Chapter 169 ….
Perhaps it could truly be called the essence of bullying the weak while bowing to the strong.
After entrusting him with training the subordinates just once, the loyalty that had been slowly rising suddenly shot up dramatically.
And sure enough—he looked happiest when he was shouting and boasting.
‘So he can make a face like that too.’
Just to avoid misunderstandings, that wasn’t meant as a compliment.
It was the kind of face that looked so vile it made you want to punch him.
If the facial-recognition-blocking option hadn’t been attached to his character, a random player passing by might have unconsciously initiated a PK just from seeing that face.
Even Charlie couldn’t hide his admiration at the astonishing sight.
“Hmm… There’s nothing to interfere with in that training. He’s a perfectly flawless drill instructor.”
“Lizari-zari.”
“That viciousness, that efficient intimidation… I trained countless knights back when I was the commander of the knight order, but in terms of training he’s a step above even me.”
“He was born to be a drill instructor. Let’s just ignore him.”
Even picky Charlie—who was stricter than anyone in this field—had nothing to criticize.
‘I wondered why his loyalty was rising so slowly after passing sixty… So there was a reason.’
A Guardian’s traits, which represented its personality and characteristics, often served as an excellent guide when raising that Guardian.
This also applied to building intimacy.
Just like people have different personalities, Guardians all had their own temperaments. Naturally, they became happier when treated in a way that matched their nature.
From that perspective, it was only natural for Jihad to be acting like that.
‘You really wouldn’t find a divine beast like that anywhere else.’
The only problem was that his traits were strong against the strong, weak against the weak, and opportunistic.
Tap… tap…
He had once been the king of those outlaws who radiated overwhelming presence…
But watching him now, receiving drill discipline from goblins and running in a duck-walk, somehow made Dohyun feel a bit sorry.
Tap… tap…
Even the outlaw undead stood there blankly, as if feeling pity, watching their king being drilled.
But what could they do?
It was the path he chose. All he could do was grit his teeth and endure.
“Hmm? Why are you guys spacing out instead of working? Want some drills too?”
Ta-tap…!
At Jihad’s shout, the outlaws immediately dashed off to resume their search.
Meanwhile, Goto—still duck-walking—looked at their backs with eyes full of betrayal.
He truly was suffering, just like his name suggested.
He had sworn to bear the suffering of all his brethren alone… but he hadn’t meant this kind of suffering.
There was no king here.
Only an instructor and trainees.
“Ah… this is thrilling…”
Seeing Jihad look so happy, Dohyun shook his head.
Then a message appeared in front of him.
[You have obtained Blue Flower Petals.]
[All materials have been collected.]
[Return to ‘Ruriel’ to complete the quest.]
While his attention had been elsewhere, the undead had finished gathering all the materials.
A slight smile appeared at the corner of Dohyun’s lips.
‘Then shall we go hear about Angela?’
It was time to hear the secret of the dead wife of the greatest sage king in history.
* * *
In conclusion, he couldn’t hear the secret.
“Oh, you got them already? That was faster than I expected.”
“So now you’ll tell me about Angela—”
“Hey, come on. Did you really think it would end with just that? Don’t you have any shame?”
“……”
Just as the number (1) attached to Ruriel’s condition implied, she shook her head.
Seeing Ruriel smirk and mock him made Dohyun suddenly want to flick her forehead.
“There’s still plenty more to get. Bring everything and I’ll tell you. Hey—what’s with that look? I’m serious. I don’t lie.”
“…How much more?”
“Let’s see… I expected about a month, but with your speed maybe two weeks.”
“……”
Dohyun barely suppressed the curse that almost escaped his lips and frowned.
‘A month? This is a grinding quest.’
In RPG games, there are quests like that.
Long quests where you gather materials for ages or explore dungeons repeatedly.
Players usually called them grind quests, and this was exactly that type.
Still… perhaps he should be thankful it was reduced to two weeks.
‘Just how incredible is the story she’s hiding…?’
It felt absurd for a moment, but thinking about it, it made sense.
He would be learning the secret of the queen that no one had discovered even after a year and a half.
And the one giving the information was the infamous backseat-gamer Ruriel. It had to be this difficult.
But it wasn’t like there were no gains.
[Quest ‘Ruriel’s Condition (1)’ cleared.]
[Level Up!]
[You have reached Level 60 and obtained a Random Skill Draw Ticket.]
‘…Huh? Wait, I already leveled up?’
How long had it even been since the last level?
He had killed a few mutant trolls while collecting materials for their blood, but it wasn’t that many.
Which meant—
The experience from Ruriel’s quest was enormous.
Dohyun’s mind started calculating quickly.
‘She said two weeks.’
If he completed all the quests at this pace, what level would he reach?
66? 67?
Maybe even higher.
A faint smile spread across his face.
‘I might actually graduate within a month.’
Considering how awkward it was to keep asking the knights for quests, this was a perfect opportunity.
What he thought was just a grinding quest…
Was actually a sweet experience-boosting quest that could shorten his graduation time.
Having finished his calculation, Dohyun spoke as if reluctantly accepting.
“Sigh… what a hassle. Fine, so what do I have to bring this time?”
“Master, the corners of your mouth aren’t going down?”
“Lizari-zari.”
Of course, it didn’t quite match his acting.
After all, he had just gotten an experience booster and a random skill draw ticket—his smile rose naturally.
Fortunately, Ruriel didn’t seem to care.
“You’re a weird guy. Anyway, it’s similar this time. You need materials again—things the trolls keep in their colony…”
At that moment—
Fwoooosh—BOOM!
A sudden sound of fireworks interrupted her.
Instinctively turning his head, Dohyun saw—
“Everyone, thank you for waiting! The Lantern Festival you’ve all been waiting for will now begin. Please enjoy!”
“Waaaah!”
“Honey! Hurry! We’ll lose our spot!”
At the NPC’s announcement, players gathered together in excitement.
Soon after, the fireworks disappeared and the sky darkened.
A few seconds later—
Floating…
Lanterns with glowing embers began appearing everywhere.
Above the river flowing between the city buildings.
Between the walls of the structures.
Lanterns slowly floated upward, softly lighting the night sky and lake.
“Wow… honey, I’m so excited.”
“So this is the famous Lantern Festival. It’s really beautiful.”
It was a spectacular sight.
The city of Pratel, already considered beautiful, now looked even more dreamlike.
It truly felt like a world from fantasy.
Then—
Flash!
“Wow…!”
“That’s amazing!”
Lanterns that had been hidden in the night sky ignited.
They lit up simultaneously like stars, softly coloring the city.
The light spread across the lake surrounding the city and the river flowing through it.
Soon the entire city was filled with a gentle glow.
“Wow… it’s beautiful.”
“Lizari-zari.”
Even Dohyun’s party was momentarily captivated.
It wasn’t the first time they’d seen it.
The Lantern Festival happened roughly once a week, and they had witnessed it the night they first arrived.
‘Still beautiful even the second time.’
Maybe it was because God of Ascension had a fantasy setting.
The feeling was completely different from lantern festivals in the real world.
While he was honestly admiring it, he heard someone clicking their tongue beside him.
“What’s so great about a half-baked festival like that… tsk.”
“Huh? Isn’t it pretty?”
“Back in my day, festivals weren’t this pathetic. These apostles today don’t know anything… Who this festival is really for…”
Looking around after hearing Ruriel’s words, something did seem strange.
The NPCs had organized the festival.
They should have been happy about something this beautiful—
But their expressions weren’t that bright.
The children looked delighted, but the adults carried faint shadows on their faces.
It was a different atmosphere from the players happily enjoying the festival.
“Well, whatever. That’s not important right now. Go get the materials.”
Dohyun had been about to ask, but Ruriel cut him off first.
As she listed the quest items, a notification appeared.
[Chain Quest ‘Ruriel’s Condition (2)’ has begun.]
Ruriel’s Condition (2)
Rank: Rare+
Description: The wandering NPC Ruriel seems to be the only one who knows Angela’s story in detail.
However, satisfying her conditions won’t be easy. Fulfill all her requirements.
Objectives
Yellow Flower Petals of the Troll Colony (0 / 10)
Troll Colony Special Seasoning (0 / 3)
Aged Blue Tree Root Leaves (0 / 5)
Refined Powder from the Troll Colony (0 / 2)
Reward: 150 Gold, experience, chain quest
Failure: Ruriel will be disappointed and refuse to share information
Time Limit: None
The amount was no less than the previous quest.
Actually, it was even more.
Now he had to raid entire troll colonies.
“Come talk to me when you’ve got everything. As you know, I wander around, so find me yourself.”
After saying that, Ruriel left without hesitation.
She truly seemed uninterested in the Lantern Festival.
But Dohyun couldn’t agree with her.
“Looks nice enough to me. Don’t know why she’s complaining. Right, Eliza?”
“Lizari-zari!”
“Hmm. Even the most beautiful treasure becomes dull if seen too often.”
“True… So what now, Master? Want to finish watching the festival? Or leave right away?”
Dohyun didn’t answer Jihad.
Instead, with a resolute expression, he took something out.
The solemn atmosphere made it feel like he was about to perform a sacred ritual.
Jihad’s eyebrow twitched.
“…Don’t tell me.”
A bad premonition was rarely wrong.
Before they knew it, a card pack was in Dohyun’s hand.
It was the Random Skill Draw Ticket he received for reaching level 60.
This was why Dohyun couldn’t agree with Ruriel.
‘There’s nothing more romantic than opening a draw while watching a Lantern Festival.’
And that wasn’t all.
This place was filled with good energy.
A limited-edition lucky spot that only appeared under specific circumstances.
Just like the dungeon entrance of the Shadow Lycanthrope under Sargis’s full moon—
The city during the Lantern Festival was exactly the same!
“This is definitely good energy… I can feel it.”
“What kind of feeling?”
“Like a legendary skill is about to come out? Ah… this is troublesome. I just got a legendary skill recently. I might end up creating another legendary lucky spot.”
Back when he first saw the Lantern Festival, he had regretted not having a draw ticket.
Tonight, he would settle that regret.
“…So that’s why you were smacking your lips back then? Master, you’re unbelievable.”
“Lizari-zari…”
“Hmm… I’ll stand guard.”
Ignoring their unimpressed reactions, Dohyun took a deep breath.
He had joked about it, but he genuinely had a good feeling.
Ever since coming to Pratel, his luck had been amazing.
[Would you like to use the Random Skill Draw Ticket?]
‘Of course.’
Without hesitation, Dohyun opened the card pack.
Flash!
A dazzling light burst forth.
