Chapter 104

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]

Chapter 104

Just as Kane was about to persuade the village chief, a notification appeared with a "ding."

Sudden Quest - [Discovering Oblivion!]

Rank: A+

[Description: A trace of Oblivion has been discovered in a small village beneath the Sian Mountains. The villagers are being forced to gather the power of Oblivion by someone. Stop this from happening.]

[Success Reward: Ability to recruit Karl Agzent, increased favorability with Flovin Village]

[Failure Penalty: Hostile relationship with the Meyer Family, Karl Agzent character will be deleted.]

‘I’ve never seen a character deletion penalty before.’

If this quest is failed, Karl might die. Kane was confident he could persuade the village chief because he knew Karl well.

Karl Agzent was a 5-star character by birth, one of the best-performing characters unlocked as the game progressed. Though his stats would eventually decline due to a balance patch, for now, he was the best among the unlocked characters, even better than Mikhail in some aspects.

In any case, Kane was determined to persuade the village chief to recruit Karl.

“If you want to save Karl, you must stop what you’re doing immediately.”

“Do you know my grandson?” the chief asked.

“Yes, from Viker Agzent. I heard about him from your son.”

“Is Viker well?”

“Unfortunately... he's gone to a place where you can never see him again.”

“So, he left before his father...”

“He lived a life without regrets.”

“Did Viker achieve his dream?”

“He did.”

The village chief closed his eyes and nodded.

“Thank you for telling me about my son's whereabouts.”

Viker Agzent's dream was to become the King of Mercenaries. Though he was born in a small village, his aspirations were larger than his life.

He wanted to become the leader of mercenaries, and with that ambition, he boldly left Flovin Village to chase his dream.

However, the life of a mercenary was not easy. He first needed to obtain a mercenary license in the city guild, just the beginning of the journey. From Bronze to Silver, Gold, and finally Platinum, he had to climb the ranks.

But soon, he hit a wall. There were many far stronger than him. The man born in a small village with big dreams eventually returned with a woman by his side—Karl's mother. He had found her injured and nursed her back to health, and they fell in love.

This was the background story of Karl Agzent, as described in the character details.

“I will remove Karl’s restraints.”

“I wish I could do that, but if they find out, we’re all as good as dead.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

Even so, the village chief hesitated.

“Are you worried that if I leave, they’ll come back and harm you?”

The chief nodded silently.

After all, Kane was an outsider. Once those who oppressed Flovin Village returned, it would become hell again. The chief found it difficult to make a decision.

“If you come with me, we can resolve this.”

“Are you telling me to abandon my homeland?”

"Are you planning to keep your grandson in perpetual suffering just to stay alive? If Karl dies, not only will you perish, but so will every villager."

This was a truth that everyone in the village already knew. They all desperately longed to escape this hell, with no other desires.

"The elixir you’re creating is the Elixir of Oblivion, a forbidden potion across the continent. You need to stop this now."

Kane’s continued persuasion was clearly unsettling the village chief. At that moment, one of the villagers spoke up.

"Please, save us! We’ll follow you anywhere if you do."

Their desperation was evident. The will to survive was palpable.

"Dozens of villagers have died while trying to bottle this strange energy. Now, only a few of us are left."

Fifteen or so? Even they were barely hanging on.

As if on cue, someone collapsed with a thud.

"Hey! Jamie, stay with us!"

Kane nodded toward Blata.

"Go and give them some mana."

"I’ll do it!" Camilla volunteered, but Kane stopped her.

"Well done," Kane praised, causing Blata's grin to widen even further. He even nudged Camilla, "What are you standing around for? Stop fidgeting and give me a pat on the back for my hard work!"

Blata received plenty of praise from Camilla as well.

---

At the village chief's house, Kane had been invited inside.

"You seem like someone of noble birth, but this is the best meal I can offer," the chief said apologetically.

Before Kane was a simple stew—no meat, just potatoes. Nevertheless, Kane did not refuse.

"This is more than enough," he replied, eating the potato stew with gusto. He had survived on far less during his time as Ray, where food was merely a means to stay alive.

As Kane finished the stew, the chief spoke up with concern, "Now that we've stopped working, they'll be coming soon."

"You mean the watchers?" Kane asked.

"Yes, they live nearby," the chief confirmed.

"I’ll take care of them before we leave."

"How soon should we be ready to leave?"

"I intend to depart immediately. Please gather all the villagers before we go," Kane instructed.

The villagers gathered at the chief's house, where Kane introduced himself.

"I am not from Hatzfeld. I am from the Fresia Empire."

Some villagers were surprised, but most seemed unfazed.

"We had a feeling," one remarked.

"Yes, your accent is different from ours," another added.

Kane felt reassured by their reactions. Perhaps due to the suffering they had endured, they were more than willing to trust the person who had saved them.

"My name is Kane, and I am of the house of Rehinar," he continued.

"I haven’t heard of you, but I know that Rehinar is the name of a guardian lord's house," one villager commented.

"I'm the eldest son of that guardian lord," Kane clarified.

"We’ve heard that the guardian lord is a just and upright person. It seems his son is equally remarkable," another villager noted.

Their warm reception made sense. Before arriving at the chief's house...

Kane had taken care of each villager’s well-being, revitalizing them with his blood mana—a power that seemed almost magical to the simple folk of the small village.

"Will you follow me to Rehinar?" Kane asked.

"I want to go with you! There's no hope left in this place," one villager responded.

"Even if it's hard to start anew, it must be better than staying here," another added.

"We'll gladly follow if you'll have us," they agreed, one after another.

The only ones left to answer were the village chief and Karl. The two exchanged a glance before responding.

"We will go to Rehinar as well," the chief said.

"Pack only your most precious belongings. We leave immediately," Kane instructed.

The villagers quickly returned to their homes, gathering only the essentials before coming back to Kane.

"Your Highness, what should we do with these?" Camilla asked, pointing to the boxes filled with the Elixir of Oblivion.

"Destroy them all," Kane ordered.

With a swift slash of her sword, Camilla destroyed the boxes, shattering the elixirs inside.

"Is that all of them?" Kane asked the villagers.

"There are more in the storage at the village entrance," one villager informed him.

The small storage shed near the village gate was packed with crates full of elixirs.

"That's quite a lot. It's amazing that Karl managed to survive after producing such an enormous amount of Oblivion energy," Kane muttered, glancing at Karl.

The sheer volume of energy contained within him was a testament to his strength, marking him as a true 5-star character.

Kane extended his hand, and with a powerful burst, the storage shed exploded. As the smoke rose, Blata eagerly opened his mouth, absorbing the remnants of the Oblivion energy. Once the malevolent aura was completely gone, a notification sounded:

[You have completed the sudden quest: Discovered Oblivion!]

[Karl Agzent has been unlocked.]

[5★ Oblivion Knight Candidate ‘Karl Agzent’ is now available in the Fragment Shop.]

[The favorability of the villagers of Flovin has risen to trust.]

The quest was over.

"Let's go," Kane said.

The Blood Tigers escorted the villagers, guiding them safely towards the Rehinar territory.

[Translator - Helga ]

[Proofreader - Lucky]