Chapter 54

Lavalde Greystone was indeed a character whose very existence was harmful.

Among the many characters you could encounter while playing ‘Psychedelia’, he was one of the most notorious scoundrels ever created.

The massacre at the 30th level mercenary camp.

The monster abyss absorption incident.

The chimera biological experiments.

Nearly every malicious side story that took place in Lartania during the game happened because of him.

In other words, considering Lartania’s future, it was certainly better for the city if he didn’t exist rather than simply being alive.

However, Lavalde Greystone remained alive because he was the son of the lord of the labyrinth city.

The position of being the lord’s son, within the city, meant he wielded virtually unlimited power.

It essentially allowed him to reign like a king within the city.

In short, by killing Lavalde, Rine had, in effect, committed regicide, which made Alon, who was in disbelief, question in a daze.

“Yes.”

“You killed him?”

“Lavalde Greystone…?”

“Yes.”

Rine answered as casually as if she were discussing what she had for breakfast, and Alon felt dizzy from the reply.

“Truly…?”

“Yes, godfather. Was there an issue?”

“…Why did you kill him?”

“Well… because you said he was an inconvenience?”

“…?”

“…??”

Alon and Rine exchanged confused looks.

“Still, isn’t killing him a bit much?”

“But if he were alive, wouldn’t he continue to bother you, godfather…?”

Talking with Rine, Alon suddenly realized one important fact.

‘Ah, right… she’s one of the five great sins.’

Though he had momentarily forgotten, because of her image as a daughter who had grown up well without needing much care, Alon remembered that Rine was destined to become one of the seeds of the five great sins in the future.

Without realizing it, cold sweat trickled down his back.

‘But before that… how on earth did she manage to kill him?’

Lavalde Greystone himself wasn’t all that strong.

However, the mercenaries that followed him everywhere were, as far as Alon knew, not the kind of people that could easily be taken down.

They were mercenaries of at least A-rank caliber.

That’s why Alon found it puzzling that Rine, who wasn’t a fighter but simply someone who worked as an appraiser, managed to deal with them.

As Alon wore a perplexed expression, Rine cautiously spoke up.

“Was there a problem?”

Perhaps due to his repeated questioning, Rine now seemed to be wondering if she had unknowingly made a mistake, her expression turning slightly dejected.

“Not so much a problem… more like… is it really alright?”

“Which part?”

“Mostly concerning your personal safety.”

“If it’s about that, you don’t need to worry, godfather.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes. I made sure to disguise myself as someone else.”

Although her expression remained neutral, Rine nodded confidently.

Watching her, Alon couldn’t help but recall a phrase he’d seen in an old community.

‘So this is what they mean by having a different mindset…’

Clearing his throat, Alon spoke again.

“Anyway, thanks for your concern. Don’t feel too down about it.”

“I’m not feeling down, godfather.”

‘She looked a bit dejected just a moment ago though…’

“I’m really not.”

‘How can she commit regicide so easily and yet be embarrassed about something like this?’

Alon looked at Rine with a mixture of amazement and fascination as he continued speaking.

“Anyway, try to avoid putting yourself in danger if you can.”

“…Why, godfather?”

“Well, all sorts of problems could arise.

First, you could be put in danger, and all the hard work you’ve put in could come crumbling down in an instant, right?”

“…?”

“…?”

Rine made a puzzled expression at Alon’s words, as if she didn’t understand what he was saying.

Though it shouldn’t have been a difficult statement, she tilted her head slightly, as if she couldn’t quite grasp his meaning.

After thinking seriously for a moment, she suddenly said, “Ah,” as if she had realized something, and gave a small nod.

“Don’t worry too much, godfather. I understand my duties well,” she added, before resuming her meal.

Alon was left a little dumbfounded as he watched her.

Even though they were having a conversation, it felt as if something was slightly off.

However, continuing the conversation didn’t seem like a good option, so Alon closed his mouth.

After all, regardless of everything, she had dealt with Lavalde for his sake.

A bit… no, actually far too excessive, but still, she had acted on his behalf, so Alon decided not to press the matter further.

‘But no matter how much she considers me her godfather, was this really necessary…?’

As Alon absentmindedly ate his sausage, pondering such thoughts, Rine suddenly spoke up.

“Oh, I’ve been wanting to show you the Eye of the Tracker, godfather. Would you come with me?”

“The Eye of the Tracker?”

“Yes.”

Alon nodded at Rine’s words, and soon, after finishing their meal, he followed her into a room.

Inside, Alon saw it—a golden eye floating in the small room.

It was surrounded by a halo of blue light, and anyone who saw it could immediately tell it was no ordinary object.

As Alon stared at it, Rine’s earlier words came to mind.

She had said she would show him the Eye of the Tracker.

‘This is the Eye of the Tracker…?’

Alon couldn’t help but look dumbfounded.

***

Originally, the Eye of the Tracker that Alon had given Rine was just an artifact—a round sphere with a small eye-shaped jewel embedded in it.

Its effect was simply to appraise artifacts from lower levels with a bit more detail.

In other words, it wasn’t a particularly remarkable item.

Even in the settings of the artifact itself, there was no special description, much like the Essence of the Golden Mane Tribe.

Thus, Alon had never imagined that the Eye of the Tracker could be hiding such a secret.

“The engravings are gathering smoothly,” Rine said.

It didn’t take long for Alon to deduce that this Eye of the Tracker could enhance certain relics by engraving them, but he didn’t bother to confirm it.

He had already realized why Rine had shown him such favor.

‘Was it because of this…?’

The reason Rine’s company, Merde, had gained widespread fame was because of her ability to create engravings.

It turned out that her success was, to some extent, due to the Eye of the Tracker, so it was only natural for her to feel gratitude toward Alon.

Of course, Alon had never imagined the Eye had such a function.

Still, given that Rine was feeling grateful to him, it would have been awkward if Alon remained oblivious to this fact.

“I see. You’re using it well,” Alon said, nodding as if he had known all along about the true nature of the Eye of the Tracker.

“Yes, although the engravings have slowed down a bit after 400, they’re still gathering. I think I’ll have them all within a few years.”

“I see.”

Alon felt a growing curiosity about what exactly was being gathered, but he didn’t ask, fearing it might raise suspicion in Rine.

So, he just nodded slightly, and a bit of time passed once more.

“Then let’s head there right away, godfather,” Rine said.

Alon, along with Evan, followed Rine to the location of the regular meeting.

***

Alon had two reasons for wanting to participate in the extermination of the Outer God.

The first was because it was clear that the current mercenaries alone would never be able to defeat the Outer God.

Of course, the mercenaries gathered from the five major guilds to defeat the Outer God possessed superhuman strength, like Baba Yaga or the Master Knights.

However, Alon knew that even that wouldn’t be enough to take down the Outer God.

The second reason was that, in order to exterminate the Outer God, Alon absolutely needed the strength of powerful mercenaries who would follow his commands. This was why he was determined to join the Outer God Extermination Squad.

However, the problem was—

“Tch.”

“You’re bringing this weak-looking guy along?”

“Ha, he looks like someone who just rides on his reputation. Are you here to tag along and take credit?”

—the mercenaries didn’t seem like they would follow Alon’s orders at all.

In the meeting room where Alon had entered, four men and women were glaring at him with extremely displeased expressions.

Maverick, the guild master of the Terranomad Guild, clicked his tongue, looking irritated as he fiddled with his sword.

Himan, the guild master of the Arcadia Guild, lifted his pointed hat with a sneer and spoke with blatant disdain.

Myaon, a beastwoman and the guild master of the Ancient Trackers, spun a dagger on the table in front of her, letting out a derisive laugh with her slitted, feline eyes.

And among them, the strongest of the mercenary guild leaders, Argonia, the guild master of the Kalimadra Guild and a half-dragon with a dragon ancestor that had disappeared long ago, simply stared at him in silence.

Naturally, her gaze wasn’t particularly welcoming either.

‘I expected some hostility, but this is worse than I thought.’

As soon as he entered the meeting room, Alon quickly assessed the situation and noted the overt hostility and mocking glares from the guild leaders.

He had somewhat anticipated this scenario.

The people present were powerful enough to gauge Alon’s magical abilities, and more importantly, they were all mercenaries.

Mercenaries, who prioritized strength above all else.

Alon knew that if he wanted to have a conversation with them, let alone gain any respect, he first had to avoid being dismissed and earn their acknowledgment.

“Noble lord, I’ve heard rumors that you’ve been poking your nose into places you don’t belong. But seeing you in person, you don’t seem like someone worth talking to. Why don’t you just leave?”

“Ha—”

Without hesitation, Alon raised his left hand, which was clad in his gauntlet, and formed a seal.

At that moment—

Crackle!

With no warning, the once ordinary meeting room was filled with ice.

Myaon, who was about to rise in surprise at the sudden event, was caught off guard.

“Concentration.”

As soon as Alon spoke, the surrounding atmosphere and magical energy gathered around Myaon.

“Freeze.”

At his next word, the air and magic that had gathered around Myaon reacted instantly, forming frost. It quickly multiplied and—

Crackle!

—encased her in ice.

Myaon, bewildered and unaware of how she had been attacked, was frozen solid inside the ice.

There was no particular reason for freezing her.

According to the settings Alon knew, Myaon was the weakest in terms of combat power among the mercenaries present, unable to reach the level of a superhuman.

That’s why she couldn’t react to the sudden attack and ended up frozen.

After briefly glancing at the immobilized Myaon, Alon calmly walked past the mercenaries who had rushed into the room, realizing something was wrong.

Step, step.

Not too fast, but not too slow either, he moved at a steady pace, as if nothing had happened.

He soon sat down in a chair opposite Argonia and—

“I think now we’re at a level where we can talk.”

—crossed his legs.

“What do you think?”

A heavy silence descended upon the meeting room.