Chapter 34

The Ling behind Maides, having possessed her body, looked around a few times and then smiled as if she had grasped the situation.

"Hehe. Are you remnants of Akram? It's been centuries since I woke up, and it just had to be here. I don't know whose doing this is, but it certainly doesn't make me feel good."

A black aura was spreading uncontrollably from her body.

"Since my rare appearance has been ruined, you will have to take responsibility."

The black aura that had been spreading wildly gathered to form a massive sword.

At the sight, Karlpe burst into admiration, forgetting the situation.

"Wow, the Ragnar Blade!"

-What's that, you game addict?

"It's something only the insiders know."

-That's nonsense, but why are you so calm?

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it."

Karlpe shrugged.

According to the game's lore, the Ling is a powerful entity that provides quests and skills to players. To NPCs, they are literally 'gods.'

The fact that such a Ling had descended in person made Karlpe lose any will to fight.

No, even if he wanted to fight, the penalty of 'Holy Sacrifice' prevented him from doing anything.

-In general, possession can only be countered by possession.

"Huh? Can players use possession too?"

-It's possible after the second class change. But even if you can, the cost is too high.

"What's the cost?"

-Loss of the Ling. After possession, you have to play the game without a Ling.

"Damn."

Just imagining it made him curse. To play a game where the Ling does everything without a Ling was unthinkable.

If it were an NPC with only one life, it might be different, but for a player, it was a feature he would never use even if he died.

[What are you muttering about? Akram's people have always been nothing but unpleasant, whether in the past or now.]

The ground cracked with each step the Ling took.

[I don't like it when you act so relaxed in front of me. Do you have any confidence? Or are you just a fool who can't even grasp the situation?]

With only 1 HP left, there was no way he could have any confidence.

He was relaxed because a notification had appeared, indicating that the quest was completed.

Now, even if he died here, the quest wouldn't be lost. Probably.

[Die.]

Just as the Ling was about to swing the giant sword at Karlpe,

Flash!

The gem in Karlpe's hand emitted a red light.

[The Soul Stone reacts to the Ling's intense aura!]

There was no time to react to the notification.

The red gem in Karlpe's hand slipped and seeped into the knight doll.

It happened in an instant.

Clang!

A strong metallic sound accompanied a gust of wind.

"Huh?"

When he regained his senses, someone was blocking the Ling's sword in front of Karlpe.

[Wh-Who are you?!]

"I have no name to give to a false god."

A silver-armored knight.

A girl with the same appearance as the doll Karlpe had been holding swung her sword fiercely at the Ling.

Thud.

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, the Ling allowed the attack far too easily.

"Kuh! This... How can this be... There was such power left in Akram...?"

"Watch your words. It's a name too dirty to be spoken."

[Dare you!]

The Ling vented her anger, but the situation didn't change.

The first attack, which she had allowed, was fatal. The Ling continued to be on the defensive and was eventually pierced through the chest.

[You... This is the end...]

"I'll come for you without rushing. I'll knock you down as many times as it takes."

[Ah... Krahm!]

Those were her last words.

Thud.

Maides' body fell to the ground and then turned to ashes and disappeared.

Considering the impact of her appearance, it was an astonishingly anticlimactic ending.

The silver knight slowly turned to face Karlpe after confirming the Ling's destruction.

-Whoa.

Her appearance was so perfect that even the demon, who often criticized graphics, was impressed.

Her transparent blue eyes fixed on Karlpe.

After a brief moment,

Her lips curved slightly, almost imperceptibly.

"The first sword of the Mage King. Tistania of Radiance."

Her voice was beautiful but firm.

"Call me Tina. A long name might delay my response in an emergency."

"Hmm. Then, Tina."

"Please speak more freely. If you speak formally to your servant, the king's dignity will not be maintained. Master."

She knelt on one knee in front of Karlpe.

Her appearance, like a knight straight out of a novel, was truly impressive.

"So, Tina, you're saying you're a doll made by the Mage King himself?"

"Yes. More precisely, a homunculus, but you can understand it as a doll."

According to her explanation, the Mage King had created seven dolls, each imbued with his essence.

These dolls, his closest aides, had assisted him until his final battle with the Lings.

Tina was the first of these seven dolls.

She also mentioned that she had recognized Karlpe as the Mage King's descendant at first sight.

But asking if he was her master was just a line she wanted to try out... In many ways, she was an extraordinary doll.

-Who would have thought the Mage King was a summoner class?

The demon whistled.

Despite being able to unleash firepower greater than a heavy-hitting mage, she also had surprisingly high HP, allowing her to fight as a melee mage.

Not only that, but she also had an 8-star crafting skill. What? Now a 9-star summoning skill?

-You guys like everything, so I just put it all in. What is this?

At this point, it seemed the developers were legally breaking the balance under the guise of 'myth.'

-Anyway, it's good. There are limits to what one can do alone.

Every MMORPG player has a dream.

A one-man army, a match for ten thousand!

Soloing a raid boss that requires a group of players to take down.

The overwhelming power to single-handedly destroy a guild's stronghold!

Of course, this was almost an impossible dream.

Even the current official top-ranked player, 'Gunter,' couldn't handle the top 10 players, according to public opinion.

A one-man army was a story that only existed in novels.

-But summoners are a bit of an exception. If they grow well, a one-man army isn't just a dream.

Necromancers, tamers, spirit mages, and others.

These classes, which use their minions in battle, can sometimes solo raid monsters.

Of course, such classes are usually weak on their own, so they eventually hit a limit.

But Karlpe is different.

His personal combat power is overwhelming, a myth class that no one can match!

Add a powerful minion to that, and it could really be...

-Hmm. With this, I'll have to adjust my plans. First, I need to get some minion enhancement items...

"Master, I've been curious. What is this imp?"

-Imp? What did you just call me? Imp?!

"Excuse me for a moment."

She stood up, drew her sword, and aimed it precisely at the demon.

"If you allow me, I will immediately eliminate this insignificant imp. Master, give the order."

-Insignificant... imp...

"Stop it. You're going to kill me with words before you even swing your sword!"

Karlpe quickly explained the situation before she could swing her sword, and she nodded after listening silently.

"Indeed. You must have encountered an unknown incident and found yourself in the guise of a false god when you regained consciousness."

"That's right."

"Then, perhaps it's a curse from the false gods."

"I don't think so..."

"The weak aura is because you were originally a normal human. But your knowledge reached the heavens, so you are not a false god but a guardian spirit of the king, imparting wisdom. Yes, I understand the situation."

She bowed deeply to the demon, a gesture of utmost respect.

"I have been disrespectful to the military advisor."

-Hmph. I'll let it slide since you didn't know. By the way, what's a military advisor?

"Isn't it obvious? You impart wisdom to the king, so you must be a military advisor."

-Hmm. Military advisor. Military advisor... I like it.

The demon repeated the title several times, seemingly pleased with it.

"Do you have any other questions? Master."

"Well, there is, but first, we need to change that 'Master' title."

"Is there a problem with it?"

"Copyright issues..."

"Copyright?"

Tina tilted her head, confused by the unfamiliar term.

"I don't quite understand, but if it bothers you, I'll change it."

"Sure, just call me by my name. I prefer that."

"That's not possible. As a servant, I cannot call the king by his name. I will call you 'Lord.'"

"Ugh. I guess we can compromise on that."

The title 'Lord' was embarrassing, but as long as it wasn't 'Master,' it was fine.

"Yes, Lord. I swear to be your sword and destroy your enemies."

"Thanks, I look forward to working with you."

Ding.

[The possession quest event has been cleared. It will link to the next quest.]

"Oh ho."

It seemed that hearing Tistania's oath was the condition to clear the event.

Just as Karlpe was about to check the next quest,

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Oh, no."

A notification sounded, indicating that his playtime was about to end. Unfortunately, he would have to check the quest content tomorrow.

"See you tomorrow."

-Yeah, get some rest.

Karlpe said goodbye to the demon, Moohyang, and Tina, then logged out.

Whoosh!

At the same time, the demon's body was transported back to the room where he had been alive.

"I still can't get used to this, even after the third time. What kind of principle is this?"

"Kee!"

"You're the most mysterious, you know. Why are you following me here? Don't you have a spirit realm or something?"

"Kee kee!"

"Sigh, what's the point of talking to you? I must be the crazy one..."

"Indeed, is this the military advisor's office? It's a unique space."

The demon's head snapped around. There, Tistania was standing, looking impressed.

"W-What? What are you doing here?"

"Hmm..."

Tina thought for a moment before answering.

"I don't know."

"You're driving me crazy."

What's going on? What's happening?

Then,

A notification window appeared in front of the bewildered demon.

[Your minion count has increased.]

[The 'Room' function is now available.]

[The Room is a resting and production space for the player and their minions. Upgrading the Room adds various functions and enhances the minions' abilities.]

[You are the manager of the Room.]

"Really, what is this?"

A 10-star player, strengthened by luck.