I Became the Guardian of Big Shots in the Game

Moonlight poured in through the window.
Thanks to Levi’s hair softly reflecting the moonlight,
Her red eyes stood out.
“Haa.”
At the short sigh, the intruders tensed up.
Overall pitch-black attire.
With masks pulled up to their noses, it was difficult to even guess their gender.
Each held a different-looking dagger in their hands.
The one with the best physique among them stepped forward,
-Click.
Gently placed their dagger on the floor and knelt on one knee.
The rest did the same.
“Your blade greets its master, Imperial Princess.”
“Stop.”
Levi rebuked in a low, irritated voice.
“There are countless rats lurking in the world. So you shouldn’t carelessly utter words that might remind one of the ‘Empire’, Special Forces Commander.”
As if fully understanding her concern,
The man called Special Forces Commander bowed his head even deeper.
“We’ve cast a sound-blocking magic barrier in case of any eventuality. You need not worry, Your Highness.”
“Did grandfather send you?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
‘Did they notice the curse was broken?’
Levi decided to prepare for any possibility,
She stepped down from the threshold and closed the window.
The room quickly darkened without the moonlight.
“He wishes to hear from Your Highness why you left the forest.”
Fortunately, it seemed they hadn’t noticed the curse’s disappearance.
“Is there a need for a reason? I’ve always acted for the Empire’s revival. Eliminating forest intruders, rooting out traitors, mobilizing the special forces to manipulate the continent from the shadows. This time is no different.”
“If that’s the case…”
“I was about to send a letter. Please deliver this.”
She handed over a paper folded four times.
“Return and report directly. I’ll be going now.”
“Haa.”
A grinding sound of teeth could be heard.
“Since when did a dog question its master’s orders?”
“Y-Your Highness. That’s not what I…”
“If not that, then Special Forces Commander, did you perhaps want to play the role of my master this time?”
“No. I swear it’s not.”
He prostrated himself on the floor.
“I have no need for a dog that doesn’t follow orders.”
When Levi snapped her fingers, the special forces members surrounded their commander.
Of course, they held blades in their hands.
“Y-Your Highness!”
At this moment, the Special Forces Commander’s rank was utterly useless.
His subordinates didn’t recognize him.
Their eyes visible above the masks were overlaid with a blood-red light.
A power passed down only to special bloodlines.
No human in the world was free from it.
Then why didn’t she use this power directly on the Special Forces Commander?
The reason was simple.
Levi bent down and whispered over the Special Forces Commander’s head.
“Bark when told to bark, bite when told to bite, crawl when told to crawl.”
Even if it’s a bit more troublesome,
When deep fear is clearly etched in the target’s heart,
Only then do they truly submit.
“Don’t even think about trying to climb up.”
“…I will follow your orders.”
“Get out of my sight.”
When the window opened again,
Only Levi remained in the room.
‘To think I’d be interrupted during the time I should be thinking only of him.’
It was unpleasant.
But there was also a fortunate aspect.
The fools at home still don’t know she’s free from the curse.
If they did,
Instead of sending just a few like now,
They would have mobilized the entire special forces to forcibly bring her back.
‘I’ll need to prepare for that too.’
Levi opened her eyes that had been gently closed.
Her eyes, which still held a faint trace of that power,
Were redder than anything else in the world.

The next day.
Ethan, who woke up early in the morning, moved busily to find hidden pieces.
In , there are hidden pieces scattered throughout the map that help with progression.
Like a sword left by the first Sword Master, or a great mage’s elixir that dramatically increases abilities when drunk.
But more urgent than that was of course,
‘Money, money.’
The condition to become a proper guardian:
You need to have an insane amount of wealth.
Not because of Ethan’s personal greed,
But because that was the reality of Isilium.
It was a world where you could buy anything except immortality if you paid enough.
‘They have to progress the story, complete quests, and see the ending in my place. I should at least pave a bright path for them.’
Feed Levi good food, dress her in nice clothes, and even provide a full course of education.
This was to secure funds for that.
“Was it around here?”
Long ago,
A treasure vault built by a human monarch who conquered Serdin, once an elven city.
That was Ethan’s target, the hidden piece of Serdin.
‘The description on the vault was something else.’
[“…Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to withdraw the order to build a secret vault.”
But he ignored the treasurer’s plea.
“This is the most perfect location. Think about it. What madman would think of building a large treasure vault in a city that was enemy territory just a year ago? Surely the enemy will think the same. By using this reverse psychology, we aim to safely preserve our wealth, so don’t question my decision.”
Thus, the treasure vault was built in Serdin.]
Whether it was a wise choice, or just a whim that worked out,
The treasure vault built in Serdin was never robbed.
‘Just entering will make you rich.’
If you can enter, that is.
When a user passes near a hidden piece, a sudden event is triggered.
A typical example is an attack by bandits.
‘It would be trouble if a large-scale one appears.’
Ethan is not suited for combat,
And if a large bandit group appears, it would be too much for Levi alone to handle.
He was pondering what to do when,
Suddenly looking to the side, he noticed Levi, who had been with him, was gone.
“Huh? Levi?”
“Yes! Just a moment!”
Levi came running hurriedly from the alley they had passed.
“Ethan-nim, did you call?”
“Where did you go?”
“I saw a cute cat on the way. I got a bit late watching it. I’m sorry.”
“Be careful. They say there are many pickpockets and robbers around here.”
“Yes! I’ll be careful!”
Levi, who was walking briskly to catch up with Ethan,
Turned back slightly with a cold gaze.
From the alley she had come out of, a blood-covered man crawled out, whimpering.
Grab!
“Umph!”
A man in all-black attire leaned out his upper body,
Pulling him back into the alley.
Bow.
The man bowed his head upon making eye contact with Levi and disappeared.
‘Those vermin almost interfered with Ethan-nim’s schedule.’
Levi linked her right arm with Ethan’s left arm,
And with her left hand behind her back, she quickly made hand signals.
The special forces members waiting on nearby rooftops instantly spread out widely.
That day became a monumental day when numerous bandit groups in Serdin’s slums began to disappear.
“Strange. It feels like sudden events should be popping up by now.”
“What is, Ethan-nim?”
“Hm? Nothing, just talking to myself.”
Ethan simply thought ‘Maybe I’m having good luck for once’, recalling his luck stat that was a bit higher than normal people’s.
“Shall we go in?”
“Is it here?”
“That’s right.”
An open space in the middle of the alley.
A lone grave of unknown ownership located there.
Ethan pulled the gravestone to the right, and
-Slide.
With the cool sound of bricks sliding,
Stairs leading underground were revealed.
“Let’s gather as much as we can and get out.”

On the corridor walls leading underground, forgotten ancient words were inscribed.
A language passed down only in the Empire, specifically the imperial family.
Levi read each sentence inwardly.
The content was as follows:
The purpose for which the facility was built,
Who built it, and in which era it was built were recorded in detail.
‘Oh my.’
So it was natural for Levi to be surprised.
Levi, she was,
A descendant of the imperial family of the Empire,
Which was erased from existence on the continent 200 years ago.
‘The legacy of our founder was here.’
This was a ruin that even the elders in her family had given up on, saying there were no clues.
Yet Ethan found such a place at once, as if he could see clearly through the ground.
‘Indeed. Ethan-nim must be the reincarnation of that person.’
Ethan naturally recited the ancient words upon reaching the bottom.
His appearance of instantly breaking the seal on the thick stone door gave Levi an even deeper misunderstanding.
-Boom!
The door opened,
And the dark stone chamber inside brightened as magical light sources activated.
Lastly, one action of Ethan’s turned Levi’s misunderstanding into fact:
Among the endless spread of gold, silver, treasures, equipment, and skill books,
It was because of the item Ethan picked up first.
“Found it! I thought it would be here. With this, we can take everything.”
A spatial backpack.
In a world where all literature and traditions related to the Empire have been erased,
It’s impossible for anyone to know about the spatial backpack, a product of the Empire’s brilliant magical engineering.
Even more so if they’re not descendants of the Empire hiding in the Forbidden Forest.
And as far as Levi knew, Ethan was an outsider.
What this meant was clear.
‘The legendary being has been reincarnated.’
This person is the reincarnated legendary figure.
Levi solidified her thoughts.
“Ethan-nim.”
“Huh? Levi, why are you suddenly kneeling?”
“I apologize for not recognizing you. From now on, I’ll serve you with all my heart and soul.”
‘Why is she acting so burdensome all of a sudden?’
Ethan, with his composure activated, thought deeply and came to one conclusion.
‘Did she find something she wants?’
That kind of request isn’t difficult.
Just the gold coins in here should be close to 500,000.
A spatial pouch, which can hold less than the spatial backpack but is more convenient to carry,
Ethan stuffed it with roughly 10,000 gold coins.
“Levi.”
“Yes, Ethan-nim.”
“Here, take it.”
“…Pardon?”
“Is it not enough?”
“Ah, no. Not at all.”
“I put in a decent amount. About 10,000 gold? Use it as you see fit. Send some to the village too.”
In his mind, he meant for her to use it comfortably without burden, but
‘What could be his intention in saying this?’
Levi’s mind was spinning.
Levi, who had been educated all her life to think about the royal family’s revival, the Empire’s resurrection, and to have a grand perspective,
‘Could he be testing me?’
She thought this was a trial given by the great one, and
Instead of ‘Use this freely if you want anything, it’s pocket money’,
She interpreted it as ‘Let’s see how well you can multiply this’.
So while Ethan was filling the spatial backpack with treasures and items,
Levi calmly went up to the surface and called one of the special forces members.
“You called, ma’am?”
“Take this.”
“This is…”
The special forces member was shocked upon recognizing the pouch.
“It’s 10,000 gold.”
“…Pardon?”
“Use it for the special forces’ activities. And.”

She looked the special forces member up and down,
And spoke with a tone suggesting she found him unreliable.
“Multiply the amount and bring it back to me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Ah, lastly.”
Levi’s eyes emitted a deep crimson light.
“Forget everything you’ve seen and heard here. About Ethan-nim, about the ruins.”
“I will… forget everything.”
After the special forces member, who muttered Levi’s words as if in a trance, disappeared,
Only then did Levi return to the treasure vault with a satisfied smile.

Having secured a good haul, Ethan headed to the bustling area with Levi.
Serdin is the hub trading city of the western continent.
The people, markets, and goods are diverse and abundant.
No wonder users said Serdin feels more like a capital than Etre, the actual capital of the Etrion Kingdom.
They shed their shabby commoner clothes,
And dressed in expensive attire.
“I will cherish and wear the clothes you’ve bestowed upon me for a long time.”
When he said she didn’t have to,
Levi shook her head insistently, so he told her to do as she pleased.
Later, while eating,
-Ding!
Ethan’s eyes widened at the familiar bell sound.
‘That sounds exactly like the in-game notification. Did I hear wrong?’
-Pop!
It wasn’t a mistake.
A translucent blue window appeared in front of him.
[9 years, 6 months, 12 days, 23 hours, 12 minutes, and 33 seconds until the Main Story begins.]
‘This wasn’t the starting point?’
The gameplay period of is exactly 3 years from start to finish.
But if this message is true,
‘Does it mean I have to be trapped here for 12 more years?’
Irritation surged up, but
Soon his mind and heart calmed down due to the influence of the composure stat.
‘Let’s think positively. I’ve secured resources, so let’s consider it as having more time to establish myself as a guardian.’
As he was about to resume eating his stew,
-Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding…
Notifications started ringing in succession.
[The main story’s antagonistic force, ‘Serdin’s Reliable Big Brother Gang’, has been prematurely eliminated.]
[The main story’s antagonistic force, ‘Serdin’s Red Fist Gang’, has been prematurely eliminated.]
[The main story’s antagonistic force, ‘Serdin’s Viper Squad’, has been prematurely eliminated.]
…
[Etrion Kingdom, Serdin Story Act 1 cleared.]
[Congratulations to ‘Ethan’, ranked 1st in contributions.]
[The title ‘Savior of Serdin’s Back Alleys’ is awarded to ‘Ethan’.]
[Special rewards will be given.]
???
‘But I didn’t do anything?’
Ethan’s head was filled with countless question marks.