[Hidden Quest ‘Rescue Dolores!’ has been completed.]
[Reward: 100 EXP, 30 Gold.]
[Congratulations! You have met a special condition.]
[The honor of the ‘Dark Beast Squad’ has increased significantly. Rodelin’s favorability has increased significantly.]
[Current Reputation of the Dark Beast Squad: 158]
The constant ringing of system notifications jolted me awake.
A system window filled my vision, completely blocking my sight.
I dismissed them one by one, recalling everything that had happened yesterday.
‘What a total shitshow.’
We disguised ourselves as the Dark Beast Squad to rescue Dolores.Then spent the night running for our lives from Super Soldier Dinosaur Rodelin.
Fought Bickerd, Redington, and Lowell one after another.
Total chaos.
There wasn’t a better word to describe the disastrous situation we had been in.
‘Well… It all worked out in the end, so whatever.’
Not only had we discovered a new hidden piece that led to Dolores’ rescue—
We had also changed Dolores’ fate, someone who had always died in the past 18 years.
Sure, there was unease about altering a future I once knew.
But considering how this game worked, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
‘Difficult achievements always come with greater rewards.’
High risk, high return.
One of the absolute laws in this game.
So there was no need to worry too much.
Besides, apart from a few details, the overall main course of events didn’t seem to have changed much.
[Your Reputation has increased.]
More importantly—our reputation had skyrocketed from single digits to 158 in one go.
What the hell?
No, wait. Now it was 164.
It was still increasing in real time.
‘…What the hell is going on?’
I needed to step outside and check.
I couldn’t react properly until I assessed the situation.
But first—there was one more thing to take care of.
“Keke, did you sleep well?”
“How the hell could I sleep well when there’s some mysterious bastard lying next to me?”
Luna’s gaze was locked onto me.
‘Mysterious bastard.’
That meant me.
I already knew why she was like this.
She had spent the entire night obsessing over one thing—
How the hell did I use such precise Aura yesterday?
Of course—
“Keke, for someone who was so concerned, you sure slept soundly.”
She had snored like a warhorn, tossing and turning like a spinning top.
I lost count of how many times she kicked me in her sleep.
Still, it was an improvement compared to before.
The real problem was that I had subconsciously adapted to her sleeping habits—and started spinning in my sleep too.
A rather troubling discovery.
“I didn’t sleep as well as usual, okay? Anyway, explain what happened yesterday. How could you use such precise Aura? And what was with that ominous, jet-black glow?”
Luna’s questioning was surprisingly sharp.
But it was fine.
I had already prepared an excuse.
“Keke, it was an illusion.”
“…An illusion?”
“Yes. A trick using magic, artifacts, and mystery.”
“You say that, but you pulled it off so naturally. Does that even make sense?”
“I’ve used it a few times before. To survive… I had to try everything.”
I deliberately trailed off and let out a bitter smile.
Luna squeezed my hand.
“…Sorry for complaining. It’s just… I realized I don’t know as much about you as I thought. I was mad at myself for that.”
“Keke, do you want me to tell you about my past?”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll wait until you decide to tell me yourself.”
Luna tilted her head back proudly.
“If I want to earn your trust, I need to work for it. That’s what an older sister does, right?”
She grinned confidently.
Willing to wait instead of prying.
In moments like these, Luna was truly impressive.
“Keke, let’s be real. There’s no way someone my age could use such powerful and precise Aura. Even my master, who was called a genius among geniuses, couldn’t pull it off.”
Lucia de Lucid.
She had reached 5-star before she had even entered the academy.
Yet even she hadn’t been able to wield Aura at an 8-star knight’s level during her school years.
It was only natural.
No matter how talented someone was, time and effort were still necessary.
“Right? I knew it was weird… No matter how strong you are, using Aura that refined doesn’t make sense.”
Exactly.
It didn’t make sense.
I had become an abnormal existence, completely detached from common sense.
‘Now that I think about it, hiding my identity comes with some benefits.’
Ever since I obtained [Divine Imitation], I had been able to use Aura whenever I wanted.
And yet, even while fighting high-ranking demons, I had never used it.
Why?
Because—
Too many people were watching.
If I had taken down a high-ranking demon with Aura, then Caron and other powerful figures would have immediately taken interest in me.
Best case scenario?
I’d be forced to become their loyal warrior or share my techniques.
Worst case?
I’d end up as a lab rat, dissected alive.
There were plenty of people in this world who believed that mana was infused into bones and flesh.
Simply put—
Using Aura while living as ‘Zero’ was equivalent to asking for death.
But if I tweaked that logic slightly…
‘As long as I’m wearing the snake mask, I can use my full power freely.’
There were dozens of powerful techniques in this world—abilities that symbolized the strong, beyond just Aura.
And I could use them freely, whenever I wanted?
At this rate, I wasn’t just a legend.
I might as well become a myth.
“Now that I think about it, what’s your star rank? You’re obviously above 3-star… Are you a 4-star aiming for 5-star?”
“Keke, who knows? 4-star… That brings back memories.”
Luna flinched.
“…No way. You’re not saying—”
“Kekekekekeke!”
“Damn it! Stop laughing and just tell me already!”
Luna jumped on top of me.
To be fair, I wasn’t obligated to tell her.
But I decided I would.
Not just because I wanted more freedom when acting as the Dark Beast Squad—
But also because—
‘Luna is scary as hell when she gets sulky.’
So, I’d tell her.
Half truth, half lie, and extra seasoning.
“You were right. I can use Aura—barely.”
“So, you’re a 5-star knight?”
“Keke, who knows?”
“You little—!”
Luna grabbed my arm and twisted it.
OW.
Why did this hurt more than Aura attacks?
Maybe it was just my imagination.
The moment I surrendered, Luna finally let go and muttered—
“I wish I could use Aura too…”
“If you keep training, you’ll be able to.”
“When?”
“About… three years?”
“You little—! So you’re just bragging?! That’s what this is?!”
Luna grabbed my other arm and twisted it.
I wasn’t lying.
If Luna trained properly, she could awaken Aura within three years.
Though, if I used my knowledge, I could cut that time down to one year.
‘There’s a shortcut.’
But for now—let’s surrender again.
I’d like to keep my arms intact.
“But if you follow my guidance, one year will be enough.”
“Really?”
“Keke, have I ever lied to you?”
“…I’ve literally caught you lying dozens of times.”
…Fair point.
In the end, we wrapped up the conversation with a plan for training.
Luna beamed, delighted at the idea of awakening Aura within a year.
Then suddenly, she paused—like she had just realized something.
“Wait… That means we have two 5-star knights in our first year. That’s insane.”
“You’re talking about Daike.”
“Yeah, he’s a 5-star knight too, right?”
“He’s strong, yes. But he’s not a true 5-star knight.”
Daike and Teron had a secret.
Something they were desperately hiding.
A weakness that was also a deep-seated inferiority complex.
And soon, that secret would be exposed to the public.
“…What do you mean?”
Oh? You want to know?
Well, naturally—
“Keke, it’s a secret.”
“Die! Just die already!”
Luna started throwing punches.
That’s fine.
Hit me all you want.
Every time you do, my defensive skill proficiency goes up.
At this rate, I might even start enjoying getting hit.
Just as I was enduring Luna’s storm of punches—
[Your Reputation has increased.]
[Current Reputation of the Dark Beast Squad: 187]
“…?”
Why was our reputation still rising?
After thinking for a moment, the answer was obvious.
‘Lowell and Rodelin know about us.’
The Dark Beast Squad.
From my perspective, it was a harmless and virtuous group.
But to them?
Not at all.
A mysterious group that appeared out of nowhere, posing dramatically and playing hero.
That helped them rescue a hostage.
That casually blocked Lowell’s attacks.
And then vanished into the night.
For Rodelin and Lowell, it must have been an incredibly frustrating conclusion.
‘They must’ve shared information about us with the instructors. That’s why our reputation is rising.’
Especially Lowell, who was likely furious.
‘She’s probably screaming, “I’ll hunt down those evil bastards!” right now.’
‘Oh well. What’s the worst that could happen?’
Sure, we stirred up some trouble.
But it wasn’t big enough to cause mass hysteria.
At worst, our reputation would cap at 200.
That should be the limit.
“Keke, let’s head out.”
I needed to check what had changed and what hadn’t.
The moment Luna, Rezé, and I stepped outside—
“Everyone, prepare yourselves! A great evil has appeared!”
“Extra! Extra news!”
“W-wait… The Dark Beast Squad?!”
“Just hearing the name gives me chills!”
“They must be a group that worships demons!”
“Burn them! Burn them at the stake!”
[Your Reputation has increased.]
[Current Reputation of the Dark Beast Squad: 235]
“Extra! Extra news!”
Public warnings, wanted posters, student patrol squads, emergency response teams, round-the-clock surveillance—
Total chaos.
‘A group of innocent students playing hero woke up to find themselves labeled a great evil?!’
If someone wrote a novel with this title, they’d get roasted in the reviews.
What the hell happened?
“Hm! Zero! You’re finally awake!”
“Senior… What the hell is going on?”
“There was an incident last night. Some suspicious figures appeared. We did our best to chase them, but… they managed to escape.”
Rodelin handed me three sheets of paper.
A wanted poster.
A snake mask, a cat mask, and a rabbit mask.
Three detailed portraits.
Hmm.
They looked awfully familiar.
Where had I seen them before?
“They seem like decent people. What exactly are they being accused of?”
“Assault, unauthorized group activity, disobeying orders… and for the snake mask guy, there’s an additional charge of perversion.”
“…Perversion?”
“You see, my sister was at the scene last night. She had a short but intense battle with the snake mask. But apparently, during the fight, that snake mask bastard did something truly disgraceful.”
Disgraceful?
Rodelin hesitated for a moment. Then, her cheeks turned slightly red as she leaned in and whispered.
“He… pulled down his pants to provoke her.”
“…What?”
“Not just once. Every time he attacked, he’d pull them down, then pull them back up… then do it again with the next move. If that’s not perversion, then what is?”
Lowell.
That crazy lion!!!
–TL Notes–
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