Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Count's Test
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<National Quest – The Count's Test>
A national quest had appeared out of nowhere.
The 'National' prefix was usually only attached to quests that could cause tremendous, kingdom-wide changes.
‘...’
For a mere count's test to be given such a high grade meant that, of course, this was no simple test.
They hadn't spoken of it directly, but they all already knew.
This test would be the crucial turning point that decided whether the count would join Lee Shin's 'rebellion'.
“...”
“...”
Looking at the count and Gillaim waiting for his answer with serious expressions, Lee Shin sighed inwardly.
‘*Phew...*’
In truth, Lee Shin had never taken on a quest of this scale before.
It wasn't because he lacked the ability, but because he had intentionally stayed out of such situations most of the time.
‘It couldn't be helped.’
Quests of this kind offered incredible rewards upon success, but naturally, they were just as difficult to complete, and the risks of failure were immense.
So immense that they were hard for a single individual to bear.
Thus, one would typically cooperate with others to reduce the risk or formulate a long-term plan.
But that was impossible for Lee Shin.
Lee Shin had always been a magnet for trouble, making far more enemies than allies, and since he was constantly being targeted, creating long-term plans was difficult.
Of course, he had once erased an even higher-tier continental quest and a main quest by killing the 8th Prince...
But that was literally just erasing someone else's quest; it wasn't as if Lee Shin had dived into it himself.
It was a completely different matter.
Yet, knowing all this, Lee Shin accepted the count's proposal.
“I'll do it.”
“!”
Unlike before, he didn't have that many enemies yet (at least by his own standards), and the most decisive factor was his class.
The legendary class, Salseong.
A class Lee Shin had obtained unwillingly.
Unlike most classes that had class instructors, Salseong had none.
The only way to grow in his class was to follow in its predecessor's footsteps... and the only clue Lee Shin had was that the Salseong was deeply connected to the kingdom's history.
Class Quest – Slay the Corrupt Nobles
The previous Salseong was more concerned about the kingdom's future than anyone else; he targeted only the corrupt nobles.
Carry on his will and bring down the iron hammer of evil upon the corrupt nobles.
• Defeat Corrupt Nobles: 1/100
• Quest Reward: Salseong's Secret Skill
This was the message that had appeared just a week ago when Lee Shin killed Count Narik.
An event triggered because Lee Shin's actions overlapped with those of the previous Salseong.
And Gillaim's quest, which appeared right after, was this.
Kingdom Quest – Purge the Traitors
You have succeeded in eliminating Count Narik, but many parts of the kingdom are still festering.
For a better future, continue to eliminate corrupt nobles alongside Gillaim.
And take one step closer to the kingdom's glorious revival!
• Defeat Corrupt Nobles: 1/100
• Quest Reward: Gillaim's Trust, Haipen Family's Secret Swordsmanship
The requirements weren't just similar; they were identical.
Only the description at the beginning was slightly different.
How could something like this happen?
Lee Shin couldn't help but ponder this, and after much thought, using circumstantial evidence and information gained from completing quests, he came to a conclusion.
The previous Salseong had a clear motive.
That motive was the revival of the Eteun Kingdom.
Therefore, the Salseong who targeted corrupt nobles must have had the king as his final target.
‘But given the current state of the kingdom, it means he failed...’
The Salseong must have died when the reformation failed.
At the same time, the kingdom must have desperately erased all traces of him.
The fact that no information could be found on a figure of legendary status, and that his actions were contrary to the kingdom's will, made this a plausible deduction.
In other words, the previous Salseong's goal was the kingdom's revival through a large-scale purge.
And this meant that Gillaim and Lee Shin's destinations were the same.
The assassination of the king.
Their intentions for what came after might differ, but at least their paths aligned for the process.
This was why Lee Shin, who had wanted to shake off Gillaim as quickly as possible, had recently changed his mind.
He accepted the count's proposal for the same reason.
Of course, what happened after killing the king would be another problem, but Lee Shin hadn't thought that far ahead.
I'll think about the aftermath later!
Unlike the uncertain future, they had definite value in the present, so he just went with it.
[You have accepted the Count's Test.]
“Thank you.”
The count nodded.
“Shall we begin immediately?”
“I don't mind.”
“Then let's head to the training grounds right away.”
* * *
“Everyone, leave.”
Upon arriving at the training grounds, the count dismissed everyone who had followed him.
There was no reason for this to be known by many people.
The count looked at the equipment displayed on one side of the training grounds and spoke.
“Use whatever you wish.”
It was clearly high-quality equipment, but Lee Shin shook his head.
If he unequipped his current gear, his infamy would skyrocket past a million.
The count might faint.
“This is enough for me.”
“Will that be alright? It's of poor quality.”
“I'm used to it.”
“...I suppose what you're used to is easier to handle. Very well.”
The count nodded in understanding and walked toward the display case.
Lee Shin watched the count selecting his equipment with somber eyes.
‘...’
Unlike Count Narik, whose personal martial prowess was weak, Count Aaron was an exceptional warrior.
This wasn't just Lee Shin's guess; Gillaim himself had said the count was his equal or even superior, so it had to be true.
Gillaim's level was in the 250s, which meant the count's strength was absurd.
‘Winning is...’
...probably impossible.
It wasn't that he lacked confidence in his skills, but his opponent's defense and health were overwhelmingly higher than his attack power.
Even though Lee Shin's level had recently risen to the upper-middle ranks, it wasn't high enough to go head-to-head with an NPC of this caliber.
The gap was still so unfair that Lee Shin would lose if he landed 100 hits and took just one.
Lee Shin's goal was realistic.
No more, no less.
‘One hit.’
This wasn't a real battle. It was a test.
To sway the count's heart, a single, sharp attack that would startle him was all that was needed.
Of course, even that was an extremely difficult task under normal circumstances...
But Lee Shin was confident he could manage it.
“Let's begin.”
*Shk.*
Having finished his preparations, the count stood before Lee Shin, holding a rapier.
He pointed the tip of his sword at Lee Shin, bent his knees, and faced him at an angle.
Like a fencer, the right side of his body was turned toward Lee Shin.
“I will give you the first move. Come at me whenever you're ready.”
He confidently offered the first attack.
But those were just words; the count was already testing Lee Shin.
[Count Aaron releases his mana.]
[Count Aaron uses the unique skill, <Master's Aura>.]
[An intense pressure bears down on your entire body!]
[Overwhelmed by the opponent...]
*Vwoom!*
The air trembled.
Jeong Yu-ra and Arthur, watching from a distance, had their expressions stiffen, so it was obvious how immense the pressure on Lee Shin, the direct target, must be.
“...Hm?”
But surprisingly, Lee Shin's expression was unfazed.
No, it wasn't just his expression; he was actually completely unaffected.
Lee Shin was practically immune to status effect attacks.
[You possess <Royalty Slayer> and .]
[All status effects are nullified.]
In fact, he received a buff instead.
[You have encountered a powerful foe!]
[A legend does not break easily. Your latent power awakens, temporarily activating !]
Legend's Strength
• Until the combat situation ends, all stats are increased by 5%, and for every 1% of health lost, all damage dealt increases by 0.3%.
You will be exhausted when the effect ends.
“Oh...?”
A glint of interest appeared in Count Aaron's eyes.
Lee Shin lowered his stance.
“...”
*Grip!*
He relaxed his grip on the sword.
He lifted his heels slightly, ready to move at any moment.
At the same time, his eyes darted around, searching for an opening in the count's defense.
Dagger versus rapier.
He needed to close the distance to do anything, so he was looking for a gap to exploit.
But finding no obvious openings, Lee Shin moved to create one himself.
*Tap!*
Lee Shin lightly kicked off the ground.
He simultaneously used a charge skill, rapidly closing the distance to his opponent.
At that moment, Lee Shin's eyes were fixed solely on Count Aaron's.
It was to gauge his opponent's reaction...
‘...He's watching.’
The count's calm eyes were precisely tracking Lee Shin's sword.
As expected of a named NPC.
Despite Lee Shin's intentional feints with his upper body and gaze, the count remained completely unshaken.
Lee Shin clicked his tongue.
‘This isn't going to be easy.’
But that was fine.
It wasn't his first time facing a named NPC, and he had expected this much anyway.
If feints with his gaze and movements didn't work, he would just use another method.
‘He did say I could have the first move...’
Even after entering the sword's range, Lee Shin didn't slow down.
Instead, he closed the distance even more boldly and swung his dagger.
Only then did the count's sword, which had been still, move to follow the trajectory of Lee Shin's dagger.
*Clang!!*
A clear metallic ring.
Sparks flew as steel scraped against steel.
A moment later, Lee Shin's sword was stopped right beside the count's cheek, trembling slightly.
*Flick.*
“Not bad...”
the count muttered, flicking Lee Shin's sword away.
His expression showed a hint of surprise at the unexpected strength and speed.
But he quickly regained his composure and shouted.
“...No more holding back!”
*Swiiish!!*
The tip of the count's rapier shot toward Lee Shin.
It was an attack with a clear intention.
By yielding the first move, the count had allowed Lee Shin to get too close.
This was a fatal mistake when facing a dagger wielder with a rapier.
Not only did it negate the weapon's reach advantage, but the sword's length became a hindrance.
So, he was trying to create distance one way or another...
But Lee Shin was aware of this, so instead of retreating, he stepped forward.
At the same time, he dodged the attack flying at his face by simply tilting his head.
*Zing...!*
The ear-splitting sound of the blade cutting through the air revealed just how close and fast the attack had been.
It was a feat impossible for someone with ordinary reflexes, and even if they could, a lack of courage would make it difficult to execute.
But not for Lee Shin.
*Swish! Swish-swish!!*
Lee Shin dodged every one of the consecutive attacks.
The count's eyes widened in astonishment.
“...!!!”
Dodging at this speed, from this distance?
Considering his opponent's physical level (stats) was still below that of an average knight, it was unbelievable.
It was impossible to gauge the heights of his technical skill.
The count's assessment of Lee Shin rose.
“What talent...!”
“What?”
[You have proven your talent to Count Aaron.]
[The Count's affinity has increased.]
“...????”
‘What the?’
Regardless of the inexplicably increased affinity, Lee Shin slowly prepared for his next move.
Having repeatedly dodged the opponent's attacks, he had grown accustomed to the speed...
Now, he was ready to counterattack.
“Summon Divine Beast.”
*Wiggle?*
A swaying black tentacle.
“...Huh?”
Spotting it, the count let out an involuntary, sharp gasp, his eyes drawn to the tentacle.
Lee Shin did not miss the opening created by his confusion.
Hardening.