Chapter 73

Volume 13 - Chapter 20

After accepting Demian's request, Grid had to listen to administrative reports from the Tembalbal members and Rabbitt. Even though it was troublesome, he had no choice. It was the minimum responsibility as a lord.

As a result, an hour quickly passed.

'I'm tired.'

The accumulated fatigue from the five-week quest was too high. The problem was the lack of sleep.

"Sir Grid, are you going to the Vatican right away?"

Outside the meeting room.

Demian, who had been waiting, approached and asked.

Grid waved his hand at the wide-eyed Demian.

"I need to rest first. I'll contact you later when I log in, so you go to the Vatican first."

"Understood."

Frankly, Demian wished Grid would head to the Vatican immediately. Thinking of Isabel Jean, who was suffering at that moment, made his heart ache.

But he couldn't bring himself to urge Grid and stepped back obediently.

After waiting for months, could he not wait another day or two?

With a deep bow, Demian watched as Grid logged out. Grid then went straight to bed and fell asleep like he had fainted.

***

Since the National Competition.

For a full ten months in Satisfy, Yura had been focused on a single quest.

"The Path of Asceticism"

Difficulty: SS

You must meet the first bell of Yatan.

Quest Completion Reward: ???

A quest with no clues at all.

During the quest, Yura encountered countless adversities. She experienced frustration many times.

But she did not give up.

If she were the type to give up easily, she wouldn't have been ranked 5th in the overall rankings.

Her perseverance and determination far exceeded that of an ordinary person.

'Finally, I found it.'

Even the dirty dust and disgusting blood did not diminish Yura's beauty.

After a long struggle, she finally reached her destination and remained as beautiful as ever. Her flawless white skin and jet-black hair complemented each other, making her shine.

Thud, thud.

Deep in the cave.

Yura climbed onto the altar in the center of the cave.

On the altar was a pure white flame.

[Dear child, you have managed to reach this place with your weak human body.]

Was this the voice of an angel?

The most gentle and beautiful voice came from the flame.

Yura's eyes twitched. Her long eyelashes fluttered like waves.

'My guess was right.'

The first bell of Yatan, shrouded in mystery.

He was not human.

Evidence?

It was in the white flame before her.

The true identity of this flame was the soul of a demon.

[You are worthy to welcome me, Amorak.]

Amorak, the Demon of Discord.

One of the 33 Great Demons, he was the first bell of Yatan.

A religion by demons, for demons, and of demons.

That was the true nature of the Yatan religion.

There were many hints.

The Yatan religion aimed to bring the 33 Great Demons to earth.

The bells of Yatan included demons like Balak.

And according to legend, the 33 Great Demons were the creations of the evil god Yatan.

Considering all these characteristics, the Yatan religion could not be seen as a religion for humans.

The Yatan religion was a clear enemy of humanity.

[Child, I will give you infinite power.]

Amorak tempted her.

[I will help you transcend your weak human body.]

An alert window appeared in Yura's vision.

[You have completed the quest "The Path of Asceticism (SS)".]

[If you accept Amorak's power, your race will change from human to half-demon. Demons can evolve into devils.]

[Do you accept Amorak's power?]

'You're giving me a choice?'

Whether to accept the reward or not. A quest that left the choice to the player was unheard of.

What did this imply?

Yura's sharp mind activated.

Based on all the information and experience she had accumulated, her high intelligence quickly analyzed the current situation.

Yura soon found the answer.

"I will refuse."

Amorak's soul flickered.

He was shaken by the unexpected choice.

[Child, why? Why do you refuse power?]

"..."

[Child, are you planning to betray the god Yatan?]

After becoming a black magician and joining the Yatan religion.

Yura had committed many evil deeds. It was the fate of a black magician.

The quests given to black magician players always involved harming people and causing chaos.

The guilt?

Her heart was uncomfortable, but it was manageable.

Satisfy was fundamentally a game. It was different from reality.

The distinction between good and evil was clear, and there was no hesitation in becoming evil.

Yura had been faithful to her role as a player who chose the path of evil. As a result, she became one of Yatan's bells.

But now, she felt weary.

Because of belated guilt?

No.

There was another reason.

"Yes, I plan to betray. If I accept your power and remain a bell of Yatan forever, I will inevitably become an enemy of a certain man."

[Man? Who are you talking about?]

"Grid."

Yura's lake-like eyes pierced through Amorak's soul.

"The bell slayer of Yatan."

[What!]

Recently, Yura had received news that Grid had killed the third bell of Yatan by slaying Darkbus.

The order to kill Grid had been issued by the Yatan religion long ago.

Yura did not want to remain in the Yatan religion and become his enemy.

But she couldn't leave the Yatan religion. It would be a foolish act to lose so much.

But now, the situation had changed.

Why was there a choice in the SS-level quest reward?

It was easy to guess.

Because if she refused the reward, she would receive a 'hidden reward' in return.

"I will stop being a bell of Yatan. Actually, I never liked Yatan from the beginning."

She chose to become a black magician because it seemed interesting. If she had known she had to serve the god Yatan, she wouldn't have become a black magician in the first place.

[Impudent wench!!]

Amorak's gentle and warm voice transformed into a terrifying one. It seemed he could kill Yura with just a shout.

But Yura was not intimidated.

She knew that Amorak could not descend to earth at the moment.

Ding!

[You have refused Amorak's power.]

[You have been stripped of your status as a bell of Yatan.]

[You have been expelled from the Yatan religion.]

[You have lost your black magic power.]

[You are now a permanent enemy of the Yatan religion.]

[You have changed classes to Legendary Class, Devil Slayer.]

[Your level has decreased.]

[Your level is now 1.]

"Oh."

She had expected to gain a Legendary Class, but she didn't expect her level to drop to 1.

A list of newly acquired skills continuously appeared in Yura's vision.

That day.

Yura's name disappeared from the ranker list.

Naturally, it became a big topic. Speculations spread from all over the world.

***

When he opened his eyes, it was 4:30 AM.

He had slept for 13 hours.

With a dazed expression, Youngwoo came out of his room, and his parents greeted him.

"Son! How can it be so hard to see your face even though we live in the same house?"

"It's been ten days."

Youngwoo's parents ran a vegetable store, growing and selling their own produce. They went out to work early in the morning and returned late at night.

In contrast, Youngwoo spent most of his day inside the capsule. Especially in the past 12 days, his playtime had been particularly long due to the quest.

It was inevitable that the three of them rarely met.

"Your story has been on the news for the past few days. I know you've been busy with important things, but don't overwork yourself."

"Take care of your health. I noticed you haven't been exercising recently, which is worrying. If you get sick, not only will we be sad, but the citizens will be sad too."

'Important things... citizens...'

After raising South Korea's status in the National Competition, Youngwoo had been treated like a hero.

Honestly, he found it hard to adapt. The gap between the days when he was mocked as a game addict and now was too great.

'Success in any field, huh.'

It felt good. He was very proud. Especially when he saw his parents being proud of him.

While stretching and listening to their words, Youngwoo suddenly felt puzzled.

"But I was on the news?"

"Yes, some guilds, the 7th or 8th, united and invaded your city, right?"

"Really?"

"And you and your companions defeated them without any damage, right?"

"Really?"

"And some baron, Asura or Ashur, helped you, right?"

"Huh?"

"And the experts on TV praised our son every day, didn't they? Oh, ho, ho."

"..."

Youngwoo was confused from the moment he opened his eyes.

He couldn't understand what his parents were saying.

'Summarizing... the 7th guilds united and invaded Reidan, and Tembalbal and Baron Ashur defeated them, right?'

But why didn't I know about it?

'Raoul.'

Was the 'trivial matter' he mentioned this incident?

'Not trivial at all.'

Youngwoo smiled.

He could guess why the Tembalbal members didn't report this incident to him.

'Since there was no actual damage, they probably didn't want to worry me unnecessarily.'

They didn't want to interfere with his quest. When he returned from completing the quest, he was too tired, so they didn't want to keep him for long.

He felt that his companions' concern for him was growing day by day.

'As the saying goes, you reap what you sow.'

In the past, when he was a loser, Shin Youngwoo was filled with resentment and only cared about himself.

Back then, he was always alone. He was not respected by anyone, and he didn't care about others either.

But now, it's different.

After succeeding, he started to have the leisure to care for others, and as a result, he began to be respected.

Now, he had many people he could call 'friends.' It was a truly happy thing.

"It's been a while."

After breakfast with his parents.

Sehee, who had just woken up, greeted Youngwoo, who had just finished bathing.

His long-lost sister had become even prettier.

"Is it because you're in your growth period..."

Youngwoo's detailed gaze from head to toe made Sehee's face turn red.

"What are you looking at, you pervert!"

"Pervert?"

Why should he be called a pervert for checking his sister's growth?

Confused, Youngwoo received a workout outfit from Sehee.

"Since you seem to have some free time now, why don't you exercise for the first time in a while?"

"Should I?"

In the past 12 days, he hadn't moved much except for some stretching and push-ups.

Feeling stifled, he was happy when his sister suggested this. He went out for a run for the first time in a long time. The fresh air invigorated his mind and body.

On the way back home.

A man was waiting for Youngwoo.

"This is the first time we're meeting in real life."

It was not Geulgang... but Geulgeon.