丰满多水的寡妇

“I see.”

『By lending me your power.』

“What? What do you mean?”

The White Reaper placed a hand on Leeha’s shoulder. In that strange moment, feeling like Jellypong had landed on his shoulder, a holographic window appeared before his eyes.

『Resurrected White Reaper』

Explanation:

“I can no longer exert all my power. Ever since being hit by your bullet, I have felt my strength waning… I wish to call my compatriots here, but they say you have never seen my compatriots. I’m sorry. However, I have known you since the moment we met. Just like me, I know what path you will walk in the future.”

Before disappearing from the surface, shimo wants to fight alongside you.

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Let’s safeguard this place until the Shazrashian Federation’s declaration of surrender and the creation of the rights agreement that Shimo desired are completed.

Objective: Guarding the occupied territory

Reward: ?

Condition for Failure: If five or more Giants reach the northern exit of the occupied territory –

Penalty for Failure: ?

Since the quest with a failure penalty had been forcibly imposed, rejection was not an option.

“The White Reaper is disappearing? Damn, it seems weakening was inevitable.”

Leeha quickly read through the quest. It was a very simple quest. The content was to just guard this place until they are exhausted and leave. The failure penalty was simple. Above all, the fact that ‘death’ was not mentioned as a failure consequence felt new to Leeha.

The moment Leeha dies, the Giants will reach the northern exit in numbers exceeding 500, not just five. In other words, ‘death’ was so natural in this context that it didn’t need to be explicitly mentioned as a failure penalty.

“Um, you… lending me your power… that’s… what does it mean?”

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『You lend me your strength. I will give you a name in return.』

“A name…then?”

Leeha looked up at the White Reaper. Despite the slight difference in height, his eye level while floating in mid-air was slightly higher than Leeha’s. The White Reaper also met Leeha’s gaze.

“For those who only understand the logic of power, let that name become a symbol of terror ingrained in their minds.”

Leeha didn’t need to nod his head in agreement. It wasn’t simply because this was a quest imposed on him. It was because Leeha sensed that the words he had never desired to hear until now would come out of the mouth of the White Reaper.

“『Speak the name of the White Reaper.』”

“Ah…”

At that moment, Leeha’s heart began to beat rapidly. The quest ‘Resurrected White Reaper.’ Leeha thought this quest meant the resurrection of Shimo’s soul. It was only natural for him to think that way, especially after seeing the effects of the Easter Egg item.

However, ‘Resurrected White Reaper’ did not mean that.

Resurrected White Reaper meant it was Leeha himself who followed in the footsteps of the White Reaper and was thus 『White Plague Shimo』 is said to have been resurrected!

Leeha closed his eyes quietly. Finally, holding the key to the second job advancement that had just been unlocked, and looking at the unexpected connection point of the quest, he clenched Black Bass tightly in his hand.

Just by observing that gesture, the White Reaper nodded in approval. In expressing his determination and resolve, that alone was enough.

Leeha: How is it?

Jin Gonggong: Well, are you serious? But seriously, what on earth did you do-

Leeha: huh. I’ll tell you later. Don’t tell Kijung. It’s a secret from others too, okay?!

Jin Gonggong: Are you really okay by yourself, Leeha? This is not a joke, you know.

Leeha: What can I do anyway.

Leeha listened to Jin Gonggong’s whisper and glanced at the quest window once again. Every time he saw the expression ‘Resurrected White Reaper,’ it felt like electricity was running through his body, but in reality, it was not just a feeling of joy.

“There’s no deadline. An indefinite wait. We have to wait for their surrender declaration, not knowing when they will come out.”

Is there anything as torturous as having no deadline?

But perhaps that is the essence of war. The fear of not knowing when it will end, unable to leave one’s position. Leeha quietly bit his lip.

“No, but why suddenly am I feeling so heated up? How did Chiyou, Igor, and Faust complete their second advancements so quickly?”

Did they go through such hardships? It seemed unlikely. Chiyou had been constantly attacked by Bathory and turned into a vampire, and Igor and Faust also completed their second advancements in just a few days without any special time to spare and crossed over to the Old Continent.

“Due to the demonic power…”

Why did Bluebeard do what he did?

Leeha chuckled.

“It won’t always be just good unconditionally. The game Middle Earth never works that way.”

If you were to suddenly increase your power within a short time?

There would be a steep penalty condition that could lead to losing it. Although Leeha couldn’t know for sure, it was the same when Faust empowered Bluebeard, led the chimeras around, and destroyed Gaza City in the past.

After being subjugated by Rankers, Faust suffered a tremendous penalty, not to mention massive losses in public reputation and fame. There were hindrances to experience points acquisition related to other growth and restrictions on item wearing, so Leeha’s speculation wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Even in martial arts novels, it’s the same. The growth of the orthodox faction is slow but steady, while the evil faction or the demonic sect sees a rapid growth with an equally severe backlash. Don’t envy them. I’m doing just fine.”

Leeha comforted himself. In other words, he was anticipating that this quest might be challenging enough to warrant such thoughts.

Jin Gonggong: Wow, someone asked me to join their party frantically. They are asking me why I am not doing it when it’s just a free quest? They’re getting mad at me.

Leeha: … I hope you didn’t join the party, did you?

Jin Gonggong: N, no way! Anyway, there are rooms attached all over Shazrashian, and… Users are flocking in massively. The Knights are also being mobilized. I guess it’s okay to inform Shin Nara-nim separately, right? In this situation, it might be advisable for the Fibiel’s Royal Family to make a complaint. Leeha-nim is a prominent figure in Fibiel.

Leeha could see the worried expression on Jin Gonggong, who cared for him.

Since their first meeting, Leeha had thought of Jin Gonggong as someone with a strangely warm heart.

Leeha: Don’t say anything. She’s busy with other matters. Also, there’s no need for an official complaint to Shazrashian, and there’s no need for Fibiel to take the lead.

Jin Gonggong: What?

Karelin used the term ‘interference in succession’. But would Shazrashian officially complain to Fibiel for that reason?

Leeha: That’s a threat. It’s like saying they will abandon the negotiation proposal that I made. Even if there is a complaint, it will have to be made only after securing me. Simply making a complaint now would be futile and likely to provoke a backlash.

If Leeha didn’t behave like that, and if he just accepted the shelter of Fibiel’s homeland, that would be the end of it.

“Ch, at this point, they shouldn’t be stupid enough to make enemies.”

Jin Gonggong: Oh right, I contacted Bantal and the Daoist Brothers.

Leeha: Oh! What did they say?

Leeha listened attentively. However, the news he brought wasn’t very good.

Jin Gonggong: It seems… interesting. They told me to look forward to it. They already knew that Leeha-nim was involved.

Leeha: … Tsk, I knew they’d say that. This is not related to the main story line.

For Shazrashian users, it’s almost like an event, so naturally, they have to speak in that manner. Leeha didn’t entirely fail to understand their perspective.

“I probably would’ve done the same. But from my point of view, it’s really frustrating! Plus, this is my second job change! Can you ask them to go easier on me?”

Leeha lowered his head.

What the Resurrected White Reaper wanted was to turn Leeha’s name into a symbol of fear. Even then, such actions wouldn’t really fit the “concept”.

Jin Gonggong: So, this quest—『Winter Resource War』—is to conquer something within 100 days? What’s the big deal about occupying it within 100 days?

Leeha asked, puzzled.

Leeha: What? What did you say about 100 days? 100 days! Is it certain? Did you say 100 days?

Jin Gonggong: Yes. The quest name is 『Winter Resource War』. Seize a location within 100 days, most likely.

Finally, Jin Gonggong’s intelligence shed some light.

“Yes! That’s right!” Leeha involuntarily clenched his fist. Blaugrunn, who was next to him, looked surprised and asked, “Why are you acting that way?”

“Haha, they say you have to understand that giant users are troublesome. Or maybe it’s because they have that much confidence?”

Is it because his heart felt lighter?

Bantal confessed to Jin Gonggong about the quest, and it truly became “intelligence” passed on to Leeha.

“Shimo-nim, the enemies have named this battle 『Winter Resource War』 and they were ordered to occupy this place within 100 days.”

『Indeed… Is this an extension of the 『Winter War』?』

“Haha, that seems to be the case.”

Leeha smiled back at Shimo. In the real world, the Winter War was where Shimo made a name for himself.

“Winter War in Middle Earth too, huh? Haha, this is interesting.”

Now, it was the Winter Resource War, where they had to fend off Shadrazian giants aiming for resources beyond this land.

“100 days, huh. No log-out rotation. Just staring for about 20 days’ worth of reality.”

Would even closing his eyes briefly be possible in Middle Earth?

Extreme fatigue would engulf their entire body, pushing both their physical and mental limits to the extreme. Therefore, Leeha wondered.

“This should be enough.”

He was convinced that the confirmation of the 2nd class advancement would be concluded with this quest.

Around that time, Leeha became curious about others.

“What are they doing?”

Leeha opened the teleport window of the Three Musketeers. Surprisingly, the positions of the two individuals had not changed at all.

“I understand what you’re saying, kid. But do you think that guy will back off just because I offer money?”

“Showing exemplary behavior as a sheriff is the best way.”

“Haha, out of all the conversations we’ve had in the past few days, that was the funniest joke.”

Earp adjusted his hat and turned his body.

Kidd couldn’t contain his frustration. He had already completed several quests. Although he could sense that the quests were nearing their conclusion, he was completely stuck at this point.

“Bringing peace to 『Deadwood』 is my job. I thought it was the only way to advance to Desperado, but…?”

The way to bring peace to Deadwood was to reconcile Sheriff Earp and Wild Bill. However, it was not easy.

Over the past few days, Kidd had completed numerous quests to build rapport with the two NPCs, how much time had he spent to gain their intimacy? He had tasks such as handling the gang near Sheriff Earp and collecting gambling debts on behalf of Wild Bill.

However, no matter which task he chose, it was impossible to resolve it without 『force』. Kidd was confident in his abilities and approached all tasks with determination, but every moment was unexpectedly difficult.

“The gang members in this small town were more challenging to deal with than the monsters on the new continent. Probably because they were “event monsters.”

In fact, when Kidd asked passing users about the gang he mentioned, none of them had seen it. In other words, unless they were quest holders, there was no chance of encountering the said monsters.

After raising the intimacy levels on both sides, he was finally on the verge of reconciling the two parties and bringing about peace.

“I like you. But I know that you also get along with Wild Bill Hickok. Do you know what that means?”

“… He definitely has a habit of being careless. However, the responsibility lies with the sheriff as well-”

“Responsibility? Me? To me? Because he couldn’t catch the con artist in the act, it’s my defeat. Do I have to pay money as the price of defeat? No, kid, that’s not it. He just wants to disrupt the peace of this town under the pretext of gambling. He just wants to kill me. If not, he should come and bow down himself.”

It was always like this. No persuasion worked. Even if Kidd went to the ‘opposite side’ as Sheriff Earp mentioned, it wouldn’t work.