Chapter 88 – LV.Fourteen Orc Vampire Oh Haengbok – [One]

Now William freely roamed the village during the day. It was the result of the village Players he had trained petitioning Oh Haengun.

For the past week and three days, William only entered the prison before sleeping. He now spent his time training the village Players at the village swordsmanship training center.

Seo Yun also received training from William today. And she felt she had realized something—though no system message appeared, it seemed her swordsmanship proficiency rank had increased. Whether it was thanks to her 8 Dexterity points or the reflection of her experience swinging a sword on her own without a proficiency skill until now, it had risen much faster than expected.

‘It also went up by 1 two weeks ago, so now it’s swordsmanship proficiency rank 7…’

After a week of gloom, it was a welcome bit of good news.

When Seo Yun mentioned this fact, Gaeulbi reacted as if it were her own achievement.

“Ah! Already?”

Gaeulbi had also joined Seo Yun’s training. This girl hadn’t gotten her 8 Dexterity points for nothing either, and through the training so far, she had gained quite a high proficiency level.

Gaeulbi said to William in an extremely satisfied voice.

“She says her skills have improved again!”

Was Gaeulbi’s sweat-soaked T-shirt attire embarrassing to look at? William averted his eyes from the girl and nodded.

“Yes, her movements do seem different. Anyway, both of you are truly talented. One is an Angel, so that explains it, but the other…”

Gaeulbi grinned.

“I’m pretty good too, right?”

“Yes, it’s almost a waste for you to be in such a remote place. So, speaking of which. Have you considered serving me formally?”

“Formally?”

“Becoming my squire. In the old days, taking someone of the opposite sex as a squire would have been unthinkable, but these days when people are scarce…”

Seo Yun looked at Gaeulbi. Even if she disliked the proposal just now, she thought Gaeulbi would laugh it off, but that wasn’t the case.

Gaeulbi asked William with a serious face.

“Why are you suddenly making such a proposal? Is it because you’ve taken a liking to me…”

Fortunately, William was turning his head away and didn’t see Gaeulbi’s expression. He calmly explained.

“Let me say again, this proposal is for your sake.”

“You said it’s a waste for me to be in a remote place, but isn’t that too much from your perspective? From our view, this place is the center of the world.”

“Alright, fair enough. But it’s still a proposal for your sake. The Crusaders will arrive soon, and the people here will be interrogated. If you reveal you’ve become my squire, you won’t face harsh treatment.”

Only then did Gaeulbi’s expression soften. She spoke in a gentler voice.

“Is that so? Thank you for caring about me. But I’m such a free soul that I have no intention of serving anyone… Instead of squire and knight, how about disciple and master?”

“Disciple and master?”

“Yes, clearly stating that I’ve received instruction. How about it?”

William seemed to think for a moment, then nodded with apparent pleasure.

“Alright, that would be good too. Wherever you go, declare that you studied under Master Sir William.”

Then Seo Yun asked.

“Aren’t you making that proposal to me?”

“Let me say again, that proposal just now was in preparation for when the Crusaders arrive. I doubt the Paladins would treat an Angel harshly. But if you want…”

“Alright, Master.”

When Seo Yun answered playfully, William seemed embarrassed and cleared his throat. The three of them continued training.

Gaeulbi muttered.

“It suddenly seems to have gotten dark?”

Seo Yun thought so too. But it was still far from nightfall. Had dark clouds suddenly gathered?

The three of them stepped out of the training center tent. And looking up at the sky, Seo Yun didn’t know how to describe this situation.

That gray sky…

No, something was descending from the gray layer that had covered the sky for over three years and was now considered part of the sky itself. It completely obscured the faint sun, casting a shadow over this place.

“A ship?”

William’s voice came from beside her.

“They’ve finally arrived.”

The villagers seemed to have noticed the situation too.

‘Boooooooooooooooooooo’ Given the circumstances, the Horn Trumpet sound signaling assembly was very long and loud.

Seo Yun prepared to run and grabbed William’s wrist.

“First, come with me.”

And William nodded.

“I was going to.”

“Hurry!”

Despite the urging, William followed at a leisurely pace and spoke in the same arrogant voice as when they first met.

“Don’t be too afraid. I remember your kindness, my disciples.”

The sky ship was descending toward them. It was getting closer to the Mortal Realm, that is, Happy Village.

Staring at that massive ship coming straight down, the village Players gathered in the plaza here couldn’t lower their heads.

“What on earth is that…”

“It’s probably the Crusaders’ Sun Ship, you idiot.”

Everyone seemed dazed by this shocking situation. Their reactions, oddly lacking tension, were probably because they couldn’t feel the reality of this situation.

And no wonder—that ship above still seemed quite distant from the Mortal Realm, yet looked terrifyingly large. It was something they had never seen even after the world turned into fantasy.

Then how large would that ship be when it descended closer?

The sky ship, presumably the Sun Ship, continued to descend.

Now its overall shape and color became visible. A ship that looked angular and rigid, unlike a medieval vessel.

Seo Yun also stared blankly at the ship and thought. They said it was a Sun Ship, but why is it completely gray? It doesn’t seem fitting for its name.

Why such a name was given to a gray ship soon became clear.

As everyone here glared at the sky, the Sun Ship descended closer. And the Sun Ship’s hull bottom, that is, the hull plating forming the rear of the ship’s underside, began to open.

“What’s that now…”

When light poured from that gap, everyone blinked and looked at it.

Soon, from between the fully opened hull plating of the Sun Ship, a brilliantly shining sphere was revealed. Someone muttered.

“The sun?”

If a Sun Priest’s Small Sun were enlarged thousands, tens of thousands of times, it would look like that.According to the Rulebook, it was undoubtedly Sehul’s Small Sun. The massive artificial sun said to have been directly bestowed upon the Crusaders by the Sun God was, despite its name, anything but small.

While it would be incomparably smaller than the real sun, from this Mortal Realm, it truly looked as if the ship was carrying a sun within it.

And was it because the ship’s outer hull had just moved, causing the ash stuck to it to fall? Ash began to rain down from the sky. Brushing the ash off her cheek, Seo Yun didn’t know what to do. No, what could anyone even do in this situation?

All of this felt like an omen of calamity. A dreadful omen that a god was about to pass judgment.

Unable to keep watching, Seo Yun looked at Oh Haengbok. He was a Vampire who would burn in sunlight, and the light now pouring down was undoubtedly sunlight.

Oh Haengbok was wearing thick Armor, so his entire body wouldn’t catch fire, but his Helm had eyeholes. So how would he react now, exposed to this sunlight?

“Uh…”

For some reason, Oh Haengbok wasn’t covering his eyes or anything. He just stood still, staring straight at that sun as if entranced.

Unable to bear it, Seo Yun shouted.

“What are you doing? Cover your eyes!”

Only after she said that did Oh Haengun startle and cover Oh Haengbok’s eyes. Only then did Oh Haengbok seem to feel pain from the sunlight that had seeped into his eyes moments before.

“Ugh, damn…”

As Oh Haengbok groaned, Oh Haengun shouted towards a Warrior Player.

“Chief! Take the Chief somewhere else!”

“Where to?”

“The Underground Parking Lot! Take him there!”

Following his words, the Warrior Player grabbed Oh Haengbok and ran. Oh Haengbok couldn’t open his eyes now. He had to be led by the hand like a blind man.

And after Oh Haengbok was out of sight, the Sun Ship stopped its descent. Accordingly, the light pouring from the sun inside the ship grew even stronger.

As everyone could barely even lift their heads now, a voice came from above.

It was in English. It seemed to be speaking from the Sun Ship.

“We are the Crusaders. The protectors of humanity, the eternal adversaries of the Kingdom of Immortals. And now—”

It seemed they had used a Spell to amplify their voice. The voice from above was still too clear despite the distance.

“—the sun has descended here. Do not attempt to gaze directly upon its light. All of you, gather in one place, bow your heads, and kneel to await disposition.”

Still in a daze, the village Players exchanged words.

“Are those bastards demanding our surrender right now?”

“Probably…”

The voice from the Sun Ship concluded with these words.

“This is not our command. It is the word of the Sun God.”

And Seo Yun thought.

‘Bullshit, that Sun God guy isn’t even here right now.’

It was a thought she deliberately voiced in her mind to keep her courage up.

This was a world where things like Mind Control Spells could imbue a voice with all sorts of power. An abnormal sense of authority had been felt in all those words just now. It felt like one should bow their head as instructed.

What about the others? They weren’t following those words as ordered either, but they seemed overwhelmed.

“What do we do? Do we surrender?”

When someone asked, Oh Haengun gritted his teeth.

“What do we do? What do we do? If we surrender, what, we hand over the Chief to those NPC bastards?”

In the end, everyone, though uneasy, did not wave any white flags. They did not kneel as ordered. They merely looked at that shining sun and ship, shielding their eyes halfway with their palms.

And the Sun Ship seemed to interpret that non-response as a ‘refusal to surrender.’

Sehul’s Small Sun began to flicker. It still emitted light, but the intensity of that light grew stronger, then weaker.

The stimulus to the eyes was too strong. Now it was truly impossible to look with eyes open. People were frowning and covering their eyes.

William, who was still looking at the Sun Ship, muttered.

“No… really?”

Only then did William’s wide-open eyes turn to everyone present. He warned them all.

“You all, you shouldn’t be gathered here. Divine judgment is about to descend.”

“Divine judgment? What’s that?”

And Oh Haengun, as if it had just occurred to him, urgently said.

“He’s right, we need to disperse. That ship has a superweapon attached to it in the setting. Sehul’s Solar Ray…!”

Despite the intense sunlight, Seo Yun lifted her head.

Looking at the flickering sun, she thought. A solar ray? Something like a beam weapon. Then, what’s its target?

Obvious. This place where armed personnel are gathered.

The sun above flickered even more violently. William, seeing that, seemed to sense something and shouted.

“Take cover! No, it’s too late—”

Too late? You mean it’s about to fire any second? Indeed, the flickering cycle was getting shorter and shorter, making it feel like something was about to explode any moment.

Then, she had to make a final gamble.

It might end up being a suicide pact, but there was no choice. Seo Yun shouted towards her Bracelet.

“Help me!”

And time stopped.

When the Sun Ship above and everyone around froze, the Troll that appeared in this place asked.

“What’s going on?”

“The Crusaders!”

The Troll turned its head. Looking at the Sun Ship above and the artificial sun that looked ready to pour something out any moment, it groaned.

“A Sun Ship, huh. What on earth did you do in this village to summon that?”

“No time to explain! A solar ray is about to fall here right now, so get these people out of here! Or make it so those people can move too—”

The Troll nodded and moved its lips. Then, while the world remained frozen as it was, only the village Players gathered here became able to move.

“What’s this…?”

It was probably a large-scale Haste Spell. The Rulebook explained that Time Stop abnormally slows the flow of time around you, so the moment a Haste Spell is cast, the two effects cancel each other out, allowing escape from the influence of Time Stop.

As everyone panicked at the frozen surroundings, Seo Yun shouted.

“Everyone, run!”

Everyone did. Everyone desperately ran, escaping from the spot where the bombardment was about to fall.

A short while later, after the Time Stop was released, the flickering artificial sun shone as if about to explode in an instant—

“Ah…”

A pillar of light fell upon the Mortal Realm.It was a pillar of light that must have been twenty meters in radius. A brilliant pillar even within the cluster of light.

The gods of the Immortal Kingdom, who had seemed rather pitiful with settings like many perishing when the meteorite fell and so on, were still gods after all.

What was unfolding now truly resembled divine judgment. The pillar of light had just incinerated the plaza where everyone had been.

Even from this distance, the heat was palpable. Seo Yun watched, swallowing hard, as the pillar of light melted the concrete. The baptism of light only ceased after the ground of that area had sunken and collapsed.

After witnessing all that, Oh Haengun suddenly shouted.

“Chief! The Chief is in the underground parking lot right now…!”

“Calm down. It’s quite a distance from the parking lot. I don’t know the state of the underground parking lot now, but the Chief will be safe.”

Only after someone said that did Oh Haengun calm down. Then he addressed everyone.

“Everyone, prepare to fight.”

“Prepare to fight? Against that?”

It seemed Oh Haengun had been worried that the Crusaders might invade. He recited what seemed like pre-read information.

“They won’t be able to fire that thing twice. According to the setting, it takes half a year of charging to fire once…”

And as if preparing to fight on this side, the Sun Ship also seemed to be preparing for battle.

After a bombing, it’s standard to send down infantry.

A thud sound began to echo. Seo Yun glanced up and saw thick, gray silhouettes falling from above. Having judged that they had annihilated or heavily damaged our forces, they were sending down Paladins.

The Sun Ship didn’t even lower rope ladders. As if a spell had been cast to make falling from a high altitude safe, the Paladins simply tumbled down haphazardly.

Thud, thud… Watching the Paladins continue to fall, Seo Yun turned her head. Beside her, the Troll was silently observing the situation.

“It looks like we really have to fight. Can you help?”

She asked just in case, and the expected answer came back.

“I did say I would help in case of emergency. But isn’t this request too unreasonable? What I meant by helping was saving your life and the lives of those around you. I didn’t say I would join a fight risking my own life.”

“And you certainly didn’t say you’d join a fight where the odds seem unfavorable?”

“Right.”

Seo Yun inwardly groaned. Even to an Epic Level Mage, this invasion seemed no easy matter.

Well, there is one Epic Level on that ship too. Isn’t it a fact written in the Rulebook that some named character, the Lifelong Commander-in-Chief or Commander-in-Chief of the Crusaders, is Epic Level?

It’s unclear who between him and that Troll has a higher level, but it might be difficult to determine superiority between the two. Whether Epic Level is 20 or 30, it’s a level capable of challenging gods. Beings who could ascend from the Mortal Realm to the Celestial Realm at any time.

And if that impressive Troll doesn’t want to engage in a dangerous fight…

“What about just staying by my side?”

In response to Seo Yun’s question, the Troll asked back.

“Stay by your side, you say?”

“Why? Those bastards probably have Mages with them too, right? They can probably use Detection Spells. Just having you stand next to me would make them panic seeing your level. Not that I think they’d retreat in fear, but still.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the Troll nodded.

“That much, I can do.”