Chapter 99 ,….
Geyman the Destroyer.
About ten minutes after that name was revealed, the meeting—aptly described as a cauldron of shock—came to an end.
But no one rose from their seats easily.
The impact had clearly been immense. They sat there in a daze, and only after roughly ten minutes did people begin standing one by one.
“The Destroyer has appeared again… How? We took measures so he could never return.”
“…The timing is strange too. Could he have taken advantage of Sir Lebed’s absence?”
“How could he possibly know that?”
“Ha… this is serious.”
“Let’s move for now.”
Even as they left, each person voiced their concerns.
Seeing high priests—the very ones representing Brion—behave like that made Dohyun unbearably curious.
Just what kind of monster is this Geyman?
Judging by the grand title Destroyer, he must be someone formidable…
But since they were only talking among themselves without explaining anything, it was frustrating.
Still, Dohyun had been concentrating to glean whatever information he could from their conversation—but now even that seemed difficult.
“This is no time for this. Especially now, we must implement the preparations we’ve made.”
“…You’re right, High Priest Gildetti.”
“Indeed, this is no time to hesitate. We were careless.”
“Everyone, please hurry. We ask for your understanding as well. We must prevent any panic. And elders, could you inform the priests of this news?”
As if they had never been shaken at all, the group suddenly united and began quickly leaving their seats.
From the high priests to the elders and archpriests of other temples—
Everyone departed with renewed determination.
Amid this, an elder belonging to Archpriest Lyre cautiously asked:
“Shouldn’t we call Sir Lebed, Archpriest?”
“…The Holy Knight Order is still on a mission. It will take time for them to return. We must devise countermeasures ourselves. We cannot rely solely on Sir Lebed.”
“Wise words.”
“We haven’t been idle all this time. Let’s cut the problem out at the root this time.”
“…We will take our leave now. Please do not worry too much, Archpriest.”
With that, they bowed and exited the hall.
Left awkwardly standing in the center without understanding anything, Dohyun scratched his head.
Gildetti, who had been moving busily, suddenly paused and spoke.
“Ah, my apologies for the sudden turn of events. Given the gravity of the matter, we cannot move rashly. Would it be acceptable if we contact you after devising a plan?”
“…Understood.”
Dohyun had no choice but to nod.
Ding—
[Forced Linked Quest ‘Emergency Meeting’ has begun.]
[Emergency Meeting]
Rank: Rare+
Description:
A fallen priest who broke the taboo and contracted with the Abyss.
He has appeared in Brion once more.
With Brion’s greatest force—the Lyre Holy Knight Order—and Sir Lebed absent,
if Geyman the Destroyer attacks the city, catastrophe will follow.
Wait while Brion’s priests devise countermeasures.
Time Remaining: 02:00:00
Quest Success: Linked Quest ‘???’ generated
Quest Failure: Unknown consequences
[The current forced linked quest is in progress. All quests will be forcibly linked until completion.]
There was nothing to say.
A quest telling him to wait had popped up.
It was disappointing, but what could he do?
With the quest active, he couldn’t resist it.
More than anything, the phrase unknown consequences was deeply unsettling. If the system worded it like that, the failure risk was probably something nasty.
Still, two hours isn’t that bad.
Wasting two hours was unfortunate, but this was mild.
In Demrock, there were plenty of quests that made you wait an entire day.
Gamilion stepped out earlier, right?
They had agreed to talk after the meeting, so he should be outside.
Since there was a lot to discuss anyway, this worked out.
Thinking positively, Dohyun headed for the door.
And just as he stepped outside, leaving his lingering thoughts behind—
Rustle.
As expected, he sensed someone’s presence.
However, the person standing in the hallway wasn’t who Dohyun expected.
“You’re out.”
“Hm?”
A cold, sharp voice he now recognized well.
Zerdik.
…What is this, déjà vu?
Seeing Zerdik waiting in the hallway right after the meeting felt oddly familiar.
Dohyun stared quietly, wondering what it was this time.
Their eyes met.
For a moment, he thought another pointless staring contest was about to begin—
But Zerdik spoke first.
“…ha.”
“?”
It was too quiet to hear clearly.
When Dohyun tilted his head, Zerdik frowned, cleared his throat once, and said again:
“…I’m sorry.”
“…Huh?”
…Did he hear that wrong?
The sudden apology made no sense.
Even stranger was that it came from that insufferable guy.
“I’m referring to suspecting you too hastily because you’re an outsider.”
Perhaps Dohyun’s confusion showed on his face, because Zerdik added an explanation.
“Even until the final measurement, I still harbored some suspicion toward you. It was that important of a matter to me—I needed certainty.”
“Ah.”
“…But that doesn’t justify my careless suspicion. I sincerely apologize to you. The same goes for your companions.”
At that, Jihad blinked beside Dohyun.
‘Master, what’s wrong with him? Did he eat something weird?’
‘…You read my mind.’
The guy who had been nothing but abrasive until now was suddenly offering a proper apology, which somehow made things even more uncomfortable.
Honestly, it would’ve felt more natural if he had just picked a fight.
Unable to bear the awkwardness, Dohyun gave a casual reply.
“Uh… well, yeah. It happens.”
“…You forgive me? You are quite magnanimous.”
Dohyun had only answered to move things along quickly—
But apparently Zerdik took it differently.
A strange light entered his eyes as he murmured in admiration.
[Zerdik’s favorability has increased.]
[Title ‘Max Favorability from the Start?’ effect activated. Favorability increases further.]
So this guy’s favorability could go up too.
Since Dohyun had only ever seen his hot-headed side, the message felt oddly fascinating.
Maybe Gildetti had been right that he wasn’t actually a bad person.
As Dohyun stood there awkwardly after seeing this new side of Zerdik—
“You should withdraw at this point.”
“…What?”
“He is not someone you can handle. You will lose much.”
The words came out of nowhere.
Completely abrupt.
His favorability had just increased, and now he was telling him to back off?
Just as Dohyun was about to respond, Zerdik spoke again first.
“I know apostles are immortal. But I also know they lose something each time they die. Do not bear that sacrifice unnecessarily.”
He means the death penalty.
Even if NPCs didn’t know the exact details, they seemed aware of penalties.
He wasn’t wrong.
Even aside from death penalties, the risk of quest failure was significant.
But why was he worrying about it…?
“This is the best advice I can offer right now. Please do not dismiss my words lightly. Think carefully. I’ll be going now.”
“…Huh?”
With that, Zerdik turned and left without another glance.
—What a weird guy…
—Lizaliza…
“Seriously.”
Dohyun agreed with his two guardians.
For a moment Zerdik had seemed different, but seeing him leave after saying only what he wanted confirmed he was still that same unpleasant guy.
It felt off—but it wasn’t important right now.
Dohyun quickly pushed it from his mind.
Then he spoke firmly.
“Gamilion. Come out.”
A sudden call.
Dohyun’s voice echoed through the empty hallway.
—Master, what are you suddenly—
Jihad was about to question him when—
The hallway wall suddenly rippled.
A moment later, an old man in worn priest robes appeared.
Gamilion Adran.
“I have been waiting.”
—Eek?! W-what? He was hiding?!
—Liza?!
Startled, Jihad and Eliza quickly hid behind Dohyun.
Unbothered, Gamilion calmly bowed.
He even looked somewhat impressed.
“As expected of the Successor. You knew from the start.”
“Well… yeah.”
Since earlier, Dohyun had clearly seen a ghostlike red silhouette standing by the wall.
Gamilion had probably come looking for him but hid when he noticed Zerdik.
He actually looks pretty strong when you see things like this.
If even Zerdik hadn’t noticed his stealth, wasn’t that impressive?
…Or maybe not.
Judging combat ability by stealth alone was questionable.
Besides, he didn’t look like an assassin at all—so how could he even use stealth?
But that wasn’t important right now.
“It seems we have much to discuss.”
“Hoho, ask me anything.”
At Gamilion’s gentle smile, Dohyun briefly organized his thoughts.
There were too many questions.
Why was he here?
What was this High Priest Herti business?
Was he connected to the Abyss?
Did he know about Geyman…?
Still, this comes first.
After deciding, Dohyun spoke.
“I killed all one thousand.”
There were many things to ask, but the main quest came first.
As for Geyman, Zerdik had already answered some of his curiosity.
The rest could wait.
“Oh? Faster than expected. As one who inherits that person’s will, perhaps this is only natural.”
Gamilion stroked his faint beard in genuine admiration.
He already killed that many orcs?
He had expected the Successor to complete it smoothly.
But according to that person’s words, the Successor had only just begun his journey.
Gamilion had thought it would take some effort.
Yet what was this?
The speed exceeded expectations.
And to think the benefactor High Priest Gildetti mentioned was the Successor himself…
Even more surprising—
The man hadn’t focused solely on hunting monsters.
He had completed two quests simultaneously at this pace.
Gamilion had inwardly wondered when he heard Lord Kashiyar had acknowledged him instantly.
Now it made sense.
Clap.
With a grin, Gamilion clapped once.
“Hm?”
“Please accept this.”
On Gamilion’s outstretched palm lay an old, worn ring.
It was reddish in places, like dried blood.
[You have cleared Gamilion’s Trial.]
[Reward: Large amount of EXP, Gamilion’s Ring acquired.]
Oh? A reward?
In that instant, every lingering question vanished from Dohyun’s mind.
Right now, the only thing occupying his brain—
Was that old red ring.
It looked like an antique.
Plain and unimpressive at first glance.
But Dohyun already knew from experience.
When it came to equipment—
Old-looking items were the real deal.
Check info.
Dohyun quickly accepted the ring and examined its details.
