Chapter 685

#186. Changes on Earth

Emperor Deorte and Crown Prince Alberth had solemn expressions on their faces as they prepared to leave for the Heins Territory.

"Prince Davey is well-known for being completely devoted to his wife. Everybody knows that his wife has him wrapped around her finger. So I still can't wrap my head around this, honestly."

Did the prince even get a chance to pursue Aeria in the first place? The answer to that was not a secret to them. They all knew it was a resounding no. And while Aerie had indeed made regular visits to the Heins Territory to give several small gifts to Davey, there had never been any prolonged contact between the two, according to the knights assigned to escort and protect her.

"If Aeria knew about this then... we'll probably be in for another mess."

The two men both knew that the princess would absolutely stop them from going. So, while Aeria remained to be in the dark about it, they had to go and deal with things appropriately.

"This is for our dear Aeria's happiness, Alberth."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Even though they found it strange, Emperor Deorte and Alberth would take advantage of the chance to advance and solidify the relationship between Aeria and Prince Davey if she was truly carrying his child in her womb.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, the child growing in Aeria's belly was not conceived through normal means. On top of that, they were also oblivious to the fact that Aeria was already aware of what they wanted to do.

Slam!!!

Aeria, who was in her Nine Tails form, suddenly appeared in front of them, as though she had been waiting for them all along.

With all nine of her tails protruding from the bottom of her dress, Aeria looked nothing like the cautious, shy, and endearing bunny-like princess she had been before.

Vwooooong...

A pink energy appeared and engulfed both Emperor Deorte and Crown Prince Alberth, rendering them both rigid and frozen.

Even though the emperor was renowned to be on a master level, he was still no match against the Nine Tails in front of him. After all, the mind control ability of the Nine Tails race was so overpowered that it was almost cheat-like.

"..."

Aeria looked at the two men, who had turned completely frozen in front of her, and sighed as her tails thumped lightly behind her.

"You should have been careful, Aeria," Aeria murmured, she looked like she was talking to someone else as a bitter look flashed on her face.

"Forgive me, father. But that person should not be made aware of this matter," Aeria murmured quietly as all nine of her tails thumped lightly on the ground behind her.

Then, with her expression slowly softening, she snapped her fingers. Even though she said those words, she still could not help but sigh as she looked at the translucent window floating in front of her eyes.

"I know that this might sound selfish but... Even if it's just a trace of you, as long as I can hold the baby in my arms, then... I will gladly settle for that."

Aeria had made up her mind. So even if the child would never know who their father was or if people would point their fingers at her for being a pitiful princess who got pregnant by some unknown rascal, Aeria would remain firm with her decision.

Aeria never wanted to lose the child born from the love from her heart and the love that Davey had unknowingly given to her during that time.

***

The place where Davey was headed was not Earth but Alf Online.

To be exact, he was going to the buffer region that existed between the Earth and the Tionis Continent. The place acted as a literal cushion that suppressed the tremendous damage that would occur if the two dimensions clashed and combined.

Davey actually didn't know a whole lot about Alf Online. All he knew was that it was enjoyed by countless players all over the world. While the people appreciated the absence of any pay-to-win schemes in the game, they still couldn't help but wonder how the company could profit off the game and stay in business.

Davey had realized that the game called Alf Online was based on reality. With this knowledge on hand, he used his immense fortune to help propel two players to the top of the production class rankings. However, despite achieving such a feat, he had to admit that he was still completely unaware of the inner workings of the game.

If he was unaware, then where would he be able to get the information that he needed inside this place? Well, he didn't really need to worry too much. After all, he already had two of the best informants in Alf Online, no?

"From this point forward, we will enter the Torrid Garglax Realm," Hydro Citrus Soda, or Yu Ji-Hwan, explained as he guided Davey and Winley after looking at the map.

"What a mysterious place. We're inside a forest but the air around us is hot," Winley murmured.

In response, Hydro said, "Not too long ago, the players had successfully completed the subjugation of one of the twelve Malicious Spirits residing in the Torrid Garglax Realm. Though it would be more accurate to say that they had dealt with a severely weak guy who became a fire spirit after mistakenly devouring a fire core."

"Players?" Winley asked.

"Ah, he's talking about the foreigners," Davey explained.

Only then did Winley nod her head in understanding.

By now, the unusual creatures dubbed as foreigners were already widely known in the Tionis Continent.

"Then, brother... Is it true that the foreigners are not people from our continent?"

"For now, you can consider it as such."

Winley's expression turned subtle when she heard Davey's words. She then murmured, "Interesting."

"To be honest, whenever I'm around this guy, I feel like everything is just a joke. From what I can see, it seems like you don't know your older brother well, huh?" Hydro quipped.

In response, Davey was quick to admonish him, saying, "Be quiet."

Hydro sighed, fully understanding that Davey did not want him to say anything for now.

"Are there any changes in the octopus tentacle that you have mentioned to me before?"

"Hmm. The octopus tentacle is still there. You don't know how surprised I was when I first saw that with my older sister..."

People were bound to get bored and lose interest in something regardless of how interesting or mysterious it was, wouldn't they? There was a huge fuss over the octopus tentacle back when the siblings first saw it. After all, a pillar of light suddenly appeared in such a busy area. But the siblings saw it as something else entirely. And yet, the gigantic octopus tentacle remained still and was yet to show any signs of movement.

Naturally, people were alarmed and concerned about the sudden appearance of an octopus tentacle on earth. That was why Hydro would periodically drop by the Heins Territory to report on the changes that they had noticed on the octopus tentacle. But the feeling of unease persisted no matter what Hydro did.

"We're almost... there? Huh, what's that?" Hydro frowned as he folded the map in his hands.

Anyone would do so. Because NPCs and players were blocking the entrance to the hunting grounds—the entryway where the monsters usually appeared. And anyone could tell just by looking at their equipment and gear, which were in mint condition, that they were high-leveled individuals.

"You there, stop."

When the soldiers observed Hydro try to go past them, they blocked his path with sharp spears and prevented him from going any further.

A delicate tension hung in the air as Hydro asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

"The place beyond this point is a controlled area. Please go to the Adventurer's Guild or the Sirius Guild for more information."

"Sirius?"

"That's right."

The NPCs were working hard, but there was a player, who appeared to be talking to someone, was giggling to himself.

"Huh? Did you ever see someone laying claim on hunting grounds? That's crazy. Did the Sirius Guild buy this field, huh?" Hydro asked in irritation.

The soldiers kept their spears firmly in place as one of them answered, "For more information, please go to the Adventurer's Guild or the Sirius Guild."

"I'm going to go in."

"You can't go inside. If you try to force your way in, then we will have no choice but to let you experience the bitterness of life."

Hearing the remark, Hydro frowned and grumbled, "Sirius... Sirius... What the hell are these bastards? Hunting grounds being controlled? What nonsense."

All kinds of human groups had appeared in Alf Online, all because of the great deal of freedom the game had granted its players. Even so, it was still quite absurd to say that one group was controlling an entire hunting ground.

"For your information, the Sirius Guild is in control of this territory, and the lord is part of their guild. I believe you would have a hard time enjoying your adventures and completing your explorations safely if you try to go against the Sirius Guild."

"So, are you telling me to crawl away on my own?"

"That's right."

At the response he was given, Hydro drew his sword and said, "You're making me laugh!"

He then let loose a series of curses and thrust his sword at the soldiers.

Clang!!! Clang!!!

The atmosphere immediately grew heated the moment Hydro clashed against the soldiers. The player, who was laughing at something, also turned his head when he caught sight of the confrontation. He stood up from his seat, yawned, and leisurely asked, "Oy! What's this?"

"Are you a member of the Sirius Guild?"

"So what?"

"So, why are you speaking informally to me, huh?" Hydro frowned at the man.

But the player just giggled and said, "What can you do, huh? Are you saying that we should care about seniority when we're all just playing games here?"

"There's all kinds of crazy bastards here, huh? You better make the NPCs stand down before I report you."

"Crazy bastard? That should be my line."

Shiiing...

The player drew his sword as he slowly approached Hydro. He then asked, "The field over there is under the jurisdiction of the Sirius Guild. Can't you understand that?"

"No! This is a public field! There shouldn't be anyone taking control over it!"

"Yet here we are, you fucking bastard. How about you try becoming strong enough to take over an entire castle, huh?"t

"You ill-mannered bitches! All of this is still part of the game to begin with. So I don't understand why I have to hear something like that from someone like you."

"Let's see what will happen to you if I report you to the territory authorities!"

"Go on, try it. The lord is our guild master. I think he will give you a good punishment. Hmm? If you're not satisfied with our way, then go to another territory. We have already taken over this territory and we'll do with it as we please. Why do you even have to make a fuss about this? Tsk."

"What?"

"To tell you the truth, penniless people like you wouldn't understand how much money people like me must spend just to manage an entire territory. You ignorant fools."

"Goodness!!! What a gr~~~eat politician you are!!!"

"Ah. That's it. We're done here. Just scram. This hunting ground is exclusive to the members of the Sirius Guild, which holds jurisdiction over this territory. All of the NPCs here are high-ranking NPCs, you know? So if you don't want your items to drop right here and there, just go."

The man then proceeded to shoo them away with a wave of his hand.

A frown appeared on Hydro's face as he remembered something.

'I remember now, They're the bastards who are selling potions worth 10 won for 200 won!'

"You see, there's no one to stop us. The entire territory belongs to the Sirius Guild, and this hunting place is right in the midst of our lands. So why can't it be under our control? Ah, of course, I will let things slide and let you in if you pay fifty gold for every thirty minutes of your stay there."

If Hydro—a boy with a strong sense of pride—were put in a position like this where he had to pay money, he certainly would feel extremely oppressed. It wouldn't matter if the amount was big or small, it would still be very embarrassing and oppressive.

At that point, Hydro realized that talking would not be enough to resolve the situation. So he hastily took out his shield and sword. So he quickly took out his sword and shield. At the same time, the player and the NPCs also began to prepare for the fight.

Shocked by the sudden turn of events, Winley hurriedly grabbed her staff.

But then Davey just quietly pulled her to his side and said, "This looks interesting. I've seen something similar before. Don't worry, let's watch first."

Davey didn't bother to explain further, opting to keep his silence, even when Winley looked at him with incredulity.

Bang!!!

It didn't take long before the prideful Hydro and the members of the Sirius Guild clashed with each other.

Of course, the Sirius Guild might have become one of the guilds that had soared after the fall of the Black Wind Guild. Still, the man in front of them was nothing but a guild member. In fact, the main combat power of this group depended on the NPCs.

Unfortunately for them, Hydro was a bit different from the average player. The weapon in his hand was proof of that fact.

It was the Corona Destroyer—a sledgehammer that was forged from the materials gathered from the Malicious Spirits and was capable of wreaking havoc with just three hits.

The weapon was indeed in the hands of Hydro at the moment. Davey had lent the weapon to him in exchange for bringing them to where the monsters were spawning. But the fact that Hydro had already taken it out showed how ridiculous the situation really was.

Naturally, the tide of the dispute instantly shifted in favor of Hydro. Why? Because the enemies' shields were useless against the weapon. Even if they took out their shields to stop Hydro's attacks, their defensive weapons would be rendered ineffective after three strikes.

After finishing off the last of the NPCs, Hydro turned to face the member of the Sirius Guild. But the player quickly took out something from his inventory and flung it into the air before Hydro could have the chance to kill him.

Fwoosh!!!

Something similar to a flare burst out in the sky.

"Fucker! You're done for. Don't even think about hunting in this place!" With a frown, the player continued, "The moment I see you step foot in our territory, I will make sure to PK you. I will PK you until I take everything from you. From your miscellaneous items to your essential items, I will not spare anything!"

Any other player would likely have already fallen into a panic upon hearing those threatening words. Unfortunately for him, Hydro was not the type of guy who would flinch or back down in front of intimidation and threat.

Hydro simply replied, "Alright. Go ahead and do it. Let's see who's going to be in a more difficult situation between us."

After dealing with the player, Hydro then glanced at Davey, who knew with just a glance that Hydro wanted him to step up. But if Davey were to be honest, he did not really want to step up.

"B-brother, do we really have to do it like this?" Winley asked as she anxiously fiddled with her staff. This was literally the first time that she experienced a situation like this.

Smiling, Davey patted his anxious younger sister's head. "Do you trust your brother?"

"I trust you, but..."

"Don't worry. All you have to do is give it your all."

Considering the conditions Davey had placed before they arrived, Winley did not refute or question his decision. But Davey liked to believe that his words had some sort of impact on her and had touched her greatly.

"But... What if my mana is not enough..."

"You don't have to worry about that. I have plenty of ways to replenish your mana if it ever gets depleted," Davey said as he took out a mana fusion stone from Rinne's laboratory.

He then bent down and drew a huge magic circle on the ground. After that, he let the mana stone float until an intangible power slowly appeared and supported it aloft.

"Then... I'll kite some of the mobs first. How many should I bring?" Hydro asked.

"Just one for now.

"Piece of cake," Hydro said before leaving to get some mobs.

After watching Hydro leave, Davey redirected his attention to Winley, observing as she prepared to cast her fire magic. But he could not help but be lost in his own thoughts.

'A transcendental being awakens on Earth, a place that rejects transcendental power. What changes will it bring?'

As it was, Davey had no way of interfering with Earth. So, he could only pray that no harm would come to his sisters, Hyun-Ah and Yeon-Hee.

Thud!!! Thud!!!

Not long after, loud bangs and thuds rang from the other side of the forest. It seemed like the monster was coming to them soon.

"Winley, get your magic ready."

"Burn. Blaze. Obey my will and rise," Winley chanted with clarity and speed.

She remained standing on her spot, staring nervously around her as she cast her magic spell. Then, as soon as she saw a stone golem made of red rocks pop out and smash through the bushes, she immediately raised her staff and shouted, "Obey my will! Flare!"

The instant her chant ended, over seven or eight rings of flame shot out from the end of her staff. The rings of flames swelled before gradually shrinking just like gigantic scopes. Then, they started launching flame bullets at the colossal stone golem that Hydro was kiting.

Thud!

As the flame bullets struck the stone golem, a loud sound reverberated across the forest. The monster had attributes of both earth and fire. And for Winley, whose main specialty was fire magic, a monster with a fire attribute was the worst match. But it was for that exact reason that Davey brought her here.

"It's not interesting if the game is too easy," Davey said as an ominous smile settled on his face.

"Davey, your true nature is showing," Perserque murmured as she sat snuggly on Davey's shoulder.

The triggers that were set to reign in his consciousness and rationality were slowly being unraveled, and Davey remained oblivious to it.