Chapter 195

Saint Aikora knelt before the altar, with her eyes closed and hands clasped together. A fervent prayer followed, slightly different from the ones before. It had been three days since the adventurer named Seojin had returned to the 99th floor.

Could something have gone wrong?

The adventurer Montblanc told her not to worry, but she found it hard to accept. Her lifelong ambition was in the hands of that adventurer.

Then, just at that moment.

“Congratulations. Your prayer has been answered,” Montblanc said cheerfully.

“He’s just come down. He’s finished his business and you can expect good results.”

“Really?”

“Look over there.” Montblanc pointed outside to the 80th floor.

As she said, Seojin was coming. As he descended the staircase of light, Aikora found herself harboring a blasphemous thought.

‘Can he really be called human?’

She had seen Harry descend the same way, but never with such an aura.

But the moment Seojin stepped onto the 80th floor,

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Aikora snapped back to reality. Seojin was human. An adventurer, above the laws of this world.

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll keep it short. I’ve got Harry’s permission. Aikora, you can come with us.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s an outing permit. Since Harry can’t go himself, we decided to borrow Aikora’s name. Is that okay?”

“O-of course....”

Of course it was okay. The title of saint was nominal at best, if it helped this man, what couldn’t she do? After years of waiting, her savior had resolved it in days.

“And Montblanc.”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any Dharma saved up?”

“...Dharma? Hardly any.”

“You know of it, though. When did you get it?”

“At around level 120, I think? It was a quest reward. The one where we rescued villagers kidnapped by pirates.”

“Try to get more if you can. The entrance requirement up there is Dharma.”

“How much? I’ve got about 200 points. If I deal with the quests I skipped, maybe up to a thousand...”

“Ten thousand points.”

Montblanc’s jaw dropped. It was ten thousand points. Even the thousand she mentioned would require scraping every possible quest.

“...You mean to say you’ve collected ten thousand points?”

“Yes. Anyway, it’s not urgent. You can head there after we finish up here.”

“You’ve found some clues, then?”

“Plenty. More than I hoped for. Just have to put off reclaiming my name a bit longer.”

“Your name?”

“My old ranker ID.”

Montblanc understood. It didn’t seem like an easy task. Reclaiming that name meant they would wield power akin to gods.

‘Not even the emperor would stand a chance then.’

It might be added in the next patch, or the one after that. The encouraging fact was that they had acquired this information earlier than other players.

“So, what should I do now?”

“We’ll have to split up here.”

“Where do I go?”

“You know how I got here, right?”

“Aha.” Montblanc clapped her hands.

“You mentioned leaving a task with a thief. Should I head there?”

“His name is Kartna. But he doesn’t trust people easily. It might be hard to get his full cooperation. We’ll need proof of identity...”

“If I say I’m an acquaintance of Seojin?”

“He won’t believe it. That’s why I was about to tell you about an additional task... By the way, how long has that one been doing that? You’ve set it so that I can see your spirit too right?”

Seojin pointed behind him. Montblanc then remembered. For three days now. Like a strictly disciplined new recruit, the elemental spirit Merry acted stiffly.

“...It’s been like that since you went up. She doesn’t even use her invisibility. But I don’t think it’s something to worry about.”

“Really?”

“I think.”

Montblanc’s cheeks flushed slightly, as if expecting something.

“She might be trying to evolve.”

“Evolve?”

“When I first met Merry, she couldn’t understand me at all. After continuous learning, she could finally communicate. Maybe she’s doing it now too.”

“Like before? From a lower to an intermediate elemental spirit?”

Nod.

At Merry’s affirmation, Seojin sighed deeply.

Is that fellow really about to grow?

Worried I’m gonna bully the kid?

Flappy sent a message with a chuckle. In front of the tense mushroom spirit, Flappy was like a cruel drill sergeant, relentlessly tough.

If it helps, no reason to stop. I need to go somewhere though.

That’s a pity. I was almost done teaching.

You can go with them, I need you to do something around her for me.

Flappy’s face brightened, and the mushroom spirit’s face darkened suddenly. Being elemental spirits, it seemed they could understand Flappy.

‘Or maybe she’s making sure she hears.’

If it were Flappy, it was entirely possible. Thinking how she had become as vicious as himself, Seojin then said to Montblanc.

“I’ll tell you where to go. When you meet Kartna, mention my name first, then say you know a surefire way to win on the 7th basement.”

“What’s the 7th basement?”

“It’s a game rule among thieves. Anything goes, no matter how dirty. Anyway, play a game with that rule.”

“...Merry isn’t that clever. Even if I ask sincerely, sometimes she doesn’t listen well.”

“This time she will.”

“...What?”

“Having an elemental spirit means you can’t lose. Have you heard of Moonstone?”

“Isn’t that an ore?”

Montblanc, caught off guard, still managed to follow the shifted conversation.

“You’re aware of it?” she inquired, intrigued by the mention of Moonstone.

“There was a player who received equipment made of Moonstone as part of a contract. That player... was someone who used to be close to me.”

Seojin explained, revealing a hint of his past connections.

“How did they react?”

Montblanc asked, curious about the player’s response to such a rare material.

“They were thrilled, believing only a divine ore could match their ambition. It sure was annoying to hear his bragging though.”

Seojin admitted, his voice tinged with irritation at the memory.

“Kartna will head to the moonstone mining site. You, Montblanc, will wait there and join him upon arrival.”

Seojin laid out the plan for the upcoming venture.

“How will I know when he arrives?”

Montblanc questioned, puzzled by the lack of details.

“You’ll know.” Seojin assured, leaving Montblanc to ponder the cryptic reply.

Despite feeling the plan was overly simplistic, Montblanc found herself unable to question Seojin further.

‘Because everything has happened just as he said it would.’

She thought to herself, recalling past successes.

“What will my role be there?” Montblanc inquired, seeking clarity on her involvement.

“A situation might arise that requires force, or where a player must stand out. Until then, assist Kartna, and when needed, lend your strength.”

Seojin instructed, outlining her part in the mission.

“And our objective?” Montblanc pressed, eager to understand the full scope of their task.

“You’ll find out from Kartna.”

Seojin responded, effectively putting an end to Montblanc’s queries.

As Seojin dismissed the question, Montblanc realized he knew exactly how much to reveal, a trait of his leadership within the Guild of Thieves.

“As I mentioned, Aikora will accompany me.”

Seojin reiterated, ensuring everyone knew the arrangement.

“...Where will we be going?” Montblanc asked, trying to grasp the larger picture.

“A place where the title of saint can be most effectively utilized. Though, we do have a brief stop to make first.”

Seojin elaborated, hinting at a strategic use of Aikora’s status.

Both Montblanc and Aikora, puzzled by the unfolding plan, could only look on. Despite their confusion, they trusted following Seojin would lead to no loss.

* * *

In the Camilton Empire, there were places off-limits to the general public. Not forbidden by law, but akin to slums in bustling cities—places one could go, but better off avoided for one’s own good.

The Cursed Land was one such place.

It was a forbidden area rumored to house objects with deadly curses, circulated in the black market by Muedron. Just approaching it without sufficient protection was rumored to ensnare one in terrible curses.

Vegetable Wholesaler Raul dismissed such rumors with a chuckle.

“Rumors can’t be trusted. There’s always a reason for rumors, but often, that reason is just a plausible cover.”

“So, there’s no curse then?”

“Oh, the curse is real. It’s the tale of hoarding artifacts that’s false.”

“Is it a security measure?”

“Exactly. The end result is the same, but the justification differs.”

The justification was that it was a place that housed items that even the ruler of the back alleys could not do anything about, while the truth was that the same ruler was just using some of the empire’s land for her own selfish reasons.

To the public, these two scenarios felt distinctly different.

In the latter case, those with a grudge against Muedron, and had sufficient skill, would not sit still.

“But with such an excuse, they can’t rashly attack—Do you know how much the Empire gains from the black market? Or can you provide a solution to this situation?”

“Those questions should make most people back off, huh?”

“If they don’t, then they can set aside their own land for those items. It is common knowledge that the Emperor looks after Muedron.”

The more significant the matter, the more important it was to have a justification, and tackling someone’s actions required a solid reason. If someone somehow actually willingly offered their land, Muedron would bombard it with the “truly cursed” artifacts.

“That’s why, even knowing it might not be true, they can’t attack. So,” Raul said with a smirk, looking around at the gathered individuals, “This place is safe enough. Where The Rat and the Golden King, a mere wholesaler supplying vegetables at a fair price, and a saint who’s never seen outside world, can gather without causing a fuss.”

It was an odd mix for those unaware of the internal dynamics: Golden King Alio, The Rat Muedron, two imperial heavyweights known for their financial disputes, and a wholesaler seemingly unrelated to them, along with Aikora, a saint unfit for such a cursed land.

“I believe we’re not here just for small talk.”

“This one here is Muedron. It’s not just her speech that’s odd; her way of thinking is too.”

“I am not—”

“Didn’t you mean that you were in a hurry?”

Muedron fell silent, as that was indeed the case. Raul pointed to a robust man beside him, “This is the Golden King. You can tell just by looking, right?”

“Pleased to meet you, adventurer. Your actions today have assured me my friend hasn’t rusted.”

“Pleased to meet you,” replied the Seojin, naturally receiving greetings in a setting where he was the most out of place.

Seojin had long since anticipated that Muedron and Alio were close to Raul.

‘It was the first two of the ten sub-quests. They weren’t that difficult either.’

Information was abundant enough that anyone, not just Seojin, could have completed it. Meaning the order of sub-quests was based on their relationship with Raul and the importance of each character, impacting the overall difficulty.

Now...

“Let me introduce her.”

... The protagonist of the ninth quest, known as the saint, Aikora, was poised to be the NPC with the most significant impact.

“This is Aikora, the saint of the Temple of All Gods, able to move freely through all the temples of this land.”