A month has passed.
A month can feel long or short.
After finishing the test broadcast, as usual, the community and Deoen became lively.
The transcendent-level weapons and the trials of the Multicolored Successor.
The existence of the Demon King of the One, the strength of the Silver Purifier. Not to mention the giant of Ertarn hidden behind a veil.
The bait piled up like a mountain, and people talked a lot about it, and I received countless questions.
I mentioned the overall flow but didn’t go into details like the Celestial Race and other specifics.
I already declared loudly that I am an alien! But in reality, not many people believe it.
There are various reasons, but the most representative one is that “this world is already weird.”
It’s been four years since a virtual reality game that’s close to reality came out.
The virtual reality game turned the world upside down by about 540 degrees, and many rankers have already surpassed the realm of ordinary people’s minds.
The most notable user is ‘Leo’…
When Leo first appeared on the Empire’s side, there was quite a controversy.
At that time, discussions about whether the Sword Saint was strong or Michael was strong came up every time, but that power had rarely been shown in practice.
It was only displayed in rank battles or raids.
However, Leo demonstrated overwhelming might by destroying a nation as part of a World Quest.
Since Leo’s mind had already become strange, conspiracy theories similar to those about me being the chairman’s daughter or a bug character circulated, and among them, the idea of “he’s an NPC, not a user!” became almost definitive.
Back then, hidden pieces were rare, so things were even more intense than for me.
Of course, the real Leo proved himself, and the doubts somewhat faded.
Anyway, as more such people continued to emerge, no matter how much I declare myself an alien, people still don’t believe it.
“There are way too many shepherd boys in this world.”
Unless I directly turn on the cam and show magic in real life, I doubt they’ll ever believe me.
“Hmm…”
So, I spent my time noisily attending academy classes, participating in rank battles, and occasionally hunting.
Classes were going smoothly.
I had just acquired the Barrier of Isolation and ranked 12th.
My level remained almost stagnant.
Compared to the days when incidents never ceased, this past month was quite leisurely.
Even though the days were not very special throughout Deoen, I strangely felt like it was the calm before the storm.
December 1st.
In exactly 30 days, Deoen’s 4th anniversary, the Great Cataclysm begins.
Sitting in the Dean’s Office, I gaze out the window.
Fluffy white snowflakes are falling just enough to look pretty.
Elbrite always maintains warm weather and an environment, but to create a year-end feel, it magically made snow fall that’s not cold.
I made it snow without any chill by law.
Pretty much beautiful.
Clunk!
The door to the Dean’s Office opens.
An intruder barges in without knocking, but I greet her with a smile.
A cute intruder in a short robe, whether it’s her arms or legs.
“Leo’s back!”
“How’s the sword?”
“No, no!”
Thud! Leo strides over and puts the borrowed Silver Purifier on the table.
“After all, it just doesn’t suit me. The spirit dislikes it.”
“How about the barrier magic?”
“It doesn’t work. Even if it did, I think it would just get eaten.”
Guess there’s no choice then.
I reluctantly retrieve the sword.
It had been a peaceful month, but during that time, I had struggled to find the ‘suitable candidate’ for the Silver Purifier.
Based on a sort of classified candidate pool, I sought out the most promising character, and the first one I visited was the ‘Pharaoh.’
An Ancient Beast with a good handle on the sword and capable of moving in my preferred way.
However, handling it in the stone statue’s body was impossible, and since he couldn’t even manage his own physical body yet, I passed on him.
I also thought of Aisha, but for some reason, she completely vanished in the past month.
She had been attending the Academy, but she wasn’t visible at all.
In the end, I had Leo try out the Silver Purifier by lending it to him.
Leo cheerfully nodded his head and expressed gratitude, but after several attempts, he ultimately gave up.
The reason? The spirit itself is ‘non-living.’
Spirits aren’t typical life forms but spiritual entities.
It’s not like they would suffer severe damage from purification, but still, they’re not complete living beings, so they reacted negatively to the sword.
Still, since Leo is skilled in spirit magic and the sword has a self, it was worth a try…
“After all, it’s a no-go for me. Actually, I’m not really good at swordsmanship either…”
“It can’t be helped. Good job.”
“Aww. But it was a fun experience. Hehe.”
“Are you okay with training?”
“Yes! It’s super fun!”
Awakening the power of the Nymph, Leo has recently focused on ‘merging’ with the Nymph.
To properly handle the mana that only the residents here can feel and use, beyond just being a user.
If he succeeds, he’ll be able to wield spirit magic too.
“How’s the Empire’s situation?”
“Hmm… Well, not much going on.”
Oh!
“Recently, Duke Huangyeol hasn’t been engaging in external activities.”
“Was he doing that in the first place?”
“Well, he used to show up occasionally, but now there’s none of that. What’s up with that?”
“…Hmmm.”
They said they’re preventing the demon race.
I can’t easily trust it, but if the Empire doesn’t want to collapse under the weight of magic, they’ll figure out how to stop it themselves.
Anyway, since giving Leo the sword was a failure, I need to find another alternative.
Failing to give Leo a sword means I need to find an alternative.
At this rate, Sre might actually have to perform swordsmanship with a sword in his mouth.
“Where are you going?”
“It seems like it’s about that ‘time.’”
I stand up.
It’s time to go check on the place I visit regularly for a month.
“I should go see if Yena is doing well.”
It’s time to see Yena.
■
‘You’re moving slowly. You need to speed up.’
“……”
‘The essence of stealth begins with suppressing your presence. Murderous intent plays a significant role in exerting power, but it also easily exposes you to the enemy. What you must possess is calmness…’
“Calmness, my butt.”
Swoosh!!
Got hit again.
[You have died.]
A rare hidden quest from Deoen.
Yena, who earned the glorious opportunity to train with the ancient race, chuckled bitterly as she died once more.
How many times has it been this time?
I distinctly counted to the 231st, but beyond that, I have no clue.
It’s probably over a thousand, right?
Fwooosh…!
“……”
Resurrected again.
‘In your last attempt, placing a shadow trick on the left, going right, and then flooding the right with tricks before attacking from below was pretty smart.’
“…Yes.”
‘However, you over-inflated the trick with too much force, resulting in a significant weakening of your real attack.’
“……”
‘Also, while the guiding bracelet is useful, relying too much on it is not ideal.’
Ultimately, the guidance on the correct path is just one of the powers of the bracelet.
It does not ensure unconditional success against someone who surpasses the powers of the bracelet…
“…Wow.”
A month.
It’s been a month since I got stuck here.
I’ve been attempting challenges for about 10 hours a day with hardly any rest, but there seems to be no end in sight.
I’ve only managed to inflict damage on the Agent a measly 4 times.
All of which were through the combined use of Storm Cutting, and even that only left a dent of about 3% in his health.
‘3%’
To reach my target of 30%, I have to do this another 9 times…
‘9 months?’
“Ugh.”
I feel dizzy. Seriously dizzy.
While streaming, I often hear stories from people related to hidden quests or jobs requiring insane amounts of time and effort.
Each one is bizarre and downright absurd, but watching them, I can’t help but think one thing.
‘I feel like I could do it!’
It might take a long time, but it looks fun in its own way, and it hasn’t seemed particularly difficult from what I saw in the writing and pictures.
If I can use the talent I have and turn on the stream, I could definitely utilize it as content.
“Content is a load of crap.”
Doing the same old battle broadcasts is pushing viewers to leave in droves.
If it weren’t for the talk segments or the occasional visit from Lady Lily, I might have sunk even lower than before I met her.
People love getting hidden abilities and growing stronger, but they really don’t want to see the process.
If I filmed these battles and uploaded them to NewTube, it’s clear the views would tank except for the first and last episodes.
I can guarantee that.
“I want to skip…”
“You can’t skip.”
“Why… huh?”
Yena raised her head with a tired expression and widened her eyes at the familiar voice.
With her blue hair and a beautifully familiar face.
“Lady Lily!!!”
“It’s been a while.”
Lily showed up after five days.
■
It had been five days since I last saw Yena.
She has been training with Myeosin, coming once every five days to drop some advice, and today was one of those days.
Myeosin was sitting on a pink, old tree, organizing her nails, while Yena was sprawled on the ground, sobbing.
I patted Yena’s back.
“Uuuu… I missed you soooooo much…”
“Why are you crying?”
“Why am I crying? Do I look like I could stop crying right now…?”
Hmm. It’s truly just an empty room.
It’s all an illusion, and I have to constantly die under the guidance of people.
For an ordinary person, the difficulty would be impossible to endure.
“I brought you something tasty last time I visited.”
“…It was tasty, but…”
“Right?”
“When does this end?”
Yena’s desperate question made me glance at Myeosin.
Her face was now clearly visible.
She shook her head with a smile like back then.
‘Well… I think you’ll just have to do what you’ve done so far.’
“…hahahaha.”
‘But this is pretty easy, you know.’
“…Is this?”
‘Of course.’
Myeosin said that while looking at me.
‘Comparing it is ridiculous.’
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