Ch.19019. Duel!

# The Chronicles of the Lion King

According to the Chronicles of the Lion King, Terodamas met his final death at a place called Obitus, not far from the present-day Demeia Academy. At that time, the army led by Terodamas was literally on the verge of continental unification, with only one kingdom remaining—the predecessor of Infractus.

However, due to the betrayal of trusted vassals, the opportunity to achieve the historic feat of continental unification vanished forever. At Obitus, which could have been the site of the final battle, the greatest conqueror in continental history faded away.

That was the life story of Terodamas, known as the Lion King.

‘Though heavily romanticized.’

Gilbert, nearly arrived at the Obitus territory, scoffed at the contents of the chronicle. He was the only man who had cleared all achievements in Tactical Combat. Since finding all hidden stories was one of the achievements, he knew all the secret tales related to Terodamas.

Gilbert had no objection to the Lion King’s great accomplishments. Indeed, he was a king who had continental unification within his grasp, and it was clearly his ability that had led him that far.

But he could not agree that he was a virtuous ruler who would be remembered throughout history. No matter how many countries he conquered, if the situation dragged on for more than a decade, the suffering of the people under him was immeasurable.

Moreover, King Terodamas, as talented as he was, failed to understand the thoughts of ordinary people. It might have been his innate temperament, or perhaps he had grown arrogant as a king writing an undefeated legend.

The prolonged war impoverished the people’s lives, and the Lion King, blinded by the great achievement of continental unification, neglected domestic governance.

No matter how many administrative officials there were, they couldn’t handle all the problems arising from subjugating numerous countries across the continent. There was an absolute shortage of both manpower and physical time to reorganize the systems.

As a result, the Lion King Terodamas focused solely on expanding territory without improving the treatment of war orphans or restoring devastated lands.

Gilbert thought that the rebellion of his vassals might have been inevitable.

‘And splitting the land and rivers with a single sword?’

That part made Gilbert sneer. Currently, it was known that the giant god-soldiers were products of modern magical engineering, but the reality was different. The correct statement was that the current god-soldiers were created based on ancient god-soldiers discovered during excavations of ancient ruins.

The authorities and intellectuals, wanting to claim historical discoveries as modern creations, merely deceived the public as if they had made a great invention.

From the beginning, the ultimate god-soldier in Tactical Combat was a legacy of Atlantica. And that god-soldier was…

“Are you a student of Demeia Academy?”

“Is there a problem with my student ID?”

“No, sir. It’s just procedure to check. Welcome to Obitus.”

Emerging from his reverie, Gilbert merely nodded at the guard’s words and entered.

Originally, to obtain the Lion King’s mana cultivation method, one had to progress through sub-quests and find the journal left by Terodamas. Contrary to what the chronicles described, despite the rebellion of his vassals at a critical moment, Terodamas was still able to escape the battlefield with loyal followers.

His military power was formidable, and he had enough strength to retreat from the battlefield. However, even the Lion King couldn’t avoid injuries, and after losing all his troops, he met a lonely death in a place only he knew.

The exact cause of death was likely the worsening of injuries sustained in the Obitus battle, and sensing his end, he left a journal that could be considered his life story.

The journal described three legacies that had placed him at the pinnacle, and one of them, the mana cultivation method, could be obtained at the place where the journal was found. For this reason, the main objective of the sub-quest was to find the location of the safe house where Terodamas breathed his last.

To get information about the safe house, one first had to visit Obitus, where Terodamas fought his final battle. The Obitus territory still held festivals commemorating the Lion King’s achievements and had abundant information about Terodamas.

Among them, hints could be found in the songs of minstrels active around Obitus, and by finding the hidden safe house in Obitus, one could obtain the journal.

Of course, that was the quest design, but there was no need to follow that flow exactly.

Fortunately, this sub-quest wasn’t a step-by-step mechanism where you had to clear the previous stage to proceed to the next. Once accepted, assuming you knew the location, you could rush there and acquire it anytime.

However, even if you reached Terodamas’s safe house, you couldn’t just take the journal, so the standard newbie guide recommended visiting after some growth.

But Gilbert was a veteran among veterans, and he had more than enough ability to solve this without difficulty.

The reason he came to Obitus instead of going directly to the safe house was to find a mana stat enhancement item that could be obtained here additionally.

It was an item that the protagonist Ian would naturally acquire while progressing through the main story, but since mana stats were urgent for Gilbert too, he planned to slip it into his pocket.

As the sun set and darkness fell, Gilbert first looked for a place to stay for the night. He felt pleased at the familiar scenery from the game and easily arrived at an inn. Opening the door, he found lodgers gathered here and there in the dining room, about to have dinner.

“I’d like to stay for one night.”

“How did an Academy student end up here? Did you run away perhaps?”

The innkeeper asked suspiciously. As far as he knew, it was only a month into the semester, so it wasn’t yet time for overnight stays.

If that was the case, he thought it must be either expulsion or voluntary departure, and since such a person was unlikely to be a noble, he didn’t bother using honorifics.

“I don’t need to tell you that.”

“If you’ve run away, you must know it’s customary to contact the Academy… I think I understand what’s going on, so I won’t ask further. Fifty copper including breakfast is sufficient.”

The sharp-witted innkeeper realized that he was moving with the Academy’s permission and gave up asking for details. As a commoner, he knew from experience that getting involved in Academy business would only bring trouble.

Gilbert paid him and took the key to his assigned room. He tossed his bag in a corner and collapsed onto the bed. His body ached after camping outdoors for a long time.

He needed to wash off the accumulated dust and eat, but Gilbert decided to rest on the bed for a while.

Given his tight schedule ahead, he needed to rest a bit.

***

Early the next morning, after finishing breakfast, Gilbert sought out the back alleys of Obitus. Unlike the clean, well-maintained main streets of the city, this place was full of musty, unpleasant smells and was where the city’s darker aspects thrived.

This place, where illegal activities including the trade of stolen goods flourished, was also known among gamers as the “black market.”

Newbies, unaware of what this place was, would come blabbering and end up stripped bare, facing game over, but players somewhat familiar with the game frequently used this place.

The reason was, of course, to gather information and complete back alley-exclusive sub-quests. The Obitus back alley was one of the places you had to visit at least once while progressing through the main story.

Gilbert’s reason for coming here was also to execute his original plan. His top priority was to find consumables that enhanced mana stats, and he came in advance to facilitate the progression of the main story.

Walking through the smelly, dirty alleyways, he found a tavern that looked gloomy at first glance. It wasn’t hard to find due to its game-like appearance, but it was quite annoying to have flies targeting his pockets on the way.

However, with physical stats already equivalent to a late-game character, he lightly broke their arms and legs, and the back alley flies, realizing his extraordinary impression and skills, no longer approached him.

‘Unnecessarily causing trouble.’

With a twisted corner of his mouth, he strode into the tavern without delay.

The rough-looking men inside looked at the casually entering Gilbert like prey, but realizing his attire was that of a Demeia Academy student, they merely licked their lips.

They knew all too well that in the back alleys, failing to properly identify your opponent would lead to disaster.

Gilbert approached the bartender who was wiping glasses and first uttered the predetermined password.

“A Black Lagoon. Hot, please.”

“I was wondering why an Academy student would come here, but you’re a customer. It’s surprising to see someone who’s worked for not a short time.”

“Do you always talk unnecessarily here?”

“I apologize for that. It was unexpected for me as well.”

The bartender bowed his head, apologizing for speaking more than necessary, and opened a hidden passage. Normally, one would have to progress halfway through the early part to come here, but that was irrelevant to Gilbert.

Arriving at the underground market truly called the “back alley,” he ignored the stares at his Academy uniform, which was out of place here, and headed straight for a specific location.

Merchants with stalls on the street were soliciting customers, but the place he was looking for wasn’t here.

Going deeper inside, proper buildings began to appear instead of street stalls. This was where the notorious figures of the back alley resided.

He stood in front of a large building even further inside. It was a place with conspicuously lavish exterior walls, unsuited to the back alley atmosphere.

Commonly known as the Wild Rose.

This was the name of a place that primarily dealt in information.

As Gilbert opened the door and entered, his keen senses felt gazes scrutinizing him. With high mana stats, he could have pinpointed their locations, but with physical senses based on physical abilities, he could only determine the general direction of those watching him. If intuition had evolved into a skill, it might have been possible, but it was impossible with a body that hadn’t fully developed yet.

“How interesting that the young master, the scoundrel of the count’s family, would come to such a place.”

A man dressed entirely in black formal attire greeted him. He was the manager of the Obitus branch, whom Gilbert had seen countless times in the game. Judging by his immediately provocative words, it seemed he wanted to verify the rumors spreading within the Academy recently.

“Rule number one. No unnecessary words.”

“…”

The manager’s smiling expression stiffened slightly. He hadn’t expected to hear the internal trading rules of the Wild Rose directly to his face, and his response was uncharacteristically slow. The manager, who had confirmed the accuracy of the recently reported content to be over 80%, bowed his head as if apologizing for his rudeness.

“I’ve offended you with excessive curiosity. I apologize.”

“I accept.”

“As compensation for my rudeness, I’ll offer an appropriate reward. Consider it a sample service for a potential first-time customer.”

Seeing the manager smiling again, Gilbert felt he had made an unexpected windfall. To obtain the mana stat enhancement item, one of his tasks in the back alley, he needed to confirm one piece of information.

“I’ll take that sample after our first transaction.”

“Indeed, then it becomes a bonus rather than a sample, so you’ll demand something bigger. Very well. If a satisfactory first transaction is concluded, I’m willing to do so.”

The manager slightly bowed his head.

Gilbert nodded in satisfaction.

“Good. What I want to know is information about Lithuania.”

“…”

The manager’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“I can bring you any information. So what exactly do you want to know?”

“All peculiarities in the western border region of Lithuania.”

“The western border region… You seem to be referring to the barbarian tribes.”

Lithuania’s borders were on three sides, literally serving as the gateway to Infractus. A fortress-like gateway city blocking the northwest and south directions. And the person guarding that place was Gilbert’s father, the Margrave of Iron Blood.

From Gilbert’s words, the manager could discern many things: that something big was about to happen in the barbarian conflict zone that had been quiet recently, and that Gilbert Lion Heart, notorious as a scoundrel, had indeed changed as recent rumors suggested.

“Yes. I’d like to be immediately informed of any unusual situations in the western conflict zone. Without missing even the smallest detail.”

“Well, well. The first transaction benefits our side as well. Normally, our outreach service is costly, but I’ll take that into consideration. The cost is 1 gold.”

Compared to the lodging fee of 50 copper, the price for information was 1 gold. Of course, for Gilbert with his abundant funds, 1 gold was a bargain considering he could know the situation in advance.

“A reasonable price.”

“You can think of it as the manager’s special discount. I’ve learned many interesting facts through this transaction.”

“Then I won’t decline.”

As Gilbert handed over 1 gold, the manager quickly pocketed it.

“Thank you for using the Wild Rose. Now it’s time for the compensation I mentioned. What do you want? However, if in my judgment the value is too high, I cannot grant it.”

“Do you have Dragon Fruit here?”

“Of course we do, but… you must know that offering that as compensation doesn’t make economic sense.”

“I know. Dragon Fruit is worth at least 100 gold.”

Dragon Fruit, a type of fruit that grows in mana-rich areas, was an insanely priced item fetching at least 100 gold. Considering that the living expenses for a commoner family of four were around 20 silver, one could understand how crazy that price was.

But Dragon Fruit was worth its value.

“Seeing that someone so knowledgeable mentions Dragon Fruit, I assume you have another proposal in mind.”

“Do you have Swat here as well?”

“…Are you suggesting that Dragon Fruit be put up as a prize in Swat?”

A slight sneer appeared on the manager’s lips.

Swat was a mini-game in Tactical Combat, a type of card game. It was one of those card games typically included in such settings. In the main story, if you bought information from the Wild Rose in Obitus, due to the high price, the mini-game Swat would be held, and if you won, you could get the information for free.

In the setting, it was a quite famous game within the empire, not just a simple card game but one with official competitions to test skills. In particular, the manager before him was a former imperial champion of this game, with considerable pride in his Swat skills, and there was a sub-quest to compete for Dragon Fruit.

There was a penalty of paying 10 gold if you lost, but the temptation of 100 gold was always strong. Many users often lost their entire fortune failing to defeat the master manager.

“Very well. Young master, you always choose the most interesting topics. However, if you lose, you must pay 10 gold. Is that acceptable?”

“Do I need to show you my funds?”

“There are various ways to collect money, so you needn’t worry… but let me give you some advice for our long-term relationship. I am a person who has never lost in Swat.”

At the Swat master’s confident words, Gilbert shrugged. He thought it was natural confidence for a Swat master to have.

However.

“Is that so? What a coincidence. I’ve never lost either.”

Gilbert, or rather Kang Do-jun, was a person with South Korean nationality before coming here.

A land of dueling supremacy.

South Korea was a place where monsters lived, where everyone was a duelist.