Chapter 120: Clear Reward (2)
Although they had arrived far too late to assist in the battle, the human nation had sent reinforcements upon learning that the Demon, Black Wizards, and monsters had launched an attack. Aware of this, the elves did not reject the human troops. Instead, they suggested that the soldiers rest and return home, given that they were likely exhausted from their forced march.
Pilarin of the Aians Empire, the leader of the reinforcement forces, accepted this suggestion without hesitation. He saw it as an opportunity to improve diplomatic ties with the elves, who were famously distrustful of humans. Of course, there were other motives as well.
"Hmm..." he muttered.
Because the fighting had taken place both in the streets and at the fortress walls in an attempt to divide enemy forces, few sound buildings remained within the city. As a result, the elves, the Temple Alliance, and the heroes had gathered in the garden between the castle and the inner wall.
From a distance, Pilarin watched the elves and the Temple Alliance sharing a meal prepared by the heroes. "So these are the heroes..."
Civilians, mercenaries, and spies who had fled from the Western Region had spoken of heroes who battled monsters, purified tainted areas, and then vanished.
"Unlike the fairy tales, it seems there's more than one hero. Well, I expected as much."
At the regent's words, a knight from the Iron Knight Order of the Aians Empire who had been standing guard in his stead turned in surprise. He was the vice commander, dispatched in place of the order's commander, who had remained behind to protect the emperor.
"Sir, you knew there was more than one hero?" he asked cautiously.
"Yes. Too many areas have been purified for it to be the work of a single person. Not to mention the places where purifications occurred simultaneously."
The vice commander, along with the other knights on guard, nodded in agreement. When framed that way, it did seem implausible that only one person was responsible.
"This is just a theory," the regent continued, "but I believe the ones we call heroes may be knights and magicians from another dimension. Of course, we'd need to ask them to be sure. Still, that wouldn't be a disadvantage for us."
It wouldn't?
As the knights exchanged puzzled looks, Pilarin began to walk. "Ordinary knights and magicians are easier to negotiate with than virtuous, selfless heroes," he explained.
Who should he approach to hear the details of the battle and learn what the heroes planned to do next?
The strongest hero? No.
A hero adored by the elves, reminiscent of the Saintess? Wrong again.
Pilarin walked over to the pink-clad hero who was busy cooking and said, "I'm a bit embarrassed to ask since I arrived too late to take part in the battle, but would it be all right if I joined you?"
The pink hero nodded. "Of course. We don't mind. Your soldiers are already enjoying the party, so there's no reason you shouldn't as well."
"Thank you."
"Not at all."
After exchanging smiles. Pilarin picked up a plate and helped himself to some food while the pink hero returned to his cooking.
"They're similar," a knight murmured.
The vice commander nodded slightly. "The way they speak, their mannerisms... they're very much alike."
Although the soldiers hadn't had a proper conversation with Kim Ki-Rok, they speculated that his way of thinking was similar to that of the regent.
Pilarin and his guards sat near Kim Ki-Rok with plates in hand, the latter of whom was still tending to the food.
"Oh dear," Pilarin said with a smile. "I've already sat down, but would you mind if I ate here?"
The heroes gathered at the long table let out small exclamations as they watched him.
"Wow..."
"They really are alike."
"Even their jobs are kind of similar, right? Our Guildmaster leads a guild, and the regent leads a country."
"Hey, those two aren't the same."
"Isn't it just a matter of scale?"
"You think?"
The connection had been unconscious and instantaneous.
Pilarin's eyes sparkled faintly as the heroes, who had been staring blankly at him, glanced back and forth between him and the pink-clad warrior who was cooking. Listening in, their conversation piqued his interest as well.
Guildmaster... guild. Are these heroes the equivalent of mercenaries in our dimension? he wondered.
As he considered the title, a woman addressed him. "Please, have a seat."
"Ah, thank you..." For a moment, Pilarin felt as though his soul had left his body. "Um..."
"Yes?" the woman replied.
"Are you... an elf?"
As her face flushed and the surrounding heroes burst into laughter, he immediately realized his mistake.
"Ah, my apologies. You were so beautiful, I mistook you for an elf."
"I-It's okay. I'll take that as a compliment... I guess."
The woman wasn't blushing from the compliment itself, but from embarrassment.
Although momentarily curious, Pilarin decided that gathering information was more important. He set his curiosity aside, and a gentle smile returned to his face.
"Wow! Even the way they smile is the same," one of the Hunters remarked.
Pilarin turned to look at the hero who had set down his shield and taken a seat beside him. "Were you referring to the pink warrior who's cooking?"
"Ah, yes. That's right, sir."
"It's an honor. I heard he took command during the battle and single-handedly defeated a Lesser Demon."
"Ah, well..."
The heroes nodded, their expressions turning slightly nervous.
"By the way, heroes," he continued.
"Yes."
"If I may, could I ask you all a question?"
"If it's a question we can answer as best a—oh, woah!"
Pilarin tilted his head when the hero suddenly fell silent, staring into space with their mouth clamped shut.
"Sir, the other heroes are doing the same," the vice commander reported.
Pilarin turned at the words. Every hero, whether eating or chatting with paladins and elves, froze mid-action, eyes unfocused and mouths eerily silent.
He twisted his upper body to check on the pink hero, Kim Ki-Rok, who was still at work cooking.
Only the steady thunk of a knife striking the cutting board broke the silence. Kim Ki-Rok, too, was staring off into space, mechanically chopping ingredients without pause.
"Holy!"
Holy?
"It was worth risking our lives."
Worth risking their lives?
That implied they hadn't been forced to subjugate monsters or purify corrupted land. Instead, they had taken on requests like mercenaries and had been compensated upon completion. As Pilarin pieced together the meaning behind their murmurs, one voice broke through clearly.
"Is it possible to create a Permanent Gate as a reward?"
Pilarin turned his head sharply to look at Kim Ki-Rok.
Who was he talking to?
***
It happened not too long after Pilarin had taken his seat.
[You have successfully cleared the Gate: Revival of the World Tree.]
[During the clear, you subjugated 2 Intermediate Demons and 1 Lesser Demon. Additional rewards will be granted.]
[Individual and bonus rewards will be distributed to all Awakened who participated in clearing the Gate, Revival of the World Tree.]
[The Yuashiel Dimension expresses its gratitude and pays the causality rate to the Earth system, increasing the reward level for the Awakened.]
[Due to the causality rate payment, the reward tier has been raised. Rewards will now be announced.]
"Is it possible to receive a Permanent Gate as a reward?" Kim Ki-Rok asked, even before the reward list appeared.
The Hunters turned toward him. The people of the Yuashiel Dimension, unable to see the Earth system's messages, watched him with confusion.
[Confirming rewards for Awakened: Kim Ki-Rok. No Permanent Gate creation is currently listed.]
[Calculating Gate merit for Awakened: Kim Ki-Rok. Please wait...]
[Merit for subduing the Lesser Demon has been verified.]
[Use of the Potion of Growth has been confirmed.]
[Confirmed: Awakened Kim Ki-Rok is eligible to select Permanent Gate creation as part of his clear and bonus rewards.]
The members of the DG Guild leaped to their feet as the final message appeared.
"G-Guildmaster! Stop! Stooop!"
"Hm? Did everyone get those messages too?"
"Yes!"
"Oh! I thought I was the only one who could see them."
Yoo Seh-Eun of the DG Guild stared blankly at her nodding Guildmaster, then reached out as if to stop him. "Guildmaster."
"Yes. Miss Seh-Eun."
"Did you see the reward list?"
"No."
"Why not?!"
"Well, because my goal from the beginning was to create a Permanent Gate, of course."
"But the reward list includes A-Class magic weapons and artifacts, and even blessings! One of them boosts growth rate, even if only temporarily!"
Kim Ki-Rok turned to look. A massive holographic list hovered beside the message from the Earth system. "Oh! You're right."
"Hah... Are you seriously giving up the chance to get an A-Class skill and magic weapon just to choose the creation of a Permanent Gate?"
"Yes."
"And... you're planning to make that Gate public, aren't you, Guildmaster?"
"That's right."
"Open to everyone? With no compensation?"
"That's right."
Yoo Seh-Eun stood frozen, scratching her head, barely able to string together a full sentence.
"No, I can't believe it..."
She let out a weak laugh. His reasoning left her speechless. He was giving up personal rewards to select one that benefited everyone. If he had claimed something for himself first, and then chosen something for the greater good, it might've made more sense.
Quietly reading the message from the Earth system, Lee Ji-Yeon suddenly spoke. "If I also choose the creation of a Permanent Gate as my clear reward, can Awakened Kim Ki-Rok receive that reward on my behalf?"
Heads turned toward the unexpected voice.
[If you choose to create one Permanent Gate, Awakened Kim Ki-Rok and Lee Ji-Yeon may each select one E-Class mana stone, E-Class skill, or E-Class artifact as a clear reward.]
"It seems multiple people can request the same reward," Lee Ji-Yeon said. "Guildmaster, please hold on."
She stood and looked around at the rest of the DG Guild. One by one, under her gaze, the members grinned and made their own requests to create a Permanent Gate.
[If a total of 51 individuals choose to create a Permanent Gate, all 51 will receive a reward five tiers below their standard clear reward.]
"Huh? After all that, and we're still five levels down?" Nam Dong-Wook muttered, face twisted in disbelief.
Yoo Seh-Eun frowned, squinting at the message. "What's the reason for the penalty?"
[After calculations, Awakened Kim Ki-Rok contributed 51%, while the remaining fifty Awakened contributed 49%.]
"Who's the 51%?" someone asked, thinking they must have misheard.
[Awakened Kim Ki-Rok.]
Everyone turned to look at him again.
They already knew about his contributions: defeating the Lesser Demon solo, proposing the use of the Potion of Growth to accelerate the World Tree's revival, assisting teammates mid-battle, and providing A-Class meals. Nonetheless, they hadn't expected the merit gap to be that stark.
At a nearby table, Lee Yeon-Hwa, who had been eating with Jang Baek-San, Baek Min-Hyuk, and Ji Cheol-Hyun, looked up from her system feed and asked, "What if the four of us choose to create a Permanent Gate as well?"
[Awakened Lee Yeon-Hwa, Jang Baek-San, Baek Min-Hyuk, and Ji Cheol-Hyun collaborated in subduing one Intermediate Demon. If they choose Permanent Gate creation, the penalty will decrease to one level below the standard reward for all participants.]
"And by 'one level,' you mean what exactly?"
[The Yuashiel Dimension is paying the causality rate. Please wait...]
Lee Yeon-Hwa waited for the response in silence.
[The Yuashiel Dimension has agreed to cover the causality rate for all fifty-five Awakened who chose Permanent Gate creation. As a result, full clear rewards and bonus rewards will be distributed to all participants.]
[Administrator of the Yuashiel Dimension, the Goddess of Light !@#%!#$, sends a message: "Creating a Permanent Gate greatly benefits us as well. Thank you."]
Gasps echoed throughout the hall as the divine message arrived.
So this is how it plays out, Kim Ki-Rok thought.
They had sustained minimal damage and successfully subjugated the demons, and Kim Ki-Rok had chosen the Permanent Gate as his reward without even checking the reward list. It was only after that choice that the goddess's message appeared, something that hadn't happened since the 77th Attempt all the way up until the 92nd. Now, he would be able to receive the same reward as the other Hunters who had participated in the clear.
He turned to those still watching him, bowed in gratitude, and said clearly to the Earth System, "I choose to create a Permanent Gate as my clear reward."