B2 Ch 100 - Something Is Watching

“The demons have started launching guerrilla attacks? Are you kidding me? Since when did they even know how to fight like that?”

“Yes. Those damn demons are getting sneaky too. They’re avoiding larger groups, hiding along roads and in forests, then attacking players when they least expect it.”

“Damn, this is going to be dangerous. There are already so many of them. Fighting demons was bad enough when they were mindless monsters, but if even a few of them have started using their brains, dealing with them is going to become much harder.”

“Players currently taking part in raids should make sure they stay in sufficiently large groups. Do not separate from your party, especially outside the cities. According to the latest reports, the demons have been deliberately targeting smaller groups and isolated players.”

People across the internet had already begun growing restless after several reports of sudden demon attacks appeared one after another. Most of the incidents shared a disturbing similarity. Instead of charging directly at players as they usually did, the demons were moving in smaller groups, hiding along common routes, attacking without warning, and retreating before reinforcements could arrive.

It was not only happening to small parties either. On another livestream, an entire guild had encountered something far worse. Around a dozen players could be seen standing tensely on the screen, weapons already drawn as they stared at the demon before them.

The creature was nearly three times their height, its massive body standing beneath the night sky while its horned head covered part of the moon behind it. An enormous scythe rested in one of its hands.

The demon in the video let out a deafening roar before swinging its scythe toward the players. The enormous blade tore through the air, and the pressure from the strike alone ripped apart the ground several meters ahead of them.

“I am Demon General Varkhaz! I serve directly beneath the Fifty-Fifth Ranked Demon! Hear me well, humans! This city and everything beyond its walls will fall before us! Gather as many players as you can and bring them here. Bring your strongest warriors if you wish. It will only give us more bodies to pile before the gates!”

Everyone standing there was stunned. Even the people watching through the livestream seemed unable to immediately understand what they had just heard. Yet before the players could respond, the enormous demon disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, leaving only the ruined ground behind.

“This has to be some kind of joke. I refuse to believe we suddenly went from hunting ordinary demons to having some unknown monster openly challenging entire cities.”

“But considering how the demons have been behaving lately, it actually makes sense that someone stronger is controlling them. They’re becoming more organized, and their movements are too coordinated to be random anymore. If a higher-ranked demon really is commanding them, then those guerrilla attacks might only be the beginning.”

“How strong would Fifty-Fifth Ranked Demon even be? Level 300? Maybe 400? We don’t even know whether their ranks have anything to do with levels, and that uncertainty is probably the worst part.”

“Anyone close to that area should leave while they still can. Forget the quests and rewards for now. If a Demon General is already that powerful, I don’t want to imagine what the demon it serves can actually do.”

That possibility quickly changed the mood across the forums. Until then, many players had still treated the demon attacks as an unusual event, something dangerous but ultimately manageable with enough preparation.

Now, however, people were beginning to question that assumption. If Varkhaz was truly only a subordinate of Fifty-Fifth Ranked Demon, then the enormous creature shown in the livestream was not even the real threat.

More reports continued appearing as the discussion spread. Several parties had gone missing along routes that had previously been considered safe, while others claimed they had seen demons watching from the forests without attacking.

That behavior disturbed players even more than direct attacks. Demons were supposed to attack when they noticed someone. They were not supposed to hide, observe, and wait.

One particularly popular clip showed a group retreating from a forest after realizing several demons had been following them for nearly twenty minutes. None of the creatures attacked. They simply moved between the trees, always keeping enough distance that the players could never get a clear look at them.

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“Okay, that’s terrifying. I’d rather have them rush straight at me than follow me around like that. If they’re watching players instead of attacking immediately, then they’re probably gathering information or waiting until there’s a better chance to strike.”

“And that Demon General told everyone to bring more players. What if that wasn’t arrogance? What if they actually want large numbers of players gathering in one place?”

If the demons were becoming intelligent enough to organize ambushes, retreat deliberately, and follow commands from stronger demons, then blindly gathering thousands of players in response to Varkhaz’s challenge might be exactly what they wanted.

Meanwhile, in another part of the region, dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of figures emerged from the line of trees surrounding the forest. Dark cloaks covered their bodies as they moved forward in formation, while the occasional gleam of sword blades slipped through the gaps in their robes and reflected the pale light from above.

At the very center of the formation stood a woman whose red hair could still be seen beneath the hood of her cloak. Rania remained there in silence, watching the sudden disorder spreading among the players who had been following their forces from the other side.

Several players vanished from the formation entirely. As usual, they had apparently “logged out,” the term they used whenever they returned to their own world. Others remained, but began separating from the main group, leaving in smaller parties and heading in different directions without waiting for the rest.

Rania simply stood there and observed the situation without interfering. Her gaze followed each group that departed until a young knight approached her from the side.

He had short brown hair and narrow gray eyes, his expression unusually calm. Stopping a short distance away, he lowered himself into a respectful bow.

“Your Highness, something unexpected has occurred. There are reports that a Demon General has appeared on the other side of the region. A considerable number of players have already broken away from our column and are heading there. We have also received reports of sudden demon attacks along several surrounding routes.”

The knight hesitated briefly before continuing.

“However, there have been no confirmed attacks along the route ahead of us. For the moment, the demons appear to be concentrating their movements elsewhere. I cannot say how long that will remain the case.”

“A Demon General?” Rania repeated, her expression turning thoughtful. “I have never encountered a Demon General among them before. Although...”

She paused for a moment. “They do have quite a number of Demon Commanders.”

She raised her head again. “How many troops are still traveling with us?”

“Your Highness, aside from our five hundred knights, the number of players accompanying us has continued to fall. There were more than a thousand when we first set out. Now, only around two hundred remain.”

“Only two hundred?”

Rania’s expression slowly hardened. Losing so many players before they had even reached their destination was far from ideal, especially when reports of unusual demon movements were appearing at the same time.

She remained silent for several seconds before turning toward the tall figure of the Knight Commander standing behind her.

“Tell me your observations. What do you make of all this?”

“I find the timing troubling, Your Highness. The moment our forces began moving, a Demon General appeared elsewhere and drew hundreds of players away. It may be a coincidence, but if it is not, then someone is deliberately trying to divide our strength.”

Rania’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Set the numbers aside. How much combat strength have we actually lost?”

“Less than the numbers suggest. The players vary greatly in strength and experience, and we cannot reliably command them. Their numbers were useful, but our five hundred knights remain intact.”

“And if we are ambushed?”

“That depends on where. On open ground, I trust our formation. Inside the forest, our numbers could become a weakness if the enemy manages to separate us.”

Rania glanced toward the dark line of trees ahead.

“Then we do not give them that opportunity. Avoid narrow paths wherever possible. Double the scouts, but keep them within supporting distance. Strengthen both flanks and keep fifty knights behind the main force as a reserve.”

The Knight Commander considered her orders before giving a firm nod.

“That would be my recommendation as well, Your Highness.”

Rania turned her attention toward the road ahead. The timing bothered her, and the silence in that direction did little to reassure her. A quiet road was not necessarily a safe one.

But retreating based on uncertain reports would be no wiser than advancing without preparation. If someone truly intended to disrupt their movement, stopping here would only give them more time to act.

“We do not know enough to justify turning back,” Rania said. “We continue, but assume from this point onward that our movements may already be known.”

“Understood.”

Rania kept her gaze fixed on the forest.

“We advance. Carefully. Very carefully.”

The formation soon began moving again, with Rania leading from near the front as the knights advanced in tighter ranks. Yet after several minutes, she noticed that the knight who had delivered the earlier report was no longer anywhere near her.

“Where did Gleus go?” Rania asked, glancing back.

One of the knights nearby looked around before answering, “Perhaps nature called, Your Highness. Even the most loyal knight cannot win every battle.”

Rania clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned forward again, continuing the march without giving the matter much more thought.