Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Master, Please Raise Me!
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Lee Shin let out a short laugh. The skill name was ‘Master, Please Raise Me!’.
It was a name he never could have imagined.
‘…What the hell.’
Though bewildered, Lee Shin decided to check the skill description first.
“Read the description too.”
“Yes.”
Path of the Solitary Fighter
You have chosen to become strong enough that none can challenge you. A thorny path awaits.
But remember: what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
• All stats increase by 20% when not in a party.
• The effect is maximized the more enemies are nearby (up to 40%).
The first, as its name suggested, was a passive skill helpful for soloing.
‘Not bad.’
Surprisingly excellent performance!
A base increase to all stats, with the potential to grow even stronger during combat.
At this level, it was comparable to any combat passive skill from a Unique-grade class.
The reward was certainly as great as the difficulty.
But Arthur couldn't choose it. The activation condition was limited to ‘when alone’.
So, the second skill.
“Keep reading.”
“Master, Please Raise…!”
“No, no. Leave those words out. It's creepy.”
“…Ah, yes.”
The second skill was as follows.
Master, Please Raise Me!
If you lack the confidence to become unchallengeably strong, then you must know when to bow to the powerful.
Alternatively, finding someone to rely on and entrusting your fate to them can be another method of survival.
Remember, shame is a luxury in the face of survival.
It is not the strong who survive, but the survivors who are strong.
• Upon selecting this skill, you can choose a master. Only one master can be chosen.
• Upon becoming a pet, all stats decrease by 30%. Instead, you share 30% of your master's stats.
• Your appearance becomes cute.
“…it says.”
“……”
“Should I choose this one?”
Lee Shin nodded at Arthur's question.
It was a slightly absurd skill, but upon closer inspection, it was quite excellent.
He could share a portion of Lee Shin's high stats, and most importantly, he could be treated as a pet.
‘Not bad.’
Until now, he had always needed to disguise himself when entering crowded castles or towns.
That was because orcs, regardless of being players, were treated as monsters and would be killed on sight.
But with this skill, that would no longer be necessary.
Pets were fundamentally considered property.
This concept was already ingrained in the NPCs, so there was no need for explanation; they could enter together.
[Player 'Arthur' is searching for a master.]
[Will you become his master?]
“I will.”
[You have accepted the master-servant contract.]
[You have become the master of the Orc player, Arthur.]
[You can check the pet's detailed stats in the description tab.]
[You are the first on the server to make a player a pet!]
[This is a great achievement! You have acquired the title, <Master of Taming>.]
Master of Taming
The power of taming imbues your words and actions, allowing you to attempt to tame targets other than players.
• The title's effect grows as you succeed in taming more creatures.
• Additionally, when attacking, there is a very low chance of inflicting... instead of pain.
Skipping the title for now, Lee Shin checked his status window.
‘Nothing much has changed.’
There were no noticeable changes for Lee Shin.
Just that a new 'Pet' section had appeared at the bottom of his status window.
Arthur, however, was different.
Just as the description 'Your appearance becomes cute' had said, his appearance had changed directly.
To the point where his original form was unrecognizable.
*Blink.*
“……?”
Two eyes ‘looking up’ at Lee Shin.
His house-sized height had shrunk to about 160cm, and his log-like limbs had become slightly chubby.
But the most significant change was to his face.
“Hey?”
“……”
The buck teeth were gone, the deep-set eyes had softened, and the perfectly square jaw had rounded out.
There was even a constant effect of small pollen-like particles bursting around him.
His previously menacing impression was completely gone, replaced by an appearance that looked like it belonged in a children's cartoon!
Lee Shin let out a dry laugh.
“…He does look like a pet.”
Honestly, he had thought an orc could only change so much, but the result was much better than expected.
Lee Shin wasn't one to care much about character appearances, but it was clear that the way other players looked at Arthur would now be different.
“Let's go back.”
Lee Shin said, turning his head.
The quest was over, so he planned to leave.
But before that, a voice stopped him.
“…Hey, you there!”
“?”
“Halt!”
Turning at the familiar voice, he saw it was the Royal Knights.
Lee Shin was about to signal Arthur with his eyes but stopped.
‘…It should be fine, right?’
It was fine.
The approaching knights glanced at Arthur for a moment, but that was it.
They showed no further interest and soon turned their gaze to Lee Shin.
“You're… Ah! The adventurer I saw a while ago.”
“That's right.”
“You said you saw a warlock here, didn't you?”
“…Did I say that?”
Lee Shin played dumb for the time being.
He was now under contract with Cedric.
The contract was fundamentally a means to bind Cedric cheaply, but it was still a contract, so even Lee Shin wasn't completely free from risk.
“Perhaps you misheard?”
[Skill, Deception, activates.]
[The target's level is too high!]
[You fail to deceive the target.]
“No? I heard you perfectly.”
“…Now that I think about it, maybe I did. Anyway, what can I do for you?”
“I had the entire area searched based on your words, but we couldn't find him. Do you know anything else?”
Lee Shin shook his head.
“I'm sorry. I don't.”
“Hmm…”
“Ahem, isn't it possible he's no longer here? For instance, maybe he's already fled the country.”
“That's definitely not it. Thanks to you, we found evidence.”
“Evidence…?”
‘Was there something like that?’
“Heh heh, look at this.”
Necrotic Body Part
• Corrupted by an unknown malevolence.
“See?”
“……!”
“Doesn't it look like it's been corrupted by the evil magic of a warlock? This is definitive proof!”
“Couldn't it just be a side effect of an orc shaman's spell?”
Lee Shin's attempt at misdirection. But the knight shook his head firmly.
“No.”
“……”
“It's clearly different from their traces. And there's still a lot of magical residue left. He definitely didn't get far; he must be hiding nearby…”
As he spoke, the knight glanced at Lee Shin. Sensing some intent in his gaze, Lee Shin's shoulders flinched.
He didn't know why, but seeing a few knights behind him looking this way and whispering amongst themselves, it was clear something was up.
“Ahem. Well then, I'll be on my way…”
Sensing he was about to get dragged into something troublesome, Lee Shin tried to leave immediately.
“Stop.”
“……”
“Hey? You! I said stop!”
But the knight stopped him before he could. Pretending not to hear obviously didn't work.
‘…Dammit.’
“My apologies. I'm a bit hard of hearing.”
“Is that so? You look so young…”
“Anyway, what is it?”
“Ah, right. I have a task for you.”
“……”
The worst-case scenario he had imagined.
Lee Shin put on a troubled expression.
Then he desperately came up with an excuse.
He didn't know what they wanted him to do, but with something to hide, he didn't want to get involved with them.
“Ahem, I'm honored by the offer, but I'm just a wandering adventurer.”
“Hmm?”
“If you need something done, why not ask someone else? As it happens, I know a capable adventurer named Jeras…”
A shameless attempt to pass the buck! Lee Shin was even considering calling Jeras back if necessary.
He couldn't have gone far yet.
But the knight just chuckled at Lee Shin's words.
“Just a wandering adventurer? You're too modest.”
“Pardon?”
“We already know everything. Weren't you the one who led the charge in wiping out the orcs in this area?”
“……!”
“Haha! Don't be so surprised. That's more than enough proof of your skills, so don't worry.”
*Pat, pat—*
The knight patted Lee Shin's shoulder.
At the same time, a message appeared before Lee Shin's eyes.
[You have been acknowledged by the Royal Knight Wik. This is a great achievement.]
[Your fame increases slightly.]
It was unexpected fame, but Lee Shin's expression didn't brighten.
On the contrary, it twisted at the knight's next words.
“You're skilled enough and seem to know this area well. You'll have to help us catch him.”
[Royal Knight Wik offers you a quest!]
Eteun Kingdom Quest – Capture the Wanted Criminal
Assist the Royal Knights in apprehending the wanted criminal.
• Quest Reward: ???, ???
“…!!!!!”
* * *
“Excuse me, but could you give me a moment before we leave?”
“Of course.”
After getting permission, Lee Shin immediately went back to Cedric.
“We have a problem.”
“Suddenly…?”
Lee Shin explained everything that had just happened.
“So that's what happened.”
“……Gasp.”
After hearing the explanation, Cedric's face turned pale.
“…Don't tell me you accepted?”
“I had to.”
If he could have refused, he would have, but it was the Royal Knights.
They hadn't forced him, but for someone of their rank and level, a request was as good as a command.
Refusal was impossible.
‘I have no choice.’
I had to accept.
At this, Cedric flew into a rage.
It was a matter of his own life, after all.
“What!?”
“I said I accepted.”
“But we have a contract…!”
“I know, you idiot. Hear me out. I'm not finished talking.”
“……?”
But despite accepting, Lee Shin had no intention of handing Cedric over.
He'd have to face the penalty from their contract, and besides, Cedric was too valuable to give up just yet.
‘I have to use what I can.’
A sucker who walked right in!
A capable sucker, at that.
Considering the power he used to take out Arthur in one shot, his level had to be close to 200.
‘He should be on Haipen Gillaim's level.’
The opportunity to boss around an NPC of that caliber so easily was rare.
Arthur asked.
“But we can't just not hand him over.”
He understood it was a shame, but wasn't there no other way?
But there was.
Lee Shin had already thought of a method.
“We'll just trick them.”
“Wouldn't that be even harder? You already failed once…”
Just as Arthur said, the Deception skill hadn't worked.
The level difference had a huge impact on the skill's success rate.
As this was an RPG world, penalties due to level differences were a given.
And since there was no immediate way to overcome it, it was something they had to endure.
However, even under these adverse conditions, there was one sure way to deceive the knights.
“What is it?”
“You'll die in his place.”
“…!”
* * *
A switcheroo using the Shapeshift skill.
It required Arthur's sacrifice, but Arthur himself had no choice in the matter.
“Do it.”
“Yes.”
“……!?”
Arthur had no intention of refusing in the first place.
His immediate acceptance was enough to startle even Jeong Yu-ra.
In any case, after Arthur's agreement, Lee Shin acted immediately.
[You have murdered a player.]
[Your notoriety increases.]
He killed the shapeshifted Arthur, picked up the remaining avatar, and went straight to Wik.
“You're back?”
“I've caught the culprit!”
“That was fast… What, what did you say!?!?”
Wik approached in surprise.
But he soon frowned.
“Didn't I tell you to capture him alive?”
“I tried, but his resistance was too fierce... I'm sorry!”
Lee Shin immediately bowed deeply.
Wik waved his hands in embarrassment.
“Ah, no. It's not something to apologize for.”
He examined Arthur's avatar closely, then nodded and said.
“…It's definitely him. A shame he's dead, but you did well nonetheless.”
[Quest Complete.]
[You have gained a small amount of experience.]
‘…Might as well be nothing.’
“I'm sorry, but I don't have anything to give you right now.”
“No, that's alright.”
“It's not much of a substitute, but… I'll introduce you to Count Narik.”
“……!!”
Count Narik was the noble Cedric had failed to assassinate.
“What do you say?”