224th
They say that even hard work requires talent.
224 ? They say that even hard work requires talent #1
『Pluto’s Death Knight requests a change of faction.』
『You can release the binding by consuming 10 task points.』
“I accept your request by naming your name.”
what?
These were letters of a form I had never seen before.
You’re requesting a change of faction?
Reduce task values to release the affiliation?
“hmm….”
I racked my brain to figure out the situation.
To put it simply, this skeleton knight originally had some kind of ownership of another guy, and he was able to transfer it to me by consuming task points.
I thought back to when I was a slave.
Slaves sold at the official slave market of the kingdom usually belonged to their masters, but there were also cases where slaves that were not to their liking were sold to other men and ownership was transferred.
Thanks to that, I, a rare and sturdy Samaritan slave, received unintentional love calls from many adventurers.
Elfriede, wouldn’t you hand that guy over for 90 silver? That’s a lot of money to pay for it.
go away.
However, because Elfriede’s mind of enslaving me was so firm, we never experienced anything like a change of master event.
Anyway, this seemed to be a similar feeling to that time.
More importantly, the name.
I don’t have any talent for naming things.
Taeil because Agumon is next to him?
No, it’s not cool.
“Is there a name or nickname you’d like to be given?”
So I decided to ask the person in question directly. The skeleton knight was sitting on his chair, resting his chin on his hand and making a hmm.
does not exist.
“Then, to Arthur.”
What does it mean?
“Why is that? Don’t be too curious.”
When I think of Death Knight, that’s the only name that comes to mind.
Skeleton Wyvern and Skeleton Knight. The name Arthas keeps coming to mind so I can’t think of any other names.
There are a lot of letters that overlap with my original name. It’s funny.
“Is that so?”
Deering-.
『The Death Knight’s power has been transferred.』
『Name: Death Knight of Hassan? Arthas Lv. ?? + 1
Status: Strengthened Dominance by Grace》 Emitting Fear》
The level is not displayed.
I had expected it, but it seems that the undead is much stronger than me. Isn’t it similar to Hippolyte? I was curious about the number +1 next to it.
Your body feels tense. Is it the strengthening of your dominance through grace? You have a nice necklace.
The skeleton knight, Arthas, rose from his chair and looked around his body, groaning.
It appears to be a reinforced relic. The more you strengthen that necklace, the more your dominance will increase, and your minions will also become stronger.
“Is that so?”
As I had vaguely expected, the ‘+ 1’ sign next to the levels of those punks seemed to be because of my necklace.
Right now, my Pluto’s necklace is probably ‘+1’ after one strengthening, right? If I strengthen the necklace with task values to make it +2, +3, will the levels of the minions also be strengthened?
It was quite fun to think that way.
It seems that it wasn’t just my body that was strengthened by the task value, but the levels of the soldiers were also the same.
Anyway, to sum it up, can we say that this skeleton knight Arthas is now my lackey? So I gave him a small order just in case.
“Get up and spin around.”
I don’t bow my head to anyone, half-ass.
But even though he was my disciple, he didn’t listen to my orders.
If you want to give me orders, become stronger than me.
“Sval.”
It’s quite embarrassing.
I was actually happy to have a powerful Death Knight as my subordinate. But isn’t it as good as nothing?
I thought to myself that I had wasted 10 task points for nothing, and I took the gondola up.
Behind me, I heard a voice saying, “Come play again, my friend. I’ll train you often,” but I didn’t respond because I was afraid that if I raised my voice, this old rope would break.
however.
How do I get outside?
When I followed the skeleton knight in, I thought it was just normal and wandered around the cave in the valley. But when I actually tried to go back, it was incredibly complicated.
Should I ask the skeleton knight to walk me out?
But I really wanted to avoid riding that old, worn-out gondola again.
What should I do?
“ah-!”
As I was thinking like that, I suddenly remembered the fireflies Luna had given me. The glass bottle she had given me to use when I got lost in the caves of this valley was in my luggage.
I took the glass bottle out of the pouch on my waist and shook it. I could feel the soft lights of insects burning along with the sound of small flapping wings.
It’s quite pretty.
If Luna hadn’t been there, I would have gotten lost.
It had only been a few hours, or at most a half-day or a day, since we had fallen apart, but I already wanted to touch Luna’s soft belly.
So I was able to safely get outside after following them, releasing the fireflies into the air as they swayed here and there.
* * *
『Settle the battle of the minions.』
『Task value + 10』
『Current task number 105』
“Ugh.”
I was purely amazed by the letters floating before my eyes.
It’s been a few days since I escaped from the Valley of the Manticore where I met the Skeleton Knight.
Sometimes, when I look at the letters floating in the air, it feels like I’m remembering a time when I was playing an idle mobile game.
You’re fighting a battle on your own and giving me task scores.
I don’t know if it was because the skeleton knight hunted it or because the wyvern I saw finished the battle safely, but it was a really good thing that the task score went up on its own.
“Don’t think about anything else!”
bang-!
At that moment, something long and hard collided with my face and my eyes flashed. Usually, when you get a big bruise on your head, you say that you see stars before your eyes.
That’s exactly what I did just now.
My vision flashed and then started spinning.
When I came to, I was lying on the floor of a training ground covered in sand and dust.
It seems that he fell into a trance after being hit by Hippolyte’s fist.
“Ugh… .”
“I’ve told you many times that you should only focus on your opponent during a match.”
“That’s true, but, uhm… .”
I wonder if I have a mild concussion. I feel dizzy and a little nauseous, and I feel like I’m going to die.
The confrontation with Hippolyte always felt like this, but it was more painful because I was so distracted by the task numbers floating before my eyes that I couldn’t dodge the attacks.
“Ugh… .”
As I sat on the floor clutching my head, unable to get up, I heard Hippolyte’s panicked voice.
“Hey, you’re joking because you barely got hit. What you did was more reckless than dodging my punch and thinking about something else. Don’t you know that?”
“Yes, I know. I told you not to go into Manticore Valley again. I’ve heard it eight times already.”
“That is a place that even adventurers from the Silver Tier do not easily return alive. According to rumors, it is said to be swarming with truly terrifying monsters.”
“… .”
It seemed like Hippolyte was about to start nagging again.
It’s been a few days since I returned from the Valley of the Manticores. Whenever Hippolyte sees me, she nags me about my reckless actions. Of course, I’m not that offended because she’s worried about me.
But I’ve heard it so many times that I can now recite the lines by heart.
『Settle the battle of the minions.』
『Task value + 10.』
『Current task number 115.』
Oh, shit.
We’re fighting a lot today.
“Hassan, aren’t you thinking about something else again? Since coming back from the valley, you’ve been having a strange time concentrating. Did you see anything there?”
“A young manticore?”
While I was parting ways with the Skeleton Knight, I took a few pieces of the burnt manticore bone. I returned them to the Mars Guild and received 50 service points.
I don’t know how high 50 public points are, but judging from the look on receptionist Daphne’s face, who was really surprised, it seemed like a pretty high score.
My level is also 25.
Now that you have accumulated task points, you can level up again.
Now it really feels like the Silver Tier necklace isn’t just a dream.
I can’t believe I’m on the same tier as Elfriede!
It was truly a dreamlike story.
While I was lost in such thoughts, Hippolyta added a few more words.
“Even though you’re a young one, I’ll give you a good evaluation for hunting a manticore. I was able to hunt one right after I put on the Silver Tier necklace.”
Hippolyte reached out to me, so I grabbed her hand and pulled myself up, shaking my butt and back a few times. I felt a little dizzy, but I could bear it.
“But, there is a terrible being living in that valley. A death knight. Have you not seen him?”
“that is-.”
“No, if you had met that guy, there was no way you would have come back alive. Consider yourself lucky.”
I wondered if Hippolyte knew anything about the Skeleton Knight of the Valley. So I asked her, suddenly curious.
“Are you strong?”
“Ah-, that guy is strong. I was a Silver Tier kid and couldn’t stand a chance against him. Thinking back now, I feel like he was just okay with me-.”
Hippolyta clenched her fists and screamed.
“I think I can win now. A dead person with a gold level that is restricted from subjugation.”
“okay.”
“He’s such a strong corpse. I wonder what he did when he was alive.”
Hippolyte’s question made me recall the conversation I had with the Skeleton Knight. Several days had passed, so my memories were fading and I couldn’t quite recall them, but there were one or two memorable ones.
“Excuse me, Lady Hippolyte. I heard there’s someone who can run faster than the river. I think it was called Weapon Master or something. Do you happen to know who he is referring to?”
“Weapon Master-? Ha, there is only one person in this world who has received that title.”
“Who is that?”
“Who is it? Of course it’s Achilles, the magician of war. Why are you suddenly asking about Achilles?”
“aha.”
Achilles was a name I had heard before.
Just as the face that comes to mind when Koreans think of heroes is Yi Sun-sin, the person that comes to mind when the people of this kingdom think of heroes is Achilles.
He was quite a big shot.
I have no idea how such a giant would end up in the Valley of the Manticores, reduced to undeath, but the events that took place there felt like a dream to me.
“Anyway, don’t you dare come near Manticore Valley again until my training is over. You may have had good luck this time, but there’s no guarantee that you won’t have it next time.”
“Yes, I will be careful.”
I had no choice but to answer like that.
“But, I didn’t know that Lady Hippolyte was so overprotective of me. Wasn’t Lady Hippolyte the one who caused me trouble by rolling me off a cliff?”
“… You’re talking to me like I’m some kind of ruthless lioness. And the story about lionesses pushing their cubs off cliffs is groundless. Lionesses raise their cubs with great care.”
“okay.”
I pictured Hippolyta raising her baby.
Although Hippolyte adheres to eccentric training methods, she surprisingly thinks that she might be able to raise a child with her own blood mixed in.
Of course, this would be the case if you didn’t have any stocks.
“Are stocks going up?”
“I made an additional purchase a while ago. The day you brought me the bones of a young manticore. If you continue to grow smoothly like this, listing won’t be a dream.”
Hippolyte smiled faintly, saying, “Hehehe.”
That day, I couldn’t get away from Hippolyte’s training until several bumps developed on my head.
* * *
“I have a question.”
Knock, knock-.
As I was watching the dying bonfire, a question suddenly occurred to me.
“How can I beat someone stronger than me?”
The skeleton knight’s blue eyes flash at him.
How to beat a strong opponent. Easy.
“What is that?”
Just don’t create a fight. You can run away or beg and plead. If you survive that way, it’s your victory.
“I think your concept of victory is a bit broad.”
It’s not just about defeating your opponent that you win. Just surviving is already no different from your victory. Even if you live like a beggar, it’s good to be alive.
This is the Valley of the Manticores. The skeleton knight’s hideout is located in a cave deep in the cliffs.
Hippolyte had warned me not to come here again, saying that there was a fearsome Death Knight there. But I often walked like this to meet that Death Knight.
This guy is a skinny guy with a lot of words, he knows a lot, and he’s even strong, so he was the perfect person for me to ask him about many secret things.
Hippolyte and the others were of course excellent adventurers, but they were lacking as mentors for a man like me.
For example, it is like this.
“There’s a girl I like. I’ve been seeing other girls a few times without her knowing. What should I do? Should I tell her the truth?”
You’re such a piece of trash. You said you wanted to be a gold tier adventurer, but is that because you want to have multiple wives?
“That’s not it.”
Well, as a fellow man, I can understand. There is nothing that troubles men more than women. As for me, I would die because of a woman.
“Are you saying he died because of a woman?”
No, that’s not it. It’s similar. Anyway, once you’ve done it, there’s nothing you can do. Hide it until the day you die. Hide it even after you die.
These are very heart-wrenching pieces of advice.
“What happens if I get caught?”
I don’t know either. If you’re curious, just look it up. Empirical thinking is good. However, I don’t recommend this method.
I’m a woman-.
A skeleton knight sits on a log chair and looks at the dying campfire. His eyes continue to flicker like flames.
I could tell that the man was lost in thought.
Do they think of women? I suddenly wondered if the undead also feel sexual desire. I wonder what it would feel like to have Juji without him.
The skeleton knight frowns and says, “It must be so horrible.”
Speaking of women, I met that ladies’ party you mentioned. They were cute.
“Did you scold him a little?”
No, I just watched because it seemed like it was going to be a pretty big fight. It seemed like a party thirsting for public points. They said they were going down to the basement. The white-haired guy you mentioned… No, that’s not it.
The skeleton knight kept his mouth shut.
Underground?
At the word underground, I looked into the dark space in the distance. It was so creepy, like a black sea with no bottom.
“Are you saying that you went deeper than here?”
Yes, as you know by now, the lower levels of the abyss are teeming with unimaginable monsters. Young manticores even look like cats.
Swish-.
I got up from the campfire and looked down into the deep, dark hollow.
As if I were looking into an abyss.
I began to feel the abyss peering into me.
Is that where Elfriede’s party went down there?
It really is a huge cave. If it were me, I probably wouldn’t have gone down there unless they gave me a chest with gold coins.
If you plan to follow, I won’t stop you, Hassan.
“Why are you going? I’m scared to death.”
Yes, then you have already won the fight against the Abyss. You survived by avoiding the fight.
“… Well, the more I listen to it, the more strange the value system becomes.”
Now that you’ve rested enough, let’s continue training. You want to beat that woman named Hippolyta, right?
“yes.”
What is her fighting style? What kind of finishing moves does she use, and what kind of weapons does she mainly use?
“His whole body is a weapon. He’s incredibly strong.”
A woman whose whole body is a weapon. Could she be an Amazon? Indeed, subduing an Amazon is one of the fantasies of men. In fact, I would rather be subdued by an Amazon-.
I braced myself as I went into the skeleton knight’s sexual preferences, which I really didn’t want to know about.
Not only is it enough to simply level up, but who else is better suited to gaining the skills and experience I lack than this man?
I threw my fist at the skull, imagining a future where I would defeat Hippolyta purely with my own strength.
Below me like that.
mountain….
Hassan, I’m here-.
Save me.
In the deep abyss-.
The sticky voice keeps coming back as if it’s grabbing my ankle.
[Work Review]
The weather was extremely hot today… The heat and mosquitoes… The guests of this annoying summer…!! This is absolutely unacceptable…!!
So, even though Michuri couldn’t escape the heat, I made Hassan, the main character, take refuge in the basement for a while so that he could escape the heat…
Starting from the part that starts tomorrow… I think a lot of things will happen in earnest, including Hassan’s past, his fate, Elfriede, and many other things…
It might be a bit bumpy, so please make sure to fasten your seat belt…
