[Congratulations!]
[Quest Completed!]
As the knights departed, a system window appeared before the otherworlders.
The quest condition had been to “defeat the knights,” so the quest was automatically marked as completed.
Of course, I, too, was watching the scene unfold through the “Player’s Eye.”
The otherworlders, noticing the notification, each had their faces light up with relief.
“We did it. Now we don’t have to worry about ending up in jail!”
It seed they had been quite concerned about the risks of failure.
Understandable—failure would have significantly impacted their future gaplay, so internally, they must have been quite anxious.
‘…Hmm.’
Watching their reactions, I found myself lost in thought.
Co to think of it, the reward section for this quest included sothing labeled “???”
While the listed reward, “Increased Probability of Handling Future Calamities,” was clear enough, I had a feeling the “???” referred to sothing I was supposed to provide.
I rembered that when I had tasked Chaerin with an errand in the past, the promised reward had also shown up as “???”
Even without the system prompting , I felt like I should give them sothing.
‘They took a risk to side with , after all.’
Out of gratitude, I should at least give them a token of appreciation.
But the problem was, I didn’t have much to offer at the mont.
And there were quite a few of them who had participated in the quest.
“…But what should I do about this?”
“Yeah, that’s a tough one.”
At that mont, sothing caught my eye.
It was the items dropped by the fallen otherworlders from the suppression force.
Although so of the otherworlders had disappeared upon death, their dropped items remained scattered on the ground.
The survivors were looking at the items with conflicted expressions.
Technically, those items now belonged to no one, but taking them without permission felt awkward.
Items in this place held actual value in their world, so hesitation was inevitable.
Seeing this, an idea ca to .
I gathered the unclaid items and spoke to the otherworlders.
“I’ll take care of these and distribute the proceeds among you. Sound good?”
“Oh, uh, yes, of course!”
“Yeah, that works for us.”
With the suppression decree in place, the otherworlders had already amassed quite a stockpile of weapons.
My weapon storage was full anyway, so I had been planning to sell off so items at the shop. Distributing the profits among them would solve the problem.
Considering the value of these items, they would likely be satisfied.
‘Besides, I’ve got plenty of byproducts collected from the deeper layers.’
I probably wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while.
Of course, I would need the suppression decree to be lifted before I could convert the items into cash.
“… … …”
I stared silently beyond the forest.
Now, I could only leave it to fate.
With a word of thanks, I sent the otherworlders on their way.
That night, the online community erupted into celebration.
[Serves those money-grubbing otherworlders right, hahaha!]
What boss?
No chance, LOL.
You really thought you could handle soone who crushed an entire order of knights?
Go sit and cry over your lost loot, hahaha!
[Who are we? The brave heroes who took the risk for justice!]
[Your lost items! Whatever happens!! You’ll never!!! Get them back!!!!]
[Don’t worry~ We’ll use the reward money well~]
[You bastards!]
Of course, this celebration was limited to certain users.
The otherworlders who had joined the suppression force were mourning their losses, their forums resembling a wake.
Most of the ridicule ca from Yor’s supporters and spectators who had only watched the battle via stream.
Since the event had drawn hundreds of participants, a massive audience had tuned in to watch the streams.
[We’ve always heard he’s strong.]
Wow, but who could’ve imagined him single-handedly crushing an entire knight order?
Seeing him take down the Fourth Knight Commander at the end was jaw-dropping, seriously.
[LOL, was that even a proper fight? He just cheesed his way to victory.]
[Yeah? Then why don’t you try creating a favorable situation like that? Setting the stage is part of the skill, idiot.]
[He even fought the final duel one-on-one, fair and square, LOL.]
[This scene is just too hot.]
(PNG)
His torn clothes, the grimace on his face,
those glimpses of his muscles…
Every ti I see it, it’s just…wow…
[It’d be perfect without the blood.]
[No way, the blood makes it better.]
[Huh?]
[Please, go away.]
[Look at those muscles. His body is amazing.]
[Just once, I’d love to—]
[Stop, you degenerates.]
[Ah, peace as usual on the forums.]
Naturally, Yor-related posts flooded the forums.
To the point where the majority of trending threads revolved around him.
The footage from this event clearly captured the audience’s attention.
No doubt, editors for various strears were working overti to cut together highlight reels.
Fortunately, most viewers were reacting positively to him.
Even without this event, the suppression decree itself had been controversial, and seeing it crumble spectacularly only added to the appeal.
Besides, the fact that he was male was important to the audience.
Since so many people had watched, even Yor’s conversation with Railey was partially recorded on stream.
Though the dialogue wasn’t entirely audible due to the distance, viewers got the gist of it.
[So, is the suppression notice getting lifted now?]
TBD.
[That depends on the Emperor’s decision.]
[No way he’ll lift it. It’s an imperial order—he wouldn’t go back on his word for the sake of his pride.]
[Actually, wouldn’t canceling it save face? After letting all those knights return alive, sending another force would look petty.]
[Yeah, true. He’d look bad if he sent another order after all that.]
It wasn’t a question that could be answered easily.
For any individual, even one with power, it was a monuntal issue to consider.
But fate, as it turned out, was on Yor’s side this ti.
In what scholars called “The Age of Chaos,”
the world had been in disarray since the demons returned—or perhaps since the otherworlders first arrived in Gaia.
Scholars proclaid this era as one of turmoil, where ideals clashed and crumbled, and the lines between right and wrong blurred.
Truths once revered as eternal would suddenly be deed outdated dogma.
What was once dismissed as the ramblings of madn would the next day be hailed as the wisdom of sages, shaking the world.
People called this a “ti of upheaval.”
When otherworlders descended upon Gaia, they brought an overwhelming flood of new ideas.
It was a tide that could neither be stopped nor reversed.
The options for Gaia’s inhabitants were limited:
sink beneath the waves or ride the current.
Fortunately, the current Emperor seed to favor the latter.
Having sat on the throne for a long ti, he at least understood which way the winds were blowing.
The world demanded acceptance of the Manifested.
Even if Gaians couldn’t yet embrace it, the otherworlders clearly desired it.
Thus, the Emperor’s decision didn’t take long.
“I hereby revoke the suppression decree.”
A few days later, every suppression notice in the guilds was rescinded.
I heard the news re minutes after the announcent.
Not hours, but minutes.
And, naturally, it wasn’t Chaerin Yoo or Im Haneul who delivered the news. They had probably just heard it themselves.
Nor was it Shin Hanbyeol or any other acquaintance.
“The decree has just been officially lifted.”
The ssenger was sent directly by the Empire.
A middle-aged knight, seasoned by experience, approached with a letter in hand.
He seed to have no intention of fighting and conveyed his ssage with remarkable humility.
“And we are deeply grateful for sparing the knights last ti. Thanks to you, the Empire retained its precious talents.”
With that, he tossed sothing toward .
It was an object both familiar and profoundly unfamiliar:
an Imperial identification tag.
The intricate imperial crest engraved on wood signified citizenship within the Empire.
‘Wow…’
Seeing it, I montarily stood with my mouth agape.
The aning behind this gesture was unmistakable.
“It’s not much, but please accept it. His Majesty personally ordered its issuance. With this, no one will stop you from entering any territory.”
My hand trembled slightly as I held it.
Finally…one could say.
While it might feel like they were throwing a bone, the opposition they must have faced to grant this tag wasn’t trivial.
In fact, it was nothing short of groundbreaking.
With this, I could enter cities openly.
While it wasn’t the civilization I truly desired, at least I could walk through city gates without fear.
Could this really be true? Was there so sort of trap?
Though my mind was flooded with doubts, a faint thrill welled up in my chest.
But the ssenger wasn’t finished.
His next words were even more shocking.
“And His Majesty invites you to the Imperial Capital. Please co and share your thoughts.”
An invitation to the Imperial Capital, where nobles resided.
Even ordinary citizens couldn’t enter easily, yet I was being summoned there.
It was beyond groundbreaking—it was outright shocking.
For a mont, I couldn’t help but doubt.
‘What could they be thinking?’
I silently stared at the ssenger.
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