NOVEL NEXT 29. Arcana Online
29. Arcana Online
[CHAPTER 2: Protect the commercial city of Thalassa.]
[Time remaining until invasion begins: 71 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
Only a few days left until the invasion.
What should I do in the meantime?
"Yong-yong, is there anything you want to do?"
"Kyuung!"
Our Yong-yong says it's happy just being with me and doesn't want anything more.
Isn't that too cute!?
As I hand over a magic stone and stroke its head, for a moment its expression seemed to say 'according to plan' with an evil look, but did I see wrong?
On the way to a nearby hunting ground, taking Yong-yong out of the village.
"Kyuung."
"Hm? Be careful, you say?"
Suddenly, looking in the direction Yong-yong pointed, two young girls appeared and knelt on one knee as soon as our eyes met.
"We greet the benefactor."
"We greet the benefactor."
Young girls kneeling and calling me benefactor.
"W-wait a moment!? Who are you!?"
As I was flustered, the two girls got up and introduced themselves as Rin and Rang.
I closed my eyes for a moment due to a strong wind, and when I opened them, the young girls were gone and two similar-looking women had appeared.
They had fox ears on their heads and nine tails on their behinds... cosplay?
"I'm the fox that was dying in the village."
"I'm the fox that was dying in the forest."
The fox dying in the village and the fox dying in the forest...?
Then I remembered.
One fox I met while moving to the Village of Iron and another fox I met in the city.
"Ah! I remember! Those foxes from back then!?"
"That's right, benefactor."
"Really. You're only remembering now?"
In an instant, one woman's fist flew and hit the other woman's head, and with a scream, she sat down.
"What kind of language is that to use with the benefactor."
"S-sister!? We're in front of the benefactor! No violence!!"
While watching the foxes' comedy routine, I became curious about something.
"Why have you come to find me?"
The fox presumed to be the older sister, who was grabbing her younger sister's collar, let go and looked at me.
"We came to greet the benefactor and make a request."
"Help our clan! No, please help us!"
As they explained their situation...
After hearing the foxes' story, I fell into thought.
My first red flag. No, revolution. No, anyway! It's about saving monsters in distress.
The answer is already decided.
"Don't worry, I'll help you."
"Thank you, benefactor!"
The two foxes bowed their heads to me as they spoke, and it was quite burdensome.
I told them I wouldn't help if they bowed their heads one more time, and only then did they raise their heads and say they understood.
More importantly, they say the fox village is far from here, but can we make it in time?
"I have to protect the city in a few days, so let's move right away."
Telling me to just trust them, a huge fox suddenly appeared.
I was surprised by its size, even larger than the bear taxi, when my body floated in the air and suddenly I was on the fox's back.
"Is this your first time flying, benefactor?"
"Flying!? I-it is my first time..."
"I will carry you safely."
With each step the fox took, we gradually began to rise into the sky.
It feels like we're walking on clouds, w-what is this!?
The younger fox sister, Rang, hugs me from behind and comforts me as I tremble in fear.
"The benefactor is more timid than I thought?"
"If you speak informally to the benefactor one more time, I won't let it slide."
At the fierce voice of the fox sister, Rin, Rang flinches and hides behind my back.
Perhaps the tension was eased by the two sisters' comedy routine.
Looking down at the ground from high in the sky, I saw a beautiful landscape.
Have I ever looked down at the earth from the sky before?
It's my first time.
Flying through the sky feeling the wind, we soon arrived at the fox village.
After landing on the ground and being lowered by magic, I looked around and saw a small village.
One by one, foxes revealed themselves.
Among them, a fox that looked quite elderly approached me.
"Benefactor. I am the chief of the Silver Fox Clan."
"Hello. I'm Yuna!"
After greeting the fox who introduced himself as the chief, we went straight to the main point.
"If you share your power with us, the Silver Fox Clan will serve the benefactor for a lifetime."
"Hmm."
The moment I thought about it, they tensed up.
"I refuse."
"W-why!?"
The fox sisters were also surprised to hear my words.
They looked at me with bewildered faces.
"I'm not helping the Silver Fox Clan expecting anything in return. So I'll just help you."
"......"
A moment of silence.
The Silver Fox Clan said nothing.
I took out numerous magic stones from my inventory and handed them out one by one to the foxes.
After consuming the magic stones, the foxes began to grow tails one by one after a short time, until they all transformed into nine-tailed foxes.
The foxes, who were looking at their tails in wonder, one by one transformed into human form.
They changed into handsome men and beautiful women, as expected of foxes.
They're optimized for enchanting humans.
The foxes bowed their heads towards me.
The elder fox approached me.
"Benefactor. Do you know the saying that foxes repay kindness?"
"I've read it in a fairy tale book before."
"Foxes are creatures that must repay kindness as much as they receive. If we don't repay it, we can't ascend and become immortals."
As I was flustered by the sight of him kneeling on one knee, all the foxes around also knelt on one knee.
"The Silver Fox Clan will be a strong support for the benefactor."
[You have formed a friendship with the Silver Fox Clan for the first time.]
Gained 100,000 Fame points.
"Even if the path the benefactor walks is thorny, the Silver Fox Clan will walk together."
[You have gained the absolute trust of the Silver Fox Clan.]
Gained 100,000 Fame points.
"The Silver Fox Clan will not spare their lives for the benefactor in any case."
[You have acquired a title.]
Companion of the Silver Fox Clan.
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[Time remaining until invasion begins: 3 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
[Time remaining until invasion begins: 2 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
[Time remaining until invasion begins: 1 hour 59 minutes 59 seconds]
[Time remaining until invasion begins: 0 hours 0 minutes 59 seconds]
[Channels are being integrated due to the main quest.]
As the channels were integrated, numerous players appeared in Thalassa village.
Huge walls were erected around Thalassa village, and a powerful barrier was created by combining the strength of numerous players and NPCs.
A massive spire serves as the core of the barrier, and the magic circle composed of 12 layers boasts such strength that even a dragon couldn't easily break through.
And then the sound of drums.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Players who heard the sound climbed up the walls and looked through telescopes, but their hands lost strength and they couldn't help but drop them.
A player watching from the side asked what was wrong and picked up the telescope to check beyond the horizon.
An army of hundreds of thousands of monsters was marching and approaching Thalassa village.
At that moment, a golden window appeared.
[CHAPTER 2: Protect the commercial city of Thalassa.]
Invasion begins.
As all players were tense, a voice was heard.
"We will protect it! With our strength! Our city!"
One of the top 10 guilds.
Zeus, the guild master of Olympus.
As he shouted with a thunderous voice, numerous players cheered.
One by one, the masters of the top 10 guilds revealed themselves.
Among them, one of the top 10 guilds with the title of "Admiral Yi Sun-sin".
The moment Catlleya, the master of the Frey Guild, raised her twin dragon swords, they couldn't help but cheer again at her voice.
"Activate skill: Certain Death Brings Life, Certain Life Brings Death."
A huge turtle ship appeared in the sky.
Three turtle ships appeared, and as their gun ports opened, the sound of loading could be heard.
With a roar loud enough to cause ringing in the ears, bombs fell on the monster horde far away.
Some monsters died from the explosive power, but the remaining monsters began to charge at higher speeds.
To stop the army of hundreds of thousands of monsters, players capable of ranged attacks unleashed their strongest skills, but the number of monsters was so great that they kept pouring in endlessly.
As they began to reach near the walls and the tension rose, the leader of the Holy Knight Order, one of the top 10 guilds, shouted.
"Draw swords!"
The knights drew their swords and prepared.