novelraw Chapter 66 : Chapter 66
Chapter 66 : Chapter 66
Chapter 66: Return (1)
"Yu-seong and Jin-oh, was it very difficult for both of you? You did a great job!"
After finishing the villain hunting mission and exiting the gate, I was greeted by a familiar, friendly face I had not expected to see.
"What is this? What brings you here?"
Kim Su-hyeok was smiling brightly and waving at Ryu Jin-oh and me, with Do Gang-ho and Oh Jin-eon standing right beside him.
I did not know why they were here, but I greeted them with a look of welcome on my face as well.
"Ahaha, Guildmaster Cha Yu-na was considerate enough to let us come. Did you finish the mission well?"
"Yes, we finished it without any major problems."
However, everything was not completely over yet.
Should I call it the cleanup work? There was still the matter of submitting evidence to the Player Association.
Just as I was about to say that I had to leave because of the remaining tasks, Oh Deok-pal, who followed us out of the gate, spoke up.
"Hahaha! A reunion with comrades is a significant occasion. You do not need to worry, Mr. Yu-seong."
"Ah, would that really be alright?"
"Of course! I will handle things from here, so go ahead."
Perhaps it was because of his aged appearance that contrasted with his young age, but Oh Deok-pal’s smile felt truly benevolent.
Regardless, it would be rude to refuse such consideration, so I expressed my gratitude to Oh Deok-pal and headed toward where Kim Su-hyeok was waiting.
The large sack he carried on his back, big enough to fit two people, kept catching my eye, but… what could I do when being with the protagonist was more enjoyable?
I was feeling a bit sorry toward Oh Deok-pal when it happened.
Cha Yu-na approached me, exuding the dignity of the Horizon Guildmaster.
Since we were out in the field and there were many other players around, she seemed to be maintaining that professional image.
"Cadet Yu-seong, was this mission manageable? Seeing as you do not have many wounds, it does not seem like it was that difficult."
"I think I was able to finish it easily because the opponent acted emotionally."
"Hmm. I am curious about what happened inside."
As she said that, Cha Yu-na gave me a mysterious smile.
She probably wanted to hear more, but there was no need for me to tell her.
She would hear about what happened inside from Oh Deok-pal anyway.
Perhaps realizing that I would not open my mouth, Cha Yu-na moved on from the previous topic.
"I heard that boys like to talk about their heroic tales, but I guess Cadet Yu-seong is different. Then, shall we talk about something else?"
"Something else?"
"Yes. I am curious if you had any results or achievements inside."
"Ah..."
"After all, players do not usually learn about player-versus-player combat like villain hunting properly, do they? Many people avoid it because the mortality rate for villain hunters is much higher than that of gate raiding."
"That is true."
It was just as Cha Yu-na said.
Both in the Glory curriculum and at the guilds or the Player Association, new players are always told to prioritize player-versus-player combat.
However, regardless of that advice, most players do not have much interest in it.
The mortality rate for those who hunt villains as a profession is dozens of times higher than that of regular gate raiding players.
Since they do not earn more money than they would from gate raiding, there is no reason for them to be particularly interested.
'Besides, once you become a player, you rarely have anything to do with villains anyway.'
Unless they are specifically insane, even villains usually do not like getting involved with players.
It was an obvious point if one thought about it simply.
Dealing with a player meant having to risk one's life, and a villain's life is precious to them as well, is it not?
Therefore, gate crimes, which were the main focus of this mission, were actually one of the things that rarely occurred.
"So, I was asking because I was curious if there were any results. Since it was a mission I gave you in the name of the guild, it would be a bit embarrassing for me if you had no results."
Cha Yu-na spoke with a smile.
Actually, the answer was already decided without me needing to say it aloud.
That was because the achievements I gained from this mission were more than enough.
'Of course, the achievements I am thinking of and the achievements Cha Yu-na is thinking of are different.'
I thought to myself as I quietly pulled up the status window to look at the new ability I had acquired.
[Embodiment of Admiration (EX)]
Descending Hero's Power.
You can consume Influence Points to borrow the power of a hero you admire and manifest it in your own body. (However, if the admired hero is dead, the power cannot be used.)
If points are insufficient, you can use ‘Descending Hero's Power’ by enduring a penalty.
Check the registered admired heroes through the detailed view.
Double the Admiration!
You can manifest the power of two or more admired heroes simultaneously. (However, the amount of points consumed increases.)
When using ‘Double the Admiration!’, the amount of usable penalty increases.
Admiration Shop. (NEW!)
You can consume Influence Points to purchase the talents or traits of admired heroes, or artifacts that admired heroes used in the original world.
After purchase, you can possess them completely. In the case of artifacts, they are replicated versions rather than the items existing in the current world and possess 90% of the original performance.
'...It really is a fantastic ability, no matter how many times I look at it.'
Of course, the fact that Ryu Jin-oh was registered as an admired hero was also a great achievement.
However, I could not help but keep looking at this new ability first.
Borrowing a power and making it completely mine were two entirely different things.
Moreover, it said I could purchase not only talents and traits but even artifacts that heroes used in the original work.
It would be strange if I did not lose my mind over this.
However, there was an issue. It was obvious, but if things went too smoothly, could I even call it my talent?
'The big problem is that the purchase costs are ridiculous.'
I knew that the price for 'renting' and 'purchasing' could not be the same.
The first ability of the talent, 'Descending Hero's Power', was strictly about borrowing power. In short, it would eventually be consumed and disappear.
However, the third ability, 'Admiration Shop', was naturally expensive because the items would remain permanently without disappearing.
But even with that in mind, the prices were far too high.
When I first saw the store list, I almost cursed out loud at the price of the artifacts.
An S-Rank artifact cost one million Influence Points. It is not like points grow on trees.
'The point is that I have to use them as efficiently as possible.'
It was impossible to waste points that could only be obtained when I influenced the fate of the world as established in the original work.
It is true that points are being earned more easily than before because I am now revealing my presence in this world to some extent.
However, even then, there was a problem.
'I cannot just spend all the points I have gathered right now on purchases.'
No matter what, the main part of my talent is the ability to borrow the power of heroes.
But what would happen if I focused only on purchases and blew all my points?
It is clear that I would become a useless piece of trash who is neither here nor there.
If I used the penalty, I might be able to make up for it a little, but that was still out of the question.
It was my ironclad rule to always move while preparing for any unexpected situation.
'Of course, that does not mean there is absolutely nothing worth buying.'
Something that can be purchased at a reasonable price and can produce efficiency beyond that.
I had thought of something that would fit those conditions.
Of course, that was not certain either, so I was a bit hesitant to purchase it hastily...
'What would be the right thing to do?'
It was then, as I was racking my brain and worrying about how to use the newly acquired ability.
WHOOSH—
Something flew toward me at high speed from a distance.
I instinctively raised my left hand and snatched it.
When I checked the item I had caught...
'A drink?'
The item that flew over was a drink.
Why did a drink suddenly fly at me?
My question was quickly answered by Ryu Jin-oh’s voice.
"What are you doing standing there by yourself with such a serious expression? The others have already left."
"Huh?"
"Cha Yu-na said to head to the guild headquarters first because she would buy us something delicious as a reward for our hard work. Hurry up."
At those words, I looked ahead and saw that Cha Yu-na, who had been talking to me just a moment ago, had already vanished.
I guess I had unintentionally fallen into deep thought while thinking about my ability.
I feel bad for Cha Yu-na. It was not that I ignored her on purpose.
"Okay. I am coming now."
I nodded at Ryu Jin-oh’s words and moved in the direction he was heading.
By the way, a drink all of a sudden. There is no way Ryu Jin-oh would be this kind... Someone must have handed it to him.
Ryu Jin-oh, who clearly does not eat anything bad for his health, must have dumped it on me.
Still, since Ryu Jin-oh gave it to me and I happened to be thirsty, I immediately opened the cap of the drink.
PSHHHHH!!!
With a tremendous sound, the drink began to spray out toward my face.
My face and shirt were instantly soaked in the sticky liquid.
"...Dammit."
How could he throw a carbonated drink like that?
But I could not exactly go and complain to Ryu Jin-oh.
Since he is someone who has nothing to do with soft drinks in the first place, he probably did not even know it was carbonated.
Besides, there is no way Ryu-pride would launch such a petty attack, right?
"Sigh... Fine. It is my fault for opening it without checking properly."
In the end, I could only walk with heavy, dejected steps as I thought that.
I looked quite pathetic for a player with an EX-Class talent.
***
"So, how was what you saw?"
Now that the cadets, including Kim Su-hyeok and Choi Yu-seong, had been sent to the guild headquarters, Cha Yu-na remained behind for a moment to speak with Oh Deok-pal.
The topic of conversation was, of course, the villain hunting mission inside the gate.
"My goodness, I even brought the video for you to see, Guildmaster. Why bother asking?"
"Seeing it in a video and hearing it from someone who saw it in person are two different things, are they not? So, just tell me briefly."
At Cha Yu-na’s words, Oh Deok-pal shook his head as if he had no choice and spoke.
"Well, first of all, they are Glory cadets, but it was hard to see them as just first-years. That is how it felt."
"That is too simple. Give me more detail."
"Isn't that demand too strict? If you weren't the Guildmaster..."
"If I weren't the Guildmaster? Do you want to die?"
Seeing Cha Yu-na’s fist clench, Oh Deok-pal hurriedly continued in a sharp voice.
"I told you violence is not good! I will tell you, so put that hand down!"
"Hoho. I was going to, but you are the one calling for violence. Hurry up and speak."
"A-Ahem. First of all, the fellow from the Ryu Family was not only skilled but his rate of improvement was incredibly fast."
"Really?"
"They were quite clumsy at moving as a pair at first, but his speed in adapting was like a monster. I understood why everyone calls him a genius."
Cha Yu-na nodded at Oh Deok-pal’s exaggerated explanation.
She already knew from the documents that the child of the Ryu Family had a strong tendency to act alone and that he was a genius who learned quickly.
Therefore, Cha Yu-na focused on the part where he moved according to team play.
'Senior would be surprised if he knew.'
Since he is a child in a high position, Cadet Jin-oh also has a strong sense of pride.
It was truly an amazing feat for such a child to swallow that strong pride and move in accordance with team play.
Because of that, she was more curious about the cause that made the child move that way rather than the genius of the Ryu Family heir.
She was curious about Cadet Choi Yu-seong, who had played as a team with him.
Cha Yu-na immediately threw a question toward Oh Deok-pal to satisfy that curiosity.
"How was Cadet Yu-seong?"
"Ah, you mean Mr. Yu-seong? Hmm... Ah! There is a perfect expression to describe Cadet Yu-seong."
After thinking for a moment, Oh Deok-pal looked pleased as he came up with a fitting description.
With a bright face, Oh Deok-pal said this to Cha Yu-na.
"He seems like the type who would be infinitely reliable as an ally but someone you would never want to face as an enemy. He feels exactly like you, Guildmaster. Hahaha!"