Chương 36: Main Character Syndrome

Ch 36 - Main Character Syndrome Several livestreams suddenly began skyrocketing in popularity. Whether they were inside Eternal Legacy or watching from outside the game, countless players tuned in to the same broadcasts. For one reason or another, they all seemed to share the same opinion.

"Damn it, are they seriously going to kill that arrogant prince and his entire convoy?"

"I know this is going to end quickly, but I still want to watch until the end. Just make sure that idiot Caelan dies last. He annoyed the hell out of me before."

"Hahaha! That stupid, arrogant prince finally got what was coming to him. This is the day every Eternal Legacy player has been waiting for."

"Seriously. Look at Caelan. He barely has any knights with him, and I bet they're all low level too. What was he even thinking, leaving the capital with that many carriages?"

"That's so stupid. Those players are obviously after whatever valuables are inside those carriages. Damn it... why didn't I think of that? Should I head over and join the raid too?"

"This is a huge event! That idiot prince has to be transporting a fortune. There has to be incredible loot inside those carriages!" On the livestream, dozens... no, perhaps well over a hundred players could be seen approaching from every direction. They slowly surrounded the convoy of royal carriages and the soldiers escorting them. The area itself was a vast stretch of dry plains with only patches of grass scattered here and there.

It was quiet, open, and far enough from the Capital City that no reinforcements would be arriving anytime soon. A man suddenly stepped in front of one of the livestream cameras. He had dark red hair and the overly confident smile of someone who believed he was the main character.

"Hey everyone! Natsu here, representing the best of the best guild in Eternal Legacy, Fairy Tool!" he shouted enthusiastically.

"The best of the best? Since when? You're a joke."

"Move already, idiot! I came to watch the battle, not your face." Natsu ignored the flood of comments and flashed an even brighter grin.

"Everyone, today we're going to prove that courage always triumphs over arrogance! We're going to show the entire server that greed, corruption, and abuse of power will never stand forever! That arrogant Eighth Prince has bullied innocent people for far too long, but today, we'll teach him that no one is above justice!" He dramatically pointed toward the distant convoy.

"We'll crush his soldiers, free every maid forced to serve under him... and yes, they're all beautiful. I mean, more importantly, they're innocent! They don't deserve to suffer because of a tyrant like him!" He raised his fist into the air.

"Today... we'll bring the prince to justice!"

"Bring the prince to justice!" The cry thundered across the plains as more than a hundred players shouted in unison, their voices echoing throughout the entire battlefield. Natsu immediately broke into a run, raising his weapon high above his head as the players behind him charged forward as well.

"Do you know why players are stronger than anyone else?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Because we stand together! As long as we're united, even the Empire will fall before us!" Far ahead, the knights escorting the convoy had already formed a defensive line. Swords and spears were raised as they stood shoulder to shoulder, protecting the royal carriages behind them. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. But it looked pitiful. There were simply too few of them. Far too few.

Even a fraction of the players gathered here would have been enough to overwhelm such a small force. As for everyone else behind the knights, they were just a bunch of maids. Women who spent their days carrying trays, cleaning rooms, and serving tea. What could people like that possibly do on a battlefield?

"Remember!" Natsu shouted again.

"Keep the beautiful... I mean, keep the maids alive! They're innocent! We have to keep them... I mean, rescue them! We'll give them a better life than serving that arrogant prince!" Then their advance gradually slowed. Some even came to a complete stop.

"Damn it... what's going on?" Natsu looked around in confusion. Suddenly, panicked screams erupted from another side of the battlefield, causing the livestream camera to swing toward the commotion.

"What the hell is that?!" A towering tornado had appeared in the distance, ripping across the dry plains while hurling sand and rocks high into the air.

"Damn it! The weather's terrible!" Natsu yelled.

"It's just wind! Don't stop! Keep moving!" He had barely finished speaking before more desperate voices rang out.

"Help! I'm getting lifted off the ground!"

"Dig your feet in! Don't let the wind carry you away!"

"I can't move! The wind's too strong!"

"My eyes! I can't see anything!"

"The ground is shaking! Something's inside that storm!"

"What is that?! There's a huge shadow in there!"

"No... that's not just a tornado!"

"It's coming toward us!" Natsu raised his right arm to shield his eyes as the dry sand was suddenly swept into the air. Within seconds, the violent sandstorm swallowed the entire battlefield. Everyone watching the livestream could only stare in disbelief.

"This can't be a coincidence, right? How does a sandstorm appear that fast?"

"Wait... that's not natural. Something's wrong!"

"This is getting interesting..." The livestream showing the hundreds of players was suddenly engulfed by the storm. The camera shook violently before the screen was swallowed by darkness.

"Hey! Why did the stream suddenly cut out?!"

"Forget the players, save the camera!"

"What kind of cameraman loses the shot this quickly?!"

"I can't see anything! Turn the camera around!" Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Natsu struggled to keep his footing while shouting orders at his guildmates.

"Hold your ground! It's just a sandstorm! We outnumber them! Don't panic! Once this passes, we'll crush them all!" Then… He felt something. A terrifying presence shot past his right side at unbelievable speed.

"What was that?!" Before he could react, the violent gust left in its wake slammed into him, sending him tumbling across the ground. At the same time, system notifications began flooding his vision. [Guild Member: Lucyfail has been slain.] [Guild Member: Grayhound has been slain.] [Guild Member: Erzaa has been slain.]"W-What?!" Natsu forced himself back onto his feet.

"How are you dying so easily?! You're not that weak! It's only a sandstorm! Stay together! Stop panicking and fight back! Don't tell me you're getting wiped out by a little wind, you idiots!" ** On the other side of the battlefield, some distance away atop a cliff overlooking the entire fight, two figures stood in silence. The cape of one of them whipped violently in the fierce wind as they watched the chaos unfolding below.

"I think nature isn't on our side today," the girl said. She was Frosty, a woman with short blonde bob-cut hair, sharp eyes, and a fitted blue suit of armor.

"Tch." Justhole clicked his tongue.

"I knew this was going to happen."

"The sandstorm?"

"No. I'm talking about those useless trash guilds. It's just a little sandstorm, and they're already running away. No wonder they never level up. They're weak because they're full of idiots who always make excuses. They can't even handle something this simple." Frosty smiled faintly and folded her arms across her chest.

"I guess we'll have to step in ourselves. At this rate, by the time this storm is over, that idiot prince's army might already be wiped out."

"Just make sure he doesn't escape. I'm already sick of that idiot Caelan. Keep a close watch on him. If any of the items he's carrying end up in someone else's hands, we'll have a small problem." Frosty casually raised her left hand. At once, every member of the guild standing behind her moved into position, preparing themselves.

"Listen up. Those spineless cowards down there have already proven how useless they are. Since they can't finish a simple job, we'll do it ourselves. This may be nothing more than a trivial assignment, far beneath a guild of our standing, but a job is still a job. We finish what we're paid to finish, and we do it properly." Her sharp gaze swept across every member of the guild.

"And while we're at it, let's finish off that idiot Caelan once and for all. He's our target, and I refuse to let him slip away again. Move out. We'll hunt him down ourselves and end this mission." A few members immediately responded.

"Those guilds down there are honestly pathetic. There are so many of them, yet they lose their nerve over."

"Exactly. If we'd handled this ourselves from the beginning, everything would've been over in a few minutes. Let's get this done already. I need to log out soon. My wife told me to watch the kids."

"Haha, same here. I'm already late for class, but whatever. My professor is late all the time too. He plays this game as well. What an arrogant old man. He's almost as bad as Caelan."

"Hey, idiot. Your professor is in this guild too."

"Oh... damn it. Sorry, Professor! I wasn't talking about you. I meant Caelan. He's the idiot, not you."

"You're repeating this semester."

"No... please, no!"