Ch-18. **Masterpiece**
—
“I used it.”
I spoke truthfully.
I couldn’t lie and say I hadn’t used something I clearly had.
At that, Hudson’s eyes began trembling like quivering aspen leaves.
“Ah…”
A deep sigh slipped out of Hudson’s mouth.
Hope crumbled away.
Naturally so—because in order to reach Level 10, a talisman was essential.
Especially a talisman like *the Fairy Queen’s Tear*, which drastically lowered equipment requirements—an unattainable treasure among treasures.
The moment his so-called dream of “gear carry” evaporated into thin air.
Not that he could blame me saying, “Why did you use it?”
From the beginning, the Fairy Queen’s Tear belonged to the Star-bearer.
The Star-bearer had said he would show the path—he never said he’d hand over the Fairy Queen’s Tear.
“To reach Level 10 and step onto the Path of the Transcendent, a talisman is unnecessary. I simply told you in advance not to harbor pointless hopes.”
Of course, I could never admit I used it because I needed it to raid Chid Mamba.
Not that what I said was wrong.
Even if he lowered the requirement on one piece of gear with the Fairy Queen’s Tear, none of Hudson’s real problems would be solved. There were far too many issues piled up.
I stared straight at Hudson’s face.
More precisely, the parchment floating in front of it.
—
“`
<<Hudson (Oliver) / Male / 29 / Neutral Good>>
· Class: [Merchant]
<Stats>
· Level: [9]
· Strength: [61]
· Vitality: [71]
· Agility: [54]
· Intelligence: [71]
· Mana: [55]
<Talents>
[Intelligence] [Senses] [Meticulousness] [Boldness]
[Leadership] [Golden Hands] [Business Sense] [Water]
[Art] [Academics] [Observation] [Cooking]
<Skills>
· Hand of the Observer (Lv. 8)
· Cash Hammer (Lv. 5)
· Mercenary Arts (Lv. 8)
· Water’s Protection (Lv. 6)
· Hermit’s Shop Summon (Lv. 6)
“`
—
…Hudson’s status window was visible.
From the moment I’d heard his entire life story, his status window had begun appearing before my eyes—his real-world name, Oliver, sex, age, even alignment.
*…Pathetic.*
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Hudson’s state was so pitiful it was hard to believe he was actually Level 9.
Especially his stats—darkness incarnate.
Judging from the talents he’d invested in, he must have put at least 10,000 SP into them.
*His Intelligence should be at least 80…*
Honestly, even if I raised him using only my toes, I’d do a better job than this.
Intelligence affects skill growth; it accelerates learning and mastery.
Some observation-related skills explicitly required high Intelligence.
Given the Merchant class and his chosen talents, his Intelligence should be no less than 80. All his skill levels should also be at least one level higher.
*Did he just…never fight himself?*
Mercenary Arts was at Level 8.
Merchant-type classes did start with Mercenary Arts, but this was overkill.
His only combat skill was *Cash Hammer* (Lv. 5).
At this point, wouldn’t it have been better to play a commander or a priest?
No wonder he couldn’t hunt—his stats were too low.
Likely similar to Jeong Jin-woo’s case.
Unlike a game, fighting in person after being summoned must have scared him.
*…Seeing someone else’s status window wasn’t even a feature in the original game.*
All of this was strange.
Observation-type skills existed and could give partial information, but nothing in the game let you view everything with such detail.
Was it because Hudson had opened up everything to me?
It didn’t feel like that was the only reason.
Something was concretizing knowledge within me.
*Is this one of my Hidden Traits… the function of the Great Sage?*
Showing levels, revealing hidden things, letting me examine others’ status windows in full detail—there was no explanation other than a Hidden Trait.
And if it had to do with knowledge, it was surely related to *the Great Sage*.
Upon acquiring deep knowledge about Hudson, the Great Sage trait manifested this phenomenon.
But a question remained.
*Then why can’t I see Isabella’s status window?*
Isabella was the character I knew best.
My own creation—one I had raised.
It should appear, yet it didn’t.
Which meant there must be additional conditions needed to see a status window.
*Background, detailed memories, true personal information…*
Come to think of it, I didn’t actually know anything substantial about Isabella.
I knew her—but I didn’t know her.
I didn’t even know why she had suddenly come to be called the Serpent Princess.
Only now did I realize that aside from her longing for the world beyond the desert and her search for her own roots, I knew virtually nothing about her.
In contrast, Hudson had exposed everything—even things I didn’t need.
“Star-bearer… does this mean there is another path for me?”
“There is.”
I answered confidently.
There were countless paths to reach Level 10.
Even without relying on a talisman due to low stats, he could still reach Level 10 by other means.
In all of Panghenia, I was probably the one who had hit Level 10 the most.
But telling Hudson how was out of the question.
Hudson bowed his head with an even more desperate expression.
“Please show me the path.”
“Start by closing the casino.”
“…What?”
His desperate face immediately filled with bewilderment.
Close a perfectly thriving casino?
Was I insane?
“To ascend the Path of the Transcendent, even full concentration is not enough. Running a business of this scale will inevitably consume your attention—therefore, you must close it.”
“T-That can simply be delegated to a manager.”
“Do you think the Council will leave a casino alone when the owner is absent?”
“…”
Hudson shut his mouth tight.
One of the three major casinos of the Golden City Arcana. Many covet it. If Hudson stepped away, the Council would not sit idle.
Money-mad gluttons.
Yet how did the Star-bearer know all this?
Even Hudson, living here over a year and running a business, had only just learned these things.
*Does the star really tell him everything?*
Listening to the Star-bearer gave him chills.
He truly knew everything.
When he mentioned Hudson’s secret betrothal with Serengeti, Hudson had felt as though someone had smashed his skull with a hammer.
It was Hudson’s first time seeing a Star-bearer, and rumors about them varied wildly, but one thing was certain—he knew all.
And if someone who knew everything said “There is a path,” then all he could do was believe.
*Right. The casino isn’t what matters.*
Hudson bit his lip.
He had operated the casino solely to gain entry into the Council.
Becoming a Councilman and proposing to the Marquis’ family was his true goal.
But the Council gave no opportunities to a Hudson who had not reached Level 10.
They ignored, exploited, and sought only to devour him.
“…Even if I rush, shutting everything down will take three days.”
“I’ll give you two. We leave after.”
“Where are we going?”
“Masterpiece.”
“M-Master…piece?”
A faint smile touched my lips.
The starting point of Main Quest 3—and a place that would resolve everything at once: Masterpiece.
And to get there, Hudson was necessary.
*Hudson is a walking potion and shop.*
With *Water’s Protection* and *Hermit’s Shop*!
Low direct combat ability aside, Hudson was the perfect support—combining the roles of merchant and priest.
Leaving such talent to rot was unacceptable.
I spoke clearly.
“We’re going to the Spirit Tower.”
“…? The Spirit Tower? That actually exists?”
Hudson tilted his head.
Rumors of the Spirit Tower were many, but no one had ever actually entered it.
Except one person.
*Me.*
I had entered it.
Spirits—beings of the most divine mystery.
But ascending the Spirit Tower was only possible for the chosen.
Only those selected by the spirits.
A truly rare occurrence.
One needed related talents, countless completed quests, and absurd luck.
Among gamers, those who entered the Spirit Tower could be counted on one hand.
Miracles choosing the chosen.
And to enter the Spirit Tower, one had to break through those miracle-level odds again.
But I had no need to worry.
I did not need to be chosen by the spirits.
*Druid’s affinity with nature.*
With the hidden trait of a spirit-wielding druid, I would choose the spirits—not the other way around.
*
*
There was no time to waste.
Setting waypoints ahead of time was always wise when time was available.
However, mapping all of Arcana would be insanity.
“You’re asking me to open the sewers?”
Hudson recoiled at the question.
Heading to the dungeon located at the very bottom of Arcana—the sewers—was not a welcome suggestion.
“The number of monster rats is no joke. Entering without preparation—even for you, Star-bearer…”
“I know.”
“The City Council has given up on the sewer dungeon. Are you sure?”
The Council had abandoned purification of the sewers.
Normal monster rats were Level 5. But there were so many, and the underground waterways were such a labyrinth, that wiping them out in one sweep was impossible.
Moreover, the sewer dungeon’s boss was Level 8.
A raid requiring at least six Level 8s.
“It’s fine.”
“…Then I will accompany you as well.”
Hudson said with a worried expression.
He could open the dungeon on his own authority, but if anything happened to the Star-bearer, all his newly-gained dreams and hopes would vanish.
“As you wish.”
I shrugged.
If a healer wanted to help for free, why refuse?
*
*
Boom!
The massive sewer mutant rat collapsed onto the floor.
The bane of Arcana’s residents—its leader, who had evaded capture while darting through the waterways—had finally been brought down.
<<You have defeated the “Mutant Monster Rat of the Sewers (Lv. 8).”>>
<<You have fully explored “Arcana’s Sewers.”>>
<<Exploration Rate: 100%>>
<<A waypoint for “Arcana’s Sewers” has been added to your Teleport Book.>>
With this, I obtained waypoints for both the desert city Faisalmer and the Golden City Arcana.
Though the location was… questionable.
“You took down the mutant rat… alone…?”
Hudson stared—not at me, but at Isabella—with disbelief.
Isabella quietly sheathed her dagger and approached my side as if nothing notable had happened.
Mutant sewer rats were fast and prone to flee, but they were the worst possible match against Isabella’s Assassin class.
*As expected, incomparable.*
Even if I had created her half as a challenge, Isabella was still a character I had raised with considerable care.
I only abandoned her because I couldn’t figure out a way to break the Queen’s Curse.
Compared to Hudson—who had been leveled solely through “boosting”—Isabella was on a different plane entirely.
Hudson murmured in awe.
“Remarkable… The fighting itself was incredible, but the way you blocked every escape route in advance… even calculating the water flow timing…”
Just as he said, we had blocked every possible escape path of the mutant rat in advance.
Naturally, blocking all the interconnected sewage channels was impossible.
But each section had a different time when water flowed in—and by calculating all of them in advance and coordinating movements perfectly, we trapped the rat and hunted it with ease.
“Even strong monsters fall easily if you use your head.”
“That’s not merely ‘using your head’…”
He couldn’t believe it.
Arcana’s underground waterways numbered in the hundreds, thousands. Water flowed at different times in each one. Calculating all of that?
If even a single second was off, the mutant rat would have sensed something and escaped.
Even a top-tier computer would struggle with this.
*Gulp.*
*A monster.*
The woman who had hunted the mutant rat alone was monstrous—but the true monster was the Star-bearer himself.
There were many skilled fighters, many high-level individuals.
But no one fought the way the Star-bearer did.
And as a Merchant, Hudson had the talent to meet many people and grasp their characteristics.
And the Star-bearer was categorically someone one must never make an enemy of.
*Oh my…*
Not caring about Hudson’s look, I turned to the messages rising before me.
<<You have completed the dungeon’s exploration and earned a reward.>>
<<The “Constellation of Adventure” slaps its forehead at your ingenuity. Your reward tier has been upgraded.>>
<<Rolling dice…>>
<<Among 4 reward options, you may choose one item.>>
<<You possess the “Lucky Dice.”>>
<<Rolling once more to obtain a reward from one tier higher.>>
Luck…
—
Нормально так-то квест первого уровня из днд резко стал 6 уровня