Chapter 484 - ‘Compensation’ Gift

{I really can't believe it! There is no way someone is listening to this, right?}

The voice that I heard was naturally that of the old man who imparted the 'Icy Fire Formula' to me, but his words made no sense!

He spoke as if he was talking to me yet denying my existence. Simply following the logic of legacy acceptance before, this was undeniably a recorded message, but why would a recorded message start in this manner?

{Ahem, you can stop talking now, you finally agreed to record this message and let me be the one to do it so there is no taking it back!}

'Oh?'

As the recorded message went on in my mind, the voice suddenly changed, it still appeared to be the voice of someone old, but it felt a little bit more energetic and carefree.

{Hello there, fellow demon hunter, sorry for the commotion just now. If you are listening to this now, then that means I finally won my bet with the geezer! At first, I just wanted to join the fun recording… but since you did arrive at this point, congratulations!}

'Is it the partner that the other old man was trying to shush last time…?'

Unlike the other voice which was far more grim and heavy, this new speaker seemed to be quite easygoing, throwing a joke in the middle of his speech. However, I wasn't overly concerned about the identity of the speaker, rather, I was more focused on the congratulations!

'Could it be that it's not really a dud?'

{To hear this recorded message, you not only need to have received our legacy before, but you also have to have grasped it. Moreover, you were lucky enough to encounter one of the few other locations that similarly carried our legacy, you must be blessed by fate, young hunter!}

'Lucky?'

Was the RNG not the cause for my repeat? Hearing the cheery old man's words, I concluded that my theory about the location similarity was most likely right.

{Hey! I knew it, you simply want to screw around like usual, just what overcame me to accept your weird suggestion? Hurry up and get it over with!}

As the cheery old man seemed to take his time, the grumpy one stormed into the 'channel', nagging his partner to finish quickly.

{Alright, alright. In any case, as you have miraculously managed to satisfy all of the requirements to receive this message, we judge you to be qualified enough to receive the legacy of our deceased friend…}

'So, it's like a legacy hidden behind a paywall?'

Considering the fact that I had to pull out the same legacy twice while mastering it within the period between the two pulls, it wasn't too far-fetched to compare the requirement to obtain this new legacy to a paywall. At least, that's the closest expression I could come up with.

{I'm sure no one is going to end up hearing this message, but I only agreed to his suggestion so we could fulfill our friends' wish of finding a worthy successor for him. Although it seems like a series of coincidences. I agree with this clown that these criteria are the most suitable ones to find a good seed. After all, nothing really happens for no reason, since you are hearing this message, you deserve to obtain what 'he' left.}

Despite nagging his partner to hurry, the grumpy old man interjected when the cheery one was almost done, speaking in a softened town that had a hint of melancholy and expectations.

{Humph, what a tsundere old man! If you wanted to join in you should have just said so. Anyway, I wanted to speak more, but that's the gist of it, be sure to use both legacies for the sake of good and our case!}

[ You have received a safe mental package. ]

'Tsundere?'

Wondering if I had heard it wrongly, I was surprised to hear quite a modern word out of nowhere. Perhaps that was the closest world the game's language translator could come up with.

'Well, this also counts as a compensation gift, I guess.'

Regardless of the sadness that I could feel from the pair of old men, I was elated to have received another legacy mental package. Moreover, compared to normal 'dull' compensation gifts that are given in the lottery, my compensation gift was at least of equal value to a normal 'prize'.

Unfortunately, while I was curious about what great legacy was hidden behind such a pain in the behind paywall, I suppressed my curiosity knowing that it would grow further if I took a peek. Most importantly, the best time to get initiated in an elemental art was when it was just being ingrained in your mind. Naturally, both time and location weren't ideal to start training a new legacy immediately.

"Heh, the gate only turned out to be an even better fit for me. Light must be a fate magnet!"

"Purr…"

Tickling Light's chin, I let out a small laugh before I was overwhelmed with cuteness. At the same time, I felt slightly bad for complaining over such a 'horrible' pull, life was truly all about being a rollercoaster…

In any case, I thanked God for finding such a gate just in the time I needed to grow stronger the most. Although my schedule would be even tighter thanks to it, it was worth every minute spent in it.

"Well then, should I slide into an opening one last more time?"

Despite having the same size as one of the 108 mini-gates that appeared at the beginning, the hole wasn't dark nor did it have the light of the legacy trial. Instead, it had the same mysterious color that sparkled with enchanting light in the darkness' midst, proving that it was my path to the second floor.

While the recorded messages of the old pair acted as a brief prelude to my annihilation mission, it didn't consume either time or stamina. As such, I planned to go ahead without any further rest.

'Let's see if you are ready for what's to come…'

Putting Light away into his bag, I fully armed myself with the 'Iron Dragon' including my face.. This time, I didn't plan to act nicely.