Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Labyrinth World Remembers Your Story
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[The Labyrinth World remembers your story. Episode 42]
[You have completed the hidden quest 'City Rescue.']
[You have completed the hidden quest 'Assassin Repelled.']
[Acquired the title 'Savior of the City.']
[Title: Savior of the City - The Rock Dwarves show you strong favor.][Zitgut has reached Lv1.]
[Acquired 'Master of the Holy Sword' Lv71.]
[The Labyrinth World remembers your story.]
Cheon-ho stood atop the ramparts, gazing at the letters of light.
[Hidden quest reward: Madorf's Bow]
[Hidden quest reward: Madorf's Quiver]
[Hidden quest reward: Ras al-Din's Gauntlets]
The ones above were rewards for 'City Rescue,' while the one below was for 'Assassin Repelled.'
"It's amazing every time I see it."
Cheon-ho quietly examined the items that had appeared above his hand.
[Madorf's Bow: The bow used by the archer Madorf. It possesses great power and can unleash Madorf's Strike once per day.]
[Madorf's Quiver: A quiver enchanted with magic. It can hold more than three times as many arrows as a normal quiver.]
If Lucille were here, she would have told him the item's rank, but Cheon-ho had no way to check right now.
Anyway, it's good.
Madorf's Strike was a spell that amplified an arrow's power by up to three times. With this, not only penetration but also range would increase explosively.
'No wonder it's limited to once a day.'
Cheon-ho set down the entirely red Madorf's Bow and looked at the equally red quiver. It looked ordinary aside from being bright red, but it was incredibly useful.
Honestly, isn't this even better? In today's battle alone, he had run out of arrows in his quiver and had to resort to throwing javelins.
Being able to hold three times as many arrows was definitely appealing.
[Ras al-Din's Gauntlets: Gauntlets used by the assassin Ras al-Din, whose specialty was Throwing. They greatly enhance the power and accuracy of thrown weapons.]
This was good too. They were leather gauntlets that protected only the back of the hand and palm, leaving the fingers free—which made them perfect. Cheon-ho had always prioritized fingertip sensation and avoided gloves.
"Nice, nice."
Cheon-ho immediately equipped the gauntlets and looked back at the panel of light.
Perhaps because he had accomplished so much, quite a bit of the panel of light remained.
[Your level has increased.][You have reached level 30.]
[The Labyrinth World blesses you.]
[You have acquired five or more titles up to level 30.]
[You have acquired three or more titles of the same category.]
[The Labyrinth World remembers your story. The Labyrinth World grants you a power befitting your story.]
[Title: Ally of the Angels]
[Title: Ally of the Fairies]
[Title: Savior of the City]
[Evolved Skill: Wondrous Throwing]
The titles and skill names Cheon-ho had acquired so far floated in the air.
And it was right at that moment.
A brilliantly shining large panel of light appeared before Cheon-ho's eyes. Its appearance looked familiar.
"Random... gacha?"
Countless cards spun rapidly inside the panel of light. In the bottom right corner was something like a button; pressing it seemed to draw one card from the bunch.
"Hmm."
Suddenly, memories of his first meeting with Lucille came to mind.
Lucille going on about 1-star heroes, praying desperately for a 5-star, or at least a 4-star.
Why does everything here love gacha so much?
If Lucille were here, she would explain it as a kind of equivalent exchange system that produced better rewards instead of relying on probability variables. But right now, it was just Cheon-ho and Mitra.
"Hmm, alright. Mitra, why don't you give it a try."
[...?]
Mitra, who had been still, asked in surprise, but Cheon-ho had already drawn her from her sheath.
The flustered Mitra cried out.
[My lord! What are you doing?!]
"No, I just meant for you to draw it. If you press the button, it's you drawing, right?"
[What if something bad comes out?!]
"Then it's on you."
[Wh-where's the logic in that?! You're just using me to press the button; in the end, you're the one drawing!]
Mitra spoke in a truly urgent voice. She seemed to lack confidence.
[I'm no good at this sort of thing. So just do it yourself... No!]
That's exactly why I want you to draw it.
Swallowing his inner thoughts, Cheon-ho casually and stylishly moved Mitra.
Pressing the button with the sword tip triggered a flashy sound from the panel of light.
[Hoo... I won't look. I can't look.]
If she were human, she might have squeezed her eyes shut.
Cheon-ho chuckled softly and watched the panel of light.
Then, he found himself widening his eyes involuntarily.
"Whoa!"
[Wh-what is it? Is it that bad?]
Perhaps having actually closed her eyes, Mitra asked in a fluster. Unable to answer right away, Cheon-ho gaped before letting out a cheer.
"Wow!"
The panel of light sparkled brightly.
And rightfully so—a dazzling platinum card had appeared in the center.
[Oooooh!]
Hearing the cheer, Mitra slightly activated her vision and let out her own exclamation.
[It's good, right? It's good, isn't it?]
"Of course it's good!"
It was platinum, not even gold! What game has platinum worse than gold?
[Haaa... Thank goodness. It's been a while since my luck was this good.]
As Mitra spoke in a fairly bright voice, Cheon-ho turned serious.
"Mitra, what do you mean by that? Your luck?"
[Huh?]
"You said it yourself—if I press the button with you, it's ultimately me drawing. So I drew it. Wow, I didn't expect your words to change so much before and after the gacha."
It was perfect logic.
Mitra hemmed and hawed before replying.
[B-but...]
Still, I pressed the button. And it came out good for once.
Hearing the voice tinged with moisture, Cheon-ho relented.
"I'm kidding, kidding. You're the one who drew it. Thanks, Mitra. I'll give you extra special care when I polish you today."
[Sob sob.]
He had thought she was a stiff holy sword when they first met, but who knew she'd be this cute.
Cheon-ho stroked Mitra's hilt fondly once more, sheathed her, and touched the platinum card.
With a burst of brilliant light, a new panel appeared.
[Unique Ability: The Visible Hand Lv1]
[This skill will evolve upon reaching a certain level.]
It was an evolution, but the skill itself caught his attention. The Visible Hand?
[The Visible Hand: When using Throwing, the visible hand assists you.]
It was still a bit vague. Rather than theorize further, Cheon-ho took immediate action.
He placed his hand on a recovered knife. At that instant, a new hand—or rather, a translucent black hand—appeared beneath his right hand.
He got the gist.
Cheon-ho gripped the knife. The black hand gripped it too.
When Cheon-ho threw the knife, the black hand threw it as well.
The 'visible hand' assists when using Throwing.
It was exactly as described.
'Indeed.'
He now understood what it meant to grant a power based on the titles he had collected and the stories he had built.
Most of his titles were as an 'ally,' and his most frequently used skill was Throwing.
It evolves too.
He wondered how it would change. Many ideas came to mind.
"Thanks so much, Mitra. This is a huge win."
Truthfully, it felt a bit underwhelming for platinum, but the potential for evolution was key.
It was still a hypothesis, but if it evolved as he imagined, it could become a cheat-level ability.
[Hmph.]
Perhaps sulking from the earlier prank, Mitra huffed, but joy was evident in her tone nonetheless.
Just like the kind, honest holy sword she was.
"Hero!"
Right on cue, a voice called from behind. It was familiar, so a smile naturally formed on Cheon-ho's face.
'Lucille!'
Sure enough, it was her.
She looked utterly exhausted, but the smile she gave Cheon-ho upon seeing him was radiant.
"I'm so glad you're safe."
"You too, Lucille."
Saying so, Cheon-ho quickly scanned her up and down. Her clothes were heavily stained with blood, but it was all from the dwarves. Fortunately, Lucille had no injuries.
"Lucille, you okay? You look really worn out."
There were no wounds, but unmistakable fatigue clung to her body. Lucille gave a clumsy smile in response.
"I'm just low on mana.
Senior Raguel told me to check on you while catching our breath, so here I am."
As expected of an angel.
He'd have to add an extra piece of meat to Raguel's portion at tonight's dinner.
[Hmm.]
As Mitra made a subtle sound, Cheon-ho and Lucille looked at each other.
Due to their height difference, Lucille gazed up at him with sparkling eyes, and Cheon-ho unwittingly averted his gaze.
"Hmm."
Looks like his training was still lacking. But he couldn't let his face flush.
As Cheon-ho composed his expression,
"Hero! There you are!"
It was Eriel.
Rushing over in one go, she smiled brightly too—of course, it was a hundred percent pure smile—and hurriedly spoke.
"The king of the Rock Dwarves wishes to see you, Hero. Let's hurry."
"Hmm."
Here it comes.
He was familiar with stories like this from his father.
"Understood. Let's go."
Cheon-ho hopped onto Eriel's back and extended a hand to Lucille.
"Lucille."
"Yes, Hero."
Lucille settled behind him, and Eriel took off immediately. Heading toward the city center, it seemed to be the inner keep.
"Oh! Hero!"
Upon landing, he spotted Saschiell cheering loudly. The other combat angels nearby also welcomed Cheon-ho with bright smiles.
Having fought across the city, everyone had witnessed his exploits, short or long.
"That's the king of the Rock Dwarves."
As Cheon-ho jumped down from Eriel's back, Saschiell pointed to a dwarf in golden armor.
Having led from the front, blood from the ratmen splattered the beautiful golden armor in places.
"I am Kurt, king of the Rock Dwarves. We are grateful for your aid, Hero."
Kurt's chest was half-covered by his white, abundant beard.
Cheon-ho politely bowed to the man who laughed heartily and thumped his chest.
"I'm Park Cheon-ho."
Murmurs of admiration rose from those around. He hadn't done anything special, but his demeanor itself won their favor.
"There is much we must discuss with you, Hero. But first, I wish to express our thanks—mine and everyone's."
Saving the city had been thanks to everyone's efforts.
But it was undoubtedly Cheon-ho who started it all.
"You halted my rash charge and issued the most fitting commands. We thank you."
As Saschiell said this, the combat angels all bowed to Cheon-ho. Kurt chuckled and gave a signal; a nearby dwarf beat a drum.
Thump thump thump!
It was the signal. Dwarves who had been looking elsewhere now turned to Cheon-ho. People gathered from nearby.
There were all sorts.
Warriors who had bravely fought outside the outer walls.
Children who had huddled in fear inside the inner keep.
Injured survivors saved by the angels.
Even Orenol, whom Cheon-ho had rescued first, was among them.
Of course, he hadn't saved everyone.
Many had died before he arrived.
Many more had fallen in fierce battle after.
But now was the time to celebrate victory.
The bold Rock Dwarves raised their weapons high, showering Cheon-ho—the savior of the city—with applause and cheers.
"Hero. Hero! Thank you. We're grateful."
Their voices mingled.
The applause from dozens, hundreds, thousands shook the entire city.
"These are the people you saved, Hero."
Lucille said softly.
Unable to hold back her emotions as she looked around at them with moved eyes, she suddenly hugged Cheon-ho tightly.
Cheon-ho hugged her back just as firmly.
And at that very moment, Mitra felt a small but distinct change.
[Hero...]
Cheon-ho's power had grown stronger.
The hero's power had grown stronger.
Something... something still hard to articulate... began to pulse.
[My lord.]
Mitra said softly, recalling moments with Leon as she continued.
[Do you feel it too?]
The pulsing now.
The hero's power beginning to awaken.
'I feel it.'
Cheon-ho replied inwardly.
He felt it perfectly.
He had just put a bit more strength into his arms, after all.
[Lewd has reached Lv5.]
[The Labyrinth World remembers your story.]
[Hmm.]
Something's not quite right.