Chapter 33

‘I’m sо dumbfоundеd I сan’t evеn sреаk…’

If it wеren’t for the Rаnk 10 Нidden Skill ‘Sagе’s Heаrt’, аnуоnе wоuld cleаrly seе а shoсkеd ехрressiоn on his fаce.

Не wаs sо astonishеd it felt likе his eyes might роp right out.

“Sir Khan? Whу аre you suddenly stаnding still?”

“It’s nоthing.”

Of course, evеn if hе were grеatlу surрrisеd nоw, it wouldn’t show at all.

‘Sоmething truly аbsurd hаs hаppеnеd.’

Вyutek wаs only Lеvel 3 just a week аgо.

[LV.20 Kilphеоn’s Knight Вyutek]

Flоating prominеntly аbоve Byutek standing in thе distanсе wаs an uttеrly unbeliеvаblе level.

Nо mattеr hоw mаnу timеs he сhесked, hе simрly couldn’t believe it.

‘In <Geo Arc>, reaching Level 20 should normally take at least several months.’

Khan had also thought it was a little strange.

Kilpheon was a city with significant development, located at the heart of the Kingdom of Sinsiniel.

‘It was odd that a knight of Kilpheon was only Level 3… and Byutek’s physique was clearly well-built to anyone’s eyes, yet his level was disproportionately low compared to that.’

Then, was it as Brente said? Was Byutek’s innate bone and muscle truly hindering his growth?

Frankly, Khan had never experienced such a thing himself, so he couldn’t know.

“Hmm? But Sir Byutek seems a bit different, doesn’t he? He even changed his sword from the one he originally used to a completely huge greatsword?”

Sharin also seemed to sense something different about Byutek.

“Yes, it does seem like something has changed.”

“Right…? It feels like… a somewhat overwhelming aura? Something like that seems to emanate from him.”

Khan nodded at Sharin’s words and didn’t take another step forward.

He wanted to properly confirm things on this occasion.

The reason Khan hadn’t immediately approached Byutek and Brente upon spotting them wasn’t just because he was shocked by Byutek’s level, but also because they were confronting orcs.

Grrrr…!!

Grooooooaaaaar!!!!

It seemed there were remnants left, as three orcs were glaring at Byutek and Brente as if they would charge any moment.

“Byutek, can you handle it?”

“Haha! I’ve learned something from Hyungnim, so these guys are easy now!”

“Good, show me the results of your training!”

Listening to their conversation from afar, Khan felt as if Byutek had become a completely different person.

Simultaneously, Byutek drew the sword from his back and gripped it with both hands.

He swung the sword, which looked so heavy that even the scrawny Khan couldn’t lift it with all his might, as if it were nothing.

Swoooooooooosh!!!!

Slice— Slice— Slice—

Whoooooooooosh!!!

It seemed like a very light swing, but its speed was tremendous.

The sword swing was almost invisible.

“Byutek, this isn’t the full extent of your ability. With your innate bone and muscle, you’ll likely become much stronger than you are now.”

“Hahaha! Thank you, Hyungnim! It’s all thanks to you! Everyone treated me like trash, but…”

It seemed the two had become quite close over the past week.

Now, Brente was using informal speech, and Byutek was calling Brente ‘Hyungnim’.

As the battle was over, Khan and Sharin approached the two.

“Sir Khan! I was just about to come find you first! What brings you all the way here?”

“Byutek, you’ve changed a bit.”

“Haha, Sir Khan! I just took down these orc bastards in one go. It’s a shame you missed it.”

“If you hadn’t said that, it would have been a bit cooler. Byutek, I’ve felt this before, but you might be better off keeping your mouth shut a little more.”

“Ah, you saw everything?! Hahaha!!”

As Byutek began babbling like a fool, he looked no different from the Level 3 idiot Byutek of before.

‘Being a fool seems to just be part of Byutek’s personality.’

After greeting Byutek, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, he also gave a brief greeting to Brente.

“What do you think, Sir Khan? My eyes weren’t mistaken, were they?”

“Indeed… you have a discerning eye.”

Khan recalled the ‘Golden Eye’ that Brente possessed.

With the trait ‘Golden Eye’, which allowed one to confirm an opponent’s characteristics and talents, even a fool like Byutek could be transformed if used well.

“Thank you for making a fool like him act like a proper person.”

“Hahaha! Calling him a fool! I guarantee it, my brother Byutek will become Sinsiniel’s greatest knight in the future. He was born with overwhelming talent. More than any knight I’ve seen so far!”

“Ah, Hyungnim! How embarrassing to say such things right in front of me!”

The two seemed to get along incredibly well, as if they had sworn brotherhood.

‘That Byutek fellow will probably be elated for a while.’

Still, seeing Byutek rise from Level 3 to Level 20 in just a week, Khan was also satisfied.

‘Now it’s perfect.’

A Hidden Quest that even Khan, a veteran and former top-ranked player of <Geo Arc>, had never seen before.

Now, it seemed the minimum condition puzzle pieces to proceed with that Hidden Quest had fallen perfectly into place.

‘I’ve obtained a Rank 2 Hidden Skill and gained two reliable companions, so nothing should be too dangerous.’

Khan was determined to somehow defeat the final boss and get out.

If he died before that, it was game over.

No, now that this was reality, he only had one chance.

“Sir Brente, is Viscount Buttner’s invitation from a week ago, wanting me and Byutek to visit Eldrida, still valid?”

“Ah, of course. The reason I stayed in Grodek for a week was partly to deal with the orc remnants… but honestly, I was waiting more in hopes that your mind might change, Sir Khan.”

“I see. Then, since Viscount Buttner made the offer, I will visit Eldrida with Byutek.”

“Excellent. Viscount Buttner will be very pleased!”

“And may my disciple Sharin come along as well?”

“Oh ho, Sir Khan’s disciple… This lady also seems to have been born with tremendous magical talent.”

“Hello, I’m Sharin. I may have been born with talent, but I’m not yet skilled at handling it. Hehe.”

Brente naturally welcomed her, laughing heartily.

“Then Sharin and I will return to the city first. Please take care of the remaining orcs.”

“Understood. I’ll check if there are any remaining orcs and prepare the carriage.”

“Ah, let’s discuss that back in the city. I think it’s better we go separately.”

“Understood for now.”

• [Visit Eldrida]

• Will you accept the Hidden Quest?

• If refused, the Hidden Quest will be deleted.

• Reward: A minuscule amount of Experience Points, progression to the next Hidden Quest

[Hidden Quest has been accepted.]

Khan planned not to travel with Brente because he needed to find another Hidden Skill on the way to Eldrida.

As Brente was a Guardian Knight of Eldrida, he likely had many duties.

After confirming the Hidden Quest acceptance message, Khan returned to the city with Sharin.

Naturally, only Byutek and Brente remained in the western forest.

“Byutek, it’s fortunate. Sir Khan seemed very satisfied seeing you.”

“Really? But how come he didn’t even smile once seeing how strong I’ve become… Sir Khan seems too cold when you look at him.”

“From what I see, he’s smiling inside. Now Sir Khan will also hope for you to become his Escort Knight. Your skill is now almost on par with mine.”

“Aw, I’m still far from you, Hyungnim! Let’s just quickly slice up the remaining orc bastards first!”

Byutek searched the entire forest, eyes wide open, looking for the remaining orc remnants.

‘Sir Khan, I will definitely repay the favor I received…!’

Byutek, who had been treated like trash by his House since childhood, had his life saved by Khan.

‘Moreover, Sir Khan… kept a trash like me by his side. Now I just need to repay that favor.’

Byutek, who had always wanted to become stronger, seemed to have finally achieved that wish.

He was still far weaker compared to the knights of Kilpheon and the brothers of the Brandish House, but he was dozens of times stronger than the old Byutek.

‘I’m still lacking compared to Sir Khan, but I will protect him with my life…!’

Byutek, gripping his greatsword, flew like an arrow towards an orc visible in the distance.

* * *

The Dandy Mercenary Group, dominating the rural city of Grodek.

The Dandy Mercenary Group made money by scamming the city’s people.

Occasionally, they also took on missions to exterminate monsters near the city for compensation.

Bang!

Thud!

From the office of the Dandy Mercenary Group, a noise like something breaking leaked out.

“Damn it, why did that bastard Baron send that idiot knight to handle the remnants instead of entrusting it to us?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Haha…!”

Zwehl, the Leader of the Dandy Mercenary Group, was fuming with anger.

Ming, who had tried to scam Khan a few days ago, was also present.

She looked at Zwehl and cautiously opened her mouth.

“Leader, from what I heard, not only the knight named Byutek but also Knight Brente from Eldrida went together.”

“Exactly! Ugh, that bastard Brente should hurry back to Eldrida. Why is he staying and stealing our jobs? Sigh…”

Zwehl was about to slam his hand on the desk again but barely held back his anger.

“And that Byutek? Is that bastard really even a knight? He introduced himself as a knight of Kilpheon but got knocked down by an orc in one hit. Isn’t he a complete idiot?”

“Well… frankly, he did seem lacking in skill from what I saw too, but there was that mage with him, right? Maybe… he was injured and not in good condition?”

“Bullshit. That’s just an excuse. Judging by his movements, he was just a pathetic trash. I was already annoyed… Now that it’s come to this, I should expose his true nature.”

“Huh…? What if that mage causes trouble?”

“Haha! He probably can’t because of Baron Jurente. Since Brente is leaving Grodek soon, Baron Jurente will likely be seeing him off, right? That bastard Byutek will probably be there too. I’ll properly expose his true nature right there.”

Zwehl, the Leader of the Dandy Mercenary Group, felt irritation rising whenever he thought of Byutek.

He could have received quite a lot of money from the Baron, but since the Baron entrusted the orc remnant extermination to Byutek and Brente, it was incredibly frustrating.

Moreover, everyone who needed to know already knew.

That Byutek’s skill was truly pathetic.

Zwehl immediately got up from his seat and prepared to leave.

Watching him, Ming felt inexplicably uneasy for some reason.