Vol 2 Chapter 32

"...Should I leave?"

After pondering for a moment, Kapros turned to look at Kion-hyung. Seeing that ominous look in his eyes, Kapros just shook his head.

"Sorry."

"I understand."

Yu-wan's expression as he answered was so stiff that one might misunderstand he was uncomfortable, but his voice was softer than expected. After lightly tapping Kapros's arm, Yu-wan turned around and left, leaving only Kion-hyung and Kapros in the room.

"Kar."

After a brief silence, Kion-hyung brushed his hair back and made eye contact.

"Now we can have a proper conversation."

Those words carried many implications.

"How have you been?"

As Kion-hyung casually asked about his well-being, fitting for a start, Kapros also slightly raised the corners of his mouth and answered.

"Just... I've been doing well."

"I see... It's been over half a year already. We parted just before summer, and now it's already early winter."

Hearing Kion-hyung's words, Kapros also felt a sense of novelty. It felt like they had met after a really long time, but was it only that long? As he was thinking how short yet long it had been, Kion-hyung continued with a sigh.

"I never thought I'd end up performing the same quest as you... I was so surprised earlier that I couldn't even speak. Did you see how shocked I was? You brat."

Kion-hyung's eyes were still warm as he smiled his characteristic playful smile. Although it felt a bit awkward, Kapros nodded in response.

"I was really surprised too when I saw the video."

"Don't even mention it. Because of that, I'm suffering so much now that I can't even... Ah! Come to think of it."

Kion-hyung, who had been shuddering, suddenly widened his eyes and grabbed Kapros's shoulders.

"Kar! Don't tell me you've already been contacted by that devilish guy too? Have you?"

"Who?"

As Kapros asked while being shaken, Kion-hyung clutched his head and shouted, "Aargh!"

"That bastard! THE MIST branch manager! The guy with the unlucky face!"

Ah, did he mean Yoon Seok-ho?

...Wait. Yoon Seok-ho?

"What's wrong?"

Sensing something was off, Kapros asked, and Kion-hyung cried out in agony.

"The offer to pay money in exchange for filming the quest video! Did you get it too? You didn't accept it, did you?"

"Why?"

"You absolutely must not accept it!"

Kion-hyung shouted with all his might, making Kapros's ears ring.

"Do you know what kind of state I'm in now after accepting it, blinded by money and underestimating the face reveal? Everywhere I go, people recognize me, and I can't play the game at all! Is that all? I can't even live my real life properly! You must absolutely not accept that! Never!"

Listening to Kion-hyung's tirade of regret, shouting at the top of his lungs with bloodshot eyes, it seemed that this was why he had been desperately covering his face.

"You didn't accept it, right? Huh? If you did, tell me you'll cancel it now after hearing what I said. This is really beyond what a human can endure!"

"Hmm..."

Although Kapros hadn't finalized the video appearance contract yet, he was thinking he would probably accept it, so Kion-hyung's words were very concerning. Just how much money did one receive for revealing their face that Kion-hyung said he was blinded by it and chose it despite having heard all the explanations beforehand? He couldn't help but be curious.

"I haven't done it yet. So, how much did they add?"

"..."

At Kapros's words, Kion-hyung stopped his frenzy and averted his gaze. Kapros waited persistently in silence, intending to keep staring until Kion-hyung answered.

"Just, on top of the basic contract fee... a hundred..."

Kapros thought it might be an additional million won or so, but the moment he heard the next words, he couldn't believe his ears.

"...150 percent additional."

"...150 percent?"

Not 10 percent, not 20 percent?

When Kapros asked again, Kion-hyung nodded while avoiding eye contact.

"Uh... yeah. But if I could go back... I wouldn't do it. Really."

Although Kion-hyung said that, Kapros thought anyone would be tempted. He didn't know exactly how much the basic contract fee was, but Branch Manager Yoon Seok-ho had said he would give an amount that wouldn't disappoint, and to add that much on top of it... Kapros could understand Kion-hyung's choice at the time.

"You're not getting tempted after hearing this, are you? Kar. You really shouldn't do it. For me, it's especially troublesome if my face becomes known for what I do... Ah, damn it."

"It seems like it would be okay to accept if it's that much."

"No! Don't accept!"

Kion-hyung shouted and jumped up.

"Kar! You weren't someone so hungry for money! This isn't about money! You can't enjoy the game!"

While listening to Kion-hyung's words that sounded like a scream with one ear and letting them go with the other, Kapros thought about what he could do if he got more money than expected. Although his options would be limited due to his inability to use his legs, he couldn't live like this forever. Even if money wasn't everything, at least it would increase his choices, and suddenly he felt tempted.

"Wake up! To handle the remaining quests, selling your face is really the worst move! You're listening to me, right? Huh?"

At the mention of the quest, Kapros finally came to his senses and turned his head. Kion-hyung sighed deeply and sat down.

"Listen. The first quest I received was to 'rebuild the temple of the forgotten goddess.' While I was traveling around, starting from the west, to do that, I accidentally received a linked quest, which was the 'Successor to the Divine Status of the Holy Knight' quest. And then..."

From there, Kion-hyung slowly began to explain his journey.

The Holy Knight quest had started linked to the forgotten goddess's temple quest. At first, Kion-hyung couldn't feel anything beyond annoyance and botheration, but as he solved it, he became more and more engrossed, attracted by the rewards and the exciting story he gained in the process. During that time, he said he met another person performing a related quest once, but they soon parted ways.

He said he encountered Palton, who was performing the Bloody Knight quest, because of the quest, and it turned out they were old classmates. Although they weren't particularly close friends in the past, in MIST, there were many overlapping parts in terms of quest content, so they ended up traveling together to help each other, and now it seemed they had developed into close friends. Listening to the process roughly, it seemed they had gone through a similar process as Yu-wan and Kapros. Then, when they headed north to solve Kion-hyung's quest, they said they met the Knight of the Demon God quest user for the first time.