Chapter 72
Chapter 72
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The Scourge of Evil
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Class Quest – Assassinate Corrupt Nobles
Inherit the will of the previous Salseong and bring down the scourge of evil upon the corrupt nobles.
• Corrupt Nobles: 1/100
• Quest Reward: Salseong's Secret Skill
‘The scourge of evil…?’
Isn't it usually the scourge of justice?
Lee Shin internally nitpicked the awkward phrasing.
‘…Well, whatever.’
It was a bit strange, but the meaning came across.
Simply put, it meant he had to find and kill corrupt nobles, just as he had done with Count Narik.
Normally, this was the kind of work Lee Shin enjoyed most and excelled at.
‘But that’s too many.’
However, 100 was far too many.
Especially considering Lee Shin’s level, it was impossible in the short term.
But despite these difficult conditions, he couldn’t just give up, because the reward was exceptionally rare.
‘Still, I need the skill…’
Salseong's Secret Skill!
This wasn't the kind of reward one could just decide they didn't need and move on.
Class-related secret skills directly and significantly impacted a character's combat power, so it was best to acquire them as quickly as possible.
Lee Shin knew that well.
The problem was how.
The decision was made, but how would he do it?
One thing was certain: it was impossible with his strength alone.
No matter how skilled a player Lee Shin was, his current level was merely that of an upper-mid-tier player.
“……”
And so, as Lee Shin was deep in thought, wondering what to do.
Gillaim approached and spoke.
“You’ve done well, Your Highness.”
“You’re the one who did all the work.”
“Haha! Not at all.”
He seemed to be in a good mood.
He had found Lee Shin after a long search, dealt with a corrupt noble who was eating away at the kingdom, and even succeeded in escaping safely.
It would have been stranger if he wasn't in a good mood.
“It truly feels like the kingdom’s revival is near.”
“…Isn’t that getting a bit ahead of ourselves?”
“Haha! Not at all. As they say, a good start is half the battle. We have just taken that first step.”
“……”
[Gillaim's loyalty increases.]
[Gillaim's loyalty has surpassed 40.]
Thanks to the quest completion reward, Gillaim’s loyalty, which had been stuck at 5, had skyrocketed.
“However, it is also true that we have a long way to go to be satisfied with just the first step.”
Thanks to this, a new option was presented to Lee Shin.
[Gillaim's loyalty is high.]
[The conditions for a linked quest have been unlocked.]
[Gillaim proposes a quest.]
“…Therefore, please take up your sword once again for the sake of the kingdom!”
Kingdom Quest – Purge the Traitors
Although you have succeeded in eliminating Count Narik, many parts of the kingdom are still festering.
For a better future, continue to eliminate corrupt nobles with Gillaim.
And take one more step closer to the kingdom's glorious revival!
• Corrupt Nobles: 1/100
• Quest Reward: Gillaim's Trust, Haipen Family's Secret Swordsmanship
“……!!”
The number was a perfect match!
This coincidence swayed Lee Shin’s leaning heart back.
He had originally planned to put the quest on hold and complete it slowly.
‘In that case, it’s better to just do it.’
Since he had to do it eventually, it wasn't a bad idea to finish them both while they overlapped.
Of course, accepting this meant the option of ditching Gillaim and running away would disappear.
But on the other hand, it also meant that he could receive Gillaim’s help while progressing through the quest.
A powerful ally for a daunting quest!
“……”
Lee Shin was lost in thought.
Even if it was for a quest… was it really right to travel with a guy who constantly spoke of rebellion?
‘…It should be fine for now.’
It was fine since he had nothing to his name at the moment.
Trouble could only be started if you had something, and even if it did, he had nothing to lose.
But if there was one thing that bothered him, it was whether Gillaim could accept his methods.
Lee Shin did not care about the means to an end.
In other words, he could calmly commit acts that would make abandoning other players look trivial, as easily as breathing.
So, when such a situation arose, would Gillaim be able to accept it?
For now, he had willingly made sacrifices because his master's safety was on the line, but in the future, unforgivable things would happen all the time…
Lee Shin probed him.
“Do you have a plan?”
“Pardon?”
“With that many, it seems impossible through ordinary means.”
“Ah…”
“If you don’t, wouldn’t it be better to revise it to a more realistic goal?”
He planned to make his final decision based on Gillaim’s reaction.
But Gillaim answered as if he had been waiting.
“Not at all.”
“Hmm?”
“On the day you disappeared, Your Highness, I had already made my resolve.”
“What resolve?”
“……”
He paused for a moment.
Gillaim looked at Lee Shin with a determined expression and answered.
“I mean that I have no intention of using ordinary methods.”
And that one sentence cleanly erased all of Lee Shin’s worries.
“What’s important is the result. I intend to ignore any sacrifices made in the process until our great cause is achieved.”
“……!!”
* * *
“Everyone.”
It was when Lee Shin was a child.
During a career counseling session, Lee Shin’s homeroom teacher had asked the children a question.
“To become an influential person, what kind of job do you think is best?”
It wasn't a question with any deep meaning.
Rather than getting the right answer, he just wanted the children to think broadly about their career paths.
“It’s okay if it’s a method instead of a job.”
“I want to be…”
The children’s answers were varied.
Celebrities, sports stars, scientists, the president, and so on.
Many of the answers seemed unrealistic, but the teacher smiled warmly, feeling the children’s innocence as he looked at them.
…That is, until Lee Shin raised his hand.
“Sh-Shin, do you have something to say?”
“Yes.”
“……”
The teacher tensed up slightly.
At this time, Lee Shin’s verbal filter wasn't perfect yet, and he would occasionally blurt out extraordinary (and creepy) things.
Even the teacher sometimes wondered what was going on inside that small head of his.
“What is it?”
But on the outside, the teacher asked, feigning nonchalance.
It was the best response an adult could show.
However…
“Enlistment.”
“……?”
The teacher blinked.
‘What did I just hear?’
It was an answer he could never have imagined.
“Enlistment?”
“I mean becoming a soldier.”
“No, no. I know the word, but why? What for…?”
Lee Shin’s answer was, without a doubt, the first of its kind the teacher had ever heard in his 22 years of teaching.
“A coup d'état.”
“Pfft!!”
“In other words, a military cou—”
“…W-wait a minute!! Shin!”
That incident led to Jeong Hui-seon being urgently called to the school.
‘Ma’am.’
‘Yes.’
‘Is there, perhaps, any trouble at home…?’
‘…I’m sorry.’
It was a major incident that had the teacher’s office buzzing.
This became a sort of turning point for Lee Shin, and such incidents did not happen again afterward, but that didn’t mean his fundamental way of thinking had changed.
He had just become better at hiding his true intentions.
In fact, as he got older, Lee Shin’s thoughts became more and more firm.
Power!
Money!
And nukes!
These things were more important than anything else.
As he developed a sense of tact, he couldn't say it honestly anywhere, but his inner thoughts had been firm for a long time.
This was why Lee Shin nodded in satisfaction at Gillaim’s answer.
What's important is the result!
Ignore the sacrifices in the process.
He didn't know for sure, but if they killed about 100 people like that, wouldn't something change?
…That was Gillaim’s argument right now.
To summarize, once they got rid of about 100 people, something was bound to change.
Pleased with the answer, Lee Shin made his decision.
[You have accepted the quest.]
“I’ll do it.”
“…Thank you.”
With things roughly settled, Lee Shin first left the territory.
Since the count’s death was not yet known, it wasn’t difficult to pass through the checkpoints.
[You have assassinated the lord and are escaping!]
[If this fact becomes known…]
“Where are we headed?”
“The Orc region.”
“Isn’t that too far? We probably don't need to flee that far.”
“We still have to go.”
It was partly to escape, but he first needed to rendezvous with Cedric.
Given the situation, he planned to have Arthur join later and get Cedric out first.
“Cedric…”
“You know him?”
“Isn’t he that wanted criminal? The one who originally tried to assassinate the Count. He’s surely a warlock, are you letting him join our party?”
Gillaim frowned, seeming to find it distasteful, but Lee Shin waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s fine. It doesn’t matter.”
“…Forgive my impertinence, but those types cannot be trusted. They are fundamentally evil and could betray you at any moment.”
“I think so too.”
“……?”
“But it’s fine. I’ve made it so he can never betray me.”
The contract, written on the condition that he wouldn't be handed over to the royal knights, stated that Cedric would be set free once he had done work equivalent to 1.8 million gold.
He was still a long way from fulfilling the contract’s conditions.
“Couldn’t he just accept the penalty and break it?”
“The penalty is death.”
“Ah, then that should be fine.”
Hearing that he was already shackled, Gillaim seemed to be convinced.
He was rather surprised that the low-level Lee Shin had managed to subdue a wanted criminal.
They soon arrived at their destination.
Finally feeling safe, Jeong Yu-ra squatted on the ground and asked.
“What now?”
“Well.”
“?”
“I don't think we'll be able to move around for a while.”
Although he had accepted Gillaim’s proposal, they couldn't move right away.
It was fortunate enough that they had acted impulsively and gotten away safely; they couldn't cause another incident so soon.
It would immediately arouse suspicion.
Suspicion that perhaps there was another culprit.
And that suspicion would inevitably be directed at Lee Shin, whose equipment was found but he was not.
“Ah…”
“It can’t be helped.”
“I understand.”
Gillaim looked disappointed at the news that they wouldn't be moving right away, but since there was no flaw in Lee Shin’s logic, he nodded in understanding.
“Then how long do you plan to wait?”
“About a week should be enough for things to quiet down, don’t you think?”
“A week?”
Jeong Yu-ra looked surprised.
Only a week after killing a count?
Lee Shin nodded.
“Probably.”
This was thanks to the prison system that applied to players.
In reality, it would be an act worthy of rotting in prison for life, but this was a game.
Games are ultimately meant to be fun, and applying realistic sentences would detract from the enjoyment.
Thus, in Avala Online, the incarceration period for players was set to not exceed 7 days per offense, no matter how long it was.
“Then isn’t that too advantageous for PKing players? If it doesn’t exceed 7 days no matter what they do.”
“Not really.”
This was because separate penalties were given.
Either they paid a fine, were hit with a powerful debuff for a certain period, or in the worst case, were executed.
They just weren't jailed; the game made sure they paid for their crimes one way or another.
Jeong Yu-ra’s eyes narrowed.
“…You know a lot about this.”
“It’s my specialty.”
“……”
“Anyway, it’ll be a week at most.”
A week.
It was a short time to do something significant, yet too long to just let it pass by.
‘Maybe I’ll go to the arena?’