Novels by The Guitarist

"The Gorgon-Wyrm doesn't have a chance," I sassed, taking a celebratory bite of a cold rib. "It’s coming to a fight, but I’m turning it into a Dinner Party."Me: KOK is something your realm hasn't tasted yet. So, can I have your Luminous Aether-Cap?Kylan The Chef: In exchange for something I'm not even sure what kind of item? I'm not stupid. I’m a Glow-Worm, not a charity.Wow! This guy has some trust issues. So I took a picture of the KOK and attached it.Me: Fine, I'll take a picture… Sending… [Picture Attached: Click the link below.]I waited…maybe to him it was a god-tier item! “Ha! I’ll be bartering it with the mushroom, Eto wanted so much, maybe I can give it to the old man,” I murmured and ate some cookies.Kylan The Chef: Holy fuck! Are you from Earth, Arthur?What the hell? Someone recognized…Jesus! Suddenly my heart beat so fast my finger trembled.Me: Oh my fucking shit! Yes, and you… damn it, please tell me I'm not alone.Kylan The Chef: Yes! This is OMG! This is surpris

My eyes widened. "Legendary King? Okay, the rumors are definitely outrunning the reality at this point," I muttered, grinning like a madman. "I’m a merchant with a tight leather suit and a Netflix addiction, but if the Hestia Realm thinks I’m King Arthur, who am I to ruin the branding?"I noticed the energy signature. Ursula’s light was a brilliant, blinding neon yellow-pink, it was ‘Look at me!’ energy. But this Kylan The Chef? His light was deep, stable, and carried a brightness that felt... familiar. Like he was part of the same ‘Core Operating System’ as my own power.I leaned back, tapping into my inner Patrick Jane. If a God-Chef from the Realm of the Hearth is sliding into your DMs, you don't play hard to get. You play the "Legend."Me: Yes, I am the King. And yes, I am awesome. You’ve reached the CEO of the Athens Southern Territory. Who are you, Kylan The Chef? Are you the guy in charge of the divine stir-fry, or are you just a fan of my 'Relic-Grade' hotdogs?I smirked, th

I fainted again. This time, I had a goofy, lopsided smile on my face that even the "Red-Ranger" visor couldn't hide.Barnaby and Herbert stood over us, their mirrored visors reflecting the ridiculous scene."Should we help him?" Herbert asked, poking my limp, red-leathered arm."Nah," Barnaby sassed, checking the safety on his Yellow-Ranger rifle. "He’s been working hard. Let him enjoy the 'Tactical Comfort.' Besides, the Gorgon-Wyrm is still two days away. He’s got time for one more nap."Elsa just sighed, her face turning a shade of pink that matched her suit. "He really is... the most awkward merchant in any realm."*****I woke up on the velvet sectional with the grace of a flipped turtle. My "CEO-Red" leather suit was still so tight it felt like a full-body hug from an over-enthusiastic python, but the "Bliss-Coma" had finally worn off.The suite was quiet, save for the hum of the AC and the distant sound of Barnaby and Herbert practicing "Sentai Poses" in the hallway. On the ma

The "..." bubble appeared instantly. My screen began to glow with a soft, rose-tinted light that smelled—I kid you not—like expensive jasmine and high-end mahogany.Ursula: A 'Magnetic' personality, Arthur? My, my. The Venus realm is usually so... loud. But a merchant who understands the tactical value of beauty? That is rare. I have exactly what you need: [THE APHRODITE VANGUARD COLLECTION].Ursula: It is weave-spun from silk-steel and enchanted with 'Admiration Aura.' It scales with the wearer's stats. But... it’s not cheap. It costs 1.2 million VP and a 'Sample' of your Southern KOK. For research, of course.What the heck?1.2 million VP? That was almost my entire war chest. But for a full-team Relic-Grade wardrobe that scaled with stats? That wasn't an expense; it was an investment."She wants the KOK, Elsa!" I shouted, pumping my fist. "She’s hooked! The bubbles are working!""Master, please stop calling the relic soda that," Elsa pleaded.I turned back to the phone, my thumbs mo

For three days, I did nothing but laze around.The Southern Territory suite was a masterpiece of "Merchant Chic." I had the AC cranked down to a crisp 16°C, a temperature that would have made a Gothic Duke’s toes fall off, but for me, it was paradise. I was splayed across the velvet sectional like a fallen conqueror, dressed in my lucky oversized basketball jersey and mesh shorts, crumbs of a frosted strawberry Pop-Tart decorating my chest like edible medals of honor.Patrick Jane had finally closed the case. Red John was toast. I had binged three entire manga series until my retinas felt like they were vibrating. I was at peak relaxation, a state of high-performance laziness that only 1.5 million VP can buy."Master," Elsa sighed from her mahogany desk, the scratch of her quill against a ledger sounding like a rhythmic judgment. "The 'Tactical Volume' of your lip has subsided, your diction has returned to its usual level of unearned confidence, and yet you are currently using a 'R

The next day, the Gothic sun was a relentless, jagged hammer of heat. By 9:00 AM, the obsidian spires of the palace were radiating enough thermal energy to slow-cook a griffin."Why on earth itsh too hot in here?" I grumbed to myself as I looked around.The humidity, thick with the scent of desert dust and the lingering grease of the "Victory Feast"—was making my charcoal-grey suit feel like a damp wool blanket. And my lips still hurt and swollen and no healing spell could help.I stood on the palace steps, my Red Beast idling with a low, celestial purr that vibrated through my boots. "Itsh time we move back home! I want my AC suite!"I adjusted my sunglasses, not the "Relic-Grade" ones yet, just a pair of high-end Southern aviators, and looked at the gathered Council of the Gothic Kingdom."It’th too hot," I announced, the lisp finally gone but the sass fully recharged. "I’m a Merchant of the South, not a lizard of the North. My AC thpells in the Southern Territory are calling my nam

As she ate, I asked, “Marra… what place is this? What year? What kingdom are we in?”She blinked up at me, licking her fingers clean. “This is the Far East of Elias Kingdom, sir. Year of the Ash Moon. The twenty-third cycle.”Elias.I blinked. The name hit me hard. That was the name of my grandfather—Elias Robinson. He died years ago when I was fifteen on earth. A stubborn, old farmer who taught me how to plant tomatoes and use a pocket knife. Could be a coincidence... but still."What kind of place is Elias Kingdom?" I asked, trying to hide my reaction.She tilted her head. “The kingdom of Elias has always been. Ever since the Founders came from the sky with the golden flame. That’s what the elders say. But… now it’s ruled by the Red Duke. Since the King disappeared. Everything's worse now. The Red Duke lets his soldiers take our food.”Her voice grew small at the end, and she curled in on herself a bit.A goat bleated again—louder this time—and I saw a hunched man appear from the sha

Three days later, the sky above Robinson Town had never looked clearer, nor the winds gentler.Yet inside me, a storm brewed.I stood atop the old wooden watchtower near the southern edge of town, gazing down at the fields. Farmers, merchants, children… people I’d come to know, to protect, to laugh and cry with. Flare soared overhead, drawing lazy circles as if sensing something in the wind. Silvarya and Ella were organizing crates by the marketplace. Felix barked orders to a group of young recruits. Elvie shouted at a goat that somehow made its way into the general store again.Life had… settled.And yet here I was, unsettled.The portal glowed in a secluded grove behind my tent—quiet, steady, waiting. A tear in reality itself, its edges shone with gold and silver light, like a wound in time stitched with stars. The System hadn’t spoken since the reward. But its words echoed in my head every morning since.“You will meet the one who gave you strength.”But would I come back?That was

Casualties:983 soldiers.4 elite commanders.2 trucks.1 sky glider unit.We mourned them all that night.But we also lit fires.Tents filled with songs, laughter, and toasts. Survivors ate fresh cooked mana-boar, drank enchanted ale, and sang tales of how Kael punched a monster in the mouth, or how Felix rode a flaming sled down the slope shooting backwards. Even Karl smiled—his hands still bloodstained from the fallen.I stood before the fire, cloak torn, armor scorched.The people of Robinson Town looked up to the mountain. And for the first time, they saw it as conquered land—not a cursed place.The war wasn’t over. But tonight? Victory was ours.The mountain was still steaming—cracked earth and scorched stone whispering of war—but our people were alive, and that was enough.Even before the smoke cleared, soldiers began to remove their helmets. They wept. They laughed. Some fell to their knees and kissed the dirt. Others looked up at the sky, murmuring thanks to whatever gods sti

The snow stopped falling.Only for a moment.Then came the screams.Not from our men.From deep within the mountain.A rumble thundered across the valley. Rocks cracked, trees bowed, and the air itself seemed to recoil. Magic twisted and pulsed in the sky, warping clouds into spirals of black and red. The wind no longer howled—it screamed, like the voice of the mountain mourning its awakening.Then we saw it.The second boss.A giant of bones and black crystal, its body towering like a mountain itself. No skin, no flesh—just living fossil and arcane growths fused into the form of a behemoth. Its eye sockets burned with white fire. Each of its steps shattered the earth. When it roared, the sound ruptured stone and sent some soldiers to their knees, vomiting blood from the pressure alone.But we didn’t break.We fought.“Engage! Formation Delta—FIRE!” I shouted through the orb.Missile pods launched from our mounted turrets, streaking across the sky like shooting stars. Enchanted bullet

Time Distortion Mode: ActivatedYou now have 72 hours of absolute control—while the world is paused.Spend it wisely.I grinned.“Let’s build an empire.”And I did.In those 72 hours, I imported blueprints from the system and began laying foundations for new turret stations across the mountains.I arranged defense patterns. Reorganized supply lines. Optimized training regimens.I even restocked the entire Grocery Fortress, expanded its inventory, and reorganized the warehouse with robotic arms I built during my paused time.The world blinked again—and resumed.No one noticed. But I knew. And when the monsters came again… We’d be ready.The following days surged with momentum.The sun hadn’t yet risen when the town bell rang—a melodic chime now instead of the jarring war-siren it once was. Market stalls opened as steam hissed from early morning kitchens. Children with messy hair ran barefoot through the cobbled streets, chewing on freshly grilled sausage sticks and shouting about “drag

Inside the Grocery Fortress—as locals had started calling the town’s full-fledged supermarket—Elvie and Ella manned the main counter, their new system-registered uniforms crisp and clean despite the crowd. Five salesladies darted between shelves, answering questions, restocking goods, and handling enchanted scanners with practiced ease.“Ma’am, aisle four has instant sinigang mix and canned sardines!” one of them called.“Sir! We have new toothpaste flavors—mint, charcoal, and bubblegum!”“Ma’am, please don’t let your baby lick the shampoo bottle!”Ella chuckled while helping an old dwarf stack his cart. “Did we ever think we’d be running a full grocery store with mana-operated cash registers?”Elvie wiped sweat from her forehead and smiled. “Not in a world where hotdogs are more precious than potions.”Their success wasn’t just commerce.It was proof.Proof that life still had room to breathe, to laugh, to eat.Especially now, as new settlers arrived from the mainland—dozens of them