Chapter 26 : The Death of Angle

“This disgusting smell! It’s definitely a Ma!”

“Alicia! Leave it to us!!!”

“How dare you show your face here?!”

“…That’s not something to say in a gambling den.”

But paying no heed, the Elves drew their weapons.

—You pesky brats… Ku-hyuk!! Ku-ek!!

Angler, caught off guard, began to be pummeled.

“W-wait…! Deal… pfft!”

“Wait!”

At that moment, Jaeho shouted.

The others thought he was going to accept the deal… but…

“Let’s beat him up together.”

He couldn’t miss a good opportunity to level up.

“Puk—puk—puk!!”

Compared to the blows from the Elves, the damage was noticeably less painful.

But the sacred energy coursing through the strikes only made his mood worse.

—You bastard!!! Are you trying to insult me?

“No, I’m going to kill you!”

“—Gak—!!”

No matter how much Angler struggled, Jaeho dodged every strike without being hit.

Having dodged Brazel’s strike before, there was no way Jaeho would fall for a Lower Demon’s blow.

“Kuaaaah!!!”

Eventually, Angler collapsed to the ground and slowly turned to ashes.

—Who the hell… are you…?

Angler was bewildered.

Why was a being with such dense vitality wandering around a gambling den?

And why were Elves—who were supposed to be hostile to humans—following him?

“Me? The owner of a flower shop.”

—…? What kind of nonsense is that… guck!

But he couldn’t continue speaking.

Jaeho thought there was no need to hear more and stuffed a hard kick into his mouth.

[You have defeated <the Lower Demon Cursed Fake One-Eyed Angler>.]

Even the “one-eyed” claim was a scam.

[Due to the level difference with party members, the experience gained has been adjusted to the minimum.]

[Level up.]

[Level up…]

[Due to the level difference with party members, the reward obtained has been adjusted to the minimum.]

[You have obtained <Angler’s Blindfold> .]

[You have obtained <Angler’s Treasure>.]

[You have acquired the title <The Swindler who deceived the God of Dosin> .]

[Random Gambling win rate has increased.]

[You have acquired the title <Deceiver of the Devil> .]

[NPC limited, success rate of fraud has increased.]

[Your reputation in the Back Alley of Rasel Kingdom has greatly increased.]

[If fraud gambling is detected, notoriety will drastically increase.]

[The King of the Back Alley of Rasel Kingdom, Red Balloon, has taken an interest in you.]

“Huff…”

Jaeho could not revel in his victory.

It was Angler’s last words, “Who the hell are you…?” that struck a chord in his chest.

Because his own identity was falling apart.

“First, let’s look at the rewards…”

[<Angler’s Blindfold>]

[Grade: Advanced]

[Usage conditions: None]

[This is the gambling eyepatch that God of Gambling Angler used.]

[He claimed to have lost an eye during gambling, but in truth, this eyepatch contains a secret skill that allows him to read opponents’ hands.]

[<Lie Detection>: NPC limited, allows verification of whether an NPC is lying.]

A pretty good item!

It had no special function against players, but was extremely effective against NPCs.

“Not bad. It looks a bit rough, though.”

Next reward: !

This was a much more straightforward and attractive reward.

It was gold bars!

[You have obtained 15 Gold Bars.]

Each gold bar was explained to be worth 100,000 gold.

“…Wait, that’s 1.5 million gold?”

***

“Hmm…”

“Clears throat.”

Jaeho and Dsi faced each other awkwardly.

“Well… from our side, we should be the ones thanking you, right?”

“Indeed.”

Jaeho decided to be shameless.

After all, he was the one who prevented the Ma from completely ruining the gambling den.

“Shall we settle the account then?”

“Of c-course. Here you go…”

Dsi finally brought out Vulca’s anvil.

Although slightly dented, a mysterious blue glow faintly emanated from it, signaling it was no ordinary item.

“Ahem, but first, there’s something I need to say…”

Jaeho cautiously gauged Dsi’s reaction.

The reward obtained by defeating Angler, <Angler’s Treasure> consisted of 15 gold bars worth 100,000 gold each.

The problem was that even with this, it still didn’t cover Vulca’s 2 million gold debt.

Originally, the rewards from Angler should have been much more generous.

If the hunt had been done at an appropriate level, it should have been a massive quest worth at least ten times more.

“Cut me some slack.”

Jaeho said honestly (?).

“Excuse me?”

Dsi gave a stunned expression, as if he’d misheard.

“No, honestly, you said just killing Angler alone would be more than enough money. But the reward we got is only about 1 million gold.”

500,000 gold was the labor fee.

[<Spirit of Vitality> thinks ‘this is a scam’…]

“I’m the one in the red here. I saved you despite you swinging that sword recklessly, helped the gambling den thrive, beat Angler at gambling, and even killed a Ma. And yet you can’t cut me 1 million gold? No, this money was originally swindled from a poor dwarf clerk.”

“Th-that’s…”

[Due to the title <Deceiver of the Devil> , opponents are deceived by your lies.]

[Due to reputation in the Back Alley, opponents feel intimidated.]

[You are known to be involved in fraud gambling.]

[Your notoriety affects this.]

[Opponents are intimidated.]

Dsi’s face turned pale from the barrage of system messages combined with Jaeho’s threatening glare.

“I-I will handle what I can…”

“B-boss!!”

Just then, one of Dsi’s subordinates rushed in urgently from outside.

He whispered something into Dsi’s ear, and soon Dsi’s face hardened as he spoke.

“Five hundred thousand gold… is all we need.”

“Hmm?”

The amount suddenly dropped dramatically.

“The boss said to accept only the principal and let him go. And if there’s another chance…”

[The King of the Back Alley of Rasel Kingdom, Red Balloon, expects a meeting with you.]

“…I’d better finish this quickly and get out of here.”

He absolutely did not want to meet again.

***

“Ooooh!!! Finally…!!”

Vulca hugged the enormous Adamantium Anvil in front of him, overwhelmed with emotion.

[Quest completion reward: Affinity with Vulca has increased to maximum.]

“Alright then? I’m off.”

Not wanting to get further involved, Jaeho turned and left promptly.

“W-wait!!! How can you send the benefactor away so easily?”

“Is that so? Let’s see if you’re serious about that.”

Jaeho’s presence was three times more intimidating than usual.

The reason was the eyepatch covering one eye.

“There’s no better item to talk about with a gambling addict.”

Normally, he wouldn’t wear it for show, but he put it on specially (?) for his last meeting with Vulca.

And through this item, he confirmed…

[Opponent is lying.]

“Goodbye. I suffered a lot, and don’t expect to see me again!”

“Don’t make me the bad guy! I heard you’re planning to build a city in the Fermasa Desert? I’ll help you there!”

“Why don’t you take that anvil and go back to your hometown?”

Jaeho shrugged off Vulca’s words and muttered as he walked away.

He quickly moved in the direction of the Red Mage Tower with the Elves.

“Whatever you say, I won’t forget this favor! We’ll definitely meet again!”

He ignored the utterly ridiculous shouting, pretending not to hear it.

***

Standing at the entrance of the massive Mage Tower, almost like a castle itself, was Jaeho.

Many people lined up to go through the entrance procedures.

After waiting a long time, it was finally Jaeho’s turn.

“…Come back tomorrow?”

“There are too many visitors today. We can’t accept more.”

Jaeho didn’t even look up as the gate guard spoke.

“Can’t be helped.”

Since that was the procedure, he had no choice but to comply.

“?”

But Jaeho hesitated when he saw others behind him being allowed inside immediately.

“They must be people who made prior reservations.”

But the next ones in line, and the ones after them…

“Shall I fix that?”

“I’ll give them a hot welcome!”

“No need for trouble.”

Jaeho shook his head at the enthusiastic Elves.

Wasn’t there a better way—like negotiating?

[Due to your notoriety, the opponent is tense.]

[Your latent notoriety is not something easily hidden.]

[Opponent is terrified.]

[If you continue to threaten, you may be arrested by the guards.]

Not considering getting locked up behind bars, Jaeho stepped back.

“Do I have to waste more time again?”

“Wait a moment!”

As he turned, the Elves stopped him.

“Look over there!”

“?!!!!”

They pointed to silver coins being handed from visitors to the guards.

“So that’s it.”

Although it wasn’t a method he liked, he couldn’t cause a scene in the middle of a big city.

“We’ll immediately…”

“Y-y-y-yeah.”

Jaeho hastily stopped the Elves.

“Don’t be so ruthless.”

Right now, Jaeho had an enormous sum of 1 million gold.

What else would he use it for?

“To pay off the bribe.”

[ <Spirit of Vitality> …]

“Ahem, I’m in a bit of a hurry, but can this work?”

Jaeho slipped the official a gold coin.

“Ahem… What is this? A gold coin?”

Normally, they accepted two or three silver coins as a pass fee.

Seeing the gold coin, their mouths dropped open in disbelief.

“I’ll find out as soon as possible!”

Without looking back, the guard ran into the tower.

It took about five minutes for him to return.

“Follow me!”

Panting heavily, the gatekeeper led Jaeho inside.

The inside of the tower was more like a small village.

The tall Mage Tower was at the center, and no outsiders were allowed beyond that point.

“The tower staff will be out soon, so please wait a moment.”

He guided Jaeho to a table set up in the garden surrounding the tower.

Not long after, a figure from the tower finally appeared.

“Heh heh, good to see you.”

An old man with white hair so long it trailed on the ground approached, using a wooden staff as a cane.

“G-ga…n X Pur?”

Jaeho asked, startled by the typical wizardly appearance of the old man who extended his hand.

“I am Runior, the Tower Master of the Red Mage Tower.”

“…Tower Master?”

Jaeho hesitated the moment their hands met.

He doubted if this was truly what he understood the Tower Master to be.

[You have met the Great Archmage Runior, a representative of the era.]

[Reputation has greatly increased.]

“That’s right. Upon hearing that a noble from the Fermasa Desert had come, I couldn’t help but come personally.”

“?!”

Apparently, the Mage Tower’s information network extended even to the desert.

Though Jaeho himself had made no effort to erase his tracks.

“The forest tribe also sent their regards. Seeing them reminds me of my younger days when I fearlessly challenged the Elves with magic.”

“Oh? You can use magic?”

Jaeho asked, surprised.

He had never seen this before.

“I know how to use it, but I don’t favor destructive methods.”

“???”

It seemed the ‘destructive’ methods the Elves mentioned were very different from human standards.

“Heh heh heh, anyway, welcome. Some incredible things have happened here in the past few days. Even the children were excited, putting work aside.”

“How much do you know?”

“Heh heh, almost everything. It’s related to our children as well.”

“Our children?”

Runior winked and smiled.

“Could it be…?”

Though it was just a guess, the connection was hard to ignore.

“Red Balloon… and the Red Mage Tower…?”

“Heh heh heh!”

Runior laughed joyfully, as if pleased, giving more weight to the ridiculous speculation.

[You have met the King of the Back Alley of Rasel Kingdom, Red Balloon, for the first time among players.]

[Reputation has increased.]

[Notoriety has greatly increased.]

The system messages chimed in.

***

While Jaeho was absent, more Elves gathered in Hell Desert, forming an even larger refugee camp.

The fortunate thing was that change to resolve this was just beginning.

Giant had succeeded in recovering his mental state.

“The answer lies here…”

He stood in front of Jaeho’s flower shop!

He had heard the Elves marveling at this building.

Moreover, all the buildings the Elves built themselves were in the same style as the flower shop.

“How could this be so amazing… hmm.”

The Giant was about to analyze the building but stopped.

[This building cannot be perfectly analyzed at current level.]

[Discovered advanced Elven architectural techniques.]

[If you build rapport with the Elves, you can learn their architectural skills.]

“A high-level architectural work even my level can’t identify?!”

Unless it was a royal building or ancient ruins, such notices were rare.

“Truly… this was the answer.”

More precisely, the Elves were the answer, but he wasn’t yet ready to accept it with his wounds still fresh…

“Is there any Luxi Royalty here?”

Just then, a voice echoed throughout Hell Desert.

“The Brown Bears have arrived!”