Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 61
>Chapter Title: The Waiting Game
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Chapter 61
>61.
Over thirty minutes had passed since they stationed themselves in front of the warp gate, but there wasn't even a glimpse of Kaiser.
Even so, they waited.
He might not come right away; it could take a little time.
No one gathered here was impatient enough to give up after waiting just a bit for a top-tier prospect like Kaiser.
But as one hour stretched into two, then three, they finally had to face reality.
"...No way he's spinning us around right now?"
"Damn it, feels like he's deliberately showing up late."
Kaiser was intentionally dragging his feet.
It was a classic move—tiring out the scouts before an interview to seize the initiative.
Or holding out for the perfect timing to get what he wanted, one of the things scouts hated most.
And something they encountered all too often.
High-and-mighty types always pulled this to start negotiations from a position of strength.
"Ugh! Screw it, we're camping here. Rotate shifts and keep watch. What can he do? Skip graduation forever?"
"Let's see who blinks first. Gather anyone with an open schedule... no, clear schedules if you have to. Get at least five. Eight-hour rotations."
"Guild Master, looks like a stall tactic. Yes. Yes, understood."
That's why none of the scouts were about to back down over something like this.
If anything, it fired up their competitive spirits.
‘Nail this performance review, and it's promotion city.’
‘Wife's gonna lay off the nagging for at least three months.’
‘Hye-yeon was singing that Jeju Island song. I'm making this happen and we're going on that trip.’
‘Please... the loans are piling up.’
And so, as they waged their private battle of endurance—each with their own stakes—the Top 10 Guilds refused to budge their heavy asses.
At best, some of the major guilds that had been watching cautiously started trickling in.
And among the few guilds bold enough to challenge the Top 10 was Hero Guild.
In its guild office.
-...Looks like a stall tactic. Yes.
Berje, the player who perpetually held a top-five spot in the guild master popularity rankings.
A man who had become a true hero, wielding power and influence that dwarfed most major guilds, even if his handsome features often overshadowed it.
He had heard all the reports. Through the plants he'd placed in advance.
"Just keep an eye on things for now. Report any changes immediately."
-Yes, understood.
His expression remained impassive as he casually ended the communication orb call.
It was a cold, detached look, as if the matter barely registered with him—but anyone who knew him would know better.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The habit of drumming his index finger on the desk only emerged when he got serious.
After a moment of thought, his first action was to summon someone.
"You called, Guild Master!"
"Yes."
Berje's warm smile lit up the room like a spring breeze in a photoshoot, but the two men facing it had rigid expressions.
They knew.
Their master smiling was often the most dangerous sign.
"Bastard Sword, Oh Jeez My Dick's Going In... Your names are always so unique."
"...Yes, sir."
Tap, tap....
The light tapping filled the silent office.
It was barely audible, but to them, it reverberated straight into their brains. The paper their guild master was eyeing didn't help their nerves.
‘Did we screw something up?’
‘No way... that thing? Nah, no way we'd get caught.’
‘If it was that, he wouldn't have called just us two.’
Gulp.
Their mouths went dry.
As Bastard Sword swallowed hard, Berje spoke.
"How's the Raven extermination going?"
"...Perfectly, sir."
They flinched but answered immediately.
Berje stared them down, then nodded. As his lips slowly parted, the two broke into cold sweats, hanging on his every word.
"You're dismissed."
"...Pardon?"
So unexpected.
They blanked out, unable to process it, staring at their guild master like they were begging for clarification.
Instead of repeating himself, Berje just smiled warmly again.
Bastard Sword snapped to and bowed.
"Ah, yes sir. We'll head out."
"Alright..."
"This way, please."
His secretary saw the two out with perfect timing, leaving Berje alone once more.
When the secretary returned, Berje greeted her kindly.
"Good work. Quite a bit on your plate today, huh?"
"Not at all, it's my job."
"One more thing, then you're off for the day?"
"What is it...?"
The secretary's expression turned cautious, belying her large frame.
Berje replied lightly, as if it were nothing.
"Process the resignations for the two you just showed out. Bundle it with the Raven extermination case."
"...Pardon?"
"Need me to repeat that?"
"Ah, no. I'll pass it along."
"Good work."
With that same smile, he sent her off, his face turning impassive again.
"There's always those idiots who think they won't get caught."
The kind who thought their narrow view of the world was everything—and trusted it blindly.
Tap. He tossed the report onto the desk and swiveled his chair toward the window.
A bright sky stretched out.
He loved the view from here. The clouds were always so clear.
"Outside or in here, it's all the same."
He muttered indifferently, a smile creeping onto his lips.
But this smile was different from the usual one.
Not the warm spring breeze, but a cold, faintly sinister curl.
Behind him, the discarded paper was covered in an evaluation of one individual.
[...Presumed to be him.]
[Class: Swordsman line]
[Unconfirmed. Presumed Weapon Master.]
[Other info: None]
[Additional Notes]
[Trouble with Assassin Boy's group suggests Kaiser match. Also, guild member Bastard Sword... Assassin Boy... connection... projected damage to guild image... (abridged).]
‘Kaiser, huh... Not a name I was dying to hear.’
Gazing at the clouds beyond the window, Berje pondered.
How would this unpredictable man move, defying all expectations?
He couldn't say for sure, but he could guess.
Whatever it was, it'd cause a massive ripple. And maybe drag him into it somehow.
‘Paranoia, probably.’
Overthinking it, of course.
He was the head of Hero Guild, gunning for a Top 10 spot.
Kaiser was just a faded legend from the past.
Topping Raven proved his skills hadn't rusted completely, but no need to worry.
‘Brion won't be easy for him.’
His glory would end there.
If he hadn't shaken his old Demlock habits, and with Brion as the next stage, it was inevitable.
‘You can't do a thing there.’
Not just the stage's nature—Berje was certain.
He was the unbreakable rank one there.
No matter how great Kaiser was, he couldn't surpass him in Brion. That fallen hero would fade from memory soon enough.
So Berje erased him from his mind.
Too much on his plate, no time to fret over some low-level guy.
[Reckless PK... Heroes needed.]
[Endless distrust, trust at rock bottom... Is Hero Guild the only answer?]
[Countless pleas for salvation reaching out to Hero Guild...]
[Hero Guild declares itself the heroes!]
The world was full of trash, and just as full of people craving him.
Berje. His fortress, built over long years.
* * *
Meanwhile, Do-hyun—suddenly the center of the world's attention—...
-Liza...
-Ugh... dizzy.
As Eliza and Jihard shook off their disorientation and took stock, he alone stood fine, surveying his surroundings.
Users weren't immune to spatial transfer's nausea.
[Afflicted with 'Motion Sickness' status for 5 seconds.]
[Hero trait activates.]
[Hero trait grants immunity to mental corruption.]
The one flaw of spatial transfer: motion sickness.
A form of mental corruption, blocked by his Hero trait.
An unexpected bonus.
With Hero, Do-hyun could exploit spatial transfer better than anyone.
But that wasn't important now.
‘Where the hell is this?’
The cold marble floor beneath his hand was cracked—not just the floor.
Walls to ceiling, everything reeked of age and decay.
This ancient place was a temple.
‘Not a grand cathedral, though.’
No way it was Brion's iconic Grand Temple.
That place overwhelmed with sheer sanctity on sight.
Its majesty could spark faith in the faithless.
This? Being generous, it was a temple. Otherwise, just a crumbling ruin.
The vibe and faded decorations barely screamed "temple"—without them, he might not have guessed.
‘...Is this even Brion?’
Sure, Brion had other temples, but not ones falling apart like this.
A perfectly reasonable doubt, but thankfully, it was Brion.
[You have entered the second city of the main continent, 'City of Promise: Brion.']
[The City of Promise Brion is also known as the City of Divinity, the gods' cathedral. Meet your god with the priests' aid.]
[Job quests available in Brion.]
[Tip. Want to lower your karma? Receive a high priest's blessing!]
The welcoming message for first-time Brion visitors confirmed it for Do-hyun.
That mad god could've dumped him anywhere, so it was a relief.
As he let out a quiet sigh of relief—
"What was all the commotion? Ah, so it's today."
A deep, resonant bass echoed through.
Spoken low and soft, yet it rang clear across the entire space.
Hard to pinpoint the source, but Do-hyun spotted him quickly.
"Faster than the prophesied day, but this too is fate."
No need to search—he approached on his own.
Unlike the voice, he was short.
Just over 160 cm, slight build, skin etched with countless wrinkles.
A frail old man in ragged robes, but his presence was anything but frail.
‘Master, be careful. That guy's aura feels off.’
‘Liza Lizar...’
‘...Yeah. Looks like it.’
No need for the mana-sensitive Jihard and Eliza's warnings; Do-hyun felt it too.
The air hummed with tension, prickling his skin.
‘Enemy?’
No overt hostility.
Circumstantially an NPC, but the '???' nameplate overhead set him on edge.
First time seeing this in God of the Game.
But that caution evaporated as the old man drew near.
Smooth.
He bowed politely in greeting.
"This presence... it's certain. We've been waiting. Successor who inherits His will..."
"Ah."
"I am Gamillion Adran. As a member of the Adran family, who has served the royal bloodline since time immemorial, I have awaited this moment."
The old man's calm eyes held steady.
Yet beneath that calm swirled uncontainable joy, awe, delight—and Do-hyun's eyes widened in response.
There, he saw it.
[You have encountered hidden NPC 'Gamillion Adran.']
[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]
[Job quest 'One Step to Truth' begins. Hear of humanity's erased history from him.]
[One Step to Truth]
-Rank: ???, Job Quest
-Description: The last human, the final adventurer, Kashyar.
The one who inherits his will deserves to know the true truth. Hear it from hidden NPC 'Gamillion Adran.'
-Success: Links to derivative quest 'Gamillion's Trial', triggers Main Stream
-Failure: Job quest deleted, job revoked.
[Cannot decline quest.]
[Success unlocks Main Quest tab.]
‘Hidden NPC? Main Quest?’
The quest window was unbelievable, even staring right at it.
Do-hyun stared blankly, forgetting to reply, and murmured softly.
"This is insane..."
The moment God of the Game's first Main Quest was discovered.