Chapter 7. Throne Skills (2)

"Wh-What? The King of Vengeance came and went?!"

Upon hearing my story, No. 49's eyes widened and he shouted.

"Why are you shouting so loudly?"

"The King of Vengeance is a huge figure among the thrones! What could have brought him here?"

"It seems he liked our broadcast."

"Broadcast? It ended well, but it wasn't that impressive...?"

No. 49 seemed unconvinced.

"Unnamed, did you have any connection with the King of Vengeance when you were human? Could you have been a contractor?"

"No way."

If I had contracted with an S-rank throne, would I have lived like this?

"So, Unnamed, what exactly did the King of Vengeance say? Did something go wrong?"

"He decided to invest in me."

"Invest?!"

"We didn't go into specifics, but he said he would look after me."

No. 49 gaped at me.

"Unnamed, how did you manage to convince the King of Vengeance? Did you pull some kind of scam?"

"Look at you."

I ruffled No. 49's hair.

"Ouch!"

"Am I you? To scam a throne."

"But it's strange! What does Unnamed have that the King of Vengeance would invest in?"

"Maybe he saw potential. Do you know his true name?"

"......I do. He doesn't hide his true name."

"Do you think he would invest just anywhere?"

In novels, after the Count of Monte Cristo escapes from prison, he acquires a treasure.

But he doesn't stop there; he uses that wealth to build a vast fortune, becoming a tycoon with assets on the scale of a national budget.

In other words, he is a munchkin-like genius in asset management, unmatched by anyone.

"Do you have the eyes to see, or does the King of Vengeance have the eyes to see?"

"......So, the King of Vengeance really recognized Unnamed's potential?"

"Figure it out yourself. Got it?"

No. 49 looked at me with a bewildered expression.

"Enough about me. How does Gang Yujin look?"

"That contractor?"

"I'm observing him here with the surveillance device. Do you think it's okay to just leave him alone?"

"I don't quite understand what you mean..."

"He seems to be coming down the mountain."

On the surveillance screen, Gang Yujin was descending the mountain path.

"Is it okay to just let him go like that? He's been locked up for years."

"So what?"

"Go help him."

"What?"

"If he goes down to the village looking like that, people will think he's a monster. He might even get attacked. Take care of him."

"No, Unnamed!"

No. 49 looked angry.

"What do you think an apostle is? Am I your errand boy?"

"Do you not want to?"

"I don't want to!"

"Then quit."

"What?"

"I'll have to ask the King of Vengeance to introduce me to an apostle."

I yawned as I said this.

"Number 17, I think? The chair was given to me by that apostle, sent by the King of Vengeance. He seems to be quite capable."

"......!"

"I'll have to ask that apostle for help with various things in the future. We need to collaborate with the King of Vengeance anyway."

"No, no, Unnamed. Why are you doing this?"

No. 49 was sweating profusely.

"When did I say I wouldn't do it?"

"You said you didn't want to."

"But I have to! Apostles don't just do what they like! They have to do what they don't like too!"

"You talk well."

"But in return, you have to go through me for everything. It's a promise, okay?"

"Stop talking and get down to Earth."

I waved my hand, urging him to go.

* * *

Gang Yujin was walking alone on the mountain path.

He didn't know exactly where he was, but if he kept walking down the mountain, he would eventually reach a village.

As he was thinking this, a voice suddenly sounded.

"Hem. How do you feel, Gang Yujin?"

"......?"

The jester who had disappeared earlier was now speaking to him again.

"Being able to walk freely in the world, what greater happiness could there be?"

"Why are you here again?"

"Oh, I was worried about you, Gang Yujin."

"You left when I said I wouldn't borrow coins."

Earlier, the jester had introduced various products, saying he would need them to survive, and encouraged him to borrow coins to buy them.

"My mom used to say never to take out a loan. Especially coins? Isn't that virtual currency? I've heard of it."

"No, it's not! Coins are the common currency used worldwide! All contractors use coins, and we apostles also use coins for transactions!"

"Still, I won't take out a loan."

"But you have no money at all. What are you going to do?"

"I'll manage somehow. God will take care of me."

"Then ask God to send you some money!"

"Who asks a god for such material things? Are you crazy?"

"Ugh......"

The jester looked like he was trying to control his anger.

"Fine. I won't mention coins again."

"Good."

"But you look terrible, so let's go wash up in that stream over there."

"Wash up?"

"Do you know what you look like?"

He bowed his head to check his condition.

"Your face is dirty, your hair is a mess, and you look like a ghost. Your clothes, whether they're a patient's gown or a prisoner's uniform, are torn and bloody. Your feet are bare... anyone would think you're a zombie."

"Where have you seen a lively zombie like this?"

"Anyway! You stink, so go wash up!"

"Hmm... Okay."

Gang Yujin walked in the direction the jester pointed.

There was a stream with clear water flowing.

"Don't peek."

"What's there to peek at?!"

"Don't steal my clothes. I read a fairy tale when I was young about a woodcutter who stole a fairy's clothes while she was bathing and made her his wife."

"There's no reason for me to do that, so just hurry up and wash!"

Leaving the angry jester behind, Gang Yujin started to wash himself.

"What should I do with my hair?"

Looking at his reflection in the water, his hair was definitely too long.

"Should I tie it up?"

He tore a piece from the bottom of his pants and used it as a hair tie.

"Much better."

After shaking off the water and putting on his clothes, he came out, and the jester, who had been sitting with his back turned, turned to look at him.

"Let's see......"

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

The jester stared at him in surprise.

"Did you really think you'd look so normal after washing your face and fixing your hair? That's a scam, right?"

"What?"

"Tsk... If you shave your beard and put on some decent clothes, you'd be popular with female thrones."

"I don't understand. Are you feeling attracted to me now?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Then what?"

"Never mind. Why are all thrones and contractors like this... Do they only play with each other?"

He muttered to himself, but Gang Yujin ignored him.

"I'm going."

"Wait."

"What now?"

"Let me give you a piece of advice."

The jester looked at him and said,

"There's a village at the foot of this mountain."

"That's good to know."

"But it's not a regular village. It's a cursed village."

"Cursed?"

What does that mean?

"It's a permanent quest area where beginner contractors come to hunt."

"I don't understand."

"......It's a place where bad monsters appear, and skilled people hunt them."

"You should have said that earlier."

Gang Yujin cracked his neck.

"I should join in."

"Really?"

"The great one saved me. So I should do the right thing."

"What kind of logic is that......"

"Everything according to the great one's will!"

Shouting this, Gang Yujin started running.

Thinking he had something to do, his steps naturally quickened.

"Hmm?"

The village the jester mentioned was now in sight.

It looked like a typical mountain village, but the atmosphere was eerie.

"Hey, jester......"

He tried to call out to the jester, but the jester was nowhere to be seen.

Had he not followed, or had he just left?

Either way, it didn't matter.

"Hey, you, who are you?"

Then, more than ten people approached.

They had a similar vibe to the guards from the facility.

"Are you here to participate?"

"Participate?"

"Hunting the skull heads."

A bald man stepped forward, frowning.

"But why are you dressed like that? No equipment... Are you a contractor?"

"Contractor?"

"Have you contracted with a throne?"

"Oh, that."

He understood roughly.

"I contracted today. With the great one."

"Today?"

The people looked at each other.

"By the way, which throne did you contract with?"

"The nameless one."

"What?"

"The nameless one. We call him that."

Proudly saying this, they looked bewildered.

"Have you heard of such a throne?"

"Never heard of it......"

"Is he really a contractor?"

"Hey, now that I look closely, that's not a patient's gown, is it?"

"Looking closely, I can tell. You escaped from a mental hospital."

The bald man frowned and waved his hand.

"Sir, don't loiter here. Just go on your way. You'll get hurt here."

"But you said there are monsters here, right? Skull heads? I want to help get rid of them."

Hearing this, laughter broke out.

"There are all kinds of people who come here, but now even a mental patient has joined."

"At least you came looking like this. If you had come looking normal, we might have been fooled."

"What's the nameless one? It sounds plausible, which makes it even funnier."

Why were they reacting like this? He couldn't understand.

"Bro! Let's just beat him up and chase him away! The quest is about to start!"

"Already? Damn."

Hearing this, the bald man approached.

"Sir, go outside the village. You can't stay here."

"I want to fight. The great one saved me to do this."

"This guy is really crazy. Listen, sir, you'll die if you stay here."

Saying this, the bald man reached out his hand.

It seemed he was trying to push him away.

But.

"Huh?"

"Bro, just push him away."

"No, I'm using all my strength......"

Seeing Gang Yujin standing firm, the bald man was taken aback.

At that moment,

* Overview: There are no survivors left in this village. The only things that remain are undead monsters that are continuously born due to a sinister curse. Can you repel the endless waves of undead and become a skilled warrior?

* Completion Conditions: Survive for 1 hour without leaving the village.

* Completion Rewards: 100,000 coins, 1 enhancement crystal.]

Text appeared in the air, just like last time.

This time, it was a quest, not an event.

"Damn. It's already started?"

"Bro, just leave him and let's do this ourselves!"

"Damn! I don't know what to do."

Then, something unexpected happened.

The desolate village suddenly came to life.

"Skulls are coming out!"

Skulls, skulls, and more skulls!

Walking skull monsters started to appear.

"Form a formation!"

"Surviving is the priority, so just hold on!"

"I already said, don't hide in the houses! There are traps!"

People took defensive stances with swords, spears, and clubs.

Then, additional messages started to appear.

"What, what is this?"

"Why are two S-rank thrones watching this?"

"Additional rewards?!"

"MVP gets 1,000,000?!"

"What the hell is going on?!"

"Wait, thrones are gathering?"

Text kept pouring down from the sky.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know what's going on, but is this an opportunity?"

"Right! When do we get to fight in front of such illustrious thrones?"

"Let's show them our skills and make an impression!"

"I'm going for the MVP!"

They charged forward with excited expressions.

The formation they had carefully set up was completely broken, but no one cared.

At that moment, people were taken aback by an unexpected message.

"H-Hidden Boss?"

"What? There's such a thing here?"

"This is a beginner's hunting ground, so it shouldn't be anything serious......"

Right then, the ground shook violently.

And a huge something emerged as the ground split open.

"Ah?!"

A dragon... no, a dinosaur.

It was a giant reptile skeleton, about 15 meters tall, with a body that exuded a sense of intimidation.

Especially intimidating was its jaw.

With a massive head and a terrifying jaw, it looked like it could crush a human with a single bite.

"Hey! Run! It's a dinosaur-type undead! A large carnivorous one! A T-Rex?!"

"It's scarier than a dragon! Why is it here?!"

"Damn! What's going on?!"

People screamed and tried to run.

But the gathered skulls blocked their way.

"Get out of the way, you bastards!"

"Hey, let's re-form the formation! We can't break through like this!"

"How do we form a formation in this situation?!"

"Move quickly! The dinosaur-type undead is coming this way!!"

Seeing the approaching skull dinosaur, people looked terrified.

Thinking he had to save them, Gang Yujin leaped from the roof.

"Haah!"

A full-power leap!

Jumping from the roof of a house, he reached the neck of the 15-meter-tall dinosaur.

'If I break the neck......!'

Gang Yujin struck the dinosaur's neck bones with all his might.

He thought that even if it was a skull, breaking the neck would render it powerless.

But... it was unshaken.

Even with the enhanced strength from the cult's human modification, it didn't even scratch.

"Ugh!"

The dinosaur violently swung its head.

Holding onto the neck bones with all his might, it was only a matter of time before he fell.

'If I fall at this speed, it's dangerous......!'

He lacked the strength.

This skull dinosaur was too strong for his current abilities.

Even if he received special divine protection like when he fought the guards, it wouldn't be enough.

'Oh, God!'

Gang Yujin bit his lip.

'I'm sorry! I wasn't strong enough!'

He was frustrated and resentful.

It was unbearable to end the fight here.

At the same time, he felt guilty.

It was too shameful to lose his life, which the great being had saved, in such a place.

"Nameless One, give me strength one last time......!"

Gang Yujin clenched his fist.

Even if he fell to the ground, he was determined to land one last blow on the dinosaur before he fell.

In a state of no-mind, he instinctively understood the exact point, angle, and force needed.

He saw the absolute weak point of all objects.

"Haah!"

A full-power strike.

Gang Yujin's fist pierced the dinosaur's skull.

And... everything started to collapse.

"That, that thing!"

"What? What's happening?!"

The giant dinosaur's skeleton shattered.

Striking the skull alone, the skull didn't just break.

All the bones that made up the 15-meter-tall dinosaur shattered in a chain reaction and collapsed.

Gang Yujin, who had been on top of it, also fell to the ground but stood up easily, stepping on the fallen bones.

"Praise the Nameless One!!"

Holding up the shattered skull, Gang Yujin roared.