Chapter 84 - Toward the Depths of the Abyss (1)

'I should try it a few more times.'

Hyun dueled TarrTarr once more to verify a few more tests.

Thsy time, Hyun's figure also disappeared as if it were a ghost.

As Hyun became invisible, TarrTarr swung his sword in the air, but there was no way Hyun was going to be hit by those kinds of attacks.

Whish-!

In the blink of an eye, tens of attacks flew in his direction, and that battle also didn't last more than two seconds.

"Wait, so... What happened?"

"«Invisible»... And a speed buff on top of that."

"This isn't fair!" TarrTarr shouted.

It was because he had taken the role of a punching bag without knowing the reason for a while.

Hyun, who had gained a new skill, couldn't stop smiling.

It was the first time he felt like that after starting to play Asrian.

TarrTarr had become tired before the party even began due to Hyun’s excitement.

* * *

[Invitation from the Darkness]

- You'll be transported immediately to the banquet hall. (Remaining time: 3 minutes 12 seconds)

After the tournament ended, that item was in TarrTarr’s inventory.

—It was an invitation given to the top 10 users.

Hyun and TarrTarr had to participate in that party.

The first reason was that they still hadn't received the reward for winning the tournament, and the second was to reach the Abyss Repository, which was the quest's destination.

「Are you ready?」

After he used the ticket, a portal opened in front of them.

The moment they stepped in, the scenery around changed.

[The barrier is encroaching upon the surroundings!]

[Since your level is low, you can't resist! Your stats have temporarily been decreased by 50%!]

「Ugh...!」

TarrTarr took a deep breath.

As he stepped in, he felt an intense energy tightening around his body.

A few moments later, he finally could grasp the situation.

There was a luxurious palace in front of them.

Hyun immediately recognized the place.

The Dark Palace.

That place, bigger than the king's palace, didn't have windows because it was located in a place so deep in the Abyss that humans couldn't reach it.

A middle-aged man wearing a suit was waiting for them.

"This way."

Thanks to following the butler, it didn't take him long to reach where the party would take place.

A luxurious door opened at the end of the corridor.

"The winner of this tournament, TarrTarr, has come."

The moment they entered the banquet hall, a voice amplified by Magical Power echoed through the room.

All the NPCs that belonged to the Abyss and the users that came before…

All the Dukes that were behind looked at TarrTarr, who had just entered…

TarrTarr was feeling pressured by everyone looking at him, but he advanced while trying to ignore them.

"It's the rumored winner."

"He won despite looking weak... Is this because he's a user?"

The NPCs murmured while looking at TarrTarr.

Because he'd won the tournament, no one in the Abyss didn't know about TarrTarr.

It was the same for the users.

TarrTarr was already known as someone talented, thanks to YouTube and the community boards.

"I didn't notice it in the video, but he really is a kid. I don't think he's even in high school..."

"They say he's level 70... If that's true, he's incredibly talented."

While everyone was murmuring, something that surprised everyone happened.

One of the five Dukes in the banquet hall suddenly approached TarrTarr. It was so quick that it seemed like magic.

"So you're the winner."

NPCs couldn't hide their surprise.

It was unusual for a Duke to move before the party began.

The banquet hall became silent.

While everyone was holding their breath, the Duke said something more.

"Will you serve me? If you do so, I'll give you all the pleasures that the world has to offer."

The NPCs were surprised once more.

Was that user who seemed like a kid that impressive?

「Please say something!」

That time, even TarrTarr couldn't hide the surprise on his face.

Because he'd let Hyun make all the decisions until then, he tried to ask him again.

But Hyun thought about something that he thought would be fun.

'It should be okay if I let him make the decision. Right?'

Accepting or refusing the Duke's proposal had its benefits or drawbacks.

Accepting increased the risk but also the rewards.

Refusing the proposal had no risk, but the rewards obtained also decreased.

That would become a turning point for TarrTarr.

If it were him, he would accept the proposal. But since TarrTarr was part of the Heavens, maybe it would be better if he refused.

Since he belonged to the opposite force, the risk would get bigger.

'He should decide his path.'

There was also another reason…

Hyun thought it'd be fun to see him dumbfounded.

TarrTarr's innocent reactions were stimulating Hyun's mischievous side.

Hyun whispered while laughing.

「Hey, you seem popular. Even the Duke is desperate to scout you.」

「So what should I answer?!」

「Do as you wish. This guy doesn't even know about my existence. So what do you want me to say?」

「So I should say it on my own?」

「Yes.」

Hyun could feel that TarrTarr's heart was starting to beat faster.

Was he wondering about what to answer?

But as time went on, TarrTarr wasn't able to answer easily.

But thankfully, another Duke opened his mouth.

"Stop it, Bahmir. The party hasn't even begun yet."

"Digitalis, what do you want?"

"The private talks should take place after the rewards are given out."

While everyone was holding their breath, the two Dukes looked at each other.

The reason why no one could interfere was that those two were the ones who had the highest hierarchy in the place.

"Oof, a useless procedure."

Bahmir shrugged his shoulders and went back to his place.

Just then, the atmosphere relaxed a bit.

The banquet hall became noisy again, and the award ceremony continued.

The reward was given according to the rankings, so TarrTarr's turn was last.

[You've received the rewards!]

Reward - 50000 gold, Medal of Darkness x3000, Demon's Token x5, the Core of a High-Ranking Monster.

The rewards for 1st place couldn't be compared to the rest of the players.

Although they would soon enter Hyun's inventory, they were with TarrTarr for the moment.

Soon, the award ceremony came to an end, and the proper party began.

It was the perfect chance for users to gain the Duke's affection!

Users that belonged to the Abyss could only expect support from the Dukes.

In some community posts, they mentioned that, rather than winning the tournament, gaining affection from the Dukes was more important.

How NPCs treated users varied greatly depending on their affection toward them.

"It seems like I hurried too much before."

Just as expected, as soon as the party began, Bahmir approached TarrTarr.

"Did you finish thinking?"

TarrTarr had been asking for help from Hyun for a while through whisper.

But Hyun just kept watching TarrTarr suffer.

He just gave him some vague advice, but he didn't seem to have the intention of helping.

TarrTarr nervously gulped.

"Hmm... You know."

Bahmir frowned a little bit.

He thought that TarrTarr was testing him.

If it were his subordinate, he would have executed him, but he wasn't going to do that.

"As expected from a user, but it's okay for you to be a little bit more arrogant."

Bahmir made an offer again.

He saw how TarrTarr had defeated each quest, so he thought highly of him.

Because he couldn't see Hyun's soul inside TarrTarr, he thought that the skills and control shown were his.

"If you serve me, I'll show you that everything you've received up until now is nothing..."

"That..."

"Hmm?"

"Sh-should I...?"

TarrTarr was overwhelmed by the pressure applied by the Duke and subconsciously ended up accepting.

A smile appeared on Bahmir's face.

"Haha, good decision! You won't regret it!"

"Huh...?"

"TarrTarr, from today, I'll name you as my knight! The contract has been made! I guarantee that there are no lies in my words."

[You've obtained the title ‘Duke's Knight’!]

- You deal extra 5% damage to the ones that belong to Heaven!

The reason why only TarrTarr got the title was that he had mentioned his ID.

Hyun smiled.

Should he make a joke?

Before TarrTarr answered, Hyun had already prepared two different opposing answers.

While making sure not to laugh, Hyun said while making a big deal out of it.

「Hey, you belong to Heaven. How can you accept becoming the underling of a Duke?!」

「What?! But you told me to do as I wish!」

「I thought that you'd refuse for sure...」

「What... Can't I cancel it?! Also, why didn't you help me from the beginning..?!」

TarrTarr was about to cry.

Bahmir and TarrTarr were both smiling.

Lots of messages appeared in front of TarrTarr.

[Your soul's string has been connected to Bahmir!]

[You've unlocked a new job, 'The Knight of Death'! You can change to it from level 100 onwards!]

[From time to time, the Duke will get to you through the soul's string!]

After reading all the messages, TarrTarr's voice trembled.

He should be happy that he had unlocked what seemed like a hidden job, but he couldn't comprehend the last part very well.

「Did I screw up...?!」

「Yes, probably... The fact that, as a member of the Heaven's, you became the Duke's servant is a little bit... There are no precedents of something like this.」

To be honest, he hadn't screwed it up.

The ‘Knight of Death’ was a job that was considered one with great potential, even in the previous game, so who could say that he had screwed up?

Not only that, but he had gained the Duke's affection. And with that, he gained extra benefits!

The reason why users preferred the Heavens was simple:

Even without gaining the affection of NPCs, you could receive help.

But if they could earn the affection of a Duke, a user belonging to the Abyss could receive as much help as a ranker that belonged to the Heavens.

That was if you could overcome some risks.

'I should tell TarrTarr to change forces as quickly as possible.'

The biggest penalty was that TarrTarr belonged to the Heavens.

If he did something that benefited the Heavens, there was a chance that he would be considered a traitor.

In the worst case, he would end up executed.

Of course, Hyun was not going to let that happen.

He still had lots of things to do with TarrTarr, so he was going to reduce the variables as much as possible.

'I guess it's a relief that I'm part of the Abyss.'

While Hyun and TarrTarr were thinking, Bahmir disappeared as fast as he had appeared.

But the interest in TarrTarr from people around didn't decrease.

The other Dukes?

No, it wasn't them.

There wasn't an NPC who dared to droll over a user that had already been targetted by Bahmir, one of the highest-ranking beings.

"You're TarrTarr, right?"

The ones interested in him were the other users.

Berard, the user who had reached 5th place in the rankings in Asra.

He had been waiting for Bahmir to go away in order to approach TarrTarr.

"My ID is Berard, although I'm just a normal user compared to you, but I'm ranked."

'Berard?'

The one that was surprised after hearing that username wasn't TarrTarr, but Hyun.

TarrTarr still hadn't come back to his senses.

Berard... There was no way he wouldn't remember that ID he'd seen for many years.

Hyun looked at his face carefully.

Did Berard always look like that?

The user with whom he played Asra Online seemed unfamiliar.

Hyun was covered by an unfamiliar mood.

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