Praise the Orc! - Chapter 217

Chapter 217

Chapter 217 – Tumult (3)

The users remaining in Elder Lord gathered in the safety zone of each city, according to government orders .  The broadcasters who connected reality to Elder Lord became envoys of the government . They received a small reward for cooperating with the government .

At first, there was a lot of confusion . But once the situation settled down, the users showed their usual behavior patterns .  Fortunately, there were many high-level users left, so it was easy to solve the problem of food for survival .

“What are the government people doing?”

“They should do their work properly . But the Elsaco people are worse . Making a game like this…”

A user’s voice trailed off into silence .  The world of Elder Lord was just too realistic .  They had stayed here for so long that they were confused about whether they were playing a game, or if they were really part of this world .

“Aren’t we really NPCs and aren’t the other memories a lie? If our brains…”

This was like an SF novel .

“Anyway, I don’t have to go to work . ”

“Yes . Should we thank the grey god?”

“Stop talking nonsense . We don’t know when this situation will end so saying that…”

“It is a joke . Who would actually think that?”

“Good . I hope everyone feels comfortable . I will go and eat now . ”

“Eat? You’re going to eat at a time like this?”

“We’re not in elementary school… we need to take care of our own food . Don’t worry, I’ll come back . ”

“Are you going alone?”

“I have a brother who is treating me . Ah, is your level low?”

“Well, I am relatively new . ”

There were disputes relating to the levels and assets of Elder Lord .  The low-level users were frightened and stayed in tents while the high-level users continued their activities and enjoyed various luxuries .  In order to control them, the rankers and those connected to reality were busy .

“Shouldn’t we say something?”

“Leave it alone,” Rommel said as he watched the spectacle .  “We can’t control everyone . It will be up to them if there is a problem . ”

The world of Elder Lord was different from reality, as it was a place where they could die from a sword or through an accident .  Now that this situation was happening, the penalty was ‘death’ itself .  He needed to take care of himself .

“What are those outside saying?”

“It is all the same . The experts are analyzing this . I’m tired of them not saying anything . ”

“……”

Rommel felt anxious .  Efforts had been at a standstill for a long time . When thinking of the time difference between the reality and Elder Lord, it had been at least a week .  Nevertheless, there was no news from outside . They repeated the same thing from the beginning until now .

“Let’s go see the mayor again . ”

“Ah, I’ll call a few more people to come along . ”

“It’s okay . I’ll go alone . I can protect my body . There will be no problems . ”

“Will you be okay?”

“Don’t worry . ”

Rommel left the ‘user village’ .  They were trapped here, while the world of Elder Lord was still flowing on . The outside demanded information, so Rommel often left to figure it out .  Rommel, who was famous as a genius leader, was well known among the NPCs and was well suited to collecting information .  Appalachia’s mayor was familiar with Rommel, so after the situation occurred, Rommel often met him in order to talk .

Rommel’s face brightened as he greeted a familiar guard . The mayor welcomed Rommel into the reception room .

“Ohh, Rommel! You came again, it is such a pleasure . What brings you here today?”

“I just wanted to thank you . I really appreciate you arranging a spot for us on the outskirts of the city . Everybody is doing well thanks to you . ”

“Hahaha, it is nothing . This matter involves all those cursed by the stars . In particular, the era now…we should help each other . ” He stroked his mustache and said, “Well, I suppose you are wondering about the grey god . ”

“That isn’t necessarily the case . ”

“Haha, there is no need to act like that . I will tell you that the strongest people are gathered and heading north to stop the grey god . But they are currently experiencing obstacles . ”

“Obstacles…?”

“The demons, whom we thought had disappeared, have revived and are attacking them . Furthermore, they are supported by the power of the grey god, so it will take some time . Well…” The mayor smiled .  “All the gods are with us . There won’t be any problems . ”

‘All the gods teamed up, but they didn’t win against the orcs . ’

Rommel swallowed back his thoughts .  Those powerful orcs were now allies . Furthermore, all of the species from the north and the continent had joined forces with the gods .

“What is the grey god?”

“We don’t know very well . An ancient god who fell due to the gods a long time ago… I don’t know why, but she wants to destroy this world and has somehow appeared again . Hah . ”

This was already known information . It wasn’t just Appalachia . Users gathered in cities like Maillard, Arnin and those in the empire and collected similar information .  If game logic held up, the only way to save themselves was to dispose of the grey god .

If the grey god won, the world would perish and all lives in Elder Lord would be wiped out . The users would also die .  Death in Elder Lord would lead to death in reality .  They had goosebumps thinking about it .  It was a terrible quest .

The distressed Rommel asked, “Then should an army be sent? A great number of orcs and expedition members were wiped out…”

“It is said that the demons can’t be defeated in a conventional manner . Any ordinary people would die straight away, so they would just be a hindrance…”

“Is there no time limit until the grey god destroys the world?”

“I don’t know . It is said that the grey god is gradually using her magic, but I don’t know how long it will take . ”

At that moment .  Something appeared in front of Rommel’s eyes .

A system message .

[The last quest . ]

[The grey god is still alive . The power of the grey god is increasing rapidly . The world is heading towards a new beginning . I am sorry to all of you, but with your sacrifice, the universe can be conceived again . ]

[D-7 until the destruction of the world . ]

[In one week, at sunrise, the world will perish . ]

Rommel was speechless for a moment .  The mayor didn’t know anything and just smiled .

“In any case, don’t worry so much . Isn’t Crockta there?”

***

The dedicated cameraman for Undergames Channel in Elder Lord, Polaroid grabbed his head .  His broadcast program was shown on the Undergames Channel . It was now being used to talk to the government officials .

However, he received a secret proposal not long ago .

「Sanghyun . 」

「If this succeeds, it will be a jackpot . You will sit on a pile of money . 」

「We will deal with any problems . 」

While the government officials were away, the Undergames Channel asked him something .  Go to the north and relay the battle between the gods and the grey god .  Of course, his life would be at risk . However, if successful, the world would be thrilled by the best video . A fight with the lives of everyone in the world on the line .  The expedition battle couldn’t be compared to the ‘true war of the gods . ’

The director tried to convince him by saying it would be the greatest broadcast since ELder Lord began .

「Sanghyun, we have to hurry . Do you think we are the only ones doing this? BJs from other broadcasting networks will be trying to sneak in through the backdoor .  It isn’t known, but I’m sure there are some people who are already going . Don’t you know that BJs aren’t sane? If you don’t go, then you will miss the jackpot . 」

Polaroid closed his eyes .  His life was at stake .  When he was relaying wars, he was caught up in the terrible battle and died several times . At that time, he could be brave then because he wouldn’t receive any penalties when dying .  But now his death meant death in reality; money and fame was worth nothing compared to his life .

He had a wife and child . It was a honeymoon . When his wife had handed him his newborn daughter with a haggard face, he had cried in front of his wife for the first time . It was an overwhelming feeling he had never felt before .

For them, he couldn’t die .

“I’m sorry . I…”

At that moment .

[The last quest . ]

[The grey god is still alive . The power of the grey god is increasing rapidly . The world is heading towards a new beginning . I am sorry to all of you, but with your sacrifice, the universe can be conceived again . ]

[D-7 until the destruction of the world . ]

[In one week, at sunrise, the world will perish . ]

Polaroid froze after reading the system messages .  The director he was talking with also fell silent .  Polaroid was silent for a while .  Some time passed before the director spoke again .

[Sanghyun . I’m sorry to say this to you . 」

「The government doesn’t have a method . There was nothing inside Albino . Right now, no one has any idea how the game works . Experts? They don’t know anything . Some people say that this is a paranormal phenomenon . All governments in the world are keeping this a secret . 」

「So, Sanghyun . 」

Polaroid blankly listened to the words .

「You understand this time right? I will take care of your family . There is no need to worry about them . The best thing is for you to come back alive…but they will never encounter any problems . 」

The director sighed before continuing .

「I will make sure that your wife and daughter live comfortably for the rest of their lives . I know this might be rubbish but honestly, if you don’t do the broadcast and just die, I can’t help you . Government compensation? How do you think it will go? Do you understand? There aren’t just one or two trapped people . It varies from unit to unit . The compensation won’t be good if you don’t do this . Roughly speaking… . 」

“I understand . ” Polaroid interrupted .  “I’ll understand . I’ll go and broadcast it . ”

The director didn’t answer .

Polaroid looked at his hands for a moment . They were shaking . He blinked once before standing up .

「I’m sorry . I’ll come back later . 」

He ignored the director’s words and put on his equipment .  Outside was already a mess .  The system messages had just been sent to the users . There were loud shouts and questions directed towards the government and the Elder Saga Corporation .

Polaroid hid . If he were caught, he would be forced to stay here .  However, this was the only place where he could get outside the village .

No, there was one more .  Someone was standing next to him .

“You…”

Youvidser Laney .  Laney had concealed her trail and settled in the user village at Appalachia . It seemed that she had done her own investigation .  She ignored the words from the government officials .  She showed herself now .

“I heard it all . ” She said .  “Shall we go?”

Polaroid looked at her . Her face was stiff . But her eyes were firm as she thought about the countdown to their deaths .

She said, “Let’s go together . ”

“Huh…?”

“Let’s go together . It will be tough with you alone . ”

“You, why…”

“I know . There is no solution in reality . If it is a crisis where I will die anyway, I would rather make a gamble . ” Laney grinned .  “And, there is a man I really want to see . ”

Polaroid knew who that person was .  The one Laney persistently strived after .  The indomitable person who never yielded . The great warrior who confronted the empire alone, and who dueled against a god to save his own people .  An NPC, but his name was enough to heat up the chests of any user in Elder Lord .

Orc Warrior Crockta .  He was there .

“Indeed . ”

Polaroid smiled faintly . It was the first smile since this incident occurred .  He was a member of Elder Lord’s broadcasting system . He knew as much about Crockta as she died . During the battle against the expedition forces, all videos had been on him .

When Polaroid thought about Crockta, a vague hope rose in his heart .

He was such a person .  Hope and faith .  He was always on the battlefield where defeat was confirmed, and he created victories in impossible places .   Now he was on their side .  Whether he knew it or not, Crockta was fighting for their lives . The greatest warrior was their ally .

“Let’s go watch it . The orc will beat her . ”

Laney held out her hand .  Polaroid approached and grabbed her hand .  Laney used a skill . Their appearance gradually blurred .

When people opened the door roughly, there was nobody in the room .