Chapter 79 – The Eye of Insight and the Blackroot Heir
Malik's eyes twitched.
"There's more to this emblem…"
Without wasting a breath, he yanked the item out of his inventory and immediately activated his [Appraisal] skill.
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[Item: Blackroot Emblem]
Description: A personal gift from Yvonne, given to Player "Man like Malik."
Effect: Can convert Gold into Contribution Points.
Usage Remaining: 0/2
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"Geez…" Malik muttered, almost on the verge of tearing up. "This thing is heaven-defying."
Without a second thought, he emptied both his inventory and his storage space, pulling out every single gold coin he owned.
A mountain of shimmering coins appeared before him—over 1,200 gold.
He poured all of it into the emblem. The Blackroot Emblem absorbed every single coin like a bottomless vortex.
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<<1200 gold has been converted into 240,000 Contribution Points.>>
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A brilliant smile stretched across Malik's face. It felt like his soul had just been kissed by the heavens. With that amount, he could finally unlock the Fourth Collection.
He dived straight into it.
His eyes scanned rapidly, leaping from item to item—skill books, weapon blueprints, scrolls, potions, rare materials. But two items caught his eye almost immediately: a skill book titled [Battle Roar] and a spell book [Icicle Spear]. Both powerful. Both tempting.
Still, he kept scrolling, eyes hungry. That's when he saw it—a stone radiating an aura his ring began reacting to.
230,000 Contribution Points.
Malik's heart thumped.
'Why is this ring reacting?' he pondered.
But he hesitated. That damn ring hadn't been of much use lately. Even though it carried a strange aura, he couldn't justify spending everything on something so uncertain—not now.
His eyes continued moving, trailing the digital interface like a starving wolf… until he landed on a skill book. Its name was simple—almost underwhelming:
[Eyes of Insight]
Just the name alone was enough to make Malik pause.
"God's Realm Online is too vast. Most of the time, I'm just winging it, relying on instincts. But now… There are monsters out there that could swallow me whole. And people—powerful players—one misstep and I'm gone. This book…"
His voice trailed off.
This book might be the one to help him differentiate between fighting a lion and poking a sleeping dragon.
But still, the stone… and now this?
He was torn.
After a moment of mental battle, Malik decided to consult the only person who seemed to understand the game more than anyone else—Yvonne.
"Take the one that will be of use to you now rather than that of later," she answered plainly, her tone distant yet clear.
Malik nodded. Her words sank into his bones like cold water.
Without hesitation, he spent 200,000 Contribution Points on the skill book. The stone would have to wait.
With over 40,000 CP left, he redirected his attention to the Second Collection. He picked up two scrolls: one was an Instantaneous Teleportation Scroll, and the other—a Mystery Scroll.
Right then, Yvonne chuckled lightly behind him.
"You're really an interesting individual," she said, her voice laced with amusement and wonder. "To think you reached me again in such a short time… I'm genuinely impressed."
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[System Alert: Yvonne's Favorability towards you has increased by +90]
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Malik's eyes widened as he stared at the enigmatic NPC standing beside him. She gave off an aura too profound to be ordinary.
'Just what kind of person is she…?' he wondered.
Suddenly, the items he purchased materialized in his hands.
Without delay, Malik slipped the scrolls into his storage and immediately opened the skill book.
The moment he did, his vision blurred. Lines of glowing symbols shuffled in front of his eyes like sacred runes dancing in the void.
Ping.
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[System Prompt: You've mastered Eyes of Insight. Mastery Level – Level 1]
[Eyes of Insight] [S-Rank]
Description: An advanced scouting technique that reveals most of the information about a target, including their weaknesses.
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<
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[System Prompt: Do you want a general announcement? Doing so will earn you +20,000 Reputation Points.]
Malik didn't even think.
"Yes."
He couldn't afford to ignore the value of reputation points. That was currency that opened doors.
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[Black Moon Kingdom System: Congratulations to Player "Man like Malik" for being the first player in the Region to learn an S-Rank skill. Rewarding +20,000 Reputation Points and 2 Levels.]
[Black Moon Kingdom System: Congratulations to Player "Man like Malik" for being the first player in the Region to learn an S-Rank skill. Rewarding +20,000 Reputation Points and 2 Levels.]
[Black Moon Kingdom System: Congratulations to Player "Man like Malik" for being the first player in the Region to learn an S-Rank skill. Rewarding +20,000 Reputation Points and +20 Stat Points.]
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The announcement blared across the entire region three times in a row like thunder crashing through the heavens.
The Black Moon Kingdom instantly descended into a frenzy. In every tavern, guildhall, and trading post, players whispered one name.
Man like Malik.
The bounty on his head skyrocketed.
Experts—Red Players, assassins, elite guild members—all turned their gazes toward Green Leaf Town. Its influence exploded overnight.
And amid all the uproar, the man of the hour was simply staring at Yvonne, jaw slightly open, realization dawning.
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[Yvonne Blackroot]
Tier: 1
Level: 60
HP: 200,000
Description: Daughter of the City Lord of Blackroot City. Yvonne is the only daughter of Lord Zoro Blackroot, a man known to dote on her to no end, providing her with anything she desires.
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'No wonder she had to drink a dozen healing potions to fully recover… She's actually Level 60—20 levels above me.'
At that moment, Yvonne squinted slightly.
'To think he could learn Eyes of Insight in less than a minute… What kind of top-tier freak is he?'
She cleared her throat. "Hmmph. Now that you've seen through me—what next? Are you going to hand me over to them?"
Malik blinked.
'Wait… She knows I saw her identity? Of course—[Eyes of Insight]. I activated it right in front of her. But what's she talking about handing her over?'
"I don't know what you're talking about," Malik said with a shrug, playing dumb.
Yvonne turned her back, but her voice rose like a whip.
"Don't feign innocence, Adventurer. You appeared just when I was about to be defiled. You took advantage of my condition to obtain the city emblem, and now, not even four hours later, you're standing here again with over 4,500 Contribution Points—when you're supposed to be hunted by red players!"
Her words were sharp. Accusatory.
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[Warning: Yvonne's Favorability towards you has decreased by -50]
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Malik's jaw clenched.
'This…'
He inhaled deeply, wracking his brain for a response that could turn the tide.
"You're overthinking things, Miss Yvonne," he said, his tone calm but firm. "Meeting you back there—it was a pure coincidence. And saving you… that too. As for the CP—I earned them honestly. I killed 45 Red Players. That's where the points came from."
Yvonne narrowed her eyes.
"You killed 45 Red Players?"
"Yes. I did."
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[Yvonne's Favorability towards you has increased by +100]
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Silence lingered for a moment.
"…I'm truly sorry for blaming you for my misfortunes, Adventurer," she said softly. "My father's illness… It's been weighing on me more than I realized."
"No, I should be the one apologizing," Malik said gently. "If you don't mind… Would you like to tell me what's really going on with the City Lord?"
He met her eyes.
"Maybe I can help."