Chapter 400: A One-Man Army (2)

Kai had no intention of taking back the bombshell he dropped. In fact, he turned on a live stream for the first time in a very long while. It was his first time streaming since the battle against the Titan guild. The so-called community slackers, who spent most of their days glued to the forums, were the first to react.

-N-no way! Unknown is live streaming!

-What? For real? Drop the link!

-Out of the blue? Oh, is he going to explain why he hasn’t been on the rankings chart?

-I don’t know either! But if Unknown’s streaming, I’ve got to watch!

The trusted Unknown. As if to prove the phrase that had become a running joke, an overwhelming amount of people gathered to his stream despite it being early morning.

“What are you watching so early on the way to school?”

“

Shh

, be quiet. I’m watching Unknown’s live stream right now.”

“What? Hey! Why didn’t you tell me something like that was going on?”

Even people commuting to work or school on public transit scrambled to pull out their smartphones once they heard the news. Not even ten minutes after he had gone live, the viewership count had already surpassed 3 million. By the time the community servers were screaming under the surge of traffic, the screen, which had remained black, finally changed.

“

Ahem

, can everyone hear me clearly?”

Kai appeared from his grand mansion located in Libertia.

He only said one sentence, yet the chat began to scroll so fast it was impossible to read.

-Yes, we can hear you!

-This is reporter Kang Han-Soo from Renault Media. Please explain why you disappeared!

-A war broke out. Are things safe over there?

-Where in the world have you been?

-Ahhh! Oppa, you look so good!

-I saw on the ranking chart that you reached level 600. Did you grind like crazy in Hell Mode or something?

Countless questions poured in, but Kai calmly said only what he intended to.

“The reason I’ve appeared before you all today is because I have something to say about the current war.”

A massive war had broken out between Aldebaran and Rashion. As soon as Kai mentioned that topic, all viewers listened intently. Some even hurriedly plugged in their earphones to hear his voice in better quality.

“First... the Black Dragon guild.”

Kai sank into the soft back of the sofa and crossed his legs. He rested both arms comfortably on the armrests and laced his fingers together. Though the reason was unclear, something about his posture gave off an aura of intimidation that made everyone gulp.

Then he continued, “I saw you pulled some cute tricks while I was away.”

It was a provocation aimed at Xao Lin, the man who led not 3 but 22 million guild members.

-LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

-What is this? a total savage stream? LOL

-No but seriously, Kai hyung. I’m genuinely worried. How are you going to deal with the fallout from this?;;

-Maybe Black Dragon hasn’t seen it yet? You should shut the stream off now...

-There’s no way Black Dragon’s missing this with these viewer numbers hahaha

-I don’t care, I’m going to grab popcorn and soda.

-I’m getting chicken.

The chat surged three times faster in response to Kai’s bold statement. Then the chat box suddenly froze, unable to handle the sheer volume of traffic.

Watching that, Kai drove the nail in. “I will withdraw all troops stationed in the Forest of Anjamin. Let’s settle this today in the afternoon on the Tinoum Plains.”

Of course, he didn’t forget to provoke the enemy’s pride one last time.

“

Oh,

and if you happen to be scared, don’t worry. It’ll just be me from our side.”

It was a declaration made in front of millions of viewers. It was no different than Kai locking a shackle on his own ankle. If he betrayed everyone and ambushed with a hidden army, then the reputation he had built until now would crumble like a sandcastle even if he won the war. He also wouldn’t be able to escape the arrows of criticism either.

“I’ll be waiting.”

With that final line, Kai reached out his right hand, and the stream ended. Though the stream ended, the shocked viewers rushed to the forums and began to share conflicting opinions.

-I just can’t wrap my head around this. Doesn’t Unknown know how many members Black Dragon has?

-Maybe not. He beat the Black Bees and Titan guild, so maybe he thinks Black Dragon is around the same size as the other top ten guilds.

-If that’s true... then that’s a huge mistake..

-Well, even monkeys fall from trees. Looks like today’s that day for Kai.

Most viewers leaned toward the belief that Kai made a mistake.

However, Kai, who ended the stream without hesitation, leisurely sipped his tea. Then a clear bell rang from the front of the mansion. It was the sound of a visitor.

“Guys, can you get the door for me?”

At Kai’s request, the fairies giggled as they flew toward the entrance. The ones who entered through the door were dwarven blacksmiths. They carried in dozens of heavy crates into the house.

“These are the items you requested, my lord.”

“We heard you made the request directly to the Lord of the Ebony Tower. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct.” Only then did Kai get up with a smile and begin checking the items. “Good. I’m glad they’re not late.”

Kai’s eyes curved like crescent moons as he opened the box and looked at its contents.

***

“It was nothing more than a low-level provocation. Ignore it and focus on maintaining morale within the army.”

Xao Lin’s voice was cold as he gave orders to the unit leaders in the conference room, but his mood did not match his words as he looked visibly tense. To start, Kun Feng, who usually sat to his right was absent.

He got taken out in five seconds...

Xao Lin furrowed his brows after hearing how it had happened offline.

Well, I could take him down in that time too if it were me.

Regaining his confidence, Xao Lin knocked on the table with his fist and asked, “Wang Chang, how are the enemy elf scouts moving?”

“After Kai’s stream, all signs of them disappeared just as he said. Judging by the situation, it looks like they retreated.”

“

Hmm

...”

Xao Lin got lost into thought.

So everything he said during the stream was true?

Honestly speaking, it would be difficult to lie in such a public setting if the lie would be exposed in mere hours. All the more so was true when considering Kai’s good image and influence in

MID Online

.

So if he told the truth... then I understand it even less.

The Black Dragon army advancing toward Libertia was not just a handful. There were 3 million of them. Even excluding the regular soldiers, there were twenty units modeled after world-class guilds.

Is it confidence, or arrogance...

Well, either way, it didn’t matter much.

I’ll make use of this opportunity.

Xao Lin didn’t care whether Kai lied or told the truth. If he lied, then today the Black Dragon guild would expose his hypocrisy to the world.

And if by any chance he told the truth...

Xao Lin smiled.

Then today, I will kill him.

Like a lion hunting a rabbit, he would never lower his guard. He would give it his all from the beginning, instantly finish Kai off, and take Libertia. That was Xao Lin’s way, simple and without complications.

“We march in one shichen. Everyone get ready.”

***

Kai unintentionally recalled his childhood after arriving at the Tinoum Plains. He remembered standing in the schoolyard during elementary school, listening to the principal’s speech with all the other students.

How many of us were there back then...

He wasn’t sure, but it must have been over a thousand. They had lined everyone up by grade and class. Though it was a faint memory now, he clearly remembered that there had been a lot of people.

That doesn’t even compare to this.

Kai smirked.

The Tinoum Plains were green. In fact, most of the eastern region of the Kingdom of Rashion was covered in lush green plains. As the kingdom’s largest grain-producing area, the land was fertile for the grass to grow well.

“But it’s black now.”

The once wide and green plains now looked narrow as they were completely taken over by millions of Black Dragon soldiers clad in black gear.

Lots of people came to watch too.

In the distance, people were watching from afar using telescopes or skills to get a view of the plains. Most were regular players, but among them there were surely broadcasting crews as well.

“

Phew

...”

Kai closed his eyes and took a slow deep breath. No matter how confident he was in his skills, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.

3 million, huh.

It was questionable how many people ever got to see that many humans gathered in one place during a lifetime, and yet Kai was about to face all those people as enemies all alone.

“Alright.”

When he opened his eyes again, there was no more anxiousness or wavering.

He arrogantly lifted his chin and gestured with his hand. A gesture that said, come if you dare. Anyone could see that Kai was at a disadvantage here, but that single gesture changed the atmosphere. It now looked as if Kai were giving permission for Black Dragon to challenge him.

“I knew he would show up like that,” Xao Lin muttered as he sat several hundred meters away atop a sleek black horse.

I studied everything.

He and the Black Dragon guild’s intelligence unit had gathered every detail about Kai. His fight against Crimson Fist, which first revealed him to the world, and even earlier than that, his conflict with Crimson Sunset. Xao Lin believed that no one in the world knew Kai better than he did.

If you know your enemy and know yourself, you cannot be defeated.

His side had far more troops, and the enemy knew nothing about him.

War, battle, these are not fought with personal strength alone.

Like stones stacked one by one from the ground to form a sturdy fortress, war too required careful effort and preparation from beginning to end to achieve victory.

Staring at Kai who looked like a dot in the distance, Xao Lin slowly said, “Kill him.”

With that short command, hundreds of thousands of Black Dragon troops surged forward. Even their running alone created a thunderous roar, shaking the ground like an earthquake.

“So you’re not letting your guard down,

huh

.”

Kai grinned as he watched the enemies charging straight for his neck.

“Not bad.”

There was nothing more empty and boring than beating an enemy who let their guard down.

Right before the enemies reached him, Kai’s finger drew a smooth stroke through the air. At the same time, a cloudy black fog engulfed his figure. It was his signature move that most players now recognized.

“The dullahan army.”

It was the visual that appeared when he summoned his fifty dullahans.

I’ve been thinking hard about why Kai pushed through with such an absurd plan.

After hours of pondering, Xao Lin arrived at only one answer.

He truly believes in himself.

In himself, in his dullahan army, and in his summons. Xao Lin’s conclusion was that Kai believed he had the power to crush Black Dragon head-on using them.

Then I’ll make you realize...

Just how arrogant that idea really was.

The moment Xao Lin’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent...

Thud!

Fifty dullahans stormed onto the battlefield.