Chapter 52

Around the time Carpe succeeded in the solo raid.

Mammon, the guild leader of Mammonism, was receiving a report in his office at the guild house.

"So, you still haven't caught a single clue?"

"That's correct."

"Really now. It seems Gwak Mu-seong has lost his touch. Has he become too far removed from the field?"

"……I have nothing to say."

Gwak Mu-seong, Mammon's secretary, simply bowed his head.

It was an impossible task, like finding a needle in a desert, but what could he do? The man in front of him was his employer who paid his salary, and at home, he had a family who depended solely on him.

"Well, it's fine. This isn't something that can be resolved in a day or two."

Fortunately, Mammon wasn't the type to throw a fit over not finding a needle in a desert.

If the reason was valid, he could even laugh off a subordinate's failure.

"There are still too few clues."

"Clues? Didn't you say that guy runs a channel about the Demon Horse or something? Can't you just dig into that?"

"It's not that simple."

The channel had only been up for a few days, and only three videos had been posted.

Moreover, the videos were so short that there was hardly any information to be gleaned from them.

The only things he could ascertain from the videos were that the man was a magic swordsman who used a sword and lightning magic, and that he had a magic squirrel pet.

Actually, the squirrel might not even be his, as it could belong to another user.

"A magic swordsman, huh. I bet there are a few truckloads of them in Luana."

"Yes, and unlike the beginner city, Luana is home to users from all over the world……"

"I get it, I get it. Stop complaining, and Team Leader Gwak, do your best to find him."

"Thank you. Please leave it to me. I will definitely find him and carry out the blood vendetta……"

"Huh? Vendetta? Why a vendetta?"

"……Didn't you want to find him for revenge?"

"Ha, really now. Do you know me so little? How long has Team Leader Gwak been my dedicated secretary?"

"Less than a year."

Gwak Mu-seong had been working in the HR department until a year ago when Mammon personally selected him as his secretary.

This was because he was a high-level player in Lase.

"A year is long enough to get to know someone. Listen, Team Leader Gwak. Can revenge make money?"

"……Usually not."

Not only could it not make money, but revenge often required investing money and time.

"But it could be a warning……"

"You're talking about a warning. Are you making a gangster movie? A company lives and dies by its image. We're already getting flak for manipulating the coin market, and if we start a vendetta over just one user, it'll only make things worse."

Even if they tried to be discreet, they would still get three times the criticism.

It could even put the brakes on their soaring stock prices.

"Even if we spend money and time on revenge, what will we gain? Sure, it might make us feel a bit better, but I'm the kind of person who's fine with my mood hitting rock bottom as long as I can make money."

He was the type who could laugh and shake hands with his enemy if it meant making money.

Mammon was such a person.

"Find him and start the recruitment process. Not just for One-Pidan, but for the Sword Emperor…… or is it Hanjo now? Anyway, he's the one who can take on everyone, so we must recruit him."

"I will keep that in mind, Chairman."

"Psst. In the game, call me Guild Leader. Oh, by the way, how's Choi Dae-sung doing?"

"Yes, he completed his class change yesterday."

"Oh, really? What did he change to?"

"'Blood Priest,' a hidden class in the monk category."

"A monk, huh? That's a rare class in our guild. Very good."

"It's a good class for utilizing high sensitivity."

Sensitivity refers to how well the in-game avatar responds to commands from the real-world body, expressed as a numerical value.

In a virtual reality game, there was inevitably a slight reaction delay between the real body and the avatar, and the lower this delay, the higher the sensitivity.

The general consensus was that a sensitivity score of at least 90 was required to prepare for the professional gaming scene.

"How much was Choi Dae-sung's sensitivity score? I remember it being over 100."

'He knows already……'

Gwak Mu-seong sighed inwardly.

His boss had a strange habit of wanting to confirm known information through his subordinates, especially if it was good news.

"His recorded sensitivity score when playing Apollo was 107, 2 points higher than the Sword Emperor's."

"Ah, right, right. 107! I love that number."

Choi Dae-sung was the top prospect of the Mammonism guild, who had just turned an adult this year.

His recruitment had been completed three months ago, but due to personal reasons and the need to build his character, he had only started Lase yesterday.

With his absurd sensitivity and the fact that he had drawn an 8-star background item, he was the most watched individual within Mammonism.

"Indeed, one must live a good life. That's why the heavens bestow such blessings."

"……Yes, it's all thanks to the Guild Leader's virtue."

"Right, right. Take good care of Choi Dae-sung. Try to meet his requests as much as possible. You don't need to report to me, just use your judgment, Team Leader Gwak."

"……Understood."

"Ah! You said the highest bid was 10,000 gold, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Place a bid for 30,000 gold. If we're going to show something, we should show it clearly."

Mammon hated wasting money pathologically, but he wasn't stingy with investments.

Yes, this was an investment. It was a message: 'Our guild values you this much.'

If a few million could build trust with the top prospect, it would be a good deal.

Money was the highest value, but ultimately, it was people who earned it.

"Don't be stingy with money when it comes to talent."

The investment would pay off.

Mammon smiled confidently.

* * *

"Thank you! Thanks to you, I'm less worried now!"

[You have completed the guard's request.]

[As a reward, you have received 5 gold and experience points.]

[Level up! You have received bonus points.]

"Finally! Level up!"

- Good job. You've finally reached level 25.

After completing the solo raid, Carpe's level was 23.

He hunted a bit more while gathering the remaining mushrooms and reached level 24. Completing two side quests in the village brought him to exactly level 25.

"Finally, the second relic scenario can proceed."

- Don't forget to upgrade your room.

"Of course, I have to do that. So, first…… huh?"

Just as Carpe was about to start his class scenario, an alert window appeared before his eyes.

[The auction item you listed has been sold. Please collect the payment at the nearest auction house.]

"Oh, right. I completely forgot about it."

- You've been busy. Since it's right in front of you, just stop by.

So, Carpe headed straight to the auction house.

[The 'Fanatic's Sickle' has been sold for 30,000 gold.]

[The 'Cedlak's Carpenter Gloves' have been sold for 1,130 gold.]

[Your account level is 'Black.' You are exempt from fees.]

"……What?"

Confusion set in at the incomprehensible numbers.

"……30,000? 1 gold is 1 dollar, and 1 dollar is a bit over 1,000 won…… huh?!"

- Tsk. Looks like some rich guy went a bit overboard……. There are plenty of people who can't resist showing off their wealth.

Sometimes, such people existed.

Even at the low-level stage, they wanted to wield the best gear.

They knew they wouldn't use it later, but if it was rare, they would buy it anyway.

Usually, it was the oil tycoons from the Middle East who did this, and surely this 30,000 gold was their doing.

- It's probably just a few thousand gold, but did the rich guys start a chicken game?

"Wow…… wow……!"

Selling an item for a few million?

It was hard to believe, even though it was something that only happened in novels.

- I know it's a huge sum for you, but calm down. Later, it will be even more, with an extra zero. What will you do then?

"……Are you saying item prices can reach the billions? Is that possible?"

- It's possible. Even in old games, things like Execution Swords were worth millions.

If Lase, with over 500 million players worldwide, was any indication, it was entirely possible for an item to be worth hundreds of millions.

"Really, it's hard to grasp."

- It's because you're still a low-level player. You'll start to feel it more as you progress. Just wait a year. 30,000 gold? Who would care about such a small amount then?

While Carpe and the Demon Horse were envisioning a happy future, Tina, hidden in the robe, spoke up.

"Lord."

"Yes?"

"Out of the blue, but I've remembered something."

It was a truly sudden statement, with no context or explanation.

"I've remembered about the second relic."

"Oh."

In fact, Carpe had been asking Tina about the other relics since they first met.

If the seven relics of the Demon King referred to seven dolls, then Tina, as one of them, would know the most.

However, Tina had answered that her memory of the other dolls was blurry, perhaps due to the aftereffects of her long sealing.

- Hmm. It seems your memory returns when you reach a certain level.

"Reaching level 25 means this much, huh."

Tina's next words were somewhat shocking.

"The second doll is 'Mirage of Illusion.' It's a doppleganger."

-……A doppleganger?

"A shape-shifting monster? That doppleganger?"

"Yes. To be precise, it's a homunculus with doppleganger traits, the second doll created by the Demon King."

"Hmm. This is an interesting setup. So, where is this second doll?"

"If my memory serves, Mirage is in the 'Forgotten Forest.'"

- The Forgotten Forest? Is there such a place in Lase?

Even the Demon Horse, acknowledged as the best at rotten things, tilted his head at the unfamiliar name, but Tina nodded as if it was a natural reaction.

"You wouldn't know. The residents of the Forgotten Forest are extremely wary of humans and have placed a perception hindering barrier over the entire forest."

At that moment,

Ding.

[The Demon King's Second Relic (1)]

[Category: Class Scenario Quest]

[Quest Restriction: One who inherits the Demon King's will]

[The Demon King's second relic lies dormant in the ancient forest now forgotten. However, the forest's residents are highly hostile to humans. To retrieve the second relic, you must first gain their recognition.]

[Quest Completion: Leads to the next quest, opens the new area 'Forgotten Forest']

[Quest Failure: Failure to obtain the relic, 'Elf' race's favorability fixed at the worst]

"……Huh?"

- Elves? Why are elves involved?

Carpe was about to embark on another uncharted path.

The 10-star player who became strong through luck