Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Hardworking Pay-to-Win Knight
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At my calm words, Hundred's face, mired in confusion, hardened like stone.
I watched him for a moment before continuing in a low voice.
“Shall I take a guess? The kingdom's capital, Jemail, was probably destroyed by monsters pouring out from the dungeon, and people like us who retreated are fighting after fleeing the dragon vein. And you've reported the location of the Silver Sword family's forces and issued an assembly order to all the knights.”
Most of the residents of my territory were those with nowhere else to turn. Slash-and-burn farmers hiding in the spirit veins to escape harsh taxes, mercenaries living on the edge of a blade, wanderers cast out after falling afoul of those in power.
I gathered them all and formed a mercenary band with strict discipline, fighting and fighting until I finally earned a territory to call my own.
That was why the loyalty of the territory's residents in the Bronze Sword Barony was incomparable to other lands. They were my people, whom I had personally saved, led, and cared for.
‘Those filthy orc bastards.’
Suddenly, the fact that two-thirds of my precious residents—2,000 people—had died came to mind.
It was a loss that made my teeth grind and my gut boil. Returning abruptly to reality and gaining an unimaginable opportunity had given me strength... but if not for that, even I would have been quite despondent.
“...It's a misunderstanding, my lord.”
“What misunderstanding?”
Most of the residents followed me, but not all of them.
‘Knights, a mage, and the soldiers attached to them.’
My territory had two knights and one mage, but only Steelstone among them was appointed by me. The other two were loyal not to me, but to the Chrome Kingdom.
Officially, it was to support the Bronze Sword Barony, which lacked capable people... but it was obvious without saying that their purpose was surveillance and reporting. I was the idol of all commoners in the kingdom, an unparalleled success story.
At the same time, I was a thorn in the nobles' side, a shame to the lords.
After hesitating for a long time, Hundred closed his eyes once and then opened them.
“The assembly order is real. But... I have no intention of obeying it.”
“Why?”
“Because... the one who issued the assembly order wasn't my father, but my second brother. He might have wanted to hide it, but since he's not the family head, he can't change the sender's name in emergency communications.”
Hundred bore the blood of the Silver Sword count family, but he was the twenty-fifth of twelve sons and nineteen daughters—and a bastard born not of the legitimate wife, but a guard knight. He had no standing in the family.
If he hadn't had talent for aura—what we call internal energy—he wouldn't even have been acknowledged as the count's child.
“You don't get along, I see.”
“The legitimate heirs were generally like that, but my second brother, who ultimately failed to master aura, especially hated me. I don't know what's happened to my father... but going to the Silver Sword count family now won't get me any good treatment. My mother passed away long ago, so there's no reason to return.”
With that, Hundred glanced at Smile, the territory's sole mage, who was talking with some soldiers.
“He's the same. No matter how much message magic he uses, there's no reply from the Wheel Cart Mage Tower. Smile is a talented mage... but he's a commoner.”
In the end, that's how it was. In this remote frontier far from the central continent, where not only the dragon vein but all four spirit veins were rugged mountains, the only ones who would come were those with some defect.
The reason a mysterious outsider like me could obtain a territory including a dragon vein was because it was the Killians Mountains, crawling with wolf beasts.
“So now you'll pledge loyalty to me instead of the kingdom...”
“I'll do my utmost in my duties.”
“But one more thing. Why didn't you tell us the capital had fallen?”
I could guess that dungeons had appeared across the continent, but that was information I knew because I'd checked the Revenge game homepage.
“That's...”
“Too much thinking.”
I cut him off.
“You think too much, Hundred.”
At my words, Hundred squeezed his eyes shut.
“...I'm sorry.”
I chuckled. I could see flames burning fiercely in his eyes.
‘He has ambition.’
He would follow me, but not with blind loyalty—like how modern employees view their boss.
But it didn't feel bad.
‘At least he's capable.’
Of course, compared to Steelstone, who had talent and would offer his life in loyalty, he fell short—but that was because Steelstone was a rare gem, not because Hundred was worthless.
How many in the world lacked both ability and loyalty yet demanded much? Someone like Hundred was a rare talent.
“Fine. That level of relationship isn't bad.”
With that, I handed him a single card. Hundred took it with a puzzled expression.
Ping!
A green light signifying advanced grade burst from Hundred's body and faded. It meant the High Swordsman (Advanced) class had been applied.
‘The classes I can give right now are limited. Just scraps, really.’
Class synthesis required four, so I had leftovers I couldn't combine.
Common classes: Swordsman, Archer.
Advanced classes: High Swordsman, High Wizard.
Rare classes: Phantom Ranger, Priest.
Unfortunately, no hero classes left. I'd used the last four hero classes to synthesize another Imperial Knight.
“Th-this is...”
The sudden job change impact drew the eyes of the residents. Common in games, but utterly alien in the real world.
Taking advantage, I halted the residents' march and had them line up. The orc pursuit had been cut off anyway, so there was no rush.
“As you've all experienced, a thing called a dungeon appeared in our dragon vein, and over ten thousand monsters poured out. Monsters straight out of legends.”
What followed was a rehash of what I'd told Steelstone. The dungeons weren't just in our spirit vein. The same had likely happened in spirit veins across the continent, with monsters spilling forth.
But it wasn't all despair.
Because there was a [Counterbalance] I was about to explain.
“For some reason... from the moment the dungeons opened, I gained special abilities. But to use them, I had to achieve special feats. Like defeating enemies stronger than me, for example.”
I glossed over it vaguely. Explaining [pay-to-win] was hard. Better to say I could use pay-to-win abilities by completing quests than admitting I needed Earth money for cash items. More convincing that way.
Plus, I could blame quests whenever I did something hard for them to understand.
‘Of course, this is still hard to grasp.’
But contrary to my thought, the residents nodded.
“We already knew, honestly. How could we not, when you pulled hundreds of wild boar legs out of thin air?”
“You... knew?”
What nonsense is this? As I started to voice my doubt, others chimed in.
“It's a divine power even that showboating saint and saintess over there couldn't dare imitate!”
“You even produced tanned hides and bone gear!”
“See? I told you! He must have heard the voice of god!”
“Your lordship's black hair and black eyes are proof of divine bloodline!”
Stunned by the excited residents, I looked around blankly. Steelstone and Smile, now beside me, nodded gravely too.
‘Huh?’
Dumbfounded by the unexpected reaction, I finally saw the situation clearly.
‘Right... forget dungeons or whatever. What I've shown them already.’
I'd been shocked by the class system and level-ups upon gaining game powers, but they'd been awed by mere wild boar legs, trivial to me.
It wasn't incomprehensible.
If a figure from history swung a fifty-kilogram Green Dragon Crescent Blade in one hand, it'd be heroic. A monk crossing a river on a single lotus leaf would be an amazing feat.
But feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fish?
That's a miracle.
To people, pulling meat from thin air was holier than superhuman stats.
“Ahem. Anyway.”
I calmed the excited residents and continued explaining the abilities I could wield and the new world's laws.
I could [consume] my achievements to summon food, weapons, etc., and more types would come.
I could grant classes to people, and those with classes would grow stronger by killing monsters.
Killing monsters had a very low chance of dropping items, graded common, advanced, rare, hero, legend, myth.
Acquiring rare-grade or higher items would spread the fact across the continent.
And right then, as if on cue, a message appeared.
[High Nose from the Dark Forest has acquired the skill book Tank Body (Rare)!]
“No way, a rare skill book here?!”
Drop rates should be trash—how many humans and monsters were dying across the continent? Unimaginable.
I covered my mouth and whispered.
“Log out.”
Back at my PC, I searched the skill.
Tank Body (Rare) (Passive)
You've gained tenacious vitality from battlefield experience.
[Detailed Effect]
Vitality +50
“What the hell, this is broken! +50 vitality with no cost? And Revenge has no skill slot limits?”
Active skills cost mana, but this passive was absurd. Common or advanced skills couldn't compare!
“What job is it for? Tank job, right?”
Checking the category while thinking that, I scrolled the list.
(Common Skill)
“No freaking way...”
Usable by any class—even mages!
‘Skill shop didn't have this.’
Checking further, most common skills were rare-grade or higher skill books only. Not shop fodder.
‘Wait, so there are hero, legend, myth versions too?’
It was conviction, not doubt, but I didn't search. Knowing would just frustrate me.
‘Come to think of it, the orc warrior Hamrom's drop table had a rare skill book too.’
But I couldn't return to my territory for an orc warrior. Not after spotting the hero-grade monster, Vulcan Orc Great General.
“Unbelievable. Khan Slasher wandering the field...”
Vulcan Orc Great General Khan Slasher was the boss of Vulcan Orc Fortress dungeon. On [Easy], [Normal], [Hard], [Hell] difficulties—the Hell difficulty boss!
Not a field monster, so even with Ardania's game system applied, it wasn't perfectly faithful.
‘Well, considering class cards—bound items—can be traded. Not surprising.’