Chapter 186.

Yasha Transformation .

It was one of the numerous abilities included in Boss’ Gift, ‘Shadow’ .

In this state, her eyes, including the pupils and the sclera, turned red, and her iris took the form of a beast’s, resulting in her dynamic vision and physical ability increasing indefinitely .

If her abilities and stats weren’t being restricted, simply staring at the opponent would have released magic power that could tear down the entire space .

But inside the Tower of Wish, the only effect Yasha Transformation had on her was an increase in physical strength .

She rushed forward recklessly like a beast . Her body moved like a bullet at a speed that couldn’t be captured by the naked eye .

However, Bell easily returned her attack .

No, it was not even necessary to return .

His body vaporized .

Boss could not bring down Bell, who rose to the sky in the form of blue magic power .

Still, Boss did not give up . She pursued him, swinging her shadow blade in every direction . The edge of the blade shattered the valley and cracked the earth .

The entire valley was turned into a chaotic battlefield .

“You haven’t changed . ”

Bell spoke as his magic power clashed with Boss’ .

Hearing this, Boss flew in with greater rage . The number of her shadow blades multiplied, and her shadow deepened to the point of devouring darkness .

However, Boss couldn’t maintain this form for long . It took up too much magic power .

I sighed and took out the Desert Eagle .

I was curious why Boss lost her cool all of a sudden . However, now wasn’t the time to ask . I surrounded the bullets with Stigma’s magic power .

The magic power attribute I needed right now was… anti-magic .

Bell and Boss were tangled up with each other . Boss continued to chase after Bell who was constantly running away .

Of course, if I couldn’t hit a foe while avoiding a friend, it would be shaming the name of my Master Sharpshooter Gift .

I aimed at Bell and activated Bullet Time .

The world slowed down .

Still, Bell and Boss were incredibly fast .

Which angle should I choose to strike Bell and not Boss?

The calculation and the decision were instinctive .

I pulled the trigger lightly .

Chwaaa—

The bullet shot towards Bell .

The trajectory displayed an exquisite combination of speed and angle .

“…!”

The bullet touched his shoulder .

Immediately, he regained physical form .

Boss put in a good punch, not missing the chance .

Her fist, loaded with magic power, flew straight towards Bell’s stomach . Bell was sent flying, coughing up blood .

Kwang—!

His body dug into the cliffside of the valley .

One could tell at a glance that the wound wasn’t fatal .

That blow ended the battle, but Boss couldn’t finish him off .

“…Uk!”

The magic power needed for Yasha Transformation was much more than what Boss could currently handle . The color of her pupils had already returned to normal . Her magic power probably wouldn’t last another three minutes .

Boss stared at Bell with killing intent but couldn’t move her body .

Instead, I stepped towards Bell .

“Hello . ”

Bell grinned at my greeting .

“Pft… . Yeah, hi . ”

But I could tell that he was just acting tough .

His battle with Boss probably lasted less than 3 minutes, but the battles of the strong always end in a moment .

He no longer had the strength to stop me .

“Last time, I let you go… but there won’t be a second time . ”

I said that and pointed the shotgun to his forehead .

Letting an injured enemy go or other kinds of cheesy clichés— such a thing wouldn’t happen .

“I know . I shouldn’t have met you here, what a shame . It’s hard enough dealing with one of you, but 2 versus 1?”

However, Bell answered unperturbed . Even considering the fact that he had seven lives, he was way too calm .

“Say hello to your boss for me . ”

He even grinned a little and returned what I had said to Jin Sahyuk sometime ago .

“See you later . ”

“… . ”

So this was what it felt like to hear that remark .

How shitty .

I wrapped anti-magic power around the bullet and fired without hesitation .

KWANG—!

A loud bang filled the air .

Soon, everything became silent, and his body scattered into a current of magic power .

Just like that, he died .

“… . ”

It was a simple ending .

But I couldn’t rejoice .

There were too many questions I wanted to ask .

What was his relationship with Boss?

What happened between them for Boss who was always so calm to lose herself like that?

While I was pondering— a strange noise came from behind .

“…Ah, Boss!”

I turned to my back and saw Boss spazzing out .

I quickly ran over .

“Hey, hey . Relax . Relax!”

Boss was still trying to use her magic power . She lost her reason and was still fighting Bell inside her head .

Her eyes were turning red . She was struggling to pull out Yasha once more .

“It’s over! Calm down! Hey!”

At this rate, all her blood vessels would burst and she’d die at least once .

I had no choice but to restrain Boss in order to stop her from using magic power and from moving . I took her into my arms, and our bodies crossed each other .

Boss trembed in my arms . I could feel her shake vividly .

“Please calm down . Calm down . ”

I even used ‘Suggestive Voice’’ . Still, I felt that wasn’t enough, so I stroked her with my best effort .

“…It’s okay . Everything’s okay . ”

Perhaps Dwarf’s Dexterity worked even in these kinds of situations . Boss began to calm down, and the magic power of Yasha that would likely burst her blood vessels also subsided .

“… . ”

I held her without saying anything . Her body was as cold as ice, and her breathing was disconnected . The outburst of magic power had stopped, but now the side effects of using too much magic power were appearing .

Still, this was better than going on a rampage .

“…Sleep tight, for a while . ”

I whispered, took out the Orb of Regeneration, and infused the orb with my magic power . Soon green light rose from the orb, wrapping Boss in warmth . Thanks to the warmth, her trembling stopped and the freezing body temperature returned to normal .

But at the same time, Boss’s consciousness was broken into bits .

She sunk into deep slumber, and I turned my head with her in my arms .

The NPC Kedrick was looking at us .

“…!”

The moment our eyes met, he turned his head in surprise .

I carefully laid Boss down on the ground and stepped towards Kedrick . After all, he was the reason we were here . I wasn’t expecting this big of an event to happen in the first place .

“Hello . ”

“…Huh? Oh, yes . Hello . ”

Despite the fact that Bell was holding him by the neck just a few moments ago, Kedrick seemed okay .

“Haa… . ”

If this was a game, there would have been a lot of conversation needed at this point . Maybe cheesy self-introductions and an exchange of greetings .

But I jumped straight to the point .

I was too tired to chatter .

“I came to save you . ”

“…What? All of a sudden?”

“You were held captive here, no?”

I pointed at the shackle wrapped around Kedrick’s neck .

“Ah… . ”

Kedrick nodded . Unlike his muscle-blown body, his personality seemed meek and docile .

“But why did the man who was just here try to kill you?”

“Huh? Oh, that’s… I don’t think he was trying to kill me . ”

“…Hmm?”

That was a little unexpected .

When I looked at him curiously, Kedrick fumbled around with his shackle .

“I think he was just trying to break this shackle . I told him he wouldn’t be able to by force, but he kept trying . I almost died of suffocation . ”

“Uh… Aha . So that’s it . ”

Only then did I realize that Bell was holding his neck out of good intentions .

…He shouldn’t have done it so violently .

“I’ll get rid of it for you . By the way, he was a villain . ”

I spoke, pointing at the spot where Bell was just a moment ago .

“Oh, I see . Thank you, but that won’t be possible . This shackle can’t be destroyed by normal means . You have to kill Krakoon and get his key . ”

Kedrick was devoted to his role as an NPC .

I took a look at the quest he gave me .

===

[Kedrick’s Quest . ]

[Subquest – Rescue]

[Rank – High-intermediate]

[Goal – Infiltrate the office located at the end of the Valley of Darkness and kill Krakoon or steal his keys and escape . ]

===

“I don’t need to . ”

However, I shook my head .

With Boss like this, I didn’t intend to continue the quest . I didn’t need to either .

“Show me your neck . ”

“Eh? No . I mean, this is not a matter of necessity… . ”

“It’s fine . ”

I said, and took out the [Mystic Key] from my inventory .

In the first place, I had chosen the Mystic Key to save time in situations like this . Quests were more fun when you destroyed the given process in a creative and radical way .

“What’s that?”

Kedrick opened his eyes wide and tilted his head in a cute way . It really wasn’t befitting of a man with a beard and all that muscle .

“…A key . ”

I answered lightly and shoved the key towards Kedrick’s neck . Kedrick seemed surprised, but the Mystic Key dug into the shackle . A keyhole wasn’t even necessary . It was a gentle contact, as if putting the key into water .

Click .

The key which had infiltrated the shackle stopped at a certain point .

At that, I turned the key 180 degrees .

Click—

The disassembled restraint fell onto the ground .

“Huh? But how… . ”

There was no time for me to enjoy his surprised face .

We had made quite a scene just now .

The demons in charge of this valley would soon come rushing .

“We have no time . Is there anyone else to go with you?”

“…Oh, right! M-my wife, she’s also locked up here!”

Kedrick started running towards somewhere .

I carried Boss on my back and followed him .

*

[Lv . 3 English Royal Court Guild]

“This is our guild’s hideout . ”

Click— Rachel turned on the light .

Though not glamorous, the well-managed hideout that looked like a private home appeared before their eyes .

“There’s something called the ‘Hideout System’ in Prestige . It’s a system that allows you to earn boosted stat increase and various buffs if you stay in the hideout for a fixed amount of time . The level of the buffs depend on the level of the hideout . ”

Kim Suho, Jin Seyeon, the Fermun brother and sister, and Yi Yeonghan followed Rachel who was explaining the system .

“Our Royal Court guild hideout is probably one of the five best hideouts in Prestige . ”

Rachel bragged unassumingly and scanned for their reactions . Kim Suho and others were looking around with interest .

“Hu, Huhu . ”

She shrugged with pride .

“Mm… . It’s a good hideout . But how do we get to the upper level?”

Jin Seyeon asked .

As expected, her goal seemed to be climbing the Tower .

“If you want to make it to the 4th floor, you first have to build performance points . ”

Destroying the demons’ control towers helped them discover crystal steles which led to the fourth floor, but to enter the fourth floor Players need something called ‘performance points’ .

Players only had to clear a couple of common quests, so it wasn’t that hard to meet the requirements .

“Performance points…?”

“They’re given out every time you clear a common quest . You should have gotten a system alert with a list of common quests when you bought your citizenship . ”

“Ah, those . So we just have to kill monsters . Sounds fun . ”

Jin Seyeon nodded enthusiastically .

“… . ”

Rachel observed her childhood hero standing before her .

She’d heard how Kim Suho and Jin Seyeon had gotten together on the way . It wasn’t anything dramatic . They just happened to be on the same elevator that Kim Suho discovered .

“…Oh and, sometimes the administrator Medea will give out quests . You should definitely clear those . The rewards are good . ”

“Aha… . ”

Kim Suho, who had been listening to Rachel, asked Jin Seyeon .

“So what will you do now, Senior?”

“Oh, me?”

Jin Seyeon grinned .

“First I’ll meet up with the people from the Association . Youngji and Junhyuk are here as well . ”

High-rank Heroes from the Hero Association, Seo Youngji and Oh Junhyuk .

Jin Seyeon had added them as friends as soon as she got on the elevator to the 2nd floor . From them, she heard something interesting .

“…I want to hear more about this ‘Black Lotus’ too . ”

Jin Seyeon muttered with a serious face, unseen until now .

“Then, I’ll leave now . ”

“U-Um . ”

Rachel subconsciously grabbed Jin Seyeon who was about to depart .

Jin Seyeon smiled and tilted her head a bit . She was asking why Rachel had caught her .

But Rachel had nothing particular in mind, so she just said this .

“I saw you… on TV . I watched you do… volunteer works . ”

“Oh, that? I’m a bit different from how I appear on TV, huh?”

Jin Seyeon scratched the back of her neck bashfully .

“Half is just pretending, and the other half… I’m a little shy in front of cameras . Haha . ”

She laughed heartily and bowed .

“Anyways, I’ll be leaving now . ”

“Ah, yes . It was nice to meet you . ”

…Rachel thought while looking at Jin Seyeon .

She had only met her for only half an hour .

“Please come back anytime . I can offer you a place to stay . ”

But during that half an hour, she realized why Jin Seyeon was admired and respected by others so much .

“Those words are enough, Vice-leader Rachel . ”

There was no other Master-rank Hero in the world who would use polite speech to a junior .

Rachel was touched once again at Jin Seyeon’s courteous farewell .

*

A lot happened, but we successfully rescued Kedrick and Lirko . The rewards were the [Mysterious Pocket], [Kedrick’s Ghost Sword], and some [Treasure Chest] that Kedrick kept hidden from Krakoon .

Together we arrived at the 3rd floor, Prestige .

They were originally Prestige’ residents before they were kidnapped by the demons, so this would be the first time they visited their home in a long time .

“…We’re back again . ”

“Right . ”

But they didn’t seem too happy .

Kedrick glanced at me and explained why .

“You see, our relationship is a bit complicated . I was a blacksmith working for the government, and Lirko was captain of the inner city’s vigilante group . We wouldn’t be allowed to exchange even a glance . ”

“…I see . ”

This was the NPC’s past that I didn’t set .

Love beyond status and money; it was a likely romance story .

“But you don’t have to worry about that anymore . ”

“What?”

Lirko and Kedrick tilted their heads .

“Prestige has changed a lot since then . ”

Only three months had passed since I first arrived in Prestige .

But that was enough time to change the city greatly .

A lot had changed .

First, I succeeded in cultivating [Lv . 3 Amazing Meat-flavored Corn] and [Lv . 2 Clear and Clean Rice] . I handed them out to NPCs for free or for a very low price .

Second, a commercial district rose up around Riry Shop .

As part of the strategy to appear more high-class, Riry Shop didn’t treat low-priced items . So the players had no choice but to sell their drops to resident NPCs . Riry Shop repurchased these items from NPCs and made potions out of them .

The result of this cycle was the following .

“…Huh?”

Kedrick and Lirko blankly looked at the Prestige before their eyes .

It was undoubtedly a different Prestige than the one they remembered .

Residents working as street vendors, mothers returning home with distributed corn in their hands, fathers heading towards farms or mines to work, and players walking here and there .

Many things had already changed in Prestige .

…For the record, at least a fourth of the land was mine . I invested in land everytime I earned money .

“It changed a lot, right?”

I smiled and asked .

Kedrick was still stunned, so Lirko answered instead .

“Yes, yes . You’re right . I think we could live in happiness without going inside the walls . ”

Lirko said and looked at Kedrick . But Kedrick was too busy looking around Prestige .

Lirko pinched Kedrick’s side lightly . Kedrick’s face crumpled .

“Kuaaak—!”

…Maybe it wasn’t ‘lightly’ .

“Well then, follow me . To pay you back for what I’ve received, I’ll let you stay here for free . ”

“…For free?”

I brought the astonished Kedrick and Lirko to the house I had prepared beforehand . The first floor would be Kedrick’s workshop, and the second floor would be the home that they use together .

“By the way, aren’t you uncomfortable?”

On our way there, Lirko asked me . She was looking at Boss who was on my back .

“Ah, don’t worry, she’s really light . ”

“Oh . ”

Was she asleep or did she pass out?

Anyway, with the unconscious Boss on my back, I walked onwards .

“We’re here . ”

After about 10 minutes of walking, we arrived at the house-cum-workshop .

Lirko and Kedrick looked around in surprise .

“It’s a blacksmith’s workshop . ”

“Yes . I’m also good at making things . Only the first floor is the workshop, the second floor is a regular home . ”

I made this place to utilize Dwarf’s Dexterity . I just haven’t had the chance to use it .

“For now, stay here . We’ll talk more later… There’s a kid called Kiri . I’ll send her over . ”

“Ah, yes . Thank you . ”

“Thank you . Thank you so much for helping us . ”

“Oh, don’t bother . I’ve already got compensation . ”

The sincerity of their gratitude made me feel a little awkward .

In any case, after taking them there, I returned to the hideout . It was hard walking with Boss on my back . She was surprisingly voluptuous .

Chirp—! Chirp—!

Spartan rushed towards me the second I opened the door .

I headed towards the bedroom with Spartan by my side, and laid Boss down on the bed .

“Argh, my back…?”

I was a bit startled .

I wasn’t sure when she woke up, but she was awake .

“Ah, geez . Boss, when did you wake up?”

“…About 5 minutes ago . Was I that heavy?”

Boss asked .

“No . You were light . ”

I smiled and covered her with a blanket . Boss snorted in disbelief .

“You just said I was heavy . ”

“Rather than that, I have a lot of things I want to ask you . You went on quite a rampage today . Our plan almost went awry . ”

Boss moved only her eyes and looked at me . She looked rather embarrassed and sorry .

“But I have a feeling that you won’t tell me even if I ask, so for now I’ll let you rest . ”

Leaving exploring the Demon Realm to another time, I stood up .

Click .

I turned off the light and was about to step out of the room .

“Hajin . ”

Boss called me .

I looked at the bed again .

Boss, lying straight in the bed, muttered .

“…I can’t move my body . ”

“…Wah?”

I rushed to Boss .

Was it magic power exhaustion? She was just blinking, looking at the ceiling .

“…Is it magic power exhaustion?”

“Yeah . I can’t move at all . ”

At that moment…

Growl—

Suddenly, a thunderous sound came out of Boss’s stomach .

“… . ”

“… . ”

We observed each other for a moment .

After staying s till for about five minutes…

“…Are you hungry?”

I asked first .

“…Yes . ”

She answered looking embarrassed, and added one word .

“…Sorry . ”

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