The Game Difficulty
Has Gone Crazy
An inn room in Honello Village.
With curious eyes, Glen carefully read through the details of the Lunatic reward he had just obtained.
《Lunatic Quest Chart》
《Effects》
: 『Quest Chart』 – Requests received from others or objectives arising from specific situations are designated as quests and recorded on the chart. The authority holder can use quest-related convenience functions such as checking objectives, current progress, and rewards.
: 『Reward Adjustment』 – Through a precise analysis of the result at the time of quest completion, the method of completion, and the degree of contribution, completion points are calculated. The authority holder can use these points to reasonably adjust the quest’s rewards.
‘This is… insanely good.’
Glen, who had been forcing himself to stay calm, felt the corners of his mouth twitch before they rose uncontrollably.
First, the Quest Chart itself was no different from the common, ordinary quest charts found everywhere.
‘Still, it gives clear direction to goals that could otherwise be vague, so it’s a pretty good convenience feature.’
As for the Quest Chart, it wasn’t much different from what Glen had expected.
But the important part was the Lunatic-style function attached below it.
‘Reward Adjustment.’
In most games, quests involve completing a fixed task and receiving a predetermined reward.
However, the Reward Adjustment function allowed for much finer control.
As Glen read the detailed explanation included under Reward Adjustment, he nodded and organized his understanding.
For example, let’s say he accepted a quest that rewarded a normal-grade axe for defeating ten goblins.
Under normal circumstances, defeating more than ten goblins would not improve the reward.
‘Because the reward is fixed.’
But if he used the Reward Adjustment function, the more goblins he defeated beyond the requirement, the better the reward would become.
‘And it looks like it doesn’t only apply to killing extra enemies.’
Even if Glen defeated the same ten goblins, the points he received would differ depending on whether he fought all ten head-on, cleverly isolated and defeated them one by one, or called allies to help.
Since rewards could be adjusted using points, it seemed that in the future, if he had the leeway, he would need to care about the quality of quest completion as well.
‘Which method gives higher points… I’ll have to test that through trial and error.’
Rather than running hundreds of simulations in his head, checking it directly would reveal its true value much faster.
Perfect timing—one ongoing quest had already been automatically recorded in the Lunatic Quest Chart.
《The Truth of Honello Village》
《Quest Rank》 : C → A
《Objective》
: Investigate the truth behind the discovery of a dark crimson robe, the symbol of the Black Cult, found in Honello Village, the northernmost village of the Langlois territory.
《Progress》
: High likelihood confirmed that Honello Village residents are not a unified group with the Black Cult.
: Discovered that all Honello Village residents visited the Ursula Monastery together.
: Confirmed the presence of Black Cult Prophet Beveluga at the Ursula Monastery. (Rank Up)
: Prophet Chel intervened. (Rank Up)
: Successfully defeated Prophet Beveluga and drove away Chel.
《Rewards》
: Lunatic Clear Reward (Non-adjustable)
: Stat Experience Increase (A)
: Favorability with Count Langlois
: Honello Village Reward Money
《Reward Adjustment Points》 : 8/10 Pt
‘So this is how it works.’
As Glen carefully scanned the Lunatic Quest Chart, a spark of interest appeared in his eyes.
Due to the consecutive appearances of Black Cult prophets, the quest rank had risen, and the rewards had grown accordingly.
In other words, the Lunatic rewards were part of a reward system created because the quest rank rose from C to A due to the Lunatic trial.
It felt strangely fascinating to see how Lunatic rewards were being distributed by the system in such a structured way.
‘Other than that, it’s mostly within expectations.’
The Quest Chart was simply a cleanly organized list of quest information.
Stat experience increases and favorability with the village and its lord were all things he could easily predict.
‘What matters is the Reward Adjustment.’
Through this quest, Glen had obtained 8 out of 10 Reward Adjustment Points.
The fact that it was written as 8/10 instead of just 8 meant that his method of resolving the quest had not earned a perfect score.
Glen frowned deeply.
‘Come on. I only had a total of sixteen minutes at 7-star power, and I fought two 7-star-level enemies with that. What more was I supposed to do?’
Of course, the Lunatic trial itself had been brutally difficult, and even clearing it at the bare minimum was an achievement.
Still, seeing that it wasn’t a perfect score annoyed him for no real reason.
‘Whatever. Let’s just see what I can adjust with these points.’
Clearing his mind, Glen used Reward Adjustment. The letters before his eyes mixed together, then reformed into new text.
《Reward Adjustment》
《1 Pt》 : Gift from Count Langlois
《3 Pt》 : Stat Experience Increase (B)
《6 Pt》 : Shared Companion Experience Increase
《S Pt》 : Skill Book (Epic Grade)
: You can obtain additional rewards by using points. If you had obtained the maximum quest points, you could have additionally gained S Points.
“Ohh…”
Points earned based on his performance, and extra rewards using those points.
It was a reward system befitting Lunatic difficulty, but unfortunately, the point distribution was awkward, leaving him with limited choices.
‘Eight points is a bit disappointing.’
If he had earned nine points, he could have taken both Stat Experience Increase (B) and Shared Companion Experience Increase, massively boosting stats.
‘Guess I’ll have to go with the 6-point and 1-point options.’
Even so, by sharing the basic Stat Experience Increase (A) reward with his companions, not only Glen but also Romina, Hawkney, and Tasha would all grow stronger.
No matter how you looked at it, receiving additional rewards that hadn’t existed before was an undeniable benefit.
‘Not that I’m expecting much from Langlois.’
Considering how insignificant Count Langlois was in the original story, Glen didn’t have high expectations for his gift.
Just as Glen was about to claim the rewards, satisfied with what he had gained—
Aaaaargh!
A sudden scream rang out from outside the window, making Glen’s eyes widen.
At the same time, someone knocked on his door.
“Young master.”
“Tasha?”
The door opened, and Tasha entered the room, kneeling before Glen.
“What was that scream?”
“Sir Hawkney and Felix have returned. However, I believe you should see the situation for yourself.”
“Huh?”
Glen frowned.
“Why? What happened?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but it seems Sir Hawkney has uncovered the truth surrounding this village.”
“The truth…?”
Glen tilted his head in confusion.
At that moment, a line from earlier flashed through his mind.
『Reward Adjustment』 – Through a precise analysis of the result at the time of quest completion, the method of completion, and the degree of contribution, completion points are calculated…
《Reward Adjustment Points》 : 8/10 Pt
‘…Don’t tell me?’
Glen’s eyebrows twitched.
It seemed the quest wasn’t over yet.
Glen immediately left the inn with Tasha.
Although it was already well past midnight, lanterns lit here and there kept the surroundings bright.
“You’ve arrived, young master.”
Hawkney was standing in the village square.
“I heard you encountered a Black Cult prophet at the Ursula Monastery. I’m glad you returned safely.”
“Yes. Sir Hawkney, thank you as well for staying behind to investigate the village.”
“Haha! Compared to your efforts, this was nothing! Rather, I regret that as your retainer, I couldn’t be of more help.”
Hawkney spoke with his hawk-like eyes blazing.
“Yes, well. I appreciate the sentiment. But what is all this?”
Glen turned his gaze.
Behind Hawkney, dozens of Honello Village residents were kneeling, every single one of them bound with rope.
Among them was a young man with a face full of bruises—judging by the look of it, the scream earlier must have come from him.
“H-Huff! M-My lord! We’ve been wronged!”
“We d-did nothing wrong! P-Please spare us!”
“We h-had no choice!”
As Glen’s gaze landed on them, the villagers began begging all at once.
They cried about being wronged, about wanting to live.
