Chapter 104 : Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Soul Calibur Community.
[Reinhardt]’s post once again drew a heated response.
-Anonymous17: Magical beasts already? Isn’t this faster than the original story?
-Anonymous18: fr how is this progressing
-Anonymous19: At this rate Truma will descend soon too lol
-Anonymous18: For real?
-Anonymous20: fr lol
It had been only about 20 minutes since the post was uploaded.
The view count was close to 1,000, and the number of comments had long surpassed a hundred.
At this rate, the view count would hit several thousand in just a day.
The comments would naturally increase accordingly.
Reinhardt chuckled and responded to the users’ interest.
He left comments, shared more specific details about the recent situation, and even provided real-time updates on what was about to happen.
“This is fun.”
Reinhardt was finding this situation interesting.
When he first started writing, the dominant reaction was that it was a unique concept.
That the registered images were just edited, and that [Reinhardt]’s posts were the product of delusion.
Then, at some point, the atmosphere changed.
Reinhardt had unintentionally become a viral marketer with outstanding skills.
He had captured the users’ attention in a spectacular way.
Even the developer, Skylines, and the community had joined in, setting the stage for him.
‘Somehow, I’ve come this far.’
Of course, there was still no one who believed it was real.
‘If anything, fewer people think it’s real than before. The viral marketing theory was just too plausible.’
It was a bit disappointing, but Reinhardt was satisfied with just that.
The immense interest made him feel as if he were still living as a modern person.
The community was still Reinhardt’s spiritual support.
It was how he maintained his identity as a modern person, a seed of hope that he might one day be able to return.
‘It’ll take some time for Bitdori to come back anyway.’
Bitdori was still carrying out its reconnaissance mission.
Since it was scouting a fairly wide area, there was plenty of time before its return.
“The knight order has completely withdrawn. Let’s see, then…”
Reinhardt leisurely tapped on the keyboard.
When it came to killing time, there was nothing better than engaging in meaningless chatter.
It was at that moment.
-(Aslan): Sir
A new comment was posted.
No, comments had been steadily coming in.
The problem was the name of the person who left the comment.
“…What is this. Aslan? An employee?”
He remembered having a conversation in the past.
Of course, it was through comments, and it was only a few lines.
“Why a comment all of a sudden… wait a minute. What’s this about.”
Another comment was posted.
It was content that was hard for Reinhardt to understand.
-(Aslan): Please check the announcements.
“What’s with this tone.”
Telling him to check the announcements.
At this rate, his persona as a priest of the Truma Order would be ruined.
Though puzzled, Reinhardt decided to follow the suggestion for now.
[Notice: A secret comment feature is now available for Transmigrators.]
*This feature is provided temporarily to facilitate smooth communication between Transmigrators.
*Regular users cannot use this feature.
*Others, including administrators, cannot view the content of secret comments in any way.
*The secret comment feature will be removed upon the release of Soul Calibur’s expansion pack.
*Thank you.
“Well, I’ll be…”
Reinhardt smacked his lips in disbelief.
Secret comments.
‘Doesn’t this completely shatter the identity of the community? Are they really willing to support me like this, even while taking on such a risk?’
Complete anonymity.
Full disclosure of post and comment content.
These were two principles that the Soul Calibur community had strictly adhered to until now.
But with this incident, they had broken their own principles.
“This… has to be a request from the developers.”
Even so, it was a rather radical measure.
In other words, it meant they were confident they could get the users' tacit approval even if they did this.
-(Aslan): Have you checked?
-Reinhardt: Yes
-(Aslan): Please use a secret comment. You just need to put parentheses around your nickname.
-(Reinhardt): Let’s do that.
It was an interesting situation.
Reinhardt’s lips twitched at the rare stimulus.
‘What on earth are they trying to say…’
Perhaps they were trying to approach this more seriously.
If so, that was welcome news for Reinhardt.
If they helped, it might not be impossible to find a clue to his escape.
-(Aslan): You won't tell me who you are even if I ask, right?
-(Reinhardt): Would you know me if I told you?
-(Aslan): We can still manage this situation. For now.
-(Reinhardt): Manage what?
-(Aslan): Our company might take legal action soon. Until now, we’ve been acting as if this is an internal project of ours, but if you proceed further, our lie will inevitably be exposed.
-(Reinhardt): lol What do you mean proceed? So you’re going to sue me?
Reinhardt laughed in disbelief.
A lawsuit.
A lawsuit was difficult to proceed with properly even if one just went into hiding overseas.
And Reinhardt was in another world.
A world where the fist was closer than the law, at that.
“How absurd.”
Threats should be made with some consideration of the situation, shouldn't they?
But Reinhardt tried to be magnanimous.
“Well… I guess it’s possible. Considering their position.”
[Aslan] also thought it was a lie.
That Reinhardt wasn't transmigrated into a game, but was a person leaking the developer’s internal secrets for some reason.
-(Reinhardt): I'm telling you again, this isn't a concept. I was really dragged into the game, and I'm in a situation where I could die at any moment.
-(Aslan): Sir
-(Reinhardt): I'm already stressed out with so many things to worry about, so don't provoke me for no reason. Let's talk again when you're ready to start with that premise.
-(Aslan): Are you saying you're in the game, sir?
-(Reinhardt): Yes
“Yeah, go ahead and sue me. I’d rather be thrown in a real-world prison. At least I wouldn’t have to worry about dying there.”
In this world, every element around him was a threat.
Warlocks would pop up and blow people up, and magical beasts would pop up and tear people apart with sharp claws.
That wasn't all.
It was commonplace to die screaming after being stabbed by a cheap petty thief, and if you got into a fight in a tavern, it was a world where people drew knives first.
‘And in a little while, demons will start popping up too.’
And the biggest threat was the demons.
Even if he could protect himself from minor threats, if the entire world was destroyed, there would be nowhere to hide.
“I’m already in a foul mood. I wish they would just sue me like they said. Then who knows?
Maybe they could actually find… no. Wait a minute.”
Reinhardt stared blankly into the air for a moment before muttering.
“Then I just have to let them find me. In the real world.”
It was truly a brilliant idea.
Reinhardt hurriedly typed a comment.
-(Reinhardt): I used to live in Ui-dong, Gangbuk-gu. I’ll give you my address and personal info, so go and check. See what happened to me. And if possible, please get me out of here.
If they wanted to find him, he would help them find him.
Reinhardt left his real name and address in the comment.
He held onto the hope that, unlike anyone else, a developer from the company might actually go there.
And just as he was about to write more.
“Piiit!”
Bitdori was flying towards him from high in the air.
Seeing it fly with such ferocious momentum, it was clear it had found something significant.
-(Reinhardt): Bitdori just came back, so I have to go. I'll check later, so either reply here or make a new post. I'll find it on my own.
As he left the last comment, Reinhardt returned to reality.
Meaning he had become Knight Reinhardt again.
“Pit! Piiit! Pipit! Piiiiiit!”
Bitdori’s cries were urgent.
“Calm down. First, calm down, and a little more calmly.”
The creature was in a state of high excitement.
That meant the opponent was not an ordinary warlock.
“Pit, pii.”
“So you found something. A bad guy.”
[Injustice has been detected.]
[Buff Applied: Justice x1]
Along with the expression ‘bad guy’, a familiar message popped up.
Bitdori’s gestures continued.
“Pit. Piiiii-pit.”
“Not just a bad guy, but a very bad guy.”
“Pii-piiit.”
“And it’s not just one, but several, and one of them is very evil.”
“Pit.”
[Injustice has been detected.]
[Buff Applied: Justice x2]
A message appearing.
And then frantic gestures.
Utilizing all the experience he had gained with Bitdori so far, Reinhardt once again grasped the message instantly.
“…They’re coming this way? With magical beasts?”
“Pit.”
[Injustice has been detected.]
*A wicked being is after your life. Repel it.
[Buff Applied: Justice x3]
SHING.
Reinhardt drew the Master’s Masterpiece.
Their target was not Serigel, but Reinhardt himself.
***
The Agrios Order had finally made its decision.
“We will drive out the light.”
The long time they had spent hiding in the shadows was now a thing of the past.
The Demon Order.
Those who worshiped demons had silently endured their sorrow.
They averted their eyes and pretended not to see when a comrade died before them, and filled their stomachs with garbage-like food in damp, dark places.
“Knight Reinhardt’s head will be the beacon that announces our existence. We will make it so there is no one who does not know the name of Agrios.”
The warlocks of Agrios.
To use their own expression, the clerics of the Agrios Order.
Archbishop Ritney declared to the priests under his command.
“It must be the first time you are seeing each other’s faces. Memorize them well. From now on, we will be moving together.”
“Yes, Archbishop!”
“Ah, finally…!”
The priests of the Demon Order do not know each other’s faces.
There is only one person they know within the order.
Their direct superior who gives them orders.
That superior was Archbishop Ritney.
He was a man who could receive Agrios’s orders directly and could command as many as five priests.
Archbishop Ritney personally directed the operation.
He used a magical beast to destroy the Taton Knights’ training ground and lured Knight Reinhardt out of the city.
And he left a trail.
So that Reinhardt would not return but remain here alone.
“Now is the time.”
When the time was right.
Archbishop Ritney led the pack of tamed magical beasts.
Sitting on the head of the most ferocious of them, he held his head high and commanded.
“Bring terror to the weak humans.”
RUMBLE!
The army of magical beasts charged fiercely across the wilderness.
The five priests were with them.
With this much force, they could conquer even Serigel in a single blow.
Archbishop Ritney smiled as he imagined the situation that was about to unfold.
To defeat the knight who was practically a symbol of the east. With that, he would announce that the Demon Order had begun to move in earnest.
Agrios would be pleased.
The reward for that satisfaction would lift Ritney to an even higher place.
“Oh, Agrios, you shall soon have what you desire—Ugh!”
Something struck Ritney.
He instinctively raised his magical energy to block it, but it was not enough.
His body was flung into the air.
And then.
“Ah.”
Ritney was falling.
From atop the head of the giant magical beast, to the ground.
In his eyes, the world appeared upside down.
Even the sight of the massive pack of magical beasts charging with lost reason was so.
THUD. CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
Ritney was crushed.
He was trampled by the pack of magical beasts he commanded and buried deep in the ground.
Now what remained were five priests.
And countless magical beasts.