C238
Until recently, he had been the formidable warrior who single-handedly defeated the second-ranked opponent.
Moreover, he had survived against over ten thousand members of the attack force and had made it this far. If it hadn't been him, probably no one else could have done it.
Level 99.
Somehow, his level had fallen to the digits of a 6-star hero.
That was a good thing, in a way.
"He’s in bad shape."
The vigor once seen in El Cid was no longer there.
His characteristic wolf fur coat was covered in sand and dust, and his body showed wounds in various places. The left side of his face was almost unrecognizable due to the blood that had run down from his forehead. However, the look he gave me was unwavering.
Thud, clunk.
The airship carrying El Cid collided with the barriers of Brynhildr01.
Compared to Brynhildr01, which could compete in height with a 448-meter skyscraper, El Cid's airship was pathetically insignificant.
"It must have been tough."
El Cid jumped over the railing and landed on the deck of Brynhildr01.
He brushed the dust off his clothes and began to walk slowly toward me.
"While I was away, the world has expanded. It has progressed a lot. I never thought there would be so many powerful people capable of crossing swords with my companions. Because of that, I've been left alone again."
El Cid gave a bitter smile.
Then, he lifted the corners of his lips while looking at me.
"You too, friend. That rookie who knew nothing has become the ruler of an entire world."
"Don't come any closer to the Master."
As El Cid approached, a dagger was pointed at his neck.
Behind him, Nisled looked at him with a cold expression.
Not just her.
In the columns of the deck, inside the airship, under the railings, behind the cargo.
They were hidden in every possible place to attack El Cid.
In total, 27 people.
They were master assassins specialized in 'assassination' from Niflheim.
With so many assassins, even a member of Group 1 could be in danger if careless.
"I see."
El Cid's gaze moved quickly, identifying the places where the assassins were hiding.
"They are clearly well-prepared. It would be difficult to kill you here."
"Arrogant."
Nisled's dagger blade pricked his neck, drawing a thin line of blood.
"It's not enough with someone like you."
Movements that seemed like a dance. Nisled, understanding the situation, tensed her right hand.
The coat flapped with the sound of the wind, and Nisled fell to the ground.
"Ugh!"
El Cid now held Nisled's poisoned dagger to her neck, having disarmed his attacker.
"Master, this man is dangerous..."
"No."
Suddenly, El Cid dropped the dagger to the ground.
"I'm tired of killing. I've done it to death. It’s no longer fun."
He stood up from his position.
And began to walk toward me again.
Yurnet intervened without a word.
"It's fine. Nothing will happen."
I also knew, even being only level 50.
He wasn't in a condition to fight properly.
"He is unarmed yet still a threat."
"Don't worry. He won't come that close."
Any problem that arose, Yurnet would handle it.
I took a deep breath before continuing my way.
"I thought you would run away, but you've come. Do you want to die?"
"What a joke. I just wanted to talk to an old friend."
El Cid smiled.
"When were we friends?"
"Then brothers?"
"That sounds even worse."
El Cid and I stopped at the same time.
The distance between us was about 10 meters.
A leap could close the distance quickly.
'...They must be tense.'
I glanced back briefly.
Yurnet, Nisled, and all the heroes present were watching us.
If El Cid tried to draw his sword, they would all pounce on him.
"I thought it was a joke when I heard that you had also fallen here. I couldn't believe that someone who never listened to my words..."
"Who would listen to your words?"
"At least you pretended to listen, didn’t you?"
The crazy question of whether the game characters seemed alive.
Naturally, I thought he was crazy. Still, I stayed by his side for a while.
He knew a lot and played well. There was much to learn from him.
In the early days of Pick Me Up, when players from around the world played on a single server.
Before everyone dispersed to different servers, we exchanged tips and strategies through the game translator. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was the one who built the foundation of all my theories and analyses.
However, no matter how hard I tried, I could never emulate his handling.
I controlled the Lobby with meticulous calculations, but El Cid...
'I didn’t understand it.'
When he wanted to do something, the heroes of Dorado helped him with all their might.
I gave orders to the heroes, but El Cid didn't need to do that.
At first, I thought he was using an illegal program.
It was like magic.
As if he were truly connected with the heroes in the game.
"......"
I glanced back briefly.
Yurnet nodded.
He had used soundproofing magic to ensure our conversation wouldn't leak.
"I don't know your real name. I don’t know what you do on Earth."
"I’ve forgotten too."
El Cid smiled broadly.
I took a deep breath and spoke.
"Leave."
"......"
"If you stay here, you will die. Even if you kill me, it will be the same. The other masters will hunt you to the end of the server."
The first event had been a failure, but Mobius had not yet issued a statement.
They claimed that whoever captured El Cid somewhere in the server could still obtain The Inverted Sky Book.
Of course, I knew that was a lie. If, as Yurnet said, his container was broken, he would have lost his 7-star rating. Capturing him would be useless.
Therefore, El Cid's life no longer had any value.
"You said you could return home. Is it still not possible?"
"Yes, the contract is still in effect."
"Then what are you doing here? If you can't contact her, I can do it for you. I’ll pay off my old debt and maybe buy some time. All this is useless. Forget the nonsense about server 1 and live on Earth. They said they would give you enough money to live your whole life. Don't play this stupid game anymore."
I spoke in a low voice.
"If I break this stupid game, I'll go back to where I used to live."
El Cid slowly looked at Yurnet, Nisled, and the heroes around.
"It seems they follow you."
"They are them, and I am me. I don't belong here."
"Neither do I. Where I should be is..."
El Cid cut off his sentence.
I chuckled.
"Shouldn’t you be on Earth?"
El Cid did not respond.
"Idiot."
"......"
"You’ve done enough. Did your companions grab you by the pants or what? You’ve done enough. If it didn’t work, then the contract is over. You should go back. But if you stay here... are you going to die with them? That bastard is probably waiting for me to kill you. Are you going to play into their hands?"
"Hehe."
El Cid began to laugh.
"That’s what I liked about you, friend. You were always bold since you had nothing. You weren’t like the other players who only received. You caused me trouble every day."
"Don’t change the subject."
"I’ve received too much."
El Cid smiled.
"Our adventure..."
El Cid looked back.
As if he had companions there.
Maybe once it was like that.
Like the forces that followed him in a charge against tens of thousands.
But now, there was nothing behind him.
Only the cold metal of Brynhildr01’s deck.
"Forever."
Click.
El Cid waved his wolf fur coat.
At the same time, he drew two swords from his hands.
"......!"
I raised my hand to stop Nisled, who lunged at him.
Stop sign.
'Tizona and Colada.'
The two swords that symbolized Laskandar El Cid.
Marked by the fierce battle, the blades had cracks and the edges were damaged.
However, they still shone dazzlingly.
Thunk.
El Cid drove the two swords into the deck.
And didn’t move anymore.
"......"
I could understand what that meant.
'He’s gone mad.'
Incomprehensible.
He probably felt the same as I did.
Like when I was thrown into Taonier without understanding anything, he was probably summoned to Dorado without knowing why.
'Have I received much?'
I remembered my first battle.
Blood and sweat, a battlefield full of life and death.
Yes, I received a lot.
Happy memories that I will never forget.
The same after that.
Repeating countless times the experience of almost dying,
Having seen someone I knew covered in blood countless times.
That nightmare was still ongoing.
"Really?"
No answer.
El Cid looked at me with clear gray eyes.
In that look, I realized that we could no longer understand each other.
Woong.
I waved my hand, and the soundproofing magic disappeared with a faint hum.
'What a fool.'
I tried to save him despite the help he had offered me in the past, but he chose his own path.
I don’t easily forget either gratitude or grudges.
But it was all in vain.
Thump.
I turned away, leaving El Cid behind.
There was nothing more I could do.
"Are you aware of... your crimes?"
A voice that seemed to chew on contained fury.
I glanced sideways.
Someone was emerging from the other side of the bridge where El Cid stood.
He wore a uniform with “武” written on his chest.
His sleek black hair was disheveled, and his onyx eyes shone with hatred.
"A shameless and despicable person. You not only killed my fellow disciples and Master Ziheum but also offended and deceived them."
Wiryung slowly drew his sword from its sheath.
The blue steel sword, adorned with beads, glowed in the light.
"All to pave a way... you... you..."
Wiryung had an expression that was not clear whether he was laughing or crying as he pointed his sword at El Cid.
"Among the disciples, there were children who didn’t know how to handle a sword, elders who loved old stories, and a young woman who had promised to marry a young man. Ask for forgiveness. Ask for forgiveness now! Put your head on the ground and ask for forgiveness to those who still cry in their graves!"
"I..."
El Cid laughed.
"I won't apologize."
Wiryung stretched his legs as if moving toward him.
The end came in an instant.
El Cid didn’t let go of the sword driven into the deck, even as the tip of the long sword pierced his heart.
"Go to hell."
Wiryung withdrew the sword.
At the same time, El Cid's head fell.
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