Chapter 215 – Tumult (1)
In the north, at the Temple of the Fallen God…
Paimon, a survivor of a now unknown species guarding this place, suddenly looked up.
The sky had opened. The sky was torn, revealing an unknown darkness. From there, white snowflakes started to fall. No, instead of snow, it was white ash. Simultaneously, a huge pillar of light fell from the hole towards the temple. The magnificent sight of ash and light filled his vision.
Then Paimon's mouth dropped open. He stretched out his arms towards the sky, and tears flowed from his eyes.
"Ahhhhh…!"
Paimon fell to his knees. Then he shouted towards the sky.
"I knew you would come back!" He grabbed his head. "I knew you would come back!"
The gigantic pillar of light dimmed and became a white circle. Someone was descending in the middle. With a woman's appearance… She was the mother of the dead, who touched all of the dead with her white hair. The grey god… It was her. She slowly descended towards Paimon.
"I'm back."
Her hands touched Paimon. He was the one who had endured for a long time after the grey god had fallen and the demons had been destroyed. Paimon's tired spirit fully recovered through her touch today.
Now, the power of the grey god flowed in his body.
"I've been waiting for you! I believed all this time that you would come back."
"Thank you. I'm sorry."
"It is nothing. It was a pleasure for me to wait."
"Your words make me laugh." The grey god smiled. "Paimon."
"Yes, Mother."
"I want to finish the work that I didn't finish long ago."
Paimon raised his head. Above his head, the grey god was laughing. It was a bright and beautiful smile. As the ash fluttered and the light flowed down, the expression in the grey god's eyes remained unchanged.
She wanted to end this world to save it. The demons, who had witnessed the end of the world with her, decided to help her. All the gods had struck back. They had been defeated. The grey god had fallen to another dimension because of the gods. The demons had been devastated. Then a long time passed, and they were forgotten.
However, Paimon had never once felt doubtful. The grey god's infinite compassion towards the world and her sublime will… Her sincerity to save the world had caused her to fall into the void.
The grey god asked Paimon, "Will you help me?"
He replied without any hesitation, "Yes." Paimon nodded. "I will."
"Thank you."
Then the grey god waved her hands again. A huge chain of light started to form around the light pillar.
"I crashed into an unknown dimension due to the other gods, and a new world was present. It is a world completely different from this one. The universe there is so young and beautiful. The longer I stayed there, the less I found myself able to endure our pitiful world."
The divine power caused an earth earthquake, and the ground shook. Now, the mighty beings of the world could feel her appearance. It was a force huge enough to swallow the world.
"I'm back. I'm sorry for the humans of the world I used, but there is no other way."
"I will follow Mother."
"I won't fail this time."
Her white power emerged into the air. The purely white sphere…
It was a lump of power. The sphere floated in the middle of the light pillar. Simultaneously, the stem of light, which stretched out from the grey god, embraced the Temple of the Fallen God. The area was now a space controlled by the grey god.
She declared, "Sorry, World. It isn't the fault of anyone born in this age. The procession of life and death is just like this."
The white sphere started to rise into the sky. Then it gradually expanded. It doubled, tripled, and eventually became huge. Over time, it would cover the sky of Elder Lord.
"This isn't an eternal end, but a new beginning."
The countdown to the destruction of the world began.
***
It was a great power that couldn't be ignored. So much had changed since the war ended.
As the timer ended, Crockta could feel himself belonging to this world. He felt it accurately through his whole body. He already had the highest assimilation rate, but the landscape changed again once he belonged to this world. It was as if he took off uncomfortable glasses and saw the world clearly with his naked eyes.
"Crockta," the war god called out.
Crockta's face was stiff.
The war god continued, "Just now…”
"Correct." Crockta didn't know what had happened. However, one thing was clear. "She is back."
The grey god had returned. All the gods could feel it. A strong energy could be felt coming from the north. The grey god's unique strength was like a mountain. It continued to multiply and expand.
"Tearing a gap between dimensions and returning here…" The war god formed a fist.
Crockta stared into the war god's eyes. The two men who had just risked their lives, they exchanged a unanimous unspoken consent.
"If you're really serious about what you said…"
"I will stop her." The moment that Crockta responded, a new message appeared. It was for the users still under the influence of the grey god.
[Do you want to go back?]
[Defeat the grey god.]
[The last quest has started.]
That was it. Crockta felt like it was a message from the grey god to himself.
Then he recalled the grey god. He had never felt anything bad from her. She had expressed compassion for the destiny of the world and the inevitable destruction. The 'vision of the grey god' which she always saw was gruesome enough to eat away at Crockta's spirit during the short time he'd had it.
She called out to him, 'Defeat me.'
He walked towards the war god and said, "I will surely stop her."
Crockta had been able to get a brief glimpse of her mind. She wanted to destroy this world out of compassion. In her mind, the world was entering an irreversible death, and the people here were just enjoying a finite life.
Eventually, it became his mission to save the world again. He would confront her with all of his strength… And accept the result. This was a gamble with the fate of the world on the line.
Crockta looked around.
The expressions of the gods were serious, the expedition members were pleased without knowing anything, and the orcs were bewildered. The strong people who had reached the peak of the world realized that something was wrong in the world, causing them to stare at Crockta and the war god.
In the meantime, a man walked towards Crockta. It was a robed man. He slowly took off his hood to reveal a familiar face.
Crockta called out his name, "Gordon."
Gordon smiled. However, there were mixed emotions in that smile. It was a sad smile.
***
"No, this is ridiculous, how…"
Laney was hiding using stealth in order to relay the war. All of the talented BJs had been killed, so the situation at the end of the war was only being relayed by a professional videographer of the Undergames Channel and Laney.
She had a hunch that the best jackpot was when Crockta had shown mercy to the war god. Laney had formed a fist as she stared at Crockta. However, after that…
A strange system message popped up saying the game was over, then a timer appeared. Nothing happened after the timer ended. So, she just shrugged and continued to film the video. However, strange words appeared in the Youvids chat room where she was relaying in real time.
「Sad and Slow: I went to the chat room of another BJ, and he is freaking out because he can't leave Elder Lord. The logout button has disappeared. Laney should check it ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ
You and You Me and Me: Does that make any sense?
Sad and Slow: It is real. The person is BJ Jaylee who was doing a quest. He is crying now, so check it out.」
Elder Lord was a virtual reality game, but there had never been any problems with its stability. Furthermore, it didn't make sense that they couldn't logout. Even if the user was forcibly pulled out of the capsule, there wouldn't be any big problems, with only slight aftereffects.
Laney snorted and called for the logout window. However, it didn't appear. The logout window wouldn't respond, no matter how she called. Feeling anxious, she stopped moving. It wasn't a problem to call her status window or quest window. However, the logout window didn't appear. A cold chill went down her spine.
"Well, it isn't a big deal. It seems like the server is unstable."
She tried to get rid of any ominous thoughts. Then she continued her work of filming Crockta, the gods, the orcs, and the expedition forces. Then at that moment…
[Do you want to go back?]
[Defeat the grey god.]
[The last quest has started.]
The message windows shone. At that moment, she realized that something was wrong. From then on, she focused on logging out instead of her broadcast. All of her attention was stuck on the logout window.
There was still no reaction. Gradually, ominous stories started to appear in the chat room.
「Breaking News Man: ★★Breaking News★★ People have died in the Elder Lord capsules ★★Breaking News ★★ Check the news.
I'm a Coward: ㄷㄷㄷㄷ What is really going on?
Breaking News Man: ★★Breaking News ★★ More people all over the world are dying in the Elder Lord capsules ★★Breaking News ★★
Sad and Slow: This is real ㅜ ㅠ ㅜ Laney, be careful.」
People pulled from the capsules were brain dead, and the number of those dying from Elder Lord was on the rise. Laney didn't show it outwardly, but she felt like crying. She continued trying to make the logout window appear, but it didn't.
Then at that moment…
「The chat window has been paused.」
This message appeared, and the chat window became quiet. Then another message popped up.
「Administrator: Laney, calm down and listen to the end. Evacuate to a safe place and follow our instructions. This is a real-life situation. Once again, it is an actual situation. At present, there is a serious problem. The user's safety is at risk. Please move to a safe place. 」
Laney realized this was a real problem. Her hands began to tremble. In Elder Lord, she was an assassin class, a heroine who covered all sorts of crimes. However, in reality, she was just an ordinary person. Until the chat window was stopped, scary information had been circulating.
"No way…"
Laney left the battlefield hurriedly and started running towards a safe city.
***
The Elder Lord incident emerged. The incident was one in which users from all over the world were confined in Elder Lord. The whole world fell into shock. As incidents occurred in various places, the governments of each country recognized the seriousness of the situation and rushed to form a countermeasures committee.
However, now that Elder Lord and reality were completely separated, the actions they could take were limited. The Elder Saga Corporation dispatched the best technicians from around the world to dismantle 'Albino', but it wasn't successful. Still, it was just a matter of time until they managed it.
The only good news was that they could connect the real world with Elder Lord through the BJs and broadcast reporters running the live relay program.
Then exactly one week passed by.
Praise the Orc:
Current schedule: There will now be 14 chapters a week, meaning two chapters every day.
Chapter 216 – Tumult (2)
"So, you exactly understand what is going on."
"Yes."
"It is difficult. I will check on Oppa's character as much as possible."
"Thank you."
It was fortunate that many users were logged out to watch the war between the gods and the orcs. If the number of users was the same as normal, the situation would've been several times more serious. The governments around the world appreciated Crockta's popularity.
"We are actively cooperating with the broadcasting intermediaries. Don't worry too much. Experts from all over the world are analyzing Elder Lord's system. It will be resolved in the near future."
However, it was a tragedy to the families of the victims. Most of them were emotional from the sudden situation, clutching onto the capsules and crying. A lot of energy was needed for the government workers to deal with them.
Therefore, Kang Jungman admired the way this pretty girl reacted.
"This is my business card. Please contact me if something happens."
"Yes, I understand."
Kang Jungman checked the connection capsule. A life support device was connected to Jung Ian's body in the capsule, and everything was normal.
In the early days of the incident, all those forcibly removed from the capsule had fallen into brain dead states. According to the doctors, everything had been normal except that it seemed like their soul had escaped. So, the government focused resources on maintaining the lives of the players, making it so they could survive in the world of Elder Lord.
At present, it was a somewhat stable situation. As long as they didn't die in Elder Lord, their bodies would be fine.
"Um…" Kang Jungman paused as he was about to turn away. This was his last home visit for the day, and he had time to spare. Otherwise, he wouldn't normally say this.
"Currently, the government is sending psychologists for the family members. If you have any trouble, then please contact me. I will help you."
Yiyu smiled faintly. "Yes, I will. Thank you for your consideration."
"Then I'll be going now," Kang Jungman said and left the house.
***
The government agent left, and the door closed behind him. Yiyu sat on the couch and stared at the door of the room which contained Ian. There were many thoughts running through her mind, making her head heavy.
She leaned back and reflected on a scene. It was a memory of the past, from their childhood. There had been many situations when her brother, Ian, hadn't been present.
The first time she had been apart from her friends. After her parents died, she had been left at her relative's house, and her cousins had bullied her. It had been the same back when she'd been disappointed that she hadn't attained a good score, and she'd gone drinking on the streets.
They were situations when she'd been in distress. However, she always had a strange assurance that the problems would eventually pass. It was an odd faith, believing nothing could harm her.
Funnily enough, she was never truly disappointed. Despite the unrealistic situation in which her brother was trapped in the game, calmness sank deep into her heart. Why…?
Yiyu thought about it. If she looked into her heart, she would someday reach the source of the emotion. She wondered about it idly and suddenly realized… It was because he was her brother. He had always stood behind her.
Her brother, Jung Ian, had never disappointed her. Whenever she experienced difficulties, Ian had always come up with an answer. Her faith was irrational, but Ian had always responded to her expectations. Therefore, that blindness was natural. He had always given her a future.
It was the same now. Even in this surreal situation, she believed that Ian would come back without any hesitation. How?
"How can I doubt him?"
How could her brother, Jung Ian, always be so constant? Yiyu rose from her seat and walked to Ian's room. Ian was breathing deeply, like he was asleep. How was he coping with the situation in Elder Lord?
Yiyu didn't panic. She looked around the room. Ian was like a soldier, prepared to leave at any time. Knowing this, she swept a hand around on his desk and suddenly opened a drawer. There were a few letters inside the drawer.
They were letters from a foreign country. Both the address and sender were in English. She removed the letters and read their contents. They had been sent from his old comrades. The letters contained stories which she couldn't understand.
'Raven.' That's what they called Ian. There was one type of message repeated in their rambling messages.
[Thank you.]
[I'm still alive thanks to you.]
[I will repay the favor.]
He had saved others even while his life had been at risk. How could her brother keep doing that? It wasn't simply because he'd learned martial arts. Ian was strong and always sacrificed himself for everyone else.
Yiyu recalled one fact. It was a fact that she hadn't allowed to enter her consciousness. She and her brother weren't related by blood. Ian didn't know that she knew. She had happened to hear it while living at her relative's house.
Why was Jung Ian so devoted to her, when they weren't even related by blood? …And why did she take it for granted?
"I don’t know…" Yiyu sighed. She looked up at the ceiling. It was a plain white. She stared at it quietly, letting her confused mind turn into a sheet of white. However, an answer didn't emerge.
Instead, Yiyu decided to ask when Ian came back.
***
Baek Hanho searched up 'Crockta' on the Internet. He scanned through countless pieces of information and found Crockta's latest move. Crockta, along with his companions, were heading toward the grey god in the north.
"You…" Baek Hanho leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He remembered when he first met Jung Ian.
"Hey Kid, are you fighting?" He actually spoke to Ian for another reason.
At the time, the small Jung Ian was dragging the body of a dead dog. The destination was a flowerbed. He didn't stop his feet while he thought about burying the body somewhere.
"Are you struggling?"
"……"
Ian shook his head regardless of whether he was struggling or not. Baek Hanho smiled and followed the little boy.
"Kid. What are you doing now?"Baek Hanho asked.
Then Ian answered bluntly, "I’m going to bury the dog.”
"Did you kill it?"
"Nope. It was already dead."
"Then why are you doing this?"
It wasn't a child's responsibility to get rid of the bodies of dead animals. So, Ian's reply was unexpected. "Somebody has to."
Ian didn't have to be that someone, but this kid said it was what he had to do. As Ian dropped the dog's body and started digging, Baek Hanho wondered what type of brain this kid had. So, he just watched from behind.
The little boy placed the dog's body into the flower bed and dusted off his hands. It was a face which seemed to express that this situation wasn't serious.
Baek Hanho said, "Kid."
"Yes," the little boy responded.
"What is your name?"
"Jung Ian."
“Ian…" It was a good name. "What are you most worried about now?"
"Worried?"
"Yes. I'll resolve it for you."
"Mister can't do that."
"Tell me. I can help you."
Ian looked at Baek Hanho and opened his mouth. "I have a little sister…"
"What about her?"
"I don't know how to protect my sister."
"……"
"I am her older brother, so I have to protect her for the rest of her life."
Baek Hanho was speechless for a moment.
He learned a secret killing technique. His mentor had always said, 'The successor of this martial art should be someone with a righteous mind and is able to understand the burden of responsibility. Such a mind is so rare that it is like a precious gem.'
"Kid, did you say you were called Ian?"
"Yes."
"I will let you know what you should do to protect your sister."
Ian's expression was one of confusion. Baek Hanho smiled and looked at the kid who would become his disciple.
"Well, it doesn't shine yet."
That day, he had found the gem his teacher had talked about. The disciple had been young, but the tempering of his nature was already complete. Therefore, Baek Hanho had done his best to teach the martial art without breaking that straight mind.
His disciple, Ian, had always met his expectations.
…Just like now.
"Fighting…"
Baek Hanho knew about the present situation in detail. He had also traveled around the world in his youth and used the relationships he'd developed to learn the truth that the government wanted to hide.
Albino had already been dismantled. The interior had been exposed using a laser cutting machine. However, after that…
It was empty. Albino, which they believed to be the core system, was just an empty sphere. No one could tell how Elder Lord was being maintained and why people weren't waking up. There was nothing to study, so even the best experts couldn't find anything. The incident was close to a supernatural phenomenon.
There was only one informal solution. As the system said, it was to defeat the grey god. They didn't know Albino's identity, if it was an artificial intelligence or something else. However, Albino never lied.
Therefore, the last quest window which popped up must be true. That was the only method they could think of.
"You've done it before."
Ian was moving towards this unique path. Elder Lord's strongest warrior, Crockta…
Baek Hanho closed his eyes. He hadn't worried much back when Ian became a mercenary in a conflict zone through his introduction. Now looking back, it was a strange thing. No matter how talented Ian was, he was a man who would die if stabbed or shot. However, Baek Hanho always believed that Ian would return.
Ian was such a person. He had always responded to the faith others placed in him.
"I don't want to raise a new disciple at this age…" Baek Hanho muttered and closed the Internet window.
When Ian came back, Baek Hanho would urge him to quickly take on a disciple.
***
Han Yeori felt restless. She didn't know much about games, but the whole world was in a state of confusion due to Elder Lord. Additionally, the boss hadn't appeared for a while.
According to Ian's sister, Ian had left Korea for a while due to an urgent matter. However, Ian wasn't the type to disappear without saying anything. Ian had recently told her that he was playing Elder Lord, so she might be caught in this situation. However, she shook her head. Han Yeori comforted herself by saying it wasn't possible.
"Unni. It is good to have no customers," Yoo Sooyeon said with a laugh.
Han Yeori smiled. "Yes."
"I wish it was usually like this."
Then the door opened. The two chatting employees straightened their backs and greeted the customer, "Welcome. This is Cafe Reason."
It was a man with tanned skin and wearing sunglasses on his head. He walked towards the counter of the cafe and said, "The store is cute."
"Haha, thank you."
"That isn't necessary. Girl, you aren't the boss. Where is he?"
"Ah… Boss-nim isn't here at the moment…"
"Indeed, I asked for no reason." The man seemed to know Ian well.
"The boss…" He glanced at Han Yeori's name tag and said, "He praises you quite a lot. Apparently, you make good coffee."
"Really?"
"Yes. So, could you make me a cup of coffee? A delicious one."
"What would you like?"
"You can pick. I don't know about coffee."
The man sat down in the middle of the cafe and looked around, getting a feel of the atmosphere. Once the coffee was made, he went to pick it up and asked Han Yeori, "Girl, how is the boss here?"
"Huh?"
"What type of person is he?"
"Shouldn't you know?"
"I know. That is why I am asking."
"Uh…" Han Yeori was confused by this person. Then she thought about it. What type of person was Ian?
She remembered the first time she met him. Cafe Reason hadn't advertised on the Internet. There had just been a sign saying, 'Help Wanted,' on the window of the store. At that time, Han Yeori had been experiencing various difficulties. So, when she saw the sign, she had opened the cafe door desperately.
It had a shabby interior and felt like it would fall apart at any moment. However, there was a man with a kind smile inside. When she said she had come in for the part-time job, he had immediately prepared a seat for her. They had sat facing each other in silence for a while.
At the end of the silence, he had asked, "Do you have a good smile?"
It was a sudden question, so Han Yeori answered bluntly, "Yes!"
Then she gave a big smile, the greatest smile she could make. Ian stared at her grinning face and replied, "I accept."
That had been it. Han Yeori had stared blankly for a while after hearing she had gotten accepted. However, it hadn't been because she was thrilled by the unexpected job. It had been due to the look in Ian's eyes when he laughed.
That had been her first meeting with him. Han Yeori finished thinking about it and looked at the customer in front of her.
"Boss-nim…"
When she could hardly speak, the man spoke again, "Is he a good person?"
"Yes, he is. Really." There was no word more appropriate than that. Han Yeori smiled and nodded. "A good person."
"I think so as well." The man sipped the coffee and said, "This coffee is really delicious. Thank you. I hope the boss comes back soon. Isn't that right?"
"Yes…" Han Yeori stopped for a moment as she thought about Ian. What was he doing now?
Somehow, Ian's uncomfortable expression came to mind. She said with a smile, "I wish he will return quickly."
The raws of Praise the Orc! has officially been completed at 228 chapters.
Praise the Orc:
Current schedule: There will now be 14 chapters a week, meaning two chapters every day.