Overwhelming Firepower

Lucen saw that Alexander and his group had left the tent with varying expressions on their faces.

’Hm, whoever that old man is, I guess he was able to say something that made those three think that deeply. I wonder what kind of character he is.’

Lucen looked at the tent that many people were ignoring, which was in the alleyway. It was obvious that it was something like only those allowed by the owner could see it, a kind of deal.

’So a mysterious old man who’s obviously as powerful as Faust has appeared in this city. He’s either a master like Faust, a fully grown polymorphed Dragon, an avatar or chosen one of a deity, or something else entirely.’

Lucen could hear his beating heart pounding ever so loudly. He was getting excited, ever since seeing Alexander enter the city, his heart would not stop beating this loudly.

A new beginning, a new route that he has never seen before, new characters that weren’t part of his memory. This was a completely new adventure, one that he had never been on before. What kind of gamer wouldn’t be excited to start a new adventure in his favorite series?

Lucen let out a quiet breath and ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm the excitement building in his chest.

’Still, this kind of event usually comes with a hidden quest, or a major foreshadowing... I wonder what I should do now...’

Lucen clenched his fist as he looked at the tent below. Lucen then shook his head and smiled.

’Even in this world, I must uphold the way of a gamer. Hidden quest, special mission, no matter what, all I need to do is complete it.’

Lucen stopped hesitating and jumped down from the rooftop, landing in front of the tent. Now, as he was standing right in front of it, Lucen finally understood that it was a truly weird tent.

He had become stronger after the battle with the shadow monster, and he continued his training.

Most of his skills were at the intermediate to advanced stage, and his stats, despite him not being able to see it, he could feel that they had grown to an incredible level.

Yet even with all of that, it was hard for him to focus on the tent; it was as if he was looking at a mirage. Seeing this just made Lucen even more excited.

Lucen took one step forward and entered the tent. The first thing he noticed upon entering the tent was that it was so much bigger than it looked outside.

’Just like that old phone booth from that sci-fi show.’ Lucen couldn’t help but comment to himself.

Lucen blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dim candlelight inside. The interior of the tent stretched far wider than what should have been possible, the cloth walls curving outward in ways that made the space feel more like a room carved out of reality itself rather than something built from fabric.

Shelves lined the sides of the tent, filled with objects that looked old enough to belong in a museum, yet none of them were covered in dust.

If the trio who had left saw what the inside of the tent looked like now, they would once again be surprised, as the interior actually changed.

Lucen then noticed the thick smell of incense, but unlike with Alexander and the others, he was not that affected by it.

”Oh, welcome, the one who walks the unknown path.”

Lucen, who was looking around, shifted his attention to the voice he heard. The old man he was expecting to see was not there. The person who appeared before him, sitting in front of a table, was a handsome middle-aged man.

The man sitting across the table looked to be in his prime, his features sharp, his posture relaxed yet strangely dignified, as if the space itself bent slightly around him.

His long dark hair was tied loosely behind his back, and his eyes, though calm, carried a depth that made it difficult to look at them for too long.

”... I’m guessing this isn’t your true form either.”

Hearing Lucen’s words, Ark shrugged his shoulders. ”Who knows, I, too, have forgotten what my original form looked like. Though I do not change my face, I do change my age. Well, to people like me, external looks mean nothing.”

”Then do tell, what matter of being are you?” Lucen asked.

Ark smiled faintly. That was something many had asked, but few got answers.

”Well, that is the most frequently asked question. Tell me, Lucen Thornehart, what do you think I am?”

Lucen looked at Ark’s eyes for a second before shrugging his shoulders. ”How should I know? That’s why I’m asking you. Well, I do have a few guesses as to what type of being you are.”

”Is that so? Then do share what your guesses are.”

”There are only a few beings that could possibly be as strong as you. A demon lord is one of them, but you can’t possibly be one of them, since you don’t have that irritating scent of sulfur.”

Lucen checked Ark’s reaction upon the mention of a demon lord, but the other party just smiled, amused.

”You could be a polymorphed Dragon, but then you wouldn’t be working as a fortune teller, and your pride wouldn’t allow you to sit in a back alley pretending to read people’s futures.”

Lucen finished his sentence calmly, his eyes never leaving Ark’s face.

”True, a Dragon who is able to polymorph would not do something as fun as try to become a fortune teller.” Ark chimed in.

”You could be an Aura master or an Archmage. The highest level of mastery a human can achieve, transcendent beings of the human race. But that too feels wrong. The same as the Dragons, those who reach such mastery wouldn’t be doing what you’re doing.”

Ark let out a quiet chuckle, resting his chin on his hand as he watched Lucen with clear amusement. ”Well, there are a few rather eccentric Archmages who do such things, but you are right, I’m not one of them.”

”... Then the next guess would be the avatar of a deity or one of the chosen of a certain deity. Yet that too feels wrong. I have met dieties before in their domain, and you don’t have their absurd and almost nonsensical presence, and if you were a chosen one, then one of the temples would be hounding you. Still... You do have that feel of divinity on you, which was one other reason why I didn’t think you were a demon lord.”

Ark’s smile grew even wider, hearing Lucen’s words. ”You truly are a perceptive person, Lucen the ever-victorious. I guess there is no harm in telling you. I am more than a human but less than a god; I am Ark, a demi-god. The child of a human man and the Goddess of luck and fate, the spinner of chance, Kismetara.”

This was the first time Lucen had heard the name of such a deity. It was not a deity found in the game or a deity’s name found in the libraries of Norvaegard. This was also the first time Lucen learned that there are demigods in this world.

’So there are demigods here in this world?! Like Heracles and Perseus!’ Lucen was surprised at first, but then he was able to calm down rather quickly. ’I guess since there are deities here, and quite a few of them were once mortals to begin with, the chances of having demigods are quite high... Still surprising though.’

While Lucen was in deep thought, Ark could not help but chuckle, seeing Lucen’s reaction.

”I do not expect someone from Norvaegard to know the name of my Mother. To the warriors of Norvaegard, luck and fate are not things to pray to but things to tame. My Mother’s flock mostly consists of gamblers rather than warriors.”

Lucen, hearing what Ark said, made him smile, showing his teeth. As a gamer and as a person of Norvaegard, he answered.

”No, I do believe in luck and fate. In fact, I think warriors have similar traits to gamblers. Seeing as luck is also part of battle. I think, if you start preaching about your mother, quite a few warriors would become new believers.”

Ark laughed softly, clearly amused by Lucen’s answer. ”Hahaha... Well said.”

He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he looked at Lucen with open curiosity now, no longer hiding his interest.

”I guess there really is an element of luck in battle.” Ark paused for a second as he stared at Lucen. ”Do you want to become a chosen one of my Mother?”

Lucen was caught by surprise, but he remained calm as he responded. ”I apologize, but I don’t plan to become a chosen of any deity. I hope you and your mother don’t take offense.”

Ark shrugged his shoulders. ”I just needed to try. Well, then, how about we get to business now?... Unlike the others, in my eyes, your fate is completely blank. This has only happened when I try to gaze upon the fates of other demigods or those stronger than them, which means demon lords, Masters who reach the height of their field, High Elves, Dragons, the Gods, and Goddesses. Yet I’m sure that you are none of those things. So, unfortunately, I won’t be able to offer my services to you.”

’Hm, I guess unlike the deities, demigods aren’t able to see much. Well, I guess that makes sense.’

”Don’t worry about that. I just came here since I was curious about you. Now that I know who and what you are, that is enough for me.”

”That still doesn’t feel enough.” Ark started tapping on the table, thinking about what to give Lucen. ”Oh, I know what to give you.”

Ark stood up from his chair and started rummaging through the nearby closet. It would seem like, just like the tent, the closet was far bigger than it looked from the outside, as Ark kept pulling out objects that should not have been able to fit inside it.

Old books, broken weapons, strange masks, and glass containers filled with unknown liquids were tossed aside one after another.

”Hmm... No, not this... Not this either... Ah damn, where did I put that thing...”

Lucen, who was watching from the side, was quite amused by the sight he was seeing. A demigod who could see the very threads of fate could not find an item he himself set aside.

”Found it.”

He tossed a small object toward Lucen without even looking, as if he already knew it would be caught.

The moment it landed in Lucen’s hand, his expression changed, and a grin slowly spread across his face. This was something he had seen before.

’Yeah, this is definitely a hidden quest reward.’ His fingers tightened slightly around the object. ’To think I can get this thing this early.’