Chương 58

Director Yoon Sangmin rubbed his temples. His head was throbbing.

"Morpheus made a mistake," Sangmin groaned, staring at the massive screen in the S. A. Group's main boardroom.

"A Legendary Class quest? Already?" Yoon Nahee, the Head of Operations, tapped her tablet. The main screen shifted. It showed a replay of Rudra swinging a dark wooden staff at a giant troll, then instantly cutting to a clip of him chopping vegetables in a muddy camp.

"It is not a mistake, Director," Nahee said calmly.

"Player Rudra met all the hidden conditions." A hologram flickered at the end of the long table. Director Sharma, the head of the Indian branch, leaned forward. He watched the screen carefully, speaking more like a game analyst than a proud regional manager.

"The player's playstyle is highly unusual. He doesn't play like a normal ranker."

"Unusual?" Sangmin threw his hands up.

"We projected the first Legendary Class wouldn't trigger for at least another year and a half!" Nahee pulled up a comparison chart.

"For context, Kraugel—the current number one player on the global leaderboards—only reached Intermediate Sword Mastery Level 4 last week."

"Then how did this guy hit the Advanced level?" Sangmin asked.

"A few reasons," Nahee explained.

"First, he stacked multiple titles that boost his skill experience rate. Second, he purposefully avoided relying on high-tier items for months. By fighting with basic gear, he forced his mastery to level up through pure survival instinct." Nahee swiped her screen, showing a graph of Rudra's skill usage.

"Most players learn dozens of active fighting skills," Nahee pointed out.

"Rudra didn't bother. He sticks to basic attacks and just a few simple skills. He repeats the exact same moves millions of times. Because the meals he cooks constantly restore his stamina, he never has to stop and rest. Other people enjoy the game while grinding. For Rudra, it seems the repetitive grind itself is what he finds enjoyable." She paused, pulling up a glowing brain-scan icon.

"Add all of that to the fact that he triggered the 'Deep Immersion' state twice. Once in Seabreak Town, and once again during his final spar in Juden. That level of focus is incredibly rare." Sangmin sighed, sinking into his leather chair.

"Fine. I guess the reason checks out. But a Staff Saint? That isn't one of the nine legends we designed." Chairman Lim Cheolho sat at the head of the table. He took a slow sip of his coffee. A highly amused smile sat on his face. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"That is because it is not from the current era," Chairman Lim said quietly.

"Morpheus had to dig deep into the archives to reward him. The Staff Saint is a legend from the Destroyed World." Sangmin blinked.

"The old lore?"

"Nobody was supposed to push a plain wooden stick to the absolute limit," Lim chuckled.

"Everyone wants flashy swords or destructive magic. Rudra treated a basic staff like a deadly weapon. He surprised the supercomputer."

"The class is the least of our worries," Nahee interrupted. She switched the screen again. Two pictures popped up. One showed Elysia washing a frying pan in a river. The other showed Princess Seraphina blushing in the snow while looking at Rudra.

"He is completely breaking the Empire's storyline," Nahee said. Sangmin groaned again.

"What did he do now?"

"Former Red Knight Elysia is a Super-Named NPC," Nahee explained.

"She possesses extreme hidden talent in both swordplay and alchemy. She was hard-coded to die in that forest. A random player was supposed to find her body, trigger a quest, and deliver her final words to Piaro."

"Right," Sangmin nodded.

"That tragedy was supposed to drive Piaro into total despair against the Saharan Empire."

"Exactly," Nahee said.

"But Rudra treated the symptoms of her incurable Imperial poison. He kept it suppressed long enough for Elysia to stabilize her condition. The continued high-quality dishes he fed her gave her enough energy to slowly heal herself over time. Now, she is alive, leveling up rapidly, and acting as his personal bodyguard." Sangmin rubbed his face.

"Okay. What about the Princess?"

"Princess Seraphina is also a Super-Named NPC," Nahee sighed.

"She possesses the hidden potential to become a Legendary Queen. She was scripted to die to the Troll King and his minions after being exhausted in an ambush from the Empire's dark mages. The Empire's involvement would stay hidden, leaving the Murray Kingdom weakened."

"Let me guess," Sangmin muttered.

"He fed the troll a soup, too?"

"No. He slapped the Princess into a snowdrift to save her life," Nahee said flatly. Director Sharma shook his head, looking completely baffled.

"Because Rudra saved her, the Murray Kingdom now knows the Empire tried to assassinate her," Nahee continued.

"Instead of fading away quietly, the kingdom's leaders are furious. They are secretly hoarding resources, money, and troops. Rudra accidentally started a silent arms race on the continent." The boardroom went dead quiet. Sangmin slumped forward, resting his forehead on the cool glass table.

"We have to intervene. He's ruining the main plot. The political map is going to be a total mess."

"Intervene?" Sharma asked.

"We don't need to worry about him trying to conquer the continent, Sangmin. Look at his behavior profile. He didn't join the royal faction for political power. He joined because Commander Vane treated him well, he felt guilty about hitting the Princess, and getting that new coat woke up his greed. He just wants to raid their vault for better items." Chairman Lim set his coffee mug down. The soft clink echoed in the quiet room.

"Director Sharma is right," Lim said, his eyes crinkling in a warm smile.

"We do not touch the game. That is our golden rule. The players write the story." Sangmin looked up.

"But Chairman, the Empire's questlines—""Will adapt," Lim interrupted smoothly. He looked up at the giant screen, watching Rudra feed his tiny, dual-colored cub a piece of roasted meat.

"He earned his stats. He earned his title. Let the Masked Lunatic play. I want to see what he breaks next."