Chapter 143: Like a Scene from a Movie (2)

The master of the Warriors guild, Vulcan, couldn't hide his bitter smile as he watched the video posted by Unknown.

"Unknown... He’s truly unpredictable."

He struck at just the right moment.

The video by Unknown was a hot topic in the community in real-time. Despite being just a twenty-minute preview, its popularity soared sky-high.

Even the real-time search rankings on various portal sites were flooded with keywords related to Unknown.

Watching the overwhelming interest, Vulcan suddenly let out a laugh.

"Do people realize that this video by Unknown isn't just a promotion, but a kind of message?"

He was right. The perspective of ordinary players and that of the masters of the top ten guilds were bound to differ. Therefore, while ordinary players were watching the performance of the elves and Unknown, the masters of the top ten guilds were focused on something else.

"No, rather, Unknown blatantly showed it."

Dark priests of the Church of Muldine were among the dark elves that fled in terror from the onslaught of Unknown and the elves.

In short, the quest Unknown was currently on was somehow related to the Church of Muldine!

Recently, missions rarely come through because of the suspicion of a spy within the Darkness Hunters.

In other words, the link to proceed with quests related to the Church of Muldine—the main episode—had been severed. In such a situation, this war that could potentially catch the tail of the Church of Muldine was like getting rain in the midst of a drought.

Thus, the reason Unknown posted this video was simple.

On the surface, it's to elevate his own fame. But underneath...

There were bound to be people who knew about the Church of Muldine and Unknown was telling them to pitch in and lend him their strength. This was an unparalleled opportunity to trace the Church of Muldine's tracks.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

After closing his eyes in thought for a moment, Vulcan finally opened a chatroom.

A lively conversation was already occurring there.

[Minerva: This war needs to be led by the top ten guilds.]

[Yoshiatsu: It's too late. No matter what we do, all the attention is on Unknown.]

[Leonard: Even if we win the war, all the credit will go to Unknown.]

[Goliath: It's better not to support at all, and the best outcome would be for Unknown to lose the war.]

[Katherine: That’s bullshit. You're throwing away the only chance to chase down the Church of Muldine? I'm going.]

[Goliath: ... I guess when I stuck a sword down your throat before, only your fingers survived instead of your mouth.]

[Katherine: Ah, you're talking about when I stuck daggers in your eyes, right?]

There were bound to be sworn enemies even among the masters of the top ten guilds, who were practically rivals.

Vulcan, quietly looking at the chatroom, finally spoke up for the first time.

[Vulcan: The Warriors will participate.]

[Goliath: You sly fox. You’re only concerned about immediate profits, aren't you?]

[Vulcan: Then what’s more important? There's no reason not to participate.]

[Katherine: Hey, Goliath. If you're so dissatisfied, why not just mess the whole thing up?]

[Goliath: Do you really think I'd fall for such a poor provocation?]

[Katherine: Oh, what a shame. I could’ve sent you packing.]

Katherine sighed deeply in disappointment.

However, neither Goliath nor any of the other masters in the chatroom seriously considered disrupting this war.

For a war of this scale, one or two people alone can't sabotage it.

At least a full attack team needs to be sent, but...

Damn it. I should’ve secretly prepared at least one attack team in advance.

Besides, this scenario was created by Unknown. If we try to interfere, no matter the reason, it’ll only look like a big organization bullying a poor individual.

The power of the top ten guilds was already widely known to the world since they conducted raids on a guild scale and sold the videos. Therefore, anyone on the attack team would be instantly identified within five minutes just from a screenshot. In short, the top ten guilds had only two choices!

Do we help Unknown and gain clues about the Church of Muldine...

Or do we give up enormous benefits because we don't want to participate in this annoying situation?

They had to choose between one or the other.

Excluding the three guilds currently preparing raids, all other six guilds expressed their intention to participate.

[Katherine: We’ve come to a conclusion. What about you, Queen?]

In response to Katherine's question, a woman who had been silently reading the conversation finally typed on her virtual keyboard.

[Seol Eun-Yeong: We will participate.]

***

"Contact them, now!"

"But we’ve already tried several times..."

"

Ugh!

Is this the time to pick between hot or cold water? Send as many messages as necessary!"

"Hey, it's me. Immediately check what next week's broadcast schedule is... no, check this week's schedule."

"Unknown definitely spoke in Korean in that video. He has to be Korean!"

"No matter what it takes, we have to secure a contract with him. Try to make contact with Unknown and don’t even think about getting off work until you do!"

Broadcast stations that especially dealt primarily with gaming content were in a frenzy. The video Unknown posted this time was an irresistible bait for them.

When we broadcasted the field boss raid of an unknown party before, the viewing rates exceeded 11%.

But this is none other than Unknown.

And it’s not just a raid.

It’s war. Something comparable to... no, something that will surpass Cheonhwa’s legendary Veghas raid.

Unknown’s video was practically a guaranteed hit! Moreover, the intro of the video he posted this time was on a completely different level in scale. Since it was a video showing Unknown leading NPCs into war, there was no need for them to even test the waters for the audience's attention.

And as proof of that, the viewer boards of each broadcast station were already flooded.

-Has Unknown’s war video been contracted by TBC Broadcasting?

-I’m from Unknown’s fan club. I saw NET Media recently aired a special on Unknown. Is it related to this video?

-Unknown spoke Korean in the video. Is he Korean?

-The elf in Unknown's video was really good-looking. Does anyone know his name?

The posts were flooding in to the point where it was hard to tell if this was a viewer board or a platform like Reddit.

Normally, pressure was built from the bottom up, and this incident quickly reached the ears of the broadcasting directors.

"

Hm

? Unknown?"

"I have heard of him. What? You want to secure a contract with him?"

"Well... the video was interesting, but does it really need to be broadcast..."

"

Huh

? Unknown led NPCs into a war? You idiot! That’s the first thing you should’ve said!"

"We'll match his schedule as much as possible. The contract fee doesn’t matter. As the number one broadcasting station for

MID Online

, we at OnGames must secure this contract. If we don’t, be prepared to submit a letter of apology!"

There was a battle of wits among the broadcasting stations! They weren’t foolish and knew very well how much influence the broadcasting station that secured this contract would wield in future

MID Online

broadcasts.

"First impressions are important. A contract fee of two billion won should be enough to attract Unknown, right?"

"Hey, you fool. He’s the type who outfits even his pets with set items. He’s at least a silver spoon! That kind of money won’t cut it."

"The director has given the green light anyway. If we’re going to spend, spend big! Add more options too. Include incentives based on viewership and offer a joint program with a top-ranking beauty or idol. Spare no expense!"

While the broadcasting station officials were racking their brains, Kai's army had already arrived at the Suver Canal.

***

Kai gazed at the artificial waterway that was eight hundred meters wide, the Suver Canal. Its overwhelming width and length made it indistinguishable from a natural river.

With winter soon approaching, the vast Bir Plains that bordered the canal was desolate. There were no crops to harvest, and the area was void of human presence.

As Kai took in the scenery that would soon become his battlefield, he got lost in thought.

Did the message get across properly?

The reason he had shot today's video in first person and posted it in the community was simple.

It was so I could capture the dark priests of the Church of Muldine clearly on screen.

It was all to lay a trap!

His neck ached from repeatedly turning it quickly to capture the dark priests on camera.

There are also regular players who caught wind of an event and showed up.

Kai smiled as he noticed and watched ordinary players slowly following from a distance, watching the procession of elves.

I guess there would be no need to post any additional footage.

It was obvious that they would post about him and his army of elves on social media. In short, other players would soon know that he was here, in the Bir Plains!

If the regular players know, there’s no way the top ten guilds wouldn’t.

Kai felt a sense of relief. Initially, he hadn’t planned on involving the top ten guilds in this war. After all, he would have to share some of the credit and fame. However, that mindset had changed during the departure ceremony.

“Sir, please come back safely, okay?”

“It pains me that I’m too old to join you on the battlefield.”

“I’ll be waiting. Come back in one piece.”

As the elves bid farewell to the proud warriors of the forest with tears in their eyes, Kai realized his great mistake.

These beings only have one life. They’re not like players.

Even revival skills like Resurrection wouldn’t be able to bring them back, so he resolved to save as many lives as possible and return them to their loved ones as he filmed the video.

“Kai, adventurers are approaching from the surroundings.”

“Where...” At Elduin’s words, Kai turned his head and nodded as he saw the various flags.

Quite a few have come. The Warriors, Titan, Black Market, Pray, Limitless, and...

Kai was surprised as he spotted a familiar symbol among them.

“Cheonhwa?”

Despite being busy managing the newly obtained Black Bee territory, Cheonhwa had brought their elite force to the battlefield.

Seol Eun-Yeong approached and slightly bowed her head to Kai. “I’ve come to repay a favor.”

“... Thank you.”

Kai then turned his gaze toward the guild masters.

This is the first time seeing them in person.

Not even half a year ago, he had only been able to watch these famous figures on screen. But now, they had come to the battlefield he had created to aid him.

Of course, there were exceptions.

“Hey, let me make one thing clear. I won’t be taking orders from you.”

Kai turned his head toward the direction of the voice. It was Goliath from the Titan guild.

Come to think of it, I’ve had quite the bad blood with this guy too.

In the past, just hearing the names Goliath and Titan would have made him shrink. However, things were different now.

I’m not powerless anymore... and more than that, I’m Unknown right now.

Unknown. A coldhearted player. Once he made an enemy, it didn’t matter who they were, even if they were one of the top ten guilds. He would destroy them completely like a vicious hunting dog. After all, when one wears a mask, they should act the part.

Without warning, Kai drew his sword and pointed it at Goliath. At the same time, seven hundred elves drew their bowstrings.

“... What is the meaning of this?”

“It’s simple. If you don’t want to follow my orders, get off of my battlefield.”

“With those words, you could turn not just me but the entire Titan guild into your enemy.”

“I didn’t even feel the satisfaction of killing a bee since they were so small, but I guess a giant could be different.”

“How dare you...!”

Just as Goliath was about to throw a punch in rage, a single voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Who do you think you’re about to lay hands on?”