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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Harlan's Godfather
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"Alright, let's check the quest details first."
We stood in the corridor and activated the quest window.
Stage: Third Trial
Objective: Leave the Island of Sacrifices and reach your destination.
Background: Barkus...
[View Details]
Barkus was Harlan's supreme commander and a soldier deeply trusted by the people.
He valued principles over authority, believing that power existed to serve the populace.
Thus, when he learned of the monsters' existence—and realized the royal family was periodically releasing them into the city to bolster their rule—he could not stand idly by.
He could not bear to watch his people thrown into the labyrinth as unknowing sacrifices.
So he remonstrated with the king.
"Your Majesty, it is wrong to feed your people to monsters for the sake of power. That beast must be slain at once."
It was sincere counsel, born of concern for the people and the nation. Yet the retribution was brutal.
"For the crime of inciting rebellion, Barkus Crowe's assets are confiscated, and his entire family executed..."
Having lost everything, he was cast down to Harlan's lowest depths, a forsaken slum.
Only one thing remained to him: revenge. For that unattainable sweetness, he began to change.
First, he knelt the scum of every walk of life, building an organization and swelling its ranks. His competence as supreme commander shone even in the lawless back alleys, and in no time he dominated the slums, warehouses, and docks.
With a solid foundation, he extorted wealth from the upper districts and showered it upon the slums and ports. Even those who had shunned him bowed in the end.
...And so he became the Godfather.
Behind the children's laughter echoing through the slums lay his stolen goods and gold coins. Behind the merchants bowing their heads at the harbor stood his blades and underlings.
The royal family, sensing a threat in his relentlessly spreading influence, launched a fierce offensive, costing him many men.
But seeing the otherworlders appear like comets, Barkus judged it an opportunity—and now seeks to complete his vengeance with their aid.
"...Revenge, huh."
By the time we'd finished reading and closed the quest window, the women were exchanging glances. The Saintess spoke with pity in her voice.
"That's too much. He was a loyal vassal, and they killed his whole family and exiled him just for speaking his mind."
"Sis, power never even wants to pass to its own kids. Touch that, and of course you're done."
"Still..."
"What bugs me more is something else."
"What do you mean?"
As everyone turned to her, Shin Seo-yeon rubbed her chin and spoke up.
"Nah, it's just weird. Up till now, the background explained the trial zones themselves. Lair of Evil Spirits, Crimson Sea Cliffs. But this one's zeroed in on a person."
"...You're right. It does stand out."
Sharp insight. Her instincts were spot on, I'd give her that.
This background laid out Barkus's motives, personality, and ultimate goal.
The Island of Sacrifices and what Harlan was like? Barely a hint, indirectly at best.
"Does that mean this trial hinges on Barkus?"
Exactly. In Harlan, you couldn't operate without going through him.
The royals driving the sacrifice hunts were plainly the players' enemies.
So for us, he was the other pillar of power holding Harlan up—and at odds with the throne. No choice but to link up with him.
Which made those three idiots' futures look downright bleak after spitting in his face.
"But how'd that old geezer know our escape route? He's not even involved."
"Dunno, but he said we'd see some light pillar if we head out to sea."
"Light pillar?"
A pillar of light that appeared in the middle of the ocean the moment players hit the island.
Barkus, with his iron grip on Harlan's intel, would've spotted the connection ages ago and verified it.
The vague system element of plausibility would've tweaked the quest accordingly.
'Early survivors who crossed to the next area by sea said the quest was different back then.'
It gave the history of the Island of Sacrifices, the labyrinth, and the monsters—then told them to snag a boat and bail.
So they banded together, stole a ship, and fled across the waves.
No mention of Barkus at all.
But now the background's all about him, which shows the selection process evolves organically. We call it "plausibility kicking in."
Some say the gods overseeing the trials meddle directly.
'Anyway, that's that. Time to get started.'
I clenched my fist.
Deal struck with Barkus, who controlled half this turf. Now we could roam the city and farm in earnest.
'Labyrinth locks you to objectives, but outside? Almost total freedom.'
With enough strength and smarts, you could score big.
That's why I picked this place—the toughest trial zone of all.
The route you could only take by punching through the soldiers' cordon before the labyrinth drop and getting lucky. The infamous jackpot path.
"But Dickhead, we got the quest now. Don't we just ditch the guy?"
Shin Seo-yeon whispered, nodding toward where Barkus had vanished. Looked like she wanted to off him clean and move on.
I shook my head.
"Huh? Why? Weren't we kissing ass all this time just to snag that quest?"
"Nope."
You could reach the destination and advance without the quest. Sure, every ship in the harbor was in that old man's pocket—no clearance, no sailing.
"Oh, the ships? We steal one and sail ourselves. I ain't paying 10,000 points a day for that."
"Yeah!"
Rare agreement from Shin Seo-yeon, and Isera whipped out her dildo like she was ready to handle it stealthily herself.
"I-Isera! We can't do that. And he's pitiful... whole family killed..."
As the Saintess floundered, Isera snorted and stowed the dildo. Han So-hee chimed in from the side.
"I agree—best not to poke him. Costs money, but better with backup. If they see our worth, they'll clean up our messes."
Her mindset was different, as expected. I nodded.
"Exactly like So-hee says. We'll rack up results under the old man and prove our value."
"Till when?"
"Dunno. Put it this way: till our bags are overflowing, too stuffed even for pricey loot?"
The party's eyes lit up. No exaggeration—Harlan's city was massive.
They called it a city-state for a reason. Someone estimated enough loot for 100,000 players to ransack and still have leftovers.
So we'd dodge the soldiers, scour the city, and cherry-pick the good stuff.
"Sweet! Rest up today, hit it hard tomorrow!"
"Yeah!"
The two brats(?) were fired up in an instant, flinging the door open to head to bed. Their beaming faces crumpled immediately.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
We joined them and peered inside.
'Right on cue.'
As expected, the room was a dump. The five-or-so-pyeong space reeked of filth and mold, bugs scattering into wall holes at the lantern's glow, chirping away.
"...This is pigsty level."
"Yeah, stinks."
"The floor's... really filthy..."
"Even the sewer seemed cleaner."
Ancient ruins were spotless for real—not joking, cleaner than harbor streets.
Point was, this room was dirtier and stinkier than an unscrubbed dockside alley.
No wonder the faces.
"Heh, the room's still better."
Someone called out to us then.
"The real hell's the bathroom."
We turned toward the voice. Five people clip-clopped our way—the white woman Maeve who'd guided us here and her foreign-looking teammates.
"..."
They eyed us warily from past ordeals, but relaxed once they saw only women besides me.
Human hunters skewed male, after all.
"What's the bathroom like...?"
"Why, curious?"
Maeve whispered a description to my girls, and their faces twisted up. Even the Saintess made that expression.
"Anyway, nice to meet you. And thanks. You taking the deal bought us a day's breather. I'm Maeve Queen."
Quite sociable—she shook hands with the group one by one.
"Hi! Nice to meet you, Maeve!"
The Saintess beamed through it,
"..."
Shin Seo-yeon sized her up top to bottom before grudgingly reciprocating. Isera just grabbed and blurted,
"Bigger tits than you, auntie."
"I know, right?"
Ah, so that's why she didn't like her?
I sized up the woman before me.
Maeve Queen.
Striking Western features, plump lips, red hair cascading like a rose—intense and alluring. Seductive.
But the standout was her textbook white-girl figure.
Robeless, she was pure power and curves.
Bigger breasts than the Saintess, wide hips, a pert ass that screamed sex appeal—no red-blooded man could ignore it.
Near 180cm kept it from looking chubby.
'No gut flab either.'
Freckles, red locks... Queen? Irish descent, probably.
"Pleased to meet you."
Maeve shook hands with the impassive Han So-hee last, then faced me.
She extended her hand. I stared at it, then her face.
Name: Ethereal Form
Grade: Epic
Description: Transform into a spirit state immune to physical attacks. Mana drains continuously.
Solid stats. But laughably frail for surviving this trial. How'd she slip soldiers and last twenty days with those numbers? Mystery.
Then I saw her [Unique Ability]. It clicked.
'That explains it.'
That power erased physical limits—super versatile.
Immune to physical hits, phase through walls as a ghost. Like a specter.
'Wall-phasing makes ditching soldiers or mobs easy, theft a breeze.'
Though her magic power suggested she couldn't spam it freely.
"Got a sec to talk?"
I shook her hand and asked. She peered into my eyes, then winked.
"Sorry, we're busy. Next time."
"Sure? Was thinking of trading these for some useful info."
I pulled snacks and soda from inventory, shaking them. Maeve halted as she let go.
"Uh...?"
Her crew's eyes bulged in unison.
"Th-that's...?"
Gulps echoed, eyes darting. Snacks were one thing, but the soda gazes burned holes.
Siren-level trance.
I played matador, waving the goodies to lead their stares, then stashed them back.
Ah...
Pained sighs escaped as they vanished. Their regret was kinda heartbreaking.
"Well, you're busy—no helping it. See ya."
"W-wait!"
"?"
Maeve blocked me.
"Okay. Just us."
"Weren't you rushed?"
"Nah, I can make time."
"Weren't you all headed somewhere urgent? If you're just being polite, don't sweat it. We can chat later."
As I stepped forward, not just Maeve but her whole team blocked me, shaking heads no.
"We were off to see Barkus. Thought we might need one more for the crew. But you five took the deal, so now we're crashing. Uh, I mean, I've got time!"
"Hm."
"C'mon, this way."
Maeve tugged me down the hall, waving to her crew.
"Gonna date this hot guy—stay out of trouble."
"Sure, sis!"
"Have fun, boss!"
Fists pumping—adorable. Foreigners did amp up the flair.
I glanced at So-hee saying I was off; she nodded, no worries.
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