Triple Threat
The timeline had come to a standstill.
In a world frozen in gray, only the status window kept blinking furiously.
An unknown event has occurred! During a subquest, there is a chance of encountering hostile NPCs.
Ho-yeong’s eyes blinked in time with the thick, dark-red letters as they flickered on and off.
“Ugh, that’s distracting. Could you make that message go away?”
This had never happened before, and he was tense enough to feel it in his shoulders.
“Hostile NPCs... you mean the ones who summon monsters, right?”
“That is correct.”
“If I run into one of them and wipe the floor with him this time, what happens? It probably won’t just clear the whole game, but the remaining stages ought to get a lot easier.”
“Hostile NPCs are not a single individual, but a large faction. Furthermore, encountering them creates numerous variables in and of itself, so please understand that it is impossible to predict what may happen if some or all of them are eliminated.”
Daliha’s answer only made Ho-yeong more uneasy.
“Can’t you at least tell me what they do, or what they look like?”
“That is not possible. Uncovering the identity of the hostile NPCs is also part of the event. As the unknown event progresses, information regarding the hostile NPCs will gradually be unlocked.”
“Damn it. So it’s this kind of thing again.”
Trying to smother his frustration, he rubbed at the bridge of his nose.
“For now, I recommend you focus on the subquest to eliminate the trolls.”
“Yeah. Better the danger that’s definitely coming than enemies I don’t even know the name or location of.”
“That is the proper mindset.”
Daliha went on with the rest of the briefing for the subquest.
Troll Elimination
📍 Location: Podwor Highway
🎁 Reward: Quest completion reward + chance to obtain a Unique Item if total extermination is achieved
“The moment you complete the quest, the remaining trolls will prioritize survival and flee. If possible, you must annihilate them completely.
- If extermination fails: The tribe of any creatures that escape will build up its strength and attack again before long. The more that escape, the sooner the next raid will come.
- If extermination succeeds: Once an entire tribe is wiped out, it will not be able to attack again for a long time. If every tribe is destroyed, the result is counted as complete extermination.
Additional reward opportunity! If extermination succeeds, you will obtain a Unique-grade item in addition to the quest completion reward.”
So this isn’t really a choice at all—it’s more like they’re forcing my hand. They’re practically pushing me to wipe them out. Easy enough to say, but how the hell am I supposed to catch every last one of the runaways?
The fact that he had to cover several villages at once sat heavily on his mind.
“Anyway, I need to get moving. There are only five hours left until the raid.”
As if on cue, the timeline resumed. The timer had begun counting down.
“Hey, you should go now too.”
With his mind racing, Ho-yeong decided to send Nool on his way.
“Nooool! Knoll noool. Noool!” (If you’re a warrior of your caliber, trolls like that are no problem at all, noool. Please kill plenty of them!)
“I will. I’ll pile the corpses I gather far over there. You lot have good noses, right? Sneak out at night and haul the bodies away. Just make sure you don’t run into any humans.”
“Noool?! Nooooool.” (Really?! Why would you go that far....)
The wolf’s sharp, hyena-like eyes softened into something almost puppyish.
“It’s payment for the important information you gave me. Since your hunt got ruined today, at least make sure you have something to eat. But keep your promise.”
“Noool. Nool.” (Understood. We will keep it.)
Nool kicked both feet in the air as he floated there, an action that looked like a dog begging to be played with, but in his own way, it was the highest form of respect he could show.
“You little runt. It must be rough, trying to feed your whole family by yourself from now on.”
“Grnoool. Nool, noolnool.” (Spare me your pity. We fought, and we lost. We bear you no grudge. Now we go, noool.)
“Hold on a second.”
For the wolf who accepted defeat so coolly, Ho-yeong decided to offer one more gift.
“Take this. Blooming!”
“Noool?! ” (My strength is surging?! )
“If you’re going to fight other monsters and win, you’ll need power. If you’d already been edified, I’d have designated you as a Pioneer, but that’s a shame.”
Using Blooming, he boosted Nool’s intelligence and overall physical ability.
“Noool....” (Thank you....)
Nool sniffed once at his muzzle and then departed.
Event triggered! Nool Hunter #001 has been deeply moved by the Guardian’s mercy. He will persuade the other Nool in this area to stop attacking humans and instead hunt other cannibalistic monsters.
“Oh? Nice!”
He hadn’t managed to turn the beast into an ally, but the result was even better than that.
Linked Event Triggered
📍 Location: Podwor Highway
🎁 Reward: Positive impact on the troll subquest if Nool Hunter #001 successfully rallies the nearby Nool pack!
“So it doesn’t end there?”
Ho-yeong was startled by the chain of event alerts.
“The Nool pack is hostile to trolls, so after the quest is complete they’ll go after the trolls.
- If extermination fails: The Nool pack will lie in wait in the forest and ambush the fleeing trolls. Trolls already exhausted and wounded will have a hard time surviving a surprise attack.
- If extermination succeeds: The Nool pack will raid the trolls’ abandoned nests and kill all the young and weak. As a result, the exterminated troll tribe will never come back.
*Tip: If the Nool kill trolls, you will not receive KP, but the kill count will still be recognized for determining extermination.”
Either way, it was good news for the Tamer territory.
“Wahoo! So there really are events like this too, huh? This is the kind of event I can get behind, not some supposedly variable disaster difficulty that only changes in name! This is a real event!”
Until now, he had only classified monsters as enemies or potential enemies. But depending on what Ho-yeong did, there could be neutral forces that were effectively friendly, just like this one.
Yeah, so it isn’t just about taking monsters in and directly controlling them. Edification has all sorts of different forms.
Through the linked event, Ho-yeong gained a new understanding.
His strategic insight sharpened, and his thinking grew more flexible.
The unique-grade item he had received as a reward for driving off the Foghog, the notebook of Volib, founder of monster resource studies.
He hurriedly took it out and opened it. A torn page repaired itself with magic, and new lines rose up across the clean parchment.
“Oho. Let’s see what it says. Ugh, why is this thing so long?”
Frowning at the densely packed page, Ho-yeong skimmed it.
“So this is about monster affinities with one another... I should probably read it. Sounds useful.”
Since the title looked important, he decided to read it first.
“Huh? It’s pretty long, but I seem to memorize it the moment I read it? Not sure if that’s magic or a system correction, but hey, convenient is convenient.”
He had only glanced over it, and yet the information went straight into his head.
Ho-yeong already knew quite a bit about monster affinities, but his knowledge was weighted toward combat. That made sense, since in the game all he really needed to know was which monsters his own were weak to or strong against.
The notebook contained much more detailed information: friendly relations among monsters that cooperated with one another, hostile relations over territory, rivalries in which they constantly checked each other, and so on.
Monster society’s a lot more complicated than I thought. Still, this’ll come in handy. Whether I’m managing monsters in the territory or using wild ones like this to gain the upper hand, it’s all useful.
As Ho-yeong thought seriously about it, Daliha delivered more good news.
Ability level increased! The main skill Edification has risen from level 9 to 10.
New usage method unlocked! You can now cast Area Edification on a specific region!
Unlike Mass Edification, which takes effect centered on the Guardian, Area Edification allows you to designate a whole distant region at once. Power and EP consumption vary according to distance, area, and the number of identified monsters.
Ability level increased! The passive skill Communion has risen from level 6 to 7.
New skill tree unlocked! You can now cast Negotiation against monsters with intelligence above a certain threshold.
“For real?! Another usage method for Edification, and a new skill tree for Communion too. Thank you!”
Leveling up was always a happy thing.
“Congratulations. With your new items and newly learned skills, the ways you can use Edification will become even more diverse.”
“Exactly. All right, everyone, let’s get moving again!”
Bolstered by the good news, Ho-yeong quickly got Shrakhim back on his feet.
“But first, pull the madam stones out of the dead Nool.”
“Ugh. First the Foghog’s madam stone, and now the Nool’s too....”
Even on his way out, the lord made sure to take the resources with him.
“My lord, where are we headed now?” Meyril asked as she tended to Shrakhim.
“First we need to go to Station 013. After that, to Bojedo Village.”
“Ah, Bojedo! That’s where I first met you, my lord.”
When the troll’s nighttime ambush had nearly killed her, the knight who appeared and saved her had been him. Meyril turned her face away a little, cheeks flushing.
What’s with those two? What are they talking about?
Watching them suspiciously, Peach slipped herself between the pair.
“Master, is there some good news? You look happy.”
She had wiped away every trace of suspicion and was smiling sweetly again.
“Right, I forgot to tell you. About five hours from now, three troll tribes are going to attack.”
“...Is that supposed to be good news?”
It was odd that her master was beaming while announcing a monster raid.
“Of course it is. What else would it be?”
He had gained new abilities, and he’d even picked up a new friendly force in the form of the Nool pack. On top of that, if he exterminated the trolls, he’d get another Unique-grade item. With good news piling up like this, of course he was in high spirits.
Except that, because of it, the sense of danger in Ho-yeong’s head was starting to blur.
The sense of danger regarding the hostile NPCs.
* * *
By the time the Tamer territory’s party reached Station 013...
Huh? The station guards are already out here? Perfect. There are only three hours left until the stage starts.
The station guard captain ran toward them and snapped off a brisk salute.
“Byeonbangbaek-nim! We have been waiting for you! It is an honor to meet you again!”
“Oh, you are...!”
Having forgotten his name, Ho-yeong only managed to continue after checking the status window.
“Captain Rio, the pleasure is mine as well. It’s been a while.”
“Last time, we were able to overcome the crisis thanks to Your Lordship and the Purple Flag Company. I thank you again.”
Ho-yeong had once saved his life during the troll raid.
“Don’t mention it. More importantly, you seem to have known I was coming?”
“Yes. His Majesty issued an official order to every station on the highway. We were instructed not to spare any effort in assisting the Byeonbangbaek’s passage.”
“Is that so? That’s rather intimidating. But what’s all that over there?”
Defensive fortifications had been built to the south of the highway.
No need to think too hard. They probably built a military facility here and ended up drawing troll aggro.
Assuming it was the same as Rainpa, Ho-yeong asked, “You don’t mean to say you built defensive works because trolls were coming, do you?”
But the sequence of cause and effect was reversed.
“That’s right. We received intelligence that trolls would soon attack the area around the station, so we constructed defenses in advance.”
“What?! You built a defensive position because you knew the trolls would appear?”
“Yes, sir. If monsters are going to attack, then naturally we must prepare. We needed to strengthen our defensive posture and reinforce the position....”
Captain Rio looked as though he couldn’t understand why that would be surprising.
Right. If monsters are coming, you fortify. Basic common sense.
From a monster’s perspective, there was no reason to assault a military base or a major city on purpose. Rather than take the risk, it was much easier to target a place with poor defenses or a small group of travelers.
So, in reverse, humans built fortifications in vulnerable regions where monsters were likely to attack.
But this place doesn’t exactly run on common sense, does it!
This world was a game, a place where, because of the influence system, things happened in direct opposition to common sense. If you expanded defensive structures or residential areas, you ended up drawing monster aggro.
“Who told you the trolls were coming?”
Ho-yeong grabbed Rio by the collar and shook him as he demanded an answer.
“Who? Who told you the trolls were coming?”
“Ghk. W-what are you doing all of a sudden?”
Rio was only confused.
“Master, please calm yourself!”
Only after Peach ran over and threw her arms around his back did Ho-yeong finally settle down.
“...I’m sorry. I was startled, and I lost my temper.”
“N-no, it’s all right.”
Once he let go of the collar and forced his breathing to steady, Rio continued.
“A few weeks ago, an elven adventurer visited the villages around here. At first, everyone found her strange. But she was friendly for an elf, and she helped people with magic, so she quickly won them over. She played with the children especially well.”
“An elf? A mage?”
Only then did Ho-yeong realize that he still hadn’t met any elf or orc characters yet.
“Yes. A few minor monsters have appeared here and there lately, but we were able to stop them without incident thanks to her warning us ahead of time. She said she predicted them with detection magic, and she really did pinpoint the monsters’ locations with an error margin of no more than one meter.”
“She predicted the monster raids? Detection magic, huh. That’s amazing. Then the elf mage is the one who predicted the troll raid too?”
“That is correct. She also helped us prepare for battle in other ways. She used magic circles to help us make traps, for example....”
From what he was hearing, she sounded like a pretty capable person.
Ah. So this quest nets me an elf character?
The idea that he might gain someone he could use like a radar made him interested.
“So what exactly did she say about the troll raid?”
“She informed us several days ago that three troll tribes would appear this afternoon, about three hours from now. She said each tribe would target one of the three villages south of the highway.”
“That’s extremely accurate. Wait a second.”
The time matched the status window exactly. But the important part was different.
“Which direction did you say?”
“South of the highway, Your Lordship. That’s why we built the defensive position in that direction. Of course, we’ve evacuated the residents northward, but in the worst case, the southern village line could still be broken through.”
Ho-yeong quickly brought up the map. People gave him odd looks for waving at empty air, but he had no time to care.
“What the fuck....”
Three red dots were blinking brightly.
One was at the station, and the other two were marked to the north, at two villages.
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