The Player Hides His Past

Chapter 30: Youve Picked the Wrong Opponent (1)

Episode 30. Youve Picked the Wrong Opponent (1)

The leader of the lions.

The Harkon Kingsguards eyes narrowed.

His first thought was doubt.

I wasnt mistaken.

One of the Emperors gifts to the Matriarchs.

One of his gifts to them.

Fragmentary in appearance.

But a work of art in its own right.

That was definitely a sixth sense brooch.

Tools of that caliber were not common.

But how does an adventurer get to ?

The Martial Tower was a group, more than a group.

Mages driven solely by the quest for truth.

If they were interested in continental hegemony.

It wouldnt have taken them less than a year to unify the continent.

That made it even more puzzling.

Lee Ho-yeol.

Its obvious hes an adventurer by his name.

How could you possibly possess the tools of the Magic Tower?

He stole the tools from the Magic Tower?

Impossible.

It wasnt even a possibility worth considering.

There was only one answer, then.

The Matriarch gave them to him.

And voluntarily.

Honestly, Harkon didnt understand.

Why an adventurer?

For a quest for truth?

The Matriarch was no friend to anyone.

In a nutshell.

Yes, they were a natural disaster of sorts.

To seek the truth.

They were monsters capable of destroying everything in their path.

No, its not the why that matters.

Harkon decided.

Now that we know you have ties to the Tower. It would be presumptuous of me to tell you to stay away.

Without knowing why.

Dropped into the world of adventurers.

All he could do was pray.

He never expected to meet an adventurer related to Matap.

If it was Matap, he would have told me about this situation. No, he may have already found a solution.

This was a chance to get in touch with him.

Even if it meant getting caught up in a natural disaster.

Harkon had no intention of passing it up.

So, adventurer, why dont you join us and take down the beast?

But first, he needed to verify.

Was this adventurer really connected to the Magic Tower?

Or if he had obtained the Sixth Sight Brooch by sheer luck.

If you have any doubts about his abilities, you can contact ..

You might ask where the brooch came from.

After all, it was a gift from the Emperor.

Lion Hart, the most powerful knight in the Empire, the Emperors Handmaiden.

As its leader, he has that kind of authority.

Youll know it when you see it.

Harkon thought hed said enough.

But the answer that came back stunned him.

But there is give and take in all things. Always remember that. Sir Harkon Kingsguard, Knight Commander Lion Hart.

Holy sh*t, he saw through it!

Exactly his intentions.

Harkon realized something in that brief conversation.

He understood my intentions, and yet he complied.

Remember, theres a give and take.

But he didnt let it go.

I made a mistake.

His intentions had been revealed, and the positions of himself and the adventurer had been completely reversed.

You did.

It was now theirs to prove, not the adventurers.

Ill keep that in mind. Adventurer.

As if in penance for his indiscretion.

A vow to the heart.

And now.

Sigh.

A staircase in the sky.

A single step.

The strange sight of the stairs disappearing and reappearing.

It was magic.

Tadadat!

As he climbed the stairs, he recalled their conversation.

-Harkon. I will assist you.

-Assist. What does that mean, adventurer?

-I will open the way.

Harkon gritted his teeth.

How can you claim to be the Emperors knight?

Unnecessary suspicion.

As if that werent enough, they were being pampered.

At a time when they needed to prove themselves.

Bam!

I will not disappoint you now. Adventurer.

Concentrate.

Goooooo-!

The sword glows faintly.

Sword strike.

In an instant, Harkons sword pierced the turtles neck.

One after another, the knights sword strikes flew.

The creatures breathing was cut off.

Harkon was not the least bit pleased.

No wonder I dont deserve it.

For giving up a meritorious deed.

He did not feel that he had repaid his debt to the adventurer.

If anything, he felt he owed him more.

So Harkon wasted no time.

He shouted to his knights.

Lets make quick work of this. We continue with the adventurer, Lee Ho-Yeol.

*.

[You have leveled up.].

The welcome message stopped at exactly twenty.

He had gained 20 levels in one fell swoop.

Indeed, the Named Monster.

Thats a lot of experience for the strongest guy in the Yusra Island.

This makes me level 166.

Although Im leveling up at a rapid pace.

I cant help but feel inadequate.

I dont have far to go, just the current battle.

If only I was level 300.

I borrowed a better tool than this brooch from a magic tower.

I would have been able to hunt down the giant turtle with a barrage of magic.

But theres nothing more pointless than lamenting what you cant have.

Thats it. Ive got it.

I opened my inventory.

Loot that was automatically acquired as a high contributor.

The treasure of the island, to be precise.

[Island Treasure, Shattered Crown]

[Rank: Epic]

[Limit: Lv.500]

[Effect: None]

[Description: An old crown].

what.

What does it say about balance?

The first thing I noticed was the tiers.

Normal Magic Rare Unique Epic

Due to my personality, I dont show it with my whole body.

I was deeply surprised.

An Epic tiered item!

If its Epic, it hasnt even appeared a few times in Arcanas history, has it?

Sure, in the decade or so since I left Arcana.

There may have been Epic-rated items dropped that Im not aware of.

But even taking that into account, Epic items arent something you see every day. I still had no information about them.

There were no transactions in the auction house.

Thats why I said there was no balance.

Yeah, if its Epic.

Its got to be epic.

Its supposed to have a big effect.

And the level cap is ridiculously high.

It doesnt work!

Not even a one-line description.

I didnt see any sincerity.

The treasure of the island is the dog horn!

Emotional ups and downs like a roller coaster.

Of course, I didnt hold back.

I dont make a big deal out of this.

I didnt need to set it up, I knew from experience.

And there was more evidence.

[Decay Progression: 4/10].

As it turns out, I was right.

It wasnt the islands treasure itself that was causing the collapse.

The islands treasures are tainted by greed.

One of the treasures, a crown, entered my inventory, but my progress didnt increase.

I thought to myself.

Greed I didnt even have.

Even if I had, it would have disappeared quickly.

The moment I checked the crowns information.

But maybe its hiding something.

Epic rank is Epic for a reason.

I thought for a moment, trying to be comforting.

Why did you give it up anyway?

I remembered Harkon and the others.

Not only had they given up their kill contribution, but they had also automatically gained access to the islands treasures.

I hadnt even imagined it.

Indeed, you are as honorable as your reputation. Knights of Lion Hart.

What do you say?

I had taken the excessive kindness for granted.

Still, I need to know why.

Theres something Ive always said.

Remember, give and take.

Im in a different state of mind when I go into the bathroom than when I come out.

If I knew this would happen, I should have just kept my mouth shut.

I was in the middle of regretting that.

Im in your debt once again.

What? I owe you? You owe me?

What could I possibly owe him?

In an instant, fifty thousand thoughts raced through my head.

Because I cleared the path, the stairs? Thats it?

But without blinking an eye, I spoke up.

As long as you keep it in mind, it wont matter.

Of course, your words are etched on this heart.

He didnt blink an eye.

I could tell.

that I was firmly mistaken about something.

Where did I go wrong?

No wonder I cant figure it out.

But I dont have to think about it anymore.

Why, whats that saying?

If you cant avoid it, enjoy it.

And its not a one-way street.

Its not a give and take.

You get more than an illusion?

It was a simple matter of giving back.

Its a reference point.

It was a matter of pride.

Grampel, who never owed anyone anything, would know better.

Harkon removed his helmet, revealing a middle-aged face.

Its a handsome, gentle face for a knight.

He rested his fist on his chest once more and spoke to me.

I do not know what purpose you serve, but at least here. We, the Knights of the Lionheart, will be your sword and shield in the Isles of Yusra.

If only this were an Arcana game.

Id be taking screenshots nonstop.

I cant believe the Knights of Lion Hart said that.

Hes talking about it like its a life achievement.

Thats how amazing is.

But there was something even more amazing.

[The Knights of Lion Hart join your party].

Only in the Yusra Islands.

They have sworn allegiance to me.

The party was automatically created.

Information about them flashed before my eyes.

I could see their level above my head.

[Harkon Kingsguard: Lv.600]

[Yeshka Bright: Lv.430]

[Enoch Lauren: Lv.400].

Level 600.

The moment I saw that number.

I dared to bet.

No other player or guild in the Yusra Island would be able to match the power of my party! To be the leader of such a party at only level 166.

I should at least feel some pressure.

It hurts to say it now.

Burden is not a word in my dictionary.

I will respect your decision. Lord Harkon.

I said shamelessly.

It was clear what I would do with my knights.

And-

I said, pacing.

Then lets go to the next island.

One way or another, we had to get to the main battle!

*]

[The Yusra Islands begin to be tainted by greed].

[Collapse Progress: 5/10]

Reminders.

Kinver licked his parched lips.

Lets calm down.

Supernova.

It was this patience that had earned him the name.

Note, note, note.

This patience to wait until a clear opportunity eventually presents itself.

[The Eusra Island begins to be tainted by greed].

[Collapse progress: 6/10].

f*ck!

But maybe its the environment of Treasure Island.

It was unusually hard to bear.

It was as if someone was whispering to him.

-Move.

-You cant stay still like that.

-What if the treasure is taken from me?

Shut up.

I hadnt given up.

He was just looking for a sure thing.

Kinver believed himself to be clever.

Theres a time and a place for everything.

After killing dozens, maybe hundreds of players.

The fact that he was still walking around unharmed was proof of that belief.

The reason Kinver was holding his breath was simple.

The prey of the Yusra Island was not easy to hunt.

Cowards.

The players were moving in guilds, or at least parties.

Well, he was, too.

This was to ensure that whenever a prey was separated from the pack.

It was meant to be swift.

If the fight lingers, its over.

That would mean the end of everything hed worked for, whether the hunt was successful or not.

So Kinver went into hiding.

On this isolated island.

Few players would ever reach it.

Kinver licked his parched lips again.

Fools with heads full of flowers.

Why take the hard way when you can take the easy way?

It was beyond Kinvers comprehension.

He could only be grateful.

Thanks to your ignorance of reality.

I was taking a shortcut.

Thats when Kinvers eyes lit up.

Ohora.

I saw prey in the distance.

And a very tasty one at that.

I never thought Id see it like this.

Indeed, it was worth it to keep an eye out from the portal.

Lee Ho-yeol.

A player with a shocking debut.

His strength?

Kinber was aware of it.

No, he couldnt help but notice.

The TV, the internet, any media outlet had been talking about him for a while.

In other words, it was delicious.

When you dont know something, thats when its good.

Like he really was something.

When youre full of air.

That was the best time to pop your prey like a balloon.

That arrogance will get you killed today.

No matter how strong I was, I was prepared.

Debuffs, status ailments, rare poisons, and more.

Means that I could never face alone.

Kinver signaled.

Prepare, everyone.

But.

Kinvers signal never dropped.

-Kinber? You said get ready, as*h*le.

.

-Why doesnt this as*h*le talk?

The angry voices of his companions rang in his ears.

But Kinver couldnt say anything.

Lee Ho-yeol.

And as if escorting him.

The knights in plate armor following behind him.

And most of all, that lion sigil. It was unmistakable.

That was the Knights of Lion Hart.

What the hell?!

Kinver exclaimed in disbelief.

I wasnt being arrogant.

Unreachable by any shortcut.

An overwhelming difference in class.

It was then.

Oh, no.

How did recognize me when I was hiding?!

Lee Ho-yeol.

He made eye contact with a middle-aged knight walking alongside him.