◈ 449. [Side Story]
I couldn’t get any of the symbols (2).
All of my other colleagues also submitted only designs that tasted bad. At the same time, everyone was elated, which was an absurd point.
finally this evening.
I sighed and announced.
“The winner is… does not exist.”
Woo woo!
Boos poured out immediately.
“It’s violent!”
“It is an abuse of lord authority!”
“Actually, it’s because you don’t want to give bonuses?!”
“No, you guys should have paid something nice! You children!”
When I shouted Barak, the heroes held out their drawing papers and held them forward.
“Ash! What is the design of these plentiful branches of our elves!”
“Your elven flag is already a mass of grass! You plant lovers! They overlap!”
“Captain, what is lacking in this painting I painted with all my might?”
“Since only the fists are so big, it’s like a bomb squad, this fighting bastard!”
“Why was this beautiful oil painting by Gwain rejected?”
“The dragon breathing fire is the symbol of the Principality of Bringer! What would change if only the color was different?!”
Pushing back the clamoring heroes, I sighed again.
“Okay, okay. We will choose a popularity award based on your sincerity. The winning prize is also given to the winner of the Popularity Award. Now, let each of you cast your vote for the picture that seems most aligned with our lines.”
“As expected, what does the lord know?”
“With a majority vote, of course, my work will be number one!”
“If everyone had eyes to see, they would pick mine, right?!”
So the heroes voted for their own flag design.
The winner is… … .
“… Damian’s work ‘Hamster Plump’ is the winner.”
Damian’s painting won with an overwhelming support of more than 50 percent of the vote.
Demian, who came forward holding a picture of his hamster with a thrilled face, cried a little and spoke of his feelings.
“thank you… ! I’ll give this honor to Podong!”
“congratulations! Can I go see Podong?”
“sure! You can see it when you come to the temple.”
“When this is over, let’s all go see it!”
Especially the elves were screaming and making a fuss. Do you feel a sense of kinship with rodents who are equally obsessed with nuts?
“cute.”
“It looks cute.”
“It’s nothing compared to the magnificence of my flag, but well… … That’s enough to admit.”
Everyone is nodding their heads at Damian’s flag design.
“… Are you serious about this?”
I felt a headache and grabbed my forehead.
Are you all serious? It’s okay if the hamster becomes the symbol of our monster front… … ?!
“Lord! I think the only symbol of our front is the lord!”
“me too! So, can’t you at least use this as a mural?!”
“thanks… It doesn’t help at all, but… … .”
I pushed away the duo of knights who appealed with their own picture (my face) until the end.
“All off! Go to the temple and play with Pudong, you bastards!”
“No, it’s dinnertime, give me some food and drive me out, Captain!”
“okay! Then just eat and leave!”
I paid the prize money to Damian, fed everyone well until dinner, and kicked him out of my mansion.
***
“It’s so hard… … .”
Gossiping, I sat down at my desk in my office.
Well, there was a half intention of the design competition. Rather than that, it was bigger that everyone gathered to relax before the big battle.
From now on, it will be a tough series of days. It’s better to laugh together and relax when you have a chance.
‘Even so… … I was trying to get some useful design hints… … .’
I gathered all of them as if I was brainstorming, but how come I don’t come up with any useful ideas?
‘I’m done with the flag, should I play the box?’
Before the big battle, he was going to spread all the boxes he had collected so far.
– Pirate’s Random Reward Box: 10
– SR Grade Reward Box: 3
10 Pirate’s Reward Boxes from Stage 20. And three SR grade boxes that came out as stage 21 rewards.
‘I’m afraid they’re not pirates, so they’re even playing around with the reward box.’
The pirate’s random reward box, as the name suggests, gives out random rewards.
Randomly determined from grade N to SSR, and the item table for rewards is set a little differently from the existing boxes.
If you’re lucky, you may even get rare items that can be obtained from existing reward boxes.
… Of course, it’s just words like this, and it’s usually an N-class explosive ending.
I hate it, but what can I do? I have no choice but to open it while praying for some possibility.
‘For now, just three SR grade boxes.’
A reward box received after defeating the Red Spider Corps.
Flash!
cool open. Anything good?!
[Rewards]
– Standard Highest Magical Core (SR): 3
“… It hit flat.”
If it’s an SR-class magic core, there’s no harm. Although it can’t be better than the finished product.
I roughly threw it into my inventory and placed 10 pirate boxes, the main game, in front of me.
“But if you have a conscience, one of them will be a jackpot?!”
I opened 10 at the same time while shouting.
“Did you wake up?!”
Flash!
A light burst out, and before long, what was placed in front of me… .
“… .”
It was a mountain of junk.
dog stuff… … It’s full of garbage. With a sense of dejection, I picked up the items with my fingertips.
A broken key in a shoe with a hole in cheap rum… … oh my god.
“Aww, that’s it. What do you want from pirates… … .”
While babbling, I threw one or two into my inventory with the feeling of separating garbage, but I noticed something strange.
sparkle.
“huh?”
I saw a scruffy ring lying among the clutter.
I hurriedly picked it up. no way!
[Kraken’s Ring (SSR)]
“Long live the great octopus!”
I involuntarily let out a pagan cry and jerked my arms upward.
No, I’m not sure if the Kraken is an octopus or a squid, but whatever!
The ring of the Tsaltem Kraken, which is infamous for not appearing in the item drop table of the ghost pirate commander Bernard Poker, has appeared!
The effect is very simple. Summons the Kraken to command it.
Although there is a downside that the cooldown is terribly long at 3 stages, but where is this! I’ll let you use a boss level summon for free once every three stages!
[Rewards]
– Kraken’s Ring (SSR)
– 9 other types < Expand the list >
Deal with all the boxes piled up so far.
I’m in a daze for a while, soaked in the unique drowsy feeling of collapse that comes right after box cracking.
‘… wait for a sec.’
Come to think of it, wasn’t there another box left?
I shook my head and looked around.
Then, I saw a small box quietly placed on the corner of the desk in the office.
This time, it was a box that Alberto brought after escaping from the ecliptic.
Some say that it was given to them by the private organization ‘Women with Wind’ built by Ash in the past.
– I don’t know. Except for ‘a gift from the past’… … .
“… .”
Recalling Alberto’s words, I frowned.
A gift from the past.
in other words… Something the past me left behind in my private organization and sent to the present me.
I was a bit scared for some reason. Facing me, not me, the Ashira of the past. So, I delayed opening it.
I can’t avoid it any longer. I carefully picked up the box.
“after.”
I took a deep breath and opened it.
Click.
Inside that open box… … There was a short handwritten letter and an old piece of cloth.
I lifted the handwritten letter first. The letter was simple, with only a few lines, but the scribbled first sentence caught my eye first.
– Fighting for the world sounds like shit, right?
“… .”
As soon as I read the sentence, I was convinced.
The bastard who wrote this is undoubtedly the Ash of the past.
– It was a series of being X from the beginning, right? It was always hard like endless X, right?
“Are you kidding me, you bastard… .”
Grinding my teeth in annoyance, I read the next sentence.
– But you’ve come this far.
“… .”
– What can I do? I’ve already come this far Suffer a little more until the end.
ridicule, pity, and… … In a letter full of love.
– Cheer up me.
With that said, the letter ended.
“… A foolish bastard.”
Stunned, I looked at the letter, then folded it up again and threw it into the box.
The other stuff in the box… … I picked up an old piece of cloth.
And it is
[Great Commander’s Flag Piece] (5/5)
– Character ‘Ash”s exclusive equipment [Great Commander’s Flag (EX)] is one of the five pieces.
– When all five pieces are collected, one flag is completed.
It was the last piece of the puzzle that my past self had arranged.
“… .”
Fifth.
The final piece of the flag is finally in my hands.
I took out the pieces of flags I had collected from my inventory one by one and unfolded them. And put the five pieces together.
Flash-!
A pure white light flashed, and the five pieces of flags merged into one.
[The Flag of the Great Commander (EX)]
– The flag of a man who has fought as the world’s last player for countless unrecorded times.
– The performance of the flag is determined according to the achievements you have made during the journey of collecting this flag.
– May you find glory and hope in the battles ahead.
– Welcome Back Commander.
flutter… … .
The finished flag was a black flag without any patterns.
A clumsy old flag with traces of five pieces stitched together.
I lifted it carefully.
I put off reading the description of the flag’s stats a bit. Instead, I looked at the old flag for a while.
It was just an empty flag without any pattern or symbol.
***
the next day.
I gathered my heroes and set my new flag- an empty black flag beside it.
I declared
“I don’t use symbols.”
“yes?”
Everyone looked at me with puzzled faces. I nodded.
“After defeating the monster and saving the world from destruction, the World Defense Front will disband.”
“… .”
“Our purpose is neither to make a mark in history nor to gain power.”
Purely. Keep it simple.
united to save the world.
“No matter what other frontline members may think, as a frontline leader, I must put the value of saving the world first.”
I continued in a serious tone.
“Anyone who wants to protect the world is our ally. There is no need to divide affiliations or divide sides with symbols or flags.”
“… .”
“So there is no need for a symbol. I will make this free symbol the banner of our front.”
A faint smile crossed everyone’s lips. I frowned.
“… what. why are you all laughing so hard This one is serious.”
“No, what do you mean?”
Evangeline, who was standing in the front, shrugged.
“He spoke so naturally and confidently that a warrior of justice from an old story would say it.”
I was embarrassed for some reason, but I said it harshly.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“It can’t be. That’s why it’s good to be under your senior.”
Shaking my head, I picked up my flag beside me.
“Prepare to launch!”
Holding up an empty flag without a symbol, I shouted.
“Ecliptic road… Let’s go to New Terra!”
