The sky over the Decaying Forest was a bruised purple, choked by the miasma of the nearby Yatan Temple.
It was a place where the air felt like wet wool and the silence was only broken by the distant, rhythmic chanting of dark cultists.
Into this gloom, a pillar of gray light erupted.
As the light faded, it revealed a figure that looked less like a hero and more like a victim of a very specific, very humiliating purge.
Shin Youngwoo—the newly christened Pagma's Successor—stood shivering in the dirt. He was Level -1. He was penniless. And, most significantly, he was wearing nothing but a pair of basic-issue underpants that flapped pathetically in the stagnant breeze.
"So, it's time, huh," a voice echoed from the shadows.
Grid jumped, nearly tripping over a rotted root. Arthur stepped out from behind a gnarled tree, his crimson leather armor gleaming with a polished, lethal luster that contrasted sharply with Grid's pale, exposed skin.
"Yo! Youngwoo-hyung," Arthur greeted him, his lips curling into a playful, sharp-edged smirk.
"Why are you roaming naked here? Did you get some weird hidden quest to be bait for the undead? Or is this just some new fashion trend?"
Grid's face turned a shade of red that rivaled Arthur's armor. The humiliation of the cave, the terror of Earl Ashur, and the crushing realization that he was back to square one all came boiling to the surface.
"Aaaaah! It's you! You bastard!" Grid shrieked, pointing a shaking finger at Arthur. "You're the reason! You're the main culprit!"
Arthur raised his hands in a gesture of mock innocence. "Huh? Why are you mad at me? Did I do something? I recall giving you a recommendation to a high-ranking NPC. Most players would kill for that kind of networking."
"Networking?!" Grid roared. "Because of your 'recommendation,' Earl Ashur turned into a sociopath! He sent me on an S-Rank suicide mission to the Northern End Cave. I spent three months eating moldy bread! I lost all my gear! I died so many times I forgot what my own face looked like! And then, when I finally get the book—a Legendary class item that could have cleared all my real-world debts—the bastard tries to murder me!"
Grid paced back and forth in his underwear, his voice rising to a frantic pitch. "My reputation in Patrian is negative! The guards want my head on a pike! I had to use the book at the last second just so that arrogant NPC wouldn't get it. I'm Level -1, Arthur! Level! Minus! One!"
Arthur let Grid vent, watching the man's frantic movements with a calm, analytical gaze. Beneath the comedy of the situation, Arthur saw the shift in the world's balance. The second Legend had been born.
"Hey, hey. Easy, hyung," Arthur said, stepping forward. "Didn't this happen because you got greedy and tried to steal the quest item? If you had just handed it over, you'd have your Sun Sword and gold coins right now."
Grid choked on his own spit. "Steal? It was a Legendary item! Who wouldn't try to take it?!"
"True," Arthur conceded. "But look at the bright side. You are now the Pagma's Successor. Do you have any idea what that means? A single Legendary-rated item at Level 200 or 300 can be priced anywhere from 1,000,000 to 5,000,000 gold. Convert that to won, and you're not just clearing your debt—you're looking at becoming a billionaire. You've traded your levels for a literal money-printing machine."
Grid paused, his frantic breathing slowing as the math began to settle in his gold-obsessed brain. "A... billionaire?"
"Exactly," Arthur said. "You're a blacksmith now. Your hammer is your money printer."
Grid squinted at him, a sudden thought piercing through his greed. "Wait a minute... you were the adventurer who discovered that cave first, weren't you? The system said the cave was found months ago."
"Yes. That was me," Arthur admitted with an indifferent shrug.
"Then why didn't you take the book?" Grid's jaw dropped. "It was sitting right there! You're obsessed with strength—why would you leave a Legendary class behind?"
Arthur's eyes flared with a brief, molten gold ring—the sign of his own hidden status. "Because I don't need to steal, Youngwoo. I have a unique skill that allowed me to duplicate the techniques of Pagma's Rare Book once. I am already a Legend in my own right. But listen closely..."
Arthur stepped into Grid's personal space, his voice dropping to a cold, serious whisper. "Never tell anyone about my status, or your own, until you are strong enough to defend yourself. A Legendary class is a beacon for every jealous Ranker and greedy Guild in the game. They will capture you then they will force you to make items for them for free. If you disobey, then they will hunt you until you're forced to delete your account. Understood?"
Grid swallowed hard, nodding rapidly. The reality of his situation—being a Level -1 in a world of Level 300 predators—finally set in.
"Do you have any money left?" Arthur asked, reaching into his inventory.
Grid's eyes glinted. He had been planning to beg or sell his soul for a copper, but here was Arthur, the 'Gold Mine,' offering a hand. A creepy, predatory smile spread across Grid's face.
"Hyung," Arthur sighed, "control yourself. Your thoughts are all over your face. I'm not a charity, but since I was the one who recommended you I'll compensate you a little. I won't give you more than 1,000 gold."
He pulled out a heavy pouch of coins and two items he had been holding in his storage for this very moment.
"Take these," Arthur said, handing over a suit of heavy plate and a massive, weathered blade. "They aren't Unique, but for a Level -1, they're more than enough."
[Item Acquired: Mengel's Plate Armor]
[Item Acquired: Mamon's Greatsword]
Grid clutched the items as if they were made of glass. To him, they were a lifeline. To Arthur, they were the "Original Equipment" that belonged to the man who would eventually become his most valuable business partner.
"Go to Winston," Arthur instructed. "Find Khan's Smithy. Tell him I sent you and wait there. It's my current base of operations. Focus on your blacksmithing—don't try to hunt anything bigger than a rabbit until you've forged at least one decent piece of gear. I'll contact you after I finish my current task."
"Hey! You over there! Could you listen to me?" A voice cut through the fog of the forest. Grid spun around, pointing at his chest. "Who, me?"
A man stepped out from the treeline, his movements fluid and silent. He wore the dark, functional garb of a high-level scout. He looked at Grid's underpants, clicked his tongue in disgust, and looked away. "Not you, you peasant! I'm calling the person beside you."
Arthur chuckled, patting Grid's shoulder. "Looks like my quest has arrived. Catch you later, Youngwoo-ssi. Stay safe—and for heaven's sake, put some clothes on."
Arthur approached the NPC, leaving Grid to scramble into his new armor. The man, whose nameplate read [Doran], scratched his head and looked at Arthur with a mix of curiosity and respect.
"The Yatan Temple is filled with evil energy," Doran said, gesturing toward the looming obsidian spires in the distance. "Ordinary men tremble just standing in this forest. But you... you were laughing and joking with that peasant as if you were in a tavern. You have great abilities, don't you?"
Arthur straightened his posture, his Dignity and Insight stats vibrating. "I've seen worse places than this, Doran. What brings a shadow of Earl Steim to a pit like this?"
Doran's eyes widened. "You know who I serve? Impressive. Listen, I am a secret protector of the Earl. While I was away on a brief leave, the Earl's daughter—the Lady Irene—was kidnapped by the followers of Yatan. They intend to use her virgin blood for a ritual. I've tracked them here, but the temple is crawling with believers. Will you lend me your strength?"
[Quest: Rescue the Earl's Esteemed Daughter]
Difficulty: S
Clear Reward: 3,000 gold, a low probability of becoming the Earl's son-in-law.
Arthur looked at the reward. Earl's Son-in-Law. The math was staggering. Marrying into the Steim family. For Arthur, who already possessed 19 diverse stats including Super Sensitivity and Red Energy, a +20 boost to all stats would mean a staggering 380 to 400 total stat points.
It wasn't just about the points; it was about the political leverage. A Viscount title. A monthly salary. Access to the highest social circles of the Eternal Kingdom.
"Of course," Arthur said, his voice echoing with the authority of his bloodline. "Anything for Earl Steim, the Guardian of the North."
[Accept.]
The moment the quest settled into his log, the forest grew colder. A low hum of dark mana began to vibrate through the trees.
"Watch out!" Arthur yelled.
He didn't wait for a system warning. His Super Sensitivity screamed. He lunged forward, shoving Doran aside just as a bolt of pitch-black energy—a Dark Bullet—whistled through the space where the NPC's head had been.
Arthur didn't stop. He reached back and drew the massive, cursed blade, Dainslief. With a roar of Red Energy, he swung the greatsword in a wide, horizontal arc.
Kwajak!
The blade didn't just cut the air; it met resistance. A muffled scream erupted from the shadows as a Yatan believer, hidden by a high-level stealth spell, was caught directly in the path of the swing. The blade buried itself in the cultist's neck, nearly severing the head.
[You have killed a Yatan Believer.]
[Your 'Bane of Yatan Church' Title effect activated]
[20% boost in attack power while targeting Yatan Belivers]
[Yatan Belivers will target you to kill you first!]
Dozens of robed figures began to materialize from the mist, their eyes glowing with a fanatical, violet light. The temple guards had arrived.
Doran scrambled to his feet, drawing a pair of serrated daggers. He looked at Arthur, his eyes filled with genuine gratitude. "Thank you! You saved my life!"
Arthur yanked Dainslief free from the corpse, the dark blood steaming against the cold air. He looked at the surrounding cultists, his golden-ringed eyes reflecting the flickering torches of the temple.
"Don't mention it, Doran," Arthur said, his Aura beginning to flare in a terrifying, white-hot crown. "If you die, it'll be a nightmare to find the Lady alone. Now, let's show these fanatics why they should have stayed in their basement."
The "Matchmaker" had provided the quest, but Arthur was about to provide the slaughter. The rescue of the North's jewel had begun.