Chapter 323

At the top of the Tower of Beginnings in the Hall of Myriad Stars, the players were seated around a round table. The sky around them was black, filled with blue fog and purple clouds, and stars shining from countless worlds illuminated the Hall of Myriad Stars.

The Constellation of Harmony, Lunda, asked, "Do we really believe we need to hang Nebula?"

The others affirmed with their silence.

Lunda looked at Nebula. "Alright then. ...Nebula, any last words?"

Choi Sung-Woon rested his chin on his index and thumb before lifting his head. "I won’t make any excuses at this point." This was an unavoidable situation for Sung-Woon. "Kill me."

As all of this had been planned for a very long time.

***

Long ago in Avartin on the second continent, the Ears Cut Tribe of gnolls, who were protected by Hegemonia, began their conquest with astonishing momentum after moving from the third continent. From small battles among mountain keepers in the canyons to the major battles on the plains leading to the capital, Hegemonia helped her apostles become known as invincible.

The players of the second continent were clearly taken aback at this. The player known as The One Who Thinks Deep, Tael, looked down on Hegemonia who came from the third continent. This was because, in the early stages of The Lost World, attempting to cross the sea without properly developed maritime transport was considered an overly adventurous attempt, implying that their circumstances were not very good.

Tael had intended to trick Hegemonia into becoming their subordinate, but the Ears Cut Tribe gnolls, with their Polynesian-like excellent shipbuilding skills, conquered the city-state of Tael's gnomes with just about a hundred gnoll warriors from their first landing.

Afterward, the tribal chief, Salkait, exterminated the royalty of the gnomes, plundered all their technology, established a nobility society among the gnolls, and advanced toward the next conquest without a day's rest. Needless to say, Tael's creations were easily crushed by those of Hegemonia as well.

Tael wanted to warn the other players of the second continent about this threat, but the players, focused on internal conflicts, ignored Tael. The idea that a coastal city that was fortified with basic walls and whose forces were several times greater, could be attacked by just a hundred warriors was hard to comprehend.

In fact, the more plausible theory was that Tael had allowed Hegemonia's invasion, suggesting it could be a trap set up by Tael and Hegemonia by pretending to seek help only to weaken the opposing forces, which was a common strategy.

Then, it was only a month after Tael became a vassal that the players of the second continent began to see Hegemonia differently.

When Tael disappeared from the player list, the first reaction of The God of Steel Quenched in Blood, player Richard, was as follows:

"...Huh?"

The players of the second continent hastily formed an alliance, but this was exactly what Hegemonia had hoped for. Hegemonia knew from lots of experience that developing seamanship skills early in the game and then crossing continents would lead to being seen as fleeing continental conflict and be underestimated. She also knew that when an external force became strong, the internal players would stop their infighting and unite.

‘But that's just a hastily formed union.’

Hegemonia, except for in cases of extreme tactical disproportion, was confident in victory. Therefore, her strategy was set with the simple goal of ensuring that not all eight players of the second continent would attack at once.

The first expedition of the hastily formed alliance against Hegemonia did not meet the extreme disproportion Hegemonia anticipated and thus was victorious. More precisely, it would be more accurate to say they were utterly destroyed.

Hegemonia's gnoll troops, along with their slave soldier troop operating through entire villages taken hostage, completely dismantled and annihilated the alliance forces of Tael, HumanTracker, and Jerome with proper management.

Despite being unprepared, since the majority of the opposing force consisted of slave soldiers which couldn't have been perfectly controlled, the fact that a force more than five times their number was defeated through battle was enough to shake the player alliance of the second continent.

Player Yummy was the first to send a whisper conversation to Hegemonia.

Hegemonia said, "What's up, Player Yummy?"

Yummy, with a shark head, broad shoulders, and wearing a Hawaiian shirt, replied, "I don't think there are too many reasons I would send you a message. Isn't it overwhelming being alone?"

"Is this a proposal for an alliance?"

"Yes."

Yummy knew Hegemonia's reputation but also knew that, no matter how strong, one could not be free from joint attacks. And the Lost World was such a game. Ideally, one should avoid creating such situations, but Yummy thought that if one willingly entered into them, it was natural to need an alliance,

'Then, not just me, but Hegemonia too, needs this loose alliance. Actually, Hegemonia is the more desperate one, so she’ll have no choice but to offer me favorable terms for me.'

Yummy wasn’t a naive player, but that was the same for Hegemonia.

"Unfortunately...." Hegemonia said while smiling under her horned helmet, "It's too late."

"...Too late?"

"I've already received another alliance proposal."

"From who?"

"Why would I tell you that?"

Yummy judged that Hegemonia, even if in a difficult situation now, would ultimately emerge victorious in the second continent as Hegemonia was as well-known a player as Choi Sung-Woon.

Yummy said, "Would you at least listen to what I have to say?"

"Well, I guess listening wouldn’t do any harm."

Yummy ultimately joined Hegemonia's alliance under conditions nearly similar to subjugation. Following Yummy, Players Tael and Vacatio also joined, shifting the balance from eight against one to a more manageable six against three. And this shift in balance turned the situation to Hegemonia's advantage.

Initially, they maintained the second continent alliance, aiming for a dramatic effect by revealing their secret alliance with Hegemonia at a crucial moment. Through this, the second continent alliance suffered repeated defeats, giving the upper hand to Hegemonia.

Player Yummy judged that they were close to seizing victory.

‘It's time to prepare for the real fight now.’

After dealing with all the players of the second continent alliance, the next step would be to prepare for battles with other continents. However, Yummy predicted that before that, they would either form a true alliance under the name of the Pantheon or Sanctuary, or continue betraying each other until only one player remained as this was a common trend in the game of The Lost World.

But as always, Hegemonia was one step ahead. Before the final battle with the second continent’s alliance, Hegemonia betrayed her own allies. In Player Tael's capital, a zombie plague, supposedly transferred from stockpiling war supplies, spread all at once, and Player Vacatio's main forces were annihilated overnight by Hegemonia's troops stationed nearby.

Compared to Tael and Vacatio, who vanished with no resistance and without time to even question anything, Player Yummy at least had a chance to confront Hegemonia.

"What are you doing, Hegemonia?"

"What’s there to be so surprised about? People betray all the time," Hegemonia said laughing under her horned helmet. "It's just a matter of when they will."

"But if you betray this early, it could also be detrimental to you...."

"That's always the problem with people."

"What is?"

"They calculate their gains and miss the best moment to act." Hegemonia continued to explain, "After fighting a big battle with the second continent alliance, including Richard? Or after I've turned all the remaining players into vassals? It would be too late by then. By that time, everyone would be thinking that it's about time for a betrayal. To surprise, one must always strike when least expected."

"But this way, you'll have to face the remaining five alone."

"So what? It's worth a try. As long as they don't all rush at me at once, it's fine."

Yummy thought Hegemonia's confidence was unfounded, but it wasn't. Hegemonia knew about both the enemy and herself. It only seemed like she wasn't thinking because she made decisions too quickly.

𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Tael and Vacatio trusted you. But I’m gonna be different."

"Different? Well, that might make it more tragic."

"What did you say?"

Hegemonia replied, "A slow end is always tragic."

Hegemonia was right.

The forces left by Tael and Vacatio were of no help, having been completely annihilated, and the other alliance of the second continent had no intention of helping Yummy, considered a traitor. Moreover, even if they were inclined to, the actions of Hegemonia, striking her own allies' backs before a continental showdown could take place, seemed absurd, so it appeared more plausible as a trap. Even though that wasn't actually the case.

Yummy, just as Hegemonia said, received no help from anyone and kept facing defeat until turned into vassal.

Afterward, it wasn't until after Hegemonia's defeat that Yummy's vassal was handed over to Choi Sung-Woon and released like the other players of the second continent, but Yummy remained silent until Hegemonia was also released. Just as with the other players who only retained memories immediately after defeat, Choi Sung-Woon didn’t assign any significant tasks to Yummy, so there were no particular issues.

However, when a new opportunity arose, Yummy did not let it slip away.

[Player Yummy, please designate the Domain you will oversee as a Constellation.]

Yummy declared, "Revenge."

***

A few days ago, in the banquet hall of the Hall of Myriad Stars, Hegemonia said, "Nebula." Hegemonia clenched her fist and slammed the table, "The time has finally come to decide the true victor."

Choi Sung-Woon glanced at Hegemonia seated at the opposite head of the table. He was bringing a piece of steak he had just speared with his fork to his mouth, and despite Hegemonia speaking or hitting the table, he didn’t pause, smoothly continuing the motion as one fluid act.

As Hegemonia, seeming to hurry Choi Sung-Woon, pointed at him with a knife and opened her mouth to speak, Choi Sung-Woon raised his index finger as if to say wait and chewed his steak thoroughly. Hegemonia then closed her mouth and silently waited.

The other Constellations were so used to such situations that they paid no attention to the two from the moment Choi Sung-Woon started chewing his steak.

After swallowing the steak, Choi Sung-Woon said, "Specifically, you’re talking about the victor during this sabbatical, right?"

"Yes!" Hegemonia stood up abruptly. "I’m talking about the number one during this sabbatical."

After Avartin, the Hall of Myriad Stars engaged with five worlds, both large and small, and the outcomes were all successful. The Hall of Myriad Stars fought their enemies and saved worlds based on the rules of a fair game.

Like in Avartin, they received unexpected praise and some of those called warriors, heroes, or players from the worlds they saved chose to stay with the Hall of Myriad Stars, following the wills of the Constellations.

The Sanctuary was now in search of another world for the Hall of Myriad Stars to challenge. This period of search was called the sabbatical, during which all members of the Hall of Myriad Stars, including the Constellations, could rest and enjoy as much as they wanted. And during the first sabbatical, Hegemonia challenged Choi Sung-Woon and had been challenging him ever since.

To date, the record stood at three wins to two in favor of Choi Sung-Woon. Choi Sung-Woon remembered that after his first win during the first sabbatical, Hegemonia changed the terms to best three out of five, but ultimately, Choi Sung-Woon was the first to achieve three wins anyway.

However, that topic quietly faded away, and Hegemonia, as if proposing a duel for the first time today, challenged him again.