A sudden appearance—
And a na spoken out of nowhere.
The young man, looking stunned, had just uttered a na that made no sense to the current Hero.
Behind him, standing guard, was a grotesque figure in a twisted doll mask—a woman whose re presence sent chills down one's spine.
Luke was already shocked by their arrival.
But even more than that—
He was stunned by the na the young man had just said.
Hindel.
The na of the previous Hero.
Why?
Why would this person suddenly bring up that na?
As Luke tensed, considering whether to prepare for a fight—
The world itself seed to crush him beneath its will.
KWA-GAAAAAAAAANG—!!!
"Ghhhk!"
It felt as though his own weight had increased a hundredfold.
An unimaginable force bore down on him, making even breathing difficult.
Then, the woman in the doll mask spoke.
"Do not so much as twitch a finger."
Her words were overbearing, her tone absolute.
But more than that—
Her very presence was razor-sharp, sending icy terror down Luke’s spine.
Because he recognized who she was.
One of Overpalace’s infamous Executors.
The Master of the Dead Doll—Kalina de Nocshail.
A na whispered among the greatest warriors—
A figure even Luke had heard of before.
Faced with her overwhelming presence, Luke couldn't move.
Yet the young man standing before him remained unaffected.
His pupils trembled, his voice wavered.
What the hell did he just see?
Luke hesitated before cautiously speaking.
"...I am Luke."
"Ah."
At those words, the young man seed to snap back to reality.
Had he been in so kind of trance?
Now fully present, the young man no longer stared into the void.
Instead, he looked directly at Luke and introduced himself.
"My apologies. My na is Seong."
"...You are..."
Just as Luke was about to respond—
KU-GUGUGUGU—!!!
The oppressive force around him intensified.
The ground beneath him sank, as though warning him not to speak further.
Gravity increased even more—
Until Luke coughed up blood.
"Kulk!"
He was already exhausted after barely surviving the earlier assault.
The internal injuries he had sustained deepened.
Seeing this, Seong raised a hand toward Kalina.
As if by magic, the overwhelming force disappeared.
Luke could breathe again.
And in that mont—
He knew without a doubt.
‘This man... He is the current Overlord.’
Why else would an Executor of Overpalace defer to him?
There was only one possible explanation.
While Luke wrestled with this realization—
Seong was lost in thought as well.
Or rather—
He was staring past Luke.
At sothing behind him.
A ghostly figure—
One that had recognized Seong the mont he appeared.
An all-too-familiar face.
A spirit Seong had t in the past.
Hindel.
Seong reached out with his thoughts and connected with the ghost.
‘I assu you’ve heard. My na is Seong.’
A sigh echoed in his mind.
—Yes... And as I’m sure you know, I am Hindel. It shas to show myself before you like this.
Seong could feel it—
Hindel’s deep sense of guilt.
It was only natural.
After all, he had wronged Helena.
Hindel had no face to show, not after what he had done.
Seong, understanding his feelings, pondered for a mont.
Hindel was tornted because he had killed Helena.
But Helena didn’t hold a grudge.
If anything, she had felt freed by her death.
And so, Seong sent a thought back to Hindel.
‘Helena doesn’t care anymore. You know her personality, don’t you?’
A quiet, bitter laugh.
—Hahaha...
Hindel smiled weakly.
Even though he knew—
Even though he understood—
He still couldn’t forgive himself.
That much was clear.
It made sense.
No matter how one looked at it—
He had attacked Helena.
And she had died because of him.
It was only natural that he carried this burden.
—I still don’t know what to say. I have no excuse.
Seong nodded in understanding.
Then—
—That is why I wish to aid you, my lord. Even if it ans leaving my descendant behind.
Seong blinked in surprise.
Wasn’t Hindel supposed to be Luke’s guardian spirit?
Yet he was willing to abandon Luke?
Seong was montarily shocked—
But he didn’t hesitate.
He reached out his hand.
And absorbed Hindel’s mories and experiences.
[You have demonstrated power beyond your current limits due to ‘Unknown Force.’]
[Strength 15, Agility 2, Stamina 2, Wisdom 4, Intelligence 4 permanently increased.]
A total stat increase of 27 points.
And an overwhelming flood of knowledge.
As Seong absorbed Hindel’s mories, his face twisted slightly.
So things remained inaccessible, as expected.
Still—
This was an incredible gain.
Not only had he inherited Hindel’s swordsmanship,
But he had also glimpsed Luke’s past—as seen through Hindel’s eyes.
‘Now I understand why he agreed to help so easily.’
Yes, 90% of it was atonent for Helena.
But part of it was also frustration with Luke.
Hindel had watched over him.
And he had been disappointed.
Luke wasn't developing fast enough.
His talent was there—
But he was wasting it.
Even Seong could see it.
Luke had reasons for what he did—
But he had neglected too much training.
‘Hindel was fed up with him.’
Seong smirked slightly.
Then—
"Hmm. So, Hero, what brings you here?"
It was ti to turn his attention back to Luke.
Luke flinched slightly.
But there was no point hiding it now.
His na had already been revealed.
And standing behind Seong—
Was an Executor of Overpalace.
There was no use denying it.
So, Luke answered.
"I ca... to see you, the current Overlord."
Seong raised a brow.
"Hmm. If it’s about Hindel’s history, I can’t help you. I don’t know much myself."
"!?!?!"
Luke’s jaw dropped.
He had expected Seong to ask why he was here.
He hadn’t expected him to already know the reason.
No matter how powerful Overpalace was—
How could he possibly know that?
Luke swallowed hard.
Was this man already aware of everything?
As he stood there, dumbfounded—
Seong, perhaps feeling a bit sympathetic, decided to offer him sothing.
"Be wary of the Kingdom of Rieskan."
"...What?"
Luke flinched at Seong’s words.
And he wasn’t the only one.
Even Kalina, who had been standing guard behind Seong, showed a slight reaction.
How did he know?
That was the question in the air.
But Seong didn’t seem concerned.
He had said enough. It was ti to leave.
Just as he was about to turn away—
Kalina moved in front of him to protect him.
At the sa ti—
KUOOOOOOOM—!!!
KWAAAAANG—!!!
KWAAAAAAA—!!!
Three streaks shot down from the sky like teors.
The ground shook violently as three craters ford around Luke.
And from within the impact sites—
Three knights erged.
They stood up from their hero landing poses, each one exuding an overwhelming aura.
Even at a glance, they radiated power beyond Luke’s own presence.
Kalina, her expression hidden behind her grotesque doll mask, narrowed her eyes.
At the sa ti—
FWOOOOOOOOSH—!!!
A vicious, ominous dark-indigo aura erupted from her body.
It pressed down on the knights with overwhelming force.
KWAOOOOOOOOH—!!!
Her very presence crushed the air itself, unleashing an energy wave that bore down upon them like a tidal force.
The three knights raised their arms, shielding Luke.
CRACK! ZZZZZZT! CRACKLE—!!!
The very fabric of space seed to distort under the pressure.
Even with three knights protecting him—
Luke’s face contorted in pain.
It looked as though he might collapse at any mont.
Kalina’s voice rang out, cold and sharp.
"Do you have any idea where you are? How dare re knights of Kalibaron step foot here?"
The threat in her voice was clear—
Answer , or I will kill you.
One of the knights stepped forward and bowed his head.
"...We apologize, Executor, Master of the Dead Doll. We had no choice but to co because of our Hero."
"That’s your excuse for trespassing here?"
Kalina’s words were filled with undisguised disdain.
The knight in front of her broke into a cold sweat.
Seong, watching, had a simple thought.
‘Isn’t that reason enough?’
But he chose not to say it aloud.
This wasn’t the ti to intervene.
Kalina then spoke again, her words dripping with contempt.
"The Kingdom of Rieskan must have a death wish."
"......!!!"
"!!!"
"!!!"
Her killing intent intensified.
The knights' faces paled.
For a brief mont—
They truly believed they were about to die.
Kalina raised a hand.
A lethal force swelled in the air.
And then—
"Hmm."
Seong let out a small hum.
"......My apologies."
Imdiately, Kalina lowered her hand.
The knights, who had been bracing for death, gasped for breath.
Luke had already fainted.
The three knights, still kneeling, bowed deeply.
"...We are grateful for your rcy. We shall leave at once."
It could have been seen as a humiliation.
But their expressions showed no resentnt, no wounded pride.
Only relief that they were still alive.
Kalina glared at them, clearly displeased.
But even an Executor like her couldn't afford to slaughter a Hero and three knights in this situation.
Especially with Seong present.
The knights seed to understand this.
Without hesitation, they lifted Luke’s unconscious body—
And disappeared instantly.
Kalina scoffed.
"Hmph. At least they know how to run away quickly."
Her voice was petulant, almost pouting.
Seong raised an eyebrow.
Was this really the sa person from just a mont ago?
Either way, things had ended peacefully—
More or less.
He turned to Kalina.
"I’ve finished my business in Hexia, so I’ll be heading out now."
Honestly, considering her intimidating aura, it was a bit nerve-wracking to say it so directly.
But he had to.
At his words—
Kalina °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° nodded as if she had been expecting it.
"Ah! Then I’ll make all the necessary preparations before you return!"
"Uh... yeah. Sure."
What preparations?
The way she said it felt ominous.
But Seong wasn’t the type to refuse free benefits.
Leaving Kalina behind, he turned his thoughts back to Hindel’s mories.
‘The City of Knights. That’s where I need to go next.’
There was sothing there he needed.
His next destination was set.
Sisvalte, the City of Knights.
Just as he was about to set out—
A familiar alert sounded in his ears.
[Remaining playti: 5 minutes.]
[Additional charges will apply after the allotted ti.]
The notification snapped him back to reality.
The sa alert he used to hear at PC cafés.
Seong let out a small laugh.
"Ah... Right. This is still a VR capsule."
Ti had flown by.
By now, the power outage was probably over.
It was better to log out and continue from ho.
‘Let’s head back for now.’
With that decision—
Seong logged out of the ga.
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