Chapter 187 – Barbarian King (4)

11.

"Good job."

Hyrkan felt drained as he had to meet and greet with several thousand Users for the past couple hours.  Whistling spoke to him.  Hyrkan looked at Whistling as he shook his head from side to side.  Then he let out his complaint in a low voice.

"Why do Elves matter so much……"

Of course, Hyrkan knew why Whistling had moved against the Barbarian King.  Whistling didn’t want the Elven tribes to become exterminated by the Barbarian King.  In turn, Whistling was the reason why Hyrkan had moved.  Basically, the Elven tribes had caused a shift inside Warlord.  This was the behind the scene story for this war.

"I’m sorry."

Whistling let out a bitter laugh, and he gave his apology.

"I’m not doing this for nothing."

"I’ll take you out for a big night out later."

At Whistling’s answer, he no longer spoke.  Instead, Hyrkan turned his head.

Bizma Plain.

The Skeletons, Golems, and Bone Dragon decorating the place was no longer present.  However, the Users hadn’t left.  They were guarding their spot.  At times, the bored Users hunted the monsters nearby, and this was another diversion they could watch.  

Their continued presence was an evidence of longing they were feeling.  They had just experienced something uniquely fun inside the game of Warlord, and this was proof that the Users wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer.

This also meant the Users had fully enjoyed what Hyrkan had to offer.  

However, at this time tomorrow, this place would become a desperate battlefield.

'This is a game.'

The world had changed in just a single day, and it should have been a frightening sight.  However, this wasn’t reality.  Since this was happening within a game, this wasn’t out of the ordinary.

'Since it’s a game……'

Hyrkan chewed over this truth.

It was a game.  

He chewed over the new feeling he was starting to dimly feel.  It was something he had never felt before.  Hyrkan fell into his thoughts as he tried to identify this vague feeling.

"First, 6322 people have signed up to participate in the Raid."

Whistling’s words pulled Hyrkan back into reality.

The goal for the Hahoe Mask theme park was to gather allied forces, who will join him in this Raid.  However, Hyrkan hadn’t said cheese for free.  He couldn’t force these Users to participate, but he obtained signatures from the Users, who were going to participate in the Barbarian King Raid.

The number was 6,322.

"The ratio isn’t too bad.  The important fact is that 2,551 Tankers signed up.  It is a pretty high number."

The Tanker was the most important position in pulling off this plan, and the number of Tankers, who signed up, was higher than expected.

"They are all over level 200, and they finished their 2nd Advancement.  This means it is a force big enough to rival three or four 30 great guilds.  Moreover, these are Users, who stayed behind in the Black Continent even with this event going on.  Their skills are above average."

They hadn’t tested the quality of the Users, but these Users were all above average by default.  Even with the appearance of the Iron Lion Road, it was tough to operate within the Black Continent.

The deciding factor was the fact that the Black Continent was filled with nightmare right now.  However, these Users refused to leave, and their will to fight was burning.  Aside from skills and extrinsic factors…..

In terms of mental toughness, they were also above average.

"If half the number shows up, I will have no complaint."

At Hyrkan’s words, Whistling didn’t feel too good about the situation, but he nodded his head.

In terms of gathering people, it was beyond his expectation.

As expected of the Hahoe Mask!

It almost made Whistling sigh in admiration.  If Whistling had used the Hahoe Mask’s reputation to gather the Users, he wouldn’t have been able to gather 6,000 Users.  He might not have been able to gather even 3,000 Users.

Still, there was no way everyone gathered here would participate in the battle.  They would be fortunate if half of them stepped forward.  That would still amount to 3,000 Users.

"They’ll come.  You said so many cheeses for them."

After hearing his reply, Hyrkan started a simulation of the battle that’ll occur tomorrow on the Bizma Plain.

"They have to hold out for one hour."

Barbarian King.

It was a monster amongst monsters, who had beaten back numerous challengers and attackers.  It was the most ruthless Boss Monster to appear in Warlord.  It boasted special characteristics, skills and difficulty level that made people curse.

However, for the past month, the Users hadn’t been playing around.  They had attempted it 31 times.  It wasn’t a small number.  Tens of thousand of Users had thrown their bodies towards the Barbarian King.  

It happened slowly, but they compiled a clear method for the Barbarian King.  Then they threw their bodies into the Raid to see if the methods they devised actually worked.

It was like a blind man feeling the leg of an elephant to confirm that it was an elephant.  This task was akin to that.

Then there was Whistling’s new comrades….  One of them was named the Questman, and he came up with a conjecture using all the information he gathered regarding the Main Scenario Quest.

It had to be done during the 2nd Phase called the Storm Judgement mode.  

What would happen if one could lure the Barbarian King into the path of the Storme Judgement?

It would be like the scene in a movie where a missile was lured into the path of an enemy.

Storm Judgement was the Dragon’s Judgement.

Would the Barbarian King be fine from being hit by it?

Even if it survived the strike, would an abnormal status go into effect?

This hypothesis was put into action, and it was tried 31 times in the Barbarian King Raid.  All of the Raids failed, but they acquired useful results.  This was how they found the method to clear the 2nd Phase.  When a thunder strike falls on top of one’s head, it was suicide to charge towards the currently strongest monster in Warlord.

However, this was also the most important part in taking down the Barbarian King.

Sacrifice.

Numerous sacrifices were needed to be able to latch onto the Barbarian King, and more sacrifices were needed to ensure the success of the Armor Breaking.  The Judgement would inevitably fall, and in the end, Users had to put up with being sacrificed.

From start to finish, the Barbarian King required sacrifices from the challenging Users.

"Are you really planning on killing it on  your own?"

However, Hyrkan planned on killing such a foe by himself.

"Just block the others from interfering with me."

It was a preposterous task.  One couldn’t even say it was dumb, because it was absurd.

However, Hyrkan insisted on choosing this path.  Hyrkan wasn’t doing this, because he was trying to uphold the name of the Hahoe Mask.

"The Barbarian King’s attack pattern, route, clear method and speed is all in my mind.  The only thing I can’t predict are the disrupters."

There were two reasons why he was doing this.  

First, there was the existence of disrupters.

There were countless number of people, who thought poorly of Hyrkan.  They wouldn’t just sit back, while eating popcorn.

Moreover, the six thousand Users weren’t all hiding behind trees as they attempted to hide their identities.  No, his enemies didn’t even need to hide.  The disrupters just had to come to the Bizma plain in the morning, and they could just join the fight.  Who would turn them away?

This was a problem with a festival.  You can’t stop people from joining.

"Moreover, I’m more comfortable fighting by myself."

There were two steps to clearing the Barbarian King Raid.

When one wanted to kill the Barbarian King in its 2nd Phase, one had to bait its special ability called Storm Judgement.  This attack targeted a single User within its range.  This was why the targeted individual had to approached the Barbarian King within 3 seconds.  This was also the reason why everyone said this method was impossible to pull off.

However, Hyrkan thought differently.  What would happen if there was only one User within range of the Storm Judgement?

The act of finding the targeted User would be irrelevant.  It would be clear, who was the target.

This was why Hyrkan chose to solo this.

"Ah.  It’ll be more convenient for me, but I’m not saying it’ll easy."

At Hyrkan’s words, everyone swallowed their words, and they just agreed with him.

"This game is hard."

"It isn't just hard.  It is damn hard."

As they expressed their annoyance, Hyrkan once again looked at the Bizma Plain.  He’ll be dancing with the Barbarian King tomorrow.  It’ll be a fierce dance as thunder descended towards him.  He’ll be dancing around the Barbarian King until the Announcement notified him that he was the target of the Storm Judgement.  He’ll clash, retreat and clash again with joy.

"Still, it’ll be pretty easy to name the video."

"You’ve already chosen a title?"

"Of course.  If I don’t receive income from my videos, I can’t play this game.  The title will be Ballroom."

“Ballroom?"

"Welcome to the Ballroom."

"Why would you name it….?"

He’ll do a dance that can only be done by the Hahoe Mask on this stage.

"I’ll really liven it up with a dance."

12.

"Currently, there are around five thousand Users gathered at the Bizma Plain."

"The Hahoe Mask team is getting ready for the Raid.  The 30 great guilds haven’t shown up yet."

"I’m here to join this historical event, which won’t be broadcasted through the live channels."

Bizma Plain.

Numerous Users of all types could be seen on the vast field.

The most busy Users were the ones trying to record  every step of this process.  They wanted to document it, so they can sell the Barbarian King Raid footage.  Hahoe Mask had given up claiming sole rights in regards to using the Raid footage for profit.  He would allow anyone to record and use footage of him.

Of course, this was a small present he was giving to those, who chose to fight with him.  The people, who fought with him, could record the entire process.  Moreover, they could do whatever they wanted with the footage.  

However, greedy Users had also gathered here like a swarm of mosquitoes.  When one smiled in thanks in front of such generosity, another let out a devious smile.  These Users only wanted to make money, and they weren’t going to help out in the raid.  

These Users continuously moved around the Bizma Plain, and one could always hear the sound of their interviews in the air.  It really sounded like the low buzzing of mosquitoes.  The Interview Program allowed one to dampen the sound, so outsiders couldn’t hear the User’s voice.  One could just hear a buzz.

On the other hand, the Users, who came here for the Hahoe Mask, was making preparations.

"I'll explain the plan.  The plan will unfold like this.  A large scale magical bombardment will be used to decrease the number of monsters around the Barbarian King.  Afterwards, the monsters will naturally be pulled by the aggro, and the Tankers will block them."

"We’ll form the first battle line, and we’ll open a path in one location."

"After establishing the first battle line, The Striker teams will come from eight directions to open up more paths.  The Priests, Magicians and Tankers will enter through these paths.  Then we have to block monsters from turning back to help the Barbarian King.  Our role is to provide a stage where the Hahoe Mask can focus on battling the Barbarian King."

These Users had enjoyed the festive atmosphere yesterday, but the tactic made them feel faint.  They had to hear it again.  They weren’t just listening to the tactic.  They opened their holographic window, and they started drawing out the battle simulation.   The prediction was drawn using dots.

"So they want the monsters between the Tankers?  This is going to cause a lot of Tankers to die."

"We have no choice.  We need to form a wall on both sides, so the Hahoe Mask can go one on one with the Barbarian King."

"I took a rough estimate, and I think there are around 2,000 Tankers here.  I think about half will be be sent back to the Heard Fortress."

"If only half dies, we’ll be fortunate.  If the Hahoe Mask fails, we’ll probably have to run away with a do-or-die attitude."

The prediction didn't look too rosy.  Of course, it wouldn’t be great.  In the first place, the Barbarian King Raid was designed in such a way where sacrifices were baked into the design.  This Raid would need more sacrifices compared to any other Boss Monster Raids.   Warlord’s System had settled on this setting.  There were Users gathered here, who had experience all of this multiple time.  There were also Users, who had participated in all 31 Barbarian King Raids.

"Ah.  I think I’m going to die today."

This was why worried words emanated from the Users.

"Shit.  I don’t know why I voluntarily undergo hardship like this."

Words of complaint was also heard.

"I should quit this game.  Eh-whew."

Everyone let out a sigh, but this was to be expected.

However, they were thorough in their preparations even as they spoke those words.

"Let us all connect to the Voice Talk.  Ah ah.  Voice Talk test.  Ah ah.  Voice Talk test.  I want members of my team to raise their hands!"

"Our team members should say fighting!  After getting in position, please go over your roles once again."

"This is a battle where 5,000 people will participate.  It is very important that everyone hold their position.  Please don’t stray outside of your designated position!"

They were experts.

"Don’t try to spare your body too much!"

"If we lose the Black Continent, we’ll lose our only hunting ground.  Just close your eyes and take the bullet this one time."

"It takes about the same amount of time to walk back to the Heard Fortress compared to starting again at the town after death.  It is only death.  It isn’t as if we haven’t experienced it before."

These were Users, who had reached Level 200 and the 2nd Advancement.  They were qualified to be able to step onto the Black Continent.  It wasn’t an achievement and result that could be reached by just playing the game of Warlord for a long time.

One had to be diligent, and one had to be better than others at the game.  Moreover, one had to have love for this game.

Since this was only a game, family members and friends berated them for playing this game too much.  

When will you come to your senses?

How long will you play this game?

Does oppa like this game better than me?

The game of Warlord had become part of their lives, so these Users had heard similar questions.

One had to accept these pitfalls to achieve these results.

Casual gamers?

They were definitely not that.

"All right.  Let’s ready the Magicians."

"The order of attack will be fire, thunder, wind then ice.  Please remember that."

"The Barbarian King is approaching us!  Fire Sea team!  Get ready!"

In reality, they were called game couch-potatoes.  However, in Warlord, they were proud game experts.  They were combat veterans of hundreds of battles.  They were experts at turning the tide of the game.

These were the types of people gathered here.

They made their resolves.

They would go out in a blaze of glory in this battle.  They wanted a memory that they would remember at the end of their gamer lives.

"Holy crap.  They are like a swarm of ants charging forward."

"Well, haven’t we gathered enough Users to resemble a swarm of ants right now?  I think this is the first time I’ve seen over 5,000 Users gathered in one place."

This was how the highlight that would long remain in the history of Warlord started.

13.

It started with the rain of fire.

It was the Fire Storm.

Goo-roo-roo!

"Wow.  Look at those clouds."

The red tinged clouds started to gather atop the heads of the Barbarian King and its subordinates.

The monsters, who were quick on the uptake, quickly looked up at the clouds.  The monsters expressed their wariness.

Joo-roohk!

Then the clouds started to spit out rain of fire.  The range of the rain was massive.   It was hard to calculate the area by using a soccer field as a reference.  It felt as if the storm was coming down on a region big enough to be called a small city.

Moreover, the rain used the vegetations in the Bizma Plain as fuel, and the fire started to spread more fiercely.

It was as if the rain had caused a flooding.  It created a sea of fire.

"Roll the fireballs！"

- We are rolling the fireballs!

Large fireballs rolled across the sea of fire.

Kwah-kwah-kwah!

The fireballs were letting out a rough sound as it rolled onward like a runaway train.  The fireballs grew in size as they rolled atop the sea of fire.  They grew into enormous sizes, and the small monsters were basically bowling pins in front of them.

Kuh-hyung, kuh-hyung!

However, the monsters refused to be defeated like helpless bowling pins.

The monsters, who had suffered the attack, went on the offensive.  They started to select their target through aggro.  When the selection ended, they started to move to destroy their targets.  The ones that were the quickest were the four-legged monsters.  The monsters that looked like wolves, lions and other animals separated from the horde of monsters.  They led the charge.

"They are coming."

"Are the Buffs complete?"

"Ok.  It’s all done!  Team 29 complete!"

"Team 33 is complete!"

The eyes of the running monsters rolled around as they let out horrible cries.  When the monsters were about to reach them, the Tankers moved.  They held a shield in the left hand, and the right hand held the weapon.  The Tankers slowly marched towards the monsters.

After getting into position, the Tankers stood firm.  They became a large wall.

-The battle has started!

-L Uh? Where are you seeing the Raid from?

-L My friend is playing the game, and he is streaming it live for me.

-L Please share the stream!

-L I want a link too!

At that moment, the online world was restless.

In many ways, this was a historical event.  This event was not being led by the 30 great guilds.  The Barbarian Raid was occurring through the participation of normal Users, so the fans of Warlords were very interested.  The interest had peaked.

However, there was no official live broadcast of this event.

-Shit.  Why aren’t they broadcasting this on the live channels?

-L If they have a sense of honor, they won’t do it.

-L They had taken a backseat until now, while they harvested honey inside their hunting grounds.  It wouldn’t be a good look if they broadcasted this.

-L I’d rather watch the Hahoe Mask’s video later.  Live channel?  What a farce.

-L Let’s just give the Hahoe Mask a live channel!

-LL I agree.

-LL I agree (2).

The 30 great guilds, who possessed the live channels, had no rights to broadcast this event.

They had purposefully allowed the tyranny of the Barbarian King to continue, and most of the 30 great guilds had enjoyed playing the game inside the hunting grounds they owned.

Hahoe Mask and the regular Users were making history, yet the 30 great guilds didn’t have the right to profit off of it.

The battle on the stage of the Bizma Plain was for the regular Users.  It was for Users, who looked beyond profit.  It was a stage where their dreams, hopes and will was gathered.

In many ways, they were purely here to play the game.

Was this the reason why?

'It is a grand spectacle.'

Hyrkan watched the stage as he kept his breathing steady.  He waited for his upcoming battle.  In Hyrkan’s eyes, this battle shone more brightly than any other battle.

Grand Spectacle.

This was true whether it was before he came to the past or after.

He had participated in countless battles, yet he never saw a stage that shone as brightly as this one.

'This is a grand spectacle.'

There were over five thousand Users gathered here.  They were throwing magic, swinging swords, raising shields and praying for a single User.

Moreover, this was only the beginning.

They would continue to fight, and the battle wouldn't even allow them to take a breather.  At the very least, they would have to fight for an hour.

Of course, there would be some Users, who would log out, after giving up on this painful battle.  There would also be some Users, who ran away.

On the other hand, a significant amount of Users had already accepted the risk of a Game Over.  They would fight until death.

Most of the Users, who died here, would suffer losses.  No one would acknowledge their deaths.  They would record a Game Over, and they would have to suffer the consequences in real life by being barred from the game for 48 hours.

The 30 great guilds compensated the Users, who died in a Raid, and the Hahoe Mask style of battle was a high risk, high reward method.  The regular Users were different.  Their motivations were purer

'Yes, I always wanted to fight on a stage like this.'

Hyrkan had dreamed about this sight.

He had dreamed about this stage.

He had wanted to be the main character where the Users created the stage for him.  They would cheer him on as they sacrificed their lives for no cost.

'This type of stage……'

It had been the same even before he returned to the past.  He had wanted to be on the brightest stage with the Hahoe Mask guild.  He wanted to stand here with the people, who had suffered with him.    Moreover, he wanted to leave behind a legacy with those people on a stage like this.

This was why the sense of betrayal he had felt had cut much deeper.  He had wanted to watch this sight with them, yet they had betrayed him.  Maybe this was why he violently rebelled against everyone.

'Hnng.'

Of course, the memory from back then would not be put into the collection of memories he wanted to reminisce.  No, he would no longer be beholden to those memories.  Today will be the last day he’ll feel regret and anger from that memory.

'Yes, my choice wasn’t wrong.'

He had no reason to regret now.

Hyrkan put a Timer Bone Explosive within the Bone Dragon’s body.  Afterwards, he looked behind at the Skeleton Warriors, who were line up with their Bone Armors equipped.

The moment where Hyrkan would have to perform was approaching.

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