Jaeho, Tina, and the two spirits finally arrived at the Bear Kingdom.
On their way here, the ever-enthusiastic Tina caused countless incidents not included in their original plan.
If he had to pick just one among them…
“It was definitely when we ran into the Orc Bandits.”
Back in a place called Shuar Forest, the party had been ambushed by Orc Bandits looking to rob them.
And, as anyone could guess, the outcome was obvious.
The Orcs got beaten so badly in the Swamp Mud Pool that dust flew everywhere.
But Tina didn’t stop there.
The madness in her eyes when she became obsessed with something was truly terrifying.
— These punks! They must be minions of a Dragon! Let’s interrogate them right now and cut off their heads!!
— W-wait, hold on! Why would we be Dragon minions?!
— Silence! Speak! Where is the Dragon hiding?!
Eventually, Tina managed to threaten the Orcs into revealing the location of their lair and then proceeded to turn the entire bandit camp upside down.
Naturally, there was no Dragon to be found.
“There’s no way we could win if we actually met a real Dragon in the first place.”
No matter how strong Elves are, that’s a bit much.
Either way, on the way here, Jaeho’s ears practically bled from hearing Tina’s endless ramblings about Dragons.
Her mania made him wonder just what kind of wild stories her family must have told her.
Still, her excessive enthusiasm wasn’t all bad.
Thanks to her, his level had increased and he’d earned a decent amount of side income.
Before long, Jaeho was also actively joining in and hunting Orcs himself.
As a result, he gained the [Orc Crusher] title, and the two became like Grim Reapers to the Orcs of Shuar.
“But there won’t be any Dragons here, right…”
At her question, Jaeho nodded.
“Let’s just stay as quiet as possible and leave soon.”
“Okay.”
Only after hearing her answer did Jaeho approach the guard standing at the city gate.
He’d already heard that Taylor had bribed them, so he walked forward without hesitation.
“…..?”
But the guard who saw Jaeho seemed quite confused.
“That’s definitely the guy, right?”
The face matched perfectly, but… what was with those stubby ears?
***
Inside the city, as many people bustled about the streets as in Rasel Kingdom, and Jaeho and Tina stood out among them without question.
Elves weren’t common sights anywhere.
Of course, even without that, Jaeho’s size and aura were overwhelming.
There was no unnecessary commotion either.
“Strangely, he’s not unlikable…!”
That’s what the surrounding NPCs seemed to feel as they looked at Jaeho.
[<Aroma> Due to the skill, people around you feel favorable towards you.]
Because he was always surrounded by Elves, Jaeho hadn’t really noticed the effects of this passive skill.
“Then again… why didn’t it work on those nobles in Otholk? Maybe I wasn’t close enough?”
Or maybe it was because of the high /Self-Esteem/ of the Nobles.
“But… doesn’t he look familiar?”
Suddenly, someone muttered nearby, catching Jaeho’s attention.
“Yeah, I feel like I’ve seen him before… huh? There, look…”
The source of the voice was looking at the posters plastered on the wall.
[First-Class Wanted Criminal]
[Alicia]
“?!!!”
Jaeho’s face was drawn on the wanted poster.
And it wasn’t just one—there were several posted side by side!
It was so identical, it was impossible to pretend he didn’t notice.
“That’s exactly the same, isn’t it?”
— Hmm… impressive. It looks alive.
— I can even feel malice coming from that picture…
Even Tina, clueless as ever, and Dae-wa Jingjing-i, hiding in Jaeho’s pocket, chimed in agreement.
But there was one mystery they couldn’t solve…
“But that person’s an Elf…”
“It looks just like him… It’s not like there are a lot of people with that face.”
“But there’s no way they’d confuse the ears, right?”
On the wanted poster, the person had normal ears, while Jaeho’s were large and pointed, like an Elf’s!
“It’s really not you?”
“Yeah, maybe it’s just a disguise.”
Before they knew it, even the /Buff/ from had faded, and suspicion grew thicker in the crowd.
Seeing their reactions, Jaeho moved quickly.
The bolder you are, the more likely you’ll get away with it!
“Wow! Creepy. I thought I was looking in a mirror for a second!”
Jaeho stood right next to the poster and shouted.
“It’s totally identical, isn’t it, everyone?”
[People suspect you.]
“?!”
Because of his title and skill, Jaeho had an exceptionally high chance of lying successfully.
But people still doubted him…
“Well, can’t be helped. Even I feel like it’s a photo…”
At this point, there was only one option left.
He’d have to take a gamble with the active effect of the <Cursed Wooden Doll’s tongue> skill!
[Effect: Against NPCs, there’s a low chance to completely deceive the target. (If the lie fails, it causes strong provocation and your nose will temporarily enlarge.)]
The warning said ‘low chance,’ but luck was all or nothing!
“Come on, there’s no way! I’m better looking than this! And I’m an Elf! Can’t you see these ears—”
[Skill use failed.]
[People don’t believe your lie!]
“Damn it—!”
It failed.
[Skill penalty: You are cursed.]
[Your nose will grow bigger for the next day.]
Jaeho’s nose, which played a major part in his fierce appearance!
It started growing slowly, until his face was so bizarre it was hard to look at.
He could even see his own nose out of the corner of his eyes—what a strange feeling!
“I’m doomed…” Jaeho thought, but then something unexpected happened.
“Huh…? What’s going on?”
People were baffled by Jaeho’s suddenly changed appearance.
Because his nose grew gradually, no one noticed the difference at first!
“I mean, just a second ago he looked exactly the same…”
“Why does he look… totally different now?”
“!”
A second chance!
“See! I told you, I’m better looking!”
“Well… I don’t know about that…”
“Even if Alicia is a monster, she’s not that grotesque.”
He felt a bit sad at their changed reactions, but at least he’d escaped the crisis.
“There’s no way an Elf and a human would be confused in the first place.”
“But how could anyone look so much alike?”
“Oh right, this isn’t the time. I have an appointment!”
As the crowd nodded and moved away, Jaeho let out a sigh.
“At least I can stay quiet for a while.”
But if the Bulgeom Guild’s Players spotted him, he could still get exposed at any moment.
Jaeho hurried toward the meeting spot where he was supposed to find Taylor.
***
“Is that really Alicia?”
In a hidden tavern in an alley, Taylor asked in a flustered voice.
“Are you seriously saying you didn’t recognize me?”
“Look… with those ears and nose, would anyone recognize you?”
“If I’d known you’d come looking like that, I wouldn’t have bothered bribing the guards.”
Flick—
At that moment, Tina’s sword flashed and stopped at Taylor’s throat.
“My patience has limits. Don’t speak carelessly of Lady Alicia anymore, stalker.”
She’d barely held back in front of the crowd, but Taylor was an exception.
Among the Elves, he’d already been branded as an assassin targeting Jaeho.
“…Gross.”
Even knowing it was a game, Taylor almost wet himself.
He couldn’t follow her movements with his eyes, proving she could kill him any time she wished.
“Well, that’s enough about my looks.”
Jaeho pulled Tina’s arm down and spoke.
“So, what’s next? When’s the next release date?”
If Wansik was getting released soon, they could plan a rescue for that moment.
“Uh… that’s actually a problem.”
“Hm?”
Before logging in, Jaeho had been exchanging messages with Wansik.
But he hadn’t heard anything special.
“You’re not saying it was a trap, right?”
Clang—!
Tina’s sword pointed at Taylor again.
“N-no! You have piles of material in your hands, how could I possibly betray you?”
If that information got out, the Bear Kingdom would be their enemy and he’d become a laughingstock worldwide.
Well… he was already being laughed at enough.
“If it’s not that, then what happened?”
“While he was in prison… he killed a guard. Just now.”
“What?”
He’d said they were coming to rescue him—there was no way he’d do something so foolish.
“The System imposed a forced confinement restriction. I heard they said they can’t extend his sentence any longer, so today they sent a low-ranking guild member as a guard to pick a fight.”
Because of that, the System now clearly recognized Wansik as a prisoner.
“The Bulgeom Guild… is more ruthless than I thought. Even suicide? I could never imagine it from you.”
“…It’s not so much that, but the hierarchy is absolute. And I’m at the very top within the guild.”
“Then why are you treated like this?”
Taylor fell silent.
“In any case, your friend won’t be getting out of prison anytime soon.”
If they just waited, he’d get out eventually, but it was too risky to stay here for days.
“There’s no way this obvious disguise will last forever.”
Sooner or later, word would reach the Bulgeom Guild, and they’d realize an Elf looking like Jaeho had appeared.
“You brought the prison blueprint, right?”
“You’re really planning to go in?!”
Taylor stared at Jaeho in shock.
“If I sneak in and just get him out, that’s all we need.”
“That’s easier said than done! With your freakish appearance, they’ll think you’re an escaped convict the moment you get close!”
He wasn’t wrong!
“Damn it!!!”
Whack—!
Tina’s sword smacked Taylor, sending a third of his health flying.
“Cough!”
Taylor trembled at the Elves’ absurd strength.
The Bear Kingdom… so this is what we’re up against…!
“Well, you’re not wrong. This party does stand out way too much. But…”
Jaeho pointed at Taylor.
“If you’re with me, there’s no problem.”
“…What? No way.”
Taylor’s face turned pale, and he shook his head.
“As you get closer to the city center, there are Players and Bulgeom Guild members everywhere. No one’s going to believe I’m just guiding you!”
But that was Taylor’s misunderstanding.
“Going through the front door is impossible. Why do you think I asked for the castle’s floor plan?”
Thanks to Giant’s advice, Jaeho knew that all castles had a sewer system underground.
“If I can just find the passage near the prison, we can get in without too much trouble.”
“Then why do you need me?”
“Because I need someone on the inside to help. Now, hand over the blueprint.”
Sigh.
In the end, Taylor handed the schematics over to Jaeho.
It was an incredibly complicated structure, but after listening to Taylor’s explanation, they mapped out an infiltration route.
“We’ll have to break through the ceiling of the underground in the end.”
“Is that even possible? Do you have a related skill or something?”
Taylor asked, doubtingly.
From the map, it was clear the underground prison wasn’t a place you could just dig into.
The walls were blocked off, and the ceiling was at least ten meters thick.
Without a top-level mining skill, it was impossible to break through.
And it’d have to be a high-level skill at that.
“I did prepare a few items. Don’t worry—just distract the guards for a while.”
“Fine.”
Taylor didn’t have a choice from the start.
If Jaeho decided to push ahead, all he could do was follow.
***
From the outer walls of the Bear Kingdom, the sewer continued on.
Unlike modern buildings, it wasn’t made of pipes but stone, and was wide enough for Jaeho to walk upright, back straight.
“At first, the stench was awful, but now, thanks to Lady Alicia’s scent, I don’t notice a thing.”
A little creepy, but Jaeho agreed.
“The <Aroma> is really strong.”
And, they had both Elves and Gondaedo along.
— …What about me?
Jingjing-i complained, feeling left out.
“Sorry, but the only scents I’ve smelled from Demon Grass are blood or worse.”
— is said to smell so heavenly it steals your soul! Not all Demon Grass is like that!
— But in the Middle World, most flowers don’t even have a scent.
Jingjing-i wilted from the blunt reality.
“Enough. Keep quiet, or someone will hear us.”
Soon, the party arrived at a spot where an iron grate blocked the passage.
“Your turn, Tina.”
“Yessir.”
With a lively response, Tina drew her sword and swung it cleanly.
Slice—slice!
She cut the bars so sharply that they stayed in place and didn’t even fall to the ground until Jaeho carefully set them down.
“Alright, let’s go over…”
[You have entered the <Hidden Underground Waterway of the Ideran Royal Castle>.]
“Huh?”
The sudden message made Jaeho freeze in surprise.
/It was noted that Tina’s actions along the way were not entirely bad./