Chapter 18 - Star Quality (3)
Chapter 18 - Star Quality (3)
'Still, I hope to catch up someday.'
Rosaria, having roughly tidied her disheveled hair, bit her lip.
She had sincerely expressed that she didn't just want to succeed or gain fame, but that she wanted to reach her own limits, and even go beyond them.
After following the advice of Leon, who had understood that sincerity, she had been chosen by God and became a Pioneer.
Because of that, Rosaria didn't just envy or admire Leon.
She also harbored a competitive spirit, wanting to surpass him, even if just for a single moment.
"Keuk... just kill me."
"You're a big guy, yet you're spouting lines like a captured female knight. But hold on a second."
Meanwhile.
Leon was looking down at the vampires, including Baren, whom they had all subdued, but he was only pointing his sword at them without finishing them off.
Seeing Leon's behavior, not only his peers but the other members of the Exploration Team were just standing there, watching blankly.
Although it had been a short time, given what they had been through, they had started to trust him, thinking that Leon must have some plan in mind.
'If I were the Player, I'd just kill all the Reddish clan members.'
What Leon was waiting for was the Player's decision.
Regardless of whether they captured the enemies they met to use them or disposed of them on the spot, they had to be in a subdued state first.
'Don't tell me I have to do this on my own volition too?'
However, even after waiting, the Player did not move the units.
The moment a flustered Leon looked up at the sky without realizing it.
[Post: Look at this. Since I'm really leaving him alone, he's making all the choices on his own, right?]
ㄴThis is seriously insane. You can't normally auto-select choices.
ㄴIt's either a secret patch or a bug. But I haven't even heard of a bug like this in other games, let alone this one.
ㄴSo you're saying Leon is making all the choices and moving on his own right now?
A community window popped up in front of his eyes.
The Player, instead of controlling the units this time, was recording the entire process and sharing it with the community.
Since there were no instructions from the Player, the process of Leon leading the Exploration Team on his own and choosing to engage with the vampires was laid bare.
"This is..."
Leon sighed softly at the sight.
The option "Will you engage in battle?" popped up.
The Player clearly hadn't clicked anything.
However, the option was automatically selected and passed according to Leon's intent, and the units engaged the vampires.
ㄴHey, don't mess with it for now.
ㄴYeah, let's see how far this goes.
ㄴIf you look closely at the units' status, it's clear that Leon is intending and leading everything. What on earth is happening in there? lol
Most of the community users were already focusing their attention on this phenomenon that defied common sense.
And that attention, naturally, had no choice but to turn toward Leon, who seemed to be at the center of this anomaly.
"...It seems God wishes for your execution."
"Ha, then kill me already, you hound."
In the end, Leon, who had been contemplating for a moment, made a decision.
If the Player intended to keep watching, then it was his job to make the choice.
The other Pioneers looked at Leon with surprised expressions, wondering if he was serious, but Baren laughed and provoked Leon instead.
"You should know where you've set foot. We are merely a small part of the vast Demon World; your pathetic resistance won't last long."
"Is that your last word?"
Leon, frowning at Baren's curse, swung his sword without mercy.
He severed Baren's neck in one stroke and spewed flame magic onto his body to incinerate it so he couldn't regenerate.
The other vampires were no different.
"Ugh..."
Even though they were vampires, unlike the monsters of The Swarm, they were intelligent beings capable of normal conversation.
Their appearance wasn't much different from elves or humans.
Perhaps because of an instinctive repulsion, Rosaria gagged while dealing with one of the vampires.
The others were not much different.
Unless they were naturally strong-willed or possessed mental-related traits, they weren't used to this kind of situation, regardless of their age or experience.
After all, this was a situation where stress was constantly piling up.
"Let's gather the loot and leave quickly."
The dark underground fortress was filled with the smell of burning flesh and the metallic scent of blood.
Knowing that just staying in such a space would drain the units' mental strength, Leon hurried to command them.
"Look at this. Is this gold?"
"There are weapons too. But these weapons, I don't think they're ordinary iron. They look similar to the Magic Steel we saw outside."
The production and research units eagerly flocked to collect the loot.
They were clamoring to take even one more thing, eyeing everything left behind in the ancient vampire fortress.
'There doesn't seem to be anything dangerous like Blood Stone...'
Leon stood a step back, watching the whole scene.
Some of the loot was dangerous.
There were items that would emit a mental wave and drive the entire Exploration Team mad the moment they were acquired, or others that would spread unknown viruses and cause diseases.
The problem was that back when he was a Player, he could just hover his mouse over them to know exactly where everything was, but that wasn't the case now.
Leon couldn't easily tell where things were either.
"If you've gathered everything, let's head back now."
Still, since they had struggled to clear it, they had obtained quite a few valuable items that were not easy to find in the early stages.
Leon stood up, watching the other units who had scoured the inside of the fortress and packed bundles of luggage.
"...!"
At that moment. For the first time in a long while, the Player's will took hold of Leon's body.
With wide eyes, he turned his body and began to walk.
His stiff movements were clearly being controlled by the Player.
"Why, what's wrong?!"
"It seems there's something we missed."
Leon signaled Seira, who had rushed over in concern, not to worry.
The fact that the Player, who had only been watching until now, was forcing control meant there was a good reason for it.
This time, Leon didn't resist either; he relaxed his body as much as possible and watched silently to see what the Player was doing.
"This is..."
Following behind Leon, who was creaking awkwardly like a jointed doll, the Exploration Team headed toward the center of the fortress with anxious eyes.
"A secret passage."
There was a secret passage there that none of them, including Leon, had managed to notice.
And when they entered through it, in the hidden secret space, there was a large, brilliant crystal glowing faintly, and inside it, a girl with light pink hair was sleeping, bound by chains.
ㄴEven Leon misses things. Cute.
ㄴWell, the sealing procedure has to be undone by the Player... so I guess he's not omnipotent. Actually, that's more fun.
ㄴHis judgment to execute the Reddish clan instead of taking them as prisoners was pretty good, but how about this time?
ㄴIf you can tame her well, you're getting a pretty reliable resource early on.
Just as Leon had said, from a unit's perspective, the Player, who possessed omnipotent power, could see things they couldn't.
And when Leon failed to discover it, the Player had shown him directly.
"The captured vampire royal even... Keuk?!"
"Don't look!"
Leon's head, which had been staring blankly at the girl in the crystal, snapped back with a crack.
It was because a horrified Seira had grabbed his eyes and covered them.
The reason was that the girl in the crystal was naked, without a single thread of clothing.
"It's definitely a vampire. But she's sealed and bound. Is she a prisoner?"
While Leon was struggling in Seira's arms, Rosaria looked at the girl and sighed softly.
This young-looking girl, who appeared even younger than Leon, the youngest in the group, had her arms, and in fact, her entire body, wrapped in golden chains.
"Keuk?! It's an unknown seal."
"I can't see the path. How are we supposed to break this?"
The other members of the Exploration Team approached the crystal to investigate the seal, but not only Vivian, the excellent elf sorceress, but also the talented personnel from the Alchemy Association and the Technology Bureau couldn't find the answer.
'Of course. The only one who can break that is the Player.'
Leon, who had been released from Seira's hands after promising not to look, sighed.
The Corrupted Land is a land of the unknown. It means that no matter how famous the units are within the barrier, there are more things they don't know than things they do.
That was why the Player's knowledge and power were their hope and light.
Whether or not to break the seal holding the vampire girl.
It meant that at this point, the Player was the only one who could decide and accomplish that.
"Leon, your head keeps turning. I'll tell you everything you're curious about."
"The others are looking just fine. Hermann is there too..."
"I don't care about the others, but you can't."
Seira grabbed Leon's face with both hands and fixed it only toward her.
"Are you saying you're a man too?"
"What..."
Leon shook his head in disbelief at Seira's words as she smiled and leaned in.
[Post: What should we do? I want to break the seal and take her.]
ㄴI see it as a 6:4 gamble.
ㄴIf it goes well, you get a powerful asset; if it goes poorly, you get an annoying troll.
ㄴIf it really doesn't seem right, it's not like there's no way to dispose of her.
ㄴHow are you going to get food? If she's a royal-class vampire, her taste will be super picky.
Meanwhile, the Player was broadcasting the situation to the curious community users while asking for their opinions.
'I'm against it.'
Leon watched it with somewhat complicated feelings.
It wasn't once or twice that he had incorporated enemy units in various situations as allies.
There were easy cases and difficult cases. There were many times he benefited, and many times he suffered losses.
Therefore, if he were in the Player's position, he would have taken that vampire girl without hesitation.
'The ceiling is definitely higher. If it goes well, the floor will also be higher. But there's a high possibility that the chores will increase just as much.'
The problem was that he was just a single unit right now.
If nothing else, the limited vision and authority were the problems.
The Player might be a skilled veteran, but he was a newbie who hadn't even learned the proper controls.
Whether it was during battle or going out on reconnaissance.
If something happened in a situation Leon couldn't pay attention to, everything would be over.
ㄴLet's take her, go go go.
ㄴIf she's a true pure-blood royal, assuming you raise her well, you can take her until the clear.
ㄴYeah, Leon will figure it out anyway.
'No, you crazy bastards!'
The problem was that the community users were inciting the Player.
Leon sighed and held his forehead, convinced that his workload was about to increase.
[Release Seal]
The Player, who had been wanting to secure a new unit anyway, eventually proceeded with breaking the seal based on the users' incitement.