Episode 104
104. From the Outside to the Inside
golden hand’s mind was in turmoil.
No matter how powerful the royal family’s intelligence network was, it would be difficult for them to know the fine details of a single player’s skills.
Especially when “Right Hand of the Sun” was an ability he had obtained in the very early days of playing 《Lepyon》.
Because of that, suspicion inevitably crept into golden hand eyes.
“Judging by your expression, it seems something resonates with you?”
“Pardon?”
“What Lord Valerius said, that is.”
Belian deftly sidestepped the suspicion and continued speaking.
Just as Geumson had expected, Belian seemed to be quoting Valerius.
“If something is only hot, you can never create a proper item.”
“A proper… item?”
“Yes. Every blacksmith borrows the power of fire—heats it, hammers it, and gives it shape. But a true masterpiece is born after that.”
A proper item.
That was indeed something Valerius used to say like a habit.
Geumson also knew that Valerius’s definition of “proper” was somewhat… unique.
‘He once said even ancient-grade items were merely ‘usable’… so then what qualifies as truly proper?’
golden hands eyes gleamed.
Unexpectedly, he might be receiving Valerius’s teachings through Belian himself.
“Cooling. The process of lowering it to the right temperature determines the true value of an item. Cool it too quickly and it shatters; too slowly, and it turns soft.”
“Cooling, huh…”
“A blacksmith who knows only fire and not ice can never become a true master… or so Lord Valerius said.”
There was no doubt that Belian’s advice would become flesh and blood to golden hand.
And yet, suspicion lingered.
Why now of all times?
And why say this specifically to him?
But Belian offered no explanation.
“The North will be good study for you. You will learn the true value of ice there. Well then, I’ll be going.”
Without even waiting for golden hand’s reply, Belian disappeared once more into the crowd of Airtoss.
A thoroughly self-willed crown prince.
‘This feels… unsettling.’
Geumson stared in the direction Belian vanished, lost in thought.
The timing was strange.
Complicated thoughts tangled one after another.
Soon, however, Geumson shook his head and brushed the thoughts aside.
‘It’s all just speculation. I can think about it after completing the quest.’
All the doubts and circumstances surrounding Prince Belian—
they were nothing more than Geumson’s conjectures.
So for now, he would simply act like a “model” player and carry out the prince’s quest.
Piiiii—!
He immediately used the Royal Griffin Summoning Whistle.
A small Gate opened in midair.
Unlike the Gates he had grown sick of seeing while living through the Age of Ruin, this one was tiny.
As it opened, a finely equipped, luxurious griffin emerged.
—Piiik! Piiiiiik!
The griffin that crossed through the Gate looked down at Geumson, as if boasting of its noble bloodline.
Geumson clenched his teeth.
It felt as though Belian were mocking him.
‘I asked about Gates… and he gives me an item that opens one?’
Geumson took a deep breath.
His thoughts were leaning too far in one direction.
That wasn’t good.
It could simply be a goodwill gift—his suspicion might be unfounded.
—Piiik! Piiiiiik!
“Tia! Taaaaaak!”
—Piiik! Pipipipii—pi!
“Ttiah! Tiaaaaaat!”
—Piii… pi….
“Tiat! Tiaaaaa—!”
“Tia? What are you doing?”
While Geumson was sorting out his thoughts about Belian, chaos had broken out between Tia and the griffin.
Tia seemed to be roaring in triumph.
The griffin, which had initially looked down arrogantly from the sky—
was now bowing its head in front of golden hand, waiting for him to mount.
“Tiaaat!”
Tia puffed out her chest and shoved her head forward, as if demanding praise.
I was dumbfounded.
It seemed that, in that brief moment, the hierarchy had already been decided.
‘Seriously… this is ridiculous.’
A hollow laugh escaped him.
With that one laugh, it felt as though his unnecessary suspicion had been cured.
Still, there was one concern.
“Hmm… can the Walker ride too?”
Golden Hand mounted the griffin, and the Iron Walker followed.
The royal griffin looked strained under the weight, but—
“Tiaaaat! Tyat!”
At Tia’s sharp urging, the matter seemed resolved.
The griffin spread its wings and began to take flight.
“Oh! It’s flying! We’re flying!”
The griffin soared into the sky.
Airtoss’s grew smaller and smaller below, and the desert land spread out beneath them.
* * *
[Future Group, 《Lepion》 Strategic Planning Team]
Team Leader Cha Yu-kyung stared at a monitor where dozens of data streams updated in real time.
No emotion showed on her face.
Bursting into her office came Assistant Manager Kim Min-jun, out of breath.
“Team Leader! Did you see what Geumson did this time?!”
Kim Min-jun’s face was flushed, clearly moved by golden hand’s exploits in Airtoss.
Cha Yu-kyung, however, calmly sorted the data and replied,
“What matters isn’t the performance.”
“Pardon?”
“What Geumson gains from that performance—and what Future Group can gain. That’s what matters.”
Kim Min-jun cleared his throat awkwardly.
He had spoken as a fellow player, not as an employee, and her response felt overly businesslike.
Still, it seemed there was information Cha Yu-kyung had yet to check.
“Um… have you looked into the quest the crown prince issued?”
“A quest?”
“Yes. The one announced after Airtoss was stabilized. I summarized it here.”
Kim Min-jun handed over a single report.
But its contents were impossible for any 《Lepione》 player to ignore.
[Royal Quest: Exterminate the Kingdom’s Vermin, ‘Arachne’]
Description: The Arachne Guild, which has threatened the peace of the kingdom and thrown Airtoss into chaos, is designated as an enemy of the realm.
Success Condition: Defeat the targets and submit proof of defeat to a royal agent.
Reward: 1,000,000 gold (per person)
Special Note: Repeatable without limit
Targets: All members and affiliates of the Arachne Guild
Though more details were listed, this was the core summary.
Kim Min-jun focused on the reward.
“The royal family really is something. A million gold per head. That’s almost a hundred million won. And it’s repeatable… Arachne is finished. Completely finished.”
More than just the reward, the Arachne Guild had been labeled an enemy of the kingdom.
The moment that happened, normal transactions with NPCs became impossible.
They wouldn’t even be able to buy a cup of water in the Kingdom of Eirok.
As Kim Min-jun spoke, Cha Yu-kyung quietly organized her thoughts.
Unlike him, she immediately grasped the true significance of the quest.
‘So… NPCs—no, 《Lepyon》 itself—can exclude players?’
This time, there was a clear justification.
But what if NPCs excluded players without justification?
What if a kingdom expelled a player right before a crucial quest?
What if multiple kingdoms allied to exclude a specific player?
Countless possibilities surfaced.
And inevitably, her thoughts reached Kang Mujin of Reverse Heaven—
the player rivaling Geumson at the very top.
“Ha… so that’s why he talked about territory development and all that nonsense.”
The land Kang Mujin had obtained after defeating the Nightmare King.
He had claimed he would focus on developing it.
At first, even Cha Yu-kyung hadn’t understood his intent.
Investing in a world even the developers didn’t fully comprehend seemed irrational.
But now, she understood.
‘He was planning to create a refuge for players. To build influence.’
Once the territory was developed, players could operate based on it—
outside the influence of kingdoms.
They wouldn’t need to watch anyone’s mood.
‘And from there… was he planning to topple kingdoms one by one? That’s quite the ambition.’
Cha Yu-kyung instantly pieced together the grand design in Kang Mujin’s mind.
And once completed, 《Lepioneer》 would become his one-man stage.
Meanwhile, Asura’s Choi Jin-ung was moving along a similar trajectory.
‘Choi Jin-woong lacks territory for now… so he’s strengthening ties with the royal family instead.’
Cha Yu-kyung’s gaze deepened.
It was only one quest—but she saw the meaning hidden within.
Unfortunately, Kim Min-jun couldn’t keep up with her thought process.
He merely tilted his head at her silence.
Then Cha Yu-kyung spoke.
“We need to raise our own influence as well.”
“What? Influence all of a sudden—?”
“Geumson’s performance made me certain.”
Suddenly, she mentioned golden hands.
She seemed to be preparing for the future.
“We need to brand golden hands. Like a luxury brand—Erdes.”
“A luxury… brand?”
“Yes. If they’re increasing their influence inside 《Repion》…”
“Then we’ll infiltrate from the outside to the inside.”
Kim Min-jun couldn’t see the full picture.
But the smile forming on Cha Yu-kyung’s face—
that, he knew all too well.
It was the same smile she wore when she first made her name at Future Group.
