Chapter 153: Upheaval (2)
Crockta laughed, “There’s no point in listening further. Go.”
The knights obliged and turned their horses around.
They knew fully well that they could never stop Crockta. He was an absolute powerhouse who had defeated Adantadore. Unless they brought an army, they couldn’t stop him.
“Crockta-nim, I witnessed the duel as well,” said the knight who seemed to hold the highest position. I respect your skills, and I mean this most sincerely...”
He glanced at the residents. He, too, was aware of the sentiments of those leaving the South. However, one couldn't defy the will of the emperor.
“Please refrain from opposing His Majesty. The best decision for you is to join the empire. His Majesty will promise you wealth and honor.”
Crockta looked at him. The knight was sincere. Crockta smiled bitterly. People judged the world from their own perspectives. Although Crockta appreciated his concern, he lamented the knight’s ignorance. They could never be on the same side.
Perhaps someday, they would meet again on the battlefield and one of them would die. Nonetheless, this was not the time.
With a strange sense of irony and remorse, Crockta said to the knight, “My honor is different from yours.”
It was a stern refusal.
The knight nodded. Then, as he looked at the residents, he said, “Don't think that you'll be safe afterward just because of Crockta-nim. The people of the South cannot leave without His Majesty's permission.”
The residents began murmuring among themselves. They hadn't expected the empire to intervene like this.
Oppression began to cast its shadow over the people of the continent who had been free to go anywhere. It all started with the appearance of the emperor.
“That damn emperor...”
The residents cursed as they watched the departing knights. Then, they expressed their gratitude to Crockta.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we are safe.”
“It's nothing."
“But I'm worried. I wonder if we can really go to the north...”
Their first destination was the city of Liznari, the territory of the elves. It was a city a short distance away from Maillard, where various races gathered and enjoyed freedom.
However, judging by the arrival of the knights, it seemed that the empire had begun to control the routes out of the South. It was doubtful whether they could reach there.
Their opinions began to clash.
“It might be better to go to Espada...”
“I disagree. We are leaving because we hate war, but if we go to Espada, we will have to fight against the empire.”
“If we have to choose between the two, it's better to fight the emperor!”
“For now, let's go as far as we can...”
“You witnessed it earlier. If we travel north, we'll get caught!”
Tiyo shook his head. “Crockta, judging by the situation in the South...it might be better for us to get out of here first."
“That might be true, but I don't want to do that.”
“If we want to fight the emperor, we'll need an army. The South doesn't have military forces like that."
Their victory over the chieftain in the North had been possible because of the dark elf forces. They would need an opposing force that could hold a candle to the emperor. It might be wise to wait for the emperor to reveal his ambitions and incite conflict wiith the elves, gnomes, or orcs.
However, Crockta didn't want to do that.
“Let's first go to Espada and then think about it."
“Alright.”
Checking Espada's conditions and how they were doing would help them decide on their next course of action.
“We ended up taking a break somehow.”
“The discussions are dragging on for too long.”
Even the residents who had decided to leave the South had conflicting opinions after encountering the group of knights. Some wanted to keep heading North, while others suggested going to Espada with Crockta.
“Let's just keep going instead of chickening out."
“What if we run into those knights again?”
“We will just join the empire. Even if we get conscripted, there's nothing we can do.”
“Do you think they'll accept us so easily? Rather than joining the empire, I'd rather fight in Espada."
It was lunch time, so Crockta and his friends rummaged through their supplies and began preparing their meal.
The residents also got settled and prepared their meals. Some continued to passionately discuss their future while the rest had lunch.
Crockta gazed at the distant horizon as he chewed on his beef jerky.
If it were just an ordinary journey, he might have sung a song or two, but the thoughts about the emperor shattered the mood. He couldn't rest easy until he got rid of the one who had destroyed Alaste.
“After fighting the emperor...” he began.
It felt like a similar conversation they had during the battle with the chieftain.
“Let's go back to Guiderid and take a proper vacation,” said Crockta as he looked Tiyo and Anor in the eye.
Tiyo chuckled. “There was the chieftain, now it’s the emperor. I'm worried that a god might appear after stopping the emperor.”
“If a god tries to stop us, we'll just have to get rid of the god.”
“Hahahaha, you’re right, Crockta.”
After finishing their meal, Crockta and his friend stood up and looked at the residents. If the discussions took too long, they planned to leave for Espada on their own.
However, it seemed they had already reached a conclusion.
“We are going to Espada.”
“We wish you luck.”
The residents split into two groups. Some continued toward Liznari and others left for Espada.
There was a high probability of encountering the emperor's knights on the way to Liznari, but they were determined to resist the emperor until the very end.
“It will be dangerous...”
“I don't think they will kill us. At worst, we might be conscripted into the imperial army.”
“I hope we cross paths again.”
“Same here.”
The two groups bid farewell.
“Farewell. We didn't expect to part ways like this.”
“Life is a series of choices. If only we knew what the future holds...”
Crockta activated his skill Ashen Eyes of God while listening to their conversation.
With Ashen Eyes of God, he could see the remaining lifespan of others. However, he had refrained from using this skill. It was a powerful skill, but knowing someone else's lifespan felt like trespassing into a forbidden zone.
After realizing that Elder Lord was not just a game but a different dimension, he became even more hesitant.
He didn't want to peek into someone else's death. Moreover, he didn't want his actions to be dictated by the knowledge obtained from that ability. It was the realm of the gods as the skill's name suggested.
But at this point, it seemed necessary to check their remaining lifespans. By using it, he could speculate whether they would be killed by the knights or safely reach another city.
Hesitating, Crockta used the skill just before the residents moved too far away. Something appeared above their heads.
"..."
Crockta was shocked. They were going to die soon. Each of them had the same number written above their heads. They were all destined to face death together.
"We must stop them."
"What?"
"They..."
Crockta turned his head. The numbers above the heads of those heading to Espada were no different from the ones of those heading to the North.
Crockta couldn't bear to look at the fate of the residents heading toward their deaths, so he averted his gaze. He noticed a procession of ants walking along a blade of grass. Something faint hovered over them too.
They were branded with the inevitable mark of death. Death was egalitarian and marked everything with the same sign, whether human or ant.
'Everything, the humans, the ants, and even the land they are standing on will face destruction.'
Crockta regretted using the Ashen Eyes of God skill.
The more he used this power, the stronger it became. The world seen through the Ashen Eyes of God was overflowing with death. It felt suffocating.
“Crockta, what’s wrong?” asked Tiyo as he approached him.
Crockta didn't want to see the mark of death hovering over Tiyo's head. He tried to stop the Ashen Eyes of God.
Right then, something popped up.
[Ashen Eyes of the God is a passive skill.]
"...!"
It was the system message. No, it was that woman, the Ashen God.
[Once used, you must forever behold death with your eyes.]
Crockta shook his head. That shouldn’t be the case.
[But because it is the vision of a god, we have changed the Ashen Eyes of God into a skill you can activate and deactivate.]
[Now, you have seen that the world is filled with death.]
[They, too, will face death soon.]
[Do you want to save them?]
[What choice will you make?]
It felt like she was asking Crockta those questions.
He closed his eyes.
***
The Heaven and Earth Clan operated based on a monetary system.
Being part of the Heaven and Earth Clan meant becoming a full-time player who made their living through Elder Lord. Thus, the clan was deeply committed to generating profits and was successful in reaping them.
To further their efforts, the clan launched a program called Heaven and Earth TV. The program allowed viewers to enjoy the wars and various events initiated by the Heaven and Earth Clan in real time thanks to a dedicated cameraman.
As it gained popularity, Heaven and Earth TV started to collaborate with broadcasting companies and established itself as a national program that aired on television.
Their chat room was like a battlefield due to mixed perceptions about the clan.
Those who admired the Heaven and Earth Clan praised their actions and looked forward to more ruthless, roguish, and sensational wars and massacres. They didn’t condemn breaking alliances and betraying other players.
[If you don't like it, fight back. Betrayal is content. The strong rule, and the weak perish. That's the way of Elder Lord.]
On the other hand, some criticized the Heaven and Earth Clan for their excessive wars, lack of consideration for other players, and a disdainful attitude toward weaker players.
[It's because of these guys that people are quitting Elder Lord. How many villages disappeared because of them? So much content and fun disappeared because of them. What is the developer doing?]
Despite such controversies, the Heaven and Earth Clan enjoyed prosperity. People loved whoever was at the top. Whenever the Heaven and Earth Clan engaged in battles, the viewer ratings reached new heights. Rommel’s penchant for flashy tactical command thrilled the audience.
And today, the Heaven and Earth Clan was again broadcasting one of their battles, albeit a minor one.
Suddenly, a system message popped up.
[Server-wide System Message]
[Thank you to all players who love Elder Lord. Thanks to your participation, Elder Lord has become even more prosperous.]
“-Huh, what's this?” muttered the streamer who was in charge of shooting and directing Heaven and Earth TV.
The viewers were listening.
“It’s been a while since we received a server-wide system message. Strange. Let me check this for a moment. Is Elsaco finally doing its job?”
Elsaco was short for Elder Saga Corporation. People frequently mocked the company for its passive attitude and called it lazy.
The viewers paid close attention to the message.
“Achievement point event?”
[Elder Lord's participation is measured by achievement points. Thanks to the support of players like you, the total player achievement point has surpassed its target.]
“There was a target?”
[Thus, we will be conducting an achievement point event. Special rewards will be given every time you accumulate achievement points. Since each player has different rewards, don't be disappointed if you fail to receive your desired reward and keep building achievements. There will be fabulous rewards among them.]
The screen continued to display combat scenes.
The streamer silently mulled over the system message while the clan members fighting on the screen closed their message windows and focused on the battle raging in front of them.
Soon, the battle came to an end. The streamer came to his senses and said, “Ah, the battle is over. Then...”
[You have earned achievement points. According to the achievement point event, you will be granted a new skill!]
“Huh?”
Although he was mainly in charge of filming, he shared experience and achievement points with other members of the Heaven and Earth Clan to some extent.
As soon as the battle ended, he earned achievement points and immediately received a reward along with the members who had fought on the battlefield.
He checked the reward.
[Rare-Tier skill, Soaring Celestial Blade Technique (Rare) acquired.]
“...Huh?”
The streamer was in awe. Soaring Celestial Blade Technique was a well-known skill.
[If you master the Soaring Celestial Blade Technique and meet specific conditions, you can advance to the hidden class Sword Emperor.]
A high-ranker with the hidden class Sword Emperor was well-known for his Soaring Celestial Blade Technique.
While the high-ranker publicly revealed that one could become the Sword Emperor if they obtained the Soaring Celestial Blade Technique, he didn't disclose how to acquire the skill. Thus, it remained an extraordinary skill that no one else could obtain.
The Sword Emperor was an exceptional class that everyone desired. Alongside Rommel's War Maestro class, it was recognized as one of the most renowned hidden classes of Elder Lord.
And now, the Soaring Celestial Blade Technique had fallen into the hands of the Heaven and Earth streamer who had done nothing to earn it.
“Uh... uhh...”
The streamer trailed off. He was in a daze.
Unlike the quiet screen, the chat window turned to chaos.
Elder Lord’s upheaval had begun.
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