I Entered a Gacha Game That Had Been Abandoned for 10 Years

30 – Second Hero (4)

Rani is the daughter of the lord.

To be more precise, she was the second daughter of the Anthalia territory, which had a very close relationship with the Norba Kingdom, and she was also an outcast.

Born from a woman who was used as the lord’s one-night stand.

However, the fact that she was the lord’s daughter never changed, so she was treated as such.

As the lord’s daughter, envied by everyone.

But to her, being the daughter of the Anthalia territory felt like a curse.

If she had been the daughter of the lord’s legal wife, she wouldn’t have had such thoughts, but she was an outcast.

She was tormented by her siblings.

On days when the family gathered, she always had to lower her head and eat. The lord’s wife always looked at her with hateful eyes.

In other words, she was the lord’s daughter but lived a life of rejection from her family.

And it didn’t end there.

Needing a place to lean on at a young age, she tried to approach anyone with an open heart, but there was no one who accepted her.

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Children outside the lord’s residence kept their distance from her because she was the lord’s daughter.

The servants in the mansion never tried to approach her, instead feeling a wicked sense of self-satisfaction when they saw the young girl in her ambiguous position.

In the end, young Rani, due to the cursed title of being the lord’s daughter, was isolated everywhere.

But the reason she was able to endure those times when she didn’t receive any positive attention from anyone was because of her father.

In that place where everyone could be considered an enemy, Rani’s father, the lord of the Anthalia territory, treated her kindly.

Because of that, Rani could endure and

“Stay strong, never show weakness.”

She lived by the words her birth mother left as a last testament, repeatedly reminding herself not to show any weaknesses to others.

That was the year Lani turned 19.

…So, about six months ago from now, she suddenly received the ‘choice’ of the ‘world’ and became a hero.

She couldn’t fathom why she became a hero.

Originally, what Lani enjoyed was not wielding weapons, but rather indulging in cooking as a hobby.

But somehow, she ended up becoming a hero, and that fact thrilled Lani.

The realization that she became a hero in a place where she had never received even the slightest acknowledgment planted the hope that she might gain recognition from people.

However, that hope vanished not long after.

No, along with the disappearance of hope, even her support in this place crumbled into pieces.

The reason was the lord who had supported her all this time, like a father, was trying to sell her off to another territory as if she were a mere commodity.

…From the beginning, she understood that the reason she had been raised until now was simply the commodity value of being the ‘daughter of Lord Antalia,’ nothing more.

The lord did not change his mind even though she had been chosen to be a hero.

No, he even liked it.

He liked the sudden surge in the value of the commodity he intended to trade, not as a father but as someone dealing with goods.

…Her belief that she had at least one person she could rely on was nothing more than Lani’s misconception.

Three months after becoming a hero and awakening to the truth of the lord, her father wanted to send her to a count in the Kingdom of Norba.

Not as the ‘wife’ of the count, who was not even a favorable one, but as his eighth ‘concubine.’

The moment Lani realized this, she ran away.

For three months, she lived the life of a fugitive, escaping pursuers sent from the territory, a place she had never properly stepped out of.

However.

“Ugh, can’t I expect some kindness from a territory that’s just falling apart? Well, I asked for too much from the incompetent village chief.”

At this very moment, Lani felt the overwhelming realization that her life as a fugitive, and beyond that, her life itself, had come to an end.

The second son of Lord Antalia, currently engaged in power struggles with the first son for the position of lord, would never let her go.

“…”

Now that this moment had come, everything about her life felt miserably hopeless.

Being born as the lord’s illegitimate child.

Living a life unrecognized.

…Even becoming a hero and receiving such treatment, there was nothing that wasn’t miserable.

Her frightened eyes scanned her surroundings unconsciously. There was no particular meaning; it was just the desperate action of someone cornered.

Even the brief pause in the gaze of Lord Larvania meant nothing more, it held no deeper significance.

I know that I can’t have any expectations from this person.

I can’t offer any help, and I can’t even ask for it.

However…

“Damn!”

Before I could continue that thought, Rani’s body was left hanging in the air.

It was because a member of the tracking squad had caught her by the collar, lifting her up. A blatant look of scorn passed between her and Youngju.

Then, with a sharp snap, her cheek turned. The slap was so intense that tears welled up.

“Why. Do you think that pathetic scarecrow over there would come to save you? This miserable excuse of a person from this dying village?”

“Urgh-“

Her cheek, struck by the trash that couldn’t even be called a brother, throbbed in pain.

But what was even more agonizing was the fact that she had to face a miserable future.

“Come with me. If you don’t want to be dragged along like a tied-up horse.”

Just as Youngju’s second son, Gran, grabbed Rani by the wrist and turned her body, ready to drag her along…

“You bastar–“

Youngju’s hoarse voice resounded.

“What…?”

Gran turned around, his face filled with doubt.

And then.

“You bast—”

An expletive burst out of Kim Hyunwoo’s mouth.

####

Kim Hyunwoo may be ordinary, but he is quite rational.

If he fails at something, instead of getting frustrated, he analyzes why he failed.

If something unexpected happens, rather than losing his temper, he quickly seeks ways to handle it.

This is how his coworkers and friends, who have spent time with him, evaluate him, rather than how Kim Hyunwoo sees himself.

In other words, at first glance, Kim Hyunwoo seems to be portraying himself as a socially adept person with nothing but strengths, but just like everyone else, strengths come with weaknesses.

Kim Hyunwoo has a fit when he is ignored.

In the first place, it was because of his personality that he almost became a ranker, spending money and time on Arteil.

In the army, when he served in night guard duty, there were fanatics who wanted to kill the senior who blatantly ignored and abused him until a field officer came up and got promoted.

In other words, Kim Hyunwoo, who dislikes being ignored more than death, is quite rational in every aspect, but when it comes to being ignored, the button for his fit is pressed surprisingly quickly.

Especially in situations where he is openly disregarded, like now, Gran.

Before Gran, who had a sarcastic comment on his lips, could say anything, Kim Hyunwoo suddenly picked up a beer mug placed on the mercenary’s desk, who was avidly observing the unfolding situation with an intrigued gaze.

“Huh?”

The mercenary looked at Kim Hyunwoo with a momentarily perplexed expression.

However, before he could say anything,

*Smack!*

Kim Hyunwoo struck Gran’s head with the wooden beer mug he had been holding in his hand.

“Crack!?”

Splashing beer in all directions, Gran lay on the ground, still releasing Lani’s wrist.

Without stopping there, Kim Hyunwoo immediately straddled him and began hitting his head with the orc mug he held.

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

“Ah! Ah! Ah!”

Gran screamed with each strike of the wooden mug.

In an attempt to defend against the sudden attack, he raised his guard, but each time, Kim Hyunwoo skillfully swung the wooden mug to hit the unprotected areas.

*Thunk!*

Just as the wooden mug started to warp under the force.

“Do you know who I am and why you’re doing this to me?”

“…”

Gran, belatedly attempting to say something, spoke as if trying to explain, “I am from the Anatolia Territory-“

*Thud!*

“Second, shut up!”

*Thud!*

Kim Hyunwoo remained silent, only swinging the orc mug.

“Uwaaah!”

Gran screamed while writhing in pain.

“Sir! What are you doing to Sir?!”

“What nonsense are you doing to the young master?!”

The knights who were waiting outside the tavern noticed the commotion and rushed in, but Kim Hyunwoo, rather calmly, stood up from his seat.

“Take this and leave.”

Bumping into the battered face of Gran, he spoke.

The knights frowned in unison.

Thunk! Clang clang clang!

At the massive sound emanating from behind, the knights instinctively turned around, only to witness a log falling from the tavern rooftop.

“Or perhaps, would you like a taste of the log too?” came Kim Hyun-woo’s voice.

The five knights who had entered the tavern fell silent.

####

Kim Hyun-woo, with a slightly regretful expression, urged Elena to chase them out of the village as they carried away the bloodied Gran in haste.

‘Did I go too far?’

A fleeting thought crossed his mind, but Kim Hyun-woo quickly shook his head.

Rationally, challenging the surrounding territories wasn’t the best choice. However, even if it wasn’t the best, Kim Hyun-woo didn’t want to endure the humiliation.

In reality, it wasn’t terrible, and ultimately, the two territories wouldn’t pose a significant obstacle to his labyrinthine city plan.

‘So, I intentionally didn’t go further.’

If he had taken more drastic measures, the relationship would have worsened unnecessarily. Yet, even if the relationship deteriorated from now on, it wouldn’t dramatically affect his grand plan.

‘Besides, when I recruit Lani, the relationship will worsen anyway.’

With that in mind, Kim Hyun-woo turned away.

Behind him, Lani, still seemingly bewildered, gazed at Kim Hyun-woo with unfocused eyes, her face unwashed and fixated on him.

“The problem you had seems to be resolved. Have you considered accepting the recruitment proposal now?” Kim Hyun-woo continued.

In response to Kim Hyun-woo’s words, Lani only stared at his face without any clear expression.

####

Gran regained consciousness two hours after being beaten by Kim Hyun-woo.

In the forest, as he came to his senses, a vacant expression briefly crossed his face. It was as if he started piecing together fragments of memories like a broken film, until the moment the film was fully connected.

“This insolent brat!”

Gran, realizing what had happened, spat out curses as he lifted his fallen body.

A sudden rush of blood to his head made it feel like his head was buzzing, but Gran forced himself to stand.

“Grrah!”

The throbbing pain was undeniable.

However, Gran, with eyes swollen and reddened from the increasing sense of shame rather than the pain he felt when he thought about it, clenched his teeth.

“…Huh?”

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His anger, in that moment, vanished.

The reason was.

“Have you finally woken up?”

“You insect bastard.”

A wolf and a half-beast, both exuding a chilling amount of flesh, stared at him.

Each with a red gleam and a violet gleam caused by magical power.