Chapter 126 – White Knight (1)
Ian disconnected.
It felt like he had been away on a long trip. It was very strange for him to transition from Crockta, the oversized orc warrior, back into Ian’s slim body. He checked his watch and saw that it was still was early in the morning.
The adventures he had in Elder Lord went through his head.
A dream. No, it was all true.
Ian fell onto his bed with a smile. He was tired. He risked his life and wielded his greatsword on the bloody battlefield. He had ended the connection and came from such a harsh place to a tranquil house.
He hugged a blanket and closed his eyes as his body sank onto the bed. As he closed his eyes, the landscape of the desolate north stretched out again in the darkness.
The texture of the hair on Calmahart’s head as Crockta’s greatsword pierced his neck was clear. The orc warriors filling the plains. They fell to their knees. They acknowledged him as the great chieftain.
His greatsword.
It was everything. He saved the city and the north while holding Ogre Slayer that fit in his grasp. According to his will, the orcs abandoned their weapons, resulting in the end of the war.
The world of Elder Lord was so clear that all types of things were mixed together, making it difficult to distinguish reality. Compared to the old battlefields where good and evil couldn’t be discerned, the struggles of Elder Lord were definitely worth fighting for.
His consciousness fell as he lay on the bed. He lost consciousness as he went into a deep sleep.
In the dream, he wasn’t Ian but the orc Crockta. In it, he returned to Orcrox and was drinking with the orc warriors. The warrior’s song was exciting.
***
He opened his eyes. A sound was heard outside. It was the sound of the television. Ian rubbed his eyes as he exited and saw Yiyu watching television on the couch.
She glanced at Ian and said, “It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve last seen Oppa.”
“I see you everyday.”
“You’ve been busy playing the game recently.”
“That…I was.”
Ian nodded.
It was still morning. She only sent him a disgruntled expression and asked, “Do you want something to eat?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“I’ll take care of it.”
It might be because Yiyu was younger, but it was clear what her intentions were. Ian smiled and headed into the kitchen. When he returned to Korea, he had thought about setting up a restaurant before a cafe. He didn’t cook well, but serving good food to others seemed like a good life.
The happiest time after finishing his assignments was washing up and then sharing delicious food with his companions, so he hoped that such a scene would become his routine. Of course, in the end, he chose to run the more casual and tranquil café. However, he regretted not going to a cooking school in those days.
“Huhu, I will take care of this…”
It was the sound of a confident chef. A chef’s pride! A chef couldn’t retreat here. Ian imagined the best food he could cook. Soon after, Ian received the fruits of his pride.
“Hello.”
“Yes. Here it is.”
“This is the cash. Yes. Thank you. Work hard now.”
“Yes. Please enjoy.”
The chicken arrived. Of course, Yiyu felt admiration.
“Eating fried chicken in the morning?”
“Just eat.”
The two of them ate the chicken side-by-side in the morning. Right now, it was summer. The morning sun shone through the window. Yiyu put a chicken leg straight into her mouth and suddenly said, “Oppa.”
“Yes.”
“I failed my test.”
“Really?”
Ian glanced over at the television. He couldn’t hear much because the sound was lowered, but it was a story about Elder Lord. This world was currently in the era of Elder Lord. Ian bit a piece of chicken and looked at Yiyu again.
“Aren’t you mad?”
“Why should I be mad?”
“You should be angry that your little sister ruined her grades, despite paying for the expensive tuition!” She exclaimed while chewing on the lean meat.
Ian agreed. “I understand. Come to think of it, I am angry. For the time being, no more pocket money…”
“Wait a minute.” Yiyu hurriedly shook her head as she said, “No, I don’t think there is a need for Oppa to be angry. Yes. Don’t think about my grades.”
“I’m going to get angry.”
“Don’t be angry!”
“The one who farted is angry…”
“I didn’t fart.”
Ian smiled at Yiyu. Within a short period of time, Yiyu held her bloated belly and leaned back against the couch. “What happens if I can’t get a job due to my grades?”
“Work in the café.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“You already have Yeori unni.”
“I thought you liked Yeori.”
“Yes, but she is the real manager. It might be uncomfortable if the Boss’ sister gets in through connections. Right now, there are enough employees.”
“Then I’ll give you a new café.”
“Wow.” Yiyu narrowed her eyes. “Do you have a lot of money?”
Ian was watching the television while listening to her.
It was about the rankings in Elder Lord. Recently, the rankings in Elder Lord had changed rapidly. New strong players appeared and existing rankers fell. At the heart of the rankings were three users.
The master of the Heaven and Earth, Korea’s highest ranking clan, ‘Rommel’, Choi Hansung. The one who used his experience in past online classic games to break through dungeons, ‘Pathfinder’ Gunnar.
And someone else.
“Is Oppa listening to me?”
“C-Cough…”
“Uh, are you okay? Do you want some coke?”
A mysterious user who didn’t reveal any information. For convenience, users gave him the nickname of Mystery. The only thing public was his level and achievement points.
In Elder Lord, ranks were determined by achievement points. Choi Hansung was ranked No.1 while Gunnar was No.2. Choi Hansung accomplished untouchable achievements through war while Gunnar was recognized as the best adventurer on the continent by NPCs for his work in dungeons.
However, the level was different. The No.3 Mystery was level 117. It was the highest level so far. It was an overwhelming number, considering that Choi Hansung was level 95 while Gunnar was level 92.
Achievement points were combined with other things to calculate the level, and this was the highest level in Elder Lord. Fearsome skill levels! The class was unknown, but if it was a combat class, this person would be the strongest when it came to fighting.
And that person called Mystery. It was Ian. After killing Calmahart and placating the north, he had reached 117 in level. His achievement points were the same.
Ian looked away from the television towards Yiyu. She was tilting her head with a dark expression.
“Anyway, because of the test…”
“It will be okay.” Ian shook his head and said. “Just learn good management. If you can’t get a job then I’ll give you a store, so just learn how to run it well.”
The last ranker’s settlement money was a huge number. In addition, the ranker’s settlement increased exponentially the closer to the top a user was. The figure this time would probably be more than he could imagine. It felt like he had gone back to the days when he risked his life on the battlefield to earn some money.
“Hrmm…” Yiyu narrowed her eyes. “I think you have some money, Oppa.”
“Yes, the situation is like this, so please don’t worry.”
“Uhh…Oppa, I must’ve done something good in my past life.” She smiled and said, “I can live a really cheeky life because I have Oppa.”
It was a bright face that resembled his mother’s. No, his father.
In his memory, he recalled Yiyu’s childhood face as she kept on crying. She couldn’t accept their parents’ death so she kept crying at the funeral home. She then cried when she was separated from Ian and left with their relatives.
His father’s words were still clear in his mind,
‘Mother and Father are busy, so you have to protect your little sister.’
‘A brother and sister should have a closer relationship with each other than with their parents. You have to depend on each other until you die. It is the deepest family connection. So…’
‘You must protect Yiyu.’
‘I believe in you.’
Yes, it was his mission.
Ian smiled as he looked at Yiyu.
“So be good to me.”
“Am I not being good to you right now?”
“Very.”
***
“Umm…”
Ji Hayeon frowned.
As a favor to Ian, she was investigating Elder Lord. But it was an unknown territory that she couldn’t reach. Everything was confidential. Ji Eunchul, her father, and several key figures in Elder Saga Corporation were able to view the information.
However, there was something she could see. The man called Yoo Jaehan. The father of Elder Lord. He made everything. The core system called Albino was his work. But he disappeared at some point. He might’ve died, or maybe he was a madman, floating around the world somewhere. Since the launch of Elder Lord, no one had seen him.
There was also a researcher named Park Jujin, but his location and the research institute that contained Albino was unknown.
“At this point, I am curious as well.”
The secretary who always followed her shrugged and said, “There must be a reason for the chairman not letting you know. What will you do now?”
“I’m curious.”
“It is just a game.”
“But this game is sweeping the world.”
The whole world was linked to Elder Lord. The developed and not so developed countries, everybody who could afford the access capsules was within Elder Lord. What if there was a conspiracy involving it? The world was under its influence.
“Here, this is the last one.” The secretary handed Ji Hayeon some documents. It wasn’t that thick. However, the title and author were strange. It was a thesis.
“What is this?”
“I’m not sure. It doesn’t belong to Yoo Jaehan but the man who was with him. It was one of the things Yoo Jaehan left behind in his office, so it seemed useless.”
She roughly scanned it. There were all types of formulas and terms that she couldn’t understand, so she closed it immediately. Then she looked at the secretary for an explanation, who shrugged and said, “The assistant who followed Yoo Jaehan around. A disciple? Well, he was the one who wrote this.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. The title and author are here.”
She saw it. It was the first time she properly saw the author’s name.
“A foreigner?”
“Yes.”
Gordon Calamity. It wasn’t a famous name.
“Where is this person right now?”
“Missing.”
“Huh?”
“This man disappeared before Yoo Jaehan. Nobody knows where that person is.”
“He is odd just like Yoo Jaehan.” Ji Hayeon shrugged. “Anyway, please continue to investigate. This is a top priority.”
“I understand.”
“In particular, contact me if you find Yoo Jaehan. There seems to be something about Elder Lord.”
“Yes.”
The secretary bowed and left the room.
Ji Hayeon once again looked at the papers. It was still unknown. She was unable to understand her interest in this. Who would write such a thesis? She couldn’t understand the contents, but she could see that he really wanted to send a message to people. It was a subject of science that nobody cared about these days.
So why did he follow someone like Yoo Jaehan?
“Can entropy be reversed? I don’t know.”
***
Baek Hanho frowned. He had been preparing carefully. He looked forward to the upcoming war.
–The orc Crockta, who once surprised the users, is back!
–Yes. Everyone was surprised by the sudden system messages. Orc Warrior Crockta is said to have ended the war by defeating the mad chieftain, Calmahart. It is almost certainly the righteous orc, Crockta. The last place where Crockta was heading was the north.
–The members of Crockta’s fan club ‘He’s an Orc, yet still Praiseworthy’ are increasing again. Not only that, the members of ‘Rehabilitation Brothers’, who were inspired by Crockta, are celebrating this news.
–Will he return to the continent?
–Let’s see. I don’t know. NPCs’ minds are known only to NPCs. However, it is my personal hope that the orc once again spreads the message of hope to people in Elder Lord.
–Ah, is Yoojung a member of He’s an Orc, yet still Praiseworthy?
–Hahaha. Not yet, but I want to join!
However, that guy called Crockta prevented it. Before Baek Hanho could even start!
“Euh…”
Baek Hanho sat in the manager’s office and roughly turned off the television before leaving his office. The gym staff members bowed to him. He raised his head and stood in front of a sandbag. The employees were troubled by Baek Hanho’s anger. Baek Hanho punched the sandbag, which flew into the air.
“That Crockta…!”
He wanted to beat that Calmahart with his power, but someone had already done it. Moreover, he didn’t like the title of Righteous Orc. Because…
“I have to meet him in person once!”
The title of ‘justice’ belonged to him in Elder Lord, Baek Hanho, also known as, ‘White Knight Andre’!