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106. Childhood Friend – Achievement

Reb took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.

‘Did I just…’

Instinctively, he had used Charm. It wasn’t something learned; it felt like an innate ability he’d possessed all along. The Apostle’s power seemed to manifest this way.

‘Incredible…’

He gasped in awe with his mouth agape.

Though it was used to slightly increase the price of jerky, with this “Eye of Charm,” countless things were possible.

With this, clearing the scenario would be a cinch. No, it would be nothing less than a given.

All he had to do was charm the king.

The process looked simple. It was said that by introducing a friend of a friend just five or six times, one could meet nearly everyone in the world.

Reb immediately thought of the village chief of Demos. The chief would have connections with the officials at the Lord’s Castle, those officials with the Grand Officer, the Grand Officer with Marquis Gaidan, and the Marquis with the king.

In just five steps, he could meet the king, and those charmed would be eager to recommend their acquaintances.

If he could charm the king at the end of it all… Lena would be ‘adopted’ as a princess.

‘So, I’ve been struggling all this time when there was such an easy path right before me?’

Reb was dumbfounded.

The Engagement Relationship scenario was just as simple. In fact, it was even shorter.

His father, Noel Dexter, a retired knight, had received the family name from the king. Although he couldn’t introduce his son to the king as he was retired, he had significant connections.

According to Lena Ainar, Noel Dexter was a junior to Arpen Albasete, a Swordmaster from the Austin Kingdom.

If knights discuss seniors or juniors, it typically relates to the time they joined the Knights Order, but it often denotes a mentor-mentee relationship as well.

If Noel Dexter boasted about being that person’s junior, it likely meant the latter.

Thus, just two introductions would suffice for this Engagement Relationship scenario. He’d be introduced to Baron Albasete through Noel Dexter and then meet the king.

Adopted Lena Ainar would become a princess, and he would marry her…

“Reb, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just a bit tired.”

The young man guarding the cart looked at Reb, who was sprawled on the ground, curiously.

Reb waved it off nonchalantly and leaned back against the cart. He felt dizzy with exhaustion from a few hours of sprinting, but excitement chased away the fatigue.

‘There are plenty of ways to clear the Beggar Siblings scenario as well. If I can receive help from others by using charm, starting as a beggar isn’t a huge penalty.’

Of course, the {Bloodline} event would still be challenging, but there was no strict need to follow it. All he needed was to make his sister a princess… Whether through Marquis Benard Tatian’s introduction to the king or setting up a meeting with the kind prince of Belita Kingdom, it’d work out.

If his sister didn’t like the prince, or if he had to follow the {Bloodline} event, there were plausible plans.

Charm Count Gustave Peter and get help. If he could get assistance from the Cardinal through him, there should be a way.

Of course, there would still be secrets he wasn’t aware of, but with the ability of Charm at his disposal, the risk of a disastrous situation seemed low. No matter how bad it got, he could ensure his sister’s life would be safe…

The question was whether this power of Barbatos could be used in other scenarios; receiving the achievement of ‘Apostle of Barbatos’ seemed promising. If that was the case…

‘What a fool.’

As excitement settled, Reb tightly shut his eyes. He bit his lip in self-recrimination.

All the hardships he had gone through flashed before him.

Lena getting kicked out of the Monastery Church, dying at Count Hermann Forte’s hands, being exposed and separating from his sister, dying at Bart’s hands, breaking off a marriage, and rotting away under Oriax’s curse.

Despite this easy path being available…

And the responsibility for these tragedies rested on Reb himself—not Minseo.

When the seventh scenario, meaning the third Childhood Friend scenario, began, he made a grave mistake. When his father first asked, “What do you think of Lord Barbatos?”, he had expressed a negative opinion.

Because of a trivial reason—he couldn’t follow Lena due to a tattoo, he was determined to let her go, yet he couldn’t shake the lingering regrets.

If he hadn’t done that… He would have undoubtedly realized this easy path much sooner. All the hardships he had faced could have been avoided.

Reb hung his head. Guilt only grew heavier. The more he thought about it, the more serious his fault became.

He understood why the Childhood Friend scenario was the first scenario. He also realized why the {Hunting} ability was given first.

This game blatantly presented a comfortable route, just like the large tattoo etched on his arm.

It was practically screaming at him to use Barbatos’s powers… Yet, avoiding it had proven difficult.

‘Idiot.’

He had made everyone suffer.

Because of him, they had faced absurd hardships.

The tragedies manifested as collateral, he had blindly thrust his hands into a dark future without even the tiniest sliver of information or power from the previous scenarios.

And the responsibility for the mutilated arm rested on… his shoulders.

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Everyone…’

Reb mulled over his mistakes and quietly apologized to the other Leos. He sincerely regretted the miserable endings faced by the Lenas too.

He sat dejectedly, wiping away secret tears, while the other young men, who had stripped him of everything, began to arrive one by one, chattering noisily.

“Hey, Hans isn’t in his right mind right now, is he?”

“Oh, I saw it too. He was getting scolded by the merchants… I asked him why, but he wouldn’t tell me.”

The next day, the village youths returned to town with the items they had bought from the market loaded on the cart.

The cart rattled lighter than when they had come, but Reb’s heart sank heavily.

Hans didn’t accompany them.

*

Reb climbed to the lodge and showed his father the money from selling the jerky.

His father, pleased to see that his son could sell the jerky at a fair price, smiled happily and said, “You must live well,” before leaving.

He didn’t specify where he was going. He simply gathered his gear and disappeared into the western mountains with only a portion of the money he had saved.

Reb stayed at the lodge for a few days.

He too was going to leave soon, so he packed the most expensive hides to sell. He didn’t forget to set traps densely around the lodge.

This wasn’t for hunting. It was to ensure bandits wouldn’t ransack the lodge in case his father returned.

No matter how many traps his father set, it wouldn’t be dangerous. He was the best hunter Reb had ever seen.

After making sufficient preparations, Reb also left the lodge.

Shouldering the heavy pelts, he descended into the village, aiming once more for the large town.

Demos Village sent carts to the market held bi-weekly in the large town; since he had no reason to wait for that, Reb left the village alone.

Before leaving, he made sure to ask Priest Leslie about Lena. He reconfirmed the response that it would take at least three years for her to become a priestess.

It would take at least four to five years, but he held a biased assumption that Lena was intelligent enough to shorten this period substantially.

‘Three years is plenty. No, more than enough.’

He didn’t even feel pressed for time anymore.

Having gained the power of Barbatos, only how he would approach his responsibilities mattered now.

Upon arriving in Torito, Reb sold the hides to a merchant to whom he had previously sold jerky. Although the market had closed, it wasn’t hard to find him hastily preparing to depart. {Tracking Skill} really was useful.

This time, the price was decent… but not as a loss-avoiding gesture as it had been before.

The Charm’s effectiveness seemed to have weakened.

But he didn’t mind that too much. This amount of money was sufficient. There was no need to exhaust himself for such a profit as before.

‘What should I do next…’

After shedding the hides, Reb pondered.

West or north.

Should he head to Nevis to meet the king, or should he seek out the beggar siblings? His heart leaned towards the west.

He still had time, and charming the king wouldn’t take long.

‘It would be best to gather the strength of Barbatos before finding the siblings. I can determine the situation then—deciding whether to end it with a warning to avoid tragedy or to assist in defeating Oriax.’

As Leo finished reflecting while loitering around the empty market,

“Hey, Reb. Did you come alone?”

Hans approached.

This guy seemed to have stayed here the whole time. The market had ended, but what was he doing here?

With a sly grin on his face, he spoke.

“Hey. I’m sorry about last time. I was in a bad mood then. I’m fine now, but… come here for a second.”

Reb felt a strong wave of displeasure.

He could guess why Hans wanted him to come over. This idiot was clearly trying to drag him to the tavern again.

Already feeling sour from the guilt of having messed everything up, Reb replied tersely.

“No, I’m not going.”

“What? Oh~ so you’ve been, huh? That makes sense.”

Hans sneered.

“When did you even go? I just went for the first time the other day and guess what…”

Reb tried to brush him off, but Hans relentlessly followed along, jabbering away without stopping.

“There was this girl who looked just like Lena. She was tiny, and her chest was so small it fit in one hand…”

Unnecessary details and suggestive gestures stirred something inside Reb.

– Kill him.

He contemplated punching Hans in the jaw but reconsidered.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

“So, when we were undressing her, she was like… Huh? We’re going? Hehehe, good choice.”

He rambled on about crude topics, but Reb wasn’t listening.

“The way you walk makes it obvious you’ve been here. Kid, you were pretending not to be…”

– Wham!

As they hurried to the entrance marked by the tavern’s insignia, Reb’s fist connected with Hans’s jaw.

“What, what? Why are you hitting me all of a sudden… ack!”

Reb didn’t even feel the need to draw his sword. He struck his throat, then kneed him in the gut. Kicking Hans’s side, he struck the back of his neck next. Finishing off, he stomped on Hans’s head, smashing him face-first into the ground.

“What’s going on? What is all this noise? Ack!”

When the thug guarding the tavern heard the commotion and stepped outside, Reb crushed his throat with a kick.

Now, all that was left to do was charm this thug and make it look like he’d killed Hans…

Reb’s eyes widened. In front of the bewildered thug, he himself was taken aback.

[ Achievement: Murder of Civilians – You have murdered ‘5’ civilians. You will experience slight misfortune. ]

As the achievement of civilian murder appeared, a strange sensation enveloped him. The message floating in his sight felt… ‘usable’.

‘Oh…!’

Realizing something, Reb muttered softly, “…I offer this,” and the power of Barbatos descended upon him. A crimson aura tightened around his heart.

[ Achievement: Murder of Civilians – You have murdered ‘4’ civilians. You will experience slight misfortune. ]

For the God of Hunting, Barbatos, prey didn’t have to be animals or monsters. ‘Humans’ were also fine prey.

A chill ran down his spine.

But it wasn’t just because Barbatos accepted humans as offerings.

It was because of the system.

The offering he had just made couldn’t be considered a ritual. He hadn’t buried a head or heart in the ground or split a corpse like Prince Eric; he had succeeded in the offering.

He had a counter-system that transcended mere rituals. If one killed someone, a life was designed to be returned fully, and that could always serve as an offering.

“You, you bastard! What are you doing?!”

Reb’s eyes sparkled. He utilized some of the freshly acquired power to cast Charm.

The thug quieted down immediately.

Just a moment ago, he was about to call for other thugs, but now he looked worried.

“Hey, what are you thinking doing this? Do you think killing someone in town is going to end well? Ugh, I don’t know what happened, but you should’ve held back…”

Then he solemnly said.

“Go. I’ll figure out how to handle this. You should run away quickly. Don’t come back for a few days, got it?”

The thug acted as if he was honoring his companions, and Reb left the alley without even muttering a thank you.

His body felt cold as he walked quickly. Chills ran down his spine.

‘Is this really okay?’

[ Achievement: First Murder – Reb is less burdened by the guilt of murder. ]

Everything was prepared.

The convenient ability of Barbatos, supported by the system. In the second Childhood Friend scenario, when Lena was kidnapped, the ‘First Murder’ achievement earned by killing a thug.

And…

[ Achievement: Clean the Back Alley – You grow stronger in dark alleys. ]

[ Achievement: Ten Bandits – You grow stronger against bandits. ]

[ Achievement: Ten Thugs – You grow stronger against thugs. ]

[ Achievement: Ten Mercenaries – You grow stronger against mercenaries. ]

[ Achievement: Ten Soldiers – You grow stronger against soldiers. ]

[ Achievement: One Knight – You grow stronger against knights. ]

[ Achievement: Murder of Nobles – All nobles feel slight fear towards you. ]

Murder achievements.

All of these were counters.

Thugs, bandits, scoundrels, mercenaries, soldiers, knights, nobles… every single person he had killed had been neatly cataloged, and he felt all of it was available for use.

Reb tried using the life of one thug for practice. He recited silently to offer it to Lord Barbatos.

Then,

[ The ‘Ten Thugs’ achievement has been enhanced. ]

[ Achievement: Thugs ‘35’ – You grow stronger against thugs. min(10) ]

Just as expected, the crimson power of Barbatos descended upon him. The sweet power tightened even more around Reb’s heart, causing his body to tremble.

Indeed, everything was set in motion. And he… really didn’t know anything at all.

He had initially thought that the names of the murder achievements were only slightly tilted among the achievements, but that wasn’t an illusion.

It was a signal that the lives of those he had killed were accumulating… In line with this, the modified name of the achievement stood tall.

Reb was overwhelmed by the coldness of the system and forgot where he was headed.

Not long after starting this game, he had thought something.

If he kept repeating scenarios indefinitely and grew stronger, he would eventually be able to achieve a massacre and see the ending.

The route of total annihilation.

He had given up on it, acknowledging it was devoid of compassion or mercy, stained with blood, yet it sweetly whispered.

– Is this what you wanted?

Somewhere, the smell of blood wafted.