Chapter 87

The golden card that floated in the air immediately revealed its identity.

[You have obtained a 7-star Skill Card – 'Wind Blast'.]

"Wind Blast?"

Just from the name, he could guess what kind of skill it was.

It must be an attack magic related to wind.

And as if confirming Carpe's guess, the Celestial Demon spoke.

-Not bad. It's a magic that creates a storm within a certain area. It has a relatively short cooldown but deals decent damage, making it one of the core skills for wind mages.

"Oh, really?"

-Yeah. If you consider all 7-star skills... this one would rank in the top 5%.

"Wow, that's impressive. No wonder it's so good."

However, even though he had drawn a good skill, whether it suited him at the moment was another matter.

Balance was the most important thing when it came to skills.

"Area-of-effect damage magic... Hmm, it's a bit awkward. And it's a wind attribute skill, too."

He already had a much higher-tier area-of-effect skill called 'Eternal Frost'.

And he already had 'Wind Cutter', so the wind attribute wasn't something he desperately needed.

"Ugh. I can't even sell it since it's not tradable."

-Why don't you just learn it? You have plenty of skill points.

"That's true, but I don't have infinite points. I want to use them as efficiently as possible."

After a moment of contemplation, Carpe came to a conclusion.

The solution was surprisingly simple.

"Hyang."

"Meow?"

"Why don't you learn this?"

"Meow?!"

It would be much better for Hyang to learn it, as she already had both area-of-effect and wind skills, which would help maintain a better balance.

"Single-target attack is 'Calling Thunder'. Area-of-effect is 'Wind Blast'. Perfect! Just perfect!"

Moreover, the Storm Scarf he had obtained from the Harpy Queen would amplify wind attribute skills, making it an ideal choice.

[Do you want to teach the skill 'Wind Blast' to your subordinate 'Mokhyang'? It will cost 1 skill point.]

"I'll teach it to her."

[Congratulations! The skill has been learned!]

The skill card disappeared, and the learning process was successfully completed.

Mokhyang, delighted to have learned a new skill, jumped up and down on the spot.

"Meow meow meow!"

"Hmm. Hyang, I'm envious. The gap between us is widening. I need to learn a mount skill soon..."

"Hyang, that's amazing!"

"Ah, Tina, here. I'll give you the equipment I used."

"Equipment crafted and used by my lord! It's a great honor."

Seeing Tina caress the equipment he had given her, Carpe felt a bit guilty.

It was only rare-grade equipment, after all.

He decided that once Tina's level increased, he would upgrade all her equipment to at least hero-grade.

"By the way, I need to get Mirage some equipment, too."

"Me? It's okay, Master. Dopplegangers don't need equipment."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's okay. When my level increases, I can copy the equipment, too."

"Hmm. I see."

So, he put Mirage's equipment on hold.

"I'll get you a good accessory later."

"Okay. Thank you, Master."

Mirage said this and clung to Carpe's leg, and Carpe patted her head.

"Phew. Now, it's really over. Graduating from Luana!"

-Yeah. I'll analyze the new features in the room and let you know. You just focus on growing.

With that, Carpe left the room and headed back to Luana, stopping at the auction house one last time.

He needed to process the equipment he had obtained, especially from the KDs.

Carpe and Mokhyang's inventories were full of various pieces of equipment.

-Yeah. Sell that hero-grade greatsword. You won't use it anyway, and you can easily get something better. Oh? Lucius' dagger? Keep that. You can upgrade and sell it later.

"Okay. I understand."

-Right. After all, you can't unlock everything with just one key.

"That's not true. If something can be used, it should be used to the fullest. You also pursue efficiency, don't you?"

-No. That's not what I meant. It's just that it annoys me.

"..."

Carpe registered the mount skill as a favorite item, a feature only available to black-tier accounts.

This way, he would receive an immediate notification if someone listed the mount skill.

"Alright, then I'll really graduate from Luana."

-Let's head to the warp NPC in the commercial district. You can move to other strongholds from there.

"Huh? Didn't you say the place to get room upgrade materials is on the way? Shouldn't we walk there?"

-True, but if we're going to gather materials, it would be better to complete related quests at the same time. There are a few quests related to forest cats in the Kingdom of Lamarque.

"Ah, I see."

That's why Lamarque was somewhat famous among Lase players.

"Really?"

-Not exactly in a good way, though.

First, Lamarque was known as the weakest kingdom in Lase.

Additionally, while most NPCs in Lase were friendly to players, the NPCs in Lamarque were known for their hostility.

Stories of players who arrived in Lamarque and treated the NPCs the same way they treated others, only to face harsh consequences, were still frequently shared in the community.

-Actually, I didn't know why the people here disliked players until you came along.

"What do you mean?"

-Lamarque was once the Empire of Arkham. It was defeated by the Backland and fell, so they wouldn't like players who are blessed by the Backland.

The name 'Arkham' had disappeared into the annals of history, but the sentiment of rejecting the Backland had persisted for 800 years.

-In the early days, many players came to Lamarque. The weakest kingdom on the continent, and a populace that rejects players. It seemed like a place where hidden quests might exist.

The Celestial Demon had stayed for quite some time, hoping to find such hidden quests.

-But there wasn't anything particularly special. There were a few hidden quests, but they could be found elsewhere. The NPCs' hostility made it a bad place to settle for long.

"Hmm. I see."

For this reason, Lamarque, unlike in the early days, was now known as the region with the fewest players.

No wonder they said, "If you want a tough game, go to Lamarque"!

"Is that why? The gazes here are so hostile."

The residents of Lamarque did not welcome strangers.

They frowned and showed their displeasure at Carpe, who had appeared through the warp.

"That's unfair. I don't even have the Backland's blessing."

-...Why don't you have it, man? You do!

"It's not a normal blessing. Anyway, since we're here, let's go to the royal palace."

When he last met Drek in Luana, Drek had asked him to visit the royal palace.

"If you ever come to the Kingdom of Lamarque, please visit the royal palace. This brooch identifies me. With it, you can easily pass through the city gates."

Fortunately, the royal palace was not far from the warp location.

It was a bit smaller compared to the lord's castle in Luana, which gave a sense of how much Lamarque had declined.

Entering the royal palace was not easy.

The guard, true to the kingdom's reputation of disliking players, was hostile to Carpe, but when Carpe showed the brooch, the guard was surprised and led him inside.

The guard, who had suddenly changed his attitude, guided Carpe to a reception room.

And not long after, Drek appeared in the reception room, seemingly having heard the news.

"Hehe. You came much faster than I expected. Welcome, successor."

Drek was dressed in proper noble attire, unlike his usual shabby clothes.

"Please wait a moment. I'll inform His Majesty of your audience..."

Bang!

At that moment, as Drek was speaking to Carpe, the reception room door was violently opened, and a man entered.

"Drek! I heard! The successor of the Demon King has arrived!"

A towering old man with white hair.

He burst in and loudly announced this.

"...How did you know, General? And please lower your voice. This is a secret."

"Secret? You kept it from me? Tsk. That's disappointing."

"No, it's not about disappointment. Please lower your voice first..."

"Oh, this young man?"

The towering old man ignored Drek and looked at Carpe intently.

-Ah, damn. That senile old man. I knew he'd be here.

The Celestial Demon suddenly sighed, seemingly recognizing the intruder.

"Brother, what's going on? Who is he?"

-Remember what I said earlier? Lamarque is a somewhat famous place.

A weak kingdom, hostile NPCs, and the decisive factor that made Lamarque famous.

-It's home to one of the strongest NPCs.

In the world of Last Savior, set in the continent of Arklux, who was the strongest being?

The answer was clear: the Four Evils.

But they were disasters, and thus should be excluded from this discussion.

Excluding these extraordinary monsters, the Four Evils, the continent's strongest were eleven figures.

The One Supreme.

The One Star.

The Four Tyrants.

The Five Seats.

These were the pinnacle of humanity, often referred to as the Eleven Strong.

And one of the Four Tyrants.

The Blade Tyrant, Gillian.

That was the old man's identity.

"Great! You have a good look in your eyes!"

He seemed very satisfied and nodded at Carpe.

"You. Let's have a chat."

"...A chat?"

"Ha... Successor, I'm truly sorry. Please indulge General Gillian for a moment."

Gillian led Carpe to a vast training ground, claiming it was a suitable place for their chat.

"…You said a chat?"

"Hahaha! Men don't need words to chat! A good, hearty match is the true conversation between warriors!"

Ding.

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

[Category: Job Scenario]

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

[Blade Tyrant Gillian shows extreme curiosity towards you. Gain his recognition. Gillian has served the Lamarque royal family for over a century. If you gain his recognition, you can receive his full support.]

[Quest Success: Linked to the next quest, quest difficulty decreases]

[Quest Failure: Linked quest difficulty significantly increases]

A 10-star player who became strong through luck.