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4
-Where’d the scammer dragon go?
-Time to dance, yeah?
-Pink Day ㄱ
-Feeling the twerk urge.
With the quest window appearing normally, the chat began its attack.
Hanbit’s brow was deeply furrowed.
‘He gives a quest based on such a blatant lie?’
He let out a sigh.
Julio was trying to frame someone using fabricated evidence.
The target was the rival general merchant, Artsvel.
To Hanbit, she was his true magic mentor and benefactor.
Hanbit turned his head to look at Yeonwoo.
“If you clear the quest chain, you get a spellbook?”
“There are about three linked quests. If you clear just two achievements, you can get the spellbook.”
“What happens to the thief?”
“He appears briefly in a cutscene and gets thrown into prison.”
-So dark, Black Dragon.
-You can change the subject, but you still gotta dance~
-Newbie dance goes down easy like a bowl of rice.
Ignoring the chat, Hanbit recalled his memories.
In his first iteration in the other world, he had been imprisoned under false charges of theft.
The reason was simple—he had been working under the rival merchant Artsvel.
That was all.
‘After becoming Artsvel’s dog, you’ve learned nothing but thievery, have you?’
Hanbit, who had stopped by Julio’s shop for delivery work, was suddenly accused of being a thief.
Fabricated evidence and soldiers bribed with money.
He defended himself with everything he had, but of course, it had no effect.
‘Your crime will also be pinned on Artsvel. The future of her shop… is obvious, isn’t it?’
Julio’s sneering words made his blood boil.
But back then, he was too ignorant and powerless, and ended up dragged off to prison.
‘Thinking about it again just pisses me off.’
Even taking revenge immediately in the next iteration hadn’t quelled his anger.
Though they were in the same line of business, Julio was always inferior to Artsvel and harbored deep insecurity.
A man with no real ability, he scraped by through scams.
And now, in a place where Hanbit didn’t even exist, he was framing Artsvel herself as the culprit.
Recalling that filthy past, Hanbit walked toward the display shelves.
“Will you do me this favor?”
“Shut up for a second, you scamming bastard.”
“…Did you just call me a scammer?”
At the word “scammer,” Julio’s expression changed instantly.
As Hanbit watched his face—
Ding—
A hologram window appeared with an alert sound.
[Quest]
Find the money pouch Julio hid.
Reward: 500 gold, quest unlocked
-Huh?
-What?
-He really is a scammer?
“Huh?”
The chat exploded with shock, and Yeonwoo’s eyes widened.
Hanbit walked further inside.
Thud—
Clatter—
He began kicking through the piled-up goods with his foot.
Seeing that, Julio hurried over in panic.
“H-hey! You mustn’t do that! Don’t mess up the shop!”
Even as Julio clung to him, Hanbit didn’t stop.
And as he reached the far inner corner, something caught under his foot.
Thud—
‘It’s so identical it’s ridiculous.’
The money pouch hidden under the box—just like the one used to frame him as a thief.
Even the location and size were exactly the same, making him scoff.
No doubt the same item was hidden in Artsvel’s shop, the one named as the thief.
Bending down, Hanbit pulled the pouch out from beneath the cluttered boxes.
“You said it was stolen, right?”
“…….”
When he asked Julio, the man’s expression stiffened.
Then, scowling deeply, he spoke.
“So you were a sharp one.”
-Fuuuuuck.
-This bastard really was a scammer? Then what the hell did I get?
-Can’t we reset the quest?
-Get hit by a truck and regress, ez.
-Ah, we’re screwed, seriously.
Faced with the shocking truth, the viewers were horrified.
Even Hanbit, who knew the backstory, felt complicated.
‘…They really tied it together like this.’
Once Julio was thrown into prison, the game now guided him to Artsvel.
A flow that felt as if it had been waiting for this outcome.
Could this really be just a coincidence?
“Hyung!”
Yeonwoo, watching the broadcast screen, approached with wide eyes.
In a tiny voice, almost shouting, he asked,
“What is this? How did you really know?”
“Well….”
Hanbit paused just as he was about to answer.
Come to think of it, how could he explain this?
This kind of knowledge made no sense for a first-time player.
‘Ah.’
Thinking quickly, Hanbit came up with a piece of sophistry.
Whether they believed him or not couldn’t be helped—for now, he could tell the truth later.
Having decided, he spoke to Yeonwoo.
“There was a web novel I used to read. It’s completely gone now, but the setting feels similar.”
“A web novel?”
-Web novel?
-What’s this all of a sudden?
-Stop whispering already.
As his voice grew a little louder, the viewers reacted too.
Since this was a necessary step anyway, Hanbit scratched his head and continued.
“You won’t believe it, but I used to read a lot of fantasy novels. You really won’t believe it, but I’m kind of familiar with that stuff….”
“Ah, I get it.”
Before he even finished speaking, Yeonwoo nodded in understanding.
All the fantasy knowledge Hanbit had shown during military service—
Considering that, books or comics as the source made perfect sense.
“You believe that? Why?”
“Making a game from an original IP isn’t that strange. The author could even be RP’s scenario writer. But what was the title?”
“…Erfort, I think?”
“Whoa, that was the title? RP’s story goal is to find Erfort.”
-How is the title Erfort?
-Black Dragon, you like stuff like that?
-Want to talk about it more?
-First time hearing that title.
-Probably some obscure flop novel. I could write better. LOL
-Just imagining things, haha.
Yeonwoo and the viewers completely accepted it.
His feelings were complicated, but there was nothing to be done right now.
Ding—
[ㅇㅇ has donated 10,000 won.]
[This actually worked;]
“Oh! Thank you for the 10,000 won donation!”
Yeonwoo’s voice rang out loudly.
The reward for winning the bet came through properly.
Since the viewer had kept their promise, Hanbit also spoke up.
“You really gave it? Thank you.”
-But seriously, how did you know?
-The account is brand new though;
-Web novel facts?
-I’m gonna look it up.
The confused viewers began forming their own theories.
The account creation date on Hanbit’s character info clearly showed today.
Another account like this couldn’t exist unless he duplicated his body.
In other words, aside from the name Black Dragon and the automatic customization, it was completely new on a system level.
Of course, that was the result of meddling by the goddess—or her agents.
“This hyung is naturally suspicious and kind of odd,”
Yeonwoo stepped forward and began his defense.
“If Julio hadn’t been a scammer, he would’ve made him one anyway.”
“What? Make him how?”
“See these fists? You can physically manufacture a culprit, you know?”
-Culprit (custom-made)
-Physical correction is legit.
-I won’t mess with you.
Despite the absurd turn of events, the chat reacted as if it were entertaining.
‘…Is this what a broadcast is?’
The world of streaming was still hard to get used to.
He could leave the difficult parts to Yeonwoo.
Hanbit was someone who focused on what he did best.
“Let’s go to Artsvel now.”
“The thief… well, not anymore. Don’t tell me that NPC is your magic master?”
“That’s right. Though who knows how it’ll be here.”
Yeonwoo quickly followed behind Hanbit as he started walking.
While readjusting the camera angle, he spoke.
“I didn’t expect Artsvel to be connected like this. I never saw her after catching the thief.”
“What? She’s not on your map?”
“Of course not. She went to prison after being caught, right?”
-Come to think of it, she’s gone for me too.
-I tried all the skill quests though.
-It was an easy quest so I just did it.
-She’s here for me. LOL I skipped magic.
-Yeah, same for me.
Only a few viewers said she was still available.
Aside from focusing on a single skill, there were no restrictions on attempting quests.
Considering the rewards, it was natural to clear easy quests.
‘Artsvel must be furious beyond belief.’
He could clearly imagine her reaction to this absurd situation.
Just like Hanbit had eliminated Julio,
countless players had progressed through the game with Artsvel removed from it.
Step—
Hanbit’s feet stopped as he moved through the alley again.
The building looked a bit shabbier than Julio’s shop.
But it had a far more stable atmosphere.
“Hoo.”
Hanbit felt a bit tense.
Unlike Julio, she was someone he had truly been close to.
A benefactor for whom no amount of gratitude would ever be enough.
‘What? Why are you coming to me for work? Get lost.’
Their first meeting had been incredibly prickly.
But each time he showed his face, her reactions softened.
‘…At least try moving those goods over there. Don’t think about freeloading.’
‘Combat techniques? Who do you think you are… haah. You’d be better off learning magic from me.’
‘I told you to be careful, didn’t I? Don’t you know it’s your loss if you get hurt?’
‘If you’re not going to carry goods your whole life, then study. You need to know at least the basics.’
So much so that her initial rejection seemed meaningless—she took great care of him.
Employment, magic education, even essential information for surviving in the other world—he had received so much.
Even when the situation turned sour due to the false charges pinned on him.
Artsvel had been the same.
‘Your fault? Don’t talk nonsense. I won’t let that rat Julio get away with this.’
She had visited him in prison, leaving those firm words behind before leaving.
A few days later, news reached the prison that Artsvel had burned to death.
Creak—
Carefully opening the door, Hanbit stepped inside.
[General Merchant Artsvel]
Behind the counter sat a young woman with blonde hair, resting her chin on her hand.
In a low voice, Hanbit spoke her name.
“Artsvel.”
