Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: A Fortunate Misunderstanding
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Infamy stat decreased by 1%!
It was an effect he never could have imagined.
He thought it would, at most, affect something like health or mana...
‘It reduces a stat!?’
And it wasn't even a temporary reduction.
If the stat had been lowered by a debuff, it would have shown up on her status window in some way, but Jeong Yu-ra's was clean.
It was a permanent reduction.
Thankfully, it was the Infamy stat, which didn't affect character performance.
But if the reduced stat hadn't been Infamy, but something like Divine Power or Magic...
‘…This is insane.’
Lee Shin was horrified.
Just imagining it was dizzying!
Of course, it could also result in a positive change, but the risk of failure was too great.
He didn't even know what the average effect would be yet.
‘I should only use this on other people.’
“……What did you do to me?”
“Never mind that. We got what we came for, so let's hurry up and find Walter.”
“Huh? Oh, right... wait, no! What do you mean, never mind that!? A weird message just popped up!!”
“……What's so important about it? It just lowered your Infamy. If anything, you should be thanking me.”
“What…!!”
Lee Shin replied shamelessly.
* * *
Having checked his reward, Lee Shin went to find Walter immediately.
The soldiers at the entrance blocked Lee Shin's path.
“Halt!”
“What business does an adventurer have here?”
“I've come to see Sir Walter.”
“Sir Walter? ……Ah, you must be that adventurer.”
“Yes.”
“Go on in. Sir Walter should be waiting in the room at the end of the hall.”
It seemed word had already been passed down, so getting through was easy.
Lee Shin knocked and entered.
“Ah, you're here?”
Walter got straight to the point.
“The arrangements have been made.”
“Does that mean?”
“Take this to the guild. They'll explain what you need to do.”
[Item acquired.]
<Tax Collector's Token>
A token given to Martinez's tax collectors.
When held, some residents may avoid you.
• Allows the use of the special skill, 'Tax Collection'. The amount of tax collectible varies based on the residents' financial situation.
• You may use force against residents who refuse to pay without reason.
• Fame Stat +100
• Infamy Stat +100
“Thank you!”
“No need for thanks....... It's all for the good of the domain. You may go now.”
“Yes.”
* * *
Following Walter's instruction to visit the guild, Lee Shin headed there at once.
Count Aaron's situation was urgent, so he planned to start work immediately.
He'd collected taxes many times before, so it wouldn't be particularly difficult.
‘I just need to make good use of my spare time.’
Lee Shin walked on, lost in thought.
But then.
“……Huh?”
Jeong Yu-ra stopped abruptly.
She narrowed her eyes.
Soon, as if she'd noticed something, she nudged Lee Shin.
Her voice was a mix of urgency and bewilderment.
“Hey, that guy…!”
“Huh?”
At her words, Lee Shin turned his head.
His eyes met with the players staring at them from a distance, and they widened.
…Because it was someone Lee Shin knew all too well.
‘Yu Han-seong!?’
Yu Han-seong.
The guild master of the Five Star Guild, whom Lee Shin had thoroughly backstabbed before running off.
He was right in front of them.
‘What is this?’
While Lee Shin was still trying to process the situation, Yu Han-seong charged toward him, shouting as if to say, 'Perfect timing!'
“……You son of a bitch!!!!!”
A cry that went beyond anger, tinged with a sense of desperation!
It was clear just how much resentment had been building up.
Thanks to that, Jeong Yu-ra couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze and turned her head away.
Even though Lee Shin had orchestrated most of the incidents, as a party member, she was still an accomplice.
She couldn't escape responsibility.
……However, at that moment, Lee Shin, the one with the highest degree of guilt, was thinking something slightly different.
He was looking at the man standing next to Yu Han-seong.
‘Who's that guy?’
Not only had Lee Shin forgotten about Yu Han-seong, but he had also completely forgotten about Kang Woo-jin.
* * *
-That's Woo-jin.
-Who's that?
-Woo-jin. Kang Woo-jin. The rogue. Don't you remember? We were in a party with him.
-Were we?
-He was with us when you were cross-dressing…… No, how could you do all that and already forget!?
Jeong Yu-ra stopped her explanation, aghast.
But Lee Shin was unfazed.
-I don't remember the people I kill.
The number of players Lee Shin had killed was too high for him to remember each and every one.
For the same reason, he forgot grudges in an instant.
The only in-game relationships Lee Shin remembered were with Jeras and Dokgo.
He had already made them film a 'polite apology video'.
Having secured a solid piece of blackmail, he could use them whenever he wanted.
Forgetting them would be a loss.
-What in the...
-Anyway, I get who he is now, but why is he here?
-Huh?
-We never met when I was in my original form. So how did he know to come looking for me?
-Huh? You're right…?
He could understand Yu Han-seong coming after him, thinking, 'Did he get a tip from other players?'
But Kang Woo-jin was different.
When they'd met him, Lee Shin had already been cross-dressing.
And Lee Shin had never shown them his original appearance before disbanding the party.
And yet, for Kang Woo-jin to show up with Yu Han-seong...
‘…Don't tell me?’
Lee Shin's expression turned serious.
Could it be that his cross-dressing had been exposed?
Yu Han-seong provided the answer.
“How did we find you? Well, you should've been less greedy.”
“What?”
“Did you really think you could get away with it forever, leaking information like this all over the place?”
Yu Han-seong shared his screen with Lee Shin.
A video from Lee Shin's YouTube channel.
The paused screen showed Lee Shin and Jeong Yu-ra together.
“……!!”
Seeing that, Lee Shin realized how the current situation had come about.
He'd been wondering why Kang Woo-jin was here...
Jeong Yu-ra and Gillaim.
The other party member is the same, but only Arthur and Lee Si-eun's appearances have changed?
If one thought about it carefully, a single logical conclusion could be drawn.
Yu Han-seong glared at Lee Shin and shouted.
“You... don't tell me...!”
‘Tsk, am I caught?’
He wasn't.
“……Don't tell me you know Lee Si-eun!?!?”
“…What?”
A completely unexpected conclusion!
Lee Shin blinked in bewilderment.
But Yu Han-seong took this as a sign that he'd hit the mark and instantly became triumphant.
“Seeing you flustered like that, I must be right.”
“What? No…”
“Well, your methods were too similar. It was because you were part of the same group all along!!”
“……”
Lee Shin shut his mouth.
Yu Han-seong had already jumped to his own conclusion!
It was a bit baffling, but for Lee Shin, it was actually a good thing.
Lee Shin feigned distress and muttered.
“……Damn it, I've been found out!?”
“Hahahaha!!”
At that, Yu Han-seong let out a laugh that seemed to erupt from the depths of his being.
To come so far only to make a critical mistake at the most important moment!
He clearly couldn't even imagine that Lee Shin had been the one cross-dressing.
-Well, most people wouldn't imagine it, you know?
-Shut up.
Regardless of Jeong Yu-ra's quip, the situation had already become interesting.
Lee Shin's mind raced.
What should he do now?
Now that he'd been discovered, a clash with the opposing guild was inevitable.
With Count Aaron backing him, it didn't really matter anymore, but the timing—right in the middle of an important task—was a problem.
‘Should I just shake them off for now? Or...’
One thought led to another.
But the answer came quickly.
‘I'll use them.’
He had a lot to do, and the more hands, the better.
Lee Shin spoke up.
“Instead of fighting, how about we make a deal?”
“……A deal? With you?”
Are you crazy? Why would I?
Yu Han-seong's eyes said it all.
Lee Shin ignored him and continued.
“It won't be a bad offer if you hear me out.”
“Shut up. What deal? I'll just call all my guild members, kill you, and…”
“I'll tell you. Lee Si-eun's location.”
“…What!?!?!?!”
Yu Han-seong's eyes widened to their absolute limit.
Betraying his own comrade!? Just like that!?
“A-Are you crazy?!”
“Didn't you know? That's just how things are around here.”
“But still……”
“What 'but still'? This is why you always get backstabbed.”
“……That was because of you!!!”
Lee Shin, expertly getting under his skin!
Thanks to him, Yu Han-seong exploded once again.
But thinking about it calmly, Lee Shin's offer wasn't bad.
Lee Shin and Lee Si-eun. They were both his enemies, but Lee Si-eun was the one who had dealt a bigger blow to the guild's image.
The guild forums had been paralyzed for a while due to the players she'd killed during the rescue quest.
If he could catch her and get his revenge through a reasonable deal, it wasn't a bad proposition pragmatically.
‘First, I'll catch Lee Si-eun, then I'll get this guy too.’
“……Keep talking.”
After various calculations, Yu Han-seong nodded.
Lee Shin immediately continued.
“I called it a deal, but it's simple. You just have to help me with my work.”
“Your work?”
“Tax collection.”
“……I've never done that before.”
“Doesn't matter. It's not very hard.”
You just need to know how to give a good beating.
That solves most problems.
“A… beating?”
“Yeah.”
“Why a beating for collecting taxes……?”
“That's none of your business. Just give me your answer. Are you in or out?”
“……”
“Hmm, if you don't want to, then forget it.”
“……W-Wait! Hold on!”
As Lee Shin turned to leave without hesitation, Yu Han-seong shouted urgently.
There was a good reason for this.
‘We can't find Lee Si-eun on our own...!’
Unlike with Arthur, where they could at least find some clues when they looked, there was a surprising lack of information on Lee Si-eun.
So much so that it seemed like she might have quit the game.
If they didn't hear it directly from her former comrade, Arthur, they might never be able to find Lee Si-eun.
“If you don't decide quickly, I'll just call the whole thing off……”
“…I'll do it!”
…In the end, Yu Han-seong accepted Lee Shin's offer.
* * *
Lee Shin headed straight for the guild to get his assignment.
“Mr. Arthur?”
“Yes.”
“The one recommended by Sir Walter…”
“That's me.”
Surprisingly, the gazes of the guild managers on Lee Shin weren't bad.
This was despite him being an adventurer who had essentially gotten the position through connections.
This was thanks to a title Lee Shin possessed.
[You possess the title, <Cruel Tax Collector>.]
[Overcome by an inexplicable sense of trust, the guild manager acknowledges you.]
An inexplicable feeling of reliability!
Thanks to the effect of the title he'd acquired beforehand, the managers felt that 'this person could probably collect any tax'.
And this was, in fact, true.
For someone who scammed and even killed nobles and knights, dealing with mere residents was nothing to Lee Shin.
“Is that so?”
“I've done similar work before.”
“Then this will be quick. Please have a seat. I'll explain your duties.”
Lee Shin's job was simple.
And there wasn't much of it.
Each day, he was to visit about a dozen households to receive taxes, and if there were any residents who had evaded them, he was to extract the payment by any means necessary.
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
‘Feels a bit like a daily quest.’
As expected, it didn't seem very difficult.
And with people to help him, it wouldn't take long either.
Nodding in satisfaction, Lee Shin spoke to the two people behind him.
“Let's go.”
* * *
Meanwhile, in contrast to the busy Lee Shin, there was a place where a very quiet afternoon was being spent.
“……”
Inside a quiet room.
In the dim room, dark from the turned-off lights and blackout curtains, someone was intently watching a video.
Knock, knock.
“!”
Then, a soft knock on the door.
A calm, subdued voice came from beyond the door.
“Are you sleeping?”
“……”
There was no answer.
After a moment of silence, the woman who had knocked spoke again.
“Mom's going to work now.”
“……”
“I won't be coming back in, so if you're awake, come out and eat. Okay?”
After saying her piece, the woman opened the front door and left.
Soon after, a mid-sized sedan could be seen leaving the parking lot.
It was right after that the firmly shut bedroom door creaked open.
Creeaak......
“……”
Glancing around.
Her footsteps were silent as a mouse, her eyes cautiously scanning left and right.
Her disheveled hair reached almost to her waist, and her skin was so white it was almost dazzlingly translucent.
It was the appearance of a classic recluse.
Only after confirming that no one else was in the house did she emerge completely.
Just then, a sticky note attached to the doorknob fluttered to the floor.
“……?”
She picked it up and turned it over. Two short lines were written on it.
The capsule arrived.
Have fun.
“…Ah.”
She let out a small gasp.
Come to think of it, it was today.
Hurriedly looking around, she saw that the capsule had arrived in a corner of the living room.
Grunting with effort, she pushed the capsule into her room and got inside.
A scanner swept over her iris.
[Starting the game.]
[Scanning iris……]
[……]
[New user detected.]
[Please set your character's name.]
“Lee Ji-a.”