Chapter 152 …
A series of dumbfounded noises erupted simultaneously from all directions.
It was a rare sight. For a moment, everyone looked at each other with blank faces, whispering in confusion.
Just as the guards were tilting their heads, wondering what on earth had suddenly happened—
“Th-that’s impossible!”
“What did I just see?”
“This is crazy…!”
Starting with a shocked scream from somewhere—
“6,014 points? Did you say 6,014 points??”
“No way, does that score even make sense? Am I seeing things? Hey, slap me real quick.”
“What on earth did he do to get that score? Does this make any sense!?”
“This is insane. Completely insane. Wow! WOW!!!”
“Kaiser… is he actually a god?”
“Kaiser Punch! Kaiser Punch! Kaiser Punch! Kaiser Punch! Kaiser Punch!”
As if the brief silence had been the calm at the eye of a storm—
Cheering far louder than before exploded from every direction. And understandably so, because the score was simply unbelievable.
Taking first place?
That part had been expected.
After all, he had been the first to meet the Lord of the City and had proudly cleared the Outlaw Challenge.
“S-Rank isn’t even the issue right now! How is the score in the six-thousand range!?”
“The Empress caused controversy just by being the first to reach four digits, and this is… I’m so dumbfounded I can’t even speak.”
“What’s there to say? A god just did what a god does!”
“Hey, what’s the address for the Kashin Church website?”
But even so, wasn’t this score going way too far?
It was an overwhelming number reaching six times that of the top-ranked players everyone knew.
And that comparison was only against the Empress, who was known as a one-person army. Compared to everyone else, the gap was even larger.
“Is catching the Outlaw really worth this much?”
“Maybe it’s because he met the City Lord? But even then, can just those two things make such a huge difference…?”
“Of course the difference is huge! He got two first achievements, didn’t he!?”
Naturally, controversy erupted, and the users began moving busily.
“Hurry up and spread the article! Hurry!!”
“What are you waiting for? Even if it’s not exclusive, just upload it as fast as possible!”
“Look at the scouts and reporters going crazy. Heh.”
“Reporters aren’t the only problem right now. The news is spreading through guilds and the homepage is in chaos. Everything’s blowing up.”
“Damn… I was jealous of the people who saw Kaiser back in Brion, but now I get to witness this. I’m so glad I didn’t graduate from Sargis yet.”
“When is Kaiser coming out already? My neck’s about to snap from waiting!”
It was truly a historic incident—one that shocked reporters, threw scouts into chaos, and left every user in disbelief.
Just as the users, whose expectations for Kaiser had grown to the maximum, stared at the castle waiting for him to appear—
“Huh? Hey, look over there!”
“Someone’s coming out!”
“Is it Kaiser? Is that Kaiser!?”
Someone appeared on the second-floor terrace.
Under the faint moonlight, only a silhouette could barely be seen. It was the figure of a man.
However, the users quickly realized it wasn’t Kaiser.
“Blond hair?”
“What? That’s not Kaiser. He’s not wearing dark armor.”
There wasn’t a single user here who didn’t know Kaiser’s defining traits, the hottest topic around.
Which made it even stranger.
If it wasn’t Kaiser, who would be coming out of the castle?
Aside from Kaiser, the only ones who could confidently appear from the second floor were high-ranking NPCs or the City Lord himself…
“Huh?”
“…No way?”
As the users’ expressions gradually turned strange—
“—Everyone, it’s good to see you.”
The man on the second floor spoke.
Perhaps he was using the power of an item, because even though his voice wasn’t loud, it was heard clearly.
It was also because everyone had shut their mouths and listened carefully, wondering if their guess might be right.
Looking down at them with satisfaction, the blond man continued speaking.
“—Apostles, residents of the city, and the knights and guards who protect this city’s safety. You are all faces I have long wished to see.”
His eyes and voice were clear.
Yet somewhere within them lingered a sense of longing and bitterness.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, one user shouted.
“W-Who are you!!”
Perhaps everyone had been thinking the same thing.
Neither users nor NPCs scolded him. They simply stared up at the man, waiting for him to speak. A few seconds passed.
“—Ah, my introduction was late.”
After those few seconds that felt incredibly long, the blond man finally spoke again.
Then he stepped forward slightly and slowly looked over everyone.
A thin, almost frail body.
And a youthful face.
“Huh?”
“A boy…?”
Startled by how much younger he looked than expected, the crowd stared.
Seeing them, the blond boy spoke.
It was Jay Ruddel.
“—Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Jay Ruddel, the Lord of this city.”
“……”
“……”
One second.
Then two.
Silence lingered—before thunderous cheers exploded.
“WAAAAAA!!!”
“The City Lord appeared!!”
“Everyone turn on your recording! At least take pictures, hurry!”
“Th-that person is the City Lord…!”
“Then that means he’s the son of Jard Ruddel!”
The City Lord of the iron fortress Sargis, who had been shrouded in mystery.
It was the splendid debut of Jay Ruddel.
* * *
WAAAAAA—!!!!
Hearing the cheers echoing from outside the castle, Dohyun let out a small chuckle.
“He’s doing well.”
—The kid is growing into an adult like this. Somehow, it feels emotional. My brother should have seen this.
Scratching his head awkwardly, Jin Ruddel had a smile spreading across his lips.
When their eyes met, he spoke quietly.
—I was always worried. I wanted the boy to live freely, the life he wanted. But he was born into a fate where he couldn’t.
“……”
—So I thought… even if it meant becoming an old fool obsessed with power, I’d rather bind those greedy elders myself. That way, even if Jay lived as the City Lord, at least he wouldn’t live as a puppet. Well… I couldn’t even finish that job and ended up as a ghost.
As he spoke with a faint laugh, Jin Ruddel’s gaze grew heavy.
Looking unusually serious, he bowed deeply.
—Thank you. Truly. I’ve received far too much kindness.
“…It’s nothing.”
—No. I know these words of thanks are nowhere near enough. If I weren’t a ghost, I’d want to repay you somehow… But if a day ever comes when you need my help, I will help you. I swear on my name.
Dohyun doubted there would ever be a day he’d receive help from a ghost, but he nodded anyway.
Ignoring the trembling sincerity in Jin Ruddel’s voice would have felt wrong.
Feeling awkward in such a heavy atmosphere, Dohyun changed the topic.
“Will you stay by the City Lord’s side now?”
Jin Ruddel shook his head.
—That was a lie.
“…What?”
—I can no longer pass on peacefully, nor can I remain in this world. That strange energy has disappeared.
“Then…”
—What choice do I have? I suppose I’ll have to settle down in the afterlife.
“……”
Yet Jin Ruddel looked relieved as he said it.
—The boy is healthy now, and I’ve handed over the corruption evidence I stole… no, collected. He should be able to clean up the rotten people. I even got to see that kid give such a fine speech. Isn’t that real closure? If I still had regrets after that, it would just be selfish.
And indeed, Jin Ruddel seemed to have no lingering regrets at all.
Grinning widely, as if nothing could make him more satisfied—
—Thank you once again, Hero.
That was his final 모습.
[The dark energy remaining in this place disappears.]
His time had truly ended, and he vanished.
Looking at the empty space he left behind, Charlie spoke.
—Despite appearances, he was a very warm man.
—Sob… yeah… why’d he have to make it so sad? I’ve cried my eyes out today.
—Riza…
At that, Jihad and Eliza wiped away their tears.
It was exactly the reaction one would expect from such emotional companions.
Watching Eliza sniffle while hugging Jihad—as if she had never been sulking earlier—Dohyun chuckled and checked the remaining time.
[Remaining Time: 00:20:01]
“Twenty minutes… that’s awkward.”
It felt wasteful to log out now, but there wasn’t quite enough time to start something major.
A perfect bit of spare time.
And in moments like this, there was only one thing to do.
“Then… should I open some cards?”
It was time to use the Advanced Skill Draw Ticket he had obtained from completing the quest.
But there was one problem.
“Going out right now would be awkward.”
Jay Ruddel was still giving his speech.
If he walked out now, all the attention would instantly focus on him.
Jay Ruddel was making his first speech as City Lord—he couldn’t ruin that.
But that was fine.
“Hehe.”
He didn’t actually need to go searching for a lucky spot.
There was a legendary saying in the God-of-All-Ages draw gallery.
—If a lucky spot is land blessed with good fortune, then the true lucky spot must be a sacred place no one can approach!
That statement deeply resonated with the people obsessed with opening draws.
Soon, they began searching for locations worthy of being called lucky spots.
Several places were selected.
One of them… was inside Sargis Castle.
—People of the draw nation, think about it.
—A place where no one has set foot for one year and six months. Imagine opening the first draw there.
—Perhaps… just perhaps… a Legendary grade might appear…!?
Of course, it was complete nonsense.
Draw results didn’t depend on location. Pulling in some unproven place wouldn’t magically increase your chances.
And yet countless draw-gallery users had longed for that moment.
There was only one reason.
“Because it’s romantic.”
To the draw-gallery users, that was the ultimate dream.
And now, that glorious moment had come to Dohyun.
“I’ve been waiting for this.”
Ordinary people—who weren’t proud members of the draw nation—could never imagine how excited Dohyun had been after receiving the ticket.
Seeing his half-crazed eyes, Jihad asked in genuine shock.
—My goodness… there are many people like our master…? Are humans normally like this, Charlie?
—Riza…
—Cough… well…
Charlie avoided answering this time, unable to defend humanity yet unwilling to agree.
While Charlie struggled to preserve humanity’s dignity, Dohyun was busy tearing open the draw ticket with swelling anticipation.
[Using Advanced Skill Draw Ticket.]
Flash—
Ten cards rose into the air, shining brilliantly.
At that always thrilling moment, another message appeared before Dohyun’s shining eyes.
[Eye of Truth has activated.]
At the same time, colors that shouldn’t normally be visible appeared.
And Dohyun’s eyes widened.
“Three…!”
There were three yellow cards.
The same number as when he received the prophetic dream at the Lyre Grand Temple!
And this time, there were six silver cards and only one brown trash card.
An incredible probability.
“Ah… I believe.”
The legend of the draw gallery had been true after all.
Just as Dohyun reached out with ecstatic eyes—
He suddenly stopped.
“…Not the middle.”
He had been badly burned by that choice once before.
Learning from experience, Dohyun changed direction.
After a brief moment of thought, he chose the card on the right.
The skill card flipped over, bursting with brilliant yellow light.
[You have acquired the Hero Skill “Ice Energy Flow”.]
“…Huh?”
