NOVEL NEXT Chapter 356
Having planted an information source to gather intel on my behalf, I went to the bathroom and grabbed some snacks.
I was starving since I hadn’t had a proper meal since morning.
“Did you find any useful information?”
I asked the info source while munching away at a nutritious calorie bar.
Come to think of it, I still didn’t even know their name.
We hadn’t even exchanged introductions, yet they managed to stay put without taking a break.
Whoever they are, I can say they’re quite the excellent informant.
“It’s all pretty much the same story; it seems no one has managed to capture any conclusive evidence yet.”
“Is that so?”
“By the way, Kayak, do you know who I am?”
The informant looked at me and asked.
This was, well, a sort of test. A secret code exchanged between covert agents keeping their identities hidden.
It seemed she wanted to confirm I wasn’t switched out while I was in the bathroom.
[Seriously, what the hell? LOL]
[What is this nonsense, damn it?]
[Did you fall asleep after watching a spy movie yesterday?]
[I figured it out when you left a stranger to eavesdrop while you went to the bathroom.]
[I just joined two days ago; is this person crazy?]
[Seriously, if they’re that nuts, run away now!]
[Kapu, that person is An-sae’s friend, right?]
[It’s legendary that Kapu just accepted this! LOL]
[I wonder how they’d do a broadcast without a big company backing them.]
[Isn’t this a form of power harassment? Kayak ordered Hako to eavesdrop here!]
[I thought they were normal lately, but now they’re back to their old ways.]
[Is this another secret agent cosplay? That’s tough!]
[This person isn’t even a VTuber, so why so many concept roles?]
[Actually, it’s not a concept, they have multiple personalities. Yep.]
[Huh?]
[Mental health drama with multiple personalities… just how far does Kayak’s broadcasting spectrum go?]
[One of the many pieces that make up Kayak. Whoa.]
[Secret agent is leaving!]
[Kayakwaterisdripping donated 10,000 won!]
– I watched that person’s broadcast, and it seemed they came not as a secret agent, but to just look for a dragon’s nest.
“Hmmm.”
Finishing my deduction on the coded message, I looked at her and replied.
“You’re Kapu, right?”
“Wow! I didn’t think you’d guess that! Did you know me all along?”
Well, her name was blatantly written above her head. I wasn’t dumb enough not to read something so obvious.
“Of course! You’re the friend of An-sae, who is the overall manager and temporary president of Kayakland.”
“Wow!”
Kapu cheered, delighted, but in reality, she had quickly shifted her gaze to derive the answer from the chat window.
Indeed, the chat window serves as a gateway for information; while uncertain intel exists, correct information does too.
“Existence confirmed.”
Earlier, the Taker said, if you don’t know the answer, quickly roll your eyes and check the chat window.
Indeed, Taker’s broadcast advice often came in handy in various ways.
“Kayak, let’s go find a dragon’s nest together!”
“Sounds good. From now on, Kapu will be my colleague and assistant.”
“Wow!”
[Look at how cool they are, lol]
[The broadcast host is sneakily doing various things]
[Will you accept ‘Kapu’ as a colleague? Y/N]
[Kapu seems to be friendless like the host, they can go find dragons together.]
[Wow! I found a slave!]
[What are they going to make this person do now?]
[As soon as An-sae leaves, they end up getting another subordinate voluntarily…]
Didn’t they say they were friends with An-sae?
Usually, friends tend to resemble each other, but An-sae and Kapu seemed to have completely opposite traits. While An-sae was on the quieter side, Kapu was bursting with energy.
It was during that time when they were pumped up to catch a dragon together.
– Dragon Hint. 1: Observe NPCs closely!
“This is…”
“A hint!”
A notification popped up bright red in front of them. It was a system message, a unique authority of the GM.
One by one, Taker—who had just vanished moments ago—was dropping hints about the dragon.
The real issue was the raid, yet they hadn’t even made much progress in finding the dragon’s location.
“What’s an NPC?”
“Are you talking about the AI at the general store and the blacksmith?”
“There were way too few hints.”
At the same time, other users who received the hint also voiced their thoughts, each with their own ideas.
I too pondered over the system hint as I watched the others.
‘NPC, huh…’
Could it be that?
Having thought of a plausible theory, I called over Kapu.
“Kapu.”
“Yes!”
A response full of spirit. It had a different charm compared to An-sae’s weak and flimsy reply.
“Let’s head to the town first; I’ve got a good idea.”
*
“Hello, Hemet!”
“Good morning, Grandpa Hemet!”
“Hehe, yes indeed. Good morning, Emil.”
Every time the villagers crossed paths, they bowed their heads and greeted him.
He was an old man with hair turned completely white and a long, white beard that grew down to his chin.
The elder’s name was Hemet Aint-Bain.
He was a 89-year-old man. Hemet had been responding to every greeting from the early morning with a kind expression.
Hemet was the oldest and most senior member of the village.
He wasn’t just old; he was a respected elder and the village chief, a pillar of support for the villagers.
He was a respected village chief.
It was because, like most elders of this time, they usually met an early death.
Hearing that living to around 60 was considered living long, surviving to this age meant that Hemet was no ordinary elder.
However, the respect Hemet earned from the people was not solely due to his long life.
He not only possessed the wisdom of life accumulated over many years but also achieved feats that ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to attempt.
“Grandpa! Tell that story again!”
“Ho ho, if it’s that story…”
“The one about when you snuck into the dragon’s nest and stole treasure!”
“You little rascal… I’ve told you that a few times already, and you still want to hear it again.”
Hemet was a great explorer who had been everywhere in his youth.
He had visited all kinds of risky places, including the royal secret underground passages. Among those was the infamous dragon nest heist documented in history books.
“Let’s see, that was… right, it was just after I turned thirty.”
“Wow! So that was how many years ago?”
“Over fifty years ago—”
As Hemet began to vividly recall the old tales when his grandchild insisted, a sudden loud knocking and urgent voices interrupted.
“Chief…!”
“Elder Chief!”
With the sounds of a frantic knocking, Hemet sensed something was wrong and opened the door.
“What’s the matter, folks?”
“Big trouble, big trouble, Elder!”
“Big trouble?”
“Some ruffians are attacking the village!”
Although Hemet was the elder among elders at 89 years old, he was once a great explorer honored by the royal family.
To explore dangerous zones, one needed to have enough strength to keep themselves safe.
In his youth, he was strong enough that most couldn’t even stand against him, and while he had aged, he hadn’t changed drastically.
With ruffians attacking the village and the need for force, this was why people sought out Hemet, nearly ninety years old.
“An attack… Let’s check it out. Eric, you should go home and stay with your dad. You must not leave his side.”
“Yes, Grandpa…”
After sending his grandson Eric back home, Hemet headed to the scene of the attack with the villagers.
However, the so-called rogues had already left.
“Oh no…”
“They really made a mess of things.”
The houses of the villagers that had been attacked were in shambles.
The doors were smashed, and it looked as if robbers had ransacked the place, with drawers and wardrobes thrown open everywhere.
“Hmmm…?”
As a skilled explorer and sheriff, Hemet felt something odd in this situation.
The villagers seemed oblivious, but he noticed strange details one by one.
The locked door was neatly broken, while all the other furniture remained intact. They had rummaged through every nook and cranny, including closets and drawers, but hadn’t touched anything of value.
It didn’t add up to a simple robbery.
Hemet deduced that the intruder’s goal was…
“Are they looking for something?”
It seemed they were searching for a specific item.
It wasn’t about stealing valuables; they appeared to have broken in purely to locate something.
“Village Chief! Not just this house, but Henson’s Bakery and Alchemist Edwin’s lab have also been robbed!”
“Anna from the flower shop was attacked by intruders and ran away.”
“Wahhh, it was so scary, Chief….”
“Henson’s Bakery, the lab, and then the flower shop….”
With an understanding of the intruder’s motives and movements, Hemet’s eyes narrowed.
“Are they planning to search the entire village…?”
“What?”
“You all stay here for a bit. I have somewhere I need to go.”
If he moved with the villagers, he wouldn’t even be able to catch a glimpse of the intruder. At this pace, he’d just be visiting the places that had already been attacked.
Leaving the bewildered villagers behind, Hemet swiftly leaped, darting through the village.
The anticipated location of the intruders was….
“Hey you! What are you doing in my house!”
It was none other than Hemet’s home. Just like the other places he had visited, the door was neatly smashed in, leading to his cozy cabin.
Inside, two masked intruders were recklessly rummaging through the study and desk.
They didn’t seem like they intended to harm anyone, but you could never tell. Hemet drew his sword.
“Get out of my house. Now!”
However, contrary to Hemet’s threatening stance, the two intruders were casually chatting.
“What should we do? Should we kill him, Kayak?”
“Killing a kind old man? How could you think such a cruel thought, Kapu?”
“No, but didn’t you say earlier that if they’re a nuisance, just kill them?”
“We found the treasure map. Let’s just escape. This old man looks pretty high level.”
With those final words, the duo started to flee. Hemet, now a bit aged, struggled to keep up with their surprising speed.
“Stop right there! Why are you taking my map!”
“Run!”
“Why is this old guy so fast!”
In their hands was the map hidden in Hemet’s fireplace.
The very map he had used during his adventures, marking the locations of all kinds of secret spots.