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The day before going to the Specula family with Lieber.
Davian's room.
'It's definitely different.'
On Davian's desk is a notebook bound in red leather.
A notebook written in Korean summarizing various quests from previous playthroughs.
'It's not just because the dungeon exploration club went to that village that I was able to find the traces of Solvere Linea so quickly.'
He looked at the notebook and pondered.
The quest related to Solvere Linea opened in the 5th grade.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Solvere Linea was already active in Alcantia before that.
But.
'The dungeon core amplification clearly started to happen a lot at the end of the 4th grade.'
He read the notebook, which listed the quests in chronological order, three times and tried to recall his memories.
Certainly, there was not this much of an issue with dungeon core amplification in the 2nd grade.
It only happened once or twice?
But now, dungeon core amplification is happening every three or four days.
'Damn game, Elton Academy...'
The difficulty has been adjusted.
He felt that the story progression was getting a little faster.
There have already been several quests that he didn't see in the previous playthroughs.
Meeting Sierra Clock or Odin Nassar at the X-7 base and fighting them was also a first.
Of course, thanks to that, he completely dismantled the X-7 base that managed Elton City.
Since then, very quiet days have come.
But.
Davian clenched and unclenched his right fist and looked at it.
'It must be because I've become stronger.'
As the player gets stronger, the game's story and difficulty change.
The reason why these quiet days are continuing is.
It feels like the calm before the storm.
'What kind of dogshit is this...'
He had vaguely felt it in the 2nd and 3rd playthroughs.
But now, it's not just a vague feeling.
'Damn it.'
Davian himself has become stronger than ever.
He thought he could easily get to the 6th grade, 1st semester, which he had gone to in the 3rd playthrough.
He was just trying to build up his skills as much as possible, considering the two years after that, which he had not yet experienced.
Because he doesn't know what kind of powerful quest awaits him after that.
Of course, he should improve his skills even more.
But.
Thanks to that, the game's difficulty has changed.
The story progression has become faster and more complicated.
Mid-bosses are coming out earlier, or new mid-bosses are constantly appearing.
'It's not difficult to find and deal with Solvere Linea right now.'
He has already reached that level.
But.
What's next after that?
If he finds and deals with Solvere Linea, what's next?
'Think broadly and far ahead.'
From the beginning, he didn't think he could graduate just by improving his skills alone.
So he has been fostering companions he can trust and rely on.
But that's not enough.
'In the end, the final obstacle to graduation is...'
The Marino Empire.
In the end, if he can't overcome the Marino Empire.
The Alcantia Kingdom will fall into their hands.
Graduation will naturally become impossible.
Based on the circumstances so far.
If the Marino Empire attacks with all its might.
The Alcantia Kingdom will never be able to stop them.
The only reason the Marino Empire keeps sending spies and stalling for time is.
To minimize their losses and swallow Alcantia more easily.
That is their way.
'If so.'
Reverse their method.
Beat down all the spies they send to bleed less.
Make them send stronger and more important figures over here.
Beat them all down too.
Make the blood flow in their bodies instead.
If that happens, the power of the Marino Empire will inevitably weaken.
And during that time.
Strengthen the power of Alcantia.
Gather the scattered forces and create a more powerful kingdom.
However, the royal family is excluded from this operation.
There are too many people there who were originally from the Marino Empire or were bought off by the Marino Empire.
'It has to change.'
Broaden the scope of thinking.
Gather strength.
And at the center of that.
Absolutely.
No matter what.
There needs to be someone who will not fall into the hands of the Marino Empire.
That person is...
Me.
"I still have more to say, would you like to continue listening? Or are you going to kick me out like this without telling you how I found out?"
Davian met the gaze of Moldin, the head of the Specula family, without avoiding it.
A mere academy student.
Brings information to the head of the family, who has the best intelligence agency on the continent, without being able to reveal the source.
And threatens, 'Are you going to listen more or not?'
The head of the family opened his mouth.
"Why are you doing this?"
"What do you mean?"
"I allowed the interview because you are a friend of my son. That's all. But why are you being so tough and bold?"
Now is the time to be honest.
"I'm in a hurry."
"In a hurry?"
"Yes. You know better than anyone else. How the Marino Empire is manipulating our kingdom and looking for an opportunity to swallow it up."
Moldin Specula gently raised his palm from bottom to top, gesturing for him to say more.
"But what about our kingdom? They don't know anything and are spending their days pretending to be peaceful. At this rate, I don't think Alcantia's future has many years left."
"So?"
"I'm going to gather the power of the Alcantia Kingdom into one. Coming to you is the first step."
"Gathering the power of the kingdom into one? Then you should go to the royal family and have an audience with the king."
"You know better than anyone else that nothing will come of that."
"Haa..."
A deep sigh escaped from Moldin Specula's mouth.
The head of the Specula family.
The man who knows the most information on the continent.
He understands perfectly what Davian is saying.
"So. Then who will be the center of gathering the power of Alcantia into one? You could be arrested for treason before you even fight against the Marino Empire. I'm sorry, but I don't have that much power and guts."
"I'm not trying to give you such a big burden."
"Didn't you say that coming to me a little while ago was the first step?"
"Yes, that's right. But I will be the one to fasten each button."
"...Davian, do you mean that you will stand at the center of it?"
Davian nodded silently.
Moldin Specula.
The head of the Specula family, which has the best intelligence agency on the continent.
The man who knows the most information on the continent.
Absurdly.
His heart began to flutter towards a mere eighteen-year-old academy student.
His heart rate quickened.
The quickened blood flow further stimulated his brain.
Millions of pieces of information he already knew and millions of strands of future he could predict were intertwined in his head.
And at the center of it.
There is Davian Naone.
The thought was complicated and long.
But the consideration was not long.
"Actively utilize Lieber."
Lieber, who had been listening intently to their conversation, was suddenly startled by his name.
"Yes? Father? No, I mean. Head of the family?"
"The Specula family will cooperate with Davian as much as possible. Use Lieber as the middle bridge for that."
Davian rose from the sofa.
And bowed 90 degrees.
"Thank you, Head of the family."
"I suddenly made a decision that will change the future of the kingdom. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing."
"It will be better than doing nothing."
Moldin Specula shook his head.
"What on earth are you..."
Davian sat back down on the sofa.
"Okay, then let's hear it. The future you are drawing. No, before that. How are you going to catch and deal with the so-called problem solver, Solvere Linea?"
On the way back to Davian's dorm.
"I still can't believe it. The things you said, Davian..."
"Lieber, you're smart, so you know what I'm trying to do, right? And why I have to do it."
"Yeah, I know. But... You're going to unite the major forces of the kingdom into one. A mere eighteen-year-old academy student is saying that."
The first helper for the full-scale war with the Marino Empire.
The Specula family.
The place that has the most information, can get the most information, and can analyze information most accurately.
For the great cause, it was necessary to form a union with this place first.
"Which other families are you going to bring over to your side?"
"Wherever it's needed."
"Amazing..."
Lieber, who had been lost in thought for a long time again, opened his mouth.
"Davian."
"What."
"I'm honored to be with you on your journey. I really mean it. This is something... a life I've been dreaming of."
"What kind of life have you been dreaming of?"
"You know. My magic utilization ability is terrible."
I know that well.
"So my dream was to be the right-hand man of a hero."
I didn't say right-hand man.
"I'm not a hero, Lieber."
I'm just an academy student who wants to graduate more than anyone else.
"You're already a hero to me. An academy student struggling alone to protect the kingdom from the empire. I don't know how great you will grow in the future, but your current appearance will be remembered as the coolest to me. And I'm the right-hand man of such a hero!"
I said you're not my right-hand man.
"You're not my right-hand man, Lieber."
"I'm not? Then who am I? Who else have you told all this about?"
"That's not what I meant. You're higher than my right-hand man."
"Higher?"
"Yeah. You're my exclusive strategic advisor."
"Gasp."
Lieber gasped.
"The hero's exclusive strategic advisor... I, Lieber Specula... Awesome! Totally awesome! This is really the life I've been dreaming of!"
A strategic advisor shouldn't be this simple.
"Then who are you going to make your right-hand man, Davian?"
"I don't know yet... Let's catch Solvere Linea first."
"That's right! That's how the dungeon core amplification will stop."
"No, even if we catch Solvere, it will only be for a moment. They will send someone else to continue the work. Probably someone stronger."
"Then why are you trying to catch Solvere so urgently? Ah! Is it because innocent people are being sacrificed as witnesses?"
I don't care about the innocent people who are being sacrificed.
We need to catch Solvere quickly.
Then a stronger guy will come.
We need to catch that guy quickly too.
Then an even stronger guy will come.
That's how we can inflict damage on the Marino Empire guys.
If we just wait for the quests.
The quests will only get stronger as Davian grows.
So it's better to keep inflicting greater damage on the Marino Empire. That's the way to get closer to graduation.
That's Davian's conclusion.
"Anyway, let's catch him quickly."
"Don't worry, Davian. They're only looking for dungeons where core amplification is imminent, right?"
"That's because they need to cause core amplification right away."
"The map your club made will be a big help. That map that organizes the dungeons where core amplification is imminent. As my father said, our people will soon be deployed to all the dungeons marked on it."
"Yeah. Then we'll be able to catch him soon."
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