The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

“Immediately enact emergency mobilization orders and inspect the defensive lines!”

“Yes, master!”

Tadadadak.

The meeting room in Calix Castle. Though no immediate war was brewing, everyone was bustling with activity.

“Lords are constantly inquiring if it’s true that player support will be cut off. Many are complaining about the difficulty of mobilizing troops immediately.”

Upon hearing the report, Raul frowned slightly.

“Make it clear to them. They must expand their forces to protect their territories within two months!”

“Understood. I’ll deliver a stern warning!”

There’s a saying that continued kindness is mistaken for entitlement. Raul’s extra attention to neighboring lords had indeed been an act of kindness.

‘They don’t even pay taxes to me, so…’

Though it might sound harsh, Raul had his hands full reorganizing the First Knight Order’s domain.

“What’s the reaction from the kingdoms?”

“The kingdoms seem largely indifferent. They’re actually mobilizing their forces as if they had been waiting for this. They may even think it’s a good thing.”

“Well, of course. It’s a chance to regain the influence they lost after the shift in royal power.”

Though Raul spoke calmly, he couldn’t help but feel a tinge of bitterness. First Knight Order and the Purple Association had been dispatching players to various territories.

Naturally, this meant First Knight Order’s influence spread throughout Connect, making even the kingdoms mindful.

‘But this was bound to happen eventually.’

The player’s primary arena was shifting to the Forbidden Zones. A land of opportunity with minimal existing influence from Connect, allowing players to grow their power.

Ultimately, each territory would have to manage their dungeons and gates with their own strength.

‘Still, I didn’t expect things to escalate this quickly.’

The shortfall in troops would eventually be filled by the royal families. The kings would extend their influence over the local lords and try to restore their prestige as before.

But honestly, this didn’t matter much to Raul. Regardless of the kingdom’s maneuvers, first Guild and its territories had already established their independent power base.

Even if players, who formed a substantial part of that power, might disappear.

‘They were becoming quite burdensome, anyway.’

The players were growing at an incredible speed. And their numbers had surpassed 200 million. No matter how large the population or vast the lands of Connect were, absorbing a sudden influx of over 200 million armed individuals was no easy feat.

It was no coincidence that Raul had pushed players into the Forbidden Zones and deployed them on the front lines against the Empire. The problem was that it was difficult to predict how players would respond to the recent Connect announcement.

With a heavy heart, Raul reopened the announcement.

—

Notice

We thank all players for using Connect. The open beta service of the Connect system will end in 70 days.

The “Scenario: Coexistence or XX” will conclude with the end of the open beta service.

With the end of the open beta, connect will begin its official service. All players must choose whether to disconnect from Connect or to continue with the official service before the end of the open beta.

Players who choose the official service will be integrated as full residents of Connect, cutting all ties with Earth. Official service players will inherit their characters (avatars) and continue their new lives in Connect.

Players who choose to disconnect will no longer be able to access Connect.

However, as a token of appreciation for participating in the open beta, part of their character’s abilities will be transferred to their physical bodies on Earth.

Once again, we thank all players for using the Connect system. We wish both Earth and Connect a blessed future.

—

Connect’s intention was clear.

Earth or Connect.

Players had to choose one.

Under normal circumstances, the choice might have been straightforward.

‘They must have planned this from the very beginning.’

Raul turned his head with a weary expression. The current state of Earth was displayed on the magic screen.

“The second gate wave has just begun!”

Another wave of monsters was pouring onto Earth.

*

Crash, thud!

“Jaehyun, no!”

“You idiot, come back!”

Muwooo!

Blood. Blood. Blood.

Blood was everywhere.

This time, they thought it would be different. They had thoroughly prepared the defensive lines and assembled an awakened unit, fully geared up.

But in the face of overwhelming violence, modern weapons and inexperienced awakened individuals were powerless.

Thud. Thud.

A giant, five-meter-tall, bull-headed monster. The Minotaurus, known as the Lord of the Labyrinth, was wildly swinging its massive axe, destroying everything in its path.

Thud.

Even rankers who prided themselves in the top 10,000 in Connect couldn’t withstand a single blow from the beast’s axe.

‘Damn it, we could handle this thing easily inside Connect!’

But what good is that?

They were utterly powerless against the monster right before them. Just then, an urgent command came through the team’s earpieces.

「All units, retreat! Abandon the B-Grade gate. I repeat, all units, retreat immediately! Get out of there now!」

Gritting their teeth, the awakened turned and started fleeing in all directions.

“Groar?”

The Minotaurus, surprised by their sudden retreat, cocked its head momentarily. Its eyes suddenly turned blood-red.

Roar!

Crack, snap.

Thinking its prey was escaping, its muscles swelled as the enraged Minotaurus charged at the fleeing awakened individuals, roaring.

“Aaaah! Help me!”

An awakened who didn’t escape in time was caught by the Minotaurus and screamed.

Crunch.

But he soon disappeared into the creature’s maw.

“Damn it. Where are the real rankers when you need them!”

“Run! We can’t handle this!”

“Ahh, why is it coming this way?”

Just as another casualty seemed inevitable.

Slice, splat!

The Minotaurus’s outstretched hand was suddenly slashed, scattering blood.

“Retreat quickly. I’ll handle this.”

“Ah, thank you!”

Ilwoo had appeared, already covered in blood from a previous battle.

Whiz! Bang!

Boom.

Ilwoo deftly dodged the Minotaurus’s enraged axe swings, which ended up demolishing an innocent shopping center.

“Stupid bull-headed beast. Let’s see how tough you really are!”

Ilwoo leapt between building walls, several meters high, cutting bloodlines across the Minotaurus’s body. His movements were so swift that the Minotaurus’s axe continued to meet only empty air.

But Ilwoo’s expression was grim.

‘It’s not deep enough. Am I still not strong enough?’

As the gate wave hit, the power of Ilwoo and other awakened individuals had dramatically increased. Thanks to this, they could now fully utilize mana blades, but just that wasn’t enough to take on a B-Grade gate guardian.

As proof of its invulnerability, the wounds that Ilwoo had inflicted on the Minotaurus healed almost instantly, and the monster’s movements became faster and more furious.

Whoosh.

Ilwoo narrowly dodged the accelerated axe swing and attempted to maneuver away.

Thump!

“Kuhk.”

Crash! Thump! Thump! Crack.

Dropping its axe, the Minotaurus’s palms struck Ilwoo fiercely. Next, the brute continued its ruthless pounding on Ilwoo’s fallen body.

“Roar!”

Seeing only blood on the ground, the Minotaurus let out a victorious howl. After surveying the area for other prey and finding none, it seemed to lose interest and turned back toward the gate.

It then smashed through a large shopping mall building with its axe and entered it.

“Are you okay?”

“Hah, hah.”

Ilwoo, drenched in cold sweat, was showered with healing spells and skills. The recoil from the annihilation of a clone that replicated his abilities was not mild. Barely catching his breath, Ilwoo brushed his chest.

‘It’s a good thing it was so dull.’

Had it been one of those monsters with keen senses, Ilwoo’s true body, hiding nearby, might have been discovered. Thanks to his disguise, the deployed awakened forces and the military units were able to retreat safely.

“What’s the situation?”

“It’s not different from here. Looks like we’re still not ready for B-Grade gates…”

The faces of the gathered rankers darkened. They had managed to handle up to C-Grade gates without significant damage.

Even when normal monsters emerged from the B-Grade gates, they thought this wave could be sufficiently contained.

Thus, the rankers had left to handle gates of C-Grade and below when the B-Grade gate guardians appeared. These were now an unmanageable disaster.

Humanity lost half of its major cities to monsters just in the second wave.

“The casualties are definitely lower compared to the first wave. But the real damage is…”

The world map spread across the magic screen. Dozens of red circles were marked variously across it. These were the territories seized by monsters during this wave.

‘The area covered isn’t massive, but…’

Their placement was strategic. Dots planted right in the middle of each country’s major cities meant the cities could no longer function properly.

How many could eat and sleep peacefully with an uncontrollable beast just a few hundred meters away?

Thanks to gates primarily appearing in densely populated areas, rural and industrial zones remained relatively untouched. But how long that would last, no one could say.

“The good news is that awakened individuals are growing and awakening even faster. Likely due to the increased mana from the gate waves. While we can’t handle B-Grade gate guardians now, we should be able to soon.”

Kane offered a positive outlook, but the expressions around the meeting table remained grim.

Ilwoo sighed heavily.

“Sigh, that’s if the next wave doesn’t hit before then. We needed to awaken our powers faster.”

As he spoke in self-reproach, Raul patted his shoulder in comfort.

“You’ve done enough. If it weren’t for people like you, earth might already be overrun by monsters.”

It wasn’t an empty compliment. The number of remaining gates on Earth was minimal. Except for Africa, where transportation had ceased post-gate appearance, lower-tier gates on other continents had already been eradicated.

Gate assault teams, led by the Purple Guild, had systematically cleared lower-grade gates. As a result, excluding Africa, only about a hundred C-Grade gates and thirty B-Grade gates remained.

The problem was their location—right in the heart of major cities.

“Let’s not be too pessimistic. The governments are still functioning, and key production facilities worldwide are operational. Let’s focus on what we can do now.”

With that, the meeting concluded, and Raul called out to Ilwoo as he was about to leave.

“Let’s talk for a minute.”

After relocating, Raul got straight to the point.

“What are you planning to do?”

“About what?”

“The official service of Connect.”

“…”

Ilwoo’s face was etched with conflict.

Raul spoke cautiously again.

“If you’re worried about life here, you don’t have to be. Regardless of what happens to the Connect system, I have no intention of stopping the support. I plan to establish an autonomous region in the Forbidden Zones for those who choose to stay. You can’t expect Earthlings to follow medieval kingdom rules. And…”

Raul looked directly into Ilwoo’s eyes.

“You’re a crucial part of this world now, whether it’s in Connect or on Earth. Your accomplishments and efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, and they never will. We’re offering the best of both worlds—the opportunity to continue your journey in Connect while ensuring that your contributions here are supported and valued.”

Ilwoo swallowed hard, clearly processing Raul’s words.

“There’s time left before the decision must be made. Think it through—whether you choose Earth or Connect, remember that your role is paramount in either scenario. Your leadership and strength are needed in Earth, just as much as in Connect.”

Ilwoo nodded, deep in thought, appreciating Raul’s support and the weight of the decision he had to make.

“I want you to take on that responsibility. You’re the one I trust the most, and you’ve already proven yourself more than capable. What do you think?”

“I…”

Ilwoo hesitated, unable to answer immediately.

“I’m not asking for an immediate decision, nor am I pressuring you to take the role. Just remember, we don’t have much time left.”

“Sigh, okay. I’ll think it over thoroughly and make a decision.”

As Ilwoo left the room with a troubled expression, Raul bit his lip slightly, watching him go.

If it were him, what choice would he make?

Raul’s heart felt equally heavy.

(To be continued)

TL’s Corner:
Damn, players need to choose, Earth or Connect?
Either way, it would be a hard decision.