Chapter 24: Why are you there?
by fnovelpia
Thud, crack—From beneath his feet came the dull sound of the central temple’s stone cracking, while right in front of him rang the harsh metallic clang of steel clashing with steel.
In between those, a calm prayer chanted by a friendly cleric slipped in quietly.
And then—an eerie whistling noise that made all other sounds stop in an instant.
Whiiizz!
Another arrow came flying toward him.
The mage clenched his teeth and tightened his grip on his staff.
Normally, ranged dealers like archers and mages should target front-line warriors or knights first.
So why the hell was that crazy bitch only going for him over and over again?
She wasn’t even in range.
Fwoosh—
Mana gathered at his fingertips and turned into a red-hot flame.
Without wasting a turn like that archer had, he cast Fireball straight at the enemy warrior hammering away at his team’s frontline knight’s shield.
An offensive to push the battle line toward the enemy.
A relentless attack meant to pressure their formation and ultimately drive them out of the vast central temple.
Stagger—
‘Got them.’
The hulking enemy warrior slowly got pushed back by the massive flames that threatened to engulf everything in red.
Victory seemed within reach.
The archer, who had been making pointless attacks all this time, had disappeared somewhere.
Maybe she saw the tide turning and gave up early.
Typical archer.
Probably gave up on the central fight to farm minions, blaming her lack of growth.
He may have accidentally given her a kill during the laning phase, but in this wide-open battle zone at the central temple, all he had to do was stay behind his team’s frontline.
In a full 6v6 team fight with proper formations, an archer’s arrows wouldn’t easily pierce through the wall of defense.
[Capturing Central Temple – 46%]
After repeatedly gaining the upper hand, they managed to push the enemy to the edge of the central temple, increasing their capture percentage.
Mana swirled again at the mage’s fingertips as he prepared another flame.
His eyes now sparkled with confidence from their recent successes.
[Capturing Central Temple – 67%]
The system chime echoed all around as the capture percentage rose.
The mage prepared his final blow to finish this fight.
‘Just one more push.’
He raised his staff overhead, tracing an oval arc through the air.
A red mana trail followed, forming a magic circle that briefly glowed, compressed, then expanded explosively.
Fwoosh—
The flames, like living creatures dancing in the air, turned into sharp spears that rained down on the enemy team.
Empowered by the mage’s assault, a friendly knight charged forward with his shield.
The steel shield struck the enemy warrior square in the chest, forcing his massive body backward.
Crash!
Sparks flew as the shield scraped the stone floor.
The knight’s powerful stride shook the ground of the central temple.
Their seamless combo left the enemy frontline on the verge of collapse.
[Capturing Central Temple – 87%]
Victory at the central temple was nearly assured.
(Horororo [Mage] is typing a message…)
While the mage, still bitter over his earlier loss in the laning phase, began typing a malicious message directed at the enemy archer…
Step.
Step.
Footsteps.
From behind their formation—where no sound should be coming from.
[“ForgivenessIsFasterThanPermission” (Archer) has manifested!]
《The Maiden Who Hunts Beneath Moonlight gazes coldly upon her prey…》
The manifestation skill, which the archer alone hadn’t used during this entire fierce battle, was finally activated.
“…What?”
The battlefield’s heat vanished in an instant, replaced by a chilling silence.
At the center of that stillness stood the archer, her silver-glowing eyes unveiled.
《”Artemis APTERIş” quietly looks down upon you…》
Her long blonde hair shimmered with silver under the moonlight.
Swish—
Her bow changed form, now glowing faintly with moonlight.
Click.
The fully drawn bowstring was released.
A beam of light shot toward the mage.
Straight on.
Forehead.
The mage’s trembling gaze locked onto the glowing arrowhead—just before it struck.
[Horororo has been slain!]
[“ForgivenessIsFasterThanPermission” (Archer) → Horororo (Mage)]
With a muted thud, the world came to a sudden halt, dyed in crimson.
The mage’s HP bar had already vanished.
As his vision darkened and he collapsed to the stone floor, the last thing his eyes saw was the allied cleric bleeding from the chest.
[SmiteWithLight has been slain!]
[“ForgivenessIsFasterThanPermission” (Archer) → SmiteWithLight (Cleric)]
[Double Kill!]
『Mage and cleric down. Targeting the knight.』
What just happened?
—“LMAO holy crap”
—“Archer is so broken”
—“ForgivenessIsFaster is cracked! ForgivenessIsFaster! ForgivenessIsFaster!”
—“Is their knight not even watching the back?”
The chat exploded with disbelief and cheers.
Viewers couldn’t believe their eyes as the archer single-handedly turned the tide.
A stark contrast from a few minutes ago, when everyone was spamming question marks over her disappearance.
It looked like something straight out of a YouTube “Archer Highlights Compilation.”
When was the last time anyone had seen an archer like this?
With a wide rotation, she had wiped out the enemy’s backline solo, causing even their front line to collapse.
Whiiizz!
Another arrow fired.
Even the armored knight was pierced clean through.
Fragments of armor scattered, and the body fell limp.
[Capturing Central Temple – 27%]
[Capturing Central Temple – 51%]
[Capturing Central Temple – 84%]
Blue Team has captured the Central Temple!
The tide had completely turned.
What had quietly been slipping out of their favor was now fully their domain.
“…No way. That decision to flank—was fucking bril—no, I mean, seriously. That was incredible, ForgivenessIsFaster!”
“Thank you. Nabel, you really drew their attention well at the front.”
“Huh? Ah, no… no, really… not at all, haha…”
kkkkkkkkkk
– Damn, that female buff is real
– Archers’ romance is screwed lol
– Nabel, ffs, stop stuttering so much
– Dude turned into a pure boy the moment he got a compliment
– Just tuned in—wait, a girl???
– Game’s already won lol
Despite ongoing nerfs from the devs and ridicule from other players, the archer class has never truly died out.
What Heoyongppa just demonstrated a moment ago showed exactly how terrifying an archer can become under the right conditions.
“If every archer was like this, people wouldn’t hate them so much…”
Was it genuine admiration for Heoyongppa?
Or the joy of finally capturing that long-sought perfect clip?
[Horororo has been defeated!]
[PermissionIsSlowerThanForgiveness (Archer) * Horororo (Mage)]
“Their mage’s growth is completely stalled now. I think we can just win straight-up at this point.”
“Ah, this is great. Yeah. Heh…”
Ever since they secured the central shrine—the start of the snowball—the game was steadily shifting in their favor.
But every now and then, her soft voice would slip in and make him chuckle like a fool.
He still didn’t know why she kept targeting mages specifically, but honestly, it didn’t matter.
[Horororo has been defeated!]
[PermissionIsSlowerThanForgiveness (Archer) * Horororo (Mage)]
[ArchersAreSin has been defeated!]
[PermissionIsSlowerThanForgiveness (Archer) * ArchersAreSin (Rogue)]
[Double Kill!]
“Archers are nice, right?”
“Haha. Yeah, archers are awesome~”
– Clown levels maxed out lol
– But is she really an archer main? She’s good
– Where do you live and how old are you~? (in Sweet Young Sir-tone)
– Crazy fox-goddess… over and over again…
– Paid off his trash gameplay from the last match lol
– Let’s make plans to meet up this weekend
With every victory in team fights, the archer kept scaling and showed off that classic late-game carry potential.
No one on the enemy team could withstand her damage.
Eventually, overwhelmed by her sheer firepower, the frontline collapsed completely.
And finally—The enemy base shattered to pieces before Nabel’s eyes, Just as the victory message popped up:
[Victory!]
[PermissionIsSlowerThanForgiveness (Archer): Good game, everyone.]
[WhereIsNabel (Priest): gg]
[RoundAndRound (Knight): That archer’s really good]
[OneTrickSister (Rogue): I love your streams, Heoyongppa ^^7]
“Ah… this is it… this is what being an archer is about, people!”
“Pfft. Thank you.”
“Uh… I mean, mic, go—uhhmm.”
—Followed by laughter
– Love you, noona
– That was seriously legendary
– Look at Nabel, his ears are turning red lol
| Biiiig approval
・Yo
– Her voice is seriously next level…
– Archers were always the OG carries, y’know~
– Today’s stream is fire
– Yo~
And thus, the second ranked match with Heoyongppa turned into perfect highlight footage.
Back at the Battle of Lore lobby screen, Nabel heard her always-calm voice again.
“Good game, Nabel… ah, and sorry about the last match.”
“Oh, no no. It’s fine, Hyung. You really made up for it, like you said.”
“Glad to hear that. Well, I’ll be off then.”
And finally, the soft voice said, “I had fun today.”
Before Nabel, momentarily stunned, could even respond, the voice chat cut off.
– Ding.
“Ah, she’s gone… hmm.”
– Look at this guy licking his lips
・Call her back and ask for a duo, dude
– Nabel, we all know you’re watching Heoyongppa’s stream on your phone
・“I had fun today” <<< You better make tomorrow and the day after that fun too, Nabel. GO FOR IT!!!
– Where did our cool beauty noona go
– Wait, she really left? LOL
“But seriously… she’s really good at archer. Haven’t seen anyone that good since Season 3.”
Even afterward, Nabel stayed in a daze from the last game for a while, before finally pulling himself together and queuing up again.
But just then, a new set of messages caught his eye:
[PermissionIsSlowerThanForgiveness (2)]
[PermissionIsSlowerThanForgiveness: Nabel, I really enjoy your videos]
[PermissionIsSlowerThanForgiveness: Looking forward to the next one too :D]
– Gasp
– “Looking forward to it…” x999
Call the editor.
– Ooh
– She watches your videos, Nabel—what are you doing?!
– What were you just thinking, huh?
・This f***ing seductive fox…
– Something’s up with this, isn’t it? (adjusts glasses)
“…Phone. Where’s my phone. No wait—editor, are you watching the stream? I’ve clipped the replay, start editing NOW!”
kkkkkkkkkkkkkk
lmaooooo
– Crazy foxy lady
– Of course, lol you bastard
Consistent as always.
They were stuttering over the phone, but now…
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
・This is YouTube-worthy, so sweet~
Click.
[It’s faster to ask for forgiveness than permission]
12/0/5
“Hmm…”
Click.
[It’s faster to ask for forgiveness than permission]
12/0/5
“Mm.
29
Click.
[It’s faster to ask for forgiveness than permission]
12/0/5
“Hmmmmm…”
I feel like I’m going crazy, I feel like I’m going crazy, I feel like I’m going crazy, I feel like I’m going crazy, I feel like I’m going crazy, I feel like I’m going crazy, I feel like I’m going crazy
I feel like I’m going crazy, I feel like I’m going crazy
Why on earth is this person acting like this?
Damn it, seriously, stop and just say something.
Screams
What could this possibly mean? What could this possibly mean? What could this possibly mean?
Are they bragging about their KDA right now??
But I gotta admit, it’s nice when an archer grows well.
“Oh, right. An archer’s growth is the best in Battle of Legends—”
????
Crazy archer-lover b*tch…
??
― If you talk sh*t about archers, this one’s the type to track you to the ends of the earth and kill you.
(This user has been banned.)
Gasp
Someone just got canceled
Caught up in a sense of accomplishment, I started explaining the steep growth curve unique to archers.
Maybe because the truth about archers had finally been revealed, I felt a bit refreshed.
I’d led the game to victory as an archer in front of over ten thousand viewers, so today’s stream could be called a massive success.
Maybe—just maybe—some of the prejudice against archers was slightly broken.
This meant my plan to improve the image of archers had moved a few steps forward.
Since this ranked game would likely be uploaded to Nabel’s YouTube, I figured the fixed ideas about archers would start to crack.
I stretched my slightly stiff body and leaned on the VR treadmill.
It’s already midnight… Time really flies when streaming.
LTE
Gasp
Whoa
Wow
TE
Oh
“Hmm… I feel like I did something again, but I’ll just let it slide for now. There’s something more important at the moment.”
Eventually, I brought up a viewer’s nickname on screen and asked if they had kept their promise to me.
“Can you send me what you wrote down in a 1-on-1 chat? Oh, or you can just type it in the stream chat, that’s fine too.”
FlameOrbToTheSolarPlexus-nim.
[FlameOrbToTheSolarPlexus: Help me]
[Help me] FlameOrbToTheSolarPlexus:
[FlameOrbToTheSolarPlexus: Help me]
“Huh? Uh… Are you in a situation where you need to call 911?”
[FlameOrbToTheSolarPlexus: ?]
In the end, FlameOrbToTheSolarPlexus postponed fulfilling the promise to a later date.
They might need some time to sort out their thoughts, so it’s not entirely incomprehensible.
…Though if the quality doesn’t match the time taken, I might be a little disappointed.
Anyway, since it was about time to end the stream, I gave a brief farewell and turned it off.
Then, just as I was about to finally fall asleep with the scent of real rest—
The phone rang.
Brr brr.
Brr brr.
[Seoyeon]
“…Mmh.”
Half undressed, I hesitated for a moment, then answered, just in case.
I thought something urgent might’ve happened with Seoyeon or our parents.
Turned out… totally not the case.
[The entire community is talking about you. This is insane, seriously!]
“Huh… Is that… good? Oh, okay.”
[You think just anyone can duo with Nabel?] So cool!
“Uh, Seoyeon. About the archer, maybe…?”
[Archer? Why the archer?]
“…Never mind.”
I thought people were buzzing about the archer, but I guess not.
That was a bit disappointing.
As for my YouTube channel, I figured I needed to think a bit more.
[You’re gonna keep streaming anyway, right?]
“Y-yeah?”
[Then make your YouTube channel now. You’ve got momentum right now.]
“There’s no water leaking in my house though.”
[…Anyway. Just make the channel. I’ll ask Yoo-hyuk oppa to be your editor.]
And that was the end of the call with Seoyeon.
It felt… weird, like she was taking care of everything for me.
The person I always looked after was now looking out for me.
It felt… really unfamiliar.
“…Why am I doing this half-naked?”
Only then did I realize how ridiculous I looked and headed to the bathroom.
The warm water pouring from my crown made me go blank and lost in thought.
***
Morning.
Eumnal
As always, I arrived at work early in the morning, but by lunchtime, I was walking through the lobby of Yeryo Hotel instead of the Planning Team 1 office.
“Hello, I contacted you last time…”
“Oh, Seo-Ah. Hello.”
Tomorrow will be the day when the overseas branch managers arrive.
It was necessary to check the final details on-site.
Usually, this kind of thing is done by the youngest staff member.
So, where should I start?
I decided to check the Korean restaurant first.
It’s almost lunchtime, so it seemed like a good idea to have a simple meal while I was at it.
I gazed at the floor guide in front of the elevator, and I firmly decided to start with the hotel’s culinary team.
After all, Korean food is what keeps us going.
The overseas branch managers who are coming soon must also be missing Korean food.
For that reason, checking the Korean restaurant first was a perfectly reasonable decision.
In a way, checking the food at the Korean restaurant is part of my job, so I paid for my premium set lunch using my company card.
At first, when I looked at the price, I thought it might be a bit too expensive, but it was delicious.
Swipe.
“This little beef really is worth the price.”
After having a satisfying meal, I checked things like hygiene and then got back on the elegant elevator.
Now it was time to check the rooms.
“…Wow… It’s so pretty… yeah…”
But then…
“Excuse me, are you with us… Are you going to our room? There are so many fun things in our room… heh…”
…I think I had the contact for the security team.
It seems like I should get in touch with them now.
Something just happened that requires insurance.
“The ones from earlier weren’t fun, but… you look like you might be more fun… What’s your name?”
How should I kick out these VIPs who look fine on the outside but are up to something…?
…I feel bad for Seo-Yeon.
***
“The ones earlier were stiff as hell, even though I told them to smile… but you might be different?”
Sunrise.
The idol Seo-Yeon likes, and one of the more famous idols among the bunch.
And here, in broad daylight, there are these crazy people trying to do something with a woman they just met.
Of course, I’m not saying all of Sunrise is made up of weird people.
Not all of the members are staying here anyway.
Well, it doesn’t really matter.
What matters right now is how to get rid of the drunken people walking around the hotel.
Tap-tap-tap.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Sunrise members were distracted, I texted Security Team Leader Kang.
It should take about… five minutes.
“Who are you texting? Do you have a boyfriend?” …What’s that?
“No.”
“Yeah, damn… what does having a boyfriend have to do with anything? It’s not like it matters to us anyway.”
I didn’t really feel like listening to the voices full of alcohol, so I let the conversation flow in one ear and out the other.
Eventually, when the elevator stopped, they naturally grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me to their room.
I wonder what kind of confidence they have, considering that everything is probably being recorded on CCTV… This is why alcohol is scary.
I raised my head slightly and checked the location of the CCTV.
Sunrise and I were clearly visible.
It became clear that I had to take a few more steps forward.
It would be easier to get them kicked out if it was recorded.
So, one step forward.
Another step.
Pretending not to know what to do, I lowered my eyes and…
“…Damn, why are you so slow.”
Thud!
Right now…
“Ah… Ah, no, aah~. It’s harassment~.”
“?!”
After confirming that one of the Sunrise members grabbed my wrist and tried to pull me, I immediately collapsed onto the floor.
Everyone looked so flustered, and it was actually quite amusing.
“What the hell, why are you suddenly—”
Grab!
Before they could finish speaking, I reached out first and grabbed the chest of the guy in front and shoved him.
Next was the guy with the yellow hair holding a bottle of alcohol.
“No alcohol allowed inside the hotel.”
I kicked the bottle away, sending it flying far into the distance.
Realizing the situation, he reached out toward my collar.
I twisted my body to dodge and then grabbed his hand, slightly bending his wrist.
Snap!
“_!!!!”
“I would appreciate it if you could avoid causing disturbances inside the hotel. Other guests are staying here too.”
Next, the guy wearing his hat backwards.
He threw a punch at me, so I bent slightly and blocked it with my forehead.
He looked like a seven-year-old kindergartener, crying after he hit me.
“Ah, you… you bitch!!!”
“It was self-defense. I hope you understand.”
With that, I wrapped things up quite simply.
I pressed my knee down on the guy I had shoved earlier to keep him from getting up.
Right on cue, the elevator arrived.
“Ah, you’re here…”
However, it wasn’t Security Team Leader Kang who appeared first through the elevator doors, but Jeong Do-Yoon.
And he had a rather puzzled look on his face.
“Seo-Ah… What happened here…?”
A variable had appeared in the plan.
Why are you here?
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