How Simple
The player community was in chaos.
─ Is this update for real? The balance is totally broken.
─ Not just the balance, I think we're gonna get wrecked too??
─ LOL how are we supposed to beat Count Ascura, are you crazy, Raymon?? LOL
Actually, there was no need to even check the community forums.
The news was flooded with talk about the new update.
"AAU has revealed that Count Ascura is a vampire — in other words, a demon-type monster."
"Even major guilds are hesitant. They've taken a cautious stance, unwilling to jump into a clearly dangerous rift."
I checked the update a little late.
And I was stunned.
'…What, level 430?!'
Level 430? That's even higher than the current top-ranked player!
I suddenly wanted to take back all the things I'd said about him being from an inferior race.
And if that wasn't enough — he's a demon-type.
Among players, demon-types were known as particularly tricky monsters to deal with.
To safely tackle a demon-type,
it was common knowledge that you should be at least ten levels higher.
So then…
'They updated this expecting us to beat it?'
Of course people reacted like this!
Now I understood why the world was in such an uproar.
It was obvious players would suffer losses — no wonder the major guilds were holding back.
But imagine what would happen if everyone kept hesitating and the rift collapsed.
Then we're really talking about the gates of hell opening.
Of course, I was fully aware of something important.
───────
Natural Enemy: When fighting demon-types, your combat power increases dramatically.
───────
Natural Enemy.
The class skill of the Demon Hunter — more powerful than I had imagined.
But even so, the imp I fought before was only level 200.
To hunt Count Ascura, who was more than double that level?
It seemed unimaginable.
But that was just the logical conclusion my brain, Lee Hoyul, had come to.
At this moment, my heart was beating as calmly as ever.
Yes, it was the same steady pulse that said, it doesn't matter what kind of demon it is.
"No temptation, deception, or trial of any demon can tarnish the noble pride of Granfell."
Imp or vampire.
Even standing before a demon lord—
This arrogant pride would never be broken.
A true "die in style" setup, one that practically begged for death.
Of course, I had no intention of dying in style.
As long and as thin a life as possible—
That's the life I want.
'Wait, hold on.'
But in this moment, even my brain was saying—
Maybe I really can do it.
A sparkling quest window.
─ Hunt the Vampire. (In Progress) ▲
● Announce the Start of the Hunt. (In Progress)
Looking at those quest objectives, memories from the past came rushing back.
The demon hunter's method of demon hunting—
I remembered it all again.
And thanks to that, I became sure of one thing.
'If I just follow the quest like I did before…'
Maybe, just maybe, I can hunt a vampire.
That kind of confidence.
A field of flowers bloomed in my mind.
How much EXP would I get for defeating Count Ascura?
Could he drop some amazing item?
Oh, right — I shouldn't forget about the class quest reward either.
Yet my lips didn't even twitch.
The beautiful field of flowers I imagined? To Granfell, it wasn't even worth a glance compared to his family's garden.
To put it simply — all of that was only natural.
It was rightfully mine to take.
─ New Rift location is live!!! It's in Russia?!!
I spoke in a cold voice.
"I'll give you an even harsher punishment for bothering to hide."
The Mage Tower.
Its interior was almost indescribably mystical.
"Holy crap. This looks nothing like the outside?!"
It was as if different laws of physics applied inside — vast and otherworldly.
Endless books filled the space.
And at the center, shining brightly — the portal.
"Russia, huh. Imagine if we didn't have the Mage Tower. Gives me chills."
"See? Told you the master made the right call. We were lucky to settle in Korea quickly. Just look at those Japanese and Chinese guilds. They insisted on staying local, and now they're boarding planes to Russia."
"Landing's not the only problem. I heard it's a five-hour drive from the airport."
The Portal.
A large-scale teleportation spell.
As expected from high-level magic, just seeing it proved its power.
Among players, the number of those who could use a portal was so small you could count them on one hand.
But comparing player portals to the Mage Tower's portal?
Totally different level.
"When will I ever get to use this kind of magic?"
"Even at max level, it's impossible."
"…Max level? Does Arcana even have a max level?"
"Nope. Which means it'll never happen."
"God, listen to you talk…"
Player-made portals weren't even considered transport — they were for emergency escapes only.
The mana required to maintain them was insane.
"Still, when else will we ever get to ride a portal this casually?"
Even the Mage Tower's portal hadn't originally been free to use.
But just like the world had changed, so too had the Mage Tower.
A crowd gathered around the portal.
All attention was focused on one guild: Gaon.
"Did Gaon discover a strategy to defeat Count Ascura?"
"Why did you decide to go on the expedition before the other guilds?"
"There are talks that if Gaon fails, the information should be shared with other guilds. What are your thoughts?"
World Rank #5.
Korea's top guild — Gaon.
Their guild master, Nam Taemin, answered the barrage of questions.
"Sorry, but we don't have a strategy. Since when did we ever need one to tackle a rift? Why go before the other guilds? Obviously — to gain the upper hand."
His tone was full of confidence, fitting of his position.
"And what? If we fail, we should share our strategy? Sorry again, but that won't happen. People will say it's for world peace, or whatever. But I'd say — if you want peace, go challenge the rift yourself. That's the real path to peace. Don't you agree?"
His energy was so fierce that even the reporters flinched.
But inside, Nam Taemin was burning up with anxiety.
Gaon had staked a lot on this expedition.
They had to deliver results.
Thanks to the Mage Tower, top guilds from all over the world were flooding into Korea.
Good news for the government and citizens?
Maybe.
But not for Gaon.
Their domestic dominance was shrinking fast.
And now, Gaon's move spurred other guilds into action.
The press began murmuring.
"…Huh? Wait a second, that's the Shining Guild!"
World Rank #1.
The undisputed strongest guild — Shining.
They had arrived at the Mage Tower, leading their expedition force.
"Yeah, that's more like it."
With Shining on the move, other guilds were sure to follow.
The reporters who had been crowding Nam Taemin now rushed over to Shining.
Only then did Nam Cheolmin approach and pat his younger brother's shoulder.
"No need to rush. It's going to be a long war, anyway."
"I know. I just got a bit motivated, that's all."
"Still, what a dynamic first day at work. Seriously."
"Hyung, just think of it as being blessed with too much work."
Nam Cheol-min was participating in this expedition as Gaon Guild's analyst.
He didn't expect to be involved in such a major raid right from the beginning…
Still, he stayed faithful to his duties as an analyst.
Being a parachute hire was fine—but he couldn't allow himself to be called a flawed parachute.
"I've already finished the briefing with the guild members."
"Briefing?"
"Yeah. This new rift has a really unusual structure."
Nam Cheol-min pulled out a tablet PC.
On the screen were three overlapping circles.
He pointed at the outermost circle with his finger.
"This is the outer rift surrounding the territory. It's not just drawn as a circle for clarity—hundreds of rifts were actually discovered in a perfect circular formation."
"…Hundreds? Wait, then what about the inner circles?"
"That one's the rift within the Count's domain. Smaller in size, about 30 of them."
"Then the innermost circle must be the Count's stronghold."
Nam Cheol-min nodded.
"Right. Count Askyura is located in the innermost stronghold rift."
"Hold on… the layout kind of looks like a real castle, doesn't it?"
"Exactly. That's what made me think."
"?"
Slide—
Nam Cheol-min tapped the screen.
It switched to an image of a medieval castle.
"If the rift collapses, don't you think there's a chance that Count Askyura's actual castle might be summoned into the world?"
"…Hyung, that's a bit much, don't you think?"
"Why not? Even the Magic Tower suddenly appeared out of nowhere."
"…"
Nam Tae-min had no comeback.
There wasn't anything particularly wrong about his brother's logic.
But one thing was certain—if the rift collapsed and Askyura's castle really appeared…
"…It could turn into a full-blown siege, couldn't it?"
"Exactly. That's what worries me too."
"Damn it. It's already hanging by a thread!"
In Arcana, siege warfare overwhelmingly favored the defenders.
In this case, the defender was Count Askyura.
Nam Tae-min was convinced.
"If that happens, it'll become literally impossible to clear."
Nam Cheol-min simply shrugged.
The brothers fell into a brief silence.
Nam Tae-min was the first to speak.
"We just have to do our best."
"Good mindset."
"Hyung, you should be a bit more motivated too."
"It's just… this first assignment is so heavy."
Nam Cheol-min had something to say, too.
"I was planning to focus solely on recruiting that rookie. Renegotiating the contract, composing a proper message again… and then boom—this update drops out of nowhere."
The "rookie" Nam Cheol-min referred to was, of course, Ho-yeol.
Even now, Nam Cheol-min couldn't help but think of Ho-yeol.
Nam Tae-min was the same.
"Ugh. In this raid, every single player counts."
"That's why I said we should raise the percentage!"
"Hyung, it was 9.5 to 0.5. We were the 0.5! Raise it how? We're already buying him a house and a car, covering all activity expenses. With a rate like that, it'll take over ten years just to break even…"
"Whatever. It's your fault."
They bickered for a moment—
"Anyway, let's start getting ready."
It was time to enter the portal.
As Nam Tae-min said this, he tilted his head.
"…Wait, you're already ready?"
"What is there for an analyst to prepare?"
"No, I mean—you're not going out for a smoke?"
"Oh, that? I quit. I don't even feel the urge now that my worries are gone."
I opened the wardrobe.
The location of the new rift: Russia.
Current average temperature in Russia: about 2°C.
Thick clothes were the obvious choice.
But I was wearing a suit.
No doubt, another quirk of the character obsessed with dignity and formality.
I had to adapt—there was no other choice.
Thankfully, one of the few jackets I had was quite thick.
I checked my appearance in the mirror.
As if I had been born with silver hair.
Not a trace of black remained in my hair.
My face had changed too.
My features couldn't fully transform like my hair had, but perhaps due to the changed shape of my eyes, the aura I gave off felt completely different.
My physique had become sturdier after repeatedly doing training quests.
The once-loose suit now fit like a tailored one.
Thanks to my character's noble palate, I had stuck to a strict diet as well.
Of course I'd bulked up noticeably.
I looked at the mirror and said,
"That's me."
Yes, even this changed appearance—I knew it was still me.
Not someone else's image.
It was me, Lee Ho-yeol, and this was my personal dark history.
Knowing that, I didn't hesitate in my actions.
I was ready.
I was going to Russia.
To do that, I headed toward the Magic Tower.
…Wait a second.
"I almost forgot."
I had stopped just as I was about to step outside in my dress shoes.
I opened the cupboard and grabbed a handful of roasted barley green tea bags.
I carefully tucked them into the inside pocket of my jacket.
…Yes, I was also someone who lived and died for teatime.
Of course, tea bags alone wouldn't let me steep tea.
But it didn't matter.
Because I could explore, interfere, and manifest.
That's right—I had successfully manifested magic.
I looked at the teacup sitting on the table and said,
"No need for a teacup either."
The stack of neatly piled papers next to the teacup was proof of that.
.
.
.
I arrived at the Magic Tower.
I gazed at the brilliantly glowing portal.
"!"
A high-level magic spell called Portal—so rare that only a handful of players could use it.
And this one had been cast by NPCs from the Magic Tower, comparable to archmages.
But then—
'Why…?'
To my eyes, that high-level magic—
looked simpler than the "Ignition" spell I'd seen on NetTube.