Chapter 47

Chapter 47.

‘You are the master of this world.’

In a dream.

Lee A-un heard a faint voice.

‘Such a pure soul. If it is you, then perhaps it will be all right to entrust our world to you.’

It was a tiny voice, as if it might break off at any moment.

‘But your potential is still... weak.’

Lee A-un strained his ears to hear the voice as it gradually faded.

‘See you again.’

FLASH!

And with that, his eyes opened.

***

I equipped the unconscious Lee A-un with Primordial Essence and shoved him into the Class-change Center once again.

[Available Class-change List: 9th Series - Black Magic]

[Apex: Deathlord]

[Lower Classes] (Mastered)

That much was obvious.

After waiting for a moment...

[A talent bestowed by the heavens!]

[A new possibility blooms]

[Dual Class has been activated]

“That is right.”

It was the moment I confirmed that the Genesis Trait possessed by Primordial Essence was working properly.

[Available Class-change List: 11th Series - Summoning]

The Dual Class had opened.

The 11th Series was the field that governed Summoners.

Now I just had to see what had opened among the lower classes...

‘Two would be standard. Three would be a jackpot. Four would be a miracle.’

[Spiritist]

A class that could summon spirits containing the elements.

This was the reason I had inserted materials from the World Tree the elves treasured so dearly.

Clear.

‘And since there are World Tree materials...’

[Plantmancer]

‘That is right.’

I had calculated that much.

‘Is that the end?’

Perhaps it meant it was judging whether he had aptitude.

The cursor continued blinking below it.

‘Three would be a jackpot.’

When I had previously granted a Dual Class to Artier, the NPC who managed my hideout, she had barely stopped at two.

That was how difficult it was to artificially create aptitude.

Beep.

[Golem Master]

‘It appeared!’

A class that could create and operate golems using ores.

This was the reason I had shoved in rare ores I had obtained from the dwarves in exchange for high-proof alcohol.

Clear.

‘Phewww.’

I felt like I wanted to slump down completely.

It was a pity that nothing appeared from the Goddess’s Tear or the materials I had gathered by stripping the beastmen clean, even though I had invested them freely.

Still, having three artificially created aptitudes recognized was an extremely, very, tremendously slim possibility.

‘And I broke through that.’

Only someone who could do this much deserved to be called a true veteran...

“...Hmm?”

Strange.

Below [Golem Master], the cursor was still blinking.

“No way?”

Did the fourth aptitude appear?

Beep.

[Demonic Beast Tamer]

“Insane.”

It actually appeared?

[Available Class-change List: 11th Series - Summoning]

[Spiritist]

[Plantmancer]

[Golem Master]

[Demonic Beast Tamer]

With the fourth one as the last, the aptitude judgment ended.

“Wow...”

My heart swelled with grandeur.

I had already decided what Dual Class I would give Lee A-un.

If everything had gone according to my original calculations, choosing between spirits and plants would have been the limit.

But after breaking through a miraculous probability, Lee A-un had received recognition for as many as four aptitudes.

‘I can make extremely good use of this.’

For my immediate plan, I had already clearly decided what to change his class into.

But having more options was never a bad thing. No, it was unquestionably a gain.

It meant I could use them to unlock the Corridor of Constellations at any time.

Heh heh.

Click. Click.

I moved the mouse cheerfully and changed Lee A-un’s class.

[Apex: Deathlord]

[Dual Class: Spiritist]

“Perfect.”

[Would you like to change class?]

My answer this time was YES.

***

Now I had done everything I could do for Lee A-un.

I resolved his curse, drove away his stalker (the Outer God), changed his class, and gave him a Genesis-rank item.

“I did everything for him.”

If this had been any other game, I would also have compressed the level-up grind for him.

Unfortunately, in Lost Honor, level did not have much meaning.

‘The only thing it does is unlock magic according to level.’

I found out after trying to teach Han Seol-ah magic.

Hunters could not use Lost Honor’s magic.

Even Han Seol-ah had only barely managed to imitate something similar after I guided her Enlightenment and she received the benefits of Eternal Winter.

So now, it was time to graduate Lee A-un.

For the final step, I checked Lee A-un’s Compendium again.

[Lee A-un]

[Awakening Ability: Deathlord] (EX) (new!)

[Awakening Ability: Spiritist] (A) (new!)

“It worked.”

Just as expected.

Lee A-un had temporarily lost his Awakening Ability.

Once I changed his class through Lost Honor’s system, the class name now stood proudly under ‘Awakening Ability,’ as if he had awakened.

“You were reborn.”

As expected of Lost Honor.

A miraculous game that had turned an Awakening Failure into a Hunter.

Apparently, it could also turn something that had once been a “Hunter” but had lost its Awakening Ability back into a Hunter.

‘I will continue to milk these sweet benefits. Loyalty, loyalty.’

[Current Ability: EX]

[Potential Ability: EX]

“The Epic Quest was cleared long ago.”

Let us look at his Unique Traits.

This was important too.

[Unique Trait: Child of the Outer God] (Removed)

└[Heaven’s Curse: Outer God’s Brand] (Overcome)

(...)

└[Heaven’s Curse: Short Life] (Overcome)

“Oh.”

It was a festival of ‘Removed’ and ‘Overcome’ everywhere.

And it did not stop there.

[Unique Trait: Outer God Slayer] (EX) (new!)

└[God Slayer] (?)

└[Genius: Cursecraft] (S)

└[Heaven’s Curse: Hatred of Outer Gods] (-)

└[Heaven’s Curse: Twisted Brand of the Outer God] (-)

“Hmm.”

A rather impressive-looking Unique Trait had newly appeared.

“Why is God Slayer there?”

I was the one who caught the Outer God with Nebula.

Lee A-un had merely been unconscious the entire time.

‘Well, if it is good, it is good.’

The fact that he had gained genius-level talent in Cursecraft was good news.

As for the Heaven’s Curses below that...

‘Ugh. These Outer God bastards are so pathetic.’

They were not even a bitterly separated ex-boyfriend, yet their obsession was severe.

‘...Come to think of it, they did part on bad terms. I killed them.’

If I got the chance, I should make him ‘Overcome’ those Heaven’s Curses too.

Below ‘Pure Soul (EX),’ the Unique Trait Lee A-un originally possessed...

[Unique Trait: Primordial Essence] (EX) (new!)

└[Genius: Spirit Affinity]

└[Genius: Plant Affinity]

└[Genius: Demonic Beast Affinity]

└[Genius: Mineral Affinity]

“Ahh.”

The Genesis Trait possessed by the Genesis-rank item, ‘Primordial Essence,’ had settled in as a Unique Trait.

I closed the Compendium.

“The setup is complete.”

I brought up the Epic Quest window that was still sparkling beside it.

[Emergency Epic Quest]

[Saving the Republic of Korea from the Crisis of Destruction 3]

[Quest Objective]

[Awaken ‘Lee A-un’ to EX-rank] (Achieved)

The important part was the next line.

[Hidden Quest: Curse Removal complete]

‘I expected this, but still.’

When I thought about why Lee A-un had fallen into ruin, this Hidden Quest had been comparatively easy to predict.

The root of all evil was the Outer God.

All I had to do was remove that rotten root.

“Now, then. What is the reward?”

Drumroll.

[Quest Reward]

[Corridor of Constellations - ‘Possession’ Enhancement]

[Possession Ticket]

[Reality: Additional Sub Quest Granted] (new!)

“Huh?”

‘Reality? Additional Sub Quest Granted?’

What on earth was that?

[Would you like to receive the reward?]

I had graduated Lee A-un.

And I was too curious about the Hidden Quest reward.

So I pressed ‘Yes.’

At the same time...

Ding.

A cheerful sound rang beside my ear.

And a system message window appeared before my eyes in reality.

[Sub Quest: ‘ ’]

[Quest Objective: ‘ ’]

[Quest Reward]

[Party]

“Huh?”

It was a quest message window that looked as if someone had stopped halfway through making it, with all the important parts left blank.

“What is this?”

[‘ ’ has been achieved!]

[Quest Reward: ‘Party’ acquired]

“?”

The quest cleared itself on its own.

“What in the world is happening?”

This was the second time I had received a Sub Quest.

The first one was the Sub Quest telling me to become friends with Lee A-un.

After I overachieved, I had been able to use the ‘Whisper’ function in addition to the basic reward, Lee A-un’s Compendium.

And now...

‘Party?’

The ‘Party’ function that always appeared in MMORPGs had been unlocked.

“How can this be!”

I was shock itself.

I was someone who had only ever solo-played alone in my room.

Experience with true “party play,” where people communicated with other people while hunting Monsters, the flower of MMORPGs?

I could firmly say I had none!

When I possessed Han Seol-ah, a party window had opened briefly, but that was not party play. It was a “carry,” where a veteran handled the dirty work for a newbie.

But now, someone like me had gained a real-world ‘Party’ function?

Was Lost Honor scheming to turn me into a social butterfly?

‘Thank you very much.’

The courage to enjoy this world like an MMORPG.

I had received it well.

I calmed my emotions and sat down again.

‘This is strange.’

Lost Honor gave me the impression that it avoided interfering with the real me.

With ‘Ha Seong-un.’

Let me think back.

Excluding the case where it awakened me through the first Epic Quest...

The rewards Lost Honor gave me for the second Epic Quest, ‘Defeat Scathach,’ were ‘Corridor of Constellations - Achievement Enhancement’ and ‘Corridor of Constellations - Compendium’ unlocked.

Both were in-game functions.

The third Epic Quest was the same.

It enhanced the ‘Corridor of Constellations - Possession’ function.

And instead of directly strengthening ‘Ha Seong-un’ as a quest reward, it first offered, ‘I will give you a Sub Quest in reality.’

On top of that, it provided the actual Sub Quest as a blank and let me clear it just by breathing.

It was like watching a gamer exploiting a loophole while saying, ‘I will bypass it like this.’

‘Then does that mean strengthening Nebula in-game and strengthening Ha Seong-un in reality will proceed on two separate tracks from now on?’

There were still too few cases for me to be certain, but...

I had a feeling that my prediction was probably correct.

‘Then what was the first Awakening?’

If I thought of it in terms of the rules of a game...

Did it have something like an ‘Interference Power’ that could manipulate reality?

Had it spent a huge amount of that Interference Power to awaken me at first, forcing it to choose this cumbersome bypass method afterward?

‘That sounds plausible.’

However, there was still not enough information, so it was only a hypothesis.

Thinking about it any more would only give me a headache, so I decided to forget it for now.

What mattered right now was making use of the ‘Party’ function.

‘There is a reason it gave this to me now.’

When it awakened me?

It had been the last possible moment to use me as a relief pitcher right before the Republic of Korea truly collapsed.

Whisper?

It was slightly ambiguous, but it had allowed me to communicate with Han Seol-ah from far away.

More than anything, it had been the only means to communicate with Lee A-un after he was possessed into the game.

‘It was probably a function meant to help me fight the curse and the Outer God inside the game.’

Because Nebula was so overwhelmingly strong that he crushed the Outer God, it felt as if its purpose had been somewhat overshadowed.

And now, Party.

‘The Resonar subjugation battle that will happen soon.’

Resonar was not a boss I could clear by doing a one-man show alone.

That meant the performance of the ‘party members’ would become extremely important.

‘...Whisper will be useful then as well. Did it see that far ahead?’

Whisper, which was necessary to communicate with party members, would also become even more important.

Developer, you bastard...

I truly commend you.

And after that.

‘Tower Strategy.’

This was the main point.

When I thought about the 94th Floor clear condition...

‘...The difference between having this and not having this is enormous.’

Like Whisper, the Party function could also be used inside Lost Honor.

An icon I had never seen before had newly appeared.

It was an icon with three overlapping human-shaped pictograms.

[Party]

“It has been updated like a new function.”

Click.

When I pressed the icon...

[Party] (1/5)

[Me]

[Empty]

[Empty]

[Empty]

[Empty]

[Party Invite]

[Leave Party]

A simple interface greeted me.

‘I am glad it is simply displayed as “Me,” without making me rack my brain over whether it should be Ha Seong-un, Nebula, Apostle, Special One, or something else.’

Beside [Me], I could see a red bar signifying HP and a blue bar signifying MP.

When I clicked [Party Invite] below...

[Who?]

[ ]

A window asking for the target appeared.

But...

“This bastard?”

It was rather curt, was it not?

“Phew.”

It was trivial. Trivial.

Whom should I invite to the party first?

That had already been decided.

Tap. Tap.

[Han Seol-ah]

It was you.

***

At the same time, in the Hunter Association’s training ground.

In the air before Han Seol-ah, who had been sitting cross-legged and regulating her Mana, geometric letters of light appeared.

“Hmm?”

[Fate is calling you...]

[Yes] [No]

It was a message of sacred golden letters that sparkled brightly.

‘This is...!’