Episode 156

2.

Even with nine hours left on the clock, there was still no official word.

That was how quietly China was moving, and at the same time, it meant that the tiny number of players who knew the truth had no intention of sharing it with the public.

"I'd love to get a piece of the pie, though."

"I don't think the situation is that bad for us."

They had gone back home, taken a short break, and watched things unfold while they tried to gauge the current situation.

In the end, they concluded that it wasn't particularly bad.

That was why, even in times like this, they could afford to come home and rest.

In fact, China's moves might actually work out better for them.

"From here on out, China is the one taking responsibility, so we have nothing to lose. And it's a good distance away."

"It's the far west, so if anyone's in danger, it'll be Europe, not us."

"We can just watch how things go and decide. Same with Fly."

Everything was a matter of probability from the start.

There was nothing strange about it spawning anywhere, and they were still searching just in case there might be more than one gate.

In that situation, all signs pointed to the event gate having spawned in China, and regardless of how the event played out, China was going to take the biggest hit.

Of course, they also had the greatest right to reap the rewards.

That was why China was responding faster than anyone.

Honestly, no one could really criticize China's choice.

Before it was an event, the "Catastrophe" gate was still a dungeon, and under international dungeon law, it belonged to China.

Since they couldn't participate right now anyway, they chose to look on the bright side.

"If the difficulty's low enough that they can clear it on their own, then the rewards probably won't be so huge that we'll be dying of jealousy. And if they can't handle it and ask for help, then we all get to join the event, share the rewards, and thanks to China testing the difficulty first, we'll be able to clear it carefully and safely."

There was only one thing he was hoping for: to watch China's fight against the Guardian Monster in real time.

"Is there really nothing for that?"

He dug through the Mileage Shop, but there was no such thing as some new tech that could record what someone else was seeing and stream it as video.

Of course there wasn't. If that existed, it would lead to an insane situation where everyone's privacy could be violated at will.

His gaze naturally shifted to the dungeon recording gear.

He had several devices, some no bigger than a finger, but he quickly shook his head.

Dungeons dropped all kinds of items.

Among them were plenty that could neutralize human-made electronics like those.

China was going as far as banning entry into the country so that not a single player could benefit, and they could monopolize everything. There was no way they would allow some fly-like recording devices to buzz in from outside.

So, in the end, his thoughts went where they always did when he needed something: the Gold Shop, which never failed to disappoint his wallet.

It wasn't hard to find what he wanted.

He just had to pay the price.

"Sigh, maybe I should just not watch."

He hesitated, then turned his head to the side, where a pair of bright, sparkling eyes were staring holes into him.

"…Should we watch?"

"Yes!"

[You have spent 2,000 gold.]

'The term "Gold Maker" is starting to feel more and more like it means a class that exists solely to generate gold and dump it into any gold sink available like a complete sucker.'

* * *

The barren highlands of western China were a desolate landscape of rugged mountain ranges.

The harsh terrain rejected human footsteps and was perfectly suited to be a monster habitat. In that unforgiving landscape, a thousand players were moving in formation.

Screeech!

Screee!

It was a rough welcome from the monsters that had long since claimed the area as their own.

Their threats meant nothing to the players, who pushed straight through without a care.

The foolish monsters that rushed in were wiped out in an instant.

One thousand of China's top-ranked players, all gathered in one place to monopolize the event dungeon.

Every one of them was level 50 or higher, a diverse array of players assembled for the event.

Their destination was a canyon where a massive gate to hell had been summoned.

One of the few people living in the area had happened to pass by and see it, discovering the gate by sheer luck.

It was the kind of place where they barely even did proper population surveys, so the only way to describe it was divine intervention.

The Chinese players had come with firm resolve.

"We have to clear it before the gate opens!"

If they stopped the catastrophe early, the rewards would only be better, not worse.

Even the hologram had said so.

That they could stop the catastrophe early.

More than anything, they were here not just for the rewards but to minimize the damage.

"Don't let a single one of them get out of here!"

China was vast.

So vast that even Chinese citizens could live their entire lives without ever setting foot in a place like this. A few monsters spilling out here wouldn't cause any major problems.

In fact, they might even find ways to use it.

But more important than that right now were the items Fly had revealed from the Point Dungeon.

Protect China's safety and monopolize the points.

China's unilateral move was driven by that simple alignment of interests.

They were confident.

If you asked anyone to name the current world rank 1, they would overwhelmingly pick Fly, so the rest of the rankers inevitably looked a bit lacking by comparison. Even so, China had always played to its strength in numbers.

And the thousand rankers gathered here—every one of them level 50 or higher, with over a hundred of them at level 60 or above—could fairly be called strategic weapons.

Unless something truly absurd came pouring out, they didn't even fear Fly.

That was the mindset of the Chinese players gathered here.

Brimming with confidence, they cut down the clueless monsters that kept charging at them and finally arrived.

At the massive gate.

A canyon where two enormous doors stood, looking as if they really did lead straight to hell.

The doors, perfectly blocking the entrance to the tall, deep canyon, were so huge they made one swallow nervously.

And beside them stood two statues.

As tall as the doors themselves, one statue was a three-headed dog, and the other was an armored soldier holding a spear.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!" the player leading the Chinese rankers shouted.

No one here was stupid enough to stand around gawking at the sight.

They had all experienced countless dungeons and faced all kinds of monsters.

On top of that, they had already received information from the hologram.

To prevent the catastrophe, they had to defeat the Guardian Monster that guarded the gate.

The only things in sight were the two statues, so of course those had to be the Guardian Monsters.

Rumble, rumble, RUMBLE!

Their hunch was dead on.

The statues began to move, stone fragments shaking loose and falling away.

The gigantic dog rose to its feet.

When the already massive body stood, it loomed so large it practically blocked the gate.

The players unconsciously took a step back.

It wasn't fear or terror that made them retreat, but the simple fact that they were standing far too close to a dog statue of that immense size.

Grrrr…!

For a creature made of stone, the sound it made as it rose and growled was every bit as vicious as a true hellhound.

The wary players did not rush in recklessly. Their gazes shifted to the soldier statue beside it.

Fortunately, the soldier statue remained motionless.

Ultimately, they would have to destroy both statues, but facing one unknown enemy was far better than facing two whose levels and stats they couldn't even begin to guess.

The players spread out, slowly widening the distance between them and the gate. The stone dog advanced step by step, its threatening howls echoing through the canyon. They needed to pull back far enough that, even if the soldier statue did rise, their formation wouldn't collapse and they would have room to plan their next move.

"Att—!"

Just as the raid leader was about to shout the signal to begin—

ROOOOAAAAAAR!

[You are exposed to the Guardian's Curse.]

[You are afflicted with 'Paralysis' for 1 second.]

[All stats are reduced by 5% for 10 minutes.]

[You are afflicted with 'Confusion' for 0.5 seconds.]

[All stats are reduced by 50% for 3 seconds.]

With a howl of a completely different magnitude, all one thousand players froze on the spot, their bodies locked in place.

It was a declaration.

To the Guardian Monster, this place was its land, its domain. That roar was its declaration of war against the humans who had dared to trespass.

'Come and try me.'

'I will show you what happens to those who summon an even greater catastrophe in order to stop another.'

Whoosh—!

The gigantic body leaped lightly into the air, blotting out the sun and casting everything into shadow.

"D-dodge!"

Half a second of brief confusion, followed by a full second of paralysis.

It wasn't a long time. Rankers over level 50 had more than enough experience to avoid panicking after a status ailment, quickly assess the situation, and act. Most of the players did just that, moving to get out of the way before the enormous statue hit the ground.

However, there was one thing they had overlooked.

They had enough time, but that was only true when their stats were intact.

And the dog's massive body was far more agile than they had expected—far more than they had ever imagined.

CRAAAAASH!

The players crushed beneath the monster didn't even have time to scream. Their very existence was erased without a trace.

Gulp.

Someone swallowed hard.

Having a lot of experience meant having a keen eye for assessing a situation. The old saying about a dog learning poetry after three years at a village school wasn't just for show. Wherever they went, players could size up a dungeon in just thirty seconds. They could tell how long it would take to clear and how they needed to manage their HP. It was partly individual ability, but it was also know-how earned through countless brushes with death.

And those very people felt it.

From that single exchange—no, that was too generous. From that one-sided massacre.

'We can't win this.'

They should have thought about why it was called a "Catastrophe" from the start.

Why had they been given a "chance" to stop a Legendary-grade Catastrophe before it even began?

A dungeon was always both an opportunity and a proving ground. The chance to move faster and claim more rewards always came with corresponding risk and difficulty.

China—and its players—had failed to account for that.

No, they had thought about it. They had simply set their standard based on the pre-tutorial era. They believed they were strong enough, and by tutorial standards, they had assumed they could handle monsters that were well beyond the norm.

And so, they paid the price.

Boom!

"Arghhh!"

"Run!"

"Everyone fall back! Retreat!"

It was pandemonium. The players scattered like moths drawn to a flame, unable to even think of mounting a counterattack after that single opening strike. It was a pitifully helpless sight. Who would believe that these people were rankers in the top 0.1%?

There was nothing they could do.

The Guardian Statue was simply that powerful, and the forces they had gathered were woefully insufficient.

It was a simple matter of cause and effect.

And so, China was routed.

* * *

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