4. Perfect Weather to Die
Creak!
The vault’s door swung open with a heavy groan.
The contents within were magnificent.
Not only slave documents and treasures, but also shimmering jewels and gold.
“Whoa! This is awesome!”
The prisoner who had cracked the vault couldn’t help but exclaim.
It was an enormous amount of wealth that one would never expect a mere warden to possess.
However, the main character was surprised by something else.
‘Can he use skills? Does that mean he has a job class?’
Most characters that appear in the beginning don’t have ‘job classes’.
Not to mention a skill that could crack open vaults.
It was clear that he had the skill of a thief, a criminal job class, ＜Vault Cracker＞.
‘He’s not an ordinary character. He’s a fated character.’
＜Fated Character＞
A special character born with a special destiny.
They could become allies or main enemies depending on the story’s progression.
They could be recruited as companions, but most players didn’t bother with fated characters.
The main character was the same.
‘They’re hard to find, and their growth in the beginning is terrible.’
There were several fated characters with abilities in the labor camp, as well as in other early stories.
But once you get past the beginning, there are many more companion characters who are much more efficient.
That’s why most people just passed them by.
It was almost like a masochist’s play to try and raise a fated character in the beginning when you’re still weak.
The main character had tried raising them a few times, but it was too difficult, so he just ended up getting the achievement.
But he knew.
‘If you just focus on the beginning, they’re crazy characters who can grow into S-class depending on how you raise them.’
And this wasn’t a game, but reality.
You could die if you made a mistake, so wouldn’t it be nice to have a useful subordinate?
Besides, he had the strategy to raise them in his head anyway.
So, he decided to change his playstyle just this once.
Anyway, with ＜Reflection＞, he didn’t have to worry much about his strength growth, which was something to worry about in the beginning.
‘I’ll use the fated character.’
The reason why it’s hard to raise a fated character is because their strength is low in the beginning.
You could end up dying because you were too busy taking care of your subordinate and your own strength was lacking.
‘But I don’t have to think about that now.’
His problem had been solved, so what a great situation this was?
‘It’ll be hard to find him if he runs away, so I have to make him an ally before that.’
So Joo-eun approached the still-surprised prisoner.
“Hey, you. You said you’d repay my favor, right?”
“Y-yes!”
Joo-eun put her hand on his shoulder with a friendly smile.
“You’re mine now.”
“What?”
“Don’t like it? Didn’t you say I saved your life? That you’d do anything?”
“Ah, no… I don’t dislike it…”
“Then do it.”
“……!?”
The prisoner didn’t have time to be bewildered.
“So, what’s your name? Kim Whatshisname?”
“It’s Haken.”
“Haken…”
Joo-eun searched through the safe and threw him a document.
It was a slave document with [Haken]’s name written on it.
“Why…”
“Why? It’s your document. Burn it or keep it and be my slave. Do whatever you want.”
“……?”
Haken was genuinely confused.
“Can you really trust me like this? What if I run away?”
“Run away?”
“Not that, but…”
He looked at her suspiciously, as if asking if he could trust her, but Joo-eun knew.
‘He looks like a thief, but for those types, the keyword ‘trust’ works surprisingly well.’
So she said,
“Then that’s fine. What am I supposed to do if I don’t trust my own people?”
“……!?”
Haken’s eyes widened.
It was as if she was the first person to trust him like this, even though they had just met.
But Joo-eun had her reasons.
If she had a companion, she would have to work on raising their loyalty, similar to好感度, and if their loyalty was low, they wouldn’t be of any help.
‘But while it’s hard to raise their loyalty, Destiny Characters start with high loyalty, so that part is easy.’
That’s why he was a Destiny Character.
From the moment they became the player’s companion, their loyalty started at 90.
Joo-eun reached out to Haken.
“I’ll be counting on you. My name is Joo-eun.”
“Yes. Miss Joo-eun!”
A voice was soon heard.
＜Haken has become your companion.＞
＜Loyalty 90＞
＜You have shown your faith, granting you additional benefits.＞
＜You will grow faster when you are being watched.＞
Wow, that’s a nice bonus?
Juyeon chuckled. Of course, the other thing was more important right now.
He soon found his own file amidst the pile of documents and burned it to ashes.
Then, the slave crest on his neck faded.
‘It looks like it won’t disappear right away.’
It took time for the slave crest to disappear completely.
About a month.
During that time, he had to avoid slave hunters and pursuers.
If he was caught by them, he would become a slave again.
However, that wasn’t something he had to worry about right now.
‘There’s something I have to take care of before that.’
Juyeon picked up a bundle of documents from the safe.
It wasn’t just some slave documents.
It was a secret ledger with a list of nobles who considered this labor camp their playground.
Of course, the existence of ‘nobles’ was quite a complication in the Valentinian era, but-
‘If I have this, I can not only blackmail them but also cut their necks off.’
Just then, as Juyeon was about to take the ledger, a voice came from behind him.
-Wait!
The voice came from the crystal ball that the warden held.
The warden, who had regained his senses, had activated the communication device in his arms.
“My, my apologies, Lord.”
-I will deal with you later, Hanson.
“Ugh……”
Warden Hanson clenched his teeth as if he had sensed his future.
It was just a simple communicator, so the image wasn’t clear.
However, Juyeon knew who the voice belonged to.
From Noble mtl dot com
‘A noble. The owner of this labor camp.’
To be exact, the owner of the ‘warden’ who ran this labor camp.
He could be said to be the one behind all of Juyeon’s suffering.
It was only natural that his heart pounded.
Soon, the man spoke.
-That document. If you get rid of it right now, I will spare your life.
Juyeon frowned in disgust and smirked.
“Well? I think keeping this will keep my life safe?”
-You don’t even know what that document is……
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s your lifeline, isn’t it? The ledger of your illegal operations in this labor camp. It even has records of your arbitrary executions of prisoners.”
-……!
That was not all.
The document also contained details of the illegal transactions that took place in the labor camp.
A faint creaking sound could be heard from beyond the crystal sphere.
Groan.
However, the noble quickly made another offer.
“If you burn the document in front of me… I will appoint you as the new warden of this labor camp.”
Joo-in almost burst out laughing.
New warden?
Are you kidding me?
‘Where do these guys who tormented me get off making offers?’
Not only did they torture and torment him, making bets on when he would die.
They even forced the prisoners to fight each other in gladiatorial matches.
They enjoyed watching the prisoners fight each other.
Normally, he should have remained a secret existence whose identity was known to no one.
However, Joo-in was no ordinary person.
“Hey, Count Sanderson. I may forget kindness, but I never forget grudges.”
In an instant, although he didn’t show it, a gasp could be heard from beyond the crystal sphere.
He seemed shocked that Joo-in knew his name.
So Joo-in laughed.
“You better wash your neck and wait. I’ll be there soon.”
-…!
It wasn’t just the count.
The other nobles who enjoyed making bets with him were all the same.
Joo-in began to tighten his grip on the sword.
“Watch carefully. I’ll soon be coming for your necks.”
-…!
“I’ll start with you.”
Joo-in raised his sword. The sword pierced straight through the warden’s body.
“Keuk!”
Blood splattered, and Joo-in shattered the crystal sphere.
Kwaaang!
As the crystal sphere shattered, a huge flame erupted.
The warden was burned to death without a trace.
Joo-in could no longer hear the voice of the noble in his ear. All he could hear was the notification sound.
＜You have dealt with the warden of the labor camp.＞
＜You have achieved a special feat.＞
＜[Rebel of the Slave Camp]＞
＜You will no longer be subject to the nobles’ intimidation.＞
‘I finally took down one of them.’
He was one of the masterminds who had tormented him for 18 years.
‘I must finish him off or the pursuers will be on our tail right away.’
Have I really become the main character of this Valentino saga? It felt different from the thrill of the game, but I had no choice.
It was time to go after the rest of them.
‘Especially Sanderson. He won’t stay put.’
Joo-yeon gathered the remaining items in the safe.
“Let’s go.”
“Y… Yes!”
Taken aback, Haken followed him.
He asked, seemingly worried.
“Are you really okay with this?”
“What?”
“No… I mean, the warden. The crystal ball exploded, and the warden is dead.”
“Why, do you feel sorry for him?”
“Of course not. I don’t think there’s a single prisoner who’d shed a tear for that bastard, even if he died.”
There was absolutely no reason to feel sorry for him.
The warden was a son of a b*tch.
He was a devil who tormented the prisoners.
He made the prisoners fight each other to the death, and just like Joo-yeon, he executed those he didn’t like.
Haken only now realized that it was the nobles’ entertainment.
“But I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave things as they are.”
“What’s the problem?”
“Well, it’s not… It’s not the end with the warden, is it?”
The problem was the nobles behind him.
“Didn’t you say it was Count Sanderson?”
He was famous enough for even Haken to know.
A powerful noble in the north where the labor camp was located. He was also the head of a formidable force.
“I don’t think that noble will just let this go?”
“If he doesn’t let it go?”
“He’ll send soldiers or an army? Or he could send knights…”
He could even send the knights who used ＜Knight’s Code＞.
No matter how great Joo-yeon was, he wouldn’t be able to defeat all of them.
He could even send assassins.
“That’s what nobles do.”
“Well, you’re not wrong, but it’s okay.”
“Yes? Why?”
“I know someone who can stop him.”
“…Who is it?”
“[The Knight King].”
“……!”
[The Knight King]
A legendary knight who fought alongside the hero against the Demon Lord.
He was the strongest knight on the continent, capable of blocking everything with his shield. He was also the man who currently protected the continent from the northern demons.
Haken, the Grand Duke of the North, trembled at the name of the hero of the continent.
“I heard he never shows himself to anyone……”
“He’ll definitely show himself if it’s something like this.”
“You speak as if you know him well?”
Sigh.
Juyeon just laughed.
Of course I do.
He was a companion character who fought alongside me against the Demon Lord in the past.
But that was something I couldn’t tell him.
Of course, there was a problem.
In the story, Count Sanderson pushes out the [Knight King]’s family and takes over the north.
‘That’s actually the main storyline.’
If it were a game, I wouldn’t have cared.
If I stopped the Count’s plan, I could get the Knight King, but if I failed, that was that.
There were other good companion characters besides the [Knight King].
But even so, Sanderson would still become the lord of the north.
‘I can’t do something good for the one who caused me 18 years of suffering.’
Moreover, if Sanderson became the lord of the north, I would get some annoying enemies, and the city that I had to visit in the hard mode攻略攻略 would be blocked.
I absolutely couldn’t let that happen.
That’s not all.
If the Knight King died, this would also happen.
＜The Knight King of the North has died＞
＜The knights’ trust has fallen (penalty permanently applied)＞
＜You cannot recruit companion characters related to knights＞
＜Some of the strong knights become your enemies＞
Of course, it wasn’t impossible to face the Demon Lord without knights.
There were many other classes that could act as tanks.
However, becoming enemies with the knights would be a huge loss. There was no need to make things difficult when they could be easy.
‘I wasn’t going to give up on the Knight King in the first place.’
He was a character who boasted the highest stats among the companion characters.
And once I met the Knight King, I could solve the current problem with this body.
However, there was one problem.
Bang!
As we opened the door and went out, a huge explosion blocked our path.
The front yard of the labor camp was in complete chaos.
“R, run away!”
“We’re all going to die if we stay here!”
The prisoners were running back into the labor camp.
It was because of the soldiers chasing them.
“Kill the prisoners!”
“Don’t let a single rebel live!”
Joo-in narrowed his brow at the shouts.
‘The Lord’s soldiers.’
They could have been the soldiers who had been waiting near the labor camp.
In any case, most of the prisoners were dead, with only a few remaining.
That was when it happened.
“Two slaves are escaping over there!”
“Don’t let them escape! Archers, prepare to fire!”
Twang!
The archers raised their bows at Joo-in.
“How foolish to crawl out like that!”
Since they were shooting from the entrance of the labor camp, there was no way he could rush in and stop them.
“M, Master Joo-in!”
Taken aback, Haken called out Joo-in’s name.
Then Joo-in’s eyes lit up.
“Haken! Hide behind me!”
“But!”
As soon as Joo-in spread his arms wide, the archers sneered.
“Are you giving up on life?”
“Fire!”
The enemy commander shouted at the same time.
Instantly, arrows soared into the sky.
There were so many arrows that they briefly created a shadow.
“Blame it on the fools who rebelled without thinking!”
“Well. I wonder who the real fools are.”
＜Reflection＞