The Problem Is This...

Vulcan's piercing gaze did little to faze the lord, who remained deep in concentration, eyes fixed on one of the documents Vulcan had delivered.

"The issue here is... I can't make heads or tails of this thing. It looks important, so I'll muster some soldiers right away, but without understanding the contents in time, proper defenses might be tough."

But of course the lord couldn't read goblin script. He'd agreed to send troops at the village chief's request, yet without knowing the details, he couldn't judge the scale or what preparations were needed.

From the chief's words and the events so far, deploying a large force made sense—but with such flimsy evidence, stripping the territory bare to pour in soldiers was a hard sell.

"Hainel might know something about this. Sorry to ask, but could you take it to him? I'll write up a request letter. He'll surely help once he sees it."

That was why the Rezina lord asked Vulcan to deliver the document to someone who could interpret it.

Vulcan knew the NPC named Hainel too—he'd passed through here before.

'The sage, right?'

A seeker of all the world's knowledge. Not through force or power, but earning universal respect and admiration solely for that vast intellect.

That said, to players, they came off more like know-it-alls, storytellers, or archaeologists.

Sages never handed out their own quests. At best, if you brought a tale they liked, they'd share a bit of lore.

So they were only sought by lore nerds or those needing vague quest interpretations.

'72 hours.'

Hainel was well-known, location and all, but the generous 72-hour limit for a "urgent" round trip had a simple reason.

His home wasn't easy to reach.

He lived in a cabin deep in a monster-infested forest, so breaking through that barrier was key.

And those monsters weren't pushovers—among the highest-leveled in the area. By normal standards, Vulcan's current level made a direct visit dicey.

Thus, the 72 hours factored in not just deciphering time, but leveling up too. They needed time to muster soldiers, of course.

'Dragon Eye makes it doable, but do I even need to meet him?'

But Vulcan wasn't your average player. With Dragon Eye, he could spot monster positions, sneak to the cabin, or fight if needed.

His gear power would hold up there too.

Yet a deeper question arose.

He could already decipher it himself—why bother with Hainel?

"If it's urgent, could I translate it for you?"

"You? Hm, didn't expect scholarly skill from you. You sure you can...?"

Main scenario quests had even more flexibility than normal ones.

The lord reacted positively to Vulcan's bold offer—skeptical, but worth a shot if the original stayed intact.

Might be the Legend Incarnate title effect.

"Yes. I can grasp the contents."

"Then please do. But it's vital—no damage. And if the translation's off, you'll answer for it."

"Of course."

The lord warned of consequences for lies, but Vulcan had no reason to refuse.

Dragon's eye and knowledge—unshakable.

He confidently took the document, transcribed it onto prepared paper.

'Oh?'

He hadn't truly "interpreted"—just copied what Dragon Eye revealed—yet fame rose, and Intelligence stat increased.

"Ahem!"

As Vulcan pocketed the gains, the lord's face hardened upon reading it.

He'd expected something big, but the shock hit hard.

Vulcan, already in the know, watched silently.

'Yeah, goblins allying with humans—that's huge.'

The contents were straightforward—a schedule of sorts.

To avoid forgetting, the goblin champion noted a rendezvous time with someone called the "black human."

Plus a promise to supply Pain Eaters and control talismans—in hundreds.

Enchanting everyone at once was tough, but sequentially dodging eyes to mind-control hundreds—especially if nobles or guild bigwigs—could spell serious trouble.

Stronger folks resisted weak curses better, but not all elites were powerhouses.

Even infecting ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a whole village to build forces could sow chaos. The risk was massive.

"If this is real, it's a crisis. Needs cross-verification, but I'll dispatch an investigation team ASAP."

The Rezina lord immediately ordered his subordinates: muster maximum troops fast, head to Regon Village. He summoned a knight, handed over the original document.

Vulcan had translated it, but for gravity's sake, double-check.

Couldn't reassign to Vulcan, so NPC knight ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it was.

Hainel's version might lag behind troop movement, but cross-check attempted.

'Hm, hope I didn't screw things up.'

Vulcan's role evaporated. Normally, fetch translation, troops move, events unfold—but timing snagged, role gone.

"Then I'll ask something else of you. Care to help more?"

"Yes, of course."

"These bugs look like demon realm critters. Faint demonic aura. To detect and purge them, holy power's needed. Could you fetch a priest from Roona's temple? Hopefully not, but the territory might already have victims."

The lord, a strong knight himself, nailed the counter despite not knowing Pain Eater exactly: sensed the aura, knew holy power was key. Tasked Vulcan to fetch the source.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Roona Temple... Got it."

Vulcan flinched slightly at the name.

Roona Temple was infamous for its unique priests.

Dreadful, but the only one nearby.

The busy lord sent Vulcan out of the castle.

"Hey, isn't that a player?"

"Duh, idiot. No players in the lord's castle. Just some visiting NPC."

Other players whispered, glancing over, so Vulcan moved quietly to avoid suspicion.

No need to reveal his moves yet.

Even sans Legendary class rumors, a player entering the first village's castle would draw curiosity—stalkers, info-hunters galore.

He zigzagged alleys, unequipped gear to sever links.

Sharp eyes might spot his level 150+ gear mismatched for here.

"Of all places, Roona Temple. Bad luck."

- Roona Temple? That thug den?

Those guys were no joke—total masochists.

Unlike Hainel's secluded hut, the temple was in town. Tud rummaged memories en route.

Thugs. Unpriestly, but fitting.

Not backline buffers/healers—they buffed themselves silly, holy-geared up, dove into melee.

They could wield holy power, so useful here, but Vulcan dreaded one thing.

Entry required proving "faith."

"No choice. Gotta tank it."

He knew the drill, grimaced but confident.

Enduring evil with grit was his specialty.

Straight to Roona Temple, stopped by entrance knights.

"New face."

"Prove your faith to enter."

"Fine."

No purpose asked. Pass the test, you're trustworthy—their logic.

'Tch, no skip, huh.'

A temple knight led him to a side entrance on Vulcan's nod.

Pass once, free access forever—but first-timers used this.

Vulcan hoped Legend Incarnate skipped it, but no dice on temples.

Recognized as special by NPCs, but unless god-related, temples shrugged.

"Prepare. A priest will enter shortly."

The room was midsize, but one wall brimmed with gear.

"Prepare" meant pick and equip as desired.

Roona's "proof of faith": 1v1 versus a priest.

'Less a fight, more one-sided beatdown.'

Why Tud called them perverts.

Priest side overwhelmingly favored; victors rare.

On entry, player skills sealed.

Pure stats and control only.

At least no win required—survive time limit passed.

Low rank meant grinding contribution quests.

'They stack insane buffs; no way players win.'

Level up first? Nope—priest scales to you.

Higher level meant stronger buffs, harder hits.

Vulcan's gear edge? Blocked. Only wall gear allowed.

Overwhelming attack/defense nullified.

"Sneaky... Huh?"

Touching a wall weapon triggered something wild.

Item Master fired, restrictions gone.

"Not level-locked?"

Different from berserker sword—options sealed then.

Here, full options intact, complete unlock.

Wall gear's restriction: "Options unlock with holy power."

Anyone equips, but holy power needed for options—Item Master bypassed.

"Now we're talking."

A grin spread across Vulcan's face.

Skills still sealed, but he lacked attack skills anyway.

This favored him: forging quests pumped stats, gear options potent.

"Alright. Time to smash."

Now, maybe counter-kill the examiner?

Feat achieved by few—smile widened at the thought.

What achievement? What insane title?

'Rare at least. Unique-tier easy.'

Creeeak—

Door opened. Vulcan eyed the examiner, expectations high.

"...No way! Why the hell are you here?!"

But seeing the face, Vulcan's expression turned incredulous.

He knew her well.