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Minhyuk, the king of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, had just returned from his long journey. He hastened his travel so he could welcome the diplomats and the former tower masters. Haze was currently guiding them as they came to visit the kingdom. Minhyuk sat on his throne with a soft smile while six other people stood behind him. They did not have any time to do anything else, since they had just returned so their hair and clothes were quite dusty and unkempt.
“These are the new tower masters under my rule. I hope you don’t look down at them.”
“Haha. Is that so? Don’t they look too bad? Still, they look very healthy,” Eck burst out in laughter, the rest immediately following after him. This was because the newly appointed tower masters looked too inferior to them with their shabby and unkempt appearance. Eck and the former tower masters were all trying their hardest to hold back their laughter at the sight.
‘They dare to put these unknown people in front of us, the best in the Asgan Continent?’
‘It’s obvious. They’re putting anyone, someone, in those empty seats. Then, they will announce that they have already appointed new tower masters and gather people.’
‘Even the Beyond the Heavens’ King looks so dirty and shabby. Since they’re appointing these incompetent people as the new tower masters, everyone will definitely leave once their skills have been revealed later.’
At this moment, the former tower masters firmly believed that the rumors that they have heard about Minhyuk being a smart and gracious ruler were just that, rumors.
Then, Marquis Arna, one of the diplomats, threw the bait, “The former tower masters came with us to see the disciples that they had raised in the past. That’s why we’re hoping that Your Majesty will understand their feelings and allow their previous disciples to join us in this banquet.”
“Is that so? Very well, the more the merrier,” upon hearing Marquis Arna’s words, Minhyuk readily agreed and sent people to the towers to call for the former tower masters’ disciples.
“Tower Master Eck! It’s been a long time!”
“Tower Master Ruger! Sir, we missed you!”
“Hahahaha! Is that so? Yeah?”
The number of people left in each of the towers was only enough to fill in around 2,000. Counting them in with the new disciples that the previous tower masters had recently raised, their number should be around 4,000. However, despite their numbers, the party hall was large enough that none of them felt constricted. In fact, there were also the broadcasters and reporters that Minhyuk had called in among them.
‘From what I heard, those that aren’t present here can still see what’s happening here through those foreigners with the small lenses hovering around them.’
‘What was it? I think they called it a broadcast?’
‘We can certainly bring the Beyond the Heavens’ King to his knees!’
The moment the diplomats and the former tower masters saw these people, they thought that it was a godsend. After all, it was like hitting two birds with one stone. Even the foreigners that chose to remain in Beyond the Heavens Kingdom would witness how weak and pathetic this kingdom was, with this broadcast.
Then, the former tower masters approached the newly appointed masters and tried to gauge and ascertain the kind of people they were. The first to move was Annod, the previous tower master of the Commander’s Tower.
The Commander’s Tower was different from the other production class towers. They train those that dreamt of becoming centurions and knights, and even taught them manners and etiquette. In fact, it was the tower with the lowest influence among all of the towers in existence.
“You’re the tower master of the new Tower of Knowledge, right? Nice to meet you.”
Even though Annod said that, he did not like the man in front of him one bit. Especially because the Commander’s Tower was abolished and changed into the ‘Tower of Knowledge’.
“Yes, that’s right,” Jarrod, one of the Five Stars, nodded. But just when Annod was about to ask Jarrod again, Jarrod quipped, “By the way, do you know what a strawberry that was fired from the kingdom troops is called?”
“…strawberry syrup?”
“That’s wrong. Strawberries are fruits, hence they won’t be fired from any job!”
“Ha, haha… ha?”
“Keuhahahahahaha!”
Jarrod bursted out in a rambunctious laughter the moment he saw the incredulous look on Annod’s face, and said, “Do you know what the fastest chicken in the world is called?”
“Hu, hudadak…?”
“Wrong! His Majesty has already eaten it! Keuhahahahahaha!”
“…”
Annod was left speechless.
‘What the hell is wrong with this f*cking bastard? How can a person like this be the master of the ‘Tower of Knowledge’?’
Incredulous laughter naturally bubbled out of Annod’s mouth. When he looked around, he realized that the situation was not different from the others.
Elise, the one going to be the tower master of the Painter’s Tower, was pouring tea for the former tower master, Grein. Then, Grein said, “Since you’re appointed as the tower master of the Painter’s Tower, it means that you have created and seen a lot of paintings in your life, right? Hoho. I wonder what kind of paintings you are working on these days?”
Elise smiled at Grein’s words and said, “These days, I’m busy painting food for His Majesty. Pizza, chicken, rice cakes… ah! And takoyaki.”
“Yes?”
“Ah. But I’m in a bit of a pinch. Every time I draw them, drool always seem to drip down my mouth… Sluuuuurp!”
“…”
At that moment, Grein wondered if they really placed a woman that was good at painting food as the tower master? But from what he heard about the king of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, it was a possible feat. Even Ellen, the Tailor’s Tower’s new tower master, seemed to be a unique person.
At the very least, they thought that the man who was set to be the Chef’s Tower’s tower master was normal. Alas, they were wrong on both counts.
“I have already received His Majesty’s orders. I’m set to open a store in the market and sell a variety of dishes. It’s a bit unfortunate, but the Chef’s Tower already has a tower master.”
“Is, is that so?”
‘The man’s not going to be the tower master but someone that would sell street food?’
Finally, there was the previous Fisherman’s Tower’s tower master Eck. The most important person out of all of them. This very same Eck approached the Fisherman’s Tower’s newly appointed tower master.
‘He looks very handsome up close.’
Despite the new tower master’s disheveled and unruly hair, his white skin, straight nose, glinting eyes, and sharp jawline gave him an unnatural beauty.
“I’m Eck, the previous tower master of the Fisherman’s Tower. It’s a bit abrupt but do you mind telling me what you did before you came to Beyond the Heavens Kingdom?”
The man, Gorfido, glanced at Eck then gulped the remaining alcohol in glass before spitting, “Pirate.”
“Did, did you just say pirate…?”
The people that remained in the Fisherman’s Tower, as well as the fishermen that came with Eck, all looked at Gorfido incredulously. Then, they all guffawed.
“No, are you telling me that a pirate is going to lead the Fisherman’s Tower?”
“The Fisherman’s Tower is the most famous tower in Beyond the Heavens Kingdom but you’re telling me that a pirate is now in charge of it?”
“You, you impudent bastard!”
“How dare you answer the Legendary Fisherman Eck so rudely?!”
The people either laughed mockingly or jumped up in absurdity. The same was true for those that had stayed in the Fisherman’s Tower because of their lingering attachment to the previous Barras Kingdom.
‘Do we have to serve a pirate?’
‘What kind of bullshit is this…’
‘This is ridiculous…’
Eck, a former noble with the title of a count, looked ugly after hearing Gorfido’s answer, “How, how dare you?! How dare you, a pirate, become the tower master of the Fisherman’s Tower?! Are you out of your mind?! And you, a criminal at sea, how dare you speak rudely to me?!”
Despite his outrage, Gorfido just replied nonchalantly, “Yeah, idiot.”
“…?!”
Gorfido was an untamable beast. He was, in fact, being a tad bit polite because he was in the presence of His Majesty Minhyuk. It was as though a speech patch was suddenly applied to his character. If it was his original way of speaking, then he would have definitely said, ‘Do you want me to pluck your eyes and feed them to the crows?’ or something like that.
In the Athenae worldview, it was still impossible to jump continents, that was why most of the NPCs did not know. Even some of the players might still be unaware. However, almost none of them should be unaware of Gorfido’s existence.
Meanwhile, Eck, who heard the words ‘Yeah, idiot.’, became furious.
“Hey! You goddamn pirate! Get down on your knees!!!”
With Eck’s words, the knights around him pointed their sword at Gorfido. At that moment, Gorfido’s eyes turned fierce. Eck’s breath got stuck in his throat as Gorfido said, “Hey, you idiot. Can you stop making a noise in front of His Majesty?”
“…”
For a moment, everyone wondered what was up with Gorfido and his kindergarten-like curses. However, being on the receiving end of his childish curses, it was just very, very annoying. Even Gorfido himself was very frustrated at being civil. The knights kept their swords pointed at Gorfido. If they were at the Japanese Server, everyone would most definitely be shocked at this sight. But then…
“Former Tower Master Eck.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty!” Eck’s head quickly bowed down until it reached his stomach the moment he heard Minhyuk’s dignified voice. It did not matter if the king in front of them was unkempt, a king was still a king. No king would tolerate anyone pointing a sword at the neck of their retainer.
“For, forgive me. I deserve to die…!”
“That’s true.”
“…!”
Eck’s mouth suddenly stopped, his body trembling in fear, after feeling the sincerity and obvious intent in the tone of Minhyuk’s voice.
“I have seen everything. Tell me, what is the difference between you laughing at the retainers that I brought forward, and you laughing at me?”
Step, step, step—
Minhyuk stepped forward and pointed his sword at Eck’s neck, “Raise your head.”
The cold and sharp sword grazed Eck’s neck as he raised it.
Drip, drip—
Eck’s blood dripped down his body as the sharp edge of the sword cut his skin from his movement.
‘This, this crazy bastard!’
Eck felt both afraid and angry. No matter who it was, most kings and emperors were desperate to recruit him. But the man in front of him was truly intent on killing him.
Suddenly, a lifeline appeared.
“What are you doing?! Is this how you treat the Legendary Fisherman Eck? The moment you take his neck, all of the kingdoms will attack you!”
It was none other than Marquis Arna. Minhyuk stared at him with a grin before drawing his sword back.
“Heok, heok!”
“My retainer has been a bit rude so let’s stop it here. Gorfido’s civil speech is still a bit wonky, after all.”
Eck, who was released from Minhyuk’s sword, felt shame and disgrace wrap around his body. He wanted to rip apart the pirate in front of him. At that moment, Minhyuk said, “You look furious. Then, how about this?” He turned to look at the people around him as he proposed, “Compete with my retainers. If you lose, you will wear the ‘Shackles of Control’.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
The Shackles of Control was an item that has been passed down since ancient times and were used for punishing criminals. The moment they had been shackled, their most important abilities would be sealed and they would become nothing more than ordinary people for two straight years. For people with high DEX, these two years would spell the end of their livelihood.
However, Minhyuk’s words were not yet over, “I have been watching and lately, I noticed that those that remained in the towers long to be with the former tower masters. If they remain unsatisfied with the newly appointed tower masters in this competition, then they are free to go. However…” Minhyuk narrowed his eyes at Marquis Arna and the former tower masters, “…if your new disciples express their desires to join our current towers, I hope that none of you will stop them from doing so.”
After leaving those words, Minhyuk turned to look at Marquis Arna and Eck, “Also, I would like Marquis Arna and Former Tower Master Eck to keep this in mind. It would not be strange for me to take your necks right here and now.”
“…”
There was no denying Minhyuk’s words. If they did this in front of Eivelis Empire’s Ellie, their entire bloodline would have been wiped out already.
“The diplomats represent their kings and have the authority to decide, am I right? Are you willing to partake in this?”
In the first place, they came here to show everyone how weak the current tower masters were. They did not have any reason to refuse. Besides…
‘It would be utterly ridiculous if we lost against this bunch.’
‘We can completely bring the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom to their ruins!’
‘The Shackles of Control! Keuhahahaahahaha!’
‘He said it himself! He’s telling us that it’s okay for us to take away the remaining people in the towers!’
All of them cheered deep inside. And these people, who were given full authority to handle the matters in this place by their kings, nodded in agreement.
“We have to make it clear that none of us would be held accountable for whatever may happen in the future.”
“Of course.”
And with that, all of them stood up and moved to the place where the competition would be held. Unbeknownst to them, Minhyuk’s face was displaying a very vicious smile.
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
***
Legendary Fisherman Eck boarded a huge fishing boat and went out to sea near the borders of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, together with his new disciples and the remaining personnel in the tower.
“You should know this already but there are Dragon Fishes living in these waters.”
Dragon Fishes were gigantic fishes that closely resembled dragons, with an average length of nine meters. Once every two years, ordinary fishermen would get a chance to catch them. However, these fishes also had high levels so ordinary fishermen would usually die on the spot if they tried to catch them.
The only one that could catch the Dragon Fishes in the entire Asgan Continent was the Legendary Fisherman Eck. The moment Eck threw his line and bait…
Shwaaaaaaaa—
…the bait started to bob madly in the sea. This was Eck’s specialty, fish tracking. The bait would follow and point in the direction of the fish that he wanted to catch. Around five minutes later…
Twitch, twitch—
The fishing line twitched and became taut. Eck immediately tugged the line. The fishing line flew to the skies and pulled out a Dragon Fish on its own. And finally…
Puhaaaaaaaaaa—
[You have caught the legendary Dragon Fish!]
A huge Dragon Fish appeared in the skies. It was well over eight meters long with a beard that was as long as a dragon[1]’s beard and a colorful array of scales!
“U, uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“Crazy! This is crazy!!!”
“So crazy…!”
Truth was, Fisherman Eck also could not catch the Dragon Fish well. This was because he still had to fight against the ferocious beast despite catching it. But the reason why he opted to catch it despite knowing that it was too much for him, was so that he could show the pirate rat how weak he was.
Not long after, the knights pulled the Dragon Fish on board and knocked it out.
“Make it into sashimi so everyone can have a taste.”
“Uwaaaaaaaaah! Can, can we really do that?”
“Of course. Ah, you know that Dragon Fishes taste different depending on their color, right? Their colors range from red, blue, green, to even black.”
“Ye, yes.”
The fishermen onboard were in awe and admiration. Meanwhile, the people that were still part of the Fisherman’s Tower thought…
‘As expected, I have to leave the Fisherman’s Tower, huh?’
‘It’s only right for us to follow Sir Eck, right?’
‘He’s really incredible…’
‘My goodness! This blue Dragon Fish is really priceless, right?! I can’t believe he gave us a chance to taste this.’
The people that stayed in the tower felt their will shake. But then, at that moment…
Rumbleeeeee—
The sea suddenly churned as a rainstorm fell down from the skies above. Gorfido then moved towards the stern of the ship and stretched his arms forward to control the seas. The sea followed his whims, moving to where his hands were pointing at. And finally…
“Kieeeeeeeee!”
“Kkiiiiiiiiiiii!”
“Kiriririririri!”
Dragon Fishes of varying colors suddenly popped up on the surface of the sea and jumped on board by themselves.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
“Kyaaaaaa!”
“Kyaaaaaa!”
They even followed the movements of Gorfido’s arms, sticking themselves to the ships. Yes, the Dragon Fishes were showing their reverence as they worshipped Great Pirate ‘Gorfido’. Then, Gorfido turned to look back at the fishermen and said, “Choose whatever you like and have a taste.”
His words sounded strangely like, ‘I don’t know what you like so I bought each of everything.’
“…!”
Eck was left speechless.
‘How could this be?! He’s just a measly pirate!’
Since Minhyuk was not here, Gorfido spoke in his usual tone and manner of speaking, “If you don’t want to be skinned then don’t even try pigging out.”
This was the start of the story of the Fisherman King.
1. The dragon they're referring to here is the asian dragon. ☜