Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Raven's Revelation
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The kingdom of Raven, obliterated by the resurrection of the Elder Lich.
The royal family of Raven had one prince and one princess, both direct descendants.
Both had inherited the swordsmanship talent passed down through the Raven royal line.
Their personalities, character, and qualities as rulers were so similar that either one could have succeeded without issue.
So I combined the prince and princess into a single character: Raven.
The protagonist of the story, the player.
If the player's gender is male, it's the princess.
If female, it's the prince.
Using an artifact from the royal family, they hide their gender and embark on a journey with the player.
'The last survivor of the Raven Kingdom is in a position of being chased.'
The resurrection of the Elder Lich.
This wasn't a naturally occurring event.
Those who worshipped and believed in the object of destruction I had defeated.
They gathered, formed a faction, and in the end, caused this disaster.
"Crown Prince, this must feel so unfair."
My comrade, the Crown Prince, who had worked tirelessly for the continent's peace and the Empire's prosperity.
His hopes and the Empire's future had veered in entirely different directions.
So much so that the Empire was being tainted by a bunch of heretics.
'The fact that there's a black mage's hideout in the capital's sewers is proof of that.'
The heretics' influence had already reached every corner of the Empire.
Raven knew this, which is why they had no choice but to change their appearance.
Using an artifact imbued with polymorph magic, one of the royal family's treasures.
"A thousand years ago, there wasn't anything like that."
Over time, magic had advanced in countless ways.
Even spells that could reverse one's 'gender' had been discovered.
Well, I could have used my Creator privileges to polymorph and disguise my original form.
But now? No need. I'd fully adapted to this woman's body.
Besides, I'd already locked in the unique 'bishoujo director' character, so there was no going back.
"Still, they really didn't see it coming."
Daehyeop Kim's face was still blank as he conversed with Raven, whose true identity had been revealed.
There had definitely been some sleazy rumors on Ingame Gallery claiming Raven was a positive-tested big-breasted beauty.
Apparently, Daehyeop Kim had dismissed them as pure nonsense.
'I was terrified every time those rumors popped up.'
Does the princess who abandoned her name, Raven, have a positive personality? Yes.
Is Raven a swordmaster? Yes. Does Raven have big... assets? ...Can't deny it.
Above all, is she an incredibly attractive and beautiful girl? Yes.
All the 'nonsense' rumors had turned out to be true.
Anyone who saw them had essentially been indirectly spoiled.
Fortunately, Daehyeop Kim seemed to have brushed them off as nonsense.
"The backlash must be scary."
Daehyeop Kim had turned off his stream.
And he'd witnessed Raven revealing her identity all alone?
What would happen if this got out later?
Just imagining it was frightening, thrilling, and exciting.
"Anyway, with Raven here, things are about to kick off."
Raven had made contact with the Emperor and rejoined the player.
Signs pointed to the main Akare story truly beginning now.
I deactivated observer mode and exited virtual reality.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After finishing his conversation with the now-revealed Raven, Daehyeop Kim finally grasped the situation.
The 'nonsense' rumor from Ingame Gallery that Raven was a woman had turned out to be real.
And he'd gone through this event with his stream off? As a streamer, this was a capital offense.
📜 NEW QUEST 📜 [Heretic Purification (0/10)]
📍 Description: You learned from Raven that heretic hideouts exist throughout the Empire. Destroy all heretic hideouts in the Empire to uproot the source of evil.
⏰ Note: *Upon quest completion, you can proceed to the 'Approaching Destruction' quest.
Daehyeop Kim checked the details of the quest that appeared after talking with Raven.
"Hideouts, huh."
The dungeon hidden deep in the sewers: Cradle of Black Magic.
It screamed suspicious from its location to its name.
Even the boss name, 'Servant of Darkness,' suggested ties to the heretics.
As he organized the new information, someone was summoned at the city gates.
'A Martial Artist.'
Daehyeop Kim assumed so because the man held no weapon.
But the summoned man was none other than Sweet.
"Huh?"
"Hm?"
The two men, locking eyes, had similar reactions.
Like they'd seen each other somewhere before.
"Daehyeop, right?"
Sweet noticed the other's identity first.
"Sweet?"
Hearing Sweet's voice, Daehyeop Kim finally recognized him too.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well... progress stalled, so I'm looking for a party."
"Ah, that's why you were waiting."
Daehyeop Kim had planned to politely decline if Sweet pitched himself.
The Spirit of the Martial Artist skill description said stacking was impossible.
Partying two Martial Artists was highly inefficient with no synergy.
"What about me? I'm a mage."
"Pardon?"
Daehyeop Kim's eyes narrowed at Sweet's unexpected words.
The scars all over his body, signs of hand-to-hand combat, honest bare fists.
He looked every bit the Martial Artist, yet claimed to be a mage?
Understanding the look, Sweet gave an awkward smile.
"It's embarrassing to explain, but... the Director's a mage who carries a sword, right?"
"Yeah."
"Figured there must be a reason, so I swung my staff like a sword while hunting, and it... broke."
Pfft-haha!
Daehyeop Kim couldn't hold back and burst into laughter at Sweet's explanation.
"You're laughing way too hard. So embarrassing."
"Whoops, sorry. As atonement..."
Daehyeop Kim pulled a staff from his inventory.
"...Level 10 staff. Got it randomly while hunting. Here, take it."
Sweet checked the staff's specs and smiled.
"Whoa, no way. Daehyeop, you're such a stand-up guy!"
"Nah, it's nothing, haha..."
Awkwardly chuckling, Daehyeop Kim glanced around Sweet.
He'd assumed Sweet was streaming, but no chat window was visible.
"You streaming by any chance?"
"Yeah, I am... Are you off-stream?"
Daehyeop Kim nodded at Sweet's reciprocal question.
"Guess the chat isn't visible to others."
"Oh, you can't see this?"
Sweet waved his hands in the air, pointing at the chat window.
Unfortunately, to Daehyeop Kim, it just looked like pointless flailing.
After that, Daehyeop Kim invited Sweet to his party and headed to the Mercenary Guild.
After sub-classing as a mercenary there, they took the sewer quest.
The two walked to the sewers together, chatting along the way.
"That rabbit bastard must've been tough. Nice job catching it."
"Saw the strategy you shared. Without it, I'd be dead."
Daehyeop Kim was older, so he dropped formal speech; Sweet used his usual half-respectful tone.
"Good thing this place doesn't stink."
"If it did, I'd have bailed ages ago."
They advanced, hunting the occasional Sewer Rats and Sewer Ratmen.
"How's my fireball, Daehyeop?"
"...Not bad."
He said it wasn't bad, but Daehyeop Kim was actually pretty shocked.
The fireball shot straight, exploded on impact.
Then flames spread around, dealing periodic extra damage.
Compared to the Martial Artist's main skill, One Strike Annihilation, the fireball looked superior.
"Don't clump up, scatter. Frostbite."
Crrrackle-!
With incantation and spellcast, the area froze in an instant.
The monsters weren't fully frozen, but their movements were restricted.
Sewer Rats were nimble and annoying to catch.
But one mana-infused kick from Sweet wiped them all out.
"...Do you have to chant every time?"
Burn to ash, scatter, etc.
He always chanted unique incantations and spell names.
Daehyeop Kim asked if it was necessary.
"Huge loss if I don't."
Sweet shared his passive skill info as he answered.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 💫 Circle (Passive Skill) • Mana recovery speed +50%.
• Max mana +50%. • Combat system 'Incantation' enhanced. • When casting spells, chanting incantations reduces mana cost by 25%. • When casting spells, chanting incantations amplifies effects by 50%. • Custom incantations possible; defaults to basic if unset. ...There was a lot.
Daehyeop Kim opened his skill window out of curiosity and read his own passive description.
Definitely shorter than the mage's.
"Custom incantations..."
"Oh, that? The default for fireball is 'Ignite,' but I changed it to 'Burn to ash.'"
Mages even get that kind of convenience. If customized coolly, it'd be awesome.
A small darkness began to bloom deep in Daehyeop Kim's heart.
"This must be the double dungeon you mentioned."
Rumble-
Pressing the artificial brick, iron bars descended, blocking the path.
They'd entered the dungeon Black Mage's Trap. Daehyeop Kim moved quickly.
Planning to gather as many monsters as possible and use One Strike Annihilation for mob farming.
Whoosh-!
Boom-!
"Whoa, look at that EXP rising."
Snap. Excited, Sweet snapped his fingers and chanted again.
Flames erupted once more, the explosion swallowing a horde of monsters.
"This place is honey. EXP's already up halfway."
How long since entering? A dungeon clear message already appeared.
"Clear contribution 60%? Mine's higher?"
"Yeah..."
Having swiftly cleared Black Mage's Trap, the two headed to the next dungeon.