Chapter 264

“Found it.”

Raul looked at the crumbling old castle with a calm expression, but his mind was a turmoil of emotions. He had reached his limit; this old castle was the farthest point he could access in the west.

‘The Grand Guild Alliance…’

The direct interventions and enticements aimed at him began when the Forbidden Zone Scenario started. Bae Dohyun, an orphan with no support, was an easy target for various factions.

For both newcomers and established guilds, recruiting the number one ranked player symbolized substantial prestige and advantages. But Bae Dohyun had resolutely rejected everyone’s proposals.

In the game world, he wanted to be free from anyone’s control. Instead of monopolizing quests by aligning with powerful factions, he wanted to be a pioneer, opening paths for ordinary players.

And above all…

‘The offers were absolute garbage, those bastards!’

The recruitment proposals he received were outrageous. The base pay they offered was less than one-tenth of what he earned through casual streaming.

The signing bonuses were equivalent to the auction value of a single one of his items, and the contracts were riddled with prohibitive clauses that were exhausting to read through.

The fact that all the proposals from dozens of places were the same meant…

‘They either underestimated me or had some mutual agreement.’

Perhaps they didn’t really need Bae Dohyun’s recruitment but just wanted to remove an obstacle. They knew his disposition well enough, and there was no guarantee he would follow group actions obediently even if he joined a guild.

Thus began the war between the Grand Guild Alliance and Bae Dohyun. The result was clear. The phrase “good fight but lost” was merely a consolation for losers.

In a war that spanned almost ten years, they gained everything, and Bae Dohyun lost it all. Even his life. And this old castle was one of the battlegrounds between him and them.

The gateway city of Expedition, the entrance to the western Monster Forest Forbidden Zone. Early in the Forbidden Zone Scenario, Expedition was the only A-Grade city near the entrance and the sole place to breach the main road.

Bae Dohyun attacked the guild alliance that sought to monopolize it, and after three days of battle, he managed to seize control.

‘Only to lose it again in a month.’

Governing newly acquired lands in the Forbidden Zone required adhering to several rules. Among them was a siege period, with the duration of allowed sieges varying from S to F grades based on the size of the land.

E and F-Grade small settlements could be attacked at any time. However, d-grade medium towns could only be attacked once a week.

Once the battle ended, the land would generate a protective barrier to ward off external intruders, and the lord (village chief, mayor, commander) could expel hostile forces.

The higher the grade of the territory, the longer the protection period; A-Grade cities granted a month-long mayoral authority.

‘If only I had a faction back then….’

The Monster Forest wouldn’t have fallen entirely into the hands of the guild alliance. Raul reminisced as he slowly walked across the plains towards the castle.

Whooo.

A chilling wind whistled through the crumbling castle walls, creating a trembling tone. The burst-open gates hung precariously on their hinges, creaking, and inside the grounds, no buildings remained intact.

All that was left were well-maintained roads, building foundations, and a precariously standing, decaying inner fortress.

‘Huh, we’ll have to rebuild everything from scratch.’

Judging by its current state, it wouldn’t even qualify as a D-Grade medium town, let alone an A-Grade city. It must have been rated A-Grade due to its geographical advantages and potential for expansion.

Raul walked towards the inner fortress, its dilapidated interior making walking within it a terrifying experience.

“Ah, this is too much. Shouldn’t there be at least something usable left?”

Of course, it was better than the Elemental Jungle in the eastern forbidden zone. In the Elemental Jungle, there were no villages built for human habitation to begin with.

“Look on the bright side. It’s much better than starting from scratch, clearing the land, and building the walls.”

Rabel, who was perched on Raul’s shoulder, looked around and consoled him.

“Yeah, that’s true.”

When Raul first came to the Monster Forest in his past life, the city was already somewhat established. Well, it was no wonder the big guilds with endless funds had poured everything into restoring it.

But thinking about the fact that he had to rebuild an entire city himself, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

Creak, creak.

Raul walked on the wooden floor, which looked like it could break at any moment, heading towards the deepest hall of the inner fortress. And there, he found what he was looking for.

At the far end of the long main hall. Behind the lord’s chair stood a magnificent natural sculpture. The center of the display was empty.

Raul approached the statue and reached out towards the empty podium.

‘Now the real work begins.’

Mana flowed from Raul’s hand, filling the podium with energy.

Poof!

*

Swish! Thud.

Grooowl.

A medium-sized monster with the face of an owl and the body of a bear, an Owlbear, collapsed with a groan.

Boom, boom.

At the same time, several other Owlbears in the vicinity also fell.

“Huuup.”

As Ilwoo regulated his breathing, the nine avatars scattered around him were reabsorbed into his body.

“Phew, you’re turning into more of a monster every day, deputy Guild Leader.”

Luis Blake, who had just crushed an Owlbear’s head with his gauntlet, loosened his shoulders and approached.

“Monster, my foot. I’ve still got a long way to go.”

At Ilwoo’s words, Blake shrugged and put an arm around his shoulders, speaking softly.

“Still worried?”

“…….”

“Well, who wouldn’t be shaken by news like that? Miss Seohyun hasn’t logged in for days.”

“Phew. What about you, are you okay?”

“Hmm? I’m fine. What’s good is good, right? Though the Guild Leader’s situation is unfortunate, it worked out well in some ways. Look at Linda, she was actually happy.”

Recalling Linda’s reaction, Ilwoo couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m not particularly worried either. I just think I need to put in more effort.”

‘To repay even a bit of my debt to him.’

Once, he thought he was the most unfortunate person in the world. As an orphan who had faced discrimination, he saw no way up in life. But his life changed one day.

It was the day he met Raul and joined the First Knight Order. From there, he became the Vice Master of the top player guild in Connect, the Purple Guild.

The president of the First Player Association.

The vice president of First Management Company.

Now, hardly anyone in South Korea, or even the world, didn’t recognize his face.

When he logged out, a luxurious penthouse, which he’d never dreamed of affording, awaited him.

His bank account held amounts that made spending money seem incomprehensible, and the numbers kept rising in real-time. His secretary’s meeting schedule was packed with famous figures from TV and influential people from politics and business.

Despite his lack of significant authority, people lined up to ask him to arrange meetings with the chairman. All of this was thanks to Chairman Raul.

But then….

‘Chairman Raul was Bae Dohyun?’

A month ago, just as the kingdom’s civil war had ended and a new scenario was about to begin, the Purple Guild executives were all summoned. At that meeting, Raul revealed his true identity.

He was Bae Dohyun, and Bae Dohyun was him. At first, it was impossible to believe. How could the Grand Lord within the game and a person on Earth be the same individual?

But as Raul calmly explained, Ilwoo had no choice but to accept it.

‘He was a test pilot for Connect Company.?’

Summarizing Raul’s story:

Bae Dohyun, an orphan from South Korea, was adopted to the United States while in elementary school. However, his adoptive parents were not good people, and he was eventually disowned.

With no way to return to Korea, he decided to enlist in the military and later joined a mercenary company, serving as a special forces operative.

During this time, he met Alex Song, the chairman of Connect Company., and became his personal bodyguard. While guarding Alex, he suffered an irreversible injury due to a terrorist attack and, upon the chairman’s suggestion, became a test pilot for the capsule.

‘And when he woke up, he was in the body of the game character Raul?’

It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel and was hard to believe. But real documents in the real world (forged by Rabel) and photos of Bae Dohyun inside a capsule at the true headquarters of Connect Company (also forged by Rabel) backed up his story.

Most decisively, alex Song himself vouched for Raul’s account (due to a secret deal between Raul and Alex Song).

How could they not believe?

Once they accepted it, many things started to make sense. The First Knight Order and Raul providing conveniences specifically for players.

Unlike other nobles who saw players as outsiders, Raul and the First Knight Order embraced and utilized the Connect system.

Their deep understanding of Earth, exemplified by the establishment of First Company Inc. in the real world. And the unmatched strength displayed by Bae Dohyun.

Honestly, whether it was true or not didn’t matter.

‘He’s my benefactor, and I’m already deeply intertwined with him.’

The only unsettling part was realizing that their friend Bae Dohyun was actually Count Raul de First. It was inevitable to feel a sense of distance. This was something only time could resolve.

The guild members probably felt the same way as Ilwoo. Initially shocked, but realizing in the end that nothing really changed. In a way, it might have been a sign of how much Raul trusted them.

‘Or perhaps it no longer mattered if the secret got out.’

Regardless, they resolved to protect Raul’s secret and assist him as much as possible.

‘He said that if we see the game to its end, we might be able to return to the real world.’

That was likely why Han Seohyun, who had been secluding herself for days, was now fiercely leveling up. Ilwoo himself had also decided to cooperate fully with Raul—no, Bae Dohyun.

“Come on, let’s finish up. We still have our designated area to cover.”

“Whoa, take it easy. Let’s recover some mana first. We’re already the furthest along.”

Blake quipped.

At that moment, a system message appeared before them.

『Notice』

Thanks to the brave efforts of the players, the invasion of Forbidden Zone monsters has been halted. Don’t forget the importance of reclaiming and restoring the territory taken during the invasion.

Scenario 『Forbidden Zone Opening – Invasion』 has concluded.

A hidden settlement within the Forbidden Zone has been discovered by a pioneering player. New scenario conditions have been met, opening a new chapter.

Scenario 『Forbidden Zone Opening – Pioneering』 has begun.

Kim Ilwoo and Blake locked eyes.

“Finally.”

“It’s starting.”

The guild communication window lit up, flooding with messages.

“Let’s head back. An emergency assembly has been called.”

“Everyone’s going to be busy.”

The two turned and began making their way out of the Forbidden Zone. The days of fighting monsters amicably were over. From now on, the real battle for power between players and guilds would commence.

Of course, that was assuming anyone dared to challenge the Purple Guild.

(To be continued)