357 - Sudden Patch Notes 1
TL/Editor: raei
Schedule: 5/week
Illustrations: Posted in discord
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The world ground to a stop, then transformed.
Han Se-ah became the first yer to clear the 50th floor. Meanwhile, I unexpectedly activated an awakening skill and encountered a divine being who gave me a rough rundown on quests and the tower.
But this Goddess, aside from favoring me and Han Se-ah, has some seriously ipetent aspects.
"Where the f*ck is this empire..."
I had such sphemous thoughts because the knowledge she gave me didn''t include patch notes for after the 50th floor.I didn''t care much when a princess suddenly appeared in the kingdom,pletely reshuffling the nobles'' political positions and changing not just the nobility but also their underlings. After all, I''m no politician, so why should I care who the nobles support?
But the fact that an empire exists beyond the treacherous mountains to the northeast of the kingdom, essible with magical aid, isn''t something to brush off lightly.
A f*cking country, another country just popped into existence.
"My lord, is something troubling you?"
"...No."
The northeast of the kingdom used to be an extremely remote area blocked by snow-capped peaks. If you tried to climb them, you''d reach the end of the world and either freeze or starve to death. But suddenly, a massive highway appeared, conquering nature and opening a path to the empire.
Thanks to this, Katie''s family, who used to just hunt monsters in the north, now seems to be in charge of the border with the empire. The nobles have changed yet again, moving beyond the factions supporting the first prince, second prince, and princess to a mix of pro-empire and anti-empire factions...
What a f*cking mess.
And the biggest problem is that this empire happens to be Rnd''s homnd.
After muttering about "Rnd of Lombardo," they suddenly added a backstory that this Lombardo is actually the empire.
"Wait, where did all our party members suddenly go...?"
-How much did you neglect them that they all abandoned the party and ran away?
-I thought we''d finally see the girl''s face again, but she''s gone
-What kind of game progression is this? lol So where did all the NPCpanions go?
-Sang about imperialism, imperialism, and now a real empire pops up lol
-So the Goddess made a kingdom, but what''s with this empire, the f*ck?
Thanks to that, I couldfortably watch the dumbfounded Han Se-ah in a carriage racing along a road filled with cutting-edge magical engineering.
I''m also surprised by my homnd suddenly appearing in the distance, but how shocked must Han Se-ah be, logging in after the patch to find herpanions naturally scattered? What gamer would ept an event wherepanions just vanish after clearing half the game?
Of course, thepanions vanishing doesn''t mean the party has disbanded. Like when we met the Goddess, it''s the start of a sort ofpanion strengthening event.
Grace went to train at the archery guild to perfect the ranger skills she learned from her father. Katie headed north for the magic armor she''dpletely forgotten about, saying she probably won''t inherit the family now. Irene went to the temple headquarters to receivemendation and education from the saints for her achievements.
In short, an expanded version of the personal quest that only 3★ Grace had before has begun.
"I get that thepanions are getting stronger, but... why do it by scattering them after the patch? Just have us log in and boom! Cleared 50 floors, got stronger! Wow! That''s how you should do it, you damn game devs!"
-We have manyints too, but they don''t listen
-I hope thepanions never return and Han Se-ah just gets four DVDs in her mailbox
-So what can a pack mule like you do withoutpanions? Go kill some orcs and grind mana stones lol
-But what should the yer really do? Don''t you have any strengthening events?
[Magic Crystal Ball donated 10,000 won!]
The crystal ball delivered to the inn contained a video of Rnd rescuing another party member...
"You need to cut down on that, uh, p*rn a bit. ...Me? What am I doing? Well, I''m heading to the magic tower to learn some more advanced magic. My mana pool''s grown quite a bit, so I''m thinking of learning an element other than lightning."
Thanks to this, Han Se-ah, left alone, earned mockery for whining but sucked up donations and steered viewer opinion towards ''Which advanced magic would be best?''
As a result, yers who can only use intermediate magic started frothing at the mouth in the chat, endlessly shouting out the magic they''d been thinking about in advance. As expected, the mostmon and popr opinion seems to be advanced fire magic.
That one could make a living streaming anywhere as long as there''s a camera. Thinking that, I pushed Han Se-ah''s stream aside and continued web surfing until the carriage finally came to a stop.
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Raei Trantions
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What kind of ce would the empire be?
I got out of the carriage feeling like a roon with its chin on the window. A massive gate blocked my path at the northeastern part of the kingdom, which would be the southwestern part of the empire.
A grand highway where at least 10 carriages could run side by side. As I stepped out of the carriage, instead of the biting northern winds, I was greeted by the cool autumn breeze as if a Goddess''s miracle had descended rather than magic. Maintaining the road is one thing, but maintaining the temperature too? Could this really be a Goddess''s miracle?
As the carriage that dropped me off here like some bus transfer station turned back, I moved forward to find people swarming like a holiday rush.
"Don''t push! Those who disrupt order will be severely punished!"
"Those crossing with cargo carriages, head to that gate over there!"
"Next! It''s best to have your ID and toll fee ready in advance!"
Of course, they wouldn''t leave this near-miraculous road unattended. Fully armed knights and soldiers were collecting tolls, separating individuals crossing from merchant groups.
So the kingdom collects tolls for crossing into the empire, and the empire collects for crossing into the kingdom, huh?
Watching this chaotic scene, I fingered the adventurer''s badge in my pocket. Whether she''s an idiot or really used up all her energy helping me, our Goddess didn''t inject me with knowledge about the empire. The only thing she told me was to ''use this adventurer''s badge to cross over''... I''ll have to trust her and go for it.
"Hey, get in li... Hmm?"
"What''s the matter? ...Huh?"
As I was thinking whether to follow the long line or head to the VIP section where noble-looking people were entering, a knight strode purposefully towards me.
Unlike the kingdom''s knights, he wore red emblems on his armor''s shoulders. He ced his hand on my shoulder from behind, then started groaning when he saw my profile. Thanks to that, his patrol partner came over too, and people around us began to watch curiously.
''...If I punch him, I''ll be a wanted criminal, right?''
I clenched my fist, tensing up as I had no idea what was going on. Then the two knights'' faces lit up with a familiar expression.
A burdensome gaze mixing happiness, surprise, admiration, and respect in just the right proportions.
"Sir Rnd! Isn''t it Sir Rnd?!"
"Ah, the news of you ying the sphemous monster of the tower has reached even the empire. You''re finally returning to the empire!"
"Uh... you know me?"
"Of course!"
Why are these border guards, not even adventurers, calling my name like fangirls and getting so excited? When I muttered in disbelief, struggling to ept reality, they shouted as if it were obvious.
They look like Sergei and Ivan who''d wrestle bears while chugging vodka, but they''re acting like aedy duo enjoying a stand-up routine, bouncing lines back and forth. I didn''t think people actually alternated speaking like that in real life, not in cartoons.
Ah, maybe it''s because they''re game NPCs.
"The one who kicked away prepared glory to seize glory for yourself!"
"We heard you honed yourself in the most remote part of the kingdom."
"And you were chosen by the Goddess, drawing the holy sword,"
"Then punished the sphemous beings of the tower with yourpanions."
As border guards manning the gate, they''re big and their voices boom. But when they start singing my praises with those huge voices, attention gathers in an instant.
I''m not sure how the patch went after clearing the 50th floor, but it''s clear that rumors from inside the tower have spread beyond the kingdom to the empire. Not just the porters in the merchant groups, but even nobles trying to pass the checkpoint in carriages are slightly opening their windows to stare intently in this direction.
F*ck, this is ufortable...
On both sides, burly men send passionate gazes like lovesick girls, about to embrace me. Behind me, hundreds of people tired of waiting for inspection watch with interest. Even passing carriages slowly stop to gawk at my face. What a horrible situation.
"Ah! This isn''t the time for this! This way, we''ll escort you, sir!"
"Oh my, it seems we''ve taken too much of your time. Are you returning to Lombardo? We have a good carriage you can take!"
At least my patience with this knight duo paid off, as the inspection process waspleted before I even took out my adventurer''s badge.
I thought they were low-ranking since they were on patrol, but they must have some seniority. Like a colonel in hiking clothes passing a weekend checkpoint, a few casual hand waves got stamps pounding on papers and a luxurious-looking carriage rushing over.
What''s more, it''s not a coachman driving the carriage, but a soldier in pristine armor. It clearly looks like an official carriage used by noble military officers or knightmanders, not one from the coachman''s guild.
''...Just what the hell is my background?''
"Travel safely, Sir Rnd!"
I leaned back in the carriage seat, receiving a send-off that eased my body butplicated my mind.
I really hope no weird settings have been attached.