Chapter 272
1.
A Hidden Raid Boss—especially a Unique-ranked boss—wasn’t just rare, it was something players might never encounter in their entire time playing the game.
The Wraith Knight of Darkness, Reiak, was exactly that kind of boss.
Undoubtedly powerful enough that most teams wouldn’t even consider attempting it.
And yet, even those slightly underpowered teams were heading toward the Wraith Knight of Darkness, Reiak.
To die on purpose?
Of course not.
‘There’s definitely at least one of the Big Four trying to take it down.’
‘We’ll backstab them.’
‘The odds aren’t bad.’
Either way, at this rate, one of those four would steal the win.
No one had the confidence to defeat all four and take first place.
But there were rewards for second and third place, too.
If they could at least cut down one contender in this survival round...
If one more got eliminated during the tournament phase...
Wouldn’t that be enough to snag third place by default?
They were entertaining such ridiculous thoughts.
Of course, even the stronger teams might be thinking along the same lines.
Still, trying ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) wasn’t necessarily a bad idea.
The Forbiddenz, the Featherwing Knights, and the magicians of the Cerulean Tower—
Even if team 133 was a mystery, those three had surely faced Unique Hidden Raid Bosses at least once before.
It was worth a try, after all.
[Ahhhh!!! Multiple teams are gathering around Reiak!!! No matter how you look at it, they’re trying to sneak in for the kill—will that tactic actually work!?]
The broadcast spirit shouted as it picked up on their intentions.
Viewers watching typed into the chat, laughing and mocking them.
-LMAO do they think the Big Four are idiots?
-Why don’t they consider that the Big Four could be thinking the exact same thing?
-Dumb af;;; actually dumb.
-They’re blinded by greed, that’s all.
-Just a little deeper and they’ll find diamonds~ LOL
Everyone typed what they wanted, but—
Truthfully, it wasn’t such a terrible idea.
There might be a team factoring that in, planning to slay Reiak regardless.
If even a minor misstep happened during the process?
They’d be devoured instantly.
Just thinking about who’d get snatched up kept them circling nearby for a while.
The Wraith Knight of Darkness, Reiak, had manifested here by tearing through space and stood silently at the center of the jungle.
In a radius quite far from him, multiple teams were lying in wait, observing.
‘If there’s even the slightest opening, I’ll devour them immediately.’
‘We’ll definitely reduce the number of Big Four contenders.’
‘Come on. Come, please.’
Among those mixed in, of course, was the Featherwing Knights—blending in so well that no one noticed.
Their objective was the same as everyone else’s.
Jaya, who had ordered them to standby, was also prowling the area and keeping watch.
At the same time—
“How many’ve you got?”
Jaya asked, and two voices answered simultaneously.
[Ired—I’ve got two.]
[Beltaine—I’m holding two as well.]
If things started getting weird, they’d kill them immediately to end the survival round—meaning they’d each captured two players from other teams.
Only four remained.
It was the perfect number.
Jaya nodded and scanned the surroundings.
Preparing to act immediately if things went sideways.
‘I can solo it.’
A Unique-ranked Hidden Raid Boss?
Even without Keron, Jaya could take it down alone if she unleashed her demonic energy.
Of course, that would likely trigger a massacre around her.
But she had insurance for that.
However—
‘The moment I release my demonic energy, there’s a real chance everyone swarms in like rabid dogs.’
That was why she didn’t make a move yet.
Someone else might take the first swing.
And a hunter needed patience.
In that regard, Jaya was an outstanding hunter.
She knew how to wait, how to hold back until the moment someone took the bait.
As expected—
‘The Knights are nearby too.’
They weren’t visible, but—
She could tell.
The broadcast spirit wasn’t talking about them from anywhere else.
It was obvious they were hiding somewhere in this area.
Then, at that very moment—
The broadcast spirit shrieked in excitement.
[Ahhhh!!! A team has made the first move!!! Team 133!!! They’re charging straight at Reiak!!! They were the team whose count had suddenly stopped decreasing—can they really defeat Reiak before anything happens???]
Jaya and Gam widened their eyes in surprise.
No one expected them to be the first to move.
Alright then. Let’s see what they’ve got.
They decided to simply watch.
Up until now, only the elf swordsman’s skills had been visible.
The others had stepped up appropriately after Keron’s death, but—
They’d only revealed fragments of their abilities, making it impossible to know what they were truly capable of.
Still, one of them definitely used violet flames.
A flame-type caster had good synergy against undead.
They might even end things with minimal effort.
Even so, it would clearly take some time.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Watching team 133 charge in, Gam and Jaya stared toward Reiak, biding their time.
Waiting for a single opening to pounce.
And then—
[Ah? W-what is this? In front of Reiak—Team 133! Only one of them steps forward!!!]
“Hmph.”
“Smart move.”
Jaya and Gam exhaled quietly in separate places.
It was quite clever.
One person would engage, while the others would remain alert and guard the surroundings.
But it actually worked out fine.
There were far more of them on this side.
No matter how strong that team was, just three couldn’t hold off all the others.
With that judgment, they all remained in place.
Meanwhile—
Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed clearly, shifting the atmosphere in an instant.
Those who looked ready to lunge any second—
Suddenly held their breath and stared at him.
All he was doing was walking—
Yet for some reason, each step made the very air feel heavier.
The suffocating air made it hard to breathe—
And then, he removed his black robe.
A crown gleaming like black crystal and a black mask appeared.
At the same time—
Tap. Tap.
Again, his footsteps echoed.
The Wraith Knight of Darkness, Reiak, also sensed something unusual and drew his sword—
But at that moment, darkness surged and dyed the ground black.
Jet black?
No, it was even darker. Closer to the abyss.
The entire floor became shadow, and hands of darkness burst forth, binding the limbs of the Wraith Knight of Darkness, Reiak.
Reiak tried to break free, but the darkness soon shed its form and revealed itself—clearly showing the appearance of the dead.
Tens of thousands of hands and corpses filled the area—
As Reiak tried to swing his sword around him—
He couldn’t.
A faint green mist filled the air, and dim flickers of ignition passed by.
But the lights didn’t spread far.
Darkness bloomed like a flower across the blackened earth—
And the darkness that emerged wrapped around the Wraith Knight of Darkness, Reiak.
It swallowed him along with the tens of thousands of corpses.
That encasing darkness looked like an egg.
A pitch-black egg that shut out the world entirely.
A barrier egg that permitted no intrusion.
Even the broadcast spirit, who should have been narrating, fell silent before the myth-like sight.
In that overwhelming spectacle, even the air seemed mute—
And then, something shifted.
Thump—!
Thump——!
Something inside the egg began to stir, as if it were alive.
A powerful tremor rumbled outward.
KUUUGGGGGRRRRR——!!!
The tremors lightly shook the surroundings.
And then—
Craaaaack!!!
The egg split apart, revealing the inside that had been sealed from the world.
In that instant, the figure of Reiak, who just moments ago had stood with a swirling black-blue aura, had vanished completely. In his place stood a Dark Knight, radiating pure darkness and a turquoise glow, emitting a blue aura.
That Dark Knight knelt on one knee before the man wearing the obsidian crown and bowed his head as he solemnly declared:
—I pledge loyalty to my new master.
At the same time, a system message appeared before all the users' eyes:
[Hidden Raid Boss (Unique), 『Wraith Knight of Darkness, Reiak』 has been subjugated.]
[All contribution to the subjugation of the Hidden Raid Boss (Unique), 『Wraith Knight of Darkness, Reiak』 is attributed to a single individual.]
[Rewards will be enhanced.]
[All rewards will be granted to user 『Seong』.]
The moment those messages appeared, everyone froze in place.
That familiar power.
That familiar ability.
And... even that familiar nickname.
Everyone looked at him and trembled uncontrollably.
Especially the Forbiddenz’s leader, Jaya, and the Featherwing Knights’ Gam—they were hit the hardest.
‘The Demon King...’
Jaya scowled, face twisting, biting her lip as she realized many of her plans would need revision.
And—
‘The Overlord...’
Gam wore an equally troubled expression, for the same reason.
Realizing things had gone beyond her reach, she quickly sent a message somewhere.
There was nothing she could do with her own power anymore.
Neither the Forbiddenz nor the Featherwing Knights were planning to give up—
But things had definitely become complicated.
For now, Jaya quickly spoke to her team.
“Kill them.”
[Ired—Okay.]
[Beltaine—This got messy.]
As soon as Jaya gave the order—
Both the broadcast spirit and the viewers were thrown into chaos.
[Ahhhh!!! This is incredible!!! He’s turned Reiak into his subordinate! Completely insane!!! Ahhh, is there anyone who can even dare to challenge this guy!?? Ahh! And just now!!! The number of teams has dropped to 32!!! That concludes the first match. We’ll see you again at the same time tomorrow!!! Thank you!!!]
The match ended, and they returned to the real world—
But Seong and his group were nowhere to be seen.
Even Keron, who had died, was waiting outside, and once the match ended, the Forbiddenz regrouped.
The Featherwing Knights also moved quickly, looking grim as they headed somewhere.
Meanwhile, though the broadcast had ended, viewers stayed behind, chatting amongst themselves.
—The Demon King...???
—???That’s already the seventh city???
—There hadn’t been any news since Apophis, and now he shows up like this...?
—WTF;;;;
—Forbiddenz are screwed;;;
—LOL I’m dying to see how this plays out.
—LMAO Demon King’s gonna stomp everyone lolol.
—Still, it’s kinda exciting.
—Wonder what the Forbiddenz will do??
—Featherwing Knights were looking pissed too.
—LOL same with the mages.
—Must be famous even among the NPCs lolol.
As those kinds of messages filled the chat—
Seong looked troubled as he stared at Reiak, whom he had just turned into one of his soldiers.
—The Lord of the Dead sent me with a message. He wishes for you to visit the Tower, Overlord.
At those loyal words, Seong scratched his head with a troubled expression.
He didn’t really want to go—it reeked of a trap.
[Clue for Hidden Legendary Quest 『The Lord of the Dead’s Traces』 has been completed.]
[Hidden Legendary Quest, 『The Lord of the Dead’s Traces』 has been generated.]
Of all times, the quest had to appear now.
He had no choice.
‘I guess I’m going.’