Chương 38: Who's the Protagonist?

A deafening announcement drifted over Dragon Blood City like a bucket of cold water dumped on everyone's heads, and every player who heard it gave an involuntary shiver.

"I… did I hear that right? K-King difficulty?" A player in plain gear shook his head in disbelief and turned to his companion. Slap!

"What'd you hit me for? That hurts!"

"Since you can feel pain, you heard right—someone just cleared the King-difficulty Ashan Castle!" His companion was awestruck. If his guess was right, the Bosses in King-difficulty Ashan Castle could reach Silver grade. And someone had cleared it—solo, no less! Achilles? He'd never heard the name.

"But wait—did I mishear? His clear time was under an hour!" Slap! The first man returned the blow.

"Hurt?"

"Yes!" … Swish! In the bustling Dungeon Plaza, golden light flared, and a figure stepped out wreathed in it. Eyes turned at once: a fair, handsome young man in a white robe, tall and slim, his clothes spotless—yet across his shoulder rested a black greatsword over three meters long and clearly massive. A blade without edge, looking ready to crush its bearer at any moment. [Achilles Boyd] Lv. 14 His ID flashed above his head and vanished, hidden away—but a few sharp-eyed players still caught it.

"It's him! He's the Achilles from the announcement who cleared King-difficulty Ashan Castle!"

"Great one! Take me as your disciple!"

"Oooh, big brother, can't you carry me too?" … The instant Achilles's identity was recognized, players who'd had their eyes on the Demonfae Keep squad surged toward him instead, leaving Prince Playful and his crew suddenly ignored. No surprise—Demonfae Keep had only managed a first clear of Elite, with a full twenty-man party, in nearly an hour and a half. Achilles had cleared solo, in just over half an hour—and not Normal, not Hero, but King.

While every major guild racked their brains over Elite, here was one man soloing a tier even higher. How was anyone supposed to compete? You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Achilles glanced at the swarming players, brows arching, and said coolly, "Stay away from me." An invisible pressure descended over the crowd, halting them mid-step, not one daring to advance.

"Wow, so cool! Handsome and aloof!"

"He's totally my type! Hahaha—*hic*!" A pack of fangirls swooned, ready to charge in. Achilles ignored the looks, scanning the crowd for Ryan.

"They haven't come out yet." A stooped old man in gray cloth stepped to his side.

"Oh?" A glint crossed Achilles's eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting, a confident look on his face.

"What did I tell you? With that kid's strength, he's no match for me. Right now they're probably still floundering inside the dungeon." With that, he swung his greatsword; a gale rose, the white cloth strips spinning to wrap the blade whole. Achoo! Inside Ashan Castle, gathering the last of the loot, Ryan sneezed for no reason.

"Hm? What was that? Don't tell me that kid Achilles thinks he's already won and is out there mocking me?" Achoo! Handing the greatsword to Elder Wind, Achilles sneezed too, a flicker of puzzlement on his face. Even in the real world he hadn't been ill in ages—why sneeze for no reason in the game?

"Hmph. All that hype on the forums, and this is all there is to him." Achilles sneered and turned to leave.

"Let's go, Elder Wind."

"Not going to wait a while longer?"

"The outcome's decided. No need." Achilles shook his head, an odd flicker of loss on his face. He'd half hoped to meet an opponent of equal strength in Heaven's Descent—and the result had let him down.

"Boring." He sighed and walked off.

"Move." Brows arching, he eyed the blue-clad, masked man standing dazed in his path.

"Uh… s-sorry! Please, go ahead!" Prince Playful jolted and hurriedly stepped aside. As if he'd dare provoke someone fierce enough to solo a King dungeon. He knew his limits.

"Hey—the outcome isn't out yet. In such a hurry to leave? Don't tell me you mean to welch." A clear voice rang out. In the plaza's center, red light flared, and a group stepped out—just as another announcement sounded. Not a Dragon Blood City announcement this time, but a server-wide one.

[Server Announcement: The "Snowfall" squad led by player DriftingSnow has cleared the Ashan Castle dungeon (Hell difficulty), clear time 38 minutes 38 seconds—setting the fastest clear record, currently ranked first in Dragon Blood City!] Achilles's foot froze mid-step, disbelief crossing his face. Hell difficulty!

"You—" He turned, meeting Ryan's eyes, a flicker of unwillingness in his own.

"Well? Behaving yourself now?" The corner of Ryan's mouth curled as he ribbed him.

"Just you wait! Until the very end, no one can call you the winner!" Achilles's face sank.

"You're stubborn, aren't you." Ryan shrugged. But there was no way Achilles would concede easily—he couldn't lose this bout. He bought a Hell-difficulty Ashan Castle ticket on the spot and charged in without another word.

"…He really did it. Fine, we'll just wait here, then." Ryan sighed helplessly, glanced at the smiling Elder Wind beside him, and frowned.

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"It's no use." Elder Wind shook his head, smiling.

"His temperament is just like his father's—he won't turn back till he's run headlong into a wall."

"He has a father?" Ryan paused. In his last life, Achilles had never mentioned such a thing.

"…" Elder Wind fell silent, clearly unwilling to say more. Ryan shrugged, indifferent. Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! A crisp series of sounds; Ryan looked over, puzzled. Not far off, two men were slapping each other across the face, muttering who-knew-what.

"Truly—it's a wide world, full of wonders." Ryan sighed, then looked down at the loot stuffing his bag, well satisfied. With this, his shop would never want for goods to sell.