Chapter 230

Chapter 230

Aiders Room.

I sat facing Aider in this stark room, still devoid of color or any noteworthy furniture.

It had been a while since I had a one-on-one conversation with this self-proclaimed Director.

There are countless issues I want to bring up, but lets start with the most pressing matter first.

"Ive noticed that an additional enemy legion invaded in this stage."

"Yes, Im aware. It was the Werewolf Legion, wasnt it?"

"It wasnt a Dark Event, there were no warnings, and they just barged in."

I gritted my teeth.

"If this continues, it will be difficult to keep strategizing. At least we need to stick to the established game rules to continue playing, dont we?"

"Youre absolutely correct. This was a blatant violation of the game rules."

Aider nodded his head.

"Thats why a penalty will be applied to the monster legion in the next stage. Youll find it easier next time."

"..."

Listening to Aiders response, I clenched my fist tightly.

"I have a fundamental question."

I glared intently at Aider.

"What is a Player? Why are we battling monsters in the form of a game?"

"..."

"So, the monster legion gets penalized in the next round because they broke the rules? Does that mean theyve also agreed to these rules? What exactly governs how this game works?"

Suddenly, I recalled the words I had heard from the Emperor in the Imperial Capital.

- A being on another level, discussing the fate of the world, commanding the lives of others through words, directly fighting for the worlds hegemony. Those who are qualified to play chess themselves.

- That is what a Player is.

- To put it more simply, you could also call them a Ruler.

The Emperors definition of a Player was slightly different from what I had always thought. Not simply someone who plays a game, but someone who holds and debates the destiny of the world.

Could this game that this so-called Director is making me participate in be a concept stemming from the same context?

"On the chessboard named the world, numerous Players are playing chess called war," Aider slowly began.

"And here in this monster frontline, we are unfolding the match according to our local rules."

"Local rules...?"

"The Nightmare Demon King who has occupied the Lake Kingdom, and the human commanders who are guarding humanitys last defense line."

Aider started arranging the chess pieces that were on the desk.

"Under mutually agreed-upon rules, they keep attacking and defendingwhichever side conquers the others base first and kills the others king is the victor in this defense game."

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The chess pieces were meticulously placed.

Pawn.

Knight.

Rook.

Bishop.

Queen.

"This is in accordance with the pact made between the Demon King and the human commanders, and will continue until one side is completely annihilated."

Thud!

Lastly, he placed the King on its spot.

Having finished arranging the chess pieces, Aider slowly pulled his hand away from the board.

"I am the Director who established these rules, and Im here to oversee the direction of the game."

"Who made the pact to play the game with that Demon King?"

Aider stared at me in silence. Stunned, I pointed to myself.

"You cant mean...I did?"

"Technically, its the Third Prince, Ash."

I let out a silent scream.

Damn it, Ash! Again?! Youre the root of all evil! The center of this chaotic, convoluted mess!

"The Demon King agreed to the rules, and both players have taken their seats at the game table," Aider said, offering a bitter smile.

"However, due to various reasons, Prince Ash couldnt continue with the match... so he needed to find a proxy."

"That would be me, wouldnt it?"

"Correct, RetroAddict."

It felt like a recurring story, but there was one new significant point.

My opponent.

My match partner.

The Demon King who controlled all nightmares was also a player.

Whats the special consumable item for promotion?

I expand the list and look,

"Ah."

An item name immediately catches my eye.

[All kinds of Orb of Ascension]

"Talk about fitting the bill, geez..."

I took out Jormungandrs Orb of Ascension from my inventory. Its the item Jormungandr spat out before it vanished.

[Jormungandrs Orb of Ascension]

- An orb filled with the essence of Jormungandr. Used to elevate ones existential rank.

Back on Earth, legends like this are pretty common.

When a serpent or a similar creature trains to become a dragon, its concentrated power forms this orb, the Orb of Ascension.

Having just one orb allows the creature to ascend into a dragon, but if it gets greedy and collects more, it can never become a dragon. At least thats how the legends go.

Was Jormungandr, who looked like a serpent, actually an aspiring dragon?

Serpent or worm, whatever it is. Its just perfect that he left behind the exact item I needed.

Damien was currently at my estate. I summoned him to the office.

"You called, Your Highness?"

As soon as Damien entered my room, I raised my hand and yelled, "Stop!"

"Stand right there, Damien! Yes, right in front of that full-length mirror!"

"Eh? Uh, okay..."

Baffled, Damien hesitantly stood at the entrance of the room, right in front of where the full-length mirror was placed.

"Good, just look at your reflection in the mirror."

Damien seemed puzzled but nonetheless stood, looking at his own reflection in the mirror.

"This is a monumental rank-up scene; gotta witness it in all its glory from every angle!"

Without hesitation, I used the Orb of Ascension item and completed Damiens rank-up quest.

[Rank-Up Quest Successful!]

Whoosh-!

A gray aura spread out from Damiens back. It was the color of an N-grade.

Roar!

Right after that, the color began to change. I swallowed hard, my throat dry.

Whats going to happen to our Damiens rank?

R? SR? Or could it be, SSR?!

Blue? Purple? No, just give me gold, please!

O Almighty! Im trusting in you!

As I clasped my hands and prayed, Damien seemed to sense something as well. He looked down at his own body, his eyes widening in surprise.

And then

Flash!

It was neither blue, nor purple, nor gold.

A bright, translucent light poured out from Damiens back. My eyes widened in disbelief.

Huh?

What rank color is that?

Then, its identity was soon revealed.

Ding!

[Hero character Damien will have a rank change.]

> Damien(N) Damien(EX)

"...Ah."

I stood there, mouth agape.

EX rank?

As in exceptional?

...I didnt see this coming.

Shortly after, a flood of messages filled my system window.

[Hero character Damien(EX) will have a job change.]

[Hero character Damien(EX) will have skill changes.]

[Hero character Damien(EX) will have stat changes.]

[Hero character Damien(EX)...]

[Hero character Damien(EX)...]

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

As I stood there gaping at the screen overflowing with notifications, Damien looked at me with a distressed face and asked,

"Uh, Your Highness, something feels weird... Did I do something wrong?"