Chapter 62

"Refusal?"

It was a quest window slightly different from what he had encountered before. This time, a new item, 'Quest Refusal,' had been added after the success and failure conditions.

-Hmm. Choose. Will you gamble for the perfect reward? Or will you settle for the imperfect reward safely?

If the quest is accepted and completed, a second relic and a generous additional reward would pour in.

-But if it fails, everything, including the second relic, would evaporate.

On the other hand, if the quest is refused, the second relic could be obtained immediately.

Of course, in this case, not only would there be no additional reward, but the second relic would also come with a significant penalty.

"Refusal...?"

Shudder.

When Carpe muttered the word 'refusal,' Altear shuddered violently.

It seemed that being refused would cause significant trouble... but in the end, it was truly an unnecessary worry.

"Of course, I will fight with you."

[You have accepted the quest.]

-Right. Unless you're crazy, there's no way you'd choose the safe option. Where would the gamer DNA go?

'No, honestly, even if I skipped the game, I would still have to accept this.'

Obtaining the relic was fine.

However.

[Quest Refusal: Immediate acquisition of the second relic, worst possible affinity with the second relic]

Would anyone choose the refusal option after reading this?

Especially when at the very bottom of the quest window, under 'Tip,' it said, 'The probability of the user's command being refused increases dramatically when affinity is at its worst.'

This was essentially just a choice in name; it was practically a command to accept the quest.

"Phew. Thank goodness. Carpe, I am grateful for your assistance."

Altear, who had been worried about the impossible scenario of Carpe refusing the quest, let out a sigh of relief.

But it was a natural reaction for her.

It was a critical issue that could plunge her entire clan into danger.

The World Tree's fruit grows by absorbing the mana contained in nature.

However, high-quality mana, such as that contained in the relics of the Demon King, could also provide significant help.

It was like fertilizer or a nutrient supplement.

For this reason, if the descendant of the Demon King reclaimed the relic, it would inevitably cause a major disruption in the fruit's growth, which is why Altear had to gauge Carpe's reaction.

'It's worth giving one of our clan's treasures!'

In fact, the bracelet Altear gave as a reward was excessively generous compared to what Carpe had done.

No, it was excessively generous.

He had received a Hero+ grade bracelet for catching a few hundred bugs that couldn't even mount a proper attack. If other Lase users saw this, they would foam at the mouth.

'Humans have always been a greedy species.'

Flattery as a bribe.

Altear offered an excessive reward, hoping Carpe would cooperate, and her plan worked beautifully! The descendant of the Demon King accepted the request.

...Of course, it was all just her delusion.

Ding.

[The fruit will be fully mature in 6 days and 17 hours.]

[Protect the fruit from the fragments of Sebingje for the remaining time.]

As soon as he accepted the quest, it officially began.

However, it was a bit different from what Carpe had expected.

"Huh? Protect it? Not catch it?"

Drive away Sebingje.

Protect the fruit.

There was no phrase 'Catch Sebingje' anywhere in the quest window, as if such a possibility had never even been considered.

"Unfortunately, with our current strength, it's difficult to eliminate him. At best, we can only hold out. Even with your help, it would be the same."

But that was enough.

Once the seed was planted, it couldn't be reversed. The moment the fruit was planted, the enemy would surely give up and retreat.

It was just a matter of holding out and protecting the fruit.

"Hmm. I see."

But Carpe's expression was indifferent. Despite saying he understood, his expression clearly showed that he didn't, causing the succubus to sigh.

-Did he catch some kind of death wish? Damn, I should have won that bet.

There was no way a guy who needed to defeat invincible bosses would be satisfied with just defending.

"Your Majesty."

"Hmm?"

"Delaying time is good, but... it doesn't really matter if I catch him, right?"

"......What are you saying?"

Altear looked at Carpe with a puzzled expression, but Carpe didn't bother to answer.

Instead, he turned his back and walked out of the office.

Men speak with their backs.

* * *

-So, you really plan to catch it? That monster?

"I'd like to, but I have to see the situation. If it's really impossible to defeat, I'll have to give up."

When he said this to the elf queen, it was just a perfect timing to use one of his favorite lines, not because he really intended to 'definitely catch it!'

Carpe was the kind of person who would do anything for fun, but he wasn't reckless enough to tackle an impossible task.

"I'm not that thoughtless."

-...I have a lot to say, but I'll hold my tongue for now.

"Anyway, that grasshopper was really on a different level."

A strength far beyond that of the fanatical priest, another event boss.

Just thinking about the 9-star skill 'Eternal Frost' he used still sent shivers down his spine.

"I didn't expect a 9-star active skill to be so overwhelmingly powerful. At that level, wouldn't it be better to intentionally draw a 1-star background order at the start to get a 9-star skill?"

The sum of the background order and skill levels is always 10 when creating a character, so drawing a 1-star background order would automatically result in a 9-star skill.

-Well, in the early days of the game, quite a few people tried to draw a 1-star background order for this reason. Most of them failed.

The biggest problem was that 9-star skills were all 'late bloomer' types.

Each one had an incredibly high MP cost, making them unusable at level 1.

-Some 9-star skills consume over 1,000 MP per use. If you draw one of those, you'll be stuck with a skill seal until your second class change.

Moreover, drawing a 1-star background order meant a low-quality job and a low-quality background order skill, making everything low-quality.

Finding potential was nearly impossible.

You had to endure and endure, focusing solely on the 9-star skill.

-The issue is that even if you endure and finally use the 9-star skill, it's still not impressive.

To fully utilize a skill, various conditions are necessary.

Your job must support it, and your stats must be properly allocated. That's not all; you need 9-star skill-specific equipment and other skills to complement it.

Without these conditions, using a half-baked 9-star skill would not result in efficient hunting.

-Use the skill once, spend an hour refilling MP... you'd just repeat this until you quit. Unless you get a 9-star passive skill by some rare chance.

Skills like 'Ultimate Yin Body' or 'Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets,' which alter the body itself, are 9-star passive skills.

In such cases, you could aim for a high ranker in the long term with high potential, but...

-It's crazy to believe in such a low probability and draw a 1-star background order. It's much better to draw a 5-star background order.

"Then, how do you get a 9-star skill?"

From what he vaguely remembered, 9-star skills didn't appear even in advanced skill packs.

-There's a special skill pack above the advanced one, where 9-star skills can appear with a low probability. You can also get them through skill card combinations, or...

"Or?"

-They can be given as rewards for certain hidden quests.

"Question."

-What are you going to say? Just ask. What's your question?

"Is there a strategy for getting 9-star skills through hidden quests written in the Succubus Secret Manual?"

-If it wasn't there, I wouldn't have brought it up.

"Ah."

"Indeed. I am once again impressed by your knowledge, my lord. 9-star skills are a grade that even the previous Demon King possessed only a few of."

"Kyu kyu!"

Altear's confident statement made his heart swell.

In this situation, he couldn't help but shout.

"Succubus Bloodline! Ten Thousand Demons' Roar! Now, the fragrance too!"

"Kyu kyu kyu! Kyu kyu!"

"Good job! Then, Tina!"

"......M-my lord, Succubus Bloodline... Kyu. Ten Thousand... Roar... I'm sorry, my lord."

Tina bowed deeply after saying that.

It seemed she still needed more anti-magic training.

-...Are you waiting for me? Everyone is in an uproar because they can't give quests.

"Exactly. Wow, how much experience will I get if I complete all these?"

The worry about 'how to find quests' was meaningless as quests poured in.

Moreover, perhaps because of the high affinity with the elves, or maybe it was just the nature of the quests, the rewards were all generous compared to the difficulty.

An elixir that boosts all stats by +3 for 30 minutes upon consumption.

Attribute stones that can imbue items with various attributes during equipment crafting, and materials that can only be obtained in the Elf Forest.

And even a pair of leather gloves crafted by an elf artisan to improve dexterity (he gave them to Tina because there was no level restriction).

Items rarely seen in human cities were showered upon him as rewards.

Carpe explored the Elf Forest day by day, completing quests.

[You have completed the quest. You receive rewards and experience.]

[Level up! You receive bonus points.]

"Ah. This is what a game should be! God game!"

He was happy.

Minimum effort, maximum reward.

"Lase is undoubtedly a kind and considerate game tailored for busy modern people."

If other players heard this, they would probably issue an infinite bounty on him!

-...Aren't you worried? The way they're showering rewards gives you a sense of how terrifying the fragments of Sebingje will be.

"When the time comes, we'll deal with it then!"

-Sigh.

"Anyway, I'll enjoy the present. The next quest... Ah, here it is again."

The quest to search for the lost queen.

A repetitive quest named 'Carpe, find Altear!'

"It's amazing. How can a queen get lost in her own village?"

-So what? As long as you get the experience and rewards, it's fine.

"That's true."

When he first received this quest, he thought it was a joke.

But after witnessing Altear wandering for two hours over a mere 30 meters, he could only nod.

The stereotype that elves were skilled in reconnaissance was a misconception.

There are directionally challenged elves in the world too.

"Where is she wandering this time?"

About 30 minutes after Carpe started searching the village.

"Ah, there she is."

He found her without much difficulty this time too.

-Hold on. Hide your body for a moment.

"Huh?"

While saying this, Carpe instinctively hid behind a nearby tree.

"Why suddenly?"

-Look at her. Doesn't she seem different from usual?

The place where Carpe found her was near the World Tree.

The World Tree was located on the northern outskirts of the village, a place rarely visited by other elves.

"Exactly. Why is she looking around so much?"

She was pacing around the base of the World Tree, glancing around quickly.

As if checking if anyone was following her.

"Huh?"

Then.

After confirming that no one was following her, Altear entered the base of the World Tree where the roots were slightly exposed.

"......"

Suspicious. Very suspicious.

-What are you going to do?

"......I have to follow the quest."

The quest required him to 'bring Altear back to the office.'

Since he hadn't achieved his goal yet, he had no choice.

"I'm going in."

Carpe followed her into the World Tree.

A 10-star player strengthened by drawing.