Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: The Evil and Mysterious Spear
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“Found him? Who?”
“Arthur. We got lucky.”
Originally, I was looking for Lee Si-eun first.
The user who first framed Arin was Arthur, but most of the damage the guild suffered came from the user Lee Si-eun afterward.
The level of resentment was different.
Above all, I thought she would be easier to find.
It was a more recent incident, and I had thought finding a female user would be much easier than finding a male one.
But I was wrong.
I expected to find Lee Si-eun quickly, but there wasn't even a whisper of news about her.
That was the case even after the guild put out a massive bounty and asked around.
Usually, after this much time and effort, at least a rumor would surface, but it was enough to make one wonder, ‘Did she quit the game?’
That's why I added Arthur to the search.
It didn't matter which of the two, I just had to catch one of them.
And now, the results were in.
‘Duke Martinez's domain... That's not too far.’
As soon as I sent the reward money, information on Arthur's location and his party members arrived!
The informant must have suffered quite a bit at Arthur's hands, as the email contained meticulous details not even included in the bounty.
Thanks to that, I learned something I had no idea about.
‘…He had a personal channel?!’
What's more, it had a decent number of subscribers.
Yu Han-seong clicked his tongue.
‘This crazy bastard.’
Literally, something I had never even considered!
What kind of nerve did he have to open a channel?
Isn't he afraid of the karma he's sown everywhere?
What would he do if Kim Hyeon-seong, or some guild he'd taught a lesson to, came looking for revenge later? Why would he expose his personal information like this?
‘…….’
…Whatever the reason, it was a good thing for Yu Han-seong.
Thanks to it, he had obtained a good piece of information.
‘Hmm…?’
The identity of the woman seen next to Arthur.
For some reason, her screen time was almost entirely edited out, but even from the brief glimpses, Yu Han-seong could figure out her identity.
Jeong Yu-ra.
The priest user who was also with Lee Si-eun.
The moment he realized that, a bolt of lightning struck Yu Han-seong's mind.
‘…Could it be?!’
He acted fast.
Yu Han-seong went to find Kang Woo-jin immediately.
Kang Woo-jin, who had no particular grudge against Arthur, was initially indifferent….
But after hearing Yu Han-seong's explanation, his expression did a complete 180.
“Where did you say?”
“Duke Martinez's domain.”
“…Let's go right now!”
* * *
[You have subjugated the orc settlement.]
[Massacre!]
[Your fame and experience have greatly increased.]
[Your Commander achievement has increased.]
Although the 1st and 2nd ranked parties in contribution were temporarily absent, the subjugation itself finished smoothly thanks to the efforts of the remaining users.
Fwoosh!
The soldiers set fire to the remaining barracks and pens.
Even after being stomped out like this, the orc population grows so quickly that they had to wipe out the very foundation of their habitat.
A moment later, Walter shouted.
“We're returning to the domain!”
[<Regular Quest - Monster Subjugation> has been completed.]
[Rewards will be distributed differentially based on contribution.]
[Calculating contribution points.]
[Calculating……]
[……]
[Calculation complete.]
[Your party's rank is '1'!]
[You will receive the best rewards.]
[As the other party members have died, the rewards will be distributed collectively to the remaining 2 members.]
Lee Shin's party was, of course, in first place.
They were already holding first place with a significant lead over second, and by killing everyone else off just now, they had sealed the deal.
There was no room for an upset.
“What, what the! Why are we in second place?”
“Did we kill that many this time? It didn't feel much different from before.”
“What is this…?”
Thanks to that, the party that benefited the most was the one originally in third place.
The ones who lost the most were Lee Shin's temporary party members.
Lee Shin sorted out the party.
[Kicking 9 members from the party.]
[Current Party Members: 2]
“When can we receive the rewards?”
“The rewards? You can get them as soon as we return to the domain.”
[You have perfectly completed the <Special Quest - Command the Subjugation Force>!]
[Walter now trusts you!]
“…Oh, and you. Follow me separately.”
“……?”
The corner of Lee Shin's eye twitched.
A premonition that something good was about to happen!
The written quest reward was only Walter's trust, but rapport with a named NPC like this often brought additional rewards on its own.
Lee Shin's prediction was not wrong.
“What is it you need?”
“You have shown me both your individual prowess and your intellect in commanding a group. Haha! How could I simply let an adventurer with such excellent qualities go?”
“By that, you mean…?”
“Are you perhaps interested in the domain's affairs? If so, I'd like to bring you on board. I can take care of minor issues like your background or procedural matters.”
“……!!”
Walter was offering Lee Shin a position!
Lee Shin's mind raced.
Originally, he had planned to finish the subjugation quest and then investigate the situation in the Martinez Duchy in detail.
By visiting information brokers and guilds to gather and consolidate information.
But now, another path had opened up.
If he became affiliated with the domain in the first place, he might be able to skip a lot of trouble and get information more easily, depending on the circumstances.
Lee Shin asked.
“What kind of work are you referring to, exactly?”
“Initially, I was going to offer you a position as a junior commander under my command.”
“That-”
“But it seems you're not pleased with that.”
“…Yes.”
Becoming one of Walter's subordinate commanders.
Normally, it was a really good offer—no, an offer others would have accepted without a second thought.
This wasn't some minor fiefdom, but a position as a commander in one of the largest domains in the Eteun Kingdom….
Just holding that position would pave the way for a smooth ride.
‘Tsk.’
But unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Lee Shin.
If he became Walter's subordinate, he would likely be sent on external missions like this one.
That would make it difficult to access the internal information about the domain that Lee Shin needed right now.
So, swallowing his regret, Lee Shin was about to express his refusal, but….
“Then is there another position you desire?”
“I’m sorry… pardon?”
“As long as you're willing to stay in the domain, it doesn't necessarily have to be under my command. Is there something else you'd like to do?”
“……?!”
Lee Shin's eyes widened.
I'll let you do what you want, just don't go to another domain!
That was the meaning behind Walter's words.
His favorability was much higher than expected.
‘What's this?’
He was a bit bewildered, but this was an opportunity nonetheless.
Lee Shin answered immediately.
“There is!”
“What is it?”
What work do you want to do?
At this moment, Lee Shin had to consider two things.
First, the job had to be fun for Lee Shin himself, and it also had to be one where he could easily gauge the atmosphere of the domain.
And there was one thing that perfectly met both these conditions.
“You want to become a tax collector…?”
Hearing Lee Shin's answer, Walter's expression turned sour.
“Is that not possible?”
“…No, it’s not impossible. Starting from the bottom and slowly working your way up is one way to do things, I suppose.”
“Hmm? Ah, yes. That’s right.”
Walter spoke as if he thought Lee Shin had deliberately chosen a menial job.
Of course, it was a misunderstanding, but from Lee Shin's perspective, it was a welcome one.
“I'll arrange a position for you. For now, go get your reward and then come find me again.”
“Understood.”
* * *
[You have obtained the contribution rewards.]
-100 Gold Chests.
-Subjugation Completion Certificate.
-10 Highest-Grade Random Boxes.
<Subjugation Completion Certificate>
A certificate indicating participation in a monster subjugation quest in the Martinez Duchy.
The more of these you possess, the higher your trustworthiness within the domain.
•This item cannot be traded. It will not be dropped upon death.
•Current Quantity: 1.
<Highest-Grade Random Box>
A box from which an unknown power can be felt.
The box is consumed upon opening, and in return, a high-value item is obtained.
‘Not bad.’
The rewards were quite good.
He didn't particularly need the gold or the certificate, but the boxes were a different story.
The Highest-Grade Random Boxes were items traded for real money on the auction house.
At the current market rate, ten of them would trade for around 600,000 to 700,000.
Jeong Yu-ra asked in surprise.
“They're that expensive?!”
“It makes sense. It's the first-place reward.”
“Even so…”
“And normally, this would have to be split among several people.”
“Huh? Oh, right.”
Contribution is calculated on a party basis.
Considering that most parties have around ten members, what falls to each individual is almost nothing.
Lee Shin's case was special.
“What comes out of them?”
“It's random, of course. Sometimes you get nothing. Even when something does come out, it's usually trash.”
“…And people buy those with money?”
“Because good stuff can come out, too.”
On very rare occasions, defying abysmal odds of less than 0.0001%, a super rare item (worth at least ten million in real money) might appear.
There were already several legendary cases, so quite a few users bought the boxes with the feeling of buying a lottery ticket.
However.
‘I've never had any luck with them, though...’
Lee Shin looked down at the boxes with a strange expression.
Including his time in Avala Online 1, Lee Shin had opened thousands of these boxes.
But as if his account was cursed, he had never once gotten anything good.
So, he had eventually just given up on them….
‘…Still, should I give it a try?’
Lee Shin's gaze wavered.
The temptation of the gacha!
Lee Shin, who was always true to his desires when it came to games, found it hard to resist.
Besides, his account was different now, so he thought it might be a good chance to test his luck.
“Pick a number between 1 and 60.”
“Huh?”
“Go on, pick one you like.”
“…33. But why?”
Lee Shin didn't answer.
Instead, he carefully waited 33 seconds before opening all the boxes at once.
‘Now!’
[Opening the boxes.]
[A mysterious power bursts forth from the boxes!]
[The mysterious power coalesces and forges something!]
[Forging…]
[……]
Fwoosh!
An unusual aura of light.
Lee Shin's eyes widened.
‘Is something coming out?!’
[The mysterious power dissipates, emitting a mysterious aura of light!]
[Nothing appeared.]
[Nothing appeared.]
[Nothing……]
[One High-grade Health Potion……]
[……]
‘…….’
A festival of duds!
Lee Shin's expression soured instantly.
He thought they were all duds again.
…But the lottery wasn't over yet.
[Nothing appeared.]
[Nothing appeared.]
[Nothing appeared.]
[Nothing……]
Tiring.
“Hmm?”
[An evil god is watching you.]
[The evil god pities your misfortune.]
[The evil god bestows upon you its powerful favor!]
“……?!”
[An unidentifiable malice twists the space of mystery!]
[The power of malice and the mysterious power mix, spewing something forth!]
[You have acquired the equipment item, <Evil and Mysterious Spear>!]
<Evil and Mysterious Spear>
Attack Power: 1
Durability: ∞
Mysterious Malice Power: 100/100
A wondrous spear in which the power of malice and the power of mystery are harmoniously blended.
When attacking, one of the two powers below will be randomly activated.
•Power of Malice:
Knocks down any opponent it touches. The opponent will always fall backward.
•Power of Mystery:
Changes something about the opponent it touches by -5% to 5%.
*Using the spear's power consumes 1 Mysterious Malice Power.
*Recovers 1 every hour.
“……?”
Smoke billowed up.
When the smoke cleared, a spear with a black and white spiral pattern and a moderate weight rested in his hands.
Lee Shin blinked blankly.
“What the.”
What is this?
What just happened?
‘...Ah, is it because of the title?’
The 'Incarnation of Malice' that Lee Shin possessed.
It was a title that applied to all evil-aligned NPCs, and evil gods were no exception.
It seemed one of the evil gods, unable to bear watching Lee Shin's bad luck, had lent a hand.
‘So this is what came out…’
Lee Shin lowered his gaze.
The Evil and Mysterious Spear.
A weapon with a power that recharged once an hour, and an attack power of 1.
…Frankly, he couldn't get a good grasp of its performance.
Its stats seemed focused on creating variables rather than killing power, and while he could guess at the Power of Malice, he couldn't imagine how the Power of Mystery would be applied.
‘It says it changes 'something' about the target... Does that mean things like health or mana?’
That was the only thing he could guess for now.
To confirm, Lee Shin asked Jeong Yu-ra.
“Let's try this out.”
“That item? Why?”
“The description is vague, so I want to check its performance.”
“Uh, okay….”
“It only has 1 attack power, so it's safe.”
“Oh, really?”
At Lee Shin's explanation, Jeong Yu-ra nodded without any particular suspicion.
“Alright, then. Do it.”
“Okay. …Watch the back of your head.”
“What? Why the back of my….”
Thrust!
Lee Shin immediately thrust the spear.
Simultaneously, the spear's effect activated.
...An effect that sent a chill down Lee Shin's spine.
[The Power of Mystery is activated.]
[The mysterious power changes something about the target.]
[The target's Infamy stat has decreased by 1%!]
“……?!”
“……?!”