2.
Dune Wild Trail.
Although it was always a busy area, this ti it was so crowded it defied description.
Was this what a sea of people looked like?
The mass surged forward like waves.
The wilderness, filled with countless people, bustled as everyone gathered in groups according to shared interests.
So were organized by guilds, others by parties, while so shouted out desperately to recruit new companions.
The scene resembled a chaotic marketplace, yet no one found it surprising.
Dune Wild Trail had always been known for its lively atmosphere.
Players who had made it this far were no longer beginners.
For them, such a lively commotion was practically a daily occurrence.
“There are so many people.”
Seong was also amazed.
It was fascinating to see so many people united for a single purpose, forming an enormous collective.
This was the first ti he had seen such a large-scale gathering since starting this ga.
It gave him a strange feeling.
To think that all these people were here to participate in a massive event.
Once again, he opened his main quest log, reviewing what he had seen yesterday.
『Doom Knight’s Invasion』
→《Main Quest》
→『Overlord』 Main Quest
After the death of the Overlord, many of her subordinates were consud by grief.
Her disciple gathered the loyal ones to form Overpalace, but not all followed.
So fled, so succumbed to sorrow and left the world, and so were driven mad by grief.
The Doom Knight was one of the latter.
A being driven mad by sorrow, losing himself entirely.
In his despair, he set out to conquer vast regions.
Dune Wild Trail was one of them.
The Doom Knight, an undead, ravaged the area, leaving nothing but rocks, creating this vast wasteland.
Even after burning and destroying every village and city in his path, his sorrow did not subside.
When there was nothing left to destroy, he destroyed his own soul and fell into slumber with his army.
But after a long ti, he awoke, sensing the power of an old comrade nearby—the dark fortress, Noctrynnium.
When he realized that life had returned to this land, his sorrow awoke again.
Now, with what remains of his army, the Doom Knight has reappeared in Dune Wild Trail.
However, his shattered soul has left him mindless and weakened.
Subdue the weakened Doom Knight, put him to rest, and take him under your command.
→ Overlord-exclusive main quest.
→ Rewards: Overlord-exclusive skill, 『Knights of Ruin』. Doom Knight’s remnants can be appointed as an additional commander of the Legion of Death.
→ Failure: Loss of main quest, Doom Knight disappears, loss of Overlord-exclusive skill 『Knights of Ruin』.
“It’s just as incredible as before.”
Although Seong had a different goal than the others, he still needed to act alongside them for now.
Looking around, he noticed sothing.
Among the bustling crowd, several guilds had set up their own camps at what could be considered the front lines.
Flags bearing the emblems of each guild were erected in various places, fluttering majestically in the western wind, proudly displaying their crests.
One emblem in particular caught Seong’s eye.
“Isn’t that the Sick Brothers?”
It was one of the few guild emblems he recognized besides the Rapid Guild.
He rembered it because they had once tried to scout him.
Seeing it here brought back a strange sense of familiarity.
He didn’t plan to approach them, but spotting sothing familiar always stirred a bit of nostalgia.
Seong shifted his gaze.
“The Rapid Guild isn’t participating in this event, right?”
Though the guild prided itself on being small and elite, it wasn’t for lack of resources.
The reason they chose not to participate was simple:
No one other than Seong could take part.
“Luna isn’t high enough level yet, is she?”
It couldn’t be helped.
Even the highest-level mber of their rookie team, Luna, was only in the 70s.
When Seong t them a few days ago, they had been in the 60s, so their progress was impressive.
But Seong’s monstrous speed made it impossible to close the gap.
Thus, the Rapid Guild decided not to dispatch anyone, with Seong’s permission.
“Yujin noona really has it tough.”
Recalling the heated argunt between Yu Mina and Yujin during a call made his head throb.
Anyway, that was why the Rapid Guild didn’t send anyone.
However, they fully supported Seong in what lay ahead.
During their recent call, Seong had even managed to negotiate additional terms:
Increased contract bonuses, a salary raise, and most notably, a higher share of streaming ticket revenue—raised from 10% to 30%.
This was an unprecedented deal for a rookie like Seong, one step below the terms offered to Yu Mina, a current single ranker.
It showed just how much the Rapid Guild valued him.
Thinking of how the large event would unfold, Seong smiled inwardly.
“For now, I’ll just stay in the background.”
If he got too entangled with other guilds, it might interfere with what he and the Rapid Guild had planned.
Just as Seong began to blend into the crowd, soone approached him.
“Hey there, mister. You don’t have a guild?”
The man’s tone was friendly, his deanor unthreatening.
It was an older man, likely in his late 40s, with a scruffy beard and a simple, honest appearance.
Seong replied without much caution.
“A guild?”
“I noticed you were watching the guilds, so I thought you might not have one and were looking for soone to team up with.”
“Oh, well, I don’t have anyone to team up with for this event.”
He didn’t really need one, though.
For now, it was better to keep a low profile.
The man chuckled heartily.
“Pwahaha! Then how about joining our group of freelancers?”
“Freelancers?”
“Yes, yes! In events like this, numbers are an advantage. So us unattached folks band together to fight like a guild!”
“Oh?”
It wasn’t a bad strategy.
Not belonging to a guild did have its disadvantages, and forming a temporary group seed like a reasonable solution.
However—
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“I work better alone.”
“Pwahaha! That’s fair enough. Well, good luck to you then.”
The man laughed good-naturedly, wished him luck, and waved as he left.
Seong disappeared into the crowd, the event start drawing closer.
The man watched him go, looking slightly disappointed.
“Would’ve been nice to have him with us.”
Hearing this, soone approached the man and asked, “Why the long face, big bro?”
The man turned, recognizing the speaker.
“Oh, nothing. Just saw a lone young man and asked if he wanted to join us, but he said he preferred being alone. Sent him on his way.”
“You’re too nice for your own good.”
“Hah, well, it’s good to help each other, right? But fighting solo will be tough for him.”
“Who knows? Maybe he’ll co back if he finds himself in over his head.”
“Think so?”
Scratching his head, the man nodded thoughtfully.
“Guess I’ll welco him back if that happens.”
With that, the man returned to his group of freelancers, leaving Seong’s path and whereabouts unknown.
3.
The Guilds Gathered for the Legion of Calamity Event
Among the participating guilds, three stood out as the most prominent:
Eclipse Order (Rank 4).
Tempest Wing (Rank 8).
Sick Brothers (Rank 12).
These were the only guilds ranked in single and double digits.
The only other comparable force was Echo Willow from the Karma Guild, though they had yet to appear.
With Echo Willow absent, the representatives of the three top guilds stepped forward:
Junhyuk of the Korean branch of Sick Brothers, the guild’s pride.
Kurosawa Ren of Tempest Wing.
Mayrin of Eclipse Order.
When the three gathered, the air seed to heat up, their presence causing the atmosphere to swell with tension.
Even the guilds around them exchanged sharp glances, and Junhyuk and Kurosawa Ren eyed each other with hostility.
“Wahaha! Hey, why the long faces on such a great day? Isn’t this event exciting?”
“…We’re here to compete, not for fun, Miss Mayrin.”
“…Competition is indeed the correct term. We’re here to see who will win.”
Kurosawa Ren and Junhyuk spoke sharply, their words directed at Mayrin.
But Mayrin simply laughed heartily, nodding her head as if she didn’t care.
Her carefree attitude clearly grated on Kurosawa Ren and Junhyuk as they glared at her, but Mayrin continued.
“Competition is fun! Let’s enjoy ourselves! Fair play, everyone!”
“…Haa.”
“…Huu.”
For a brief mont, the two rivals, Kurosawa Ren and Junhyuk, found themselves in silent agreent.
Mayrin’s overly cheerful and energetic nature was overwhelming.
It wasn’t sothing they could criticize, though.
After all, she wasn’t wrong.
“Anyway, let’s have fun! Winning or losing doesn’t matter; what’s important is how much fun we have!”
“We… care about winning and losing.”
“Agreed.”
“Haha! So if you don’t get first place, you’re automatically losing? Well, catching a lot of points is good, right? It’s all about racking up achievents!”
Realizing it was pointless to argue further, the two gave up.
Mayrin laughed loudly again.
“Still, it’s a sha the Demon King didn’t show up. It would’ve been so much fun if they had.”
“Hm, the Demon King…”
“A remarkable figure did co out of Korea.”
At the ntion of the Demon King, Kurosawa Ren’s expression darkened, while Junhyuk smirked with satisfaction.
After all, the Demon King was a Korean player.
As a fellow Korean, Junhyuk had every reason to feel proud.
Kurosawa Ren bit his lip in frustration, but there was nothing he could do.
No matter how much he hated it, Seong’s nationality wasn’t going to change.
“Our sources say Luna Team, where he’s from, is only in the 70s level-wise. Doesn’t that an the Demon King is likely around the sa level?”
“Well, that’s a relief. At least you, Kurosawa, won’t fall to fourth place.”
“Hah! Look who’s talking!”
“Wahaha! Co on now, let’s get along!”
Mayrin interrupted again, defusing the tension.
The energy of Kurosawa Ren and Junhyuk visibly deflated.
Among the three, Mayrin was undeniably the strongest.
While Kurosawa Ren and Junhyuk aspired to take second place, they had no illusions about defeating her.
The gap in their abilities was overwhelming.
When soone that strong spoke so casually, it was hard not to feel disheartened.
“Anyway, the Rapid Guild hasn’t even declared participation, so…”
“They’re definitely not coming.”
“Wahaha! That’s such a sha, but oh well! Let’s have fun amongst ourselves!”
“…Haa.”
“Anyway, there are ten minutes left before the event starts?”
“It’s almost ti! Let’s prepare and et again soon! Fair competition, everyone! Let’s do our best!”
With her infectious energy, Mayrin left first, leaving Kurosawa Ren and Junhyuk drained.
They soon returned to their respective guilds.
As the event approached, ti seed to fly.
Ten minutes passed in an instant, and then the system ssage appeared.
[A large-scale event quest has been generated!]
『Legion of Calamity』
→《Large-scale Event》
The Legion of Calamity has awakened from its long slumber.
They despise and loathe all living creatures.
Defeating mbers of the Legion of Calamity will increase your achievent points.
Achievent rankings can be viewed in real-ti by looking up at the sky from anywhere in Dune Wild Trail.
Stop the endless waves of the Legion and restore peace to Dune Wild Trail.
→ Rewards: Experience gained from defeating the Legion, tiered rewards based on achievent points:
1st Place: Three Legendary-grade rewards.
2nd Place: Three Unique-grade rewards.
3rd Place: Two Unique-grade rewards.
The event had officially begun.
From the horizon of Dune Wild Trail, sothing shimred like a mirage.
Was it the heat haze trembling?
No.
“Gwoooaaarrr!”
“Kiiiieeek!”
“Kyaaaah!”
Countless undead surged forth.
So were rotting, others completely skeletal, and so were re floating spirits with no physical form.
These unholy creatures were revived and sward forward.
Their numbers were so overwhelming that they resembled a tidal wave of disaster.
Even with so many players gathered, the sheer scale of the Legion of Calamity left everyone frozen in fear.
Then, sothing rose into the sky.
Blocking out the bright sun, a dark sun ignited, plunging the entire area into shadow.
The dark flas consud everything, burning hungrily and engulfing the world in a fiery abyss.
A suffocating sulfuric sll mixed with the scent of burning ash as the black sun bathed everything in darkness.
Was it ant to empower the unholy creatures?
Just as despair took hold of the gathered players, the ground turned black, and countless spikes rained down from the heavens.
Pshk! Pshhk! Pshk!
The spikes didn’t target the players.
Instead, they pierced the Legion of Calamity, eradicating them.
It wasn’t over yet.
The spikes writhed, absorbing the darkness around them and drawing nutrients from the Legion.
The spikes beca stems, sprouting thorns that spread in all directions.
A sweet, deadly fragrance filled the air as black flowers blossod.
The intoxicating aroma drew the Legion in, the creatures helplessly approaching the alluring flowers.
The flowers, motherly yet sinister, ensnared everything in their grasp, their petals consuming all that ca near.
Krrraaaaack!
The sound of sharp, biting destruction echoed as the black spikes halted the Legion’s advance.
From the blackened sky, a figure descended.
Clad in a dark robe and a jet-black mask, the person exuded an overwhelming presence.
“W-What the hell?!”
“M-Masaka…!”
“Uwaaah!”
Junhyuk of Sick Brothers stood frozen in shock, Kurosawa Ren stared in disbelief, and Mayrin’s eyes sparkled with excitent as if she had been waiting for this mont.
Only one person could make such an entrance at this mont.
The Demon King.
Everyone thought his level had been too low to participate.
But they were wrong.
Either his progress had been absurdly rapid, or their initial assessnt had been way off.
While the three top guild leaders understood imdiately, the rest were left bewildered.
Who was this?
Countless eyes turned to the figure.
Could it be the Demon King?
But wasn’t it too soon for him to have reached this point?
No one could be sure.
Suddenly, a notification popped up.
[Rapid Guild Live Broadcast Alert]
[Legion of Calamity VS Demon King]
The notification confird the identity of the figure.
It was Seong.
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