Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 76
>Chapter Title: Waiting in the Corridor
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I wondered where he’d gone when he said he was stepping out, but it looked like he’d been waiting in the corridor.
He called out to me the moment I emerged...
‘Was he waiting for me?’
That was the only thought that came to mind.
Why would this guy, who’d been itching to pick a fight but couldn’t, suddenly do this?
It felt awkward, but I was secretly curious too.
I paused for a moment and met his gaze. Jerick narrowed his brows.
It was just a subtle change in expression, but it looked like a scene straight out of a photoshoot.
‘...He really is handsome.’
His face still had a youthful edge, but judging by what Hyun-ah said, he was probably already breaking plenty of hearts.
“...To the Bitter Rock Forest?”
A cold voice slipped through lips that didn’t match his delicate features.
Do-hyun replied coolly.
“Yeah.”
He knew the situation, but there was no reason to use formal speech when he was being casual.
Besides, the guy was only 19 at most.
At 23, Do-hyun deserved the respect instead.
Of course, that was Do-hyun thinking with his Korean upbringing steeped in Confucian values. From Jerick’s perspective, as a knight, this might feel perfectly natural.
Either way, maybe he hadn’t expected the casual reply. Jerick hesitated briefly before nodding.
“...I see.”
“Yeah.”
Silence fell. A few seconds passed like that.
‘What’s this?’
If he had nothing to say, couldn’t he just let me go?
Why grab me and then say nothing?
My playtime was already short of 10 hours, and it was killing me...
Feeling his patience wear thin, Do-hyun started to turn away when Jerick suddenly asked.
“How do you know about the Abyss? Have you met a contractor... No, let me rephrase.”
“?”
“Have you met a contractor fully consumed by the Abyss? One with a horn broken in half on their forehead.”
“Nope.”
Do-hyun answered immediately.
The only Abyss entity he’d encountered was the Iron Blood Wyrmspawn. He’d seen the summoner guy, but that one barely qualified as human anyway.
Jerick, meeting his eyes, nodded soon after.
“...I see.”
For some reason, the cold voice sounded even lower.
But the next words returned to their previous cynical tone.
“Got it. Good luck out there.”
“You too.”
Jerick turned and walked away without waiting for a proper reply.
‘Lame.’
Was that all he’d been waiting around for—just this one answer?
Thinking about it was oddly amusing, but it left a slight unease in one corner of his mind.
But that didn’t last. Do-hyun turned away from Jerick’s retreating back.
By the time he stepped into the corridor, Jerick was the last thing on his mind.
More precisely, he didn’t have time to think about him.
‘Gotta get out and hunt quick. Oh, wait. If I go out, will the small fry latch on again? That’d be a hassle.’
There were too many things gunning for Do-hyun to worry about every little detail.
The moment he stepped out, all eyes would be on him.
He’d drawn every bit of attention on the way in, and now they’d follow him out to the field, claiming they just wanted to tag along.
Fine if it was just one or two—he could deal with them quick.
But if they came swarming like an endless chain of sausages, that was another story.
He wouldn’t be able to progress the quest properly then.
‘Sigh... What to do? Any good ideas?’
He was lost in thought, unable to leave the Grand Temple just yet.
-Master, what’re you doing not going out?
“Wait, I’m thinking. My head hurts right now.”
-Why?
“Dealing with them one by one is too annoying, but dodging fights looks bad... Sigh, if only I could hunt stealthily... Would be perfect if I had a stealth skill... Huh?”
Do-hyun froze and whipped his head around.
Jihad jolted in surprise at his master suddenly turning to stare.
-...W-Why? Why so creepy all of a sudden?
Jihad looked up with anxious eyes.
Do-hyun’s gaze lit up as he stared—not at Jihad, but at what he was wearing.
Finally, Do-hyun blurted it out.
“You... Mind taking that off for a sec?”
-...Huh?
Do-hyun eyed the tempting form before him.
It was none other than the Black Goblin Shaman’s Robe draped over Jihad.
He’d just remembered the special option attached to it.
The robe had two options total.
One was a solid boost, increasing magic-related skill power by 6%.
But that wasn’t what caught Do-hyun’s eye now.
‘It definitely had that facial recognition interference option, right?’
Back then, he’d thought it was a weird option and handed it back to Jihad.
Hilariously, it was perfect for breaking the current impasse.
Jihad wearing it without ever being exposed proved its effectiveness.
The robe itself being ideal for hiding one’s identity surely helped.
‘With that... maybe I can slip out unnoticed?’
He’d still draw eyes once hunting in the field, but that was a problem for later.
Either way, it’d make escaping this mess a breeze.
“What’re you waiting for? Take it off already.”
-...What?
He’d said it in that context, but Jihad’s reaction was weird.
As Do-hyun strode toward him, Jihad shrank back uncomfortably and started retreating.
-N-No, Master. I respect your tastes, but... I’m not into that kinda thing... Wouldn’t any guy hate it? And we’re different species to begin with...
“What’re you talking about? Quit saying weird stuff and just take it off.”
-U-Ugh! N-No!
Do-hyun ignored Jihad’s nonsense and reached for the robe.
Jihad resisted desperately for some reason.
-Th-This kinda thing isn’t our genre...!
“What’ve you been yapping about? Don’t waste time—hand it over.”
Even in the High Priest’s area, there’d be high-ranking NPCs like senior priests around, and they couldn’t miss this commotion.
“What’s going on? And who are those two anyway?”
“Dunno... Guess they’re honored guests invited by the High Priest.”
“Shouldn’t we stop them? Even honored guests can’t cause a ruckus in the Grand Temple...”
Priests started gathering to watch the sudden corridor disturbance.
Finally, fed up, Eliza intervened to pull them apart.
-Liza! Liza-liza!
-Huh?
Do-hyun didn’t understand Eliza’s words and showed no reaction, but luckily, Jihad understood her better than human speech.
The moment Eliza finished, he stopped his frantic struggling.
-Ah, I thought...
Jihad nodded, realizing his misunderstanding.
But that didn’t mean he’d hand over the robe willingly.
-...You said taking back what you gave is the worst, Master.
“I’m not taking it back. I just need it for a bit.”
-You’ll say it’s useful and keep wearing it. Then what about me? You said it’d be a hassle if my identity got out.
“...Hmm.”
It was an uncharacteristically logical rebuttal from Jihad.
Wearing the robe would hide Do-hyun’s identity, sure—but it’d expose Jihad as a black goblin guardian no one had seen before.
He couldn’t avoid drawing eyes that way.
The whole point of the robe was to evade attention, so it’d be pointless.
“No choice then. Head into the Guardian Room for a bit.”
-...What? You’re ditching me now!?
“Ditching? You love it there. You always come out looking brighter.”
-True, but going in alone feels... And you said Guardian Rooms slow my growth.
He had a point.
That’s why Do-hyun had never sent Jihad to the Guardian Room so far, going out of his way to carry him around even giving back the robe—for smooth growth.
‘Reverse summon once, and the resummon cooldown is 8 hours.’
Canceling and resummoning every time he hit a city left no time for leveling.
That’s why most guardian tamers kept theirs out even in cities.
They were extra careful during hunts to avoid deaths triggering reverse summons.
‘No idea why they made a system like this.’
The penalty was blatant.
Still, he got it.
Without it, way more users would just stockpile guardians and use them carelessly.
This way, they established the unique identity of tamers—guardians’ true masters.
‘But dragging him around like this got Jihad to level 8 already.’
Beyond EXP, the auto-loot function was insanely good at picking items.
It felt like that alone fulfilled his role perfectly.
Wasting those nimble hands would be a loss.
“Hmm... What to do.”
-Master, think carefully. There’s that saying—greed brings loss.
“How do you even know sayings like that?”
-Live over 150 years, and you pick ’em up.
“Hmm...”
Should he just charge out to the hunting grounds, consequences be damned?
Or accept the loss and reverse summon?
Stuck at an unsatisfying crossroads, Do-hyun pondered more carefully than ever.
-Liza!
-Huh? Oh! Eliza, right—that’s it!
-Liza-liza!
-Yeah, that’ll be perfect.
The two guardians suddenly chimed in agreement.
Curious, Do-hyun asked.
“What? What is it?”
-Oh. No need for the robe after all, Master. Found a better way.
“How?”
Just like that?
Do-hyun tilted his head at the cryptic words, but Jihad didn’t explain.
Seeing is believing over a hundred words.
Instead of talking, he took something from Eliza and extended his hand to Do-hyun.
“This is... a leash?”
It was a necklace.
The one Eliza had been wearing since the Guardian Rooms merged.
He’d heard she used it as a leash for walks, but why give it now?
-It was essential for walks, but... it’s not just any leash.
“Then what?”
-Easier to see for yourself.
He took the necklace, and a message popped up.
[You have acquired ‘Eliza’s Bracelet.’]
[Eliza’s Bracelet]
[Grade: Heroic]
[Description: A bracelet favored by the guardian Eliza.
Worn to ward off kidnappers eyeing her unusual breed.
Applies ‘Faint Stealth’ effect, making it easy to conceal one’s identity.]
[Equip Restriction: Eliza, Eliza’s Master]
[Durability: 26/50]
[Special Option: Equip to use ‘Faint Stealth.’
Cancelled on contact with objects; easily detected by abilities like Clairvoyance or Detection. (Reuse cooldown: 300 seconds)]
[Special Option: Eliminates mana cost for ‘Faint Stealth.’]
“Whoa?”
The moment he checked the options, an involuntary “whoa” escaped aloud.
Insane options.
Truth be told, ‘Faint Stealth’ itself wasn’t that impressive.
Pale compared to regular stealth, and way too easy to detect.
‘It even gets caught by an explorer’s search skill...’
Basically exposed to any decent detection.
Plus, more ways to break stealth made it awkward for real combat—like a useless duck egg.
But the bracelet’s second option covered all those flaws and then some.