Chapter 40

At first, he didn't know who it was referring to.

"Huh. I never thought we'd meet again here. Indeed, the bond from the previous life doesn't break easily, it seems."

"Is there any suitable party member around...?"

"Since this is fate, I might be able to assist you if you need help."

"Oh, that person will do."

"Hey, you, Toushin!"

"Who is Toushin, and why have you been so noisy... huh?"

When he turned around, there stood a tall player in a ninja costume.

Only then did Carpe realize, as the memories of the first day of the game resurfaced, that 'Toushin' was referring to him.

"Huh? The One-Fist Boss?"

"The bond with One-Fist has already been severed. I was never the leader. I was just a temporary member, a breeze that passed by."

"...How did you recognize me? I'm wearing completely different clothes."

He had even changed his hair color with an item and was wearing the hood of his robe.

There was no trace left of his appearance when he fought One-Fist, yet he recognized him instantly... It was quite a feat.

"Hehe. No matter how much you change your appearance, the subtle aura (氣道) cannot be hidden. How could I not recognize that clear and sharp aura?"

'What is this guy talking about?'

-Don't ask me. He's on a different level from me, just a nickname of 'Demon Lord.' How would I know what such a hardcore concept player is thinking?

Though it had been a few days since they last met, his way of speaking was still hard to follow.

"So, what's your business? Are you here for revenge?"

"Ridiculous. Not accepting a fair outcome is the behavior of a small-minded person. Meeting you here is purely coincidental."

"Hmm."

Indeed, he didn't feel any hostility. On the contrary, he seemed genuinely pleased to see him.

Carpe couldn't understand why this person, who had killed him, was so happy to see him.

"Your presence here must be to undertake the Sea Cave Quest."

The ninja-dressed figure, Hanzo, got straight to the point.

"I'm here for the same reason. How about it? Working together (共鬪). We've already had a chance to sync our moves, so I think it would be better than working with others."

"Sync our moves...?"

They had just been trying to kill each other with swords.

However, the proposal itself wasn't bad.

-Not bad. Considering the skills he showed back then, I don't think he'll hold us back or troll us.

'Right. It would be a waste of time to look for other party members.'

Moreover, Carpe didn't really have a bad feeling about Hanzo.

Unlike the other members of One-Fist, he had accepted defeat gracefully, which was quite impressive. Being a concept player was also a plus.

'Such a crazy concept player is something only a hardcore gamer would do.'

-...You're one of them.

Most importantly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Hanzo's presence was the reason Carpe was able to obtain the Demon Lord class.

The requirement to defeat a second-round character was absurd, even in hindsight.

'There's just one thing I'm worried about...'

What if everything he had said so far was just an act, and he was here to sell Carpe's information to the Mammonism guild?

The problem was that there was no way to verify this.

-Don't worry about that.

'Really?'

-Remember when I explained the guerrilla quest? I said there would be an internal whistleblower in Mammonism about a year later.

'Really?'

I might have mentioned it in passing, but I don't remember it clearly. However, it does sound familiar.

-That guy is the whistleblower.

'Really?'

-Yes. At first, I wasn't sure, but his crazy way of speaking made it clear.

About a year from now.

A top-ranked player will expose all the evil deeds Mammonism has committed.

The evidence was clear, but Mammonism claimed it was fabricated and issued a kill order on the player, leading to a war between a single individual and a massive guild.

-At first, it seemed like an overstatement to call it a war, but surprisingly, the conflict lasted three months, causing significant damage to Mammonism.

-The war ended when the top-ranked player, who was relentlessly hunted, deleted his character, but it was a significant event that exposed the true nature of Mammonism.

'And that top-ranked player is the guy in front of me?'

-Yes. He wasn't particularly connected to me, but he was famous for his insane skills and even more insane concept.

'Hmm. That's surprising.'

"Hey, Toushin. How about it? I'll do my best."

The future top-ranked player's earnest plea to join the party was somehow amusing, and Carpe couldn't help but chuckle.

"Sure. Let's do it."

"Really?"

"Finding party members takes time. It's better to get it over with quickly. Can we start now?"

"Just a moment! I need to get the quest from the girl!"

Hanzo, who apparently hadn't received the quest yet, hurriedly ran to the girl.

"Let's see."

During this brief moment, Carpe opened his status window.

He planned to invest skill points before entering the dungeon.

Ding.

[Name: Carpe]

[Level: 17]

[HP: 1210/1210]

[MP: 420/420]

[Strength: 2(+50) Agility: 32(+52)

Vitality: 1(+49) Dexterity: 1(+48)

Magic: 21(+52)]

-Allocatable Bonus Stats: 37

[Titles (11)] (Details)

-Three Firsts and 10 others

[Back Command]

0-star - Demon Lord Supreme (Irregular)

[Skills]

10-star - Unlock (解禁) Lv. 17

9-star - Dretshryu Puppetry Lv. 1 (New!)

8-star - Magic Engineering (魔道工學) Lv. 1

7-star - Elemental Mastery Lv. 1

3-star - Elemental Arrow Lv. 1

3-star - Striking Lv. 1

[Back Command Skills]

0-star - Repetition (反復) Lv. 17

-Allocatable Bonus Skill Points: 50

"Wow, that's impressive."

-Don't accidentally show your status window. You might get mobbed and die.

In the Ruana Pit dungeon, he had invested 50 bonus stats into Agility and Magic, but 37 stats were still left.

"Let's keep this for now and use it as needed."

What was important now was the skills.

Thanks to the [First 10-star Skill] and [First 0-star Skill] title effects, he had accumulated 50 skill points, three times more than other players.

"Even if we set aside other things, this is a must-have."

Carpe touched the only skill marked 'New' in the skill list.

[Dretshryu Puppetry Lv. 1 - 9-star]

[This skill was created by the betrayed Magic King Dretsh, who wanted to create weapons solely for himself.]

[It greatly enhances the abilities of all subordinates affiliated with the player.]

-Can use the Magic King's seven puppets.

-30% increase in all abilities of subordinates affiliated with the player.

-30% increase in experience gained by subordinates affiliated with the player.

*The number of puppets and skill effects increase as the skill level increases.

"Experience buffs are more beneficial the earlier you get them."

"An excellent choice, my lord."

-Right. In Lase, passive buff skills are generally safe to max out. Especially for a 9-star skill.

[Do you want to invest points to increase the skill level?]

"Sure."

After investing 9 skill points, the skill level changed to Master, and the information was updated.

[Dretshryu Puppetry Lv. 10 (Master) - 9-star]

[This skill was created by the betrayed Magic King Dretsh, who wanted to create weapons solely for himself.]

[It greatly enhances the abilities of all subordinates affiliated with the player.]

-Can use the Magic King's seven puppets.

-150% increase in all abilities of subordinates affiliated with the player.

-150% increase in experience gained by subordinates affiliated with the player.

-The MP cost for summoning puppets is halved.

*Only one puppet can be operated at a time.

"Wow, this skill is amazing."

-Crazy. Even for a 9-star skill, the numbers are insane.

A 150% buff. The numbers were so impressive that he couldn't help but be amazed.

"I need to master Magic Engineering and Elemental Mastery too."

Magic Engineering was a class-specific skill that needed to be mastered, and Elemental Mastery was a solid passive skill that increased various magic damage.

However, he held off on investing points in the other 3-star skills.

"No matter how many points you have, it's a bit much to max out 3-star skills."

-Right. You might get better skills as quest rewards. It's okay to wait a bit.

Just as he finished organizing his skills, Hanzo returned with the quest.

"I'm ready."

"Great. Let's go."

"Before that, I'll create the party."

After Hanzo said