“Ack!”

Siegfried felt as though his skull had caved in from the hit.

Deus’ attack pierced the absurd defense of Siegfried’s Will Armor Set that Yong Seol-Hwa had crafted for him and even gave him a mild concussion.

“Have I not told you already? I have taught you everything there is to teach,” Deus said, his tone slightly irritated.

“M-Master...?”

“Why are you trembling like a pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse?”

“I... I apologize...”

“I have told you time and time again. A warrior’s greatest weapon is his confidence. Were you perhaps planning to offer your head just because your enemy is the Creator?”

“No, Master!”

“What have I taught you?”

“That no matter who I face as my enemy, I should never cower. I should fight confidently and win.”

“And yet this is how you behave?”

“...”

“My teachings are anything but shallow.”

“Yes, Master.”

“What have I taught you?”

“That...” Siegfried pondered briefly. Then, he replied, “When facing an opponent stronger than me, I should weaken them with debuffs first and then kill them in one hit.”

“Do you believe in my teachings?”

“Yes, I do, Master.”

“Then you can weaken the Creator as well.”

“...!”

“It all comes down to debuffs, my disciple. Do not forget. The secret to invincibility lies in debuffs.”

“Debuffs...”

“Remember who you are and what you must do. As long as you do not forget that and keep your mind sharp...” Deus trailed the end of his words. Then, he smirked and continued, “You will be able to kill even a god.”

“Kill a god...? Me?”

“Why would it be impossible if fortune smiles upon you?”

“...!”

“I believe in you, my one and only disciple.”

“Master...”

“Now go and do what must be done. Save this world and become its savior on behalf of me.”

“Yes, Master!” Siegfried exclaimed. Then, he knelt on one knee and bowed deeply, “I shall uphold your command and make you proud, Master!”

“Good. I will be waiting for you.”

With those words, Deus gently pushed him away.

Whoosh!

The scenery before Siegfried changed.

“Huh?!”

“I suddenly teleported?”

“W-What the hell?! Where am I?!”

Siegfried looked around and saw his comrades were around him. A faint smile appeared on his lips after he realized what had happened. Deus had forcibly teleported everyone participating in the raid using his authority.

‘It’s just like back then.’

He recalled the time he first entered the world after becoming the Debuff Master.

It was the same, just like now.

After imparting his teachings, Deus gently pushed him away, teleported him away.

Why was he suddenly reminded of something that happened four years ago? Why had the memories of gaining a new class suddenly popped up in his mind?

“Kyuuuu! Owner punk!” Hamchi ran up to him. “Are you ready, owner punk?! Kyuuu!”

“I was born ready, punk,” Siegfried replied with a confident grin.

“That’s good! Kyuuu!”

“It will be tough, but there’s no way we’re failing this. Don’t you think so?”

“I love your confidence! Kyuuuu!”

“Let’s go!”

“Kyuuu!”

With that, Siegfried and the others set out to raid the Void.

***

There were no limits to how many could enter the dungeon where the Creator was presumed to be the final boss. Thus, Siegfried called in everyone he knew—the guild members of the Head Crusher Guild and the paladins of the Church of Heroes.

That was not all...

“Kyuuu! Look over there, owner punk!” Hamchi exclaimed, pointing into the distance.

Far in the distance was the warp gate, which Siegfried’s party was supposed to use.

Siegfried looked at where Hamchi was pointing and was shocked.

“Ehh?! W-Where did all of them come from?!”

A massive tide of people, numbering nearly several million, was gathering toward the warp gate.

“Whew! Everyone’s united as one right now. Isn’t this what they call 'We Are the World' or something?” Cheon Woo-Jin said with a grin.

Siegfried grimaced and grumbled, “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Did you really think we’re the only ones who love and treasure this game?” Cheon Woo-Jin asked.

“Well... There must be tons of others, right? I heard there are hundreds of millions of players.”

“Do you think those people want to just sit and watch the game they love die?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s why they’re here. They came to save this game,” Cheon Woo-Jin said. Then, he pointed at the crowd and added, “They all find joy in this game and treasure it. For some, their livelihood depends on it. Some might curse it all the time, yet they keep playing because they’ve grown attached to it.”

“Ah...”

“And most of them are probably just like you. They couldn’t just sit and do nothing at the thought of maybe never seeing their precious NPCs again.”

“That’s true...”

“Everyone probably wants to protect this game for their own reasons. Just like how you and I have our own.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Siegfried agreed with a nod.

BNW had yet to reach the end of its lifespan, and it was still an insanely popular game that everybody loved. Siegfried was standing at the pinnacle of the game and was just a step away from achieving the endgame.

He still needed to overcome the wall separating him from the next stage, but the next stage, the Arc Grandmaster, was basically the max level.

Once he went beyond the realm of Arc Grandmaster, he would ascend into godhood, which would cause him to be tied down by the laws of causality. Thus, it was no exaggeration to say that the realm of Arc Grandmaster was indeed the max level.

However, it was not the case for the other Adventurers.

They all still had plenty of room to grow and had countless contents to explore. Even those who had already reached the realm of Masters were still striving, dreaming of reaching the realm of Grandmaster.

On top of that, leveling up and growing stronger was not the only charm of BNW. Many gamers enjoyed interacting with NPCs, exploring the world, or just living a peaceful life tending to their small farms, rather than hunting monsters and leveling up.

BNW was practically another world in itself, so the gamers were bound to be naturally attached to it. Thus, both high-level Adventurers and low-level Adventurers had gathered together to stop their beloved game from shutting down.

‘Some of them might be low-leveled, but they might still be helpful. You just never know with this game,’ Siegfried thought.

He knew better than to judge a person’s worth solely by their combat power.

Why? It was all because he had no idea what kind of dungeon the Void was.

Oftentimes, some dungeons required more than just brute strength to clear. Siegfried could just bulldoze through the dungeon if brute force was the answer, but a dungeon sometimes demanded more than just combat prowess.

Cheon Woo-Jin nudged him and said, “Hey, don’t just stand there. Go on and say something.”

“Huh? To whom?” Siegfried replied, tilting his head in confusion.

Cheon Woo-Jin grimaced and answered, “Who’s gonna lead this massive crowd?”

“Who...?”

“Are you joking with me right now? If it’s not you, then who else?!”

“You want me to lead them?” Siegfried asked, pointing at himself. Then, he waved his hand and said, “Nah, man. I don’t think all of them will follow me. Besides, who am I to represent that many people?”

“You’re the strongest one here. The strongest becomes the raid leader. It’s how things work, right?”

“Well...”

“Give a speech before we head out, hyung-nim!”

“I think you need to raise morale, oppa.”

“Kyuuu! Say something about your resolve or just anything, owner punk!”

His comrades pressed him one after another.

“E-Eeeeeh?!”

They pushed him again and again until, before he knew it, he was standing on a huge boulder.

As a result, he was now standing in front of the multitudes, and every single gaze was focused solely on him.

“H-Hiiiik!” Siegfried shrieked and froze after seeing the massive crowd all look at him.

They were all staring only at him as if it had been rehearsed beforehand, and the pressure emanating from them was more than what Siegfried could bear.

He hadn't trembled or felt nervous even when fighting a live match in a stadium with tens of thousands of spectators, but this was a crowd that was far larger than what his nerves could take.

“E-Erm... S-So...” Siegfried stammered.

He stumbled over his words in panic, but he soon took a deep breath and regained his composure.

Then, he finally began his speech.

“I would like to thank each and every one of you for coming here today,” Siegfried began his speech with a deep, respectful bow.

“I firmly believe that each and every one of you will contribute greatly to protecting this game we all love. Everyone has their own circumstances, but in the end, we share the same goal.

"We want to stop Brave New World from shutting down. And I believe that is more than enough to unite us all. Let’s all join forces and protect this game we love. That is all.”

WAAAAAAAAAH!

Thunderous cheers roared, shaking the ground.

Everyone gathered here roared in response to Siegfried’s speech, as if showing their resolve.

In the eyes of the NPCs, this was a scene that would be recorded in the history of the continent—one where millions cheered at the impassioned speech of a legendary hero.

In fact, Gringore recorded this moment.

The millions of warriors gathered all shouted in unison, showing their burning resolve in response to His Imperial Majesty’s proclamation to save the world.

I, Gringore, have witnessed it myself.

Ah! The determination of the savior who wished to protect this world! The courage of those who stepped forward and followed the hero as if they did not fear death!

His Imperial Majesty is truly the symbol of honor and nobility!

Salvation

Siegfried von Proa I

As a scribe, Gringore recorded only the truth about Siegfried. Due to that, the early records were filled with nothing but embarrassing things about him.

Siegfried was far from a proper noble, even after he ascended the throne. He lacked every quality of nobility or dignity one would expect from a ruler, and he was more of a crude rascal than a king.

However, that was not the case anymore.

Over the past four years, Siegfried had grown greatly in both strength and character. Now, he was an emperor who had accomplished great deeds. He would be remembered by history.

The miraculous transformation of the rascal to become a hero was faithfully recorded in the annals of the Proatine Empire. Anyone who would read it would, without a doubt, be inspired by Siegfried's transformation.

Ironically, Siegfried wanted to burn all the records of himself, especially the early volumes.

***

Siegfried led the millions of people and headed toward the Void.

Of course, he was the first person to step into the Void.

“What the hell...?” he muttered as he read the notification that popped up in front of his eyes.

[Void: Festival of Bloodshed]

The notification showed his current location. However, contrary to what one would expect from a place called Festival of Bloodshed, the place around him was remarkably beautiful.

A green grassland bathed by warm, gentle sunlight stretched out endlessly, and a clear sky filled with fluffy white clouds hung overhead. This felt like the kind of place where one would build their picture-perfect dream home and live in peace with their kids.

‘This is completely different from what I imagined...’ Siegfried thought, dumbfounded by the contradiction.

“Kyuuuu! What the hell is that, owner punk?!” Hamchi shrieked.

“Huh? What?”

“There’s some weird mark above your head! Kyuuu!”

“...?”

Hearing Hamchi’s words, Siegfried looked up above his head.

A symbol in the shape of a drop of blood floated above his head.

“...What the hell is that?” Siegfried muttered.

At that moment—

Ding!

A notification popped up in front of his eyes.

[Alert: Welcome to the Festival of Bloodshed!]

[Alert: You will kill each other from now on!]

[Alert: The Mark of Bloodshed will explode and kill you instantly if you fail to fill the required quota within 1 hour!]