Chapter 61

Volume 13 - Chapter 8

The Golden Wheat Fields of Reidan.

'It's tough...'

<The Proxy of the Goddess>

From the moment he heard that name, Damian, the brilliant 'Unique Class' changer, was diligently working in the fields.

Wearing a straw hat to shield himself from the scorching sun, he reaped the wheat with a scythe, looking every bit the seasoned farmer.

Why?

Why was he, who should have been busy as a papal candidate, working in the fields so far from home?

To explain the circumstances, we need to go back a week.

A week ago.

"You cannot enter Reidan unless you defeat me."

When Damian got entangled with the eccentric farmer, he realized he had stepped into a very bad situation.

'Sad.'

Piaro.

This farmer was insane. There was no denying it.

He would grab passersby and challenge them to a duel, and when refused, he would pretend to be a gatekeeper. How could such a person be in his right mind?

His aggressive and unreasonable nature far exceeded the bounds of normalcy.

And he was strong.

A strong lunatic was hard to avoid.

'I picked the wrong one.'

Damian sighed. He had come all this way to meet Grid, but before he could even meet him, he was caught by a madman, making reality seem cruel.

'Well... If I can't avoid it, I have to fight.'

Damian had to meet Grid. He had to ask Grid to seal Raphael's spear. It was necessary to defeat this crazy farmer blocking his path.

With that resolve, he activated <Blessing of Light>.

Zing!

A golden pillar descended from the sky.

Surrounded by it, Damian's attack power, defense, and accuracy instantly increased by 80%.

Blessing of Light.

Despite its long cooldown, its effect was outstanding—no, it was a godlike, strongest buff skill.

Piaro was impressed.

"Truly remarkable divine power!"

Damian's menacing gaze fixed on him.

"I will defeat you. Be careful not to die."

"Good spirit."

No more words were needed.

The two immediately clashed.

Damian, wielding his shield like a limb and using stable one-handed sword techniques. Piaro, who started using a broken sword after a hoe and a spade.

Their battle seemed intense at first.

The result?

Damian lost in 10 minutes.

"Your defense was as solid as the emperor's royal guard, and your healing ability rivaled that of a priest. You are the first to last so long against me. The feel... no, the fun of honing my sword skills was enjoyable."

Piaro's praise continued.

But Damian didn't hear his voice.

'It's unbelievable.'

Since becoming the Proxy of the Goddess thanks to Grid, how many battles had he won?

The number of monsters he had one-sidedly slaughtered was countless.

Famous boss monsters? He had withstood their powerful attacks for hours alone.

I am the pinnacle of a holy knight.

Damian had such pride.

Yet he had been defeated by a farmer.

And in just 10 minutes!

"It's unbelievable!"

Damian was greatly shocked. He couldn't accept the current result at all.

Surprisingly competitive, he was raging when another farmer approached.

It was Crowell, whose identity was hidden.

"Let's fight with me too."

"...Damn it! Fine! Let's fight! Fight! Damn it! I won't lose to a farmer!"

The extremely agitated Damian.

Unfortunately, he accepted the challenge against Crowell as well.

The result?

He lost again.

Fortunately (or not), this time he lasted over 20 minutes.

But it offered no comfort.

"How can this be!"

Two consecutive losses to farmers.

Damian was devastated. He had believed he was now a protagonist-level character, but in reality, he was just an extra.

To the pale-faced Damian, Piaro proposed.

"Actually... Duke Grid is currently away. It will take at least three weeks for him to return. Why don't you stay with us until then?"

Stay?

'What?'

Unable to understand, Damian was shown the wheat field by Piaro.

"Morning field work, afternoon sparring."

"...?"

Why me?

Indeed, this farmer was crazy.

Damian was naturally going to refuse.

At that moment, a quest window appeared.

It wasn't just any quest. It was a 'Hidden' quest, which he had only heard about in rumors.

<Enjoyable and Exciting Training!>

★Hidden Quest★

Live with the farmer Piaro of Reidan. If you stay with him, you will grow greatly.

Quest Completion Conditions: Live with Piaro for 3 weeks. Perfectly complete the tasks he assigns.

Quest Completion Rewards: Strength +30, Vitality +60, Sword Mastery +2 levels, Skill <Farming> created.

"Huh."

For high-level Sword Mastery, it took at least 3 months of continuous training to level up. That's assuming you hunted non-stop.

But to raise Sword Mastery by 2 levels in just 3 weeks?

Moreover, it offered a 90-point stat increase, equivalent to leveling up 9 levels.

'And the Farming skill... No, the Farming skill is useless, right?'

Regardless, it was too tempting a quest to refuse. The only downside was the unfortunate quest name.

Now, he realized that these crazy farmers were not a curse but a blessing.

In the end, Damian accepted Piaro's proposal.

One week later, the present.

Damian had grown stronger.

Although he hadn't completed the quest yet, his level hadn't increased, nor had his stats grown.

But through daily sparring with the two farmers (one being Piaro, the other still unnamed), his control skills had improved dramatically.

Now he could last over 15 minutes against Piaro.

'Should I be happy...?'

Still unaware of Piaro's true identity, Damian was confused. He was worried that he was neglecting his duties.

But he had to meet Grid. If he thought of this time as waiting for Grid's return, there was no need to be anxious.

With a clear mind, Damian worked hard. He carried 10 bundles of harvested wheat on his shoulders and ran around like the wind.

"Hmm?"

Beyond the wheat field, dyed in the sunset.

A group of people was approaching.

Damian tilted his head.

"Who are they?"

During the past week, not a single visitor had come to Reidan. It was a completely isolated city. Suddenly, hundreds of people were approaching. Who were they?

Just as Damian was wondering.

"Well, what a pleasant surprise."

Piaro chuckled. His eyes gleamed with determination, making Damian uneasy.

***

The Oasis of Libra.

The gathering place of the seven major guilds.

"They lack a sense of time."

The agreed time had passed.

Originally, the six guilds, excluding the Giant Guild which did not participate in this alliance, should have gathered here 10 minutes ago.

However, the Ice Flower Guild, Yak Guild, and Giraffe Guild had not arrived yet.

The master of the Golden Guild, Suewon, expressed his dissatisfaction.

"Hey, Jibbal. How much longer do I have to waste my guild members' golden time waiting for these insignificant people?"

The Golden Guild.

The largest guild after the Snake Guild and Giant Guild.

Their recent self-esteem was sky-high, thanks to their strong sense of authority.

The effect of Suewon's change to a Unique Class.

His current ranking, which was 70th in the overall ranking during the national competition season, had risen to 23rd.

The potential for further development was limitless.

His class, <Soul Plunderer>, was evaluated as having combat abilities surpassing <Pagma's Descendant>.

"Waiting for 10 minutes is enough to show our loyalty. Let's act on our own."

Hao, the master of the Hades Guild, was also reaching his limit of patience.

Hao's ranking was 16th.

He was a formidable player, once pointed out by Yura as one of the few he could never defeat.

From Jibbal's perspective, he didn't want to upset these people.

'Anyway, Reidan is empty.'

In fact, the Snake Guild alone could devastate Reidan.

But Jibbal had requested an alliance with the seven major guilds to foster camaraderie.

Especially with the Giant Guild, Golden Guild, and Hades Guild.

He needed to maintain an alliance with them to feel secure. For now.

"Alright, let's crush and plunder on our own."

275 members of the Snake Guild.

211 members of the Golden Guild.

70 members of the Hades Guild.

They advanced towards Reidan without hesitation.

Strategic planning against Reidan's defense forces?

Not necessary.

NPC armies were no match for their power.

"To turn such a major city into just an agricultural town, Grid is completely talentless in politics."

Jibbal sneered at the vast wheat fields.

He turned his gaze to the guild's strongest mage.

"Let's turn this wheat field into ashes first."

"Leave it to me."

Just as Bigboy confidently summoned flames, a voice rang out.

"Who are you?"

"...?"

Four farmers appeared.

Farmers holding farming tools like hoes, scythes, and spades.

One of them, wearing a deeply pressed straw hat, stepped forward and spoke.

"You have a menacing aura. Are you enemies of Reidan?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!!"

Jibbal burst into laughter.

It was absurd and ridiculous that a mere farmer dared to block the march of this great army and ask a question so boldly.

"Do you resemble your master? Even the farmers in this area are stupid."

After laughing for a while, Jibbal's eyes turned cold.

"Kill them."

Jibbal ordered, as if telling someone to swat a fly. To him, a mere farmer was less than a fly.

Bigboy cast a spell at the farmers.

<Flame Tsunami>

The A-rank large-scale spell, cast to burn the wheat field in one go, now advanced towards just four farmers.

The area turned into a sea of fire, and the four farmers, losing their wits, were about to turn into ashes...

"Huh? Wh-what?"

Bigboy was shocked.

Not only him, but everyone present was stunned.

When the farmer swung his spade, the fierce wave of flames vanished as if by magic.

"What is that!"

The members of the three guilds, unable to believe their eyes, were speechless.

Piaro, who had already thrown off his straw hat, smiled brightly.

"Welcome to Reidan."

"Everyone, prepare for battle! Huh?"

Realizing something was wrong, Jibbal hurriedly rallied his guild members. But it was too late.

Piaro was already close.

"Annihilation."

Rumble!

A thunderous sound echoed, and the mud-covered hoe turned red.

Boom!

The sharp tip of the triangular hoe pierced Jibbal's forehead.

[You have taken a critical hit!]

[You have died.]

"???"

The moment the second-ranked player died in a single strike.

Not only Jibbal himself but also the over 550 guild members couldn't grasp the situation.

Meanwhile, Crowell and Damian were in shock.

"Instant death skill...!"

It was a cheat.

Piaro was a much stronger existence than they had thought.

'What is his true identity?'

While Crowell and Damian were deeply puzzled, the members of the three guilds, having lost their center, fell into great confusion.

"Who, who are you!"

The sight of hundreds of the strongest guild members retreating against a single farmer was truly bizarre.

Piaro introduced himself.

"I am a farmer of Reidan."

It was no lie.

He was truly just a farmer now. He actually received a monthly salary of 73 silver from Administrator Rabbit. It was fun to save.

For reference, Administrator Rabbit receives a monthly salary of 5,300 gold.