NOVEL NEXT chapter 123
123 – Theme: Role-Playing (2)
Theme, the constraints of role-playing.
In other words, the rules of the Underworld.
And the weakening of power due to these rules.
It raises the difficulty level for entrants.
But can such rules not be touched by cheats?
Due to the normal use of cheats, the difficulty has plummeted.
The forcibly set hard mode has been changed to easy mode.
“Plus, my inventory is perfectly intact, so what’s the worry?”
If I can’t obtain the qualification to destroy the core, I’ll just have to give up my top rank.
“So, should I start by getting a lay of the land?”
If cheats had constraints like 90% of their power sealed, it might be a different story.
But knowing that everything is functioning perfectly, there’s no need to postpone my reconnaissance.
Ding-dong.
I activated infinite mana.
Confirming that no one was around, I turned on the cheats without hesitation.
Following that, I activated my clairvoyance.
Like a plane hovering in the sky, I took in the terrain of the Underworld.
Focusing on the area I was in, I was able to gauge the size of the Underworld to some extent.
‘Roughly about half the size of the Korean Peninsula, maybe.’
No, it could be even smaller than that.
Still, considering the Underworlds I’ve experienced so far, especially the mutated rifts, it feels vast.
‘But what’s that fog over there?’
A little above my current location.
A dark purple mist covering most of the northern area.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the fog was expanding its reach, and I immediately zoomed in on it.
I began to survey the foggy region carefully.
‘Corrupted land, a sinister atmosphere, that fog looks dangerous.’
Is this not a region where a complete demon king would exist?
Of course, it could be otherwise.
Thinking about the twisted clichés I’ve seen in novels, it could be a simple regional characteristic or an existence unrelated to the demon king.
So, I won’t jump to conclusions and will be cautious.
To take a closer look, I expanded my Heavenly Insight’s range a bit more.
‘…Huh?’
My vision won’t penetrate the mist.
It’s as if something invisible is blocking the expansion.
‘A region where Heavenly Insight doesn’t work?’
Hmm.
Could it be that there really is a demon king here?
The suspicion I had is now half-confirmed.
The conviction that the target of my mission is hidden in that mist grows stronger, and I lift my head.
‘Ah… what a shame.’
If only I had a higher transmission distance.
If only my transmission grade was one level higher.
I would have poured sacred water bombs into that suspicious region.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue in frustration, unable to grasp the misty region.
‘What a shame, but there’s nothing I can do.’
I marked it with a star and moved on to check other areas.
I treated the misty region as important and moved my vision to another location.
And so, I slowly and carefully grasped the geography, allowing my brain to process it to its limits. When I had mostly memorized the important regions, I released my Heavenly Insight and deactivated my infinite mana.
“Phew…”
My head is spinning.
My eyes ache as if they’re on fire.
Well, it’s no wonder.
I’ve stuffed half a continent’s worth of geography into my head, so it’s only natural that it hurts.
I pressed my thumb against my temple, feeling a bit relieved, and looked around.
And amidst the weeds, a flower was blooming.
Though worn out, the chair maintained its original shape, and I walked over to it, dusting it off with my hand.
Of course, it didn’t matter if there was dust or not; I could just sit down anyway.
Since the academy uniform I was wearing had changed to fit this world’s attire due to the application of the rules, it didn’t matter if my clothes got dirty.
And with the cheat, I could use my inventory normally, so if my clothes got dirty, I could just change into clean ones.
But somehow, I didn’t feel like getting my clothes dirty.
“My clothes are quite to my liking, anyway.”
Maybe it’s because I’ve been assigned the role of a fallen noble’s descendant.
The material and design of my clothes aren’t bad at all.
So even if I were to change into something else later, I didn’t think about it for now.
Thinking that, I sat down on the chair with a thud.
Creak.
The chair let out a cry, seemingly surprised by the weight of a person after a long time.
But it was just the sound; it didn’t waver at all, holding me steady.
“Sturdy, isn’t it?”
I briefly admired the chair’s sturdiness, raising my right wrist.
And I saw the smartwatch that remained unchanged, unlike the clothes that had been altered by the rules.
As expected, a great sorcerer.
Someone who could easily disregard the rules.
Once again, I revered the greatness of the transcender, activating the smartwatch’s hologram and opening the messaging app.
Following that, I opened the group chat labeled ‘1-A Class (100/100)’.
Then, unread messages from today’s date, with times that weren’t too far apart, appeared one after another.
“…There are so many.”
I let out a sigh, overwhelmed by the sheer number of messages that had piled up while I was taking a moment to get my bearings.
As I slowly read through the messages…
Everyone was safe, it seemed.
They were all scattered about, each on their own.
Is there anyone who knows where we are?
The roles have been assigned, so what role do you all play?
I feel like I’ve grown weaker; do you all feel the same, and so on.
The messages were all quite similar.
“Fortunately, it seems everyone is safe.”
What a relief.
My somewhat anxious heart begins to settle.
Of course, there’s no need to worry too much.
As Kang Cheol-soo mentioned, the safety device crafted by the mage is secured on my wrist, so even if a life-threatening situation arises, I can safely return to the real world.
Still, this is the Shadow World.
Even if it’s a realm untouched by the Corrupted, there’s no telling what variables might arise.
So, it’s impossible not to worry.
I let out a brief sigh of relief and tapped on the holographic keyboard.
────────────────────
[Lee Yu-jin]
– Has everyone finished assessing this Shadow World?
[Asuka]
– Chief! I was worried about you!
[Arthur]
– Yu-jin, I was concerned because I couldn’t reach you.
[Lee Seo-yeon]
– Yu-jin! Why didn’t you answer your phone? I kept calling, why didn’t you pick up? I was really worried because I couldn’t see your messages.
[Im Da-hee]
– Yu-jin! You’re safe!
[Park Ga-ram]
– Yeah, I knew the Chief would be fine.
[Noah]
– Yes, I’ve managed to assess things to a certain extent.
[Park Seong-woo]
– Wow, look at Seo-yeon’s obsession. Yu-jin must have been terrified to cut off contact…
[Lee Seo-yeon]
– Where are you?
[Park Sung-woo]
– I’m sorry, it seems like I’ve overstepped my bounds. Please spare my life.
────────────────────
Then, messages appeared as if they had been waiting.
I checked my missed calls, chuckling at the messages filled with concerns about me.
And.
[Lee Seo-yeon][99+]
[Aska][92]
[Arthur][88]
[Lim Da-hee][33]
[Park Ga-ram][4]
[Noah][2]
[Park Sung-woo][1]
[…][1]
…….
….
“…….”
There were a lot of calls.
Especially from Lee Seo-yeon.
“…Did you meet with the inspector and that’s why?”
It seems like her obsession has deepened a bit.
“But her obsession isn’t as dark as I thought.”
The measures I took.
To strengthen the bonds between the heroines.
It seems like those measures worked, as I didn’t see Lee Seo-yeon’s twisted obsession in the game.
“If this were a game, I would have already been stabbed by Lee Seo-yeon’s sword.”
Or maybe Aska or Arthur, the heroines would have been stabbed.
I remembered the event that occurred when I took the “Lee Seo-yeon route” in the game and failed to adjust the affection levels of the other heroines.
“Lee Seo-yeon’s heroine assault”
Note: I’ve preserved the line breaks and tried to maintain the atmosphere and tone of the original text. I’ve also chosen words and phrases that convey the same emotions and nuances as the original.
“Thank goodness we acted quickly.”
I shuddered at the thought of the darkening event.
Anyway.
Thanks to the measures taken early on, unlike in the game, the darkening event does not occur in reality.
I let out a sigh of relief at that fact and opened the chat window again.
────────────────────
[Lee Yu-jin]
– Sorry for making you worry.
– I was just trying to get my bearings, so I couldn’t check my calls or messages.
[Asuka]
– Yu-jin, don’t make us worry so much. It was really scary.
[Arthur]
– I agree with Asuka.
– You shouldn’t make us worry like that.
[Lee Seo-yeon]
– Yu-jin, where are you?
– I’ll come right away, just tell me your location quickly.
[Im Da-hee]
– Me too! I’ll go too!
[Park Ga-ram]
– Hey, guys.
– Is it really necessary to go to Yu-jin?
– If we go, it might actually be a hindrance to her.
[Noah]
– I also agree with Park Ga-ram.
– Lee Yu-jin is far more capable than we think.
– So, rather than going to her, it would be more helpful for her if we focus on our roles and quickly earn the qualifications to destroy the core.
────────────────────
Oh, Noah really knows me well.
────────────────────
[Yujin]
– As Noah said, it’s better to focus on our individual roles rather than trying to come to me.
– Instructor said that we should focus on accumulating experience in the real world, but since we’ve already entered this world, shouldn’t we try to clear it?
[Aska]
– That’s definitely true.
– I think Instructor would prefer it if we cleared it.
[Athur]
– Hmm.
– I guess that’s right.
[Seoyeon]
– …But I want to go to you.
[Yujin]
– Seoyeon, please.
– And besides, we’ll meet again if we perform our roles.
[Seoyeon]
– …If you say so, I’ll do it.
– I’ll perform my role as quickly as possible and come find you.
[Dahui]
– Me too, I’ll perform my role quickly and come find you, Yujin.
[Garam]
– I can’t leave this place…, it’s frustrating.
[Noah]
– Yes, understood.
– I’ll complete my role and contact you again.
[Sungwoo]
– Ah, right.
– Hey, Yujin.
[Yujin]
– What’s up?
[Park Seong-woo]
– What’s your designated role?
[Lee Yoo-jin]
– Me?
────────────────────
At Park Seong-woo’s words, the role quest window I had closed earlier reappeared in my mind.
I glanced at the quest window and tapped on the holographic keyboard.
────────────────────
[Lee Yoo-jin]
– The last descendant of the fallen Count Yggdrasil.
[Park Seong-woo]
– What? That’s a pretty cool role.
– I’m just the captain of the 4th unit of the Lionheart, or something like that.
– You and the top-tier kids all have something special going on.
────────────────────
“Top-tier kids, huh….”
Did the supporting characters also receive special roles like me?
────────────────────
[Lee Yoo-jin]
– Really? Then do you know who else got special roles? No, wait. Is there anyone in the chat who received a special role? What’s your role, and what’s your goal?
[Asuka]
– Me!
– I got the role of ‘The Forbidden Heir of the Blasom Guild.’
– And my goal is to ‘assist the hero until they achieve their objective.’
– But it seems like my powers are pretty restricted, so I think I’ll be providing more financial support than physical strength.
[Arthur]
– I received the role of ‘The Wandering Paladin.’
– My goal is to help the ‘hero’ defeat the ‘Demon King.’
– And while my strength has diminished quite a bit, I think I can still contribute in terms of combat.
[Lee Seo-yeon]
– I have been given the role of ‘the disciple of the sword master.’
– The goal is the same as Arthur’s.
– …I feel like my strength has diminished a lot. It seems like I’m under about 40% restriction.
[Noah]
– I have been given the role of ‘the wandering saint.’
– My goal is the same as Mr. Arthur’s and Ms. Lee Seoyeon’s.
– Um…, my divine power has decreased by about half.
[Im Dahee]
– …Everyone’s roles sound like a hero party.
– I wouldn’t mind being restricted if I could have roles like that.
[Park Garam]
– I can’t leave the magic tower…. I’m so envious.
────────────────────
“Um…, definitely.”
Just as Im Dahee said.
If I roughly summarize the roles assigned to the main characters.
Asuka is a merchant.
Arthur and Lee Seoyeon are knights.
Noah is a healer.
Each one fits perfectly into the roles of a hero party.
“Then am I a thief?”
I recalled my unsealed talents and skills.
Shadow Step (A).
A talent for moving stealthily.
Truth Insight (A).
A talent for discerning illusions and lies.
And Clairvoyance, Insight, and Teleportation skills.
All of them are perfectly suited for a thief role.
“No wonder the assigned role is the last descendant of a fallen noble house.”
I let out a hollow laugh and closed the quest window displaying my role.
And I asked my peers in the chat about their goals, which were not special roles but regular ones.
────────────────────
[Park Sungwoo]
– My goal is to ‘become a celestial chief,’ but how do I do that?
– And why am I the only one in the military?
[Im Dahee]
– My goal is to ‘become a knight.’
– Since my role is a knight candidate, I have a better chance than you, Park Sungwoo.
[Park Garam]
– I don’t think I can complete my goal….
– I have to promote three apprentice mages to official mages.
– They all have no talent for magic… I was wrong….
[Lee Shia]
– I don’t think I can do it either….
– I’ve only ever used a sword in my life, so how am I supposed to be a master chef?
[Park Gwangjin]
– Hey, you’re still in a sword-related job.
– I’m a mage, but my goal is to become an apprentice priest. Does that even make sense?
[Noah]
– Oh, Park Gwangjin.
– Is your goal to become a priest? Would you like me to help you?
[Park Gwangjin]
– …No, I’m saying I’m a mage.
────────────────────
What’s going on? It seems like the regular roles are harder than the special ones.
I shook my head at the goals of my peers that popped up in the chat.
“So, the number of people who can achieve core destruction qualification is 10.”
No wonder.
The achievement number is low.
Still, it’s a blessing in disguise.
The goal of the special role group is the same.
Help the warrior defeat the Demon King.
If you achieve that, you will gain five qualifications for destroying the core.
“Honestly, several of the regular role groups will have completed their goals by then.”
Surely, there won’t be any until the Demon King is defeated.
────────────────────
[Lee Yu-jin]
– Then first, we should meet the special role group.
– We should meet and find a warrior or something.
[Asuka]
– Yes! That’s right! Let’s meet!
[Arthur]
– I’m already on my way to the royal capital after receiving an escort request from the upper class.
[Asuka]
– Huh?
– Arthur, I’m asking just in case.
– Isn’t the carriage of the upper class that gave the escort request pink?
[Arthur]
– That’s right.
[Asuka]
– Wait a minute.
– … Arthur, you’re here.
[Arthur]
– … Nice to meet you.
[Park Sung-woo]
– No, if we’re in the same place, don’t chat and talk.
[Lee Seo-yeon]
– Eugene, I’m in the royal capital right now.
– I’m staying at the inn called ‘Flowing Wind’, so contact me when you get there.
[Lee Yu-jin]
– Got it.
– Then I’ll see you at the royal capital.
– Oh, and let me know if you find the hero or hear any news.
────────────────────
I closed the chat window.
Ending the hologram on my smartwatch, I stood up from the chair.
Then, recalling the map of the hidden world I had seen with my clairvoyance, I searched for the location of the royal capital.
“The distance from here to the royal capital is roughly… about 50 km.”
Not too far, then.
“With the iron golem, I should be able to get there quickly.”
So checking that old mansion wouldn’t be too late.
I looked at the mansion that could collapse at any moment. Just as I was about to head there,
[Master, I have a suggestion.]
Tera sent me a message.
“A suggestion? What is it?”
[Your overall power has significantly decreased at the moment.]
“Yeah, that’s true.”
[So, to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, I suggest you summon the ‘Battle Maid’ you obtained last time.]
“Oh, right.”
The Battle Maid.
I had that.
“Yeah, that sounds good.”
As Tera said, I am currently in a very weakened state.
Even though my cheat is intact, without talents that assist my senses, like ‘Sniper’s Keen Sense (A+)’, I can’t easily detect ambushes.
So, I need a means to prepare for any unforeseen situations besides Aigis.
Fortunately, thanks to Tera’s suggestion, a means has presented itself.
[Please place it on the chair where you were sitting.]
“Okay.”
I took out the beautiful doll from my inventory.
I seated the Battle Maid in the chair.
Then.
[Acquiring control authority of the battle maid.]
With Terra’s message that control authority has been acquired.
“Ah, ahh.”
The battle maid’s lips parted.
A pleasing voice flowed out.
And then, following that.
“Master.”
Her sparkling blue eyes looked at me.