LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 99
Chapter 99
The Destroyer Gamon.
It had been about ten minutes since the name was first mentioned, and the meeting, which could only be described as a maelstrom of shock, had finally ended.
However, no one was quick to stand up from their seats.
It seemed that the shock had been so profound that, after sitting in stunned silence for a while, they slowly began to rise from their chairs, one by one, after about ten minutes.
“The Destroyer reappears… how? We had taken measures to ensure he would never return.”
“…The timing is strange. I suspect he may have taken advantage of Lord Lebed’s absence.”
“How did he know, though?”
“Heh… this is bad.”
“First, let’s get up.”
Even as they left, they muttered their concerns.
Do-hyeon, seeing the high-ranking priests and above, representing Brion, acting this way, was dying to know more.
‘What exactly is Gamon? Why is he such a big deal?’
From the grand title of “The Destroyer,” it seemed like he must be someone formidable…
It was frustrating that they were talking among themselves without offering any clear explanations.
However, Do-hyeon had been trying to listen closely, hoping to catch any bit of useful information. But it seemed that even that would be difficult now.
“Everyone, this is not the time for uncertainty. Now is the time to implement the preparations we’ve made.”
“…You’re right, High Priest Gildetti.”
“Yes, this is no time to hesitate. We were careless.”
“Everyone, hurry. Please bear with us. We must ensure no chaos breaks out. Also, can our Elders inform the priests of this news?”
Without a trace of the earlier anxiety, they suddenly seemed to unite in purpose and hurriedly left their seats.
From the high-ranking priests to the elders and high priests of other temples, everyone left with burning resolve.
Amid their swift exit, an elder from Lord Leir’s temple cautiously approached and asked.
“Should we call for Lord Lebed, High Priest?”
“…The Holy Knights are still on a mission and will take some time to return. We need to devise a plan ourselves. We cannot depend solely on Lord Lebed.”
“That is true.”
“We have not been idle either. This is our chance to cut the roots once and for all.”
“…We will take our leave now. High Priest, please don’t worry too much.”
With that, they bowed and left the room.
Now left standing awkwardly in the center without knowing what was going on, Do-hyeon scratched his head. As he did, Gildetti, who had been moving frantically, paused and spoke.
“Ah, I apologize for the suddenness. Given the nature of the situation, we can’t act hastily. May I contact you once we’ve come up with a plan?”
“…Understood.”
Do-hyeon could only nod in response.
Ding-.
[The forced linked quest ‘Emergency Council’ is now active.]
[Emergency Council]
– Rank: Rare+
– Description: A corrupt priest who violated the taboo and formed a contract with the Abyss.
He has returned to Brion.
With the Holy Knights of Leir and Lord Lebed absent, if The Destroyer Gamon attacks the city now, it will lead to a catastrophe.
While the priests of Brion are working on a plan, please stand by.
– Remaining time: 02:00:00
– Upon successful completion: Linked quest ‘???’ will be triggered.
– Upon failure: The consequences are unknown.
[You are currently forced to remain linked to the quest. You will be linked until all quests are completed.]
It was a quest that simply told him to wait, with no further explanation.
It was disappointing, but what could he do?
Now that the quest had appeared, there was no choice but to endure.
Most of all, the line about not knowing what would happen if he failed made him uneasy. If the system was phrasing it like that, there could be some bizarre risk to failure.
‘Well, two hours isn’t too bad.’
Though it felt like a waste to sit around for two hours, it was not the worst.
In DemRock, there were many quests that required a full day of waiting.
‘Gamillion went out just a while ago, right?’
He had said they would meet after the meeting, so he was probably outside.
Do-hyeon thought it was a good opportunity to talk to him, given they had much to discuss.
Deciding to think positively, he headed for the door.
As he left the room, a figure was standing in the hallway, just as he had expected.
Shh.
The familiar sound of footsteps confirmed someone was there.
However, the person standing in the corridor was not who Do-hyeon had anticipated.
“You’re here.”
“Mm?”
The cold, sharp voice was now unmistakable.
It was Zerdic.
‘…What is this? Déjà vu?’
Zerdic was standing in the corridor right after the meeting, just as he had done before, and it felt strangely familiar.
Wondering if something was up, Do-hyeon stared at him.
Zerdic met his gaze.
Was this the start of another pointless staring contest? Do-hyeon thought, but this time, Zerdic spoke up first.
“…I was wrong.”
“?”
Zerdic spoke too softly, and it was hard to hear him clearly.
As Do-hyeon tilted his head in confusion, Zerdic frowned and cleared his throat before speaking again.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Eh?”
Wait, did he hear that right?
Not only was Zerdic apologizing out of the blue, but the person giving the apology was none other than that irritating Zerdic himself.
“I’m talking about the suspicion I had of you, assuming you were an outsider.”
Did Zerdic see it in his expression? He added a further explanation.
“I still had some doubts until the last measurement. It was an important matter to me, and I needed to be sure.”
“Ah.”
“……But that doesn’t mean my suspicion can be justified. I sincerely apologize to you. The same goes for your party.”
At the sight of Zerdic like this, Jihad, who was standing next to him, blinked in surprise.
‘Master, what’s up with him? Did he eat something weird?’
‘……That’s what I was wondering.’
The honest apology was so out of place compared to his usual behavior that it made things even more uncomfortable.
For Do-hyeon, who found it more natural when people started a fight, this felt especially awkward.
Eventually, unable to bear the discomfort, Do-hyeon responded with a simple answer.
“Well… yeah, I guess. It happens.”
“……So you’re understanding? You’re quite generous.”
His reply was simply to move things along quickly, but did Zerdic take it differently?
The guy, whose eyes had glimmered with interest just a moment ago, muttered under his breath with a hint of admiration.
[Zerdic’s favorability has increased.]
[The title ‘Max Favorability From the Start?’ has activated. Favorability increases further.]
So, that guy can gain favorability too?
It was hard to believe, considering he always looked like a faction leader, and this pop-up was strangely unexpected. Had Gildetti’s words, that he wasn’t so bad inside, been true?
Just as Do-hyeon was feeling awkward about seeing a different side of Zerdic, the next words came out of nowhere.
“You should leave now.”
“…What?”
“That guy is someone you can’t handle. You’ll lose a lot.”
The sudden, unexpected words. They were completely without context.
Just when favorability was going up, he was now telling him to leave because he wouldn’t be able to handle the person? What kind of nonsense was that?
Before Do-hyeon could say anything, Zerdic continued speaking as if he was in control.
“I know that Apostles are immortals. But I also know that they lose something every time they die. There’s no need to bear unnecessary sacrifices.”
‘Is he talking about death penalties?’
Though he didn’t know exactly what was lost, it seemed like even NPCs had an inkling about the existence of penalties.
It wasn’t wrong.
Even if it wasn’t a death penalty, the risks of quest failure could result in significant setbacks.
But why was he worrying about that for him…?
“This is the best advice I can give you right now. I hope you don’t just brush it off and think carefully. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
“…Huh?”
With that, Zerdic didn’t look back and left without a second glance.
-“What a strange guy…”
-“Really…”
“Yeah.”
Do-hyeon agreed with the words of the two Guardians.
He had seemed different when he apologized, but now seeing him leave after saying his piece, it seemed like he was indeed the same irritating guy.
Although it felt awkward, it wasn’t important right now, so Do-hyeon quickly brushed it out of his mind.
Instead, he spoke up, small but firm.
“Gamillion, come out.”
The sudden call.
Do-hyeon’s voice echoed in the empty hallway, filling the silence.
-“Master, what are you doing suddenly…?”
Before Jihad could ask, puzzled by Do-hyeon’s strange behavior, the wall of the hallway rippled and an elderly man wearing tattered robes appeared.
It was Gamillion Adran.
“I’ve been waiting.”
-“Huh? What? Were you hiding?”
-“Liza!?”
Both Jihad and Elisa, startled, quickly hid behind Do-hyeon.
However, Gamillion Adran calmly bowed and gave a respectful greeting to Do-hyeon, not paying them any mind.
He looked somewhat impressed.
“Indeed, you’re the successor. You knew from the beginning, didn’t you?”
“Well… yeah…”
Do-hyeon had noticed a faint red silhouette standing against the wall earlier.
It seemed that Gamillion had come to find him, only to hide when he saw Zerdic.
‘He looks strong though.’
If it was stealth Zerdic didn’t notice, that must mean impressive stealth skills.
…Or not?
Relying solely on stealth ability to judge combat strength was nonsensical.
Though Gamillion didn’t seem like an assassin, Do-hyeon found it curious how he could use stealth. However, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“I think we have a lot to talk about.”
“Hehe, ask anything.”
Gamillion smiled slightly at Do-hyeon’s words, who in turn took a moment to collect his thoughts.
There were so many questions that he needed to figure out where to start.
Why was he here? What was this High Priest Herti? Was he connected to the Abyss? Did he know anything about Gamon…?
‘I guess it’s best to start with this.’
After considering it, Do-hyeon opened his mouth.
“I’ve caught all 1,000.”
Though there were plenty of questions, the most important was the main quest.
He’d already heard enough about Gamon from Zerdic, so his curiosity was mostly resolved.
The rest could wait.
“Ho? Faster than expected. I should have known you’d be someone who inherited their will.”
Gamillion, brushing his light beard, looked genuinely impressed.
‘He’s already caught all those orcs?’
It was expected that someone inheriting from that person would accomplish it easily.
But still, the successor was, as that person said, just starting their journey.
Do-hyeon had expected him to struggle a bit, but what was this? It was faster than expected.
‘And to think the benefactor Gildetti mentioned was actually the successor…’
What was even more surprising was that Gamillion hadn’t focused only on monster hunting.
Even while completing two quests simultaneously, this speed was impressive…
When he heard that the difficult Kashiar had recognized the successor, Do-hyeon had been confused, but now it made some sense.
Clap.
Gamillion, smiling, clapped his hands once.
“Hmm?”
“Take this.”
Gamillion extended his hand, and on his palm lay an old, worn ring.
The ring was stained with blood in several places, as though it had been aged over time.
[You have completed Gamillion’s trial.]
[As a reward, you have received a lot of experience and Gamillion’s ring.]
‘Huh? A reward?’
In that instant, all the thoughts that had been nagging Do-hyeon faded away.
Now, only that old, red ring filled his mind.
It looked like an antique, with a simple and unremarkable appearance.
However, Do-hyeon already knew from his past experience.
Old equipment like that is the real deal!
‘Check information.’
Quickly grabbing the ring, Do-hyeon checked its details.