Chapter 18

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Masterpiece

"It's been used."

I told the truth.

I couldn't lie and say it hadn't been used when it had.

Hudson's eyes began to tremble like a leaf in the wind.

"Ah... "

A deep sigh escaped Hudson's lips.

Hope crumbled.

After all, a talisman was essential to reach level 10.

Especially a talisman like the Fairy Queen's Tears, which drastically lowered equipment restrictions, was a treasure among treasures, impossible to obtain even if one desired it.

The dream of so-called 'item boost' had just floated away into the air.

Still, I couldn't mock him by asking why he used it.

From the beginning, the Fairy Queen's Tears belonged to the Seer.

The Seer had only promised to show the way, not to give the Fairy Queen's Tears.

"To reach level 10 and enter the path of the Sacred Blood, you don't need a talisman. I told you beforehand not to have false hopes."

Of course, I couldn't admit that I used it for the Chid Mamba raid, even if I were to die.

It wasn't exactly a lie.

Even if the Fairy Queen's Tears removed the restriction on one piece of equipment, it wouldn't solve Hudson's problems. There were too many issues to address.

I stared intently at Hudson's face.

To be precise, at the parchment floating in front of his face.

=======================

<<Hudson (Oliver) / Male / 29 years old / Neutral Good>>

·Class: [Merchant]

<Stats>

·Level: [9]

·Strength: [61]

·Health: [71]

·Agility: [54]

·Intelligence: [71]

·Magic: [55]

<Talents>

【Intelligence】【Senses】【Carefulness】【Boldness】

【Leadership】【Craftsmanship】【Talent】【Water】

【Art】【Scholarship】【Observation】【Cooking】

<Skills>

·Observer's Hand (8Lv)

·Cash Hammer (5Lv)

·Mercenary Tactics (8Lv)

·Guardian of Water (6Lv)

·Hermit's Shop Summoning (6Lv)

=======================

... Hudson's status window is visible.

From the moment I heard his entire life story, his status window had appeared before my eyes.

His real name in the real world, Oliver, his gender, age, and even his alignment.

'... It's terrible.'

I inwardly clicked my tongue.

Hudson's condition was so pitiful that it was hard to believe he was level 9.

Especially his stats were in a dire state.

It seemed he had spent about 10,000 SP on his talents.

'His intelligence should be at least 80.'

Frankly, I could have raised him better even if I had started from scratch.

Intelligence is crucial for skill growth, as it accelerates learning and mastery.

Many observation-related skills also require high intelligence.

For the Merchant class, with the talents he has, his intelligence should be at least 80. His skill levels should be higher by at least one level.

'He must not have fought directly himself.'

His Mercenary Tactics is at level 8.

While Merchant classes typically have basic combat skills, this was excessive.

His combat-related skill was only Cash Hammer (5Lv).

Wouldn't it have been better to be a commander or a priest?

I understood why he couldn't hunt with such low stats.

His situation was probably similar to Jung Jin-woo's.

In a game, he might have been scared to fight directly.

'... The ability to see someone's status window didn't exist in the original game.'

Still, it's a curious phenomenon.

There are observation skills that provide a rough overview, but the ability to see everything in such detail doesn't exist in the game.

Is it because Hudson opened up to me completely?

It doesn't seem to be just that.

There's something that makes knowledge more concrete.

'One of the hidden traits I possess... the function of the Great Seer?'

The ability to show levels, reveal hidden things, and see others' status windows in detail can only be explained by a hidden trait.

If it's related to knowledge, it must be connected to the 'Great Seer.'

As I gained deep knowledge about Hudson, this phenomenon appeared due to the Great Seer.

However, there was a question.

'Why can't I see Isabella's status window?'

Isn't Isabella the character I know best?

She's the character I created and raised.

It should be visible.

If not, it means there are other conditions to see a status window.

'Background, more detailed memories, and related information... Thinking about it, I don't really know much about Isabella.'

I know Isabella, but I don't know her.

I don't even know why she suddenly became known as the Snake Princess.

I realized I knew nothing about Isabella beyond her desire to find her roots and leave the desert.

On the other hand, Hudson had told me everything, even things I didn't need to know.

"Seer, then you're saying there's another path for me?"

"It exists."

I was confident.

There are countless paths to level 10.

Even with low stats, there are ways to reach level 10 without relying on a talisman.

Since I've tried reaching level 10 the most in this Pangea, you can trust me. However, I couldn't tell Hudson that.

Hudson bowed his head with a more desperate expression.

"Show me the way."

"Start by cleaning up the casino."

"Excuse me?"

His desperate expression quickly turned to confusion.

To clean up a well-functioning casino?

Unless he was crazy?

"Concentrating solely on the path of the Sacred Blood is not enough. Running such a large business will inevitably consume a lot of your attention, which is why I'm telling you to clean it up."

"But, can't I just entrust it to a proxy?"

"Will the council leave the casino alone without an owner?"

"..."

Hudson tightly closed his mouth.

One of the three major casinos in the Golden City of Arcana. There are many who would target it. If Hudson leaves his position, the council won't leave it alone.

Money-hungry people.

But how did the Seer know all this?

Facts I only learned after living in Arcana for over a year and running a business.

'Do the stars really tell everything?'

Listening to the Seer's words made my skin crawl.

He really knew everything. When he mentioned that Seringetti and I were secretly engaged, it felt like I had been hit on the head with a hammer.

I had never met the Seer before, and the rumors about him were all different, but he knew everything.

Since he knows everything, and he says there's a path, the only thing left is my belief.

'Right. The casino isn't important.'

Hudson bit his lip.

Running the casino was all for the sake of joining the council.

Becoming a council member and proposing to the Duke's family was the most important thing.

However, the council gave no opportunities to Hudson, who hadn't reached level 10.

Instead, they ignored him and tried to use and consume him.

"Even if I clean it up as quickly as possible, it will take at least three days."

"I'll give you two days. We'll set out after that."

"Where are we going?"

"Masterpiece."

"Master... Piece?"

I smiled slightly.

The starting point of Main Quest 3 and the place that could solve all problems at once: Masterpiece.

And to get there, Hudson was needed.

'Hudson is a walking potion and shop.'

With Guardian of Water and Hermit's Shop!

While his direct combat ability is low, Hudson is the best supporter, performing both the roles of a merchant and a priest.

It would be a waste to let such talent go to waste.

I clearly stated our destination.

"We're going to the Tower of Spirits."

"Wait... The Tower of Spirits? Does it really exist?"

Hudson tilted his head.

Rumors about the Tower of Spirits are rampant, but no one has actually entered it.

However, it does exist.

'I've been there.'

I've entered it.

Spirits. The most mysterious beings in this world.

But only the chosen ones can ascend the Tower of Spirits.

Only those chosen by the spirits can do so.

It's an extremely rare occurrence.

One must complete related talents and numerous quests and have good luck to get the opportunity.

Among gamers, only a handful have entered the Tower of Spirits.

They are literally people who have been 'selected' by a miracle.

And to enter the Tower of Spirits, one must break through another miracle-like probability.

However, there was no need to worry.

I didn't need to be chosen by the spirits in the first place.

'Druid's affinity with nature.'

With the hidden trait of a druid who can control spirits, I would choose the spirits, not the other way around.

*

There was no time to waste.

It was wise to prepare waypoint work in advance when there was time.

However, exploring all of Arcana would be a crazy task.

"Are you asking me to open the sewers?"

Hudson asked in shock.

The bottom of Arcana. The request to head to the dungeon located in the sewers didn't seem very pleasant.

"The number of monster rats is not trivial. Without any preparation, even if you are the Seer... "

"I know."

"The city council has given up on the sewer dungeon. Are you sure it's okay?"

The high-ranking officials of the city council have given up on purifying the sewers.

The level of ordinary monster rats is 5, but their numbers are so vast and the underground sewers are so complex that it's impossible to clear them all at once.

Moreover, the dungeon boss in the sewers is a level 8 monster.

At least six level 8 characters are needed to clear the dungeon raid boss.

"It's fine."

"... I'll go with you."

Hudson said with a worried expression.

While it's possible to open the dungeon at his discretion, if something happens to the Seer, the dream and hope he barely obtained will be lost.

"Feel free."

I shrugged.

Why refuse when a healer offers to help for free?

*

Bang!

A giant mutant monster rat was laid on the ground.

The culprit who had been tormenting the residents of Arcana, the leader of the monster rats that had been moving through the sewers and evading capture, was finally caught.

<<'Mutant Monster Rat (8Lv)' has been defeated.>>

<<'Arcana's Sewers' have been fully explored.>>

<<Exploration Rate 100%>>

<<'Arcana's Sewers' waypoint has been added to the 'Teleport Book'.>>

Thus, I obtained the waypoints for the desert city of Faisalmir and the golden city of Arcana.

Although the location is a bit inconvenient.

"Did you... defeat the mutant monster rat alone?"

Hudson looked at Isabella with disbelief, not at me.

Isabella quietly slid her dagger into her belt and approached me as if it was nothing.

Mutant monster rats are quick and good at escaping, but they are the opposite of Isabella, who has the Assassin class.

'She's on a different level.'

And while I created Isabella half as a challenge, she is still a character I raised with great effort.

I had given up on breaking the Queen's Curse because I couldn't find a way.

Compared to Hudson, who was raised through sheer luck, she is on a different level.

Hudson muttered in disbelief.

"Amazing. Not only the fight, but the judgment to block the retreat routes in advance was also excellent. Calculating the time the water would come in... "

As Hudson said, I had blocked all the retreat routes the mutant monster rat could use in advance.

Of course, blocking all the complex sewer routes is a difficult task.

However, the time the water entered each sewer was different, and by calculating all of this and moving meticulously, I was able to corner the monster rat and hunt it easily.

"Even a strong monster can be caught easily with a bit of strategy."

"It's not just a bit of strategy... "

Did you calculate all of this with your head?

Hudson couldn't believe it. The sewers of Arcana are intertwined with hundreds, if not thousands, of channels. The time the water enters each channel is different, and calculating all of this is impossible.

If the calculation of the water flow was off by even one second, the mutant monster rat would have immediately noticed and escaped.

Even with a high-performance computer, it would be difficult.

Swallow!

'Monster.'

The woman who hunted the mutant monster rat alone is a monster, but the real monster is the Seer.

There are many people who are good at fighting. There are many people with high levels.

But I can guarantee that no one fights like the Seer.

Moreover, as a Merchant, Hudson has the talent to understand the characteristics of many people he meets.

And the Seer is the type of person who should never be turned into an enemy.

'Oh.'

Regardless, I ignored Hudson's gaze and looked at the floating messages.

<<You have completed the exploration of the dungeon and received a reward.>>

<<The 'Throne of Adventure' slaps its forehead at your ingenuity. The reward is upgraded.>>

<<Rolling the dice.>>

<<You can choose one item from four reward lists.>>

<<You possess a 'Lucky Dice'.>>

<<Roll the dice again to obtain a reward from a higher list.>>

The Lucky Dice. An item obtained by killing Chid Mamba.

I had never seen it in Pangea before.

I thought it would be a one-time use, but it turned out to have a lasting effect?

Moreover, the Throne of Adventure slapped its forehead. A total of two levels higher in rewards.

After carefully checking the reward list, I nodded with a satisfied expression.

'Good luck.'