27. Time to Catch a Rat
Knight King.
He was a comrade that Joo-in had led alongside the Hero. It was nice to see the guy again, but.
‘What on earth will he give me?’
Joo-in was genuinely excited.
There were more than one or two things he could receive from the former duke.
The key to the treasury?
Elixir?
A letter of recommendation from the royal family?
Anything more than that was possible if it was in the name of former Duke Edmer.
[Knight King]
The hero of the continent, he wielded influence even over the empire and the royal family.
If Joo-in wanted it, it was possible for the dukedom to fall into his hands.
It was like a blank check.
You don’t believe it?
How could all those things be possible for a mere slave?
But it really was possible.
It wasn’t for nothing that Joo-in had sought out the [Knight King] first.
[He], the Knight King, former Duke Edmer, had spent his whole life looking for one man.
And the one who had made that happen was none other than Joo-in.
To be exact, it was a certain item he had used.
＜Diary of Witch Len＞
Rank: Legendary
Effect: The contents of the diary are imprinted on the target’s soul.
Description: Certain information can be imprinted on the soul, changing the target. (Other job skills can be acquired. Physique and preferences can be improved. Feelings such as favor and affection can be imprinted with a low probability.)
Caution＞ Once information is entered, it can never be changed. (3/3)
＜Diary of the Witch, Len＞ was a rare item that would occasionally appear while helping witches on the continent.
Originally, it was an item used to pass on traits or skills.
‘It’s used when a warrior learns a magician’s technique or when a priest learns a necromancer’s technique.’
It could also be used to increase favorability for a specific companion.
Favorability and affection were unlikely, but there were players who specialized in this.
‘Of course, for most people, it’s nothing more than an Easter egg that makes the game easier.’
Most people thought that way.
However, Joo-Heon realized the true value of this item.
It was something that could give information to companion characters.
You must have thought about it while playing a game.
What if you didn’t have to start the game over every time?
What if you could hide the necessary information or items in advance?
‘This is a game where you defeat the Demon King, so you can shorten unnecessary tasks.’
It was an item that made that possible.
It was a hidden piece that only Joo-Heon had discovered.
So originally, you could meet Hunter Jack, get recognition from all kinds of subordinates, complete quests, get a title, and then meet the [Knight King].
Even if you go through the rare route of meeting a successor, there were intermediate processes that you had to do.
However, it was difficult to achieve the last achievement that way. It wasn’t called the Bad Ending Maker achievement for nothing.
‘Of course, I wondered if ＜Diary of the Witch, Len＞ would work well, but…’
It might have been a game, but now it was the moment when he became the main character.
Although Aiden reacted to [that], it could have turned out differently.
However, the Knight King recognized [that] as him.
Joo-Heon was now convinced.
He was saying that ＜Diary of the Witch, Len＞ had been activated.
In that case, the same would be true for the other companions.
They were all companions who had joined forces to fight the Demon King.
There were keywords that worked on them.
Anyway, the reason he wrote to the [Knight King] in ＜Diary of the Witch, Len＞ was because the place where he started was close to the north.
And there were three things he wrote to the [Knight King].
＜Would you like to use the ＜Diary of the Witch, Len＞＞?
＜There are a total of three notes that can be recorded. What would you like to enter?＞
Joo-Heon wrote as follows:
＜1. I (Edmor) must find [that]. I don’t know who it is. But [that] knows me. If I release the people, they will contact me.＞
＜2. I must prepare for him. Gather information about powerful forces and important items. And capable companions.＞
＜3. The Demon King will be resurrected. Only [that] can defeat him. I will give him what he wants.＞
The Knight King was the closest and the first companion he could meet.
‘He was an SS-grade companion that you could get in the early game.’
Once you got him, you could create the most important base camp.
Of course, it didn’t matter if ＜Diary of the Witch, Len＞ didn’t work.
From Noble mtl dot com
Because he believed in the special system of the ‘Valentino Saga’.
＜Fate＞
The favorability rating is high for any character who was once a colleague.
[Knight King] is a thorough knight based on chivalry.
In particular, he couldn’t stand evil or rudeness, so he had almost no close colleagues around him.
‘In a word, it’s a stubborn person who sticks to his own way.’
There’s no way such a person would easily take a liking to someone else.
However, the Knight King recognized him.
Of course, since the body is different, he wouldn’t have recognized him as a colleague he worked with.
However, something unexpected happened.
“The power you have. It looks special.”
“……!”
There was no doubt he was talking about ＜Reflection＞.
Joo-yeon was a little wary.
“Did you see it?”
“Wasn’t it written in bold letters for you to see?”
“Other people don’t know?”
In the eyes of others, it would have just looked like he was counterattacking quickly.
As expected, it was a skill befitting the strongest.
At that moment, the Knight King’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
“That looks like a technique he used.”
Joo-yeon was nervous inside.
Of course, ＜Reflection＞ was the Demon King’s skill.
I don’t know the specifics, but there was no way the [Knight King], who fought the Demon King, wouldn’t know. Moreover, the Demon King was the enemy who took the life of the hero, his former close friend.
The [Knight King] could have easily become hostile.
However, his attitude was beyond imagination.
“If that’s the technique, then it’s clear that you can kill him too.”
“……!”
＜Reflection＞ was not a demonic ability, but a unique skill in the first place.
If he had it, he should be happy.
“But it’s not enough. With that level of skill, you may be able to confront him, but you’ll never be able to kill him.”
“Because it’s the same ability?”
“I don’t know how strong the power you have is, but the power he has is beyond imagination. Even that hero had to risk his life.”
The Demon King’s abilities must not be underestimated.
＜Reflection＞ may be overwhelming, but it means that various abilities are needed to defeat him.
The Knight King rose from his seat.
“That’s why I’ll help you. I’ll let you ＜inherit＞ some of my power.”
“What?”
Joo-yeon’s eyes widened.
It was because he had heard something hard to believe easily.
＜Inherit＞
That was the special ability of ‘Valentino Saga.’
Characters could inherit all of their abilities, like skills and characteristics.
It was an ability that could only be used once in a lifetime, just like creating a skill book.
‘Normally, they would only do it for their successor or a close relative?’
It was an , which they hadn’t even given to the Duke, the son of the Knight King.
His heart pounded even harder because it was something he hadn’t expected at all.
It was more precious than thousands or tens of thousands of treasures and riches, more precious than the position of the Northern King and the family.
“You won’t be able to get it if you’re lacking.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t disappoint you.”
As the protagonist, he couldn’t miss this opportunity.
He already knew all of the characteristics and skills that the had.
Even if he just ate one of the useless auxiliary skills, it would definitely be a gain.
‘It would be stupid not to eat this.’
But the Knight King said something unexpected.
“I wonder how much you can receive. We don’t have much time, so let’s hurry.”
What do you mean we don’t have much time?
The Demonkin hadn’t even appeared properly yet.
There was plenty of time for Joo-Heon to receive the .
But the Knight King’s expression was urgent.
Joo-Heon’s face hardened as he thought of something.
“Don’t tell me the curse is that severe?”
“Of course not. He won’t die from something like this.”
“Then what do you mean we don’t have much time?”
“He will be resurrected soon.”
The Knight King’s expression was serious.
Joo-Heon also realized who he was talking about.
The .
It was the purpose and final goal of ‘Valentino Saga.’
At the same time, the Knights were shocked by the master’s words.
“The Demon King is being resurrected?”
“Doesn’t that mean it’s over?”
“There’s no Hero, so there’s no one to stop him anymore.”
“What kind of bastard is the King of the Demonkin…!”
Oh, that punk. The bastard I’ve killed hundreds, thousands of times.
Joo-Heon scratched his ear. He was frowning for a different reason.
“Doesn’t he still have some time before he’s resurrected?”
“As expected, you knew. But it’s true. The bastards are coming to destroy the world Ryu-Jin, the Hero, risked his life to protect.”
News of the Demon King had already spread?
Was it the difference between the game and reality?
Or was it because he had become the protagonist?
‘……As expected, the bad ending generator. It won’t leave me alone.’
There was no other reason.
The Demon Lord wasn’t a big deal since I had already caught him, but the problem was the phenomena that occurred with him.
‘If the Demon Lord is resurrected, a city will be created where the power of the Demon Tribe won’t grow stronger.’
Other troublesome incidents also occur.
The incidents that occurred around me were more dangerous.
Even without that, I would have been doomed if I had met the Demon Lord without proper preparation.
“You don’t have to worry. I’ll stop it.”
“No. I need more colleagues.”
“Colleagues?”
Instead of answering, Joo-yeon narrowed his brow.
‘The clear condition for the last achievement is ＜Defeat the Demon Lord without a single hero dying＞.’
But there was a condition for that.
＜Defeat the Demon Lord without a single hero (10) dying＞
First of all, the prerequisite was that there had to be 10 heroes.
Joo-yeon knew 10 people who had the optimal conditions for this achievement.
Wasn’t this an achievement that could have been successful if the hero hadn’t self-destructed at the end?
‘I think I can just put in the old colleagues I put in at that time.’
I can make up for what was lacking at that time this time.
Perhaps knowing Joo-yeon’s thoughts, the Knight King brought up the conversation seriously.
“The problem isn’t the Demon Lord.”
“If we just kill the Demon Lord, it’s over, right?”
“His army is also a problem. Even if I try to block his followers, I won’t have enough bodies even if I had dozens.”
Joo-yeon’s eyebrows went up.
[Demon Tribe]
The Demon Lord’s subordinates and monsters that appear in the Demon Realm.
They were the enemies that frustrated the players of ‘Valentino Saga.’
They were strong, but they gave overwhelming experience, so some high-level users chose to take the route of hunting them from the beginning.
‘But are you saying that those guys are already out? That can’t be.’
And followers, at that.
[Enemy of Humanity, Traitor]
They were villains who joined hands with the Demon Tribe as humans.
It was clear that people wouldn’t find out the identities of those guys until the middle of the game.
But are you saying that they already know?
It might have been because of using ＜Witch Len’s Diary＞.
Because even [Knight King] was preparing in advance.
It was highly likely that other colleagues with cautious personalities had moved first.
Joo-yeon thought carefully.
‘The flow is faster than in the game. I need to hurry a little more.’
The letters written on the shield earlier were like that, too.
＜Reached Main Story +100＞
The first main story had to do with the Demon Tribe.
I could tell just by looking at the main story’s title.
＜Main Story 1. The Birth of Darkness＞
It was a story where I had to catch the tails of the Demon Tribe who had infiltrated each force.
The main goal of the main story was to take care of the heads of the forces that had been won over or persuaded by those guys.
What happens if I fail to take care of them or if I’m too late?
‘The world will go to hell.’
The holy Theocracy will become a group of fanatics.
The Empire, the continent’s number one military, will fall and become the starting point of a continental war.
An assassin group will randomly assassinate leaders of each force.
Those things will only be the beginning.
The world will be destroyed as if the apocalypse had begun in a fantasy world.
Then, before I even go to see the Demon King, I will die first and a bad ending will unfold.
The Demon Tribe was at the center of all of this.
‘They’re not easy guys.’
They were sly, sneaky bastards.
The powerful people who were cooperating with them weren’t easy guys either.
‘Actually, everyone other than the hero and his companions are enemies.’
Those guys were always hiding in high places.
They hid behind humans and used them as shields to control them.
The hero and the players had to take care of those guys one by one and return each force to its original state.
That was how they could connect the links and block the Demon King’s return.
However, it didn’t matter to the protagonist.
‘I knew this would happen, so I prepared for it.’
That was Duke Edmer.
The protagonist didn’t target him from the beginning just because he was after him.
That guy was bait.
‘He’s the head of the Edmer family, and a man with the blood of that Sword King.’
If they were the Demon Tribe, they wouldn’t let go of such a delicious guy with a title and bloodline.
And the protagonist didn’t plan to let them swing this family around.
Since that was the case, he had more to look forward to if the story of succession came up.
‘If I do well, I can receive this territory, or the position of proxy regent of the family… No, I could even claim this family.’
Of course, if he couldn’t succeed, it would be a meaningless story from the beginning.
So the protagonist stood up from his seat.
“Well… Then, should we go catch one for now?”
“One?”
“It’s time to catch the little rat hiding in this house.”
At the protagonist’s smile, the Sword King’s face hardened.