"Oh, my…"
Additional time built up as the duke palmed his forehead with an exhausted expression on his face.
He asked warily, "When you called yourself a wandering knight, that was because…"
"We have to wander around and contact enemy spies. I can't afford to serve any lord."
"…"
"You have earned your position with a single sword, but many people do not have such talent. That's why we're scheming, we're trying our best to reduce the blood that the empire will shed."
Seojin paused. It was time to nail his success with the items he was given.
"Here are the related documents."
Seojin pulled the items out of his inventory. The heavy files contained a considerable amount of content, almost as if they were real.
'It's like solving a puzzle.'
Seojin didn't need to understand all of the complicated stories in it. The nobleman before him was a duke of the Empire. Once Seojin handed over the information, he'd interpret it by himself.
"Good heavens…"
The duke read the document and sighed once again. Bonus time kept accumulating and the blade pressing against his neck slowly loosened.
Seojin added on, "I can show you more if you want, but I don't recommend that. In fact, it's better to know as little as possible about how spies of the empire operate."
"…"
The duke closed the rest of the documents without looking any further. Then, he stared at Seojin.
He had clear pupils. The unshakable eyes pierced straight through Seojin.
Seojin felt his body shake as he told himself.
'I am a spy. A shadow of His Imperial Majesty, the emperor.'
Since his opponent was the duke, even the slightest suspicion would be lethal.
Time Remaining: 03:01
Time Remaining: 02:20
…
Time Remaining: 00:47
The minutes ticked by. Seojin was beginning to wonder what would be better, whether to keep talking or stay quiet.
"…I thought I knew enough about war."
The duke averted his eyes, his tone had a bitter edge to it.
Then, a new system message popped up.
Quest Complete
Enhanced: Clumsy Swindler
Acquired: Petty liar
Bonus Objective #1 Clear
Acquired: New Face
"You may leave, Morrison Tucker. Today, I learned something I really didn't need to know…
Seojin bowed his head quickly. The quest was completed and now he was discharged. Nevertheless, Seojin added on.
"I'm sorry."
"…No, it's not your fault. Keane. Dett. Escort him out."
"Yes, my lord."
The blade held strong at Seojin's neck withdrew.
Following that, the door opened, and beyond it was a corridor that he had walked earlier, not the duke's mansion.
Seojin stood up and walked towards it carefully. The duke called to him with a glum voice.
"Morrison Tucker… no, Belfret Ron, was it? You're doing great work. And… thank you. For not causing me to harm my people."
Seojin paused for a moment and bowed deeply to the duke. Then he answered cautiously.
"Your Grace, If I may…"
"Go on."
The duke stared at Seojin in complete silence.
It was time to earn the bonus reward. One of the system messages had notified him.
"Do you completely trust me?"
"Of course."
The answer came back in an instant, and following that,
Bonus Objective #2 Clear
Acquired: High Noble-like Attire
Achievement Unlocked: Ever Talked to Your Conscience?
You successfully deceived Duke Ferret using your tongue! Blessed be your future and your silver tongue that can shake the world with a single word!
INT +15
The message announced that the Level 75 quest was finally over.
* * *
Seojin returned to the entrance of the Tower of Choice.
"Hmm… it lingers. Been a while since I felt it," he muttered before looking around.
All three doors were gone, and only an exit remained carved into the gray stone walls. The quest was over.
Seojin finally slumped and sat down.
'It was like the old days.'
It was rather refreshing. He had dealt with aristocracy, not a mere blacksmith. He did that kind of thing routinely back when he was the top-ranked, but that was five years ago now.
Seojin shook his body slightly as his fingertips were numb.
'If Level 75 is this thrilling…'
What would things be like beyond this? The difficulty level would jump several times if he reached the same level as Merhen.
'I feel motivated…'
The quest he just cleared had informed him of the conditions and even given him the necessary items to carry them out.
However, it was clear that quests of higher difficulty wouldn't be so kind. He'd definitely have to gather information and build an understanding of the NPCs' traits too.
That was what Seojin had missed.
The thrill of one mistake that could jeopardize the entire quest, and the sense of accomplishment after he cleared it. It's been all too long since he felt that.
"All right, all right, then…"
Seojin shook off the lingering emotions and opened his skill window.
Now it was time for his second favorite thing to do, checking the rewards.
'I seem to have gotten a lot of things…'
It was a Level 75 quest, so it must have rewarded him with many helpful things.
He checked his enhanced basic skills first.
Stance: Petty Liar
* Applies a small advantage when tricking someone.
* Affected by INT.
* Check details.
'Details?'
Seojin tilted his head. The skill itself hadn't changed much.
The only new addition was the line telling him to check the details.
"Details."
The screen extended as soon as he said the word.
* Range of Available Targets Expanded:
* When targeting humanoid NPCs, 'Acting' is most effective.
* When targeting those with high intelligence, 'Language Proficiency' is most effective.
* When targeting those with low intelligence, 'Emotions' are the most effective.
* When used against other players, an adjustment will be given by the system. Lower effectivity compared to when used on NPCs.
* A target's relationship with the player is severely lowered by unsuccessful skill use.
Holy crap.'
Seojin's eyes got bigger as he let out a snort.
'Language proficiency? System adjustment? So, it can be used against players?'
It completely transformed his views on the skill.
What was language proficiency, let alone emotion and acting?
'So, you have to learn imperial language to trick an Imperial NPC, I guess…'
That alone was ridiculous, but the screen was saying that it could even be used against players. Of course, it said that the effectiveness would be lowered significantly, nevertheless, it meant the system would help him trick other players, anyway.
Seojin still had to find out what the system modification was, but the reward was more than he had expected.
'How OP can this skill get if it's already this powerful?'
Seojin calmed himself down and took a closer look.
"And what else have I got…? This is it."
Below his basic skills was a whole new skill.
New Face
* NPCs recognize you as a new adventurer.
* Affected by INT.
* Effective: 60 minutes.
* Cooldown: 24 hours.
'…The game just wants me to commit fraud, huh?'
Seojin understood right away.
'So, I can retry a quest even if the NPC hates me…'
It was also affected by his INT stats.
That meant that both "Petty Liar" and "New Face" scaled using the same stat.
Seojin was very satisfied.
"That's pretty good."
It was essential to have this kind of skill if he wanted to commit fraud.
Besides, this wasn't the end.
'There was another bonus reward…'
What kind of skill would he get this time? He looked down in anticipation, but… something wasn't right.
"What?"
There was nothing new in the skill window.
Not a thing.
He could only see his four existing skills and "New Face".
"Wait, no way?"
Seojin paused.
If the second reward wasn't a skill, then there was only one possibility.
"Inventory."
Seojin quickly scanned the contents of his inventory, wondering if the reward was some kind of gear. He soon found the attire. Purple clothing with an elegant design.
High Noble-like Attire
* Emphasizes the wearer's dignity
* Only affects those who are able to appreciate its worth.
* Silver Tongue exclusive
* Untradable(bound upon acquisition)
'…Exclusive equipment!'
Seojin's eyes almost popped out of his head.
That was, obviously, awesome. He had assumed it based on what Merhen had told him before. Seojin couldn't wear normal gear since he had fake stats, so he'd have to receive gear that was exclusive to his class.
If that didn't work, he'd have to keep using noob gear.
But the key was what Merhen said next.
"If you receive a special item, it'll probably affect your skills…"
"You know the hidden classes among the top-ranked? They're all wearing items people have never seen before."
Of course, they could have had no choice like Seojin.
But if the equipment wasn't good, they wouldn't be so highly ranked.
'Assuming that's the case…'
It was crucial to get his hands on some gear.
The easiest way was just buying it, but it was impossible for Seojin.
So, his Plan B was to be rewarded some as soon as possible.
'This can't be all… it only affects those who are able to appreciate its worth so it won't work against low INT monsters. That means there should be gear that can be used against monsters.'
"It's an unexpected gain."
He now had an idea how of to use the skill and the bonuses of exclusive equipment.
"This is why I like high-level missions."
Mad difficulty and mad reward. It was the formula of any good RPG, and also the drive for Seojin.
'Let's go.'
Seojin headed out of the Tower of Choice, overcome with enthusiasm.
Main Quest
* Select next settlement: The second town
* Find Neraid, the Warehouse Keeper.
"Is it telling me to go right away?"
The message showed up right after he left the Tower of Choice.
It meant he had finally cleared all of Movelon's quests, so he had to head to the next town.
There was no reason to hesitate.
Any other user would have left already.
Seojin had already taken his time.
Seojin immediately headed to Neraid.