While Time Stopped (1) and While Time Stopped (2), To the Empire (1) and To the Empire (2)
inspection is over.
[Connect to Assrian!]
pod. Hyun appeared in the city of borders.
Perhaps because I logged in as soon as the maintenance was over, the nearby streets were very quiet.
The users who were appearing one by one were slowly filling up the borderline city that had become a ghost town.
“Louis.”
Hyun shouted into the necklace as soon as he connected.
A magic tool capable of long-distance voice conversations like a telephone.
It was the thing Louise told her to always wear to keep in touch anytime, anywhere.
“Louis?”
“… .”
In an instant, Hyun’s heart thumped.
I called again, but the necklace was still silent.
“Louise, can’t you hear me?”
Anxiety crept up in Hyun’s heart.
There’s nothing wrong with the Temple of Light, right?
He made most of the celestials unable to fight, but even after that, other celestials would continue to flock to the temple.
If there were powerful Celestials among them, or if there were too many Celestials, there was a possibility that Louise, who had awakened, would not be able to deal with them.
“Louis!”
Hyun went to the private room and opened the lobby door.
The door rattled and the dust that had accumulated inside the building rose and settled.
A beam of light through the curtains illuminated the dusty couch and bed.
Hyun realized that the private room had been neglected for a while.
The furniture was dusty because no one had used the ‘auto clean’ feature for a long time.
“… … .”
Hyun carefully examined every nook and cranny.
With the expectation that Louise might have left a letter somewhere like before.
However, no matter how much he searched, there was no trace of Louise in the private room.
Louise as well as Papido.
Perhaps for several years, no one had set foot in the Shade Guild’s private room.
‘Where did you go… .’
Hyun’s mouth went dry.
After a while, I left the private room.
The streets of the border city were already full of crowds.
Just in case, I went to Louise’s regular cafe, theater, and casino once in a while, but there was no way to achieve results.
‘Couldn’t he have escaped from the Temple of Light at that time?’
thump, thump. Her heart jumped loudly.
‘really… ?’
I’d like to turn away, but it’s not impossible.
Right after awakening, Louise might not have been able to use her power properly.
Or you may have faced a situation that you couldn’t help with your awakening power.
Judging by her tendencies so far, Louise who has finished awakening is probably level 400.
Let alone an angel, he probably wouldn’t even have the power to overwhelm the celestials.
In other words, if you meet an A-rank or higher celestial, you have no choice but to have a hard time.
In the meantime, if the space movement barrier had been activated, you wouldn’t have been able to use the return scroll!
after… .
Hyun took a deep breath.
There is one surefire way to know for sure if Louise is alive or dead.
strong god.
A skill that imitates the appearance of the Transcendentalist who prayed recently.
If she existed in this world, she would turn into darkness.
But if not… Truth, deceit, harmony, or whatever else will turn you into an angel or devil.
‘for a moment… !’
The moment he tried to use his last resort, Hyun remembered something important that he had forgotten.
why didn’t you think of that first?
Hyun immediately ran to the transport storage.
“haha… .”
I laughed at the sight of three transport ships standing side by side.
That’s right, the transport ship that had been docked at Radix Island has returned to the border city.
yeah i was stupid
There’s no reason for Louise to stay in a ghost town with no one there, right? Of course I will be with people!
“Huh, you’re confusing people.”
Hyeon let out a sigh of relief and was able to continue his thoughts with a more calm mind.
Then, he could easily think of a place where Louise might be.
The first temple of harmony built in Loopra, the capital of the Nation of Darkness.
I forgot for a second that I entrusted Louise with the acting head of the shrine there.
As soon as Hyun realized that fact, he teleported to Loopra.
——————
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The capital of the Nation of Darkness was still busy.
Over the years, the scenery of the street has changed a little, but not much, so Hyun was able to find the Temple of Harmony before long.
“sorry. Now is the worship time… . uh… ?!”
stair entrance.
Hyeon showed the nameplate made at the time the Temple of Harmony was built to the priest who was blocking him.
But even without that item, the priest seemed to recognize Hyun’s face.
“Shinjeonjangnim… ? Are you the head of the temple by any chance?”
“that’s right.”
“oh my god… It’s been so long… ! By the way, compared to five years ago, you haven’t changed at all!”
‘Of course, it’s been less than a month here. however… Who is this?’
The priest remembered Hyun for five years, but Hyun forgot the face of the priest in a week.
No, he probably couldn’t remember the face of an ordinary extra in the first place.
‘Well, it must be just a priest. Who cares what’s important.’
Having a short conversation with the priest, Hyun entered the temple entrance.
The moment he saw the skeletons doing chores and the little ghosts flying around the corridors and ceilings, a smile naturally spread on Hyun’s lips.
Those are obviously Louise’s subordinates.
As expected, Louise seemed to be staying at the Temple of Harmony.
“Where is the temple manager now? therefore… I mean my surrogate.”
“Oh, you are in the chapel! You are praying to Harmony.”
“pray… ?”
Louise praying.
Hyeon thought it was something special and headed to the place the priest had told him about.
Kik-. The moment the chapel door was opened.
‘ah… ?’
Hyun took a breath.
A woman was praying right in front of the statue of harmony in the chapel.
The back of a woman praying under the evening sunset shining through the window looked so holy.
Hyun thought it might be Louise, but shook his head.
Her hair in the sunlight was shining gold instead of silver.
“who… please?”
Hearing Hyun’s voice, the woman slowly turned her head.
And then.
“hyeon… ? Are you?”
“Uh, do you know my name?”
It had been a while since Hyeon, who had been staring at the woman, realized her true identity.
He found the black wings hidden behind her shoulder blades.
“no way… Are you Ceseri?”
“Ah, you remember! Hyun, somehow, hasn’t changed at all.”
“You really are Seseri!”
It was a week for Hyeon, but Seseri’s appearance after 5 years had changed so much.
The little girlishness that remained was completely gone, and a mysterious atmosphere filled its place.
“How are you… .”
“Oh, I haven’t explained that yet. It’s undeserved, but I’m acting as the new head of the temple.”
“Are you the deputy head of the temple? So what about Louise?!”
“Who is Louise?”
“what… ?”
Hyun sensed that the conversation with Ceseri was going strangely.
“So, silver-haired girl… No, I am not a girl anymore.”
I explained Louise’s appearance so that Ceseri could understand it better.
“Remember the long silver-haired girl you saw on Radix Island? The woman who used a long spear that was taller than she was!”
Ceseri looked up into the air, and after a while, they clapped their hands together.
“Aha, you mean the beautiful one! You’re talking about the one Papi-nim called a priestess, right?”
“Papi? Is Poppy here too?”
“Sure, it’s Papi-sama who gave me the acting head of the temple.”
“wait for a sec… .”
Hyeon raised his hand to interrupt Ceseri’s words.
I needed time to organize my thoughts because new information kept coming in.
Something seems strangely twisted.
‘Papi was the deputy head of the new temple?’
It seems that Louise first handed over the position of acting head of the temple to Papi, and then Papi handed over the position to Ceseri again… .
Then where did Louise go?
Come to think of it, even Ceseri didn’t know Louise’s name.
Hyun thought it was necessary to find out what had happened in the meantime.
“Anyway, Poppy is in this temple right now, right?”
“Yes, may I guide you to where you are?”
“Yes, please.”
After a while, Hyeon, who was guided to a room in a corner of the temple where there was no human presence, was able to face Papi.
Unlike Seseri, who has matured to the fullest, Poppy’s face has not changed at all even after five years have passed.
It was thanks to the characteristic of the celestial being that aging progressed slowly.
“You are here.”
“As expected, you’re still alive… .”
“… I was waiting for you to come.”
“Thanks to the priestess handing over some of her powers, I was able to keep my ego from collapsing.”
Poppy briefly explained the story of the day.
Immediately after awakening, it is said that what Hyeon feared did not happen.
Thanks to Louise giving away some of her powers, it seemed that Poppy’s ego had stopped collapsing.
After that, it is said that Louise and Papi were able to get out of the temple safely and return by taking a transport ship anchored in the middle of Radix Island.
It is said that they brought Ceseri along the way.
Because if I sent her back to the halfway village, it was obvious that she would be harmed by the forces of light.
It was the very next moment when unexpected words came out of Poppy’s mouth.
“After that, the priestess entrusted this temple to me and left immediately.”
“what?! Where?”
“They said he was going to the empire.”
“Why is the empire… ?”
Hyun shook his head.
Is there any reason for Louise to go to the Empire in this situation?
“I don’t know the details either. However, I remember that a slightly strange female priest came to visit the priest right before leaving. She called herself an apostle of harmony.”
“… !”
In an instant, Hyun’s eyes flashed.
Because he could guess who the ‘strange female priest’ Poppy was talking about was.
Hyun brought up one of the records from the capsule storage and showed it to Poppy.
“Does that priest look like this?”
“… Exactly.”
I was sure afterwards.
‘Lutia!’
“Do you know someone?”
“huh… maybe.”
Lutia, why did she come looking for Louise?
In this way, it was inevitable that Louise’s departure to the Empire was related to Lutia.
Hyeon asked Poppy a few more questions to clear up his remaining doubts.
“Then Poppy, you haven’t seen Louise for nearly five years either?”
“That’s right. But we were in touch. Even until a year ago.”
Poppy looked at the necklace on the desk and said.
It was a magic tool for communication that Hyun used to communicate with Louise.
“I lost contact with the priestess about a year ago.”
“why… ?”
“I don’t know that much, but the priestess left a message for you one last time.”
“… !”
“You said to tell me.”
Whoops. At Poppy’s gesture, her necklace glowed and Louise’s recorded voice began to flow.
He had only not seen him for about a week, but Hyun felt like hearing Louise’s voice for the first time in a very long time.
“Hyun, I’m sorry I couldn’t wait for you. But there was an unavoidable situation. Anyway, if you heard my message, come to the empire.”
Louise’s voice hadn’t changed that much since a while ago.
His tone was still playful.
“If I say this, you will ask again where in the empire are you? Anywhere! As long as it’s the land of the empire!”
‘what… ?’
“I promised to make you a king. I will show you that these were not empty words.”
The recorded content ends there.
It was at that moment that Hyun fell into trouble for a while to understand Louise’s words.
Hwaaak! Hyun looked down at his hand, startled by the magic wave on the back of his hand..
‘What is this… !’
The snake-like aura began to carve another black pattern on the hand on the other side of the blue lightning.
[With the power of ?????, the protection of harmony dwells upon you!]
[Those who serve harmony will look up to you!]
When the message ended, the pattern of an angel with two pairs of wings was engraved on the back of Hyun’s hand.
It is an unmistakable pattern of harmony.
Hyeon stood still, unable to hide his bewildered feeling at the unexpected incident.
‘A pattern of harmony?’
A double wing pattern that suddenly appeared.
Hyun looked at the back of his hand and muttered, and Poppy replied.
“As expected, it was a ‘word spirit’.”
“… … ?”
“It is the power to put magical power into your voice. It is a magic that is only allowed for transcendentalists.”
Poppy glanced at the magic tool that was still trembling and continued the explanation.
spirit magic.
Normally, it is no different from a normal voice, but when certain conditions are met, the magic takes effect.
Poppy just explained that the activation condition was satisfied as ‘Hyeon’ heard ‘Louis’ voice.
“Louise’s magic… ?”
“The magic itself may not belong to the priestess, but it is certain that the priestess put that power into her voice.”
“This is Louise’s power… !”
Hyun could feel that Louise had become closer to the Great Devil.
At the same time, the idea of meeting Louise soon became more firm.
What was he doing in the empire that he disappeared like this?
I don’t know how long I’ll have to wait to see you again.
It was then that Poppy’s mouth opened again.
“Meeting the priestess won’t be as difficult as I thought.”
“huh?”
“At least you won’t be hiding in a labyrinth like before.”
Poppy pointed her gaze at the necklace the string was wearing and said.
“Even those voice magic tools that do not work now will function again when they arrive in the Empire.”
“why?”
“That is… .”
Hyun was able to grasp the situation of the three Asrian kingdoms from Papi’s explanation.
The war between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom was still going on, and the Nation of Darkness was supporting the Empire by claiming neutrality.
In order to prevent spy activity or ambush, the two countries even closed the teleport gate.
It is said that the reason why Louise’s voice magic tool became unavailable was because the empire had a long-distance communication distortion magic circle.
However, Poppy’s explanation was that within the Empire, the voice magic tool would start working again.
“Wait, it’s been five years and the war is still not over?”
“There is no direct clash between armies, but the war of nerves in the border area is still sharp.”
“I am surprised. I thought that the Holy Kingdom would surrender because the Temple of Light was destroyed… .”
“It might be that someone other than the light is supporting the Holy Kingdom behind the scenes.”
“who… ?”
Hyeon swallowed his saliva at the same time he asked.
For a moment, the image of ‘truth’ came to mind.
The scale of the forces of truth is incomparably huge compared to that of light.
I didn’t mind being quiet all this time, but if the truth started to move, it was a matter of serious consideration.
“Not sure. It’s just my guess anyway. In any case, the structure of the war is not shifted to one side and is being kept tight, and as a result, the relationship between all countries on the continent is much more complicated than before. The Nation of Darkness has also become noisy recently.”
“Why is the Nation of Darkness?”
Hyun, who was listening to Poppy’s explanation, tilted his head and asked back.
Is there anything to be noisy about the Nation of Darkness, which is ostensibly neutral?
“Because it is close to the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, it has become a stage for secret drugs.”
Papi told Hyun a few more facts.
The Nation of Darkness did not close the teleport gate for the sake of the country’s economy, and as a result, it became easier for the forces of other countries to operate in the Nation of Darkness.
As a result, it is said that the Nation of Darkness, in addition to the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, has become a silent battlefield for numerous countries involved in the interests of war.
The most intriguing place among them is the border area!
“A while ago, there was an incident in which soldiers from the Nation of Darkness invaded the territory of the empire and massacred the inhabitants.”
“what?”
“In the end, it turned out to be the work of the 3rd force, but the relationship between the Empire and the Nation of Darkness was likely to fall apart.”
“… I think I know roughly what the situation is.”
Hyun was able to understand the situation in the border area with just one word from Papi.
It seemed that the Nation of Darkness, which claimed to be neutral on the outside, could not avoid the effects of the war.
Three Kingdoms… No, all the countries of the Asura continent could not avoid the effects of war in any way.
According to Papi’s guess, even the celestials were involved in the war.
“Anyway, you can’t use teleport, so you’ll have to be careful when crossing the border.”
“surely… It could be a bit dangerous.”
Hyun was well aware that the powers he had previously obtained were exceptional.
The power that overwhelmed even the Celestials was obtained by converting the emotions rising from Radix Island into empathy.
‘Even if I get the empathy skill, the stat amplification rate won’t be less than 20%, right?’
Hyun remembered that the stat amplification rate in the ‘middle-tier village’ was in the 20% range.
No matter how you activate empathy again, you won’t be able to have the overwhelming force like that time.
No, it is impossible to even activate the power of empathy in the first place.
– You can gain sympathy from your servants and subordinates who serve you
– While feeling emotions beyond human limits, you can get ’empathy’ from all beings in the world!
A log record in a midtown village.
According to that explanation, only when one’s own emotions are overflowing can one gain sympathy from those other than ‘servants and subordinates’.
In other words, without the energy of Radix Island, emotions would not be amplified, and the empathy skill would be useless.
‘I’ll have to prepare before going to the empire.’
Hyun felt the need to raise his specs.
First of all, the most important thing is the level.
At the same time as unlocking the 3rd job change quest, you need to take at least level 300 to finish Ain’s job change quest.
‘Because I’m at level 284 now… .’
Hyun looked at the status window for a moment.
Considering the fact that it takes 4-5 days on average for rankers in the late 200s to level up, it would take several more months.
‘Will it take a week?’
That standard did not apply to Hyun.
Previously, he hadn’t been able to find time to hunt because of achievements, main quests, and managing cities and guilds, but Hyun was confident that he could level up dozens of times faster than rankers if he set his mind to it.
After setting up such a rough plan, Hyun asked Papi.
“Papi, what are you going to do?”
“Now I’m thinking of going back to the border city.”
“Aren’t you going to the empire together?”
At that question, Papi shook her head.
“Anyway, there is nothing I can do on earth. It would be nice if it didn’t get in the way.”
“okay? but.”
Hyun didn’t say anything.
Celestials are beings who live close to the sky, so the City of Borders must be the most comfortable place for them.
There is no one with that ability to manage the city.
“I want to go too!”
Just then.
A sudden shout came from behind the door.
‘Who is it… ?’
Surprised, Hyun turned his head away.
‘Seseri… ! You’ve been eavesdropping on us!’
He realized that he and Poppy were having some rather important conversations.
I looked into Poppy’s eyes again.
He had a great sense of humor and must have known of Ceseri’s existence. Why didn’t you tell me beforehand!
Then Poppy’s voice began to flow into Hyun’s consciousness.
“it’s okay. She already knows most of the secrets.”
“How far… ?”
“It seems that they also know that harmony is related to the devil.”
“… !”
“It won’t matter if you just leave it alone. She harbors considerable hostility towards the forces of light.”
Hyun took a deep breath.
It was because it took some time to understand what Poppy was saying.
Then at the chapel… Ceseri was praying to a demon, not an angel?
Even while Hyun was organizing his thoughts, absurd words continued to come out of Ceseri’s mouth.
“I know, Hyun-nim’s true identity!”
“My identity… ?”
“Are you harmony?”
“It’s not… .”
“Then the evil just below the harmony… no… hmm… You must be a transcendent!”
“… ?”
“I was always waiting for you to come back. please… Let me serve you by your side! can’t it… ?”
Seseri flutters her black wings and looks sad.
Hyeon couldn’t think of what to answer, so he only pursed his lips.
Apparently, Ceseri was misunderstanding some important things.
***
Ceseri’s request was embarrassing.
Of course, I know that she has the qualities of a real priestess, not clumsy like Louise.
The problem is that you can’t use the power of empathy right away.
Even if it can be used, it is difficult to fully demonstrate its power unless a special environment such as Radix Island is prepared.
Since Sese-Ri, who has no fighting ability, could not be of any help, and could become dangerous, Hyeon had no choice but to refuse her request.
However, in preparation for the situation, he did not treat her harshly.
“I think it’s a bit difficult right now… I’ll come pick you up later.”
“really? please… Are you sure?”
Seseri was relieved after asking several times, and Hyun decided to leave her as the acting head of the new temple for the time being.
Hyun, who left the temple like that, sent a whisper to Ain right away.
In order to reach level 300 as soon as possible, Ain’s help was absolutely necessary.
“Hyung, hasn’t it been a while since the two of us hunted alone? I can’t remember when… .”
Did you get it at the costume shop? The well-dressed Ain exclaimed excitedly.
“Anyway, I think I’m finally back to the beginning!”
“haha… .”
Hyun laughed out loud.
Right next to me, the real Ain in the capsule must be wearing pajamas.
The reason I paid more attention to the clothes in the game than the clothes in real life was because I felt that I resembled someone.
“… So, do you have any hunting grounds in mind?”
“I’m going to think about it from now on.”
“It’s an unconventional answer.”
Ain stared at Hyun and smiled brightly.
“Didn’t you just invite me to play with you?”
“what… I’m trying to break your quest. A former quest.”
“Huh, then let’s do something like that… If there is no plan, can I choose the hunting ground?”
“Do as you will.”
The busiest time right after the patch.
Just a moment ago, I was thinking of saving every minute and every second to pursue maximum efficiency, but seeing Ain’s smile, I no longer wanted to move so fast.
Hyeon wondered if he might have been tainted by Ain’s freewheelingness before he knew it.
“Wait, except where the level is too low.”
“Whoops, don’t worry. Because the experience will give all to Hyun. Just trust me!”
Ain led Hyeon as he pleased.
He didn’t pursue hunting efficiency to the extreme like Hyun, and he didn’t hesitate to do cumbersome or cumbersome quests.
The hunt started over the course of a week.
Hyun and Ain did not stay in one place, but traveled to various places.
Desert, cave, jungle, rocky mountain, dungeon, sea, sky… .
Among them, there were several places that Hyun and Ain went to for the first time.
Of course. Asrian’s world is so vast that it is impossible to visit all of them.
‘This isn’t bad either.’
The more time he spends with Ain, the more Hyun feels at ease.
It’s not hunting, it’s like traveling.
Suddenly, Hyun recalled a piece of news he had seen before.
One of the emerging industries is the Assrian travel agency.
Mysterious and magnificent places are usually dangerous, so the news was that high-level users who did not become rankers were earning stable income by working as a travel agency.
‘Yes, sometimes I can enjoy my leisure time like this.’
The days of Ain and Hyun were so peaceful that I wondered if Papi’s words that the entire continent was engulfed in war were a lie.
Even so, the hunting speed of the two was never slow.
Rather, while hunting a little inefficiently, Hyun’s experience bar was rising at a terrifying rate.
Time flew by like that, and it took only one week for Hyun to reach level 300.
And one thing I didn’t know about.
It is said that his name changed the ranking of the Hall of Fame, which had not changed.
During the week the two went hunting, the Assrian community argued over the string level that changed every day.
It was because the leveling up speed of Hyeon, who Ain had decided and poured experience points into, was astonishing.
to the empire
The main topics of the Assrian community change from moment to moment.
Named hunting, dukes, magic stones, celestials, and recently even war!
And among the myriad overflowing topics, the Hall of Fame ranking was always something that didn’t fall out.
About 2 years after opening.
Users now understand that level cannot be an absolute measure of specs, but the illusion of high-level rankers has not completely disappeared.
It was because, with the exception of a few called ‘water rankers’, most rankers were real monsters with both specs and skills.
The names that occupied the undisputed 1st and 2nd place in the Hall of Fame were Latisse and Mayday.
But not too long ago, for the first time, an incident that changed the order occurred.
Yes, even calling it a major incident was not enough.
Hyun achieved 2nd place, and Mayday’s ranking was pushed down to 3rd place!
Of course, the closer the user is to the top, the higher the potential of Hyun, and some already predicted that Hyun’s specs would be higher than Latisse.
Because, it is known that most episodes of history quests are Hyun’s achievements.
It was their idea that Hyun could regain a single-digit rank at any time if he wanted to, even though he was running out of time because he was working on the simultaneous achievements of leading the Shade Guild and SHA Company.
However, how many could have predicted that the speed would be this fast?
-You’re already level 297. Did you raise level 2 today?
– What is it? It’s the growth rate when I’m level 10.
– At this growth rate, there are two days left before catching up with Latis.
As a result of Ain giving most of his experience points to Hyeon, Hyeon was showing a crazy growth trend.
Many assumed it was a typo, of course.
Level 100, level 200, level 300… Right after changing jobs, there are often cases of rapid growth due to power inflation, but the current level is in the late 200s. It was because it was growing rapidly in the section where growth was slowest.
-It’s been a few days since Latis also stopped at level 300. It’s probably during a former quest.
-Then, isn’t the ranking subject to change depending on the difficulty of the former quest?
– Probably so.
-But how is it possible to consistently do 2-ups a day in that section? One experience event alone?
Naturally, users were curious about how to level up Hyun, and numerous speculations were made in the community.
– What are you thinking about? Again, monopolizing information and sucking with old knowledge.
-Then how do you explain that the regressors are on the decline?
– ㄹㅇ Suddenly, a war that never existed before broke out, so they couldn’t do anything because they were parents and were overtaken by the existing rankers hahaha
-Asura and Asrian have changed so much. If you rely only on information from the past, you will fall behind others.
Everyone knows how fast the growth of so-called rankers is.
And the fact that most of the information and know-how from Asura’s days have been released, and the level of the top rankers has been leveled upwards.
But even among those rankers, Hyun was the only one who was exceptionally different.
How is it possible to level up at such a speed?
The most plausible argument was that Hyun was caught up in a huge quest.
– He must be making a history quest again.
– The most recently added episode was Hyun’s work, right? At that time, there is no one who doesn’t know that he rose to the current 7th level in one day.
-It looks like a war quest. If there is a big quest at this time, that would be the only one.
As one claim gained momentum, many began to sympathize with it.
-That’s right, war quests do give a lot of experience.
-Ah, should I skip the current quest and do a war quest?
-I’m already at the border area, and I do 2-up a day too haha
-What level is it?
– It’s been two days since I started.
That’s how opinions seemed to solidify.
Hyun is on a big quest, and that quest is related to war.
but.
It wasn’t until a while later that the guess turned out to be wrong.
A screen shot was uploaded to a foreign community, and Hyun’s current situation became known.
-It’s a picture posted on a foreign Assrian community. Isn’t this wise and ain?
-The costume is different from usual, but looking closely at the face, it seems to fit.
The user who took the screenshot said that he accidentally found Hyeon and Ain in a secluded village in the Nation of Darkness, and secretly chased the two all day.
It was because he also wanted to find out the secret to leveling up Hyun while watching the Hall of Fame.
but… All he could see was the two of them flirting, and occasionally playing silly pranks.
It is said that the rest of the time was only in the hunting ground.
Yes, the user was saying that Hyeon raised his level through normal hunting.
-Weren’t you doing a war quest?
– 2-up a day in the late 200 level by hunting alone doesn’t make sense… .
-No, so where did the hunting video go?
The answer to the question he was curious about came up, but everyone’s question only amplified once again.
Because only screenshots were uploaded, the most important video was not there.
The reason is that the user’s stalking was discovered.
At that time, Ain wanted to kill him, but Hyun couldn’t make that choice because he had to manage his reputation.
It was because he knew that his actions affected the image of the Shade Guild and SHA.
Therefore, Hyun only requested the deletion of the recording.
It’s not a matter of leaking great information… It was just because I was embarrassed to reveal the scenes with Ain to the world.
As the recording was deleted and the most important ‘hunting strategy’ also disappeared, users had no choice but to guess the strategy in their own way.
-Did the Shade Guild members drive experience points as a group?
-That seems right. Otherwise, that speed will never come out.
-But wasn’t it that there were only two, Hyeon and Ain?
-N The rest must have been nearby. It’s great though. To raise 2 levels a day in the late 200s, I think it would take 10 players of a similar level.
-But if you raise the level first like that, isn’t it a loss later? If I’m not going to be separated from my guild members in the future, it will be a loss when I look at the growth of the guild as a whole.
– Well, Hyun will take care of it.
– Hyun is good. I want to get hit by my girlfriend too!
-So, where is the hunting ground over there?
And after that screenshot was uploaded.
It was another story that countless users came to the secluded village where Hyun and Ain visited as if they were on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.
***
[Level up!]
[Stat growth has increased!]
[Skill growth rate has increased!]
[Starting the 3rd Job Change Quest!]
‘at las… !’
Seeing the rays of light rising from his body, Hyun felt proud.
I experienced it once in Asura, but the feeling of reaching level 300 again in Asrian was different.
From level 300, the growth rate per level changes.
From level 1 to 200, (stat/skill) points are (2/1) pieces.
Levels 200-300 have (stat/skill) points (3/1).
In the 300~400 level range, (stat/skill) points increase by (4/2).
‘The next goal is level 400.’
And as much as it felt like hell to raise one level after level 400, the reward was enormous.
But that’s a very later story.
It would take about two years to reach level 400, so Hyun decided to focus on the present first.
‘Well, now I’ll have to finish the job transfer quest first.’
Even after reaching level 300, Ain’s job change quest was not completed.
Instead, the following linked quest came to mind for Ain.
[3rd Job Change Quest]
< Not yet. A servant cannot outperform his master!>
-Help and complete the job transfer quest of ‘Hyeon (Lv.300)’. Your destiny will be decided by it.
[Reward: Angelic Reaper Higher Class, 2 Awakening Skill Points]
Hyun looked at Ain’s mood with worried eyes.
A quest in which you have to spend a long time for the growth of others, not yourself.
If his quest was like that, he might have already spit out curse words.
“are you okay?”
“what?”
“Your former quest… . It’s still not over.”
“doesn’t care.”
However, Ain seemed to have no complaints about the increased number of quests.
Rather, he seemed a little happy.
“You mean we have to stick together again for a while, right?”
“maybe… Is that right?”
“Then it’s me! furthermore… .”
“… ?”
“Because Hyun is my master, I can’t refuse any orders… ?”
“Ain, you… .”
At this time, Hyun was also a little moved.
Memories from the very past passed by.
When I tried to summon Ain, who was connected to Asura, to Asrian.
I couldn’t appreciate the job of a supporter, so I desperately tried to convince Ain that I had to somehow save a deal slave.
From then on, fate may have been fixed as one.
[3rd Job Change Quest]
<When the light fades, the shadow fades, so now the darkness can face the sun alone.>
-Go find Louise.
-Go find Lutia.
-They have prepared a present for you.
[Reward: Shadow Shooter, 2 Awakening Skill Points]
Hyun looked at his previous job quest again.
The content, which was close to a reward message, was too simple compared to Ain’s former job quest.
Well, was it like this before?
Suddenly, the scene of changing jobs as a shadow shooter flashed through Hyun’s head.
Even then, all I had to do was meet Louise.
If it was the same this time, there was a high probability that the job change quest would be completed the moment Louise and Lutia met.
Moreover, Poppy said that Louise left for the Empire right after meeting Lutia.
Maybe the two of them could be together.
Anyway, meeting Louise will solve everything, so Hyun decided to go to the Empire with Ain.
‘I wanted to match the items.’
Hyun, who was teleporting to the border city of the Nation of Darkness, felt regretful.
Because I couldn’t give Ain a commemorative gift when he became an adult.
Hyun had planned to upgrade the scythe of the border with the materials he had obtained from Radix Island, or to make a new legendary item.
However, you cannot recklessly use materials in a situation where you do not know what your new job will be.
I decided to postpone the adult commemorative gift to a little later.
[Move to the city ‘Sentinel’!]
[caution! Due to the influence of the war between the Empire and the Holy Kingdom, the teleport fee has increased more than 5 times!]
[Do you still want to move? Y/N]
‘movement.’
The soft light of the magic circle swallowed Hyun’s model.
Pod! After a while, Hyun moved to a city in the Nation of Darkness bordering the Empire.
The place was crowded with users.
It was because various quests occurred near the borders of the three countries due to the influence of the war.
‘How will I move from now on?’
after arriving in the city.
Hyun looked at the situation once again.
The Empire, which is currently at war, has opened the teleport gate to only a few, including the royal family.
In other words, it meant that people from other countries had no choice but to use primitive means to enter the empire.
Should I walk Are there carriages or trains in operation?
No, would the empire allow users to enter the country in the first place?
That’s when Hyun was contemplating his future plans.
Whoops.
Suddenly, the necklace started to vibrate.
“Uh… !”
Hyun listened in surprise.
I think I heard a voice from the necklace for a while. I couldn’t hear it because the place was so crowded.
“Hyun, what are you doing?”
“Ain, be quiet for a moment!”
“Yes… ?”
While Ain tilted his head, Hyeon ran to a place where people were rare.
A quiet back alley with no one around.
Hyun shouted at the necklace.
“Louise, is it just you?”
and after a while
support position. From the necklace, a static and intermittent voice began to flow.
“hyeon… yet… hear… not… closely… Goa.”
“Louis!”
But that time was only a moment, and the necklace soon stopped vibrating.
Louise’s voice that had been heard for a very short time.
‘Yes, I said communication is possible if you get close to the empire!’
Louise didn’t disappear anywhere like before.
It wasn’t like Iluna or hiding in the depths of the labyrinth.
Right in front of you, the Empire is waiting for you!
The voice that came out of the necklace was so incomprehensible that even the contents were incomprehensible, but Hyun’s face was shining brightly.
***
The war between the empire and the castle kingdom had a great influence on not only NPCs but also users.
The biggest changes were three in total.
First, except for the Holy Kingdom and some countries, Abyss users are no longer excluded.
The idea of harmony, which pursues the coexistence of the sky and the abyss, has spread throughout Asrian for 5 years, and even if NPCs see users who deal with demons, it has become common for NPCs to pass them by indifferently.
Even the Nation of Darkness fostered Necromancers and used the undead as a labor force.
The abyss is no longer evil.
There will be no good news for Abyss users who have been hiding their identities in the meantime.
The second change is inflation.
As supplies were constantly being consumed in the war between the two giant countries, the value of currency naturally declined.
In addition, when users who realized that fact exchanged gold for real money, inflation began to occur in Assrian.
After all, there was a story going around that it was ridiculous to call gold as a unit.
The last is that the teleport gates of the Empire and the Holy Kingdom are closed.
This was especially fatal for top users.
Middle-ranking users could stay in one area for a long time and grow, but the range of activities of top-level users, including rankers, was the same as the entire continent.
However, it was impossible to walk on the colossal Asura continent.
Then, what is the alternative for users to replace the existing means of transportation?
Some might say it’s a transport ship, but that answer is wrong.
A transport ship made with heavenly magic doesn’t work properly on the ground.
The most popular means of transport is the train!
Although not as fast as teleportation, trains powered by horsepower could run at speeds comparable to real high-speed trains.
In fact, it was also a means of transportation favored by users who could not afford the cost of teleporting.
‘Okay, let’s go here.’
Before long, Hyun arrived at a stop in one of the cities.
The station was already crowded with countless people.
The reason why the crowd gathered more than usual is simple.
‘They said the train to the Empire is leaving today.’
The operation of the train bound for the Empire had been suspended for a while.
It is because of an accident in which a train was suddenly destroyed in the border area five months ago.
However, this time, whether it came up with a countermeasure, or whether it failed to win against the torch of the citizens, the Nation of Darkness decided to run a train heading to the Empire just once.
‘I have to take this train unconditionally!’
I don’t know if I’ll have to wait another few months after today.
The station was extremely crowded, with citizens of the Empire trying to return to their hometowns, some people from the Nation of Darkness, and even those who seemed to be very rare users.
While waiting for the ticket counter, Ain saw a phrase and shouted.
“This train says it takes five days to reach the capital of the empire!”
“We don’t take that long. I’ll get off at the nearest city. It only takes three hours.”
“Heh, I thought the train trip would be fun as well.”
While we chatted for a while, the line shortened.
The moment he finally reached the box office, Hyun couldn’t help but open his eyes wide at the absurd news.
“I beg your pardon? They don’t sell tickets unless they’re from the Empire?!”
“yes. We sell train tickets only to those who have an entry permit issued by the Empire.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Since when… !”
“Ah, you are a user. Well, then you just don’t know.”
From the explanation that followed, Hyun was able to understand what had changed.
Since the war, the Empire seems to have barred those without permits from entering.
And that entry permit seemed to be issued only to those who had achieved a certain amount of achievements in the Nation of Darkness or the Empire.
‘Public value?’
The moment he heard the explanation, Hyun’s mind flashed.
“Hey, wait!”
“What happened?”
“That public value.”
Hyun immediately took out the identity card of the God of Harmony from his inventory.
That’s right, in order to build a temple in Loopra, you have to make achievements, so this is proof that you have made achievements in the Nation of Darkness!
“Whoa, can I replace it with this?”
Hyun secretly held out a bag of gold coins.
He was willing to sell his reputation and, if that wasn’t enough, buy a ticket with a small bribe.
“Harmony… Were you the head of the temple?”
As expected, the employee gave the identity card the reaction Hyun expected.
Hearing the startled voice of the employee who checked the identity card, Hyun was convinced that all problems would be resolved.
Because all NPCs in the Nation of Darkness are weak against bribery.
Sigh, but the moment the gold coin bag returned, Hyun was startled.
‘The Nation of Darkness NPC refuses to pay… ?’
“I am really sorry. It is not a substitute for a permit.”
“No, am I the head of the temple? Haven’t you heard of the name Hyun?”
“Yeah, but… !”
The scuffle continued for a long time, and in the meantime, the line at the back of the string only grew longer.
In the end, the employee asked for help from upstairs, and was able to return to his work only after a high-looking person arrived.
The new top manager of the station.
“You are the current user. It’s an honor to meet you… !”
The middle-aged man broke into a cold sweat and laughed.
It was because he knew the influence of those so-called rankers.
Not to mention, Hyun is ranked number 2! There is no difference in level with Latisse, who is ranked number 1.
‘How can I refuse this… ?’
However, contrary to the smiling face, the middle-aged manager’s heart was burning.
Regardless of the opponent’s status or influence, it is not possible to board a train without a permit.
This is because the permit will be checked once again upon arrival in the Empire.
If the fact that you broke the rules is known, you will definitely be punished!
Will the other person understand that? I heard that users are so capricious, so it’s no wonder they won’t go wild, right?
The moment I thought about how to say it back.
‘That pattern… !’
The manager’s eyes widened when he saw the back of Hyun’s hand.
And he quickly started shaking his head.
“… So the bottom line is, is it possible for me to take the train? Are you saying it’s impossible? If you say it’s impossible… .”
“it’s possible! It’s possible!”
“Huh, you should have said that earlier.”
Hyeon calmed down his growing voice and recalled a satisfied smile on his face.
It’s got a reputation, too.
I was going to sneak in if I had to, but it didn’t seem necessary.
“Now that I’ve met a high-ranking person, I can communicate a little.”
“haha… . Of course, it doesn’t matter to Hyun-sama, but your colleague needs to have a permit… . Yes… ?”
The manager tilted his head for a moment.
It was because the girl dressed as a user who was standing next to Hyun suddenly disappeared somewhere.
“Isn’t there a colleague with you?”
“No, you were alone from the beginning?”
“Yes… Did you throw… ?”
“Then it doesn’t matter now?”
“No, of course!”
After safely purchasing the train ticket like that.
On the way to the platform, Hyeon spoke to Ain in a spirit conversation.
“Huh, after all, fame is comfortable.”
At that moment, Ain, who used the ‘Assimilation’ obtained through the Chaos Contract, was in Hyun’s body.
Ain asked curiously.
“Hyeon can summon me, is this necessary?”
“It seems that a mana distortion magic circle is installed on the train. Movement-type skills won’t activate.」
「Huh… .」
“Or do you want to wait alone at the bus stop until you reach the empire?”
“Of course not!”
***
The train departing from the Nation of Darkness and heading to the Empire consisted of a total of 7 floors.
In fact, it is known that about 10,000 people can board this place, which has a shape close to a train or a ship.
In addition to the rooms, it may have been closer to a cruise ship than a train in that it was equipped with various facilities.
Hyeon was able to be alone with Ain thanks to purchasing a special room.
Although we wandered here and there for a week, the feeling of traveling was still the same, so even though it was just small talk, it wasn’t boring at all.
“Are there no monsters in this forest?”
Ain muttered as he watched the scenery of the forest passing by outside the window.
Hyun answered the question by searching Interloop.
“Root Forest. Except for the rocky mountain in the southwest, there are no habitats for monsters over level 200… say.”
“Um… It’s a waste. I thought something interesting would happen.”
“It’s fun… .”
Hyun let out a laugh.
He shook his head after imagining for a moment an army of monsters attacking the train.
Does that guy know that his fun is a disaster for NPCs?
No, in the first place, the train tracks were made to avoid the habitats of dangerous monsters, so you don’t have to worry about that.
Also, it is said that the magic circles installed on the tracks give off an energy that makes monsters reluctant to approach them, so if the train is attacked, it must be the fault of a non-monster.
“Stop talking nonsense. There is also a casino outside. If you are bored, would you like to go there?”
“Hyun, you already have a lot of money. Need more?”
“It’s just for fun. hmm… ?”
Whoops.
It was while chatting with Ain that I felt a vibration near my neck.
When I lowered my gaze, I could see the magic circle on the necklace flickering.
and the next moment.
“Hyun, can you hear me?”
A clear voice that could not be compared to before began to flow from the necklace.
Hyun stood up in surprise. “Louis?!”
“I changed the frequency of mana. My subordinate is having a hard time, so I can’t talk for a long time… If it’s for a while, it’ll probably be fine.”
Only Louise’s voice was mixed with a little bit of crackling noise.
Feeling like communication would be cut off any moment, Hyun quickly shouted.
“Why are you contacting me now!”
“I didn’t know you were coming back until years later. It wasn’t long before I realized that it had been over a week since users started appearing in the world.”
“okay. Anyway, why did you go to the empire again?”
“I have been busy. Now this body is also an adult!”
Hyun burst out laughing.
Louise’s way of saying that was the same as when she was young.
“Where are you right now?”
“City, Lookingham.”
“Lookingham? That northern city?”
“okay. You should also come this way.”
support position. The hum of her necklace intensified and Louise’s voice faded a little.
“Let’s talk about small talk later, and since my subordinates are running out of mana, I will only tell you what I need to say for now.”
and after a while
From Louise’s mouth, an important story began.
“Did you get the first present?”
“no? What gift?”
“Glyphs! How hard did you prepare… !”
“Ah, this.”
For a moment, Hyun looked at the back of his hand.
I still don’t know what effect it has, but it doesn’t seem like anything bad, so Louise agreed.
“Yeah, thank you.”
“Whoops, that’s not the end! This body is preparing a second present for you!”
“… ?”
“Unfortunately, however, there are many who will be resentful or suspicious of my gift to you. so… .”
After catching her breath for a moment, Louise spoke again.
“You’d better keep your reputation up while you get here. Could it be that you haven’t treated someone badly already?”
“Of course not!”
“That’s fortunate, I was just worried about what would happen if you had your old personality.”
“Humanity… But why?”
“That way, neither the giver nor the recipient can notice!”
“… ?”
“Then next… later… .”
Position – Support position.
Eventually, the moment the noise grew louder than the voice, Louise’s voice faded.
T-ring!
It was at that moment that the cheerful alarm sounded in my ears.
Hyun was startled and manipulated the interface.
A new quest window appeared before my eyes.
<Louise’s Quest>
-Acquire imperial merit points as much as possible until you meet her.
-Only then will Louise have a reason to give you a present.
(Reward: Proportionate to the achievement value obtained ???)
‘This… .’
Ain, who was watching the bewildered Hyun from the side, asked.
“What?”
Hyun’s answer was a little late, so I quickly went into Hyun’s body.
Using the Fairy Tale I exchanged for the Chaos Contract a moment ago.
「Quest~?」
It was the next moment when Ain’s voice mixed with laughter.
