Chapter 77 …
“‘Eliminating mana consumption… that basically means it’s always active, right?’”
Unless detected or blocked by something, always active is exactly what that means.
It’s tricky to use in combat, but in situations like now, where all eyes are focused on you, it was the best option.
Truly, an item that fully lives up to hero-grade value!
“Can I really get this?”
It’s not like a pumpkin just rolled in on a vine.
By now, he was getting hero-grade items for free, even without doing anything.
He wondered how other players would react if they heard this news.
If it were Dohyun, he’d have bombarded the developers with a flood of curse-filled messages over several days.
“This is insane.”
It was that absurd.
Even though he had a lot of hero-grade gear now and the thrill had dulled somewhat, objectively, hero-grade items were extremely rare.
Though this was a secondary item with limited effects, it actually made it more valuable in a way.
“Secondary gear is hard to get through normal routes.”
There was a reason people only equip secondary gear after reaching high levels.
Only the extremely rich or flashy show-offs would deck themselves out in expensive secondary gear at low levels, since the acquisition difficulty was high relative to performance.
“Do people really get it this way? Is it normal if you raise a divine beast?”
He hadn’t even raised a guardian, let alone a divine beast, so he didn’t know.
Bora sometimes said divine beasts would deliver hidden pieces or trigger related quests…
“Could this count as a hidden piece too?”
Whether this counted as a hidden piece was questionable, but what did it matter?
Good things were just good things.
Right now, though, he was curious about something else.
“Why do you have something like this?”
Ah, as you can see, Eliza’s a bit unusual. Since a lot of people probably target her, I hesitated but then happened to undead an assassin who died… and she was carrying something like this.
The bracelet obtained that way was refined into what became “Eliza’s Bracelet.”
However, it was too big for Eliza, so she wore it wrapped around her neck two or three times…
Thinking about it, no one ever mentioned Eliza. She never hid anywhere, yet she freely perched on shoulders or heads.
“So that’s why… I mean, I knew the look wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, but it was strange.”
What seemed like a simple leash turned out to be a hero-grade bracelet with incredible abilities.
Come to think of it, that’s the only thing she ever gave me…
Lizariza!
Thanks for saying that, Eliza.
She wore it whenever going outside. It was her first and last gift, so it became her treasured item.
It seemed every story about these two had an emotional twist… but it had been 150 years since they last met, so perhaps that was natural.
Lizariza!
I’m grateful, and now I think you’ll need it more than your owner.
“…Thanks, Eliza.”
Liza!
He placed a hand on his waist as he responded, as if saying, “Don’t mention it.”
“Things have gone smoothly since we got this.”
So that’s why Bora risked so much with divine beasts.
Sometimes divine beasts bring special items or hidden pieces, and he could understand why they’d be so precious.
“They’re adorable, really.”
Lizariza!
Dohyun affectionately stroked Eliza’s head with his index finger, and she nuzzled him back in delight.
After spending a brief moment with her, Dohyun finally tried on the bracelet.
“Good thing it’s a bracelet.”
If it had been a necklace, it would have conflicted with the Blood Pact Necklace.
It had looked big on Eliza, but it fit perfectly on Dohyun’s wrist.
[You have equipped Eliza’s Bracelet.]
[‘Weak Invisibility’ is active.]
Oh, the owner looks semi-transparent.
Liza!
Indeed, Dohyun’s body had become hazy.
It was only visible to Dohyun and the guardians, and likely invisible to anyone else.
“Oh? They left, huh?”
“Hmm, I was about to say something if it got too noisy…”
“They’re dignitaries brought in by the Grand Prelate… no trouble, so that’s good.”
“But they left the party behind?”
“They seem young. Maybe they worried and decided to leave them behind.”
Even passing by the priests, they couldn’t see Dohyun.
They were only talking about Jihad in robes.
The effect was definite. Same with other abilities.
[MP: 1,150 / 1,150]
“It really doesn’t decrease.”
Dohyun grinned as he confirmed that even the secondary effect was applied.
All problems were solved.
It was time to step confidently into the field.
“I’m going.”
He strode down the corridor and boldly opened the entrance.
Creak—empty.
Dohyun had to close the door before it even fully opened.
Murmurs—.
“…Why are there so many?”
In the brief moment the door opened, the crowd was larger than he had expected. Dohyun opened the door slightly to confirm.
“…Why does it seem even bigger?”
He pondered seriously.
“How am I supposed to get through this?”
The invisibility was great. It worked even in the city.
But the problem was the weakness of the invisibility.
“Can I really get through that crowd without being touched?”
Even Dohyun couldn’t slip through that many people untouched.
From the brief glimpse through the door, there were hundreds… no, more than that.
Packed tightly together, it was physically impossible to pass without contact. Even a single touch would break the invisibility.
“Why are they just standing around?”
This made him realize how famous he had become. 790,000 subscribers didn’t happen by chance.
If they were all fans, that’d be lucky… but clearly not.
“No way… look at their eyes. They’re itching to rip me off.”
Wow, that’s amazing. These people have the same look as when the owner caught me.
“….”
Ouch! Why did you hit me, owner?
After flicking Jihad’s forehead, Dohyun organized his thoughts.
“I need a strategy.”
He needed to either send the crowd somewhere or teleport.
If he could use Backstab, that would be ideal—but damaging skills were forbidden in the city.
Even using Backstab would leave a mark and break invisibility.
Then all the effort would be wasted.
Hehe, hehe.
“Quiet. Why are you giggling? Be careful with that sound.”
Ah… sorry. I’m just really happy.
“Happy?”
Someone was about to die from anxiety.
Frowning, Jihad hurried to explain:
No, it’s not that. It’s like the commoners are admiring me… strangely addictive.
“….”
Ah, right. He had a strong-weak-weak-strong trait.
Being instinctively like this, it was natural he’d feel joy from these glances.
“He even liked it when we made our way through the streets earlier.”
Once a ruler of a forest leading an undead army, maybe he enjoyed the sensation after so long.
It was unbalanced to think this sly-looking guy was once a ruler.
“Wait, the glances?”
Something clicked. Connecting the words “glances,” Jihad, and the fact that he was a guardian, Dohyun had a brilliant idea.
“Hey, you said you liked the attention, right?”
Huh? Yeah… right?
“Then how about enjoying it fully?”
Huh?
Dohyun grinned as he explained his plan.
After finishing the explanation:
Hehe. This is too good.
“Right?”
Jihad smiled, his sly face even more cunning. Dohyun’s face probably matched.
The master and guardian, working together after a long time, stared resolutely at the door.
“Let’s go.”
Hehe!
And Dohyun disappeared.
Meanwhile, Brion was in chaos.
Murmurs—.
“Wow, look at the crowd…”
“Feels like a concert line. Why is everyone here?”
An enormous crowd, reminiscent of a concert, had gathered in front of the Lyre Grand Temple.
The sheer size made it hard to breathe just from looking.
Considering how large Brion was, and the temple within it, it was an incredible sight.
A passing man clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“Did they put honey inside? Or some surprise event?”
“Kaiser entered the temple.”
“So what? If it’s Brion, anyone can enter. Even Kaiser, is it that special?”
The man couldn’t understand.
Kaiser? Sure, a hot dark horse and a star in the community.
But even then, attracting this much attention in such a short time was unprecedented.
It was somewhat excessive.
The man’s question was valid, but his companions reacted as if he were clueless, exclaiming that he hadn’t heard?
“See? Of course it’s special. You’ve been in Brion all this time and still didn’t hear?”
“Why? What happened?”
“He’s meeting the Grand Prelate. Two priests came out to escort him.”
“What? He just entered Brion?”
“Exactly! That’s why everyone’s excited. You can tell it’s not ordinary.”
If true, this was huge.
Kaiser’s fame among players was understandable, but NPCs—the Grand Prelate—had no reason to notice him.
Yet he meets the Grand Prelate shortly after entering Brion?
Ordinary players might not even see the Grand Prelate until they graduate from Brion.
“I haven’t met him yet either…”
You could smell it. Hidden piece vibes.
“No wonder they’re gathered. Some curiosity, some envy.”
“…True.”
While many waited with anticipation, some surely had ill intentions.
God of High School Online was a game where PK and looting were standard, and moral concepts often collapsed.
Players restrained themselves in the city to avoid jail. If anyone got something good, others would try to take it by force.
“That’s why people join guilds. Hero Guilds are popular.”
Those without a guild, or with weak ones, got exploited.
Guilds had monopolistic power, often tolerated to some extent.
Guilds were indispensable here.
Star players always joined notable guilds, which grew stronger with the star. A virtuous cycle.
“But Kaiser doesn’t have a guild, right?”
