Chapter 85

Working Hard Knight Chapter 85:

“This, this…”

For a moment, I stared blankly at the screen.

“Items from another game…?”

Various thoughts swirled through my mind, with one thought dominating them all: I might not be alone.

“How stupid of me…”

It was obvious to consider. If a misfit like myself could suddenly gain these abilities, couldn’t others do the same? I started searching for “[Reality]” and “[Game Abilities]” on Cheeda’s belly.

[Elders’ Skills Applied in Reality]

[Game Master’s Disciples Possessing Real-Life Game Abilities]

[Exclusive! How Are Players from D.I.O Applying Their Game Abilities in Reality?]

[“The game abilities of the half-avatars from the War of Transgression.”]

[“Shocking! The legendary skills possessed by the apostles of the Game God.”]

“Ah, damn…”

He quickly gave up as there were too many search results! In hindsight, it was futile to expect meaningful findings using such broad keywords when dealing with District 34, where the Game Master controlled the concept of games itself.

Instead, jae-yeon stumbled upon a peculiar video.

[A real-life ogre spotted at Apgujeong?!]

“What’s this?”

He tapped on the link and started playing the footage. As advertised, it showed bustling Apgujeong filled with people going about their day—some rushing busily while others strolling leisurely. Suddenly, space distorted, and something emerged from within.

“Grrraaaaah!”

A giant around eleven feet tall appeared amidst the crowd of people. The monster had thick muscles covering its body like armor. It was an ogre! Known as cannibal giants, ogres possessed monstrous strength that made them seem almost inhuman and were considered one of the top-tier monsters. They were terrifying creatures that claimed numerous victims while dominating several mountains within their territory!

“Ah, what’s this? Is that an ogre?”

“But isn’t its physique somewhat strange? From what I know, ogres have larger heads, longer arms, and protruding bellies… This creature seems more human-like. Its appearance looks better suited for a video game than the illustrations from the Magic Beast Encyclopedia.”

“Then is it a minion?”

Despite this monstrous creature appearing before them, no one seemed frightened. Rather than being oblivious to their danger, they appeared unfazed by it all.

“Oh man, I can feel goosebumps. Is that what murderous intent feels like?” Despite breaking out in cold sweat at the ogre standing only two meters away from him, a man slowly edged closer. He must have felt safe surrounded by so many people.

Perhaps the ogre didn’t appreciate his approach? Its eyes flared with hostility.

Wham!

“Ahhh!” The man screamed as he was punched and sent flying, tumbling on the ground.

The crowd’s reaction instantly shifted.

“He hit someone?! In the middle of the street?! Right here in front of everyone?!”

“Oh my goodness. Is it actually insane? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“This is self-defense!”

“Call the police! Wait, do we even need them for this?!”

As tension mounted, the ogre’s eyes turned bloodred.

And then…

Crack!

“Aghhh!”

The ogre staggered as an ice hammer fell from the sky and struck its head.

“Graaaah!”

The unexpected pain only intensified its rage. It was so furious that devouring every human nearby wouldn’t have quelled it.

But the ice hammer was just the beginning.

“Get him! He’s assaulting people!”

“I’ll look for the summoner first!”

“I called the cops! They should be here in twenty-one seconds!”

“Th-then let me get one hit in before they arrive!”

Chaos erupted all around them.

Krakoom! Bam! Pow! Crack!

Lightning bolts, ice spears, steel flowers, and nearly a hundred other attacks rained down on the target. This was a bustling city with countless people passing through it. Moreover…the majority of ability users in District 34 were mages proficient in ranged attacks.

Boom! Whack! Crash!

“Ahhhhh! Gaaah! Aarrghh!” The ogre screamed as it endured relentless blows. It tried to dodge by moving its body, but iron chains and icy restraints shot out from the ground, immobilizing it.

“It’s not fair fighting against such overwhelming odds.”

In District 34, few combatants could face an ogre alone. Most individuals had no need for advanced combat training unless they pursued careers in law enforcement or military service, nor was there much incentive to reach the level of a Completed Being.

However…even if it was impossible to defeat one-on-one, there was no choice when facing such overwhelming numbers. The ogre was killed before the police could arrive.

“And this isn’t even an isolated incident.”

There were famous monsters commonly found in magic beast lairs, such as ogres, trolls, and manticore. Then there were those recognizable only by players of certain games, like decision lizards, priests wielding blunt weapons (the humanoids were arrested instead of killed), large undead rats, and cursed trees.

“I had no idea these incidents were happening…”

It made sense upon reflection, as none of these events received significant coverage in District 34.

A brief search revealed more than thirty cases of monsters appearing in urban or rural areas, yet only three incidents were covered by the news—and these involved no fatalities, just injuries. It wasn’t that someone was controlling the information; it simply wasn’t being reported much. Even the news coverage seemed to treat such events as minor occurrences akin to “Wild Boar Spotted in City Center Causes Brief Commotion” from days past.

“I see. This has been happening quite frequently since last year. Monsters…and items have appeared.”

I checked the articles. There were titles like: [Monster Appears in the Middle of the City! A Game Master’s Event?] and [Magic Tool Discovered, Inspired by Game Items?]

“Why do all these articles end with question marks? Is this some sort of clickbait journalism?”

I laughed at their ignorance but couldn’t help it. After all, they had no idea about these events.

Even those incidents…

They’re trivial.

Yes, everything was insignificant. Monsters like ogres appearing in the middle of cities? No problem as they disappeared after being attacked by hawks while pedestrians watched on. Although some people were injured, they received immediate treatment. Magic tools of rank 1 or 2 falling onto the streets? People simply picked them up and handed them to nearby police stations. In the Land of Midgard, this might have sparked wars, but few individuals in District 34 coveted unclaimed items without knowing their owner.

Of course, there would be exceptions, such as the Staff of the Black Sun that I discovered.

However… cases like mine seem absent.

There were no search results for any similar cases like mine. Of course, it couldn’t be confirmed if there really weren’t any other instances. Someone might’ve hidden their case just as I was doing now.

Ultimately…

“So…there isn’t anything I can do right away?”

It was a surprising and disappointing conclusion after logging out abruptly, but there was nothing to be done about it. All I could resolve to do was keep a close eye on the news moving forward.

“Log in.”

I returned to Ardenia. From my vantage point behind Kasim’s head as he soared through the sky, the ground flowed beneath us like a river. And teeming across that landscape were countless monsters.

As I gazed down at them, something suddenly occurred to me.

“Oh, come to think of it…”

Pulling back on the reins, I guided Kasim to fold his wings halfway, causing him to plummet like an eagle diving for prey.

“In some games, items and skills cost hundreds or thousands of dollars…” As Kasim took a breath, the Sphere of Avarice floated towards his open mouth, and he swallowed it just before touching the ground.

“Someone isn’t playing a pay-to-win game—!”

A dungeon alone could yield legendary loot, and leveling up taught new skills! Surely no one was playing such a game!

“Graaaaaah!” The two beasts roared!

Flash!

With a blinding light, a massive hole opened amidst the densely packed army.

“Sigh.”

I regulated my breathing as I felt numerous dropped items flooding Kasim’s inventory through his collection ability. However, at that moment, elite monsters suddenly emerged from within the tightly clustered horde.

“Bind them!”

“Grrr!”

“Seize and kill!”

Cold air surged from amidst the army of ice, forming a massive net connected to the sky.

“What?” The unexpected response caused confusion. Despite an attack that swept away hundreds of monsters instantly, their reaction was too quick. It was as if they had been waiting for my move.

“Oh no!” I immediately drew the Great Power Sword.

Instantaneous Art (刹 那 訣), First Move: One Sword Force (一劍勢).

Zzzinggg!

The ice net covering the sky turned instantly into tatters. But what’s remarkable is that it didn’t completely shatter.

“What…?!” Even with a strike capable of felling the Ice Queen, how could such a simple net withstand it?

“Aroooh!” Kasim flapped his wings forcefully and tore through the tattered netting.

Shrrrip!

But another layer of ice immediately descended on him.

Splat! Splat! Ssschhhk!

The web caught Kasim midair, causing him to plummet straight down. Despite his incredible flying ability, he had a bulky frame, so once he lost momentum, gravity took over.

“Arooooh!”

Krakoom!

As Kasim thrashed violently upon hitting the ground, swinging its tail like a tidal wave, the ice elementals were scattered everywhere. But as time dragged on…

Shwiiiish!

“No way…?”

When I turned around, dozens—no, hundreds of elite cold monsters were shooting coldness into the sky with incredible coordination.

Boom!

Even the ice golem in front of me collapsed after emitting its last burst of cold air. It had used all its strength until death.

“Kill him! Crush that guy!”

“Kieeek!” The rare monster, the Ice Fairy, screamed, and the yeti let out a bird-like cry as it charged forward.

Kasim’s two wings were completely frozen, rendering him immobile. Unlike me, who wore the Guardian Ring against Cold, he lacked resistance to such attacks.

Kwaduduk!

I once again extracted my inner energy and used One Sword World, causing monsters to fall like dominoes. However, it was like throwing pebbles into a lake. I found myself amidst thousands—no, perhaps even tens of thousands—of monsters.

“Huh? This situation seems…”

It felt incredibly perilous, sending chills down my spine!

Fortunately, there was a solution.

Thud!

The wand, resembling a signpost, slammed into the ground.

[All your stats have decreased by 1 rank!]

[Top-class pressure is activated!]

I moved my inner energy. It could be used, but sword energy didn’t manifest.

‘A decrease in rank…!’

However, the impact I received was nothing compared to those around me.

Kakagak!

The icy nets emitting cold air lost their strength and collapsed. It wasn’t just that. The ice elementals approaching were startled, and the snowstorm created by the ice fairy stopped.

Crack!

Of course, my movements didn’t stop amidst this chaos. I swung the Great Power Sword, blowing away the heads of elite monsters gathered nearby. The monsters became confused as their abilities suddenly ceased.

“Kashim!”

“Ku-ang!”

As soon as their abilities were disrupted, Kasim shook off the ice from his wings and crouched low, almost touching the ground with his upper body. I retrieved the wand stuck in the earth and climbed onto him.

“Kuuaang!”

Boom!

As always, Kasim launched violently into the air! It was as if he read my mind, skipping his usual roar and flapping his wings madly. The monsters belatedly regained their abilities and fired ice spears, but they were powerless against Kasim already soaring high above them.

“Pant…pant… Wow, that was scary.” I groaned as we soared into the sky. Despite the brief encounter, my breath came in gasps, and cold sweat streamed down my face.

“Waah, I let my guard down. I was too arrogant.”

I had approached the battlefield like it was a leisurely stroll, nearly getting killed without even realizing it. Initially, I thought using Divine Roar after a swift offensive would allow me to escape easily, but things didn’t go as planned.

“A combined skill. Abilities not present in monster skills…”

However, when I thought about it, the Ice Queen had also launched ice bombs from a great height. As games became reality, the strategies and attack methods of monsters diversified.

Suck.

The Black Sun’s Wand smoothly entered my inventory. Its icon looked different from other items, but I ignored it for now and started thinking about the future war.

“First… let’s focus on the flower shop. It will be a headache if the Ice Queen comes back again.”

Naturally, thoughts about the game system on Earth were pushed to the background after almost dying against monsters without even a special boss. After all, they could wait until later, couldn’t they? However, I didn’t know that what I saw in the video was happening across the country, around the world…

No.

It was occurring throughout the entire universe…