Vol 6 Chapter 18

Although Kion-hyung had an outgoing personality, he preferred to roam around alone rather than focusing on building relationships with others. Of course, it was possible that he had become close to someone like Kapros had with Yu-wan and Kran, but the way the hyungs exchanged friendly insults and bantered without reserve showed a fundamentally different kind of intimacy than that of people who had just met.

Kion-hyung's eyes widened as if he found Kapros's words unexpected.

"Huh? No way. What do you mean we get along well? If you say that, that Palton bastard would get goosebumps too. We didn't even exchange a word until graduation in high school."

"So you were high school classmates."

Kapros had only heard that they were classmates before, so this was the first time he learned the exact period.

"Yeah. Didn't I mention it roughly before? Ah~ It's coming back to me now. The shock when I met a guy doing the same quest and realized it was that bastard who always slept behind me in high school... I was going to just pass by, but when he asked if we should travel together since it was fate, it was so funny that I instinctively threw a side kick. So..."

Although Kion-hyung said they didn't get along, it didn't seem that way to Kapros. As he listened to Kion-hyung's half-joking grumbles about how meeting again had only increased his annoyance, Kapros felt a strange sensation. He had already experienced meeting someone he knew from reality by chance in the game.

'Jeong Seung-jo...'

If they had encountered each other with their faces revealed, what would have happened to them by now? As Kapros was making an assumption he could hardly imagine, Kion-hyung, who had been talking excitedly by himself for a while, stopped and gulped down his drink.

"Ah, how did I end up talking about this? Talking about that Palton bastard for so long, I feel like my mouth is rotting, ptooey ptooey."

"..."

In truth, Kapros hadn't properly heard the latter part of what Kion-hyung said, so instead of answering, he pretended to drink as well. After downing the entire contents in one shot and putting the cup down on the table, Kion-hyung leaned back and spoke.

"Hmm... Well, it seems we've pretty much covered most of what we needed to talk about, so should we ask about things we need to know about each other before departing?"

"Like what?"

"Like exact destinations or something. Even if it's near the same city, there could be differences... You said you were heading to the desert area, right?"

"Yeah."

To be precise, it was the elven village located at the edge of the desert.

"Then I'm a bit closer in terms of location. I need to visit the newly built temple of Skaga in Bala. It's such a pain. It's not like I'm doing a national temple tour or anything."

"To the temple?"

"Yeah. I used to be the only priest of Skaga, but not anymore. Thanks to Goddess Skaga's power awakening and allowing temples to be built, my new underlings who have changed jobs have increased by hundreds and thousands. Hahahahaha."

As Kapros listened to the story, he couldn't help but wonder. If new users were becoming Skaga's priests under Kion-hyung, who had been the only one with the job of Skaga's priest, what was Kion-hyung's current position above them?

As if he had noticed Kapros's question without hearing it, Kion-hyung waved his finger with a proud smile.

"Heh. So, is this hyung just an ordinary priest now, or not? Curious? Want to know the answer?"

As Kion-hyung spoke so enthusiastically, Kapros's curiosity suddenly seemed to fade, but he quietly nodded anyway. Fortunately, Kion-hyung didn't notice Kapros's expression half-hidden under his hood and proudly straightened his shoulders.

"My current job is none other than the High Priest of Skaga!"

He was extremely proud, but it was just the addition of the word "High" to his original job. Kapros could tell it was better, but he couldn't exactly predict what the difference was.

"...Is that good?"

In response to Kapros's trailing question, Kion-hyung looked very shocked.

"Of course it's good! How can it not be good when I get free food and lodging at Skaga's temples in every city? This is what you call the power of authority. Uahahahaha."

Ah... free food and lodging. However, in MIST, food was already close to optional, and the cost of staying at inns was so cheap that even a beginner who had just started wouldn't feel burdened.

Moreover, there was only one temple per city, so it would be a task to find it in an unfamiliar city, while inns were everywhere on the streets...

Feeling somewhat deflated, Kapros asked once more.

"Anything else?"

"Anything else? Hmm... Ah, right. Attacks from users who have changed jobs to Skaga's battle priests or holy crusaders don't work on me. Even if a thousand of them come at me, it's 0 damage! How about that, isn't it the best?"

"..."

That seemed incredibly useless yet potentially useful at the same time.

In fact, if it were Kapros, he would have been more excited about learning new skills or something like that, but Kion-hyung seemed really pleased with these aspects. His childlike expression and excited chatter didn't seem at all like someone much older than Kapros.

In the end, Kapros chuckled and nodded.

"...Yeah. Sounds good."

"Hahaha, thanks to having a good hyung, you'll be able to stay at Skaga's temples all over the continent whenever you visit. That Palton bastard is already receiving that service as my friend. I should tell them to add you too when I go this time."

Kapros appreciated the thought, but he wasn't sure how often he would actually go to Skaga's temples.

"Thanks."

"It's nothing. This much is natural for hyung to do for you. So, shall we take the warp magic circle to Bala Monyak from here, then stop by the temple first before heading to the desert area you need to go to? How's that? Is it okay?"

"It's fine with me."

"Good. Then, do you have any consumable items you need to prepare separately before we go?"

As Kapros pondered this question, his gaze unconsciously fell to his hand holding the cup, and the gleaming Ring of Ancient Storage caught his eye anew. Right. How many potions did he have left stored in there?