Subscriber of the Gods

“Huh?”

Ethan was momentarily taken aback.

Until now, activating Monsters’ Calamity had revealed the weaknesses of all the monsters.

The same applied to high-level Beast Kings.

“Why can’t I see it?”

Even though he strained his eyes, thinking it might be too small to see, it remained invisible.

“No way. No weaknesses?”

It couldn’t be.

If that was the case… could it be…

“It’s not a monster?”

The Monsters’ Calamity was quite a generous skill in terms of judgment.

Even the Beast King, who transformed using the superpower of Beastification, was treated as a monster. So it made sense that countless others of similar nature would be classified as monsters as well.

The fact that there are no visible weaknesses ultimately meant that it wasn’t a monster.

Now that he thought about it, there was no level displayed either.

‘I always thought it was a monster. But if it’s not a monster… could it mean that defeating it through combat isn’t the answer?’

Ethan shifted his thinking.

Until now, he had naturally assumed that the guardian should be defeated. It was because he had always thought of it as a monster.

But if the guardian wasn’t a monster?

However, he had never succeeded in defeating this guardian through combat.

That meant that winning through fighting might not be the solution.

‘Why is it guarding the tomb?’

Boom!

As Ethan approached, the guardian swung his axe once again.

Ethan spun around and continued to ponder.

It was risky to think while dodging attacks, but he couldn’t stop thinking.

‘If it’s just a guardian, it wouldn’t have been able to protect the tomb for so long.’

It was clear that it had received some kind of command.

There was a possibility that the person inside the tomb was someone very precious.

Simply being driven by orders wouldn’t have kept it here for such a long time.

After all those years, even the strongest willpower would have been broken.

Ethan searched his memories.

In the hints of this ancient deity’s ruins, there must have been clues about the identity of the tomb’s owner.

“She was the princess of the royal family blessed by the ancient deity.”

If that were the case, this guardian might be the princess’s knight.

Alternatively, it could be her lover.

Or perhaps a family member.

“Is it protecting the princess even in death? I’m not sure if it’s guarding the tomb or protecting the princess.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Ethan approached closer as if he had organized his thoughts.

‘If that’s the case…’

He decided to convey his words to the guardian.

Boom!

The first pattern.

Ethan narrowly evaded the attack and opened his mouth.

“Princess.”

The moment he uttered the words “Princess,” something unprecedented happened. The armored soldier twitched and raised his axe toward the sky.

“She has escaped to a safe place.”

“Th-The princess…?”

A weary voice was heard.

“You can retreat now. The princess has been safely rescued to a safe place.”

“To a safe place…”

His tense body began to relax in an instant.

Then, he knelt down on one knee, followed by the other.

The red light that had been emanating from him began to flicker and weaken.

-You have subdued the guardian of the tomb.

-The quest [Guardian of the Tomb] has been cleared successfully without attacking the guardian!

-You have received the reward for clearing the [Guardian of the Tomb] quest!

Defeating the guardian in combat was not the answer.

Giving them rest was the correct solution. To acknowledge their dedication and hard work throughout the long years in this place, and to assure them that it was all over, was the right way.

“They were not an undead monster. They were simply a guardian.”

Shaaaaaaaah-

As the guardian turned to dust and dispersed into the air, Ethan stood in silence for a moment. 

Then he checked the rewards he received.

-Rusty Guardian’s Double-Edged Axe [Grade: A]

The double-edged axe of the guardian who had protected the tomb for many years.

Crafted by the finest blacksmith of that era, it retains its sharpness even after the passage of time.

Despite being rusted, it still held an A-grade rating.

“If properly restored, it could potentially be elevated to S-grade.”

The axe was too heavy and large for Ethan to wield personally, but he could fetch a decent price for it if he were to sell it.

“Whoo.”

Ethan exhaled once and immediately entered the tomb.

It was the first time he had ever set foot in a place he had never seen before.

* * *

“Hmm.”

Ares, the God of War, pondered on what kind of content he should create for his new video while thinking about the message he had sent earlier.

For Ares, it was a significant decision to send the message first. Despite being a god who received the subscribers’ choices, he also held a strong sense of pride as a being who granted immense power to his subscribers.

Sending the message first?

It was an action that required him to set aside his pride.

That was why he was curious.

“If I use the ‘Likes Received’ feature, I can confirm my subscribers.”

There was a feature that allowed him to verify whether the desired subscribers had subscribed or not.

He had to use the “Likes Received” feature quite a bit, but it was the only way to confirm subscriptions.

“Ahem. Should I check right away? No, wait. They might not have checked the message yet.”

Ares held back.

As he tried to focus on creating the new video, the thoughts kept popping up, hindering Ares’ concentration.

Meanwhile, Heo Jun was thriving.

“I hope it doesn’t come to a point where a lesser god from the East surpasses me.”

That would be an absolute disaster.

Being the God of War, he needed to stand out prominently among the multitude of gods to display his full prowess.

“I’m frustrated that I’m falling behind Hercules.”

Ares clicked his tongue.

“There’s no other choice. I have to check it myself.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Ares started using the “Likes Received” feature to confirm the subscriptions.

-Not on the list

“Not on the list? Could it be that they haven’t checked yet?”

With that thought in mind, Ares’s eyes widened as he read the subscription reviews from Heo Jun and Hercules.

“Huh?”

There was a new subscription review for Hercules, and the username of the reviewer looked familiar.

-Hercules’ subscription review. *Only subscribed to the right gods

“Then they must have definitely read my message…!”

Ares controlled his anger and immediately checked Hercules’ subscription review.

Once again, it was a video-made subscription review.

“No matter what, it’s still Hercules’ subscription review.”

Hercules was a major deity.

He was inherently famous and well-known among numerous subscribers.

Moreover, the abilities that could be gained by subscribing to Hercules were abilities that could be effectively utilized by any subscribers, regardless of their background.

Being a hero renowned for his mighty strength, many people were inclined to subscribe to him.

In fact, it was safe to say that Hercules had a higher level of fame and recognition than Ares when it came to public perception.

However, despite such fame, his subscriber count and likes were not as high.

The reason was simple.

His explanations were overly abstract and difficult to comprehend.

While it was possible to obtain abilities by watching his videos, effectively utilizing those abilities required a proper understanding conveyed through the videos.

The clarity of his video explanations played a crucial role in harnessing those abilities.

Unfortunately, Hercules lacked the ability to provide clear explanations.

This was evident from the various Subscription Reviews.

“No matter how well they write their Subscription Reviews, subscribing to Hercules is a disappointment. I wish they had subscribed to me instead and written reviews about my content.”

Ares became angry, but he managed to calm himself down for the time being.

In Ares’ eyes, he saw the reviews from those who had previously subscribed to Hercules.

-It was highly recommended, but I couldn’t understand it at all, so I had to unsubscribe.

-I have no idea how to use the powers. I went into a dungeon and couldn’t properly utilize the abilities, so I got kicked out of the party.

The evaluations were terrible. No matter how much they tried to sugarcoat it with positive words, the fact remained that they couldn’t write good Subscription Reviews.

“Even if they force themself to give him compliments, it will only backfire. It will only anger Hercules more.”

If that happened, Hercules’ anger would be the only outcome.

It might seem foolish, but Hercules, too, as a god, desired victory in New World.

“No matter how well they created Subscription Reviews, it’s futile. Hmph. It would have been better if they had subscribed to me. Then, I could have given them some likes as well.”

Once a certain number of subscribers were reached, gods were able to access various features in the [New World]

Sharing likes was one of them.

“Still, I’m curious. They must have posted a negative Subscription Review. I wonder how negatively he expressed it.”

Ares immediately opened the Subscription Review of Hercules from [Subscribe only to the right gods].

Shaaak-.

A video unfolded before his eyes.

The Subscription Review video was a kind of explanatory video.

The reason why Hercules’ videos received criticism was very simple.

His explanations were really poor.

They were abstract, difficult to understand, and relied on brute force. Such videos left a bad impression on users of [New World].

Of course, those who were in sync with Hercules could understand quickly.

From their perspective, seeing Hercules himself using his power directly was more than enough to understand, rather than excessive explanations.

“I’m starting to understand.”

Ares exclaimed.

In fact, Ares also found it incredibly challenging to explain things he instinctively knew.

That was why he often struggled to comprehend Hercules’ videos.

However, as he watched this particular video, he began to grasp its content.

“What is this? Can you write Subscription Reviews in this manner too?”

It had a different style from the Subscription Review videos they had previously posted on Heo Jun’s channel.

“I-I must grasp this technique.”

The comments on the video were overwhelmingly positive as well.

-I wish Hercules himself had posted this.

-Can’t Hercules pin this Subscription Review?

-This person will probably become a god. I’m going on a pilgrimage in advance.

-I’ve subscribed all this time but never fully understood Hercules’ videos until now.

-Seriously, this person is a true expert.

Ares’s eyes started to gleam.

“A message.”

Who cared about pride?

“I need to send another one!”

* * *

Kukukung.

The tomb was quite beautiful inside.

Although time had taken its toll, causing corrosion and breakage, decorative items and intricately carved sculptures could still be seen throughout.

“It’s been decorated quite nicely.”

Inside was a coffin made of a gorgeous golden color.

And in front of the coffin stood a stele.

Ethan extended his hand towards the stele, and it began to glow brightly.

-The class quest [Ancient Trial] has begun.

-Step into the dreadful catastrophe of the [Reclamation of Reichardt].

-Please resolve the regret held by the descendants of the hero who slumbers in this tomb.

* * *

Rumble, rumble.

A sizable formation.

The ones in the front were mounted on horses, while those following walked armed.

Among them, a man in his late thirties approached Ethan and spoke to him.

“My name is Murine. Hmm, you look young. Why did you join the reclamation force?”

“I’m Ethan. I joined to rescue my family in Reichardt.”

Ethan glanced around, his words vague.

He had entered the realm of past calamities.