Freya was making her usual rounds in Slumdon Town, busy overseeing the city’s progress. With several members of the Ass Guild always tied up with various tasks, and Broken currently absent, her workload had increased significantly.
Unlike most players who were focused on leveling up as quickly as possible, Freya wasn’t interested in being on the front lines of battles or participating in combat competitions. For her, simply witnessing the many new developments in Yunatea was satisfying enough.
Her primary focus, however, was on the rapid development of Slumdon Town. She was determined to see the city grow and thrive, becoming bustling and strong, both economically and in terms of security.
Maylock played a crucial role in this effort, overseeing the training of the knights and general troops. Even the elite knights that Broken had received as a reward from the kingdom had made remarkable progress under his guidance.
The town’s development was progressing steadily. The city wall had been fully repaired, and while it hadn’t yet been upgraded to something more formidable, it was sturdy enough to keep monsters from breaching the town. The streets had been improved, and the marketplace was beginning to take shape, with many merchants already setting up shop.
The farming fields, in particular, were seeing significant progress, thanks largely to Charmelyn’s efforts. Although she was an Assassin and often disappeared for a day or two on mysterious missions, her focus on agriculture was paying off. Despite her stealthy comings and goings, her contributions were vital to the town’s growth.
Freya walked toward the farming fields in Slumdon Town early in the morning, as she often did. As usual, she spotted Charmelyn sitting quietly, gazing out over the fields. Charmelyn often sat in that same spot for long periods. Freya approached her and noticed that she seemed unnaturally still.
“Hi, Charmelyn, hi…” Freya said, waving her hand in front of the woman’s face. But there was no response-Charmelyn remained motionless.
“Is she asleep?” Freya wondered aloud as she began to turn away. Just then, a voice called out to her.
“Freya.”
She turned back to see that Charmelyn was now standing. “Sorry, I was just… uh, daydreaming,” Charmelyn said softly.
“No, it’s okay. I was just patrolling and thought I’d check in. Do you need help with anything?”
“Uhm… no, thanks. I’ll have the report ready soon.”
“Sure. Don’t push yourself too hard, okay? You need to level up too, right? You can leave the monitoring to me if you need a break.”
“Thanks.”
Satisfied that everything was under control, Freya headed off to continue her patrol.
Later that day, Freya received an invitation from Elincia, along with the other leaders of the Ass Guild-Maylock and Goldrich. She wasn’t sure what they wanted to discuss, but Elincia had mentioned that it wasn’t directly related to the town’s development. Still, Freya couldn’t help but wonder why they had invited her.
By midday, Freya, Elincia, Maylock, and Goldrich had gathered in the meeting room at the House of Slumdon. Once everyone had arrived, the conversation quickly began.
“So, why involve me if this isn’t directly related to the town’s development?” Freya started.
Elincia responded, “We invited you to represent Broken, Freya. As you know, he’s on an important expedition right now.”
“Broken?” Freya looked puzzled.
Maylock chimed in, “By the way, how’s his progress there?”
“Ah,” Freya replied. “Everything seems to be going smoothly, at least that’s what he’s told me. There were a few minor issues, but the progress with the egg is good.”
“Minor issues that will likely become major ones,” Maylock muttered quietly.
“Khi khi khi…” Goldrich chuckled. “You’re so pessimistic about my boy Broken, huh?”
Elincia added, “Maylock always believes that anything happening around Broken is bound to escalate into something big.”
“Yes, can’t help it-he is the main character in this grand story,” Maylock said casually. After some light-hearted banter, they shifted focus to the main topic of the day.
Maylock began, “So, this happened a few weeks ago. Although the news hasn’t spread widely yet, it’s been confirmed that the status of Divine Champion can be either taken or transferred to someone else.”
Freya was visibly shocked by this revelation, as it was the first time she had heard of such a possibility.
He continued, “It happened to someone-an Envy Champion. He got caught up in a conflict that resulted in his Divine Champion Blessing being taken by someone else.”
“Envy Champion?” Freya murmured softly.
The Envy Champion was originally a blessing held by the Dwarves. While the Dwarf King still retains the original Blessing, players have since acquired similar, though slightly less powerful, versions of it. These player champions possess abilities that mirror those of the original Envy Champion.
Maylock continued, “This Envy champion has the ability to duplicate himself.” He paused for a moment.
Freya picked up where he left off. “Is he someone who can transfer his consciousness between those duplicates, letting him be in two places at once, even if he has to control each body
alternately?”
“Correct,” Maylock confirmed.
The Dwarf King possesses the blessing of Envy, which allows him to create an avatar that can perfectly replicate another’s profile. This makes him incredibly powerful, as he can even duplicate another Divine Champion. However, some believe there are limitations to this ability.
Envy Champions among players also have skills focused on similar powers-creating avatars of various kinds. The specific Envy Champion they’re discussing now has the ability to create a duplicate of himself, send it to a different location, and transfer his consciousness between the two. When the original and the duplicate are in close proximity, the user can control both simultaneously, effectively doubling his strength.
“Okay,” Freya continued. “So, what’s the concern for us? And why should I- I mean, Broken – be aware of this too?”
Maylock nodded and continued, “No, I can’t confirm everything just yet.”
Elincia chimed in, “I know you’ve already got a conclusion. Just say it.”
“No, I’m not that confident,” he replied.
“You’re trying to be humble but failing, especially when you usually jump to conclusions.”
“I need more data. That’s why I need Broken’s help,” he said, turning to Freya.
“What can Broken do?”
“He needs to confirm the identity of someone who’s infiltrated their expedition.”
“Blade Phantom?” Freya asked.
“I can’t confirm anything yet, which is why he needs to verify it himself and send me the footage. Only then can I reach a proper conclusion.”
“Alright, I’ll pass this on to Broken. Still, I’m a bit confused about all this, Maylock,” Freya
said with a small laugh.
“He does love being mysterious, Freya,” Elincia added with a giggle. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Freya nodded and said. “Does this mean our hero is in danger?”
“I’m not really sure,” Maylock replied.
“Just say it, Maylock,” Elincia pressed. “You know we can’t do anything while Broken is out
there, right?”
Maylock sighed and nodded. “Seventy percent, no. I think this will actually benefit Broken.”
“So, you’re saying the person who infiltrated their expedition might be on Broken’s side?”
“Most likely,” Maylock confirmed.
“It’s not like him to be uncertain,” Elincia observed.
“Khi khi khi…” Goldrich chuckled. “He always hesitates when he’s concerned about the
outcome. It just means he cares about Broken.”
“Yes, I do care about him,” Maylock admitted, “which is why I’m a bit uncertain about this
conclusion.”
Freya nodded again. “Okay, then. I think I need to log out now-I just got a message from our
hero saying he’s dealing with a little problem.”
“A little problem that will probably turn into a big one,” Maylock joked.
With that, they dispersed, and Freya logged out of the game.