Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Four Tiger Purity-Severing Sword (1)
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Pledge allegiance to the King of Endless Treasures and join the Pavilion of a Thousand Golds?
“…….”
Well, there are endings you can only unlock by affiliating with the Pavilion of a Thousand Golds.
Most notably, the [Guardian of the Pavilion of a Thousand Golds] ending.
Even if it’s not that straightforward one, you can leverage being affiliated with them to go for the [Master of Hidden Treasures] ending or the [Usurper of Dreams] ending.
Maybe it’s because of the goblins’ nature, but episodes tied to the Pavilion tend to involve minimal bloodshed.
If you’re purely after personal safety, it’s a viable choice.
“Well? What’s your answer?”
“Of course not.”
“Even though you’d receive treatment and rewards beyond your wildest dreams?”
“From the moment my name is added under yours, King of Endless Treasures, wouldn’t everything I could imagine or dream of be dictated by you?”
I’d end up living a life for the King of Endless Treasures, deluded into thinking it was what I wanted all along.
And that would make me an entirely different being from who I am now.
“Kekekeke… I knew you were a fruit too sour to pluck, but I had to give it a poke anyway.”
“Now, if you’d kindly release me.”
“Go. If you think you can’t complete the task, just bring back what I gave you.”
I bowed to the King of Endless Treasures once more.
“Thank you.”
* * *
[System: The ‘Feast Offering’ trait activates.]
[System: The ‘Enhanced Vigilance’ trait activates.]
[System: The ‘Enhanced Vigilance’ trait activates.]
[System: The ‘Enhanced Vigilance’ trait activates.]
[System: The ‘Abyssal Madness’ trait activates. Nullifies the effects of Nightmare.]
[System: The ‘Abyssal Madness’ trait activates. Nullifies the effects of Daydream.]
[System: The ‘Abyssal Madness’ trait activates. Nullifies the effects of Intimidation.]
[System: The ‘Abyssal Madness’ trait activates. Nullifies the effects of Delusion.]
…….
…….
[Achievement Unlocked! You have peered into the King of Endless Treasures’ deep dream.
You have obtained the ‘Rare Achievement: Dream Within a Dream.’
A special quest is provided as an achievement reward.]
As my vision cleared, an avalanche of messages flooded my sight.
“Ugh?”
Whoosh!
In that instant, something felt like it yanked at my ankle. Huh? Wait, what?! I tried to steady myself, but I lost balance and stumbled back a few steps.
“Stop! Don’t come any closer!”
It was the professor’s voice. Extremely urgent? What the—??
“Gah!? P-Professor?”
“Eek!”
Of all places, the professor had been right behind me.
Someone in a wheelchair can’t dodge quickly. In the end, I tangled with him and we both went down.
Crash!
Ugh, I couldn’t even tell what I’d hit where.
“M-Mage! Please get off!”
“Just a moment. This is, uh…”
I wanted to get up fast, but it wasn’t easy.
New message windows kept popping up nonstop.
[Quest Accepted!
[Hidden Quest: Two Tigers] You have become the owner of the Four Tiger Purity-Severing Sword (Green Sovereign). By the fate bestowed upon the owner of the Four Tiger Purity-Severing Sword (Green Sovereign), you must face off against the owner of the Four Tiger Evil-Severing Sword (Moon Bend).
! Time Limit: The owner of the Four Tiger Evil-Severing Sword (Moon Bend) will cease to exist in this world in (581) days. !
Reward: 9,000,000 XP + ???
Failure: (Defeat in confrontation) You die. (Forfeit confrontation) The King of Endless Treasures is disappointed.]
Damn it. Move!
I kept swatting at the message windows in front of me to clear them away.
“Bwahaha! Such a diligent Mr. Kim.”
“Ugh, what the hell does that mean?”
“Performing such entertaining acrobatics even in the midst of your busy schedule—how could we not call you diligent?”
“Pavilion Master of a Thousand Golds… please help us up.”
“Yessir, right away, Mr. Kim.”
But Seo Cheon-seul didn’t bother lifting a finger to help us himself.
He clapped his hands, and the wheelchair that had been rolling on the floor sprang up straight on its own.
I grabbed it to stand, then helped the professor up.
After all that commotion, we were finally in a state to do something else.
“Ahem, well then, Mage. Well, so, first things first…”
“Yeah, whew. Here, Professor, take these first.”
In the tumble, the items attached to the professor’s wheelchair had spilled everywhere.
I hastily gathered them with magic and handed them back to him one by one.
“You… that’s…”
“What’s… huh?”
The last item I handed the professor was a Zhao Clan Lamp.
A precious artifact usable as entry to the Pavilion of a Thousand Golds, with the power to light the way home anytime.
“That doesn’t seem to be mine.”
The problem was that the professor already had a Zhao Clan Lamp in his hand.
“No, what do you mean…?”
In other words, the Zhao Clan Lamp…
One in my hand.
One in the professor’s hand.
“Two… Zhao Clan Lamps?”
In the chaos, the Zhao Clan Lamp had duplicated.
Like being bewitched by a goblin. Ah, goblins.
“Goblin prank.”
“Ah, I see. Looks like you got an entry pass too.”
[Achievement Unlocked! You have obtained entry to the Pavilion of a Thousand Golds.
You have obtained the ‘Advanced Achievement: Dream Cursed Shop.’
You form a friendly relationship with ‘Faction: Pavilion of a Thousand Golds’ and gain additional experience as an achievement reward.]
“Yeah, seems that way.”
No matter how sudden it was, someone of the professor’s caliber wouldn’t go down so helplessly over something like this.
Plus, before we fell, something had tugged at my ankle. The King of Endless Treasures’ doing.
“Congrats on snagging something not easily taken. But you didn’t get it for free, did you? Did His Majesty perhaps…?”
The professor started to say more, but Seo Cheon-seul cut him off.
“Hold up, mask guy. Sorry, but this place is important to us, y’know? And other guests are starting to arrive. You get it, right?”
Seo Cheon-seul kept repeating “You get it, right? Right?” while gesturing behind him.
While I’d been held by the King of Endless Treasures, passage to the Pavilion had reopened—wraiths were gathering over there.
“Yeah, time to reopen for business here too.”
“Then, Pavilion Master, we’ll take our leave.”
“Yessir, I’ll tidy up here and catch up, so you two masked Mr. Kims rest over there for a bit.”
Seo Cheon-seul pointed to the nearest hanok around this altar—the Pavilion Master’s shrine.
It had a spacious veranda, perfect.
“Sit cross-legged on the porch; it’ll be comfy. I can keep an eye on the guests too.”
“Ah, thanks.”
“Bwahaha, you Mr. Kims stick within my sight and don’t wander off somewhere weird. I’ve got something to pass to that Mr. Kim anyway.”
“Professor, let’s move for now.”
And so, the professor and I relocated to the veranda.
The moment I arrived, the tension drained from me, and I plopped right down.
Of course, I couldn’t fully relax here, but my legs wouldn’t hold me up anymore.
Too many unexpected things had happened in such a short time.
“What did the King of Endless Treasures say?”
The professor, still seated in his wheelchair, asked with a serious expression.
Hmm, how much should I tell him?
I habitually tried to gloss over it, but I realized that wouldn’t fly with him.
In the end, I mumbled “Eh, whatever” and told him.
“The King of Endless Treasures gave me a task.”
“A task?”
“Yeah. Take a look at this.”
I showed the professor the sword that had somehow ended up hanging at my waist.
A pitch-black blade slid straight out of its sheath.
The glossy obsidian-like body was engraved with the Big Dipper and various Eastern constellations, gleaming silver.
Wearing a mask was bad enough; now I had this flashy ceremonial sword. I couldn’t imagine how I’d look to outsiders.
“This is a Four Tiger sword… the Four Tiger Evil-Severing Sword, isn’t it?”
Four Tiger swords are forged in Tiger Year, Tiger Month, Tiger Day, Tiger Hour (Tiger = Yin).
They say timing it that way infuses them with tiger spirit.
Adding special rites to infuse pure energy makes it a Four Tiger Evil-Severing Sword—one that cleaves impurities.
Less a weapon, more a ritual tool akin to a magic artifact.
“No. This is—”
But this wasn’t a Four Tiger Evil-Severing Sword.
“—the Four Tiger Purity-Severing Sword.”
“Purity-Severing? A sword that cuts the righteous?”
“That’s right. This is the cursed sword that Basilissa’s agent was handling.”
“They intentionally cursed it during forging? But why did it end up with you?”
“I don’t fully grasp the King’s intentions either. Apparently, it has a twin blade. He told me to take down that one’s owner.”
“Hoo.”
The professor stroked his chin in astonishment, mouth agape.
“I’ve brought famous fixers and renowned warriors here before, but no one’s ever gotten a request like that.”
“It’s not because I’m special. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time when they needed someone.”
“No, if it were that simple, they’d have tasked the Pavilion Master or one of his underlings.”
As he spoke, the professor handed the Four Tiger Purity-Severing Sword back to me.
“Looks like there’s something special about you after all. I don’t know what’ll happen going forward, but I’d like to stick around longer.”
He said it with the look of someone eyeing a lottery winner.
But I felt conflicted receiving that gaze.
The King of Endless Treasures is known as the god of wealth who rules goblins, wielding power to ward off calamity and curses—a benevolent deity.
As the professor said, if this connection develops positively, I could receive unparalleled fortune.
‘…That’s just the conventional view, though.’
Reality is more complicated.
The King of Endless Treasures is actually an avatar of something far more complex and dangerous.
An Elder God, the [Lord of Ancient Dreams].
That first offer—to voice a wish—came from the will of the [Lord of Ancient Dreams] behind him.
Since I refused, he issued the task in the King’s name instead, a step down.
The problem is I can’t guess how completing this task ties into the true body of the King of Endless Treasures.
It’s a hidden quest I’ve never encountered in gameplay.
So, I don’t know what outcome it’ll bring.
And there’s too little info on my target.
Focusing for a moment, I recalled one of the messages that had scrolled by earlier. Good memory makes this easy.
[You have become the owner of the Four Tiger Purity-Severing Sword (Green Sovereign). By the fate bestowed upon the owner of the Four Tiger Purity-Severing Sword (Green Sovereign), you must face off against the owner of the Four Tiger Evil-Severing Sword (Moon Bend).]
‘Take down the owner of the Four Tiger Evil-Severing Sword?’
Four Tiger Evil-Severing Sword is just a title. In [Cthulhu World], there are more artifact-level items with that name than you’d think.
Including minor appearances, ones I’ve actually seen and remember… brace yourself.
‘Exactly forty-four of them.’