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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Masterpiece
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"Used it."
I told him the truth.
I couldn't lie and say I hadn't when I had.
At that, Hudson's eyes began to tremble like aspen leaves.
"Ah..."
A deep sigh escaped Hudson's lips.
His hopes came crashing down.
And rightly so—talismans were essential for reaching level 10.
Especially one like the Fairy Queen's Tear that drastically lowered equip restrictions. It was a treasure among treasures, something you couldn't obtain even if you desperately wanted to.
The so-called dream of 'gear power' had just floated away into thin air.
But he couldn't reprimand me with a "Why did you use it?"
From the start, the Fairy Queen's Tear had belonged to the Star Awakener.
He had said he'd show the way, but never that he'd give the Fairy Queen's Tear.
"Talismans aren't needed to walk the path of the Star Successor to level 10. I told you beforehand not to hold onto false hopes."
Of course, there was no way I'd admit it was because I needed it for the Chid Mamba raid, even if it killed me.
It wasn't exactly wrong, either.
Unlocking the equip restriction on one piece of gear with the Fairy Queen's Tear wouldn't solve Hudson's problems. There were far too many issues piling up for that.
I stared piercingly at Hudson's face.
More precisely, at the parchment floating in front of it.
=======================
<[Hudson (Oliver) / Male / 29 years old / Neutral alignment]>
·Class: [Merchant]
·Level: [9]
·Strength: [61]
·Vitality: [71]
·Agility: [54]
·Intelligence: [71]
·Mana: [55]
[Intelligence][Sensation][Meticulousness][Boldness]
[Leadership][Golden Touch][Business Acumen][Water]
[Art][Scholarship][Observation][Cooking]
·Observer's Hand (8Lv)
·Cash Hammer (5Lv)
·Mercenary Tactics (8Lv)
·Water Guardian (6Lv)
·Hermit's Shop Summon (6Lv)
=======================
...Hudson's status window was visible.
From the moment I heard his entire life story, his status window had appeared clearly before my eyes.
Even his real-world name, Oliver, his gender, age, and alignment.
"...Pathetic."
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Hudson's condition was so miserable it made me question if he was really level 9.
Especially his stats—they were downright abysmal.
Judging by the talents he'd invested in, he must have spent at least 10,000 SP.
"Intelligence should be at least 80."
Honestly, I could've raised it better with my toes.
Intelligence, in particular, influenced skill growth. It was the stat that let you learn and master skills faster.
There were also quite a few observation-related skills that demanded high intelligence.
For a Merchant class with those talents, intelligence should've been at least 80 by now. His skill levels should've been one higher each, too.
"He probably never fought personally."
Mercenary Tactics was a whopping level 8.
Merchant classes came with it by default, but this was overkill.
His only combat skill was Cash Hammer (5Lv).
If that was the case, wouldn't it have been better to go Commander or Priest?
It made sense why his low stats kept him from hunting.
He was probably like Jeong Jinwoo.
Unlike the game, being summoned here to fight directly must've terrified him.
"...The ability to view others' status windows wasn't in the original game."
Still, it was fascinating.
There were observation skills that roughly gauged and showed some info, but nothing this detailed—nothing that let you browse everything.
Was it because Hudson had opened up to me?
It didn't seem like that was the only reason.
There was something that made the knowledge more concrete.
"One of my hidden traits... the Great Sage's ability?"
The function that revealed levels, uncovered hidden things, and let me scrutinize others' status windows couldn't be explained by anything but a hidden trait.
If it was knowledge-related, it had to be tied to 'Great Sage.'
Once I gained deep knowledge about Hudson, this phenomenon arose from the Great Sage trait.
But there was a question.
"Then why can't I see Isabella's status window?"
Isn't Isabella the character I know best?
She was the one I created and raised.
It should show naturally, but it didn't.
That meant there were other conditions for viewing status windows.
"Background, more detailed memories and info... Come to think of it, I don't really know much about Isabella."
I knew Isabella, but I didn't know her.
I didn't even know why she was suddenly called the Snake Princess.
Only then did I realize I knew next to nothing about her beyond her longing for the world outside the desert and searching for her roots.
In contrast, Hudson had spilled everything to me, even the unnecessary bits.
"...Star Awakener. Does that mean there's another path for me?"
"There is."
I was confident.
There were countless paths to level 10.
Even without relying on talismans due to low stats, there were ways to reach it.
I was probably the person in Pangeniar who'd hit level 10 the most times, so he could trust me. But I couldn't exactly tell him that.
Hudson bowed his head with an even more desperate expression.
"Please show me the way."
"Start by wrapping up the casino."
"...Pardon?"
His desperate look instantly filled with confusion.
Shut down a perfectly running casino?
Was he insane?
"To ascend the path of the Star Successor, you need undivided focus—and it still wouldn't be enough. Running a business like this will inevitably distract you, so I'm telling you to shut it down."
"Th-that's just a matter of delegating to a proxy."
"With no owner around, do you think the council will leave the casino alone?"
"..."
Hudson clamped his mouth shut.
Arcana's three great casinos. Plenty of people had their eyes on them. If Hudson stepped away, the council wouldn't leave it be.
Greedy fools obsessed with money.
But how did the Star Awakener see through all this?
Facts that even he, after running a business in Arcana for over a year, had only just learned.
'Does the star really tell him everything?'
Listening to the Star Awakener gave him chills.
He truly knew everything. When he mentioned the secret engagement with Serengeti, it felt like a hammer to the head.
It was his first time seeing the Star Awakener in person, and rumors varied so much he couldn't be sure, but he knew everything.
If someone who knew everything said there was a path, all that was left was Hudson's faith.
'Right. The casino doesn't matter.'
Hudson bit his lip.
He'd run the casino to get into the council.
Becoming a councilor to propose to the marquess's family—that was paramount.
But the council gave no chances to Hudson, who hadn't reached level 10.
They just ignored him, exploited him, and tried to devour him.
"...Even rushing it, it'll take at least three days to wrap up."
"I'll give you two. We leave after that."
"Where to?"
"Masterpiece."
"Master... piece?"
I smiled faintly.
The starting point of Main Quest 3, and the place that would solve all problems at once: Masterpiece.
And to get there, I needed Hudson.
'Hudson's a walking potion and shop.'
Water Guardian and Hermit's Shop Summon!
His direct combat ability was low, but Hudson was the ultimate supporter, handling both merchant and priest roles.
I couldn't let talent like that go to waste.
I spelled out our destination clearly.
"We're going to the Spirit Tower."
"... ? The Spirit Tower—does that actually exist?"
Hudson tilted his head.
Rumors about the Spirit Tower abounded, but no one had actually entered it.
But it did exist.
'I've been there.'
I'd gone inside.
Spirits. The most mysterious beings in this world.
Yet only the chosen could ascend the Spirit Tower.
Only those selected by the spirits.
It was exceedingly rare.
You needed related talents, countless quests, and luck to get the chance.
Among gamers, you could count on one hand those who'd entered.
They were the ones 'chosen' by miracle odds.
And entering meant breaking those miracle odds again.
But I didn't need to worry.
I didn't need the spirits' choice to begin with.
'Druid's Nature Affinity.'
With the hidden trait of a spirit-commanding druid, I would choose the spirits—not the other way around.
*
There was no time to tease around even a little.
Setting waypoints ahead of time when you had the chance was wise in every way.
But scouting all of Arcana would be madness.
"You want me to open the sewers?"
Hudson asked in horror.
Arcana's absolute rock bottom. Heading to the dungeon in the sewers didn't sit well with him.
"The mutant rats are no joke in number. Even for you, Star Awakener, going in unprepared..."
"I know."
"The city council gave up on the sewer dungeon. Are you sure?"
Even the council's bigwigs had abandoned purifying the sewers.
Normal mutant rats were level 5, but their numbers were overwhelming, and the underground sewers were a maze, making wipeouts impossible.
Plus, the sewer dungeon boss was level 8.
A raid boss needing at least six level 8s to clear.
"It's fine."
"...I'll come with you."
Hudson said with a worried expression.
He could open the dungeon on his own authority, but if the Star Awakener got hurt, his hard-won dream and hope would vanish.
"Do as you like."
I shrugged.
Why turn down a free healer?
*
Thud!
A massive sewer mutant rat hit the ground.
The ringleader tormenting Arcana's residents, slipping through the sewers unscathed, was finally caught.
<[Defeated 'Sewer Mutant Rat (8Lv)'.]>
<[Fully explored 'Arcana Sewers'.]>
<[Exploration rate 100%]>
<['Teleport Book' waypoint for 'Arcana Sewers' created.]>
Now I had waypoints for the desert city Paysalmer and the golden city Arcana.
The location was a bit iffy, though.
"Y-you took down the mutant rat... alone...?"
Hudson looked at Isabella—not me—with incredulous eyes.
Isabella quietly sheathed her dagger and walked to my side as if it were nothing.
Mutant rats were quick and slippery, but they were a natural counter to Isabella's assassin class.
'Can't compare.'
Even if I'd half-assed her as a challenge build, Isabella was still a character I'd put real effort into raising.
I'd only given up because I couldn't break the Queen's Curse.
She was leagues beyond Hudson, who'd been leveled purely through 'carrying.'
Hudson muttered in disbelief.
"Impressive. Not just the fight, but blocking retreat routes ahead of time was brilliant. Calculating water flow times perfectly..."
As Hudson said, they'd preemptively sealed all the mutant rat's escape routes.
Of course, blocking every tangled sewer path was logically tough.
But inflow times varied by sewer, and calculating them all precisely let them corner and hunt the rat easily.
"Even strong monsters fall easily if you use your head."
"It's more than just using your head..."
Calculated all this mentally?
Hudson couldn't believe it. Arcana's sewers intertwined by the hundreds, thousands. Inflow times differed per channel—how could anyone calculate it all?
One second off in the water path math, and the mutant rat would've bolted.
Even a high-end computer would struggle.
Gulp!
'Monsters.'
The woman who soloed the mutant rat was a monster, but the real monster was that Star Awakener.
Plenty of good fighters existed. High-level players too.
But no one fought like the Star Awakener, he'd bet.
As a Merchant, Hudson had met countless people and honed his knack for reading them.
And the Star Awakener was someone you never wanted as an enemy.
'Oh ho.'
Ignoring Hudson's stare, I looked at the floating messages.
<[Dungeon exploration complete. Rewards granted.]>
<['Constellation of Adventure' smacks its forehead at your ingenuity! Reward upgraded.]>
<[Rolling the dice.]>
<[Choose one item from 4 reward lists.]>
<[You possess 'Lucky Die'.]>
<[Rolling once more for one tier higher reward list.]>
Lucky Die. The item from killing the Chid Mamba.
Something I'd never seen while playing Pangeniar.
I thought it was one-use, but it had a possession effect?
Plus, the Constellation of Adventure smacked its forehead. Two tiers up total.
I checked the reward list slowly and nodded with satisfaction.
'Lucky.'