"I..."
Damien, hesitating, cautiously spoke.
"I haven't thought about it since. That promise with you, Your Highness."
"..."
"When all the monsters are defeated and peace comes to these frontlines, Your Highness, ask me again then."
Damien looked up at me with a face I couldn't tell was smiling or crying.
"I'll answer then. Whether I still... hate you."
"That day will surely come, Damien."
Three more years.
Whatever form it takes, a conclusion will come after walking the entire path to the ending.
"And no matter what your answer is then, I will gladly accept it."
I reached out and covered the bandaged eye of Damien. He remained motionless.
Loyalty and hatred. Grace and resentment.
The player and the cheat character.
It didn't matter what kind of relationship we had. I wished for this little boy, who helped me, to be happy someday.
No matter what ending we met, I could only wish for that to happen...
***
The stage ended and a day had passed into the night.
I returned to my room completely exhausted.
"Oh, my poor body, oh..."
I was already nursing a ruined left arm, my whole body creaked from harsh battles.
But I couldn't afford to rest completely. I had to know the exact result of the defense I didn't attend.
The real outcome, something I couldn't know from the system calculation window alone.
So, I went to look around everything, from the city walls to the artifact storage, all sorts of production facilities, and the soldiers at the shrine, and only now had returned.
"I'm so tired... I could die..."
A victory feast was to be held tonight, but I was in no condition to attend, so I just gave a congratulatory speech and came back.
Even without me, the others would entertain the soldiers well. Like Jupiter, Jupiter, Jupiter...
'I trust you, Jupiter.'
She was a sure talent when it came to alcohol, smoking, gambling, and wasteful spending. You go ahead and liven up the atmosphere and play well with the soldiers.
"Yaaawn."
Sitting on the bed, I was instantly overwhelmed by fatigue.
I wanted to fall asleep immediately, but I couldn't postpone the tasks for today. I opened the system window.
First, class change.
In the last battle, two of the main party characters reached the level required for class change.
I reached level 20, making the first class change possible, and Lucas reached level 35, making the second class change possible.
First, Lucas.
I opened Lucas's stat window. Let's look at the abilities of our cute SSR protagonist, let's see~
[Lucas (SSR)]
- Level: 35
- Title: The Prince's Bodyguard/Hero
- Profession: Veteran Knight
- Strength 35, Agility 35, Intelligence 15, Stamina 35, Magic Power 20
"These stats are insane..."
His Strength, Agility, and Stamina are all maxed out. If he was born on Earth, he would have probably won several Olympic gold medals. I don't know in what event, though.
Lucas had already completed his second advancement and had been promoted to a Veteran Knight. That meant his second skill should be unlocked as well.
I opened Lucas's skill window. Let's check out the second skill!
- Held Abilities
> Passive: Man of Steel
> Ability 1: Soul Strike
> Ability 2: Step of Persistence
> Ultimate: ??? (Opens after the third job advancement)
Lucas's second skill, the 'Step of Persistence', had been unlocked.
It was a skill that granted wings to the SSR-ranked cheat character, Lucas. Simply put, it was a high-speed movement ability.
Once used, it allowed the user to leap approximately 10 meters in a single bound, providing absurd mobility.
However, a target was necessary. You couldn't just leap into thin air.
Whether it was an enemy, an ally, an object, anything, there had to be something to set as a target to charge towards.
Though this restriction existed, the reason this skill was considered overpowered was... it had no cooldown.
In the game, it could be used every turn.
Of course, it consumed a massive amount of MP, but if you wished, you could wreak havoc on the enemy lines alone, playing hit-and-run.
The reason Lucas was considered the cornerstone and the complete form among all damage-tank characters in the game was simple.
His skill set was powerful, simple, and adaptable to every situation.
Tank with the passive.
Attack with Skill 1.
Move with Skill 2.
'Once he learns his ultimate and finishes obtaining his exclusive equipment and specialized build... Lucas will truly become a god of the battlefield.'
Of course, the journey to level 50 was long and fraught with challenges.
Obtaining the exclusive equipment and specialized build was also far from easy.
But once you've made it, the reward is worth it. Our protagonist, Lucas...
'Let's keep up the effort a little more.'
Imagining Lucas's grandeur, I closed his status window with a faint smile on my lips.
Next up, it was me, Ash.
From the unprecedented trash start at level 1, I had finally reached level 20 after a long and arduous journey...!
Thinking back on all the hardships, I felt a pang in my heart. Sob.
'The happiness starts after hardship, Ash! Now, you'll start unlocking overpowered skills befitting a hidden class!'
I didn't stop the burning circuit of happiness.
I mean, it's a hidden class! The 'Commander' class that no one had ever had!
Shouldn't there be one or two cheat skills that would scare the balance and make it run away!
I opened my stat window.
[Ash (EX)]
- Level: 20
- Title: Lord of Crossroad / The Crazy Third Prince
- Profession: Intermediate Commander
- Strength 6, Agility 9, Intelligence 20, Stamina 8, Magic Power 12
Considering all the effort, the stats were surprisingly decent, especially intelligence.
Even with the unique 50% reduction on growth debuff of the Commander class, these stats could be considered quite good.
'Enough with the stats, the skill! The second skill!'
I hastily opened the skill window, shouting with all my might.
"Did you just get a cheat skill?!"
- Owned Skills
> Passive: Unyielding Commander
> Skill 1: Gaze of Command
> Skill 2: ??? (Unlocked after 2nd Job Change)
> Ultimate: ??? (Unlocked after 3rd Job Change)
I furrowed my brow.
A new skill name had appeared. But what was this? Gaze of Command...?
I hurriedly opened its detailed description.
[Gaze of Command (魔眼)]
- Controls the consciousness of anyone who makes eye contact, forcing them to be controlled.
- The lower the target's Magic Power stat, the higher the success rate of the skill and the longer its duration.
※ The passive skill [Unyielding Commander] has no effect on allies it is already applied to.
"Hooh..."
Essentially, it was a skill that sprayed mind control magic widely.
Although its effect was weaker than persistent mind control magic that could last throughout a stage once applied.
Nonetheless, it meant that I could freely control the movements of monsters just by making eye contact with them.
'I'll have to test how much MP it consumes, but this seems surprisingly sweet.'
Frankly, I was hoping for an explosive active skill...
You know what I mean. Since I'm a commander, I expected something big like summoning dozens of cannons for a volley of fire.
Or summoning hundreds of sand soldiers to control. I had anticipated something spectacular.
Well, I still have my 2nd skill and ultimate left. I should pray for an explosive skill to come then.
'Did they give me this passive skill because of this 1st skill?'
I took another look at my passive skill [Unyielding Commander].
[Unyielding Commander] prevents mental status abnormalities in nearby allies.
It seemed to block any malfunction of my 1st skill. There was no need to apply my 1st skill to my subordinates who follow my orders anyway.
'Anyway, it's a skill with infinite potential.'
All kinds of uses for it sprang to mind in an instant.
Even though it's temporary and there's a chance of failure, it's still a mind control skill.
Its versatility is virtually limitless as long as my creativity can back it up.
'I'll test it in real combat soon.'
It seems like I'll need to encounter an enemy to test it. I closed the status window.
'Next.'
I took out four boxes from my inventory.
Three of them were gray.
And one shone with a brilliant gold!
A rare SSR-grade reward box. I received it as a reward for clearing the last stage.
'By the Almighty God, an SSR-grade box!'
I looked down at the golden box in my hand and swallowed hard.
It's that rare box. The one that's difficult to acquire even ten times from start to end of a round. And it appeared on the 3rd stage.
'I hope I get a weapon I can use.'
I looked down at my cast-clad left arm.
During the last battle, while I was swinging my lucky roulette weapon 'Lucky Strike', it fumbled, and my left arm got shattered.
"Even after the healing, it will impossible to wield it as before... Rather than relying on luck, I need a weapon that's reliable, practical, and with minimal variables."
I'd love to just sit back and give orders, but reality isn't so kind.
Moreover, now that I've confirmed the existence of the 'Dark Event' designed to screw over my game strategy, the difficulty of the game is bound to fluctuate in the future.
This means I'll constantly be involved in direct combat.
'Like the last battle, I might be able to fire magic guns.'
Last time, I made good use of the SSR-grade magic gun, Black Queen.
But that was merely a makeshift solution.
'Even a single magic gun would be better off in Damien's hands. Especially a cheat weapon like the Black Queen.'
There's already a rightful person who can bring out 200 percent of the magic gun's potential.
Using a weapon that can one-shot key enemy units from a long distance like a shotgun is as foolish as putting a pearl necklace on a pig.
I need to find a weapon that suits me.
'It might be wishful thinking to hope that it'll be here.'
But since I already have an SSR-grade reward box in my hand, I might as well stack one more greed! Right?!
First, I opened three N-grade boxes. I'm not expecting much, but who knows, maybe I'll get something amazing?!
[Rewards]
- Superior Stamina Potion
- Superior Magic Power Potion
- Flame Enchant Scroll
"Hmm~ nothing special~"
All three are consumables. Well, potions are always useful, and the enchant scroll has a good effect.
'Come to think of it, I still have an Ice Enchant Scroll I received as a reward before. I haven't used it yet.'
I've been saving it for when I face an enemy vulnerable to ice. Anyway, let's keep them all.
Now, the main event!
Holding the golden box in my hand, I took a deep breath. Phew...
Please!
"Dear Loot God! Please give me a perfect weapon just for me!"
I shouted and opened the golden box in one fell swoop.
Flashing-!
A dazzling golden light scattered all around.
The golden light eventually converged into one, forming the shape of a single item.
Holding that item in my hand, I opened my mouth slightly.
"This is...?!"