◈ Episode 513: An Unpleasant Affair, Indeed (2)
It wasn’t just VIP, but VVIP, I suppose.‘Since I’m alone.’Being able to enter the top floor of the Spacetime Social Club. But even so. Did they really need to play such grandiose music……?
“The harmonies of the string instruments are exquisite.”
Wh-what instrument harmonies?
“The expressiveness of the wind instruments is also superb.”
The expressiveness of wind instruments is superb……?
What do you even know about it, Grangpel?
Forget it, what would I even say?‘……
Let’s just shut up and go up quietly.’Who might be listening? It’s scary.
Who had currently entered the Spacetime Social Club was private information that even a VVIP could not know. But no matter who it was, if I ran into them, I was someone bound to flush with shame—Ihoyeol.
In that regard, it was fortunate.
“But this, too, is an unpleasant welcome.”
Because the great Grangpel-nim was not fond of high society.
So I skipped the lower and upper floors and went straight to the top floor.[You have entered the top floor of the Spacetime Social Club.]
A scenery dazzling to the eyes.
As the Spacetime Social Club was already splendid to begin with.
The top floor was so splendid that it couldn’t be compared to the lower or upper floors.‘Now is not the time to be distracted.’By the way, humans are truly fickle, aren’t they?‘Compared to the Abyss of Claudi, this place is rather plain.’Thanks to my heightened perspective, I did not hesitate.
I immediately approached the scroll floating in the air.『Highest Spacetime Mission』.
In other words, it was a scroll inscribed with the list of quests I could currently undertake.‘Scrolls exist on the lower and upper floors as well.’But the types of quests available were different. They were on a different level from ordinary spacetime quests, such as hunting specific monsters or investigating specific locations.‘Look, even their names are all so grandiose, aren’t they?’[Mythic Quest: History of the Empire][Mythic Quest: Reversal of the Karmic Bond][Mythic Quest: In Search of the Source of Magic]…….
Each and every quest that appeared on the scroll was a tremendous quest that could change the current continent of Arcana by going back against the past.
So I perused the list with serious eyes.‘Let’s go with something that looks as unimportant as possible.’We can’t have an unnecessary butterfly effect, can we?
Whether it’s a positive change or a negative change.
The continent of Arcana was chaotic enough as it was.‘Besides, my real objective is something else.’—Witness the intact House of Claudi. (In Progress)
The reason for suddenly undertaking a highest-level spacetime quest?
It was solely to witness the intact House of Claudi, which could not be seen in the present.‘Let’s see.’Then how about sorting them in reverse order by reward? The smaller the reward, the lower the difficulty and influence of the quest that would appear. And there was a quest that caught my eye.[Mythic Quest: First Stroll]
I skimmed through the contents of that quest and decided.‘……
This is it.’This was exactly the kind of quest I wanted.
If it was this quest, not only would success be smooth, but I felt I could achieve my original goal without difficulty too?
*……A dry swallow.
Armor worn loosely.
Hair flowing down.
Shoes worn wrinkled.
Without realizing it, I began to straighten my attire.
As if that were all.
Even Leoni’s slovenly posture, which was not easily bent, broke.
Stealthily.
Leoni, who had been straddling a table at some point, got down.
The three Guild Masters of the great alliance flinched at the unexpected message but exchanged opinions.
Hisagi asked.
“A VVIP, could it possibly be the Great Sage?”
“No, system messages do not lie.”
“Right, what did you see? It definitely said the great star has set.”
Despite the two rebuking him, Hisagi muttered unconcernedly.
“Then who could it be.”~♩♬♩♬♪~For someone to set foot in the Spacetime Social Club receiving such a grand welcome. There was one person who inevitably came to mind in this situation, but…….
Hisagi soon shook his head.‘Our Commander does not enjoy such occasions.’The distant past.
The time when Hoyeol first distinguished himself as a player.
Inazuma had investigated extensively behind the scenes to recruit Hoyeol.
—“He’s excessively clean, Captain.”
—“Shake him inside out and not a speck of dust comes out.”
—“And the only people around him are his family…….”
What they learned through that process was this. Unlike other players. Hoyeol did not have any connection whatsoever with high society.
In political circles, entertainment circles, and the underworld as well.‘Thanks to that, I couldn’t even have a proper conversation with him.’In contrast, Hisagi was someone who had lived with all sorts of connections in many areas.
Thanks to that, Hisagi was well-versed in the structure of such high society.
And he displayed that knowledge for the first time in a while.
“It must be an enormous big shot.”
“……A big shot?”
“If it’s a VVIP of such a social club, after all.”
That’s right—everything must balance the books.
Clink.
Hisagi flicked a Spacetime Gold Coin with his finger.
“It must be someone overwhelmingly wealthy.”
“……What, didn’t you say you don’t have a single coin?!”
“Hey, Hisagi. You pay back my lifewater debt instead of this guy.”
To think he was thinking such things even in this situation.
The two were admirable in a different sense, but.
Hisagi was quite used to it.
Swish.
He quickly stashed the gold coin into his inventory and continued.
“In that sense, I’m curious.”
“What now?”
“There is only one way to obtain Spacetime Gold Coins, isn’t there?”
“……!!”
At those words, even Nam Taemin suppressed the temper he had shown toward Leoni.
It was thanks to the two of them having undertaken spacetime requests as well.
“Does that mean they cleared so many such high-difficulty quests that they’re called a VVIP? You’re certainly right, Hisagi. You could only call them a big shot in every respect.”
They would certainly need to see this face. It was the moment the three were steeling their resolve and watching the entrance of the social club. From that entrance, a familiar head of hair suddenly came into view……?
A sharply pointed conical hat.
“……Huh?”
Below it fluttered golden hair.
A bewildered voice.
Leoni asked before anyone else.
“What, is that Jesse Haines?”
“Ah, hello! Fancy meeting you all here!”
“Y-you-you were a VVIP here?!”
Are you seriously that lucky?!
The moment Leoni was about to flare up.
Jesse waved his hand.
“No, how could that be! I was just reading a magic tome at the Magic Tower when a message popped up, so I came here. A message saying that a VVIP has entered the Spacetime Social Club!”……
A message?
Wait, how great of a person must it be.
To think they sent a message even to Jesse, who was at the Magic Tower?
But the trembling of the three didn’t stop there.
Transcendents entering the social club one after another, led by Jesse Haines. Among them were even close confidants of the Commander, whom they had become acquainted with in the Imperial capital, Antonium.
The Four Great Clans.
The House Head of the Achimond of Dread.
Retel Achimond.
She was the one to greet the three first.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you here, fledgling adventurers.”
“Ah, yes…….”
But the three didn’t even have the mental composure to answer properly.
Just how great of a VVIP was it.
To think so many Transcendents had gathered in the Spacetime Social Club as if for a grand assembly? They swallowed dryly once again.
“I need to get a grip. My perspective is completely different.”
Thus, they couldn’t help but keep their eyes wide open. They didn’t know when, but surely. Because that person called a VVIP would reveal themselves in the social club.
Nam Taemin’s gaze scanning the social club.
“Everyone must have gathered thinking the same as us.”~♩♬♩♬♪~Contrary to the sweet melody.
A strange tension seemed to flow through the Spacetime Social Club.*The objective of the quest was truly simple and clear.—Escort the target. (In Progress)
There were no annoying conditions or anything.
As long as I escorted the target without revealing myself, it would be over.
In that sense…….
I examined my attire.‘This outfit won’t do.’Self-illuminating.
Wouldn’t the Jacket of Dawn, emitting light, stand out too much?
However, taking off my clothes for such a reason was something Grangpel would never allow.
So I made a decision.‘……
I really don’t want to.’I pulled out something pitch-black from my inventory.[Cloak of Akshan
- Incomplete][Rank: Rare][Restriction: Lv.500][Effect: None][Description: The uniform of the resurrected Akshan.]
That’s right.
It was the current Akshan, which had recruited new demon hunters formerly known as the Shadow Mercenary Corps. As they needed the unique attire of demon hunters as in the past, I had sent word to the dwarves to craft Akshan’s uniform.‘And Diend brought this.’Why was it Diend, not Haiel, who delivered this cloak with emotion? I didn’t want to know the reason. My Number Two clone would surely blabber on……!
Incomplete.
Because of that, aside from the defense granted by dwarven craftsmanship, no additional effects were attached. It merely reproduced the shaggy demon hunter attire of those days exactly as it was.
But our ever-consistent Grangpel-nim.
“It is incomplete, yet not bad.”
Your tastes are consistent as well.
You draped the cloak on so willingly.
Whether it’s the Jacket of Dawn or the Cloak of Akshan, I suppose they’re equally shameful.‘Let’s just be satisfied with something less eye-catching.’Clack.
Soon, I took a step with [Heavenly Demon Overlord
Step]. I compiled the information I saw and heard from the fleeting scenery. First, what was certain was that this was the distant past before the Great Upheaval.‘There is no trace of demons.’Because I couldn’t sense any demonic presence blatantly.
If it was before the Demon Realm overflowed.
There was a high possibility it was also before the House of Claudi was destroyed.‘If it’s according to my heart, right this instant.’I wanted to open a portal leading to the Claudi territory.
But first, finding the quest objective was the priority.
As I looked around in all directions, when I faced a certain direction, a message flickered.‘This way.’While moving my steps following that flicker.
A pure question arose.
Since the quest name was [First Stroll].‘Is the target taking their first steps outside?’It was the mission objective of a Mythic-grade quest. Apart from its difficulty or reward, it meant the target was someone who could cause a butterfly effect on the continent of Arcana merely by existing…….‘Must be some incredibly great clan’s brat.’It wasn’t long before I, thinking so, felt a strange sense of incongruity.
Wait…….
Am I even going the right way?
Swish.
I gently lifted the cloak I had draped over my head and looked around. No matter how I looked at it, it was a familiar direction. That’s right. My footsteps were heading toward the Claudi territory.‘Now even my body won’t listen to me, seriously?’I flinched, but I wasn’t mistaken.
As I said, I was moving forward using the flickering quest objective as my compass. It was simply that the path was exactly the same as the one leading to the Claudi territory.
Thinking so, one possibility came to mind.‘……
Wait.’A target taking their first stroll.
A target who would exert tremendous influence on the continent of Arcana later on.
And the place where such a target was.
Was exactly the same direction as the Claudi territory……?
I, Ihoyeol. I couldn’t help but flinch.‘No way……?’But I didn’t voice my astonishment.……
Swish.
I pulled the cloak down deep again.Without noticing me, who had hidden my presence in the forest with the {Nature} ability. Figures exchanging meaningful conversation were captured in my sight.
But their attire was familiar.
A hammer emblem etched in gold.
That was the symbol of the House of Maxima among the Four Great Clans.
The pride of Maxima, the Golden Elite soldiers, whispered.
“……Damn it, do we really have to do this?”
“We have no choice. This is the path we walk.”
“For our House Head to be entangled with such a person of all people……!!”
House Head, such a person, House of Maxima.
It was the moment information was piecing together in my head.
Through the forest of the Claudi territory, the ‘target’s’ presence was felt.
“……They’re here.”
At that, Maxima’s soldiers held their breath. Shhring, they drew their swords from their waists.
And at the same time.
—Escort the target. (In Progress)
The quest objective flickered intensely.
I, Ihoyeol. I spat out a short and simple impression.……
Grangpel, you were cute when you were little?