23. Give Me Money Instead
＜Shield of the Nameless God＞
The shield was so old that it didn’t even look like it could block an attack anymore.
It looked like it had been badly damaged after taking a strong blow.
The traces of time were all over it, making it look almost like an antique.
The Duke looked taken aback.
“You want that?”
He looked offended, as if he had been insulted.
That was understandable.
That shield was more than just an antique.
“Do you know that our family’s crest originated from that shield?”
“Of course. It’s the symbol of the family and represents the [Knight King].”
“And yet you ask for that?”
No wonder the Duke was taken aback.
If it were just a symbol of the family, it would be ridiculous.
What was the reason for the shield with frost on the family crest?
It was because it was the relic of the previous duke.
It was a shield that he was said to have used personally when fighting the Demon King.
Furthermore, it wasn’t just an ordinary shield.
It was an Ego Shield that personally chose its master.
It was similar to the ＜Holy Sword＞ of a hero.
Those who weren’t qualified to become its master would be burned on the spot.
Duke Edmer knew this fact all too well.
‘But no one other than my father has ever been chosen.’
No one, including the Duke, had heard of it.
Since the previous Duke had fallen ill, it had been left abandoned in the study.
It was a treasure that the family couldn’t dare to appraise.
It was a living treasure that had written the myth of the [King of Knights] together with him, and it was an object of pride for the people of Duke Edmer’s family.
The Duke opened his mouth with a cold expression.
“Even if you are royalty, it’s audacious of you to say something unforgivable so calmly.”
“I’m a little special, you see?”
“That is true.”
Instead of cutting off Joo-Heon’s neck, the Duke nodded his head.
There was no other reason why the Duke had tolerated Joo-Heon’s insolent behavior until now.
[He]
He was the man the previous Duke had searched for a very long time.
There must have been a reason why the previous Duke, who was said to be the strongest on the continent, was looking for him.
He might be related to the hero.
‘Surely, if I take [him] to father, he will be very pleased.’
He might be of great help to the cause of the [King of Knights].
But even so, what was impossible was impossible.
‘Especially not that bastard.’
It wasn’t just because he was a slave.
The problem was that he was someone Aiden, the successor, had brought.
‘If I take that guy, the position of the next家主 will definitely go to Aiden.’
Aiden resembled the Duke’s father, the King of Knights.
He couldn’t bear the thought of such a guy becoming the next家主.
He didn’t care even if he went against the will of the King of Knights.
Because, true to his father’s nature of always keeping his word, that guy would be able to take the position of家主 right away.
It was an unavoidable choice as a家主 who couldn’t escape the status of the King of Knights.
‘Aiden, never.’
In fact, it didn’t matter if he gave him the shield.
Anyway, he could just kill him and take it back.
‘I guess I’ll just display something else similar in the meantime.’
However, there was a minor issue.
“That fellow chooses its master. Even I wasn’t chosen by that fellow. It’s not an item that just anyone can have.”
It wasn’t an item that even a great [That] could pick up.
After all, it only allowed the King of Knights.
It was known that even the past warriors and their companions couldn’t lift it.
Even if the Duke were to give it, there was no way for Joo-Heon to take the shield.
However, Joo-Heon acted unexpectedly.
“Then, if that fellow chooses me, can I take it?”
“What! Stop!”
Joo-Heon didn’t wait for the Duke’s answer.
Instead, he reached out to the shield.
At that, the Duke shouted and tried to stop Joo-Heon.
‘Surely, he’s not going to just grab the shield.’
But his words about it choosing its master weren’t a joke.
‘There are dozens of knights who died trying to grab that shield.’
Many knights had actually lost their lives.
It was because they had tried to touch it without permission.
Even the Duke might have died if the King of Knights hadn’t been next to him.
He hurried to stop Joo-Heon, but.
Grab!
Joo-Heon’s hand grabbed the shield.
The Duke’s face hardened.
‘It’s too late. The shield’s defense mechanism has been activated.’
Rumble!
The jewel on the top of the shield shone blue.
It was the start of the ritual to decide the master.
If the light didn’t disappear, he would be decided as the master, and nothing would happen.
Flicker!
If the light of the jewel disappeared like that, it meant that he couldn’t become the master.
In an instant, the Duke’s face turned pale.
“Ru, run away!”
It didn’t end with just not being able to become the master.
From Noble mtl dot com
A powerful explosion that could knock out even decent knights with a single blow, as well as a powerful judgment of electricity that could kill them instantly.
It was time for punishment to befall those who had challenged it without permission.
It was the Ego Shield’s defense mechanism to kill those who were blinded by treasure in one blow.
There was no way to avoid it or block it.
The shield would naturally turn the surroundings into a pile of ash.
That was why even the Duke’s escort knights were guarding the front.
“Go behind me, my lord.”
“It’s dangerous!”
In an instant, despair washed over the Duke’s eyes.
In truth, the Duke cared little whether Joo-in lived or died.
However, it would be troublesome if he died here.
‘It would be troublesome if word got out that ‘I’ killed him.’
Many had already seen the boy.
Those who sought to make Aiden the successor would certainly point to him as the culprit.
Of course, his retainers couldn’t harm him.
‘But if Father were to find out….’
It would be natural for him to lose his position as Duke.
He was just thinking that he would have no choice but to dispose of all the witnesses, including his escort, when—
Clang!
“Yo, long time no see, kid.”
Wasn’t Joo-in raising his shield to don it, all too nonchalantly?
The attack that should have occurred naturally didn’t even graze him.
The shield was quiet, as if it had met its master.
The Duke’s eyes widened in bewilderment as he asked, “H-how in the world?”
“Nice?”
“……!?”
Not only the Duke but also the escorts and even Bayner—
All were so shocked that they couldn’t even open their mouths properly.
* * *
Joo-in knew the shield better than anyone else.
No, in a way, he knew it better than the Duke, its current owner.
It couldn’t be helped.
‘This was mine to begin with.’
It was the first Mythical-grade item he had obtained after clearing an arduous, desperate quest.
Even the most skilled players wouldn’t dare to attempt it, as it had an incredibly low drop rate.
‘I almost died countless times trying to pass that damn test.’
The Test of the ＜Nameless God＞.
It was a legendary quest that had frustrated thousands, tens of thousands of players.
Even Joo-in, who was notoriously tenacious, had only obtained it after hundreds of tries.
Strictly speaking, Joo-in could be called the shield’s owner.
He had only given the item to the Knight King because he was a tanker Shield Knight.
So Joo-in confidently took hold of the shield.
‘Here, shield. Your master has come.’
Of course, the shield didn’t recognize Joo-in as its master right away.
Flick!
Joo-in grimaced as the light of the jewel hanging from the top of the shield went out.
The defense mechanism has been activated.
“Don’t you remember me?”
I thought that since everything I’ve accomplished is connected, this shield would be too.
If I had as much power as the [King of Knights], it might be different.
If this were a game, it might have been possible.
The problem was that this situation had become considerably dangerous.
Oooong!
Crackle!
I could tell just by looking at the blue light and yellow electricity coursing through the shield’s body.
Words that were invisible to others were also inscribed on it.
＜[Mark of the Nameless God] is inscribed.＞
Jooin clearly remembered the description from the game.
＜Mark of the Nameless God＞
– Determines the qualifications of the shield’s owner.
– Those who are unqualified will receive divine punishment, while those who are qualified will become the owner of the ＜Nameless God＞’s holy water.
There was no separate skill description.
However, the ＜Divine Punishment＞ that was wielded by the power of a god was one of the most fearsome skills in the ‘Valentino Saga.’
It was something to be wary of, even in the game.
＜If you do not quickly put down the holy water, [Divine Punishment] will fall.＞
＜[Divine Punishment] ignores the opponent’s resistance.＞
＜Cannot be evaded!＞
＜Absolute judgment!＞
If the conditions were met, it was an item that could instantly annihilate even the highest-leveled players, not to mention the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King’s army.
If I threw it out the window right now, I might be able to live.
However, Jooin did not throw away the shield.
Woosh!
What he believed in was ＜Reflect＞.
As if he had been waiting for this moment, he activated the ability.
Pop!
The mark that had been etched into his soul disappeared.
The shield, which had been fierce enough to unleash ＜Divine Punishment＞ at any moment, now trembled.
＜[Mark of the Nameless God] is inscribed on the [Nameless God].＞
It was exactly the same as when he had reflected Bayner’s ＜Detection Magic＞.
However, there was something slightly different.
-You…
An overwhelming presence that felt like it was from another dimension.
It was definitely the aura of a god who had once been great but had now fallen.
Swish.
A giant eye appeared above Jooin’s head.
It belonged to the ＜Nameless God＞.
And his pupils swept over Joo-yeon.
Crackle!
Joo-yeon’s hairs stood on end.
It felt like he was standing defenseless in front of a wild beast.
The divine pressure was so suffocating that he felt like he was going to die.
‘If it was a game, a simple system window would have popped up.’
In reality, he could feel a fragment of a god’s presence.
But it didn’t matter.
Anyway, the god couldn’t do anything to Joo-yeon.
It would be the same even if he continued to try to brand him through his shield.
＜[Unnamed God’s Brand] is being engraved.＞
＜[Unnamed God’s Brand] is being engraved.＞
He just ＜Reflected＞ it all.
＜[Unnamed God’s Brand x3] is engraved on [Unnamed God].＞
＜[Unnamed God] feels a little more specific.＞
He could feel Unnamed God’s bewilderment through the brand.
He probably never thought that his power would be blocked.
‘It’s called a god’s brand, but in the end, it’s just a type of detection magic.’
The only difference from Vener’s detection magic was that the caster was a god, not a human.
Ah! There was also the difference that it encompassed not just a region, but dimensions.
But Joo-yeon had ＜Reflect＞.
The only Unique-rank skill that could reach a god.
‘If a god’s divine power doesn’t work because he lost his name, he can’t use detection magic.’
He couldn’t be troubled by something like this.
The most powerful skill of the Demon King, who once rivaled the gods, roared.
‘Well, since I’m not the Demon King, I might lose if I fight a god directly.’
But it wasn’t easy to beat him either.
It was difficult for gods to exert their power in the human world.
To exert power in the middle realm, they needed an enormous amount of divine power.
‘But he can’t just show up in person either.’
The entire continent could be destroyed by his presence alone.
It was like a giant trying to catch a tiny bug by destroying a continent.
To catch the bug accurately, he had to mark it using his divine power as a medium.
What if he just ignored it and charged in?
In that case, the other gods wouldn’t just sit still.
The middle realm was a treasure trove of delicious faith.
A god who would lose his ＜Name＞ wouldn’t risk that.
Buzz!
He could feel the god’s distress through the shield.
He must be wondering how he blocked his brand.
But Joo-in didn’t solve the doubt.
Instead, he fully equipped the shield.
Clang!
＜Heavenly Punishment＞ didn’t fall.
It’s a law that you need a stigma to use Heavenly Punishment.
Was the divine power that was wasted by the stigma a waste?
＜Nameless God＞ also didn’t use the stigma anymore.
Whimper.
There was nothing left but just watch.
But right at that moment, a voice filled with shock was heard from behind.
“Wh… How did you use that shield. No, rather than that, how are you safe?”
Duke Edmer had a truly shocked expression.
As if asking how he had the item that only the previous dukes could lift.
Joo-in answered with a smile.
“Because I have the right qualification?”
“Right qualification… What the heck is that.”
“Well….”
Joo-in tilted his lips up at that moment.
“If you want to know, pay some money. Not this pocket money.”
“……!?”
The duke’s face distorted strongly.
Wow so much bs