101 – New Persona – 1

After parting with his companions and joining up with the royal knights, Gi-jun returned to Cor with them via the teleport gate.

While silently heading toward the royal palace, his Letaphone rang; when he checked it, it was a message from Ye-min, and it was a bit amusing to see her demanding to know what on earth he had put in the curry.

She had probably gotten a proper taste of the Divine Beast meat’s effects.

“Could that contact perhaps be from the lady from earlier?”

John, a royal knight who had never spoken to Gi-jun about personal matters throughout this request, asked in a trembling voice.

Realizing she had easily melted even the hearts of these stone-like knights, Gi-jun nodded, once again struck by Ye-min’s charm.

“It is, but…”

“What, to become so close in such a short time…!”

The royal knight was shocked despite having asked the question himself.

Smith, the senior knight who had been silent, cautiously spoke up.

“Is she perhaps coming to Cor as well?”

“Well… Since she is involved in this situation, perhaps we might carry out an operation together.”

“Is that so!”

Even though his face could not be seen since he wore a helmet, Smith’s wide grin was clearly pictured.

Perhaps he was dreaming of a fateful romance with Ye-min, but who knew.

While Gi-jun replied like that, he thought that it would not actually happen in reality.

That was because the final operation to be conducted in Cor was an infiltration into the vampire kingdom.

It was a dangerous operation where one’s life could not be guaranteed even with a Unique species rank, and since it had to be carefully executed by selecting only the elite, excluding the party led by Gi-jun, the probability of Ye-min’s party participating in this could be said to be very low.

‘No… is that not so?’

He tilted his head as he recalled Ye-min’s combat power that he had seen in Ars.

Granted, her combat endurance could not help but be inferior to Gi-jun’s, who possessed Adamant and Salutaris, but even at a glance, Ye-min’s combat capability was incredible, and her Mana Circuit also seemed extremely stable.

Ji-hye was said to have observed and researched the Mana Circuits of each boss in the tutorial to create custom ones for her party members; putting aside for now how absurd that was, it felt as if Ye-min had further developed the Mana Circuit made that way to suit herself…

‘Well, Ye-min’s talent for mana had been recognized since long ago.’

Although his impact was less compared to hers, Eun-shin’s ability was also excellent, and in the first place, the battlefield suited for that guy was not a place where one fought with everything out in the open.

Judging objectively, the one with the lowest potential among the three was Mok-su, but even he was wrapped in outstanding skills, reaching a level that overwhelmed most Rare ranks.

It was something he had not particularly felt when looking at Ji-hye, but seeing those three, Gi-jun really thought, ‘They truly squeezed everything they could out of the tutorial.’

Should he say they had monopolized a good twenty percent of the resources that one million Earthlings were supposed to obtain?

And that was choosing only the most excellent ones.

Just looking at that, he could clearly picture what their second round of the tutorial must have been like, and a bitter smile emerged.

‘It must have been hard. I can understand why Ye-min’s heart weakened so much. I should treat her better next time I see her…’

Without thinking in the slightest about how much of an impact his thoughts and actions would have on Ye-min, Gi-jun reached that conclusion.

Wondering what Gi-jun was thinking as he sat lost in silent thought, John asked again in a somewhat anxious voice.

“Will you accept her into your party?”

“My current party? I cannot do that. My party already has five members.”

Strictly speaking, there was Nabinya who had joined this time, but as mentioned before, after receiving shoes from him, she was calculated by the system not as a party member but as a pet or possession, so she did not adversely affect the party-wide experience distribution.

The two royal knights tilted their heads in unison upon hearing that.

“Five people? Surely the party member limit is ten… Ah, I heard that the summoned care about experience distribution efficiency.”

“Just as I heard, you really seem to have not been in Leta for long.”

Gi-jun narrowed his eyes at Smith’s words.

Forming a party of five should have been common sense in Leta, not just in the tutorial, so what did it mean for him to say such a thing?

When Gi-jun glared at Smith with such doubt, he spoke calmly.

“Even on the continent, the highest-ranking summoned form parties packed with all ten members.”

“Even if they act together, wouldn’t it be better for experience distribution efficiency to split into two parties of five?”

“What if there is a way to increase the party size while receiving experience as is?”

“Is there a way?”

This was truly the first time he had heard of such a thing.

Thinking it was a relief that his agitated expression was hidden by his helmet, he waited for the answer, and Smith let out a chuckle.

“Of course, it is not something just anyone can obtain. If you wish to get that answer, it would be best for you to continue cooperating with the royal family.”

“Does that mean…!”

“We have arrived.”

Just as John was about to react in surprise to Smith’s words for some reason, Smith cut him off again and pointed ahead.

It was a gate that appeared at the end of a long walk through the secret passage in Cor.

Through it, they entered the massive subspace realm where the royal palace was located.

At first, when he heard that the royal palace was inside a subspace, he tilted his head, not knowing what it meant, but when he thought about it, there was nothing like a subspace to safely hide the place where the king usually stayed.

The problem was that due to the vampires’ long-term machinations, it had been revealed this time that a vampire had been boldly roaming around even in the royal palace hidden in the subspace.

“Until this situation is settled, the royal palace will not allow new personnel inside. The entrance to the subspace and the method of entry have also been completely revamped.”

“That is a relief.”

“Indeed, do you still not realize your own achievement?”

At Gi-jun’s lukewarm response, Smith shrugged his shoulders and led him.

Across the wide-open plains, they headed straight for the royal palace.

In this subspace, not only the royal palace but also several knight orders, represented by the Royal Knights, and barracks for training and managing elite soldiers were located; perhaps because Smith’s status was indeed quite high, every passerby could be seen politely bowing to him.

He wondered how on earth they recognized him when he was even wearing a helmet, but come to think of it, even though they were both Royal Knights, the patterns on John’s and Smith’s armor were subtly different.

Specifically, a golden line was included on Smith’s.

‘Well, since he is a guy who guarded the king right from behind, there must be something special about him.’

Even while carrying out this request together, in the end, he had not seen Smith’s true strength.

In the courtroom, at the moment Honeypup was trying to cast magic, he had clearly seen Smith move his hand simply to cancel it.

“This way. His Majesty is waiting.”

“Right.”

Even after entering the royal palace, they turned several times in the complex passage structure before entering a completely new corridor.

Although he was the one who had inspected the royal palace first upon taking this request, he had not seen such a corridor at that time.

When he asked John with such curiosity, he replied stiffly.

“If those working in the secret realm are vampires, Gratia should just walk the path of ruin.”

“If it is to that extent.”

After turning a few more times even in that corridor and dismantling a complex magic structure that was hard to recognize, they were finally able to reach where the king was staying.

Only then did Gi-jun understand how grand of an event it was for the king to be present in the courtroom at that time.

“Then, we will enter.”

Reaching the giant door adorned with gold, Smith cast a glance at the guards standing watch there to make them step back, and knocked on the door.

Soon, a voice from inside told them to enter, and Smith opened the door without hesitation, guiding Gi-jun inside.

The place was the king’s private office.

There was a table, bookshelves filled with books, a liquor cabinet, and even a sofa on one side.

It was just larger, but the structure was surprisingly similar to the lord’s office in Turis, which made him chuckle for no reason.

—Contractor, we won!

Lucy, who could not help her habits, fluttered over to the sofa, pressed down on it, and announced their victory.

While Gi-jun was half-dumbfounded by her confidence that never changed anywhere, he clicked his tongue at the extravagance of the vampire bastard who had used a sofa better than the one the king used.

For reference, those pieces of furniture were still placed in the lord’s villa in Turis.

At first, he had planned to return to Turis as soon as the request he took in Cor was finished, but now that he had naturally ended up staying and active in Cor, things in the world were truly unpredictable.

Still, he could not leave those pieces of furniture there forever, and he had to go retrieve them sometime…

“Interesting. What is it that I lost?”

—Ah?

“Ah.”

At the voice heard just as he was lost in thought about the furniture, Lucy and Gi-jun froze at the same time.

Across the office desk, the gaze of the king—who welcomed them while sitting askew in a luxurious leather chair—was pinned precisely on Lucy.

The king did not seem to manipulate spiritual power, but—at any rate, he clearly recognized Lucy, who was hiding her presence, and even heard her voice.

‘Since the spirit has been discovered, there is no point in claiming to be a Flame Human. Rather than building a relationship on a blatant lie that both sides see through, it is better to…’

Gi-jun quickly judged in his mind and soon reached a conclusion.

Taking off his mask following his helmet, he revealed his true appearance.

Letting out a soft sigh, he spoke.

“I did not expect you to recognize a spirit.”

“I am the king of Gratia. I must always be prepared for the unseen threats of spiritual beings.”

Lifting the pendant hanging around his neck as if to show it off, the king spoke.

He was probably recognizing the spirit through that artifact.

Gi-jun nodded, saying indeed he was right, but John and Smith, who had been with him until now, froze in place, as if they had not expected his identity in the slightest.

“A hu…man…?”

“Even though he was that strong.”

“I am of pure human origin. Though I have undergone species growth.”

“What does it matter whether he is a human or a Flame Human? What is important is that this man is strong, can recognize vampires, and possesses loyalty.”

The king, who spoke like that as if teasing the two royal knights, then asked him, “So?”

“What is it that I lost?”

“Phew… the sofa. The sofa.”

—Ooh, Contractor, I am sorry.

‘It’s okay, Lucy. But from now on, let’s refrain from comparing every time we see a sofa.’

Depressed by the thought that Gi-jun’s identity had been exposed because she had playfully run wild for nothing, a dejected Lucy crawled into his embrace.

However, the king must have been wearing that pendant even during the trial; since Lucy had been with Gi-jun even then, if she was to be discovered, she would have been discovered back then.

Since he did not seem to have shared that fact with the royal knights, should he say the king kept a tight lip…

Gi-jun, who patted the spot where Lucy had entered a couple of times, raised his head and saw that the king was still looking at him with an intrigued expression.

“Do you enjoy luxury? You use a better item than the sofa in my office?”

“No, it is what I obtained after killing the vampire guy I faced before.”

“Ah, indeed. How amusing.”

The king chuckled as if it were not empty talk and clapped his hands.

Meanwhile, the knights, who had been dazed by Gi-jun’s unexpected identity, finally snapped out of it at the sound of the king’s clapping and quickly fell to their knees.

“We have returned from completing our mission. From now on, we will return to guarding Your Majesty.”

“You have worked hard. Lectus, take off your helmet.”

“As you command.”

As soon as the king’s words fell, Smith took off his helmet.

Gi-jun was surprised once by an unexpectedly young man popping out of it.

He was surprised twice upon seeing small horns protruding near both sides of his temples on his forehead.

“No way.”

“He is the Crown Prince.”

Gi-jun shook his head in disbelief at the king’s words.

Did the people of Gratia have a hobby of putting their own children through rough experiences?

The prince, who had revealed his identity, approached and stood by the king, while John, who still wore his helmet, stepped back to the doorway as if guarding the entrance.

“Lectus, what was it like experiencing him firsthand?”

“It is difficult to bring him under our command. A relationship like the current one is ideal. Since his character is upright and righteous, if we approach him properly, he will answer properly.”

“Good. Anything else?”

“He is acquainted with a human woman who is as beautiful as an angel.”

What did he just say?

Gi-jun stared quietly at Smith, no, Lectus.

Crown Prince Lectus of Gratia, with horns protruding from both sides of his forehead, faced him confidently and spoke.

“I speak as the Crown Prince of this country. I would like you to introduce her to me. I am confident I can treat her well.”

“You, just put your helmet back on.”

“Lectus, put it back on.”

“Understood.”

At the king’s instruction, Lectus pulled his helmet back on and fell silent in disappointment.

Glaring at Lectus with untrusting eyes, the king turned to Gi-jun and apologized.

“My foolish son has been rude. Let us discuss the reward for this request. First—”

The king took out several documents and personally explained them to Gi-jun, and from that, Gi-jun once again realized that he was receiving excellent treatment from the king.

Even though it was a royal request, he could have just had a lower noble or official deliver the reward, yet not only did he summon Gi-jun to the depths of the palace to meet face-to-face, but was he not also kindly explaining everything himself?

‘He probably doesn’t do this for everyone… but if he wanted to leave a good impression on me, he definitely succeeded.’

Rather than direct rewards like cash or treasure, the request rewards had many things similar to welfare benefits.

A representative one among them was that, if he wished, he would be given priority to challenge the quest to obtain a noble title in the future.

Other than that, there were eased conditions when founding a guild in Gratia, tax cuts, priority for state-official quests, and so on…

“Lastly, limited to yourself, if you use teleport gates inside Gratia, they will be free of charge up to three times a month.”

“From now on, continuously?”

“For five years.”

That alone was an immense reward.

A teleport gate required a base fee of 100 gold coins plus Leta points per use; even if it was only three times a month, to think he would be able to use it for free for as long as five years.

“It is a sufficient reward.”

“Personally, I would like to recommend founding a guild. The state-official quests, which are given only to certified guilds, are famous for their rewards. It will be a much greater benefit than you think.”

“I will think about it.”

“Excellent.”

Smiling with satisfaction, the king declared.

“The royal request is hereby completed. Human Jun, thank you for your hard work.”

At that moment, an unexpected message popped up in front of Gi-jun’s eyes.

―Hidden Quest Cleared! You have successfully found and killed all the spies of the vampire civilization—Kudlak—that had infiltrated Gratia, significantly reducing future dangers! The rewards of the Grand Quest to be opened in the future will be increased.

―Through active cooperation with NPCs, you have succeeded in lifting the dark clouds secretly cast over the nation. A very positive modifier has been added to [One Who Lifts the Veil (R)], growing the title to the Unique rank! Due to the title’s effect, it has become even easier to find hidden elements of quests, and the rewards of all quests are further amplified. A chance of receiving additional rewards and linked quests has emerged.

―Due to the title’s effect, the reward has been amplified, transcending limits. You have obtained 50,000 points!

―Your level has increased by 10, reaching level 70! Strength (U) increased by 12, Dexterity (L) by 2, Endurance (U) by 11, Light Mana (L) by 3, and Spiritual Power (L) by 2!

―As a quest reward, your lowest stat, [Endurance (U)], has increased by 5, the next lowest stat, [Strength (U)], by 4, and additionally, Charm (L) has increased by 7!

―As a quest reward, you have obtained 2 Skill Points that can raise the level of a skill of your choice!

―Hidden Quest Cleared! You have successfully found and killed all the spies of the vampire civilization—Kudlak—that had infiltrated Gratia, significantly reducing future dangers! The rewards of the Grand Quest to be opened in the future will be increased.

―Through active cooperation with NPCs, you have succeeded in lifting the dark clouds secretly cast over the nation. A very positive modifier has been added to [One Who Lifts the Veil (R)], growing the title to the Unique rank! Due to the title’s effect, it has become even easier to find hidden elements of quests, and the rewards of all quests are further amplified. A chance of receiving additional rewards and linked quests has emerged.

―Due to the title’s effect, the reward has been amplified, transcending limits. You have obtained 50,000 points!

―Your level has increased by 10, reaching level 70! Strength (U) increased by 12, Dexterity (L) by 2, Endurance (U) by 11, Light Mana (L) by 3, and Spiritual Power (L) by 2!

―As a quest reward, your lowest stat, [Endurance (U)], has increased by 5, the next lowest stat, [Strength (U)], by 4, and additionally, Charm (L) has increased by 7!

―As a quest reward, you have obtained 2 Skill Points that can raise the level of a skill of your choice!

Gi-jun felt the energy of his entire body amplify due to the ten level-ups along with the stats added as quest rewards, and his mouth fell wide open.

Was it because he had connected with the royal family? Not only was the request treated as a system quest, but even though it was a quest that took only a few days, was the reward not at an enormous level!

Of course, the rank growth of the title [One Who Lifts the Veil] must have played a part, but he realized anew what the ‘achievement’ Smith… no, Lectus had spoken of earlier meant.

“I am glad you are satisfied.”

The king looked at Gi-jun’s face, chuckled once more, and nodded.

“I hope you will prepare more perfectly until the day we meet here again. Jun, our royal family supports your will.”

Momentarily putting aside his surprise and joy at the massive level-up, Gi-jun stiffened his expression at the king’s words and nodded deeply.

Those words just now meant that the royal family would officially support the invasion of the vampire kingdom.

In fact, it was proof that Gi-jun had exceeded his goals since coming to Cor.

Gi-jun’s eyes shone as he reminded himself anew of what quest he was conducting and what he had set as his ultimate goal.

…He thought very briefly that it would be nice if that was also treated as a royal request, but he tried hard to erase it from his mind.