Although Seong had already suspected Helena was playing a joke, there was still a slight chance it wasn't the case.
He remained seated, keeping a little distance between himself and the lord, Paragon Gridri. The subtle unease in Paragon’s expression didn’t go unnoticed.
‘Is this for real?’
No way... is it?
At this point, Helena seed to grow a little more serious.
Nevertheless, as Seong and Helena observed Paragon Gridri with wary eyes, the lord grew restless, wondering if he had made a mistake.
For a brief mont, he felt anxious—what if they refused the request?
After a mont of hesitation, Paragon finally spoke.
"Ahem, the reason I’ve called you here today is because of the request I ntioned previously."
"Ah!? A request, you say?!"
"Yes, yes."
It was a request, after all. What else would bring him here?
Seong glanced at Paragon Gridri, who imdiately realized his lapse in manners and cleared his throat, apologizing.
"Ahem, my apologies. I’ve been in a rush, and I misspoke."
"It’s fine. But why the rush?" Seong asked.
Paragon sighed deeply, lowering his head. He appeared to have a heavy heart, as if a deep sadness had been weighing on him for a long ti.
Seong and Helena softened their expressions and listened carefully as Paragon began his tale of the notorious criminal who had been a problem for so long.
Hearing this, Seong couldn’t help but think,
Seong, is this the one we were looking for?
‘It seems like it.’
The very person Seong had wanted to capture was the one Paragon had hired him to track down.
Seong had planned to use this opportunity to ask for permission to enter the central labyrinth, but now it wasn’t necessary.
After all, he was going to capture them anyway.
And with the request in hand, he could do it and receive the reward? Seong was no fool to turn that down.
“That’s how it is. Although I’ve vented a bit, there’s no obligation for you to take this request. It is our problem, after all... but even if you refuse, I won’t hold it against you.”
With a slightly worn expression, Paragon spoke, his tone sincere.
Seong, noticing this, was about to accept the request imdiately when Helena intervened.
Seong, in situations like this, just stay quiet for now.
‘Stay quiet?’
Yes, "the thirsty man digs the well."
Seong knew that phrase, but was it still useful now?
As he considered this, Seong kept silent, and Paragon, growing anxious, carefully spoke up again.
“If you agree to help, I will offer a substantial reward.”
“......”
"Hmm."
Seong remained silent as he pondered the offer.
Seeing this, Paragon, more nervous now, quickly continued.
“Well then, I shall open the treasure vault of our castle. Once opened, you may take one item from it. What do you think?”
"Hmm."
As Seong stayed quiet, just as Helena had suggested, Paragon grew even more agitated.
"Then... how about two tis?"
If you wait just a little longer, he might offer one more.
Seong shared the sa thought.
"Hmm, two tis."
As Seong pondered for a mont, Paragon inhaled deeply, stood up, and exclaid,
"Three tis! How about three? Surely, that would be enough to satisfy you!"
This is it! Take it!
Just as Helena had said, Seong nodded.
"If you’re offering so much... for the sake of your sincerity, I’ll accept the request."
"Ah! Thank you so much! Truly!!!"
Paragon was overjoyed, nodding rapidly, while Seong smiled with satisfaction.
Now, to check the quest.
As Seong thought about viewing the quest, the notification appeared.
[You have successfully negotiated with a lord for the first ti!]
[You have earned the title, Strategist!]
"...?"
Oh?
Both Seong and Helena were taken aback by the unexpected ssage.
But it wasn’t that important right now.
They still read the effects.
Strategist
→ Epic
→ A title awarded to the player who successfully negotiated with a lord for the first ti.
→ Gives an advantage in negotiations with NPCs.
→ Increases luck-based outcos by 10%.
‘This is really good!’
The title effect was better than expected, and Seong smiled to himself.
Afterward, the quest he had been waiting for appeared.
Quest: The Worst of Pentagrid
→ Hidden – Unique
→ A notorious criminal known as "The Worst of Pentagrid" is causing havoc.
→ Carn, with her crimson hair, is infamous for her violent cris.
→ It all started with petty disputes with rcenaries and hunters in the labyrinth, but eventually, she murdered them all.
→ She didn’t stop there—she tracked down the families of those she had killed and murdered them as well.
→ The Pentagrid guards and soldiers tried to stop her but were helpless.
→ Lord Paragon Gridri placed a large bounty, and eventually, Carn was cornered by a lone female user with a sword, but she escaped using a hidden item and fled into the labyrinth.
→ Several failed attempts to capture her followed, and the expedition to capture her was decisively defeated in the labyrinth.
→ Now, she appears sporadically, flaunting her survival, while Lord Paragon has no choice but to block the labyrinth’s central area where she frequently appears.
→ In order to fully deal with her, the lord has requested your help, as you are the only one who has earned the title of knight as a user.
→ Please catch Carn and bring peace to this city.
→ Restrictions: Requires a user with notable fa or proven overwhelming strength.
→ Rewards: Huge experience points, opening of the Lord’s treasure vault (3 tis).
"Hmm."
Indeed, she was a ruthless criminal, a true murderer.
But...
‘The user with just one sword.’
There was sothing oddly familiar about this.
Was she an expert swordswoman?
Seong thought to himself but quickly dismissed it. After all, the past user wasn't what mattered now.
He furrowed his brow as he finished reading the quest window.
Paragon Gridri, noticing Seong's reaction, nodded as if understanding. He probably thought Seong was tense because the request was difficult.
“Carn. She’s a peculiar one.”
“A peculiar one...?”
“She wields a spear with ghostly precision, and she uses magic just as eerily.”
“Oh?”
A spear user? Seong had encountered a spear user before, with Mayrin, though he hadn’t actually fought one.
A spear user—honestly, it piqued his interest.
“Be very cautious. Her magic and spear can truly drain the soul,” Paragon warned, and Seong smiled, nodding.
Now, he was even more curious about what kind of person she was.
He had mories of fighting, but never actually faced a spear user in combat.
‘A battle with a spear wielder...’
Seong’s expression grew serious, and Paragon’s face beca worried.
He wondered if Seong, after agreeing, might just back out.
After all, Paragon was pinning his hopes on Seong.
He sincerely hoped Seong would defeat Carn.
Contrary to Paragon’s concern, Seong stood up excitedly, eager for the new challenge.
“W-what is it?”
“I’ll go right now.”
“R-right now?”
“Yes, there’s no point in delaying.”
Seeing Seong’s enthusiasm, Paragon blinked in surprise, then grinned brightly.
“I’ll guide you right away!”
He dismissed the housekeeper and chose to personally lead Seong. Today was a day of joy for him.
1.
In the depths of Pentagrid's labyrinth, the area known as the most brutal and harsh lay ahead.
There, a woman, drenched in blood, was walking aimlessly.
Her crimson hair, caked in blood, covered her entire body, and though her original hair color was unknown, the blood made it impossible to discern.
Her eyes glead with pure malice, as if hunting for anything to destroy.
The sound of blood-soaked cloth dragging against the stone echoed through the labyrinth.
The mont a monster appeared, her spear disappeared and imdiately reappeared, serpent-like, to burst the monster’s skull.
The type of monster didn’t matter.
Once her spear flew, it never needed to strike more than once.
One strike—one strike to crush the skull of every monster.
Afterward, she calmly walked, leaving behind only destruction.
Nothing else seed to matter.
Carn’s eyes scanned her injuries. Her torso, covered with deep scars, still throbbed with pain.
These scars—long and deep, from a sword—covered her entire upper body. They were the kind of scars that could have killed anyone else a hundred tis over.
As she ran her fingers over them, she couldn’t help but speak, her voice raspy and harsh, like tal grinding.
"...Why does it hurt so much?"
Her voice was rough, more beast-like than human.
The pain only fueled her bloodlust. She stomped the ground in fury.
Bang!
Her foot left a deep, clear imprint in the stone.
Without hesitation, Carn vanished, reappearing in a new spot filled with monsters.
As soon as she swung her spear, five bat-shaped monsters lost their heads, falling to the floor, lifeless.
Carn picked one of them up, and as the blood poured from its body, it drenched her face.
“Ahh—.”
She drank the blood like a parched man in the desert, savoring the taste as her lips glistened in the crimson liquid.
"It’s not enough," she muttered.
The blood of such weak monsters wasn’t enough.
“I’ll bring her here! This ti, I’ll make sure to kill her!”
She scread, vowing to kill her enemy.
At the sa ti, in the fifth village, far from here, a woman holding a single sword tilted her head in confusion.
“Hmm, I feel like soone called . Am I imagining things?”
She shook her head and continued, "By the way, has Seong t her yet? I missed that one, and I hope Seong can catch her."
Yu Mina—known as Yuna here—smiled coldly as she muttered to herself.
“I should’ve killed her back then. What a sha.”
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