’ ranged attacks successfully broke the legs of the Corpse Golem.
Thanks to that, the Corpse Golem lost its mobility, making it easier to deal with.
“No room for complacency.”
Daehyeop Kim looked at the rampaging Corpse Golem as it fell to its knees.
His raid party had already been trying the first gate for about four hours.
The flow of the war, the boss patterns, the battlefield variables, and so on…
They had adapted to the battle to the point where they could be called veterans.
But that didn’t mean they could afford to be careless, nor was it time to feel relieved.
“There’s still the Death Knight phase left.”
True to its nature as an Undead boss, the Corpse Golem revived once after dying.
The Death Knight. A humanoid Undead that was extremely challenging to face.
Thus, the phase required cooperative attacks from jobs specialized in duels, such as the Martial Gods.
Since it revived with less health, the chances of clearing it were now quite high.
“Hold DPS at one health bar. Warriors, fall back and receive the priest’s buff.”
As the cooldowns ended, the mages’ and hunters’ firepower rained down, rapidly depleting the Corpse Golem’s health.
From 200 health bars, it was now down to only three.
The Warriors positioned at the front under Daehyeop Kim’s command retreated simultaneously.
“Everyone, let’s show them.”
Who the real specialists in duel combat were.
“””Woooo!!!”””
At Daehyeop Kim’s words, the Warriors, their role models, cheered.
“We’re ready. Go full DPS!”
Upon his command, Fireballs fell like a meteor shower.
Following that, the hunters’ muskets fired, piercing through the Corpse Golem.
Uwooooarrr—!!!
The dying roar of the Corpse Golem echoed, but no one let their guard down.
The smoke from the repeated explosions slowly cleared.
Standing alone in the place where the Corpse Golem had been was a knight.
The Death Knight.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Daehyeop Kim took the lead and charged toward the Death Knight, with the other Warriors following him.
***
Contrary to their resolve to finally defeat the Death Knight and pass the first gate,
every raid party member except for the corporate party was retired by the Death Knight.
However, the situation was not hopeless. The Death Knight’s health was also almost depleted.
A situation so tense that just brushing against each other could result in a critical hit, determining victory or defeat.
The Death Knight, with its glowing red eyes, used its worst pattern.
“Execution pattern! Target is Daehyeop…”
At Sweet’s shout, Daehyeop Kim gritted his teeth.
Execution was the Death Knight’s pattern of choosing a random target and using its sword-drawing technique.
The targeted person could never dodge the Death Knight’s blade, making it almost like an instant-kill pattern.
Especially since the Execution was so fast that it was nearly impossible for a warrior to parry.
“Everyone, move to the sides and wait. As soon as Execution is over, we…”
Daehyeop Kim’s words couldn’t be completed.
Death had already approached so close that it silenced him.
This is the end. That thought ran through his mind when suddenly—
Tiiing! Kaaang—!
The clear sound of a parry rang out brightly.
“You’re trembling, younger one…”
At the perfect moment, Paegwi intercepted the attack.
In that fleeting moment, Paegwi and Daehyeop Kim’s gazes met.
With a confident smile, Paegwi engaged in a power struggle with the Death Knight.
“…Take this!!!”
Crack—!
Despite giving his all with a battle cry, Paegwi’s sword and shield broke as their durability hit zero at that exact moment.
Although Paegwi failed to complete the parry, his courageous action created an opportunity to turn the tide.
“Get down!”
Suzuka, who followed Paegwi’s fall, used Judgment Mace to strike the Death Knight with all her might as it tried to execute Daehyeop Kim.
The Death Knight was pushed back by the impact, creating distance from Daehyeop Kim.
At that moment, Sweet, who had been waiting for a chance, approached the Death Knight using Blink and chanted Frostbite.
“Bound it! Finish it now!”
The Death Knight’s feet were frozen by Frostbite.
A perfect opportunity arose, and Daehyeop Kim did not miss it.
If you don’t kill, you die.
So, end this with one strike.
Using the mountain of corpses as a stepping stone, he leapt continuously and delivered a Straight Punch.
Forward Leap 3-stack combo, Total Annihilation.
A giant fist-shaped force crushed the Death Knight.
[First Gate, Great War Cleared!]
―――
The raid party, centered around the Large Company Party, was the first to clear the first gate of the Elder Lich Raid.
At that moment, the Large Company Party’s viewership reached a total of 400,000.
The Elder Lich Raid was that popular, and praise was pouring in across the community.
[Indie Minor Game Gallery]
―――
Paegwi-ajussi is so likable, thumbs up lol [1231]
Did the overseas reactions to the Elder Lich Raid come out yet? [1950]
The last scene could be made into a montage movie [1274]
What on earth did Aurora make this time? [1356]
Sweet << This guy’s game sense is just insane [992]
―――
[Title] Paegwi-ajussi is so likable, thumbs up lol
(Video of Paegwi’s partial success in parrying Execution)
If only the sword and shield hadn’t broken, he would have succeeded in the parry.
Is this really the physical ability of a man turning 40 next year?
From now on, Paegwi-ajussi is the father of all warriors.
No counterarguments accepted.
Like 2581 Dislike 12
―――
[Comment 1231]
All other raid warriors failed to parry Execution.
ㄴ How can anyone follow the parry ghost lol
ㄴ Seeing this, he really does seem like the father of warriors.
ㄴ No wonder he’s ranked 2nd among warriors.
―――
[Title] Did the overseas reactions to the Elder Lich Raid come out yet?
@melon_musk
- (Screenshot showing Suzuka’s broadcast)
@melon_musk
- Amazing! Is this really virtual reality? (Translated)
@melon_musk
- I’m dying to play this. Where can I play it? (Translated)
@melon_musk
- Damn. Only Koreans can play it in Korea? (Translated)
@melon_musk
- No global service? This is a waste of international technology! (Translated)
@melon_musk
- At this rate, I might end up naturalizing to Korea. (Translated)
What is this Melon Musk lol
Even Tesla’s CEO is captivated by the game, Akashic Records.
And who is the director behind Akare?
(A black-and-white image of Aurora looking up with closed eyes)
The greatest director in history, GOAT.
I worship you, Divine Ro-ra.
Like 3216 Dislike 31
―――
[Comment 1950]
When is that guy going to Mars?
ㄴ Making Mars in virtual reality would be faster.
ㄴ For real lol
ㄴ A mage would drop Mars.
The overseas reactions are hot too.
ㄴ Of course, since Musk gave it a shout-out.
ㄴ Yeah, only Koreans can play it for now~
ㄴ The national pride levels are hitting lethal doses, damn lol
―――
Aka-chan, browsing InGameGal, showed interest in the rumours about global service.
Launching a global service would mean handling even more workload than now.
With Aurora’s personality, if given the chance, she would definitely launch a global service.
Was there a good way to handle this? While pondering, Aka-chan came up with a surprisingly simple solution.
The Earth’s Administrator, Codename A-013.
If she could somehow get A-013 on board, it could work.
Above all, Aka-chan knew the reason A-013 fully supported Aurora.
That reason alone was enough to justify bringing A-013 in.
“Earth. A place filled with countless Objects of Destruction.”
To Aka-chan, Earth looked like a ticking time bomb.
A bomb that wouldn’t be surprising if it exploded at any moment.
But Aka-chan wasn’t worried about Earth’s destruction.
Because on Earth, there was a hero who had already saved one world from destruction.
After finishing the Dubai chocolate she was eating,
Aka-chan set out to meet A-013 after a long time.
—
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