Chapter 236
Chapter 236
‘I had only heard about it, but seeing it in person is definitely shocking.’
An old man with a snow-white beard and a sturdy full plate armor that was excessive. There were countless ways to describe him in this world, and it would not be an exaggeration to say so.
The story of a knight who charged at a windmill, even those who had never heard of Don Quixote would know how symbolic it was.
The world’s first modern novel, Miguel de Cervantes’ novel [Don Quixote] was such a story.
Yu-hyun had witnessed the fictional character who was famous enough to be engraved in history in reality.
“Sancho! Have you not come to your senses yet? Get up quickly.”
“Ah, yes.”
As Yu-hyun got up from his seat, a system message window popped up in front of him.
[You have entered the Mental Realm ‘Don Quixote of La Mancha’.]
[The clear condition has been updated with the new patch of Genesis.]
[Clear condition-Make Don Quixote wake up from his dream.]
‘What is this?’
Seeing the message window that popped up more than usual, Yu-hyun soon recalled that this was the changed content.
‘Now they tell me the clear condition of the Mental Realm right away.’
Considering how the collectors had racked their brains to figure out how to clear the Mental Realm before, it was a huge improvement.
‘But what does it mean to wake him up from his dream?’
Yu-hyun glanced at Don Quixote and recalled the comments left by other collectors in the briefing materials before entering this place.
-An old man who still dreams of being a knight
-No matter how much you tell him it’s not real, he won’t listen. So I tried to subdue him by force, but he was so damn strong. Estimated level at least 85.
-He causes trouble and makes incidents wherever he goes without even trying. I got caught up in it and couldn’t do anything and got kicked out.
Just thinking about it was enough to make him feel this way. And what Yu-hyun recalled was only a very small part. Some comments were full of long curses at Don Quixote, which showed how much stress the other collectors had.
‘In the actual novel, Don Quixote was deluded by the illusion that he was a knight errant.’
[The Divine Spirits hope that this story will be fun and watch it with interest.]
[Some Divine Spirits are worried that you might fail too.]
The Divine Spirits of other libraries also knew that Yu-hyun was challenging, and they flocked to the library as soon as it opened. In addition to the existing 12,000 viewers, 3,000 more were added, and the current number of viewers in the library exceeded 15,000.
The library, which was noisy from the beginning, became even more lively.
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[New challenger! But more than 10 people have already failed, and honestly, I think this is impossible.]
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[This is not a place where you can clear it by being strong. How are you going to persuade that crazy old man?]
Some of the Divine Spirits’ negative opinions were valid, but underneath them was a kind of lowly desire to see Yu-hyun fail.
He ignored such messages lightly and naturally stood by Don Quixote’s side.
“Oh, my knight. I’m sorry. The wind was so warm today that I fell asleep without knowing it.”
His expression and tone changed in an instant. Most of the Divine Spirits who were watching him were surprised and turned over.
Yu-hyun smiled inwardly.
‘Flattery and acting are very basic elements to survive in the apocalypse.’
Yu-hyun decided at this moment that it was right to cater to Don Quixote. The people who had failed so far had either treated him as a madman or as a lunatic, and urged him to face reality.
But no words could break the old man’s stubbornness, and let alone force, he was beyond their match.
Yu-hyun chose a different route.
He decided to do his best in the role of Sancho Panza that he was given.
Don Quixote’s expression, which had been glaring at Yu-hyun, softened.
“Hm. You are still not a knight, but my servant, so I suppose that can happen. But Sancho. Don’t forget. A true knight errant does not close his eyes easily, even when the hot sun sets and the black night comes!”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Good. Then let’s move on. My lovely princess is waiting for me from afar.”
Don Quixote’s appearance was magnificent no matter how you looked at it. But Yu-hyun knew. The background of this place did not allow knights at all.
Don Quixote’s background was the late 16th century, when the Battle of Lepanto took place. In this era, where cannons and firearms already existed, the existence of knights was nothing but a ghost left behind by the times.
‘In fact, the novel was about Don Quixote, who had gone mad, causing trouble and bringing accidents everywhere. He thought he was a knight and had to save a fair princess.’
[Now that I see it in front of me, it definitely looks like that. But how is this old man so strong? He looks like he would break with just a poke.]
‘The collectors wouldn’t have lied, so it must be true.’
Rather, the fact that they only wrote ‘strong’ might have been an understatement. The collectors, who had strong pride, would not easily accept their defeat, but they honestly recorded that they fought and lost to Don Quixote, saying he was strong.
Looking at the estimated level of 85, it meant that he had the power to match the upper collectors.
If he had to fight him directly, he would probably see an unbelievable power exploding from his thin and frail body.
“Huh? But where is the donkey?”
“What are you talking about, Sancho? Didn’t you agree to serve me barefoot from the beginning?”
“Ah, right.”
In the original novel, Sancho Panza rode a donkey when he followed Don Quixote. It seemed that there was no donkey in the story implemented in the Mental Realm.
Then, he had no choice but to walk.
Yu-hyun stuck to Don Quixote’s side and followed him. Fortunately, Don Quixote thought of his servant’s footsteps and drove his horse Rosinante slowly.
That’s how the adventure of one beast and two men began.
‘Hmm. What was the first trial? Was it staying at an inn?’
As Yu-hyun thought, they crossed the hill, and an inn appeared in the distance. Don Quixote exclaimed with a gleam in his eyes as he spotted the inn.
“Sancho! Look! The majestic appearance of the castle standing there!”
“Ah, yes.”
Yu-hyun answered as if he agreed, but he couldn’t help but wonder inside.
‘A majestic castle?’
Wasn’t that just a normal inn for travelers? The roof was not properly repaired and had holes in it, and the stable next to it was so shabby that the donkey could easily escape.
Two women were drying laundry near the entrance, and anyone could see that they were the innkeeper’s wife and daughter.
But, it seemed that the old knight did not see it that way.
“Wow. Amazing. Such a splendid castle. And look. Two lovely ladies are waiting to greet us at the entrance.”
“No, that’s…”
Yu-hyun was about to correct him without knowing it, but closed his mouth.
The Divine Spirits who were watching the ridiculous scene finally burst into laughter, saying it had begun.
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[LOL, are you shocked?]
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[I’ve never seen Kang Yu-hyun so flustered LOL]
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[Ah, I missed Gumho and Mad dog. But this is fun too.]
The only regret of the Divine Spirits was that Yu-hyun didn’t act as excessively as the previous collectors who had failed.
“Let’s go, Sancho. I’m afraid that the delicate skin of the ladies, white as jade, might be hurt by this fierce sun.”
“…Yes. Of course, sir.”
Yu-hyun followed Don Quixote to the inn.
“Oh, you beautiful ladies. I, the noble Don Quixote, praise your beauty!”
A scream that made his limbs curl involuntarily. Even the people who lived in the same era as Don Quixote would have thought of him as a madman when they saw his words and deeds, let alone the people who lived in the 21st century.
Yu-hyun decided to think positively. Compared to the ugly human figures he had seen in the apocalypse, Don Quixote was rather cute.
“Sir, would you like to stay here for the night?”
“No, Sancho, what are you talking about?”
“Pardon?”
“The sun is still in the middle of the sky, and you want to rest already. I’ve told you over and over that we still have a long way to go.”
“Uh, um. I’m sorry, but my memory is not very good. Could you please tell me again what our adventure’s goal is?”
“Of course.”
Contrary to what he had expected, Don Quixote was rather happy to explain again.
“Hmm. Listen carefully, Sancho. We are on our way to rescue my lady and the lovely princess, Dulcinea del Toboso, who was kidnapped by the evil wizard, Freston. Of course, the journey will be very perilous. There is the giant Caraculiambro that Freston commands, and countless other giants and demons that will block our way. But don’t worry! My princess Dulcinea will never…”
Ugh.
Yu-hyun desperately rejected the endless rhetoric and only took the necessary information.
In summary, he was saying that they were going to rescue the kidnapped princess.
[I’m going crazy. He’s really hopeless, isn’t he?]
‘If there is someone who can say such things while sober, that would be more amazing, wouldn’t it?’
While Yu-hyun and Baekryeon agreed with each other, the Divine Spirits’ reaction was something like ‘here we go again’.
Some of them had already heard this magnificent scream more than ten times without a single mistake.
The Divine Spirits who were suffering from PTSD in the chat window were noticeable.
“Sancho! This is not the time. Let’s move quickly. If we are a little more diligent, the weight of the tears that my love Dulcinea sheds will be lighter!”
And then, without waiting for an answer, he turned his horse Rosinante and headed in another direction.
Why did he come to the inn in the first place? He was a really whimsical person.
“I’m sorry. Our sir is a bit, very passionate.”
Yu-hyun apologized to the mother and daughter and hurriedly chased after Don Quixote.
The ones left behind were bewildered. They thought they were travelers and greeted them, but they spouted some anachronistic speech and left right away.
“What a strange person. Mother.”
“Indeed.”
***
Yu-hyun felt the eyes of the mother and daughter on his back until he disappeared from sight. He could bear it, but it was obvious that the other collectors would not be able to stand the shame.
Most of them had picked a fight with Don Quixote here and got smashed, and were kicked out of the world of imagination.
Even in this world, Don Quixote, who pursued his ideals and dreams, was a freak who deserved everyone’s ridicule and finger-pointing.
‘Let’s see. The next incident was… picking a quarrel with the people he met on the road?’
Just then, he saw two priests riding horses from the opposite side. They were wearing robes, just ordinary priests.
Normally, they would have passed by with a light eye contact, but.
“What! How dare those evil demons wear the disguise of holy priests!”
Don Quixote never let it go.
“Sancho. Do you see? The appearance of those two demons. They seem harmless, but in my eyes as a knight of the wind, I can see their true form. They are demons wearing masks. We must erase them from this world right now.”
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[It’s starting LOL]
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[Get ready for the popcorn.]
Before Yu-hyun came, the other collectors had scolded Don Quixote.
That was a delusion and a mistake, and they were not demons but ordinary humans.
But Don Quixote insisted otherwise, and was sure that he was not wrong. While he was doing that, the priests realized that Don Quixote was a madman and ran away.
The Divine Spirits thought that Yu-hyun would face the same choice.
“Yes! You are right, sir!”
But the words that Yu-hyun uttered were completely unexpected.
While the Divine Spirits were confused, Don Quixote was even happier to see Yu-hyun agree with him.
“Good, Sancho! You are worthy of being my servant. You have a discerning eye unlike the other rogues. That’s what makes you my servant. Hey! You demons there! Take off the masks you are wearing and reveal your true identity!”
Yu-hyun also echoed him.
“Right! Reveal your true identity in front of our sir, and confess your sins and kneel down!”
The Divine Spirits couldn’t figure out what was going on. Yu-hyun had chosen a completely new way.
The two priests stopped their horses and exchanged bewildered looks.
Yu-hyun smirked inwardly at their expression.
‘Of course.’
If someone called them demons out of nowhere, they would have been angry and insulted. But Yu-hyun decided to go along with Don Quixote’s words for now and didn’t stop his reproach.
“Don’t act innocent! Reveal your true identity in front of our sir! We already know that you are demons.”
The two priests exchanged looks again and then spoke in a heavy voice.
“How did you know?”
The priest threw off the leather he was wearing over him.
Inside, red-skinned demons with pointed horns revealed themselves.
Yu-hyun was stunned to see them.
‘Why are they real?’