Cheon Woo-Jin couldn't catch a break even after reconnecting to the game. The fact that the server had a rollback was indeed fortunate, but he believed that nothing much was going to change.
The Kaiser Scorpion was still rampaging, and the ritual that would open the dimensional gate would soon be complete.
Thirty minutes ago...
“Argh! Why are you not picking up the phone, Han Tae-Sung?!” Cheon Woo-Jin cursed Siegfried for not picking up even though he called dozens of times. He wanted to inform him that the altar at the Sky Fortress was a fake and the real one was at the Black Desert.
However, Siegfried didn't pick up the call, and Cheon Woo-Jin was forced to reconnect to the game without speaking to him.
Regardless of whether the server experienced a rollback or not, Cheon Woo-Jin would have immediately had the entire coalition forces concentrated at the Black Desert, but he couldn't do so, as Siegfried did not answer his call.
Unfortunately, Cheon Woo-Jin did not even have the luxury of time to curse Siegfried.
Woooooong!
A five-colored ray shot up from the ruin barely one hundred meters from where the coalition forces were located.
Despair filled Cheon Woo-Jin’s face once again.
“Ah...”
Rollback? It was indeed a stroke of luck, but it was futile in the end. The Kaiser Scorpion managed to stop the coalition forces before and after the rollback happened.
In the end, they were unable to stop the Church of Osric from completing their ritual.
“It’s... over...” Cheon Woo-Jin despaired.
The rampaging Kaiser Scorpion was no longer the problem.
Cheon Woo-Jin clearly remembered what happened before the server experienced a rollback. He saw the opening of the dimensional gate open and the descent of hordes of demons upon the continent. He had even witnessed the surroundings getting razed to the ground, even though it was a desert.
The demons possessed ridiculous strength that easily swept away the coalition forces, and they literally seemed unstoppable no matter who came to stop them.
Cheon Woo-Jin’s shoulders drooped as he weakly muttered, “I can only pray the dragons would intervene now that things have come to this...”
The fate of BNW was no longer in the hands of the Adventurers. The only ones who could stop its destruction were the hibernating dragons or the hidden, powerful individuals scattered throughout the continent.
Flash!
Something flashed in the sky, and a single airship appeared.
“Huh?” Cheon Woo-Jin’s eyes shot wide open after he spotted the airship.
But that was not the end of it...
Flash!
Another flash occurred, and another airship appeared.
Flash!
Another flash occurred, and another airship appeared.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Three, four, five, six....
Numerous airships started appearing one after the other until they numbered in the dozens, forming an armada.
Flash!
Then, the final airship appeared, but this one looked different from the rest. It resembled a shark, a design rarely seen on the continent.
“Huh? Don’t tell me...” Cheon Woo-Jin muttered after recognizing the airship.
— Hello~ Special Delivery~
Siegfried’s voice rang out from the Huracan.
— I’m here, Cheon Woo-Jin!
“Han Tae-Sung! You bastard!”
— Let’s save the greetings for later and wrap things up here first!
Right after Siegfried said those words...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The armada of airships commenced an aerial bombing on the Kaiser Scorpion.
***
The battle immediately flipped in favor of the coalition forces the moment the reinforcement from the Sky Fortress appeared. The aerial bombardment from the airships was more than enough to turn the Kaiser Scorpion into rags, and the addition of the elite forces instantly crushed the defensive lines formed by the Church of Osric.
However, this was far from enough.
Defeating the Kaiser Scorpion or crushing the defensive lines was not the main objective of this battle. The sole objective of the coalition forces was to destroy the altar before the Church of Osric could complete the ritual.
But how were they supposed to close a dimensional gate that was already starting to open? Fortunately, the coalition forces had someone with enough power to close a dimensional gate.
“Haa... I guess it’s my job to stop that,” Daode Tianzun said in disbelief.
“You are our only hope, Elder-nim. Please close that dimensional gate,” Siegfried said.
“You don’t have to make such requests, Siegfried. How can I stand and watch when those evil creatures are trying to step foot onto the continent?”
“Thank you, Elder-nim," said Siegfried, bowing.
Daode Tianzun glided off the Huracan.
“Kyu! What about us, owner punk? Aren’t we going?” Hamchi asked.
“Nope, we’re not,” Siegfried replied. He had no plans to participate in this battle.
“Kyu? Why not? The battle is raging as we speak!”
“There’s nothing for me to do here.”
“Kyu?”
“I’m too weak.”
Siegfried was right. He was indeed too weak compared to the likes of Daode Tianzun, Betelgeuse, Decimato, and Beowulf, who were Grandmasters and Masters, respectively.
“That’s not something I can do anything about. I have done my part and everything I can. The only thing left for me to do is watch and hope for the best,” Siegfried replied.
Siegfried was correct here as well. He had turned back time, saving not only the coalition forces but also bringing them to the Black Desert just in time. He had done more than he was supposed to do, so there was no reason for him to participate any longer.
Why?
It was because there was nothing else he could do...
A Proatine soldier approached Siegfried just then and said, “Your Majesty, please enjoy these while you watch.”
The soldier was holding a bag of freshly popped popcorn.
“Oh~ You’re quite the sharp one, aren’t you?” Siegfried replied with a grin and accepted the popcorn. He reclined on one of the seats and threw a few flakes of popcorn in his mouth.
He would appear aloof to others right now, but he was observing every single thing happening in the battle and was carving every scene in his head.
‘That’s what true power is capable of. I still have a long way to go...’ Siegfried rebuked himself while spectating the battle.
Just how much stronger did he have to get to be on par with them?
This was a question that only time could answer.
The only thing he could do was do his best.
‘I should focus on leveling up after this incident is over and—‘
Flash!
Daode Tianzun forced the dimensional gate to close, causing the time and space around it to twist.
The two powers started to collide until...
KABOOM!
An explosion on par with the force of a nuclear bomb occurred, painting the entire world white.
it was difficult to tell what was happening.
Shwooooo...!
Daode Tianzun managed to destroy the dimensional gate. Unfortunately, the dimensional gate managed to spit out five comets that scattered in different directions across the continent just before it was destroyed.
***
The battle concluded after the dimensional gate was destroyed. The coalition forces then annihilated the Church of Osric’s followers.
Victory belonged to the coalition forces!
“Excellent work, Elder-nim!” Siegfried exclaimed as soon as Daode Tianzun landed on the Huracan, but he noticed that there was something wrong with him. “H-Huh? Elder-nim...? Why do you look so old all of a sudden?”
Daode Tianzun laughed and replied, “Hoho! What’s strange about an old man looking old?”
“But...”
“It’s nothing to be concerned about.”
Daode Tianzun had brushed it off, but Siegfried thought otherwise. The former indeed looked extremely old and seemed as if he would be admitted to a hospice anytime soon, which was a stark contrast to the old yet healthy appearance he had just earlier.
“Ugh... My back hurts...” Daode Tianzun groaned and leaned on his staff.
“Elder-nim!” Siegfried exclaimed and assisted Daode Tianzun. Then, he motioned quickly to his subordinates.
A soldier hurriedly brought a cup of warm honey tea.
“Please drink up, Elder-nim.”
“Hoho! I was starting to get thirsty!”
Siegfried left a few soldiers to aid Daode Tianzun while he enjoyed his cup of warm honey tea.
Then, Cheon Woo-Jin walked up to him and said, “Great work, Han Tae-Sung.”
“Oh, you’re aware of it?”
“Yeah, I heard you turned back time? Beowulf told me so.”
Siegfried pouted and replied, “That will be the first and last time... I was saving it for when I really needed it... Tsk...”
“It still went to good use, though, right?”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“Here’s your reward, take it,” Cheon Woo-Jin said, waving his hand.
Ding!
Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Alert: You have cleared the Quest – Two Altars and Two Battlefields!]
[Alert: The Quest Maker, Cheon Woo-Jin, has bestowed you your rewards!]
[Alert: You have leveled up!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 256!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 257!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 258!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 259!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 260!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 261!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 262!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 263!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 264!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 265!]
Siegfried gained ten levels in an instant as the reward for clearing the quest Two Altars and Two Battlefields, but that wasn't the end of it.
[Alert: You have received additional rewards!]
Siegfried tilted his head in confusion after reading the message, “Huh? Additional rewards?”
“You had the most contribution,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied.
“So?”
“What do you mean so? It’s obvious you deserve more rewards than others, right?”
“So what did I get?”
“This,” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a smirk before waving his hand again.
Ding!
Then, another message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Alert: You have received additional rewards for making the most contribution to clearing the Quest – Two Altars and Two Battlefields!]
[Alert: The Quest Maker, Cheon Woo-Jin, has bestowed you with additional rewards!]
[Alert: You have leveled up!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 266!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 267!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 268!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 269!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 270!]
Siegfried ended up gaining five more levels on top of the ten levels he had gained in advance.
“Gwuuuu Oooooh!” he roared like a beast after seeing his level increase by fifteen.
It was understandable he would be happy, as gaining a single level was already tedious enough, but gaining fifteen levels was something truly astounding.
“You like it?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked with a smirk.
“Yeah, I fucking love it!” Siegfried exclaimed in response while frivolously nodding.
“Haha! You’re too honest,” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a laugh. Then, he added, “Anyway, great work and thank you. We really dodged a bullet this time, and it's all thanks to you.”
“I had to do it. My rice bowl was at stake, too,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.
“So what are you gonna do now?”
Siegfried smirked and replied, “What else? I’m heading back.”
“Already?”
“Yeah.”
Siegfried turned around and said, “Shall we go back, Elder-nim?”
Siegfried immediately gathered up his comrades and headed back for the Proatine Kingdom.
***
“Goo? Kyaah!”
“Kwee! Kwee!”
The first thing Siegfried did as soon as he returned to the Proatine Kingdom was to relax while watching Verdandi play with the Fairy Dragon.
‘I won’t be able to enjoy this happiness again if the game is reset, right? I can’t let that happen... I can’t lose this happiness...’ Siegfried swore he was not going to let anything destroy this world.
He had already amassed quite a lot of wealth, even in real life, so money was not an issue for him. Well, Siegfried was still a spendthrift, so it didn't seem like that.
Anyway, the one thing he would not trade for anything else in the world was the happiness in this game.
Siegfried felt as if he had truly transmigrated to this, as the life he was living in BNW was extremely close to reality itself.
And that was why hundreds of millions of people were obsessed with BNW...
‘Hmm... I wonder where and what that bastard, Chae Hyung-Seok, is doing...?’
While he was wondering about Chae Hyung-Seok’s whereabouts, the chamberlain rushed in and exclaimed, “I bear grave news, Your Majesty!”
“Grave news? What is it?”
“Sir Gringore has been abducted!”
It was indeed grave news.
Cheon Woo-Jin couldn't catch a break even after reconnecting to the game. The fact that the server had a rollback was indeed fortunate, but he believed that nothing much was going to change.
The Kaiser Scorpion was still rampaging, and the ritual that would open the dimensional gate would soon be complete.
Thirty minutes ago...
“Argh! Why are you not picking up the phone, Han Tae-Sung?!” Cheon Woo-Jin cursed Siegfried for not picking up even though he called dozens of times. He wanted to inform him that the altar at the Sky Fortress was a fake and the real one was at the Black Desert.
However, Siegfried didn't pick up the call, and Cheon Woo-Jin was forced to reconnect to the game without speaking to him.
Regardless of whether the server experienced a rollback or not, Cheon Woo-Jin would have immediately had the entire coalition forces concentrated at the Black Desert, but he couldn't do so, as Siegfried did not answer his call.
Unfortunately, Cheon Woo-Jin did not even have the luxury of time to curse Siegfried.
Woooooong!
A five-colored ray shot up from the ruin barely one hundred meters from where the coalition forces were located.
Despair filled Cheon Woo-Jin’s face once again.
“Ah...”
Rollback? It was indeed a stroke of luck, but it was futile in the end. The Kaiser Scorpion managed to stop the coalition forces before and after the rollback happened.
In the end, they were unable to stop the Church of Osric from completing their ritual.
“It’s... over...” Cheon Woo-Jin despaired.
The rampaging Kaiser Scorpion was no longer the problem.
Cheon Woo-Jin clearly remembered what happened before the server experienced a rollback. He saw the opening of the dimensional gate open and the descent of hordes of demons upon the continent. He had even witnessed the surroundings getting razed to the ground, even though it was a desert.
The demons possessed ridiculous strength that easily swept away the coalition forces, and they literally seemed unstoppable no matter who came to stop them.
Cheon Woo-Jin’s shoulders drooped as he weakly muttered, “I can only pray the dragons would intervene now that things have come to this...”
The fate of BNW was no longer in the hands of the Adventurers. The only ones who could stop its destruction were the hibernating dragons or the hidden, powerful individuals scattered throughout the continent.
Flash!
Something flashed in the sky, and a single airship appeared.
“Huh?” Cheon Woo-Jin’s eyes shot wide open after he spotted the airship.
But that was not the end of it...
Flash!
Another flash occurred, and another airship appeared.
Flash!
Another flash occurred, and another airship appeared.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
Three, four, five, six....
Numerous airships started appearing one after the other until they numbered in the dozens, forming an armada.
Flash!
Then, the final airship appeared, but this one looked different from the rest. It resembled a shark, a design rarely seen on the continent.
“Huh? Don’t tell me...” Cheon Woo-Jin muttered after recognizing the airship.
— Hello~ Special Delivery~
Siegfried’s voice rang out from the Huracan.
— I’m here, Cheon Woo-Jin!
“Han Tae-Sung! You bastard!”
— Let’s save the greetings for later and wrap things up here first!
Right after Siegfried said those words...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The armada of airships commenced an aerial bombing on the Kaiser Scorpion.
***
The battle immediately flipped in favor of the coalition forces the moment the reinforcement from the Sky Fortress appeared. The aerial bombardment from the airships was more than enough to turn the Kaiser Scorpion into rags, and the addition of the elite forces instantly crushed the defensive lines formed by the Church of Osric.
However, this was far from enough.
Defeating the Kaiser Scorpion or crushing the defensive lines was not the main objective of this battle. The sole objective of the coalition forces was to destroy the altar before the Church of Osric could complete the ritual.
But how were they supposed to close a dimensional gate that was already starting to open? Fortunately, the coalition forces had someone with enough power to close a dimensional gate.
“Haa... I guess it’s my job to stop that,” Daode Tianzun said in disbelief.
“You are our only hope, Elder-nim. Please close that dimensional gate,” Siegfried said.
“You don’t have to make such requests, Siegfried. How can I stand and watch when those evil creatures are trying to step foot onto the continent?”
“Thank you, Elder-nim," said Siegfried, bowing.
Daode Tianzun glided off the Huracan.
“Kyu! What about us, owner punk? Aren’t we going?” Hamchi asked.
“Nope, we’re not,” Siegfried replied. He had no plans to participate in this battle.
“Kyu? Why not? The battle is raging as we speak!”
“There’s nothing for me to do here.”
“Kyu?”
“I’m too weak.”
Siegfried was right. He was indeed too weak compared to the likes of Daode Tianzun, Betelgeuse, Decimato, and Beowulf, who were Grandmasters and Masters, respectively.
“That’s not something I can do anything about. I have done my part and everything I can. The only thing left for me to do is watch and hope for the best,” Siegfried replied.
Siegfried was correct here as well. He had turned back time, saving not only the coalition forces but also bringing them to the Black Desert just in time. He had done more than he was supposed to do, so there was no reason for him to participate any longer.
Why?
It was because there was nothing else he could do...
A Proatine soldier approached Siegfried just then and said, “Your Majesty, please enjoy these while you watch.”
The soldier was holding a bag of freshly popped popcorn.
“Oh~ You’re quite the sharp one, aren’t you?” Siegfried replied with a grin and accepted the popcorn. He reclined on one of the seats and threw a few flakes of popcorn in his mouth.
He would appear aloof to others right now, but he was observing every single thing happening in the battle and was carving every scene in his head.
‘That’s what true power is capable of. I still have a long way to go...’ Siegfried rebuked himself while spectating the battle.
Just how much stronger did he have to get to be on par with them?
This was a question that only time could answer.
The only thing he could do was do his best.
‘I should focus on leveling up after this incident is over and—‘
Flash!
Daode Tianzun forced the dimensional gate to close, causing the time and space around it to twist.
The two powers started to collide until...
KABOOM!
An explosion on par with the force of a nuclear bomb occurred, painting the entire world white.
it was difficult to tell what was happening.
Shwooooo...!
Daode Tianzun managed to destroy the dimensional gate. Unfortunately, the dimensional gate managed to spit out five comets that scattered in different directions across the continent just before it was destroyed.
***
The battle concluded after the dimensional gate was destroyed. The coalition forces then annihilated the Church of Osric’s followers.
Victory belonged to the coalition forces!
“Excellent work, Elder-nim!” Siegfried exclaimed as soon as Daode Tianzun landed on the Huracan, but he noticed that there was something wrong with him. “H-Huh? Elder-nim...? Why do you look so old all of a sudden?”
Daode Tianzun laughed and replied, “Hoho! What’s strange about an old man looking old?”
“But...”
“It’s nothing to be concerned about.”
Daode Tianzun had brushed it off, but Siegfried thought otherwise. The former indeed looked extremely old and seemed as if he would be admitted to a hospice anytime soon, which was a stark contrast to the old yet healthy appearance he had just earlier.
“Ugh... My back hurts...” Daode Tianzun groaned and leaned on his staff.
“Elder-nim!” Siegfried exclaimed and assisted Daode Tianzun. Then, he motioned quickly to his subordinates.
A soldier hurriedly brought a cup of warm honey tea.
“Please drink up, Elder-nim.”
“Hoho! I was starting to get thirsty!”
Siegfried left a few soldiers to aid Daode Tianzun while he enjoyed his cup of warm honey tea.
Then, Cheon Woo-Jin walked up to him and said, “Great work, Han Tae-Sung.”
“Oh, you’re aware of it?”
“Yeah, I heard you turned back time? Beowulf told me so.”
Siegfried pouted and replied, “That will be the first and last time... I was saving it for when I really needed it... Tsk...”
“It still went to good use, though, right?”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“Here’s your reward, take it,” Cheon Woo-Jin said, waving his hand.
Ding!
Then, a message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Alert: You have cleared the Quest – Two Altars and Two Battlefields!]
[Alert: The Quest Maker, Cheon Woo-Jin, has bestowed you your rewards!]
[Alert: You have leveled up!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 256!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 257!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 258!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 259!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 260!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 261!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 262!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 263!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 264!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 265!]
Siegfried gained ten levels in an instant as the reward for clearing the quest Two Altars and Two Battlefields, but that wasn't the end of it.
[Alert: You have received additional rewards!]
Siegfried tilted his head in confusion after reading the message, “Huh? Additional rewards?”
“You had the most contribution,” Cheon Woo-Jin replied.
“So?”
“What do you mean so? It’s obvious you deserve more rewards than others, right?”
“So what did I get?”
“This,” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a smirk before waving his hand again.
Ding!
Then, another message popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.
[Alert: You have received additional rewards for making the most contribution to clearing the Quest – Two Altars and Two Battlefields!]
[Alert: The Quest Maker, Cheon Woo-Jin, has bestowed you with additional rewards!]
[Alert: You have leveled up!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 266!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 267!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 268!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 269!]
[Alert: You have reached Level 270!]
Siegfried ended up gaining five more levels on top of the ten levels he had gained in advance.
“Gwuuuu Oooooh!” he roared like a beast after seeing his level increase by fifteen.
It was understandable he would be happy, as gaining a single level was already tedious enough, but gaining fifteen levels was something truly astounding.
“You like it?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked with a smirk.
“Yeah, I fucking love it!” Siegfried exclaimed in response while frivolously nodding.
“Haha! You’re too honest,” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a laugh. Then, he added, “Anyway, great work and thank you. We really dodged a bullet this time, and it's all thanks to you.”
“I had to do it. My rice bowl was at stake, too,” Siegfried replied with a shrug.
“So what are you gonna do now?”
Siegfried smirked and replied, “What else? I’m heading back.”
“Already?”
“Yeah.”
Siegfried turned around and said, “Shall we go back, Elder-nim?”
Siegfried immediately gathered up his comrades and headed back for the Proatine Kingdom.
***
“Goo? Kyaah!”
“Kwee! Kwee!”
The first thing Siegfried did as soon as he returned to the Proatine Kingdom was to relax while watching Verdandi play with the Fairy Dragon.
‘I won’t be able to enjoy this happiness again if the game is reset, right? I can’t let that happen... I can’t lose this happiness...’ Siegfried swore he was not going to let anything destroy this world.
He had already amassed quite a lot of wealth, even in real life, so money was not an issue for him. Well, Siegfried was still a spendthrift, so it didn't seem like that.
Anyway, the one thing he would not trade for anything else in the world was the happiness in this game.
Siegfried felt as if he had truly transmigrated to this, as the life he was living in BNW was extremely close to reality itself.
And that was why hundreds of millions of people were obsessed with BNW...
‘Hmm... I wonder where and what that bastard, Chae Hyung-Seok, is doing...?’
While he was wondering about Chae Hyung-Seok’s whereabouts, the chamberlain rushed in and exclaimed, “I bear grave news, Your Majesty!”
“Grave news? What is it?”
“Sir Gringore has been abducted!”
It was indeed grave news.
