<h4>Chapter 31: Underground Gambling Den (3)</h4>
"Grrgh!"
Blood spurted out like a fountain from his split vocal cords. However, even as blood poured out, Kai didn''t blink once.
-Stubbornness alone will make you second to none!
It was Kai''s stubbornness that surprised even swordmaster Huey.
Kai stubbornly thrust his sword into ck Snake''s chest, who was stepping backward.
"Kugh... kuugh!"
The man trembled, then fell forward. Even though he still had some HP left, it was rapidly decreasing due to the bleeding.
Kai looked down at him for a moment and pressed his lips tightly together.
<i>As long as I’ve drawn the sword, there can be no hesitation.</i>
He was too weak to afford anyone mercy. Therefore, he couldn''t let go until he was sure the opponent''s life was certainly over.
"Kugh, kugh..." ck blood flowed from ck Snake''s mouth.
"This guy is finished."
Kai turned his head to look at White Snake. He was stumbling in an attempt to run away.
"Huh, all he can think about is running even as his brother dies."
Kai shook his head and extended his hand while saying, "Holy Explosion."
<i>Boom!</i>
The emergency exit and surrounding wall crumbled down with the st of light. It was inevitable that White Snake did not survive since he had been caught under the debris.
Then the sound marking the end of the battle arrived.
<strong>[You defeated the merciless criminal, ck Snake.]</strong>
<strong>[+15,000 XP.]</strong>
<strong>[+70 Fame.]</strong>
<strong>[You defeated a criminal. +1 Benevolence.]</strong>
<strong>[You defeated the merciless criminal, White Snake.]</strong>
<strong>[+14,500 XP.]</strong>
<strong>[+65 Fame.]</strong>
<strong>[You defeated a criminal. +1 Benevolence.]</strong>
It was Kai''s first battle wielding a sword. No matter how it was worded, it couldn''t be said to be a clean fight, but he was eventually victorious.
<strong>[Holy Power is too low. Supernova skill has been canceled.]</strong>
<strong>[You have used all of your Holy Power. All abilities are weakened by 10% until Holy Power is restored to 30% or higher.]</strong>
<i>I didn’t know there was a penalty like this.</i>
He realized once again that Supernova was a double-edged sword. It was truly a high risk, high return! As much as it gave, there was much to be cautious about.
"Still, the effect is amazing so...."
Without Supernova, he couldn''t have dealt with the Snake Brothers so easily!
Kai nced at the message window.
<i>So even defeating criminals increases the Benevolence stat.</i>
Another method to increase the Benevolence stat had been discovered. This made three known methods to Kai for increasing the Benevolence stat.
<i>One ispleting quests for NPCs in distress, another is curing NPCs of their heart''s pain, and thest is defeating criminals. These are the three.</i>
There could be more ways other than these ones. The possibility of growth made Kai’s heart race.
"What a great night."
Kai walked toward Milton.
"D-don''te any closer...!" Milton shouted, but stepping backward didn''t make him any more threatening. "Aaaah!"
"S-sorry, Milton, sir!" Hans and the VIPs screamed and ran away, but Kai didn''t chase after them.
As Kai ced the blood-dripping iron sword near Milton''s throat, Milton''s eyes visibly shook.
"Now, Mr. Boss. There''s a way to walk on your own, and there''s a way not to walk on your own. What will it be?"
"Uuuuh...."
Though there were two options, Milton only had one he could choose.
***
"Oh!"
As Kai brought Milton to Baron Arsen fully tied up, Baron Arsen smiled in satisfaction.
"It might sound strange to say this now... but honestly, I didn''t expect a Cleric to handle things so well."
"I was lucky."
"Luck is also a skill, especially for adventurers like you who roam various ces. Luck is indeed the most reliable strength you can have." Baron Arsen ordered his knights to imprison Milton and then confiscated his assets for the barony. "Let me make it clear right here. You have perfectly passed the test I set."
<i>Ding!</i>
<strong>[You sessfullypleted the quest, Glendale Security Force.]</strong>
<strong>[+75,000 XP.]</strong>
<strong>[+700 Fame.]</strong>
<strong>[Level increased.]</strong>
<strong>[Acquired 5 stat points.]</strong>
As Kai was checking the questpletion rewards, Baron Arsen asked, "Now it''s time to give you the promised reward. I can give you information about a dungeon, or as you wished, you can take on a personal request from me. Choose one."
"Hmm...."
Kai had given a lot of thought about this. Choosing the dungeon information could lead to a double benefit by clearing the dungeon and then selling the information. However, while dungeons could potentially be found by luck, a hidden quest given directly by the baron was something he could never get through any other means. With that, the answer was already clear.
"Please give me the opportunity to solve a problem for you."
As Kai boldly requested his reward, Baron Arsen nodded in agreement.
"Good. An adventurer who is responsible and skilled like you can be trusted with a task without worry." After a moment of contemtion, he began with a serious tone, "I haven''t spoken of this to anyone, but I''ve been greatly troubledtely."
"I''m all ears."
Kai knew that he couldn''t afford to miss a single word or pause from Baron Arsen. Everything could be a hint or piece of information for the quest.
Kai perked up his ears.
"Soon, I n to form an expedition that includes knights, soldiers, and even adventurers."
"An expedition?"
Kai thought about the articles from the game he read daily.
<i>An expedition from Glendale, huh? But... there''s no enemy around that would require forming such a team....</i>
However, Baron Arsen wouldn''t create an expedition without a reason!
Kai''s voice became more serious. "Leave it to me; it does not matter who the opponent is."
"Haha, reliable indeed. Have you ever heard of the Orc Sorcerer?"
"Orc Sorcerer...?" Kai tilted his head.
Orcs were typically warrior-type monsters, known for their muscles rather than brains! It was hard to imagine such creatures wielding magic.
<i>There''s been no information about Orc Sorcerers in themunity either.</i>
As Kai shook his head, Baron Arsen added, "It''s a rare creature that has been talked about before in society a long time ago. Recently, it has been spotted deep within the Orc vige of Glendale. As the lord of Glendale, it''s unsettling to have such a creature nearby."
"Is it strong?"
"Well, that''s the troubling part. We don''t know," Baron Arsen sighed lightly, showing his frustration.
"Don''t know? There must be witnesses."
“It''s currently residing in the center of the Orc vige so we sent soldiers several times to deal with it, but they all ran away after only managing to catch a glimpse of its face from a distance. Orc warriors and heroes were guarding it deep in the mountains. Moreover, as I mentioned before, since it is a rare one, there was hardly any record to be found even after searching through rted papers.”
"No way...."
In a city like Glendale, even a soldier would have a level exceeding 80, but even then, they couldn''t easily breach the Orc wall!
Kai broke into a cold sweat at the unexpected challenge posed by the formidable creature.
"I will formally request your assistance. Join the expedition and head to the heart of the Orc vige to deal with the Orc Sorcerer."
<i>Ding!</i>
<strong><u>[Eradicate the Orc Sorcerer]</u></strong>
<strong>Difficulty: B-</strong>
<strong>Baron Arsen has been concernedtely about the recent appearance of the Orc Sorcerer. Eliminate the Orc Sorcerer to relieve Baron Arsen''s worries and keep the citizens of Glendale safe.</strong>
<strong>Quest Rewards: Acquire ‘Rising Star’ title, gain Affinity with Baron Arsen, acquire a special gift.</strong>
<strong>Failure Penalties: Lose Affinity with Baron Arsen.</strong>
The penalty seemed negligiblepared to the rewards that could be gained.
<i>And a special gift? What''s that about?</i>
There were asionally quests that offered additional unknown rewards.
<i>One won''t know until they receive it.</i>
Still, a gift from a baron was unlikely to be of little value.
Kai bowed his head slightly and responded, "I will do my best."
"I''m counting on you. Oh, and I have an additional proposal.... Would you consider leading the adventurers who will join the expedition?"
Kai blinked at Baron Arsen''s unexpected proposal. It wasn''t a bad suggestion, but the thought ofmanding yers weighed on his mind.
"May I ask how many adventurers you n to include in the expedition?"
"Hmm. I haven''t thought deeply about it, but... about 300 seems enough."
"300!?"
Kai was taken aback.
<i>The scale of the expedition is muchrger than I thought.</i>
After all, they weren’t hunting in a small area but raiding an Orc vige''s territory, so arge scale was to be expected. If Kai sessfully led the adventurers and killed the Orc Sorcerer, his reputation would surely rise.
<i>But that would also attract more troublemakers.</i>
The heart of the Orc vige was definitely not a ce where Kai could casually hunt while hiding his abilities. The idea of fame and rewards was enticing, but being noticed by other yers wasn’t the best idea at the moment. The value of information increased the more it was concealed and held tighter without being released.
<i>Being part of the expedition might force me to use my job skills without realizing it. Then, other yers would start to have suspicions.</i>
From Kai''s perspective, that was a situation to be avoided at all costs.
<i>Especially since information about me can be considered the most valuable in MID Online right now.</i>
The reason was that he was the unique yer with a Mythic rank job!
<i>I can’t reveal myself yet, it has to wait until I''ve grown stronger and feel confident in my ability to protect myself.</i>
That would be the moment for Kai to proudly reveal himself as a Sris Cleric to the yers.
"I''m sorry. It seems to be too much of an honor for me at this time."
"Hmm. I don''t necessarily think so, but... if that''s how you feel, I won''t insist."
Koreans would ask at least three times, but Baron Arsen, being from the Kingdom of Rashion, did not follow such customs.
<i>Of course, I have no intention ofing forward, but I can''t let this opportunity pass to another yer either.</i>
Truly a wicked disposition! However, it was amon feeling to be more upset when someone else possessed what should have belonged to themselves!
After much consideration, Kai carefully began to speak.