Back in the entrance of the dungeon, it was currently filled with tens of thousands of players, majority of which was representatives from other guilds. The situation was very tense, most of these guilds had bad blood with the other guilds, and being put in one place had a high likelihood of breaking into a fight. Everybody recorded the situation and even international news like ESPN, HAVEN24/7, ESPORTS, TWITCH, and YOUTUBE broadcasted the entire scene live.
"Right in front of your eyes is a major scene happening as various giant guilds compete to recruit the mysterious player who not only solo a hell mode dungeon but also defeat a Mutated Berserked Boss Monster alone. Currently, from what is found in the dungeon record, he is currently inside the dungeon and has able to finish it in exactly 13 hours 6 minutes, and 20 seconds. His ID name is Alon and he had recently gained infamy after a clip went viral of him brutally killing level 5 red players while he was still level 0. An analysis believed that he might have been an Apex expert in the real world that's why he can easily defeat the players above his level. He might even have multiple innate skills that allow him to fight very well."
"One thing is for sure that he is undoubtedly a powerful figure and will have a promising future ahead of him."
"From the sources we obtained, this open dungeon is called Goblin Farm Dungeon and is home to a stronghold of goblins that consists of a few sub-bosses and a boss monster. It's one of the most difficult dungeons that a starter Town can give and since the release of Haven of God, only 5 successful raids had been recorded in the history and the fastest one was from a 500-man party of the Super guild, Messiah, lead by their now-vice commander, and the top 3 in the Knight Class ranking and top 59 in the unified rankings, Stevie Knight. In a whopping 6 hours 29 minutes and 10 seconds."
"We have here right now is one of the representatives from the Super-first-rate guild, Silver Eagles. Black Mastadonte, a level 170 tier 3, Shadow Assassin. What do you have to say that you'll have a lot of competitors for this mysterious player?"
"All I can say is that we'll recruit this player on our Guild with all our power. We will give him a 6-figures salary, a full set of epic equipment, and the position as an elder to our Guild."
"Wow! That's amazing! I'm sure this player will consider that offer but seeing as how those guys from the Unbreakable Diamond guild are gawking at you with cold looks, what can you say about that."
"They can either eat shit and leave or try and compete with our offer."
"Wow! And how about you JoJo Kujo from the Unbreakable Diamond guild, what can you say about Black Mastadonte's words?"
"Bha! We will give him a monthly salary of one million dollars, a full set of epic equipment and a unique weapon, a hidden class change, and full assistance to help him reach level 100 in one month!"
"Haah!? That's a bunch of bullshit!"
"We're not like your third-rate guild who can only give as much as a 6 figure salary!"
"Fuck you!"
"No, fuck you!"
"Fuck you and your mom!"
"Fuck you and the entire generation of your family."
"I'll fuck your mom!"
"I'll fuck your dad in the ass!"
"Ayoo! That's gay as fuck!"
"Oh yeah....well I'll fuck your grandmother's dry pussy in the back until his arthritis breaks her back!"
"You fucking dick! Wanna go?"
"Wanna go you stupid cunt!?"
"Shut up you fucking n-word!"
"Say it! If you have the balls, say the word!"
"Grrr...ni-"
When a fight was about to break out, the portal gate started whirring. Their gaze immediately fixate on the blue spinning portal that had a quick shift in color to a blood red. Slowly but surely from the blood-red rift, a humanoid figure got out covered in a dark cloak and black mask holding a person in his hands.
"It's him! It's him!"
"Check his information! He must be at least level 30 now!"
"Aah! My appraising eyes were blocked!"
"Shit mine too!'
"Look at the person in his hands! It's a woman!"
"Huh!? Wasn't he alone at the dungeon, how could he have brought company?"
"Wait! It's Marielle de Arc! It's a special NPC!"
"Marielle de Arc, as in the daughter of the legendary late NPC Jeanne De Arc!?"
"Holy shit! This is news! Big news!"
"It's no wonder he was able to defeat the mutated monster alone, he was helped by a powerful NPC!"
"Fuck! And I thought he valiantly defeated the mutated boss monster alone, to think he was carried by an NPC."
"Well it is only natural, a low levelled player soloing a mutated boss monster? Not even in a thousand years that is possible."
"Quick take note of this! The guilds are starting to become disinterested in this player, some are even leaving!"
"Fuck! And I thought he was some overly powerful genius, my trip to this place was an absolute waste."
"But don't you think those two are a bit too close? I have never seen an NPC embrace a player like that."
"Fuck! Are they Lovers!?"
"No way! Marielle de Arc was known to reject all the males who tried to court her even the 3rd prince of Emerald Wing Kingdom was rejected. There's no way a player was able to capture her heart."
"No! My waifu! I was dreaming of getting to see her up close but to think that she'd be in the hands of another player!"
"Get your shitty hands off her you fraud!"
"Go! Fuck him up!"
Everybody's mood quickly shift to a 180 after realizing that his achievements had all been fake. The majority of the giant guilds had left and only a few first rates and 2nd rates were left still hoping to recruit him. Now that they had their questions answered, they felt like they had just wasted a lot of time doing something so unnecessary, they could've gained experience points grinding from the time they had waited, to think that everything would just go in naught.
"They are so noisy, I want to go home."
"I'll get us out of here, just tell me the directions to your home."
"Of course."
Due to the loud commotion, Marielle felt annoyed that the romantic mood was ruined by the players. Using Dash and Flash, Kaya disappeared from their eyes as if he had vanished from thin air.
"Huh? They disappeared!"
"I heard she was a mage, did she use a teleport skill."
"No, I'm a level 100 assassin and from his footwork, he activated Dash and run away but I couldn't keep up with his speed!"
"No fucking way! She must've used a spell that enhanced his speed by a dozen folds!"
"She must've been 'cause there's just no way he could be that fast at his level."
"Agreed."
Everybody had the same thoughts in their head but one particular player, Edward Kenway, a level 200 tier 4, Assassin King was able to track Kaya with his blue lit eyes on the top of a nearby tree and knew that Marielle didn't cast any spell on him.
'Interesting, to think a low-level player was capable of moving at such speed. The achievements he did may not have been false at all. I'll check his battle prowess in the future to see if what my intuition tells me is true. If he is, I'll make sure to bring him to our group even if it means forcing him to join.'
Edward vanished in thin sight leaving a dark smoke in the air. There were only a handful of people who had seen him dash away and knew that it was Kaya's speed but decided to have this information on themselves since they knew it would be a perfect opportunity to recruit this player secretly. Everybody already believed he was a fake since he was shown accompanying a powerful NPC and they suspect that the mutated berserked boss monster must have been gravely weakened since it was a newly mutated monster which made sense since one NPC couldn't defeat a mutant monster.
------------
After 15 minutes of nonstop running, Kaya arrived at the northernmost part of the kingdom where the de Arc territory was located. The de Arc territory was in Shellcon City which was home to many players who enjoyed the sea and freezing weather. Despite the many ships, the sea was frozen solid that inhabited by hundreds of sea and ice monsters. The City's main resource was not from sea expeditionary but a giant mining system in the cold mountains. The mining system was rich in minerals and materials and contained the very powerful ore called Cold Steel that allowed the crafting of Epic and Unique weapons in batches due to its very high rate and amazing properties. It was paradise for many blacksmith players who want to forge powerful weapons and because of this, the cold region became very rich an famous due to the abundance of blacksmiths that it became a tourist spot for players who wish to buy equipment made from Cold Steel. It was also a great grinding spot for players around level 100-150 but since mainstream players were only level 90 at most, only a few hundred thousand players choose to go in this hunting spots because not only were the monsters powerful, the freezing temperature hindered the player's movements and without any Ice resistant potions or equipment, it was very difficult to grind levels in this place.
Upon arriving at the de Arc residence, Kaya put Marielle down to the ground and the gates of the giant palace opened. A powerful freezing pressure loomed at Kaya who quickly shifted to a battle stance ready to fight whatever monstrous opponent appear.
"Dad! Stop doing that!"
"Honey, it's you? Oh my god, it's you and you're safe!"
The pressure had come from a man who unlike his daughter with black hair had blonde hair and a beard that distinguished his sharp jaw. He was wearing a beautiful navy blue royal attire. His cold expressions quickly turned into a warm glow as tears and snot poured on his face tightly hugging his daughter.
"You've been gone for two days and I had thought you'd also leave me like your mom but thank the gods you're alright!"
"D-dad, I was kidnapped and tortured by horrible goblins."
"What!?"
When he heard these words and saw the cry on her daughter's face, his aura exploded like a dragon that even Kaya who had the innate talent of Firm Resolve felt it heavy and hard to breathe. The atmosphere near the powerful man was almost suffocating that Kaya wanted to run as far away as possible so he could breathe.
"I was lucky that Alon here managed to save me from dying. He even defeated the goblin king who had stolen my purple locket and retrieved it back to me."
"You.."
The dangerous aura of the man was shifted onto Kaya who felt like the pressure he was emanating push his body down to the ground but he kept his strong will and degrade from such a gaze of the man.
Ting~
[Johanne de Arc (6)] [High Noble NPC]
Level: 300
HP: 1,000,000,000/1,000,000,000]
'What a tremendous amount of health!'
Kaya was in shock upon seeing the health of the tier 6 NPC. He immediately lowered his fist knowing that fighting against this man was futile.
"Thank you for saving my daughter's life!"
[Johanne de Arc's affinity has increased by 70! Your relationship status has changed from Stranger to Benefactor]
Johanne bowed down at Kaya at 90 degrees as tears flooded his eyes. Kaya was taken by surprise at his sudden change of tone, he thought that the man in front of him would kill him but seeing his affinity rise dramatically, the pressure that was crushing him disappeared instantly.
"Sir, it is truly fine, I only did what was needed to be done."
"The de Arc family is indebted to your service. I, Johanne de Arc is indebted to you so please accept the de Arc's Emblem. With this emblem, you'll be able to represent as a part of the de Arc household and you will gain exclusive benefits from it like 50% discounts on all products we sell here in Shellcon City."
Ting~
[De Arc's Emblem has been obtained!]
Ting~
[De Arc's Emblem
Type: Emblem
- All products sold in Shellcon City are discounted by 50%
- 10% Discount on products sold by NPCs in the Springfield Kingdom
- 5% discount on products sold by NPCs in Ottoman Empire
- Status is immediately changed to Baron
- You can enter exclusive places in the Springfield Kingdom
- You are allowed to freely enter any place in Shellcon City
- You do not need to pay fees when selling equipment in the auction hall
- You do not need to pay for any registration in the Shellcon City
- Payment is not needed when you enter Shellcon Mining System
- You are lifted from any death penalty when you die inside City premises
- Increases experience gain by 30% from monsters killed in the city's territory
Cannot be traded
Cannot be dropped
Requirements- Alon]
"Wow! Thanks a lot!"
Kaya was amazed after reading the emblem's description. He wanted to join the Adventurer's Association in Golden Lake City but with the emblem, his decision changed to the Shellcon City instead as this benefits was too hard to pass up.
"Dad, this is Alon, I have decided that he will become my fiance."
"What!?"
After hearing those words, Johanne's previous warm aura exploded but this time the murderous intent was drifted to Kaya again who was also in shock.
'I thought I was only his boyfriend but now I'm his fiance? Although I don't know how relationships work but doesn't this take a lot of time to build each other's bonds before they could choose for marriage?'
"But honey, I already agreed to an arranged marriage from the Yi Imperial family. You'll be marrying Yi Shin-jong, the 2nd son of the Sword God, Yi Dul-han. We can't pass up such an opportunity to become close-ties with one of the greatest Murim clans. You know that you'll be marrying the next candidate for Sword Saint and with such a powerful husband, he'll be able to protect you from any harm."
"Dad! I already love Alon. Because of him, I was able to learn what true love is. I have already decided to marry him and you won't change my mind!"
Ting~
[Johanne de Arc's affinity has decreased by 30! Your relationship status has changed from Benefactor to Annoying Person]
'Shit.'
When Kaya saw his affinity with the man fall drastically, he couldn't help but inwardly curse. He wanted to close Marielle's mouth shut this instant but he couldn't even move an inch. The pressure had already prohibited his body from moving and he felt like he was being constricted by a giant python ready to crush his body and swallow him whole.
"Please leave, I have some private matters to attend with my daughter."
"Yes sir."
"Alon let's meet again, I'll be waiting for you in Starlight Academy."
Kaya immediately hurried away not daring to look back. This was the first time he had felt such intense pressure coming from a single man, he didn't even feel such a strong presence from his grandpa who was a demon in human flesh.
'It seems marriage is gonna be harder than it looks. I'm also interested in this Yi imperial family and Sword Saint candidates. I know this game was influence by both western and eastern history but it's still surprising how both entirely different cultures manage to work together very well.'
Haven of God was a mixture of both western mythology and eastern mythology into one new entity. This world only had one giant continent called Pangea and this continent was twice the geographical landscape as all the 7 continents combined.
This game was able to seamlessly mix murim and magic. Although they contain the same energy source called Mana or Qi, how they use this energy source was completely different. The explanation of how both the energy source varies from each other will be explained slowly in the latter parts of the story but for now, let's not talk about it since it's still irrelevant to the current timeline. (I would want to explain how it works but it would take up the entire chapters so explaining it slow and steady is the only option I can give plus I'm very lazy.)
Upon leaving the de Arc's residence, Kaya wanted to check out Shellcon City first but for now, he still had some things to do.
'I should go back in Greenville Town and ask around if they know the owner of this pendant. I may be able to track her family there.'
Kaya quickly returned to the started town and when he arrived, he was expecting a bustling crowd of players but it was the same eerily quiet place. He went to the marketplace which was home to many NPCs and started asking a vendor.
"Excuse me, sir, do you know who the owner of this pendant is?"
Kaya showed the vendor the pendant and when he saw it, he started looking at Kaya suspiciously.
"You're looking quite sussy for a stranger. Why do you wanna look for the owner of that pendant?"
"I just wanted to give it back."
"Hmm...give me 1 silver coin and I'll tell you the owner of that pendant."
"Here."
Kaya immediately gave him the silver coin. And when the vendor accepted it, he brushed his beard.
"I think the owner of that pendant is a woman."
"And?"
"Oh you only asked about the owner, you never specified to give you a name. Are you a swindler trying to take advantage of the woman? Well, I can't have businesses with swindlers so leave."
' You're the fucking swindler here!'
Annoyed by the vendor's comments, Kaya immediately pulled out one gold coin on the table and when the vendor saw the shiny gold coin, he immediately pocketed it and had a complete 180 change in his tone.
"Oh, good sir! What do you need? Informations? Tell me and I'll give you the best information I know in detail."
"Tell me who the owner of this pendant is. A name, and family background."
"Sure sir! The owner of that pendant is as I said a woman but I don't know much about her, all I know is that she was very pretty and used to buy a lot of groceries in this marketplace. She has a husband and a daughter who currently lives just two blocks east of this place. If you see a broken window glass and a door that has the same carving as that pendant, then that is the house of the woman. From what I know, she has been missing quite a while now, many believed that she had died or had an affair with another man and left for the countryside but I mean who couldn't blame the husband? She had such a smoking hot wife any men would drool on her trying to taste such a fine body."
"Please shut the fuck up."
"Oh...I'm sorry did I say something bad?"
"No, thank you for the information."
Hearing those provocative rumors, Kaya felt bad about what the husband was going through. He didn't know if he had the guts to ache his heart more since he knew the awful truth of what had happened to his wife.