Chapter 218
Chapter 218
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 218
>Chapter Title: Unexpected Reunion
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
>“……Hah.”
The conversation was brief.
Do-hyun wasn’t one for flowery words, and summarizing the situation only took a few minutes.
But the shock delivered in that short time was immense.
“You caught that insane monster? And because you caught it, you got this Eye of Truth or Eye of Reason or whatever?”
“Yeah.”
“So that’s why you’ve been carrying Charlie around? You got him from the tutorial?”
Charlie himself answered the incredulous question.
-Indeed! It was the glorious moment when I first witnessed the birth of a great hero. How could I not pledge my loyalty after seeing that?
“……”
-I’m sure your comrade understands my lord’s greatness and thus comprehends my feelings.
“No, I’ve felt this before. Why does he talk to me like that? It’s so awkward. Did his personality change? Nah. His streams show him ripping into people left and right.”
-How could I dare show irreverence before my lord’s comrade?
“That’s what he says.”
Do-hyun chuckled and nodded.
Charlie tilted his head slightly, as if wondering why such an obvious question was being asked.
To Charlie, Do-hyun’s sword, Ast—Do-hyun’s comrade—was like the heavens themselves.
“……I see.”
But Ast’s response to Charlie’s attitude was lukewarm at best.
And understandably so.
‘I got chewed out by that guy so much in the tutorial…….’
Calling him a brainless brute who only knew how to swing wildly and had nothing going for him except grit.
Telling him to go suck on toes in the back or something like that.
He’d heard of people being told to suck it up, but sucking toes? That was a first.
If Ast hadn’t built up a tolerance to Kkukku’s sharp disses, he might’ve ended up as the second Foot Eater.
‘No, that’s not the point.’
The old memory triggered a flash of PTSD, but Ast quickly shook his head to dispel it.
Even thinking calmly about it, he was still floored.
‘This is a mess, seriously.’
It was all just absurd.
The Iron Blood Wyrmspawn. That thing wasn’t meant to be caught.
It was literally a device to force players to die on the battlefield, triggering the goddess event.
‘I figured there might be some hidden piece…….’
Ast hadn’t maxed out Charlie’s affinity, so he could only imagine.
But he knew how monstrous it was.
Later, Kkukku and the Sword Emperor rated that monster as a “balance-broken, scam boss you couldn’t clear even on a rematch.”
They’d boldly claimed even the Kaiser couldn’t take it down.
“……And you caught it?”
“Well, yeah.”
It was so ridiculous that Do-hyun could only let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re…… even crazier than I thought. How the hell did you do it? Kkukku was cursing up a storm, saying it was hopeless once you hit below 10% HP.”
“I barely managed it. One little mistake and I’d have been dead.”
“Hah, if those guys heard that, they’d foam at the mouth and charge at you.”
Do-hyun smirked as Ast spoke, picturing their reactions.
Kkukku charging in yelling about cheats, and the Sword Emperor acting calm while his pupils shook nonstop—it was crystal clear.
Ast was much the same.
“So that’s why the difficulty was so brutal? A unique trait…… Eye of Truth, right?”
“Eye of Reason.”
“Same difference, man. Totally insane. You can see item grades when card-pulling.”
He didn’t show it outwardly, but inwardly, he was deeply shocked.
‘A trait that guarantees pulls? Never heard of such a thing.’
Unique trait?
After a year and eight months, this was a grade he’d never even heard of. All he could do was laugh in disbelief.
How did this guy always start as a latecomer and pull off these impossible feats?
Do-hyun’s admiration welled up anew.
‘He’s always been a crazy bastard.’
When traits were introduced at the start of God Ose, Ast had sighed the loudest.
His own trait wouldn’t turn out well, after all.
Money couldn’t cover it, so he felt like he was starting at a disadvantage.
Meanwhile, watching Kkukku and the Sword Emperor buzzing with excitement, Ast had thought:
Wherever the Kaiser was and whatever he was doing, no system change could be better for him.
The best player in terms of concept luck that Ast knew was that guy.
‘Wait…… if you can see grades, does that mean……?’
Ast’s thoughts reached that point, and he asked with a ‘no way’ look.
“……You can see reinforcement hit points too, right?”
“Yeah, vital points too.”
“Crazy…….”
That explained how he’d overwhelmingly beaten Leon in the reinforcement wars.
No way to lose if you could see hit points and vitals.
Guaranteed pulls were scam enough, but guaranteed reinforcements? Mind-blowing.
But the first thing that popped into his head was this:
‘The Kaiser without the jinx hands?’
Kaiser’s one weakness: his rotten luck.
The ill-fated player who couldn’t even get legendary skills.
Yet he’d held rank one until server shutdown.
And now he had luck on his side too?
‘This is the real balance break.’
Back in Demlock days, Ast had always wondered.
How far could a lucky Kaiser go?
Number one without a single legendary skill—what if he’d had luck?
‘Always wondered, and part of me felt sorry for him.’
God gave him devilish talent beyond common sense, but devilish misfortune in another way.
Seemed fair, in a twisted sense.
But now that misfortune was gone. Gone and replaced with guaranteed pulls.
And that wasn’t all.
“What’s with wielding multiple weapons? Weren’t you a Weapon Master?”
“Oh, got that too.”
“? Two traits?”
“Nah? Like six or so?”
“……Six?”
Others had one trait, and this guy had six.
Hearing that, Ast’s mind reeled, and then his reason snapped.
‘……That look in his eyes is off.’
Do-hyun flinched at the familiar glint.
Sure enough, Ast’s eyes rolled back in excitement as he latched on.
“Hey, you gotta join our guild for real. I’ll take good care of you!”
“Nah, can’t.”
“Ah, why! I’ll lend you weapons, support all your gear. Just join. Lucky Kaiser? Oh, I can’t resist!”
“No, hold back.”
“I’ll make you vice-master right away. Wait, vice is too low. Sub-master? Ah, no? Uh……. Screw it, whatever. You be master!”
“……Dude. That’s too much. Calm down first.”
Do-hyun tried to rein him in with a bemused laugh at the absurd offer, but no dice.
“Calm down? How do you do that!”
“Jeez.”
Ast was a horse with the reins off—a wild bull, really.
Do-hyun sighed, watching the half-mad uncle.
Right now, that uncle had no idea what he was saying.
‘Obviously. He’s just blurting stuff with his eyes rolled back.’
From long experience, the best move was to let it go in one ear and out the other.
That’s how Do-hyun endured Ast’s clingy nagging for a good while before finally breaking free.
* * *
“Whew, that was rough.”
-Good job, Master.
-Liza-liza.
After nearly an hour, Do-hyun emerged from the guild hall with a sigh, and the guardians chimed in.
Jihad and Eliza looked disgusted, while Charlie seemed pleased.
-Indeed! A leader’s greed for talent is only natural. It’s all because you shine so brightly, my lord.
He seemed proud that even a comrade coveted his lord.
Do-hyun brushed it off casually.
“……He’s just talking big. If I actually joined, he wouldn’t take me. No way he’s serious about handing over master.”
Partly to shake off the awkwardness, but it was true.
The guy had gotten everything he wanted since he was young, so when his eyes flipped, he’d get like that sometimes.
He knew Do-hyun hated guilds too.
Above all, the sentimental uncle wouldn’t drag a comrade in for his own gain.
It was half in jest.
-That makes it all the more impressive, my lord. To show such desire despite his principles—it proves how radiant you are.
“……Anyway.”
Do-hyun quickly changed the subject before Charlie started clapping.
Perfect timing, too.
[Fifth Fragment of Fate (1)]
-Rank: Main Quest, Class Quest
-Description: Central Empire, Arnis Empire. The fifth fragment of fate slumbers there.
Acquire clues to the fragment of fate.
-Quest Success: Links to linked quest ‘Fifth Fragment of Fate (2)’.
-Quest Failure: ‘Fifth Fragment of Fate (2)’ quest expires.
-Time Limit: None.
“Now I can finally look into it properly.”
Fifth Fragment of Fate.
He’d gotten the quest the moment he entered the empire, but the Hero Guild mess had kept him from investigating.
Now that was settled.
Per Ast, no one would bother him for a while, so he could focus on the main quest.
Do-hyun moved at once, but……
‘NPCs know nothing, as expected.’
Just like in the previous city, they had zero info.
The Arnis Empire was bigger than four cities combined, so he hadn’t checked everywhere, but after two hours of wandering without a single trace, it was obvious.
“Um…… could I maybe get an autograph…….”
“Sorry, I’m busy right now.”
“Oh…… yes. Sorry.”
As he firmly turned down yet another player’s autograph request, the guy slunk off, getting scolded by his party.
“Hey, told you. Don’t bug him during quests.”
“Yeah, should’ve done it earlier…….”
“Better safe. He’s cool now, but they say in the last city he’d fold you in half if you picked a fight.”
Do-hyun shook his head at the players.
It was the dozenth autograph request already.
Wandering the empire for two hours, players kept approaching him everywhere.
At least these backed off nicely. Plenty others badmouthed him behind his back for not signing.
-……My lord, shall I fetch the heads of those insolent fools at once?
“Nah, hold it.”
Whenever that happened, Charlie would rev up and draw his sword, but Do-hyun felt nothing.
He’d dealt with it countless times in Demlock.
True pure fans among those calling themselves fans up front? Rare.
They were just riding the hype.
Most would move on once the buzz died, and turn on him viciously at the slightest rudeness.
Shallow fandom indeed.
‘Still better this way. Catering to them would drag out the main quest forever. This is why I don’t join guilds.’
Better to shake off the fakes early.
No image to manage made it possible.
Since leaving Babylon Guild, he’d kept this attitude, and approaches had dropped a lot.
They still stole glances, but he could live with that.
‘Hmm.’
Anyway.
Do-hyun now had two options.
Roam the fields hoping the Eye of Reason snagged a clue.
Or scour the entire empire for leads.
‘Scouring would take a week…… or so. What a grind.’
The empire wasn’t just vast land—it had castles, mage towers, forges, all sorts of production buildings.
Clicking his tongue at the annoyingly vague quest, Do-hyun decided.
‘Gotta check the city first.’
He wanted to hit the fields, but it felt off skipping this.
Standard procedure: city investigation, then fields.
He turned left this time.
He’d done the right side earlier.
Creak—
He ducked into a random shop.
“Welcome…… hm?”
“Hello, mind if I ask about some…… huh?”
The rote greeting was met with a familiar voice.
Looking up, his eyes met an old man’s.
The shabby robe was different from before, but unmistakable.
Do-hyun knew this elder well.
“Good lord.”
Just as Do-hyun recognized him, the old man’s eyes widened in recognition.
No wonder.
“……Gamillion?”
“Successor……?”
The owner of this random shop.
None other than Gamillion Adrian, the hidden NPC from Brion.
At this absurd reunion, Do-hyun thought:
‘Why’s bro here?’