Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 246
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Opportunity in the Game Becomes Reality Chapter 246
54. Preparation (5)
From the way he suddenly forced a choice upon me, I could no longer sense any ease in his demeanor.
"I thought we had somewhat of a cooperative relationship?"
So I forced a smile and replied, but he firmly shook his head.
"No, currently Adrian-nim is not taking any side. You are merely preparing for the impending calamity."
Meaning I was maintaining an ambiguous position.
Well, that wasn't wrong.
Because that's exactly how I had been acting.
And that made sense even if Lord Exceed was the reincarnation of my teacher, Grand Duke Lucas, siding with them would mean making an enemy of the goddess.
No matter how displeased I was with the goddess's actions, she was the deity of Rondel, the world I lived in.
There was no way I could justify opposing her.
That was why I had been maintaining an ambiguous position, attaching myself here and there just to gather information.
So that we can reduce the impact of the disaster, even just a little.
"You already know what our plans are, don't you?"
Lord Exceed pointed at Arc Scarlet with his hand and asked.
Seeing her with me, he seemed to think no further explanation was needed.
And he was right.
As he said, through Arc Scarlet, I had figured out what the Earth-realm Transcendents were planning.
"You mean to say that the Heavenly Tribe and demon race of the underworld will divide the authority of Kayrus, the creator of Earth, to be reborn as a divine race, and grant immense power to Arc Scarlet, the Demon King of the other world, to threaten Rondel?"
There might be other intentions at play, but this was the extent of what I knew about their plans.
At my answer, Lord Exceed calmly acknowledged it, saying I had hit the mark.
"Correct. And as of now, our underworld intends to begin full-scale operations. This includes a plan to directly intervene on Earth."
He revealed new information.
Intervene on Earth?
I had known that the demon race and Heavenly Tribe of the underworld faced many restrictions when it came to descent.
His words meant they had found a way to remove or cancel out those restrictions.
"We will destroy the Sepia temples appearing across Earth, eradicate the poisoned lands and monsters, and erase every trace of the goddess. It means we will sever the connection points between Earth and Rondel."
It was a response I could fully understand.
From their perspective, it was clearly the best choice.
But suddenly sharing such information with me carried a hidden meaning.
And that was this.
"So you're saying neutrality is not acceptable."
It was a forced ultimatum.
Meaning even a neutral stance would be treated as a hostile act.
"There is no neutrality. Neutrality means standing by and watching the situation unfold, which can only be interpreted as tacitly endorsing the goddess's plan. Moreover..."
His gaze shifted once again to those around me.
"Adrian-nim possesses far too many variables."
Naturally, my expression hardened, and seeing this, Blake stepped forward.
He was a close friend of Grand Duke Lucas, and even now he held Lord Exceed in special regard.
"Wait, wait. We have no intention of being hostile toward you. But if we side with you, we'd be making an enemy of our world's deity, and letting loose the empowered Arc Scarlet upon Rondel that's just inviting disaster upon ourselves. The risk is simply too great."
Blake had unexpectedly become my spokesperson.
There wasn't a single wrong word in what he said.
The reason I had to remain neutral was precisely because their plans could potentially throw Rondel into crisis.
Lord Exceed may have been the reincarnation of Grand Duke Lucas, but he prioritized Earth over Rondel.
"You don't need to worry about that. We can place various restrictions on Arc Scarlet when we grant her power."
Meaning they could put sufficient safeguards in place.
But we could hardly just take their word for it and move forward.
After all, the two of us had fundamentally different perspectives from the start.
The goddess's actions would bring great calamity upon both worlds, and while we appeared to share the common goal of preventing that damage...
Unlike us, who were only worried about the damage from the Great Catastrophe, Lord Exceed before us and the Heavenly Tribe and demon race of the underworld he belonged to had a strong intention to prevent their world from being taken away and their current positions from being stripped.
'If their plan succeeds, we'll be able to stop the Great Catastrophe. But we'll have to live worrying about a second catastrophe the empowered Arc Scarlet and the goddess's wrath.'
So in response to Lord Exceed's demand for a binary choice, I had no choice but to answer like this.
"We won't interfere with whatever you do. We may even cooperate to a certain extent. But as long as our goals and perspectives differ, there can be no unconditional cooperation."
He is my benefactor.
Naturally, saying such things to him doesn't sit well with me.
But while I owe him a debt of gratitude, I am also a leader guiding many people now.
I couldn't simply follow him out of gratitude alone.
"We are not on the goddess's side, but we find it difficult to oppose her either. Please, I ask that you understand our position."
At my earnest request, he stared at me intently before letting out a deep sigh.
"Do you know which of the things currently held by Adrian-nim we are wary of?"
There's no way I don't know.
'First, the key figure Arc Scarlet is bound to me in a master-servant relationship.'
'Second, our formidable military strength, including that very Arc Scarlet.'
'Third, the existence of Reiers County, which is under our protection.'
'Fourth, the ability to travel between Earth and Rondel.'
Even just thinking about it off the top of my head, these four things come to mind.
"If you insist on maintaining a neutral stance, we can't help but feel uneasy about what's behind us. Then, from within, talk like this will arise."
"They'll say we should deal with you before facing the goddess?"
"Correct."
He continued with a bitter tone.
"The very existence of you people who travel between Earth and Rondel is a threat to us. Up until now, we could look the other way because there were restrictions on how long you could stay on Earth... but..."
And when Lord Exceed's gaze fell upon my cousin Kang Min-hee, I could realize the cause of his sudden urgency.
"With the newfound dimension shift ability, even those restrictions are about to disappear."
Kang Min-hee's gift the ability to move between Earth and Rondel on her own had become a serious threat to him.
"She will never be used to harm you."
I said that, but even as I spoke, I had to feel like I was going in circles.
Just as he had claimed they could control Arc Scarlet, I was in a position where I could only assure him with words that she wouldn't become a threat.
I felt anew that our relationship had begun to tangle.
'Perhaps all of this is the goddess's plan...'
But then.
Lord Exceed's reaction that followed was unexpected.
"Very well. I will trust you."
He actually said he would believe an assurance spoken only in words, just like that.
However, his statement was by no means a stepping stone toward a peaceful resolution.
What Lord Exceed said next was more than enough to harden the expressions of me and my companions.
"Instead, lend us her ability."
"Lend you her ability?"
"The ability to perform dimension shifts. Wouldn't she be capable of traveling between Earth and the underworld as well?"
"What are you saying?"
"It means we want your help with the descent of the Heavenly Tribe and demon race of our underworld to Earth. We've acquired the ability to interfere with Earth, but it's not as seamless and effortless as her ability."
It was certainly a reasonable judgment.
If she can shift dimensions, visiting the underworld located in the same dimension shouldn't be impossible.
It made me realize anew just how useful Kang Min-hee's ability was, and how much potential for conflict it carried.
"That much should be possible, right?"
At Lord Exceed's urging, I fell silent.
Because I couldn't foresee what problems would arise from supporting the descent of the Heavenly Tribe and demon race.
Lord Exceed spoke coldly to me as I deliberated.
"If she can aid our descent, then conversely, it means the Heavenly Tribe of Rondel could be brought down to Earth as well. The Heavenly Tribe of Rondel are the hands and feet of the Sepia Goddess. If that happens, the worst-case scenario unfolds for us."
Kang Min-hee flinched in surprise at suddenly becoming the target.
I understood the hidden meaning behind Lord Exceed's words.
"So you're saying that if we don't cooperate, she must be eliminated."
"That is correct."
I pressed my palm against my forehead.
Because I fully understood his position.
And so, an awkward silence flowed between us.
"Let's form an alliance! An alliance!"
I smacked the back of Arc Scarlet's head as she noisy chattered beside me, then had to seek counsel from Blake and Brangish the dragon.
"Hmm..."
But they couldn't easily give me an answer to what I couldn't resolve myself.
In the end, I asked for time.
"Give me a day to think it over."
"A day?"
"Yes. A day on Earth equals ten days in Rondel, so I should be able to find an answer that benefits both sides."
Lord Exceed responded to my request with a sly smile.
"No. If you were to hide her away somewhere in Rondel, we'd be left powerless."
A firm refusal.
At the same time, Lord Exceed pulled a long Magic Staff out of thin air.
It was an unmistakable declaration of intent to fight.
No, to be precise, he was showing his will to eliminate Kang Min-hee.
"This isn't the situation I wanted, but I have no choice."
If he truly charged at us intent on killing Kang Min-hee, could we subdue him?
And not just any Demon King one who retained the memories of a 9th-circle Grand Mage at that?
I bit my lip and lowered my stance, and my companions also fell into battle readiness in spite of themselves.
But then, at that moment.
"Let's go together."
"What?"
Arcia, who had been silent all along, spoke.
"We can just bring Lord Exceed down and head to Rondel together. Is there really a need to be at odds?"
"Hm...?"
At that, not only I, but even Lord Exceed who was in a standoff with me unconsciously lowered his Magic Staff.
Because none of us had ever thought of bringing a Demon King of Earth into Rondel.
Certainly, doing so would buy me time to sort out my thoughts, and Lord Exceed wouldn't have to worry about us hiding Kang Min-hee in Rondel.
The descent of a Demon King itself is a situation that warrants concern, but...
With Arc Scarlet already here, having one more added didn't seem like it would be a problem.
At any rate, it was one or two.
"That seems like the most realistic judgment given the situation."
Letting out a wry laugh, I asked Lord Exceed for his opinion.
And for the first time, he too nodded, showing agreement.
"Very well. Let's do that."
It wasn't that we reached a full agreement between the two factions, but at least the immediate hostility could be postponed.
And just like that, the Demon King Lord Exceed the reincarnation of Grand Duke Lucas temporarily joined our party.
* * *
The demonic realm of Rondel.
After Arc Scarlet's descent, the demonic realm had become an absolute wreck.
The reason was this.
"You crazy bastards! Why are you all so twisted!? Because of your interference, Arc Scarlet's stats took a massive hit and the whole plan fell apart!"
"If the demon race isn't twisted, who is? And why are you acting all innocent? Who was it that harassed her underlings like catching rats after Arc Scarlet's descent?"
"Still, I didn't cause any harm to the main body! It's because of you lot that Arc Scarlet became a human's lackey!"
"Ah, forget it. Goddamn it."
After Arc Scarlet's descent, the plans of the Demon Kings who sought more chances for descent through her were ruined by jealousy.
And they were forced to watch the humiliation of Arc Scarlet the proud one called the king of Demon Kings.
Of course, it was entertaining, but at times it couldn't be helped that sighs escaped them.
"Alright, it's not too late even now."
"For what?"
"We gather our strength in the demonic realm to support her."
Gathering strength together.
A phrase that truly doesn't suit the demon race.
They'd already tried once and succeeded in bringing Arc Scarlet down, but the result, as everyone knows, was disastrous.
"Will that work? I mean, I'm the same, but all of you have terrible personalities too."
At that all-too-obvious question, the Silent Demon King 'Dark Square' voiced his opinion.
"We just make a contract that anyone who interferes will be struck down by the rest of the Demon Kings united."
A simple answer.
But without something like that, cooperation among Demon Kings was simply impossible.
"Or is it just my imagination that there seem to be more Demon Kings who'd be attacked than Demon Kings who'd attack in a united assault?"
"Don't take Demon Kings lightly, Dark Square."
"You worthless bastards."
And so the Demon Kings grumbled for a long while, finally reaching an agreement, and it was decided to support Arc Scarlet.