Chapter 82

"…It was just a joke. Would I really seal you, brother? That's ridiculous."

-No. You, this guy. Your eyes were serious. Don't come any closer and keep your distance.

The Cheonma growled from about 3 meters away from Carpe.

…Somehow, despite his mountain-like build, his actions were like those of a Chihuahua.

"But, brother, you read the explanation, right? It says that consent is required. Even if I wanted to, I can't seal you without your permission."

As Carpe said this, he took a step forward, but the Cheonma retreated by the same amount.

-Stop moving. Do I look like a fool to you? You were thinking of bypassing the consent condition with a hack and forcibly sealing me, weren't you? Where did you get the hack?

"Oh? Is there such a method?"

Carpe was impressed. This was really an unexpected approach.

They say that humans can exert superhuman strength when they feel their life is in danger, and it was clear that the Cheonma's brain had gone into overdrive at the prospect of being sealed.

"That might be worth a try… just once…."

-No way!

"Ah. Well, if you don't want to, there's nothing I can do. I'll give up."

The Cheonma's reaction was more intense than expected, and although Carpe had been joking a bit, he had no intention of sealing the Cheonma.

If the Cheonma were sealed, the future information about the Cheonma would also be sealed.

Even if he were to seal it, he would only do so right before the third relic, not now.

-Your eyes are impure.

"It's a misunderstanding. I really won't seal you, so stop being on guard."

-How honest are you, really? What percentage of that was serious?

"Ah, maybe about 1%."

-…1% in a gacha is a huge deal, right? You must maintain a 1-meter distance. Absolutely.

As the Cheonma cautiously approached, Tina spoke with a hint of regret.

"It's a shame. If it were you, Sir Death Knight, you would be the perfect choice. I'm sure Lindor, who passed away first, would be satisfied and rest in peace."

"Right. Mirage agrees too. Sir Death Knight is awesome. Cheonma Death Beam!"

-…I respectfully decline.

"Still, what you said might be worth a try."

Can the condition of obtaining the other party's consent really be invalidated by a hack?

If this were possible, the quest difficulty would drop dramatically.

"Without hesitation, we should conduct an experiment."

Carpe left Luana and moved to a beach where mobs appeared.

After experimenting with various methods on the monsters there,

-Phew. What a relief.

"Ah. This won't work."

Unfortunately, it was impossible to invalidate the consent condition with a hack.

The Cheonma looked relieved and said,

-This means we have to go the orthodox route. Looks like we're stuck with grinding.

"Ugh… There's nothing we can do."

Still, there was one piece of good news.

The Soul Stone's description stated that the probability was "very low," but it wasn't as low as he thought.

When Carpe had killed exactly 10 monsters on the beach, a notification window appeared.

[The Soul Stone reacts to the soul of a Large Conch.]

[Do you want to store the soul of the Large Conch?]

"Whoa. No. Absolutely not."

[The soul disappears.]

There was a minor incident where the soul of a conch almost ended up in the Death Knight's body, but thanks to this, they gained some information.

"Hit on the 10th one. It's more doable than I thought."

-You don't know that. It could have been a stroke of luck at that moment.

"No, it can't be. This is the average probability."

-You know it's not. Heh heh. Finally, the day has come when the gacha addict faces justice. This time, you're stuck with grinding…

"Don't touch my happiness circuit. Human. Do you want your soul stored in the Soul Stone?"

-…No.

"Mr. Cheonma, act like a gentleman. If we can't get the soul, there's nothing I can do. Then, I'll become a thug! I'll forcibly create a Cheonma Death Knight!"

-…I'll try my best to find one. A rational boss monster. Yeah, I'll find one.

Of course, the experiment just confirmed that it was impossible to seal a soul without consent, but who knew what other methods might be found.

Given what the Cheonma knew about Carpe, he was capable of finding a way.

* * *

After finishing the experiment, Carpe returned to Luana.

There was still business to attend to in Luana.

-Luana has a hidden quest that can be started from level 40. Even if you skip everything else in Luana, you must do this one. The reward is good.

"Really? What's the reward?"

-A 7-star skill. Not a chance, but a guaranteed 7-star skill.

"Whoa… Really?"

Carpe was surprised and looked at the Cheonma. A victorious smile appeared on his face, something he hadn't seen in a long time.

-I told you from the beginning, didn't I? I'll make you a supreme being, so just be ready to accept it. I already have a growth plan in my head.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of sealing you. It was just a joke."

-Hmm. I didn't think that.

Despite his words, the Cheonma's expression looked more relaxed.

-Remember the Wind Cave we went to earlier? If you go a little further in, you'll find a deep valley.

It was known as the Harpy Valley.

As the name suggests, it was a place where a large number of harpies lived, and it was also where the field boss monster 'Harpy Queen' appeared.

-You need to gather herbs that grow there and hand them over to the butler at the lord's castle.

"Butler? William?"

-Yes. His granddaughter is suffering from an incurable disease. The herbs are the cure.

"Ah. It's an RPG classic quest, and I like it."

-It's a pretty troublesome quest because you also need to complete a quest to enter the lord's castle, but you don't need to do that, so you're lucky.

"Indeed. I'm lucky."

Since Carpe had gained the lord of Luana's approval, he could enter and leave the castle whenever he wanted.

"Then, let's head to Harpy Valley… before that."

There was a place he needed to visit.

Carpe looked at the plate armor he had made himself.

At level 15, it was far below his current level.

"I need to complete the Wind Set quest and change my armor first."

-That's a good idea. The Wind Set will last you for a while.

The KD guild members' armor, which they had obtained after killing mobs, wasn't bad, but it still didn't match the Wind Set with all five set options.

Since Tina had just reached level 15, he could pass on the plate armor he was wearing.

Even without planning, things seemed to fall into place, which was a good omen.

Perhaps he could easily obtain a boss soul as well?

"Then, let's go."

Carpe headed towards the blacksmith district.

He immediately entered Zik's blacksmith shop. Unlike the last visit, there wasn't a single player in the shop.

As Carpe approached, Zik greeted him warmly.

"Ah! The Messenger of the Gods has returned. So, did you get the items I asked for?"

"Yes, here they are."

Carpe said this and poured out over 100 Wind Essences, causing Zik's mouth to drop open.

"W-What are these?! How did you get so many?"

"Just by killing mobs, I ended up with…."

"Ho. You are far more capable than I thought."

"Can I get the Wind Armor for five parts with this much?"

"More than enough! Wait a moment. Since there are no other customers, I'll make it for you right away!"

Zik seemed enthusiastic, clearly pleased with the large amount of essences Carpe had brought.

"If you have a preference for leather or plate…."

Zik suddenly stopped speaking.

He then began to examine Carpe's arms closely.

"Excuse me for a moment."

No, he didn't just look; he came closer and patted and felt Carpe's arms.

Carpe couldn't help but ask,

"Is there something wrong with my arms?"

"You."

"Yes?"

"You're in the same trade. You've held a hammer before!"

Zik's voice grew louder, clearly excited. He nodded in satisfaction.

"You're a fine young man! These days, young people often ignore the hard work of a blacksmith. You're excellent!"

Zik patted Carpe's back and laughed heartily.

"I like you. Can you do me one more favor? If you do, I'll teach you the recipe for the Wind Armor!"

Ding.

[Blacksmith Zik's Request (2)]

[Quest Restriction: Players who have learned blacksmithing skills and have delivered over 100 essences at once.]

[Zik highly regards your skills and is asking for one more favor. Obtain 'Wind Feather' and bring it to him.]

[Wind Feather (0/1)]

[Quest Success: Zik's favor increases significantly, obtain the recipe for the Wind Armor]

[Quest Failure: Zik's favor decreases, obtain the Wind Armor]

"…What?"

-Huh? There's a hidden quest here too?

Delivering 100 essences and having learned blacksmithing skills.

The conditions were so obscure that even the Cheonma didn't know about them.

"I'll definitely do it!"

"Heh heh. As expected, you're a fine young man. I knew my eyes didn't deceive me."

[You have accepted the quest.]

Carpe left the blacksmith shop, determined to complete the quest.

-Wow, this is how it turns out. Set item recipes aren't something you can easily get.

"Heh heh. As they say, one should live a good life."

Even if he failed the quest, he could still get the Wind Set, but making it himself had many advantages.

Unlike when an NPC makes an item, a player who crafts it can receive bonus stats.

Not only that, Carpe could also process the items.

Rune engraving.

A magic king's secret technique to engrave runes on completed equipment to add options and increase the grade by one level.

"Since the Wind Set is rare grade, it will become a hero-grade set item if it goes up one level."

-You'll live off crafting skills alone even if everything else fails. A hero-grade set item at this level will last you a long time after your second class change.

"Of course, that's only if I complete the quest successfully."

Since it was a hidden quest that even the Cheonma hadn't seen before, there was no specific strategy.

"Wind Feather. Just hearing the name gives me a good idea."

-How obvious. As far as I know, there's only one monster around here that carries feathers.

A monster with a human female body, wings, and bird legs.

It could only be a harpy.

"I'll go right away."

Carpe began moving towards the 7-star skill and the hero-grade set item.

A 10-star player who became strong through gacha.