Chapter 149
Chapter 149
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Nemesis
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‘Kill the Seongja?’
Lee Shin was startled.
But he quickly composed himself.
The suddenness of it had caught him off guard, but after a moment's thought, the quest itself wasn't strange at all.
It was the kind of quest that was plausible—no, inevitable—given Lee Shin's growth.
It was related to his class.
‘Because it's a legendary class.’
The tiers that separate classes are usually based on ‘how rare and powerful they are.’
The harder a class is to obtain and the stronger its performance, the higher its tier.
But legendary classes were an exception.
They were, of course, rare and powerful, but there was one additional condition.
It was about how much influence they had on the main flow of Avala Online.
Take, for example, the quest Lee Shin received to resurrect the Eteun Kingdom.
Even if he hadn't impersonated the dead prince, a quest would have appeared telling him to carry on the will of the previous Salseong. In the end, he was destined to have a profound impact on Avala Online's main story.
This wasn't unique to Lee Shin; it was something most players with a legendary class would inevitably experience.
The only difference was the kind of chaos that would ensue.
<Class Quest – Eliminate the Nemesis>
Similarly, while the type of quest was different, this phenomenon was also a result of his class's characteristics.
A player with a legendary class not only influences the main story but also has a profound effect on the other players around them.
This was especially true for classes like Salseong and Seongja, whose natures were complete opposites.
The only reason a quest like this had appeared now was that, until this point, Lee Shin had been too weak compared to his counterpart.
Lee Shin knew who the Seongja mentioned in the quest was.
He was a player.
‘Ian.’
A high-ranker from the number one guild, 'Shining Star,' and currently ranked 7th overall.
Lee Shin wasn't one to pay much attention to others, but news about a few high-rankers was an exception.
They were his ultimate goal, after all.
He often looked up news about them.
‘…’
Lee Shin was lost in thought.
He had identified his target, but he had no idea how to proceed.
The quest warned of a permanent penalty for failure, so he had to kill him, but…
The problem was how.
How?
His opponent was a high-ranker.
Moreover, beyond his own strength, his surrounding guildmates were either rankers or close to it.
This meant that at his current level, Lee Shin stood no chance.
‘I might be able to do it if I take Gillaim…’
But it might not work.
The number one guild didn't earn its rank for nothing.
It wouldn't be strange at all if the guild had dozens of high-rankers or mercenary NPCs on par with Gillaim.
Even if he got lucky and managed to kill him, it would still be a problem.
To complete the quest, Lee Shin had to be the one to land the final blow, which would significantly increase the risk of his identity being exposed.
Hadn't he already set a precedent with Grania?
The obsession the rankers from the original Avala Online had with him surpassed his imagination.
Back then, things had luckily worked out without any issues, but it was unreasonable to expect such good fortune to strike twice.
‘…’
Of course, even with such risks, it was clear he had to kill him.
That was true even without considering the rewards and penalties.
The quest that had appeared for Lee Shin had likely appeared for his opponent as well.
They were bound to face each other eventually, and this might be the best opportunity, given that he was the only one with information on his opponent.
So, should he try to fight with the help of Gillaim and Count Aaron, or…
“…”
“Is something wrong?”
Gillaim asked when Lee Shin suddenly fell silent.
Lee Shin shook his head and replied.
“It's nothing.”
“?”
“Let’s return to the estate for now. A commotion will break out soon. And… I’ll go to the royal palace after consulting with the Count.”
“A fine idea.”
Lee Shin headed back to the estate with Gillaim.
At the same time, he sent a whisper to Arthur.
-Hey.
Arthur had just logged back in after his death penalty expired.
The reply came quickly.
-Yes?
-Come out for a second.
-I'm in the middle of filming a video for someone…
-Still, come out. Just tell them to manage the filming on their own for a bit.
He had a job for him.
It was a job only Arthur could do.
* * *
“What is it?”
At Lee Shin's urgent summons, Arthur came running immediately.
Lee Shin opened his mouth.
“There’s something you need to do. Do you happen to…”
-Arthur! Now, tell me Lee Si-eun's location!
But before Lee Shin could speak, a whisper from Yu Han-seong arrived.
Having completely forgotten, Lee Shin muttered with his mouth still open.
“…Ah, right.”
“Yes?”
“You have two things to do.”
Of course, it wasn't a major problem.
Lee Shin smoothly changed his words.
“First, you need to disguise yourself as Lee Si-eun and meet with Yu Han-seong.”
“…Why?”
“It's just how things turned out.”
Lee Shin answered vaguely.
A lot had happened while Arthur was dead, and it was too much to explain right now.
Not that he needed to explain it anyway.
‘If he tells me to do it, I have to do it.’
Arthur thought the same.
Though he looked bewildered, he nodded.
“If it's something I have to do, I'll do it.”
“He'll probably try to kill you when you meet.”
“Uhm, okay.”
“But you absolutely cannot die.”
Simply letting himself be killed would be the best way to resolve his opponent's lingering attachment, but the problem was that Arthur had two jobs to do.
He had to return alive.
“Let him chase you for a bit, then shake him off.”
“…I’ll try, but I don’t think I can control how that plays out.”
Arthur said, looking troubled.
This was something Lee Shin had anticipated.
Arthur wasn't as skilled at escaping as Lee Shin, and it would be difficult to shake off an entire guild that was determined to catch him.
Normally, that is.
But sometimes, there was a way to make the impossible possible.
By throwing money at the problem.
“Here.”
“Huh?”
Lee Shin handed Arthur a bundle of items.
It was most of the scrolls he had purchased in bulk from the Edgar estate.
Each one was worth tens of thousands of won in real money, and he was giving him hundreds of them. The term 'splurging' didn't even begin to cover it, but…
‘This should be enough for him to survive.’
He had to use them now.
Besides, he'd bought them with someone else's money, so spending so much didn't feel like a waste.
After sending a reply to Yu Han-seong, Lee Shin said to Arthur.
“Meet him, and come back to the estate alive.”
“Okay.”
* * *
“…What in the world happened?”
Upon arriving at the estate, Lee Shin immediately sought out the Count.
After hearing the explanation, the Count spoke, looking rather surprised.
“So, the Duke is dead?”
“Yes. He was as evil as I'd heard. I couldn't bring myself to let him live.”
“…While that is a good thing, will it not be dangerous?”
“It’s fine. I’ve secured definitive proof of his treason.”
Although Lee Shin had set fire to the estate, killed the Duke on his own authority, and plundered his assets…
What mattered was the result!
In the end, the Duke had indeed been planning a rebellion, and since Lee Shin had secured concrete evidence, all he had to say was, ‘It couldn't be helped in the process of catching a traitor!’ and everything would be resolved.
“The Count will be safe now as well.”
“I am in your debt. Thank you. When do you plan to go to the capital?”
“Soon. But before that, I brought a few things…”
“…??”
The items Lee Shin hesitantly pulled out were the paintings and sculptures he had stolen from Duke Martinez's mansion.
He had scraped together as much as he could, and even after filling one side of the office, there were still more items he hadn't taken out.
He said to the wide-eyed Count.
“Hang these in your mansion.”
“…I appreciate the sentiment, but my mansion does not have enough space for all this.”
“Is that so? Then, hmm…”
Indeed, the Count’s mansion was not very large, likely due to his disinclination for extravagance.
After a moment of thought, Lee Shin replied.
“Then display them outside.”
“Outside…? Ah, do you mean to build a gallery?”
“A gallery? Oh, that’s a great idea. Let’s do that.”
Lee Shin immediately agreed.
However, while the Count might have meant ‘let’s build a gallery so all the residents can see them,’ Lee Shin's thoughts were a little different.
‘I can charge an admission fee.’
As the estate's tier increased, more buildings would need to be constructed, each costing an enormous amount.
The estate's finances were already tight from stockpiling funds for the war, so it was best to create as many sources of income as possible.
‘The residents might not, but the players will come.’
One might wonder if people would pay money just to look at paintings, but in Lee Shin's experience, there was a surprising demand for such things.
Unlike low-quality works of art, high-tier artworks granted players slight buffs.
Of course, the effect was so minuscule that one or two pieces had almost no effect, but it was a different story if they were all gathered in a dedicated gallery.
The minor buffs would stack up to create a significant effect.
Therefore, as long as the price was reasonable, many players would likely take a look before heading out to hunt.
‘I’ll have it built, and I can have Kaka manage it.’
If he left it to the Count, his disposition would lead him to open it for nearly free.
That's why he thought it was better to entrust this to Kaka.
Kaka had run his own workshop, so he was skilled not only in crafting but also in accounting.
Lee Shin's business at the estate concluded after he found Kaka and handed over all the artworks.
It was right after that when a whisper from Arthur arrived.
-Hey. I've arrived at the estate.
* * *
[A change is occurring in the flow of the main quest.]
[Pay close attention to the changing situation in the kingdom!]
A system message that had appeared before all players a short while ago.
It had thrown most players into confusion, but a few top-tier guilds were an exception.
Having quickly established themselves in the Eteun Kingdom with their overwhelming power and capital, they had already formed connections with high-ranking nobles.
Thanks to this, they were well-informed about the kingdom's affairs, and this is what they had gathered so far.
-The current king rose to the throne through treason.
-Having set a precedent himself, he naturally fears that he too might be caught up in someone else's rebellion…
-As a reaction to this fear, he is thoroughly erasing all traces of the previous royal family while preparing to purge anyone who might pose a threat to him.
To the rankers who knew this, the recent message was interpreted as follows.
‘The king will soon draw his sword.’
‘A storm of blood will sweep through the kingdom.’
‘We must watch this closely and decide which side to take when the time comes.’
In other words, they had to choose whether to side with the king or his opposition.
It wasn't yet clear who the opposition was, but it was undoubtedly a risky choice.
Thus, while most guilds were considering siding with the royal family.
There were those who were one step ahead of the others.
Those who had a slight inkling of who was leading this change.
One was Grania, who had discovered Lee Shin's existence, and the other was Ian.
*Ting.*
[Your counterpart has completed their growth.]
[The path of the Seongja illuminates the way you must go.]
[A class quest has been generated!]
“…Hm?”
<Class Quest – Eliminate the Nemesis>
Just as fire and water cannot be one, evil and divinity cannot coexist.
If they cannot coexist, one must either evaporate and disappear or be extinguished.
The path of a legend is a history of proof and survival. This is no different for you, who walk the path of the Seongja.
Kill the successor of the Salseong!
Defeat him to negate the <Path of the Salseong> he walks and prove that your path is the true one!
• Quest Success Reward: Class Skill
• If killed by the opponent first: Quest failure and a permanent penalty will be acquired.
“…?”
Kill who?
Ian blinked for a moment at the sudden message.
He soon realized the most important fact hidden within it.
There was something far more important than who to kill.
‘No, wait a minute.’
As far as he knew, none of the rankers had the Salseong class.
Considering how distinctive a legendary class was, making it impossible to hide, he could be certain of that.
Which meant.
‘There was… another legend?’