# Player with Maxed-Out Talent Episode 82

The notifications I was expecting flared up.

[The ‘Ruler of the Plains’ harbors burning animosity towards you.]

[The ‘Ruler of the Plains’ despises you.]

[The ‘Ruler of the Plains’ patience has reached its limit.]

When I had hunted the Dry Goblin before, the Ruler of the Plains had already sent me a message of hostility.

‘Not every warden can be pleased.’

I understand that I cannot possibly cater to the tastes and preferences of every guardian. While I aim to provide content that aligns with the majority of the guardians, I know that I can’t appease every special preference of the minority.

‘He must have been focusing on me since I caught that Dry Goblin.’

The Ruler of the Plains is more affectionate towards monsters rather than players. The incident in the past involving Ma Sang-hyeon’s trouble with the Ruler of the Plains is a very famous case.

‘I’ll let go of the Ruler of the Plains.’

And the ‘Whispering Demon’ must have already known that the ‘Ruler of the Plains’ would cast a hateful look at me. That’s probably why it sent me the ‘High Orc Shaman’s Tome’ as a secret reward. I can envision the future and how things will unfold.

The Whispering Demon, the Ruler of the Plains, and me. Some sort of scenario involving the three of us will unfold.

‘This should be interesting.’

I was not frightened. I know that within five years, The Ruler of the Plains will be gone. I don’t know by what mechanism the guardians appear and disappear, but it is known that no player has heard from ‘The Ruler of the Plains’ within that timeframe.

‘Let’s see how this goes.’

He won’t be able to retaliate against me right now. I played fair and square. It’s just that my play didn’t suit the ‘Ruler of the Plains’ taste.

‘Even if they are concerned about the opinions of other guardians, they can’t do anything right now.’

But eventually, he will make his move.

‘Looking for a gap.’

A surprise attack is frightening, but an attack you know is coming is not. Because you can block it. Just then, Seonhwa shouted.

“Brother!”

Seonhwa held something in her right hand, smiling brightly.

“I found it!”

In Seonhwa’s hand was a purple crystal, emitting a purple aura.

‘She’s smiling so brightly.’

It wasn’t just because she’s my sister; it was genuinely a million-dollar smile—not because she is outwardly pretty or cute.

──────────

Status: Full of Enthusiasm/Chicken Addiction/Joy/Excitement

──────────

Through my sensing ability, I could feel Seonhwa’s genuine joy and excitement. ‘Chicken Addiction’ in the middle is somewhat funny, though.

Seonhwa shouted from afar.

“I found it! Did I do well?”

Her entire body was covered in mud, her face smeared with something that looked like dirt. Kang Sang-goo jokingly remarked.

“Schwam. I was going to find it. To be outdone by a middle schooler, how shameful.”

It was not an ordinary crystal. It wasn’t one that just clears the gate when shattered, it was an ‘Information Crystal’ containing some sort of data.

──────────

[Crystal containing the secret of the ‘Tomb of the Warrior of the Wind’]

This crystal holds a special secret. Breaking the crystal will give you information related to the ‘Warrior of the Wind’s Footsteps’.

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Ma Sang-hyeon received the crystal from Seonhwa.

“I’ll break it, Brother!”

It had seemed quite large while in Seonhwa’s grasp, but in Ma Sang-hyeon’s, it looked like a child’s toy.

“I will break it!”

Ma Sang-hyeon summoned his strength. His arm’s veins bulged. Blood vessels expanded as his face flushed red.

“Huff… Huff…!”

He breathed heavily.

“Brother. It won’t budge at all?”

I moved closer to the crystal.

“Hmm.”

This crystal can’t be simply smashed. It’s not about brute force.

“Tae-woon, you try.”

“…Yes.”

Gwak Tae-woon nodded. He hadn’t taken action so far, but it seemed like he had been sensing something already.

He held his palm over the crystal. All we did was watch Gwak Tae-woon. I could tell one thing.

‘Tae-woon’s movements. They’re incredibly natural.’

As if he already knew what to do with this crystal. Not because he had future knowledge, but it was within the realm of talent.

‘Just by looking at it, you know how to…’

Like figuring out how to operate a machine without a manual, or like playing a game without needing to read the instructions. Gwak Tae-woon seemed to realize how to handle the crystal as soon as he saw it.

[You observe with the ‘Observer’s Eye’.]

Mana was rippling within Gwak Tae-woon’s body.

‘It’s always amazing to watch.’

It felt very different from what could be seen with the naked eye. I can’t describe it precisely, but somehow, an energy with a blue hue seemed to traverse Gwak Tae-woon’s heart, moving in and out of his palm. That energy seemed alive, as if it had its own will and was moving on its own.

‘So this is how mana moves when we manifest skills.’

I could only make surface-level observations right now. After all, my current skill proficiency in ‘Observer’s Eye’ is barely at level 1.

‘The higher my proficiency gets, the more I’ll be able to observe.’

I was already looking forward to that.

I didn’t know how long it would take, but now, I was looking forward to the future. The past where I could only focus on today, without a future, without hope, is already different from the starting line. Now, I can do well. I believe that I can shape my own future.

‘The mana within the clear crystal… is transferring to Gwak Tae-woon’s body.’

It wasn’t visible to the naked eye. Only through my ‘Observer’s Eye’ could I see its flow. A purple smoke-like energy absorbed into Gwak Tae-woon’s body through his palm.

‘He must have received some sort of quest.’

He must have obtained something related to the ‘Secret of the Wind Warrior’. I didn’t pry. There was no need to force the information right there and then.

[The clear crystal has been destroyed.]

[The sudden quest – ‘Tomb of the Warrior of the Wind’ has been cleared.]

Although the gate itself was cleared, there was no separate reward.

[You have already exceeded the reward limit possible within the ‘Tomb of the Warrior of the Wind’.]

[No rewards will be given for clearing the sudden gate.]

I wasn’t particularly concerned. Indeed, I gained much more than I had anticipated.

‘A total of 150,000 coins. The High Orc Shaman’s Tome. The first entry rights to the U-plex dungeon. The gloves of the Orc Grand Warrior.’

All good. But above that, the best gain was different.

‘I have perfectly captivated the growth path of the observer class.’

I closely identified the strengths and weaknesses of the observer class and understood a bit more concretely what ‘The Nameless Observer’ expected of me. From that, I’ve established my future play direction.

‘That’s the biggest harvest.’

Additionally,

‘I’ve also gained Gwak Tae-woon’s full trust.’

I’ve also gained a valuable party member. It looks like they are showing signs of bickering, but the synergy effect when those two are together will be nothing to scoff at, even compared to ten mages.

[A sudden gate ‘Tomb of the Warrior of the Wind’ will transport you to ‘Hill of the Howling Wind’.]

[A key, ‘The Final Wind’, is required.]

A hologram unfolded before our eyes.

[_ _ _ _ _ _]

And beneath it. Arrow-shaped keyboards appeared.

[→←↑↓↔↗↙↖↘]

It seems we need to select the right ones to fill in the blanks.

“Hyuk-jin Leader, what’s this? I don’t understand.”

[A key must be found or one of the players will certainly die.]

[There is a time limit of 1 minute.]

At the notification, everyone’s expressions darkened. My heart also grew heavy.

‘This is……’

I have a hunch. However, I can’t be 100 percent certain.

[Remaining Time: 40 seconds.]

I spoke quickly.

“I think I might know what this is.”

There are only 35 seconds left.

“But I can’t be 100 percent sure. I remember the pattern of the wind that blew when we were making our way out of the hill of the howling wind. The number of wind patterns matches the number of blanks.”

25 seconds left.

“If you all agree, then I’ll try to input it.”

15 seconds remain. We don’t have much time, and I’m the only one with a lead.

“Okay. I’m with the Leader.”

“Brother. I also agree.”

“Schwam. Me too, I’m in.”

“I agree as well.”

5 seconds left.

‘The time I snuffed out the candle. The wind that blew then.’

I remember there was a refreshing breeze, seemingly celebrating the clear at that moment.

[↑↓↔↘↘↗]

That scene is etched in my memory like a picture. I didn’t try to memorize it; it just stayed with me like an image. To my surprise, my memory seemed sharper than expected.

I input precisely that.

[↑↓↔↘↘↗]

[You have successfully found the key.]

[You will now move to ‘Hill of the Howling Wind’.]

[Distorting the flow of time.]

[You have entered ‘Hill of the Howling Wind’.]

Here we were again.

* * *

‘Distorting the flow of time,’ so that’s what it meant. While we were clearing the ‘Tomb of the Warrior of the Wind,’ the time within the ‘Hill of the Howling Wind’ seemed to have been frozen. When we returned here, the other players did not realize at all that we’ve been absent for a long time.

‘So, the present moment is… the time I found the candle stuck to Tae-woon’s back.’

A voice called out.

“What are you trying to fool around with now?”

It was the voice of the fire bear, Kim Tae-cheon. He saw me on the first floor and seemed to regard me as merely ‘prey’. He considers himself a predator, after all.

I retorted.

“What do you mean?”

Kim Tae-cheon frowned at my informality but then rotated his right shoulder. A cracking sound ensued.

“Strange. It felt like something was on my back. Anyway, just try to scheme something. I’ll split your head open.”

Ma Sang-hyeon stepped forward.

“Man, you sure talk a lot.”

“……”

“Do you want another beating?”

Kim Tae-cheon backed off.

“…I wasn’t picking a fight with you, so why are you making a fuss?”

Resigned murmuring from Kim Tae-cheon was all the resistance he put up.

‘Tsk-tsk.’

He’s a player with some degree of notoriety. But after a few hits, he seems to have become overly timid. If he continues this behavior, even the support of the ‘Brave Lion King’ will cease.

‘He won’t last much longer.’

Either he will die in a dungeon or gate or perhaps through fighting other players. Regardless, it is unlikely his name will be recorded in history.

‘There was no past where Kim Tae-cheon was beaten by Ma Sang-hyeon.’

The past has changed slightly again due to my play. But I do not regret it. I did what I had to do, and consequently, many players have survived.

[The sudden gate – ‘Hill of the Howling Wind’ has been cleared.]

[Exiting the gate.]

What I gained was immense. To say I’m walking a path lined with flowers compared to the past is no exaggeration. My mood lifted.

Someone shouted.

“They’ve returned!”

At that moment, everyone became friends and comrades. Some hugged each other and jumped around with joy. Ma Sang-hyeon and Kang Sang-goo stood beside me.

“Brother. Shouldn’t we do that too?”

“Schwam, yes, let’s embrace and shout hurray for the brotherhood of manly friendship and…”

Ma Sang-hyeon and Kang Sang-goo took a step back.

“No, Brother. I wasn’t actually going to hug you.”

“Oh scary. That look in your eyes could destroy the world.”

Shin Yeon-seo giggled.

“Well, regardless, we cleared it safely again. The rewards were fantastic, too. It’s just most fun to play with our Leader. Right, Seonhwa?”

Seonhwa nodded as well.

“It’s so reassuring with Brother. It seems so efficient.”

“That’s right. You’re the best, big brother.”

I pretended not to hear. Gwak Tae-woon silently observed his surroundings.

‘He must’ve gained something from the clear crystal. Now he’s pondering whether to share it with us or keep it to himself.’

Without the Observer’s Eye, I would not have known.

‘With Tae-woon’s personality… He probably needs some time.’

He’s calm and cool-headed. He’ll step back to think. And eventually, if he decides ‘I can trust him’, he’ll come to me for advice.

‘With a very high probability.’

Personally, I think there’s a 99 percent chance he will come to me.

‘I’ll give him time.’

But just then, someone approached me.

“Kim Hyuk-jin. I’m glad you’re safe.”

It was a group of four men.

‘What’s this situation?’

Things were taking an interesting turn.