Medeus took two steps closer to Nataek before turning into a nearby alleyway.
“Nobody has ever addressed me as anything lower than my title before, but nobody has ever gone as far as to attack a snake to save me either,” Medeus said quietly.
Nataek’s mind went blank. So, that meant there’d been many attempts to kill Medeus, but not a single person has tried to save his life.
Was that it? That was why he didn’t suspect Nataek?
What the hell…
Medeus paused his descent into the alleyway and turned around to face Nataek. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Oh, right…”
Nataek quickly followed behind Medeus.
He couldn’t help but think, what kind of life has this guy been living anyway?
Nataek wore a dark expression the entire time he trailed behind Medeus.
Medeus had broad shoulders and long limbs that were easily superior to Nataek’s. But if one were to only assess the man from neck up, they’d only see his droopy eyes and a soft face reminiscent of the sun during the spring.
Plus, despite having facial features distinctly different from Asians, Medeus was clearly still young. Perhaps he was in his late teens? He looked like he was in his early twenties at best. Unless Nataek was missing something, he was sure that Medeus was younger than him.
Nataek’s first impression of Medeus was that he was an insolent brat with an attitude problem. However, thinking back on his words, it didn’t seem quite so straightforward.
What the hell had happened in Medeus’s life that Nataek would escape his suspicions just because he acted on common sense and had done what anyone else in his position would’ve done…
In any case, he was a mysterious guy. Nataek couldn’t understand nor meet whatever standards he had.
How long have they been walking? Medeus only stopped when they reached the end of the narrow alleyway when there was nowhere else to go. There was a metallic clanking coming from over Medeus’s shoulder.
“Oh, Lord Medeus is here,” the old blacksmith greeted. He didn’t take a break from hammering the sword, instead nodding his head. Medeus showed no strong reaction to the blacksmith’s demeanor, setting his sword down on the ground.
“It hasn’t been that long since your last visit. Yet, you’re already here again,” the blacksmith said.
“It seems that way.”
At Medeus’s words, the blacksmith rose from his seat. The old man took the sword out from its sheath and examined it closely.
“I don’t think even half a month has passed yet… but the blade has dulled a lot since then.”
“How much time do you need?”
“There are first and second masters out there who have entrusted me with certain matters, but I will do Lord Medeus’s sword first. You can come pick it up before the sun sets today.”
The blacksmith set Medeus’s sword down and continued with his forging again.
The old blacksmith had a different appearance from the people of Uruk. Relatively fair skin, light eyes, and light brown hair. He shared a lot of resemblance to Medeus, except that he appeared more shabby especially compared to the other merchants of the marketplace.
With each strike of the blacksmith’s hammer, sparks flew accompanied by the sound of a loud clang. Nataek lowered his head as he wanted to get a closer look, but a hand pulled him by the back of his head, his body jerking backwards.
“Did you want to be forged as well?” Medeus asked coldly.
“…No.” Nataek straightened his hunched back.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Tbe’nf jrxfv wf ktja sbe rtbeiv yf vblcu.”
Rjajfx rajsfv rlifca obg j wbwfca yfobgf gfrqbcvlcu, “Tfr,” lc j tfrlajca abcf. Pa kjr agef atja tf kjr atf bcf ktb abiv Zfvfer ab afii tlw ktja ab vb lc bgvfg ab rfgnf tlw qgbqfgis.
“Xb yes j ofk lafwr obg wf,” Zfvfer rjlv, ajxlcu bea j rwjii qbemt ogbw ecvfg tlr rtlga jcv tjcvlcu la bnfg ab Rjajfx. Ktfgf kjr j ygbchf rfji lcrlvf.
“Two coats and two cloaks will keep the wind at bay. Four or five leather flasks should be enough, and also get some dried fruit that won’t take up too much space. I’ll also need two lightweight yet sturdy leather cords. For transactions, show them my seal and they’ll leave a record in a clay tablet and some tokens.”
“…Alright.”
“I’ll return after attending to other matters. When you’re done, come back here before sunset.”
Nataek nodded. Medeus took the initiative and exited the alleyway first.
* * *
Being able to freely roam the marketplace on his own, Nataek began his search for the second quest in earnest.
It was an opportunity. A golden opportunity to find clues.
Nataek racked his brain trying to recall all the scenes and dialogue he’d skipped. What kind of quest did he get at the marketplace…
It was likely that he talked to merchants trying to find out what “Uruk’s weakness” could be. He was trying to find a way to conquer the city. He’d been asking the merchants if they had any particular complaints about Uruk…
…And that was when he heard a rumor about someone who foretold the future of Uruk!
Nataek slapped his knee in realization. “…A fortune teller!”
Yes, he paid a visit to a fortune teller who provided him with a crucial hint. The clue would prove important in his eventual conquest of Uruk.
Nataek’s heart raced. He had to find the fortune teller right away. The errands Medeus gave him were not as important. But how was he going to find him in this labyrinth-like marketplace?
Nataek began to frantically search through the alley where he thought the fortune teller might be located. After a while, Nataek asked himself how much time had already passed.
With nothing to show, Nataek tried to leave the alley, but a sense of deja vu washed over him. Nataek turned around and headed back into the alley he’d just exited.
A man in a cloak was standing there.
At the same time, a system message window popped up.
<SYSTEM> Suspicious individual detected. An unknown energy is emanating from the suspicious individual.
It’s him!
Nataek quickly ran after the man.
“Excuse me,” Nataek called out to the man, causing him to stop dead in his tracks. “I have a question to ask you.”
The moment Nataek spoke again, the cloaked figure suddenly started running like mad.
“Hey! Wait a minute!” Nataek shouted.
Ah, this crazy…!
The cloaked man was as swift as the wind. Nataek was confident in his ability to run having been the ace runner in relay races during his school days. However, even when Nataek was running at his top speed, he still couldn’t catch up to the man.
A breathtaking chase scene unfolded in an alleyway he imagined Aladdin could’ve had fun running around in. How much had Nataek run? Only when the cloaked man reached a dead end did he finally stop running. Nataek panted heavily, completely out of breath.
“Ha… this is… ugh… wait, wait a minute…”
The cloaked man, in a state of panic, searched for another escape route. Nataek strode over to him and pulled off the hood of his cloak.
“I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to talk. Why do you keep running away… Huh? You…?!”
The man turned around and gulped nervously. His face was familiar to Nataek.
“…You… You’re the one who gave me that CD, aren’t you?”
So, to be precise, it was someone he knew because they both shared an interest in the game Sununki.
Nataek was suddenly dragged into his memories of the past.
Before waking up in an ancient civilization, Nataek had received a limited edition DLC from a complete stranger. Sununki was a single-player roleplaying game that came out a long time ago and only supported solo play. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the playerbase for the game was nonexistent.
Because of this, it was extremely difficult to find guides for the game. There was only one blog that provided simple information about Sununki. Nataek, frustrated after he kept failing to conquer the final city, came across that blog.
However, the blog didn’t offer much help. It only contained strategies for cities that Nataek had already conquered. Still, he felt a sense of kinship because they both played an obscure title together, so he’d left a comment saying, “Thank you. I enjoyed reading through everything.” That was his first interaction with the man.
> wow, it’s my first time seeing someone leave replies to my sununki strategies ^^ its nice to meet you. how long have you been playing?
> Not long. Maybe two to three months?
> so youve been playing without the dlc?
> Does Sununki have a DLC?
> oh, you didnt know. they only gave copies out to people who bought it on the first day of release. theres a cd that includes official mods and exclusive items, its easier to conquer the final city with it
Nataek wanted to hit himself in the head. He thought, that’s why I keep getting stuck at the last city.
> you can only use one of these per account but lucky for you, i have two. since its fate we met like this, ill give you my second copy ^^ where do you live?
Nataek received the limited edition CD from the man he met. Nataek offered to buy the man a meal in return, but the man declined adamantly, telling Nataek it was no pressure as he was just getting rid of something that wouldn’t sell for anything anyway.
When Nataek returned home, he installed the contents of the CD. He also entered the code number that was on the CD case’s cover. However, nothing changed in the game. There wasn’t even a limited edition item that appeared.
Could it have expired? Or maybe he’d notice something if he progressed further into the game? With that hope in mind, Nataek played Sununki again from the beginning.
And a few days later, when Nataek opened his eyes, he found himself in a Mesopotamian city. Bewildered, Nataek grabbed the man by the collar.
“You remember me, don’t you?”
“Why—Why are you doing this? How would I know you!”
“We’ve met before!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’ve never seen you before!”
Then, a warning message from the system appeared in front of Nataek’s eyes.
<SYSTEM> Whispers of people nearby can be heard.
<SYSTEM> Someone is coming down into the alleyway!
Nataek glanced behind him.
“What’s that noise? Is someone getting into a fight?”
“Fight? Where, what fight? There’s nothing more fun than getting to watch a fight!”
The sound of their murmurs grew closer.
“Damn it…” Nataek looked at the man again. “You really don’t recognize me?”
“I don’t know, I really don’t know!”
Ha… This is driving him crazy…
Nataek let out a long sigh. A purple aura lingered near the back of the hand holding the cloaked man by the collar. Whether or not this man was the one who gave him the limited edition CD, there was something Nataek had to confirm with him first.
Nataek shot the man with an intense look. “You’re a fortune teller, right?”
The man nodded in response to the sudden question.
“Read my fortune, then.”
Nataek picked the man up and threw him over the wall before jumping over the wall himself.
When people searched for the so-called fight happening in the alley, there was nobody there.
Edited by An Zheee
I feel bad for the cloaked man, poor man was chased by a stranger down an empty alley and was even thrown across a wall 💀 The pure terror I would’ve felt if I was him
We need more chapters please!
10/10 TFTC