Hudson's Miracle
"Lord Hudson. There's an item you absolutely must see!"
"... I told you to knock before coming in."
The manager hurriedly opened the door and rushed into Hudson's room.
Hudson frowned and scolded him.
"I-I'm sorry. But the 'talisman' you specifically told us to watch for is...!"
"A talisman?"
But at the word "talisman," Hudson's irritation vanished in an instant. Instead, he looked at the manager with eyes full of interest.
If the manager was making such a fuss and barging in himself, then it had to be an "ultra-rare talisman."
'A Philosopher's Stone? Sun of Lu Gem? Don't tell me it's Syndra's Breath?'
Any one of those three, if he could get it, was a talisman he'd buy even for a fortune.
And of course, they were the kind of things you couldn't obtain no matter how badly you wanted them.
When Hudson saw the talisman the manager took out from the jewel case, he paused for a moment.
"This is...?"
"Aren't you happy? It's Fairy Queen's Tears!"
"... Who brought this?"
Fairy Queen's Tears.
This too was one of the "talismans" he had ordered them to secure without fail if they ever saw it.
But it was also an item that was almost impossible to obtain.
Because Fairy Queen's Tears was something the "Fairy Queen's Knight" carried only on extremely rare occasions.
Fairy Queen's Knights were hard enough to find, and to kill one you needed at least three strong fighters who had reached level 10.
Someone that strong?
Even in Arcana, you could count them on one hand.
Level 10 was called a "Sacred Blood Bearer," and wherever they went they were guaranteed honor and special treatment.
It was a level Hudson himself still hadn't reached.
"At first I thought some beggar had wandered in, but he left this Tear as 'collateral.'"
"Then he's in the VIP room now."
"Yes."
Hudson leaned back into his chair.
Then, as he touched Fairy Queen's Tears the manager handed him,
A parchment floated up before his eyes.
『Fairy Queen's Tears(Raid)(Immortal)
The crystallized first tear of the Fairy Queen.
Allows you to break through an equipment's 'limit restriction.'
Even if equipment whose restriction has been released is destroyed, the Tear is not destroyed. However, to use it again, you must complete the 'Rebirth of Tears' quest.』
"This is definitely what I was looking for..."
He wanted it.
He wanted it so badly it was driving him insane.
But he couldn't just swallow collateral at will.
This casino was run in Hudson's name, and funded by Hudson's enormous capital, but it was under heavy interference from the "Council."
No business in Arcana could operate without the Council's surveillance and oversight.
If it became known he had embezzled or seized collateral without permission, they would come, imprison him, or kill him.
And besides—
'Someone who can casually leave Fairy Queen's Tears as collateral.'
To be able to hand over collateral like that without blinking, they had to be at least level 10. Or a "transcendent."
If they were transcendent, even the manager would've recognized them.
Hudson had memorized the names of every known transcendent.
So, not a transcendent?
Level 10, or someone weaker who got the Tear by chance?
Then killing them and taking it was possible. If he erased them quietly, the Council wouldn't notice.
But what if the person was so strong that "quietly killing them" was impossible?
Or what if they were one of many in an alliance, guild, or party?
'A few days ago, five stars did fall.'
News that Wilhelm, a 5-star transcendent, had clashed with the Demon King and died had spread not only through Arcana but across the whole world.
There were only 32 stars of goddess that allowed transcendence. Star Bearers competed for them. Wilhelm having five was the crazy thing.
Even that Wilhelm died to the Demon King and lost all his treasures. The stars fell across the continent, and with them, a few "immortal talismans" would've been buried at random.
Immortal talismans. Fairy Queen's Tears was one of them.
So it could have been obtained by sheer luck.
'A player? Or an unnamed, reclusive NPC?'
His head hurt.
If it was a player whose name and face he didn't know, he had to be wary.
In Pangaenia, it was taboo for players to reveal their identities to each other. Death here was linked to death in reality.
A reclusive NPC was just as dangerous.
Pangaenia was full of abyss-deep powerhouses. You couldn't read them at all. Players killed by them? Countless.
Some even called players "sinners" and hunted them professionally.
So players lived hiding the fact that they were players as much as possible.
"Did he look strong?"
"··· I'm not sure. But even when the guards were clearing people out, he stayed composed. And when they pressured him, he didn't look afraid at all."
Most of the guards were level 6. Free knights Hudson had hired at a high price. If he was fine under the pressure of many of them, that meant at least level 8.
At minimum, level 8...
After a long while of thinking, Hudson stood up.
"Let's go to the VIP room. I need to meet him myself."
***
And so, now.
He was facing the man who had flipped the casino upside down.
'Ha. I can't tell.'
... Even having met him in person, he still couldn't tell.
A muscular man, and a beautiful woman with tanned skin.
Hudson glanced at the gold piled on the roulette table.
He'd heard before coming down that this man had turned 250 gold into over a million gold in profit. Unless the god of gambling had possessed him, it was impossible.
'Does he have a talent like Golden Hand?'
Golden Hand. A Talent all famous gamblers possessed. But if he had Golden Hand, the dealers would have dealt with him already.
Because the dealer also possessed a Golden Hand.
'Pure luck? Don't be ridiculous.'
He had come in knowing this would happen.
For a moment, the words Golden Grace flashed through his mind, but that too was absurd.
Golden Grace was a well-known hidden trait. But to awaken Golden Grace required too many talents, and it was useless, so nobody ever took it.
Who the hell was this guy?
"Nice to meet you. I am Hudson, the owner of this casino. If it's not too much trouble, would you like to have a cup of tea?"
Hudson held out his hand.
"Sure."
The man casually grasped it.
It was Hudson's last move to figure him out.
Hudson let out a small breath of relief.
He possessed the Observer's Hand skill, which analyzed anything he touched in detail. No matter how high the target's magic resistance was, at least their level should be detectable...
'... I feel nothing. I can't see anything.'
He couldn't read him.
That meant his magic resistance was absurdly high, or he had something that nullified the skill itself.
Either way, this wasn't someone to take lightly. Hudson swallowed hard.
"Haha. Let's go upstairs together."
Hudson forced an awkward smile.
***
[The 'Giant's Magic Resistance' has nullified the 'Observer's Hand' skill.]
I smiled faintly.
'He's definitely a player.'
As expected, Hudson was a player.
Observer's Hand was one of the class-linked skills that appeared when a "Merchant" raised a low-tier Observation skill to level 10.
On top of that, you also had to take both the Senses and Meticulousness Talents, so it was a skill impossible to have unless you'd actually played the game.
'He followed the exact talent tech tree from my guide.'
Of course I knew because I'd tried it myself.
Before the homepage disappeared, I had posted countless tech trees on the strategy board.
Hudson must have picked "Merchant" from the start and raised it exactly along that path.
And the fact he deliberately used Observer's Hand meant—
'He can't see my level. He can't read me.'
So now it was certain.
Even among players, you can't see levels over someone's head like I can.
That meant the reason I could see his level had to be an effect of one of the unknown hidden traits: Great Sage, Glutton, or Heavenly.
"Let's cut to the chase. Sell me the item you left as collateral."
Hudson spoke bluntly.
"How much are you planning to pay?"
"Two million gold. I think that's more than generous."
Two million gold.
That was a lot, sure.
Fairy Queen's Tears was immortal and reusable.
But its ability was only to remove an equipment's 'limit restriction,' so aside from a tiny number of people who needed it, it was one of those talismans with low demand despite its name value.
So I answered bluntly too.
"Ten million gold."
Hudson's eyebrows shot up.
"... With ten million gold, you could buy five grand mansions in Arcana District 1. Do you really think this collateral is worth that much?"
A typical Merchant's annual sales hovered around ten million gold.
Even among tycoons, only a handful held ten million gold in actual cash.
Naturally, from Hudson's viewpoint, it was a crushing amount.
No matter how much money he made running a casino, not all of it was his.
Just the lobbying money he poured into the city council was more than half his net profit. Add taxes and deductions, and what remained was pocket change.
"Even if I don't, you do."
He still didn't say he had no money.
Yeah. He must want it so badly he'd borrow to buy it, or even try to kill me for it.
"I only want it as a 'collection piece.'"
"To enter the city council, isn't hitting level 10 mandatory?"
"...!!!"
Hudson's eyes widened like they were about to pop out.
How did he know that?
Hudson had been stuck at level 9 for over a year.
But to become an Arcana city councilor, level 10 was a condition.
There was only one reason he was stuck.
'Because I can't hunt alone.'
Hudson had grown with money.
He'd been "carried."
He hired mercenaries, bought free knights, hunted monsters in large-scale operations and quickly reached level 9. But the problem was after that.
To become level 10, you had to cross the line alone.
But he had a high level and low stats.
With low stats, no matter how good the equipment was, he couldn't wear it.
Good equipment usually had a 'minimum required stats' condition. Just holding it didn't grant its performance.
Low stats, unable to use gear properly, worthless combat skills—he couldn't hunt solo.
So he needed a talisman.
Especially one like Fairy Queen's Tears, which could also break an "ability restriction," was desperately necessary to him.
The shock lasted only a moment. Hudson forced himself to stay calm.
"... Who sent you?"
At his reaction, I only smirked.
"I am a Star Bearer. If someone sent me, it would be the stars."
"Stop lying—"
"Would you believe me if you saw a 'Star Guardian'?"
I took a book out from my chest.
Hudson froze again.
"A, a Teleport Book?"
"Even with eyes like a needle's hole, you can tell a Star Guardian. Here."
I hadn't come unprepared.
Teleport Book.
The reason I hadn't left this as collateral was simple.
'… To run.'
It was for the worst-case scenario.
If Isabella could hold out for just 30 seconds, I could escape to the holy land through this portal book.
But things were going better than expected, so it didn't look like I'd need it for "running."
Ziaaak!
<
<
The Teleport Book floated in the air, opening a portal for 30 seconds.
A blue portal. Beyond it, the sight of the "holy land."
And—
"Gah! A 'mythical species'...!"
Beyond the blue portal, the massive form of a "snake" burned itself into Hudson's mind.
Not an ordinary snake—proto-dragon before becoming a true dragon.
A mythic species. One of the Star Guardians that guarded only the stars!
'He bought it.'
Of course, Dramut couldn't leave the holy land because it had to protect the star seat.
But it was perfect for intimidating Hudson.
A warning, meant to keep him from harboring other thoughts, landed the way I intended.
"... W-why would a Star Bearer… come to me? I haven't even earned 'qualification' yet."
A Star Bearer was someone who had reached level 10 and gained qualification, needed to find stars.
Star Bearers traveled in secrecy. They were hard to find, and even harder to obtain stars from.
"You have earned qualification. Because I came to you."
Sometimes a Star Bearer sought out a Sacred Blood Bearer first.
Or even without level 10, meeting through a "special event" was possible.
And no one had encountered more Star Bearers than I had.
Most Star Bearers gave the target what they needed most, then set a condition. A very hard condition.
Gulp.
Hudson swallowed deeply, eyes shining.
Luck beyond Golden Hand.
A state unreadable even by Observer's Hand, a Merchant's special skill.
He knew what Hudson needed most, and even showed a Star Guardian.
He had to be a Star Bearer, one of the most mysterious beings in this world.
Even if he wasn't, he was at least a transcendent. A transcendent was a monster that created paths where none existed.
Either way, he would show Hudson the surest path to level 10.
This was a chance. A once-in-a-lifetime chance!
"W-what should I do? N-no, never mind. I'll do anything. Please, just tell me what to do!"
***
Evening. A classy restaurant.
Under slightly dim lighting, a woman sat checking her phone.
'It's already been ten minutes.'
It was Kim Hana.
She'd rushed over right after work, still in a semi-formal outfit, yet she was drawing everyone's eyes the moment she entered.
Kim Hana's expression darkened.
She'd run here so she wouldn't be late, but even though ten minutes had passed since their meeting time, the person she'd arranged with wasn't even showing his face.
This was the first man who had ever made her wait like this.
Still, tonight was meant to be a thank-you.
'Fine. I'll wait a little longer.'
Ten more minutes passed.
"Ma'am, would you like to order?"
"Some water… sorry. My companion's a bit late."
"That's alright."
It was getting to the point where she could feel the staff watching.
Gulping down water, Kim Hana hesitated.
If he was this late without a text or call, did he forget?
Should she call him?
No. Somehow that would hurt her pride.
While she was wavering, another ten minutes passed.
Kim Hana sighed.
"... Sorry I'm late."
At that moment, a voice came from behind.
Seeing Park Hyun-myung sit across from her with an apologetic face, Kim Hana forced a smile.
"No, it's okay. I just got here too. What do you want to eat?"
… Honestly, it'd be best to eat quickly and go home.