《The Return of the Legendary All-Master》 Chapter 1 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 1 Seoul, 2048. Once known as a megacity, now a devastated metropolis. Everything¡ªroads, buildings, houses, apartments,mercial areas¡ªwas in ruins. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and rain containing polluted mana fell heavily. In the middle of this scene, Jeong-hoon was on his knees, coughing up blood. [Attempting to recover.] [Failed.] [Life force is below 5%. If you do not recover, you will die.] Even the benevolent Goddess Tara¡¯s power couldn¡¯t save him. ¡°Why¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon looked at the culprits who had brought him to this state with trembling eyes. They were none other than humans. Once hisrades, they were like family with whom he had faced the catastrophes that befell Earth. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know best?¡± The man holding a sword and shield spoke coldly. James Marcus. The strongest pdin on the American continent. ¡°What¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon tried to control the mana within him, but it felt stiff and unresponsive. At the same time, he felt his blood reverse flow, making his vision blur. Cough! He spat out more ck blood. ¡°Amazing. Struggling to live even in that state.¡± The one who cursed Jeong-hoon, standing in front with a sneer, was Sophia Stephanie Agaret. A French dark magician and also a transcendental being. She was a debuff master among dark magicians. She cast over twenty curses on Jeong-hoon, nearly every curse she knew. Normally, he could resist them, but Jeong-hoon had exhausted most of his power trying to prevent the apocalypse. In such a state, he had been savaged by things like the Spear of Hellfire, the Arrow of Annihtion, and Verdandi¡¯s Fang. Knocking on death¡¯s door was inevitable. Damnit. Just one step away from escaping this wretched disaster and regaining peace. His clenched fist dug his nails into his flesh, and blood dripped down. Complex emotions like emptiness and rage swirled inside him. ¡°Since when did you n all this¡­?¡± The answer came from a man with a staff, his hood pulled low. He was also a sage and a transcendental being. Alessandro Bryden. ¡°From the moment you said you wanted to end this game, perhaps?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The reason the world had be this way. That damn game, ¡®New World.¡¯ The first virtual reality game that captivated two billion people worldwide, boasting explosive poprity. When the game became reality, Jeong-hoon¡¯s life crumbled. He had run desperately to stop the disaster. Only to avenge his deceased mother. ¡°We certainly gave you a chance. You refused it.¡± They had no intention of ending this game. If the game ended, everyone except the top ranker would lose their power. And that number one was not yet decided. However, everyone tacitly agreed that Jeong-hoon would take the top spot. So they proposed keeping the game going. Of course, Jeong-hoon refused, leading to his betrayal. ¡°Ha¡­ Is that why you stabbed me in the back?¡± Jeong-hoon muttered in disbelief. Hisrades were his only family after his mother¡¯s death. The shock of betrayal by those he trusted broke him mentally far more than the physical pain. ¡°That? Jeong-hoon, you seem to have overlooked something. We never intended to end the game from the moment it became reality.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s face was nk with shock at James¡¯ words. The others were mocking Jeong-hoon. James continued as their representative. ¡°See, this isn¡¯t just about ability. It¡¯s power. The source that lets you rule the world.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And you suggest throwing that power away? What a fool. That¡¯s why you have to die. Idiot.¡± In simple terms, they didn¡¯t want to lose their livelihood. His teeth ground together. He felt disgusted at himself for thinking of them as family. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± ¡°In that state? Jeong-hoon, you¡¯re really tenacious. I¡¯m tired of seeing your disgusting face¡­ Okay, I¡¯ll respect your pride. Use the sword at your waist to cut your own throat.¡± James made a mock slicing gesture at his neck with a smirk. ¡°I¡­ I must end this game!¡± Jeong-hoon struggled to his feet. His legs trembled, and his head spun. His vision blurred as if he might copse any moment. ¡°Wow¡­ Standing up again? You¡¯re really insane.¡± ¡°It was right to stab him in the back. We¡¯d have no chance head-on.¡± ¡°An All-Master is still an All-Master, huh?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s moniker was All-Master. He had trained various weapons to the extreme, boasting master-level proficiency in all. Even if he couldn¡¯t use mana, it was fine. He had onest secret move hidden away. ¡®Something I hid just in case.¡¯ Deep within his dantian was a red mana. It was a mysterious power he gained a month ago while preventing a cataclysm. Jeong-hoon channeled that power. Unlike mana, the energy moved through his body, enveloping it. ¡°What is that¡­?¡± The traitors trembled and backed away from the blood-red mana. ¡°It¡¯s fine! He¡¯s already at his limit!¡± As the Saint Amelie said, Jeong-hoon coughed up blood again and copsed without even using the energy. ¡®Damnit, I couldn¡¯t evennd a single hit.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s body had reached its limit. He couldn¡¯t move even if he wanted to. He couldn¡¯t keep his promise to end the game. ¡®I¡¯m sorry, Mother.¡¯ Your shameless son ising to you now. [An unknown mysterious force is protecting you.] [An unknown mysterious force is sending you back to the past.] [Warning! System intervention attempted¡­ failed.] [Warning! Warning! System intervention attempted¡­ failed.] [Warning! Warning! Warning! System intervention attempted¡­ failed.] What is all this¡­? Jeong-hoon lost consciousness before he could read all the messages. ¡ª His lost consciousness slowly returned. When Jeong-hoon opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a white ceiling. ¡°Where¡­ am I¡­?¡± He got up and saw a full-length mirror. Jeong-hoon approached it. In the mirror was his younger self, in his early twenties. His face was free of the burn mark on his right forehead and the long scar over his left eye. ¡°How did this happen¡­?¡± He was sure he had died from hisrades¡¯ betrayal. How had hee back to the past? Jeong-hoon pulled out his phone to check the date. [May 2, 2033] ¡°Back to 15 years ago?¡± Jeong-hoon hurried out of the room. In the living room, his mother, Lee Na-yeon, was preparing breakfast. Seeing her brought tears to his eyes. ¡°Hey? What are you doing up so early?¡± ¡°Mother¡­¡± Jeong-hoon ran to his mother and hugged her. ¡°Oh, my, what¡¯s wrong all of a sudden? Did you have a bad dream?¡± She patted her crying son¡¯s shoulder, confused butforting him. Only after a long embrace did Jeong-hoon let go. His eyes were swollen from crying so much. ¡°¡­I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s eat quickly.¡± The soybean paste stew and fried eggs his mother made. The kimchi she made herself during the winter and Jeong-hoon¡¯s favorite sausage stir-fry. Seeing the side dishes made him want to cry again. His mother always made sure to cook a warm meal for him before going to work, even when she had to leave early. He hadn¡¯t appreciated it back then but realized its value after she passed away. He must change the future that was supposed to unfold. ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± Jeong-hoon took a big spoonful of rice. ¡°Chew slowly and thoroughly.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But you seem different, my son? Much more mature?¡± His mother noticed the difference in him. ¡°I¡¯m going to change from now on.¡± If he acted as he had in the past, the same future awaited. ¡ª A virtual reality game enjoying explosive poprity worldwide. ¡®New World¡¯. [The first virtual reality game, New World!] [Enjoy New World, so realistic it doesn¡¯t feel like a game!] The global game market is dominated by New World. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a hit from the start. -Did you hear? A capsule for the game costs 20 million won. 20 million. -Are you kidding me? 20 million? Who¡¯d pay that for a game? -Does virtual reality even exist? It¡¯s probably just an upgraded VR. Paying 20 million for that is absurd. The game faced a lot of criticism and was dismissed before its release. Many confidently predicted its failure. They were right at first. A week after release, sales plummeted, and it seemed the game was doomed. The entry barrier was too high. However, the evaluation flipped within a week. -Wow! This is insane! -This game is incredible! To think something like this exists¡­ It¡¯s mind-blowing! -This is so realistic¡­ The technology is amazing¡­ Users who yed the game started spreading the word, and soon, New World gamey videos began trending online. -Honey! How could you take out a loan to buy the capsule? -But this is seriously amazing! Watch this broadcast! -Fine¡­ But I get to y first. -Mom! Buy me a capsule! -Wahhh! I want to y that! From adults to children, everyone was drawn to New World, and PC cafes evolved into capsule rooms. The capsule¡¯s high price made most people use capsule rooms, leading to a boom in their business. As a result, within a year of release, the number of capsule users surpassed 50 million. The number continued to grow each year, reaching two billion worldwide. Only Jeong-hoon knew that this game would soon be reality. ¡®Creating a virtual reality game with current technology was absurd from the start.¡¯ New World¡¯s developer. Earth. Earth¡¯s stock price kept hitting new highs. Thepany¡¯s market cap soared past 8,000 trillion won. It existed, and developers worked tirelessly on updates. Even if the technology was centuries ahead, would anyone doubt it? ¡°Hey, are you really going to the capsule room? You said you would?!¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s nosy friend Jang Ha-jin chattered beside him. ¡°Yes. So be quiet.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you need an exnation? It¡¯s your first time, right?¡± Unlike Jeong-hoon, Ha-jin was addicted to New World, spending twelve hours a day in the capsule room. His level had already surpassed 150. ¡®Cough! I¡¯ve paid off my debt with this.¡¯ Ha-jin, who couldn¡¯t survive a year after New World became reality, had lost his life in Jeong-hoon¡¯s ce, iming his higher level gave him an advantage. ¡®I hope I¡¯m born with a silver spoon in my next life, and ridiculously good-looking too.¡¯ Even in hisst moments, he made absurdments. To Jeong-hoon, who had been betrayed by everyone, Ha-jin was the only friend he could trust. With a determination to prevent such a future, Jeong-hoon patted Ha-jin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°What? Why are you acting all weird suddenly?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Ha-jin, who had a membership at the capsule room, found an empty capsule and sat down while Jeong-hoon registered as a new member. ¡®5,000 won per hour. It¡¯s a bit steep.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a small amount. It would be nice to have a personal capsule, but for now, this was the best option. Jeong-hoon had no choice but to go through with it. ¡°Jeong-hoon! Over here!¡± After finishing the registration, Ha-jin pointed to the empty capsule next to him. Jeong-hoon went and sat in it. ¡°Start first.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need an exnation?¡± ¡°For thest time, start already.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Only then did Ha-jin press the start button. Swoosh! The capsule lid slowly closed over Ha-jin. Jeong-hoon also pressed the start button. Swoosh! As the lid closed, everything went dark. At the same time, he felt his body floating. Then fine lines stuck to his body, and something covered his eyes. Fwoosh! Fresh air burst forth, and his vision brightened. Jeong-hoon was standing on a wide-open in. The sky was clear without a single cloud, and a refreshing breeze brushed past him. The first reason people were captivated. The realistic sensation. [No login records found after body scan.] [Proceeding to character creation.] A holographic window appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. Using this hologram, he could create his character. ¡°Yes.¡± When he lightly touched the {Yes} button, his appearance was projected as a hologram. In New World, you could use your actual appearance or customize it. Many people with appearanceplexes overhauled their looks for the game. Since they could have their ideal face without surgery, this was another key to New World¡¯s huge sess. Jeong-hoon adjusted his appearance slightly and pressed confirm. [Please set your nickname.] Another holographic window appeared with a keyboard. Using this keyboard, he could set his nickname. ¡°Hoon.¡± He finished setting his nickname. [Warning! Once set, characters cannot be deleted. Please y with caution.] There it was. The snowball that turned into a catastrophe, driving people to death. Novice yers usually learn by making mistakes and creating stronger characters on the next try. But this damn New World didn¡¯t allow that. -What? I chose the wrong ss! Let me change it! -Wow¡­ That ss is so much better. My life is ruined. -Only one character per person is crazy¡­ Despite theints, Earth didn¡¯t change the system. ¡®Let¡¯s do it again.¡¯ Even in such circumstances, Jeong-hoon had reached the top as an All-Master. This was his second attempt. There was no room for failure now. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 2 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 2 There¡¯s another reason this game is despicable. [Choose your ss!] ¨C Warrior ¨C Mage ¨C Archer ¨C Thief ¨C Gunslinger ¨C Martial Artist You have to choose a ss from the beginning to y. Thus, early game guides were very popr in the New Worldmunity. [Choosing a ss at the start isn¡¯t final, so pick what you like.] ¨C There are many warrior branches. You can learn sword, spear, or shield tanking. Same for archers, with many types of bows. Just pick and learn. By the way, if you want to be a healer, choose mage. You can branch into holy power instead of mana, but mana will disappear as it converts to holy power. LOL Lastly, never choose martial artist. It¡¯s a ss that relies solely on physicalbat. It¡¯s tough to acquire skills, so I highly discourage it. ©¸Martial Artist? LOL, why choose that? ©¸I¡¯d rather be a healer, LOL. ©¸This game even gives healersbat skills. You can use holy power forbat skills. ©¸Martial Artists are strong¡­ don¡¯t underestimate them. ©¸Just be a Gunslinger. Shoot those fist fighters dead, LOL. ©¸Gunslingers are too expensive. Only the rich y that ss, LOL. Martial Artists are a heavily criticized and overlooked ss in guides due to yers choosing it without knowing better. While Martial Artists can be decent and have diverse growth paths, other sses were far more efficient. However, Jeong-hoon alone knew that this belief was wrong. Martial Artists wouldter be recognized as overpowered characters. By then, most had already set their characters, making it pointless. ¡°To be an All-Master, I have no choice but to pick Martial Artist.¡± In the past, Jeong-hoon chose Martial Artist. It was the only ss with infinite potential. [You have selected Martial Artist.] He chose Martial Artist, just like before his regression. [Please choose your weapon.] [The system rmends ¡®Knuckle¡¯.] Choosing a ss grants a beginner weapon, with rmendations varying by ss. For Martial Artists, the best weapon was knuckles, suitable for a barehanded fighting ss. ¡®Last time, I chose a sword.¡¯ He had chosen a sword instead of knuckles during his previous experience. After experiencing the game a few years from now, Jeong-hoon had diligently studied the guides. It was during this study that he learned about the versatility of the Martial Artist ss. [To those choosing Martial Artist! Here are some tips!] ¨C Martial Artists focus on unarmedbat but can also learn skills with various weapons, making it the only ss capable of such versatility. Don¡¯t choose knuckles at first; try other weapons. If you¡¯re not confident in your skills, use knuckles. He chose Martial Artist for its diverse weapon mastery. So, he picked the sword. But this time, he wouldn¡¯t choose the sword. ¡°This is the only chance to learn holy power.¡± Jeong-hoon disliked the nickname All-Master. Though he seeded as a mage, he couldn¡¯t learn holy power to the end. mana and holy power cannot coexist. Had he possessed holy power, perhaps he wouldn¡¯t have been so easily defeated. Holy power could heal wounds and cure status ailments. [There is one way to master both mana and holy power. It¡¯s only possible for beginners, so it¡¯s impossible for the current Jeong-hoon.] While it was impossible for his past self, it was achievable for the newly regressed Jeong-hoon. This method allowed simultaneous use of mana and holy power. Simply put, it¡¯s a hidden cheat in New World. ¡°Charm.¡± So, he chose the charm. Usually, Martial Artists choose knuckles. Each ss acquires two skills, and Martial Artists get skills specialized in unarmedbat. However, those skills can be learnedter. For now, holy power was the priority. [Beginner¡¯s Charm] ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Healing: 10 ¨C Weight: 0.01kg ¨C Using the charm restores a portion of your health. It was clearly a healing item, not a weapon. This was a unique auxiliary weapon. Choosing an auxiliary weapon at the start might seem crazy, but it was the only way to obtain holy power. [Weapon selectionpleted.] [Starting tutorial.] As the tutorial began, Jeong-hoon¡¯s vision went dark. ¡ª [Tutorial Colosseum] When his vision returned, he was in the middle of a colosseum. Jeong-hoon roughly stuffed the charm into his pocket. The charm¡¯s advantage was that it could be used just by carrying it, no need to pull it out. [Tutorial guide!] ¨C Don¡¯t breeze through the tutorial; it heavily impacts future growth. Sessfullypleting the tutorial is crucial! Monster strategy¡­ (omitted) ©¸True, but who scores well in the tutorial? ©¸You only get one character. How can anyone do this based on a guide? LOL ©¸Theory and practice are different~ ©¸Most can¡¯t even clear the second stage. ©¸Has anyone cleared up to the third stage? ©¸I heard there¡¯s a fourth stage. It¡¯s supposedly impossible to clear. ©¸Even seasoned yers can¡¯t clear the fourth stage. Jeong-hoon had seen those guides. He had managed to clear up to the second stage with some luck. Most were designed to clear the first stage and move on. Stage-based clear conditions upgraded the rewards. [Starting tutorial.] [Hunt the monsters.] The tutorial was simple. Regardless of the stage, it ended by hunting monsters. A goblin appeared before Jeong-hoon. [Lv.1 Weakened Goblin] A weakened goblin designed for all users to clear. This goblin would copse with one punch. ¡°Keurrk¡­ Human, I will kill you¡­¡± Its grumbling wasn¡¯t threatening at all. It even crawled towards him sluggishly. Jeong-hoon watched it and threw a punch. Thud! His fist hit the goblin square in the face. The goblin toppled backward and vanished. [You have sessfullypleted the tutorial!] [Would you like to exit the tutorial? If you continue to hunt monsters, the rewards will be upgraded!] ¡°I¡¯ll proceed to the next stage.¡± The experience was over, and now it was time for serious hunting. [Starting stage 2 of the tutorial.] [Hunt the monsters.] Three goblins approached Jeong-hoon. [Lv.3 Goblin] [Lv.3 Goblin] [Lv.3 Goblin] ¡°Keurrk! Human! Don¡¯t dream of escaping alive. Keurrk!¡± ¡°Keurrk! I¡¯ll cut off your genitals. Keurrk!¡± ¡°Kill, kill. Keurrk!¡± Their killing intent was on a different level than the weakened goblin. This was the real New World goblin. ¡°Try it if you can.¡± Jeong-hoon taunted them with a finger wag. ¡°Keurrk! Kill him!¡± The taunt worked. The three goblins charged at Jeong-hoon simultaneously. Jeong-hoon raised his guard, blocking the stone axes swung by the goblins. Taking three hits, he pivoted on his right foot and elbowed the temple of the goblin on his right. ¡°Keurrk!¡± The goblin staggered from the blow. Jeong-hoon then kicked the staggering goblin between the legs. ¡°Keuurk!¡± The goblin screamed and copsed, a clear indication that the strike was effective. ¡°Die! Human!¡± The goblin kept swinging its stone axe at Jeong-hoon. [25% of your health is depleted!] At Lv.1, each goblin¡¯s attack was a critical hit. While he could dodge, Jeong-hoon chose not to. [Using Beginner¡¯s Charm to restore health.] He had to let himself get hit while using the charm. That wasn¡¯t all. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ activated.] [Acquired skill, ¡®Sturdy Body (Normal)¡¯.] ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯, the hallmark skill of Martial Artists, activated when selecting the ss. It unlocked skills when conditions were met. The newly acquired skill, ¡®Sturdy Body,¡¯ was a passive skill permanently increasing basic health and defense by 10%. Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes glinted coldly. ¡®I¡¯ve gotten all the skills I can from them.¡¯ His eyes shifted, causing the goblins to flinch. ¡°Keurrk! Human! Die quickly!¡± The goblins swung their axes more ferociously. But instead of guarding, Jeong-hoon now effortlessly dodged the attacks. Goblin attack patterns were simple, easily predictable with some experience. Even at Lv.1, dodging goblin attacks was child¡¯s y for Jeong-hoon, who was an All-Master. Swish! Jeong-hoon ducked and grabbed the waist of the goblin in front, rolling with it. ¡°Keurrk?!¡± The off-bnce goblin struggled as Jeong-hoon wrapped his arm around its neck and twisted. Crack. ¡°Keck!¡± The goblin¡¯s neck snapped, and it went limp. ¡°Human!¡± The remaining goblin charged with a stone axe. Jeong-hoon used the fallen goblin¡¯s body as a shield, blocking the attack. Pushing the corpse forward, he entangled the goblins together. ¡°Thanks for this.¡± Jeong-hoon picked up a stone axe from the ground, now his. ¡°Keurrk! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of saying the same thing?¡± He didn¡¯t need to waste time on it anymore. Jeong-hoon swung the stone axe, striking the goblin¡¯s head. ¡°Keck!¡± The goblin lost its bnce and fell. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Jeong-hoon brought the stone axe down on the goblin. The goblin¡¯s body went limp. ¡°Okay, one more acquired.¡± The stone axe the goblin had been holding was now in Jeong-hoon¡¯s possession. With two stone axes in hand, he turned his attention to thest goblin. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re still here?¡± The goblin with its vital part smashed was still sitting on the ground, groaning. ¡°Ke-Keurrk¡­¡± Jeong-hoon raised the stone axe and smashed thest goblin¡¯s head. The goblin had a rusty dagger, which wasn¡¯t much, but better than nothing, so Jeong-hoon took it. [You have sessfullypleted stage 2 of the tutorial!] [Would you like to exit the tutorial? If you continue to hunt monsters, the rewards will be upgraded!] The message appeared again, just like before. ¡°I¡¯ll proceed to the next stage.¡± [Starting stage 3 of the tutorial.] [Hunt the monsters.] This time, a Hobgoblin appeared. [Lv.12 Hobgoblin] The Hobgoblin was at level 12, a stark difference from Jeong-hoon¡¯s level 1. It was no wonder even the most talented yers failed at stage 3. Unlike regr goblins, Hobgoblins had red skin, bulging muscles, and stood nearly two meters tall. ¡°Keurrk, human, this time will be tough.¡± The Hobgoblin¡¯s weapon was a long spear. Maintaining a moderate distance, it thrust the spear towards Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon watched the spearhead narrowly miss his head. He adjusted to take just enough damage. [1% of your health is depleted.] ¡°Lucky shot.¡± The Hobgoblin sneered and shed the spear downward. Jeong-hoon narrowly dodged again. [1% of your health is depleted.] [1% of your health is depleted.] He continued this for dozens of times. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ activated.] [Acquired skill, ¡®Agile Body (Normal)¡¯.] He had obtained his second targeted skill. A skill that required dodging attacks from monsters level 7 or higher thirty times. ¡°Keurrk! Slippery human! I will kill you!¡± The Hobgoblin thrust its spear again. Jeong-hoon sidestepped and grabbed the spearhead with his right hand. ¡°Keurrk?!¡± Not only did he dodge the attack, but he also grabbed the spearhead? The Hobgoblin was shocked. Jeong-hoon released the spearhead and closed in, stabbing the Hobgoblin¡¯s neck with the dagger in his left hand. ¡°Keck!¡± The Hobgoblin dropped its spear and clutched its neck, but the dagger had already severed the carotid artery. ¡°It¡¯s time to end this.¡± Jeong-hoon picked up the spear and drove it through the Hobgoblin¡¯s heart. The Hobgoblin¡¯s body convulsed and then went limp. [Using Beginner¡¯s Charm to restore health.] With this, he had met the condition. [You have fulfilled the hidden beginner¡¯s condition.] [Stats rted to the chosen weapon are provided.] A special perk only applied in the tutorial. Choosing a sword boosted strength, a bow boosted strength and agility, and a staff boosted mana and intelligence. So, what about the beginner¡¯s charm? [Holy power is added.] [Reconstructing the body to coexist with both mana and holy power.] It was holy power. ¡°Great!¡± Jeong-hoon clenched his fist. He had gained the elusive holy power. With holy power, he could now learn skills rted to it. [You have sessfullypleted stage 3 of the tutorial!] [Would you like to exit the tutorial? If you continue to hunt monsters, the rewards will be upgraded!] And the tutorial wasn¡¯t over yet. Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t hesitate. ¡°I¡¯ll proceed to the next stage.¡± [Starting stage 4 of the tutorial.] [Hunt the monsters.] This time, two Orcs appeared. [Lv.20 Orc] [Lv.20 Orc] Two level 20 Orcs. [Stage 4 can be abandoned at any time. If you wish to quit, just say ¡®quit¡¯ at any time.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°Quit? How ridiculous.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 3 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 3 No matter how strong a Hobgoblin is, it¡¯s nothingpared to an Orc. Orcs are over 2.5 meters tall with pig-like physiques, providing them with very high natural defenses. Asking a level 1 yer to deal with two Orcs is basically saying, ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to win.¡± The difficulty was so brutal that even seasoned yers would lose hope. ¡®Still, someone did clear it.¡¯ One of the yers who betrayed him, James Marcus. The strongest Pdin on the American continent and the only yer who had cleared the fourth stage. ¡®The fourth stage should already be cleared.¡¯ James Marcus, an early yer, had already surpassed level 500 by now. To catch up with him, Jeong-hoon had to clear the fourth stage no matter what. ¡°Raaah! Foolish human, if you give up now, I¡¯ll let you keep your limbs.¡± The Orcs looked down on Jeong-hoon. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Jeong-hoon raised his spear, aiming it at the Orcs. ¡°Stupid human!¡± An Orc swung its axe. Jeong-hoon smoothly stepped aside, easily dodging the attack. Whoosh. A powerful gust from the Orc¡¯s swing ruffled Jeong-hoon¡¯s hair. Despite this, Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression remained calm. Back when he was an All-Master, Orcs were easy prey for him. Whoosh! Even if he couldn¡¯t see the Orcs¡¯ movements, predicting their attacks was simple. Jeong-hoon moved in the opposite direction of their attack paths, causing all of the Orcs¡¯ attacks to miss. [Agile Body] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Normal ¨C Increases reflexes by 10%. ¨C Increases movement speed by 10%. ¨C Adds +2 to agility stat. The Agile Body skill made moving a lot easier. Jeong-hoon thrust his spear. The spearhead pierced through an Orc¡¯s eye, straight into its brain. No matter how tough its skin, the eyes couldn¡¯t be fortified. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ activated.] [Acquired skill, ¡®Vital Strike (Normal)¡¯] Taking down an Orc 20 levels higher with one blow earned him a new skill. ¡®Vital Strike, it¡¯s been a while.¡¯ It was a skill that was immediately useful. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to attack?¡± Jeong-hoon asked, pointing his spear at the remaining Orc. ¡°Raaah¡­ Human, what are you? Why are you so strong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m level 1. Have you considered that maybe you¡¯re just weak?¡± ¡°Lies!¡± The Orc, unable to believe it, swung its axe in a frenzy. But with Vital Strike acquired, the Orc¡¯s weak points were ringly obvious to Jeong-hoon. He dodged all the axe swings and, when close enough, grabbed the spearhead and thrust it into the Orc¡¯s neck. ¡°Grrk!¡± The Orc¡¯s eyes widened as it died with the spear through its throat. [You have sessfullypleted stage 4 of the tutorial!] ¡®Got it!¡¯ Jeong-hoon had be the second yer to clear the fourth stage of the tutorial. [Would you like to exit the tutorial? If you continue to hunt monsters, the rewards will be upgraded!] ¡®What? What¡¯s this?¡¯ Jeong-hoon frowned. He had cleared up to the fourth stage, and it wasn¡¯t over yet? No one had mentioned a fifth stage. Had James Marcus lied? ¡®If it¡¯s stronger than an Orc¡­ it might be a level 30 monster.¡¯ This could be quite a tough fight. But Jeong-hoon made his decision without hesitation. ¡°Next stage.¡± There was no reason to hesitate. Whatever it was, if it led to a quicker path, he would take it. [Starting stage 5 of the tutorial.] [Only users whopleted the tutorial within 1 hour can attempt this stage.] Ah, now he understood. James Marcus probably didn¡¯t know about the fifth stage. He had barely managed to clear the fourth stage after spending almost an entire day on it. But Jeong-hoon had cleared the first four stages in less than an hour, so he qualified for this stage. [Achieve recognition of the pinnacle of martial arts ¡®???¡¯.] [If you fail to gain recognition, the tutorial will end immediately.] However, this stage didn¡¯t involve monster hunting. Instead, a faint figure appeared before him. It was just a small misty shape, impossible to identify clearly. The shape stared at Jeong-hoon for a while and then disappeared. [You have been recognized.] [You are the first to sessfullyplete all stages of the tutorial!] [Commencing rewards calction.] Did it end this easily? It was a bit baffling, but a win was a win. [You have received 10,000 achievement points.] [You have received 10 gold.] [You have received the title, ¡®Perfect Beginner¡¯.] [Your level has increased by 10.] [Hidden achievement unlocked! Check your achievement rewards.] As the first to conquer the tutorial, the rewards were iparable to those before his regression. [Perfect Beginner] ¨C Type: Title ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Permanently increases all abilities by 10%. ¨C Permanently increases all stats by +10 (excluding willpower). It provided both an overall ability boost and a significant stat increase. A title that put him 10 levels ahead of other beginners. Even James Marcus hadn¡¯t obtained this title. Jeong-hoon clenched his fist in triumph. ¡°Wait, a hidden achievement?¡± In addition to the title, a hidden achievement was unlocked. Jeong-hoon opened the system to check the achievement section. Among the hidden achievements he couldn¡¯t unlock before his regression, one was now open. ¡®The description for ¡®???¡¯ has appeared.¡¯ Jeong-hoon read the conditions and rewards for the achievement. [You have received the ¡®Perfect Beginner¡¯s Mark¡¯.] ¡°A mark!¡± Jeong-hoon shouted in surprise. This mark was the missing piece that had prevented him frompleting an item. So, clearing the fifth stage of the tutorial was the requirement. ¡°Wow, so this was the way to get it¡­ No wonder I couldn¡¯t obtain it no matter what I tried.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth hung open. His heart was pounding faster than ever. ¡ª Pssshk¡ª ¡°Why did I have to need the bathroom at a time like this?¡± The capsule door opened, and Ha-jin got up. It had already been two hours. He hurried to the bathroom. Pssshk¡ª When he returned, Jeong-hoon opened his capsule door just in time. ¡°Whew.¡± Jeong-hoon sighed and stepped out, taking a drink. ¡°What¡¯s up? Did you have fun?¡± At this point, Jeong-hoon should be adjusting in the starting vige after finishing the tutorial. ¡°Yeah. Finished the tutorial. I¡¯ll take a short break and dive back in.¡± Jeong-hoon had no intention of stopping after just finishing the tutorial today. Although he had regressed, he was still years behind the early yers. To catch up, he had to move quickly. ¡°Wow, you¡­ have no talent for gaming.¡± Ha-jinmented sympathetically. ¡°No talent?¡± He didn¡¯t expect to hear that from anyone, let alone from Kang Ha-jin. It was almostughable. ¡°Yeah. Why¡¯d you take so long in the tutorial? Just hit a goblin and move to the starting vige.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, right. You said you went to the starting vige after only doing the first stage?¡± ¡°Did I say that?¡± Kang Ha-jin tilted his head, puzzled. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t remember. Jeong-hoon had told him this long ago before he first started using the capsule. At that time, Ha-jin was envious of Jeong-hoon for clearing up to the second stage, saying he had set a perfect first step. ¡°Yeah, you mentioned it before.¡± ¡°So, how far did you get in the tutorial?¡± ¡°Um¡­ just enough.¡± ¡°Ha, seems like you struggled with the second stage. Dude, the second stage isn¡¯t meant to be cleared. Throwing three goblins at a total newbie is too much.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled silently. Ha-jin had been envious of him clearing the second stage, so he¡¯d never believe he¡¯d cleared the fifth stage. Instead, Jeong-hoon reflected on the earlier events. He had gained far more than he nned in the tutorial. Especially the Perfect Beginner¡¯s Mark. In the future, the process involvedbining marks, and he had failed to make a weapon because he couldn¡¯t get this mark. ¡®Overlord Titan¡¯, a weapon desperately needed by Jeong-hoon, the All-Master. The only weapon beyond legendary status, called god-tier. He now had the foundation to make Titan. ¡®Unbelievable¡­ So this mark could only be obtained in the tutorial.¡¯ The mark he had so desperately wanted. Having obtained other marks before, Titan would be his eventually. ¡°Hey, anyway, let¡¯s eat. It¡¯s already lunchtime.¡± Capsules didn¡¯t take care of meals. ¡°Sure.¡± Jeong-hoon followed Ha-jin to a restaurant next to the capsule room. The ce was bustling with people using capsules. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a free spot over there.¡± Ha-jin quickly took the empty seat. ¡°Are you having ramen?¡± ¡°Of course. The ramen here is awesome.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I guarantee it. I¡¯ll bet 1,000 won you¡¯ll love it.¡± ¡°Cheapskate.¡± ¡°Just follow me.¡± The ramen Ha-jin boasted about was egg cheese ramen. Ramen in arge bowl with cheese and egg toppings. But Ha-jin chose the mild vor. ¡°You eat mild?¡± The ramen came in both spicy and mild vors, but Jeong-hoon preferred the spicy one. The mild one was¡­ a bit nd. Honestly, he didn¡¯t understand why people liked the mild version. ¡°What¡¯s with that disgusted face? Disrespecting mild vor?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just not my taste.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, must have a weird pte. Bet you can¡¯t eat mint chocte.¡± ¡°Why would I eat that?¡± Jeong-hoon frowned. He couldn¡¯t understand people who liked mint chocte, especially Ha-jin, who loved mint to the point of obsession. He even preferred original mintttes. ¡°Wow, dude. Better keep quiet unless you want a fight with mint chocte lovers.¡± ¡°Minttte is ready.¡± Sure enough, the capsule room also served mintttes. Jeong-hoon ordered an Americano and sat down. Slurp¡ª The ramen was indeed delicious. ¡°Hey, if you go to the starting vige, watch out for scammers. There are always jerks who target newbies.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Jeong-hoon had entered New World quitete in his past life. He often encountered territorial yers. He remembered getting scammed out of his hard-earned 1 gold and 11 silver by some weirdo early on. Pssshk¡ª After finishing his meal, Jeong-hoon went straight back to the capsule. Havingid the groundwork, it was time to solidify it. [Logging in.] ¡ª The starting vige. Afterpleting the tutorial, all beginners passed through this vige. A medieval fantasy city setting. Jeong-hoon stood in the middle of the town square. Blue mist rose from the ground. This was the portal. The portal in this square was a one-way trip from the tutorial, so it was impossible to use it to return. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± Jeong-hoon walked briskly. While most beginners would be gawking, Jeong-hoon was quite familiar with the ce. ¡°You leveled up?¡± ¡°Of course. Yesterday, I even hunted level 10 Hobgoblins.¡± The square was bustling with yers. Armored yers, yers wearing hoods, and yers in robes. All wearing gear suited to their sses. Jeong-hoon passed them and stopped in front of a shabby dojo. Unlike the other areas, this ce was deserted. ¡®Should I go in?¡¯ Jeong-hoon entered the dojo. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 4 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 4 Sanctuary of Martial Artists. Temple of Martial Arts. [If you chose Martial Artist despite all the warnings, go straight here.] ¨C Complete quests at the Temple of Martial Arts to receive Martial Artist-exclusive skills and quickly level up! Choosing the Martial Artist ss was a pretty foolish decision, but if you¡¯ve decided to walk the path of a Martial Artist, at least grow efficiently. The Temple of Martial Arts was essential for early, rapid growth of Martial Artists. Thus, most beginners who chose this ss inevitably visited the temple. However, Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t head to the Temple of Martial Arts. Although it was the standard route at this point in time, it wouldn¡¯t be in the future. [Abandoned Dojo with No Master] Currently, it was an abandoned dojo where no one entered. Dust covered the wooden floor, and cobwebs hung thick from the ceiling and windows. The windows were broken, and the wallpaper was yellowed and peeling. ¡°Found it.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled into a smile he couldn¡¯t suppress. The fact that it was this dirty meant he was the first to visit this dojo. ¡°Time to clean up.¡± Jeong-hoon headed out to the store. To clean, he needed tools. An abandoned dojo wouldn¡¯t have decent cleaning supplies. There was a general store in the marketce that sold cleaning tools. ¡°Wee!¡± The store owner greeted Jeong-hoon warmly. A light bulb icon blinked above the owner¡¯s head, indicating he was an NPC who gave out quests to beginners. But quests weren¡¯t Jeong-hoon¡¯s priority at the moment. ¡°I¡¯d like to buy some cleaning tools.¡± ¡°Oh, yes, yes. The tools are on the second floor!¡± The general store was three stories tall, thergest in the marketce, with an extensive inventory, including snacks from around the world. New World urately recreated the taste of snacks, providing slight health recovery instead of filling hunger¡ªessentially, a type of potion. Unlike other games, health and mana could be restored through food. Buying snacks was always a good idea. ¡°Since they¡¯re potion substitutes, I should stock up.¡± Jeong-hoon grabbed a basket and filled it with snacks, drinks, and cleaning supplies. With the gold he received as a tutorial reward, he had plenty of money. ¡°Yes, that¡¯ll be 1 silver and 6 pennies.¡± Even with so many items, it only cost 1 silver and 6 pennies. Jeong-hoon handed over a gold coin. The store owner looked back and forth between the gold coin and Jeong-hoon in surprise. It was rare to see gold used in the starting vige, so the owner¡¯s reaction was understandable. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± The owner apologized and fetched more silver and pennies from the safe. In New World¡¯s currency system, 1 gold equals 20 silver, which equals 240 pennies. In other words, 1 gold equals 20 silver, and 1 silver equals 12 pennies. So, Jeong-hoon would get 18 silver and 6 pennies as change. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Pleasee again!¡± After confirming the 18 silver and 6 pennies in his inventory, Jeong-hoon left the store. He hurried back to the dojo. Given its state, it might take a whole day to clean. Maybe even two days. ¡®Jeong-hoon, want to know how I got this?¡¯ ¡®Not really.¡¯ ¡®Oh,e on, just listen.¡¯ Even if he didn¡¯t want to hear it, the guy would brag about how he obtained an item when drunk. He boasted to Jeong-hoon, who had also visited the dojo. Upon arriving, Jeong-hoon started mopping the floor. He nned to remove the dust and mop the wooden floor several times. After about 30 minutes of mopping, he sensed someone behind him. Jeong-hoon turned to see two yers checking out the dojo. ¡°What¡¯s this ce? It¡¯s so dirty.¡± ¡°Wow, didn¡¯t know there was a ce like this.¡± Jeong-hoon stopped mopping and looked at them. This was unusual. Beginners typically wouldn¡¯t visit such a ce. [Checking user information.] === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: NewbieKiller1 ¨C Level: 31 ¨C ss: Low-tier Warrior (1st Job Change) === At the start, only the nickname, level, and ss are publicly visible. The rest is set to private by default. Users canter adjust the options to reveal detailed stats and skills, but most leave only the level and ss visible. These users were no exception. Jeong-hoon checked the information of the yer behind him as well. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: NewbieKiller2 ¨C Level: 36 ¨C ss: Low-tier Mage (1st Job Change) === Their levels were significantly high for the starting vige. Jeong-hoon¡¯s mind quickly processed the situation. ¡®They must have seen me use gold.¡¯ Typically, clearing the first stage of the tutorial rewards 10 silver. Jeong-hoon, however, received 10 gold for clearing all five stages. These guys were following him to steal his money. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Jeong-hoon put on a friendly smile, as if he were the dojo¡¯s owner. ¡°Nothing much. Come over here for a second.¡± The level 31 warrior beckoned him with a finger, exuding confidence. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 11 ¨C ss: Martial Artist === Jeong-hoon¡¯s information made him look like easy prey. ¡°Is this about money?¡± ¡°You¡¯re pretty sharp.¡± ¡°Hand over everything you¡¯ve got, and we¡¯ll let you go. Or we can PVP if you prefer.¡± The twoughed mockingly. In New World, yers must ept a PVP request to fight. Refusing would cancel the duel, but these guys were trash who preyed on beginners. If he refused, they would persistently harass him. ¡°No thanks.¡± Handing over his money wouldn¡¯t end it. These guys would continue to torment him until he quit the game. They had already marked him as a target. ¡°Are you insane? ept the PVP, or you¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make you quit New World.¡± Their faces twisted into menacing expressions. [PVP request received. Do you ept?] The warrior initiated the PVP. Jeong-hoon epted without hesitation. [PVP starting.] [Battle duration: 30 minutes.] As the PVP began, the warrior charged at Jeong-hoon with a sword. With a 20-level difference, the warrior¡¯s movements were hard to read. Despite this, Jeong-hoon remained calm. He had the experience to cover the level gap. Whoosh! The warrior swung his sword. ¡®Left.¡¯ Jeong-hoon predicted the sword¡¯s path from the warrior¡¯s subtle movements and dodged. The warrior¡¯s face showed surprise as Jeong-hoon wlessly evaded the attack. How could a level 11 Martial Artist dodge a level 31 sword strike? It was supposed to be impossible. ¡°An opening.¡± Jeong-hoon kicked the warrior¡¯s wrist, causing him to drop the sword. Jeong-hoon swiftly grabbed it. ¡°Take this.¡± He plunged the sword into the warrior¡¯s neck. [Critical hit.] [Instant kill.] [¡®NewbieKiller1¡¯ has died. PVP penalty applied.] ¡°Guh, gah!¡± The warrior¡¯s body shook and disappeared. He was forcefully logged out. Losing in PVP meant a 24-hour ban from the game. ¡°What the¡­?¡± The mage stared in disbelief at the spot where hisrade had vanished. ¡°Want to go next?¡± Jeong-hoon pointed the sword at the mage. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± The mage apologized and ran away. Jeong-hoon smirked at the fleeing figure. They were cowards who preyed on beginners. He didn¡¯t expect the mage to have the guts to fight after witnessing the PVP. ¡°What a joke.¡± Annoyed that his cleaning rhythm was interrupted, Jeong-hoon resumed mopping. [Oh, a promising young man has arrived.] An old man suddenly appeared on the previously empty floor, looking at Jeong-hoon. ¡®Oh? Here already?¡¯ Jeong-hoon was surprised. He nned to clean the dojo thoroughly to meet this old man. [Mysterious Old Man] A red question mark floated above the old man. ¡®Guess I didn¡¯t need to clean.¡¯ Jeong-hoon put down the mop and approached the old man. ¡ª Seoul, Bangbae-dong Apartment [You lost the PVP.] [Penalty applied.] [23 hours and 59 minutes until reconnect.] Pssshk¡ª The capsule opened, and Cheol-min emerged, swearing. ¡°Damn it!¡± Still fuming, his clenched fist trembled. ¡°How did I lose?¡± He couldn¡¯t understand. He was level 30, havingpleted his first job change. Yet he lost to a level 11 Martial Artist. Cheol-min called his friend, the novice mage, Han Deok-gu, who witnessed the PVP. [Hey, I just logged out too.] Deok-gu answered as if expecting the call. ¡°Shit. What trick did that bastard use?¡± He couldn¡¯t ept the defeat without an exnation. [I don¡¯t know¡­] But Deok-gu also failed to identify the Martial Artist¡¯s trick. ¡°You don¡¯t know? How could you not know?¡± Deok-gu was a level 36 mage, stronger than Cheol-min. [All I saw was you dropping your sword and getting your neck sliced.] ¡°Damn it, I know that.¡± [Let¡¯s not mess with him. Something¡¯s off.] The level 11 Martial Artist killed the level 31 warrior in less than a minute. There was something unseen at y. They should have been cautious when they saw him with gold. ¡°Weren¡¯t you a beginner? Want to die?¡± [Why is this my fault? I just said he had gold. You¡¯re the one who decided to follow him.] ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. You coaxed me into it by saying he looked rich.¡± [Wow, ming me now?] ¡°Just fix it! How am I supposed to wait 24 hours?¡± Cheol-minmented. He was so addicted to New World that a 24-hour ban was unbearable. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 5 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 5 In New World, quests are distinguished by color. Ordinary quests have a white question mark. Epic quests have a purple question mark. A red question mark signifies a ¡°hidden¡± quest. Hidden quests appear when a yer meets certain hidden conditions, allowing them to undertake the quest. The rewards for hidden quests vary greatly¡ªsometimes offering excellent rewards, and other times providing less than a regr quest. The NPC before Jeong-hoon fell into the former category. Jeong-hoon approached the old man to check the quest. [Hidden Quest: The Mysterious Old Man] ¨C Restriction: Chosen by the old man. ¨C Reward: [Skill] King¡¯s Fist ¨C Description: The mysterious old man seeks a sessor for his dojo. Earn his recognition to be the heir. Yes! That¡¯s the one! Jeong-hoon inwardly celebrated. To obtain this reward, he had spent his own money to buy cleaning tools and had been cleaning the dojo. ¡®I had to clean it meticulously. If there¡¯s any dust left, the old man won¡¯t appear.¡¯ But something was odd. He had heard that cleaning the dojo thoroughly was the condition for the old man¡¯s appearance. Why did he show up now? Also, the quest details seemed different. The original hidden quest was supposed to involve relieving the old man¡¯s grudge. ¡®Am I mistaken?¡¯ Regardless, the quest reward was exactly what Lee Hwarang had mentioned. [Where did you learn those moves you just showed?] The old man was interested in the PVP match between Jeong-hoon and the low-tier warrior. Jeong-hoon realized why the old man had appeared. The battle he had just fought was wless, with no extraneous movements. It was unusual to find a w in Jeong-hoon¡¯s fighting, considering he retained the experience of an All-Master. ¡°I taught myself.¡± [Self-taught? Interesting.] The old man stroked his white beard,ughing. For many years, he had no suitable sessor, and his dojo remained empty, bing a source of regret. He had waited for someone with the right talent for hundreds of years, but the dojo eventually became deserted. Watching his beloved dojo fall into disrepair was heartbreaking. Just when he had forgotten how time passed, Jeong-hoon appeared. Seeing him clean piqued the old man¡¯s curiosity, but not enough to reveal himself. However, witnessing the battle with a low-tier warrior brought him to attention. ¡®I found him!¡¯ The child before him had the qualities of a sessor. If he trained properly, he would undoubtedly reach the pinnacle. This belief prompted the old man to reveal himself. ¡°So, what do you want from me?¡± [I want you to be my sessor.] ¡°Your sessor?¡± [Yes, but there are conditions.] ¡°Conditions? Let¡¯s hear them.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes shone with determination. He had to get that hidden skill. ording to Lee Hwarang, the hidden quest involved promoting the dojo. [Oh! My eyes were right!] Seeing the eagerness in Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes, the old man was delighted. ¡®He¡¯s so eager to be my sessor! I¡¯m d I stayed.¡¯ Ding¡ª [You have epted a hidden quest.] [Clean the dojo thoroughly.] ¡­Clean? Although the old man revealed himself early, cleaning the dojo was a necessary step. Jeong-hoon nodded in understanding and resumed mopping. ¡ª Time in New World flows the same as on Earth. Thus, Jeong-hoon spent an entire day cleaning the wooden floor. ¡°Time to go.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Ha-jin logged out in sync with Jeong-hoon. It was already 11 PM. Although he had informed his mother he would be homete, he hurried home, thinking of her waiting. ¡°Hey, did you level up?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m level 11.¡± ¡°Oh, you leveled up more than I expected.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. It usually takes about two days to reach level 10.¡± There are various ways to level up in New World, but the process is generally slow. For example, some users take nearly three months to reach level 30 due to the slow leveling pace. Typically, it takes one to two months to reach level 30 and start job change quests. ¡°I was lucky.¡± Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t spend much time leveling up. His level 11 was purely thanks to the tutorial rewards. ¡°I see. By the way, I forgot to ask. What ss did you choose?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking that now?¡± ¡°It just came to mind.¡± ¡°Martial Artist.¡± ¡°¡­What? Why would you pick such a trash ss?¡± ¡°It¡¯s manageable.¡± Ha-jin couldn¡¯t understand Jeong-hoon¡¯s choice. He knew his friend had strange ideas, but picking a ss everyone warned against? Still, he didn¡¯t argue. Jeong-hoon always had reasons for his seemingly odd decisions. ¡°By the way, I saw Hwarang today.¡± ¡°Hwarang?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. Ha-jin tilted his head, preparing to exin. ¡°What? You know Hwarang?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve just heard of him.¡± Of course, Jeong-hoon knew him. Lee Hwarang, also known as Hwarang, was famous among New World yers for his celebrity-like appearance. He was the pinnacle of archers,pensating for the closebat weaknesses of his ss. How did Jeong-hoon know him? Lee Hwarang was the one who told him about the dojo. He was also the one who shot Jeong-hoon in the back. Just thinking about him made Jeong-hoon grit his teeth. ¡°Then no need to exin! Anyway, he was in the Kalroks region today. I was shocked to see a level 300 yer in a vige with level 100s.¡± ¡°Really? Do you know why he was there?¡± ¡°He seemed to be looking for something.¡± So, this was the time Lee Hwarang acquired his skill. If Jeong-hoon had been anyter, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten the hidden quest from the old man. Now he needed to speed up his schedule. To leave the dojo before Lee Hwarang arrives. ¡°Ha-jin, I think I¡¯ll stay up all night.¡± ¡°Stay up all night?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jeong-hoon called his mother to inform her he would be staying out. [Alright. Have fun ande back safely.] Getting permission was easy. Since bing an adult, his mother respected his decisions. ¡°Wow¡­ My parents freak out if I stay out past midnight.¡± Ha-jin sighed. Despite serving in the military, his parents still worried excessively. Other families, like Jeong-hoon¡¯s, allowed overnight stays with just a phone call, but his didn¡¯t. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m heading back to the capsule room.¡± ¡°Lucky guy¡­ See you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Back at the capsule room, Jeong-hoon logged in immediately. ¡ª After a night of cleaning, the dojo was spotless. ¡®Whew, that was tough.¡¯ Restoring the dojo after years of neglect was no easy task. [Oh! The dojo is clean¡­ sniff.] The mysterious old man looked around the clean dojo, tears welling up. The dojo was his life¡¯s work. Even in death, he couldn¡¯t find a sessor, leaving it as his regret. Just cleaning it touched his heart deeply. ¡°Do you like it?¡± [Of course. Despite your talent, you didn¡¯t hesitate to clean this filthy dojo. You are worthy of being my sessor.] With the old man¡¯s words, the question mark turned into an exmation point. ¡®Really?¡¯ Cleaning was the condition for the old man¡¯s appearance. Afterward, reviving the dojo was required to obtain the King¡¯s Fist skill. Despite the unusual order, as long as he received the reward, it didn¡¯t matter. [You havepleted the hidden quest.] [You have acquired the ¡®King¡¯s Fist¡¯ skill.] He now had the King¡¯s Fist skill. A skill that covered Lee Hwarang¡¯s weaknesses. Simultaneously, the title ¡®Mysterious Old Man¡¯ disappeared, reced by ¡®King¡¯s Fist Dokgo Joon.¡¯ Yes. The creator of the King¡¯s Fist was Dokgo Joon, the master of martial arts. [King¡¯s Fist Lv.1] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Description: Unleash the King¡¯s Fist created by Dokgo Joon. ¨C Maximum Level: 8 An active skill of unique grade. Even epic active skills were impressive, but this unique grade skill was beyond that. In just one day in New World, an 11th level yer had obtained a unique skill. Jeong-hoon clenched his fist in triumph. ¡°Great!¡± [Can I ask one more favor?] A red question mark appeared above the old man¡¯s head again. Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®A consecutive hidden quest?¡¯ [Hidden Quest: Sessor of Dokgo Joon] ¨C Restriction: Recognized by Dokgo Joon. ¨C Reward: [Skill] King¡¯s Fist Enhancement ¨C Description: Be the sessor of Dokgo Joon and revive the dojo with him. ¡®Strange¡­ The one he had was unique.¡¯ The unique King¡¯s Fist didn¡¯t pale inparison to legendary skills. Enhancing it meant upgrading it to legendary. Feeling his heart pound, Jeong-hoon clenched his fist. Not only had he obtained a skill that should have gone to Lee Hwarang, but he could also upgrade it to legendary. Obtaining a legendary skill in the starting vige was a game-changer. [Having chosen a sessor, you know what to do next, right?] ¡°Yes.¡± Lee Hwarang was famous. He kept the King¡¯s Fist a secret, but by revealing some skills learned at the dojo, he drew yers to the abandoned dojo. The dojo was renamed ¡®Hwarang Dojo.¡¯ [If you¡¯re going to be a Martial Artist, go to Hwarang Dojo.] ¨C At Hwarang Dojo, there¡¯s a ghostly old man. You can learn skills from him. Newbies should visit,plete quests, and learn skills! Quest sess rates vary, but don¡¯t expect more than amon grade. Thanks to Hwarang¡¯s promotion, Dokgo Joon¡¯s dojo thrived, with over 90% of yers learning skills from the old man. Jeong-hoon had visited this dojo before his regression to acquire skills. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 6 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 6 The Starting Vige. ¡°Wow! This is New World!¡± ¡°This is insane!¡± Newly joined yers were fully immersed in the virtual reality world of New World. It was natural, given that the world they had only seen in fantasy movies was now realized in such detail. ¡°Look at that armor over there!¡± ¡°Wow, it looks just like the one from that movie!¡± Beginner yers roamed around the Starting Vige, enjoying the immersive virtual world of New World. ¡°So, what ss did you choose?¡± ¡°I went with Warrior. When starting, it¡¯s always best to go with Warrior.¡± Capsules were expensive, so most customers yed in capsule rooms. Naturally, many yed with friends rather than alone. In fact, over 60% of the beginners here were ying with friends. ¡°Then we should head to the Swordsmanship Training Hall, right?¡± ording to New Worldmunity beginner guides, Warriors should definitely go to the Swordsmanship Training Hall. It was crucial for acquiring basic skills early on and for getting equipment and leveling up. The problem was they didn¡¯t know the exact location of the training hall. ¡°Let¡¯s just wander around. We¡¯ll find something.¡± They wandered aimlessly for a while until they saw a small stream. ¡°Hey, I think we¡¯re lost.¡± ¡°Yeah, it would be great if we had a map.¡± In New World, maps were items you had to purchase to view. It was perfectly normal for beginners to get lost. ¡°Hey, there¡¯s someone over there.¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s ask him.¡± By the stream, they saw a person filling a bucket with water. Since there was no name tag above his head, he was probably a yer. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 11 ¨C ss: Martial Artist === He was indeed a yer! ¡°Let¡¯s ask him!¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡± The two beginner yers approached the yer filling his bucket with water. ¡°Excuse me, can we ask you something?¡± ¡°Huh? Do you have any business with me?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ We¡¯re looking for the Swordsmanship Training Hall, but we don¡¯t know where it is. Can you help us? We¡¯ll repay youter!¡± They asked as politely as possible. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re heading in the wrong direction. From the square, take the left path, and you¡¯ll find the Swordsmanship Training Hall right away.¡± ¡°Got it! Thank you so much!¡± ¡°No problem. Take care.¡± What a kind yer. Thanks to him, the two beginners found the training hall without further trouble. ¡°Who was that guy?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but how did he know the location so well if he¡¯s not a Warrior?¡± At level 11, it meant he hadn¡¯t been ying for long. Yet he knew the location precisely. ¡°Are you newbies?¡± An NPC instructor was checking the identities of those at the entrance to the training hall. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll train hard!¡± Both beginner yers had chosen the Warrior ss. ¡°Both of you are Warriors. No issues. You may enter.¡± With the NPC instructor¡¯s permission, the doors to the training hall opened. ¡ª ¡°Let¡¯s begin today¡¯s training.¡± Jeong-hoon set the bucket down. It had been three days since he started training under Dokgo Joon. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 11 ¨C ss: Martial Artist ¨C Title: Perfect Beginner [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 21(+2) ? 23 ¨C Agility: 21(+4) ? 25 ¨C Endurance: 21(+4) ? 25 ¨C Defense: 21(+2) ? 23 ¨C Wisdom: 21(+2) ? 23 ¨C Mana: 21(+2) ? 23 ¨C Holy Power: 21(+2) ? 23 ¨C Mental Strength: 10(+1) ? 11 ¨C Bonus Stats: 10 [Passive Skills] ¨C Steadfast Will (Rare) ¨C Unyielding Body (Normal) ¨C Enhanced Concentration (Normal) [Active Skills] ¨C Vital Strike (Normal) ¨C King¡¯s Fist (Unique) === There had been progress. In three days of training, Jeong-hoon¡¯s Strong Body and Agile Body had fused into Unyielding Body. The fusion condition was met when passive skills met specific criteria and Steadfast Will activated, merging the skills and slightly boosting stats. He also acquired a new skill, Enhanced Concentration. [Enhanced Concentration] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Normal ¨C Effect: Mental strength is boosted by +1. ¨C There is a very low chance that Mana and Holy Power stats will increase by +1 with each level-up. Repeated tasks requiring concentration were needed to acquire Enhanced Concentration. This skill would y a crucial role in increasing Mana and Holy Power in the future. [You¡¯re doing it too perfectly for me to say anything¡­] Dokgo Joon watched Jeong-hoon perform the first stage of King¡¯s Fist with a speechless expression. He had only shown it once, yet Jeong-hoon had not only replicated it but also made it his own. As time passed, he executed it more precisely, as if finding his true self. Dokgo Joon had always thought Jeong-hoon had innate talent, but mastering the first stage of King¡¯s Fist in just three days was beyond his expectations. ¡®He¡¯s not just someone who will stay in this dojo.¡¯ He had believed that properly nurturing Jeong-hoon would make him a dragon, but he was beyond measure. Watching Jeong-hoon made Dokgo Joon ambitious. He wanted King¡¯s Fist to be recognized as the best martial art in the world, something he hadn¡¯t achieved in his lifetime. Understanding this, Dokgo Joon felt his body gradually bing transparent. He called Jeong-hoon after much contemtion. [Disciple.] ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon stopped practicing King¡¯s Fist and stood before him, wondering if it was time to enhance the skill. Every moment he spent in this dojo was to achieve King¡¯s Fist. ¡®It¡¯s truly a game-breaking skill.¡¯ He had thought he reached the pinnacle as All-Master before the regression, but he was wrong. There were many unseen strong individuals like Dokgo Joon. If he had fought them with the same weapons and without the advantage of being an All-Master, he would have lost. Even the King¡¯s Fist he had just learned was formidable. In closebat, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t match Dokgo Joon¡¯s skills. Could he really be called an All-Master? Thinking this far made the title of All-Master from his past life seem shameful. [I want to give you everything about King¡¯s Fist.] So soon? He was honestly surprised. He had expected at least a week of repetitive training. A red exmation mark appeared above Dokgo Joon¡¯s head. [You havepleted the hidden quest.] [King¡¯s Fist is enhanced.] [King¡¯s Fist has been upgraded from Unique to Legendary.] Now, King¡¯s Fist was Legendary. [King¡¯s Fist] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Effect: Unleash the King¡¯s Fist created by Dokgo Joon. ¨C The skill can be upgraded to a maximum of 10 stages. King¡¯s Fist had evolved from a maximum of 8 stages to 10. Lee Hwarang¡¯s 8-stage King¡¯s Fist, which had entered Jeong-hoon¡¯s hands, had now evolved to 10 stages. ¡°Thank you!¡± [And there¡¯s one more thing I want to give you.] As Dokgo Joon spoke, a rainbow-colored question mark appeared above his head. ¡®Rainbow¡­!¡¯ A secret quest. More challenging to unlock than hidden quests, only four had appeared in New World to date. Jeong-hoon checked the quest with trembling hands. [Secret Quest: Walk the Path of the King] ¨C Restriction: The only disciple of Dokgo Joon ¨C Reward: [Title] Disciple of the King ¨C Description: Inherit the power of Dokgo Joon. Another title here¡­? The string of rewards left Jeong-hoon speechless. Dokgo Joon burst into heartyughter at Jeong-hoon¡¯s dumbfounded expression. [I had wanted to revive this dojo¡­ but my mind has changed. I¡¯ve decided to entrust everything to you.] ¡°What¡­ entrust everything to someone you¡¯ve known for only three days?¡± Jeong-hoon asked in shock. Even if he was an NPC, wasn¡¯t this too much? He would dly ept, though. Dokgo Joon¡¯s face was serious. [Yes. But promise me one thing.] ¡°A promise?¡± [Let the world know that King¡¯s Fist is the greatest.] ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± [Yes.] There was no lingering attachment in Dokgo Joon¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± [I entrust you with this.] As Jeong-hoon epted, the question mark above Dokgo Joon¡¯s head turned into an exmation mark. [You havepleted the secret quest.] [You have acquired the title ¡®Disciple of the King¡¯.] With the reward received, Dokgo Joon¡¯s figure disappearedpletely. Jeong-hoon closed his eyes and offered a silent prayer. ¡ª Level 347 Bowmaster Lee Hwarang arrived at the Starting Vige! The arrival of a named user caused a stir among beginner yers. ¡°Is that really Lee Hwarang?¡± ¡°No way¡­ it really is!¡± When he appeared in the square, it was already bustling, but it became so crowded it seemed ready to burst. ¡°Move! I want to see Lee Hwarang!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no room, stop pushing!¡± The Starting Vige housed yers ranging from level 1 to level 40. For low-level yers, high-level yers were akin to gods, so the excitement was natural. Lee Hwarang was an officer of the Myth Guild. Myth Guild Even people who didn¡¯t y New World had heard of this powerful guild, one of the strongest. Founded by Sword King Sa Jae-hyuk, one of South Korea¡¯s top seven yers, it was famous. Lee Hwarang was a prominent figure aiming to be a divine archer, making headlines. The square, now paralyzed, showed no signs of clearing. ¡°Excuse me, can I ask you something?¡± Lee Hwarang approached a yer. The yer, a level 38 novice mage, responded eagerly. ¡°Yes? Of course! I¡¯ll answer whatever I can!¡± ¡°Is there a training hall here?¡± ¡°A training hall?¡± ¡°Not the usual one yers use. I think it¡¯s a small, old ce.¡± ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± The novice mage nced at a novice warrior beside him. Lee Hwarang¡¯s eyes sharpened. ¡°Do you have any idea?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯ll exin.¡± The novice warrior reluctantly recounted a recent event, omitting the part about losing a PVP match to a level 11 yer. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Lee Hwarang ran towards the dojo the novice warrior mentioned. ¡°What¡¯s in that dojo?¡± The novice warrior, Cheol-min, muttered. The novice mage, Han Deok-gu, shook Cheol-min¡¯s shoulder as if he had realized something. ¡°Hey! I get why you lost to that level 11.¡± ¡°Damn it, what is it?¡± ¡°Why do you think Lee Hwarang came to the Starting Vige looking for that old dojo? There must be something there.¡± ¡°¡­So, that level 11 guy had something special?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Damn, you made me mess with a guy like that? Want to die?¡± ¡°Hey, didn¡¯t I buy you a pork cutlet? You¡¯re not going back on your word, are you?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I need another pork cutlet to cool off.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 7 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 7 [Abandoned Dojo with No Master] After the departure of the spirit of King¡¯s Fist Dokgo Joon, Jeong-hoon also left the dojo. Not long after, someone else approached and knocked on the door. It was Bowmaster Lee Hwarang. ¡°Is it here?¡± Lee Hwarang¡¯s instincts told him that this was the ce where something that couldplement his weaknesses was hidden. He opened his inventory and took out an old piece of paper. It was preserved by mana, so handling and reading it was not difficult. [King¡¯s Fist Dokgo Joon] The paper contained the life story of King¡¯s Fist Dokgo Joon. ¡®If this is true, I can learn the martial arts Dokgo Joon used.¡¯ The paper was a hidden quest item, suggesting that Dokgo Joon spent his entire life at the dojo. [When he temporarily left the dojo to showcase his martial arts to the world, he was so unrivaled that he earned the title King¡¯s Fist.] The paper¡¯s inscription indicated that this item was linked to the next hidden quest. Lee Hwarang had followed clues from the paper, and he had finally found the dojo. ¡°It was well hidden in a corner of the Starting Vige, which is why it took so long¡­¡± But who had been here before him? The dojo was immactely cleaned, and there was a wet bucket in a corner. Lee Hwarang¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Someone else hasn¡¯t stolen it, right?¡± That was unlikely. The paper he received from the hidden quest was a unique item, the only one in New World. It was probably a beginner yer who used the ce as a temporary shelter. Denying the reality, Lee Hwarang began to thoroughly search the dojo to learn the martial arts left by King¡¯s Fist Dokgo Joon. ¡ª At the Same Time Jeong-hoon stepped outside the Starting Vige, heading towards the Hall of Martial Arts, the sacred ce for Martial Artists. [Here¡¯s another reason why Martial Artists are considered weaklings.] ¨C To reach the Hall of Martial Arts, you must hunt monsters along the way. This is the absolute truth. Unlike other sses, the training hall for Martial Artists is located outside the vige, and there¡¯s a field in between. In that field, you¡¯ll encounter slimes and goblins, so hunt carefully. If you die, you¡¯ll be banned from logging in for 24 hours, so proceed with caution. As expected, various monsters were wandering in groups across the field. ¡®This is why the Hwarang Dojo was crucial for Martial Artists.¡¯ The basic passive skills taught at the Hwarang Dojo were essential. While these skills were inferior to the body skills Jeong-hoon possessed, they were lifesaving rain in a drought for beginners. Without the Hwarang Dojo, many Martial Artists would have died several times on their way to the Hall of Martial Arts. Jeong-hoon began walking through the field. As he heightened his senses, he could feel the presence of monsters lurking around him. [Lv.1 Slime] And. [Lv.3 Goblin] The goblins he had fought in the tutorial were also present. ¡®As long as they don¡¯t attack, I won¡¯t hunt them.¡¯ In New World, there was amon saying that level was everything. Higher levels granted wider exploration areas and more opportunities to obtain items. Since stats were absolute, leveling up was essential. ¡°But not these guys.¡± Hunting slimes and goblins wouldn¡¯t significantly raise his level. Jeong-hoon was already at level 11. Unaware of his intentions, four goblins blocked his path. ¡°Keruk, human. If you want to pass, give us food.¡± ¡°Otherwise, we¡¯ll kill you here. Keruk.¡± Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t reply. Instead, he approached the goblins and punched the one on his right. Thwack! ¡°Keek!¡± With one punch, the goblin¡¯s head exploded. This was the first stage of the King¡¯s Fist, vastly more powerful than when he had practiced in the dojo. [King¡¯s Fist Stage 1] ¨C Mastery: 100% ¨C Increases punch damage by 25% ¨C Has a chance to nullify defense ¨C Enhances peripheral vision by 30% within a 5-meter radius ¨C After using the skill, grants extreme concentration for 5 minutes Even the skill¡¯s stats indicated its overpowered nature. When he first acquired it, the first stage of the King¡¯s Fist didn¡¯t have such high damage or peripheral vision enhancements, and itcked the extreme concentration effect. This significant increase in power over a short period was thanks to the title he had earned. [Disciple of the King] ¨C Type: Unique Title ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Increases mastery of the King¡¯s Fist to 100% ¨C Increases the effect of body-rted passive skills by 10% With the title ¡°Disciple of the King,¡± his mastery of the King¡¯s Fist quickly reached 100%. ¡°Ker-Keruk¡­?¡± Seeing theirrade die in one blow, the remaining three goblins panicked. ¡°You started this.¡± Jeong-hoon swiftly killed the rest of the goblins. The battle was over in less than a minute. ¡°Wow¡­ What was that?¡± ¡°That was insane.¡± Beginner yers hunting slimes nearby were awestruck by Jeong-hoon¡¯sbat skills. New World had so many yers that even the fields were full of beginners. Jeong-hoon passed by the amazed yers and reached the Hall of Martial Arts. ¡°Stop.¡± Two NPC instructors stood guard at the entrance, wearing white robes and bandages on their fists, armed with knuckles. ¡°I¡¯m a Martial Artist.¡± ¡°Level 11, Martial Artist. Verified. You may enter.¡± With the instructor¡¯s permission, the doors to the Hall of Martial Arts opened. Inside, about sixteen Martial Artist yers were being trained by the instructors. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s essential for us Martial Artists? It¡¯s physical strength and mental fortitude!¡± The instructor was pushing the yers hard. Despite it being a virtual reality game, the realistic nature and the existence of stamina stats made the training grueling for the yers. ¡°Damnit¡­ take it easy!¡± ¡°We should be getting experience and skills for this effort!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ blegh¡­¡± One yer even vomited on the spot. ¡°Huh, copsing after such a small amount. I¡¯m disappointed in my students.¡± The instructor shook his head in disappointment. ¡°Damnit, I can¡¯t take this anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather find another instructor. No way I¡¯m doing this again for a rare skill.¡± The yers eventually left to find other instructors. ¡°Huh, another group that knows nothing about martial arts. We¡¯ll be looked down on by the sword wielders again.¡± The instructor who had been harshly training the yers stepped back, looking dejected. ¡®There he is.¡¯ Jeong-hoon focused on the instructor. Among all the instructors in the training hall, Altio was the only one who offered a rare skill as a reward. As a result, yers flocked to him, but they all gave up due to his harsh training methods, moving on to other instructors. Altio was dissatisfied with the other instructors¡¯ lenient teaching methods. Martial Artists should never trainfortably! His motto was that a strong body housed a healthy mind and elerated growth. ¡°Instructor.¡± Jeong-hoon approached Altio. The dejected Altio nced over. ¡°Hm? Do you need something from me?¡± ¡°Yes. I want to train.¡± Altio had a white question mark above his head. [Normal Quest: Instructor Altio] ¨C Restriction: Non-advanced Martial Artist ¨C Reward: [Skill] Healthy Mind (Rare) ¨C Description: The important thing is the mind! Complete all training as instructed by Altio. A rare skill was enticing for low-level yers. The same was true for Jeong-hoon. [Healthy Mind (Rare)] His current Steadfast Will wouldn¡¯t grant him a rare skill. Moreover, passive skill effects were cumtive, so increasing mental strength with a passive skill was necessary. ¡°Oh! Really?!¡± Altio¡¯s face lit up with excitement, his previous dejection vanishing. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that dangerous?¡± ¡°Getting trained by that crazy instructor is too much.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll probably give up soon.¡± The yers watched Jeong-hoon with pity, whispering among themselves. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m ready to start.¡± ¡°Great! Let¡¯s start with 300 push-ups.¡± That was the first training task Altio assigned. ¡ª At that moment, Altio watched his trainee with a face full of emotion. 300 push-ups. 300 sit-ups. 500 burpees. 200 arm walks. 300 leg raises. 300 squats. Anyone else would call this an insane workout. Yet Jeong-hoonpleted all the exercises Altio assigned and stood there, waiting for the next task. He must be exhausted¡­ This is a true talent. ¡®Whew, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve had such a hard time.¡¯ Jeong-hoon wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. Even for a former All-Master, enduring Altio¡¯s training with an 11-level body was no small feat. It was a stroke of luck that he obtained the Unyielding Body before entering the Hall of Martial Arts. [¡®Unyielding Body¡¯ level has increased.] Pushing his body to its limits naturally increased the skill level. [Unyielding Body] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Level: 2 ¨C Grade: Normal ¨C Increases basic physical strength by 16% (not reflected in stats). ¨C Increases basic defense by 16% (not reflected in stats). ¨C Increases reflexes by 16% (not reflected in stats). ¨C Increases movement speed by 16% (not reflected in stats). ¨C Adds +2 to Agility stats. ¨C Adds +2 to Physical Strength stats. Without this, he would have failed due to exhaustion. ¡°Crazy¡­ He actually did it?¡± ¡°He¡¯s insane.¡± ¡°What a freak¡­¡± ¡°He must really want that rare skill.¡± Listening to the yers¡¯ments made Altio¡¯s anger boil. These guys, who couldn¡¯t evenplete a fifth of the tasks, dared to judge? He hadn¡¯t intended to make anyoneplete all the tasks. Showing an effort to endure even when hitting physical limits would have sufficed to earn a pass. ¡°Can you continue?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s entire body was trembling from exhaustion, but his voice remained steady and calm, moreposed than before. Altio couldn¡¯t fathom the depth of his mental strength. ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay¡­¡± Never before had Altio seen such resilience in a trainee. ¡°Is the training over?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ You¡¯ve earned this.¡± Altio¡¯s question mark turned into an exmation mark, signaling the quest¡¯spletion. [Normal Quest Completed.] [You¡¯ve acquired ¡®Healthy Mind¡¯.] [¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ has merged with ¡®Focus Enhancement¡¯ and ¡®Healthy Mind¡¯.] [You¡¯ve acquired ¡®Brilliant Mind¡¯.] [¡®Brilliant Mind¡¯ reacts to holy power.] [¡®Holy Mind¡¯ obtained.] Perfect. The merging of two skills resulted in the acquisition of Brilliant Mind, which was upgraded to Holy Mind due to the holy power. It was a very satisfying result. [Holy Mind] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Rare ¨C Adds +3 to Mental Strength. ¨C Low chance of increasing Mana stats when leveling up. ¨C Low chance of increasing Holy Power stats when leveling up. ¨C Increasesprehension by 5%. ¨C Increases application by 5%. ¨C Increases document interpretation by 10%. ¨C Increases brain fatigue recovery. Nice. Jeong-hoon clenched his fist in satisfaction. Holy power was essential for this reason. In New World, skills often reacted to mana or holy power, enhancing and automatically converting into more powerful skills, as seen with Holy Mind. ¡°¡­And now for the final training.¡± Altio¡¯s head had a purple exmation mark. An epic quest. ¡®It¡¯s about time.¡¯ Jeong-hoon smiled inwardly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 8 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 8 Altio ced his hand on his racing heart. To date, only two trainees hadpleted his training. However, neither of them seeded in this final challenge. Yet, for some reason, he believed that Jeong-hoon could pass the final test. ¡®Just one hit. Just one effective hit.¡¯ If he could do that, he would earn the coveted title. [Epic Quest: Altio¡¯s Final Training] ¨C Restriction: Non-advanced Martial Artist ¨C Reward: [Title] Acknowledged by the Instructor ¨C Description: Defeat Instructor Altio in a sparring match. Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed as he read the quest description. In his previous life, he had epted Altio¡¯s quest and trained hard but failed the final test within 30 seconds. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll seed.¡¯ Jeong-hoon epted the quest. ¡°Good choice.¡± Altio said, smiling broadly as he stepped in front of Jeong-hoon. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I learned the King¡¯s Fist.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s stamina was already at its limit. One hit from Altio could be enough to knock him out. Still, he couldn¡¯t fathom the idea of losing. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Altio ¨C Level: 30 ¨C ss: Martial Artist === Altio was level 30. While Jeong-hoon had defeated a level 31 lower warrior before, Altio was a different caliber. His experience as an instructor made him a formidable opponent. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± Truthfully, the sess rate of this quest was 0%. It wasn¡¯t designed to bepleted. ¡°Just a moment.¡± Jeong-hoon took out a bottle of milk from his inventory and drank it. [Stamina slightly recovered.] [Repeated consumption. Stamina will no longer recover.] [To recover stamina, wait 10 minutes before consuming again.] The quest didn¡¯t specify that he had to defeat Altio with depleted stamina, so recovering his stamina wasn¡¯t against the rules. Although the recovery was slight, it was better than nothing. Jeong-hoon then utilized his holy power. Having practiced it intermittently, he was due to unlock a new skill. [Martial Artist-exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ activated.] [You have learned the skill, ¡®Lesser Healing (Normal).¡¯] Perfect timing! [Lesser Healing] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Normal ¨C Consumes 1 mana to recover 2 stamina. ¨C Repeated use on the same target reduces healing effectiveness and increases mana consumption. Jeong-hoon used the skill to heal himself, steadying his trembling muscles. ¡°What the¡­?!¡± Altio¡¯s eyes widened in shock as Jeong-hoon, who had been on the brink of copse, suddenly restored his stamina. ¡°I¡¯m ready, let¡¯s begin.¡± Jeong-hoon initiated the attack with King¡¯s Fist Stage 1, his fist thrusting forward sharply. ¡°!¡± Altio barely dodged, stepping to the side. Thwack! But dodging was an illusion. The beauty of the King¡¯s Fisty in its continuity. Jeong-hoon¡¯s punch flowed seamlessly into another, striking Altio¡¯s side with precision. ¡°Gah!¡± What power¡­ Altio felt his mind go nk from the sheer force of the blow, which left him temporarily unable to think. Thwack! Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist connected with Altio¡¯s face this time. ¡°Urgh!¡± Blood sttered through the air from the heavy impact. What the hell is this?! Altio struggled to ept the reality unfolding before him. Every trainee he¡¯d ever faced had been unworthy. Even those who showed promise couldn¡¯t match him. ¡®Why?!¡¯ Despite having a higher level and more experience, Altio couldn¡¯t counter Jeong-hoon¡¯s relentless assault. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ Altio clenched his teeth, refusing to lose without a fight. He swung his fist at Jeong-hoon, the sleeve of his uniform making a sharp sound through the air. But Jeong-hoon easily evaded it, sidestepping and countering with a knee strike. Again, Jeong-hoon dodged effortlessly andnded another blow on Altio¡¯s side. ¡°Guh!¡± Altio dropped to one knee, groaning in pain. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough.¡± Jeong-hoon said, lowering his fist. ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± Altio admitted defeat gracefully. Continuing would only bring disgrace. Despite Jeong-hoon¡¯s lower level, his martial prowess was undeniably superior. ¡°Take my hand.¡± Jeong-hoon extended his hand to help Altio up. ¡°Thank you.¡± As Altio stood, the question mark above his head turned into an exmation mark, indicating the quest¡¯spletion. ¡ª The instructors and yers who had witnessed the sparring match were stunned into silence. ¡°Wow¡­ He defeated the instructor?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that insane? He¡¯s level 11, and the instructor is level 30. How did he win?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t just a win; hepletely overwhelmed him.¡± The spectators agreed that Jeong-hoon¡¯s victory was absolute. Every attack heunched was on target, while Altio¡¯s attacks missed entirely. ¡°A 19-level difference¡­ How is that possible?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he faking his level? Even a small level difference is noticeable.¡± In New World, levels were absolute. Higher levels meant better stats, and the difference was significant. This was why yers focused so intensely on leveling up. Many came to the Hall of Martial Arts not just for skills but to gain experience and level up, eventually advancing to their first ss change. ¡°I recorded the whole thing. I¡¯m posting this on Wee.¡± Wee was amunity forum created by New World yers. ¡°Me too! I want to know how he won with such a level gap.¡± yers could record and share videos using a built-in system, making the guides on Wee easy to follow. ¡°Alright, everyone, focus!¡± ¡°We¡¯re starting training!¡± The other instructors quickly tried to regain control. They hadn¡¯t been defeated themselves, but seeing Altio lose was a blow to their pride. They needed to shift the focus away from his loss. ¡®Altio lost so easily¡­¡¯ ¡®I can¡¯t believe it.¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s the strongest among us. How¡­?¡¯ ¡®Is he a monster? He looked like he was going to copse, yet he took down Altio?¡¯ They were as confused as the yers. ¡ª Pushik¡ª The capsule opened, and Kang Ha-jin emerged. ¡°That guy must be having a st.¡± The capsule next to his showed no signs of opening, even after several hours. That was Jeong-hoon¡¯s capsule. Since entering the capsule room, Jeong-hoon had spent 20 hours a day in the capsule, only taking a 4-hour break. Even in a virtual reality game, physical exhaustion couldn¡¯t bepletely avoided. Proper rest was necessary, but Jeong-hoon seemed in a hurry, practically living in the capsule. ¡°Maybe I should drag him out by force?¡± [Whisper/zlJohnHaJin12 ? Hoon: Hey, let¡¯s go home and have some pork belly.] [Whisper/Hoon ? zlJohnHaJin12: Sorry, I¡¯m busy right now. Let¡¯s eat togetherter.] Given Jeong-hoon¡¯s recent whisper, there was no chance he woulde out willingly. Ha-jin cleaned up his capsule and left the room. Outside, the capsule room owner, Lee Hyun-woo, was smoking a cigarette. ¡°Hey, Ha-jin. Why are you done so early today?¡± Lee Hyun-woo greeted him as he approached. ¡°Failed a raid. I¡¯m feeling down, so I¡¯m calling it a day.¡± ¡°Really? What about your friend?¡± ¡°He¡¯s still going strong.¡± Ha-jin gestured toward the capsule room as he pulled out a cigarette. ¡°If he keeps it up, he might need his own capsule.¡± Capsule rooms cost 5,000 won per hour. Jeong-hoon was spending nearly 100,000 won a day just on capsule usage. No matter how much savings he had, he wouldn¡¯tst two months at this rate. People often bought their own capsules because, in the long run, it was more economical. ¡°Yeah, but capsules are expensive.¡± That was a luxury they couldn¡¯t afford. The cheapest models were around 20 million won, with high-end models nearing 90 million won. ¡°Well, what about this?¡± Lee Hyun-woo handed him a flyer. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Do you know Genesis Corporation?¡± ¡°Yes. They specialize in making capsules.¡± Genesis, which specialized in capsule manufacturing, had its stock prices closely tied to Earth, the developer of New World. ¡°Genesis is hosting an event for beginner yers.¡± ¡°Really? A 30 million won capsule for first ce? Wow¡­¡± Capsules above the basic model sold for around 30 million won. ¡°Exactly. So why not give it a shot?¡± ¡°Still, first ce seems impossible.¡± The event was open to yers below level 50. Even if Jeong-hoon yed 20 hours a day, reaching level 30 would be tough. Competing against yers in the 40-50 level range made first ce unlikely. ¡°Just ask him. Even participating gives beginner yers useful items.¡± Even participation offered items that would help in New World, making it worth entering. ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ The starter items are nice.¡± Ideally, he would help Jeong-hoon level up directly, but with their level gap, any assistance would be gged as abnormal gamey and penalized. Jeong-hoon needed to reach at least level 100 to receive help. In the meantime, the Genesis event items would be beneficial. Ha-jin decided to inform Jeong-hoon about the event and headed back into the capsule room. ¡ª [Epic Quest Completed.] [You have acquired ¡®[Title] Acknowledged by the Instructor¡¯.] [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®First to Complete an Epic Quest!¡¯ Achievement Points: 5,000.] [Achievement Points: 15,000.] [Achievement Shop Unlocked.] Perfect. Not only did he get the necessary materials, butpleting the first epic quest earned him enough points to unlock the shop. Achieving this before even advancing to the first ss was unexpected. ¡®This is a good start.¡¯ Moreover, he had earned the title of Honorary Trainee of the Hall of Martial Arts. [Acknowledged by the Instructor] ¨C Type: Unique Title ¨C Grade: Rare ¨C Increases the effectiveness of Martial Artist passive skills by 3%. ¨C Increases the effectiveness of Martial Artist active skills by 3%. Although a rare grade, it was a unique title only obtainable by defeating Altio for the first time. The 3% increase might seem small, but it stacked and was crucial forter use as a material. ¡®I was aiming for the materials anyway.¡¯ There were many things he couldn¡¯t achieve before due to unmet conditions. Now, he had already secured two previously unattainable rewards. The results were highly satisfying. [Whisper/zlJohnHaJin12 ? Hoon: Hey, what are you doing?] A whisper from Ha-jin. [Whisper/Hoon ? zlJohnHaJin12: Doing a quest at the Hall of Martial Arts.] [Whisper/zlJohnHaJin12 ? Hoon: I have some great news.] [Whisper/Hoon ? zlJohnHaJin12: Great news?] [Whisper/zlJohnHaJin12 ? Hoon: There¡¯s an event for beginner yers with a capsule as the prize!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 9 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 9 Jeong-hoon smirked. The news about the capsule event for beginner yers was already known to him. Genesis Corporation, a subsidiary of Earth, was offering a capsule. ¡®This capsule is mine for the taking.¡¯ Knowing the future, Jeong-hoon prioritized getting the capsule. Having a capsule was essential to keep essing New World and growing stronger. However, he didn¡¯t rush to buy one, knowing an event wasing up where he could win a capsule for free. Thus, he broke his military savings to use a capsule room, focusing on early growth. ¡®Good, I can time this well.¡¯ Skipping the event was not an option. Jeong-hoon sent a whisper back to Ha-jin. [Whisper/Hoon ? zlJohnHaJin12: I know.] [Whisper/zlJohnHaJin12 ? Hoon: You knew?] [Whisper/Hoon ? zlJohnHaJin12: Yeah.] [Whisper/zlJohnHaJin12 ? Hoon: Lame. I thought it¡¯d be a surprise.] [Whisper/Hoon ? zlJohnHaJin12: Thanks for thinking of me.] [Whisper/zlJohnHaJin12 ? Hoon: Sure, give it your best shot. First ce might be tough, though.] Jeong-hoon closed the whisper without replying. The event was in a month, with simple rules. ¡®Deal the most damage to a scarecrow dummy to win.¡¯ It was a straightforward damagepetition, requiring leveling and gear to secure first ce. ¡°Ahem, anyway, that¡¯s all the training I can offer. Seek out other instructors for more.¡± Altio applied ointment to his battered face as he spoke. ¡°That¡¯s okay. What you taught me is enough.¡± Jeong-hoon turned away, heading for the door of the hall. ¡°Wait¡­ You¡¯re just leaving?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be backter.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s primary reason for visiting the Hall of Martial Arts was to acquire the [Healthy Mind] (Rare) skill. The other skills were all normal (Normal) skills. Having achieved his goal, there was no reason to stay. The next time he visits will be when he is fully qualified for the enhancement. ¡°What? He¡¯s just leaving?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not taking any more skills?¡± ¡°No XP or items either?¡± ¡°What kind of yer is he?¡± Other yers watched Jeong-hoon leave with puzzled looks. ¡°Whatever, I¡¯m posting this video.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about the reactions.¡± Some yers uploaded the video to themunity without Jeong-hoon¡¯s consent. ¡®Phew, that¡¯s a relief.¡¯ ¡®Teaching a trainee who defeated Altio is daunting.¡¯ ¡®Intensive training is one thing, but teaching someone who¡¯s better than you in martial arts? No thanks.¡¯ The instructors sighed in relief as Jeong-hoon left. ¡°Those guys¡­¡± Altio red at the other instructors. However, he understood their feelings. They had seen him, the strongest instructor, get beaten up. Teaching a trainee like that calmly was impossible. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I need to rest.¡± His face was a mess, and his muscles screamed in pain from the beating. Altio soon copsed. ¡ª He had heard everything. The yers talking about filming and uploading the video. Though theirments annoyed Jeong-hoon, he ignored them. It was inevitable for yers to record and share in such a popted game. Any footage uploaded would be automatically pixted by the smart lens system, so there was no need to worry. ¡®Earth will likely take an interest.¡¯ Thepany would find it intriguing too. Earth¡¯s employees couldn¡¯t y the game and were barred from disclosing information. Instead, they could monitor yer activities. Jeong-hoon had no intention of hiding his y. The future would reveal everything naturally. ¡®Achievement Shop.¡¯ [Achievement Shop is now open.] The Achievement Shop was a special privilege for yers who amassed 15,000 achievement points. It sold exclusive items not found in regr shops and allowed yers to purchase items without visiting a store. [Current Achievement Points: ¡®15,000¡¯.] [Lv.1 Shop is now open.] [To upgrade the shop, more achievement points are needed.] [umted points remain even if spent.] ¡®I know this stuff, so I¡¯ll skip it.¡¯ Jeong-hoon skipped the familiar details. [Achievement Shop Lv.1] ¨C 1,000 Experience Points ¨C Bonus Stat ¨C 10 Special Health Recovery Juices ¨C 10 Special Mana Recovery Juices ¨C Lv.30 Weapon ¨C Lv.30 Armor There were six items listed. The weapon and armor would be provided ording to the yer¡¯s ss. As a martial artist, Jeong-hoon could only choose knuckles. [Martial artists are trash in the Achievement Shop too lol] ¨C The weapon is fixed as knuckles, and the armor is a hood when others get helmets. When warriors wear te armor, martial artists wear robes. Performance? Compare armor and robes. The answer is clear. So¡­ just don¡¯t do it! Please don¡¯t!!! ©¸I agree. ?? ©¸Tears flowing in agreement. ?? ©¸Martial artists¡¯ brains need dissecting. Can¡¯t they tell shit from soybeans? ©¸Huh? I¡¯m a martial artist. Am I screwed? ©¸©¸Yeah, you¡¯re screwed. Check Han River¡¯s water temperature and jump in. ©¸©¸©¸Another idiot who can¡¯t follow guides! Stupid idiots. I¡¯ll show them how amazing this ss ister. Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t interested in buying weapons or armor. Those would be acquired naturally as he progressed. His focus was clear. [Would you like to purchase 1,000 Experience Points?] [The cost is ¡®1,000¡¯ points.] Usually, yers reached level 50 before unlocking the Achievement Shop. At that stage, experience points became less important. For a level 50 yer, 1,000 Experience Points were insignificant. But for a level 11 yer, it was different. [You have purchased 1,000 Experience Points.] [Your level has increased!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [You have received +1 bonus stat.] One purchase increased his level to 12. All his stats increased by 1, and he received a bonus stat. Jeong-hoon invested all his points into experience. [Your level has increased!] This brought him to level 15. Perfect! Now he could ess the hidden theme. Each vige had a hidden theme, essible only at certain levels. Most yers focused on leveling, unaware of these themes due to their difficult conditions. The hidden theme in the beginner vige was still undiscovered. ¡°Kerrek!¡± ¡°A human! Hand over everything or die. Kerrek!¡± Entering a new field, he encountered level 12 Hobgoblins. Around 20 of them. ¡°Move aside.¡± Leveling was important, but grinding wasn¡¯t Jeong-hoon¡¯s n. However, he couldn¡¯t ignore these obstacles. Jeong-hoon charged, punching a Hobgoblin in the face. ¡°Kerrek!¡± Using King¡¯s Fist Stage 1, he began ughtering the Hobgoblins. ¡°Kerrek! The human is crazy!¡± ¡°Crazy human! He refused to hand over a little and now attacks us!¡± ¡°Filthy human!¡± Ignoring their cries, he continued. One by one, the Hobgoblins fell silent. Finally, peace. Jeong-hoon wiped the blood off his fists and moved on. ¡ª Whoa. What¡¯s that? In the beginner vige field, novice mage Lee Yoo-hyun watched in awe. A yer was massacring Hobgoblins with bare fists. Could bare fists be this strong? === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 15 ¨C ss: Martial Artist === The yer¡¯s level was 15, seven levels below her own level 22. ¡®Even I can¡¯t do that¡­ How is he so skilled?¡¯ How could a level 15 have such prowess? Jeong-hoon targeted vital spots with minimal movement, a skill seen in high-level yer videos. Yoo-hyun, an avid New World fan since its release, was impressed. ¡°Hmm? Where¡¯s he going?¡± The yer ignored the monsters, heading somewhere. Curiosity piqued, Yoo-hyun followed quietly. Suddenly, the yer stopped and turned around. ¡®I¡¯m done!¡¯ She hid behind a tree. Step. Step. The footsteps drew closer, stopping in front of her hiding spot. ¡°You¡¯re caught. Come out.¡± Yoo-hyun, caught, emerged with a sheepish smile. ¡°Aha. Sorry.¡± ¡°Why are you following me?¡± ¡°I just¡­ Your Hobgoblin hunting was amazing¡­¡± ¡°A higher-level yer like you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Jeong-hoon scrutinized her. ¡°Did you record it?¡± ¡°No! I¡¯d never do that without permission!¡± Yoo-hyun showed her smart lens to prove her innocence. She followed out of curiosity, not to cause trouble. Seeing the empty smart lens, Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Alright. Just this once, go back.¡± ¡°Yes! Sorry for the trouble!¡± Yoo-hyun fled the scene. ¡ª After confirming Yoo-hyun¡¯s departure, Jeong-hoon turned back. ¡®Even here, someone still followed me.¡¯ He didn¡¯t mind yers¡¯ attention but disliked being tailed. If she hadn¡¯t left, his fists might¡¯ve spoken. In the field, PvP wasn¡¯t necessary to deal damage. After a long walk, he reached a small vige. ¡°Halt!¡± A burly man guarded the vige entrance. Jeong-hoon stopped, and the man approached. ¡°What brings you here?¡± === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Mauga ¨C Level: 40 ¨C Job: Vige Guard === The NPC guarding the vige had a question mark above his head. [Ordinary Quest: Vige Chief¡¯s Request] ¨C Restriction: Level 15+ ¨C Reward: Vige ess Permission ¨C Description: Speak to the guard and fulfill the vige chief¡¯s request. At first nce, it seemed useless. The reward was just vige ess, not experience or items. But this quest led to unlocking the hidden theme. Jeong-hoon epted the quest. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 10 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 10 ¡°You¡¯re offering to help?¡± Mauga, the vige guard, was slightly surprised by the unexpected reaction. The young man before him was likely a stranger from the nearby vige, the Starting Vige. Countless strangers had approached the vige before. ¡®What? Restricted ess to the vige? People would think it¡¯s a significant reward.¡¯ ¡®Ugh, I thought I¡¯d at least get some experience points¡­ Sigh.¡¯ Mauga was willing to grant ess to the vige if they helped, but all the strangers had refused and gone their own way. Thus, Mauga had developed a strong aversion to strangers approaching the vige, assuming they would refuse to help. But this time, the stranger readily agreed to help. ¡°Yes. What do you need help with?¡± It had been a while since a stranger passed the first step. ¡°It¡¯s a request from the vige chief. Could you bring back an Aura Flower?¡± ¡°Aura Flower?¡± ¡°Yes. Bring it back if you can.¡± ¡°What does it look like?¡± ¡°Hold on.¡± Mauga handed over a photo. The picture showed an Aura Flower. ¡°So, I just need to bring this back?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct.¡± Aura Flowers grow on cliffs and are rare. They only bloom in small, hollow spots, making them difficult to collect. Mauga expected this stranger to refuse and return, as all previous strangers had done. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get it.¡± But the stranger surprised Mauga. ¡°Are you really going to get it?¡± Mauga was genuinely astonished. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a request, right?¡± ¡°Do you really think you can find it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have to see.¡± With that, the stranger left. ¡°This one¡¯s quite unique.¡± Mauga resumed his watch. ¡ª Unlocking a hidden theme is incredibly challenging. The difficulty increases as you move to higher-level viges. ¡°They said the Aura Flower is nearby.¡± Jeong-hoon recalled the directions and continued walking. This hidden theme wasn¡¯t discovered by him but by Alessandro Bryden, the traitor. One of the world¡¯s strongest magician and a sage, he was the one who uncovered this hidden theme. Of course, Alessandro discovered it muchter. Nobody was interested at first until they realized its crucial role in reaching the pinnacle of magic. ¡®Jeong-hoon, do you know each vige has a hidden theme?¡¯ The voice of that wretched man still echoed in his ears. The thought alone made Jeong-hoon¡¯s fists clench. ¡®Really? I¡¯m not interested.¡¯ ¡®Doesn¡¯t being an All-Master include magic? It¡¯s perfect for advancing your magic.¡¯ ¡®You already got it, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ ¡®Haha, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you.¡¯ He often bragged about being superior in magic, constantly irritating Jeong-hoon. ¡®This time, it¡¯ll be mine.¡¯ Jeong-hoon arrived at a stream far from the field. The stream was long enough to connect to the Starting Vige. The water he had scooped a few days ago came from this stream. But before him was a Lv.17 Red Slime. A higher-tier monster than the usual Slime, Red Slimes were tricky to deal with in the field. Red Slimes emit poison, which is not an issue for high-level yers, but low-level yers could be poisoned and needed antidotes. However, Jeong-hoon knew how to defeat Red Slimes. [Human! This is my territory! Come closer, and I¡¯ll spit poison on you!] Red Slimes couldn¡¯t speak, so a message appeared above its head. ¡°Sorry, but I need something here.¡± Jeong-hoon lunged forward. [So, warnings don¡¯t work on you?!] Purple smog rose from the Red Slime¡¯s body. Jeong-hoon held his breath and thrust his fist into the Slime¡¯s body. To defeat a Slime, you must crush the small core inside its body. Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand grabbed the Slime¡¯s core. He clenched his fist and shattered it. [Kreekk!] With that message, the Red Slime dissolved into a puddle, soaking the ground. [Your level has increased!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [You have received +1 bonus stat.] Perfect. His level increased to 16. He also had 15 bonus stats saved up. [Achievement Unlocked! ¡°Save the Best for Last (1)¡±. You have earned 1,000 achievement points.] yers earn achievements for saving bonus stats. Typically, yers invest their bonus stats as soon as they level up. As a result, few yers achieve this milestone. This achievement awards points for saving up to 100 bonus stats, but most yers don¡¯t bother due to the mystery of the rewards. However, every game has its dedicated yers. [Reached 100 bonus stats ^^v] ¨C But I got a D-rank mark¡­ Is this right? ©¸Wow, seriously? That¡¯s insane¡­ ©¸A mark? Someone saved up 100 bonus stats until level 101? ©¸If anyone else doesn¡¯t invest their bonus stats after seeing this, let me know, haha. Here I am. Jeong-hoon aimed to get another mark like the ¡°Perfect Beginner¡¯s Mark.¡± This mark was essential for crafting specific items. As leveling up bes slower, it¡¯s better to collect these items early when the bonus stats have less impact. The stream water was crystal clear. It was so cold that it chilled his bones when he dipped his hand in. New World was called a gaming revolution because of its perfect attention to detail. Jeong-hoon shook off the water from his hand and swam across the stream. The untouched growth on the other side indicated no yer had been here for a long time. Who would visit this ce with nothing of value? ¡®Except me.¡¯ Jeong-hoon trampled the overgrown weeds and ventured deeper. Aheady a cliff. It was so deep that it appeared pitch ck. Jeong-hoon approached the edge. He had no intention of descending the cliff. The Aura Flower was located here. ¡®It should be around here.¡¯ Jeong-hoon crouched and felt along the cliff wall. Slowly moving sideways, he searched for a hole. ¡®Found it!¡¯ After some searching, he found a small hole. Inside was a tiny flower. Jeong-hoon carefully picked the flower. A beautiful silver flower, the Aura Flower the vige chief had requested, was now in his hand. ¡ª ¡°Hey, Mauga. It¡¯s almost time for the shift change.¡± A man approached Mauga, who was standing guard. He was arge, bald man with dark skin, matching Mauga¡¯s imposing build. ¡°Block? Is it that time already?¡± It had already been 8 hours. ¡°What, you didn¡¯t notice the time? How can you stand such a boring job so calmly?¡± Block shook his head. Standing guard at the vige entrance for 8 hours was tedious. But Mauga stood still, guarding for the full 8 hours without moving. ¡°¡­You¡¯re the strange one. Didn¡¯t you get caught napping while on guardst time?¡± ¡°Ahem, standing for hours at night can make you sleepy.¡± ¡°What if an intruder gets in?¡± ¡°Intruder? I can handle any intruder myself.¡± Block flexed his muscles confidently. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Block ¨C Level: 40 ¨C Job: Vige Guard === Block was level 40. Though monsters roamed the area, they were all below level 20. So, monsters were no threat. ¡°A stranger mighte.¡± ¡°A stranger? Those weaklings?¡± Block scoffed. The highest-level strangers who visited were only level 30. He felt he could easily overpower one in a one-on-one fight. ¡°Anyway, a stranger came by 2 hours ago.¡± ¡°A stranger?¡± ¡°Yes. He said he¡¯d get the Aura Flower.¡± ¡°That flower?¡± Block was confused. He also gave quests to strangers on the chief¡¯s orders. But over 70% refused even before hearing the quest details, and the remaining 30% gave up after hearing it. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll give up.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Block fully agreed with Mauga. The chief¡¯s request was impossible for anyone to fulfill. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll head in now. Take care.¡± ¡°Any special notes?¡± ¡°None. I¡¯d have mentioned it if there were.¡± ¡°Okay. Bring me some milk on your way in. I left it behind.¡± ¡°Got it¡ª¡± Mauga froze mid-sentence. He widened his eyes, staring at something. Block turned to look. ¡°A stranger?¡± The stranger walked quickly toward them. ¡°I brought the Aura Flower.¡± ¡ª Jeong-hoon held the Aura Flower in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s really the Aura Flower¡­¡± ¡°Is that really it?¡± Mauga and Block, the NPCs, were both present at the entrance. Of course, bringing the flower didn¡¯tplete the quest. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll guide you to the chief.¡± Mauga was just a middleman. Toplete the quest, Jeong-hoon had to meet the chief. The chief was watering his field. ¡°Hmm?¡± Sensing someone approaching, the chief turned around. ¡°Chief, this stranger has brought the flower.¡± The chief¡¯s eyes widened. The long-sought Aura Flower had been found? ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes. See for yourself.¡± === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Marque ¨C Level: 60 ¨C Job: Vige Chief === He had a stern appearance and looked to be in histe seventies. Despite his age, he was even more imposing than Mauga. Marque had no fat on his muscr body, and his level was 60. He was likely the highest level in the vige. ¡°¡­This is it! Thank you so much!¡± Seeing the flower, Marque¡¯s eyes welled up. The Aura Flower was for treating his only granddaughter. ¡®d I wasn¡¯t toote.¡¯ The quest¡¯s time limit was until the granddaughter passed away. After that, there was no need for the flower. Marque tearfully shook Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand, his grip powerful. [Questpleted.] [First toplete the ¡°Vige Chief¡¯s Request¡± quest. Earned 3,000 achievement points.] [Acquired ¡°Vige Pass¡±.] Marque handed Jeong-hoon the pass, allowing free ess to the vige. ¡°Would you like a tour of the vige?¡± Mauga¡¯s tone was friendlier, perhaps because of the questpletion. ¡°No, thanks. I prefer exploring alone.¡± ¡°Is that so? I understand.¡± Mauga returned home. Left alone, Jeong-hoon explored the vige. ¡®When I first entered the vige, I was confused because there was nothing.¡¯ As Alessandro had said, no one in the vige gave quests. It made sense since the hidden themey within the vige. ¡°Is this it?¡± Jeong-hoon arrived at an abandoned house where human warmth had disappeared a long time ago. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 11 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 11 This is the ce New World set up as the supposed entrance to the hidden theme. As a result, no one in the vige questioned this abandoned house. Naturally, the front door was wide open. ¡®There was an item hidden inside that abandoned house, and it was the tool to move on to the hidden theme.¡¯ ¡®Honestly, when I heard it from Alessandro before returning, I thought he was just making up a story.¡¯ Even if his intention was to use the proverb ¡°It¡¯s easy to miss something that¡¯s right in front of you¡± as a keyword, to think there¡¯s an item to move on to the hidden theme in an abandoned house like this¡­ It¡¯s too contrived. ¡®If it seems like a lie, you can test it.¡¯ ¡®Alessandro¡¯s confident expression¡­ Only after using lie detection magic could I know that his words were true.¡¯ Theyughed and talked without hiding anything from each other. What¡¯s so great about that power¡­? Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression turned grim. ¡°Phew, it¡¯s okay. For now, just think about what¡¯s ahead.¡± He stepped inside the abandoned house. [Old Abandoned House] The abandoned house was an old and worn-out thatched cottage. The typical appearance of an old Korean thatched cottage. That¡¯s because the ce Jeong-hoon is connected to and ying in is Korea. New World has separate servers for each country. And the environment changes to match that server. In Alessandro¡¯s case, I heard it was a small mansion, not a thatched cottage. Of course, this hidden theme can only be essed by the first user who discovers it across all servers, and after that, it disappears. ¡®If I take it, Alessandro will havee up empty-handed.¡¯ There was no sign of a portal in the abandoned house. No users would havee this far in the first ce, but even if they did, there was nothing here, so they wouldn¡¯t have found the portal and would have just turned back. However, the portal to the hidden theme is right here. Jeong-hoon, who entered the thatched cottage, stopped in a small room inside. The room contained a dust-covered nket and pillow, as if someone had once used it, and in front of them, a broken crystal bally alone. ¡®I never dreamed they would put a device in the crystal ball. If I hadn¡¯t found it, no one would have, and it would have disappeared.¡¯ Jeong-hoon carefully reached out to the crystal. An exmation mark appeared above the crystal ball. [You have discovered a hidden theme!] [You have earned 5,000 achievement points!] An additional 5,000 achievement points. At this rate, the achievement shop will level up soon, right? [Would you like to move to the Field of Abundant Mana?] When he touched the exmation mark, a question popped up asking if he wanted to move to the hidden theme. ¡°Yes.¡± As Jeong-hoon epted, his body was enveloped in a blue light and then swallowed by the broken crystal ball. * * * Capsule room. Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Ha-jin stepped out. The time was just past 1:10 PM. ¡°Is he really not hungry?¡± Ha-jin nced once at the tightly closed capsule and shook his head. As always, he ordered his favorite egg cheese ramen and sat at a table, fiddling with his phone. ¡°Are you eating now?¡± Lee Hyun-woo, the owner of the capsule room, sat across from Ha-jin. ¡°Hyung, aren¡¯t you busy?¡± ¡°What is there for me to do?¡± Lee Hyun-woo shrugged. He was the owner, but all he did was kill time at the counter or enjoy New World inside a capsule. The part-timers were the ones who were really busy. ¡°I envy your life, hyung.¡± Lee Hyun-woo was born with a diamond spoon in his mouth. Originally, he was supposed to manage a 10-story building, not a capsule room, but he changed course to the capsule room when New World became a huge sess. ¡°Keke, you should have been born with a good spoon, too.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really unlucky.¡± ¡°Anyway, where did your friend go?¡± ¡°In the capsule.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ without even eating?¡± ¡°Yeah. I asked him to eat together, but he ignored me.¡± ¡°Really? Well¡­ Your friend seems really absorbed in it.¡± Was his name Jeong-hoon? He was genuinely impressed by his concentration. Ha-jin usually came to the capsule room at 9 o¡¯clock, but Jeong-hoon would appear like clockwork at 6 AM. He even finished and left at 1:30 AM. Excluding travel time, that meant he only spent 4 hours at home and invested the rest in the capsule. ¡°He¡¯s the type to get really into something once he¡¯s hooked¡­¡± Recently, Jeong-hoon had been living in the capsule to the point wheremunication was impossible unless it was through whispers within the capsule. ¡°Seems like it. He quickly ate some bread and milk and went back into the capsule.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Ha-jin felt a headacheing on. He felt guilty, as if he had led his friend astray. Jeong-hoon was originally an engineering student who wasn¡¯t interested in capsules. After being discharged from the military, he was a model student who nned to attend school while studying for certifications to get a job at argepany¡­ Ironically, now he had be aplete game addict. ¡°But your friend has incredible concentration, doesn¡¯t he?¡± No matter how fun New World is, it¡¯s not easy to go that far. ¡°He has amazing concentration. When he was in elementary school, he even appeared on a program called ¡®Young Genius.¡¯¡± Young Genius. A game survivalpetition for 8 to 13-year-olds. It was said that all the children who appeared on that show had extraordinary abilities. ¡°Wow, really? Your friend was a genius.¡± ¡°More than a genius, he was recruited because of his incredible memory.¡± ¡°Memory?¡± ¡°Yeah. You could almost call it an absolute memory. Once he puts something in his head, he never forgets it.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¡°Yes. So when it came to games involving memory and concentration, no one could keep up with him. But he was a bit weak in calction, so he came in third.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t third ce still amazing?¡± ¡°It is.¡± Jeong-hoon never missed being first in his ss in middle school either. After his father passed away in an ident, his grades dropped a bit because he started working part-time to help his mother, but even those lowered grades were still within the top 10 in the entire school. ¡°Huh? Hey, look at this. A level 11 yer beat an instructor NPC.¡± Lee Hyun-woo, who was fiddling with his phone, tilted his head. Ha-jin, who was eating ramen, looked up. ¡°What?¡± A video was ying on the phone that Hyun-woo held out. In the video, a beginner martial artist was sparring with an NPC instructor. ¡®Level 11?¡¯ Ha-jin¡¯s expression suddenly turned serious. The face was blurred, but the level 11 beginner martial artist¡­ For some reason, he looked strangely like Jeong-hoon. ¡®No way¡­ It can¡¯t be, right?¡¯ No matter how weak the instructors at the Beginner Vige training center are, they should still be around level 25 to 30, right? It can¡¯t be. Even if he chose Martial Artist, he¡¯s not the kind of friend to do something so absurd. Look. A level 11 user is beating up a level 30 instructor. And even dodging all of the instructor¡¯s attacks. ¡®No. Jeong-hoon can¡¯t fight like this.¡¯ His skill convinced Ha-jin that it wasn¡¯t Jeong-hoon. * * * [You have entered the Field of Abundant Mana.] [You have discovered a hidden theme!] [An additional 10,000 achievement points will be awarded.] [The Achievement Shop will be upgraded from Lv.1 to Lv.2!] Jeong-hoon¡¯s vision went dark and then returned. He was no longer in the thatched cottage but in the middle of a field. The mana field was made up of cube shapes. Since he was inside one of those cubes, the floor, walls, and ceiling were made of blue bricks tightly stacked together. ¡°So this is the hidden theme.¡± This was the first time he had entered a hidden theme. A space so full of mana. A refreshing feeling washed over him. [Mana Amplification Field is activated.] [Mana is abundant.] [Mana enters your body and settles in.] Mana flowed naturally into Jeong-hoon with each breath he took. ¡®This is incredible¡­¡¯ It was truly astonishing. To think that a ce so full of mana existed in New World. He had only heard about it, but experiencing it first hand was on a different level. [Magic Power stat increases by +1.] His Magic Power stat increased by 1 even though he hadn¡¯t leveled up. ¡®Good. I can increase my Magic Power a lot here.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had never used magic before. Unlike magic, divine power focuses on healing, detoxification, and support, so Steadfast Will reacts even with just its use, but magic is not like that. Due to the setting of being a profound discipline, magic was something that couldn¡¯t be easily learned unless you had the Mage ss. Even for Jeong-hoon, who was an all-master, magic was a path that opened veryte. That¡¯s why he learned only one magic spell and used it in battle. It was the same after his return. Even with magic power and the flow of magic memorized in his head, Steadfast Will did not react as if it were firmly solidified. Of course, this was a problem that would slowly resolve over time, but the hidden theme would elerate that process. [Would you like to start training?] Jeong-hoon pressed ept. [Scanning user.] [No circuit diagram found in the body.] [Would you like to construct a circuit diagram?] At that question, the corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth lifted. The circuit diagram is like a power source for using magic. Just having magic power doesn¡¯t mean you can spam magic. New World was designed to maximize the strengths of each ss, and unlike other sses, Magesplete their first ss advancement by constructing a circuit diagram. That was the reason Steadfast Will hadn¡¯t reacted. ¡®I have to construct it.¡¯ As Jeong-hoon epted, his body felt a surge of heat, and a single circuit diagram was created near his chest. [Circuit diagram constructed.] [Additional construction is not possible.] To think it would end so simply. The overpowered nature of the hidden theme gave him goosebumps once again. ¡®With this theme alone, I¡¯ve gained an additional circle.¡¯ Circuit diagram, in other words, a circle. Alessandro found the hidden theme and gained an additional circle here. That¡¯s why he could have a higher circlepared to his level. This hidden theme was a big stepping stone for him to rise from an Archmage to a Sage. The fortuitous encounter of this hidden theme hade to Junghoon. ¡®I¡¯ve started off on the right foot.¡¯ Although creating the circuit diagram in the beginning was tough. Now that he had created it, his growth would be smoother from here on. This was because the conditions for activating Steadfast Will had been met. ¡®Shall I test it out right away?¡¯ As Jeong-hoon channeled his magic power, the circle near his chest began to rotate rapidly. Normally, this would be a time-consuming process, but this ce was overflowing with mana. As the circle rotated, it continuously absorbed the surrounding mana. And slowly, recalling his memories, he formed the magic. Even though he was called an all-master, learning magic was extremely difficult, so he mastered only one spell and used it actively. Now it was time to learn that magic. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ is activated.] [Skill, ¡®Magic Missile (Normal)¡¯ is acquired.] He seeded. * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Jeong-hoon stepped out. ¡°Huu.¡± Jeong-hoon stretched his stiff body. From the training hall to the hidden theme. Was it because he invested all his time in New World except for the minimum sleep? His fatigued body screamed in protest. Well¡­ It was natural to feel this way since he only ate one meal a day and focused on New World. ¡°I need to rest today.¡± Until the game bes reality, he has to live with an ordinary person¡¯s body. Although he had a personality that was intensely focused on one thing, Jeong-hoon had a weak constitution since childhood, so there were many cases where his body couldn¡¯t keep up. His body, which had be somewhat healthier not long after being discharged from the military, was holding up, but if he lost his health once, it would take a lot of time to recover. That would inevitably reduce the time he could invest in New World. So he needed to take care of his body. ¡°Huh? You were here?¡± As he approached the refrigerator to get a drink, he found Ha-jin sitting at a table. ¡°Oh? Are you done with the game? You¡¯re done, right?¡± Ha-jin jumped up and ran towards Jeong-hoon. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m done, but why?¡± ¡°Hey, I saw someone who looks just like you.¡± ¡°Someone who looks like me?¡± ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t know who it was, but a level 11 yer was beating up an instructor.¡± ¡°Ah, that was me.¡± Ha-jin¡¯s jaw dropped as Jeong-hoon calmly affirmed it. ¡°What the fuck?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell just by looking? That was me. I sparred with an NPC instructor at the Martial Arts Hall.¡± ¡°No way¡­ You¡¯re that good at fighting?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a game.¡± ¡°A game? Dude, the only things that get adjusted in virtual reality are your level and stats. But you, at level 11, defeated a level 30 instructor. How am I supposed to understand this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not level 11 anymore. I¡¯m level 16 now.¡± ¡°Level 11 or 16, it¡¯s all the same!¡± Beating up an instructor at either level was an incredible feat. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m tired. I¡¯m heading home, soe with me if you want.¡± ¡°Home? That¡¯s not the point right now! Guilds that are interested in you are leavingments non-stop!¡± ¡°Love calls?¡± If it¡¯s love calls, it must be from guilds. If they¡¯re sending love calls just because of one sparring match with an instructor, it¡¯s probably from small to mid-sized guilds. ¡°Prepare to be amazed! It¡¯s from Ho-yeong! Ho-yeong!¡± ¡°Ho-yeong¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s steps faltered. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 12 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 12 Ho-yeong. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve heard that name. A renowned guild in Korea, it was closely chasing the legend created by Sword King Sa Jae-hyuk before suddenly copsing. It remains a mysterious incident as the guild leader and executives all abruptly disappeared. ¡°Let me see thements.¡± ¡°Here.¡± Ha-jin handed over his phone, which had the New Worldmunity, ¡°Wee,¡± open. The video of Jeong-hoon sparring with the instructor had 2,700 views. Comments were pouring in below the video. A total of 41ments. ©¸ A Martial Artist? A Martial Artist defeated an instructor? ©¸ LOL, isn¡¯t that a Starting Vige instructor? A level 30 NPC. ©¸ Yeah, that¡¯s right. I was wondering what it was. ©¸ Look at the title. A level 11 Martial Artist beat a level 30 instructor. ©¸ Yeah, I beat the instructor when I reached level 10. ©¸ Stop lying ^^ Is that even level 11? It must be a simr level. ©¸ Did he work out? His movements are no joke. ©¸ But why Martial Artist of all things¡­ Even at the same level, it¡¯s weaker than other sses, so when raidingter, he¡¯ll suffer a lot lol. Martial Artist, ostracized for being weaker than other sses. As proof, even though a level 11 defeated a level 30 instructor, most reactions were lukewarm. It seems this kind of public opinion was formed because of the low level and the fact that Martial Artists are seen as just brawlers. But honestly, I¡¯m not interested in thosements. Jeong-hoon scrolled down, checking for nicknames with official guild marks. ©¸ This is the new guild Horizon! If it¡¯s okay with you, could we ask for information about this user? ©¸ This is the new guild Lapaya. We will offer the highestpensation among new guilds. If the user in the video is watching this, please send a 1:1 chat request! As expected, the ones sending love calls were new guilds. These new guilds tend to send love calls to any decent user, so let¡¯s pass on them. The reason Ha-jin was making such a fuss was right below. ©¸ This is Yeo Min-ji from Ho-yeong. If the user filmed in the video is watching this, could you please send a 1:1 chat request? ©¸©¸ Huh? Is that really Yeo Min-ji? ©¸©¸©¸ Can¡¯t you see the official mark? Yeo Min-ji herself appeared, lol¡­ That Martial Artist hit the jackpot¡­ ©¸©¸©¸©¸ Look at them trying to recruit just because they¡¯re the same ss¡­ Do you perhaps not need a Gunslinger? I got a perfect score at the training center ?? Yeo Min-ji evenmented herself. Yeo Min-ji was an executive of the Ho-yeong guild and the daughter of the guild leader, Yeo Soon-woo. For her to leave ament¡­ ¡®She noticed the martial arts.¡¯ When sparring with Instructor Altio, Jeong-hoon overwhelmed him with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Martial Arts. If Yeo Min-ji, currently the highest-level Martial Artist in Korea, had seen the video, she would have noticed that the martial arts disyed were not ordinary. ¡°Let¡¯s just ignore it.¡± ¡°Ignore it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They¡¯ll probably try to pry about the martial arts. Jeong-hoon came out purely for rest. After resting, he nned to go back into New World and make his next n. He didn¡¯t have time to y along with Yeo Min-ji¡¯s tune. ¡°Wow¡­ This guy is amazing. Why are you ignoring it? It¡¯s Ho-yeong! Ho-yeong!¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then why are you ignoring it?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s not a recruitment offer.¡± ¡°Huh? Why not? You won without getting hit once. They can¡¯t miss your potential!¡± ¡°That ce is swarming with levels 200 to 300. Low-level yers must be taking tons of tests to get in. Would they recruit someone just for defeating a level 30 instructor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, ignore it. I¡¯m going home.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. I was just about to head home too.¡± * * * At the same time. ¡°Still no contact?¡± ¡°No¡­¡± Yeo Min-ji was so dumbfounded that she couldn¡¯t evenugh. ¡°Is this person not on Wee?¡± She tilted her head, and Team Leader Park In-tae nodded knowingly. ¡°It seems so. Who else besides a newbie would ignore a love call from Ho-yeong, of all guilds?¡± ¡°I guess so¡­? Hmm, then should we camp out at the Martial Arts Hall and wait?¡± He was confident he could wait for days on end to find that user. ¡°Is there a reason you have to go that far?¡± Team Leader Park In-tae was going crazy. Why on earth was she so fixated on a Starting user? He was also surprised that a low-level user had won a 1:1 spar with an instructor at the training center. Moreover, the user hadn¡¯t even allowed a single hit. But if asked whether they needed to go to such lengths to find and recruit this user, Park In-tae would shake his head. It was true that the instructor was overwhelmed, but that was only possible technically. In terms of pure strength, the user wouldn¡¯t evene close to the NPC instructor. Ho-yeong had plenty of users who were technically skilled. They had Olympic bronze medalists, Asian Games gold medalists, and so on, so there was no need to recruit a newbie, especially one who had just started. ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t tell you the details, but there¡¯s a definite reason.¡± However, Yeo Min-ji, an executive of Ho-yeong, thought differently from Park In-tae. She had to find this Starting user no matter what. ¡®That martial art¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡¯ The martial arts flowed like water. The way the user dodged the instructor¡¯s attacks and instantly corrected their posture to strike the exact target¡­ It was an attack that couldn¡¯t be done without calcting everything. Others might not know, but Yeo Min-ji¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t be fooled. That wasn¡¯t just martial arts gained by sheer luck. It was clearly a skill honed through countless experiences. Otherwise, such movements wouldn¡¯t be possible. ¡°Understood¡­¡± In the end, it was Park In-tae who stepped back. * * * After returning home, Jeong-hoon slept almost all day. His stamina wascking after pushing himself hard for several days. But after a good night¡¯s sleep, he felt refreshed and thought he could focus on New World again after resting for just a day. ¡°Jeong-hoon, let¡¯s eat.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Coming out of the living room, Jeong-hoon sat down and nced at his mother. Sinceing back, he had been so focused on New World that he hadn¡¯t spent much time with her. Normally, this would be the time for him to prepare to return to university. But instead of studying, he had been spending his days out, so it was understandable that he didn¡¯t look good in his mother¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t just eat the ham, make sure to eat your vegetables too, okay?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Are you going to return to university soon?¡± The moment he had been dreading had arrived. Jeong-hoon carefully put down his chopsticks. ¡°Mom, the thing is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can dy returning to university.¡± His mother¡¯s reaction was different from what he expected. As if there was nothing more to discuss, she resumed focusing on her meal. ¡°Is that really okay?¡± ¡°Yes. Ever since your father passed away, you¡¯ve worked hard to study and do part-time jobs without wanting to burden me.¡± Bncing studies and part-time jobs, Jeong-hoon had no time for hobbies. He didn¡¯t have the time to have any. With his good memory and concentration, he managed to maintain top grades and got into a prestigious university recognized by others. Jeong-hoon was his mother¡¯s pride. ¡°Thank you.¡± But knowing what he did about the future, it wasn¡¯t the time to focus on studies and a job, despite feeling guilty towards his mother. ¡°So, what have you been doing these days?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been ying a game called New World.¡± ¡°Oh, that virtual reality game or whatever it¡¯s called?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Is it fun?¡± His mother showed interest in New World. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s so much fun that once you start, it¡¯s hard to stop.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s why you¡¯re ying it all day. But make sure you take care of your health while ying. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± He was incredibly relieved that his mother was supportive. After taking a break, he logged into World Com on hisputer. World Com is a majormunity for sharing information about New World, boasting over a million concurrent users at any given time. ¡®The views have increased a lot.¡¯ The video of Jeong-hoon sparring with the instructor had stalled at 4,000 views. For a Starting¡¯s video, that was a high number of views. Of course, on World Com, 4,000 views weren¡¯t that significant. Real-time top 100 ranking posts typically exceeded 100,000 views. ¡®This is good.¡¯ As the ultimate gathering ce for New World users, World Com could be considered a repository of all information about the game. Whenever users discovered interesting elements, they immediately shared them on World Com, making it a part of the culture. Thanks to the information avable on World Com, he had saved a lot of time. This time, he wasn¡¯t logging in to gather information, but rather to check the status of dungeons in the northern region. [Offering Dungeon Assistance!] The progression in the Starting vige follows a sequence of training at the training hall and then moving on to dungeons. Typically, in the Starting vige, the instructors at the training hall provide quests directing yers to low-difficulty dungeons. These dungeons are usually located in the south, while the northern dungeons are more challenging and not assigned as quests for training. However, that didn¡¯t mean the northern dungeons were ignored. He navigated to the category, set it to the Starting vige, and hit search, causing a list of posts to appear. [Lv.21 Red Hop Goblin Vige 3-yer Party Assistance! ¨C Level 41 First Job Warrior] [Lv.23 Orc Shaman 3-yer Party Assistance! ¨C Level 39 First Job Mage] There were many posts offering assistance. The northern dungeons had higher levelspared to the southern ones, so yers who hadpleted their first job advancement would help and take the dungeon rewards aspensation. Jeong-hoon quickly scrolled through the posts. ¡®It hasn¡¯t been discovered yet!¡¯ He recalled that around this time, the dungeon had been cleared, but since there were no posts about it, it seemed it hadn¡¯t been discovered yet. His next destination was set. * * * New World also had an official homepage. Unlike World Com, which was created by users, the homepage was run by EarthSaga and provided updates, rankings, events, guides, and other typical game-rted information. If the New World homepage was the skeleton, then World Com could be seen as the flesh thatplemented it. There was an unusual announcement on the New World homepage, unrted to updates. === [A Hidden Theme in New World Has Been Discovered!] Hello! This is the New World development team. We are posting this announcement to share some exciting news! A hidden theme, which we had carefully concealed in New World, has finally been discovered by a user for the first time! The hidden theme is a feature designed to aid in yer growth, and it is set up so that the first person to discover it globally can im it. Therefore, we will be giving a special reward to the user who made this first discovery. [Republic of Korea ¨C 000] The server will be disclosed, but the nickname will not. Attention, New World users! We are pleased to announce that the first hidden theme has been discovered in New World! New World has hidden many other things rted to growth besides this! We hope all New World users have a pleasant day today. From the New World Development Team === The news that the first hidden theme had been discovered¡­ The number of views of that announcement soared and surpassed 5 million in just one hour. Naturally, Wee, which served to amplify the news, was also on fire with the contents of the announcement. [Hey! Did you see the notice? What¡¯s a hidden theme?] ¨C They said it was discovered for the first time. Where was it found? [I think a high-level user must have taken it.] ¨C It hadn¡¯t been discovered for years sinceunch, right? Then it must have been taken by someone who opened a new area first. [And the person who took it is from our country.] ¨C Damn lol Who is it? The person who took it, confess! [I think it¡¯s either Sa Jae-hyuk or Je Mu-jin.] ¨C Currently, the highest-level users in Korea are those two. Agree? This was the reason why Wee in Korea was aze. The fact that the first person to discover the New World hidden theme was Korean! They were filled with national pride but also dominated by feelings of jealousy and envy. [Wow, this is what Koreans are all about!] ¨C But I¡¯m so jealous¡­ It¡¯s not right that high levels get everything. ©¸ That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying¡­ ©¸©¸ Life is bitter¡­ lol They didn¡¯t know. That the hidden theme was discovered in Starting Vige, and the protagonist who opened it was a Martial Artist not even level 20. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 13 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 13 Earth Korea Management Team. The team leader and staff were gathered together, watching the gamey of a single user over and over again. Except for basic information, New World¡¯s own mosaic processing prevented them from seeing the details, but it was enough to shock them. ¡°No way¡­¡± The development team in charge of New World, along with the announcement, spared no praise for Earth Korea, saying that they had an amazing user. The development team is located at Earth¡¯s headquarters, and the location of the headquarters is unknown. It is carried out with such thorough security that even Earth employees do not know, and one thing is certain: a supeputer called New World exists and is known to manage all servers around the world. The pay was good, the benefits were good, and everything rted to the game was handled by the development team, so it was the best work-life bncepany with no overtime. Honestly, they weren¡¯t that surprised when they were told that they praised a beginner user. They just thought they were a talented person with a talent for games, but looking at the user¡¯s footsteps, this could not be simply defined as amazing. ¡°Could such coincidences happen in a row?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I mean.¡± Suddenly appearing, choosing a martial artist, and being the first to clear the tutorial level 5, no less. After that, instead of going to the Hall of Physical Arts, which everyone goes to, he went to an empty dojo and cleaned it, and then lightly beat down a warrior who hadpleted the first job change. The ghost of an old man appeared in the dojo, and he obtained a legendary skill from him. ¡°Wow¡­ Damn, it¡¯s hard to even list them.¡± Anyway, as if he knew everything, not only did he beat up the instructor at the Hall of Physical Arts, but he went to a vige that no one was heading to and easily obtained aura flowers, and even discovered a hidden theme within them. What a monster. ¡°Who on earth is this user?¡± ¡°If you ask me that, how would I know?¡± Team leader Oh Jin-soo was also perplexed. Coincidences upon coincidences are concentrating on a single user. ¡°This isn¡¯t someone who¡¯s already experienced the game, is it?¡± Team member Park Joo-ho asked in a trembling voice. ¡°New World is a game where you can only create a character once.¡± ¡°Right. And even if they created a second character, that doesn¡¯t make sense. They were the first to clear the tutorial, and the first to discover that dojo. Hidden theme¡­ Ha, I¡¯m tired of talking.¡± ¡°Ah! Then someone is telling them!¡± At the words that someone was telling them, everyone¡¯s heads turned to Park Joo-ho. ¡°Telling them?¡± ¡°Yes! When you go to a fortune teller, the spirit tells you your fortune. That¡¯s also the spirit possessing them and telling them everything!¡± Park Joo-ho¡¯s eyes sparkled as he began to chatter. He was more interested in fortunes, palmistry, and tarot than MBTI. He even went so far as to take his teammates to see a fortune teller. ¡°¡­Forget it. I should stop talking.¡± The team members who went with him shook their heads. Was it the first or second time Park Joo-ho had spouted nonsense? ¡°Spouting nonsense again? Your work must be easy, huh?¡± In the end, Oh Jin-soo grabbed Park Joo-ho¡¯s head and shook it. Park Joo-ho, with a pained expression, grabbed his head and hurriedly added. ¡°Ouch! Wait a minute! That doesn¡¯t mean this user is an Earth employee, does it? If you join Earth or Genesis, you can¡¯t even use the capsule!¡± That was also true. From Oh Jin-soo¡¯s point of view, the user¡¯s y was too natural. If they discovered it by chance, they should be surprised, but it¡¯s as if they know everything. ¡®Is someone really telling them?¡¯ It was a y that couldn¡¯t be understood otherwise. * * * Bzzz- While resting at home, Jung-hoon received a call from Ha-jin. ¡°Yeah, why did you call?¡± [Hey! Did you hear the news?! A hidden theme has been discovered in our country!] ¡°Really? That¡¯s amazing.¡± Jung-hoon pretended to be surprised, but his acting was terrible, so Ha-jin quickly saw through it. [What? Why is your reaction so lukewarm?] ¡°I¡¯m really surprised.¡± [You¡¯re kidding. A hidden theme? You don¡¯t know because you haven¡¯t been ying this game for long, but if New World is making an official announcement, it¡¯s really a big deal, you know? They even said New World is giving that user a separate gift!] ¡°Really?¡± That¡¯s a bit surprising. Before returning, Jung-hoon started ying the game long after Alessandro had discovered the hidden theme. Therefore, he did not know the news that New World would make a direct announcement and that he would receive an additional gift. ¡®What kind of gift would they give?¡¯ Since the hidden theme itself was like a lucky chance, it didn¡¯t seem like they would give anything grand as a congrattory gift. As Jeong-hoon pondered, Ha-jin¡¯sughter came from the other end of the phone. [What? Hearing you like this, are you envious?] ¡°You talk as if you¡¯re the one getting it?¡± [It makes me feel better when you¡¯re envious, as if I¡¯m the one getting it.] ¡°Weird guy.¡± Sorry, but I got that hidden theme. Of course, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t say that to Ha-jin. [Anyway, you¡¯re resting at home today, right?] ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll rest until today and start running again tomorrow morning.¡± [Morning¡­ You¡¯re amazing, anyway. Got it.] ¡°Take care.¡± [Take care~] Jeong-hoon went to the New World homepage. There was a phrase saying that they would give a gift, but there was no separate contact. In the first ce, there was no case of New Worldmunicating directly with users, so he passed. The reward will probably be given when he logs into the game. * * * Jeong-hoon, who had rested for a total of two days, came back to the capsule. ¡°But do you really not regret it?¡± Ha-jin, sitting in the capsule next to him, asked. ¡°I told you I don¡¯t. The love call came to me, so why are you holding onto it?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just saying because it¡¯s Ho-yeong.¡± The guild Ha-jin joined was in the lower ranks of mid-sized guilds. He also wanted to join a big guild like Ho-yeong, but it was almost impossible to join without any special abilities. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going in first.¡± Whoosh- The capsule door that Jeong-hoon entered closed and logged in. The ce where he appeared was an inn a little away from the marketce vige. In New World, when you log in, you are logged in at thest logout point. [You have unread messages!] A huge message that appears as soon as you log in. Jeong-hoon touched the message. [A gift will be given to the user who first discovered the hidden theme.] [The gift will be adjusted to the current level of the user.] ¡®Oh no.¡¯ Jeong-hoon smiled bitterly. If they give it ording to the current level, 100% a low-level gift will be given. [Please check your gift.] -Bonus stat +10 -HP/MP 20% recovery potion +20 -Status ailment recovery potion +20 How can it not miss the expectations? Well, a gift is a gift. Jeong-hoon also exchanged all the achievement points he had umted for experience points. He needed to be at least level 6 to purchase the items he needed right away from the achievement shop. Until then, he needed to focus on rapid growth. [Level up!] [All stats +1.] [Bonus stat +1.] This brought his level to 21. Level 21 without hardly hunting any monsters. If Ha-jin had heard, he would have fainted. Knock. Knock. ¡°Guest, you must leave now.¡± 11 a.m. New World time. It was time to vacate the inn. The inn that Jeong-hoon had rented was for 2 days, so he had to pay an additional fee if he wanted to stay another day. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Jeong-hoon, who had no luggage in the first ce, came out of the inn with nothing. [You have rested for two days at the inn.] [¡®Minor Recovery¡¯ buff (3 hours) has been granted.] The reason he paid money to visit the inn was to receive this buff. [Minor Recovery] -Type: Buff -Grade: Normal -Restores HP by 0.1% every second. -Restores MP by 0.1% every second. A buff that restores 0.1% of HP and MP every second when they are depleted. It will y an important role in clearing the next dungeon. Jeong-hoon stopped by a nearby weapon shop instead of heading north right away. ¡°Wee!¡± As befitting a beginner zone weapon shop, the grades of the weapons were not very high. ¡°Please give me the ones listed here.¡± ¡°Yes? ¡­So many?¡± The merchant at the weapon shop tilted his head. It was no wonder, since Jeong-hoon was looking for 5 types of weapons. Sword, dagger, bow, staff, knuckle. ¡°Yes. Please give me the lowest grade ones. Give me plenty of arrows. Also, give me 20 repair kits.¡± Repair kits are items that recharge the durability of a weapon when its durability is low. ¡°You¡¯ll need a bit of money to buy this much¡­¡± The merchant said so and nced at Jeong-hoon¡¯s pocket. The price of a weapon, the lowest grade, is 10 silver. Sword, dagger, bow, staff, and knuckle are each 10 silver, so a total of 50 silver is 2 gold 10 silver. The repair kit is 2 silver each, so 20 of them are 2 gold. In addition, 400 arrows made by refining magic power are 10 silver, so the total amount is 5 gold. He had not seen many users carrying more than 1 gold while running the weapon shop. Even if they had money, they were exceptions because they carried much more expensive and better weapons than the ones disyed in his weapon shop. ¡°Here you go.¡± But Jeong-hoon casually put down 5 gold. The merchant¡¯s eyes curved like a crescent moon as he checked the five gold coins. ¡°Thank you for using our services!¡± Look at the change in attitude? As a merchant, he was very good at judging the situation. Jeong-hoon smiled and put the weapons and repair kits into his inventory. ¡°Goodbye.¡± This left him with 4 gold, 18 silver, and 6 pennies. That¡¯s enough preparation. To get to the dungeon located in the north, he had to use the portal located beyond the two northern fields. [Portal] The portal was huge. The width was enough for 10 people to enter, and many users wereing and going through the portal. ¡°You have to line up here.¡± Nearly 50 users were lined up in front of the portal, waiting. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon went behind them and stood in line. * * * A handsome man in his mid-20s, who was looking at the New World announcement, was enraged. Blond hair, a Western yet three-dimensional face. An Archmage who currently surpassed level 500 and reached level 502. It was Alessandro Bryden. ¡°Why? This shouldn¡¯t be possible now¡­?¡± Hidden theme. One of the hidden opportunities New World has hidden. And this hidden theme was an opportunity that should havee to him. A secret quest given to him, the first wizard to break through level 500. The contents of the secret quest were clues about the hidden theme. The clues were so difficult that he hadn¡¯t made any progress yet, but he thought they woulde to him over time. Someone had snatched that hidden theme away. ¡°Damn it!¡± This makes the secret quest meaningless! Alessandro pretended to pull his hair out. ¡°Not yet¡­ The hidden theme doesn¡¯t end there.¡± ording to the clues, there are several more hidden themes. He didn¡¯t know where it was discovered, but it must have been by chance. It¡¯s okay to bring the rest of the hidden themes. Alessandro hurriedly entered the capsule and began to study the clues given. * * * The portal had 13 destinations. There are a total of 13 dungeons in the north, so there are 13 portals ordingly. Most of them moved in groups of 2 or 3 to move through the portal, and Jeong-hoon was the only one moving alone. [¡®Lv.25 Orc Warrior¡¯s Forest¡¯ dungeon entrance has been reached.] The ce Jeong-hoon headed to was the Lv.25 Orc Warrior¡¯s Forest. It was a dungeon with a considerably high difficulty level even in the Primal Vige, so it was usually a dungeon that 4 people would team up to clear. And soon, the dungeons at this portal will be two. Because he¡¯s going to make it that way. [Undiscovered dungeon discovered in Primal Vige!] -Of course, I didn¡¯t discover it, my acquaintance did. See the forest next to the dungeon portal? There¡¯s a cave next to that forest, and that cave is the entrance to a new dungeon. For reference, Lv.38 Poison Crusher lives there, so it was a dungeon that shouldn¡¯t have appeared in Primal Vige in the first ce lol. Jeong-hoon entered the forest instead of the dungeon portal. At the end of the forest, there really was a cave. As if to prove that no human had set foot there, the surroundings were too clean. In the first ce, the users who visit here are gathered to clear the dungeon, not to wander around the forest. ¡®It¡¯s in here, right?¡¯ Usually, the cave would be dark, but the surroundings were strangely bright. Jeong-hoon moved his steps and went deeper into the cave. And there, he could see a portal shimmering. That was the dungeon he had to enter this time. ¡®The level is reasonably high, and they¡¯re the perfect opponents to learn skills from.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 14 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 14 [You have discovered an undiscovered dungeon! 1,000 achievement points have been awarded.] All the dungeons in New World were discovered by users. So, discovering an undiscovered dungeon didn¡¯t mean there was something amazing hidden. However, the undiscovered dungeon in front of Jeong-hoon would y an extremely important role. [Would you like to enter the Lv.38 Poison Crusher¡¯s dungeon?] Poison Crusher is a centipede-shaped monster. It carries poison, so you need to be extra careful when hunting it. ¡°Hiss- Who dares enter this ce!¡± And this dungeon is a mini-dungeon. The clearing isplete once the Poison Crusher is hunted, regardless of whether it is normal or boss. Of course, it cannot be said that the difficulty is easy. A giant centipede crawling on the ceiling of the cave. Crusher itself is quite powerful for level 38. ¡®The discoverer eventually failed to clear it, and users over level 60 gathered in a party of 4 to deal with Crusher.¡¯ Jeong-hoon first took out his bow and pulled the string. If it didn¡¯t intend toe down from the ceiling, he had to force it down. When he released the string, the magic arrow was shot in a parab. However, the arrow that hit Crusher¡¯s body bounced off weakly. Crusher scoffed, as if it hadn¡¯t been hit at all. ¡°How absurd. You think you can do anything to me with something like this!¡± Swoosh- Poison gas spewed from Crusher¡¯s mouth. Right. If he couldn¡¯t figure this out, he would die. This was a cave. The poison gas from its giant mouth filled the air in an instant. [You have been poisoned.] [HP is rapidly decreasing!] [You will die within 20 seconds if you don¡¯t detoxify!] The level difference between Jeong-hoon and Crusher was a whopping 17. Since he had inhaled the poison of such a creature, it was natural that he couldn¡¯tst long. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ He had experienced this kind of status ailment to the point of nausea before returning. He had been poisoned and cursed worse than this. Jeong-hoon pulled the string again and shot an arrow. ¡°Your desperate struggle isughable.¡± Crusher didn¡¯t even bother to dodge the arrow and just took the hit. Of course, the arrow couldn¡¯t prate Crusher¡¯s skin and bounced off again. Nevertheless, Jeong-hoon repeated the action. ¡®1 second.¡¯ Jeong-hoon took out the ¡®Status Ailment Recovery Potion¡¯ he had received as a gift and drank it all. [You have recovered from poisoning!] He recovered from the poisoning, but his HP was on the verge of reaching 0, so he used the lowest grade healing continuously. And once again, he pulled the string and shot an arrow. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ has been activated.] [Skill, ¡®Arrow (Normal)¡¯ has been acquired.] Yes! This is the basic skill obtained by users who choose the Archer ss. I¡¯ve acquired Arrow. [Arrow] -Type: Active -Level: 1 -Grade: Normal -Consumes 1 mana to increase the arrow¡¯s attack power by 10. Arrow is a skill that can only be obtained by repeatedly attacking monsters that cannot be damaged by normal arrows. Jeong-hoon shot another arrow. The arrow, empowered by 1 mana, had its attack power increased by 10. A slight flinch. With the increased attack power, the arrowhead managed to inflict a small wound on Krash¡¯s skin. The skill¡¯s effect was definitely noticeable. However, the arrow didn¡¯t pierce through and quickly fell to the ground. That was enough. ¡°Shhhhk! Human! I yed along with your little tricks!¡± Crusher, seemingly enraged, charged at Jeong-hoon, rapidly moving its 150 pairs of legs. Its massive fangs were bared. Jeong-hoon slung his bow on his back and drew his sword. ¡®Vital Strike.¡¯ The Vital Strike skill provides a correction, allowing him to urately hit a monster¡¯s vital point. ng! Jeong-hoon¡¯s sword and Crusher¡¯s fangs shed, producing a heavy impact sound. The Crusher continued to press Jeong-hoon, thrusting its fangs forward. ng! ng! Jeong-hoon blocked the monster¡¯s attacks while stepping back to create distance. He needed to recover from the poisoning. [You have recovered from poisoning.] He consumed another antidote potion. Due to the poison gas filling the surroundings, a 20-second timer started. [Casting Lowest grade Healing.] He quickly cast Lowest grade Healing. [The level of Lowest grade Healing has increased.] Yes! Repeatedly using Lowest grade Healing caused the skill level to rise. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ has been activated.] [Skill, ¡®Poison Resistance (Normal)¡¯ has been acquired.] After drinking Crusher¡¯s poison consecutively, Steadfast Will reacted, and he acquired the targeted skill. [Poison Resistance] -Type: Passive -Level: 1 -grade: Normal -Increases resistance to poison. (Poison Resistance) -Resists health reduction caused by poison. Poison Resistance. A passive skill that grants resistance to the Crusher¡¯s poison. ¡®This will eventually lead to Complete Poison Resistance.¡¯ The realm of Complete Poison Resistance, which he couldn¡¯t reach in his previous life. This time, he was determined to achieve it. [Resisting poison.] Upon acquiring the skill, the rate at which he sumbed to status ailments noticeably slowed down. ¡°Shhhhk! Human! What trickery are you using?!¡± Crusher, confirming that Jeong-hoon was resisting its poison, pressed its attack. Its intent to end this battle quickly was clear. However, Jeong-hoon, unwilling to let it end easily, raised his sword and shed with Crusher. ng! The fierce shing sounds repeated once again. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ has been activated.] [Skill, ¡®Swordsmanship Mastery (Normal)¡¯ has been acquired.] Yes! If his previous acquisition was Vital Strike, this time he obtained a skill that enhances his swordsmanship overall. [Swordsmanship Mastery] -Type: Passive -Level: 1 -Grade: Normal -The sharpness of swordsmanship deepens. -Sword attack power increases by 5%. -Critical hit chance increases by 2%. The repeated confrontations had paid off. Indeed, continuously shing with a higher-level monster allowed him to acquire skills quickly. The corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth twitched into a smirk. ¡°How dare you face me!¡± The Crusher, seeing that smile, became enraged. ¡®Shall we move on to the next skill?¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes turned fierce. At that moment, sword strikes that couldn¡¯t even bepared to before unfolded. Slice. With each swing of Jeong-hoon¡¯s sword, the Crusher¡¯s legs were severed. The monster¡¯s vital points weren¡¯t just its head. The joints between its body and legs. By urately targeting those joints, severing its legs was a simple task. ¡°Keeek!¡± The Crusher writhed in pain as its legs were cut off. It became even easier to attack. Jeong-hoon continued to swing his sword. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ has been activated.] [Skill, ¡®Vertical sh (Normal)¡¯ has been acquired.] Following Swordsmanship Mastery, he acquired Vertical sh. This skill is obtained when repeatedly shing and inflicting consistent damage. ¡®Magic Missile.¡¯ Simultaneously, he rapidly rotated the circle to circte mana and then released it ording to the incantation. A blue mass of energy appeared in mid-air. Jeong-hoon marked the Crusher¡¯s head, and the Magic Missile shot towards it. Bang! The Magic Missile collided with the Crusher¡¯s head, causing a small explosion. ¡°Keeek!¡± The Crusher¡¯s scream became sharper than before. It meant the damage was significant. Jeong-hoon continued to cut the Crusher¡¯s legs with his sword. After a while, the Crusher finally copsed to the ground, unable to endure any longer. Thud! The Crusher¡¯s body was so massive that the cave¡¯s ceiling shook as it fell, and rocks tumbled down. [Using Lowest grade Healing.] However, Jeong-hoon started pouring Lowest grade Healing onto the Crusher, depleting his mana. ¡°Shhhhk¡­?¡± The Crusher was puzzled. Why was this crazy human, who had just severed all its legs, healing it? ¡°Get up. We need to continue, right?¡± ¡°Wha, what¡­?¡± ¡°Try to defeat me.¡± Jeong-hoon beckoned with his finger. ¡°Shhhhk!¡± Provoked, the Crusher charged at Jeong-hoon once again. * * * ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡± The Earth Korea management team was watching the user¡¯s subjugation process in real-time. They had their doubts when he entered the northern portal alone, but he ended up discovering an undiscovered dungeon there. That wasn¡¯t the only surprising thing. ¡°Wow¡­ how is he fighting so well?¡± ¡°Right? Normally, he should be knocked out in one hit, shouldn¡¯t he?¡± A beginner user was fighting on par with a boss monster from an undiscovered dungeon, a level 38 at that. ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t he a Martial Artist?¡± ¡°His skill with the bow and sword doesn¡¯t seem to beckingpared to Warriors or Archers at all.¡± ¡°But how is he enduring the level 38 poison?¡± The user was proficient with both the sword and bow, despite being a Martial Artist. Did this mean he wasn¡¯t just skilled in martial arts? He even used healing?! ¡°Wow, look at him using healing. Does it make sense for a Martial Artist to have divine power¡­?¡± ¡°This is crazy. He¡¯s even using Magic Missile.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ I¡¯m so surprised I can¡¯t even speak properly.¡± How could a Martial Artist use skills from other sses? The staff, speechless, stared nkly at the user¡¯s hunting. Goosebumps crept up their arms. ¡°Management team! Didn¡¯t you hear the announcement to gather in the auditorium?!¡± At that moment, someone interrupted their viewing. It was Team Leader Park Geon-ha from the system management team next door. While the user management team, led by Oh Jin-soo, managed users, they were responsible for the overall system management. And there was a training session scheduled for 3 PM today in the auditorium. ¡°Ugh! This was an important scene!¡± ¡°Why is time going by so fast?¡± The clock showed 2:50 PM. ¡°This was the highlight¡­¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± In the end, the staff headed to the auditorium, feeling like they had been interrupted in the middle of something important. * * * Jeong-hoon continued his battle with the Crusher, repeatedly consuming potions. [The level of Lowest grade Healing has increased.] After raising the Healing skill level once again. [The level of Magic Missile has increased.] [The level of Arrow has increased.] [The level of Swordsmanship Mastery has increased.] [The level of Poison Resistance has increased.] He continued to raise the levels of the newly acquired skills. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ has been activated.] [Skill, ¡®Horizontal sh (Normal)¡¯ has been acquired.] [¡®Strong Will¡¯ merges ¡®Horizontal sh¡¯ and ¡®Vertical sh¡¯.] [¡®Continuous sh (Normal)¡¯ has been acquired.] By acquiring additional skills, he finally obtained his target skill, Continuous sh. ¡°Shhhhaaa¡­.¡± And the Crusher didn¡¯t attack anymore. It was huddled in the corner of the cave, unusually docile. ¡®Monster¡­ monster¡­¡¯ The Crusher just wanted to be healed now. Please, if you¡¯re going to end it, just end it. ¡®I think this is enough, right?¡¯ Having lost its will to fight, the Crusher even gave up on spewing poisonous gas. As a result, the thick gas had thinned considerably. He had extracted almost everything he could from the level 38 Crusher. There were a few more things he wanted to get, but that was only possible if the Crusher attacked him with the intent to kill. In this state, there was no point in continuing the fight. Jeong-hoon approached the Crusher and pierced its head with his sword. [You have cleared the ¡®Lv.38 Poisonous Crusher¡¯ dungeon for the first time.] [You have been awarded 1,000 achievement points.] [Additional experience points have been awarded.] [Your level has increased.] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been awarded.] After defeating the Poisonous Crusher, he immediately gained one level. Considering the considerable time it took to go from level 21 to 22, this was a very satisfying achievement. ¡°Good.¡± With a satisfied smile, Jeong-hoon picked up the two items and the magic stone dropped where the Crusher¡¯s body had disappeared. [Due to the first clear, boss monster items are dropped at 100%.] These items usually had a low drop rate and rarely appeared. [Crusher¡¯s Fangs] The Crusher¡¯s fangs were in Jeong-hoon¡¯s hands. And one more. A small, purple-tinged bead. Like the Crusher¡¯s fangs, this wasn¡¯t an item for his own use but a material needed for a quest. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 15 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 15 [You have arrived at the entrance of the ¡®Lv.25 Orc Warrior¡¯s Forest¡¯ dungeon.] Three people emerged from the portal: two level 15 users and one level 43 user. A warrior, an archer, and a healer formed the party of three. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just do the quests given at the training center?¡± One of the level 15 users asked with a disgruntled expression. He wanted to skip this time, but he was dragged along by the other two. ¡°Hey, how long will it take to reach level 30 doing those quests and dungeon runs? When someone¡¯s offering a carry, just ept it.¡± He agreed with the instructor giving out measly experience points. Even afterpleting the dungeon raid quest, the experience only increased by a mere 12%. No wonder people said it would take weeks to reach the first job advancement. ¡°Yeah, Ji-sung is right. It¡¯s much better to run higher-level dungeons.¡± The three of them were childhood friends who had been close since elementary school. And Han Ji-sung was the highest level among them, a level 43 warrior. As the warrior, Han Ji-sung would sweep away the monsters, so his lower-level friends just had to ride the ¡°bus¡± (get carried). It was faster to level up than receiving quests from the instructor. That¡¯s why users who had alreadypleted their first job advancement would often power-level lower-level users through dungeons, taking all the rewards for themselves. This was because the northern dungeons required a minimum of three people to proceed. ¡°But why is this forest so vast?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Other dungeons weren¡¯t this wide.¡± The portal to the Orc Warrior¡¯s Forest was uniquely surrounded by a dense forest. ¡°Hmm, then should we look around?¡± Yoo Jinho, the level 15 mage, suggested. The other two tilted their heads at his suggestion. ¡°Do we have to?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different from other dungeons, right? There might be something here.¡± ¡°Why waste time? Let¡¯s just clear the dungeon and be done with it.¡± ¡°You never know. We have time, so how about we explore for 30 minutes?¡± ¡°30 minutes is fine¡­¡± ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go then!¡± In the end, they decided to explore the forest for 30 minutes, following Yoo Jinho¡¯s suggestion. ¡°What could possibly be here¡­¡± Han Ji-sung grumbled, but hisints stopped when they discovered a cave. ¡°See! Doesn¡¯t it smell like something¡¯s definitely here?¡± As if to prove it wasn¡¯t an ordinary cave, the inside was bright. Was there really something here? ¡°¡­It does seem like it.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Even Park Sungho, who was practically dragged here, actively agreed. Finally, the three entered the cave. And inside, they found a portal. ¡°There it is!¡± ¡°Huh? There¡¯s a dungeon here?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯s Lv.38?¡± For a dungeon lurking in the Starting Vige, the level was too high. ¡°Ji-sung, I¡¯m asking you a favor!¡± ¡°¡­You crazy bastard, I¡¯ve never even entered a dungeon this high.¡± Even with a high level, it was natural to be scared. The Poison Crusher was a whopping 13 levels higher than the Lv.25 Orc Warrior. At that moment, the portal glowed and a user returned. Usually, if you failed to clear a dungeon, you¡¯d be forcibly logged out and unable to log in for 24 hours. The fact that he returned unharmed meant he had cleared the dungeon. ¡°Um¡­ did you clear this ce?¡± ¡°Yes, why?¡± === [yer Information] -Nickname: Hoon -Level: 22 -ss: Martial Artist === A level 22 martial artist solo-killed the boss? And it was the Poison Crusher, 16 levels higher? ¡°No way¡­¡± Han Ji-sung muttered in a daze. ¡°Then good luck.¡± The user passed by the three and left the forest. ¡°Ji-sung, this seems doable.¡± ¡°Yeah, if a level 22 can clear it, it should be fine for us.¡± If a level 22 martial artist could hunt it, the Lv.38 Crusher must be weakened. Right, this is the Starting Vige. It doesn¡¯t make sense for a Lv.38 to be here. ¡°¡­Okay, let¡¯s go in!¡± Led by Han Ji-sung, Yoo Jinho and Park Sungho bravely headed towards the Poison Crusher. ¡°Hiss! Huuumaaans!¡± The Crusher, having lost its life once to Jeong-Hoon, rushed towards them in a rage as soon as the humans appeared. ¡°J-Ji-sung! Do something!¡± ¡°Crazy! The thing I¡¯m most afraid of is centipedes! Of all things, it had to be a centipede!¡± ¡°You¡¯re level 43! You useless bastard!¡± ¡°Aaagh!¡± They were logged out without putting up much of a fight. * * * So those three were the ones who discovered the hidden dungeon. ¡®They¡¯ll fail to clear it.¡¯ The Poison Crusher spewed poisonous gas, so it would be easier to defeat with higher-level users. From what Jeong-Hoon could see, only one of the three hadpleted their first job advancement. If they went in like that, they¡¯d probably be forcibly logged out for 24 hours. [Crusher¡¯s Poisonous Fang] -Type: Consumable -Grade: Rare -Upgrades the Normal Grade of status ailment resistance skills to Rare. -However, the skill level must be 10. An item that allows for further strengthening of Poison Resistance. It¡¯s a rare item that might drop once every 1,000 Poison Crusher kills. [Poison Resistance] -Type: Passive -Level: 5 -Grade: Normal -Increases resistance to poison. (Poison Resistance) -Resists health reduction caused by poison. Currently, Poison Resistance is at level 5. He wanted to continuously fight the Poison Crusher and raise the level of Poison Resistance to 10, but not only had the Crusher lost its will to fight, but the skill level increase had slowed down as he became ustomed to its poison. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t use the Crusher¡¯s Poisonous Fang right away. ¡®There will be plenty of opportunities to reach level 10.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t take long anyway. Jeong-Hoon nned to raise the level of Poison Resistance to 10 in this Starting Vige. And the item that would be the quest material: [Crusher¡¯s Poison Sac (Unusable)] -Type: Material -Grade: Normal -The poison sac where the Crusher stored its poison. -Contains potent poison, making it difficult to use. ¡®I have to do this no matter what.¡¯ It was the reward for a quest that once heated up the Starting Vige. [Poison Damage] A crazy skill that has a low chance of inflicting additional poison damage with every attack. This Poison Sac could be considered the starting item for obtaining that skill. Of course, he couldn¡¯t start the quest right away. He had to meet the alchemist belonging to the Starting Vige, but he couldn¡¯t just randomly visit and receive the quest. To obtain that quest, he first had to clear all the quests given by the vige NPCs. ¡®I¡¯ll also get the things everyone else misses.¡¯ Most users were obsessed with leveling up and progressing through job advancement quests. And those whopleted their first job advancement would move on to the next city. Naturally, only a very small number of users would meticulously clear all the quests in the Starting Vige. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like no one did it. Streamers who used New World as broadcast content had once done a challenge toplete all the quests in the Starting Vige. [Wow¡­ the reward is just a single title. ¡®Benefactor of Starting Vige¡¯ has appeared.] -As you can see, it¡¯s a title¡­ and the option is just a 1% increase in health and mana. Seriously? ©¸Kekekeke ©¸Lololololol ©¸What a waste of time~ I would¡¯ve advanced and moved on to the next vige. ©¸It¡¯s okay, he¡¯ll make money from that content~ ©¸Let¡¯s not waste our time lol The vige quests that no one attempted anymore due to the meager rewards. But did they know? That this was the path to the alchemist of the Starting Vige. [Normal Quest: Ten¡¯s Problem at the General Store] -Restriction: All New World users -Reward: 250 Exp -Description: Ten fell and hurt his back at the general store. So, the store hasn¡¯t been cleaned. Please clean the general store for him! It offered a mere 250 experience points and asked him to clean the entire general store. This was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s second visit to the general store. Cleaning the three-story general store would not be an easy task. ¡°Oh my! Thank you so much for helping.¡± Ten, the store owner, held Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands and teared up. ¡®¡­¡¯ Jeong-Hoon smiled silently. The guy who imed to have hurt his back was doing business just fine? This quest was clearly designed to make users do the cleaning. ¡°Then please do it quickly!¡± Ten informed him of the location of the cleaning tools and ran off to the counter. ¡®Let¡¯s start.¡¯ Since he had to do it anyway, he grabbed a mop with the intention of finishing it quickly. * * * As befitting arge general store in the marketce, many users came and went. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t that a user, not an NPC?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Why are they cleaning there?¡± On the first floor of the general store, a user was diligently mopping the floor. ¡°It¡¯s a quest.¡± ¡°A quest?¡± The users pointed to Ten at the counter. A light bulb was flickering above Ten¡¯s head, and the flickering shape was a question mark. Curious, the novice users touched Ten¡¯s question mark. ¡°What, 250 experience points? Are you kidding me?¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s crazy. Cleaning all three floors of this general store for a mere 250?¡± The users became furious after checking the quest details. ¡°Ah, of course, you don¡¯t have to help.¡± He offered the quest details, hoping for help, but instead received a mouthful of curses. Ten was quite annoyed, but he couldn¡¯t afford to lose the customers in front of him, so he maintained a business smile. ¡°Wow, so that user is working so hard cleaning for just 250 experience points?¡± ¡°Maybe they think there¡¯s something else to it?¡± ¡°Nah, that was exposed on YouTube a long time ago.¡± Any user who had done even a little bit of research would know that the vige quests were to be avoided. ¡°Should we tell them?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be nosy and just leave them be. They look like the type to rush in headfirst without thinking.¡± ¡°True¡­ their choice of being a martial artist speaks for itself.¡± Even a quick nce at the World Com showed most posts strongly advising against choosing the martial artist ss. Sure, there was one martial artist among the top rankers, but most were from other sses. It was natural, considering martial artists were considered to be inferior to other sses in closebat, rangedbat, and utility. But to choose a martial artist over the better sses? It made him understand a little why this person was so focused on vige quests. ¡°Cleaningplete.¡± ¡°Oh my, thank you! Here¡¯s your reward!¡± The martial artist finished cleaning all the way up to the third floor and leisurely left. After that, he started appearing all over the vige. From assisting in the cksmith¡¯s workshop to delivering goods for the weapon shop, and even working in the kitchen. ¡°Wow¡­ is he really doing all that?¡± ¡°Is he crazy?¡± The users were dumbfounded by the martial artist who didn¡¯t shy away from any menial tasks. * * * Two weeks. Jeong-Hoon spent two weeks solely on vige quests. [Level Up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] He couldn¡¯t even count how many he hadpleted. He had sessfully leveled up solely through vige quests. ¡°Thank you so much for resolving our difficulties!¡± Bypleting the final quest from the NPC instructor guarding the entrance of the Swordsmanship Training Center, he was able to finish all the quests in the Starting Vige. [Normal Quest Completed!] [Obtained ¡®[Title] Benefactor of Starting Vige¡¯.] Bypleting all the vige quests, he obtained the title he had aimed for. The title that users called trash. Jeong-Hoon checked the title with a satisfied expression. ¡®With this, I¡¯ve caught one rabbit.¡¯ Now it was time to catch the remaining rabbit. The alchemist¡¯s house, located a little distance away from the Starting Vige. It was time to visit that ce. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 16 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 16 Earth Korea Management Team. Park Ju-ho and his colleague were engrossed in watching a user¡¯s gamey. ¡°Wow¡­ they finished all of that in just two weeks.¡± ¡°They¡¯re a real monster, that person¡­¡± Initially, the two had been disappointed when the user started doing vige quests, but their expressions changed as time went on. Ny-five percent of the quests in the starting vige were grindy and repetitive. From the beginning, the starting vige was designed to indirectly guide yers to the training center to learn basic skills, level up, and proceed to the job advancement quest. However, this user did the opposite, starting with the vige quests andpleting them without taking a break. The user finished quests that would normally take at least two months toplete in just two weeks. ¡°You two, stop watching and get to work!¡± Team leader Oh Jin-soo reprimanded them. ¡°Sorry. We¡¯ll get back to work right away.¡± With his scolding, Park Ju-ho and his colleague finally closed the monitoring program and resumed their tasks. Until the Crushers hunt, the team leader himself had been captivated by the user¡¯s gamey, but his interest waned a bit after seeing the vige quests. He had risen to his current position with a certain amount of knowledge about New World. ¡®Those vige quests only give you a symbolic title and nothing else.¡¯ These vige quests were alreadypleted and verified by a few YouTubers, and no one else bothered with them anymore. At first, he was very interested in the user¡¯s unusual behavior, but seeing them pursue the vige quests, which had more drawbacks than benefits, made him wonder if it was just an incredibly lucky coincidence. ¡®Is it really just luck?¡¯ On the other hand, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that there might be something more to it. * * * With a whoosh, the capsule door opened and Jeong-Hoon stepped out. He hadpressed two months¡¯ worth of quests into two weeks and cleared them. It was proof that he had been running nonstop. If it had been something rewarding, it would have been fine. But it was all manualbor, so it was natural that he was mentally stressed. ¡°Phew.¡± He bought a drink to take a short break and sat down on a chair. He figured he¡¯d be able to start the quest once he visited the alchemist¡¯s house next. As he sipped his drink while nning, someone sat across from him. It was Lee Hyun-woo, the owner of the capsule room. ¡°Are you taking a break?¡± He was close with Ha-jin, so he spoke informally, but this was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s first time seeing him since he starteding to the capsule room. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t speak informally to Jeong-Hoon right away. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Did you know this is your first break in two weeks?¡± How could he not know? Jeong-Hoon had reduced his sleep time to a mere two hours for the vige quests and focused the rest of his time, excluding travel, on the quests. Dark circles were etched under his eyes, and he was so tired that he would fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll just rest a bit and go back in.¡± Since he hade this far, he nned to finish the alchemist¡¯s quest and then rest properly. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Lee Hyun-woo was speechless at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s determination. ¡®Ha-jin¡­ he has an incredible friend.¡¯ He had thought that appearing on the Genius program at a young age was impressive enough, but now he realized that his true strength was his mental fortitude. Even if you¡¯re deeply immersed in New World, it¡¯s not easy to invest over 21 hours a day. Virtual reality and reality arepletely different. The more time you spend in the capsule, the more mental damage umtes, and you quickly be fatigued. That¡¯s why most users don¡¯t exceed eight hours. Addicted users often exceed 12 hours, but even they can¡¯t maintain that for more than a week. Their brains start to scream. But Jeong-Hoon was investing close to 21 hours, far exceeding 12 hours. For two whole weeks, without a single day of rest. ¡®He must be so tired, how can he endure it?¡¯ Anyone could see that Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face was not in good shape. It looked like he would copse and faint if you just poked him. ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the capsule now.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going back in already?¡± He had only rested for five minutes? ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a bit busy.¡± With that, Jeong-Hoon entered the capsule. ¡°¡­Take it easy, man.¡± Lee Hyun-woo left a fatigue recovery potion next to the capsule and went out for a smoke. * * * A small building located a little distance from the starting vige. Users called it the alchemist¡¯s house. [Newbie Question!] -I¡¯m a gunslinger who reached level 17! I was wandering around the vige and found a building where an alchemist lives. What¡¯s this ce for? ©¸Just ignore it~ ©¸It doesn¡¯t give you anything lol ©¸It¡¯s a useless ce. It doesn¡¯t even give you amon quest lol ©¸Don¡¯t go in there without a reason. The alchemist gets pissed and curses you with a debuff lol ©¸Oh, right lol That YouTuber who was going around trying to clear the vige quests went into the alchemist¡¯s house and got hit with a 6-hour debuff that reduced experience gain by 50% and all stats by 20% lol The crazy alchemist who curses you with a debuff if you visit without a reason. It¡¯s understandable. To receive a quest from him, you need toplete all the vige quests and have a Poison Crusher¡¯s Core to fulfill the quest unlock conditions. ¡°Excuse me, user.¡± As Jeong-Hoon was about to leave the swordsmanship training center, a user stopped him. A male user who looked to be in his early 20s. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Aren -Level: 32 -ss: Apprentice Warrior (1st ss Change) === He was a warrior who had recentlypleted his first job advancement. ¡°Did you call me?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m Aren, a variety gaming YouTuber!¡± Variety gaming YouTuber. A streamer who ys various games and interacts with viewers. Why was this YouTuber approaching him? ¡°And?¡± ¡°I was wondering if there¡¯s a reason you¡¯re going around the vige clearing quests?¡± ¡°Are you streaming right now?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m still getting used to New World, so I¡¯m ying hard even when I¡¯m not streaming.¡± Since his smart lens wasn¡¯t activated, it seemed he wasn¡¯t lying. ¡°I just need to.¡± ¡°Need to?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s absolutely necessary.¡± Jeong-Hoon answered briefly and left. * * * Aren was a fairly well-known YouTuber. He was originally a YouTuber specializing in the FPS game ¡°Uran,¡± and he had even been a professional ¡°Uran¡± yer. With his IQ of 77 and his background as a ¡°Uran¡± pro gamer, he was lucky enough to get a lot of views, and he was able to grow into a YouTuber with 180,000 subscribers. However, Uran recently announced its service termination, forcing him to switch to variety gaming. ¡°Is there something special about the starting vige quests?¡± He was ater to New World. So he was growing with the help of viewers in the early stages, and he was definitely told that the vige quests were a waste of time. ¡°Hmm, maybe it¡¯s not a waste of time?¡± Aren felt sincerity in the eyes of the martial artist he had just spoken to. Someone with eyes like that wouldn¡¯t lie! ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try it too!¡± The starting vige quests were just simple, repetitive tasks. Aren boldly entered themunity and dered his ambition toplete all the starting vige quests. Soon,ments started pouring in. ©¸Dude, stop talking nonsense and level up. ©¸All you get forpleting the starting vige quests is a useless title. Didn¡¯t you watch World Com¡¯s video? ©¸He doesn¡¯t watch World Com¡¯s videos¡­ He hates reading, so he always asks us lol ©¸Why is a former Uran pro gamer acting like this¡­? ©¸lol Didn¡¯t you know this guy is an idiot? His IQ is 77 lol ©¸He was a pro gamer who relied purely on physical skills. The reason he was always in third ce was because of his severe ws in tactical thinking lol These guys¡­! It seemed he needed to show them. He would secretlyplete the starting vige quests and prove them wrong. * * * The Alchemist¡¯s House. As if to deny ess to anyone, a barricade was ced in front of the entrance. Jeong-Hoon reached out his hand to the barricade. [Resisting poison.] He knew the barricade was coated with poison, but he intentionally touched it. The more times he resisted poison, the higher the level of his Poison Resistance skill would be. Creak. He pushed the barricade aside, creating a passage to enter. Jeong-Hoon used the passage to enter the building. A stench so foul it was impossible to tell when thest cleaning had been done wafted towards him. The floor was littered with garbage, which seemed to be the source of the smell. It was impossible to pass through without stepping on the trash. Step. Crunch. Step. Jeong-Hoon walked on, stepping on the garbage as if it were nothing. He arrived at theboratory. Creak. Theboratory door opened easily when he pushed it with his hand. A man was sitting on a chair, engrossed in his research. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Bleo -Level: 30 -Job: Alchemist (Poison) === The owner of this building, a man who looked to be in his 40s, was the NPC alchemist Bleo. His head was already bald, with not a single hair to be found. ¡°How dare you enter this ce?¡± The alchemist raised his head as Jeong-Hoon entered theboratory. His paleplexion and lifeless green eyes sent chills down one¡¯s spine. ¡®It¡¯s definitely working.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chuckled inwardly. He, too, had once visited the alchemist¡¯s house out of curiosity. Back then, the alchemist¡¯s eyes were filled with wariness, but now there was no trace of it. ¡°I have something to show you.¡± He took out Crusher¡¯s Core from his inventory and ced it on the table. A red question mark began to blink over the alchemist¡¯s head. It meant that a hidden quest could be initiated. [Hidden Quest: Alchemist Bleo] -Requirement: Obtain the ¡°Contributor of the Starting Vige¡± title + Possess Crusher¡¯s Core -Reward: Poison Attack -Description: Help Alchemist Bleo develop a cure. A quest to help develop a cure. ¡®Since you guys got it, should I tell you a story? It was when I was active as a Poisoner.¡¯ A traitor who was once arade. Min Jin-ho, the Poisoner. The main character of this hidden quest was Min Jin-ho. He, originally a Poisoner, approached level 60 users who had defeated the Poison Crusher, paid them arge sum of money for Crusher¡¯s Core, and sought out Alchemist Bleo. Of course, he also mentioned that the alchemist didn¡¯t give him the quest right away, and he had to clear all the quests rted to the starting vige to receive the hidden quest. ¡°That¡¯s?!¡± Alchemist Bleo jumped up from his seat. It was the reaction Jeong-Hoon had expected. This Crusher¡¯s Core was an essential ingredient forpleting his research. ¡°Crusher¡¯s Core. Don¡¯t you need this?¡± ¡°Gulp¡­¡± Bleo gulped and nodded. ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t think so. Your attitude is not very¡­¡± ¡°Oh my! Please, have a seat here, in this humble ce!¡± Bleo dusted off an empty chair with his hand. Finally, he switched to honorifics. ¡°Now we can have a proper conversation.¡± Jeong-Hoon sat down on the chair. ¡°Well¡­ I saw you helping the vigers. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen such a kind foreigner.¡± Bleo fundamentally disliked people. So it was natural that he disliked the foreigners who filled the vige. This was the reason why the process of receiving a quest from Bleo was soplicated. ¡°How did you know I was helping?¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ I can¡¯t go outside because of my research, so I hear about the outside situation through Pero.¡± Pero was a crow that Bleo raised. Of course, they couldn¡¯tmunicate with each other, but he had attached an artifact he developed to Pero, and through it, he indirectly saw and felt the outside situation. The reason why the vigers¡¯ quests were prerequisites was to break down Bleo¡¯s wariness. ¡°So, what do I have to do to help you with your research?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ First, can I extract the poison from this Core separately?¡± ¡°Do as you please.¡± As long as he received the reward. ¡°Thank you!¡± What he was researching was a hair loss cure. The cure he had been researching for ten years wascking just one ingredient. Crusher¡¯s Core. Not only was the level high, but he didn¡¯t know where the Poison Crusher was hiding, so he hadn¡¯t been able toplete it until now. Bleo put Crusher¡¯s Core into a special pot of boiling liquid. It was a process to melt the Core and separate the poison and the medicine. He skillfully extracted the poison and put it into three cylinders containing purple liquid, as if he had done it many times before. Some had no reaction, while others bubbled and vaporized. Finally, he poured the part to be used as medicine into a cylinder containing yellow liquid in the corner. The yellow liquid glowed slightly and turned green. ¡°It¡¯s done! I¡¯vepleted it!¡± Bleo cheered. He hadpleted the experiment by adding thest missing ingredient, Crusher¡¯s Core. ¡®Well, I wonder if that¡¯s really the case.¡¯ This was a quest that could only be undertaken afterpleting all the vige quests and possessing Crusher¡¯s Core. It wouldn¡¯t bepleted this easily. Bubble bubble. The liquid that had turned green started to bubble. ¡°Huh? What, what¡¯s happening¡­?!¡± Bleo was bewildered by the vaporization of the cure. Bang! The cylinder exploded, and the resulting gas engulfed everything around it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 17 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 17 ¡°We need to get out of here!¡± Jeong-Hoon grabbed Bleo and fled the building. Boom! Boom! The continuous explosions sent Bleo into a panic. ¡°My, my research¡­!¡± ¡°First, let¡¯s take care of those things.¡± ¡°¡­Please do.¡± Whatever Bleo had mixed into the cure, it was reacting violently and exploding. The aftermath shattered the cylinders containing Bleo¡¯s experimental toxins, transforming theb mice into monsters. ¡®So it was real.¡¯ He had dismissed Min Jin-ho¡¯s ims as nonsense, but they hade true. [Defeat all ¡®Lv.32 Mutated Mice¡¯.] Mutated mice. Was it because they had consumed Crusher¡¯s inner core? Their levels were quite high. Leaving Bleo outside, Jeong-Hoon entered the building alone. The shattered toxin cylinders had filled the air with poisonous gas. ¡®I won¡¯t use holy power.¡¯ To resist the poison when facing Crusher, Jeong-Hoon hadpletely refrained from using holy power. He had only used healing to restore his health. The same applies now. There was no need to use holy power in this perfect situation to level up his poison resistance. [You have been poisoned.] [Poison Resistance strongly resists.] [The rate at which your health decreases is slowed.] Despite having Poison Resistance as a passive ability, he was still affected by the poison. [Poison Resistance level increases.] [Unbreakable Body level increases.] Good. Poison Resistance had risen to level 6. Unbreakable Body had also leveled up. That meant the physical damage from the poison was considerable. Let¡¯s focus on leveling up. ¡°Squeak.¡± A mutated mouse, having caught the scent, appeared. The mouse, once smaller than an adult¡¯s palm, had grown to over a meter in length. Its face was grotesquely deformed due to the poison. ¡°It looks even more hideous than Crusher.¡± Jeong-Hoon, who had remained unfazed even when facing Crusher, frowned slightly. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.¡¯ First priority was to eliminate them. Jeong-Hoon stepped forward and threw a punch at the mutated mouse. Although the mutated mice had leveled up, they were still in an unstable state due to their recent transformation. Their rapid growth had left their bones brittle. Based on his experience with simr monsters, their weak point was their heads. ¡°Squeal!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s punch sent a mutated mouse flying. His Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique swiftly followed, taking down the 20 mice within sight. ¡®Wasn¡¯t I supposed to collect green mana stones from these mice?¡¯ Min Jin-ho, the poisoner, had discovered that the answery within these green mana stones. Since he had mentioned it himself, it must be true. Jeong-Hoon used his dagger to cut open the mice¡¯s innards, collecting the small green fragments near their hearts. ¡°Squeak!¡± Deeper inside, more mice were lurking. ¡°There are so many.¡± Jeong-Hoon clicked his tongue and began hunting them down. * * * Outside the building, the alchemist Bleo was biting his nails anxiously. ¡°Why? Why did it fail? My calctions were perfect¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t figure out where he had gone wrong. When the solution had turned lime green, he was certain that the cure wasplete. But instead of stabilizing, it had gone out of control. ¡°Ah¡­ shit, that¡¯s it.¡± Bleo finally realized his mistake. He should have used the entire inner core instead of just extracting the medicine from it. The poison within Crusher¡¯s inner core should have neutralized any remaining toxicity. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± He was furious. His hair loss started when he was a child. At the young age of 17, he waspletely bald. As a result, he had endured all sorts of humiliation from his peers. ¡®Did you shave your head on purpose?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s so shiny.¡¯ And it wasn¡¯t just that. ¡®Oh my¡­ dear Lord¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry¡­ but baldness is a bit of a dealbreaker¡­¡¯ Even the women he had a crush on had rejected him because of his baldness. It was around this time that he had developed an extreme aversion to people. As an adult, Bleo had dedicated 10 years to researching not only his specialty, poison, but also a cure for his damn hair loss. And yet, he had made such a ridiculous mistake at the very end. ¡°Shiiit!¡± If only he hadn¡¯t made that mistake! If only he had double-checked his calctions! If only he hadn¡¯t lost his rationality in his excitement over Crusher¡¯s inner core! The hair loss cure should be safe and sound. ¡°What are you yelling about?¡± Jeong-Hoon emerged from the building, his hands full of green mana stones. ¡°What are those?¡± ¡°I found them inside the mice.¡± ¡°May I take a look?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I brought them.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Please. Bleo examined the stones with eager eyes. Soon, his eyes filled with joy. The stones had stabilized somewhat, likely due to mixing with the Crusher poison during the explosion. It seemed he could use them to quickly create the cure. ¡°Looks like you found a way?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± As expected, he seeded. Overwhelmed with emotion, Bleo openly wept. ¡°Thank you so much! This is a token of my gratitude!¡± He went to the basement and retrieved an old book. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a skill book Ipleted while living in the capital. Please ept it.¡± So this was the skill book for Poison Attack. ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll dly ept it.¡± [You havepleted a hidden quest.] [You have acquired ¡®Poison Attack¡¯.] As Jeong-Hoon received the skill book, it glowed briefly and then disappeared. Yes! With this, he had obtained all the opportunities avable from the alchemist in the vige of Beginning. [Poison Attack] -Type: Passive -Level: 1 -Grade: Normal -Low chance to inflict 5% additional poison damage on a designated target upon striking. (No level penalty) -Low chance to inflict 1% poison damage on a designated target upon being struck. (No level penalty) Normally, damage decreases significantly when there¡¯s arge level gap, but Poison Attack is unaffected by level penalties. This was truly a remarkable skill. However, despite stalling as much as possible while defeating all the mutated mice, his Poison Resistance had only reached level 8. But it was fine. He still had a chance to reach level 10. Now that I¡¯ve leveled up andpleted the job change quest, is that all I need to do here? ¡®Phew, I¡¯m exhausted.¡¯ He had rushed through everything without a break. Now that the tension was gone, fatigue washed over him. Jeong-Hoon immediately logged out. * * * ¡°All done.¡± Aren finished cleaning the general store and came downstairs. [Juokkangte7 has donated 10,000 won.] -Hey, Chilchil! Why are you cleaning when everyone tells you not to? ¡°Ten thousand won! Thank you for the donation, Juokkangte7.¡± [I really don¡¯t understand why he¡¯s doing this] [Chilchil¡­ that¡¯s why your IQ is 77] [It¡¯s embarrassing to watch ??] [What are you even going to do with the title¡­?] The chat was filled with messages telling him not to proceed with the quest. But Aren, captivated by the martial artist¡¯s sincerity, was oblivious to their words. ¡°Just wait! I¡¯ll show you that all of this has meaning!¡± [Seriously¡­ what is this guy so obsessed with?] [There must have been something¡­ he did this during Unan too ??] [Didn¡¯t he regret it after two months of grinding back then? ????] [Chilchil is insane for doing it again after failing once!] Idiots. Aren ignored the chat and headed towards the counter to receive his reward from Ten. But there, a mage wearing a robe embroidered with gold patterns was standing. He was clearly a high-level yer. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Jin-ho -Level: 371 -ss: Poisoner (4th ss Change) === The yer information revealed him to be a level 371 Poisoner. And he was the leader of the renowned guild, Poison. ¡°Oh my god¡­ if he¡¯s a Poisoner, isn¡¯t he Min Jin-ho from Poison?¡± Aren muttered in a daze. The chat was already on fire. [Holy shit, it¡¯s Min Jin-ho!] [What¡¯s a 5th awakened Poisoner doing there?] [Wow, this is the first time I¡¯ve seen a Poisoner. I¡¯m getting goosebumps.] [Chilchil! Go ask him! I¡¯ll give you 50,000 won if you do.] Someone offered 50,000 won to anyone who could strike up a conversation with Min Jin-ho. [50,000 won and I¡¯ll add another 100,000!] [100,000 won and I¡¯ll add another 200,000!] The money kept piling up. In less than a minute, the mission to talk to Min Jin-ho had a reward of 1.02 million won. Aren approached Min Jin-ho and cautiously spoke to him. ¡°Excuse me¡­ are you really Min Jin-ho?¡± ¡°Yes, I am. Why?¡± Min Jin-ho tilted his head in curiosity. Contrary to his profession as a Poisoner, which dealt with toxins, his impression was very gentle. ¡°Wow¡­ but why are you here at the general store in the vige of Beginning?¡± Outside the store, yers were swarming. They had all gathered to catch a glimpse of Min Jin-ho. ¡°Oh, I had some business to take care of.¡± Having finished his task, Min Jin-ho began cleaning the general store. ¡®Someone who studies poison? Hmm¡­ there is one, but it will be difficult to find him. He¡¯s extremely wary of people.¡¯ News of the Poison Crusher¡¯s appearance had finally surfaced on World Com. He had received a hint rted to Crusher during his 2nd Poisoner job change quest, but he never imagined it would be residing in the vige of Beginning. As a result, he had canceled all his ns and hunted Crusher about 600 times. ¡°Hiss¡­ p-please stop¡­¡± Crusher finally coughed up its inner core. Now, all he had to do was find an alchemist who could handle the inner core, and they would grant him the perfect skill for a Poisoner. ¡®If he¡¯s wary of people, I just need to break down his walls.¡¯ If he repeatedly showed goodwill in the vige of Beginning, wouldn¡¯t the alchemist¡¯s guard be lowered a little? In New World, it was certainly a possibility. ¡°M-Min Jin-ho is cleaning!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The yers were shocked. Min Jin-ho had appeared in the vige of Beginning and was suddenly cleaning? He must be doing a vige quest. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Aren blinked in surprise. [No way! What the hell?] [Chilchil! Exin this!] [Is there something else in the vige quest?] [There¡¯s no way Min Jin-ho would be cleaning otherwise!] What was going on? Aren couldn¡¯t understand the situation. [Seriously, this idiot¡­] [This means your cleaning might not have been pointless after all!] Oh? So that meant he had correctly interpreted the martial artist¡¯s sincere gaze?! Aren, suddenly full of himself, straightened his back. ¡°See, I was right! Anyone want to argue with me now?¡± [Kekekeke Chilchil¡¯s arrogance is off the charts.] [If you don¡¯t want to die, ask Min Jin-ho why he¡¯s cleaning.] * * * Jeong-Hoon, having returned home early for once, fell asleep early in the evening. He slept so long that he didn¡¯t wake up until the afternoon of the next day. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± Worried because she couldn¡¯t reach him, Ha-jin hade to his house. ¡°I slept well, so I feel refreshed.¡± His head was a bit heavy, but most of his fatigue was gone. ¡®I should be fine for now.¡¯ He had pushed himself hard in the vige of Beginning, so it was time for a break. However, he needed to quickly level up andplete the job change quest to move on to the next vige. But before that, he had to attend an event hosted by Genesis. ¡°You¡¯ve leveled up enough, right? You must havepleted the first job change.¡± Jeong-Hoon had muted even Ha-jin¡¯s whispers to fully focus on the quests. He didn¡¯t want any distractions. That¡¯s why Ha-jin had no idea how much Jeong-Hoon had leveled up. ¡°I haven¡¯t done the first job change yet.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words were shocking. ¡°Huh¡­? What do you mean? You haven¡¯t even done the first job change?¡± ¡°Yeah, I was too busy with the vige quests.¡± ¡°Crazy! So all this time, you were busy with vige quests?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ what am I going to do with this frustrating guy¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s current level was 24. He was still 6 levels short of the first job change quest. ¡°I¡¯ll start leveling up now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re participating in the event, right? Are you really trying toe inst?¡± Jeong-Hoon shrugged in response. Three days remained until the event. Since it was hosted by Genesis and open to yers below level 50, the first job change was essential to aim for the top ranks. If he couldn¡¯t even meet that basic requirement, he should be worried about being at the bottom. ¡®Winning first ce is easy.¡¯ But that didn¡¯t apply to Jeong-Hoon. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 18 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 18 ¡°This is insane!¡± Jin-soo Oh, working overtime alone after everyone else had left, mmed his desk and jumped to his feet. Could what he was seeing be real? He had been about to finish up and head home, but he got curious about the progress of a user who had been diligentlypleting vige quests. He shouldn¡¯t have, but he opened up the user¡¯s gamey again. And he was shocked. ¡°That alchemist could give a quest¡­?¡± The user approached the alchemist and ced Crasher¡¯s Inner Core on the table. Then, something amazing happened. A hidden quest appeared above the alchemist¡¯s head. And as if expecting it, the user began the quest. Jin-Soo couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the user¡¯s gamey. The user hunted down all the mutated rats in the building, collected green magic stones, and eventually seeded in the alchemist¡¯s hidden quest. As if having finished everything, the user logged out. ¡°Haha¡­ No way.¡± Then what was the vige quest for? Could it have been a prerequisite¡­? No, that couldn¡¯t be it. How could this user have known about the vige quest? ¡°¡­No. But he finished it too quickly for that to be the case.¡± Come to think of it, this user was a monster who finished a quest that should have taken at least two months in just two weeks. It was a grind-heavy quest that couldn¡¯t be done just for the rewards. ¡°He definitely knows something.¡± How does he know about New World¡¯s information? Curiosity arose, but his anticipation was greater. Where would this user¡¯s next step lead? * * * Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother had prepared avish dinner because his friend was visiting. Thanks to her, Jeong-hoon and Ha-jin ate until they were stuffed. ¡°Have some more.¡± Even fruit. His mother always made sure his friends left with full stomachs. Seeing his mother like this made him feel nostalgic. ¡°Thank you for the delicious meal!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Come again next time.¡± ¡°Yes! Jeong-hoon, I¡¯ll tell you the rest through messages.¡± After Ha-jin left, Jeong-hoon looked around his room. If he won the event, Genesis woulde to install a capsule, so he needed to make space for it. ¡°Hm? Are you cleaning?¡± His mother entered the room. ¡°Um¡­ Mom, if I wanted to install a capsule at home, would you allow it?¡± ¡°A capsule? You want to buy that expensive thing with your own money?¡± His mother frowned at the mention of a capsule. Even she knew that the lowest grade capsule cost a hefty 20 million won. ¡°No, I¡¯m going to get it with this.¡± Jeong-hoon showed his mother the event details announced by Genesis. ¡°An event? They¡¯re giving a capsule to the first-ce winner?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Still, wouldn¡¯t first ce be a bit of a stretch?¡± In an event like this, there would be a swarm of participating users. He would have to beat all those users to get the capsule. ¡®As much as I love my son, this seems difficult.¡¯ She was probably thinking that. ¡°Well, you never know until you try, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Alright. It¡¯ll be a good experience, so give it a shot.¡± His mother didn¡¯t seem to have high expectations. ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll have it installed in my room.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± His mother chuckled at her son¡¯s premature excitement. * * * [Scarecrow Dummy Destruction Event] -Eligibility: Users under level 50 (Participation not allowed from level 51) -Event Details: Inflict damage on a Lv.100 scarecrow dummy! (30 seconds) -1st ce Prize (Capsule worth 30 million won) One day left until the Scarecrow Dummy Destruction Event. It had been a long time since a capsule event targeting beginner users had been held. [Scarecrow Dummy event is back lol] -Seems like it was 3 years ago, who won back then? ©¸Wasn¡¯t it G-ple? They¡¯re forgotten now lol ©¸They were a promising yer back then lol ©¸It¡¯s just about inflicting the most damage on a Lv.100 dummy¡­ No need to care lol ©¸It¡¯s just Genesis throwing an event for beginners lol ©¸But guilds seem to be paying some attention. ©¸Even so¡­ In a situation where high-rankers dominate, they probably won¡¯t scout beginners easily. World Com¡¯s reaction to Genesis¡¯ event was lukewarm. This was because the event was only open to users under level 50. More than 80% of World Com members were over level 50, and they were active in various viges. So there was no reason to be interested in an event for beginners under level 50. However, the guilds were watching this event with interest. ¡°There might be users with decent jobs.¡± ¡°We need to find users who obtained rare sses.¡± The first decision you make when starting New World is your job. Depending on how you y afterwards, you can change to a rare or higher grade of that job. This was what the guilds were aiming for. Not just users who change jobs normally, but users who achieve a rare or higher grade 1st job change through specific gamey. Such users grow to be far stronger than ordinary users. That¡¯s why job changes aren¡¯t an event to be taken lightly. ¡°It won¡¯t be a disaster like three years ago, will it?¡± Genesis hadn¡¯t held any events for beginners since the one three years ago. As they had stopped the regr events, people said that there was a problem with the event three years ago. [The event flopped.] [Even rare-grade jobs¡­ don¡¯t have much potential.] [Sigh¡­ The winner barely shaved off 20% of the scarecrow dummy¡¯s HP¡­.] [Hopeless.] They said Genesis stopped holding events for beginners because there were no promising prospects. The results actually supported this im, so it was a believable story. But Genesis was holding another event. ¡°Well, one thing¡¯s for sure, if it fails again, Genesis won¡¯t hold any more events.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Until now, Genesis had actively promoted their events to guilds. But this time was different. They didn¡¯t actively promote it to any guild, so the guilds had to find out about the event by visiting the website themselves. As a result, the famous guilds had lost interest in this event. Of course, this was only in Korea. ¡°The time when famous guilds aren¡¯t interested is the perfect opportunity.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± It was a chance for lesser-known guilds to recruit arge number of talented individuals. They couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. ¡°Uh¡­? It seems Ho-Yeong is interested too?¡± It was shocking news. ¡°Why is Ho-Yeong suddenly¡­?¡± The eyes of the small guild leaders trembled. Ho-Yeong had already recruited arge number of talented individuals over level 100st year, so why would they be interested? * * * Jeong-hoon visited a capsule room for the event. Ha-jin was already there, slurping down egg and cheese ramen. Doesn¡¯t he ever get tired of it? It seemed like he ate it every time Jeong-hoon saw him. It was definitely delicious, but not something Jeong-hoon would want to eat so often. ¡°You¡¯ll have a message when you log in. There¡¯s a code in the message, click it and you¡¯ll be automatically transported. Okay?¡± Ha-jin, who had devoured the ramen, reminded Jeong-hoon once again before getting into the capsule. ¡°I got it, so just exin it once.¡± How many times did he have to exin something that could be understood with one exnation? ¡°Oh, right. You have an amazing memory, don¡¯t you? Then I¡¯ll go in first.¡± Only then did Ha-jin enter the capsule and log in. Now it was Jeong-hoon¡¯s turn. As he entered the capsule, the door closed. Whoosh- [You have received an invitation from Genesis ¨C Korea Server] The event was global, but it was held on each server separately. In other words, they would select a winner from each server to give the capsule. Jeong-hoon touched the code indicated in the message. His vision went dark and the surroundings changed into a training ground. It resembled the dojo where the Underworld King, Dok-Go-Joon, had lived, but with one difference: there was a 2-meter tall scarecrow dummy standing in the center of the training ground. That dummy was the highlight of this event. [Wee to the 17,732 users of the Korean server who are participating in the event.] Text appeared on the right wall. [Users participating in the event have been ced in separate training grounds.] They had separated 17,732 people and moved them to individual training grounds. Therefore, Jeong-hoon was alone in this training ground. [There will be a scarecrow dummy ced in front of you.] If you looked closely at the scarecrow dummy, you could see a faint flow of mana. It was made so that it couldn¡¯t be attacked with barriers. [The event will start in 5 minutes. The order is random, so please finish your preparations and wait.] With that, the text disappeared. * * * The guild leaders watched the Genesis event participants through the screen. Of course, they weren¡¯t watching their gamey. [Event Leaderboard] -1st ce: ¨C -2nd ce: ¨C -3rd ce: ¨C It was a system to see who was in first ce through the leaderboard. The leaderboard disyed nicknames, levels, and jobs, but if the user didn¡¯t want it, their nickname and level would disappear, leaving only their job. To ensureplete secrecy, even jobs should be hidden, but Genesis made jobs mandatory to be revealed. [The event begins. Scarecrow dummy destruction will proceed in groups of 100.] The event started. It could have been done all at once, but this was a small consideration to allow guild officials to check jobs through the rankings. Although there were 17,732 participants, the time limit was 30 seconds, so it went by quickly. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t see any promising users.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± ¡°The damage seems decent¡­ but the jobs are a bit disappointing.¡± Most beginner users revealed their nicknames, levels, and jobs. It was to catch the eyes of the guilds. But guild officials ruthlessly passed them over. -1st ce: Woo-Rai-Mae / 46 / Assassin (1st) : Scarecrow Dummy HP reduced by 26% The first ce changed. A level 46 assassin. The officials, checking the level and job, were delighted. ¡°Oh! There¡¯s a user who changed to an assassin.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Assassins are pretty good among the rare grades.¡± ¡°And he even took off 26%? At this rate, that assassin will be first!¡± The guild officials hurriedly wrote down his nickname, level, and job. Currently the top priority for recruitment. -1st ce: Eun-Wi / 47 / Sharpshooter (1st) : Scarecrow Dummy HP reduced by 26.3% This time, a promising yer appeared from the sharpshooters. ¡°A-Amazing¡­ Two rare-grade job changes already.¡± ¡°Yes! This event is a sess!¡± The officials cheered again at the appearance of the sharpshooter. But the appearance of promising yers didn¡¯t end there. -1st ce: Ha-Reu-Teu / 48 / Saber (1st) : Scarecrow Dummy HP reduced by 33% Saber?! The pupils of the guild officials shook. Saber was an epic-grade job change, not just rare. Rare grade was already a jackpot, but who would have thought an epic grade would appear? ¡°This is crazy. It looks like that user Ha-Reu-Teu will take first ce without a doubt.¡± ¡°We must bring that Ha-Reu-Teu to our guild.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ It¡¯s a blessing in disguise that the famous guilds didn¡¯t pay attention because we flopped three years ago. Otherwise, we would have lost that Saber.¡± ¡°But what does that matter¡­ Ho-Yeong is probably watching this screen too.¡± Unlike small guilds, famous guilds would be watching the leaderboard in VIP rooms. So, it was certain that Ho-Yeong would scout that Saber. ¡°Still, we have to make an offer. If we can¡¯t get the Saber, we have to take the assassin.¡± ¡°Hey, we¡¯re going to take him, so stop drooling.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want to lose him, just offer a higher price.¡± The atmosphere suddenly turned hostile. They were conversing and evaluating each other, but in the end, they were allpetitors. Just then, the leaderboard changed again. -1st ce: Private / Private / Martial Artist : Scarecrow Dummy Defeated Huh? What? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 19 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 19 Jeong-hoon stood in front of the scarecrow dummy, waiting for his turn. The event wasn¡¯t very kind to the participants. When it was your turn, the text on the wall would change, a 30-second timer icon would appear, and the countdown would begin. The user would then unleash everything they had prepared to strike the scarecrow dummy. ¡®An assassin appeared.¡¯ The assassin was a rare-grade job change among the thief sses. Normally, afterpleting the 1st job change, one would qualify as a Low-grade Assassin. It was a basic job that involved hiding one¡¯s presence and hunting monsters. And the assassin was a higher-grade job change from that. If you achieved excellent results in the job change quest, you could receive a special privilege from the instructor to be an assassin. ¡®An assassin from the 1st job change¡­ He¡¯ll be scouted 100%.¡¯ The reason rare grades attracted so much attention was because of their difficulty to obtain. Of course, it became easier to upgrade your job grade through job change quests as you progressed to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th job changes, but obtaining a rare grade from the 1st job change? This meant a high probability of upgrading to epic or unique grade in the 3rd and 4th job changes. In other words, it was like proving your potential. That¡¯s why Genesis made jobs public. ¡®It seems like my turn ising soon.¡¯ 17,732 people in Korea alone. It wasn¡¯t a small number, but since each person was only given 30 seconds, there was no need to wait long. ¡®Oh, a sharpshooter appeared too.¡¯ A sharpshooter, not a low-grade rifleman. Finally, a promising yer appeared in the gunner ss. Perhaps because it was the first event in three years, two users with rare-grade job changes had already participated. It was too early to be surprised. ¡®Saber.¡¯ Then a Saber appeared. An epic-grade job change from the 1st job change. Jeong-hoon immediately recognized who he was. ¡®Is it Nine-Chang?¡¯ The person who changed to Saber in the 1st job change quest andter became a Sword Master, a legendary grade, in the 4th job change. He was someone that the Sword King, Jae-Hyuk Sa, cherished, so Jeong-hoon remembered him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know Nine-Chang would participate in this event.¡± If he didn¡¯t remember it, it must not have been a very famous event. [Destroy the scarecrow dummy!] At that moment, the text on the wall of the training ground where Jeong-hoon was changed. It was his turn. The barrier surrounding the scarecrow dummy disappeared. ¡®Shall we begin?¡¯ Now was the time for the martial artist¡¯s true worth to shine. No other weapons or skills were needed. ¡®I¡¯ll finish it with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.¡¯ The legendary Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique unfolded in Jeong-hoon¡¯s hands. Pow! Pow! Jeong-hoon¡¯s fists pounded relentlessly. However, the scarecrow dummy¡¯s HP was only decreasing by 0.01% each time. This was due to the damage reduction effect caused by the significant level difference. At this rate, he wouldn¡¯t be able to reduce even 1% in 30 seconds. Nevertheless, Jeong-hoon continued to strike the dummy with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. [You have repeatedly hit the same area. Critical hit triggered. The scarecrow dummy¡¯s HP decreases by 5%!] This was a basic passive that most martial artists didn¡¯t know about because it wasn¡¯t explicitly stated. New World had 1-2 hidden passives for each job. Therefore, users had to discover them themselves, and nothing had been discovered for martial artists yet. In the first ce, it was highly unlikely that there would be a martial artist who could repeatedly strike with perfect precision, so it hadn¡¯t been discovered yet. The critical hit was triggered when the level difference with the opponent was 100 or less and the same area was hit 10 times in a row. It would unconditionally reduce the opponent¡¯s HP by 5%. [Poison Attack triggered.] Poison Attack also triggered, adding poison damage to the scarecrow dummy. The cheat of this skill was that it wasn¡¯t affected by the damage reduction effect due to the level difference. Jeong-hoon¡¯s fists continued to strike the center of the scarecrow dummy¡¯s chest. Once a critical hit was triggered, it would trigger again after only three more hits. [You have repeatedly hit the same area. Critical hit triggered. The scarecrow dummy¡¯s HP decreases by 5%!] [Poison Attack triggered.] The scarecrow dummy¡¯s HP started to decrease rapidly. Pow! Pow! [You have repeatedly hit the same area. Critical hit triggered. The scarecrow dummy¡¯s HP decreases by 5%!] [Poison Attack triggered.] Crack! Finally, Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist pierced through the scarecrow dummy¡¯s chest. [Lv.100 Scarecrow Dummy] [HP 0%] The scarecrow dummy¡¯s HP had reached 0%. And the remaining time was¡­ [1.84 seconds] There was still 1.84 seconds left on the clock. [Congrattions!] [You are the first to defeat the scarecrow dummy!] [Would you like to reveal your nickname and level to be disyed on the ranking?] Jeong-hoon touched the X without hesitation. ¡®It will only hinder my ns.¡¯ He didn¡¯t mind being in the spotlight when it was unavoidable, but he had no intention of begging for it. On the contrary, being known to many would restrict his movements. There was no need to create an opportunity for future ns to go awry. [Nickname and level will not be revealed.] [You have achieved 1st ce on the Korean server.] [Please enter the address where you would like to receive the capsule.] [Your address will be deleted as soon as the capsule is delivered and will not be disclosed to the public.] From the moment he defeated the scarecrow dummy, first ce was already Jeong-hoon¡¯s. * * * At the same time. Yeo Min-Ji was sitting around in the Hall of Martial Arts. It had already been several weeks of this nonsense. ¡°¡­Wow, she¡¯s still here today.¡± ¡°Who is she waiting for?¡± The martial artists who visited the hall nced at Yeo Min-Ji in the corner while receiving training from the instructors. ¡°Isn¡¯t she the owner of the video uploaded on World Com?¡± ¡°The video owner?¡± ¡°You know, the one who defeated the instructor.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The martial artists¡¯ gazes turned to Instructor Altio. He was harshly training three users. ¡°Ugh¡­ This is so hard.¡± ¡°I got the rare skill, but what is this?¡± ¡°Crazy¡­ Stop pushing us so hard!¡± They were beginner martial artists visiting the Hall of Martial Arts for the first time. ¡°Ha, how absurd. You¡¯re copsing from just this much?¡± Altio scoffed. Perhaps because he had recently taught a martial artist who exceeded his imagination, his standards had risen. As a result, the martial artists gave up on the quest before even reaching the halfway point. ¡°Screw it, I¡¯d rather not get the rare skill.¡± ¡°F*ck off. I¡¯m not doing it!¡± They cursed at Altio and turned to other instructors. Like most martial artists, they followed the same path. ¡°Tsk, they¡¯re so pathetic.¡± Yeo Min-Ji, who was watching the martial artists¡¯ training from the corner, clicked her tongue. She still couldn¡¯t ept the fact that martial artists were inferior to other sses. The martial artist was the only ss that could maximize its potential depending on how it was trained. The reason why such a charming martial artist ss received poor evaluations was because of those unmotivated users. ¡®If we want to be at least as good as other sses, we have to push our bodies even harder.¡¯ The strength of the martial artisty in their ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯. This Steadfast Will allowed them to obtain normal-grade skills if they exceeded certain conditions, and these skills could be strengthenedter on. However, due to the extremely difficult process of obtaining skills, most martial artists couldn¡¯t properly utilize this Steadfast Will. ¡®If only they could follow even half as much as that martial artist¡­ then the martial artist ss wouldn¡¯t be treated so poorly¡­¡¯ That user was invited to a 1:1 duel with Instructor Altio. And Yeo Min-Ji was the first user to receive a 1:1 invitation from Instructor Altio. Of course, she had been soundly defeated by Altio at that time. Her stamina was already depleted, but even if it had been fully recovered, she would have lost to Altio. That¡¯s how clear the difference in skill was. But that user had confidently won against Altio. [Whisper / In-Tae -> Minzi: Ma¡¯am! I think I found the martial artist!] At that moment, a whisper arrived. Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s lips curled up as she checked the whisper. [Whisper / Minzi -> In-Tae: As expected, they participated in the event, right?] [Whisper / In-Tae -> Minzi: Yes! I¡¯m not sure, but an un-job-changed martial artist took first ce in this event.] Yeo Min-Ji was convinced that the martial artist was the protagonist of the video. [Whisper / Minzi -> In-Tae: Oh, really? So what¡¯s their nickname and level?] [Whisper / In-Tae -> Minzi: That¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s private.] [Whisper / Minzi -> In-Tae: I see¡­ Alright. Then I¡¯ll have to stay here a little longer.] [Whisper / In-Tae -> Minzi: Ma¡¯am¡­] [Whisper / Minzi -> In-Tae: Don¡¯t try to stop me. Bye.] After sending the whisper, she closed the window. The notifications kept ringing, but she didn¡¯t care. ¡®He¡¯s a smart person.¡¯ It was an event for users under level 50. If a martial artist took first ce, it meant they had leveled up to 50 without changing jobs. Because to get a rare-grade 1st job change as a martial artist, it would be safer to do it at level 50. If it was the fist technique she had seen, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for him to take first ce. ¡®Then that means he¡¯ll be here soon, right?¡¯ * * * [Crazy, someone destroyed the scarecrow dummy.] -They destroyed it 100% and took first ce. I participated in the event this time and shaved off 9%, but damn. ©¸Stop lying lol ©¸Where are you lying lol ©¸There¡¯s a user who defeated a Lv.100 scarecrow dummy in 30 seconds in an event for users under level 50? ©¸What are they talking about lol ©¸Anyway, 100% is impossible. Even if it¡¯s a scarecrow dummy, the damage reduction is severe if the level difference is more than 50¡­ Shaving off 20% in 30 seconds is already amazing. This was the testimony of a beginner user posted on World Com. However, no one believed it. But the situation took a turn when Genesis announced the rankings along with the amount of HP reduction of the scarecrow dummy. [I told you!] -They destroyed the scarecrow dummy 100%¡­ ©¸It¡¯s real, crazy ©¸A martial artist? lol;; ©¸And even an un-job-changed martial artist lol ©¸Insane¡­ Who is it? ©¸This is just a guess, but there was a martial artist who defeated the instructor at the Hall of Martial Arts before. Could it be that person? Not only was defeating the scarecrow dummy surprising, but even more surprising was that it was achieved by an un-job-changed martial artist. Martial artists were shunned worldwide. Because of their poor performancepared to the effort required. There was no reason to choose a martial artist, who required grinding, over other sses that could achieve high efficiency with little effort. But a martial artist, who was considered weak, appeared and not only took first ce but also destroyed the scarecrow dummy. [It¡¯s going crazy overseas too lol] -If you look at the website, there¡¯s only one Korean user who shaved off more than 40% of the scarecrow dummy¡¯s HP, but theypletely destroyed it 100% lol ©¸The whole world is confused lol ©¸The Genesis website is flooded withints from users lol ©¸An un-job-changed martial artist took first ce, not even a rare-grade job change, let alone an epic one lol ©¸Seriously lol Anyone would think it¡¯s strange. ©¸But how did they really do it¡­? The Genesis event was heating up the world. But Genesis dismissed it with just one sentence. [The event was conducted fairly, and we will not disclose any further details.] ¡°How did you really do it¡­?¡± Ha-jin¡¯s voice trembled as he shoved World Com in Jeong-hoon¡¯s face. He had rushed over as soon as he heard that Jeong-hoon had won first ce. ¡°What?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. ¡°You¡¯re level 24, right? How did you destroy the scarecrow dummy!¡± ¡°Sit down, you¡¯re being loud.¡± Ha-jin, who was quick-witted, quietly sat down. ¡°¡­So, how did you do it?¡± ¡°With the passive.¡± ¡°Passive?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jeong-hoon exined the basic passive that martial artists had. Ha-jin¡¯s expression turned nk after hearing it. ¡°So¡­ if you keep hitting the same spot repeatedly, a critical hit will ur?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°And you have to hit it without any deviation?¡± ¡°You understood correctly.¡± ¡°No, f*ck! How is that even possible?¡± A person isn¡¯t a machine, how can they hit the same spot repeatedly without any deviation? He must be talking nonsense. But the result was right there in front of him. Jeong-hoon, a martial artist, had defeated the scarecrow dummy. ¡°What¡¯s the point of telling you?¡± ¡°Who would be able to hear that and take it calmly?¡± ¡°Anyway, go home soon. The capsule ising soon.¡± ¡°Capsule?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯sing in an hour.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m so jealous.¡± Ha-jin was genuinely envious of Jeong-hoon. He didn¡¯t have a capsule at home and had to use capsule rooms. Capsules were too expensive. But his friend, who had entered New Worldte, won an event and got a personal capsule. Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn¡¯t jealous, but it was earned through Jeong-hoon¡¯s own skill rather than luck, so he had to admit it. ¡®I¡¯ll be able to focus more on leveling up instead ofmuting.¡¯ Jeong-hoon grinned, thinking about the capsule that would arrive. And next was the job change quest. He hadn¡¯t achieved a rare or higher grade job change in his previous life, but this time would be different. Jeong-hoon frowned at how loud Ha-jin¡¯s voice was. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 20 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 20 ¡°Then, please enjoy your time.¡± The employee who had installed the capsule left. It took quite a while to install the huge capsule, which upied a third of the room. ¡°Wow¡­ This is a 30 million won capsule. It looks amazing!¡± Most of the capsules in capsule rooms were around 20 million won per unit. Therefore, Ha-jin couldn¡¯t stop admiring the appearance of the capsule, which was a level higher. ¡°You can¡¯t have it just by looking at it.¡± Unlike public capsules, the capsule installed at Jeong-hoon¡¯s house was a personal capsule. Genesis had registered Jeong-hoon as the capsule user, so no one else could log in with this capsule. It was a capsule that only Jeong-hoon could log in to. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m suddenly annoyed. I should go y New World too.¡± Unable to bear the envy, Ha-jin left for the capsule room. Jeong-hoon was alone at home because his mother had gone to work. ¡°It¡¯s better to tell her after Ie back, right?¡± The capsule was bigger than expected, so even though he had emptied the room as much as possible, the space was cramped. Jeong-hoon opened the capsule and sat inside. The smell of a new product stimted his nose, and it felt good. In capsule rooms, he had no choice but to sit in capsules used by others, so he was delighted that this capsule waspletely untouched by human hands. Is this why people buy personal capsules? Enough with the sentimentality, it was time to raise the level of ¡®Poison Resistance¡¯ to 10. [Logging in.] Earth Korea User Management Team. The management team was having a busier day than usual. Why was the management team, known as sry thieves, having a busy day? The reason was the phone calls. Ring- Every time the employees hung up the phone, the ringing resumed as if on cue. ¡°Yes, this is Earth Korea.¡± [Can you tell me who the martial artist who won first ce in the event is?] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but even we don¡¯t know the details of the event held by Genesis.¡± [You can just check the program, right?] It was all thanks to the martial artist who had achieved an unbelievable result in the event hosted by Genesis. The management team had a vague idea of who the martial artist was, but no one was foolish enough to divulge confidential information. ¡°We can¡¯t even check the event through the program. If we try to force it, we¡¯ll be immediately sanctioned by Earth headquarters.¡± More than 90% of the callers were guild officials. They intended to scout the martial artist if they had the potential to defeat the scarecrow dummy. ¡°Geez, why do they keep calling when they know it¡¯s not possible?¡± Jin-Soo Oh pinched the bridge of his nose with a fed-up expression. Only the management team, who managed the users, could watch the users¡¯ gamey through the program, and because of that, he had been called to the higher-ups in the morning and just returned. ¡®Who is it? Do you have any idea?¡¯ ¡®¡­I¡¯m sorry, but you know it¡¯s top secret.¡¯ ¡®Can¡¯t you just give me a hint?¡¯ ¡®You want us to get fired?¡¯ Seven years ago, there was a precedent where the entire management team was disciplined and reced after leaking information about a user who hadpleted an epic-grade job change. It wasn¡¯t just a simple disciplinary action, but they were also charged with a massive amount of damages, and the amount was so astronomical that those who were disciplined even resorted to extreme measures. Anyone with a brain wouldn¡¯t dare to leak it. ¡®If it¡¯s rted to user privacy, the management team is always involved.¡¯ Besides, if it was a martial artist who won first ce¡­ it must be that user. The beginner user who had been showing extraordinary moves from the start. He couldn¡¯t check the details, so he didn¡¯t know the nickname, level, or anything else, but considering the performance he had shown, it was highly likely that he had taken first ce this time as well. ¡®Really¡­ Wait, if he¡¯s un-job-changed, that means he hasn¡¯t done the job change quest yet, right?¡¯ Suddenly, goosebumps rose all over his body. What grade of job change would he achieve? The highest grade anyone had ever achieved in the 1st job change in all of New World was unique grade. James Marcus, known as the strongest pdin in the Americas. No one else had ever achieved a unique-grade job change. ¡®¡­Could it be?¡¯ Jeong-hoon headed to a mini-dungeon. Unlike regr dungeons, mini-dungeons ended with just defeating the boss monster, so they were usually used alone. The mini-dungeon he arrived at through the portal was empty. It couldn¡¯t be helped because it wasn¡¯t popr. Beginner users who entered the Primal Vige were busy spending time at the training center or clearing the northern dungeon. ¡°Kyaak!¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s arrow pierced the monster¡¯s forehead, ending the battle instantly. [You have gained a small amount of experience.] Also, the experience gained in mini-dungeons was meagerpared to other dungeons. It was much faster to level up by receiving quests from instructors at the training center. Nevertheless, Jeong-hoon chose the mini-dungeon. [Resists poison.] The most difficult mini-dungeon in the Primal Vige. This ce was a forest full of poisonous nts. Jeong-hoon deliberately chewed on those poisonous nts. To raise the level of ¡®Poison Resistance¡¯ to 10. ¡®It¡¯s better to get this over with here.¡¯ He could freely touch these poisonous nts because it was the Primal Vige. In other viges, not only would they be hard to find, but there would also be many poisons far stronger than ¡®Poison Resistance¡¯ in higher-level areas. On the other hand, this mini-dungeon was perfect for leveling up because ¡®Poison Resistance¡¯ could react sufficiently. ¡®I¡¯d like to fight Crasher, but¡­¡¯ Crasher, who had already been severely beaten by Jeong-hoon, had lost the will to fight. He probably wouldn¡¯t even spew poisonous gas if Jeong-hoon entered the dungeon. Even if he forced it out, he had already raised his level considerably with Crasher¡¯s poison, so leveling up with it would actually take longer. ¡®Shall we continue?¡¯ Jeong-hoon entered the portal to the next mini-dungeon. [Lv.25 Orc Warrior] The regr monster from the northern dungeon was the boss in this mini-dungeon. ¡°How dare youe here¡­ Keok!¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s arrow pierced the Orc Warrior¡¯s neck. The Orc Warrior died a heroic death, spewing blood. [You have gained a small amount of experience.] After killing the monster, Jeong-hoon once again plucked and ate the poisonous nts in the forest. He repeated this for a long time. [¡®Poison Resistance¡¯ level increases.] [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] Finally, ¡®Poison Resistance¡¯ reached level 10. His level was 8 before entering the mini-dungeon, and he had raised it by 2 here to reach 10. Roughly estimating, he had spent 22 hours just chewing on poisonous nts. He was quite tired, but the proud feeling of finally being qualified to use Crashers Poison Fang made him forget his fatigue. [Crasher¡¯s Poison Fang] -Type: Consumable -Grade: Rare -Upgrades the Normal grade of the Status Effect Resistance skill to Rare grade. -However, the skill level must be 10. Jeong-hoon immediately used the Poison Fang. [¡®Poison Resistance (Normal)¡¯ has been upgraded to ¡®Resist Ten Poisons (Rare)¡¯] Done. He had used Crashers Poison Fang to upgrade ¡®Poison Resistance¡¯ to ¡®Resist Ten Poisons¡¯. Currently, he couldn¡¯t raise the grade with ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯, so he had to rely on external items, and this was exactly the case. ¡®Shall I stop here for today?¡¯ Jeong-hoon logged out with a satisfied smile. I wanted to endure it a little longer, but I was too tired after wrestling with it for 22 hours. Whoosh- As the capsule door opened, I saw my mother in front of me. Startled, Jeong-hoon quickly got out of the capsule. ¡°Mom, when did you get here?¡± ¡°When did I get here? I came home yesterday after work, and you were ying the game, but I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d still be ying now.¡± Today was Sunday. The day his mother didn¡¯t go to work. And the time was 2 PM. He had installed the capsule and logged into the game around 4 PM yesterday, so he had been ying the game in front of his mother all day. He had intended to log out around her usual return time, but he forgot in his determination to raise the level of ¡®Poison Resistance¡¯. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. But I didn¡¯t expect you to actually win first ce¡­¡± His mother¡¯s attention was captured by the capsule. As befitting its high price of 30 million won, its appearance was quite sophisticated. Who would think this was a capsule for ying games? ¡°I told you I would win first ce.¡± ¡°Well, even so, I didn¡¯t think you would win first ce in an event with over ten thousand participants.¡± It was an event her son was participating in. So, it seemed his mother had looked into the event information hosted by Genesis. ¡°I¡¯m your son, you know. How could I not win first ce in something like this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I think I underestimated my son too much.¡± ¡°Yes, you underestimated me too much. So let¡¯s go out for dinner together today.¡± ¡°Dinner?¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s have beef together. It¡¯s on me!¡± Today was a very good day. ¡°Hm? We just ate the other day.¡± ¡°That was pork. This time, let¡¯s have beef.¡± ¡°No, save the money for beef for when you need itter.¡± His mother didn¡¯t like her son spending money. But Jeong-hoon wouldn¡¯t back down. ¡°Now is the time I need it.¡± ¡°¡­What can I say?¡± They say no parent can win against their child. In the end, his mother raised the white g. Having received permission, Jeong-hoon finally went to sleep, and after a short 3-hour nap, he went out with his mother for a meal. The restaurant was the most expensive Korean beef ce near their neighborhood. ¡°Let¡¯s go in!¡± ¡°Jeong-hoon, isn¡¯t this ce too expensive¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay! I saved up a lot of money in the military.¡± It was worth spending money at a time like this. Jeong-hoon paid 400,000 won at the Korean beef restaurant he entered with his mother. * * * Yeo Min-Ji couldn¡¯t understand. A week had passed since the event ended, so howe he hadn¡¯te for the job change quest? The first job change was a prerequisite for leaving the Primal Vige. So he had to revisit the Hall of Martial Arts. But the owner of that fist technique still hadn¡¯t shown up. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s trying to level up more at level 50? That can¡¯t be it¡­¡± If he had won first ce, he must have already reached near level 50. ¡°¡­How long is she going to stay there?¡± ¡°Right? Wouldn¡¯t she get tired of just sitting there all day?¡± The users were amazed by her patience. They had visited the Hall of Martial Arts several times, receiving hunting and dungeon clearing training from the instructors, and each time, she was just sitting quietly in the corner. But now it was reaching its limit. [Whisper / In-Tae -> Minzi: Ma¡¯am. You need toe back soon. You¡¯ve been away for too long¡­] [Whisper / Sunwoo -> Minzi: I heard from In-Tae. Stop it ande back.] She had received whispers from Team Leader Park In-Tae. And not only him, but also from her father, Yeo Soon-Woo. ¡®I feel like I just need to wait a little longer!¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji bit her lip. Not only Park In-Tae, but even her father had sent a whisper. She couldn¡¯t stall any longer. [Whisper / Minzi -> In-Tae: ¡­Sigh, I¡¯ll be back soon.] [Whisper / Minzi -> Sunwoo: I¡¯ll be back soon.] Finally, she got up from her seat. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be criticized as Martial Artists, train properly. The results will follow your efforts.¡± Yeo Min-Ji gave advice to the users. She had seen and felt a lot while spending time at the Hall of Martial Arts. Unlike ordinary games, in New World, one¡¯s actions could lead to rapid progress, or one could remain stagnant even after a long time. This was especially true for Martial Artistspared to other sses. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Understood¡­¡± The users quickly nodded their heads. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now, instructors.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please go safely.¡± The instructors were polite. Once upon a time, Yeo Min-Ji was a beginner user, and the instructors trained her, but now the situation was reversed. Yeo Min-Ji had reached a much higher level, so it was natural for them to respect her. ¡°Take care of your health, Instructor Altio.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Altio smiled kindly. It was natural for him to have good feelings towards one of the few trainees who had endured his harsh training in the past. ¡°But who were you waiting for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± The users didn¡¯t know why she had been sitting around in the Hall of Martial Arts for days on end. They could only vaguely sense that she was waiting for someone. And not long after, a user entered the Hall of Martial Arts. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± The instructors recognized him at a nce. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± He was the user who had won the 1:1 duel with Instructor Altio. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 21 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 21 Jeong-Hoon focused on leveling up for a week and reached level 30. He had used the mini-dungeon to upgrade his skill ¡®Resist Ten Poisons¡¯, so he leveled up by roaming the fields. After reaching the desired level, he returned to the Hall of Martial Arts. Question marks appeared above the heads of all the instructors. It meant he was eligible to take the ss change quest. He went straight to Instructor Altio without hesitation. To achieve a higher grade ss change, he had to go through Altio. ¡°Why have youe back after so long?¡± Altio greeted him with a bright smile. ¡°It took me a while to qualify.¡± ¡°Qualify? Hmm¡­ Indeed, the aura you exude feels different.¡± Altio scanned Jeong-Hoon from head to toe and gave a smallpliment. He had already endured all of Altio¡¯s training as an instructor and even won a duel against him. Altio wanted to offer him a ss change right then and there, but Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t qualified yet, so it wasn¡¯t possible. But now, he could offer the ss change. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good! Then let me exin about the ss change. The ss change is a process of awakening a part of your potential. To do that, a stronger martial artist must guide your power.¡± ¡°I see.¡± To take the ss change quest, you had to go through a portal inside the Hall of Martial Arts. Beyond the portal resided the spirits of martial artists. If you were recognized by the spirit of a martial artist, you would seed in the 1st ss change. ¡°Since you haven¡¯t awakened your potential yet, it won¡¯t be too difficult. The senior martial artists here in the hall are quite kind.¡± [ss Change Quest: Spirit of the Martial Artist] -Restriction: Un-ss-changed martial artists above Lv. 30 -Reward: 1st ss change -Description: We wish to grant new power to those who are qualified. Receive recognition from a senior martial artist and ept the new power. Senior martial artists. The Hall of Martial Arts was home to the spirits of various martial artists. Toplete the 1st ss change, you had to awaken their spirits and carry out the tasks they gave you. It was an easy task that wouldn¡¯t take Jeong-Hoon even 10 minutes with his current abilities. ¡°I ept.¡± ¡°Good. Then follow me.¡± Altio opened the tightly closed door. Six users were lined up in front of the door, waiting. They had all reached level 30 and came for their ss change. ¡°Huh? Why is that instructor giving the ss change quest?¡± ¡°I know, right? There wasn¡¯t a quest from that instructor before.¡± They seemed somewhat surprised by Altio¡¯s appearance. It was understandable since Altio was an instructor who didn¡¯t give out ss change quests. Or rather, he was an instructor who only gave quests to those who endured his training. ¡®It¡¯s a prerequisite for getting a rare or higher grade ss change.¡¯ Of course, just because you received the quest didn¡¯t mean you could definitely get a rare-grade ss change. It was just a condition. Unlike the kind senior martial artists, the senior martial artist Altio guided them to was entric and picky. To pass his test, you had to reach level 50 to get a rare-grade ss change. Jeong-Hoon from the previous life had also failed the martial artist¡¯s test and had to settle for a normal 1st ss change. ¡°You can enter here.¡± The portal Altio guided him to was a little further away from the portals used by other users. ¡°Huh? Why is he going there?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the ss change here?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Isn¡¯t that the user who defeated the instructor?¡± ¡°Now that I look closely, it is.¡± It seemed there was a user among them who had watched the duel between Jeong-Hoon and Instructor Altio. ¡°Then good luck.¡± Altio calmly pointed to the portal, even though his pride could have been hurt. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon bowed to him and entered the portal. ¡°But why is he going through a different portal than us?¡± ¡°Looking at the sign, that seems like the best portal.¡± ¡°This is ridiculous. Look at him ying favorites just because he was defeated.¡± They red at Altio with dissatisfied faces. Altio approached them with a hardened expression. The menacing aura emanating from his physique made the users unconsciously step back. ¡°Listen. Just because you chose martial arts doesn¡¯t mean your rotten spirit bes that of a martial artist too.¡± Rotten spirit? A mere NPC was trampling on their pride. ¡°Huh, what is he saying?¡± ¡°Does he think we¡¯ll be fooled by his words, someone who will be stuck at level 30 forever?¡± ¡°We have nothing to fear. I¡¯m level 33. Now we¡¯re above him.¡± The levels of the users here were all equal to or higher than Altio¡¯s. They were intimidated by his aura, but based on levels alone, they surpassed Altio. ¡°I guess words won¡¯t work.¡± Altio red and gave them a quest. The quest was a duel with him. He offered a reward that if they won the duel, they could use the portal Jeong-Hoon had entered. ¡°You¡¯re going to fight everyone here?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s join forces!¡± ¡°It¡¯s 6 against 1. Let¡¯s finish this quickly and go through that portal too!¡± The martial artists epted the quest together. And not long after, everyone here was crawling on the floor. ¡°Ugh¡­ What¡¯s so strong¡­?¡± ¡°Damn¡­ What the¡­¡± 30 minutes. That¡¯s how long it took for Altio to subdue them all. ¡°Hmph, how pathetic.¡± Altio looked down at them and scoffed. It was a fight they couldn¡¯t win from the start. Although his level was 30, the spirit of martial arts that he had devoted his entire life to was deeply ingrained in his bones. And as an instructor at the Hall of Martial Arts, he also received a stat boost buff. He was on a different level from those who had simply entered New World and leveled up. ¡°Altio¡­ Didn¡¯t you go too far?¡± One of the instructors guarding the portal sighed. After all, they were trainees who had visited the Hall of Martial Arts. It meant that he had been too harsh as an instructor. ¡°Do they look like martial artists to you?¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t ept it. They¡¯re better off not existing.¡± Altio returned to the portal Jeong-Hoon had entered and stood next to it. It was the portal that the martial artist he acknowledged had entered, so he would wait until he returned safely. ¡®I hope he finished sessfully.¡¯ So far, only Yeo Min-Ji had emerged from this portal with an achievement. Altio was confident that today would make it two. ¡®Damn it. Seriously¡­ What a disgrace this is.¡¯ ¡®That monster¡­ How did he defeat him?¡¯ ¡®Crazy. How did the user who entered that portal win?¡¯ The six users stared at Altio as if he were a monster, then turned their heads towards the portal. The user who defeated that monstrous instructor. What on earth was his identity? * * * Beyond the portal was a cave located within a valley. A waterfall roared behind him. It seemed like no light would prate, but torches stuck in the wall were burning brightly, illuminating the surroundings. ¡®This is my second time here too.¡¯ The first time he came here in his previous life, it was a series of surprises. From the caves to the waterfall in a virtual reality game. It was all too perfectly implemented. Jeong-Hoon moved forward. At the end of the cave, someone was sitting on a chair, reading a book. He was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his early 60s, and he had a simr form to Dok-Go-Joon. The spirit of the martial artist residing in this cave. Blue me Kwon Hyun-Je. ¡°A challenger?¡± He asked without taking his eyes off the book. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll acknowledge you, so go back.¡± It meant that he would consider the ss change questplete even withoutpleting the task. But that was a trick. If he went back like this, the quest would be sessful, but he would only be able to get a normal-grade ss change. To achieve a rare or higher grade ss change, he couldn¡¯t just go back. Martial artists fundamentally possessed apetitive spirit. If he went back like this after being looked down upon, he wouldn¡¯t be a true martial artist or something. ¡°I refuse.¡± He gave the correct answer. Only then did Kwon Hyun-Je chuckle and look up from his book. ¡°Okay. First stage has passed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the second stage?¡± [ss Change Quest: Blue me Kwon Hyun-Je] -Restriction: Un-ss-changed Martial Artists above Lv. 30 -Reward: 1st ss Change [Rare] -Description: Pass Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s test. Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s test. It was to have a duel with the martial artist he summoned. As he snapped his fingers, a young man simr to Jeong-Hoon appeared in front of him. It was Kwon Hyun-Je in his youth. ¡°If you win, you pass.¡± Kwon Hyun-Je sat on the chair and watched. [Lv.40 Martial Artist: A] The result of the rare-grade ss change quest depended on how he dealt with that martial artist. ¡®I¡¯m not going to settle for rare.¡¯ Currently, Yeo Min-Ji was the only one who had achieved a rare or higher grade in the 1st ss change. And there hadn¡¯t been a single epic grade yet. And today. That would be the moment the first one was born. Jeong-Hoon started to step in a familiar way. As a martial artist, he would end it with fist techniques. Whoosh! Martial Artist: A jumped up and quickly reached Jeong-Hoon, extending his fist. Blue mes, symbolizing Kwon Hyun-Je, were rising from his fist. Jeong-Hoon dodged the punch with a step. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 1st Form.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist shot forward. Pow! Martial Artist: A raised his guard and blocked the punch. However, the impact seemed to be significant as he was pushed back. Kwon Hyun-Je, who was watching, widened his eyes. ¡®Watch closely.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t obtained the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique for nothing. From the moment he chose to be a martial artist, the ss ounted for more than 90% of his growth. Therefore, he had acquired the appropriate skill first. If it was Blue me Kwon Hyun-Je, he would have noticed what kind of fist technique was being used. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fists flowed like water, starting to strike Martial Artist: A repeatedly. Side, face, chest. Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 1st Form, cleverly avoided the areas he tried to defend and quickly struck the open spots. Soon, the 2nd Form unfolded. A ck aura faintly gathered around Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist as his shoulder pulled back. Then, he struck Martial Artist: A¡¯s abdomen with a straight punch. Martial Artist: A tried to guard by crouching, but¡­ Pow! A different sound erupted, and Martial Artist: A was sent flying backward. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s pupils trembled violently. Martial Artist: A was a replica of his younger self as a martial artist. Of course, he had adjusted the stats so that the challenger could fight him, but he didn¡¯t expect him to be defeated so easily. What was even more surprising was the fist technique the challenger was using. ¡®Could it be that that fist technique was still alive¡­?¡¯ The fist master he had aimed to be in the past. The man who was called the Underworld King, even though he had only appeared twice in the world. It was very simr to the fist technique he had used. He even felt the same thrill he had felt when he was alive. ¡°¡­Where did you learn that fist technique?¡± Kwon Hyun-Je asked in a trembling voice. ¡°I learned it from my master.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± It seemed that the Underworld King¡¯s fist technique had been passed down through the generations. ¡®But to handle it so perfectly¡­ How is that possible¡­?¡¯ No one else could fool Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s eyes. He hadpletely mastered the fist technique, and his movements were wless when facing his own replica martial artist. Such movements could only be achieved through countless experiences and painstaking efforts. In his eyes, Jeong-Hoon looked to be in his early 20s. What kind of childhood did he have? At the same time, his heart pounded. ¡®This kid will make history.¡¯ As weapons developed, martial artists naturally declined. Those brainless bastards who pointed swords and spears at people. Those despicable bastards who shot arrows from a distance. Those cunning bastards who used guns and firepower. Those outrageous bastards who used the bizarre study of magic to tear, burn, and melt people. Unlike those who cunningly used weapons, martial artists fought solely with their bodies. That was true martial arts. And today, a child who would carry on the spirit of true martial arts had arrived. If he could unleash the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique to its fullest potential, he would never be outmatched by those cunning and dirty bastards. To do that, he needed to lend his strength to Jeong-Hoon. Having finished his thoughts, Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s eyes sank with seriousness. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 22 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 22 Yeo Min-Ji eventually returned to the guild headquarters. She couldn¡¯t ignore the piling work, and the appearance of an epic-grade Saber in the event that Ho-Yeong had observed caused a stir within the guild. Since Ho-Yeong was the only famous guild, they could bring in the Saber if they pursued recruitment. The fact that Yeo Min-Ji was at the Hall of Martial Arts was also included in the report. ¡®Please go to the Hall of Martial Arts instead of me.¡¯ ¡®Ma¡¯am¡­¡¯ ¡®I beg you!¡¯ ¡®¡­Alright.¡¯ At her earnest request, Park In-Tae had no choice but to head to the Hall of Martial Arts. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re not qualified, why are you trying to enter here?¡± The instructor guarding the main gate of the hall stopped him. Only martial artists could enter the Hall of Martial Arts. Of course, to break that rule, you had toplete a quest given by an instructor to lift the entry restriction. ¡°¡­I¡¯m here to do the quest.¡± He never thought he would be doing beginner zone quests at this level. ¡°Really? Then could you help me with some cleaning?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Most of the beginner zone quests were menial tasks like cleaning. Park In-Tae was only able to enter the hall after receiving the quest. ¡®I¡¯ll have to observe the situation while cleaning.¡¯ Park In-Tae took a mop from the cleaning tool cab and started mopping the floor. === [yer Information] -Nickname: In-Tae -Level: 269 -ss: Insightful Magician (3rd) === ¡°Wow¡­ What? Why is a level 269 here?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a magician, right?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Insightful, then it¡¯s epic?!¡± The users training in the hall were in an uproar at the appearance of Park In-Tae cleaning. It was understandable since a level 269 was cleaning the hall where they trained. ¡°Ha, can you believe the instructor beat up a user?¡± ¡°I know, right? Not only ying favorites¡­¡± As he was diligently cleaning, the inner door opened and two users came out. They were martial artists who had reached level 30 andpleted their 1st ss change. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Park In-Tae perked up his ears. The instructor beat up a user? Was it a duel? From the looks of it, the instructor and the users seemed to have had a duel. ¡°Excuse me, may I ask what happened?¡± Park In-Tae approached a user who wasing out afterpleting his ss change to hear the details. The user was startled by Park In-Tae¡¯s sudden appearance but soon chatted away about what had happened inside. ¡®Found it!¡¯ * * * [The reward has been greatly increased.] [You can now change to 1st ss (Epic).] A smile spread across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. He had achieved his goal of an epic ss change. With this, he would be able to reach the path of All Mastery much faster. But there was something strange. There was a rejection message below the list of rewards he could receive. In New World, ss changes were mandatory, not optional. Therefore, once you took the test, you had to ept the given result unconditionally. But now, Jeong-Hoon was given the option to refuse. ¡®This is strange. There shouldn¡¯t be an option to refuse.¡¯ There was a small exmation mark icon next to the refusal option. Jeong-Hoon lightly touched the exmation mark. [If you want a higher-grade ss change, please press refuse.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡®A higher grade?¡¯ Did that mean he could get a ss change higher than epic? Kwon Hyun-Je had recognized the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Could it be because of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique? ¡®Kwon Hyun-Je said he lived in the same era as Dok-Go-Joon¡­ Could it have changed like this?¡¯ Unlike Dok-Go-Joon, Kwon Hyun-Je hadn¡¯t ascended to heaven of his own will and had remained in the Hall of Martial Arts, testing challengers. ¡°I have never given anyone the opportunity to achieve a grade higher than epic. However, you are qualified. I will give you that chance if you want it. But be careful, you might end up with a ss change lower than epic.¡± Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s face and voice were serious. He was certain that the fist technique shown in the test was that of the Underworld King Dok-Go-Joon. So he had greatly increased the reward. ¡®All or nothing. This is a huge opportunity.¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji of Ho-Yeong hadpleted a rare-grade ss change, andter, a martial artist in Argentina was scheduled to achieve an epic-grade ss change. What Jeong-Hoon had been aiming for from the beginning was an epic-grade ss change. The condition was topletely defeat Martial Artist: A. The condition for defeating him was to have more than 50% HP remaining. The n was that by raising the level by two stages from the normal 1st ss change, he could reach the realm of All Mastery even faster, but¡­ It seems the n needs aplete overhaul. Thump-thump. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s heart began to race. If he were to achieve a Unique ss advancement, it would mean standing on equal footing with James Marcus, who had been a Pdin from his first ss advancement. ¡®I refuse.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chose to refuse. ¡°Very well. However, I won¡¯t be the one granting you the power of advancement.¡± Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s words were unexpected. ¡°You won¡¯t grant it?¡± ¡°The highest grade I can grant is Epic.¡± For a higher ss advancement, he would have to seek out a different soul. ¡°Then¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll connect you. The grade will be determined by your choice.¡± At that moment, a red question mark appeared above Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s head. [Hidden ss Advancement Quest (1/2): Blue mes Kwon Hyun-Je] -Restriction: A martial artist recognized by Blue mes Kwon Hyun-Je -Reward: Hidden ss Advancement Quest (2/2) -Description: You have been recognized by Blue mes Kwon Hyun-Je. Discover the traces of the Fist King beyond the portal. Upon epting the quest, a new portal appeared behind Kwon Hyun-Je. ¡®An opportunity is useless if you don¡¯t seize it.¡¯ An incredibly precious opportunity had presented itself. He had to seize this opportunity. With renewed determination, Jeong-Hoon entered the portal. ¡°May luck be with you.¡± Kwon Hyun-Je quietly watched the portal where Jeong-Hoon had disappeared. His role was over. The rest was in the hands of that martial artist. * * * Earth Korea User Management Team. The employees were staring at the monitor screen with shocked eyes. ¡°What? Why is he going through another portal during a ss advancement quest?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hidden ss advancement quest, apparently¡­?¡± ¡°What does that even mean¡­?¡± They hade to Earth Korea and observed the gamey of various users. And they themselves were also users who enjoyed New World. However, this was the first time they had seen a user push their limits so drastically. He had already taken all sorts of opportunities, and now it seemed he was even causing a stir with his ss advancement. That thought proved to be urate. He had perfectly passed the test set by the Soul of the Martial Artist, securing a Rare ss advancement or higher. Alright, they could ept that much. ¡®Wait, why is the NPC giving him a new quest?¡¯ Oh Jinsu couldn¡¯t hide his confusion. ¡°What conditions has he met to trigger a new hidden ss advancement quest?¡± ¡°Team leader¡­ what ss do you think this user will advance to?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± Currently, the highest ss advancement achieved in South Korea was Epic. Expanding to the entire world, the only person to achieve a Unique grade in their first ss advancement was Pdin James Marcus, who had reached level 540. Even James Marcus hadn¡¯t undertaken a hidden ss advancement quest, as far as they knew. Just who was this user? ¡°Wow¡­ this is really interesting.¡± ¡°How is watching this more fun than ying the game yourself?¡± ¡°If this person streamed, they¡¯d be a huge hit.¡± ¡°They¡¯d be raking in the money.¡± The employees werepletely absorbed in the user¡¯s gamey, forgetting their work. In the midst of this, Oh Jinsu intervened, controlling the real-time monitoring program to adjust the user¡¯s position. The employees looked at Oh Jinsu with puzzled eyes. ¡°Alright, now¡¯s not the time to watch that user. We¡¯ve received reports of a few other suspicious users. We need to check them out first.¡± But they had only watched for 20 minutes! The employees sighed in disappointment. ¡°It was such an important moment¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what he¡¯ll do inside that portal?¡± ¡°What grade will he advance to?¡± Oh Jinsu was also dying to see. However, most of the work was handled by headquarters, and he was already known as a cker. He couldn¡¯t dy his work and continue watching when there were reports to address. ¡®He¡¯s definitely going to get something amazing, right? I¡¯m dying of curiosity.¡¯ He was incredibly curious about whaty beyond the portal and what ss the user would advance to. * * * Beyond the portal, the grand gate of a mansion came into view. The gate was closed, and Jeong-Hoon stood before it. [You are qualified.] [The gate opens.] The tightly closed gate slid open, revealing the inner garden. What was assumed to be a garden was in ruins, with no trace of its former glory. The fountain in the center was also severely damaged, barely recognizable as a fountain. ¡®Is this really where the Fist King lived?¡¯ The eerie atmosphere of the mansion made the name ¡°Fist King¡± seem out of ce. Jeong-Hoon passed through the garden and entered the mansion. ¡®I could believe it if you said there were ghosts here¡­¡¯ The interior of the mansion was in even worse condition than the garden. Windows were cracked and shattered, the floors and walls were decayed, and insects swarmed everywhere. The chandelier that should have been on the ceilingy shattered on the floor, covered in a thickyer of dust, a testament to the passage of time since this destruction urred. Abandoned houses often had an eerie feeling, but this mansion was far worse. It felt like centuries had passed since it wasst inhabited. ¡®You said to find traces of the Fist King, right?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon moved, meticulously searching every space, starting with the reception room. But his efforts yielded nothing. There wasn¡¯t a single trace to be found. He had naturally assumed he would find items used by the Fist King during his lifetime. Perhaps they had all been looted when the mansion fell into ruin, but there wasn¡¯t a single item to be found. However, he was certain that they must be somewhere in the mansion. In New World, quests always came with guaranteed rewards. This ss advancement quest was no different. The fact that the quest existed meant there were traces somewhere in this mansion. ¡®Nothing on the first floor.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon ascended to the second floor via the central staircase. [You are qualified.] [The door to the bedchamber opens.] At that moment, an old door creaked open. ¡°So it was here.¡± If it was going to open, it could have just opened quietly. The old door opening automatically only intensified the eerie atmosphere. Jeong-Hoon stepped into the bedchamber. And there he found it. ¡°You¡¯vee.¡± The soul of an old man in histe 80s, sitting on the bed. His well-trained body, uncharacteristic for his age, showed no signs of fat. He rose from his seat. He was a little over two meters tall. Jeong-Hoon, at 183 centimeters, had to look up. ¡°Are you the Fist King?¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°Not anymore.¡± ¡°Not anymore?¡± ¡°Look around. This ce has been in ruins for a long time, hasn¡¯t it?¡± The old man looked at the bedchamber with a bitter face. For reasons unknown, the situation suggested that the Fist King had died and the mansion had fallen into ruin. This wasn¡¯t part of the New World lore. Jeong-Hoon had thought it was a simple item retrieval quest, but he never dreamed he would find the soul of the Fist King waiting for him. ¡°I came to find traces of you.¡± The old man nodded. ¡°Haven¡¯t you found them?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I am that trace.¡± With those words, an exmation mark appeared above the old man¡¯s head. [Hidden ss Advancement Quest (1/2)pleted.] [Hidden ss Advancement Quest (2/2) can be undertaken.] Upon touching the exmation mark, a new question mark appeared. [Hidden ss Advancement Quest (2/2): A Part of the Soul] -Restriction: A martial artist who has found the traces of the Fist King -Reward: First ss Advancement (Hidden) -Description: You have found the traces of the Fist King. Prove your worth and inherit his power. And the reward was revealed. ¡®Hidden?!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 23 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 23 In New World, hidden sses existed Hidden sses were rare and could only be obtained with a slim chance after choosing a base ss and through specific actions. Due to the vast number of yers, many hidden sses had emerged. Their grades ranged from Common to Unique. Therefore, it was crucial to know both the hidden ss and its grade. However, there was one exception: the Martial Artist ss. No hidden sses had emerged for Martial Artists yet. This was one of the reasons why Martial Artists were often undervalued. Even on a global scale, no hidden ss for Martial Artists had appeared until just before Jeong-Hoon¡¯s regression. And now, such a hidden ss had appeared before Jeong-Hoon. ¡®I reached a level ying field with them just through a normal ss advancement.¡¯ If he started with a hidden ss¡­ The possibility of changing the future would increase even further. Without hesitation, Jeong-Hoon epted the quest. The question mark above the old man¡¯s head disappeared, reced by new text. [Lv. 60 A Fragment of the Soul] Simultaneously, the old man threw a punch. Jeong-Hoon swiftly sidestepped, dodging the fist. ¡®So, defeating him is this quest.¡¯ The old man was level 60, a full 20 levels higher than the Martial Artist: A Jeong-Hoon had faced before. It wasn¡¯t just the level difference. Even as a fragment of the Fist King, he was a martial artist who had reached the pinnacle. Even a fraction of his power contained decades of umted inner strength. Was that why? While Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s summoned Martial Artist was easily subdued, the Fist King was different. Each of his attacks was sharp, and he showed no openings. Thud! Thud! The exchange of blows continued. Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 1st Form. ¡°That¡¯s?!¡± The Fist King¡¯s eyes wavered as Jeong-Hoon unleashed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Seizing the opening, Jeong-Hoon swiftly followed up with the 2nd Form, pressuring the Fist King. Bam! Thud! But the Fist King¡¯s guard wasn¡¯t easily broken. ¡®He¡¯s incredibly strong for a level 60.¡¯ As expected of a hidden ss quest, the difficulty was beyond imagination. Once again, Jeong-Hoon and the Fist King¡¯s fists shed in a continuous exchange. The Fist King, with his higher level, allowed some weaker attacks tond while simultaneously striking Jeong-Hoon¡¯s openings. Thud! The Fist King¡¯s damage was brutal. [Health is rapidly decreasing.] [Using Lowest Grade Healing.] [Lowest Grade Healing level increased.] [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ activated.] [Skill, ¡®Tanking (Normal)¡¯ acquired.] [¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ merges with ¡®Indomitable Body¡¯ and ¡®Tanking¡¯.] [¡®Indomitable Body (Normal)¡¯ level increased to ¡®7¡¯.] [Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique level increased.] However, Jeong-Hoon was growing in real-time. Having faced countless stronger opponents before his regression, Jeong-Hoon continued the confrontation with the Fist King, skillfully utilizing his skills. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 3rd Form.¡¯ Until recently, he could only unleash up to the 2nd Form due to his insufficient level, but the recent level-up had enabled him to reach the 3rd Form. The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique was abo skill. It progressed from the 1st Form to the 2nd Form, and then to the 3rd Form. Having only reached the 2nd Form until now, this was his first time achieving the 3rd Form. A darker aura gathered around Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fists. Woosh! In that instant, Jeong-Hoon deflected the Fist King¡¯s punch with the back of his hand. The Fist King¡¯s posture faltered, albeit slightly. Jeong-Hoon, seizing the opening, struck the Fist King¡¯s side with a gleam in his eyes. ¡°Ugh!¡± The Fist King grimaced, clutching his side. The damage was significant, but that single blow was enough to disrupt the Fist King¡¯s bnce. As Jeong-Hoon struck the Fist King¡¯s side, he stepped on his left foot and simultaneously grabbed his wrist with his right hand. Thud! Thud! Jeong-Hoon relentlessly pounded the Fist King¡¯s side. The Fist King tried to shake him off with his free right hand and leg, but Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t even flinch. Instead, he pressed his attack even more fiercely. [Lowest Grade Healing level increased.] The damage was so severe that Jeong-Hoon would have been dered dead if he hadn¡¯t continuously used healing. ¡°This brat¡­!¡± The Fist King¡¯s face flushed red with pain and humiliation. How shameful it was for him, known to have reached the pinnacle of martial arts, to be struggling against a mere challenger. ¡®This is strange¡­ strange¡­ He should have let go by now.¡¯ No matter how much he was pummeled, Jeong-Hoon showed no signs of giving up. The pain in his captured wrist only intensified. Inwardly, the Fist King was impressed by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s determination and the look in his eyes. He had seen such a look before in his lifetime. It was poison. But he had never seen such intense poison before. What kind of life had this young man led to have such eyes? Suddenly, Jeong-Hoon released the captured wrist. ¡®He¡¯s reached his limit.¡¯ Even with only a fraction of his power remaining, it was more than enough to overpower Jeong-Hoon. In such a situation, a head-on confrontation would naturally lead to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s defeat. ¡°Hmph.¡± But Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t copsed. The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 3rd Form, wasn¡¯t over yet. Twisting his body, he drove his weight into a punch aimed at the Fist King¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Gah!¡± The Fist King¡¯s waist buckled as he was sent flying backward. The damage seemed considerable, as he struggled to get back on his feet. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m dying. You pass¡­¡± There was no need for further confirmation. The Fist King had been defeated. ¡°Thank you for your time.¡± Only then did Jeong-Hoon deactivate the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. The dark energy surrounding his fists dissipated. ¡°Phew, truly¡­ I didn¡¯t expect you to unleash the 3rd Form of that technique.¡± The Fist King slowly rose to his feet. Both Kwon Hyun-Je and the Fist King seemed to be familiar with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. ¡°You know it well?¡± ¡°Of course. The only person I couldn¡¯t defeat was Dokgo Joon.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It seemed the Fist King had personally fought against Dokgo Joon. That must be why he earned the nickname ¡°Underworld King.¡± ¡°¡­Dokgo Joon, for the first time, I envy you.¡± The Fist King muttered with a bitter expression. Above his head, the question mark had changed to an exmation mark. The quest was a sess. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I only used fist techniques.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had solely relied on the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique during the fight. He calcted that to gain recognition from the pinnacle of martial arts, it was better to focus entirely on fist techniques rather than using other tricks. And that calction had paid off. ¡®I went easy on him a few times.¡¯ If the Fist King had been serious, Jeong-Hoon would still be struggling. The Fist King¡¯s skill was genuine. To think that this was just a fraction of his power¡­ It was impossible to fathom the level of power the Fist King possessed in his prime. [You havepleted the Hidden ss Advancement Quest.] [Please select your desired hidden ss.] [1. Fist Saint: Legendary] [2. Martial Emperor: Legendary] There were two hidden sses for Martial Artists. The first was Fist Saint. ¡°Fist Saint is a ss that leads you to be a master of fist techniques. If you continue to grow steadily, you can one day stand on equal footing with me.¡± The Fist Saint ss was Legendary. Legendary at the first ss advancement? This meant he could potentially aim for even higher hidden sses in the future. However, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t want to choose Fist Saint. He had already reached the pinnacle as an All-Master in his previous life. Fist Saint focused solely on fist techniques and was far removed from the path of an All-Master. ¡°What about Martial Emperor?¡± ¡°¡­ Martial Emperor represents infinite possibilities. However, I wouldn¡¯t rmend it. Most humans can¡¯t even reach the peak of a single path. Pursuing many things at once is more likely to lead to ruin.¡± No, that was precisely why he had to choose Martial Emperor. Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t seek to reach the pinnacle of martial arts, but rather the pinnacle of the game. To quickly achieve the All-Master state and aim for even higher realms, he had to choose Martial Emperor, not Fist Saint. ¡°I choose Martial Emperor.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you have no regrets? Choosing Fist Saint would surely lead you to the peak.¡± The Fist King was disappointed. Someone capable of such fist techniques was choosing the path of the Martial Emperor instead of the Fist Saint. Even though both were Legendary, the growth difficulty was like night and day. ¡°No. I have no regrets.¡± Seeing his firm resolve, the Fist King finally nodded. ¡°Very well.¡± [You have chosen ¡®Martial Emperor¡¯.] [Advancing to Martial Emperor (1st ss).] [Skills are being categorized.] Categories. Martial Emperor was a ss that led to bing an All-Master. Therefore, skills were categorized based on weapon types. Knuckles for fist techniques. Swords for sword techniques. And so on. At first nce, this might not seem like a significant benefit, but Jeong-Hoon thought differently. ¡®It makes categorization easier.¡¯ As an All-Master, he could learn countless skills and needed to use them appropriately depending on the situation. Having skills categorized would make organizing them much easier. Of course, it might not be immediately useful for Jeong-Hoon, who remembered all his skills, but it was better than nothing. [Hidden ss benefits are being granted.] [Now you can use Blind System. When activated, your ss name will be disyed as ¡®Low-Grade Martial Artist (1st ss)¡¯.] [You are the first to advance to a Martial Artist hidden ss.] [Hidden Achievement Unlocked! You have received 20,000 achievement points. Please check your achievement rewards.] The emergence of a hidden ss excited the entire world. In response, New World added a new option. ¡®Blind.¡¯ The Blind System allowed users to hide their true ss from others. Those who enjoyed attention might not activate it, but Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t want unnecessary attention as he moved forward. ¡®Let¡¯s use it.¡¯ [Activating Blind.] With this, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s ss name became Low-Grade Martial Artist. A hidden ss, yet a Low-Grade Martial Artist. Anyone would think he had just undergone a normal ss advancement. In fact, it didn¡¯t feel like a hidden ss because, unlike Fist Saint, the 1st ss Martial Emperor didn¡¯t unlock any special skills. So, for now, he seemed simr to a regr Martial Artist. However, over time, the gap would widen immensely. The reason for this was ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯. [¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ grade increased to ¡®Epic¡¯.] [The grades of skills acquired through ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ are being adjusted.] With ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ reaching Epic grade, the skills he had obtained were upgraded from Normal to Rare. And ¡®Tenacious Defense,¡¯ which he had already raised to Rare, remained the same grade but reached max level. ¡®Good.¡¯ Usually, when a Martial Artist advanced, they would unlock passive and active skills rted to martial arts. However, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ showed no signs of advancing from Rare. This was the reason why high-level Martial Artists considered ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ to be garbage. Jeong-Hoon had also tried everything to raise the level of ¡®Steadfast Will,¡¯ but to no avail. Therefore, he had no choice but to painstakingly raise the grades of skills acquired through external means, but that was no longer necessary. Martial Emperor was the only ss that could raise the grade of ¡®Steadfast Will.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon clenched his fists. ¡°Congrattions. You have sessfully advanced to Martial Emperor.¡± The one and only ss that allowed one to master everything rted to martial arts to the extreme. This was Martial Artist¡¯s hidden ss. A rainbow-colored question mark appeared above the Fist King¡¯s head. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ Curious, Jeong-Hoon touched the question mark. [Secret Quest: Guardian of the Starting Vige] -Restriction: Obtained Hidden ss + [Title] Contributor of the Starting Vige -Reward: [Title] Guardian of the Starting Vige -Description: Upgrade the [Title] Contributor of the Starting Vige to [Title] Guardian of the Starting Vige. ¡®An unexpected n has been added.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon grinned. Not only could he upgrade his hidden ss, but he could also upgrade the title he had obtained to find the alchemist. [Secret Questpleted.] [[Title] Contributor of the Starting Vige has been upgraded to [Title] Guardian of the Starting Vige.] [You are the first to acquire the [Title] Guardian of the Starting Vige. You have received 10,000 achievement points.] Originally, the only effect of the ¡®Contributor of the Starting Vige¡¯ title was a 1% increase in health and mana¡­ [Guardian of the Starting Vige] -Type: Evolving Title -Grade: Rare -Increases health by 2%. -Increases mana by 2%. -Increases all attack power by 2%. -Increases experience gained by 1%. Additional options were added to the Guardian of the Starting Vige title. Of course, it wasn¡¯t a title with incredibly powerful effects. It was just a Rare grade title. However, it was an evolving title. As he moved on to other viges and evolved the title, it would eventually be a title with tremendous effects. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect a hidden ss for Martial Artist, so it wasn¡¯t in my ns.¡¯ This meant another path to bing stronger had opened up. Jeong-Hoon clenched his fists again. ¡°There is no right answer in the path of martial arts. Don¡¯t be hasty, and follow the path you believe in.¡± The Fist King¡¯s eyes were warm. It was the gaze of a loving mentor towards a cherished disciple. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and left the mansion. ¡®It¡¯s time for me to go now.¡¯ Left alone, the Fist King emerged from the bedchamber and wandered through the long-ruined mansion, gazing at it with a wistful look. Fist King Nak Jincheon. A man who had lived his entire life obsessed with martial arts, ultimately achieving the title of Fist Saint. However, blinded by his obsession with martial arts, he failed to see anything beyond them. He helplessly watched as his legacy crumbled due to infighting among factions and his supposed sessors being manipted by their underlings. Of course, no one else would see him in this light, but that was how he judged himself. ¡®I have a feeling you can reach heights I could never achieve.¡¯ This mansion was a ce he couldn¡¯t leave, despite being worn down and eroded by his relentless pursuit of martial arts. Now that he had seen his sessor, he had no lingering attachments. ¡®I leave the rest to you.¡¯ After taking onest look around the mansion and the garden, Nak Jincheon vanished without a trace. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 24 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 24 Earth Korea Management Team. The employees were staring at the monitor screen with shocked eyes. The user had perfectly passed the test set by the Soul of the Martial Artist, securing a Rare ss advancement or higher. And then, the hidden ss advancement quest. Alright, they could ept that much. But then, the user entered a never-before-seen mansion, met an NPC, and started a duel. The continuous exchange of blows was thrilling. And the user emerged victorious, sessfully advancing to the next ss. The sparkling effect above the user¡¯s head was proof of their 1st ss advancement. ¡°What ss did they advance to?¡± The employees were impatient. They wanted to know what ss the user had achieved. But the user¡¯s ss name was baffling. ¡°Low-Grade Martial Artist? Does that even make sense?¡± The user hadpleted their advancement with a Common grade ss. The office fell silent in disbelief. It was team leader Oh Jin-soo who broke the silence. ¡°This is insane¡­¡± His face was in shock and he even stuttered. It seemed he had figured out what grade the user had advanced to. ¡°Team leader?! You know what ss they advanced to, right?¡± ¡°Please exin quickly!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so dizzy, I¡¯m going crazy!¡± Despite their urging, Oh Jin-soo remained silent, staring at the screen. ¡®If I¡¯m right¡­ that¡¯s a hidden ss.¡¯ Hidden sses had appeared a few times in New World. Hidden sses were obtained by meeting hidden conditions, regardless of grade. Oh Jin-soo was almost certain that the user had advanced to a hidden ss. Hidden sses could activate the Blind System regardless of their grade. If the system was activated, it would be natural for it to disy as Low-Grade Martial Artist (1st ss). ¡®Crazy¡­ does that mean the first hidden ss for the Martial Artist has finally appeared?¡¯ Oh Jin-soo hurried back to his seat, tapping on the keyboard to ess the New World homepage. If this was the first hidden ss, New World itself would be aware of it. Intrigued by his unusual behavior, the team members gathered around his desk. ¡®As expected¡­¡¯ === [Exciting news! The first hidden ss for the Martial Artist has appeared!] Hello! This is the New World development team. We are writing this announcement to share some exciting news! There are various hidden sses in New World! And now! The first hidden ss for the Martial Artist has emerged! Congrattions, and we look forward to your future adventures! [South Korea ¨C *] The server name is revealed, but the nickname remains hidden! We hope all New World users have a wonderful day! ¨C From the New World development team === The Martial Artist¡¯s hidden ss, appearing in the South Korean server. Anyone could see that the user who defeated the NPC had unlocked it. ¡°Huh¡­? What?¡± ¡°A hidden ss?¡± The employees stared nkly at the homepage, then soon burst into excited shouts. ¡°It was a hidden ss!¡± ¡°It was Blind!¡± ¡°No wonder¡­ Wait, does that mean it¡¯s the first hidden ss for Martial Artist?!¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± The first hidden ss for Martial Artist had appeared in South Korea! The management team was in an uproar over this fact alone. * * * Jeong-Hoon emerged from the portal into the cave. Kwon Hyun-Je, who was pacing around the cave, was the first to catch his eye. ¡°Is it over?¡± Kwon Hyun-Je asked urgently. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You seeded. Is that the path you chose?¡± It was a bit surprising. If he had seeded beyond this portal, he should have chosen Fist Saint, the path that could lead him to the ultimate realm. But Jeong-Hoon had chosen Martial Emperor. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t expect you to choose the difficult path.¡± For the Martial Emperor to shine, he needed to grow through further advancements. There was no change right now. ¡°Yes. This is the path I desire.¡± ¡°¡­Well, if you¡¯re satisfied, I have no reason to argue.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Then, good luck.¡± As if his task was done, Kwon Hyun-Je returned to his seat. Jeong-Hoon used the portal in front of the waterfall to return to the Martial Arts Hall. Altio was standing guard beside the portal. ¡°Did you achieve anything?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ The aura I feel from you is no different from before you entered. You didn¡¯t fail, did you?¡± ¡°No, I seeded in advancing.¡± Altio couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. When someone achieved a Rare ss advancement, their aura would change. But the energy Jeong-Hoon emanated was simr to that of a Martial Artist who hadpleted a normal advancement. That meant he had failed, right? Honestly, it didn¡¯t make sense. This martial artist had endured his hellish training and even won the duel. He couldn¡¯t understand why such a martial artist would fail. ¡°Well¡­ don¡¯t be too disheartened.¡± Altio offered words offort. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. Kwon Hyun-Je could recognize it at a nce, but Altio couldn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t at a high enough level to perceive the Blind System. ¡°Shall we go out together then?¡± He pointed to the tightly closed door. Jeong-Hoon shook his head and gestured towards the three portals at the far right. ¡°No. Isn¡¯t there a portal that leads to the field here?¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re going straight to the field.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon had just advanced to a hidden ss. Usually, when someone obtained a hidden ss advancement, New World would immediately post it on their homepage. By now, many users would have noticed the appearance of the Martial Artist¡¯s hidden ss. World Com was probably already on fire. After all, the Martial Artist¡¯s hidden ss had appeared in the South Korean server, of all ces. [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hey! I heard a hidden ss for Martial Artists appeared!] See? Hajin, who was supposed to be enjoying the game, had sent him a whisper. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Yeah. That¡¯s me.] Jeong-Hoon sent the whisper and closed the window. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll activate the portal for you.¡± Altio guided him to the portal instead of the door. The portal was locked. It had to be manually operated by an instructor to activate. [Portal activated.] Altio simply manipted it, and the portal activated. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon expressed his gratitude and stepped into the portal. It was the portal leading to the field that connected to the next vige. ¡°Then, may luck be with you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± * * * Martial Arts Hall. Yeo Min-ji returned to the hall just as Park In-tae finished cleaning. ¡°Is it really true?!¡± Yeo Min-ji spotted Park In-tae and rushed towards him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you rushing too much? What about your work at headquarters?¡± Headquarters was currently preupied with the appearance of Saber. The only notable figure who had attended the Genesis event was Ho-Yeong. Therefore, they were focusing all their efforts on recruiting Saber. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that. More importantly, you found him for sure, right?¡± Her face was flushed with excitement. Along with the news of finding the user in the Martial Arts Hall, an announcement had appeared in New World. The announcement of the Martial Artist¡¯s hidden ss. And it was in South Korea, no less. This meant that there was a Martial Artist who had obtained a hidden ss right here. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m certain.¡± Park In-tae nodded, and the user¡¯s face paled. He never imagined that the level 269 user would be a member of Ho-Yeong. Because of that, he had to be held captive until Yeo Min-ji arrived. Had he known this would happen, he would have quietly left the hall. His friends, who had advanced alongside him, had left for the next vige without a care in the world. Those bastards with no loyalty. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Her reaction was unexpected. He had expected a scolding for being cheeky to the instructor. ¡°Thanks to you, I got some good information.¡± Then she sent him a trade request. ¡°Why a trade all of a sudden¡­?¡± ¡°I want to give you a reward. Do you mind?¡± ¡°No, not at all!¡± At the word ¡®reward,¡¯ the user hurriedly epted the trade. ¡°10 gold should be enough, right?¡± She casually ced 10 gold on the exchange item slot. ¡°10 gold?!¡± The user¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he confirmed the gold. Since it was a reward, he had expected 2 or 3 gold at most, but 10 gold? 10 gold was equivalent to 100,000 won in South Korean currency. He had just received 100,000 won for free. [Would you like to ept the exchange?] Pressing ¡®Yes¡¯ wouldplete the exchange. The user naturally pressed ¡®Yes.¡¯ [The trade has beenpleted.] A-Amazing! 10 gold in the beginner zone! ¡°Keep today¡¯s events a secret, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it to my grave!¡± The user left the hall with a face full of joy. ¡°Miss, the martial artist hasn¡¯te out yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. We can wait here a little longer, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Min-ji kept her eyes fixed on the closed door. Altio and the martial artist who hadpleted the ss advancement would emerge from that door. Not long after, the tightly closed door opened, and Altio appeared. ¡°Huh?¡± But something was strange. Only Altio walked out the door. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± Park In-tae was equally confused. Afterpleting the ss advancement, it was normal toe out with the instructor. Where had the user who entered with him gone? ¡°Instructor.¡± Yeo Min-ji hurriedly approached Altio. ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± ¡°Where did the user whopleted the advancement go?¡± She was anxious. The fist techniques she had seen in World Com, the unadvanced Martial Artist who had suddenly appeared in the capsule event, and finally, the Martial Artist who had advanced to a hidden ss. They were all definitely the same person. She had rushed here to meet that martial artist, and she couldn¡¯t afford another miss! However, Altio shattered her hopes. ¡°Ah, the martial artist who justpleted the advancement? He¡¯s already left.¡± ¡°¡­ Left?¡± ¡°Yes. There are a few portals leading to the field inside. The martial artist used one of those portals to leave.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Yeo Min-ji felt her legs weaken in disappointment. ¡°Miss!¡± Fortunately, Park In-tae quickly came to her side and supported her, preventing her from copsing. * * * World Com was in an uproar. [Whoa, shit! A hidden ss for Martial Artists appeared!] ¨C Crazy¡­ Martial Artist could get a hidden ss too? I¡¯m getting chills all over. ©¸If it¡¯s a hidden ss, does it usually start from Rare grade¡­? ©¸Yeah, there¡¯s no Common grade hidden ss. ©¸Aren¡¯t there a lot of crappy hidden sses even if they¡¯re hidden? ©¸Anyway, it¡¯s the first hidden ss for Martial Artist¡­ ©¸Come to think of it, isn¡¯t that the user who destroyed the scarecrow dummy, the unadvanced Martial Artist? ©¸Oh, shit, you¡¯re right! The unadvanced Martial Artist who had proudly won 1st ce in the recent Genesis capsule event. His appearance had set World Com aze for a while, but things had cooled down a bit since then. However, with the emergence of this hidden ss, users were almost certain that he was the same Martial Artist who had won the capsule event. [Whoa¡­ check out the old post.] ¨C Over 500,000 views lol The post about the Martial Artist who had won the duel against the Martial Arts Hall instructor started trending as a hot video. Even though considerable time had passed since the video was uploaded, there was much talk that the owner of this video was the protagonist of the hidden ss. ©¸Wow lol, didn¡¯t this video barely get 10,000 views? ©¸This is insane¡­ ©¸Look at him fighting the instructor¡­ That¡¯s a beginner? ©¸Crazy. He was a different breed from the start¡­ It was rare for an old post to suddenly be popr, especially one that hadn¡¯t even reached 10,000 views. [Shit lol, the major guilds are going crazy.] ¨C Go check out the forums lol, the big guilds are desperate to find that user lol. ©¸Wow, it¡¯s true lol. Fairy, Myth, Light, Ironman¡­ There are too many to list. ©¸So jealous¡­ Wouldn¡¯t life be easy if you joined one of those guilds? ©¸Let me in too, damn it, guilds! The guilds also yed a part in fueling the excitement. They were frantically searching for the Martial Artist who had advanced to the hidden ss. ¡°We must find him.¡± Yeo Min-ji of Ho-Yeong was no exception. At this point, she felt like she had to find him out of sheer stubbornness. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 25 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 25 Puushik- The capsule opened, and Jeong-Hoon stepped out. ¡°Phew, done. That¡¯s it for the Starting Vige.¡± He had taken care of everything he had nned in the Starting Vige. So, before moving to the next vige, he needed some rest. ¡®My body is stiff from ying games all day.¡¯ Until New World became reality, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body was no different from an ordinary person¡¯s. It was natural for his body to feel stiff after ying for so long. Buzz- His smartphone vibrated. It was Ha-jin. He had sent another whisper before logging out, and it seemed Ha-jin hade out to meet him. [Hey! You¡¯re home, right? I¡¯ming over. Wait for me!] He must have been in a hurry, because the doorbell rang less than 30 minutester. Jeong-Hoon opened the door, sipping his coffee. ¡°Slow down a bit.¡± At the door stood Ha-jin, looking excited. ¡°Dude, you drop a bombshell and tell me to slow down?¡± ¡°Bombshell?¡± ¡°You got a hidden ss, right?!¡± ¡°Ah, yeah.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the grade?! What grade is it?¡± Jeong-Hoon took a can of coffee from the refrigerator in response to the barrage of questions. ¡°Legendary.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Legendary.¡± ¡°Crazy¡­ You¡¯re lying, right?¡± Not only hidden, but Legendary? It was hard to believe. After all, there had never been a Legendary ss at the first advancement. ¡°Well, even though the grade is Legendary, the performance is about Epic level.¡± ¡°Epic?¡± Ha-jin¡¯s expression becameplex. Legendary grade, but Epic level performance? Wasn¡¯t Epic already insanely strong¡­? ¡°Yeah. Anyway, since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s eat something.¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled and opened an app to order two servings of stir-fried pork. ¡°No¡­ Dude, now¡¯s not the time for this!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You could have majorpanies lining up for you! Earning 100 million won a month would be a piece of cake!¡± A hidden ss at the first advancement, and a Legendary grade at that. The fact that it was a Martial Artist didn¡¯t matter. That alone would allow him to choose any guild he wanted and receive astronomical treatment. But Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not joining.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? Why?!¡± ¡°I have a lot to do.¡± Hisrades had already betrayed him once. Perhaps that was why the mere thought of belonging to any group made him sick. ¡°This guy is crazy¡­¡± Ha-jin couldn¡¯t understand, but seeing Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression, he kept his mouth shut. * * * ¡®Hmm? Why are there so many users in the field?¡¯ Countless users were pulling weeds in the field. The weeds grew back in less than a second, returning to their original state. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Those weeds were used for vige quests. Every time users epted a quest, the weeds grew back in the areas they had been pulled. ¡°Move aside, I need to pull some weeds.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m already pulling them?¡± Jeong-Hoon had already pulled the weeds once while doing vige quests. The question was why so many users were pulling weeds. Oh dear. There was even a line forming behind them. Among them were some users who hadpleted their 2nd or 3rd ss advancements and were close to level 150. ¡°Since Min Jin-ho did it, the reward must be huge, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, why else would wee all the way here to do vige quests?¡± ¡°Ugh, but what if it¡¯s just a title? I¡¯ve been doing this hellish work for two weeks.¡± ¡°Min Jin-ho did it, remember? He wouldn¡¯t move just for a title, would he?¡± ¡°Maybe the title unlocks a hidden quest or something?¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s possible.¡± Ah, now he understood why they were all so eager to do vige quests. ¡®That bastard, Min Jin-ho.¡¯ It seemed he had taken action as soon as the Poison Crusher was discovered. That meant he would have finished the vige quests and headed to the alchemist by now. ¡°Heh¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon barely suppressed a chuckle. He had already taken the Poison Attack and solved the hair loss problem, so the alchemist, Bleo, wouldn¡¯t give him a hidden quest. In other words, he had snatched the Poison Attack that Min Jin-ho was supposed to get in the previous life. ¡®Jin-ho, no matter how hard you struggle, this game will end.¡¯ And he would be the one to make it happen. With renewed determination, Jeong-Hoon crossed the field and stood before a massive portal. As it was a portal connecting viges, there was a gatekeeper in front of it. ¡°Halt.¡± === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Iliaos -Level: 100 -Job: Starting Vige Portal Gatekeeper === The gatekeeper was level 100. The gatekeeper¡¯s level was set high to prevent users from carelessly passing through the portal. If someone tried to force their way through, it would trigger a forced PvP, resulting in a 24-hour logout. Of course, this didn¡¯t apply to high-level users. ¡°I would like to use the portal.¡± ¡°Very well. May I check your information briefly?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Iliaos checked Jeong-Hoon¡¯s information, nodded, and stepped aside. ¡°You are qualified. You may proceed.¡± With his permission, Jeong-Hoon stood in the center of the portal. [Would you like to activate the portal?] [There are currently 122 viges you can travel to.] Afterpleting the 1st ss advancement, he could ess 122 viges. [If you¡¯vepleted the 1st ss advancement, go to Eichen!] -It¡¯s the easiest of the 122 viges, with simple quests and easy leveling. Don¡¯t bother going to other viges with a special mindset and regret itter. To take the portal again from those viges, you have to cross a field with monsters level 60 and above. ©¸This is real. Don¡¯t get dragged away by curiosity and just go to Eichen. ©¸If you choose the wrong vige, you¡¯ll need help from high-level users to take the portal again lol. ©¸At least Eichen has easy quests and good experience points. As they said, choosing the first vige required careful consideration. If he chose the wrong one, he might have to level up there to escape. [One more tip before I go.] -Don¡¯t go to Idenharc. If they tell you not to go, don¡¯t go, dammit. The quests there are weird, and leveling is hard. ©¸The monsters are tricky to deal with. I¡¯d rather go to Eichen and hunt orcs. ©¸Ah¡­ I should have seen this before leaving the vige. ©¸I picked the vige with the coolest name and regretted it lol. There were also tips on which viges to avoid. However, Jeong-Hoon chose Idenharc without hesitation. ¡®This is where I can achieve the highest efficiency.¡¯ New World had hidden various growth elements in each vige. There were still countless undiscovered elements. And Idenharc, where levels 30-70 were raised, was the ce with the most hidden elements. It was a vige everyone avoided. That¡¯s why he had to go there. [¡®Idenharc¡¯ selected.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body was sucked into the portal as he chose Idenharc. * * * Meanwhile, Starting Vige. Min Jin-ho finished the vige quests by checking his mailbox. With his abilities,pleting the quests was a piece of cake. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He received a title along with the experience reward, which was barely noticeable. It was time to head to the alchemist, who lived a short distance from Starting Vige. Having learned the geography from an NPC, Min Jin-ho headed straight to the alchemist¡¯s house. ¡°Ah, I no longer need the Poison Crusher¡¯s inner core.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Upon arriving at the alchemist¡¯s house, he was told that the inner core was no longer needed. The news was like a bolt from the blue. Someone had already handed over the Inner Core andpleted the quest. ¡°¡­ ¡­¡± Just who the hell took it? Min Jin-ho¡¯s fists clenched. *** Idenharc. A small town with a medieval European vibe, slightly more developed than the starting vige. Jeong-Hoon appeared in the town square, bustling with many users and NPCs. ¡®There are a lot of users in Idenharc too.¡¯ Just rtively fewerpared to other towns. ¡°Excuse me, did youe to the wrong town?¡± A user approached Jeong-Hoon. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Prettypong -Level: 56 -ss: Lower Warrior (1st ss) === A level 56, 1st ss Lower Warrior. ¡°No, I came to the right ce.¡± ¡°Huh? You just did your 1st ss transfer and came to Idenharc?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh man¡­you¡¯re not going to make it. Usually, you don¡¯te here until level 30.¡± He started giving all sorts of unsolicited advice, saying Idenharc wasn¡¯t great, that Eichen was better, and so on. A higher-level user giving advice to a lower-level one isn¡¯t umon in any game. It was even moremon in New World. The reason was the quests. ¡®It¡¯s because of the event quests that help struggling new users.¡¯ A quest avable only from level 55 to 59, it automaticallypletes when you help a user below level 35. The quest reward was a level up. Leveling up bes increasingly difficult at higher levels. In such a situation, this was an event quest you couldn¡¯t miss, as it offered a level up just by helping one user. [¡®Prettypong¡¯ would like to help you. Would you like to ept?] A message popped up. epting this would allow him to receive help. ¡°Really? Then could you help me for a bit?¡± Jeong-Hoon readily agreed to receive help. Prettypong¡¯s face brightened at his words. ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go to the portal right away!¡± All he had to do was roughly guide him to the portal and help him get to Eichen, and he¡¯d level up. Heh, what an easy quest. [It¡¯s super easy to get quests by picking up newbies who came to the wrong town lol] -I leveled up twice that way. ©¸It¡¯s a win-win situation, really. ©¸Those newbies will have to bow down to us when they get to Eichen lol ©¸Totally agree, leveling up is a pain in the ass, and this gives you 2 levels at once lol Prettypong thought he had found the perfect sucker. That is, until Jeong-Hoon epted a quest from an old NPC who asked for help. ¡°Y-You¡¯ll help me?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± [General Quest: An Old Man in Need] -Restriction: All users level 30 or higher who havepleted their 1st ss transfer. -Reward: Old Worn-out Map -Description: A monster stole a pendant that myte wife cherished. Please retrieve the pendant for me. The old man sped Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands with pleading eyes. ¡°If you can retrieve the pendant, I will give you this map as a reward.¡± The reward was not experience points or skills, but a regr map. It was so old and worn that it couldn¡¯t even be read. [Ipleted the quest and got the map, but what do I use it for?] -It¡¯s all faded, so you can¡¯t even tell what it is. Is this really a reward? ©¸Don¡¯t do that quest lol It¡¯s a rotten one. ©¸I worked so hard to dig up the buried item, and all I got was a map lol ©¸The old man himself doesn¡¯t even know how to use the map lol ©¸I thought it might be an important map, but there¡¯s nothing on it. ©¸It doesn¡¯t even work with Restoration Potion lol It¡¯s too old. This was one of the quests that users who had already passed through Idenharc hadpleted. It could certainly be seen as a useless map, but if you solve it properly, the story changes. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll look for it.¡± ¡°Thank you! I suspect the ncs took it, but I¡¯m not sure.¡± A quest with no detailed information and a poor reward. So no one would have tried to help this old man. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll find it as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much¡­¡± He was a stranger, but it was the first time anyone had been so kind to him. The old man¡¯s eyes welled up with tears as he repeatedly expressed his gratitude. ¡°Um¡­ user?¡± Prettypong blocked his path as he was about to leave after epting the quest. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Haha¡­ You¡¯re supposed to go to the portal, why did you ept the quest?¡± Prettypong¡¯s voice was thick with annoyance. Jeong-Hoon tilted his head. ¡°Why would I go to the portal?¡± ¡°Huh? But¡­ I told you earlier, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s much faster to grow in Eichen than here in Idenharc. I also leveled up in Eichen.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already heard that.¡± ¡°Then why did you ept the quest?¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s some misunderstanding. I epted your offer to help me. For the record, I never said a word about going to Eichen.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hurry up and follow me.¡± If Jeong-Hoon gave up on receiving his help, the quest would disappear. It wasn¡¯t Jeong-Hoon who was led by the nose, but Prettypong. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 26 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 26 East of Idenharc. Prettypong was hunting monsters in the field. [Lv.36 Will Tiger] A monster resembling a tiger, but about half its size. ¡°Kyaang!¡± ¡°Human! I won¡¯t forgive¡­ Kyaang!¡± Prettypong beat the attacking Will Tiger with his axe. There were various types of warriors. Some wielded swords, some spears, and others, like Prettypong, axes. The 1st ss grantedmon skills, but the path to the 2nd ss transfer would diverge depending on the weapon used. The 2nd ss he desired was the Barbarian Warrior. A ss that boasted a hulking physique and smashed everything with brute strength. ¡°User, I¡¯ve dealt with the monster.¡± ¡°Good. Then take this.¡± What Prettypong received upon returning after defeating the monster was an iron shovel. A foldable shovel that could be folded into three sections. ¡°¡­What are you going to do with this?¡± ¡°What do you mean? We need to dig here.¡± ncs had a habit of burying stolen treasures in the ground. So users who received simr quests always dug. Not the entire ground, but only areas that showed signs of having been dug up and covered again. ¡®If we¡¯re lucky, we¡¯ll find it in the field, but if we¡¯re unlucky, we¡¯ll have to go to a dungeon.¡¯ ncs were monsters that only existed in the field. But sometimes, a particrly stubborn one would infiltrate a dungeon and hide treasure somewhere. And if they were unlucky, the monsters in the dungeon might kill the nc, mistaking it for an intruder into theirir. ¡°Ah¡­ user? Can I be honest with you?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°I just protected you from the Will Tiger, right?¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ve helped you enough¡­ What do you think?¡± In other words, he was asking for acknowledgement of his help. There was apletion icon below the quest. Clicking it would allow Prettypong toplete the quest and level up. ¡°No. The help I need is assistance inpleting this town quest.¡± Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of clicking thepletion icon. Digging was a grind, and two people were better than one. It would cut the time in half, so why send Prettypong away? ¡°¡­ Ha, damn it! Seriously!¡± Seeing no sign of Jeong-Hoon backing down, Prettypong threw the shovel he was holding to the ground. ¡°You don¡¯t like it? Then should I just end this?¡± Not wanting to cause trouble, Jeong-Hoon tried to end Prettypong¡¯s help. But Prettypong shook his head in a panic. ¡°No! Stop it right now!¡± ¡°Then dig.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed his chin at the discarded shovel. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Prettypong hesitated. ¡°How long is it going to take to dig up all thisnd?¡± But he couldn¡¯t bear to miss out on this easy quest. Should he just threaten him? In town, PVP could only be initiated with mutual consent, but in the field, it was possible without any such procedure. His current level was 56. The newbie martial artist, on the other hand, was level 30. One swing of his axe would probably kill him. No¡­ That would cause a one-month suspension from New World. New World had its own punishment system for threatening low-level users for profit, with a minimum suspension of one month. ¡°You¡¯re not going to do it?¡± He had barely managed to reach level 56. Who knew how long it would take to reach 57¡­ He couldn¡¯t give up on this quest. ¡®Alright, it¡¯s better to dig up thend anyway.¡¯ It was far more profitable to dig and level up than to hunt monsters. After much internal conflict, Prettypong finally picked up the shovel. ¡°I¡¯ll dig! I¡¯ll dig!¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get started.¡± * * * It was a lucky day. That¡¯s how Jeong-Hoon assessed it. The pendant hadn¡¯t turned up, but a rather important item had been found. === [Woo-gang¡¯s Fan] -Type: Fan -Grade: Normal -A fan lost by NPC Woo-gang. -It seems you can get a reward by finding NPC Woo-gang. === A quest that could be received from Woo-gang, a resident of Idenharc. It was a mandatory quest, and the item had appeared here! ¡®They say fortune favors the diligent.¡¯ Hard work had paid off. Although the pendant hadn¡¯t been found, there was no need to worry. If it wasn¡¯t here, it meant it was definitely in the dungeon. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze shifted to the dungeon portal right next to them. They had dug a lot, from the field to the portal in front of the dungeon. ¡°Seriously¡­ how long do we have to keep doing this? We¡¯ve been digging for over six hours!¡± Prettypong was going crazy. The old man¡¯s request was to find the pendant, so why did they have to keep digging? Even if ncs had a habit of stealing treasures and burying them, this was just mindless grinding! ¡°We¡¯re almost done.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Prettypong¡¯s face brightened. He finally saw hope of escaping this tedious digging. Just clickplete and be done with it! He was close to reaching level 57. ¡°Yes. Then ept the party invite.¡± ¡°Party?¡± ¡°Yes. We need to form a party toplete the next task.¡± ¡°Really? Then send the request quickly.¡± ¡°Sent.¡± In his eagerness to avoid digging, Prettypong epted the party invitation without even reading the details. This made Jeong-Hoon the party leader and Prettypong the party member. Jeong-Hoon smirked as he confirmed the party. It was great that Prettypong was here. That dungeon couldn¡¯t be entered alone in the first ce. There were too many monsters. That¡¯s why he had hoped the pendant would be found in the field, not the dungeon. But as luck would have it, Jeong-Hoon had Prettypong as a party member. It seemed like he would be able toplete this quest sessfully. [Would you like to enter Lv.39 Red Tiger¡¯s Forest? / 2 or more yers required] ¡°W-Wait a minute! You¡¯re saying you want to enter this dungeon right now?¡± Prettypong hurriedly stopped him as he tried to enter the dungeon. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ This guy is hopeless. This is a dungeon that requires at least six people at level 50-60, maybe. And you want to go in without a healer?¡± Two or more yers was just the bare minimum. To be safe, it would take six users of level 50 or higher to clear it. And a healer was an indispensable position in dungeon raids. There were many cases where people failed raids because they ran out of health, relying only on their levels and neglecting to bring a healer. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Let¡¯s just go in.¡± Jeong-Hoon waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Wait! I¡¯m not doing it! I¡¯m absolutely not epting!¡± Prettypong shook his head vehemently. He hadn¡¯t nned on a dungeon raid, so he wasn¡¯t properly prepared with food or potions. Going in like this would be a guaranteed death. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. We can enter even if you don¡¯t ept.¡± ¡°What¡­ What?¡± Prettypong¡¯s face turned pale. The party leader could set a few options before creating the party. One of them was to set the dungeon entry permission to the party leader¡¯s authority. Prettypong, who had epted without reading properly, was forcibly dragged into the dungeon. * * * ¡®Aaagh! I¡¯m doomed! I¡¯m doomed!¡¯ Prettypong screamed inwardly. He couldn¡¯t believe they had entered the dungeon without any preparation. He should have realized it when he was asked to hand over all authority! His inventory was empty except for a few potions. It was impossible to hunt all these monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s just go out ande back, okay?!¡± Prettypong pleaded with Jeong-Hoon. Giving up midway after entering a dungeon incurred a penalty: experience gain would be 0% for 12 hours, and all stats would be reduced by 20% during that time. But it was still better than failing the raid and being logged out for 24 hours. ¡°Just grab your axe.¡± Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of leaving. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± What the hell was he thinking? Even at level 56, it was impossible to clear a dungeon alone¡­ He should have just given up on the quest and left. With a sigh, he picked up his axe. ¡°Grrr, human. How dare you enter here.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll kill you, humans.¡± Twenty level 39 Red Tigers emerged at once. At that moment, Jeong-Hoon, who was standing next to him, leaped towards the Red Tigers. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± Prettypong btedly reached out his hand. Then something amazing happened. A sword materialized in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand, and he swiftly cut down two Red Tigers with it. [Dungeons aren¡¯t just about having a high level] -Of course, if there¡¯s a 30-40 level difference, it doesn¡¯t matter, but with a 10-20 level difference, it¡¯s good to be cautious. In dungeons, monsters swarm in groups, so you shouldn¡¯t try to clear them alone. It¡¯smon sense to form a party, divide roles, prepare potions, and so on. ©¸That¡¯s basicmon sense. ©¸Yeah, but there are a lot of guys who don¡¯t even do that. ©¸So many stupid bastards lol. ©¸Please, for dungeons that allow entry for 1 or more yers, gather at least 4 people before entering lol. ©¸Ugh¡­ I died trying to enter alone and got a 24-hour suspension. That¡¯s right. Unless there was a significant level difference, it was impossible to clear a dungeon alone. The reason was simple. There¡¯s no defense against a group attack. Usually, dungeon monsters didn¡¯t attack one by one, but swarmed and attacked intruders in groups. The same was true for these Red Tigers. But why? Slice. A martial artist, only level 30, was hunting a level 39 Red Tiger. And twenty of them at once! ¡°Holy shit, how is he a martial artist?!¡± Prettypong was confused. That user was clearly a low-level martial artist who had just reached 1st ss. But how could he handle a sword so skillfully? He seemed to wield the sword even better than Prettypong, who had chosen the warrior ss. What was even more chilling¡­ He was surrounded by so many Red Tigers, yet he was smiling. ¡°Crazy¡­ Thank god I put away my axe earlier.¡± Prettypong thought to himself. Even though he was only level 30, if he had fought him, he would have been suspended for 24 hours. *** [You gain a small amount of experience.] [You gain a small amount of experience.] 15 minutes. That¡¯s how long it took Jeong-Hoon to hunt down twenty Red Tigers. Normally, he could have finished it in five minutes. [The level of Continuous sh has increased.] [The level of Sword Mastery has increased.] [Martial Artist¡¯s exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ is activated.] [You have acquired the skill ¡®Strike (Rare)¡¯.] He had deliberately dragged out the fight to activate Steadfast Will. ¡®Good. I got Strike with this.¡¯ [Strike] -Type: Active -Level: 1 -Grade: Rare -Gather mana and strike down with great force. (150% damage) -Cooldown: 30 seconds A skill that could be very useful when used along with Continuous sh. Was it because he got it as a Rare from the start? The damage, which would have been 100% if it were Normal, was increased to 150%. 100% damage meant 100% of the value created by adding Jeong-Hoon¡¯s stats and the weapon¡¯s attack power. Usually, normal attacks dealt 10-20% of the possessed stats as damage. That meant it corrected that damage to 150%. ¡®Let¡¯s get as much as we can from this dungeon.¡¯ [Using lesser Healing.] Jeong-Hoon healed the minor wounds he had sustained while fighting the Red Tigers with Healing. Even with his experience, it was impossible to fight while deliberately prolonging the battle without getting hurt. Although they were only minor scratches, healing was essential for the rest of the raid. ¡°A-Are you alright?¡± Prettypong, who had been watching from a distance, rushed over. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon wiped the blood off his sword and took out a shovel, handing it to him. Prettypong¡¯s face paled as he received the shovel. He couldn¡¯t possibly be asking him to dig here too, could he? ¡°Why the shovel¡­?¡± ¡°To dig, of course. You know the ground we dug in the field? Focus on digging in ces that show signs of being dug up and covered again.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± In the end, Prettypong started digging with the shovel. Perhaps it was due to his diligentbor? He could now see where to dig. ¡°Who knows? Maybe there¡¯s something good in it for you if you work hard at digging.¡± ¡°¡­I hope so.¡± All he had gotten from digging so far was the fan that Jeong-Hoon had taken. So he had no expectations of finding anything here. But then. ¡®Huh?¡¯ As he dug, a small book emerged from the dirt along with the soil. === [Skill Book: Sturdy Body] -Type: Skill Book -Grade: Normal -Using the skill book will enable you to acquire ¡®Sturdy Body (Normal)¡¯. === Prettypong¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head as he checked the skill book. He was currently a 1st ss Lower Warrior. Lower Warriors were given passive skills rted to physique, but their effects were so minimal that they were practically useless. But with this Sturdy Body, his passive skills would be somewhat enhanced. ¡°Gulp!¡± He swallowed hard. Prettypong didn¡¯t even pick up the skill book, just rolled his eyes to check on Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon was sweeping through the monsters with just his sword. He wasn¡¯t just overpowering them with brute force, but targeting their vital points with minimal movement. The Red Tigers that lunged at Jeong-Hoon quickly met their demise, and theirpanions, shaken by their easy defeat, hesitated. Then, instead of the Red Tigers, it was Jeong-Hoon who charged. The situation had reversed. ¡®How does he fight like that?¡¯ What kind of person was he? What kind of level 30 martial artist could handle a sword with such skill? Thankfully, his attention was focused on the front. ¡®Heh, I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ This was the perfect opportunity, while Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t paying attention. Prettypong stealthily slipped the skill book into his inventory. ¡®Khahaha! It¡¯s mine now!¡¯ Digging had paid off. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Prettypong flinched like a thief caught red-handed. He carefully turned his head to see Jeong-Hoon returning after finishing the hunt. ¡°Um, nothing.¡± ¡°Lying won¡¯t do either of us any good.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ well¡­ you see, I did dig, and something dide out, but it wasn¡¯t that useful¡­¡± Prettypong started rambling, his face flushed with embarrassment. ¡°Then, I have a favor to ask. Would you do it for me? I¡¯ll give you the skill book you put in your inventory.¡± Prettypong was startled when Jeong-Hoon mentioned the skill book. This guy was like a ghost! But it was fortunate that he was willing to give him the skill book if he did him a favor. ¡°Alright!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 27 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 27 While hunting Red Tigers, they found traces of ncs. The ncs¡¯ bloodstains were a yellowish green. A stark contrast to the Red Tigers¡¯ crimson blood. Confirming that the green blood led to the boss zone, Jeong-Hoon left the remaining Red Tigers to Prettypong and moved on. [Lv.42 Red King Tiger] ¡°Grrr, how dare you enter here.¡± The beast was about 1.5 timesrger than the Red Tigers outside. It bared its fangs and drooled, threatening Jeong-Hoon. Someone once said that standing before a ferocious beast like a tiger would make your whole body freeze. The Red King Tiger¡¯s bloodlust was so intense that it was hard to believe this was a virtual reality world. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze shifted to the side of the Red King Tiger. A badly damaged corpse. And the pendant lying next to it. This dungeon was definitely the right answer. ¡°Grrr!¡± [Lv.42 Red King Tiger uses ¡®Intimidation¡¯.] Boss-level monsters above level 40 used one or more special abilities. This made it even harder to beat them alone. [Debuff applied.] A debuff was applied, and his body stiffened as if paralyzed. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, human!¡± The Red King Tiger lunged at Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon stepped back and unleashed a Continuous sh. Slice. The sharp sword strike tore through the Red King Tiger¡¯s skin. ¡°Krr?!¡± The startled beast stumbled back. How did he break free from Intimidation? The Red King Tiger¡¯s eyes wavered. ¡®This is why divine power is needed.¡¯ Intimidation was a debuff-type ability. An ability that momentarily sealed the opponent¡¯s movements. Therefore, divine power was needed to dispel the ability. [Martial Artist¡¯s exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ is activated.] [You have acquired the skill ¡®Dispel (Rare)¡¯.] As he tried to dispel the debuff, Steadfast Will activated, and he acquired Dispel. Thanks to this, he was able to instantly release his paralyzed muscles with Dispel. If the level difference was too great, divine power would be useless. But the level difference between Jeong-Hoon and the Red King Tiger was only a little over 10. So Dispel easily worked. Jeong-Hoon began to pressure the Red King Tiger. Slice. The Red King Tiger¡¯s tough skin was cut, and it screamed. Jeong-Hoon swung his sword down hard towards its neck. ¡°Keeeeek!¡± A scream different from before erupted. The beast hurriedly jumped back, creating distance between itself and Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Is this the best you can do with a sword?¡± Jeong-Hoon was a little disappointed. He had just struck the beast¡¯s neck urately. Yet, instead of severing its head, the sword got stuck halfway. Unless he acquired a Legendary skill like the Underworld Kings Fist Technique, it wasn¡¯t easy to ovee the level difference. But it was fine. In time, all these skills would grow to Legendary or higher. ¡°Grrr¡­¡± The Red King Tiger¡¯s eyes no longer showed any bloodlust. It hadpletely lost its will to fight in the face of the fear of death. Jeong-Hoon walked slowly towards it. ¡°Stay away!¡± Despite bleeding profusely, the beast nimbly tried to avoid Jeong-Hoon, but he leisurely cornered it. Over time, Red King Tiger¡¯s movements became noticeably sLesser. It was due to severe blood loss. Eventually, it waspletely blocked by a wall. ¡°Krr¡­¡± Finally, it copsed. ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡± Slice. Jeong-Hoon used Strike and severed the Red King Tiger¡¯s neck. [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] With this, his level became 31. [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®Save the Best for Last (2)¡¯pleted! 2,000 achievement points awarded.] [Achievement Shop level increased to 3!] The uninvested bonus stats were 40. After surpassing 40, he achieved the next achievement. ¡®Good. I¡¯ve umted a lot of achievement points.¡¯ He had just gained an additional 2,000 points, raising the Achievement Shop level to 3. He was still far from 6, but even at level 3, he could buy some good items. Jeong-Hoon collected the dropped magic stones and the pendant from the damaged corpse before leaving the boss zone. ¡°You damn bastards!¡± Prettypong was frantically swinging his axe, desperately driving away the Red Tigers. But due to their overwhelming numbers, Prettypong was covered in wounds. He had endured well. Jeong-Hoon cast Healing on Prettypong. [Using Lesser Healing.] The Lesser Healing, now upgraded to Rare grade, quickly healed Prettypong¡¯s minor wounds. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t this Healing?¡± Prettypong, who had been swinging his axe, opened his eyes wide as his health recovered. What he had just received was Healing. The familiar feeling he felt every time he received healing washed over his body. Strange. There should be no healer here. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡± ¡°W-Was that¡­ Did you just cast Healing?¡± ¡°Maybe?¡± While he was stunned, Jeong-Hoon stepped forward and hunted the remaining Red Tigers. *** [Event questpleted.] [Level up!] [All stats increased by +2.] [Bonus stat +2 awarded.] Prettypong clenched his fist as he saw the message that he had leveled up. ¡°Phew, it¡¯s finally over!¡± Not only had he leveled up, but the day spent with Jeong-Hoon had been excruciatingly difficult. Still, he had pocketed a skill book and leveled up, so it was a satisfying day. ¡°Good work. Let¡¯s split up now.¡± ¡°Yes! We have no business with each other anymore!¡± Prettypong logged out as if running away. ¡°Why is he running off like that?¡± His behavior made Jeong-Hoon feel like he had done something wrong. He had asked for help when Prettypong offered, and even gave up a skill book in exchange for his help in the dungeon. Although it was useless to Jeong-Hoon, who had the superior skill ¡®Indomitable Body¡¯, it was an item that could be sold for a decent price at the auction house once he reached level 70 or higher. ¡®Well, it¡¯s not my problem anymore.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon returned to Idenharc and found the old man who had given him the quest. ¡°Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!¡± The old man shed tears of gratitude as he received the pendant. [Questpleted.] [You have acquired ¡®Old Worn Map¡¯.] Done. He had acquired the old map, the first item he needed to obtain. ¡°This is a map I received from someone a long time ago. They said it was an amazing map, but I¡¯m too old to use it anymore. So I¡¯ll give it to my benefactor.¡± [Old Worn Map] -Type: Map -Grade: ? -An old and worn map that is impossible to decipher. -Cannot use Restoration Potion A map that even an alchemist couldn¡¯t restore. No wonder no one wanted to take the quest from this old man. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon took the map and headed for the next NPC. The farthest ce from Idenharc. A ce where vagrants rested for a while. He stopped at an old mansion. It was a two-story mansion with the door wide open, and some vagrants were already resting on the first floor. ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re here to rest, go inside and rest.¡± With the NPC¡¯s kind exnation, Jeong-Hoon entered the mansion. The interior of the mansion was quite clean. This was because the vagrants who came to rest cleaned up before leaving. ¡°The second floor is blocked off, so only use the first floor.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re a bit different from us, aren¡¯t you? Your clothes are neat.¡± The vagrants¡¯ clothes were all shabby. Jeong-Hoon, on the other hand, was immacte from head to toe. They immediately realized that Jeong-Hoon was not a vagrant, but an outsider. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m here on a short errand.¡± ¡°Is that so? Alright.¡± The vagrant didn¡¯t ask any further questions. Jeong-Hoon began opening the closed doors one by one as he looked around the mansion. ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s this?¡± Some vagrants were gathered chatting, while others were snoring away in their sleep. But none of them were the NPC Jeong-Hoon was looking for. And he opened thest door. In the room, an old man was examining a map while fiddling with an old monocle. The walls were stered with yellowed maps. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Jorden -Level: 35 -Job: Interpreter === And a question mark was blinking above his head. *** Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Lee Jun-sik stepped out. His whole body was drenched in sweat. ¡°Wow¡­ I finally escaped.¡± He checked his watch; 13 hours had already passed. During that time, he had been digging and swinging his axe in the dungeon to avoid dying. ¡°But¡­ who the hell was that guy?¡± How could someone with a much Lesser level than him massacre Red Tigers like that? Lee Jun-sik logged into World Com on his phone. [Guys, is it possible for a level 30 low-level martial artist to ughter level 39 Red Tigers?] -The weapon was a sword. He hunted 20 of them alone at once. He killed them cleanly, targeting only their vital points. As soon as he posted the question, replies started pouring in like ghosts. ©¸Lol, what kind of new troll is this? ©¸How can a low-level martial artist ughter Red Tigers? And 20 of them at once? ©¸This is crazy lol. A low-level martial artist? lol ©¸Even trolls need to be good at trolling¡­ This guy¡¯s an amateur lol. ©¸Dude, be realistic lol. You have to be reasonable even when you¡¯re talking nonsense lol. Troll? Amateur? Nonsense? ¡°I expected this¡­¡± Lee Jun-sik chuckled. If he hadn¡¯t seen it with his own eyes, he would have dismissed it as nonsense too. Then, other spectivements started appearing. ©¸Uh¡­? Wait a minute. The martial artist used a sword? Could it be that martial artist who got the hidden ss? ©¸I heard there¡¯s a non-standard martial artist causing a stir, could it be that martial artist? ©¸There¡¯s something called a blind system for hidden sses, maybe he¡¯s deliberately hiding as a low-level martial artist? ©¸Yeah, it¡¯s not impossible. ¡°Uh¡­? Wait a minute.¡± Lee Jun-sik¡¯s eyes widened as he read thement. That¡¯s right. The recently appeared hidden ss martial artist! How could he not have thought of that! ¡°I-I have to log in quickly!¡± Lee Jun-sik hurriedly got into the capsule. If it was true, he should have at least added him as a friend to build a connection. He shouldn¡¯t have rushed to escape. ¡°Please¡­ please still be there¡­¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 28 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 28 [General Quest: Interpreter Jorden] -Restriction: Users possessing the Old Worn Map -Reward: ? -Description: Entrust the old and worn map to the interpreter. The only interpreter in Idenharc who could decipher the old map. He was a vagrant and an interpreter, a veteran who traveled all over Idenharc deciphering various maps. ¡°Could you interpret this map for me?¡± Jeong-Hoon approached him and held out the map. The interpreter, who was examining a map, turned his head and nced at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°You want me to interpret the map? Hmm¡­ It seems you came to me knowing who I am.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let me see it for a moment.¡± After epting the quest, Jorden readily cleared the maps on his desk and ced the map Jeong-Hoon brought on top. Then he stared at it for a long time. He was using the skill ¡®Interpretation¡¯ to decipher the map. ¡®Definitely do that map quest.¡¯ Soon, the secrets of the map would be revealed, and many users would obtain the treasures on the map. However, the rewards were limited to Epic grade, and the only user who had received a reward higher than that had gotten a Unique grade item. Simply because they were the first to unravel the map¡¯s secrets. ¡®This time, it¡¯s my turn.¡¯ So this time, he would be the one to get the Unique grade reward. ¡°Hmm¡­ this is pretty tricky.¡± Where did you get this?¡± Jorden frowned and roughly put down his monocle. He had failed to interpret it. ¡°I obtained it by chance.¡± ¡°Is that so? It seems we¡¯ll need some materials to interpret this.¡± Jorden took out a yellowed paper and diligently wrote a list with a quill pen. The list contained the materials needed to interpret the map. [List of Materials] -Loudon¡¯s Horn x1 -Loudon¡¯s Blood 100ml -Loudon¡¯s Tongue x1 There were a total of three materials needed to interpret the map. And all of them could only be obtained by hunting Loudon. ¡°Loudon.¡± Jeong-Hoon muttered softly. Loudon was a mid-boss level monster in the field, level 60. But there was another reason this guy was tricky. It was impossible to defeat him withoutpleting a quest. He was such an elusive creature that he was a monster implemented for the purpose of quest materials, so you had to earn the right to defeat him through a quest. ¡°Ah, take this. It should allow you to defeat him.¡± Jorden held out a small scroll. [Loudon subjugation unlocked.] With this, he was able to defeat Loudon. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°I have the rest of the materials, so just bring me Loudon¡¯s materials.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Now it was time to apply for the subjugation team. The creature was a monster that existed for the quest scenario. Therefore, it was impossible to hunt him without applying for the subjugation team. ¡°I¡¯ll give you two days. I¡¯ll be on the move again after that.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon took the quest and left the mansion immediately. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. The employees were watching a user¡¯s gamey on the monitor. It was the martial artist who had transferred to the hidden ss, as usual. But this time, the video was a bit boring. ¡°Why is he digging like that?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Hours of repetitive digging. And this time, it wasn¡¯t just one person, but two. ¡°It¡¯s a lower warrior.¡± ¡°Is that lower warrior a friend?¡± All they could know was the user¡¯s level and ss. So they couldn¡¯t know the exact rtionship and could only specte. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re connected because of a quest? You get an event quest when you reach level 55.¡± ¡°Ah, now that you mention it.¡± A quest to help a newbie, which gave a whopping two levels. Judging by the lower warrior¡¯s level of 55, it was certain. After digging, they entered a dungeon and proceeded with the raid. ¡°This is amazing¡­ He¡¯s not even fazed by hordes of high-level monsters.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± He single-handedly carried the raid,pleted it, and thenpleted a quest with an NPC. The reward he received after that was an old map. Why did he do a quest that no one else had done because the reward was so garbage? ¡°There must be a reason.¡± Team leader Oh Jin-soo watched the user¡¯s gamey with a tense expression. ¡°He¡¯s entering the mansion.¡± As he said, the user headed for an old mansion. It was a mansion where vagrant NPCs rested for a while, a ce that most users wouldn¡¯t even think of visiting. But the user entered the mansion and soon met an NPC, receiving a quest. ¡°Was the map a chain quest?¡± The employees¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°I didn¡¯t even know that¡­¡± Oh Jin-soo ran his hand over his face with aplicated expression. Just who was this user? He had surprised them in the Starting Vige, and now he waspleting a quest that no one else had done in Idenharc and continuing with a chain quest? Then what kind of quest would be next? They couldn¡¯t take their eyes off the screen. * * * Loudon was a monster that led over 20 monsters under him. Therefore, there were NPCs who specialized in subjugating Loudon. ¡°You want to join the Loudon subjugation team?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Will you be alright?¡± === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Asel -Level: 50 -Job: Subjugation Captain === Asel, who was in charge of the subjugation team, couldn¡¯t hide his troubled expression. Loudon was a level 60 monster. Not only was its level high, but its defense was also quite high, making it impossible to subjugate it with ordinary firepower. But the applicant who came to him now was only half the level of Loudon. However, he couldn¡¯t easily reject him as he wasn¡¯t unqualified. ¡°If it¡¯s because of my low level, I won¡¯t be a hindrance, so please understand.¡± ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s part of it, but the number of people participating in this subjugation is lower than usual. So we won¡¯t be able to look after you.¡± The biggest problem was that the total number of subjugation team members was only 24. The optimal number for a Loudon subjugation team was 30. However, six members had recently been withdrawn from the force due to injuries from a failed Loudon subjugation. This was because the creature, which originally had nothing, suddenly appeared covered in armor, drastically increasing its power. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t me me if something goes wrong.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± With this, the application for the subjugation team wasplete. The subjugation was scheduled for 9 a.m. the next day. Starting with the quest from the old man, the situation naturally led to Loudon¡¯sbat power increasing. It meant that he wouldn¡¯t easily give up the treasure, as the reward was great. ¡®Even if you know the location of the treasure, you can¡¯t take it without the deciphered map. In the end, you have toplete the quests step by step to get it.¡¯ That¡¯s why he was doing the quests even though he knew the location of the treasure. The next day. Jeong-Hoon arrived at the venue on time. There, 24 members of the subjugation team were strengthening their resolve. ¡°We must cut off Loudon¡¯s head!¡± ¡°Damn bastard, he destroyed my farm!¡± ¡°Not only that, he hunted my livestock!¡± There were monsters like that. Monsters that lived in the field but had the authority to invade viges. Loudon was one such monster. The subjugation team consisted entirely of victims who had suffered at the hands of Loudon. In the previous battle, six members of the subjugation team had fallen to Loudon. So they had to win this battle. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be alright?¡± Subjugation Captain Asel approached and asked again. Jeong-Hoon was the only outsider who had applied for the subjugation team. That was because he was the only one in Idenharc who hadpleted the map quest and earned the right to participate. [You know there¡¯s a crazy monster in Idenharc?] -It¡¯s called Loudon, a mid-boss level monster that lives in the field, and it¡¯s impossible to hunt, no matter how high your level is. ©¸Its invincibility is a cheat¡­ ©¸I heard you have to do a quest in another town to hunt Loudon. ©¸It¡¯s so damn picky¡­ ©¸Anyway, even if you¡¯re level 200, you can¡¯t hunt Loudon unless you unlock it through that quest lol. ©¸The damage doesn¡¯t even show up as 1, it¡¯s 0 lol. You can¡¯t even grind it. There were two ways to unlock Loudon¡¯s subjugation. One was to obtain the subjugation qualification through an NPC in Corharden. The other was to obtain the subjugation qualification through a chain quest, like Jeong-Hoon did. Loudon wasn¡¯t popr yet because its hidden rewards hadn¡¯t been revealed, but public opinion would change 180 degrees over time. And Jeong-Hoon held the key to that reversal. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± At his confident voice, Asel didn¡¯t try to dissuade him any further. The Loudon subjugation began. * * * ¡°Uwaaaah! Human! Get out!¡± Loudon resembled a wild boar, if you were topare it to a real-world animal. However, unlike ordinary wild boars, it could stand upright on two legs and was a giant monster, reaching a height of 3 meters. Moreover, itmanded smaller monsters called ¡®Widons¡¯, making it a very tricky monster to deal with. ¡°Front line! Prepare for charge!¡± There were a total of 18 Widons. And the number of subjugation team members, including Jeong-Hoon, was 25. The average level was 44. The subjugation team¡¯s strategy was to overwhelm Loudon with their superior numbers. And that strategy worked beautifully. The level 35 Widons were no match for the strength of the subjugation team members pushing forward with their shields. ¡°Get him!¡± ¡°Take him down!¡± The members mercilessly struck the Widons with their axes and clubs. ¡°Kweeeek!¡± The Widons screamed. Then Loudon, who had been watching, intervened. ¡°You humans, I won¡¯t let you get away with this.¡± Loudon swung his axe and approached the subjugation team members. Members tensed, sweating from the intimidating aura. If they couldn¡¯t defeat this damn monster, the damage would continue. They had to hunt it down. At that moment, Jeong-Hoon, who had been watching the situation, suddenly jumped out. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± Asel, who was controlling the members, reached out with a bewildered look, but Jeong-Hoon was already standing in front of Loudon. ¡°A human? The weakest one came out first.¡± Loudon grinned and swung his axe at Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Oh no¡­!¡¯ Asel squeezed his eyes shut, convinced that he was dead. The sight of a human head being crushed by that axe was disgusting. ¡°Huh?¡± But when he opened his eyes, a surprising scene unfolded. ¡®H-He¡¯s dominating¡­?!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, who was supposed to have been killed by Loudon, started hunting Loudon. * * * ¡®If I hunt this guy, it¡¯s over.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s target was not the Widons, but Loudon. So he waited patiently until Loudon came forward. If he had overwhelmingly hunted the Widons from the start, Loudon would have sensed the danger and fled the scene. Fleeing meant moving to another field, and if that happened, the subjugation would end immediately. If it ended, Loudon would be invincible until the subjugation team was formed again, making it impossible to subjugate him. And as expected, Loudon assessed the subjugation team members and, thinking it was manageable, stepped forward swinging his axe. It was the moment Jeong-Hoon had been waiting for. Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st form. Unfortunately, it was impossible to prate Loudon¡¯s tough defense with the weapons Jeong-Hoon had. So he ended it with the Legendary fist technique. His fist struck the armor. Loudon¡¯s face was filled with surprise, as if the impact was greater than he had expected. ¡°Damn you!¡± The beast swung its axe. Jeong-Hoon skillfully dodged Loudon¡¯s attack with a step. It was a sharp attack, but the beast¡¯s movements were sorge that it was easy to read its attack path. [Martial Artist¡¯s exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ is activated.] [You have acquired the skill ¡®Footwork (Rare)¡¯.] And another skill Jeong-Hoon needed was added. ¡®Good.¡¯ Footwork, a step above the ordinary footwork. It was a skill that controlled not only footwork but also overall body movement, a skill that Jeong-Hoon desperately needed. ¡®Underworld Kings Fist Technique 2nd form.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, who had used the 1st form, quickly followed up with the 2nd form, pressuring Loudon. Every time the beast swung its axe, he dodged with a step and dealt damage with a flurry of punches. The Underworld Kings Fist Technique was a fraudulent martial art that could deal full damage to a target even if they were wearing armor. ¡°Kuweeek!¡± Loudon finally screamed in pain from the tremendous pain he felt every time he was hit. But it was toote. Jeong-Hoon was already using the Underworld Kings Fist Technique 3rd form. ¡®This is the end.¡¯ His fist, wrapped in ck energy, mmed into Loudon¡¯s abdomen. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 29 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 29 ¡°Kweeeek!¡± Loudon screamed and fell forward. [Level up!] [All stats +1 increased.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] When the giant Loudon copsed, Widon¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Th-the captain has fallen!¡± ¡°Uwaaaaah!¡± ¡°Captain¡­¡± With their leader gone, Widon¡¯s morale hit rock bottom. Asel, sensing the opportunity, began to attack Widon with the extermination team. ¡°Kweeeek!¡± ¡°Kweeeeek!¡± Widon without Loudon was easy prey. In the end, it took less than 10 minutes for all of Widon to be cold corpses. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± ¡°Waaaaaaah!¡± The extermination team raised their arms and cheered. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Asel couldn¡¯t believe the situation. The user who applied for the extermination team looked weak to anyone. The level was the proof. However, with every member being precious, it was a waste to refuse his support. In any case, it was judged that he would be of some help in hunting Widon. But he single-handedly fought Loudon and won a victory. ¡®Who the hell is that guy¡­¡¯ He subdued Loudon with just his fists, without any weapons such as a sword or shield. The iron armor that Loudon was wearing had more than a few dents. Those fists crumpled the armor. ¡®Crazy¡­¡¯ How is that possible? ¡®I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?¡¯ Asel¡¯s mind could only doubt whether the situation was a dream or not. * * * ¡®It¡¯s definitely fraudulent.¡¯ In New World, level is an important factor. And it was the grade that allowed you to ovee it. If I hadn¡¯t learned the Underworld Kings Fist first, it might have taken longer to deal with Loudon. Jeong-Hoon drew his sword. It¡¯s time to collect the materials to decipher the map. [List of materials] -Loudon¡¯s horn x1 -Loudon¡¯s blood 100ml -Loudon¡¯s tongue x1 The material needed is Loudon¡¯s horn. The horn can be obtained by collecting a pair of protruding horns on the forehead. Jeong-Hoon stabbed his sword into its forehead and collected the horn. After the horn, it was Loudon¡¯s blood and tongue. Blood gushed as he cut out the tongue. The collection was finished by filling the ss bottle he had prepared in advance with more than 100ml of the blood. [All materials have been collected.] [Find the NPC andplete the quest.] Done! Jeong-Hoon got up from his seat. Loudon was Lv.60, but since it was a monster needed for the scenario, it didn¡¯t drop any loot. However, he was very satisfied just by the fact that the materials were collected. With this, he was able to find the location by deciphering the map. ¡°¡­Thank you sincerely for taking care of the nuisance.¡± Asel approached and bowed. In this subjugation, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s contribution could be said to be more than 90%. Widon wasn¡¯t difficult to hunt, but Loudon was a different story. His monstrous strength and defense made the extermination team struggle. Jeong-Hoon single-handedly defeated such a Loudon. To Asel and the extermination team, Jeong-Hoon was a benefactor. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I got what I needed too.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Asel saw Jeong-Hoon collecting Loudon¡¯s horns, tongue, and blood. He was curious about what they would be used for, but he didn¡¯t bother to ask. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a shame.¡± ¡°Come to our vige anytime. We¡¯ll let you stay for free at our inn.¡± ¡°If youe to our restaurant, we¡¯ll give you a free dinner!¡± Jeong-Hoon, who returned to the vige, immediately parted ways with the extermination team. The extermination team members regretted not being able to celebrate together, but they couldn¡¯t force him to stay when he said he was busy. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon arrived at the mansion where the vagrants stayed and looked for Jorden. An exmation mark appeared above his head. [Questpleted.] [You can proceed to the next quest.] ¡°Oh, you brought it.¡± Jorden¡¯s eyes lit up as he took the materials that Jeong-Hoon handed him. Then he took out a jar in the corner and put all the ingredients in it. Crackle. Sizzle. An eerie sound was heard from inside the jar, and then acrid smoke billowed out with the sound of firecrackers exploding. ¡°Haha, this is something I¡¯ve been researching my whole life.¡± I know. That is the Jar of All. This jar makes the appropriate potion when the ingredients are put in ording to the recipe. The potion made this time is a potion ofplete restoration under Lv.100. Jorden unfolded the map and poured the potion contained in the jar. Pitter-patter. The purple liquid ran down the map and dripped onto the floor under the desk. Nevertheless, Jorden didn¡¯t care and poured all the liquid contained in the map. Then a change appeared on the map. The picture on the map, which was so worn out that it could not even be read properly, began to be clearer. [You have sessfully restored the old map.] ¡®Done.¡¯ The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth rose. ¡°No, this is?!¡± Jorden¡¯s eyes widened as he checked the map. A new question mark appeared above his head, unable to take his eyes off the map with a horrified expression. [Epic Quest: Treasure of the Map] -Restriction: User who restored the old map -Reward: ? -Description: You have sessfully restored an old and worn-out map. Go to the location indicated by the map and take the treasure. Jorden rolled up the map and handed it over. ¡°Thank you.¡± As Jeong-Hoon pretended to leave, Jorden hurriedly grabbed him. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± ¡°I wonder if I can follow you to where the map points.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± It was a request that had to be epted. The reason is that you can only get unique rewards if Jorden is there. ¡®This is why the unique reward went to the user who discovered it first.¡¯ Jorden, who found the treasure, no longer moves with the user. So, from now on, he only ys the role of interpreting old maps. It was the same when Jeong-Hoon performed the quest. But now that history is changing. ¡®I¡¯ll take it this time too.¡¯ Lee Hwa-Rang, who took the Underworld King¡¯s Fist before returning. Ironically, the reward that should have been taken this time was also expected to be Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s. * * * Earth Korea management team. ¡°The NPC is following¡­?¡± ¡°That map was decipherable?¡± Truly, the more you look at it, the more surprising it is. The old map was considered an item for collection. Because it¡¯s useless. But the user who received the map went into a mansion and was given a new quest. Who would have thought that there would be an NPC giving quests there¡­? The surprising thing is that the user not onlypletely subjugated Loudon, but also perfectly deciphered the map. ¡°Where does the map point?¡± ¡°Zoom in on the map.¡± The employee zoomed in on the map deciphered by the NPC. The map pointed to a mine a short distance from Idenhark. ¡°It¡¯s a mine? Or maybe a quarry or a pit?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing in this mine, is there?¡± It¡¯s just a mine that exists in the vige. It is a mine that no one visits because no NPC gives quests rted to the mine. In reality, the mine was so devoid of anything profitable that it was hardly worthy of the name. In fact, it would cost more to hire people to work there than it would make in profit. As a result, it could be said that it was a mine that even the lord of the territory ignored. The map was pointing to such a mine. ¡°I think there might be something here?¡± The employees smelled something. At the same time, they were excited. What surprise would it be this time? * * * Idenharc Mine. In fact, it was called a mine, but it was an unmanaged mountain with only traces of having been dug up a long time ago. A very long time ago, some ores that were worth a lot of money were discovered, so it was named a mine. Now the vein is dry and it can be said that it is a forgotten mine where nothinges out even if you dig hard. ¡°Hmm, why was the map pointing here?¡± Jorden tilted his head. ¡®Why? Because the real treasure is hidden there.¡¯ Normally, he would search inside the mine, but Jeong-Hoon stopped in the forest a little away from the mine. ¡°How about searching here?¡± ¡°You mean here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Bringing Jorden doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll automatically get unique rewards. It is said that Lee Hwa-Rang spent almost five days searching for treasure with Jorden. It was because he spent three days in the mine. Jeong-Hoon wants to reduce such useless time. That is to search from this ce where the treasure is buried. ¡®The unique reward I found was buried in a slightly different ce. It was because I found that ce that I was able to find it.¡¯ These were the words left by Lee Hwa-Rang before returning. He is certain that the ce he was talking about is here. ¡°Hmm, I understand.¡± Jorden said that and took out the detector. The detector is a tool that reacts when treasure is buried nearby. Unfortunately, it is not a very useful item except for close range because it detects treasures within 2m. However, when Jorden activated the detector and brought it to the ground, the detector¡¯s radar began to blink. ¡°Did you find it?¡± ¡°I think so?! Wait a minute!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jorden searched every nook and cranny with an excited face. ¡°Right here!¡± The ce where he stopped was in front of a tree that had rotted and crumbled, leaving only the base. The circumference of the base was so wide that Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t cover it even if he stretched out his arms in both directions. Thinking of the tree that must have been fine once, it was hard to even imagine how big it would have been. Anyway, it means it¡¯s here. Jeong-Hoon took out a shovel from his inventory. ¡°Move over.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you dig.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon and Jorden dug the ground hard. When they dug deep enough for one person to enter. The item that was buried slowly revealed itself. ¡°This is¡­?¡± Jorden¡¯s brow furrowed as he saw the treasure. What he saw was a bow. It was a very old bow with faded colors and a string that had long since been broken, making it impossible to use. It seemed like the bow would break if he touched it even a little bit. === [Broken Unknown Bow] -Type: Bow -Grade: Rare -Attack Power: 0 -Critical Hit Rate: 0% -Remaining Durability: 0% -Special Ability (1): Unusable -Special Ability (2): Unusable === Jeong-Hoon carefully lifted the bow. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a treasure that has lost its value. We¡¯vee up empty.¡± Jorden clicked his tongue. He was convinced that a very rare treasure was hidden, but it was a bow that had long been broken. However, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression was different. This is the item he needs to bring this time. ¡°Thank you foring with me.¡± ¡°Huh? What, are you satisfied with that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Jeong-Hoon nodded, an exmation mark appeared above Jorden¡¯s head. [Epic Quest Completed.] [You have acquired the [Title] Beginner Treasure Hunter.] ¡°¡­Not only me, but you also have the qualities of a treasure hunter. Seeing you so happy to find the treasure reminds me of myself in the old days.¡± Jorden was once a treasure hunter. Later, he became fascinated with the joy of interpretation and turned to be an interpreter. [Beginner Treasure Hunter] -Type: Title -Grade: Rare -Assesses the value of treasures. (Rare or lower) -Passive: ¡®Lower Treasure Detection¡¯ avable Jeong-Hoon smiled with satisfaction. This title can be obtained from Jorden and gives you the ability to see through the value of treasure. Likewise, it is a title that can evolve, and it is a title that needs to be evolved for the future. ¡°I will use it gratefully.¡± ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll look around the mine a little more and go back.¡± ¡°All right.¡± The treasure location indicated on the map was inside the mine. Jorden, who smelled something, took the detector and went into the mine. ¡®He¡¯ll be out soon.¡¯ Jorden finds a new passage at the end of the mine where treasure is hidden. After that, many users will get the treasure through quests. Except, of course, for the bow Jeong-Hoon is holding. Now it¡¯s time to restore this bow. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 30 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 30 There were various ways to restore the bow. You could ask a skilled cksmith to do it. Or you could ask an alchemist with a restoration specialty to restore the bow. That would take a lot of time and money. ¡®It¡¯s a Unique item. The fact that the Unique has dropped to Rare means that restoration itself is difficult.¡¯ It has dropped by two levels. Restore a weapon that has been damaged to the point of being downgraded? At least a Legendary cksmith or alchemist can do the job. ¡®It seems like I spent about 100 million won on restoration alone.¡¯ Lee Hwa-Rang showed off the restored bow. The majesty of the bow he showed at that time is still vivid in his mind. ¡®It¡¯s okay. I can restore it myself.¡¯ Not only did he not have 100 million won, but he had to reach at least level 200 or higher to go to a legendary cksmith or alchemist. Users of that level wouldn¡¯t be ying in this low level zone. In the case of Lee Hwa-Rang, he could go to a cksmith or alchemist belonging to the guild, but Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t. So he¡¯s going to restore it himself. ¡®There is one way to restore it in Idenharc.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon opened the achievement shop. The achievement shop has been upgraded to level 3. [The current level of the achievement shop is ¡®3¡¯.] [From level 3, the category function is added to the store.] [Items for sale are ced in each category.] Unlike up to level 2, where the list was listed, the category function was added. This is a function that was created as the number of items that can be purchased has increased significantly with the increase to level 3. Jeong-Hoon went to ¡®Special¡¯ among the functions. [Achievement Shop (Special) Lv.3] -Instation type -Consumption type A store that is once again categorized. Jeong-Hoon chose consumption and dragged the bar down until the desired item came out. ¡®Found it.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon stopped at one point. -Mysterious hourss The first material for restoration was the mysterious hourss. Using the mysterious hourss will restore 50% of the weapon¡¯s durability. If you don¡¯t want to repair through a cksmith, you can repair the weapon¡¯s durability with achievement points like this. Jeong-Hoon purchased 10 mysterious hoursses. He consumed 5,000 points at 500 points each. This leaves 33,000 points. There are plenty of achievement points. ¡®Looking at this, I gathered energy and burst it all at once.¡¯ It is impossible to restore the bow with just a mysterious hourss. Jeong-Hoon broke the ss surrounding the sand with his bare hands. ss shattered and sand fell into the basket. After breaking all 10 of them, he went into the achievement shop and purchased additional items. -Holy Lubricant -Powder of Restoration -Fusion Potion Holy Lubricant is sold for 5,000 points each. And the Powder of Restoration is 3,000 points. Lastly, the Fusion Potion was an item that boasted a whopping 15,000 points. After consuming an additional 23,000 points, the remaining achievement points are 10,000 points. ¡®Good.¡¯ Collecting achievement points took a considerable amount of time, so it was a task that I thought would take a while. But instead of being short, there were 10,000 points left. Jeong-Hoon mixed the lubricant and restoration powder into the sand. In that state, he opened the lid of the ss bottle containing the fusion potion and carefully dropped it drop by drop. ¡®A device that can restore items below Unique grade.¡¯ It is currently an undiscovered recipe. It can be said that it was a recipe that users usedte when the recipe was released just before New World became a reality. It was being made in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands right now. When about half of the fusion potion was consumed, light began to burst out from the contents of the basket. ¡®Slowly.¡¯ It was so shiny that he couldn¡¯t open his eyes, but Jeong-Hoon dropped the fusion potion evenly. If you put in a little too much or a little too little, the work will be ruined. In order to mixpletely, it must be dropped evenly and induced to mix. Drop. Drop. All the fusion potion in the ss bottle fell into the basket. Jeong-Hoon put his hand into the basket as it was and slowly stirred it to mix well. The work continued until the light disappearedpletely. [¡®Unique Restoration Powder¡¯ has been created.] [You have created ¡®Unique Restoration Powder¡¯ for the first time! You have been awarded 10,000 achievement points!] [You have acquired the ¡®[Title] Beginner Crafter¡¯.] ¡°Done.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. A powder that can restore Unique grade items. With this, he was able to restore the bow. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. ¡°Crazy¡­ what is that?¡± ¡°Unique Restoration Powder?¡± ¡°How did he make that?¡± The employees looked at the powder the user had made with horrified eyes. Unique Restoration Powder. ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m really speechless.¡± Team leader Oh Jin-Soo was equally astonished. The user who won the first martial artist hidden ss. It is true that they are expecting the user¡¯s move, but how can they not be surprised to see that? He went to the mine indicated by the map, took a broken bow nearby, and thenpleted the Unique Restoration Powder using a recipe that has not been revealed so far. Now you¡¯re going to use that powder to restore the bow, right? ¡°Wow, then you¡¯re going to restore the bow with that powder?¡± ¡°If apletely broken item is Rare grade, when it is restored, it can go up to Epic or Unique, right?¡± The staff¡¯s words are correct. If it was damaged to that extent, it could be expected to be Unique grade if restored. ¡®A Unique grade bow was discovered in Idenharc¡­ Wait a minute, then is that the bow?¡¯ The divine archer Richard, who is said to have been active in Idenharc a long time ago. Richard was known to have favored one bow, and it is said that the bow he used has not yet been found. Why does the part that was overlooked because it was a simple character settinge to mind now? ¡®If that¡¯s the bow¡­ it would be really amazing.¡¯ The bow that the divine archer handled. For some reason, Oh Jin-Soo felt that the bow was the same item as the one Richard handled. * * * Jeong-Hoon took out the bow and grabbed a handful of powder and sprinkled it lightly. Then, a small light permeated the broken bow and it slowly began to recover. ¡®Good.¡¯ He continued to sprinkle the powder on the bow. The number of times the powder can be used is 1. Even that one time, 100% is applied only when all the powder is used without omission. Jeong-Hoon repeated the same process and carefully applied the powder to the bow. Eventually, the powder piled up in the basket revealed the bottom, and the work was finished only after shaking off the powder in the basket and applying it. ¡®Complete.¡¯ The bow Jeong-Hoon was holding was not a broken bow. The old and worn-out bow was perfectly restored and had a reddish color, and the head that had been broken and fallen off was shaped like a red dragon¡¯s head. [¡®Broken Unknown Bow¡¯ has been restored.] [The name will be changed to ¡®Red Dragon Bone Bow¡¯.] [Congrattions! You have acquired the Red Dragon Bone Bow (Unique). It will be announced in New World.] [Unique grade weapon acquired! 1,000 achievement points have been awarded!] He seeded in obtaining the Red Dragon Bone Bow, the first weapon to be obtained in Idenharc. ¡®It¡¯s the bow that the divine archer Richard used.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon opened the information on the newly acquired bow. === [Red Dragon Bone Bow] -Type: Bow -Grade: Unique -Attack Power: 156 -Critical Hit Rate: 2 ~ 2.25% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): Infinite magic arrows are created. -Special Ability (2): When an arrow hits, there is a low probability of additional me damage. === As expected, it¡¯s crazy. With just the Red Dragon Bone Bow, there is no need to stock up on consumable arrows. Archers always stock up on enough arrows before going into battle. If that happens, you have to spend money to go around dungeons that are profitable, but if you don¡¯t need to stock up on consumables with high-grade items like this, you can not only save money, but you can also just pull the bowstring without taking arrows out of the quiver every time, so the dy is shortened. It is truly a fraudulent special ability. Additional fire damage. When the damage is triggered, the enemy hit by the arrow feels the pain of being burned by fire. ¡®This is the third favorite bow for Lee Hwa-Rang.¡¯ At this point in time, Lee Hwa-Rang will be using two bows. And the third favorite was to be this bow. But since the bow came into Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands, that future will not happen. ¡®I should use it as a material to raise the gradeter.¡¯ Although it is Unique grade, it is not good for now except for special abilities. In New World, you don¡¯t need a level to wear items, but you have to strengthen your weapons yourself. So, regardless of the grade, the options of the initial equipment are just so-so. However, the true value of this bow lies not in strengthening, but in ¡®evolution¡¯. This bow has to go through an evolutionary process to be transformed into a fraudulent weapon. ¡°Hey!¡± At that moment, Jorden, who had entered the mine, ran out. And a new question mark appeared above his head. ¡®You found it.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon grinned. The time hase for the Red Dragon Bone Bow to undergo one evolution. * * * Recently, Lee Hwa-Rang was not in a good mood. He was sitting in the waiting area of the Myth Guild archer training ground, arms crossed, staring at the target. ¡°Huh? Team leader Lee, why are you like this these days?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s been like that ever since he went to Starting Vige.¡± Whenever he was in a bad mood, he would sit in that seat and stare at the target, but since he came back from Starting Vige, it has be a daily routine to sit there and stare at the target before logging out. The cause is a small dojo located in Starting Vige. There were traces of someone staying there, but he never thought they would have taken that opportunity. Who the hell took it? ¡®The more I think about it, the stranger it is. I was the only one who found that clue, wasn¡¯t I?¡¯ He was the only one who found the clue. And it took more than half a year to decipher it. Because of that, hecked leveling and had to ept considerable losses. But it didn¡¯t matter. It was because he was convinced that he would be able to acquire the best skill to supplement the archer¡¯s weakness in closebat. But it all went up in smoke. ¡°Hey, Lee Hwa-Rang.¡± While staring at the target, someone came and sat next to him. At the familiar voice, Lee Hwa-Rang answered without even turning his head. ¡°Why.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok, a road knight who has been a friend for ten years. It was because Park Jin-Hyeok rmended him to start New World in the first ce. He said that he chose the sword, so you should choose a bow or magic. Anyway, it can be said that they seeded in finding each other¡¯s talents and entering the myth where the sword king, Sajaehyeok, is the master. ¡°Did you miss something important?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°No way. It¡¯s all written on your face.¡± ¡°Anyway, if it¡¯s not, you know it¡¯s not.¡± How can you say that you did all sorts of chores at the Starting Vige dojo? Even for the sake of his pride, he couldn¡¯t say it. Perhaps sensing Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s expression, Park Jin-Hyeok skillfully changed the subject. ¡°Have you found any clues about the Red Dragon Bone Bow?¡± ¡°No.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang shook his head. Red Dragon Bone Bow. A weapon known to have been favored by Richard, who was called the divine archer 600 years ago. And the armor set he wore with it. Currently, Lee Hwa-Rang has collected all the sets except for the weapon. Helmet, top, bottom, cloak, shoes. Now, if there was only a bow, the Red Dragon set would beplete and he could enjoy the set effect. ¡°Really? It¡¯s taking longer than I thought. I thought you¡¯d find it soon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. The most important weapon has no clues at all¡­¡± The armor was all found in the Hamelon continent, where Richard is said to have died. But the weapon was not. No matter how much he searched, he couldn¡¯t find a single piece of the weapon. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been announced, so it means it¡¯s still buried somewhere. Just try a little harder.¡± ¡°All right.¡± When a Unique grade or higher item is discovered, New World posts a notice on its own. It is to celebrate and announce that the item has appeared. Lee Hwa-Rang also received a notice in New World every time he got Red Dragon armor. The fact that there has been no announcement about the weapon yet means that it is hidden somewhere. So it was a problem that he didn¡¯t have to think about urgently. [Congrattions! *User has acquired the Red Dragon Bone Bow (Unique) in Idenharc.] A New World announcement popped up like a ghost. Even the Red Dragon Bone Bow, which Lee Hwa-Rang had been trying so hard to find, has appeared in the world. ¡°Damn it!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang jumped up from his seat, spitting out curses. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 31 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 31 Earth Korea Management Team. ¡°That¡¯s it, isn¡¯t it?!¡± ¡°That weapon was in Idenharc!¡± The management team staff were stunned by the majesty of the restored bow. How many people wouldn¡¯t know that bow? Red Dragon Set. Dragon weapons were known as rare items in New World. The reason lies in the set effect. If you wear both Unique armor and weapons, you can get a set effect close to Legendary grade. Such dragon weapons have been discovered in Idenharc, which is called the beginner zone. ¡°It¡¯s really crazy¡­ The rest of the set isn¡¯t with another user, is it?¡± ¡°Yes. I think so.¡± Currently, all armor except for Red Dragon weapons has been transferred to other users. If you find only the weapon, you can get the set effect, but it has been in vain. ¡°If you sell it to that user, you could get a huge price, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If you only have a weapon, you can get a set effect, so you¡¯ll be willing to pay whatever it takes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m envious¡­ If you have that, you¡¯ll get a year¡¯s sry, right?¡± ¡°What¡¯s a year? If you really want to, you can get 5-6 years¡¯ sry, right?¡± ¡°Huh!¡± The average annual sry of Earth Korea is around 310 million won. They are receiving an annual sry that cannot bepared with otherpanies. If it¡¯s 5-6 years, it means that one game item is worth 1.5 to 1.8 billion won. Actually, the average market price of Unique items is around 50 million to 100 million won. However, the value of the Red Dragon weapon can be expensive regardless of grade. ¡°Then will you try to sell that weapon?¡± ¡°I guess so? There¡¯s only one user who collected the Red Dragon set except for the weapon.¡± A very famous user. Myth Guild¡¯s Bow Master Lee Hwa-Rang. He collected all the armor except for the bow. So he¡¯ll sell it to him for a very expensive price. ¡°Oh! If that happens, you can buy a lot of other items.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Wow, this is really awesome!¡± The staff were busy guessing the user¡¯s actions. ¡®¡­That was real!¡¯ Oh Jin-Soo opened his eyes wide when he saw the bow. Red Dragon Bone Bow. He never thought he would get one of the bows that the divine archer Richard handled. ¡®As far as I remember, the weapon that the hero handled can evolve.¡¯ It¡¯s not just because of the simple set effect. If you are a user who has studied the history of the New World, you would have heard that the weapons that evolved as the hero disappeared were backed up to the initial state and spread throughout the New World. Oh Jin-Soo also studied the history of the New World to get a ss, and it was a question that came up in an actual interview, so it remains in his memory. ¡®What if¡­ there¡¯s a n to evolve that weapon?¡¯ Wouldn¡¯t that be possible if it was the user¡¯s move that he had shown so far? * * * Jeong-Hoon entered the mine with Jorden. [Epic Quest: Mine] -Restriction: User with restored map -Reward: ? -Description: You have entered the mine indicated on the map. Take the treasure of the mine. The treasure hunt was not over yet. Since he found the Red Dragon Bone Bow, he would go through the evolution process here. That was the final reward of this series of quests. The inside of the mine was filled with darkness and was so wide that the end could not be seen. If he hadn¡¯t used the artifact, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see anything in front of him. When Jeong-Hoon visited before returning, artifacts were attached to the wall and it was bright 365 days a year. Since the mine has not yet be famous, it has not been developed at all. ¡°Come here!¡± The ce Jorden guided him to was the end of the mine. The end was blocked by a wall, and the detector he was carrying like a bag was reacting to it. ¡®This is nostalgic too.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon approached the wall. And he took out the map he had put in his inventory. A wall that cannot be forcibly pierced. To get past this wall, you need a restored map. It was a wall designed that way in the first ce. ¡°Huh? What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°I have to open it.¡± Jeong-Hoon attached the map to the wall. Then a change took ce. [A qualified person opens the door.] A small pattern on the wall glowed with blue letters, and then the rock slid to the side, revealing a new space. ¡°What is this!¡± Jorden opened his mouth wide with a surprised face. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Jeong-Hoon entered the space with a calm face. Jorden followed him. ¡°Where the hell is this?¡± He began searching the area with his detector. But before long, his body stiffened. ¡°Krrr.¡± A giant lizard that looked like a newt was staring at them with its eyes wide open. [Lv.60 Young Dragon] Lv. 60 Young Dragon. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level is 33. And Jorden¡¯s level is 35. Having faced a monster that was almost twice as strong, Jorden¡¯s whole body stiffened. ¡°Get out of the way.¡± At that time, Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring of the Red Dragon Bone Bow. Then, in the ce where there was nothing, a red magic arrow formed and took its ce. [¡®Arrow¡¯ is activated.] [Arrow] -Type: Active -Level: 1 -Grade: Rare -Consumes 1 mana to increase the arrow¡¯s attack power by 20. ording to the grade of Steadfast Will, Arrow also rose to Rare and the attack power of the arrow doubled. Jeong-Hoon aimed at the young dragon, pulling the bowstring taut. ¡®Let¡¯s see the damage.¡¯ For the first time since returning, he obtained a weapon worthy of being called a weapon. He was able to see the firepower of that weapon at this moment. Jeong-Hoon released the bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow was shot, drawing a parab with a sharp tearing sound. The arrow pierced the young dragon¡¯s head urately. [Critical hit!] Critical hit chance is 2~2.5% You might think that he was lucky to get a critical hit with a low probability, but that was not the case. The critical hit chance is just a role to help you get a critical hit even if you don¡¯t hit the vital point. If you hit the vital point from the beginning, the critical hit chance bes 100%. And the part that the arrow just hit is the young dragon¡¯s vital point, the forehead. If it had been an ordinary bow, the arrow would not have pierced the skin, but the arrow just shot was from the Red Dragon Bone Bow. An arrow with a whopping 176 points, adding 20 arrow attack power to the attack power of 156. ¡°Cough!¡± The young dragon copsed sideways without any resistance. It was dead. ¡°Uh¡­ huh?¡± Jorden looked alternately at Jeong-Hoon and the young dragon with a bewildered face. And he went closer to the young dragon, checked its condition, and burst into admiration. To hunt a Lv. 60 monster with just one arrow. Looking closely, the arrow pierced the young dragon¡¯s forehead and prated into the brain. Surely¡­ If this is the case, you can¡¯t help but die. ¡®Who the hell is that guy?¡¯ No matter how good the bow is, the ability of the bow is determined by the user. He never expected that a stranger with a lower level than himself would show such force¡­ It was the first time he got goosebumps from such perfect archery skills. Actually, it was the second time, but it was an archer he met in Idenharc quite a long time ago. But even he couldn¡¯t keep up with the archery skills he just showed. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jeong-Hoon, who actually hunted the young dragon, moved on without any excitement. ¡®No, it¡¯s a young dragon? You¡¯re saying you took care of a level 60 young dragon with one shot and you¡¯re okay?¡¯ Normally, he would be excited or at least a little happy. Jeong-Hoon felt no emotion. Just moving forward. He felt it when he brought the map, but that stranger¡­ is not ordinary. Jorden followed Jeong-Hoon and began to observe him. * * * Whoosh! The arrow was shot, piercing the young dragon¡¯s head once more. [Critical hit!] One-shot again. [Level up!] [All stats +1 increased.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] And the level rose to 34. ¡°¡­I¡¯m speechless.¡± Jorden apuded in admiration at the perfect archery skills. This was the sixth young dragon to be knocked out with one shot. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any more.¡± ¡°None? Shouldn¡¯t we look further?¡± ¡°No. There are only six young dragons here.¡± Users who came in to find treasure had to hunt six young dragons. It was no different this time. Jeong-Hoon and Jorden arrived at the end of the mine. And they were able to find the treasure in front of them. [Evolutionary Ore Vein] The treasure was none other than an ore vein. It was an ore vein full of Epic grade evolution stones. [You have discovered the Evolutionary Ore Vein for the first time! 2,000 achievement points have been awarded.] [The number of stones that can be mined from the ore vein is ¡®1¡¯.] I wish I could take all the evolution stones here, but the quest reward is set so that you can only take one. Jeong-Hoon dug out one of the stones. [Questpleted!] [You have acquired an ¡®Evolution Stone¡¯.] [You need to visit a cksmith to use the stone.] It wasn¡¯t that he could use the evolution stone right away. The energy contained in the evolution stone had to be extracted and applied to the weapon, and for that, he had to find a cksmith who specializes in enchantment. Fortunately, there was one such cksmith in Idenharc. ¡°Wow, this is crazy!¡± Jorden¡¯s eyes turned to the sight of the ore vein unfolding in front of him. He took out a pickaxe and started mining evolution stones. [You can get additional evolution stones from NPCs.] Jeong-Hoon nodded. Lee Hwa-Rang, who first performed the quest, took 10 stones. After that, users had to be satisfied with one evolution stone because Jorden did not apany them. ¡®Then shall we wait?¡¯ To get additional evolution stones from Jorden. Of course, there were conditions to get 10. [Would you like to reveal the ore vein?] [If you reveal the ore vein, the reward will be increased by 10 times.] It was to reveal the reward details to the server. At the time, Lee Hwa-Rang revealed this reward, and thanks to that, the Idenharc map quest became a national quest. ¡°I have to.¡± Whatever it was, the fact that users grew through evolution stones remained the same. Jeong-Hoon had no intention of touching that future. [Rewards will be revealed.] [The revealed rewards will be posted on the New World homepage.] * * * World Com became chaotic as the rewards were revealed. [Evolution stones have appeared in Idenharc!] -Did you check? ©¸Yes, I¡¯m logging in right now and moving to Idenharc. ©¸Wow¡­ What? Isn¡¯t an evolution stone worth about 100 gold each? ©¸Crazy! I¡¯m going to get it right now! ©¸We need to find the person who got the reward first and give them a prize lol The value of an evolution stone is a whopping 100 gold. The first evolution stones appeared in the Asga continent, which can only be crossed after reaching level 200. Therefore, it was known as a very rare item, but to be able to get it in Idenharc, the beginner zone¡­ Naturally, users flocked to Idenharc. ¡°Quest! Please give me a quest!¡± The users approached the old man and epted the quest. ¡°Really?! Thank you! Thank you!¡± The old man gave the users a quest with tears in his eyes. The pendant is a quest that is generated at the same time as the quest is epted. However, the location where the pendant is generated varies, and you cannot touch the pendant, which is another person¡¯s questpletion item. In other words, you can onlyplete the quest if you find the pendant that was created when you received the quest. ¡°But where do you get this pendant?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really difficult¡­¡± The users, who couldn¡¯t even imagine that it was buried in the ground, were just stamping their feet. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 32 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 32 ¡°This is amazing!¡± The World Com server was in an uproar. [Evolution stones have appeared in Idenharc!] -Did you check it out? ©¸Yes, I¡¯m logging in right now and heading to Idenharc. ©¸Wow¡­ What? Isn¡¯t an evolution stone worth about 100 gold each? ©¸Crazy! I¡¯m going to get it right now! ©¸We need to find the person who got the reward first and give them a prize lol The value of an evolution stone is a whopping 100 gold. The first evolution stones appeared in the Asga continent, which can only be crossed after reaching level 200. Therefore, it was known as a very rare item, but to be able to get it in Idenharc, the beginner zone¡­ Naturally, users flocked to Idenharc. ¡°Quest! Please give me a quest!¡± The users approached the old man and epted the quest. ¡°Really?! Thank you! Thank you!¡± The old man gave the users a quest with tears in his eyes. The pendant is a quest that is generated at the same time as the quest is epted. However, the location where the pendant is generated varies, and you cannot touch the pendant, which is another person¡¯s questpletion item. In other words, you can onlyplete the quest if you find the pendant that was created when you received the quest. ¡°But where do you get this pendant?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s really difficult¡­¡± The users, who couldn¡¯t even imagine that it was buried in the ground, were just stamping their feet. * * * By disclosing the reward to the server, Jeong-Hoon was able to obtain 10 stones. Of course, it was impossible to mine more from the ore vein, and it was in the form of receiving 9 from Jorden. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon put 10 evolution stones into his inventory. This was more than enough to evolve the Red Dragon Bone Bow. ¡®I can sell one or two.¡¯ It was impossible to raise the grade simply with evolution stones. It takes a while to upgrade through evolution. This is because the weapon cannot withstand receiving all the energy of the stone. ¡°No. Thanks to you, I had a valuable experience too.¡± [NPC Jorden¡¯s affinity has increased.] Jorden smiled happily as he looked at the vein. He was a treasure hunter before he was an interpreter. Therefore, he would have recognized the value of the evolution stone at a nce. Jeong-Hoon checked the question mark on his head. [General Quest: Jorden¡¯s Letter of Rmendation] -Restriction: User who gained Jorden¡¯s trust -Reward: Increased affinity with cksmith Vulcan -Description: Take the letter of rmendation written by Jorden and find the cksmith Vulcan. Oh, Jorden writes a letter of rmendation himself? I didn¡¯t expect this. This is because the cksmith Jeong-Hoon was going to visit was Vulcan. ¡®If there is a letter of rmendation, the story will be a little easier.¡¯ The NPC¡¯s attitude changes as their affinity increases. Originally, Jorden would never have written a letter of rmendation, but the fact that his attitude changed as his affinity increased is proof of that. As soon as he epted the quest, Jorden took out a piece of paper on the spot, scribbled it quickly, and handed it to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Take this and go find Vulcan in Idenharc. He is the most skilled cksmith I know. He is also the one who can handle the energy of that evolution stone.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯ll be the only one I¡¯ve written a letter of rmendation for. I hope you have good luck in your future endeavors.¡± * * * Psshik- The capsule opened and Jeong-Hoon came out. ¡°Phew.¡± Jeong-Hoon, who came out, immediately ran to the refrigerator, took out the water, and gulped it down. Is it because he spent two days in the capsule? He was very thirsty. At the same time, he felt hungry and his limbs lost strength. It was because he didn¡¯t get enough nutrition. ¡°Oh my, you finally came out.¡± In the living room, his mother was sitting and looking at Jeong-Hoon with a worried face. ¡°¡­You came?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s so hard to see your face even though we live in the same house¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon scratched his head with an embarrassed face. Then, his mother got up from her seat and prepared a meal for him. ¡°It¡¯s good to be absorbed in something, but you have to take care of your body too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± His mother knows nothing about the future. Nevertheless, she did not touch the game much. She was just worried about her son¡¯s health. ¡°I want to break that capsule.¡± His mother nced at the capsule installed in the room with a displeased face. ¡°Cough¡­!¡± Suddenly, the rice went down the wrong way and he choked. ¡°But my son worked hard to get it¡­ What should I do?¡± ¡°¡­Ahem, I¡¯ll do it in moderation.¡± ¡°Correct answer. At least sleep at night. You can keep that much, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± From now on, if there is nothing else to do, he will have toe out at night for 3-4 hours and go to bed. His mother is worried about her son. After the meal, Jeong-Hoon went outside for a while to get some air. ¡°Hey!¡± As he went down to the first floor, he made eye contact with Ha-Jin, who was running in a hurry. ¡°Huh? What? Why are you here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m speechless. I sent you so many whispers, but you didn¡¯t answer, so I came here myself!¡± Oh,e to think of it, he saw the whisper icon ringing. However, he was in the middle of a quest, and right after the quest, he was mentally exhausted and logged out immediately, so he couldn¡¯t check it. ¡°I was busy so I couldn¡¯t check it.¡± ¡°Oh well, you said the ce you went to was Idenharc, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Great! I came to tell you the good news.¡± ¡°Evolution Stone?¡± ¡°Huh? What, you knew?¡± He thought he would be a little surprised, but Jeong-Hoon nodded with a calm face, so it felt like he hade all the way here for nothing. Then a fleeting thought crossed his mind. Could this guy have revealed the evolution stone reward? ¡°Anyway, good. I wanted to ask you a favor.¡± ¡°A favor?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s talk while we walk for a while.¡± Okay. No matter how extraordinary this guy is, it can¡¯t be an evolution stone. Ha-Jin shook off his thoughts and followed Jeong-Hoon. ¡°What the hell is it?¡± ¡°Please get me one item.¡± ¡°Item?¡± ¡°Yes. I saw a decent item on World Com.¡± Jeong-Hoon was not yet able to use the auction house. To use the auction house, you must be over level 100 or havepleted the second ss change. So he asks Ha-Jin for a favor. Of course, it¡¯s not free. His intention was to ask him to sell one evolution stone instead and buy an item with the gold. In that process, he intended to give all the remaining profits to Ha-Jin. ¡°What? You have an evolution stone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Wait a minute, then you were the first user to get the reward?¡± Ha-Jin asked in a trembling voice. It was natural to be suspicious since he had shown such incredible results so far and even had an evolution stone. Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Crazy. Now you¡¯re getting even that kind of reward?¡± ¡°I was lucky.¡± ¡°Is that something you can end with just saying you were lucky? Ha¡­ It¡¯s so unfair.¡± Jeong-Hoon shrugged his shoulders once and went into a convenience store and bought two ion drinks. ¡°Anyway, drink this ande to Idenharc.¡± * * * Ha-Jin, who parted with Jeong-Hoon, headed to the capsule room early the next day. ¡°Oh? You came earlier than usual today?¡± As always, Lee Hyun-Woo greeted him warmly. ¡°My friend asked me a favor.¡± ¡°A favor?¡± ¡°Yes. He asked me to get him an item.¡± ¡°Really? What is it?¡± Lee Hyun-Woo showed interest. Jeong-Hoon, Ha-Jin¡¯s friend. He was a friend who visited the capsule room and invested 20-21 hours a day. Moreover, he was a talented person who even appeared on the program ¡°Child Prodigy¡± because of his excellent memory. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s student days were captured in an old video uploaded on YouTube. He ced all kinds of pictures and letters in more than 10 themes, and it was chilling when he remembered them perfectly without missing a single one, and then applied them to solve the task. And since he won first ce in the event hosted by Genesis and took a capsule worth 30 million won as a prize, he had no choice but to leave a strong impression on him. ¡°Well. He said he would tell me once I get in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about that. Which vige did your friend go to? He must have left Beginner Vige by now.¡± ¡°Idenharc.¡± ¡°Idenharc? Idenharc has been really hot these days.¡± The Idenharc Evolution Stone Acquisition Quest posted on World Com. Because of that, a countless number of users are currently flocking to Idenharc. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ha-Jin didn¡¯t bother to mention that Jeong-Hoon received the first reward. Lee Hyun-Woo, who didn¡¯t know that, clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯ll be tough. He chose a difficult vige anyway, and if there are a lot of users, it will be a hassle to go around to get quests.¡± Evolution stones are used to evolve items regardless of level. Therefore, there were a lot of high-level users in Idenharc. ¡°What can I do? It¡¯s his own fault.¡± Ha-Jin answered roughly and logged in by entering the capsule. He immediately moved to the portal to move to Idenharc. But there were nearly 20 users waiting in front of the portal. They were all users moving to Idenharc. ¡®There are a lot of them.¡¯ They were all going for the evolution stones. ¡®Since it¡¯s like this, should I try it too?¡¯ He would ask Jeong-Hoon how to get evolution stones while he was at it. * * * There¡¯s quite a crowd. Jeong-Hoon thought to himself as he looked at the vige, which was more crowded than usual. And among them, named users were asionally seen. Thanks to this, the corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips rose crookedly. This was because he saw familiar faces in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s memory, who had an excellent memory. ¡®Jung Chang-Ho, Oh Min-Ji.¡¯ There were two named users in the square. Before returning, they were not traitors. This is because they had already died before Jeong-Hoon was betrayed. However, Jeong-Hoon did not have very good memories with them. It was when Jeong-Hoon had just opened his power. ¡®Ha, why did you ept such an ipetent martial artist?¡¯ ¡®Hey, if you get in the way, I¡¯ll kill you, so stay quiet.¡¯ From the beginning, they despised Jeong-Hoon for being weak, and whenever they met, they showed their contempt without hesitation. That wasn¡¯t all. They touched Jeong-Hoon many times where others couldn¡¯t see. Thanks to them, he was in crisis more than once or twice. ¡®I want to hit them, but¡­¡¯ Just because he didn¡¯t have good feelings doesn¡¯t mean he has a reason to run wild here. He¡¯ll run into them eventually as time goes by. He¡¯ll crush them then. [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hey, I¡¯m at the square. Where are you?] A whisper arrived that Ha-Jin had arrived. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: I¡¯m in front of the fountain.] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Okay, I¡¯m going there now.] Not long after the whisper arrived, a handsome man who looked to be in his early 20s stopped in front of the fountain and wandered around. It was Ha-Jin at a nce. ¡®Kid, it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you like that.¡¯ When New World became a reality, the customization disappeared and he returned to his original appearance. Therefore, it has been a long time since Jeong-Hoon saw Ha-Jin¡¯s customization. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s me.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached and tapped Ha-Jin on the shoulder. ¡°Huh? Oh, was it you?¡± Ha-Jin was able to recognize Jeong-Hoon only after checking his yer information. ¡°Yes. By the way, your level has risen a lot?¡± === [yer Information] -Nickname: zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -Level: 159 -ss: Formal Knight (2nd ss) === The ss was Rare grade, but the level was close to 160. It was evidence that he had put a lot of effort into ¡°Anyone who hears it will think you are higher.¡± Before returning, it was like that. Jeong-Hoon, who was an all-master, was level 703. If he hadn¡¯t found a way to raise his level in a short period of time, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach 300, let alone 700, but anyway, Jeong-Hoon was able to raise it to 700 in a short period of time through that opportunity. And this time too, he will find that opportunity and level up quickly. There is no need to think impatiently. The condition to find that opportunity is something that only Jeong-Hoon knows, both before and after returning. ¡°Anyway, take this.¡± Jeong-Hoon sent Ha-Jin an exchange request and handed him one evolution stone. ¡°Awesome! Free evolution stone!¡± ¡°If you run away with it, you¡¯re dead.¡± Ha-Jinughed heartily in response to his yful voice. ¡°Okay. I cane back here tomorrow, right?¡± It took that much time to sell and buy items. ¡°Yes. Whisper me if you¡¯re going to bete.¡± ¡°Okay. Then tell me what to buy.¡± ¡°Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword.¡± The item Jeong-Hoon was trying to get was the ¡®Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword¡¯. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 33 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 33 Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword. First of all, the level limit is 30, and it is an item that ordinary swordsmen wears up to level 80-100. However, this one-handed sword is being traded at twice the price of other Rare grade items. The market price of a weapon with only a Rare grade and a low wearing level is a whopping 50 gold. [Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword? Why is this 50 gold?] -The attack power is so-so, and the special ability is not that greatpared to other weapons. ©¸It¡¯s just for collection ©¸Did you get a one-handed sword? You¡¯re so lucky lol There are less than 30 of those released on the Korean server. ©¸What does it mean that it¡¯s only 50 gold even though there are only 30 of them? It¡¯s just rotten lol ©¸Just sell it for 50 gold and buy an epic sword with poor stats lol ©¸Agreed, that¡¯s more profitable. The reason why a mere Rare-grade weapon costs 50 gold is because the ¡®quantity¡¯ is ridiculously low. ¡°One-handed sword? Why this sword all of a sudden? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to buy a slightly better weapon?¡± Ha-Jin tilted his head. If you¡¯re going to put 50 gold into an item like this, wouldn¡¯t it be better to spend 10-20 more gold and buy a usable Epic weapon? ¡°No, I need this.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I understand.¡± ¡°Okay. When youe back, I¡¯ll tell you how to clear the quest here.¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s eyes changed at the words that he would release the honey pot. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll be back soon!¡± After Ha-Jin left, Jeong-Hoon, who was left alone, moved and visited the cksmith, where cksmiths gather. In front of the cksmith¡¯s shop, several users were handing over weapons to the cksmith. They were leaving it for repair because the durability of the weapon had decreased while hunting and turning the dungeon. ¡°Will it be possible by tomorrow?¡± Normally, if you leave it for repair, it will be finished within a day. However, the man who received the weapon said with a troubled face. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it will be a little difficult to repair in one day.¡± ¡°What?! We¡¯re in a hurry.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best, but¡­¡± ¡°Make it happen!¡± Users forcibly surrendered their weapons and left. ¡°Ha¡­ It¡¯s driving me crazy. How can I repair it in one day in this situation?¡± The NPC grumbled with an armful of weapons. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Sen -Level: 30 -Job: Apprentice cksmith === He was not a full-fledged cksmith, but an apprentice cksmith learning the trade at a cksmith¡¯s shop. A neer who entered the cksmith¡¯s shop with the dream of bing a cksmith. And he was currently Vulcan¡¯s only disciple. ¡°Excuse me.¡± When Jeong-Hoon approached him, he shook his head with a tired face. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. If you want a repair, it will take some time.¡± As many users flocked to Idenharc, the number of weapons to be repaired also increased significantly. ¡°It¡¯s not a repair. I came to see the cksmith Vulcan.¡± ¡°Master? I¡¯m sorry, but Master is very busy right now. Soter¡­¡± Sen¡¯s words could not continue. Jeong-Hoon held the letter of rmendation he had received from Jorden. ¡®Originally, this would only be possible afterpleting a quest from Sen.¡¯ A question mark appeared above Sen¡¯s head. A simplebor quest to increase affinity with Sen to meet the cksmith Vulcan. However, after receiving a rmendation from Jorden, he was able to skip the simplebor quest. ¡°Can I see him?¡± ¡°Ah, please wait a moment.¡± [Unnecessary quests are automatically skipped.] At the same time, the question mark above Sen¡¯s head disappeared. There is no need to do it anymore because I skipped it with a letter of rmendation. It wasn¡¯t long before Sen came out with a man. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Vulcan -Level: 50 -Job: cksmith === The cksmith who can handle the energy of the evolution stone. It¡¯s Vulcan. ¡°You said you brought a letter of rmendation?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± An exmation point appeared above his head. [Questpleted.] [NPC Vulcan¡¯s affinity increases.] As his affinity increased, his eyes softened a little. ¡°Huh, that old man wrote a letter of rmendation? So what do you want from me?¡± ¡°I want you to extract this energy and refine the weapon.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out an evolution stone and handed it to him. ¡°This is¡­?¡± Vulcan¡¯s eyes widened as he recognized the evolution stone. ¡°Huh? Master, what is this?¡± Sen¡¯s curiosity grew at that reaction. However, Sen¡¯s words could not continue. Jeong-Hoon touched the question mark floating above Vulcan¡¯s head and epted the quest. [General Quest: cksmith Vulcan] -Restriction: User with evolution stone -Reward: Vulcan¡¯s eptance -Description: Make him ept the request by listening to his request. ¡°Is it possible?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s not possible right now.¡± ¡°Impossible?¡± ¡°As you can see, the situation in the cksmith shop is like this.¡± The inside of the cksmith shop was messy and cluttered, unlike usual. It was a mess. It turned out that the cksmiths were not making weapons, but were busy cleaning the cksmith shop. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± ¡°We had a thiefst night.¡± Thief. This is a situation that urs only afterpleting Sen¡¯s quest, but by receiving a letter of rmendation from Jorden, the situation urred one tempo faster. ¡°Damn them! It must be Lagarde¡¯s doing!¡± There are two cksmiths in Idenharc. One is right here. And the other is the cksmith shop on the opposite side. For a long time, the cksmiths of Idenharc had been in apetitive rtionship rather than a harmonious atmosphere, and it continued to this day. That structure was broken when Vulcan became a cksmith. This is because Vulcan¡¯s cksmithing skills were too outstanding despite being a Starting zone. As a result, users began to prefer this cksmith shop with Vulcan when they visited Idenharc, and it began to tilt to one side. Perhaps because of that, Lagarde, who runs the cksmith shop on the other side, is extremely jealous. It was natural for Sen to suspect that cksmith shop. ¡°No, no matter what, they wouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Vulcan knows Lagarde well. No matter how much he was full of jealousy, he was a man with pride as a cksmith. He¡¯s not trashy enough to trash someone else¡¯s business. ¡°Then I¡¯ll try to find the culprit too.¡± ¡°Please. Whoever it is, they also took the equipment that can extract energy.¡± That was why Vulcan couldn¡¯t handle the stone. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon left the cksmith¡¯s shop and headed to the guild. It was a mercenary guild made up of NPCs, not a guild established by users. ¡°Hmm? What brings you here?¡± ¡°I came to find a mercenary named Woo-Gang.¡± ¡°Ah, Woo-Gang? He¡¯ll be on the second floor, but it¡¯s probably best not to go find him. Woo-Gang is not in a position to meet anyone right now.¡± Jeong-Hoon, who turned a deaf ear to the mercenary NPC¡¯s warning, went up to the second floor and found Woo-Gang. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Woo-Gang -Level: 55 -Job: Mercenary (Information) === A question mark appeared above Woo-Gang¡¯s head. [Weekly Quest: Mercenary Woo-Gang] -Restriction: All Idenharc users -Reward: One piece of information you want -Description: Woo-Gang, who lost an important item, is in despair. Find his belongings. Jeong-Hoon epted the quest with a grin. ¡°¡­What? Who are you toe in here without permission?¡± Woo-Gang red at Jeong-Hoon with murderous eyes. ¡°I found the lost item.¡± ¡°Huh? Lost item? How do you know what it is?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a fan?¡± Jeong-Hoon took out the fan he had put in his inventory. === [Woo-Gang¡¯s Fan] -Type: Fan -Grade: Normal -It is a fan that NPC Woo-Gang lost. -It seems you can get a reward if you go find NPC Woo-Gang. === An item that was identally obtained while digging hard. This item was not offered to all users. Once a week. A fan is generated somewhere in the Idenharc field. When the fan appears, you can receive a quest from Woo-Gang like this. ¡°!¡± Woo-Gang¡¯s eyes changed when he saw the fan. He looked alternately at Jeong-Hoon and the fan with a confused face. It was a message asking how the hell he knew it was his. ¡°I can interpret the origin of the object.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± Woo-Gang agreed immediately. The strangers who visited here all had mysterious abilities. So Jeong-Hoon¡¯s ability was nothing to be surprised about. ¡°Please take it.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you so much!¡± Woo-Gang epted the fan with tears in his eyes. [Questpleted.] [You can get one piece of information from Woo-Gang.] [Information is limited to ¡®Idenharc¡¯.] ¡°Please give me one piece of information for free instead.¡± ¡°Of course! Please sit down here.¡± Jeong-Hoon sat before Woo-Gang. ¡°Recently, one of the cksmith shops was robbed. Can I get information about the culprit?¡± ¡°Of course. Would you wait a moment?¡± * * * Same time. The portal shed and Lee Hwa-Rang appeared. ¡°The Red Dragon Bone Bow appeared here, right?¡± There was only one reason he visited Idenharc. It was to approach the user who took the Red Dragon Bone Bow and return the bow by paying the corresponding price. He had to bring it. Only then will he be able to activate the set effect. ¡®I can¡¯t miss it.¡¯ It is enough to miss the Starting Vige dojo. So this time, he will definitely bring it himself. ¡°Hey, I told you toe with me.¡± This time, Lee Hwa-Rang was not alone. Road Knight Park Jin-Hyeok was also with him. He was there to watch his transaction and take the evolution stone. Idenharc was in chaos when the two named users appeared. ¡°Wow¡­ Two Myth Guild executives?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± The users who were doing their business were automatically drawn to where they were at the appearance of the named users. ¡°Lee Hwa-Rang? You¡¯reter than I thought.¡± There was a user in the crowd who spoke to Lee Hwa-Rang. He was Jung Chang-Ho, who had been a catcher before both appeared. Jung Chang-Ho was a hidden ss ¡®Spirit Summoner (Fire)¡¯ who had reached level 318. The grade is Unique. Users had no doubt that he would eventually be promoted to Legendary grade. ¡°What? You were here too?¡± Lee Hwa-Rang frowned. Honestly, he didn¡¯t like Jung Chang-Ho. He is a user belonging to the Harun Guild, which is currently at odds with the Myth Guild. He was one of the people he didn¡¯t want to run into because every time they met, there was more trouble. ¡°I heard the news. Another user found a Red Dragon set, right?¡± Seeing the fishy smile on Jung Chang-Ho¡¯s lips, Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s fist clenched tightly. ¡®That bastard¡­ the evolution stone is not his goal.¡¯ He must havee to snatch the Red Dragon Bone Bow. The same goes for Oh Min-Ji next to him. Executive of the same Harun Guild. There¡¯s no reason for two executives to visit Idenharc just because an evolution stone has been found. ¡°Hey, are you here to snatch it?¡± It was Park Jin-Hyeok who spoke the words aloud. He also hated the two from the Harun Guild. ¡°No way.¡± Jung Chang-Ho shrugged. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to be robbed, you can just offer a higher price than us and take it?¡± And Oh Min-Ji added. ¡°Tsk, I know, so get lost.¡± He felt nauseous at their behavior, but Lee Hwa-Rang was confident that he would not lose the Red Dragon weapon. The fact that he was collecting the Red Dragon set was well known. And just in case, he had umted a tremendous amount of cash. If it was found in Idenharc, the user was most likely not high level. ¡®Join the Myth Guild in my name. And a huge amount of cash.¡¯ Whatever it was, he intended to match the conditions offered by the seller as much as possible. To do that, he had to contact the seller. Lee Hwa-Rang took a speaker from his inventory. [Highest Grade Loudspeaker] -Broadcast messages to the entire vige. Using this loudspeaker will post a message in the chat window of all users in the vige. ¡®Please,Ask..¡¯ Hopefully the user who took the Red Dragon Bone Bow will see it. He spread the message with his wishes in mind. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 34 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 34 [Hwa-Rang: Looking for the user who acquired the Red Dragon Bone Bow.] A message popped up in the chat window of all users residing in Idenharc. ¡®He used a loudspeaker.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon realized that Lee Hwa-Rang had visited Idenharc and used a loudspeaker. He arrivedter than expected. When he found the Red Dragon Bone Bow, he thought Lee Hwa-Rang would be the first to visit Idenharc. Apparently he had a preparation period to obtain the Red Dragon Bone Bow. That¡¯s why he¡¯s using the loudspeaker so confidently. ¡®Of course, I have no intention of selling.¡¯ Had he intended to sell it to him, he would not have visited Idenharc and done manualbor. ¡°Huh? Why are you smiling like that?¡± Woo-Gang tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. So what¡¯s the information?¡± ¡°Ah, the guy who turned over the cksmith shop this time¡­ is a bit of a tough guy.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a group of thieves led by a guy named Rex.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­You look like you already knew? You don¡¯t look surprised at all.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly. Of course he knew. This situation unfolds when you first visit a cksmith to use an evolution stone. However, it is impossible to solve it by simply chasing the thieves. To use the evolution stone, you have to start by finding Woo-Gang and getting information, and then proceed with the quests in order. ¡°Anyway, please tell me the rest.¡± ¡°Ahem, Rex has visited the cksmith several times recently. It seems like he made a n to rob the cksmith in the process.¡± ¡°Then where did they go now?¡± ¡°I heard he wasst seen in the northern snowy mountains and disappeared.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Jeong-Hoon got up from his seat. ¡°Anyway, thank you very much for the fan. It was a fan myte wife made for me. When someone stole it, I had all sorts of thoughts.¡± Woo-Gang gently stroked the fan as if he loved it. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon, who came out of the building, immediately headed to the snowy mountains located in the north. * * * [The registered evolution stone has been sold!] [Please receive the payment.] Is it because of the evolution stone craze? The stone was sold shortly after it was listed on the auction house. The selling price is 98 gold. Until a few days ago, it was an evolution stone that was formed at 110-120, but as the fact that it was dropped in Idenharc vige spread, the market price dropped by about 10%. But it was enough money to buy the item Jeong-Hoon wanted. ¡°Hmm¡­ Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword.¡± Ha-Jin searched for the item at the auction house. Two items were listed. === [Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword] -Type: One-Handed Sword -Grade: Rare -Attack Power: 67 -Critical Hit Rate: 1 ~ 1.5% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): When using sword skills, attack power increases by 5% -Special Ability (2): When holding the sword, [Passive: Courageous Spirit] is automatically activated === The price of the listed item was 55 gold. This rotten item costs 55 gold. He felt sorry even though it wasn¡¯t his money to buy it. This is because items with better options than this were listed for 35-40 gold. ¡°Hmm¡­ I can¡¯t help it.¡± After much deliberation, Ha-Jin paid 55 gold and purchased a one-handed sword. And he decided to buy additional weapons that Jeong-Hoon could use with the remaining money. ¡°You said it was Mu-Hwang, right?¡± He heard that Mu-Hwang is a profession that can handle various weapons. Of course, the process of handling weapons is so vicious. It was obvious it was a ss with infinite possibilities. ¡°I¡¯ll have to spend some of my money.¡± When he tried to support him with early items, he was rejected, saying he didn¡¯t need them, but now it seems like he can add them together. Of course, high-grade items wouldn¡¯t work, and Rare-grade items would be enough. Ha-Jin bought a pretty decent knuckle and dagger for a total of 65 gold and left the auction house. He immediately returned to Idenharc to give the items to Jeong-Hoon, but what the hell? Named users were gathered in the square, grabbing passersby. Of course, it wasn¡¯t long before Ha-Jin was caught. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± He was the Bow Master Lee Hwa-Rang. ¡®Huh? Lee Hwa-Rang? And next to him is Road Knight Park Jin-Hyeok?¡¯ Crazy¡­ He never thought he would see named users so close. Jeong-Hoon, this guy¡­ you did something really amazing. They must have alle to mine evolution stones. Catching users must be the intention to buy arge amount of these evolution stones. ¡°Why are you doing this? I don¡¯t have any evolution stones.¡± Unfortunately, Ha-Jin did not have any evolution stones. He sold what he got from Jeong-Hoon, and he hadn¡¯t even received the quest yet. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not it. I was wondering if you know who got the Red Dragon Bone Bow.¡± ¡°Red Dragon Bone Bow?¡± Ha-Jin tilted his head. He was sure the Red Dragon Bone Bow had been found in Idenharc. But he didn¡¯t know anything about the bow. Reading his expression, Lee Hwa-Rang smiled kindly and stepped back. ¡°It seems like you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I haven¡¯t been in Idenharc for long.¡± ¡°All right. Then good luck.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok turned away without hesitation. ¡°Excuse me. Did you hear what he said?¡± Not long after Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok disappeared, Jung Chang-Ho and Oh Min-Ji approached and asked. ¡®Wow¡­ this time it¡¯s Jung Chang-Ho and Oh Min-Ji?¡¯ What a lucky day! * * * Northern Snowy Mountains. It is a field where the temperature is maintained at minus 20-30 degrees 24 hours a day. More than 10 users were hunting Lv.53 Yetis in the field. ¡°These guys are the ones who hide treasures, right?¡± ¡°Right! Give me the pendant quickly!¡± They hunted Yetis hard. They were all in the middle of the Idenharc quest. ¡®You won¡¯t get anything from hunting Yetis¡­¡¯ The only way to get a pendant was to go to the eastern field and dig hard. Well, such hard work will disappear soon. Various users reside in World Com. Among them were users who wrote in detail about quest strategies. Soon, those users will write about the quest strategy. [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hey! I bought what you said!] A whisper from Ha-Jin just arrived. Apparently he sold the evolution stone and bought the item he asked for. It¡¯s faster than he expected. Could it be because of the evolution stone? It was much earlier than expected. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: I¡¯m in the northern snowy mountains right now. Do you want to do the quest first until then?] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Quest?] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: Yes, I¡¯ll tell you the quest strategy.] Jeong-Hoon exined in detail the quests he had performed. With this, Ha-Jin wouldn¡¯t waste time while he was away. [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Okay! I¡¯ll start right away. Should I tell you some amazing news? I just met four named users!] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: Four?] He can roughly picture who they are. It is very difficult for ordinary users to meet named users. That¡¯s why users made a fuss when Lee Hwa-Rang and Min Jin-Ho appeared in Starting Vige. [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Wow¡­ I¡¯m d I arrived today. How happy would I be if I joined the same guild as those people?] Currently, the attitude of users towards named users was close to worship. Ha-Jin¡¯s reaction alone shows that. On the other hand, Jeong-Hoon was indifferent. He had long been disillusioned with their greed and rotten minds. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: I know, so hurry up and do the quest.] Jeong-Hoon closed the whisper and moved on. ¡°Oh? Wait a minute! You shouldn¡¯t go up there carelessly!¡± As he was about to enter the entrance of the snowy mountain, two users grabbed Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Hmm?¡± === [yer Information] -Nickname: Johannesburg -Level: 78 -ss: Lower Warrior (1st ss) === The user who grabbed Jeong-Hoon was a level 78 lower warrior. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Canva -Level: 75 -ss: Lower Wizard (1st ss) === And the one next to him is a lower Wizard. Why did they suddenly grab him? Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes sank coldly. In the field, quarrels often lead to PVP. Reading his eyes, the lower warrior hurriedly shook his head. ¡°Ah, we didn¡¯te to pick a fight.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°We thought it would be better to go together because it would be dangerous if you go up to the snowy mountain alone!¡± To them, Jeong-Hoon was a low-level martial artist who hadpleted the first ss. He was seen as a beginner who couldn¡¯t even pass level 40. So they step up and stop him. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°No! It would be sad if you die and get logged out for 24 hours! So we will help you!¡± They were nosy people. Sometimes there are people like that. He wanted to say that it¡¯s a peculiar type who gets itchy feet if they don¡¯t do good deeds. ¡®You can¡¯t fool me.¡¯ He¡¯s had experienced a lot of those types. On the outside, they are kind and gentle, but inside they are dark. When they grabbed Jeong-Hoon earlier, he saw their eyes momentarily stained with greed. And one more thing. Jeong-Hoon came to distrust people due to one betrayal. ¡°Then will you help me climb the snowy mountain?¡± ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go together.¡± The faces of the lower warrior and lower Wizard brightened. Jeong-Hoon, who saw through their inner thoughts, smiled silently. * * * ¡®Done.¡¯ Han Hak-Seong, whose nickname is Johannesburg, cheered inwardly. A dungeon he found by ident while hunting monsters in the snowy mountains to level up. And it¡¯s an undiscovered dungeon! What¡¯s more, it was a dungeon that had not been discovered until now, and they were the first to discover it. Achievement points for the undiscovered dungeon are 1,000 points. It was a very low score for the first discovery, but the important thing is different. The item that the boss monster spits out is dropped with a 100% probability only for the first clear. ¡®First! Muahahaha!¡¯ ¡®Nice!¡¯ He was about to enter the dungeon with his friend, Park Jin-Seong, whose nickname is Canva, to attack the dungeon. However, only three or more people could enter this dungeon. ¡®Shit, what do we do?¡¯ Han Hak-Seong and Park Jin-Seong are two. So they needed one more person. ¡®Should we just create a party and recruit one person?¡¯ ¡®Hey, then we have to share the reward.¡¯ The reward that can be divided 5:5 must be divided 33% each. It¡¯s a whopping 17% loss, so he can¡¯t do it because it¡¯s a waste. ¡®Hmm, then how about asking a passerby?¡¯ ¡®Ask?¡¯ ¡®Yes. Who knows? Maybe there¡¯s a user who needs help?¡¯ ¡®Wow¡­ you¡¯re a genius. How can your head turn so well in that direction?¡¯ ¡®Hey, if I had studied, I would have gotten into one of the SKY universities.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s bullshit.¡¯ The two bickered and hunted near the entrance, looking for users. However, as befits a field in a fairly high-level area, there was not a single user wandering around alone. Through this, they had no choice but to watch and pray that they would not go to the snowy mountains. And soon, a user finally appeared. Like other users, he was alone, not at a party. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Hoon -Level: 34 -ss: Lower Martial Artist (1st ss) === The level and ss are perfect. It was perfect for sucking out all the benefits and throwing it away. He wondered why a beginner who hadn¡¯t even reached level 40 was poking his head in the north, but the question quickly disappeared when he realized he could enter the dungeon. ¡°Oh, did you find the dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Since they had to go in together, he exined the undiscovered dungeon while climbing the snowy mountain. ¡°So you need me because it¡¯s for three or more people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Of course, you just have to watch from behind. The appropriate level for this undiscovered dungeon is 52!¡± ¡°Okay. You helped me climb the snowy mountain, so I can¡¯t even do that much for you.¡± The user readily agreed. The story went easily without mentioning the reward separately. ¡®Heh, it¡¯s done.¡¯ Whoosh! [Critical hit!] Huh? ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 35 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 35 ¡®They were the ones who discovered the undiscovered dungeon.¡¯ Toplete the quest, he had to head to that dungeon. However, it was an undiscovered dungeon that has not yet been discovered by users. When Lee Hwa-Rang performed the quest before returning, it was quite some time after the dungeon was discovered, but now it remains an undiscovered dungeon. ¡®Good.¡¯ An undiscovered dungeon means it has not been cleared even once. In other words, if you hunt the boss monster, the item will drop with a 100% probability. As he recalls, this dungeon is not a mini-dungeon that one person can enter, but a dungeon that requires three or more people to gather. Since the number of people was just right, it was an offer that Jeong-Hoon had no reason to refuse. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Johannesburg took the lead. When he entered the portal, a message appeared before Jeong-Hoon. [The party leader has applied for a dungeon. Would you like to ept?] At the time of PrettyPong, Jeong-Hoon had set everything up so that he could decide everything. But in this party, all party members had to agree to enter the dungeon. When Jeong-Hoon agreed, the portal shed and swallowed them. [Lv.52 White Fang¡¯s Den] The dungeon level is 52. Originally, it would be right to form a party of 6 or more people including a healer. Johannesburg at level 78, Canva at level 75. Limited to under 100 levels, if the difference is more than 20 from the dungeon level, an option is given to greatly increase all stats. So they didn¡¯t need a healer. Of course, it¡¯s another story for Jeong-Hoon. ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯ At the end of the dungeon, Vulcan¡¯s equipment would be left alone. That¡¯s because the guys who robbed the cksmith¡¯s shop were attacked by the White Fang and dragged into this dungeon. They¡¯ll probably be lying dead next to the boss. ¡°Krrr! Humans! How dare youe here?¡± [Lv.50 White Fang] As many as 100 of them. Guys hiding in trees and bushes, shining their eyes. And the leader White Fang, leading them, was standing on a rock, staring at Jeong-Hoon, Johannesburg, and Canva. ¡°There are more than I thought?¡± ¡°Right.¡± Johannesburg and Canva were rxed. This is because they had a buff to increase all stats, and White Fang had a debuff to decrease all stats, as the level difference was more than 20. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous, so stay behind.¡± ¡°If anything happens, shout.¡± In this battle, Jeong-Hoon waspletely excluded. Because he was simply filling in the headcount. Of course, Jeong-Hoon wouldn¡¯t just watch. ¡®There¡¯s no reason to waste time.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon took out the Red Dragon Bone Bow and pulled the string. And he aimed at the leader standing on the rock and released the bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow shot flew like a parab and urately pierced the leader¡¯s forehead. [Critical hit!] White Fang¡¯s weakness is the head. A critical hit urred, piercing the forehead, the soft part of the head. ¡°Cough!¡± The White Fang, whose head was pierced, slumped sideways and rolled under the rock. The White Fangs, who were hiding and watching the situation, were thrown into confusion when the White Fang, who was acting as the leader, died instantly. [White Fang falls into ¡®confusion¡¯.] Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again and released it. This time, the arrow urately pierced the forehead of the White Fang hiding in the forest. [Critical hit!] A critical hit again. ¡®I need to beat them up some more.¡¯ There are too many of them. In this case, add Magic Missile to add more firepower. Jeong-Hoon chanted the form and activated Magic Missile. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Johannesburg and Canva froze with their weapons in their hands. How can a level 34 martial artist shoot a bow so well? There¡¯s not even a quiver. When he pulled the bowstring, an arrow was created where there was nothing. ¡°Hey¡­ isn¡¯t this a little weird¡­?¡± While he was staring nkly, Canva poked him in the side. Johannesburg came to his senses. ¡°It¡¯s definitely weird¡­¡± ¡°Right? Damn, how can a level 34 kill a level 52 White Fang with one shot? And that¡¯s a martial artist?¡± === [yer Information] -Nickname: Hoon -Level: 35 -ss: Lower Martial Artist (1st ss) === No matter how much he looked at it, he was a low-level martial artist. His level was 34, but it became 35 as if he had leveled up by hunting White Fang just now. Even so, the level difference with White Fang is a whopping 17. One shot a White Fang 17 levels higher? He had never heard of it. Whoosh! Regardless, Jeong-Hoon continued to hunt the White Fangs. [Critical hit!] One White Fang falls with one arrow. ¡°Hey! Look at that!¡± While he was admiring his archery skills, Canva pointed to another ce without noticing. He was annoyed for a moment. ¡°What¡­ Huh?!¡± Johannesburg, who was about to spit out a word, lost his words. A bluish lump was beating a White Fang like a boomerang. ¡°That¡¯s a Magic Missile!¡± Canva, the wizard, recognized the Magic Missile at a nce. But the problem is that he, the wizard, did not cast any magic. That means¡­ ¡®Could that martial artist be¡­ no way.¡¯ That¡¯s too much. Then who cast that Magic Missile? No matter how much he thought about it, the caster was only a martial artist. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words woke Canva from his thoughts. Currently, Jeong-Hoon is the only one hunting White Fangs. Johannesburg and Canva, who boasted that he should just watch when they entered the dungeon, were preupied with watching, let alone hunting. ¡°Ahem, we¡¯ll step up too!¡± Johannesburg drew his great sword and ran forward. Following him, Canva created a fireball and threw it at White Fang, joining the battle. * * * For a party of 3 or more, the frequency of White Fang¡¯s appearance was unusual. The ce he passed was full of White Fang corpses. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ First targets were Johannesburg and Canva. Their role was over when they entered the dungeon. So he was going to take care of them right away andfortably conquer the dungeon, but¡­ ¡®Then what¡¯s the difference between me and them?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s original purpose was to end the game. He didn¡¯t want to backstab them like they did. It didn¡¯t make sense to deal with them even though they didn¡¯t bother to pick a fight, so he turned his target to the leader, White Fang. The choice was sessful. Johannesburg and Canva were pretty good at hunting despite being a normal grade 1st ss change. Johannesburg, a warrior, went forward and drew aggro, and Canva added firepower from behind. And Jeong-Hoon leisurely shot arrows and hunted White Fangs one by one. Thanks to this, we were able to reach the boss zone faster than expected. ¡°¡­Hey.¡± Johannesburg spoke to him for the first time since entering the dungeon. This is the first time he has spoken to him since he has been concentrating on hunting sinceing to the boss zone. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Are you really a martial artist?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see the yer information?¡± ¡°¡­No, does this make sense? Why are you shooting arrows so well? Even Magic Missiles¡­ What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a martial artist. I learned this skill as a martial artist-only skill.¡± ¡°Make sense¡­¡± Johannesburg also knows how extreme the Steadfast Will learning process is. This is why everyone avoids the profession. There were no decent skills, and the special skill they threw was Steadfast Will. ¡°Ahem, anyway, about the reward¡­¡± Canva intervened in the conversation. ¡°Let¡¯s split it 33% each.¡± Jeong-Hoon suggested sharing the stake equally. Both thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°All right¡­¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± At first, they were going to fill Jeong-Hoon in as a headcount and split the reward 50% between themselves. Also, the subjugation difficulty was not that high, so it was possible to subjugate it sufficiently. However, as Jeong-Hoon hunted like crazy, 70% of the contribution so far was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s share. The remaining 30% was theirs, so it was difficult to divide the reward. Jeong-Hoon first suggested that they share 33% each, so they could not refute. ¡°Then let¡¯s go in.¡± Jeong-Hoon led the way into the boss zone. In front of it, a giant White Fang was squatting. [Lv.70 Giant White Fang] However, his eyes were not on the boss, but on the bodies next to him. A question mark was blinking above the corpses¡¯ heads. [General Quest: Thief Rex] -Restriction: User whopleted Woo-Gang¡¯s quest -Reward: Stolen items -Description: The small Rex Bandit was wiped out by the White Fang¡¯s attack. Defeat the giant White Fang and retrieve the items they stole. Correct answer. Through this quest, he will be able to entrust the refining to the cksmith Vulcan. Jeong-Hoon epted the quest. ¡°I¡¯ll pull aggro!¡± Johannesburg jumped forward. His sword attack poured out on the giant White Fang. However, unlike the normal White Fang, the boss¡¯s level is a whopping 70. Even though Johannesburg was above par, he could not push the giant White Fang. This is because the equipment is a little poorpared to the level. ¡°You damn human!¡± [Lv.70 Giant White Fang uses ¡®Roar¡¯.] [You are in a state of abnormality (fear).] The unique skill the giant White Fang had was an area debuff. Jeong-Hoon, who was only half the level, felt his body freeze. Although his mind was calm, his body, which was only Lv.35, was trembling, caught in an abnormal state. Despite this, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face was calm. ¡®This feeling is nostalgic too.¡¯ An abnormal state that he had been tired of. If he used divine power to get out of the abnormal state, it would be an easy problem to solve, but Jeong-Hoon did not do so. ¡°I¡¯ll block it from the front!¡± Johannesburg and Canva were hardly restricted in their movement despite being under the Giant White Fang¡¯s area debuff. Because the level was high. Therefore, they started attacking the giant White Fang to protect Jeong-Hoon. Thanks to this, Jeong-Hoon was able to leisurely watch the situation and operate his mana. [Martial Artist¡¯s exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ is activated.] [Acquire the skill, ¡®Debuff Resistance (Rare)¡¯.] Raising mana to ovee the abnormal state and circte it throughout the body. That was the condition for acquiring new skills. Originally, it would have been a longer process. ¡®Is it because he¡¯s a Martial Artist? Steadfast Will reacts quickly.¡¯ After the first ss change, the speed at which Steadfast Will reacted became faster in a different dimension. Well. This is called a Legendary ss. Jeong-Hoon grinned. [¡®Debuff Resistance¡¯ reacts to divine power.] [The level of ¡®Debuff Resistance¡¯ increases to 5.] Debuff Resistance skill that reacts immediately to divine power. The skill he just acquired instantly rose to level 5. [Debuff Resistance] -Type: Passive -Level: 5 -Grade: Rare -Strongly resists debuffs. (Up to 10%) Up to 10% resistance. Jeong-Hoon then used his divine power. Unlike mana, divine power is not limited by level. That¡¯s why healers of the nonbat type are always in demand and are treated preciously. [Freed from the abnormal state (fear).] The trembling of the body subsides. Jeong-Hoon slowly pulled the bowstring. Currently, the giant White Fang waspletely focused on Johannesburg. ¡®The vital point of the giant White Fang is also the forehead.¡¯ However, its defense is stronger than that of the Lv.52 White Fang, and the exposed area is narrow, making it very difficult to hit. You need to shoot more carefully. But he¡¯s not worried. This is a bow he has touched so many times that he¡¯s sick of it before returning. It¡¯s an archery skill he learned from those who are good at archery. ¡®Only by removing even the slightest tremor can you hit the target properly.¡¯ Advice he heard from Lee Hwa-Rang. It is undeniable that he has ovee countless hardships with the help of his colleagues. Although they are now no different from traitors, that advice was enough to be flesh and blood. Johannesburg and Canva teamed up to push the giant White Fang, but thest hit will be Jeong-Hoon¡¯s. He pulled the bowstring and released it. A powerful arrow with Arrow activated. The arrow was shot in a parab and then hit the giant White Fang¡¯s forehead. And very urately. ¡°Kyaak!¡± [Critical hit!] A critical hit urred and the giant White Fang¡¯s massive body copsed sideways. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 36 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 36 Earth Korea Management Team. ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯m speechless now.¡± Oh Jin-Soo stared at the screen with a speechless face. And behind him, half of the management team staff were standing and watching the screen. ¡°A level 35 defeats a level 70 boss in one shot¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s possible because he¡¯s a user. Other users won¡¯t be able to do it, right?¡± ¡°Of course. That user is out of the norm¡­¡± The staff also clicked their tongues at the user¡¯s prowess. ¡°By the way, that undiscovered dungeon location was found because of the party members, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. In the first ce, it was the party members who discovered the undiscovered dungeon.¡± The user received information from the mercenary and visited the northern snowy mountains. In the first ce, it is impossible to know the location of an undiscovered dungeon. This time, it can be said that it was a very lucky case. ¡°But I wonder if he really didn¡¯t know? Considering what he¡¯s shown so far, he might have known¡­¡± ¡°Whether he knew it or not, it means the user haspleted the quest.¡± Severely damaged bodies are seen next to the giant White Fang. The user recovered all the stolen treasures through the body. ¡°Now you¡¯re going to use that evolution stone, right?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Oh Jin-Soo swallowed nervously. Where will he use that many evolution stones? Is it a bow? Then what change will happen to the Red Dragon Bone Bow? His heart raced with anticipation. * * * [Level up!] [All stats +1 increased.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] Done. The level increased further by defeating the giant White Fang just now. [yer Information] -Nickname: Hoon -Level: 36 -ss: Martial Artist (Lower Martial Artist 1st ss) With this, the level is 36. [Detailed Stats] -Strength: 46(+4) -> 50 -Agility: 46(+6) -> 52 -Health: 46(+6) -> 52 -Defense: 46(+4) -> 50 -Wisdom: 46(+4) -> 50 -Mana: 50(+5) -> 55 -Divine Power: 48(+4) -> 52 -Mental Strength: 36(+6) -> 42 -Unapplied stats: 45 Detailed stats have also increased a lot. However, he has not yet invested bonus stats, so even though he reached level 36, none of them exceeded 60. ¡®It¡¯s okay. It¡¯ll be over soon.¡¯ Everything is for the future. The moment the unapplied stat reaches 100, Jeong-Hoon will invest all the stats. ¡°Wow¡­ you¡¯re amazing.¡± Johannesburg and Canva looked at the boss¡¯s fallen body and burst into admiration. An arrow that urately pierced the forehead. With a critical hit, the Lv.70 defense was instantly neutralized. ¡®How can this be the archery skill of a level 36?¡¯ ¡®Crazy¡­ I just saw it go up to level 36, so the numbers aren¡¯t wrong.¡¯ He didn¡¯t defeat it with firepower. He urately stabbed the enemy¡¯s weak point and killed it in an instant. To urately prate this narrow vital point. It was a really crazy skill. ¡°¡­Are you an archer by any chance?¡± Johannesburg asked carefully. If he had this kind of skill, he must be a skilled person who has touched a bow in reality. What¡¯s more, he urately pierced the vital point of a moving target, not a stationary target like an archery target. With this level of skill, he should immediately go out as a national representative and y an active role. ¡°No.¡± Jeong-Hoon shook his head. Archery? From the beginning, when he held the bow, it was when it was impossible to enjoy such a peaceful sport. A world where several small countries have perished and disappeared, causing even neighboring countries to falter and the infrastructure built up to copse, turning into aplete mess. It is still vividly remembered in his mind. ¡°¡­Why are you doing that?¡± Johannesburg stuttered at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s grim face. He wondered if his question had angered him. Fortunately, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression quickly returned to normal. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. Let¡¯s get the reward.¡± It was time to settle the reward. Jeong-Hoon approached the body lying next to him. A small pocket was shining in the corpse¡¯s bosom. [Questpleted.] [You have acquired a ¡®Lower Subspace Pocket¡¯.] Lower Subspace Pocket. Unlike users, NPCs carried this subspace pocket and stored various items and goods. Of course, it was also a very rare item that was rarely seen in the starting zone. Why do mere thieves have such an item? This subspace pocket was also stolen. A roaring lion pattern engraved in the middle of the pocket. This is the emblem of a noble family. Although he is a ruined nobleman now, Rex has only identally acquired a subspace pocket. ¡®It¡¯s an item to proceed with the questter. I need to keep it.¡¯ Before that, he opened the subspace pocket and transferred all the equipment stolen from the cksmith to his inventory. Among the equipment was an energy extractor that Vulcan handled. With this, he was able to refine the Red Dragon Bone Bow. ¡°Oh! Is this the reward this guy drops?¡± ¡°Jackpot, right?¡± Johannesburg and Canva were preupied with the rewards dropped by the giant White Fang. Jeong-Hoon leisurely picked up the subspace pocket and joined them. Thest hit was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s, so he was the owner of the reward. ¡®Giant White Fang¡¯s Leather.¡¯ [Giant White Fang¡¯s Leather] -Type: Material -Grade: Rare -It is the leather of a giant White Fang. -A valuable material used to make armor. (Lv.60 ~ Lv.100) First is the White Fang¡¯s leather. This boss¡¯s leather cannot be removed separately. This is because the body rots as soon as it is judged dead. Therefore, the only leather that can be used is the leather dropped at the same time as it dies. ¡°Gulp.¡± He heard the sound of swallowing saliva from behind. This is because the current market price of this leather is a whopping 30 gold. 30 gold for just one piece of leather. However, the defense of the armor made through this leather is iparably higher than that of armor of the same level. That¡¯s why even leather alone can get a high price. Even if divided into thirds, it¡¯s 10 gold. What¡¯s more, the reward he spit out wasn¡¯t just leather. [Giant White Fang¡¯s Magic Core] -Type: Material -Grade: Rare -It is the magic core of a giant White Fang. -Refined magic cores can be separated and used in the manufacture of weapons (staves, wands). (Lv.60 ~ Lv.100) It¡¯s a magic core. Simrly, the magic core is also a material item that costs around 25-30 gold. Using this magic core to make staves and wands will be useful for leveling up to 120. ¡°Gulp.¡± The sound of swallowing saliva continued. Jeong-Hoon took the items and offered them a trade in turn. ¡°Why trade?¡± Johannesburg first. ¡°I¡¯m trying to pay you the reward.¡± Jeong-Hoon said that and put the giant White Fang¡¯s leather on the item window. Johannesburg¡¯s eyes widened when he saw it. ¡°You, shouldn¡¯t you sell it and give it to us¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give the leather to you and the magic core to the user next to you.¡± In fact, the purpose of this dungeon was to retrieve the items stolen by the Rex thieves. The items dropped by the giant White Fang could also be used usefully, but they were not items that were needed right away. So he¡¯s going to give it to the people who worked hard to get here. Johannesburg, who received the leather, had a touched face. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± A whopping 30 gold. With this, you can buy another rare sword. Next, he offered a trade to Canva. Canva is a wizard, so the magic core would feel even more precious. As expected, he pressed the tradepletion button with tears in his eyes. ¡°Thank you!¡± ¡°Yes. Then please keep today¡¯s subjugation quiet.¡± They quickly understood what Jeong-Hoon meant. ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it a secret!¡± The bribery effect was the best. * * * Jeong-Hoon, who finished the subjugation, immediately visited the cksmith¡¯s shop. The messy cksmith shop had been transformed into a clean one after a major cleaning. ¡°Huh? What, you¡¯re back already? It looks like you couldn¡¯t find it?¡± Vulcan, who was hammering iron, stopped working and greeted Jeong-Hoon. ¡°No. I found it.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out all the weapons, armor, and Vulcan¡¯s equipment that he had put in his inventory. Vulcan¡¯s eyes widened when he saw it, and an exmation mark appeared above his head. Hepleted the quest. [Questpleted.] [Vulcan will be able to carry out the request.] Done. He was now able to ce an order. ¡°You found the weapons and armor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s real?!¡± The cksmiths¡¯ eyes were hot when they saw the stolen goods. They were happy to find the works they thought they would never find again. There was also armor that the vige NPCs hadmissioned. Had he not found it, he would have had to pay 100%pensation. If that happens, the cksmith¡¯s losses would have been indescribable. The cksmiths were full of favor towards Jeong-Hoon because they didn¡¯t have to suffer such a loss. [The affinity of all NPCs in the cksmith shop increases sharply.] NPCs included Vulcan. ¡°Thank you so much! So, you definitely said you wanted to refine it using evolution stones, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then can you show me what kind of weapon you¡¯re going to refine?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and took out the Red Dragon Bone Bow from his inventory. When the extraordinary bow appeared, the eyes of all the cksmiths, including Vulcan, widened. It would be so because there was virtually no Unique grade weapon in Idenharc, so there would have been no chance toe into contact with it. Vulcan¡¯s hand trembled as he received the bow, so it seemed like it was his first time too. ¡°Is it possible?¡± Vulcan thought for a moment at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s question, then slowly opened his mouth. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but¡­ One stone isn¡¯t nearly enough to refine a bow like this.¡± It means that it cannot be refined with just one evolution stone. ¡°Then how about nine?¡± Jeong-Hoon remembers. He remembers that a whopping 9 evolution stones were consumed to refine the Red Dragon Bone Bow. ¡°Hmm¡­ If it¡¯s that much, it¡¯s possible. But it won¡¯t be easy to get nine, will it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He took out all 9 evolution stones that were in his inventory and put them down. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± ¡°Will it be done in a week?¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Vulcan nodded and epted the request. [cksmith Vulcan has epted the request.] [The refinement of the ¡®Red Dragon Bone Bow¡¯ begins.] [The time required is ¡®168¡¯ hours.] ¡°Then please.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon, who came out of the cksmith¡¯s shop, went to the vige square and met Ha-Jin. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m done!¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s face was beaming. It appears he finished the quest faster than expected. ¡°You found it quickly?¡± ¡°Yes! I dug in the field for about 30 minutes and found the pendant.¡± ¡°Really?¡± 30 minutes was considered a very quick find. ¡°Yes. So everyone was asking me where the pendant was. I felt so good.¡± Ha-Jin smiled proudly, recalling the moment he had been a star for a while. ¡°Did you tell them?¡± ¡°Am I crazy to release honey tips? I just said I was lucky.¡± ¡°Heh heh, well done. So what about the item I asked for?¡± ¡°This brother brought it very well. I bought some more items with some of my money, so be thankful.¡± Ha-Jin said so and uploaded three items. One is a one-handed sword. === [Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword] -Type: One-Handed Sword -Grade: Rare -Attack Power: 67 -Critical Hit Rate: 1 ~ 1.5% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): When using sword skills, attack power increases by 5% -Special Ability (2): When holding the sword, [Passive: Courageous Spirit] is automatically activated === Jeong-Hoon grinned. Yes, this is the one-handed sword. ¡°Thank you.¡± He was grateful to Ha-Jin, who sold the evolution stones and personally bought the items for him. So he was going to give him all the remaining gold. He also bought a dagger and knuckles. All of them are Rare grade weapons. === [Yid Dagger] -Type: Dagger -Grade: Rare -Attack Power: 53 -Critical Hit Rate: 1% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): When equipped, the dagger¡¯s attack power increases by an additional 5%. -Special Ability (2): When equipped, the dagger¡¯s critical hit rate increases by an additional 0.2%. === Not bad options for a Rare grade. === [Bronze Knuckles] -Type: Knuckles -Grade: Rare -Attack Power: 56 -Critical Hit Rate: 1 ~ 1.25% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): When equipped, the knuckles¡¯ attack power increases by an additional 5%. -Special Ability (2): When equipped, the knuckles¡¯ critical hit rate increases by an additional 0.5%. === The stats are a bit lower than the Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword, but it¡¯s still usable. ¡®Good, the Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword is in.¡¯ This sword is no ordinary sword. ¡®When it ister revealed that it is used as a material, it will jump up to 1,700 gold.¡¯ An item that will jump more than 34 times, considering the average of 50 gold. Of course, it¡¯s not an item he bought to make a profit. Jeong-Hoon is going to use this sword as a material. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 37 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 37 Idenharc Square. Road Knight Park Jin-Hyeok shook his head. ¡°Hwa-Rang, I don¡¯t think we can find it.¡± He spoke to more than 90% of the users residing in Idenharc, but the ie was zero. In other words, it is highly likely that the user who acquired the Red Dragon Bone Bow has already left Idenharc. ¡°Damn it!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang mmed his fist on the table. Then the table could not withstand it and was shattered. Then the tes and food set on it fell and shattered. Everyone in the restaurant focused on this side. ¡°Hey! What a waste¡­¡± Park Jin-Hyeok nced at the food that had fallen on the floor with a regretful face. What he ordered was the most expensive food in this restaurant, a luxury course meal. If you eat the entire course meal, you can get a random buff. The effect of the buff is quite good, so he often uses the restaurant. ¡°Is there something wrong with the food?!¡± One of the NPCs serving food hurriedly approached and asked nervously. Park Jin-Hyeok shook his head with a good-natured smile. ¡°No. My friend is overwhelmed with anger over something else, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± And he paid for the food and table. He also paid for the tables where the users were sitting as an apology for making the surroundings noisy. ¡°As expected of Road Knight Park Jin-Hyeok¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s a really nice person.¡± ¡°But why is Lee Hwa-Rang doing that?¡± ¡°Right. I heard he doesn¡¯t have that kind of personality.¡± Before the users could say anything more, Park Jin-Hyeok left the restaurant with Lee Hwa-Rang. Only then did Park Jin-Hyeok tap Lee Hwa-Rang on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, no matter what, you broke the table there?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange for a guy not to get angry in that situation?¡± He worked tirelessly to collect the Red Dragon Set. Such efforts were in vain in an instant. It is a situation where it is not easy for ordinary people to control their emotions. In the case of Lee Hwa-Rang, he was engulfed in anger, not sadness or frustration. ¡°A guy who doesn¡¯t usually get angry?¡± It was the first time in a long time that he had seen Lee Hwa-Rang so angry. It doesn¡¯t seem like this is just because he missed the Red Dragon Bone Bow. There must be something more. He just doesn¡¯t know because he keeps his mouth shut. It would be more urate to see the umted stuff explode. ¡°¡­Go back first.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay and look for a little more.¡± One weapon left before the set. Lee Hwa-Rang couldn¡¯t give up that weapon. ¡°Tsk, then I¡¯ll have to stay a little longer too.¡± ¡°You can go back. Isn¡¯t the guild talking about it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ how do I know what kind of ident you¡¯re going to cause?¡± A little while ago, if Park Jin-Hyeok hadn¡¯t reacted quickly, it would have been a mess. Ah, it must already be a mess. World Com will be stered with Lee Hwa-Rang. Still, the difference between doing damage control and not doing it was the difference between heaven and earth. ¡°Then just two days. Let¡¯s just wait two more days.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang was desperate. Please show up so he could buy it no matter how much it costs. * * * ¡®Then I¡¯ll go first.¡¯ After Ha-Jin left, Jeong-Hoon went to find an alchemist residing in Idenharc. The ce where the alchemist stayed was an old mansion. It was much older than the mansion built in Idenharc, and the walls were cracked as if they were old. It looked so precarious as if it would copse if it was shocked here. If the alchemist in Starting Vige was crazy about poison, this alchemist could be said to be crazy about dposition. [Don¡¯t go to the Starting zone alchemist lol] -Especially Idenharc. I went there without knowing anything and my weapon was disassembled. ©¸Lol The weapon should go to the cksmith. ©¸The level of going to an alchemist tsk tsk ©¸What does an alchemist know about weapons? ©¸That¡¯s why you go to Idenharc and get your weapons disassembled lol ©¸Agreed, you chose Idenharc instead of all the good ces. An alchemist who disassembles weapons and extracts the materials inside. But do they know? Countless users will fill this mansion in the future to get materials. Naturally, Jeong-Hoon was the only user visiting this mansion at the moment. Jeong-Hoon knocked on the mansion door. Creak. The closed door opened automatically at the same time as the knock. Unlike the exterior, the interior was quite neat. Most NPCs who study alchemy make a mess of their rooms. Only alchemy. It¡¯s because nothing else catches their eye. In some alchemists¡¯ rooms, they hadn¡¯t cleaned for years, and the smell of rot was vibrating. Even Jeong-Hoon, who is not inferior to anyone in terms of guts, felt nauseous. On the other hand, this alchemist was different. There was no musty smell, not even a stale smell, even though it was an old mansion. ¡®He was also crazy about cleaning.¡¯ All day cleaning except for alchemy. That¡¯s why the old mansion is kept so clean. ¡°Who are you?¡± A man who looked to be in histe 20s walked out. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Heyrn -Level: 52 -Job: Alchemist (Dposition) === As befits a cleaning maniac, his face was neat. His clothes were also not stained at all, as if he washed them frequently. ¡°I came here to disassemble a weapon.¡± ¡°Weapon?¡± Heyrn tilted his head. ¡°Yes. This is it.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out the Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword from his inventory. ¡°Hmm?¡± Heyrn¡¯s eyes, scanning the sword, took on a different color. He recognized at a nce that it was an unusual weapon. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and talk.¡± Heyrn led him to the room where he was doing research. It was a very neatly organized room. Jeong-Hoon ced the sword on the table. ¡°You can do it, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but this weapon is not easily disassembled.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded at Heyrn¡¯s words as he nced at the sword with a troubled face. ¡°You¡¯re not saying it¡¯s impossible, are you?¡± ¡°Yes. To be honest, this sword is no ordinary sword.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°¡­You mean you know it¡¯s an Ego Sword?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ego Sword. It is called Ego because the self is enshrined in the weapon. The reason the ego could be attached was because the soul stone wasbined with the weapon. What Jeong-Hoon is trying to extract as a material is this fragment of soul stone. He wants to get a whole soul stone, but to get that soul stone, he has to be at least level 300 or higher to get a chance. It was a long way for Jeong-Hoon now. ¡®I can use other methods.¡¯ So he¡¯s going to get the soul stone in a different way. ¡°Then the story will be easy. This sword cannot be disassembled normally. You have to do advanced disassembly.¡± ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°Would you get it for me?!¡± Just then, a question mark appeared above Heyrn¡¯s head. [Hidden Quest: Alchemist Heyrn] -Restriction: User with Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword. -Reward: Advanced Disassembly -Description: Help alchemist Heyrn with his advanced disassembly work. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I will tell you the list of ingredients to get!¡± [List of materials] -1,000 Will Tiger Fangs -1,000 ck Tiger Fangs -1,000 Murkun Fangs -1,000 White Murkun Fangs They are ridiculous ingredients. What¡¯s more, it was impossible to collect them separately because they were materials that were dropped only after receiving the quest. ¡°If youbine the fangs of these guys, it will prevent them from going berserk during the dposition process! I think you¡¯ll need about 1,000 of each to dpose a weapon like this.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not trying to pocket half of it, are you?¡± ¡°Yes?! What are you talking about!¡± This was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s second time on this quest. So he knew exactly how much material was needed. He seemed to have prevented the runaway when he put in about 453, but¡­ That means he will swallow half. ¡®He knew from the beginning that it would be eaten in about 500 pieces.¡¯ As evidence of this, Heyrn flinched at the words that hit the nail on the head. It meant that the calction had already beenpleted. ¡°500.¡± Jeong-Hoon held up 5 fingers. ¡°Ehei! I said 1,000. What¡¯s 500?¡± ¡°Then would you like to bet? 500 seems to be enough.¡± Heyrn finally raised the white g at his tenacity. ¡°You¡¯re too much¡­ Don¡¯t I have to make a living too?¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t know how to do business.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°If this works out well, I¡¯ll spread the word.¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s in it for me?¡± Heyrn tilted his head. He was stuck in the mansion and only researched alchemy, but Heyrn had no talent for business. ¡°Listen carefully. By the way, this sword is not one. There are several.¡± ¡°¡­-Yes.¡± ¡°Yes. Then what happens if I spread the word? Wouldn¡¯t users with swordse to you?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Heyrn pped his hands as if he understood. [The list of ingredients is modified.] -Will Tiger¡¯s Fang 1,000 -> 500 -ck Tiger¡¯s Fang 1,000 -> 500 -Murkun¡¯s Fang 1,000 -> 500 -White Murkun¡¯s Fang 1,000 -> 500 Done. The ingredients have been halved. Jeong-Hoon smiled as the workload decreased. ¡°It¡¯s a very wise choice.¡± ¡°But you have to spread the word for sure?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but spread the word even if he didn¡¯t want to. This is because new information is automatically updated on the New World homepage when a soul stone fragment is extracted from a one-handed sword. If you just drop it on World Com in that situation, Heyrn will be an NPC who is not enough to work overtime all night. * * * He slept well after a long time. Jeong-Hoon, who logged outst night due to a schedule and went straight to bed, was looking at World Com while preparing to go out. [Lee Hwa-Rang is going crazy lol] -He broke the table at the restaurant lol He seems to be looking for the person who got the bow, but he can¡¯t find it. ©¸I was at the restaurant, and this is true. ©¸He must have been really surprised lol What did the table do wrong ?? ©¸Exactly lol I heard that Lee Hwa-Rang is talking to every user in Idenharc. ©¸This is real lol I¡¯m level 56, and Lee Hwa-Rang came to me and talked to me. ©¸Really? I should go to Idenharc too! ©¸There¡¯s still a sucker who hasn¡¯t gone to Idenharc lol You¡¯re not going to eat the evolution stone? ©¸The evolution stone quest is really extreme ?? You should tell me where the pendant is! World Com was being stered with content about Lee Hwa-Rang. ¡®Oh, he broke the table?¡¯ Apparently his patience has reached its limit due to missing the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and this Red Dragon Bone Bow. He chuckled as he imagined Lee Hwa-Rang engulfed in anger. He is not the type to easily give up in a situation where he canplete the set with just one item. He must still be in Idenharc, diligently searching for the whereabouts of the Red Dragon Bone Bow. ¡®Then shall I make it a little more difficult?¡¯ Currently, more than half of the users who visited Idenharc are clicking their tongues at the difficulty and giving up. There are no proper tip posts yet. Jeong-Hoon posted a post on World Com to fuel the fire. It was a tip post with how to get evolution stones. [You still haven¡¯t cleared the Idenharc Evolution Stone quest? Lol] -I¡¯ll tell you, so try it quickly lol It was a tip post that filled the introduction with provocative remarks, and then exined the contents rted to the quest in great detail. As expected, the number of views started to rise like crazy. ©¸Huh? Is this real? ©¸Crazy, was this the way to go? ©¸What else would it be? It¡¯s bullshit to tell me to dig the ground. ©¸I¡¯ll try it. ©¸I¡¯ll try it first and then curse or praise it. Only after confirming that the replies wereing up did Jeong-Hoon turn off World Com. ¡°What are youughing about?¡± His mother, who had finished preparing to go out in the room, tilted her head at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s just something funny. By the way, are you all ready?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go quickly.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 38 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 38 If it had been a normal day, he would have logged into New World as soon as he woke up, but today he couldn¡¯t. This is because it is his father¡¯s death anniversary. Since there are no rtives to visit, his mother prepares food herself every year. Perhaps because of that, it became natural for Jeong-Hoon to help his mother cook. ¡°Thank you for your help this year too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s something I should do.¡± His mother picks the ingredients, and Jeong-Hoon puts the ingredients in the basket and carries them. After shopping for two hours like this, he trims the ingredients ording to his mother¡¯s order. After preparing the food, he ced it on the ancestral rites table. ¡®Father.¡¯ The image of his father remains vivid in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mind. Until he died in a sudden car ident, his father was very healthy. The father who always praised and supported him. ¡®1st ce in the whole school again? Ha¡­ As expected of my son! I live because of you.¡¯ His father, who was pleased with his son¡¯s report card, bought him beef. And in the ident that happened the next day, his father died on the spot. Is it because he remembers everything? Whenever his father¡¯s memorial day came around, feelings of longing surged like crazy. ¡®Father, this time I¡¯ll make you proud.¡¯ But now was not the time to be dominated by emotions. Instead of saying he missed him, Jeong-Hoon expressed his determination. Although he could not prevent his father from having an ident, he would definitely prevent the disaster that happened before he returned. He said that he would do his best to be filial to his mother as much as his father who passed away. * * * World Com is on fire 24 hours a day. The topic always changes, but depending on the impact, it canst for days. Lee Hwa-Rangsted exactly a few days. A named user who caused a disturbance in a restaurant. What a good topic to draw aggro. However, contrary to expectations, Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s fever soon died down. The reason was the strategy article posted in the morning. [Hey! This strategy is real! I got an evolution stone with this lol] -Infinite thanks for posting the strategy guide ?? ©¸Ah lol I just got the pendant with that strategy too~ ©¸Users who were stuck on map interpretation also got it after seeing the strategy guide! ©¸I¡¯m on my way to Idenharc now;; ©¸Damn it, I want to get an evolution stone too! The number of views of the strategy article has already exceeded 200,000. The article is currently ranked 41st in the real-time ranking as a popr rising post. An article that is less than 12 hours old is ranked 40th. At this rate, it was an article that could aim for the top 10. That¡¯s because it¡¯s a strategy guide where you can get evolution stones. Thanks to this, Lee Hwa-Rang was able to be buried quickly. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Park Jin-Hyeok, who logged out for a short break, immediately went into World Com. This was to see how hot World Com was due to the light happening at the restaurant. But World Com was stered with content rted to the Idenharc Evolution Stone quest, not Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s story. He understood why the users who had disappeared had returned inrge numbers. ¡°Should I be thankful for this?¡± He was d that Lee Hwa-Rang was not being talked about, but the more painful thing was that it meant it was more difficult to find the user who acquired the Red Dragon Bone Bow. Would the guys who gave up the quest once and left have found the Red Dragon Bone Bow? ¡°No, that can¡¯t be.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok shook his head. Those guys who rely on strategy guides without that kind of patience are unlikely to have found such a rare weapon. The prediction was correct. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go back.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang said with a stiff face. A whopping five days, exceeding two days. He had been wandering Idenharc for five days, but the ie was zero. This is because although the influx of users was explosive, the owner of the bow did not show up. ¡®Ahem, in that state, evenfort will be useless.¡¯ Park Jin-Hyeok wisely shut his mouth. He felt like he would get caught in the fire if heforted him with that grim face. So they left the field. * * * Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique exploded. ¡°Kwak!¡± The White Murkun, who was hit in the vital point, copsed, foaming at the mouth. He trembled a few times and then died. [White Murkun¡¯s Fang Acquired.] [Level up!] [All stats +1 increased.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] The level rose to 41 with the recent hunt. In addition, all material collection waspleted with the acquisition of the fang just now. [List of materials] -500 Will Tiger Fangs (Completed) -500 ck Tiger Fangs (Completed) -500 Murkun¡¯s Fangs (Completed) -500 White Murkun¡¯s Fangs (Completed) With this, all the advanced dposition materials have been collected. Jeong-Hoon wiped the sweat off his face and tried to return to the vige. ¡®Hmm? Who is that?¡¯ He stopped walking at the face he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. Bow Master Lee Hwa-Rang. And Road Knight Park Jin-Hyeok. They were younger than the faces in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head, but it was definitely the two of them. ¡®I didn¡¯t know I¡¯d run into you here.¡¯ This was the first time he had met Lee Hwa-Rang in person after returning. This is because Jeong-Hoon had not yet encountered Lee Hwa-Rang even though he had been in Idenharc for quite some time. And Lee Hwa-Rang also seemed to have found Jeong-Hoon, so he approached with shining eyes. ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked, pretending not to know. Anger welled up inside him, but he skillfully suppressed it. He had to endure. It wasn¡¯t time yet. ¡®You have a lot of confidence on your face? Even after seeing a named user like Hwa-Rang.¡¯ Park Jin-Hyeok, who was watching from behind, admired Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression. The reactions of the users he had met in Idenharc so far were varied. But this was the first time he had seen a reaction like Jeong-Hoon¡¯s. Usually, beginners who are not over level 100 can only look up to named users, but Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t find that feeling. ¡°Maybe¡­ Hoon, have you found a bow recently?¡± There was not even a glimmer of hope on Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s face as he asked. The user before him was now a level 41 low-level martial artist. He didn¡¯t think such a martial artist would have eaten the Red Dragon Bone Bow. But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s answer exceeded their expectations. ¡°Yes. I found one while hunting.¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Can you show me for a moment?¡± He hurriedly requested a trade with Jeong-Hoon. But the deal was rejected. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s a bit of a problem. It¡¯s an item I don¡¯t have any intention of selling right now. Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Jeong-Hoon tried to leave the field with a light greeting. Then Lee Hwa-Rang hurriedly grabbed his shoulder. ¡°If you show it to me, I¡¯ll buy it right away! Whatever it is, 10 times the current market price! I¡¯ll buy it 10 times!¡± How desperate was he to make such an offer without even checking? Jeong-Hoonughed inwardly at his blurred judgment. And he asked with wide eyes. ¡°Ten times¡­ you say?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Well¡­ well, it must be an item you need.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang felt a sense of urgency in saying he needed the item. He wanted to check the item right away and felt like he was going crazy. ¡°Then please ept the trade.¡± ¡°¡­Are you really going to give me 10 times?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He was prepared with money. If he wanted, he was thinking of paying with items worth more than that. Lee Hwa-Rang requested a trade again, and Jeong-Hoon finally epted. ¡®Red Dragon Bone Bow. If you got a bow, it must be that.¡¯ There aren¡¯t many quests that give weapons as rewards in Idenharc. Even that gives you a weapon that fits your ss, so if you¡¯re a martial artist, you have no choice but to receive knuckles. And since he said he ate it by hunting, isn¡¯t there a possibility that it¡¯s the Red Dragon Bone Bow? However, the weapon that came up was not the Red Dragon Bone Bow. === [Lisiv Bow] -Type: Bow -Grade: Rare -Attack Power: 53 -Critical Hit Rate: 0.7 ~ 0.75% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): Arrow damage increased by 3%. -Special Ability (2): Proficiency is increased by 1%. === When a rare bow appeared, Lee Hwa-Rang blinked his eyes with a bewildered face. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a weapon I got from hunting. I¡¯m a martial artist, so I don¡¯t need it¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be an item you need?¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± Lee Hwa-Rang gave a hollowugh. ¡°You¡¯re not going to sell it, are you? You said you¡¯d buy it for 10 times the price if I showed it to you?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head. This bow is really a bow obtained by hunting monsters. The probability of field monsters dropping weapons is very low, so most of them get weapons by ident while hunting for other purposes. Jeong-Hoon also belonged to this category. ¡°No, that is¡­¡± Lee Hwa-Rang stuttered again. How embarrassed he must be that he made a ridiculous mistake because he was preupied with the word that he ate a bow. ¡°Normally, a Rare grade item like this would cost around 30 gold.¡± ording to what he said, he had to pay a huge sum of 300 gold to take this bow. ¡°¡­All right. A promise is a promise.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang put his hand on his forehead as if he had a headache and registered 300 gold to exchange for the weapon. ¡°Thank you for the good deal.¡± Jeong-Hoon left the field with a satisfied face. * * * ¡®I gave him a good screw.¡¯ He automaticallyughed when he thought of the dumbfounded expression. For now, he was satisfied with this much. In the first ce, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s revenge was not to beat them to death. It was to take away what they were supposed to have and end the game they hated so much. It was the ultimate revenge method he had been thinking about since he returned. Of course, it will take quite some time to get to that point. ¡®Anyway, 300 gold hase in, so let¡¯s put it to good use.¡¯ Before that, disassembly. Jeong-Hoon immediately visited Heyrn¡¯s mansion. ¡°Oh, have you collected it all already?¡± Heyrn asked with a surprised face. An exmation point appeared above his head. ¡°Yes.¡± When Jeong-Hoonpleted the quest, the ingredients popped out of the inventory and were set on the table. [Questpleted.] [The NPC will perform advanced disassembly. The resulting product goes to ¡®Hoon¡¯.] ¡°Oh! That¡¯s all right. With this, I can start advanced disassembly!¡± Heyrn retrieved the extraction equipment from a bag in the corner. The equipment was the size of a fist, but when he poured mana into it, it grewrge enough to fill the table. ¡°Then I¡¯ll start, so would you mind stepping out for a moment? There might be an unpleasant smell during the disassembly process.¡± ¡°All right. I¡¯ll wait outside.¡± In the previous regression, he had seen it directly, but in the process, he had inhaled the acrid smoke properly. It had a very bad smell. This time, it wasn¡¯t a smell he wanted to smell, so he decided to wait outside. ¡°Yes! Then please wait a moment.¡± Heyrn said so and locked the door tightly. Jeong-Hoon sat on a nearby chair and waited for his work. It wasn¡¯t long before the closed door opened and Heyrn came out. ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°Yes. Would you like toe in and see?¡± ¡°What about the smell?¡± ¡°I wiped it all off with an air purifier, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± ¡°All right.¡± As Heyrn said, the room was clean without any smell. And on the table, the extract that Jeong-Hoon wanted so much was ssified. ¡®This is it.¡¯ Fragments of soul stones. The fragments were revealed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 39 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 39 [Broken Soul Stone Fragment] The Ego Sword that Jeong-Hoon brought waspletely powerless. Therefore, even after going through the advanced dposition process, the fragments of the broken soul stone could not be restored. ¡°Well, you won¡¯t be able to use this.¡± The material must also be intact to be usable. He was expecting a little bit because it was an Ego Sword, but it was a fragment that was broken beyond reuse. In the first ce, if it had a self, a whole soul stone should have been put in. But that fragment was so shameful that it could not even be called an ego. He wondered if he was disappointed? Heyrn nced at Jeong-Hoon. But there was a smile on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°This is enough.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°As promised, I will definitely spread the word.¡± Heyrn¡¯s face brightened. ¡°Did you promise?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The promise will be kept. [Advanced disassembly sessful! *User is the first to disassemble the ¡®Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword¡¯ and extract a soul stone fragment.] The notice was posted on all New World servers. It¡¯s not a great achievement, so it¡¯s not posted separately on the New World homepage, but it was enough word of mouth that the entire notice was posted in the chat while ying the game. [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hey! Shit, what is this? Did you ask me to buy this knowing this?] Look. There¡¯s already a reaction. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: Yes, that¡¯s right.] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Wow¡­ Crazy, I went to the auction house and the one-handed sword you took is all sold out.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: I think it will go up a lot lol] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Yeah~ I bought one too because I thought so.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: Be thankful.] He whispered to Ha-Jin, who was returning with the evolution stone, and apparently he bought it as soon as he returned. [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Where the hell do you hear all this stuff? It¡¯s really amazing.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: I was lucky. So what are you going to do with that?] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hmm¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to sell it? I don¡¯t need soul stone fragments.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: Okay. For your information, it will go over 1,500 goldter.] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Huh, does it go up that much?] The price of the Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword will jump to 1,700 gold. It even stays at that price. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: I expect so.] Of course, it will take a long time for it to be maintained that way. This is because the soul stone fragment is worn out to the point that it cannot be reused even if it is extracted. Currently, there are no one-handed swords for sale because of the announcement, but soon one-handed swords will be listed again. Nevertheless, it goes up to 1,700 gold because the restoration method has been spread. ¡®Then shall we restore it?¡¯ It was time to restore the fragments of this soul stone. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. The employees were staring at the monitor screen with surprised eyes. ¡°No¡­ Was that an Ego Sword?¡± ¡°Weapons with egos should be at least level 300 or higher?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going crazy¡­ But that¡¯s a fragment that can¡¯t be used, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to restore that too, are you?¡± It¡¯s impossible with normal methods, but New World yers have cheats. That is the achievement system. And the user seeded in restoring the Red Dragon Bone Bow using cheats. He was a user who had only shown amazing ys so far. So wouldn¡¯t he know how to restore the fragments of the broken soul stone? ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Oh Jin-Soo shook his head. Soul stones can only be obtained by moving to a vige of level 300 or higher. He had to admit that obtaining the fragment was a great achievement, but it was impossible to restore the broken fragment. ¡°Hey, even if it¡¯s an out-of-norm being like that, wouldn¡¯t it be possible?¡± One of the employees asked with a curious face. ¡°Then shall we make a bet?¡± Then Oh Jin-Soo chuckled and offered a bet. ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°Yes. Bet on whether the user restores it or not, and the loser buys coffee for the winner for a month.¡± ¡°Huh! You seem really confident¡­?¡± Oh Jin-Soo¡¯s nickname was salt. It¡¯s a lot of salt. It was a nickname given to him because it was famous that money never came out of his pocket once it entered, and he never spent it recklessly. If he is betting, it is impossible unless he is very confident. ¡°But don¡¯t you think it¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Well, for sure¡­¡± Staff imagined the user¡¯s past y. They couldn¡¯t experience it for themselves because they couldn¡¯t y New World directly, but from the standpoint of watching countless users y so far, it was an undeniable fact that the user was an out-of-norm being. Such a user obtained the soul stone fragment in a single step. Doesn¡¯t that mean there is a way? ¡°It¡¯s impossible. You have to be at least level 300 to get the soul stone itself?¡± Normally, the level of a weapon with a self exceeds 300. Even that was a very rare item, with only about 5 items appearing in the whole world. ¡°Ah, is that so¡­?¡± With that one word, the attitude of the employees changed. He seemed to understand why Oh Jin-Soo was so confident. ¡°I¡¯ll bet he can¡¯t restore it.¡± When he nailed it, the employees naturally flocked to Oh Jin-Soo¡¯s opinion. ¡°Then I¡¯ll bet he can restore it.¡± A total of 4 employees stood on the opposite side bravely. They were all newbies who hadn¡¯t been in Earth Korea for long. ¡°What, why did you bet there?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s the bottom line anyway.¡± ¡°Really? You don¡¯t know if you lose?¡± The starting sry at Earth Korea is in the hundreds of millions of won. They were not new employees who were constrained by money. ¡®They¡¯re trying to take care of us on purpose.¡¯ At first nce, it seemed like an eye-catching behavior, but the seniors didn¡¯t see their actions badly. In a situation where there are no employees who choose the option to restore it in the bet that Oh Jin-Soo made, they would have tactfully chosen the option to restore it. ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s going to cost a lot of coffee.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s thew that the youngest is sacrificed¡­¡± That thought was correct. They also agreed with Oh Jin-Soo¡¯s opinion, but tactfully chose the opposite option. * * * Jeong-Hoon entered the achievement shop. Currently, he has 23,000 achievement points. Now he will use these points to restore the soul stone fragments. The materials needed to restore the Red Dragon Bone Bow were the mysterious hourss, holy lubricant, restoration powder, and fusion potion. What was made that way was Unique Restoration Powder. However, the restoration powder does not work on this soul stone fragment. [Done! Shit, I found out how to restore broken soul stone fragments lol] -The answer was in the achievement shop¡­ Wow, you have to go with thisbination to restore it. It was a very simple way. A post on World Com. Due to that post, the craze for the ¡®Forgotten Intermediate Knight¡¯s One-Handed Sword¡¯ began. This is because it was an article that restored the soul stone fragment so that it could be reused. And as users who seeded in restoring the fragments through the post appeared, the one-handed sword immediately rose to 1,700 gold. ©¸Ah, but you can¡¯t call it an ego weapon with fragments. ©¸Still, it¡¯s okay because the stats are overall increased! ©¸Wow! Thank you! Thanks to you, I restored the fragment! ©¸But it¡¯s awesome lol How did you find this? ©¸There are so many amazing people lol At the time, Jeong-Hoon also restored the soul stone fragments with the help of that post. So it was easy to find items. -Intermediate Warrior¡¯s Soul Intermediate Warrior¡¯s Soul, which can be purchased at Achievement Shop Lv.3. The soul was an item with ck smoke billowing from a small ss bead. The price is 10,000 points. Upon purchasing the item, 23,000 points were reduced to 13,000 points. Of course, it is impossible to restore with this alone. -Combination Stone The price of thebination stone is 1,000 points. Jeong-Hoon took out thebination stone and Intermediate Warrior¡¯s Soul he had purchased. Since the soul of the fragment is worn out, it is a work of recing it with a new soul. The operation is simple. First, charge thebination stone with mana as energy. As energy was charged, thebination stone glowed blue. [Would you like to use thebination stone?] Two icons were created above thebination stone. If you put the item in this icon and press ¡®Yes¡¯, thebination stone will work. Jeong-Hoon ced the Intermediate Warrior¡¯s Soul on the left and the fragment of the broken soul stone on the right and pressed ¡®Yes¡¯. Then thebination stone started to vibrate and then shattered. A fragment of soul stone remained in its ce. [Fragment of Soul Stone] -Type: Material -Grade: Epic -A part that has fallen off the soul stone. -Can be used to make weapons and armor. Done. With this, he seeded in restoring the soul stone fragment. Thest time was when he got back the Red Dragon Bone Bow, which he had left at the cksmith¡¯s. Jeong-Hoon spent two more days hunting and then visited the cksmith. ¡°Are you here?¡± Vulcan was standing in front of the cksmith shop, waiting for Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes. How¡¯s the refining?¡± ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± Vulcan gave a thumbs up and led him into the cksmith shop. And Jeong-Hoon was able to find the Red Dragon Bone Bow disyed in the middle. Unlike when he first left it, the Red Dragon Bone Bow was emitting a cool bloody aura. ¡°I¡¯m satisfied.¡± The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth rose as he checked the weapon. Of course, Jeong-Hoon, who left the weapon, can see it. Other users are blinded so that they cannot touch or see the disyed weapon. NPCs are an exception, but since the system that the user left it is applied, you don¡¯t have to worry about it being stolen. === [Red Dragon Bone Bow] -Type: Bow -Grade: Unique -Attack Power: 206 -Critical Hit Rate: 3 ~ 3.5% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): Infinite magic arrows are created. -Special Ability (2): When an arrow hits, there is a low probability of additional me damage. -Special Ability (3): Breath Arrow is automatically activated with a low probability. -(1st stage) Refinement sess: The sealed dragon¡¯s soul has partially awakened. === Refining is different from strengthening. If strengthening is to strengthen all the abilities of a weapon using strengthening stones, refining is literally a role to awaken the potential of the weapon. ¡®With this, all the conditions have been met.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon grinned. What he was aiming for was the soul stone upgrade. The way to upgrade the soul stone is currently known only to Jeong-Hoon. It was when he reached level 370 before returning. The world had already copsed as New World became a reality. In that situation, Jeong-Hoon was breaking through the dungeon alone. -Unknown recipe A mysterious recipe that was identally obtained. The recipe listed a list of items and synthesis results, and the list included soul stone fragments. Thanks to that, he used that recipe very usefully. And the recipe for upgrading the soul stone is as follows. [Soul Stone Recipe] -Soul Stone Fragment -Dragon¡¯s Soul Dragon¡¯s Soul. A weapon that can be obtained with a very low probability when hunting dragon monsters in the Dragon Mountains at level 350. Even among those weapons, you have to obtain a weapon with the dragon¡¯s soul in it to satisfy the recipe. It was impossible to upgrade until refining, but just now, through the refining of the Red Dragon Bone Bow, the conditions were met. With this, he would be able to get an effect equivalent to a soul stone. ¡®Then shall we start?¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 40 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 40 ¡°Thank you for giving me the opportunity to forge a great weapon myself.¡± Vulcan looked at the Red Dragon Bone Bow with a proud face. ¡°Master¡¯s words are true. He cared for the bow so much while refining it¡­¡± His disciple Sen added. ¡°Treating weapons with care is the basics of a cksmith. It seems that you stillck training, so clean the cksmith shop for a week.¡± ¡°Huh¡­! Didn¡¯t you say that I can go into the cksmith shop and learn the skills now?!¡± ¡°Forget it, sweep the floor over there.¡± ¡°Master!¡± Sen tried to protest with an unfair face, but he wisely started cleaning up at Vulcan¡¯s terrifying face. And Jeong-Hoon saw it. Vulcan¡¯s ears were slightly red. Well, it must be the first time he¡¯s ever touched a Unique-grade weapon with a dragon¡¯s soul in it at the Idenharc cksmith shop. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out 5 gold and put it on the table. Vulcan¡¯s eyes widened when he saw the gold coins. ¡°Hmm? Why this gold?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a reward for sessfully refining it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it! The benefactor has retrieved the stolen equipment and armor from our cksmith shop. I¡¯m sorry that I can¡¯t do more than this¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s been settled by taking on the refining, and this is an additional tip because I¡¯m very satisfied with the results.¡± ¡°Tip¡­?¡± ¡°Just think of it as a bonus.¡± ¡°Well, then I can¡¯t just let it go. Please wait a moment.¡± Vulcan went somewhere and then came out with a hood. ¡°What is this?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened slightly when he saw the hood. === [Artisan¡¯s Hood] -Type: Armor -Grade: Epic -Defense: 66 -Evasion Rate: 3.25 ~ 3.75% -Physical Damage Reduction: 2% -Magic Damage Reduction: 2% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): When wearing a hood, skill damage reduction increases by 0.5% -Special Ability (2): When wearing a hood, critical hit damage reduction increases by 0.5% === He never thought He¡¯d get an Epic armor here. ¡°It¡¯s the work of my life.¡± ¡°Why are you giving me such a masterpiece?¡± ¡°I think I have a pretty good intuition, even if I look like this. I¡¯m giving it to you because I think you deserve to be the owner of my masterpiece, so please ept it.¡± Vulcan¡¯s eyes were full of goodwill as he looked at Jeong-Hoon. When he was young, he started working in a cksmith shop to care for his sick single mother. Fortunately, he was talented and started hammering in less than a year. After working for 20 years, the masterpiece he had created was the hood he handed to Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon in front of him was a benefactor who helped resolve the crisis of the cksmith shop. He also entrusted him with a precious weapon that he would never be able to touch in his lifetime. So he chose Jeong-Hoon as the owner of this masterpiece. ¡°¡­Then I will gratefully ept it.¡± Jeong-Hoon, who was thinking for a while, finally received the hood. *** It¡¯s not over yet. Jeong-Hoon entered the field and arrived at a bush where no signs of people could be felt. Thest finale to decorate the end of a long journey. ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± A task that even Lee Hwa-Rang could not do. In fact, it was something he didn¡¯t even try because there was no need to go that far. He could reach the Legendary grade just by evolving it through repeated refining with the Red Dragon Set effect. But Jeong-Hoon had no intention of doing that. The reason he went through one refinement was to use this soul stone fragment. ¡®To go beyond Legendary in the future.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon also found outter, but the soul in this Red Dragon Bone Bow was not that of an ordinary dragon. It was of the Ancient Dragon Anima. It was a weapon where Anima¡¯s soul reigned supreme among dragons. Lee Hwa-Rang btedly tried to use the soul stone, but the soul had been partially awakened by repeated refining and strengthening. But now, after returning, it¡¯s not toote. ¡®I hope it seeds.¡¯ Originally, he would have to leave it to a synthesizer to proceed, but since there was no synthesizer in Idenharc, he had to try it himself. It was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s first time actually trying it. So he was a little nervous. He slowly maniptes his mana and awakens the soul sleeping in the soul stone fragment. The fragment was enveloped in white light as the soul awoke. ¡®Put it in the core of the bow like this.¡¯ It¡¯s a bit of a primitive method, but there¡¯s no other way. When Jeong-Hoon induced it with the weapon, a white light group floated up and slowly seeped into the red core located in the center of the Red Dragon Bone Bow. Then the nucleus turned red and began to vibrate slightly. [The soul sleeping in the Red Dragon Bone Bow begins to rampage.] ¡®Don¡¯t eat it too fast, eat it slowly.¡¯ Even though it was restored, it was a weapon made by forcibly giving a soul that was on the verge of extinction from the production stage. It takes time and effort to perfectly revive such a soul. Of course, it does not fail. It¡¯s because he¡¯sbining it ording to the recipe. [The soul of the Red Dragon Bone Bow is gradually bing stronger.] [The soul sealed in the Red Dragon Bone Bow ispletely awakened.] As expected, the energy of the nucleus was gradually bing stronger. At the same time, the color of the bow began to turn ck. In the first ce, the ancient dragon Anima was no ordinary red dragon, but a hybrid mixed with the blood of a ck dragon. Anima was known to have dealt with ck mes. He is now regaining his original power. Soon, the Red Dragon Bone Bow waspletely dyed ck. [¡®Red Dragon Bone Bow¡¯ is renamed to ¡®Dragon Anima Bone Bow¡¯.] [The grade of ¡®Dragon Anima Bone Bow¡¯ increases from Unique -> Legendary.] [Achievement achieved! Completed ¡®Legendary Item First Acquisition¡¯! 30,000 achievement points will be awarded.] ¡°Seeded.¡± It rose to Legendary in an instant without having to repeat refining and strengthening countless times. Then the Dragon Anima Bone Bow, which he was holding in his hand until a while ago, turned into a ck ball. Jeong-Hoon fiddled with the palm-sized bead. Then the shape of the bead changed and took the form of a lizard. It even had eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and Jeong-Hoon met its eyes. ¡°Did you wake me up?¡± It even talks. It was naturally a cool voice. ¡°I guess so?¡± === [Dragon Anima Bone Bow] -Type: Bow -Grade: Legendary -Attack Power: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) -Critical Hit Rate: 5 ~ 10% -Damage reduction ording to level difference is reduced. (Legendary only) -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): Infinite magic arrows are created. -Special Ability (2): When an arrow hits, a random debuff is applied with a low probability -Special Ability (3): The power of the ancient dragon is applied. (Skill registration possible) -Special Ability (4): Unlocked at level 120. === The stats are awesome. And, like Legendary, a slot for registering skills has been created. This skill is to bring one of the abilities that Anima dealt with during his lifetime and register it. This is a very fraudulent ability. ¡°Thank you. Even though I became a weapon instead of a dragon, I will do my best to help you.¡± ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡± Since the soul was awakened, aplete ego was enshrined in the weapon. Anima, who had the shape of a lizard, returned to the shape of a bead and then took the shape of a bow. ¡®Good. I got a bow with this.¡¯ The bow that was Idenharc¡¯s first goal. It was the moment when he achieved his first goal. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. Team leader Oh Jin-Soo stared at the monitor with his mouth wide open. Same for the staff behind him. ¡°He actually restored it¡­¡± No. Can you simply call that restoration? Oh Jin-Soo, who had been in Earth the longest among them, recognized it at a nce. ¡°The rank has increased¡­ That¡¯s impossible without inserting a Soul Stone.¡± Soul Stones are incredibly rare items, one of the many in New World whose details remain shrouded in mystery. It¡¯s understood that if a weapon of Unique grade or higher is sessfully imbued with a soul, undergoing Ego Awakening, its rank increases by one level. And the weapon held by the user on the monitor, having sessfully undergone Ego Awakening, has ascended to Legendary grade. ¡°Insane¡­ That¡¯s absolutely insane¡­¡± Doubt transformed into certainty. This wasn¡¯t merely coincidence. This user knew all of New World¡¯s secrets. Such an achievement couldn¡¯t be exined otherwise. ¡°But how¡­?¡± Upon joining Earth or Genesis, one couldn¡¯t even touch New World. ess was blocked from within thepany. Even a trace of having yed New World meant automatic disqualification. Everyone here had chosen employment with that restriction. Naturally, a non-disclosure agreement prohibited the sharing of information, both publicly and privately. Any breach would cause corresponding consequences. Having witnessed seniors being crushed for viting the use, he couldn¡¯t dare to even consider it. Therefore, this user was definitely not someone rted to Earth or Genesis. ¡°This is a real jackpot, isn¡¯t it?¡± Just who was this user? Honestly, curiosity arose, but more than that, his heart raced with a dopamine rush. Since joining Earth Korea, this was the first time he¡¯d seen such an interesting ystyle. They had barely passed the starting vige and reached Idenharc. He was dying to see what other extraordinary feats this user would perform. ¡°Team Leader¡­¡± His direct junior, Lee Ki-chul, approached and whispered. ¡°What is it?¡± Oh Jin-soo, snapping out of his thoughts, tilted his head. What was the issue that warranted a whisper? ¡°About our bet¡­ We lost.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Right, they had made a bet. The loser would buy coffee for a month. The winning side consisted of four neers, while the rest, including Oh Jin-soo, were nine employees. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°What else can we do¡­ I¡¯ll buy it.¡± He was the one who proposed the bet, and he was content with witnessing this rare spectacle. Though his life motto was not to waste money unnecessarily, this time he was willing to splurge. ¡°Really?!¡± All the employees, including Lee Ki-chul, were surprised. This penny-pincher was going to buy coffee for a month? ¡°A man shouldn¡¯t go back on his word.¡± It was decided that Oh Jin-soo would buy coffee with his own money. For an entire month. * * * Having sessfullypleted his first objective, Jeong-Hoon exited the capsule. He needed a brief rest before proceeding with his next nned task. ¡°You here?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jeong-Hoon had nned to lounge around at home, but a call from Ha-jin led them to meet at a nearby snack bar. ¡°Dude! Thank you so much! The price of one-handed swords has gone up to 300 gold!¡± Ha-jin¡¯s grin stretched from ear to ear. The price of one-handed swords, which had been around 50-55 gold, had jumped nearly sixfold in less than a week. In New World, one gold was equivalent to 10,000 won in real currency. In other words, an item worth 500,000-550,000 won had risen to 3,000,000 won. ¡°Really? Then sell them now.¡± Jeong-Hoon offered advice while popping a piece of tteokbokki into his mouth. ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you say they¡¯d go over 1,500 gold?¡± ¡°They mightter, but I personally disassembled one and it seems like the bubble will burst soon.¡± As users attempted high-grade disassembly, one-handed swords would literally plummet in value. Revealed as damaged fragments, their price would drop to 40-45 gold. Having risen to 300 gold only to fall, the impact would be significant. And that price would persist until a method to restore Soul Stone fragments became widespread. ¡°Hmm¡­ Then should I sell?¡± ¡°Yes. Sell them now.¡± Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t need Soul Stones for the time being. Not only were they unattainable at his current level, but he had already used the Dragon¡¯s Soul. ¡°Man, I think you¡¯d make a killing if you did some hoarding.¡± Hoarding. Buying up goods inrge quantities in anticipation of a price increase. Then, when the price rises, selling them for a profit. ¡°No thanks. I don¡¯t want to do that.¡± Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of doing so. It was far wiser to spend time gaining experience and leveling up than earning money through hoarding. There were plenty of ways to earn gold, and he didn¡¯t want to use his future knowledge to disrupt ordinary yers. ¡°Really? That¡¯s a shame. I think you could make some serious cash.¡± With his instincts, he could probably even join a named merchant guild. It was a shame to see him waste his talent, but he respected his friend¡¯s decision. ¡°Who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll slip you some new info if you help me out.¡± ¡°¡­Where on earth do you get this information?¡± ¡°Well, if you have some time, do me a favor.¡± ¡°A favor?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 41 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 41 ¡°Let¡¯s form a party, just once.¡± Ha-jin couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°A party? You and me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But¡­ I¡¯m level 159. 159! What level are you?¡± ¡°41.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s calm demeanor as he spoke gave Ha-jin a headache. ¡°Dude¡­ Don¡¯t you know New World restricts high-level yers from helping low-level yers?¡± New World had measures in ce to prevent high-level users from assisting low-level ones to a certain extent. Suspensions, trade bans, etc. While not overly harsh, if the level difference exceeded a certain threshold, the monsters¡¯ levels would adjust. For example, if a level 50 and a level 200 yer formed a party and entered a level 45 dungeon, the dungeon¡¯s difficulty would change to the average level of the party. Meaning a level 45 dungeon would be a level 125 dungeon. Moreover, the experience gained from defeating monsters would be fixed at zero. Not even items would drop from the monsters. The only exception was in special cases rted to quests. Hence, high-level yers rarely helped low-level ones. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You know, and you still want to party up?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The next destination was the Magic Tower in Idenharc. There was a dungeon quest to be epted and cleared at the tower, not a quest dungeon, but a hunting ground for regr users. However, the hunting ground was so lucrative that the wait time was long, and reserving a spot now would mean waiting over a week for just one entry. ¡®The item required for that quest can only be obtained by clearing the dungeon twice.¡¯ Since entry required a party of two or more, it wasmon for users undertaking the quest to team up. Typically, yers would reserve the dungeon through the vige NPC and wait for their turn, clearing it when their time came. The boss monster, however, only dropped two items. So, if there were three people in the party, one person wouldn¡¯t get anything. ¡®And the quest requires two of those items.¡¯ Therefore, it had be a rule for users to enter the dungeon in fixed pairs. Spending two weeks to clear a single quest was too much of a waste of time. But if Ha-jin joined as a party member, once would be enough. ¡°Sigh, dude¡­ That¡¯s really not a good idea. Do you think you can hunt level 100 monsters in your current state?¡± Jeong-Hoon was level 41. Ha-jin was level 159. If the two of them formed a party and entered the dungeon, the dungeon¡¯s difficulty would change to at least level 100 or higher. For low-level users toplete the quest, there was a condition that they had to hunt at least one monsterpletely on their own. In short, it was natural for users with a significant level gap to avoid partying up. Of course, Jeong-Hoon was an exception. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, so please do me this favor.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Do you have some kind of method?¡± ¡°Yes. I seeded in crafting, and a very good weapon was born.¡± ¡°Ah, you used an Evolution Stone?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Even so¡­ You won¡¯t be able to hunt monsters 60 levels higher, right? You need to be Legendary to ignore level differences to some extent.¡± Even with a good weapon, hunting high-level monsters wouldn¡¯t be easy. If he had a Legendary weapon, it would be a different story. ¡°Huh? I got a Legendary.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± * * * Lee Hyun-woo, the owner of the capsule room, was greeting customers at the desk as usual. ¡°Hyung, let¡¯s eat ramen together!¡± Three students in their early twenties approached the desk. Regr customers who frequented the capsule room often called Lee Hyun-woo ¡°hyung¡± or ¡°dongsaeng,¡± expressing their familiarity. Of course, Lee Hyun-woo had semi-forcibly pushed for these nicknames. ¡°I just ate. You guys go ahead and eat.¡± ¡°Okay. But can we get a free drink?¡± ¡°Do you want a smack on the head?¡± ¡°Haha, just kidding.¡± ¡°Tsk, just grab one from the fridge.¡± ¡°Oh! Thank you!¡± Students rushed to the dining area. ¡®Those rascals.¡¯ Lee Hyun-woo chuckled, watching them leave. The capsule room¡¯s usage fees were quite expensive. By also running a restaurant and paying attention to the quality of the food, he eliminated any reason for customers to leave, and sales were booming. Despite being born with a diamond spoon in his mouth, the capsule room¡¯s revenue was beyond imagination. Adding to that, he approached the customers with a friendly demeanor and offered services, increasing their goodwill, resulting in significantly more customers than other capsule rooms. ¡®Eat and enjoy while you¡¯re worry-free.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a strategic move. Lee Hyun-woo was naturally outgoing and enjoyed meeting people. He was also good at taking care of others. As a result, he ended up looking after his regr customers, which greatly contributed to the growth of the capsule room. Thanks to this, he had recently expanded the capsule room, adding 100 more capsules. Slide. The automatic door opened, and a familiar face entered. ¡°Oh? Ha-jin, you¡¯re here?¡± Lee Hyun-woo greeted Ha-jin warmly. ¡°Yes.¡± But Ha-jin seemed a bit different than usual. His vacant expression and muttering made Lee Hyun-woo tilt his head in confusion. ¡°Did something happen?¡± ¡°¡­Nothing happened.¡± ¡°No way. Your face says it all.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Is it that obvious? I just feel like life is so unfair.¡± ¡°Unfair? Well¡­ I¡¯m not in a position to console you, so I¡¯ll hold back.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ha-jin stumbled into a capsule. The shock of what Jeong-Hoon had told himst night was too great. ¡®A Legendary ss with a Legendary weapon¡­¡¯ Even when Jeong-Hoon mentioned obtaining a Legendary ss in the first stage, Ha-jin was utterly surprised. However, considering Jeong-Hoon¡¯s performance, he couldn¡¯tpletely dismiss the possibility. Jeong-Hoon had always been exceptional since childhood. But a Legendary weapon? And he acquired it in Idenharc, the beginner zone right after the starting vige. ¡®That guy is insane¡­ Truly.¡¯ It was beyond envy, bordering on awe. Honestly, it would be a lie to say he wasn¡¯t jealous. Nevertheless, Ha-jin congratted Jeong-Hoon sincerely. ¡®Yeah, what¡¯s more pathetic than being jealous of a friend¡¯s sess?¡¯ Such a person doesn¡¯t deserve to be called a friend. Ha-jin had no intention of living that way. Jeong-Hoon was the only friend who reached out to him when he was bullied in elementary school. He didn¡¯t want to do anything that would tarnish their precious friendship. * * * Jeong-Hoon checked the dungeon waiting list through the vige NPC. As expected, the line was long. Currently, 103 teams are ahead of him. He had to wait for everyone to enter the dungeon before his turn came. Even assuming 10 teams entered per day, it would take 10 days. Usually, 10 teams would be the fastest. If it took longer, only 5-6 teams might enter per day, meaning it could take over 10 days. ¡®That¡¯s fine. I have enough time to prepare.¡¯ After applying, Jeong-Hoon headed to the tower located in Idenharc. There were towers for each ss. And even for the same tower, there were additional ones in some viges. This was because New World wasn¡¯t a single world, but a vast universe made up of numerous connected dimensions. The tower Jeong-Hoon was heading to was the Magic Tower, essible to mages. This Magic Tower was a must-visit course for users who chose the mage ss. The reason for visiting this course was simple. There was a hidden opportunity remaining in this Magic Tower. An opportunity yet to be discovered, but one that would be found by a novice mage in the near future. ¡®That mage is a futurerade and a traitor.¡¯ Not as significant as Saintess Amelie, but Lewis Verdant, who rose to the position of High Priest. Despite entering New Worldte due to his young age, he was a figure who made countless contributions as arade when the world underwent upheaval. He was also one of those who, consumed by power and fearing loss, yed a part in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s death. ¡®No matter what you be, I will end this game with my own hands.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, having reaffirmed his resolve, arrived at the entrance of the Magic Tower. ¡°Halt! This is a sacred Magic Tower that cannot be entered without the qualifications of a mage!¡± Then, the magic circle below glowed, and a mage wearing a robe appeared. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Rune -Level: 45 -ss: Lower Mage (1st ss) === Lower Mage Rune. The corners of Rune¡¯s mouth, not fully concealed by the robe, twitched slightly. His stiff posture suggested he was a neer to the Magic Tower. A question mark appeared above his head. [General Quest: Idenharc Magic Tower] -Restriction: All users except mages -Reward: Magic Tower entry -Description: Only mages can enter the Magic Tower. However, kind users who help the Magic Tower will be allowed entry. Help the Magic Tower. Jeong-Hoon epted the quest. ¡°Are you really going to help our Magic Tower?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Then could you please wait a moment?¡± Rune, with a dubious expression, entered the Magic Tower. Soon after, he returned with another mage. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Jaco -Level: 75 -ss: Seeker (1st ss) === He was a mage of a much higher rank than Rune. ¡°I heard from Rune. You came to help our Magic Tower?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jaco stroked his beard. The Magic Tower¡¯s current situation was peaceful. This stranger was most likely offering help just to gain entry. He had no intention of stopping him. The Tower Master had set the conditions for entry for strangers. ¡°Then, could you please fetch two Uradon horns for us?¡± Uradon horns could be obtained from the boss monster in a dungeon located in the eastern region. The dungeons in that area were bustling with strangers, known for being cleared non-stop every day. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Then please return with the horns.¡± With those words, Jaco returned to the Magic Tower. Rune, left alone, nced at Jeong-Hoon and spoke. ¡°Um¡­ If you bring the horns, you¡¯ll be able to enter¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± * * * Ten days ahead. Jeong-Hoon decided to focus on leveling up during that time. While entering the Magic Tower was good, he needed to reach level 50 to obtain the hidden opportunity. Regardless, leveling up was a necessary process. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± He arrived at the snowy mountains in the north. It was the same area he had visited to clear a dungeon before, and it was the perfect ce for leveling up. The terrain was far superior to other fields, and it was ideal for securing a spot and hunting. Jeong-Hoon sat on a rock halfway up the mountain and took out the ¡®Dragon Anima Bone Bow.¡¯ As the bow, gleaming ominously, settled into his hand, a small lizard appeared as a phantom, circling him. ¡°Are you going to use me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± [Your current level is ¡¯41¡¯.] [The attack power of Dragon Anima Bone Bow is set to 205.] The bow, not yet enhanced, had an attack power of 5 per level. This was precisely why Legendary weapons were so overpowered. Instead of a fixed attack power, it scaled with the user¡¯s level. And that wasn¡¯t all. As the weapon was upgraded, additional abilities were added. [Do you want to grant Dragon Anima Bone Bow¡¯s special ability (3)?] [Ancient Dragon¡¯s power will be randomly granted.] The Ancient Dragon¡¯s power referred to the abilities wielded by Anima. Jeong-Hoon epted, and the text disappeared, reced by new red letters. [¡®Passive: ck me¡¯ is triggered randomly (0.1%).] Passive ck me. [ck me] -Type: Passive -0.1% chance to trigger ck me with 30% attack power. -Triggered ck mests 60 seconds and deals damage every second. ck me with 30% attack power. Lasting 60 seconds, dealing damage every second. A total of 60 instances of damage, an incredibly powerful ability. Of course, the trigger condition was absurd. At 0.1%, it was practically impossible to trigger. However, this ability would be even more overpowered with each weapon enhancement. ¡°Do you know how to shoot a bow?¡± Jeong-Hoon drew the string in response to Anima¡¯s question. ¡°Watch and learn.¡± As he pulled the string, a pitch-ck arrow formed. The target was a Lv. 53 Yeti. Jeong-Hoon aimed precisely and released the string. The ck arrow, drawing a parab, pierced the Yeti¡¯s head urately. ¡°Squawk!¡± As one Yeti fell, the others panicked and looked around. However, they couldn¡¯t spot Jeong-Hoon, who had positioned himself halfway up the mountain. This was the advantage of ranged hunting. Jeong-Hoon continued to draw and release the string repeatedly. With each shot, another Yeti fell. Anima stood beside him, watching Jeong-Hoon¡¯s archery skills with a dazed expression. ¡°Extraordinary skill.¡± To think that a human with such archery prowess existed. It reminded him of the Divine Archer he had encountered during his dragon days. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 42 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 42 ¡°Hey, let¡¯s head to the snowy mountains.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the monster level there?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s from 53 to 60.¡± The Northern Snowy Mountains. Users who surpassed level 50 usually moved to the Northern Snowy Mountains to start hunting. Reaching level 55, they would then trigger a surprise event to hit level 57 and move on to the east to continue hunting. This was the standard route in Idenharc. Ga Jun-seok and Yeon Dae-hoon, having memorized the guidebook through World Com, headed for the Northern Snowy Mountains. ¡°What¡¯s with the atmosphere here?¡± In front of the field leading to the Northern Snowy Mountains, users were gathered, murmuring amongst themselves. ¡°Ugh, I can¡¯t hunt like this.¡± ¡°This is crazy. I want to catch Yetis, but they die in one hit every time they spawn¡­¡± Ga Jun-seok perked up his ears, focusing on their conversation. As a rogue who had switched to archer, he had sharper senses than Yeon Dae-hoon. ¡°What are they saying?¡± Yeon Dae-hoon, unable to hear their conversation clearly, looked around with a frustrated expression. Soon, Ga Jun-seok, with a look of understanding, spoke up. ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s monopolizing the area in front of the snowy mountains.¡± ¡°Monopolizing?¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re hogging all the Yetis.¡± ¡°¡­Is that even possible?¡± Yeon Dae-hoon couldn¡¯tprehend it. There were over 100 Yetis roaming the entrance to the snowy mountains. It was impossible for one person to monopolize them all. Ah, he got it. They¡¯re trying to trick us into thinking they¡¯re monopolizing the field. ¡°How could that be possible? Be realistic.¡± Ga Jun-seok, seemingly sharing the same thought, dismissed it as nonsense. ¡°Then what should we do? There are a lot of them.¡± Four users were blocking the entrance. If a PvP battle broke out, they would be the ones to lose. ¡°Oh, are you trying to pass through?¡± Contrary to their anxious expectations, the users blocking the entrance, apologized politely and stepped aside. Ga Jun-seok and Yeon Dae-hoon were taken aback by this. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s strange. Why are they sopliant?¡± ¡°I know, right?¡± Their question was soon answered. ¡°Cough!¡± As soon as they crossed the snowy mountains, a massive monster copsed in front of them. It was a Lv. 53 Yeti. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± An arrow was lodged in the back of the Yeti¡¯s head. The pitch-ck arrow ignited with ck mes before disappearing. ¡°Hey, this thing died in one hit¡­?¡± The Yeti¡¯s body was clean, without a scratch. And five secondster, the Yeti¡¯s corpse glowed momentarily and vanished. Following that, a series of Yeti screams echoed through the air. They too met their demise, their heads pierced by the ck arrow. ¡°Was that true¡­?¡± The user was monopolizing the Yetis. ¡°Where on earth is he shooting from?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ It¡¯sing from over there!¡± Yeon Dae-hoon pointed towards the snowy mountain. The arrow was being shot from the mountainside. ¡°Damn, he¡¯s hitting from this distance?¡± ¡°And the Yetis are panicking, running around¡­¡± Yeon Dae-hoon, an archer himself, felt goosebumps all over. It was difficult enough to hit a stationary target urately, but to precisely target and pierce the heads of moving targets from long range¡­ Just who was this archer hunting? It certainly wasn¡¯t a user belonging to this level of hunting ground. Someone much higher¡­ Yes, like Lee Hwa-rang, the Bow Master. * * * Jeong-Hoon spent ten days in the snowy mountains, tirelessly focusing on hunting. [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] As a result, he reached level 50. ¡°Phew, shall we stop here for today?¡± Tomorrow was the day he would enter the dungeon he had reserved. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Hoon -Level: 50 -ss: Martial Emperor 1st ss (Lower Martial Artist 1st ss) -Titles Held: Complete Beginner (Epic) and 5 others (expand to view) [Detailed Stats] -Strength: 60(+6) -> 66 -Agility: 60(+8) -> 68 -Vitality: 60(+8) -> 68 -Defense: 60(+6) -> 66 -Wisdom: 60(+6) -> 66 -Magic Power: 63(+6) -> 69 -Divine Power: 64(+6) -> 70 -Mental Power: 50(+8) -> 58 -Unapplied Stats: 59 Unapplied stats were 59. Once he reached 60, he would achieve the next milestone. And additional archery skills had also blossomed. [Archery] -Arrow (Rare) -Archery Mastery (Rare) -Calm Breathing (Rare) -Hawk¡¯s Eye (Rare) Archery Mastery and Calm Breathing. Archery Mastery was a skill that increased archery proficiency, attack power, and critical hit chance. And Calm Breathing. This was also a support skill that helped maintain steady breathing even in urgent situations, allowing for precise aiming at targets. Lastly, Hawk¡¯s Eye was a skill that provided a wider field of vision, enabling hunting of targets farther away. Of course, it had the drawback of only activating when holding a bow and drawing the string, making it difficult to use otherwise. ¡®For now, this should be enough.¡¯ He had acquired the essentials for archery. The rest was simply to upgrade through repeated practice. ¡°¡­Amazing. How can you hunt for 22 hours a day?¡± For ten days, except for two hours a day, he had devoted himself entirely to hunting. ¡°I need to level up.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Anima didn¡¯t say anything more. As an ancient dragon, he had observed countless creatures. In the process, there were those who were extraordinary. And Jeong-Hoon was one of them. ¡°Let¡¯s get to 51.¡± He needed one more bonus stat to reach the next achievement. With the determination to achieve the milestone through today¡¯s hunting, he drew the bowstring. * * * The next day. Jeong-Hoon met Ha-jin in the vige. ¡°Whoa¡­ What? You¡¯re already over level 50?¡± Ha-jin¡¯s eyes widened. Thest time he saw Jeong-Hoon, about ten days ago, he was level 41. He was surprised that Jeong-Hoon had raised his level by 10 in such a short time. ¡°I worked hard on leveling up.¡± ¡°How on earth can you raise it by 10 in such a short period?¡± Even Ha-jin, who was obsessed with New World at the time, took nearly two months to go from level 40 to 50. Although he spent over 12 hours a day hunting. But Jeong-Hoon had gone from 41 to 51 in just 10 days. ¡°It works if you hunt efficiently.¡± Jeong-Hoon had already rubbed shoulders with top-rankers and umted a wealth of experience. He was adept at understanding terrain and maximizing efficiency, allowing him to shorten the leveling time. ¡°¡­Are you even human?¡± ¡°What are you talking about after knowing me for so long?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ This is just unbelievable.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get ready.¡± Jeong-Hoon checked the reservation through the NPC. There were two teams ahead of them. They would be able to enter the dungeon within 4 to 8 hours at the earliest. The eastern region was where users above Lv. 57 stayed until they reached Lv. 80. It was notably the shortest period in the leveling process, and the reasony in the experience points gained from monsters. [You have entered the 1.5x experience buff zone.] The experience gained from hunting monsters was a whopping 1.5 times higher. Therefore, most users staying in Idenharc stayed in this eastern region. ¡°So Idenharc¡¯s hot spot is the eastern region.¡± Ha-jin leveled up in Eichen, not Idenharc. Eichen was the highest rated among the 122 starting viges. Even in Eichen, there was a hot spot where yers could get a 1.6x experience boost. That¡¯s why many people actively rmended Eichen. Of course, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t even consider Eichen. The reason being, there were no hidden opportunities there. ¡°ept the party invite.¡± ¡°Ah, before that, can I quickly use the restroom?¡± ¡°Hurry back.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Ha-jin logged out in a hurry, as if he urgently needed the restroom. Jeong-Hoon, left alone, looked at the dungeon entrance. The dungeon they would clear today was ¡®Lv. 59 Barren Land of mes.¡¯ This was the dungeon where Uradons lurked. Not only was it a honey quest for the Magic Tower quest, but it was also the only dungeon where Uradons appeared, making it the hottest of hot spots. ¡°Excuse me.¡± While preparing to enter the dungeon, a male user approached Jeong-Hoon. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Akira -Level: 73 -ss: Lower Assassin (1st ss) === He was a user who had chosen the rogue ss and then specialized as an assassin. From his nickname to his customization, he had a slightly Japanese style. ¡°Hmm? Can I help you with something?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in question. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much¡­ Are you next in line?¡± The users who had entered the dungeon hadn¡¯te out yet. Jeong-Hoon, who was indeed next, nodded. ¡°Yes, I am. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Would you be willing to transfer this dungeon to me?¡± ¡°Transfer?¡± ¡°Yes! Of course, I won¡¯t ask for it for free. I¡¯ll pay a fair price!¡± Akira sent a trade request. Jeong-Hoon declined the request. ¡°No thanks.¡± This was amon urrence when reserving popr dungeons. The reservations were full, so waiting was difficult. That¡¯s why some tried to buy that time with money. Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of selling the dungeon entry. ¡°Well, please take a look at the amount first.¡± Akira, momentarily flustered, took out 10 gold coins from his inventory. Jeong-Hoonughed inwardly upon seeing the gold. The price for transferring a hot spot dungeon entry was 50 gold. 500,000 won in Korean currency. The amount wasn¡¯t small, but as the dungeon provided essential materials for quests and had a waiting time of 7-10 days, the price of the transfer ticket inevitably soared. In other words, he was offering a ridiculously low amount. ¡°Yes, I saw it.¡± ¡°Then, are we making a deal?¡± Jeong-Hoon poured cold water on Akira¡¯s brightening face. ¡°No, I¡¯m not making a deal.¡± ¡°What¡­? Didn¡¯t you just say you saw it?¡± ¡°Yes, I saw the gold with my eyes. Isn¡¯t that the end of it?¡± ¡°No¡­ Are you messing with me right now?¡± ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m messing around?¡± ¡°Ha, I was trying to take the easy way out, but it seems like that won¡¯t work.¡± Suddenly, Akira¡¯s face turned cold. Simultaneously, three users who had been hiding in the bushes emerged. They were all on par with Akira. ¡®As expected, they were a group.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had known they were ambushing him from the start. He had experienced this sickening feeling countless times before his regression. ¡°Will you hand over the dungeon for 10 gold? Or would you rather log out for 24 hours?¡± ¡°Why not just kill him? If this bastard can¡¯t enter the dungeon, we can go in instead.¡± They were openly threatening him. But Jeong-Hoon knew. They couldn¡¯t do anything to him. Since the dungeon reservation was made with the NPC, they couldn¡¯t steal the entry. In other words, they were trying to intimidate him into handing over the entry ticket for a mere 10 gold. ¡°If you leave now, I¡¯ll let you go quietly. Otherwise, you die here.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out a knuckle from his inventory and put it on his fist. This was a field. Attacks were allowed even without initiating PvP. ¡°What? Are you trying to take us all on?¡± ¡°Kekeke, this guy is interesting.¡± The warning was over. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes narrowed. He took a step, utilizing his movement technique. Surprise flickered across the faces of the group at his movement. ¡®That guy first.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist aimed for Akira. Underworld Kings Fist Technique 1st Form. As he extended his fist, Akira hurriedly stepped back to dodge. ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± He desperately tried to draw his dagger, but it was toote. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist followed up, urately striking his jaw. ¡®Underworld Kings Fist Technique 2nd Form.¡¯ Then, with the 2nd Form of Underworld Kings Fist Technique, he struck upwards towards Akira¡¯s sr plexus. ¡°Cough!¡± Blood spurted from Akira¡¯s mouth as he copsed. Jeong-Hoon proceeded to twist his neck, killing him instantly. With the instant death verdict, Akira¡¯s body glowed and disappeared. The remaining three stared nkly at the scene that unfolded in an instant. ¡°Hey¡­ Fuck, haven¡¯t we seen that before?¡± ¡°Could it be him? The martial artist who took down the instructor in World Com?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ It seems like it!¡± Oh no. Had they seen World Com? A cruel smile crept across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. ¡°In that case, I definitely can¡¯t let you leave alive.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 43 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 43 Park Chan-gi, using the nickname Akira, emerged from the capsule. Forcibly, that is. ¡°Shit¡­ What the hell?¡± He thought things would go smoothly, but what had happened? Park Chan-gi had finished clearing the dungeon five hours ago. After waiting for over a week to enter just once, he couldn¡¯t gather the quest materials. So he thought about buying a dungeon transfer. However, the moment he confirmed that the market price for a dungeon transfer ticket was 50 gold, he neatly abandoned the n. He only had 19 gold. ¡°I can¡¯t even throw cash at it¡­¡± The surest way to get gold was to exchange cash. With one gold being around 10,000 won, 50 gold would mean shelling out about 500,000 won. But the problem was Park Chan-gi had no money. He had recently spent all his part-time job earnings on buying weapons and armor with real money. His friends, who always stuck together, were in the same boat. So they came up with the idea of forcibly taking the transfer ticket. To put the n into action, he called his friends and waited for an opportunity, loitering near the dungeon. Soon, a user walked up to the dungeon and waited. He was a lower martial artist, only level 51. At first nce, he looked like a clueless beginner, the perfect target to rip off. Just in case he hadn¡¯t made a reservation, Park Chan-gi approached him and subtly inquired if he had reserved the dungeon. As expected, the user had made a reservation. ¡®No deal.¡¯ He offered 10 gold, but the response was ice-cold. He had tried to take the easy way out, but that triggered Park Chan-gi¡¯s temper. So he tried to forcefully take the transfer ticket through intimidation. But¡­ ¡°This is absurd¡­¡± Park Chan-gi remembered the battle that had just urred. The level 51¡¯s steps were so dazzling that it was hard to follow with his eyes, and when the fist flew at him, he felt his breath catch in his throat. Fortunately, as a rogue, he had an evasion skill and narrowly dodged it. After that, he was relentlessly beaten without a chance to counterattack, and he lost consciousness. When he came to, with intense pain, he found himself with a death notification and the capsule door open. Did he really die to that martial artist? Buzz- Sitting in the capsule, shocked by the situation, his smartphone on the desk vibrated. He got up with difficulty and checked his smartphone. The caller was his friend, Yoo Tae-yang, who had joined him in the intimidation. ¡°Hello? Hey, what happened to me?¡± [Crazy¡­ That martial artist totally wrecked us.] ¡°Ha¡­ Fuck, you¡¯re saying I got beaten by a level 51 lower martial artist?¡± Park Chan-gi was a level 73 assassin. Was it even possible that he was beaten withoutnding a single counterattack by a martial artist 22 levels lower than him? [Dude, it couldn¡¯t be helped. That guy wasn¡¯t ordinary¡­] ¡°Not ordinary?¡± Yoo Tae-yang¡¯s words made Park Chan-gi¡¯s eyes widen. ¡®You¡¯re saying the others died too?¡¯ Shortly after Park Chan-gi was forcibly logged out, the remaining three also met the same fate. They, too, were defeated withoutnding a single counterattack. The problem was that this martial artist had appeared on World Com before. [I¡¯m checking World Com right now, and it¡¯s definitely him!] A post with a video of an unssed martial artist defeating an instructor in a 1vs1 match. He checked the video on hisputer, and it indeed looked very simr to the martial artist. ¡°Wow¡­ It really is him.¡± The shy footwork, the familiar fist techniques. Although the video was automatically mosaicked, making it impossible to see his face, Park Chan-gi, who had been hit by him, was certain it was the same person. [Shit, you really got us into deep trouble.] ¡°It¡¯s in the past. Stop nagging.¡± [¡­Forget it.] Park Chan-gi hung up the phone and reyed the video on the post. ¡®He¡¯s really awesome¡­¡¯ How could a low-level martial artist use such fist techniques? Wouldn¡¯t he have to be a master of martial arts before even ying the game to be at this level? He scrolled to read thements. ©¸Making a pilgrimage here. ©¸Wow¡­ This is what it takes to win the capsule event lol ©¸Beating an Epic Saber and winning first ce ;_; Crazy, he was the same unssed martial artist who won the capsule event?! And he even received countless love calls from guilds. Among them were quite a few named guilds that he had heard of. The realization that he had tried to mess with such a martial artist sent shivers down his spine. Park Chan-gi impulsively posted on World Com. [I saw the martial artist who took down the instructor.] -He¡¯s fucking awesome. * * * ¡°Phew, I can finally breathe.¡± Ha-jin logged in after Jeong-Hoon had wiped out the gang. ¡°Took you long enough.¡± ¡°Hey, it was a big one. A big one. 15 minutes is pretty damn fast.¡± ¡°Anyway, ept the party invite.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± With this, Jeong-Hoon and Ha-jin¡¯s two-person party was formed. About 30 minutester, the two-person party that had entered before them returned. ¡°Man, that was tough¡­¡± ¡°You can say that again.¡± It was natural for them to be exhausted, having cleared a dungeon designed for 3-4 people with just two. They left the field, and Jeong-Hoon entered the portal. [Would you like to enter Lv. 59 Barren Land of mes?] Upon epting, Jeong-Hoon and Ha-jin¡¯s bodies were transported into the dungeon. [There is a significant level difference between party members.] [A penalty will be applied.] [The difficulty of Lv. 59 Barren Land of mes will be adjusted.] [Entering Lv. 105 Barren Land of mes.] *** Barren Land of mes. Thend was dry and cracked due to prolonged drought, and the intense sunlight was scorching hot. It must be at least 60 degrees Celsius. Jeong-Hoon roughly wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. Ha-jin, at Lv. 159, was unfazed by the heat due to his high stats, but Jeong-Hoon was only level 51. Adjusting to the heat wasn¡¯t easy, regardless of skill. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Ha-jin asked with a worried look. ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Anyway, just stay here. I¡¯ll take care of the monsters, so justnd one hit on the boss monster. Okay?¡± With that, Ha-jin drew his sword and swung it forcefully at a Lv. 105 Baby Uradon. The Baby Uradon couldn¡¯t withstand the level 159 sword strike and copsed sideways. Ha-jin raised his sword and finished it off by stabbing the Baby Uradon¡¯s neck. ¡®Phew, this is easy.¡¯ No matter how much Jeong-Hoon had a Legendary ss and a Legendary weapon, it would be difficult to hunt monsters 54 levels higher. Whoosh! At that moment, an arrow shot out, piercing the Baby Uradon¡¯s neck. The Baby Uradon, hit in its vital point, trembled and died. ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ Ha-jin stared nkly in the direction the arrow hade from. Jeong-Hoon was there, drawing his bowstring. As he released the string once more, the arrow flew, piercing the neck of another Baby Uradon that had been lying in ambush. ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and hunt.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah, okay.¡± Ha-jin nodded absentmindedly at the natural order. ¡®What the hell is with him? How can he¡­¡¯ Not just his ss and weapon, but his archery skills were insane! He had never seen Jeong-Hoon even touch a bow since elementary school. Who knew he could shoot so well? He should take back what he said about justnding one hit. ¡°Grrr! Humans, I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Two Baby Uradons charged at Ha-jin. ¡°This is not the time to be distracted.¡± Ha-jin, regaining his focus, swung his sword wide. * * * The subjugation went smoothly. ¡®It¡¯s definitely easier with a level 159 swordsman drawing aggro in front.¡¯ Hunting monsters with a level difference of over 50 wasn¡¯t easy. If he didn¡¯t have the Legendary weapon, it would have taken considerably longer. ¡°I¡¯m curious, where did you learn archery?¡± Anima, who had been watching silently, spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He couldn¡¯t say that he learned from named archers before his regression. Of course, he remembered what he had seen over their shoulders and imitated their movements one by one. The result of developing and refining those movements was his current mastery. ¡°Hmm, suit yourself.¡± Anima, seemingly not interested in prying, quietly shut his mouth. ¡°Hoon, are you alright?¡± Ha-jin, having finished off thest Baby Uradon, wiped the blood off his sword and asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re really something, you know.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head in.¡± They hadn¡¯t gained any experience or items so far, but the important part was about to begin. Uradon, lurking in the boss zone. If they could get two horns from him, the quest would be sessful. ¡°Grrr, you humans. You¡¯ve got guts.¡± Lv. 110 Uradon. Although only five levels higher than the Baby Uradons, they couldn¡¯t let their guard down. Uradon¡¯s original level was 64. His unique ability was Intimidation. When using Intimidation, he could lower the overall stats of opponents weaker than himself. ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll get him down to critical health.¡± Before he could use his unique ability, Ha-jin charged forward. Thanks to that, Uradon¡¯s attention was focused on Ha-jin. Ha-jin started to pressure Uradon, unleashing his skills. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± [Uradon uses ¡®Intimidation¡¯.] [Uradon uses ¡®Stun¡¯.] So it was Stun. Due to the level adjustment, Uradon¡¯s level had exceeded 100. Hence, a new unique ability was added. ¡°Damn it.¡± Ha-jin¡¯s movements stopped, seemingly affected by the Stun. Seeing this, Uradon charged at Ha-jin, using the horns on his head. Ha-jin, directly hit by the massive body, was sent flying over 5 meters. ¡°Is he okay?¡± Anima asked Jeong-Hoon with a slightly worried expression. ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± Ha-jin was level 159. No matter how much the Uradon¡¯s level had increased, that attack wouldn¡¯t be fatal. ¡°Ugh, that hurt like hell. You¡¯re dead.¡± As Jeong-Hoon had said, Ha-jin got up as soon as the Stun wore off. ¡°Hmm.¡± Anima nodded in understanding, seeing Ha-jinpletely unharmed. Ha-jin charged again, pressuring Uradon. Since he had used Intimidation and Stun simultaneously, they should be on cooldown. Uradon was flustered, busy defending against Ha-jin¡¯s attacks. ¡®Good.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon seized the opportunity and drew his bowstring. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯, is activated.] [Skill, ¡®Arrow Shot (Rare)¡¯, is acquired.] [¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ merges ¡®Arrow¡¯ and ¡®Arrow Shot¡¯.] [Acquires ¡®Critical Arrow¡¯.] A skill that could only be acquired after umting enough counts by attacking vital points. And through Steadfast Will, the skills merged, creating ¡®Critical Arrow.¡¯ ¡®Perfect timing.¡¯ A smile crept across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. Critical Arrow served to increase the arrow¡¯s attack power and critical hit chance. Even without hitting a vital point directly, it could dealparable damage with a certain probability. Of course, he still intended to aim for vital points. He released the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow shot out, urately piercing Uradon¡¯s neck as he defended against Ha-jin¡¯s sword strike. ¡°Kweeeek!¡± However, Uradon grabbed the arrow lodged in his neck and forcefully pulled it out. ¡°So he won¡¯t die easily?¡± Anima frowned. ¡°He¡¯s a boss.¡± No matter how much Jeong-Hoon aimed for vital points, there was almost a 60-level difference. So he couldn¡¯t finish him off with just one shot. Jeong-Hoon drew the bowstring again. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Uradon, enraged, charged at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Oh no!¡± Ha-jin hurriedly tried to block, but Uradon was slightly faster. ¡®If he gets hit by that, he¡¯ll die.¡¯ Unlike Ha-jin at level 159, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s defense was at level 51. He would receive an instant death from Uradon¡¯s body m. So he had to finish him off before they collided. ¡®Calm Breathing.¡¯ In that tense moment, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s breathing remained steady, and there wasn¡¯t even a slight tremor in his hand holding the bowstring. Finally, he released the drawn string. The arrow pierced Uradon¡¯s neck again. But this time, reactions were different. ck mes erupted from the neck wound as soon as the arrow pierced it. ¡°Kweeeek!¡± He screamed, clutching his neck. Soon, he copsed sideways, his body trembling. ¡°You finish him off.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± This was enough to earn the reward. At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s signal, Ha-jin raised his sword and ended Uradon¡¯s life, concluding the battle. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 44 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 44 Two horns were dropped next to the dead Uradon. Jeong-Hoon took one horn. ¡°Hey, take it.¡± Ha-Jin, who took the other horn, made a trade and handed it to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Thank you.¡± With this, he met the requirements of the quest. ¡°You¡¯re wee. But it ended too soon, didn¡¯t it?¡± The time spent on the subjugation was 27 minutes. It was a nd battle considering the difficulty level had increased. ¡°Right. It¡¯s nd considering we waited for over ten days.¡± Contrary to his words, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face was full of smiles. During the waiting time, he focused on leveling up and reached 51, so he met the conditions to reach the opportunity at the same time aspleting the quest. A n after entering the magic tower was already being drawn up in his head. But that n went awry before it even started. A woman in her early 20s was smiling at Jeong-Hoon in front of the dungeon. * * * Yeo Min-Ji had a new habit. It was to check World Com posts every hour. ¡®I will find you.¡¯ The reason she was looking at World Com with fire in her eyes was all because of that one martial artist. She was on the verge of finding him just in time for the job change quest, but she missed him because he immediately left using the portal. Is that why? Not only martial arts, but she feltpletely drenched, so a pointless sense of defiance was triggered. If she didn¡¯t find him, she won¡¯t be able to shake off this uneasy feeling. ¡°Huh?¡± At that time, a post caught her eye. [I saw the martial artist who defeated the instructor.] Yes! There he is! Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly touched the post. -He was really awesome. Shit The content was short, but the important thing was that he found the martial artist. She hurriedlymented. ©¸Where did you see the martial artist? Please answer. Did her wish reach the author of the post? Fortunately, the reply came quickly. ©¸Author here. I saw him in the eastern part of Idenharc. Believe me, it¡¯s not a lie. ©¸Eastern Idenharc? ©¸Yeah, it looks like he¡¯s trying to do the Uradon quest. ©¸Is it a lie? ©¸No, I swear on my parents. ©¸Look at his rudeness? Yeah, it¡¯s not a lie. So he went to Idenharc. If he was going to hunt Uradon, it meant that he had raised his level considerably. If he swore on his parents, it would at least not be a lie. Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly logged into the capsule. Her avatar appeared in the guild building. ¡°Huh? Miss, didn¡¯t you say you were going to rest today?¡± Park In-Tae, who was reporting his work, approached her. ¡°I found him!¡± ¡°Yes? The martial artist?¡± Even without a subject, Park In-Tae noticed right away. That¡¯s because after returning from the Hall of Martial Arts, she seemed to have a sense of defiance and searched like crazy for traces of the martial artist. ¡°Yes. I have to go right now.¡± Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly left. Her destination was in the eastern part of Idenharc. Fortunately, when she arrived, the dungeon raid was underway. ¡°Yeo Min-Ji¡­?¡± Users who recognized her opened their eyes wide. Korea¡¯s No. 1 martial artist and an executive of the Ho-Yeong Guild. Another named user appeared not long after Lee Hwa-Rang and other named users returned. ¡°Wow¡­ it¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°But why is she in front of the dungeon? Did she make a reservation?¡± ¡°Huh? The next reservation is ours?¡± The users, who had visited the dungeon entrance for the next subjugation, tilted their heads. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. There¡¯s someone I¡¯m waiting for.¡± She hurriedly apologized and waited near the entrance. ¡°Who are you waiting for?¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± The users¡¯ curiosity grew. As if to prove that the subjugation was over, the entrance to the dungeon opened. And the lower martial artist Yeo Min-Ji was waiting for appeared. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Hoon -Level: 51 -upation: Lower Martial Artist (1st ss) === The Low-level martial artist, was finally found. * * * ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that Yeo Min-Ji?¡± Ha-Jin, who checked her information, whispered to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Right.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded nonchntly. At the same time, he was curious. He knew that Yeo Min-Ji was looking for him, but how could he meet her in front of the dungeon at the right time? ¡®Could it be those guys?¡¯ Four figures shed through Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mind. The gang who picked a fight with him before entering the dungeon. Of course, he beat them up with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and sent them on a forced 24-hour logout train. If those guys posted on World Com, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for Yeo Min-ji to find this ce. ¡°Um, hello there?¡± Yeo Min-ji approached Jeong-Hoon. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Minzi -Level: 352 -ss: Martial Arts Master (4th ss) === Martial Arts Master, 4th ss. Known for her rare ss advancement in her first ss, Yeo Min-ji was now a unique grade yer. As expected of the top-ranked martial artist in South Korea. ¡°What brings you here?¡± Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t entirely uninterested in her. The Ho-Yeong Guild, which had been closely chasing the Myth Guild established by Sword King Jae-Hyeok Sa, suddenly copsed. The main members of the Ho-Yeong Guild, who had be the core after New World became reality, all went missing. The missing members never showed up again. What in the world happened? ¡°I¡¯m so sorry for the sudden visit. Please be assured that I absolutely did not stalk you.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡®No, if this isn¡¯t stalking, what is?¡¯ When Jeong-Hoon made an openly dumbfounded expression, Yeo Min-ji coughed awkwardly and averted her gaze. ¡°Um¡­ you¡¯re the martial artist from the video on World Com, right? The one who won the spar against Instructor Altio.¡± It seems she¡¯s decided to put on a brave face. ¡°What if I said no?¡± ¡°Excuse me. Let me just check for a moment.¡± She suddenly apologized and then took a step, extending her fist towards Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. ¡°Huh?!¡± It was a sharp punch that even Ha-jin, who was watching from the side, couldn¡¯t react to. However, Jeong-Hoon twisted his body and easily dodged the punch. Even though he couldn¡¯t see it, he had predicted the attack through her step path. It was a sense honed through countless real battles. ¡°As expected¡­¡± 0.1% There was a chance he might not be the one, so she threw a punch to be sure. Of course, she intended to stop if he didn¡¯t react, but she clearly saw Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes. Jeong-Hoon had urately read her steps. So she threw a punch with the intention of logging him out, but the result was a clean miss. ¡°Hey! How can you suddenly attack like that?!¡± When Ha-jin shouted with a flustered face, she quickly bowed. ¡°I apologize! I thought you would keep denying it¡­¡± She knew it was rude. But she felt it wouldn¡¯t progress with just words, so she had no choice. No other good method came to mind¡­ ¡°It¡¯s fine. So, what¡¯s the reason you came to find me?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked with an indifferent face. Since he didn¡¯t have any particr feelings for Yeo Min-ji, he could let this slide. ¡°¡­Please be my master!¡± ¡°What?¡± Jeong-Hoon furrowed his brow at the unexpected request. He naturally thought she would offer to join Ho-Yeong. ¡°I fell in love with your martial arts. I won¡¯t ask how you obtained it. I just wish you would teach it to me.¡± Yeo Min-ji waspletely obsessed with martial arts. The reason she visited the Hall of Martial Arts, the reason she searched World Com countless times, and the reason she came here so recklessly and caused a disturbance was all because of that martial art. ¡°¡­I¡¯m only level 51 now.¡± ¡°If you can perform like that at level 51, you¡¯re a monster.¡± Ha-jin muttered unconsciously. ¡°Do levels even matter?¡± Yeo Min-ji tilted her head. Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly at her reaction that level didn¡¯t matter. ¡®It¡¯s like seeing my past self.¡¯ Before his regression, Jeong-Hoon also became a martial artist and tried to learn anything he could. Of course, it wasn¡¯t for a pure purpose like hers, but to end this damn game. Anyway, it seemed like he was seeing a bit of his past self in her. ¡®But she won¡¯t be able to learn the Underworld Kings Fist Technique.¡¯ Even if her Steadfast Will reacted, it would only create a derivative of the Underworld Kings Fist Technique. It¡¯s not a legendary grade martial art for nothing. To replicate the Underworld Kings Fist Technique, one¡¯s Steadfast Will would need to be at least legendary grade. ¡°I refuse.¡± So the answer was set. There was no reason to invest time in Yeo Min-ji. ¡°I, I¡¯ll give you a proper reward!¡± ¡°As you may have noticed, the martial art I learned was obtained through a fortuitous encounter. This means there¡¯s a clear limit to learning it with Steadfast Will.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°So I will politely decline your offer. Let¡¯s go.¡± Leaving her standing there nkly, Jeong-Hoon left the field with Ha-jin. * * * Yeo Min-ji was persistent. She quickly regained her senses and followed Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Wait a minute! Then can I at least add you as a friend?¡¯ ¡®¡­If it¡¯s just that.¡¯ Only after Jeong-Hoon epted her friend request did she leave with a relieved heart. ¡°Did she really give up?¡± Ha-jin tilted his head. He couldn¡¯t believe that Yeo Min-ji, who had been following them so persistently, would back down with just a friend request. ¡°No, she¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Jeong-Hoon knew a thing or two about this type of person. When someone obsessed with one field bes curious about something in that field, they have to find a way to satisfy it. She¡¯ll definitely try to approach him using a different method. ¡°¡­Anyway, I¡¯m leaving.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ha-jin logged out, and Jeong-Hoon headed towards his destination, the magic tower. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re back already?¡± Rune, who was guarding the magic tower, widened his eyes at the sight of Jeong-Hoon. Did he already obtain the materials requested by Jaco, a senior mage of the tower? ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°J-Just a moment.¡± Rune took out a crystal ball and sent a signal somewhere. Soon after, Jaco appeared. An exmation mark was blinking above his head. ¡°You¡¯ve brought them already?¡± Jaco also seemed surprised by the earlier-than-expected return. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon handed over the two Uradon horns he had in his inventory to Jaco. After checking the horns, Jaco nodded. ¡°Correct. I will mark you here. With this mark, you can freely enter and exit the magic tower.¡± With those words, a tiny diamond mark was engraved on the back of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand. [Quest Completed.] [Magic Tower ess Restriction Lifted.] Done. With this, he could enter the magic tower. For now, he could only ess the beginner mage¡¯s tower, including the Martial Artist¡¯s Tower, but with this mark, it would be much easier to receive quests from other magic towers in the future. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Yes. Then would you like to enter now?¡± [Would you like to start the NPC Jaco¡¯s guidance?] No. He wasn¡¯t interested in the inside of the magic tower. His goal was to find the hidden opportunity within this magic tower. Jeong-Hoon refused without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll look around on my own.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jaco pondered for a moment. Should he leave a foreigner entering the tower for the first time alone? ¡®Allow maximum freedom to foreigners who meet the conditions.¡¯ If it weren¡¯t for the words of the Tower Master, he would have easily dismissed it. ¡°Alright. Then feel free to look around.¡± With those words, Jaco¡¯s figure scattered and disappeared. ¡°Y-You may pass.¡± With Jaco¡¯s permission granted, Rune had no reason to stop him any longer. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon entered the magic tower with leisurely steps. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 45 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 45 Yeo Min-ji returned to the guild two hourster. Park In-tae, who was working, smiled bitterly at her early return. ¡®It seems like you failed.¡¯ The beginner martial artist who defeated the instructor in the video on World Com. And the beginner martial artist who proudly won first ce in the capsule event that followed. He was convinced that the martial artist was the same person. They had tried to approach him using the ss quest event, but they ended up missing him right in front of their eyes. Park In-tae realized that the chances of finding that martial artist there were slim. So, to be honest, he didn¡¯t have much expectation when she left. ¡°I met him.¡± However, Yeo Min-ji¡¯s answer was different from his expectations. ¡°You met him?¡± Park In-tae asked again with wide eyes. ¡°Yes. But I could only add him as a friend.¡± ¡°Add as a friend? Could you tell me more about it?¡± Park In-tae stopped working and sat next to Yeo Min-ji. He then heard the story of her encounter with the martial artist. His nickname was Hoon. He was a low-level martial artist who had reached level 51. ¡®A low-level martial artist? You found the right person, miss.¡¯ A user with extraordinary potential, who won against an instructor and took first ce in the capsule event, a low-level martial artist? A dog passing by wouldugh. He must have hidden his information. After all, as soon as hepleted his ss advancement, a notice appeared on the board that a hidden ss for the martial artist job had appeared in New World. ¡°As expected, you think it¡¯s certain too, right, team leader?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s probably the martial artist who advanced to the hidden ss.¡± Park In-tae was 100% sure. Considering that he appeared anonymously in the spar with the instructor and the capsule event, he must have disguised himself as a low-level martial artist. ¡°As expected.¡± The corners of Yeo Min-ji¡¯s mouth lifted into a wide smile. ¡°But asking him to take you as a disciple was a bit too much.¡± She didn¡¯t even offer him a scout from Ho-Yeong, but asked a martial artist who was only level 51 to take her as a disciple. It waspletely unbing of her, the top martial artist in Korea. Seeing Park In-tae¡¯s hardened expression, Yeo Min-ji smiled awkwardly. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it. I couldn¡¯t just offer him a scout.¡± ¡°Hmm, then should we try to scout him from Ho-Yeong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. All I want is that martial art.¡± Despite being an executive of Ho-Yeong, she had no interest in scouting. Her only interest was in the martial art. And she didn¡¯t want to use her power to force a user into the guild, ignoring those with discerning eyes. ¡°Then what are you nning to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of getting close to him for now.¡± The martial artist¡¯s first impression was better than she expected. ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t that be a bit difficult?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Your first impression wasn¡¯t very good¡­¡± From what he had heard, suddenly showing up and throwing punches would definitely ruin a first impression. ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s okay. He epted my friend request, so I can change it gradually.¡± She was confident in changing her impression. Honestly, it was embarrassing to say it herself, but she was quite confident in her appearance. Unlike others, she barely touched the customization options, so her in-game appearance was nearly 95% synchronized with her real-life appearance. If she kept bumping into him like this, an opportunity would surelye. ¡°Good luck¡­¡± * * * The magic tower wasyered with invisible magical barriers. It was a protective barrier that blocked intrusions from outsiders. Of course, it didn¡¯t apply to Jeong-Hoon, who had the mark. As he entered the magic tower, the ck diamond engraved on the back of his hand glowed blue. Perhaps because it was a magic tower where mages gathered, there were NPCs and users walking around inside. ¡°Sigh¡­ second ss advancement is so difficult.¡± ¡°I told you to go for a normal ss advancement. Why are you aiming for a rare ss?¡± And the magic tower was a holy ground for second ss advancements. If the first ss advancement was achieved in the starting vige, the second ss advancement took ce here in the magic tower. Of course, to achieve the second ss advancement, one had to reach level 80, so the mages here were all over level 80. Unlike the first ss, the second ss allowed aiming for higher grades, so most users spent a lot of time trying toplete quests. That was because the mage¡¯s ss advancement was greatly influenced by the grade as they progressed. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to advance to a rare ss, and as a result, many users gave up and moved on to a normal grade second ss advancement to move on to the next vige. More than 70% of them would give up and choose a normal grade advancement. It was obvious just by looking at them. ¡®A hidden opportunity in a magic tower where so many userse and go.¡¯ As always, New World had prepared a small event for the users, and only a very small number of users could solve theplex problem and receive the benefits. And so far, no one has solved that problem in this Idenharc Magic Tower. ¡®Not anymore.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon headed to the library located on the 9th floor of the magic tower. The library, filled with countless beginner magic books, was very quiet. ¡®I also found a hidden opportunity in the Idenharc Magic Tower.¡¯ In his previous life, hisrade, Lewis Verdant, had started talking while staring at the crackling campfire. Jeong-Hoon naturally listened to his words. He wouldn¡¯t have dreamed that it would change the future. At this time, Lewis Verdant hadn¡¯t even started New World yet. Jeong-Hoon headed to the most secluded corner of the library. It was a space filled with old books covered in dust that no one had looked at. The magic developed in ancient times had very long forms and was not very efficient. Modern magic has been developed over thousands of years through the hands of countless mages. ¡°That¡¯s probably why users didn¡¯t bother looking at ancient books.¡± The mages who visited the magic tower were all preupied with ss advancement quests. Jeong-Hoon took out a book from the corner. It was a very thick book, with over 2,000 pages at first nce. [Reflections on Growth] [Author ¨C Richel] For reference, this book does not contain knowledge rted to magic. ¡®Back then, I was thirsty for growth. I started muchter than others.¡¯ Lewis Verdant was a verypetitive guy. Of course, there were times when thatpetitiveness worked in strange ways. But thanks to that, he found hidden opportunities six times. Choosing Idenharc, which others avoided, seemed like a foolish choice, but he eventually found a hidden opportunity and began to thrive. ¡°Can I borrow this?¡± Jeong-Hoon took the book and went to find the librarian. The librarian, who was sitting at the desk, adjusted his crooked sses and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we don¡¯t lend books to non-mages.¡± ¡°Even with this mark?¡± Even after showing the diamond mark on the back of his hand, the librarian¡¯s attitude remained unchanged. ¡°Yes. That mark is only for entering and exiting the magic tower.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. If you want to read it, please sit over there.¡± It seemed like borrowing it would be a bit difficult. He wanted to proceed in a ce where there were no people, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-Hoon returned to the ce where the ancient books were ced and opened the book. Although it was a ce where most people didn¡¯t look, he had to finish it as quickly as possible just in case. [I confess. The title of the book and the long-winded nonsense before it were all tricks.] The sentence was written on the second line of page 280. Just as Lewis Verdant had said. ¡®To hide a hidden opportunity, he filled 280 pages with stories about growth. He really is a crazy guy.¡¯ The owner of the book was Richel, a mage who was active 600 years ago. He was ostracized as a heretic among mages throughout his life and is known to have lived in seclusion. The reason was that he could handle both mana and divine power. At that time, those who handled mana usually walked the path of a mage, and those who handled divine power walked the path of a priest, but Richel, who was born with both, could not belong anywhere. ¡®It was probably due to jealousy.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just that he could handle both mana and divine power simultaneously, but he was also called a genius of his time. Jeong-Hoon turned the pages again and stopped at page 521. [What should I do if there is something that elerates growth? Should I take it by force? If so, I will tell you the secret. Hmm, but growth. It is truly a mysterious thing.] He found the next sentence after skipping from page 280 to page 521. Of course, it was followed by nonsense to make it difficult to solve easily. This time, he turned to page 991. [I wish someone who could use both mana and divine power would appear.] And page 997. [Wouldn¡¯t the secret be revealed if I infused the book with those two properties?] Next, page 1522. [Those who desire growth. Take the mysterious potion I have made throughout my life.] Finally, page 1794. [Take it and beat up those mage bastards and priest brats.] Richel¡¯s anger seemed to be fully contained in thest sentence. But it also felt a bit humorous. Jeong-Hoon chuckled. Although he couldn¡¯t beat up mages and priests as the sentence suggested. ¡°I will put it to good use.¡± With the intention of using his power for good, he activated both mana and divine power simultaneously. The sentences in the book began to glow, and a small magic circle appeared. ¡®Do I put my hand in here?¡¯ As Jeong-Hoon put his hand into the magic circle, a message appeared above it. [Would you like to retrieve all items?] This magic circle was a storage device created by Richel. ¡®Retrieve.¡¯ As he expressed his intention to retrieve, new potion bottles quickly filled his inventory. [Advanced Experience Potion x29] [Advanced Mana Potion x35] [Advanced Divine Power Potion x35] [Richel¡¯s Research Journal] They were potions that increased experience, mana, and divine power. ¡®Done.¡¯ With this, he could grow even faster. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. As always, silence descended upon the management team¡¯s office. It wasn¡¯t this quiet until exactly 30 minutes ago, but when one employee activated the real-time monitoring, the employees¡¯ eyes turned to the monitor. And they could see it. A user entered the magic tower library, took out a book, and as he read it, a reaction appeared. ¡°¡­Is this even possible?¡± A magic circle appeared on the book, and the user put his hand into it. Soon after, the magic circle disappeared, and the ancient book returned to its original form. ¡°But how did he solve it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°If we knew, we wouldn¡¯t be staring nkly like this¡­¡± The employees were speechless. He naturally entered the library, went to the ancient book section, and specifically took out a thick book with over 2,000 pages. Then, he did something they didn¡¯t understand, but the book reacted, and he retrieved the hidden opportunity. ¡°It¡¯s scary now.¡± Team leader Oh Jin-soo got goosebumps several times while watching his y just now. ¡°Team leader, is it okay to just watch this?¡± One employee approached Oh Jin-soo and whispered. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that user¡¯s y too abnormal? Shouldn¡¯t we report it to Earth headquarters¡­?¡± The management team¡¯s task was to monitor users in real-time and detect abnormal y. The program itself was strictly controlled by Earth headquarters, but since humans were intelligent beings, there was also a need for supervisors who could directly monitor them. In fact, with Earth headquarters¡¯ capabilities, supervisors wouldn¡¯t be necessary, but they still established a management team and assigned them the role of observing users. ¡°Do you think that the user is ying abnormally?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it.¡± The user was continuously ying in an unconventional way, but he wasn¡¯t doing anything illegal. He was simply captivating the management team with his normal y. ¡°Then remain neutral no matter what. Whatever it is, it¡¯s all his ability.¡± If things continued like this, the fastest-ranking yer would surely be born. Oh Jin-soo was convinced of that. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 46 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 46 ¡®No news again today.¡¯ Sander, the master of the Idenharc Magic Tower, had a crystal ball set up in front of him. The crystal ball was showing the library of the magic tower. The reason why he was specifically showing the library out of all the many ces. It was because of a legend passed down through generations. ¡®The book written by Richel himself, the one who unravels the secret of that book will appear.¡¯ Richel was a genius 600 years ago, with the innate talent to use both mana and divine power simultaneously. Unfortunately, he was an outcast among mages and priests of his time, unable to fully blossom his talent. ¡®Reflections on Growth¡¯, left behind by such a genius. The previous tower masters had lived with that book, wondering what secrets it held. Of course, the condition was quickly met. But the secret had not yet been revealed. ¡®You must be able to use both mana and divine power simultaneously to solve it.¡¯ It meant that one had to be born with the same talent as Richel. That¡¯s why the book had to be stuck in a corner of the library for 600 years. Probably even in this generation, no one with the qualifications for that book would appear. All humans, when they awaken divine power, lose their mana, and divine power takes its ce. They were properties that could not coexist from the beginning. At that moment, a stranger entered the ancient book corner. And then he took out the book written by Richel. ¡®Oh?¡¯ Sander stared at the crystal ball with curious eyes. It seemed like he wanted to borrow the book, but it was impossible because he wasn¡¯t a registered mage in the magic tower. ¡®Was it just a coincidence?¡¯ His curiosity quickly faded. But the stranger didn¡¯t give up and went into the corner to open the book. ¡®Wait a minute¡­¡¯ Sander¡¯s eyes gradually widened. The pages the stranger turned to and stopped at were the same ones where the previous tower master had met the conditions. Soon after, the book glowed faintly, and a magic circle appeared. ¡°No way!¡± Sander couldn¡¯t help but jump up from his seat. ¡°Tower Master! What¡¯s wrong?¡± Hearing themotion in the tower master¡¯s room, the vice-tower master, Rown, burst into the room without knocking. There, a chair was lying on the floor, and next to it stood Sander with a shocked expression. Rown¡¯s eyes widened at the sight. Sander usually showed little change in expression. Even when something surprising happened, he would only be slightly surprised. It was the first time in his entire tenure as vice-tower master that he had seen the tower master so shocked. ¡°Tower Master? Are you alright¡­?¡± At Rown¡¯s words, Sander¡¯s gaze slowly turned to him. Then, he slowly opened his mouth and spoke in a trembling voice. ¡°Tell the librarian to lock the library door now.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Lock the library door! Especially tell them not to let the stranger inside out! Tell them if they let him out, they¡¯ll be fired!¡± Sander shouted and hurriedly ran out of the tower master¡¯s room. ¡°No¡­ What the hell is going on?¡± The vice-tower master, Rown, tried to understand the situation, but he couldn¡¯t make sense of it. For now, he had no choice but to follow the tower master¡¯s instructions and send a telepathic message to the librarian, ordering him to lock the library door. * * * Jeong-Hoon, having finished his business, put the book back in its original ce. ¡®If you¡¯re going to drink the potions, it¡¯s better to go to the tower¡¯s training room.¡¯ The training room inside the magic tower. The training room was a space that only the tower master could use, and it was the ce with the most abundant mana in the tower, where mana umted 1.2 times faster during training. And these potions reacted to the surrounding mana and increased their effectiveness by 10%. This meant that if you drank 10 potions, you would get the effect of an additional potion. However, getting into the training room was not easy. First, you needed the permission of the tower master, but the Idenharc Tower Master rarely showed his face. Even for the second ss advancement, you couldn¡¯t meet the tower master unless you met the epic grade or higher requirements. Of course, this didn¡¯t apply to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Why are you locking the door?¡± Jeong-Hoon casually asked the librarian, who was struggling to organize the library. ¡°Ahaha, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m going to lock the door for a moment. Could you please wait over there?¡± The librarian smiled awkwardly and pointed to a table. His behavior indicated that the tower master had given an order. ¡®It seems like he was watching everything.¡¯ From the beginning, Jeong-Hoon had nned to find the tower master after solving Richel¡¯s book. Lewis Verdant had done that and obtained the training room. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll leave now if you¡¯re going to lock it.¡± ¡°No! We¡¯ll reopen soon, so you can finish your business.¡± ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯m leaving, so please step aside.¡± ¡°No¡­ Just a moment!¡± The librarian, sweating profusely, blocked the door as if his life depended on it. ¡°Why?¡± Jeong-Hoon barely suppressed hisughter and tilted his head. ¡°Ahem¡­ Why don¡¯t you stay and chat with me for a while? I have some delicious tea hidden away that I was going to drink.¡± Should he stop here? Seeing the librarian¡¯s face, which looked like he was about to burst into tears, Jeong-Hoon felt his revenge was sufficient. But he couldn¡¯t drink tea. ¡°Open the door!¡± The tower master had arrived at the library. Only then did the librarian unlock the door. ¡®The author is the Idenharc Tower Master.¡¯ === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Sander -Level: 300 -upation: Idenharc Tower Master === A whopping level 300. It was the highest level you could see in the beginner zone. The tower master grabbed Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulders and shook him urgently. ¡°You solved the secret of the book?! How did you do it! You¡¯re not even a priest, how do you have divine power?!¡± He spoke so fast that it was hard to understand him properly. ¡°Please speak slowly. And let go of my shoulders.¡± Jeong-Hoon said as he removed Sander¡¯s hands from his shoulders. Sander seemed to realize his actions and coughed awkwardly with a slightly flushed face. ¡°Ah, um. I apologize. I was so surprised that I acted rudely.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. But what do you mean by the secret of the book?¡± ¡°¡­Would you like toe to the tower master¡¯s room first? I¡¯d like to talk to you for a bit.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled inwardly. Things were going easier than expected. * * * Tower Master¡¯s Room. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze lingered on the crystal ball ced on the table. ¡®So that¡¯s how he saw it.¡¯ He understood how the tower master could figure it out so quickly. ¡°Ahem, first of all, I apologize again. I was a bit flustered earlier.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­Then can you tell me how you solved the secret of the book?¡± He was curious. As the tower master, Sander had inherited everything from the previous tower master and knew the secret of the book, but he was puzzled that this stranger in front of him also knew the secret. ¡°I have the ability to decipher objects.¡± A lie came out of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth. ¡°The ability to decipher¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Thanks to that, I was able to decipher the book.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, then it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to assume that you possess both mana and divine power.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then would you tell me what was inside?¡± He was curious. What was the result of the genius¡¯s lifelong research 600 years ago? The previous tower masters had desperately wanted to uncover Richel¡¯s research achievements, but they ultimately failed as their lives came to an end. But Sander was different. There was a stranger in front of him who had unlocked the secret of the book. Of course, Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t going to easily reveal it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Sander¡¯s face crumpled in a frown. Seeing that, Jeong-Hoon calmly continued. ¡°Weren¡¯t you unable to solve the book even with your power as the tower master?¡± ¡°¡­¡± The fact that such an important book was left in a corner of the magic tower¡¯s library, gathering dust, meant that no one could solve it and it was abandoned. The reason for actively inviting strangers into the magic tower was the slightest hope that someone with both mana and divine power might appear. Honestly, it was ridiculous that it was left in a corner of the library, even if no one could solve it. ¡®This is another one of New World¡¯s tricks.¡¯ An opportunity given to the users. The fact that such an important book was stored in the library without any thought was also due to New World¡¯s settings. Then he had to take full advantage of it. ¡°I solved it, but it¡¯s a bit much to ask me to tell you for free, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re saying you¡¯ll tell me if I pay the price¡­ Is that right?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. Then Sander snapped his fingers. At that moment, the left wall slid to the side, revealing treasures. Not just gold and jewels. Epic to rare items were disyed in a row. ¡°10,000 gold. And I¡¯ll give you 10 items from here. How about it?¡± An incredible reward, unbelievable for a beginner zone. But Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t want that. ¡°The training room. Please allow me to use the training room that you use.¡± ¡°The training room¡­?¡± A question mark appeared above Sander¡¯s head. [Normal Quest: Idenharc Tower Master¡¯s Training Room] -Restriction: User possessing Richel¡¯s Research Journal -Reward: Sander¡¯s Recognition + Significant increase in Favorability -Description: Prove the results of Richel¡¯s research by using the training room. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Why do you want to use the training room?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll show you what Richel left behind.¡± With that, he took out the research journal and showed it to him. ¡°This is¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a research journal.¡± [Richel¡¯s Research Journal] It was a journal that came along with the potions. Sander¡¯s eyes widened as he checked the journal. ¡°W-Wait a moment.¡± Sander hurriedly called the vice-tower master and ordered him to bring Richel¡¯s books. Soon after, the vice-tower master Rown brought several books written by Richel. The handwriting in those books and the research journal were identical. ¡®How in the world¡­¡¯ Sander read through the research journal with confused eyes. The growth potion that Richel had researched all his life. ¡®It¡¯s definitely Richel¡¯s research.¡¯ Through the research journal, he learned that Richel was obsessed with growth. To umte more mana and divine power in his body. There was only one reason why he had to do so. Although Richel possessed both mana and divine power, he was born with a constitution that couldn¡¯t form circles. So, wasn¡¯t that why he was even more obsessed with growth? Sander closed the journal and guided Jeong-Hoon to the training room. * * * The training room was located on the top floor of the magic tower. The entire top floor was the training room, and the ceiling was open. The sky above was a mana zone, where mana was far more abundant than in other areas. ¡®Shall we begin?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, sitting in the center, took out the potions. First, the experience potion. [Advanced Experience Potion] -Type: Consumable -Grade: Epic -Grants experience points based on the user¡¯s level. -When used within a mana zone, grants an additional 10% of the gained experience points. Right. This was the reason why he had to drink it within the mana zone. If he drank 10, he would get 1 as a bonus, so there was no reason to drink it outside the mana zone. Jeong-Hoon gulped down one potion. [Experience points acquired!] [Experience points acquired!] Every time the thin liquid passed down his throat, his experience points increased. [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 granted.] And when he emptied half of the bottle, he leveled up to 52. [Experience points acquired!] [Experience points acquired!] [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 granted.] When he finished the whole bottle, he had risen from 52 to 53. ¡°One bottle raises two levels?¡± Jeong-Hoon quickly emptied the remaining 28 potions. [Experience points acquired!] [Experience points acquired!] [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 granted.] Countless experience gain messages popped up. When he finished all 28 bottles, he had reached level 91. He had gained a whopping 40 levels from 29 potions. Additionally, an achievement. [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®Save the Best for Last (3)¡¯pleted! 10,000 achievement points granted.] [¡®Mark of the Ultimate Endurer¡¯ granted.] Yes! The 10,000 achievement points were important, but even more important was this mark. ¡®Alright. Now I have two.¡¯ There were 8 marks left. It was still a long way to go, but he had experience obtaining them all, so time would solve it. ¡°Then shall I drink the rest?¡± [Advanced Mana Potion x35] [Advanced Divine Power Potion x35] He was curious to see how much these two would increase his stats. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 47 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 47 [Mana increased by +1!] [Mana increased by +1!] [Divine Power increased by +1!] [Divine Power increased by +1!] The result of using all the potions. Mana increased by 107, and Divine Power increased by 108. [Detailed Stats] -Strength: 101 (+10) -> 111 -Agility: 101 (+12) -> 113 -Stamina: 101 (+12) -> 113 -Defense: 101 (+10) -> 111 -Wisdom: 101 (+10) -> 111 -Mana: 214 (+21) -> 235 -Divine Power: 216 (+21) -> 237 -Mental Strength: 91 (+12) -> 103 Even though Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level was only 91, his mana and divine power exceeded 200. ¡®This is really amazing.¡¯ Since Richel couldn¡¯t form circles, there were no additional circles. Even Jeong-Hoon in his previous life only had one circle. Even with one circle, he used it in conjunction with Magic Missile, which wasparable to high-level circles due to his vast mana, so he had no desire for more circles. ¡®It¡¯s much more efficient to continue on the path I¡¯ve been walking rather than trying to create circles.¡¯ And circles and magic would naturally increase in the future. Because Jeong-Hoon was nning to steal what the mages had discovered. ¡®Then how should I use the bonus stats?¡¯ He currently had 100 unused stat points. Since he had achieved the achievement, there was no reason to keep them any longer. ¡®Mana and divine power are more than enough.¡¯ With this much, he wouldn¡¯t becking in mana or divine power for the time being. Jeong-Hoon invested 25 points each in strength, agility, stamina, and defense without hesitation. ¡°¡­Amazing.¡± Sander, who had been watching, couldn¡¯t help but admire him. He didn¡¯t know how much stronger this stranger had be, but to digest all those potions without missing a single one¡­ And he felt a bit resentful. Even though he had solved the secret of the book that had been carefully preserved in the Idenharc Magic Tower, he didn¡¯t even give him a single drop¡­ Wouldn¡¯t most people offer to share a little, even if it was just empty words? He even lent him the training room? ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon stood up and expressed his gratitude. ¡°Ahem¡­ It¡¯s fine. But didn¡¯t you have any potions left? Not even a tiny bit?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Sander¡¯s face was filled with disappointment. ¡°Instead, I¡¯ll give you the research journal.¡± Although it was called a research journal. In reality, it was data left by Richel in the form of a diary. Although the exact method of making the potion wasn¡¯t written inside, the journal itself would be valuable information. Knowing its value, Sander readily nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± An exmation mark appeared above his head. [Quest Completed.] [Sander acknowledges ¡®Hoon¡¯.] [Sander¡¯s Favorability has greatly increased.] As soon as the quest waspleted, a new question mark appeared. [Hidden Quest: Idenharc Lord¡¯s Castle (1/2)] Restriction: Users rmended by Sander Reward: ? (Reward will be determined based onpletion.) Description: There is a problem in the Idenharc Lord¡¯s Castle. Visit the castle and listen to the lord¡¯s concerns. Idenharc also had various quests. And you could get various rewards, and asionally even rare rewards. However, the Lord¡¯s Castle quest was not a quest that appeared by default. Lewis Verdant was the first to earn the right to undertake it. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could you go to the Lord¡¯s Castle? I¡¯m sure you can solve the problem at the castle!¡± Lewis Verdant didn¡¯t just get the potions. He also achieved remarkable growth through this linked quest. Idenharc Lord¡¯s Castle. However, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t head straight to the castle but returned to the vige. He wanted toplete the normal quests given by the vige NPCs. ¡®If I go right away, I won¡¯t get the best rewards.¡¯ From the moment he reached level 80, Jeong-Hoon met the conditions to move on to the next vige. Of course, since he had jumped from level 51 to 80 by relying on potions, it was as if he hadn¡¯t done any of the Idenharc vige quests. ¡®Well, it¡¯s a bit of a shame that I went to the Lord¡¯s Castle quest as soon as I received it. The rewards would have been a bit better if I had done the vige quests first.¡¯ The rewards for the Lord¡¯s Castle quest could be increased or decreased depending on the trust of the vige NPCs. If he went in his current state, it would be impossible to get the rewards he wanted. Jeong-Hoon opened his closed whispers. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Hey~ What are you doing now?] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-jin12 -> Hoon: Hey! This crazy bastard goes AFK every time he does something ??] He had exactly two friends registered in New World. Jeong-Hoon briefly replied to Ha-jin and then replied to Yeo Min-ji. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Hey] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Wow¡­ Is it real that it took you 13 hours to reply?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Why did you whisper?] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: I want us to get closer.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Get closer?] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Yes. Let¡¯s be friends.] * * * Jeong-Hoon soon changed his opinion of Yeo Min-ji. Wow, she¡¯s really an amazing woman. ¡°I just need to carry this over here, right?¡± Yeo Min-ji was currently carrying items from the general store¡¯s warehouse with Jeong-Hoon. ¡°¡­You really don¡¯t have to help me.¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m also doing the vige quests, is there a problem?¡± When Jeong-Hoon mentioned doing the vige quests, she suddenly appeared and started doing them with him. Since she was also from Eichen, she hadn¡¯tpleted any of the Idenharc vige quests. Thanks to that, they could do them together. But the problem was that it attracted too much attention. ¡°Yeo Min-ji?¡± ¡°Huh? Why is a Ho-Yeong executive moving boxes in Idenharc?¡± ¡°You see it too, right? My eyes aren¡¯t ying tricks on me, right?¡± The users residing in Idenharc were staring at Yeo Min-ji¡¯s actions with wide eyes. Nevertheless, Yeo Min-ji didn¡¯t seem to care, as if she was used to it. ¡®She¡¯s trying to learn the martial art no matter what.¡¯ Her intentions were easy to read. Look. Even while putting down the luggage, she was constantly looking for an opportunity to talk to him. ¡°Oops!¡± At that moment, Yeo Min-ji threw a punch towards Jeong-Hoon. Of course, Jeong-Hoon dodged the punch again with a step. ¡°¡­¡± When he looked at her with a dumbfounded expression, Yeo Min-ji coughed awkwardly with a flushed face. ¡°Sorry! The floor was a bit slippery, and my fist slipped as I fell.¡± ¡°It was clearly intentional. Don¡¯t tell me you wanted me to counterattack?¡± No matter how reckless she was, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to have such thoughts. ¡°¡­No?¡± Jeong-Hoon sighed softly at her evasive gaze. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m in the middle of a quest, so please don¡¯t disturb me.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Perhaps embarrassed, she didn¡¯t disturb Jeong-Hoon any further. Only after all the work was done did Jeong-Hoon leave the warehouse. Yeo Min-ji followed behind him. Even when he was doing the inn quest, and even when he was doing the marketce quest. She stuck with Jeong-Hoon all day long. Doesn¡¯t she get tired? ¡°Thank you so much!¡± [Quest Completed.] [3,000 experience points acquired.] Whilepleting the quest, she silently participated in the quest with Jeong-Hoon. Then, as if something came to mind, Yeo Min-ji approached him and spoke. ¡°Oh, by the way, I heard there¡¯s a second ss advancement event.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head turned towards Yeo Min-ji. ¡°You mean the event?¡± ¡°Yes. New World posted a notice, didn¡¯t you see it?¡± ¡°I did.¡± The New World event. It was an event for users who hadpleted their first ss advancement and were about to undergo their second ss advancement. ¡®It¡¯s an event I must participate in.¡¯ [If you want to aim for a higher grade in your ss advancement, you must seize it in the second ss advancement.] -Depending on the results of the second ss advancement, you can advance to rare, epic, or unique, but if you go through with a normal grade advancement, the probability of remaining at normal grade in the third and fourth sses is very high. ©¸This is so true. ©¸Thinking about the 3 months I wasted on the second ss advancement still pisses me off. ©¸You have to get to rare grade¡­ It really changes your future. ©¸So what ?? Most people can¡¯t even get to rare and fail. ©¸I also got a normal ss advancement¡­ ©¸Me too ?? The second ss advancement, where more than 70% of users failed to achieve a rare ss advancement and moved on. New World nned an event to help with these issues. The Second ss Advancement Event. This event, which would be held annually from now on, saw arge number of users achieving rare or higher ss advancements during the event period. This was because it was conducted solely based on rtive evaluation, not on meeting quest requirements. Therefore, newbies who enteredte flocked to this event, making thepetition extremely fierce. ¡°Are you going to participate in the event?¡± Yeo Min-ji asked with sparkling eyes. ¡°Why? To watch me up close?¡± ¡°Can I?!¡± ¡°Do as you please.¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled. She wouldn¡¯t be able to observe this event anyway. Not knowing the future, her face was filled with anticipation. ¡°Alright! Then could you also give me your number?¡± ¡°My number?¡± * * * Yeo Min-ji returned to the guild three hourster. Her face was beaming with joy. ¡°Wee back.¡± Park In-tae, who was finishing up his work and about to log out, greeted her. ¡°Yes. I even got his number.¡± ¡°His number?¡± Park In-tae frowned. Seeing her leave confidently with the words of getting closer, he thought she would surely return in failure. After all, Yeo Min-ji wasn¡¯t very sociable. She wasn¡¯t introverted, but being so immersed in martial arts, he thought it would be quite difficult for her to get close to someone she had only met once. ¡®Is it her looks?¡¯ There¡¯s a saying that looks are everything. Maybe that guy gave her his number, captivated by Yeo Min-ji¡¯s beauty. ¡°Yes. I think I can get a little closer with this.¡± ¡°¡­Um, miss. Can I apany you next time?¡± ¡°No. If youe with me, the other person might feel ufortable.¡± ¡°U-Ufortable¡­¡± Park In-tae¡¯s face fell at her words. * * * One week. During that time, Jeong-Hoon did his best toplete the vige quests. It was time to head to the lord¡¯s castle. === [New World Event Notice!] Hello! This is the New World development team. First of all, we are posting this notice to inform users of new news! New World is doing its best to provide various benefits to users. In preparation for the new world that will open in the future. Therefore, the New World development team is going to hold an event for users. [2nd ss Advancement Big Event] To participate in the event, you must be level 80 or above and be ready for the 2nd ss advancement. Users who do not meet the requirements cannot participate in the event. Users who achieve excellent results in the event will be able to advance to a higher ss, so please be sure to seize this opportunity. New World Development Team === The event will be held in two weeks. Jeong-Hoon nned to participate in this event without fail. New World was trying to provide as much support as possible to users until the world became reality. That support included this event. So, if he ranked high, he would be given a corresponding reward. ¡°Halt.¡± Two knights were guarding the gate in front of the lord¡¯s castle. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Bark -Level: 100 -ss: Official Knight (2nd ss) === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Will -Level: 100 -ss: Official Knight (2nd ss) === As befitting the gatekeepers of the lord¡¯s castle, both NPCs were level 100. They were even knights who had received the title of official knight. A question mark appeared above his head. It meant that he had met the requirements to proceed with the lord¡¯s castle entrance quest while doing the vige quests. Of course, Jeong-Hoon could skip it. He took out Sander¡¯s letter of rmendation from his inventory and presented it, and the question marks above their heads disappeared. ¡°Ah, you have a letter of rmendation.¡± ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Bark stayed in ce, and Will entered the castle. Soon after, Will returned and handed back the letter of rmendation. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to be a forgery. You may enter.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± With permission granted from inside, they had no reason to stop Jeong-Hoon. Thus, Jeong-Hoon, having obtained a free pass into the castle, was led by the butler into the reception room. In the seat of honor in the reception room sat a middle-aged man who appeared to be in histe 40s. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Juan -Level: 100 -Job: Lord of Idenharc (Viscount) === The Viscount, Lord of Idenharc. And above his head, a red exmation mark was blinking. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 48 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 48 [Quest Completed.] [Hidden Quest: Idenharc Lord¡¯s Castle (2/2) can now be proceeded.] Jeong-Hoon checked the new quest that appeared above his head. [Hidden Quest: Idenharc Lord¡¯s Castle (2/2)] -Restriction: Idenharc Lord¡¯s Castle (1/2)pleted -Reward: ? (Reward will be determined based onpletion.) -Description: Completely close the portal in the basement of the lord¡¯s castle. ¡°Wee. If you don¡¯t mind, would you like to sit here?¡± Juan greeted Jeong-Hoon with a friendly smile. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded, and the butler guided him to an empty seat. ¡°It¡¯s mealtime, would you like to join me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The food eaten in the game was all converted into buffs. Soon, soup, rye bread, some meat, and a few vegetables appeared. Contrary to his expectation of a luxurious banquet befitting a noble, it was a rather simple meal. ¡°Shall we eat?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The meal was conducted in a very quiet atmosphere from beginning to end. Only after all the dishes were cleared did Juan bring up the main topic. ¡°First, let me ask you one thing. Are you a mage?¡± His eyes scanned Jeong-Hoon up and down. ¡°No.¡± He could use Magic Missile, but that was the only magic he knew. Jeong-Hoon mainly fought with swords, bows, and fists, using magic only as a supplementary role. ¡°Is that so? Then how did you get a letter of rmendation from the magic tower master?¡± ¡°I helped him with something.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Then can I take it that you are willing to solve the problem of the castle?¡± The reason Sander wrote the rmendation letter. It was because Jeong-Hoon could use both mana and divine power. ¡°I¡¯ll listen first.¡± ¡°¡­There is a portal in the basement of the castle. It¡¯s a portal that has been there for a very long time.¡± The portal was located much deeper underground than the castle¡¯s dungeon. It was a portal created hundreds of years ago. Currently, it was sealed, so no one could enter or exit. The portal went into a frenzy every three years, and this year was the third year. The portal in the basement would soon start to go berserk. And Juan wanted to get rid of that pesky portal. However, there was one condition needed to close the portal. ¡®Only those who have used mana before and can currently use divine power can enter.¡¯ That was the condition. ¡®That¡¯s why Sander wrote the letter of rmendation.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon was the only one who could use both mana and divine power. ¡°Do I just need to close it?¡± Currently, they were blocking the mana overflowing from the rampaging portal to survive for three years. However, the blocking process was not easy. Those exposed to the rampaging mana would have their own mana go berserk and die before long. The mana in the body bes poisonous and eats away at the whole body. Over 500 people have died while working in Idenharc. Juan wanted to escape this tiresome portal. That¡¯s why he requested help from the masters of each ss¡¯s tower, but where would someone who could use both mana and divine power appear? Then, Jeong-Hoon appeared. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right. If you seed in closing it, I will give you my best reward.¡± Juan received a separate contact from Sander and immediately ordered people to investigate Jeong-Hoon. And he learned what a good person Jeong-Hoon was. Despite being a stranger, he took the initiative to solve the vige¡¯s problems, and Juan decided to trust him. That¡¯s why he had a meal with him as soon as he arrived. ¡®The best reward.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon smiled inwardly. ¡®That lord, unlike the beginner zone, was very suspicious. He only opened up after Ipletely closed the portal.¡¯ Even with that, he was given a tremendous reward, the Idenharc Potion, which explosively increased his level. Thanks to that, Lewis Verdant achieved explosive growth bybining Richel¡¯s potion with the Idenharc Potion. In his early days, he had used mana and then walked the path of a priest, gaining divine power, which allowed him to meet the portal entry requirements. ¡®But that wasn¡¯t the best reward¡­ Juan was a guy who valued ¡®goodness¡¯ very much. If I had used that, I could have gotten more¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t know that Lewis Verdant¡¯smentations about the past would be so helpful. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take responsibility and close that portal.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Juan nodded with a gentle smile. * * * Idenharc Lord¡¯s Castle Basement. The basement door that Juan led him to was blocked by a double barrier. As if to prove that the outburst was not far off, mana was leaking slightly through the cracks in the door. ¡°You could get poisoned if you get too close.¡± Even the guards at the door were wearing special gas masks and protective suits. Perhaps because they were made by alchemists, they resembled medieval European helmets and te armor rather than modern protective suits. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached the door. The mana leaking through the cracks in the door rushed towards Jeong-Hoon. Of course, the mana couldn¡¯t harm Jeong-Hoon at all. [Not affected by mana poisoning.] That¡¯s right. This was why there had to be traces of mana. Even if you could use divine power, you couldn¡¯t resist it without the traces. ¡°Oh!¡± ¡°Are you alright¡­?¡± Juan and the guards watched the situation with wide eyes. ¡°Yes. But what should we do about the barrier?¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed at the barrier with his finger. He could unseal this level of barrier himself, but that would risk the portal¡¯s mana leaking out. ¡°¡­Please wait a moment.¡± At Juan¡¯s gesture, the mages who had followed them stood in front of the door and began to reconstruct the barrier. Then, a barrier was erected behind Jeong-Hoon. Simultaneously, the barrier on the door was lifted, and the closed door creaked open. ¡°Can you enter?¡± The mage asked cautiously. ¡°Haha, are you asking someone who isn¡¯t even wearing any protective gear?¡± Unlike them, Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t wearing anything. Because he wouldn¡¯t be poisoned. ¡°Then we will step back.¡± As if he had asked out of courtesy, the mage stepped back and passed through the barrier. ¡°¡­Please, we¡¯re counting on you!¡± Juan¡¯s voice came from behind. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and entered the door. Inside, a huge portal was shining eerily. [Lv. 100 Ambiguous Boundary of Good and Evil (Hidden)] *Without divine power, you will be punished with death. A dungeon that couldn¡¯t be cleared without mana and divine power, no matter how high your level was. And it was a hidden dungeon, no less. It was a dungeon where you could obtain rare rewards, like the hidden theme he had discovered before. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± [Would you like to enter Lv. 100 Ambiguous Boundary of Good and Evil (Hidden)?] As Jeong-Hoon pressed ept, the portal swallowed him. * * * Juan, the mages, and the guards watched Jeong-Hoon enter the portal from beyond the barrier. Even though Jeong-Hoon had left, they couldn¡¯t move. Juan, in particr, was staring at the flickering portal with tense eyes. ¡®Tower Master, do you think that stranger can destroy the portal?¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t I?¡¯ The answer that came back was very confident. ¡®¡­He just looked like someone who met the entry requirements.¡¯ The condition for entering the portal was to be able to use both mana and divine power simultaneously. It was not a condition for closing it. To close it, you had to do it purely on your own. ¡°Phew, I hope he doesn¡¯te back as a corpse.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but worry. It had been a long time since he had seen such a kind stranger. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. He looked very confident.¡± The mage, Frizen, who had built the barrier, said. He couldn¡¯t find any trace of nervousness in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression. That sight boosted his confidence. Juan nodded at Frizen¡¯s additionalment, who had worked in the castle for 13 years and had already experienced four portal outbreaks. ¡°I hope so.¡± Juan didn¡¯t leave the spot. He was the first person since Richel, 600 years ago, who could use both mana and divine power. Since such a person had entered the portal, he wanted to witness everything that happened afterwards. * * * [Hidden: Ambiguous Boundary of Good and Evil] [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®Pioneer of a New Path (1)¡¯pleted. 2,000 achievement points granted.] ¡°Dense.¡± Jeong-Hoon was surprised when he entered the dungeon. It had been a long time since he had been in a space with such dense mana. It was so dense that the mana settled in the air was visible to the naked eye. Moreover, it was not a bright blue color due to contamination, but a dark navy blue that had settled in a hazy form. It was somewhat simr to the ¡®Abyss¡¯ that he had cleared with difficulty in his previous life. Of course, unlike the Abyss, where he had to avoid death, this ce required the coexistence of mana and divine power. Anyway, it wasn¡¯t apletely unfamiliar space for Jeong-Hoon. He took out the Dragon Anima Bone Bow from his inventory and held it. ¡°Long time no see.¡± Anima appeared and greeted him briefly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Jeong-Hoon responded with a greeting. ¡°But where are we? This ce has a very unpleasant smell.¡± Anima looked around and frowned. It was because of the contaminated mana. Indeed, every time Jeong-Hoon breathed, the air mixed with contaminated mana entered his lungs, and the contaminated mana quickly began to spread throughout his body. [Purifying contaminated mana.] [Purifying contaminated mana.] If he had only mana, the contaminated mana would have quickly taken over and he wouldn¡¯t have been able to push it out, but the divine power purified the contaminated mana, and the mana pushed out the contaminated mana. Even though it was purified, the contamination level was so high that it couldn¡¯t be absorbed into the body. ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± He didn¡¯t want to stay in this filthy space anymore. Jeong-Hoon stepped forward. [Lv. 100 Priest (Good)] A monster appeared soon after. It was a humanoid monster wearing a white robe pulled down low. The benevolent energy flowing around its body made the viewer feel warm. But Jeong-Hoon knew. Behind the mask of good, evil had taken root. ¡°Disgusting. Shoot it to death.¡± Anima hid behind Jeong-Hoon, as if even being seen by the monster was disgusting. ¡°That¡¯s not something you should say, hiding behind me.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m a weapon. I¡¯m not hiding.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded vaguely and pulled the bowstring. ¡°Human, do you dare try to harm good?¡± The priest in the robe rebuked him in a stern voice. [Priest (Good) uses ¡®Brainwashing¡¯.] As the monster used its ability, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mind wavered. The one who harms good is evil. Then, if he let go of this, would he be branded as evil? Even in his confusion, Jeong-Hoon chuckled. He hade too far to be shaken by something like this. ¡°Laughing? Are you trying to mock a good man?!¡± ¡°Cut the crap. If you¡¯re good, then I¡¯m God.¡± As Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring, the arrow shot out and pierced the priest¡¯s head. ¡°Keuk¡­¡± The priest, with an arrow lodged in his head, foamed at the mouth and copsed, dead. [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 granted.] With that kill, his level rose to 92. And next to the priest, a skill book was dropped. A ck skill book, no less. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Anima peeked out and examined the skill book. ¡°Brainwashing skill book.¡± The skill book the monster dropped was for learning the Brainwashing skill. The reason it was a different color from other skill books was that it was the only skill book of its kind in New World. === [Skill Book: Brainwashing (Unique)] -Type: Skill Book -Grade: Rare -Using this skill book allows you to learn ¡®Brainwashing (Rare)¡¯. === Rare grade Brainwashing. However, Lewis Verdant raised this Brainwashing skill to Legendary and used it very effectively. In fact, the number of times he turned the tables using the Brainwashing skill was countless. And now, that Brainwashing skill hase to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Oh, it dropped something very good.¡± Anima seemed pleased, recognizing the value of the skill book. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 49 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 49 Not long after he started walking, a new monster appeared. [Lv. 100 Priest (Evil)] If the one he just dealt with was ¡®Priest (Good)¡¯, this one was ¡®Priest (Evil)¡¯. However, this one was easier to hunt than the Priest (Good). It was twice the size of the previous priest, wearing a ck robe pulled down low. Moreover, the evil energy seeping out of it indicated that it was no ordinary foe. ¡°At least it¡¯s less disgusting. Is it because the hypocrisy is gone?¡± Unlike before, Anima didn¡¯t hide behind Jeong-Hoon. ¡°I guess so.¡± There was only one reason why the Priest (Evil) was easier. It didn¡¯t try to manipte people¡¯s minds but relied purely on brute force to crush them. If the previous one had at least some hypocrisy, this one was literally pure evil. ¡°Kekeke.¡± The monster let out an unpleasantugh and summoned a ck spear. [Priest (Evil) uses ¡®ckfield¡¯.] Then, it used its ability, and the surrounding area turned ck. [All stats of Priest (Evil) are doubled.] An ability that doubled all stats. With this, the Priest (Evil)¡¯s level was raised to 200. But that wasn¡¯t the only problem. [All stats are reduced by 10% due to the effect of ckfield.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s stats were reduced by 10%. Normally, his divine power would automatically resist the monster¡¯s debuff, but due to ckfield, the level difference between him and the monster was a whopping 108. So he couldn¡¯t dispel the debuff. ¡°Can you do it?¡± Anima¡¯s eyes were filled with worry as he looked at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He had experienced this situation countless times in his previous life. And he had grown by oveing such crises countless times. If hisrades hadn¡¯t betrayed him, this damn New World would have ended. Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring. ¡°Kieeek! Human, you think you can do anything to me with that?¡± The priest swung the ck spear once. Then, a human arm rose from the ckened ground and grabbed Jeong-Hoon¡¯s leg. It was trying to drag him down. Due to the extreme level difference, Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t resist properly and started getting sucked down like he was sinking in quicksand. ¡°Hey! Are you okay?!¡± Anima¡¯s urgent voice reached him. ¡°I said I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face showed no sign of panic. Rather, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. This was an illusion. An illusion to subdue those who entered the field. In other words, it wasn¡¯t real. Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring. ¡®Calm Breathing.¡¯ ¡®Hawk Eyes.¡¯ Even with his posture broken, the arrow drew a parab and urately pierced the priest¡¯s forehead. No, just before it pierced, the monster caught the arrow with its left hand. There was a limit to how much the legendary weapon couldpensate for the extreme level difference. ¡°The level difference is too great¡­¡± Anima frowned at the sight. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. The change in the Priest (Evil) came three secondster. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± The monster screamed and shook its left hand holding the arrow. A foul smell and smoke rose from its left hand. ¡°What¡¯s that¡­?¡± Anima¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Divine power.¡± The Critical Arrow just now was imbued with divine power. To the pure evil Priest (Evil), divine power was like poison. Light and darkness were ipatible. They could never coexist. The more the priest suffered, the weaker the grip of the hand pulling Jeong-Hoon became. Jeong-Hoon struggled and escaped from the swamp of darkness. And he pulled the bowstring again. The monster¡¯s weak point was still its head. Now was his chance while it was in pain. Whoosh! Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow shot out in a parab. This time, the arrow hit the monster¡¯s forehead. ¡°Keuk!¡± [Critical hit!] The critical hit characteristic of Critical Arrow activated. The arrow damage was doubled due to the critical hit. With the damage doubled and the weak point urately pierced, the Priest (Evil) copsed and died on the spot. At the same time, the ckfield that had been dyeing the surroundings ck disappeared, returning the dungeon to its original state. The Priest (Evil) also dropped a skill book, which was ck. === [Skill Book: ckfield (Rare)] -Type: Skill Book -Grade: Rare -Using this skill book allows you to learn ¡®ckfield (Rare)¡¯. === Alright, with this, he had sessfully intercepted both skill books that Lewis Verdant would have obtained. ¡®¡­I died over 40 times trying to clear that.¡¯ Back then, he had to listen to Lewis Verdant bbering on and on, which was almost enough to make his ears bleed. Thanks to that, he had secured both skill books. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll take them.¡¯ A look of satisfaction appeared on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. ¡°Is it over?¡± Anima looked around. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s over.¡± [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®Cleared Hidden Dungeon¡¯pleted. 10,000 achievement points granted.] There were only two monsters in this dungeon. Each one was quite tricky, so it took quite a while. If he didn¡¯t have the memories and experience from his previous life, 40 times wouldn¡¯t have been enough. Even if he had died 100 times, it would have been difficult to clear. That¡¯s how powerful Brainwashing and ckfield were. * * * Meanwhile, Idenharc Lord¡¯s Castle Basement. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± ¡°The portal is disappearing!¡± The flickering portal in front of them was gradually fading. The change meant the portal would soon disappear altogether. ¡°Is it really closing¡­? That damn portal that always bothered us?¡± Juan muttered in disbelief. From his predecessors to himself, they had only been busy blocking the outbursts, and the resulting losses were growing to an unbearable degree. He thought he would have to live with the troublesome portal forever¡­ but to think it would be closed like this. The tower master¡¯s words were all true. And soon after, the stranger appeared from the fading portal. He was surprisingly clean, considering he was the one who closed the portal. ¡°I seeded.¡± At his short but powerful words, Juan and everyone else felt a thrill run through their bodies. ¡°We¡¯ll lift the barrier!¡± The energy flowing from the portal was disappearing. At this rate, there would be no problem lifting the barrier. However, the stranger shook his head. ¡°No. The contamination is too severe. Don¡¯t lift the barrier until the portalpletely disappears.¡± ¡°¡­I see. Don¡¯t lift the barrier yet.¡± At Juan¡¯smand, the mages immediately stopped their work. ¡°Phew, then I¡¯ll get some rest.¡± The stranger looked quite tired. He must have used a lot of energy to close the portal. ¡°Escort the benefactor!¡± Juan ordered the butler behind him. But the stranger shook his head again. ¡°No. I¡¯ll rest here until the portal disappears. I have contaminated mana all over my body.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Then I¡¯ll have a ce prepared for you to restfortably here.¡± This time, he wouldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°Yes. I would appreciate that.¡± The stranger nodded. As soon as his permission was granted, everyone except Juan moved swiftly. * * * Furniture, including a bed, was brought in and arranged inside the barrier. That wasn¡¯t all. The table was filled with local specialties from Idenharc. He knew that the lord¡¯s finances weren¡¯t in good shape, as even he had a simple meal. Perhaps because of that, it felt a bit burdensome. ¡°If you need anything, please don¡¯t hesitate to call us!¡± The mages who had brought the food exited the barrier. Only the shape of the portal remained. In about 30 minutes, the portal wouldpletely disappear. Then the contaminated mana on his body would disappear as if washed away, and it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to go outside. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon picked up the meat in front of him with his hand and took a bite. Indeed, money was the best. The quality of the meat was definitely different. [Fatigue Recovery Buff (10 minutes) has been applied.] Instead of feeling full, a buff that recovered the character¡¯s fatigue was applied. ¡°Hmm, this is more delicious than I expected.¡± Jeong-Hoon still had the Dragon Anima Bone Bow on his back. Therefore, Anima could taste the meat through Jeong-Hoon. ¡®It¡¯s better to use the skill books right away.¡¯ The Martial Emperor was a legendary ss. Every time he advanced through the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th sses, the grades of all his skills would increase. There was no need to save them. [Active Skill, ¡®Brainwashing¡¯ acquired.] [Active Skill, ¡®ckfield¡¯ acquired.] New skills were registered as he used the skill books. Since they weren¡¯t weapon-rted skills, they were categorized under [General]. ¡°Can we lift the barrier now?¡± After 30 minutes, the portalpletely disappeared. At the same time, the contaminated mana on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body also disappeared as if washed away. ¡°Yes.¡± It was time toplete the quest. While the mage was lifting the barrier, the butler guided Jeong-Hoon into the lord¡¯s room. ¡°Wee!¡± Juan greeted Jeong-Hoon very warmly. To him, Jeong-Hoon was the benefactor who had solved Idenharc¡¯s problem. A red exmation mark was blinking above his head. [Quest Completed.] [Rewards are being calcted.] [All conditions met! You can receive the maximum reward!] Unlike Lewis Verdant, he was able to get the best reward. Then he received a potion that increased his level. Thanks to that potion, he quickly surpassed level 100 and was able to move on to the next vige. ¡°Thank you so much. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have been busy blocking the outburst as always.¡± Juan expressed his sincere gratitude. At the same time, a butler came forward with a luxurious box. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes turned to the box. A red box with a dragon pattern engraved on it. ¡°I thought about what kind of reward to give you¡­ and I thought this would be the best, so I asked them to bring it.¡± The box opened with a click. Inside, not just one, but several potions were shining brightly. ¡°This is¡­?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°These are potions that enhance all abilities. They are precious treasures passed down from my ancestors.¡± They weren¡¯t just potions that raised levels. To be precise, there were various types of potions gathered together. Potions that raised levels. Potions that increased strength. Potions that enhanced agility. Potions that boost stamina. Potions that enhance wisdom, etc. There was a wide variety. ¡®There are more types of potions now.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t expected rare items to be given out in a beginner zone anyway. The important thing in this quest wasn¡¯t just the reward, but intercepting Brainwashing and ckfield that Lewis Verdant would have taken. Of course, the reward wouldn¡¯t end with just potions. Would the maximum reward simply be an increase in the variety of potions? ¡°I gratefully ept.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s grateful for solving Idenharc¡¯s long-standing problem.¡± Jeong-Hoon epted the box. [Acquired Idenharc Special Potion!] Then, all the potions in the box moved to his inventory. ¡°Ah, and I have one more thing prepared. Would you ept it?¡± The reason he liked the ¡®maximum reward¡¯. It was for the next reward. The reward that Lewis Verdant regretted missing out on. [Additional maximum reward granted.] [You have acquired the [Title] Benefactor of Idenharc.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 50 ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 50 Earth Korea Management Team. All the employees, including team leader Oh Jin-soo, were staring at the screen with shocked faces. ¡°No¡­ What is that?¡± ¡°He ate two skill books? And those skill books are¡­?¡± The color of the skill books was ck. ck skill books rarely appeared in New World. They were ck because there was only one of them. And there weren¡¯t just one, but two ck skill books. ¡°W-What skills are those?¡± ¡°Brainwashing and ckfield¡­¡± Brainwashing, ckfield. As expected, they were skill names he had never heard of before. ¡°What are the grades?!¡± ¡°C.¡± Rare grade skills. Unique skills being rare grade. It was a bit disappointing, but skills could be upgraded, so if he raised them to epic or unique grade in the future, they would be quite powerful. The value of a one-of-a-kind skill book was beyond imagination. A year ago, a ck skill book was traded for 3.1 billion won in Korean currency, but since it was traded anonymously, all they knew was that the buyer was French. 3.1 billion won for just one skill book. ¡°¡­He really surprises us every time.¡± Team leader Oh Jin-soo muttered softly. It was amazing how he hit the jackpot everywhere he went. ¡°Team leader, I guess that user will go for the second ss advancement now?¡± ¡°Probably¡­ Wait a minute. Second ss advancement?¡± The second ss advancement was called the biggest event in the beginner zone vige, after the starting vige. The criteria for advancing to rare~epic grade jobs in this second ss advancement event were quite generous, so many users stayed for quite a while toplete the advancement before moving on. The time varied from a week to two years, and more than 70% of them failed to achieve rare grade advancement. And an event was scheduled for this second ss advancement. ¡®He¡¯s the target of the event¡­¡¯ That monster-like user hadn¡¯t undergone the second ss advancement yet. In other words, he was the target of the event. Oh Jin-sooughed in disbelief. How could the puzzle be solved only by that user? ¡°How will the event proceed?¡± The details of the event had not been revealed yet. Earth headquarters had announced that they would reveal it on the day of the event, so it was impossible to find out even if they wanted to. ¡°I don¡¯t know. The important thing is that this user will participate in this event.¡± The corners of Oh Jin-soo¡¯s mouth lifted slightly. That¡¯s why he was even more excited. What kind of results would surprise them this time? Many people would notice the existence of this monster again. He was already curious about their reactions. * * * A festival was held in Idenharc. The lord and everyone else rejoiced as the long-awaited problem was solved. Jeong-Hoon also had to stay in the lord¡¯s castle for a day or two, unable to leave. ¡®We can¡¯t let our benefactor leave like this! Please allow us to repay your kindness!¡¯ It was difficult to tly refuse when the lord, Juan, came to him personally and pleaded earnestly. Anyway, there was enough time until the 2nd ss Advancement event. So he agreed, thinking he could rest and settle the rewards. === [Benefactor of Idenharc] -Type: Title -Grade: Normal -Increases health by 0.5%. -Increases mana by 0.5%. === Even though he had closed the portal and earned the title, it was only normal grade. Moreover, the options were garbage, only increasing health and mana by 0.5%. However, the true value of this titley elsewhere. It was a material for evolving titles. Jeong-Hoon currently had the evolving title ¡®Guardian of the Starting Vige¡¯. This was the material to evolve that title. Evolution was simpler than expected. It was justbining titles into one. [Would you like tobine the title ¡®Guardian of the Starting Vige¡¯ with the title ¡®Benefactor of Idenharc¡¯?] A message popped up when he ced the two titles in the same slot in his inventory. When Jeong-Hoon pressed ept, the titles shed for a moment, and ¡®Benefactor of Idenharc¡¯ disappeared. [You have sessfully evolved the title. 3,000 achievement points have been granted.] With the achievement, the title ¡®Guardian of the Starting Vige¡¯ evolved to epic grade. At the same time, the word ¡®Starting¡¯ disappeared. === [Guardian of the Vige] -Type: Evolving Title -Grade: Epic -Increases health by 5%. -Increases mana by 5%. -Increases all attack power by 5%. -Increases experience gain by 3%. === Done. All the stats had increased significantly. All stats that were 2% increased to 5%, and experience gain increased from 1% to 3%. Even though no additional options were added, it was satisfying enough. ¡®If I raise it to unique, it will be quite a powerful title.¡¯ Next were the potions. There were various types of potions, from level-up potions to strength, agility, and more. ¡®It¡¯s a bit disappointing that there are no mana or divine power potions.¡¯ Unfortunately, they were the opposite of the potions Richel had developed. ¡®But I¡¯ll becking in other statster on anyway.¡¯ Considering that, these potions were also precious items whose value couldn¡¯t be measured. Jeong-Hoon consumed all the potions without leaving any behind. At the same time. A new notice was posted on the New World homepage. === [New World¡¯s Hidden Dungeon has been cleared!] -Hello! This is the New World development team. We are posting this notice to share some exciting news! The hidden dungeon in Idenharc Vige, which we had carefully hidden in New World, has finally been cleared by a user! The hidden dungeon is a mechanism designed to help users grow, and it is set up to automatically disappear when the first person to discover it clears it, on a firste, first-served basis across all servers. The user who cleared it is as follows: [South Korea ¨C 000] The server is revealed, but the nickname is not. Now, to all New World users who enjoy the game! New World has hidden many more things rted to growth besides this! We hope you all have a wonderful day in New World today. -New World Development Team === Hidden dungeons were far more numerous than hidden themes. But why were they hidden? Even though there were many, clearing a hidden dungeon required meeting some rather extreme conditions. Therefore, just like hidden themes, a notice was posted when a hidden dungeon was cleared. Naturally, the users were in an uproar. It wasn¡¯t just that a hidden dungeon was cleared, but that it was discovered in Idenharc. [Hey! Did you see the notice? A hidden dungeon was found in Idenharc!] -Crazy lol Idenharc was the worst ce even among beginner zones, wasn¡¯t it? ©¸No way, what the heck is this? ©¸What did I just see¡­? ©¸A hidden dungeon appeared in Idenharc? ©¸We really need to re-evaluate Idenharc;; ©¸Wow, this is so absurd. After the Red Dragon Bone Bow, now a hidden dungeon? ©¸Idenharc was a honey pot. All the guys who said Eichen was the main spot,e out now. I¡¯ll p you. [But it¡¯s unlikely a beginner cleared the hidden dungeon.] -You need certain conditions to clear it, and they¡¯re pretty damn hard. ©¸Is it Hwa-Rang? I heard he was obsessed with finding the Red Dragon Bone Bow. ©¸Right lol Isn¡¯t Lee Hwa-Rang still in Idenharc? ©¸Ah, that¡¯s right. Even if the conditions are tough, someone like Lee Hwa-Rang could probably clear it. lol. ¡°This is bullshit!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang threw his smartphone. After returning to the guild, he had been checking World Com dozens of times a day, hoping for any news about the Red Dragon Bone Bow. There were still no results, but he couldn¡¯t give up on the Red Dragon Bone Bow. But what? On top of being pissed off, now they¡¯re saying he cleared the hidden dungeon? It¡¯s like adding fuel to the fire, why are they trying to stir up trouble? It was so dirty that he couldn¡¯t read it anymore. ¡°Hey, calm down.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok calmed him down as if he was used to it. ¡°Ha¡­ Fuck, why does it feel like nothing is working out?¡± Park Jin-Hyeok shook his head at Lee Hwa-Rang, who was scratching his head and getting irritated. ¡°I get it, so just calm down. You know you¡¯ve been super sensitivetely, right?¡± ¡°How can I not be sensitive? I¡¯m already annoyed, and now those crazy bastards at World Com are adding fuel to the fire, and you want me to watch it with a smile?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should stop looking at World Com and drink this.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok handed him an iced Americano. He had personally gone to the cafe and got it for his friend, who had been cooped up in his room all day, looking at World Com. ¡°No thanks. You drink it.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang, who usually enjoyed iced Americano, was refusing it? Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°You¡¯re really angry, huh?¡± ¡°¡­Is this guy really crazy?¡± * * * ¡°Tell me it¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°What?¡± Ha-jin, who had suddenly appeared, asked with a serious face. Jeong-Hoon, who was resting outside the capsule, tilted his head in confusion. ¡°The hidden dungeon, tell me it wasn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Ah, you were asking about that? I thought it was something else.¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled. Ha-jin responded with a hollowugh, as if dumbfounded by his rxed attitude. ¡°You guys. Fuck, it was you after all.¡± ¡°Why do you think it was me? I heard that the conditions to clear that hidden dungeon are extreme.¡± The Idenharc hidden dungeon was not only hard to find, but it also had a lock on entry. This was because there was no way to even receive the quest without possessing both mana and divine power. ¡°Then it wasn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Oh my god! I knew it.¡± ¡°So you came all the way here to ask me that?¡± They were currently at a sauna. He hade on a sauna date with his mother on her day off. And Ha-jin had followed him all the way to the sauna after hearing the news of the hidden dungeon. He was truly an amazing guy. His mother had gone to the kiln sauna, leaving Jeong-Hoon and Ha-jin alone. ¡°That¡¯s part of it, but I also came to tell you some important news.¡± ¡°Important news?¡± ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s your level now?¡± ¡°101.¡± ¡°Okay¡­ What?!¡± Ha-jin stood up with a shocked face and shouted. As a result, the eyes of the customers resting in the sauna were drawn to them. ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Ha-jin quickly apologized and sat down. The embarrassment was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s to bear. ¡°Why are you shouting?¡± ¡°How can I not shout¡­ But how did you reach 101?¡± He had heard that Jeong-Hoon had found a hidden opportunity and surpassed level 90. However, he couldn¡¯t believe that Jeong-Hoon had reached level 101 in such a short time. Leveling up in New World was difficult from the start. Even so, most people could smoothly reach the second ss advancement as long as they had patience. However, leveling up became extremely difficult once you passed level 80. The amount of experience required to go from level 70 to 80 was three times the amount needed to go from level 80 to 90. And the amount of experience required to go from level 90 to 100 was five times the amount needed to go from level 80 to 90. As you can see, the amount of experience required as you move up the tens digits is beyond imagination. Even for Ha-jin, who devoted most of his time to New World, level 200 was a distant goal. That¡¯s why the rankers who had reached levels 300-400 or higher were, to put it nicely, monsters, or to put it badly, crazy addicts. ¡°I got additional potions as a reward for clearing the hidden dungeon.¡± ¡°Ah, it was potions.¡± Ha-jin easily understood when he heard the word ¡®potions¡¯. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel envious. Since leveling up was so difficult, the price of potions concentrated with experience was astronomically high. Hearing that Jeong-Hoon had obtained such potions consecutively, he felt a bit unfair that all the luck seemed to be going his way. Even though Jeong-Hoon had joined two yearster than him, the level difference between them was only 58. ¡°Anyway, what¡¯s the important news? The 2nd ss Advancement event?¡± ¡°What, you already knew about it?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m already prepared.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. On the other hand, Ha-jin tilted his head in confusion. ¡°How can you be prepared when the event details haven¡¯t even been released?¡± ¡°Just a hunch.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Even though it sounded absurd, Ha-jin couldn¡¯tugh it off. Whenever Jeong-Hoon spoke so confidently, the results always turned out the way he wanted. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 51 Chapter 51 Event day. Jeong-Hoon waited in the vige square to participate in the event. The square was bustling with countless users. They were all users who had surpassed level 80 but hadn¡¯tpleted their 2nd ss Advancement, gathered to participate in the event just like Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Hey, did you see the event? It¡¯s a colosseum. Colosseum!¡± ¡°Yeah. This is our chance. We have to get into the top ranks and achieve a rare ss advancement.¡± ¡°Who do you think will be in the top 20?¡± When the event was revealed, a giant colosseum appeared. That¡¯s right. The event would proceed by putting users inside the giant colosseum, having them fight in a survival match, and disying their rankings. A total of 15 rounds were scheduled, and the final ranking would be determined by advancing to higher rounds by meeting the conditions presented in each round. The winner would immediately obtain a unique ss job, 2nd to 20th ce would immediately change to an epic ss job, and 21st to 200th ce would immediately change to a rare ss job. ¡°Isn¡¯t the event reward too stingy?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ It seems like there will be at least ten thousand participants.¡± Even though it was limited to users who were level 80 or above and hadn¡¯tpleted their 2nd ss Advancement, New World was a game that captivated the entire world¡¯s poption. Even if limited to South Korea, there would be tens of thousands of users participating in the event. A fierce battle was likely to ensue. ¡°Damn, there¡¯s even a level 100?¡± ¡°That one over there is level 107.¡± Achieving a higher-grade ss advancement was like reaching for the stars. As a result, there were many users who stayed at level 80 for months withoutpleting their advancement. In the process, they continued leveling up without rest, so there were asionally users in the 100s. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s even a lower martial artist.¡± ¡°Yeah. His level is 101.¡± Naturally, Jeong-Hoon, who was over level 100, was also a spectacle. A lower martial artist (1st ss) at level 101. Of course,pared to other sses, there was almost no wariness towards him. ¡°This is an easy win.¡± ¡°Yeah. lower martial artists barely have anybat skills, right?¡± The negative perception of martial artists yed a role. No matter how shy Jeong-Hoon¡¯s actions were as an anonymous martial artist, it was a very special case. The evaluation from users was still harsh. ¡®Talk all you want.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon simply ignored their attention. After all, the top spot in this colosseum would be his. Just because he had already achieved a legendary ss advancement didn¡¯t mean he could skip the 2nd ss Advancement. It would be easier than others, but he still had toplete the quest and be recognized by the instructor to move on to the 2nd ss. Naturally, even if he performed well in the ss advancement quest, there were no benefits rted to higher-grade ss advancements. But the event was different. The fact that rewards were given based on ranking in the event also applied to Jeong-Hoon. If he took first ce, he would be given a clue to proceed to a higher-grade ss advancement. That alone was enough reason to participate. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Ah¡­ They said observation isn¡¯t allowed.] At that moment, a whisper came from Yeo Min-ji. ¡®It can¡¯t be.¡¯ Unlike other events, this Colosseum event didn¡¯t allow spectators. Naturally, Yeo Min-ji¡¯s n to watch the event went up in smoke. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Is that so?] Jeong-Hoon, who already knew the future, replied with a nonchnt attitude. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: I¡¯m so frustrated¡­ I even prepared a gift!] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: You can just send it by mail.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: But that¡¯s meaningless¡­] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: It looks like it¡¯s about to start. This is myst reply.] Jeong-Hoon closed the whisper window. [The event NPC will be generated shortly.] A system announcement appeared in the New World general chat. It was a general chat visible only to users who had applied for the event. Soon after, an NPC was generated in the middle of the square. It was a panda NPC hanging on a bamboo tree and eating bamboo shoots. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Ling Ling -Level: 700 -Job: Event NPC === ¡°Wow¡­ The NPC¡¯s level is 700.¡± ¡°Crazy¡­ The world¡¯s number one yer just reached level 543, right?¡± The world¡¯s number one yer was James Marcus, who had recently reached level 543. The level difference between James Marcus and the NPC was a whopping 157. The users were speechless at the enormous gap. ¡°Users participating in the event should talk to me. For reference, those who talk to mete will be sent to a colosseum with a higher difficulty.¡± Ling Ling said while eating bamboo shoots. ¡°Gasp! I need to hurry.¡± ¡°Me first! Get out of the way!¡± At those words, users started talking to Ling Ling one by one and disappeared on the spot. They were transported to the event venue, the Colosseum. When almost all the users had disappeared, Jeong-Hoon approached Ling Ling as ater. ¡°Hmm? Wait a moment.¡± But Ling Ling, who had been sending users through without hesitation, suddenly stopped Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re out of the norm.¡± Ling Ling saw through Jeong-Hoon¡¯s ss at a nce. The first ce in the Colosseum was a unique ss advancement. And Jeong-Hoon was a legendary, one level higher than the first ce. There was no need for him to participate in the event and change his ss. ¡°Then am I unable to participate? Even though I meet the requirements?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. I stopped you to tell you that you¡¯ll be given a different reward instead.¡± ¡°A different reward?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But you have to get first ce.¡± The condition Ling Ling offered was first ce. If he won first ce, he would be given another reward ordingly. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Then good luck.¡± As Jeong-Hoon agreed, his body was transported to the Colosseum. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. Before starting the event, they activated the program to check the Colosseum. [You do not have permission to run the program.] But unlike usual, the program did not run. ¡°No permission to run?¡± The management team staff went to Oh Jin-soo with puzzled faces, but Oh Jin-soo was also perplexed. It was the first time he couldn¡¯t run the monitoring program while working in the management team. ¡°It seems like the headquarters blocked it.¡± ¡°Could it be because we always monitor the same user¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Judging from the situation, it seemed like the same was happening in other Earth branches as well. In other words, it was like saying that the headquarters would be in charge of this event thoroughly. How was this event going to be run that they were so concerned about security? ¡°That user must have participated, right?¡± The newbie who always hit the jackpot. He was about to undergo his 2nd ss Advancement, so he must have participated. ¡°Probably.¡± It was still quiet for now, but once his performance surfaced, it would definitely cause a syndrome. But with such tight security, it seemed like it wasn¡¯t time yet. * * * Colosseum Arena. Unlike ordinary colosseums, this arena was state-of-the-art. Structures that couldn¡¯t be seen normally and high-tech equipment floating in the air. It was definitely a ce created by Earth headquarters. ¡®I must get a rare ss!¡¯ Level 98. Hong Jin-soo, who still hadn¡¯t escaped from the lower warrior (1st ss), made a resolution inwardly. He had endured since level 80 with the sole determination to get a rare ss job, but he had failed the quest every time. ¡®Prove yourself as a descendant of the great warrior.¡¯ To meet the conditions required by the instructor NPC, he had to clear 10 dungeons located in the beginner zone, and the conditions were incredibly tough. Some dungeons had to be cleared within 2 hours with a 2-person party, and even mini-dungeons had to be cleared alone within 1 hour and 30 minutes. The problem was that most of them focused on the clear time. To meet the clear time, he had to calcte and clear the shortest route. sses capable of wide-area damage had it rtively easy, but for melee sses like him, it was an extremely disadvantageous condition. Nevertheless, he had reached level 98 and seeded in clearing 8 out of the 10 dungeons. It was a long journey that took eight months. But the remaining two dungeons seemed hopeless no matter how hard he tried. No matter how much he researched, he couldn¡¯t find a solution. That¡¯s why Hong Jin-soo was desperate. ¡®So I have to get it here.¡¯ Within the top 200. Within that ranking, he couldplete a rare ss advancement. They said that once a warrior reached the rare grade, they could almost certainly advance to the epic grade in the 3rd and 4th sses, so he had to achieve it. ¡®But that martial artist seems to be in a simr situation as me.¡¯ Hong Jin-soo¡¯s gaze turned to the right. A martial artist was summoned about 20 meters away. He was a lower martial artist at level 101. Although there was only a 3-level difference from his own level of 98, the amount of experience required as you approached level 100 was unimaginable. He must have been staying here longer than him. Honestly, a martial artist had to be in a much harsher environment than a warrior. Was that why? Hong Jin-soo felt that the martial artist was a kindred spirit. ¡®I should avoid provoking him if possible.¡¯ [Wee to the 1st Colosseum.] [Each colosseum has been assigned 200 users.] [From now on, advance to higher rounds through each round.] [Only 200 people can enter the final colosseum.] It meant that as long as he entered the final colosseum, he could definitely achieve a rare ss advancement. As expected, the difficulty was not easy. [Round 1 begins.] [Enteringbat mode now.] [Round 1 will end when 40 people are eliminated.] 40 people would be eliminated in the first round. Hong Jin-soo quickly raised his shield and looked around. At that moment, he saw two users rushing towards the level 101 martial artist. They were warriors in their early 90s, just like Hong Jin-soo. ¡®Oh no¡­¡¯ No matter how high his level was at 101, a martial artist with lower stats than other sses wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand a group attack. Hong Jin-soo was convinced that the first person to be eliminated would be the level 101 martial artist. But then. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± It wasn¡¯t the martial artist who was knocked down, but the warriors. Even though it was a 2 vs 1 situation. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Hong Jin-soo¡¯s eyes widened as he watched. * * * Two warriors rushed in as soon as the round started. Jeong-Hoon had expected them to attack from the beginning. As soon as they were summoned, they were staring at him like they had found prey. Of course, there was no need to be cautious. Their approach was obvious, and their sword swings were clumsy and wide. They were the type who relied on brute force through skills, with no real ability. In his previous life, as a newbie, this type was quite troublesome, but to Jeong-Hoon now, they were easy opponents that made him yawn. He used his movement technique to easily dodge their sword strikes and used the first form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique to strike their vital points, instantly ending their lives. Thanks to the potions, the power of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique was indeed lethal. ¡°Wow¡­ what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Crazy, retreat!¡± Like the warriors before them, they had targeted Jeong-Hoon as an easy mark. However, after seeing the two dead warriors, they seemed to have changed their minds, stopping their approach and changing their target to somewhere else. Thanks to that, Jeong-Hoon was able to survive the first round by only hunting down two warriors. [Round 1 has ended.] [The number of survivors is currently 160.] [The next round will begin.] There was no break time. [Survive as long as possible.] [Round 2 will end when there are 50 survivors.] Round 2 was also about survival. But this time, it was a different kind of survival. It was survival from monsters. [Lv. 120 White Fang] Countless Lv. 120 White Fangs were summoned and were pouring into the Colosseum. Chapter 52 Chapter 52 The White Fang was a very familiar monster to the users. It was a level 52 monster that appeared in all beginner zones. It was one of the mostmon monsters in the beginner zone, to the point where everyone here had probably hunted at least 500 of them. But when this White Fangs appeared, it was not at level 52, but at a drastically increased level of 120. It was three timesrger than its original size, with bloodshot eyes filled with murderous intent and purple saliva dripping from its mouth. [The users in the Colosseum are in a state of ¡®Fear¡¯.] To make matters worse, they were forcibly put into the ¡®Status Condition: Fear¡¯, so the users in the Colosseum could only tremble with pale faces. ¡°Ugh, shit! We need to hide inside!¡± ¡°Move!¡± All they could do was hope that other users would be eliminated first. The rtively weaker users were pushed out by the stronger users and became prey for the White Fangs. ¡°Kyaak!¡± ¡°Aack!¡± The users were bitten to death by the countless White Fangs without being able to put up much of a fight. Meanwhile, there was a user who rushed towards the White Fangs. It was Jeong-Hoon. ¡®The best defense is a good offense.¡¯ The Lv. 120 White Fangs would continue to pour out until the round¡¯s quota was met. So if he dealt with the White Fangs appropriately, the round would end on its own. ¡°Grrr!¡± The White Fangs surrounded Jeong-Hoon. At that moment, Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and punched a White Fang in the face. A ck aura swirled around his fist. Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique , 1st Form. ¡°Kyaang!¡± With a single punch, the White Fang lost consciousness on the spot. The level difference between it and Jeong-Hoon was 19. But Jeong-Hoon had consumed potions, drastically increasing all his stats. The destructive power of the legendary Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique was beyond imagination. ¡°Human! Kill!¡± Seeing itsrade fall, the eyes of the White Fang next to it changed. [White Fang uses ¡®Ferocious¡¯.] And it even used its unique skill, which it normally couldn¡¯t use. The developers had given it a unique skill as they increased its level. As it used Ferocious, the White Fang¡¯s momentum became even fiercer. ¡®Relying solely on the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique is inefficient.¡¯ There were too many of them. Then there was another way. ¡®ckfield.¡¯ The ckfield skill he had obtained from the hidden dungeon. [ckfield activated.] As he used the skill, the ground around Jeong-Hoon turned ck. [All stats have increased by 1.2 times.] A fraudulent skill that increases all stats by 1.2 times despite being only a rare grade. At the same time, the White Fangs¡¯ stats decreased. [All stats of monsters entering the area are reduced by 3% due to the effect of ckfield.] 3%. It was a small number, but it was enough for Jeong-Hoon. In a life-or-death battle, even the smallest difference could determine victory or defeat. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and unleashed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique towards the White Fang he had chosen as his next target. ¡°Kyaang!¡± ¡°Kkaeng Kkaeng!¡± Every time he hit a vital point, the White Fangs screamed in pain. When there were more than 20 White Fangs crawling on the ground, all the White Fangs swarming in the Colosseum suddenly disappeared. ¡®Is it over?¡¯ The disappearance of the White Fangs meant that rounds 1-2 were over. Jeong-Hoon deactivated ckfield and straightened his posture. [Rounds 1-2 have ended.] [The number of survivors is currently 50.] [The 1st Colosseum is concluding.] [You will be automatically moved to the 2nd Colosseum in 5 minutes.] With the end of rounds 1-2, a 5-minute break was given. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± ¡°Is that even possible? How can a lower martial artist fight so well?¡± The survivors, while struggling to survive, had been watching Jeong-Hoon¡¯s battle in a daze. At the same time, they thought. Even if they made it to the higher rounds, they should never mess with that martial artist. A lower warrior approached the martial artist. ¡°Excuse me¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon, who was catching his breath, turned his head slightly at the voiceing from the side. === [yer Information] -Nickname: CrimsonRed -Level: 98 ss: lower Warrior (1st ss) === He was a level 98 lower warrior. ¡°How can I help you?¡± In fact, Jeong-Hoon had already figured out the lower warrior in front of him. As soon as he entered the Colosseum, he had examined all the yers nearby. It was to prepare for a surprise attack at any time. However, despite being ced only 20 meters away from Jeong-Hoon, unlike others, he didn¡¯t target Jeong-Hoon, who was disguised as a lower martial artist. In that respect, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s first impression of him wasn¡¯t bad. ¡°Why are you still at the 1st ss with such skills?¡± His question was a bit out of the blue. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really curious¡­ With that kind of skill, you should havepleted the rare ss advancement a long time ago.¡± He was embarrassed even as he spoke. When he first entered the Colosseum, Hong Jin-soo judged that Jeong-Hoon was in a simr situation as him. But he was wrong. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s skills were the real deal. He didn¡¯t have any shybat skills, but he not only endured the onught of Lv. 120 White Fangs with pure martial arts, but hepletely overwhelmed them. ¡°It seemed that way?¡± The ckfield Jeong-Hoon had used was invisible to the naked eye unless you were within its range. So, to Hong Jin-soo, it would have looked like Jeong-Hoon had hunted the White Fangs with just his martial arts. ¡°Yes.¡± Hong Jin-soo nodded. ¡°What you see isn¡¯t everything.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Just saying.¡± ¡°What does that¡­¡± Hong Jin-soo¡¯s words were cut short. [Entering the 2nd Colosseum.] With that message, the bodies of 50 people glowed and disappeared. * * * 2nd Colosseum. The 2nd Colosseum was also divided into groups of 200 people. ¡®The level is about the same.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon quickly made a judgment after looking around. They were all users who had remained because they hadn¡¯t properly achieved their 2nd ss Advancement. There wasn¡¯t much difference in skill between the survivors and the eliminated. It was just a matter of luck. And in this Colosseum, Jeong-Hoon was the only martial artist. Assuming their skills were simr, it was a natural result since only efficient sses could survive in this environment. He was once again chosen as a tempting prey. ¡°A martial artist?¡± ¡°How did you survive? They usually die early in our Colosseum.¡± Mocking voices reached his ears. ¡®Cute.¡¯ Of course, they couldn¡¯t affect Jeong-Hoon at all. [Wee to the 2nd Colosseum.] [200 users have been assigned to each Colosseum.] [From now on, advance to higher rounds through each round.] [Only 200 people can enter the final Colosseum.] The 2nd Colosseum begins. [Round 2-1 begins.] [Enteringbat mode now.] [Round 2-1 will end when 100 people are eliminated.] [Additionally, bonus points will be awarded from the 2nd round onwards.] [These points will be reflected in the final ranking when the event ends.] Round 2-1, like the first, was a survival match. However, unlike the 1st Colosseum, where the round ended when 40 people were eliminated, this time it was 100. ¡®It seems like the 2nd round will be the hurdle.¡¯ If the 1st Colosseum wasrgely influenced by luck, from now on, it would be purely based on skill. And just like before, a warrior rushed towards Jeong-Hoon. In a survival game, the weak were the first to die, no matter where you were. Just like now. ¡°Keuk!¡± A scream erupted from the warrior who had rushed at Jeong-Hoon. Because the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique struck the warrior¡¯s sr plexus. With just one punch, the warrior copsed, foaming at the mouth, and the users who were cautiously watching, gauging the situation, all widened their eyes. ¡°A level 101 took out a level 92 in one hit¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a martial artist, right? No, how is that possible?¡± The warrior who had just fallen was level 92. And Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level was 101. Level-wise, Jeong-Hoon had an advantage of 9 levels, but the problem was that Jeong-Hoon was a martial artist. It wasn¡¯t like Jeong-Hoon was wearing incredibly good equipment either. Just one epic-grade hood. On the other hand, the opposing warrior was decked out in epic-grade armor. It was baffling that such an opponent was knocked out in one hit. ¡®Next.¡¯ Unlike in the first Colosseum, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of leisurely observing. Bonus points. They said those points would be reflected in the final ranking. In a situation where he had to take first ce, he couldn¡¯t just aim for survival. He used his movement technique and started ughtering the users. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°Uaaak!¡± * * * ¡®What the hell, is there such a monster¡­?¡¯ A mage was watching the martial artist¡¯s massacre from a distance. He, who used the nickname LittleMagic, was not an ordinary lower mage, but a mage who hadpleted the rare grade 1st ss Advancement as a Magician. He was also a user who enjoyed New World with a lot of support after sessfully catching the eyes of guilds by advancing to the rare grade. However, the 2nd ss Advancement¡­ He had to finish it as an epic grade to aim for the unique grade in the 3rd and 4th sses, but the epic grade had not yet been granted to him. His level was now 89. The guild, which had spared no expense in investing in LittleMagic¡¯s talent and potential early on, began to change its attitude little by little. First, they started to gradually reduce the scale of support. Naturally, LittleMagic was getting anxious. That¡¯s why he entered this event to achieve an epic grade advancement, and the 1st Colosseum was a breeze. He hadbat and evasion skills, so he was able to survive by using them appropriately. But in the 2nd Colosseum, a monster was running rampant. ¡®Damn, he¡¯s a lower martial artist?¡¯ No matter how much he checked, the yer information still showed level 101 lower martial artist (1st ss). Even when he used the search skill that Magicians and above had, his yer information remained the same. Then he must be a lower martial artist¡­ ¡°Keuk!¡± Oh no! Lost in thought, he had forgotten that the martial artist was approaching him. The distance between them was less than 50 meters. Those who were quick-witted were keeping their distance from the martial artist and focusing on survival. LittleMagic hurriedly cast a spell. ¡®Haste.¡¯ It was impossible to even think of fighting that monster here unless you were out of your mind. He hastily cast Haste to distance himself from the martial artist. But why? Even though he was using Haste to run away, the distance between him and the martial artist was gradually closing. The distance between them was less than 5 meters. ¡®D-Damn it!¡¯ I¡¯m going to die! LittleMagic squeezed his eyes shut. But even after some time, he didn¡¯t feel any pain. When he slowly opened his eyes, the martial artist had passed him and was still ughtering other users. ¡®Why¡­?¡¯ LittleMagic couldn¡¯t hide his confused feelings. * * * [Round 1 has ended.] [The number of survivors is currently 80.] [Calcting bonus points based on the number of kills.] Jeong-Hoon nced at LittleMagic, who was staring nkly at him from a distance, and smiled slightly. ¡®I see him here.¡¯ LittleMagic. His name was Hong Yun-Seong. He was the same age as Jeong-Hoon, and although they weren¡¯t exactlyrades, Jeong-Hoon had received help from him a few times when he was a beginner in his previous life. In the process, they became close enough to share personal stories. ¡®He said he messed up in the event and even left the guild.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t achieve good results in this event. But even so, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t want to eliminate Hong Yun-Seong himself. Even though the small history had changed due to his regression, he didn¡¯t want to touch the futures of those who had helped him. The rest was up to Hong Yun-Seong. [Bonus point calctionplete.] [Please check your bonus points.] ¡®560 points, huh?¡¯ The number of users Jeong-Hoon had killed was 56. He received 10 points per person. 560 points in the 2nd round wasn¡¯t a bad result. [The next round will begin.] The 2nd round was about to start. [Survive as long as possible.] [Round 2 will end when there are 10 survivors.] The round proceeded with the same rules as the first. However, this time, only 10 survivors would remain. That meant 70 more people would be eliminated. ¡®It seems like the end is in sight.¡¯ The 3rd Colosseum would be formed with the 10 survivors from here. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed. Chapter 53 Chapter 53 [Wee to the Final Colosseum.] [200 users have been ced in the Final Colosseum.] The final Colosseum, entered after enduring the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The atmosphere was quite different, perhaps because it was a Colosseumposed only of users who had survived through survival. ¡®Everyone¡¯s level is over 100.¡¯ In the 1st Colosseum, there were only a handful of users over level 100. In the final Colosseum, it was harder to find users who weren¡¯t level 100. And over 95% of them were users who hadpleted rare ss advancements. ¡®It¡¯s difficult to advance to epic in the 2nd ss Advancement.¡¯ New World was a game where leveling up was extremely difficult. Even if the 2nd ss Advancement was smooth, leveling up after level 100 was extremely difficult. If they failed now, they would have to aim for the epic grade in the 3rd ss Advancement, which meant they would have to wait until the 4th ss to try for unique. Considering the time it would take, they couldn¡¯t give up on the epic grade here. There were even one or two epic grades. They were probably aiming for first ce like Jeong-Hoon. ¡°¡­¡± Unlike the riff raff from the previous Colosseum, they were scanning their opponents first. They knew that getting this far was not easy, so they couldn¡¯t let their guard down. And when their eyes turned to Jeong-Hoon, they stopped for a moment and didn¡¯t move. Jeong-Hoon, meeting their gaze, smiled faintly. ¡®I can clearly see what they¡¯re thinking.¡¯ Lower martial artist, 1st ss. Not only a martial artist, but a normal grade reached this far? They must be thinking something like that. Of course, unless they were fools, they wouldn¡¯t let their guard down just because he was a martial artist. [The final round of the Final Colosseum begins.] [The 200 users ced in the Colosseum will be moved to ¡®Lv. 150 Deste Dark Street¡¯.] [You need to survive there whilepleting each task.] [The round continues until only one person remains, and users cannot kill each other.] In other words, it meant to survive as long as possible whilepleting tasks. ¡°Tsk.¡± A few users clicked their tongues. They must have been nning to quickly end the round by ughtering users as soon as it started. ¡®Lv. 150 Deste Dark Street¡­¡¯ Jeong-Hoon knew this street. He had entered the Deste Dark Street when he was around level 150 in his past life. That¡¯s why he could once again realize how evil the developers who organized this event were. [The final round begins.] With that message, the bodies of 200 users, including Jeong-Hoon, glowed and disappeared. * * * [Lv. 150 Deste Dark Street] Deste Dark Street was a dungeon that hadn¡¯t been revealed yet at this point in time. Therefore, there was no information about this dungeon at all. The users who had made it to the final Colosseum couldn¡¯t hide their bewildered feelings at the sight of the dungeon. ¡°What the hell? I can¡¯t see anything?¡± Darkness had descended, making it impossible to see anything with the naked eye. ¡°Damn it, even Light doesn¡¯t work.¡± The mage tried to illuminate the surroundings by casting magic, but the magic didn¡¯t work at all. It couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡®Because you¡¯re blinded.¡¯ How flustered Jeong-Hoon was when he first entered the Deste Dark Street. [Status Condition: Vision Blocked] If it weren¡¯t for this status condition, he would have been able to check the dungeon¡¯s state with his naked eyes, but it was impossible because it was a debuff inherent to the dungeon itself. The old ancestors used to say that if the body was worth a thousand nyang, the eyes were worth nine hundred. That¡¯s how precious the eyes were, and it was frustrating to have them blocked by a debuff. ¡°Is this a debuff? Then with divine power¡­¡± The users who had given up mana and walked the path of a priest used divine power to try and dispel the debuff. ¡°Ha, shit. It doesn¡¯t work¡­¡± Of course, it was all in vain. ¡®This is a Lv. 150 space.¡¯ So unless the divine power was at least 200 or higher, the debuff couldn¡¯t be dispelled. Jeong-Hoon used his divine power. [Status condition removed.] The debuff was lifted, and the surrounding space came into view. A scene he hadn¡¯t seen in his previous life. The Deste Dark Street, which he had barely escaped from by relying on his other senses except for sight, could finally be seen with his own eyes. ¡®So this is how it looks.¡¯ The Deste Dark Street was literally a street in the middle of a city. Moreover, the background wasn¡¯t the medieval European style like New World viges, but a bustling streetmonly seen in South Korea. Currently, including Jeong-Hoon, 8 users were ced in that bustling street. ¡®They must have been split up.¡¯ Users couldn¡¯t attack each other anyway. They couldn¡¯t do that in the first ce. Monsters were slowly approaching this way. [Lv. 150 Dark Knight] From knights dyed in ck [Lv. 150 Dark Mage] To mages dyed in ck They were shadows in the shape of humans. [The first task begins.] Even under the status condition, he could check the tasks in New World. ¡°Task?¡± ¡°Shit, they want us to do tasks in this state?¡± The users who hadn¡¯t yet escaped the status condition cried out. [Defeat one Dark Soldier.] The first task was to defeat one Dark Soldier. Jeong-Hoon, after checking the task, used his movement technique. ¡°Human?!¡± As Jeong-Hoon moved, the approaching monsters¡¯ faces were filled with surprise. They hurriedly raised their spears and shields, but Jeong-Hoon was half a beat faster and unleashed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. ¡°Cough!¡± The monster closest to him was struck in the throat by his fist, and it screamed and fell backward. Jeong-Hoon finished him off with another blow to the neck. [First taskpleted.] [Proceed to the second task.] ¡°What, what was that!¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± The users, unable to see due to the vision block, hurriedly heightened their senses as the battle unfolded. As expected of those who had survived to the final Colosseum, they were quick to grasp the situation. ¡®They¡¯ll survive on their own.¡¯ The Colosseum was a strictly individualpetition. Jeong-Hoon checked the next task. [Find NPC Isaac.] The next task was to find an NPC. An NPC hiding somewhere in this vast street. He had encountered this NPC in his past life when he was desperately trying to survive. If it weren¡¯t for the help of that NPC, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to escape the Deste Dark Street safely. ¡®He¡¯s probably there.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon hurriedly left the spot. * * * ¡°Many strangers havee.¡± Isaac, who had been hiding between buildings to avoid the Dark Soldiers and observing the situation, secretly slipped away and hid in a store. It was a messy store that wasn¡¯t currently in business and hadn¡¯t been maintained. ¡°Kyaak!¡± Through the window, he saw a stranger being pierced by an arrow and dying in real time. ¡°Tsk, tsk. This is not a ce to enter carelessly.¡± This dungeon had an unknown power, and if you entered recklessly, you would experience the absurd phenomenon of having your vision blocked. How many years had Isaac himself struggled to escape this status condition when he first entered? Currently, the status condition had faded to the point where he could distinguish things with his naked eye to some extent. ¡°Kyaak!¡± ¡°Keuheuk!¡± As time passed, the screams of the strangers increased one by one. Isaac sat on a dusty chair and passed the time. How much time had passed? Creak. The door of the store opened, and a stranger entered. He looked too clean for someone who had passed through the streets. ¡°¡­¡± But what was this? He felt like he had just made eye contact with the stranger. ¡°Found you.¡± As if to confirm that it wasn¡¯t an illusion, the stranger approached him and grinned. * * * [Second taskpleted.] [Proceed to the final task.] Smooth progress. Judging by Isaac¡¯s reaction, it seemed like he was the first to clear the second task as well. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Isaac -Level: 160 -ss: Saber (2nd ss) === An epic grade Saber. An NPC with enough power to survive in the Deste Dark Street. ¡®He¡¯s the same as before.¡¯ In his previous life, Isaac had revealed that his level and ss were 160 and Saber, respectively. He assumed that it was set that way and hadn¡¯t changed. ¡°Can you see me?¡± Isaac asked, unable to hide his surprise. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be standing here if I couldn¡¯t see you, would I?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± [Get Isaac out of this street.] [To escape, you need to guide Isaac to the hidden portal.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened at the third task. ¡®Get Isaac out of here?¡¯ Isaac was an NPC assigned to the Deste Dark Street. That¡¯s why he was able to meet him in the Deste Dark Street yearster, when Jeong-Hoon entered New World and was trapped there. To think that the third task was to get Isaac out of here. ¡®Ah, is that how it is?¡¯ Isaac was originally assigned to the Deste Dark Street for a task. But no one could get Isaac out, so he was trapped here. ¡®Then there¡¯s no time.¡¯ This round would end forcibly when only one survivor remained. So he needed to move quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to get out of this street?¡± Isaac nodded vigorously at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s question. ¡°If it¡¯s possible!¡± He had tried every method to escape the street, but he failed miserably. Now he was resigned to his reality. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a portal near here, right? Let¡¯s go there.¡± Jeong-Hoon knew the location of the hidden portal. ¡°What¡­ That portal doesn¡¯t work.¡± And Isaac also knew the location. It just wouldn¡¯t work because the conditions weren¡¯t met. ¡°There¡¯s no time. Aren¡¯t youing?¡± It was an urgent situation. Only a few users had survived to this point. The round would end soon. Even if it ended like this, Jeong-Hoon would be ranked first, but he didn¡¯t want to leave Isaac, who had helped him, in this deste dark street. Sensing his kindness, Isaac nodded with a determined face. ¡°¡­Alright. Let¡¯s go right away.¡± The days when he wanted to grasp at straws, but there weren¡¯t even any straws to grasp. Now a small hope had appeared. There was no reason not to take it. He headed towards the hidden portal with Jeong-Hoon. The portal was located under a stream connected to a sewer, 5km away from the store. ¡°This is it.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded as he looked around the stream. In his previous life, he had felt nauseous and struggled because of the stench of the sewer in a situation where he couldn¡¯t see anything due to the status effect. As a rookie, he was extremely confused and floundered just by having his vision blocked. ¡°¡­Phew, do you think it will work?¡± Isaac asked in a trembling voice. ¡°We¡¯ll see when we get there.¡± The round wasn¡¯t over yet. Jeong-Hoon entered the sewer with Isaac. As they went deeper into the sewer, they saw a flickering portal in front of them. ¡°Huh?¡± Isaac¡¯s eyes widened at the state of the portal. The portal that hadn¡¯t worked at all when he found it was now working perfectly. And in front of it, a monster was guarding the portal. [Lv. 170 Guardian of Darkness] It was the Guardian of Darkness, a whopping Lv. 170. It was 10 levels higher than Isaac, who was Lv. 160. And it boasted a level difference of 69 with Jeong-Hoon. It seemed like they had no choice but to hunt this monster to get through the portal. [The final round is almost over.] [Current survivors: 4] There were 4 survivors. If 3 more people were eliminated, the round would be forcibly ended. They had to finish it within that time. ¡°I¡¯ll handle it, please cover me!¡± Isaac drew his sword. [Guardian of Darkness uses ¡®Status Condition: Enhanced Vision Block¡¯.] Then the Guardian of Darkness activated its ability. At the same time, the status condition that had been on Isaac was strengthened, and even Jeong-Hoon¡¯s vision, which had been fine, was blocked. Isaac groaned at the sudden darkness. ¡°You shall not pass!¡± The Guardian of Darkness raised its twin swords and rushed at Isaac. The fact that the monster was attacking the NPC meant that they had to cooperate with the NPC toplete the quest. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous!¡± Isaac swung his sword and deflected the Guardian¡¯s twin swords. Having his vision blocked was a major disadvantage, but Isaac had fully absorbed the experience of living on the streets and his senses as a knight. Compensating for the disadvantage was no problem. ¡°You must stay here. Forever!¡± The Guardian of Darkness muttered and swung its twin swords like crazy. The twin swords were filled with a dark red aura. Sword Aura, which could only be manifested afterpleting the 2nd ss Advancement. A mere monster was manifesting it. ¡°Shut up!¡± Isaac also drew his aura and confronted the Guardian of Darkness. ng! ng! Even with the continuous shes, Isaac wasn¡¯t easily pushed back. ¡°Pathetic fool!¡± [Guardian of Darkness uses ¡®Status Condition: Morale Decrease¡¯.] [Isaac¡¯s stats have generally decreased.] Isaac¡¯s level, which was Lv. 160, instantly dropped to Lv. 100. With his strength greatly reduced, he started to lose ground in the power struggle against the Guardian. ¡°Keuhk!¡± Isaac groaned and stepped back. It was a body that had been constantly trained while wandering the streets. However, he couldn¡¯t help but kneel before the overwhelming difference of 70 levels. ng! With a heavy attack, Isaac couldn¡¯t hold on any longer and copsed. His knees buckled, and blood flowed from his nose and mouth. He had suffered internal injuries from the shock. ¡®Am I going to die here¡­?¡¯ He hadn¡¯t trained so hard just to die here! Despite his will, his body wouldn¡¯t move. That was when. ¡°Oh, another bug is trying to stop me?¡± Jeong-Hoon intervened. ¡°D-Dangerous! Run away now!¡± Isaac shouted. The stranger in front of him was definitely strong, but he was weaker than Isaac. There was no way he could handle the Guardian. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have a way.¡± He couldn¡¯t just stand by and watch the Guardian of Darkness run rampant when time was running out. So it was time to use a different method. ¡®Brainwashing.¡¯ Chapter 54 Chapter 54 As Brainwashing was activated, the Guardian of Darkness¡¯s pupils began to waver. Using it once was enough to shake the Guardian¡¯s mind. The level difference between Jeong-Hoon and the monster was a whopping 69. However, there was no problem activating Brainwashing. ¡®Brainwashing is a skill that controls the mind.¡¯ Even though the Dark Guardian¡¯s level was 170, not all of its stats were close to 170. Unlike users, who had automatic stat bncing, monsters had their stats randomly assigned, and the average of those stats was their level. Therefore, the Dark Guardian¡¯s mental strength wasn¡¯t that high. That¡¯s why Brainwashing was sessfully activated. ¡°W-What are you doing¡­!¡± The monster struggled with a strained face. ¡°Move aside. Don¡¯t get in the way.¡± With just a word, the Guardian¡¯s face contorted. But after a brief moment, as if nothing had happened, the contorted face smoothed out. Brainwashing had takenplete effect. ¡°Understood.¡± The Guardian of Darkness obediently moved aside. ¡°W-What¡­¡± Isaac, who was grasping the situation through his hearing due to his blocked vision, shuddered. With just a word, the monster obediently stepped aside? Was this even possible? ¡°Now, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Are we really going like this¡­?¡± Isaac asked cautiously, looking around. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay to go.¡± ¡°Then wait a moment¡­ Ugh¡­¡± Even though the troublesome Guardian of Darkness had moved aside, Isaac couldn¡¯t move. His whole body was broken from the battle with the monster. ¡°I¡¯ll heal you. Get up.¡± Jeong-Hoon used Lesser Healing on Isaac. Isaac¡¯s broken body began to recover quickly. Of course, he wasn¡¯tpletely healed, but this was enough for him to stand up and walk. ¡°Y-You¡­ Are you a priest?¡± Isaac asked with a surprised face. He thought Jeong-Hoon was a stranger who had trained in martial arts, judging by his aura. ¡°No, I¡¯m not a priest.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a priest? Then how can you use divine power?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll exin thatter, so let¡¯s hurry.¡± There was no time. If they dyed even a little, the final round would end forcibly. Jeong-Hoon half-forced Isaac into the portal. Then his body was sucked into the portal. [You havepleted the final task.] [Current survivors: 4] [The final round ends.] [Bonus points will be awarded to the user whopleted all tasks.] [You were the first toplete all tasks. Additional bonus points will be awarded.] ¡®Done.¡¯ The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth lifted slightly. * * * All users who participated in the event were moved to the settlement area. All the users gathered in one ce in the settlement area, and the users who were eliminated before entering the final Colosseum had already left. ¡°Ha¡­¡± ¡°The difficulty was too extreme.¡± The users, relieved of the tension after the event ended, reminisced about the rounds and grumbled. The status condition debuff blocked their vision, and the monsters¡¯ levels were twice their own, so they couldn¡¯t even think aboutpleting the tasks and were only focused on survival. It was a round where luck yed a big role, regardless of ss or skill. ¡°But I think Isted quite a while¡­¡± ¡°You too? I alsosted quite a while.¡± Some users sensed that they had survived for a long time. This was because the final round ended shortly after they were eliminated. This meant that they were close to being thest survivor. [Calcting rankings.] [All aspects of gamey, including round task performance and bonus points, will be applied.] Then, the NPC Ling Ling appeared in the center. ¡°Come talk to me individually to check your ranking. For reference, you don¡¯t have to ept the reward if you don¡¯t like the result.¡± The rankings weren¡¯t publicly disclosed. So they could check their ranking individually and receive their reward. A few users talked to Ling Ling first. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Phew.¡± But they went outside without receiving the reward. There was no reason for those who had already achieved a rare ss advancement to get the same rare ss advancement as a reward. They would probably try to challenge the epic ss advancement again, even if it was just because they felt it was a waste of time they had spent so far. And there were also users who ranked within the top 20 and achieved epic ss advancement. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Now I can finally move on to the next vige.¡± The users who had achieved epic ss advancement left the settlement area with satisfied faces. It was a scene that contrasted with the users who didn¡¯t receive rewards. ¡°Ah, shit¡­¡± ¡°This is really fucked up.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ This can¡¯t be. I couldn¡¯t get to epic grade at 23rd ce¡­¡± The top-ranking users shed tears of blood, and those in 21st ce cried out in agony. ¡°Aaaaaak! Why am I the only one getting screwed over!¡± The frustration was indescribable, having missed the epic ss advancement by just one rank. ¡®Hmph, this is why I hate dealing with ipetent fools.¡¯ And there was someone who was mocking them. A level 89 Soul Guard, an epic grade pdin. He was a user who used the nickname Handsomz. The path of a pdin, which could be taken by giving up mana and choosing divine power, just like a priest. He had survived the Deste Dark Street with his overwhelming defense. ¡®My vision was blocked, but the round ended while I was still alive.¡¯ That meant he was in first ce. He was told that the first ce would be given the opportunity to advance to a unique ss. ¡®I can be a Royal Guard¡­!¡¯ The ss he could obtain if he reached the unique grade as a pdin. Royal Guard. It was time to advance to that unique ss. [Rank: 2nd] [Reward: Epic ss Advancement] [Upon receiving the reward, the 2nd ss Advancement will bepleted immediately.] However, his rank was 2nd. ¡®I¡¯m not first?¡¯ Handsomz tilted his head. ¡®That¡¯s strange? I definitely survived until the end?¡¯ The other two epic grade users felt the same way. They were also three users who hadpleted the epic grade advancement and survived until just before the round ended. Their rank was also 2nd. The two who checked their rewards also had puzzled looks on their faces. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t a situation where they couldplete the tasks. So they focused on survival and sessfully finished the round. Then why were they tied for 2nd ce? ¡°¡­Someone must havepleted all the tasks.¡± Otherwise, there couldn¡¯t be a tie for 2nd ce. Then who in the worldpleted the tasks? Handsomz looked around. No matter how much he looked, he couldn¡¯t see anyone better than him. ¡°Next.¡± NPC Ling Ling shouted. Then a lower martial artist waiting behind approached the NPC and spoke to him. ¡®It can¡¯t be this guy.¡¯ A lower martial artist. Even entering the final Colosseum meant he had tremendous talent to ovee the ss disadvantage. But the possibility of himpleting the tasks in that street was zero. ¡®Still, rare grade would be a good achievement.¡¯ Unlike him, a normal grade martial artist. Even if he camest in the final Colosseum, he was ranked within the top 200, so the rare grade was guaranteed. Usually, when someone changed their ss, an impact effect of light shing above their head would be triggered. Blue for rare grade. Purple for epic grade. And a whopping gold for unique grade. However, no effect was triggered for the user who should have received the reward. The user even left the settlement area as if he had finished his business. ¡°What the¡­?¡± Handsomz looked at the martial artist NPC Ling Ling with a puzzled face. ¡°You¡¯re not going to receive it?¡± Ling Ling tilted her head. ¡°¡­No, what was the rank of the user who just disappeared?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that. Anyway, hurry up and take your reward.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± It was extremely difficult to obtain a unique grade in the 2nd ss Advancement. That¡¯s why he had tried to achieve a unique ss advancement in this event. ¡®I¡¯ll have to aim for it in the 3rd ss.¡¯ In the end, Handsomz immediatelypleted his 2nd ss Advancement and left the settlement area. * * * Jeong-Hoon arrived at a new settlement area after talking to Ling Ling. [Rank: 1st] [Reward: Unique ss Advancement] [Unable to receive reward.] [Please move to another settlement area and receive a new reward.] He had won first ce, but Jeong-Hoon was already a legendary Martial Emperor. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t receive the unique ss advancement that was announced in the event. Soon after, NPC Ling Ling appeared. ¡°Sorry for the wait.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Now, shall we talk about the reward?¡± Before the event started, Ling Ling had mentioned that if he won first ce, he would be given a different reward instead. Now it was time to find out what that reward was. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The 2nd ss Advancement will be done immediately. And a portion of Heavenly Energy will be given.¡± Heavenly Energy! Jeong-Hoon barely managed to suppress a smile. ¡®Heavenly Energy¡¯ was one of the conditions to advance to the next grade after legendary. To obtain that condition, you had to be at least level 200 or higher in a legendary ss job to have a very rare chance of obtaining a tiny amount, and they were offering him that Heavenly Energy as a reward. ¡°How much will you give me?¡± Of course, they wouldn¡¯t give him enough energy to satisfy 100% of the requirement at once. Maybe 1-2% at most. ¡°Hmm, maybe about 2%.¡± Ling Ling said as she calcted Jeong-Hoon¡¯s reward. 2%. As expected, it was a very small amount. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Only a very small number of users could achieve the legendary grade. The difficulty of aiming for a higher grade was bound to be extremely high. ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet.¡± Jeong-Hoon suddenly proposed a bet. ¡°Huh? A bet?¡± Ling Ling tilted her head. ¡°If I clear the real Deste Dark Street alone, give me double the set reward.¡± He meant to increase it from 2% to 4%. He doubled the amount of Heavenly Energy, which was hard to obtain even 1% of. ¡°Hmm? The Deste Dark Street? That¡¯s originally level 180.¡± The Deste Dark Street revealed in this event was Lv. 150. The original Deste Dark Street was a Lv. 180 dungeon. It was called Lv. 180. In reality, it was a very difficult dungeon, where even a Lv. 300 user would be confused if they hadn¡¯t experienced a dungeon like the Deste Dark Street before. ¡°So it¡¯s a bet. If I fail, I¡¯ll give up the Heavenly Energy.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. But if you can¡¯t defeat the Guardian of Darkness, I¡¯ll add it as a boss. How about that?¡± Originally, the Deste Dark Street didn¡¯t have a separate boss. Since vision was blocked, it was a kind of theme dungeon where you naturally cleared it by defeating all the monsters in the dungeon. So the Guardian of Darkness could be considered a one-time boss that appeared due to the task. ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t use Brainwashing to hunt the Guardian of Darkness. He could have hunted it with force, but the situation was a bit urgent, and he wanted to try to negotiate for a better rewardter. ¡°And mental skills like Brainwashing will be restricted, and you won¡¯t be able to dispel debuffs.¡± Okay. He took the bait. ¡°Then increase it to three times.¡± Jeong-Hoon upped the ante. He wasn¡¯t satisfied with double because there were too many restrictions. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you four times, not three.¡± Ling Ling countered boldly. Chapter 55 Chapter 55 A whopping 8%. In fact, the reason Ling Ling epted the bet was because she was certain of her victory. ¡®Since he dispelled the debuff with divine power, the task should be easy.¡¯ Moreover, he easily bypassed the boss using the Brainwashing skill. It wasn¡¯t a clear victory through his own skills, but rather through using a cheat. Of course, even that should be consideredmendable. Originally, this final round was focused on survival, not tasks. That¡¯s why she considered allocating 2% of Heavenly Energy instead of 1%. But the stranger wasn¡¯t satisfied with 2% and proposed a new bet. He bet a whopping 8% of Heavenly Energy. ¡®Foolish guy.¡¯ Ling Ling epted the bet without hesitation. To break that arrogant nose of his. Lv. 180 Deste Dark Street was only a 30-level difference, but the level of difficulty was like heaven and earth. She added conditions like no debuff removal, additional boss, and skill restrictions. Heavenly Energy wasn¡¯t a reward given out easily, so the conditions were very strict. Nevertheless, the stranger readily agreed. ¡®His arrogance from obtaining a legendary grade ends here.¡¯ Ling Ling scoffed and sent the stranger to a theme dungeon that realistically reproduced the Deste Dark Street. And two hourster, Jeong-Hoon returned to the settlement area. ¡°I cleared it.¡± ¡°What did you say¡­?¡± * * * [Lv. 180 Deste Dark Street] He entered the Deste Dark Street again, with its level increased by 30. His vision was blocked, and the surroundings were pitch ck. Despite the deadly debuff, Jeong-Hoon leisurely took out his bow from his inventory. It was the Dragon Anima Bone Bow. ¡°Where are we? We¡¯re surrounded by gloomy fellows.¡± As he held the bow, Anima floated around Jeong-Hoon in the form of a lizard. Anima wasn¡¯t affected by the status condition, so Anima could see the surroundings clearly. ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon. We have to kill all those guys.¡± Jeong-Hoon replied briefly and pulled the bowstring. Even though he couldn¡¯t see, his other senses were fine. So he focused on those senses even more. Thud. Several footsteps could be heard with his sensitive hearing. Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring towards that direction. Whoosh! ¡°Keuk!¡± The arrow flew in an arc and urately pierced the vital point of a Dark Knight. They were the same guys he had dealt with twice before. Their physique, the armor they wore, and the weapons they held. The result was possible because he had memorized everything. Also, the arrow he was using now wasn¡¯t an ordinary arrow. It was an arrow made of divine power, which he had used when hunting the Priest (Evil). The Dark Knights were also ipatible with divine power, so a single hit caused them serious damage. ¡°Impressive skill. How can you regain your bnce so quickly?¡± Anima, who was watching from the side, couldn¡¯t help but admire him. ¡°If you experience life-or-death crises often enough, you naturally get faster.¡± It is said that humans exhibit superhuman strength when their desire to live reaches its peak. And Jeong-Hoon had disyed such superhuman strength countless times. ¡°¡­You look barely out of your youth, but you talk like an old man.¡± During Animas time as a dragon, he had met all sorts of masters from around the world. Humans who had achieved incredibly high levels of achievement in their short lives of less than 100 years. He sensed a simr aura from those humans and Jeong-Hoon in front of him. It was truly a mysterious thing. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face still had a youthful air to it. ¡°Anyway, we don¡¯t have time to chat.¡± Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again. He focused on his other senses except for his blocked vision. [Martial Artist¡¯s exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ activates.] [Skill, ¡®Keen Senses (Rare)¡¯ acquired.] And his Steadfast Will reacted. His vision was blocked due to a debuff. But he could still read messages. A holographic message appeared in the pitch-ck darkness. ¡®The acquisition speed is fast.¡¯ The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth lifted. Keen Senses was a skill that yed an important role inter developing into Extrasensory Perception. Although he couldn¡¯t upgrade it to Extrasensory Perception because he acquired itte, it was one of the skills that helped him survive until the end. Whoosh! The arrow was shot once again, urately piercing the vital point of a Dark knight. [Martial Artist¡¯s exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ activates.] [Skill, ¡®Soul Arrow (Rare)¡¯ acquired.] And the newly acquired Soul Arrow. ¡®Is it because I repeatedly hunted dark-type monsters?¡¯ Unlike in his previous life, this was the first time he had obtained divine power, so he was ignorant about the acquisition conditions. Soul Arrow wasn¡¯t simply an arrow made of divine power. It was apletely different kind of skill. Unlike the arrow made of divine power, it couldn¡¯t damage monsters, but instead, it temporarily incapacitated them. It could be said to be a simr skill to Soul de, which James Marcus, who had betrayed Jeong-Hoon, had used from his early days until level 150. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°Human! Can you see us?!¡± The Dark Knights, who had been cautiously approaching, shouted urgently. The first time could be a coincidence, but the second time couldn¡¯t be. ¡°Attack!¡± The Dark Knights rushed towards Jeong-Hoon all at once. [Senses be sharper.] Keen Senses was an active skill, not a passive one. When used once, all senses were heightened for 60 seconds. However, once used, it couldn¡¯t be used again for 60 minutes. Jeong-Hoon slung Anima over his shoulder and then activated ckfield. [ckfield activated.] As he activated the skill, the ground around Jeong-Hoon turned ck. [All stats have increased by 1.2 times.] A fraudulent ability that increased all stats by 1.2 times despite being only rare grade. At the same time, the Dark Knights¡¯ stats decreased. [All stats of monsters entering the area are reduced by 3% due to the effect of ckfield.] ¡°My strength suddenly¡­?¡± ¡°What the¡­ Keuk!¡± The knights couldn¡¯t finish their sentences. Jeong-Hoon, using the Underworld King¡¯s Fist, started to strike the nearby knights. The hearing of his ears, the smell of his nose, the sense of touch that could feel the thick dark energy flowing from them, and the superhuman senses, a hidden option of the newly acquired Keen Senses. Of course, it was only a very slight 0.0001% level of sensation, but that was enough for Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Keuk!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fists struck the Dark knights. Of course, due to the extreme level difference and the sheer number of monsters, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body started to get scratched as time passed. ¡°Hey! Are you okay?!¡± Anima, who was watching the battle, shouted urgently. ¡®I¡¯m fine.¡¯ [Using Lesser Healing.] Unlike in his previous life, Jeong-Hoon could heal himself. The minor scratches disappeared cleanly with a single Lesser Healing. Jeong-Hoon once again unleashed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist and wiped out the Dark knights. ¡°Keuk!¡± ¡°Keheuk!¡± Only after dealing with the knights at a distance with Anima did Jeong-Hoon take a slightly deep breath. This theme dungeon originally didn¡¯t have a boss monster, but instead, each monster had the power of a sub-boss. The Deste Dark Street that appeared in the event was a level 150 dungeon, but all the monsters¡¯ stats were greatly reduced to around 130-140, so it was easy to hunt them. However, dealing with level 180 Dark knights wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°Hmm, there¡¯s still one left.¡± Anima muttered with a serious face. The theme dungeon should have been over, but NPC Ling Ling had added a Guardian of Darkness to the Deste Dark Street. So he had to hunt down that Guardian of Darkness to finish the dungeon. Jeong-Hoon moved forward, relying on his other senses except for sight. ¡°Hey, you there.¡± At that moment, a familiar voice was heard. Jeong-Hoon doubted his ears. ¡®Did Isaace back?¡¯ Despite being sent out, Isaac was still wandering around the Deste Dark Street. ¡®It seems you can¡¯t leave just because you¡¯vepleted the task.¡¯ Somehow, he felt a little sorry for Isaac. To think that he couldn¡¯t leave even if he wanted to. But a different answer came from Isaac than he expected. ¡°I came to help!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°When I left the street, I was alone in a white room¡­¡± Isaac vividly recounted what had happened. The ce he arrived at through the portal was a white room. The NPC Ling Ling appeared in that room and made a proposal. Jeong-Hoon would re-enter the Deste Dark Street, and Isaac would gain freedom if he opened the door and left. However, instead of choosing to open the door and leave, Isaac insisted on helping Jeong-Hoon directly. So Ling Ling summoned Isaac back to the street. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t evenugh at the absurdity of the story. Why did hee back after being sent out? Even if his level was lowered due to the event, gaining freedom was unchanged. Since it was a dungeon created for the event, it would be abandoned as a theme dungeon after the event ended and his level returned to 180. Having escaped once, there was no reason for Isaac to remain in the dungeon anymore. Even if the Deste Dark Street was designated for the next event, the task to rescue Isaac wouldn¡¯t appear again. But why would he go through the trouble again? ¡°I¡¯ll help you with all my might, so let¡¯s get out together!¡± ¡°¡­Then why didn¡¯t you help me earlier?¡± Why was he acting like a Monday morning quarterback after leaving the boss behind? ¡°I just got here?¡± Isaac tilted his head. At that moment, a new holographic message appeared in his pitch-ck vision. [Time limit: 20 minutes] [Help NPC Isaac escape once again.] [Uponpletion, Heavenly Energy reward will be increased fivefold.] [Do you ept?] Ah, so that¡¯s why they sent Isaac back to the street? What a brutal quest. But it wasn¡¯t easy to refuse the reward, which had jumped from fourfold to fivefold. Jeong-Hoon epted the task without hesitation. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jeong-Hoon and Isaac headed towards the exit portal in the sewer again. And in front of the portal, the Guardian of Darkness was waiting. [Lv. 200 Guardian of Darkness] The Guardian¡¯s level was a whopping 200. It was a boss 99 levels higher than Jeong-Hoon. ¡°I¡¯ll provide cover, so use the skill you showed me earlier!¡± Isaac charged at the Guardian of Darkness without waiting for Jeong-Hoon¡¯s reply. ¡®I can¡¯t use Brainwashing anymore.¡¯ ording to Ling Ling¡¯s bet, he couldn¡¯t use Brainwashing. ng! ¡°What kind of power is this¡­?¡± Isaac, unaware of this fact, shed swords with the Guardian of Darkness and had a bewildered look on his face. Before, their strength was simr, but now the difference in power was too obvious. His palms tingled as if he had struck a giant rock. ¡°How pathetic!¡± The Guardian of Darkness sneered and put more force into the twin swords he was holding against Isaac¡¯s. Isaac started to get pushed back noticeably. ¡°Keuhk!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll finish you quickly!¡± [Guardian of Darkness uses ¡®Status Condition: Morale Decrease¡¯.] [Ability failed.] But unlike before, the ability failed. A look of bewilderment shed across the Guardian¡¯s face. At the same time, its gaze turned downward. A small, glowing arrow was embedded in its chest. [Soul Arrow] The enemy hit by the arrow would have their abilities temporarily sealed. ¡®The sealing time is 5 seconds.¡¯ After 5 seconds, the Guardian would be able to use its abilities again. He had to finish it within that time. Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again. [ckfield activated.] ckfield was also activated. He then released the drawn bowstring and shot the arrow. The arrow, shot with superhuman senses, urately pierced the Guardian¡¯s right eye. One of the areas that couldn¡¯t be strengthened no matter how much you trained. ¡°Kuaaak!¡± The Guardian screamed and twisted its body as its eye was pierced. Jeong-Hoon quickly pulled the bowstring again and released it. This time, it pierced the Guardian¡¯s neck. ¡°Keuuk! Human!¡± However, due to its high level, it didn¡¯t die even after being hit in two vital points. ¡°You damn bastard!¡± At that moment, Isaac plunged his sword deep into the Guardian¡¯s side. ¡°Damn you all!¡± The Guardian¡¯s struggles reached their peak. Whoosh! Then, arrows were shot in session, all hitting vital points. Only after about 8 arrows were embedded did the Guardian copse and go limp. [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 granted.] As the Guardian died, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level became 102. It wasn¡¯t easy to see the level-up message after passing level 100. It seemed like he had been on the verge of level 102 after drinking the potions. ¡°Phew, thank you. Thanks to you, I can sleep soundly.¡± Isaac grinned. In front of him, the portal was shimmering. ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s grateful.¡± Thanks to Isaac, he was able to subdue the Guardian more quickly. And he won the bet with Ling Ling fair and square. Now it was time to return to the settlement area and collect his reward. ¡®Shall we go back then?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon and Isaac passed through the portal. Chapter 56 Chapter 56 When Jeong-Hoon returned to the settlement area unscathed, Ling Ling was dumbfounded. ¡°I cleared it.¡± ¡°¡­This is impossible!¡± Ling Ling denied the reality in front of her. She looked over the dungeon records several times, unable to grasp whether this was a dream or reality. But what could she do? All of this was reality. It took nearly 20 minutes for Ling Ling to finally ept reality. The fact that the stranger had won the bet. ¡°I heard it was five times.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t lie. The promised reward will be given.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips curled up into a smirk at those words. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°¡­And I¡¯ll give you an additional reward.¡± ¡°Additional?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head. In his past life, the NPC Ling Ling, who was in charge of the event, had never given out additional rewards to users. So he was only expecting 10% of Heavenly Energy. ¡°Yes. Because you surprised me.¡± Ling Ling was genuinely impressed. The stranger¡¯s chances of winning this bet were literally zero. At first, she wanted to break his arrogance, but she was the one who ended up being surprised. Even though he had a legendary grade, it was a result achieved under many restrictions. Was that why? She wanted to give an additional reward to the stranger who had won the bet fair and square. ¡°I¡¯ll gratefully ept it if you give it to me.¡± He was only expecting five times the Heavenly Energy, but there was no reason not to ept it if she was giving him an additional reward. At that moment, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body glowed once. [2nd ss Advancementpleted.] The reward was given, and he instantlypleted the 2nd ss Advancement. [¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ grade increases to ¡®Unique¡¯.] [The grades of skills acquired through ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ will be adjusted.] Done. With thepletion of the 2nd ss Advancement, the grade of Steadfast Will increased. As befitting a legendary grade, even though he was only 2nd ss, the grade of Steadfast Will rose to unique. Thanks to that, all the skills he had acquired through Steadfast Will were upgraded from rare to epic. ¡®Amazing¡­¡¯ Jeong-Hoon looked at the skills with a touched expression. It was the ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ that he had wanted to raise so much in his previous life. He was already touched enough that it had risen to epic, but the difference between epic and unique was like heaven and earth. It was natural for his emotions to be amplified. That wasn¡¯t all. [You have acquired 10% Heavenly Energy.] Heavenly Energy, the biggest achievement of this bet. [You have essed Heavenly Energy for the first time. 30,000 achievement points have been granted.] The foundation for moving on to the next stage had beenid. Additionally, he received 30,000 achievement points. ¡®If I save up a bit more, I can buy that too.¡¯ Among the newly renewed items in the achievement shop as its level increased, there was an item he absolutely had to buy. Of course, it was an item that appeared only after raising the achievement shop¡¯s level, so he couldn¡¯t buy it yet, so he¡¯d pass for now. ¡°Hmm, I¡¯m wondering what to give you as an additional reward. Choose one and take it.¡± Ling Ling presented two items: one item and one skill book. The item was a pair of shoes. === [Nimble Air Shoes] -Type: Armor -Grade: Epic -Defense: 75 -Evasion Rate: 3.25~3.75% -Movement Speed: 4% -Jump Height: 4% -Remaining Durability: 100% -Special Ability (1): [Active: Haste] Usable (Duration 3 seconds, Cooldown 300 seconds) -Special Ability (2): Increases reaction speed by 2 when worn. === The shoes were epic grade. As befitting epic grade shoes, the options were quite good. Having those shoes would make moving around much more convenient. Moreover, with the option of increasing reaction speed by 2, it was an item that could be of great help in closebat. It would be perfect to enhance and useter. Next was the skill book. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at the skill book. === [Skill Book: Fusion (One-Time Use)] -Type: Skill Book -Grade: Epic -Using this skill book allows you to learn ¡®Fusion (One-Time Use)¡¯. === It was an epic grade Fusion skill. The Steadfast Will that Jeong-Hoon possessed also had a fusion function, but it could only fuse skills designated by New World. However, this Fusion skill allowed for the fusion of skills not designated by New World. It meant that users could create new skills themselves. Of course, since it was creating something new out of nothing, New World had ced some restrictions. If the synergy of the skills wasn¡¯t over 50%, a worse skill than before would appear. ¡®I can use it for archery.¡¯ Naturally, New World had hidden a few cheats in this fusion as well. One of them was a skill rted to archery. ¡®This is what I was going to buy with achievement points.¡¯ The item he was going to buy with achievement points. It was this skill book. An item that could only be purchased at Achievement Shop Lv. 4. Rare grade Fusion (One-Time Use). And this skill book was an epic grade skill book, one level higher than that. ¡°I¡¯ll take this.¡± Jeong-Hoon chose the skill book without hesitation. ¡°Good choice. You definitely have a good eye.¡± Ling Ling grinned as she watched his choice. [Settlementplete.] [Would you like to reveal your nickname and level to be included in the ranking?] [If you choose to remain anonymous, only your ss will be disyed.] [The blind system will be maintained.] It was the same method as the previous Genesis event. If you didn¡¯t reveal your nickname and level, only your ss would be disyed. Jeong-Hoon entered the blind system and reset his ss. ¡®The first ce is a unique ss, so¡­¡¯ Thus, he changed from Lower Martial Artist (1st ss) to Martial Arts Master (2nd ss). Jeong-Hoon, likest time, chose to remain anonymous. [Nickname and level will not be revealed.] * * * At the same time. A new notice appeared on New World. === [New World Event Results Notice!] -Hello! This is the New World development team. We are posting this notice to share some exciting news with you! We are sharing the results of the 2nd ss Advancement event. [Ranking] Click the link below to see the ranking of the users who participated in the event. We will continue to prepare events that will be helpful to users. Thank you! -New World Development Team === As soon as all users finished settling their rewards, the rankings were announced. Guilds and individual users rushed to click on the post link. The link led to a new homepage, where the event results were recorded. And World Com was in an uproar over the results. [Wow¡­ What? Did a martial artist win first ce again?] -If it¡¯s Martial Arts Master, that¡¯s it, right? Unique grade. ©¸Yeah, it¡¯s unique. ©¸Damn, that means there are two unique grade martial artists in South Korea? ©¸Yeo Min-ji, the unexpected loser lol. I heard she worked like a dog to get the unique grade. ©¸Some people struggle for years to get the unique grade, while others get it in one event lol. ©¸That¡¯s not the important thing¡­ The timing is strangely coincidental. People seem to think that this martial artist is the same person as the one from thest event. ©¸Is there anyone who doesn¡¯t know that? The problem is that no one can find him. Most users believed that he was the same martial artist who won first ce in the capsule event. This was because the method of not revealing the nickname and level, but only the ss, was the same. Then who in the world was this martial artist? While everyone was curious, Jeong-Hoon was leaving the square. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that the martial artist?¡± A few users who spotted Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes lit up with curiosity. But 10 seconds was enough for the curiosity in their eyes to disappear. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s an intermediate martial artist.¡± [Intermediate Martial Artist (2nd ss)] The ss name disyed when a martial artistpleted their 2nd ss advancement as a normal grade. Jeong-Hoon, who came out of the settlement area, immediately adjusted the blind system and changed it to Intermediate Martial Artist (2nd ss). Thanks to that, he was able to easily leave the square. He hadpleted his 2nd ss Advancement and surpassed level 100. He had obtained all the items he needed to get from Idenharc, so there was no reason to stay any longer. It was time to move on to the next vige. Of course, after resting for a day or two since the event was over. As he was leaving the square, a familiar figure approached Jeong-Hoon. ¡°You¡¯re still the same!¡± It was Isaac, who had left the Deste Dark Street first. Was he originally from Idenharc? ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either. When I came out of the portal, I was here.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been to Idenharc before. So I was wondering what to do when I saw you passing by.¡± As he said that, a red question mark was blinking above Isaac¡¯s head. A hidden quest here? [Hidden Quest: Isaac¡¯s Return] -Restriction: Isaac¡¯s Trust Max -Reward: ? (Reward will be determined based onpletion.) -Description: Help Isaac return to Autobahn and reunite with his family. Autobahn was one of the 28 viges, the next destination after the beginner zone. Unlike the beginner zone, there weren¡¯t over 100 viges, because the difficulty of leveling up increased significantly. ¡®Am I lucky?¡¯ Coincidentally, the vige Jeong-Hoon had chosen as his next destination was also Autobahn. In other words, they had the same destination. ¡°That¡¯s great. The ce I was going to was also Autobahn.¡± ¡°Then can youe with me?!¡± Isaac¡¯s face brightened. He didn¡¯t know exactly how long he had been away from Autobahn, but it must have been a long time. Even if he returned, his ce wouldn¡¯t be there anymore. But there was one reason why he wanted to go back. His family at home. The vow he had made shortly after his knighting ceremony. He had whispered that he would protect her by her side forever, but he couldn¡¯t keep that promise because he was trapped in the Deste Dark Street. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Isaac had never been outside of Autobahn. He was trapped in the Deste Dark Street while carrying out his duty of guarding the border. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t know the way back from Idenharc to Autobahn, and the biggest problem was that he didn¡¯t have a single penny. If he hadn¡¯t met his benefactor here, the situation would have been quite desperate. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be sure to repay you when I get back!¡± * * * To leave the beginner zone, you had to use the portals at the ends of each direction, and to head to Autobahn, you had to use the portal located in the southern region. [Rmend me the next vige] -I finished my 2nd ss Advancement, where should I go now? ©¸Autobahn ?? (Go for Autobahn) ©¸Actually, it doesn¡¯t really matter where you go lol, but Autobahn has good hunting grounds, right? ©¸It¡¯s a decent ce. I rmending! Unlike Idenharc, Autobahn had a very good reputation. Among the 28 viges, the hunting grounds were rtively simple, making hunting easier, and the experience rewards from quests were the most generous. Therefore, users who wanted to level up flocked to Autobahn. Nearly 30 users were waiting in front of the southern portal. They were all users who had finished their 2nd ss Advancement in Idenharc and were trying to move on to the next vige. ¡°Oh¡­ Is this the portal to Autobahn?¡± Isaac looked at the portal with curious eyes. ¡°Is this your first time seeing a portal?¡± At that question, Isaac¡¯s ears turned slightly red. He coughed a couple of times and hurriedly started to make excuses. ¡°It¡¯s not that¡­ It¡¯s my first time seeing a portal that connects viges.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. I used other means of transportation, not portals.¡± Apparently, portals existed, but they were the exclusive privilege of nobles. Now, with the influx of arge number of outsiders, they had be the main means of transportation used by them. As a mere knight, Isaac had no opportunity to use the portal. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you try it this time?¡± The users left one by one, and soon it was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s turn. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Iliago -Level: 100 -Job: Idenharc Southern Portal Gatekeeper === The portal gatekeeper, Iliago, blocked the way. ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t just pass through there.¡± He was pointing at Isaac, not Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon, as a yer, could freely enter and exit as long as he met the level and 2nd ss Advancement requirements, but Isaac was different. Therefore, he had to pay a price to use the portal. ¡°How much is it?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked instead. ¡°1 gold.¡± 1 gold to use the portal once. In Korean currency, that would be 10,000 won. Not a bad price. ¡°1 gold?! What the¡­¡± Isaac¡¯s face also turned pale. His monthly sry as a knight was 1 gold and 5 silver. It meant that he had to spend his entire month¡¯s sry to use the portal once. ¡°I¡¯ll pay.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out one gold coin from his inventory. ¡°¡­Thank you so much. I will definitely repay this kindness.¡± Isaac¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of the gold coin, and then his face turned apologetic. ¡°1 gold confirmed. You may pass.¡± Iliago, after confirming the gold coin, finally stepped aside. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± Jeong-Hoon entered the portal familiarly. Isaac followed behind him. The destination was Autobahn. [Moving to ¡®Autobahn¡¯.] Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Autobahn. As befitting a vige chosen by many users, the square was bustling with users and NPCs. Even the starting vige and Idenharc weren¡¯t this crowded. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see this ce again.¡± Isaac looked around the Autobahn square with a touched expression. To think he would see this sight again, alive. Tears streamed down his face at the vivid scenery. ¡°¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon waited silently for him to calm down. How much time had passed? Isaac, having collected himself, scratched his cheek awkwardly. ¡°I apologize for the unsightly disy¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Ahem, then let¡¯s go quickly.¡± Isaac, having returned to his hometown, led the way familiarly. Autobahn, like Idenharc, was a territory belonging to the empire. It prospered with the lord¡¯s castle as its center, and the residents lived in viges outside of it. And the ce where Isaac lived was a small vige where poor people gathered. ¡°It¡¯s a wheat field?¡± The first thing that caught Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eye when he entered the vige was the wheat field. The entire surrounding area was a wheat field. ¡°That¡¯s right. Our vige makes a living by farming wheat.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Even to Jeong-Hoon, who was clueless about farming, the wheat looked to be in very good condition. ¡°¡­I¡¯m worried. Looking at the wheat field, it doesn¡¯t seem like that much time has passed.¡± Isaac muttered with a tense face. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯s been since you were trapped in the Deste Dark Street?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I was too busy trying to survive in a situation where I couldn¡¯t see anything¡­¡± His vision was blocked, and there were Dark Soldiers threatening his life all around. The concept of time didn¡¯t exist for Isaac. Just surviving each day was the best he could do. ¡°Is that so?¡± Jeong-Hoon replied nonchntly. He was confident that Isaac would be reunited with his family. The flow of time in the Deste Dark Street and New World was different. One hour in the Deste Dark Street was only 20 seconds in New World. So even if he was trapped there for a day, only 480 seconds would have passed in New World. That was only 8 minutes. If Isaac had survived in the dungeon for a year, only a little over two days would have passed in New World. As proof, there was hardly any change from thest time Isaac saw the vige. ¡°Isaac?!¡± At that moment, a woman suddenly emerged from the wheat field. Isaac¡¯s eyes welled up with tears when he saw her. ¡°Charlotte!¡± He forgot his dignity as a knight and hugged her, sobbing for a long time. * * * The time Isaac had spent was longer than expected. A whopping eight years. He had spent eight years in the dungeon. In Autobahn time, over two weeks had passed. ¡°Thank you so much for helping my husband. I don¡¯t know how to repay you¡­¡± Charlotte, who had heard everything from Isaac, sobbed for a while before expressing her gratitude to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Considering the help he had received from him in his previous life, this was nothing. Also, he had sessfully won first ce in the event, and Isaac had helped him until the very end. There was no reason for him to receive such gratitude for simply apanying him once. ¡°How can it be okay? We can¡¯t just let this go.¡± As she said this, a red exmation mark was blinking above Charlotte¡¯s head. Isaac had met the quest conditions by reuniting with his family. [Quest Completed.] Then, she took out a ne and held it out. ¡°This is?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened as he checked the ne. [Fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Mark] -Type: Material -Grade: Epic -A fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Mark. -If you collect all the fragments, you might be able to learn how to use it. A fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Mark. He never dreamed he would see this here. ¡°It¡¯s a family heirloom.¡± ¡°Charlotte¡­!¡± Isaac¡¯s face went nk at the appearance of the mark. Charlotte¡¯s family had been a family of knights for generations. Her father was a knight, and so was her grandfather. She was also a knight. She had first met Isaac at the knighting ceremony, and that led to their marriage. However, she had retired due to the aftereffects of an injury. With Isaac missing as well, it was hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for her. ¡°This is the most precious thing I can give you. And please take this gold too.¡± Two gold coins were additionally ced on the table. She wanted to repay double the 1 gold that Isaac had used for the portal. ¡°¡­¡± Isaac lowered his head as he saw the gold. Tears were dripping down his face, showing how moved he was. However, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t take the gold. ¡°The gold is fine. And I won¡¯t take this heirloom either.¡± Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened as Jeong-Hoon refused all the rewards. ¡°You won¡¯t take it¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I only did what was right.¡± The Warrior¡¯s Mark, along with thepleted Beginner¡¯s Mark he had obtained in the tutorial, was used as a material for crafting items. Therefore, he had to take that reward, but Jeong-Hoon had a history of collecting all the marks except for thepleted Beginner¡¯s Mark. And he had obtained the Fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Mark in another vige, not Autobahn, and he knew how to restore it. There was no reason to take the reward here. ¡®Because she said it¡¯s a family heirloom.¡¯ A family heirloom passed down through generations. She offered such an heirloom as a price for Isaac¡¯s life. If it weren¡¯t for what happened in the past life, he would have epted it without hesitation, but now he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do so. It was better to follow the n and restore the mark. [NPC Isaac¡¯s Trust has greatly increased.] [NPC Charlotte¡¯s Trust has greatly increased.] As he refused the reward, Isaac and Charlotte¡¯s trust in him increased significantly. Then, Isaac hugged Jeong-Hoon and sobbed. ¡°¡­Thank you for saying that. Thank you so much!¡± Even Charlotte, who had been calm, was now teary-eyed. ¡°But we can¡¯t just let this go.¡± However, she had no intention of backing down. [Keep the heirloom safe and hand it over to the rightful person when they appear.] That was because of her ancestor¡¯s will. Her husband, Isaac, was her everything. That¡¯s why she wanted to give the heirloom to the benefactor who saved his life. But Jeong-Hoon refused the heirloom. ¡®I only did what was right as a knight.¡¯ He didn¡¯t mention the word ¡®knight¡¯. But that¡¯s how it sounded to Charlotte. ¡®Ah, he¡¯s a true knight.¡¯ The way he didn¡¯t expect anything in return for saving someone. The mindset of being able to open his wallet without hesitation to someone asking for help. Wasn¡¯t that the true spirit of chivalry? ¡°So please ept it.¡± That¡¯s why this heirloom had to go to this benefactor even more. Charlotte¡¯s eyes were determined. ¡®I guess I have no choice but to ept it.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be polite to refuse any further. In the end, Jeong-Hoon epted the mark. ¡°Then I gratefully ept.¡± [You have acquired the Fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Mark.] [You have acquired the qualification to collect the Completed Warrior¡¯s Mark.] Hmm? Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes changed as he checked the new notification. Completed Warrior¡¯s Mark? ¡®That¡¯s strange? The one I restored was the Warrior¡¯s Mark?¡¯ Each ss had its own mark. Jeong-Hoon had obtained all the marks except for the Beginner¡¯s Mark. And he had failed to create the Tyrant Titan because he couldn¡¯t get the Completed Beginner¡¯s Mark. So he thought he would definitely seed inbining the Tyrant Titan this time by obtaining the Completed Beginner¡¯s Mark, which he couldn¡¯t get in his previous life. ¡®Could it be different from what I thought?¡¯ Warrior¡¯s Mark, Archer¡¯s Mark, Thief¡¯s Mark. He was able to collect these marks because he was an all-master. But now, a new possibility had been added: that he might not be able to create a proper Titan with just the ordinary marks. ¡®All the marks need to bepleted.¡¯ There was a reason why the quest that offered the mark as a reward was hidden grade. ¡®I would have been in big trouble if I hadn¡¯t received it.¡¯ A fact he wouldn¡¯t have known if he hadn¡¯t received the mark. He would have ended up failing to create theplete Titan and regretting it once again. Jeong-Hoon inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Please take the gold too.¡± Charlotte pointed to the 2 gold coins next to her. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve already received such a precious heirloom, how can I take the gold as well? This is enough.¡± ¡°Alright. Then why don¡¯t you stay for a meal since you¡¯re here?¡± This time, Charlotte stepped back. ¡°A meal¡­¡± Isaac¡¯s eyes welled up again. How much he had missed the meals Charlotte made for him while he was eating weeds. ¡°How can a knight be so tearful?¡± Charlotte chided him lightly, but a gentle smile was on her lips. * * * After the meal, Jeong-Hoon was led to an empty room on the second floor of the mansion at their invitation to stay the night. Although it was an unused room, it was clean and well-maintained, as it was asionally used by guests. Jeong-Hoon sat on the bed and immediately took out the skill book. === [Skill Book: Fusion (One-Time Use)] -Type: Skill Book -Grade: Epic -Using this skill book allows you to learn ¡®Fusion (One-Time Use)¡¯. === Skill Fusion. He had used fusion a lot. Steadfast Will for skills. And the fusion potion from the achievement shop forbining items. But this skill book made possiblebinations that those couldn¡¯t handle. [Acquired the one-time use skill, ¡®Fusion¡¯.] [The fusion will disappear after using the skill.] A skill that could only be used once. As he used the skill, a new window appeared in front of Jeong-Hoon. [Register the skills you want to fuse.] [Only currently possessed skills can be registered.] Currently possessing skills. Jeong-Hoon chose skills rted to archery. -Critical Arrow (Epic) -Calm Breathing (Epic) -Hawk Eyes (Epic) All skills acquired through Steadfast Will. And skills that didn¡¯t fuse because Steadfast Will didn¡¯t react to them. Now it was time to acquire that skill. But Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t stop there and added another skill. ¡®Let¡¯s add one more.¡¯ It was Soul Arrow, which he had acquired in the Deste Dark Street. Although it was impossible to try in his previous life because he hadn¡¯t obtained divine power, which conflicted with mana. Even so, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t think he would fail. ¡®If divine power had been added, an even more amazing skill would have been born.¡¯ The skill he was going to fuse this time was one of the skills that Jeong-Hoon had created himself through countless trials and errors. This was because it was very difficult to raise the level of a skill, so he had to forcibly increase the power of the skill through fusion. That¡¯s why he knew better than anyone what wascking. Jeong-Hoon, having upgraded all the skills, activated the fusion. [Fusion begins.] The registration window shed for a moment, and then a new skill appeared with a brilliant light. [Fusion sessful!] [Acquired ¡®Extreme Archer: Soul¡¯.] Done! He had acquired the skill he had nned for. ¡®It¡¯s been upgraded even further.¡¯ In his previous life, the skill Jeong-Hoon obtained through fusion was ¡®Extreme Archer¡¯. But this time, the word ¡®Soul¡¯ was added at the end. It must be an additional option due to the divine power. === [Extreme Archer: Soul] -Type: Passive -Level: 1 -Grade: Epic -Bow damage permanently increased by 20%. (Critical Arrow always active) -Physical/Magic evasion rate permanently increased by 10%. -When holding a bow, breathing is not disturbed, and body tremors are minimized. -When holding a bow, vision is secured up to 500m. -Enemies hit by arrows are incapacitated for 3 seconds. (Cannot be stacked) -Enemies hit by arrows have their abilities sealed for 7 seconds. (Cannot be stacked) === It was truly an amazing skill. Damage permanently increased by 20%, and Critical Arrow was always active. Even without holding a bow, the evasion rate against physical/magical attacks increased, so it would show excellent performance in closebat. Finally, an option superior to Soul Arrow was added, and an additional fraudulent option that paralyzed enemies hit by arrows was added. ¡®Alright.¡¯ To think that this was just an epic grade. He was already looking forward to how powerful it would be when it was upgraded to legendary or higher in the future. Chapter 58 Chapter 58 Earth Korea Management Team. Oh Jin-soo was alone, looking at the monitor after everyone had left work. Although they couldn¡¯t watch the event and see how it unfolded, they could see the results afterwards. -1st ce: Unrevealed/Unrevealed/Martial Arts Master (2nd ss) ¡°As expected, he took first ce.¡± Oh Jin-soo burst outughing. Since they couldn¡¯t watch, they had no choice but to watch the userse out after the event, and most of them hadn¡¯tpleted their 2nd ss Advancement because they weren¡¯t satisfied with the rewards. That meant the event was quite difficult. So he was even more curious. Whether that martial artist had taken first ce as expected. And that expectation was perfectly met. ¡®Martial Arts Master.¡¯ Martial Arts Master was a unique ss among martial artists. It could be seen as havingid the foundation for advancing to legendary, and if obtained in the 2nd ss, it meant that the opportunity to advance to legendary would be given from the 3rd ss onwards. Of course, ss advancement was like reaching for the stars. But Oh Jin-soo knew. That user was the first hidden ss of martial artist to appear in New World. That must also be disguised by the blind system. ¡®What could it be?¡¯ Nothing had been revealed about the martial artist¡¯s hidden ss yet. Even the only user who hadpleted the advancement was hiding his hidden ss somehow. So there was no information. Not even the true grade of that user. ¡°But what the hell is that NPC?¡± That wasn¡¯t the only shocking thing. The user who returned to Idenharc met an NPC and headed to Autobahn with him. An NPC using a portal to go to another vige? It was information Oh Jin-soo had never heard of before while working at Earth Korea. And ording to New World information, there was no NPC named Isaac in Idenharc. In other words, he went to Autobahn with an NPC that shouldn¡¯t exist. ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡± What in the world was happening? * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Jeong-Hoon came out. As he opened the door and came out, his mother was watching TV while eating fruit. ¡°Mom, what are you watching so interestingly?¡± When Jeong-Hoon showed interest in the TV, his mother snorted. ¡°I thought you were so engrossed in the game that you weren¡¯t interested in anything else, but I guess not?¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± When he was doing what he had nned, he lost track of time. But he had a promise with his mother, so he always came out at dawn and slept. Of course, this time, he had started the event and even made a bet with NPC Ling Ling, so he ended up staying up all night. ¡°Is the game going well?¡± Fortunately, his mother didn¡¯t say anything else. Feeling a bit sorry, he resolved to keep his promise as much as possible and said, ¡°Yes. I won first ce in this event too.¡± His mother was slightly surprised to hear that he won first ce. ¡°Really? Do they give you anything for winning first ce?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s not a real prize like the capsule¡­ but I received a game item.¡± ¡°I see. By the way, is that you ying on the TV?¡± His mother nodded and pointed at the TV screen. The TV was showing the New World game. ¡°Ah, yes. That¡¯s me.¡± As a game loved worldwide, the e-sports industry was also dominated by New World. Various contents of New World were professionalized, and numerous leagues were held every year, with very effective promotional results. Last year¡¯s finals live broadcast even set a record with a whopping 1.2 billion viewers. ¡®Even being a decent New World pro gamer, you can easily earn an annual sry of 5 billion won.¡¯ And top pro gamers reportedly received nearly 50 billion won in annual sry. Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the user being shown on the TV screen. ¡®James Marcus.¡¯ The user the camera was capturing. In his past life, he was Jeong-Hoon¡¯srade and the strongest pdin in the Americas. And the bastard who betrayed and trampled on him in the end. Jeong-Hoon clenched his fists tightly. ¡°Jeong-Hoon? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jeong-Hoon came to his senses with a start at his mother¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°¡­You looked like you were about to kill someone.¡± Lee Na-Yeon felt a chill down her spine at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fierce eyes just now. Her son, who had been gentle and rarely cried since he was a baby, had grown up well without ever going astray. It was the first time she had seen such a look in his eyes. ¡°¡­I guess I was envious.¡± Jeong-Hoon scratched his cheek with an embarrassed face and tried to smile as brightly as possible. ¡°Really?¡± Her son¡¯s face had returned to normal. Was it just her imagination? ¡°Yes. By the way, mom, is there anything you want?¡± Jeong-Hoon quickly changed the subject. His mother¡¯s birthday wasing up in a few months. In his past life, he had been studying at university and had saved up little by little to give her a gift certificate worth 1 million won. Even then, it wasn¡¯t a small amount, but now he wanted to give her a gift more expensive than 1 million won. ¡®I need to cash out some gold.¡¯ The gold in New World could be converted into cash. If he cashed out that gold, there would be no problem buying a birthday present for his mother. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need anything. What could I possibly need?¡± His mother hurriedly refused, afraid that her son might spend money. But Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t one to back down. ¡°Mom, your bag is quite worn out¡­ Should I buy you a new one?¡± ¡°Bags are so expensive¡­ Your heart is enough.¡± ¡°¡­No, I¡¯ll definitely buy you er.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded inwardly, deciding on a bag as a gift. ¡°Okay. By the way, how good do you have to be to get into something like that?¡± His mother pointed at the TV screen and asked. ¡°Apetition?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You have to be a ranker, right?¡± Most of the people who appeared in thepetitions were rankers. They evaluated the gameprehensively, considering level, ss, status window stats, achievement points, etc., to determine the rankings, and if you were within the top 10,000 in each server, you were recognized as a ranker. Naturally, it was a constant battle for rankings, with positions changing daily. Anyway, to participate in such leagues, you had to have the qualifications of a ranker topete with other users. In that sense, the ones who dominated the leagues were the top yers among the top yers, like James Marcus. ¡®You can¡¯t ignore the difference in experience.¡¯ As befitting apetition, the bnce was adjusted. But the reason the top yers dominated was because of their experience and talent. Rankerspeted with other users every moment. It wasn¡¯t just about leveling up, but about strategizing every day and seeking the fastest path to growth. Even if everyone was given the same amount of time, the ranking was determined by how efficiently they moved. It was natural for the top yers among the top yers to be ahead inpetitions. ¡°I see. Then our son can¡¯t participate.¡± Even in Lee Na-Yeon¡¯s eyes, the user¡¯s gamey on the screen was extraordinary. The observer program for thepetition was developed directly by Earth headquarters, allowing even ordinary people to observe the user¡¯s gamey in detail. That¡¯s why even Lee Na-Yeon, who had never yed the game, could clearly see the user¡¯s gamey. No matter how many times Jeong-Hoon had won first ce in events, it would be impossible for her son, who had just started, to participate in such apetition. ¡®Hmm, it seems like you started toote?¡¯ ¡®Those guys have been ying since the beta. And they¡¯re geniuses. No matter how talented you are, it¡¯s impossible to make up for that lost time.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had also heard such words quite often in his past life. ¡®Not anymore.¡¯ But with Jeong-Hoon¡¯s current abilities, participating wasn¡¯t impossible. Even though he was only level 102, he had a wealth of realbat experience. However, he had no intention of participating in such apetition. Even if he didn¡¯t try to participate, a simr event would be held soon under the guise of an event. *** After a day of rest and reorganization, Jeong-Hoon logged back into New World. The ce he logged in was still Isaac and Charlotte¡¯s house. He tidied up the bedding and went outside, and Isaac was already prepared to go out. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± ¡°Thanks to you, I rested well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Ah, to the lord¡¯s castle. I need to report to the lord since I¡¯m back. He¡¯ll be very happy when I return.¡± He had been trapped in the Deste Dark Street while on duty. Since he had returned safely, he was going to report to the lord¡¯s castle. And a question mark was blinking above Isaac¡¯s head. [Normal Quest: Knight of Autobahn] -Restriction: Trust with Isaac 80% or higher -Reward: Entry to the Ogre King subjugation quest -Description: Apany Isaac to the lord¡¯s castle. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes lit up. One of the things he had to do in Autobahn was the Ogre King subjugation quest. Of course, like before, it was a quest that could only be started after raising the trust of the residents through vige quests and letting the rumors reach the lord¡¯s castle. If he could bypass such a tedious quest, he would save at least 1-2 weeks. ¡°Can I go with you?¡± ¡°You too? You¡¯re not a knight, are you?¡± ¡°I came all the way to Autobahn, so I thought I¡¯d take a look around the lord¡¯s castle.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re the benefactor who saved me, so I guess that¡¯s possible. Alright! Let¡¯s go together!¡± * * * Autobahn Lord¡¯s Castle. ine, the lord of Autobahn, was racking his brain over a recent problem. A week ago, the Lv. 190 Ogre King settled in the northern part of Autobahn. With him at the helm, his minions were wreaking havoc in the surrounding area. That wasn¡¯t all. A few days ago, they tried to invade the territory, leading to a confrontation with the soldiers. Many people were injured in the process. ¡°How many victims are there?¡± ¡°Three deaths in total. And over twenty injured¡­¡± ¡°This is driving me crazy.¡± The devastation that had urred in just a week. He wanted to drive the Ogre King out, but Autobahn¡¯s forces alone couldn¡¯t handle him. ¡®I¡¯m not going.¡¯ ¡®I won¡¯t do it.¡¯ Even the outsiders who visited Autobahn turned their backs. ¡°How about recruiting the outsiders?¡± ¡°Where are we going to find outsiders over level 150?¡± The reason they refused was none other than the Ogre King¡¯s level. The outsiders were terrified and didn¡¯t ept the request. A few outsiders said they would ept the request, but it fell through because they demanded absurd rewards. ¡°If only Isaac were here at a time like this¡­¡± If you were to choose the strongest knight in Autobahn, you would choose Isaac without hesitation. A level 160 Saber. He was far stronger than other knights, never stopped practicing swordsmanship every day, and was a true knight who didn¡¯t hesitate to give advice to his juniors. But Isaac hadn¡¯t returned for over two weeks. Where in the world was he and what was he doing? ¡°My lord! Isaac has returned!¡± At that moment, good news arrived. ¡°Really?! Bring him in quickly!¡± Isaac had returned. ine jumped up from his seat at the news. But it wasn¡¯t just Isaac who entered the lord¡¯s room. ¡®An outsider?¡¯ There was a stranger standing next to Isaac. ¡°Knight Isaac, I apologize for thete return.¡± ¡°Where the hell have you been?¡± Being happy to see him was one thing, but he had to reprimand what needed to be reprimanded. He had disappeared during a reconnaissance mission and only returned after more than two weeks, so he needed to hear the details of what had happened. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± What came out of Isaac¡¯s mouth after that shocked ine. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying you were trapped in some dungeon and it took a long time to get out?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ That dungeon was different from other ces. I was there for eight years, but only a little over two weeks had passed here.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± It was a hard story to believe. However, Isaac¡¯s face was severely damagedpared to thest time he saw him. The face that looked 10 to 15 years older was enough to dispel ine¡¯s doubts. ¡°And this is the person who helped me get out.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ine¡¯s gaze turned to the stranger next to him. Chapter 59 Chapter 59 It had been a while since Jeong-Hoon had been to the Autobahn estate. Unlike Idenharc, this was his second time in Autobahn. This town was a major turning point for Jeong-Hoon before his second regression. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: ine -Level: 120 -Job: Lord of Autobahn === ine¡¯s gaze naturally fell on Jeong-Hoon. He bowed his head slightly. ¡°My name is Hoon.¡± ¡°Wee. I am ine, Lord of Autobahn. Thank you for helping our knights.¡± ine hurriedly showed his courtesy. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It was something I had to do.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ine admired him inwardly. It had been a while since he had seen such a pure stranger. ¡°By the way, is something going on? It seems busy around here.¡± When Jeong-Hoon brought it up, ine sighed deeply and exined the situation. ¡°The Ogre King?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why Isaac¡¯s absence was sorely felt, and it¡¯s fortunate that he returned at the right time.¡± So, he meant to order Isaac to subjugate the Ogre King in the north. Isaac knelt on one knee with a hardened face. ¡°If you allow me, my lord, I will leave immediately.¡± The fact that a crisis had befallen the territory as soon as he returned. And the fact that he was the only one who could resolve the crisis, he was ready to leave as soon as the order was given. ¡°No, that won¡¯t do.¡± ine shook his head. Isaac had been working hard for eight years and had finally returned, wasn¡¯t it too harsh to order him to leave right away? ¡°But we don¡¯t know when the Ogre King will attack again.¡± ¡°Sigh, but sending you¡­¡± ¡°Please!¡± At Isaac¡¯s plea, ine¡¯s face was filled with conflict. He was happy to see him volunteering, but he was notfortable sending him back to the battlefield without a proper break. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll go.¡± At that moment, Jeong-Hoon stepped forward. ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± When Jeong-Hoon nodded, an exmation mark blinked above ine¡¯s head. The quest wasplete. [Quest Completed] [100,000 experience points have been awarded.] [ine¡¯s trust has increased slightly.] [You can proceed to the next quest.] Uponpleting the quest, another question mark blinked above ine¡¯s head. [General Quest: Subjugate the Ogre King] -Restriction: ine¡¯s Trust Level 10% or higher -Reward: Autobahn Honorary Knight -Description: Subjugate the Ogre King. The Ogre King subjugation quest. A questpleted by annihting all the hordes led by the level 190 Ogre King and finally subjugating the Ogre King himself. ¡®The Ogre King appears around this time.¡¯ The Ogre King was a new monster added to New World. It had only been a week, but no one had cleared it yet. The rewards were meager, and it was much more efficient to hunt and level up during the quest time. Users who hadpleted their second ss advancement usually stayed in towns like Autobahn until they reached level 150, and they all spent most of their time hunting monsters. [Focus on dungeons after the second ss advancement ] -It¡¯s good to get rewards by doing quests, but¡­ honestly, if you¡¯re over level 100, it¡¯s time to focus on leveling up. ©¸This is true, the quest rewards aren¡¯t that great. ©¸Well, if you work hard, you might get something good lol. But it¡¯s much more profitable to level up and move on to the next town and get quests. ©¸I agree, I focused on quests without knowing anything and wasted a lot of time ?? World Com¡¯s guide also rmends that users who are between levels 100 and 150 after their second ss advancement should go around dungeons as much as possible. ¡°Wait! Then I¡¯ll go with you too!¡± As soon as Jeong-Hoon epted the quest, Isaac shouted urgently. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll do it alone.¡± Isaac had lived on the streets for eight years. It was not pleasant for Jeong-Hoon to take him along, as he had endured a long time with longing for his family. ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Leave this to me.¡± Isaac finally raised the white g at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s resolute face. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon, who received the quest, immediately moved to the northern field. Unlike the previous beginner zone, Autobahn had over 100 fields. He had to cross 20 more fields to reach the Ogre King in the north. ¡®But the reason he cane down is.¡¯ A hidden portal near the lord¡¯s castle. The portal was connected to the Ogre King¡¯s home base. The portal was locked and unusable for users who received the quest, but the Ogre King and his minions coulde and go through the portal. Of course, they couldn¡¯t use it every time, but as far as he knew, they coulde and go once a month. ¡°Spot taken.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t kill the monsters we¡¯ve gathered there.¡± Upon entering the field, he saw four users partying and hunting. They warned Jeong-Hoon not to touch the monsters. Since the party members who took the spot first had the rule of monopolizing the monsters, the users had to watch each other and fight for the spot. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon was not interested in such monsters, so he quietly moved on to the next field. ¡°Spot taken!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t touch them!¡± The next field was the same. After that, every field was upied by users who were hunting. It was so bad that the monsters that should have been roaming the field were hunted as soon as they were generated, and there wasn¡¯t a single monster around. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°Stop right there.¡± And as there were many users, a variety of things happened in the field. Two users walked towards Jeong-Hoon. === [yer Information] -Nickname: SaltySoup4Mom -Level: 141 -ss: Assassin (2nd ss) === A rare grade assassin with an unusual nickname. And the one next to him was even more spectacr. === [yer Information] -Nickname: UngratefulSon -Level: 142 -ss: Ora-Knight (2nd ss) === A level 142 Ora-Knight. The Ora-Knight was a rare grade, a superior version of the regr Knight. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes narrowed as he saw them. ¡®I was wondering why they didn¡¯t show up.¡¯ There were always those who picked fights in the starting vige and Idenharc. It was the same in Autobahn. Those who preyed on those who seemed rtively low-level and weak. They even had nicknames that advertised, ¡°I¡¯m a viin.¡± ¡°Trying to pass through here?¡± The assassin asked with a wicked smile, pointing his chin towards the portal in the distance. ¡°So what?¡± ¡°So what, you bastard! You were just going to pass us by?¡± The Ora-Knight pointed his sword at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Ah, a troll?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quicker than I thought. 10 gold.¡± What bandits. He was dumbfounded by their audacity to demand 10 gold. ¡°Die here if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal instead.¡± ¡°A deal?¡± ¡°Yeah. There are monsters a little further ahead. Help me kill them, and I¡¯ll let one of you live.¡± There were more than 500 monsters to kill. It was a number he could handle alone, but it would be a little easier if he had someone to help him from behind. The assassin and the Ora-Knight burst intoughter at the absurd suggestion. ¡°Hahaha! Did this punk just say something?¡± ¡°Yeah, he must not have a mother, that¡­ Gah!¡± The Ora-Knight¡¯s words were cut short. Jeong-Hoon had already used his movement technique and struck the Ora-Knight in the sr plexus with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Struck squarely in the sr plexus, the Ora-Knight was flung 5 meters back and crashed to the ground. ¡°Ha, you damn bastard.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face, which had been calm until just a moment ago, was now filled with rage. He brushed his bangs back and approached the trembling Ora-Knight. ¡°Ugh¡­ Gah¡­¡± The Ora-Knight couldn¡¯t even stand up properly, unable to breathe properly from the blow to his sr plexus. Jeong-Hoon stepped on the Ora-Knight¡¯s head with a sneer. ¡°I wanted to let this go peacefully, but you should know who you¡¯re talking to before you say such things.¡± ¡°What, what are you saying¡­ you crazy bastard¡­¡± The Ora-Knight red at Jeong-Hoon with bloodshot eyes. [ckfield activated.] Jeong-Hoon activated ckfield. The ground turned ck, and human arms emerged from it, grabbing the Ora-Knight¡¯s entire body. It was a hallucination visible only to him. ¡°Gah¡­ Ugh¡­¡± The Ora-Knight couldn¡¯t even scream properly, unable to breathe. ¡°See you in 24 hours.¡± With those words, Jeong-Hoon took out a dagger and slit the Ora-Knight¡¯s throat. The assassin was overwhelmed with shock at the sudden turn of events. His friend¡¯s level was 142. And the martial artist in front of him was 102. A whopping 40 level difference. Normally, his friend should have been able to easily defeat him. But the situation unfolding before his eyes was the opposite. ¡°What, what the¡­?¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes turned to the assassin. The assassin shuddered as he met Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze head-on. ¡®I¡¯m scared of that guy¡­?¡¯ Unbelievable. He was a level 141 assassin! How could he be scared of a meremon-grade martial artist! His friend might have been caught off guard, but this time it wouldn¡¯t be easy. SaltySoup4Mom used Stealth. His body became translucent. With Stealth, no one could see him for 60 seconds. Of course, this skill wouldn¡¯t work against a higher-level opponent, but the martial artist in front of him was only level 102. ¡®You¡¯re dead.¡¯ He wouldn¡¯t kill him easily. He would inflict extreme pain, take everything he had, and then kill him. And then, 24 hourster, he would wait for him to log in and kill him again. ¡°Hiding won¡¯t help you.¡± With those words, Jeong-Hoon took out Anima and drew the bowstring. ¡®Huh? Why does a martial artist have a bow?¡¯ Normally, martial artists would wear knuckles, but he was holding a bow even though he wasn¡¯t an archer. Well, it didn¡¯t matter. It was impossible for a level 102 to see through his Stealth. But what was this? As he tried to move, the man¡¯s gaze was fixed on him. ¡®Can he see me¡­?¡¯ That couldn¡¯t be. The assassin took out the dagger from his pocket and approached Jeong-Hoon. That was when it happened. Jeong-Hoon aimed at the assassin and released the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow pierced the assassin¡¯s neck urately. ¡°Cough!¡± The assassin, his neck pierced, copsed on the spot. ¡®What, what the¡­?¡¯ How could a level 102 find his Stealth? The assassin barely held onto his fading consciousness and looked up at Jeong-Hoon as he approached. ¡°Uh¡­ Uh¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t speak properly. Looking down at him, Jeong-Hoon uttered a short phrase. ¡°Now get lost.¡± * * * Whoosh- ¡°Damn it!¡± The capsule door opened, and a young-looking man came out, cursing. He was Hong Hyun-Woo, a level 142 Ora-Knight. He had dropped out of high school and was now obsessed with New World, ying it all day at home. He had just been killed by a martial artist who was only level 102. And it was a humiliating defeat at the hands of amon-grade martial artist. ¡°That damn bastard! I¡¯ll kill him for sure!¡± Hong Hyun-Woo threw everything he could see at the wall, causing amotion. Then the door burst open, and a middle-aged woman entered. It was Lee Mi-Jung, Hong Hyun-Woo¡¯s mother. ¡°Why are you doing this again? Huh?¡± She asked Hong Hyun-Woo with a worried face. ¡°Get out! Get out!¡± Hong Hyun-Woo threw the pen he was holding at her. ¡°Kyaak!¡± ¡°Hong Hyun-Woo! You crazy bastard!¡± A man who looked to be in his early 20s entered. It was Hong Jin-Woo, Hong Hyun-Woo¡¯s older brother. He was about 10 cm taller and 20 kg heavier than Hong Hyun-Woo. Hong Hyun-Woo flinched as his brother red at him with a menacing look. ¡°I-It¡¯s because you¡¯re being noisy!¡± He red at Lee Mi-Jung, but Hong Jin-Woo approached and grabbed Hong Hyun-Woo by the cor. ¡°I warned you. I don¡¯t care if your life gets screwed up, but I won¡¯t stand for you disrespecting our parents.¡± ¡°Ugh, gah!¡± ¡°Jin-Woo, stop.¡± Lee Mi-Jung hurriedly stopped the two. Finally, Hong Jin-Woo let go of his brother¡¯s cor. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you. And Hyun-Woo¡­ it¡¯s okay to y games, but please don¡¯t throw things. Please.¡± Lee Mi-Jung said and left the room with Hong Jin-Woo. Hong Hyun-Woo, left alone, trembled with his fists clenched. ¡®That bastard.¡¯ It was all because of that martial artist bastard. Hong Hyun-Woo took out his smartphone and sent a message to his friend Kim Bong-Goo. Since he had been killed by the martial artist and logged out for 24 hours, the only way to contact him was through messaging. But less than 5 seconds after sending the message, the ¡®1¡¯ indicating an unread message disappeared. [Ha, f*ck, I died too] Kim Bong-Goo even replied that he had also been killed by the martial artist. [You too?] [Yeah, what¡¯s with that guy?] [Let¡¯s get back in 24 hourster. Tell Seon-Ho and Ji-Ho, let¡¯s all gang up on him] Hong Hyun-Woo had no intention of letting this go. He would definitely get back at the martial artist who had humiliated him like this. [Okay, I¡¯ll contact them right away] 24 hours passed. Hong Hyun-Woo, gritting his teeth, immediately logged into New World. And ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± He saw the martial artist who had killed him grinning and releasing the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow flew and pierced Hong Hyun-Woo¡¯s head. ¡°Cough!¡± Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Jeong-Hoon had tried to let it go. Like the previous guys, he had nned to either log them out for 24 hours for simply picking a fight or use them as minions to subjugate the Ogre King. ¡®He doesn¡¯t have a mother.¡¯ However, the guy had crossed a line that shouldn¡¯t be crossed. Unable to let it go, Jeong-Hoon started hunting monsters in that field. Since there was an area that the assassin and Ora-Knight had taken over, there was no problem hunting in that area. ¡°Are you alone? It seems difficult.¡± ¡°Are you selling your spot?¡± ¡°Would you like to party with me? I¡¯ll carry you.¡± Various users approached Jeong-Hoon because he was alone. This was because the spot he had taken was quite a honey hole. The surrounding terrain consisted only of three rocks, and the ground was t and clean. Also, about 20 monsters respawned every 10 seconds after hunting, making it very suitable for leveling up. It was natural for users to approach. However, after seeing Jeong-Hoon hunting monsters, they avoided him. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Is he really level 102?¡± The hunting ground was around level 120. It was natural for them to be bewildered as he was ughtering monsters in a hunting ground 18 levels higher than him. In the meantime, he logged out to have a meal with his mother, slept peacefully, logged in and waited for them to log back in. ¡°Hey, do you have to go this far?¡± Anima asked, circling above Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to make those bastards sick of me.¡± It didn¡¯t matter if the Ogre King quest was dyed a bit. There was no time limit on the quest anyway. ¡°¡­Those guys really messed with the wrong person.¡± Anima clicked his tongue. ¡®They¡¯ll be logging in soon.¡¯ 24 hours had passed. Usually, when forcibly logged out due to a death penalty, you would log back in at the same location. In front of the dungeon entrance if it was a dungeon. At the ce where you died if it was a field. They were thetter. And a few minutester, the Ora-Knight who had died at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand appeared. Jeong-Hoon drew his bowstring without hesitation. ¡°¡­!¡± As soon as he made eye contact with the Ora-Knight, he released the drawn bowstring. The arrow shot out and pierced the Ora-Knight¡¯s head. He was forcibly logged out again. If he died again within 10 minutes after receiving the 24-hour penalty, he would receive a 48-hour penalty this time. ¡®That¡¯s why users don¡¯t make hasty attempts.¡¯ This was why they didn¡¯t take unnecessary risks. In some cases, they could even get permanently banned if they messed with the wrong person. [Level 271 user here. If you need help,ment below.] ©¸Please help me ?? There are so many monsters that I die as soon as I enter¡­ ©¸15 gold. ©¸Ah¡­ That¡¯s too expensive. Okay. But you must save me ?? [Level 226 user here. If you¡¯re stuck in a field or something, leave ament.] ©¸Level 133 here. Can you help me? ©¸12 gold call? I¡¯ll be right there. ©¸Yes ?? I¡¯m already on a 48-hour suspension¡­ In this way, some paid high-level users to ovee the crisis in order to avoid suspension. Jeong-Hoon drew his bowstring again. There was still one guy left. As expected, the assassin appeared next. ¡®That¡¯s him.¡¯ He made sure to identify him so as not to hit an innocent user, then released the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! ¡°Gah!¡± The assassin, his head pierced by the arrow, was immediately logged out and boarded the 48-hour suspension train. ¡°That crazy¡­¡± ¡°What was that¡­?¡± Two users waiting nearby were watching the scene with dumbfounded expressions. They had been watching Jeong-Hoon for an hour since taking their spot. They were probably in cahoots with the guys just now. Their levels were simr too. Level 138, level 140. ¡®What¡¯s with that chilling look in his eyes?¡¯ ¡®Gulp.¡¯ They didn¡¯t even dare to challenge Jeong-Hoon. When Jeong-Hoon red at them, they hurriedly left. ¡®Damn, we¡¯re screwed if we mess with that guy.¡¯ ¡®Hong Hyun-Woo, Kim Bong-Goo, you crazy bastards, why did you mess with that guy?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon only turned around after seeing them run away with their tails between their legs. ¡°Are you going to end it now?¡± ¡°Not yet. I¡¯ll wait for 48 hours.¡± ¡°¡­Huh, how many times are you going to kill them?¡± ¡°Until I¡¯m not angry anymore.¡± ¡°¡­That sounds like you¡¯re going to make them never set foot in this ce again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s ultimate goal was to end the game. Therefore, he had no intention of hindering the growth of users, but it seemed that these guys would not be possible. Such trash wouldn¡¯t be recyble even outside. There was no problem in kicking out those who didn¡¯t seem to help his ultimate goal. And 48 hours passed. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Cough!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± The Ora-Knight and the assassin logged in at the same time, intending to immediately kneel before Jeong-Hoon and beg for forgiveness. However, Jeong-Hoon was above their heads. He had no intention of epting their apology. Jeong-Hoon, who had been waiting, blew their heads off once again. ¡°Scary guy¡­¡± Anima shuddered at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s persistence in staying in the same spot for days, waiting for the two to appear and killing them repeatedly. He was definitely the type of person you didn¡¯t want to make an enemy of. ¡°They¡¯re paying for their sins.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± There was once a saying that a single word could repay a debt of ten thousand gold. That also meant that a single word could incur a debt of ten thousand gold. ¡®Looking at it this way, I¡¯m being petty too.¡¯ But what could he do? If they had only insulted him, he would have let it go with one death, but they had insulted his mother. The Ora-Knight¡¯s voice was deeply ingrained in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mind. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t just let it go. * * * ¡°Hey! We¡¯re really going to get permanently banned at this rate!¡± ¡°What do you want us to do¡­ Ha, damn it.¡± ¡°Those guys aren¡¯t even friends. They betrayed us because they were scared?¡± Hong Hyun-Woo and Kim Bong-Goo felt like crying. Until the first death, they were burning with revenge, but their friends backed out as soon as they died the second time. They logged in together, hoping to apologize to him and avoid the suspension. But the martial artist didn¡¯t even listen to them and killed them right away. As a result, the suspension umted, and this time they were suspended for 72 hours. A whopping three days. Hong Hyun-Woo and Kim Bong-Goo, who were deeply immersed in New World, were on edge. If the martial artist attacked them again at the next login, it would be 120 hours. And if they died one more time, it would be a week. Then a month, a year, and finally a permanent ban. ¡°Hey, should we ask World Com for help?¡± ¡°World Com?¡± ¡°Yeah. No matter how good that guy is, he won¡¯t be able to do anything against a user over level 200, right?¡± ¡°Ha, but those guys charge at least 10 gold.¡± ¡°You want to get killed again? It¡¯s just taking care of a level 102 martial artist, so we can negotiate for 6 or 7 gold.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still a lot of money¡­¡± ¡°If we seed in taking care of that martial artist bastard, we can get double that amount back.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. That bastard is dead.¡± Hong Hyun-Woo and Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly went to World Com. * * * Jeong-Hoon was relentless. Even though he could move on to the next field, he absolutely wouldn¡¯t. He hunted the respawning monsters in that spot without rest. [Level up.] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] He leveled up twice just by hunting here. Now he was level 104. [yer Information] -Nickname: Hoon -Level: 104 -ss: Martial Arts Master 2nd ss (Martial Emperor 2nd ss) -Titles Held: Completed Beginner (Epic) and many more (expand to view) [Detailed Stats] -Strength: 174 (+17) -> 191 -Agility: 169 (+18) -> 187 -Stamina: 171 (+19) -> 190 -Defense: 162 (+16) -> 178 -Wisdom: 152 (+15) -> 167 -Magic Power: 227 (+22) -> 249 -Divine Power: 229 (+22) -> 251 -Mental Strength: 147 (+17) -> 164 -Unallocated Stats: 1 Despite being only level 104, his detailed stats were monstrous. This was the reason why he could handle the level 140 trash. Jeong-Hoon invested the newly received bonus stat in Strength. He was about to hunt monsters again for leveling up, but¡­ ¡°Hey.¡± Someone approached Jeong-Hoon. === [yer Information] -Nickname: DespairedYou -Level: 201 -ss: Saber (3rd ss) === He was a level 201 Saber. An epic grade who had evenpleted the third ss advancement. ¡°What¡¯s with that human?¡± Anima, perched on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder, tilted his head. ¡°Looks like they put in a request.¡± They had hired a high-level user from World Com to avoid a permanent ban. ¡°Are you the one who¡¯s been harassing innocent users?¡± Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t know what kind of request they had put in, but he had be a viin. ¡°So what if I am?¡± Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of exining himself. ¡°Interesting. Do you want me to make you look like that too?¡± ¡°If you can.¡± ¡°¡­Wow, you¡¯re saying that even after seeing that I¡¯m level 201?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips twisted into a smirk. At that smile, the opponent used his movement technique and rushed towards Jeong-Hoon. A sword with a blue aura shed diagonally, creating a sharp ripping sound. ¡®He¡¯s aiming for the neck.¡¯ It was an attack with the intention of finishing him off in one blow. But Jeong-Hoon was not one to be easily defeated. He skillfully lowered his body and dodged the attack. At the same time, he used his movement technique and unleashed Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st Form. Bang! His fist hit the te armor near the opponent¡¯s sr plexus. ¡°¡­!¡± The opponent winced, seemingly in considerable shock. However, the armor was intact as he was wearing a high-grade one. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 2nd Form.¡¯ As the opponent faltered from the impact, Jeong-Hoon immediately followed up with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, explosively raising it to the 2nd Form. ¡°You little bastard!¡± The opponent¡¯s body glowed blue, and he swung his sword powerfully. It was an invincibility skill that Sabers of Epic grade could learn at 3rd ss. As the invincibility skill was activated, Jeong-Hoon skillfully used his movement technique to create distance. The duration of the invincibility skill was 15 seconds. Woosh! Woosh! Jeong-Hoon dodged the opponent¡¯s attacks while counting the time in his head. DespairedYou¡¯s face was filled with bewilderment as Jeong-Hoon dodged his attacks perfectly, albeit narrowly. ¡®What the? How is he dodging so well?¡¯ He was just a level 104 martial artist. Normally, he shouldn¡¯t be able to withstand even one of his attacks, but the martial artist was the one pushing him back. His head rang with every punch, and he felt like he would be the one to fall if this continued, so he hurriedly used his invincibility skill. He had used his trump card, so he had to finish this quickly. But none of his attacksnded. Even when he changed his sword path erratically, the martial artist dodged them as if mocking him. ¡°15 seconds are up.¡± The martial artist¡¯s voice rang in his ears. At the same time, a chill ran down his spine. ¡°Damn it!¡± And then, the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 3rd Form unfolded. DespairedYou hurriedly used his movement technique to distance himself from Jeong-Hoon, but Jeong-Hoon had already seen through his thoughts. He used his movement technique in advance to close the distance in an instant. The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 3rd Form hit the opponent near the sr plexus. ¡°Ugh!¡± Unlike before, the opponent let out a painful groan. The damage of Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique increased with each Form. It wasn¡¯t a Legendary skill for nothing. ¡°Are you going to continue?¡± Jeong-Hoon stopped attacking and asked. A good idea hade to mind. If the opponent ignored him, he was going to unleash the 4th Form and finish him off for sure. ¡°I lost! I lost!¡± DespairedYou hurriedly dropped his sword and knelt. He wasn¡¯t a fool. He realized from the damage he had just received that it was impossible to defeat the martial artist. If he continued like this, he would surely end up like the guys who had hired him. ¡°How much did you get for the request?¡± At the cold voice, DespairedYou shuddered and said, ¡°15 gold.¡± ¡°You got a lot.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It must be 15 gold per head, right? Because I¡¯m sure killing us isn¡¯t the end of it.¡± DespairedYou nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ They¡¯re really vicious bastards. They told me to kill you once and then tie you up.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes! I was just trying to carry out the request as I was instructed. If you want, I¡¯ll give you all the gold I received!¡± Jeong-Hoon shook his head at the sight of him about to take out the gold immediately. ¡°Forget it, you keep it. But let me ask you for one thing.¡± A favor¡­? DespairedYou gulped nervously, waiting for Jeong-Hoon¡¯s next words. Chapter 61 Chapter 61 72 hours felt like 720 hours had passed. ¡°Damn¡­ It¡¯s finally over.¡± Hong Hyun-Woo, who was deeply addicted to New World, had been suffering for the past few days. His hatred for the martial artist grew even stronger as he couldn¡¯t even log into the game during the time he should have been enjoying it. [DespairedYou: Questplete. I have him tied up, so you can log in whenever you want.] There was nothing to be afraid of anymore. He had put in a request to a level 201 Saber, and the Saber hadpleted the quest very sessfully. [Hey, let¡¯s go in together. He said he caught the guy.] Kim Bong-Goo also hated the martial artist. The 30 gold they had paid, 15 gold each, included tying him up. ¡°Damn it, let¡¯s pay him back for sure.¡± The thought of the martial artist¡¯s suffering face already filled him with excitement. Hong Hyun-Woo hurriedly logged in. And there, the Saber was waiting for them. ¡°Have you arrived?¡± ¡°Yes. But where is the martial artist?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you after the other client logs in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A minuteter, Kim Bong-Goo also logged in. ¡°Where¡¯s the martial artist?¡± Kim Bong-Goo also looked for the martial artist first. ¡°Ah, about that¡­¡± DespairedYouughed awkwardly and scratched his cheek. ¡°Ha, what is it now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for jokes.¡± Hong Hyun-Woo and Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s faces were filled with annoyance at the slow response. ¡°The client has changed.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Before Hong Hyun-Woo and Kim Bong-Goo could react, Hong Hyun-Woo¡¯s head fell to the ground. He had been struck by DespairedYou¡¯s sword. Kim Bong-Goo looked down at Hong Hyun-Woo¡¯s corpse with a dumbfounded expression, unable toprehend the unexpected turn of events. Soon, he red at DespairedYou with a furious face. ¡°What the hell are you doing!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You should have been more careful who you messed with.¡± DespairedYou didn¡¯t care and cut Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s throat. The difference in level between a level 140 second ss advancement and a level 200 third ss advancement was like heaven and earth. Even with the two of them, they couldn¡¯t stand against a single Saber. And the martial artist behind him was an exception, as he was beyond the norm. ¡°Good work.¡± Jeong-Hoon patted his shoulder with a satisfied face. With this, they were suspended for 120 hours. ¡°Yes. Then may I take my leave?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to hunt the Ogre King now, and he has quite a few minions.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Help me subjugate it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The level difference between Jeong-Hoon and the Saber was a precarious 97. Since it didn¡¯t exceed the 100-level limit set by New World, there would be no penalty. He was a very suitable minion for the Ogre King subjugation. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°N-No¡­¡± ¡°Good. You should do that much after getting 30 gold, right?¡± Is that your money? DespairedYou wanted to shout that, but different words came out of his mouth. ¡°Of course! Please rest at the back! I¡¯ll take care of everything!¡± * * * The Ogre King was newly added. Therefore, a new field that shouldn¡¯t have existed was added. ¡°Is this it? The Ogre King?¡± ¡°Yes. But don¡¯t go there.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The experience is really low. It¡¯s less than half of what you get from a single level 140 monster.¡± ¡°What? Even though the level is set between 170 and 190?¡± ¡°Exactly. There¡¯s no one here over level 150¡­¡± However, the Ogre King had be a target to avoid for users, even though it had only been added a week ago. ¡°The lord begged me to kill the Ogre King for him.¡± ¡°You too? Me too.¡± Most users diligently carried out the town quests in Autobahn. The reason was the experience points given for each town quest. The amount of experience was quite substantial, so any user who was leveling up would do the town quests. However, they did not ept the Ogre King subjugation quest offered by the lord. The experience points were low despite the monsters being over level 170, and the reward for risking their lives to kill the Ogre King was too meager. ¡°Honorary Knight of Autobahn? Oh please¡­¡± ¡°What can you do with that?¡± ¡°They say you can freely enter and exit the lord¡¯s castle and the town.¡± ¡°Pfft, who would go crazy and try to catch a level 190 monster just to get that? It¡¯s not worth it.¡± That¡¯s right. The reward was the Honorary Knight of Autobahn. It was a rather unconventional offer, granting the title of knight within Autobahn at the lord¡¯s discretion, even without a knighting ceremony. However, it was also a reward that users didn¡¯t need. This was because there were few ces they couldn¡¯t enter in the first ce. Even if they epted it, they would have to hire a mercenary over level 200 to hunt the level 190 monster, which would cost too much money. It was more profitable to level up and reach level 150 to move on to the next town during the time spent on the quest. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Of course, Jeong-Hoon knew the true value of this quest better than anyone. ¡°Are we really going in with just the two of us?¡± DespairedYou hesitated slightly. There were a total of five newly added fields. If this was the Ogre King¡¯s territory from here, it meant there were quite a few monsters. ¡°What else?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to gather a few more people before going in¡­?¡± ¡°You talk a lot of nonsense. It seems like you want to die.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯ll go in!¡± DespairedYou led the way into the portal. * * * At the same time. Hong Hyun-Woo was¡­ ¡°Argh! Damn it!¡± He was shedding tears of blood at the 120-hour suspension. 15 gold. A whopping 15 gold. In cash, that was 150,000 won. He had paid such arge sum to hire someone, and all he got in return was a stab in the back. ¡°I scraped together all my money to hire you, and you betray me?!¡± He hadn¡¯t even considered the possibility of betrayal. Buzz- His smartphone vibrated. Kim Bong-Goo had also been forcibly logged out after being killed by the martial artist. [Hey¡­ What should we do?] Contrary to his expectation of anger, Kim Bong-Goo asked in a gloomy voice. ¡°What?¡± [That guy¡­ He¡¯s really out to kill us¡­] ¡°Hey¡­ You don¡¯t mean¡­?¡± [If we die next time, it¡¯s a month¡­ We might really get permanently banned¡­] Permanent ban. The worst punishment, handed down when penalties umted and one was deemed worthless. Once permanently banned, no amount of begging would lift it. Since each person could only create one ID in their lifetime, being permanently banned meant never being able to enter New World again. Thinking that far, Hong Hyun-Woo¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°N-No way, he wouldn¡¯t go that far, would he?¡± [He¡¯s the guy who hired the guy we hired, for even more money¡­] They had really messed with the wrong person. ¡°What about hiring someone else?¡± [With what money?] ¡°¡­¡± [Let¡¯s just apologize¡­ Let¡¯s say we did something we shouldn¡¯t have and that we won¡¯t do it again.] ¡°You bastard, don¡¯t you have any pride?¡± [What good is pride if you get permanently banned?] ¡°¡­¡± [I¡¯m going to apologize. You can keep resisting.] The call ended with those words. * * * sh. DespairedYou¡¯s sword ripped through the ogre¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Cough!¡± The level 170 ogre, with its massive body, spilled its guts and copsed on the ground. This was the 22nd one. ¡°Phew.¡± Hunting 22 of them without rest was not an easy task. Unlike the monsters in the field, they moved in groups and surrounded DespairedYou in a circle. Thanks to that, he had used up all his magic power hunting 22 of them. His health was also running low. ¡®Potions are precious.¡¯ Potions that restore health and magic power. Potions made by alchemists were traded at quite high prices. There were ways to recover health and magic power by eating food or resting in town, but in dungeons or field hunting, you couldn¡¯t go back and forth to town, so you had to rely on the help of a healer or potions. As a result, those who didn¡¯t have healing sses bought potions in bulk, and alchemists were making a fortune. ¡®It¡¯s crazy to use achievement points on potions.¡¯ In the early days of New World, users used achievement points to obtain potions, but as the importance of points became more apparent with each level up, the use of points to purchase potions decreased significantly. That¡¯s why the saying ¡°If you want to make money, be an alchemist¡± came about. Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy for an alchemist to reach the stage of making potions. They had to at leastplete the second ss advancement, and since alchemists had almost nobat skills, they had to rely on the help of other users in the early stages. However, once they reached the second ss, they could make potions, so many people switched to alchemist. ¡°Cough!¡± An arrow pierced the ogre¡¯s neck. As it trembled, another arrow flew and pierced its head. DespairedYou, Lee Si-Woo, looked at the source of the arrows with admiration in his eyes. ¡®How can he shoot so well?¡¯ The one who shot the arrows was none other than Jeong-Hoon. From Lee Si-Woo¡¯s perspective, Jeong-Hoon was a martial artist who hadpleted his second ss advancement and moved to Autobahn. But the martial artist¡¯s archery skills were extraordinary. Moreover, the ogre was frozen for a few seconds after being pierced by the arrow. That meant he had skills rted to archery. ¡®Theoretically, martial artists can learn skills from various sses with their Steadfast Will. However, the conditions are so extreme that it¡¯s virtually impossible to obtain them. So far, no one has met the conditions.¡¯ An old guide for martial artists posted on World Com. He had thought that the martial artist¡¯s performance was inferior to other sses, and that New World had just put in the option as a filler, but this martial artist was maximizing that option. ¡®Is that even possible?¡¯ There were dozens of corpses piled up like a mountain in front of Jeong-Hoon. They were all ogres killed by Jeong-Hoon. ¡®¡­He must have mastered archery with his Steadfast Will. That means he¡¯s likely famous for archery in the real world too.¡¯ One of the conditions for activating Steadfast Will. It was to raise proficiency to the point where the skill reacted. It was something that could only be learned through direct experience, as it was not corrected by the system. Therefore, Lee Si-Woo thought that Jeong-Hoon was a genius who was famous for archery in the real world. It wasn¡¯t just archery. He was also skilled in fist techniques. Not just skilled. The damage that pierced through Epic grade armor¡­ Anyway, he was a monster disguised as a level 104. ¡°Take care of the rest.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed his chin towards the oing ogres. ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± Lee Si-Woo, having recovered his health and magic power with a potion, hurriedly raised his sword. Soon, he was once again facing the ogres. ¡®Damn it, why did I take that request?¡¯ It was all because of those Ora-Knight and assassin bastards. If they hadn¡¯t put in the request, he wouldn¡¯t be suffering like this. ¡®Just you wait until you log in. I¡¯ll kill you right away.¡¯ Lee Si-Woo nned to vent his boiling anger on the two of them. ¡°Cough!¡± Thest ogre in the field copsed on the ground. Now, only the dungeon where the Ogre King lurked remained. ¡®So he came down here, right below the northern snowy mountains.¡¯ There was a portal next to the dungeon. It seemed to be the portal connected to the lord¡¯s castle, as it wasn¡¯t working at the moment. ¡°Are you going in right away?¡± Lee Si-Woo asked cautiously. He waspletely exhausted from following Jeong-Hoon this far. Even though he was over level 200 and had justpleted his third ss advancement, the sheer number of ogres had taken its toll. Warrior sses like Saber had no choice but to consume magic power with every attack and defense, and their health naturally decreased due to the continuous closebat. He had managed to hold on with potions, but it was impossible to enter the dungeon right away in this state. ¡°We have to.¡± Jeong-Hoon said and cast a healing spell on Lee Si-Woo. His health and magic power were partially restored. The light scratches on his body also disappearedpletely. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Lee Si-Woo¡¯s eyes widened at the change in his body. ¡°Go in first.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed his chin towards the dungeon. ¡°Ah, okay.¡± Chapter 62 Chapter 62 ¡®Crazy¡­ Now he can even use healing?¡¯ Lee Si-Woo couldn¡¯t help but be astonished as he followed Jeong-Hoon through the dungeon. Before entering, he had received healing. How many times had he received healing from healers after reaching level 200? That¡¯s why he could be sure. What healed him was healing magic. And the only one who could have cast that healing was the martial artist. There was no one else there except for the martial artist and himself. ¡®Where the hell did he learn divine power?¡¯ It was possible to switch from magic power to divine power. But that martial artist definitely used magic power. That meant that magic power and divine power coexisted within him. ¡®Damn, I¡¯ve never even heard of such a thing.¡¯ Magic power and divine power coexisting? That couldn¡¯t be possible, could it? Lee Si-Woo looked at Jeong-Hoon with confused eyes. He was punching the ogres in the dungeon instead of using a bow. ¡°Human! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± An ogre that had run away from Jeong-Hoon rushed towards Lee Si-Woo. Of course, it couldn¡¯t withstand Lee Si-Woo¡¯s sword strike and died. After that, it was a breeze. Whenever Lee Si-Woo was in danger, Jeong-Hoon would cast healing on him. Thanks to that, Lee Si-Woo¡¯s ogre hunting was much easier, and Jeong-Hoon was even more so. In less than three hours, they reached the chamber where the Ogre King was hiding. ¡°I¡¯ll go in alone from here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going alone?¡± Lee Si-Woo was a little surprised at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words. He had naturally assumed that they would face the Ogre King together. At the same time, he felt relieved. From the field to the dungeon, he was mentally exhausted from the constant running. He wanted to log out and rest right away. ¡°You cane with me if you want.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m not that clueless.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled and entered the chamber. He had brought Lee Si-Woo along as a minion to use until the boss fight. Since they had been hunting non-stop until now, Lee Si-Woo chose to rest without hesitation. ¡®Then shall I start too?¡¯ There was a reason why he had entered after leaving Lee Si-Woo behind. [You have explored an unknown area alone. 20,000 achievement points have been awarded.] [Achievement Shop level has increased to 4.] If he entered alone, he would receive 20,000 achievement points. With this, the Achievement Shop level had increased to 4. Leveling up to level 3 was quick, but after that, the required achievement points increased significantly, making it difficult to level up. Therefore, if he could get achievement points, he had to get them no matter what. ¡°Roar! Human! You dare harm my children!¡± In front of him, the Ogre King red at Jeong-Hoon with bloodshot eyes. [Lv.190 Ogre King] The level 190 Ogre King. A whopping 86 levels higher than Jeong-Hoon, who was level 104. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon was overflowing with confidence. Not only did he have vivid memories of his past regression, but he had also recently defeated the level 200 Guardian of Darkness. Anima was already in his hand. ¡°Take him down in one shot.¡± Anima shouted loudly, perched on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder. As if responding to the shout, Jeong-Hoon drew the bowstring. ¡®Extreme Archer: Soul¡¯ A passive skill, not an active one. Of course, his magic power decreased sharply every time he released the bowstring, but it was immediately covered by his divine power, so there was no problem. ¡°You think you can stop me with that?¡± The Ogre King scoffed and rushed towards Jeong-Hoon. He intended to ram him with the giant horns on his forehead. [Ogre King uses ¡®Pause¡¯.] [Ogre King uses ¡®Enhance: Horns¡¯.] As the Ogre King used his abilities, Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t move, as if his legs were frozen. However, he could still move his arms. Pause was simply an ability that bound his legs to prevent him from dodging attacks. Also, mes erupted from the giant horns, and their size doubled. But Jeong-Hoon, without a single breath out of ce, aimed precisely at the Ogre King¡¯s forehead and released the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow shot out and hit the Ogre King¡¯s forehead urately. ¡°Kuaaak!¡± It didn¡¯t pierce the foreheadpletely, but it was enough. ¡®3 seconds of incapacitation.¡¯ The Ogre King was greatly confused by his body suddenly not obeying him. ¡°Damn human!¡± He roared towards Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Let¡¯s end this quickly.¡± Jeong-Hoon drew the bowstring again. The incapacitation time was 3 seconds. It didn¡¯t stack, so he had to wait 300 seconds for it to activate again. But that was fine. 3 seconds was more than enough time to strike the Ogre King¡¯s vital points. Jeong-Hoon, aiming his bow, released the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow was fired, and at the same time, the Ogre King¡¯s incapacitation time ended. The Ogre King staggered as the paralysis suddenly wore off. But the arrow urately hit and pierced the back of the Ogre King¡¯s neck. ¡°Kuaaak!¡± He screamed in pain. ¡°That¡¯s art. In some ways, it seems even better than a divine archer¡­?¡± Anima tapped Jeong-Hoon¡¯s back rhythmically with his tail, as if pping. Jeong-Hoon drew and released the bowstring once again. The arrow shot out and pierced the Ogre King¡¯s neck. Two arrows pierced vital points, and the Ogre King, who boasted a strong defense, copsed to the ground. He trembled for a while and then went limp. He was dead. [You have defeated the Ogre King for the first time.] [A special item is dropped as a first clear reward.] One item was dropped next to the fallen Ogre King. Jeong-Hoon approached and picked up the item. [Radiant Star] What the Ogre King spat out was not his horns, nor the shoulder armor he was wearing, but just a small shining stone. It was safe to say that there were no items he dropped. He was just a monster needed for the lord¡¯s castle quest. However, Jeong-Hoon knew the true value of this stone better than anyone. It was this Radiant Star. [Radiant Star] -Type: Material -Grade: Epic -A small star that shines on its own. There was only a description of the item, and nothing about how to use it. However, Jeong-Hoon knew better than anyone where to use this star. He had heard it from Alessandro Bryden before his regression. ¡®Hoon, have you ever heard of the Radiant Star?¡¯ ¡®Radiant Star?¡¯ At that time, I was obsessed with growth, so I was curious about the unusual name. Alessandro chuckled at my sparkling eyes and exined the Radiant Star. ¡®Yes, it¡¯s the item that leads to the hidden theme!¡¯ Alessandro was pathologically obsessed with hidden themes among all the opportunities. Originally, the hidden theme in the starting vige would have been his, but Jeong-Hoon had snatched it after returning. And he would snatch this hidden theme as well. The Radiant Star was an item given only upon the first clear. In other words, there was no chance to obtain the Radiant Star unless it was the first clear. ¡®It was luck.¡¯ No one had hunted the Ogre King for a week after its release. Users over level 200 were leveling up in their respective suitable levels, and users between levels 100 and 150 didn¡¯t dare to challenge the level 190 Ogre King. Furthermore, the reward offered by the lord was ridiculously low. However, it wouldn¡¯t be long before it was revealed to be a honey pot, and the users who hadn¡¯t epted the quest would regret it. But Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t interested in their reactions. ¡®I¡¯m already curious.¡¯ He was only curious about Alessandro Bryden¡¯s reaction. Even now, he would be diligently searching for clues to the hidden theme in his spare time. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Anima asked with a suspicious look. ¡°Ah, just someone I remember.¡± ¡°Really? That guy is pitiful too. What did he do wrong to get on your bad side?¡± Anima had seen it. The fate of those who got on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s bad side. Anima shuddered at the murderous intent he felt from Jeong-Hoon just now. It was an iparably stronger killing intent than the one he felt from the Ora-Knight and the assassin. ¡°He made a grave mistake. So I¡¯m going to give him the worst possible ending.¡± Jeong-Hoon cut off the Ogre King¡¯s head and put it in his bag. * * * A few days had passed since Jeong-Hoon left. Thanks to him leaving alone, Isaac was able to return home and spend a cozy time with his wife, Charlotte. Of course, it was only superficial coziness. Isaac was trembling with anxiety as he paced around the house. ¡°They say the Ogre King is incredibly strong. What do you think?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not doubting Hoon, but it seems like the Ogre King has a lot of minions.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re so worried, why don¡¯t you go help him?¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t do that.¡± Before Jeong-Hoon left, Isaac had seen the look in his eyes. A resolute look that seemed to say, ¡°Don¡¯t interfere.¡± In the end, Isaac could only watch him leave. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just wait patiently? He must have gone alone because he¡¯s confident.¡± Jeong-Hoon was a knight. A knight with a perfect chivalric spirit. Of course, he had heard the stories about the Ogre King, but he had even rescued Isaac, who was trapped in a dungeon alone. There must be a reason why he had stepped up so bravely. Knock. Knock. Someone knocked on the door of the mansion. ¡°Isaac! Are you home? Your benefactor just returned!¡± At those words, Isaac jumped up and opened the door. It was Shuren, Isaac¡¯s colleague. ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s true! He came back after subjugating the Ogre King!¡± ¡°I must go see him right now. ¡­Would it be alright if I step out for a moment?¡± Isaac asked Charlotte for permission before leaving immediately. He had been away from his wife for so long that it had be a habit to ask her permission before going out. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Only after Charlotte¡¯s permission did Isaac head to the lord¡¯s castle with Shuren. * * * ¡®May I take my leave now¡­?¡¯ As soon as the subjugation was over, Lee Si-Woo spoke up as if he had been waiting. Since he had achieved his goal, Jeong-Hoon let him go. Jeong-Hoon tilted his head as he watched Lee Si-Woo run away with his tail between his legs. ¡®No matter how I think about it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything wrong.¡¯ He was the one who had tried to kill him on a request. Shouldn¡¯t he be grateful and bow down to Jeong-Hoon for letting him off the hook with just being a minion? Anyway, Jeong-Hoon immediately returned to the lord¡¯s castle. An exmation mark was blinking above ine¡¯s head. ¡°Did you seed in the subjugation?!¡± ¡°Yes. See for yourself.¡± Jeong-Hoon held out the Ogre King¡¯s head in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s the Ogre King!¡± ine eximed in surprise at the sight of the Ogre King¡¯s head. ¡°They were tougher than I thought, so it took a while.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you very much. Since you have returned safely, how about I prepare a banquet?¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have it prepared immediately. Before that, to our benefactor¡­¡± ine signaled, and the butler came in carrying a box covered in a red cloth. When the cloth was removed, a box made of ss on all sides appeared. Inside was a small golden badge. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Yes. I would like to bestow this honorary badge upon our benefactor. With this badge, you can freely move within the territory and receive appropriate treatment even when visiting other territories.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Please ept it.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± [Questpleted.] [You have acquired ¡®Honorary Knight of Autobahn¡¯.] Perfect. With this, he could now go find the hidden theme. Chapter 63 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 63 ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful day! Please rest well until dinner!¡± ine said, giving instructions to the butler, who then guided Jeong-Hoon to an empty room. It was a rather luxurious room for a guest room. ¡°If you need anything, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon sat down on a nearby chair and fiddled with the badge. He had obtained the badge 1-2 weeks earlier than nned. His initial n was to subjugate the Ogre King. To do that, he had toplete the prerequisite quest of helping the vigers, which he had bypassed thanks to Isaac. There was no need to rush anymore. ¡®Because the Radiant Star is in my hands.¡¯ Originally, Alessandro, who had found clues about the hidden theme, would have taken the Radiant Star and opened the hidden theme. Of course, he hadn¡¯t subjugated the Ogre King himself. A BJ user who was broadcasting the content as a quest had subjugated the Ogre King and obtained the Radiant Star, which Alessandro then acquired. [Radiant Star] -Type: Material -Grade: Epic -A small star that shines on its own. Of course, the BJ had no idea what the Radiant Star was or how to use it, so he handed it over to Alessandro, lured by therge sum of money offered. In the end, Alessandro, having obtained the Radiant Star, discovered the hidden theme through it. ¡°Was it three weekster that Alessandro found out?¡± It must have been right, since the BJ subjugating the Ogre King happened about two weekster. Knock. Knock. Someone knocked on the door. Jeong-Hoon put the badge in his inventory. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Yes. A guest has arrived. What should I do?¡± ¡°A guest?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Knight Isaac.¡± It seemed the news of the sessful subjugation had reached him. ¡°Yes. Let him in.¡± As soon as Jeong-Hoon gave permission, the door opened as if on cue, and Isaac entered. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± Isaac fussed over Jeong-Hoon, checking him over with a worried look. Jeong-Hoonughed at his concern and said, ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine.¡± As he said, Jeong-Hoon was perfectly fine. Isaac clicked his tongue at his perfect condition. ¡°To be this fine after subjugating the Ogre King¡­ You¡¯re truly something else.¡± ¡°By the way, can I ask you a favor after the banquet?¡± ¡°A favor?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Anything, just ask!¡± * * * The banquet was held in a grand manner. ¡°To the benefactor of Autobahn!¡± And the protagonist of this banquet was Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Do you know him? He saved my life, and this time, he even subjugated the Ogre King without asking for any reward.¡± Isaac tilted his ss and went around to different groups, preaching Jeong-Hoon¡¯s heroic deeds. ¡°Huh? Really? He didn¡¯t even ask for gold or items?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s true! I¡¯ve never seen anyone so righteous in my life.¡± The eyes of those who heard his words were filled with respect for Jeong-Hoon. Of course, there were some blockheads who were not easily swayed. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. I heard he received the Honorary Knight badge. The title of knight without a knighting ceremony? That¡¯s absurd.¡± Isaac¡¯s eyes widened at the blunt voice. ¡°Hey, have you forgotten how cruel the Ogre King is?¡± The knight who had made the remark flinched at his gaze and huped. ¡°Hic¡­ No, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°He went and dealt with it alone. If it weren¡¯t for our benefactor, someone here could have died. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The badge was bestowed by the lord, who was moved by his chivalry. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes, I understand, so stop being angry.¡± ¡°Come on, listen. Let me tell you why our benefactor is a true knight.¡± Isaac praised Jeong-Hoon with spit flying from his mouth. ¡°Was Isaac always so talkative?¡± ¡°No. He was the most taciturn one.¡± ¡°That means this stranger must have aplished something truly remarkable.¡± The groups that Isaac hadn¡¯t reached yet nced at Jeong-Hoon, who was sipping his drink. A stranger who came from another ce, not a resident of Autobahn. Those people never moved without a reward. That¡¯s why it was hard to believe Isaac¡¯s story. ¡°Have you heard my story?¡± Isaac approached them before they knew it. They were his next target. ¡°How could we not hear it when you¡¯re shouting so loudly?¡± ¡°More than that, it¡¯s amazing. If your story is true, isn¡¯t he a true knight?¡± ¡°Oh! This group seems reasonable. Alright, then listen to my story.¡± Isaac smiled brightly. Jeong-Hoon, watching this, chuckled in disbelief. ¡®He¡¯s making me out to be a saint.¡¯ For the record, this wasn¡¯t what Jeong-Hoon had asked for. It meant that Isaac was just doing whatever he wanted. ¡°Haha¡­ Should we just let him be?¡± ine asked with an awkwardugh. He was drinking across from Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes, just let him be.¡± It would be a lie to say he wasn¡¯t embarrassed, but it wasn¡¯t bad to have his reputation improved. He had to stay in Autobahn for quite a while. ¡°By the way, how long are you nning to stay in Autobahn?¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± ¡°Then how about staying here until you leave?¡± ¡°In the room you gave me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Um, I¡¯ll be going out a lot¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t a bad offer. The buff you received while resting in the lord¡¯s castle guest room was particrly good. [Experience gain increased by 5% (24 hours)] A buff that increases experience gained when resting for 3 hours. Levels 100-150 were a period for focused leveling. He had to follow his n, but Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t neglect leveling up either. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t miss out on the experience buff. ¡°Yes! Of course! You¡¯re free toe and go as you please.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll do that.¡± * * * The next day, after the bustling banquet and a good night¡¯s rest after logging out, Jeong-Hoon went out at the crack of dawn. His destination was an abandoned dungeon located on the border between the western and southern parts of Autobahn. An abandoned dungeon was a ce where it had lost its function and nothing existed anymore. The portal had also disappeared, leaving only traces. ¡°Hoon, you¡¯re here?¡± Isaac was standing in front of the dungeon. It was because of the request Jeong-Hoon had made before the banquet. ¡®I¡¯ll visit the abandoned dungeon at dawn tomorrow. Please make sure there are no people around.¡¯ Normally, even Isaac couldn¡¯t do that. However, Jeong-Hoon had been awarded the Honorary Knight badge by ine. Although it was called an honorary knight, in terms of power, it was several steps above Isaac, who hadpleted the knighting ceremony. This was because the badge was made by the previous lord to grant the wearer the authority right below the lord within the territory. ¡®Abandoned dungeon? Why¡­?¡¯ ¡®I have something to do at that abandoned dungeon.¡¯ ¡®Hmm¡­ You¡¯re not nning on doing anything dangerous, are you?¡¯ ¡®No.¡¯ There was only one abandoned dungeon in Autobahn. This was because dungeons usually disappeared without a trace when they lost their function. However, this abandoned dungeon still had traces even though it had lost its function. Contaminated mana remained where the portal had disappeared. The concentration of mana was so high that those who hadn¡¯t trained in mana would be poisoned and die if they approached it. And they would die feeling extreme pain as everything in their body melted away. ¡®In a way, it¡¯s simr to radiation.¡¯ Just like how the body breaks down when exposed to radiation. Of course, it wasn¡¯t safe even if you had trained in mana. If you hadn¡¯t reached a certain level, you would still be poisoned. Even Isaac, an Epic grade Saber, couldn¡¯tst long in the contaminated mana. However, since the contaminated mana didn¡¯t spread beyond a certain distance, this abandoned dungeon was fine as long as you didn¡¯t get too close. Therefore, the knights of Autobahn took turns blocking anyone from approaching the abandoned dungeon, and since Isaac had dismissed all the knights, only Jeong-Hoon and Isaac were around. ¡°Please step aside for a moment.¡± ¡°What are you trying to do¡­?¡± ¡°I need to check something.¡± ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to get close!¡± Jeong-Hoon tried to get closer, but Isaac quickly grabbed his arm. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve endured the contaminated mana before.¡± But Jeong-Hoon was different. He had entered the hidden dungeon in Idenharc and had endured the contaminated mana there. ¡°You endured it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded, and Isaac finally released his grip. ¡°Thank you. Then would you mind stepping aside for a moment, Isaac?¡± ¡°Alright. But if anything happens, I¡¯ll intervene, so please understand.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Only after hearing the reply did Isaac move away. Jeong-Hoon, left alone, approached the traces of the portal. [Purifying contaminated mana.] [Purifying contaminated mana.] The contaminated mana attacked Jeong-Hoon, but his divine power instantly purified it. ¡®Then shall we begin?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon took out the Radiant Star he had stored in his inventory. ¡®There was one abandoned dungeon in Autobahn. It was known that the dungeon had lost its function and disappeared, but that¡¯s not true.¡¯ Alessandro Bryden had once exined how to use the Radiant Star. This abandoned dungeon was a hidden device of New World. Many users had caught wind of it and tried to decipher the secret hidden in this abandoned dungeon, but they had all failed. A single abandoned dungeon? It was too strange. But no one had been able to unravel the secret of the abandoned dungeon. ¡®They nted a device and then unlocked it at the right time.¡¯ And the key to that was this Radiant Star. Jeong-Hoon ced the Radiant Star on the traces of the portal. Then an amazing change urred. [The Radiant Star illuminates the blocked entrance.] [The lock is released.] Woooooo- The Radiant Star vibrated slightly and purified the contaminated mana. The contaminated mana was quickly purified, and the portal, which had only been a trace, began to form again. That¡¯s right. This abandoned dungeon hadn¡¯t lost its function; the entrance was just blocked. The Radiant Star was the key to opening that blocked entrance. ¡°Huh¡­?!¡± Isaac, who was watching from afar, widened his eyes. How could the portal, which had only been a trace, be recreated? ¡°This is crazy¡­ How did he recreate that portal?¡± At this point, he was curious about Jeong-Hoon¡¯s identity. Not only had he rescued him from the dark streets, but he had also single-handedly subjugated the Ogre King and now restored an abandoned dungeon. ¡®Could Hoon be the sessor of the Knight King?¡¯ The Knight King. A legendary figure admired by all knights. ¡°Isaac.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s call snapped Isaac out of his thoughts. Isaac hurriedly approached Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Did you call me?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going in for a bit, so please keep watch and make sure no one approaches.¡± ¡°Here¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to get rid of the abandoned dungeon.¡± ¡°Is that possible?!¡± The abandoned dungeon was one of Autobahn¡¯s headaches. It was located right on the border between the west and south, and since it was inessible to most people, the surrounding area had been sealed off. Not only that, but the knights had to take turns guarding the area. But if the abandoned dungeon disappeared, there would be no need to block off this area anymore. It would be a great wee for Autobahn, as it wouldn¡¯t waste manpower. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± ¡°¡­You really are something else.¡± How many times had he saved Autobahn, including Isaac himself¡­? For him, Jeong-Hoon was a knight worthy of respect. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± ¡°You can count on me. I won¡¯t let anyone approach me.¡± Isaac pointed to the sword at his waist, expressing his determination. If anyone ignored his words and approached, he would cut them down, no matter who they were. Chapter 64 ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 64 [Lv.120 Unknown Space] He entered the level 120 Unknown Space. An empty space of nothingness. The sky was dark, and the ground was covered in thick fog. It felt like he was standing on top of the sky. Nevertheless, the ground was hard, like asphalt. Jeong-Hoon took out Anima. ¡°Where is this again?¡± Anima asked, climbing onto Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Unknown Space.¡± ¡°Unknown Space? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Unfortunately, Alessandro hadn¡¯t exined the Unknown Space in detail. Their conversation had been cut short due to multiple dungeons opening while he was busy boasting. So from here on, Jeong-Hoon had to find the hidden theme himself. ¡®This will take a while.¡¯ He walked and searched for nearly an hour, but couldn¡¯t find anything special. The surroundings remained the same, giving him the illusion that he was walking in circles. ¡°Are there no monsters? I don¡¯t sense any presence.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡± One thing was certain: this Unknown Space was a dungeon. There had to be monsters in a dungeon. Jeong-Hoon drew his bowstring once. ¡®I¡¯ve never been here before, but I¡¯ve been to countless simr ces.¡¯ Dungeons weren¡¯t just ces to hunt monsters. There were ces like mazes to solve, ces with severe hallucinations, and even terrible environments where you would die as soon as you entered. Jeong-Hoon, who had experienced all of them, judged that this dungeon was simr to a maze. He focused his keen senses to read the flow of mana around him. ¡®¡­The sky?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon looked up. He sensed a powerful mana, irregrly sparking like electricity,ing from there. That was the energy axis that made up this space. He aimed at the axis and released the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow shot out and pierced the axis. Crack. At the same time, he heard a faint sound of ss cracking. ¡°Oh, what was that sound?¡± ¡°The sound of the correct answer.¡± Jeong-Hoon drew the bowstring again and shot an arrow. Usually, in mazes like this, you had to destroy the surrounding tricks to move on to the next stage. Crack. The sound of the surface cracking became clearer. It was really hard. He drew the bowstring again and shot an arrow. Crack. Crack! As the third arrow hit, the energy axis shattered, and the gathered mana scattered. The mana scattered, followed by a shattering sound, and the Unknown Space shattered like ss. And then the original dungeon unfolded before Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a graveyard.¡± The newly revealed ce was a graveyard. A graveyard with an eerie atmosphere. The graveyard was veryrge, but there was only one grave. A veryrge grave. [Lv.120 Maiden Ghost] [Lv.120 Bachelor Ghost] Then, translucent ghosts appeared on the ground, overgrown with weeds. A man and a woman ghost, dressed in white mourning clothes. ¡°Wh-What are those?!¡± Anima was startled. ¡°It¡¯s tailored to Korea.¡± If Alessandro had entered, monsters tailored to his country would have been summoned. Since Jeong-Hoon was Korean, ghosts familiar to him were summoned. Theirmon features were paleplexions and dark circles under their eyes. However, their appearances were all different. As if each had their own story, some ghosts had blood-soaked clothes, while others had half of their faces torn off. The most horrifying one was the ghost whose upper and lower body were severed and moving separately. It was a scene that sent chills down his spine. ¡°Creepy guys.¡± Anima seemed to feel the same way, hiding behind Jeong-Hoon. He was trembling inside Jeong-Hoon¡¯s clothes, making it hard to believe he was a dragon. ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re really scared even tho your a dragon?¡± ¡°Is there aw that says dragons can¡¯t be scared?¡± ¡°Not really, but¡­¡± ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m a dragon who hates scary things. When I was a dragon, if anyone told me a scary story, I¡¯d st them with my breath.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Then he had to finish this quickly. Jeong-Hoon put the bow into his inventory for the frightened Anima. Anima, who had been flinching inside his clothes, also went into the bow. ¡°Then let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡± Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to approach the grave. The ghosts followed Jeong-Hoon, making strange noises. ¡®Ghosts can¡¯t be dealt with just by hunting them like monsters.¡¯ Physical attacks didn¡¯t work on them. Even when ghosts attacked users, they didn¡¯t use physical attacks but instead cast debuffs like curses to drain the user¡¯s life force. Just like now. [You have been cursed.] [Your health starts to decrease.] [All stats decreased by 10%.] He was cursed, and his health started to drain rapidly. If a user didn¡¯t know how to deal with this, they would fail even if they were higher level than the ghosts. But Jeong-Hoon knew the strategy better than anyone. He knew that to get rid of ghosts, he had to hunt down the necromancer who summoned them. In most cases, the boss was the necromancer. ¡®If it were the old me, I would have looked for the necromancer first.¡¯ Because he couldn¡¯t damage the ghosts. But Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t the same anymore. [The curse has been lifted.] He had divine power that could lift curses. And his hand was glowing with divine power. Bam! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fistnded squarely on the bachelor ghost¡¯s face. ¡°!@#!@¡± The bachelor ghost¡¯s head spun as it rolled on the ground and then disappeared. ¡°&@#$!@?¡± ¡°!@#!@¡± The ghosts faltered, speaking in an unknownnguage. Their faces were full of bewilderment, as if they hadn¡¯t expected him to attack. ¡°Oh¡­ What the? This guy is not ordinary.¡± Jeong-Hoon was also a little surprised. If he had punched the ghost in the face, it should have scattered like fog, not rolled on the ground. But he had just felt a proper impact. Those things. They weren¡¯t just ordinary ghosts. ¡®When a necromancer¡¯s level is high, they can summon ghosts with deep grudges.¡¯ That was probably the case here. ¡®But it¡¯s fine, I can purify them with divine power.¡¯ Their weakness was divine power. Necromancy was a kind of ck magic, so it could be purified with divine power. Of course, it required a level of divine power that surpassed ck magic, and Jeong-Hoon¡¯s divine power had exceeded 200, so it was more than enough to purify the ghosts in front of him. ¡°Come on in if you want to get hit.¡± Jeong-Hoon beckoned the ghosts with his finger. ¡°$@#$!@#¡± ¡°&^&^%¡± The ghosts, enraged, rushed at him all at once. * * * The ghosts were beaten so badly that it was pitiful to watch before they finally disappeared. ¡°What the¡­¡± A voice filled with shock came from inside the grave. It was such a small voice that he wouldn¡¯t have heard it if he didn¡¯t have keen senses. Jeong-Hoon walked towards the grave. There was a small entrance in the grave. A small entrance that could barely fit one person. He even had to crouch down to enter. ¡®Is this the passage to the hidden theme?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, entering the grave, immediately realized that this was the ce he was looking for. It was very simr to the structure of the abandoned house where he had found the hidden theme in the starting vige. Inside the grave was an old coffin, lying alone. There must be a crystal ball somewhere here that would lead to the hidden theme. Jeong-Hoon ignored the ghosts¡¯ screams and continued to walk towards the coffin. There was a small entrance in the coffin. A small entrance that could barely fit one person. He even had to crouch down to enter. ¡®Is this the passage to the hidden theme?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, entering the coffin, immediately realized that this was the ce he was looking for. It was very simr to the structure of the abandoned house where he had found the hidden theme in the starting vige. Inside the coffin was an old coffin, lying alone. There must be a crystal ball somewhere here that would lead to the hidden theme. However, there was one thing he had to do before that. ¡°I know you¡¯re in there. Come out.¡± Jeong-Hoon said, staring at the coffin. The culprit who had summoned the ghosts in the graveyard. He had to take care of the necromancer, the boss of this dungeon. Whoosh. At that moment, blue mes erupted from the floor where Jeong-Hoon was standing. The mes surrounded Jeong-Hoon in a circle, burning brightly as if determined to burn his body. ¡°Keuh-heuh, you¡¯ve been caught!¡± And the owner of this dungeon, the necromancer, floated above the coffin. [Lv.140 Ancient Soul Necromancer] Ancient Soul Necromancer. He was the master of the dungeon and the owner of the tomb he was currently in. He must have been quite famous at one time, as his body was covered in dazzling essories. ¡°Caught, you say.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked and took a step. The fiercely burning mes engulfed his entire body. But they couldn¡¯t harm him. This was because he had created a barrier with his divine power to protect his body. The divine power, exceeding 200, perfectly protected its owner as if the mes were nothing. ¡°What the¡­¡± The necromancer¡¯s face turned pale when his surprise attack failed. He was incredibly timid for the master of a dungeon. ¡°It¡¯s time for you to go.¡± Divine power glowed faintly in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist. ¡°Gulp¡­¡± The necromancer had clearly seen Jeong-Hoon¡¯s battle through the ghosts. And he was certain. He couldn¡¯t beat him in closebat. So he set a trap and subtly leaked his voice. The luring was very sessful. Jeong-Hoon had fallen for the trap perfectly. But even this trap couldn¡¯t inflict the slightest damage on Jeong-Hoon. Woosh- Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and threw a punch at the necromancer¡¯s face. But the necromancer hurriedly knelt, causing the fist to cut through the air. ¡°Surrender! I surrender!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Please spare me! It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen someone like you, so I misjudged you!¡± Jeong-Hoon withdrew his extended fist. ¡°Spare you?¡± It was absurd. He was just testing the waters because the necromancer seemed timid, but he hadn¡¯t expected him to surrender so vehemently. Was this guy really the master of the dungeon? As he red at him with suspicious eyes, the necromancer buried his head in the ground and wailed loudly. ¡°Sob¡­ I¡¯ve already died once. Why would I lie?¡± ¡°Since you¡¯ve died once, you might not be afraid of anything.¡± ¡°No! I can¡¯t die!¡± A long time passed before the necromancer stopped crying. ¡®This is troublesome.¡¯ He didn¡¯t like killing someone so attached to life. If it were before his regression, he would have mercilessly cut him down. But was it because he had once been on the verge of death ande back to life? He found it strange that he felt empathy for a mere monster. However, this guy was a monster. The necromancy he had shown earlier seemed quite useful, but there was no way to avoid killing him. ¡°Really? But what can you do? This dungeon closes when you die.¡± This was because the dungeon closed when the dungeon master disappeared. ¡°I-I¡¯m not a monster! I have a name, Michael!¡± He shouted urgently. ¡°Michael? You have a holy name, unlike your appearance.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m a very good person, despite how I look.¡± ¡°Okay. So I¡¯ll send you to the afterlife.¡± Yes, this wasn¡¯t killing, it was annihtion. This kind of dungeon was a one-time event, so once it disappeared, it was gone forever. So there was no other option. ¡°No! Not until I get the guy who did this to me¡­¡± Michael didn¡¯t want to disappear here. He still had something to do. The culprit who had cornered him and killed him. He couldn¡¯t be annihted before taking revenge on him. ¡°Is that so?¡± A strange light shed in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°There is one way you can live.¡± ¡°What is it?!¡± ¡°Be my subordinate.¡± There was a ss called Tamer in New World. It was one of the unpopr sses, with few guides posted online, simr to the martial artist ss. Tamers had almost nobat skills and could be described as a ss that fought battles by taming monsters in fields or dungeons and using them as their vanguard. ¡®Jeong-Hoon, you¡¯re not an all-master yet!¡¯ That¡¯s what Yoo-Chan, a Legendary Tamer who was his colleague, had said. ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®Because you don¡¯t know how to tame.¡¯ ¡®¡­I don¡¯t need to. I¡¯m not greedy for the title of all-master.¡¯ ¡®Oh, but a true all-master should know how to tame, right? So I¡¯ll teach you about taming.¡¯ The taming he had learned reluctantly shoulde in handy at a time like this. Originally, Tamers used skills to tame monsters. And Yoo-Chan knew the working principle of that skill. Only after months of one-on-one tutoring from him was Jeong-Hoon able to tame a single monster. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± The necromancer shouted urgently and bowed his head. Jeong-Hoon nodded at his resolute will. ¡°Alright.¡± Taming wasn¡¯t easy. This was because the caster forcibly bound the monster with their own magic power. Therefore, the tamer had to be of a higher level than the monster they were trying to tame. However, if the monster was favorable towards taming, the story was different. There was no need to engage in a power struggle, so even if the skill level wasn¡¯t high, they could tame a higher-level monster. Currently, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t have any skills rted to taming, so he had to deploy the technique himself. ¡®It¡¯s a technique I¡¯ve drawn countless times.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon channeled magic power into his index finger, and a blue mana flickered slightly on it. He then began to draw the technique on the ground. Stroke by stroke. As he quickly drew, the technique was soonpleted. [The technique is too perfect!] [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ is activated.] [Skill, ¡®Taming (Epic)¡¯ is acquired.] Steadfast Will quickly reacted to the wless technique. ¡®So fast?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. Steadfast Will, which normally reacted after drawing it 100 times, had reacted after just one time. It was a bit surprising. As Steadfast Will had reached Unique grade, his learning ability had also greatly increased. [Using Taming.] The necromancer¡¯s body was enveloped in a blue light, and then a white light burst out, reconstructing his body. It was a sign of sess. [Taming sessful!] [You can now use the Monster Collection System!] [This monster is not in your collection!] [You have acquired 5,000 achievement points!] Chapter 65 Chapter 65 ¡®I never thought I¡¯d tame someone who uses ck magic.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t like ck magic very much. This was because the person who had attacked his mother used ck magic. For a while, he couldn¡¯t control his anger and mercilessly killed any monster rted to ck magic. But he didn¡¯t kill Michael. ¡®Revenge.¡¯ Michael had a lot inmon with Jeong-Hoon. Also, Michael wasn¡¯t a monster. ¡®Since he wasn¡¯t in the collection, it seems he was caught up in the dungeon.¡¯ New World wasn¡¯t a newly created dimension. It could be seen as a world constructed by relocating parts of other dimensions. Perhaps Michael had be the master of the dungeon without realizing it after being buried and dying. That¡¯s why he could respond to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s taming skill. === [Taming List] -Michael (Epic) === Michael was on the taming list. Jeong-Hoon checked Michael¡¯s stats. === [Michael] -Grade: Epic -Level: 140 -ss: Necromancer [Detailed Stats] -Strength: 73 -Agility: 82 -Stamina: 66 -Defense: 60 -Wisdom: 172 -Magic Power: 183 -Mental Strength: 175 === As a necromancer, his physical stats were quite lowpared to his level. However, his wisdom, magic power, and mental strength exceeded his level. This meant he would be quite useful. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s the crystal ball? It should look like a big ss ball.¡± ¡°There¡¯s an old box next to the coffin. It¡¯s probably in there.¡± There it was. Jeong-Hoon approached the coffin and picked up the dust-covered box next to it. The box was tightly sealed with a metal lock. ¡°Can I break this?¡± ¡°Of course! What¡¯s mine is yours, master!¡± With Michael¡¯s permission, Jeong-Hoon mercilessly punched the box. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st Form.¡¯ The box couldn¡¯t withstand the fist imbued with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and shattered. As the necromancer had said, there was a broken crystal ball inside the box. It was the same crystal ball he had seen in the abandoned house. ¡®Found it.¡¯ The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth lifted into a wide smile. He reached out and touched the crystal ball. Just like in the abandoned house in the starting vige, an exmation mark appeared above the crystal ball. [You have discovered a hidden theme!] [You have acquired 5,000 achievement points!] [Would you like to move to Sol¡¯s Hall?] If the hidden theme of the starting vige was the ¡®Abundant Mana Field¡¯, this time it was ¡®Sol¡¯s Hall¡¯. ¡°Move.¡± As Jeong-Hoon epted, his body was surrounded by a blue light and swallowed by the broken crystal ball. At the same time. Isaac was pacing in front of the portal, keeping watch. In the meantime, several knights appeared. ¡°Captain, what are you doing here?¡± They were the ones who had finished their shift and were leaving after being reced by the next shift. Therefore, they hadn¡¯t heard Isaac¡¯s warning not to approach this area. It seemed like the previous shift hadn¡¯t properly handed over the information. ¡°You can¡¯te here without permission.¡± Isaac stopped them. ¡°What? What¡¯s going on¡­ Huh?¡± One of the knights¡¯ eyes widened. The portal was wide open in the abandoned dungeon, where only traces of a portal should have remained. ¡°Captain, why is that open?¡± ¡°Hoon is inside, taking care of it.¡± It should be fine to say this much. There was no need to keep it a secret. ¡°Ah, you mean the stranger who subjugated the Ogre King alone?¡± Isaac nodded. ¡°And now he¡¯s trying topletely destroy this abandoned dungeon.¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± This tiresome abandoned dungeon would disappear? If that were true, they would wee it with open arms. Because of guarding this abandoned dungeon, they had to work three days to get one day off, instead of two days of work for one day off. If this abandoned dungeon disappeared, there would be no reason to work here anymore, so their working conditions would improve. ¡°But how did that benefactor open it?¡± What they were curious about was how he had opened this abandoned dungeon. Originally, the abandoned dungeon was not only in ruins but also emitted contaminated mana. That¡¯s why even the knights were cautious while guarding it. ¡°I don¡¯t know either. But one thing¡¯s for sure, Hoon will close this tiresome dungeon.¡± Isaac shook his head. He had seen Jeong-Hoon approach the traces of the portal and ce something on it. Then the abandoned dungeon reacted, and the portal was restored. ¡®Hoon seemed to know that the portal would be restored.¡¯ He didn¡¯t look surprised at all when the portal was restored. As if he had expected everything, he entered the portal with a calm expression. That¡¯s why Isaac was sure that Jeong-Hoon would be able to close the abandoned dungeon. * * * [You have entered Sol¡¯s Hall.] [An additional 10,000 achievement points have been awarded.] The new hidden theme, Sol¡¯s Hall. His vision went dark and then returned, and he was standing in the center of the hall. The hall was very spacious, with giant statues in the east and west, each in a different pose. But their faces were all the same. ¡®The God of Magic, Sol.¡¯ Sol was a legendary figure who was said to have reached the pinnacle of magic and be a god. The hall was built by Sol¡¯s followers and was now a forgotten ce, long abandoned by people. The reason was simple. Sol wasn¡¯t the only one who had reached the pinnacle. If Sol had reached the pinnacle of white magic, there was a figure named Back who had reached the pinnacle of ck magic. And the number of his followers was a whopping 1.5 million. In contrast, Sol¡¯s followers, who were rtively humble and rarely showed themselves, numbered only about 60,000. As a result, there were cases where people knew Back but not Sol. Due to the overwhelming numbers, Sol¡¯s Hall copsed less than a week after Sol¡¯s eternal rest. The Sol¡¯s Hall he was currently in was restored to its state before it copsed in New World. ¡®The reason why this is a hidden theme is simple.¡¯ Just like the Abundant Mana Field in the starting vige, this ce was designated as a hidden theme because one could achieve magical aplishments here. Jeong-Hoon walked towards a statue. [A statue imbued with mysterious power.] It was recorded that Sol had blessed those who built the hall and left his magic power in each statue. First, the statue in the east. It was a statue in the pose of raising a staff towards the sky. [You can increase your Circles.] This statue had the power to increase Circles. Currently, Jeong-Hoon had one Circle circting in his heart. Even that, the only magic he could use was Magic Missile, and unlike his previous regression, he didn¡¯t have much use for it. This was because Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and Anima were too outstanding. [Would you like to increase your Circles?] You could umte up to 10 Circles. However, the process of umting them was extremely painful. That¡¯s why Alessandro Bryden had been desperately searching for the hidden theme. It was a cheat key to achieving magical aplishments. ¡°Wow! You can increase Circles?! What an amazing technique!¡± Behind him, Michael cheered as he looked around the statue. Since he had been sessfully tamed and became Jeong-Hoon¡¯s subordinate, he could apany him to the hidden theme. ¡°This is a statue of Sol, who reached the pinnacle of white magic.¡± At the mention of white magic, Michael was startled. ¡°White magic? Eww, I almost got dirty. Ptui ptui.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes narrowed at that sight. ¡°Dirty? I was about to ept this power.¡± ¡°Ah, I meant that it was dirty! Even the clearest water gets polluted if you add a drop of ink!¡± Michael desperately tried to exin himself, even resorting to self-deprecating remarks. His excuse worked surprisingly well. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ck magic was rotten after all. When Jeong-Hoon readily agreed, Michael¡¯s face fell slightly. ¡°Yes¡­ Well¡­ That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Well, not you though.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You¡¯re my subordinate. That means you¡¯re not a dirty guy anymore.¡± In other words, he didn¡¯t need to belittle himself. ¡°Master¡­!¡± Michael seemed quite moved, sping his hands together and tearing up. ¡®Raising Circles increases the level of magic by one stage.¡¯ It was simr to raising the grade of a skill, and it could be stacked. A 4-Circle Magic Missile (Normal) had almost the same power as a 1-Circle Magic Missile (Epic). Raising Circles was also an essential task for mages. [Scanning user.] [Current circuit: ¡®1¡¯.] [Would you like to construct additional circuits in your body?] When youpleted the first ss transfer, you engraved one Circle. And in the second ss transfer, you usually engraved three Circles. This was because one Circle was created during the leveling process, and another was added uponpleting the second ss transfer. Of course, Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t gone through the process of adding Circles, so he still only had one. ¡®I should construct them.¡¯ When Jeong-Hoon epted, his body felt warm for a moment, and another circuit diagram was created near his chest. [Circuit diagram constructed.] Now he had 2 Circles. ¡®Two Circles, but I can only use Magic Missile.¡¯ A chuckle escaped his lips. Next was the statue in the west, reading a book. [A statue imbued with mysterious power.] It was also a statue that held power. [You can learn ¡®2¡¯ random magic spells.] This statue contained knowledge that allowed you to learn magic. Two magic spells that Sol himself had used. ¡®This one definitely requires luck.¡¯ Sol had used a variety of magic. From Unique grade to Normal grade. There were also grades above Legendary, but they were blocked from being obtained in this hidden theme. Of course, the probability wasn¡¯t 0%, but it was a low probability of around 0.0001%, practically the same as not being able to get them. ¡®I regret it. If I had known a little more about the hidden theme, I could have aimed for even greater rewards.¡¯ Those were the words Alessandro had muttered in passing. And Jeong-Hoon still remembered those words. ¡®Is it time to use the achievement points?¡¯ Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of settling for Unique grade. [The current level of the Achievement Shop is ¡®4¡¯.] [Items for sale are ced in each category.] The Achievement Shop was selling far more items than level 3. Jeong-Hoon currently had 132,000 achievement points. Since he hadn¡¯t used any points after awakening Anima, it boasted a figure easily exceeding 100,000 points. ¡®I¡¯ve umted a lot.¡¯ The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth lifted as he checked his points. This was enough to carry out his n. First, he set the category to consumables and scrolled all the way down. -Absolute Luck Potion The Absolute Luck Potion, which cost a whopping 30,000 points per bottle. This potion was a cheat item that increased the probability of a one-time draw to 50%. However, it cost 30,000 points per use. 50% was a 50/50 chance. If he got a dud with a 50% chance, 30,000 points would be wasted. That¡¯s why ordinary users didn¡¯t even look at the ¡®Absolute Luck Potion¡¯. ¡®It¡¯s usually very difficult to earn achievement points.¡¯ In Jeong-Hoon¡¯s case, he used his knowledge from his previous regression to move around, so achievement points umted rtively quickly, but ordinary users found it very difficult to even collect 5,000 achievement points. But he couldn¡¯t not try. ¡®If it¡¯s a 50/50 chance, there¡¯s a possibility.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like he was short on points. Jeong-Hoon purchased two Absolute Luck Potions. Spending 60,000 points, he had 72,000 achievement points remaining. [Absolute Luck Potion] -Type: Consumable -Grade: Unique -Increases the probability of a one-time draw to 50% (applies only to the highest reward). -If the reward is a grade, the reward is given ording to the highest grade. Jeong-Hoon took out the potion from his inventory and drank it. [Would you like to learn magic?] The Absolute Luck Potion was in effect. Jeong-Hoon immediately learned magic. [You have acquired ¡®Lightning Bolt (Epic)¡¯.] The first skill he acquired was Lightning Bolt. Although it was a powerful lightning magic, Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. He had used 30,000 achievement points to draw it, and it was only Epic, not Unique. But he had one more chance left, so he drank the potion again and pressed the try button. [You have acquired ¡®Block (Legendary)¡¯.] Finally, it hade. Chapter 66 Chapter 66 Although one was Epic, he was satisfied with just obtaining a Legendary. Jeong-Hoon immediately checked the magic he had learned. [Lightning Bolt] -Type: Active -Level: 1 -Grade: Epic -Consumes 25 mana to generate and fire a lightning bolt with 240% attack power. -Can damage up to 7 targets. -Cooldown: 10 seconds Epic grade Lightning Bolt. Attack power referred to thebined value of stats and equipment attack power. 240% was considered a considerably high skill value. With a cooldown of only 10 seconds, it was an active skill that could be used anytime as long as there was enough mana. Next was the Legendary magic skill he had been longing for. However, ¡®Block¡¯ was a somewhat unfamiliar magic. ¡®Even Alessandro had never seen it used.¡¯ So he was curious about its effects. [Block] -Type: Active -Level: 1 -Grade: Legendary -Consumes 50% mana to absolutely block any attack (1 time) -Cooldown: 24 hours Absolute defense?! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened as he checked the skill. There was no skill that boasted absolute defense, even among Legendaries. The best one could do was to reduce damage with damage reduction skills, but this skill was different. It was a broken skill that blocked any attack once when used. Although it had a whopping 24-hour cooldown after one use. ¡®This is not an ordinary skill. It¡¯s like having an extra life.¡¯ He was currently growing rapidly using his memories from his previous regression, but as he leveled up, his progress would inevitably slow down. At the same time, the moments where he had to risk his life would inevitably increase. In such situations, Block would act as a spare life for Jeong-Hoon. When it seemed impossible to avoid an attack, Block would protect him. ¡®I¡¯m already looking forward to it.¡¯ Since the hidden theme had been discovered in Autobahn, New World would soon respond. It would surely reach Alessandro¡¯s ears. He could clearly picture the man¡¯s indignant face. * * * Not long after Jeong-Hoon left the hidden theme, a new announcement appeared in New World. === [A hidden theme of New World has been discovered!] -Hello! This is the New World development team. First of all, we¡¯re making this announcement to share some exciting news! The second hidden theme, carefully hidden in New World, has been discovered by a user! The hidden theme is a device created to help users grow, and it¡¯s set up so that the first person to discover it, on a firste, first-served basis, gets to take it. [South Korea ¨C 000] The server will be revealed, but the nickname will not. Now, to all users enjoying New World! New World has hidden many more hidden themes rted to growth besides this one! We hope all New World users have a pleasant day today. -New World Development Team === The news that the second hidden theme had been discovered for the first time. The number of views of the notice soared, reaching 5 million in less than an hour and heading towards 10 million. This was because the second hidden theme had appeared not long after the first one was discovered, doubling the excitement. [Wow, another hidden theme] -How could the second one appear so soon after the first one? ©¸I know, right? And it¡¯s a Korean again. ©¸This is 100% someone who knows something about hidden themes. ©¸There¡¯s no way they could find hidden themes consecutively without knowing something lol. [The person who found the hidden themes is the same person, okay?] -The first one was Korean, and the second one is also Korean. But the second one was discovered not long after the first one. The answer is clear lol. ©¸Damn, I¡¯m feeling patriotic¡­ ©¸A Korean found the themes consecutively, even though it¡¯s a firste, first-served system for the whole world lol. ©¸Awesome, as expected of the determined Koreans! World Com was also on fire. The first and second hidden themes were both obtained by Koreans¡­ They felt a surge of national pride just from the fact that Korea was ahead of the world, even though they hadn¡¯t found the themes themselves. [Is the Korean eraing now?] -Is this the first time Korea has beaten the whole world consecutively? ©¸That¡¯s true, but that¡¯s going too far lol. ©¸Hahaha, we¡¯re still far from that. Even if we gathered all the Korean rankers, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stand a chance against other countries¡¯ rankers. ©¸Why is it that we dominate in other games but get crushed in New World? ©¸The power level difference is huge¡­ ©¸If that Earth Korea guy had just done things right, we wouldn¡¯t be behind in power level. ©¸That¡¯s true. They started almost 3 monthste¡­ 3 months is a big deal in an RPG. Korea entered New World three monthster than other countries. This was because the upper management of Earth Korea had intentionally leaked the data received from the headquarters. As a result, the headquarters imposed a three-month suspension on Korea, and Koreans started three months behind other countries. Perhaps that¡¯s why the top Korean yers always hovered at the bottom of the rankings in internationalpetitions. Korea, which had always been behind, had now taken first ce twice in a row. This was why World Com was even more active than usual. The discovery of the hidden theme was not just about the growth of a user, but it could also be seen as a matter of national pride. [Take the next hidden theme too!] -You are our hope! ©¸Hahaha, calm down, how can we catch up with just this? ©¸Who knows? Maybe this will be the stepping stone to crushing the world¡¯s top rankers? ©¸King Korea * * * At the same time. Alessandro was staring at the New World announcement with a hardened face. No matter how many times he refreshed the page in disbelief, the announcement remained the same. ¡°Fuck!¡± Alessandro mmed his fist on the table. He was angry that the hidden theme had been taken away, but what was even more infuriating was that he hadn¡¯t even fully deciphered the clues yet. The humiliation of having it taken away before he could even try was beyond words. The clue he had received as a reward forpleting the secret quest contained a code about the hidden theme. ¡®I deciphered it.¡¯ Two weeks ago, he had barely managed to decode the first line. Alessandro immediately headed to the location, which turned out to be a vige a little distance away from the starting vige. It was an old, abandoned house that he could only find afterpleting the entry quest given by the NPC guard. However, the hidden theme was no longer in the abandoned house. Alessandro was furious after realizing this fact after days of searching. ¡®What?! The hidden theme was first discovered here?¡¯ What bad luck. Of all ces, it had to be here that he found by chance. That¡¯s what he had initially thought. But it was okay. The codes for the first and second lines were quite simr, so deciphering them wasn¡¯t too difficult. When he had deciphered about half of it, the second hidden theme was discovered. ¡°How the hell did they find it?¡± The first time could be considered a coincidence. But the second time couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. The fact that the same Korean user found it consecutively meant they had information about the hidden theme. Then how did they get that information? The secret quest rted to the hidden theme was something he could only do after reaching level 500. ¡°This is dangerous¡­¡± Alessandro muttered with a serious face. Whatever it was, missing the second one meant that the guy also had information about the hidden theme. Moreover, he was faster at deciphering than Alessandro. That meant the guy was likely to take the rest of the hidden themes written in the document as well. ¡°That absolutely cannot happen!¡± [Reach the pinnacle of magic.] The phrase written on the first page. Surely, the hidden theme would have a device for achieving magical or Circle-rted aplishments. He couldn¡¯t miss it. * * * Jeong-Hoon immediately left the dungeon. In front of him, Isaac and a few other knights were surrounding the dungeon entrance. ¡°Hoon! Are you alright?!¡± Isaac, who had been guarding the dungeon, hurriedly approached. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. But who are these people?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes turned to the other knights. ¡°Ah¡­ I tried my best to prevent anyone from approaching, but it seems the handover wasn¡¯t done properly, and the information didn¡¯t reach the next shift.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Alessandro wouldn¡¯t being. Since he was from a different server, he had no choice but to go to the NPCs on that server, and at this point in time, he wouldn¡¯t being to Autobahn to find the hidden theme. ¡®Still, I should hurry up a bit from now on.¡¯ He had snatched two hidden themes. Alessandro must be gripped by a sense of crisis by now. He would start spending even more time deciphering the code than usual. That would naturally bring forward the time when he would discover the hidden themes. So Jeong-Hoon had no choice but to move faster. ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­ But is that dungeonpletely closed?¡± Isaac asked, pointing at the dungeon. ¡°Yes.¡± As soon as Jeong-Hoon finished speaking, the portal he hade out of began to slowly disappear. The knights¡¯ eyes widened as they watched the portal disappear. ¡°Is that really disappearing¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­ That dreadful thing?¡± The news of the abandoned dungeon¡¯s disappearance quickly spread to the lord¡¯s castle. ¡°Is it true that the abandoned dungeon is closed?!¡± Lord ine came running in a hurry as soon as Jeong-Hoon returned to the lord¡¯s castle. ¡°Yes. I confirmed its disappearance, so you can go check it outter.¡± At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words, ine was ovee with emotion and shed tears. He had helped Isaac return, subjugated the Ogre King that had recently gued Autobahn, and even eliminated the dreadful abandoned dungeon. He didn¡¯t know how Jeong-Hoon had eliminated it, which was only a trace filled with contaminated mana, but the fact that it was gone was what mattered. ine recognized that Jeong-Hoon was not an ordinary stranger, but a big shot. That¡¯s why he had unhesitatingly given him the Honorary Knight badge. To build a connection with him, even if it was just a small one. ¡°Thank you so much. How can I repay this favor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t do it with any expectations.¡± It was true. He hadn¡¯t acted with any expectations from them. And he had definitely gotten what he needed to get. ¡°No. As the lord of Autobahn, I can¡¯t just let this go.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll open the treasure vault!¡± Isaac¡¯s face turned pale at the bombshell announcement. ¡°Th-The treasure vault¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. The Ogre King and the abandoned dungeon¡­ I want to open the treasure vault for our benefactor.¡± Autobahn¡¯s finances were simr to Idenharc¡¯s, not particrly abundant. Nevertheless, Autobahn had one thing to boast about, unlike Idenharc. It was the treasure vault. [Has anyone opened the Autobahn treasure vault?] -There seems to be a treasure vault¡­ but it won¡¯t open no matter what I do ?? ©¸Hahaha, just think of the treasure vault as non-existent. ©¸There are crazy people who try to open it lol. ©¸It¡¯s just useless lol. Trying to get rewards in a leveling town is wrong from the start lol. However, no user had ever seen the inside of Autobahn¡¯s treasure vault. This was because ine didn¡¯t really like strangers visiting Autobahn. ¡®Is it because of the ovep?¡¯ Even Alessandro, who had closed the abandoned dungeon and visited the hidden theme, had never heard of anyone visiting the treasure vault. It seemed that ine¡¯s trust had reached Max due to thebination of rescuing Isaac, subjugating the Ogre King, and eliminating the abandoned dungeon. ¡®This is an unexpected gain.¡¯ Anyway, there must be at least one useful item in the treasure vault. ¡°I¡¯ll gratefully ept it if you give it to me.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go right away!¡± ¡®A vault?¡¯ What ine introduced as the treasure vault was actually a vault. The vault was big enough to fill a 10-pyeong room. [TL/N: Pyeong is a korean unit of area measurement simr to square feet] ¡°Haha, it¡¯s rather modest, isn¡¯t it? But I assure you it¡¯s more precious than anything else.¡± ine smiled awkwardly and gently stroked the vault. ¡°¡­It¡¯s quiterge for a treasure vault, as I know it.¡± The treasure vault he was referring to was a vault. He had never seen a vault up close, but he was sure there wouldn¡¯t be a bigger one than this. ¡°Is that so? Then I¡¯ll open the treasure vault.¡± ine ced his hand on the vault¡¯s handle and channeled magic power into it. The vault¡¯s handle glowed blue, and he could hear the sound of the internal locking mechanisms being released one by one. Soon, he removed his hand, and a circr pattern was engraved on the vault door, glowing brightly. ine pressed the handle and slowly pulled, and the vault door opened with a creaking sound. ¡®This is the treasure vault?¡¯ The vault consisted of a total of 15 floors. Floors 1-5 were filled with Epic grade equipment. Floors 6-10 were neatly lined with Unique and Rare grade enhancement stones. Floors 11-15 were empty except for a single gray box on the 13th floor. Naturally, his gaze was drawn there. ¡°What¡¯s that box?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s question directed ine¡¯s gaze to the box as well. [Unknown Box] Why was that here? An Unknown Box. A box that could only be obtained after reaching level 200 was right in front of him. Chapter 67 Chapter 67 ¡°Do you know about the ck market?¡± ine mentioned the ck market after seeing the box. ¡°Yes.¡± Of course he did. The ck market was a slightly different concept from the auction house. In the auction house, users could register and sell items they had verified, while the ck market required no verification. As a result, the ck market was often used for crimes. Things like moneyundering or selling stolen goods. The empire had once wiped out the ck market, but ¡®factions¡¯ were opening it sporadically in the shadows. Jeong-Hoon was a little surprised that ine mentioned the ck market, as he hadn¡¯t expected it. ¡°Two years ago, a ck market was opened in Autobahn.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ine gritted his teeth as he recalled the past. It was not long after his father, the previous lord, had passed away and he had taken the lord¡¯s seat. Before ine was established as the heir, he had a younger brother. Drake Autobahn. Drake pretended to trust and follow his older brother on the surface, but he was a snake in the grass, ready to bite him at any moment. As a result, ine had received numerous threats to his life after being appointed as the heir. ¡®¡­I thought he was a good brother.¡¯ But ine wasn¡¯t foolish enough to just let it happen. He dealt with Drake¡¯s minions one by one, cutting off his hands and feet, and finally expelled his brother from Autobahn after bing the lord. It was a decision he made because he couldn¡¯t bring himself to kill his own flesh and blood. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that your brother led the opening of the ck market?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± But Drake didn¡¯t give up easily. He stole the lord¡¯s insignia, a symbol that only the lord could possess. He intended to cause chaos among the residents by iming that ine was unfit to be the lord. Public opinion was a scary thing; once it started to boil, it was very difficult to calm down. In such a situation, if Drake could show himself retrieving the insignia, his initial n to undermine ine¡¯s position would be sessful. However, ine was informed of the entire n through his subordinate, who was nted next to his brother, and was enraged. ¡®He¡¯s colluding with the illegal forces?!¡¯ He gritted his teeth. Even if he coveted the lord¡¯s seat, to think that he would collude with those shady people¡­ ine then leaked false information to his brother that the insignia had disappeared. As if waiting for it, Drake opened the ck market, and ine¡¯s side, who had been waiting for this, raided the ck market as soon as it opened and took down the criminals all at once. ¡°And this is what you got in the process?¡± ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t know what it was, but it seemed precious, so I kept it in the vault.¡± He didn¡¯t know why the ¡®Unknown Box¡¯ was circting in the ck market, but Jeong-Hoon made a decision as soon as he saw it. ¡°Then can I take that box?¡± ¡°That one?¡± ine hesitated for a moment. The Unknown Box was an item that appeared in the ck market at that time, and it was brought by Drake. Although Drake had said he had acquired the box by chance while being exiled, ine had no intention of believing that. He must have been preparing a trap. ¡®It won¡¯t open?¡¯ However, no matter how hard he tried to open the box, it wouldn¡¯t budge. In the end, he failed to open it and had no choice but to stash it away in the treasure vault. He hadn¡¯t expected Jeong-Hoon to choose that box. ¡°Yes. Did ite from Iora, by any chance?¡± ¡°Oh¡­? Yes, that¡¯s right. How did you know?¡± As expected. Iora was one of the towns you could only ess after reaching level 200. And it was also the only ce where you could get an Unknown Box. ¡®Interesting. I never dreamed I would find an Unknown Box in the treasure vault.¡¯ He had never dreamed of finding such a rare box here. It was a treasure vault that could only be entered after reaching Max trust with ine. This must have been another trick by New World. ¡°Is it impossible?¡± He needed ine¡¯s permission to take the box. ¡®If he says no, there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t expected the treasure vault in the first ce. Among the items here, the Unknown Box was the most tempting, but there would be other opportunities to get it. He didn¡¯t want to get too attached to the Unknown Box. However, contrary to his expectations, ine shook his head. ¡°No. I¡¯ll give it to you if you want it. But¡­ you won¡¯t be able to open that box. I¡¯ve tried everything to open it, but I failed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can open it.¡± ¡°What¡­? Is that really true?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ine couldn¡¯t believe it, but he couldn¡¯t doubt the benefactor of Autobahn. So he decided to make a request. ¡°¡­Then could you please open the box in front of me?¡± ¡°In front of you?¡± ¡°Yes. Since it was Drake¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m suspicious of what¡¯s inside.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Thus, the Unknown Box came into Jeong-Hoon¡¯s possession. [Unknown Box] -Contains all items randomly. -Luck effect X -Requires Unknown Key (Not owned) A box containing all items randomly. That¡¯s why it was called the ¡®Unknown Box¡¯. Even luck potions didn¡¯t work on it, so it was a box that had to be left entirely to chance. And it required an item called the Unknown Key to open it. ¡®That¡¯s why it wouldn¡¯t open no matter what I did.¡¯ It was a box that couldn¡¯t be opened without the key. Jeong-Hoon opened the Achievement Shop and immediately went to ¡®Category ¨C Special¡¯. -Unknown Key The price of the Unknown Key was 20,000 points. Since he currently had 72,000 achievement points, if he bought one key, he would have 52,000 points left. ¡®It¡¯s okay.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon immediately purchased the key. Then he took the key out of his inventory andid the box on its side. The hidden keyhole was revealed. ¡°Even when I tried to make a matching key, it didn¡¯t react.¡± ine had also tried that method. But no matter how many times he modified the key, the box wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°It will open.¡± Jeong-Hoon said and inserted the key into the keyhole. Then, as he slowly turned it¡­ Click. The locked box was unlocked. ¡°Huh¡­? Did it really open?!¡± ine¡¯s eyes widened as he watched the box. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon opened the closed box. Inside the box was a ring. [You have acquired the Ability Amplification Ring (One-time use)(Epic).] ¡®Oh?!¡¯ === [Ability Amplification Ring (One-time use)] -Type: Ring -Grade: Epic -Special Ability (1): When the ring¡¯s magic power is drawn out, it temporarily increases the wearer¡¯s all stats by 50%. -Special Ability (2): Reduces all damage from the opponent¡¯s abilities and attacks by 50%. -The ring cannot be used again after one use. === Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth widened into a grin as he checked the ring. * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Ha-Jin stepped out. Ha-Jin¡¯s face was slightly flushed as he exited. ¡®I finally got a Unique grade weapon.¡¯ The Unique grade equipment he had longed for. Even Epic grade equipment was quite expensive, requiring a lot of saving to purchase. Of course, he could buy Unique grade equipment with cash, but Ha-Jin didn¡¯t have that kind of money. So the only way was to obtain equipment through content like raids or siege wars. But he barely got any Epic grade equipment, let alone Unique, so he had been using Rare grade equipment with enhancement stones. ¡®And today I got it!¡¯ Not even Epic, but a Unique grade sword. He would have been happy with just an Epic, but it was Unique, so he felt like he was flying. ¡°Something good happen?¡± He happened to meet his boss, Lee Hyun-Woo, who was returning from a smoke break. ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re grinning like that, it would be strange not to notice.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± ¡°So what is it?¡± Lee Hyun-Woo took out a can of coffee and handed it to Ha-Jin, asking again, ¡°I got a Unique grade sword today.¡± ¡°Whoa, really?¡± ¡°Yes! I can get even stronger with this!¡± The difference in performance between a Rare grade sword and a Unique grade sword was like heaven and earth. The initial state of the equipment was inferior to a Max-enhanced Rare sword, but once you started adding Unique enhancement stones, the stats of a Unique grade weapon would skyrocket. ¡°Oh, really? Then do you want to participate in an event?¡± ¡°An event?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lee Hyun-Woo handed him a flyer from the pile in the corner. The flyer read [Capsule Room Siege Event]. ¡°Capsule Room Siege Event? What kind of event is this?¡± He had never heard of such an event. Usually, siege warfare was considered a guild content, where guilds had to defend an upied castle for a certain amount of time to seed. Depending on the level of contribution, various items such as experience points, equipment, and enhancement stones were given as rewards. Therefore, guilds held siege warfare once a month, gathering their members. To hold such a siege as an event¡­ ¡°And even those who have individual capsules can participate, as long as they participate from a capsule room.¡± This event could be yed with up to 4 people in a 4-person party, and solo y was also possible. If the number of participants exceeded that, they would be randomly split into groups. ¡°¡­That¡¯s interesting. Then should I go with Jeong-Hoon?¡± For Ha-Jin, the strongest ally was Jeong-Hoon. Although he had just passed level 100, he had a Legendary ss and a Legendary weapon to match. He even won first ce in the second ss transfer event, didn¡¯t he? Ha-Jin had also confirmed through the New World announcement that Jeong-Hoon had won first ce. Regardless of level, Jeong-Hoon was a real monster. ¡°Hmm? Did he level up a bit? They say everyone is adjusted to level 150 in the event¡­¡± The problem was that only the level was adjusted, but there was no restriction on skill usage. Ha-Jin¡¯s current level was 160. Jeong-Hoon had only started New World a few months ago, so there would be a significant level difference. ¡°Yes, that Jeong-Hoon guy is over level 100 now.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Lee Hyun-Woo¡¯s eyes widened slightly. He reached level 100 in such a short time? How was that possible? ¡°I told you, he¡¯s a real monster. He¡¯s obsessed with leveling up right now.¡± He had heard that Jeong-Hoon had gone to Autobahn. But since he hadn¡¯t heard any news since then, he must be crazy about leveling up. ¡°¡­Well, he was the guy who stayed in the capsule room for 21 hours straight.¡± Lee Hyun-Woo had never seen such a determined person in his life. It was more than just an addiction; the venom in his eyes was no joke. It felt like he was clinging to New World for a purpose. ¡°Oh? Speak of the devil.¡± Ha-Jin took out his smartphone from his pocket. ¡°Why? Is it from your friend?¡± ¡°Yes. Then I¡¯ll go in first.¡± ¡°Okay. Take another flyer. You might be interested.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Ha-Jin received another flyer from Lee Hyun-Woo and left the capsule room. As soon as Jeong-Hoon left the capsule room, he called Ha-Jin. He told his mother that he was going out for a bit and met Ha-Jin at a nearby cafe. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s hard to see you. Isn¡¯t it?¡± Ha-Jinined as soon as he saw Jeong-Hoon. This was because Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t even whispered to him since moving to Autobahn. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was a little busy.¡± ¡°Yeah, I understand. You must have been busy leveling up.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He was indeed busy leveling up, but a lot had happened in Autobahn. So he didn¡¯t have the time to pay attention to others. Ha-Jin was still better off. Yeo Min-Ji had been asking him how he was doing every few days through whispers. ¡°But what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Do I have to have a reason to call you? I just wanted to have a cup of tea.¡± ¡°You? No way?¡± Ha-Jin tilted his head with suspicion in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then can I leave right after we have tea?¡± ¡°I heard there¡¯s an event happening at the capsule room. Is that right?¡± Flinch. Ha-Jin¡¯s shoulders trembled once. ¡°You¡¯re like a ghost, where do you hear all this information?¡± Then he shook his head and took out the flyer. ¡°It¡¯s a siege event.¡± Jeong-Hoon quickly scanned the flyer and nodded. ¡°I was just about to ask you to participate in the event with me. I heard you can form a party of up to four people.¡± ¡°Okay, sounds good to me.¡± This wasn¡¯t just any event. It was the first sign that the game was bing reality, disguised as an event. ¡°So, are we going just the two of us?¡± ¡°No, someone else ising.¡± ¡°Coming? Who?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell youter.¡± Jeong-Hoon took a sip of coffee and said something cryptic. And the next day. ¡°You heard about the siege event happening, right?¡± Yeo Min-Ji hade all the way to Autobahn to see Jeong-Hoon. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Yeo Min-Ji had lost count of how many times she had seen the results of the 2nd ss advancement event. -1st ce: Undisclosed/Undisclosed/Martial Arts Master (2nd ss) Anyone could tell that Jeong-Hoon had taken first ce. As befitting a hidden ss, he had revealed himself as a Martial Arts Master and then blinded his information, probably to wear the mask of amon grade. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: It¡¯s a secret.] However, Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t given Yeo Min-Ji a clear answer. ¡°Wow¡­ So he¡¯s ying hard to get, huh?¡± Although it was frustrating that he was being so secretive, Yeo Min-Ji couldn¡¯t back down here. She had to find a way to observe Jeong-Hoon¡¯s martial arts up close. She had to be even more shameless. She bided her time, leveling up and attending guild events, waiting for the right opportunity. Since the level difference between her and Jeong-Hoon was significant, she waited for content where they could act together to appear. [Capsule Room Siege Event] ¡®Here it is.¡¯ A new event prepared by New World. They were trying to hold an event using the familiar siege warfare, which was held every month. [Levels will be fixed at 150 in the event.] Moreover, all levels were fixed at 150. That meant it would be decided purely on skill. ¡°If it¡¯s this¡­?¡± However, there was a restriction that participants had to log in using a capsule room¡¯s dedicated capsule to participate in the event. Yeo Min-Ji immediately sent a whisper to Jeong-Hoon, and the reply arrived in the evening, after some time. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Yes, I¡¯m nning to participate in this event.] At the positive reply, Yeo Min-Ji shouted ¡°Hurray!¡± three times and then left for Autobahn, where Jeong-Hoon was. This was the reason why Yeo Min-Ji hade to find Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going to participate in the event.¡± ¡°As expected! Then would you like to go with me?¡± ¡°I already have party members.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re so fast? Is it already full with 4 people?¡± Oh, the dizziness. She grabbed her throbbing head and barely managed to keep her bnce. ¡°Yes, but there are only two of us so far.¡± Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s eyes sparkled at the mention of two people. ¡°Then there are two spots left?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°Wow! What a coincidence! Actually, I¡¯m alone too. Then can I tag along? Right?¡± ¡°Would that be okay?¡± ¡°Of course! It¡¯s better to be two than one, and three than two.¡± Actually, the person Jeong-Hoon had in mind wasn¡¯t Yeo Min-Ji. ¡®If I remember correctly, Yeo Min-Ji didn¡¯t participate in this event.¡¯ Rankers had their own individual capsules. And since they belonged to named guilds, they received considerable rewards by participating in siege warfare every month. There was no reason for them to participate in the event. Therefore, Yeo Min-Ji should have skipped this event as well, but she came to Jeong-Hoon herself and asked to join the party. However, it was also awkward to refuse. If Yeo Min-Ji joined, the difficulty would be easier. Even if her level was adjusted to 150, she was a proper ranker who hadpleted the fourth ss advancement. They¡¯re quietly giving hints. That they would turn their Earth into a game. And that if they failed to defend it, it would copse. People wouldter call this event the ¡®1st Cataclysm¡¯. ¡°Huh? Why don¡¯t we meet up and go in together?¡± ¡°Meet up?¡± ¡°Yes! To participate in the event, you have to get verified at a capsule room. It would be better to move together than separately, since it¡¯s cumbersome to move individually.¡± Her words made sense. If they had to move as a group, it would be much more convenient to register and move from the same capsule room. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s do that.¡± Yeo Min-Ji smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°Yes. Then I¡¯ll log out and contact you right away.¡± As she said, there was a text message on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s smartphone that day. [This is Yeo Min-Ji! I¡¯ll contact you through this outside the game!] * * * One week before the event. To prepare for the event, Jeong-Hoon had a three-way meeting with Ha-Jin and Yeo Min-Ji. ¡®We should get to know each other beforehand. You¡¯ll have customized your characters in the game, right?¡¯ Thanks to Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s proactive attitude, the three of them met at a cafe near the capsule room. However, Ha-Jin became tongue-tied at Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s appearance, and a brief silence fell over the table where the three of them were sitting. ¡°Hello. My name is Yeo Min-Ji. I turned 21 this year, and my MBTI is ENTJ.¡± Yeo Min-Ji broke the awkward atmosphere with a brief self-introduction. After finishing her self-introduction first, she stared at Jeong-Hoon, and eventually, he opened his mouth. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Jeong-Hoon. Myst name is Jeong, and my first name is Hoon. I¡¯m 36 years old.¡± ¡°Huh? Hey, you¡¯re 21 years old.¡± Ha-Jin pointed out his age with a puzzled look. Ah, right. He had returned to 15 years ago, so he was 21 this year. ¡°Just kidding. Yes, I¡¯m 21 this year, and I don¡¯t know my MBTI.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t taken the MBTI test?¡± Yeo Min-Ji asked with a surprised look. ¡°No, I¡¯m not really interested.¡± Jeong-Hoon knew about MBTI, but he hadn¡¯t taken the test. He found it funny to categorize countless people into a few types, and he didn¡¯t feel the need to do it. Then Ha-Jin tactfully spoke up. ¡°Is it my turn next? I¡¯m Jang Ha-Jin. I¡¯m 21 years old this year, and my MBTI is ESFP.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± The self-introductions ended quickly. Silence fell over the three of them again. Feeling awkward, Ha-Jin broke the silence and spoke to Yeo Min-Ji. ¡°Um¡­ You¡¯re the same Yeo Min-Ji I saw before, right?¡± ¡°Yes? Have we met before?¡± ¡°When I asked Hoon to take me as his disciple, I was the one next to him.¡± ¡°Ah, you were that person. I think I remember.¡± It could have been a bit offensive since it was a dark past, but Yeo Min-Ji responded skillfully. ¡°Yes!¡± Ha-Jin smiled broadly at the fact that she recognized him. ¡®Wow, your so pretty.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t been this impressed in the game. This was because those who enjoyed the game always set their appearance to be as beautiful as celebrities through customization. So he thought Yeo Min-Ji would be the same, but what was this? She was as beautiful in reality as she was in the game. He couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. ¡°Then, since we¡¯ve gotten to know each other today, let¡¯s see each other in a week.¡± The introductions were over, so it was time to return to the game. ¡°Yes. Then I¡¯ll be going.¡± As Jeong-Hoon ended the conversation, Yeo Min-Ji quietly got up and left the cafe. ¡°Then let¡¯s go too.¡± Jeong-Hoon got up from his seat. But Ha-Jin couldn¡¯t get up and just stared nkly at the door she had left through. ¡°¡­Wow. Hey. I¡¯ve never seen anyone so pretty.¡± ¡°Yeah. Anyway, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll stay a little longer¡­¡± ¡°Suit yourself. Then I¡¯ll go first.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Ha-Jin, still lost in the afterglow, sat still for 30 minutes. ¡®Wait a minute¡­ But if they said they would contact each other, that means they know each other¡¯s personal contact information?¡¯ The thought struck him, and he suddenly came to his senses. At the same time, envy and annoyance surged through him. ¡°What is this? Damn, this shitty feeling?¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon entered the game and headed to the field outside the lord¡¯s castle. A familiar face caught his eye in the field. It was Lee Si-Woo, the level 201 DespairedYou, who had subjugated the Ogre King¡¯s horde with Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Why is he still here?¡¯ A lot of time had passed since they parted ways, but Lee Si-Woo hadn¡¯t left Autobahn. ¡°Huh?¡± Lee Si-Woo also recognized Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I have something to do.¡± ¡°Something to do?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to kill those bastards one more time.¡± The guys who had requested him. The 120 hours they were suspended for would be over soon. ¡®If they had any sense, they would log in a few dayster, but that¡¯s not going to happen.¡¯ They were deeply obsessed with New World. 120 hours probably felt like 1,200 hours to them. So they would be waiting for them to log in while leveling up here. His prediction was correct. The Ora-Knight and the assassin tried to log in at the same time. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of them.¡± DespairedYou, Lee Si-Woo, drew his sword and approached the two. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°We¡¯vemitted a grave sin! Please spare us!¡± The two knelt and mmed their foreheads on the ground. ¡°Wait.¡± Jeong-Hoon raised his hand to stop Lee Si-Woo. ¡°Yes? Are you going to handle it yourself?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Lee Si-Woo quietly stepped back. ¡°P-Please forgive us just once¡­¡± ¡°We must have been out of our minds! We¡¯ll beg like this. Please have mercy on us idiots and spare us just once. Sob!¡± As Jeong-Hoon approached, they desperately begged for forgiveness, rubbing their hands together. If they got suspended again here, it would be for a month. That absolutely couldn¡¯t happen. 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 120 hours. In total, a whopping 11 days. They had been miserable for 11 days without being able to y New World. And now they had to endure another 30 days? Their pride was long gone. ¡°If I spare you?¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± ¡°You insulted my mother. I can¡¯t let that go.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re not really dying anyway. Just die here, and I¡¯lle back and kill you again in a month. Then it¡¯s a year, right? Oh, and I¡¯lle back and kill you again in a year. Then it¡¯s goodbye to New World forever.¡± The Ora-Knight, Hong Hyun-Woo, and the assassin, Kim Bong-Goo, turned pale. This relentless guy would definitely get them permanently banned. ¡°P-Please¡­¡± ¡°If you just spare us, we¡¯ll do anything you ask!¡± At Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s words, a strange light flickered in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Really?¡± Seeing that it was working, Kim Bong-Goo added, ¡°Yes! I can¡¯t take back what I said, can I? So I¡¯ll make it up to you with my body!¡± ¡°And you?¡± Jeong-Hoon looked at the Ora-Knight, Hong Hyun-Woo. Both of them had started the trouble, but it was this bastard who dared to insult his mother. ¡°I-I¡¯ll do it!¡± [Lightning Bolt activated.] At that moment, Lightning Bolt poured out of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand and struck Hong Hyun-Woo. Crackle. ¡°Ugh!¡± He trembled as if electrocuted. Perhaps because he was level 142, he didn¡¯t die immediately from Lightning Bolt. Jeong-Hoon finished him off with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Hong Hyun-Woo¡¯s body disappeared once again. This meant a one-month suspension. ¡°Your answer iste. You should consider yourself lucky.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo managed to reply in a trembling voice. ¡°You said you¡¯d do anything, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Good. Then I¡¯ll spare your life, especially for you.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you.¡± ¡°Then participate in this Capsule Room Siege Event.¡± ¡°Capsule Room¡­?¡± ¡°This son of a bitch!¡± *** Hong Hyun-Woo, out of the capsule, grabbed his hair. 120 hours. Five days had passed, so he had logged in with Kim Bong-Goo, hoping that the guy might have given up. But as expected, the crazy martial artist bastard was right there in front of them. And next to him was the Saber they had hired. So, as Kim Bong-Goo suggested, they knelt and apologized. To that damn bastard they wanted to chew up and spit out. ¡®But he still kills me?¡¯ He had thrown away his pride and apologized, but all he got in return was a one-month suspension. Buzz- Soon after, a message came from Kim Bong-Goo. [Hey, are you okay?] ¡°Damn it, you died too? Ha, that¡¯s why I told you not to apologize!¡± Hong Hyun-Woo shouted. Kim Bong-Goo sighed quietly at his irritated voice. [You should have apologized properly. I survived.] ¡°What¡­?¡± [¡­Unfortunately, he said he¡¯ll suspend you again after a month. He said to quit New World if you don¡¯t want to get suspended.] ¡°That¡¯s bullshit.¡± [Anyway, I warned you.] Click. ¡°Hey! Hello? Hey!¡± Hong Hyun-Woo hurriedly called Kim Bong-Goo again. But the call didn¡¯t connect. chapter 69 Chapter 69 Kim Bong-Goo was originally a capsule room user. Unlike his friends, he didn¡¯t have the money to buy a personal capsule, so he started ying the game and raising his character using capsule rooms. That¡¯s how he met Hong Hyun-Woo in New World. They first met in the starting vige, had a few arguments, and then became close after a big fight. They were the same age and had simr levels, so they hung out together. As they did, he was influenced by Hong Hyun-Woo and didn¡¯t hesitate to do dirty deeds. However, after being repeatedly suspended by Jeong-Hoon, his feelings towards Hong Hyun-Woo had worsened. But he couldn¡¯t just cut ties with a friend he had been with for so long. It was Hong Hyun-Woo who had suggested messing with Jeong-Hoon, but he had readily agreed and carried it out. [Hey, you bastard. You¡¯re dead if I ever see you again!] But not anymore. Kim Bong-Goo had sincerely apologized, while Hong Hyun-Woo was still living in his own world. If he didn¡¯t cut ties with him now, he would probably get swept up and repeat the same dirty deeds. It seemed better to be alone than that. ¡°I¡¯m cutting ties with you, bastard.¡± It was the moment their friendship broke. * * * The day of the event. Jeong-Hoon finished preparing to go out and came to the living room. ¡°Are you going out today?¡± His mother was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Then at least have some food before you go.¡± At his mother¡¯s words, Jeong-Hoon went to the dining table and sat down. Breakfast was his mother¡¯s miso stew. The miso stew made with soybeans she had fermented herself was exceptional. How did she make it taste like this? It was on a different level from other stews. ¡°As expected, the one Mom makes is the best.¡± Jeong-Hoon gave a thumbs-up, and his mother smiled warmly. ¡°Eat a lot. You have to get first ce again today, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°Okay. What do they give you if you get first ce?¡± ¡°A capsule.¡± As it was a capsule room event, the event prize was a capsule. Of course, the capsule was only given to the party that won first ce, and other prizes were given from second ce onwards. ¡°Really? You already have a capsule, Jeong-Hoon, so you should aim for second ce, right?¡± ¡°No, I have to get first ce. If I get the capsule, you can use it, Mom.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± If the game became reality, his mother would also be involved. He had nned to help her build up her strength and transfer some of his stats to her so she could endure it. But if he got an additional capsule, his mother could also enter New World quickly. He wanted her to start as soon as possible. ¡°Hmm¡­ If you get first ce and win a capsule, should I try it too?¡± Fortunately, his mother didn¡¯t have a negative view of New World. Well, if she did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to y games at home in the first ce. Jeong-hoon finished thest spoonful of his meal and stood up. ¡°Just trust me.¡± He would be the winner of this capsule room tournament. * * * ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Yeo Min-ji had already arrived at the entrance of the capsule room. Even though it was 30 minutes earlier than the agreed time. ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± ¡°I came out early just in case.¡± ¡°Really? Then let¡¯s go up first.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ha-jin said he woulde on time, so Jeong-hoon and Yeo Min-ji entered the capsule room first. Even though it was three hours before the event started, the capsule room was crowded with people. ¡®I made a reservation, so just trust me.¡¯ Ha-jin was close to the owner of the capsule room, Lee Hyun-woo, so a reservation was possible. So there would be three empty seats. ¡°Wee. Oh? Jeong-hoon, you¡¯re here?¡± Lee Hyun-woo, who was greeting customers at the counter, recognized Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon also greeted him politely because Lee Hyun-woo had always been kind to him when he didn¡¯t have a personal capsule. ¡°Yes. Long time no see. How have you been?¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m always the same. But rather¡­¡± Lee Hyun-woo¡¯s gaze turned to Yeo Min-ji. Even Jeong-hoon could see that Yeo Min-ji¡¯s beauty was enough to make her pass for a celebrity. Perhaps that¡¯s why many customers nced at her face from the moment she entered the capsule room. ¡°Could you please give me an autograph?¡± Lee Hyun-woo held out an A4 paper and a signing pen. New World¡¯s top yers were more popr than most celebrities. How surprised was he when he saw Yeo Min-ji¡¯s name on the list of participants that Ha-jin had submitted? At first, he thought it was just the same name, but after seeing the level and upation next to it, he was sure it was the same person. ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Min-ji familiarly took the signing pen and quickly scribbled on the paper. Along with her signature sign, the name of the capsule room run by Lee Hyun-woo was written small at the bottom. ¡°Thank you!¡± Lee Hyun-woo¡¯s mouth widened as he checked the autograph. A top yer visited the capsule room! What better marketing could there be? And as if on cue, customers flocked to Yeo Min-ji. ¡°Yeo Min-ji! Please take a picture with me!¡± ¡°To see a top yer here! It¡¯s a real honor!¡± ¡°Wow! It¡¯s really Yeo Min-ji!¡± ¡°She¡¯s so pretty¡­ Wow, I¡¯m really smitten!¡± Yeo Min-ji apologized to Jeong-hoon with her mouth. She was going to go straight into the capsule, but this is what happened. ¡°Hey, hey, stop! Taking pictures in the capsule room is prohibited!¡± Instead, Lee Hyun-woo tactfully stopped the customers. ¡°What?! Why!¡± ¡°We should at least be able to take pictures!¡± Of course, the customers protested, but Lee Hyun-woo had no intention of treating them like royalty just because they were customers. ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, leave. I¡¯ll even cancel your participation in the event.¡± This was a statement that could only be made by someone who wasn¡¯t bound by money. ¡°¡­¡± In the end, the customers retreated due to Lee Hyun-woo¡¯s strong restraint. ¡°Thank you.¡± Yeo Min-ji expressed her gratitude to Lee Hyun-woo. ¡°It was only natural. Now, let me show you to your seats!¡± Lee Hyun-woo guided Jeong-hoon and Yeo Min-ji to the empty capsules. ¡°I¡¯ll go in first.¡± Perhaps due to the surrounding gazes, Yeo Min-ji went straight into the capsule and logged in. As the capsule door closed behind her, Lee Hyun-woo quickly approached Jeong-hoon and asked, ¡°Hey, how did you get close to Yeo Min-ji?¡± ¡°We¡¯re not really close, we just happened to meet. She didn¡¯t have anyone to team up with for this event, so she formed a party with me.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s really awesome.¡± Lee Hyun-woo couldn¡¯t stop expressing his admiration. He never dreamed that a top-ranked yer would visit his capsule room and participate in an event. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going in too, so please tell Ha-jin to log in as soon as he arrives.¡± ¡°Oh, I will.¡± * * * Autobahn Square. Kim Bong-Goo was waiting for Jeong-hoon in the square. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± As soon as he saw Jeong-hoon, he stood at attention and greeted him loudly. Thanks to this, attention was drawn to them. ¡°What? A level 141 is greeting a level 104. Heh heh.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s just a martial artist?¡± ¡°Keuh-heup¡­! His nickname is also hrious. ¡®Mom, the soup is salty¡¯.¡± Openughter and mockery could be heard, but Kim Bong-Goo didn¡¯t care at all. All of his attention was focused on Jeong-hoon, so he couldn¡¯t use it for anything else. ¡®If you bother me, you die.¡¯ There were types of people in the world that shouldn¡¯t be touched. Those with no backing. And those who, once they bite, go all the way. Jeong-hoon seemed to be thetter. The kind of guy who, even if you suppress him with force, will find a way to retaliate. He should never be touched. ¡°Okay. Did you sign up for the event?¡± ¡°Of course I did!¡± Not wanting to be on Jeong-hoon¡¯s bad side any longer, Kim Bong-Goo signed up for the event as soon as he logged out that day. ¡°Okay. Then ept the party invite.¡± ¡°Yes! ¡­ Um, are we going just the two of us?¡± ¡°No, two more people wille.¡± And soon after, Yeo Min-ji appeared. ¡°Am I a littlete?¡± She had logged in earlier than Jeong-hoon, but she was a littlete because she had some guild business to take care of. ¡°Y-Yeo Min-ji¡­?¡± Kim Bong-goo¡¯s pupils trembled madly when he saw her. Why was the number one ranked martial artist in Korea, and 286th overall, here? ¡°It¡¯s okay. And she¡¯s a party member who will be participating in today¡¯s event with us.¡± Jeong-hoon put his hand on Kim Bong-goo¡¯s shoulder. Kim Bong-goo, startled, straightened up and bowed 90 degrees. ¡°My name is Kim Bong-goo! I chose my nickname as a joke, so please don¡¯t misunderstand¡­¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± She nodded briefly and didn¡¯t even give Kim Bong-goo a nce. She had already heard the reason why Kim Bong-goo joined the party. Perhaps that¡¯s why she couldn¡¯t see Kim Bong-goo in a good light. On the other hand, Kim Bong-goo closed his mouth with an awkward expression at her attitude, which was colder than ice. ¡°Sorry! Am I a littlete?¡± After Ha-jin joined, a party of four was formed. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Ling Ling -Level: 700 -upation: Event NPC === Jeong-hoon approached the event NPC in the square. The event NPC was Ling Ling, whom he had seen before. ¡°Oh, we meet again?¡± Ling Ling recognized Jeong-hoon at a nce. It was inevitable. He had boldly won their bet and taken a lot of heavenly energy. ¡°Indeed. I didn¡¯t expect to see you here again.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m d I¡¯m in charge of the Korean server. I thought you¡¯de again.¡± ¡°Why? Want to make another bet?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite perceptive.¡± Ling Ling¡¯s lips curled up into a wide smile. That was what Jeong-hoon wanted as well. ¡®I didn¡¯t juste here for the capsule.¡¯ Why was this event called the First Cataclysm? It was because of the penalty given when the base was not defended. Due to that penalty, the world gradually began to fall ill, and people btedly realized that the cause was New World. ¡®My mother also suffered because of that penalty.¡¯ The penalty was none other than a disaster. Various disasters urred, and the one that befell his mother was a fire. Due to the fire, a quarter of his mother¡¯s body was covered in burn scars. She said she was fine, but Jeong-hoon¡¯s heart ached as he watched. So he would change the history of his regression. ¡®Defense failure.¡¯ Originally, the event that targeted the entire world ended without a single person seeding. Jeong-hoon would sessfullyplete this event. ¡°So, what kind of bet are we talking about?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. If you sessfullyplete this siege, I¡¯ll give you an additional 5% of heavenly energy.¡± ¡°5%¡­ Alright, I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°Hmm? No further negotiation?¡± ¡°No.¡± A hint of disappointment flickered across Ling Ling¡¯s face. The difficulty of the siege was considerable. Since the goal was to alter history, it had to be done decisively. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped. Can you send us right now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then I wish you good luck. Fighting!¡± Ling Ling snapped her fingers. * * * [You have entered the event location: Seoul.] [1 hour and 48 minutes remain until the event begins.] [Participating users, please prepare before the start.] [Time remaining until start: 1 hour and 48 minutes] [Results based on contribution will be announced after the event ends.] The background of the event location was Seoul. In line with the Korean server, users from each region were assigned the role of defending their respective regions. ¡°What? Why Seoul all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Are we really going to have a siege here?¡± The users who arrived first were looking around with curious eyes. Buildings like apartments and skyscrapers were 100% implemented based on the current date, and except for the users, not even an ant was roaming around. ¡°Where is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a road.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s party was transported to the middle of a road. Numerous vehicles were parked on the road, and again, there was no one inside. This was because only the background had been implemented. ¡°But why did they choose Seoul as the background?¡± New World was a game set in medieval Europe. It was natural to be puzzled by the sudden change of background to modern society. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s get in the car for now.¡± ¡°Get in the car?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon quickly got into the driver¡¯s seat. Ha-jin sat in the passenger seat, and Yeo Min-ji and Kim Bong-goo sat in the back. Once everyone was on board, Jeong-hoon started the engine and drove off. ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°Namsan.¡± ¡°Hmm? Why are you choosing that as our base?¡± Ha-jin was experienced in siege warfare. Therefore, he knew the importance of the base. ¡°Because it¡¯s in the center of the map.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± The theme of this event was a siege. In other words, the main mission was to defend Seoul. And the ce where monsters would pour out in Seoul was Namsan. If the monsters poured out and breached Namsan, it would be impossible to defend the base. This was because the defensive power of the base would rapidly decrease depending on the degree of damage to the buildings erected here. [Ah, damn it. Normally, the castle gate in a siege should be on the outskirts. Why is it set in the center and causing all this trouble?] -Who would have thought that a monster wave would ur in Namsan? ©¸Yeah, lol. Thanks to that, we were wiped out in 30 minutes. ©¸How can you stop the buildings from copsing when monsters are pouring out? ©¸It was literally a siege itself. Jeong-hoon parked haphazardly in the Namsan parking lot and got out of the car. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re going to make this our base?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Monster waves don¡¯t ur inside the base. We should go to the outskirts of Seoul¡­¡± Everyone went to the outskirts with that thought. The outskirts were being tightly defended by other users. However, that choice was the reason why the base was destroyed in less than an hour. ¡°Was there ever a single word that the monsters woulde from the outside?¡± ¡°¡­No, there wasn¡¯t.¡± The siege event was about defending the base from monsters. The monsters were scheduled to pour out in waves. And there was never a single word that the waves would ur from the outside. ¡°Yes. Then there¡¯s a possibility that it could be in the center, right?¡± ¡°But¡­ still¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just wait and see.¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s firm words, Yeo Min-ji closed her mouth. [Time remaining: 1 minute] Time passed, and it was time for the event to begin. Jeong-hoon, Ha-jin, and Yeo Min-ji went up Namsan to wait, while Kim Bong-goo brought barricades andpletely blocked the entrance below. ¡°Is this enough?¡± Kim Bong-goo wiped the sweat from his forehead and checked the state of the barricades he had installed. The barricades were purchased directly from the achievement shop before participating in the event. ¡®Prepare the things I told you about.¡¯ It was because of Jeong-hoon¡¯s instructions. ¡°But will a monster wave really ur here?¡± There had never been a monster wave in the center of the base. So it was natural to be suspicious. However, since other users had already gone to the outskirts, everyone agreed to defend the center. [The 1st Monster Wave begins.] Along with the start of the event, a giant gate was created above Namsan. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Kim Bong-goo¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of the gate. Just as Jeong-hoon had said, a monster wave was urring in Namsan. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 70 Chapter 70 ¡®At this rate, we won¡¯t even be able to fight properly.¡¯ Yeo Min-ji was dissatisfied with the current situation. The only reason she participated in this event was to observe Jeong-hoon¡¯sbat up close. To uncover the origins of the martial arts he possessed. Therefore, they should have gone to the outskirts to protect Seoul, but Jeong-hoon chose Namsan instead of the outskirts. At this rate, far from uncovering the martial arts, her contribution would be zero, and she would surely be ranked at the bottom of the event. ¡®The ranking isn¡¯t important.¡¯ If the monster wave urred outside, they could just move to the outskirts. ¡°It¡¯s about to start.¡± One minute until the event began. [The 1st Monster Wave begins.] And after one minute, a gate was created in the sky. Yeo Min-ji¡¯s pupils trembled madly when she saw the gate. That gate was the starting point of the monster wave. ¡°N-No way¡­¡± A monster wave in the center of the base? ¡°Get ready.¡± Jeong-hoon was already prepared for battle. ¡°O-Okay.¡± She also hurriedly equipped her knuckles and changed into armor with a lot of speed increase options. Since martial artists engaged in closebat, speed was the top priority. [Defend the base!] Dozens of monsters poured out of the gate. [The base is being destroyed!] [Damage: 0.001%] [The siege will automatically end when the damage reaches 1%.] The Namsan Tower was slightly damaged as the monsters poured out. ¡°1%¡­? This is really too much.¡± Usually, sieges continued until the base waspletely destroyed. However, this siege would end if only 1% of the base was damaged. Since the city was so huge, and the event couldn¡¯t be dragged on, they had set extreme conditions. [Lv.130 Wild Boar] The first wave monsters were wild boars. The monsters were also made up of creatures that would appear in Korea. ¡°Let¡¯s deal with them first.¡± Jeong-hoon leaped forward. With his level adjusted to 150, all of his stats were also adjusted to 150. Although his level had increased by 46, his stats had actually decreased. However, his skills remained the same, so there was no problem in using them. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1 form.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s Underworld King¡¯s Fist Techniquended on one of the wild boars. ¡°Kuweaaak!¡± The wild boar screamed from the heavy punch, and the other wild boars, which had been falling from the sky and rolling on the ground, regained their bnce and charged at Jeong-hoon. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going!¡± Yeo Min-ji unleashed her martial arts, creating a small gust of wind as she squeezed between the two. ¡°Krrrlung!¡± While the wild boars¡¯ attention was divided, Jeong-hoon used his movement technique and extended his fist towards the next wild boar. The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique connected, increasing to 2nd form. As the wild boars fell one by one to his fists, Yeo Min-ji was left speechless. ¡®Wow¡­¡¯ She was amazed when she saw the video in World Com, but seeing it with her own eyes was beyond amazement; it was shocking. He wasn¡¯t just pushing through with martial arts. If the martial arts were obtained by chance, hisbat sense came from his own capabilities. This wasn¡¯t something that could be learned simply by watching from the sidelines. ¡®What on earth does he do? Is he really level 104?¡¯ She could onlyugh in disbelief. The number one ranked martial artist in Korea? That was a joke. The real genius was right in front of her. He hunted the wild boars using the shortest path, and even while hitting so many of them, he didn¡¯t allow a single gap. That¡¯s why the wild boars couldn¡¯t handle Jeong-hoon even when they ganged up on him. ¡°Jeong-hoon! I¡¯ll help too!¡± Ha-jin started hunting wild boars, swinging his sword. Yeo Min-ji was startled by his loud voice. ¡°I-I¡¯ll help too.¡± Right. This wasn¡¯t the time to watch in a daze. She had to pretend to participate in the battle while openly watching! The option to focus on the battle didn¡¯t exist. Thanks to this, Yeo Min-ji was able to watch Jeong-hoon¡¯s martial arts until all the wild boars disappeared. * * * [The 1st Monster Wave has ended.] [Current base damage: 0.02%] ¡°I-It¡¯s already over?¡± Kim Bong-goo scratched his head with a bewildered expression. Three wild boars were lying sprawled in front of him. They were wild boars that had escaped from above. ¡®If a few monsterse down, kill them without mercy.¡¯ Because of Jeong-hoon¡¯s instructions, Kim Bong-goo immediately killed the wild boars. ¡°He¡¯s really an amazing person¡­¡± Every time he thought about how he almost made an enemy of such a person, he felt a chill down his spine. He should never do anything bad again. At that moment. Honk Honk! He heard the sound of horns honking behind him. He turned around to see a long line of cars lined up in front of the barricade. ¡°Hey! Why did you put up the barricade like this!¡± ¡°Move this, you son of a bitch!¡± The guys were sticking their heads out of the windows and yelling. Veins bulged on Kim Bong-goo¡¯s forehead. ¡°Son of a bitch? Who are you calling names? Do you know me, you bastards?¡± He then showed them his middle finger. ¡°F*ck you? This son of a bitch is crazy. Hey, who are you?!¡± Users got out of their vehicles. They were all adjusted to level 150, but some of them had alreadypleted their third job advancement. ¡®Damn¡­ How many of them are there?¡¯ Honestly, he was scared shitless. ¡®If this ce gets breached, I¡¯m dead.¡¯ But Jeong-hoon¡¯s warning was even scarier. If this ce was breached, he would experience the worst kind of pain. ¡°Screw you! You bastards, if you want to pass, you¡¯ll have to kill me first!¡± Right. If he at least pretended to block them and died, Jeong-hoon might show him mercy. At least he wouldn¡¯t kill him repeatedly. But then. ¡°What the f*ck! What is this!¡± Screams erupted from behind the vehicles. And then, ghosts in white mourning clothes appeared. Ghosts covered in blood, ghosts with their heads cut off, ghosts with their upper and lower bodies separated and moving independently, ghosts in ck mourning clothes wielding sickles, giant ghosts over eight feet tall, and so on. They were all ghosts from horror stories. The users were terrified by the appearance of the ghosts and hurriedly ran away. Of course, there were those who didn¡¯t. ¡°You bastards! Get them!¡± ¡°I¡¯m a pdin!¡± Users who wielded divine power instead of magic. Their confident expressions soon hardened. ¡°Damn it! What? Why aren¡¯t they disappearing?!¡± The ghosts didn¡¯t disappear even after being hit with divine power. The necromancer¡¯s magic that summoned the ghosts was stronger than the divine power. [You have been cursed.] [Your health is starting to decrease.] [All stats are reduced by 10%.] To make matters worse, they were cursed, all their stats were reduced, and their health started to decrease. Health existed for each user and wasmonly referred to as ¡®HP¡¯. If this health reached 0, they would die. The amount of health varied for each person, and they had to prevent their health from decreasing by reducing damage with defense. However, the decrease in health due to a curse couldn¡¯t be stopped unless the curse was purified. ¡°Items! What about items?!¡± ¡°Here¡¯s a potion!¡± Purification potion. They hurriedly drank the purification potion. But the curse didn¡¯t lift and remained the same. ¡°Damn it! The rare-grade purification potion isn¡¯t working?!¡± ¡°We need to drink an epic-grade potion¡­¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t have many achievement points!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the necromancer!¡± ¡°We need to catch the necromancer!¡± They changed their target and looked for the necromancer who summoned the ghosts, but the necromancer was nowhere to be seen. The problem wasn¡¯t just that. ¡°Gasp!¡± A ghost swung a hammer and struck a user¡¯s head. A ghost that could inflict physical damage?! Where in the world was there such a thing?! ¡°This is crazy! A ghost is hitting people!¡± ¡°What is this? How is this possible!¡± ¡°Health! My health keeps dropping!¡± Kim Bong-goo¡¯s confidence soared at the sight of the flustered users. ¡®That¡¯s on our side!¡¯ The ghosts didn¡¯t touch Kim Bong-goo, so it was certain. Kim Bong-goo waved his middle finger at the users and shouted, ¡°Hey, you idiots! Aren¡¯t you getting out of here?! If you keep messing around, you¡¯ll really die!¡± ¡°That bastard!¡± The users were furious at Kim Bong-goo¡¯s attitude, but as the ghosts rushed at them, they had no choice but to get back into their vehicles. Then the ghosts started pounding on the vehicles with their fists. Bang! Bang! In the end, the remaining users couldn¡¯t hold out and left Namsan. Then, as if nothing had happened, the ghosts disappeared. ¡°Heh heh! You lowly worms, did you think you could handle my necromancy with just that?¡± Michael, who had been hiding in the bushes, peeked out and smirked. ¡®Arge number of users will flock here. Go and drive them away.¡¯ He hade down and was waiting, following Jeong-hoon¡¯s orders. ¡°So you¡¯re the necromancer!¡± And Kim Bong-goo, who had been watching by chance, pointed at Michael. ¡°Why? Do you have a problem?¡± Michael reacted with a sullen face. Honestly, he didn¡¯t like Kim Bong-goo. That treacherous face reminded him of the warlock Ziru, who had tricked him in the past. Unlike himself, who had mastered necromancy, that guy pursued the extremes of curses. With his rotten fish eyes, how much he wanted to kill him every time he denounced necromancy. Grit. Kim Bong-goo flinched as Michael ground his teeth. ¡°N-No¡­ We¡¯re on the same team, so I thought it would be nice to get to know each other.¡± ¡°Get to know each other? Shut up before I sew those lips shut!¡± ¡°Eek! I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± * * * At the same time. Before preparing for the next monster wave, Yeo Min-ji closed her eyes and tried to imitate Jeong-hoon¡¯s martial arts. However, unlike what Jeong-hoon had shown, the martial arts she performed felt a little nd. How could he perform such clean and powerful martial arts? Also, there was the biggest problem. ¡®As expected¡­ Doing it this way reduces the impact.¡¯ Martial artists learned a new skill after their third job advancement, but activating that skill required certain conditions. It wasbos and damage. Only by umtingbos with normal attacks and exceeding a certain amount of cumtive damage could the skill be activated, which was the biggest reason why martial artists were called trash. Yeo Min-ji had invested everything in striking power topensate for this weakness. No matter how good her movements were, if she couldn¡¯t activate her skills, it was all for nothing. However, focusing on striking power had caused her to lose precision. Therefore, if she faced an enemy stronger than her, her chances of winning were close to zero. If she didn¡¯t have that weakness, she could have climbed 50, no, 100 ranks higher than she was now. But Jeong-hoon had both. ¡®Jeong-hoon is different.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s martial arts were on a different level of destructive power. Each of his punches exceeded the damage of other sses¡¯bat skills. It was too precise to be simply the power of a skill. In every aspect, Jeong-hoon was several steps ahead of her. If she had sparred with him on equal footing, she would probably have lost. It would be a lie to say that her pride wasn¡¯t hurt, but witnessing his martial arts firsthand, she readily acknowledged it. Quickly acknowledging the difference in talent was the first step to moving on to the next level. ¡®I need Jeong-hoon.¡¯ She was convinced once again. Jeong-hoon would be the perfect teacher toplement her weaknesses. [The 2nd Monster Wave begins.] Unfortunately, the second wave began. ¡°P-Poison Beetles?!¡± Ha-jin was horrified. The monsters that appeared this time were level 140 Poison Beetles. There were a whopping 30 of them. Each one was huge, with a body size of 3 meters. The poison they emitted had the property of melting people, making them very difficult to hunt. ¡°Everyone, step back.¡± Jeong-hoon was already holding Anima in his hand. He then pulled the string and aimed at the ceiling. Chiiiiik- At that moment, one of the Poison Beetles sprayed Jeong-hoon with poison gas. ¡°Hey! Watch out!¡± Ha-jin screamed, but Jeong-hoon¡¯s body was already engulfed in poison gas. At that moment. Fwoosh! The drawn bowstring was released, and the arrow shot towards the Poison Beetle. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 71 Chapter 71 The arrow pierced the Poison Beetle¡¯s chest urately. ¡°Kieeek!¡± The Poison Beetle screamed and plummeted to the ground. Jeong-hoon shot three more arrows at it, ending its life. ¡°What an ugly creature.¡± Anima was perched on Jeong-hoon¡¯s shoulder, looking down at the Poison Beetle. [Resisting poison.] [Not poisoned.] The epic-grade Hundred Poison Immunity skill had activated. No matter how strong the Poison Beetle¡¯s poison was, it couldn¡¯t prate the hard-earned Hundred Poison Immunity. ¡°Not yet.¡± One Poison Beetle was down. The remaining 29 were pping their wings desperately, trying to escape Namsan. The poison gas they spread in the process quickly engulfed entirity of Namsan. The trees and grass withered instantly from the poison gas. [The base is being destroyed!] [Damage: 0.025%] The base wasn¡¯t just the buildings, but the entire natural environment. [The base is being destroyed!] [Damage: 0.028%] The wider the poison gas spread, the faster the base¡¯s damage increased. ¡°Cough¡­¡± Meanwhile, Ha-jin was coughing and gasping for breath, seemingly poisoned. ¡°Ha!¡± On the other hand, Yeo Min-ji swung her fists in the air, casting Wind Fist. Although it wasn¡¯t a very powerful skill for a 3rd ss advancement, it was enough to hunt the Poison Beetles. The Wind Fist¡¯s shockwave hit the Poison Beetles directly, and two more fell. Also, her body was well-trained up to the 4th ss advancement, so she had no problem enduring the Poison Beetle¡¯s poison. ¡°Here¡¯s the antidote! Drink it!¡± Jeong-hoon threw the antidote to Ha-jin and drew his bowstring. He had to stop the Poison Beetles from escaping Namsan. ¡°Kill them all!¡± Anima shouted, pulling Jeong-hoon¡¯s hair. ¡®Shut up, I know.¡¯ Thanks to the skill, Anima¡¯s actions were mitigated, but it was still annoying. He aimed at a Poison Beetle and released the drawn bowstring. Fwoosh! The arrow shot out and urately pierced the Poison Beetle¡¯s torso. Poison Beetles were fast but had ridiculously low defense. That¡¯s why they had six vital points. Since its torso was hit, the Poison Beetle crashed to the ground. Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t stop there and aimed at the next Poison Beetle, shooting another arrow. ¡°@!#!¡± Every time an arrow was shot, a Poison Beetle would scream an iprehensible sound and crash to the ground, and in the meantime, Yeo Min-ji also chased after a flying Poison Beetle and knocked it down with Wind Fist. It took only 10 minutes to deal with them all. ¡°Are you okay?!¡± After the remaining 10 Poison Beetles were killed, Yeo Min-ji approached Ha-jin. ¡°Phew, I¡¯m okay.¡± Ha-jin used the antidote Jeong-hoon gave him to detoxify the Poison Beetle¡¯s venom. It seemed to be a pretty good antidote, as he received an additional detoxification buff. ¡°That buff willst for an hour, so you should be fine.¡± Jeong-hoon also approached Ha-jin and checked his condition. Perhaps because he took the antidote immediately after being poisoned, his health hadn¡¯t decreased much. ¡®It seems like healing won¡¯t be necessary.¡¯ [The 2nd Monster Wave has ended.] [Current base damage: 0.042%] As the second wave ended, the thick poison gas disappeared instantly. ¡°The users really can¡¯t get close, can they?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s quite useful.¡± ¡°It seems so¡­¡± Yeo Min-ji recalled what had just happened. Right after the first wave ended, Jeong-hoon summoned a tamed monster. And it was a monster in human form. ¡®I learned taming. That monster is my subordinate, created with that skill.¡¯ Yeo Min-ji and Ha-jin were shocked by his bombshell announcement. Yeo Min-ji¡¯s pupils, in particr, were trembling madly. To think that he, a martial artist, had even learned taming. Was it possible to extend [Steadfast Will], which was practically blocked by the system, to such a wide range? Just how much potential did Jeong-hoon have? She shivered all over. ¡®Greetings! My name is Michael.¡¯ However, she couldn¡¯t help but feel disgusted by the monster¡¯s introduction. The summoned Michael approached her with a greasy expression. With his greasy face and greasy expression, she felt her whole body cringe. She felt like she could throw a punch at any moment, but she couldn¡¯t do so with Jeong-hoon right beside her. ¡®It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve met such a beautiful woman. Perhaps I¡¯ve lived until now just to see you. If you don¡¯t mind, would you like to join me¡­¡¯ ¡®Come back quietly if you don¡¯t want to die.¡¯ ¡®Yes, sir!¡¯ Fortunately, Jeong-hoon interrupted in the middle. Afterwards, Michael followed his instructions and went down to check the surroundings, and soon, a noisy sound came from outside. And soon after, the noisy sound slowly stopped. Michael had driven away the users. The reason being that if there were too many people, it would be easy to defeat the monsters, but there would surely be amotion as they all tried to take the credit. ¡°They¡¯ll be back soon. And then they¡¯ll definitely break through.¡± The number of users participating from Seoul alone easily exceeded tens of thousands. Surely, there would be a truckload of users rushing towards Namsan right now. At that time, it would be impossible to stop them with just Michael. ¡®I need to solidify my first ce ranking before that.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had two reasons to take first ce in this siege. One was the capsule. And the other was the heavenly energy. He couldn¡¯t miss out on taking first ce when they were offering an additional 5%. ¡®If we can hold out until the third wave, securing first ce will be a done deal.¡¯ Jeong-hoon knew that this siege would have four waves. The third wave would bring forth monsters around level 150, and the final wave would feature a massive boss monster at level 170. The problem was that the first and second waves were just a warm-up, and the real challenge started from the third wave. Therefore, they had to hunt as many monsters as possible during the third wave. Only then could they secure first ce even if other users joined in. ¡°Jeong-hoon.¡± At that moment, Yeo Min-ji approached Jeong-hoon and spoke to him. ¡°Yes?¡± Her face was more serious than ever. ¡°I¡¯d like to ask you again. I still wish you would take me as your disciple.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Please!¡± ¡°¡­Just like that?¡± Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t readily ept. But Yeo Min-ji saw hope. When she first met him, she was rejected without a chance, but now there was a possibility. That alone was enough. She spoke with the determination not to get anything for free. ¡°Of course not! A deal! Let¡¯s make a deal!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Jeong-hoon fell into thought for a moment. That was when it happened. [Gyeonggi Yangju 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Jeonbuk Jeongeup 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Gyeongnam Gimhae 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Chungbuk Okcheon 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Jeonnam Hwasun 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Gyeonggi Paju 1% damage! The siege ends!] [TL/N: These are locations in Korea] ¡­ 14 regions were breached before the third wave even started. Since it was only 1%, the areas were bound to be breached if they didn¡¯t start hunting as soon as the wave began. In that situation, everyone was focusing on defending the outskirts, so it was natural for them to be blindsided and breached. ¡°Wow¡­ Jeong-hoon, we would have been screwed if we hadn¡¯te to Namsan like you said¡­¡± Ha-jin gave Jeong-hoon a thumbs up. If they had opposed Jeong-hoon¡¯s opinion and gone to the outskirts, Seoul wouldn¡¯t have been safe either. Instead of 0.042, the damage might have quickly exceeded 1% and ended the game. ¡°It was just luck.¡± ¡°To say it was luck¡­ It seems like you knew it would appear in Namsan.¡± Jeong-hoon had strongly insisted on bringing the party to Namsan, as if he had foreseen that the gate would open there. So the word ¡°luck¡± didn¡¯t fit here. ¡°I kind of knew it would open in the center.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Is that really true?¡± Yeo Min-ji¡¯s eyes widened at his bombshell statement. The details of the event weren¡¯t shared anywhere. How did Jeong-hoon get that information? ¡°Remember the NPC who sent us to the event location?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± It was a level 700 event NPC. ¡°That NPC was the one who guided me during the 2nd ss advancement event.¡± ¡°Oh? Really?¡± She had never heard of an event NPC appearing consecutively. Usually, the NPCs who guided events in New World were one-time urrences. Meaning they would never appear again once they had appeared once. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why they gave me a hint. To try aiming for the center.¡± ¡°¡­No way.¡± An event NPC favoring a user? Was that even possible? Yeo Min-ji was still suspicious, but Jeong-hoon shrugged nonchntly. ¡°How else do you think I would have suggested going to Namsan?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s prepare for the third wave. We need to finish this before the users flock here.¡± [The 3rd Monster Wave begins.] Soon after, the third wave began. Once again, a gate was created above Namsan, and this time, level 150 moon bears poured out. Meanwhile. The third wave monsters were moon bears. A whopping 1,000 of them. Hundreds of moon bears poured out and descended towards the barricade where Michael and Kim Bong-goo were. ¡°Damn, moon bears? We¡¯re screwed. Shouldn¡¯t we run away?!¡± Kim Bong-goo bit his lip and looked at Michael. ¡°There are too many of them for the two of us to handle¡­¡± Michael muttered nkly. [Lv.150 Moon Bear] They were all level 150. This was a real mess. How could they stop them? He wanted to run away, barricades be damned, but he couldn¡¯t because of Jeong-hoon¡¯s order. ¡°No¡­ Be reasonable. I don¡¯t know!¡± It was a fight with no chance of winning. Kim Bong-goo gave up on fighting head-on and turned around. At that moment, he saw numerous vehicles rushing towards Namsan. ¡®We¡¯re saved!¡¯ If all those users joined in, defeating the moon bears wouldn¡¯t be impossible. ¡°What? Those moon bears?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already the third wave! If we don¡¯t catch them quickly, we¡¯ll be at the bottom of the rankings!¡± The users hurriedly got out of their vehicles and rushed towards the moon bears. ¡°Uwaaaaah!¡± [The Moon Bears use ¡®Intimidation¡¯.] Over 300 moon bears roared and unleashed their abilities. The users¡¯ bodies froze for a moment as they used Intimidation. Their muscles were paralyzed by the sudden fear. In that moment, the moon bears pounced on the users. Did bears tear people apart? [Health is rapidly decreasing!] [Health is below 80%. Healing is required.] As the moon bears bit them, the users¡¯ health began to drain rapidly. ¡°These damn bears!¡± ¡°Heal! Heal!¡± The healers hurriedly cast their healing spells, and the users who were freed from paralysis fought back against the moon bears. At first, the users were outnumbered, but as time passed and more users joined in, the moon bears began to fall one by one. [The base is being destroyed!] [Damage: 0.212%] The damage to the base exceeded 0.2% as they fought. Just a small part of Seoul, Namsan, being in chaos caused the damage to exceed 0.2%. The reason was that with the wave urring in Namsan, the range of the base had narrowed, centering around the gate. The same was true for other regions. That¡¯s why the 1% mark was reached so quickly. ¡°Kuwok¡­!¡± The battle finally ended when the corpses of the moon bears filled Namsan. ¡°Phew, that was tough.¡± ¡°A bear is a bear, I guess.¡± ¡°That was really damn hard.¡± The users¡¯ breathing was rough. They hadpeted to take down as many moon bears as possible. [Damage: 0.233%] The current damage to the base was 0.233%. ¡°Phew, shall we go up now?¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s do that. Hey, walk a little further away.¡± Kim Bong-goo and Michael tactfully moved their steps. Since they had been breached, they had to report to Jeong-hoon. At that moment, a user shouted angrily. ¡°Hey? You bastard! Don¡¯t you have something to say to me?¡± He was the user who had been cursed out by Kim Bong-goo earlier. ¡°You idiot, go f*ck yourself!¡± Kim Bong-goo gave him the middle finger again and quickly ran up. ¡°You son of a bitch! Stop right there!¡± The user chased after Kim Bong-goo. Seeing this, the rest of the users also rushed up. There was a mountain of moon bear corpses on top. ¡°What is all this?¡± There seemed to be hundreds of them at a nce. Who on earth had hunted all these monsters? At that moment, a user shouted loudly. ¡°It¡¯s Yeo Min-ji!¡± At those words, everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Yeo Min-ji. She was currently facing off against a moon bear. It seemed she was the one who had hunted all these moon bears. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± ¡°As expected of a ranker, huh?¡± ¡°But she caught all these by herself?¡± Even for a ranker, everyone¡¯s level was adjusted to 150 here. It was unbelievable that she had defeated so many moon bears in such a short time. ¡°Kuweaaak!¡± Just then, a martial artist was seen beating a moon bear. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 72 Chapter 72 The third wave¡¯s moon bears. Leaving aside the fact that they were level 150, there were just too many of them. ¡°Are you okay?! There are so many!¡± Yeo Min-ji hurriedly took a stance and shouted as she unleashed her most damaging skill, Extinction Fist, into the abdomen of a charging moon bear. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine¡­?¡± There were too many of them. There were hundreds of them visible to the naked eye. If only their levels and stats weren¡¯t adjusted to 150, she would have been able to hunt this many and more. Of course, she was managing with items, but it wasn¡¯t enough to hunt such arge number. The same was true for Jeong-hoon, but he had a trump card left. ¡®Shall I use it now?¡¯ === [Stat Amplification Ring (One-Time Use)] -Type: Ring -Grade: Epic -Special Ability (1): When the ring¡¯s magic power is drawn out, the wearer¡¯s all stats are temporarily increased by 50%. -Special Ability (2): All of the opponent¡¯s abilities and damage from attacks are reduced by 50%. -Once used, the ring can no longer be used. === An item obtained from opening the Unknown Box. Honestly, it wasn¡¯t an incredibly amazing item, but it was an item that Jeong-hoon desperately needed. Because he knew that a situation like this would happen. Jeong-hoon focused his magic power on the ring he was wearing on his index finger. The jewel of the ring turned red, and he immediately released its power. [All stats are increased by 50%.] [50% damage reduction is applied.] [The time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] For one hour, all of his stats increased by 50%, bing ¡®225¡¯. ¡°A stat amplification item?!¡± Yeo Min-ji immediately recognized the change in Jeong-hoon¡¯s aura. To think that she would be able to witness the use of a stat amplification item, which was said to be nearly impossible to obtain, up close. Where on earth did he get such an item? ¡°It¡¯s not that rare since it¡¯s a one-time use.¡± Jeong-hoon said nonchntly and started hunting the swarming moon bears. ¡°Let¡¯s join in too!¡± Ha-jin, who was watching from behind, also drew his sword and shed at the charging moon bears. ¡°Kuwaa!¡± ¡°Damn it! It doesn¡¯t die in one hit.¡± Ha-jin cursed and continued to swing his sword. At that moment, two moon bears charged at Ha-jin. ¡°Watch out!¡± Yeo Min-ji blocked the moon bears that were heading towards Ha-jin. Thus, the hunt began, and as time passed, the corpses of the moon bears piled up. Of course, Jeong-hoon had hunted more than 80% of them alone. When he had hunted around 400-500 of them, the users finally joined in. ¡°Hey! We need to catch them quickly too!¡± While Jeong-hoon and Yeo Min-ji were beating up the remaining moon bears, the users hurriedly joined in and dealt with the rest. [The 3rd Monster Wave has ended.] [Current base damage: 0.256%] The base¡¯s damage was 0.25%. It was over a quarter of the 1% limit. ¡®At this rate, we can definitely defend it.¡¯ Thest one was a level 170 boss. [Gyeonggi Uijeongbu 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Chungbuk Cheongju 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Gyeongnam Geoje 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Jeonbuk Gunsan 1% damage! The siege ends!] [Gyeonggi Paju 1% damage! The siege ends!] ¡­ Countless notifications popped up as the third wave ended. [All regions in South Korea except Seoul have been annihted.] ¡°What? Only Seoul is left?¡± ¡°Does that mean if we don¡¯t protect Seoul, South Korea is finished¡­?¡± The users¡¯ faces were filled with dismay. They never dreamed that all regions except Seoul would copse in the third wave. ¡®Originally, Seoul should have been finished too.¡¯ South Korea would end without even seeing the fourth wave. It was the same for other countries. How could they move so meticulously in an event that was originallyposed of PC cafe users? Jeong-hoon knew that no country had sessfully defended the siege in this event. The event was aplete failure. It was the cause of the Earth suffering from all sorts of natural disasters. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Yeo Min-ji approached Jeong-hoon and checked his body. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s body was the same as before the battle. There wasn¡¯t even a single scratch. This was because he had used the epic-grade Intermediate Healing to heal himself. Unaware of this, Yeo Min-ji clicked her tongue. ¡°¡­Anyone else wouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand it.¡± No matter how much you used a stat amplification item, it was impossible for one person to handle hundreds of level 150 moon bears alone. p! p! p! p! At that moment, the sound of apuse filled Namsan. And the NPC Ling Ling appeared in the air as a hologram. ¡°I¡¯m so d I¡¯m in charge of the Korean server. I never imagined you¡¯d perfectly block the third wave.¡± The users were startled by the sudden appearance of the event NPC. ¡°Who is that NPC?¡± ¡°What? Why is she appearing there?¡± ¡°Is the siege over?¡± Ling Ling chuckled, seemingly pleased with the users¡¯ reactions. ¡°The siege isn¡¯t over yet. I came here to make you all a proposition.¡± Ling Ling¡¯s gaze subtly shifted towards Jeong-hoon. He was the one who contributed the most to this siege. [4th Wave difficulty increased] Arge holographic message appeared next to Ling Ling. ¡°Increased difficulty?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make it even harder than it is now?¡± The users muttered in disbelief. As if expecting such a reaction, Ling Ling added, ¡°If you seed, I¡¯ll give you a very special reward. Rewards you won¡¯t regret.¡± Then, the rewards appeared in a list. An upgrade from the current job ss, unique-grade weapons and armor, skill books containing rare skills, and even boxes filled with tens of thousands of gold. The users¡¯ eyes sparkled as they saw the rewards. ¡°Are you really going to give us those?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°Does that mean I can go straight from rare to epic grade?¡± The rewards were too tempting to refuse. They had joinedte anyway, so it was difficult to expect a high ranking. It was better to raise the difficulty and get the rewards instead. ¡°So, what do you say? Will you do it? For your reference, the rewards are random.¡± The users looked at each other and nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°We definitely have to do it!¡± As the majority epted the proposal, Ling Ling¡¯s lips curled up into a wide smile. At the same time, Jeong-hoon¡¯s face hardened slightly. ¡®So you¡¯re going to make the bet happen this way?¡¯ ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s start right away!¡± Ling Ling snapped her fingers and disappeared. [The difficulty of the 4th Monster Wave has increased.] [The 4th Monster Wave begins.] As the fourth wave began, a giant gate, unlike anything they had seen before, was created. A monster slowly emerged from the gate. [Lv.175 Dragonia] A monster in the form of a giant dragon. The users were speechless at the sight of Dragonia¡¯s majesty. ¡°Dragonia¡­?¡± Yeo Min-ji¡¯s face also hardened. Originally, Dragonia¡¯s level was 420. Even rankers over level 400 didn¡¯t dare challenge it recklessly, so the number of Dragonias defeated so far could be counted on one hand. And now, Dragonia had appeared, its level lowered to 175. ¡°Why Dragonia of all things¡­?¡± The users were well aware of Dragonia¡¯s infamy. The reasony in the ability it used. ¡®Extinction.¡¯ Users hit by Extinction would be left with only 1% of their health, magic power, and divine power. Moreover, for 30 seconds, recovery was restricted, making it impossible to recover even with potions or skills. It was literally a broken ability. So unless you had a skill to nullify the ability, it was wise to give up on the Dragonia strategy. ¡°B-But, maybe it won¡¯t use Extinction¡­?¡± The only fortunate thing was that Dragonia¡¯s level was currently 175. Even at level 420, it didn¡¯t use Extinction often, so there was a possibility it wouldn¡¯t use it at level 175. ¡°Yeah! We¡¯ll overwhelm it with numbers!¡± No matter how strong Dragonia was, it wouldn¡¯t be able to handle a multitude of users. They gathered in parties and moved to attack Dragonia. ¡°Damn humans!¡± Dragonia opened its mouth wide and prepared to breathe fire. ¡°B-Breath attack!¡± ¡°Barrier! Barrier!¡± They couldn¡¯t let Dragonia use its breath attack. Not only did they have to defeat it, but they also had to protect the base from damage. The mages hurriedly deployed a barrier with a radius of 500 meters around Namsan. And Dragonia unleashed its prepared breath. [Dragonia uses ¡®Breath¡¯.] The breath attack hit the barrier. Crash! The barrier couldn¡¯t withstand the breath attack and shattered. But it wasn¡¯tpletely ineffective. Since it was a level 175 breath attack, it was somewhat absorbed by the ovepping barriers, and the remaining fragments scattered around. [The base is being destroyed!] [Damage: 0.261%] ¡°Attack!¡± It had just used its breath attack, so it would take time for it to use the next one. The usersunched a total attack to pressure Dragonia in the meantime. But then¡­ [Dragonia uses ¡®Extinction¡¯.] [Everyone¡¯s health, magic power, and divine power are reduced to 1%.] [Recovery is impossible for 30 seconds.] The users were hit by Extinction, and all their health, magic power, and divine power were reduced to 1%. The skills they had prepared disappeared due tock of magic power, and healing couldn¡¯t be done for 30 seconds due to the recovery restriction. The users¡¯ faces turned pale. ¡°This is crazy!¡± ¡°Its level was reduced to 175?! Why is it using Extinction?!¡± Dragonia looked satisfied with the users¡¯ reactions and unleashed a shockwave. The users, left with only 1% of their health, couldn¡¯t withstand the shockwave and disappeared on the spot. They were dead. ¡°Dodge!¡± Since they were under the effect of Extinction, they had to avoid Dragonia for 30 seconds. ¡°What about the base?!¡± [The base is being destroyed!] [Damage: 0.282%] The more Dragonia rampaged, the faster the base¡¯s damage increased. At this rate, 1% would be reached soon. At that moment, a user stepped forward. It was none other than Jeong-hoon. ¡®Even though I was hit by Extinction, I still have 50% left, so it¡¯s okay.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s body was currently under the effect of the Stat Amplification Ring. Even though he was hit by Extinction, it nullified 50% of the effect, so Jeong-hoon still had half of his health remaining. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that the martial artist who was with Yeo Min-ji?¡± ¡°What is he trying to do alone?¡± The users who were running away from Dragonia looked at Jeong-hoon with bewildered faces. ¡®Dragonia, I can hunt you down.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had experience defeating Dragonia. Therefore, he knew better than anyone that it was nothing special as long as he was careful of Extinction. ¡®Its weakness is its defense.¡¯ Dragonia wasn¡¯t a real dragon. It was a monster that failed to be a dragon due to a mutation. It possessed powerful abilities, but its defense was correspondingly low. Well, rtively lower than those in the 400 level range. It was still tougher than those in the mid tote 300 level range. However, the current Dragonia was level 175. Jeong-hoon, with his amplified stats, was confident he could kill it in an instant. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡± Jeong-hoon drew his bowstring. ¡°What? It¡¯s an inferior species.¡± Anima nced at the giant Dragonia and lost interest. ¡°You insolent creature!¡± Dragonia shouted in anger. Dragon Fear. The dragon species could sense each other¡¯s energy. So its inferiorityplex exploded at the appearance of Anima. ¡°What a noisy creature.¡± Anima raised its short arms and pretended to cover its ears. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡± Jeong-hoon drew the bowstring. Jeong-hoon had experienced several trials and errors to figure out Dragonia¡¯s weakness and how to attack it. He finally released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow shot out. The arrow hit Dragonia near its left chest. ¡°Kaaaagh!¡± Dragonia screamed as the arrow pierced it. [Debuff, ¡®All Stats Decreased by 1%¡¯ activated.] [Dragonia is incapacitated for 7 seconds.] [All of Dragonia¡¯s abilities are sealed for 10 seconds.] One of Anima¡¯s abilities, a random debuff with a low activation probability, had been triggered. ¡°The probability is really low.¡± Wasn¡¯t this the first time the debuff had been triggered? Honestly, he had forgotten that it even had a debuff option. Furthermore, the ck mes hadn¡¯t red up even once since Uradon. Even if it was 0.1%, wasn¡¯t this too unlucky? As Jeong-hoon muttered softly, Anima blushed and yelled. ¡°Hey! It¡¯s pretty good for not being enhanced!¡± Anima had only evolved from Unique to Legendary grade, but currently, it hadn¡¯t been enhanced at all. In fact, enhancing Anima at its current level was impossible. To enhance Anima, Legendary Enhancement Stones were needed, but the problem was that there were hardly any of these stones, and the enhancement sess rate was so low that no users even attempted it. Well, he would solve this problem soon too. ¡°Who said anything?¡± ¡°Your expression was totally cursing me.¡± ¡°Must be your imagination.¡± Jeong-hoon drew his bowstring again. ¡°How dare you chatter in front of me¡­ How far do you intend to insult me?!¡± It shouted at Jeong-hoon with bloodshot eyes. But Jeong-hoon knew it was directed at Anima. Dragonia had been rejected by dragons as an inferior species. ¡°Stop making noise and just die.¡± Jeong-hoon released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow struck the same spot as before. ¡°Kaaagh!¡± It screamed and tried to twist its body, but it was frozen and couldn¡¯t move. Jeong-hoon repeatedly shot arrows. When nine arrows had been embedded, Dragonia crashed to the ground. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 73 Chapter 73 The users were overwhelmed with shock at the scene unfolding before their eyes. ¡°I-Is it over?¡± ¡°Dragonia has fallen¡­¡± Amon-grade martial artist. Judging by his second ss advancement, he hadn¡¯t even reached level 200 yet. When everyone was trying to run away, they thought he was just a crazy fool showing off when he was the only one approaching Dragonia. Surely he would die without a fight. His health, along with magic and divine power, the sources of his skills, had been reduced to 1%. Furthermore, he couldn¡¯t even recover for 30 seconds. But what was this? The martial artist suddenly pulled out a bow and drew the string, out of nowhere. ¡°What¡­? He doesn¡¯t have any magic power, so how is he using a magic arrow?¡± A magic arrow was created on the bow that had nothing on it. No, wait. That wasn¡¯t the only surprising thing. ¡°How can a martial artist handle a magic arrow¡­?¡± It didn¡¯t make sense that a martial artist, not an archer, had created a magic arrow. If it had ended there, they would have been surprised, but that was it. ¡°Kaaagh¡­¡± The level 175 Dragonia, which had made everyone tremble, copsed. ¡°Crazy¡­ What is this?¡± It was beyond surprise, it was shock. Amon-grade martial artist had single-handedly hunted down a level 175 Dragonia. ¡°What the hell is that martial artist?¡± ¡°How did he defend against Extinction? Can we get a skill that nullifies abilities at our level?¡± ¡°No wonder¡­ There was a reason he was with Yeo Min-ji.¡± At this point, they were curious about the martial artist¡¯s identity. Who on earth was that martial artist? ¡°Kaaagh! Not yet! Not yet!¡± Dragonia, who they thought was dead, raised its head and roared. ¡°Eek!¡± ¡°Damn it! It¡¯s not dead yet?!¡± The users flinched and backed away in fear. ¡®What? Its heart waspletely destroyed, but it¡¯s still alive?¡¯ Jeong-hoon drew his bowstring with a puzzled look. He hadpletely damaged its heart with nine arrows. So it shouldn¡¯t be able to open its eyes. Could Ling Ling have yed some trick? The drawn bowstring was released, and the arrow shot out. The arrow flew in a parab towards Dragonia¡¯s forehead. [Dragonia uses ¡®Final Breath¡¯.] Dragonia opened its mouth and unleashed a different kind of breath, like aser. It was a breath created by squeezing out the remaining life force and magic power. The breath attack instantly engulfed Jeong-hoon. ¡°Jeong-hoon!¡± ¡°Hoon!¡± Yeo Min-ji and Ha-jin shouted urgently. Kwaaang! [The base is being destroyed!] [Damage: 0.782%] Nothing remained where the breath had swept through, and acrid smoke was rising. ¡°Heh heh¡­ Let¡¯s go together¡­¡± Dragonia muttered softly and lowered its head. It was dead. ¡°Phew, that was a bit dangerous.¡± But Jeong-hoon walked out unscathed. The users were so surprised to see him unharmed after being hit directly by the breath attack that they could only gape. ¡°How did you survive¡­?¡± Anima, riding on his shoulder, also asked with a shocked expression. ¡°Ah, I got a skill.¡± [Block] -Type: Active -Level: 1 -Grade: Legendary -Consumes 50% of magic power to absolutely block any attack (1 time) -Cooldown: 24 hours The Block skill obtained from the hidden theme. He didn¡¯t expect to use it so soon, but without this skill, Jeong-hoon would have been in danger. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing the 30 seconds passed.¡¯ His magic power had dropped to 38% due to handling Anima. Jeong-hoon quickly used healing to recover some of his magic power and immediately activated Block to defend against the breath attack. If Extinction had been maintained, he would have died from that breath attack. If that had happened, he would have lost the bet with Ling Ling. It had pretended to make a bet with all the users, but in reality, it was a bet with him. ¡°Jeong-hoon!¡± ¡°Hey! Are you okay?!¡± Yeo Min-ji and Ha-jin ran to Jeong-hoon and checked his body. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled and shrugged. ¡°¡­You¡¯re fine after being hit by that breath attack?¡± Ha-jin asked in disbelief after confirming that he was okay. ¡°I got a skill that defends against the opponent¡¯s attacks.¡± ¡°Damn it! He has it all.¡± Ha-jin looked at him with envious eyes, and Yeo Min-ji¡¯s pupils trembled madly. ¡°What grade is it to be able to block that breath attack¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± Yeo Min-ji frowned at Jeong-hoon¡¯s lukewarm answer. But she didn¡¯t ask again. It seemed like he wouldn¡¯t answer even if she did. [The 4th Monster Wave has ended.] [Since the base damage did not exceed 1%, you have sessfully defended the siege!] With Dragoniapletely dead, the long siege event came to an end. p. p. p. At that moment, the NPC Ling Ling, who had proposed the bet, appeared again. ¡°Well done. I didn¡¯t expect you to defeat Dragonia unscathed.¡± Ling Ling was staring solely at Jeong-hoon. It was Jeong-hoon who had hunted Dragonia and surprised Ling Ling. ¡°It wasn¡¯t that surprising.¡± Jeong-hoon shrugged. The bet with Ling Ling. He had proposed a bet that was more difficult than the eerie dark streets. Extinction, and even the Final Breath, an ability that shouldn¡¯t have existed. Despite Ling Ling¡¯s best efforts to win the bet, Jeong-hoon emerged victorious, and Ling Ling smiled brightly, seemingly in a good mood. ¡°Hehe, you¡¯re really interesting. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t stop betting.¡± Ling Ling snapped her fingers. Then everything around them disappeared, and the users were transported to the settlement area. The event was over, so they had to be rewarded ordingly. However, each individual was transported to the settlement area, not as a party. ¡°Why did you call me separately?¡± ¡°Huh? I never intended to give rewards to the others anyway. They¡¯ll just hear the results, get some trivial rewards, and leave.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m going to give them some trash items in the name of random boxes. Hehe.¡± Ling Ling said with a yful expression. ¡°That seems like a scam.¡± ¡°A scam?! I said I would give it to you if you sessfullypleted the 4th wave.¡± ¡°Then everyone seeded, didn¡¯t they? They all survived until the end.¡± He had to set the record straight. Even if the other users didn¡¯t matter, he wanted to take care of Ha-jin. ¡°¡­Ah, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Then you should give them equal rewards now.¡± ¡°W-Well, that¡¯s a bit difficult. I meant to offer it as a reward for hunting Dragonia¡­¡± Ling Ling stammered an excuse with a flustered expression. ¡°Then at least take care of the party I¡¯m in.¡± ¡°Ah, three people?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright! That¡¯s possible!¡± Ling Ling nodded and snapped her fingers. With this, Yeo Min-ji and Ha-jin would receive upgraded rewards. It was a bit annoying that Kim Bong-goo would also get a reward, but he had faithfully carried out the instructions Jeong-hoon gave him, so he would let it slide this time. ¡°Then shall we hear what the rewards are?¡± ¡°First, take the heavenly energy!¡± [You have acquired 5% heavenly energy.] First, 5% of heavenly energy. This was what Ling Ling had offered before entering the siege event. And now it was time to receive the reward for defeating Dragonia. ¡°I heard there are some pretty tempting rewards.¡± He couldn¡¯t upgrade his job ss any further at the moment. However, the unique-grade items and skill books containing rare skills were quite tempting. ¡°Hmm, then I¡¯ll give you one. Choose!¡± Several holograms appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. Unique Equipment Random Box. Epic Skill Random Skill Book (Rare). 2 Unique Enhancement Stones. And so on¡­ It consisted of items that were difficult to obtain at the current level. ¡®One of these.¡¯ Honestly, it was a bit difficult to choose just one. It wasn¡¯t that he was greedy, but rather that they were all a bit ambiguous. ¡®The randomness is a shame.¡¯ Jeong-hoon knew about future values. Therefore, if it were a selection box, he would have chosen the unique equipment without hesitation. However, if it was a random box, the story was different. It was 100 times better to get something else than to get useless unique equipment. ¡°If you¡¯re having trouble choosing, I¡¯ll make you an offer!¡± While he was pondering, Ling Ling made a new proposal. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°That ring on your finger. I¡¯ll restore it so you can use it permanently.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. The Stat Amplification Ring was so powerful that there were virtually no permanent items like it. To make such an item permanent¡­ ¡°Yes. Of course, the effects will be greatly reduced¡­ but wouldn¡¯t it be better than using it once and throwing it away?¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Even with reduced effects, a stat amplification item was a cheat item no matter what. ¡°Good! Then you forgive me!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Ahem, I was a bit spiteful because you didn¡¯t deal damage. This is my way of asking for forgiveness.¡± Ling Ling had proposed a bet to all the users because Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t deal damage. It was a way to force Jeong-hoon to participate in the bet by getting the majority to agree. It seemed like Ling Ling felt guilty about that. ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have set it up in the first ce.¡± ¡°¡­So you¡¯re not going to forgive me?¡± ¡°Sigh, fine. I¡¯ll let it slide this time.¡± Since the oue was good, he would let it slide this time. ¡°Thank you! Then put the ring in this restoration device!¡± A restoration device made of holograms appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon took off the ring from his finger and ced it on the restoration device. Then a transparent membrane covered the restoration device, and it started working with a loud noise. Whirr! Whoosh! Soon, smoke erupted, and the restoration device stopped working. The membrane was removed, and a ring was ced in front of it. It wasn¡¯t the ring that had lost its light after being used once, but a ring with a red glow. === [Stat Amplification Ring] -Type: Ring -Grade: Epic -Special Ability (1): When the ring¡¯s magic power is drawn out, the wearer¡¯s all stats are increased by 15% for 1 hour. (Cooldown: 2 hours) -Special Ability (2): For 1 hour, all of the opponent¡¯s abilities and damage from attacks are reduced by 20%. (Cooldown: 2 hours) === It was the moment a permanent ring, not a one-time use item, was born. * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Ha-jin stepped out. As if on cue, Lee Hyun-woo approached and asked, ¡°Is it over? How did it go?¡± Ha-jin nodded with a dazed expression. ¡°Yes¡­ We got first ce!¡± ¡°First ce?¡± ¡°Yes! And I¡¯ve been promoted to Aura Knight.¡± It wasn¡¯t just first ce. ¡®Congrattions! You¡¯ve reached the rare grade with this!¡¯ Ha-jin had chosen to raise his ss by one tier, and as a result, he became an Aura Knight from a regr knight. It was a very satisfying result. Moreover, since they won first ce as a party, all party members would receive personal capsules. ¡°Really?! Congrattions, buddy.¡± Lee Hyun-woo congratted Ha-jin with a happy face. Ha-jin had always wanted a personal capsule. He had even hinted at buying one for him, but Ha-jin had adamantly refused, saying he couldn¡¯t ept such an expensive capsule for free, and had been using the capsule room instead. So now that he had fairly earned it through the event, there was no need to use the capsule room anymore. ¡°Hyung¡­ Thank you.¡± Ha-jin¡¯s eyes welled up. The luckiest day since he started New World was when he got a unique weapon. And now, that day had been reced by today. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 74 Chapter 74 === [New World Event Results Announcement!] -Hello! This is the New World development team. First of all, we are posting this announcement to share some very exciting news with our users! We are sharing the results of the Capsule Room Siege Event. [Ranking] You can check the ranking of users who participated in the event by clicking the link below, but it¡¯s a bit of a disappointing result. [South Korea ¨C Seoul] is the only region that perfectly won the siege. Thanks to this, the development team will think more deeply about this issue. We will continue to present various events to our users, so please look forward to them. -The New World Development Team === The announcement posted on the New World homepage spread worldwide. ¡®South Korea ¨C Seoul is the only region that perfectly won the siege.¡¯ With that one sentence, the world¡¯s attention was focused on South Korea. And South Korea was turned upside down. [New World, South Korea ¨C Seoul! Defending the pride of South Korea!] [South Korea, the only country to win the siege, who is the hero of the victory?] [Is it true that Ho-Yeong¡¯s very own, the number one ranked martial artist in Korea, Yeo Min-ji, participated?] All the articles flooding the inte news were rted to the siege event. And World Com, where New World users gathered. World Com, as always, was aze with the firewood of the siege event. [Did you see the siege event?! South Korea was the only one who won lol] -I¡¯m looking at the capsule room users in a new light. From the hidden theme to the siege, it¡¯s awesome how they keep beating other countries lol. ©¸If it¡¯s like this, they¡¯re all the same person, lol. ©¸Ah, I feel so damn good lol. ©¸Thumbs up if you thought the capsule room was full of idiots lol. [Yeo Min-ji was in Seoul lol. No wonder they held out until the end.] -With Yeo Min-ji, a 4th ss unique job, the siege would be breached? Isn¡¯t that really nonsense? ©¸No¡­ In this siege, the wave urred in the center, not the outskirts. ©¸I participated in Chungju, and this is true. ©¸It was really frustrating lol. ©¸If they hade from the outskirts, they would have blocked everything lol. [I¡¯m a user who participated in Seoul.] -For reference, it wasn¡¯t Yeo Min-ji who was active in Seoul. It was amon-grade martial artist who formed a party with Yeo Min-ji¡­ and he was only 2nd ss. ©¸What? Don¡¯t lie. ©¸Amon-grade martial artist who only reached 2nd job advancement outperformed Yeo Min-ji? You have to lie convincingly lol. ©¸I¡¯m a user who participated in Seoul, and this is true. ©¸This guy ismenting on every post. [But that¡¯s really true.] -Dragonia appeared in thest wave, and it wasn¡¯t Yeo Min-ji but amon-grade martial artist who dealt with it alone. But do you know what his weapon was? It was a bow lol. ©¸Ah, this is so boring. ©¸Stop it. ©¸What, amon-grade martial artist defeated Dragonia with a bow? LOL. ©¸(Author) No, I¡¯m serious! It¡¯s driving me crazy! ¡°Hey! Look at this! There¡¯s a lot of talk about you on World Com!¡± Ha-jin fussed and handed Jeong-hoon his smartphone. On the smartphone, news about amon-grade martial artist defeating Dragonia was sporadically popping up. Of course, no one believed it. ¡°No one believes it?¡± ¡°Huh? Why? That¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°Ridiculous¡­ It¡¯s an unbelievable story no matter who sees it.¡± Amon-grade martial artist who had onlypleted the second job advancement single-handedly defeated Dragonia? It was hard to believe unless you had witnessed it. ¡°But why the look on your face?¡± ¡°What look?¡± ¡°Want to look in a mirror? Your face ispletely sour right now.¡± It was true. Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression was very sour. The reason wasn¡¯t World Com, but the New World announcement. ¡®These crazy bastards, thinking more deeply?¡¯ The headquarters had set up this event so that no one could clear it. That¡¯s why they set the damage limit to 1% and made the wave ur in the center of the base. But Seoul, where Jeong-hoon was, seeded in defending the base. ¡®They¡¯re enjoying this.¡¯ The headquarters announced that they would prepare for the next event. No matter what, they wouldn¡¯t attack Earth if the tasks they prepared were cleared, but if they weren¡¯t cleared, they would impose a penalty. Disgusting bastards. ¡°Phew, anyway, did you apply for the capsule?¡± Jeong-hoon changed the subject, calming down his anger. Ha-jin tactfully nodded. ¡°Of course. Fortunately, my dad agreed right away.¡± Ha-jin¡¯s father didn¡¯t approve of his son ying games. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t buy him a capsule even though he could afford it. He didn¡¯t stop him from visiting the capsule room, but it meant that if he really wanted to y the game, he should do it with his own strength. And since Ha-jin had earned the capsule through this event with his own strength, there was no reason to oppose it. ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± When Jeong-hoon received the capsule as a prize before, Ha-jin¡¯s eyes were filled with envy as he looked at it. That¡¯s why he had included Ha-jin in the party for this event. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± ¡°Just know it.¡± ¡°¡­Wow, that¡¯s really annoying, but I can¡¯t argue with that.¡± ¡°So when is the capsule arriving?¡± ¡°Today.¡± ¡°That fast? Mine is arriving tomorrow.¡± Jeong-hoon called his mother as soon as the event was over. ¡®Oh my? Did you really get first ce?¡¯ ¡®Yes. Now you can y the game whenever you have time.¡¯ ¡®Hehe, thanks to my son, I¡¯ll even get to use a capsule.¡¯ His mother was happy, and Jeong-hoon immediately applied to receive the capsule. That¡¯s why the capsule would arrive a day earlier than Ha-jin¡¯s. At the same time. Ho-Yeong Guild was also in an uproar. This was because in the siege event, only Seoul, South Korea had seeded in defending its base, and Yeo Min-Ji was in Seoul. ¡°Min-Ji!¡± ¡°Miss!¡± Guild leader Yeo Sunwoo and team leader Park In-tae rushed into the office simultaneously. Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s face was haggard with exhaustion, as if she had already been harassed by guild members. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± At her weak voice, Yeo Sunwoo coughed awkwardly. ¡°Ahem, it¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯te running here to interrogate you,¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a little hurt? Anyone would think I onlye here when I have business,¡± ¡°That¡¯s how you usually are.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Unable to argue with the facts, Yeo Sunwoo shut his mouth. Before entering New World, Yeo Sunwoo used to have many conversations with his daughter, but since establishing the guild, he had been unable to pay attention to his daughter in the midst of the daily fiercepetition. Nevertheless, his daughter was always by his side, supporting him without anyints. Perhaps that¡¯s why he always felt sorry for his daughter. ¡®Really, the guild leader shrinks whenever he¡¯s in front of the miss.¡¯ Park In-tae, who was watching from the side, saw his chance and immediately jumped in. ¡°I heard that you participated in the siege event, miss,¡± ¡°Yes. And I came back in first ce,¡± She replied. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! But World Com said that it wasn¡¯t you but another party member who dealt with Dragonia¡­ Is that true?¡± Lv.175 Dragonia. He heard it even used Breath and Annihtion. That means they brought Dragonia¡¯s abilities as they were, just reduced its level. Yeo Min-Ji nodded obediently. ¡°Yes. It wasn¡¯t me,¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± He thought it must refer to the martial artist who obtained the hidden ss they missed out on before. There¡¯s no other reason she would use a capsule room to participate in the event. ¡°So I have a favor to ask of you, father,¡± Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s gaze turned to Yeo Sunwoo. His face brightened. ¡°Of course! Just ask anything!¡± ¡°I want to make a deal.¡± ¡°A deal?¡± ¡°Yes. So please give me your full support.¡± After Ha-Jin left, the capsule was fully installed before his mother came home from work. A capsule of the same grade as Jeong-Hoon¡¯s. When she came home from work, his mother was slightly surprised to see the capsule installed in the bedroom. ¡°Oh my, it really came?¡± ¡°Did you think your son was lying?¡± ¡°Not that, but¡­ Seeing it in person, I¡¯m speechless,¡± The price of the capsule was a whopping 30 million won. It wasn¡¯t an easy decision to spend 30 million won just to y a game. However, if it was won as a prize in an event, the story was different. It was a gift given to her by her son, who used his talent to win first ce in the event. ¡°You don¡¯t have to start right away. Start whenever you¡¯refortable, Mom.¡± Since the capsule was installed under his mother¡¯s name, as long as she registered it, the capsule would be hers. ¡°Thank you. Then let¡¯s have dinner together first.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ve already made dinner, just in case.¡± Earlier, his mother had said she would pick up Budae Jjigae on her way home, so he had only cooked rice. [TL/N : Budae Jjigae is like a hot pot that is usually served with instant ramen] The Budae Jjigae was already pre-cooked, so all they had to do was put it in a pot and heat it up. After dinner and a short rest, his mother slowly activated the capsule. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d see the day I¡¯d be using a capsule.¡± Seeing her expression, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face momentarily went nk. How long had it been since he had seen such an expectant face? His mother originally had no interest in New World. Her interest began when Jeong-Hoon won the capsule as a prize in the event. She was curious since her son, who had only ever studied, was now immersed in a game. Since then, she had even watched New World League on TV and be deeply immersed in the world of New World. ¡®I made a mistake.¡¯ He had assumed his mother would dislike games and focused solely on his growth. He had nned to transfer some of his increased stats to his motherter, when the game became reality, so that she wouldn¡¯t be inconvenienced. But that wasn¡¯t it. His mother wanted to try the game her son was ying. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± His mother tilted her head. ¡°Huh? What are you sorry for?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. Would you like to read this?¡± Jeong-Hoon handed her a notebook. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a brief summary I wrote about everything from choosing a ss to the tutorial.¡± From warrior to gunslinger. He had written down the pros and cons of each ss to help her choose, and the notebook also exined the tutorial process and future growth directions in a way his mother could easily understand. ¡®It¡¯s much easier to understand than World Com¡¯s guide.¡¯ After all, his mother probably wouldn¡¯t be looking at World Com. ¡°Thank you. I should read this before I start the game, right?¡± ¡°That would be good.¡± ¡°Okay. If I¡¯m going to start, I might as well start properly.¡± She sat down in the living room and started studying the notebook. * * * The next day. His mother even took a day off from work and entered the capsule. [Jeong-Hoon, if you have time, could we talk for a moment?] Jeong-Hoon received the text message and went to a nearby cafe. He sat down and sipped his Americano, and soon after, Yeo Min-Ji entered the cafe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Did you wait long?¡± ¡°No, I just got here too.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s coffee cup was already half empty. Yeo Min-Ji smiled at his consideration and returned with the same drink. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t interrupt your game.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. The event is over, so I was going to take a few days off anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± After that, they had a brief conversation. The reactions of the guilds, including Ho-Yeong, after the siege event ended. Jeong-Hoon listened with great interest. ¡®Oh, so they¡¯re desperate to find me?¡¯ The guilds weren¡¯t fools either. Recently, a martial artist had won first ce in several events, and the first hidden ss had even appeared. It was unlikely that there were multiple people who could push the underperforming martial artist ss to its limits, so they assumed it was all the same person. So Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s position became very difficult. This was because she was the one who had partied with the martial artist in the siege event. ¡°So you want to make a deal?¡± ¡°Yes. If you ept me as your disciple, Ho-Yeong Guild will act as your shield. Also, I will make sure that your y is not affected in any way by guild matters.¡± ¡°Joining a guild? That doesn¡¯t really appeal to me.¡± ¡°One more! We will scout one more person you want from Ho-Yeong! I promise you the best treatment in my name.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Jeong-Hoon became a little interested. He had originally intended to reject all love calls from guilds, but now his thoughts had changed a little. ¡®Since my mother has started too, having Ho-Yeong¡¯s backing would make things easier for her.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just about money. He needed backing for safe growth. Currently, Jeong-Hoon was growing rapidly, but he had no backing. Also, he could avoid annoying things like love calls. ¡°If that happens, Ho-Yeong will get a lot of k¡­ Are you okay with that?¡± Ho-Yeong wasn¡¯t just any guild. It was one of the big names in Korea. To join such a guild, one had to go through tests and fiercepetition. If he were to join so easily, there would be a flood of criticism from many people. ¡°That¡¯s why I asked you to join. People are very excited about your performance. If we say we attached conditions for the scouting, they¡¯ll have no choice but to ept it.¡± ¡°There will be many who won¡¯t ept it. It¡¯s still a parachute, after all.¡± ¡°If theyin, just tell them to get talent. The guild leader has even given his permission, so what can they say?¡± She had already gotten Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s permission. Yeo Sunwoo, who had been expected to step up to see the martial artist who defeated Dragonia, surprisingly left everything to her. ¡°Also, you can leave the guild whenever you want. Even after you leave, if you need help, Ho-Yeong will help you as much as we can.¡± Jeong-Hoon was slightly moved by the generous offer. ¡°The conditions are good.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s more important to me than anything else.¡± It could be selfish. It was no different from selling out Ho-Yeong for her own problems, without considering Ho-Yeong¡¯s position at all. However, she wanted to rise, even if it meant being seen that way. Even among the rankers, she was subtly looked down upon for being a martial artist. She wanted to make up for her weaknesses and tten the noses of those who had looked down on her. At Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s determined expression, Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Alright. If you let me and one other person join, I¡¯ll teach you the know-how of martial arts.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s eyes sparkled. This was it! She had seen with her own eyes that Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t fight solely with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. She was convinced that Jeong-Hoon would be her best teacher. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Ho-Yeong has recruited a martial artist with a hidden ss! As the news spread like wildfire, the guilds that were nning to recruit the martial artist had their ns cut short before they even began. ¡°Damn it! Ho-Yeong found him.¡± ¡°That damn martial artist¡­ He keeps going around in secret, so how can we find him?¡± From the capsule event to the hidden ss that appeared on the Korean server, the second ss advancement, and the siege. They were convinced. That all the martial artists were the same person. Otherwise, Yeo Min-Ji, the so-called martial arts maniac, wouldn¡¯t have participated in the siege event. ¡°How did Ho-Yeong know?¡± ¡°I wonder¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t just any guild, it was Ho-Yeong. Especially Yeo Min-Ji, who was obsessed with martial arts, was famous for not being interested in recruiting talent, even though she was an executive. But she made a move. She must have brought him in by offering an outrageous amount of money. ¡°Let¡¯s give up¡­¡± ¡°Ha, what a shame.¡± Even if the martial artist was trash, if he showed that level of performance, it meant he was different from the start. They were very sorry to have missed out on a super promising prospect. The same was true for the Myth Guild. Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok were having a heated conversation about the martial artist. ¡°Is that true?! The martial artist used a bow?¡± Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s eyes gleamed fiercely. Park Jin-Hyeok, sitting across from him, nodded. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s what the users who participated in the siege event said.¡± ¡°¡­What did the bow look like?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what it looked like, but they said it was gray?¡± ¡°Really? Then it¡¯s not it. Damn it!¡± The Red Dragon Bone Bow was a bow with a red frame and the head of a Red Dragon shaped on it. He thought he had found a clue, but it was not to be. ¡°Anyway, the guild leader seems to be disappointed too. A martial artist of that level would be a suitable talent for the Myth Guild.¡± He had single-handedly defeated the Lv.175 Dragonia, who had been adjusted to Lv.150 and used Breath and Extinction. This meant that the martial artist had a skill that could nullify Extinction. In other words, he was the first hidden ss to appear on the Korean server. ¡°That¡¯s right. A martial artist with a bow¡­ It means there¡¯s something that allows him to use skills from other sses.¡± Hidden sses were very diverse and their performance was outstanding. So it wasn¡¯t an impossible story. Of course, he couldn¡¯t be sure. There was currently no information about the hidden ss of martial artists. Park Jin-Hyeok gave a short exmation of admiration. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good approach. You were thinking of Steadfast Will, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The reason Lee Hwa-Rang made such an assumption was because of the passive skill given to martial artists. ¡°Indeed¡­ If that¡¯s the case, it could be a hidden ss rted to Steadfast Will.¡± Steadfast Will. It was one of the skills that was virtually useless and received no attention. But what if the hidden ss was rted to Steadfast Will? It would surely cause a sensation in New World. ¡°That must be why the guild leader is disappointed. It¡¯s because Ho-Yeong took the talent.¡± Ho-Yeong was ranked lower than Myth, but it was not a guild to be ignored. If they tried to take away the talent that such a guild had taken, they would have to consider the possibility of war. So Myth had no choice but to give up. ¡°This will prevent other guilds from approaching.¡± Yeo Min-Ji made a V sign with her fingers. ¡°Yes.¡± Even he thought that the performance he showed in the event was abnormal. Especially in thest wave, he had defeated Dragonia alone, even though many eyes were on him. He didn¡¯t expect Ling Ling to appear and deal damage to the users, and then send out Dragonia. The moment the base was destroyed, he would repeat the past, so it was an inevitable choice. ¡°Then shall we start?¡± Yeo Min-Ji stood in front of Jeong-Hoon with an expectant face. They were in the training ground. Only guild members who had joined Ho-Yeong could use it, and Jeong-Hoon was able to enter because he had be a member of Ho-Yeong. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± But not far away, he could feel countless guild members watching them. They couldn¡¯t hold back their curiosity and came in because she had personally brought in the martial artist and rumors were circting that he was the first martial artist to obtain a hidden ss. ¡°Shall I kick them out?¡± Yeo Min-Ji asked tactfully, seeing Jeong-Hoon nce at them. ¡°Yes. And I have a favor to ask. From now on, during martial arts training, I would like you to pretend that you are teaching me.¡± This was just a ce for him to coach her on her shorings. Also, she was the number one martial artist in Korea. It wouldn¡¯t look normal for him to be teaching a martial artist like that. ¡°Alright.¡± Yeo Min-Ji seemed to understand what Jeong-Hoon meant and sent the guild members out of the training ground. Now only Jeong-Hoon and Yeo Min-Ji were left in the training ground. ¡°Now, before we start, let me see your martial arts. Please use only Wind Fist for your skills.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed his chin at the scarecrow in front of him. The scarecrow was level 300. And he had abnormally increased its health and defense so that it could withstand her martial arts dozens of times. ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Min-Ji took a stance. Then she used footwork to get close to the scarecrow and started using martial arts. At first, she mixed normal attacks with Wind Fist to inflict damage. Jeong-Hoon watched the scene in silence. [Wind Fist 2nd Form] When a certain amount of damage andbo was umted, Wind Fist evolved by one level. Wind Fist consisted of a total of 7 forms, and 1st form was only at the level of a second ssbat skill of other sses. However, as it moved on to 2nd form, its power increased. After that, 3rd form, 4th form, and 5th form unfolded, and Wind Fist was finished. ¡°Phew, I¡¯m done.¡± Currently, 5 forms was the limit of Wind Fist that Yeo Min-Ji could perform. To connect up to 7th form, she had to reach level 400 andplete the 5th ss advancement. ¡°There are many weaknesses.¡± Jeong-Hoon simply pointed out her problems. It was natural for her posture to copse since she had to focus on striking. It was nearly impossible to take care of everything due to the characteristics of the martial artist¡¯s skills. [Please buff the martial artist, you damn bastards] -Are you kidding me? To activate the 3rd core skill, you have to umte damage andbos with normal attacks. What kind of bullshit is this? It¡¯s really fucking annoying ?? ©¸You did it wrong lol Who forced you? ©¸You stubbornly kept ying even though we told you not to, and now look at you lol ©¸This game has always had a terrible bnce lol You need to raise something efficient ©¸Idiot?? Martial artists are worse than trashter on, why bother lol ©¸The person above is being so harsh lol Even though martial artists cried out for buffs, Earth tantly ignored them, and users were busy mocking them. That was the current evaluation of martial artists. ¡°If I don¡¯t do this, the damage doesn¡¯t umte.¡± She focused her mana on her fist and exploded the umted mana upon impact, umting damage. At this time, her center of gravity shifted forward, exposing a gap. Yeo Min-Ji knew this and covered it with equipment, but that was also reaching its limit. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re obsessed with dealing damage. There¡¯s a way to explosively increase damage without having to do that.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Martial artists have a passive. It¡¯s called Critical Hit.¡± ¡°Critical Hit?¡± She tilted her head. It was a basic passive skill that only martial artists had, but it wasn¡¯t disyed, so most users didn¡¯t know about it. Jeong-Hoon was lucky to have discovered it, so it was understandable that she didn¡¯t know. ¡°It¡¯s a passive skill that explosively increases damage when you repeatedly hit the same area. You also have that passive skill.¡± ¡°¡­Yes? Is that really true?¡± It was natural for her to be suspicious. The number one martial artist in Korea. Could there be a passive skill that she didn¡¯t know about? But as time passed, her face gradually turned to shock. * * * At that time. Most of Ho-Yeong¡¯s guild members had been kicked out of the training ground and returned to their original ces. However, some were still lingering around, unable to let go of their regrets. They wanted to see the inside of the training ground somehow. But Yeo Min-Ji, who had kicked everyone out, had locked the entire training ground, making it impossible to even peek inside. ¡°I¡¯m dying of curiosity. Really.¡± ¡°Since she brought him in, he must be capable, right?¡± ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you know? That¡¯s the hidden ss martial artist.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I heard. I heard Miss actively asked the guild leader for help. She said they had to bring that martial artist in no matter what.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ He looks like level 104 and normal grade.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hidden.¡± While they were whispering, the locked door of the training ground opened. Jeong-Hoon came out and made eye contact with them. ¡°Hmm? What are you doing here?¡± When Jeong-Hoon tilted his head, the guild membersughed awkwardly. ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°We were just resting here.¡± It was ame excuse, but Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t mind and nodded before continuing on his way. ¡°I see.¡± When he was gone, the guild members cautiously looked inside the training ground. Yeo Min-Ji was sitting on a bench with a nk expression. ¡°Oh, Miss?!¡± The guild members were greatly embarrassed by her dazed appearance. However, they couldn¡¯t easily enter the training ground. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to go back¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t the time to intervene. They tactfully tried to go back. ¡°One of you,e here.¡± At that moment, a chilling voice came from inside the training ground. One of the guild members hurriedly entered the training ground. ¡°Miss, what¡¯s wrong?!¡± Yeo Min-Ji slowly got up and pointed to the training ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but would you spar with me?¡± ¡°Spar¡­?¡± The guild member asked back in surprise at her request. Why would she, the number one martial artist in the country and an executive, ask him to spar? It seemed like she was punishing him for not following her order to leave the training ground. ¡°I have something to test. I won¡¯t use any skills.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ You won¡¯t use any skills?¡± ¡°Yes. And I won¡¯t wear knuckles either.¡± Wouldn¡¯t that make it doable? His level was currently 210. Although there was a level difference of over 100 between him and her, if she didn¡¯t wear weapons and didn¡¯t use skills, it would be a spar worth trying. ¡°Alright!¡± And three hourster, he regretted his answer. ¡°Let¡¯s do it again.¡± ¡°Oh, Miss¡­ Can¡¯t we stop now?¡± ¡°No way. If you had left when I told you to leave the training ground, this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Please save me¡­ * * * ¡®Shall I go to the Mu Tower soon?¡¯ The Mu Tower was the tallest of several towers located north of the Autobahn. It was called the sanctuary of martial artists and was a must-visit. Of course, the first thing he had to do was wait for his mother to finish the game. Push- The capsule opened and his mother came out. She seemed a little awkward, as if she wasn¡¯t used to the game. ¡°Are you done?¡± ¡°Yes. But this is amazing¡­¡± Lee Na-Yeon couldn¡¯t count how many times she had been amazed by the technology of New World. She understood why her son was so immersed in the game. ¡°What ss did you choose?¡± Jeong-Hoon had written ament in the notebook rmending the mage ss, hoping that his mother would choose a ss with good efficiency. With his knowledge of the future, he would do his best to help his mother grow as a mage. ¡®Mages are pretty efficient.¡¯ Warriors required physical strength, so it might be a little difficult for his mother, who had no knowledge of the game, to adapt. And archers also required bow proficiency, so they had to practice shooting arrows diligently at the Archery Hall in the beginner vige until their first ss advancement. Only then could they acquire archery mastery in their first ss advancement and finally be able to use it. Rogues weren¡¯t bad either, but from his mother¡¯s point of view, mages, who could take various paths and fight rtively easily, might be the best choice. ¡°Gunslinger.¡± But his mother¡¯s answerpletely missed Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expectations. ¡°Huh? Gunslinger¡­?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 76 Chapter 76 He had never dreamed that his mother would choose the gunslinger ss. ¡®Gunslingers will be a bit difficult for you¡­¡¯ New World, as a virtual reality game, implemented weapons very realistically. Therefore, each gun had recoil, and if you didn¡¯t shoulder it properly, you could get hurt by the recoil. He had written down martial artist and gunslinger as the least rmended sses, so why did she choose gunslinger? But his worries were unfounded. Bang! Bang! ¡°Kweeeek!¡± The bullets fired by his mother hit the goblin¡¯s forehead urately. He was so surprised by her stable shouldering and decent shooting skills. ¡®M-Mom, why are you so good with guns?¡¯ ¡®Oh, I didn¡¯t tell you. I used to be a shooting athlete.¡¯ His mother, who had exceptional skills to the point ofpeting in national team evaluations, said that she had retired early from her athletic career when she was pregnant with Jeong-Hoon. It was a fact he hadn¡¯t known until now because she hadn¡¯t told him. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡¯ ¡®I didn¡¯t want you to feel sorry, so I kept it a secret until now. And at that time, I was feeling a bit tired of being an athlete.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon knew that his family wasn¡¯t well off when he was young. So his mother also went out to work, and he had to stay home alone. And the part about quitting because she was feeling tired was probably a lie. ¡®The fact that she chose gunslinger¡­ It must mean she still hasn¡¯t forgotten shooting.¡¯ Isn¡¯t it the parents who give up what they want to do in order to live fiercely for their children and to make a living? He had never been a parent, so he didn¡¯t quite understand, but seeing his mother choose the gunslinger ss made him feel a bit emotional. Okay. If she chose gunslinger, he would support her as much as he could. Jeong-Hoon contacted Yeo Min-Ji. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: I think you cane now.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Yes! I¡¯ll be right there.] A restaurant in the starting vige. Yeo Min-Ji arrived quickly. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Yeo Min-Ji.¡± She greeted Lee Na-Yeon in a very friendly manner. As the saying goes, first impressions are half the battle, and his mother seemed to like Yeo Min-Ji, smiling and weing her. ¡°Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Hoon¡¯s mother.¡± ¡°Yes! I participated in thest event with Jeong-Hoon and we won first ce. I heard you received a capsule, congrattions.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¡°So, if you don¡¯t mind, would you like to join our guild?¡± ¡°Guild?¡± Yeo Min-Ji exined the guild to his mother. ¡°Yes. If you join our guild, we will support you as much as possible so that you can enjoy the game without any inconvenience.¡± His mother seemed a little flustered by the generous offer. She had just started the game to have the same hobby as her son, and she was just getting used to it. She was bewildered by the offer to join a guild in such a situation. ¡°You¡¯ll support me just for joining?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m repaying him for helping me.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± His mother looked at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes. In exchange for helping her, she agreed to let me and you join the guild.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Seeing this, she felt that her son was doing well in the game. ¡°If you join the guild, you won¡¯tck supplies. Gunslingers are a bit of a money-consuming ss¡­¡± ¡°Hmm, I hope I won¡¯t be a burden if I join.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Jeong-Hoon shrugged. ¡°Yes! Absolutely not, so don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s actually a good thing for us.¡± Jeong-Hoon, the hidden ss martial artist, had joined Ho-Yeong. That alone was a huge gain for Ho-Yeong. ¡°¡­Okay. Then shall I join?¡± In the end, his mother was persuaded and decided to join the guild. * * * After applying to join the guild, his mother logged out to rest. Jeong-Hoon, left alone with Yeo Min-Ji, asked about her training results. ¡°How¡¯s the Critical Hiting along?¡± ¡°The sess rate is a little higher thanst time.¡± At that time, Yeo Min-Ji had quickly triggered Critical Hit. Since the scarecrow was a stationary target, it wasn¡¯t that difficult to hit the same spot. But the problem was now dealing with moving targets. ¡®Even I only have a 20-30% sess rate.¡¯ Critical Hit, which is activated after hitting the same spot 30-50 times in a row. Even Jeong-Hoon, who was an all-master, found Critical Hit a difficult passive to activate. It wasn¡¯t easy to seed in activating Critical Hit in a short period of time, given its difficulty level. ¡°1%?¡± Even 1% was a generous estimate. Normally, it would be less than 0.01%, but she was a top-ranked martial artist in Korea. Yeo Min-Ji smiled brightly and held up two fingers. ¡°2%!¡± ¡°2%?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. He knew she was crazy about martial arts, but to achieve a 2% sess rate, it meant she had been working tirelessly on it. ¡°Wow¡­ You look like you don¡¯t believe me at all.¡± Yeo Min-Ji pouted, showing her disappointment. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t believe you¡­ I just didn¡¯t expect 2%.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a ranker, you know? You¡¯re only level 104.¡± ¡°I¡¯m level 104, but I figured out the martial artist¡¯s passive.¡± ¡°¡­I surrender.¡± She quickly raised the white g in a fight she couldn¡¯t win. Jeong-Hoon chuckled and added, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°Are you going back to the Autobahn?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to the Mu Tower.¡± ¡°What? Why the Mu Tower?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s current level was 104. So leveling up, rather than doing quests, was the best option. The Mu Tower, unlike other towers, was neglected and didn¡¯t offer much fun. No, wait. There was one thing. It was a test for those between levels 100 and 150 to see if they had the aptitude to be a good martial artist. If you got good results in the test, you could receive a small amount of achievement points and items as a reward. However, the rewards were so meagerpared to the difficulty of the test that it was a test that was neglected by many users. Could he be aiming for that? ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Oh, but that¡¯s not very efficient¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just level up?¡± Yeo Min-Ji had also visited the Mu Tower when she reached level 150. And she had spent a whole day passing the test with excellent results. But the only reward she got was 2,000 achievement points and a rare knuckle. The reward was ridiculous, even thinking back on it. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m not just going for the reward.¡± Jeong-Hoon said as he got up from his seat. ¡°¡­I told you, right? Don¡¯t regret itter.¡± She didn¡¯t try to stop him any longer. The Mu Tower in Autobahn. The Mu Tower was located in the deepest part of the north, and all around it were training grounds. Most of the training grounds were empty, and only a few were being used for training by NPCs. ¡®This is it.¡¯ This was his first time visiting the Mu Tower in Autobahn. ¡®The record I found in the copsed Mu Tower before I returned.¡¯ As the game became reality, this Mu Tower would copse soon. And a new dungeon, centered around the copsed Mu Tower, would appear in real-life Ennd, and Jeong-Hoon, who was wandering around Ennd at the time, happened to find a record in that dungeon. The author of the record was none other than the tower master of the Mu Tower. Khairos. The record said that there hadn¡¯t been a martial artist worthy of his recognition. The writing at the end of the record was so squiggly that it was difficult to decipher, but it was about hisment that there was no one to inherit the will of the martial artist. ¡®There must be something.¡¯ Before returning, he had visited the copsed Mu Tower, but now he was visiting it in its intact state, and the tower master, Khairos, must be alive and well. ¡°Who are you?¡± Someone called out to Jeong-Hoon as he was about to enter the Mu Tower. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Marthen -Level: 200 -ss: Fist Master (3rd ss) === Unlike other towers, the Mu Tower had no separate guards. This was because Khairos had changed the entire system, saying that martial artists shouldn¡¯t be bound by rules. Therefore, if an outsider visited, an NPC who was training in a nearby training ground woulde and talk to them like this. Marthen¡¯s body was drenched in sweat from training until just now. ¡°I¡¯m here to take the test.¡± ¡°You?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Marthen looked Jeong-Hoon up and down. He seemed too low level to be taking the test. Although the test was for levels 100-150, to pass it, one had to be at least level 140. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Follow me.¡± Marthen led Jeong-Hoon to the basement of the Mu Tower. Like the outside, the basement was a training ground, but the structure was a bit peculiar. First of all, the training ground consisted of double doors, with a lock in the center of the door. Marthen guided Jeong-Hoon to the door and then stepped back a few steps and stood still. A question mark blinked above his head. [General Quest: Martial Artist Aptitude Evaluation] -Restriction: Martial artist level 100 or higher -Reward: ? -Description: Pass the test given by the Mu Tower. When Jeong-Hoon epted the quest, Marthen pointed his chin at the door. ¡°The test begins with breaking that lock. After that, a test suitable for you will begin.¡± [Lv. 160 Lock] As Marthen said, the lock had a level on it. It meant that the lock had a defense level of 160. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached the door. And then he threw a punch at the lock, imbued with the energy of Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st Form. Bang! A huge impact sound erupted as his fist collided with the lock. Marthen¡¯s eyes widened slightly at the sound. ¡°Oh!¡± A martial artist should ovee any obstacle by throwing their whole body into it. In his eyes, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s method was surprisingly in line with the spirit of a martial artist. Bang! Bang! Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique continued to activate, hitting the lock. The lock¡¯s defense rapidly decreased. Bang! Crack! Finally, the lock¡¯s defense reached zero and it shattered. Creak. With the lock broken, the door slid open to the left and right. p! p! p! p! The sound of pping was heard next to Jeong-Hoon. Marthen was pping with a moved expression. ¡°Amazing¡­ No, you are amazing. To ovee a lock that you couldn¡¯t ovee with your own strength, with the spirit of a martial artist.¡± Unlike before, he even used honorifics, as his evaluation of Jeong-Hoon had risen. Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly at his 180-degree change in attitude and said, ¡°A martial artist should be able to do this much.¡± Marthen nodded repeatedly. ¡°You are absolutely right. A martial artist should ovee any ordeal with their body! Now, let¡¯s continue the test.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± [NPC Marthen¡¯s trust level has increased significantly.] He hadn¡¯t expected that breaking the lock would increase his trust level so much. Truly, a man with a mind obsessed with ¡®martial arts¡¯. Jeong-Hoon entered the testing area. As soon as he passed through the door, everything around him went dark. The testing area was filled with darkness. As if nothing had ever existed there. ¡®I can¡¯t hear anything.¡¯ It seemed that the door to the testing area was a passage to another dimension. Then, a holographic message appeared in front of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes. [The difficulty of the test will be adjusted to the user¡¯s level.] The difficulty of the test was adjusted to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level. [Defeat the Lv. 170 Weakened Fist Saint Khairos.] At the same time, the space in front of him brightened and Khairos, the master of the Mu Tower, appeared. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 77 Chapter 77 The master of the Mu Tower. Khairos was working out hard in the tower master¡¯s room. Strength training,monly known as iron pumping. He had been repeating high-intensity exercises for four hours without rest. Suddenly, he stopped exercising. ¡®What is this energy?¡¯ A familiar energy was emanating from the basement. It must mean that his doppelganger had started to move. ¡°Who is it?¡± Khairos, the master of the Mu Tower and known as the Fist Saint, had great pride as a martial artist. Therefore, he did not easily acknowledge anyone who wasn¡¯t a decent martial artist. The same was true for the martial artists residing in the tower. In Khairos¡¯ eyes, they allcked something. Even the NPCs over level 200 in the tower couldn¡¯t catch his eye, so how could a stranger between levels 100 and 150? He had seen countless martial artists, but he had never once shown himself before them. Because they were all unimpressive. But this time, the situation was different. ¡°This is the first time the doppelganger has appeared.¡± Sending out a doppelganger weakened to Lv. 170 meant that the martial artist who visited this time was quite skilled. ¡°¡­But he won¡¯t be able to win.¡± No matter how much his power was weakened, he was the Fist Saint. It was a test that the stranger, who couldn¡¯t exceed Lv. 150, couldn¡¯t win from the start. ¡°It¡¯s a shame. But if he summoned the doppelganger, he must be quite skilled.¡± But that didn¡¯t mean he would go down and show himself. When he was level 150, he had summoned the previous Fist Saint and clung to him persistently, but in the end, he was defeated. He had endured for 12 hours and 32 minutes. Even he, who had risen to the position of Fist Saint, couldn¡¯t win, so there was no way this martial artist could win. ¡°One hour. If hests for an hour, I¡¯ll acknowledge him.¡± * * * Lv. 170 Fist Saint Khairos. He was over 2 meters tall and looked to be about 130 kilograms. Even that 130 kilograms seemed to be all muscle, with no fat. ¡®Wow, Khairos appears for a level 104?¡¯ Jeong-Hoonughed in disbelief. It seemed that Khairos was summoned byprehensively considering his ss, stats, and skills. ¡®This is even better.¡¯ If he could defeat Khairos at Lv. 170, things would go much easier. As Jeong-Hoon took a stance, Khairos grinned and quickly closed the distance with his footwork. Whoosh! Khairos threw a punch at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. When Jeong-Hoon twisted his body to avoid the punch, Khairos, as if he had expected it, bent his elbow and struck Jeong-Hoon¡¯s chin. But Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to dodge that attack as well. ¡°Oh?¡± Khairos¡¯ eyes lit up. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised too soon.¡± Jeong-Hoon began to perform Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st form. Even though it had declined and only the soul remained, it was a martial art that had even faced the Fist King. But Fist Saint Khairos skillfully defended against Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st form. He even counterattacked, starting a fierce exchange of blows with Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 2nd form.¡¯ The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique unfolded and rose to the 2nd form. Even then, Khairos wasn¡¯t pushed back at all. Indeed, a Fist Saint is a Fist Saint. Jeong-Hoon was repeatedly impressed by Khairos¡¯ strength as they exchanged blows. Wham! Khairos¡¯ elbow struck Jeong-Hoon¡¯s temple. Even Jeong-Hoon, with his vast experience, couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at this moment. ¡®Amazing. Even with his level reduced to 170, he¡¯s this strong.¡¯ Khairos was no less than any of the strong enemies Jeong-Hoon had faced. But that was all. Those who were far above him couldn¡¯t even bepared to Khairos. And he was the one who had trampled them all and risen to the top. Thud! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist pierced Khairos¡¯ abdomen. At the same time, Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique rose to 3rd form, and the energy of the Underworld King became even thicker on his two fists. ¡°You bastard!¡± A smile appeared on Khairos¡¯ face as he allowed a clean hit. Thud! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist struck Khairos¡¯ abdomen once again, starting to pressure him. Thud! Thud! Despite the continuous attacks, the smile didn¡¯t leave Khairos¡¯ mouth. That¡¯s right. Khairos was enjoying this battle. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 4th form.¡¯ The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique instantly rose to the 4th form. The energy of the Underworld King red up, covering Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulders. At that moment, Khairos¡¯ eyes changed. ¡°This won¡¯t even make me flinch!¡± [Lv. 170 Khairos raises ¡®Transcendent Body¡¯ to the maximum.] [Lv. 170 Khairos uses ¡®Fist sh¡¯.] Khairos disappeared from Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sight in an instant. Wham! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head was lifted slightly as he was hit on the chin. Khairos had kicked him in the chin. Fist sh. When the skill is used, the agility of the body is doubled. It was one of the skills that could only be learned after reaching the Fist Saint level. But this wouldn¡¯t be enough to bring Jeong-Hoon down. [Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 4th form] -Proficiency: 100% -Fist Damage increased by 25% (stackable) -Damage Reduction increased by 20% (stackable) Additional abilities that are added each time the form level increases. The damage of the fist was one thing, but with the 20% damage reduction added, Khairos¡¯ attacks couldn¡¯t inflict much damage on Jeong-Hoon. [Your senses be sharper.] Jeong-Hoon activated his heightened senses, increasing all of his senses for 60 seconds. He then quickly activated ckfield. [ckfield is activated.] As he activated the skill, the floor around Jeong-Hoon turned ck. [All stats are increased by 1.2 times.] At the same time, Khairos¡¯ stats decreased. [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that have entered the area are decreased by 3%.] ¡°Wh-What is this¡­?¡± Khairos¡¯ face was filled with surprise. It wasn¡¯t over yet. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [The time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] With the use of the stat-boosting ring, Khairos¡¯ power was further weakened. From now on, it was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s time. Thud! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist pounded Khairos¡¯ body. Crack! At that moment, he heard the sound of something shattering. ¡°My body¡­? Ugh!¡± Khairos screamed for the first time. The smile on his face was nowhere to be found. Transcendent Body. One of the features of this skill was that it created multipleyers of transparent barriers to protect the body. Those barriers had been shattered by the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 5th form.¡¯ The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique had risen to the 5th form. He hadn¡¯t expected to see the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique reach the 5th form so soon. It was unexpected, but he was a little grateful to Khairos for giving him the chance to experience the power of the 5th form firsthand. [Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 5th form] -Proficiency: 100% -Fist Damage increased by 25% (stackable) -Defense Ignore increased by 20% (stackable) -¡®Passive: Underworld King¡¯s Will¡¯ activated The passive skill, Underworld King¡¯s Will. [Underworld King¡¯s Will] -Type: Passive -Grade: Legendary -10% chance to reduce the monster¡¯s HP and defense by 50%. (Cannot be stacked) It was a crazy option. It was worthy of being a Legendary grade Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Even the probability was decent. 10% meant it would seed once every ten times. Thud! Thud! Jeong-Hoon poured on the punches. [Lv. 170 Khairos¡¯ HP and defense are reduced by 50%.] As he continued to strike, the skill automatically activated. Khairos, feeling his strength drain, desperately tried to shake Jeong-Hoon off. But Jeong-Hoon clung to him even more tenaciously and continued to rain down punches. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Unable to withstand the fierce attack, Khairos disappeared. His HP was already low, and with it halved and the destructive power of the 5th form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique added, there was no way he could survive. [The test is over.] As soon as the test was over, his vision changed. ¡°You¡¯re done.¡± Marthen approached Jeong-Hoon. Since the test was over, he was automatically moved out of the testing area. The door was locked with the same lock as when he first entered. ¡°I guess it locks automatically.¡± ¡°Yes. When you enter to take the test, the door closes automatically and the lock is activated.¡± ¡°I see.¡± An exmation mark appeared above Marthen¡¯s head. It was time to receive the reward. As Jeong-Hoon was about to receive the reward, the exmation mark above his head suddenly disappeared. And someone came rushing in from outside the testing area. ¡°T-Tower Master?!¡± It was Khairos, the owner of this Mu Tower and the Fist Saint. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Khairos -Level: 641 -ss: Fist Saint === * * * Earth Korea Management Team. Manager Oh Jin-Soo, who was watching the user¡¯s gamey on the monitor, jumped up from his seat at the sight that unfolded. ¡°Holy shit!¡± His voice was so loud that everyone in the management team turned to look at him. And they immediately realized what had surprised him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?!¡± ¡°What happened again?¡± Did the user do something amazing again?! Curious, the staff gathered around Oh Jin-Soo. Oh Jin-Soo said in a trembling voice, ¡°Th-The Mu Tower Master appeared¡­¡± ¡°Mu Tower Master? What¡¯s that?¡± The staff, except for Oh Jin-Soo who had joined early on, seemed to not know about the Mu Tower Master. It was no wonder. The Mu Tower Master was one of the characters that Earth had intentionally set outside the norm. A monster unleashed in a ce where levels 100-150 yed. ¡°He¡¯s a level 641 NPC¡­¡± ¡°641?!¡± The staff, with surprised faces, put down their work and gathered around Oh Jin-Soo. Their eyes turned to Oh Jin-Soo¡¯srge monitor. It really was level 641. And even a Fist Saint. ¡°Fist Saint? What kind of grade is this?¡± It was obvious that it wasn¡¯t an ordinary ss. ¡°It¡¯s Legendary¡­ It¡¯s an NPC that¡¯s not supposed to appear in front of users.¡± The staff were shocked by Oh Jin-Soo¡¯s further exnation. ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to appear in front of users? Then what¡¯s that?¡± The monitor was showing the scene of the Fist Saint meeting the user. ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± Even Oh Jin-Soo didn¡¯t know how this situation was unfolding. One thing was for sure, the martial artist had summoned the Fist Saint. ¡®He defeated the Fist Saint.¡¯ Was this even possible? Even though the Fist Saint was weakened to level 170 and most of his abilities were lost, he was still a Fist Saint. And he had been crushed by nothing but martial arts, without any other tricks. ¡®Crazy¡­ That user is crazy!¡¯ How could he surprise people like this every time he did something? ¡°But what is the Fist Saint trying to do?¡± ¡°He¡¯s taking the user to the tower master¡¯s room.¡± ¡°Huh?! The restricted area has been lifted!¡± Originally, the third floor of the Mu Tower was blocked off to prevent users from essing it. But when the Fist Saint guided the user, the blocked area was temporarily opened. ¡°Is it a bug¡­?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be a bug. If it was a bug, Earth headquarters would have taken action immediately.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ They monitor it in real time 24 hours a day.¡± [The monitoring program is forcibly terminated. This is an area where monitoring cannot be performed.] To make matters worse, the monitor screen turned off and red letters appeared. ¡°¡­Crazy.¡± Oh Jin-Soo and the staff froze in ce for a long time. * * * [The restricted area is temporarily lifted.] Oh, this is a first. The restricted area could be considered an area that Earth had blocked off to prevent users from entering. Sometimes, the restricted area would be temporarily lifted, and that was when the user met the hidden conditions. ¡®I guess defeating the Fist Saint was the hidden condition.¡¯ Thinking back, the Fist Saint was a monster, not like a level 170 at all. He had made Jeong-Hoon use the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique up to 5 forms, and he had barely defeated him by activating Heightened Senses and ckfield. Even the weakened Fist Saint had only used two skills, Transcendent Body and Fist sh. ¡®He¡¯s simr to or even stronger than I was before I returned.¡¯ Why did such a skilled person hide himself? It was truly puzzling. ¡°Come in.¡± Khairos led Jeong-Hoon into the tower master¡¯s room. The tower master¡¯s room was filled with various equipment, starting with dumbbells. ¡®It¡¯s crude, but it¡¯s quite simr to the equipment in a gym, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze turned to the dumbbells, and Khairos grinned. ¡°I heard that outsiders use those tools to train their muscles. It seems to be true.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ We do use those for strength training.¡± Of course, with much lighter weights than those. [Dumbbell] -Weight: 200kg A small dumbbell weighed 200kg. The one next to it was 400kg. ¡°Haha, I see. Would you like a drink? It¡¯s an energy drink made by an alchemist. It¡¯s a special drink packed with all the nutrients.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon took the drink and sat down on a chair. Khairos sat in the seat of honor. He looked at Jeong-Hoon with serious eyes. ¡°¡­I¡¯m curious. How did you defeat my doppelganger?¡± In Khairos¡¯ eyes, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level was only 104. Even though his doppelganger was weakened, it was still level 170. There was a whopping 66 level difference, so he couldn¡¯t believe that he had defeated the doppelganger. ¡°I just kept hitting him until it worked.¡± ¡°Kept hitting him? Hahaha! I see.¡± Khairos burst into a heartyugh, as if he was very pleased with Jeong-Hoon¡¯s answer. And an exmation mark appeared above his head. The reward that should have been received from Marthen had been transferred to Khairos. [Questpleted.] [Receive rewards from Khairos.] When Jeong-Hoonpleted the quest, Khairos ced an item on the table. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 78 Chapter 78 [Martial Artist¡¯s Mark] -Type: Material -Grade: Epic -It is a Martial Artist¡¯s Mark. It was a Martial Artist¡¯s Mark. And not just any mark, but aplete one. ¡®As I thought¡­ To obtain the restored mark, I had to be recognized by Khairos.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had originally obtained a Martial Artist¡¯s Mark fragment after hunting the boss in the dungeon that had be the Mu Tower. The boss of the dungeon at that time was not Khairos. Nevertheless, he had obtained a Martial Artist¡¯s Mark fragment, so he thought that if he was recognized by him, he could obtain the mark faster. And that thought was perfectly on point. ¡°You are worthy of having this.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± [You have acquired the Martial Artist¡¯s Mark.] [You can now undertake a new quest.] A red question mark blinked above Khairos¡¯ head. A hidden quest! ¡®Could it be that I can obtain thepleted mark?¡¯ To create the perfect Overlord Titan, he needed to collect all the marks. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s intuition was telling him. That he had to do this quest. [Hidden Quest: Completed Martial Artist¡¯s Mark] -Restriction: Those recognized by Khairos -Reward: Completed Martial Artist¡¯s Mark -Description: Endure Khairos¡¯ training. ¡°Of course, this mark is only halfplete.¡± ¡°Is there a way toplete the mark?¡± ¡°Rather than a method, would it make sense if I said I have that mark?¡± Khairos took out a new mark. [Completed Martial Artist¡¯s Mark] -Type: Material -Grade: Unique -It is aplete Martial Artist¡¯s Mark. It was the Completed Martial Artist¡¯s Mark. ¡°¡­Can I receive this?¡± ¡°Of course. But I can¡¯t just give it to you. Return the Martial Artist¡¯s Mark you currently have and endure all the training I give you, and then I¡¯ll give this to you.¡± ¡°What if I can¡¯t endure it?¡± ¡°Give up the mark and I¡¯ll just give you a rare knuckle, so take that and go back.¡± It was his intention to tell him to be satisfied with the Martial Artist¡¯s Mark and go back if he was scared. Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of going back like this. ¡°Let¡¯s start right now.¡± Khairos burst into heartyughter at his spirit. ¡°Good! Brace yourself!¡± * * * A week had passed since Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon joined the guild. Bang! Bang! The mana bullet pierced the monster¡¯s forehead. ¡°Kweeeek!¡± The monster, its head pierced, died instantly. Yeo Min-Ji couldn¡¯t help but admire the perfect marksmanship. ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re really amazing.¡± ¡°Am I?¡± The shooter was Lee Na-Yeon, who had recently joined Ho-Yeong. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mother, she was focusing on leveling up with the support of Ho-Yeong. As a result of her diligent leveling up for a week, Lee Na-Yeon was already nearing level 30. ¡°Yes! At this rate, you could definitely achieve at least a Rare ss advancement.¡± It wasn¡¯t just ttery. Yeo Min-Ji had met various gunslingers since she started New World. Among them, Seo Eun-Soo, the national shooting champion, had outstanding shooting skills that she still couldn¡¯t forget. She thought no one could match his shooting skills, but today that thought was shaken. ¡®Amazing¡­ She¡¯s still at this level even though it¡¯s been over 20 years since she quit being an athlete.¡¯ She was surprised when she first saw her, but a weekter, Lee Na-Yeon¡¯s shooting skills had improved explosively. Or rather, she was regaining the skills of her prime. Was this even possible? ¡°Hehe, thank you. But what brings you here today?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re about to reach level 30, right? So I came to help you with your ss advancement!¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± Of course, Yeo Min-Ji wouldn¡¯t be doing it herself. Beforeing here, she had bought out the entire field so that Lee Na-Yeon could proceed with the ss advancement quest smoothly. The method of buying out was simple. She would find each user who wanted to use the field and ask them to leave in exchange for gold. At first, the users looked displeased, but once she gave them 50 gold, they didn¡¯t evene near the area. ¡°Yes. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, please let me know anytime! And this is information on how to advance to the Rare grade. I brought it in case you need it.¡± The process of advancing to the Rare grade in the ss advancement quest was the same. Clear the dungeon in the Gunslinger¡¯s Hall within the time limit. Yeo Min-Ji was confident that Lee Na-Yeon had the skills to advance to the Rare grade. If she advanced to the Rare grade from her first ss advancement, it could be considered a huge achievement for Ho-Yeong. They would have recruited a hidden ss martial artist and a gunslinger with unlimited potential. ¡®I won¡¯t interfere, so you take the lead this time.¡¯ Yeo Sunwoo didn¡¯t even show his face. He had decided to leave this decision entirely to Yeo Min-Ji, so he would just watch for the time being. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay. I already got something from Jeong-Hoon.¡± ¡°Really? That was fast¡­¡± As expected of Jeong-Hoon. He must have gone to the Mu Tower fully prepared. But if it was a test, it should have been over a long time ago, so why hadn¡¯t he contacted her yet? She tried whispering to him a few times, but there was no response. ¡°Anyway, thank you.¡± ¡°No problem. I just did what I had to do.¡± ¡°What you had to do¡­ I¡¯m already so grateful for what I¡¯ve received. Anyway, thank you for getting along with my Jeong-Hoon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be thankful!¡± ¡°Such a sweet talker. I wish I had a daughter like Min-Ji.¡± Mother¡­ She had lived with her father since her mother passed away in an ident when she was very young. Perhaps that¡¯s why she felt a bit strange talking to Lee Na-Yeon. Would it have felt like this if she had a mother? She suddenly missed her mother, whose face she couldn¡¯t even remember. * * * One weekter. Khairos had been training Jeong-Hoon very harshly for a week. Morning training, afternoon training, evening training, and dawn training, without any sleep. Of course, there were no meals, and he was told to quench his thirst with the river water nearby. It was a harsh schedule that even the martial artists of the Mu Tower couldn¡¯t endure. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon went through the schedule without a word ofint for a week. ¡®What a monster.¡¯ Every day that Jeong-Hoon endured, Khairos was filled with astonishment. ¡°Can you do more¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good. Then begin.¡± At Khairos¡¯mand, Jeong-Hoon dragged a 1,000kg rock and climbed the mountain. He had gone back and forth on this mountain 42 times in a week. Yet, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s speed didn¡¯t slow down at all. ¡®Is this even possible?¡¯ His training was originally aimed at pushing mental strength to the limit. To do that, he had to push his body to the limit, but no matter how he looked at it, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body hadn¡¯t reached its limit. ¡®Who the hell is this guy¡­ How can he endure this?¡¯ Khairos felt a shiver run through his body. Before he became the master of the Mu Tower, he had heard the legend of ¡®Mu¡¯ from the previous tower master. [When the descendant of the gods appears, everything will be set right.] The descendant of the gods. It was a prophecy that they would appear in a chaotic world and bring peace. At the time, he had dismissed it as nonsense, but seeing Jeong-Hoon, for some reason, the legend kepting to mind. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± It took three hours toplete the round trip. Jeong-Hoon still hadn¡¯t exceeded that time. ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± ¡°No. I can do more.¡± Jeong-Hoon could still endure. This was because he was constantly recovering his body with divine power. Hepensated for theck of divine power by buying potions from the achievement shop, and he used divine power to prevent his health from decreasing and to eliminate the debuff caused by fatigue umting in his body. However, his mind had already reached its limit. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s real body was in the capsule. If he yed the game for a long time, he had toe out and rest, but he had been training for a week without rest. He had been exhausted for a long time. If he continued training here, he would surely copse. But he couldn¡¯t give up the Martial Artist¡¯s Mark. ¡°¡­Alright. That¡¯s enough for the first training session.¡± Fortunately, Khairos ended the first training session. The first training schedule was originally for a week. ¡°What¡¯s the second training?¡± Jeong-Hoon was ready to start the second training right away. But Khairos shook his head. ¡°Rest for three days. Your body may be fine, but you seem to be mentally exhausted, so you need to rest. Rest is also a form of training.¡± He had tried not to show it, but it seemed Khairos had already seen through him. Jeong-Hoon nodded obediently. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± ¡°Good. Thene out to the training ground here in three days.¡± Khairos left those words and went back into the tower. And soon after, Marthen approached. Marthen clicked his tongue at the sight of Jeong-Hoon standing perfectly fine after enduring a week of training. ¡°You¡¯re really tough¡­ Follow me. I¡¯ll guide you to your quarters.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon followed him to the quarters and immediately threw himself onto the bed. After that, he had no memory. *** How much time had passed? Jeong-Hoon slowly opened his eyes. He was on his bed. Not in the Mu Tower¡¯s quarters, but in his own room. ¡®I don¡¯t remember anything after lying down in the quarters.¡¯ He didn¡¯t remember, but it seemed he had logged out and passed out as soon as he got out of the capsule. Jeong-Hoon took out his smartphone. ¡°¡­A day has passed.¡± Looking at the time, it seemed he had slept for almost 28 hours. It was natural, considering he had endured a week without any sleep. Jeong-Hoon dragged his stiff body out to the living room. ¡°You¡¯re up?¡± His mother was in the living room, eating fruit. Next to her was a familiar face. ¡°Hmm? Min-Ji? Why are you here?¡± It was none other than Yeo Min-Ji, eating strawberries with a fork. Yeo Min-Ji, making eye contact with Jeong-Hoon, smiled awkwardly and greeted him. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯m sorry foring suddenly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry. I invited her. It¡¯s too lonely being alone.¡± It seemed that his mother had actively invited her, so she had no choice but to visit. His mother wouldn¡¯t just send someone who had shown kindness back. ¡°I see. Then don¡¯t mind me and continue eating.¡± Jeong-Hoon briefly went to the bathroom and then came back to his room. Yeo Min-Ji carefully knocked on his door. ¡°Can Ie in for a moment?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± After Jeong-Hoon¡¯s permission, Yeo Min-Ji entered the room. ¡°I have some surprising news to tell you.¡± Her face and voice were full of excitement. ¡°Surprising news?¡± ¡°Yes. Your mother haspleted her first ss advancement!¡± ¡°Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Perhaps it was because she was ying with Ho-Yeong¡¯s support? Her leveling speed was certainly fast. This was the reason why guild support in the early stages was important. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I got an extra capsule.¡¯ He was happy that his mother seemed to be enjoying the game. It was fortunate that she was adapting to New World in advance. If things continued like this, it would be much easier to protect his mother in the future. ¡°So what was the result?¡± If Yeo Min-Ji was saying this, it meant that his mother¡¯s ss advancement result was very satisfactory. He had already seen his mother¡¯s shooting skills once, so he had expected it to be more than just a normal grade. The question was whether it was Rare or Epic grade. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised¡­ It¡¯s a hidden ss! A hidden ss! And it¡¯s even Epic grade!¡± ¡°Is that really true?!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened at her answer. He had expected Epic grade to some extent, but he hadn¡¯t expected a hidden ss at all. ¡®How did she do it?¡¯ Only one hidden ss appears. And as far as he knew, all the gunslinger hidden sses had already been revealed. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t give his mother information about hidden sses, so how did she get a hidden ss¡­? ¡°Yes! I was so surprised when I first heard it too.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the ss name¡­?¡± ¡°Genesis Sniper.¡± Genesis Sniper. He had never heard of that ss before. That meant that a hidden ss that hadn¡¯t appeared before his return had now emerged. ¡®My mother¡¯s past has changed.¡¯ And perfectly at that. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 79 Chapter 79 Time passed quickly, and the day of the second training that Khairos had mentioned arrived. Even after a few days, the corners of his mouth wouldn¡¯t go down from the fact that his mother had obtained a hidden ss. If things continued like this, his mother wouldn¡¯t have to repeat the same past. He had originally intended to forcefully change it anyway. ¡°You seem to be in a good mood.¡± Khairos spoke, looking at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression. ¡°Yes.¡± How could he not be in a good mood when his mother had advanced to a hidden ss? ¡°Hmm, then shall we start the second training right away?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± There was no time to waste. Jeong-Hoon nned to finish the training as soon as possible and obtain the Completed Martial Artist¡¯s Mark. ¡°Haha¡­¡± Khairos was impressed by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s recovery ability. Even after a week of harsh training, he looked as if he hadn¡¯t trained at all. At this rate, he should be able toplete the second training without any problems. If the goal of the first training was to push mental strength to the limit, now he had toplete the second training with that mental strength. He guided Jeong-Hoon to the top of the Mu Tower. On the top floor, a portal was shimmering. ¡°What is this ce?¡± ¡°The second training is simple. Enter here, get recognized by the former tower master of the Mu Tower, ande back out. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Is it random who will appear?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± When Khairos was a disciple of the tower master, he had used the portal. The person he met was the tower master from two generations ago. He nced at Khairos once and then imposed a trial suitable for him, and it took Khairos nearly two weeks to barely pass the trial. ¡®I never thought the day woulde when I would be guiding someone to this portal.¡¯ No one had used the portal since Khairos became the tower master. This was because they all failed to endure Khairos¡¯ first training and dropped out. ¡®The second training won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Even Khairos had suffered for about two weeks because he couldn¡¯t get recognition. Fortunately, the tower master who appeared to him had a rtively benevolent personality, so he was able to get recognition. If a strict tower master had appeared, he wouldn¡¯t have been recognized even after a month or two. Honestly, it was a training that required some luck. [The moment the first tower master appears, consider the training over.] That was what had been passed down from the previous tower master. The first tower master was a legendary figure who had built all the towers, including the Mu Tower, the Sword Tower, the Bow Tower, and the Magic Tower. But he was said to be a crazy man. If the first tower master appeared, it would be impossible to pass the training. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go in.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Khairos stepped aside, and Jeong-Hoon walked to the portal. [Would you like to enter the Ancestral Tomb?] Ancestral Tomb. When Jeong-Hoon epted, his body was sucked into the portal. * * * [You have entered the Ancestral Tomb.] ¡°Where is this?¡± It was called the Ancestral Tomb, but it was no different from a regr training ground. [Evaluating the entrant¡¯s level.] [Lv. 800 First Tower Master Siegfried appears.] The one who appeared before Jeong-Hoon was none other than the first tower master, Siegfried. ¡®The first tower master appears here?¡¯ The first tower master, Siegfried. Siegfried was a giant man with the appearance of someone in their early 20s. And Siegfried¡¯s level was 800. ¡®Level 800? That¡¯s incredible.¡¯ When he was almost at the end of the game before returning, he had seeded in defeating a monster over level 1,000. Level 800 was a number that you might or might not see even if you reached a vige that hadn¡¯t been revealed yet in New World. He hadn¡¯t expected to encounter such a big shot in Autobahn. It seemed that getting recognition from him might be quite difficult. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect you toe this far already.¡± Siegfried nced Jeong-Hoon up and down and gave a short exmation of admiration. ¡°I came to get recognition.¡± ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t just give it to you.¡± Siegfried replied with a mischievous face and waved his hand lightly in the air. The surrounding air changed, and a de-like storm arose and attacked Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ The wind took the form of mana des, cutting and tearing his skin every time they touched him. Jeong-Hoon had high detailed stats for a level 104, and he also had the Indomitable Body, which had grown to Epic grade and reached level 10. Nevertheless, he was helplessly pierced by a single de-like wind. He hurriedly used Intermediate Healing to recover. ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve definitely gotten much stronger.¡± Then, as if nothing had happened, the surroundings calmed down. ¡°Is the test to endure?¡± ¡°This is just a basic test. I can¡¯t acknowledge you with just this, can I?¡± Siegfried snapped his fingers once. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulders flinched. [Divine power is sealed.] The divine power that coexisted with mana was sealed. The divine power hardened and couldn¡¯t be used. ¡®What is this guy?¡¯ He had never seen the ability to control another person¡¯s divine power at will, even before returning. And the fact that he touched the divine power meant that Siegfried also possessed divine power. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to intervene with divine power. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°From now on, recovery is prohibited. It¡¯s too much of a cheat to use both mana and divine power at the same time.¡± Is he going to put shackles on me? Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Now, shall we begin?¡± As Siegfried gestured, several targets appeared in the distance. The circr targets had scores written on them. The center was 10 points, then 9 points, and 8 points further out. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s bewildered reaction, Siegfried shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s telling you to use a bow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a martial artist.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Go back if you don¡¯t like it. You should have summoned another tower master if you didn¡¯t like me.¡± Siegfried¡¯s lips curled up into a crooked smile. This son of a bitch? Did he think he summoned him because he wanted to? Jeong-Hoon suppressed his boiling anger and looked at the targets. ¡°¡­So I just have to hit those targets?¡± There were a total of 10 targets. ¡°Yes. The score¡­ Hmm, 80 points should be enough.¡± 80 points. It meant he had to shoot all the targets with at least 8 points. The distance seemed quite far, and the conditions were tougher than he thought. However, Jeong-Hoon was proficient in all weapons, to the point where he was called the All-Master before his return. This was a piece of cake. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s do it.¡± As Jeong-Hoon was about to take out Anima, Siegfried suddenly held out a bow. ¡°Use this. The help of weapons is a luxury.¡± As he said, the bow was in terrible condition. === [Old Bow +3] -Type: Bow -Grade: Normal -Attack Power: 14 -Remaining Durability: 20% (The weapon will be automatically destroyed when durability reaches 0.) -The weapon has reached its maximum enhancement level. === A worn-out bow with only 14 attack power. Moreover, with only 20% durability, it was trash that would be destroyed after a few uses. ¡°You¡¯ll need arrows too, right?¡± Siegfried said, handing him 20 wooden arrows. The arrows also had no special stats except for an attack power of 1. They weren¡¯t for hunting, but just for hitting targets. ¡®Even for hitting targets, they¡¯re trash.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon slung the quiver over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll finish it after shooting 20 arrows, so go back on your own.¡± Handing him trash and even limiting the number of arrows¡­ This meant he had no intention of acknowledging him at all. I¡¯ll wipe that smile off your face. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon slowly pulled the bowstring. Creak. [The durability of the old bow has decreased by 1%.] Just by pulling the bowstring once, the durability decreased by 1%. ¡®The total durability must be less than 1% of a normal Normal weapon.¡¯ He had to control even the pulling of the bowstring. Even though Normal weapons were rotten, they weren¡¯t this trashy. Damn it. I need to finish this as quickly as possible. Jeong-Hoon aimed at the target on the far right and released the bowstring. Whoosh! The wooden arrow drew a parab and urately pierced the center of the target. ¡°10 points?¡± The smile that had been on Siegfried¡¯s face disappeared instantly. Jeong-Hoon continued his relentless attack. Whoosh! The arrow pierced the center of thest target. There were 10 wooden arrows left in the quiver. ¡°100 points.¡± He had hit all the targets, and every single one of them was a 10. ¡°No¡­ How is that possible from this distance?¡± Siegfried couldn¡¯t help but be flustered. This old bow was originally made to be unusable. He had no intention of acknowledging him from the start, so he had given him this test as an excuse to send him back. The fact that he had both mana and divine power was certainly noteworthy, but that was all. The overall aura he exuded was too weak. He was probably only around level 100. His stats might seem good for his level, but he was far from being recognized by him. He should at least reach level 400. That¡¯s what he thought, but¡­ ¡®This guy¡­ He¡¯s better than me?¡¯ Even Siegfried, who was called the All-Master, hadn¡¯t mastered archery at that age. But this guy perfectly controlled a trash bow and hit the targets. That wasn¡¯t something that could be done just by being good at shooting. ¡°Is this enough?¡± ¡°No, not yet! This time it¡¯s a spear!¡± It seemed he was good at handling a bow, but he couldn¡¯t acknowledge him with just this. ¡°Yes. Give it to me.¡± Jeong-Hoon beckoned with his hand, asking for the spear. ¡°You insolent brat¡­ Take this.¡± Siegfried thought. I¡¯ll break that damn arrogance of yours. * * * ¡®Lightning Bolt.¡¯ Lightning Bolt shot towards the scarecrow in front of him, causing an explosion. And then Magic Missile. Four Magic Missiles, upgraded to Epic grade, were summoned and flew towards the scarecrow like boomerangs. The remaining scarecrows couldn¡¯t withstand the powerful destructive force of Magic Missile and exploded. ¡°Is this enough?¡± Specially crafted scarecrows. The scarecrows, which reflected all physical attacks and could only be damaged by magic attacks, were all destroyed and disappeared. ¡°¡­¡± Siegfried stared at Jeong-Hoon with a nk expression. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°¡­Who the hell are you?¡± ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m a human.¡± ¡°Bullshit. What martial artist masters all weapons at that age?¡± After the bow, it was the spear. Then axes, daggers. Then throwing weapons, and various guns. He had handled countless weapons, too many to list. And he had passed all of Siegfried¡¯s tests. ¡°I worked hard.¡± ¡°¡­Can you do that just by working hard? Are you really level 104?¡± ¡°As you can see, I am.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ You¡¯re crazy.¡± Siegfried was speechless at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s prowess. When he had reached the All-Master level, he was level 704. This was because it took him a long time to perfectly master white magic and holy magic. Of course, Jeong-Hoon seemed to becking a lot in magic, but other than that, he handled weapons perfectly. It was a perfect skill, aside from its destructive power. Where did such a monstere from? ¡°If you¡¯re done, let¡¯s finish this.¡± Siegfried burst into a refreshingugh. He couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge him after seeing such a wonderful performance. ¡°I acknowledge you. You¡¯re a real monster.¡± [You have been recognized by the First Tower Master.] [You have acquired 30,000 achievement points.] A holographic message appeared in front of Jeong-Hoon. He hadpleted the second training, so he could now obtain the Completed Martial Artist¡¯s Mark. ¡°Thank you.¡± Now that he had been recognized, it was time to go back through the portal he had entered. Jeong-Hoon turned around without hesitation. ¡°Oh? Wait a minute!¡± Siegfried quickly grabbed his shoulder. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body was forcibly turned around, unable to resist being grabbed by the shoulder by someone at level 800. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that heartless. I can give at least one gift to someone I¡¯ve acknowledged.¡± ¡°A gift?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Siegfried held out a ck martial robe. === [Sealed Mukho] -Type: Armor -Grade: Epic -(Sealed) -(Conditions are required to unseal it.) === It was even a sealed robe that had lost its abilities. Jeong-Hoon received the robe with a dumbfounded look. ¡°This is a gift?¡± ¡°Yes. Well, it¡¯s a bit ferocious, so I sealed it. So try to unseal it and tame it yourself. Oh! And Mukho has a will of its own, so the clothes regenerate themselves. You can tear and burn them as much as you want.¡± ¡°What the¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words trailed off. Siegfried disappeared as if he had finished what he had to say. Chapter 80 Chapter 80 The portal that Jeong-Hoon had entered turned red. And the name [Siegfried] appeared above it. ¡°The first tower master¡­ This is bad.¡± Of all people, it had to be the first tower master. Since he got stuck with that crazy guy, passing was out of the question. Now it was just a matter of how long he couldst. ¡°A week?¡± Khairos had watched Jeong-Hoon train up close. His tenacity inpleting any task withoutint, no matter how difficult, made even Khairos click his tongue. Jeong-Hoon wouldn¡¯t give up easily. ¡°I¡¯ll watch.¡± One day inside the portal was equivalent to one hour outside. Seven days meant seven hours. So it wouldn¡¯t be long before the color of the portal changed. If he was recognized by Siegfried, the red portal would turn blue, and if he gave up and admitted defeat, the portal would turn ck. And less than an hourter, the color of the portal changed. Khairos¡¯ face went nk when he saw the color. ¡°Blue¡­?¡± That¡¯s right. The portal was shining blue. It meant that he had been recognized by Siegfried. ¡°How¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t believe it. Less than an hour meant that he had been recognized in less than a day. He himself had barely received recognition after nearly two weeks. And soon after, Jeong-Hoon returned. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°¡­How?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The first tower master appeared, how did you get recognized in just one day?!¡± Khairos shouted. He couldn¡¯t ept the reality unfolding before his eyes. ¡°He was quite a picky one.¡± ¡°What kind of test was it?¡± ¡°It was simple. A test to handle all the weapons of every ss, including martial arts.¡± ¡°¡­And you passed that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The records of the Mu Tower throughout history said to give up on getting recognition the moment you met Siegfried. A portal that could be re-entered five yearster if you gave up once. It was said that when Siegfried¡¯s disciple visited, instead of looking at the martial artist¡¯s spirit, he would demand strange things and make them give up on their own. Therefore, no one had ever received Siegfried¡¯s recognition. There was a record that even the second disciple, who was Siegfried¡¯s disciple at the time, had not received his recognition until the end, and Siegfried, tired of it, had forced the position of tower master onto him, leaving behind a record of his frustration. But Jeong-Hoon had broken that history in less than a day. ¡°It¡¯s time to give it to me.¡± Jeong-Hoon held out his hand. A promise was a promise. Khairos couldn¡¯t help but nod. [Questpleted.] [You have acquired the Completed Martial Artist¡¯s Mark.] With this, the Completed Martial Artist¡¯s Mark was in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands. * * * ¡°She advanced to a hidden ss¡­?¡± Yeo Sunwoo couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°Yes. Miss Yeo Min-Ji told me herself.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± At his daughter¡¯s request, he had entrusted her with the entire recruitment and management process. Since it was about recruiting the first martial artist to advance to a hidden ss, the chances of failure were zero. He thought it would be a good experience for his daughter, so he held back even though he was dying of curiosity about the hidden ss. But what was this? He heard that even the mother who joined with the martial artist had advanced to a hidden ss. And it was even Epic grade. If it was a hidden ss of Epic grade from the first advancement, there was no need to even consider her future growth. ¡°Miss Yeo Min-Ji has an excellent eye for talent!¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ She¡¯s my daughter after all.¡± Yeo Sunwoo nodded with a satisfied look. A hidden ss was a hidden ss for a reason. Even in Ho-Yeong, only a few people had hidden sses. In such a situation, two hidden sses had been added at once. ¡°Now no one will be able to say a word!¡± ¡°Why? Were there people who were dissatisfied?¡± Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s smiling face instantly turned cold. How dare they be dissatisfied with my daughter? Park In-tae sweated at his chilling expression. ¡°That¡¯s not it, but¡­ there might be an image of them being parachuted in¡­¡± There was no one who was dissatisfied, but the fact that they were parachuted in didn¡¯t change. But now there was no need to worry about such views. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to step up myself.¡± He had left everything to his daughter, but the situation had changed a lot this time. With two hidden sses joining at once, Yeo Sunwoo needed to meet them in person. ¡°Yes! I already told Miss Yeo Min-Ji.¡± ¡°Okay. What did she say?¡± ¡°She said she would ask for your opinion first.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± * * * It wasn¡¯t easy to get rid of Khairos. ¡°What?! You won¡¯t be my disciple? Why? You have the potential to be the martial artist who will seed me!¡± He had sessfullypleted all the training, so Khairos was forcing him to be his disciple. ¡°I¡¯m telling you again, my answer is no. And I have no intention of changing my mind.¡± Bing the tower master¡¯s disciple meant going under Khairos and training under him. That wouldpletely deviate from his current goal. Jeong-Hoon had no intention of doing that. ¡°No, why? What don¡¯t you like about this Mu Tower? Tell me and I¡¯ll fix it right away!¡± He had never seen such a monster since he started walking the path of a martial artist. So he was even more greedy. If Jeong-Hoon seeded him and became the master of the tower¡­ He would surely be a tower master who would go down in history. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it, but I have no intention of living as a martial artist.¡± ¡°No intention of living as a martial artist?¡± Jeong-Hoon shook his head and added, ¡°Yes. The first tower master was an All-Master.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Siegfried was the first tower master who built all the towers, including the Mu Tower. The fact that he was an All-Master was also recorded in the literature. ¡°So he made me handle all the weapons of every ss, not just martial arts. I barely got his recognition after mastering them all.¡± ¡°¡­Huh.¡± So that¡¯s why no one could pass Siegfried¡¯s test. He hadn¡¯t known that because there were no detailed records left. ¡°So I don¡¯t want to focus on just one thing either.¡± Khairos shut his mouth at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s serious gaze. This was the man recognized by the first tower master, Siegfried. He must have recognized him because he saw the potential of an All-Master. When he thought that far, Khairos lost the confidence to force Jeong-Hoon to be his disciple any longer. ¡®I might be clipping the wings of this outsider.¡¯ It was a shame, but it was right to let him do as he wished. After much thought, Khairos nodded. ¡°¡­Alright. I¡¯ll stop asking you to be my disciple.¡± ¡°Thank you. By the way, do you know anything about this martial robe?¡± Jeong-Hoon showed him the Mukho he had received from Siegfried. Khairos¡¯ pupils trembled madly at the appearance of Mukho. ¡°Is that Mukho?¡± As expected, he seemed to know about it. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s Mukho. But it¡¯s sealed.¡± ¡°¡­Huh, I never thought he would bestow the martial robe that the first tower master used.¡± Mukho. It was the martial robe that Siegfried enjoyed wearing, and it was said that he sealed and hid it himself just before he died. To bestow Mukho meant that he had not only recognized him but also dered him as his sessor. ¡°Anyway, I want to unseal this. Do you know how?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know anything about such seals.¡± Unfortunately, Khairos had only heard stories about Mukho. He knew nothing about the seal. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Oh, but it¡¯s not that there¡¯s no way at all. There might be something about Mukho in the archive room.¡± On the 6th floor of the Mu Tower, there was an archive room where the records written by the tower masters were kept. Siegfried¡¯s records were also kept in the archive room, which could only be essed by the tower master. To ess those records, one had to be the tower master¡¯s disciple. ¡°Then it¡¯s no use.¡± Jeong-Hoon decided to give up cleanly. If he became the tower master¡¯s disciple for Mukho, it would be a loss in the long run. Mukho wasn¡¯t even in his ns anyway. Giving it up wouldn¡¯t hinder his future ns. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. You can read it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re okay with that?¡± ¡°Yes. If I go with you, you can read it even if you¡¯re not my disciple.¡± ¡°¡­Then may I ask you a favor?¡± ¡°Of course. But in return, can you do me a favor? I won¡¯t ask you to be my disciple.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll decide after I hear it.¡± ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go together.¡± Khairos took Jeong-Hoon to the archive room on the 6th floor. The archive room was heavily secured, and couldn¡¯t be unlocked without the tower master¡¯s permission. The method of unlocking the security was a bit tricky. The tower master had to inject mana into the controller to unlock the security one by one. [The first security is unlocked.] [The second security is unlocked.] ¡­ [Thest security is unlocked.] After a whopping 16 messages, the security waspletely unlocked, and the door slid open to reveal a staircase. ¡°Is this the archive room?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the stairs leading to the archive room. It¡¯s best to be careful not to fall. You¡¯ll get trapped in the dimensional gap.¡± Next to the white stairs leading upwards was pitch-ck darkness. It felt like space. Then these stairs were a passage connecting dimensions. He now understood why the security was so tight. ¡°Hmm? Aren¡¯t youing?¡± Jeong-Hoon took a step, but Khairos stood still like a statue. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll wait here, so go ahead.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you interested in Mukho, so you brought me here?¡± He thought Khairos had readily opened the door to the archive room because he was interested in Mukho. ¡°I am curious, but you¡¯re the one recognized by the first tower master. It¡¯s okay, go ahead.¡± Khairos said, taking a step back. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± At his consideration, Jeong-Hoon leisurely climbed the stairs and arrived at the archive room. The archive room consisted of a single library. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ All Jeong-Hoon had found were a few records left by Khairos. Perhaps the passage connecting to the archive room had been cut off when it became a dungeon. ¡®The records of the first tower master¡­¡¯ Finding the records wasn¡¯t easy. The records wrapped in white cloth had the tower master¡¯s name written in very small letters. And one white cloth in the farthest corner caught his eye. [Siegfried] The name Siegfried was written on the cloth in ck letters. Thanks to the game, even such trivial things were written in Korean, making it convenient. Jeong-Hoon unwrapped the sealed cloth and checked the records. There were only 100 pages of records, and there were only 3 pages of records written on them, as if he was toozy to write. -I am the first tower master, Siegfried. -From now on, tower masters should record and leave behind everything they do. -For reference, I¡¯m perfect, so I¡¯m only writing a little and finishing. -If you¡¯re not happy with it, conquer all the other towers and stand above me. From the first page, his arrogance was sky-high. Jeong-Hoon skipped the unnecessary parts and turned to the next page. -I¡¯m taking Mukho with me, sealed. You guys aren¡¯t skilled enough to handle it. -It¡¯s not just dogs that bite their owners. This one bites even harder. -So I¡¯ll give it to someone I acknowledge. The next page was about Mukho. Jeong-Hoon focused on reading that page. -The way to unseal Mukho is simple. -Just wear it. -The rest is up to Mukho. If it acknowledges you, the seal will bepletely released. The method of unsealing was too simple. ¡®Get acknowledged.¡¯ How many times did he have to get acknowledged? Seriously. Jeong-Hoon chuckled and put on Mukho. [What is this lowly human?] A rough voice echoed in his head. Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Jeong-Hoon was so dumbfounded that he couldn¡¯t even speak. [Take it off right now?! You¡¯re not worthy of wearing something as insignificant as me, you bug!] ¡®It¡¯s a bit ferocious, so I sealed it.¡¯ So that¡¯s what he meant. But this wasn¡¯t ferocious, it was just rude. ¡°Shut up.¡± Sorry, but he can be rude too. Depending on who he¡¯s dealing with, of course. [Ha, how did I end up being talked down to by such an idiot? This is all because of that bastard Siegfried. Where is Siegfried? Huh? Where is he? Tell me now!] Mukho started to throw a tantrum. Since the voice was echoing in his head, Jeong-Hoon felt a headache. ¡°You¡¯re hopeless.¡± He understood that Mukho might have resentment after being sealed by Siegfried for so long, but he wanted to get rid of this headache first. Jeong-Hoon took off Mukho. Mukho¡¯s voice disappeared as if it had been washed away. === [Sealed Mukho] -Type: Armor -Grade: Epic -(Sealed) -(Conditions are required to unseal it.) === The stats were still sealed. Only when Mukho epted Jeong-Hoon as its owner would the seal ced by Siegfried be naturally released. ¡°Let¡¯s just tear it apart.¡± Jeong-Hoon growled lowly, looking at Mukho. There were times when you had to suppress someone with force if they didn¡¯t understand words. Now was that time. ¡®It¡¯ll probably take something like Anima to damage it.¡¯ If it was difficult to tame, he would just get rid of it. Jeong-Hoon took out Anima and put on Mukho again. ¡°I¡¯m going to tear you apart now.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Anima was naturally summoned and perched on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder. ¡°The clothes I¡¯m wearing now.¡± ¡°Aha. Where did you get those rags? Take them off, they¡¯re ugly.¡± [Ugly? Your lizard eyes are the ugly ones.] Mukho¡¯s target shifted to Anima. Anima¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, the clothes can talk?¡± [Clothes? Hahaha! You can¡¯t possibly recognize my nobility with those candy-like eyes.] Anima, as if it wasn¡¯t even worth responding to, grinned at Jeong-Hoon and said, ¡°Hoon, shoot about 100 arrows into it.¡± ¡°I was thinking the same thing.¡± [Huh? You don¡¯t think you can do anything to me with arrows, do you?] Mukho scoffed. ¡°Why not?¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled and carelessly threw Mukho on the floor. Then he casually pulled Anima¡¯s bowstring and shot at Mukho. The mana arrow urately pierced Mukho. ¡°One shot isn¡¯t enough.¡± Anima said with a serious face. ¡°I know.¡± Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again and shot at Mukho. One shot, two shots, three shots, four shots. After more than ten shots, Mukho¡¯s sleeve fluttered slightly. Was it a sign to stop? He slowly lowered the bowstring and approached Mukho, pulling out the arrows that were stuck in it. The mana arrows disappeared without a trace. ¡®Let¡¯s see¡­¡¯ Jeong-Hoon put Mukho back on. [Aaagh! Stop it! Stop!] Mukho¡¯s screams echoed in his head. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re being noisy again.¡± Anima, who had been quietly listening on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder, frowned. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been educated enough yet.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s shoot 20 more arrows and continue talking.¡± As Jeong-Hoon was about to take off Mukho, a hurried voice echoed in his head. [Talk! Let¡¯s talk!] At the request, Jeong-Hoon stopped pretending to take it off. ¡°Talk, good.¡± ¡°Tsk, we should have done more.¡± Anima, showing its disappointment, climbed onto Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head. [Grrr, candy eyes. Don¡¯t get cocky.] ¡°Cocky? Know your ce.¡± [You look like yellow pee.] ¡°What?! Pee? You¡¯re worse than ink.¡± [Hahaha, at least I don¡¯t smell like pee. Just look at your size. If I get close, you¡¯ll probably smell like goblin armpit sweat.] ¡°Hoon! Fuck this bastard up! Fuck him up!¡± As the argument quickly escted into a fight, Jeong-Hoon quickly intervened. ¡°Stop it. You want me to shoot 100 arrows into you?¡± [Sh¡­ It¡¯s strange. Why does it hurt? What the hell did you do to me?] Mukho quickly became obedient, as if it was in considerable pain. As they say, the rod is the medicine for a madman. The wisdom of our ancestors is truly amazing. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Anyway, I¡¯m trying to tame you.¡± [Ha, you? Tame the great me?] ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll throw you into the firece.¡± Siegfried had said that Mukho had a will of its own, so even if the robe was torn or burned, it would recover quickly. That meant it had the ability to automatically repair its durability. But now, all its abilities were sealed. As proof, Mukho was now tattered from being an arrow target. [Fire¡­?] Mukho¡¯s voice trembled slightly, as if it was anxious. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re currently sealed from all your abilities. So if you get burned, you¡¯ll be destroyed.¡± [Destroy me?!] ¡°If I can¡¯t tame you, it¡¯s better to get rid of you.¡± He meant it. It didn¡¯t have to be Mukho. He could just rece it with another piece of armor. As if sensing Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sincerity, Mukho added in a hurried voice, [You¡¯ll regret it if you destroy me?! I¡¯m Mukho! Mukho!] ¡°I might regret it a little. But it¡¯s okay.¡± [¡­Don¡¯t lie. A human full of desire can¡¯t help but be greedy when they see me!] ¡°It¡¯s also troublesome to have too much self-love.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled bitterly. ¡°Hoon, are you really going to burn it? I¡¯m all for it.¡± Anima smiled brightly. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t acknowledge me as its owner, I¡¯ll have to.¡± [If I acknowledge you as my owner?] ¡°Then the seal will be released and you won¡¯t be destroyed, right?¡± [¡­Alright. I¡¯ll ept you as my owner.] Mukho said, as if resigning itself. Then the tattered Mukho began to shine golden, and golden stripes were engraved all over the ck robe. [Mukho¡¯s seal is released.] [You have be the owner of Mukho.] === [Mukho] -Type: Armor -Grade: Legendary -Defense: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) -Evasion: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) -Physical Damage Reduction: 15% -Magic Damage Reduction: 15% -Remaining Durability: 100% (Durability recovers automatically.) -Special Ability (1): X (Ability lost due to the aftermath of the seal) -Special Ability (2): X (Ability lost due to the aftermath of the seal) -Special Ability (3): X (Ability lost due to the aftermath of the seal) === However, Mukho¡¯s stats were not very good, unworthy of its Legendary grade. It had lost most of its abilities because it had been sealed for so long. [Kyaaa! What are these meager options?] Mukho screamed. It seemed quite shocked. On the other hand, Jeong-Hoon was very calm. ¡®I can restore itter.¡¯ If it was lost, he could just restore it. Of course, Mukho, who didn¡¯t know that, was making a fuss. How did Siegfried even manage to carry this guy around? If it wasn¡¯t Legendary, he might have just thrown it to another martial artist. ¡°You¡¯re so noisy. Be quiet!¡± Anima shouted. [Shut up! Do you know how I feel? Do you know how I feel, trapped in clothes and losing even the little bit of stats I had left?!] ¡°How could I not? I was originally a dragon too.¡± [¡­You¡¯re trapped too?] ¡°Well, you could say it¡¯s simr.¡± [¡­] Mukho shut its mouth. Did it feel a sense of camaraderie? ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s time to go ba¡­¡± As Jeong-Hoon was about to turn around, a record wrapped in red cloth caught his eye. It also had Siegfried¡¯s name on it. But there was only one sheet of paper inside. -If you¡¯ve unsealed Mukho, you¡¯ll be able to see the writing on the first line. Take this paper with you. I¡¯ll tell you how to restore Mukho¡¯s abilities. It seemed to be written in special ink. Jeong-Hoon put the paper in his inventory. * * * [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Jeong-Hoon! Do you have some time? The guild leader really wants to see you¡­] As soon as he came out of the Mu Tower, he had a whisper from Yeo Min-Ji. ¡®That¡¯s to be expected. My mother even got a hidden ss.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, who had temporarily joined Ho-Yeong, readily agreed. The ce was a cafe near his house. There were too many eyes watching them to meet inside the game. ¡®I¡¯ve rented out the entire cafe, so let¡¯s meet there.¡¯ Yeo Sunwoo had even rented out the entire cafe. Thanks to that, the cafe¡¯s tables were all empty. When Jeong-Hoon and his mother entered the cafe, Yeo Min-Ji, who had arrived earlier, greeted them warmly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for calling you out so suddenly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. The guild leader is your father, right?¡± His mother smiled and waved her hand. Yeo Min-Ji blushed and nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll be by your side so that no strange rumors spread, so don¡¯t worry.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The three of them took their seats, and soon after, Yeo Sunwoo entered the cafe. ¡®They look alike.¡¯ Yeo Sunwoo looked to be in his early 40s, with a small face and sharp features, exuding an aura that would make him suitable to be an actor. Yeo Min-Ji was the spitting image of her father. Anyone could see that they were father and daughter. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived early. I hope I¡¯m notte.¡± There were still 10 minutes left before the appointed time. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We just got here too.¡± His mother said, waving her hand. ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± When Yeo Sunwoo also took his seat, the cafe owner approached the table with a menu. ¡°Please let me know if you have any drinks you¡¯d like.¡± Normally, they would have to go to the counter or use a kiosk to order, but since Yeo Sunwoo had rented out the entire cafe, the owner came out to take their orders directly. When his mother and Jeong-Hoon chose Americano, it was naturally decided that everyone would have Americano. ¡°Um¡­ The reason I suddenly asked to meet you is to promise you even better treatment.¡± However, with her advancement to a hidden ss, Yeo Sunwoo had no choice but to step up himself. He didn¡¯t know what kind of contract they had made before, but he wanted to promise her something much better. ¡°You¡¯re going to give us even more?¡± His mother looked a little surprised. She wasn¡¯t able to y with her son yet, but she was quite satisfied with the full support she was receiving from Ho-Yeong to enjoy the game. ¡°Yes. I want to increase the scale of support.¡± Support for dungeons suitable for her level, equipment, and items. In addition, he would give her an additional 500 gold per month, and additional rewards depending on her guild contribution. ¡®500 gold means 5 million won per month.¡¯ His mother¡¯s eyes widened, as if she also knew the value of gold. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± It was more than her monthly sry. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the basicpensation. There will be bonuses whenever you participate in guild-rted activities.¡± His mother couldn¡¯t leave the starting zone yet, so there wouldn¡¯t be any bonuses. However, the basicpensation alone exceeded her monthly sry, so it was an attractive offer. ¡°I¡¯d be grateful if you gave it to me.¡± ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t exin it properly. If you quit your job, we¡¯ll add your original sry to the basicpensation.¡± His mother was working and ying the game. It was quite a tight schedule, so if she focused on New World, he wouldpensate her ordingly. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t help but be conflicted. She had started the game because she wanted to have the same hobby as her son, but now she waspletely immersed in New World. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to focus on New World at this point?¡± He meant that she didn¡¯t have to keep working. Of course, the choice was hers. Jeong-Hoon knew the future, but it was impossible for him to force his mother to do this or that. Even if she decided to keep working, he would respect her choice. ¡°¡­Okay. Let¡¯s do it.¡± His mother made her decision faster than he expected. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you never regret that choice.¡± Yeo Sunwoo said confidently and then turned his gaze to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Hmm, I assume I can get as much support as I want for dungeons and items?¡± That was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s focus. ¡°Of course. Ho-Yeong will promise you the best treatment, Jeong-Hoon. Even after you leave the guild.¡± One of the conditions Yeo Min-Ji had offered. It was that Jeong-Hoon could leave the guild whenever he wanted. ¡°Good. Then I have one favor to ask right now.¡± Chapter 82 Chapter 82 [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s mouth stretched into a wide grin at the wee message. It had been a long time since he had seen a level-up message. With this, his level had be 142. ¡®It¡¯s finally over!¡¯ What was even more delightful was that the vicious monster hadn¡¯t sought him out since the event. He must have been forgiven since he had diligently followed the monster¡¯s orders during the event. === [yer Information] -Nickname: SaltySoup4Mom -Level: 142 -ss: Assassin (2nd ss) === Moreover, thanks to the event rewards, his ss grade had risen from Rare to Epic. As a result, he had learned skills that were superior to those of an assassin, and hunting monsters had be much easier. He had even obtained an Epic grade weapon from a boss monster. ¡®As expected, one should live a good life!¡¯ Good things were happening one after another since he stopped doing bad things. ¡°Hey, you son of a bitch!¡± At that moment, a familiar voice struck Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s ears. Kim Bong-Goo turned his head. There were four eyes ring at him as if they were about to kill him. ¡°What? What¡¯s up?¡± They were a group of bad guys who used to hang out with Hong Hyun-Woo. Unlike Hong Hyun-Woo, who was Rare grade, these guys were Normal grade. Kim Bong-Goo had also gotten to know them while bing close with Hong Hyun-Woo, and they had stuck together, centered around Hong Hyun-Woo. So they were the guys he had naturally cut ties with after falling out with Hong Hyun-Woo. He hadn¡¯t expected to run into them here. ¡°What¡¯s up? Hyun-Woo told us. You betrayed us and joined that bastard, right?¡± ¡°Fuck, did you think we were the only friends you had? How could you stab us in the back?¡± Kim Bong-Goo tilted his head. ¡°Stab you in the back? I don¡¯t know what he told you, but I don¡¯t see how I stabbed you in the back.¡± ¡°What? So you¡¯re saying it¡¯s not true? You did join that bastard!¡± ¡°Bullshit. Anyway, I have nothing to say to you, so just go.¡± They weren¡¯t worth his time. ¡°This motherfucker really¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t continue. Because Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s aura changed instantly. ¡®Shit, what¡¯s this?¡¯ ¡®Assassin? Isn¡¯t that Epic grade?¡¯ Only then did they notice Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s ss. Thest time they saw him, his ss was Assassin. The difference between Rare and Normal grade was like heaven and earth, so they hade together because they judged that they had no chance in a one-on-one fight. But now, Kim Bong-Goo was Epic, not Rare. ¡°Do you want to try? Do you want me to give you a one-month suspension like Hong Hyun-Woo?¡± ¡°¡­Fuck!¡± ¡°You disgusting bastard, you¡¯re dead the next time I see you!¡± They yelled those words and ran away as fast as they could. Kim Bong-Goo scoffed as if they were pathetic and then withdrew his aura. ¡®Ha¡­ I¡¯ve lived such a meaningless life.¡¯ He felt disgusted by the fact that he used to hang out with those guys every day. [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Come to Autobahn.] And then a chilling whisper arrived. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face instantly turned pale. ¡®Why again¡­¡¯ Wasn¡¯t it over with that event? [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: No answer?] Another whisper arrived when he didn¡¯t respond. Kim Bong-Goo was startled and hurriedly moved his fingers. [Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: I¡¯ll be right there! Should I go to the za?] [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Sending you the location.] * * * The next ce Jeong-Hoon headed to was a cliff located at the western edge. ¡®Hoon, you said you were in Autobahn, right?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s right.¡¯ ¡®Oh, then do you know about the western edge there?¡¯ ¡®The western edge?¡¯ ¡®The ce blocked by a cliff!¡¯ ¡®No. I¡¯ve never had a reason to go there.¡¯ ¡®Hehe, then let me tell you something amazing. Everyone probably thought it was blocked off, but there was actually a bug city there.¡¯ His colleague and betrayer, Maximus Perion. He was a martial artist like Jeong-Hoon and a teacher-like figure. Of course, Jeong-Hoonter surpassed him, but the fact that he was his teacher remained unchanged. That Maximus Perion had conspired with the traitors at the end and driven Jeong-Hoon to his death. ¡®It¡¯s about time he discovers it.¡¯ Maximus was a user who had entered the game quitete. The hidden opportunity stored away at the western edge of Autobahn hadn¡¯t been discovered yet, but in a few days, it would be taken by him. That¡¯s why he had arrived at the right time. The bottom of the cliff was so deep that it was shrouded in darkness, and nothing could be seen with the naked eye. [What? Are you going to jump off here and die? Yay! I¡¯m going to be ownerless?!] Mukho spoke up. He was really talented at getting on people¡¯s nerves. But this didn¡¯t even make him angry. ¡°That will never happen, so don¡¯t worry.¡± [No. I¡¯ll pray hard that it happens!] ¡°Do as you please.¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled and summoned Michael. ¡°You called?!¡± Michael replied with a tense face. [What¡¯s that rotten milk-looking thing?] Mukho immediately dissed Michael. Unlike Anima, Michael, who couldn¡¯t hear Mukho¡¯s words, didn¡¯t react at all. [Hey? Can¡¯t you hear? Are your eardrums rotten too?] ¡®You don¡¯t have a mouth, how would you know? You idiot.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon said to Mukho inwardly and pointed to the cliff. ¡°Well, it¡¯s nothing else, but we¡¯re going down there today.¡± ¡°¡­Here?¡± Michael reacted with a hesitant face. ¡°Yes. If you go down, the portal will automatically connect.¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t see the bottom? If I go down there, I¡¯ll die!¡± Michael automatically shook his head, pointing to the darkness at the bottom of the cliff. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You won¡¯t die.¡± Jeong-Hoon was able to receive support for items necessary for growth by joining Ho-Yeong. So he had requested a few items in preparation for today, and he was able to receive them in less than a day. What came out of his inventory was the Infinite Rope. It was a Rare grade rope that would never break, with unlimited length. It was also enchanted with special magic, so it could be controlled manually without needing to be fixed, and it was automatically adjusted to withstand a load of up to 10 tons. ¡°No. No. I¡¯ll die of a heart attack. This is crazy!¡± Michael shouted. It seemed like he really didn¡¯t want to go down. ¡°Really? Then should I send Kim Bong-Goo down first?¡± Jeong-Hoon had whispered to Kim Bong-Goo before proceeding with today¡¯s task. This was because at least two users needed to be in a party to find the hidden opportunity at the bottom of this cliff. Since Michael was ssified as a tamed monster, he needed another user. That¡¯s why he thought of Kim Bong-Goo. ¡®Ha-Jin is busy with raids.¡¯ Ha-Jin was busy participating in raids with his guild. He had a lot to do since he got a personal capsule and leveled up to Aura Knight. ¡°You called?¡± Kim Bong-Goo arrived shortly after. ¡°Hmm? You¡¯ve reached Epic?¡± Kim Bong-Goo had grown into an Epic grade Assassin, not just an Assassin. ¡°Hehe, thanks to being in the right ce at the right time, I was able to raise my ss grade.¡± The maximum ss upgrade was Epic. From Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s perspective, who was Rare, there was no reason not to choose the option to upgrade to Epic. ¡°That¡¯s good. Then shall we start?¡± Jeong-Hoon invited Kim Bong-Goo to a party. A 2-person party was formed when Kim Bong-Goo epted. ¡°Yes! Then what should I do?¡± ¡°Michael, go tie his waist.¡± Michael quickly moved and wrapped the rope around Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s waist as Jeong-Hoon pointed his chin. ¡°Stay still. It¡¯s hard to tie.¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face was filled with confusion at Michael¡¯s annoyed voice. ¡°Wh-What are you trying to do?!¡± ¡°What do you mean? We¡¯re going down that cliff.¡± ¡°What?! W-Wait a minute!¡± Kim Bong-Goo struggled desperately. What kind of crazy person would try to go down this cliff?! Ah, there¡¯s that crazy bastard. ¡°You¡¯d better stay tied up.¡± At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words, Kim Bong-Goo stopped struggling and resigned himself. Whatever it was, he was the one going down there. ¡°¡­This won¡¯te loose, will it?¡± Kim Bong-Goo asked in a desperate voice. He added a spoonful of hope, wishing that Jeong-Hoon would say it wouldn¡¯te loose. Fortunately, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t tease him and answered seriously. ¡°It won¡¯t. It¡¯s specially made.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy to go down this high cliff relying only on a rope. Because of the fear that weighed down on his whole body. ¡°Th-That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If there¡¯s a problem, I¡¯ll stop it before it happens.¡± ¡°¡­How?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask for details.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon grabbed the rope with his hand. ¡°Then go down.¡± ¡°¡­Huh? Aren¡¯t you going to tie it to a tree?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rope that can be controlled by hand.¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face turned pale at the words that it could be controlled by hand. If he fell, it was 100% death. Even if he logged back in, he didn¡¯t have the confidence to climb this high cliff again. Kim Bong-Goo knelt in front of Jeong-Hoon and started begging. ¡°P-Please spare me! Didn¡¯t you say I could do anything you asked?!¡± ¡°Yes. You said you¡¯d do anything, right?¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t mean killing me¡­ Huhuhu¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo was firmly convinced that Jeong-Hoon was nning to drop him off the cliff and trap him. Jeong-Hoon sighed at the sight of him even bursting into tears. ¡°You seem to have the wrong idea. This rope can be controlled by hand. I¡¯m not trying to kill you.¡± ¡°Lies¡­¡± [Wow, this guy looks like a rotten fish head, and he¡¯s so damn scared.] Mukho chided Kim Bong-Goo in an annoyed voice. ¡®He¡¯s right this time, isn¡¯t he?¡¯ It felt like scratching an itch at the right time. ¡°Try running sideways.¡± ¡°R-Run?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Bong-Goo got up and ran sideways. Then Jeong-Hoon tightly gripped the rope with his fist, and the rope was tightly fixed, causing Kim Bong-Goo, who was running, to fall down on the spot. ¡°Don¡¯t let go of the rope, just release the brake. Then I¡¯ll send Michael down instead of you.¡± ¡°R-Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Alright!¡± Kim Bong-Goo shouted with shining eyes. But contrary to his shout, it was Kim Bong-Goo who was going down the cliff. * * * ¡°You saw that, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The brake worked perfectly. Kim Bong-Goo slowly descended the cliff with his body trembling. But he couldn¡¯t go down much further and slipped, dancing in the air. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°I-I need to go up! I lost my bnce!¡± Kim Bong-Goo screamed for his life. ¡°Sigh, we¡¯ll never finish at this rate. Sorry, but bear with it for a moment.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jeong-Hoon loosened his grip on the rope. The brake released, and Kim Bong-Goo plummeted down the cliff. Aaagh! When the scream faded away, Jeong-Hoon tightened his grip. The rope braked like magic. There was no friction on his skin. ¡®It¡¯s definitely a good rope.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon alternately loosened and tightened his grip, ensuring Kim Bong-Goonded safely. And only after confirming that the rope wouldn¡¯t unravel even without the brake did hepletely let go. [You have discovered an unknown area.] [You have acquired 10,000 achievement points.] Along with that message, a portal appeared in front of Jeong-Hoon. It was a portal leading to the bottom of the cliff. [Lv. ?? Would you like to proceed to the entrance of the imperfectly rendered city?] An imperfectly rendered city. New World was a worldview created by splitting andbining numerous worlds. There were dimensions that failed to properly connect during the merging process, and this city was one of them. It was a kind of bug. Nevertheless, New World didn¡¯t fix this bug. ¡®It¡¯s like an opportunity left for us to exploit.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon intended to exploit this bug to the fullest. Chapter 83 Chapter 83 ¡°Kkeuheuk¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s body wouldn¡¯t stop trembling. Just a moment ago, the fear of death had gripped his entire body as he fell from the cliff. He had never experienced such terror before. It would have been a hundred, a thousand times better to die from an attack and lose HP. ¡°F-Fuck¡­ I never want to experience that again.¡± But the problem was that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to climb back up the cliff. It was so high that the top waspletely obscured by clouds. ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Kim Bong-Goo shouted, filled with resentment. ¡°What?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s voice came from behind him. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s mind snapped back to reality, and he turned his head with difficulty, like a broken robot. ¡°Huh¡­? How did you get here?¡± ¡°I came through the portal.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed to the blue portal behind him. ¡°¡­Since when was there a portal?¡± ¡°I explored an unknown area. That¡¯s how the portal that wasn¡¯t there before was created.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Damn it. So I was just a tool to open the portal! Kim Bong-Goo red at Jeong-Hoon with resentment. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips curled up into a smirk. ¡°Oh, you want to hit me?¡± ¡°N-No.¡± ¡°No? I heard you cursing just now.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached Kim Bong-Goo, clenching and unclenching his fist. Kim Bong-Goo turned pale and quickly knelt down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I think I lost my mind.¡± ¡°No. I just felt it, you¡¯re definitely the type to stab me in the back when things go wrong.¡± ¡°Absolutely not! I swear! I think I was crazy just now!¡± [Master, just beat him up. Looks can be deceiving. I¡¯ve never seen a nice guy who looks like that.] Mukho chimed in. ¡°Shall I take care of him?¡± Michael stretched his body. ¡°Hmm, let¡¯s do this. We¡¯re going to move to a new field now, and there¡¯s something you need to do there.¡± ¡°What is it¡­?¡± ¡°Lure.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± * * * Earth Korea Management Team. The management team staff were working in a quiet atmosphere. Except for asionally running the program to manage users, they no longer ran the real-time monitoring program. No, they couldn¡¯t run it. [This is Yeo Sunwoo, the guild leader of Ho-Yeong Guild.] Ho-Yeong Guild had contacted the Earth Korea management team. In fact, Oh Jin-Soo and the staff knew which guild the user belonged to. Originally, there was no need for secrecy since the guild name of a user would appear if you simply searched for them. But the problem was what he said next. [If you¡¯re watching our guild members, please stop.] He was so surprised by those words. Oh Jin-Soo almost fainted on the spot. They had been caught red-handed for intensively monitoring the user. One of the management team¡¯s tasks was to monitor any abnormal y by users and take action before any problems arose, but in this case, there was no excuse, even if they were criticized for abusing their power. [I¡¯ll believe that it was part of your job until now. But please be aware that continued monitoring from now on is a crime.] Yeo Sunwoo ended the call with a light warning. ¡®How the hell did he know?¡¯ All of the management team¡¯s work was prohibited from being disclosed to the outside. But Yeo Sunwoo acted as if he knew everything. ¡®Sigh, it¡¯s my fault anyway.¡¯ Honestly, there was no need to me Yeo Sunwoo. He was the one who started watching the user in the first ce, and he was the one who allowed the staff to abuse the program. In a serious case, he would have to take all the responsibility and resign. ¡°Manager? About that user¡­¡± One of the staff members approached him tactlessly and mentioned the user. Oh Jin-Soo sighed deeply and said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me say to leave that user alone?¡± ¡°No¡­ I did, but¡­ That user found a bug¡­¡± ¡°A bug? What do you mean?¡± Oh Jin-Soo jumped up from his seat and headed towards the staff member¡¯s monitor. The monitor showed the user at the bottom of the cliff located at the western edge of Autobahn. ¡°Isn¡¯t that ce supposed to be blocked off¡­?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, it should be.¡± New World was a virtual reality game and a semi-open world game. Unlike open world games where you could go to any vige even if you didn¡¯t meet the level or conditions, you could only move to another vige if you met certain conditions, such as story progress or level. And originally, the western area of Autobahn should have been blocked off by the cliff. ¡®What is that¡­?¡¯ Just like in the Mu Tower before, why did strange things keep happening wherever that user went? ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°What do you mean what should we do? This is a bug. We need to report it to headquarters and ask them to fix it quickly.¡± Oh Jin-Soo hurriedly returned to his seat and reported to headquarters. That a bug had been discovered in Autobahn. [No problem.] But the reply he got was absurd. * * * Ho-Yeong Guild Leader¡¯s Office. ¡°Guild leader, even if it¡¯s Earth Korea¡­ Do you really think they did that?¡± Park In-tae looked incredulous. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just did as I was asked.¡± Jeong-Hoon had asked Yeo Sunwoo to give a warning to the Earth Korea management team. Just one warning. And to not do anything after that. ¡®What are you going to do if it¡¯s just a groundless fear?¡¯ ¡®Then I should apologize. He¡¯s the guild leader of Ho-Yeong, can¡¯t you cover for that much?¡¯ ¡®¡­Alright.¡¯ He was quite a bold fellow. * * * The imperfectly rendered city could only be entered by forming a party. At that time, Maximus had entered with the friend who had led him to New World. Jeong-Hoon had never met his friend because Maximus had already lost him when they met, but he felt a sense of camaraderie because Maximus sometimes talked about his friend. Although the ending was terrible. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring. [Lv. 122 ???] A grotesque creature appeared before him. It was a monster without even a name. He aimed at its head and released the bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow shot out and urately pierced the monster¡¯s head. ¡°?#!@#¡± The monster let out an iprehensible scream and disappeared on the spot. [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] Jeong-Hoon leveled up and became level 105. The reason he could grow so rapidly. It was because the monster¡¯s experience points were abnormally high. The fact that he had risen to level 105 after hunting only 11 of them was proof of that. He was already looking forward to how much he would level up if he hunted from the entrance to the boss zone inside. ¡°C-Can¡¯t we hunt?!¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s voice came from afar. He was running around, attracting the monsters¡¯ attention. ¡°No.¡± This was a bug city. Perhaps that¡¯s why even if they were in a party, the experience points weren¡¯t distributed evenly. 95% went to the one who hunted, and the remaining 5% was distributed to the party members. To gain experience points, one had to seed in hunting with their own strength. Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again. [Master, wouldn¡¯t it be better to test my defense in closebat?] Mukho was dissatisfied with Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fighting method. All of its stats had been lost due to the aftermath of the seal, and there was no situation where it could even test the little bit of defense it had left. ¡°I¡¯ll restore it soon, so just wait a little longer.¡± Not yet. He needed Legendary grade materials to give Mukho new power. ¨C The way to restore Mukho is simple. Just redesign it to your liking. But you¡¯ll need some materials. The materials Siegfried mentioned were not something he could obtain right away. So he needed to take a long-term view with Mukho. Whoosh! He released the bowstring, and the arrow pierced the monster¡¯s head. [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] After hunting about 300 monsters, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level surpassed 115. ¡®Done.¡¯ He had achieved his first goal of reaching level 115. ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­ I don¡¯t think there are any more monsters.¡± Kim Bong-Goo, who had been running around for a while, was panting, seemingly exhausted. ¡°Stop pretending to be tired.¡± There was no way an Assassin over level 140 would be tired from running this much. ording to his calctions, Kim Bong-Goo should have leveled up once while receiving a bit of experience in between. It didn¡¯t make sense for him to be tired. At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words, Kim Bong-Goo got up from his spot. ¡°Was it that obvious?¡± ¡°It was fucking obvious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°I was going to let you off here, but it looks like I need to make you work a little more.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Jeong-Hoon took out a drill. It wasn¡¯t just any drill. It was a MacGyver Drill. It was enchanted with special magic, allowing him to change between more than 10 different drill sizes, and it could even be transformed into a shovel if needed. ¡®From a rope to a drill¡­ What the hell are you nning to do with these items?¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s expression was full of curiosity as she handed him the items. ¡®I might need them.¡¯ And that time was now. ¡°We¡¯re going to dig up all this ground.¡± ¡°This whole ce?¡± ¡°No.¡± An imperfectly rendered city. The city looked like a desert. A very t desert. Even while hunting monsters, there were no traces of an oasis, trees, grass, or buildings. ¡®At first, I thought it just ended with abnormally high experience points.¡¯ At that time, Maximus had tried to leave the dungeon after hunting monsters. But just before entering the boss zone, he discovered traces of relics and dug up the whole ce, and then he found the hidden opportunity. ¡°¡­There¡¯s something there, right?¡± Kim Bong-Goo, who received the drill, chuckled. Where was he supposed to dig in this vast desert? It was obvious that it would be nothing but manualbor. He was probably trying to make him suffer because he was annoyed that he pretended to be tired. ¡°Here. Let¡¯s dig quickly.¡± The ce Jeong-Hoon pointed to was in front of the portal leading to the boss zone. In front of it was not a desert, but a mountain of broken rocks, so destroyed that their shape was unrecognizable. ¡°You mean here¡­?¡± ¡°Where else would we dig? We don¡¯t have time, so move quickly.¡± With that, Jeong-Hoon also picked up the drill and started to dig. ¡®So I¡¯m not doing this alone.¡¯ Does this mean it¡¯s not just manualbor? Kim Bong-Goo followed him and started digging next to him. Thergest drill rotated quickly, digging into the ground. 1 meter. 2 meters. They hadn¡¯t dug that much, but Jeong-Hoon and Kim Bong-Goo were already so deep that they couldn¡¯t be seen from the ground. ¡°Th-There¡¯s nothing here!¡± ¡°Keep digging.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The work continued. 5 meters. 6 meters. 7 meters. How long had it been? Thud. Whirr. At some point, the drill started to spin idly. This didn¡¯t mean it couldn¡¯t prate, but that the space below was empty. [New @#!@ Space! (($ Reached &*^] And with an error-filled message, the ground beneath Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s feet copsed, and he lost his bnce and fell. ¡°Aaagh!¡± Fortunately, the bottom wasn¡¯t that deep, so there was almost no impact. Jeong-Hoonnded safely next to him. ¡°This is it.¡± It was an Underground City The underground city was spread out before his eyes. Even though it was a city hidden underground, it wasn¡¯t as dark as he thought it would be. This was because it was automatically adjusted so that it could be discerned with the naked eye. ¡°Wh-Where are we?¡± Kim Bong-Goo asked, dusting off the dirt from his body. ¡°An underground city.¡± Although it was called an underground city, it was quite crude because it wasn¡¯t rendered properly. ording to Maximus, there were also NPCs in this underground city. To obtain items necessary for growth, he had to go through that NPC. As they entered the city, they soon saw a man who looked to be in histe 20s. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: ^$@@ ¨C Level: @#! ¨C ss: %@# === An NPC whose nickname, level, and ss weren¡¯t disyed properly. Since it was a bug, the NPC wasn¡¯t rendered properly either. Seeing the NPC, the corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth rose into a wide smile. ¡®Found it.¡¯ Chapter 84 Chapter 84 Ho-Yeong Guild training ground. Yeo Min-Ji took a deep breath and then performed her footwork. She then started hitting the scarecrow in front of her with Wind Fist. [You have repeatedly hit the same area. Critical Hit has been triggered. The scarecrow¡¯s HP has decreased by 5%!] With the Critical Hit triggered,bos and umted damage quickly piled up. Wind Fist quickly rose to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th forms, followed by Destruction Fist and Fire Fist in session. After a considerable amount of time, Yeo Min-Ji finished her training. Her body was drenched in sweat after moving for hours without rest. ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re amazing.¡± One of the guild members who was watching from the control room came over and handed Yeo Min-Ji a towel. ¡°Amazing? I¡¯m still far from it.¡± Yeo Min-Ji couldn¡¯t ept thepliment. The martial arts that Jeong-Hoon had shown her the other day. That perfect bnce made her feel empty, envious, and jealous at the same time. It was because all her pride in her own brilliant talent had beenpletely shattered. At the same time, a longing to follow him engulfed her. ¡°Is that so? But it¡¯s a level 400 scarecrow¡­¡± The guild member nced at the scarecrow. The scarecrow, which had been intact, waspletely shattered, leaving only traces. Considering that they had created three scarecrows today alone, it was an incredible disy of power. ¡°By the way, where¡¯s your mother?¡± ¡°My mother? Oh! I heard she finished hunting a while ago and logged out.¡± ¡°Really? I should go see her quickly.¡± Yeo Min-Ji quickly finished up and went outside. Learning martial arts from Jeong-Hoon was one thing, but she had also be close to Lee Na-Yeon after joining the guild, so they would meet offline and have coffee, talking about New World. It had be a new joy in her life, aside from training. ¡°Miss! I have something to report!¡± ¡°A report?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She was about to log out, but Park In-tae, the team leader, came in, so she had to postpone it. Judging by his expression, it seemed to be a serious matter. Yeo Min-Ji asked in a serious tone, ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°A few guild members have gone missing!¡± ¡°Missing?¡± Her eyes narrowed at the word ¡®missing¡¯. ¡°Yes. They haven¡¯t logged out. They¡¯re still logged in, but their location can¡¯t be tracked at all. And they¡¯re not responding to whispers either.¡± ¡°¡­Give me the list.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Min-Ji slowly looked over the list Park In-tae handed her. They had disappeared after clearing a dungeon called ¡®Fruhneum¡¯ at Lv. 139. Currently, that dungeon had been cleared, and information hade in that another party was attempting to clear it. So where had they disappeared to? ¡°It¡¯s the Lohais territory.¡± Lohais territory, like Autobahn, was one of the territories that users between levels 100 and 150 passed through. Lohais, located in the southern part of the M?rchen Kingdom, was less popr than Autobahn, but it was quite a popr area among users because it was a decent ce for leveling. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll leave right away. Let¡¯s go.¡± It seemed like the tea time with his mother would have to be postponed. * * * An imperfectly rendered city. ¡°Foreigner %& how did you get here &^%^#?¡± The NPC spoke to Jeong-Hoon in an iprehensiblenguage. It was curious that a foreigner had entered this city. ¡®He¡¯s asking how a foreigner like me got in here.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon was able to understand his words intuitively. And a question mark was blinking above his head. It was a question mark that was so broken that he couldn¡¯t even tell its color. [@# Quest : $(&*%&$%] ¨C Restriction: ^$$%@! ¨C Reward: &^$#!!@* ¨C Description: (^&*%#$%@ This was really amazing. The quest details werepletely iprehensible. He knew the reward because Maximus had told him, but how the hell did that guy proceed with this? It was amazing, even thinking back on it. But there was no option not to ept it. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°Thank you ^%. If it weren¡¯t for you @!# there would be no one to help me!@¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, there would be no one to help me.¡± ¡°¡­Brother? Don¡¯t you think we should just go back?¡± Kim Bong-Goo asked, clinging to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sleeve in fear. [Aaagh! Don¡¯t touch my body! Get your hands off me!] Mukho freaked out. ¡°Absolutely not. And I¡¯m not your brother.¡± He looked older than him just by his appearance, so why wouldn¡¯t he call him brother? ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re more handsome and stronger than me, aren¡¯t you my brother?!¡± It was Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s own survival strategy. If he couldn¡¯t escape from Jeong-Hoon no matter what, the best option was to build a good rtionship with him by ttering him. ¡°Do as you please.¡± Even if he ttered him, his past misdeeds wouldn¡¯t disappear. He wouldn¡¯t give up on the idea of squeezing everyst drop of blood from Kim Bong-Goo. Kim Bong-Goo, unaware of this, clenched his fist, thinking that his ttery had worked. Jeong-Hoon summoned Michael and gave him instructions. ¡°Michael, search the surroundings.¡± ¡°Here?¡± ¡°Yes. If you see any strange guys, you can hunt them.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Michael, having received the order, summoned ghosts using necromancy and disappeared to the other side. ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡± Jeong-Hoon said to the NPC. ¡°Alright @#. Follow me ^#!@.¡± The NPC turned around and headed towards the center of the city. The center was also not rendered properly, and there were sinkholes everywhere. The bottom was dark and nothing could be seen. ¡°Eek!¡± In the middle, there was a near-ident where Kim Bong-Goo almost fell into a sinkhole. Fortunately, Jeong-Hoon grabbed his arm and pulled him up, preventing him from falling. ¡°Be careful not to fall. Unless you want to be a dimensional wanderer.¡± It literally meant being trapped in a dimension and wandering around. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°Is that, is that true?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Wow, I almost had to say goodbye to New World forever.¡± If you were trapped in a dimension, you couldn¡¯t solve it by logging out of New World. This was because you would reappear in the same ce even if you logged back in. In other words, it was the same as not being able to enjoy New World anymore. ¡°We¡¯re here $@¡± The ce where the NPC stopped was a building a little away from the center. When they went up to the building, a terrible sight unfolded before their eyes. ¡®There are too many monsters.¡¯ The center was teeming with countless monsters. Perhaps because there was an unknown barrier built around the center, they couldn¡¯t leave the center, making it reminiscent of a packed sardine can. ¡°Is he asking me to clear them out?¡± The NPC nodded at the question. ¡°If you clear them out!@, I¡¯ll give you my !#@ treasure!@¡± ¡°You¡¯ll give me treasure?¡± Nod. It was a simple request. Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring on the spot. ¡®I almost died back then.¡¯ He recalled the conversation he had with Maximus. ¡®You almost died?¡¯ ¡®Yes. I heard they were trapped, so I thought it would be over if I cleared them all at once. But¡­ that was a trick.¡¯ ¡®A trick?¡¯ ¡®It was a system where the barrier would copse if a user got close.¡¯ Unaware of that, he had approached, and nearly 2,000 monsters swarmed him, causing Maximus to die several times on the spot. When he logged back in, he was back at the bottom of the cliff. Jeong-Hoon released the bowstring he had pulled. Whoosh! The arrow shot out and urately pierced the monster¡¯s head. ¡®As expected of a bug city, that barrier is only effective on monsters.¡¯ A strategy he had learned after dying four times. Maximus¡¯ friend had eliminated as many monsters as possible from a distance, and Maximus had gone down and hunted all the remaining monsters in closebat, sessfully clearing the area. Thanks to that, Jeong-Hoon couldfortably hunt monsters using only his bow like this. Moreover, they were clustered together, making it much easier to hit them. Whoosh! ¡°!$!@¡± The monster, its head pierced, disappeared with a scream. As Jeong-Hoon continued to pull and release the bowstring without hesitation, arrows flew like rain. * * * [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] After defeating all those monsters, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level had reached 137. He had gained 33 levels just by entering the bug city. ¡°Is that enough?¡± Jeong-Hoon turned his head towards the NPC. The NPC¡¯s mouth was agape, unable to even think of answering. ¡°Tha!$ you!@#¡± The NPC grabbed Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand and his eyes welled up with tears. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. Because the exmation mark above his head wasn¡¯t blinking. ¡®He wants me to take care of the boss too, right?¡¯ It was obvious that if they didn¡¯t kill the boss and left, the empty center would soon be swarming with other monsters again. So the quest would only bepleted after killing the boss. Just then, two ghosts approached Jeong-Hoon. ¡°This way.¡± After taming Michael, he was able to hear their voices. Jeong-Hoon nodded and followed the ghosts. An underground bunker a little away from the city. Unlike the city, the bunker was very well rendered. ¡°Where are we now¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo groaned. He wanted to escape from this strange ce as soon as possible. Of course, that was only possible after Jeong-Hoon finished his business. ¡°Master! You¡¯re here!¡± Michael came running out. ¡°Yes. Where is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in there!¡± The boss was hiding on the roof of the building. [Lv. 150 Aberrant Being] Not only its level, but unlike other monsters, it was wearing a ck robe pulled down low. Its distinct form suggested that it wasn¡¯t an ordinary monster. ¡°Are you the one who defeated the barrier?¡± But the words it uttered were still difficult to understand. As a boss, it seemed to maintain its form to some extent, but it was impossible to go against the system of New World. ¡°I¡¯ll finish this quickly.¡± Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring. ¡°@!#!@¡± The monster babbled iprehensible words again and raised the staff it was holding. [The Aberrant Being uses ¡®!%#!¡¯.] As it used its ability, the surrounding air became murky and turned red. The air inside became hot, and his body felt feverish. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°#!@@#.¡± Kim Bong-Goo let out a low groan, and the NPC who apanied them screamed. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. Take the others and get out of here.¡± Jeong-Hoon used healing on them and spread ckfield. The surrounding space began to distort and shatter like ss. ¡°Understood!¡± Michael hurriedly took Kim Bong-Goo and the NPC out of the building. ¡°Shall we try again?¡± Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again and released it. Whoosh! The arrow was shot. [The Aberrant Being uses ¡®&%@##¡¯.] But the arrow disappeared before it could even reach the monster. ¡°What? Why is this happening?¡± Anima, who was riding on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder, looked bewildered at the sight. ¡°It¡¯s a monster that can distort space-time.¡± Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t flustered at all. This was because he had experience dealing with such beings. But it was also surprising. That a mere level 150 monster could distort space-time, even if only slightly. ¡®Magic Missile.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon created Magic Missile for the first time in a long time. The Magic Missile, which had been upgraded to Epic grade, could create up to 6 missiles. Moreover, each one had a radius of 50cm. ¡®Go.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon set the target as the Aberrant Being, and the Magic Missiles shot towards it. But the Magic Missiles also disappeared one by one before they could reach it. In that gap, Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to get close to the monster. ¡°!@#!@¡± He could see the blue eyes behind the robe twitching. That¡¯s right. To distort space-time, the monster had to use its ability, and if it continuously distorted long-range attacks, it would be vulnerable in closebat. It had created a dy by continuously eliminating the Magic Missiles. Jeong-Hoon then punched the monster in the face with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Wham! ¡°!@$¡± The monster screamed and fell back. Jeong-Hoon quickly pummeled its body. The Aberrant Being couldn¡¯t withstand the continuous martial arts and eventually disappeared. [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] A massive amount of experience points flooded in at once, and his level rose to 138. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± [Damn it, I can¡¯t test you like this! Just get hit a few times!] ¡°I¡¯m not interested in getting hit.¡± Jeong-Hoon collected the crystal that had dropped from the monster. [!@# Magic Stone] Done. He had sessfully snatched all the opportunities that Maximus was supposed to have, from the elixir to the magic stone. Chapter 85 Chapter 85 The exmation mark above the head of the NPC who had taken refuge outside the building was blinking. It meant that the quest had beenpleted. ¡°Thank you!@#¡± [Quest %#$ has beenpleted.] [You have acquired the $!@! Elixir.] Done. This elixir was the ¡®Growth Elixir¡¯ he had drank before. It was an item that greatly increased experience points, and although there was only one bottle, it contained a whole liter. With this, he could level up further even without hunting. [The underground city is disappearing.] And with the boss gone, the bug city slowly began to disappear. There was no reason for it to exist anymore. ¡°$!@$#!@#.¡± The man¡¯s voice was so broken that it waspletely iprehensible, but judging by the relieved smile on his face, he seemed to understand what he was saying. ¡®He must be thanking me for freeing him.¡¯ A life where he couldn¡¯t leave even if he wanted to because of a bug. He must have been relieved to be able to end such a tiresome life. After he disappeared into white ashes, Jeong-Hoon sent Michael back. ¡°Let¡¯s go back too.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face brightened. And as soon as they came out of the portal, Kim Bong-Goo got permission from Jeong-Hoon and hurriedly logged out and disappeared. [Kekeke, it¡¯s nice to see him running away.] Mukho giggled. ¡°Mukho, I¡¯ve been thinking, and I want to upgrade your abilities.¡± [My abilities? You said it wasn¡¯t possible right now, didn¡¯t you?] ¡°I did. But I got this.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out the unidentified magic stone he had obtained after defeating the Aberrant Being. * * * Italian server. ¡°Maximus! I found a bug!¡± ¡°A bug?¡± ¡°Yes! Why do you think New World doesn¡¯t fix bugs? They deliberately hid an opportunity there!¡± Maximus rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought. The person in front of him was his childhood friend, Federico. He was a friend who had been called a genius since childhood because he was so smart. His genius extended toputers, and he had even won various programmingpetitions. Of course, he hadpletely abandoned programming since New World came out. So Federico¡¯s words couldn¡¯t be false. But no matter how much he thought about it, it was strange. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. How many opportunities have been discovered so far?¡± Maximus was lucky enough to discover an opportunity at level 36. Thanks to that, he was able to obtain a Unique ss after his second job advancement. But he had never heard of any bugs in New World. ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you, this is something New World hid in a different form!¡± Federico ced a note on the table. [Western Edge] -!@#!@#% Except for the phrase ¡°Western Edge¡±, all the letters on the note were garbled. Federico, upon seeing this note, immediately recognized it as a bug. This was because it was simr to how existing things would be distorted when a bug urred. ¡°A different form?¡± It was rare for Federico to be this proactive. ¡°Yes! It¡¯s New World. Does it make sense that New World would just leave a bug like this?¡± The fact that he, who had been sweepingpetitions as a programmer, suddenly threw everything away wasrgely due to the influence of New World. ¡®This is unbelievable! Such technology exists in the world!¡¯ The feeling of helplessness that he couldn¡¯t keep up with the developers of New World no matter how hard he tried¡­ And at the same time, he was captivated by the charm of New World. It was a collection of technologies that far surpassed the modern era they had implemented. ¡°¡­Okay. So where is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very close! It¡¯s Autobahn!¡± ¡°Autobahn is here, isn¡¯t it?¡± This was the za of Autobahn. As befitting the Italian server, all the users in Autobahn were Italians. And the ce Federico guided him to was the cliff located at the western end of Autobahn. ¡°It¡¯s the ce beyond there!¡± ¡°¡­This is the edge of the territory. Isn¡¯t it blocked off by New World?¡± New World wasn¡¯t just one world. It was a semi-open world game that connected numerous worlds. So the developers had blocked off certain areas of the territory to prevent users from going beyond them. ¡°It¡¯s okay here!¡± Federico said, jumping off the cliff. As a mage, he slowly descended using flying magic, but the height was dizzying. ¡°Hey! What am I supposed to do if you go down alone?¡± Unlike him, Maximus was a martial artist. But soon, a portal appeared in front of him. It was a movement portal that could take him down the cliff instantly. ¡°What is this? Was there something down there that activated the portal?¡± Maximus was puzzled but took the portal and went down. But there was nothing there. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s gone? Where did it go?¡± ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s not Autobahn?¡± ¡°No way! Look down there!¡± Federico pointed to the note again. ¨C Western Edge of Au%@tobahn There were letters he could make out. ¡°Au¡­ to¡­bahn¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, Autobahn. You saw the portal appear when we came down here, right? This is definitely the ce!¡± ¡°¡­But there¡¯s nothing here?¡± They searched all over the bottom of the cliff, but they couldn¡¯t find the opportunity. * * * [You think I can strengthen my abilities in this smelly ce? I don¡¯t think so¡­] Mukho muttered in a doubtful voice. The ce Jeong-Hoon arrived at was a small cabin located a little distance from the cliff. It was an abandoned house where it seemed like no one could live. The reason for visiting such an abandoned house was simple. ¡®Because he¡¯s here.¡¯ The person who could strengthen Mukho¡¯s abilities. Looking closely, the cabin was quite clean, unlike an abandoned house, as if it had been well maintained. And he could sense someone inside. Jeong-Hoon knocked on the cabin door. ¡°Who is it?¡± A deep voice came from inside. ¡°I¡¯m here on business.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense and get lost.¡± A cold voice replied. ¡°I brought a magic stone.¡± ¡°¡­So what?¡± Just as he thought. A sly smile crept onto Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. It was because he had hesitated for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m trying to enchant something, but there¡¯s no one around with the ability to do so.¡± Enchant. Unlike evolution, refining, and enhancement, it refers to the process of forcibly granting new abilities and attributes by applying external power. It could be considered simr in nature to soul stones, but just as only those with Ego-rted skills could handle them, the same was true for enchanting. And the person Jeong-Hoon hade to see was a man who could be called a master of enchanting. ¡°I don¡¯t do that. Stop talking nonsense and go.¡± But the cabin door showed no signs of opening. And if he forced it open and went in, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make a request. Jeong-Hoon knocked again and spoke. ¡°It¡¯s Legendary armor. And the magic stone is something that hasn¡¯t been released to the world yet, so it¡¯s unverified.¡± As far as Jeong-Hoon remembered, this master was extremely curious. Legendary equipment rarely appeared, and an unverified magic stone on top of that. It was more than enough to stimte his curiosity. [What? You want to put something unverified on me?! Are you trying to kill someone?!] ¡®Be quiet.¡¯ [Damn owner! You want me to calmly let someone put a knife to my throat? Would you do that?!] ¡®I¡¯m going to enhance you.¡¯ [Enhance my ass. This is a live experiment!] Ignoring the noisy Mukho, he waited for an answer from inside. ¡°¡­Come in.¡± With those words, the tightly closed cabin door slowly opened. An old man in his 70s was standing there. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Irno ¨C Level: 150 ¨C ss: Forgotten Craftsman === Jeong-Hoon sat on the old chair across from him. Irno brought a cup of green tea and ced it on the table. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°¡­Is the robe you¡¯re wearing Legendary?¡± As expected of a craftsman, Irno recognized Mukho at a nce. ¡°You recognized it?¡± ¡°It would be strange not to recognize something with such a powerful aura.¡± In fact, only Irno could recognize it. Originally, when you started New World, your items were automatically set to private. Unless you manually changed it to public, others couldn¡¯t see it. Naturally, Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t set it to public, so other users couldn¡¯t recognize it. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s only halfplete?¡± Oh, can he even see that? [Half? You want your mouth to be split in two?] Mukho reacted irritably, but Jeong-Hoon simply ignored it. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to enhance it using this.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out the magic stone from his inventory and ced it on the table. Irno¡¯s pupils started to tremble madly when he saw the magic stone. ¡°H-How did you get this?!¡± ¡°Do you know about this magic stone?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Of course. How could I not recognize this?¡± A magic stone designated as Unique grade, but its performance wasparable to Legendary. It was a Special grade magic stone. Irno had only ever encountered up to Superior grade magic stones in his 60 years as an enchanter. Special grade magic stones were magic stones that were only passed down in legends, and no one could handle them. And that Special grade magic stone was right in front of him. ¡°That¡¯s good. So you¡¯re saying you can handle this?¡± ¡°Handling it isn¡¯t the problem¡­ Where the hell did you get this?¡± ¡°I was lucky.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t get this by luck! It¡¯s a legendary magic stone!¡± Irno raised his voice. Unlike when he knocked on the cabin door, he was full of excitement. ¡®It¡¯s no wonder.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon knew that this Special grade magic stone hardly existed in New World. It wasn¡¯t a magic stone that enchanters could easily ess. ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± ¡°¡­Are you really going to entrust this to me?¡± Irno¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t leave the magic stone. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I came all the way here.¡± ¡°¡­Then entrust it to me. I¡¯ll make sure to seed.¡± A question mark appeared above Irno¡¯s head. [Hidden Quest: Craftsman Irno] ¨C Restriction: Irno¡¯s motivation Max ¨C Reward: Enchant sess ¨C Description: Request an enchant from Irno. Thanks to the Special grade magic stone, the quest appeared quickly. ¡®Done.¡¯ If it wasn¡¯t for the Special grade magic stone, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to change Irno¡¯s mind. Jeong-Hoon epted the quest. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± [Hey! I don¡¯t want to go to that guy!] Mukho threw a fit as Jeong-Hoon tried to take it off. ¡®It¡¯s to make your abilities stronger.¡¯ [What if he fails? What if he fails?!] ¡®He won¡¯t fail. He¡¯s a real craftsman.¡¯ [!@#$] When Mukho started cursing, Jeong-Hoon quickly threw it off. Mukho¡¯s voice stopped abruptly. ¡°Trust me. He may look like this, but he¡¯s an enchanter with a 99.14% sess rate.¡± ¡°How long will it take?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm, about 8 hours should be enough.¡± It took longer than he thought. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Then will youe back in 8 hours?¡± Irno came out of the cabin and went into the workshop behind it. The workshop was only about a third the size of the cabin. He hadn¡¯t expected that to be the workshop. ¡°I¡¯ll watch.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± 8 hours. There was plenty of time. Jeong-Hoon returned to the cabin and sat on the floor. It was time to consume the elixir he received from the quest. Chapter 86 Chapter 86 [$!@! Elixir] Even though the description waspletely garbled and he couldn¡¯t understand it, Jeong-Hoon knew the effect of this elixir. ¡®It¡¯s for leveling up.¡¯ What Jeong-Hoon needed right now was to level up. To leave the Autobahn territory, he had to reach level 151, and since leveling up after level 100 was so difficult, it would take a lot of time to level up just by hunting. But thanks to this bug city, he had reached level 138, and if he consumed this elixir, he would be able to surpass 150. ¡®Let¡¯s drink it.¡¯ He opened the tightly sealed lid. Purple smoke billowed out. ¡®I thought I might die if I drank this.¡¯ He had heard that Maximus had also agonized over drinking it at the time. The description was broken, it looked strange, and it even smelled awful. If his friend hadn¡¯t reassured him that it was an opportunity, he wouldn¡¯t have swallowed it. ¡®Now, let¡¯s see how much I level up.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon started gulping down the liquid. He almost gagged, but he managed to hold it back and drank it all. ¡®I¡¯ve never been told that I have a weak stomach.¡¯ It tasted so bad that it made him nauseous instantly. [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] Messages about leveling up started popping up rapidly. One. Two. Three¡­. ¡®Crazy.¡¯ A satisfied smile appeared on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. He had thought of just surpassing 151, but he had reached level 156, far exceeding that. [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 227(+22) -> 249 ¨C Agility: 221(+24) -> 245 ¨C Vitality: 223(+24) -> 247 ¨C Defense: 214(+21) -> 235 ¨C Wisdom: 204(+20) -> 224 ¨C Mana: 283(+28) -> 311 ¨C Divine Power: 285(+28) -> 313 ¨C Mental Strength: 199(+22) -> 221 Upon reaching level 156, his detailed stats also increased significantly. His mana and divine power increased slightly with each level up, surpassing 300. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ It was still far behind the rankers, but this gap would gradually close over time. ¡®So where should I invest?¡¯ He had 52 bonus stats. ¡®It would be good to increase mana and divine power.¡¯ Mana and divine power were energy sources. If hecked energy, he couldn¡¯t use skills, and he couldn¡¯t even heal his wounds. Jeong-Hoon adjusted his mana and divine power to 330. He had 16 stats remaining. He invested the remaining 16 points, 8 each into Strength and Agility. ¡°Done.¡± Mana and Divine Power at 330 at level 150. He had achieved at level 156 what others usually achieved at levels 220-240. And with the rest of his stats already exceeding 200¡­ he was a monsterpared to others at the same level. ¡°The only thing left is Mukho.¡± Jeong-Hoon looked at the workshop. That Mukho guy. He hoped he was behaving himself. [Hey? Hey? Get your hands off me?!] ¡°Oh my¡­ A soul stone embedded in this grade of equipment¡­¡± [I said get your hands off! Do you want to go to heaven?] ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re still alive¡­ I never thought I¡¯d see such a rare piece of armor in my lifetime.¡± Tears welled up in Irno¡¯s eyes. [¡­Hey, don¡¯t cry. It makes me feel like trash.] Mukho finally shut his mouth. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡± Irno wiped his tears and picked up the magic stone. * * * Since he had some time left, Jeong-Hoon logged out for a while. Whoosh- Jeong-Hoon came out of the capsule. He went to his bedroom and saw that his mother¡¯s capsule was open. ¡®Is she resting?¡¯ Just then, his mother came out of the bathroom. ¡°Son, are you done with the game?¡± ¡°Yes. How about you, Mom?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stop here for today too.¡± His mother was diligently leveling up. She said she was engrossed in shooting, but it was physically tiring to y all day, so rest was essential. ¡°Then would you like to have a meal together? I have something to tell you.¡± ¡°That sounds good.¡± Jeong-Hoon went to a nearby restaurant with his mother. The menu was stir-fried octopus. The spicy food seemed to relieve his fatigue. But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body suddenly froze while he was eating. ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°Huh? I said it¡¯s a shame I couldn¡¯t meet Min-Ji.¡± ¡°No, before that.¡± ¡°It seems there are missing users in the guild. They haven¡¯t logged out, but their location can¡¯t be traced.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Jeong-Hoon narrowed his eyes. The fact that they had gone missing bothered him. The reason Ho-Yeong copsed was because the guild leader and executives went missing. And it was probably around this time. ¡®Did a clue appear?¡¯ Ho-Yeong was an indispensable shield for Jeong-Hoon at this point in time. Because if he could focus on growth and not worry about his mother¡¯s growth, it would be the best of both worlds. ¡°Are you worried?¡± His mother¡¯s words snapped him out of his thoughts. Jeong-Hoon nodded with an embarrassed look. ¡°Ah, a little.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I heard Min-Ji is a ranker, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If a ranker is involved, it¡¯ll be resolved quickly.¡± It seemed his mother had also realized the status of rankers while ying the game. ¡°I guess so.¡± Jeong-Hoon agreed with his mother¡¯s words. But his thoughts were different. ¡®I should look into it.¡¯ * * * Jeong-Hoon logged back in after 8 hours. ¡°Oh! You came just in time. It¡¯s just been finished!¡± Irno hadpleted the enchantment of Mukho right on time. ¡°Really? That was faster than I thought.¡± It was a bit unexpected. There was no way that Mukho would have been quiet during the enchanting process. He had thought that Irno would have been bothered by the noise and the work would have been dyed. ¡°I promised to finish it within 8 hours.¡± Irno grinned. An exmation mark appeared above his head. [Questpleted.] [Irno¡¯s trust level has increased significantly.] Jeong-Hoonpleted the quest, and his trust level with Irno increased significantly. ¡°Thank you.¡± === [Mukho] ¨C Type: Armor ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Defense: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level ¨C 1.2x applied) ¨C Evasion: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level ¨C 1.2x applied) ¨C Physical Damage Reduction: 30% ¨C Magic Damage Reduction: 30% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% (Durability recovers automatically.) ¨C Special Ability (1): X (Ability lost due to the aftermath of the seal) ¨C Special Ability (2): X (Ability lost due to the aftermath of the seal) ¨C Special Ability (3): X (Ability lost due to the aftermath of the seal) ¨C Special Ability (4): [Active: Vajra Body] Avable === The stats had increased overall. Defense and evasion were 1.2 times higher than the original values. And physical and magic damage reduction had increased to 30%. ¡®At this rate, it¡¯s iparable to other Legendary items of the same grade.¡¯ The abilities that were still question marks could be restoredter, and the newly added special ability was amazing. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips curled up. Originally, this special ability was supposed to be Maximus¡¯s. ¡®Vajra Body Magic Stone.¡¯ That¡¯s right. This special magic stone was a magic stone that granted the special ability Vajra Body. [Vajra Body] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C When the skill is used, defense and evasion are doubled. ¨C Cooldown: 20 minutes Double defense and evasion. Mukho¡¯s defense and evasion would increase as Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level increased. Moreover, if he used Vajra Body while already having a 1.2x bonus, it would further double. ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about defense anymore.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon put on Mukho. [¡­Wow, you¡¯re finally back.] Mukho¡¯s annoyed voice rang out as if it had been waiting. ¡®It couldn¡¯t be helped. The work took 8 hours.¡¯ [I was so bored I almost died.] ¡®That¡¯s strange.¡¯ [What is?] ¡®That means you were quiet, doesn¡¯t it?¡¯ [Ha¡­ Let¡¯s not talk about it.] Mukho was embarrassed and didn¡¯t say anything more. ¡°Oh, look at my memory. There¡¯s a fragment of the magic stone left.¡± Irno ced the fragment on the table. The fragment was a piece left over after the enchantment. Since he had imbued the refined power within the magic stone, it was a useless piece for Jeong-Hoon, but it would be different for Irno. It was proof that he had handled a Special grade magic stone. ¡°I¡¯ll just give you the fragment.¡± Irno¡¯s eyes widened at those words. ¡°Are you serious?!¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you so much! Thank you!¡± Irno¡¯s eyes welled up with tears, as if he was touched. [That damn old man is crying again.] Mukho reacted gruffly. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You even enchanted it for free, so I¡¯m just doing what¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay and have a meal with me?¡± ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think I can.¡± All his ns in Autobahn were finished. There were no more opportunities left to gain here. His level had also reached 156, surpassing 151, so he had to move on to the next vige quickly. Irno nodded with a disappointed look. ¡°I understand. I can¡¯t keep you if you¡¯re busy.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle again next time.¡± He was determined to entrust Irno with any future enchanting needs. With his trust level greatly increased, Irno wouldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s been a long time since I retired as an enchanter, but you¡¯re always wee.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Irno and Jeong-Hoon smiled at each other. At that moment, a whisper came from Yeo Min-Ji. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Help! Lohais Territory Lv. 139 Fruhneum!] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face slowly hardened as he checked the whisper. ¡®This is it.¡¯ * * * Lohais Territory. Lv. 139 Fruhneum. Yeo Min-Ji had entered Fruhneum and defeated the boss monster in 30 minutes. ¡°Miss, I can¡¯t see anything unusual here.¡± However, there was no trace of the missing users. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± It was strange. This was where the traces of the missing guild members ended. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe they ran away?¡± ¡°From Ho-Yeong? And they haven¡¯t even left the guild.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡± The guild member nodded awkwardly. ¡°There must be a trace somewhere here.¡± Her intuition told her so. The guild members said that something had gone wrong while clearing the dungeon. Yeo Min-Ji checked again to see if there was any ce she had missed. And then a bush caught her eye. ¡°Did you search there too?¡± ¡°Yes. There was nothing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± She smelled something. Yeo Min-Ji pushed through the bush and moved forward. But there was nothing. ¡°Sigh, this isn¡¯t it either.¡± Yeo Min-Ji turned around after finishing the search. That was when it happened. [A trap has been triggered.] A message popped up. ¡®It¡¯s a trap!¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly sent a whisper to the person she had whispered to recently. But before she could finish typing, the scenery in front of her suddenly changed. ¡°Where am I¡­?¡± She was standing in a small white room. [You are trapped in the Dimensional Labyrinth.] It seemed that the other guild members had also been caught in this trap. Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly checked the whisper she had sent. ¡®¡­I sent it to Jeong-Hoon.¡¯ It was strange to suddenly ask for help, but she had written the vige and dungeon, so he would surely understand. Of course, she had to break free from this trap with her own power if possible. ¡°Miss!¡± At that moment, the missing guild members were approaching. ¡°You were here.¡± Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s face brightened. But their faces were pale. ¡°Miss¡­ We can¡¯t get out.¡± ¡°We keep going around in circles!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t even log out!¡± They can¡¯t log out? ¡°Is that really true?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± At their words, Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly tried to log out. ¡®What the¡­¡¯ She really couldn¡¯t log out. Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Ho-Yeong Guild. ¡°Min-Ji disappeared?¡± Yeo Sunwoo looked up from the documents with a puzzled expression. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Exin in detail.¡± Yeo Sunwoo had logged in today after confirming that his daughter had entered the capsule. So it didn¡¯t make sense that she had disappeared. She must have logged out. But as the reporter continued, Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s expression became serious. ¡°¡­Thest ce her signal was detected was Fruhneum.¡± Fruhneum. Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°So¡­ Min-Ji went to investigate where the guild members¡¯ traces disappeared, and her traces disappeared there too?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± If her traces disappeared inside the dungeon, something must have happened there. ¡°Hmm, Min-Ji isn¡¯t the type to struggle in a ce like Fruhneum.¡± Fruhneum¡¯s level was only 139. And Yeo Min-Ji was a ranker with a level over 300. There was no way his daughter could have had an ident in Fruhneum. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why it¡¯s even more puzzling.¡± The reporter also thought the same. It was a yground-level dungeon for Yeo Min-Ji, who had evenpleted her fourth ss advancement. ¡°¡­Could it be a trap?¡± ¡°A trap?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Traps. Although they were rarely found nowadays, in the early days of the Korean server of New World, various traps were discovered every day. Yeo Sunwoo, who was also an early user, had stepped on many traps while raiding dungeons. Some of them were very vicious traps, and he remembered having a hard time getting out of them. If she was caught in a trap, it would exin why his daughter was struggling. ¡°But do traps still exist¡­? Fruhneum is a dungeon that many users are still raiding.¡± The problem was that once a trap was triggered, it wouldn¡¯t trigger again. It was literally a trap. If there was a trap in Fruhneum, it should have been triggered a long time ago. He had a bad feeling about this. Yeo Sunwoo tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought. ¡®Min-Ji is at a level where she can take care of herself.¡¯ He loved his daughter very much, but he couldn¡¯t just protect her all the time. If Yeo Min-Ji was a ranker, she needed to ovee difficulties on her own. But he couldn¡¯t just sit back and watch. ¡°One day. We¡¯ll wait one day and then move.¡± ¡°One day¡­?¡± Yeo Sunwoo nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll send people to Fruhneum in 24 hours.¡± The reporter, having received the order, hurriedly tried to leave the guild leader¡¯s office. Then Yeo Sunwoo tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Hmm? What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Sir?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going myself.¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon hurriedly headed to Lohais territory. [Lv. 139 Fruhneum] ¡°This is it.¡± He had no idea that this dungeon would be the cause of Ho-Yeong¡¯s downfall. [You¡¯re always so busy. Won¡¯t it hurt to rest a little?] ¡°I rested.¡± [What? When?] ¡°I rested for 8 hours, isn¡¯t that a lot?¡± [Master, I¡¯m asking you seriously, were you by any chance a delinquent?] ¡°What nonsense are you talking about?¡± [Your actions are exactly like a delinquent¡¯s. If you make someone work, you should give them a break!] He just couldn¡¯t let it go, could he? ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s rest for a day after this.¡± [Two days.] ¡°One day. Take it or leave it.¡± [Wow, are you going to be that stingy?] ¡°Yes. Think about it slowly and make your choice. I don¡¯t mind moving right away.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. Mukho, angered by his rxed smile, shut his mouth. If he shouted here, he would obviously get nothing in return. ¡®He¡¯s finally learning.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon entered the dungeon through the portal. [You have entered Lv. 139 Fruhneum.] As he entered the dungeon, the monsters roaming the ins smelled him and started to gather towards him. Fruhneum wasn¡¯t that difficult to clear for its level, and the reason was the terrain. It was a in with only weeds and grass, making it impossible for users to hide or take cover. And over 200 Silverhawk boars were roaming around. The same was true for the monsters, they couldn¡¯t hide either. So if he just used a wide-area attack once, the number of monsters would decrease quickly. Just like now. [Lightning Bolt] A powerful Epic grade lightning magic struck the Silverhawk boars. ¡°Kweeeeeek!¡± ¡°Kkueeeeek!¡± Seven Silverhawk boars were instantly electrocuted by Lightning Bolt. This was because the maximum number of targets he could attack at once was seven. Jeong-Hoon continued to use Lightning Bolt, reducing the number of Silverhawk boars. If he ran out of mana, he could quickly replenish it with divine power. ¡°Kweeeeeek!¡± ¡°Kweeeeeek!¡± Thest remaining Silverhawk boars screamed and were electrocuted. [Using Intermediate Healing.] Jeong-Hoon used Intermediate Healing to recover his depleted health and mana. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± [Master! Wait a minute.] Just as he was about to head straight to the boss zone, Mukho stopped him. ¡°Why? Is there something?¡± [Yes. I think I found it. That bush over there.] Mukho pointed to a bush a little distance away. ¡°That one, huh.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed as he entered the bush. Mukho was very sensitive to the subtle energy emanating from the trap. [Keep going. Left here, right.] Thanks to that, it wasn¡¯t difficult to find the trap. [A trap has been triggered.] Along with the message that he had found the trap, Jeong-Hoon also entered the trap. * * * Why? Why did he keep going in circles? ¡®No matter which path I take, I end up back at the starting point¡­ Can I really go back?¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji was trying to suppress her confused feelings, but it was reaching its limit. Several days had already passed. Since she had entered another dimension, the flow of time might be different, and a lot of time might have passed outside as well. ¡®My father must be worried too¡­¡¯ She was worried about her father. He was already busy with guild matters, and the thought of being a burden to him made her bite her lip until it bled. ¡°Miss¡­ I don¡¯t think this is the way¡­¡± ¡°Sigh, what should we do¡­?¡± Three guild members were following behind her. The emergency food and water she had packed in her inventory. The once-full emergency food was now running low, and only two 2-liter bottles of water were left. If only she could log out¡­ ¡°Ha¡­ I think I¡¯m really going to die¡­¡± One of the guild members copsed on the spot. He had already exceeded his physical and mental limits. He needed to log out and rest his body, but being trapped in the trap, he couldn¡¯t, and it had overloaded him. If this continued, his body in the capsule wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on, and the guild members here would also copse and never get up again. ¡°Get up! We can¡¯t give up here!¡± Yeo Min-Ji forced the guild member to his feet. The moment they gave up, everything would be over. She didn¡¯t want to copse in this damn maze. ¡°¡­Miss, do you really think we can get out of here alive?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think we can anymore¡­¡± Everything around them was white. Even after walking for days, the scenery didn¡¯t change, and she was going crazy. ¡°We can definitely get out. I¡¯ll make it happen.¡± Yeo Min-Ji didn¡¯t want to break their hope. All she could do now was escape this maze with her own strength. But even after that, they kept going in circles. In the end, Yeo Min-Ji and the guild members returned to the starting point of the maze. ¡®Why?¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji slowly retraced the path she had taken. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn¡¯t see the answer. Could it be a maze without an answer¡­? Just as her thoughts reached that point. Boom! A small explosion urred a little distance away. Since it was such a quiet ce, the explosion was very vivid. ¡°Huh? It seems like there¡¯s someone else here besides us.¡± ¡°Yeah. Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible to break the walls here¡­¡± The guild members had also tried to break the walls of the maze. But the walls were so sturdy that there wasn¡¯t even a scratch. ¡°Let¡¯s go and check out the situation.¡± Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly headed towards the sound. And soon, she found the person standing there. ¡°Who is that?¡± One of the guild members recognized him. ¡°Jeong-Hoon!¡± Yeo Min-Ji ran towards Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Min-Ji, are you okay?¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled and checked on her well-being. Yeo Min-Ji felt a bit emotional at the sight. The whisper she had sent in a hurry had been quite vague, but Jeong-Hoon hade all the way here just from that. ¡°¡­Thank you foring.¡± ¡°It was something I had to do.¡± He had to save Ho-Yeong so that the shield necessary for his mother¡¯s growth wouldn¡¯t disappear. And there was one more thing he wanted to ask for because of this incident. Jeong-Hoon had already finished all the calctions in his head. ¡°Of course¡­¡± Yeo Min-Ji smiled. [Oh my, look at this guy flirting. It¡¯s making me cringe.] ¡®Are you talking to me?¡¯ [Your flirting skills are artistic. You might also be known as a yboy.] ¡®Wait. If you do that one more time, I¡¯ll get rid of you.¡¯ [¡­I was just kidding. How was it? Was it fun?] He was starting to understand why Siegfried had sealed Mukho. Jeong-Hoon pointed to the wall he had just broken through. ¡°Then let¡¯s get out of here quickly.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The wall was broken. ¡°No, how did you break through that¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± The guild members were shocked to see the broken wall. ¡°How did you do that?¡± Yeo Min-Ji was equally surprised. She had also tried to break through the maze by force, but had failed. And yet, Jeong-Hoon had broken through that sturdy wall. ¡°Try to slowly feel the mana flowing through the wall. You¡¯ll feel an empty spot somewhere.¡± ¡°¡­You can feel that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Although he said it like that, it wasn¡¯t a simple task. To feel the constructed mana circuit, one¡¯s senses had to be very sharp. Jeong-Hoon had the experience from his previous life, and he was additionally buffed with Heightened Senses. Moreover, to break through this wall, it required not only mana but also divine power. It was set up so that the wall would only copse when struck with thebined energy of mana and divine power. ¡®That¡¯s why even Yeo Sunwoo couldn¡¯t break through the wall.¡¯ The worst trap that had led Ho-Yeong to its demise. That trap was being broken by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands. ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Yeo Min-Ji, unaware of this, looked at Jeong-Hoon as if he were a monster. In New World, level was absolute, but Jeong-Hoon was defying that rule. ¡°That¡¯s Miss¡¯s disciple¡­¡± ¡°I think I understand why she brought him to Ho-Yeong.¡± ¡°And he¡¯s even a hidden ss¡­ That¡¯s amazing.¡± The guild members eximed in admiration. Yeo Min-Ji had mentioned him as her disciple because the guild members were present. ¡°Right? Then shall we continue?¡± Jeong-Hoon moved towards the broken wall. A different path appeared than before. ¡°¡­So this was the way to get through by breaking through the walls.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Jeong-Hoon continued to break through walls and move forward. [Right! Left!] He was able to move forward without hesitation because of Mukho¡¯s continuous orders. After 5 hours, Jeong-Hoon reached the end of the maze at a rapid pace. ¡°You can¡¯t pass here.¡± [Lv. 156 Doppelganger A] It was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s doppelganger, made of a ck silhouette. And that wasn¡¯t all. [Lv. 352 Doppelganger B] A doppelganger that copied Yeo Min-Ji. And three more doppelgangers that copied the guild members behind her. A total of five doppelgangers were blocking the way. Chapter 88 Chapter 88 ¡°Min-Ji, let¡¯s each take on a doppelganger.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to get close to a doppelganger. The doppelganger also used a movement technique and threw a punch at Jeong-Hoon. The movements were smooth, and the punches were sharp. Jeong-Hoon skillfully dodged the punches and admired inwardly. ¡®Amazing. It can copy this perfectly?¡¯ This time, Jeong-Hoon threw a punch. Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st form. The doppelganger also dodged the punch with minimal movement. [Doppelganger A uses ¡®All Stats Increase¡¯.] As Doppelganger A used its ability, its aura changed. [Lv. 206 Doppelganger A] The doppelganger¡¯s level instantly became 206. And it started to use martial arts again. ¡®It seems it can¡¯t copy abilities.¡¯ If it could copy abilities, it would have pressured him with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, not just any martial arts. Because it was the best martial art in existence. Jeong-Hoon dodged the martial arts and tried to find an opening. Doppelganger A reached for its waist and then swung it like a whip. ¡®Dangerous!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon quickly used his movement technique to widen the distance. Doppelganger A was holding a dagger in its hand. So it could even copy sses? It seemed that all the skills learned through Steadfast Will could be used. ¡°If that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to y, I¡¯ll crush you with items.¡± He didn¡¯t see the need to fight with pride. [ckfield is activated.] As he activated the skill, the floor around Jeong-Hoon turned ck. [All stats are increased by 1.2 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that have entered the area are decreased by 3%.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s stats increased by 1.2 times, and conversely, the doppelganger¡¯s stats decreased by 3%. [Crush him! Smash that damn face!] ¡®Damn face?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon frowned slightly. The doppelganger¡¯s face was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. [No¡­ I meant to smash that poorly imitated face.] ¡®Yeah. I¡¯ll crush youter too.¡¯ [I¡¯m sorry!] Mukho quickly expressed its surrender. Whoosh! Even with ckfield activated, the doppelganger started to pressure Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Sloppy.¡± A sly smile crept onto Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. The doppelganger¡¯s fists couldn¡¯t even graze Jeong-Hoon¡¯s clothes. The doppelganger was literally a copy of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s specs. It was impossible for it to copy the experience embedded within those specs. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [The time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] The Stat Amplification Ring on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s finger. By using the Stat Amplification Ring, the gap between Jeong-Hoon and the doppelganger was greatly reduced. That wasn¡¯t all. The Legendary skill he had obtained through Mukho, Vajra Body. [Defense is doubled.] [Evasion is doubled.] By using Vajra Body, his defense and evasion jumped up by 2 times. ¡®Shall I test it out?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon deliberately let the iing fist hit him without dodging. Wham! Hmm? It felt like¡­ A cotton ball. Stat buffs were indeed a cheat. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.¡¯ This time, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist hit the doppelganger¡¯s face. From then on, it was a one-sided beatdown. As the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique unfolded, the doppelganger¡¯s condition became a mess. [¡­Wow, he¡¯s beating himself up like that?] Jeong-Hoon chuckled. Why would that be me? It was so pathetic that it was a shame to even call it a doppelganger. ¡°You bastard!¡± The doppelganger, who had been continuously beaten, red. Then it used its movement technique to escape from Jeong-Hoon and drew its sword. But Jeong-Hoon was one step ahead. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 3rd form.¡¯ The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, upgraded to 3rd Star, struck the doppelganger¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Ugh!¡± The doppelganger screamed and swung its sword down. Whoosh! [Doppelganger A uses ¡®Strike¡¯.] It was a skill that Jeong-Hoon had learned through swordsmanship. A skill that strikes with 150% damage. But the strike hit the innocent floor, not Jeong-Hoon. Because he had dodged with his movement technique. ¡®Its weaknesses are clearly exposed.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fighting style before his return wasn¡¯t about overwhelming with brute force. It was about hiding his weaknesses as much as possible and attacking the opponent¡¯s openings to achieve victory. To do that, he had to be self-aware. It was nearly impossible to suppress Jeong-Hoon with the same techniques. Whoosh! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist struck the doppelganger¡¯s face once again. The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique continued itsbo. The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, which had risen from 3rd form to 4th form, pummeled the doppelganger¡¯s body. ¡°Aaagh!¡± After being pummeled for a while, the doppelganger couldn¡¯t endure it and disappeared. Thud. Two gray crystals fell to the floor as it disappeared. [Random Enhancement Stone] ¨C You can obtain the enhancement stone sleeping inside by restoring the gray crystal. So it was a Random Enhancement Stone. Jeong-Hoon put the crystals into his inventory. ¡°Jeong-Hoon! Are you okay?!¡± Yeo Min-Ji ran to Jeong-Hoon. Her condition was not very good. Her face was so bloody that it was unrecognizable, and some of her armor had beenpletely destroyed. It was the aftermath of fighting her doppelganger. ¡°Are you okay, Min-Ji?¡± ¡°Yes. And did you see that just now? I triggered Critical Hit twice!¡± She said proudly. ¡°No. I was too busy fighting my doppelganger to see.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Jeong-Hoon added, seeing her mutter with a dejected face, ¡°But two times is amazing.¡± ¡°Are youplimenting me because I¡¯m disappointed?¡± ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± ¡°Totally.¡± Yeo Min-Ji took a potion from her inventory and drank it. Her bloody face recovered a bit, but that was all. ¡°Min-Ji, wait a moment.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached her and raised his hand. [Using Intermediate Healing.] He used Intermediate Healing on her five times in a row. Her face returned to normal. ¡°Jeong-Hoon, you can even use healing?¡± Yeo Min-Ji looked at Jeong-Hoon with wide eyes as her body recovered. What he had just used was healing. ¡°Yes. I obtained divine power in the tutorial.¡± ¡°In the tutorial¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What were the conditions?!¡± ¡°Choose the amulet and clear up to the third stage.¡± The beginner¡¯s amulet. If you chose that amulet and cleared the tutorial up to the third stage, you could obtain divine power. ¡°What?! How did you get to the third stage with just an amulet? Is that even possible?¡± ¡°I worked hard, and it worked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± Yeo Min-Ji couldn¡¯t even clear the second stage even though she had chosen knuckles. It was nearly impossible to fight high-level monsters at level 1 with no experience. But he cleared the third stage with just an amulet and no weapon? What kind of person was he? ¡°More importantly, it seems like you need to help the guild members over there.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed to the three guild members. Perhaps because the doppelgangers had used stat buffs, they were being overwhelmed. ¡°¡­Alright. I¡¯ll go, so you rest here.¡± Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly joined the guild members. * * * At the same time, Yeo Sunwoo arrived at Lohais territory with his executives. The reason he had arrived earlier than scheduled was that he had been contacted by Yeo Min-Ji. ¡°What? It¡¯s Yeo Sunwoo!¡± ¡°Yeo Sunwoo?¡± ¡°The guild master of Ho-Yeong?!¡± ¡°Move!¡± ¡°You move!¡± Lohais territory was in an uproar at Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s appearance. Users didn¡¯t hesitate to fight each other to get a closer look at the guild master of Ho-Yeong. ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s noisy.¡± On the other hand, Yeo Sunwoo didn¡¯t like their attention. His mind was filled with worry about his daughter, Yeo Min-Ji. ¡°Guild leader, let¡¯s go right away.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Ho-Yeong¡¯s guild members pushed the users away and made space. Thanks to that, Yeo Sunwoo was able to quickly reach Fruhneum. At the entrance of Fruhneum, he saw his daughter sitting down and resting. ¡°Min-Ji!¡± Yeo Sunwoo hurriedly ran to Yeo Min-Ji. His beloved wife had passed away early due to illness, and he had vowed to protect his daughter no matter what. He had said he trusted his daughter, but how could he be a father if he wasn¡¯t worried? ¡°Father¡­ I¡¯m sorry for making you worry.¡± Yeo Min-Ji bowed her head with a gloomy face. ¡°No. It¡¯s okay. But what happened here?¡± ¡°¡­I was able to survive thanks to Jeong-Hoon.¡± She pointed to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± Yeo Sunwoo tilted his head in confusion. No matter how skilled Jeong-Hoon was, he wasn¡¯t at a level where he could save her life. It should have been the other way around. However, the exnation that followed from Yeo Min-Ji shocked Yeo Sunwoo greatly. The executives listening from the side were also shocked. ¡°A-A trap where you can¡¯t log out¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Min-Ji nodded. The trap was a maze, and it was the worst kind of maze, one without an answer. The only way to break through the maze was to literally break through the walls and pass through, and they were able to escape because Jeong-Hoon had broken through each wall for them. ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± Yeo Sunwoo called the trapped guild members to confirm the truth. Even though they hadn¡¯t fully recovered mentally, they gave the same statement as Yeo Min-Ji. After the statement, the executives took measures to allow them to log out quickly. The first priority was for their bodies to rest. ¡°Guild leader¡­ I think we need to file aint with New World headquarters about this.¡± ¡°We should.¡± Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s expression was grim. People almost died because of their mistake. He couldn¡¯t just let this kind of mistake slide. * * * === [From the New World Development Team] ¨C Hello. This is the New World development team. First of all, we would like to apologize to the users who were caught up in the error. New World is preparing to bring about a new wave of change, and an error urred in the process. We will do our best to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future. ¨C From all of us at the New World development team === ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Yeo Sunwoo burst intoughter, then suddenly his face hardened. His daughter almost lost her life. And they were going to brush it off with a few words of apology? ¡°What a shitty game.¡± Did they think they were the ones in power? It was like they were saying, ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, quit.¡± ¡°¡­Should I quit?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t!¡± Executive Lee Chang-Baek shouted urgently, hearing Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s mutter. He was an early member who had founded the guild with Yeo Sunwoo and was still active as his right-hand man. ¡°I know. How could I quit after raising Ho-Yeong to this point?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t scare me like that¡­¡± Lee Chang-Baek truly respected Yeo Sunwoo. It was all thanks to Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s ability that Ho-Yeong, which had nothing, had risen to this point. ¡°What¡¯s the search status in Fruhneum?¡± ¡°We conducted further searches, and fortunately, no traps were found.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. It seems they were dealt with properly.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He was quite angry that they only sent a single apology, but it seemed they had handled the situation properly. ¡°And I¡¯d like to arrange a separate meeting with guild member Jeong-Hoon.¡± ¡°With guild member Jeong-Hoon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon. The benefactor who saved Yeo Min-Ji and the guild members. It was only natural to express gratitude to such a benefactor. ¡°Please schedule it for 1-2 weekster. I¡¯m thinking of preparing a list of rewards.¡± ¡°1-2 weekster¡­? Understood.¡± The period was longer than he expected. That meant they were going to give him a proper reward. * * * Ho-Yeong Guild training ground. ¡°Miss! We can¡¯t find any more traps!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s face brightened at the guild member¡¯s report. ¡°Yes!¡± While Ho-Yeong was searching Fruhneum, the users stationed in Lohais leaked information to World Com. [I heard Ho-Yeong found a trap?] ¨C That¡¯s creepy. I went to Fruhneum a few days ago. ©¸ But isn¡¯t it a bit strange? ©¸ Only Ho-Yeong guild members went missing. ©¸ You¡¯re saying that only they got caught in a trap in a dungeon that so many people have been in and out of? ©¸ Yeah¡­ Something¡¯s strange. That¡¯s right. So much time had passed since Fruhneum was opened, but only a handful of people had been caught in the trap. ¡®They said it was an error?¡¯ The apology from the New World development team. Yeo Sunwoo was angry, but Yeo Min-Ji was also angry at the apology. How could a game enjoyed by so many users make such a fatal error? And yet, they ended it with a simple apology. ¡®¡­Ha, but the media isn¡¯t covering this at all?¡¯ Ho-Yeong was arge guild and a big name. Even though such a big name had been affected, the surroundings were quiet, even though she didn¡¯t know what they had done. The post on World Com was quickly deleted, and soon after, things quieted down. ¡°Miss¡­¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s just be grateful that everyone is safe.¡± She was grateful that everyone was safe. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°By the way, did you get the camera I asked for?¡± ¡°Yes! Here it is!¡± He handed her a camera. Cameras weren¡¯t usually used much. This was because all users had smart lenses. All the strategy videos uploaded to World Com were filmed with smart lenses. Nevertheless, cameras existed because they were used forrge events like leagues. New World cameras were far superior to smart lenses in terms of performance, and their price was also high, so they were rarely used unless it was forpetitions. The reason she had gotten the camera was¡­ ¡®I want to film some videos.¡¯ It was because Jeong-Hoon had asked her to. ¡®¡­Suddenly?¡¯ It was a strange request, but it was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s request nheless. ¡®Yes. Please.¡¯ How could she refuse when the person who saved her life asked her with a serious face? Honestly, she was willing to do even more than this for him. Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly sent a whisper to Jeong-Hoon. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 89 Chapter 89 M?rchen Kingdom. Jeong-Hoon, who had entered the capital, was resting at an inn for a while. ¡®It¡¯s a bust.¡¯ Honestly, he wasn¡¯t feeling very good. This was because all the Random Enhancement Stones had turned out to be duds, with none of them being Rare grade or higher. ¡°¡­Crazy bastard.¡± Next to him, Ha-Jin was looking at Jeong-Hoon as if he were a monster. The reason was simple. Jeong-Hoon, who had entered the game muchter than him, had almost caught up to his level. ¡°I was lucky.¡± ¡°¡­So why does all that luck go to you?!¡± The level difference between Ha-Jin and Jeong-Hoon was only 5. Moreover, Jeong-Hoon had recently joined Ho-Yeong. It was said to be as hard as threading a needle to get into a renowned guild, but Jeong-Hoon had joined Ho-Yeong very easily. And he had even been promised exceptionally good treatment. It was so damn enviable¡­ Even if they were friends, it would be strange if he didn¡¯t feel any jealousy. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re saying we¡¯ll be traveling together from here on, right?¡± ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon had called Ha-Jin to the M?rchen Kingdom. ¡°So what are you nning to do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of making a strategy video.¡± ¡°Huh? A strategy video?¡± Ha-Jin tilted his head. ¡°Yes.¡± World Com was already full of strategy videos. Strategies for hunting monsters in each dungeon. Strategies for defeating boss monsters, which became significantly more difficult from level 151. How to find hunting grounds suitable for level 151. How to win in fiercepetition for spots. And so on. The videos were very diverse. But the strategy videos Jeong-Hoon wanted weren¡¯t like that. ¡®Things that haven¡¯t been revealed yet.¡¯ He wanted to reveal elements that would be revealed in the far future in advance, so that users could grow faster than before his return. ¡°Aha, so you¡¯re saying let¡¯s try broadcasting?¡± ¡°Broadcasting?¡± ¡°Yes! Live broadcasting! If it goes well, we could make a lot of money!¡± ¡°No, money shouldn¡¯t be the goal.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t money. ¡®We need to suck up the honey that they¡¯re trying to take.¡¯ In the future, several honey routes would be revealed. They were so good that when those routes were revealed, many users would flock to them to try and get the honey. Up to level 150, there were practically no honey pots except for opportunities, so he hadn¡¯t thought about filming, but things were different now. But from level 151 onwards, there were definitely honey pots. Jeong-Hoon wanted to reveal those routes to the world so that many users could grow faster than before his return. That way, when the game and reality merged, more people would be able to survive. To see the END that he so desperately longed for. ¡®It¡¯ll all be mine anyway. From levels 1 to 150, Jeong-Hoon had taken all the opportunities that they were supposed to have. Of course, there were many more opportunities left, but there was no need to rush. ¡°It¡¯s a shame¡­ I have a friend who¡¯s great at making videos.¡± ¡°Videos?¡± ¡°Yeah. You know Dae-Hwi, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi. He was five years older than Ha-Jin and they were cousins. ¡°Dae-Hwi is working as a YouTube editor. He¡¯s amazing at video editing!¡± YouTube. These days, YouTube, like World Com, was full of New World videos. If other game videos got 100,000 views, New World videos boasted an average of 2 to 3 million views. As a result, many users who enjoyed New World were earning ie through broadcasting instead of working. ¡°Then you manage the YouTube channel.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. And you get half of the profits.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Have you ever seen me lie?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Jeong-Hoon was the type to always keep his word. ¡°Of course, if there are any profits.¡± ¡°¡­I knew you¡¯d say that.¡± YouTube had been a red ocean for a long time. It was profitable if you became popr, and in the case of New World, the entry barrier was low thanks to the smart lens program, so everyone was doing YouTube. Therefore, to be popr on YouTube, you needed something truly stimting, otherwise, it was impossible to seed. Everyone¡¯s ideas were pretty much the same, weren¡¯t they? Even people with brilliant minds would eventually run out of ideas, so there were countless YouTubers who shine briefly at the beginning but then disappeared. ¡°Just trust me this once.¡± Jeong-Hoon was confident. There were 2 billion users ying New World. He was going to reveal honey pots one after another, so could they really ignore that? ¡°Ah, there you are.¡± Yeo Min-Ji arrived in M?rchen Kingdom just in time. ¡°Did you get it?¡± ¡°Yes. This is it, right?¡± Yeo Min-Ji held out the camera. ¡°Wow! Isn¡¯t this the camera they use for broadcastingpetitions?¡± Ha-Jin immediately recognized the camera. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Not a smart lens, but you¡¯re going to film with this?¡± ¡°Bingo.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really amazing. I¡¯m speechless.¡± Ha-Jin clicked his tongue. Is this what they call ¡°the tail wagging the dog¡±? ¡°Jeong-Hoon must have a n.¡± Yeo Min-Ji defended Jeong-Hoon and sat down on an empty chair. Jeong-Hoon tilted his head and opened his mouth. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to train?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious about how you¡¯re going to film. If you don¡¯t mind, can Ie with you?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?!¡± ¡°Go train. Your Critical Hit proficiency is stillcking. If you want to regret it at a crucial moment, you¡¯re wee toe along.¡± The most important virtue for a martial artist was diligence. For her, whocked proficiency, repetitive training was not an option but a necessity. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go train.¡± In the end, Yeo Min-Ji couldn¡¯t go with him and returned to the training ground. * * * Jang Dae-Hwi, Jang Ha-Jin¡¯s cousin. He was a professional editor belonging to an MCNpany. ¡®World Network¡¯, which specialized in taking care of New World YouTubers. That was the name of thepany Jang Dae-Hwi worked for. Recently, he had a concern. ¡®Please change my editor. I really can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡¯ This was because he had been flooded with requests from the YouTuber he was in charge of to change his editor. However, it wasn¡¯t easy to ignore it because the YouTuber had 1.12 million subscribers and each video he uploaded got 400,000 to 500,000 views, making him a top-tier YouTuber. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up? Did Han-Beom ask to change his editor again?¡± Lee Hak-Song, an editor and colleague, approached him. He was a friendly editor who oftenmunicated with other YouTubers in thepany besides his own, and had a good reputation. ¡°Yeah. He said he doesn¡¯t like my video style¡­¡± Han-Beom had asked to change his editor and said he would hire one himself. ¡°Wow, really? Honestly, Han-Beom got to where he is today all thanks to you, didn¡¯t he?¡± Han-Beom had formed a rtionship with World Network when he had 110,000 subscribers. Honestly, the deal almost fell through because there was a big difference in scalepared to other YouTubers in thepany, but Jang Dae-Hwi actively pushed for it and seeded in signing the contract. And Jang Dae-Hwi became Han-Beom¡¯s dedicated editor, editing his videos and giving him relentless feedback on his broadcasting style. ¡°I¡¯m also at fault.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi had been forcing his philosophy on Han-Beom to lead him to sess. ¡°You¡¯ve been working overtime every day too.¡± ¡°Haha, anyway, I¡¯m going to grant Han-Beom¡¯s request.¡± ¡°Huh? Then who are you going to take charge of?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I¡¯m thinking of taking it easy for a while.¡± ¡°¡­Okay. I respect your choice.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Ding- At that moment, a notification popped up on KakaoTalk that he had opened on his monitor. [Jang Ha-Jin: Bro! What are you doing?] It was a message from Ha-Jin. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go get some coffee.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you drinking too much?¡± ¡°It keeps running out even when I recharge.¡± Lee Hak-Song tactfully left, and Jang Dae-Hwi chuckled and typed. [Me: At thepany now] [Jang Ha-Jin: Bro, are you busy with editing today?] [Me: Hmm¡­ I was busy until today, but I think I¡¯ll be free from tomorrow.] He was going to quit being Han-Beom¡¯s dedicated editor. [Jang Ha-Jin: Wow! That¡¯s great. Bro, I¡¯m thinking of opening a YouTube channel and uploading some videos, can you edit them for me? I¡¯ll pay you well.] [Me: Suddenly?] [Jang Ha-Jin: Yeah. Not many, just 2 or 3 should be enough.] [Me: Hmm¡­ Why YouTube all of a sudden? Are you short on money?] [Jang Ha-Jin: That too, but I have some good content.] [Me: Send me a video you¡¯ve filmed first. I¡¯ll decide after seeing it.] [Jang Ha-Jin: Okay] The ce Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin headed to was a temple located in the capital. ¡°What brings an outsider here?¡± A pdin was personally guarding the entrance to the temple. === [NPC Information] Nickname: Carmel Level: 225 ss: Soul Master (3rd ss) === A level 225 Soul Master. A subtle yellow aura was rippling around him, emanating from his 3rd job advancement. ¡°I came to pray.¡± ¡°Pray? I¡¯m sorry, but outsiders are strictly prohibited from entering the temple. Please go back.¡± The temple of the M?rchen Empire strictly prohibited the entry of outsiders. There were exceptions. Only those who qualified as pdins or priests with divine power could enter. And one more. Those who had helped resolve the temple¡¯s grievances were recognized for their contributions and granted the right to enter the temple freely. As proof, a question mark blinked above Carmel¡¯s head. [General Quest: Psyche Temple (1/4)] Restriction: Users level 151 or higher Final Reward: Temple ess Description: Help resolve the temple¡¯s grievances and gain the right to enter the temple. The quest consisted of a total of 4 stages, and uponpleting all 4 stages, the temple ess restriction would be immediately lifted. Jeong-Hoon epted the quest. ¡°Is there really no way to enter the temple?¡± ¡°¡­Well, not entirely.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Can I ask you a favor? If you help me, I¡¯ll grant you ess to the temple.¡± Carmel held out a note. The note contained threatening words about destroying the temple. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a note that¡¯s been found recently outside the temple. It contains threats to harm the temple.¡± ¡°What about the culprit?¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t caught them yet. We¡¯re currently tracking them, so we should be able to catch them soon.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Jeong-Hoon nced at Ha-Jin. A camera was floating above Ha-Jin¡¯s head, filming them. The camera had transformed into a small sphere and was filming them from various angles. ¡®It¡¯s being filmed well.¡¯ Ha-Jin gave Jeong-Hoon a thumbs-up and a signal. ¡®Okay.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, could you help us track down the suspect who spread the notes?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll give you the notes that were found, so please track down the suspect using those clues.¡± [Track down the clues on the notes.] Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin returned to the capital. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s the reason for doing the temple quest?¡± The rewards for the temple quest were too meagerpared to the effort required. That¡¯s why most users who came to M?rchen Kingdom didn¡¯t even attempt the temple quest. Even pdins and priests didn¡¯t change sses in M?rchen, and instead did the quest in the Caneda Kingdom temple. Therefore, the M?rchen Kingdom temple could be considered a neglected temple by users. ¡°I feel like there¡¯s something there.¡± ¡°Huh? Wait a minute! You feel like there¡¯s something there?¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s eyes sparkled. He knew this temple was trash. But the problem was that Jeong-Hoon was the one who said it. It was a statement made by the monster who was sweeping up all sorts of opportunities, hidden sses, and Legendary equipment, so he started to get interested even though he had no interest before. ¡°Let¡¯s move first. Is the camera following us well?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The ce Jeong-Hoon headed to was an information guild disguised as a tavern. The atmosphere inside was that of a normal tavern, and a few people were sitting at tables, sipping their drinks. As they entered, a waiter in his early 30s approached them with a bright smile. ¡°Wee! How many are you?¡± ¡°Two.¡± Jeong-Hoon held up two fingers. ¡°Yes! Then please take a seat at an empty table!¡± There were 7 empty tables. Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin went to a table in the corner and sat down. ¡°This is the ce, right?¡± Ha-Jin asked in a whisper. Jeong-Hoon nodded silently. And soon after, the waiter came over with water and a menu. ¡®It¡¯s Jjamppong.¡¯ The water served in a wine ss and the menu were a mix of Earth¡¯s and the game¡¯s worldviews. Jeong-Hoon briefly opened the menu and then closed it, saying, ¡°Two Moonlight Sonatas.¡± ¡°¡­Two Moonlight Sonatas?¡± The waiter¡¯s face hardened slightly. ¡°We came here to drink that. Is there a problem?¡± A sly smile crept onto Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°¡­Please wait a moment.¡± The waiter hurriedly retreated. ¡°What is it? Is it some kind of code?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s famous even on World Com. Moonlight Sonata.¡± The condition for using the information guild. It was to order Moonlight Sonata. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 90 Chapter 90 Not long after, the manager approached them. ¡°You ordered Moonlight Sonata?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It¡¯s such a precious drink that I can¡¯t bring it here, so would you please follow me for a moment?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. The manager opened a door at the back of the tavern. There was a long corridor in front of it, and at the end, a portal was shimmering. Several guild members were waiting in the corridor. They were talking to each other, but they were subtly watching Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin. In case they were suspicious, they were ready to subdue them immediately. Their levels were 210. It was a level that could easily subdue most users. [They¡¯re staring at us. Hey, I can¡¯t take it anymore. I¡¯m going to poke their eyes out.] Mukho was making a fuss, but they couldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°Then, enjoy your time.¡± The portal connected to the information guild. As they stepped onto the portal, it instantly swallowed them up. Their vision went dark and then brightened again. ¡°Is this a back alley¡­?¡± Ha-Jin looked around. It was a back alley that could be seen anywhere. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you here.¡± The manager led them to a three-story building. This was the headquarters of the information guild. Of course, they didn¡¯t enter the building. As Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin wereplete outsiders, a man who had been loitering in the alley quietly approached them. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Bruno ¨C Level: 175 ¨C ss: Information Guild Member === He was a member of the information guild. ¡°Huh? Bruno, what are you doing here?¡± The manager greeted him. ¡°Oh, I have some business.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Are these guests? Then I¡¯ll guide them, so you can go back.¡± ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s okay. There¡¯s no need for that.¡± As the manager was about to say something, Jeong-Hoon cut in as if he had been waiting. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°¡­Okay? Then I understand.¡± Since the guest said it was okay, the manager readily stepped back. As the manager returned to the portal, Bruno approached Jeong-Hoon. ¡°So, what information do you need?¡± ¡°Can you tell me where this note came from?¡± Jeong-Hoon handed him the note he had received from Carmel. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s this note.¡± Bruno was aware of the note since it had been distributed inrge quantities. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you generously.¡± ¡°Then can I receive something other than money as payment?¡± An exmation mark appeared above the man¡¯s head. It meant that the first quest had beenpleted. [Questpleted.] [You can now proceed to the next quest.] However, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t ept the quest. ¡®The end of this note quest is a dead end.¡¯ You get nothing in return, and the only reward is that the temple lifts the entrance restriction as a thank you for helping them. That¡¯s why no one tries to do this quest. But the real honey pot starts now. Jeong-Hoon used the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique to strike Bruno in the abdomen. ¡°Ugh!¡± Then a change urred. [The mask is removed.] [You have fulfilled the hidden condition.] [You can now see the mark of the False Believer.] Along with the message that the mask was removed, the NPC¡¯s information began to change. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Bruno ¨C Level: 175 ¨C ss: False Believer === The ss name, which was Information Guild Member, changed to False Believer. ¡°What¡¯s that?!¡± Ha-Jin, who was watching from behind, was also startled. ¡°I had a hunch¡­ and I was right.¡± Catching the culprit who spread the notes. Catching him was the key to this honey pot. * * * An old abandoned house. In a ce where there should be no trace of human warmth, there was a presence. ¡°What¡¯s the current situation?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems that even the temple is feeling a sense of crisis and is focusing on searching for the culprit.¡± ¡°The effect is better than I thought?¡± ¡°Bruno said that arge number of notes are being sent to the information guild.¡± ¡°Kekeke. That¡¯s good.¡± Even though the notes contained absurd content, the temple wouldn¡¯t be able to ignore them. The temple was a ce where they worshiped God. They had spoken sphemy about destroying such a sacred ce, so they would try to find the culprit no matter what. ¡°It¡¯s time to use this.¡± The man took out a ck crystal. ¡°This is the jewel imbued with the energy of Tenebris, right¡­?¡± These people were believers of Tenebris, not Psyche. In other words, they were a cult. These people believed that Tenebris was the only god, but Psyche had waged war and taken his ce, forcing Tenebris to be expelled. They were the ones who cried out that Tenebris should reim his rightful ce. They had no scriptures, and it had only been 11 years since they started proselytizing, so the Psyche Templebeled them as a cult. ¡°Let¡¯s move when Bruno gives us the signal.¡± Bruno was also a member of the information guild and a believer of Tenebris. He had even tested the n with notes a few months ago to carry out this n. A n that had to seed. ¡°Th-This is the ce¡­¡± While they were waiting for Bruno¡¯s signal, Bruno¡¯s voice came from outside. ¡°Really?¡± But Bruno wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Damn it, we¡¯ve been caught!¡± ¡°Hide!¡± They hurriedly hid, but Bruno had already betrayed thempletely. ¡°There¡¯s a hiding ce here.¡± Following his kind guidance, all the remnants hiding in the cabin were caught. * * * ¡°Wow¡­ What kind of situation is this?¡± Ha-Jin clicked his tongue. It was the first time he had seen someone assault an NPC. Even the ss name and quest had changed. ¡°With this, the reward should be pretty awesome, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even need to ask.¡± It wasn¡¯t even a normal quest, it had been upgraded to an Epic quest. There were no more trash rewards that people talked about. Whatever the reward was, it would be beyond imagination. [Epic Quest: Eradicate a Part of the Cult (1/2)] ¨C Restriction: False Believer condition unlocked ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Hand over the remaining cult members to the temple. There were only six remnants in front of them. It was too small a number to have distributed so many notes. ¡°Where are the rest? Six people couldn¡¯t have distributed all those notes, could they?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked Bruno, who was tied up. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? You¡¯re an information guild member, right? How can you not know?¡± Bruno was an Apostle of Darkness, but he was a guild member who worked at the information guild, hiding his true identity. How could he, who dealt with information, not know something? ¡°I-It¡¯s true! The followers here only acted on the orders to attack the temple.¡± At Bruno¡¯s words, trying to cut ties, the six people who were tied up together had a seizure. ¡°Bruno!¡± ¡°How could you tell them the truth?!¡± ¡°The wrath of Tenebris will descend upon you!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze turned to the ck crystal. [Explosive Stone] ¨C After mana is injected and a certain amount of time passes, an explosion urs within a 10-meter radius. ¨C Ignores divine power. The power of Tenebris was nothing but a mere bomb. As Bruno had said, these people were just an example to the temple. ¡®Tenebris¡­¡¯ When New World became reality, Jeong-Hoon had visited several temples during his growth. And he had never heard the name Tenebris. In other words, everything they were saying was a lie. That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t deal with cults. Jeong-Hoon dragged them to the temple. ¡°What are these people? They look terrible.¡± Carmel, who was guarding the temple, asked, ncing at the battered group. ¡°They¡¯re the culprits who spread the notes.¡± ¡°The culprits?¡± Carmel¡¯s eyes narrowed at the word ¡®culprits¡¯. ¡°Yes. And they also had this.¡± Jeong-Hoon handed over the Explosive Stone, and Carmel¡¯s face contorted fiercely. An Explosive Stone that ignored divine power. It was obvious that it was an Explosive Stone intended to harm the temple. ¡°Huh? Isn¡¯t that Bruno?¡± Carmel recognized Bruno. He was a member of the information guild, but he had been frequenting the temple recently, so Carmel knew him. ¡°Yes. He¡¯s also one of the people who spread the notes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Is that true?¡± Carmel couldn¡¯t believe it. This was because Bruno, as a member of the information guild, had often asked for information that could be helpful to the temple, and he had even visited the temple to pray. ¡°Yes. We even have a video here.¡± Ha-Jin even brought the camera that was automatically recording and showed it to him. In the video, Jeong-Hoon removed his mask, and his ss name changed, so in Carmel¡¯s eyes, Bruno no longer looked like a good person. ¡°I see¡­¡± Bruno couldn¡¯t raise his head. He wanted to refute, but he was afraid that if he said anything, Jeong-Hoon would hit him again. ¡®Shit¡­ I got caught, and I got caught badly.¡¯ Bruno had originally nned to just deliver the situation and get out. Since he belonged to the information guild, he was a necessary talent for those who served Tenebris. But he never expected that his identity would be exposed by this outsider. This was something he hadn¡¯t anticipated. ¡°¡­I¡¯m very disappointed in you.¡± Carmel left those words and called the pdins to take the cultists to the underground prison. [Questpleted.] [Temple entrance restriction has been lifted.] [You can now proceed to the next quest.] He hadpleted the first quest by handing over the remnants, including Bruno. ¡°As they say, the darkest ce is under the candlestick¡­ Thank you very much.¡± A new question mark blinked above Carmel¡¯s head. [Epic Quest: Eradicate a Part of the Cult (2/2)] ¨C Restriction: Epic Quest: Eradicate a Part of the Cult (1/2)pleted ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Find the 5 cultists hiding in the M?rchen capital. The number of cultists would be beyond imagination. So finding five of them was a very simple task. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°We¡¯re continuing to search for the suspects, but it¡¯s not easy. I¡¯d like to ask you one more favor. Could you find five people who are suspected to be cultists?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± [Cultists 0/5] As they moved away from the temple, Ha-Jin asked Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Is there a special way to find them?¡± ¡°Yes. When you receive the quest, a mark appears on the NPCs. The system guides you to find them.¡± In other words, it was a quest that was practically handed to them. ¡°There¡¯s a mark over there!¡± As they passed by a weapon shop after leaving the temple, a mark of a cultist appeared above the head of a resident who was looking at weapons. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Payrun ¨C Level: 104 ¨C ss: Resident === However, his ss name was Resident. If it weren¡¯t for the mark, they would have just passed him by. ¡°Let¡¯s go catch him.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached him. And then he quickly subdued him with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. ¡°Ugh!¡± Then his ss name changed. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Payrun ¨C Level: 104 ¨C ss: False Believer === It was the same as with Bruno. ¡°Wow, so it¡¯s not just about touching them?¡± ¡°Yes. You have to bring them to the temple like this.¡± ¡°¡­How do you know all this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s on World Com. It says that if a mark appears like this, you have to subdue them yourself.¡± There was no need to hide it. This kind of quest method was alreadymon. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± Ha-Jin scratched his head with an embarrassed expression. After that, it was a breeze. They subdued one more person at the weapon shop, and then seeded in subduing three more cultists wandering the streets. [Cultists 5/5] They had exactly five people, and they handed them over to the temple. ¡°Damn it! I was hiding my identity perfectly, how did you know?!¡± ¡°This can¡¯t be happening¡­!¡± ¡°This is outrageous¡­!¡± The captured cultists were dragged to the underground prison, expressing their feelings of injustice. [Questpleted.] [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] Uponpleting the quest, they received enough experience points to level up. ¡°Wow! I leveled up by 3!¡± And it wasn¡¯t just 1, but a whopping 3 levels. With this, Ha-Jin became level 164, and Jeong-Hoon became level 159. It was a hidden quest for a reason. ¡°This is definitely a honey pot, right?¡± ¡°Definitely! It¡¯s going to be crazy!¡± If they edited the video and uploaded it to YouTube right away, everyone would flock to the temple in M?rchen Kingdom to do the quest. This was because it was that difficult to level up. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s over yet?¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed to Carmel. A red question mark was blinking above Carmel¡¯s head. ¡°Huh? You¡¯re right? And it¡¯s even hidden¡­¡± ¡°¡­Hey, let¡¯s not film from here on.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Something doesn¡¯t feel right. Let¡¯s keep this between us.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Ha-Jin put away the camera as Jeong-Hoon wished. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 91 Chapter 91 Psyche Temple. Saintess Uira had been troubled by the sudden cult problem for several months. ¡°What about the mark?¡± A new cult that had emerged, advocating for the absurd god Tenebris. At first, she didn¡¯t think much of it, but recently the number of people joining the cult had been increasing abnormally. ¡°Yes. We checked, and there was indeed a small mark on their backs.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Saintess, what is that mark?¡± ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s brainwashing. Once the mark is engraved, they be brainwashed and blinded.¡± Being blinded meant that their judgment became clouded. In other words, their faith in Psyche disappeared, and they fell into the cult. ¡°¡­That¡¯s absurd!¡± ¡°Sigh, have all the captured people been imprisoned in the underground prison?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What about the benefactors who helped us?¡± ¡°I heard they were taken to the reception room.¡± Uira headed to the reception room with the pdins and priests. Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin were sitting in the reception room. Anyone could tell that they were the benefactors who had caught the cultists. Otherwise, there was no way outsiders could enter this reception room. ¡°Are these them?¡± ¡°Yes, they are.¡± Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin. They had epted the hidden quest and followed Carmel into the reception room, waiting for Uira. [Hidden Quest: Saintess Uira] ¨C Restriction: First clear of Hidden Quest: Eradicate a Part of the Cult (2/2) ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Help Saintess Uira. It was a hidden quest that could only be received upon the first clear. In other words, it was a quest that only Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin could undertake. Unlike Jeong-Hoon, who was standing calmly, Ha-Jin¡¯s body was stiff with tension. ¡®Wow¡­ This is really fucked up. It¡¯s hidden. Hidden.¡¯ The Epic quest from earlier was a quest that anyone could do. It was such a great honey pot quest that he was able to level up three times¡­ But this time, it wasn¡¯t even Epic, it was hidden. What kind of reward would he get when hepleted the quest? Whatever it was, it would be iparable to leveling up +3. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± Jeong-Hoon checked Ha-Jin¡¯splexion. Ha-Jin¡¯s face was stiff with tension. ¡°No, I feel like I¡¯m going to throw up.¡± ¡°Really? The bathroom is outside.¡± ¡°¡­C-Can¡¯t I get a heal?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so high-maintenance.¡± Jeong-Hoon ced his hand on Ha-Jin¡¯s back and cast healing. His face rxed a bit. ¡°Phew, I feel better. Thanks.¡± Jeong-Hoon shrugged. Just then, Saintess Uira sat in the seat of honor. ¡°I heard you helped our temple.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. ¡­If you don¡¯t mind, could we talk for a moment?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± He epted the quest. There was no reason to refuse since he had to receive the reward. ¡°Thank you.¡± With that, Uira signaled to the pdins and priests with her eyes. Soon, luxurious tea and various snacks were ced on the table one by one. ¡°Wow¡­ This is amazing. They say if you eat 10 of these, your strength increases. And this one increases agility?¡± They weren¡¯t just snacks. Each snack had the effect of increasing strength, agility, or vitality when eaten. So Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin¡¯s hands immediately reached for the snacks. ¡°Hehe, there are plenty of snacks, so please eat as much as you like.¡± As Uira said with a bright smile, one of the priests approached her with a sweat and whispered, ¡°S-Saintess¡­ We don¡¯t have that many snacks¡­¡± ¡°Tsk. Have some tact.¡± Uira red at him. ¡°Aww¡­¡± The priest immediately backed away with a whimper. ¡®It¡¯s no wonder there¡¯s not much.¡¯ These were snacks that increased stats, not buffs or recovery. The temple didn¡¯t have arge quantity of these snacks, and the fact that she brought them out meant that Uira had something important to say. So he would eat as much as possible. Jeong-Hoon stuffed the snacks into his mouth without hesitation. [Strength has increased. (+1)] [Agility has increased. (+1)] [Vitality has increased. (+1)] After he finished all the snacks, the empty te was refilled with the same snacks. Jeong-Hoon reached out and quickly ate the snacks. [Strength has increased. (+1)] His stats were steadily increasing. Ha-Jin, not wanting to be outdone, also stuffed the snacks into his mouth. After repeating this for a while. [Stats will no longer increase.] [Stats will no longer increase.] The amount of stats that could be increased per day by eating snacks was limited. It was 5. Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin had increased their Strength, Agility, and Vitality by 5 each just in the reception room. It was a very satisfying result. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± ¡°Oh dear, those precious¡­¡± The priests cleared the empty tes with regretful faces, and Uira sipped her tea, quietly waiting for the conversation to begin. ¡°¡­Can we start talking now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± As Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin nodded, Uira signaled. The priests and pdins disappeared from the reception room in an instant. ¡°Good. The reason I wanted to talk to you is this.¡± She ced a document on the table. [For the Revival of Tenebris] It was a notice about a gathering for the revival of Tenebris. The document vaguely stated the ce and time, and the entry requirements were written in code. Jeong-Hoon immediately grasped the situation after seeing the document. ¡°You want us to infiltrate the gathering as spies.¡± Uira¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­So that¡¯s why you gave us these precious things.¡± Ha-Jin felt a sudden pang in his stomach. He had thought it would be a simple request to clear a dungeon or something, but he hadn¡¯t expected her to ask them to infiltrate a gathering where the cult was actively operating. On the other hand, Jeong-Hoon nodded as if he had expected it. ¡®Do you remember the quest in M?rchen Kingdom where you could level up by 3? I was the first one to clear that.¡¯ His colleague and betrayer. Saintess Amelie Reina. She was the first one to start and finish this hidden quest. If he remembered correctly, her current level was around 435. However, she hadn¡¯t yet reached the 5th job advancement when she visited M?rchen Kingdom to fulfill the conditions, and she had fulfilled the advancement conditions through this hidden quest. ¡®ording to my calctions, she¡¯ll take the quest in 4 months.¡¯ He remembered clearly because she had babbled on about when she got the quest. Amelie was already vaguely aware of the existence of the hidden quest. Nevertheless, she had dyed as much as possible, probably because of the job advancement conditions. So this time, Jeong-Hoon would take it first. At the same time, he would be able to greatlyplicate her advancement conditions. And it would be a good opportunity to help Ha-Jin grow as well. ¡°¡­Will it be difficult?¡± Uira asked, a bit anxiously, when Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin didn¡¯t answer. ¡°No. We¡¯ll do it.¡± Uira¡¯s face brightened at the positive answer. ¡°Thank you! Then I¡¯ll tell you about the ce, time, and the code.¡± Of course, the temple had seeded in deciphering the cult¡¯s code. Nevertheless, they hadn¡¯t moved quickly because they suspected there might be a spy within. In fact, a spy had recently been caught inside¡­ so the atmosphere within the temple was still unsettled. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin checked the document that Uira had deciphered for them once again. The Tenebris revival gathering was tonight at midnight. ¡°But there¡¯s one thing we need to do before that.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s to get the mark.¡± ¡°Mark?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Uira nodded. * * * Midnight. Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin arrived at the gathering ce under Uira¡¯s guidance. The gathering was held in arge mansion a little distance from the capital. ¡°Hmm? Who are you?¡± Two elderly men in their 70s were cleaning in front of the mansion. They greeted Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin with kind smiles. ¡°We came to correct a mistake.¡± As they said the code, the old men¡¯s eyes changed. ¡°The mark.¡± ¡°Here.¡± Ha-Jin held out his wrist. A very small golden full moon mark was engraved on his wrist. ¡°¡­Confirmed.¡± The old man¡¯s gaze turned to Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon also showed the mark engraved on his wrist. Only then did the two old men step aside and resume their cleaning. The cold look in their eyes was gone, and they were smiling kindly again. Creak- The closed door of the mansion slowly opened, and a middle-aged man beckoned them to enter. At the signal, Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin entered the mansion. ¡°The mark. It¡¯s not fake.¡± The mark reacted to the mana in the mansion and glowed ck. ¡®It¡¯s definitely working.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon admired briefly, looking at the mark glowing on the back of his hand. [Seal of Tenebris (Imitation)] ¨C A fake made to imitate the Seal of Tenebris. This mark was engraved by Uira herself, and it was set to disappear naturally after a day. It had been several years since the cultists started setting up, so Uira had gathered all sorts of information to eradicate them. She had also obtained this seal while gathering information. ¡®It¡¯s a ck magic stone. ¡­I didn¡¯t want to touch this, but I had no choice but to deceive them.¡¯ She had even used the mana contained in the ck magic stone to increase the synchronization rate to nearly 95%. At this level, they wouldn¡¯t be caught unless someone used detection magic at a very close range. ¡°Go in.¡± The middle-aged man guided Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin to the portal. The portal located inside the mansion. It was a portal leading to the gathering ce. This was because, like the information guild, it was a ce operated in secret. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin stepped onto it. ¡°Hoon¡­ I¡¯m going to die.¡± Ha-Jin couldn¡¯t rx his tension. ¡°It seems like you can¡¯t do it. Do you want to go back?¡± If he couldn¡¯t even handle it when it was handed to him on a silver tter, he had no choice but to leave him behind. At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words, Ha-Jin hurriedly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m quitting.¡± ¡°Then act well.¡± ¡°¡­Okay.¡± The portal activated. Their vision went dark, and when it brightened again, they were in front of a cave, not the mansion. In front of a giant statue that seemed to embody Tenebris, countless people were gathered, chanting strange spells. ¡°#!@!@#¡± ¡°$%^$%¡± The iprehensible spells gave him goosebumps for some reason. ¡°Hey¡­ What should we do?¡± ¡°What do you mean what should we do? We have to blend in with the crowd.¡± Jeong-Hoon dragged Ha-Jin into the crowd and imitated their actions. Uira had asked them to raid the cultists¡¯ gathering ce and arrest as many people as possible. [Capture as many people as possible.] That was also the content of the quest. In other words, the more people they captured alive, the greater the reward. ¡®It¡¯s a shame that I couldn¡¯t reach the maximum reward because I couldn¡¯t catch the core executives¡­ If I go back in time, I¡¯ll catch that bastard and get the maximum reward.¡¯ Saintess Amelie regretted this quest even though she had cleared it and fulfilled the job advancement conditions. She had been so focused on filling the quota that she had cleared the quest without capturing the key figure who had escaped. If she had waited and captured the key figure who organized this gathering, she would have received an even greater reward from Uira. ¡°Shall we go now?¡± But he had to figure out what to do with this clueless friend. ¡°Just stay still.¡± Jeong-Hoon put his hand on his shoulder and applied pressure. ¡°Okay, okay. Then when are we going?¡± ¡°When the gathering is in full swing.¡± That was the time to strike. [Humans can¡¯t live without relying on something, can they?] Mukho¡¯s annoyed voice rang out. ¡®It was so nice when you were quiet.¡¯ [I wanted to be quiet too. But you keep provoking me.] ¡®¡­Alright, just be quiet.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon calmed Mukho down and blended into the gathering with Ha-Jin. After a while, a man slowly walked out to the empty center. He was wearing a mask and expensive silk clothes. ¡®That¡¯s him.¡¯ The key figure of this gathering. And the material that would be a necessary reward for Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jeong-Hoon signaled to Ha-Jin and used his movement technique. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 ¡®Hehe, quite a crowd has gathered.¡¯ The one smiling while looking at the people gathered was Belum, the organizer of this event. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Belum ¨C Level: 200 ¨C ss: Dark Mage (Mind Control) === He was actually a dark mage who specialized in mind control. This gathering could be considered a brainwashing session. ¡®It¡¯s profitable.¡¯ The reason he was doing this was for money. The amount of money he earned each time he did this was beyond imagination. Especially this time, he had put a lot of effort into it. It was a missionary activity targeting the temple of the M?rchen Kingdom. Both the Empire and the Kingdom were very devout in their religion, so if they got caught, they would be in real trouble. That¡¯s why he had been preparing for this for months. But today, a problem arose. ¡®They¡¯ve been arrested!¡¯ ¡®What?¡¯ They were ready to divert attention by sending threatening notes to the temple. But before they could even start, the hidden ones had been discovered and arrested. And in the process, the temple had even confiscated the Explosive Stones they had prepared. How did they find out? ¡®What should we do about the gathering scheduled for today?¡¯ ¡®We have to proceed.¡¯ No one could enter the gathering without the ck magic mark he had personally engraved. So it would be safe. ¡®¡­Will it be okay?¡¯ ¡®Even if it¡¯s not okay, we have to do it.¡¯ Their faith was beyond imagination. First of all, there was no one who didn¡¯t serve a god, and they were all devout believers. Brainwashing such people was not an easy task. It wasn¡¯t something that ended with one attempt, but they had to hold gatherings periodically to strengthen the mark. And so, midnight arrived. Even though the gathering had started, Belum didn¡¯t reveal himself and observed the atmosphere around him. ¡®If they found out, they would surely try to raid us.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t show himself if he wasn¡¯t a fool. But even after a long time, there was no sign of anything unusual. ¡®¡­Do they not know?¡¯ Belum tilted his head in confusion. ¡®Scan.¡¯ Belum¡¯s mana swept through the surroundings. As expected, nothing strange was found. It meant that the marks were still intact. ¡®It seems like they¡¯re keeping their mouths shut.¡¯ A sly smile crept onto Belum¡¯s lips. He slowly put on the mask he had tucked into his waist and took a step. ¡°!@$#!@¡± The people at the gathering cheered when they saw Belum. At the same time, they ced pouches filled with gold and silver coins at his feet and raised their arms high in the air. It was a nonsensical ritual that seemed to be weing the incarnation of Tenebris. That was when it happened. ¡°Having fun?¡± With those words, Belum¡¯s face whipped around. He had been punched in the face. * * * ¡®I was right.¡¯ The Dark Mage Belum. This guy must be the host of this gathering. And he was also probably acting as the leader of the cult. ¡°Wh-Who are you?!¡± Belum shouted urgently. ¡°Who do you think? I¡¯m from the temple, here to catch you.¡± Belum¡¯s face turned pale as Jeong-Hoon said with a grin. It was one thing to be discovered by the temple, but to be ambushed so perfectly¡­ ¡°How did you get the mark¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how you made it, but it was very poorly made.¡± Jeong-Hoon showed the mark on his wrist. Belum immediately recognized that the mark was an imitation. ¡°Damn it, I couldn¡¯t even detect such a cheap imitation!¡± Of course, the mark was so borate that no one but him could recognize it. Also, the mana wavelength was 99.99% identical, so he couldn¡¯t detect any abnormal signals. ¡°Wh-Who are you?!¡± ¡°How dare you attack the Cult Leader!¡± The people participating in the gathering red at Jeong-Hoon as if they were about to kill him. They were ready to attack at any moment, and Belum¡¯s face gained confidence. With this many people, escaping would be a piece of cake. ¡°Hehe, but how are you going to catch me? Do you think our believers will just stand by and watch?¡± Belum signaled to his subordinate hiding in the crowd. To pick up the money bags that had fallen on the floor. ¡®Understood!¡¯ The quick-witted subordinate stealthily started to collect the money bags. ¡°Really? Then I¡¯ll have to crush you with numbers too.¡± Jeong-Hoon nonchntly summoned Michael. Everyone¡¯s faces were filled with bewilderment as Michael suddenly appeared in the empty space. ¡°You called?¡± ¡°Yes. All these people here are cultists. They need some education.¡± ¡°Aha, that¡¯s my specialty.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s probably someone among them trying to pick up the money bags. You can kill that guy.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± How did he know that?! Belum looked at Jeong-Hoon with a shocked face. ¡°It¡¯s too early to be surprised.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed his chin at the cultists. Then, ghostly figures appeared above them and attacked all at once! ¡°Aaagh!¡± ¡°Wh-What is this?!¡± ¡°Cult Leader! Save us! Save us!¡± ¡°Aaagh!¡± Some were dragged across the floor by their hair by the ghosts, while others were beaten with clubs held by the ghosts. Belum could only stare nkly at the scene unfolding before his eyes. ¡°Now, is it your turn?¡± Jeong-Hoon took out the chains he had received from Uira. Belum, recognizing the chains, struggled and tried to explode the mana within his body. But Jeong-Hoon used his divine power to instantly suppress his mana. That move required not only a level far higher than the opponent¡¯s, but also a thorough understanding of the opponent¡¯s path. Belum¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Who the hell are you¡­? Ugh!¡± He couldn¡¯t continue. Jeong-Hoon had struck him in the sr plexus with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. ¡°Hoon! I caught this bastard!¡± Just then, Ha-Jin came dragging Belum¡¯s subordinate. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Gurinu ¨C Level: 130 ¨C ss: Belum¡¯s Subordinate === It was indeed Belum¡¯s subordinate. ¡°Oh, how did you find him?¡± ¡°He was secretly collecting the money bags. At first, he appeared as a resident, so I wasn¡¯t sure, but when I hit him once, his ss name changed.¡± ¡°Well done.¡± ¡°By the way, is the guy next to you the big shot of this gathering?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon finished the situation by tying the chain to Belum¡¯s wrist. * * * Psyche Temple. Saintess Uira had been sitting still in the reception room for hours. ¡°Saintess, why don¡¯t you stop and go in¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. They must have joined the gathering, so we¡¯ll get the results soon.¡± She was waiting for the outsiders. The pdins seemed displeased. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been better if we went instead?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Isn¡¯t it impossible to catch the key figure with just the two of them?¡± It had already been determined that countless people had fallen into the cult. In such a situation, the temple was just watching, so protests were pouring in from the M?rchen Kingdom. They were asking why the temple was just standing by and watching. [Just watch. This is not something you should interfere with.] Nevertheless, they couldn¡¯t do anything because Psyche¡¯s oracle hade down. Psyche had watched the foolish dark mage act up and then naturally guided the outsiders to deal with him. From Uira¡¯s perspective, there was no other choice. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Understood¡­¡± The pdin felt frustrated, but he couldn¡¯t disobey the saintess, so he quietly stepped back. As she said, it wasn¡¯t long before the outsiders returned. And they brought back Belum, his subordinate, and all the brainwashed fanatics. ¡°This is the one who organized the gathering.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed to Belum, who was bound in chains. ¡°Is that so?¡± Uira looked at Belum with cold eyes. Feeling a chill, Belum shuddered and opened his closed eyes. ¡°H-Hup!¡± He was so surprised that he even huped, and a pdin drew his sword and held it to Belum¡¯s neck. ¡°Shall I kill him?¡± ¡°No. We¡¯re not sure yet, so let¡¯s interrogate him first.¡± She wanted to kill him several times over, but she was a devout follower of the religion. She couldn¡¯t be swayed by personal feelings. ¡°I¡¯ll take him away.¡± The pdin escorted Belum to the underground prison. ¡°What would you like to do with the rest of them?¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed to the cultists this time. ¡°¡­But what did you do to them?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°No¡­ Why are they all out of it?¡± Even to Uira, the state of the fanatics didn¡¯t seem normal. They were so out of it that conversation was impossible. ¡°I gave them a little mental education.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed to Michael, who was standing behind him. ¡°¡­Yes. It was me.¡± Michael nodded with a hesitant expression. In fact, he was reluctant to even visit the temple. ¡®Master¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t really like temples.¡¯ ¡®Why?¡¯ ¡®Aren¡¯t they full of pdins? And the people in the temple are all crazy.¡¯ ¡®Really?¡¯ ¡®Yes! They¡¯re crazy about God! They¡¯re the type who would really die if God told them to!¡¯ ¡®Just follow me for now.¡¯ ¡®Ha¡­ I really don¡¯t want to¡­¡¯ Michael, who had been dragged along reluctantly, informed them that he had released the brainwashing with necromancy. They would regain their senses soon. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± A smile appeared on Uira¡¯s lips. Ha-Jin and Michael were momentarily stunned by her beautiful face with a smile. [Be careful. If you get mesmerized by that, you¡¯ll lose your liver and galldder.] ¡®You, honestly, you weren¡¯t popr, were you?¡¯ [Me? You¡¯re kidding, right? When I was young, if I walked down the street, youngdies would fill their eyes with hearts and swoon over me.] ¡®¡­What a strange guy. If you weren¡¯t armor, I would have abandoned you.¡¯ [Oh my god, listen to him talk.] Mukho, seemingly shocked, shut his mouth. Jeong-Hoon chuckled and checked the exmation mark blinking above Uira¡¯s head. [Questpleted.] [The door to the Golden Temple is opened.] The door to the Golden Temple. It was the treasure vault deep within the Psyche Temple. ¡°As a reward, I will open the Golden Temple.¡± The priests were startled by Uira¡¯s generous offer. ¡°S-Saintess?!¡± ¡°The Golden Temple is being opened?!¡± ¡°This is unbeli¡­ Oops! I almost cursed¡­!¡± The Golden Temple, which even those who served in the Psyche Temple might see once in their lifetime. That Golden Temple was being opened now. ¡®Because New World made it so.¡¯ This New World was focused on the yer¡¯s growth. Since they hadpleted the quest, the Golden Temple had to be opened. ¡°It¡¯s Psyche¡¯s oracle. So I will open the Golden Temple.¡± Uira immediately announced the opening of the Golden Temple. That dawn. The Psyche Temple was in an uproar due to the opening of the Golden Temple. The priests and apprentice priests who were sleeping soundly in their quarters rushed out, and even the pdins who were having ate-night snack after their shift hurriedly flocked to the Golden Temple. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ They say some outsiders caught some cultists and the Saintess is giving them a reward.¡± ¡°Cultists? Those Tenebris or whatever guys?¡± ¡°I heard they brainwashed the residents and forced them to join.¡± ¡°Brainwashing? Those bastards. I want to fold them in half.¡± ¡°Hey, watch yournguage. We¡¯re in front of Psyche.¡± ¡°They¡¯reing!¡± Uira stood in front of the Golden Temple with Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin. ¡°Gulp.¡± Ha-Jin gulped at the sight of the magnificent Golden Temple. ¡°Dude, your eyes are popping out.¡± ¡°How can they not when I¡¯m looking at this?¡± ¡°True.¡± Jeong-Hoon was also barely holding back his urge to let his eyes pop out. The Golden Temple was a ce that even Saintess Amelie had never entered. ¡®It¡¯s a ce that no one has ever entered.¡¯ In the future, the Golden Temple would be discovered in the form of a dungeon. But the temple had already been looted, and strange monsters created by a rampage were guarding it. This was the first time he had seen the Golden Temple intact, both before and after his return. ¡°You have exactly 10 minutes once you enter the Golden Temple.¡± Uira exined about the Golden Temple. ¡°The moment you enter the Golden Temple, you will be given 10 minutes.¡± ¡°And you can choose one item inside, and once you choose that item, you will be automatically teleported out.¡± ¡°Is the exnation clear?¡± Uira finished her exnation. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin nodded. ¡°Then I will open it.¡± Uira approached the Golden Temple. The Golden Temple was not opened by her own power. The door would only open if she wished to open it and Psyche allowed it. [Psyche allows the opening of the Golden Temple.] Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Earth Korea Management Team. Manager Oh Jin-Soo and the staff were staring at the monitor screen, speechless. Although he felt sorry for Yeo Sunwoo, the bug city that the user had opened the other day¡­ Since they had discovered the bug, they had a reason to monitor the user. But what was this? He explosively leveled up in the bug city and then headed to the M?rchen Kingdom. And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, hepleted the temple quest and opened the Golden Temple. ¡°Was the Golden Temple originally supposed to be opened¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­ But is it okay for us to keep watching this?¡± ¡°We¡¯re watching closely because of the bug before, so it¡¯s not voyeurism, right? Right?¡± The staff looked at Oh Jin-Soo. Oh Jin-Soo stared at the monitor with a hardened face. ¡®This can¡¯t be¡­ The Golden Temple is absolutely not supposed to be opened.¡¯ The Golden Temple. The treasure trove of the M?rchen Kingdom¡¯s temple. They only knew it existed, but there was no record of it ever being opened. And yet, the Golden Temple was being opened right now. ¡°Manager! What do we do?!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no contact from headquarters! Maybe headquarters prepared this as an opportunity too!¡± ¡°Shh! Quiet! They¡¯re going in now!¡± At Oh Jin-Soo¡¯s words, everyone became silent. * * * The Golden Temple opened. The inside of the temple was blocked by a wall, and two portals were shimmering side by side in front of it. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked Ha-Jin. ¡°We have to choose too? Ha, I¡¯m going to get choice paralysis at this rate.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll decide first.¡± Jeong-Hoon chose the portal on the left. Naturally, Ha-Jin headed towards the portal on the right. [Moving to the Golden Temple.] [You have discovered an unknown area.] [You have acquired 10,000 achievement points.] With that message, his vision went dark. When it brightened again, he was in a warehouse. [What? It¡¯s empty? The outside was so morous, why is it like this in here?] As Mukho said, unlike the outwardly splendid Golden Temple, the inside was rather in. But looking at the items ced on the table, his thoughts changed. [Great Psyche¡¯s Greatsword (Partially Sealed)] [Great Psyche¡¯s Helmet (Partially Sealed)] [Great Psyche¡¯s Armor (Partially Sealed)] [Great Psyche¡¯s Spike Boots (Partially Sealed)] Various weapons and armor sets for warriors, archers, thieves, mages, gunslingers, and more. Even though they were partially sealed, their grade was Unique, and their stats far exceeded those of existing Unique equipment. [Level Up Potion (+30)] Also, a potion that increased your level by a whopping 30 at once¡­ [All Stats Increase Potion (+30)] All Stats Increase Potion. Even a potion that increased all stats. To think that such rare items were gathered in the M?rchen Kingdom¡­ ¡®How great would it be if I could take them all?¡¯ They were all items he coveted. If he could choose 2 or 3, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry this much. But Jeong-Hoon could only choose one. So he had to choose carefully. ¡®I can¡¯t use any tricks either.¡¯ He wondered if he could summon Michael, just in case. But summoning Michael inside the Golden Temple was impossible. [Time remaining: 7 minutes 23 seconds] There were only 7 minutes left. Jeong-Hoon slowly examined the items on the table. [Just pick a weapon.] Mukho suggested in a bored voice. Indeed, as Mukho said, choosing a weapon was the best option. ¡®Armor is good, but weapons are more efficient.¡¯ Since he had Mukho, there was honestly nothing he coveted in terms of armor. But Jeong-Hoon had no intention of choosing a weapon. He moved to another table. [Psyche¡¯s Recognition] Psyche¡¯s Recognition. This was a title. If you obtained this title, once a day, regardless of your physical condition, you would be healed to 50% HP. Moreover, you would be invincible for 1.5 seconds after being healed. It was a title that would be quite useful even for low-level users, but its power shined even more as the level increased. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t choose the title. Or rather, he couldn¡¯t choose it. ¡®As expected, it was here.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon looked at the item with trembling eyes. [Completed Mark of Divinity] ¨C Type: Material ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C It is aplete Mark of Divinity. The Completed Mark of Divinity. It was the item Jeong-Hoon had nned to obtain as soon as he arrived in the M?rchen Kingdom, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to actually be here. ¡®This is the Mark of Divinity I received as a reward. I didn¡¯t expect it to be a material for crafting weapons.¡¯ Before returning, Jeong-Hoon had almostpleted the Overlord Titan. In the process, he hadn¡¯t had all the marks himself. He was missing a few, and hispanions had them. So they had tried to create the Overlord Titan by joining forces. But not anymore. He had to reach the Overlord Titan with his own strength. ¡®Choosing this mark is not an option, it¡¯s a necessity.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon reached out for the mark. Then a hurried voice echoed in his head. [Hey! Take your hand off right now!] Mukho¡¯s words made Jeong-Hoon hesitate for a moment. ¡°Why?¡± [Wow¡­ Can you be any more stupid?] Mukho sighed deeply, as if exasperated. Jeong-Hoon nodded understandingly and said, ¡°I know what you mean, but I have to take this.¡± [No, why? Why?! Why would you eat hard rye bread when you have meat dishes right next to you?] ¡°Why are you bringing up food?¡± [Wow, I¡¯ve never seen someone who can¡¯t tell the difference between gold and poop.] Jeong-Hoon barely held back hisughter. Perhaps from Mukho¡¯s perspective, this did look like poop. But considering its future value, the Mark of Divinity surpassed everything else. This quest was the only way to obtain it. Now that Jeong-Hoon had undertaken the hidden quest, even that was gone, so if he didn¡¯t choose it here, it would be an item he could never obtain again. On the other hand, the other items would be reced by superior items as he leveled up. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m going with this.¡± [Don¡¯t eat the poop!] Mukho continued to chatter, but Jeong-Hoon ignored it and picked up the mark. [You have acquired the ¡®Completed Mark of Divinity¡¯.] Done. With this, he had acquired a total of 3 Completed Marks. Then the rest of the items were enveloped in light and disappeared. [Returning to the entrance.] * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened and Jeong-Hoon came out. ¡®Phew.¡¯ Was it because he had alsopleted the quest in the M?rchen Kingdom? His body felt a bit sluggish. Jeong-Hoony down on his bed and took a nap for about an hour before going out to meet Ha-Jin. ¡°Hoon, you look really tired.¡± ¡°Really? I just woke up from a nap.¡± ¡°Dude, it¡¯s weird that you¡¯d recover after sleeping a little when you¡¯ve been pushed that hard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body was no different from an ordinary person¡¯s because New World and Earth hadn¡¯t synchronized yet. More importantly, the reason they met today was because of the video. ¡°Want to see the video?¡± Ha-Jin had transferred the video to his smartphone. It was an unedited video. The video was only filmed up until they received the hidden quest. ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s a bit disappointing¡­¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The Golden Temple, which they said had never been opened before, was opened. Imagine if you had filmed the inside. It would have been a huge hit.¡± ¡°Ah, it doesn¡¯t matter. My goal isn¡¯t to get attention, but to provide a way to grow.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± 3 levels up from one quest. ¡°So what did you choose?¡± Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin couldn¡¯t have a proper conversation as soon as they came out because of the NPCs. ¡®What the hell was in the Golden Temple?!¡¯ ¡®Please have a drink with me and tell me about it!¡¯ ¡®Oh! Psyche! Please let me spend a night with this man!¡¯ ¡®Hey! It¡¯s not right to makements that could be misunderstood between men! I just want to have a conversation! Just a conversation!¡¯ ¡®Yeah, just a conversation!¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯re very good at social distancing!¡¯ Despite the saintess¡¯s attempts to stop them, their eyes were firmly fixated, making it difficult. In the end, Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin were only able to log out after dealing with them. ¡°Hehe! Don¡¯t be surprised. I chose the Psyche Armor!¡± Psyche Armor. It was a Unique grade armor, so it would be quite useful until level 300. ¡°Really? You didn¡¯t level up?¡± ¡°Why would I need to level up when I¡¯m with you¡­ Huh? Don¡¯t tell me you chose the level up?¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s face turned pale. Fortunately, Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°Am I crazy? Why would I choose to level up there?¡± ¡°I knew it.¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s face brightened rapidly. ¡°Anyway, this should be good enough, right?¡± ¡°Then shall we send it to Dae-Hwi right away?¡± ¡°Yeah. Please.¡± From creating the channel to uploading the video. Jeong-Hoon intended to hand over everything to Ha-Jin to manage. ¡®It¡¯s beneficial in many ways to have Ha-Jin manage it.¡¯ The purpose of creating the channel was to narrow the gap between worlds. Korea entered New World several monthster than other countries. As a result, their growth was dyed, and they were at a disadvantage in many ways. So when the synchronization with Earth happened, Korea was automatically at the bottom. It would be difficult for now, but Jeong-Hoon intended to slowly change that. ¡°Okay! Then let¡¯s go grab some food. It¡¯s on me today!¡± Thanks to Jeong-Hoon, he had leveled up and obtained Unique grade armor. It was a day to celebrate, so he had to treat him to meat! Well, beef was a bit too much, so pork it was. But Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°Ah, sorry about that. I have another appointment after this.¡± ¡°An appointment? With who?¡± ¡°With the Ho-Yeong Guild Leader.¡± * * * [Han-Beom: Ha¡­ I¡¯ll upload this video as it is. Thanks for your hard work.] [Me: Okay.] That annoying bastard. It was finally over. He had taken care of him so diligently, but it ended so absurdly that he felt empty rather than angry. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen you so rxed.¡± Lee Hak-Song approached with a friendly smile, holding two iced coffees. ¡°Yeah. I should have changed him sooner if I knew it would be like this.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi chuckled and took the iced coffee. Whirr- At that moment, his smartphone on the table vibrated. ¡°What? I thought you were going to rx, but I guess not.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that. My younger brother asked me to edit a video for him. He just sent it.¡± ¡°Edit?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a New World video.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Lee Hak-Song showed interest. Everyone here was an editor managing New World YouTubers. Whether it was due to their professionalism or not, they were intrigued by the mention of a New World video. ¡°Should I ask if we can watch it?¡± ¡°Yes! Call him quickly!¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi called Jang Ha-Jin and asked if he could show the video to his colleague. The answer was a yes. So the video Ha-Jin sent was disyed on Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s monitor. ¡°It¡¯s M?rchen Kingdom?¡± M?rchen Kingdom. It was a vige that could be entered from level 151, and it was a very ordinary vige used by many users. ¡°It¡¯s mosaic-processed.¡± Like with smart lenses, the two users in the video captured by the camera were also mosaic-processed and unrecognizable. One must be Ha-Jin, and the other one his friend? Anyway, the ce they were headed to was the Psyche Temple. ¡°Of all ces, why the Psyche Temple¡­¡± Lee Hak-Song clicked his tongue already. Psyche Temple. Also known as the ¡®entrance unlock quest¡¯. It was too inefficient to do the quest just to get that. ¡®¡­Ha, should I just turn it off?¡¯ If it wasn¡¯t a video sent by his brother, he would have turned it off a long time ago. Jang Dae-Hwi continued to watch the video patiently. And soon after, his pupils trembled madly. ¡°B-Bro!¡± The same was true for Lee Hak-Song. Chapter 94 Chapter 94 A high-ss Korean restaurant. ¡®My mom would love this.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, looking at the meal being served, thought that he should bring his mother here next time. ¡°Does it suit your taste?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I was worried that you might not like it.¡± Yeo Sunwoo was sitting across from him. Jeong-Hoon, who had parted ways with Ha-Jin, was having dinner with Yeo Sunwoo. The reason was simple. ¡°I assume you finished the search?¡± ¡°Yes. Thanks to you, the guild suffered no damage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Thanks to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s help, his daughter, who had gone missing, returned safely. That alone was a huge favor to Jeong-Hoon. Today¡¯s meeting was to repay that favor. ¡°As a father with a daughter, I can¡¯t just let this go. Please allow me to repay you.¡± ¡°Repay me?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes momentarily sparkled. It was human nature to be materialistic, and even though he hadn¡¯t done it for a reward, he naturally felt anticipation when the guild leader of the renowned Ho-Yeong offered to repay him. ¡°Yes. Here¡¯s the list.¡± Yeo Sunwoo handed him a few documents. The documents listed various items. They were all Unique grade equipment items. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t offering just one, but a whole set. If he chose Wolfgang¡¯s Knuckles, he would also receive Wolfgang¡¯s Hood, Uniform, Shoes, and Protective Bandages. The condition was that he would be given all the necessary set armor at once. ¡®That¡¯s a generous offer.¡¯ With this level of equipment, he could easily use it until at least level 300. But the item Jeong-Hoon wanted wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Can you give me something else instead?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like the rewards¡­?¡± Yeo Sunwoo looked a little flustered. The equipment he had listed were all expensive items. If he were to buy them with cash, he would have to invest at least tens of millions of won, and since the quantity was limited, it wasn¡¯t easy to obtain them. He had even promised to guarantee at least +5 enhancement on each item. +5 enhancement meant that the enhancement had seeded five times, and at +5, the value could range from hundreds of millions to billions of won. It was a rather excessive reward, but it also contained the intention of making Jeong-Hoon stay in Ho-Yeong longer by repaying the favor. ¡°No. It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t like it, but there¡¯s something else I want.¡± ¡°¡­What is it?¡± ¡°Enhancement stones.¡± ¡°Enhancement stones?¡± Yeo Sunwoo frowned. Although enhancement stones were valuable depending on their grade, they weren¡¯t as valuable as the equipment listed. He mistakenly thought that Jeong-Hoon was indirectly asking for enhancement stones because he thought the reward was too much. But that wasn¡¯t it. ¡°I want a Legendary Enhancement Stone.¡± ¡°L-Legendary?!¡± Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s face was filled with bewilderment. Legendary Enhancement Stones were different from ordinary enhancement stones. They could only be dropped from monsters after level 300, and only from boss monsters with a low probability, so they were traded at a very high price. ¡®It¡¯s better to go for a full set of Unique equipment with set effects than to try and get a full set of Legendary equipment.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just about money. It was about quantity. The supply was so low that it was impossible to even attempt enhancement. Moreover, the sess rate of enhancement was only 10%, and if it failed, there was a 20% chance that the equipment would be destroyed and lose its abilities. That¡¯s why people said it was better to get a full set of Unique equipment than to try and get a full set of Legendary equipment. ¡®That¡¯s why Unique equipment sets are traded at such a high price.¡¯ A typical example of a Unique equipment set was the Dragon Set. The ck Dragon Set that Sword Emperor Sa Jae-Hyeok was wearing was Unique grade, but when the set effect was activated, it was evaluated to be better than most Legendary equipment. And then there was Lee Hwa-Rang, who had collected the Red Dragon Set except for the weapon. If Lee Hwa-Rang had also obtained the weapon, it was clear that the Myth Guild would have risen even higher. ¡®There¡¯s no way Jeong-Hoon has Legendary equipment at his level¡­¡¯ There was no reason for Jeong-Hoon to need a Legendary Enhancement Stone. ¡°It¡¯s okay, so please get me a Legendary Enhancement Stone.¡± ¡°¡­May I ask why?¡± ¡°Do I need to exin?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to be repaying me?¡± He was right. Whatever it was, this was a meeting to repay Jeong-Hoon¡¯s favor. He had been invited to give him the item he wanted, so he couldn¡¯t force his own opinion on him. ¡°¡­I apologize. Will a Legendary Enhancement Stone be enough?¡± The value of a Legendary Enhancement Stone was 100 million won each. Although the supply was very low, the enhancement sess rate was so terrible that the price wasn¡¯t that high. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How many do you need?¡± ¡°One.¡± ¡°Just one¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± One was enough. It wasn¡¯t about the money, but Legendary Enhancement Stones were so scarce that it was difficult to obtain them unless you were at least an executive of a renowned guild. If Yeo Sunwoo stepped in, there would be no problem in obtaining a Legendary Enhancement Stone. ¡®And I¡¯ll steal Haruto¡¯s skill.¡¯ If he could just steal that, the possibility of him being active in the future would disappear. It would be a perfect revenge. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s next n was already in motion. ¡®What an amazing man.¡¯ Yeo Sunwoo, unaware of his n, couldn¡¯t help but admire him inwardly. The fact that he mentioned a Legendary Enhancement Stone, which wasn¡¯t on the list, meant that he had also recognized the value of the items on the list. If it were anyone else, they would have chosen items worth billions of won, but he ended it with just one enhancement stone. While still maintaining an air of nonchnce, he showed no signs of regret. ¡®This is the first time I¡¯ve wanted to get close to someone like this.¡¯ The more he saw him, the more curious he became about this man. * * * At the same time. Whirr- Ha-Jin took out his smartphone from his pocket and answered the call. ¡°Yeah. Bro, did you check the video?¡± ¡°Dude! What is this?!¡± Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s excited voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Bro, calm down first.¡± ¡°How can I calm down? How did you know about this?¡± He thought it was just an entrance unlock quest. But it wasn¡¯t. This quest was about finding cultists, and it was a honey pot quest that could raise your level by 3. ¡°Hehe, that¡¯s a trade secret. Anyway, can you edit it?¡± ¡°¡­I can edit it. Are you going to upload this to YouTube?¡± ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why I asked you to edit it.¡± ¡°Hmm, if it goes well, this could be a huge hit¡­?¡± At Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s murmur, Ha-Jin was convinced. This video would definitely be a hit. And a dayter, after receiving the video from Jang Dae-Hwi, Ha-Jin immediately created a YouTube channel. ¡®Create the channel however you want.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had left the YouTube matters to Ha-Jin. So all the decision-making power was in Ha-Jin¡¯s hands. [Honey Tube] Jeong-Hoon said that the direction he wanted was to upload videos that taught various honey tips of New World and help users grow. Then Honey Tube would be perfect, right? Ha-Jin, who had created the channel name, immediately uploaded the video,pressed to 15 minutes. [Uploaded.] ¡®The ones who seem like they have nothing are the real masters.¡¯ A video with a thumbnail showing the M?rchen Kingdom temple background and a rather provocative caption saying ¡®A quest that raises your level by 3?!¡¯ Ha-Jin whistled and turned off hisputer. * * * A while after the video was uploaded. World Com started to heat up. [Hey! Did you see the YouTube video?] ¨C Fuck, what¡¯s with M?rchen Kingdom? There was a 3 level up quest? ©¸ Wow hahahahaha ©¸ How do you evene up with the idea of knocking out an informant? ©¸ No way, we were supposed to drift here? Most of the users who had been through M?rchen Kingdom were dumbfounded. [Wow! I leveled up by 3!] ¨C That video already cleared the hidden quest, so if you just find the guys with the mark and drag them to the temple, you get 3 levels up hahahahaha ©¸ It¡¯s true lol ©¸ It¡¯s only possible up to level 200¡­ Shit ©¸ Awesome lol I was 192, but thanks to this, I¡¯m 195 now hahaha ©¸ It¡¯s really a honey pot lol ©¸ I acknowledge Honey Tube lol And users under level 200 went to M?rchen Kingdom and did the temple quest to level up by 3. Thanks to that, Honey Tube¡¯s subscribers were increasing in real time. [Wow lol Honey Tube has over 20,000 subscribers] ¨C So when¡¯s the next honey tiping up? ©¸ It¡¯s a one-hit wonder lol ©¸ There can¡¯t be honey tips like this easily. ©¸ They¡¯ve already been discovered and sucked dry. ©¸ There¡¯s absolutely none lol I¡¯ll donate 1 million won if there is one; * * * At that time. ¡°Amelie!¡± A boy who looked to be in his early teens came looking for his sister, calling her name. ¡°Huh? Why are you in such a hurry?¡± Amelie, who was organizing notes in her room, greeted the boy warmly. The boy¡¯s name was Matthew. He was the younger brother of her friend, Le. And he was also a guild member who was active in the same guild. ¡°Breaking news! Breaking news!¡± ¡°Breaking news?¡± Amelie¡¯s eyes changed at the word ¡®breaking news¡¯. ¡°Yeah! Just like you said, a video of some guy catching cultists was uploaded on YouTube!¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll check it out right now.¡± Her ss was the hidden ss Heretic Inquisitor. She was currently level 435 and hadn¡¯t yet achieved her 5th job advancement because she hadn¡¯t met the conditions. [Cult members caught 0/1,000] The condition was to catch a whopping 1,000 cultists. This was the final stage of the quest. As befitting a hidden quest, the job advancement conditions were so demanding that it took a very long time, but if she could just meet this condition, she would be able to sessfullyplete her 5th job advancement. But there was a hitch in her n. If what Matthew said was true, it meant someone had already ruined her n. She hurriedly went to the YouTube channel Matthew had told her about. ¡®South Korea?¡¯ The owner of the YouTube channel was Korean. Korea was quite famous when it came to New World. In a bad way. ¡®I heard it¡¯s a backward country¡­ but it seems there¡¯s someone quite clever there.¡¯ Amelie yed the video. The background was M?rchen Kingdom. Damn it! Of all ces, it had to be M?rchen Kingdom. ¡®Ha, as expected¡­¡¯ The recent cult uproar in M?rchen Kingdom. She had obtained that information, but she deliberately didn¡¯t act and waited for the right time. She had to catch not 100, but 1,000. It wasn¡¯t a small number, so she was nning to catch them all at once. But if they tried to save it, it would turn into poop. ¡®Even though the video was cut off, there must have been more quests after that.¡¯ ¡°Damn it!¡± A curse slipped out of Amelie¡¯s mouth. ¡°Sister?!¡± Matthew, who had juste back from the bathroom, was startled. He had never seen Amelie so angry. Amelie quicklyposed herself and waved her hands. ¡°No, Matthew. I¡¯m angry at myself.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­I was toocent and missed an opportunity.¡± ¡°I was so surprised¡­ You got angry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Were you very surprised?¡± Amelie hugged Matthew gently with a kind smile. Thank goodness. She¡¯s back to her usual self. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Matthew smiled and snuggled into her arms. And Amelie¡¯s eyes were cold. ¡®Korea¡­ Who the hell is that guy?¡¯ * * * After meeting with Yeo Sunwoo. Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t log into New World for a few days. This was because he had nned to go on a trip with his mother for the first time in a long time. ¡®Son, do you want to go on a trip with Mom for the first time in a long time?¡¯ His mother had a lot of free time after quitting her job. Since he had disrupted Amelie¡¯s ns, Jeong-Hoon also didn¡¯t have any big ns for the time being. ¡®It¡¯ll take some time to get the Legendary Enhancement Stone too.¡¯ So he went on a 2-night, 3-day trip to Gangneung with his mother. They saw the sea, rxed at the hotel, and ate delicious food. The most important thing was that he went on a trip with his mother. ¡®I should go on trips with Mom more often.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon resolved to travel with his mother whenever he had free time. After returning home, he logged into New World and met Ha-Jin. ¡°Hoon! It¡¯s a hit! It¡¯s a hit!¡± Ha-Jin shouted ¡°jackpot¡± as soon as he saw Jeong-Hoon. The reason was simple. ¡°The video we uploaded on YouTube has over a million views?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It seems like a lot of people watched the video and followed it to level up by 3!¡± ¡°Really?¡± It was more explosive than he had imagined. But the number of subscribers was less than 30,000. This was because only one honey tip video had been uploaded, and people didn¡¯t expect more honey tips to follow. ¡°But it seems like foreigners are watching it too. There are a lot ofments from foreigners.¡± ¡°That¡¯s to be expected.¡± It was fine. This honey tip video was released for users under level 200. He would slowly narrow the gap. ¡°So how should we film the next video? Is there anything worth calling the next honey tip?¡± The good mood didn¡¯tst long, and Ha-Jin soon fell into worry. This was because he had no source material for the next video. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have something.¡± ¡°You do? What is it?¡± ¡°The Red Evil Spirit Golem.¡± The Red Evil Spirit Golem was one of the many boss monsters in the M?rchen Kingdom. However, it was a monster that most people didn¡¯t even attempt to raid because it was so difficult to strategize against. [Whisper/Sunwoo -> Hoon: We¡¯re short on supply, so it looks like you¡¯ll have to wait a bit longer. I¡¯m sorry.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: It¡¯s okay. Just make sure you get it for me.] [Whisper/Sunwoo -> Hoon: I¡¯ll make sure to do that.] Haruto¡­ It wasn¡¯t just the enhancement stone that would change his future. This Red Evil Spirit Golem. By defeating this golem, he wouldplete his next n. Chapter 95 Chapter 95 [Anyone been to the Ruined City in M?rchen Kingdom?] ¨C I heard you can go to a ce called the Ruined City¡­ but there¡¯s no one around there. ©¸ Are you crazy? Don¡¯t go there lol ©¸ I heard there¡¯s someone who got forcibly suspended for a week after going there lol ©¸ Seriously, the NPC wouldn¡¯t let them leave lol What kind of situation is that? ©¸ That crazy bastard tried to drag me down with him because he wanted to live. Just thinking about it still makes me shiver; The Ruined City that everyone avoided. The Ruined City was literally a ruined ce with only traces left, and it was a ce where ferocious monsters roamed, prohibiting people from entering. [You need to be at least level 250 to catch that] ¨C But what would you do after catching that at level 250¡­? ©¸ You could clear titles or achievements, right? ©¸ There¡¯s nothing like that lol ©¸ The experience points are pretty good¡­ but honestly, at level 250, that amount isn¡¯t enough. ©¸ Anyway, it¡¯s better for your mental health not to go to the Ruined City lol The Ruined City, showered with negative reviews. That was the ce Jeong-Hoon was headed to. ¡°You¡¯re going there?¡± Ha-Jin had a hesitant reaction. He wanted to protest like before, but thanks to Jeong-Hoon, he had reaped great benefits this time. Especially the Great Psyche Armor he was wearing now. === [Great Psyche¡¯s Armor (Partially Sealed)] ¨C Type: Armor ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Defense: 233 ¨C Evasion: 6.25 ~ 6.75% ¨C Physical Damage Reduction: 10% ¨C Magic Damage Reduction: 10% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): When wearing the armor, skill damage reduction increased by 5% ¨C Special Ability (2): When wearing the armor, critical hit damage reduction increased by 10% ¨C Special Ability (3): When wearing the armor, [Passive: Psyche¡¯s Blessing] is automatically activated ¨C Special Ability (4): When wearing the armor, [Active: Psyche¡¯s Song] can be activated === These were the stats of a partially sealed armor. ¡®If the seal is released, it will be an armorparable to Legendary.¡¯ Gulp. Had he ever lost out by trusting his friend? Come to think of it, hadn¡¯t he been able to get the capsule for free thanks to Jeong-Hoon? So let¡¯s trust Jeong-Hoon this time too! ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you can leave.¡± Jeong-Hoon turned his back as if he didn¡¯t mind at all. ¡°Hey! What kind of hurtful thing is that to say! What¡¯s the point of having a friend! We¡¯re in this together till the end!¡± Ha-Jin hurriedly put his arm around his shoulder. ¡°But you looked like you were ready to abandon me at any moment.¡± ¡°¡­No way. Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. What about the camera?¡± ¡°Ready! It¡¯s live!¡± ¡°Live¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He wanted to avoid reacting to chats, but this Ruined City needed to be a national dungeon as soon as possible. That way, he could increase the growth rate of low-level users passing through M?rchen Kingdom. Before entering the Ruined City, Jeong-Hoon approached the NPC in front of it. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Nameless Man ¨C Level: None ¨C ss: None === This NPC was quite peculiar. He was translucent, and his hand couldn¡¯t be touched even if you reached out. ¡®He¡¯s simr to the ghosts Michael summons.¡¯ He was simr to a ghost, but his presence was much fainter. A question mark was blinking above his head. [Choose a quest.] There were two quests. [Normal Quest] [Epic Quest] [Once you choose one, you cannot undertake the other.] It was a choice-based quest where choosing one would automatically make the other disappear. ¡°Ha-Jin, shall we go for the Epic?¡± ¡°Epic¡­? Wouldn¡¯t Normal be better? World Com said never to do Epic.¡± No. World Com said not to even look at the Ruined City, let alone pee in its direction. Jeong-Hoon grinned. ¡°The Epic quest will obviously have better rewards.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Hmm, I¡¯ll ask you one more time. Are you out?¡± In events like the capsule event or the temple quest, Ha-Jin wouldn¡¯t be in any danger. Jeong-Hoon was nning to take care of everything himself. And he had actually made it that way. But this event was a little different. Jeong-Hoon would cover more than 90% of it with his own strength, but Ha-Jin also had to move with a tenacious spirit to survive. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re making me want to do it even more. Why would I back out?¡± Ha-Jin shouted, seemingly fired up. Jeong-Hoon smiled satisfactorily at his reaction. ¡°Okay. Then start the broadcast.¡± Now, let¡¯s start sharing some honey tips. * * * Jang Dae-Hwi reyed the uploaded video several times. ¡°Hah¡­ Even though I edited it, it¡¯s a really perfect video.¡± The footage itself was clean, but he had perfectly condensed it into 15 minutes with a clear beginning, middle, and end. ¡°No, not again?¡± Lee Hak-Song pulled his chair closer to Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s side while he was editing. He looked at him with a pitying gaze. ¡°What? Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯d be perfect if you didn¡¯t say things like that.¡± ¡°So, how many views did the video get?¡± ¡°It hit 1.2 million¡­?¡± The view count had just surpassed 1.2 million. At this rate, 2 million, even 3 million views weren¡¯t impossible. A YouTuber with nothing, just one video uploaded, and it¡¯s in the millions. It was truly astonishing. ¡°Yeah. Everyone¡¯s going crazy over this.¡± ¡°¡­Actually, I leveled up by 3 thanks to this. Hehe!¡± Lee Hak-Song made a V sign with his fingers. ¡°You too? Me too!¡± Jang Dae-Hwi had logged into the capsule as soon as he got off work andpleted the temple event, reaching level 188. ¡°But this is getting a lot of hate.¡± ¡°Hate?¡± ¡°They say you can¡¯t continue the quest anymore.¡± That¡¯s right. The quest in this honey tip video was a consumable quest. A quest to capture 5 cultists with marks all over the capital. Naturally, there was no reason to do the quest if there were no more cultists to capture. ¡°¡­Then 2 million views is impossible.¡± They had reached 1.2 million views thanks to the initial hype, but if the quest couldn¡¯t be done anymore, there was no reason for the hype to continue. ¡°At least we got to do it, so that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Contact your brother.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We should buy him a meal. He got us 3 levels for free, we can¡¯t just eat and run.¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s YouTube channel had just been created, so there was no ie yet. So no matter how many views the video got, he couldn¡¯t make any money. ¡°We should.¡± He was really grateful to Ha-Jin. Leveling up after level 100 was extremely difficult, and thanks to him, he had gained 3 levels. He was in a good mood! He would treat him to pork ribs until he burst! Jang Dae-Hwi sent a KakaoTalk message to Ha-Jin on his smartphone. That was when it happened. [LIVE broadcast starts.] A new LIVE video appeared on Ha-Jin¡¯s channel. * * * As the broadcast started, viewers slowly started toe in. ¨C What¡¯s with the live stream? ¨C I was watching the video, and suddenly a LIVE popped up? ¨C Are they going to give us new honey tips? Was it because of the video they uploaded earlier? In 10 minutes, nearly 70 viewers were watching the live stream. ¡°Aha, hello everyone. I¡¯m Honey 2 from Honey Tube.¡± Ha-Jin introduced himself as Honey 2 in an awkward tone. This automatically made Jeong-Hoon Honey 1. ¨C Hahaha Honey 2? ¨C Can¡¯t you remove the mosaic and voice modtion? ¨C It¡¯s weird that you¡¯re using mosaic and modtion even though you¡¯ve customized your appearance. Chats wereing up in real time. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a bit difficult.¡± Ha-Jin nced at Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t paying any attention to the broadcast. ¡°Please¡­ Please fulfill our city¡¯s wish¡­¡± ¡°What should we do to fulfill your wish?¡± ¡°Get rid of the monster that¡¯s rampaging in the city. Get rid of that ¡®monster¡¯ in the center¡­¡± The Nameless Man¡¯s voice was full of desperation. Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± ¡°To reach him¡­ you have to go through several waves.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The center of the Ruined City. The content of this Epic quest was to defeat the monster lurking in the center. ¨C Huh? The Ruined City? ¨C Crazy hahahahaha ¨C I guess they got it as an Epic quest¡­ ¨C Wow¡­ Why would they take that as an Epic quest ?? ¨C You can¡¯t even give up on that quest¡­ ¨C That NPC is crazy. He gave them a quest to fulfill his wish, so he won¡¯t let them give up until they die three times. The viewers looked at Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin with pity. ¨C Ah, I thought it was honey, but it¡¯s boring af ?? ¨C The first impression was the best impression lol After that, the number of viewers started to drop sharply. ¡°Wh-What do we do?!¡± ¡°Huh? Don¡¯t worry about that. They¡¯re the ones who¡¯ll lose out if they leave.¡± Jeong-Hoon entered the Ruined City. ¨C He says they¡¯re the ones who¡¯ll lose out if they leave hahaha ¨C Look at his confidence lol ¨C Okay. I¡¯ll watch until the end lol ¨C But if there¡¯s no gain, I¡¯m going to curse a lot * * * At that time. Yeo Min-Ji was having a conversation with Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mother, Lee Na-Yeon, at a cafe. They were having the tea time that had been postponed due to the guild member disappearance incident. ¡°Here¡¯s some information about the second ss advancement. It probably won¡¯t deviate much from this.¡± She handed the organized information to Lee Na-Yeon. Fortunately, there was a guild member who had obtained a hidden ss in the same gunslinger line, so she had received a lot of help in obtaining basic information. ¡°Thank you for always taking care of me.¡± ¡°No problem. And I¡¯ll adjust your equipment to your level again. Same goes for consumables.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, but¡­¡± ¡°No! The Gunslinger ss is more dependent on equipment and consumables than other sses. So please ept it.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. Then I¡¯ll gratefully ept it.¡± Lee Na-Yeon also keenly felt how important equipment was while ying the game. To be honest, the monsters that users of simr levels were hunting were too easy. It was partly because of her excellent shooting skills that blew their heads off, but the biggest reason was probably her gear, which was iparable to other users¡¯. Ho-Yeong spared no material support for Lee Na-Yeon, so she was armed with Epic and Unique items that were worth a fortune. But now that they were offering to upgrade her equipment again, she honestly felt a bit burdened. ¡°¡­I survived thanks to Jeong-Hoon this time.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I got caught in a trap recently.¡± It was true. Thinking back to how she had wandered around the maze countless times, it was horrifying. If Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t discovered the maze¡¯s weakness and broken through it, wouldn¡¯t she have been trapped there forever? Just imagining it was terrifying. Of course, she simply told Lee Na-Yeon that Jeong-Hoon had solved aplicated maze for her. ¡°Oh my, really? Hoon has always been a bit extraordinary.¡± Lee Na-Yeon also agreed. Her son had been quite unique since he was young. He didn¡¯t cry much and was more mature andposed than other children his age. She was convinced that her son was different from others when they went on a family trip. At that time, the navigation system broke down and they were having a hard time, but her 3-year-old son started pointing the way with his finger. ¡®We came this way.¡¯ At first, she was doubtful, but 3-year-old Jeong-Hoon remembered the entire way they hade. Even the surrounding buildings and structures, perfectly. Perfect memory. Even the doctor at the institution they had visited for testing was amazed by his perfect memory and wanted to study him. But the child¡¯s father refused their interest and took Jeong-Hoon home. ¡®I want Hoon to live freely.¡¯ ¡®¡­Me too.¡¯ That¡¯s why she actively supported what Jeong-Hoon wanted to do. The same was true for this game. If it weren¡¯t for Hoon¡¯s father¡¯s words, she might not have seen Jeong-Hoon engrossed in the game. ¡°You think so too, Mom?!¡± ¡°Of course. Whose son is he?¡± Lee Na-Yeon¡¯s shoulders lifted. At that moment, they heard a noisy voice from the next table. ¡°What are you watching?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh, a broadcast.¡± ¡°A broadcast? What broadcast all of a sudden?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know Honey Tube?¡± ¡°Of course I do. I leveled up by 3 thanks to that!¡± ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re doing a LIVE stream right now.¡± ¡°LIVE?¡± ¡°You know M?rchen Kingdom, right? They went into the Ruined City there.¡± Their voices were so loud that even Lee Na-Yeon could hear everything from her table. ¡°They¡¯re quite noisy, aren¡¯t they?¡± Lee Na-Yeon said to Yeo Min-Ji with a smile. But Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t normal. ¡°Mom¡­ I think I need to watch the broadcast for a moment.¡± ¡°The broadcast?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Min-Ji took out a tablet PC from her bag and yed the Honey Tube LIVE video for Lee Na-Yeon. ¡°¡­This?¡± Lee Na-Yeon recognized her son in the broadcast at a nce, even though his face was mosaicked. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s Jeong-Hoon.¡± ¡°Hoon¡¯s even broadcasting?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason either.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s watch for now.¡± Lee Na-Yeon and Yeo Min-Ji focused on the broadcast. [Usually, there¡¯s a cheat code or something in ces like this, right?] Jeong-Hoon tapped his fist, and there really was a spot that dented. [Wow! There really is one?] Jeong-Hoon put his hand into the spot. Pop! With that sound, the golems in front of them lost their power and copsed. Chapter 96 Chapter 96 [Lv. 200 Mutated Golem] The entrance of the Ruined City. A Lv. 200 Mutated Golem appeared right at the entrance. Unlike ordinary golems, it was crudely made of decayed bricks, but its aura was iparable to that of ordinary golems. ¨C It¡¯s because they epted the Epic quest¡­ ¨C If they had epted the Normal quest, a Lv. 150 monster would have appeared. ¨C Wow¡­ Honestly, they¡¯re dead. ¨C It says Lv. 200, but you need to be at least 210 to safely defeat it. The difficulty of the dungeon was adjusted depending on the quest choice. Jeong-Hoon had chosen the Epic quest, so the difficulty of the dungeon had increased significantly. ¡°Hoon, what do we do about that¡­?¡± A Lv. 200 monster right at the entrance. He had bravely epted the Epic quest, but the moment he entered the dungeon, his courage disappeared and he felt only despair. ¡°Usually, there¡¯s a cheat code or something in ces like this, right?¡± ¡°Cheat code?¡± ¡°Yeah. It looks like there¡¯s a cheat code hidden somewhere.¡± Jeong-Hoon looked around. ¨C Hahaha ¨C Hahahahaha ¨C No way, he¡¯s talking about cheat codes lol ¨C Why is he acting like that all of a sudden? lol The chat was filled withughter. Ignoring them, Jeong-Hoon fumbled with the wall on the right. He deliberately acted clumsy, as if he didn¡¯t know what he was doing. But at the same time, he meticulously searched for the exact location where the cheat code was hidden. ¡®The Ruined City is literally a cheat code itself.¡¯ His former colleague, Iwase Haruto. He was Japanese and a hidden ss Enhancer. He was also the one who turned this Ruined City into a national dungeon. ¡®Iwase Haruto¡¯s level is probably around 130 right now.¡¯ Considering the time he had mentioned, he was probably around that level. Jeong-Hoon intended to turn it into a national dungeon before he could. ¡®I need to make sure Korea gets the honey.¡¯ When Iwase turned it into a national dungeon, Japan would properly reap the benefits. Then it would spread to other countries, and Korea would also btedly try to get the honey, but the sweet honey from the beginning wouldn¡¯t be there anymore. Jeong-Hoon intended to transfer that honey from Japan to Korea. ¡°Wow! There really is one?!¡± Jeong-Hoon tapped the wall with a sly smile, and the sturdy wall dented in the shape of an adult man¡¯s fist. ¨C ??? ¨C ??? ¨C ??? ¨C What was that? Question marks popped up in the chat in real time. What do you mean what was that? It¡¯s the start of the cheat code. Jeong-Hoon put his hand into the hole. ¡®There¡¯s a button inside. It¡¯s a device the game developers made.¡¯ Iwase had a pretty good memory. Unlike his other colleagues, the details of his story were quite detailed. Thanks to that, finding the cheat code was very simple. Jeong-Hoon pressed the button. [Monsters are disappearing.] And the 10 golems in front of them copsed. [Quest in progress.] [Arge amount of experience points are being umted.] Arge amount of experience points that could be received whenpleting the quest. ¨C There really was a cheat code hahaha ¨C No way, why does this work? This is so absurd lol ¨C It¡¯s really Honey Tube, huh? I acknowledge it. ¨C The nickname is perfect lol ¡°Th-The number of live viewers has increased to 112!¡± The number of live viewers had jumped to 112. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s continue.¡± * * * Kim Bong-Goo, who came out of the capsule, felt like he was going to die. [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Come to M?rchen Kingdom when you reach level 151.] This was because he had received a special mission from Jeong-Hoon. You could only move to M?rchen Kingdom after reaching level 151. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s current level was 150. He had to raise his level by one more. The problem was when he would level up. ¡°Ha¡­ If I¡¯ve done this much, can¡¯t you just let me go?! You crazy bastard!¡± His level before entering the bug city was 142. Thanks to following Jeong-Hoon, he was able to gain 8 levels in that city. He was just one level away, but no matter how many monsters he caught, his level remained the same. It was true that leveling up from 150 to 151 was twice as hard as leveling up from 149 to 150. [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: You know what happens if you¡¯rete, right?] He wanted to run away, but he couldn¡¯t. Honey Tube. Ha-Jin had told him about it, and he said that he was the one who filmed the video. That meant that Jeong-Hoon was also the one behind the much-talked-about temple event. ¡°¡­What kind of person is he?¡± How could he hit the jackpot everywhere he went? At this point, Jeong-Hoon seemed like some unknown being, not a human. Kim Bong-Goo searched for Honey Tube on his smartphone. ¡°Huh? They¡¯re doing a LIVE broadcast?¡± Honey Tube was currently doing a LIVE broadcast. The number of real-time viewers was 244. ¡°What are they doing that so many people are watching?¡± Kim Bong-Goo clicked on the broadcast out of curiosity. The broadcast showed Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin, with their faces mosaicked, raiding a dungeon. ¨C Wow, how are there so many cheat codes? ¨C No fucking way hahahahaha ¨C It was a cheat code paradise hahaha ¨C How are they so good at finding cheat codes? ¨C It¡¯s not them lol The guy in the lead is the one finding them all lol ¨C This is amazing¡­ I¡¯m recording everything right now lol ¨C Me too lol I¡¯m recording everything to follow along and clear it ¡®¡­What is this.¡¯ That dungeon was definitely the Ruined City in the M?rchen Kingdom. The Ruined City was known as one of the most infamous dungeons on World Com. In a very bad way. A dungeon that no one could clear, Jeong-Hoon was clearing it using cheat codes. ¡®This is crazy¡­!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s y instantly captivated Kim Bong-Goo. He neatly dodged the attacks of the Mutated Golems and Mutated Guardians, used cheat codes hidden in the floor and walls to quickly eliminate monsters, and moved forward. ¡°It looks like this is the only way to avoid that guy¡¯s attacks.¡± Jeong-Hoon casually dropped a hint and lightly dodged the monster¡¯s attack. ¨C No way, how did he dodge that? lol ¨C Wow¡­ His reaction speed is insane. ¨C Okay, I¡¯m going to hold a shield and endure here. The viewers werepletely immersed in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s y. ¡°There might be a cheat code somewhere¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon looked around and tapped the floor. As expected, a corner dented, revealing a button. He pressed the button, and the monsters lost their power and disappeared, just like before. ¨C Aha, it¡¯s there this time? ¨C Recorded! ¨C Wow lol This is awesome. ¨C No, but how can he find all those cheat codes? ¨C Honey 1, you! Reveal your identity! ¨C Seriously, who is Honey 1? Who is so good? ¨C He doesn¡¯t even use skills, so I don¡¯t even know his ss lol Kim Bong-Goo knew who he was. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t just stay still. ¡®¡­Let¡¯s level up.¡¯ He was so frustrated that he couldn¡¯t level up, but Jeong-Hoon¡¯s super y hadpletely healed his mental state. He was once again convinced that he had to follow Jeong-Hoon to grow further. Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly entered the capsule. * * * ¡°Hey! Come with me!¡± ¡°Woohoo!¡± Wham! ¡°Ugh!¡± With a heavy thud, Ha-Jin¡¯s body was lifted into the air and mmed into the wall. [Your HP is rapidly decreasing!] [You are in critical condition.] [Your HP is below 20%. You need to recover.] ¡°Oh, that idiot.¡± Jeong-Hoon pressed a button, and the monsters disappeared. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Ha-Jin clutched his stomach, seemingly in pain, and managed to get up. ¡°Wow¡­ How can my HP be reduced by 84% in one hit?¡± It was literally a critical injury. One more hit and he would die instantly. ¡°Potion?¡± ¡°¡­Wait a minute.¡± Ha-Jin took out a potion from his inventory and drank it. His HP started to recover, albeit slightly. His HP wasn¡¯t recovering properly because he was in critical condition. ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ We¡¯re live right now.¡± ¡°So what.¡± Jeong-Hoon ignored him and used healing on Ha-Jin. As he poured divine power, the critical condition mark on Ha-Jin disappeared. And his HP, which had been only 20%, started to recover quickly and soon reached 100%. ¨C ¡­? ¨C Was he a healer? ¨C A healer showed that kind of performance? ¨C This is bullshit lol ¨C No wonder he didn¡¯t have any weapons lol ¨C But isn¡¯t the uniform he¡¯s wearing something that martial artists usually wear? ¨C Forget that lol Raise your hand if you¡¯re curious about the next cheat code ¨C Hand ¨C Hand ¨C Foot Fortunately, the chat wasn¡¯t a big deal, but now it was. A giant red door stood in front of them. That door led to the center. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a boss, will we be okay?¡± ¡°We have to go.¡± Of course, there was also a cheat code for the boss. How could it be a national dungeon without a cheat code? However, activating the cheat code could be a bit tricky, so it required some skill. Jeong-Hoon opened the door and went in. [Lv. 250 Red Evil Spirit Golem] In the center, a golem, a whopping 10 meters tall, was chained and ring at Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin. Just facing its presence was enough to make their whole bodies stiffen. ¨C Wow¡­ The Red Evil Spirit Golem? ¨C How do we deal with that¡­? ¨C It¡¯s hopeless, gg ¨C It¡¯s over ?? ¨C You did well just getting this far. Even the chat seemed to have given up. ¡°It¡¯s moving.¡± Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to swiftly move. ¡®The reason why it requires a bit of skill is simple. The boss in the center can¡¯t move for the first minute.¡¯ The old chains that bound the Red Evil Spirit Golem¡¯s hands and feet. The chains were shimmering with a red aura, but the light was dim, and they looked precarious, as if they were about to break at any moment. He had to activate the cheat code during that time. Jeong-Hoon searched the surroundings, deliberately tapping on the walls and floor. ¡®This shouldn¡¯t arouse suspicion.¡¯ After several misses, he finally hit the right spot, and the floor dented. Jeong-Hoon pressed the button on the floor. The loose energy of the chains strengthened and pulled the golem¡¯s left arm strongly. nk! ¡°Kuaagh!¡± The golem screamed. ¨C Oh? ¨C Shit hahaha ¨C There¡¯s a cheat code for the boss too! ¨C Location confirmed! ¨C Okay! So it was there?! ¨C Honey 1! Honey 1! Honey 1 ¨C Honey 1 is the best! ¨C I love you, Honey 1! Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to continue moving. Next was the right arm. The ce that strengthened the seal on the chain of the right arm was on the opposite side. He continued to tap on the walls and floor, finding the right spot and pressing the button. nk! ¡°Kuaa! Human! Humaaaan!¡± The golem screamed in agony. ¨C Wow, that¡¯s scary. ¨C Just die already! ¨C What do we do now?! What do you mean what do we do? It¡¯s over. The boss¡¯s cheat code only needed to be pressed twice. As proof, the loose chains on its neck and legs also started to tighten. nk! At the same time, the Red Evil Spirit Golem¡¯s body glowed and disappeared in an instant. [The Red Evil Spirit Golem disappears.] [The Red Evil Spirit Golem¡¯s seal is strengthened.] Even though they hadn¡¯t defeated it, the loose seal was strengthened again, and it was considered cleared. [Quest in progress.] [Arge amount of experience points are being umted.] This was how it became a national dungeon. ¨C ¡­The end? ¨C It ends so anticlimactically? ¨C Crazy, why did everyone avoid this ce? ¨C Did they know there were so many cheat codes here? You want the rewards? I¡¯ll show you right now. Jeong-Hoon grinned and opened his mouth. ¡°It says arge amount of experience points have been umted¡­ I¡¯ll receive them right now.¡± The method of receiving the reward was simple. A message had appeared before his eyes. [Would you like to receive the reward?] ¡°Can I receive it right now?¡± Ha-Jin asked Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and pressed the receive button. Chapter 97 Chapter 97 [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] Along with countless messages about leveling up, the experience points gained were disyed next to them. [43,782,982] A whopping 43 million experience points. ¡°Crazy¡­ 43 million.¡± The number 43 million was also revealed to the viewers watching the broadcast. ¨C What the fuck? ¨C 43 million? ¨C No¡­ Is that even possible? ¨C What the¡­ ¨C 43 million is the amount of experience you get from clearing a level 200 dungeon 100 times! ¨C Even 100 times is generous¡­ On average, you need to clear it 150 times to get that much experience! ¨C Is it even possible to get that much at once?! Such reactions were natural. Just by clearing one dungeon, they had received as much experience as clearing a level 200 dungeon 100-150 times. With this, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level became 164. ¡°Wow¡­ I leveled up by 5 just from here.¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s level became 169. ¨C Is it possible to get that much from the Ruined City? ¨C Isn¡¯t it because they used cheat codes? ¨C It¡¯s really amazing¡­ The Ruined City wasn¡¯t a dungeon that no one had ever cleared. It was a very high-difficulty dungeon for users under level 200, and you could only enter it by epting a quest. On the other hand, if you were over level 201, you couldn¡¯t proceed with the quest and could only enter the dungeon. And the experience points from the dungeon became very ordinary. It became a very ordinary dungeon. ¡®That means there¡¯s no first clear reward.¡¯ Naturally, the first clear reward went to someone else. He didn¡¯t even want it anyway, since the first clear reward for this dungeon was an Epic grade essory. More importantly, it was about the reward for the Epic quest. ¡°D-Did we seed?!¡± The Nameless Man greeted Jeong-Hoon and Ha-Jin with a touched expression. ¡°Yes. We seeded.¡± ¡°Thank you so much! Thank you!¡± A purple exmation mark blinked above the man¡¯s head. It meant that the quest had been sessful. ¨C Wow hahaha ¨C Wasn¡¯t he emotionless before? ¨C Afterpleting the quest, he became so emotional? Is he obsessed with capitalism? ¨C Ah lol Can¡¯t miss out on questpletion lol ¨C So what¡¯s the reward? ¨C Shouldn¡¯t he give a good reward with that face? ¨C It was a difficulty that couldn¡¯t be cleared without cheat codes lol The viewers waited for the reward with anticipation. ¡°We¡¯ll end the broadcast here.¡± However, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of revealing the reward. ¡®It¡¯s enough to reveal that it gives a lot of experience points.¡¯ The reward he was about to receive was an item that hadn¡¯t been revealed in New World yet. ¨C ??? ¨C ??? ¨C No way, you¡¯re ending it here? ¨C This isn¡¯t right! ¨C Reveal the reward! The viewers were outraged. But Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t care at all and signaled to Ha-Jin. ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ha-Jin, quick on the uptake, apologized to the viewers and ended the broadcast. LIVE broadcast ended. After confirming that the broadcast had ended, Jeong-Hoon finally received the reward. [Questpleted.] [You can choose a reward.] [1. Ancient Recipe] [2. Lv.10 Up!] Two rewards. Jeong-Hoon chose the Ancient Recipe without a second thought. [You have acquired the ¡®Ancient Recipe¡¯.] Done. He had finally obtained the Ancient Recipe. The reward for the Epic quest wasn¡¯t just a simple recipe. [Ancient Recipe] ¨C A recipe that allows you to develop new ancient alchemy. It was a recipe that allowed him to develop ancient alchemy. However, the recipe was written in an ancientnguage, and more than 70% of it was severely damaged, making it impossible to decipher. ¡®Done. With this, I can prepare for the next n.¡¯ He would use the Legendary Enhancement Stone that Yeo Sunwoo would bring and this recipe to bring the future forward by 10 years. ¡°Wait a minute! But why aren¡¯t you giving me anything?¡± Ha-Jin was dumbfounded. There was only one Ancient Recipe. Only Jeong-Hoon, who hadpleted the quest first, had the right to choose. Of course, if Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t chosen the Ancient Recipe, Ha-Jin would have been given the right to choose. ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon apologized to Ha-Jin inwardly. Ha-Jin had also formed a party with Jeong-Hoon, so he had indeedpleted it first. But since Jeong-Hoon was the party leader, the right to choose went to him first. Of course, Ha-Jin would also receive a reward. A typical Epic quest item. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry¡­ I only have one. Instead, I¡¯ll raise your level by 10.¡± The Nameless Man made a generous offer. A 10 level increase. Of course, this reward was only offered to the first 1,000 people. ¡®After 1,000 people, they¡¯ll only get a 3 level increase.¡¯ Yes, that¡¯s right. The reward for this Epic quest was also a 3-level increase. The difference from the temple quest was that this quest would still give you a level increase even after the first few peoplepleted it. Although each user could only clear it once, it was a quest that could be undertaken at any time, which was why it became a national dungeon. ¡°Then I¡¯ll gratefully ept it!¡± Ha-Jin smiled brightly, seemingly satisfied, and received the reward. * * * World Com was on fire. [Hey! Someone cleared the Ruined City!] ¨C And they even cleared it by epting the Epic quest! ©¸ I saw it too lol Damn, I was so confused when the LIVE broadcast suddenly ended. ©¸ Yeah, so what was the reward lol ©¸ It felt like I was taking a shit and it got cut off lol [I¡¯m a level 182 archer.] ¨C Looking for people to raid the Ruined City with. ©¸ Honestly, even though it¡¯s a one-time quest, the experience points are so tempting. You could probably level up 3-4 times just from that¡­ ©¸ Ha¡­ This is another honey pot. ©¸ The reward for the Epic quest seems to be pretty good too. ©¸ Anyway, we have to go and get it. Not long after the post was uploaded, more than 100 users gathered at the entrance of the Ruined City. It was all thanks to Honey Tube. ¡°Does anyone know the cheat code locations and monster attack patterns?¡± ¡°¡­¡± However, it was practically impossible to memorize the cheat code locations and monster attack patterns just by watching the broadcast once. At that moment, a mage raised his hand. ¡°I memorized about half of it, not perfectly though.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. I have two smartphones. I watched with one and filmed with the other.¡± ¡°Wow, awesome!¡± Many users flocked to the mage at the mention of filming. Naturally, the mage became the party leader, and they formed a 5-person party based on level and ss grade and entered the Ruined City. ¡°I filmed it too!¡± Then others who imed to have filmed it also volunteered to be the leader. They formed 5-person parties and entered the Ruined City. However, no matter how much time passed, no one couldplete the quest from the Nameless Man. It was because they hadn¡¯t memorized it well enough yet. * * * A dayter. [Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: I¡¯ve arrived in M?rchen Kingdom!] Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly arrived in M?rchen Kingdom and whispered to Jeong-Hoon. He hadn¡¯t realized it would be this hard to reach level 151. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Jeong-Hoon was waiting for him at the inn. Kim Bong-Goo sensed that the gaze Jeong-Hoon was giving him while resting his chin on his hand wasn¡¯t ordinary, so he hurriedly ran to him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯mte!¡± ¡°What if you fell while running like that? You could havee slowly.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kim Bong-Goo felt a chill run down his spine. What was this guy trying to do by being so nice from the start? ¡°Bong-Goo, you¡¯re pretty slow at reaching 151, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Well.¡± ¡°Are you trying to make excuses?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°So, shall I help you level up?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes changed. Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly shook his head and forced a smile. ¡°No, sir. You¡¯re offering to help me level up¡­ Wow! I¡¯m so happy!¡± ¡°I thought so.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out a token from his inventory and handed it to him. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a token I recorded with the camera. It contains all the methods I used to conquer the Ruined City, so memorize it and clear it alone.¡± ¡°A-Alone¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. If you form a party, the experience points will be divided.¡± Actually, it was okay up to two people, but Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t tell Kim Bong-Goo that. He thought that Kim Bong-Goo could clear it alone if he could find the cheat codes. Of course, it would have been a different story if Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s ss wasn¡¯t a rogue type, but he was an Epic grade Assassin. It was more than enough. Unlike Jeong-Hoon¡¯s thoughts, Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s mind had long since gone nk. His thoughts couldn¡¯t keep up with Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words at all. ¡°A-Alone? Me, alone¡­¡± He had seen it live. He had seen how Jeong-Hoon had conquered the Ruined City with monstrous movements. And he was convinced. That he couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Yes.¡± But Jeong-Hoon was telling him to clear it alone. How long was he going to push him into the depths of hell? Hong Hyun-Woo, you son of a bitch. He cursed at the guy he had cut ties with a long time ago, not knowing what he was doing now, and took the token. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do my best.¡± He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say he couldn¡¯t do it. ¡°Okay. If you do that, you should be able to reach level 160.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°See you in a week.¡± ¡°A week¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and left the inn. Kim Bong-Goo, left alone, sat nkly for a long time. * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened and Jeong-Hoon came out. ¡°Phew.¡± He was thinking of taking a short break after finishing the Ruined City. ¡®It seems like it¡¯s taking quite a while to get the Legendary Enhancement Stone.¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be helped. Currently, Legendary Enhancement Stones could only be obtained with a low probability from hunting boss monsters. Also, there were crazy people who actively bought and collected Legendary Enhancement Stones. So it would inevitably take time topete with those crazy people and obtain them. ¡®In the end, those crazy people will be the winners.¡¯ The world of New World was still vast. As you leveled up, new content would be unlocked, and the meta would change rapidly. And in the process, the value of Legendary Enhancement Stones would skyrocket. ¡°Son!¡± At that moment, the door opened and his mother came in. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Did you do a broadcast?¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± How did his mother know that he had broadcasted? ¡°I just happened to see it.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°But it was amazing. How did you know there were cheat codes hidden like that?¡± ¡°I was lucky. I used to y games like bug finding, remember? The rules were simr to those games.¡± Jeong-Hoon used to enjoy various games when he was young. The experience had also helped him grow into an All-Master before his return. ¡°Aha.¡± His mother quickly understood. ¡°Did you level up, Mom?¡± ¡°Yes. The guild is supporting me a lot, so I think I¡¯ll be able to aim for my second ss advancement soon.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s great!¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned widely. His mother was also growing very well. He didn¡¯t have to worry too much. ¡®¡­I¡¯m d Ho-Yeong is taking good care of you.¡¯ It seemed like things would be fine if they continued like this. * * * A text message arrived from Yeo Sunwoo. [I got the enhancement stone. Can we meet now so I can give it to you?] Finally, the Legendary Enhancement Stone was about to be in his hands. Jeong-Hoon entered the capsule and logged in. ¡®By the way, Mukho has been quiet.¡¯ Mukho hadn¡¯t said a word since he chose the Mark of Divinity. Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t spoken to Mukho either, thinking he would see who would break first. He thought that Mukho would start babbling soon anyway. But Mukho hadn¡¯t said anything until now. It seemed like he was sulking. If he didn¡¯t appease him, it would probablyst longer. ¡®¡­This is toofortable.¡¯ It couldn¡¯t be morefortable. Jeong-Hoon had no intention of appeasing Mukho. He felt alive without that noisy voice in his head. [This is driving me crazy! Are youfortable? Comfortable?!] Mukho screamed. ¡®You startled me¡­ Please give me a heads-up next time.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon sighed. He had overlooked the fact that Mukho could read his thoughts. [You¡¯re a really bad owner! Do you know that? In terms of sentence, it¡¯s 11 years!] ¡®You¡¯re surprisingly detailed in useless things.¡¯ [Why won¡¯t you listen to me! Why are you eating poop! Are you telling me to serve an idiot as my master? You¡¯re an idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Cough! Cough¡­!] Mukho coughed as if he was choking. It seemed that he was very displeased with Jeong-Hoon choosing the Mark of Divinity. ¡®Alright, calm down. There¡¯s a reason I chose this.¡¯ [Reason? Reeeaaaasssoooonnn?] ¡®Anyway, just be quiet for a moment.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the time to be talking to Mukho. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Yeo Sunwoo had arrived. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon ignored Mukho¡¯s voice and greeted Yeo Sunwoo. ¡°I hope I¡¯m not toote.¡± Yeo Sunwoo smiled awkwardly. Ho-Yeong didn¡¯t actively collect Legendary Enhancement Stones, so it seemed they had a hard time obtaining it. ¡°It¡¯s okay. The important thing is that you got it for me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Sunwoo took out the Legendary Enhancement Stone and handed it to Jeong-Hoon without asking how he would use it. A brilliant green enhancement stone. This was the Legendary Enhancement Stone. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 Whirr- Ha-Jin picked up his smartphone from his pocket and answered the call. ¡°Yeah. Bro, did you check the video?¡± ¡°Dude! What is this?!¡± Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s excited voice came from the other end of the phone. ¡°Bro, calm down first.¡± ¡°How can I calm down? How did you know about this?¡± He didn¡¯t remember telling Jang Dae-Hwi that he was going to do a live stream. But how did he know? ¡°Dude! I was checking if you uploaded the video properly, and I happened to see you doing a LIVE!¡± ¡°Aha!¡± ¡°¡­Anyway, send me the recording if you have it! I¡¯ll edit it for you this time too! And if you manage the channel like that, people won¡¯t subscribe.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi was willing to share his know-how generously. But Ha-Jin¡¯s answer missed his point. ¡°Wait. Hoon hasn¡¯t told me to send the video yet.¡± ¡°Huh? Then contact him quickly!¡± ¡°Um¡­ Just wait for now.¡± ¡°Wait? Why are you so rxed? Don¡¯t you know you have to strike while the iron is hot? Weren¡¯t you trying to grow your YouTube channel?¡± ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t really have any desire for that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t¡­?¡± ¡°No.¡± Jeong-Hoon had told him to manage the channel and said he didn¡¯t care if he went crazy for profits. But Ha-Jin didn¡¯t want to do that. Thanks to his friend, he had been having a lot of fun experiencestely. He had a personal capsule and had even obtained equipment from the Golden Temple, so there was no reason for him to earn money right away. And the reason Jeong-Hoon did a LIVE broadcast this time was probably because he wanted Korean users to be the first to benefit from the honey pot called the Ruined City. If he uploaded the recording to YouTube, foreigners would also be able to see it. ¡®Let¡¯s ask Jeong-Hoon separately and then upload it.¡¯ So he wanted to get proper permission from Jeong-Hoon before uploading it. That way, he wouldn¡¯t feel uneasy while managing the channel. Doing it this way meant that he wasn¡¯t managing it on his own, but what did it matter? As long as he wasfortable, that was all that mattered. * * * ¡°Aaagh!¡± [You have died.] Along with the message that he had died, the capsule door forcibly opened. Whoosh- ¡°Fuck!¡± Kim Bong-Goo came out, cursing. He had already died twice. Twice. He hadn¡¯t died consecutively, so the penalty hadn¡¯t increased from 24 hours to 48 hours, but it was still 24 hours per death. The time he had promised Jeong-Hoon was ticking away helplessly as he was suspended for another 24 hours. ¡°It was an impossible promise from the start¡­¡± How the hell was he supposed to clear this? Kim Bong-Goo reyed the video he had transferred to his smartphone. The Ruined City, cleared by Jeong-Hoon himself using cheat codes. The problem was his movements. ¡°How did he dodge that here?¡± The Mutated Golem¡¯s attacks were so fast that it was hard for the body to react. Jeong-Hoon narrowly dodged those attacks, moved efficiently, found cheat codes, and neutralized the golems. This wasn¡¯t a honey tip video. It was just an amazing video. ¡°You¡¯re telling me to clear this in a week after watching this¡­?¡± But if he gave up here¡­ ¡°Fuck, I can¡¯t do that.¡± He couldn¡¯t even imagine what kind of retaliation that monster would inflict. All he could do now was to keep reying the video and practice repeatedly. * * * [Legendary Enhancement Stone] ¨C An enhancement stone that can enhance Legendary grade equipment. ¨C Can be obtained with a low probability when hunting bosses above Lv. 300. ¨C Sess rate: 10% (Applies to all enhancement levels) ¨C If failed, there is a 20% chance of the equipment being destroyed. It was truly a vicious probability. The sess rate was 10% from the start, and the failure rate was 90%, with an additional 20% chance of the equipment being destroyed. That¡¯s why no one dared to use enhancement stones on Legendary equipment. [Hey¡­ Wait a minute. You¡¯re not thinking of destroying me with this, are you?] Mukho, who had been making a fuss for a while, suddenly became quiet. ¡°Why? Do you want me to destroy you?¡± [I-If you destroy me, you¡¯ll regret it?! You can¡¯t get armor like me anywhere else?!] ¡°I¡¯m not the type to invest in armor.¡± That was a lie. The armor Jeong-Hoon wore before returning was a fully enhanced Legendary grade armor. But perhaps because there was no change in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s tone of voice, Mukho seemed to have fallen for the lie and hurriedly spoke up. [Honestly, it¡¯s your fault! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!] ¡°Me?¡± [Yes! I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!] ¡°Okay. I know it¡¯s not your fault. Anyway, this will be used as an important materialter. I had no other choice.¡± [¡­Is it that important?] ¡°Yes.¡± Mukho was silent for a moment at the sight of Jeong-Hoon nodding with a serious face. [¡­Tsk, alright.] At least he was understanding and not whining anymore, even though he was the owner. Jeong-Hoon stroked the chest of the robe he was wearing once and headed towards the Alchemist¡¯s Street. Unlike other territories, M?rchen Kingdom had a street where alchemists gathered. Jeong-Hoon would probably be the only user to visit the alchemist in every territory. This was because the NPC in the Alchemist¡¯s Street this time wouldn¡¯t give quests to anyone who wasn¡¯t an alchemist. ¡°Hmm? What brings a non-alchemist outsider here?¡± As he entered the street, an alchemist looked at Jeong-Hoon with an unpleasant gaze. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Alchemist Lenc.¡± ¡°Master Lenc? I¡¯m sorry, but he¡¯s not in a position to see anyone right now.¡± Lenc. An unparalleled genius. ¡®If I hadn¡¯t met Lenc, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to unravel the secret of the recipe.¡¯ Iwase Haruto had been unable to decipher the Ancient Recipe until he happened to meet Lenc while wandering around the streets. At that time, Lenc was in need of help, and in the process of helping him, he brought up the Ancient Recipe, which led to its deciphering. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why do I have to tell you? Anyway, you can¡¯t, so go back.¡± === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Reigner ¨C Level: 180 ¨C ss: Alchemist (Enhancement) === Reigner seemed ready to kick Jeong-Hoon out at any moment. The other alchemists were sitting inside the building, watching through the open windows, but their eyes were in agreement. [Ha, what¡¯s with this t dumpling-looking guy? Just push him away!] Mukho¡¯s refreshing remark followed, but he couldn¡¯t do that. ¡°It¡¯s okay, stop it.¡± An old man in his 80s was slowly walking towards them, leaning on a cane. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Lenc ¨C Level: 300 ¨C ss: Alchemist (General) === That was the unparalleled genius. The pride of M?rchen, Lenc. ¡°Master! You shouldn¡¯t be out here when you¡¯re not feeling well!¡± Reigner hurriedly supported Lenc. Lenc had a kind face, but he looked so frail that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he took hisst breath at any moment. His eyes were lifeless, and his body was so weak that there was nothing but skin and bones. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°But still! The wind is cold. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± ¡°Then bring that guest inside too.¡± ¡°¡­Yes. Follow me.¡± Reigner didn¡¯t seem pleased, but it was Lenc¡¯s order, so he guided Jeong-Hoon into the mansion. Jeong-Hoon sat across from Lenc. ¡°Cough! Cough! So, what¡¯s the reason you wanted to see me?¡± Lenc coughed, covering his mouth with a handkerchief. ¡®At that time, Lenc was on the verge of death.¡¯ Iwase had saved Lenc. Of course, he hadn¡¯t healed him, but he had extended his life a little by resolving his dangerous situation. Therefore, Lenc had closed his eyes when he had deciphered nearly 98% of the recipe¡¯s secret. The remaining 2% would bepleted by his disciple, Reigner, who was here. ¡®I can¡¯t save Lenc.¡¯ The cause of Lenc¡¯s death was an incurable disease. He had a chronic illness for a long time, but Jeong-Hoon, who didn¡¯t know the details, wasn¡¯t confident he could cure him. In such cases, only periodic use of high-level healing could cure him. ¡®The fact that he¡¯s like this even though there¡¯s a temple nearby¡­ means it¡¯s practically incurable, right?¡¯ No matter how much divine power was the source of healing, it couldn¡¯t defy thews of nature. But he could stimte his curiosity. ¡°Would you like to see this?¡± Jeong-Hoon ced the Ancient Recipe in front of him. A recipe written in an ancientnguage and so severely damaged that it was almost impossible to decipher. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± Lenc¡¯s eyes gradually widened as if he recognized the recipe. At the same time, a red question mark blinked above his head, which had been empty. [Hidden Quest: Ancient Recipe] ¨C Restriction: Possess the Ancient Recipe ¨C Reward: Decipher the Ancient Recipe ¨C Description: Help Alchemist Lenc decipher the recipe. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest and got to the point. ¡°I want to decipher the recipe. Is it possible?¡± ¡°¡­May I ask where you got this?¡± Lenc¡¯s eyes changed. They weren¡¯t lifeless anymore. It was the curiosity he had when he first started alchemy a long time ago. ¡°Master, what is this that you¡¯re so interested in?¡± Reigner, who was ignorant about the recipe, asked with a puzzled face. ¡°Shh, I¡¯ll tell youter.¡± Lenc firmly pushed him aside, saying it wasn¡¯t the time to interrupt. Thanks to that, Jeong-Hoon could speakfortably. ¡°Do you know about the Ruined City near M?rchen Kingdom?¡± ¡°Of course¡­ How could I not know about that cursed city?¡± The Ruined City. A city where evil spirits lurked, and no one could purify it, so it had been left unattended until now. In fact, Lenc had tried to explore that city when he was young. And in the process, he had almost died and barely escaped, but he had suffered from the aftereffects for several years. ¡°I got it from that city.¡± ¡°¡­You went in and out of there?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ You¡¯re crazier than I thought.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment. So, will you decipher it?¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, you¡¯re an interesting fellow. Alright. Maybe the reason I¡¯m still holding on is to see this.¡± Lenc took the recipe. Reigner¡¯s face turned pale and he shouted, ¡°Master! You can¡¯t do research in your current condition! It¡¯s absurd!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. If I wait any longer, I won¡¯t be able to do it.¡± Lenc was stubborn. He got up from his seat with his cane and went into the researchb on the second floor. [Deciphering begins.] [0%¡­ In progress] The research would only beplete when it reached 100%. Jeong-Hoon would wait in the mansion during that time. He would surely need the Legendary Enhancement Stone in the middle of the process. ¡°It¡¯s because you came here! Master is already unwell!¡± As Lenc disappeared, Reigner¡¯s anger turned towards Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Then will you decipher it?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I need to decipher this. That¡¯s why I came here. And I¡¯ll pay you for it.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out 100 gold and ced it on the table. Reigner¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of the gold pouch. ¡°Y-You¡¯re going to spend 100 gold coins just to decipher that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to spend more if necessary.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And didn¡¯t you see Master Lenc¡¯s eyes? They were sparkling. It seemed like he really wanted to decipher it.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Reigner¡¯s face went nk. [He probably didn¡¯t see it properly. From what I can tell, he seems to have a bit of a squint. He might need treatment.] ¡®¡­Please be quiet.¡¯ Thanks to Mukho¡¯s seriousment, he almost lost control of his expression. Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Reigner had be Lenc¡¯s disciple only three years ago. At that time, he wasn¡¯t even an alchemist, just an adventurer. An adventurer was a profession where you traveled freely between viges,pleting requests and earning a living from the rewards. The lowest grade was F. F-rank adventurers could only take on F-rank requests. Most of them were menialbor, and the rewards were meager. However, all adventurers started at F-rank, and they could raise their rank by umting reputation points, which were given 1 point for each sessful request, and then taking a promotion exam. The higher the rank, the better the requests and the higher the rewards they could receive. Even reaching B-rank allowed them to receive considerable rewards, so everyone strived to collect reputation points. However, just collecting reputation points didn¡¯t mean they could raise their rank. The promotion exam. If they failed the exam, they had to stay at the same rank. ¡®I couldn¡¯t go any higher than D-rank.¡¯ Reigner had been an adventurer for 11 years, but he was a perpetual D-rank. His peers had all risen to C-rank or higher, and some had even reached A-rank. Feeling deprived, Reigner quit being an adventurer and was looking for a job in the M?rchen Kingdom capital when he caught Lenc¡¯s eye. ¡®Oh, you¡¯re quite a talented child.¡¯ Lenc had pointed at him and said he had talent. With those words, he decided to be his disciple. And for three years, he had been assisting him and studying the basics of alchemy. ¡®¡­That outsider was right.¡¯ Three years. In those three years, this was the first time he had seen his master¡¯s eyes shine like that. So his master was also capable of such a look. ¡°Give it to me.¡± Reigner snatched the gold pouch from the outsider. If it was his master, he would surely be able to decipher that recipe. After all, his master had personally developed more than 70% of the alchemy recipes in the M?rchen Kingdom. ¡°Then please call me if you need me.¡± The outsider didn¡¯t leave the mansion, but went straight to the guest room and settled down. ¡°Wh-Who said you could juste in?¡± ¡°I paid the deposit, didn¡¯t I? Can¡¯t I even rest?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not it. That¡¯s my room.¡± ¡°Please give it up. It seems like this is the only room here.¡± ¡°Ahem.¡± How did he know? Except for this room, all the other rooms were used as storage. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here until the deciphering is done. I might need something in the middle of the process.¡± ¡°Need something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, so please leave.¡± The outsider kicked Reigner out of the room. To be kicked out of the room he had been staying in until just a moment ago. He tried to resist out of pride, but he was instantly thrown out into the living room, overwhelmed by the outsider¡¯s strength. ¡°¡­Okay. Since it¡¯se to this, I¡¯ll just help Master.¡± Reigner knocked on the door of the room his master had entered. Knock. Knock. ¡°Come in.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± With Lenc¡¯s permission, Reigner carefully opened the door and went in. He was sitting on a chair, wearing a monocle and reading all the ancient documents spread out. ¡°Come sit next to me and read these. If my body doesn¡¯t allow me to decipher it, you¡¯ll have to do it.¡± ¡°¡­Me?¡± What did he just say? Reigner couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°Humph, what have you been learning all this time? You call yourself an alchemist if you can¡¯t even do this?¡± ¡°¡­But I only learned enhancement techniques.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This is a recipe rted to enhancement.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± Although it was severely damaged, some of the letters were recognizable. This recipe was definitely rted to enhancement. It was a recipe for an enhancement technique that had been lost. ¡®¡­An incredible technique might be discovered.¡¯ Lenc calmed his pounding heart and continued reading the document. * * * Jeong-Hoon took out Anima and summoned Michael. ¡°Master, you called?¡± ¡°Hmm? Why did you call me? It doesn¡¯t seem like abat situation.¡± Michael replied politely, and Anima, perched on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder, looked puzzled. ¡°I called you because I was bored.¡± ¡°¡­Is that really true?¡± Michael asked back with a suspicious look. He couldn¡¯t believe there was nothing to do, as he had been in charge of all sorts of tasks whenever he was summoned. ¡°You¡¯re quick-witted as always.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. At that devilish smile, Michael made a dejected expression, as if he had expected it. ¡°I see¡­ So what should I do this time?¡± ¡°You know Kim Bong-Goo, right?¡± ¡°¡­Of course.¡± Michael didn¡¯t like Kim Bong-Goo. No, he was enraged just by looking at him, and he was barely holding back the urge to punch him in the face. The reason was simple. He looked exactly like Ziru, the dark mage he hated the most. He was so sure that if Ziru had a reincarnation, it would be that guy. Jeong-Hoon gave a cruel order to such a hateful person. ¡°Help him clear the Ruined City.¡± ¡°The Ruined City¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He had given Kim Bong-Goo the video, but it would be difficult for him right now. ¡®He¡¯s probably died twice by now.¡¯ The problem was whether he had progressed more than halfway. He briefly checked World Com, and it seemed that the viewers who had watched the LIVE broadcast hadn¡¯t properly cleared the Ruined City yet. Should he upload the recording to YouTube quickly? [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hey, are you busy?] A whisper arrived from Ha-Jin. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Nope, resting right now. Why?] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Dae-Hwi is asking for the recording, should I send it? Or not?] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: It¡¯s not time to send it yet. Wait.] The first 1,000 people. Even though it was revealed on LIVE, it wasn¡¯t an easy dungeon to clear quickly. Originally, this dungeon was supposed to be cleared first by Iwase, and Japan was supposed to reap the benefits, but with history changed, Korea had the chance to get the honey. It wasn¡¯t time to release the video yet, as there were still few people enjoying the honey. [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: I knew you¡¯d say that.] That Ha-Jin guy. He was quick-witted at times like this. ¡°¡­Uh, will it make a difference if I go?¡± ¡°It will. You¡¯ll be helping them clear it using cheat codes.¡± ¡°Cheat codes¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. Kim Bong-Goo has the token, so go study with him and clear it.¡± The Ruined City wasn¡¯t that far from here. As long as Jeong-Hoon had enough mana, Michael wouldn¡¯t be recalled. ¡°Uh¡­ Is it really necessary for me to go and help? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just abandon him if he can¡¯t clear it?¡± ¡°He¡¯s still useful in many ways. Do you want to do what Kim Bong-Goo is supposed to do? And for the record, it¡¯ll be very painful.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back!¡± Michael hurriedly headed to the Ruined City. ¡°¡­Then can I ask why you called me?¡± It was Anima¡¯s turn now. ¡°Yes. Anima, I¡¯m nning to enhance you first when I make the enhancement stone with this recipe.¡± ¡°Me first?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Enhancing Legendary equipment. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s n was to create a safe Legendary Enhancement Stone through this recipe and then enhance Anima. [Great! I¡¯ll yield!] Mukho dered its concession as if it had been waiting. ¡°¡­I won¡¯t be destroyed, right?¡± He couldn¡¯t go outside, but since he had be Jeong-Hoon¡¯s owner, he could see and hear everything that was happening outside even when Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t holding a weapon. In the process, he had also heard all the conversations between Jeong-Hoon and Mukho. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about that.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips curled up into a wide smile. That dangerous enhancement was about to disappear. [¡­What? You¡¯re saying I don¡¯t have to worry about being destroyed?] ¡°Yes. But Mukho, you can¡¯t be enhanced yet.¡± [Why!] It was because of the document Siegfried had left behind. ¨C Don¡¯t try to enhance Mukho until its power is fully restored. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem to try¡­ but its stats wouldn¡¯t grow significantly. That¡¯s how it was designed. That¡¯s right. Unfortunately for Mukho, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of attempting enhancement until it was fully restored. * * * Another 24 hours passed. Kim Bong-Goo barely endured the headache from studying, something he had never done in his life. ¡®Mom! This bastard is studying!¡¯ ¡®Oh my! My goodness!¡¯ ¡®Is that true?! Tell me honestly! Did you cause some trouble again?!¡¯ He had been caught by his sister in the middle of it and was utterly embarrassed. Kim Bong-Goo entered the capsule and logged in. He had reviewed so much, so this time he was determined to break through at least the middle stage. ¡®If I die this time too¡­ I¡¯ll just say I failed.¡¯ Honestly, he didn¡¯t think he could clear it. ¡°Ha, you¡¯re so damnte.¡± But a familiar face was standing at the entrance of the Ruined City. ¡°Michael¡­?¡± It was Michael, the summon Jeong-Hoon controlled. ¡°Why do I have to waste my precious time waiting for your ass?¡± ¡°¡­Why were you waiting for me?¡± ¡°Obviously, because we have to clear this ce together.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± This was news to him. ¡°He said he won¡¯t let you off if you can¡¯t clear it.¡± No, that wasn¡¯t true. Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t said anything like that. Michael was just trying to scare Kim Bong-Goo because he didn¡¯t like him. Of course, the effect was excellent. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°So try your best. There¡¯s nothing I can help you with, right?¡± ¡°¡­Can¡¯t you help me clear it?¡± The Ruined City allowed up to 5 people to enter. And Kim Bong-Goo was currently attempting a solo clear. Of course, the difficulty was so high that he had failed twice without even reaching the middle. ¡°What can I help you with?¡± Michael snorted with an indifferent face. ¡°Please watch this.¡± Kim Bong-Goo took out the token and pressed the button. The token projected a holographic video, showing Jeong-Hoon clearing the Ruined City using cheat codes. ¡°Hmm? This is simple. You just have to find the hidden cheat codes and open them, right?¡± As expected, Michael¡¯s reaction was lukewarm. ¡°Yes¡­ but¡­¡± ¡°Come on, follow me.¡± ¡°Are you going with me?¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face brightened. Michael frowned. ¡°Are you crazy? I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll train you so you can clear it.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± * * * ¡®If only I hade a little earlier, the deciphering wouldn¡¯t have taken so long¡­¡¯ That¡¯s what Iwase Haruto had said. Iwase had met Lenc only about half a year from now. The problem was that Lenc¡¯s condition had worsened, and he was showing signs of delirium. The symptoms were so severe that the deciphering process couldn¡¯t be done properly, and it ended up taking a lot of time. But not now. Lenc¡¯s condition wasn¡¯t that bad yet. ¡®Two weeks. Shouldn¡¯t that be enough?¡¯ Lenc wouldn¡¯t be the same Lenc who kept going in circles due to delirium, so two weeks should be more than enough. But Lenc¡¯s deciphering ability was beyond that. ¡°The deciphering is almost done, soe in.¡± The locked door opened after only five days. ¡°¡­Already?¡± ¡°It was possible because there were many traces of the ancient characters I had learned in the past. Otherwise, it would have been impossible.¡± Lenc said modestly. ¡°I see.¡± Jeong-Hoon followed Lenc into the room. In front of him, the Ancient Recipe and a copy of the deciphered recipe were ced on the table. === [Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary] ¨C Type: Skill ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C If you attempt enhancement ording to the recipe for the first time, you can acquire ¡®Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary¡¯. === This was it. The skill that had allowed Iwase Haruto to be the ultimate Enhancement Master. ¡®The only person who can safely enhance Legendary grade equipment.¡¯ Just hearing it was crazy. After obtaining this skill, Iwase started to umte enormous wealth, established a guild, and quickly grew it into a renowned one. He led a revolution in the equipment meta, and was even considered an essential asset, ranked first in recruitment priority when New World synchronized with Earth in the future. ¡®Iwase, this is mine now.¡¯ He had given the traitors various big middle fingers since his return, but this would probably be the biggest one. Just by taking this one skill, he wouldpletely twist Iwase¡¯s future. ¡°This is a recipe that allows you to learn a skill. Fortunately, I have all the ingredients¡­ but I¡¯m missing one.¡± Lenc exined with a bitter face. ¡°What are you missing?¡± ¡°A Legendary Enhancement Stone. I need that.¡± The Legendary Enhancement Stone was an enhancement stone that even Lenc had only seen once in his life. And even then, it was just a fragment left over after use, not aplete stone. To obtain an enhancement stone of that grade, you had to hunt boss monsters over level 300, and only a very small number of people were capable of that. ¡®Of all things, he needs that¡­¡¯ He was very disappointed. He didn¡¯t have much time left to live. In such a situation, he had the chance to decipher the Ancient Recipe, which was on his bucket list. However, how could he not be disappointed that he couldn¡¯t experiment with the recipe due to theck of ingredients? ¡°That¡¯s great. I happen to have a Legendary Enhancement Stone.¡± ¡°¡­What?!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 100 Chapter 100 A Legendary Enhancement Stone appeared in front of Lenc. [Legendary Enhancement Stone] ¨C Type: Enhancement Stone ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C An enhancement stone used to enhance Legendary grade equipment. It was real¡­ A stone emitting a green light. When it was just a fragment, the green light was faint. But the enhancement stone in front of him was emitting a dazzling light that could blind him. ¡°Sob¡­¡± Lenc caressed the enhancement stone and sobbed. Reigner, flustered by the sight, tried to calm his master down. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s better to just watch.¡± Jeong-Hoon stopped Reigner. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°How happy must he be to react like that?¡± Lenc had lived his entire life in the M?rchen Kingdom. The highest grade enhancement stone he could see in the M?rchen Kingdom was Epic. He might have asionally seen a Unique Enhancement Stone, but never a Legendary one. ¡®Even Yeo Sunwoo took so long to get it.¡¯ But did they know? That this hard-to-get Legendary Enhancement Stone would be released inrge quantities in the future. ¡°Sob¡­ Thank you for waiting.¡± Lenc expressed his gratitude to Jeong-Hoon with swollen eyes. Hisplexion was still bad, but his eyes were still shining. ¡°Then can we start right away?¡± ¡°Of course. Please wait a moment. Reigner, bring out all the ingredients I mention.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Lenc told Reigner the necessary ingredients, and Reigner went to the warehouse and brought them. There were dozens of ingredients, and they not only filled the table but also piled up on the floor next to it. ¡®That¡¯s a lot.¡¯ [What the hell, why do you need so many ingredients to make one thing?] Mukho, who had been watching quietly, also spoke up. Lencpared the recipe with the ingredients and checked them one by one. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s all correct. Then let¡¯s start right away.¡± Lenc¡¯s hands glowed golden. Then the surface of the ingredients also turned golden, and their shapes began to change little by little. Some of them merged into one, while others turned into powder and floated up. It was truly a wondrous sight. But themon point of all these things was that they all gathered at one point. A small sphere formed and grew in size, and the bright golden light gradually became cloudy. An exmation mark blinked above the sphere. [Enhancement is ready.] [Please ce the weapon.] So this was how you equipped the weapon. Jeong-Hoon took out Anima. Anima didn¡¯t seem too surprised, as he had been informed beforehand. ¡°Oh, so it goes in here?¡± Anima, perched on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head, looked at the unidentified sphere. ¡°Yes.¡± When Jeong-Hoon selected Anima, the Anima in his hand disappeared into the sphere. [Please ce the Legendary Enhancement Stone.] Now he needed the Legendary Enhancement Stone. Jeong-Hoon selected the Legendary Enhancement Stone and put it into the sphere. The cloudy sphere started to shine again. It was green, not gold. ¡°Oh!¡± Lenc looked at the sphere with tears in his eyes. The sphere, made ording to the Ancient Recipe, was crudepared to the currently used enhancement equipment. Its size was unnecessarilyrge, and the amount of materials consumed in one operation was too much, making it a loss in terms of cost. But it had one advantage. Stability. [Enhancement Prediction] ¨C Sess Rate: 30% ¨C Failure Rate: 70% ¨C Destruction Rate: 0% The sess rate of Legendary enhancement was a whopping 30%. Although it wasn¡¯t even half, it was an iparable sess ratepared to the current 10%, and there was even a 0% chance of the equipment being destroyed. How could an ancient enhancement device boast better stability than modern technology? ¡°This is crazy.¡± Lenc was so surprised that he almost fainted on the spot. ¡°Master!¡± Reigner hurriedly approached and supported him. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look fine¡­ Just stay here.¡± ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll ask you a favor.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lenc leaned on Reigner and looked at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± All the preparations were done ording to the recipe. Now all that was left was to execute it. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter even if it fails.¡¯ The key was that he could get this skill. Jeong-Hoon immediately proceeded with the enhancement. The green sphere started to rotate rapidly, and green stardust scattered. [Enhancement in progress.] Of course, it would be better if it seeded. The sphere, with stardust scattering, stopped moving with a pop! [Enhancement sessful!] It had actually seeded, breaking through the 30% sess rate. And that wasn¡¯t all. [You have used the Ancient Recipe for the first time! You have been awarded 30,000 achievement points.] [You have acquired ¡®Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary¡¯.] Jeong-Hoon had sessfully obtained the skill that was supposed to be Iwase Haruto¡¯s in his previous life. * * * Strictly speaking, not all ¡®Enhancers¡¯ were hidden sses. They were divided into normal ss Enhancers and hidden ss Enhancers. And Iwase Haruto was a hidden ss Enhancer, and his exact ss name was ¡®Explorer Enhancer¡¯. Unlike the normal ss Enhancer, it started as a Unique grade from the beginning and could enhance equipment up to Unique grade. It could also search for various bugs in the game, and even fix them to a limited extent. That wasn¡¯t all. It was the best ss, equipped with bothbat and defense skills. He was currently focusing on leveling up. [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] ¡°Phew, done.¡± With this, his level was 132. [Head to the Ruined City.] ¨C Acquire the qualification to obtain the power of transcendence. The power of transcendence. Whatever it was, it was a power he had to obtain. The Ruined City could be entered from level 151. That meant he had to raise his level by another 19. ¡®It¡¯s okay. The Ruined City is a dungeon that people neglect anyway.¡¯ A dungeon that no one paid attention to. So he had plenty of time. Iwase Haruto returned to the vige for a while. It didn¡¯t mean he was resting just because he returned to the vige. [Please enhance my equipment! ¨C Lv. 221 Anonymous] [Please enhance my equipment! ¨C Lv. 188 Anonymous] [Please enhance my equipment! ¨C Lv. 243 Anonymous] The enhancement request board that opened for those who walked the path of an Enhancer. The request board was a ce that users could use, and it had the advantage of being able to trade without having to meet face-to-face. ¡°There are so many today too.¡± Naturally, Iwase¡¯s request board was always busy. The average number of transactions per day was around 200. It was all the result of sessful marketing with the title ¡®Explorer Enhancer¡¯. Iwase Haruto enhanced the Epic grade one-handed sword he received from the request and handed it back to the client. ¨C Oh! Thank you so much! But it¡¯s a bit of a shame that it failed twice ?? Disappointed? He was greedier than he thought. ¨C My sess rate for Epic grade is 87%. Failing twice out of 17 attempts is a pretty decent result. Iwase replied to the client skillfully. ¨C That¡¯s true, but¡­. ¨C If you want to restore it, let me know. I¡¯ll adjust the number of attempts for you. It¡¯s 200 gold per restoration. ¨C Ah¡­ I¡¯ll think about it. ¨C Okay. Iwase clicked his tongue. A guy who has a lot of greed but nothing to show for it. Explorer Enhancer Iwase Haruto could enhance Epic grade equipment with an 87% sess rate. It was a high enough figure to be ssified as top-tier whenpared to enhancers around the world. It meant that a user who hadn¡¯t even reached level 200 was on par with ranker enhancers. Because of that, when it came to enhancers in the Japanese server, people mentioned Iwase Haruto. [Whisper/Shun -> EnhancementHaruto: Haruto-san~ Are you busy?] At that moment, a whisper arrived from a familiar nickname. It was his childhood friend, Kaneda Shun. How could the guy who went to study in Korea a month ago send him a whisper? [Whisper/EnhancementHaruto -> Shun: You, what? How did you whisper me?] [Whisper/Shun -> EnhancementHaruto: Actually, I came to Japan this morning~ I¡¯ll be back after the weekend!] [Whisper/EnhancementHaruto -> Shun: Really? That¡¯s amazing. You came into New World as soon as you arrived.] [Whisper/Shun -> EnhancementHaruto: I had something I really wanted to tell you, Haruto!] [Whisper/EnhancementHaruto -> Shun: To me?] [Whisper/Shun -> EnhancementHaruto: Yeah! Haruto, didn¡¯t you say you were going to the Ruined City when you reached level 151?] [Whisper/EnhancementHaruto -> Shun: I did.] Kaneda Shun had yed New World with Iwase before leaving for Korea. That¡¯s why he knew where Iwase was nning to go after reaching level 151. Of course, he had no way of knowing about the power of transcendence since he had kept it a secret. But why was he suddenly mentioning the Ruined City? Iwase focused on the whisper. [Whisper/Shun -> EnhancementHaruto: I was watching YouTube the other day, and I saw a video of someone clearing the Ruined City! It was so fast! They were using something called cheat codes.] [Whisper/EnhancementHaruto -> Shun: Is that true?!] [Whisper/EnhancementHaruto -> Shun: When?!] [Whisper/EnhancementHaruto -> Shun: What video is it?!] Iwase sent whispers repeatedly with a panicked face. [Whisper/Shun -> EnhancementHaruto: Haruto! Calm down! What¡¯s wrong?!] Damn it, what¡¯s wrong?! If someone had cleared the Ruined City, it meant that they might have already taken the power of transcendence. ¡®¡­This is not the time to be doing enhancement business!¡¯ It was time to level up. Iwase hurriedly moved to the field. Unaware that the power of transcendence he was aiming for had already been taken. * * * === [Dragon Anima Bone Bow (+1)] ¨C Type: Bow ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Attack Power: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) (1.2x applied) ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 10 ~ 15% ¨C Reduces damage reduction due to level difference. (Legendary only) ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): Infinite Mana Arrows are generated. (Mana Arrow damage increased by 10%) ¨C Special Ability (2): Low chance to apply a random debuff when an arrow hits. (Debuff probability slightly increased) ¨C Special Ability (3): ¡®Passive: ck me¡¯ is triggered randomly. (1%) ¨C Special Ability (4): Ancient Dragon¡¯s power is applied. (Skill can be registered) ¨C Remaining Enhancements: 19 === Anima¡¯s enhancement was sessful, and all of his stats increased overall. Attack power increased by an additional 1.2 times from the original, critical hit rate increased by 5%, mana arrow damage increased by an additional 10%, debuff probability slightly increased, and the passive ck me, which almost never activated at 0.1%, increased to 1%. And the remaining number of enhancements was also disyed. It would be disyed after one enhancement, and the full enhancement level was +20. ¡®Oh¡­ Now I cane out freely too.¡¯ The biggest change was that Anima could now appear in front of Jeong-Hoon in spirit form even when he wasn¡¯t holding it. ¡®That¡¯s good.¡¯ [Humph, good my ass. Now there¡¯s another noisy one.] ¡®Isn¡¯t it better than having a potty mouth?¡¯ [What?! Potty mouth?! You can¡¯t even bite properly with that long tongue of yours!] Jeong-Hoon, watching their conversation, checked the newly acquired skill. [Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary] ¨C Type: Enhancement ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Can enhance equipment. (Up to Legendary) ¨C Sess rate for each equipment (Normal 100%, Rare 100%, Epic 80%, Unique 60%, Legendary 30%) ¨C 0% chance of equipment destruction upon failure ¨C Enhancement attempts are not consumed upon failure Jeong-Hoon tried casting the skill once. A small amount of mana was consumed, and a holographic window appeared in front of him. It was a window where he could enhance equipment by inserting the equipment and enhancement stone. ¡®This is crazy.¡¯ Seeing it in action, it was no joke. The sess rate for Legendary was a whopping 30%. And it didn¡¯t even consume enhancement attempts. It was a cheat skill that could definitely enhance equipment to +20 if he had enough enhancement stones. That¡¯s how Iwase was able to monopolize Legendary equipment and enhance them. ¡®Iwase Haruto, you¡¯re finished.¡¯ Even if he was the hidden ss Explorer Enhancer, without this skill, he wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the position he had in the previous life. The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth slowly rose. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 101 Chapter 101 ¡°Be careful. Thank you for giving me the best experience before I close my eyes¡­¡± Lenc, as if he had no regrets left in life, held Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand and smiled serenely. Then he told Reigner to return the gold pouch to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Reigner obediently returned the gold pouch to Jeong-Hoon. [That¡¯s unexpected. I thought he would throw a fit, saying why he was returning it.] He agreed with Mukho. Reigner had been unpleasant from the first impression until now. His feelings for his master were noble, but that was all. But in the end, he thanked Jeong-Hoon, saying that it was the first time he had seen his master so happy while serving him for three years. In the end, Jeong-Hoon left the Alchemist¡¯s Street without paying anything. Iwase was supposed to receive an additional quest from Reignerter, but neither Lenc nor Reigner gave him any more quests. ¡®Phew, it¡¯s done.¡¯ He had even disrupted Iwase Haruto¡¯s future. He had sessfullypleted two tasks in M?rchen Kingdom. Now all that was left was for the Ruined City to be a national dungeon so that more users could level up easily¡­ ¡®What the hell is Michael doing?¡¯ Michael, who had left to help Kim Bong-Goo. The fact that his mana was decreasing at a constant rate meant that things were progressing smoothly. But there was still no news of him clearing the Ruined City. [Maybe he can¡¯t clear it? I can tell just by looking at him.] That would be the case if Michael wasn¡¯t there. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine. He¡¯s not fighting monsters, he¡¯s just clearing it using cheat codes.¡± ¡®Hmm¡­ That¡¯s why I¡¯m even more worried.¡¯ ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll have to beat up Michael.¡± It was a very simple problem. [Isn¡¯t that too harsh in a ce like that?] It couldn¡¯t be helped. Jeong-Hoon was already nning his next move. The party quest, called the flower of the M?rchen Kingdom. That party quest required a minimum of 3 party members, and all party members had to be between levels 155 and 200, so Kim Bong-Goo had to hurry up and clear the Ruined City. * * * At that time. The middle of the Ruined City. Kim Bong-Goo was busy tapping the walls where the cheat codes were hidden while confronting the golems. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Hey! That¡¯s not it! Can¡¯t you see properly?!¡± Michael was floating in the air, summoning ghosts and supervising him. Only Kim Bong-Goo was recorded as the one challenging the dungeon. This was because Michael was ssified as a summon. Therefore, the golems targeted Kim Bong-Goo. Thanks to that, Kim Bong-Goo had died two more times even though he was with Michael. If he failed this time, it would be really dangerous. He might even exceed the one-week deadline he had promised Jeong-Hoon. ¡®I¡¯m dead¡­¡¯ Users who had been through M?rchen Kingdom were mostly dumbfounded. [Wow! I leveled up by 3!] ¨C That video already cleared the hidden quest, so if you just find the guys with the mark and drag them to the temple, you get 3 levels up hahahahaha ©¸ It¡¯s true lol ©¸ I was 187, but after going to the Ruined City once, I reached 201 lol Time to go for my 3rd ss advancement! ©¸ I reached 190! ©¸ Wow lol Leveling up is so hard, but here we get to experience the miracle of gaining 10 levels lol ©¸ It¡¯s really crazy lol ©¸ But I heard the 10 level up is firste, first-served lol Only those who watched Honey Tube are getting the honey lol [Ah shit, I missed the LIVE ??] ¨C Can someone who watched the LIVE please carry me? ©¸ Okay, let¡¯s go together, 20 gold ©¸ I¡¯ll take you for 19 gold! Parties clearing the Ruined City were popping up everywhere, but Kim Bong-Goo was still struggling in the middle. The reason was simple. He had memorized it in his head, but that crazy Michael was chattering behind him, making it hard to concentrate and remember. ¡°Ah, shut up!¡± ¡°What, you bastard?!¡± ¡°Fuck, I can¡¯t concentrate.¡± ¡°You damn mutt! You¡¯re finally showing your true colors. Yeah! Die here! Die by exceeding the deadline you promised the master!¡± Michael giggled, imagining Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s demise. That was when it happened. [Hey, can you hear me?] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s voice reached Michael. Michael straightened his back and answered loudly. ¡°Yes! I can hear you loud and clear!¡± Kim Bong-Goo looked at him with a dumbfounded expression at his 180-degree change in attitude. ¡°Isn¡¯t he just crazy?¡± When Jeong-Hoon had sent Michael here, he had thought clearing it would be easier. Michael¡¯s necromancy that he had seen in the previous event. With that, he should be able to easily handle the cheat codes. But instead of helping, Michael was busy chattering behind him, saying he was going to train Kim Bong-Goo. Even if he was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s summon, wasn¡¯t that too much?! ¡°Yes! Understood!¡± But Michael, as if he had heard something, turned pale and started using necromancy. Then he found the cheat code in the middle and neutralized the golems. ¡°Huh?¡± [Monsters are disappearing.] [Quest in progress.] [Arge amount of experience points are being umted.] Messages about experience points being umted appeared one after another in front of Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes. ¡°What are you doing! Move forward quickly!¡± Michael urged Kim Bong-Goo to move forward, as if he was in a hurry. ¡°¡­Ah, I get it now. If we don¡¯t clear this, it¡¯s not me who¡¯s going to die, but you, right?¡± Flinch. He was right. Kim Bong-Goo finally smiled a devilish smile. Michael gritted his teeth at his triumphant look. ¡°You, do you know who I am to act so arrogantly?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Michael, the greatest necromancer of this era! I¡¯m not someone to bepared to a lowly curse caster like you!¡± ¡°C-Curse caster?¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face was filled with bewilderment. A curse caster out of nowhere? What the hell did he think he was? ¡°Yes! You damn bastard!¡± ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s each go our own way. You die, and I die!¡± At this point, it was all or nothing. He was afraid of Jeong-Hoon, but he wanted to see this bastard suffer first. That way, the negotiations for his melted ears from all the nagging would go smoothly. ¡°That¡¯s not happening!¡± Michael hurriedly made an X with his hands. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Michael ryed Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words exactly as he had said them. [If you don¡¯t clear it with Kim Bong-Goo, I won¡¯t let you off easy.] What¡­? [I¡¯ll show you how long my grudgests. If you want to suffer for the rest of your life, take your time ande back.] In other words, it meant that he wouldn¡¯t kill him at once, but would torment him forever. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face also turned pale. He had already experienced how deep Jeong-Hoon¡¯s grudge ran. It was a good thing he had knelt and apologized. Otherwise, he would have been on the verge of a permanent ban. Even Hong Hyun-Woo was still suspended. He had said that he would suspend him again after the suspension was lifted and send him to a permanent ban, so it wasn¡¯t a lie. ¡°¡­So? Are you still going to die and let me die?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s form a temporary alliance¡­¡± In the end, Kim Bong-Goo held out his hand. Michael quickly grabbed it. ¡°Damn you. Alright. Let¡¯s clear this quickly and go back.¡± ¡°R-Really.¡± * * * A few hours after warning Michael. Two people came running towards the table where Jeong-Hoon was sitting. It was Kim Bong-Goo and Michael. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯rete¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ve arrived.¡± As expected, threats worked best. ¡°The dungeon?¡± Jeong-Hoon checked Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s information. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: SaltySoup4Mom ¨C Level: 166 ¨C ss: Assassin (2nd ss) === Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s level had be 166, as if he hadpleted all the quests. ¡°I cleared it. The quest gave me 10 levels.¡± ¡°Okay. Good job.¡± Jeong-Hoon whispered to Ha-Jin that he could send the recording. A whisper quickly arrived. [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Okay! Sending it to Dae-Hwi right away!] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Okay, then keep some time free tomorrow.] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Tomorrow? I have nothing then! I¡¯mpletely free, so let¡¯s meet then!] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Good.] Ha-Jin was taken care of. Now it was this guy¡¯s turn. Jeong-Hoon looked Kim Bong-Goo up and down. Kim Bong-Goo started to act tired. As if he was so precarious that he might copse and be taken to the emergency room if he didn¡¯t log out right away. Then he slowly opened his mouth. ¡°I¡­ I finished the Ruined City, so can¡¯t I rest now¡­?¡± ¡°You did well.¡± ¡°Thank you¡­ Then I¡¯ll go rest¡­¡± ¡°Okay. See you next time.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes, which had been half-closed from acting, opened wide. [That crazy bastard. If he went to an audition with that acting, he¡¯d definitely get pped. He needs to be pped a couple of times and thrown out toe to his senses.] Mukho¡¯s voice trembled slightly, as if he was creeped out. Jeong-Hoon maintained a nk expression and continued, ¡°You¡¯ll die if you act?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡± Kim Bong-Goo, who had been pretending to be dying, straightened his back and corrected his posture. ¡°¡­So you were acting?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, you did well today, so you can go back and rest.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you for your hard work.¡± Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly tried to log out. ¡°I¡¯ll contact youter, so see you then.¡± But in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words, Kim Bong-Goo froze. ¡°Later¡­?¡± Damn it! Was there something else left? ¡°Did you think it was over?¡± ¡°¡­Haha, no. Please contact me anytime!¡± ¡°So, can I get your contact information?¡± ¡°My contact information¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo slowly asked back, his brain spinning rapidly. If he gave it to him, he would be crossing a river of no return. But his brain, which he had never used in his life, couldn¡¯t function properly. Not a single decent idea came to mind. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips twisted into a smirk. This rtionship was formed due to his own mistake in the first ce. He had dered that he would do anything Jeong-Hoon asked, so there was no way to escape. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo handed over his contact information to Jeong-Hoon, inwardly crying. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. Even though it waste at night, Manager Oh Jin-Soo was still at thepany. All the staff had left work. He was sitting nkly in his seat, lost in thought. ¡®What the hell is that guy?¡¯ The recent trap bug in Fruhneum. A trap had suddenly appeared, and a few users had been caught up in it. In the process, even logging out had be impossible, making it the worst bug ever. Even now, his heart chilled whenever he looked at the record. Anyway, the headquarters had sent a direct apology, and the management team of the affected server wanted to find the cause of the bug. [Situation resolved] [The management team should stop paying attention to this incident] But the headquarters had tied their hands and feet before the management team could even start working. ¡°Manager¡­¡± ¡°This bug¡­ I think that user got rid of it himself.¡± But they were able to find out who got rid of the bug. The user who had recently shocked the management team repeatedly. That user had eliminated the bug. A user who kept causing incidents that they couldn¡¯t help but pay attention to, even though they tried to stop. And that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°This is driving me crazy¡­ Was it possible to clear the Ruined City like that?¡± The user had even cleared the Ruined City. And not even by clearing it properly, but by using the bugs hidden in the city. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± What he got after clearing the Ruined City was none other than the Ancient Recipe. He was puzzled by the appearance of the undecipherable recipe, but when he saw the user obtaining a Legendary skill through the alchemist, he dropped his coffee. ¡°This is crazy¡­ This is crazy!¡± It wasn¡¯t just any Legendary skill. It was an overwhelming enhancement skill that would drive enhancers to their deaths. A skill that couldpletely overturn the current equipment meta had appeared. Chapter 102 Chapter 102 The next morning. Jeong-Hoon was sitting in a cafe, not in the game. He ordered a cappino and sipped it, and soon Ha-Jin arrived. ¡°Hoon!¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yeah. But what¡¯s the asion today? You asked to meet in real life, not in the game.¡± ¡°Ah, I wanted to talk about the next content.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t even uploaded the Ruined City video yet.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Jeong-Hoon had no intention of letting the ¡®Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary¡¯ he had just obtained go to waste. Even though he had twisted Iwase Haruto¡¯s future, Iwase was still a hidden ss ¡®Explorer Enhancer¡¯ and would maintain his high value. Honestly, he didn¡¯t care what happened to that guy¡¯s value, but Jeong-Hoon was nning to step into that area from now on. ¡®Obtain the Master Enhancer title.¡¯ Master Enhancer. It was also a unique title that only one person in New World could have. In his previous life, Iwase Haruto had taken that title. This was because no one else could meet the conditions. [Master Enhancer] ¨C Normal (Fully Enhanced) 0/10,000 ¨C Rare (Fully Enhanced) 0/10,000 ¨C Epic (Fully Enhanced) 0/10,000 ¨C Unique (Fully Enhanced) 0/1,000 ¨C Legendary (Fully Enhanced) 0/100 Only by fulfilling these absurd conditions could one obtain that title. ¡®I have to get it.¡¯ Only with that title could he quickly gain the qualification to enhance equipment of Legendary grade or higher in the future. It was one of the titles necessary to clear the game. That¡¯s why he had called Ha-Jin here today. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s the next content?¡± Curiosity filled Ha-Jin¡¯s eyes. ¡°You know I got the Ancient Recipe, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The reward given to Jeong-Hoon for being the first to clear the Ruined City. But it was an old recipe, so severely damaged that it was impossible to decipher. If it had been up to Ha-Jin, he would have chosen the level-up instead of the recipe. ¡°I seeded in deciphering it.¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s eyes widened at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words. ¡°What¡­ You crazy?!¡± Ha-Jin jumped up from his seat in surprise. ¡°Hey, shh. Everyone will hear you.¡± Ha-Jin hurriedly sat back down when Jeong-Hoon gestured for him to be quiet. ¡°You deciphered it¡­? So what kind of recipe was it?¡± ¡°It was a recipe that allowed you to acquire a skill.¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s a recipe like that?¡± Wasn¡¯t that usually called a skill book, not a recipe? ¡°It¡¯s something you can only get by fulfilling certain conditions.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± So it meant that the power of a skill book was sealed within the recipe. Ha-Jin nodded as if he understood. Jeong-Hoon continued, ¡°But that skill is pretty good.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s a skill that allows you to enhance equipment.¡± ¡°Enhance equipment?¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s eyebrows furrowed slightly at the unexpected skill. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised when you hear this.¡± Jeong-Hoon honestly exined the effects of the skill. For example, the sess rate was 100% for Normal and Rare, 80% for Epic, 60% for Unique, and 30% for Legendary. Ha-Jin¡¯s face changed in a way that was quite amusing to see. ¡°Wow¡­ Shit¡­ If that¡¯s true, it¡¯s insane¡­¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m suddenly getting annoyed. Why does all the luck go to you?¡± Ha-Jin muttered, feeling a sense of self-deprecation. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m nning to use this skill for content.¡± ¡°¡­You mean you¡¯re going to reveal the skill?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of creating an enhancement exchange and gathering a lot of customers.¡± The exchange system, only allowed for enhancers. Unlike exchanges where you trade items, it was a system where you put pure enhancement stones, equipment, and payment into an exchange registered by an enhancer and receive the results within 24 hours. ¡°Isn¡¯t that impossible? You can¡¯t open an exchange system.¡± Even though Jeong-Hoon had obtained the enhancement skill, he was essentially a martial artist. So it was impossible for him to open an exchange system. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have a way.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. ¡°¡­You have a way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± * * * Ho-Yeong Guild. Lounge. Jeong-Hoon and Yoo Na-Eun, an enhancer belonging to Ho-Yeong Guild, were sitting facing each other in the guild¡¯s lounge. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: GentleTouch ¨C Level: 254 ¨C ss: Illusion Enhancer (3rd ss) === Although not a hidden ss, she was an Epic grade Illusion Enhancer. She was in charge of repairing and enhancing Ho-Yeong¡¯s equipment overall. So why was Yoo Na-Eun here? ¡°You obtained an enhancement skill¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± It was because she had heard the absurd story that a user who wasn¡¯t even an enhancer had obtained an enhancement skill. If it weren¡¯t for Yeo Min-Ji, she would have dismissed it as nonsense and ignored it. But since Yeo Min-Ji had actively arranged the meeting, she had no choice but to attend. ¡°Then, shall I give you this equipment and enhancement stone to try enhancing?¡± The equipment and enhancement stone that Yoo Na-Eun handed over were a Normal grade knuckle and a Normal grade enhancement stone. Honestly, she couldn¡¯t believe it until she saw it with her own eyes. If the enhancement attempt seeded, a golden effect would sh once, and if it failed, a ck effect would sh once. And as Jeong-Hoon attempted the enhancement, a golden effect shed once. [Enhancement sessful.] The enhancement was sessful. Yoo Na-Eun looked at the knuckle that Jeong-Hoon had enhanced with astonished eyes. [Steel Knuckles (+1)] The Steel Knuckles, which had no enhancements, now had a ¡®+1¡¯ attached to them. ¡°It¡¯s real¡­? H-How is this possible?!¡± It was enhanced. Yoo Na-Eun checked Jeong-Hoon¡¯s information again. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 164 ¨C ss: Intermediate Martial Artist (2nd ss) === A level 164 martial artist who hadpleted his second ss advancement. Even though the ¡®Intermediate Martial Artist¡¯ was hidden by the hidden ss blind system, the fact that he had used a skill unique to enhancers was so shocking that she couldn¡¯t even speak properly. ¡°Is this enough?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. So, what¡¯s the reason you called me here?¡± ¡°Please write a letter of rmendation in your name. I¡¯ll go and take the test myself and open the system.¡± There was a way to open an exchange even if you weren¡¯t an enhancer. In fact, this was the method that most users used when New World became reality, and he nned to open the exchange earlier by bringing that time forward. ¡®If I enhance other people¡¯s equipment, I¡¯ll naturally be able to meet the conditions for the title.¡¯ Legendary would take a bit longer, but since there was no way to obtain higher-grade equipment right now anyway, he decided to think about it slowly. ¡°A letter of rmendation? Why would you need that?¡± Yoo Na-Eun didn¡¯t quite understand. She had never heard of being able to open an exchange system with just a letter of rmendation. ¡°I heard you¡¯re the greatest enhancer in Ho-Yeong.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s not true.¡± Yoo Na-Eun denied thepliment, but the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. ¡°Of course, if it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll give up immediately. But you never know, right?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked again. ¡°¡­Alright. But you have to give up immediately if it doesn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And one more thing, pleasee to Ho-Yeong once a week to help with enhancement work.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯lle 3-4 times if I have time.¡± To get the title, he had to do as many enhancements as possible. There was no reason to refuse when she was offering him a chance to enhance. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s fine. Ho-Yeong won¡¯t be short on manpower.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Yoo Na-Eun quickly wrote a letter of rmendation. ¡°Is this enough?¡± ¡°You need to stamp it.¡± ¡°Stamp¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I believe enhancers have an engraving skill after their ss advancement. Please use that engraving on the letter of rmendation.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re asking for a lot. Alright.¡± Yoo Na-Eun engraved the letter of rmendation and handed it back to him. ¡°Thank you.¡± With this, he had gained the opportunity to walk the path of an enhancer. * * * ¡°Did it go well?¡± Yeo Min-Ji was waiting for Jeong-Hoon outside the building. ¡°Yes. Thanks to you, it went very well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± Yeo Min-Ji smiled. She was happy that she could be of help to Jeong-Hoon. When he first said he was looking for an enhancer of Epic grade or higher, she immediately thought of Yoo Na-Eun. Fortunately, Yoo Na-Eun was free and readily agreed to meet Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°Ah, if you don¡¯t mind, could you take a look at my martial arts?¡± Her eyes lit up with passion. All of this was for the ultimate martial arts. She had seen Jeong-Hoon¡¯s martial arts up close, and she was filled with the desire to make his martial artspletely her own. ¡°Sure. Then I¡¯ll take a look for a moment.¡± Jeong-Hoon headed to the training ground with Yeo Min-Ji. And that day, the training ground was filled with the sound of nagging. * * * Like the Alchemist¡¯s Street, M?rchen Kingdom also had an Enhancer¡¯s Street. Enhancers gathered there, crafting various equipment and submitting them to the kingdom¡¯s capital and various territories assigned to the kingdom. They also repaired and enhanced broken equipment and sent them back. Perhaps that¡¯s why the Enhancer¡¯s Street was much wealthier than the Alchemist¡¯s Street. ¡°Oh! Are you a customer?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re interested,e into our shop and take a look at our equipment!¡± ¡°Hey, mister! What you¡¯re wearing looks extraordinary.¡± Unlike the alchemists, the enhancers were quite friendly even to strangers. Of course, it was thanks to the Mukho that Jeong-Hoon was wearing. As enhancers, they had repeatedly looked at and touched various pieces of equipment countless times. So they could somewhat tell that Mukho was not an ordinary item just by looking at it. [Humph, extraordinary my ass. I¡¯m an existence you guys can¡¯t even touch in your entire lives!] Mukho shouted proudly at them. ¡®He¡¯s right.¡¯ [Huh? Why aren¡¯t you arguing?] ¡®If you only say the right things, there¡¯s no reason for me to argue, is there?¡¯ [Really? I always say the right things, though? And you always interrupt me with killer tackles. If I had shins, they¡¯d be crushed to dust.] ¡®Okay, okay, stop the nonsense.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon stopped walking. In front of him was the Enchanter¡¯s Hall. When he reached level 200, it was a necessary course to visit for his 3rd ss advancement. ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± Without even knocking, the closed door opened and a giant man, at least 2 meters tall, appeared. He had white hair and wrinkles all over his face, but his broad shoulders and sturdy muscles showed how diligently he had trained. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Ruben ¨C Level: 300 ¨C ss: cksmith Instructor === ¡®I came to the right ce.¡¯ He was the NPC in charge of the 3rd ss advancement. But he was a cksmith, not an enhancer. Unlike cksmiths, who had to endure manualbor, enhancers could instantly finish enhancements and repairs with the system. Therefore, cksmiths were practically a minority. In such a situation, if a cksmith was level 300¡­ ¡®It means he has tremendous pride in being a cksmith.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon quickly grasped Ruben¡¯s characteristics. ¡°I came to learn cksmithing skills.¡± ¡°Not enhancing? Well, that¡¯s impossible since you haven¡¯t even learned enhancing skills.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But still, no. You¡¯re already walking a different path. There¡¯s no need for you toe this way.¡± Ruben firmly refused. He was about to close the door without hesitation, and Jeong-Hoon quickly took out the letter of rmendation Yoo Na-Eun had written for him. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± A letter of rmendation from an enhancer of Epic grade or higher. And the enhancement skill that Jeong-Hoon himself possessed. Since he met both conditions, the quest should appear. Right now. After skimming through the letter of rmendation, a rainbow-colored question mark blinked above Ruben¡¯s head. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 103 Chapter 103 Ha-Jin visited Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯spany for the first time in a while. This was because Jang Dae-Hwi had contacted him as soon as he received the footage. ¡®Ha-Jin, why don¡¯t youe to ourpany and talk for a bit?¡¯ ¡®Okay.¡¯ Thepany had tight security, and entry was impossible without an employee ID card. Therefore, Jang Dae-Hwi was waiting for Ha-Jin in front of the first floor. ¡°Ha-Jin!¡± ¡°Bro!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen you up close.¡± ¡°Yeah. How have you been?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been doing well. I¡¯ve been busy. But have you eaten? If not, let¡¯s eat first.¡± The restaurant was a Japanese restaurant outside thepany. It was a restaurant known for its good udon and pork cutlet, and it was so popr that you couldn¡¯t get a seat unless you went there early during lunchtime to reserve a spot. Fortunately, it was currently 11:20 AM, which was early for lunch. ¡°Thanks for the meal.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The crispy fried pork cutlet and hot udon were served as a set, and it was definitely delicious. After the meal, they moved to a cafe and sat down. ¡°Is the editing of the video you sent going well?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. But I have a question.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°The person who raided the dungeon with you is your friend, right?¡± ¡°Yes. My one and only best friend.¡± ¡°¡­That kind of talent is your best friend?¡± Jang Dae-Hwi couldn¡¯t believe it. Even though Ha-Jin was his precious cousin, he wasn¡¯t someone capable enough to be close friends with such a talented person. ¡°Why, there¡¯s one.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You probably saw him before. When I was in elementary school.¡± ¡°¡­Wait a minute.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi slowly recalled his old memories. And a kid slowly surfaced from the depths of his memory. Ah! Could it be him? A guy who couldn¡¯t be believed to be an elementary school student like Ha-Jin. It must have been when Ha-Jin was in the third grade of elementary school. ¡®What are you doing so diligently?¡¯ ¡®Huh? Ah! I¡¯m ying a game called ck Demon.¡¯ ¡®ck Demon? You¡¯re ying that difficult game?¡¯ ¡®Yeah! Hoon said he¡¯ll clear it today!¡¯ ck Demon was a game with a considerably high difficulty level. You choose a character, hunt normal mobs, and then the boss monster, and if you proceed through 8 rounds, you can see the ending. Each character had different weapons, normal skills, and special moves, so it was quite a popr game. However, the normal monsters in ck Demon had quite high defense, and the boss monsters in each round all hadplex attack patterns. Therefore, no one except for top rankers had seen the ending. ¡®What? How is he so good¡­?¡¯ But Ha-Jin¡¯s friend skillfully progressed through rounds 1, 2, 3, and all the way to round 7. It wasn¡¯t just physical skill. He perfectly found the cheat codes hidden in between and proceeded through the shortest path. It was crazy y, unbelievable for a third grader. Jang Dae-Hwi, forgetting that he hade to visit Ha-Jin¡¯s house, waspletely absorbed in the gamey. Crackle- At that moment, a power outage urred, and the electricity went out. If it hadn¡¯t been for that, wouldn¡¯t he have been able to see the end of round 8? Anyway, that was the end of his encounter with that kid. But to think that the friend who cleared this dungeon today was that same kid. ¡°You remembered?¡± ¡°¡­Yeah, I remember him as a kid who was incredibly good at games.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that. He¡¯s just crazy.¡± Ha-Jin started bragging about Jeong-Hoon. Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s jaw dropped after hearing the whole story. ¡°If he¡¯s that amazing, why is he your friend? Aren¡¯t you being used?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. He¡¯s not that kind of guy.¡± The unbelievable y he had witnessed from the side. He didn¡¯t know if Jeong-Hoon had some information or a tracking skill to do that. Otherwise, those ys were impossible. Even though such contrived situations had unfolded several times, Ha-Jin didn¡¯t ask Jeong-Hoon anything. Because he was sure, having known him for a long time. That Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t the type to betray him. ¡®It seems like he trusts him a lot.¡¯ Seeing the look in Ha-Jin¡¯s eyes, Jang Dae-Hwi decided to say what he had been thinking. ¡°¡­Phew, then can I be in charge of editing Honey Tube?¡± ¡°In charge?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll raise it properly. Of course, I¡¯ll have to ask your friend too.¡± * * * [Secret Quest: cksmith Ruben] ¨C Restriction: Possess Enhancement Skill + Rmendation Letter with the seal of an Epic grade or higher Enhancer ¨C Reward: Acquire Enhancer Qualification ¨C Description: Get recognized by cksmith Ruben. You can learn some of the Enhancer¡¯s abilities. Strictly speaking, it could be considered a dual ss. Dual ss meant acquiring a secondary ss in addition to one¡¯s main ss. Currently, Enhancer was recognized as a single ss, but in the future, it would be relegated to a secondary ss, called a dual ss. ¡®Unless you¡¯re a truly exceptional enhancer, most will inevitably be eliminated.¡¯ With the secondary ss being relegated, and Iwase monopolizing the Unique and higher grade market¡­ most enhancers wouldn¡¯t be able to survive. Jeong-Hoon epted the secret quest. ¡°¡­This is absurd. You¡¯re saying you can handle both powers?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Ruben chuckled at his confident answer. ¡°¡­Alright. Come inside first.¡± The door opened wide, revealing the interior. The interior was a simple mansion. However, a portal was shimmering in the center, and next to it were several pieces of equipment used in cksmithing. Jeong-Hoon realized that the portal was connected to a cksmith¡¯s workshop. ¡°Are we going through that portal?¡± ¡°You¡¯re quicker than you look. Yes, we are. I don¡¯t think we need to give you any time to rest, do we?¡± Ruben felt the urge to break Jeong-Hoon¡¯s arrogant nose. He could tell at a nce that Jeong-Hoon was a martial artist walking the path ofbat. How dare a guy who only knows how to punch think lightly of enhancement? Alright. I¡¯ll make you work hard today. Ruben gritted his teeth and guided Jeong-Hoon to the portal. ¡®Oh man, your expression says it all.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought to himself. Jeong-Hoon had already seen through Ruben¡¯s intentions. [Oh no, we¡¯re in trouble! It looks like we¡¯re in for a tough time today!] ¡®If it gets too hard, how about we just hold me up and threaten him?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon suggested to Mukho. [That sounds good.] That¡¯s not an option. If he attacked Ruben, he would never be able to learn the enhancement skill, regardless of whether he won or lost. ¡®You two, be quiet.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought. Jeong-Hoon stopped walking for a moment to warn them, and Ruben grinned. ¡°Why? Are you suddenly scared?¡± ¡°Ah, no, not at all.¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s good. I wasn¡¯t nning on letting you go back even if you wanted to.¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± Jeong-Hoon followed Ruben through the portal to the cksmith¡¯s workshop. And a few hourster. Ruben couldn¡¯t close his gaping mouth. ¡°You, what are you?!¡± ¡°Yes? I¡¯m Hoon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking! Where did you learn the enhancement skill?!¡± Ruben, intending to make Jeong-Hoon work hard, ced a box containing equipment in front of him as soon as they arrived at the cksmith¡¯s workshop. Next to it were enhancement stones suitable for the equipment grade. 400 Normal. 100 Rare. The basic skill of an enhancer was enhancement. Since he said he had the enhancement skill, he should be able to do normal enhancement. If he couldn¡¯t, he would make him clean the entire cksmith¡¯s workshop and use him as manpower to rece equipment. ¡®I¡¯m not going to let this slide.¡¯ But Jeong-Hoon started enhancing the equipment one by one on the spot. Seeing the golden effect appear, it was clear that he had indeed acquired the enhancement skill. A martial artist with an enhancement skill. He almost burst intoughter at the absurd sight, but he managed to maintain a poker face and watched his enhancement. Ruben instructed Jeong-Hoon to fully enhance 10 pieces of equipment here. And soon after, his face was filled with shock. ¡®What? Why¡­ Why isn¡¯t there a failure effect?! Why!¡¯ The effects of enhancement sess and failure were clearly distinguishable. So there was no way Ruben couldn¡¯t recognize it. ¡®It¡¯s all done.¡¯ Thus, all the enhancements werepleted. The result was 500 golden effects. And 0 ck effects. It was an impossible result. ¡®¡­Again.¡¯ ¡®Huh?¡¯ ¡®Again! Do it again!¡¯ Ruben brought another 500 enhancement stones. Simrly, 400 Normal and 100 Rare. Jeong-Hoon grinned and nodded, then started enhancing. Golden light. Golden light. Golden light. Golden light. This time, all 500 were the same. Ruben brought another 500 enhancement stones. ¡°Again!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon started enhancing once more. The result was the same. Damn it! Why wasn¡¯t it failing! Why! But why was his face so happy? The outsider¡¯s face as he attempted the enhancement looked so joyful. As if he was enjoying the enhancement itself. In the end, Ruben couldn¡¯t hold back and shook Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder, asking where he learned the skill. ¡°Do you know the Ruined City?¡± ¡°¡­Of course.¡± The Ruined City. Located a little distance from M?rchen Kingdom, it was situated on the border between the Duchy of Caldera and the Marquisate of Lades. And it was a ce where the entrance itself was blocked off due to the swarming of ferocious monsters. ¡°I got it from there.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I got a recipe, and thanks to Master Lenc deciphering it, I was able to acquire the skill.¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me, but can you wait here for a moment?¡± ¡°Yes. Take your time.¡± Ruben left the cksmith¡¯s workshop with aplicated expression. * * * Ruben excused himself and hurriedly went to find Lenc. He had heard that he was very ill, but his face looked morefortable than thest time he saw him. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. He¡¯s the benefactor who fulfilled my long-cherished wish.¡± It was all true. ¡°This is unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°But why did that benefactor go to you?¡± ¡°¡­He came to learn my skills.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so? Well¡­ it¡¯s a shame you got the enhancement skill but can¡¯t learn the art of enhancement. If it were an alchemy-rted skill, I would have taken you as my disciple¡­¡± Lenc muttered regretfully. Reigner, who was serving him from the side, looked shocked. ¡°Master¡­? But your disciple is right here¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with having two disciples? Cough! Ahem, anyway, Ruben. Did youe all the way here to ask that?¡± Lenc coughed and looked at Ruben. Ruben slowly got up from his seat with a nk expression. ¡°¡­You should get going. Take care of yourself.¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon was still grinning. [What¡¯s so good¡­?] Mukho asked in a disgusted voice. ¡°There¡¯s something like that.¡± Enhancing was a grind. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon dly epted Ruben¡¯s request. The more he enhanced, the closer he got to the ¡®Master Enhancer¡¯ title. [Master Enhancer] ¨C Normal (Fully Enhanced) 40/10,000 ¨C Rare (Fully Enhanced) 10/10,000 Jeong-Hoon made a virtual count in his mind. Normal was fully enhanced at +40, so he hadpleted a total of 40, and Rare was fully enhanced at +30, so he hadpleted 10. It might seem like a real grind, but Iwase Haruto had personally proven how powerful this title was, so considering its performance, it wasn¡¯t such a harsh condition. ¡°Well, if things go ording to my n, it¡¯ll be done soon.¡± If they just kept supplying him with equipment and enhancement stones like this, he could raise the count quickly. ¡®The exchange is for umting the count.¡¯ And the content he mentioned to Ha-Jin would be ¡®promotion¡¯. Buzz- Just then, Ruben returned to the cksmith¡¯s workshop. He had a determined look on his face, unlike before he left. ¡°You said you wanted to learn enhancement, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon sat up straight and answered loudly. ¡°¡­Good! But remember, if I don¡¯t like anything during the test, you¡¯ll be disqualified immediately!¡± Ruben tried to intimidate him, but the smile on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips only grew wider. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Ruben¡¯s teaching waspletely different from the ss advancement quest. He demanded an extremely high level of difficulty, showing it only once and then telling him to follow along. ¡°Start!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ng! ng-! It was a series of quenching and hammering. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve done this.¡¯ It was absurd, but Jeong-Hoon had done this kind of work before he returned. At that time, he had the materials to make a weapon, but the system didn¡¯t respond, so he had no choice but to make it himself. And the one who helped him with the weapon crafting was the NPC ¡®Lv. ??? God of Creation Arc¡¯. Jeong-Hoon followed his instructions and spent time quenching and hammering in front of the furnace. ¡®Ah, sorry. Actually, it was a test of patience.¡¯ And then Arc simply used the crafting system to make the weapon for him. It was fortunate that the weapon¡¯s performance was so good, and Arc gave him a few more items as a bonus. Otherwise, he would have thrown a punch. ¡®Thanks to that, it¡¯s helping me a bit.¡¯ If it weren¡¯t for that experience, it would be impossible to show this level of proficiency just by seeing it once. Ruben was constantly amazed by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s skills. ¡®This is unbelievable¡­ How could someone with such talent walk the path of martial arts!¡¯ In fact, Ruben had acknowledged the outsider a long time ago. The fact that he had demonstrated perfect enhancement skills. That alone was enough. But Ruben¡¯s pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to pass him just after checking his skills. So he had prepared the quenching and hammering that followed. Tasks that a cksmith should be able to do. ng! But what was with that perfect skill? He had only shown it once, and yet he was able to replicate it so perfectly. ¡®It¡¯s a talent given by the gods¡­¡¯ What if he had walked the path of an enhancer instead of a martial artist? Gulp¡­ It was such an overwhelming talent that he momentarily felt greedy. ¡®Damn it¡­ What a waste!¡¯ Even if he had the enhancement skill, he couldn¡¯t have the full power of an enhancer. While Jeong-Hoon was hammering, two outsiders visited the mansion. At a nce, their skills were far superior to the outsider who was hammering iron in the cksmith¡¯s workshop. It was natural, since the path they walked was different. But in terms of enhancement skills alone, no outsider could match that martial artist. Not even himself, who had dedicated his entire life to weapons. ¡®100%¡­¡¯ It was only Normal and Rare grade enhancements, but it was 100% without a single failure. Good. At this rate, it was time to break his pride. ¡°Stop.¡± Ruben raised his hand and stopped the work. ¡°Hmm? We¡¯re not even halfway done yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Ruben reached out his hand. The mana emitted from Ruben¡¯s hand caused the iron being quenched to glow and then transform into a Normal weapon. ¡°Completed immediately?¡± Jeong-Hoon wiped the sweat from his forehead. It wasn¡¯t that hecked stamina, but after hammering at the furnace for hours, his body was drenched in sweat from the heat. ¡°Yes. You achieved 50% quenching, so it waspleted immediately.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­You passed. I acknowledge you.¡± With those words, a rainbow-colored exmation mark blinked above Ruben¡¯s head. It meant that the quest waspleted. ¡®Alright!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon immediatelypleted the quest. [Questpleted.] [You have acquired the right to operate an Enhancement Exchange.] [You have acquired the ¡®Repair (Normal)¡¯ skill!] Done. He had obtained the right to operate an exchange, which was called the flower of the Enhancer ss, and the Repair skill. The grade of Repair was Normal. [Repair] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Normal ¨C Consumes mana to restore 2% of the equipment¡¯s durability. ¨C Can only repair ¡®Normal¡¯ grade equipment. It wasn¡¯t a very useful skill right now, but if he raised its grade, it would surely be of great help. ¡®Iwase, sorry, but can you repair my sword?¡¯ ¡®Ah, of course. Hand it over.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, who was called the All-Master, had always relied on his colleagues before his return. This time, he couldn¡¯t do that, so he had to obtain even the smallest things without missing anything. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Sure. Are you leaving right away?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Good luck. If anything happens,e find me anytime. I¡¯ll help you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon left the street and immediately went to the Enhancement Exchange. [A space where Epic grade enhancers work!] [High sess rate guaranteed!] [Low prices, great results!] Various enhancers were advertising on the main page of the Enhancement Exchange. The right to enter the exchange was only given to enhancers. So there was a practice among enhancers where they tacitly set the market price and took advantage of it. ¡®There are many cases where they deliberately fail enhancements to get more money for restorations.¡¯ Since it was a privilege given to them, enhancers tried to extract as much profit as possible. [Instead of going to an enhancer, can¡¯t you just enhance it with an NPC?] ¨C Seriously, I don¡¯t understand why they made enhancing equipment into a profession and let these guys get rich. ©¸ I agree ©¸ This really needs an exnation ©¸ Can¡¯t NPCs also enhance? ¨C Those enhancing NPCs are crazy. They treat us like outsiders and never enhance our stuff, telling us to go to other enhancers. ¨C No no, never go to an NPC. Even if they¡¯re lucky enough to do it for you, they¡¯ll never restore the enhancement attempts if it fails¡­ It can be a headache, so just go to an enhancer. ¨C Ha, I think enhancers deliberately break equipment. The restoration fee is three times more expensive than the enhancement fee¡­ ¨C That¡¯s a reasonable suspicion lol If I knew this would happen, I would have be an enhancer and made a ton of money ?? The reason users sought out enhancers was simple. The only way to fully enhance equipment was through enhancers. All enhancements had a probability. And if you couldn¡¯t break through that probability, you would fail, and one attempt would be deducted. The moment you failed once, you could never make a full enhancement. However, enhancers could restore the deducted attempts and proceed with the enhancement again¡­ So users had no choice but to knock on the doors of enhancers, even if they felt wronged. [Those damn enhancers, serves them right hahahahaha] ¨C Yeah lol Now with dual ss, I can enhance and restore too~ We don¡¯t need you anymore lol ©¸ Agreed, we don¡¯t need enhancers anymore, so just get lost ©¸ Enhancers honestly made a lot of money lol It¡¯s time for them to fall ©¸ They¡¯ve been doing it for too long When the value of enhancers plummeted, no one sympathized with them, they were only ridiculed and mocked. Many people said it was their own fault. It was true that they had taken advantage of many people. ¡®But there were also some enhancers who led a new meta.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that there were only bad people. But this Enhancement Exchange was definitely full of dirty people. Jeong-Hoon pressed the register button on the exchange. It was a button that shouldn¡¯t have existed, but he had gained the authority afterpleting the secret quest. [Please set a nickname.] First, he could set a nickname. ¡®JH¡¯ Jeong-Hoon set his nickname as the initials of his first andst name. [Creating an exchange.] [A unique code has been issued.] With the code issued, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s exchange was newly created. Next was the introduction. ¡®Let¡¯s keep it simple.¡¯ The equipment enhancement exchange boasting the highest sess rate. He set themission fee along with the exnation that he would proceed at 10% of the current market price for 48 hours to celebrate the opening. Then, a request came in less than 5 minutes after registration. ¡°What¡¯s so fast?¡± Did requests usuallye in this fast? Enhancers made a lot of money¡­ He checked the request form, and it was a request to enhance all of the Nimble Warrior¡¯s Daggers. Currently +6. Judging by the 18 enhancement attempts, it seemed he had seeded 6 times and failed 6 times. ¡®He must have run into quite a bad one.¡¯ Fully enhancing Rare grade equipment wasn¡¯t a difficult task for an enhancer. The real difficult task started from Epic grade. The fact that he had messed up Rare grade like this was like saying he was going to suck his blood dry. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to fully enhance it, but¡­¡¯ Jeong-Hoon received the 18 Rare Enhancement Stones that appeared next to him. The enhancement stones were stamped with the exchange¡¯s seal. Once stamped, they couldn¡¯t be used for anything other than enhancement. They had to be used solely for enhancing this weapon, and if he tried to use them elsewhere, New World would immediately suspend him for a year. [Attempting enhancement.] [Enhancement sessful.] A golden effect shed 18 times in a row. Jeong-Hoon put the dagger, now upgraded to +24, back into the request and returned it to the client, sessfullypleting his first request. ¡®The first step is always the most important.¡¯ Although it wasn¡¯t fully enhanced, it was a satisfactory result. * * * Jeong-Hoon was fiddling with the exchange. ¡°Ha, fuck. This is ridiculous.¡± A user cursed and threw his weapon on the floor. === [Nimble Warrior¡¯s Dagger (+6)] ¨C Type: Dagger ¨C Grade: Rare ¨C Attack Power: 117 ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 1.6 ~ 2.1% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): When using dagger skills, attack power is additionally increased by 6.2% ¨C Special Ability (2): When holding the dagger, [Passive: Agility Increase] is automatically activated ¨C Remaining Enhancements: 18 === He had entrusted his weapon to the exchange for enhancement, but what he got back was a dagger that was half enhanced and half ruined. ¡°They said they were a skilled enhancer!¡± How could they only seed in half of the Rare enhancements, not even 70%? [We apologize. If you need restoration, please check the amount below and request again.] This bastard is adding fuel to the fire? Not only did they ruin the weapon, but they¡¯re asking for more money? ¡°Ha, should I just switch to Epic grade? ¡­No, that would cost too much.¡± He was momentarily conflicted, but he couldn¡¯t do that. If he ended up using an Epic grade weapon, he would inevitably have to enhance it, and the price of Epic Enhancement Stones was 10 times that of Rare Enhancement Stones. It meant that too much money would be spent. To even have a chance, he needed to enhance his Rare weapon to at least +20, but the current remaining enhancement attempts were 18. He had to seed in all of them except for 4 failures to reach +20. ¡°Looking at what these guys are doing, it doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯ll even reach +15¡­¡± He had to reach at least +20¡­ but looking at the way the enhancers were doing things, +15 seemed like a dream without restoring enhancement attempts. [By the way, you can¡¯t restore enhancement attempts if they¡¯re below 10%.] ¨C Remember this ?? I didn¡¯t know that and pushed the enhancer, and I still regret it so much. ©¸ Isn¡¯t that enhancer trash? lol Why didn¡¯t they tell me you can¡¯t restore it when it¡¯s below 10%? ©¸ It¡¯s really strange lol ©¸ Those enhancer bastards must have deliberately not told us hahahahaha ¡°Ha¡­¡± In the end, the user decided to restore the enhancement attempts. He wanted to ask another enhancer to do the restoration, but only the enhancer who had performed the enhancement could do the restoration. [I¡¯ll restore it for half price considering I failed¡­ ??] At least he was offering to restore it for half price. ¡®Well¡­ It¡¯s better than nothing.¡¯ The user was about to hurriedly request the enhancer. At that moment, a new exchange caught his eye. [Equipment Enhancement Exchange Boasting the Highest Sess Rate] The highest sess rate. The user entered the exchange as if possessed. [Open Service!] [For the next 48 hours, we will enhance your equipment at 10% of the current market price!] [My enhancement sess rates are as follows!] ¨C Normal: 100% ¨C Rare: 100% ¨C Epic: 80% ¨C Unique: 60% * Officially certified by New World ¡°Crazy¡­¡± It was such a crazy sess rate that he couldn¡¯t help but curse. Anyone could see this was a scam, right? But it had the New World official certification mark, so it couldn¡¯t be a scam. ¡°¡­It¡¯s worth a shot, right?¡± The weapon was already ruined anyway. Restoration would cost a lot of money, so he decided to give it a try and bought all the Rare Enhancement Stones and ced the order. And soon, the result arrived. === [Nimble Warrior¡¯s Dagger (+24)] ¨C Type: Dagger ¨C Grade: Rare ¨C Attack Power: 207 ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 3.4 ~ 3.9% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): When using dagger skills, attack power is additionally increased by 9.8% ¨C Special Ability (2): When holding the dagger, [Passive: Agility Increase] is automatically activated ¨C Remaining Enhancements: 0 === The user screamed at the sight of the Rare dagger enhanced to +24. ¡°Woohoo!¡± Chapter 105 Chapter 105 The user, Lee Yoon-Soo, looked at the result in front of him with disbelief. He had been surprised when his +6 dagger returned as +24. ¡°Wow¡­ This is crazy. I thought it would be amazing if it just reached +20¡­¡± He had thought it would be a miracle if it reached +20, even if it wasn¡¯t fully enhanced to +30. But it had surpassed +20 and reached +24. A mere Rare grade weapon had an attack power of over 200. ¡°The critical hit rate is almost 4% too¡­¡± And an additional 10% attack power increase when using dagger skills. He was very satisfied. Lee Yoon-Soo hurriedly entered the exchange where he had ced the order. The exchange was still alive. [Open Service!] [For the next 48 hours, we will enhance your equipment at 10% of the current market price!] [My enhancement sess rates are as follows!] ¨C Normal: 100% ¨C Rare: 100% ¨C Epic: 80% ¨C Unique: 60% * Officially certified by New World So the Rare sess rate was 100%? If it was going to be 10% of the price for 48 hours, wouldn¡¯t he be able to try fully enhancing his other equipment? Gulp! ¡®I definitely can¡¯t spread rumors about this.¡¯ This was probably the first honey pot he had found. So he had to gather the equipment that needed enhancement as secretly as possible and ce orders. ¡®Money¡­ I need money.¡¯ The problem was that Lee Yoon-Soo had no money. If he had money, he would have blindly ced another order with the enhancer who had ruined his enhancement, asking for a restoration. ¡®¡­Should I break my savings?¡¯ The savings ount where he deposited 1 million won every month. It had been a little less than 3 years this year, so he probably had about 32 million won saved up. ¡®Hmm¡­ I was diligently saving up to change to a mid-size sedan.¡¯ His belovedpact car that he had been driving for about 4 years. He had nned to change it to a mid-size sedan when this savings matured. But that n was now wavering. ¡®An opportunity like this with such a cheap price won¡¯te again¡­¡¯ A chance to get all his equipment fully enhanced. After much thought, Lee Yoon-Soo decided to break his savings. He could save money again, but such a golden opportunity wouldn¡¯te again. * * * Yoo Na-Eun looked at Jeong-Hoon across from her with a speechless expression. ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re saying you really got it?¡± ¡°Yes. I even opened an exchange.¡± Jeong-Hoon showed her the exchange he had opened. There was even onepleted request in the request list. ¡°Oh my¡­ That¡¯s impossible.¡± A martial artist having the unique authority of an enhancer? What a bizarre phenomenon. Did this person perhaps use a hack? If so, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible¡­ ¡°I didn¡¯t use a hack. And if I did, do you think I¡¯d be sitting herefortably?¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled, as if he had read her expression. Yoo Na-Eun¡¯s face flushed red, caught in her thoughts. ¡°O-Of course I¡¯d be suspicious!¡± ¡°Then why did you write the letter of rmendation?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Min-Ji kept pestering me¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s not important.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face became serious. Seeing that, Yoo Na-Eun quicklyposed her expression. ¡°Yes. So what¡¯s the reason you came to me again?¡± ¡°Do you have anything to enhance?¡± ¡°Enhance?¡± ¡°Yes. I want to do some enhancing, but I don¡¯t have any suitable equipment or enhancement stones.¡± Yoo Na-Eun was the one in charge of enhancing and repairing at Ho-Yeong. Jeong-Hoon was nning to enhance equipment with her permission. ¡°Enhance? Hmm¡­ It¡¯s definitely true that your skill would be more than helpful.¡± ¡°Then I guess there¡¯s no problem?¡± ¡°Yes. What grade?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just do Rare for now.¡± ¡°Alright. Then are you going to start right away?¡± There was an abundance of Rare grade weapons and enhancement stones. If Jeong-Hoon, a Ho-Yeong guild member, wanted them, she could let him use them anytime. ¡°Can we postpone it for two days? I have some preparations to make.¡± ¡°Yes. Feel free to contact me.¡± * * * ¡°Is that true?!¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s face was filled with shock. ¡°Yes. So I¡¯m thinking of going with enhancement as the next content.¡± ¡°Crazy¡­ How did you even think of getting that?¡± Ha-Jin clicked his tongue. He deciphered the Ancient Recipe and obtained an enhancement skill? Okay, he could understand that, even if it was a bit of a stretch. But to think that he had also obtained the right to operate an exchange and repair, which only enhancers could have¡­ No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Let me tell you a secret, I got some information about enhancement.¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°I have some connections.¡± Jeong-Hoon carefully mentioned his connections. Only then did all the pieces in Ha-Jin¡¯s head fall into ce. ¡®Ah¡­ This guy, his connection must be someone at New World headquarters.¡¯ If that was the case, then his ys so far weren¡¯t impossible to understand. ¡°But¡­ Is it okay to tell me about this?¡± ¡°Huh? Why not?¡± Ha-Jin fell into deep thought with a serious face at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s puzzled look. ¡®This crazy bastard.¡¯ The words Jeong-Hoon had just uttered could have caused a huge stir. If he had said this to anyone else, he would have been buried alive, and it still wouldn¡¯t be enough. ¡®How can he so tantly reveal that he¡¯smitting illegal acts?!¡¯ It was a miracle he hadn¡¯t been caught yet. ¡°Ha¡­ Why did you do that¡­¡± Ha-Jin put his hand on his forehead, looking troubled. ¡°What? What kind of imagination do you have to make that face?¡± Ha-Jin felt frustrated inside at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s nonchnt attitude. You idiot! If you get caught doing what you¡¯re doing, people will kill you! How many people were enjoying New World? If he exploited it, he wouldn¡¯t just face legal punishment, but also the wrath of those people. In severe cases, he could even be killed in secret. ¡°¡­You just said you had connections at the headquarters.¡± ¡°Huh? I never once mentioned the word headquarters.¡± ¡°Dude! If it¡¯s not the headquarters, where else would you get that kind of information?¡± ¡°There is one ce. There¡¯s an enhancer in Japan. He told me the information.¡± Of course, it was from his previous life. Iwase Haruto had monopolized the Legendary equipment market as an enhancer, andter, through the power of the ¡®Explorer Enhancer¡¯, he discovered that other sses could also acquire some of the enhancer¡¯s authority. Of course, the enhancement skill spreading was something that happenedter, so it was revealed quitete. ¡°Is that true¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t it strange anyway?¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said this many times¡­ If it was like you said, would the headquarters be watching this? It¡¯s obviously very suspicious right now.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± ¡°What aha, you idiot.¡± Jeong-Hoon nced at Ha-Jin with a look of pity. What should he do with this guy? ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s just that you only do unbelievable things¡­¡± Ha-Jin, relieved, fidgeted and nced at Jeong-Hoon. He reflected on himself for doubting his friend for a moment. ¡°Phew, so what¡¯s the story about the dedicated editor?¡± Jeong-Hoon changed the subject, and Ha-Jin¡¯s face brightened as he quickly responded. ¡°Ah! Dae-Hwi said he¡¯d be our channel¡¯s dedicated editor! He¡¯s managed a channel with a million subscribers, so he¡¯ll be reliable!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Should he call it luck? Most of the videos uploaded on famous YouTube channels were edited by editors. They cut out the useless parts and gathered only the essence. Jeong-Hoon had already watched the video uploaded on Honey Tube. It was definitely a clean, essence-filled video, worthy of praise. ¡®I don¡¯t intend to focus on YouTube.¡¯ From the beginning, YouTube was just an option he added as he twisted the history of his previous life one by one. YouTube would never be a priority for Jeong-Hoon. But there was a world of difference between an edited video and an unedited one. And if more people watched it, he could deliver more honey to Korean users. ¡®Then maybe Korea won¡¯t have to repeat the same history as before my return.¡¯ The moment New World synchronized with reality, Korea, which had startedter than other countries, quickly fell. It was a natural consequence, as Korea had already been crumbling due to the continuous precursor symptoms before the synchronization. ¡°What should we do? Should we just refuse?¡± Ha-Jin asked again. ¡°What about the pay?¡± He knew that when hiring an editor, you had to pay them per video. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about that. He said he¡¯d do it for free until the channel starts making money!¡± ¡°Really? Then let¡¯s do it.¡± ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll contact Dae-Hwi right away.¡± ¡°Yeah. And you,e to Ho-Yeong tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ho-Yeong? Why there?¡± * * * A few dayster, Yoo Na-Eun contacted him, saying that she had prepared the equipment and enhancement stones. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Jang Ha-Jin, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s friend.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Yoo Na-Eun.¡± She didn¡¯t seem too pleased that an outsider was in this space, but it was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s request, so she forced a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll just film and leave quickly.¡± Ha-Jin smiled brightly and received the camera from Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Filming¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m nning to film the enhancement process.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Are you uploading it to YouTube?¡± ¡°Oh?! Yes! How did you know?¡± Enhancers often filmed themselves to show off their enhancement skills. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just for showing off, but they uploaded the filmed videos torge sites like YouTube to promote themselves to many people. The main purpose was to advertise their exchange so that people would ce enhancement orders. ¡®But does Jeong-Hoon really need to focus on YouTube?¡¯ Yoo Na-Eun tilted her head. If he had joined Ho-Yeong, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about money, and Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t even an enhancer, but a martial artist. She couldn¡¯t understand why he wanted to record his enhancement skills. ¡°¡­Why do you want to use YouTube?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. Then please finish filming quickly.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Yoo Na-Eun sat down a little distance away. She couldn¡¯t leave because she was curious to see what kind of results the martial artist would show with Epic equipment and Epic enhancement stones. ¡°Live?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Showing it live would be much more effective than uploading a video. ¡®Ho-Yeong alone isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Even if it was just for enhancement attempts, the title count was based on full enhancements. That was the reason for actively utilizing YouTube. ¡°Starting!¡± Ha-Jin signaled. It meant the broadcast had started. ¨C Hi ¨C Honey hello~ ¨C Another LIVE? ¨C Wow haha another honey tip release? Perhaps because of the impact of the previous LIVE, the number of viewers quickly reached 500 shortly after the broadcast started. Jeong-Hoon looked at the camera and opened his mouth. ¡°Today is a promotion.¡± ¨C Promotion? ¨C It looks like they¡¯re going to do enhancement content. ¨C Huh? Was he an enhancer? ¨C Ah, what the heck lol It was an exchange promotion? ¨C That¡¯s a bit disappointing¡­ As soon as he said he was going to promote something, viewers started leaving in droves. ¡°Uh¡­? They¡¯re all leaving before we even started¡­¡± Ha-Jin fidgeted and tried to talk to the viewers. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I told you before, didn¡¯t I? If you stay until the end, you¡¯ll get a chance to get some honey.¡± At the same remark as in the Ruined City, the viewers seemed to be curious. ¨C Oh? ¨C He¡¯s saying that with such confidence, so there must be something, right? Jeong-Hoon started enhancing the Rare grade sword in front of him. [Enhancement sessful.] [Enhancement sessful.] [Enhancement sessful.] And golden effects shed repeatedly. 30 sessful enhancements. A fully enhanced sword was created without a single failure. ¡°Done. A fully enhanced Rare grade sword has been created.¡± He opened the detailed information of the Rare grade sword so that the viewers could see it. ¨C ?? ¨C What??? ¨C No, wait a minute hahaha ¨C Was it originally possible to seed continuously¡­? ¨C What the hell is this;; Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Yoo Na-Eun¡¯s pupils shook wildly as she watched from a distance. ¡®What? No¡­ Is that even possible?¡¯ She thought to herself. She was the representative enhancer of Ho-Yeong. Although she was Epic grade, she was a hidden ss that could grant special abilities to various equipment. She had done a lot of enhancements. But she had never seen the results in front of her. ¡®That¡¯s the 39th fully enhanced Rare¡­ with that skill.¡¯ She thought, observing Jeong-Hoon. The dagger that Jeong-Hoon had just put down was the 39th Rare grade dagger that had been fully enhanced. ¡°If you want to enhance your equipment, please search for JH anytime and request it,¡± Jeong-Hoon said, promoting his service. The promotional effect was clear. He was doing it with Ho-Yeong¡¯s support, so he thought about starting with Epic grade, but the Epic sess rate was 80%. Broadcasts had to be stimting. It was much more effective to try with Rare and show no failures at all, rather than trying with Epic and showing even one failure. ¨C Wow¡­ A 100% enhancement sess rate hahaha ¨C Crazy lol Is that even possible? ¨C Wow! He¡¯s doing it for 10% of the market price for 48 hours? ¨C I¡¯m going right now! ¨C Me too! I need to fully enhance my equipment! ¨C I broke my fixed deposit after seeing this~ ¨C I¡¯m withdrawing my invested coins! I have to make a profit from this. The viewers, who had been indifferent at first, were now captivated by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s enhancement. ¡®Let¡¯s wrap it up.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought and signaled to Ha-Jin ¡°Alright, that¡¯s it for today¡¯s broadcast.¡± Ha-Jin said. Ha-Jin tactfully gave the ending message and immediately ended the broadcast. ¡°Jeong-Hoon.¡± Yoo Na-Eun approached Jeong-Hoon as if she had been waiting. Jeong-Hoon was taking a short break. ¡°Yes. What is it?¡± He asked ¡°¡­What¡¯s the sess rate of that skill?¡± ¡°100%.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Yoo Na-Eun¡¯s expression went nk for a moment at the words ¡®100%¡¯. ¡°Ah, of course, only up to Rare grade. Not from Epic onwards.¡± Her mind became jumbled at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s further exnation. ¡®That¡¯s impossible¡­¡¯ She thought to herself Even she, an Illusion Enhancer, had an 81% sess rate for Rare grade enhancements. It meant that there was a chance of failure about 2 out of 10 times. And when it came to Epic grade, the probability dropped drastically to 38%. A sess rate of a little less than 4 out of 10 times. But Jeong-Hoon, who wasn¡¯t even an enhancer, had a 100% sess rate for Rare and a whopping 80% for Epic. ¡°Are you okay¡­?¡± Ha-Jin knew exactly what Yoo Na-Eun was feeling. A sense of rtive deprivation. Unlike Ha-Jin, who had nothing, she was recognized as an enhancer, so she would feel it even more. ¡°¡­Damn, what a dirty world.¡± Oh dear¡­ It seemed like she was quite shocked. ¡°Whoa, it looks like it¡¯ll be a big deal if we touch her.¡± Ha-Jin wisely gave up on trying tofort her. * * * The broadcast effect was tremendous. When he checked the exchange after the LIVE ended, as expected¡­ Over 100 requests hade in. As expected, most of the requests were for Normal and Rare. Epic and above required a considerable amount of capital. Unless they were users who had umted some wealth, not many people had them. The usual route was to endure with fully enhanced Rare grade equipment and then switch to Epic after reaching level 200. ¡®The exchange level is still too low to handle Epic.¡¯ He thought Exchange level. The level increased ording to the number of requests, and the maximum level was 10. Therefore, most people entrusted Epic or higher grade items to exchanges that were level 8 or higher. Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t greedy for Epic or higher grade items yet. Now was the time to quickly count Normal and Rare. Epic woulde next. But in one request, an Epic grade armor was clearly stored. ¡®Huh? Someone¡¯s already entrusting me with Epic?¡¯ They must have really liked the LIVE broadcast. He wanted to know who it was, but the exchange was strictly anonymous. So unless it was a named item, it was difficult to guess the owner. ¡®It¡¯s even a set?¡¯ But it wasn¡¯t just one piece of Epic armor, he had sent a whole set of 4 armor pieces, from head to toe, along with Epic Enhancement Stones. ¡®Huh? 120?¡¯ He had sent a whopping 120 Epic Enhancement Stones. ¨C Please enhance them all. It was a very simple and clear request. Epic enhancement cost 3 gold per attempt. For Rare to Unique, you could try 30 times, so it was 90 gold per piece. But at 10% of the price, it was 9 gold. ¡®There are 4 pieces, so it¡¯s 36 gold.¡¯ 36 gold was enclosed, as per the request. Jeong-Hoon received the equipment and enhancement stones and started enhancing. [Enhancement sessful.] [Enhancement sessful.] With an 80% sess rate, it was indeed going well. [Enhancement failed.] [Enhancement attempts are not consumed.] The power of Transcendent Enhancement activated, and the attempts were not consumed. ¡®This is the biggest advantage.¡¯ He thought The fact that the attempts weren¡¯t consumed meant that full enhancement was guaranteed. The only downside was that he didn¡¯t know how long it would take. ¡®Hmm, for now, it¡¯s better to do it ording to the request, right?¡¯ If he could be greedy, he wanted to fully enhance them. But the Epic Enhancement Stones he had were just enough for the number of enhancement attempts requested. He couldn¡¯t exceed the quantity. Jeong-Hoon attempted 30 enhancements per piece. [+24 Solein¡¯s Wind Hood] [+24 Solein¡¯s Wind Armor] [+23 Solein¡¯s Wind Gauntlets] [+26 Solein¡¯s Wind Shoes] These were the results. It was a bit disappointing considering the 80% sess rate, but they were all over +20, and there were still enhancement attempts left, so he thought it was a decent result. ¡®Let¡¯s not be hasty.¡¯ He thought. There would be plenty of opportunities to enhance Epic or higher grade equipment as time passed. He was in the process of making the system that way anyway. So there was no need to obsess over full enhancements from the beginning. Jeong-Hoon returned the enhanced equipment to the client. * * * Kaneda Shun, who hade to Korea to study. He was currently at the exchange, waiting for his items to arrive after cing an order. ¡®There¡¯s quite a decent enhancer here. I wonder if Haruto would find this interesting?¡¯ Today was his day off. He was browsing YouTube for New World-rted content when he stumbled upon a LIVE broadcast. It was a channel that had been created not too long ago, but it already had nearly 80,000 subscribers. Kaneda Shun, out of curiosity, entered the LIVE broadcast and watched the user enhancing equipment in real time. ¡®Oh! He¡¯s continuously seeding with Rare enhancements? Is that Haruto?¡¯ Currently, only Iwase Haruto had a 100% sess rate for Rare enhancements. But now there was one more person. Kaneda Shun watched the broadcast with rapt attention, unable to take his eyes off it for a moment. As soon as the broadcast ended, Shun entered the capsule and searched for the exchange called ¡®JH¡¯ that was mentioned in the LIVE. [Open Service!] [For the next 48 hours, we will enhance your equipment at 10% of the current market price!] [My enhancement sess rates are as follows!] ¨C Normal: 100% ¨C Rare: 100% ¨C Epic: 80% ¨C Unique: 60% * Officially certified by New World ¡°Oh? The Epic sess rate is 80%?¡± Iwase¡¯s was 87%, wasn¡¯t it? So the difference was only 7%? That was crazy. He felt a shiver run down his spine. Although he loved Korea, he thought of it as a developing country when it came to New World. He hadn¡¯t expected such an amazing enhancer to appear in a developing country. ¡°Should I send something?¡± Kaneda Shun ced an order, enclosing his Epic grade armor set and Epic Enhancement Stones. The enhancement fee was 36 gold, after a 90% discount from the total of 360 gold. It was an incredibly cheap price. And soon, the armor set arrived. [+24 Solein¡¯s Wind Hood] [+24 Solein¡¯s Wind Armor] [+23 Solein¡¯s Wind Gauntlets] [+26 Solein¡¯s Wind Shoes] ¡°Oh!¡± The enhancement levels of the armor were all decent. As expected with an 80% sess rate, they averaged around +24. If he had entrusted it to Haruto, it could have been slightly higher, around +25 or +26, but he would have had to pay almost 600 gold to Haruto for that. In terms of price, it was a very satisfactory result. ¡°Huh?¡± But there was one strange thing. [Remaining enhancements: 6] [Remaining enhancements: 6] [Remaining enhancements: 7] [Remaining enhancements: 4] The remaining enhancement attempts weren¡¯t 0. What was this? Did he skim some of the enhancement stones? No. For that to happen, the Epic enhancement sess rate would have to be 100%. Then did he restore the remaining enhancement attempts and return them? ¡°Haha! This is really amazing! Haruto, you need to step up your game.¡± Kaneda Shun smiled brightly. * * * ¡°Keheuk!¡± Iwase¡¯s hammer struck the head of a Lv. 133 Arc Enermic. The Arc Enermic staggered and copsed. ¡°Die!¡± Iwase continued to hammer the head of the fallen Arc Enermic. Only after confirming that its head had exploded did Iwase move on to the next Arc Enermic. The hunt had been going on for days. [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] After a while, Iwase¡¯s level rose to 136. ¡°Phew, it¡¯s so damn slow to level up!¡± Even though his level had increased significantly, Iwase wasn¡¯t happy at all. The fact that the Ruined City was being continuously cleared in Korea. That fact kept Iwase feeling uneasy. That¡¯s why he had to reach level 151 even faster. He was even ignoring all the requestsing into the exchange recently. ¡°Hey, is that true?¡± ¡°It is! They say a video of someone clearing the Ruined City in Korea was uploaded on YouTube!¡± ¡°So you can clear it just by following that?¡± News of clearing the Ruined City wasing from users moving between fields. Iwase felt his heart sink and hurriedly went to YouTube. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± It was true. The reason the Ruined City was being continuously cleared in Korea was because of this damn video. ¡°Fuck!¡± The Ruined City was a paradise of bugs. It meant that you didn¡¯t even have to hunt monsters, you could just find and solve the hidden cheats. Iwase had known the solution to the Ruined City early on. But how did that guy know? ¡°Wait a minute¡­¡± If he could use Search to that extent¡­ wasn¡¯t there a high probability that he had already taken the power of transcendence? Iwase¡¯s fist clenched tightly as his thoughts reached that point. That couldn¡¯t happen. What was the reason he was trying to reach level 151? Iwase dragged his trembling legs and entered the vicinity of the Ruined City. The conversations of the users heading to the Ruined City became clearer. ¡°Ah, and my Korean friend said that the person who cleared the Ruined City did a LIVE broadcast about enhancing this time.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah! And they¡¯re only charging 10% of the current market price.¡± ¡°The sess rate isn¡¯t low, is it?¡± ¡°No. The Rare sess rate is 100%, and Epic is 80%!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Really?¡± ¡°They even said they can enhance Unique with a 60% sess rate.¡± Damn it¡­ He took it, didn¡¯t he? Iwase Haruto had an 87% sess rate for Epic enhancement. But his Unique sess rate dropped drastically to 31%. This was because he hadn¡¯tpleted his 3rd job advancement yet. But he had thought that if he had the power of transcendence, all of this would be covered. ¡°You fucking Korean bastard! If I ever meet you, I won¡¯t let you off easy¡­ I swear¡­¡± Iwase cursed and then muttered in a hateful voice. Chapter 107 Chapter 107 Around the same time. ¡®That Iwase guy seems to be cursing me a lot.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon was picking his ears while exining his next n to Kim Bong-Goo and Ha-Jin. ¡°We¡¯re going to do a party quest soon.¡± ¡°Ah, a party quest? Where are we going?¡± ¡°Of course, the M?rchen Kingdom party quest.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ M?rchen Kingdom? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to go to the Seidroff Kingdom?¡± The party quest, known as one of the highlights of content after level 151. It was a quest where you formed a party andpleted tasks, and the reward was a massive amount of experience points. However, the party quest in M?rchen Kingdom offered less experience points than other kingdoms. This was because the difficulty was rtively low. Since the difficulty was low, there was no reason to receive a lot of experience points, and it also took much more time, as far as he knew. [Looking for a party quest!] ¨C Seidroff 3-man party urgently needed ©¸ 181 official knight applying. ©¸ 175 archer applying. ©¸ 166 priest. ©¸©¸ (Author) Please tell me your nickname. Before starting a party quest, users would find party members on World Com and then proceed with the quest. Naturally, popr sses could easily find a party, while unpopr sses had a hard time joining a party no matter what they did. In particr, there were only two posts looking for a M?rchen Kingdom party quest. They were probably posts made by unpopr sses who wanted to do a party quest with a rtively low difficulty level. But even that was unlikely to seed. It was better to just hunt in fields or dungeons than to do the M?rchen Kingdom party quest, as you could get more experience points that way. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon wanted to do the M?rchen Kingdom party quest. ¡°If you only go for what everyone else is doing, you¡¯ll miss out on the honey pot.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? What nonsen¡­ Gulp!¡± Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly covered his mouth. He almost crossed the River Styx. ¡°Anyone would think I¡¯m beating you up.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hit. I just twist and crush.¡± ¡°¡­¡± That was terrifying. So terrifying! Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s body trembled like an aspen leaf. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re starting in a week, so keep that in mind.¡± ¡°A weekter?¡± ¡°Yes. I want you to rest for a week and then focus on the party quest.¡± There was one reason why Jeong-Hoon specifically set it for a weekter. ¡®If I remember correctly, that¡¯s when he¡¯ll be doing the party quest.¡¯ Kaneda Shun, one of the traitors who had betrayed Jeong-Hoon. Actually, there were quite a few colleagues who had survived until the end. But the faces, names, ages, and actions of all those people werepletely imprinted in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mind. So no one would be able to escape. ¡®This will be the first time I meet him since I returned.¡¯ He was a colleague, but he was someone Jeong-Hoon felt aversion to until just before the betrayal. And when he betrayed him, he was the one who had the most gleeful expression. It was time to return the humiliation. Of course, there was something he had to do first. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Did you find out?] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: I¡¯m trying my best to find out¡­ but I really don¡¯t know anything about this kind of stuff.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: We don¡¯t have much time left. I heard you have to line up early for luxury brands.] His mother¡¯s birthday was just a few days away. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: ¡­I¡¯m asking everyone I know, so please wait a little longer.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Please do it as soon as possible.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Yes!] Tang! [Headshot!] With the headshot notification, the monster spurted blood and rolled over. Tang! Tang! [Headshot!] [Headshot!] Headshot notifications continued to appear. The reason was simple. It was because of the passive skill called [Perfect Sniping]. The Genesis Sniper was literally the pinnacle of snipers. Moreover, with the added potential of Lee Na-Yeon, who had a brilliant talent, even more perfect shots were created. ¡®Wow¡­ This is why you need good equipment.¡¯ Lee Na-Yeon, the one who made the amazing shots, marveled inwardly. After fully upgrading her equipment and ammunition, her shots had definitely changed 180 degrees. She could really feel that the destructive power of a gunslinger depended on how much money you invested. ¡®Perfect¡­ No matter how good the equipment is, her potential is tremendous. There¡¯s no reason not to pass her.¡¯ Sniper King Adolf, the second ss advancement instructor, clicked his tongue. Genesis Sniper. It had been a long time since he had seen someone with that name. This was because thest Genesis Sniper was Adolf himself. So he conducted the test with the intention of pushing her even harder. Bang! But what was this? The outsider who came to take the test had sessfullypleted all the tests he had given. Even Adolf was shocked when she passed the test where 20 targets appeared at once and she had to hit them all within a minute. ¡®What tremendous concentration.¡¯ Countless outsiders hade to him for tests, but this was the first time he had seen such an overwhelming performance. And Adolf had never given a pass before. This was because Adolf was an instructor who allowed advancement to higher grades. If the Genesis Sniper was showing Epic grade performance, then upon advancing to a higher grade, its performance would leap to Unique grade. ¡®I never thought the day woulde when I¡¯d be contemting this¡­ No, is this even something I need to contemte?¡¯ Adolfughed inwardly. The promising talents who hade in until now were all pathetic, but finally, a true gem had appeared. ¡°You pass.¡± The word ¡°pass¡± came out of Adolf¡¯s mouth for the first time. ¡°Thank you.¡± With this, Lee Na-Yeon would be promoted to Unique grade in her second ss advancement. Whoosh- The capsule opened and Lee Na-Yeon came out. It was already past midnight. ¡°Phew, it took all day just to do one ss advancement.¡± Her whole body was stiff, but it had been a long time since she had felt such a sense of aplishment. Lee Na-Yeon couldn¡¯t contain her smile and went out to the living room. The living room was dark, and Jeong-Hoon was standing there with a cake. * * * Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t logged into the game, but was standing at the entrance of a department store since dawn. There were already more than 10 people waiting at the entrance. ¡®Why are there so many people?¡¯ It was currently 3 AM. He hadn¡¯t even dreamed that there would be people waiting before the department store opened. ¡®I heard there are people who wait from the day before. That¡¯s why you have to go early!¡¯ At first, he thought it was an exaggeration. If he had ignored Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s words and gone the next day at the opening time, he might not have even been able to get in. ¡®What did you have in mind?¡¯ ¡®A p bag.¡¯ ¡®Aha, would you like toe this way?¡¯ After that, it was a breeze. Jeong-Hoon chose the best model bag as Yeo Min-Ji had told him. Fortunately, the product was avable at the store he visited, and he immediately had it wrapped and rushed home. However, his mother hadn¡¯t finished the game until past midnight due to the second ss advancement quest. ¡®She¡¯s quitete.¡¯ It shouldn¡¯t take that long for a second ss advancement. Was she aiming for Unique grade? If she advanced to Unique¡­ her potential was unimaginable. Whoosh- With the sound of the capsule opening, Jeong-Hoon stood nervously, holding the cake. And as the door opened, he made eye contact with his mother. Jeong-Hoon smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth. ¡°Mom, you¡¯re out?¡± ¡°Huh? Hoon, what are you doing standing there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your birthday today.¡± ¡°Oh? Come to think of it, it is my birthday today.¡± His mother approached Jeong-Hoon and blew out the candles on the cake. ¡°Happy birthday, Mom!¡± ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ve had a lot of happy things happen thanks to my son.¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± Jeong-Hoon put down the cake and moved to get the beautifully wrapped bag he had hidden in the corner. His mother turned on the living room light. Perfect timing! As soon as the lights came on, Jeong-Hoon presented the gift to his mother. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± His mother¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of the gift. ¡°It¡¯s a gift from your son.¡± ¡°¡­Oh my.¡± The shopping bag had the initials of a well-known luxury brand printed on it. His son had mentioned once before that he would buy her a bag. Of course, she thought it was just empty words, but he had actually kept his promise. Her mother, Lee Na-Yeon¡¯s face was filled with worry. Where did her son get the money to buy such an expensive gift? ¡°Mom, it¡¯s okay. I converted some gold into cash.¡± ¡°Gold?¡± ¡°Yes. I have a lot of gold, and I don¡¯t have anywhere to use it. So don¡¯t feel burdened.¡± In fact, he had converted more than 90% of the gold he had into cash. But he didn¡¯t feel bad at all. He felt sorry that he couldn¡¯t do anything for his mother, who had raised him alone in his past life. Jeong-Hoon, who had deeply felt the saying ¡°Be good to your parents while you can,¡± was now determined to do anything he could for his mother while he still had the chance. ¡°¡­Thank you. I never thought I¡¯d see the day I¡¯d carry a luxury brand bag.¡± His mother¡¯s eyes welled up with tears as she slowly opened the shopping bag. And a mini p bag appeared. ¡°Wait a minute. Next is a car.¡± ¡°Oh, no need. This is enough.¡± ¡°Hehe.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled meaningfully. * * * ¡®Mom! This car is leased under the name of Ho-Yeong Guild. It¡¯s free for as long as you¡¯re in the guild, so feel free to use it!¡¯ That morning. Yeo Min-Ji brought a mid-size sedan and presented it to his mother. It wasn¡¯t even a domestic car, but a foreign one, with a market price of a whopping 300 million won. ¡®This is too much¡­¡¯ His mother tried to refuse because it was too much of a burden, but Yeo Min-Ji was adamant. ¡®No! Mom, I heard the news. You advanced to a Unique ss, right?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s true, but¡­¡¯ ¡®Then this is nothing!¡¯ ¡®No, even so¡­¡¯ His mother tried to refuse until the end, but Jeong-Hoon whispered softly. ¡®Mom, this is like a bribe so you won¡¯t leave the guild. Just ept it.¡¯ ¡®I-Is that so?¡¯ ¡®Yes.¡¯ His mother¡¯s potential was beyond imagination. She had obtained a hidden ss in her first ss advancement and even reached Unique grade in her second ss advancement. His mother had achieved feats that even Jeong-Hoon in his previous life couldn¡¯t. After spending time with his mother, even going on drives, Jeong-Hoon logged back into New World. * * * ¡®Why isn¡¯t it ending? Why isn¡¯t it ending?¡¯ Lying on his bed, Kim Bong-Goo thought every day. Why wouldn¡¯t that viper-like bastard bite him and let him go? ¡®Just let me go, you son of a bitch¡­¡¯ He cursed inwardly, but in the end, it was meaningless. He had said he would do anything he was told to avoid a permanent ban. He hadn¡¯t expected it to be more than once. ¡°I was crazy¡­ I was crazy¡­¡± ¡°Oh, so you knew you were crazy?¡± His sister had opened the door and entered at some point. ¡°¡­Get out.¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ Mom! The van told me to get out, not to turn off!¡± ¡°Oh, please¡­¡± He forced his sister out and locked the door. Then he entered the capsule and logged in. [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: You know what happens if you¡¯rete? I¡¯m already here.] A whisper that arrived like a ghost. Kim Bong-Goo felt his head cool down. ¡°Damn it, really.¡± Contrary to his words, his hands were hurriedly sending a whisper to Jeong-Hoon. [Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: Vroom vroom! The van is on its way!] Oh, his life. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 108 Chapter 108 It hadn¡¯t been long since he sent the whisper, but Kim Bong-Goo had already arrived. ¡°You¡¯re early.¡± Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t told him toe right away. He had just told him not to bete. ¡°Haha, I feel morefortableing early!¡± Kim Bong-Goo replied, standing at attention. And soon after, Ha-Jin also arrived. ¡°I¡¯m here~¡± ¡°Wee.¡± Jeong-Hoon checked their levels. His own level was 164. Ha-Jin¡¯s level was 179. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s level was 166. They had long surpassed the level required to do the party quest. ¡°So we¡¯re going right now?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re going to repeat the party quest from now on.¡± Usually, you would enter a dedicated map through the NPC who gave you the party quest. ¡°Repeat¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He hadn¡¯t heard the exact time the guy would enter. So he would repeat it until they encountered him. ¡®You know the party quest in M?rchen Kingdom, right? If you win 10 times in a row, you can move on to the royal pce quest, right?¡¯ Entering the M?rchen Kingdom royal pce. That was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s next goal. The royal pce didn¡¯t have a separate entrance quest like the temple. To enter the M?rchen Kingdom royal pce, you had to achieve a very special condition. It was to win the party quest 10 times in a row without losing. ¡®You said it was a stage he had to go through, right?¡¯ The hidden ss that the guy had obtained. The first step to that hidden ss was to enter the M?rchen royal pce. * * * === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Pochil ¨C Level: 175 ¨C ss: Party Quest Manager === Pochil, the M?rchen Kingdom party quest manager. Pochil was an NPC who lived in a circus troupe a little distance from the capital and managed the users¡¯ party quests. However, the circus troupe was deserted, with only dust flying around. ¡°¡­Wow, there¡¯s not a single person here.¡± Ha-Jin eximed softly. ¡°The M?rchen Kingdom party quest isn¡¯t very efficient¡­ There are plenty of efficient ces in the neighboring areas, so why would anyone bother doing it here¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo exined. ¡°Okay, be quiet.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached Pochil, who was dozing off in a chair. A question mark was blinking above his head. [Party Quest: M?rchen] ¨C Restriction: Can be entered by a party of 3 users level 155 or higher ¨C Reward: Experience points ¨C Description: Complete the party quest in 3 rounds! The M?rchen party quest consisted of a total of 3 rounds. When Jeong-Hoon applied to enter the party, Pochil woke up with a start. ¡°Oh?! We have guests!¡± He wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth and began exining the party quest. [Party Quest] 1. Obstacle Course 2. Random Mission 3. Battle Royale The obstacle course was literally about crossing from the starting point to the finish line of a map filled with obstacles. And then the random mission. The types of missions were very diverse. From hunting monsters to drinking an unknown potion and enduring it, it waspletely random, from easy missions to extremely difficult ones. And finally, Battle Royale. This Battle Royale was what Jeong-Hoon was aiming for. It literally tracked down and randomly matched them with others who were doing the M?rchen party quest. And then all those matched people were thrown into the colosseum at once. The party to which the user who won the final battle belonged would win and gain experience points. It was the final round that was essentially the beginning and end of this party quest. ¡®Kaneda Shun.¡¯ He had heard that Kaneda Shun loved Korea so much that he hade to Korea as an exchange student with Iwase. But Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t like him very much. He was somehow gloomy, and his true intentions were unclear. It was hard to mix with him, even though he was a colleague. And after the final betrayal, Kaneda Shun had mocked Jeong-Hoon during their confrontation. ¡®You idiot, I never once thought of you as a colleague. What betrayal? That¡¯s why you¡¯re failing.¡¯ He had backstabbed Jeong-Hoon and continued to mock him relentlessly. Those damn eyes and that upturned smirk. Just imagining it made him want to vomit. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Ha-Jin put his hand on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder. It seemed his expression had shown on his face. [What were you thinking that made you make such a grim face?] ¡®It seems like there¡¯s something going on.¡¯ Both Anima and Mukho asked cautiously, sensing something. Jeong-Hoonughed inwardly. Just like in front of his mother earlier, it seemed he needed to pay more attention to managing his expressions. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Are we going in right away?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking so, is that okay?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes turned to Kim Bong-Goo behind him. ¡°Yes! You can go anytime!¡± Kim Bong-Goo nodded his head rapidly without hesitation. ¡®His expression is so scary¡­ If Iin, I¡¯ll die.¡¯ Comining was only possible when Jeong-Hoon was in a good mood. ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s go in.¡± * * * There were a total of five obstacle courses. They got the third obstacle course. ¡°Ugh¡­ What is this? We have to cross this?¡± Ha-Jin looked down at the cliff with a horrified expression. Countless spear des were pointing upwards at the bottom of the cliff. If he fell here, the spear des would pierce his entire body, and he would be eliminated immediately. And in front of them, rocks big enough for one person to stand on were floating in the air. ¡°Looks like it. We have to use those rocks to get to the finish line.¡± ¡°This is supposed to be easy¡­?¡± The M?rchen party quest was rtively easier than the party quests in other empires and kingdoms. Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s easy. We just have to cross these rocks.¡± There were no tricks set on the rocks. It meant that they just had to adjust their jump distance and jump. Of course, if they failed to adjust the distance, they would fall straight to the ground. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and crossed the rocks without hesitation. ¡°How is he so fast¡­?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo stared nkly at the sight, then quickly came to their senses. They had to follow quickly. They also hurriedly started jumping from rock to rock. Their legs trembled, and there wasn¡¯t a single ce on their bodies, from their heads to their hands and feet, that wasn¡¯t sweating. ¡®I can¡¯t stop.¡¯ ¡®If I stop, I can¡¯t go¡­!¡¯ They jumped without rest and soon reached the finish line. After passing the first obstacle, the second was a mission. [Kill the monster with a magic attack.] The random mission was very evil. If a user who chose a warrior or thief ss got this mission, the party quest would end right there. Because they couldn¡¯t use magic attacks. But Jeong-Hoon was different. Crackle- Jeong-Hoon, who could use both physical and magic attacks, unleashed Lightning Bolt from his hand, striking the monster. ¡°Kweeeeeeeeek.¡± The monster trembled, foamed at the mouth, and died on the spot. [Mission Clear!] [Experience points are umting!] Jeong-Hoon cleared the mission, leaving only Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo. [Please select the user to perform the next mission.] The second round could be done one by one. Since Jeong-Hoon went first, it was time to decide who would go next. ¡°Shall I go?¡± Ha-Jin asked Kim Bong-Goo. Kim Bong-Goo thought for a moment and nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll gost.¡± Jeong-Hoon had cleared the second round mission and moved to the clear room. If Kim Bong-Goo went second and cleared it, Ha-Jin would have to be alone with Jeong-Hoon while doing the mission. ¡®I definitely don¡¯t want that.¡¯ Honestly, he feltfortable when he was with Ha-Jin. This was because the probability of Jeong-Hoon messing with him decreased a little. ¡°What? A quiz?¡± The mission Ha-Jin drew was a quiz. And it was a quiz rted to New World. ¡®Ha, thank goodness.¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He hated studying more than anything in the world. Naturally, he also extremely disliked solving problems like quizzes. If he had gone second instead of Ha-Jin, the quiz would have been his. ¡°Ah, this is easy. White Fang.¡± Ha-Jin solved the quiz instantly. It was already his turn. ¡®Monster hunting. Please let it be monster hunting.¡¯ Monster hunting without any strange conditions! But no monster appeared, and a ck table and a ck cup appeared in front of Kim Bong-Goo. The cup was filled with a green liquid. [Drink it all and endure for 5 minutes.] The worst mission had appeared. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face turned pale. [If you get a mission to eat something during a party quest, just give up and try again.] ¨C That stuff is really undrinkable¡­ Is there anything good about drinking it? Nothing at all. It¡¯s just painful. ©¸ This is so true lol ©¸ At first, I thought it would increase experience or stats, so I endured it, but it didn¡¯t give me anything. I ended up fainting there. ©¸ Wow¡­ Can¡¯t they get rid of this kind of mission? Why would they make us drink this? ©¸ It¡¯s okay, the probability of getting this mission is less than 0.5% lol ©¸ Then what are we, the 0.5% who got it? ©¸ Go buy a lottery ticket lol A mission to drink an extremely disgusting liquid. A mission he wished wouldn¡¯t appear even more than a quiz had appeared. And he had even broken through the less than 0.5% probability. Kim Bong-Goo slowly brought his face closer to the liquid in the cup and smelled it. A foul stench pierced his nose, and his head throbbed. ¡°Ugh!¡± As expected, he couldn¡¯t drink this. It wasn¡¯t a drink meant to be consumed. But if he gave up here, Jeong-Hoon wouldn¡¯t let him off easy. He would probably make him do even worse things several times before letting it go. ¡®Let¡¯s drink it¡­¡¯ It was just a drink. Kim Bong-Goo picked up the cup and chugged it down. ¡°Ugh!¡± As the drink went down his throat, he felt nauseous and wanted to throw up. But if he vomited here, the mission would fail. Even if he vomited, he had to endure for 5 minutes before doing so. ¡®I can endure this, damn it!¡¯ In the end, Kim Bong-Goo endured for 5 minutes. He was automatically transported to the clear room. ¡°Blegh!¡± And as if on cue, Kim Bong-Goo threw up on the floor, creating a pizza. Ha-Jin patted his back. ¡°No¡­ Why did you force yourself to drink that? You could have just given up.¡± ¡°¡­Good job.¡± Jeong-Hoon knew how terrible that drink was. That¡¯s why he thought Kim Bong-Goo might give up, but he never expected him to drink it and endure for 5 minutes. [I acknowledge this one¡­] ¡®It must have tasted awful, it¡¯s impressive that he endured it.¡¯ Okay. This time, I acknowledge you. [The 3rd round begins.] [Searching for suitable opponents¡­] The 3rd round didn¡¯t start right away. This was because there were hardly any people doing the M?rchen Kingdom party quest. However, New World was a game enjoyed by countless people. Even in an unpopr quest area, waiting for 30 seconds was enough. [Matching sessful.] [Moving to the Colosseum.] With the sessful match, Jeong-Hoon and the other two were transported to the Colosseum map. * * * [Hidden ss: The Road to the Dark Lord] ¨C Restriction: Reach Lv. 151 or higher, possess the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir ¨C Reward: Dark Lord [Hidden] ¨C Description: Go to Karyan, an NPC in the M?rchen royal pce. Kaneda Shun was a Unique grade pdin, a Royal Guard. Unlike his friend Iwase Haruto, he had a normal Unique grade ss. He pretended to be fine on the outside, but inwardly, he was very envious of Iwase Haruto. Why wasn¡¯t he granted a hidden ss? Then, an opportunity came. An old book he found by chance. It was a memoir written by the Dark Lord himself. ¡®Finally¡­ I can also advance to a hidden ss.¡¯ But to walk that path, he had to enter the M?rchen Kingdom royal pce. Entering the royal pce wasn¡¯t something that could be done just by entering. He had to achieve 10 consecutive victories in the party quest. If he lost even once, entering the royal pce was out of the question. It was practically a setting that made it impossible to enter, but Kaneda Shun had to break through it. But there was hope. ¡®I¡¯m so d I¡¯m in Korea.¡¯ The most inferior country when it came to New World. If it was Korea, 10 consecutive wins would be a very simple task. Kaneda Shun had selected two helpers currently in Korea and formed a party, and they were about to start the party quest. ¡°Keuheok!¡± [You have won.] An instant first victory. Kaneda Shun immediately started the party quest again. [Matching sessful.] [Moving to the Colosseum.] He was ready to hunt his next victims. And he saw a martial artist grinning at him. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 109 Chapter 109 The matching system was set to match nearby opponents. Therefore, he thought that he would surely meet Kaneda Shun. ¡®I like Korea, but honestly, it¡¯s true that it¡¯s nothing special, right?¡¯ Kaneda Shun had subtly looked down on Korea, sneering at it. Since there were no Korean users there except for Jeong-Hoon, it was a remark directly targeting him. At the time, he had endured it several times because he had to finish the game. And the result of that was betrayal and his death. ¡®Kaneda Shun.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon looked at Kaneda Shun, who had been summoned in front of him. He should be feeling angry, but for some reason, he wanted tough. [The battle begins.] [The battle ends when only one person remains.] With the start notification, Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and arrived in front of the Japanese person on the right, not Kaneda Shun. It was a rule to hunt the tastiest preyst. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique pierced the Japanese person¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Keuheok!¡± Caught off guard by the sudden situation, he allowed Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist to hit him without even thinking of defending. But the destructive power of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique was beyond imagination. Jeong-Hoon continued to unleash the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, pummeling the Japanese person. There was no need to use any other skills. The guy¡¯s level was only 172. Kaneda Shun, that bastard, had deliberately chosen someone he could control, so his level wasn¡¯t that high. ¡°U-Ugh¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon finished by punching the guy in the face with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and stepped back. The guy copsed and disappeared, deemed dead. ¡°You¡­ Who the hell are you?¡± Kaneda Shun¡¯s face had hardened. He must be quite confused since his expectation of an easy win had been shattered. ¡°Me? I¡¯m a Korean martial artist.¡± ¡°¡­Bullshit. How can an inferior martial artist have such power? You¡¯re a hidden ss, aren¡¯t you? I heard the news. A martial artist hidden ss appeared in Korea.¡± Kaneda Shun was quick-witted. The news that a hidden ss for the martial artist job had appeared in Korea had spread like wildfire. So he quickly concluded that Jeong-Hoon was a hidden ss martial artist. ¡°So?¡± Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°Ha. I never thought I¡¯d meet a hidden ss here. ¡­Okay. How about we make a deal?¡± The corner of Kaneda Shun¡¯s mouth twisted once, then straightened out. He then smiled warmly and approached Jeong-Hoon, extending his hand. ¡°A deal?¡± Jeong-Hoon decided to y along for a moment, curious about his reaction. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Actually, I have to win this party quest 10 times in a row.¡± ¡°You want me to give up the victory?¡± Thinking that the conversation was going well, Kaneda¡¯s smile deepened. ¡°That¡¯s right. If you give up the victory, I¡¯ll pay you ordingly.¡± ¡°Payment¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon signaled to Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo behind him. ¡®Hey. Now¡¯s the time. Take that guy down.¡¯ ¡®Okay!¡¯ Receiving the signal, Kim Bong-Goo used Stealth and swung his dagger to slit the throat of the Japanese man watching the conversation from the left. ¡®Assassination.¡¯ Assassination, upgraded after bing an Assassin. It was a skill that explosively increased the dagger¡¯s damage and critical hit rate for a moment. ¡°You bastard¡­ A sneak attack?!¡± But the dagger was blocked by the Japanese man¡¯s sword. ¡°What the hell are you doing? Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re making a deal?¡± Kaneda Shun red at Kim Bong-Goo with cold eyes. Kim Bong-Goo gave Shun the middle finger. ¡°Your tongue is so long, you bastard. Stop your bullshit and get back to your country. Why are you causing trouble in Korea? Damn it.¡± Mukho nodded at Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s remark. [Huh? That guy. What¡¯s the reason he¡¯s only doing nice things today? Has he turned over a new leaf?] ¡®It seems like a fluke. In human terms, it¡¯s called a lucky break.¡¯ Anima immediately denied it. ¡°He¡¯s right. I was going to watch for a bit because it was interesting, but if it¡¯s this kind of deal, it¡¯s better to end it quickly.¡± The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth twisted into a smirk. ¡°What?¡± Kaneda Shun frowned. Then. [ckfield is activated.] The floor turned ck, and then a human arm popped out and grabbed Kaneda Shun¡¯s ankle. [All stats are increased by 1.2 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that have entered the area are decreased by 3%.] Kaneda Shun wasn¡¯t a monster, but from the moment Jeong-Hoon recognized him as prey, Kaneda Shun couldn¡¯t be free from ckfield either. Jeong-Hoon smirked at Kaneda Shun, whose face was distorted in surprise, and used the Stat Amplification Ring. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [The time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] You might think it was unnecessary to go this far for someone like Kaneda Shun, but Jeong-Hoon intended to thoroughly crush him. Jeong-Hoon threw a punch towards Kaneda Shun¡¯s abdomen. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.¡¯ Kaneda Shun hurriedly cast ¡®Light Barrier¡¯. Bang! A heavy impact sound erupted. But Kaneda Shun¡¯s expression remained unchanged. Royal Guard was a ss focused on defense, not attack power. In the previous life, Kaneda Shun had also possessed powerful attack power, but that was after he obtained a hidden ss. The current Kaneda Shun was just a normal ss with nothing but defense to boast about. ¡°Boring.¡± Jeong-Hoon muttered and started to relentlessly unleash the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Bang! Bang! Kaneda Shun¡¯s face crumpled as he pounded on the Light Barrier. ¡°You bastard!¡± Then he created a ¡®Goddess¡¯s Shield¡¯ and held it in his right hand. A shield made of divine power. A shockwave erupted from the shield, pushing Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body back slightly. So Unique grade was still Unique grade? Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique again to get close to him. He started to unleash the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 2nd form and pummeled him. [You stupid master! Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just use magic or arrows?] Mukho chimed in, sounding frustrated. Anima, on the other hand, was tactful and stayed quiet with his mouth shut. ¡®No, I¡¯m going to beat him up with my fists.¡¯ [Why?] ¡®There¡¯s a reason.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, despite being called the All-Master, didn¡¯t have overwhelming destructive power. He was an all-rounder who overcame hardships with his colleagues, not someone who overpowered others with brute force. He had startedter than others, and his growth was slow, to the point where he had a Normal ss in his first job advancement and only reached Rare grade in his second. Nevertheless, the reason he had risen to a position that threatened everyone at the end was because he had strived to learn what other users had. But Kaneda Shun had never acknowledged Jeong-Hoon until the end. ¡®All-Master? That¡¯sughable. Do people usually call someone who survives by copying others¡¯ abilities an All-Master?¡¯ He was one of the group who would relentlessly criticize Jeong-Hoon behind his back. Even so, Jeong-Hoon had endured it again and again just because they had the same goal of finishing the game. Thinking back now, it was such a foolish thing to do. That¡¯s why he wanted to end it with martial arts even more. ¡°Keuk! I told you I¡¯ll pay you properly?! You¡¯re a hidden ss, so you should know how precious this opportunity is!¡± Kaneda Shun¡¯s desperate voice rang out. ¡°I know.¡± ¡°500 gold! That¡¯s 5 million won in Korean currency. Just lose once¡­ Please, I beg you.¡± Kaneda Shun was desperate. If he lost here, the path to the Dark Lord would be forever blocked. That absolutely couldn¡¯t happen! ¡°I refuse.¡± As if to reward his feelings, Jeong-Hoon smiled and refused. Kaneda Shun¡¯s face contorted. ¡°You bastard!¡± ¡°Give up on the hidden ss and just be a pdin.¡± Jeong-Hoon unfolded the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, going beyond the 2nd form to the 3rd form. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! His fists mercilessly pounded the shield Kaneda Shun was holding. ¡®Wh-What kind of fist is this strong¡­?¡¯ [The Goddess¡¯s Shield is rapidly being damaged.] [Current damage: 25%] [The Goddess¡¯s Shield is rapidly being damaged.] [Current damage: 44%] [The Goddess¡¯s Shield is rapidly being damaged.] [Current damage: 61%] Dangerous alert messages suddenly poured in. And soon after, the Goddess¡¯s Shieldpletely shattered. Kaneda Shun¡¯s face was filled with bewilderment. [The Light Barrier is rapidly being damaged.] [Current damage: 62%] If the Light Barrier disappeared, the only thing protecting him would be the armor he was wearing. Kaneda Shun hurriedly cast ¡®Divine Armor¡¯. He entered an absolute defense state, pouring all his divine power into it except for 1%. And for 3 minutes, the umted damage would be quickly converted into divine power, and the buff ¡®Counterattack¡¯ would be automatically activated. If that happened, all of his current stats would be doubled, so he was as good as finished. [The Light Barrier is destroyed.] The Light Barrier was destroyed. But Kaneda Shun¡¯s body, which had activated Divine Armor, was already dyed golden. He was confident that he could withstand any damage. ¡°You¡¯re dead. Try whatever you want.¡± ¡°Can you withstand it?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The weakness of your Divine Armor. It¡¯s not invincible against an enemy stronger than you.¡± ¡°Keuk keuk, so what? What can you do, you¡¯re lower level than me?¡± He acknowledged the power of the hidden ss. But this Divine Armor couldn¡¯t be broken unless it was overpowered by stats. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see.¡± Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 4th form. The Underworld King¡¯s energy on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fists grew even thicker. Bang! His fist urately pierced Kaneda Shun¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Keuheok!¡± An immense pain surged through him. How?! My body should be invincible with Divine Armor! Kaneda Shun¡¯s mind couldn¡¯t function properly. ¡°Hmm? It works.¡± Jeong-Hoon grabbed him by the cor. Kaneda Shun was dragged along by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand, unable to defend himself properly. He shouted desperately. ¡°2,000 gold! I¡¯ll give you 2,000 gold!¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive. You still want to make a deal in this state?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a hidden ss¡­ You know how amazing a hidden ss is¡­¡± He pleaded with desperate eyes, but Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze only grew colder. ¡®Pathetic.¡¯ He had hoped he would struggle a bit more. But Kaneda Shun was quicker than anyone else. He knew exactly when to back down. But what could he do? ¡°100,000 gold. That¡¯s the amount you need to offer to make someone consider it.¡± 1 billion won in Korean currency. ¡°D-Don¡¯t be ridiculous¡­! How can an ordinary person have 100,000 gold!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a hidden ss, right? Isn¡¯t 100,000 gold a bargain?¡± ¡°¡­Please.¡± ¡°Yeah. Just live as a pdin for the rest of your life.¡± Jeong-Hoon released his grip on his cor. And then the 4th form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique rained down on Kaneda Shun. [Solein¡¯s set effect is activated.] The armor Kaneda Shun was wearing glowed faintly and started to protect its wearer. One of the set effects of Solein¡¯s armor. When the wearer¡¯s HP falls below 5%, they be invincible for 30 seconds. ¡®Wait, was the armor I enhanced the other day his?¡¯ What a coincidence. But it didn¡¯t matter. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Kaneda Shun tried to break free from Jeong-Hoon during this time. But Jeong-Hoon nonchntly pped Kaneda Shun¡¯s face with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Wham! ¡°Keuheok!¡± He let out a short scream and rolled on the floor. Even if there was no damage, he couldn¡¯t defend against the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. ¡°Hoon, we¡¯re done here.¡± Kim Bong-Goo and Ha-Jin had already eliminated the remaining Japanese man with a joint attack. The only one left was Kaneda Shun. ¡°Okay. It¡¯ll be over soon, so just wait a bit.¡± 30 seconds. Jeong-Hoon gently pressed his foot on Kaneda Shun¡¯s chest and waited for 30 seconds. ¡°Ugh¡­ Monster¡­ You monster¡­¡± ¡°23 seconds. 22 seconds. 21 seconds.¡± ¡°Do I just need to bring 100,000 gold¡­?¡± ¡°20 seconds. 19 seconds.¡± ¡°I said, do I just need to bring it?!¡± ¡°18 seconds. 17 seconds.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me?! Huh?!¡± Jeong-Hoon counted down the 30 seconds out loud, regardless of what Kaneda Shun was babbling about. And now, exactly 30 seconds had passed. ¡°1 second. 0 seconds. End. You missed your chance.¡± Jeong-Hoon struck Kaneda Shun¡¯s heart with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, which had reached 5th form. ¡°Keuheok!¡± His eyes widened, and then he trembled and died. As Kaneda Shun disappeared, messages aboutpleting the party quest appeared one after another. [You have won the final round.] [You currently have ¡®1 win¡¯ without any losses.] [You have acquired the umted experience points.] [Returning to the previous location.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Seoul, a capsule room. Whoosh- The capsule door opened and Kaneda Shun jumped out. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± He crouched on the floor, gasping for breath. He had been severely beaten by that martial artist, and it had taken a toll on him mentally. ¡°Oh? Sir! Are you okay?!¡± A part-timer who was cleaning the capsules hurriedly approached and checked Kaneda¡¯s condition. When Kaneda¡¯s breathing didn¡¯t return to normal, he was about to call an ambnce. ¡°I-I¡¯m okay¡­ I¡¯m fine¡­¡± Kaneda Shun awkwardly spoke in Korean, assuring him that he was okay. ¡°Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine¡­¡± As he said, Kaneda¡¯s breathing was slowly returning to normal. Only then did the part-timer breathe a sigh of relief. He was d that nothing serious had happened while he was working. ¡°Alright. I don¡¯t know what happened in there, but don¡¯t overdo it with the game.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Kaneda Shun, who couldn¡¯t properly understand Korean, nodded vaguely. He probably meant for him not to y the game. Since dying in a party quest didn¡¯t incur a penalty, he could log in immediately. But Kaneda Shun wasn¡¯t in the mood to log in. He left the capsule room and went straight home. ¡°Aaagh! Fuck! That damn bastard!¡± Because of that crazy martial artist bastard, his chance to get a hidden ss waspletely gone. He was just a level 164 martial artist. At first, he thought it would be an easy victory, but when he saw him take down his colleague in an instant, he realized he was a hidden ss. And he changed his strategy, trying to buy victory with money. But the result? It was his death. ¡®He had no intention of making a deal from the start.¡¯ Grit. Kaneda Shun gritted his teeth in revenge. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 164 ¨C ss: Intermediate Martial Artist (2nd ss) === Was it Hoon? Just a nickname, level, and the information that he was Korean. But that was enough. ¡®Hehe, you messed with the wrong person.¡¯ He had lost his chance to get a hidden ss. He would never let this slide. Kaneda Shun made a call somewhere. [Oh, Shun. What¡¯s up?] ¡°Brother, can youe to Korea?¡± Kaneda Shun¡¯s older brother. Kaneda Masahiro. He had started New World a year earlier than Shun and had currently reached level 256, and was the head of a mid-sized guild. [Korea? I thought you were doing well there, did something happen?] ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s someone I need to crush in New World.¡± [Really?] ¡°Fuck! Because of that bastard, I lost my chance to get a hidden ss.¡± [Is that true?!] Kaneda Masahiro¡¯s voice was filled with excitement. The Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir wasn¡¯t something Kaneda Shun had found on his own. It was a precious treasure he had found with the full support of Kaneda Masahiro. The amount of money they had spent just to decipher the memoir was a whopping 9,700 gold. They had invested a lot, hoping for the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir. But to think it would be ruined before it even started. ¡°Ha¡­ brother, send a few more people to Korea.¡± [That¡¯s not so easy. I already sent two.] The reason Kaneda Shun was able to choose two helpers for the party quest was because he had chosen them from Kaneda Masahiro¡¯s guild members. But they weren¡¯t enough to deal with that hidden ss martial artist. ¡°No. I waspletely defeated in the party quest¡­ Send 10, no, 20 people, even if they¡¯re over level 200.¡± [Huh¡­] ¡°Please! Damn it, my grand dream was shattered because of that bastard! I feel like I¡¯m going crazy if I don¡¯t permanently ban him.¡± [¡­Alright. Study hard for now.] ¡°You¡¯re the best, brother! I love you!¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon, who had beaten up Kaneda Shun and won the first party quest, immediately repeated the quest. ¡°Ugh¡­ How did you drink that?¡± Ha-Jin was the one who got the unidentified drink as the next quest. Ha-Jin looked like he wanted to give up right away, but he forced himself to swallow it because Kim Bong-Goo was looking at him from the clear room with a resentful expression. ¡°Good job.¡± ¡°Uu-Ugh!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, let it all out!¡± Kim Bong-Goo patted Ha-Jin¡¯s back and waited for Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mission was also a drink. But Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t seem to be in pain even after gulping it down in one go. ¡°¡­This is the most disgusting thing I¡¯ve ever tasted.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face only contorted slightly. It really tasted awful. It was simr to the sweat of a mummy wyvern he had drunk once when he was extremely thirsty. How the hell did these guys drink it? But to Kim Bong-Goo and Ha-Jin, Jeong-Hoon seemed inhuman. ¡°He¡¯s fine after drinking that¡­?¡± ¡°He¡¯s crazy¡­¡± After that, it was a breeze. ¡°Keuheok!¡± ¡°Aaagh!¡± ¡°What the hell is wrong with this guy?!¡± As usual, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s partypletely ughtered their opponents in the Battle Royale and won. And then the party quest was repeated. After repeating it for a while. [You have won the final round.] [You currently have ¡¯10 wins¡¯ without any losses.] [You have acquired the ¡®Mark of the M?rchen Kingdom¡¯.] [You have acquired the umted experience points.] [Returning to the previous location.] They had achieved their goal of 10 consecutive wins. [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] Additionally, their levels, which had been stagnant, increased by 1 each. Jeong-Hoon was now 165. Ha-Jin was 180. Kim Bong-Goo was 167. ¡°Done. We leveled up.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not a very efficient quest, is it? If we had gone to Seidroff, we would have leveled up twice, but we only leveled up once.¡± Although they had leveled up, it was a bit disappointing for a party quest. And Kim Bong-Goo was reaching his limit. He had no more mental strength left to continue the party quest. He wanted to log out and rest right away. ¡°Alright, everyone did a good job. Let¡¯s end the party quest here.¡± Fortunately, Jeong-Hoon announced the end of the party quest. ¡°Really¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo asked back in disbelief. ¡°Yes. Are you disappointed? Do you want to do more?¡± ¡°No! Then I can log out right now, right?¡± ¡°Yeah? You can, but¡­¡± Before Jeong-Hoon could finish, Kim Bong-Goo logged out. ¡®This guy and that guy too.¡¯ He had leveled them up and made it possible for them to enter the royal pce through the party quest, hadn¡¯t he done enough? Why were they running away? ¡°Hoon, will it be okay?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± ¡°I mean, that Japanese guy we faced at the beginning.¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s voice was very cautious. ¡°What about him?¡± ¡°He was ring at you with such murderous intent until the very end.¡± ¡°That¡¯s to be expected. People like him usually hold grudges.¡± Kaneda Shun. He had an older brother named Kaneda Masahiro. They were such close brothers that the older brother was very generous to the younger one, and he had heard that Kaneda Masahiro had helped a lot with this hidden ss as well. Considering Shun¡¯s personality, it was highly likely that he would ask Masahiro for help and seek revenge. Jeong-Hoon had already anticipated all of this. [A grudge¡­ He must be simr to our master.] But suddenly, Mukho started to pick a fight. ¡®Simr? What do you mean by that?¡¯ For the first time, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s voice had an edge to it. [I was wrong! I was wrong!] Mukho hurriedly backed down. ¡®Comparing me to others is fine, but don¡¯tpare me to that bastard.¡¯ [¡­I¡¯ll keep that in mind.] He couldn¡¯t stand beingpared to that trash. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, right? We can always ask Ho-Yeong for help if anything happens.¡± ¡°Yeah. But what about you? You can hunt freely from now on.¡± At those words, Ha-Jin logged out without looking back. * * * ¡®A lot of requests came in.¡¯ After the party quest, Jeong-Hoon entered the Enhancement Exchange and checked the requests. Nearly 1,000 requests hade in. Jeong-Hoon quickly processed the backlog of requests. [Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary level has increased.] After fully enhancing nearly 1,000 pieces of equipment, the skill level increased from 1 to 2. [Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary] ¨C Type: Enhancement ¨C Level: 2 ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Can enhance equipment. (Up to Legendary) ¨C Sess rate for each equipment (Normal 100%, Rare 100%, Epic 82%, Unique 62%, Legendary 33%) ¨C 0% chance of equipment destruction upon failure ¨C Enhancement attempts are not consumed upon failure The sess rate for Epic, Unique, and Legendary enhancements increased slightly as the level increased. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ [Master Enhancer] ¨C Normal (Fully Enhanced) 435/10,000 ¨C Rare (Fully Enhanced) 553/10,000 Even the count had increased significantly thanks to this request. ¡°I guess more requests wille in once the video is uploaded.¡± Yoo Na-Eun from Ho-Yeong would also ask for help with enhancement soon, and if he made a series of full enhancements then, the count would increase quickly. ¡°Then shall we get going?¡± Jeong-Hoon organized the exchange and headed to the stable in the capital. The royal pce was blocked off so that you couldn¡¯t pass through the gates. So he had to use a different route to enter the royal pce. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Gareth ¨C Level: 223 ¨C ss: Stable Owner === ¡°Wee. Are you here because you need a horse?¡± Gareth, for a stable owner, had a well-trained physique. Those weren¡¯t muscles built from simply managing horses. But they were muscles that could only be built through systematic training. That¡¯s right. Gareth¡¯s true identity was a knight of the Knights Temr, who protected the royal pce. ¡°Yes, I need a horse.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°The royal pce.¡± Pause. Gareth¡¯s body trembled once at the mention of the royal pce. ¡°Why the royal pce¡­?¡± ¡°I have some business there.¡± ¡°Is that so? But what to do? Not just anyone can enter the royal pce. I¡¯m sorry, but would you please go back?¡± Gareth, as if he had no more business, tried to leave to feed the horses. ¡°Even after seeing this?¡± Jeong-Hoon took out the ¡®Mark of the M?rchen Kingdom¡¯, an additional reward for winning 10 consecutive party quests. Gareth¡¯s face hardened at the sight of the mark. ¡°¡­Where did you get that?¡± ¡°Why should I tell the stable owner that?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head, and Gareth let out a sigh. ¡°¡­Then would you please wait a moment? The royal pce is not a ce you can enter carelessly.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± Gareth excused himself to Jeong-Hoon and went into the stable. Not long after, Gareth reappeared with an NPC. He was a knight of the M?rchen Kingdom. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Ragan ¨C Level: 237 ¨C ss: M?rchen Kingdom Official Knight === ¡°I heard you have the seal.¡± Ragan said solemnly, bowing once to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon held out the Mark of the M?rchen Kingdom. Ragan carefully brought his hand close to the seal and let mana flow through it. The mark glowed blue, and then a beam of light shot up into the sky. The beam of light slowly drew the seal of M?rchen. It was a seal with a fiercely roaring lion and a valiant knight raising his sword to the sky next to it. Ragan let out a gasp. ¡®It¡¯s real¡­! It¡¯s really the Mark of the M?rchen Kingdom!¡¯ When Gareth first said that an outsider with the mark had appeared, he thought he was lying. But seeing Gareth¡¯s serious expression, he thought he had to check it out himself, so he came out in person. And the mark that the previous king had lost had finally reappeared after a long time. ¡°Has it been confirmed?¡± Jeong-Hoon put the mark back into his inventory. Ragan¡¯s eyes lit up. It had been so long since an outsider had brought the mark. ¡°¡­Alright. Then I¡¯ll guide you to the royal pce.¡± ¡°Is it okay to let an outsider in like this?¡± ¡°Can you say that after seeing that mark? I¡¯ll take responsibility, so just focus on your assigned duty.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Jeong-Hoon followed Ragan towards the royal pce. But as they got closer to the royal pce, the atmosphere became more and more chaotic. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked Ragan. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± Ragan stuttered slightly, confused. The atmosphere was definitely different from when he left after receiving Gareth¡¯s report. Just then, a knight who seemed to be a new recruit ran towards Ragan. ¡°Captain! It¡¯s an emergency!¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on all of a sudden?¡± ¡°A dungeon wave has opened at the north wall! It happened without any warning signs¡­ You need to go there urgently!¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± Ragan¡¯s face contorted. A monster wave had urred while he was meeting the outsider with the mark! ¡°Yes! It¡¯s urgent!¡± ¡°¡­Sigh, alright. Then please guide this outsider to the royal pce. He has the mark, so entry shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡± Ragan instructed the knight. ¡°No. I¡¯ll help too. Let¡¯s go together.¡± But Jeong-Hoon had no intention of waiting in the royal pce. Chapter 111 Chapter 111 The newbie knight approached Ragan, and a selection window appeared in front of Jeong-Hoon. [Choose the next option.] ¨C Stabilize the monster wave! Quest execution ¨C Wait in the royal pce At that time, Kaneda Shun had chosen ¡®Wait in the royal pce¡¯. His main goal was to find traces of the Dark Lord in the royal pce. NPC Karyan was the name of the old man who worked in the underground prison inside the royal pce. Finding that old man was the first step to entering the hidden ss questline. Of course, after losing to Jeong-Hoon, the chance to get the hidden ss had disappeared forever. Ah, the path to the Dark Lord itself hadn¡¯t disappeared. If he handed over the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir he had to someone else, and that person entered the royal pce with the mark obtained from the party quest, they could get the chance for the hidden ss. ¡®The problem is that Kaneda Shun will never hand it over.¡¯ If things continued like this, the Dark Lord would nevere out into the world. He had seen the power of the Dark Lord to his heart¡¯s content in his previous life. It was a pity for that power topletely disappear. ¡®But it¡¯s better than him getting it.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon, unlike Kaneda Shun, chose ¡®Stabilize the monster wave!¡¯. It wasn¡¯t just Kaneda Shun who had entered the royal pce. ¡®I¡¯m the first one to clear this quest in the royal pce.¡¯ Bruce Willis, who was once his colleague. He wasn¡¯t a traitor. He had died in a dungeon two years before his colleagues betrayed Jeong-Hoon. ¡°No¡­ There¡¯s no need for you to step up. I¡¯ll give instructions to my direct subordinate, so go and wait.¡± Ragan tried to refuse once Jeong-Hoon chose the option. ¡°Is this a situation where we have the luxury to argue about that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it, but¡­¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go for now. If it seems impossible, I¡¯ll run away.¡± ¡°Phew, you¡¯re quite stubborn.¡± The corners of Ragan¡¯s mouth twitched slightly. He hadn¡¯t expected him to volunteer to help. This was the first time he had seen such an outsider. Judging by his level alone, he didn¡¯t seem like he would be of much help, but it was better than nothing. If it seemed dangerous, he could just evacuate him before the battle started. [You have chosen an option.] [A quest has been generated.] A red question mark blinked above Ragan¡¯s head as he chose the option. [Hidden Quest: Stabilize the Monster Wave!] ¨C Restriction: Choose the ¡®Stabilize the monster wave!¡¯ option. ¨C Reward: ? (Varies depending on contribution) ¨C Description: Stabilize the sudden monster wave. The way to stabilize it was simple. Hunt all the monsters pouring out from the wave, leaving none behind. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°¡­Retreat immediately if it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go right away.¡± With those words, Ragan¡¯s information changed. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Ragan ¨C Level: 250 ¨C ss: M?rchen Kingdom Knight Commander === He wasn¡¯t just a knight, but the Knight Commander leading the Knights Temr. * * * The northern part of the royal pce was barrennd. As if the monster wave hadn¡¯t happened just once, there was no sign of life around. When the wave started, monsters poured out like a flood and attacked the wall. ¡°Barrier!¡± The mages residing in the royal pce gathered and created a barrier to protect the wall. Meanwhile, the knights surrounded the monsters. [Lv. 183 Blood Orc] Orcs reaching 3 meters tall and ogres evenrger at 4 meters. ¡°We have to stop the monsters from reaching the civilians!¡± The moment the Blood Orcs breached the wall and crossed over to the capital, the situation would take a turn for the worse. Buildings would copse, and the streets would be overflowing with corpses. In the past, there had been an incident where the defense against the wave had failed, and the M?rchen Kingdom had almost been destroyed, so they had to seed in defending even more. Knights with shields stood in the first row, facing the charging orcs. Behind them, archers shot arrows at the orcs. But the mana arrows couldn¡¯t even scratch the orcs¡¯ tough red skin. ¡°Humans! Get out of the way!¡± ¡°We will destroy the castle and kill all humans!¡± The orcs shouted loudly and charged at the knights. [The Blood Orcs use ¡®Morale Decrease¡¯.] [The Blood Orcs use ¡®Ferocity¡¯.] As the monsters used their special abilities, the morale of the knights decreased, and the orcs¡¯ aggressiveness doubled. ¡°Block them!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let them through!¡± The knights¡¯ faces hardened. Being breached here meant the end. At that moment, dozens of wind des sliced through the orcs¡¯ skin. ¡°Wind Cutter.¡± The mages on the wall cast Wind Cutter, helping the knights escape the crisis. ¡°Fireball.¡± The next prepared magic was Fireball. It wasn¡¯t the basic Fireball. It was a maximized Fireball, dozens of timesrger than a normal Fireball, and its condensed mana was iparable. A fireball as hot asva engulfed the Blood Orcs. ¡°Kraaagh!¡± ¡°Uwaaaagh!¡± The orcs screamed at the intense heat. But soon, the intense mes disappeared in an instant. [The Blood Orc Shaman uses ¡®Absorption¡¯.] The Blood Orc wasn¡¯t the only monster that emerged from the wave. [Lv. 200 Blood Orc Shaman] A Blood Orc Shaman, the boss of these monsters, was hiding. [The Blood Orc Shaman uses ¡®Release¡¯.] The shaman absorbed the massive Fireball the mages had prepared and used Release to send the magic back towards the wall. The barrier¡¯s damage instantly exceeded 50%. ¡°Rebuild the barrier!¡± The mages, not panicking at all, rebuilt the barrier and withstood the Fireball. It was an amazing disy ofposure. ¡°Now¡¯s the time!¡± ¡°Advance!¡± In that gap, the knights advanced and started to pressure the orcs. It was uneptable for the elite troops protecting the M?rchen Kingdom to be defeated by such monsters. ¡°Kekeke, foolish humans. Did you think you could defeat us with just this?¡± At that moment, a chilling voice reached their ears. At the same time, the Blood Orc Shaman used another ability. [The Blood Orc Shaman uses ¡®Rampage¡¯.] Rampage. [The level of the Lv. 183 Blood Orcs rapidly increases.] Along with the message that their levels were rapidly increasing, their sizes grewrger andrger. The orcs, who were 3 meters tall, grew to nearly 4.5 meters. [Lv. 211 Blood Orc] Their levels also increased by a whopping 28. ¡°This is ridiculous¡­¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± The knights¡¯ faces were filled with dismay. Their average level was 170. They had somehow managed to hold on when the enemies were level 183, but if they surpassed level 210, it was a different story. The slight chance of victory they had waspletely gone. That was when it happened. Whoosh! A sonic boom erupted from the top of the wall. It was the sound of air being ripped apart,pletely different from the sound of arrows before. And that arrow urately pierced the forehead of the boss shaman, who was inside the group of monsters. ¡°Keuk!¡± The monster pierced by the arrow screamed. That wasn¡¯t all. Whoosh! Several more arrows were shot in the same direction. [The Blood Orcs¡¯ Rampage stops.] The Blood Orcs¡¯ rampage stopped, and they returned to their original size. * * * When Jeong-Hoon arrived at the north wall with Ragan, the soldiers were confronting the monsters. Fortunately, they arrived in time, and there were no casualties yet. ¡°Commander!¡± One of the knights spotted Ragan and brightened up. ¡°You¡¯ve done well to hold on. I¡¯ll takemand from now on.¡± Ragan stepped forward and looked up at the top of the wall. There was an outsider there, taking out a bow and pulling the string. ¡®I¡¯ll go to the top of the wall.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon said to Ragan ¡®Huh? Why? You seem to be a martial artist.¡¯ To Ragan, he looked like a martial artist, not a mage. ¡®I am a martial artist, but I can also handle a bow.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon exined ¡®A bow¡­? No, the distance is too far, even if you can. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to join the archers?¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s nothing to lose, so please trust me just this once.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon said and headed towards the wall, parting ways with Ragan. ¡°¡­That¡¯s unbelievable archery.¡± Ragan thought to himself At first, he was doubtful, but the one who had just stopped the monsters¡¯ rampage was that outsider. To think he hunted the Blood Orc Shaman hiding with a bow. How could a martial artist have such archery skills? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t exin it. Whoosh! The outsider released the bowstring again and shot an arrow. The arrow urately hit the temple of the Blood Orc in front of Ragan. ¡°Keheuk!¡± The monster let out a dying scream and copsed. ¡°¡­Charge!¡± Raganmanded the knights and began to confront the monsters. And the mages prepared their magic while ncing at the outsider. The outsider who suddenly appeared, iming to be reinforcements, and started shooting arrows. At first, they wanted to kick him out immediately. How dare an outsider enter the sacred royal pce? But the arrow he shot killed the Blood Orc Shaman, turning the tide in favor of the M?rchen Kingdom. [You guys are going to wear me out! Stop staring!] Mukho shouted, displeased with their gazes. The problem was that his shouts didn¡¯t reach them. ¡®Be quiet. You¡¯re giving me a headache.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon also summoned Michael here. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The mages flinched as Michael appeared out of nowhere. ¡°Can you see the monsters down there?¡± ¡°Yes? Ah¡­ Um, they seem stronger than I thought?¡± ¡°Help them hunt.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Master, my level is still a bit low.¡± ¡°I think 164 is pretty high.¡± ¡°But those guys¡­ they¡¯re 20 levels higher than me.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°What if I go down there and get instantly killed¡­?¡± After taming Michael, he realized that this guy was definitely the type to pick on the weak and fear the strong. ¡°You just have to provide cover from behind, right?¡± ¡°Aha! That¡¯s true! Understood!¡± Only then did Michael go down. Michael, who went down, used necromancy to support the knights. ¡°Whoa! What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Is it a monster?!¡± The knights were terrified by the sudden appearance of the ghosts. ¡°You bastards! I came to help, and you¡¯re freaking out at the sight of my ghosts?! Go fight now!¡± Michael barked at the knights. [Rewards will be determined based on contribution.] The reason Jeong-Hoon had also summoned Michael was simple. It was because of the contribution. Even just Michael, as a summon, supporting the knights increased his contribution, so there was no reason not to summon him. ¡®Shall I hunt some too?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon stepped forward, pulled the bowstring, and aimed at a Blood Orc. The arrow shot out, drawing a parab and piercing the back of the Blood Orc¡¯s neck. ¡°Keheuk!¡± The monster grabbed the embedded arrow and froze. Jeong-Hoon shot another arrow, piercing its temple and ending its life. ¡°Waaaah!¡± ¡°Kill them!¡± The morale of the knights rose every time a monster fell. Under Ragan¡¯smand, the knights¡¯ swords shed through the monsters¡¯ flesh. ¡°Kraaagh!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t lose like this!¡± ¡°Kill the humans!¡± The Blood Orcs struggled and pushed the knights, but as time passed, it was they who were falling to the ground. ¡°The arrows! If it weren¡¯t for these arrows!¡± ¡°Those damn arrows! I can¡¯t move after getting hit by them!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use my abilities!¡± ¡°Uwaaagh! I¡¯m so angry!¡± The Blood Orcs cried out. The arrows that were flying now. They were just arrows, but once they hit, it was a critical wound. In the end, after an hour. Unlike their deration to kill the humans, not a single Blood Orc was left standing. [The 1st Wave is over.] [Your current contribution is 71.54%.] The contribution was disyed as the 1st Wave ended. ¡®Good. After the 2nd Wave ends, I¡¯ll easily surpass 75%.¡¯ 75%. It was the number required to receive the maximum reward for this quest. Chapter 112 Chapter 112 The 1st Wave had ended sessfully. Ragan wiped the blood off his sword and returned to his unit. ¡°Commander!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you toote?¡± ¡°Oh my, I thought my neck was going to fall off from waiting.¡± The unit members greeted Ragan with yful smiles. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry. For something like this to happen while I was away.¡± Themander wasn¡¯t there when it mattered most. He had no excuse, even if he had ten mouths. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s all because the vicemander dragged you away, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. They said an outsider with the mark appeared?¡± The reason Knight Commander Ragan had personally moved was because of the mark. ¡°By the way, is that outsider up there the one who brought the mark?¡± One of the unit members, sitting on a rock and catching his breath, pointed to the outsider on the wall. The outsider who had shown crazy archery skills. If it weren¡¯t for him, more than half of the people breathing here would be cold corpses. ¡°Yes.¡± Ragan nodded. ¡°Hmm? Do you have any questions for my master?¡± At that moment, an unfamiliar man suddenly intervened. ¡°Whoa!¡± ¡°Who are you?!¡± The unit members pointed their weapons at the man. The man was startled and raised both hands. ¡°Ack! You damn bastards! I was working hard to cover you from behind, and you¡¯re trying to repay me with a sword?!¡± ¡°Cover¡­?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Don¡¯t tell me that monster-like thing was¡­¡± Michael nodded quickly. Only then did the unit members realize that it was Michael¡¯s ability. They lowered their weapons. ¡°Phew.¡± Michael finally breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°But how did you get into the royal pce? It¡¯s not a ce where outsiders can enter freely.¡± Ragan asked, looking Michael up and down. The royal pce consisted of double walls. The ce they were currently in was between the walls. It wasn¡¯t a ce where outsiders could enter freely. ¡°Ah, I just helped for a moment on my master¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Yes. The person up there is my master.¡± ¡°Is he a summoner¡­?¡± ¡°Ahem, in a way, you¡¯re right.¡± Ragan chuckled. He had heard that there were tamers who handled summons. But he hadn¡¯t expected this outsider to have tamer abilities as well. ¡®What the hell is his identity?¡¯ He looked like a martial artist, yet he had crazy archery skills and evenmanded a ghost summon. At this point, he was very curious about the outsider¡¯s identity. But there was no time to be lost in thought. [The 2nd Wave begins.] The 2nd Wave was announced not long after the 1st Wave ended. * * * The monster of the 2nd Wave was a ck King Ogre. [Lv. 220 ck King Ogre] The ck King Ogre boasted a massive size, iparable to the orcs. ¡®It looks like it¡¯s about 8 meters tall.¡¯ And there was only one monster. It meant that it was the final monster of this wave. The ck King Ogre bared its fangs at the sight of the orcs scattered around. ¡°How dare you do this to my minions!¡± [The ck King Ogre uses ¡®Rage¡¯.] [All stats are greatly decreased.] [The ck King Ogre¡¯s stats are greatly increased.] The ck King Ogre¡¯s level rapidly increased to 250. ¡°This is crazy¡­¡± One of the mages watching from behind muttered with a dumbfounded expression. [Lv. 250 ck King Ogre] That wasn¡¯t the ogre¡¯s only special ability. [The ck King Ogre uses ¡®Intimidation¡¯.] As it activated Intimidation, everyone felt their bodies freeze. Ragan, who was confronting it from below, was no exception. ¡®It¡¯s strong¡­¡¯ Ragan¡¯s level was 250. Although they were at the same level, Ragan¡¯s stats had been greatly decreased, dropping to the level of 220. In that state, facing the ogre head-on was like walking into certain death. ¡®What a joke.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon scoffed and pulled the bowstring. ck King Ogre. Needless to say, it was one of the monsters he had hunted countless times. He also knew that it had those two special abilities. If Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t have Anima, it would have been a tough monster to deal with at his current level. But now Jeong-Hoon had Anima, and additionally, he had a skill. === [Extreme Archer: Soul] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Level: 3 ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Bow damage is permanently increased by 22%. (Critical Arrow always activated) ¨C Physical/Magic evasion is permanently increased by 12%. ¨C When holding a bow, breathing is not disrupted and body tremors are minimized. ¨C When holding a bow, vision is secured up to 520m. ¨C Enemies hit by arrows are incapacitated for 3.2 seconds. (Cannot be stacked) ¨C Enemies hit by arrows have their abilities sealed for 7.4 seconds. (Cannot be stacked) === Extreme Archer, leveled up to 3. Jeong-Hoon released the bowstring he had drawn, and the arrow flew in a parabolic arc. The arrow urately pierced the ogre¡¯s chest. [The ck King Ogre is incapacitated.] [The ck King Ogre¡¯s abilities are temporarily sealed.] The special ability of Extreme Archer was the reason why the monsters couldn¡¯t regain their senses after being hit by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s arrows. Naturally, the ogre wasn¡¯t exempt either. With its abilities sealed, the stats of those whose stats had been lowered recovered, and the ogre¡¯s stats naturally returned to normal. ¡®I¡¯ll finish it off in this gap.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again and released it. This time, the arrow urately pierced the ogre¡¯s right eye. The eyes were a part that couldn¡¯t be trained in any way. The ogre screamed as its eye was pierced. ¡°Kuwaaaaaaaaaaagh!¡± It tried to raise its arm, but its body wouldn¡¯t move. Jeong-Hoon quickly pulled the bowstring again and released it. This time, the arrow pierced the ogre¡¯s left eye. At the same time, 3.2 seconds passed, and the ogre, freed from incapacitation, rubbed its eyes with its arm. But it couldn¡¯t recover its already damaged eyes. ¡°Human! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± It roared and raged. ¡®How noisy.¡¯ This time, the arrow urately pierced the back of its neck. ¡°Keuk!¡± Hit in a vital spot, the monster screamed and knelt. ¡°Now¡¯s the time! Attack!¡± Ragan led the knights and attacked the ogre. [The ck King Ogre uses ¡®Lion¡¯s Roar¡¯.] The ogre opened its mouth wide and activated Lion¡¯s Roar. The ability seal duration had ended. ¨C Roooooar! The sonic boom that ripped through the air struck everyone¡¯s ears. ¡°Kuaagh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Ragan and the knights copsed on the spot, clutching their ears. Their eardrums had burst. ¡°Uuugh¡­¡± ¡°It prated the barrier¡­¡± The mages and archers were also in pain. Unlike the knights, they hadn¡¯t trained their bodies at all, so even though they were far away, their eardrums had burst from the Lion¡¯s Roar. ¡°He¡¯s quite tough.¡± Of course, Jeong-Hoon was fine. This was because he had activated Vajra Body, which he had obtained from the magic stone embedded in Mukho. His defense and evasion had doubled, so he could easily withstand Lion¡¯s Roar. ¡°He¡¯s stronger than I thought.¡± Anima, who had been silently watching, spoke for the first time. ¡°You were there?¡± ¡°¡­I was trying to be quiet so I wouldn¡¯t disturb your concentration.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Using Lion¡¯s Roar means it¡¯s almost over.¡± The ck King Ogre had three abilities. Rage, Intimidation. And Lion¡¯s Roar. Lion¡¯s Roar was an ability it rarely used because it required all of its mana. Therefore, it only used Lion¡¯s Roar when it was cornered, except in rare cases. To defend against Lion¡¯s Roar, you needed to have a defense far exceeding the ogre¡¯s stats. It was natural for everyone except Jeong-Hoon to be in pain. ¡®Michael should be fine since I sent him back as soon as the ogre appeared.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring onest time. ¡°Krrrl¡­ Human¡­ Why won¡¯t you die¡­?¡± The ogre gritted its teeth, looking around. Its eyes were blinded, so it couldn¡¯t locate Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Because you¡¯re weak.¡± With a clear answer, he released the bowstring he had pulled. The arrow shot out and pierced the ogre¡¯s neck once again. ¡°Keuheok!¡± The ogre mmed its head into the ground. [The 2nd Wave is over.] [Your current contribution is 88.93%.] [You are the first to exceed 80% contribution. You have been awarded 30,000 achievement points!] The 2nd Wave was over. His contribution was 88%. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth rose. * * * His eardrums had burst. Ragan, in pain, stood in front of his unit members, facing the ogre. He would protect his subordinates no matter what. But the ogre didn¡¯t attack them. No, it couldn¡¯t. Thud. The ogre¡¯s massive body fell forward and didn¡¯t move. It was dead. [The 2nd Wave is over.] ¡°I-It¡¯s over!¡± ¡°It¡¯s over¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Really.¡± The unit members were overjoyed, even though they were in pain, at the news that the 2nd Wave was over. This was because not a single unit member had died since the wave started. ¡°Wait. It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Ragan slowly approached the ogre, his sword pointed at it. There was always a chance. Four years ago, when the wave urred. At that time too, a message popped up saying that the wave was over after the boss monster¡¯s breath was cut off. So he had been relieved, but the monster was able to move for about 10 seconds even though its breath had been cut off. ¡°Keuheok!¡± That 10 seconds. Ragan had lost hisrade, Howl, right there and then. So he couldn¡¯t let his guard down. Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab! Ragan¡¯s sword pierced the ogre¡¯s heart five times. ¡®It¡¯s not moving at all. It¡¯spletely dead.¡¯ Only then did Ragan dere the situation over. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jeong-Hoon, who had been on the wall, also joined them below. But his eardrums had burst, so his voice didn¡¯t reach Ragan. [Using Intermediate Healing.] The energy of Intermediate Healing seeped into Ragan¡¯s ears, and his ruptured eardrums slowly regenerated. And he was able to hear Jeong-Hoon¡¯s voice. ¡°When did youe down?¡± ¡°While you were repeatedly stabbing the ogre¡¯s heart.¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ I was just making sure the monster was really dead.¡± ¡°Yes. I think it¡¯s a good method.¡± It must have been a few years ago from now. Bruce Willis, who was the first to attempt the royal pce quest. At that time, he was level 282 and had entered the royal pce through Ragan, the Knight Commander, and participated in the monster wave, achieving a 79% contribution. But in the process, the boss monster, even though it was clearly dead, suddenly moved and killed one of the knights. That was probably why Ragan was doing this. ¡°¡­Thank you for understanding.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± An exmation mark blinked above Ragan¡¯s head. [Questpleted.] [Your contribution has exceeded 75%.] [You can receive the maximum reward.] [Receive your reward from King Kaiserk V.] The quest reward could be received from King Kaiserk V. * * * The barrier spread between the royal pce and the north gate. It was a barrier that the royal mages had set up before departing for the north gate. Thanks to that, even though the monster wave urred, no one in the royal pce was harmed. Among them was King Kaiserk V. As monster waves urred periodically, he was very familiar with evacuations. ¡°Your Majesty, the situation has been resolved!¡± ¡°Is that so? Then let¡¯s go back quickly.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± It was a monster wave that had happened once before. Kaiserk V returned to the pce familiarly. And soon after, the knights and royal mages returned. Their condition was very clean considering they had just fought a monster wave. ¡°Hmm? It seems this wave was easy?¡± Kaiserk V asked, weing Knight Commander Ragan. ¡°It was an easy battle thanks to the outsider. The outsider alone filled nearly 90% of the contribution in this wave, so we didn¡¯t have much to do.¡± The hall buzzed with excitement at Ragan¡¯s words. ¡°What¡­? The outsider alone did 90%?¡± ¡°That means he practically did it all by himself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy¡­¡± But they soon fell silent. Kaiserk V gestured for them to be quiet. ¡°It¡¯s a bit noisy. Ragan, continue.¡± ¡°Yes. And the outsider also brought the Mark of M?rchen. I checked it myself before letting him in.¡± ¡°I see. Outsider who has made a great contribution, step forward!¡± Kaiserk V opened his eyes wide and hurriedly looked for Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon, who was mixed in among the knights, stepped forward. ¡°I greet Your Majesty.¡± Kaiserk V was pleased to receive the greeting from the outsider who bowed politely. ¡°It¡¯s you. Is it true that you brought the Mark of M?rchen?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out the mark and handed it to Ragan, who breathed mana into it, just as he had done before. A hologram formed, and the seal of M?rchen appeared. It was definitely the Mark of the M?rchen Kingdom. ¡°Luke! Give this benefactor my best reward and escort him to the reception room.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± His adjutant, Luke, approached Jeong-Hoon. The reward must be the pond that only the king could enter. But Jeong-Hoon had no intention of ending the conversation here. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± Jeong-Hoon raised his hand and stopped Luke, who was approaching. Kaiserk V tilted his head at his action. ¡°Hmm? Do you have anything else to say?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Luke, step back for a moment.¡± At hismand, Luke stepped back again. Now that he could talk again, Jeong-Hoon got straight to the point. ¡°I have some questions about where I got the mark.¡± ¡°Questions?¡± ¡°I got this mark from a circus troupe that was openly operating in the capital.¡± Isn¡¯t that a bit strange? Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes were asking that question. Kaiserk V¡¯s lips twitched at the gaze directed at him. Soon, a new question mark blinked above his head. Chapter 113 Chapter 113 [Hidden Quest: Reward Enhancement] ¨C Restriction: Complete the quest ¡°Stabilize the Monster Wave and Be a Hero¡± ¨C Reward: Reward Enhancement ¨C Description: Report the fact that the circus troupe had the mark. ¡®Ah, I went to the pond, but I didn¡¯t get anything good. Epic was the highest.¡¯ The ¡®pond¡¯ in the M?rchen Kingdom wasn¡¯t something Jeong-Hoon had discovered first. Bruce Willis. He was the first user to visit the pond in the early days of the game. And he had obtained an Epic consumable from this pond. He had been quite disappointed to receive only an Epic consumable despite his dazzling performance. Bruce Willis had informed the early users of this fact, and thanks to that, the pond was neglected by users. But there was one fact they had overlooked. ¡®Mentioning the mark was the final step.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words were the same as saying that the circus troupe in the middle of the M?rchen Kingdom was keeping the mark. Wasn¡¯t it too contrived? The reason was simple. This was a test. The mark wasn¡¯t a treasure of the kingdom, but a device created by New World to qualify for the royal pce quest. If Bruce Willis had figured out this device and mentioned it, he would have been given a chance to obtain an even better item than an Epic consumable. ¡°Yes. I was thinking that this mark might be a tool to test people like us, outsiders.¡± Jeong-Hoon, who had epted the quest, immediately hit the nail on the head. Kaiserk V was momentarily stunned, then burst into heartyughter and confessed. ¡°Haha! You¡¯re right. It was indeed a device I intentionally created.¡± ¡°As expected¡­¡± ¡°I apologize. We need some verification for those who enter the royal pce.¡± Jeong-Hoon nced at Ragan. Ragan avoided Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes, as if he already knew. The faces of the rest, except for a few, were filled with shock. ¡®It seems like only a few, including Ragan, knew about this.¡¯ He now understood why Ragan had personallye to the stable. Jeong-Hoon smiled. ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I thought there might be someone who stole the mark and kept it.¡± ¡°What would you have done if there was?¡± ¡°I would have gone there immediately and beaten them up to retrieve all the marks.¡± It was a remark full of heroism. Ragan seemed deeply impressed by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words, his face filled with emotion. The same was true for the knights. Some of them even apuded softly. [Ugh, look at his acting. The stench of his feet is making me nauseous.] Mukho was still eager to get on people¡¯s nerves. ¡®You¡¯re going through a lot¡­ I couldn¡¯t tter them even with such poor acting.¡¯ Anima consoled Jeong-Hoon with pity. For some reason, Anima¡¯s constion felt even worse. ¡°Hehe, thank you, but there¡¯s no need for that.¡± An exmation mark blinked above Kaiserk V¡¯s head. [Questpleted.] [Rewards are enhanced.] Done. With this, I can aim for even higher grade items. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. Manager Oh Jin-Soo dropped the coffee he was holding. ¡°He broke the record¡­¡± At his words, the employees, who had been frozen like broken machines, eximed in unison. ¡°Wow! He¡¯s close to 90%!¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡± Entering the M?rchen Kingdom royal pce. Various users from the Korean server had entered the royal pce so far. And they all left the pce after experiencing the bitterness of the monster wave quest. This was because no further quests were given after receiving a small reward. ¡°The highest record was 79%. And he was the only one who visited the ¡®pond¡¯ that only the king could enter!¡± The pond. It was known as a pond that only one user had ever visited. A ce where you could get a new item by dropping an item into the pond. It was like a pond created based on Korean folklore. However, this pond didn¡¯t receive a very good evaluation. ¡®Epic grade consumable.¡¯ Even after showing an amazing performance in the monster wave and achieving a crazy contribution of 79%, it was only an Epic grade consumable. Moreover, the consumable was a one-time use item that temporarily increased all stats by 1.3 times. The result was too poorpared to the effort, so it was inevitable that it would receive a bad evaluation. But the thoughts of Manager Oh Jin-Soo and the management team staff were different. ¡°That reward was upgraded, right¡­?¡± ¡°It seems like it¡­?¡± ¡°Crazy¡­ To think that even mentioning the origin of the mark was part of the process of getting the reward.¡± The fact that the reward was enhanced meant that they could get at least an Epic grade or higher item. Since the user had only shown shocking scenes so far, he was sure to cause another incident this time as well. ¡°Huh? But why is there coffee here¡­?¡± ¡°Oh my! Manager! What are you doing spilling coffee here?!¡± The staff, who had been distracted by the monitor, finally realized that Oh Jin-Soo had spilled coffee and screamed. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Oh Jin-Soo apologized btedly, but the staff didn¡¯t ept his apology. ¡°No! Now¡¯s not the time to apologize!¡± The problem was that he had spilled it on the table. They hurriedly brought a mop and cleaned up the coffee-drenched items like the keyboard, mousepad, and books on the table. * * * Jeong-Hoon, who had been waiting in the reception room for a while, visited the pond under the guidance of Kaiserk V. It wasn¡¯t much different from an ordinary pond, but the water inside was shining golden. ¡°It¡¯s a blessed pond.¡± ¡°Blessed?¡± ¡°Yes. But of course, to receive that blessing, you need to pay a price.¡± ¡°I see.¡± This was already a known fact. The pond wasn¡¯t simply a ce to snatch up fortuitous encounters. ¡®Equivalent Exchange.¡¯ It was a ce for ¡®transactions,¡¯ where items of equal value could be exchanged. ¡®Why do you think I settled for an Epic-grade consumable? It¡¯s because I would have had to give up something of equal value to get anything better.¡¯ At the time, Bruce Willis didn¡¯t have any items he was willing to part with. So, he ended up throwing a meaningless Epic item into the pond and getting a consumable item in return. ¡°Then, take this.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Kaiserk V handed Jeong-Hoon a pouch. Inside the pouch was a small amount of golden powder. [Golden Powder] ¨C Type: Consumable ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Sprinkling Golden Powder into the M?rchen Pond will increase the maximum exchange reward to Unique grade. It was a reward forpleting the quest. ¡°This Golden Powder is given to a hero with a contribution rate of 75% or higher, and who is conscientious enough to report the source of the token.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°I hope you get good results.¡± Kaiserk V stepped aside so Jeong-Hoon could focus. With this, Jeong-Hoon was left alone at the pond. ¡®Shall we begin then?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon carefully sprinkled the golden powder from the pouch into the pond. The water, which had been transparently clear, instantly shimmered with a golden light. [The reward is enhanced.] [You can acquire up to a Unique grade item.] A message appeared, stating that the reward had been enhanced. The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth lifted. [What are you going to discard?] ¡®I¡¯m curious too.¡¯ Mukho and Anima expressed strong curiosity. They were wondering what item Jeong-Hoon would offer for the equivalent exchange. ¡°Shall I throw you in?¡± A yful impulse suddenly arose. Jeong-Hoon seemed ready to cast Mukho aside at any moment. [Argh! Are you out of your mind?! What are you doing?!] Mukho was terrified. ¡°If you make the sacrifice, it¡¯ll give me an item of equal value, right?¡± [This is absurd! Am I just another item to you?!] ¡°Well, you¡¯re a bit different.¡± [¡­Exactly! So if you¡¯re going to do it, do it to that Anima bastard!] ¡°I can¡¯t do that to Anima.¡± Even in his current state, where he couldn¡¯t fully unleash his power, Anima disyed this level of capability. Considering Anima¡¯s potential when his power was fully restored, he was an indispensable partner for Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Heh, he has a good eye, after all.¡¯ [Bullshit. He can¡¯t even tell the difference between shit and miso soup¡­] Mukho was visibly sulking. He might have lost his powers due to a long period of being sealed, but his capabilities were in no way inferior to Anima¡¯s. ¡°I was just teasing. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d abandon you guys.¡± They were his reliable allies who would never betray him. Jeong-Hoon had already decided what item he would exchange at the pond. It was a title item lying dormant in the corner of his inventory. [Recognized by the Instructor] ¨C Type: Unique Title ¨C Grade: Rare ¨C Increases the effect of martial arts-rted passive skills by 3%. ¨C Increases the effect of martial arts-rted active skills by 3%. It was a unique title he had earned by winning a sparring match against Instructor Altio of the Martial Arts Hall. ¡®A unique title¡­ If I had used it at the pond, I could have gotten an item ofparable value.¡¯ Bruce Willister regretted not using the unique title for the equivalent exchange at the pond. He btedly realized that regardless of grade, as long as one had a unique title, they could get the best reward from this pond. The pond could only be entered once, and Bruce had already entered it once this time. So now it was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s turn. ¡°I can finally use this.¡± Although its grade was low, the unique title was top-tier in terms of rarity. In a pond that emphasized rarity, there was no better item to offer. Jeong-Hoon threw the title item into the pond. The pond turned golden, and an old man suddenly emerged from it. ¡°Oh! This one has quite a rare item!¡± The old man¡¯s face was filled with a bright smile, seemingly pleased with the unique title. ¡®When I threw in the item, the old man¡¯s expression waspletely sour¡­ He was so grumpy. Well, then they shouldn¡¯t have set the maximum reward as Epic grade.¡¯ The reaction was 180 degrees different from what Bruce Willis had described. ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like to exchange it for an appropriate item.¡± ¡°Hmm, alright. The grade¡­ isn¡¯t quite to my liking, but it¡¯s still a one-of-a-kind item, so I¡¯ll exchange it for something suitable.¡± The old man pondered for a moment, then snapped his fingers. A stream of water shot up from the pond, and an item floated on top of it. It was an item in the form of a skill book. === [Skill Book: Plunder (One-Time Use)] ¨C Type: Skill Book ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Using the skill book will allow you to acquire ¡®Plunder (One-Time Use)¡¯. === ¡®Plunder¡­? I can¡¯t believe this is appearing here.¡¯ Plunder. It was an item that Jeong-Hoon had only barely managed to find traces of in his previous life. And now, that item was right before his eyes. However, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t give in to greed. The moment greed entered his heart, the old man would sense his emotions and instantly take the position of advantage. He had to remember that this was, after all, a transaction. ¡°I offered a unique title, and you¡¯re only giving me a skill book?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked with a sullen expression. The old man scoffed. ¡°Ha, what a naive youngster. Do you even know what that is?¡± ¡°I have a rough idea. Isn¡¯t it a skill that allows you to steal other people¡¯s belongings?¡± Plunder. A skill that allows you to steal items below Unique grade. It was such an absurdly overpowered skill that it was considered to exist only in theory, not in reality, and was thought to be an item that shouldn¡¯t exist. ¡°You know it well. But are you trying to say it¡¯s not satisfactory?¡± Irritation shed in the old man¡¯s eyes. If he understood the value of the skill, even if it was one-time use, he wouldn¡¯t react that way. ¡®Damn, this one¡¯s quite clever.¡¯ Especially the martial arts uniform he was wearing. The old man recognized at a nce that it wasn¡¯t an ordinary uniform. If someone like him had a unique title, it meant he must have other decent items as well. A formidable opponent had arrived. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Tsk, so what do you want?¡± Having made his assessment, the old man changed his attitude and asked what he wanted. In this equivalent exchange, the old man was the one at a disadvantage. He wasn¡¯t particrly fond of one-time-use items in the first ce. The fact that they disappeared after one use was a major drawback. However, that wasn¡¯t the case with unique titles. They wouldn¡¯t disappear no matter what, and the same title couldn¡¯t be acquired again. That fact alone made it impossible for the old man to give up on the unique title that had just been offered. ¡°One is not enough. Give me another Plunder.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Chapter 114 Chapter 114 He had thought there would only be one Plunder. However, the traces Jeong-Hoon had seen in his past life weren¡¯t of one, but two. This meant that the old man had not one, but two Plunders. ¡®That¡¯s probably why he yed the Plunder card from the beginning.¡¯ The old man was a collector. For a collector like him to readily give up Plunder, even if it was one-time use, in exchange for a unique title, it meant there must be another Plunder. As evidence, the old man¡¯s face hardened. ¡°So you really do have another one?¡± ¡°¡­Huh, what an audacious little brat. You¡¯re asking for not one, but two of these, in exchange for that Rare-grade title?¡± ¡°Just a Rare-grade, you say? It¡¯s a unique title. There are currently only five unique titles in New World.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°If I don¡¯t make this trade, the chances of you encountering that title again are close to zero, right?¡± That damn brat! But the old man couldn¡¯t refute it. It was all true. ¡°¡­Alright. But two Plunders is a bit difficult. How about we settle for one Plunder and something else?¡± He couldn¡¯t give up all of his Plunders. That would defeat the purpose of collecting them. ¡°Hmm¡­ Then give me that. Leviathan.¡± Jeong-Hoon mentioned the item that was his original goal. The reason he wanted to enter this pond. ¡°¡­And the other item?¡± ¡°Nothing else.¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± The old man deliberately let out a long sigh. Butpared to giving up two Plunders, Leviathan was an eptablepromise. His contemtion didn¡¯tst long. The old man nodded and snapped his fingers once more. Another stream of water shot up, and a blue sword appeared. === [Leviathan] ¨C Type: One-handed Sword ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Attack Power: 158 ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 2 ~ 2.25% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): 5% chance to trigger Leviathan¡¯s Wrath when swinging the sword ¨C Special Ability (2): [Passive: Enhanced Courageous Spirit] automatically activates when holding the sword === The Unique-grade Leviathan was a sword. Although Jeong-Hoon had used swords a few times, he mostly relied on his fists and bow. However, there woulde a time when he would have to use a sword. ¡®Also, like Anima, it¡¯s a weapon that can be upgraded to Legendary.¡¯ Leviathan, like the Tyrant Titan, was a weapon that could only be obtained by clearing various quests. And one of the materials needed to obtain Leviathan was the title he had received from Altio. The title he had received from Altio wasn¡¯t just given for being recognized by him. It required additional recognition from three other instructors, gathering various materials, andpleting a quest by finding a specific NPC. Even Jeong-Hoon was seeing it in person for the first time. ¡®I only learned that it could be upgraded to a higher grade through myrades.¡¯ Like Plunder, Leviathan had also been discovered in a broken, unusable state. It was Damian Loud, known as the Record Keeper, who had analyzed Leviathan. ¡®It seems to have been in the M?rchen Kingdom?¡¯ Damian Loud was a Record Keeper of a grade surpassing Legendary. Therefore, he had urately grasped everything, including the item¡¯s origin and crafting method. ¡®Wait a minute¡­ M?rchen?¡¯ It was Bruce Willis who reacted to that. ¡®Yeah. It seems like an item that had been stored for a long time in the pond at the royal pce.¡¯ ¡®Damn it! If only the maximum wasn¡¯t Epic grade, I would have gotten that!¡¯ As if his prediction had been correct, Bruce Willis cursed. It was natural for him to be angry, having left with only an Epic-grade consumable when such an item was hidden there. Anyway, now that he had acquired Leviathan and Plunder, there was no need to keep the title he had received from Altio any longer. ¡°Alright. These two seem to be enough.¡± ¡°¡­Such a daylight robber!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a unique title, you know. I need to get this much to make it worthwhile.¡± ¡°Worthwhile?! You¡¯re kidding me! Don¡¯t evere back here again!¡± The old man, looking thoroughly fed up, returned to the pond. * * * Eastern field of the M?rchen Kingdom. Slice. Ha-Jin¡¯s sword diligently cut through the heads of Lv.158 Dark Snakes. ¡°Shhk!¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Why do these monsters have to look so scary?¡± Dark Snakes were snake-like monsters, characterized by their ck spots. Their fangs were venomous, of course. And the gas emitted from their spots inflicted debuffs on their opponents, so the strategy was to quickly sever their weak point, the neck. Despite his fear, Ha-Jin didn¡¯t stop hunting. He knew that if he hesitated, he would be the one to suffer. ¡°Hey.¡± While he was diligently hunting, someone called out to Ha-Jin from behind. ¡°Huh?¡± Ha-Jin hunted another Dark Snake in front of him and jumped onto a rock to temporarily escape from them. Then he looked at the person who had called him. But they weren¡¯t alone. ¡®What the, who are those guys?¡¯ There were three of them. Among them was a face that seemed vaguely familiar. ¡°Man, we¡¯ve been looking all over for you.¡± He said with a grin towards Ha-Jin. ¡°¡­The guy who got wrecked by Hoon in the party quest?¡± He remembered. The opponent he first encountered in the battle royale during the party quest with Jeong-Hoon. The guy who repeatedly tried to attack Jeong-Hoon, iming he had to win this quest. But he got soundly beaten by Jeong-Hoon and was eliminated. Could they be here for revenge? The situation was bing clear. [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hoon, it¡¯s the Japanese guy I got wrecked by in the party quest. He¡¯s here for revenge.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Where are you now?] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hold on!] While Ha-Jin was sending the whisper, a smirk crept across Kaneda Shun¡¯s face. ¡°Yeah. Hurry up and call that bastard over.¡± The guy who blocked his path to a Hidden ss. Kaneda Shun was determined to eliminate him right here and now. He would kill him, kill him, and kill him again until he was permanently banned. That wouldn¡¯tpletely quell his anger, but it would at least render the Hidden ss useless, so it would be a fair payback. ¡°Should we hold this guy down for now?¡± One of Masahiro¡¯s guild members suggested. ¡°Hold him.¡± Kaneda nodded. Ha-Jin raised his middle finger. ¡°Fuck off, you assholes!¡± ¡°Has he lost his mind?¡± ¡°He¡¯s an interesting one.¡± But his provocation had no effect. ¡®Can¡¯t help it. Gotta run.¡¯ Ha-Jin turned and started running towards the portal on the other side. ¡°Catch him!¡± Just as the chase between Ha-Jin and Kaneda Shun¡¯s group was about to begin. The mage cast a capture spell he had prepared in advance, trapping Ha-Jin. ¡°Ugh!¡± A made of magical energy enveloped Ha-Jin. Ha-Jin struggled to break free, but the opposing mage¡¯s level was over 210. It was impossible for Ha-Jin, at level 180, to escape with his magic power. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him, just keep him.¡± Kaneda Shun¡¯s target was Jeong-Hoon, the one who had humiliated him. ¡°Will that be okay¡­? What if he calls for help from his guild¡­?¡± If he called for help from his guild, they would be in trouble. After all, yers from the Japanese server were currently in Korea, attacking other yers. ¡°Then we kill him and run.¡± He had been scouring the M?rchen Kingdom, searching for the one who had messed with him. That¡¯s how he had found Ha-Jin. If Ha-Jin showed any signs of calling for help from his guild, he would kill him immediately and leave. And he would relentlessly pursue Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Understood.¡± As per Kaneda Shun¡¯s orders, the guild members took cover behind various terrain features, waiting for Jeong-Hoon. And not long after, Jeong-Hoon appeared in the field. He was alone, without anypanions. ¡°Hoon!¡± Ha-Jin, spotting Jeong-Hoon, called out to him urgently. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°What about Ho-Yeong? He¡¯sing with you, right?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m alone.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon silently red at Kaneda Shun. He had already anticipated that the guy woulde back for him. But he never expected him to target Ha-Jin first. ¡®No, did he find Ha-Jin while looking for me?¡¯ Judging by the fact that Ha-Jin was captured alive instead of being killed, thetter seemed to be the correct answer. Either way, Kaneda Shun. He came at the perfect time. Thanks to him, he didn¡¯t have to go looking for him. [Master, there are many guys hiding around.] ¡®It seems like there are about 20 of them¡­ What are you going to do?¡¯ ¡®What else can I do?¡¯ Of course, he have to take them all down. Jeong-Hoon took out Anima and held it in his hand. Although he had obtained Leviathan, it couldn¡¯t match Anima¡¯s efficiency at long range. ¡°Pfft, a martial artist wants to use a bow? What kind of trick are you trying to pull?¡± Kaneda Shun mocked Jeong-Hoon. Ignoring him, Jeong-Hoon drew the bowstring, aimed at the mage next to Kaneda Shun, and released. Whoosh! The fired arrow arced through the air and struck the barrier the mage had prepared. The barrier shattered like ss in an instant. ¡°What the hell!¡± A curse escaped the mage¡¯s lips. He had set up a double barrier just in case. And that barrier was pierced by a single arrow. Then another arrow was shot at him. Thud! With the sound of something piercing into flesh, he lost consciousness. ¡°In his head¡­¡± One of the guild members muttered. The arrow had urately pierced the mage¡¯s forehead. === [Dragon Anima Bone Bow (+1)] ¨C Type: Bow ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Attack Power: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) (1.2x applied) ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 10 ~ 15% ¨C Damage reduction due to level difference is decreased. (Legendary exclusive) ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): Infinite magic arrows are generated. (Magic arrow damage increased by 10%) ¨C Special Ability (2): Low chance to apply a random debuff when an arrow hits. (Debuff chance slightly increased) ¨C Special Ability (3): ¡®Passive: ck me¡¯ is triggered randomly. (1%) ¨C Special Ability (4): Ancient Dragon¡¯s Power is applied. (Skill registration possible) ¨C Remaining Enhancement Attempts: 19 === Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t registered thest special ability yet. He was confident that he could toy with them all even without it. However, upon hearing the news that Kaneda Shun was targeting Ha-Jin, he hurriedly registered a new skill. That skill was Dragon Void. [Dragon Void] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C 2% chance to nullify all skills thate into contact with the arrow. ¨C Does not activate if the level difference is too great. (Maximum 50) Dragon Void, with a 2% chance to nullify skills. Luckily, that 2% chance had just triggered on the arrow. [Master! Two of them are hiding behind that rock.] ¡®Okay.¡¯ This time, Jeong-Hoon manifested Magic Missile. Magic Missile had homing properties, so it could hit even those hiding behind the rock. ¡°What the?!¡± ¡°He can use magic too?¡± The mages, looking bewildered, deployed Lightning Missile in response. When Lightning Missile and Magic Missile collided, a massive explosion urred, and both disappeared without a trace. At that moment, two guild members who had been hiding jumped out and charged at Jeong-Hoon. They held small daggers in their hands. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon prepared to unleash Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st form. Their movements were unusual due to their high levels, but Jeong-Hoon had faced countless opponents even stronger than them. Moreover, their attack patterns were too simple. It meant they had been relying solely on their levels and equipment for hunting. Jeong-Hoon easily dodged their attacks andnded consecutive blows with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st form on their vital points. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The two instantly fell to their knees. ¡°What the hell!¡± A shocked voice came from the bushes. Jeong-Hoon had long since grasped their numbers with his keen senses. Exactly 20, excluding Kaneda himself. ¡®Kaneda, you brought quite a crowd.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought It seemed he was quite resentful about being blocked from the Hidden ss path. A crooked smile formed on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. [ckfield is activated.] In that case, he needed to get serious too. The level of ckfield had currently risen to 4. As the level increased, the field¡¯s radius doubled. Everyone, including Kaneda, was inevitably caught within the current ckfield¡¯s range. The ground turned ck, and human arms grabbed the legs of everyone, including Kaneda. [All stats are increased by 1.2x.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that have entered the area are decreased by 3%.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s stats increased, while the stats of those who entered ckfield decreased. ¡°W-wait, what¡¯s happening?!¡± ¡°Damn it, what kind of trick is this?!¡± It wasn¡¯t over yet. Jeong-Hoon also used his stat-boosting ring. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [Time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] Jeong-Hoon drew the bowstring, holding Anima. This time, he aimed at the swordsman on Kaneda¡¯s left and fired. Both Kaneda and the swordsman were holding shields, and the swordsman tried to block the arrow with his shield. However, the destructive power of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s arrow, amplified by all the buffs, was beyond imagination. [The steel shield is rapidly deteriorating.] [Current damage: 74%] With a single arrow, the shield¡¯s durability dropped by 74%. Jeong-Hoon fired another arrow without hesitation, and the shield shattered, unable to withstand it. The arrow pierced through the chest of the swordsman who had been holding the shield. ¡°Gah!¡± As the swordsman doubled over from the impact, another arrow flew and pierced his head, killing him instantly. ¡°Crazy¡­ How can he shoot so well¡­?¡± Those who witnessed it were dumbfounded by his unbelievable archery skills. He¡¯s a martial artist, right? How could a martial artist be so skilled with a bow? ¡°Attack him all at once!¡± ¡°This damn bastard!¡± When the guild member next to Kaneda fell, more than ten people rushed Jeong-Hoon simultaneously. But Jeong-Hoon ughtered them all with his fists. Despite their numbers exceeding ten, none of themnded a single effective hit on Jeong-Hoon before dying. ¡°You¡¯re next.¡± It was the turn of the mages, archers, and healers hiding in the shadows. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to dash towards the forest and rocks where they were taking cover. ¡°Ah, ahhh!¡± ¡°Wh-when did he get here?!¡± Screams erupted with each attack, and Jeong-Hoon systematically slit their throats with Leviathan, ending the situation. ¡°Now you¡¯re the only one left.¡± Jeong-Hoon turned his head and stared at Kaneda Shun, who was left alone. ¡°You, you crazy bastard¡­¡± Only then did Kaneda Shun realize that things had gone terribly wrong. Chapter 115 Chapter 115 ¡°Huh? What¡¯s with that reaction? If you¡¯re going to start something, you should be prepared for the possibility of being wiped out.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and approached Kaneda Shun. ¡°S-stay back¡­ Stay back!¡± Kaneda Shun stumbled backward, his face pale. But the distance between them gradually closed, and soon they were close enough to touch. ¡°W-wait¡­! Ugh!¡± Kaneda¡¯s words were cut short. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Leviathan pressed against Kaneda Shun¡¯s neck. A trickle of blood flowed down from his neck. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not going to kill you yet.¡± Jeong-Hoon gave Kaneda a bright smile. [Wow, that¡¯s a really scary smile.] ¡®Agreed.¡¯ Sensing the killing intent in that chilling smile, Kaneda Shun shuddered. ¡°You¡­ What are you¡­?¡± The dazzling archery skills, the Magic Missile aimed at the hidden guild members, the overwhelming swordsmanship that ughtered them all. Could this really be called a martial artist? ¡°Now, shall we settle the ounts?¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and brought up the topic of settlement. ¡°Settlement¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. The price for my life. You tried to kill me, so you have to pay the price.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense¡­¡± ¡°Anyway, that price is the item you have.¡± ¡°Item?¡± ¡°You said you got a clue for the Hidden ss transfer before, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not happening!¡± Kaneda¡¯s eyes twitched. At the same time, he tried to grab Jeong-Hoon by the cor. But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist struck his sr plexus hard, easily subduing him. ¡°Cough! Gah, ugh¡­!¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. ¡°That¡¯s not for you to decide.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me! You think I¡¯ll hand that over?! Just kill me then! Kill me!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have a way to take it by force.¡± Jeong-Hoon now had ¡®Plunder.¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! If such a thing existed, I¡¯d eat my own hand!¡± ¡°Really? Then how about a bet?¡± A cold smile crept across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°A bet¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. If I take your item, you die here.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Kaneda Shun scoffed. There¡¯s no way such a method exists. Items can only be transferred through trades. The only way to take an item without a trade is by using illegal programs, and you think New World would just let that slide? He¡¯s just trying to scare me. ¡°Why? Are you scared?¡± ¡°Fuck, fine! Let¡¯s do it!¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and activated the skill. [Select a target.] The target was Kaneda Shun. [Select an item to plunder.] [Item list.] There was a wide variety of items to plunder. As one of thest remaining traitors, Kaneda had already amassed many good items. But Jeong-Hoon had already decided on the item he would take. ¡®Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir.¡¯ [Plundering Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir.] [¡®Plunder¡¯ skill will disappear.] What a truly fraudulent skill. If it wasn¡¯t one-time use, changing the future would have been much easier. He was savoring the bittersweet feeling when he noticed a change in his inventory. Kaneda Shun¡¯s face gradually contorted as he felt the change in his inventory. ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s so surprising?¡± ¡°It¡¯s gone! It¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°What¡¯s gone? I haven¡¯t done anything yet.¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me! You did it, didn¡¯t you?! You¡¯re the one who did it!¡± ¡°I was just holding your cor. Did I touch your inventory or something?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Kaneda couldn¡¯t say anything. Because Jeong-Hoon had indeed only been holding his cor. But the moment he said he would plunder the item, it disappeared. It was definitely Jeong-Hoon¡¯s doing. ¡°Anyway, the item¡¯s gone, right? So that¡¯s my win?¡± ¡°Yes! Damn it, hurry up and give it back!¡± ¡°Give it back¡­ I told you I don¡¯t have it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your win, so give it back! I can¡¯t do anything without it!¡± Stab! At that moment, he felt a hot, intense pain in his abdomen. Leviathan had pierced through Kaneda¡¯s abdomen. And unlike before, it had hit a vital spot. ¡°You talk too much. If you lose a bet, you have to pay the price.¡± Jeong-Hoon whispered softly with a cold smile. ¡°You fucking bastard¡­ Give it back right now¡­¡± Without it, he would never be able to obtain the Hidden ss! Cough! Cough! Kaneda tried to shout, but blood gushed out, preventing him from speaking. Seeing his health rapidly declining, he tried to use a potion, but Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand was faster. ¡°See you next time.¡± Jeong-Hoon twisted his wrist, piercing through his heart and killing him. ¡°Hoon! Are you okay?!¡± Ha-Jin, who had just managed to escape from the, rushed over, panting. ¡°Dude¡­ Why do you only show up after everything¡¯s over?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started¡­ That was so tight, it took me forever to get out of it.¡± ¡°The situation¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Already? You took care of all those guys?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°¡­Haha.¡± Ha-Jin let out a hollowugh, his face filled with disbelief. No matter how monstrous Jeong-Hoon was, it was hard to believe that he had killed so many people in such a short time. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s stop talking and get the trade done.¡± Jeong-Hoon initiated a trade with Ha-Jin. ¡°Huh?¡± As Ha-Jin epted the trade request, Jeong-Hoon ced the ¡®Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir¡¯ he had plundered from Kaneda. ¡°It¡¯s the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir. Kaneda Shun said it¡¯s an item that leads to a Hidden ss.¡± ¡°What?! Hey! Wait a minute!¡± Ha-Jin hurriedly canceled the trade. He almost epted the item without thinking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you do that?¡± Jeong-Hoon frowned. [Hey! Why are you giving that hard-earned item to that guy?!] ¡®I agree. This doesn¡¯t seem right.¡¯ Mukho and Anima also expressed their opposition. But Jeong-Hoon thought differently. Ha-Jin had saved his life in his past life, so he wanted to repay that debt. ¡®And Ha-Jin also needs to get a Hidden ss to survive on his own.¡¯ There woulde a time when he wouldn¡¯t be able to look after Ha-Jin every time. At that time, Ha-Jin would have to survive on his own. This Hidden ss would be a great help then. ¡°I went to the royal pce and got the Plunder skill. It¡¯s one-time use, though.¡± Jeong-Hoon exined how he got the Plunder skill and how he had just used it to take the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir from Kaneda. After the exnation, Ha-Jin¡¯s jaw dropped, and he couldn¡¯t close his mouth. ¡°Wow¡­ Shit, such a thing existed?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s story was so absurd that he couldn¡¯t help but curse. But Jeong-Hoon wouldn¡¯t lie to him. The reason he was giving him the item must be because he had already obtained a Hidden ss. ¡°What do you want to do? I¡¯ve already deciphered it, so you just have to use it.¡± ¡°¡­No way. How can I take something so precious?¡± Even if they were friends, he couldn¡¯t easily ept this. It was too valuable to put a price on. If Jeong-Hoon decided to sell it¡­ ¡®I¡¯m not sure, but at least a few hundred billion won? A trillion? Maybe even more?¡¯ That was the value of a Hidden ss. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I ripped it off from that Japanese guy anyway. So take it before I change my mind.¡± ¡°Dude¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just giving it to you. I¡¯m giving it to you as a way of saying, no matter what happens, never betray me and always be on my side.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a given? What are friends for?¡± Ha-Jin was sincere. That¡¯s how precious a friend Jeong-Hoon was to him. Touched by his sincerity, Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly. ¡°Then take it. If you refuse again, I really won¡¯t give it to you.¡± ¡°¡­Okay. No take-backster, alright? And no lording it over me either.¡± ¡°Hmm? Can¡¯t I lord it over you a little?¡± Jeong-Hoon narrowed his eyes. He was offering a Hidden ss, after all. ¡°¡­I guess you¡¯re right about that.¡± In the end, Ha-Jin received the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir from Jeong-Hoon. * * * Whoosh- The capsule opened, and Kaneda Shun stepped out. The Japanese yers who hade to Korea were waiting for him. ¡°Damn it!¡± They were guild members sent by his older brother, Masahiro Kaneda. He had personally paid for their expenses, using a trip to Korea as an excuse, so they nned to finish this quickly, enjoy four days of fun in Korea, and then return to Japan. ¡®Fuck, what do you mean this is a simple task?¡¯ ¡®You said we just had to take care of one guy?¡¯ ¡®How is he so strong?¡¯ At first, they were told that all they had to do was hunt down one Korean who had messed with Kaneda Shun. A martial artist who wasn¡¯t even level 200. They thought he wouldn¡¯t be much of a threat, regardless of his ss rank, since he hadn¡¯t evenpleted his 3rd job advancement. But what was this? The martial artist¡¯s strength was beyond imagination. He toyed with them like they were ythings, and judging by how Kaneda Shun¡¯s capsule had opened so soon, it seemed he had killed him in an instant. ¡®¡­It¡¯s probably best to end things here.¡¯ His instincts were telling him that. That it was better not to mess with that guy. If they continued to provoke him out of a desire for revenge, they would only end up in a worse situation. But Kaneda Shun¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, and he couldn¡¯t make a proper judgment. ¡°Gather at the capsule room again tomorrow. We¡¯ll find that bastard again and attack.¡± His guild members¡¯ faces were filled with bewilderment at his reckless order. ¡°Um¡­ Shouldn¡¯t we just give up¡­?¡± Bam! Kaneda Shun threw a nearby water bottle. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me! That bastard stole my item!¡± And it was the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir, no less. Without it, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to find a way to obtain the Hidden ss. ¡°¡­I can¡¯t do it. I came here on the guild leader¡¯s orders, but this is too much.¡± One guild member stepped back. As if gaining momentum, the rest of the guild members also backed out. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t fight that guy.¡± ¡°After getting hit once, I realized¡­ He¡¯s someone we shouldn¡¯t mess with.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s that strong, he must be in a famous guild. It¡¯s not good to make an enemy out of him.¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry¡­ We¡¯ll exin everything to the guild leader.¡± They ignored Kaneda Shun¡¯s rambling and left the capsule room. Kaneda Shun, left alone, had a face twisted like a demon. ¡®Fuck¡­ You bastard. I¡¯ll fucking get you.¡¯ Even without the help of those useless idiots, there were plenty of ways to get revenge on him. He hadn¡¯t wanted to resort to this method, though. Kaneda Shun waited for 24 hours and logged back into New World. And there, Jeong-Hoon was waiting for him. ¡°Hello? I was waiting so long my neck almost snapped.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled brightly and slit Kaneda Shun¡¯s throat with Leviathan. His second death, met without even a chance to use his abilities. Whoosh- The capsule door opened again. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± Kaneda Shun couldn¡¯t hide his bewilderment. Why? Why was he still there, even after 24 hours had passed? ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ Is he trying to get me permanently banned¡­? * * * An old woman with a robe pulled low over her head stood before Kaiserk V, leaning on a staff. ¡°What brings you here, Cassandra?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Your Majesty.¡± === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Cassandra ¨C Level: 300 ¨C upation: Fortune Teller === Cassandra. She was a fortune-teller who traveled all over the continent. She was so renowned that there was a joke that if you lined up all the people who wanted to hear her fortune-telling, it would stretch from the M?rchen Kingdom to the Calderra Duchy. Anyway, she had visited the royal pce without any prior notice. ¡®What could she possibly want to say¡­¡¯ Kaiserk V was momentarily nervous about Cassandra¡¯s visit. Whenever she visited without notice, it was always to deliver bad prophecies. And those prophecies had alwayse true. ¡°Have youe to deliver a prophecy?¡± ¡°Something like that. I¡¯vee to speak about the foreigner who yed a major role in this Monster Wave.¡± ¡°Hmm? You mean our benefactor?¡± This Monster Wave had been quite dangerous. Blood Orcs, no less. And the ck King Ogre was the most powerful boss monster to appear in a Monster Wave in nearly 20 years. The fact that they had only suffered injuries and no casualties was all thanks to the foreigner. If he hadn¡¯t personally hunted down the Ogre¡­ he didn¡¯t even want to imagine what would have happened. ¡°Yes. Promise him a substantial reward and ask him to eliminate the gate.¡± ¡°A substantial reward?¡± ¡°Yes. He can put an end to the Monster Waves that gue the royal capital.¡± Kaiserk V¡¯s eyes began to tremble uncontrobly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 116 Chapter 116 ¡°Fuck! This goddamn bastard!¡± It was a whopping 48-hour ban. [Server transfer is not possible due to death penalty.] [Time remaining: 365 days] Moreover, he had to wait a year before he could log in from the Japanese server. That¡¯s why Kaneda Shun didn¡¯t log in even after 48 hours had passed. ¡®¡­He must have given up and left by now.¡¯ Kaneda Shun deliberately waited for an additional 7 hours before attempting to log in. If he could get in this time, he would put in a request with the Assassins¡¯ Guild and pay back Jeong-Hoon tenfold. ¡°Wee back.¡± But Jeong-Hoon was still sitting in the same spot. ¡°Why are you still here?! Argh!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique rained down on Kaneda Shun. ¡°Yousted quite a while. I was so bored waiting, I almost died.¡± It had been a bit boring. But time flew by as he diligentlypleted requests at the Enhancement Exchange while waiting. ¡®Crazy bastard¡­ This guy is truly insane!¡¯ To deal with Jeong-Hoon, he first had to head to the Assassins¡¯ Guild, but if he died immediately upon logging in, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to make the request. ¡°Stop it, please let me go!¡± Kaneda Shun¡¯s desperate cries echoed through the field. ¡°Bullshit. I can tell you¡¯re going to put in a request with the Assassins¡¯ Guild.¡± Jeong-Hoon scoffed, and Kaneda Shun¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°H-how did you know¡­?¡± ¡°Huh? I was just guessing¡­ Was I right?¡± ¡°You, you bastard! You¡¯re mocking me?!¡± Kaneda Shun¡¯s face turned beet red. ¡°See you again then?¡± Jeong-Hoon ended Kaneda Shun¡¯s life once more. With this, Kaneda Shun was banned for 72 hours. ¡®The Assassins¡¯ Guild doesn¡¯t ept requests from World Coms.¡¯ The Assassins¡¯ Guild wasposed of NPCs, not yers. Therefore, to make a request, one had to visit the building established by the NPCs and submit it in person. Of course, not just anyone could make a request. Only yers who had been repeatedly killed by the same yer could use the system. It was a ce where yers whocked the skills but wanted revenge could turn to. However, there was a time limit. The request had to be made within 1 hour of logging in. If the time passed, the request would be invalid. ¡®They have NPCs up to level 400 there.¡¯ They would probably think it was worth a shot if it was the Assassins¡¯ Guild. That is, if they could even get there. ¡°Damn¡­ He was going to put in a request with the Assassins¡¯ Guild? He¡¯s really crazy.¡± Ha-Jin, who had been watching from behind, clicked his tongue. He should be begging on his knees, and yet he was thinking of making a request with the Assassins¡¯ Guild? To that guild that charged 3,000 gold per request? At first, he thought Jeong-Hoon¡¯s actions were too excessive, but now it seemed like letting him off would be too lenient. ¡°Well, if I keep banning him moderately, he¡¯ll eventually break.¡± Jeong-Hoon said something he didn¡¯t mean. [Liar. You¡¯re going to permanently ban him.] Mukho saw through Jeong-Hoon¡¯s true intentions. ¡®How did you know?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon reacted with feigned surprise. Mukho added, his voice brimming with confidence. [It doesn¡¯t make sense to let a scumbag like that go, right?] ¡®I agree. A rotten seed like that needs to be eliminated.¡¯ Anima also shared Mukho¡¯s opinion. ¡®You guys think so too, right?¡¯ Trash needs to be cleared out of New World quickly. Eliminating any element that might hinder thepletion of the game, even slightly, would be a great benefit to the world. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived!¡± At that moment, Kim Bong-Goo appeared. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m notte, am I?¡± Kim Bong-Goo arrived a full 3 hours earlier than the promised time. ¡°No, just keep doing what you¡¯re doing. And what was that thing you didst time? The van?¡± ¡°Excuse me? The van? That¡¯s my nickname.¡± ¡°Yeah. From now on, when you arrive, do what you didst time.¡± ¡°¡­You mean the ¡®Vroom vroom! The van is here¡¯ thing?¡± ¡°Yeah. That was funny.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± ¡°No! Vroom vroom! This van will take you anywhere, just trust me!¡± That bastard. * * * Kim Bong-Goo was currently hunting alone. [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: I¡¯m going to enter the M?rchen Royal Pce now, soe on time.] At first, he thought it meant he should prepare to enter the royal pce. Following Jeong-Hoon around wasn¡¯t easy, but good things always happened when he did, so he had some expectations this time too. However, the instructions he received were as follows: ¡®We¡¯ll be back, so stay here and watch over things.¡¯ ¡®Excuse me¡­? You mean here?¡¯ ¡®Yeah. Hunt a bit and level up.¡¯ ¡®But¡­ Why here of all ces?¡¯ ¡®There¡¯s a bastard I need to take care of.¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo immediately understood thest sentence. What the hell did he do to get bitten by that viper? If he had lived a good life, he wouldn¡¯t have been bitten, at least. He heard it was a Japanese guy who got badly beaten by Jeong-Hoon in the previous party quest. ¡°Tsk tsk, he was acting all crazy wanting to win, and now he¡¯s trying to get revenge.¡± At a nce, it looked like a one-year ban. No, wait. Hong Hyun-Woo, who had used abusivenguage towards parents, almost got a permanent ban, so this guy had an even higher chance of getting permanently banned. If it were Jeong-Hoon, he would never forget and would definitelye back to kill him. Thinking that far, Kim Bong-Goo shuddered. ¡°Wow¡­ Shit, I suddenly got goosebumps.¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon entered the royal pce with Ha-Jin. Ha-Jin then went straight to NPC Karyan, guided by a knight. ¡®Come in.¡¯ Was it because of his great performance in the previous Monster Wave? His trust with the knights had slightly increased. So Ha-Jin, whom Jeong-Hoon had brought, would also be able to proceed with the quest without any problems. ¡®It¡¯s not just the rewards. If the contribution rate exceeded 80%, it would have been possible to enter a new route.¡¯ Bruce Willis also knew about the quest route that would be avable if the contribution rate reached 80%. ¡®How do you know that? That you can enter a new route if you exceed 80%?¡¯ When Jeong-Hoon expressed his doubts at the time, Bruce Willis kindly answered him. ¡®He told me he was disappointed that he was 1% short. It¡¯s just a 1% difference, so New World must have set it up so that you can¡¯t enter unless you exceed 80%.¡¯ In the end, Bruce Willis couldn¡¯t enter that route. But Jeong-Hoon was different. Jeong-Hoon had achieved a contribution rate of 88.93% in this Monster Wave. It meant that he had automatically entered the new route. ¡°His Majesty is looking for you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Guided by Ragan, Jeong-Hoon once again stood before Kaiserk V. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Well, it hasn¡¯t even been a few days since I said that¡­ Haha.¡± As Kaiserk V spoke, a rainbow-colored question mark blinked above his head. It meant that he could now undertake a secret quest since he had entered the new route. [Secret Quest: Peace of M?rchen] ¨C Restriction: Monster Wave contribution rate of 80% or higher ¨C Reward: ? ¨C Description: End the Monster Waves and bringplete peace to be a true hero. Completely ending the Monster Waves. That was the task of this new route. ¡°May I ask why you called for me?¡± Jeong-Hoon epted the quest and pretended not to know, asking back. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s cut to the chase. I called you because I have a favor to ask you directly.¡± ¡°A favor?¡± ¡°Yes. As you know, Monster Waves ur endlessly at the northern wall of the royal capital. Do you happen to know a way to stop the Waves from happening?¡± Kaiserk V rubbed his forehead as if he was fed up. Monsters of various levels, from Lv. 130 to Lv. 190, emerged and threatened M?rchen, and every time, he couldn¡¯t help but feel his life was in danger. He wanted to break free from this tiresome cycle. ¡®Should I believe this¡­?¡¯ The benefactor in front of him was said to be the key to breaking that cycle. Even though all the prophecies hade true so far, wasn¡¯t there a possibility that this one was nonsense? However, the benefactor was a hero who had achieved a contribution rate of nearly 90% and ensured zero casualties in the battles against the Blood Orcs and the ck King Ogre. ¡°Yes, I do. If you wish, I can personally make sure the Waves never happen again.¡± Jeong-Hoon scratched Kaiserk V¡¯s itchy back. The reaction was tremendous. ¡°Is that possible?!¡± He was so surprised that he jumped up from his seat. Luke, who was watching from the side, fidgeted nervously and checked on Kaiserk V¡¯s well-being. ¡°Your Majesty, please calm down¡­¡± ¡°Do I look like I can calm down?! He just said he can stop that damn thing!¡± Kaiserk V¡¯s eyes were aze with excitement. If it turned out to be a lie, he would be beheaded for insulting the royal family. Of course, that wouldn¡¯t happen. Jeong-Hoon knew the reason why the Waves repeatedly urred in the same ce. ¡®There¡¯s a gate at the northern wall.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just a gate connected to a dungeon. It was a so-called ¡®Random Gate.¡¯ There was a type of gate called a Random Gate that automatically recharged by absorbing mana from the atmosphere. When such a gate reached 100% mana charge, it would release its power, forcibly opening an entrance by connecting to a nearby dungeon. That¡¯s how monsters escaped through the gate, causing the Waves. ¡®I remember closing one before, so I should be able to do it again.¡¯ It was a more difficult task than one might think, but Jeong-Hoon had experience closing a Random Gate in the past. With that experience, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible. ¡°I¡¯ll try to close it. But it¡¯s quite a difficult task¡­¡± ¡°¡­Does that mean you¡¯ve seeded before?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Please, I beg you! If you close it, I¡¯ll bestow upon you a treasure of our royal family!¡± At his bombshell statement, Luke¡¯s pupils began to tremble uncontrobly. ¡°Y-your Majesty? A treasure¡­? You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes. I intend to bestow upon him the [Guardian of M?rchen].¡± ¡°Your Majesty!¡± The treasure of the M?rchen Kingdom. It was an essory called the Guardian of M?rchen. Upon hearing the name of the item, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed slightly. ¡®Amazing¡­ So this is what you get for entering this route.¡¯ The legendary Guardian essory Set. The Guardian of M?rchen was one of the pieces in that set. In his past life, no one saw this set. They only knew that it existed. No matter how many dungeons they cleared or quests theypleted, nothing rted to the Guardian essories ever appeared. But to think that one of them was obtained by entering this new route. ¡®The difficulty level is truly brutal.¡¯ If Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t regressed, he would never have been able to achieve such a contribution rate. ¡°Enough!¡± Kaiserk V barked at Luke. ¡°M-my apologies.¡± Luke finally stepped back. ¡°The Monster Waves have been a nuisance guing M?rchen for a very long time. If you can solve such a problem¡­ I believe the Guardian of M?rchen is a suitable reward to bestow upon the kingdom¡¯s benefactor.¡± ¡°¡­You speak wisely.¡± ¡°Is there anything else I can do to help?¡± Kaiserk V asked, looking at Jeong-Hoon with benevolent eyes. Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing. I¡¯ll personally investigate the gate where the Wave urs and close it myself.¡± * * * Knights, mages, archers, everyone flocked to the northern wall. The rumor that the cause of the Monster Wave was a hidden gate in the northern wall, and that Jeong-Hoon had dered he would eliminate it, had spread like wildfire. The one who spread the rumor was none other than Luke. ¡®The Guardian of M?rchen¡­¡¯ The Guardian of M?rchen was the true treasure of M?rchen, said to have been bestowed upon Kaiserk I, the founder of M?rchen, by the gods. To hand over such a treasure to a mere foreigner. As a loyal subject, he couldn¡¯t tolerate that. So he nned to gather many eyes to witness Jeong-Hoon¡¯s failure. He would make sure Jeong-Hoon was so humiliated that he wouldn¡¯t be able to stay in the royal pce. ¡°Hey! Is it true that Hoon is going to eliminate the gate?¡± Ragan, the knightmander, was also present. ¡°Yes. His Majesty has promised to bestow the Guardian of M?rchen upon me if I eliminate it.¡± ¡°The Guardian of M?rchen?!¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes, including Ragan¡¯s, widened in surprise. They knew Jeong-Hoon had made a significant contribution in this Monster Wave, but what made the king offer the Guardian of M?rchen as a reward? That¡¯s why Luke had asked His Majesty for permission. To inform everyone of this and let them witness the elimination process with their own eyes. ¡®That¡¯s a good idea! It¡¯s better to have more eyes watching!¡¯ Kaiserk V saw through Luke¡¯s intentions but readily granted permission. If he seeded in eliminating the gate that caused the Waves with many people watching, no one would be able to object to bestowing the royal treasure. ¡°¡­Cassandra visited. She left a message saying that this foreigner would stop the Monster Waves from happening again.¡± Luke even revealed that a fortune-teller had visited. ¡°Huh, this is the first time in my life I¡¯ve been surprised so many times in a row.¡± ¡°How on earth is he going to close the gate and stop the Waves?¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡± Everyone¡¯s gaze turned to Jeong-Hoon. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 117 Chapter 117 ¡°Haaam, I¡¯m feeling sleepy today.¡± An old man in worn-out armor yawned while standing guard. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°Please let me out¡­ I¡¯m going to die¡­¡± Faint groans could be heard. The old man was currently in the underground prison beneath the royal pce. It was a ce where criminals who hadmitted serious crimes were imprisoned and managed. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Caryan ¨C Level: 300 ¨C upation: Retired Knight === The old man, Caryan, scoffed. ¡°Foolish fools. Wouldn¡¯t it have been better if you had lived an honest and upright life?¡± These weren¡¯t just ordinary criminals. To be precise, they were criminals who had attempted a rebellion within the royal pce. In an attempt to overthrow Kaiserk V, Duke Luan, who had once lost in the struggle for the throne, had drawn his sword and staged a coup, but it was suppressed in less than two days, and they were imprisoned in this underground prison. Duke Luan, the ringleader, was confined in the deepest level of the underground prison. ¡°Sir Caryan.¡± At that moment, a knight came looking for Caryan. ¡°Hmm? Why are you looking for me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s a foreigner who¡¯s looking for you.¡± ¡°Is that so? Where is he now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s waiting at the prison entrance. He feels it¡¯s not appropriate for him to see this sight.¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s understandable. Then I¡¯ll take over for a bit.¡± ¡°Sir? I¡¯m about to get off work¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯ll just be a moment.¡± Caryan forcefully handed over his duties to the knight and left the underground prison. And outside, he met Ha-Jin, who was waiting. ¡®I sense a faint aura. He¡¯s a knight, but his potential iscking.¡¯ Caryan quickly saw through Ha-Jin¡¯s level. His aura and potential were mediocrepared to his level. He had been momentarily curious when he heard that the foreigner who had recently performed amazingly had appeared, but his interest quickly faded. ¡°Hmm, why did you call for me?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing else, but I was wondering if you had any insights about this item.¡± ¡°Item?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ha-Jin nodded with a determined expression. This was a precious opportunity that Jeong-Hoon had created for him. So he didn¡¯t want to miss it. But Caryan¡¯s expression as he looked at Ha-Jin was a bit strange. He stared at him silently, making him nervous and gulp. Finally, Caryan broke the silence. ¡°¡­Hey. Are you ying a joke on me?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You have to show me the item for me to know if I have any insights.¡± He had been so nervous that he had forgotten to take out the ¡®Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir.¡¯ ¡°Ah! I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± Ha-Jin hurriedly opened his inventory. Seeing him fumble, Caryan sighed and shook his head. Hecks theposure of a knight¡­ But when he saw what Ha-Jin took out, his eyes widened likenterns. ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir.¡± ¡°¡­Where did you get this? This isn¡¯t something you should be able to acquire.¡± ¡°I was lucky.¡± Ha-Jin, just like Jeong-Hoon had done, mumbled that he was lucky. But no quest appeared above Caryan¡¯s head. ¡®What¡¯s this? Is Caryan not the starting point?¡¯ ording to what Jeong-Hoon had said, a quest should have appeared from Caryan. Judging by his reaction, Caryan seemed to know about this memoir. It was strange indeed. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that item, so go back. Even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t want to tell you anything.¡± Caryan turned around with a hardened expression. ¡°¡­What?¡± * * * Quite a crowd has gathered. The northern wall was bustling with countless people. They had all gathered to witness the gate being closed. ¡®Shall we begin then?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon approached the gate. Wooooong- As Jeong-Hoon approached, the gate started to rotate with intense vibrations. The mana it was charging sputtered out, forming the shape of saw des. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to get close!¡± Ragan, watching from the wall, shouted loudly. ¡°I told you I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeong-Hoon turned his head and grinned in response. [That¡¯s a mana storm. You¡¯ll be in big trouble if you approach it carelessly.] Mana storm. It was a phenomenon where rampaging mana was released outside the gate. It was dangerous and could cause serious injuries, so one shouldn¡¯t approach it recklessly. ¡®Interesting.¡¯ A sly smile crept across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. Sensing his presence, the gate, as if it had a will of its own, unleashed a mana storm. It was designed that way from the beginning. [Master! It¡¯s better to step back for now. Not yet.] Even Anima tried to dissuade him. A mana storm of this magnitude was not something a human could withstand. Even an adult dragon would struggle to endure within the mana storm¡¯s influence. [Even Siegfried couldn¡¯t do it! Step back quietly!] Mukho was also serious. It was something that even Siegfried, the first master of the Tower of Trials, couldn¡¯t do. ¡°Well, I wonder about that.¡± Jeong-Hoon, contrary to their dissuasion, jumped into the mana storm. [You crazy bastard of a master!] ¡®You fool! Stop!¡¯ The screams of Mukho and Anima reached his ears, but Jeong-Hoon paid them no mind. ¡®There is a way to quell the mana storm.¡¯ Usually, there was only one way to quell a mana storm. Release a stronger surge of mana than the storm itself and forcefully extinguish it. But Jeong-Hoon knew another way. A gamble he had taken in his past life when he was on the verge of death, caught in a mana storm. That gamble had been sessful. ¡®There are five cores in a mana storm. If I can find those cores¡­ I can disperse the storm naturally by releasing only a small amount of mana.¡¯ Because the theory had been established long ago. In the past, Jeong-Hoon had recalled that theory, found the five cores of the mana storm, and quelled it. ¡®Hoon!¡¯ ¡®Wow¡­ You¡¯re really crazy. How did you¡­¡¯ Thanks to that, he had even saved the lives of hisrades who were about to be swept away by the mana storm. Of course, they were traitors now. Wheeeing! As he approached the storm, the intense vibrations threatened to rupture his eardrums. Even with Mukho equipped, the damage easily prated. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t even flinch, sharpening his keen senses to the utmost. [Keen Senses level increases.] He heightened his senses to the extreme and dove into the massive mana storm. A one-time gamble. [Argh! I¡¯m dying! I¡¯m dying!] ¡®Is your life a joke?!¡¯ Please, be quiet. I can¡¯t concentrate. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes darted around rapidly. ¡®Okay. One, two, three from the bottom left.¡¯ Perhaps because he had experienced it once before, Finding the cores of the mana storm wasn¡¯t as difficult as he had thought. But the remaining fourth and fifth cores were in the upper right corner. ¡®It¡¯s quite a distance.¡¯ He had to reach out to release his mana, and the distance was considerable. Jeong-Hoon first released mana towards the nearest storm core in the bottom left corner. Bang! [Block is activated.] The moment he dealt with the third core, Block activated. It was such a sudden and powerful damage that if it weren¡¯t for Block, his entire body would have been torn to shreds, and he would have died instantly. Jeong-Hoon quickly released mana towards the remaining two cores in the upper right corner. With an intense vibration, the raging mana storm instantly subsided. Wooooong- The gate, having exhausted all its charged mana, rotated with a slight vibration. Just because the mana storm had subsided didn¡¯t mean the gate would automatically disappear. ¡®I have to go in and destroy it myself.¡¯ Since it was a Random Gate, it would be connected to a dungeon somewhere. He had to sever that connection and close the gate topletely shut down the Random Gate. [¡­, Master, are you really okay?] ¡®Are you okay?!¡¯ As his concentration broke, he finally heard the voices of Mukho and Anima. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± As Jeong-Hoon answered, Mukho and Anima¡¯s voices started pouring out. [You damn master, why did you jump in while wearing me?! You could have at least taken me off first!] ¡®It was too reckless to just jump in¡­ If you had failed, you would have been torn to shreds¡­¡¯ Although their tones were different, their underlying concern was evident. Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°I admit it. But there was no other way to quell the mana storm immediately.¡± It was a very old Random Gate. It was natural for a mana storm to ur, and if he hadn¡¯t quelled it, the gate would have gone berserk, the storm would have intensified, and eventually, it would have consumed the entire royal capital. Jumping in before the storm grewrger was the best option. [Tsk, anyway, please leave me out of things like this next time.] ¡®Heh, you were the one who was most worried about Master.¡¯ [What?! When was I?!] ¡®You were crying and making a fuss. Probably.¡¯ [Shut up!] They were worried about Jeong-Hoon, but in an instant, they started bickering. ¡°Alright, alright, stop it and let¡¯s go in.¡± Now that the storm had calmed down, it was time to close the gate. As Jeong-Hoon stepped onto the slightly vibrating gate, his body was instantly sucked in. * * * Silence fell among the crowd bustling on the wall. After a few seconds, the silence was broken, starting with one person. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Th-the mana storm has subsided!¡± The foreigner had quelled the violently swirling mana storm. ¡°Unbelievable!¡± ¡°He solved a problem that even the Magic Tower couldn¡¯t, just like that!¡± Some were excited. ¡°Sob¡­!¡± ¡°Huu¡­ To think I¡¯d see that damn storm disappear with my own eyes.¡± ¡°Rix! You bastard, are you seeing this?¡± Some were weeping. ¡°¡­¡± And some were speechless with shock. Ragan, who was watching, belonged to the third group. ¡®No one has ever been able to quell that mana storm.¡¯ Countless people had died trying to get close to that mana storm. Therefore, the best they could do was to protect M?rchen from the monsters pouring out of that damned gate. But now. Hoon, the foreigner who had made a significant contribution by achieving a nearly 90% contribution rate in the previous Monster Wave, had even quelled the mana storm. ¡°Cmander¡­? Now that the mana storm is gone, can we destroy the gate?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± He didn¡¯t know. How could he, who couldn¡¯t even handle the mana storm, know what would happen next? He had no choice but to trust Hoon, who had confidently dered that he could eliminate the gate that caused the Waves. ¡®Luke, it seems your n is going to fail spectacrly.¡¯ Ragan looked towards Luke. Luke was staring nkly at the gate where the foreigner had disappeared,pletely dumbfounded. * * * [Theme Dungeon: Ilion Castle] [You have discovered an undiscovered Theme Dungeon! You will be awarded 10,000 achievement points.] The gate this time was connected not to an ordinary dungeon, but to a Theme Dungeon. And it was Ilion Castle. ¡°Huh¡­ Unbelievable.¡± He never expected that out of all the dungeons, it would be connected to Ilion Castle. [Why? What is this ce?] Mukho, sensing something unusual, asked in a curious voice. ¡°¡­A ce that no one has cleared yet.¡± And it was also the Theme Dungeon where Jeong Chang-Ho, one of the traitors, had discovered the Unique-grade ¡®Rune.¡¯ ¡®I practically gave up on it and didn¡¯t even bother¡­¡¯ To find this Theme Dungeon, one had to reach level 201 andplete the 3rd job advancement to move on to the next town. However, before that, Jeong Chang-Ho had already searched and cleared this dungeon. Even if he devoted all his time to growth, it would have been extremely tight¡­ so he had reluctantly removed it from his ns. And now he had entered that very dungeon. Moreover, he was the first to discover it. ¡®Such an unbelievable thing is happening!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face flushed with excitement. Honestly, the ¡®Rune¡¯ was too precious an item to give up on like that. He didn¡¯t have to give up on it anymore. ¡®Master, be careful. This ce seems quite dangerous.¡¯ Anima seemed tense, sensing the unusual energy around them. It was understandable. The level of this Theme Dungeon was a whopping 260. It was a level far higher than any dungeon he had entered before. ¡®Ah, I do have one. Have you heard of Ilion Castle?¡¯ Jeong Chang-Ho¡¯s self-boasting had started with his characteristic arrogant smirk. At the time, Jeong-Hoon had been the weakest among hisrades, so he had listened attentively to his heroic tales. Ilion Castle. He said he had struggled quite a bit in this Theme Dungeon because of the special abilities the monsters possessed. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll be using Leviathan here.¡± And Leviathan was designed to ovee those special abilities. [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C 5% chance to inflict a debuff that ignores defense for 10 seconds upon attack. (Activates up to 3 times per target) ¨C Does not activate if the level exceeds 120. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Earth Korea Management Team. A few days had passed since theyst monitored that user. Led by Team Leader Oh Jin-Soo, the real-time monitoring program was once again activated. And before their eyes, an astonishing scene unfolded. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a mana storm¡­?¡± ¡°What? How did he quell it?¡± ¡°No, what the hell is going on¡­?¡± Mana storm. A storm caused by the ¡®mana surge¡¯ of a ¡®Random Gate,¡¯ one of the types of gates that trigger Waves. Its power was so immense that it was known to instantly tear anyone caught in it to shreds, leading to immediate death. But that user voluntarily entered the storm and quelled it in an instant. Moreover, the user seemed perfectly fine. ¡°¡­Rewind!¡± Oh Jin-Soo hurriedly gave the order. They had to check if the user had exploited a bug. They had to make sure he wasn¡¯t using the ¡®Bug City¡¯ like before! ¡°Now that there¡¯s an excuse, you¡¯re watching as you please¡­¡± The employee operating the program muttered under his breath, just loud enough for no one to hear. Not long ago, when Ho-Yeong¡¯s Yeo Sunwoo personally filed aint, their faces turned pale, and they didn¡¯t even dare to think about activating the monitoring program. But after the Bug City incident, they were watching freely. Well, thanks to that, he could enjoy the show to his heart¡¯s content. ¡°Huh? Did you just say something?¡± Oh Jin-Soo tilted his head. ¡°N-no, sir! Nothing at all!¡± The employee was startled and quickly fast-forwarded the recording. And they saw it. The scene where the named NPC ¡®Cassandra¡¯ suddenly visited Kaiserk V and said, ¡®That user will eliminate the Random Gate.¡¯ ¡°¡­Was there such a thing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ What is it? Is it new content added by the headquarters?¡± ¡°If that were the case, they would have announced it and updated it beforehand. Anyway, where did the user go now?¡± ¡°Just a moment, please.¡± The employee fiddled with the program and adjusted the time. Then the monitor screen switched to a Theme Dungeon. ¡°Where is this?¡± ¡°¡­Please wait a moment. Ah, it seems he¡¯s connected to a Theme Dungeon, not an ordinary dungeon.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Of all things, a Theme Dungeon?¡± Event-type Theme Dungeons ended quickly like regr dungeons, but normal Theme Dungeons took quite a long time. Moreover, they were quite difficult as one had to receive quests from NPCs in the vige and then clear the dungeon to fullyplete it. ¡°Team Leader! It¡¯s called Ilion Castle!¡± ¡°Ilion?¡± ¡°ording to the Monster Encyclopedia, Ilion is a humanoid monster! But it has very high defense, so it¡¯s practically impossible to clear without overwhelming damage.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the level?¡± ¡°265.¡± Even though the user had leveled up a lot in a short time, he hadn¡¯t even reached level 200 orpleted his 3rd job advancement. There¡¯s no way he could hunt in Ilion in that state. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s turn it off for now.¡± Even though the Copsed City had cheat codes, there was no way a Theme Dungeon would have something like that. Even if they kept watching, there wouldn¡¯t be any clear results right away. ¡°Do you think the user will fail, Team Leader?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯ll just take a while, but I think he¡¯ll clear it.¡± Based on the monstrous performance he had shown so far, he was confident that the user would be able to clear the Theme Dungeon. * * * Their special ability. It was to cast a buff that increased their defense by 1.5 times. Furthermore, once the buff was cast, they wouldn¡¯t receive critical hits until the buff wore off, making them quite tricky to hunt. This meant extremely unfavorable conditions for Jeong-Hoon, who was at a lower level. However, with Leviathan, hunting would be much easier. ¡®If it ignores defense, the damage will prate that much better.¡¯ And it was a good opportunity to practice his swordsmanship, which he hadn¡¯t used muchtely. Jeong-Hoon moved towards the vige. This Theme Dungeon consisted of a total of five areas. The first was the path to Ilion Castle. The second was the outer wall of Ilion Castle. The third was the entrance to Ilion Castle. The fourth was Ilion Castle itself. The fifth was the heart of Ilion Castle. The fact that there were many areas meant that the difficulty was also considerable. ¡®This might take a while.¡¯ Of course, he had no intention of giving up. He wanted to get back at Jeong Chang-Ho, and the ¡®Rune¡¯ he would obtain here would be a great help in his future growth. ¡°Hey? Who are you?! Get out of here!¡± As he approached the vige, a little kid pointed a branch at Jeong-Hoon and shouted. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Anum ¨C Level: 15 ¨C upation: Child === Anum was a very small child who looked to be about 9 years old. He seemed to be malnourished, with no flesh on his bones, just skin and bones. Jeong-Hoon took out bread and milk from his inventory. He had packed them just in case after the Monster Wave ended. ¡°¡­Want one?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Anum tilted his head, seemingly unfamiliar with bread and milk. ¡°Food.¡± ¡°¡­Liar! There¡¯s no such food in the world!¡± ¡°Then will you believe me if I eat it?¡± ¡°Uh, yeah. I¡¯ll believe you then!¡± Anum¡¯s stomach was concave. He must be very hungry. Jeong-Hoon took out another piece of bread from his inventory, put it in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. ¡°How about it?¡± ¡°¡­You can really eat that?¡± ¡°I told you, right? Want some?¡± ¡°¡­No, thanks.¡± Anum shook his head. [Wow, he¡¯s smart. Yeah, you shouldn¡¯t ept food from strangers. You could end up dead.] ¡®Huh, you¡¯re quite harsh.¡¯ [It¡¯s not harsh, it¡¯s the truth, kid. There are more dirty bastards in this world than good ones.] ¡®¡­Can¡¯t argue with that.¡¯ Damn¡­ It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a bad guy, though. Jeong-Hoon smiled bitterly and put the bread and milk back into his inventory. He couldn¡¯t force-feed a child who didn¡¯t want to eat. ¡°Then can you guide me to the vige?¡± ¡°No, outsiders can¡¯t enter the vige! Go away!¡± A question mark blinked above Anum¡¯s head. [Normal Quest: Hungry Anum] ¨C Restriction: Entry into Theme Dungeon: Ilion Castle ¨C Reward: Vige entry ¨C Description: Hunt the Lv. 180 Owlbear near the vige and fill the bellies of the Irun tribe. [No way, you¡¯re asking this starving child to eat meat right off the bat?] Mukho was outraged. ¡®It¡¯s okay. Owlbear blood is very effective in nourishing the body.¡¯ In his past life, after New World became reality, the number of orphans increased significantly. Whenever Jeong-Hoon took care of those orphans, he would hunt Owlbears and feed them the blood and meat. Strangely, Owlbear blood contained most of the nutrients necessary for humans, and supplementing it with meat for protein created a magical effect of revitalization after eating it. ¡°Then I¡¯ll hunt an Owlbear and bring it back. Will you let me in then?¡± ¡°Oh, an Owlbear?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Alright then.¡± Anum nodded. ¡°Okay. Go back to the vige first. I¡¯ll hunt an Owlbear ande back.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be waiting at the entrance.¡± Hunting an Owlbear was simple. He just had to climb up the mountain, take out Anima, and draw the bowstring. Then, he had to focus his senses and check the movements of the monsters around him one by one. Rustle. The slightly dull sound of footsteps on fallen leaves. Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring in that direction. The arrow flew, urately piercing the monster¡¯s forehead. ¡°Kreeek!¡± The monster, struck by the arrow, cried out in pain. A giant bear with a bluish tinge. [Lv. 180 Owlbear] This was the Owlbear. Jeong-Hoon took out Leviathan and stabbed the bear¡¯s neck deeply, ending its life. He then drew his sword and collected the blood in a gourd he had prepared beforehand. ¡°Michael.¡± After collecting all the blood, Jeong-Hoon called for Michael. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to take this bear to the vige.¡± ¡°To the vige¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Help me with your necromancy.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t train my necromancy to be used as a porter¡­¡± Despite grumbling, Michael carried the Owlbear. * * * [Questpleted.] [Vige entry restriction lifted.] He seemed to understand why the quest required him to hunt an Owlbear. ¡®This is serious.¡¯ The vige was empty. There were only a few elderly people and eight children. ¡°C-can we eat this?¡± Anum asked, gulping. Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°Yes. Eat as much as you want.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± After handing over the Owlbear, Anum and the children somewhatboriously lit a fire and cooked the meat. Even though they must have been very hungry, they first shared the meat and blood with the elderly, and then the remaining portions were shared among the children. [The trust of the entire Irun Tribe slightly increases.] As the meal was nearing its end, a question mark blinked above the head of an elderly woman sitting at the head of the table. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Aibator ¨C Level: 150 ¨C upation: Chieftain === She was the chieftain leading the Irun Tribe. [Normal Quest: The Path to Ilion Castle] ¨C Restriction: Completion of the Hungry Anum quest ¨C Reward: Removal of entry restriction to the outer wall of Ilion Castle ¨C Description: Hunt all the ¡®Lv. 220 Ilion Dark Golems¡¯ on the path to Ilion Castle. The quest was to hunt all the Ilion Dark Golems. As Jeong-Hoon epted the quest, Aibator coughed dryly and began to speak. ¡°Cough, cough. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen a young man. Thank you for filling the children¡¯s stomachs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± ¡°So, what brings an outsider here?¡± ¡°I¡¯vee to eliminate the monsters in that castle.¡± Jeong-Hoon said, pointing to the towering castle. A giant gray castle in a dense forest. That was Ilion Castle, the one he had to clear in this Theme Dungeon. Aibator¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s beyond your level.¡± Aibator checked Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level. A low number, not even reaching 200. It was a mystery how such a weakling could have reached this deep into the dungeon. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll only know if we try.¡± ¡°¡­The average level of our tribe¡¯s warriors is 190. Even they were dragged away without any resistance against those monsters.¡± He seemed to understand why the vige was empty. At the time, Jeong Chang-Ho had bragged about his heroic deeds. ¡®That boss, Ilion, had a cruel trait of growing stronger by sacrificing people. So he captured all the nearby tribes and killed them.¡¯ ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had listened attentively to Jeong Chang-Ho¡¯s words. ¡®He was a real scumbag. Not just enjoying it, but practically capturing them alive and sacrificing them. It was hard to believe he was a humanoid monster.¡¯ Victims were probably still being sacrificed at this very moment. There was no time to waste. Jeong-Hoon stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try, and if it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll give up.¡± ¡°¡­Sigh, I warned you. Then try to eliminate all the Dark Golems lurking on the path to the castle. That should automatically open the next path.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lv. 220 Ilion Dark Golems. The problem was that these golems, unlike ordinary golems, had a special ability constantly active. [Super Armor] ¨C Defense increased by 1.5x. (No critical hits) ¨C Does not be incapacitated due to damage. (Disappears when the defense increase buff is removed) It was Super Armor. It was quite an overpowered special ability, increasing defense by 1.5 times and preventing incapacitation from damage. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better to use me?¡¯ Anima asked. ¡®No, rest this time.¡¯ Anima could deal explosive damage with each step, but that was impossible when the level difference was this significant. Moreover, he couldn¡¯t defeat them by targeting weak points, and even ¡®Dragon Void¡¯ wouldn¡¯t activate due to the level difference, making it even more impossible to use Anima. Of course, he could solve the problem with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Will,¡¯ which could be activated with a 10% chance when using the 5th Form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. However, it took quite a long time to reach the 5th Form, and it wasn¡¯t easy to continuously use the fist technique against high-level enemies with Super Armor. That¡¯s why he chose Leviathan. ¡®Leviathan, which activates even with a 120 level difference, should be enough.¡¯ Holding a sword after a long time felt a bit awkward. He had been defeating everything with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and Anima, so he rarely had a chance to use a sword. ¡®Let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon passed through the portal and arrived at the ¡®Path to Ilion Castle.¡¯ A dense forest in front of the castle. Dozens of golems, about 2 meters tall, were patrolling the forest. ¡°Wooong! Wooong!¡± The golems¡¯ eyes suddenly changed from blue to red. They had detected the intruder, Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Shall we begin?¡± Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to approach the golem in front of him and swung Leviathan. ng! A heavy sound erupted as Leviathan shed with the rock that formed the golem¡¯s body. The golem raised its fist and swung it at Jeong-Hoon. It was a much stronger golem than the ones he had seen in the Ruined City. However, Jeong-Hoon had faced golems countless times, so dodging its attacks wasn¡¯t too difficult. ¡®As expected, its patterns are simple.¡¯ Golems were creatures that moved through internal power mechanisms. They didn¡¯t have free will and could only move ording to their programmed instructions. It was natural for their attacks tock variety. Jeong-Hoon struck the golem again with Leviathan. ng! ng! ¡®There¡¯s no need to activate skills.¡¯ The sword skills he currently possessed were Continuous sh, Single Strike, and Vital Point Stab. But Jeong-Hoon simply swung his sword repeatedly without activating any skills. And then the 5% chance triggered. [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath is activated.] 10 seconds. A debuff was applied, reducing the golem¡¯s defense to 0. And its red glowing abdomen turned gray. The defense-boosting buff was temporarily frozen, exposing its weak point. [Single Strike is activated.] Jeong-Hoon immediately used Single Strike to attack the weak point. Crack. A hairline crack appeared on the Ilion Dark Golem¡¯s abdomen. [Continuous sh is activated.] Jeong-Hoon quickly attacked the cracked abdomen with Continuous sh. Smash! The cracked abdomen shattered, revealing the internal space and the core, which was its power source. [Vital Point Stab is activated.] Seizing the opportunity, Jeong-Hoon shattered the core with Leviathan. ¡°Roar!¡± The Ilion Dark Golem copsed with a scream. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 119 Chapter 119 From then on, it was a relentless onught. [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath is activated.] [Vital Point Stab is activated.] As Leviathan¡¯s Wrath activated, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword pierced through the core of the Ilion Dark Golem in an instant. [Vital Point Stab level increases.] [Swordsmanship Mastery level increases.] [Continuous sh level increases.] [Single Strike level increases.] As he repeatedly hunted Ilion Dark Golems, which were higher level than him, his swordsmanship skills quickly leveled up, all surpassing level 7. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ is activated.] [¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ merges ¡®Continuous sh,¡¯ ¡®Single Strike,¡¯ and ¡®Vital Point Stab.¡¯] [You have acquired ¡®Extinction Sword (Epic)¡¯.] ¡®Got it.¡¯ He had acquired Extinction Sword, one of the sword techniques he had used in his past life. [Extinction Sword] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Unleashes a sword strike that annihtes everything. ¨C 1st Form: Initiation ¨C 2nd Form: Subjugation ¨C 3rd Form: Annihtion It was the result of ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ reacting and merging Continuous sh, Single Strike, and Vital Point Stab when their levels surpassed 7. Extinction Sword was a sword technique that Jeong-Hoon himself had uniquely created. Or rather, he had created his own sword technique by learning from observing others who wielded swords in the past. ¡®I raised it to Unique grade, so itspleteness is guaranteed.¡¯ If he had raised it to Legendary, could he have resisted the traitors a little more? Jeong-Hoon shook his head. It was a pointless thought. ¡°Roar!¡± The Ilion Dark Golems quickly surrounded Jeong-Hoon. [1st Form: Initiation] ¨C Type: Active ¨C The first sword that unleashes the Extinction Sword that annihtes everything. ¨C Deals 90% damage 7 times per second and marks the target with the 1st Form¡¯s mark. ¨C The marksts for 60 seconds and cannot be reapplied for 180 seconds after disappearing. The first form was Initiation. It could be seen as an evolved form of Continuous sh. [1st Form: Initiation is activated.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Leviathan fiercely shed at the golems. [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath activated] [Ignores defense for 10 seconds.] As he struck 7 times per second, Leviathan¡¯s Wrath activated consecutively and rapidly. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to dodge the golem¡¯s fist and prepared for the next 2nd Form. [2nd Form: Subjugation] ¨C Type: Active ¨C The second sword that unleashes the Extinction Sword that annihtes everything. ¨C Unleashes two sword strikes that deal 90% damage and marks the target with the 2nd Form¡¯s mark. ¨C Deals 200% damage to targets marked with the 1st Form¡¯s mark. ¨C The marksts for 60 seconds and cannot be reapplied for 180 seconds after disappearing. Since Subjugation could be used inbo with Initiation, there was no dy at all. [2nd Form: Subjugation is activated.] Jeong-Hoon once again targeted the abdomen of the Ilion Dark Golem. ¡°Roar¡­¡± With the mark applied, the 200% damagebined with the defense ignore effect caused the Ilion Dark Golem to crumble helplessly. [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] Monsters in Theme Dungeons gave almost three times more experience than regr dungeons, and with the level difference, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level was rapidly increasing. But now wasn¡¯t the time to be happy about leveling up. The golems kepting endlessly, no matter how many he defeated. [3rd Form: Annihtion] ¨C Type: Active ¨C The final sword that unleashes the Extinction Sword that annihtes everything. ¨C Quickly stabs with 150% damage. (When using Annihtion, the caster¡¯s agility increases by 30%.) ¨C If marked with the 1st and 2nd Form¡¯s marks, deals 350% damage and can hit multiple targets. The final form, Annihtion. [3rd Form: Annihtion is activated.] As Jeong-Hoon unleashed Annihtion, his body disappeared, and he pierced through the golems in front of him one by one. Crack. Crack. Crack. He consecutively unleashed Initiation, Subjugation, and Annihtion, instantly clearing the wave of enemies in front of him and shattering the cores of the remaining golems. [You have defeated all Ilion Dark Golems!] [Entry restriction to the outer wall of Ilion Castle has been lifted.] A notification popped up as he defeated thest remaining Ilion Dark Golem. [Oh¡­ What the? Why is he so good with a sword?] ¡®He¡¯s amazing¡­¡¯ Mukho and Anima were impressed. ¡°Ah, I used to use swords a lot in the past.¡± Although he was called an all-rounder, if Jeong-Hoon had to choose one weapon he was most confident with, he would choose the sword without hesitation. If it weren¡¯t for the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, Jeong-Hoon would have started with a sword from the beginning. ¡®B-but the bow is still the best, right¡­?¡¯ Anima¡¯s voice, asking that question,cked confidence. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell by the fact that I mainly use a bow now?¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled and proceeded to the outer wall of Ilion Castle. * * * Outer wall of Ilion Castle. Three adult men were stumbling and running away along the outer wall. ¡°Hang in there, everyone!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± They weren¡¯t in good shape. Their faces and skin were tinged purple, and blood trickled from their lips. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the poison¡­¡± It was the poison that was tormenting them. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he would release the Poison Beetle Creed at the entrance¡­¡± Lv. 230 Poison Beetle Creed. It possessed a much stronger poison than the Lv. 140 Poison Beetle and was much smaller, making it a very difficult monster to deal with. Having been afflicted by the deadly poison of such a monster, their lives were in danger if they didn¡¯t detoxify immediately. There might be an antidote if they returned to the vige, but could they even make it back? ¡®Damn it¡­ How did ite to this¡­?¡¯ Cain, the chief warrior leading the Irun Tribe warriors, bit his lip. The Irun Tribe was a small, peaceful tribe living in a vige. Surrounded by forests, the Irun warriors hunted monsters and strictly prohibited outsiders from entering, protecting their vige. Then, one night, a gray castle suddenly appeared next to their vige. ¡®What is that castle¡­?¡¯ There was no need for a search. The gray castle was clearly visible from the vige. Cain led a few warriors and set off to investigate the castle. But around the castle, there were swarms of monsters they had never seen before. ¡®Chief! Something¡¯s strange about these monsters!¡¯ ¡®Our attacks aren¡¯tnding at all!¡¯ ¡®Damn it! We have to avoid them!¡¯ This was the first time this had happened. They had to retreat without even entering the castle because of mere monsters. ¡®Let¡¯s go again!¡¯ ¡®We can¡¯t back down like this!¡¯ ¡®We were caught off guard because they were new, but it won¡¯t be the same next time!¡¯ The warriors, determined to try again, vowed to return, but there was no next time. At dawn that day. Ilion suddenly invaded. ¡®Leave the useless old people and children, and take everyone else.¡¯ At hismand, his subordinate monsters dragged away all the people of the Irun Tribe. Resistance was futile. The might of the monsters hemanded forced all the warriors to their knees. Dragged into the castle, the warriors were imprisoned and subjected to all sorts of torture. ¡®They be better sacrifices when they¡¯re beaten like this.¡¯ Ilion said, taking one of the warriors, tearing him limb from limb, and cing him on an altar. Witnessing that madness, Cain shed tears of blood and red at Ilion with murderous intent, but there was nothing he could do. ¡®Cain, please¡­ Go outside and ask for help.¡¯ ¡®If we stay here, we¡¯ll all die¡­¡¯ ¡®Damn it, that¡¯s the eighth one already. That crazy bastard!¡¯ The warriors helped Cain and two other warriors escape. Outside the forest was the Sellion territory. If they asked for help there, they might be able to defeat Ilion. It was ironic to seek help from outsiders, whom the Irun Tribe had shunned, but this was no time to be picky. However, they were on the verge of death before they could even ask for help. Moreover, the path ahead was filled with Ilion Dark Golems that Ilion had unleashed. Escape was impossible. ¡°¡­It¡¯s over.¡± Cain muttered softly. Just then. ng! ng! ng! The sound of metal shing echoed from somewhere. Cain immediately recognized it as the sound of sword strikes and ran towards it. ¡®It¡¯s impossible¡­ You can¡¯t defeat them with just a sword.¡¯ There was no way someone could defeat the Ilion Dark Golems with just that. Crack. But then¡­ Cain¡¯s eyes widened. Right before his eyes, an Ilion Dark Golem lost its form and crumbled. ¡®No, how¡­?¡¯ * * * Ilion Dark Golems were also visible on the outskirts of the castle. [3rd Form: Annihtion is activated.] Jeong-Hoon used Annihtion to take down the golems one by one, clearing a path. [Master! There are humans over there turning into grapes!] As Mukho said, three members of the Irun Tribe came into view. They were poisoned and turning purple, dying. ¡®Poison Beetle Creed.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon quickly recognized the Poison Beetle Creed¡¯s poison from their condition. Their skin turning purple like grapes and blood pouring from their noses and mouths were symptoms of being poisoned by the Poison Beetle Creed. ¡®This is dangerous. I can¡¯t detoxify that.¡¯ Intermediate Healing couldn¡¯t detoxify the Poison Beetle Creed¡¯s poison. Wheeeing- At that moment, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s keen senses detected the movement of a Poison Beetle Creed. Jeong-Hoon took a stance. ¡®Poison Beetle Creeds have high attack power and agility. They don¡¯t have high defense.¡¯ Now! Jeong-Hoon pivoted his waist and shed his sword diagonally. Slice. ¡°Keeek!¡± With a small scream, the Poison Beetle Creed¡¯s fragmented corpse scattered on the ground. [1st Form: Initiation is activated.] He then activated 1st Form: Initiation and finished off the remaining two Poison Beetle Creeds. Jeong-Hoon hurriedly approached the Irun Tribe members and checked their condition. ¡°Th-thank you¡­¡± A man with disheveled hair expressed his gratitude. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Cain ¨C Level: 202 ¨C upation: Chief Warrior of the Irun Tribe === He was the chief warrior leading the tribe¡¯s warriors. ¡°Yes. Do you happen to have an antidote?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s in the vige.¡± ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s head straight to the vige then.¡± Jeong-Hoon hurriedly summoned Michael. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Michael, let¡¯s carry these people.¡± ¡°¡­Have I been reduced to a mere luggage carrier?¡± ¡°So what?¡± ¡°I love it!¡± * * * [The trust of the entire Irun Tribe greatly increases.] ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Back in the vige, after using the antidote to detoxify the Poison Beetle Creed¡¯s poison, Cain immediately knelt before Jeong-Hoon and expressed his gratitude. ¡°I simply did what I had to do.¡± ¡°What you had to do¡­¡± Cain¡¯s face went nk. The foreigner in front of him was clearly lower level than him. Yet he had risked his life to save them. And he called it something he simply had to do. ¡®A warrior¡­ That¡¯s what a true warrior is.¡¯ He felt ashamed to be holding the same sword, witnessing the true spirit of a warrior. Meanwhile, Jeong-Hoon was preupied with something above Cain¡¯s head. ¡®An exmation mark?¡¯ An exmation mark was blinking above his head. [Normal Quest: Rescue the Irun Tribe] ¨C Restriction: Rescue NPC Cain ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Defeat Ilion and rescue the Irun Tribe. The path-clearing quest ended at the outer wall. The reason was simple. ¡°¡­Here¡¯s the key to the castle gate.¡± Cain had the key to open the gate. ¡®Great, once Iplete this, I can have the Rune that Jeong Chang-Ho took.¡¯ Just imagining Jeong Chang-Ho¡¯s deted reaction made him happy. ¡°Yes. Is this the key that leads to the prison where the tribe members are held?¡± ¡°Yes. Please lend us your strength. We want to rescue our people who are still trapped inside.¡± ¡°Alright. I can¡¯t refuse now that I¡¯vee this far.¡± As long as there was a purpose, there was no reason to refuse the quest. ¡°Thank you so much¡­¡± Seeing Jeong-Hoon ept the quest without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Cain clenched his teeth with a touched expression. ¡®I¡¯m so ashamed of myself for blindly rejecting all outsiders.¡¯ What kind of warrior was he? He was just a frog in a well. He was ashamed of his past arrogance and felt incredibly small in front of this foreigner. ¡°Then let¡¯s get going.¡± Led by Jeong-Hoon, Cain and two other warriors set off for Ilion Castle. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 120 Chapter 120 Entrance to Ilion Castle. A crude castle made entirely of gray stone. In front of its gate, a single monster stood guard. [Lv. 245 Dark Lizardman] A monster resembling a lizard. However, it stood on two legs like a human, wielding a spear in its right hand and a shield in its left, its head and body armored with a helmet and armor. ¡°¡­Why this one, of all things.¡± Cain shuddered slightly. ¡°Why?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in confusion. ¡°They probably tightened security after realizing we escaped.¡± Cain and the two warriors had seized an opportunity when the guards werex to make their escape. Of course, they ended up getting hit by the Poison Beetle Creed. ¡°We¡¯ll have to take this one down first.¡± Jeong-Hoon slowly walked forward. Leviathan was gripped in his hand. ¡°Hiss- Who are you?¡± The Dark Lizardman spotted Jeong-Hoon, pointed its spear at him, and shouted. ¡°The one who¡¯s going to kill you.¡± [1st Form: Initiation is activated.] As Jeong-Hoon activated Initiation, sharp sword strikes rained down on the Lizardman. The sound of Leviathan¡¯s de shing with the Dark Lizardman¡¯s armor reverberated. The Lizardman, seemingly impacted by the blows, frowned and tried to block with its shield, but each time, Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to strike its unguarded spots. [2nd Form: Subjugation is activated.] He immediately activated Subjugation. Destructive power was added to the swift and sharp sword strikes from before. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and aimed for the Dark Lizardman¡¯s head. ¡°Hiss- You damn human!¡± [The Dark Lizardman uses ¡®Warrior¡¯s Valor¡¯.] As Jeong-Hoon swung Leviathan with full force, the Dark Lizardman¡¯s body turned red, and the sword was deflected. ¡®Is it using an invincibility skill?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chuckled dryly. It had absurd special abilities for its level. ¡°Hiss- I¡¯ll kill you!¡± [The Dark Lizardman uses ¡®Spear Breath¡¯.] The Dark Lizardman mmed its spear into the ground. The ground shook, and the concentrated mana exploded where Jeong-Hoon was standing. The exploding mana shot up like a fountain and then vanished instantly. Fortunately, Jeong-Hoon had used his movement technique to dodge the breath before the mana exploded. ¡®If anyone other than me had been hit by that, they would have been turned to dust.¡¯ It would be difficult even at a simr level. One would need to be at Jeong Chang-Ho¡¯s level to handle the Dark Lizardman and reach Ilion. ¡®That Theme Dungeon was quite a challenge for me too.¡¯ He had said he struggled quite a bit, and now he could fully understand why. But that was all it was. The difficulty that Jeong Chang-Ho, who was in his early 300s, had struggled with. That level of difficulty wasn¡¯t enough to hold Jeong-Hoon back. [2nd Form: Subjugation is activated.] He closed the distance with the golem once again, unleashing Subjugation. Jeong-Hoon swung Leviathan with a wide arc. The invincibility skillsted for only a brief second. This time, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword struck the Lizardman¡¯s head with full force. [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath is activated.] Luckily, Leviathan¡¯s Wrath activated. [3rd Form: Annihtion is activated.] Confirming the activation of Wrath, Jeong-Hoon immediately unleashed Annihtion, piercing through the golem¡¯s weak point, its neck. The vulnerable spot between the helmet and armor, where defense was impossible. ¡°Keeek!¡± The golem copsed on the spot with a scream. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Perfect¡­ Is that true swordsmanship?¡± Cain and the warriors, who had been watching from hiding, were mesmerized by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword skills. ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s go quickly.¡± At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s call, they snapped out of their daze. ¡°Yes!¡± * * * Meanwhile, Ilion Castle was in a state of emergency. ¡°The Dark Lizardman was defeated?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± A humanoid monster sat at the head of the table, resting its chin on its hand. Ilion was lost in thought for a moment. He was irritated because some of the prey he had recently captured had escaped. He had been working hard, and three of the most promising sacrifices had escaped, so he couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed. In such a situation, he received the news of the Dark Lizardman¡¯s defeat. ¡°I¡¯ll go check it out.¡± [Lv. 250 Fenrir] A wolf-like monster rose to its feet. It was a werewolf monster, capable of walking on two legs like the Lizardman. ¡°Alright.¡± Ilion nodded. Fenrir was a subordinate ranked higher than the Dark Lizardman. He wouldn¡¯t be easily defeated. ¡°Yes!¡± Fenrir confidently opened the door and stepped out. And not long after¡­ ¡°Yelp!¡± Fenrir¡¯s scream echoed from outside. ¡°¡­¡± Ilion stared at the door in silence. Soon, the door was flung open with a bang! ¡°There you are.¡± * * * [Normal Quest: Rescue the Irun Tribe] He had dealt with all the misceneous monsters while entering the castle, but only those two were counted. This meant they were the mid-bosses of this Theme Dungeon. After finishing off Fenrir, Jeong-Hoon arrived at the boss zone where Ilion was. They said it was a humanoid monster, and unlike the Dark Lizardman and Fenrir, it truly resembled a human. ¡®The rescue is up to them.¡¯ After dealing with all the monsters inside the castle, Cain and the two warriors were sent to the prison where the tribe members were held captive. Now all he had to do wasfortably deal with Ilion to finish the Theme Dungeon. ¡°You dare touch my sacrifices and think you¡¯ll be safe?¡± Ilion growled, baring his fangs. He looked human, but his teeth resembled those of a great white shark. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded confidently. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I said I think I¡¯ll be safe.¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Ilion rose from his seat in a rage. A sly smile crept across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡± [ckfield is activated.] First, he activated ckfield to boost his stats. [All stats are increased by 1.2x.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that have entered the area are decreased by 3%.] It wasn¡¯t enough yet. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [Time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] He also used the stat-boosting ring he had been saving for this moment. ¡°Human¡­ What are you doing?!¡± Ilion¡¯s face under the helmet was filled with bewilderment as Jeong-Hoon¡¯s aura suddenly surged. But Ilion quickly regained hisposure. [Ilion uses ¡®Enhanced: Super Armor¡¯.] Enhanced Super Armor. It increased Ilion¡¯s defense by a whopping 1.7 times. [Ilion uses ¡®Enhanced: Sword Aura¡¯.] And a blue aura gathered on Ilion¡¯s sword. ¡®The sword aura¡¯s condition isn¡¯t bad.¡¯ It was slightly stronger than the sword aura a level 265 Saber would unleash. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to close in on him. [Ilion uses ¡®Enhanced: Senses¡¯.] He had three abilities. With his enhanced senses, it seemed he had read Jeong-Hoon¡¯s movements, as his ck eyes within the helmet darted around. At the same time, he pivoted on his right foot and swung his sword diagonally with force. Woosh- However, the sword strike only sliced through the air. No other sound was heard. At that moment, Jeong-Hoon appeared behind Ilion. [1st Form: Initiation is activated.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword, with Extinction Sword¡¯s 1st Form activated, began to strike Ilion¡¯s armor. ¡°Impossible!¡± Ilion hurriedly turned around and raised his sword. But Jeong-Hoon had already used his movement technique to move to his right side and consecutively shed at his nk. [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath is activated.] Then, Leviathan¡¯s Wrath activated. [2nd Form: Subjugation is activated.] And then, Extinction Sword¡¯s 2nd Form, Subjugation, was activated. ¡°Ugh!¡± A groan escaped Ilion¡¯s lips as the sword strikes, now with greatly increased attack power,nded. Subjugation activated once more, striking Ilion¡¯s thigh. Crack. The armor Ilion was wearing crumpled. And the impact was directly transmitted to Ilion. ¡°Ack!¡± He groaned again and swung his sword widely. But the sword strike only cut through the air. ¡°Your attacks are too simple.¡± To Jeong-Hoon, there was no difference between the Dark Lizardman, Fenrir, and Ilion he had faced before. Their attacks were all simple, making them too easy to dodge. No matter how explosively one increased their attack power, it was useless if the attacks didn¡¯tnd on the opponent. While reading and dodging all of his simple sword paths, he saw a big opening. [3rd Form: Annihtion is activated.] He activated Annihtion, aiming to pierce through Ilion¡¯s neck through that opening. ¡°¡­!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression changed subtly. [Ilion uses ¡®Warrior¡¯s Valor¡¯.] He hadn¡¯t expected Ilion to possess the same ability as the Lizardman. Thanks to the 1-second invincibility, he was able to defend against Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Annihtion. ¡°Kekeke, human! I will surely sacrifice you! And I will be even stronger!¡± Bloodshot eyes red at Jeong-Hoon from within the helmet. Ilion then raised his sword high and swung it down. He continued to swing his sword fiercely, relentlessly pressuring Jeong-Hoon. Thwack! ¡°Ugh!¡± Amidst his sword strikes, Ilion felt a sharp pain in his side. Jeong-Hoon had approached him and punched his side. And it was with the 1st Form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, imbued with the Underworld King¡¯s energy. As Ilion¡¯s sword strikes momentarily paused, Jeong-Hoon pointed his sword at his neck. ¡°I told you it wouldn¡¯t work.¡± ¡°How is this possible? Why am I not getting hit even once¡­?¡± Ilion¡¯s voice sounded somewhat hollow. ¡°It¡¯s simple. You¡¯re weak.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand. I¡¯ve never been defeated before.¡± Ilion openly expressed his confusion at the straightforward answer. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve only been picking on weaklings.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Get lost.¡± [3rd Form: Annihtion is activated.] The tip of Leviathan¡¯s sword finally pierced Ilion¡¯s neck. ¡°Cough!¡± Ilion died instantly with a scream. [You have cleared ¡®Theme Dungeon: Ilion Castle¡¯ for the first time.] [30,000 achievement points are awarded.] [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] [Questpleted.] [Return to the vige forpletion rewards.] Done. He had cleared the Theme Dungeon. ¡®It¡¯s good that I can close the royal pce¡¯s Random Gate now.¡¯ Since he had cleared this Theme Dungeon connected to the Random Gate, forcibly severing the connection, the Random Gate would soon disappear. Jeong-Hoon picked up the item dropped by Ilion. It was a boss item that dropped with a 100% chance upon first clear. [Ilion¡¯s Tooth] ¨C Type: Consumable ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Can be used to enhance Unique-grade equipment. ¨C Upon sessful enhancement, an additional +1~3 is added. The item he dropped was a material used for enhancement. It added a value of 1~3 when enhancing Unique equipment once. ¡®It would have been useless if it were Epic, but Unique is fine.¡¯ Now all that was left was the ¡®Rune,¡¯ the highlight of this Theme Dungeon. It was time to im that Rune. * * * ¡°Is everyone alright?!¡± Cain led the tribe members out of the castle to safety. While he was away, two more warriors had been sacrificed as offerings, but the rest were safe. ¡°Phew¡­ We¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Chief Warrior, you seeded¡­¡± The warriors were holding on with sheer willpower, even though they looked like they could copse at any moment. ¡°Yes¡­ Thanks to the foreigner who helped us, no, the true warrior, we were able to escape.¡± ¡°True warrior?¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯ll defeat Ilion and return.¡± ¡°Defeat Ilion? That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± They had experienced firsthand how absurdly powerful Ilion was. None of their attacks could prate his defense. After their crushing defeat, all that was left was to be imprisoned and be his sacrifices. Defeat such a monster? He was bound to lose. ¡°It¡¯s alright. He¡¯s the one who personally defeated the Dark Lizardman and Fenrir, so trust him.¡± ¡°¡­Is that really true?!¡± Cain nodded. ¡°Not only that. He took care of all the golems outside and the monsters inside the castle.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± They couldn¡¯t believe it. They were monsters they couldn¡¯t even handle one of, so how did he do it? ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe, but it¡¯s all true.¡± As if to prove Cain¡¯s words, Jeong-Hoon soon opened the castle gate and slowly walked out. In his right hand, he held Ilion¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± ¡°Woooooah!¡± ¡°The true warrior has defeated Ilion!¡± The tribal warriors recognized Ilion¡¯s head and cheered loudly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 121 Chapter 121 In response to the warriors¡¯ cheers, Jeong-Hoon raised Ilion¡¯s head high. ¡°Woooooah!¡± The cheers grew even louder. ¡°¡­You seeded.¡± Cain approached Jeong-Hoon with a grateful expression and knelt on one knee. Jeong-Hoon nodded at the sight. ¡°Yes. What about the tribe members?¡± ¡°Thanks to you, warrior, we were able to rescue all those who were alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°Yes. We also recovered the bodies of ourrades who were killed by that damned bastard.¡± ¡°I see.¡± They couldn¡¯t save everyone, but it was fortunate that they weren¡¯t toote. ¡°Thank you, true warrior!¡± The rescued tribal warriors knelt and bowed their heads. [Well, they should be grateful. They owe their lives to you. Hey, Master, see the second one from the right in thest row? That bastard isn¡¯t bowing his head low enough.] ¡®¡­Are you determined to make your master look like trash?¡¯ [Trash? How can you call someone who saved your life trash?] ¡®Even if they saved you, their attitude afterward is important¡­¡¯ [What are you talking about? If they were saved, they should show an attitude of willingness to give you their galldder.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head ached listening to Mukho and Anima¡¯s conversation. Ignoring their chatter, Jeong-Hoon approached the tribal warriors and cast Healing. As the holy power-based Healing poured out, the warriors¡¯ faces rxed. At the same time, their faces were filled with surprise and respect. ¡°Ooh¡­¡± ¡°The true warrior even possesses the power of healing.¡± Now they were even praising him, and Jeong-Hoon, starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, closed his ears and returned to the vige. The children, including the elder, were waiting for them in the vige. And an exmation mark was blinking above Elder Aibator¡¯s head. ¡°¡­You really seeded.¡± Aibator who had looked down on Jeong-Hoon at first was no longer there. When he brought back the warriors who were dying from poisoning, she too acknowledged Jeong-Hoon as a true warrior. If it weren¡¯t for Jeong-Hoon, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat the evil Ilion, and they would have had to watch the tribe¡¯s demise helplessly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you, our tribe would have perished soon.¡± Everyone nodded in agreement with Aibator¡¯s words. Then Cain stepped forward and spoke. ¡°Chieftain, we cannot simply let the true warrior who saved us go back empty-handed.¡± The other tribal warriors chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°We should have a feast today!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hunt an Owlbear! And I¡¯ll open the grape wine I¡¯ve been saving at home!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± Perhaps energized by the Healing, they seemed ready to go Owlbear hunting right away. ¡®¡­I should have held back on the Healing.¡¯ Fortunately, Cain wasn¡¯t clueless. ¡°Stop! I meant we should give him a proper reward, not a feast!¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± The warriors quickly agreed. The Irun Tribe would have been wiped out if it weren¡¯t for Jeong-Hoon. He had saved the entire tribe. So no matter what they offered, it wouldn¡¯t be enough as a reward. Without hesitation, Aibator held out a red stone. [Rune of Extinction] This was the Rune of Extinction that Jeong Chang-Ho was supposed to have taken. ¡°Elder!¡± The warriors, including Cain, widened their eyes at the appearance of the Rune. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the symbol of our tribe?¡± ¡°No, even if it is, that¡¯s¡­¡± They hesitated for a moment, even though they had seemed willing to give anything just a moment ago. That Rune was like a guardian deity protecting the tribe. It wasn¡¯t easy to offer such a guardian as a reward. Aibator then shouted at them. ¡°You fools! Does this look like a guardian deity to you?!¡± Flinch. The warriors looked momentarily confused, unable to understand Aibator¡¯s words. Aibator looked at them with pity and added, ¡°If this were a guardian deity, it wouldn¡¯t have just watched you suffer like that.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°And it wasn¡¯t this stone that saved you, was it?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± The warriors¡¯ eyes widened as Aibator continued. Her words were undeniably true. It wasn¡¯t the stone that saved them, but Jeong-Hoon, the true warrior. They were ashamed of their hesitation just a moment ago. ¡°Then it seems we¡¯ve reached an agreement. Here, will you ept this?¡± Aibator held out the Rune. Jeong-Hoon nodded and epted it. [You have acquired the Rune of Extinction.] With this, the Rune of Extinction was in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands. [¡®Theme Dungeon: Ilion Castle¡¯ All questspleted. 50,000 achievement points awarded.] [Achievement Shop level increased to 5.] [You have acquired the ¡®[Title] Guardian of the Irun Tribe¡¯.] He also received a whopping 50,000 achievement points, raising his Achievement Shop level to 5. ¡®Good. It¡¯s time to put them to good use.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had been deliberately saving his achievement points. The reason was because of the Rune he was holding in his hand. The Rune couldn¡¯t be used immediately after obtaining it; it required additional work, and achievement points were necessary for that work. But then, a rainbow-colored question mark blinked above Aibator¡¯s head. ¡®Wait a minute. What¡¯s this?¡¯ Remembering what had happened with the Fist King, Jeong-Hoon touched the question mark. [Secret Quest: Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 1)] ¨C Restriction: Users who have acquired both [Title] Guardian of the Vige and [Title] Guardian of the Irun Tribe. ¨C Reward: [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 1) ¨C Description: Upgrade the [Title] Guardian of the Vige to [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 1). ¡®Finally, I can evolve the title.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought It was time to evolve the ¡®Evolution Title¡¯ once again, which he had evolved through the Fist King after obtaining the Hidden ss. [You havepleted the Secret Quest.] [[Title] Guardian of the Vige has been upgraded to [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 1).] [You have acquired the [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 1) for the first time. 30,000 achievement points have been awarded.] Done. With this, the title had evolved once more. [Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 1)] ¨C Type: Evolution Title ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C All attack power increased by 2.5%. ¨C All skill damage increased by 3%. ¨C Experience gained increased by 1.5%. As the title evolved, some options disappeared, and new options took their ce. ¡®Awesome!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon eximed internally A 3% increase in all skill damage was a very good option. ¡®It means additional damage is added to all the skills I use.¡¯ And the fact that it was Stage 1 meant there was a Stage 2, right? That would probably be solved naturally when he obtained the next beginner region¡¯s title and evolved it. ¡°Warrior, if you don¡¯t mind, would you like to have a drink with us?¡± Cain approached Jeong-Hoon and asked. Everyone¡¯s eyes and ears turned towards Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth. The future schedule would be decided depending on his answer here. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I think I have to go back.¡± He wanted to attend the feast, but Jeong-Hoon had originallye here to close the Random Gate. Now that Ilion was defeated, he had to return to the royal pce and receive his reward. ¡°Oh no¡­¡± ¡°Then what about the Owlbear¡­? And the grape wine Luke was talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ We can¡¯t drink our wine?¡± ¡°Life is bitter¡­¡± They were disappointed, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°Hmm? It seems like another foreigner ising.¡± Aibator muttered, looking towards the forest. ¡®Is it Jeong Chang-Ho?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon immediately realized it was Jeong Chang-Ho. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± It was time to hurry even more. ¡°¡­Travel safely, warrior.¡± Cain raised his sword in salute. The others also saluted, though with a tired expression. ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± * * * ¡°I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s a Theme Dungeon in a ce like this.¡± Jeong Chang-Ho frowned and brushed off his robe with his hand. A cloud of dust fell from him. The journey to thisnd had been quite unpleasant. A swamp, far removed even from the hunting grounds frequented by level 250 users. Beyond that swampy a parchednd devoid of any moisture. And where not a single living creature, let alone monsters, existed. He had even braved a dust storm that raged like a typhoon, crossing a ce he¡¯d rather not have. ¡®Find it quickly. ording to the clue, the Irun Tribe is definitely hiding somewhere here.¡¯ The Fire Spirit, Ignis. Though his tone was quite infuriating, as a Spirit Summoner, Ignis was his source of power. He was an irreceable soulmate who had helped him reach this point. ¡°Can¡¯t you see I¡¯m searching diligently?¡± Rune Stones, officially found only in dungeons designated for levels 220 and above. A clue about the ¡®Rune of Extinction¡¯ obtained in the process of collecting those Rune Stones. [Regarding the Tribes] It was a clue that was barely even a clue, more like a report detailing the customs of various tribes. Jeong Chang-Ho, deciphering the report, learned that the Irun Tribe held the Rune of Extinction. ¡®If they really have the Rune of Extinction¡­!¡¯ Then Ignis evolving into an Ifrit wouldn¡¯t just be a dream. That was the reason Jeong Chang-Ho braved the dust storm and ventured here. But there was nothing in front of him. ¡®Hmm? There¡¯s a hole over there.¡¯ The ce Ignis pointed to was a pit barely big enough for one person to enter. ¡°Ha, you¡¯re not suggesting that¡¯s the entrance, are you?¡± Jeong Chang-Ho had already cleared Theme Dungeons twice before. Usually, the entrances to Theme Dungeons were portals, and they lookedpletely different from regr portals, making them easy to distinguish. This meant that this pit couldn¡¯t be the entrance. ¡®Then what¡¯s here? Is it a dead end?¡¯ That Ignis¡­ But he couldn¡¯t argue; the portal that should definitely be there was nowhere to be seen. ¡°¡­Sigh, fine.¡± Jeong Chang-Ho casually approached the pit and half-heartedly stuck his foot in, just for show. Instantly, his body was sucked in, and he was transported to the Theme Dungeon. ¡®I was right after all. Tsk.¡¯ Ignis looked at Jeong Chang-Ho with a disdainful eye. The way he fell in was quiteical. ¡°Ha, what kind of filthy ce is this?¡± Jeong Chang-Ho got up, seemingly annoyed. ¡®Anyway, it seems like this is the right ce. I can sense people nearby.¡¯ His tone was rude, but he was reliable at times like this. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go right away.¡± Jeong Chang-Ho and Ignis quickly crossed the forest and arrived at the vige where the Irun Tribe resided. And there, Cain and the warriors stood guard, wary of him. ¡°Identify yourself!¡± Jeong Chang-Ho frowned at those words. ¡®This is strange.¡¯ The NPC information confirmed it was the Irun Tribe, but no quest appeared above their heads. Unlike normal quests, in Theme Dungeons, the first one to enter and clear it owned it, so the absence of a quest meant someone had already visited and cleared this Theme Dungeon. ¡°Do you happen to know anything about the Rune of Extinction?¡± At the mention of the Rune of Extinction, Cain smirked. ¡°Ah, that? Someone else already took it. A true warrior, that is.¡± ¡°What?!¡± * * * Meanwhile. Northern wall of the M?rchen Royal Capital. ¡®Hoon, when are youing out¡­¡¯ Ragan looked at the violently vibrating gate with a worried expression. The gate, gradually increasing in size, had berge enough for everyone to see. And it showed no signs of being cleared yet. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t this a big problem?¡± ¡°He went in alone¡­ Could he be dead?¡± ¡°No way¡­ He quelled the mana storm himself. Someone like that wouldn¡¯t die easily.¡± The atmosphere around them grew restless as time passed. ¡°Everyone, quiet!¡± Ragan¡¯s voice instantly froze the atmosphere. Someone was risking their life fighting in there, and yet they were fidgeting while just watching! Ragan¡¯s anger red up, but he managed to suppress it. Just then. ¡°He¡¯s out!¡± The gate opened, and Jeong-Hoon emerged. ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 122 Chapter 122 An exit had been created next to the entrance he hade in through. Jeong-Hoon exited the gate through that exit. As he did, the gate lost all its power and vanished. ¡°Th-the gate disappeared¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s real, right?¡± The wall was filled with people staring at the scene in a daze. A moment of silence enveloped them. ¡°It really disappeared! The Waves arepletely over!¡± Someone¡¯s shout broke the silence, and a loud cheer erupted. ¡°Woooooah!¡± ¡°Woooooah! He¡¯s a hero! A hero!¡± The cheers were iparable to those of the Irun Tribe. Even from this distance, it felt like his skull was vibrating. They waved their hands towards Jeong-Hoon and jumped up and down. Overwhelmed by the intense cheering, Jeong-Hoon raised his hand in response. ¡°Woooooah!¡± The cheers grew even louder. [That¡¯s right. That¡¯s how cheers should be.] ¡®You¡¯re right.¡¯ Mukho and Anima seemed satisfied with their cheers. ¡°Hoon! Are you alright?!¡± Ragan, who had been on the wall, rushed towards Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly and nodded. ¡°Yes. Fortunately, they weren¡¯t too dangerous.¡± ¡°Really¡­? Judging by the size of the gate, it seemed like some pretty powerful monsters would havee out.¡± As Ragan said, the monsters this time were quite strong. If Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t tried to close the Random Gate, the next Wave would have started, and Ilion¡¯s Dark Golems would have poured out. If that had happened, the royal capital would have undoubtedly suffered significant damage. ¡°No. I was able to handle them all by myself just fine.¡± ¡°Is that so? Anyway, I¡¯m so d you returned safely.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Treated as a hero by everyone, Jeong-Hoon returned to the pce. ¡°Ooh! Our hero! Cassandra¡¯s words were 100% urate once again!¡± Kaiserk V reacted the same way. An exmation mark was blinking above his head. [Questpleted.] Questplete. He had perfectly seeded in the route he entered by achieving an 80% contribution rate. Jeong-Hoon bowed and humbly replied. ¡°I was lucky.¡± ¡°Lucky¡­? You don¡¯t need to be so modest.¡± Kaiserk V smiled kindly. If it were something that could be achieved by luck, the gate that had gued them since their ancestors would have disappeared long ago. The disappearance of that gate was possible because of the foreigner who had achieved a contribution rate of nearly 90%, because of Jeong-Hoon. No one would be able toin about bestowing the treasure of M?rchen. ¡®¡­Amazing. I can¡¯t believe he actually seeded.¡¯ Even Luke had to admit it. The Random Gate had vanished. The Waves that had endlessly gued the kingdom would no longer ur. Although the royal capital¡¯s military power had been sufficient to defend against them, the umted damage was severe beyond words. The knight he had just spoken to had returned as a cold corpse, and the bright and cheerful mage was suffering from panic disorder due to the trauma of the Waves. There had been many military casualties. Therefore, Luke also wanted to eliminate those tiresome Waves. ¡®The treasure that protects M?rchen.¡¯ That¡¯s why he had been even more obsessed with that treasure. He had wanted it to bring peace to M?rchen. But now that the Waves had truly disappeared. He thought that the true treasure that protected M?rchen might not be the essory, but this foreigner. Luke approached Kaiserk V and carefully asked, ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ll go and bring the Guardian of M?rchen.¡± ¡°Ah, no need. I¡¯ve already taken care of it.¡± Kaiserk V had prepared the Guardian of M?rchen in advance, in case anyone objected. The Guardian appeared in Kaiserk V¡¯s hand. It was an earring shaped like a golden lion roaring in the center, surrounded by wings. ¡°Ooh¡­ The Guardian of M?rchen.¡± ¡°To think I¡¯d see it in someone else¡¯s hands¡­¡± ¡°Someone else? It¡¯s for the hero of M?rchen.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s heart pounded. ¡®¡­That¡¯s the Guardian of M?rchen.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know how great an item it was. No one had ever obtained it in his past life. And now, that item was about to be his. ¡°Come forward.¡± Kaiserk V called Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon stepped forward at his call. And kneeling on one knee, he carefully received the Guardian of M?rchen from the king. [You have acquired the Guardian of M?rchen.] [You have acquired a Guardian essory for the first time! 50,000 achievement points have been awarded.] Sess. The Guardian of M?rchen. === [Guardian of M?rchen] ¨C Type: Earring ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Special Ability (1): When the earring¡¯s magic power is drawn out, designate one of your Attack Skills to increase its activation probability by 4% for 1 hour. (Cooldown: 12 hours) ¨C Special Ability (2): When the earring¡¯s magic power is drawn out, increase the wearer¡¯s attack power by 4%. (Cooldown: 12 hours) ¨C (When the essory set is collected, the grade increases, and hidden abilities are unlocked.) === ¡®Huh¡­ So it gets stronger when collected as a set.¡¯ ¡®Attack Skills¡¯ referred to skills that activated additionally when an attack was made. An additional 4% increase on top of the existing activation probability. Moreover, the earring would exhibit even greater power when collected as a set. The grade would also increase. The rewards didn¡¯t end there. [You have acquired the [Title] Hero of M?rchen.] He had protected M?rchen and even received a title. Additionally, a rainbow-colored question mark blinked above Kaiserk V¡¯s head. ¡®So this is where I can evolve it to Stage 2.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought [Secret Quest: Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 2)] ¨C Restriction: Users who have acquired both [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 1) and [Title] Hero of M?rchen. ¨C Reward: [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 2) ¨C Description: Upgrade the [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 1) to [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 2). The title that had concluded at Stage 1. Since the beginner region ended with M?rchen, acquiring the [Hero of M?rchen] title was the evolution condition. Jeong-Hoon immediately evolved the title. [You have acquired the [Title] Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 2) for the first time. 30,000 achievement points have been awarded.] Sess. With this, the title had evolved once more. [Hero of the Beginner Region (Stage 2)] ¨C Type: Evolution Title ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C All attack power increased by 3%. ¨C All skill damage increased by 3.5%. ¨C Experience gained increased by 2%. ¨C [Passive: Hero¡¯s Mindset] always active The attack power, skill damage, and experience gain increases had slightly improved, and a new passive skill had been added. [Hero¡¯s Mindset] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Permanently increases all stats by 2%. (Detailed stats not disyed) ¡®Oh¡­ This is good.¡¯ An additional 2% increase to all stats would be even more valuable as time went on. * * * Earth Korea Management Team. They were staring at the monitor, speechless. He had quelled the mana storm. Then he entered the Theme Dungeon alone, which seemed impossible to clear. They watched, wondering what amazing y he would show this time. And as Oh Jin-Soo expected, the user cleared the Theme Dungeon alone. ¡°Wow¡­ This time he overwhelmed them with his sword?¡± ¡°He broke through Super Armor like that?¡± ¡°His movements are so beautiful¡­¡± The staff were instantly captivated by the user¡¯s swordsmanship. It was such a perfect and beautiful sword. He cleared the boss, Ilion, in one fell swoop, not with martial arts or a bow, but with just a sword. ¡°What the hell does this guy do¡­?¡± They had seen him handle a sword before, but never with such perfection. Why hadn¡¯t he used such swordsmanship until now? The problem was not the swordsmanship but the reward. The user returned to the Irun Tribe and received a Rune from them. That was the Rune of Extinction! ¡°Rune of Extinction¡­?¡± ¡°No¡­ What kind of Rune is that?¡± ¡°Team Leader, do you know anything about it?¡± The staff looked at Oh Jin-Soo. Oh Jin-Soo nodded. ¡°Yes¡­ That¡¯s not an ordinary Rune¡­¡± He vaguely remembered hearing about Runes when he first joined thepany. ¡®Did you know? You can obtain Runes after level 201.¡¯ ¡®What? What are Runes?¡¯ ¡®They¡¯re items that enhance equipment whenbined with them. You could call them auxiliary items.¡¯ ¡®Ah.¡¯ ¡®Runes have different grades, and their abilities differ depending on the alphabet attached to them.¡¯ Rune-A increased attack power. Rune-B increased defense. Rune-C increased damage. New World had ssified specific stats with alphabets in this way. And Runes were graded by color: red for Unique, purple for Epic, blue for Rare, and ck for Normal. ¡®Ah, I see. So Unique is the best.¡¯ ¡®Yes. And especially Runes with names¡­ They haven¡¯t appeared yet, but you can consider them a jackpot.¡¯ A Rune with a vivid red color. It wasn¡¯t just marked with an alphabet; it was a Rune with a proper name. ¡®A jackpot¡­¡¯ Oh Jin-Soo gulped nervously. At the same time. Jang Dae-Hwi was on Youtube, reading thements on histest video. ¨C I heard this is the enhancement hotspot? ¨C Seriously, I¡¯ve had all my enhancements seed here lol ¨C I can¡¯t go to other enhancers anymore¡­ I have to go to JH from now on -JH is his initials, right? -Seems like it? Most of thements were positive, with users satisfied with their enhancement results. -This is a scam lol ¨C This is ridiculous! I just wasted my money! ¨C I should have gone to another enhancer. I trusted him, and he broke half of my items? ¨C What kind of honey is this? It¡¯s poison. A very potent one at that. ¨C Even the poison in a pufferfish wouldn¡¯t be this toxic. And there were also some negativements, ounting for a little less than 1%. Jang Dae-Hwi assumed those were intentionally left by other enhancers. But if he deleted them, they would surelye back and cause a fuss, asking why he deleted them. ¡®Let¡¯s just leave them.¡¯ He decided to leave thements as they were. More importantly, had Ha-Jin run out of resources? ¡°Why isn¡¯t he uploading more videos?¡± Quite some time had passed since he uploaded the enhancement video, but there were no further broadcasts. ¨C No more honey? ¨C It would be weird if it came out every time, but it¡¯s a bit disappointing. Because of that, there were more and morements asking why he wasn¡¯t uploading any more videos. Jang Dae-Hwi was frustrated. Even if it wasn¡¯t a honey tip, there was so much content he could create just by focusing on enhancements. Ha-Jin himself wasn¡¯t contacting him, and even when he tried to reach out, he couldn¡¯t get through. Where was he and what was he doing¡­? * * * Training ground in M?rchen Royal Capital Ha-Jin was diligently rolling around on the training ground. He had been working so hard that even the shabby armor he was wearing was covered in dust. ¡°Alright, stop.¡± As Caryan shouted for him to stop, Ha-Jin abruptly stopped rolling and got up in a hurry. [HP recovery is significantly slowed.] The worn-out armor he was currently wearing. Identical to the one Caryan was wearing, it was made of a special material that slowed down natural recovery speed. With his recovery speed slowed, even catching his breath wasn¡¯t easy. ¡°Huff! Huff!¡± ¡°Tired? Feeling like you¡¯re dying? Just go back. It¡¯sfortable back there, you know?¡± Caryan said with an indifferent expression. ¡®I can¡¯t go back like this! I need to learn this!¡¯ The day Ha-Jin brought the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir. Caryan had tried to coldly dismiss him. However, seeing his desperate attitude, kneeling on the ground, he decided to give him a chance. ¡®Really? Then try to endure my training.¡¯ That¡¯s how the training began. But not long after it started, Ha-Jin was pushed to his limits several times. It was just a game, but why was it so exhausting and tiring? He desperately wanted to use the potions in his inventory. But if he used a potion, the training would stop immediately. ¡°Huff! Huff! I-I can do it¡­!¡± He couldn¡¯t give up. This was something Jeong-Hoon had given him, after all. He had readily handed over an item of immeasurable value. If he gave up here, he¡¯d be too ashamed to face Jeong-Hoon in the future. ¡®I¡¯d rather die than that.¡¯ Ha-Jin¡¯s dying eyes regained their spark. ¡°Oh?¡± Caryan let out a small exmation of admiration. The foreigner in front of him was already at his limit. His eyes were zed over, and it seemed like he would copse if he were nudged even slightly. But suddenly, his eyes came alive. ¡®His willpower is exceptional.¡¯ His body had long since reached its limit. Yet, he could endure because his mind was barely holding onto his body. Caryan raised his wooden sword and swung it down towards Ha-Jin¡¯s head. Ha-Jin raised his wooden sword and activated a Guard skill. But the Guard was mercilessly broken through, and Caryan¡¯s wooden sword struck Ha-Jin¡¯s head. ¡°Cough!¡± Ha-Jin copsed on the spot with a scream and fainted. ¡°You, you pass the first stage. Come find me again when you wake up.¡± With those words, Caryan left the training ground. Jeong-Hoon, who had been watching from a distance, smiled faintly. ¡®Hang in there.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon turned his back and left. [Huh? Aren¡¯t you going to heal him? Are you just going to leave him like that?] Normally, Jeong-Hoon would have used Healing right away, but he quietly left the training ground. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not.¡± The path of the Dark Lord had just begun. ¡®Obtaining the Hidden: Dark Lord is entirely up to Ha-Jin¡¯s capabilities.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Peace had returned to M?rchen! ¡°Tear down the wall!¡± ¡°As youmand!¡± At Kaiserk V¡¯s order, they began to demolish the outer wall of the doubleyered northern wall. The reason the northern wall had been doubleyered in the first ce was to protect the citizens from Monster Waves. And now that the gate was gone and the Waves would no longer ur, there was no need to maintain the thick double wall. ¡°Also, allow foreigners to enter!¡± Another change was that the restrictions on users entering the royal capital were lifted, allowing free movement. They had only allowed those who proved their skills through party quests to enter, fearing that unskilled users might get caught in the Waves, but that was no longer necessary. ¡°And in honor of the Hero of M?rchen, we shall hold a grand banquet today!¡± Everyone rejoiced at Kaiserk V¡¯s announcement. However, Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t pleased with the banquet. He didn¡¯t want to enjoy a feast alone while his friend was struggling in the training grounds. ¡®I want to enjoy the banquet when I¡¯ve obtained everything for sure.¡¯ Dark Lord. It was the Dark Lord that even Kaneda Shun, with his considerable potential, had struggled to obtain. On the other hand, Ha-Jin, with his meager potential, would take much longer to acquire it and would have to go through an even more painful process. But he believed that Ha-Jin would definitely seed. He was a guy with unwavering determination. Moreover, he was loyal, so he would do everything in his power to seed with what his friend had given him. So the banquet would have to wait. ¡°Your Majesty, I have something to say.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s voice echoed through the pce, and the hall fell silent. ¡°Speak.¡± Kaiserk V broke the silence. ¡°I would like to postpone the banquet for a while.¡± ¡°The banquet?¡± ¡°Yes. Although the Waves have ended, I still have some unfinished business.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think I can enjoy the banquetfortably until that matter is resolved.¡± Kaiserk V pondered for a moment. Jeong-Hoon was the Hero of M?rchen. It was natural to hold a banquet on the day the Waves were quelled, but it would be selfish to force a banquet that the hero couldn¡¯t enjoy. His contemtion ended quickly. ¡°Alright. Then let me know whenever that matter is resolved. We¡¯ll hold the banquet then!¡± * * * ¡°Ah, I¡¯m dying¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo was sitting on a rock, taking a break. The problem was the dark circles under his eyes. He hadn¡¯t logged out even once since receiving Jeong-Hoon¡¯s order, guarding this spot. ¡®Don¡¯t let anyone take that spot.¡¯ But¡­ he said it was a 72-hour ban. If he was banned for 72 hours, why did he have to guard the spot already? Kim Bong-Goo desperately wanted to log out and throw himself onto his bed. He felt like his eyes were closing the entire time he was ying the game. ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t close my eyes.¡± If he closed his eyes, he would be forcibly logged out, and the capsule door would automatically open. Then he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep his spot, and the arrow would surelye back to him instead of that Japanese bastard. ¡°That absolutely can¡¯t happen!¡± He would definitely hold his ground. But his eyes kept closing¡­ ¡°That bastard¡­ Damn bastard¡­ Why do I have to be doing this¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, you were openly cursing?¡± At that moment, Kim Bong-Goo felt his sleepiness vanish instantly. He hurriedly got up and turned around. Jeong-Hoon was walking towards him. ¡°You¡¯re here! This man has been waiting patiently until you arrived!¡± Kim Bong-Goo greeted Jeong-Hoon with a stiff, disciplined attitude. ¡°Cut the crap. If you¡¯re going to talk behind my back, at least do it where I can¡¯t hear you.¡± ¡°No¡­ That was¡­ I was talking about that Japanese bastard! It¡¯s because of him that I¡¯m here, isn¡¯t it?¡± If that crazy bastard hadn¡¯t messed with this viper, he wouldn¡¯t have been called here. That Japanese bastard. He would curse him for the rest of his life. As Kim Bong-Goo was grinding his teeth inwardly, Jeong-Hoon tilted his head. ¡°Huh? That¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kim Bong-Goo looked at him with a dumbstruck expression. ¡°I¡¯m going to take care of that bastard one more time, and then we¡¯re heading to the Wyvern¡¯s Nest. You¡¯reing too.¡± ¡°W-Wyvern¡¯s Nest?!¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face paled. Wyvern¡¯s Nest. It was a dungeon with a whopping level of 190, notorious for requiring a party of six at the same level to barely clear it. It could be said to be the most difficult dungeon in M?rchen, and also the least cleared one. That was because very few people attempted it. [Wyvern¡¯s Nest, the difficulty is insane, but why are the rewards so crappy?] ¨C Did they sprinkle a ton of salt made from boiled seawater on it? Why is the experience so low? ©¸ lol Isn¡¯t that ce for getting the Wyvern yer title? ©¸ You need to clear it 999 times to get the Wyvern yer¡­ ©¸ Isn¡¯t the Wyvern yer also not that good, so no one goes there¡­? ©¸ I¡¯d rather go hunt the level 185 Blood Bears. As such, Wyvern¡¯s Nest was a dungeon with very little merit to attempt. Why on earth did he want to go to such a dungeon¡­? ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°No, sir! Then when are we leaving?¡± Kim Bong-Goo seemed ready to depart immediately. Pleased with his attitude, Jeong-Hoon smirked slightly. ¡°We¡¯ll go in a few days. I don¡¯t know when that bastard will log in.¡± ¡°Ah, then should I wait here until then?¡± ¡°Why wait? Let¡¯s just hunt together here.¡± Hunt together?! ¡°Just tell him to wait!¡± ¡°I want to get away from you even for a minute!¡± Contrary to his thoughts, Kim Bong-Goo smiled brightly. ¡°Yes, sir! Then may I take a quick nap and then start hunting?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± As Kim Bong-Goo disappeared with a logout, Jeong-Hoon sat down on the rock where he had been. And he took out the Rune of Extinction that Jeong Chang-Ho was supposed to have. [Rune of Extinction] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C (Abilities not set) For now, it was just an ordinary Rune Stone with no abilities. But the true power of this Rune Stone would be revealed when its abilities were set. Unlike ordinary Rune Stones, Runes with names already had their abilities predetermined. ¡®I wonder what Jeong Chang-Ho¡¯s expression will be like.¡¯ In the past life, he had used this Rune of Extinction to significantly strengthen Ignis andy the foundation for its evolution into an Ifrit. But now, this Rune was in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands. Jeong-Hoon opened his umted achievement points. [Current achievement points: ¡®332,000 points¡¯] A whopping 332,000 points. Thanks to the Evolution Title and the Theme Dungeon, he had earned a considerable amount of achievement points in addition to his existing points. ¡®This should be enough.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought [The current level of the Achievement Shop is ¡®5¡¯.] [From level 5, [Category] ¨C [Rune Enhancement Skills] will be added to the shop.] [Items for sale will be ced in each category.] With the Achievement Shop reaching level 5, the [Rune Enhancement Skills] category was added. [Rune Enhancement Skills] Upon entering the category, Runes from Unique to Normal grade were disyed, and below them, material items for enhancing Runes were also being sold together. Jeong-Hoon scrolled down and stopped at a certain point. ¨C [Unique] Rune Ability Activation Scroll A scroll that activates the abilities of a Rune. The price was a whopping 100,000 points. It wasn¡¯t a cheap price, and its existence wasn¡¯t well known, so it wasn¡¯t an item that most users would buy. Or rather, it was useless even if they bought it. The ¡®Unique Runes¡¯ sold in the Achievement Shop all had fixed abilities. This scroll was an item exclusively for ¡®special Runes¡¯ that didn¡¯t have their abilities set. [You have purchased ¡®[Unique] Rune Ability Activation Scroll¡¯.] It was time for it to fulfill its role. So he had 232,000 points left? ¨C [Unique] Rune Enhancement Scroll This was the next item Jeong-Hoon wanted to buy. 5,000 points each. [You have purchased ¡®[Unique] Rune Enhancement Scroll¡¯.] Jeong-Hoon spent an additional 200,000 points to buy 40 scrolls. Now he had 32,000 points left. ¡°[Scroll? You mean you can enhance Runes with that?]¡± Mukho showed interest. ¡°Yeah.¡± Jeong-Hoon first unrolled the ¡®[Unique] Rune Ability Activation Scroll¡¯ and ced the Rune of Extinction on top of it. It was time for the Rune of Extinction to awaken. [Do you want to unlock the Rune¡¯s ability?] ¡°Unlock.¡± sh- The scroll shed once and then seeped into the Rune. [Rune ability activation sessful.] [Rune of Extinction] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Extinction (Activated) The Rune¡¯s ability was activated. [Extinction] ¨C The power to annihte everything ¨C Attack power increased by 7%. ¨C 1% chance to reduce HP by 1% upon attack. (Cannot be recovered for 90 seconds) (Activates only below level 60) A whopping 7% additional attack power. Even though it was an unenhanced Rune, it still gave 7%. And the core of Extinction. It was a truly fraudulent option that additionally reduced HP by 1% with a 1% chance. In the past, Jeong Chang-Ho had equipped this Rune on his staff. Spirits were greatly influenced by the equipment their summoners wore, so after the staff was enhanced, Ignis boasted tremendous firepower. When the staff was fully enhanced and the Rune¡¯s grade waster increased, the firepower of the Ifrit-evolved spirit was truly beyond imagination. [Oh, are you going to use this on me?] Mukho asked in an expectant voice. ¡®Hey! You devoured the Magic Stone before!¡¯ Anima hurriedly intervened. [Hey, that was for defense. This is for offense.] ¡®Nonsense! Humans say the best offense is a good defense. That means you ate the best one.¡¯ [There goes that loose tongue of yours again, spouting nonsense.] Jeong-Hoon said just one word to their quarrel. ¡°Quiet. I¡¯m going to use this on Anima.¡± It was a moment of mixed emotions. [What the¡­?!] ¡®Hmph, of course. What would you even do with this? It¡¯s like a pearl ne on a pig.¡¯ Mukho was shocked, while Anima reacted as if it was only natural. Jeong-Hoon then unrolled the ¡®[Unique] Rune Enhancement Scroll¡¯ and ced the Rune of Extinction on top of it. The scroll shed once, and then a message appeared above it. [Do you want to enhance the Rune?] ¡°Enhance.¡± As he chose to enhance, the scroll glowed and then suddenly exploded with a bang! It had failed. [Whoa! That startled me!] ¡°¡­That was loud.¡± With a 50/50 sess rate, it was possible to fail from the start. That¡¯s why he had bought 40 scrolls. ¡°Anyway, I just need to seed 20 times.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out all the scrolls and summoned Michael. ¡°You called¡­?¡± Michael greeted Jeong-Hoon in a somewhat cautious tone. He had been given menial tasks every time he was summoned recently, so he was wary that this time would be no different. ¡°Yeah, take these scrolls.¡± ¡°What are all these?¡± ¡°They¡¯re scrolls used to enhance Runes. Unroll the ones that are rolled up.¡± It was to save even a little bit of time. ¡°¡­Master, do I have to keep doing this kind of thing?¡± Michael¡¯s voice sounded a bit dejected. ¡°Why? Do you want to fight?¡± ¡°Not necessarily, but¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you fight a lot soon. We¡¯re going to enter a level 190 dungeon called Wyvern¡¯s Nest.¡± At the mention of Wyvern, Michael¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡°No, sir! On second thought, I think this suits me better!¡± He then enthusiastically started unrolling the scrolls. ¡°How fickle.¡± Jeong-Hoon ced the Rune of Extinction on the unrolled scrolls. [Do you want to enhance the Rune?] ¡°Enhance.¡± sh- Unlike before, the scroll shed brightly and then seeped into the Rune. The enhancement was sessful. [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®First Sessful Enhancement of a Unique Rune¡¯pleted! 5,000 achievement points awarded.] [Rune of Extinction (+1)] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Extinction (+1) +1 enhancement. Jeong-Hoon continued to attempt enhancements, and after 37 tries, he achieved full enhancement of the Unique Rune. [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®First Full Enhancement of a Unique Rune¡¯pleted! 20,000 achievement points awarded.] Sess. [Extinction (+20)] ¨C The power to annihte everything ¨C Attack power increased by 17%. ¨C 2% chance to reduce HP by 2% upon attack. (Cannot be recovered for 120 seconds) (Does not activate above level 80) With this, he had created an incredibly overpowered Rune that increased attack power by a whopping 17% and had a 2% chance to reduce HP by 2%. And it was only a Unique grade Rune. ¨C [Unique] Rune Combination Scroll The price of the Combination Scroll was cheap. 2,000 points. Jeong-Hoon bought the scroll and ced Anima and the Rune of Extinction on it. [Do you want tobine the Runes?] ¡®Heh.¡¯ Anima waited for the result with a triumphant look on his face. ¡°Combine.¡± sh- Simrly, the scroll shed, and the Rune of Extinction flowed into Anima. [Combination sessful.] [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®First Sessful Combination of a Unique Rune¡¯pleted! 3,000 achievement points awarded.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 124 Chapter 124 After finishing the Rune work, Jeong-Hoon stayed there, handling requests that came into the Enhancement Exchange or doing some light hunting to pass the time. Beside him, Kim Bong-Goo was diligently hunting. But this was slowly reaching its limit. ¡°¡­Um, how long do I have to keep hunting?¡± Kim Bong-Goo stopped hunting and asked cautiously. ¡°Until that bastard logs in.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Then keep hunting.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± That son of a bitch. When the hell is he going to log in? He can¡¯t even go back to the Japanese server anyway. He¡¯s not going to quit the game, is he? He¡¯s not going to stay offline for a long time, is he? ¡°You won¡¯t have to wait long. The anxiety of falling behind will grow stronger and stronger.¡± As if reading Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s thoughts, Jeong-Hoon added. And just as he said, it wasn¡¯t long before Kaneda Shun logged in. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and approached Kaneda Shun. Kaneda Shun hurriedly knelt and mmed his forehead on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m so sorry! Please spare me just this once!¡± At his loud apology, Kim Bong-Goo ran up to him and kicked him in the head. ¡°You son of a bitch, why did you take so long to log in?!¡± * * * Kaneda Shun sat on a park bench near the capsule room, constantly biting his nails. ¡®Shit¡­ Shit! What should I do?¡¯ He was sure that Jeong-Hoon would be waiting for him again. He tried calling his brother Masahiro, but the only response he got was: [Shun, it seems like you¡¯ve messed with someone you shouldn¡¯t have. Just apologize and get out of there. That¡¯s the best option.] Even his brother had turned his back on him. In this situation, the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir was secondary. The top priority was to escape this ount suspension situation. And to do that, he had to get out of that madman¡¯s grasp. ¡°Fuck! How am I supposed to do that?!¡± Kaneda Shun grabbed his hair in frustration. ¡°Mommy, that person is acting strange.¡± ¡°Shh, it¡¯s rude to say that.¡± In New World, thenguage automatically tranted when switching servers, so there was no problem understanding, but this was the real world. Kaneda Shun wasn¡¯t fluent in Korean, so he couldn¡¯t understand them properly. ¡®Should I just apologize sincerely and leave?¡¯ Yes. For now, let¡¯s apologize and get away from him. He couldn¡¯t stay away from New World for too long. Leveling up was essential, and he had to get back the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir that the guy had taken. Dealing with that madman was something forter. Kaneda Shun took a deep breath and logged into New World. And he immediately knelt and mmed his forehead on the ground. ¡°Cough!¡± But what he got in return was a kick from some punk. And to make matters worse, the one who kicked him was theckey who had been next to Jeong-Hoon during the party quest. This son of a bitch? Kaneda Shun¡¯s eyes widened in anger. ¡°Brother! Did you see his eyes?! His attitude is rotten from the start!¡± Theckey then ran straight to Jeong-Hoon, who was behind him. ¡®Shit, how did I end up in a situation where I¡¯m getting kicked by an idiot like that?¡¯ He wanted to slit his throat right there and then, but now wasn¡¯t the time. Kaneda Shun suppressed his boiling rage and knelt again, pressing his forehead to the ground. ¡°No! Please spare me! I was wrong!¡± Jeong-Hoon let out a hollowugh in disbelief. ¡°Hey Bong-Goo, why am I your brother?¡± ¡°You¡¯re older than me, and you¡¯ve taught me a lot, so you¡¯re my brother!¡± ¡°¡­Anyway, step aside.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly moved to the side. Then Jeong-Hoon approached Kaneda Shun. ¡°You were wrong?¡± ¡°Yes! I really was! I¡¯ve deeply reflected on my actions while being banned.¡± ¡°Come on, be honest. You¡¯re begging because you have no other choice.¡± ¡°¡­N-no, that¡¯s not true.¡± ¡°If you lie, you¡¯re dead.¡± Jeong-Hoon had the upper hand over Kaneda Shun. He already knew what he was thinking. So he had absolutely no intention of letting him live. ¡°No! If you spare me just this once, I¡¯ll never show my face again!¡± At that answer, Jeong-Hoon slit Kaneda Shun¡¯s throat with Leviathan. Kaneda Shun, who had been bowing with his forehead on the ground, died once again, helplessly. ¡°I told you, you¡¯d die if you lied.¡± Jeong-Hoon muttered and put Leviathan back into his inventory. Kim Bong-Goo, watching this, trembled all over. ¡®If I mess with him, I¡¯m screwed. For real¡­¡¯ He vowed once again that he would never mess with this viper, no matter what. ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡± Having finished his business, it was time to head to the Wyvern¡¯s Nest. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Kim Bong-Goo answered energetically and followed Jeong-Hoon. * * * To get to the Wyvern¡¯s Nest, they had to take a somewhat special route. First, they revisited the stable in the capital. ¡°Oh? What brings the hero to the stable?¡± Gareth was at the stable, preparing to leave. ¡°Are you returning to the royal pce?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no reason for me to stay at the stable anymore, so I have to go back to my workce.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°But what brings you here?¡± Gareth put down the sword he was holding. It was a gesture that indicated his willingness to fulfill Jeong-Hoon¡¯s final request. ¡°I want to go to the Sky Field.¡± Sky Field. It was a new field introduced with the addition of M?rchen to New World. This was the reason for the existence of the stable. ¡®I can¡¯t go to the Wyvern¡¯s Nest on foot.¡¯ They were creatures that lived in the sky. How could he reach them using a portal on the ground? To get there, he had to cross over to a separate field that existed in the air. And this stable was the ce to do that. ¡°Ah, so you want to use a Pegasus to get there.¡± NPC Pegasus. It was a flying horse that had to be used to reach the Sky Field. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, but what should we do¡­ There¡¯s not a single Pegasus left right now.¡± ¡°Not a single Pegasus?¡± ¡°Yes. The truth is¡­¡± All the Pegasi had been mobilized to spread the news of Jeong-Hoon bringing peace to M?rchen. Because of that, a strange situation had urred where not a single Pegasus remained. Well, it wasn¡¯t impossible, considering there were only five Pegasi operated by the stable in the first ce. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± This was a bit troublesome. It was no different from a setback in his ns. Gareth scratched his head with a regretful expression. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. All the Pegasi will return in about four days, so why don¡¯t youe back then?¡± Four dayster? Kim Bong-Goo, who had been listening to their conversation from behind, inwardly cheered. If they couldn¡¯t leave immediately, it meant he could forcibly take a break. Surely he wouldn¡¯t make him hunt even aftering all the way to the royal capital? But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s reaction was different. ¡°No. Then I¡¯ll have to find another way to get up there.¡± What nonsense was this? Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face instantly fell. ¡°Another way?¡± Gareth tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and then headed to the Alchemist¡¯s Street. Thest time he had visited the street, he had sought out Lenc and Reigniter to obtain the ¡®Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary.¡¯ But this time, he wasn¡¯t looking for them. Jeong-Hoon stopped in front of a shabby shop. It seemed like it had been a long time since any customers had visited, as the entrance waspletely unmaintained. ¡°¡­Um, why did wee here?¡± Kim Bong-Goo asked cautiously. It was natural for him to be curious since they had suddenlye to the Alchemist¡¯s Street and were now in front of a shop with no customers. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± * * * Alchemist Wi-Gang. He clicked his tongue, looking at the fly-ridden interior of his shop. ¡°Tsk tsk, foolish people. They¡¯re too afraid of the side effects to experience this precious magic?¡± Great performance, but severe side effects. A failed product as an alchemist. Of course, he had chased away all those who spouted such nonsense. As a result, Wi-Gang¡¯s shop was left to gather dust. Knock. Knock. ¡°Anyone there?¡± Someone knocked on the shop door. ¡°Hmm? Who is it?¡± Wi-Gang reached out his hand. The closed door opened automatically. The door was rusty and unmaintained, making a loud creaking noise. Two customers entered through the open door. And they were foreigners. ¡°Foreigners? As you can see, there¡¯s hardly anything useful in our shop. So if you could just leave¡­¡± ¡°Is there a way to fly temporarily?¡± Pause! Wi-Gang¡¯s body, which was about to shoo away the foreigners, froze. ¡°Wh-what are you looking for?¡± ¡°I was wondering if there¡¯s a way to fly temporarily. I heard you¡¯re researching something like that¡­¡± ¡°Mwahahaha! Good! Now I see you¡¯re a real customer! Come in and let¡¯s talk!¡± Wi-Gang¡¯s attitude did aplete 180 as he ushered the foreigners inside. Unlike the unkempt exterior, the interior where he lived was quite tidy. He ced two vials filled with green liquid on the table. ¡°¡­Ha, another drink.¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face fell. He had suffered so much during thest party quest that he now felt nauseous just looking at drinks. [Flight Potion] ¨C Type: Consumable ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Grants the ability to use flight skills for approximately 1 hour after consumption. ¨C However, there¡¯s no telling what side effects might ur. The reason Wi-Gang¡¯s shop was unpopr. It was because of these ¡®side effects.¡¯ Flight magic utilized gravity and was a very tricky magic that even Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t mastered. It had the tremendous effect of allowing the use of flight magic for an hour with just one potion. But in exchange, one had to ept the corresponding side effects. ¡°How much is it?¡± Of course, even with side effects, there was no option not to drink it. ¡°Huh? You really want to buy it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­2 gold per potion. Will you buy it?¡± ¡°Yes. Give me 4.¡± ¡°You¡¯re decisive. I like that.¡± Yes. That¡¯s how a man should be. Wi-Gang, impressed by the appearance of a true man after a long time, brought out six vials instead of four. Seeing six vials, Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I ordered four, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Two are a service. Just give me 8 gold.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll gratefully ept them.¡± Jeong-Hoon handed Wi-Gang a small pouch containing 8 gold coins. ¡°I hope you have a good experience.¡± Afterpleting the transaction, Jeong-Hoon left the Alchemist¡¯s Street with Kim Bong-Goo. They headed to the eastern field, where they could cross over to the Sky Field. ¡°Drink it all.¡± Jeong-Hoon gulped down the potion. [You have acquired the Flight Skill (1 hour).] He gained the Flight Skill for 1 hour. ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Kim Bong-Goo also followed Jeong-Hoon and drank the potion, acquiring the Flight Skill as well. ¡°Now, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes? Do you know the way?¡± ¡°Of course I do. Why are you asking?¡± He had visited the Sky Field dozens of times, so he knew the way well. Jeong-Hoon used his mana to cast the Flight spell, and his body floated up into the air. Now all he had to do was control his mana and propel himself forward. As he increased his speed, Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly cast the Flight spell and followed behind Jeong-Hoon. ¡°W-wait for me!¡± * * * Sky Field. A special field created above the skies of M?rchen. Winged monsters constantly flew around the area, searching for prey. [Lv. 190 Wyvern] It was a dangerous monster, level 190. Jeong-Hoon and Kim Bong-Goo arrived in front of that field. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m scared.¡± Kim Bong-Goo was barely standing, holding onto his trembling legs, while Jeong-Hoon leisurely looked around. ¡°Let¡¯s rest for a bit before we go in. The side effects will kick in once the Flight magic wears off.¡± ¡°Side effects?¡± He seemed to remember seeing something about side effects. But since Jeong-Hoon drank it, he drank it too. ¡°Just endure it.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± It didn¡¯t take long for him to understand what Jeong-Hoon meant. As the Flight magic wore off, intense pain wracked his entire body, and Kim Bong-Goo copsed on the spot, foaming at the mouth. Jeong-Hoon was also suffering, but he had experienced worse pain, so this level of pain was bearable. [Using Purification.] Jeong-Hoon quickly shook off the side effects using Purification. Side effects were considered abnormal statuses, so they had to be removed using Purification instead of Healing. [Using Intermediate Healing.] Then he healed and recovered his damaged body with Healing. After recovering, Jeong-Hoon approached Kim Bong-Goo and cast Purification and Healing to treat him. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± ¡°Huff! Huff! I-I almost died¡­¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be a baby. Anyway, get ready. We¡¯re going to clear the dungeon while doing a live broadcast today.¡± ¡°Live?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Lv. 190 Wyvern¡¯s Nest. The next honey tip video after the enhancement was going to be about this dungeon. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 125 Chapter 125 M?rchen Royal Capital Training Grounds. Ha-Jin, sitting in meditation, received a whisper. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: I¡¯ll be broadcasting from the Wyvern¡¯s Nest. I¡¯ll handle everything, so don¡¯t worry about it and focus on getting the Dark Lord.] A whisper from none other than Jeong-Hoon. ¡°What?!¡± Ha-Jin was startled and jumped up from his spot, only to be struck on the back of the head by a wooden sword. Crack! ¡°You brat! I gave you a chance because I liked your willpower, even though everything else wascking, and you can¡¯t even handle this much?!¡± Then came Caryan¡¯s scolding voice. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Focus! If you lose focus one more time, there will be no more chances!¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Ha-Jin hurriedly closed his eyes and focused. Right. He had earned this opportunity with great difficulty. If he missed this, the path to the Dark Lord would be forever closed. It was a shame he couldn¡¯t broadcast with Jeong-Hoon, but now was the time to walk the path of the Dark Lord that he had handed over to him. * * * ¡°I sent him a whisper, so it should be fine.¡± He had informed him, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problem with proceeding with the broadcast. Jeong-Hoon entered Youtube using the ID and password he had received from Ha-Jin. [HoneyTube] ¨C Subscribers: 196,000 ¡°Oh, it¡¯s already close to 200,000?¡± HoneyTube had nearly 200,000 subscribers despite having only three videos uploaded. Of course, considering the impact of the videos, it was a surprisingly low number. The reason was probably that people didn¡¯t have much hope for the honey tips to continue. The Enhancement Exchange could also be essed anytime by simply registering it as a ¡®Favorite Exchange¡¯ while logged into New World. That¡¯s probably why the number of subscribers hadn¡¯t yet crossed the 200,000 mark. ¡°It¡¯ll cross today.¡± Jeong-Hoon was about to broadcast to release another honey tip. ¡®Do you guys remember the Wyvern¡¯s Nest in the M?rchen Sky Field?¡¯ It was something Sophia Stephanie Margaret, a former dark mage, had said. She was so dedicated to the Wyvern¡¯s Nest that she even had the title ¡®Wyvern yer.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve heard of it. Haven¡¯t been there, though.¡¯ James Marcus, who was next to her, responded indifferently. ¡®Everyone must have thought I was doing it for the title, but that¡¯s not true.¡¯ She suddenly appeared in the Sky Field and cleared the Wyvern¡¯s Nest hundreds of times alone. The reason was simple. ¡®It¡¯s because there was a hidden boss.¡¯ The hidden boss, that was the reason Jeong-Hoon wanted to enter the Wyvern¡¯s Nest. ¡°¡­So, am I also appearing on the broadcast?¡± Kim Bong-Goo, who had been watching from the side, asked with a slightly excited expression. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re not, are you?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Kim Bong-Goo had repeatedly watched Jeong-Hoon¡¯s videos of clearing the Ruined City without rest. He had never imagined he would be appearing in one of those videos. ¡®When I was young, I dreamed of being a celebrity.¡¯ He had even imagined himself confidently debuting on a hip-hop audition program and walking a smooth path to sess. Of course, reality was that he was tone-deaf and had no sense of rhythm, so it remained just a dream. Anyway, appearing on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s broadcast was like fulfilling his childhood dream, in a way. ¡®It¡¯s a channel with almost 200,000 subscribers.¡¯ If they did a live broadcast, there was a high chance that at least 2,000 to 3,000 viewers would tune in. That meant he would be appearing on a broadcast watched by 2,000 to 3,000 people. He was already starting to get nervous. ¡°You¡¯ll be mosaicked anyway, so rx.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Mosaic.¡± Oh, right. The faces and voices in the videos uploaded to Youtube were mosaicked and voice-modted, weren¡¯t they? But was it possible to mosaic and voice-modte even during a live broadcast? Wasn¡¯t it a video made through editing? The video he had been given at the time was before it was uploaded to Youtube. So he had assumed it was an edited video. As he pondered these questions, he noticed Jeong-Hoon operating the camera. It was a top-of-the-line camera, the kind you¡¯d see atpetitions. ¡®Shit, of course, that¡¯s why it¡¯s possible.¡¯ Fulfilling his dream, my ass. I knew it. ¡°Kyaaaak! A human!¡± At that moment, a Wyvern lunged at Kim Bong-Goo. ¡°Fuck! This is already shitty enough, why are you bastards bothering me?!¡± Kim Bong-Goo gripped his dagger in a reverse grip and activated Shadow sh, aiming for the Wyvern¡¯s neck. Slice. But the dagger couldn¡¯t properly cut through the Wyvern¡¯s tough skin, leaving only a scratch. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face was filled with surprise. ¡®What¡¯s so tough about it?¡¯ [The Wyvern uses Sharpen ws.] The Wyvern then used its ability, its ws glowing red, and pounced on Kim Bong-Goo. Kim Bong-Goo used his movement technique to create distance from the Wyvern. Whoosh! At that moment, an arrow flew and pierced the Wyvern¡¯s neck. ¡°Keeek!¡± The Wyvern, pping its wings, plummeted to the ground and died. Its tough neck, which had only received a scratch, was pierced so easily. Kim Bong-Goo once again felt the difference in skill between him and Jeong-Hoon. ¡°¡­That¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Your movements have improved sincest time.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± Perhaps that¡¯s why? Jeong-Hoon¡¯spliment felt incredibly good. ¡°Yeah. I think you can handle aggro now.¡± Jeong-Hoon even gave him a thumbs-up. ¡°¡­Me? Aggro?¡± ¡°Yeah. Can you do it?¡± No. I can¡¯t, damn it. Contrary to his inner thoughts, Kim Bong-Goo nodded vigorously. ¡°Of course! Leave it to me!¡± He was afraid of how the viper would react if he backed out, saying he couldn¡¯t do it¡­ So Kim Bong-Goo had to squeeze out confidence he didn¡¯t have. * * * World Com. These days, World Com was buzzing with excitement about enhancements. [Wow ??? I found a real honey enhancement exchange] ¨C If you request there, you can get 100% full enhancement ?? Ah, only up to Rare grade though ?? ©¸ Ah, you left it there too? I did too ??? ©¸ The sess rate is crazy ??? Rare grade is guaranteed full enhancement ?? ©¸ What other enhancers always break, they don¡¯t break here ???? ©¸ And they don¡¯t even charge extra ?? A newly appeared enhancement exchange. JH. It boasted a 100% sess rate for Normal and Rare grade enhancements. At first, users were skeptical, but as reviews started appearing on World Com one by one, it became the hottest exchange. [What¡¯s going to happen to the other enhancers?] ¨C ???? The price is the same, but the sess rate is 100%. Who would go to other enhancement exchanges? ©¸ No one ??? ©¸ They¡¯ll probably be dying fromck of work now? ©¸ They have to either lower their fees or increase their sess rate ?? ©¸ They¡¯ve been ripping us off with restoration fees for so long ?? Ah, I feel so relieved. The appearance of JH also put other enhancers on edge. Unlike the usual 10+ requests per day, they were now down to 3 or 4, a decrease of more than half. So they eventually shifted their focus to improving their sess rates, but many users had already flocked to JH, rendering their efforts futile. [We¡¯ve increased our enhancement sess rate!] ¨C If you have too many requests, pleasee to me! I¡¯ll even give you a discount! ©¸ Shut up and go to sleep ©¸ You bastard ?? How much money have we been ripped off by people like you ©¸ Do you still think we¡¯re suckers? Whenever they posted promotional messages, they were torn apart like well-cooked fish, their bones and flesh exposed. [Oh? HoneyTube live stream has started!] ¨C I guess he¡¯s releasing another honey tip ???? ©¸ I¡¯m going in right now ©¸ I¡¯m going in to ask him to enhance my stuff ??? ©¸ What kind of honey tip is he going to upload this time? That post on World Com was the trigger. The number of views on the post skyrocketed, reaching 20,000 in an instant. And more than 90% of those who viewed the post directly searched for HoneyTube and clicked on the live stream video. * * * [Number of live viewers: 19,507] 30 minutes into the broadcast. As expected, around 2,000 to 3,000 viewers initially joined and seemed to stabilize, but after 20 minutes, the number suddenly surged, quickly surpassing 19,500. ¡°B-brother? There are too many viewers¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s voice trembled like an aspen leaf, overwhelmed by nervousness. ¡°Why are you so nervous? Honey 3?¡± ¡°H-honey 3?¡± Kim Bong-Goo didn¡¯t understand for a moment, and Jeong-Hoon pointed his finger at the chat window. His gaze turned to the chat. ¨C Hi hi ¨C New face? ¨C He¡¯s Honey 3 lol ¨C Forget that, Honey 1e out! ¨C Honey 1e out! Come out! Come out! ¨C The requests are taking too long! ¨C Too long! A sly smile crept across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. It seemed someone had posted on Wee that he was doing a live broadcast. Most of them hadn¡¯te to watch the broadcast but toin about the dy in their enhancement requests. ¡°Enhancements are being processed in order. Since you¡¯re all here, why don¡¯t you watch a honey tip?¡± Jeong-Hoon and Kim Bong-Goo were in the Sky Field. In front of the entrance to the Wyvern¡¯s Nest dungeon. ¨C Isn¡¯t this the Wyvern¡¯s Nest? ¨C It looks like M?rchen? ¨C Why did he go to the Sky Field? ¨C Huh¡­ He chose a difficult ce to hunt. Perhaps because there were many viewers, quite a few people recognized the Sky Field. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to clear the Wyvern¡¯s Nest from now on.¡± At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words, the viewers filled the chat with question marks. ¨C Wyvern¡¯s Nest? ¨C Why bother? ¨C It¡¯s not like we can¡¯t clear it, we just don¡¯t because it¡¯s annoying. ¨C It takes more than 6 hours to clear, while other ces take 3 hours. Naturally, the reaction wasn¡¯t positive. But what if they knew about the hidden elements here? ¡°Why do you think this channel is called HoneyTube?¡± ¨C Huh? ¨C ¡­Wait a minute. ¨C Is he saying there¡¯s something here? ¨C I should go to M?rchen and wait. It seemed that the viewers who had already seen the previous honey tips sensed something unusual. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jeong-Hoon entered the dungeon with Kim Bong-Goo. The hunting method was simple. Kim Bong-Goo, Honey 3, would go ahead and lure the monsters, and Jeong-Hoon would hunt them using Anima. [Lv. 190 Wyvern] The first to appear was a group of Wyverns. ¨C It¡¯s a Wyvern. ¨C That flying thing is so annoying ¨C How are foot soldiers supposed to deal with that? lol ¨C You have to hit them when they get close, but their skin is so tough that swords don¡¯t work well. ¨C Wait, isn¡¯t Honey 1 an enhancer? Hisbat skills are probably just basic, so he shouldn¡¯t be able to hunt Wyverns, right? ¨C That¡¯s true. That¡¯s why Honey 3 is here! Kim Bong-Goo, looking nervous, read thest chat message and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll go right now!¡± There were a total of five Wyvern Nests. Kim Bong-Goo took the portal to the first nest. Then, 17 Wyverns circling the nest spotted Kim Bong-Goo and their eyes lit up. ¡°He¡¯s fast.¡± Jeong-Hoon followed him through the portal. [The Wyvern uses Sharpen ws.] [The Wyvern uses Targeted Hunt.] [The Wyvern uses Enhanced: Critical Hit.] By the time he arrived, Kim Bong-Goo was already surrounded by Wyverns. Their levels were rtively high, and 17 of them were attacking at once, so even with his movement techniques, he was overwhelmed. Jeong-Hoon drew his bowstring. ¡®They¡¯re also lowly creatures. Finish them quickly.¡¯ Anima perched on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder and observed the Wyverns. ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-Hoon aimed at a nearby Wyvern, released the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow flew and pierced the Wyvern¡¯s neck. ¡°Keeek!¡± The Wyvern, its vital point pierced, crashed to the ground. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s stats were absurdly high for his level, and with Extinction and Poison Attack constantly active, the Wyverns couldn¡¯t put up much resistance. ¨C ¡­? ¨C ¡­?? ¨C Why did it die in one hit? ¨C Hey, aren¡¯t you an enhancer? ¨C What the hell is this? The viewers were seeing Jeong-Hoon handle a bow for the first time. In the Ruined City, he used cheat codes. And after that, at the Enhancement Exchange, he only showed the enhancement process, so this was the first time they were seeing him in actualbat. ¡°Kyaaaak! There¡¯s another human over there!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± Jeong-Hoon put down Anima and quickly switched his weapon to Leviathan. [The Wyvern uses Sharpen ws.] [The Wyvern uses Targeted Hunt.] [The Wyvern uses Enhanced: Critical Hit.] The Wyverns, their ws sharpened, flew towards Jeong-Hoon. As the giant Wyverns gathered together, shing their ws and lunging at Jeong-Hoon, he activated 1st Form: Initiation. [1st Form: Initiation is activated.] Using the skill, Jeong-Hoon unleashed rapid sword strikes, parrying all the approaching Wyverns¡¯ ws. [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath is activated.] At the same time, Leviathan¡¯s Wrath activated, reducing the Wyverns¡¯ defense to 0 for 10 seconds. It was truly an overpowered option. ¡°Kyaaaak! He¡¯s dangerous!¡± The Wyverns, seemingly flustered, hurriedly pped their wings, trying to distance themselves from Jeong-Hoon. But Jeong-Hoon had already used his movement technique to leap from the ground andnd on the back of one of the Wyverns. [3rd Form: Annihtion is activated.] He then raised his sword and activated Annihtion, piercing the Wyvern¡¯s neck and ending its life. ¡°Keeek!¡± The Wyvern¡¯s head and body separated, tumbling onto the nest floor. ¡°B-brother!¡± Kim Bong-Goo had been injured by Sharpened ws. ¡°There¡¯s no time for healing. Drink this for now.¡± Jeong-Hoon took a potion from his inventory and tossed it to Kim Bong-Goo. The aggro strategy had failed miserably. That Kim Bong-Goo¡­ He¡¯d have to train him hardter and make him useful. ¨C Wait, what? ¨C Honey 1, what are you?! What ss are you?! ¨C How are you so good with both a sword and a bow? ¨C This is crazy¡­ Isn¡¯t that a skill? ¨C Wow¡­ That was awesome. I need to change my underwear. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 126 Chapter 126 Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring. Whoosh! The arrow flew, piercing the Wyvern¡¯s vital point, its neck. ¡°Keeek!¡± The Wyvern, its neck pierced, plummeted to the ground and died. ¨C Wow¡­ He took care of all of them¡­ ¨C Honey 1, be honest. What¡¯s your identity? ¨C 200,000 won if you tell us your identity! ¨C 200,000 won and 400,000 won more! ¨C I¡¯ll give you an additional 500,000 won if you just tell us your ss! The chat was flooded with offers to pay if he revealed his identity. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s keep going.¡± Jeong-Hoon simply ignored them. ¨C Wow, look at him ignoring us ?????? ¨C He¡¯s pretending not to know ????? ¨C 1,000,000 won! ¨C I¡¯ll give you 2,000,000 won! Just tell us! Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes widened as the offers reached millions of won. ¡°B-brother? If we add all this up, it¡¯ll be over 10 million won!¡± ¡°It¡¯d be a shame to reveal it for that amount. This is so unique.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and gestured towards the portal leading to the next nest. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You almost died, so do it right this time.¡± He meant for him to do his job as an aggro properly. The Wyvern¡¯s Nest wasn¡¯t small. A single nest was over 33,000 square meters wide. He was telling him to use his movement skills to attract the attention of the Wyverns in that vast space. ¡°I-I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°You better.¡± ¨C ?????? Look at Honey 3 getting scolded ¨C Seriously, he deserves it. He got surrounded and beaten up by Wyverns as soon as he went in. ¨C If it weren¡¯t for Honey 1, he would have died without doing anything, right? ??? ¨C Honey 3, get your act together. If you don¡¯t want to die. ¨C If you fail again this time, you¡¯re in for a beating. Kim Bong-Goo, reading the chat, had to suppress his boiling anger. ¡®What the hell are these bastards saying?¡¯ He had been nervous at first. Because of the pressure to look good in front of them. But they were treating him like a pushover just because he almost died once to a Wyvern? ¡°Brother¡­ I¡¯ll definitely seed this time.¡± Alright. You bastards. I¡¯ll show you that I¡¯m not someone you can look down on. Kim Bong-Goo, filled with determination, entered the portal. [Tsk tsk, that doesn¡¯t turn a cat into a tiger.] Mukho casuallymented, looking at Kim Bong-Goo. * * * Second Nest. Contrary to Mukho¡¯s expectations, Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s movements had changedpletely. He first attracted the Wyverns¡¯ attention, then used his movement skills to create distance and immediately activated Stealth. Since the Wyverns were level 190, Stealth was quickly detected. [The Wyvern uses Sharpen ws.] The Wyvern pressured Kim Bong-Goo with its sharpened ws. But unlike before, Kim Bong-Goo didn¡¯t use his movement skills. Instead, he used a skill called Shadow Mark, which he had prepared beforehand, to teleport and create distance again. [What the? He can actually do it when he puts his mind to it?] ¡®It¡¯s strange that he was helpless at first when he had such a skill¡­¡¯ Anima agreed. It was problematic if an assassin couldn¡¯t even handle Wyvern aggro. Meanwhile, Jeong-Hoon took out Anima, drew the bowstring, and started taking down the Wyverns one by one. Finally, after defeating all the Wyverns, Kim Bong-Goo returned with a proud look on his face. ¡°How was that? Do you acknowledge me now?¡± Kim Bong-Goo asked, looking at the chat window instead of Jeong-Hoon. ¨C I acknowledge it, you did well this time. ¨C Do you only get motivated after being insulted? ¨C You have a unique taste. ¨C Honey 3 gets stronger when insulted¡­ (taking notes) No, why is the conversation going in that direction again? Just as Kim Bong-Goo was about to protest, Jeong-Hoon intervened. ¡°Alright, here¡¯s a honey tip.¡± The chat window buzzed with excitement at the mention of a honey tip. ¨C Honey tip? ¨C What is it? ¨C Ready to take notes. Jeong-Hoon took out a shovel. It had been a while since hest used a shovel. ¡°Take this.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kim Bong-Goo tilted his head in confusion as Jeong-Hoon handed him a shovel too. ¡°We¡¯re going to copse this nest.¡± ¡°Copse the nest?!¡± Copsing the nest. No one had ever thought of that before. Users would hunt all the Wyverns, then move on to the next nest through the portal in front of them and continue hunting Wyverns to clear the dungeon. ¨C Huh? Why copse the nest? ¨C Is he crazy? ?????? ¨C No, ??? why is that a honey tip? ???? ¨C There¡¯s no way the map can copse ??? ¨C I bet 50,000 won that nothing will happen ??? ¨C I bet 100,000 won! ¨C 100,000 and 200,000 more! ¨C So stingy¡­ Bet 500,000! The number of live viewers had already surpassed 30,000. A sly smile crept across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start copsing it from the center.¡± The Wyvern¡¯s Nest was called a nest, but it wasn¡¯t much different from a regr field. It was argendmass, over 33,000 square meters wide, floating in the sky. Therefore, it was possible to dig into the ground with a shovel. ¡°W-wait a minute! What if we fall?!¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face turned pale as he tried to stop him. ¡°Hmm? That¡¯s why we have the potions.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out potions from his inventory and handed them to him. Potions that allowed the use of flight magic. However, they had severe side effects after an hour, so no one wanted to drink them. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face, having already experienced the side effects once, turned sour. ¡°No¡­ Really¡­¡± ¡°I was just kidding. This is how we enter the new route, so trust me.¡± He said he would copse the nest, but it wouldn¡¯t actually copse. ¡®The second nest. If you destroy a certain part of it, the boss will awaken. That¡¯s where its heart is buried.¡¯ Because that was the path to the hidden route. Jeong-Hoon started digging into the ground with the shovel. Thud. Thud. As he dug deeper, piles of dirt fell and plummeted down. The falling dirt disappeared before it could reach M?rchen. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon continued to dig without hesitation, and a small hole was created in the center of the nest. Through the hole, the capital of M?rchen could be seen, very small. ¨C Wow¡­ That¡¯s really high up, huh? ¨C Is he really not going to fall? ¨C What the hell kind of honey tip is this? ¨C Let¡¯s not say it¡¯s a honey spot for bungee jumping, okay? The viewers also started to show puzzled reactions. ¡°Just wait and see.¡± Jeong-Hoon supported his body with his legs to avoid falling and gradually widened the hole. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± And Kim Bong-Goo also diligently helped by shoveling next to him. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough. We can stop now.¡± Jeong-Hoon called for a halt. He had damaged the nest enough, so ¡®that guy¡¯ should have noticed by now. ¨C What? ¨C Nothing¡¯s happening, why stop? ¨C He must have been scared ????? ¨C So there¡¯s no honey tip after all¡­ Just as the chat was filled with disappointed messages. [Warning! Warning!] [The dormant Bone Lord Wyvern is enraged!] [The existing route is deleted.] [Raid Boss: Defeat the Bone Lord Wyvern.] Along with the message, the third nest and onwards were sequentially deleted, and all the Wyverns visible in the distance disappeared. ¨C ? ¨C What¡¯s happening? ¨C Bone Lord Wyvern? ¨C What kind of monster is that? ¨C But the boss here is supposed to be the Blood Wyvern? While the viewers were confused, the ground in the distance began to crumble rapidly. ¡°Let¡¯s move to the portal.¡± Jeong-Hoon and Kim Bong-Goo took the portal back to the first nest and observed the unfolding situation. Rumble. It took only 10 minutes for the second nest topletely copse. And from the copsed nest, a ck gate formed, and a giant Wyvern slowly emerged. Unlike ordinary Wyverns, this one was entirely made of bones, except for the heart on its chest. [Lv. 220 Bone Lord Wyvern] * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Lee Na-Yeon stepped out. Thanks to Ho-Yeong¡¯s support and her dedication to leveling up, she had finally reached level 103. ¡®You¡¯re leveling up so fast.¡¯ It was inevitable. She repeatedly hunted monsters, blowing their heads off with her excellent equipment and overwhelming skills, finishing them off in one or two hits. Additionally, she quickly gained experience by running dungeons with the Ho-Yeong Guild. It was a structure where leveling up couldn¡¯t be slow. However, once she passed level 100, the leveling speed decreased significantly. To be precise, the amount of experience required for leveling up doubled. ¡®It¡¯s okay! Ho-Yeong will help you diligently, so Mom, just enjoy the game!¡¯ Thanks to Yeo Min-Ji, who always showed interest and kept in touch, the game was still enjoyable. On the other hand, her son, after giving her a touching birthday present, had been living in the capsule, saying he was busy¡­ Just in case, she had prepared a meal before entering the capsule, but the food remained untouched. It meant he was focusing on the game, even skipping meals. ¡®Mom, it¡¯s okay. In New World, it¡¯s normal to skip meals when you¡¯re busy.¡¯ He tried to sugarcoat it, but she couldn¡¯t help but worry. Lee Na-Yeon carefully opened Jeong-Hoon¡¯s door. The capsule door was still tightly closed. ¡°Sigh, I¡¯ll have to scold him when hees out.¡± She couldn¡¯t disturb her son who was engrossed in the game. So she went to the living room to rest for a while, and then she got a call from Yeo Min-Ji. [Mom! Did you see the broadcast?!] ¡°Broadcast?¡± Whose broadcast was she talking about? [Hoon¡¯s broadcast! It¡¯s going crazy right now!] Going crazy? Lee Na-Yeon hurriedly hung up the phone and went to Youtube using the link Yeo Min-Ji had sent her. The channel name was definitely HoneyTube, right? But the number of live viewers was 43,000. It meant that 43,000 people were currently watching the live broadcast. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± It was apletely different scale from thest live broadcast. * * * The Bone Lord Wyvern was a different kind of boss from the previous ones. In New World, there were normal bosses and raid bosses. ¡®Its HP is ridiculously high.¡¯ Normal bosses could have their HP reduced by up to 20-30% with a single attack on their weak point, but raid bosses were difficult to even shave off 1% from, even with relentless attacks. Of course, Sophia, a level 480 dark mage, could toy with it single-handedly. ¨C Wait¡­ A hidden boss appears just because you dug a hole in the nest? ¨C Crazy ????? I never thought of digging the nest ¨C That¡¯s why it hasn¡¯t appeared until now¡­ ¨C Wow, I can¡¯t believe it turned out like this. ¨C Hey, you guys who bet money! Aren¡¯t you going to pay up? ¨C Pay up quickly; dodging payment is superme. And then came a barrage of donations. The amount had already exceeded 5 million won. ¡°B-brother¡­ Why did that thing appear?¡± Kim Bong-Goo asked, pointing at the Bone Lord Wyvern with his shovel. ¡°Because this nest is its grave.¡± The Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s grave. The Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s corpse was buried beneath this nest. To forcibly awaken its soul, a part of the nest had to be damaged. [That¡¯s interesting. Its soul awakens just by damaging the nest a little.] ¡®I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before either.¡¯ Mukho and Anima spoke, looking intrigued. Actually, it wasn¡¯t that strange. ¡®If you think about themonalities so far, it¡¯s simple.¡¯ New World was mostly focused on ¡®destruction.¡¯ That was probably why it was so different from other games. A signal to destroy everything. So perhaps such a signal was hidden in this nest as well? ¡°Honey 3, you go in close and hit it a bit.¡± ¡°What?! But¡­ How can I hit that flying thing?¡± The Bone Lord Wyvern was flying outside the nest, pping its bone wings. ¨C Yeah, how can Honey 3 hit it? ?????? ¨C I lost some money, but at least there¡¯s a new spectacle to watch. ¨C 10 if he clears it! ¨C 20 on top of that 10! ¨C 20 is too stingy. I¡¯m betting 100. ¨C Ah, what the¡­ I was going to go to the Sky Field, but¡­ I can¡¯t go. ¨C Why aren¡¯t there any Pegasi? I can¡¯t go to the Sky Field ???? With thepletion of the royal pce quest, there would be no Pegasi for the time being. They said they would arrive in four days, so the viewers would have to wait until then to try. ¡®If they take the potion, they might be able to get there within that time.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought Anyway, the entrance route to the Bone Lord Wyvern had just been revealed to the world, so people would start attempting it non-stop from now on. That¡¯s because the reward was so good. [The Bone Lord Wyvern uses ¡®Lord¡¯s Pressure¡¯.] As it activated its ability, his whole body tingled and felt heavy. His legs trembled, and a sense of impending doom pressed down on him. ¡°Ugh!¡± Kim Bong-Goo groaned. Jeong-Hoon, on the other hand, was fine. [Using Purification.] He had escaped the Lord¡¯s Pressure using Purification, obtained through holy power. He immediately used Purification on Kim Bong-Goo as well to remove the debuff. Only then did Kim Bong-Goo¡¯splexion return to normal. ¡°See that portal over there?¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed his chin towards the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s back. A small portal was shimmering on its back. ¡°Phew¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s connected to the portal in front of the nest. You can use the portal to deal damage to it.¡± ¡°¡­Me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have any ranged skills. And that guy has no intelligence, so it¡¯ll be quick once you figure out its patterns.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°Here, drink this and go.¡± He handed him a potion, just in case. Kim Bong-Goo drank the potion with a sour face and jumped into the portal. Fear gripped him, but he decided it was better than facing the viper¡¯s wrathter, so his body moved. ¡°Shall I start then?¡± Jeong-Hoon infused mana into the M?rchen earring. [Designate a skill.] And the Attack Skill he could designate. Jeong-Hoon chose Extinction without hesitation. Extinction had the insane ability to reduce the opponent¡¯s HP by 2%, regardless of their current HP. If he increased the 2% activation probability to 6%, taking down the Bone Lord Wyvern would be a piece of cake. [¡®Extinction¡¯ activation probability increased by 4% for 1 hour.] He used the earring. [ckfield is activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.2x.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that have entered the area are decreased by 3%.] And then, ckfield activation. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [Time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] Finally, he used the stat-boosting ring he had been saving. He had used every trick in the book and was fully prepared. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 127 Chapter 127 Jeong-Hoon quickly drew and released the bowstring. The arrow flew, urately hitting the monster¡¯s torso. [The Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s HP decreases!] [Remaining HP: 99.77%] Raid bosses were different from normal bosses. If it were a normal boss, that critical hit would have almost brought it to the brink of death. This was the difference between a normal boss, which 3-4 people could typically hunt, and a raid boss, which required more than 30 people. Its HP was absurdly highpared to its level. ¡°This bastard!¡± Kim Bong-Goo jumped once on the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s back and used Crescent sh. The concentrated mana from the short dagger exploded, and a blue crescent-shaped sword aura shed and was released. [The Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s HP decreases!] [Remaining HP: 99.75%] Unfortunately, it only shaved off 0.02% of its HP. ¡°Wow¡­ Shit, why is its HP like this?¡± ¡°ck! ck!¡± The Bone Lord Wyvern cked its bony jaws up and down. Feeling a chill from that sight, Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly returned to the first nest through the portal. Then the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s body turned red. [The Bone Lord Wyvern uses ¡®Breath Release¡¯.] Breath Release. The Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s body exploded like a detonating core, releasing a breath upwards into the sky. This was the skill it used in its first phase. Seeing this, Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s legs trembled, and he stammered, ¡°Wow¡­ Sh-sh-shit, I almost died¡­¡± ¡°Good thing you¡¯re quick.¡± If he had been a littlete, Kim Bong-Goo would have been eliminated on the spot. ¡°¡­Am I going again?¡± ¡°Of course. And keep in mind that it uses Breath Release every minute.¡± The first phase wasn¡¯t that difficult. Because after using Breath Release, it would temporarily stop moving for 20 seconds. It was a stiffness symptom caused by explosively releasing all the mana within its body. That was the time to inflict damage. ¡°Ha, this is driving me crazy!¡± Kim Bong-Goo once again departed for the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s back. Jeong-Hoon drew his bowstring and repeatedly shot arrows, aiming for its torso. [The Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s HP decreases!] [Remaining HP: 99.03%] ¡­ [Remaining HP: 98.64%] ¡­ [Remaining HP: 98.32%] ¡­ [Remaining HP: 97.83%] [Extinction is activated.] When its remaining HP reached 97%, the ability of the Rune of Extinctionbined with Anima activated. At the same time, Poison Attack also triggered, dealing additional damage! [Remaining HP: 95.63%] Jeong-Hoon fired another arrow. [Extinction is activated.] [Remaining HP: 93.36%] With a 6% chance, Extinction triggered consecutively. ¡®This is truly incredible.¡¯ The HP of a raid boss was beyond imagination. In his past life, Jeong-Hoon had spent a month hunting this monster before finally defeating it. That¡¯s why he was acutely aware of how amazing this damage was. ¨C Its HP is going down a lot? ¨C What¡¯s happening? ¨C How is a single arrow so powerful? ???? The viewers hadn¡¯t yet realized how shocking this was. This was the first time the Bone Lord Wyvern had appeared. ¡®Oh! This is the power of the Rune.¡¯ Anima immediately recognized the power of the Rune of Extinction. ¡®Master! It¡¯s dangerous!¡¯ At that moment, Anima urgently shouted, sensing the ominous aura of the Bone Lord Wyvern. ¡°I know.¡± Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and jumped into the portal. [The Bone Lord Wyvern uses ¡®Breath Release¡¯.] The Bone Lord Wyvern spewed its breath towards the first nest. Jeong-Hoon had hunted this type of monster to his heart¡¯s content. When the monster first released its breath. When it closed its eyes for 5 seconds, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s keen senses felt the mana gathering in its body and concentrating in its mouth. He instantly realized that was when it used Breath, its first phase ability. Also, to know the direction of the breath, he just had to check the monster¡¯s gaze and head direction. Previously, it had aimed at Kim Bong-Goo, so it released the breath from its body towards its back, and this time, it aimed at the nest where Jeong-Hoon was, so it released the breath towards the nest. ¡°Keep attacking.¡± ¡°Y-yes, sir!¡± Hearing Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s energetic reply, Jeong-Hoon returned to the nest. [The nest is not destroyed ording to the settings.] As expected, the nest was unharmed by the breath. Jeong-Hoon once again drew his bowstring and shot arrows consecutively. [Extinction is activated.] Extinction, now with a 6% chance, triggered repeatedly, and by dodging the breath ording to the pattern and continuing to deal damage, the first phase quickly ended. [Remaining HP: 50%] They had instantly entered the second phase. * * * ¡®A-amazing¡­¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo, swinging his dagger, was speechless at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s prowess. Even with a significant level difference, he hadn¡¯t expected this much. He didn¡¯t think he had even shaved off 2% of the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s HP with all his skills, but Jeong-Hoon had taken off the remaining 48%. ¨C Wow¡­ What the fuck? ¨C He¡¯s clearing it so effortlessly ????? ¨C Hey¡­ This doesn¡¯t seem like a normal boss? ¨C It¡¯s a raid boss, judging by the phases! ¨C Wow! So he¡¯s taking down a raid boss¡¯s HP this fast?! ¨C No way¡­ Is that even possible? Crazy ¨C Bone Lord Wyvern? Does it have rtively low HP for a raid boss? ¨C Looking at what Honey 3 is doing, I don¡¯t think so¡­ The chat was also in an uproar. ¡®It¡¯s not that I¡¯m weak, it¡¯s that he¡¯s a monster.¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo wanted to shout that out. Even from his perspective, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s arrow damage was abnormally high. Even with all his might, he couldn¡¯t match the damage of a single arrow from Jeong-Hoon. And then, a purple me flickered in the empty eye sockets of the Bone Lord Wyvern. The second phase had begun. [The Bone Lord Wyvern summons Mini Death Wyverns.] Mini Death Wyverns. Small Wyverns made of ck shapes were summoned above the nest. There were more than 100 of them. And even on the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s back, where Kim Bong-Goo was, five Death Wyverns were summoned. ¨C Ah, the bnce ispletely broken ???? ¨C Honey 1 has so many, and Honey 3 only has 5? ¨C Oh well. From now on, you¡¯re the true honey pot. Honestly, he wanted to refute, but it was true, so Kim Bong-Goo inwardly cheered. ¡®Shit, thank goodness!¡¯ It was much wiser to swallow his pride and deal with five Wyverns than to be surrounded by over 100. That monster would take care of the 100 somehow, right? * * * ¡®That guy, I can see right through him.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chuckled, looking at Kim Bong-Goo, who was on the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s back. There were only five Death Wyverns summoned on the boss¡¯s back. Kim Bong-Goo should be able to handle them with his skills. [Do we have to take care of these guys to attack that bastard?] Mukho asked. ¡°Something like that.¡± Death Wyverns. These Wyverns were summons created by the Bone Lord Wyvern, squeezing out its own life force. [Remaining HP: 10%] [All Death Wyverns must be defeated before you can attack the Bone Lord Wyvern.] The monster, having exhausted its life force, seemed to have stopped moving. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this quickly.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon switched his weapon from Anima to Leviathan. [The Mini Death Wyvern uses HP Reduction.] [The Mini Death Wyvern uses Movement Speed Reduction.] As the debuffs were cast consecutively, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body felt heavy, and his HP rapidly decreased. [Using Purification.] [Using Intermediate Healing.] Of course, the debuffs were quickly dispelled. And Jeong-Hoon, who had quickly recovered his lost HP with Healing, used his movement technique to leap into the air. He approached the nearest Mini Death Wyvern and swung Leviathan with a wide arc. Jeong-Hoon activated Initiation, shing at the Death Wyvern¡¯s flesh. [1st Form: Initiation is activated.] [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath is activated.] Jeong-Hoon continued to activate Initiation consecutively, parrying and shing at the oing Death Wyverns. ¡®The damage is weak without the mark.¡¯ To handle arge number of enemies at once, he needed to mark more of them. ¡°Kyaak!¡± The Death Wyverns sharpened their ws and lunged at Jeong-Hoon, trying to bite him. Each time, Jeong-Hoon swung Leviathan, parrying all of them. However, there¡¯s no defense against overwhelming numbers, and as time passed, Jeong-Hoon started to get scratched. [Using Intermediate Healing.] Jeong-Hoon calmly swung his sword while using Healing. ¡®Minimize unnecessary movements.¡¯ Using swordsmanship without any wasted motion was crucial. ¡®Always think about the next move and create advantageous situations.¡¯ To do that, controlling the distance between him and the enemies was essential. [Extinction Sword level increases.] Just then, the level of Extinction Sword increased. [2nd Form: Subjugation is activated.] And Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword strikes changed. He transitioned from the 1st Form to the 2nd Form. ¨C Wow¡­ ¨C Watching Honey 1 after Honey 3 is like cleansing my eyes. ¨C This is really awesome. ¨C What the hell is Honey 1¡¯s true identity? He inflicted critical hits on the Wyverns marked with the 1st Form using Subjugation. Jeong-Hoon perfectly controlled the distance and swung the hilt of Leviathan. With each swing of his sword, Subjugation activated, inflicting critical hits on the Death Wyverns. [Remaining HP: 37%] The HP of the Wyverns marked with the 1st and 2nd Forms was uniformly below 40%. Jeong-Hoon turned around and pointed the tip of Leviathan at them. This was the end. [3rd Form: Annihtion is activated.] Annihtion. The final form that could pierce through multiple monsters at once if they were marked. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body shed and disappeared, then he zigzagged through the marked Death Wyverns, piercing them one by one. Crack. Crack. Crack. He consecutively unleashed Initiation, Subjugation, and Annihtion, instantly clearing the wave of enemies in front of him. ¨C That¡¯s insane; ¨C What the¡­ ¨C Who would think he¡¯s an enhancer? ¨C I¡¯m confused now. Is he really an enhancer? ¨C He¡¯s mosaicked, so it might not even be the same person. * * * ¡°Keeek!¡± Thest remaining Death Wyvern vanished. [All Mini Death Wyverns have been defeated.] He had defeated all the Death Wyverns, the core of the second phase. [Using Intermediate Healing.] Jeong-Hoon used Healing to treat the scratches on his body and switched his weapon back from Leviathan to Anima. He noticed the chat window overflowing with messages, but now wasn¡¯t the time to respond to each one. ¡°You¡¯re not even tired? You¡¯re really amazing.¡± Anima clicked his tongue in admiration. [Heh, if he¡¯s my master, he should be able to handle this much with ease.] Mukho replied confidently on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s behalf. ¡°Yeah. This much is a piece of cake.¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled and drew Anima¡¯s bowstring. The boss¡¯s remaining HP was now 10%. He would finish it off this time. [Remaining HP: 9.76%] [Remaining HP: 9.43%] Its HP decreased with each arrow hit. Kim Bong-Goo, frantically swinging his dagger on the monster¡¯s back, was also contributing. [Extinction is activated.] [Remaining HP: 7.26%] Then, Extinction activated, and its HP decreased even faster. ¡°ck! ck!¡± The Bone Lord Wyvern was preparing itsst attack. ¡®I¡¯ll finish it quickly.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought [Extinction is activated.] [Remaining HP: 5.96%] Extinction triggered repeatedly. A continuous barrage of arrows poured down. [Extinction is activated.] ¡­ [Extinction is activated.] [Remaining HP: 0.18%] The monster had only 0.18% HP left. Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring once more, and the arrow flew. Unlike before, the arrow pierced deeply into its torso with a thud! Then the bones that formed its body instantly turned to ashes and disappeared. [You have defeated the Bone Lord Wyvern for the first time! 10,000 achievement points awarded.] ¡°Phew, we cleared it. That took quite a while.¡± Jeong-Hoon finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to the chat window. ¨C Crazy, that took a while? ¨C I don¡¯t know what the Bone Lord Wyvern is, but why did he clear it so easily? ¨C Can you show us your weapon? ¨C Please reveal your ss! I¡¯ll bet 1,000,000 won! ¨C Would he reveal it for 1,000,000 won? Is there anyone here willing to bet big? I¡¯ll bet 3,000,000 won for now. ¨C 10,000,000 won. ¨C 20,000,000. The stakes kept rising. ¡°Is your ss that important? Anyway, today¡¯s honey tip is this. The Wyvern¡¯s Nest.¡± It was time to receive the rewards. The bones that formed the monster¡¯s body fell to the first nest, and an item was dropped next to them. [Special Experience Potion] First, the Special Experience Potion. It was a special potion that guaranteed a level up for anyone below level 201 upon consumption. This potion was a 100% guaranteed reward for defeating the Bone Lord Wyvern. And it wasn¡¯t just one, but five of them. The viewers went wild at the appearance of the potion. ¨C No way? That potion drops here? ¨C Wow¡­ This is real honey. 5 potions mean 5 level ups, right? ¨C Shit, should I hunt here? ¨C But¡­ wouldn¡¯t it take too long? ¨C If it¡¯s a Special Experience Potion, it¡¯s worth it even if it takes a long time. And one more thing. By being the first to defeat the Bone Lord Wyvern, he was able to obtain a special reward. [Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s Heart] He had sessfully obtained the heart that Sophia was supposed to have taken. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 128 Chapter 128 The reaction on World Com was explosive. Peak viewers: 43,992. The scene of the Bone Lord Wyvern hunt that all those viewers had witnessed together. [What the hell is this? Soloing a raid boss?] ¨C Is this even real? (Bone Lord Wyvern hunt video) Attached the video¡­ I can¡¯t believe it even after seeing it. ©¸ Who the hell is that? ©¸ Ah, fuck, the mosaic and voice modtion are annoying ©¸ Enhancer, swordsman, archer¡­ Is this multiple sses? ©¸ Is it even possible to have multiple sses? Technically, there were two people, but from the viewers¡¯ perspective, it was no different from a solo hunt. Because Honey 3, in their eyes, wasn¡¯t doing anything. The World Com users started specting about Honey 1¡¯s identity. [There is a ss that¡¯s theoretically possible!] ¨C Martial Artist! You know how the Hidden ss Martial Artist recently appeared in Korea for the first time? This smells fishy ??? ©¸ Bullshit ?????? ©¸ Martial Artist, my ass ??? ©¸ (Original poster) Why? Am I wrong? There¡¯s a possibility he¡¯s a Hidden ss Martial Artist! ©¸ The reason this is nonsense is that Honey 1 didn¡¯t use any martial arts-rted skills ??? ©¸ He only used archery and swordsmanship, so why a Martial Artist ?? ©¸ You might as well say he¡¯s a Hidden ss Enhancer. That would be more believable ??? Many other spective posts were rampant, but no one reached the correct answer. [Let¡¯s just subscribe for now.] ¨C I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any loss in subscribing ©¸ You haven¡¯t subscribed yet? Tsk tsk ©¸ I just did ?? ©¸ I¡¯ll keep watching what he uploads in the future. And that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°Why wait for the Pegasus? Let¡¯s just go to the ce that sells Flight Potions.¡± ¡°But those have severe side effects¡­¡± ¡°So? Are we just going to sit here and wait?¡± ¡°Ha, okay.¡± Unable to reach the Sky Field through the stable, users flocked to the Alchemist¡¯s Street. Because they had seen the potion Jeong-Hoon had thrown in the broadcast. That potion temporarily granted the Flight skill. If they couldn¡¯t use the Pegasus, they had no choice but to use the potion to reach the Sky Field. However, they too had to suffer the side effects. ¡°Argh!¡± ¡°Healer! Healer!¡± Still, those who reached the Sky Field had formed parties ande prepared with healers. But even with Purification, there was a queue, and those at the back had to endure the terrible pain for longer. Anyway, after shaking off the side effects with Purification, they formed parties. ¡°Judging by the broadcast, it seems like 10 people should be enough?¡± ¡°Yeah, it didn¡¯t seem like it had that much HP.¡± Seeing how its HP decreased by 1-2% with each arrow, they were convinced that the Bone Lord Wyvern wasn¡¯t a raid boss with high HP. So they confidently formed a 10-person party and challenged the dungeon. And soon, they regretted it. [Remaining HP: 98.11%] The monster¡¯s HP barely decreased by 2%, even after they poured all their skills into it from the start. ¡°What the fuck?! Its HP isn¡¯t going down?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± [The Bone Lord Wyvern uses ¡®Breath Release¡¯.] ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Aaaaah!¡± And they were instantly killed by the Breath Release skill from the monster. After that, the number of parties challenging the Bone Lord Wyvern and dying increased rapidly. * * * Before users flocked to the Sky Field, Jeong-Hoon returned to the ground with Kim Bong-Goo. ¡®Good work. Take this and go rest.¡¯ Special Experience Potions. A total of five. ording to the party members¡¯ contribution, Jeong-Hoon should have taken them all, but he gave one to Kim Bong-Goo for his hard work. ¡®Where are you going now, brother?¡¯ ¡®Why do you care? Are you trying to follow me?¡¯ ¡®No! I¡¯m going to rest!¡¯ As if afraid that Jeong-Hoon might hold him back, Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly logged out. ¡°Oh, Hoon! You¡¯re back?¡± Upon returning to the royal pce, Ragan, who was training the knights, greeted him warmly. ¡°Yes. Where¡¯s Ha-Jin?¡± ¡°Ah, your friend? He¡¯s diligently training in another training ground.¡± There were three training grounds. Caryan was monopolizing one of them, beating Ha-Jin up. ¡°I see.¡± He had expected it to take a long time, but seeing that Ha-Jin was working hard without giving up, it seemed like he didn¡¯t need to worry about him for now. ¡°So, are you thinking of setting a date for the banquet?¡± The banquet that Kaiserk V had dered. However, at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s request, the banquet had been temporarily postponed. Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Is that so? Do you have something else to do?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, I can¡¯t help it then.¡± Jeong-Hoon was the hero of M?rchen. And Kaiserk V had even said he would actively follow Jeong-Hoon¡¯s opinions, so Ragan readily stepped back. ¡°Yes. By the way, I heard Verman is here. Where can I find him?¡± ¡°Verman? Why are you looking for him?¡± ¡°I have a favor to ask him.¡± ¡°A favor? Well, I don¡¯t need to know that. Follow me, I¡¯ll guide you to him.¡± Ragan handed over the knight training to Gareth, the vicemander, and led Jeong-Hoon to where Verman was. ==== [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Verman ¨C Level: 185 ¨C upation: Royal Craftsman ==== He was a craftsman working for the royal family. ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t expect the Hero of M?rchen to visit me.¡± Verman stopped his work and greeted Jeong-Hoon politely. ¡°Yes. I have a favor to ask.¡± ¡°A favor? From me?¡± ¡°First, take a look at this.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out a red stone imbued with a crimson aura. [Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s Heart] ¨C Type: Material ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C The condensed heart of the Bone Lord Wyvern. The Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s Heart. It was the power source that had fueled the monster¡¯s rampage. ¡°This is?!¡± Verman¡¯s eyes widened, and he brought out a monocle to examine the heart closely. ¡®Ha, thinking back now, I made such a regrettable choice. If I had gone to Verman, a perfect item would have been created.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon thought In his past life, Sophia hadn¡¯t been able to extract 100% efficiency from the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s Heart. That¡¯s because she had lost nearly 15% of the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s power while crafting the item. If she had seeded in crafting it while preserving all its power, she could have reached an even higher gradeter on. That¡¯s why he had regretted not going to Verman countless times. Only Verman knew the method to fully utilize the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s Heart. Unfortunately, Sophia had learned that fact after the crafting was done, causing her great frustration. That was the reason Jeong-Hoon hade to Verman. ¡°I obtained this heart by hunting the Bone Lord Wyvern.¡± ¡°¡­This is incredible. I¡¯ve never seen such a perfect Wyvern Heart before.¡± Verman brought out a stack of his research journals and exined them one by one. In short, the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s Heart couldn¡¯t be crafted carelessly. The heart¡¯s interior was intricately woven with mana circuits, requiring extreme caution when handling it, and an even more delicate touch was needed for such a perfect heart. If even a slight mistake was made, the smoothly flowing mana would instantly scatter, and it would be ruined. ¡°Can you craft this into an item?¡± But Verman shook his head. ¡°¡­Not at the moment.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°To create an item, I have to manipte the heart. During the crafting process, I need a device to stabilize the energy so it doesn¡¯t scatter¡­ The problem is that I can¡¯t create that energy stabilizing device right now.¡± A question mark blinked above Verman¡¯s head. [Hidden Quest: Mana Controller] ¨C Restriction: Possessing the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s Heart. ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Bring Verman the materials he requests. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°Then I just need to bring you the materials to make that device, right?¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be easy. It¡¯s because I haven¡¯t been able toplete it due to theck of those materials.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can get those materials.¡± ¡°¡­Then, may I ask you a favor?¡± Verman¡¯s face brightened a little. He wanted to handle the heart himself, but he knew that proceeding recklessly would only damage it. To craft this heart into an item, he needed to stabilize its energy to prevent the mana circuit from breaking, and for that, he required a controller that could manage the mana flow. Unfortunately, the royal family didn¡¯t possess such a controller at present because theycked a few necessary materials. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll try to find them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ It might be quite difficult to obtain them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, please tell me what they are. I¡¯ll do my best to find them.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Verman took out a few sheets of paper from the back of a drawer. They were a list of materials needed to create the controller, specifically those they hadn¡¯t been able to acquire yet. [Controller Materials] -Squishy Tears (Not Acquired) -Unidentified Battery (Not Acquired) -Celestial Ore (Not Acquired) There were three materials they needed to find. ¡°Do we only need to get these three?¡± ¡°Yes. The mana controller is currently over 95%plete. With these materials, we should be able to finish it.¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll try to find them.¡± ¡°Thank you. I, too, would love to handle such a perfect wyvern heart.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ho-Yeong Guild Training Grounds. Yeo Min-Ji was still practicing her martial arts against a scarecrow dummy. [Critical Hit!] She was now ustomed tonding critical hits. Her sess rate had risen to 7.53%. Out of 100 attempts, she would seed 7.5 times. Despite this, her face remained unreadable. ¡°If only it could go up to 10%, I¡¯d be so happy.¡± A motionless scarecrow. A passive skill that only activated when she struck the same spot on the scarecrow consecutively with near-perfect uracy. The conditions for triggering it were incredibly demanding. Yet, Jeong-Hoon wielded that skill wlessly. As if to say that¡¯s what true talent looked like. [Whisper/Jeong-Hoon -> Minzi: What are you doing?] At that moment, a whisper from Jeong-Hoon arrived. Yeo Min-Ji tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Hmm? A whisper? Did something happen?¡± She now understood Jeong-Hoon to some extent. He never sent whispers without a reason. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: I¡¯m training. What¡¯s up?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: It¡¯s nothing major, but there¡¯s an item I¡¯d like you to find for me.] As expected. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: An item? Tell me about it.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: An Unidentified Battery.] ¡°An Unidentified Battery?¡± Why would he suddenly need such a useless item? [Whisper/Minzi -> Jeong-Hoon: Why are you looking for that?] [Whisper/Jeong-Hoon -> Minzi: I have a use for it.] Did he have a use for it? The ¡®Unidentified Battery¡¯ was an item with no listed use, so it didn¡¯t even appear in the auction house. It wasn¡¯t required for any quests either, making it essentially worthless. The drop rate was abysmal, and it was difficult to destroy, so the few yers who stumbled upon it during their hunts would curse and shove it into a corner of their inventory. It was truly garbage. What possible use could he have for such junk? Her curiosity was piqued, but she decided to find it for him first and then ask questionster. [Whisper/Minzi -> Jeong-Hoon: When do you need it by?] [Whisper/Jeong-Hoon -> Minzi: The sooner, the better.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Jeong-Hoon: Alright.] It seemed her training session would have to end here. Yeo Min-Ji tidied up the training area and logged out immediately. Whoosh The capsule door opened, and she stepped out. ¡°Phew.¡± She took a moment to catch her breath and drink some water before tapping on her smartphone to ess World Com. The atmosphere on World Com was unusual. ¡°¡­What¡¯s this?¡± She noticed repeated mentions of HoneyTube and started reading through the posts one by one. Soon, her face was filled with shock. ¡°No way¡­!¡± ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 129 Chapter 129 At the same time, Jang Dae-Hwi, having reviewed the recorded footage, was also in a state of shock. ¡°Is this even possible¡­?¡± HoneyTube¡¯s LIVE broadcast had taken ce while he was briefly out on an errand. Honey 2, Ha-Jin, was absent from the broadcast, and instead, Ha-Jin¡¯s friend, Honey 1, Jeong-Hoon, and a new figure, Honey 3, appeared. At first, he was confused. Why did they suddenly start a broadcast? Still, it was a good opportunity. He thought they could actively promote enhancements here and achieve good results. However, instead of enhancing, they were heading into the Wyvern¡¯s Nest, a dungeon that many people avoided. He was frustrated. ¡®No! You should be enhancing! What are you doing?¡¯ The reason for HoneyTube¡¯s rapid growth was not just the honey tips but also, recently, the Enhancement Exchange. So, they should be actively using it to grow HoneyTube. Why were they going in a different direction? But he was an editor. Hadn¡¯t he had frequent conflicts with the YouTuber he was in charge of before because of this kind of thing? ¡®I can¡¯t repeat the same mistakes.¡¯ Understand the theme. Jang Dae-Hwi decided to clear his mind and just observe. And when Honey 1 hunted the wyverns using a sword and bow, he was quite surprised. ¡®Wow, an Enhancer has those kind ofbat skills too?¡¯ It was truly amazing. How could an Enhancer have sword and bowbat skills? That wasn¡¯t all. Honey 1 and Honey 3 suddenly took out shovels and started digging the second nest. ¡®What are they doing now?¡¯ At first, he was puzzled. What kind of honey tip was that¡­? And then his eyes widened. ¡®The Bone Lord Wyvern¡­?¡¯ The existing dungeon disappeared, and a new hidden boss appeared. It wasn¡¯t even a normal boss, but a raid boss. ¡®Why is that here¡­?¡¯ A raid boss couldn¡¯t be defeated by two people. Not only were its basic stats high, but its health points were set absurdly high. But what was this? Every time Honey 1 shot an arrow, the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s health dropped rapidly, and it quickly entered its second phase. ¡°Crazy!¡± Jang Dae-Hwi couldn¡¯t help but curse and jumped up from his seat. This was unbelievable! He hurriedly checked the time. ¡°It took less than 30 minutes¡­.¡± Was it even possible to finish the first phase in less than 30 minutes? What kind of trick did they use? And that wasn¡¯t all. As the second phase began, over 100 Death Wyverns swarmed Honey 1. Then, Honey 1, instead of using the bow, took out a sword and started wiping out the Death Wyverns. ¡°Huh¡­¡± His swordsmanship skills were remarkable. It was a powerful disy of swordsmanship, far beyond what one would expect from a mere second advancement ss. The problem was that Honey 1¡¯s ss was an Enhancer. ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s not an Enhancer, is it¡­?¡± When they first hunted the wyverns, he assumed that the Enhancer was simply disying somebat skills, but now he realized he was wrong. That was a performance an Enhancer couldn¡¯t possibly achieve. ¨C Wow¡­ Shit, this is gonna blow up. ¨C Seriously, HoneyTube is gonna hit it big with this, right? ¨C I don¡¯t know who Honey 1 is, but this is driving me crazy. Subscribing right now. The viewers seemed to share simr thoughts, as they all rushed to hit the subscribe button after the broadcast ended. [HoneyTube] ¨C Subscribers: 403,400 The broadcast had barely ended, and the number of subscribers had already surpassed 300,000 and was approaching 400,000. ¡°¡­That guy is insane. Absolutely insane.¡± * * * [Controller Materials] ¨C Squishy Tears (Not Acquired) ¨C Unidentified Battery (Not Acquired) ¨C Celestial Ore (Not Acquired) With this, he could stop worrying about the Unidentified Battery for now. ¡®But is it really okay to just leave it to her like that? What if she can¡¯t find it?¡¯ Anima tilted her head and asked. ¡°It¡¯s fine. That¡¯s an item that can be found quickly.¡± The problem was the Squishy Tears and the Celestial Ore. To obtain Squishy Tears, he needed to travel to the Erheim Kingdom, not M?rchen. ¡®Fortunately, Squishy Tears are already amon material item.¡¯ Squishy Tears could be obtained in the Erheim Kingdom. Like M?rchen, the Erheim Kingdom was one of the areas essible after level 151. Currently, it was known as a region that most yers didn¡¯t choose, because all the dungeons were located underwater. To clear even one dungeon, yers had to acquire the ¡®Passive: Fish Transformation¡¯ from the kingdom¡¯s capital, and even that had a time limit. If they couldn¡¯t clear the dungeon within the time limit, they would die. The water pressure, which couldn¡¯t be endured even with defense, would crush their entire bodies. As a result, there were significantly fewer yers hunting in Erheimpared to other kingdoms. Moreover, there were no particrly useful drop items or consumables used as main materials, so it wasn¡¯t popr. However, when ¡®Squishy Tears¡¯ became an essential material for crafting itemster on, the region¡¯s poprity exploded. [Lv.180 Myu Fish] Myu Fish. These creatures were characterized by the slippery mucus that covered their entire bodies, and Squishy Tears were a material item that could be obtained from them. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Oring ¨C Level: 160 ¨C upation: Dungeon Entrance Assistant === Dungeon Entrance Assistant Oring. Half-human and half-fish, he was quite a sight. ¡°You want to enter the dungeon?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Jeong-Hoon replied. Oring gave Jeong-Hoon a cursory nce and nodded. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll grant you a passive skill.¡± [Passive: Fish Transformation has been granted.] [The skill will activate upon entering the dungeon, and the time limit is ¡®6 hours¡¯.] Having received the skill, Jeong-Hoon immediately headed for the dungeon. [Geez, why is the procedure soplicated?] ¡®Hmm? What¡¯s soplicated about getting one skill?¡¯ Anima retorted. [There¡¯s a time limit, you know. What kind of ce is this?] ¡®But they¡¯re giving you the skill without asking for anything in return,¡¯ [Hey, if they asked for something in return, that would be really messed up.] ¡®That¡¯s true, too.¡¯ While Mukho and Anima were chatting, Jeong-Hoon arrived at the outer field. The sea started from the outer field. As soon as he entered the sea, the passive skill granted by Oring activated. [This is not a dungeon. The time limit will not decrease.] The time limit didn¡¯t decrease in the outer field. Jeong-Hoon swam quickly into the sea. The passive skill, Fish Transformation. Perhaps because of it, swimming was veryfortable, and his speed was about 1.5 times faster than a human swimming. ¡®Hmph! Die!¡¯ As he went deeper into the sea, he saw yers hunting. Although there were fewer yerspared to other kingdoms, it was such a popr game that there were always yers wherever he went. ¡®This spot is mine!¡¯ ¡®Come on, let¡¯s hunt together!¡¯ ¡®No way! Go to another field!¡¯ As always, thepetition for hunting spots was fierce. Jeong-Hoon passed them and went further down into the sea. yers, transformed into fish, naturallymunicated using sonar. There was no more light. But thanks to the passive skill, his vision wasn¡¯t impaired. [Lv.180 Abyssal Fish Cave ¨C 3] The ce Jeong-Hoon arrived at was the third Abyssal Fish Cave. This was where the Myu Fish appeared. [Would you like to enter Lv.180 Abyssal Fish Cave ¨C 3?] * * * One additional thing to mention. Hunting underwater was naturally twice as difficult as hunting onnd. The passive skill, Fish Transformation, created gills on the neck and an invisible barrier to withstand the water pressure. So, there were no restrictions on movement, but since the environment was different from the usual hunting grounds, most yers struggled at first. However, Jeong-Hoon was different. He had already experienced everything there was to experience in his previous life. ¡®I¡¯ll go with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon decided to ughter the mobs using the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, without relying on any weapons. Swoosh. Just then, the monsters in the vicinity were caught by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s keen senses. [Lv.167 Yale Fish] A creature with red fins and scales filled with deadly poison. Its size was also considerable, about that of an adult male. Whoosh. It was lunging from behind. Jeong-Hoon turned his body and delivered an uppercut with his fist. Bam! Gurgle gurgle- The uppercutnded squarely on the Yale Fish¡¯s jaw. His fist was imbued with a faint aura of the Underworld King. He had unleashed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 1st Form. ¡®Still a long way to go, you bastard.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon gently inserted his left hand into the creature¡¯s gills and grabbed hold, then pummeled it with his right fist, infused with the Underworld King¡¯s energy, using the 1st Form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. After a little over 10 strikes, the creature¡¯s head was smashed. ¡®One down.¡¯ After themotion, Jeong-Hoon sensed dozens of Yale Fish surrounding him. [Oh, hello there, punching bags.] ¡®I hope they perform well this time.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon smirked. Then, the Yale Fish charged at him all at once. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 2nd Form.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chose to overpower them with brute force. His fist struck a Yale Fish¡¯s face. At that moment, two Yale Fish bit down on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s shoulder and waist. Although not as sharp as a great white shark¡¯s teeth, their fangs pierced his skin and injected poison. [Resisting poison.] However, the poison couldn¡¯t prate Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Epic-grade Poison Resistance. [Using Intermediate Healing.] He healed the wounds inflicted by the creatures. [Intermediate Healing level has increased.] At that moment, his Intermediate Healing leveled up. Jeong-Hoon used the 2nd Form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique to crush the Yale Fish¡¯s head. One, two, three, four. As more and more Yale Fish had their heads smashed, the aura of the Underworld King around Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fists grew denser. He kept swinging his fists, and before he knew it, he had reached the 4th Form. He could no longer sense any Yale Fish around him. They had been annihted. ¡®Easy.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon moved forward swiftly. He continued to crush the Yale Fish that attacked him with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. [Lv.180 Myu Fish] Finally, a Myu Fish, muchrger than the Yale Fish, appeared. ¡®Uoooooh.¡¯ The creature opened its mouth wide towards Jeong-Hoon, emitting a sonar wave. [Myu Fish uses Powerful Absorption.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body was pulled towards the Myu Fish. As the distance closed, Jeong-Hoon extended his right hand. ¡®Lightning Bolt.¡¯ A Lightning Bolt manifested from his hand and struck the Myu Fish. Crackle. The Myu Fish, hit directly by the lightning magic, trembled violently. Seizing the opportunity, Jeong-Hoon drew Leviathan. [1st Form: Initiation activated.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword mercilessly sliced through the Myu Fish. ¡®¡­!?¡¯ The creature emitted an ultrasonic wave. [2nd Form: Devour activated.] [Leviathan¡¯s Wrath activated.] He then activated Devour and struck the Myu Fish, marking it with the 2nd Form¡¯s stigma. [Myu Fish uses Slippery Poison.] Poison spewed from the Myu Fish¡¯s body. [Resisting poison.] But the poison, as expected, couldn¡¯t harm Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Let¡¯s end this.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon aimed the tip of Leviathan at the Myu Fish. [3rd Form: Annihtion activated.] In an instant, Jeong-Hoon vanished from his spot and pierced the Myu Fish¡¯s gills with precision. * * * Jeong-Hoon returned to M?rchen three dayster. [Controller Materials] ¨C Squishy Tears (Acquired) ¨C Unidentified Battery (Not Acquired) ¨C Celestial Ore (Not Acquired) He hadn¡¯t expected it to take three days to get the drop. He must have hunted at least 700 Myu Fish. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: I sent you the Unidentified Battery. Please check!] Just then, the Unidentified Battery he had requested from Yeo Min-Ji arrived in the mail. Hoon immediately imed the Unidentified Battery from the mail. With this, he had acquired the Unidentified Battery as well. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: I just received it. Thank you.] As soon as he sent his thanks, a whisper from Yeo Min-Ji arrived as if she had been waiting. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Okay! Then can I ask you something I¡¯m curious about?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Something you¡¯re curious about?] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Yes. What on earth did you do to your bow?] It seemed she was quite surprised by how quickly the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s health had depleted. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: I embedded a rune in it.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: A rune¡­? Hoon, you¡¯re not level 201 yet, are you? You couldn¡¯t have reached level 5 in the Achievement Shop¡­] There were two ways to obtain runes. One was to hunt in territories essible after level 201 and obtain them with a low probability. The other was to purchase them directly from the Achievement Shop. From Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s perspective, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t seem to meet the requirements for either of those methods yet. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: I just got it whilepleting a quest.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: What kind of quest did you do¡­?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: A quest in M?rchen¡¯s Royal Capital. Thanks to that, I can now freely enter the pce.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: What¡­?!] Jeong-Hoon closed the whisper window. With the Unidentified Battery acquired, the only thing left was the ¡®Celestial Ore¡¯. ¡®I know where that ore is too.¡¯ Unlike the Squishy Tears, the identity of the Celestial Ore was revealed quitete. Although its acquisition method wasn¡¯t publicly known at this point, it would be in the not-so-distant future. Jeong-Hoon headed towards a small cabin located far from M?rchen¡¯s capital. Rustle. Rustle. As Jeong-Hoon approached the cabin, Crackle. A sound came from the bushes, and a man in histe 30s stood up. He pulled back the string of his bow, aiming it at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Turn back if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± Found him. Jeong-Hoon smiled leisurely and spoke towards the man. ¡°Do you happen to know anything about the Celestial Ore?¡± Celestial Ore. At the mention of the ore, the man¡¯s eyes trembled wildly. ¡°¡­How do you know about that?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 130 Chapter 130 The determination of the Korean yers was impressive. The Sky Field was bustling with users. All of them were expedition teams gathered to challenge the Wyvern¡¯s Nest. Already, five expedition teams had seeded in defeating the Bone Lord Wyvern. Unlike Jeong-Hoon, who had tackled the wyvern alone, these teams consisted of more than ten yers, so three days was enough time. Moreover, ¡°They say it¡¯s possible to challenge it again.¡± ¡°Oh! Then we can level up here by farming potions!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± Phase 1, Phase 2. Although the wyverns had high health and were difficult to catch due to their flying ability, it helped that they had learned the patterns by watching the video. ¡°By the way, have you seen the edited video that was uploaded?¡± ¡°Yeah. But no matter how many times I watch it, I can¡¯t figure it out. How does he deal that much damage?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± The attack power of Honey 1 revealed in the video. The attack power that shaved off the boss¡¯s health by percentage with a single hit was so overwhelming that only a high-ranking yer could achieve it. ¡°Is Honey 1 a ranker after all?¡± ¡°Honestly, I admit it. You¡¯d have to be a ranker to deal that much damage.¡± ¡°Hey, a ranker? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. There¡¯s no one in our country who¡¯s reached ranker level as an Enhancer.¡± Currently, the number one Enhancer in South Korea was Yoo Na-Eun from the Ho-Yeong Guild. Yoo Na-Eun, the level 254 Illusion Enhancer. Even she didn¡¯t possess suchbat skills. ¡°Then who is it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°See, you can¡¯t even refute it.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s true that even a ranker wouldn¡¯t make sense.¡± The more they dug, the more they felt like they were falling into a maze. And that edited video spread not only throughout South Korea but also across the world. * * * ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Sophia, who was watching YouTube to take a break after finishing the game, was rmended a video by the algorithm. The video was uploaded by a YouTuber from a country called South Korea. At first, she started watching without much thought, but when the yer summoned the hidden boss, Bone Lord Wyvern, in the Wyvern¡¯s Nest, her eyes sharpened. ¡°The Bone Lord Wyvern appeared¡­?¡± She was Sophia Stephanie Agareth. A dark magician and a ranker on the French server. She had been searching for something recently, and that was the Bone Lord Wyvern. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me¡­¡± Sophia¡¯s expression turned vicious. She had already invested two months searching for that damn bonehead. Two months spent looking for the ¡®heart¡¯ needed to elevate her dark magic to the next level. After searching the Altheon territory, she had nned to search the Sky Field in the M?rchen Kingdom next. To think that the Sky Field was the answer all along. But it was alright. ¡°They won¡¯t be able to defeat it. The Bone Lord Wyvern is a raid boss.¡± The user in front of her didn¡¯t seem particrly strong at first nce. After all, they were from South Korea, weren¡¯t they? In New World, if you were to ask about a weak country, more than 80% would point to South Korea. There was no way that in such a country, two unimpressive-looking users could defeat the Bone Lord Wyvern. Sophia hurriedly opened her capsule and entered. Now that she knew the location and how to summon the Bone Lord Wyvern, the ¡®heart¡¯ would be hers if she hunted it quickly. However, there must have been a reason why the video was uploaded. She quickly headed to M?rchen, keeping the YouTube video open on the system screen beside her. ¡°No!¡± By the time she arrived in M?rchen, the person in the video had already finished the first phase. Even though it was a recording, why did she feel so anxious? In the end, Sophia fast-forwarded through the rest of the video. And she saw it. The Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s heart falling into that man¡¯s hands. ¡°Nooooo!¡± Her scream echoed through M?rchen. * * * === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Birshin ¨C Level: 190 ¨C upation: Mineral Researcher === The person who emerged from the bushes was Birshin. He was a Mineral Researcher NPC. ¡®Hoon, aren¡¯t you curious about who first discovered this Celestial Ore?¡¯ This was from when Jeong-Hoon had collected the Celestial Ore in his previous life. Alessandro Bryden, who was beside him at the time, had looked at the ore and made a prediction. ¡®Hmm? Who is it?¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s me.¡¯ Alessandro¡¯s lips curled up into a smirk. Celestial Ore. In his previous life, it was Alessandro who had first discovered and spread the word about this ore. Alessandro had been searching for the Celestial Ore to craft equipment, and in the process, he had met the NPC Birshin. And he became the first yer to discover the Celestial Ore. As proof of that, Birshin seemed to be aware of the Celestial Ore. ¡°I need the Celestial Ore.¡± ¡°¡­Why are youing to me if you need that? You¡¯re a funny one. Get lost!¡± Birshin lowered his bow and turned away. ¡°Hmm? You already know about the Celestial Ore, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± At that moment, a question mark blinked above Birshin¡¯s head. A red question mark. [Hidden Quest: A Gift from the Heavens] ¨C Requirement: Mention Celestial Ore to Birshin ¨C Reward: Celestial Ore ¨C Description: Help Birshin find the mine where the Celestial Ore is buried. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°Please tell me the location of the Celestial Ore. If you do, I¡¯ll leave.¡± He then approached Birshin and bowed respectfully. ¡°¡­Ha,e in.¡± Birshin walked into the cabin. Jeong-Hoon, catching the hint of permission, followed him inside and sat across from him. ¡°Thank you for letting me in.¡± ¡°Thank me for what? So, how are you so sure that I know about the Celestial Ore?¡± ¡°I heard that there¡¯s no one as knowledgeable about minerals as you, Birshin.¡± ¡°¡­Puhahaha! You¡¯re a funny one.¡± Birshin finally burst intoughter at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s ttery. ¡°So, will you tell me?¡± ¡°¡­Even if I tell you, it¡¯s beyond your capabilities. The mine where the Celestial Ore is buried has be inessible.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Sigh, it seems someone set a trap there.¡± Birshin reluctantly began to exin. As a mineral researcher, he traveled all over the country, searching for and studying minerals. In the process, a year ago, he discovered a small mine here in M?rchen. A mine untouched by human hands. With a pounding heart, he slowly entered the mine and discovered incredibly beautiful minerals inside. [Celestial Ore] There was a tombstone in front of the minerals, and on the tombstone, the name of the mineral, Celestial Ore, was engraved. ¡®¡­This is strange. There were no signs of anyone having been here?¡¯ Such a tombstone couldn¡¯t have been erected without human intervention. Birshin approached the tombstone and gently touched it. [Warning! Warning!] [Trap activated!] [Time remaining: 10 minutes] The tombstone sank into the ground, and a warning message appeared. In this unbelievable situation, Birshin hurriedly left the mine. He tried to enter againter, but the entrance was blocked, making it impossible to enter. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re saying you can¡¯t even enter?¡± ¡°That¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ You aimed your bow at me as soon as you saw me to prevent me from approaching the mine?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re quick-witted.¡± This guy was crazier than he thought. To think he was willing to kill from the start to prevent anyone from approaching the mine. He was someone Jeong-Hoon could have been even more disrespectful to without any consequences. ¡°¡­Then there would be no problem if I disable the trap in the mine.¡± ¡°You? Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± Birshin scoffed. He had dedicated a year to trying to disable the trap. But he couldn¡¯t even set foot in the entrance. And now, someone who seemed to be around his level was iming they could disable the trap? Preposterous. ¡°We won¡¯t know until we try.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked slightly. Birshin¡¯s forehead twitched at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s confident attitude. ¡°¡­Alright, then let¡¯s make a bet.¡± ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°If you can break through the trap at the entrance, I¡¯ll give you this.¡± Birshin took out a Unique Enhancement Stone. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes sparkled at the sight of the Unique Enhancement Stone. ¡°And if I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have to help me with all my work for a week. How about it?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re making a bet, how about we raise the stakes?¡± ¡°Raise the stakes?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s make the bet on the assumption that I¡¯ll disable all the traps in the mine.¡± ¡°Huh, you¡¯vepletely lost your mind, haven¡¯t you?¡± Birshin chuckled in disbelief. ¡°Why? Do you think you¡¯ll lose?¡± Jeong-Hoon countered. ¡°Ha! You think I¡¯ll lose? That¡¯s ridiculous! Alright, I¡¯ll bet all 22 of my Unique Enhancement Stones! But if I can¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll have to work under you for 10 years!¡± An additional question mark blinked above Birshin¡¯s head. [Surprise Quest: Bet with Birshin] ¨C Requirement: User currently on Birshin¡¯s hidden quest ¨C Reward: Unique Enhancement Stone x22 ¨C Description: Win the bet with Birshin. If you lose, you¡¯ll have to work as his assistant for 10 years. ¡°Call.¡± There was no reason for Jeong-Hoon to refuse. * * * The mine, as Birshin had said, was located a little further away. ¡®No wonder it was hard to find.¡¯ The entrance to the mine was right next to a cliff. It was dangerous enough that one misstep could lead to a fall. Moreover, the entrance was blocked by a gray wall. ¡°It won¡¯t budge no matter what I do.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Birshin had tried to break down that wall for a year, but had failed every time. Jeong-Hoon touched the gray wall and pushed it. As expected, it didn¡¯t move an inch. It felt like it wasyered, making it seem impossible to push. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t give up and kept fiddling with the wall. ¡°Kekeke, just give up.¡± Birshin had no doubt that he would win this bet. ¡®This worked out well. I needed an assistant.¡¯ He researched everything rted to minerals. It was unusual for him to stay in one area for so long, like this time. Usually, his job was to travel all over the country, mining and researching minerals. It was quite a strenuous task, so he always wished he had an assistant, but no one wanted to be his assistant. It was because it was too hard. ¡®After a year of hardship, is this the will of the gods, giving me an assistant?¡¯ Since their levels were simr, he seemed to have some strength. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure to work you to the bone from now on.¡¯ Rumble. Rumble. Suddenly, the wall that hadn¡¯t budged for the past year slid sideways, revealing an entrance. ¡°It¡¯s open.¡± Jeong-Hoon gestured towards the entrance, causing Birshin¡¯s eyes to widen in disbelief. ¡°W-What?! How did you do that?!¡± Birshin approached the entrance and touched the wall that had slid aside. How could it have opened so easily when it hadn¡¯t budged for a year, despite all his efforts? What kind of trickery did he use? ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go in.¡± ¡°Wait a minute! Can¡¯t you tell me how you opened it?!¡± Birshin asked, his face full of curiosity. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s simple. The door itself was made up of multipleyers, but the mana circuit was connected as one. It was a bitplicated, but I followed the circuit one by one until I reached the end. Then it opened naturally.¡± ¡°This is insane!¡± Jeong-Hoon spoke casually, but Birshin was so surprised that he blurted out a curse. One year. For 365 days, Birshin had tried various methods. He knew very well that the inside of this door was made up of a mana circuit. He had tried to ess the circuit, but it was soplex that the connection always broke in the middle. But he connected it all the way to the end of the circuit and opened the door? Just what kind of person was he¡­? ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Birshin nodded with a trembling voice. He had only opened the entrance once. Thump thump. His heart started pounding violently. Anyway, as long as he couldy his eyes on the Celestial Ore again, these Unique Enhancement Stones¡­ He would hand them all over. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 131 Chapter 131 M?rchen Royal Pce Training Grounds. Ha-Jin was sprawled in the center of the training grounds, gasping for breath. ¡°Tsk, that¡¯s enough for today. Be prepared for even harder training tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yes¡­!¡± ¡°Hmph, at least your response is spirited.¡± Caryan tidied up his wooden sword and left the training grounds. Hidden: Dark Lord. To obtain it, he needed to receive a quest from Caryan, but he was still pushing him hard without giving him the quest. ¡®Why won¡¯t you tell me about the memoir?¡¯ Whenever he asked out of curiosity, the answer was always the same. ¡®What?! You want to approach the Dark Lord with that rotten potential? You must be out of your mind!¡¯ And then the intensity of the training increased even more. ¡°This isn¡¯t easy¡­¡± Ha-Jin sent a whisper to Jeong-Hoon. [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hey, what are you doing? Did the video turn out well?] But there was no reply. Wasn¡¯t this guy logged in? Was he that busy? He didn¡¯t know. He needed to rest for a bit. Ha-Jin, exhausted, couldn¡¯t maintain the game any longer and logged out immediately. To train on time the next day, he needed to get some sleep quickly. Buzz- Buzz- Before lying down on the bed, he turned on his smartphone, which he hadn¡¯t used in a while, and was bombarded with notifications. Most of them were from Jang Dae-Hwi. ¡°What¡¯s this? Why did Dae-Hwi contact me so much?¡± Ha-Jin was exhausted, but he called Jang Dae-Hwi anyway. The call connected quickly. [Hey! Why haven¡¯t you been answering?] ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve been so busytely¡­¡± [Why does your voice sound like that? Are you sick?] ¡°I haven¡¯t been sleeping well¡­¡± He felt like his eyes would close any minute. [You¡­ Don¡¯t be surprised. Do you know how many subscribers HoneyTube has now?] ¡°How many¡­?¡± He guessed it might be around 200,000 to 300,000 at most? The enhancement skill Jeong-Hoon had acquired was sensational, even in his eyes. It was a skill that could definitely attract attention. [900,000.] At the mention of 900,000, his eyes didn¡¯t exactly shoot open, but they did open halfway. He was surprised, but he truly didn¡¯t have the energy to fully open his eyes. ¡°¡­Really?¡± [I¡¯m telling you! He just melted the raid boss¡­ What on earth is your friend?] ¡°Melted the raid boss¡­ Huh.¡± ¡®Hoon, what kind of trick did you use this time?¡¯ He was an amazing guy, as always. [It¡¯s going crazy right now! There are tons ofments, and there¡¯s even a famous guild that wants to scout all of you!] Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s voice was filled with excitement. ¡°Oh, by the way, Hoon already has a guild, so he¡¯s out.¡± [Huh? He has a guild? Which one?] ¡°Ho-Yeong.¡± [Huh¡­ Ho-Yeong? Ah, that¡¯s why Ho-Yeong wasn¡¯t interested.] ¡°Ugh¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m going to sleep. I¡¯m so tired.¡± He needed to sleep quickly. Only then would he be able to endure Caryan¡¯s training tomorrow. [Hey! I haven¡¯t told you the really important stuff yet¡­?] ¡°What is it? Advertisements¡­? If it¡¯s something like that, I¡¯m going to reject them all, so you don¡¯t have to try to persuade me¡­¡± [What? Why?! Hey! This is really important!] ¡°I¡¯m going to reject them anyway¡­ Our channel is for honey tips only. It¡¯s not a channel for making money¡­¡± [But¡­ even so¡­] ¡°I¡¯m hanging up. I¡¯m really about to pass out¡­¡± Ha-Jin hung up the phone and quickly fell asleep. * * * Something was strange. Birshin couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling of unease. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± He finally stopped Jeong-Hoon, who was walking ahead. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°This is strange. It wasn¡¯t this spacious when I came in before.¡± Even though it was a year ago, he remembered it clearly. The mine wasn¡¯t this big. They had already cleared three traps and moved forward. If it were as he remembered, they should have reached the Celestial Ore by now. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going for now.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Birshin nodded with aplicated expression. [What¡¯s wrong with him?] Mukho asked. ¡®He seems to have a lot on his mind,¡¯ Anima replied. ¡®It¡¯s probably because the mine has changed.¡¯ The Celestial Mine. This mine wasn¡¯t simply revealing hidden traps. When Birshin entered back then, 90% of the mine was deactivated, which was probably why he could reach the Celestial Ore so quickly. However, when he touched the tombstone, the traps were activated, and the buried parts of the mine were revealed, making it 100% active. ¡®There are 5 more traps ahead.¡¯ Opening the entrance door was just the beginning. The second trap was a pitfall with arrows shooting out, and the third one almost suffocated them by narrowing the walls. But there were still five more traps left. [Resisting poison.] That¡¯s right. The next trap was poison. A slightly sour scent filled the air, and that scent was the poison. ¡®This is a trap you can¡¯t avoid, no matter what.¡¯ While Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Poison Resistance kicked in, allowing him to endure the effects, Birshin, a mineral researcher, was not so fortunate. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± Suddenly, Birshin, who was following behind, clutched his throat and groaned in pain. His eyes were bloodshot, his lips turned purple, and foam formed at his mouth. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± As Jeong-Hoon tried to approach Birshin, thetter waved his hand frantically. He then took out a bottle filled with a transparent liquid from his bag and hurriedly drank it. [Oh, he looks like a fool but carries an antidote?] Mukho remarked. ¡®Indeed, he¡¯s more prepared than he looks,¡¯ Anima agreed. They were right. Who would have thought he¡¯d be carrying an antidote? ¡°Cough! The antidote isn¡¯t working¡­ S-Save me¡­!¡± Nevermind, they take it back. [Physiognomy is science!] Mukho eximed. ¡®That¡¯s right. You can¡¯t ignore science,¡¯ Anima added. Ignoring Mukho and Anima¡¯s carefree chatter, Jeong-Hoon rushed to Birshin and checked his condition. He was in critical condition, as if he could die at any moment. Fortunately, before leaving the capital, he had stopped by the Alchemist¡¯s Street and purchased a few antidotes. He had prepared them, thinking it was better to be safe than sorry in case of traps, and it turned out to be the right decision. ¡®An Intermediate Antidote should do.¡¯ He quickly gave Birshin an Intermediate Antidote. Soon after, Birshin¡¯s breathing slowly returned to normal. Jeong-Hoon carried Birshin on his back and left the area. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Gasp¡­ Gasp¡­ Thank you. Thank you so much¡­¡± Birshin seemed to have lost all his strength and couldn¡¯t even stand up from where he was sitting, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°We need to keep going, so please get up.¡± [Using Intermediate Healing.] Jeong-Hoon used healing on Birshin to help his exhausted body recover a little. ¡°Phew, thank you.¡± He had somehow managed to endure the first three traps. But when he was poisoned by the fourth trap, he truly thought he was going to die. He had fully experienced what it felt like to be on the verge of death. However, he couldn¡¯t give up. With the determination to see the Celestial Ore again, Birshin struggled to his feet. * * * The traps that followed were quite diverse. There was a ce where they had to find the differences in pictures to open a closed door and pass through. Another ce where various magic spells rained down from all directions. And a curse that would instantly kill them if they couldn¡¯t dispel it within 10 minutes. Of course, all those traps were ovee by Jeong-Hoon. [Using Dispel.] He used Dispel to remove the curse from himself and Birshin. ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re truly amazing. To think you could even dispel a curse.¡± Birshin now looked at Jeong-Hoon with undisguised admiration. [NPC Birshin¡¯s trust has greatly increased.] At the same time, an exmation mark blinked above Birshin¡¯s head. [You havepleted the surprise quest.] [You have won the bet.] [You have acquired Unique Enhancement Stone x22.] ¡®He hasn¡¯t even cleared all the traps yet?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon was surprised, but Birshin quickly acknowledged his defeat in the bet and handed over the Unique Enhancement Stones. ¡°Are you sure you want to give these to me already?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to clear the next trap anyway, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ve lost. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Are you disappointed that I gave up so easily? Then how about we make another bet? If you reach the Celestial Ore, I¡¯ll give you something even better.¡± A new question mark blinked above Birshin¡¯s head. [Surprise Quest: Bet with Birshin (2)] ¨C Requirement: User recognized by Birshin ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Reach the Celestial Ore. ¡®He really likes making bets, doesn¡¯t he?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t ept the quest immediately and looked at Birshin, asking, ¡°Then what should I bet?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to bet anything. If you reach the Celestial Ore, you win; if you don¡¯t, I win. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Will you ept the bet?¡± If that was the case, there was no reason not to ept the quest. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°I ept.¡± Now there was only one trap left. But he couldn¡¯t let his guard down. [Lv.200 Ancient Guardian] Thest challenge was to defeat a level 200 Guardian. In the vast cavern stood a Guardian, about the size of an adult male. But he couldn¡¯t be careless. [The Ancient Guardian begins to activate.] [The Ancient Guardian uses Scan.] [The Ancient Guardian attempts to copy the abilities of user ¡®Hoon¡¯.] [The Ancient Guardian copies ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique¡¯, ¡®Movement Technique¡¯, ¡®Block¡¯, and ¡®ckfield¡¯ from user ¡®Hoon¡¯.] The Guardian¡¯s ability was to copy all of its opponent¡¯s abilities, which was absurd. He was so surprised when a mere level 200 creature copied his abilities.. When he discovered the Celestial Ore in his previous life, Alessandro¡¯s level was well over 500. But even the experienced Alessandro couldn¡¯t help but be surprised when the Ancient Guardian copied his abilities. [Activating ckfield.] [The Ancient Guardian uses ckfield.] [All stats are increased by 1.2 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that enter the area are decreased by 3%.] [Abilities are nullified.] As Jeong-Hoon activated ckfield, the Guardian also activated its own ckfield. As a result, the ckfields canceled each other out and disappeared. This was the problem. The Ancient Guardian¡¯s copying ability could even nullify the user¡¯s abilities. That¡¯s why defeating it required relying on items. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [Time limit: 1 hour.] Jeong-Hoon used his stat-boosting ring. However, the Guardian couldn¡¯t activate its ability. ¡°Rooooar!¡± Enraged by the use of the item, the Guardian charged at Jeong-Hoon. [The Ancient Guardian uses Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.] The Guardian¡¯s fist was imbued with the aura of the Underworld King. ¡®Oh?¡¯ A smirk crept onto Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. It was somewhat clumsy, but it was definitely the Underworld King¡¯s energy. [Wow, look at it copying. Isn¡¯t that cheating?] Mukhomented. ¡®What¡¯s cheating?¡¯ Anima asked. [It means secretly copying someone else¡¯s work.] Mukho exined. ¡®I see. I learned a good word.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon drew Anima and used his movement technique. [The Ancient Guardian uses Movement Technique.] The Guardian also used the movement technique and closed the distance to Jeong-Hoon. Then, the Guardian¡¯s Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique surged towards Jeong-Hoon¡¯s side. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 1st Star.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon countered the Guardian¡¯s fist with the 1st Star of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Their abilities canceled each other out, and the Underworld King¡¯s energy dissipated into the air. Crack Although they used the same technique, the Guardian was overpowered. ¡°This is unbelievable¡­!¡± Birshin was shocked. The stranger, whom he had considered to be around his level, was not only on par with the Guardian but was even gaining the upper hand. ¡®No, wait. It makes sense.¡¯ Birshin quickly shook his head. Considering the performance the stranger had shown since entering the mine, it wasn¡¯t that surprising. Thump. At that moment, Jeong-Hoon jumped, cing his foot on the Guardian¡¯s shoulder, then leaped back, drawing and releasing his bowstring. The arrow flew and hit the Guardian between the eyes. [The Ancient Guardian uses Block.] Block. Yes, he had anticipated that the Guardian would use the copied Block skill at this timing, having seen it skillfully use the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. But that was over now. ¡°Rooooar!¡± [The Ancient Guardian uses Movement Technique.] The Guardian once again used the movement technique to rush towards Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon put Anima back into his inventory and responded with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. [The Ancient Guardian uses Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.] The Guardian countered with the same Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Jeong-Hoon pulled his shoulder back and threw a powerful punch, striking the Guardian¡¯s face. The Guardian mirrored the move, aiming its fist at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. However, the Guardian¡¯s fist missed its target. Jeong-Hoon had subtly tilted his head to the side, narrowly dodging the attack. ¡°Whoa?¡± Thud! While the Guardian was momentarily stunned, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Underworld King¡¯s Fistnded a blow to its abdomen. ¡°Rooooar!¡± The Guardian swung its copied Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique again. Its target was Jeong-Hoon¡¯s abdomen. Jeong-Hoon guarded with his left arm and extended his right arm, striking the Guardian¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple. [Using Intermediate Healing.] He instantly healed the damage to his left arm with Intermediate Healing. The fierce exchange between Jeong-Hoon and the Guardian continued. As time passed, Jeong-Hoon remained unscathed, while the Guardian¡¯s condition gradually worsened. Jeong-Hoon no longer bothered to dodge the Guardian¡¯s punches. [Using Intermediate Healing.] Every time he was hit by the Guardian, he immediately used healing and continued to pummel the Guardian with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. In the end, it was the Guardian who fell to its knees. ¡°Uoooooh¡­¡± The relentless exchange of blows came to an end. Jeong-Hoon drew Leviathan and struck down at the Guardian¡¯s core, embedded within its heart. Crack. The core shattered, and the Guardian¡¯s form crumbled. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Birshin watched the battle between the stranger and the Guardian in a daze. It seemed like an exchange of blows, but it was a very one-sided fight. ¡®¡­It seems like I¡¯ll lose this bet too.¡¯ The second bet he had made. If they reached the Celestial Ore, he would be the loser of the bet. But even if he lost, he didn¡¯t feel bad at all. Rather, he was excited. He had wasted a year trying to see the Celestial Ore again. But seeing the changed mine, he realized that if he hadn¡¯t met this stranger, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach the Celestial Ore even if he had spent his entire life trying. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± As Jeong-Hoon defeated the Guardian, the barrier blocking their path disappeared. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Birshin followed Jeong-Hoon past the barrier. And they arrived. At the very ce where he had seen the Celestial Ore a year ago. The same tombstone he had seen back then stood there, but the Celestial Ore was nowhere to be found. [Qualifications proven.] The tombstone had clearly said ¡®Celestial Ore¡¯ a year ago, but now it said ¡®Qualifications proven¡¯. ¡°Go ahead and touch it.¡± Jeong-Hoon stepped aside. Birshin naturally approached the tombstone. ¡°Is it okay to touch it? What if something strange happens again, likest time¡­?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡®What an optimistic fellow¡­ Or is it confidence in his skills¡­?¡¯ Birshin took a couple of deep breaths and then slowly stroked the tombstone. The tombstone glowed, and a blue light emanated from the empty wall, revealing the ores he had seen before. ¡°The¡­ Celestial Ore¡­¡± Birshin murmured in a voice filled with emotion. [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®First Discovery of Celestial Mineral¡¯pleted! 50,000 Achievement Points awarded.] ¡®It worked.¡¯ The final condition for revealing the Celestial Ore was for Birshin, who had first touched the tombstone, to touch it once again. Knowing this condition, Jeong-Hoon had brought Birshin into the mine, and because the condition was met, the Celestial Ore appeared. Jeong-Hoon took out a pickaxe and mined a small amount of Celestial Ore. [All materials have been gathered.] ¨C Squishy Tears (Acquired) ¨C Unidentified Battery (Acquired) ¨C Celestial Ore (Acquired) With this, he could finally craft the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s heart. And that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°Thank you so much. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would never have seen these beautiful minerals again.¡± The Birshin who had tried to kill Jeong-Hoon at the beginning was gone. He was now expressing his sincere gratitude to Jeong-Hoon with a respectful attitude. And above his head, an exmation mark was blinking. [Quest Completed.] [You have acquired the Luminous Stone.] The reward Birshin offered for losing the bet was the Luminous Stone. Like Evolution Stones, it was a stone used for equipment. However, unlike Evolution Stones, which upgraded equipment, the Luminous Stone could restore lost equipment. ¡®It¡¯s so rare that its value is equivalent to 10 billion won.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t even imagined that Birshin would possess the Luminous Stone. ¡°Are you sure you want to give me something this precious?¡± ¡°Oh, you have a good eye, don¡¯t you? How did you know it was valuable?¡± ¡°I can tell just by looking at it.¡± ¡°Haha, this is the most valuable item I have, so I¡¯m giving it to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t feel too burdened. I¡¯m giving it to you as an apology for everything, from trying to kill you at the beginning to underestimating you.¡± Birshin traveled all over the country collecting minerals. He had acquired the Luminous Stone by chance during his travels. It was a Legendary-grade Luminous Stone, far more valuable than a Unique Enhancement Stone, and he knew that with just this one, he could livefortably for the rest of his life. However, as a mineral researcher, he knew that if it weren¡¯t for Jeong-Hoon, he would never have seen the Celestial Ore again. Today¡¯s experience with the traps had reaffirmed that belief. So he wanted to gift this Luminous Stone to the person who had saved him so much time. Touched by Birshin¡¯s sincere eyes and voice, Jeong-Hoon decided to ept the stone. ¡°Then I¡¯ll gratefully ept it.¡± Siegfried had taught him how to restore Mukho. To reconstruct Mukho to his liking. However, to do so, he needed to restore the broken base from its foundation, which he had been postponing until now. The material needed to restore that base was this Luminous Stone. ¡®Mukho, I can finally restore you now.¡¯ [Is that true?! How?!] ¡®This Luminous Stone is the material that can restore you.¡¯ [¡­What was that guy¡¯s name again?] ¡®Birshin?¡¯ [Birshin, ¡­you¡¯re alright.] He had just been calling Birshin a fool based on his appearance, and now he was acknowledging him. Jeong-Hoon found it absurd, but since Mukho seemed happy, he decided not to say anything. * * * M?rchen Royal Pce. Verman was tapping on the table, examining the iplete controller. ¡°As expected¡­ it¡¯s going to be difficult.¡± The Hero of M?rchen, who had left to find the missing materials a while ago. It was thanks to him that peace hade to this kingdom. From Kaiserk V to the ministers below, everyone was smiling, and the soldiers had even received their first-ever vacation. He was incredibly grateful to the hero, but he honestly didn¡¯t have high expectations for this task. It had already been nine years since he started working on developing the controller. As it was about to be ten years soon, he knew how difficult it was to obtain the remaining materials. ¡®There are no clues to begin with.¡¯ Squishy Tears. Unidentified Battery. Celestial Ore. These three materials were found in a recipe left by his ancestors. He had found clues for the Squishy Tears and the Unidentified Battery, but¡­ The problem was the Celestial Ore. He wasn¡¯t even sure if it actually existed. Just then, someone burst through the workshop door. ¡°Master Verman!¡± ¡°Tsk, who¡¯s running around in the royal pce?¡± ¡°S-Sorry!¡± It was Brendy, a new craftsman who had recently joined the pce. He was young and still had a lot to learn, but his talent was unmatched, so Verman was personally mentoring him. ¡°Anyway, why are you in such a hurry?¡± ¡°The hero is here! He seems to be heading this way, what should we do?¡± ¡°He¡¯s here?!¡± No way, so soon? Did he give up because he couldn¡¯t find them? Verman guided the arriving Jeong-Hoon into the workshop. ¡°I¡¯m veryte, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Haha,te? You came so quickly that I thought you had given up¡­¡± Verman said, observing Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression. But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face was bright. ¡°I found everything.¡± Jeong-Hoon said, cing the three materials on the table. Squishy Tears. Unidentified Battery. And finally, the Celestial Ore. Verman¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Y-You found them all?!¡± ¡°I told you I would find them all.¡± ¡°This is unbelievable¡­¡± Verman couldn¡¯t continue speaking. The reality unfolding before his eyes felt like a dream. He could understand finding the Unidentified Battery and the Squishy Tears, but to think he would even find the Celestial Ore. ¡°Then you canplete the controller, right?¡± ¡°O-Of course! However¡­ we¡¯re a bit short on the ore. The amount is too small¡­¡± ¡°How much more do you need?¡± ¡°At least 20 times more.¡± Even this small amount must have been difficult to obtain, but it was far too little for the controller. He needed at least 20 times more to operate the controller properly. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­? You can bring more of this ore?¡± ¡°Yes. I mined it directly from the mine.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± * * * [Quest Completed.] [72 hours remaining until controller creation and crafting.] Although he hadpleted the quest, he couldn¡¯t craft the heart right away. 72 hours. It would take 6 hours toplete the controller to 100%, and the rest of the time was for crafting the heart into an item. ¡°Pleasee back in 72 hours! I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s perfect.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon decided to use his free time to visit the training grounds. Caryan and Ha-Jin were still diligently training in the training grounds. ¡®He¡¯s doing well.¡¯ He was sweating profusely, silently following Caryan¡¯s instructions. His eyes had long since zed over, but he was still standing and enduring. ¡°¡­That should be enough.¡± Caryan observed Ha-Jin and nodded. ¡°¡­¡± There was no response from Ha-Jin. He had fainted while standing. ¡°Hmph,e back when you regain consciousness.¡± A smile appeared on Caryan¡¯s face for the first time. He turned his head, met Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze, and gave a brief nod. Then he turned back and left the training grounds. ¡°I guess that means it¡¯s okay to heal him.¡± The test training had just ended. Now Ha-Jin should be able to proceed with the quest. Jeong-Hoon approached him and used Intermediate Healing several times. [Using Intermediate Healing.] [Using Intermediate Healing.] After using it several times, Ha-Jin slowly regained consciousness. ¡°Ugh¡­ W-Where am I?¡± ¡°Where else? The training grounds.¡± ¡°Ah! Shit! I was in the middle of training?!¡± Ha-Jin hurriedly tried to get up and assume a fighting stance. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I think you passed the test.¡± ¡°I passed¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. He told you toe back when you regained consciousness, right? He¡¯s probably going to give you a quest.¡± ¡°¡­Really? You¡¯re not lying, are you?¡± Ha-Jin muttered in disbelief and then slumped down. He lowered his head and his shoulders trembled slightly. ¡®You did well.¡¯ These efforts would be a great asset to him. It was the same for Jeong-Hoon himself. Jeong-Hoon had no doubt that Ha-Jin would rise to the top on his own, not by relying on someone else¡¯s help. ¡®Now, is the only one left Kim Bong-Goo?¡¯ [Wait a minute! What about me? What about me?!] Mukho interrupted urgently. ¡®You?¡¯ [You got the stone, right? Shouldn¡¯t you restore me first?!] ¡®Ah¡­ I did get it, but I can¡¯t do it right now.¡¯ [You can¡¯t¡­?] ¡®No.¡¯ The Luminous Stone couldn¡¯t be handled by just anyone. At least he couldn¡¯t go to an NPC in the beginner area like this and try it. Restoring Mukho would have to wait until he reached at least level 201 andpleted his third ss advancement. So for now, he had to make use of Kim Bong-Goo. Jeong-Hoon sent a whisper to Kim Bong-Goo. [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Bong-Goo. What do I press to call you?] That nickname was a work of art, as always. How did it manage to make him frown every time he saw it? The reply came lightning fast. [Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: Vroom vroom! Just whisper ¡®call¡¯ and I¡¯ll be there anytime!] [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Okay. I¡¯m calling you right now.] [Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: R-Right now¡­?] [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Is there a problem?] [Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: I¡¯ll be right there! Where should I go?!] [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: M?rchen Royal Pce, Training Ground 2] * * * ¡®Damn it!¡¯ ¡®Why can¡¯t he just leave me alone?!¡¯ ¡®Whyyyyy!¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo barely suppressed the urge to log out. ¡®If I log out, I¡¯m dead¡­.¡¯ The moment he went against the Viper, he wouldn¡¯t be able to enjoy New World anymore. ¡®Let¡¯s go¡­.¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo quickly rushed to M?rchen Royal Pce Training Ground. Jeong-Hoon was alone in the training grounds, sitting on a chair and resting. Seeing that, a sense of unease washed over him. ¡®Should I run away now¡­?¡¯ But the moment he stepped into the training grounds, it was toote. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes were already fixed on Kim Bong-Goo. Kim Bong-Goo forced an awkward smile and nodded. ¡°Yes! Bong-Goo car! I just arrived!¡± ¡°The car¡¯s a bit slow. The performance isn¡¯t great, is it?¡± ¡°Ahaha, but it¡¯s fully loaded with options!¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not good enough.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo fidgeted inwardly, trying to gauge Jeong-Hoon¡¯s intentions. What on earth did he want to hear? ¡°Take it out.¡± Jeong-Hoon said curtly. ¡°Yes? Take out what?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Yes!¡± Kim Bong-Goo took out a pouch filled with gold from his inventory. Jeong-Hoon looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t you tell me to take out money?¡± He naturally assumed Jeong-Hoon was going to extort gold from him. ¡°¡­I said take out your dagger.¡± ¡°D-Dagger¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s spar a bit from now on.¡± Only then did Kim Bong-Goo notice the weapon in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand. It wasn¡¯t Anima or Leviathan, but a simple dagger from the training grounds. ¡®Seriously, why are you doing this to me?¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly knelt down. ¡°B-Brother? I don¡¯t know what I did wrong, but please forgive me!¡± ¡°Bong-Goo. I really hate repeating myself.¡± ¡°¡­Ugh!¡± ¡®You¡¯re a real jerk.¡¯ In the end, Kim Bong-Goo took out a dagger from his inventory and held it. ¡°From now on, we¡¯re going to test if tuning is possible.¡± ¡°Tuning¡­?¡± ¡°When I saw you at the Wyvern¡¯s Nest, your car was a wreck.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t just a matter of depreciation, it was at the level of needing to be scrapped. You know what I mean?¡± ¡°No, but¡­¡± ¡°So I¡¯m thinking of tuning it up and taking it for a proper spin, but before that, I want to do some tests. Okay?¡± ¡°¡­Bong-Goo car is just a nickname. I¡¯m actually a human.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s figure vanished. At that moment, a sharp pain pierced his side. Jeong-Hoon had already moved to his side and stabbed him in the ribs with the dagger. ¡°Ugh!¡± Kim Bong-Goo groaned in intense pain and trembled. ¡°¡­This is serious.¡± Jeong-Hoon pulled out the dagger and used healing. The pain subsided, and the wound quickly closed. ¡°B-Brother¡­ I can¡¯t do this. I¡¯d rather train with someone else!¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not possible. You need to do your 3rd ss advancement when you reach level 201, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­?¡± ¡°So,e back when you¡¯ve upgraded to Unique.¡± ¡°What¡­?!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 133 Chapter 133 ¡®Unique?¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s ss was Shadow Combat. It was Epic-grade. He was originally an Assassin, but during the previous event he participated in with Jeong-Hoon, his ss had been upgraded to Epic. He had already considered that to be more than he deserved, and now Jeong-Hoon was telling him to upgrade to Unique for his 3rd ss advancement? That was absurd! ¡°Let¡¯s go again.¡± Whoosh! Jeong-Hoon, starting on his own ord, swung the dagger widely. This time, it was an attack that was clearly visible. [Shadow sh activated.] Kim Bong-Goo tried to counter Jeong-Hoon¡¯s dagger with Shadow sh. Since it was a training dagger, he thought he could overpower him with his item¡¯s stats. However, just as the daggers were about to sh, Jeong-Hoon swiftly lowered his dagger. Then, using his movement technique, he quickly shed Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s side. ¡°Ack!¡± The burning pain in his side was momentarily overwhelming, but Jeong-Hoon closed in again and swung his dagger. ng! ng! Kim Bong-Goo barely managed to block Jeong-Hoon¡¯s attacks. ¡®Damn¡­ What the hell? Why is he so good with a dagger?¡¯ Even with the weapon proficiency bonus from his ss, he was struggling to defend against Jeong-Hoon¡¯s attacks. So he was proficient with a bow, a sword, and now even a dagger? ¡°Remember, if it seems like it can¡¯t be tuned, it¡¯s getting scrapped.¡± Flinch. Did scrapped mean discarded? He suddenly felt better. How happy would he be if he could escape from this Viper? He would probably feel like he owned the world. But looking at that damn look in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes, he didn¡¯t think he would be let off easily. ¡®He doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯ll get rid of me, does he?¡¯ As if to confirm his fears, Jeong-Hoon smirked slightly. It meant he was right. ¡®This bastard!¡¯ [Shadow Step activated.] He used Shadow Step to create distance between himself and Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon also used his movement technique to close in on Kim Bong-Goo. Just before stepping, Kim Bong-Goo activated the mark he had ced on the ground. [Shadow Mark activated.] With the activation of Shadow Mark, Kim Bong-Goo teleported to the location where he had ced the mark. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ There was a trace of Kim Bong-Goo left behind after his teleportation. [Shadow Explosion activated.] The trace exploded, engulfing Jeong-Hoon. [Stealth activated.] [Shadow Step activated.] He then used Stealth and Shadow Step to create as much distance as possible. ¡®Phew, phew, damn it. Is this enough?¡¯ He didn¡¯t even expect to defeat Jeong-Hoon. He just hoped that Jeong-Hoon was somewhat satisfied. ¡°Oh, that was a bit surprising.¡± As expected, Jeong-Hoon waspletely fine despite being caught in the explosion. But perhaps because he received apliment, Kim Bong-Goo felt a bit relieved. [Shadow Shuriken activated.] However, it wasn¡¯t over yet. Three ck shurikens appeared in Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s hand. [Target designated.] [Target designated as user ¡®Jeong-Hoon¡¯.] ¡®Hah!¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo threw the shurikens with all his might. Thud! Thud! Thud! The shurikens, locked onto their target, flew urately and pierced Jeong-Hoon. ¡®I did it!¡¯ A smile appeared on Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face. If he could just attack a little more like this¡­! ¡°Okay. You weren¡¯t just ying around. You pass.¡± A chilling voice came from beside Kim Bong-Goo. Jeong-Hoon was standing next to him. Three shurikens were still embedded in his chest. ¡°Ahhh!¡± Kim Bong-Goo screamed in surprise, his Stealth deactivated, and he copsed on the spot. ¡°Why are you so surprised?¡± Jeong-Hoon pulled out the embedded shurikens with his own hands and healed himself. He had intentionally let himself get hit, and the damage was decent. If this was the case, obtaining Unique might not be impossible after all? A training curriculum quickly formed in his mind. ¡°So¡­ I passed, right?¡± Meanwhile, Kim Bong-Goo, unaware of what awaited him, was relieved by the single word ¡°pass.¡± ¡°Yes. So let¡¯s get started for real now.¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean for real?¡± ¡°We need to tune you up properly.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face paled at that devilish smile. * * * Ha-Jin, having passed Caryan¡¯s training, slept for 24 hours straight. He had been training while sleeping only 2-3 hours a day, so fatigue had umted significantly. Ha-Jin turned his smartphone back on. Now that the training was over, he didn¡¯t need to keep his smartphone off, right? As soon as he connected to the datawork, KakaoTalk notifications from Jang Dae-Hwi popped up repeatedly. [Hey! Check the view count quickly!] In short, it was telling him to check the YouTube video. ¡°What did he upload that he¡¯s so excited?¡± Ha-Jin hadn¡¯t participated in this video. Moreover, because of the training, he hadn¡¯t even heard from Jeong-Hoon about what kind of video it was. He had been too tired to pay much attention during theirst call. [Wyvern¡¯s Nest: There was a hidden route? (Boss just melted)] [Views: 15,543,212] ¡°F-Fifteen million?!¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the view count. How long had it been since the video was uploaded, and it already had over 15 million views? #1 in real-time rankings. #1 in trending videos. And the views were still increasing in real-time. Thements were also approaching 100,000. [HoneyTube] [Subscribers: 976,000] With just one video of the Bone Lord Wyvern raid, they were close to reaching 1 million subscribers. He had never seen such explosive growth before. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Just how did they defeat it to be this popr? Ha-Jin clicked on the video and started watching. And as soon as the video ended, he hurriedly logged into the capsule. ¡°Hey! Hoon¡­?¡± Ha-Jin stopped mid-sentence. Jeong-Hoon was diligently training Kim Bong-Goo in Training Ground. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°What are you doing? If you parry like that, how are you going to defend against the next attack?¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re right¡­¡± ¡°Then why do you keep making the same mistake?¡± ¡°¡­Honestly, I don¡¯t know what to do here.¡± ¡°Then get hit some more. You¡¯ll start to see it as you get hit.¡± Jeong-Hoon gripped the dagger again and pressed Kim Bong-Goo. ¡®There¡¯s no way I can interrupt this, is there?¡¯ In the end, Ha-Jin sat down at a distance and watched their training. It looked like Jeong-Hoon was relentlessly tormenting Kim Bong-Goo, but upon closer inspection, he was attacking Kim Bong-Goo in a repetitive pattern. Whenever Kim Bong-Goo counterattacked, Jeong-Hoon would find an opening andunch his next attack. ¡®¡­It¡¯s like watching Caryan.¡¯ It was the same method Caryan had used to train him. It was a rather brutal method, but thanks to it, Ha-Jin was able to learn a lot in a short period. That was probably what Jeong-Hoon was aiming for too. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t interfere right now.¡¯ Ha-Jin got up and left the training grounds. He then went down to the underground prison where Caryan was working. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Above his head, a question mark was blinking, something that hadn¡¯t been there before. [Hidden ss Advancement Quest: Dark Lord (1/3)] ¨C Requirement: Recognized by Caryan ¨C Reward: Hidden ss Advancement Quest: Dark Lord (2/3) ¨C Description: Listen to the story of the Dark Lord¡¯s Memoir from Caryan. ¡°Yes. Please tell me now.¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s eyes were filled with seriousness. * * * [Craftingpleted.] 72 hours had passed, and the crafting was finished. Jeong-Hoon approached Kim Bong-Goo, who was covered in dirt and groaning, and used healing on him. [Using Intermediate Healing.] ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough training for today.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Good work. Now go and be Unique.¡± ¡°Is the training really over¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you!¡± Except for 3 hours of sleep and meal times, the rest of the time was spent in repetitive training. Jeong-Hoon had thoroughly pushed Kim Bong-Goo for 72 hours. [Wow, you can really push someone that far.] ¡®Even a demon would cry.¡¯ [Come to think of it, you¡¯ve seen demons, haven¡¯t you? What were they like?] ¡®At this rate, even demons would give a standing ovation.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chuckled at Anima¡¯s serious response. ¡°It might be tough, but he¡¯ll thank meter.¡± He was sure of it. [But why did you keep repeating the same attack?] Every time Jeong-Hoon attacked Bong-Goo, his first move was always aimed at his left chest. Thanks to that, Bong-Goo, who initially couldn¡¯t react at all, could now withstand up to 32 moves. ¡°Because I need to make him Unique.¡± It was like attribute training tailored for the next ss advancement quest. If he couldn¡¯t achieve Unique-grade even after this training¡­ Jeong-Hoon wouldn¡¯t let him off easy. ¡°Oh, you came just in time.¡± When he arrived at the workshop, Verman greeted him warmly. On the tabley the item crafted from the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s heart. === [ck Heart Ring] ¨C Type: Ring ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Special Ability (1): When the ring¡¯s dark mana is drawn out, it increases the power of all the wearer¡¯s dark magic by 10%. ¨C Special Ability (2): Increases the control speed of dark mana by 10%. ¨C Special Ability (3): [Debuff Skill Registration Possible] === It was only Unique-grade, but its stats were incredible. The insane option of increasing the wearer¡¯s dark magic power by a whopping 10% and also increasing the control speed by 10%. Plus, it was a ring that allowed for additional debuff skill registration. ¡®No wonder Sophia was frustrated.¡¯ She had lost 15% of the power of this amazing ring by not being able to utilize it fully. ¡°Thank you.¡± Visiting Verman had been a very sessful choice. However, Verman¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t very bright. ¡°Hmm¡­ But about that ring. I couldn¡¯t remove the ¡®dark mana¡¯ from it, no matter what I tried. I apologize for that.¡± Dark mana, different from normal mana. It was the ¡®ck mana¡¯ used by those who walked the path of dark magic. It was a natural consequence, considering that the source of the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s heart¡¯s mana was dark mana. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°¡­But you won¡¯t be able to use it.¡± Jeong-Hoon wielded mana and holy power. Honestly, if he put his mind to it, he could probably handle dark mana as well, but he had no intention of learning it, now or in the future. ¡°The ring has a different owner.¡± ¡°A different owner?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon returned to the training grounds and immediately summoned Michael. ¡°You called, Master?¡± Michael greeted him politely, but his eyes darted around nervously. He had only been doing odd jobstely, so he was wondering if this was another chore. Seeing his attitude made Jeong-Hoon suddenly reluctant to give him the ring¡­ But it was best to give it to someone he could trust. ¡°Michael, I have something for you.¡± ¡°For me, Master?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon held out the ring. Michael¡¯s eyes widened as he received the ring. ¡°Th-This is¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a ring that will make your necromancy even more powerful.¡± ¡°Gasp! Such a precious item¡­¡± Michael, with an incredulous expression, fiddled with the ring and checked its stats repeatedly. It was a ring with undeniably powerful options. It was natural for him to react this way after suddenly receiving such a ring. ¡°I¡¯m giving it to you as a token of appreciation for your continued assistance.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you! I will devote my life to serving you, Master!¡± Michael knelt and dered loudly. [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®Summoned Creature Item Given¡¯pleted! 3,000 Achievement Points awarded.] [Summon: Michael¡¯s stats slightly increased.] Michael¡¯s face was filled with confidence. With the ring, his stats had increased by 10%, so he had nothing to fear for the time being. While making Michael stronger was one of his goals, the main objective was to intercept the ring that Sophia Stephanie Agareth was supposed to get. Having achieved that goal, Jeong-Hoon hadpleted everything he needed to do in M?rchen. Now all that was left was to reach level 201 and proceed with his 3rd ss advancement. ¡®Of course, there¡¯s more to do before that.¡¯ The New World signal, which he would miss if it didn¡¯t appear. It was about time for the event to start. ¡®The Second Cataclysm .¡¯ The event that wouldter be called the Second Cataclysm was about to begin. ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 134 Chapter 134 Whoosh The capsule opened, and Kim Bong-Goo stepped out, exhausted. ¡°Ugh¡­ I¡¯m dying¡­¡± As he mumbled into his pillow, someone whispered in his ear. ¡°Oh! Are you eating Yukgaejang?¡± [TL/N: Yukgaejang is a spicy beef and vegetable soup] ¡°Ahhh!¡± Kim Bong-Goo jumped up in surprise. He looked to his side and saw his damn sister giggling, enjoying his reaction. ¡°Oh, listen to that Bong-Goo car horn. It¡¯s cracking, time for the scrapyard.¡± ¡°Scrapyard¡­? Get the hell out of my room!¡± Kim Bong-Goo shuddered at the mention of the scrapyard. ¡°Now it¡¯s even suddenly elerating? I¡¯m reporting this to the Gad Mun-Chul TV channel right now!¡± ¡°Oh, please¡­¡± He was furious, but he didn¡¯t even have the energy to be angry right now. He forced his sister out of the room, locked the door, and copsed back onto his bed. ¡®Phew, finally some rest.¡¯ He had only been sleeping for three hours a day for the past few days. He would go to bed at 11 PM, wake up at 2 AM, and then start his one-on-one sparring with Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon, as if he never got tired, relentlessly pressured Kim Bong-Goo without rest. ¡®¡­The first move will be towards my chest again, and the second will be aimed at my neck.¡¯ But thinking back, there were more than a few strange things. ¡®Why does he only attack with the same pattern?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon consistently pressured Kim Bong-Goo using the exact same pattern. And when Kim Bong-Goo tried to counterattack after getting used to the pattern, Jeong-Hoon would defend against it and then continue with the next pattern in the sequence. It was as if he was telling him to learn this pattern. So, instead of focusing on surprise attacks, Kim Bong-Goo shifted his focus to learning Jeong-Hoon¡¯s pattern. He changed his strategy to defending against Jeong-Hoon¡¯s attacks and memorizing the pattern. ¡®The problem is that it¡¯s not easy to memorize even that.¡¯ From the 8th move onwards, the attacks started to be fiercer, and after the 15th move, he could barely manage to defend. But as they say, humans are creatures of adaptation. After a long period of repetitive training, he had adapted enough to withstand over 30 moves. ¡®Unique¡­¡¯ At first, it seemed like a distant goal. Was it because of the training with the Viper? He seemed to have gained some confidence. ¡®Hehe, and I can get a good night¡¯s sleep today.¡¯ The training was over. He could finally enjoy some sweet rest. ¡°No, wait¡­ Can I really get Unique just by resting?¡± Even though the training was over, practicing alone while hunting was essential. If he couldn¡¯t achieve Unique in his 3rd ss advancement¡­ The thought alone was terrifying. * * * At the same time. Whoosh The capsule opened, and Jeong-Hoon stepped out. He had given the ring to Michael, so he could finally take a breather for a while. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing I tamed someone who can handle dark magic.¡¯ If he hadn¡¯t, the Bone Lord Wyvern¡¯s heart would never have seen the light of day. Jeong-Hoon would have destroyed the heart himself. It was a shame, but it was better to destroy it than let it fall into the hands of someone who would hinder his ns to finish the game. His mother was in the living room, sipping coffee and fiddling with her smartphone. Noticing her unusual expression, Jeong-Hoon sat down across from her. ¡°Mom, what are you looking at so intently?¡± ¡°Oh? Hoon, you¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Our son has be a real star!¡± His mother was watching HoneyTube. The number of subscribers had already surpassed 1 million. It seemed the video of hunting the Bone Lord Wyvern had made quite an impact. Thements were flooded with people asking for the identity of Honey 1. There were even asionalments from foreigners. ¡°Haha, if I go out like this now, no one will recognize me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. The mosaic and voice modtion are so good that no one would be able to tell.¡± ¡°Yeah. Is that why you were watching it?¡± ¡°Of course. What parent wouldn¡¯t enjoy seeing their child¡¯s aplishments?¡± Jeong-Hoon felt a pang in his chest at his mother¡¯s words. She had always been generous with her praise whenever he stood out from others since he was young. That¡¯s why he had always tried harder. ¡°¡­Mom, by the way, what¡¯s your level now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m at 106 now.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯ve changed all your equipment, right?¡± ¡°Yes. They gave me a full set of fully enhanced gear.¡± ¡°Then would you like to join me in an event next time?¡± ¡°An event?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± * * * === [New World Event Announcement!] ¨C Hello! This is the New World development team. We are making this announcement to share some exciting news with our yers! New World is doing its best to provide various benefits to our users. In preparation for the new world that will open in the future. Therefore, the New World development team is nning to hold an event for our users. [Guild War Event] ¨C First Round: Consisting of users below level 250 (3rd ss advancement) ¨C Second Round: Consisting of users above level 250 (3rd ss advancement) This is a newly organized Guild War event. We ask for active participation from guilds on each server, and guild fame and contribution points will be awarded based on the rankings within each server. Please note that there may be changes in rankings due to this event, so we encourage maximum participation from all guilds! ¨C From the New World development team === An announcement was made in New World. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face, upon seeing the announcement, recalled memories from his past life. ¡®The Second Cataclysm.¡¯ Guilds were engaged in a fierce dailypetition for rankings. With such an event announced, there wouldn¡¯t be a single guild that wouldn¡¯t participate. But they didn¡¯t know. If they focused solely on the event in the first round, a disaster would befall Earth. ¡®If they fail to clear the hidden traps in the map that appears in the first round¡­ a disaster will strike Earth.¡¯ The disaster would cause trees to wither, droughts, and multiple simultaneous typhoons, threatening the entire world. Earthquakes exceeding magnitude 6.0 would ur continuously for three days. As a result, there would be a surge of deaths and injuries worldwide. There would also be arge number of missing persons, and the economy would suffer a severe blow. ¡®Honestly, no one expected this New World event to be rted to a disaster.¡¯ Anyone would think it was just an event for guild rankingpetition. No one would imagine there was a hidden secret behind it. Anyway, Jeong-Hoon nned to participate in the event to prevent this Second Cataclysm. ¡®With my mother, the Genesis Sniper, it will be easier to prevent the chaos.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t suggested his mother participate in the event for no reason. ¡®Come on, what if you cause trouble for the guild?¡¯ Of course, his mother had refused repeatedly, but after Jeong-Hoon¡¯s persistent requests, she finally agreed to participate if the guild allowed it. All that was left was Ho-Yeong¡¯s permission. ¡°You want to participate in the event?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Min-Ji, sitting across from him, tilted her head in confusion. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to participate, Jeong-Hoon. Ho-Yeong is capable of securing a spot within the top 10 with our other forces.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just about the ranking.¡± ¡°Then what is it? Do you have something else you want?¡± Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°No. I just need you to allow me to participate in this event.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ No matter what, your mother can¡¯t participate.¡± Yeo Min-Ji let out a deep sigh. Considering Jeong-Hoon¡¯s performance, there would be no problem with him participating. ¡®The Hero of M?rchen¡­¡¯ Honestly, his performance always surprised her. To think that before hunting the Bone Lord Wyvern this time, he had cleared the M?rchen Royal Pce. His gamey was so perfect that she wondered if he was even the same kind of yer as them. It seemed like he would shine in this first round as well. The problem was his mother. With her hidden ss and outstanding shooting skills, Yeo Min-Ji was certain that no one could match Lee Na-Yeon among yers of simr levels. However, most of the users participating in this first round would be slightly below level 250. It would be impossible for Lee Na-Yeon, who was only a little over level 100, topete against them. ¡°I will take first ce.¡± ¡°And if you can¡¯t?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll change the terms of our contract.¡± ¡°The terms?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll swear absolute loyalty to the Ho-Yeong Guild. Also, you don¡¯t have to provide any support. If you want, I¡¯ll stick by your side all day and watch your martial arts training.¡± ¡°No¡­ You don¡¯t have to go that far¡­¡± Yeo Min-Ji was speechless. There was no way to persuade him if he was going this far. ¡°Please,¡± Jeong-Hoon pleaded earnestly once more. Finally, Yeo Min-Ji nodded. ¡°Sigh¡­ First ce. You¡¯re sure about this, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze was unwavering. After a long moment of contemtion, Yeo Min-Ji nodded. ¡°¡­Alright. Then, for the first round, you and your mother will participate. I¡¯ll take responsibility for persuading my father and the other guild members.¡± The reason for Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s hesitation was simple. Each guild was limited to one team for both the first and second rounds. In other words, if Jeong-Hoon and his mother participated in the first round, other users below level 250 wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in the event. ¡®It seems like my father already has members in mind¡­ I¡¯ll have to talk to him again.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be easy to change Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s mind, but she had to try. ¡°Oh, and are there two spots open in the guild?¡± ¡°Spots?¡± ¡°Yes. Some decent guys might join.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. * * * Meanwhile, Yeo Sunwoo was gathering the guild members to announce the event. ¡°Remember, this event is very important to us.¡± The event was called an event, but it was essentially apetition. Not just for Ho-Yeong, but for all guilds, this event would be crucial. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The ten guild members gathered in front of him responded energetically. They were the candidates representing Ho-Yeong in this event. ¡°Now, we need to select the members for the first round. Does anyone have any rmendations?¡± The first round required participants to be below level 250. Yeo Sunwoo immediately thought of Park Chan-Hwa and Heo Seung-Ji, who were hovering around levels 240-250. Park Chan-Hwa was a Barbarian Warrior with high defense and bravery, and Heo Seung-Ji was a lightning mage who could support Park Chan-Hwa. ¡°How about Chan-Hwa and Seung-Ji?¡± Park In-Tae quickly raised his hand and rmended the two. ¡®As expected of In-Tae.¡¯ ¡®He¡¯s very perceptive.¡¯ A satisfied smile appeared on Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s face, and the guild members were slightly impressed. ¡®That¡¯s what it takes to be the guild leader¡¯s right-hand man.¡¯ ¡°I want to participate!¡± ¡°I want to go!¡± Park Chan-Hwa and Heo Seung-Ji, seizing the opportunity, raised their hands and expressed their desire to participate. Yeo Sunwoo nodded without hesitation. ¡°Alright. Then for this first round¡­¡± ¡°Wait a minute!¡± However, his words were interrupted by Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s sudden entrance. Everyone, including Yeo Sunwoo, was taken aback by her unexpected appearance. ¡°Min-Ji, what brings you here?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I want to rmend the participants for the first round.¡± ¡°You want to rmend the participants for the first round¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Min-Ji walked up to the whiteboard in front of them and wrote down the nicknames of the guild members who would participate in the first round. ¨C Hoon ¨C Yeo-Na The room buzzed with excitement at the appearance of the two nicknames. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t those two Hidden sses?¡± ¡°But I thought they were low-level?¡± Their sses weren¡¯t the issue. The problem was their ¡®levels¡¯. Hoon wasn¡¯t even level 200 yet, and he hadn¡¯t even undergone his 3rd ss advancement. And Yeo-Na had justpleted her 2nd advancement, hadn¡¯t she? Even that was only possible because Ho-Yeong had been meticulously taking care of her. She was like a delicate flower grown in a greenhouse. ¡°I object to that rmendation.¡± The one who objected was Park In-Tae. It was surprising to hear him object, as he usually sided with her. ¡°What¡¯s your reason?¡± Yeo Min-Ji asked for the reason for his objection, as if she had expected it. ¡°I understand the desire to include them because they are Hidden sses. However, the level difference is too significant. Yeo-Na, in particr, might have topete against yers who are over 140 levels higher than her. This is a fight with zero chance of winning.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m aware that ¡®Hoon¡¯ single-handedly defeated Dragonia once. But isn¡¯t this too much of a gamble?¡± He was right. Hoon was quite a celebrity in Ho-Yeong. It was known that he had single-handedly defeated Dragonia, which even Yeo Min-Ji couldn¡¯t handle. Moreover, wasn¡¯t he learning a lot as Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s disciple? ¡®Actually, I¡¯m the one who¡¯s the disciple.¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji wanted to say that, but she kept her mouth shut. ¡°I agree. If you can¡¯t exin yourself, I¡¯ll send Chan-Hwa and Seung-Ji to the first round.¡± Yeo Sunwoo supported Park In-Tae. From anyone¡¯s perspective, Yeo Min-Ji was in a position where she had to back down. However, she straightened her shoulders and spoke confidently. ¡°The Bone Lord Wyvern. You know the new raid boss that appeared in M?rchen, right?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± It was a hot topic on YouTube recently, so how could he not know? ¡°It was Jeong-Hoon who single-handedly defeated that raid boss.¡± The room buzzed with excitement at her bombshell announcement. The protagonist of HoneyTube was Jeong-Hoon? ¡°No way¡­ So Honey 1 was a member of our guild?¡± ¡°He soloed a raid boss without even reaching 3rd ss advancement¡­?¡± ¡°I-Is that true?!¡± Yeo Min-Ji nodded. ¡°Yes. And with the Genesis Sniper providing cover, I believe there¡¯s a good chance of sess.¡± The Genesis Sniper. The hidden ss as known as the ¡°Covert Sniper,¡± whose location was never revealed and who could handle opponents with various skills. ¡°Is that so? Then what will you do if you don¡¯t achieve good results?¡± Yeo Sunwoo, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. As if she had been waiting for this, Yeo Min-Ji spoke up. ¡°If Hoon and Yeo-Na don¡¯t achieve good results in the first round, I¡¯ll step down from my position as an executive and be a regr guild member.¡± Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s bombshell deration left everyone, including Yeo Sunwoo, staring at her in a daze. ¡°¡­That sounds like you¡¯re very confident.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Yeo Sunwoo stroked his chin as if intrigued and then held up five fingers. ¡°Fifth ce. If you don¡¯t make it within the top 5, you¡¯ll be demoted to the lowest rank in the guild and have to do all sorts of chores. Do you still feel the same way?¡± Fifth ce. Achieving fifth ce among all the famous guilds was like reaching for the stars. Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s face hardened slightly at the absurd proposal. ¡°No. Let¡¯s make it first ce.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 135 Chapter 135 Yeo Min-Ji, having just returned from a negotiation with the guild leader at the guild headquarters, immediately met with Jeong-Hoon. ¡°How did it go?¡± he asked. ¡°Ahem, I put in a lot of effort¡­ Can¡¯t you just tell me?¡± she replied yfully. ¡°Well, do you need anything?¡± ¡°An iced Americano. That¡¯s all I need.¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled at her offer. He couldn¡¯t let her off the hook that easily. ¡°No. Instead, if you need any enhancements, leave them to me. I¡¯ll take care of enhancing your items from now on.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. As long as you have the enhancement stones, I can enhance your items up to Unique grade, so you won¡¯t have any inconvenience with item enhancements in the future.¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you!¡± Yeo Min-Ji expressed her gratitude with a touched expression. Even fully enhancing Epic equipment was quite expensive. And Unique? Since Legendary equipment couldn¡¯t be enhanced yet, top rankers were aiming for fully enhanced Unique equipment, and creating even one fully enhanced Unique item required a tremendous amount of money. Even Yeo Min-Ji, a ranker, didn¡¯t have a single fully enhanced Unique item. ¡°If you have any Unique equipment right now, you can leave it with me. Even if I have many requests, I¡¯ll prioritize yours.¡± ¡°Th-Then, can I ask you to enhance my knuckles and cloak?¡± ¡°Yes. But before that, you need to tell me the result.¡± ¡°Ah! Yes. I got permission, for now.¡± ¡°For now¡­ you say?¡± That meant it was conditional permission. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. If we fail, we¡¯ll just get scolded and that¡¯s it.¡± Yeo Min-Ji shrugged as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. However, Jeong-Hoon knew that the guild wouldn¡¯t easily allow this. ¡®She must have bet something with high risk.¡¯ Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to persuade the guild members. That¡¯s why he felt even more grateful to Yeo Min-Ji. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely take first ce in the first round. Just watch.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled brightly. * * * === [New World Event Additional Announcement!] ¨C Hello! This is the New World development team. We are making an additional announcement regarding the event! [Guild War Event] ¨C First Round: Consisting of users below level 250 (3rd ss advancement) ¨C Second Round: Consisting of users above level 250 (3rd ss advancement) [1st Round Theme] ¨C Survival ¨C 2-yer teams move around a single map, surviving until only one team remains. The first round is a survival match! Two members from each guild will form a team and participate, and the team that survives until the end will be the winner! [2nd Round Theme] ¨C Tournament ¨C The tournament will be conducted in a random draw format, determining the final winning team. ¨C Each team will consist of 2 yers, and the matches will be turn-based. ¨C From the New World development team === Myth Guild. Lee Hwa-Rang returned to the guild headquarters, his face filled with frustration. Seeing this, Lord Knight Park Jin-Hyeok approached him, patted his shoulder, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong again?¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy as hell trying to find an item, and then you call me back.¡± What a persistent guy. Park Jin-Hyeok clicked his tongue at his dedication. He hadn¡¯t even dreamed that Lee Hwa-Rang was still searching for the Red Dragon Bone Bow. Well, with that, he couldplete the Red Dragon full set, so it was understandable that he couldn¡¯t give up. He had set out to search again less than six hours ago, but Sword King Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s summons forced him to return to the guild headquarters, so it was natural for him to be annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s probably because of the event.¡± ¡°The event? The guild event?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The new event announced by New World. It wasn¡¯t an event for individual yers, but for guilds. Especially with the rewards, including fame and contribution points. The guild¡¯s ranking was determined by those fame and contribution points. It was an event they couldn¡¯t afford to miss. ¡°Tsk, so you¡¯re saying you and I have to participate?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± The 2nd tournament, where users above level 250 could participate. Sa Jae-Hyeok was nning to select Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok for the 2nd tournament. ¡°He¡¯s determined to win for sure.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok entered the guild leader¡¯s office. Two guild members were already there. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Lucascas ¨C Level: 241 ¨C ss: Guardian Swordsman (3rd Advancement) === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Ashbling ¨C Level: 244 ¨C ss: Walker of the Abyss (3rd Advancement) === They were the Hidden ss members that the Myth Guild was carefully nurturing. Lee Ji-Seok, the Guardian Swordsman who hadpleted his 3rd advancement, was Epic-grade. Simrly, Lee Yeon-Soo, the Walker of the Abyss, was also Epic-grade. ¡®He¡¯s really determined to crush thempletely.¡¯ Lee Hwa-Rang looked at Sa Jae-Hyeok. Sa Jae-Hyeok was stroking his chin while touching the hologram. He closed the hologram and looked at Lee Hwa-Rang. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Participate in this event.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for that.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang tly refused with an indifferent expression. ¡°Because of the Red Dragon weapon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Give up on that. Too much time has passed since it was discovered.¡± The Red Dragon Bone Bow, found by another yer. ¡°I refuse. I¡¯ll find it and buy it no matter what.¡± He was confident he could match any price the owner asked for. He was even willing to pay 10 billion won or more in a lump sum. But whether it had ascended to the heavens or sunk into the earth¡­ the yer who had taken the Red Dragon Bone Bow had not appeared yet. ¡°Sigh, first ce. Take first ce in the second round.¡± ¡°And if I do?¡± ¡°Myth will mobilize all its resources to help you search for the Red Dragon Bone Bow.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang wasn¡¯t particrly thrilled about Myth¡¯s help. They hadn¡¯t offered any assistance when he was desperately searching for the Red Dragon Bone Bow, and now they were making a conditional promise? But it was too tempting an offer to refuse. ¡®I can¡¯t do it alone.¡¯ He had realized that while searching. The person who had the Red Dragon Bone Bow had no intention of selling it at the moment. So he had to find them and make a deal, and to do that, he needed to know who that user was. ¡®If Myth joins in and conducts a wide-scale search, it will shorten the time.¡¯ It was an offer he couldn¡¯t refuse. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Have I ever lied to you?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok wasn¡¯t the type to make empty promises. If he set a condition, he always fulfilled it. Even Lee Hwa-Rang acknowledged that. ¡°¡­Alright. Then I¡¯ll participate.¡± ¡°What about Jin-Hyeok?¡± ¡°If Hwa-Rang is going, of course I have to go too.¡± Lord Knight Park Jin-Hyeok shrugged. ¡°Good. Remember, Myth must take first ce in both the first and second rounds. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo replied energetically, and Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok nodded in agreement. * * * Before the event started. Yeo Sunwoo met Jeong-Hoon offline. The list his daughter had rmended. ¡®First ce for sure!¡¯ It was confirmed due to Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s bombshell deration, ¡®If Jeong-Hoon doesn¡¯t take first ce, I¡¯ll step down as an executive.¡¯ ¡°Have you finished preparing for the event?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re ready to go anytime.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Yeo Sunwoo nodded. He had no intention of dissuading Jeong-Hoon from participating in the event. ¡®He must have a n.¡¯ Unlike him, his daughter had been watching Jeong-Hoon from close by. She had even staked her position as an executive to rmend Jeong-Hoon and his mother, Lee Na-Yeon. There must be a good reason for that. Yeo Sunwoo decided to trust Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s judgment. ¡°Is there anything else you want to say?¡± ¡°Yes. I came to ask if you¡¯re in good condition and if you need anything else.¡± Jeong-Hoon said, looking surprised. ¡°I thought you would try to dissuade me.¡± ¡°¡­It would be a lie if I said I didn¡¯t think about it. But if I dissuade you here, it would be the same as not trusting my daughter.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. I want to see with my own eyes the reason why my daughter rmended you so strongly.¡± He was a truly decent person. From anyone¡¯s perspective, the chances of Jeong-Hoon taking first ce in the first round were zero. Normally, in this situation, he would try to send someone else instead. But he allowed Jeong-Hoon to participate. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon expressed his gratitude. No other words were needed. All he had to do was prove it with results in the next Guild War event. * * * [The first round of the Guild War begins.] [Invitations have been sent to the users who applied for participation.] Jeong-Hoon logged in and waited, and soon an invitation arrived. [You are a registered participant.] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 173 ¨C Guild: Ho-Yeong Upon receiving the invitation, his vision went dark, and then a room painted entirely white appeared. But Jeong-Hoon was alone in this room. No one else had entered. [Whisper/Yeo-Na -> Hoon: Son? I received the invitation and entered a white room, but I¡¯m alone.] A whisper from his mother arrived. It seemed she had also entered alone. [Whisper/Hoon -> Yeo-Na: I¡¯m alone too. It seems like we¡¯ll be able to meet when the event starts.] [Whisper/Yeo-Na -> Hoon: Really? We need to strategize, but now we can¡¯t.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Yeo-Na: We¡¯ll be able to meet soon after it starts, so don¡¯t worry too much.] Although they were a team of two, the waiting room was designed for individual waiting. And a familiar NPC appeared in front of Jeong-Hoon. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Ling Ling ¨C Level: 700 ¨C upation: Event NPC === ¡°Long time no see!¡± Ling Ling, whom he was seeing for the third time since the previous events. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see that you¡¯ve gotten much stronger in such a short time.¡± As expected of a level 700, Ling Ling could see through Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level at a nce. Jeong-Hoon shrugged in response. ¡°By the way, are you in charge of the entire event, or are you just responsible for South Korea again?¡± Ling Ling had been in charge of the South Korean server during the previous siege event. And it was the same this time as well. Ling Ling smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°Bingo! I picked you because I had a feeling you¡¯d be here again.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Hehe, then we should make another bet, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°Yes! How much Heavenly Energy do you have now?¡± ¡°15%.¡± 15% Heavenly Energy obtained from two events. At this rate, he might be able to aim for an even higher grade at 4th advancement. ¡°Wow, that¡¯s amazing! Then, shall we make a bet with Heavenly Energy again this time?¡± ¡°No. Let¡¯s bet something else.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you want to bet?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll bet all 15% of the Heavenly Energy I¡¯ve umted.¡± ¡°Ooh?¡± Ling Ling¡¯s eyes sparkled. What kind of bet was he going to make that he was willing to bet all of his umted Heavenly Energy? ¡°I will take first ce in the first round.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Just first ce? That¡¯s a bit nd.¡± ¡°Additionally, I¡¯ll personally kill at least 10 teams.¡± It wasn¡¯t just about winning first ce, but also personally hunting down at least 10 teams to achieve the final victory. ¡®I need to clear the traps.¡¯ To clear the traps, he needed to move all over the map. It was inevitable that he would encounter other users in the process. Ling Ling¡¯s smile widened to the point that it almost reached her ears. ¡°Oh! That sounds good! Then what should I bet?¡± ¡°The same 15%.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. ¡°Hmm, 15%¡­ That¡¯s a bit too much, even for me.¡± Ling Ling hesitated to ept the bet readily. ¡°Then let¡¯s forget about it.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s goal was to clear the traps. Not to make a bet with Ling Ling. ¡°No! Wait a minute! How about 10% Heavenly Energy and a significant level boost up to the 3rd ss advancement?¡± ¡°Level?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s current level was 173. If he won the bet, he could immediately proceed with his 3rd ss advancement. But it felt a bitcking to ept it as it was. ¡°Let¡¯s change the rules a bit. Please raise the levels of my teammate and my summoned creature as well, along with mine.¡± ¡°Teammate? Ah, you mean the Genesis Sniper?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Okay! Then I¡¯ll raise everyone¡¯s level by 20!¡± ¡°30.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm, deal! If you kill at least 10 teams and take first ce, I¡¯ll do it!¡± With that, the bet was settled. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 136 Chapter 136 [South Korea ¨C D Zone] [The 1st round will begin shortly.] [Kill all other teams and be thest team standing to win!] This was the map where the first round of the Guild War would take ce. The theme of the map was a small city, with abandoned buildings scattered throughout. There were portals in the north, south, east, and west, which could be used to move to other zones. ¡®I¡¯m in Zone D. With so many buildings, a lot of users will probably gather here.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon quickly assessed his surroundings. ¡°Son!¡± As expected in a 2-yer team, his mother was summoned right next to him. ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°Did you make a bet?¡± ¡°Hmm? How did you know?¡± ¡°The NPC named Ling Ling told me. She said if you win the bet, she¡¯ll raise your level by 30.¡± She told his mother right away? Jeong-Hoon chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s a bet for first ce.¡± ¡°¡­Anyway, let¡¯s go into the building.¡± ¡°Wait a moment. I have something to do before that.¡± Jeong-Hoon immediately summoned Michael. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to test that ring, isn¡¯t it?¡± The ck Heart Ring. ¡°Of course!¡± Michael was also eager to try out the ring¡¯s power. ¡°Good. Then can you use necromancy to go to another zone and search for traps?¡± ¡°T-Traps, Master?¡± Michael looked at him with a puzzled expression. He had a point. How could he find hidden traps? Even with necromancy to summon ghosts, it was impossible. ¡°It would take forever if you just try to find them randomly.¡± ¡°Yes, exactly.¡± ¡°Here.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out two maps from his inventory. But the maps were nk sheets of paper with nothing marked on them. [Scan Map] ¨C Type: Map ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Scans the current region and creates a map. ¨C When scanned, it is recorded with your current location as the center. This was a Scan Map, an item that could be purchased from the Achievement Shop. The price was 20,000 points per map. It was quite expensive, but considering its efficiency, it was an item worth investing in. ¡®I¡¯m sure everyone else bought this map too.¡¯ They would have scanned the map with it as soon as they were summoned. It was one of the essential items, as it recorded the user¡¯s location first. [Scanning the entire D Zone of South Korea.] As Jeong-Hoon attempted to scan, the nk paper quickly filled with drawings, starting with a ck border. The drawings formed a map, with small markers indicating variousndmarks. The single sheet of paper divided into multiple pages and then bound together into a booklet. ¡®I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s one trap hidden in each zone.¡¯ Just like the First Cataclysm, humans couldn¡¯t prevent the Second Cataclysm. That¡¯s because they didn¡¯t even know there were traps hidden in the first ce. It was onlyter revealed because the warning signs started to appear one by one. Only then did people realize that this Guild War event included traps. Of course, the exact locations of the traps were unknown, and they could only deduce them through the stories of those who participated at the time and thendmarks on the scan maps. In the process, Iwase Haruto, an Exploration Enhancer, joined in and revealed a few traps. ¡®So the traps he discovered are here and here.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon opened the maps for Zone A and Zone G and marked specific buildings with an X. ¡®Now I need to find the other suspicious locations¡­¡¯ Jeong-Hoon recalled his memories from his past life and marked six more locations on the map with an X. ¡°A total of eight?¡± ¡°Yes. The ones I marked in red are definite, and the ones in yellow are uncertain.¡± ¡°Okay. Should I just find them all?¡± ¡°Just check the surroundingndmarks. And see if there are any people nearby.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡®But what does this have to do with the ring he got?¡¯ Michael, with a puzzled look on his face, went through the portal to another zone. * * * Not long after Michael left, two users entered a building in Zone D. ¡°We can use this as our base, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± They had found a 5-story building marked on the map and immediately rushed there. It was a half-destroyed gray concrete building, sturdy enough and perfect for cover. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Lodoc ¨C Level: 231 ¨C ss: Magic Knight (3rd Advancement) === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: AddictedToJung ¨C Level: 238 ¨C ss: Sharp Shooter (3rd Advancement) === They were users representing Organ, a well-known mid-sized guild. Organ was a guild established six years ago, and it was still growing rapidly, having recently recruited arge number of talented individuals. The representatives from such a guild were all Epic-grade. A Magic Knight who used both swordsmanship and magic. And a Sharp Shooter who boasted urate shooting skills. ¡°Hold on. We need to check for enemies.¡± ¡°There¡¯s bound to be an ambush in a sweet spot like this.¡± Lodoc, the Magic Knight, heightened his senses to the maximum and slowly entered the building. Just then, Bang! A gunshot rang out from inside the building, and a blue barrier materialized between Magic Knight Lodoc and Sharp Shooter AddictedToJung. ¡°Barrier deployment!¡± Being of the same ss, AddictedToJung immediately recognized the skill. But the barrier was too thin. This meant it was a 2nd advancement barrier, not a 3rd advancement one. AddictedToJung, the Sharp Shooter, aimed his gun at the barrier and pulled the trigger. Bang! Crackle. Crack! The barrier couldn¡¯t withstand it and quickly shattered. ¡°What the hell, that was a really weak guy, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Still, be careful. I couldn¡¯t tell where the shot came from at all!¡± AddictedToJung hadn¡¯t been able to detect where the shot that created the barrier hade from, even with his search skill activated. This was the first time this had happened to him while facing another gunslinger ss. Bang! Another gunshot echoed from the building. Bam! [Critical Hit!] [HP decreased by 2%.] The bullet hit AddictedToJung squarely in the head. It pierced his forehead precisely, depleting 2% of his health. The damage was too low for a critical hit. But then, ¡°Ahhh!¡± AddictedToJung fell to his knees, his brain burning with excruciating pain. ¡°Are you okay?!¡± Lodoc hurriedly checked on him. ¡°Ugh! I¡¯m fine, just get inside quickly!¡± Bang! Another gunshot rang out. Bam! [Critical Hit!] [HP decreased by 2.5%.] It hit AddictedToJung¡¯s head once again. ¡°Aaaaagh!¡± AddictedToJung screamed in agony and hurriedly expanded the range of his search skill. ¡®¡­One guy. But I can¡¯t see the other one.¡¯ The gunslinger who presumably pulled the trigger just now wasn¡¯t caught by his search. ¡®Damn it, what the hell is this?¡¯ ¡®Where are they shooting from?!¡¯ ¡°Drink a potion first!¡± ¡°Hey! Behind you!¡± Someone jumped out of the building, swinging their sword wide. ¡°Huh¡­? Oh, shit!¡± Lodoc stopped trying to hand over the potion and hurriedly turned around, drawing his sword. ng! Sword met sword, and a sharp metallic sound rang out. A heavy impact was felt, and Lodoc frowned slightly. ¡®What kind of power is this¡­?¡¯ It was heavy. ¡®Could this guy¡¯s level be over 240?¡¯ Judging by his power alone, it was clear that his Strength stat was considerably high. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 173 ¨C ss: Intermediate Martial Artist (2nd Advancement) === ¡®What¡­?¡¯ Intermediate Martial Artist, 2nd advancement? His level was only 173? Lodoc was momentarily stunned by the absurdly low numbers, then gritted his teeth. ¡®Don¡¯t fuck with me! I¡¯ll crush you!¡¯ Fire Sword. mes erupted from his sword, engulfing it entirely, up to the hilt. At the same time, an aura formed around him. This was the Magic Knight¡¯s enchantment. It boasted 1.2 times the damage of a normal sword strike, and inflicted continuous burn damage once hit. ¡®Fire Rage.¡¯ He swung his sword diagonally, shing forward, and mes erupted from the de, firing a circr disc towards the enemy. ng! At that moment, the ground turned ck, and something like a human hand emerged, grabbing Lodoc¡¯s ankle. ¡°What the¡­? Ugh!¡± Thud! A sharp pain pierced his abdomen. Was that a fist¡­? It wasn¡¯t a sword that struck his abdomen, but a fist. A fist faintly imbued with a ck aura. ¡®What kind of fist attack deals this much damage¡­!¡¯ The damage was beyond imagination. He couldn¡¯t breathe, and his insides felt like they were twisting. ¡°Sh-Shit¡­!¡± Lodoc tried to swing his sword. But fists repeatedly struck his abdomen, disrupting his bnce. He desperately tried to create distance with his movement skills, but the enemy followed suit, maintaining the distance and continuing the barrage of punches. Even when he changed direction with his movement skills, the enemy, as if anticipating it, didn¡¯t panic at all and keptnding punches while maintaining the distance. Bam! Bam! The damage pierced through his armor. [The armor¡¯s durability has reached 0% and is destroyed.] His armor¡¯s durability had reached zero and was destroyed. ¡®Oh no!¡¯ Lodoc hurriedly cast a Fire Barrier. It was a magic simr to a barrier, creating a protective shield of mes around his body. Bam! Bam! The ck aura surrounding the man¡¯s fists grew denser. ¡°Ugh, you leech! Get off me!¡± Lodoc endured the pain and swung his sword. But the sword sliced through the air, and the man kicked Lodoc hard between his legs. ¡°Ugh!¡± At that moment, he saw stars. An indescribable pain surged through him, and Lodoc copsed on the spot, trembling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it didn¡¯t actually burst.¡± With those words, the man¡¯s sword sliced through Lodoc¡¯s neck. * * * Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze turned to the Sharp Shooter. He was still unconscious from the two headshots. ¡°Gulp. Gulp. Damn it! Why isn¡¯t the potion working?!¡± He had been chugging potions since earlier. It was only natural. His mother¡¯s skill, ¡®Genesis Shot¡¯. If you were hit by a critical hit from that shot, you would experience excruciating pain, as if your brain was burning, for a full three minutes. The effect applied as long as the level difference wasn¡¯t more than 150, making it a truly overpowered skill. Bang! Another Genesis Shot flew from the building. Bam! The mana bullet hit her head once again. ¡°Aaaaagh!¡± AddictedToJung cried out and copsed on the spot. Although her head wasn¡¯t pierced due to the significant level difference, the impact was strong enough that she didn¡¯t even notice Jeong-Hoon approaching. Stab! Jeong-Hoon thrust Leviathan into her neck, ending her life. [1 team eliminated.] With that, he had eliminated one team. ¡°Phew¡­ Son! Are you alright?!¡± As the situation ended, his mother hurriedly ran out of the building. Jeong-Hoon smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Thank goodness. But what was so hard about them¡­? Their heads didn¡¯t get pierced.¡± His mother muttered, looking down at the spot where the user had disappeared. At first, she hesitated, saying she couldn¡¯t shoot people, but perhaps because it was a game and she would die if she didn¡¯t shoot, she pulled the trigger without hesitation. Thanks to that, it was much easier to deal with them. If it weren¡¯t for her, the Sharp Shooter would have joined the fight, making it longer. * * * Michael returned three hourster. [6 teams eliminated.] During that time, Jeong-Hoon had encountered and eliminated five teams, bringing the total to six. ¡°Master!¡± ¡°Yes. Did you visit all the ces I marked?¡± ¡°Yes. I was able toplete the exploration quickly using necromancy.¡± Thanks to the ring, Michael could now handle necromancy more freely. A whopping 10% increase in dark magic power. The control range had also widened by that 10%. ¡°Any hidden personnel?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve marked them on the map here.¡± On the map Michael handed over, small green circles had been added. These were the teams hiding in ambush near the traps. ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Are we leaving now?¡± His mother also came out from inside, having finished her preparations. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s about time we move.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 137 Chapter 137 Ho-Yeong Guild. Yeo Min-Ji, waiting for the second round, was warming up in the training grounds. Usually, she would quietly wait before an important event, but now she couldn¡¯t bear to stay still. ¡®All I have to do is perform well.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon and her mother would do well in the first round. So all she had to do was get good results in the second round. ¡°Miss¡­!¡± Just then, Park In-Tae entered the training grounds. Yeo Min-Ji finished her warm-up, wiped her sweat with a towel, and came down. ¡°Yes? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Well, why are you training here when you should be preparing for the second round?¡± She smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m nervous, so I can¡¯t just sit still.¡± Park In-Tae sighed deeply at her words. She had made an absurd bet, so of course, she would be nervous. ¡°Sigh¡­ That¡¯s why I said we should send Chan-Hwa and Seung-Ji for the first round. Why are you taking the difficult path?¡± ¡°Huh? What do you mean?¡± Yeo Min-Ji asked back, momentarily confused. ¡°Aren¡¯t you nervous because you might be demoted to a regr guild member?¡± ¡°Eh? That¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Then¡­ why?¡± ¡°Because I need to do well in the second round.¡± ¡°¡­So you¡¯re not worried about the first round?¡± Park In-Tae couldn¡¯t hide his bewilderment. Her position as an executive was at stake, and yet she was worried about the second round, where she would be participating, instead of the first round. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m actually looking forward to it.¡± ¡°¡­Looking forward to it?¡± ¡°Yes. I wonder how he¡¯ll surprise us this time.¡± ¡°Well¡­ he might surprise us with the amazing result of not getting first ce and demoting you to a regr guild member.¡± ¡°Pfft, you¡¯re right.¡± Yeo Min-Ji burst intoughter. For a moment, her worries seemed to disappear. On the other hand, Park In-Tae smiled bitterly with aplicated expression. ¡°¡­The guild leader is a man of his word. You really might be demoted to a regr guild member. Are you really okay with that?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s a bit disappointing that my training time will be reduced, but if I¡¯m demoted, Jeong-Hoon will teach me personally, so it¡¯s actually a gain.¡± Thanks to her position as an executive, she could spend all day in the training grounds, but if she were demoted to a regr guild member, she would have more work and less training time. Honestly, that part was a bit frustrating, but since Jeong-Hoon would teach her personally, it was bearable. ¡®Of course, that won¡¯t happen.¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji had no doubt that Jeong-Hoon would take first ce. That¡¯s why she confidently dered first ce when Yeo Soon-Woo held up five fingers. If Jeong-Hoon was confident about first ce, he would surely bring amazing results this time as well. * * * South Korea ¨C F Zone. Small buildings lined the streets, and in the middle stood twin 30-story skyscrapers. And the ones who had imed this building as their base were Luffyjjang and Hersoona from the Sylph Guild. Sylph Guild, a semi-famous guild, not quite reaching the level of ¡°named¡± guilds. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Luffyjjang ¨C Level: 239 ¨C ss: Saber (3rd Advancement) === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hersoona ¨C Level: 244 ¨C ss: Shadow Combat (3rd Advancement) === Even as a semi-famous guild, as representatives, they were both Epic-grade. Moreover, within the Sylph Guild, there was a strong belief that both Luffyjjang and Hersoona would achieve Unique-grade in their uing 4th advancement. They indeed possessed that level of potential. ¡°No one¡¯sing, right?¡± ¡°Nope. I think we can hold out here as long as possible.¡± ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll scout around the vige in stealth, and you keep an eye out for anyoneing into the building.¡± Luffyjjang and Hersoona efficiently divided their roles and began their tasks. Five teams had entered this F Zone since they settled in. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± Hersoona followed them from behind, and Luffyjjang waited inside the building, ambushing them as soon as they entered. Using this same method, they achieved victory every time. [5 teams eliminated.] ¡°This is aplete cakewalk, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hehe, at this rate, it seems like we can easily make it into the top 10.¡± If they made it into the top 10, Sylph had promised them a huge reward. A Unique weapon enhanced to +10 and a full set of Epic armor enhancements. So they had to make it into the top 10 no matter what. ¡°Then I¡¯ll continue searching the vige.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Luffyjjang went back up to the 30th floor of the building. As he looked down from the 30th floor, he saw two people in white clothes entering the building. He hurriedly sent a whisper to Hersoona. [Whisper/Luffyjjang -> Hersoona: Two more people have entered.] Hersoona immediately replied. [Whisper/Hersoona -> Luffyjjang: Confirmed.] ¡°Alright. Shall we begin?¡± Those guys would definitely enter this building. That¡¯s because all the surrounding buildings were only two stories high and half-destroyed, not suitable for establishing a base. The only ce suitable for a base in this area was the 30-story twin buildings where Luffyjjang was positioned. In other words, if he waited here, he could ambush them. Luffyjjang, who was about to slowly descend from the 30th floor, suddenly stopped. ¡°Wh-What¡­?¡± Two more people were entering the vige entrance. Moreover, not long after those two entered, another two entered. This continued, with two more people entering repeatedly until nearly 20 people had entered. ¡®Damn it, why are there so many?¡¯ Luffyjjang sent a whisper to Hersoona to inform her of the situation. [Whisper/Luffyjjang -> Hersoona: Too many people areing in!] [Whisper/Hersoona -> Luffyjjang: I¡¯m watching¡­ They¡¯re wearing simr clothes, so they must be from allied guilds.] Alliances. It meant they had formed alliances beforehand, thinking that two-person teams wouldn¡¯t be enough. [Whisper/Luffyjjang -> Hersoona: Fucking bullshit.] New World clearly stated that alliances were prohibited, yet they were so tantly forming alliances. [Whisper/Hersoona -> Luffyjjang: They¡¯ll get banned soon since it¡¯s prohibited.] New World¡¯s handling of matters was decisive. They quickly corrected any wrongdoings, so users didn¡¯t worry too much even when bugs urred. But this time was a bit different. Over 20 people were walking towards the twin buildings. [Whisper/Luffyjjang -> Hersoona: Hey! Come back quickly! I can¡¯t handle this alone!] Luffyjjang hurriedly sent a whisper. But there was no reply from Hersoona. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­ Why isn¡¯t she responding¡­ Ack!¡± Luffyjjang¡¯s head jerked forward. An arrow had pierced the back of his head. Luffyjjang opened his eyes with difficulty and looked towards where the arrow hade from. There, a man was aiming his bow at him once again. ¡°Farewell.¡± With those words, the man released the bowstring, and the arrow flew towards him. That was hisst memory. * * * [8 teams eliminated.] Before entering the vige, he had eliminated one more team. And after entering the vige and taking care of the Saber and Shadow Combat who were stationed there, the total number of eliminated teams reached eight. ¡°Well done.¡± Jeong-Hoon praised Michael. Before entering the city, Michael had used the debuff [Enhance: Hallucination] added to the ring to deceive the Saber and Shadow Combat inside. Thanks to that, he was able to quickly eliminate the Shadow Combat roaming around and enter the building without the Saber noticing. To think he could do this despite the significant level difference. That ring was truly amazing, just like when Sophia used it. ¡°Hehe, this is nothing.¡± Michael scratched his head shyly. [It¡¯s disgusting to see him acting embarrassed.] ¡®Isn¡¯t that a bit too harsh¡­? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad.¡¯ [That¡¯s because you¡¯re even uglier.] ¡®You¡¯re talking like you¡¯re about to be roasted by dragon breath. That¡¯s not something a piece of cloth like you should say.¡¯ [A piece of cloth? Huh, that¡¯s ridiculous. Do you know how great I used to be?] ¡®How pathetic must your present be if you can only boast about your past¡­¡¯ [Damn it, are you done talking?] ¡®Alright, everyone shut up.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon quickly cut off their bickering. ¡°Mom, I think there¡¯s a trap in this building.¡± His mother said, looking up at the upper floors. ¡°Yes.¡± Genesis Sniper. The skill his mother, a sniper of the Hidden ss, possessed. [Trap Detection] It was a skill that could detect hidden traps. This was the reason why Jeong-Hoon wanted to participate in the event with his mother. ¡®I thought we could find the traps with Mom¡¯s detection skill, and it seems I was right.¡¯ The Unique-grade ¡®Trap Detection¡¯ was a skill that no one had possessed in his previous life. In other words, currently, only his mother had this skill. ¡°Son, I¡¯ll guide you. Let¡¯s go up.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon followed his mother¡¯s guidance and went up to the 11th floor. There was nothing but a concrete floor. It was a ce where no one would ever suspect a trap to be hidden. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± His mother stopped there and raised her sniper rifle, aiming at a corner. Bang! A gunshot rang out, and the mana bullet hit the concrete floor. Ting- Wooong- A small ck hole appeared on the floor and started to swirl slowly. It was definitely a trap. ¡°I¡¯ll go and close it.¡± As he tried to approach the trap, his mother grabbed his wrist. ¡°¡­Son, wouldn¡¯t it be dangerous to go alone? Should I go with you?¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled and nodded. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. I can handle something like this on my own.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. If you feel like it¡¯s dangerous, whisper to me immediately. Okay?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Only then did his mother release her grip on his wrist. Jeong-Hoon ran towards the trap. * * * [Vortex Zone] A ce where whirlwinds raged. The spot where Jeong-Hoonnded was the edge of a cliff. And in front of him, a purple liquid monster with a scythe was approaching. Purple particles floated around the monster, orbiting it. [Lv.??? Dimensional Aggregate A] A Dimensional Aggregate A with no level disyed. [What¡¯s that?] Mukho asked. ¡®It¡¯s simr to the ones we saw in the bug city before,¡¯ Anima replied. As Anima said, it certainly looked simr to the creatures they had seen in the bug city. However, it was different from them. Those were beings that shouldn¡¯t exist, literally existing as bugs. On the other hand, these creatures were devices that would bring disaster to Earth, monsters genuinely created by New World. They were aggregates formed by gathering fragments of dimensions. These aggregates would scatter after the event and cross over to Earth through the flow of dimensions, causing chaos. In other words, these creatures were the very cause of the Second Chaos disaster. Jeong-Hoon raised Anima. ¡®Be careful. The vortex is approaching!¡¯ This creature¡¯s characteristic was a typhoon. ¡®Alright.¡¯ He had to eliminate this creature to prevent the typhoon from raging. Jeong-Hoon pulled back the bowstring, aiming at the creature¡¯s head. And then he released the arrow. Whoosh! The arrow flew and pierced the Dimensional Aggregate¡¯s head urately. But the creature remained unharmed even with the arrow embedded in it. Fizzle. The mana arrow turned into dust and was absorbed by the creature. As if enraged, the creature moved the vortex closer to Jeong-Hoon. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t stop shooting arrows. He repeatedly drew and released the bowstring. Whoosh! Another arrow pierced the creature¡¯s head. [Uh oh?! We¡¯re really going to die at this rate!] Mukho eximed. ¡®Master! We¡¯re about to get caught in the vortex!¡¯ Anima warned. The situation was critical, with the vortex almost upon them. Yet, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t move an inch from his spot and continued to shoot arrows. And then, ¡°!@#!#@¡± Suddenly, the creature screamed, and the vortex that was about to engulf Jeong-Hoon vanished instantly. [W-We survived?] Mukho stuttered. ¡®¡­How did this happen?¡¯ Anima wondered. ¡°It¡¯s because the creature copsed. Even though it looked fine on the outside, it was continuously taking damage.¡± [Dimensional Aggregate A has been defeated.] [The trap is disappearing.] The creature, formed from dimensional fragments, turned into dust and scattered once again. [Wow¡­ We were so close to dying, Master. You know that, right?] ¡®Phew, that was a close call.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon smirked. ¡°We survived, so it¡¯s all good. Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± With this, there were seven traps left. He had to hurry and eliminate the remaining traps. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 138 Chapter 138 While the event was in progress, the guild representatives who had applied for participation were moved to the VIP banquet hall to wait. This ce, where they were instantly transported upon epting the VIP invitation, was a tremendously spacious and luxurious banquet hall. The round tables in the hall werebeled with the names and nicknames of each guild representative, and the guild leaders moved to their respective seats. Yeo Sunwoo was seated at the same table as Myth, Venom, and Wings. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Guild Leader Yeo Sunwoo.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok greeted him with a smile. ¡°Yes, it has been a while.¡± Yeo Sunwoo returned his greeting naturally, wearing a business smile. He then immediately greeted Min Jin-Ho of Venom and Kwon Yul of Wings. ¡°I heard the news. Ho-Yeong made a surprising move from the first round.¡± When participating in the event, the list of participants was made public. Myth quickly checked the list of Ho-Yeong, one of theirpetitors. And they confirmed it. The list consisted of a user in the 170s level range and a user who had just passed level 100 and hadn¡¯t been ying the game for long. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± Yeo Sunwoo responded awkwardly to Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s words. Sa Jae-Hyeok, not missing his reaction, smiled. ¡°They must have a n, right? Ho-Yeong has always surprised me.¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll probably be very surprised this time too.¡± ¡°Haha, yes. I¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok, as if he had nothing more to see, went over to Venom and Wings to chat. Yeo Sunwoo was left alone, looking at the hologram in front of the banquet hall. ¡®A n¡­¡¯ The list of participants for the first round, decided not by his own judgment but by his daughter¡¯s. Whether it was right or wrong would be revealed in time. * * * The first round was nearing its end. In the beginning, everyone fought to secure bases and survive for as long as possible, but now the strategy had changed. [If you stay hidden in the same zone for more than 1 hour, you will automatically die.] [Move to a different zone within 1 hour.] A new rule had been added 45 minutes into the first round. As a result, users who were lying in wait had to hurriedly move to different zones, and many deaths urred in the process. [19 teams eliminated.] Perhaps because of this, Jeong-Hoon also had to repeatedly change bases, engaging in constant battles, and the number of eliminated teams had umted to 19. Moreover, his mother¡¯s skills shone even brighter during confrontations with other users. ¡®She¡¯s amazing¡­¡¯ Even though she hadn¡¯t been ying New World for long, every shot she fired hit its mark. ¡®Mom, you¡¯re really amazing¡­ I¡¯m not lying! I think I understand why Jeong-Hoon is so extraordinary!¡¯ Ever since his mother first entered New World, Yeo Min-Ji had always been generous with her praise. Her mother¡¯s shooting skills were unmatched. ¡°Mom¡­ You get a headshot every time you shoot?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of my skill. Since the opponent doesn¡¯t perceive me, I can easily hit their head.¡± She spoke humbly, but Jeong-Hoon knew how incredible that was. ¡®¡­Genesis Sniper.¡¯ ¡®Trace Blocking,¡¯ obtained when the Genesis Sniper ascended to Unique grade. This abilitypletely erased her presence, making her undetectable even to monsters with a level difference of up to 150. It was such an overpowered skill for a sniper that it shouldn¡¯t even exist. Combined with her perfect marksmanship, yers were left screaming and writhing on the ground after being headshot. Jeong-Hoon took advantage of the chaos to quickly finish off the other users, killing those who were struggling on the ground. ¡°Michael, any enemies?¡± ¡°Yes! There doesn¡¯t seem to be anyone else here!¡± Michael used his necromancy to scout the small vige once more. They had currently cleared six traps and were in the process of searching for the seventh. They were able to search so quickly thanks to his mother being by his side. ¡®My mother knows the exact locations of the traps.¡¯ Without a single error. ¡®¡­Even among Hidden sses, she¡¯s definitely top-tier.¡¯ Just with ¡®Trace Blocking¡¯ alone, she could probably overpower most sses. ¡°Son, I think there¡¯s one here too.¡± It seemed his mother¡¯s Trap Detection was sending a signal as they got closer to the trap. This vige was full of old mansions. ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go right away.¡± Jeong-Hoon followed his mother into the vige. The seventh trap was hidden in a half-destroyed mansion. Once they cleared this trap, they would head east through the portal. ¡°Master, wait a moment! It seems someone is approaching this base.¡± At that moment, Michael, who was using necromancy, called out to Jeong-Hoon with a serious expression. ¡°What about the hallucination?¡± The debuff, Hallucination. It sent ghosts to confuse the enemy, and he had seen today how effective it was in synergy. Michael shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s strange! The hallucination isn¡¯t working.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes narrowed. Was it Myth? It was about time for them to show up. Originally, Myth was the guild that took first ce in this first round. So the ones breaking through the hallucination were likely from Myth. ¡°Son, should I go and take position?¡± His mother asked, pointing to a 7-story building. That building would provide a good vantage point for sniping. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± ¡°¡­Be careful.¡± Even though it was just a game, it seemed she couldn¡¯t help but worry about her son. ¡°It¡¯s just a game. Don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and entered a nearby building. ¡°Master! Then I¡¯ll deploy two ghosts in each building.¡± Michael deployed two ghosts in each building and waited for the enemy to approach. And soon, they appeared. === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Lucascas ¨C Level: 241 ¨C ss: Guardian Swordsman (3rd Advancement) === [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Ashbling ¨C Level: 244 ¨C ss: Walker of the Abyss (3rd Advancement) === ¡®As expected.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed slightly as he saw them. * * * ¡°Someone cast an illusion. There seems to be a user nearby.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ashbling, or Lee Yeon-Soo, nodded. His eyes were darker than usual. ck Eyes. The ability to see through everything. ¡°Then that means they¡¯re a Dark Magician.¡± Lucascas, or Lee Ji-Seok, drew the bastard sword he was carrying on his back. His body glowed, and the Guardian¡¯s Emblem was engraved on his chest. ¡°Don¡¯t just rush in recklessly. Have you forgotten how dangerous it was at the beginning?¡± Lee Yeon-Soo red at him and pointed out. ¡°Bullshit. Have you forgotten that I tore them all apart in the end?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Are you not going to consider the person supporting you from behind?¡± ¡°Your role is to support me. Shut up and do your job. Don¡¯t try to control me.¡± Lee Ji-Seok¡¯s lips curled up into a smirk. Just because they were both Hidden sses didn¡¯t mean they were equals. He was a Guardian Swordsman. The Walker of the Abyss could only handle the power of darkness more broadly, but he was the chosen one. He was the Guardian Swordsman chosen by the God of War, Ullion! ¡°Wow, are you done talking?¡± Lee Yeon-Soo tried to retort, but Lee Ji-Seok had already rushed towards the vige entrance. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°Seriously, fuck¡­¡± He wanted to abandon him, but the mission Sa Jae-Hyeok had given him was to finish first in this first round. Whether he liked it or not, he had to cooperate with Lee Ji-Seok for now. Lee Yeon-Soo hurriedly chased after Lee Ji-Seok. * * * The Hidden ss members that Myth cherished dearly. Two of them were currently rushing towards the vige. ¡°M-Master? What should we do?¡± ¡°Quiet for now.¡± Jeong-Hoon gestured for silence and heightened his senses to the maximum. First of all, these two weren¡¯t his allies in his previous life. Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok had left Myth, so they could be allies, but the rest had remained with Myth until the end. Moreover, Jeong-Hoon knew Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo very well. Because they would be some of the strongest yers in the Myth Guild in the future. ¡®So this is when they haven¡¯t surpassed level 250 yet.¡¯ They must have been ordered to take first ce in the first round. Otherwise, there was no way these two would be working together. Jeong-Hoon first took out Anima. ¡®Be careful. Especially the guy in front¡­ He¡¯s received the blessing of a god.¡¯ Anima was an Ancient Dragon. He was well-versed in the blessings of gods. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay.¡± Just because someone received a blessing didn¡¯t make them invincible. A blessing was like a buff that enhanced all abilities, not an invincibility skill. Of course, the problem was that the buff was quite overpowered. ¡®Master, he¡¯s not affected by the hallucination!¡¯ Michael reported an important fact to Jeong-Hoon, moving only his lips. ¡®Okay.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon quickly drew his bow and aimed at Lee Ji-Seok, who was running towards the entrance. Just then, Bang! A gunshot rang out, and Lee Ji-Seok, who was running, knelt down. The blessing engraved on his chest disappeared. ¡®What the¡­?¡¯ Anima¡¯s face was filled with shock. The blessing of a god wasn¡¯t something that could be removed so easily. ¡®It¡¯s Mom¡­¡¯ Jeong-Hoon turned his head and looked at the building. The gunshot just now was his mother¡¯s. Genesis Sniper¡­ As expected, it wasn¡¯t just a simple ss. Anyway, now was the perfect time to eliminate Lee Ji-Seok. He aimed at him again and released the arrow. Whoosh! The arrow flew and urately pierced the back of Lee Ji-Seok¡¯s neck. ¡°Cough! M-My skills aren¡¯t working¡­!¡± [Passive: ck me activated.] With the low probability ck me also activated, ck mes erupted from Lee Ji-Seok¡¯s neck. Jeong-Hoon immediately used his movement technique to arrive in front of him. ¡°Consider yourself unlucky.¡± With those words, he ended his life in one swift motion. Eliminating him after his blessing disappeared was a piece of cake. ¡®Impressive¡­ To think he could so easily defeat someone with the blessing of a god.¡¯ Anima chuckled. ¡°Indeed. It feels like I¡¯m the one getting carried.¡± His mother¡¯s support fire felt incredibly reliable. ¡°No way¡­ Even though he¡¯s a bastard, he¡¯s not someone who would fall so easily¡­?¡± Lee Yeon-Soo, who arrivedte, muttered in disbelief. ¡°So it¡¯s you. The Walker of the Abyss.¡± ¡°¡­An Intermediate Martial Artist?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level was only in the 170s. And his ss was Intermediate Martial Artist. He hadn¡¯t even reached 3rd advancement, still at 2nd. ¡°Hmm? Is there a problem?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head, and Lee Yeon-Soo frowned. ¡°How did you get rid of him? And in such a short time?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know that.¡± Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique. His fist was imbued with the aura of the Underworld King. ¡°Ha, I don¡¯t know what tricks you¡¯re trying to pull¡­¡± Lee Yeon-Soo¡¯s body turned ck. He intended to be the abyss itself and trap Jeong-Hoon within it. But then, Thud! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist struck his face. ¡°Ugh!¡± Lee Yeon-Soo¡¯s head snapped to the side. At the same time, his eyes wavered in shock. Thud! Thud! And then came a barrage of Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Jeong-Hoon started pummeling Lee Yeon-Soo, from his face to his abdomen. ¡°Ugh!¡± Lee Yeon-Soo was confused by the intense pain. ¡®This is strange¡­ How is the damage getting through?¡¯ Walker of the Abyss. When entering the abyss, he wouldn¡¯t take any damage for a certain period. In exchange, he couldn¡¯t attack either, so it was often used as an escape skill. However, Lee Yeon-Soo used it as a warm-up for his next attack instead of an escape, and that was now being countered. Thud! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist sharply pierced his abdomen. ¡°Ugh!¡± Lee Yeon-Soo could only let out a painful groan, unable to speak. The ck aura surrounding Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist grew denser. ¡®Shit¡­ Shit!¡¯ Lee Yeon-Soo finally realized. That ck aura was nullifying his abyss. ¡®But how¡­?¡¯ How could he overpower his abyss? ¡°Why? Because you¡¯re weaker than me.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked and said. Lee Yeon-Soo¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You have that ¡®how did you know?¡¯ look on your face. It¡¯s all written there.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s detailed stats far surpassed those of a level 173. With the addition of the Legendary-grade Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, there was no way an Epic-grade abyss could do anything against it. ¡°You¡­ bastard¡­¡± Lee Yeon-Soo red at Jeong-Hoon with bloodshot eyes. ¡°I¡¯m getting bored. Let¡¯s end this.¡± The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, now at 3rd Form. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist struck the opponent¡¯s left chest, reducing his remaining health to zero. Lee Yeon-Soo died on the spot. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 139 Chapter 139 After defeating Myth, they continued their relentless advance. Jeong-Hoon cleared the seventh trap and moved to another zone to eliminate thest remaining trap, swiftly taking down the remaining users in the process. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± They fell like leaves in the autumn wind. The teamwork between Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon was wless. [The 1st round has ended.] [You have been selected as the final team.] In the end, Ho-Yeong emerged victorious. Furthermore, Jeong-Hoon had sessfully cleared all eight traps he had nned for. ¡®Alright. With this, we¡¯re safe from the Second Cataclysm.¡¯ The way to avoid the Second Cataclysm. It was to have at least one server in the entire world discover and clear all the traps. By removing thest trap, Jeong-Hoon had just changed the future where disaster would befall Earth. ¡®Those guys at headquarters must be having fun already.¡¯ The people at New World headquarters wouldn¡¯t take any special measures even though the Second Cataclysm had been averted, and they would slowly prepare for their next n. The reason was simple. They were enjoying it. They were the kind of people who enjoyed it more the more humans struggled, so it would be the same this time too. ¡°Son!¡± Jeong-Hoon snapped out of his thoughts at his mother¡¯s call. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°We won first ce! First ce!¡± They had beaten all the other teams and taken first ce. His mother was overjoyed like a child at the result, and Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Mom.¡± ¡°Hmm? Didn¡¯t you finish them all off?¡± ¡°The cover fire was perfect, so finishing them off was easy.¡± ¡°Really? Thank you.¡± She wasn¡¯t just saying it; she meant it. Thanks to his mother¡¯s support fire, they had saved so much time. And thanks to her ¡®Trap Detection¡¯ skill, they were able to clear all eight traps. ¡®¡­Genesis Shot.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon recalled the moment he had killed the Guardian Swordsman earlier. It was also a skill that the Genesis Sniper acquired upon upgrading to Unique grade. It was a skill that could only be used once a day, and although it didn¡¯t deal damage, it was a debuff shot that could seal the opponent¡¯s skills for three minutes. He hadn¡¯t expected that shot to even erase a blessing. ¡°If you¡¯re okay with it, why don¡¯t you go to the Gun Tower?¡± ¡°The Gun Tower?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The tower that gunslingers went to, hence the name Gun Tower. Since they had won the bet with Ling Ling, his mother¡¯s level would increase by an additional 30, reaching 136. That would qualify her to take on quests at the Gun Tower. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do as you say, son.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± [Moving to the settlement area.] Jeong-Hoon returned to the white room where he had first arrived. Ling Ling was there, greeting him with a bright smile. ¡°Wee back! I¡¯ve been waiting!¡± ¡°You seem very happy.¡± Ling Ling had lost the bet. Nevertheless, her face was full of smiles. ¡°Of course! Thanks to you, I got to see something very interesting.¡± A very interesting human who relieved her recent boredom. When he moved from base to base, quickly eliminating the hidden enemies, a sense of refreshment washed over her. Usually, in survival games like this, everyone tended to y defensively, but Jeong-Hoon, from the very beginning, disyed apletely opposite ystyle, like a warrior. It might have been a risky y, but it was the most thrilling one she had ever seen. ¡°Thank you for thepliment. But you have to give me the reward for the bet, right?¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled. Butpliments were justpliments. The bet didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°Hmph, do I look like the type to tter someone just for that?¡± Ling Ling scoffed. She had expected to lose this bet. In other words, the bet was just an excuse for Ling Ling. It was a reward for the excitement and enjoyment he had given her. ¡°Then please give me the reward quickly.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± [You have acquired 10% Heavenly Energy.] 10% Heavenly Energy. With this, his Heavenly Energy had reached 25%. But the reward didn¡¯t end there. [Level increased by 30!] [All stats increased by +30.] [Bonus stats +30 granted.] [Summon: Michael¡¯s level increased by 30.] As per the bet, not only Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level but also Michael¡¯s level increased by 30. ¡°My teammate¡¯s level has also increased, right?¡± ¡°Of course. It should have increased by 30, so check itter!¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± He was satisfied. Not only had he prevented the Second Cataclysm, but he had also received a considerable reward. ¡°But can I ask you one thing?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How did you know there were traps hidden?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips curled up into a smirk at the sharp question. ¡°Why? Were we not supposed to find the traps?¡± Ling Ling shook her head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. It¡¯s just that you acted as if you knew there were traps from the beginning.¡± ¡°My teammate can detect traps.¡± Jeong-Hoon used his mother¡¯s ¡®Trap Detection¡¯ skill as an excuse, but Ling Ling quickly saw through his lie. However, she decided not to ask any further questions. Since he didn¡¯t have the hobby of prying into things, he let it go. ¡°Hehe, you don¡¯t want to tell me, huh? Alright, it would be rude to ask further.¡± * * * VIP Room. The guild leaders waited anxiously for the results of the first round. The meaning of the second round depended on the oue of the first round. [The 1st round survival match has concluded!] As the first round survival match ended, the hologram window switched. [Calcting rankings.] [Please wait a moment.] That brief moment felt incredibly long to Yeo Sunwoo. ¡®What ce will it be?¡¯ If Jeong-Hoon¡¯s team didn¡¯te in first, Yeo Min-Ji would no longer be able to hold her position as an executive. If she had rmended them with such confidence, they would surely prove it with results. [Announcing the rankings.] ¨C 1st ce: Ho-Yeong And the first ce went to Ho-Yeong. ¡°Gasp!¡± Yeo Sunwoo jumped up from his seat in surprise. All eyes turned to him. The emotions in their gazes weren¡¯t much different from Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s. ¡°Ho-Yeong is in first ce?¡± ¡°No¡­ how¡­?¡± ¡°An upset has urred¡­!¡± No one present had expected Ho-Yeong to take first ce. Users in the 170s and 100s level range. Even if they were Hidden sses, it should have been impossible to ovee the level gap. But the result was Ho-Yeong in first ce. How on earth? Bam! Sa Jae-Hyeok mmed his hand on the table and left the VIP room. ¨C 9th ce: Myth He had formed a team that was supposed to take first ce without a doubt, but they had lost to Ho-Yeong. And not even in second ce, but ninth. They had even lost to Venom and Wings, who were in front of them. It was natural for Sa Jae-Hyeok to be furious. Meanwhile, the Ho-Yeong Guild was inplete chaos. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°We¡¯re first! First ce!¡± ¡°The young miss¡¯s judgment was right!¡± ¡°It¡¯s Honey 1, the one who soloed the Bone Lord Wyvern! It was a sure thing!¡± Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon, rmended by Yeo Min-Ji, had taken first ce. The guild members regretted ever doubting her judgment. ¡°Oh¡­ To think I doubted the young miss for a moment¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to trust the young miss! How dare you underestimate Honey 1?!¡± ¡°Well, Chan-Hwa and Seung-Ji have been doing so welltely¡­¡± ¡°But if Chan-Hwa and Seung-Ji had gone, we would have lost! The opponents were Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ## Chapter 137 While they were making a fuss, Yeo Min-Ji was also jumping up and down in the waiting room. ¡°See! I was right!¡± Park In-Tae, watching her, was sweating bullets. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ How did they do it?¡± ¡°How did they do it? With their skills, of course. Please trust my words from now on, okay? Geez¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Park In-Tae was speechless. He was the one who had personally opposed Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s rmendation of Jeong-Hoon. As a result, he had to endure Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s nagging all day. * * * Honestly, he didn¡¯t care how the second round turned out. [The 2nd round rankings are being revealed.] ¨C 2nd ce: Ho-Yeong Ho-Yeong took second ce in the second round. Myth was in first ce, and Wings took third. It was unexpected that they lost to Myth, butbined with the results of the first round, Ho-Yeong¡¯s ranking rose significantly. On the other hand, Myth¡¯s overall ranking dropped by two ces. Myth¡¯s 9th ce finish in the first round was fatal. ¡°Thank you so much! Ho-Yeong¡¯s guild ranking has risen by two levels!¡± Yeo Sunwoo came to find Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon and thanked them on behalf of the guild. ¡°No, it¡¯s all thanks to my son.¡± His mother was delighted to hear from Yeo Min-Ji that Ho-Yeong had surpassed Myth. It was understandable, as she and her son had greatly contributed to the guild. She felt relieved that they had repaid some of the kindness they had received from the guild. ¡°No, it would have been difficult to achieve first ce without you, Mom.¡± Jeong-Hoon quickly interjected. His mother¡¯s level might have been low, but her performance was tremendous. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± Yeo Sunwoo didn¡¯t deny it. The first round was conducted in teams of two. If one person was a burden, they would never be able to achieve a high ranking. The fact that they won first ce meant that Lee Na-Yeon had also shown an overwhelming performance. Moreover, it was Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon who had eliminated Myth early on. Because they had eliminated them early, even though they lost to Myth in the second round, Ho-Yeong¡¯s guild ranking was able to surpass Myth¡¯s. ¡°¡­It wasn¡¯t that much¡­¡± His mother was a bit embarrassed. But it was true. ¡®Mom¡¯s potential is beyond imagination.¡¯ He was once again convinced after experiencing this first round event. Her growth wouldn¡¯t end here. She would surely rise even higher. As a gunslinger surpassing Paul Rayman, his formerrade and betrayer. ¡°¡­I apologize. I was the one who opposed Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon¡¯s participation at first.¡± Yeo Sunwoo suddenly apologized. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Anyone would have objected in that situation.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy to send out users with such absurdly low levels. ¡°No. Anyway, Ho-Yeong wants to reward you both, considering all that.¡± ¡°A reward?¡± ¡°Yes. Ho-Yeong will actively support you with items¡­ so I¡¯ve prepared an envelope.¡± Yeo Sunwoo ced two envelopes on the table. ¡°Oh, what is this¡­¡± His mother was flustered, but Jeong-Hoon casually picked up an envelope and checked the amount inside. It was a check. ¡®Oh, it¡¯s for 100 million won.¡¯ It was a check for 100 million won. * * * Throughout the Guild War event, Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo couldn¡¯t raise their heads. Ninth ce, with the Myth tag. As the top-ranked Korean guild, even if they won first ce in the second round, they couldn¡¯t prevent their ranking from dropping due to their ninth-ce finish in the first round. ¡°Sigh¡­ I told you not to rush in recklessly.¡± Lee Yeon-Soo was frustrated. More than 90% of the me for their ninth-ce finishy with Lee Ji-Seok, not him. If he hadn¡¯t mindlessly charged into the enemy¡¯s base, they wouldn¡¯t have been helplessly defeated. ¡°It¡¯s still strange, no matter how much I think about it. The blessing suddenly disappeared!¡± Lee Ji-Seok was also frustrated. Using Ullion¡¯s Blessing increased all stats at once. It also provided damage reduction, boasting powerful tanking capabilities. But before they could even enter the base, a gunshot rang out, and the blessing disappeared. After that, he was overwhelmed by a barrage of arrows and couldn¡¯t regain hisposure, ultimately losing his life and being eliminated. Creak! At that moment, the door opened, and Lee Hwa-Rang entered. The man who had taken first ce in the second round. As he entered, Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo¡¯s faces tensed up. Lee Hwa-Rang rarely approached them unless he had a reason to. In a situation like this, there was only one possible reason. The results of the first round. ¡°You said you were hit by an arrow?¡± However, Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s question was a bit different from what they had expected. Lee Ji-Seok stammered and nodded. ¡°Y-Yes¡­ That¡¯s right¡­ I died by a dagger, but before that, I was critically injured by an arrow¡­¡± ¡°You bastard. That¡¯s why you ended up in 9th ce with this kind of guy.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t you going to answer?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me about the guy who killed you?¡± Lee Ji-Seok was a tanker. And it was an arrow that instantly killed such a tanker. ¡®It¡¯s possible that it¡¯s the bow I¡¯m looking for.¡¯ If it was a bow that could kill Lee Ji-Seok, who was close to level 250, at a mere level 170, it couldn¡¯t be an ordinary bow. ¡°It was a guy named Hoon.¡± ¡°Hoon¡­ Hoon from the Ho-Yeong Guild, you mean?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± So that was the Hidden ss martial artist that Ho-Yeong had recruited. He was an unusual guy in many ways. ¡°Um¡­ May I say something?¡± Lee Yeon-Soo cautiously interjected. ¡°Yeah. What is it?¡± ¡°When I fought him, I saw traces of ck mes rising from Lee Ji-Seok¡¯s neck.¡± When he arrivedte, he had seen the traces of ck mes rising from Lee Ji-Seok¡¯s neck. It must have been an additional skill triggered by the arrow. ¡°ck mes¡­? Why are you telling me this now?!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°Ha, damn it. I finally found it.¡± To think that that bastard had it. ¡°Hey, you two, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll cover for you somehow.¡± ¡°C-Cover?¡± ¡°Shield, you idiot. I¡¯ll be your shield, so no one from Myth can touch you.¡± ¡°Th-Thank you¡­!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang walked out. Park Jin-Hyeok was waiting outside. ¡°How was it? Any leads?¡± ¡°Yeah. I finally found it.¡± ¡°You found it? Who is it?¡± ¡°A guy named Hoon in the Ho-Yeong Guild.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± He hadn¡¯t expected to find a clue here. Perhaps it was true that you had to poke around mindlessly to get results? ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m going to Ho-Yeong right now.¡± ¡°What? Hey!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 140 Chapter 140 His mother fiddled with the envelope with an incredulous look on her face. ¡°Hoon, are you sure we can ept this¡­?¡± A 100 million won check inside the envelope. His mother¡¯s hands trembled at the unexpected amount. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay to ept it.¡± With so many users enjoying New World, an enormous amount of gold and cash was exchanged every month. Naturally, the money earned by a named guild like Ho-Yeong was beyond imagination. They had helped raise the guild¡¯s ranking by two levels, so this amount was a very reasonable reward. ¡°Oh my¡­ How should I use this?¡± ¡°How to use it? You can just deposit it in the bank or buy something you want.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s too much to receive 100 million won just for participating in an event.¡± His mother kept refusing, but Yeo Sunwoo had practically forced it into her hands. ¡°If you feel ufortable, Mom, you can return it.¡± Although it was a fair amount, he had no intention of epting it if his mother didn¡¯t want it. ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not really saying I want to return it¡­¡± But his mother was also one of those people who were weak in the face of money. Well, who in the world would return a 100 million won bonus check, saying it was too much? ¡°Then please ept itfortably. And if there¡¯s anything you¡¯ve wanted to buy, use this to buy it too.¡± Jeong-Hoon also handed his envelope to his mother. His mother was surprised and waved her hands in refusal. ¡°What are you doing? I already received mine.¡± ¡°I know. But isn¡¯t 200 million won better than 100 million won?¡± ¡°Then what about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine without it.¡± Honestly, he had no greed for money. He could always exchange the gold he earned from enhancements for cash, and if he needed any items, he could just ask Ho-Yeong, so he didn¡¯t need money. ¡°But I can¡¯t ept this.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Son, you earned this through your hard work. I don¡¯t want to take it away from you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m happy. That I can y games and have fun with my son.¡± ¡°Mom¡­¡± Buzz- His smartphone rang at this touching moment. ¡°Oh¡­ Who could it be¡­?¡± [Yeo Min-Ji] The caller was Yeo Min-Ji. Had something happened? ¡°It¡¯s okay, go ahead and answer it.¡± With his mother¡¯s permission, Jeong-Hoon excused himself and went into his room. ¡°Yes, hello?¡± [Jeong-Hoon! Are you at home right now?] ¡°Yes. What¡¯s up?¡± [Lee Hwa-Rang came to Ho-Yeong!] ¡°Lee Hwa-Rang?¡± [Yes. I don¡¯t know why, but he was looking for you.] The reason was obvious. When he shot an arrow at Lee Ji-Seok, the Guardian Swordsman. Lee Hwa-Rang must have figured it out after seeing the ck mes rising. ¡°Just leave him be. I¡¯m busy today, I have a date with my mom.¡± [¡­Okay! Then I¡¯ll just tell him to keep waiting! He¡¯ll either give up and go back or something, right?] Yeo Min-Ji was quick to understand. ¡°Yes. Please.¡± [Okay. Have a good date with your mom.] ¡°Thank you.¡± The call ended. He went back to the living room, and his mother was still fiddling with the 100 million won check in the envelope. ¡®She seems really happy.¡¯ Well, where else could she get to touch a 100 million won check? Maybe he should earn some money after all? Jeong-Hoon approached his mother. ¡°Mom.¡± ¡°Oh, son. Are you done with your call already?¡± His mother smiled awkwardly and put the check back in the envelope. ¡°Yes. Anyway, let¡¯s go on a date today!¡± ¡°A date?¡± * * * Lee Hwa-Rang was in a bad mood. ¡°When the hell is heing?¡± He couldn¡¯t even enter the Ho-Yeong Guild building and was waiting for Jeong-Hoon at a nearby inn. ¡®I¡¯m telling you again, the guild member you¡¯re looking for isn¡¯t here.¡¯ ¡®So tell him that Lee Hwa-Rang from the Myth Guild is looking for him and ask him to log in right now.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t do that. Pleasee backter.¡¯ ¡®Ha¡­¡¯ As Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s anger red, Park Jin-Hyeok hurriedly tried to calm him down. ¡®Haha, I apologize. Then it¡¯s okay if we wait nearby, right?¡¯ ¡®Yes¡­ that¡¯s fine.¡¯ ¡®Okay! Then we¡¯ll do that. Hwa-Rang, let¡¯s go.¡¯ ¡®Hey! Let go of me! Why can¡¯t they just tell him?!¡¯ At this rate, they might really get into trouble with Ho-Yeong. Park Jin-Hyeok dragged Lee Hwa-Rang back to the inn with difficulty. Six hours passed. There was still no contact from Ho-Yeong. ¡°Maybe he hasn¡¯t logged in yet?¡± ¡°¡­That bastard, I sent so many megaphone messages, and he¡¯spletely ignoring me? I want to punch him in the face as soon as I see him.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ Calm down. It¡¯s not yours, you know.¡± ¡°Why isn¡¯t it mine? Have you forgotten that I canplete the Red Dragon full set with just that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but Hoon found the weapon first. Naturally, the ownership belongs to him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll buy it from him. I¡¯ll match whatever price he asks, as much as possible.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just drop it.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang was usually a smart guy. But whenever things didn¡¯t go his way or his emotions ran high, he became unreasonable like this. * * * Jeong-Hoon logged in a weekter. Instead of just a one-day date, he and his mother had gone on a trip. They had been spending so much time in the capsule ying the game, so they needed to stretch their stiff bodies and refresh their minds. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± As soon as he appeared in Ho-Yeong, Jeong-Hoon was surrounded by guild members. Thanks to their first-ce victory in the survival match, he and his mother had be quite famous within the guild. ¡°Hoon!¡± ¡°Wee back!¡± ¡°Is it true that you¡¯re Honey 1?!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I¡¯ve never seen a big-time YouTuber before!¡± ¡°Can I appear on YouTube next time too?¡± Wait a minute. She said she persuaded them, but was this what she meant? Jeong-Hoon looked at Yeo Min-Ji. Yeo Min-Ji whistled and avoided his gaze. ¡®She said she persuaded the guild¡­ Was this what she meant?¡¯ It took a long time to get away from the guild members. And that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°You¡¯rete. You need toplete the request list quickly.¡± Yoo Na-Eun, the Enhancer of Ho-Yeong, approached him and handed him a request list. ¡°Request list?¡± ¡°Yes. You need to¡­ enhance, right?¡± ¡°¡­Are you nning to tease me?¡± ¡°I wanted to congratte you, but this is your punishment for logging in sote.¡± Yoo Na-Eun chuckled and took back the request list. As soon as the event ended, Jeong-Hoon and Lee Na-Yeon had logged out immediately. Yeo Sunwoo had also given them the reward offline, so it had been a while since he logged in. ¡°By the way, are you going to meet Lee Hwa-Rang?¡± Yeo Min-Ji approached and whispered quietly. ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably staying at the inn outside the Ho-Yeong Guild building.¡± ¡°He¡¯s really persistent.¡± ¡°I know, right? What on earth did you do to make him obsess over you like this?¡± ¡°I wonder. Can¡¯t we report him for stalking?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°I see. I wanted to get rid of him this time.¡± ¡°¡­So, are you going to meet him?¡± ¡°Hmm, if I don¡¯t, he¡¯ll probably keep following me¡­ I guess I have to.¡± Jeong-Hoon had logged in today with the intention of meeting Lee Hwa-Rang. ¡®I¡¯ll mess with him a bit.¡¯ He must be on the verge of losing his mind over the Red Dragon Bone Bow. Messing with him in this state would deal considerable damage. ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring him inside. It¡¯s safer here than outside.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± And so, the meeting was arranged. Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s face was visibly sour. ¡°Long time no see? We¡¯ve met before, haven¡¯t we?¡± He was acquainted with Lee Hwa-Rang. He had a history of selling a 30-gold Rare-grade Receive Bow to Lee Hwa-Rang for 300 gold in Idenharc. ¡°I see. Are you still using the Receive Bow you bought back then?¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled yfully and nodded. ¡°Haha¡­ The Receive Bow? Are you making fun of me even here?¡± Lee Hwa-Rang forced a smile towards Jeong-Hoon, who was sitting in front of him. It was such a forced smile that it looked ridiculous, and Jeong-Hoon barely managed to suppress hisughter. Jeong-Hoon slowly asked for his business. ¡°First, let¡¯s hear the reason why you came looking for me.¡± ¡°¡­The bow. Not the bow you lied about before, but a proper bow.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s eyes burned with intensity. ¡°What do you mean, the bow I lied about? You already bought the Receive Bow I acquired back then, didn¡¯t you?¡± Lee Hwa-Rang clenched his fist tightly. It seemed the memory of that time had resurfaced. So what was he going to do about it? ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you have another bow besides that one?¡± ¡°Hmm, another bow?¡± Jeong-Hoon continued to y dumb. ¡°The Red Dragon Bone Bow¡­ You have it, don¡¯t you?¡± Finally, Lee Hwa-Rang mentioned the ¡®Red Dragon Bone Bow¡¯. However, Jeong-Hoon no longer had that item. It had already been upgraded into Anima. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have that bow.¡± ¡°Ha, you triggered ck me and you¡¯re saying it¡¯s not the Red Dragon Bone Bow?¡± ck me was one of the special abilities of the ¡®Red Dragon weapons¡¯. ¡°It¡¯s true. I don¡¯t have the Red Dragon Bone Bow. If you were looking for that, you shouldn¡¯t havee to me.¡± Bam! Lee Hwa-Rang mmed his head on the table. ¡°Can¡¯t you please sell it to me? I¡¯ll pay you any amount of money!¡± His face was filled with desperation. If he came up empty-handed again this time, he would have to conduct anotherrge-scale search, and there was no telling when he would find another clue. But Jeong-Hoon was cold. ¡°Please don¡¯t make me repeat myself. I don¡¯t have the Red Dragon Bone Bow.¡± ¡°¡­Then show me. Show me the weapon that triggered the ck me.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Why should I do that?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in confusion, and Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s expression gradually distorted. ¡°¡­What do you want? What do I have to do for you to show me the item?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ 100,000 gold. If you give it to me now, I¡¯ll take out the item and show it to you. Of course, under the condition that I¡¯m not selling it.¡± 100,000 gold was equivalent to 1 billion won. 1 billion won just to see an item once. Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s patience finally reached its limit. ¡°Ha¡­ Under the condition that you¡¯re not selling it? Do you think I don¡¯t know that the only weapon with the ck me activation option is the Red Dragon Bone Bow?¡± ¡°Why are you so certain? There could be a few other weapons with the ck me option.¡± ¡°Ha, don¡¯t bullshit me!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s eyes, pushed to the edge of his patience,pletely turned wild. [Wow, look at him losing it! He¡¯s gone crazy!] ¡®There¡¯s no cure for a crazy person. It¡¯s best to just avoid him.¡¯ Mukho and Anima were terrified. ¡°Hey! Stop! This is Ho-Yeong!¡± Park Jin-Hyeok hurriedly tried to stop him, but Lee Hwa-Rang had already lunged at Jeong-Hoon. As if his closebat skills were also exceptional, as he had heard, Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s hand now held a bow. It was the Tempest Bow, one of his favorite bows. ¡®Is that Bow sh?¡¯ The tip of the bow was sharp like the de of a sword. ¡®Bow sh¡¯ was a skill that used the bow like a sword to deliver a powerful sh. Whoosh- Crash! A heavy impact sound erupted within the guild headquarters, and smoke from the release of mana rose from the spot. Hearing the noise, Yeo Min-Ji and Park In-Tae, who were waiting outside, hurriedly entered. ¡°Damn it¡­! That bastard finally did it.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok sighed, covering his face with his hand. He had finally caused trouble. No matter how much the other person had provoked him, to kill a guild member within the guild¡¯s own territory. And that guild was Ho-Yeong, no less. This situation had be very troublesome. ¡°What the hell is this crazy lunatic doing?!¡± Yeo Min-Ji rushed in and struck Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s side. ¡°Ugh!¡± He groaned from the heavy blow and stumbled back. ¡°You¡¯re done for today. How dare you barge into Ho-Yeong and attack our guild member?¡± Yeo Min-Ji red at Lee Hwa-Rang with a cold expression. ¡°You¡¯ll have to exin this incident clearly. If you don¡¯t want to start a war, that is.¡± Park In-Tae also warned Park Jin-Hyeok in a cold voice. ¡°I apologize¡­ We¡¯ll exin everything, and of course,pensate¡­¡± Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s words were cut short. Whoosh! An arrow flew and pierced Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s shoulder precisely. ¡°Ugh!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang let out a short groan. ¡°Don¡¯t act tough¡­ You threw the first punch.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s eyes slowly widened. Jeong-Hoon was slowly walking out from where the smoke was rising. And he waspletely unharmed. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 141 Chapter 141 ¡°What¡­? How are you still alive?¡± Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s eyes trembled wildly. His Bow sh hadnded cleanly. With the opponent¡¯s defense, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand it and should have died and disappeared. But Jeong-Hoon was standing right there in front of him. Completely unharmed. ¡°Jeong-Hoon! Are you okay?!¡± Yeo Min-Ji hurriedly checked on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s condition. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeong-Hoon replied casually, but it had been a truly dangerous situation. If he hadn¡¯t used Block in time, he would have died instantly from the damage. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.2 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that enter the area are decreased by 3%.] ckfield. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [Time limit: 1 hour.] And the stat-boosting ring. Jeong-Hoon signaled to Yeo Min-Ji. A signal to step aside. ¡®¡­Alright.¡¯ Yeo Min-Ji tactfully moved to the side. Although the opponent was a Bow Master ss, currently called the Divine Archer, strictly speaking, he wasn¡¯t yet at the level to be called a ¡®Divine Archer¡¯. And the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, which he should have originally taken. Without it, he hadn¡¯tpletely ovee his weakness in closebat. Jeong-Hoon used the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and threw a punch. ¡°You won¡¯t!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang tried to dodge the punch and create distance. But it was an evasion route that Jeong-Hoon had already anticipated. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and struck the opponent¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Ugh!¡± The opponent let out a short scream and swung the bow he was holding. It was a speed that Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t read at his current level. However, Jeong-Hoon had learned Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s archery over his shoulder in his previous life and remembered even his subtle habits. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique again, creating some distance and twisting his body to the right. Whoosh! Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s bow sliced through the air. ¡°Both of you, stop!¡± Park Jin-Hyeok hurriedly tried to intervene. But Yeo Min-Ji grabbed his shoulder. ¡°If you interfere here, I won¡¯t let you off easy.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Park Jin-Hyeok was bewildered. Even though Lee Hwa-Rang, who had initiated the attack, was clearly in the wrong, was she telling him to just watch their fight? Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s level was a whopping 347. And this user was a mere level 203 Martial Artist who had just barely crossed 200. Normally, the Ho-Yeong side should be the ones trying to stop the fight, but since Yeo Min-Ji, an executive, was the one stopping Park Jin-Hyeok, the other members didn¡¯t intervene either. ¡°You bastard! Take this!¡± Whoosh! Whoosh! Lee Hwa-Rang swung his bow frantically at Jeong-Hoon. With each swing, Bow sh activated, unleashing explosive mana. But all of his attacks missed. ¡°Hwa-Rang, your attacks are too crude.¡± Jeong-Hoon scoffed, and Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s face turned red. ¡°This bastard¡­¡± Thud! An opening! Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to close in andnded a precise blow to Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s face and abdomen with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 2nd Form. The Underworld King¡¯s energy surrounding his fist grew denser. ¡°Ugh! Damn it!¡± ¡°Hwa-Rang! What are you doing?!¡± Finally, Park Jin-Hyeok shouted Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s name. Lee Hwa-Rang was also bewildered. ¡®He¡¯s not getting hit¡­ He¡¯s not getting hit!¡¯ Eagle Eye. A skill that allowed him to grasp every single movement of his target without missing a beat. He had nned to read the opponent¡¯s attack path and finish him off with Bow sh in one go. Thud! But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s attacks were all messy. At first, his attacks seemed easy to read, making it seem like a counterattack would be possible, but he would instantly change his path and strike at hard-to-defend spots. As a result, Lee Hwa-Rang had to allow Jeong-Hoon¡¯s attacks tond, and when he tried to counterattack by swinging his bow, Jeong-Hoon had already created distance, out of reach of Bow sh. ¡®Damn it! If only there was more distance!¡¯ He had to admit it. Regardless of their levels, the opponent was superior to him in closebat. He didn¡¯t know how he had closed the gap of over 100 levels, but to beat him, he needed to get out of this confined space. Thud! Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 3rd Form. Jeong-Hoon had already unleashed the 3rd Form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. [Beat him up! Beat him up!] ¡®Crush him thoroughly so he never dares to challenge you again!¡¯ Mukho and Anima cheered Jeong-Hoon on enthusiastically. He had to beat Lee Hwa-Rang here to repay their support. Jeong-Hoon extended his fist. Lee Hwa-Rang twisted his body, trying to dodge the punch. ¡®Too predictable.¡¯ He had seen the opponent engage in closebat countless times in his past life. Jeong-Hoon changed the trajectory of his fist and struck the opponent¡¯s face. ¡°Ugh!¡± It was the Legendary-grade Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. It would be quite painful, regardless of level, as it had an option to ignore defense. ¡°Does it hurt? I¡¯ll make sure you die in the most agonizing way possible.¡± A chilling voice escaped Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. Lee Hwa-Rang flinched. ¡°S-Stop¡­ Let¡¯s talk this out!¡± He hurriedly raised both hands. As if to signal that he had no intention of fighting. Jeong-Hoon simply ignored it and punched him in the face again. ¡®Damn it! How can this be the damage of a level 203?!¡¯ His level was 347. A whopping 144 levels difference. So no matter what he did, it should be impossible for him to deal damage. [HP is rapidly decreasing!] But what was this damage?! His health was rapidly depleting, with additional poison damage on top of it. ¡®Jin-Hyeok!¡¯ Even while being beaten, Lee Hwa-Rang looked towards Park Jin-Hyeok. He was watching the fight with a dumbfounded expression. ¡®You bastard! Do something!¡¯ Couldn¡¯t he see his friend getting beaten up?! Contrary to his wishes, Park Jin-Hyeok could do nothing but watch. Everyone in Ho-Yeong was keeping an eye on him. Their eyes all said the same thing: if he moved, they wouldn¡¯t let him off easy. ¡®How dare you attack Hoon within Ho-Yeong?¡¯ ¡®If you step in, you¡¯re dead.¡¯ All Park Jin-Hyeok could do was stay put. Thud! The 4th Form of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique was unleashed, and soon after, the 5th Form followed in session. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡®I¡¯m dying. I¡¯m really going to die!¡¯ If this continued, he would suffer the disgrace of being killed by a level 203 Martial Artist who hadn¡¯t even reached 3rd advancement. ¡°P-Please stop¡­ I lost. I lost!¡± Only after repeatedly dering his surrender did Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fists finally stop. He said with a grim smile, ¡°I¡¯m telling you onest time. I don¡¯t have the Red Dragon Bone Bow.¡± ¡°A-Alright¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s informal speech.¡± ¡°Alright¡­¡± ¡®This fucking bastard!¡¯ ¡®If only I could use my bow¡­!¡¯ If it were a bow instead of closebat, the situation would have been reversed! Why did he have to suffer this humiliation from this bastard? Lee Hwa-Rang red at Jeong-Hoon with bloodshot eyes. A grim smile appeared on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°Hwa-Rang, do you think things would be different with a bow?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Get lost for now.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist struck his chest. Thud! With a different kind of impact than before, Lee Hwa-Rang died. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist was enveloped in a dark aura. Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 6th Form. It was the first time he had unleashed the 6th Form since acquiring the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. * * * ¡®Hoon defeated Lee Hwa-Rang!¡¯ ¡®A level 203 defeating a level 347?!¡¯ After Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s death, the Ho-Yeong Guild¡¯s reception room was in an uproar. However, the situation was temporarily calmed down when Yeo Sunwoo entered. The Ho-Yeong Guild members who had witnessed the fight, including Jeong-Hoon and Park Jin-Hyeok, were summoned to the guild leader¡¯s office. ¡°¡­So you¡¯re saying Hoon was suddenly attacked and had to subdue him?¡± ¡°Yes. He demanded to see an item I didn¡¯t have. We went back and forth, and that¡¯s what happened.¡± Jeong-Hoon looked at Park Jin-Hyeok. It was a silent challenge, daring him to refute the statement. Before meeting Lee Hwa-Rang, Jeong-Hoon had been recording with a camera, so he was confident he could counter any rebuttal. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s correct. It was entirely Hwa-Rang¡¯s fault.¡± But Park Jin-Hyeok readily admitted Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s wrongdoing. It was an undeniable issue in the first ce. Jeong-Hoon had intended to reveal the video if Park Jin-Hyeok denied it. The video had been recording from the moment Jeong-Hoon, Park Jin-Hyeok, and Lee Hwa-Rang sat down. Therefore, everything that had happened was clearly documented. ¡°I see¡­ Myth will have to take responsibility for today¡¯s incident.¡± Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s voice turned cold. This was a warning. An executive of Myth recklessly barging into Ho-Yeong and attempting to kill a guild member was a serious matter, providing Ho-Yeong with a strong justification to dere war. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Park Jin-Hyeok nodded with difficulty. ¡°If you have nothing more to say, please leave. I¡¯ll contact the Myth Guild Leader directly.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ And Hoon, I apologize on behalf of Hwa-Rang for today¡¯s incident¡­¡± Park Jin-Hyeok bowed his head towards Jeong-Hoon, who was sitting next to him. A cold smile appeared on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I absolutely won¡¯t ept that apology.¡± What an opportunity this was. He was already a bit of a hothead, but how impatient must he have been to barge into Ho-Yeong without thinking? Thanks to that, the chance to properly deal with him hade much sooner than nned. ¡°¡­¡± * * * Bam! ¡°Is what I just heard true?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s fierce gaze pierced through Park Jin-Hyeok. Park Jin-Hyeok forced his trembling body to calm down and nodded. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Lee Hwa-Rang, that bastard, went to Ho-Yeong after finding a clue about the Red Dragon Bone Bow and tried to kill a Ho-Yeong guild member, but ended up getting killed himself?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok suddenly burst intoughter, then abruptly stopped. In an instant, his body disappeared and reappeared in front of Park Jin-Hyeok. ¡°Gah! Gah!¡± Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s neck was seized by Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s hand, and he was lifted into the air. He couldn¡¯t breathe, and the fear of death consumed him. ¡°You didn¡¯t stop him, but instead apanied him? Are you truly insane?¡± ¡°B-But¡­ Gah! He triggered ck me, a special ability unique to the Red Dragon Bone Bow¡­ Gah!¡± Park Jin-Hyeok struggled to make excuses. ¡°You fool. And you went to Ho-Yeong without a n? Did you really think they would just hand over the Red Dragon Bone Bow?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s grip tightened slightly. [HP is rapidly decreasing!] Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s health plummeted, and he couldn¡¯t utter a word. 40% health. 27%. 13%. . . Not only was his oxygen supply cut off, but Sa Jae-Hyeok was also releasing mana to suppress Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s mana control. Just then, Sa Jae-Hyeok released his grip. Park Jin-Hyeok copsed to the floor, coughing painfully. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± ¡°There will be an executive meeting this afternoon. Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok will be stripped of their executive positions and demoted to the lowest rank in the guild.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s eyes widened in shock at the bombshell announcement. Everyone in Myth knew that Sa Jae-Hyeok cherished Lee Hwa-Rang. Although he could be reckless when things didn¡¯t go his way, Lee Hwa-Rang had immense potential. Stripping him of his executive position was akin to casting him out of favor. ¡®I¡¯ve been too lenient.¡¯ Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s eyes gleamed fiercely like a predator¡¯s. He wanted to kill him over and over again, preventing him from logging in for a year. But considering Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s contribution in securing first ce in the second round of the Guild War event, he would let it slide with just a demotion. No matter how talented someone was, if they tarnished Myth¡¯s honor, he would cut them off without hesitation. That was Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s philosophy. ¡®Ho-Yeong.¡¯ He also disliked Ho-Yeong. Yeo Sunwoo, who had achieved level 201 and qualified to establish a guildter than him. He had tried to recruit Yeo Sunwoo back then, but he had been immediately rejected without hesitation. His pride had been deeply wounded. Moreover, Yeo Sunwoo had created the Ho-Yeong Guild and achieved explosive growth. Despite his several attempts to interfere, Yeo Sunwoo hadn¡¯t been deterred and had instead used those obstacles as stepping stones to soar even higher, now reaching a position where he could rival Myth. He was an unpleasant guy in many ways. The fact that he had to bow his head to such a guy now filled him with rage. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you, so get lost.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok gestured towards the door, and Park Jin-Hyeok mmed his head on the floor. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Please spare me just this once! If you do, I¡¯ll make sure never to tarnish Myth¡¯s name again.¡± ¡°You can leave the guild if you want. But you know, right? You¡¯ll have to pay the price for leaving after disgracing Myth.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s body trembled. He deeply regretted not stopping Lee Hwa-Rang. ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 142 Chapter 142 ¡°Ha¡­ Fuck, this is so frustrating.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang stepped out of the capsule and chain-smoked. His face was contorted in frustration. When he recklessly barged into Ho-Yeong, he thought he could easily get the bow. But the guy wasn¡¯t easy to deal with. He was even a master at provocation, and Lee Hwa-Rang had fallen for it. And then, to his surprise, He got beaten up by a level 203 Martial Artist withoutnding a single decent attack. It was embarrassing to even call himself a level 347. Even though he was a Bow Master, there was a whopping 144 level difference. And just because he was a ranged DPS ss didn¡¯t mean he waspletely vulnerable in closebat. He thought he had improved his closebat skills enough through his efforts, so he should have been able to overpower a level 203 Martial Artist. But that guy, using some unknown trick, dodged all of his attacks and counterattacked, taking his life. ¡°Fuck, I can¡¯t give up like this.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang took out his smartphone and sent a text message to Park Jin-Hyeok. [Park Jin-Hyeok: Hwa-Rang, we¡¯ve been stripped of our executive positions.] The reply from Park Jin-Hyeok was a notification that they had been demoted. He hurriedly called Park Jin-Hyeok. The call connected quickly. ¡°Hey, are you okay?¡± [¡­Do you think I¡¯m okay? I¡¯m dying because of you, seriously.] There was no strength in Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s voice. Hearing about what Sa Jae-Hyeok had done to him, he felt sorry for putting his friend through this. ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m sorry. But the chances of me getting the bow have increased.¡± [Ha, increased?] Park Jin-Hyeok reacted in disbelief. He easily fell for provocation and attacked another guild member, and now he was saying what? ¡°Yeah. Now Sa Jae-Hyeok has no choice but to take action himself. You know what that means, right?¡± [Dude¡­ Did you hear what I just said? We¡¯ve been stripped of our executive positions.] Lee Hwa-Rang scoffed. ¡°Sa Jae-Hyeok is going to strip me of my executive position? Don¡¯t you know it¡¯s just temporary?¡± [Temporary?] ¡°Why do you think he¡¯s not kicking me out of the guild even after I did something so stupid?¡± [You do realize it was stupid¡­] ¡°Shut up and listen.¡± [Well¡­ I guess it¡¯s because you¡¯re useful.] ¡°Bingo. If I went this far, Sa Jae-Hyeok must have realized for sure. That bastard has the Red Dragon Bone Bow.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok was the kind of person who would do anything to grow Myth. Cutting off someone as valuable as him? That was nonsense. Sa Jae-Hyeok would definitely try to acquire the Red Dragon Bone Bow. [Do you really think so¡­?] ¡°Just wait and see.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang was confident. ¡®Only the Red Dragon can create ck me.¡¯ This was a phrase he had discovered while collecting the Red Dragon Armor Set. In other words, what that guy possessed was a Red Dragon weapon. And there was only one Red Dragon weapon. It could only be the ¡®Red Dragon Bone Bow¡¯. And Sa Jae-Hyeok also knew this. A day after Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s death, Sa Jae-Hyeok of Myth visited Ho-Yeong. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to see you again after the event.¡± ¡°Yes, it is. However, it¡¯s unfortunate that we¡¯re meeting under such unpleasant circumstances. Pleasee in.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok entered the reception room with Yeo Sunwoo. The reception room, where Lee Hwa-Rang had caused a scene, had been restored to its original state using the guild system and was now spotless. ¡°As I mentioned in my message, Lee Hwa-Rang, an executive of the Myth Guild, made a grave mistake against one of our guild members.¡± ¡°¡­Haha, I apologize for that as well.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok clenched his fist tightly. His pride was hurt by the reality of having to apologize to a guild like Ho-Yeong. Yeo Sunwoo continued speaking without even ncing at Sa Jae-Hyeok. ¡°Although Lee Hwa-Rang died in the process¡­ it¡¯s true that he initiated the attack.¡± ¡°I apologize for his actions.¡± Making excuses would only make things worse. In situations like this, it was wise to simply bow one¡¯s head and admit fault. No matter how much his pride was hurt, there was no need to take a big risk just to protect that pride. ¡°Then you must also be aware that we at Ho-Yeong have no intention of letting this slide.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok took out a gold pouch he had prepared beforehand and offered it to him. ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s 100,000 gold.¡± The pouch had the amount ¡®100,000¡¯ marked on it. 100,000 gold. That was 1 billion won. It was certainly a significant amount forpensation, but Yeo Sunwoo had no intention of settling the matter with just gold. ¡°100,000 gold¡­ Surely you don¡¯t think this is enough to resolve this matter, do you?¡± He needed to ensure that Lee Hwa-Rang received proper punishment. ¡°Of course not. We have already stripped Lee Hwa-Rang and Park Jin-Hyeok of their executive positions due to this incident. We will also demote them to the lowest rank and make them start from the bottom.¡± Stripped of their executive positions. Myth had already carried out the punishment before visiting Ho-Yeong. Yeo Sunwoo nodded slightly at their swift action. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°I apologize. I hope Ho-Yeong will show mercy. I will also make sure to strictly manage our members so that such an incident never happens again.¡± They had fulfilled their duty as a guild. From Ho-Yeong¡¯s perspective, this was enough for them to consider resolving the matter amicably. Although he didn¡¯t like handing over 100,000 gold to Ho-Yeong, it was the best course of action. ¡°Alright. Since the Myth Guild Leader has said so much, I suppose we¡¯ll let this slide this time.¡± Yeo Sunwoo also judged that ending it here would be beneficial for both sides. ¡°Thank you. But, I heard that the cause of this incident was the Red Dragon Bone Bow¡­ Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes? Yes, it is.¡± Yeo Sunwoo nodded, and Sa Jae-Hyeok took out another gold pouch and ced it on the table. The pouch contained the amount ¡®2,000,000¡¯. It was a whopping 20 billion won. ¡°This is¡­?¡± ¡°The Red Dragon Bone Bow. I¡¯d like you to sell it to Myth.¡± Thepensation and apology were just a pretense. This was the real reason Sa Jae-Hyeok had personally visited Ho-Yeong. Even though Lee Hwa-Rang was reckless, he wasn¡¯tpletely thoughtless. He must have caused trouble bying directly to Ho-Yeong after finding the Red Dragon Bone Bow. 20 billion won. He offered hundreds of times the price of a normal Unique weapon because the value of the set effect was immense. From Ho-Yeong¡¯s perspective, since Lee Hwa-Rang possessed the armor set, they couldn¡¯t even dream of the set effect. In that case, they had no choice but to pay the price, including the value of the set effect, to acquire the equipment. ¡°I apologize, but¡­ our guild member says he doesn¡¯t have that weapon. So please take this back.¡± Yeo Sunwoo pushed the pouch containing 2 million gold back towards Sa Jae-Hyeok. Sa Jae-Hyeok shook his head. ¡°I heard he triggered ck me. Then it must be the Red Dragon Bone Bow.¡± He had already confirmed it through Lee Ji-Seok and Lee Yeon-Soo. The ck me that only the Red Dragon could create. Since the ck me had appeared, it was definitely the Red Dragon Bone Bow. ¡°What¡¯s the reason for assuming that ck me is an option exclusive to the Red Dragon Bone Bow?¡± ¡°It¡¯s information I learned while collecting the Dragon Armor Set, so I¡¯m certain.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I implore you. You know how much effort Myth has put into obtaining that weapon.¡± Yeo Sunwoo pondered. The fact that Sa Jae-Hyeok was going this far meant that it wouldn¡¯t be easy to make him give up. But he couldn¡¯t unterally decide to ept 2 million gold. The decision to sell the item rested solely with Jeong-Hoon. ¡°It seems like this isn¡¯t something I can decide on my own. I¡¯ll call the guild member in question.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok smirked. Although he had stripped Lee Hwa-Rang of his executive position, he was too valuable a card to discard. Especially if his potential blossomed, he could be a true ¡®Divine Archer¡¯. And with the addition of the Red Dragon Set, there would be a tremendous synergy. The Red Dragon Bone Bow was an item he had to acquire. * * * At the same time. Jeong-Hoon was waiting upstairs in the reception room. ¡®This¡­ I feel a bit bad that this happened because of me.¡¯ Anima said with a sorry look on his face. Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°Why is it your fault? It all stemmed from his own greed.¡± [You¡¯re right. You know, Master, if you hadn¡¯t found it, I might have ended up with that guy.] Mukho, this guy. He was quite sharp. If Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t found the Red Dragon Bone Bow, Anima would probably be in Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s hands right now. Of course, Anima wouldn¡¯t have awakened as a soul stone and would be diligently contributing to the Red Dragon full set effect. ¡®Shouldn¡¯t I just show myself and end this?¡¯ [No, listen to Anima. Let¡¯s finish the 3rd advancement quickly and move on to the next vige!] Mukho urged. Ever since acquiring the Luminous Stone, Mukho had been pestering Jeong-Hoon every day. Hurry up and level up. Hurry up and advance to the next vige. He seemed desperate to restore his lost abilities. ¡°Just wait a little longer.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang wouldn¡¯t give up on the Red Dragon Bone Bow. He would definitely try other ways to get the bow. He was the type to obsess over something he wanted, to the point of being reckless. Knock. Knock. ¡°Jeong-Hoon, it¡¯s Yeo Min-Ji. I think you need toe down to the reception room. Is that possible?¡± As expected. He didn¡¯t know how his predictions never seemed to miss. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be right down.¡± Jeong-Hoon followed Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s guidance and went down to the reception room. Yeo Sunwoo and Sa Jae-Hyeok were seated in the reception room. ¡°Hoon, you¡¯re here?¡± Yeo Sunwoo looked apologetic that he couldn¡¯t resolve the situation himself. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled. It meant that he was okay with it, as he had expected this to happen. ¡°I¡¯m Sa Jae-Hyeok, the guild leader of Myth.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok stood up and greeted Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon also politely returned the greeting, as Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s attitude was very respectful. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Hoon from the Ho-Yeong Guild.¡± ¡°One of our guild members has caused you great inconvenience. I sincerely apologize.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I was the one who overpowered him.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Is that so?¡± For a brief moment, Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s face hardened. He must have been offended since Jeong-Hoon had said he overpowered an executive of the Myth Guild. Jeong-Hoon pretended not to notice and got to the point. ¡°So, what¡¯s the reason you called me here?¡± ¡°The Red Dragon Bone Bow. I¡¯d like you to sell it to Myth.¡± ¡°The Red Dragon Bone Bow?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok picked up a pouch from the table and held it out to Jeong-Hoon. It was a pouch containing a whopping 2 million gold. [2 million¡­? Why is your worth so high?] ¡®Are you kidding me? He¡¯s valuing me at a mere 2 million gold?¡¯ Mukho was impressed, while Anima was dumbfounded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t have the Red Dragon Bone Bow.¡± Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t ept the pouch. How could he sell an item he didn¡¯t even have? Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s expression hardened slightly at his refusal. ¡°Then can you prove it?¡± ¡°Prove it?¡± ¡°Yes. That the weapon that triggered the ck me isn¡¯t the Red Dragon Bone Bow.¡± ¡°¡­Why should I prove it to you?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in confusion. Even if he did have the item, the ownership belonged to him. So it was up to him whether he wanted to sell it or not, and the demand for proof was absurd. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not asking you to prove it for free. If you can prove it, I¡¯ll pay you 1 million gold immediately.¡± 1 million gold just for proof. That was a whopping 10 billion won. ¡°And if I can¡¯t?¡± ¡°Sell me the bow that triggered the ck me for 2 million gold.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok knew that Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t prove it. That¡¯s why he offered such arge sum of 1 million gold. ¡°Then add one more condition to the 1 million gold offer.¡± But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words caught Sa Jae-Hyeok off guard. ¡°An additional condition?¡± ¡°Suspend Lee Hwa-Rang for one year.¡± ¡°Suspend him for one year¡­?¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s what it¡¯ll take to tempt me.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 143 Chapter 143 ¡®A one-year suspension¡­¡¯ Asking for a one-year suspension for Lee Hwa-Rang on top of 1 million gold? Sa Jae-Hyeok understood that he was lying because he didn¡¯t want to sell the item, but he was taken aback by his boldness. ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ The Red Dragon Bone Bow. The only weapon known to have the ck me option. He had checked the clues Lee Hwa-Rang had brought, so he was certain. But what was with this confidence? ¡°If you¡¯re not interested, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Jeong-Hoon was about to leave as Sa Jae-Hyeok hesitated. Sa Jae-Hyeok didn¡¯t miss that. He almost fell for it. Trying to escape after making such an outrageous demand! ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll add the one-year suspension for Lee Hwa-Rang.¡± ¡°¡­Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok nodded. ¡°Yes. I recorded our conversation.¡± Yeo Sunwoo took out a recorder and shook it. It was a big deal, with 1 million gold and a one-year suspension for Lee Hwa-Rang at stake, so he wanted to make sure everything was clear. Sa Jae-Hyeok gritted his teeth at the sight. ¡°Normally, I wouldn¡¯t show off a weapon like this, but¡­ I¡¯ll show it to you briefly.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out Anima and temporarily made it public. === [Dragon Anima Bone Bow (+1)] ¨C Type: Bow ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Attack Power: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) (1.2x applied) ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 10 ~ 15% ¨C Reduced damage reduction due to level difference. (Legendary exclusive) ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): Infinitely generates mana arrows. (Mana arrow damage increased by 10%) ¨C Special Ability (2): Low chance of applying a random debuff when an arrow hits. (Debuff probability slightly increased) ¨C Special Ability (3): ¡®Passive: ck me¡¯ activates randomly. (1%) ¨C Special Ability (4): ¡®Passive: Dragon Void¡¯ activates randomly. (2%) ¨C Remaining Enhancements: 19 === Dragon Anima Bone Bow. That was the name of the bow Jeong-Hoon had taken out. ¡°L-Legendary¡­?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s eyes trembled wildly. He was also wearing Dragon equipment. But its grade was Unique. This was the first time he had seen a Legendary-grade item. How on earth did he get it? Judging by the ck me special ability, it was clear that the ck me had been triggered by this bow. ¡°Huh¡­ You¡¯ve even seeded in enhancing it to +1.¡± Yeo Sunwoo was equally shocked. Seeing the +1 enhancement level next to it, he realized that Jeong-Hoon had used the Legendary Enhancement Stone he had given him earlier to enhance the bow. ¡°Yes. Is this enough?¡± Jeong-Hoon was about to put Anima away. But Sa Jae-Hyeok grabbed his wrist. ¡°W-Wait! Instead of this, pleasee to the training grounds and show us how you trigger the ck me!¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok couldn¡¯t ept the reality in front of him. ¡®Could it be fake?¡¯ The Red Dragon Bone Bow. The only weapon known to have the ck me option. He had confirmed the clues Lee Hwa-Rang had brought, so he was certain. But what was with this confidence? ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you want, let¡¯s go right now.¡± Jeong-Hoon shrugged and headed to the training grounds. ¡°Would a level 300 scarecrow dummy be enough?¡± Yeo Min-Ji approached Jeong-Hoon and asked. ¡°Yes, level 300 should be fine.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll create it right away.¡± The creation of the scarecrow dummy was done swiftly. Also, about 30 Ho-Yeong guild members entered the training grounds and took their seats in the empty spaces. ¡°You have to keep your promise.¡± Yeo Sunwoo stood next to Sa Jae-Hyeok. He reyed the recording from earlier, reminding him of his promise once again. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t worry, I know.¡± Anima? He had never seen or heard of such a Dragon item. He was told that only the Red Dragon could trigger ck me, so what was going on? ¡®He looks quite troubled.¡¯ Looking at Sa Jae-Hyeok, who couldn¡¯t manage his expression at all, he almost wanted tough. ck me. In fact, ck me was a set ability that couldn¡¯t be triggered by the ¡®Red Dragon Bone Bow¡¯ alone before it was upgraded to Anima. ¡®Only the Red Dragon can trigger ck me.¡¯ That ability was added to the bow when the set wasplete, not just with the bow alone. Of course, Sa Jae-Hyeok and Lee Hwa-Rang had no way of knowing that, which is why they made such an absurd offer. [Awesome, so we¡¯re getting 1 million gold and that hothead gets deleted for a year?] ¡®One year¡­ It¡¯s a bit disappointing, but it¡¯s not bad.¡¯ He was right. It was a bit disappointing, but one year would be enough to slow down Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s growth. Jeong-Hoon drew his bow and aimed at the scarecrow dummy. Whoosh! The arrow flew and pierced the scarecrow dummy¡¯s chest urately. But ck me didn¡¯t activate. It would be strange if it activated every time, with only a 1% chance. Jeong-Hoon drew his bow again and aimed at the scarecrow dummy. Whoosh! Again, the arrow pierced the scarecrow dummy¡¯s chest, but ck me didn¡¯t activate. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°This is insane¡­¡± The guild members who hade to see the ck me were captivated by Jeong-Hoon¡¯s archery skills after just two shots. On the other hand, Sa Jae-Hyeok had no interest in his archery skills. He was only curious about whether the ck me would appear. Whoosh! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s arrow once again pierced the scarecrow dummy¡¯s chest. ck mes started to rise from where the arrow was embedded. ¡°Is this proof enough?¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± Yeo Sunwoo asked in a triumphant voice, while Sa Jae-Hyeok stared at the ck me with shocked eyes. [Passive: ck me activated.] The 1% chance had triggered in just three attempts. He was feeling lucky today. * * * Lee Hwa-Rang was spending his time without even logging into the game. ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s taking damn long.¡± It was about time for the results toe out. As time passed, Lee Hwa-Rang grew increasingly impatient. Buzz- His smartphone rang. The caller was Park Jin-Hyeok. It seemed the results were out. [Dude¡­ I think you¡¯re really screwed.] As soon as he answered the call, he heard Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s grave voice. ¡°What? What nonsense are you talking about?¡± [Well, it¡¯s like this¡­] Park Jin-Hyeok ryed the information he had received from Sa Jae-Hyeok to Lee Hwa-Rang. ¡°What the fuck?!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang couldn¡¯t believe his ears. The bow that ¡®Hoon¡¯ had was confirmed to be not the Red Dragon Bone Bow, but a different weapon. Furthermore, they had to pay 1.1 million gold, includingpensation for damages, and Lee Hwa-Rang would be suspended for a year. It was a shocking announcement, telling him not to log in for a year if he wanted to keep his pride. [You said the bow wasing¡­ Is this what you meant?] ¡°Dude! A one-year suspension? Fuck, what kind of bullshit is this?!¡± Not a week, not a month, but a whole year? During that time, not only would he lose his ranker status, but he would surely fall behind. [Think of it as taking responsibility for your actions.] ¡°What? Responsibility? Are you kidding me?¡± [Does this sound like a joke to you? Anyway, I¡¯m just rying the message, so I¡¯m hanging up.] ¡°Ha, Sa Jae-Hyeok, you son of a bitch!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang hurriedly entered the capsule and logged in. The first thing he saw was a fist. Thud! Lee Hwa-Rang was punched in the face without even having a chance to defend, his head snapping to the side. ¡°Ugh!¡± He winced in pain, his brain throbbing, and straightened his head. Jeong-Hoon was standing in front of him. ¡°Hello. Long time no see.¡± The ce he logged in to was the reception room of the Ho-Yeong Guild. No one else was visible in the reception room except for Jeong-Hoon. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? You can¡¯t y the game for a year.¡± ¡°Fuck off!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang shouted and tried to take out his Tempest Bow. But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist struck his face once again. The Underworld King¡¯s energy settled in his fist. ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn and just go.¡± ¡°Puhaha! Shut up, you bastard. You think I can¡¯tst 5 minutes?¡± The suspension time increased if he died within 5 minutes of reconnecting. In other words, if he could endure for just 5 minutes, it would only be a 24-hour suspension. ¡°Huh? What are you talking about? You¡¯re going to keep dying here for a year anyway.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to keep killing you for a year.¡± ¡°Bullshit. You think I can¡¯t get out of here?¡± Lee Hwa-Rang had a Guild Transfer Scroll. If he used the scroll, he would be instantly transported to the guild¡¯s safety zone. ¡°Ah, that probably won¡¯t work. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ve closed the safety zone.¡± To enforce Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s one-year suspension, Sa Jae-Hyeok had no choice but to fulfill his promise. Therefore, he hadpletely blocked any escape routes for Lee Hwa-Rang. ¡°Y-You¡¯re kidding!¡± As if in disbelief, Lee Hwa-Rang took out the scroll from his inventory. He hurriedly infused mana and tore the scroll, but nothing happened. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s die one more time.¡± ¡°You fucking bastard!¡± * * * Jeong-Hoon killed Lee Hwa-Rang once again in less than 5 minutes. With this, it was a 48-hour suspension. ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave the rest to you.¡± Jeong-Hoon picked up the pouch and spoke to Yeo Sunwoo. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Yeo Sunwoo smiled faintly. Before being the Ho-Yeong Guild Leader, he was one of the Seven Strongest, along with Sa Jae-Hyeok. The number one Thief in South Korea. The King of Shadows. That was Yeo Sunwoo. If he stepped in, Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s suspension would continue. In New World, it was rare for users to be permanently banned, but there were cases where they received suspensions ranging from two days to a year. There were cases where they were trapped in a field and repeatedly killed, but it was alsomon for malicious users to get repeatedly suspended. There had been an incident in the early days where users expressed their dissatisfaction with this, but New World had consistently ignored it. ¡®It means the weak should die.¡¯ New World constantly provided opportunities for growth, but it was merciless to the weak. That¡¯s why, unlike typical games, there were quite a few absurd systems in ce. And that wouldn¡¯t change until it became reality. ¡°Yes.¡± The gold was transferred directly to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s inventory. ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± ¡°I have to. I have a lot to do.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes. By the way, aren¡¯t you curious about what I¡¯m going to do with all this gold?¡± Yeo Sunwoo hadn¡¯t asked about the gold until the very end. ¡°That¡¯s something you earned by proving your innocence. I can¡¯t be interested in such gold.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Yes. Good luck. Please contact me anytime if you need help.¡± * * * [Puhahaha, that guy¡¯s expression is still hrious.] Mukho couldn¡¯t stopughing, as Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s stupid expression wouldn¡¯t leave his mind. ¡®By the way, do you have any ns for all that gold?¡¯ ¡®Yes, I¡¯ll put it to good use.¡¯ 1.1 million gold, obtained thanks to Sa Jae-Hyeok. Thanks to this, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about gold for a while. While waiting for Ha-Jin, Jeong-Hoonpleted all the enhancement requests that hade into the workshop. Starting with Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s equipment, he worked through the pile of requests that had umted in the workshop. [Master Enhancer] ¨C Normal (Fully Enhanced) 751/10,000 ¨C Rare (Fully Enhanced) 634/10,000 ¨C Epic (Fully Enhanced) 12/10,000 Even so, the road to Master Enhancer was still long. === [Leviathan (+16)] ¨C Type: One-handed Sword ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Attack Power: 478 ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 6 ~ 6.25% ¨C Remaining Durability: 83% ¨C Special Ability (1): 5% chance to trigger Leviathan¡¯s Wrath when swinging the sword ¨C Special Ability (2): [Passive: Enhanced Courageous Spirit] automatically activates when holding the sword === He also used all 22 Unique Enhancement Stones to enhance Leviathan to +16. However, since its durability had dropped to 83%, it seemed like it was time to go to the cksmith for repairs. ¡°Hoon!¡± Just then, Ha-Jin came running over with a bright smile on his face. Seeing his expression, Jeong-Hoon had a feeling he had good news. ¡°Did you seed?¡± His guess was correct. Ha-Jin grinned and nodded. ¡°Yes! Hahaha! I¡¯m not an Aura Knight anymore! I¡¯m a Dark Lord!¡± He was so happy that he couldn¡¯t stop dancing and grinning from ear to ear. Was this a natural reaction after being promoted from Rare-grade to a Hidden ss? ¡°So, what¡¯s the Dark Lord like?¡± Obtaining the Dark Lord wasn¡¯t the end. He had acquired the Hidden ss, so now it was just the beginning. Whether or not Ha-Jin could unleash the true power of the Dark Lord depended on how he grew from now on. ¡°It¡¯s totally awesome! I can¡¯t believe this is called a swordsman!¡± Dark Lord. In other words, the King of Darkness. Simply put, it can be seen as a knight-king ss leading the legions of darkness. It was a Hidden ss that originally should have been taken by Kaneda Shun. In the past, even though Kaneda Shun was a Dark Lord who hadpleted up to the 5th advancement, he couldn¡¯t fully utilize 100% of the Dark Lord¡¯s power. To what extent could Ha-Jin draw out the power of the Dark Lord? Everything depended on Ha-Jin¡¯s capabilities. ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s time to hold the banquet.¡± ¡°Banquet?¡± ¡°Yeah. I recentlypleted the royal pce quest, and they said they would hold a banquet. But you¡¯re struggling to get the Dark Lord, and I can¡¯t enjoy it alone. So I¡¯ve been postponing it until now.¡± ¡°My friend¡­!¡± It sounded like the process of obtaining the Dark Lord was a journey of hardship for Ha-Jin. He said he had personally experienced why Caryan had pushed him to his limits. ¡°Caryan was close friends with the previous Dark Lord, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The previous Dark Lord and Caryan were said to be inseparable friends. Even though they walked different paths, they met regrly and shared drinks. ¡®I need someone to inherit the power of the Dark Lord.¡¯ ¡®That power?¡¯ ¡®Yes. So I¡¯m going to spread a book containing the session process, and I¡¯ve made it so that Caryan will bring it to you.¡¯ ¡®Oh my friend¡­ Why are you dragging me into this?¡¯ ¡®Puhaha, after living for so long, you¡¯re the only one I can trust. So if you like the guy whoes, help him with the session.¡¯ ¡®¡­Alright, I¡¯ll do that.¡¯ ¡®¡­Thank you. If it weren¡¯t for you, I would have lived my life in vain.¡¯ The previous Dark Lord passed away not long after saying those words. It was due to a chronic illness he had been suffering from since birth. That was why visiting Caryan was the starting point for bing the Dark Lord. ¡°Anyway, I think he felt relieved after passing it on to me.¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± ¡°Then are we going to the banquet right away?¡± ¡°No, one more person needs toe.¡± ¡°One more?¡± ¡°Yeah. He should be here soon.¡± Speak of the devil. A familiar user appeared. ¡°Vroom vroom! The upgraded Bong-Goo car has just arrived!¡± ¡°Pfft¡­!¡± Ha-Jin burst intoughter at Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s boisterous entrance. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face turned bright red. ¡°You¡¯re here? Then let¡¯s go.¡± Jeong-Hoon walked casually. ¡°Where are we going¡­?¡± ¡°To the banquet.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 144 Chapter 144 The lights in the M?rchen Royal Pce burnedte into the night. The royal banquet hall was bustling with countless people, and at the center of it all was Jeong-Hoon. ¡°I was worried you had forgotten about the banquet because you postponed it for so long.¡± Kaiserk V said with a slightly sulky expression. ¡°I apologize. It¡¯s because it was a time when myrades were going through a lot.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. Now I see that the Hero of M?rchen is a man who cares for hisrades.¡± Everyone apuded at Kaiserk V¡¯s words. It was a banquet where even nobles were present. ¡°As expected of a hero!¡± ¡°He truly deserves the title of hero!¡± ¡°He¡¯s so cool!¡± A foreigner being cheered at a ce where the king was present. Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo, who were eating food on the side, widened their eyes and whispered to each other. ¡°Isn¡¯t this almost like a religion?¡± ¡°Oh, I was thinking the same thing.¡± I can hear you, you know. [Shout louder! He¡¯s a hero!] ¡®Hero!¡¯ Mukho and Anima seemed to be caught up in the atmosphere, slightly losing their minds. After Jeong-Hoon finished a brief conversation with Kaiserk V and the nobles over drinks, he returned to his seat, and Ragan approached him as if he had been waiting. ¡°Hoon! Please grant me the honor of pouring my drink into your ss!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had a lot to drink already¡­ But I guess I can¡¯t refuse, can I?¡± ¡°What a disappointing thing to say! Are you telling me not to sleep tonight?!¡± ¡°I think you can go without sleep for a day.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been waiting. Waiting all this time.¡± Ragan looked at Jeong-Hoon with a pitiful expression, like a puppy drenched in rain. Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t help but nod at his pleading eyes. ¡°¡­Alright. Pour me a drink. But you have to endure it till the end.¡± ¡°Hahaha! Of course, that¡¯s how it should be!¡± Raganughed heartily, as if he had never been gloomy before, as soon as Jeong-Hoon gave his permission. Their sses were filled with alcohol. ¡°To the eternal glory of the M?rchen Knights!¡± That was the start of the pouring of drinks. Ragan made the first move, and all the knights flocked to Jeong-Hoon, eager to pour him drinks. ¡°Please tell us some stories from inside the Gate!¡± ¡°We¡¯re curious about the hero¡¯s heroic tales!¡± ¡°If you have the chance, could you please show us your swordsmanship?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an honor to share drinks with you!¡± As the night of the banquet deepened, ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take any more¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± None of the knights who had been pouring drinks for Jeong-Hoon were sober. Finally, Jeong-Hoon got up from his seat and called Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo aside, casting Dispel on them to remove their drunkenness. ¡°So, did you have fun?¡± ¡°Yeah. But are you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine because I kept dispelling the drunkenness.¡± Jeong-Hoon was sober because he had been continuously dispelling the drunkenness with Dispel. ¡°Wow¡­ You¡¯re a real monster. Anyway, New World is amazing. To think they even replicated the feeling of getting drunk.¡± ¡°I agree. It felt so real getting drunk.¡± Kim Bong-Goo chimed in with Ha-Jin¡¯s admiration. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll tell you why I invited you to the banquet.¡± ¡°The reason¡­?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just for fun¡­?¡± The two of them had been enjoying themselves, thinking it was simply a celebratory asion. Jeong-Hoon grinned. ¡°Enjoy it until today. But from tomorrow, you need to reach level 201 andplete your 3rd ss advancement as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Huh? Level 201? 3rd advancement?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo were taken aback by the sudden instruction. Jeong-Hoon pointed at himself and said, ¡°Look at me.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯m looking!¡± Kim Bong-Goo replied energetically. ¡°¡­Look at my yer information before you break that enthusiasm.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­!¡± Only then did the two of them check Jeong-Hoon¡¯s yer information. ¡°What the¡­ 203?!¡± ¡°No way¡­ How did you reach level 203 in such a short time¡­?¡± Jeong-Hoon had already met the requirements for 3rd ss advancement at level 203, while Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo hadn¡¯t yet. ¡°That¡¯s right. So level up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my best¡­ But 201 isn¡¯t a number you can reach quickly¡­¡± It was hard to level up even once after hunting monsters for days, so when would they ever reach 201? At Ha-Jin¡¯s rebuttal, Kim Bong-Goo inwardly cheered for him. ¡®Good job, good job!¡¯ ¡®Please make that Viper withdraw his unreasonable demands!¡¯ But Jeong-Hoon had already taken that into ount. ¡°You know the video that was uploaded on YouTube while you were getting the Dark Lord, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, I know. That¡¯s why we got over a million subscribers.¡± Because of that, the Sky Field had be a hot spot. Users visiting M?rchen were heading to the Sky Field to hunt the Bone Lord Wyvern, and the Pegasus in the stables were being ridden to death. Even ¡®Wi-Gang¡¯s Shop,¡¯ which sold flight skill potions in the Alchemist¡¯s Street, had made a killing. ¡°If you hunt the Bone Lord Wyvern, you¡¯ll get experience potions. Use those to level up.¡± ¡°¡­Dude, how can I do that? And that dungeon is swarming with people.¡± ¡°Who said you two have to go alone? Apply to join an expedition team.¡± The Dark Lord, a Hidden ss, was Unique-grade. And the Shadow Combat was Epic-grade. If the two of them applied, the expedition leader would wee them with open arms. ¡°¡­Do we really have to go this far?¡± ¡°Is there a faster way to level up than this?¡± ¡°Ahem, alright. I¡¯ll level up as fast as I can ande back.¡± ¡°Okay. We need to do that so we can tackle the next content together. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± ¡°Content¡­ Well, if that¡¯s the case, I can¡¯t help it. Alright!¡± In the end, it was Ha-Jin who was persuaded. At the same time, Kim Bong-Goo despaired. ¡®Oh¡­ God¡­¡¯ * * * The next day. Jeong-Hoon entered the capsule and logged in. ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± As he was preparing to leave the pce, Ragan, somehow knowing, came to find him. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve finished my business, so it¡¯s time for this outsider to take his leave.¡± ¡°Outsider? You¡¯re the Hero of M?rchen! I heard you¡¯ve made many contributions before evening here. At this rate, His Majesty might even recognize your achievements and grant you a title.¡± Title. Receiving a title meant acquiring a personal territory, which could be developed to generate ie. Among those who were making a fortune in New World, there were those who thrived by developing their territories and living off the profits. However, Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t interested in titles. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t do it for that.¡± This world was created by connecting dimensions anyway. He didn¡¯t think he would be happy at all living a luxurious life in such a world. ¡°¡­Huh, so the hero has no greed.¡± Ragan was genuinely impressed. Usually, people wouldn¡¯t refuse a title after such achievements. It was a natural reward for a hero who saved the country, so the nobles would agree. Moreover, since Kaiserk V himself had bestowed the title of M?rchen¡¯s Guardian, the nobles wouldn¡¯t even try to oppose Jeong-Hoon. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that a smooth pathy ahead of him, but Jeong-Hoon refused it all. ¡°No, I have plenty of greed.¡± Gaining strength to end the game as quickly as possible when it became reality. ying the game was part of that preparation process. So, it could be said that he was full of greed for gaining strength. ¡°Haha, a hero who even gives up a title says he has a lot of greed? Then are we all just lumps of desire?¡± At this point, Jeong-Hoon was truly admirable. He might have seemed weaker than him on the surface, but he was actually a hero with immense power, and he knew how to use that power for others. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± Jeong-Hoon paid his final respects to King Kaiserk V. If there was no further business, he wouldn¡¯t be visiting again. Perhaps reading his mind, Kaiserk V spoke with a somewhat sad expression. ¡°It saddens me to see the Hero of M?rchen leave like this. I wish you could stay a little longer¡­¡± ¡°I apologize. I have many things I need to do.¡± ¡°I see. I can¡¯t stop a hero on his journey.¡± Kaiserk V snapped his fingers once. Luke brought a pouch and handed it to Jeong-Hoon. The pouch contained 500 gold. ¡°Your Majesty, this is¡­?¡± ¡°I was wondering what I could give you¡­ and I figured gold would be the best.¡± Kaiserk V grinned. As expected, he knew what was up. The more gold, the better. Jeong-Hoon also smiled back and pocketed the pouch. ¡°It would be disrespectful to refuse Your Majesty¡¯s kindness. I¡¯ll put it to good use.¡± ¡°Thank you. Come back anytime if you need help.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon left the M?rchen Kingdom and headed straight for the Martial Arts Tower. The ce to undertake the 3rd ss advancement quest was the tower corresponding to each ss. * * * Kairos, the Master of the Martial Arts Tower, was going about his usual days. However, he had developed a new habit: scanning the entire tower with his heightened senses. ¡°He¡¯s not here today either.¡± The outsider who had left, saying he would return soon. He had defeated his clone and even received Siegfried¡¯s recognition. But he hadn¡¯t returned, and only other outsiders visited asionally. Of course, Kairos didn¡¯t show himself to them. They weren¡¯t worth his time. ¡°Hmph!¡± He lifted an iron bar with weights attached. The path of martial arts was endless. Kairos repeatedly lifted and lowered the iron bar. After a while, He suddenly dropped the iron bar with a thud! ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± A wide smile spread across Kairos¡¯s face. This familiar energy. There was no way he could mistake it. It was ¡®Hoon,¡¯ the one who had received Siegfried¡¯s recognition. ¡°M-Master!¡± As he appeared outside, the martial artists roaming the tower all bowed in unison. Kairos casually acknowledged their greetings and quickly ran down to where Hoon was. And the moment he had been waiting for arrived. ¡°Master? It¡¯s been a while.¡± Jeong-Hoon was looking at him with a grin. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve gotten much stronger.¡± Jeong-Hoon, whom he hadn¡¯t seen in a while, had changed a bit. If hecked qualifications in the past, now he had met them. ¡°Yes. I¡¯vee for my 3rd ss advancement.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t Kairos, the Tower Master, who was in charge of the 3rd ss advancement. The one responsible for the outsider¡¯s advancement in this Martial Arts Tower was an instructor named Lucas. ==== [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Lucas ¨C Level: 250 ¨C upation: Martial Arts Tower Instructor ==== He was an instructor who taught neers in this Martial Arts Tower. Outsiders usually reached level 201 and then sought out Lucas to proceed with their 3rd ss advancement. However, in Kairos¡¯s eyes, Lucas seemed quite inadequate. How could someone like Lucas guide Hoon, who had received Siegfried¡¯s recognition and even defeated him, albeit in a weakened state? ¡°I¡¯ll take charge.¡± It was only right for him to guide Jeong-Hoon on the path to 3rd ss advancement. ¡°What? You, Master¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. So step aside.¡± ¡°Ah, understood.¡± Lucas obediently moved to the side. ¡°Hoon, follow me. I¡¯ll guide you to the 3rd ss advancement trial location.¡± With that, Kairos took charge of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s 3rd ss advancement. [Why is he interfering?] Mukho muttered in annoyance. ¡®I guess he really likes me.¡¯ This was only the second time in New World¡¯s history that Kairos had appeared in the Martial Arts Tower. He was supposed to remain a mysterious figure, focusing on his training and never showing his face to users, but perhaps due to the previous incident, he appeared once again in front of Jeong-Hoon, who hade for his 3rd ss advancement. [Is he going to give us something better?] That would be nice. But Kairos¡¯s appearance was purely out of his own interest, and whether Kairos or Lucas guided him, Jeong-Hoon would still undergo the same 3rd ss advancement process. The 3rd ss advancement took ce on the 5th floor of the Martial Arts Tower, where there was a door simr to the one in the Record Room on the 6th floor that he had visited before. However, it wasn¡¯t as heavily guarded as the Record Room, so even Instructor Lucas could open it with his authority. Also, to pass through this door, one had to meet certain qualifications, which was to be at least level 201. Slide- The door opened, revealing a small room beyond. ¡°What do you see beyond that door?¡± Kairos asked. If he was qualified, he would be able to see the inside of the room; if not, only pitch-ck darkness would be visible. ¡°There¡¯s a tombstone about the size of a person.¡± ¡°I see. You may enter.¡± Kairos smiled and stepped aside. It meant that he was qualified to enter. Jeong-Hoon slowly approached the tombstone beyond the door. A question mark was blinking above the tombstone. [Advancement Quest: Unleashing Power] ¨C Requirement: Level 201 or higher, 2nd advancement Martial Artist ¨C Reward: ¡®Advancement Quest: Trial (1/2)¡¯ bes avable. ¨C Description: You have met the qualifications. It is time to unleash your dormant power. As Jeong-Hoon epted the quest, his body was instantly sucked into the tombstone. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 145 Chapter 145 When Jeong-Hoon opened his closed eyes, He saw the familiar interior of the cave. ¡°The ce where I first advanced to the first ss.¡± It was the cave where he hadpleted his first ss advancement quest. Jeong-Hoon walked forward slowly. The waterfall poured down behind his back. A ce where no light entered, the walls were lit by flickering torches, and a familiar old man slowly appeared. Kwon Hyun-Je. He was still sitting in a chair, reading a book. ¡°Hm?¡± Unlike the first time, however, he looked up from his book and looked at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why did youe so soon?¡± Kwon Hyun-Je clicked his tongue at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s growth rate. When a stranger came to see him again, it was usually just before his potential exploded and blossomed. It would take a considerable amount of time to reach that stage. But Jeong-Hoon in front of him had reached that stage much faster than others. ¡°Is that so? I think I came a little slowly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s slow? You just did everything all by yourself, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not entirely wrong.¡± Jeong-Hoon readily admitted it. Since he had done so much, he had been able to grow so quickly. ¡°Puhaha! Well done! You did a great job!¡± Kwon Hyun-Je even pped his hands in delight. He felt like running up and kissing that face right away. Who said martial artists were in decline? Look at this! This is the true Martial Artist! ¡°Then, can I start my third ss advancement right away?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ The Martial Emperor ss you currently handle has a certain limit, so it won¡¯t be easy to remove that limit.¡± ¡°Yes, I know.¡± While he had easily advanced to the second ss through an event, the truth was that the difficulty of advancing to a hidden ss was several times higher than that of a normal advancement. Also, since this was the first time Jeong-Hoon had experienced the Martial Emperor¡¯s advancement quest, he had toplete it without any future knowledge. ¡°The difficulty will be considerable. To remove the limit of the Martial Emperor, you will have to be recognized by a worthy existence.¡± ¡°I¡¯m prepared for that.¡± Seeing Jeong-Hoon¡¯s serious gaze, Kwon Hyun-Je nodded. ¡°¡­¡­Okay. That¡¯s enough.¡± Then he snapped his fingers. A portal was created next to a pile of stones. [Questpleted.] [You can now proceed with the advancement quest: Trial (1/2).] A question mark flickered above Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s head. [Advancement Quest: Trial (1/2)] -Restriction: Advancement Quest: Opening of Power Clear. -Reward: ¡®Advancement Quest: Trial (2/2)¡¯ can be performed. -Exnation: You are qualified. It¡¯s time to unlock your dormant power. Jeong-Hoon epted the quest and said, ¡°I just need to go through that portal?¡± Kwon Hyun-Je nodded, ¡°Good luck.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± *** Jeong-Hoon entered the portal, and Kwon Hyun-Je closed his book and quietly stared at the portal like a statue. And before long, the color of the portal turned ck. Kwon Hyun-Je¡¯s jaw dropped at the sight. ¡°Oh¡­ of all things.¡± The color of the portal indicated the difficulty level. White was easy. Blue was normal. Orange was a bit difficult. Purple was difficult. Red was very difficult. And ck was hell-level difficulty. ¡°¡­¡­I wonder what kind of ordeal they¡¯re making me go through.¡± A ck portal essentially meant that passing the test was nearly impossible. It was designed to break a person¡¯s spirit by targeting their deepest, most painful memories. Even though he had unparalleled talent, could it be said that he had the mental strength to ovee his own trauma? ¡°I can only watch.¡± I hope against hope that he seeds in the advancement. So that he can destroy all those bastards who point swords or spears at people. Those despicable bastards who shoot arrows at a distance to annoy people. Those sneaky bastards who use guns and brute force to crush people. And those absolutely heinous bastards who use the strange science of magic to tear, burn, and melt people. I desperately hope that Jeong-Hoon can destroy them all once he unlocks all his power¡­ soon, they will perish. Kwon Hyun-Je grinned, then suddenly tilted his head. ¡°Huh? Come to think of it, was it my imagination that I saw traces of him using other weapons?¡± ¡­ No, it can¡¯t be. Just the other day, he confidently dered that he would walk the path of true martial arts. There¡¯s no way he would have handled a sword or bow. Jeong-Hoon is a disciple of the Mingwang, the sessor of the Mingwang Kwonbeop. He momentarily regretted suspecting him of being a disciple of Dokgojun. *** He passed through the portal. There was a vast in. Woo-woo- In the center, instead of his clone, a green stone was floating in the air, vibrating slightly. ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s that?¡± Jeong-Hoon approached the stone. An exmation point was blinking above the stone. [Questpleted.] [You can now proceed with the advancement quest: Trial (2/2)].¡± The first stage of the quest was surprisingly simple. At the same time, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face stiffened slightly. ¡°[What¡¯s wrong? Why do you look like that?]¡± ¡®Things seem to be going too smoothly¡­ isn¡¯t that right?¡¯ Mukho and Anima asked, seeing Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression. ¡°Yeah. Usually, if the first stage is easy, the second stage is incredibly difficult.¡± New World never gave easy quests. Especially since the hidden ss advancement quest was known to be extremely difficult, the fact that he was breezing through it meant that the final stage would be incredibly hard. ¡°[Is it true that the advancement process for hidden sses is different?]¡± ¨C So, you¡¯re doing the quest without any guides? ©¸ Yeah, that¡¯s what I heard. ©¸ That¡¯s crazy¡­ Just because you got a hidden ss, it doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s over. ©¸ It¡¯s just gambling, lol. Martial Emperor was a hidden ss that even Jeong-Hoon was experiencing for the first time. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t know what kind of quest would appear. A question mark blinked above the stone again. [Advancement Quest: Trial (2/2)] ¨C Restriction: Advancement Quest: Trial (1/2) Clear. ¨C Reward: 3rd ss Advancement ¨C Exnation: You are qualified. It¡¯s time to unlock your dormant power. How would it proceed? As Jeong-Hoon epted the quest, his vision went dark. And when it brightened again, Jeong-Hoon was standing in a familiar space. ¡®Where is this?¡¯ Before his regression, Jeong-Hoon had sessfullypleted his third ss advancement after a long battle with his clone. In the process, he had achieved excellent results and even reached the Epic grade. But this Martial Emperor trial waspletely different. The ce where Jeong-Hoon was standing was the school library. ¡°[This is a strange ce?]¡± ¡®Master, where is this ce?¡¯ This familiar ce was the library where Jeong-Hoon had studied while attending school. ¡°The library of the school I attended.¡± ¡°[School? What is that ce?]¡± ¡®Ha, you¡¯re so stupid. I¡¯m talking about the sect.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chuckled and went down to the first floor via the library stairs. A fake world created by bringing unconscious memories to the surface. Yet, there was no sense of incongruity. ¡®Huh?¡¯ As he went down the stairs, he saw a familiar man on the first floor. ¡°[Hey, isn¡¯t that the master?]¡± Mukho recognized the man at a nce. It was none other than Jeong-Hoon. ¡®That¡¯s right. Even though the aura is different, it¡¯s definitely the master.¡¯ Even Anima agreed that he looked exactly like Jeong-Hoon, and he was waiting for the elevator. ¡°Ah, I think I know what kind of test this is.¡± The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips turned up. When he advanced to the Martial Emperor ss, his level of Steadfast Will increased. This will is the mind. In other words, the system had presented a test to examine Jeong-Hoon¡¯s ¡°mind¡± in order to lift his limit. And the message appeared in front of Jeong-Hoon. Originally, this message was supposed to be sent through all electronic devices worldwide. ¡®Ha.¡¯ Kugoong! Kugoong! And a huge vibration echoed repeatedly from outside. Jeong-Hoon quickly left the library. And he could see. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Help!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a ck King Tiger?! Why is it here?!¡± People screaming and running away, and ¡°Human! Kill them!¡± ¡°Kill them!¡± Monsters resembling tigers chasing those people. It was exactly the same scene Jeong-Hoon had seen in his previous life. [A part of the desperate situation in your memory is being implemented.] [The first test begins.] The trial for the third ss advancement was simple. Perform a mission in a setting based on a terrible memory. What a truly devilish fellow. [Wow¡­ A devil even worse than the master has appeared!] ¡®To dig up his terrible memories and make him face them¡­ he¡¯s using really dirty tactics.¡¯ Mukho and Anima clicked their tongues at the content of the trial. Everyone has terrible memories they don¡¯t want to remember. If you were to dig up those terrible memories and face your trauma again, who could easily challenge it? It was a difficult task even for Jeong-Hoon, who remembered everything. [Do you give up?] [If you give up, you cannot re-enter for ¡®7¡¯ days.] Once you give up, you can¡¯t challenge it for seven days. And you have to perform the same task again. ¡®I can¡¯t do that.¡¯ He was trying to gain strength to change these terrible memories, so the option of giving up didn¡¯t exist in his mind. Jeong-Hoon checked the time. It was 2 PM. The building where his mother worked must have been attacked as well. He didn¡¯t have time for this. [Lv.155 ck King Tiger] [Eliminate all ck King Tigers.] [You must eliminate all monsters to proceed to the next area.] However, to pass through here, he had to eliminate the ck King Tigers. ¡°Ha, damn it.¡± Jeong-Hoon cursed and took out Anima, drawing his bow. Fsssh! An arrow shot out, piercing the ck King Tiger right between the eyes. ¡°Keeaang!¡± The ck King Tiger, struck in a vital spot, died instantly. For Jeong-Hoon, who had reached level 203, it was an all-too-easy prey. ¡°Krrrr! Human!¡± ¡°There¡¯s a human using power here!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± Instantly, the target of the ck King Tigers shifted from the numerous humans to Jeong-Hoon alone. The ck King Tigers changed direction and swarmed toward Jeong-Hoon like bees. Jeong-Hoon put down Anima and prepared the Mingwang Kwonbeop. ¡°Krrrr!¡± One ck King Tiger bared its fangs and charged recklessly at Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon then drew upon the energy of the first level of the Mingwang Kwonbeop and uppercutted the beast¡¯s jaw. ¡°Keeaang!¡± The beast screamed and flew into the air before crashing to the ground. And so, the ughter began. The level 155 ck King Tigers couldn¡¯t stand against Jeong-Hoon as he moved with incredible speed and struck them down one by one. Before a cup of instant ramen could even be finished, all the ck King Tigers were cold corpses. [All ck King Tigers have been eliminated.] [You can proceed to the next area.] There was no time to waste. ¡°Wow¡­ What was that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­ He just toyed with the ck King Tigers!¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on¡­? Am I dreaming right now?¡± ¡°Hey? My status is opening!¡± ¡°What?! It¡¯s real? Why is the New World system¡­?¡± The people who had been running away were now mesmerized, watching Jeong-Hoon fight. But nothing registered in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes. All he could think about was moving on to the next area. He quickly used his movement technique and moved forward. However, before long, a barrier blocked Jeong-Hoon¡¯s path. A portal was shimmering in front of it. ¡°I guess I have to go through the portal?¡± Quickly making up his mind, Jeong-Hoon stepped through the portal. He arrived at a small park near his mother¡¯spany. ¡°It¡¯s good that they only implemented a part of it.¡± If they had perfectly replicated it, it would have taken much longer to reach his mother¡¯spany. Jeong-Hoon looked ahead. [Lv.221 Corrupted ck King Tiger] In front of him were more ferocious monsters than before. [Eliminate all Corrupted ck King Tigers within 5 minutes.] [If you fail, the test will automatically end.] A new mission was given. And this time, he was given a time limit of 5 minutes. ¡°5 minutes? I¡¯ll finish it in 2.¡± Leviathan was already in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand. [Activating 1st Form: Initiation.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 146 Chapter 146 [You have eliminated the enhanced ck King Tigers.] [You can proceed to the next area.] All monsters had been eliminated. Hurriedly passing through the portal to the next area, he arrived in front of the building where his mother worked. Kugoong. But the building was already half-destroyed by a monster attack. [Lv.300 Hydra] A gigantic level 300 hydra was wreaking havoc on people, having torn down the building. It was a monster resembling a wyvern, with three heads that looked exactly like a dragon. ¡°[Oh, you have three of the same thing!]¡± ¡®Huh? What nonsense. Are you saying I look that ugly?¡¯ ¡°[No matter how I look at it, you look exactly the same.]¡± ¡®Tsk, how can you judge something without eyes.¡¯ ¡°[Hey, you¡¯re insulting me here?]¡± ¡®I¡¯m just stating a fact. How is that an insult? It¡¯s strange.¡¯ ¡°Alright, be quiet.¡± Jeong-Hoon silenced them and red at the hydra. ¡°Damn it! Level 300 is too much!¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible! I¡¯m only level 140!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the army? When is the armying?¡± Sadly, when the monster that had destroyed the building where his mother worked was causing havoc, there was no user there who could take on the hydra. [Eliminate the hydra.] [If you fail, the test will automatically end.] ¡®Damn it.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon picked up Anima, drew his bow, and aimed at the hydra¡¯s neck. Fsssh! As he released the drawn bowstring, an arrow shot out and pierced the middle neck of the hydra. ¡°Kuwoorrrr!¡± [The hydra is using its breath attack.] The remaining left and right necks let out screams and breathed fire. The breath enveloped the city, turning the surroundings into a chaotic scene in an instant. ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± The screams of people echoed. Even though it was just a fake world created based on memories, why did it feel so real? Jeong-Hoon bit his lip because of it. ¡®If only a barrier had been erected at this time.¡¯ Barrier creation. This was an ability that only high-ranking mages among those with the mage ss could perform. If such a barrier had been created, it would have been possible to protect a certain area from monster attacks. Jeong-Hoon had tried tirelessly to create such a barrier in his previous life, but he had ultimately failed. For now, the priority was to quickly eliminate the hydra before further damage urred. [Activating ckfield.] [All abilities are boosted by 1.2 times.] [Due to the influence of the ckfield, all abilities of monsters that invade the area will decrease by 3%.] He activated the ckfield, increasing all his abilities by 1.2 times. ¡°I won¡¯t use the Stat Amplification Ring.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saving it for any additional tests that mighte upter.¡± Jeong-Hoon drew his bow again, aiming at the right head. Fsssh! The arrow shot out and pierced the right head of the hydra between the eyes. [Passive: ck me activated.] A 1% chance had activated, and ck mes erupted from that head. ¡°Kyaaaaaak!¡± The beast screamed in agony from the heat of the ck mes. Seizing the opportunity, Jeong-Hoon drew his bow again and aimed at the same spot, firing another arrow. Fsssh! The arrow flew like a beam of light and pierced the same spot. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± The beast continued to scream. [The hydra is using its breath attack.] At that moment, the hydra¡¯s remaining left head breathed fire at Jeong-hoon. Jeong-Hoon rolled to the side and used his movement technique to put distance between them. [The hydra is using its gaze.] The hydra¡¯s eyes glowed green as it red at Jeong-hoon. [Movement speed decreased by 30%.] It had inflicted a debuff, reducing his movement speed. [Using Intermediate Healing.] [Debuff removed.] Jeong-Hoon quickly removed the debuff using Intermediate Healing. And he drew his bow again and fired an arrow. This time, he aimed at the left head. The arrow shot out and pierced the left head of the beast. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± With that, all the heads had been pierced with arrows. The hydra thrashed violently, its body turningpletely red. [The hydra is preparing a magic storm.] The beast was about to use a magic storm. If it used a magic storm that swept across the area, everything around here would disappear without a trace. If that happened, he would repeat the past again. Jeong-Hoon drew his bow. ¡®I¡¯ll aim for the heart, its vital point.¡¯ The only way to subdue the hydra¡¯s magic storm once it was cast was to destroy the heart in its core. However, if he couldn¡¯t pierce the heart in one shot, the magic storm would erupt. ¡®Carefully.¡¯ The beast¡¯s heart was located in the same ce as a dragon¡¯s. He released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow flew in a parab. Fsssh! The flying arrow pierced the heart of the hydra, which was preparing to unleash the magic storm. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± The beast¡¯s reddened body exploded. Since the heart that was gathering magic had been pierced, the magic dissipated, and the body couldn¡¯t withstand it and shattered into pieces. However, unlike in a game, the hydra didn¡¯t simply vanish. Its flesh and blood sttered everywhere, creating a disgusting scene. ¡°Ugh, ugh!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± ¡°Damn¡­ It¡¯s so gross¡­ What the hell is going on?¡± People were nauseated and frowned at the horrifying sight they had never experienced even in New World. [You have eliminated the hydra.] [You can enter the next area.] Jeong-hoon entered the building through the portal at the entrance. The building was half-destroyed by the hydra and was barely holding its shape. ¡°Mom!¡± Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind. ¡°[Oh? It¡¯s the master.]¡± ¡®Master? That¡¯s a fake.¡¯ A materialized clone of Jeong-hoon was running into the building in a panic. He quickly passed Jeong-hoon and ran up the stairs. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go up.¡± The floor where his mother worked was the fourth floor. Since a hydra had crashed through the ceiling created above the building, there would have been no time to evacuate. The second and third floors were filled with injured and dead people. Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression hardened. And when he reached the fourth floor. He could see his cloned self and his mother. ¡°¡­Mom! Mom! Wake up!¡± He was slowly shaking his mother who was trapped under the building¡¯s debris. But his mother didn¡¯t move at all. Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to approach her and easily lifted the debris that was pressing down on his mother. ¡°Oh¡­?¡± The clone finally noticed him and looked up at Jeong-hoon with teary eyes. ¡°Get out of the way. You¡¯re in the way.¡± Jeong-hoon quickly checked his mother¡¯s condition. Her lower body waspletely crushed when the ceiling copsed, and her condition was critical. ¡®Damn it, even my healing won¡¯t be enough for this.¡¯ All the bones in her lower body were shattered, and her muscles werepletely torn. Topletely heal such an injury, he would need at least high-level healing. However, even with intermediate healing, it was possible to treat her enough to keep her alive. ¡®Thank goodness¡­ Thank goodness¡­¡¯ [Using Intermediate Healing.] [Using Intermediate Healing.] Jeong-hoon poured Intermediate Healing onto his mother without sparing it. ¡°[Master¡­ Are you crying?]¡± ¡®¡­How clueless.¡¯ Anima scolded Mukho for being so insensitive, and they both shut their mouths. Tears were streaming down Jeong-hoon¡¯s cheeks. The memory of finding his mother as a cold corpse in apletely destroyed building in his previous life was too vivid. Ovepping with that memory, he was relieved to know that he wouldn¡¯t have to repeat the same nightmare. ¡°He, healing¡­? Are you really using healing right now?¡± Chapter 146 (Continued) The clone asked in a trembling voice. Having asionally visited New World at Ha-Jin¡¯s insistence before his regression, he immediately recognized the healing ability. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Then what about Mom?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°¡­Thank goodness. Ugh.¡± The clone burst into tears with a relieved expression. [1st Test Completed.] * * * The screen changed, and the interior of an unfamiliar training ground came into view. ¡°Where is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± An elderly man in histe 80s stood in front of him. A well-trained body that didn¡¯t match his age. A height of over 2 meters. How could he forget him? ¡°Sword King¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. The Sword King had given him the power of the Martial Emperor and then disappeared. And now, the Sword King had reappeared. How was this possible? ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so surprised. When I granted you the power of the Martial Emperor, I also embedded a part of my consciousness within you.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Jeong-hoon wiped away his tears with his sleeve and nodded. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wonder if I didn¡¯t hurt you too much.¡± Nak Jin-Cheon smiled wryly. The Martial Emperor was a profession that drew out the will of nothingness to its extreme, allowing for limitless power. Therefore, it pushed one¡¯s mental strength to its limit, touching on unconscious traumas. [Oveing trauma.] This was the purpose of the first test. And Jeong-hoon had clearly seeded in that test. ¡°Yes. If things were like before¡­ I would have resented you for the rest of my life.¡± A faint glint of killing intent appeared in Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Haha¡­ Just hearing that scares me.¡± Nak Jin-Cheon shuddered as if he were chilled to the bone. ¡°So, what¡¯s the second test?¡± ¡°Before that.¡± Nak Jin-Cheon snapped his fingers. The screen changed again. Jeong-hoon and Nak Jin-Cheon were standing outside the building where his mother worked. ¡°Quickly transfer the injured!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how, but I have the power I cultivated in New World. If you know any healers, contact them quickly!¡± Quite some time had passed, and firefighters had arrived to transport the injured. Due to therge number of injured and the shortage of firefighters, one or two people had to carry all the injured. The situation was dire. However, they didn¡¯t know. That this was just the beginning. And among the injured was his mother. ¡°Mom, are you okay¡­?¡± The clone was tightly holding his mother¡¯s hand, and his mother nodded as if she had regained consciousness. ¡°Why did youe here¡­ it¡¯s dangerous¡­¡± ¡°I was studying¡­ then I got a message. That you had an ident¡­¡± The fall detection alert on her watch. When his mother was trapped under the debris, her watch sent a fall detection alert message to Jeong-hoon. That¡¯s why he could quickly rush to his mother¡¯spany from the library. At that moment, the screen switched back to the training ground. ¡°I thought it would be good for you to see how things have changed.¡± Nak Jin-Cheon smiled wryly. ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°You seemed happy earlier, but you don¡¯t seem so happy now.¡± Even though he knew it was a fake, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t bepletely happy. His mother had been saved, but she would be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her life. In this hellish world. That¡¯s why he was determined to destroy this hell with his own hands. ¡°Let¡¯s start quickly. The second test.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s begin.¡± Nak Jin-Cheon snapped his fingers. And then, a clone was created in front of Jeong-hoon. [Lv.250 Clone S] Unlike the clone he had faced before, this was a perfect replica of Jeong-hoon. Unlike the current Jeong-hoon, his face was full of minor scars. ¡°That is¡­¡± It must be my past self. Thinking back to the time when he reached level 250, it was urate. Did he extract this memory and create it? Jeong-hoon looked at Nak Jin-Cheon. ¡°This is the final test. If you pass, I¡¯ll remove your limit.¡± The Sword King crossed his arms and disappeared. [2nd Test Begins.] [Eliminate Lv.250 Clone S.] This was the final test. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Lv.250 Clone S. But don¡¯t underestimate him. ¡®At that time, I was obsessed with growth.¡¯ In other words, once he bit into something, he would never let go. [Wow, look at that fierce gaze¡­] ¡®The current master has be much gentler.¡¯ Of course. Unlike now, when he was correcting himself, back then he was frenzied with revenge. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are boosted by 1.2 times.] [All stats of monsters that invade the territory under the influence of the ckfield decrease by 3%.] Jeong-hoon unfolded the ckfield. All stats increased by 1.2 times. And the Clone S¡¯s stats decreased by 3%. [All stats increase by 15%.] [Damage is reduced by 20%.] [Time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] He also used the Stat Amplification Ring he had been saving. And he used the Guardian of M?rchen as well. [Wearer¡¯s attack power increases by 4%.] [Specify skill.] The skill is Poison Attack. It increases the activation rate of Poison Attack, which rarely activates, by 4%. [The activation rate of ¡®Poison Attack¡¯ is additionally increased by 4% for 1 hour.] The activation probability of both hit and being hit became 4%. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this quickly.¡¯ Having finished all his preparations, Jeong-hoon stepped forward with his movement technique and approached Clone S. ¡°¡­!¡± ¡°Come on, give it your best shot.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. Then Clone S pulled his right foot back slightly, raised his left arm to guard, and extended his right fist. It was a rough but sharp fist that had been honed in realbat. Jeong-hoon twisted his body and narrowly dodged the fist. Then he unleashed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Even though he counterattacked without a slight dy, Clone S pulled his left elbow towards his chest and blocked the punch. Thud! With a dull sound, Clone S scrunched up his face. Although he had sessfully guarded, he felt considerable damage. [No way, he blocked it? Just die quietly.] ¡®He¡¯s enduring it well. He should just die quietly and be nutrients. Tsk tsk.¡¯ It won¡¯t be easy. The malice in his eyes was no joke. ¡®Was I like that?¡¯ Jeong-hoon chuckled and unfolded the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique again. He stepped forward briefly and punched towards the empty side. Thud! However, this time as well, Clone S attached his right arm to his side and guarded. Then he thrust his left arm towards Jeong-hoon¡¯s face. Jeong-hoon twisted his head, dodging the fist once more, and quickly grabbed his wrist with his right hand. A look of surprise crossed Clone S¡¯s face. ¡°It would be no fun if we just kept blocking and dodging.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned and punched him in the face. Thud! As if in considerable pain, Clone S¡¯s face twisted, and blood sttered from his nose and mouth. Nevertheless, Clone S turned his head back to its original position and thrust his right hand towards Jeong-hoon¡¯s face. Jeong-hoon twisted his head again and narrowly dodged the fist. Thud! And Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist once againnded on the opponent¡¯s face. At first, I thought I would let him hit me and heal him to tease him, but I didn¡¯t want to get hit when I could avoid it. ¡°This bastard¡­¡± Clone S opened his mouth for the first time. Since punches weren¡¯t working, he tried to move to use his legs. However, his legs wouldn¡¯t move properly. Clone S¡¯s eyes looked down. Jeong-hoon¡¯s right foot was firmly stepping on his right foot. Thud! ¡°Cough!¡± A punchnded squarely on his nose, breaking it. Clone S¡¯s face was instantly covered in blood. ¡°I told you not to give me an opening.¡± ¡°¡­Damn it, you¡¯re right.¡± Although I teased him a bit, instead of losing hisposure, Clone S grinned. In an instant, Clone S regained hisposure and a sword was now gripped in his left hand. Before his regression, when he was level 250, his main skill was swordsmanship, not fisticuffs. [Clone S uses a movement technique.] [Clone S uses a continuous sh.] Before he mastered the Extermination Sword. To Jeong-hoon, the swordsmanship seemed too crude. ¡®Terrible. Was I that weak?¡¯ The shorings of the past that became visible only after reaching a higher level. Jeong-hoon unfolded his movement technique and gripped Leviathan. ng! ng! And with Leviathan, he easily blocked Clone S¡¯s continuous shes. Although the level was high and the attack power was considerable, the problem was that the sword path was too simple. With that, if he encountered a monster even slightly higher in level, he would be immediately killed. [First Form: Initiation is activated.] Jeong-hoon activated a higher-level stance and swung Leviathan. With the irregr sword path, Clone S¡¯s face was filled with bewilderment. He tried to block with his sword, but Jeong-hoon¡¯s swordsmanship continued to exploit his weaknesses. Wounds began to appear one by one on Clone S¡¯s body, and his condition rapidly deteriorated. And with the added poison damage from Poison Attack, Clone S was about to copse. ¡°Cough! Ugh!¡± Then he screamed and unleashed a new ability. [Clone S uses ¡®All Stats Up¡¯.] All stats up. ¡®I¡¯ve never used that ability before?¡¯ The Sword King. Is he nning to drive him into a corner somehow? But it¡¯s a pointless endeavor. Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled up in a sneer. [Lv.300 Clone S] The opponent¡¯s level increased by 50, reaching 300. [Clone S poorly imitates the 1st Form: Initiation Stance.] Suddenly, the opponent¡¯s sword path changed 180 degrees. [Crazy, he¡¯s trying to copy what he saw just once?] ¡®¡­So the master is truly the master.¡¯ Mukho and Anima clicked their tongues. Jeong-hoon, on the other hand, remained calm. ¡®If it were me, I would have done at least that much.¡¯ How else did I manage to level up to all-master? I learned everything by watching others. Copying something after seeing it once is a piece of cake. However, it¡¯s difficult to fully internalize it and make it your own. [2nd Form: Engulfment activated.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s sword changed. A sword strike that deals 200% damage in session to a marked target. Clone S, who was marked, couldn¡¯t keep up with the sudden change in Jeong-hoon¡¯s sword path. sh Jeong-hoon shed Clone S¡¯s waist. 200% damage. [Leviathan¡¯s Wraith activated] [Ignores defense for 10 seconds.] And Leviathan¡¯s Wraith activated as well. ¡°I¡¯ll finish you off.¡± The final extermination technique. [3rd Form: Extermination activated.] Jeong-hoon unleashed the Extermination technique, his body disappearing and instantly piercing through Clone S¡¯s neck. ¡°Cough, cough!¡± With the previous umted damage, ignoring defense, and the 350% damage of the Extermination technique with the mark¡­ It was damage that even a hardened warrior couldn¡¯t withstand. Clone S copsed on the spot and vanished. ¡°Huh¡­ You¡­ What¡­¡± The Sword King, who had appeared out of nowhere, was filled with astonishment. He had said he would walk the path of the Martial Emperor, but he never dreamed that Jeong-hoon would have mastered the sword. ¡®He¡¯s an extraordinary fellow.¡¯ The Sword King was able to glimpse a bit of Jeong-hoon¡¯s life through him. And he also saw how fiercely Jeong-hoon had lived. When he first saw Jeong-hoon, he somewhat understood why he had such mature eyes for his age. ¡°Have I passed?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. With this, I have no more reason to stop you.¡± Nak Jin-Cheon smiled. [ss Advancement Completed.] [Advancing to Martial Emperor (3rd ss).] [Achievement Unlocked! ¡®Limit Released¡¯pleted. 10,000 achievement points awarded.] [Rune equipment limit increased to a maximum of ¡®6¡¯.] [Relic content unlocked.] [Legendary: You have achieved the 3rd ss advancement. You have acquired the ¡®minimum qualifications¡¯ to approach the Heavenly Energy.] And he finally underwent the long-awaited 3rd ss advancement. [Steadfast Will has been upgraded to Legendary.] [The rank of skills acquired through Steadfast Will has been adjusted.] Also, uponpleting the 3rd ss advancement, Steadfast Will was upgraded to Legendary, and all skills acquired through Steadfast Will were upgraded to Unique. * * * Jeong-hoon exited the cave through the portal. The first thing he saw was Kwon Hyun-je waiting in front of the cave. ¡°You¡¯re already done?¡± Kwon Hyun-je asked with wide eyes. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ This test must have been different from thest one.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that difficult.¡± When Jeong-hoon shrugged nonchntly, Kwon Hyun-je let out a dryugh, looking dumbfounded. ¡°You¡¯re really something.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be going back.¡± Now that he hadpleted the 3rd ss advancement, it was time to move on to his next n. Then Kwon Hyun-je changed his expression and grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Wait. Let¡¯s confirm one thing.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t happen to use any other weapons or anything like that, did you?¡± Doubt lingered in Kwon Hyun-je¡¯s eyes as he asked that. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Jeong-hoon replied casually. ¡°What¡­?¡± Kwon Hyun-je seemed so shocked that he staggered and sat down on a chair. ¡°Are you that surprised?¡± ¡°Of course I am. I thought I had found a child who would carry on the spirit of the martial artist.¡± ¡°By the way, I never once said i would only use fistfighting.¡± Despite seeing him in such shock, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t just leave it at that. ¡°I believe that true martial arts is about protecting, not fighting.¡± ¡°¡­Protecting?¡± ¡°Yes. To protect, I¡¯ll do anything. That¡¯s the spirit of my martial arts.¡± Protecting? Kwon Hyun-je still couldn¡¯t understand him, but as he looked into Jeong-hoon¡¯s determined eyes, his heart softened slightly. ¡°¡­You¡¯re a funny guy. Well, let¡¯s see how well you protect.¡± ¡°Yes. Please take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Take care? ¡­Are you trying to pour salt on a dead man?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that. I won¡¯t being back here.¡± Kwon Hyun-je only introduced the 1st and 3rd trials. There were only two. From the 4th trial onward, there were different ordeals waiting. ¡°Then promise me one thing before you go.¡± ¡°A promise?¡± ¡°Yes. Promise me that you will never let the Myongwang Kwonbeop disappear.¡± Kwon Hyun-je¡¯s eyes had turned serious. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll try.¡± Jeong-hoon replied with a promise to try instead of a definite answer. ¡°Try¡­ Ugh, just get out of here.¡± Kwon Hyun-je seemed to be in a bad mood and turned his attention to a book. Jeong-hoon chuckled and left the cave. * * * The next ce he was going was the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary. It was the ce to carry out Jeong-hoon¡¯s next n. Whoosh But before that, he logged out and stepped out of the capsule. When he opened the window and looked outside, it was very peaceful. It was a peace possible only because the New World hadn¡¯t invaded reality yet. When he went to the living room, his mother was resting on the sofa. Seeing his mother¡¯s healthy lower body, his eyes welled up. ¡°Huh? Hoon, why are you about to cry?¡± His mother was startled, and Jeong-hoon shook his head with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. By the way, have you been to the Tower?¡± ¡°Yes. I went there to do some quests, and this person who introduced themselves as the Tower Master came.¡± As expected. The Tower Master must have recognized his mother¡¯s talent. ¡°So?¡± ¡°They asked if I would like to be their disciple¡­ I told them I¡¯d think about it.¡± ¡°You should definitely do it!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± At this point in time, the Tower Master of the Tower should not have appeared yet. The Tower Master would appear a year from now. If he became a disciple of the Tower Master, it would be a golden opportunity to gain levels, ss advancements, various skills, and titles. ¡®It would be much faster to level up than by hunting monsters.¡¯ The quests offered by the Tower Master were all packed with experience. ¡°You have to believe me!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright, I guess I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s strong rmendation, his mother soon nodded in agreement. ¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 148 Chapter 148 To enter the next vige from the M?rchen Kingdom, one had to use a portal located in the north. And guarding that portal were knights of the M?rchen Royal Castle. They were all people he had met at the banquet while sharing drinks. ¡°Oh, aren¡¯t you the hero?¡± === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Ferner ¨C Level: 175 ¨C upation: M?rchen Kingdom Knight === Ferner recognized Jeong-hoon and greeted him warmly. ¡°Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Haha, I thought I was going to die back then, but I¡¯m fine now!¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to hear that.¡± ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Jeong-hoon exchanged a few words with Ferner, all eyes were suddenly on them. ¡°Huh? The hero?¡± ¡°Why is an NPC being so friendly first?¡± ¡°This is something new.¡± The waiting users were looking at Jeong-hoon with curious eyes. ¡®Stop! Only those who are qualified can pass, so please line up!¡¯ It was strange because the NPC had definitely given them a strict order. Ferner realized the situation and returned to his seat with a cough. ¡°¡­Excuse me, but how did you be friends with an NPC?¡± A user in front of Jeong-hoon asked with curious eyes. He was a level 205 archer who hadpleted his 3rd ss. ¡°Just proceed with the M?rchen Royal Castle quest.¡± ¡°The castle¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A quest in the castle? He had visited the M?rchen Kingdom after hearing that the previously inessible castle had been opened. However, he couldn¡¯t find any NPC offering quests anywhere in the castle. ¡°Next!¡± Although he was curious about what it meant, it was soon his turn. The archer had no choice but to go through the portal. Next was Jeong-hoon¡¯s turn. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°To Rease.¡± ¡°I see. Good luck.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Ferner behaved like a knight. Jeong-hoon received his greeting and passed through the portal. * * * Meanwhile. Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo were busy defeating the Bone Lord Wyvern. Lv.220 Bone Lord Wyvern. Unlike regr bosses, the raid boss had an absurd amount of health. It would take at least a day to defeat it once. Actually, that was a conservative estimate. Countless raid parties had failed to defeat it even after days of sleepless attempts. ¡°¡­Bong-Goo, let¡¯s take a break.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± While conducting the raid, Ha-Jin had started using informal speech with Kim Bong-Goo. On the other hand, Kim Bong-Goo was still very respectful towards Ha-Jin. Both of their faces were haggard from fatigue. They had been continuously raiding the Bone Lord Wyvern without rest. And they had managed to level up once each. The problem was, when would they reach level 201 and advance to their 3rd ss at this rate? ¡°That kid, Hoon¡­ How did he level up to 201 so quickly?¡± ¡°Hyung Jeong-hoon is a monster. A monster¡­¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Ugh, but we can¡¯t just go in there by ourselves, can we?¡± For each Bone Lord Wyvern they defeated, they would get a fixed number of five potions. No matter how many people there were, it wouldn¡¯t drop more than that. Because of this, the potions were distributed ording to the raid party¡¯s contribution ranking, and those ranked 6th and below had to be satisfied with just the experience points from defeating the Bone Lord Wyvern. ¡°Shall we just do it ourselves?¡± ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t we have to stay up for at least three days?¡± ¡°This is crazy. How can we be expected to do the same thing? How did Hoon do this anyway?¡± Even watching it on a streaming video was astonishing, but after actually raiding the Bone Lord Wyvern himself, Jeong-hoon was just on another level. ¡°¡­That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying.¡± Kim Bong-Goo sighed deeply. It¡¯s not like just because he could do it, everyone else could too. ¡°Ugh, but we can¡¯t not do it either.¡± There¡¯s a saying in New World that everything starts at level 201. Why start at level 201 when leveling up is so difficult? It¡¯s because from that point on, you can grow explosively depending on how you set your direction. Jeong-hoon would be able to achieve that explosive growth, wouldn¡¯t he? That¡¯s why he needed to level up quickly and follow Jeong-hoon. ¡®If I¡¯m with Hoon, I¡¯ll be able to grow explosively too.¡¯ Now was not the time to rest. Ha-Jin got up from his seat. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to hunt wyverns while we¡¯re waiting for more people to join the raid party.¡± ¡°Hunting wyverns¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face turned pale. How long had it been since they finished raiding the Bone Lord Wyvern? He felt like he would vomit at the sight of a wyvern now. ¡°Yeah. If we reduce our rest time and focus on hunting, we might be able to level up a little faster.¡± Regardless, Ha-Jin dragged Kim Bong-Goo with him to hunt wyverns. ¡®Ah¡­ This guy isn¡¯t normal either.¡¯ He resented himself for thinking that Ha-Jin was his refuge for a moment. * * * Free City Rease. Rease was a concept of a city that was slightly different from medieval cities. Instead of a lord, each territory was governed by a representative of a profession, and the free citizens residing in that city had to pay taxes at regr intervals. ¡°Rease¡­¡± Moreover, the center of Rease was called the ¡°City of Peace,¡± where rulers had made agreements to belong to no ce. The center was a city wheremerce was developed, and it was no exaggeration to say that merchants held the real power. In the streets, both users and NPCs were bustling about. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to the Archer¡¯s City. And you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a thief.¡± Like this, users who arrived in Rease would obtain the necessary items in the center and then head to the city of their respective professions. This was because they could receive quests, experience, hunting grounds, and more that were necessary to grow from level 201 to level 250. ¡°[Hurry up and restore me!]¡± Mukho nagged at Jeong-hoon relentlessly, as if he had been waiting for this moment. ¡°Okay, okay, calm down.¡± The Radiant Stone he had obtained from Birshin. However, there was a condition to use the stone. ¡®To request a cksmith who can handle the stone, I need to build up my trust.¡¯ If he just went there, he would be rejected. Hispanions had told stories about their experiences while looking at the ruined Rease, and one of them was about being rejected by a cksmith. ¡°[You¡¯re not going straight there, are you?]¡± When Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t give a clear answer, Mukho asked in an anxious voice. This guy was so perceptive. ¡°Yeah. I need to increase my trust level first to make a request.¡± ¡°[Ugh¡­]¡± ¡°Good thingse to those who wait.¡± ¡°[What kind of saying is that?]¡± ¡°It¡¯s a Korean proverb.¡± ¡°[¡­I¡¯ll endure it a little longer.]¡± ¡°Good idea.¡± The ce Jeong-hoon headed to was the ¡°Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary.¡± To enter the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary in the Warrior¡¯s City, one had to pass a kind of qualification test. ¡°Wait.¡± Two warriors guarding the entrance to the city stopped Jeong-hoon. ==== [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Lukes ¨C Level: 230 ¨C upation: Barbarian Warrior ==== [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Ram ¨C Level: 230 ¨C upation: Barbarian Warrior ==== They were all barbarian warriors. The very image of a barbarian, he carried a massive axe on his back and his bulging muscles were barely covered by monster hides. A question mark blinked above the head of this imposing figure, Lukes. [General Quest: City of Warriors] ¨C Restriction: Users with Strength 250 or higher ¨C Reward: ess to the City of Warriors ¨C Description: Pass Lukes¡¯ test to gain ess to the city. The requirement to receive the City of Warriors entry quest was to achieve a Strength of 250 or higher. Even if you weren¡¯t a warrior, you could enter as long as youpleted the quest. And Jeong-Hoon had achieved that number. [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 283(+28) -> 311 ¨C Agility: 276(+29) -> 305 ¨C Stamina: 270(+29) -> 299 ¨C Defense: 261(+25) -> 286 ¨C Wisdom: 251(+25) -> 276 ¨C Mana: 400(+40) -> 440 ¨C Divine Power: 400(+40) -> 440 ¨C Mental Strength: 246(+27) -> 273 Stats gained from reaching level 203. Bonus stats were evenly distributed between Mana and Divine Power, making them 440. Also, with all stats exceeding 250, he could now undertake the entry quests for all cities. Jeong-Hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°So, you want to pass through here?¡± The corners of Lukes¡¯ mouth curled up into a grin. ¡°Yes.¡± As Jeong-Hoon nodded, Lukes grabbed the handle of his axe and swung it. Whoosh- Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to dodge the axe. Bang! The axe struck the ground where Jeong-Hoon had been standing. Aura shimmered at the tip of the axe. ¡°Then withstand my attacks 10 times. If you do, I¡¯ll grant you entry.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± 10 times? Simple enough. ¡°How arrogant!¡± Lukes shouted, concentrating magic power in his legs. [Lukes uses Stomp.] He kicked off the ground and charged at Jeong-Hoon, swinging his axe down with all his might. [Lukes uses Downward sh.] Whoosh! Leviathan suddenly appeared in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hand. He angled Leviathan and deflected Lukes¡¯ axe. Screech- Bang! ¡°How?!¡± Lukes¡¯ eyes widened in shock. He had attacked expecting him to dodge, but to think he would block his axe with a sword. And he wasn¡¯t even a warrior. Martial Artist. He was the same kind of guy as those who,cking strength, barely managed to secure a spot in a corner, throwing punches at nothing. ¡°I thought it would be boring to just dodge,¡± Jeong-Hoon said, pointing the tip of Leviathan at Lukes. At that moment, the corner of Lukes¡¯ mouth twisted into a smirk. ¡°You¡¯re quite impertinent. Alright, let¡¯s do this. If you cannd even a single scratch on me with that sword, I¡¯ll let you pass immediately.¡± He added another option. He was determined to teach this damn martial artist a lesson. ¡°Oh, that sounds good.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and then executed his movement technique. In an instant, he was in front of Lukes. ¡°What?!¡± He couldn¡¯t even sense Jeong-Hoon¡¯s presence properly. Lukes hurriedly raised his axe to push Jeong-Hoon away. But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword was a beat faster. [1st Form: Initiation activated.] Slice. He executed the 1st Form of the Sword of Extinction, shing Lukes¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Ugh!¡± Lukes groaned and swung his axe. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to create distance and then stored Leviathan in his inventory. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°Did I lose¡­?¡± Lukes touched his shoulder with his hand. Seeing the blood on his hand, he let out a hollowugh, as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. An exmation mark blinked above his head. [Questplete.] [ess to the City of Warriors has been granted.] From the beginning, Lukes was no match for Jeong-Hoon. Level 230. That meant his detailed stats were simr to Lukes¡¯. On the other hand, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Strength and Agility had long surpassed 300. ¡°I¡¯ll be going in.¡± As Jeong-Hoon took a step, Ram, who had been watching from the side, awkwardly moved aside. Only after he disappeared did Ram check on Lukes. ¡°Hey, Lukes. Are you alright?¡± ¡°¡­Did I really lose?¡± ¡°Yes. You lost.¡± ¡°To someone with a lower level than me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­I must be dreaming.¡± Lukes couldn¡¯t easily ept the fact that he had been overwhelmingly defeated. *** As befitting the City of Warriors, there were various warriors inside, besides them. Among them, the ruler resided in the Warriors¡¯ Sanctuary. The Warriors¡¯ Sanctuary was a ce that users with the warrior ss had to visit. The sanctuary was located in the heart of the city and referred to a very grandly built temple. Countless users were walking around in front of it. ¡°Hey, did you get the quest?¡± ¡°Yeah. It took me two weeks to barely clear it, and the next quest is even worse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it always is. But you have to clear it to get the relics.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ It¡¯s such a pain.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t do it, your firepower will drop and it¡¯ll be hard to hunt monsters. You have to do it.¡± ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Listening to the users¡¯ conversations, I entered the sanctuary. And inside that sanctuary, more than 10 NPCs were giving quests to the users, but only one NPC was watching the whole situation as if it was boring. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Verd von Rudheim -Level: 350 -upation: Head of the City of Warriors === A handsome man who looked to be in his early to mid-30s, with striking silver hair and red eyes. That was the head of this city and the Swordmaster. Verd von Rudheim. Jeong-hoon passed by the NPCs with blinking question marks above their heads and approached him. ¡°Verd-nim.¡± When he called him, Verd looked at Jeong-hoon. ¡°Hmm? Who are you?¡± ¡°Do you know anything about this fragment?¡± What Jeong-hoon took out was the ¡®Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark¡¯ he had received from Isaac¡¯s wife, Charlotte. ¡°¡­Where did you get this?¡± At that moment, a question mark blinked above Verd¡¯s head. It was a red question mark. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark. To think someone would actually bring this fragment. Verd stared at the fragment with trembling eyes. [Hidden Quest: Warrior¡¯s Mark] -Restriction: Possess the Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark -Reward: Warrior¡¯s Mark -Description: Gather the fragments of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark and restore it to the Warrior¡¯s Mark. The way to restore the Warrior¡¯s Mark. It was to gather the fragments and restore it. ¡®Originally, you would have to receive andplete all the quests from the NPCs here before you could receive a quest from Verd.¡¯ It was a hidden quest that only opened after perfectly clearing all the other quests. However, Jeong-hoon had brought the Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark, so the quest was triggered as a free pass. ¡°I received it as a reward.¡± ¡°A reward¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, not looted?¡± Verd narrowed his eyes. To possess the Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark, one must have the qualifications, but in his eyes, Jeong-hoon was a martial artist, not a warrior. It wasughable that a mere martial artist possessed the Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark. ¡°How could I loot something when I don¡¯t even know what it is?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head. ¡°That¡¯s not it, but¡­¡± Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark. Only a very small number of people knew its value. If you were going to loot, you should loot something valuable. There was no reason to loot a fragment. ¡°I want to restore this fragment.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s move somewhere else first.¡± Verd nced around. The NPCs and users were already looking this way. ¡°What? Who¡¯s that martial artist?¡± ¡°How is he talking to Verd?¡± ¡°He won¡¯t even give us quests?¡± The users looked at Jeong-hoon with curious eyes. And they were shocked to see Verd move. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Verd moved!¡± ¡°This is crazy!¡± The ruler of the City of Warriors. Verd, who they thought was just an NPC to show who the ruler was, was moving with a user. The NPCs were also surprised. ¡°Boss? Why is he suddenly acting like that?¡± ¡°The boss¡¯s expression doesn¡¯t look good.¡± ¡°Should we follow?¡± ¡°Do you want to get stabbed?¡± * * * Lord Knight Park Jin-Hyeok At level 339 and havingpleted his 4th ss advancement, he was one of the top-ranking Korean Warrior users, admired as an executive of the mythical Myth Guild. However, overnight, he was demoted to the lowest rank within Myth. ¡°¡­Um, there¡¯s a field cleanup today, would you be able toe with us?¡± Despite this, the guild members couldn¡¯t treat him carelessly. It was only recently that he was an executive, and he was a level 339 Lord Knight. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Park Jin-hyeok nodded with a sullen face. ¡°If you get tired at any point, please let me know! We¡¯ll give you as much rest time as you need.¡± Their levels were in the early to mid-200s. On the other hand, Park Jin-hyeok, who was following their instructions, was level 339. ¡®If you cause trouble, I¡¯ll kill you.¡¯ However, due to Sa Jae-hyeok¡¯s chilling warning, Park Jin-hyeok remained docile. ¡®¡­Sigh, how did I end up like this?¡¯ Things started to go wrong from the moment he followed Lee Hwa-rang. Moreover, he heard that Sa Jae-hyeok, after whatever happened in Ho-Yeong, not only trashed the guild master¡¯s office but also went down to the training ground and relentlessly shed at the scarecrow dummies. He even picked fights with those giving work reports and threatened to cut the throats of guild members who annoyed him. He was an unpleasant guy, to say the least. But what could he do? He was the head of Myth and the current number one Sword King in Korea¡¯s Swordsman rankings. ¡°Sorry I¡¯mte!¡± A level 205 Crusader joined them btedly. He was a user who had recentlypleted his 3rd ss advancement and be an Epic-grade Crusader. The guild member leading the group was harsher on him than usual. ¡°This guy! Have you forgotten who¡¯s here?!¡± It was because Lord Knight Park Jin-hyeok was present. Even he, a former executive, arrived on time, so how could a mere level 205 Crusader bete? ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ There was something strange happening at the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary¡­¡± ¡°At the Sanctuary?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ A martial artist met the ruler of the Warrior City, and then the ruler actually moved from his spot.¡± ¡°A martial artist?¡± At the mention of a martial artist, a familiar face shed through Park Jin-hyeok¡¯s mind. ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ He turned around and approached the Crusader. ¡°Could you tell me more about that story?¡± ¡°Yes¡­?¡± * * * Inside the temple, there was a private chamber used exclusively by Verd. Jeong-hoon followed his lead and entered the chamber. ¡®It¡¯s more humble than I expected.¡¯ Unlike someone with the title ¡®Ruler of the Warrior City¡¯, the interior of the chamber was surprisingly simple. Jeong-hoon sat on a chair made of carved wood. Across from him, Verd sat down and ced a fragment on the table in front of them. It was a Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark, just like the one Jeong-hoon had brought. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious why I have the same thing?¡± ¡°¡­Yes, I am curious.¡± Jeong-hoon replied with a lie. In truth, there were a total of six fragments. All six had to be gathered to restore the Warrior¡¯s Mark. ¡®But one more fragment has appeared.¡¯ Six fragments were needed for the restoration. But after the regression, one more had appeared. Unlike before the regression, a total of seven fragments could be obtained. In other words, if he gathered all seven, he would be able to acquire the ¡®Completed Warrior¡¯s Mark¡¯. ¡°There are two more of these fragments.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Three in total. Yet, the restoration failed. It was because there weren¡¯t enough fragments.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I assume you understand what I¡¯m saying.¡± Simply put, it meant to hand over the fragment he had. Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°If I intended to hand it over, would I have shown it to you so readily?¡± ¡°Would you refuse even if I offered you 10,000 gold?¡± Verd took out a pouch containing 10,000 gold. Jeong-hoon grinned and retorted. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll give you 20,000 gold. Hand over that fragment to me.¡± ¡°¡­Do you even have 20,000 gold?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon took out an empty pouch and transferred 20,000 gold from his inventory into it. Seeing the pouch filled with 20,000 gold, Verd let out a hollowugh. ¡°You¡¯re richer than I imagined.¡± ¡°It means you can¡¯t entice me with money.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. Then let¡¯s do something else.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°I have a master. If you find my master and obtain two fragments, I¡¯ll hand over my fragment.¡± This was the hidden quest Verd was proposing. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°The time limit is one month. How¡¯s that?¡± ¡°And the location?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be within the city. That should be enough, right?¡± Verd grinned. Was this a counterattack for the 20,000 gold offer just now? He barely managed to suppress a chuckle. Jeong-hoon nodded and stood up. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°What¡­? Are you really okay with just this much of a hint?¡± Verd looked slightly flustered. ¡°Will you give me more hints?¡± ¡°Not really¡­¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be on my way then, time is precious.¡± As Jeong-hoon left, Verd stared nkly at the door he had exited, wearing a dumbfounded expression. Then, he burst into heartyughter. ¡°Hahaha, what an amusing fellow.¡± Such a bold fellow was a first. Just where did hee from, that he could face the head of the Warrior City without a hint of unease? What a curious stranger. ¡®But the fragment will fall into my hands.¡¯ If his master decided to go into hiding, even he, a Swordmaster, couldn¡¯t find him. How could a mere martial artist find him? It was absolutely impossible. * * * [No way, how are we supposed to find him with just that?] ¡®It¡¯s no different from just asking us to hand over the fragment.¡¯ Mukho and Anima grumbled. Indeed, as they said, finding an old man in hiding without any clues was impossible. But Jeong-hoon knew where he was hiding. ¡®The fragments? It was really hard to gather these.¡¯ James Marcus, once called the strongest Pdin of the American continent. He was currently a top star in New World, still active as a top-tier professional gamer. Before the regression, it was he who had gathered all the Fragments of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark. ¡®Really? Where did you find them?¡¯ Alessandro Bryden expressed his curiosity. As if waiting for this, James Marcus grinned and revealed the answer. ¡®The City of Warriors.¡¯ ¡®The City of Warriors?¡¯ ¡®Yes. All six fragments were in that city.¡¯ Verd said there were only three fragments, but there were three more hidden fragments in the city. Jeong-hoon moved to the outskirts of the city. Tenant farmers lived together in the outskirts. They were ordinary freemen, not warriors. They farmed in the outskirts, paid their taxes with the produce, and made a living. ¡°Hmm? What brings a stranger here?¡± An NPC approached Jeong-hoon. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Sors -Level: 45 -upation: Tenant Farmer === Only level 45 in the Warrior¡¯s Vige. It couldn¡¯t be helped. They were just powerless tenant farmers. Perhaps because of that, Sors¡¯s attitude was very polite. Every stranger who visited this ce was over level 201. He wouldn¡¯t want to pick a fight and get beaten up. ¡°I¡¯d like to take a look at the fields.¡± ¡°The fields¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Why would a stranger want to see the fields? Sors looked at Jeong-hoon with a bit of wariness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that would be difficult.¡± ¡°Is there a reason?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there have been people stealing our cropstely. If you¡¯re unlucky, you might get caught up in it.¡± A question mark blinked above Sors¡¯ head. [General Quest: The Plunderer] ¨C Restriction: Enter the outskirts of the City of Warriors ¨C Reward: Slight increase in trust with all tenant farmers in the City of Warriors ¨C Description: There¡¯s a plunderer who has been harassing the tenant farmerstely. Please help the tenant farmers. It was a general quest that anyone could undertake. Jeong-hoon epted the quest. ¡°Really? Then if I help you, I can take a look around, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­? You¡¯ll help us?¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. Sors then signaled for him to follow quietly and led him somewhere. It was a rather old mansion, with no one around but piles of crops stacked like mountains. These were crops harvested directly from the fields. ¡°What is this ce?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a resting ce where we tenant farmers take a break.¡± ¡°I see. Then how can I help you?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll be here soon. Please catch him first.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± It seemed like a simple request. Jeong-hoon received brief information about the plunderer from Sors. He was a bandit who lived in the mountains outside the city, and recently he had beening down from the mountains to harass the tenant farmers. Just then, someone mmed open the mansion¡¯s door and entered. ¡°Hey! The crops are ready, right? If you¡¯re not prepared today, you¡¯ll have to face the consequences.¡± The man speaking nervously appeared to be in his mid-tote 40s, with apletely bald head. He was quiterge, wearing a ck eyepatch over his left eye, with a scar peeking out from under it. ¡°T-That¡¯s him.¡± Sors muttered in a trembling voice. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Rob -Level: 220 -upation: Bandit === Rob. Level 220. He was a bandit with a considerably high level. ¡°I¡¯ll finish this quickly.¡± Jeong-hoon stepped forward. Rob sneered at him. ¡°Puhaha! What¡¯s this? This guy who looks like a gigolo?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start with a beating.¡± ¡°How absurd. A guy with a lower level than me is trying to¡­ Keuhk!¡± Rob couldn¡¯t continue his sentence. Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist had alreadynded in his stomach. ¡°Waste of time.¡± Jeong-hoon proceeded to beat Rob to a pulp. It was nothing short of a one-sided assault. ¡°¡­Oh my. A person can be beaten like that.¡± Sors was amazed by Jeong-hoon¡¯s power. At the same time, seeing Rob turn into a bloody mess brought a sense of exhration and satisfaction. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 150 Chapter 150 ¡°S-Stop! I¡¯m sorry!¡± The one-sided violence only ended when Rob begged for mercy. ¡°You should have done that from the start. Is this enough?¡± Jeong-hoon asked, looking at Sors. ¡°Uh¡­ I think it would be okay if you hit him a bit more.¡± ¡°You son of a¡­ Gah!¡± Rob, who had been ring at Sors as if he wanted to kill him, quickly lowered his head when he met Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Do you want to get hit more?¡± ¡°N-No!¡± Rob shouted in a voice filled with discipline. ¡°Good. Then kneel and wait.¡± Jeong-hoon made Rob kneel and then approached Sors. An exmation mark was blinking above his head. [Quest Completed.] [Trust with all tenant farmers in the City of Warriors has slightly increased.] ¡°Thank you! But¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯vepletely driven away the bandits yet.¡± Sors¡¯s face was still dark. And a question mark blinked above his head once again. [General Quest: Bandit Extermination] ¨C Restriction: ¡®General Quest: The Plunderer¡¯pleted ¨C Reward: Significant increase in trust with all tenant farmers in the City of Warriors ¨C Description: Rob is burning with a desire for revenge. Completely exterminate the bandits and relieve the tenant farmers¡¯ anxieties. Jeong-hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I¡¯ll take care of all the bandits.¡± ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡± Sors asked, his face full of disbelief. Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know why he came alone, but just beating him up won¡¯t stop the looting.¡± Jeong-hoon looked at Rob, who was groaning with his head down. Usually, bandits would attack in groups, but for some reason, Rob hade alone. ¡®Thanks to that, things got easier.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s next target was the bandit leader. Three undiscovered fragments in the territory of the City of Warriors. Surprisingly, the bandit leader possessed one of those fragments. He had identally acquired the buried fragment. ¡®While helping the tenant farmers, I¡¯ll also take down the bandit leader, and a fragment will appear.¡¯ During his search for the fragments, James Marcus had confirmed that the bandit leader possessed one of them. Therefore, Jeong-hoon nned to take Rob and head to their main base. ¡°¡­Please, I beg you.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± * * * Rob couldn¡¯t hide his confused feelings. ¡®Damn it, what kind of guy is this?¡¯ Why did the punches from a guy who was only level 203 hurt so much? Where did the tenant farmer bring this monster from? He hade alone because it was just a task to go down and receive the crops, but if he had known this would happen, he would have brought the guys from below. If only he had brought them, he could have crushed this damn guy. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°W-Where to?¡± Rob¡¯s voice trembled slightly. ¡°Where else? Your hideout, of course.¡± ¡°My hideout¡­¡± At that moment, Rob¡¯s mind raced. Right. I¡¯m alone now, so I can¡¯t handle him, but there are others at the hideout, and most importantly, the boss, who¡¯s stronger than me! Unlike those arrogant bastards in the City of Warriors, the boss, a true warrior, would surely avenge me. ¡°What? You want another beating?¡± Rob¡¯s face turned pale, and he hurriedly spoke. ¡°No! I¡¯ll guide you right away!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Heh heh, just keep chanting that you¡¯re dead. Rob smiled inwardly and tried to get up. ¡°Ugh!¡± But his legs wouldn¡¯t move. He had forgotten the pain due to fear, but Rob¡¯s body was currently a wreck. ¡°What are you doing? Do you want more?¡± The bastard looked down at him with a contemptuous gaze. That son of a bitch¡­! Rob gritted his teeth and barely managed to stand up. ¡°Ugh¡­ No¡­¡± ¡°Then guide me quickly. I don¡¯t have time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rob moved forward with difficulty. * * * Their hideout was located a short distance from the city. [The bandits are so close, yet the city people just watch?] ¡®It¡¯s strange. They¡¯re doing nothing even though the tenant farmers who pay taxes are being harassed.¡¯ Mukho and Anima¡¯s questions were valid. Bandits running rampant so close to the City of Warriors? ¡°Ah, that¡¯s because the bandits also pay maintenance fees.¡± [Maintenance fees?] ¡°Yes. I think they pay quite a bit.¡± That¡¯s why the warriors just watched the bandits¡¯ atrocities. The tenant farmers paid a certain amount of taxes, and on top of that, the bandits¡¯ loot was received as maintenance fees, so from the rulers¡¯ perspective, there was no loss. Also, since they operated outside the city, they also robbed people living in other cities, and they rarely bothered the warriors living in the city, making them perfect as a sort of security force. ¡®In short, only the powerless suffer.¡¯ [I don¡¯t understand. They leave the bandits alone even though they know that?] You shouldn¡¯t try to understand this city. It was the result of destroying dimensions, selecting people to turn into NPCs, cramming them into a so-called city, and then adding all sorts of strange mechanisms. ¡°H-Here it is.¡± Rob, who was walking ahead, stopped. In front of him was a door made of carved wood, with a wall built beside it. ¡®They said there were over 50 of them during the raid, the scale is huge.¡¯ Rob hurriedly knocked on the door. The door slowly opened with a creaking sound. ¡°Huh? Boss, why are you back so early¡­ Gah! Who beat you up like this?!¡± One of the bandits who opened the door was startled when he saw Rob¡¯s face. ¡°Th-The guy behind me.¡± ¡°Behind you? ¡­Who are you!¡± The bandit, who btedly noticed Jeong-hoon, drew his sword from his waist. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Tao -Level: 175 -upation: Bandit === He was a bandit with a much lower level than Rob. Jeong-hoon used his movement technique and struck the bandit¡¯s throat with his fist. ¡°Keuhk!¡± The bandit fell backward, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness. ¡°Tao!¡± As Rob hurriedly tried to check on Tao, Jeong-hoon kicked him in the butt. ¡°Get inside if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°¡­A-Alright.¡± Rob groaned and went inside. Inside, there were several huts, and bandits poured out of them at the sound of Tao¡¯s scream. They were all bandits with levels between 170 and 220. ¡°Tao? What happened?¡± ¡°Boss Rob! What happened to your face?!¡± ¡°Who is it?! Who dared to touch our boss!¡± The bandits¡¯ eyes widened at the sight of Rob¡¯s battered state. Rob hurriedly ran towards the group. ¡°Th-That¡­ That bastard! He did this to me!¡± ¡°What? That gigolo?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you! I was about to take the crops, and that bastard suddenly punched me¡­! Ahh¡­ It hurts so much.¡± While Rob was tattling to the bandits, Jeong-hoon stretched his body. ¡°Boss, rest. I¡¯ll take care of that bastard.¡± One of the bandits approached, taking out an axe he had been carrying on his back. ¡°If you can.¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°Look at your attitude. You¡¯ll be buried here today.¡± At those words, the rest of the bandits also took up their weapons, ready to attack Jeong-hoon. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see who gets buried.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.2 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that enter the area are decreased by 3%.] First, activate ckfield. [ckfield has reached its maximum level.] [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ is activated.] [ckfield¡¯s grade has increased from Epic -> Unique.] With that, ckfield¡¯s level reached 10, and its grade upgraded from Epic to Unique. ¡®So the limit has been lifted¡­ The Legendary grade Steadfast Will is truly overpowered.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just that he could acquire skills. With the upgrade to Legendary, the ability to upgrade skills obtained through serendipity was added. The condition was for the skill¡¯s level to reach its maximum. Once that happened, it would automatically be eligible for an upgrade. [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that enter the area are decreased by 10%.] The effect of the upgraded Unique ckfield was tremendous. The stat increase went from 1.2 times to 1.5 times, and the debuff, which was a 3% decrease, increased to a whopping 10%. Moreover, the range widened even further, bringing all the bandits within the influence of ckfield. As the ground beneath their feet turned ck, the bandits were ovee with confusion. ¡°W-What is this?!¡± ¡°Damn it! What did you do!¡± The bandits quickly realized that this was Jeong-hoon¡¯s doing. But that was all they could do. Bam! Jeong-hoon used his movement technique and struck the bandit who had just spoken insolently in the stomach. ¡°Ugh!¡± Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique 1st Form. The bandit was sent flying backward by the damage from the Legendary grade Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. And he didn¡¯t get back up. ¡°Crazy¡­ He took out Kin with one hit?¡± The approaching bandits faltered for a moment. ¡°We have to attack together! If we go one by one, we¡¯ll die!¡± ¡°A-Alright.¡± At Rob¡¯s urgent shout, the hesitant bandits all rushed at Jeong-hoon at once. And Jeong-hoon¡¯s massacre began. With each punch from Jeong-hoon, a bandit fell. 3, 4, 5. As the number of bandits sprawled on the ground rapidly increased, Rob was frozen in fear, unable to move. ¡®A m-monster¡­ He¡¯s a monster¡­¡¯ How could someone with a level barely over 200 possess such power? ¡°Stop!¡± At that moment, a voice of salvation came from behind Rob. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Kukri -Level: 260 -upation: Bandit Leader === He was the leader of these bandits, Kukri. ¡®Yes¡­! With the boss joining, there¡¯s a chance¡­¡¯ As Rob felt a glimmer of hope, Jeong-hoon used his movement technique and arrived in front of Kukri in an instant. ¡°W-What!¡± Kukri¡¯s face contorted in shock at the speed that was impossible to follow with his eyes. ¡°While I¡¯m still being nice, hand over the fragment.¡± ¡°F-Fragment? What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t y dumb. The Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark that you have.¡± ¡°How do you know about that¡­ Keuhk!¡± Bam! Jeong-hoon struck his abdomen. Kukri¡¯s waist folded in half. It was the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, which had been activated to the 2nd Form while beating up the bandits. Unlike the others, the fact that he didn¡¯t get knocked back showed that the boss was indeed the boss. ¡°Let me know if you change your mind.¡± Jeong-hoon punched him in the face. ¡°Ugh!¡± Kukri felt like he was going to lose his mind. How did this stranger in front of him know something that even Verd didn¡¯t? But he couldn¡¯t hand over the fragment. This fragment was proof of a great warrior. ¡®This fragmenting to me is fate!¡¯ It meant that the heavens acknowledged him as a great warrior! Kukri reached into the pouch at his waist. And then he threw ¡®it¡¯ at Jeong-hoon. Bang! With the sound of an explosion, purple liquid drenched Jeong-hoon¡¯s body. ¡°Khahaha! How¡¯s that! The taste of poison!¡± It was an item he had obtained with great difficulty. It cost him a lot, but the effect was sure to be certain. ¡°What? You¡¯re the boss, and you¡¯re resorting to using poison?¡± But Jeong-hoon waspletely fine. ¡°N-No¡­ Why¡­ Why isn¡¯t it working¡­?¡± Kukri stammered in shock. [Resisting poison.] Why wouldn¡¯t it work? It was the Thousand Poisons Immunity, which had been upgraded to Unique this time. It was a poison that couldn¡¯t prate the Thousand Poisons Immunity, so it was useless. Jeong-hoon started beating Kukri again. [This bastard! He dared to poison me?! Beat him up!] Mukho¡¯s anger reached its peak. It was because he was drenched in poison thanks to Kukri. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to hand it over, don¡¯t. I¡¯ll just kill you and take it.¡± ¡°Keuhk! H-How do you know where it is?!¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Bam! Jeong-hoon¡¯s fists pounded Kukri¡¯s body. ¡®C-Crazy¡­¡¯ The remaining conscious bandits, including Rob, shuddered at the brutal sight. If even the boss couldn¡¯t handle him, they had no chance. ¡°Kuaaak! I¡¯ll give it! I¡¯ll give it, so please stop!¡± Finally, Kukri couldn¡¯t endure it any longer and surrendered. Only then did Jeong-hoon stop his fists. ¡°From this moment on, I¡¯m your boss. Got it?¡± He then spoke to the bandits who were watching from behind. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Any of you have a problem with that, step forward.¡± This time, Jeong-hoon drew Leviathan. It was a warning that he would kill anyone who opposed him. ¡°N-No, we don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Your voice is too quiet.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t!¡± The bandits answered loudly. ¡°And you?¡± Jeong-hoon asked, looking at Kukri who was groaning. Kukri hurriedly knelt down. ¡°Of course not, boss.¡± With that, he had sessfully recruited the bandits. ¡®Good. I can use these guys to find Verd¡¯s master.¡¯ They were more useful than he thought. They would definitely be helpful in carrying out his future ns. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 151 Chapter 151 ¡°I brought the fragment!¡± Kukri, who had be Jeong-hoon¡¯s subordinate, obediently brought the fragment. [Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark] ¨C Type: Material ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C This is a fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark. ¨C If you gather all the fragments, you might learn how to use it. It was indeed the Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark. [You have acquired the Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark.] [You currently possess ¡®2¡¯ fragments.] With this, Jeong-hoon had two fragments in his possession. Now there were five fragments left. ¡°Kukri.¡± ¡°Yes! Speak!¡± Kukri didn¡¯t even let out a groan, despite having been beaten up. Was this the resilience of a leader? ¡°I¡¯ll heal you first.¡± Since he had be a temporary subordinate, this level of welfare was necessary. [Using Advanced Healing.] Like other skills, Intermediate Healing (Epic) had also been upgraded to Advanced Healing (Unique). A more intense light burst forth, and Kukri¡¯s wounds healed rapidly. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Kukri¡¯s face was filled with astonishment. This was because only the people of the Holy City, who were at odds with the City of Mages, used healing magic. And Kukri didn¡¯t like them. To receive healing from them, one had to pay an absurdly high price. But the healing Jeong-hoon was performing had far greater healing power than theirs. ¡°Now, exin. What was the reason for bothering the tenant farmers?¡± ¡°Th-That¡¯s¡­¡± Kukri hesitated, then confessed everything. It was three months ago. He was returning from a bandit raid as usual when he discovered a half-buried box. It was an old wooden box, and he would have passed it by, but the moment he saw it, Kukri felt apulsion to take it. ¡°Is this the box?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The wooden box Kukri brought. Inside the box was a note. [Location where the Fragment of the Old Warrior¡¯s Mark is hidden] The note contained vague coordinates. The coordinates pointed to the fields where the tenant farmers were working. ¡°So this is why you¡¯ve been harassing the tenant farmers more viciouslytely.¡± ¡°I have nothing to say¡­¡± ¡°Bring the rest of them here first. Let¡¯s heal them and talk.¡± ¡°A-Alright.¡± Kukri, whose pain hadpletely disappeared, hurriedly brought the groaning bandits before Jeong-hoon. [Uses Advanced Healing] Jeong-hoon healed all the bandits, and they reacted the same way as Kukri to his amazing healing power. ¡°Gasp¡­ Healing!¡± ¡°Wow, this is way better than the healing those bastards in the Holy City do.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard! How dare youpare the boss to those damn guys?¡± ¡°He¡¯s just saying he¡¯s that good, you idiot.¡± The bandits growled at each other as their wounds healed. Normally, Kukri would have stepped in to suppress them, but Jeong-hoon was standing in front of him now. So he couldn¡¯t act rashly. ¡°If any of you say one more word, I¡¯ll kill you all.¡± A low voice flowed from Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The murderous voice froze the room instantly. Jeong-hoon nodded in satisfaction and continued. ¡°Now, there¡¯s something I need you to do.¡± ¡°Something?¡± Kukri opened his mouth cautiously. ¡°Yes. Go down to the city right now and find one person.¡± Jeong-hoon took out a memo pad and wrote down the name of an NPC. ¡°Liandor¡­? You don¡¯t mean Verd¡¯s master, do you?¡± ¡°You know him well.¡± ¡°W-wait a minute! No one knows where Liandor is. How are we supposed to find him¡­?¡± Even Verd didn¡¯t know exactly where Liandor was, so how could they find him? ¡°From now on, you will search the areas I tell you.¡± Unlike the hint Verd had given him, Liandor didn¡¯t just stay in the city. In his previous regression, James Marcus had found Liandor in a cabin near the City of Archers. And the time he found him was muchter than now. Therefore, it was also possible that Liandor had been moving around. Jeong-hoon narrowed down the likely candidates to three and wrote them down. The first priority was the cabin where James Marcus had found him. And the second priority was the slums in the city. Since the city was sorge, it wasn¡¯t fully managed, and as a result, slums where the poor gathered began to appear one by one. He had heard that Liandor lived with them and helped them whenever they were in trouble. Lastly, there was a mountain far away from here. It was a ce where no one lived, but Liandor had built a small house on this mountain and moved there periodically. ¡°All of these ces¡­?¡± Kukri¡¯s eyes trembled slightly. ¡°Yes. Is there a problem?¡± ¡°N-no!¡± ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Then when are you going?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave right away!¡± Kukri hurriedly divided the bandits into three groups and sent them off to their designated locations. And he was about to join the group heading to the cabin, whose destination was clear, among the three groups. ¡°You follow me.¡± Of course, Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t let it slide. ¡°Yes¡­? Why?¡± ¡°You were the boss, right? So go to the tenant farmers and apologize, saying you won¡¯t bother them anymore.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ If we do that, we won¡¯t be able to continue our banditry¡­¡± If the source of ie is cut off, how will they manage the maintenance costs? ¡°Are you defying the boss¡¯s orders now?¡± Jeong-hoon took out Leviathan from his inventory and held it. Kukri hurriedly bowed his head. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry!¡± ¡°If you understand, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes¡­!¡± Kukri reluctantly followed Jeong-hoon. * * * Jeong-hoon, who had made the bandits his subordinates, returned to the shelter after confirming their departure. Sors was pacing around the shelter, trembling with anxiety. As soon as he saw Jeong-hoon, he rushed over. ¡°H-how did it go?!¡± ¡°I took care of them all. They won¡¯t bother you anymore.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± He took care of all those bandits alone? ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, look at the guy behind me.¡± Jeong-hoon pointed his chin backward. Sors¡¯s eyes followed the direction, and he was startled, falling backward. He was the leader of the bandits who had tormented them so much. It was Kukri. He said he took care of them, so why did he appear so unharmed? Could he have failed and was trying to lie? Sors¡¯s eyes were filled with suspicion. Then, Kukri knelt down. ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for what happened.¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Sors¡¯s eyes trembled at the sudden apology. At the same time, anger welled up. Did he think a simple apology would make everything okay? ¡°Here, take this.¡± Jeong-hoon held out a club. ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°Does it make sense to end it with just an apology? Hit him as much as you want until your anger subsides.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± ¡°Is that okay?¡± Jeong-hoon asked, looking at Kukri kneeling. Kukri¡¯s eyes trembled madly. But he couldn¡¯t disobey Jeong-hoon¡¯s will. ¡°Yes¡­ Of course!¡± Kukri nodded with an awkward smile. ¡°He says it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s alright. I¡¯m angry, but if I swing this club, I¡¯ll be no different from him.¡± An exmation mark blinked above Sors¡¯s head as he said this. [Quest Completed] [The trust of all tenant farmers in the City of Warriors has greatly increased.] Uponpleting the quest, the trust of the tenant farmers increased significantly. ¡°Is that so? Then give me the club back.¡± When Jeong-hoon reached out to take the club back, Sors shook his head. ¡°No. This is just my opinion. Other people might think differently.¡± The tenant farmers were fed up with the bandits¡¯ plundering. If given the choice, many would choose to use the club. ¡°Then gather all the tenant farmers in one ce. So Kukri can apologize in person.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± Oh, no¡­ Kukri despaired. * * * While Kukri was dealing with the tenant farmers, Jeong-hoon headed to the fields. Perhaps the word had already spread, as no one tried to stop him. [How am I supposed to find it in this vast field?] ¡®It¡¯ll take forever.¡¯ The field was too wide. The coordinates indicated on the note were very rough, and it seemed like he would have to search the entire field, which spanned tens of thousands of pyeong. ¡°It¡¯ll be over soon.¡± Jeong-hoon took out a shovel that had been neglected in a corner of his inventory. It had been a long time since hest used it in Idenharc. ¡®How much I dug through the fields to find that fragment¡­¡¯ James Marcus had gone on and on about the fragment, as if asking for recognition of his hard work. That story included the location of the field. ¡®He definitely said it was this field, right?¡¯ Jeong-hoon stopped at a field where green beans were growing. He was certain, as it was said to be a field where beans that looked exactly like kidney beans were grown. Since he wasn¡¯t told exactly where in the field to dig, it was now a race against time. But before that. ¡°Are you the owner of this field?¡± Jeong-hoon briefly called out to the owner of the field. He was someone named Luras, around the same level as Sors. ¡°Yes. But why the shovel¡­?¡± ¡°Would you consider selling this field to me?¡± ¡°Selling the field¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll pay you three times the market price.¡± ¡°Th-three times¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Just sell it to me for a few days. I¡¯ll sell it back to you at the original priceter.¡± It was too sweet an offer. Luras nodded without hesitation. ¡°If you¡¯re willing to do that, I have no reason to refuse.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After purchasing the field, Jeong-hoon went to a secluded corner and started digging with the shovel. * * * Among the three groups of bandits, Rob, who was the first to get beaten up by Jeong-hoon, was in the cabin group. The cabin was located far from the City of Warriors, near the territory of the City of Archers. ¡°Will there really be a cabin in a ce like this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± Naturally, Rob took the lead of this group. He had been a bandit the longest and had the highest rank. Of course, he had dropped a rank after getting beaten up by Jeong-hoon, but he was still the leader in front of these guys. ¡°It¡¯ll be a pain in the ass if we run into those archer bastards.¡± The City of Warriors and the City of Archers were right next to each other, so they had a very bad rtionship. The ce they were standing now was the territory of the City of Warriors, but just a few years ago, it belonged to the City of Archers. However, Verd started a war and led it to victory, and now the City of Warriors had taken over the territory. Because of that, those guys were probably gritting their teeth and preparing for the next war. ¡°If we meet them, we¡¯ll just beat them up.¡± How could one im to have the blood of a warrior if they were afraid of archers? Rob led the bandits forward. And in front of them, there was indeed a small cabin standing alone. ¡°There it is! The cabin!¡± ¡°Huh¡­ There¡¯s a cabin in a ce like this?¡± The cabin, simply built and looking like it could copse at any moment, had a faint human warmth. ¡°Can we go in?¡± ¡°We have to. If we go back after just finding the cabin, do you think the boss will let it slide?¡± Rob pushed open the door of the cabin. An old man appeared from inside, leaning on a cane. ¡°Who dares to enter without permission?¡± His voice was low and rough, as if his throat was sore. But his eyes were like those of a great tiger. Rob and the other bandits were overwhelmed by his gaze and their bodies froze. ¡°W-well, that is¡­¡± Rob stammered. He was convinced that this man was Liandor. ¡°If you don¡¯t have a good reason, you won¡¯t leave here alive.¡± The old man slowly raised his cane. The cane transformed into a pure white sword. ¡°We came to see Master Liandor¡­¡± Rob managed to speak his purpose, squeezing out all his strength. ¡°Me¡­?¡± At that moment, the old man¡¯s eyes softened. Only then could Rob and the other bandits rx their stiff bodies, sit down, and take deep breaths. ¡°Phew¡­ Phew¡­¡± Their bodies were drenched in cold sweat. Some of them even peed a little. ¡°Alright. Why did youe to see me?¡± ¡°Our boss told us to find Master Liandor¡­¡± ¡°Boss? That Kukri guy or whatever?¡± ¡°Y-you know our boss?¡± ¡°Of course. Though he probably doesn¡¯t know me.¡± Liandor grinned. ¡°Well¡­ the boss isn¡¯t him anymore. It changed recently.¡± ¡°Changed?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ It¡¯s someone named Hoon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of him. Is he a foreigner?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± ¡°Is that so? Did he tell you that I was here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Rob nodded. ¡°Hmm, is that so?¡± Liandor¡¯s eyes sparkled with curiosity. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 152 Chapter 152 Kukri, who had been dragged away by the tenant farmers, was being beaten with clubs. Although he hardly took any damage due to his low level, he felt like dying from the humiliation. He had never been beaten by someone weaker than him in his entire life. ¡°Get out of the way. It¡¯s my turn now.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t he die if we keep this up¡­?¡± ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m about to starve to death because this bastard ruined my fields!¡± ¡°Here, take this.¡± Damn bastards. If he wanted to, he could wipe them all out. But then the boss would kill him. He was afraid of that, so he couldn¡¯t bring himself to attack them. ¡°You damn bastard!¡± A tenant farmer, holding a club, was about to strike the cowering Kukri. That¡¯s when it happened. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to stop now¡­?¡± Sors, who had been watching from the side, stepped forward for the first time. ¡°Stop? You¡¯re telling me to forgive this damn bastard?¡± ¡°Then are you saying you¡¯ll kill him?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± As much as he hated Kukri enough to kill him, he didn¡¯t actually intend to kill him. ¡°Look at him! Does that look like the eyes of someone who¡¯s remorseful!¡± One of the tenant farmers pointed at Kukri. He was apologizing, but it was forced. He wasn¡¯t truly repenting for his wrongdoing. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m suggesting a different approach.¡± A different approach? All the tenant farmers gathered there showed interest in Sors¡¯s words. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll listen and then decide.¡± Sors nodded and added, ¡°How about using him as aborer to cultivate the crops?¡± ¡°Aborer?¡± ¡°Yes. With our benefactor here, he won¡¯t be able to do anything.¡± Jeong-hoon had brought him here personally, and he had been docile in front of him. He was surely afraid of him. ¡°W-wait a minute¡­! I¡¯m sorry! Just keep hitting me!¡± Kukri, sensing that things were going in a strange direction, shouted urgently. Perhaps his true feelings were evident on his face? The tenant farmers nodded with an ¡°aha¡± expression. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely need a lot of hands to restore the crops.¡± ¡°I heard there are many other bandits besides him. If we mobilize them all, wouldn¡¯t that be more than enough?¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea.¡± Sors grinned at the positive response. ¡°Then give me back that club. You know that hitting him will only dirty our hands.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± The tenant farmer holding the club hesitated for a moment but then returned it to Sors. Kukri¡¯s face contorted in despair. * * * A day passed, and then the second day came. Jeong-hoon dug in the field without logging out. [Shouldn¡¯t you take a break¡­? You¡¯ll really copse at this rate.] Mukho was surprisingly concerned. ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± Jeong-hoon asked without stopping his digging. [Of course. If you copse, I won¡¯t be able to restore you.] So that was it. Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, that won¡¯t happen.¡± He was aware that he was putting a lot of strain on his physical body in the capsule, but he couldn¡¯t afford to rx. Time was more precious than gold to Jeong-hoon. He had to get stronger, even if it was just a little bit. Tick! As Jeong-hoon¡¯s shovel plunged into the soil, he felt something catch on the tip. It was a distinctly different feeling from hitting a rock. ¡®Found it.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s hands moved faster. In the spot where the soil had been cleared away, a wooden box identical to the one Kukri had found was buried. ¡®Oh, is this it?¡¯ Anima¡¯s voice, which had been bored, now sounded lively. ¡°Yeah, it probably is.¡± Jeong-hoon pulled the box out. And slowly opened the lid. [Fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem] Inside the box was a familiar fragment, and there were two of them, not just one. Jeong-hoon immediately took the two fragments. [You have acquired a Fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem.] [You currently have ¡®4¡¯ fragments.] ¡®Alright. Now I have four.¡¯ Only three were left. One that Verd had, and two that his master had. Once he gathered those, he would be able to obtain theplete Warrior¡¯s Emblem. ¡®And since I¡¯ve gained Verd¡¯s recognition, I should be able toplete other quests smoothly as well.¡¯ There¡¯s a saying that New World truly begins at the 3rd ss change. That¡¯s because from then on, you can significantly increase your specs through various content. Of course, to explosively increase those specs, you¡¯d need to reach level 500, but that problem could be solved by shortening the time required. ¡®I wonder if they¡¯ve found him yet?¡¯ He had sent the bandits to the most likely locations, so finding Liandor was only a matter of time. Jeong-hoon buried the empty box back in the field and left. ¡°Did you examine the field well?¡± When he returned to the shelter, he met Luras, the owner of the field. Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Yes. As promised, I¡¯ll sell the field back to you at the original price.¡± ¡°So soon?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m done with my business.¡± Was there some treasure buried or something? Jeong-hoon was covered in dirt, so much so that Luras wanted to ask that question. He must have dug up the field. Curiosity arose, but Luras decided not to ask. Whatever it was, he had bought the field for three times the market price and sold it back at the original price within two days, so he had made a huge profit. That was enough. ¡°Thank you. Instead of just standing here, why don¡¯t youe to my house for a meal?¡± ¡°No, thank you. I¡¯m a bit in a hurry. By the way, where¡¯s Kukri?¡± Kukri, who had been taken away by the tenant farmers. His pride must have been shattered to the core. He didn¡¯t expect Kukri, who was the leader after all, to truly reflect on his actions. Kukri was just a means to buy time. But then, Luras said something a bit unexpected. ¡°Ah, are you talking about the bandit leader? If it¡¯s him, he¡¯s probably weeding the fields.¡± ¡°Weeding the fields?¡± ¡°Yes. The clubbing wasn¡¯t enough to quench their thirst for revenge.¡± Jeong-hoon quickly realized why he had brought it up. It was revenge they wouldn¡¯t have dared to dream of, but with Jeong-hoon by their side, they put it into action. At the same time, with the extra hands, farming would be much easier. He didn¡¯t know who came up with the idea, but he thought it was a pretty decent form of revenge. ¡°I¡¯ll send the rest of them to the fields too.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­? Can you really do that?¡± ¡°Yes. Wouldn¡¯t things go more smoothly if I stepped in?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Jeong-hoon gave him a reassuring smile and returned to the bandits¡¯ hideout. Rob¡¯s group had already arrived at the hideout. ¡°Boss! You¡¯re back?¡± Rob quickly ran over as soon as he saw Jeong-hoon. ¡°Did you find him?¡± ¡°Yes! He was there, just as you said.¡± Fortunately, Liandor was in the ce where James Marcus had found him. ¡°Good. Where is he now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s resting inside right now.¡± ¡°Good work.¡± Jeong-hoon patted his shoulder. ¡°Thank you!¡± Now that he had received praise, he could finally rest. He had been beaten up by Jeong-hoon, received healing, and immediately carried out his orders. So he was both physically and mentally exhausted. He was confident he could pass out the moment hey down. ¡°Next order. Take the guys and go down to the fields where the tenant farmers are.¡± ¡°The tenant farmers? Why there¡­?¡± ¡°Go and apologize by helping them with their work.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Rob and the bandits behind him couldn¡¯t hide their bewildered expressions. ¡°What¡¯s so surprising? Is it wrong to tell you to go apologize to the tenant farmers you¡¯ve been plundering?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it, but¡­ Can¡¯t we rest a bit before we go?¡± ¡°Do you want to die?¡± Suddenly, a thick murderous intent flowed from Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. Rob and the other bandits froze in ce. ¡°W-well, that is¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you another chance to answer. What will you do?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave right away!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit.¡± The murderous intent disappeared from Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes at the satisfactory answer. ¡°Then we¡¯ll be on our way!¡± Rob hurriedly led the bandits down to the tenant farmers¡¯ fields. With this, only Jeong-hoon and Liandor were left at the hideout. As Jeong-hoon entered the cabin, a heartyugh echoed from within. ¡°Hahaha! That was quite an amusing sight.¡± Jeong-hoon slowly approached the source of theughter. There, an old man who looked to be in his early 80s was sitting. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Liandor -Level: 375 -upation: Former Head of the City of Warriors === The former head and Verd¡¯s master. And the one who possessed two fragments of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem. ¡°I¡¯m d you found it amusing.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. At his rxed demeanor, Liandor stoppedughing and slowly rose from his seat. ¡°So, how did you know where I was?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°A secret? You¡¯re an interesting one. Then, what¡¯s the reason you sought me out?¡± ¡°Hand over the two fragments of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem you have to me.¡± ¡°¡­Fragments?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Liandor let out a dumbfoundedugh at Jeong-hoon¡¯s bold attitude. ¡°Huh, how did you know I had the fragments?¡± ¡°The current head of the city told me.¡± ¡°Verd, that rascal¡­?¡± Liandor muttered in disbelief. A red question mark blinked above his head. [Hidden Quest: Liandor] -Restriction: Mentioning the fragments to Liandor -Reward: Fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem x2 -Description: Gain Liandor¡¯s recognition and acquire the fragments. Jeong-hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°Yes. I need those fragments.¡± ¡°Interesting. Can you even restore it?¡± Liandor scoffed and mentioned the possibility of restoration. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded confidently. Liandor¡¯s eyes trembled slightly. ¡°What¡­? You can restore it?¡± ¡°Yes. I can restore it. Perfectly, too.¡± ¡°Huh, you¡¯re an interesting one. Just how many fragments do you have to be so confident?¡± The restoration method required gathering a certain number of fragments. Liandor had a total of three, including the one he gave to his disciple, Verd. To even attempt a restoration, albeit imperfect, he needed at least three more fragments. How could a foreigner have three? But Jeong-hoon¡¯s answerpletely shattered his expectations. ¡°Four.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Liandor¡¯s eyes widened. How could a foreigner have found four fragments when he himself had only found three in his entire lifetime? This meant that if he handed over his fragments, restoration was possible. ¡°Hand them over.¡± ¡°¡­Do you have a sword?¡± Liandor wasn¡¯t going to hand them over easily. ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°Then draw your sword. If you can prove to me that you are a true warrior, I will give you these fragments.¡± The foreigner in front of him was clearly a martial artist. There was no way he could be a true warrior. ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded and drew Leviathan. [Combat with Liandor begins.] [Survive for 5 minutes.] With that message, Liandor¡¯s aura changed. In his hand was now a pure white sword. [Liandor uses ¡®Footwork¡¯.] He used footwork to close the distance with Jeong-hoon. As expected of the former head, his movements were extraordinary. However, to Jeong-hoon, who had faced stronger opponents, it didn¡¯t seem that impressive. Liandor raised his sword and shed diagonally towards Jeong-hoon¡¯s neck. ng! Jeong-hoon blocked Liandor¡¯s attack with Leviathan. Liandor was slightly surprised that he had blocked the attack so effortlessly. He had intended to kill him with one strike, but Jeong-hoon, whose level was much lower than his, had blocked it without any trouble. [ckfield activates.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters within the area are decreased by 10%.] The ground turned ck. ¡°You use an interesting ability.¡± Liandor stared at the ground with interest. ¡°Here Ie.¡± [1st Form: Initiation activates.] The Sword of Extinction, which had also been upgraded to Unique. Jeong-hoon¡¯s fierce sword strikes rushed towards Liandor. ¡°Hah!¡± ng! ng! Liandor raised his sword and blocked all of the first form of the Sword of Destruction. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Jeong-hoon was also impressed by his swordsmanship. Even though he was long past his prime, his movements were still sharp. [2nd Form: Devouring activates.] He transitioned to the second form, changing his sword path. Liandor¡¯s eyes gleamed slightly at thepletely different sword path. He swung his sword, meeting the sword path head-on. ng! ng! This time, it was also perfectly blocked. The corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth lifted. It had been a while since he had encountered someone with such skillful swordsmanship, regardless of level. Originally, the quest was to survive for 5 minutes, but he wanted to decisively defeat him. ng! ng! ng! The shing sounds of swords continued to erupt. It seemed like an evenly matched fight, but the reality was different. The advantage had already tilted towards Jeong-hoon. As the battle progressed, Liandor¡¯s stamina gradually decreased. On the other hand, Jeong-hoon¡¯s sword strikes remained firm and sharp. This was because he healed himself with healing magic whenever his health decreased. ng! ¡°Ugh.¡± As their swords shed once again, Liandor momentarily lost his bnce. Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed as he saw the opening. [3rd Form: Destruction activates.] With the activation of Destruction, his Leviathan pierced through Liandor¡¯s abdomen in an instant. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 153 Chapter 153 ¡°Cough!¡± Blood spurted from Liandor¡¯s mouth. Even though he had defended his body with mana, it waspletely pierced by Destruction. He trembled but didn¡¯t let go of his sword. He red at Jeong-hoon with bloodshot eyes, then lowered his head. Jeong-hoon pulled Leviathan out of his abdomen. Blood gushed from Liandor¡¯s wound, and he barely managed to support himself by stabbing his sword into the ground. Not kneeling was a warrior¡¯s pride. Even in death, he would die standing. ¡°I¡¯ll heal you.¡± [Uses Advanced Healing] Jeong-hoon approached Liandor and cast healing magic. Advanced Healing, upgraded to Unique. As he repeatedly used healing magic, Liandor¡¯splexion gradually brightened. The bleeding from his abdomen stopped, and his internal injuries began to heal slowly. Liandor, whose me of consciousness had been fading, quickly regained his senses. ¡°Weren¡¯t you trying to kill me?¡± ¡°I thought I wouldn¡¯t be recognized if I held back.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a funny one. But how can you use healing magic?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡± Liandor chuckled. An exmation mark blinked above his head. [Quest Completed] ¡°Take them. I¡¯ll give them to you as promised.¡± Liandor took out two fragments from his pocket and handed them to Jeong-hoon. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-hoon received the fragments. [You have acquired a Fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem.] [You currently have ¡®6¡¯ fragments.] [You can restore the Warrior¡¯s Emblem.] [Would you like to restore it?] A new message appeared as he gathered six emblems. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ Jeong-hoon closed the restoration message. If he restored it here, he wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain the ¡®Complete Warrior¡¯s Emblem¡¯. So for now, he focused on healing Liandor. Even though he had avoided vital points, it was not a light injury. Perhaps that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t fully recover with just one healing spell. [Uses Advanced Healing] After a while of healing, Liandor was almost fully recovered. ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine now, you can stop healing me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon removed his hand from his abdomen. Liandor stroked his abdomen with his hand, still looking incredulous. ¡°Perfect¡­ Such perfect healing¡­¡± Compared to the priests in the Holy City, Jeong-hoon¡¯s healing was superior to anyone else¡¯s. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve healed you, shall we go together?¡± ¡°Huh? Go together?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re going to meet Verd, the current head of the city.¡± ¡°¡­But why me?¡± ¡°Just apany me. Then Verd will hand over the fragment without a fuss.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bold one¡­ Alright. I want to see the fragment restored with my own eyes.¡± Liandor readily agreed. Even though the fragment was going to a foreigner, it was a fragment he couldn¡¯t restore despite dedicating his entire life to it. If he had died without restoring it, his regret would have been immense. He wanted to witness the fragment¡¯s restoration with his own eyes. * * * Verd was observing the foreigners¡¯ visit to the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary. ¡°Hey there.¡± At that moment, two foreigners spoke to Verd. ¡°What is it?¡± Verd tilted his head in confusion. These two hadn¡¯t been in the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary for long. In other words, they had bypassed all the other NPCs ande straight to him. ¡°Don¡¯t you give us any quests or something?¡± ¡°Quests? Why should I give you quests?¡± Verd frowned. He couldn¡¯t understand why he should give quests to these insignificant fellows. ¡°Are you ying favorites?¡± ¡°Favorites? Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s true. A few days ago, you took a user somewhere else.¡± ¡°Ah, you mean that.¡± Verd nodded as if he understood. And to get rid of these pests, he drew his sword from his waist. The two users stepped back in surprise. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Why are you suddenly drawing your sword?!¡± Why did he draw his sword? The reason was very simple. ¡°If you can defeat me, I¡¯ll give you a quest.¡± Verd looked ready to cut them down at any moment. ¡°Sh-shit¡­ We¡¯re not doing it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s dirty, we¡¯re not doing it. Favoritism sucks.¡± The users cursed and turned towards the other NPCs. ¡®This is absurd. How could such lowly beings ever be warriors?¡¯ Verd sheathed his sword. After that, the foreigners didn¡¯t approach Verd again. A whileter, his subordinate, Will, returned to the sanctuary. ¡°Captain. I have an urgent report.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The bandits are helping the tenant farmers with their work.¡± ¡°Bandits¡­ Why would they do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the reason, but¡­ Kukri, their leader, was among them.¡± ¡°Ha, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡± No matter how stupid they were, they had never done anything this absurd. ¡°So I looked into it further, and it seems Kukri is no longer their leader.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems the new leader ordered them to apologize to the tenant farmers and help them with their work.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t know who the new leader is?¡± ¡°No¡­ I couldn¡¯t find out that much¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°If you give me time, I¡¯ll find out who the leader is.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Will returned to his post, and Verd fell into thought. Who could it be? Who could control the bandits and make them do such ridiculous things? It was almost like a sequence to eliminate the bandits. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Verd also weed the disappearance of the bandits. Those guys had been causing trouble since the time of the head beforest. They continued their banditry under the pretext of maintenance costs. He hadn¡¯t taken action to eliminate them because hecked a justifiable reason, but he couldn¡¯t help but wee their self-destruction. ¡®But there¡¯s no news from the guy who went to find my master.¡¯ The foreigner who brought the fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem. He had promised to give him the one fragment he received from his master if he found his master and brought back two fragments within a month. There was still plenty of time left, but Verd was confident of his victory. ¡°Verd.¡± Speak of the devil. The foreigner who had left to find his master had returned. The corners of Verd¡¯s mouth crept up slightly. The fact that he had returned after only a few days meant that he had found nothing. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t give you any more hints. I don¡¯t know where my master is either.¡± ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± The foreigner tilted his head in confusion. Verd looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°You came back because you didn¡¯t find anything. If you¡¯re trying to y some tricks, you better stop.¡± ¡°No. I already found him. And I got the fragments here.¡± The foreigner showed two fragments. Verd¡¯s eyes trembled at the sight of the fragments. How did he find his master, who was in seclusion, in such a short time? And he even got the fragments? While Verd was confused, an old man in his early 80s entered the sanctuary, leaning on a cane. ¡°Will, it¡¯s been a while. Can you move aside a bit so I can enter?¡± ¡°M-Master Liandor?!¡± The ce was in an uproar at Liandor¡¯s appearance. The former head, who was said to be in seclusion, had appeared at the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary? Ignoring their gazes, Liandor approached Verd. Verd also had a surprised look on his face. ¡°M-Master¡­? What brings you here?¡± ¡°What brings me here? You made a promise, didn¡¯t you? That you would give one fragment to this person if he found me.¡± ¡°¡­You really gave the fragments to a foreigner?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Liandor nodded. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s move somewhere else first.¡± There were too many eyes watching, so it was impossible to have a conversation here. * * * This was the second time he had entered Verd¡¯s quarters. ¡°I haven¡¯t fully recovered, have I? My body feels a bit stiff.¡± Liandor groaned, tapping his back. ¡°Oh,e on¡­¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t stabbed me in the stomach, I would have been fine. Oh¡­¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll heal you, so please stay still.¡± [Uses Advanced Healing] Jeong-hoon used Advanced Healing on his back. Verd¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of the healing. ¡°Healing¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Isn¡¯t he a perfect guy?¡± ¡°¡­Just who are you?¡± ¡°Hahaha! You¡¯re truly my disciple. You react the same way I did.¡± Liandor burst intoughter, pleased with Verd¡¯s reaction. Jeong-hoon, who had been waiting for the right moment, immediately got to the point. ¡°I won the bet. Hand over the fragment as promised.¡± ¡°¡­Before that, I have a question.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°How did you persuade my master?¡± His master had dedicated his entire life to restoring the fragments. He couldn¡¯t believe that his master would hand over the fragments to a foreigner so easily. There must be another reason. Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t answer, but Liandor did instead. ¡°He got stabbed in the stomach.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± ¡°I just wanted to test his skills a bit, and he stabbed me in the stomach.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Verd jumped up from his seat. ¡°I thought I had to do that much to be recognized.¡± Jeong-hoon said nonchntly. ¡°He¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I acknowledged him and handed over the fragments.¡± Liandor nodded in agreement. ¡°Master! How can you agree with him?!¡± ¡°A warrior¡¯s battle is a matter of life and death. His actions were justified.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, hand over the fragment as promised.¡± ¡°¡­Are you satisfied with that, Master?¡± It was as if he was willing to throw away his entire life dedicated to restoring the fragments. Verd couldn¡¯t understand Liandor. ¡°My disciple, do you think I could restore these fragments?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Verd couldn¡¯t speak. His master had only found three fragments. The possibility of restoration was close to zero. ¡°Can you take out the fragments you¡¯ve collected for a moment?¡± Liandor asked Jeong-hoon. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon took out six fragments and ced them on the table. Verd¡¯s jaw dropped at the sight of the six fragments. ¡°S-six¡­?!¡± ¡°If you just hand over the one fragment you have, I can restore it perfectly right away.¡± At the mention of restoration, Verd looked at Liandor with trembling eyes. ¡°You know why I gave them to him.¡± Excessive greed only leads to disaster. Liandor was content just to witness the fragments being restored. Verd couldn¡¯t object any further at his master¡¯s serious gaze. ¡°¡­Alright.¡± A red exmation mark blinked above his head. [Quest Completed] Verd brought a golden box from the corner of his quarters. It was a special box that only reacted to the owner¡¯s mana, as initially set. As Verd channeled his mana, the lock on the box released. Inside, there was one fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem. He took out the fragment and ced it on the table. With this, all seven fragments were gathered. [You have acquired a Fragment of the Ancient Warrior¡¯s Emblem.] [You currently have ¡®7¡¯ fragments.] [You can restore the Complete Warrior¡¯s Emblem.] [Would you like to restore it?] Alright. With seven fragments gathered, he could now restore the Complete Warrior¡¯s Emblem. ¡®Restore.¡¯ Upon selecting restore, the fragments began to glow and merge. The merged fragments became soft like slime and wriggled. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°I-is it being restored?!¡± Liandor and Verd couldn¡¯t take their eyes off the restoration process. The wriggling mass of fragments soon transformed into the shape of an emblem, and then the light faded. [Complete Warrior¡¯s Emblem] -Type: Material -Grade: Unique -It is theplete Warrior¡¯s Emblem. Jeong-hoon picked up the restored emblem. [You have acquired the ¡®Complete Warrior¡¯s Emblem¡¯.] Sess. He had sessfully restored the Complete Warrior¡¯s Emblem. Now he had four Complete Emblems. Adding the Emblem of Extreme Patience, he had a total of five. [NPC Verd¡¯s trust has greatly increased.] [NPC Liandor¡¯s trust has greatly increased.] Additionally, by perfectly restoring the emblem, Verd and Liandor¡¯s trust increased significantly. [All NPCs in the City of Warriors acknowledge the user ¡®Hoon¡¯.] [You can now receive quests from all NPCs in the City of Warriors.] With this, he could now proceed with the Relic content. Normally, he would have to visit the City of Martial Artists first, but Jeong-hoon chose the City of Warriors not just for the emblem. ¡®There¡¯s a very good relic there.¡¯ The relic that James Marcus took in his previous regression. He nned to intercept that relic, which had not yet been revealed to the world. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 154 Chapter 154 Liandor¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. The emblem he had longed for had finally been restored. The Complete Warrior¡¯s Emblem, engraved with the symbol of a valiant warrior. ¡°¡­Now I can die without regrets.¡± Seeing his master looking relieved, a smile appeared on Verd¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you so much for restoring it.¡± Verd expressed his gratitude to Jeong-hoon. If it weren¡¯t for him, the fragments would never have been restored. Even if it could have been restored, his master wouldn¡¯t have been able to witness it firsthand. ¡°I was also able to restore it thanks to Master Liandor and Verd.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled and gave credit to both of them. He had found four fragments, but the remaining three were with Liandor and Verd. If they hadn¡¯t handed over the fragments, restoration would have been impossible. ¡°Hmm, by the way, what¡¯s your name?¡± Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t asked his name yet. From the beginning, Verd had no interest in foreigners. So it was the same this time. But now that the emblem had been restored, he couldn¡¯t help but ask his name. ¡°It¡¯s Hoon.¡± Jeong-hoon readily revealed his name. ¡°Hoon¡­ I see. You¡¯re different from other foreigners.¡± ¡°Of course he¡¯s different! Where else in the world would you find a foreigner who can persuade bandits?¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­? Is that really true?¡± Verd¡¯s eyes widened. He had been informed by Will, but he hadn¡¯t imagined it was Jeong-hoon¡¯s doing. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure the bandits can¡¯t plunder anymore. In other words, I¡¯ll eliminate them.¡± The bandits were able to sustain themselves because they were being paid. If the bandits disbanded, it meant one source of ie would be cut off. From the perspective of Verd, the city¡¯s head, it wasn¡¯t exactly wee news. But there was a smile on Verd¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯d be grateful if you did that. I¡¯ve been sick of those bandits running rampant.¡± The maintenance fees weren¡¯t going to Verd. They were secretly being given to the NPCs in the sanctuary. To the high-ranking officials. Even as the head of the city, he couldn¡¯t ignore and dismiss the executives. That¡¯s why he had to turn a blind eye to it all this time. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± ¡°¡­But are you sure you¡¯ll be okay? There will be quite a few people who will oppose it.¡± ¡°If they have anyints, tell them toe find me directly.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill them, are you?¡± Jeong-hoon shook his head. ¡°Of course not. I have no intention of shedding blood.¡± If they came, he would rehabilitate them with his fists and use them asborers so the bandits could be put to work. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Then what about stabbing me in the stomach? Am I not even considered a person?¡± Liandor muttered with a serious expression. Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t answer. He felt like any exnation would just drag on. * * * Ho-Yeong Guild. ¡°Miss, it seems Park Jin-Hyeok is on the move again.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard Park Jin-Hyeok headed to the City of Warriors alone.¡± ¡°The City of Warriors¡­?¡± The city where users of levels 201-250 reside. Anyone could see that the reason Park Jin-Hyeok was heading there was because of Jeong-hoon. They had been keeping an eye on Park Jin-Hyeok just in case, but they didn¡¯t expect him to move so soon. ¡°We¡¯ll send additional guild members to keep an eye on Park Jin-Hyeok.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°You, miss?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lee Na-yeon, Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother, had entered the Tower of Trials and be a disciple of the Tower Master. Therefore, Yeo Min-ji couldn¡¯t follow her and had been training like crazy in the training grounds. She had plenty of time, so if someone had to move, it was only right for her to do so. ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Currently, Lee Hwa-rang couldn¡¯t log in to the game. Even if his suspension was lifted, he had been killed by Yeo Sunwoo. No matter how much he begged, Yeo Sunwoo showed no hesitation in killing him. There was enough reason for Park Jin-Hyeok, Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s friend, to make a move. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Park Jin-Hyeok is heading to the City of Warriors.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: I understand.] Jeong-hoon, who had crushed Lee Hwa-rang. He had even said he hadpleted his 3rd ss change, so he must have be iparably stronger than before. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: I¡¯ll go there and help you!] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: No. There¡¯s no need for that.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Huh?] Was he nning to handle it alone again? [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Park Jin-Hyeok isn¡¯t stupid. He won¡¯t rush in thoughtlessly.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Are you sure¡­?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Yes. More importantly, what about Lee Hwa-rang?] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Lee Hwa-rang is still suspended.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Okay, I understand. How¡¯s your training going?] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: My sess rate has improved a lot!] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Oh, then I¡¯ll whisper you soon.] Hmm? Was he going to tell her something new? [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Okay!] * * * After Liandor left, Verd handed him a badge stamped with the head¡¯s seal. ¡°With this, no one will be able to ignore you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After receiving the badge, Jeong-hoon went to find an NPC named o in the sanctuary. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: o -Level: 275 -upation: Executive of the City of Warriors (Runes) === o was the NPC in charge of the rune content. A question mark blinked above his head. This was because the rune content had been unlocked afterpleting the 3rd ss change. Normally, o shouldn¡¯t give Jeong-hoon a quest. This was because his ss was Martial Artist. Therefore, to proceed with the rune content, he would have to visit the City of Martial Artists, but Jeong-hoon had gained the ability to undertake all quests in the City of Warriors by restoring the emblem. [Runes, do we really have to do this?] -No, the quests are too tough¡­? ©¸???? If you don¡¯t do it, how are you going to hunt monsterster? ©¸If you¡¯re quitting after reaching 200, then it¡¯s okay not to do it ?? ©¸You need to do rune crafting and rune farming to reach 4th ss change;; Content that must be done after level 201. That was ¡®rune farming¡¯. Runes existed from Legendary to Normal grades. Naturally, the difference depending on the grade was enormous, and the gap widened even further as they were enhanced. That¡¯s why users repeated quests over and over to obtain high-grade Runes. Although the number of Runes that could be equipped was limited to ¡®1¡¯ at 3rd ss change, there was no limit to the number of Runes one could possess. [Rune Quest: What are Runes?] -Restriction: Level 201 or higher, 3rd ss changed Warrior user (Other sses can undertake this quest after fulfilling certain conditions) -Reward: Rune quest progression -Description: Listen to o¡¯s exnation about Runes. Jeong-hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the foreigner who spoke with the head.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I see. You want to know about Runes, right?¡± o grinned and exined about Runes. To obtain Runes in the City of Warriors, one had to find the ¡®Ancient Warrior¡¯s Spirit¡¯ and pass the trials they presented. The grade of the Rune depended on the results, and there were opportunities to obtain Runes even during the trials. [Quest Completed] After listening to the exnation, the quest waspleted quickly. [Rune Quest: Recognition of the Ancient Warriors] -Restriction: ¡®Rune Quest: What are Runes?¡¯pleted -Reward: Random Rune +1 -Description: Pass the trials presented by the Ancient Warriors and obtain a Rune. Upon epting the quest, o handed him a map. There were 12 X marks on the map. ¡°The ces marked with X are the trial grounds. If you find a trial ground and pass the trial, you can obtain a rune. Remember, that map also serves as an entry pass, so be careful not to lose it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Jeong-hoon took the map and left the sanctuary. ¡°Mukho, let¡¯s go restore it now.¡± [Yay! I¡¯ve been waiting for this!] Now that the conditions were met, there was no reason to dy. The ce Jeong-hoon visited was a small shop. essories were disyed in front of the shop, and inside, weapons used by warriors such as swords, spears, axes, and maces were hung on the wall. On the opposite side, various armors ranging from Epic to Rare were disyed. ¡°Wee.¡± === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Chris -Level: 275 -upation: General Merchant === Chris was a general merchant. However, that was just his surface-level upation, and all the weapons and armor could be considered his creations. ¡°I¡¯d like to request amission.¡± Jeong-hoon presented the badge he received from Verd. ¡°¡­Could you follow me for a moment?¡± After checking the badge, Chris briefly closed the shop and guided Jeong-hoon to a portal set up inside. The ce they arrived at through the portal was a cksmith¡¯s workshop. ¡°So you craft equipment here.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But what is themission you have for me?¡± ¡°Would you take a look at this first?¡± Jeong-hoon took out the Luminous Stone from his inventory and showed it to him. Chris¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of the Luminous Stone. ¡°H-how did you get such a precious item?¡± The Luminous Stone was a Legendary-grade stone. Even Chris, who had spent his entire life in the cksmith¡¯s workshop, had only handled a Luminous Stone a few times. ¡°I want to restore the abilities of the armor I¡¯m wearing using this stone.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Is it possible?¡± The Luminous Stone was a very tricky stone. It extracted the energy within the stone and used that energy to restore the lost abilities of equipment one by one. The time it took to work on one item was three days at the fastest. If the process went wrong, it could take up to a week, making it a high-difficulty task. The biggest problem was that to handle this stone perfectly, one needed to be proficient in alchemy in addition to crafting. Fortunately, Chris had learned and mastered alchemy from his master. He also had experience handling Luminous Stones. ¡°It¡¯s possible, but¡­ how did you know I could handle this?¡± ¡°You¡¯re famous.¡± ¡°Me¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Chris tilted his head. He had a disbelieving look on his face. It was understandable. The fact that he was famous was actually a lie. As proof, there wasn¡¯t a single user near his shop. They all visited the weapon shop and essory shop located a bit further away. ¡®Those ces have good value for money.¡¯ They were rumored to have low prices and good performance, so there was no reason not to visit them. On the other hand, Chris charged high prices even though his equipment was good, so users had stopped visiting his shop a long time ago. ¡°Well¡­ Anyway, I understand. Themission fee is 300 gold.¡± 300 gold. It wasn¡¯t a small amount, but it wasn¡¯t a burden for Jeong-hoon at all. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°It will take about three days. It might take up to five days if it takes a bit longer.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± Jeong-hoon handed over 300 gold, Mukho, and the Luminous Stone to Chris. [¡®Mukho (Legendary)¡¯ is beingmissioned.] [Remaining time: 72 hours] [The time may be extended depending on the situation.] ¡®See youter, Mukho.¡¯ After leaving Mukho, Jeong-hoon bought some Epic-grade armor and equipped it temporarily. ¡®Are you leaving Mukho behind?¡¯ Anima asked. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t have enough time to wait.¡± One year remained until New World became reality. He had to do everything he could until then. Jeong-hoon unfolded the map. Twelve marks within the city¡¯s territory. But the ce Jeong-hoon headed to was a rocky mountain,pletely unrted to the marks. ¡®Is this the right ce? There¡¯s no mark on the map?¡¯ Anima tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Yes, this is it.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. ¡®When I think of Legendary-grade Runes, onees to mind.¡¯ It was when he was searching for new Runes in his previous regression. James Marcus had started talking about the relic he had obtained. ¡®What is it?¡¯ One of hisrades showed interest. James Marcus grinned and continued. ¡®There was a rocky mountain in the City of Warriors. A legendary ancient warrior was sleeping on that mountain.¡¯ ¡®Ah, is it in that ne?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s right. This is what I received after passing his trial.¡¯ James Marcus boasted, fiddling with the relic he was wearing. It was a Legendary-grade rune. ¡®James Marcus, this time I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ The corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth crept up slightly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Park Jin-Hyeok was currently in the City of Warriors. ¡®Jin-Hyeok¡­ I¡¯m going crazy¡­ I don¡¯t need anything else, I just wish I could y the game¡­¡¯ Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s mental state was shattered due to the continuous suspension. Because of that, he kept contacting Park Jin-Hyeok, clinging to him for help. However, it was a situation that Park Jin-Hyeok couldn¡¯t resolve on his own. Then, he heard the news that a user named Hoon had appeared in the City of Warriors. ¡®Let¡¯s apologize.¡¯ Choosing revenge at this point would be madness. There was no benefit to be gained from attacking him. Instead, if he apologized and Hoon showed leniency, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to resolve Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s suspension? It was true that he had resented Lee Hwa-rang after things went wrong, but seeing him be a wreck softened his heart. Sa Jae-Hyeok also seemed to want Lee Hwa-rang to return. It was a waste of Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s archery talent to be suspended for a year. So he decided to make a move, just once. ¡®They said they saw him at the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary, right?¡¯ Park Jin-Hyeok immediately headed to the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary. The sanctuary was bustling with many users. ¡°Does it make sense for Verd to move twice?¡± ¡°It seems like he doesn¡¯t give quests to just anyone. I saw on We that he asks you to defeat him.¡± ¡°Crazy, is that even possible?¡± He overheard a conversation between users near the entrance. ¡®It¡¯s Hoon.¡¯ Park Jin-Hyeok approached them and cautiously joined the conversation. ¡°Excuse me, can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Yes? Who are you?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m Park Jin-Hyeok from the Myth Guild.¡± ¡°The Myth Guild!¡± A level 339 Lord Knight. The users¡¯ eyes widened at his appearance. In the past, their gaze would have filled him with pride, but now that he was no longer an executive, their attention felt a bit burdensome. Park Jin-Hyeok managed his expression and continued speaking. ¡°Do you happen to know where the user who made Verd move went?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not sure about that.¡± ¡°Ah! Come to think of it, he was talking to o.¡± Could he be doing Rune farming? But why would a martial artist do Rune farming in the City of Warriors? He had questions, but meeting him was the priority now. After looking around the sanctuary, Park Jin-Hyeok hurriedly left. Twelve trial grounds marked on the map. If he had received the quest, he would have headed to one of those twelve locations. * * * Meanwhile. Jeong-hoon looked up at the rocky mountain. Unlike ordinary mountains, this one had a steep path that made it difficult to even climb. ¡®This is practically a cliff.¡¯ The slope was so steep that he could roll down if he wasn¡¯t careful. From the beginning, he had to use his hands to climb up. As a result, there wasn¡¯t a single person around. ¡®Let¡¯s use the potion.¡¯ One should use their head. Jeong-hoon took out a potion he had bought in the M?rchen Kingdom a while ago. It was the potion he used to ascend to Skyfield. [Fly Potion] ¨C Type: Consumable ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Grants the ability to use the Fly skill for about an hour after consumption. ¨C However, there¡¯s no telling what side effects might ur after drinking it. A creation of the alchemist Wigang. Jeong-hoon drank the potion in one gulp. [You have acquired the Fly skill (1 hour).] Fly skill acquired for 1 hour. Jeong-hoon used the Fly skill to quickly ascend the rocky mountain. ¡®Oh, at this rate, we¡¯ll reach the summit in no time.¡¯ ¡°No, we¡¯re not going to the summit.¡± Reaching the summit would be great for enjoying the view, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain the Rune there. ¡®Then where are we going?¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s a small hole in the middle.¡± As Jeong-hoon said, there was an indented spot on the rock. Looking closer, there was a small hole big enough for two people to enter. ¡®Are we going in there?¡¯ Jeong-hoon nodded. James Marcus had climbed this rocky mountain cliff after getting a hint about the Rune. In the process, he had entered this hole in the middle. ¡®A nameless warrior was sleeping inside.¡¯ He woke him up and underwent a trial, and that¡¯s how he obtained the Legendary-grade Rune. Jeong-hoon maintained his flight and entered the cave,nding inside. Perhaps because of its high altitude, the small cave was quite cool. This was due to the constant gusts of cold wind. ¡°Amazing. There¡¯s a cave in a ce like this.¡± ¡®What, didn¡¯t you know everything already?¡¯ ¡°I only heard about it. This is my first time seeing it in person.¡± Jeong-hoon strode into the cave. For a small cave, it was quite deep. And in front, there was a worn-out mat and a half-broken pottery jar. ¡®¡­Hmm? Is that all there is?¡¯ There was nothing else besides those. But the corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth were already turned up. ¡°Looks like we came to the right ce.¡± Jeong-hoon slowly stepped on the mat and reached out towards the pottery jar. Instantly, his body was sucked into the jar. * * * James Marcus. He was a world-renowned professional gamer with over 100 million YouTube subscribers. He was active in various fields, including entertainment and advertising, and had established himself as a global superstar. But now, he was deep in thought. ¡®What on earth does this mean?¡¯ The item he received after winning the league hosted by New World this year and being selected as the MVP. It was a document with a hint written on it. A document with a ¡®hint¡¯ about a hidden opportunity. At first, he was filled with anticipation of gaining a hidden opportunity, but after checking the hint, his excitement fizzled out. [Where the warrior¡¯s heart lies, there I am ¨C Nameless Warrior] The hint was too cryptic. James Marcus immediately went to find an interpreter. NPC Raoul. ¡°Hmm¡­? What on earth is this?¡± ¡°It seems like a cipher. Can it be deciphered?¡± ¡°Well, it does look like a cipher, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be any additional trickery involved.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± That meant he had to follow the hidden opportunity solely based on that hint. This was really troublesome. James scratched his head and let out a frustrated sigh. Then Raoul offered an alternative. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not an interpreter, but there¡¯s someone who¡¯s very good at solving these kinds of cryptic problems. How about meeting him?¡± ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°His name is Jordan, a friend who was once quite active as a treasure hunter.¡± ¡°Where is he now?¡± ¡°He¡¯s in Idenharc. Recently, he even discovered a vein of Evolution Stones buried in Idenharc.¡± Idenharc. He didn¡¯t expect the one who discovered the Evolution Stones to be him. James Marcus hurriedly headed to Idenharc. * * * [You have explored an unknown region alone. You have been awarded 20,000 achievement points.] His vision brightened. ¡°Where am I?¡± The surroundings were shrouded in ck fog, making it impossible to see anything. He hadn¡¯t expected the method of entering to be getting sucked into a broken pottery jar. Just then. The ck fog in front of Jeong-hoon swirled, and an old man appeared. ¡°Hmm, I never thought someone would discover the arrangements I left behind.¡± === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Nameless Warrior -Level: 300 -upation: X === He was an NPC with nothing disyed except for his level. The Nameless Warrior. He was the one who had summoned Jeong-hoon into the pottery jar. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have a name?¡± ¡°I discarded it long ago. I have no name now.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°By the way, how did you get in here?¡± ¡°By chance.¡± ¡°By chance¡­? An interesting fellow has entered.¡± The old man chuckled. The ce where he had hidden the pottery jar was on a rocky mountain that was difficult to climb without skill, and inside a very small hole at that. Finding such a thing by chance? That was ridiculous. But the old man didn¡¯t care about such reasons. The only important thing was to confirm whether the one who found the pottery jar was qualified to receive the hidden opportunity. ¡°So, what¡¯s the reason you summoned me into the pottery jar?¡± Jeong-hoon deliberately asked, pretending not to know. ¡°Do you desire to be stronger?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The corners of the old man¡¯s mouth curled up into a wide grin. ¡°Then try to pass the trials I set for you.¡± ¡°What will you give me if I pass?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a Rune.¡± A question mark blinked above the old man¡¯s head. [Hidden Quest: Nameless Warrior] ¨C Restriction: Talk to the Nameless Warrior ¨C Reward: Rune (Legendary) ¨C Description: Pass the trials and obtain the Rune. A hidden quest that offered a Legendary-grade Rune as a reward. Jeong-hoon epted the quest without a second thought. ¡°Alright. What¡¯s the trial?¡± ¡°Prove your worth as a warrior.¡± ¡°Prove my worth as a warrior?¡± As Jeong-hoon expressed his question, the surrounding ck fog instantly cleared. In front of him, countless monsters were swarming. Fortunately, there was a barrier preventing them from rushing at Jeong-hoon immediately. ¡°This is the first trial. Exterminate all the monsters.¡± There were hundreds of them visible to the naked eye. Moreover, each and every one of them was a monster around level 200. ¡°What¡¯s the time limit?¡± The old man grinned and held up three fingers. ¡°Three hours. I think that should be enough for you to pass.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-hoon readily nodded. ¡°Hmm? Don¡¯t you need a time extension? Three hours won¡¯t be enough.¡± From his perspective, Jeong-hoon was a martial artist who had just surpassed level 200. He didn¡¯t understand how a martial artist, not a warrior, had found his pottery jar, but it was impossible for him to hunt all those monsters with his skills. Especially with a three-hour time limit. ¡°Will you extend the time if I ask?¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°Of course not. If you¡¯re not satisfied, you can leave.¡± ¡°¡­Then why did you ask?¡± Jeong-hoon responded in a dumbfounded tone. ¡°I was just giving you a chance to give up.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have no intention of giving up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see if that confidencees from your skills or just mere bravado.¡± With those words, the old man disappeared. The barrier that had been blocking Jeong-hoon and the monsters vanished. ¡°Human! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll devour you!¡± The monsters roared and rushed towards Jeong-hoon as if they had been waiting. Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand now gripped Leviathan. [Exterminate all monsters.] [Time limit: 3 hours] Three hours was enough. [ckfield activates.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters within the area are decreased by 10%.] As ckfield activated, the ground turned ck. Now, this ce was Jeong-hoon¡¯s stage. A level 185 Blood Bear charged at him. As it raised its hand, its ws turned red. [Blood Bear uses ¡®Enhancement: ws¡¯.] An enhancement skill that amplifies attack power. The Blood Bear swung its ws at Jeong-hoon. Swish. But the attack didn¡¯t reach him. The bear¡¯s wrist was severed in an instant. ¡°Roar!¡± The Blood Bear screamed. ¡°Go.¡± Jeong-hoon shed the Blood Bear¡¯s neck with Leviathan. As its head fell to the ground, its body went limp and copsed. ¡°H-human! Strong!¡± ¡°Die!¡± Jeong-hoon calmly deflected the attacks of the rushing monsters with his sword and cut them down one by one. Of course, surrounded by such arge number, it was inevitable to get scratched even with his movement techniques. [Uses Advanced Healing] But those scratches were instantly healed thanks to his healing magic. [1st Form: Initiation activates.] The first sword of the Sword of Extinction, shing seven times per second. 90% damage. But with Jeong-hoon¡¯s detailed stats and the 1.5 times stat boost from ckfield, the monsters couldn¡¯t withstand a single attack. There was no need to chain into the second form. Jeong-hoon repeatedly used Initiation, ughtering the monsters. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 156 Chapter 156 The old man was watching Jeong-hoon¡¯s hunt from a distance. ¡®Hmm, he¡¯s quite skilled, isn¡¯t he?¡¯ He thought it would end quickly because Jeong-hoon was a level 203 martial artist, but Jeong-hoon was sweeping through the monsters. His swordsmanship was precise and sharp, beyond what one would expect from a martial artist. Just by watching, he could tell how much Jeong-hoon had trained in swordsmanship. ¡®Amazing. A non-warrior wielding such swordsmanship.¡¯ Swish. ¡°Kreeek!¡± Every time Jeong-hoon swung his sword, a monster¡¯s head fell to the ground. ¡®He¡¯s targeting their vital points with uncanny uracy.¡¯ He beheaded those whose necks were their weak points and pierced the abdomens of those whose abdomens were their weak points. ¡®He has tremendous experience hunting monsters.¡¯ It was a strategy that was impossible without countless real-life experiences. He was only level 203, so where did he gain such experience? Swish. ¡°Keurgh!¡± Amazing. The old man chuckled at the sight of him overwhelming the monsters without showing any signs of fatigue. ¡®It¡¯s like watching myself in my prime.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s swordsmanship was reminiscent of his own when he was considered to have reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Currently, he had discarded everything, including his name, so those days were meaningless, but still. ¡®Maybe this guy can take it.¡¯ The old man fiddled with a ne. A precious rune he couldn¡¯t bear to part with even after discarding his name, family, and everything else. If he passed all the trials he set, he would hand it over without hesitation. That¡¯s what he had been holding onto it for all this time. * * * [3rd Form: Extinction activates.] Extinction activated, instantly piercing through the monster¡¯s neck. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ There wasn¡¯t a single monster left alive. The ground was filled with corpses, emitting a bloody stench. He had ughtered hundreds of them, leaving barely any space to step. p! p! p! At that moment, the old man appeared, pping his hands. ¡°You¡¯ve passed the first trial.¡± As he snapped his fingers, the corpses piled on the ground disappeared instantly. At the same time, the strong stench of blood also vanishedpletely. ¡°Then let¡¯s move on to the second stage right away.¡± ¡°Hmm? You can take a short break if you want.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time for that.¡± If things went ording to schedule, James Marcus would have obtained the hint about the Legendary rune by now. ¡®It¡¯s an additional reward given to this year¡¯s league MVP.¡¯ A global superstar. James Marcus was this year¡¯s league MVP. So if he dyed any longer, James Marcus would arrive here. They wouldn¡¯t run into each other because they were on different servers, but he wanted to eliminate even the slightest possibility of it being taken away. ¡°You¡¯re quite impatient. Then, as you wish, let¡¯s start the second trial.¡± The old man snapped his fingers again. Five knights, equipped with helmets and armor, appeared out of nowhere. Was it another extermination? But the knights didn¡¯t approach Jeong-hoon and instead headed to their assigned positions. ¡°Hmm?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. What kind of trial was this that they were moving to different ces? His question was soon answered. As thest, fifth knight stopped, walls piled up in front of him. ¡°This stage is a maze. The trial is to navigate through the maze and defeat all the knights stationed within.¡± ¡°Is it allowed to break the walls?¡± The Nameless Warrior shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s not allowed.¡± A holographic window appeared in front of him. Ten me icons were zing brightly in the window. ¡°Are those counts?¡± ¡°Correct. Every time you fail to choose the correct path, one of those mes will go out.¡± ¡°I guess if all ten go out, it¡¯s an automatic failure.¡± ¡°You catch on quick. Then shall we start right away?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hmm, good luck.¡± With those words, the old man disappeared again. ¡®The maze looks tooplicated, and only ten chances¡­¡¯ Anima frowned. This was because there were three choices from the entrance of the maze. The probability was 33.3%. The probability of being wrong was 66.6%. In a situation where he had to rely purely on luck, ten counts were too harsh. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± But Jeong-hoon¡¯s face was very rxed. This was because he had a way to solve the maze. ¡®He said we can¡¯t break it, right?¡¯ Honestly, if he could break the maze, it would be a quick solution, but since there was a restriction, he had to use a different method. Jeong-hoon immediately opened the achievement shop and purchased a scan map. [Scanning the entire space of the Nameless Warrior.] This scan was taken from a top-down perspective. So it would be the same for this maze. ¡®Oh! I see the answer!¡¯ As Anima said, the scanned map clearly showed the solution to the maze. Among the first three choices, the correct answer was the right one. Jeong-hoon chose the right path. Naturally, the result was correct. The other two paths had traps that reduced the count with an X mark, but the right path led to the next set of choices. But this time, there were four choices. A mere 25% probability. ¡®It¡¯s the first one on the left.¡¯ Jeong-hoon smoothly transitioned to the next stage, once again choosing the correct path. After selecting the correct path for the fifth choice, a knight stood before him, drawing his sword from its sheath. Shing- As the knight aimed his well-sharpened sword at Jeong-hoon, Jeong-hoon also drew Leviathan. [Lv.250 Crusader] A level 250 Crusader. ¡®I can¡¯t activate ckfield.¡¯ He had already activated it once while hunting monsters, so there was a slight cooldown. However, it wasn¡¯t a difficult opponent. He was well-versed in the characteristics of Crusaders. Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to close in on the knight. The knight swung his sword at Jeong-hoon. [Crusader uses ¡®Destruction: sh¡¯.] The Crusader imbued his sword with sword energy and shed downwards. Jeong-hoon angled Leviathan and deflected the knight¡¯s sword to the side. ng! Screech! With a sharp sh, the Crusader¡¯s sword was deflected to the side by Jeong-hoon¡¯s Leviathan. The Crusader immediately shed diagonally. But Jeong-hoon ducked, and as the knight¡¯s opening was exposed, Jeong-hoon stabbed the Crusader¡¯s neck. [3rd Form: Extinction activates.] With Extinction activated, the Crusader¡¯s neck was pierced through. ¡°Cough!¡± With a final scream, the Crusader¡¯s body went limp. Four knights remained. As he fell, four choices appeared in front of him. The correct answer was the furthest right. Jeong-hoon chose the correct answer and moved forward. * * * The old man was once again observing from a distance. He was watching Jeong-hoon¡¯s progress with a dumbfounded expression. ¡®This is absurd.¡¯ This trial wasn¡¯t simply about strength and luck. The restriction of not breaking the walls was the reason for that. And once again, Jeong-hoon had satisfied the old man. He had taken out a map, scanned the maze, and found only the correct paths. The problem was that he had easily defeated the knights he had painstakingly created. And he did it three times in a row, without exceeding five moves. ¡®He¡¯s truly remarkable¡­¡¯ These were knights at the level of 250-300. And yet, a level 203 martial artist was overwhelming them. ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ The remaining knights would probably also fall to this martial artist. And his prediction was spot on. ¡°Cough!¡± The fourth knight¡¯s neck was pierced before he could properly face Jeong-hoon, and after a while, thest fifth knight¡¯s neck was also sliced, ending the trial quickly. ¡®Where did such a guye from?¡¯ The corners of the old man¡¯s mouth were now raised so high they almost reached his ears. The final trial. If he passed this trial, the rune would belong to this martial artist. * * * He passed the maze¡¯s finish point. The walls disappeared, and the old man appeared. p! p! p! Once again, he appeared pping his hands. The smile on his face showed that he was quite pleased with Jeong-hoon¡¯s strategy. ¡°Hehe, you used your head.¡± ¡°Yes. I didn¡¯t think I could pass with just luck.¡± ¡°I see. Then shall we proceed to the final trial right away?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As Jeong-hoon nodded, the old man snapped his fingers. A sword appeared in front of him and floated in the air. The old man grabbed the sword¡¯s hilt. ¡°The final trial is to defeat me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to make it easy, are you?¡± ¡°Hehe, it¡¯s a Legendary-grade rune after all. I can¡¯t just hand over a rune I cherished in my lifetime so easily.¡± [Lv.370 Nameless Warrior] The old man¡¯s level was disyed before the final trial began. His level was a whopping 370. ¡®Why do all the trials have to be like this?¡¯ Jeong-hoon drew Leviathan. ¡°Shall we start right away?¡± The old man frowned and shook his head. ¡°No, put your sword down.¡± ¡°Put my sword down?¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re a martial artist, not a warrior, right? But you haven¡¯t shown anything as a martial artist yet.¡± ¡°Wow, now you¡¯re restricting weapon use for a level 203? You¡¯re more petty than I thought.¡± ¡°If you haveints, give up and leave.¡± So he¡¯s the one in power, huh? Jeong-hoon obediently put Leviathan back into his inventory. ¡°I just have to defeat you, right?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a dull sword, so it should be manageable.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Sword versus fist. It was a situation where the old man had the advantage no matter how you looked at it, but Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t even entertain the thought of losing for a single second. [ckfield activates.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters within the area are decreased by 10%.] The ground turned ck as the old man entered the ckfield¡¯s area. The old man nced at the ground with curious eyes and spoke. ¡°I saw it before, but you use an interesting ability.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± [All stats are increased by 15%.] [20% damage reduction is applied.] [The time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] He used the Stat Amplification ring. [¡®Poison Attack¡¯ activation probability is increased by 4% for 1 hour.] And on top of that, he used the Guardian of M?rchen. Fully buffed, Jeong-hoon activated his movement technique. As he quickly moved and arrived in front of the old man, the old man grinned. ¡®Level truly can¡¯t be trusted. How can this be the movement of a level 203?¡¯ Movements that far surpassed level 203. Jeong-hoon threw a punch. His fist was imbued with the energy of the Underworld King. Underworld King Fist Technique, 1st Form. The old man parried the punch with his left hand, which wasn¡¯t holding the sword. He precisely struck Jeong-hoon¡¯s wrist, so no damage was inflicted. The old man then tried to kick Jeong-hoon¡¯s shin. But Jeong-hoon read his next move, slightly pulled his leg back to dodge, and punched the old man¡¯s right side. Bam! This time, itnded squarely on his side. [Nameless Warrior uses ¡®Iron Guard¡¯.] The old man endured the Underworld King Fist Technique by using a skill. Whoosh! The old man immediately shed his sword downwards. Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to retreat from the sharp sword strike. The old man grinned at his quick footwork. ¡°You use an interesting movement technique. Then, I shall too.¡± [Nameless Warrior uses ¡®Moonlight Steps¡¯.] The old man quickly moved his feet and closed in on Jeong-hoon. As Jeong-hoon threw a punch, he dodged it with a step and shed Jeong-hoon¡¯s side. A stinging pain was felt. [Uses Advanced Healing] Jeong-hoon quickly cast Advanced Healing and then struck the old man¡¯s left abdomen with his fist. However, it couldn¡¯t prate the body strengthened by Iron Guard. ¡°You¡¯re still far off.¡± At that moment, Jeong-hoon grabbed the old man¡¯s right wrist, which was holding the sword. The strike to the abdomen was a setup to grab his wrist. ¡°What?!¡± His face was filled with surprise, as if he hadn¡¯t expected his wrist to be grabbed. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned and started pummeling him with his free hand. ¡®What kind of grip strength is this?!¡¯ The old man tried to shake Jeong-hoon off, but his gripped hand showed no signs of loosening. Helplessly, the old man also countered with his fists. Thus began a brawl. However, as time passed, the old man was the one being pushed back. ¡®This is unbelievable!¡¯ He didn¡¯t know what trickery was used, but the damage was prating his Iron Guard. The Underworld King Fist Techniquebined with poison damage caused immense pain. If this continued, he would be the one defeated. ¡®Alright! Then try to break through this too!¡¯ [The Nameless Warrior uses ¡®Hell¡¯s Fury¡¯.] The old man¡¯s body turned crimson. A physical enhancement skill that increases overall attack and defense. ¡°It¡¯s useless.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, which was at the 1st Form, had now been activated up to the 4th Form. The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique had an option to ignore defense, so it was a pointless effort. Bam! He continued to pummel the old man. Jeong-hoon was also being beaten all over his body, starting from his face, but the power of Advanced Healing was tremendous. This was because he used healing every time he got hit, maintaining his health above 90%. Bam! Bam! Before long, the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique had reached the 5th Form. The old man was in agony from the increased destructive power. ¡°Cough! S-Stop! I give up!¡± In the end, he couldn¡¯t hold on and shouted his surrender. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 157 Chapter 157 ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve been beaten like this.¡± The old man yearned for his youth. If he were a bit younger, instead of groaning pathetically, he would have pulverized the young man in front of him. ¡°Ha¡­ You really hit like a brute.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get it if I didn¡¯t, would I?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ Oh my¡­ My whole body aches¡­¡± ¡°Let me heal you.¡± [Using Advanced Healing.] Jeong-hoon used Advanced Healing on the old man to treat him. The old man¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°What? You can use healing?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you were healing yourself every time I hit you?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. When using healing on others, a light of divine power bursts forth, but when used on oneself, the divine power circtes within the body and is not expressed externally. So unless he showed it like this, there was no way for the old man to know he was using healing. ¡°You cheater! You damn brat!¡± It was such an unfair fight. How could he win if the opponent healed every time he was hit? Jeong-hoon looked at him with an incredulous expression. ¡°You¡¯re using a sword, but it¡¯s okay for you to restrict me from using one?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a warrior.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also a warrior, as well as a martial artist.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! You¡¯re not a warrior, you¡¯re a martial artist!¡± ¡°Excuse me? What about the swordsmanship I disyed?¡± ¡°¡­ This kid?¡± Impudent brat. How dare he talk back to an elder like that! ¡°Anyway, a win is a win.¡± ¡°A win with cheating isn¡¯t a win!¡± ¡°Are you going to keep being petty? Or do you want to try again? Let¡¯s fight fair and square, barehanded.¡± The Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique was still at the 5th Form. If he continued to unleash the 6th, 7th, and subsequent forms, victory would belong to Jeong-hoon. The old man, sensing that Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist technique was extraordinary, shook his head. ¡°Forget it. It¡¯s ridiculous for me to go all out against a child.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¡°Ahem, anyway, you used tricks in thest test, so this fight is a draw.¡± ¡°A draw?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll give you the Rune, but I definitely didn¡¯t lose. Understand?¡± In short, he wanted to preserve his pride. Jeong-hoon readily nodded. ¡°Yes. If you hand over the Rune, let¡¯s call it a draw.¡± What he needed was the rune. Not pride. ¡°Good!¡± Satisfied with Jeong-hoon¡¯s answer, an exmation mark blinked above the old man¡¯s head. [Quest Completed.] Completing the quest, he pulled out a ne from his pocket. ¡®Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t use the power of the rune at all.¡¯ The old man hadn¡¯t used the ne even though he had it. Despite his pride, he had intended to hand over the rune from the beginning. That¡¯s probably why he surrendered so easily, even though he could have struggled a bit more. ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°Yes. It was my most treasured possession.¡± The old man held out the ne to Jeong-hoon. An rune that was originally meant for James Marcus. This time, it was Jeong-hoon who would take it. === [Immortal Bond: Oath of Combat] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Special Ability (1): Configurable ¨C Special Ability (2): Configurable ¨C Remaining Enhancements: 10 === Immortal Bond: Oath of Combat. An rune that boasted outstanding performance, to the point that James Marcus always wore it. The advantage of this rune was that the special abilities it possessed could be configured directly, and the fact that the options could be reset at any time made it a cheat-like rune. ¡°I¡¯ll put it to good use. Thank you.¡± ¡°Go ahead. Oh, but how are you going to enhance it?¡± The old man grinned. Legendary grade runes had 10 enhancement attempts. To enhance an rune, it had to be used as a material for the enhancement process, and for Legendary grade, using another Legendary grade rune as material resulted in a high sess rate. If a lower grade rune was used, 10 Unique grade runes would be needed for a single attempt to reach a 50% sess rate. ¡®If it fails, it¡¯s all over.¡¯ Failure would not only consume the material rune but also deduct one enhancement attempt. Considering the increase in stats upon sess, not a single attempt could be wasted. ¡°Why? Are you going to give me some materials?¡± ¡°Of course! But only if you pass the test I give you. I¡¯ll give you one Unique grade rune.¡± Just one Unique grade rune. He didn¡¯t want to invest time just to get one. ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Huh¡­? Are you saying you¡¯re going to give up on a Unique grade rune?¡± The old man was momentarily taken aback when Jeong-hoon refused, even though he was pondering what kind of test to give him to mess with him. ¡°Yes. There are other ways to enhance it, even without the rune.¡± ¡°Other ways to enhance? Do such things exist?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± There were ways to enhance runes. It¡¯s just that the cost was too high. ¡°Well, this is¡­ I was hoping to make you work a little harder.¡± The old man¡¯s face was filled with disappointment. An exmation mark flickered above the old man¡¯s head once more. ¡®Hmm? But he already received his reward?¡¯ Was there another reward? [Additional reward granted.] [You have acquired an Ancient Rune (Legendary).] An Ancient Rune? And it¡¯s even Legendary grade. === [Ancient Rune] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Special Ability (1): X ¨C Special Ability (2): X A Rune that has lost its abilities. It seems it can be used as a material. === Giving away an rune material for free? Jeong-hoon was dumbfounded by the sudden additional reward. The old man chuckled. ¡°Since it seems you won¡¯t being back, I¡¯ll give this to you as a gift.¡± ¡°¡­You had a Legendary, so why did you offer a Unique?¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, you only know one thing and not the other. Wouldn¡¯t it feel better to be offered a Unique and then receive a Legendary instead?¡± Jeong-hoon let out a hollowugh at the old man¡¯s sophistry disguised as sound logic. Still, it felt good to receive it for free. He could save some gold. Jeong-hoon asked, just in case. ¡°Do you happen to have one more?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Well, I thought it would feel even better to receive two after being given one.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s also true. But the problem is, I don¡¯t have any more.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be on my way then.¡± ¡°Heartless brat. Hurry up and go.¡± The old man snapped his fingers. A portal appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. It was a portal leading out of the pottery. ¡°I¡¯ll put it to good use. Thank you.¡± Jeong-hoon bowed politely and stepped through the portal. Left alone, the old man burst into heartyughter, recalling Jeong-hoon¡¯s bold attitude. ¡°Hahaha, what an interesting fellow.¡± It had been so long since he hadughed like this. Obsessed with the sword, he had neglected his family, and only after losing them in the war did he realize how futile it all was. Left alone, he was on the verge of madness, and only by turning his back on the world and entering this rocky mountain, called the Heart of the Warrior, alone, and abandoning everything, was he able to barely maintain his sanity. But there was one thing he couldn¡¯t let go of. It was the ¡®Immortal Bond: Oath of Combat¡¯. A precious ne passed down to him by his father, who was the Knight King, when he was young. That ne was the work of Horus, who was called the ¡®Immortal¡¯. Even though he had abandoned his name, his family, his honor, and everything else, he couldn¡¯t abandon the ne. So, he came up with a clever n. If he couldn¡¯t discard it, couldn¡¯t he just pass it on to someone worthy? With that thought, he connected his soul to the pottery and endured for over 300 years. ¡®It was worth the wait.¡¯ He hadpleted his task by handing over the rune. Now it was time to go back. The old man quietly closed his eyes. And soon after, his body vanished without a trace. * * * Idenharc. Finding Jordan wasn¡¯t difficult. He was a celebrity in Idenharc, known as the Interpreter who discovered the Evolution Stone. ¡°Are you Jordan?¡± When James Marcus spoke to Jordan, the surrounding users were shocked. ¡°Gasp?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s James Marcus?¡± ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± The news that the world-famous top star had appeared in Idenharc spread like wildfire through Wem. ¡°Hmm? Why have Ie here?¡± He adjusted his old monocle and tilted his head. ¡°I¡¯d like you to interpret this.¡± James Marcus presented the hint. Although he hade on Raoul¡¯s rmendation, he couldn¡¯t hide his skepticism. A mere level 35 Interpreter? It was natural since Idenharc was a beginner zone, but he couldn¡¯t help but doubt whether such a low-level NPC could interpret the hint. ¡°Ah, the Heart of the Warrior? I think I know where this is.¡± ¡°You do?!¡± James Marcus¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Yes. No one uses that expression anymore, so it¡¯s understandable if you don¡¯t know.¡± Jordan muttered softly and nodded. James Marcus asked in an urgent voice, ¡°Where is that ce?!¡± ¡°Do you happen to know the City of Warriors? You should know it at your level.¡± ¡°I do.¡± Of course, he did. James Marcus had headed to the City of Warriors when he was level 201. ¡°Then go find the rocky mountain there. They say the rock resembles a heart, so it was called the Heart of the Warrior.¡± Jordan took out some well-preserved documents and began searching diligently for something. Soon, he found a document and showed it to James Marcus. [What is the Heart of the Warrior?] It was a document containing information about the rocky mountain in the City of Warriors. The document was written in unrecognizable hieroglyphs, but thanks to New World¡¯s system, it was automatically tranted into James Marcus¡¯s nativenguage, allowing him to read it. ¡°¡­So it was the rocky mountain.¡± ording to the document, the hint pointed to the rocky mountain in the City of Warriors. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re looking for it, but is this answer sufficient?¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± James Marcus hurriedly headed towards the City of Warriors. * * * Meanwhile, Jeong-hoon left the rocky mountain and visited the Exchange. It was a ce essible only after entering a vige for those above level 201, a provision made by New World. ¡®Here, I can buy Achievement Points with gold.¡¯ This ce wasn¡¯t for converting gold into cash, but rather into something called ¡®VIP Coins¡¯. 1 VIP Coin per 1 gold. Considering the selling price of items, it wasn¡¯t a cheap exchange rate. Nevertheless, there were more users utilizing the Exchange than one might expect. This was because rune enhancement was possible with VIP Coins, even without doing quests. [Yeah~ I¡¯m not doing rune enhancement quests.] ¨C I¡¯ll just solve it with money. I¡¯ll do all 10 enhancements with money, lol~ ©¸ You got that much money? hahaha ©¸ Wow hahaha You¡¯re going to spend over 100 million won on something you could do with a bit of time investment? ©¸ Are you crazy? hahahahaha 1 or 2 enhancements with coins is understandable, but 10 times is too much of a sucker move¡­. Rune enhancement was the process of maxing out the rune one intended to use. While some progressed enhancements through quests, others existed who poured in an exorbitant amount of cash to speed up the process. However, the amount needed to fully enhance an Rune was about 100 million won for Rare grade. For Epic, it was 300 million, and for Unique, around 1 billion won was needed to aim for full enhancement. Rare Runes were mostly used as materials, so most people used Epic or Unique to raise their specs, requiring 300 million to 1 billion won. Thus, Rune enhancement was so expensive that most people thought it was better to receive an Rune of the same grade through quests and enhance it that way. ¡®But I can¡¯t do that with a Legendary.¡¯ Apart from the old man, there were no NPCs who gave out Legendary Runes as materials. So he had to use coins to fully enhance it. ¡°I¡¯m d I received 1 million gold.¡± The 1 million gold he won from the bet with Jae-hyuk. Jeong-hoon exchanged 450,000 gold for 450,000 VIP Coins. Then he opened the Coin Shop next to the Exchange. The Coin Shop had several categories, but Jeong-hoon skipped them all and opened the Runes section. [Runes] ¨C Ancient Rune (Rare): 1,000 VIP Coins ¨C Ancient Rune (Epic): 3,000 VIP Coins ¨C Ancient Rune (Unique): 10,000 VIP Coins ¨C Ancient Rune (Legendary): 50,000 VIP Coins The prices were all exorbitant. Especially the Legendary Rune, which cost 50,000 coins each. Since he needed to enhance it 10 times, it meant he had to invest a whopping 500 million won. Of course, thanks to receiving one from the old man, he could save 50 million won. ¡®Considering the abilities of a Legendary Rune, it¡¯s not that expensive.¡¯ Jeong-hoon purchased 9 of the Runes. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 158 Chapter 158 James Marcus Appears in Idenharc! As this news spread through World Com, countless users flocked to Idenharc. Just to catch a glimpse of him. ¡°He¡¯s going to the City of Warriors?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s follow him!¡± As befitting a global superstar, many users followed in his wake. ¡°Ah¡­ I can¡¯t go because of my level.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Still, I¡¯m happy to see him from afar.¡± Among them, arge number of users who didn¡¯t meet the level requirement dropped out. Those above level 201 continued to chase after James. ¡®This is annoying.¡¯ James Marcus frowned. Ever since he became a sessful pro gamer, there were always people following him wherever he went. There were hardly any in high-level zones, but in low-level ces like Idenharc or the City of Warriors, there were too many followers. The biggest problem was that he couldn¡¯t openly express his difort. ¡°Haha, please don¡¯t crowd too much, it¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Oh my god! James is worried about us!¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± He had spoken indirectly on purpose, but they didn¡¯t seem to understand, overjoyed just by the fact that he had spoken to them. ¡®They don¡¯t get it.¡¯ James Marcus decided to ignore them. Finally arriving at the City of Warriors, he headed straight for the rocky mountain. ¡°The rocky mountain?¡± ¡°Why is he going there?¡± ¡°Is there something there?¡± The users were curious but couldn¡¯t follow James Marcus any further. This was because he started climbing the cliff-like rocky mountain with his bare hands. The users could only stare nkly at him as he climbed effortlessly. Regardless, James Marcus picked up the pace and quickly ascended the rocky mountain. ¡®If it¡¯s the Heart of the Warrior, it must be somewhere here.¡¯ His prediction was spot on. After climbing for a while, he discovered a small hole. ¡®That¡¯s it.¡¯ James Marcus¡¯s eyes gleamed as he increased his speed. Arriving at the cave, He entered and took a few steps, only to find a worn-out mat and a broken pottery piece on it. ¡°A Rune.¡± Just by looking at it, he immediately understood what the hint was referring to. A wide smile spread across James Marcus¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s a hint given to the MVP, so it must be Legendary grade, right?¡± He was currently equipped with three Runes. This was because the equipment limit had increased to three afterpleting his 5th job advancement. And all of them were Unique grade. He wanted to upgrade his Runes, but due tock of opportunities, he was still using only Unique ones. If he obtained a Legendary Rune, his stats would skyrocket even further. James Marcus reached out to touch the pottery. But even after touching it, there was no reaction. ¡°What?¡± James Marcus¡¯s face was filled with confusion. * * * [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: What are you doing now?] Just as Jeong-hoon was leaving the Exchange, he received a whisper from Ha-jin. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: I¡¯m at the Exchange right now?] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: The Exchange? Why are you there?] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: To buy some Runes.] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Wow¡­ you¡¯re rich?] This was the perception of VIP Coins. The majority of users couldn¡¯t understand why someone would spend over 100 million won when they could fully enhance A Rune with just a bit of time investment. Jeong-hoon also belonged to that group before his regression, but now, with the mindset that time was more valuable than money, he didn¡¯t feel it was a waste at all. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: What¡¯s up? Did you already hit level 201?] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: No¡­ not yet.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Then what is it?] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: I saw on World Com that James Marcus is heading to the City of Warriors. You know James Marcus, right?] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: How could I not?] A global superstar. Who wouldn¡¯t know the current world¡¯s number one ranked warrior? The fact that James Marcus hade to the City of Warriors meant he was there to find A Rune. ¡®He¡¯s faster than I thought¡­?¡¯ Originally, he should have discovered itter than this. [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Isn¡¯t it awesome anyway? ording to World Com, he stopped by Idenharc first before heading to the City of Warriors.] World Com also had servers. James Marcus was on the America server. He was such a global superstar that even Korea was in an uproar. ¡®Ah, I think I know why it got sped up.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had passed through the Starting Vige and Idenharc. In the process, he met Jordan and was able to create Anima. Thanks to that, Jordan became an NPC who discovered the ore vein where the Evolution Stone was buried, a celebrity in the city. Surely someone must have rmended Jordan to him. ¡°If I were a bitte, things could have gone wrong.¡± But what should he do about this? He had already taken the Legendary Rune. Jeong-hoon grinned. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: If we were on the same server, we might have run into each other.] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Yeah. I¡¯d like to see him up close too, but that¡¯s not possible.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Anyway, how¡¯s your leveling going?] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: I¡¯m working hard.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Okay, do your best.] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Okay.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: Then I¡¯ll go ahead and do some content.] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Ha¡­ I need to hurry up and reach level 201 and move on too.] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: I¡¯ll be waiting, so hurry up.] Jeong-hoon closed the whisper window after that. ¡®He seems to be in a good mood?¡¯ As Anima said, Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips were curled up almost to his ears. ¡°Yeah.¡± Unlike in his previous life, there was no Rune to boost James Marcus¡¯s stats now. On the contrary, Jeong-hoon was able to increase his stats even more than before his regression. He needed to eliminate as many obstacles as possible to end this tiresome game. === [Immortal Bond: Oath of Combat] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Special Ability (1): Configurable ¨C Special Ability (2): Configurable ¨C Remaining Enhancements: 10 === Now it was time to enhance this Rune. But before that. Jeong-hoon decided to set the Rune¡¯s abilities. The abilities he needed to proceed with his next n. [Would you like to set Special Ability (1)?] [Abilities are set randomly, and if you don¡¯t like the option, you can reset it.] [The cost for resetting is ¡¯10 gold¡¯.] 10 gold for one reset. It meant he had to spend 100,000 won to reset an option. ¡®So this is what a money-guzzler is like.¡¯ Unlike Unique grade Runes, Legendary grade Runes required manual configuration of options. Jeong-hoon immediately pressed the ¡®Set¡¯ button. [¡®Attack Power increased by 50¡¯] ck text appeared, disying ¡®Attack Power increased by 50¡¯. ¡®¡­I didn¡¯t expect much at first, but.¡¯ While an increase of 50 Attack Power wasn¡¯t a bad option, it wasn¡¯t what Jeong-hoon wanted. He invested 10 gold to reset the option. [¡®Defense increased by 10%¡¯] This time, yellow text appeared, showing ¡®Defense increased by 10%¡¯. The color of the text had changed due to the high value. But this wasn¡¯t it either. Jeong-hoon invested another 10 gold. [¡®Berserker¡¯] And red text appeared, disying the ¡®Berserker¡¯ option. ¡°Oh! Berserker?¡± Berserker was an option that James Marcus frequently used. Even when he changed other options, he always kept Berserker. [Berserker] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C When taking/dealing a certain amount of damage, Attack Power increases by 1.2 times for 180 seconds. ¨C When taking/dealing a certain amount of damage, Defense increases by 1.2 times for 180 seconds. ¨C When taking/dealing a certain amount of damage, all skill damage increases by 5% for 180 seconds. ¨C Cooldown: 600 seconds. A passive skill that activates automatically when taking or dealing a certain amount of damage. ¡®There¡¯s nothing more overpowered than attaching a skill to A Rune.¡¯ Attaching skills to Runes was possible from Unique grade onwards. However, it was impossible to have such a powerful option. Legendary and Unique were worlds apart. [Would you like to set Special Ability (2)?] [Abilities are set randomly, and if you don¡¯t like the option, you can reset it.] [The cost for resetting is ¡¯10 gold¡¯.] Simrly, he immediately set the second option. [¡®Attack Power increased by 7%¡¯] ¡®Alright. Let¡¯s go with this.¡¯ While the first special ability could acquire a skill, the second one couldn¡¯t. So, it was ideal to set the first one as a skill and rotate the second option depending on the situation. The Attack Power increase applied to normal attacks even without using skills, so he decided to stick with it. ¡®Is the configuration done?¡¯ ¡°Yes. Now I think all that¡¯s left is enhancement.¡± Enhancing the Rune was simple. Even without an Enhancer, it was possible to enhance by selecting the Rune and using the enhancement icon at the bottom right. [Please select the material to be used for enhancement.] Jeong-hoon selected the Ancient Rune he had purchased from the Coin Shop. [Would you like to attempt enhancement?] [Estimated sess rate: 100%] Since he used A Rune of the same level, the estimated sess rate was 100%. Jeong-hoon immediately attempted the enhancement. The Rune shed brightly for a moment and then disappeared. [Enhancement sessful.] Jeong-hoon proceeded toplete all the remaining 9 enhancements. * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Jeong-hoon stepped out. A smile lingered on his lips. ¡®It¡¯s done. Fully enhanced.¡¯ He had sessfullypleted the first task he had nned in the Free City. Now all that was left was to wait for Mukho to be restored. ¡°Let¡¯s move as soon as Mukho is restored.¡± With New World gradually approaching reality, a long rest was a luxury. ¡®The 3rd Cataclysm. That¡¯s when the countdown begins.¡¯ There was still quite a bit of time left before the 3rd Cataclysm started. Until then, he had to finish as many of his nned tasks as possible. ¡®But before that, I need to rest my body a bit.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s physical body was still no different from an ordinary adult male. So he needed to rest in order to carry out his next n. He went out to the living room and saw his mother reading a book. ¡°Oh? Son, you¡¯re out early today?¡± His mother closed the book she was reading at Jeong-hoon¡¯s appearance. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going to rest for a bit.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°How are you doing, Mom? Have you been to the Gun Tower?¡± The Gun Tower Master had appeared earlier than originally expected. Impressed by his mother¡¯s talent, he even invited her to be his disciple. There must have been some favoritism from the Gun Tower Master. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve already reached level 150.¡± ¡°That quickly¡­?¡± It seemed like they were giving her more than he had imagined. ¡°Yes. Every time I receive a quest, my level goes up quickly.¡± At this rate, wouldn¡¯t she catch up to Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s levels? That wasn¡¯t all. As expected, the Gun Tower Master was teaching her his skills and even bestowing titles, fully supporting her growth. ¡®At this rate, Mom will reach the 3rd advancement soon too.¡¯ A smile formed on Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°So, you¡¯re free today?¡± ¡°I came out on purpose. I¡¯ve been ying all day, and my body feels stiff.¡± Staying still in a capsule for a long time wasn¡¯t easy either. ¡°Then, shall we go out for a meal for the first time in a while?¡± ¡°That sounds great!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make a reservation right away!¡± Jeong-hoon made a reservation at a nearby sushi restaurant known for being expensive. [Tl/N: There was some confusion in the past chapters. The ne is a ¡°relic¡±, the gemstones on it are called ¡°runes¡±. Mark is apleted form of all the fragmentsbined. Sa Jae-Hyeok is the Leader of the Myth Guild] ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 159 Chapter 159 Jeong-hoon enjoyed his vacation, having meals with his mother and taking short trips. After a few days of rest, he prepared to enter the capsule again. ¡°Son, why don¡¯t you rest a bit more? Aren¡¯t you rushing back in?¡± His mother seemed to want to rest a little longer. He wanted to rx with his mother for a few more days, but time was ticking by relentlessly. ¡°I want to raise my stats a bit more.¡± ¡°Your stats? Haven¡¯t you already raised them a lot?¡± ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m still far from where I need to be.¡± In the early stages of the integration with reality, if he didn¡¯t reach a certain level, he wouldn¡¯t be able to ovee ¡®that¡¯ crisis. Of course, he could get help from the rankers, but then he would miss out on important items. He had to somehow recover his previous life¡¯s strength and surpass it to ovee the crises that would befall reality. ¡°Take care of yourself while you¡¯re at it, okay?¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Jeong-hoon promised his mother and logged into New World. He went straight to Chris¡¯s shop. The promised time had passed, and he was here to receive Mukho. ¡°You¡¯ve arrived?¡± Chris was waiting for Jeong-hoon, pacing in front of his shop. ¡°I assume the restoration isplete?¡± ¡°Yes, it went very well.¡± Chris grinned. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Come in and check it out.¡± Jeong-hoon followed him to the smithy. Mukho was hanging on the wall of the smithy. Was it because of the restoration? The overall color seemed more vivid. === [Mukho] ¨C Type: Armor ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Defense: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) ¨C Evasion: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) ¨C Physical Damage Reduction: 30% ¨C Magic Damage Reduction: 30% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% (Durability recovers automatically) ¨C Special Ability (1): When equipped, increases Debuff Resistance by 20% ¨C Special Ability (2): When equipped, low chance to reflect melee attacks (0.3%) ¨C Special Ability (3): When equipped, [Passive: Cooldown Reduction] activates automatically ¨C Special Ability (4): [Active: Invulnerability] can be used === The perfectly restored Mukho had blossomed with incredible options. ¡®This is amazing. A low chance to reflect melee attacks?¡¯ Jeong-hoon currently had one invincibility skill. Block. However, that skill only blocked other skills. Melee attack reflection was an option that allowed iing damage to be returned to the attacker. Also, the newly added passive skill, Cooldown Reduction. [Cooldown Reduction] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Reduces the cooldown of all possessed skills by 2%. A passive skill that reduced the cooldown of all of Jeong-hoon¡¯s skills by 2%. One might say it was only 2%, but it was important to remember that Mukho¡¯s enhancement level was currently 0. If it was fully enhanced, it could reach up to 10%. It was an indispensable option that allowed for faster skill rotation. [Why are you sote?] As Jeong-hoon touched Mukho, he heard a grumpy voice. ¡°I was a bit busy.¡± [Funny. You look like you were just resting.] He was a perceptive fellow. Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t answer and took off his Epic grade armor. It was time to equip Mukho. Changing from the clunky armor to Mukho felt asfortable as finding his own clothes. ¡°Thank you for restoring it.¡± Jeong-hoon expressed his gratitude to Chris. ¡°You¡¯re wee. I was also happy to handle the Luminous Stone.¡± Chris grinned. Handling the Luminous Stone was one thing, but the real highlight was Mukho. ¡®I never thought I¡¯d live to see the day I¡¯d touch a Legendary grade item.¡¯ Legendary grade, known to be rarer than Unique. This was the first time he had ever touched a Legendary grade item. It was the glory of his family. [Crazy, what a load of crap. That bastard fondled me for over an hour before he started working!] Mukho, seemingly creeped out by Chris¡¯s smile, tattled on him to Jeong-hoon. ¡®He did?¡¯ [He did! It was so humiliating¡­ Can¡¯t you just smash his face in?] ¡®No, I can¡¯t do that.¡¯ Jeong-hoon lightly dismissed Mukho¡¯s request. * * * ¡°Where the hell is he¡­?¡± Park Jin-Hyeok couldn¡¯t hide his frustration. He had been told that Hoon had spoken to o, so he had visited all 12 training grounds where artifact enhancement was possible. But no one had seen a martial artist. In the end, he failed to find Hoon. ¡®Let¡¯s go see o.¡¯ Park Jin-Hyeok returned to the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary and sought out o. ¡°Oh! What brings you here?¡± o recognized Park Jin-Hyeok at a nce. They were acquainted, and Park Jin-Hyeok had stood out among the other warriors back then. ¡°I came by a few days ago, but I apologize for not greeting you then.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok bowed his head apologetically. o waved his hand as if to say it was no big deal. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I also feel ufortable holding back someone who¡¯s busy.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°So, what brings you here? Do you need an artifact?¡± ¡°Ah, no, not that.¡± ¡°Then tell me quickly.¡± o was ready to listen. Normally, it would be difficult to even have a casual conversation, but Park Jin-Hyeok was an exception, having gained some of his trust by sweeping all the Unique grade artifacts early on. ¡°Did a martial artist visit a few days ago?¡± ¡°Ah, yes, he did.¡± ¡°May I ask what kind of conversation you had¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a difficult question. He went to take the trial to obtain an artifact.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Strange. He had spent days searching the 12 training grounds, but it was all for naught. Where the hell did he go to take the trial? ¡°Why? Do you need to meet that martial artist?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. I have something to discuss with him.¡± ¡°Then you¡¯re in luck. He¡¯sing right now.¡± o pointed towards the entrance of the sanctuary. Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s head turned in that direction. And his eyes widened. As o said, Jeong-hoon was returning to the sanctuary. * * * Jeong-hoon returned to the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary. He had finished enhancing his artifacts, so it was time to move on to the next n. But there was a familiar face in the sanctuary. ¡®Park Jin-Hyeok, you were still in the City of Warriors.¡¯ He thought he would have left after searching for a few days. Park Jin-Hyeok spotted him and walked over with quick strides. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. How have you been?¡± Park Jin-Hyeok greeted him politely. But Jeong-hoon had no intention of epting the greeting. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t been well.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± ¡°Someone came and acted so rudely that I get chills whenever I see a myth.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s shoulders flinched. He wanted to make some excuse but couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak. He had made a grave mistake, and there was no room for any excuse. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy, so let¡¯s go our separate ways.¡± ¡°W-Wait a minute! I was wrong! Please give me a chance to talk!¡± Park Jin-Hyeok knelt with a desperate expression. Lord Knight Park Jin-Hyeok was kneeling! The users watching from a distance were shocked. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡­¡± ¡°Film it! Film it and upload it to World Com!¡± They zoomed in on Park Jin-Hyeok with their smart lenses and started recording. As the scene became chaotic, Jeong-hoon let out a sigh. ¡°Wow, that stalker scum! He followed me all the way here and is making a scene.¡± ¡®Maybe I should just kill that bastard too while I¡¯m at it?¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s a great idea!¡± ¡®Heh, there couldn¡¯t be a better suggestion than that.¡¯ ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s just finish him off right here!¡± Mukho and Anima proposed taking out Park Jin-Hyeok. However, Jeong-Hoon had no interest in Park Jin-Hyeok. Although they were oncerades, strictly speaking, he wasn¡¯t a traitor. ¡®He died before the others could betray me.¡¯ Before the regression, Park Jin-Hyeok had died before theirrades betrayed Jeong-Hoon. This was why he hadn¡¯t gone after Park Jin-Hyeok when Hwarang picked a fight with him. Jeong-Hoon approached Jordan, who was standing at a distance, observing the situation. ¡°It¡¯s quite noisy. What on earth is going on?¡± ¡°I need a space where we can talk for a moment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a difficult request. Come inside.¡± Jordan offered a vacant room next to his quarters. Jeong-Hoon and Park Jin-Hyeok entered the room. ¡°Why do you keep putting people in difficult situations?¡± ¡°¡­Please. I¡¯m asking for your mercy.¡± ¡°Mercy?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ That Hwa-rang bastard may have been rude, but he isn¡¯t inherently a bad person.¡± He isn¡¯t inherently a bad person? Then he shouldn¡¯t have betrayed me in the end. I was so sure we were on the same page. Jeong-Hoon let out a scoff. ¡°This is ridiculous. After everything he did, you¡¯re asking for mercy?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°And you followed me all the way here just to bother me with this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Park Jin-Hyeok lowered his head deeply. ¡°Anyone who defends trash should be executed.¡± ¡®Executed!¡¯ ¡°Rip his limbs apart!¡± ¡®Tear him to pieces!¡¯ ¡°You die here!¡± ¡®Dead!¡¯ ¡®Both of you, shut up.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon silenced Mukho and Anima. Just thinking about his formerrades before the regression made his blood boil. While he had no particr feelings toward Park Jin-Hyeok, if thetter had survived to the end, he might have joined in the betrayal. You never know with people. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ He really didn¡¯t want to forgive him. Should he just chase Park Jin-Hyeok out of here? As Jeong-Hoon was pondering, a clever idea came to mind. ¡°So you want me to lift the one-year suspension with just an apology?¡± ¡°Of course not! Is there anything you desire? Just say the word!¡± ¡°Then sever all ties with Lee Hwa-rang and the Myth Guild. If you do, I¡¯ll reduce your sentence by three months, to nine.¡± A whopping three-month reduction. It was truly an exceptional offer. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do it.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok epted without a second¡¯s hesitation. ¡°¡­Really?¡± Jeong-hoon was slightly taken aback. He thought Park Jin-Hyeok would at least hesitate a bit, but an immediate answer? ¡°This is thest bit of loyalty I¡¯m upholding. I¡¯ve been relegated to the bottom ranks in Myth anyway, so I was already considering leaving the guild.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok hadpletely lost his attachment to Myth. Of course, the same went for Lee Hwa-rang. From the moment he felt the threat of death from Sa Jae-Hyeok because of Lee Hwa-rang and was demoted from his executive position, he no longer wanted to stay in Myth. The only reason he was stepping up like this was because he couldn¡¯t bear to see Lee Hwa-rang suffering. After all, he was the one who brought him into New World in the first ce. So this was thest time he would act for his sake. ¡°Is that so? Then prove it.¡± ¡°Prove it¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± * * * [Why not just crush him¡­?] ¡®It¡¯s a bit of a waste.¡¯ Regret filled the voices of Mukho and Anima. It was because Jeong-hoon had let Park Jin-Hyeok go without harming him. ¡°He didn¡¯t directly provoke us. Weck justification.¡± If Park Jin-Hyeok had attacked, Jeong-hoon would have crushed him, but he had taken a submissive stance. So Jeong-hoon decided to test him. ¡®Leave Myth and join Ho-Yeong.¡¯ The reason for setting such a condition was simple. ¡®Topletely sever Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s limbs.¡¯ To Lee Hwa-rang, Park Jin-Hyeok was his most precious friend. After Park Jin-Hyeok sacrificed himself for hisrades, Lee Hwa-rang had held his corpse and wept for a long time. ¡®Hwa-rang, let¡¯s see how you feel.¡¯ The feeling of being abandoned by the only friend you trusted. Even if it wasn¡¯t to the same extent as the betrayal Jeong-hoon had experienced before his regression, the sense of betrayal and loss would be immense. ¡°Well then, shall I continue with what I was doing?¡± Jeong-hoon went to find the NPC Wolf. Wolf was an NPC in the City of Warriors who offered a wide variety of quests. ¡°Oh! What brings a martial artist here?¡± Wolf greeted Jeong-hoon with a grin. ¡°I¡¯d like to undertake a quest.¡± ¡°Is that so? You¡¯re certainly qualified. Take your pick.¡± As Wolf finished speaking, a holographic screen appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. There were three categories on the screen. 1. Daily Quests 2. Weekly Quests 3. Monthly Quests First up, the Daily Quests. These are repeatable quests that reset every day at midnight. The second category is Weekly Quests. These quests can only be undertaken once a week and are refreshed every Monday at midnight. Thest category is Monthly Quests. You could say these quests are refreshed on the 1st of every month at midnight. And what Jeong-hoon wanted to do was a Weekly Quest. ¡®I¡¯ll change the future here too.¡¯ Originally, this dungeon wouldn¡¯t be discovered until muchter, after the realization of reality had taken ce. He intended to reveal this dungeon early. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 160 Chapter 160 ¡®Damn it, why isn¡¯t he answering?¡¯ Lee Hwa-rang hadn¡¯t had a single day of peace since he was suspended. He had worked so hard to get where he was, and now it looked like he was going to lose it all because of a painful one-year penalty. He hurriedly logged into World Com. He couldn¡¯t get in touch with Park Jin-Hyeok either, so World Com was his only source of information. [This is mosaic-ed so you can¡¯t tell, right?] -(Photo) It¡¯s Park Jin-Hyeok lol ©¸No way ©¸Why would Park Jin-Hyeok from Myth be in the Sanctuary of Warriors? Get real lol ©¸Just because it¡¯s mosaic-ed doesn¡¯t mean you can make up anything. ©¸Haven¡¯t there been cases where people got screwed for making stuff up like this? ©¸(Original poster) Bullshit. A lot of people here saw him. ©¸I¡¯m a witness here~ I saw him too lol Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s face hardened. ¡°That bastard, did he kneel?¡± The mere fact that his friend had knelt before that damn bastard made his blood boil. [Hey, are you busy?] Just then, a text message came from Park Jin-Hyeok. Lee Hwa-rang quickly called him. The phone connected before the second ring. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s going on?¡± [Did you see World Com?] ¡°Yeah. Damn it, why are you kneeling before that bastard?¡± [You were whining so much, so I went and knelt a bit. To ask him to lift your suspension.] ¡°¡­Ha, this is driving me crazy. So what was the result?¡± [He¡¯ll reduce it by three months.] ¡°Only three months¡­?¡± It was absurd. If he was going to reduce it, he should have done it properly. [Anyway, my role is over. From now on, you¡¯re on your own.] ¡°Wait a minute! There¡¯s no other way to reduce it further?¡± [No. I¡¯m hanging up.] ¡°What¡­? Hey!¡± The call ended. Lee Hwa-rang hurriedly called him again, but the call wouldn¡¯t connect. ¡®What the hell is going on¡­?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t the type to hang up unterally like this. Lee Hwa-rang had a bad feeling and started looking through the World Com posts again. Just then, a new post was uploaded. [I¡¯m leaving Myth.] -I¡¯m Park Jin-Hyeok, a level 339 Lord Knight. -I intend to leave Myth from this moment on. -I was once an executive, but due to certain events, I was demoted to the bottom ranks and have lost all affection for the guild. Lee Hwa-rang only read three lines before hurriedly calling Park Jin-Hyeok. If he was posting on World Com, it meant he was fiddling with his smartphone. ¡°Damn it! Why are you ignoring my calls!¡± It was enough to drive him crazy. * * * [Weekly Quest] -Reward: Experience Points -Description: Search a designated area and report back. As it was a repeatable quest, the reward was experience points. Since leveling up was so difficult, users earned additional experience points through daily, weekly, and monthly quests. The quest Jeong-hoon epted was a search quest. He could earn experience points by simply searching the forest outside the city and returning to report. ¡°Just think of it as a simple walk in the park.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon epted the quest and went outside. [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Breaking news! Park Jin-Hyeok is leaving Myth!] A whisper from Yeo Min-ji arrived just in time. ¡®Looks like it¡¯s started.¡¯ The advice Jeong-hoon had given him. It was to leave Myth and join Ho-Yeong. He didn¡¯t think Sa Jae-Hyeok would let him go easily, but Sa Jae-Hyeok wouldn¡¯t want the incident with Lee Hwa-rang to surface, so he would eventually have to let him go. ¡®If it¡¯s revealed that Myth attacked Ho-Yeong, they¡¯ll be criticized for breaking the unspoken rule.¡¯ If Sa Jae-Hyeok had any sense, he wouldn¡¯t risk Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s life. Park Jin-Hyeok was exceptionally talented as a warrior, but he was far inferior to Sa Jae-Hyeok and was often overshadowed by the presence of Lee Hwa-rang. To Sa Jae-Hyeok, Park Jin-Hyeok was literally a chicken rib. Given his personality, it was highly likely that he would choose to abandon Park Jin-Hyeok. ¡®If he joins Ho-Yeong and performs well, it¡¯ll really piss him off.¡¯ That was Jeong-hoon¡¯s aim. Cutting off Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s limbs and messing with Sa Jae-Hyeok once again ¨C wasn¡¯t this killing two birds with one stone? [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Park Jin-Hyeok will probablye to Ho-Yeong soon.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Huh? Why would hee to Ho-Yeong?;;] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: To join the guild.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Whoa¡­ You¡¯re not suggesting we ept Park Jin-Hyeok into Ho-Yeong, are you? We¡¯re not a trash disposal service?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Haha, you don¡¯t have to ept him.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Oh, haha, is that so?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Yes. This is just to mess with Sa Jae-Hyeok and Lee Hwa-rang one more time.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Hmm¡­ So I can personally interview him and reject him if I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a good fit, right?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Yes.] [Whisper/Minzi -> Hoon: Okay, got it.] Jeong-hoon closed the whisper window. [So where are you going for the search?] Jeong-hoon was heading towards the border of the City of Warriors. If he crossed over a little from here, he would enter the City of Archers, and if he didn¡¯t have entry permission, he would be considered an intruder and showered with arrows. The reason he was searching this dangerous ce was simple. ¡®An undiscovered dungeon.¡¯ An undiscovered dungeon that hadn¡¯t been revealed yet. Jeong-hoon had discovered several undiscovered dungeons since his return. However, the undiscovered dungeon he was about to find this time was on a different level. ¡®Whether I¡¯m the first to discover it or not, as long as I enter and clear it, I¡¯ll receive a massive reward.¡¯ The problem was that this dungeon wouldn¡¯t be discovered until muchter, after the realization of reality had taken ce. By then, many users would have already lost their lives. If this dungeon were to open sooner, wouldn¡¯t more users be able to benefit? ¡®The reason I¡¯m revealing this dungeon to the users.¡¯ He was certain that if this dungeon surfaced, countless users would flock to it. However, opening this dungeon required a specific condition. ¡°Oh? What¡¯s this, why are you here?¡± As he reached the border, he ran into Liandor, who happened to be taking a walk. ¡°I have some business to attend to.¡± ¡°Is that so? This is a rather dangerous ce¡­ Well, I suppose there¡¯s no need to worry with you around.¡± ¡°Why are you here, Liandor?¡± ¡°I had nothing to do, so I was just wandering around.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Jeong-hoon looked beyond the border. He could sense the presence of several archers around the bushes. Originally, until a few years ago, this ce belonged to the City of Archers, so they were always looking for an opportunity to reim it. The reason Liandor had built a cabin and was living here was to keep an eye on them. The moment they invaded this ce, the war would start again. ¡°You sense it too, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The warriors belonging to the City of Warriors were also keeping a close watch on them from around here. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Those cowards won¡¯t dare to invade.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Liandorughed heartily. ¡°Look over there.¡± He pointed to the ground. Not far away, a red line was drawn. ¡°Is that to detect intruders?¡± ¡°No, if an intruder crosses that line, a debuff will automatically activate and tear them to shreds.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Heh, I don¡¯t like it, but the head of the City of Mages did us a favor.¡± The reason the City of Archers couldn¡¯t invade recklessly. It was because the City of Mages was involved. The ruler of the City of Mages sided with the City of Warriors. Unlike Liandor, the mage who still hadn¡¯t stepped down from his position as ruler. It was because Glinsmann had a very close rtionship with Liandor. It was what they called an alliance. Because of that, the City of Archers also hastily formed an alliance, and that was with the City of Thieves. It was because they also had a very bad rtionship with the Warriors. ¡®The other cities have the mindset that as long as no one crosses into their territory, it¡¯s fine.¡¯ The remaining cities hadn¡¯t formed alliances. Because they wouldn¡¯t act unless their territory was threatened. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll open the dungeon.¡± ¡°Open a dungeon? Here?¡± Liandor tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. * * * City of Warriors. The bandits were diligently weeding the fields of the tenant farmers. ¡°Today¡¯s workload is 7,000 pyeong.¡± 7,000 pyeong. Kukri wanted to hit the heads of the tenant farmers who were resting, pretending to supervise with their shovels. How much longer did they have to do this tedious work? ¡®Should I just kill all these bastards and run away?¡¯ But the boss was too scary. It felt like Leas would chase him down and kill him no matter where he ran. So attacking the tenant farmers was out of the question. Just then. ¡°Hey! Kukri!¡± He heard a voice calling him from a distance. It was a man he had never seen before in his life. ¡®Hah, who¡¯s that bastard?¡¯ Judging by his appearance, he wasn¡¯t a tenant farmer, but some random guy who wandered in, right? Alright. He hade at the right time. Kukri would take out his frustration on this guy. Kukri strode towards him with his shovel. ¡°Did you call me?¡± Just say one more word. He would smash this guy¡¯s head in with his shovel. He gripped the shovel tightly. ¡°The boss is looking for you. Your boss.¡± ¡°The boss¡­?¡± At the mention of the boss, his grip on the shovel loosened. ¡°Yes. And don¡¯t re at me like that. I¡¯m the boss¡¯s most trusted subordinate.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re not answering? Should I tell the boss?¡± ¡°N-no, sir.¡± ¡°Hurry up and follow me. I¡¯ll let the tenant farmers know.¡± Michael said so and asked the tenant farmers for permission. ¡°Of course! Take him away as long as you need!¡± They couldn¡¯t interfere with the benefactor¡¯s work. The tenant farmers readily agreed. * * * Michael returned after a long time. ¡°Boss! I brought them!¡± Behind him stood Kukri and five other bandits. ¡°Well done. Go in and rest.¡± ¡°Wait a moment!¡± As Jeong-hoon was about to send Michael away, Michael shouted urgently. Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve been outside¡­ Is there anything else I can help with?¡± Since the 2nd Cataclysm, he hadn¡¯t been summoned at all, and it was the first time in a long while that he had been called upon. He didn¡¯t want to go back afterpleting just onemand. ¡°Is that so? Then do one more thing before you go.¡± Jeong-hoon readily agreed to his request. ¡°Thank you! You bastards! Stand up straight!¡± As soon as Jeong-hoon gave his permission, Michael, as if he had been waiting for it, pointed out the posture of the bandits, including Kukri. ¡°Y-yes, sir!¡± Kukri, with his discipline tightened, stood in line with the other bandits. ¡°Boss! What should we do then?¡± ¡°Here, take this.¡± What Jeong-hoon handed over was a torch. The top of the wood was wrapped in cloth and soaked in oil, ready to burst into mes at any moment. ¡°Should we each take one?¡± Jeong-hoon had prepared these torches in advance. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon had Michael, Kukri, and the five bandits each take a torch. Next, he instructed them to disperse, one by one, to designated locations and wait. They stood at the positions Jeong-hoon had assigned and lit their torches. The torches began to ze brightly. ¡°¡­So, if you ce them separately like that, the dungeon will open?¡± Liandor had a puzzled look on his face. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Jeong-hoon moved and stopped at one spot. The weeds on the ground grew as high as Jeong-hoon¡¯s waist. ¡®If I remember correctly, it¡¯s here.¡¯ It was the chronicler, Damian Loud, who had discovered this undiscovered dungeon. While recording, he btedly realized that this ce was unusual. At that time, Jeong-hoon had also been watching from the side, so he knew how to open it. Jeong-hoon cut down the weeds with Leviathan and then dug into the ground with a shovel. ng! Even though he hadn¡¯t dug much, he felt something blocking his way. Jeong-hoon removed the shovel and cleared the dirt with his hand. Beneath it, a hexagonal te appeared. An old metal te densely engraved with hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs that couldn¡¯t be deciphered in New World. Nevertheless, Damian Loud had seeded in deciphering these difficult hieroglyphs. ¡®Block the hexagonal passage with the energy of fire, and breathe life into it with divine power.¡¯ The energy of fire meant mes. As instructed, he surrounded the edges of the hexagon with torches and infused divine power into the metal te. Jeong-hoon reached out and channeled divine power into the metal te. Then, the old metal te began to shine brightly. Woooong- The metal te vibrated and then melted into a liquid, seeping into the ground. Jeong-hoon stepped back. Soon after, the ground glowed bluish, and a portal formed. A dungeon that was originally supposed to appear muchter. That dungeon had just appeared. [You have discovered an undiscovered dungeon! You will be rewarded with 1,000 achievement points.] ¡°Oh my¡­¡± Liandor, who was watching from a distance, was astonished. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 161 Chapter 161 As Jeong-hoon had predicted, Park Jin-Hyeok soon came to Ho-Yeong. ¡°I want to join Ho-Yeong¡­¡± ¡°Have you perhaps lost all sense of shame?¡± Yeo Min-ji asked Park Jin-Hyeok with narrowed eyes. His face flushed red. ¡°I have nothing to say in that regard¡­¡± He was utterly deted. It was understandable, considering he had caused trouble for Ho-Yeong alongside Lee Hwa-rang. How could they possibly view him favorably? ¡°So, what¡¯s your true purpose?¡± ¡°Purpose¡­? I have no such thing. Now that I¡¯ve left Myth, what¡­¡± ¡°In any case, Ho-Yeong can¡¯t ept you.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Park Jin-Hyeok nodded with a bitter smile. He had intended to fulfill hisst bit of loyalty and make a clean break, but even that was impossible. As he was about to get up, Yeo Min-ji made a suggestion. ¡°Ah, of course, if you really want to join, there is a way.¡± ¡°What is it?!¡± The condition Jeong-hoon had set was only to join Ho-Yeong. Park Jin-Hyeok perked up his ears. ¡°Six months. You¡¯ll go through a probationary period of six months. If youplete that period, we¡¯ll evaluate you and decide whether to allow you to join. How about it?¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Earlier, Sa Jae-Hyeok had readily epted Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s resignation. ¡®If you cause any trouble for Myth, I¡¯ll make sure you never set foot in New World again. Understand?¡¯ Of course, he had to sign a confidentiality agreement before he could leave. Honestly, he had expected Sa Jae-Hyeok to try to stop him at least once or twice. Even if he was just Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s sidekick, he was still a level 339 Lord Knight. Even with a Unique Normal grade, it meant he had the potential to reach Legendary in the future 5th Cataclysm. But Sa Jae-Hyeok didn¡¯t try to stop him even once. Even though he had dedicated himself to the guild, he was discarded so easily. ¡°Are you really okay with that?¡± ¡°Yes. But can I ask you one thing?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you think I could be a valuable asset to Ho-Yeong?¡± Park Jin-Hyeok asked, slightly timidly. Yeo Min-ji nodded without hesitation. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± As she met Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s gaze with her sincere eyes, his own eyes trembled slightly. ¡®Yes. I¡¯ll go to a ce that recognizes my worth. And I¡¯ll make them regret abandoning me.¡¯ The mes of revenge began to flicker in Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s heart. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do my best!¡± * * * Meanwhile. Jang Dae-hwi was sitting in front of hisputer, watching YouTube. [HoneyTube] The number of subscribers had soared to 1.4 million, but since there hadn¡¯t been any new videos, it had gradually decreased to the current 1.34 million. ¡®When is he going to start making videos again¡­¡¯ Even when he contacted Ha-jin out of frustration¡­ [Huh? Ah, I¡¯m busy leveling up right now. Let¡¯s talkter!] He would briefly step out of the capsule to answer the call, only to dive back in, saying he had to level up. And Jeong-hoon, the friend of Honey 1 Ha-jin¡­ [I¡¯ll be making content soon, so please wait.] He had only said that he would start making content soon and had been silent ever since. ¡°Seriously, when is ¡®soon¡¯?¡± Not only were the subscribers decreasing in real-time, but themunity was still in an uproar. [Seriously, why isn¡¯t he active even after reaching 1 million subscribers?] [Lol, he¡¯s run out of honey.] [Tsk¡­ If he¡¯s over 1 million, he could just do simple tip videos. He¡¯s gotten toofortable.] [Look at him, taking enhancement requests so diligently but not doing YouTube lol] Hatements were a given. The truly malicious ones woulde once a day and leave suchments. [Ugh, I miss the Honeys ??] [I. Miss. Them.] [Ah~ How can you show us that kind of performance and then disappear? Lol] [Ignore those beastlyments ande back soon ??] Of course, there were far morements from those missing the Honeys. Jang Dae-hwi couldn¡¯t hide his frustration as he read theirments. And then it happened. [LIVE broadcast is starting.] HoneyTube¡¯s LIVE broadcast had begun. ¡°What?!¡± Jang Dae-hwi hurriedly entered the broadcast. [Current Viewers: 6,534] In just one minute, it had surpassed 6,500 viewers. Many people had set notifications, so they were flooding in. And the one who turned on the broadcast was Honey 1 alone. * * * Viewers quickly joined the broadcast as soon as it started. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Jeong-hoon greeted them. ¨C Hi hi ¨C Why did you start the broadcast sote? ?? ¨C I¡¯ve been waiting so long my neck hurts. ¨C Please do broadcasts more often, even if it¡¯s just useless content¡­ You¡¯re always just enhancing. The viewers expressed their grievances as soon as they joined. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t made a single broadcast or even left a notice since Skyfield. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But I¡¯ve discovered something really good today, so I¡¯ll introduce it to you.¡± You can look forward to it. ¨C You found something good? ¨C Where are you right now? ¨C It just looks like a forest? ¨C Oh? It¡¯s a dungeon! ¨C What kind of dungeon is that? The viewers¡¯ attention was focused on the dungeon. A sly smile crept onto Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°This is an undiscovered dungeon.¡± An undiscovered dungeon! ¨C ¡­? ¨C ¡­? ¨C Really? ¨C An undiscovered dungeon? ¨C Honey 1, you sly dog, lol. There was a reason you turned on the broadcast after so long. ¨C Show us quickly! The viewers¡¯ reactions were heated. It wouldn¡¯t be long before this spread to World Com. ¡°So, today¡¯s broadcast is about clearing this undiscovered dungeon.¡± Clearing an undiscovered dungeon. However, the viewers¡¯ reactions weren¡¯t very positive. ¨C But is this really a honey tip? ¨C Shh! Do you think honey tipse easily? ¨C Honestly, it¡¯s a bit disappointing that undiscovered dungeons are just dungeons that were discoveredte lol ¨C Undiscovered dungeons only benefit the first person to discover them lol The 100% boss item drop rate is too OP ¨C Agreed The fact that undiscovered dungeons only benefit the first discoverer. It was undeniable. The reason Jeong-hoon had discovered several undiscovered dungeons after his return was also to obtain those first-time rewards. But this undiscovered dungeon was different. ¡°This will also be a honey tip video.¡± Jeong-hoon approached the portal alone. [Would you like to enter the Lv.227 Sealed Giant Wolf Fenrir¡¯s Dungeon?] The Giant Wolf Fenrir. Although its level was 227, its special abilities made it a rather difficult dungeon to conquer. ¨C What? Is he going in alone? ¨C Isn¡¯t that dangerous? ¨C Hey lol Are you worried about Honey 1? ¨C They¡¯re worried about Honey 1, who single-handedly defeated the Bone Lord Wyvern lol ¨C Are you guys rankers? There are other people to worry about lol The reason the number of subscribers had exploded. It was because of Jeong-hoon¡¯s performance in defeating the Bone Lord Wyvern. And with this additional performance, the number of subscribers would surge once again. ¡°I¡¯ll enter.¡± * * * Meanwhile, there were people watching Jeong-hoon enter the dungeon. They were Liandor and the bandits, including Kukri. ¡®I¡¯ll clear this dungeon myself, so please stay away.¡¯ Liandor wanted to help Jeong-hoon, but because of his request, all he could do was watch. Kukri and the bandits couldn¡¯t join either, as they had been ordered to wait at a distance. ¡°He¡¯ll be fine alone, right?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the boss. The boss who defeated all of us, you think he can¡¯t clear a mere dungeon?¡± Kukri scoffed, dispelling the bandits¡¯ anxieties. He knew. He knew just how monstrous the boss was. It was the boss who had made him realize that the level disyed in front of him wasn¡¯t everything. ¡°You have a keen eye for someone your age.¡± Liandor praised Kukri with a satisfied look. He, too, had a history of being defeated by Jeong-hoon. He knew better than anyone that Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t someone who would easily kneel before a mere dungeon. ¡°As expected of Liandor-nim.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Kukri and Liandor grinned at each other. Normally, they wouldn¡¯t be able to stand so close to each other, but now, with Jeong-hoon as theirmon ground, they couldugh and chat together. * * * Fenrir¡¯s dungeon took the form of a massive mountain. ¨C Whoa¡­ Look at the scale. ¨C Just by looking, it seems like there are more than 300 normal monsters? ¨C It definitely doesn¡¯t look like a solo dungeon. Sharp observation. The viewers were right. This Fenrir¡¯s dungeon was meant for at least 10 or more people. The reason was that the number of monsters was overwhelmingly higher than in typical dungeons. Moreover, they had a habit of living in packs, making them not easy to eliminate. ¡°Awooo!¡± Just then, a howling sound came from a distance. Their current location had been discovered by the enemies. That howl was a signal to gather theirrades. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t pick up any weapons. He was facing arge number of enemies, and he judged that martial arts would be more effective than swordsmanship in targeting the Blood Wolves¡¯ vital points. They slowly revealed themselves. ¡°Grrr! New prey has appeared!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s catch him and offer him to the boss!¡± [Lv.210 Blood Wolf] They were Blood Wolves. You could say they were the underlings Fenrir kept around. ¨C Whoa¡­ Look at the numbers. ¨C Crazy lol Even from here, it looks like there are over 100 of them? ¨C He¡¯s going to beat them all up with his bare hands? ¨C Wait, aren¡¯t you an Enhancer? The viewers knew Jeong-hoon as an Enhancer. It couldn¡¯t be helped, considering the overwhelming enhancement techniques he had disyed. But in reality, Jeong-hoon was a martial artist. And not just any martial artist, but the Legendary-grade Martial Emperor. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that intrude into the area are decreased by 10%.] As always, he activated ckfield. This was enough. ¡°Grrrr!¡± A wolf bared its fangs and lunged at Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to dodge andnd an uppercut on the wolf¡¯s jaw. His fist was imbued with the energy of the first stage of the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Pow! Though it felt slightly heavy, the Blood Wolf was sent flying backward with a yelp. Then three Blood Wolves charged at him simultaneously. Jeong-hoon spun his body, striking each of their weak points, their jaws, one by one. ¡°Yelp!¡± The Blood Wolves cried out and fell back. Two or three other Blood Wolves, who were also charging, tripped over their fallenrades and momentarily lost their bnce. Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t miss the opportunity and struck their jaws, knocking them down. ¨C Whoa¡­ ¨C Is this even possible? ¨C No way, first swords, then bows, and now martial arts? ¨C Is he a martial artist? ¨C Huh? Then how do you exin the enhancement skills? The viewers were shocked and amazed. But Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t have time to check thements. The Blood Wolves kepting at him. Jeong-hoon pivoted on his right foot, continuously targeting the Blood Wolves¡¯ weak points. [Blood Wolf uses ¡®Blood Curse¡¯.] Then they all used their abilities on Jeong-hoon at once. Blood Curse. It was a curse that caused blood to flow out of the body. Blood started to trickle from Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes, nose, and mouth. [Health points are slowly decreasing.] At the same time, his health points started to dwindle. ¨C Oh no! ¨C What can he do about that? ¨C It¡¯s over¡­ ¨C Can¡¯t he do something about the debuff? He could. Even though he wasn¡¯t using Purification, his health was decreasing slowly. It was thanks to Mukho. ¨C Special Ability (1): When equipped, increases debuff resistance by 20%. A whopping 20% debuff resistance. And with this¡­ [Using Purification.] By also using Purification, which had been upgraded to Unique grade, he couldpletely negate the debuff. ¡®I could manage even without Mukho.¡¯ Because Purification was so powerful. [You could manage without me¡­? That¡¯s a bit harsh.] Mukho expressed his hurt feelings. ¨C ¡­? ¨C ¡­?? ¨C Huh? The blood isn¡¯t flowing anymore? ¨C What? Is he resisting the debuff? ¨C No way, how can he be so unaffected? ¨C Did he perhaps remove the debuff? Jeong-hoon grinned and continued to wipe out the Blood Wolves. Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 2nd Form. The energy of the Underworld King intensified, increasing his destructive power. ¡°Yelp!¡± ¡°Whimper!¡± With each punch he threw, the number of Blood Wolf corpses grew. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 162 Chapter 162 [Current Viewers: 78,132] The current number of viewers on HoneyTube had surpassed 70,000 and was approaching 80,000. ¡°Wow¡­ This is insane.¡± It was Ha-jin, watching the broadcast outside of the capsule. And Kim Bong-Goo was there with him. ¡°I know, right?¡­ How are there so many?¡± He had be close enough with Ha-jin to meet offline, eat together, and chat while leveling up. ¡°How can he find undiscovered dungeons so easily?¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing every time.¡± It was impossible without knowing the future. But how could a person know the future and act ordingly? It was nonsense. ¡°It¡¯s a shame¡­ I should have been there too.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Honey 2, Ha-jin. And the newly added Honey 3, Kim Bong-Goo. They were quite disappointed that they couldn¡¯t participate in Jeong-hoon¡¯s content. ¡°When will I reach level 201¡­¡± Even with diligent leveling, 201 was a distant number. ¡°Still, you¡¯re better off than me¡­ I¡¯m only 181.¡± Kim Bong-Goo grumbled. It was understandable, as Ha-jin, who wasining, was level 191. He still had 20 levels to go, while Ha-jin only had 10 left. So it sounded like a spoiledint to him. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s why I take 2 potions when they drop, and you get 3.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± After a tough fight to defeat the Bone Lord Wyvern and obtaining 5 potions, Ha-jin voluntarily took only 2 and gave 3 to Kim Bong-Goo. Thanks to that, they were able to reduce the level gap between Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo to 10. ¡°If you have anyints, let me know. I¡¯ll head over to Leas as soon as I hit 201.¡± ¡°Gasp! What are you talking about? When did I everin?¡± ¡°Your expression is full ofints.¡± ¡°Absolutely not! Let¡¯s just focus on watching Jeong-hoon¡¯s broadcast!¡± Feeling cornered, Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly changed the subject. Ha-jin chuckled and nodded. ¡°Alright.¡± * * * The number of viewers exceeded 80,000. And Jeong-hoon had eliminated over 200 Blood Wolves in front of him. The corpses of monsters were piled up like a mountain on the ground. ¡°This is easy.¡± Jeong-hoon said with a rxed expression, wiping the blood off his fists. ¨C Wow, haha, aren¡¯t you tired? ¨C He¡¯s really beating them up lol ¨C Defeating all the Blood Wolves with his fists lol This is crazy. ¨C Only the boss is left now, right? ¨C I think there are more monsters left? The dungeon is so vast, there must be more. That¡¯s right. The scale of Fenrir¡¯s dungeon was beyond imagination, so clearing this many monsters didn¡¯t mean they could reach the boss. It required a raid-level party of at least 10 people to clear it smoothly. ¡°I think there are more.¡± Jeong-hoon moved, recalling his memories from his previous life. Having cleared out the Blood Wolves, it was time to take care of the Golden Wolves. They weren¡¯t the type to mindlessly charge like the Blood Wolves. They would be hiding and observing him. Their nature was to wait for an opening and strike a fatal blow. ¡®Then I¡¯ll have to use that to my advantage.¡¯ Jeong-hoon took out Anima. ¨C The bow is out! ¨C What is he going to hunt with the bow? ¨C The bow that took down the Bone Lord Wyvern ?? The viewers¡¯ reactions were heated. Should he fuel the fire even more? Jeong-hoon drew Anima¡¯s string and aimed it towards the bushes. But there was no reaction from the bushes. ¨C Where is he aiming? ¨C There¡¯s nothing there? ¨C What is he even aiming at? Where else? Where the Golden Wolves were hiding. Jeong-hoon released the drawn string. Fwoosh! The arrow pierced the air and urately hit a tree. Then, two Golden Wolves that had been concealed between the tree and the bushes were exposed. The two Golden Wolves hurriedly tried to hide again, but it was toote. Another arrow, shot once more, precisely hit one Golden Wolf between the eyes. Even though theirrade had fallen, they didn¡¯t reveal themselves. Jeong-hoon created additional Magic Missiles. They had also been upgraded to Unique grade, allowing him to generate up to 10 at once. As the magic manifested, thement section erupted. ¨C ¡­? ¨C What¡¯s that? ¨C WTF? ¨C Haha, now he¡¯s even using magic? ¨C Seriously, Honey 1, what are you? ¨C What kind of hybrid is this¡­? Jeong-hoon drew the string again and shot arrows consecutively. This exposed a few more Golden Wolves that had been hiding. He could only set them as targets for the Magic Missiles if they were visible. He targeted the exposed Golden Wolves andunched the missiles. The Magic Missiles flew towards the targeted Golden Wolves, hit them directly, and exploded. Boom! Six more Golden Wolves were killed. Only then, sensing the gravity of the situation, they began to cautiously reveal themselves. [Golden Wolf uses ¡®Fear¡¯.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s body froze for a moment. As he stood there, stiff as a board, the Golden Wolves revealed themselves all at once. There were about 20 of them. ¡°We got him!¡± ¡°Human! We¡¯ll kill you!¡± The Golden Wolves approached Jeong-hoon, drool dripping from their fangs. When they got close enough, Jeong-hoon used Purification. [Using Purification.] The debuff that had bound his entire body disappeared, and Jeong-hoon drew his bowstring once more. ¡°¡­!¡± The Golden Wolves, who had been charging, hesitated, but it was toote. Jeong-hoon released the drawn string, and the arrow pierced the forehead of the leading Golden Wolf with precision. One more kill. Jeong-hoon drew and released the string repeatedly. Fwoosh! Every arrow hit its mark. * * * The Golden Wolves were eliminated. The Dark Wolves were eliminated. Finally, after taking care of the Iron Wolves, they reached the boss. ¨C Is he even human? ¨C How can he hunt so well¡­? ¨C Honestly, isn¡¯t Honey 1 at the ranker level? ¨C Even Korean rankers would have a hard time showing that kind of performance, right? [Current Viewers: 102,334] The number of live viewers had surpassed 100,000. ¡°Well then, it seems like there are no more monsters, so let¡¯s go catch the boss.¡± [Viewer ¡®Moony0001¡¯ has donated 1,000,000 won.] ¨C Honey 1, what¡¯s your identity? Reveal it and I¡¯ll deposit an additional 5 million. As he was moving towards the boss zone, a 1 million won donation message popped up. In fact, donations had been pouring in since earlier, but this was the first time a 100 million won donation had appeared. Moreover, the viewer was offering an additional 5 million won if he revealed his identity. ¡°Thank you for the 1 million won donation.¡± Of course, Jeong-hoon had no intention of revealing his identity. [Viewer ¡®Hoping to be a Sry Thief¡¯ has donated 200,000 won.] ¨C Adding 200,000 won. Please reveal your identity¡­ I¡¯m going crazy. [Viewer ¡®Adios¡¯ has donated 500,000 won.] ¨C I¡¯m adding to the pot too. If you reveal it, I¡¯ll send an additional 2 million. Donations continued to pour in after that. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up.¡± ¨C Wow lol Look at him stubbornly ignoring them lol ¨C Money means nothing to him?! ¨C This is driving me crazy! Jeong-hoon stood in front of the boss zone. The boss zone was essed through a portal at the mountain¡¯s summit. Beyond it, the Giant Wolf Fenrir slumbered. ¡®Fenrir, the beast tamed by Serion, the one who first established the City of Warriors.¡¯ But just before his death, Serion himself sealed Fenrir away. After that, he hid it within the territory of the City of Archers and passed away. He thought that no one would be able to find it if he hid it outside the City of Warriors. That thought proved to be correct. Even after the City of Warriors took over the territory, Fenrir never revealed itself. Jeong-hoon stepped through the portal. [LV. 227 Sealed Giant Wolf Fenrir] In front of him, the Giant Wolf Fenrir was asleep, curled up. Its massive size seemed to be at least 15 meters tall. ¨C It¡¯s freaking huge¡­ ¨C It looks even bigger than the Bone Lord Wyvern? [To defeat it, you must break the seal.] [The seal has weakened over time.] To defeat it, he had to break the seal. In front of Fenrir, sealing orbs in the shape of staffs were stuck in the ground, all of them cracked on the surface. Jeong-hoon pulled out each staff one by one. Crack! The pulled-out staffs shattered and disappeared. As he pulled out thest remaining staff, Fenrir¡¯s closed eyes snapped open. [The seal is released.] With the disappearance of the sealing orbs, it awoke from its long slumber. ¡°Grrr, human, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Fenrir bared its fangs, drool dripping. Having been sealed for so long, it was extremely hungry and seemed ready to devour Jeong-hoon on the spot. ¡®Sorry, but you¡¯ll have to disappear from here.¡¯ Jeong-hoon drew Anima¡¯s string. The arrow shot towards Fenrir¡¯s left eye. But it raised its hand and swatted the arrow away. Its reaction speed was unbelievable. ¡®Can¡¯t let my guard down just because it¡¯s level 227.¡¯ [Giant Wolf Fenrir uses Howling.] Its howl was on a different levelpared to the normal monsters. The special ability, Howling. It was a debuff that sealed Jeong-hoon¡¯s mana. Under this debuff, mana hardened like stone, making it impossible to use skills. ¡®The ability to seal mana. That¡¯s what makes it so OP.¡¯ That Howl was a cheat-like ability that affected anyone, regardless of their level. [Using Purification.] However, its weakness was its vulnerability to holy power. The mana that had hardened like stone was released and circted back into his body. [Activating ckfield.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that intrude into the area are decreased by 10%.] Jeong-hoon activated ckfield. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [Damage reduction of 20% is applied.] [Time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] And on top of that, the Stat Amplification ring. Additionally, the Guardian of M?rchen activated Poison Attack. ¡°You use strange abilities.¡± Fenrir red at Jeong-hoon. [Giant Wolf Fenrir uses Prey Focus.] Prey Focus. The beast activated another special ability. [Movement speed is decreased by 20%.] [You are in a state of fear.] [All stats are decreased by 10%.] A triple debuff. [Using Purification.] Once again, Jeong-hoon dispelled the debuffs with holy power. ¡®It¡¯s truly a cheat.¡¯ This was the reason why he sought to obtain holy power first after his return. Jeong-hoon created a Magic Missile, targeted Fenrir, and fired. ¡°Hmph, with such a lowly magic, you think you can¡­?¡± Fenrir scoffed. But when a single Magic Missile hit its body, Fenrir screamed. The destructive power was beyond imagination. ¡°Kyaaa!¡± ¡°Lowly magic? Let¡¯s see you withstand this.¡± Jeong-hoon created nine more Magic Missiles and fired them at Fenrir. No matter how fast its reaction speed was, it was impossible to dodge all nine homing Magic Missiles. In that gap, he drew Anima¡¯s string, aimed at its left eye, and released. Fwoosh! This time, the arrow urately pierced Fenrir¡¯s left eye. And the effect of Extreme Archer activated. === [Extreme Archer: Soul] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Level: 6 ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Bow damage is permanently increased by 35%. (Critical Arrow always activated) ¨C Physical/magical evasion is permanently increased by 18%. ¨C When holding a bow, breathing remains stable, and body tremors are minimized. ¨C When holding a bow, vision is extended up to 700m. ¨C Enemies hit by arrows are incapacitated for 5.2 seconds. (Cannot be stacked) ¨C Enemies hit by arrows have their abilities sealed for 9.6 seconds. (Cannot be stacked) === The effects had been enhanced overall as it upgraded to Unique grade. ¡°Kkeeeeaaaang!¡± Fenrir let out a painful scream as its vital point, the eye, was pierced by the arrow. However, it was incapacitated, and its body couldn¡¯t move as if it were frozen stiff. Jeong-hoon drew the string again, aimed at the same spot, and fired. Fwoosh! As a sharpshooter with perfect uracy, Jeong-hoon¡¯s arrow this time urately struck the beast¡¯s right eye. ¨C Wow¡­ That¡¯s insane. ¨C Seriously, like with the Bone Lord Wyvern, isn¡¯t he the top archer in Korea with that kind of pure skill? ¨C Seriously lol ¨C Lee Hwa-rang is out! Now Honey 1 is the number 1 archer lol ¨C In terms of pure skill lol Jeong-hoon enjoyed the viewers¡¯ reactions and aimed at Fenrir once again. Just then. ¨C Huh? What¡¯s going on? ¨C The screen froze! ¨C ¡­ The broadcast crashed before he could even kill it. ¡®Is it because there are too many viewers?¡¯ Well, for now, he had to take care of that guy and then restart the broadcast or something. Then Fenrir shouted urgently. ¡°W-wait!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Please spare me! I¡¯ll do anything you ask¡­¡± It started begging for its life in a tearful voice. It had realized that it couldn¡¯t win against this opponent. As much as it hated humans, it didn¡¯t want to die like this. ¡®¡­What should I do with this?¡¯ Jeong-hoon fell into a brief moment of contemtion. If he killed Fenrir, it would drop a 100% guaranteed reward. However, the reward Fenrir would give wasn¡¯t particrly useful to Jeong-hoon. The reward was a sword made from its ribs. The purpose of this dungeon was, after all, the rewards that came with clearing it. ¡®Should I try raising it?¡¯ The Giant Wolf Fenrir. It had just been released from its seal, so most of its abilities were lost. If it regained its strength, it would be iparably stronger than its current level 227. If that happened, it would surely be of great help to Jeong-hoon. ¡°You want to live?¡± ¡°Yes¡­!¡± Fenrir nodded its head frantically. ¡°Then seize this opportunity.¡± Jeong-hoon reached out his hand towards Fenrir. [Using Taming.] As he attempted to tame it, Fenrir flinched but didn¡¯t resist, epting it obediently. Then, Fenrir¡¯s body was enveloped in a blue light, and soon a white light burst forth,pletely restoring its body. [Taming sessful!] [Monster Collection system is now avable!] [This monster is not in your collection!] [You have earned 5,000 achievement points!] With this, Fenrir was registered in the collection, following Michael. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 163 Chapter 163 Right before Jeong-hoon was about to kill Fenrir, the number of live viewers reached a whopping 120,000. Was it because of that? The broadcast crashed. The server had overloaded. ¡°Ah, what the heck?¡± ¡°Damn it! It cut off at the most important part!¡± ¡°Ugh, why is the server management so messed up?¡± The viewers expressed their frustration and tried to re-enter the broadcast. But once the broadcast crashed, it couldn¡¯t be recovered. ¡°¡­Wow, that¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°I know, right?¡­¡± Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo, who were watching the broadcast on a park bench after leaving the restaurant, were also dumbfounded. How could it crash at such a crucial moment? ¡°Do you think Hoon knows the broadcast crashed?¡± ¡°¡­I think he does?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ He shouldn¡¯t get the rewards yet.¡± The climax of the broadcast, the rewards. Everyone needed to see him get the rewards, but of all times, it had to crash right before he defeated Fenrir. Ha-jin prayed that Jeong-hoon had some broadcasting sense and waited for the broadcast to return to normal. And after about 10 minutes, the broadcast finally resumed. ¡°It¡¯s back! Hoon started the broadcast again!¡± Ha-jin hurriedly entered the broadcast. But Fenrir was nowhere to be seen in the broadcast, and there wasn¡¯t a single dropped item on the ground. ¡°¡­I guess it¡¯s already over?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± * * * Because the broadcast had crashed, the viewers didn¡¯t see Jeong-hoon taming Fenrir. ¡®They¡¯re already calling me a hybrid, if they find out about the taming, it¡¯ll be even crazier.¡¯ If it weren¡¯t for the shield of Ho-Yeong, Jeong-hoon would have been severely stressed by the constant stream of love calls. Jeong-hoon recovered and turned on the broadcast again. As if they had been waiting, viewers poured in. ¨C Ah¡­ He has no sense of broadcasting. ¨C Ah, damn it, why did the broadcast crash? ¨C The broadcast crashed because 120,000 people joined¡­ This is so frustrating. ¨C Even if we put aside defeating Fenrir, he should have at least gotten the rewards in front of us¡­ ¨C Are you kidding? He should have waited and then gotten them;; The viewers were in an uproar over the situation. They could somehow understand that he had defeated the boss, but the problem was that they hadn¡¯t seen the dropped items. ¡°Ah, actually, the dropped items weren¡¯t anything special. Instead, would you like to see the rewards for clearing the dungeon?¡± Jeong-hoon skillfully shifted the focus to the dungeon clear rewards. Since he had tamed Fenrir, it was as if the boss monster had disappeared. In other words, it was recognized as a dungeon clear. [¡®Lv. 227 Sealed Giant Wolf Fenrir¡¯ dungeon has been cleared for the first time.] [You will be rewarded with 1,000 achievement points.] [Fenrir¡¯s resentment still lingers here.] [You will acquire arge amount of additional experience points. (One-time)] [You have acquired additional rare rewards. (One-time)] As the resentment that had umted over a long period of being sealed dissipated, he was able to obtain experience points and rewards. This was the core reward of this dungeon. ¨C Arge amount of experience points? ¨C Rare rewards? The viewers quickly showed interest in the intriguing phrases. [You have acquired 150,000,000 experience points.] First, the experience points. A whopping 150 million experience points were granted. [You have leveled up.] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] ¡­ And with that, he leveled up consecutively. A total of four level-ups. With this, Jeong-hoon instantly reached level 207. ¡°This is amazing¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon pretended to be surprised. ¨C Wow, 150 million? ¨C Is this for real¡­? ¨C Where is that ce? I¡¯m going right now. ¨C Share the location! As expected, the viewers¡¯ reactions were incredibly enthusiastic. They seemed ready to conquer the Fenrir dungeon right away. It was understandable, as there was no other dungeon at this level that gave over 100 million experience points. ¡°I¡¯ll share the location with you in a day.¡± Jeong-hoon deliberately built up the suspense and checked the next reward. A rare rewardparable to 150 million experience points. [You have acquired a Random Rune Box (Unique).] It was a Unique grade rune box. ¡®Oh! A Unique Rune Box?¡¯ Rare rewards appeared randomly. Among them, the Unique Rune Box was the second-best reward, considering 1st to 10th ce. The 1st ce item had such a low probability that he had only seen it once before his return, so this was a satisfying result. ¨C A Unique Rune Box? That¡¯s awesome¡­ ¨C Wow¡­ I really need to go conquer that dungeon. ¨C How can a Uniquee out? It¡¯s hard enough to get even an Epic grade rune. ¨C This is driving me crazy¡­ Why a dayter? Just reveal it now! ¨C Yeah! Reveal it! ¨C Reveal it, you Honey piglet! ¨C I¡¯ll make you into boiled pork belly? ¨C Honey! I want to dip you in ramen and take you out. Wouldn¡¯t that make it pork belly ramen? ¨C Stop going overboard;; Jeong-hoon grinned at the heated reactions. ¡°Please look forward to the news that will be posted on themunity.¡± With that, Jeong-hoon ended the broadcast. * * * Meanwhile, Liandor, Kukri, and the bandits were still waiting in front of the portal. ¡°It¡¯s taking longer than I expected.¡± Liandor muttered, a puzzled look on his face. With Jeong-hoon¡¯s skills, a level 227 dungeon should be a piece of cake. What was he doing in there that was taking so long? ¡°It seems like he¡¯s taking his time clearing it.¡± Kukri didn¡¯t have the slightest doubt that the boss would fail to clear it. If a monster like the boss couldn¡¯t clear it, then no one here could. ¡°Tsk, those guys are more bothersome.¡± Liandor red at the archers lingering beyond the border. They too had witnessed the dungeon appearing out of nowhere from a distance. It was only natural for them to observe the unfolding situation since a dungeon had suddenly emerged. He wanted to cross the line and take care of those archers, but that would sow the seeds of war. If that happened, innocent victims would suffer. That was something that absolutely must not happen. Just then, Jeong-hoon emerged from the shimmering portal. ¡°Boss!¡± ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Kukri and the bandits greeted Jeong-hoon with disciplined voices. ¡°Yes.¡± As Jeong-hoon nodded, Liandor approached. ¡°It took quite a while. Did everything go alright?¡± ¡°Yes. The dungeon wasrger than I expected, so it took a bit longer.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°By the way, did any other guys, like strangers,e around?¡± ¡°Strangers?¡± ¡°Outsiders.¡± It was a question considering the possibility of someone finding this dungeon during the broadcast. Fortunately, Liandor shook his head. ¡°Outsiders usually don¡¯te this far.¡± No one woulde this far for a mere search quest. Especially since there wasn¡¯t a single dungeon around here, users had no reason to visit. ¡°I see. Then, Kukri.¡± Jeong-hoon called out to Kukri. ¡°Yes! What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to go back and help the tenant farmers.¡± ¡°Help them¡­ again?¡± Kukri asked back with a displeased expression. He hurriedly tried to manage his expression, but Jeong-hoon had already seen his true feelings. ¡°Do you need a beating toe to your senses?¡± ¡°No, sir! Should I go down right now?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll count to five. Disappear from my sight within that time.¡± As Jeong-hoon held up five fingers, Kukri and the bandits hurriedly ran off. ¡°Huh, you handle bandits quite well.¡± ¡°You have to keep those scoundrels in check regrly.¡± That way, they know their ce and don¡¯t get ahead of themselves. ¡°Is that so? From my conversation with Kukri, he didn¡¯t seem like the type to step out of line.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯ve been thoroughly put in their ce.¡± ¡°I see. So, is your business here done?¡± Liandor asked, looking at the dungeon portal. Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Yes. My objective has been achieved.¡± ¡°Then how about a drink with me? I have a very fine liquor.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to decline for now. I¡¯m a bit busy at the moment.¡± Jeong-hoon tly refused. It wasn¡¯t that he disliked the offer of a drink, but he couldn¡¯t afford to rx. ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s a bit disappointing.¡± Liandor¡¯s face was filled with regret. A ray of joy hade into his monotonous life, and he was about to take out a bottle of liquor he had been saving. ¡°Let¡¯s do it next time.¡± ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that just an empty promise?¡± ¡°You caught me.¡± ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t like that kind of thing.¡± ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡°Go on, go.¡± Liandor turned away, sulking. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll see you again if I have the chance.¡± Jeong-hoon also turned away without hesitation and descended the mountain. ¡°Huh, he doesn¡¯t even try to persuade me. Others are desperate to have a drink with me¡­¡± Seeing Jeong-hoon disappear, he felt a bit lonely. * * * Whoosh- The capsule door opened, and Jeong-hoon stepped out. He immediately called his editor, Jang Dae-hwi. The call connected quickly. [Hello?!] An excited voice came from the other end of the smartphone. He must have watched the LIVE broadcast too. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s Jeong-hoon. Is it okay to talk now?¡± [Of course! Were you the one who did the LIVE broadcast just now?] ¡°Yes, that was me.¡± [Wow¡­ Really¡­ Amazing¡­ How¡­] Jang Dae-hwi was so surprised that he couldn¡¯t even speak properly. It was proof of how astonished he was. ¡°Please edit today¡¯s LIVE broadcast and upload it to YouTube.¡± [Of course. Today¡¯s broadcast is a bit long, so I was thinking of splitting it into two parts. Is that okay?] ¡°Do as you see fit. I don¡¯t know much about that stuff.¡± [Alright! But it¡¯s such a shame the broadcast crashed during the boss fight¡­] Because of the crash, the viewership, which had soared to 120,000, ended at just under 100,000, at 98,711. ¡°It¡¯s okay. The news will spread all over World Com anyway.¡± [True. By the way, did you see how much the broadcast donations were?] ¡°Yes. It was more than I expected.¡± He had witnessed money pouring in in real-time, even though he was just doing a broadcast. [Don¡¯t be surprised. The donations alone amounted to over 30 million won.] Over 30 million won in donations came from just one broadcast. ¡°That¡¯s quite a bit.¡± [That¡¯s ¡®quite a bit¡¯¡­?] ¡°With over 100,000 viewers, 30 million seems a bit low.¡± [Hmm¡­ I guess you¡¯re right. If there¡¯s a big spender, even with a tenth of the viewers, you can earn more than that.] If Jeong-hoon had catered to the viewers¡¯ desires, the amount would have soared two or three times higher. Still, it was enough since he had achieved his original goal of spreading the news about the dungeon. ¡°By the way, how are the viewers reacting?¡± [They¡¯re going crazy. Where is this dungeon located?] Every video andmunity post was flooded with requests to share the dungeon¡¯s location. ¡°The City of Warriors.¡± [The City of Warriors? Ah, that ce you can go to from level 201? Leas.] ¡°Yes.¡± [So when are you going to share it¡­?] ¡°In a day.¡± [Thatte?] ¡°Yes.¡± If he revealed it right now, countless users would flock to the City of Warriors, causing congestion. The reason he was revealing it a dayter was that he needed time toplete the quest and leave for another city. [Hmm¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll expect it to be uploaded in a day then.] ¡°Yes.¡± * * * After a brief rest, Jeong-hoon immediately entered the capsule. He went straight to the NPC Wolf. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back? It took a bit longer than I expected?¡± ¡°Yes. I searched a bit far.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Check it out.¡± Wolf nodded with a smile. But when he checked Jeong-hoon¡¯s search results, his expression turned to shock. ¡°¡­Did you¡­ discover a dungeon?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Unbelievable. A dungeon discovered near the border¡­¡± The reason Jeong-hoon discovered a dungeon after receiving the quest. It was because there was a bonus added to the search quest. Usually, for a search quest, you just had to take a leisurely stroll within a certain range, but if you discovered something new like a dungeon, you got a massive bonus. [Questpleted.] [Due to the bonus, the experience points awarded will be greatly increased.] [You have leveled up.] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been granted.] He leveled up again. With this, Jeong-hoon¡¯s level became 208. He had gained a whopping 5 levels just in the City of Warriors. ¡®Alright. Now let¡¯s move on to another city.¡¯ The location for his next n. It was the City of Archers, which was at odds with the City of Warriors. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 164 Chapter 164 Myth Guild. Sa Jae-Hyeok was sitting at the head of the table, having a meeting with the executives. ¡°Hmm, I see. What are the grades of the new recruits this time?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve recruited two new members who have advanced to Epic grade in their first ss advancement.¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± Advancing to Epic grade in the first ss advancement meant having the opportunity to potentially acquire a Legendary job like his own in the future. Of course, most people failed to seize that opportunity. The path to Legendary was extremely narrow. However, there was a possibility that someone like him could break through to the Legendary path, so it was a case where they absolutely had to recruit them. ¡°But what about Hwa-rang? Weren¡¯t you certain that he was the only one who would reach Legendary grade?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok sighed. That was true. He had no doubt that with Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s potential, he would 100% ascend to Legendary in the next 5th ss advancement. But now, Lee Hwa-rang couldn¡¯t even log into the game. ¡°It¡¯s fine. At least his suspension was reduced to 9 months, so he just needs to endure that.¡± 9 months, they said. In reality, that was enough time to fall behind as a ranker. The executives inwardly med Sa Jae-Hyeok for making such an absurd bet, but they couldn¡¯t express it openly. If they dared to point it out, their heads would roll. ¡°More importantly, it seems Park Jin-Hyeok has gone over to Ho-Yeong.¡± ¡°No matter how I think about it, we should have kept Park Jin-Hyeok¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s a level 339 Lord Knight, after all.¡± The executives genuinely regretted his departure. Even if he was overshadowed by Lee Hwa-rang, he was still a Unique grade yer over level 300. His skills were genuine. Sa Jae-Hyeok would be lying if he said he didn¡¯t regret Park Jin-Hyeok¡¯s departure, but he was also extremely resentful of his actions. Posting on World Com that he was leaving Myth. It was the same as threatening Myth. ¡°He tried to threaten Myth. He deserves to be beaten to death. If anyone mentions his name again, I¡¯ll tear their mouth apart.¡± As a murderous aura emanated from Sa Jae-Hyeok, the executives all fell silent. * * * World Com was aze in real-time. [Wow¡­ there¡¯s a dungeon that gives 150 million experience points] ¨C Where the hell is that? ©¸Shouldn¡¯t you be at least level 400 for that? ©¸150 million isn¡¯t just anyone¡¯s name lol ©¸Why aren¡¯t they sharing the location? ©¸Come on, it¡¯s a honey tip~~ The reason for the uproar was none other than HoneyTube. It was fine that he cleared an undiscovered dungeon as a honey tip, but he ended the broadcast without revealing the location of the 150 million experience point dungeon. Even after a day had passed, World Com was still aze with the same topic. ¡°It should be okay to upload it now, right?¡± Jeong-hoon was currently outside the capsule. It was to share the location of the dungeon. The current time was 3 PM. Unable to dy any longer, he entered themunity and wrote a post. [This is HoneyTube. I will reveal the location of the dungeon.] * * * ¡°The City of Warriors!¡± ¡°Damn it! It was there all along!¡± As soon as Jeong-hoon shared the dungeon¡¯s location, countless users flocked to the City of Warriors. Users below level 200 gave up in tears, but those above 201 were eager to conquer the dungeon immediately. ¡°What, what are so many people doing here?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The warriors residing in the city looked puzzled. ¡°Where exactly was the location?¡± ¡°They said it was near the border?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s take the search quest and go. That way we can get more experience points.¡± While the users were leaving to conquer the dungeon, Jeong-hoon left the City of Warriors. [It¡¯s quiet without people around.] ¡®Usually, these fields would be full of outsiders.¡¯ In the usual atmosphere of the field, many users should be fighting for spots. However, perhaps due to the aftermath of the broadcast, he could witness the rare sight of nopetition for spots. Jeong-hoon passed through the field and reached the ¡®City of Peace,¡¯ the heart of Rease The reason he came to the City of Peace instead of directly visiting the City of Archers. It was to meet an NPC. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Nagast -Level: 205 -upation: General store owner === He was running a general store in this City of Peace. ¡°Yes? What are you looking for?¡± Nagast, like a true merchant, greeted Jeong-hoon politely. ¡°I¡¯m here to buy monster feed.¡± ¡°Hmm? You look like a martial artist, why are you looking for something a tamer would need?¡± Nagast tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I need it.¡± ¡°Well, what species is it for?¡± ¡°A wolf.¡± ¡°Then how about this?¡± He rmended meat made from monsters. The ¡®Giant Pig,¡¯ which resembled a pig, was a typical example, and Giant Pig meat was also famous as a meat that people actually enjoyed eating. ¡°Hmm, then please give me 50kg of that.¡± ¡°5, 50kg? I don¡¯t have that much¡­ I have a little less than 30kg.¡± Currently, there was a little less than 30kg of Giant Pig meat left. Originally, he used to bring in 60kg at a time, but since it wasn¡¯t selling that well and he valued freshness, he reduced the amount of meat he brought in to 40kg. But as soon as he reduced the amount, a customer appeared wanting 50kg. ¡°Then do you have any other meat? My pet is a bit big, so 30kg might not be enough.¡± ¡°Just how big is it¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quiterge, difficult to exin.¡± ¡°Hmm, then would you like some Gold Snake meat?¡± Gold Snakes were monsters that resembled snakes. It was meat obtained by catching those monsters, removing their heads and bones, and drying them. ¡°Yes, please give me that.¡± Jeong-hoon purchased a total of 60kg of Giant Pig and Gold Snake meat. This should be enough, right? Unlike Michael, Fenrir needed to be fed regrly. That¡¯s why being a Tamer was a profession that required a lot of money. You could control a giant monster like Fenrir as a powerful summon, but the downside was that you had to provide arge amount of food. ¡®Michael is a saint inparison.¡¯ Perhaps because he was originally a soul, Michael was fine even without eating, so there was no need to spend money on him. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± Nagast was all smiles. ¡°Yes. And I have one more question.¡± ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ll tell you in detail as far as I know.¡± He was a customer who had bought a lot of meat. Couldn¡¯t he answer one of his questions? ¡°I want to visit the City of Archers, is there any way?¡± ¡°The City of Archers? You¡¯re not an archer, why do you want to visit the City of Archers?¡± Nagast tilted his head in confusion. Most outsiders who visited the City of Archers were archers. ¡°I have something to do there.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ How about visiting the City of Martial Artists instead? They probably won¡¯t ept you easily.¡± All cities were like that, but the City of Archers, in particr, had a much stronger tendency to exclude users with other professions. [Archers are so petty] ¨C What, they won¡¯t even let you enter the city? Lol. That¡¯s why they lost their territory to the City of Warriors and are just sulking. ©¸Crazy, just go hunt in your own city. ©¸Is thement above an archer? Anyway, lol, both the NPCs and users are narrow-minded. ©¸I find it absurd too lol Other cities allow entry if youplete a quest, but the City of Archers doesn¡¯t even give you a quest. That¡¯s right. In the City of Warriors, for example, you could enter by simplypleting a quest from the NPC guarding the city entrance. But the City of Archers didn¡¯t even offer quests. Because you weren¡¯t an archer. ¡°That¡¯s why I came here.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. ¡°Huh? Why here?¡± Nagast feigned ignorance. ¡°Why else? I heard this general store is good at disguises.¡± ¡°¡­Oh my, where did you hear that from?¡± ¡°1,000 gold. Would that be enough?¡± Disguises. They didn¡¯t have a fixed price. In other words, you had to name your price. ¡°¡­Follow me.¡± Nagast led him to the warehouse of the general store. Unlike a typical warehouse where things were just piled up, this one was neatly organized. It was filled with mysterious items that couldn¡¯t be seen from the outside. ¡®He was originally a mage, wasn¡¯t he?¡¯ Nagast was currently a merchant, but in the past, he was a mage boasting exceptional skills. However, those who were jealous of his talent framed him, and Nagast, deeply disillusioned, quit being a mage. After that, he came to the City of Peace and made a living as a merchant. He took out a subspace pocket from the warehouse and reached inside. ¡°Is it in there?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Nagast rummaged around for a while and then took out a bag containing potions. The bag was filled with ss bottles containing a green liquid. [Superior Disguise Potion] ¨C Type: Potion ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Allows you to disguise your appearance/upation as desired for a week. ¨C The duration is one week, and to maintain it longer, you need to drink additional potions. ¨C To remove the disguise, ¡®Purification¡¯ is required. A Unique grade potion, no less. With this, he would be able to enter the City of Archers. ¡°Please give me about 20 of them.¡± ¡°1,000 gold per bottle. Can you afford it?¡± A whopping Unique grade potion. 1,000 gold was about 10 million won in Korean currency. 20 of them would be a hefty 200 million won. It wasn¡¯t a cheap price, but Jeong-hoon readily paid 20,000 gold. ¡°¡­You have a lot of money.¡± In addition to the 1 million gold he received from Sa Jae-Hyeok, Jeong-hoon¡¯s gold was umting as he consistently received enhancement requests. This amount was nothing to him. ¡°Thank you for thepliment.¡± ¡°Ahem, then would you like to see some other items?¡± Only a very few could casually pay 20,000 gold. Nagast didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity. ¡°No. This is enough for now.¡± But Jeong-hoon tly refused. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Nagast fiddled with the subspace pocket with a disappointed look. Besides the disguise potions, he had many other potions he had developed himself. ¡°Then, take care.¡± Jeong-hoon took the 20 disguise potions and left the general store. * * * [Would you like to open the Random Rune Box (Unique)?] Jeong-hoon, who had left the City of Peace, immediately opened the rune box. [You have acquired the ¡®Rune of Strength (Unique)¡¯.] Rune of Strength. [Rune of Strength] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Strength stat increased by 5% Although it didn¡¯t have an overpowered option like the Rune of Extinction, the 5% increase in strength stat alone was very satisfying. With the third ss advancement, he could now equip up to six runes, so if he added the remaining four runes, he would achieve tremendous growth. Jeong-hoon equipped the Rune of Strength and summoned Fenrir. ¡°¡­¡± The summoned Fenrir started to be wary of Jeong-hoon. The gigantic form he had seen earlier was nowhere to be found, and in its ce was a baby wolf the size of a Pomeranian, baring its teeth at Jeong-hoon. ¡°You were begging for your life, and now you¡¯re acting up? Should I cancel the taming and get rid of you?¡± ¡°¡­N-no.¡± It had been tricked by Serion and sealed away for a long time. Because of that, anger boiled within him whenever he saw a human. But if he defied Jeong-hoon in front of him, he would die. He had to at least pretend to obey in order to survive. Having quickly made his decision, Fenrir rolled over and exposed his belly. It was a sign of submission. ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± Jeong-hoon took out 60kg of Giant Pig and Gold Snake meat from his inventory. Seeing the pile of meat, Fenrir¡¯s salivary nds were stimted, and drool started dripping from his mouth. ¡°¡­N-no, I¡¯m not hungry.¡± He was pretending to submit to him to survive, but he didn¡¯t need food given by a human. ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Jeong-hoon started putting the meat back into his inventory without hesitation. Fenrir¡¯s eyes twitched. ¡°What are you going to do with that meat¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m going to share it with people.¡± ¡®Share it with humans¡­?¡¯ ¡®Wait, if that damn meat is going to end up in the stomachs of those humans, wouldn¡¯t it be better if I ate it?¡¯ Yes. He couldn¡¯t let those humans get their fill. ¡°I want to eat¡­!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Fenrir nodded his head rapidly. ¡°Then eat.¡± As soon as permission was granted, Fenrir jumped towards the meat and started devouring it. How long had it been since hest ate meat? Even though Jeong-hoon had shrunk Fenrir, its original size was 15 meters tall, so he was confident he could easily eat this much. ¡®Hmm¡­ But why am I already full?¡¯ However, after eating a few pieces of meat, he felt full. If he ate any more, he would definitely throw up. Fenrir eventually stopped eating and stepped back. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because you¡¯re smaller. You can¡¯t eat as much as I thought.¡± Fenrir¡¯s pride was hurt by Jeong-hoon¡¯s words, and he scrunched up his face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 165 Chapter 165 While Jeong-hoon was feeding Fenrir in the City of Peace, users who had entered the Giant Wolf Fenrir dungeon to conquer it werepleting the clear one by one. A dungeon that required at least 10 people to clear was being cleared in such a short time¡­ [What? Why is there no Fenrir?] ¨C Why is there no boss? lol I entered the boss zone and it said I automatically cleared it? ©¸It¡¯s fine as long as we got the 150 million experience points and the rare reward lol ©¸Even better! ©¸What rare reward did you get? I got an Epic grade rune box, damn it. Honey 1 got a Unique rune box, this is discrimination! ©¸Huh? I got a Unique grade weapon lol Just cleared the normal monsters, leveled up 3 times, and got a Unique grade weapon, awesome~ It was because Fenrir, who should have been waiting in the boss zone, was absent. Instead, Fenrir¡¯s resentment, which remained in the boss zone, still existed, and as that resentment automatically dissipated, they received the clear rewards. With this, a true honey dungeon was born. However, the users didn¡¯t just let this go. [But where did Fenrir go?] ¨C It wasn¡¯t there except when Honey 1 showed it? Could he have tamed it? ©¸Huh? Can boss monsters disappear if you tame them? ©¸No, that¡¯s never happened before. ©¸If they disappeared because of taming, do you know how many monsters would have disappeared by now? lol ©¸And Honey 1 can¡¯t possibly have the taming ability too lol ©¸Agreed, he¡¯s already a hybrid, taming is too much lol ©¸Maybe it¡¯s a monster that only appears on the first clear lol It¡¯s definitely not taming. But they didn¡¯t know. That Jeong-hoon had tamed Fenrir, and it wouldn¡¯t respawn anymore. * * * Meanwhile, Jeong-hoon sent Fenrir back and gulped down the disguise potion he had bought from the general store. Then, his appearance and job name changed ording to the image in his mind. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Hoon -Level: 201 -ss: Ranger === His job name changed to Ranger, an Epic grade job. He also disguised his level from 208 to 201. With this, no one would recognize him as a martial artist. He also changed his appearance to theplete opposite of his original image. He reduced his height to the early 170cm range and disguised his face to look bruised, as if he had been punched a few times. He alsopletely changed his outfit, prioritizing mobility. Mukho, which was martial arts attire, was disguised as a tunic and leather pants. [Wow¡­ That face is crazy.] Mukho couldn¡¯t stop admiring it. Honestly, he didn¡¯t want to admit it, but Jeong-hoon¡¯s original face was really handsome. It was just that he had a cold image. His features were so distinct, and the overall harmony was perfect, giving off a mysterious aura. Because of that, he had even deliberately criticized his appearance out of dislike. Perhaps that¡¯s why he liked this bruised face even more. ¡°Really? Does this face look okay?¡± [Yeah! Keep it like that! You¡¯re way uglier than me! Puahaha!] Jeong-hoonughed, dumbfounded. ¡®Just how ugly was I before¡­¡¯ [Shut up!] ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough.¡± Jeong-hoon calmed them down and headed towards the entrance of the City of Archers. ¡°Halt.¡± An NPC who looked to be in his mid-tote 30s was standing guard at the entrance. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Decales ¨C Level: 230 ¨C ss: Sniper Archer === Sniper Archer. While archers were a profession that excelled at mid-to-long rangebat, the ¡®Sniper Archer¡¯ possessed even more destructive power at long distances. However, since one needed exceptional skill to fully utilize the potential of their skills, it was a profession mostly chosen by those with outstanding archery talent. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you before. Is this your first time in the city?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I see.¡± After confirming, a question mark blinked above Decales¡¯ head. He was now able to undertake the entry quest using the disguise potion. [Normal Quest: City of Archers] ¨C Restriction: ¡®Archer¡¯ user with Strength 230 or higher and Spirit 200 or higher ¨C Reward: ess to the City of Archers ¨C Description: Pass Decales¡¯ test to gain ess to the city. A quest that required being an archer user and having Strength over 230 and Spirit over 200 to undertake. The conditions were much stricter than those of the City of Warriors. Jeong-hoon immediately epted the quest. ¡°The test is simple.¡± Decales handed him an old mechanical device. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a machine that automatically counts when you hunt monsters.¡± The number 0 was disyed in the middle of the mechanical device. ¡°How much do I need to fill it up?¡± ¡°1,000. I think that¡¯s appropriate.¡± Hunting 1,000 monsters using the fields and dungeons beyond the City of Peace. This was the entry quest for the City of Archers. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Then good luck.¡± * * * After the outsider left for the field, Decales returned to his guard duty. However, it was deserted as no other outsiders came to the city entrance afterward. ¡°It¡¯s unusually quiet today.¡± It was because the number of outsiders visiting the City of Archers had significantly decreasedpared to usual. The reason was simple. They had all headed to that damn City of Warriors. It didn¡¯t matter that his city only epted archers, but it was still quite unpleasant that even the archers were heading to the City of Warriors. ¡°Hey, Decales.¡± Nagast, who had been away for a while, returned. ¡°Did you finish your work well?¡± ¡°Thanks to you. Was there anything unusual?¡± ¡°No, it was quite boring.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Most of the foreigners went to the City of Warriors.¡± The City of Warriors was so hot right now that there was no ce to set foot. ¡°What wind suddenly blew to make them do that?¡± It was a phenomenon Decales couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t you hear? A new dungeon was discovered in the City of Warriors.¡± ¡°A dungeon?¡± ¡°Yeah. The guys guarding the border said that some foreigner opened the dungeon with Liandor.¡± ¡°¡­ Ha, wasn¡¯t that originally our territory?¡± Decales felt his blood boil. The territory beyond the border was originally theirs. In other words, it meant that the dungeon should have been taken by the City of Archers. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. You know dungeons are popr with foreigners.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± ¡°Oh? Someone¡¯sing.¡± In the direction Nagast was pointing his chin, a familiar foreigner was approaching. He was the foreigner who had received the mechanical device from him. Decales tilted his head. ¡°What is it? Did the device break?¡± It had only been a little over an hour since the foreigner left. It was impossible to hunt 1,000 in that short time. ¡°I¡¯vepleted it.¡± But the foreigner held out the device, saying he hadpleted it. The device¡¯s count was filled to the 1,000 he had set. ¡°H-how¡­?¡± ¡°There were no people in the field, so I was able to monopolize the monsters.¡± ¡°Even so, are you telling me to believe that you hunted 1,000 in an hour?¡± ¡°The results speak for themselves, so what¡¯s not to believe?¡± Maybe he manipted the device? Otherwise, it was impossible. On average, it took two days to hunt 1,000. Even if he was fast, it should take more than a day. But this device was definitely the one he had given to the foreigner, and there were no signs of tampering. ¡°Come in¡­¡± *** Most of the users headed to the City of Warriors. As a result, only monsters roamed the fields of the City of Peace. Very few users were hunting those monsters. Thanks to that, Jeong-Hoon was able to monopolize those monsters. ¡°Grrr.¡± Fenrir, seemingly wounded in his pride due to the meat incident, hunted monsters relentlessly. ¡®It¡¯s convenient that I can adjust the size.¡¯ At the hunting ground, Fenrir returned to his original size. Because of this, the monsters were helplessly overwhelmed by Fenrir. Thanks to this, he was able to wipe out 1,000 monsters in a short hour. [Quest Completed] [Restriction to enter the City of Archers has been lifted] ¡°I¡¯ll go in.¡± Jeong-Hoon entered the City of Archers. He entered an alley where no presence could be felt and summoned Michael. ¡°Master, why did you call me?¡± ¡°Here, take this.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out a disguise potion and handed it to him. ¡°Why this potion¡­?¡± Michael, holding the potion, tilted his head. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s something I need you to do.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°First, drink that. You need to disguise yourself as an archer, so imagine it well.¡± ¡°Disguise¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a disguise potion.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± Michael gulped down the potion. Then Michael¡¯s information changed. === [Michael] ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Level: 201 ¨C ss: Dual Archer === Michael, who was a necromancer, was disguised as a level 201 Dual Archer. Dual Archer, like Ranger, was an Epic grade ss that used two bows. His appearance also changed, making his previous form unrecognizable. ¡°Not bad.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded with a satisfied expression. ¡°¡­I drank it, so what should I do now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. Go find someone named Litton.¡± ¡°Is it over when I find this Litton?¡± ¡°No, you have to go and do a quest.¡± ¡°A quest¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Monsters tamed by a Tamer be summons and servants of the Tamer. In other words, even if they were separated from the Tamer, they could perform quests on their behalf. Litton was famous in the City of Archers as an NPC who gave out grinding quests. ¡®If you receive andplete 10 quests from Litton, you can get materials to restore the emblem.¡¯ The process was so arduous, and he only handed over the emblem materials, so users avoided Litton. ¡°¡­Can I do those quests?¡± ¡°Yes. Your body should be able to endure it sufficiently.¡± ¡°My body¡­?¡± Michael tilted his head in confusion. Just what kind of quest is it that he¡¯s asking like this? ¡°Please. I need you to do this to save time.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Michael nodded. It wasn¡¯t amand, but a request. If his master was asking like this, there was no need for hesitation. ¡°Okay. Then work hard for a bit.¡± Maintaining Michael¡¯s summon for a long time required a lot of mana, but that could be supplemented with potions. Also, instead of 24 hours straight, he nned to send Michael back intermittently to give him enough rest, so it wasn¡¯t an impossible n. ¡°Where is the location¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you a map, so refer to this.¡± Jeong-Hoon handed Michael a map he had scanned and printed of the City of Archers. ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°If you do this well, I¡¯ll give you a huge reward.¡± ¡°A reward?¡± At the word ¡®reward¡¯, Michael, who had been drooping, perked up his ears. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be going to the City of Magester, and I¡¯ll buy you any item you want there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Worried that Jeong-Hoon might change his mind, Michael hurriedly headed to the Archer¡¯s Sanctuary where Litton was. ¡°Then shall I go too?¡± Jeong-Hoon headed to the training hall on the opposite side. Every city had a training hall, but Jeong-Hoon had paid no attention to it in the City of Warriors. It was because it was a ce with no real benefits. However, the training hall in this City of Archers was a different story. ¡®I can get a very good skill.¡¯ Currently, the only archery skills Jeong-Hoon had were ¡®Archery Mastery¡¯ and ¡®Extreme Archer: Soul¡¯. Of course, Extreme Archer: Soul was so overpowered that it helped Jeong-Hoon maximize his archery skills, but he needed a more reliable attack skill. When Jeong-Hoon arrived at the training hall, there were only NPCs inside, not a single user in sight. [There¡¯s no one here?] Mukho also seemed puzzled. ¡®Master discovered a dungeon. That¡¯s why everyone is flocking there.¡¯ Anima¡¯s words were somewhat correct. ¡°This ce is usually unpopr.¡± Why would users who had reached level 201 andpleted their 3rd sse to the training hall to train? They prioritized experience points, so they didn¡¯t do any quests that weren¡¯t worthwhile. If the training hall helped with leveling up, it would be a different story, but the training hall only gave a small amount of experience points even if youpleted the quests. As a result, users never visited the training hall. However, there was something they overlooked. To get additional rewards, you shouldn¡¯t justplete quests. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 166 Chapter 166 Archer¡¯s Sanctuary. Michael entered the sanctuary following the map. ¡®There aren¡¯t many people here?¡¯ The Archer¡¯s Sanctuary was marked quiterge on the map. So he thought there would be many archers gathered, but there were only a little over 10 archers in the sanctuary. Michael passed them and went to find Litton. Litton was known as the devil NPC even in this Archer¡¯s Sanctuary. The reason was that each and every quest was so arduous that it drained your energy. Unaware of this, Michael stood in front of Litton with an innocent face. ¡°Hmm? Who are you?¡± Litton nced at Michael and then nodded. Level 201 Dual Archer. For a foreigner, he could be considered quite high level. ¡°I¡­ I came to do a quest.¡± ¡°A quest? Hmm, you seem a bit strange.¡± Litton narrowed his eyes. Receiving his gaze, Michael made an awkward smile with a hesitant expression. ¡°How could I be strange? Haha¡­¡± ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s fine. So, what kind of quest do you want to do?¡± Litton showed three quests. The first was bow making. Go under the bowyer and make 20 bows. ¡®Too much trouble. Let¡¯s pass on this.¡¯ Michael skipped the first quest without even thinking about it. The second was city repair work. The buildings were aging, and they needed manpower, so he had to help them with the work. ¡®Ah, I don¡¯t think I should do this either¡­¡¯ This was real manualbor. As a noble necromancer, he couldn¡¯t do things like building repairs. ¡®Next!¡¯ Thest one was cleaning. Simrly, he had to follow the cleaner and help with the purification work. At least thest one seemed the easiest, but the range was the entire City of Archers. It meant it would take at least a few days to see the end of the work. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything else?¡± ¡°Hey, if you¡¯re going to be picky, just go back.¡± Litton narrowed his eyes. He thought that since he was a level 201 Dual Archer, his character would also be decent, but he was just azybones looking for easy work. ¡°W-wait a minute! I¡¯m not confident in these tasks.¡± ¡°Not confident? You just start recklessly and learn slowly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ah, I want to go back. Why is Master making me do this¡­? He felt wronged, but he hade too far. There was no way to undo it now. ¡°Anyway, I can¡¯t give you a quest, so just go back.¡± Litton turned around. Seeing this, Michael clenched his fists tightly. He wanted to punch him, but if he did, he wouldn¡¯t be able to carry out his master¡¯s orders. ¡°I¡¯ll make the bows!¡± In the end, he decided to do the quest that seemed the most bearable. 20 bows. Let¡¯s make them quickly and go back to Master. As soon as he made up his mind, a familiar voice echoed in his head. ¡®Can you hear me?¡¯ It was Master¡¯s voice! Because he was bound to him, they couldmunicate even from a distance. ¡®Yes, I can hear you.¡¯ ¡®Good. He¡¯ll probably show you three quests at first, right?¡¯ ¡®Huh? How did you know?¡¯ He got goosebumps. How did he know that he would be given three quests? Did he have eyes on me or something? ¡®Clear all three of them. Then he¡¯ll acknowledge you and give you a new quest. Complete that one too.¡¯ ¡®¡­All three?¡¯ ¡®Yes.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ This is crazy. Each quest is a gem, and he wants me to do all of them¡­ ¡®Why? Is there a problem?¡¯ ¡®No.¡¯ ¡®Then hurry up. If it gets tough, let me know. I¡¯ll send you back periodically.¡¯ ¡®Is it over when I go back?¡¯ ¡®What do you mean it¡¯s over? You rest a bit and then do the quests again.¡¯ ¡®Yes¡­¡¯ Michael said to Litton with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°I¡¯ll do all the other quests too.¡± ¡°¡­Are you okay? You don¡¯t have to do them if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°¡­I want to do them so badly I¡¯m going crazy.¡± ¡°Really¡­? Then first, go make the bows. I¡¯ll give you the other quests then.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± *** Aftermunicating with Michael, Jeong-Hoon approached the NPC who was diligently cleaning. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Kyle ¨C Level: 275 ¨C ss: Advanced Training Instructor === The training hall had three levels of difficulty: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Kyle was an advanced training instructor. ¡°I¡¯m here to train.¡± When Jeong-Hoon said that, Kyle¡¯s hand stopped abruptly, and he turned his head. ¡°Train?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­How absurd. Go andplete the beginner and intermediate levels first.¡± ¡°The beginner and intermediate levels are of no help. Can¡¯t I start with the advanced level right away?¡± At that arrogant remark, veins bulged on Kyle¡¯s forehead. ¡°Is that so?¡± Kyle smirked and put away his cleaning tools. He had met countless types of people during his time as an instructor. If any of them showed arrogance, he would give them an impossible task so they would never set foot in the training hall again. And now, after a long time, an arrogant foreigner had appeared. ¡®He needs a lesson.¡¯ Kyle inwardly pondered how to handle this guy. A question mark blinked above Kyle¡¯s head. [Normal Quest: Advanced Training (Archer)] ¨C Restriction: ¨C ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Sessfullyplete Kyle¡¯s training. Failure will result in being unable to use the training hall. Originally, one shouldplete the beginner and intermediate levels in order, but he recklessly sought out Kyle, the advanced training instructor. In that case, he would judge the user as arrogant and offer training with a difficulty level beyond the normal advanced course. And only by perfectly clearing it and gaining recognition could he achieve his original n. Jeong-Hoon epted the quest. ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°My training course has a total of 5 stages. It¡¯s not toote even now, so you can obediently go to the beginner training instructor.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯d like to go straight to the 1st stage.¡± ¡°Haha, really? Is that so?¡± Kyle opened the door to the advanced training ground in the training hall. ¡°Huh¡­ to just recklessly approach Kyle like that.¡± ¡°¡­That foreigner is pitiful. He doesn¡¯t know his ce and is about to get cklisted.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, he should have juste to me.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡¯re going to teach that arrogant foreigner?¡± He could hear the instructors whispering behind him. Jeong-Hoonughed inwardly. Whether he was arrogant or not, they would see soon enough. ¡°Can I enter here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kyle answered curtly. ¡®It seems he really doesn¡¯t like me.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon smirked slightly and entered the training ground. As befitting an archery training ground, the interior was quite spacious. ¡°1st stage. 10 targets will move in front of you. Hit them all without missing a single shot.¡± ¡°Without missing a single shot?¡± He had to shoot 10 arrows and not miss a single one. Moreover, the targets were moving at high speed. To hit the targets at that distance, he had to calcte everything: the speed of the arrow, the direction the targets were moving. It was a high-difficulty task. ¡°Can¡¯t do it?¡± Kyle grinned. If he was scared, he could give up here. Of course, once he entered the training ground, giving up would put the foreigner on a cklist, preventing him from ever entering the training hall again. ¡®Well, if he kneels and begs earnestly, I might forgive him.¡¯ However, Jeong-Hoon nonchntly took out Anima. ¡°I¡¯ll start right away.¡± ¡°Wait! You have to use this bow.¡± Kyle had brought a practice bow and 10 arrows before entering the training ground. It was the bow to be used for the 1st stage. ¡°Can¡¯t I use the weapon I want?¡± ¡°Of course not. If the weapon has any stat boosts, that¡¯s not your true skill, is it?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t do it, you can give up here.¡± ¡°Alright. Give it to me.¡± Jeong-Hoon received the practice bow. ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve held a practice bow.¡¯ A bow with simr performance to a beginner¡¯s bow. Before his regression, Jeong-Hoon had obtained a practice bow and used it to practice archery. Was it because of that? The familiar sensation brought back old memories. ¡°You have 10 minutes.¡± Kyle left those words and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. Let¡¯s see if you can hit it. If you miss even one shot, I¡¯ll kick you out immediately. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon slowly nocked an arrow onto the practice bow and drew the string. His posture was so stable that Kyle¡¯s eyes twitched. And as the drawn string was released, the arrow shot out with a sonic boom. Whoosh! The arrow, flying in a parabolic arc, urately hit the center of the moving target 60 meters away. ¡°What the¡­¡± Kyle was greatly surprised. Even for a level 201 Ranger, it wasn¡¯t easy to hit a small target at a long distance with a practice bow. But the foreigner in front of him had done it so effortlessly. ¡®Not yet¡­ he¡¯s only seeded with one shot.¡¯ And that was the closest target at 60 meters. The 1st stage required hitting targets up to 200 meters away, so it wouldn¡¯t be easy to seed. Whoosh! And the second arrow was shot. The arrow urately hit the center of the target 75 meters away. ¡®What is this guy¡­?¡¯ 3rd shot, 4th shot, 5th shot¡­ 100m, 120m, 130m. Whoosh! The final 10th arrow hit the center of the 200-meter target at the very back. All 10 arrows hit the 10 targets, sessfullypleting the 1st stage. ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Jeong-Hoon stepped down from his position and looked at Kyle. Only then did Kyle take his eyes off the target and clear his throat. ¡°¡­You¡¯re a lucky bastard.¡± ¡°All 10 arrows hit the center of the target. Do you really think it¡¯s luck?¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. Kyle grimaced at his confident attitude. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s see how far that arrogance takes you.¡± The next 2nd stage involved targets with slightly moreplex movements. While the 1st stage targets only moved left and right, these targets would move and disappear repeatedly in a very irregr pattern. Also, the number increased from 10 to 15, and the maximum distance increased to 430 meters. ¡°I just need to hit all 15 arrows?¡± ¡°Of course. You can¡¯t miss a single one.¡± ¡°Alright. What about the time limit?¡± ¡°Time limit? I¡¯ll give you 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out one of the 15 newly received arrows and drew the bowstring. The targets started moving erratically. ¡®He¡¯s a bit better than I thought. But he¡¯ll never pass the 2nd stage.¡¯ He didn¡¯t like that confident attitude at all. Kyle was convinced that this foreigner would fail. Thest 15th target was standing at a whopping 430 meters. It was a distance impossible to hit with a practice bow, no matter what he did. And the first arrow shot urately hit the center of the target that disappeared and reappeared. The distance to the target was 210 meters. Kyle¡¯s face hardened at the incredibly stable archery skill. *** Thest arrow hit the center of the target. The distance was a whopping 430 meters. Kyle couldn¡¯t hide his shocked expression. ¡®No way¡­¡¯ No matter how good the foreigner¡¯s archery skills were, this 2nd stage was impossible to pass. It was because exceeding 400 meters with a practice bow was fundamentally impossible. Even the most skilled archer needed the help of equipment to showcase long range and destructive power. If the equipment wasn¡¯t good, the range and power would be significantly lower. What kind of trick did he use to hit the 430-meter target with that crude equipment? ¡®He looks clearly flustered.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon barely managed to suppress hisughter. As he thought, it was impossible to achieve a distance of over 400 meters with a practice bow. There were limitations to the equipment. However, Jeong-Hoon possessed a Unique-grade skill called Extreme Archer: Soul. An option that secured vision up to 700 meters when holding a bow. That option didn¡¯t just secure vision. It also provided some level of correction to allow the arrow to fly that distance, which is why he was able to hit the target at 430 meters. ¡°You passed the 2nd stage, but the 3rd stage will be impossible!¡± Kyle shouted urgently. He foretold an even harsher 3rd stage than the 2nd. However, his heart was gradually acknowledging Jeong-Hoon. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 167 Chapter 167 The 3rd stage was to target targets concealed by terrain features. It was about hitting targets that were less than half exposed, notpletely hidden. Of course, Jeong-Hoon passed this stage perfectly as well. ¡°¡­¡± Kyle was too busy watching his feats in awe to say anything. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± ¡°You¡­ just what are you¡­?¡± It only took 12 minutes to clear the 3rd stage. It was a much shorter time than the 2nd stage. Moreover, he perfectly hit targets as far as 470 meters away, much farther than the 2nd stage. ¡®This is unbelievable¡­¡¯ No one in this training hall could clear the 2nd and 3rd stages with a practice bow. But that foreigner passed them all in one try. His archery skills were truly marvelous. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you. The beginner and intermediate levels are of no help to me.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. That smile, which initially seemed arrogant, now appeared confident. At this point, even Kyle had to acknowledge him. ¡°¡­Indeed. Instead of the 4th stage, would you like to try a different training?¡± ¡°A different training?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s also called the ultimate training.¡± ¡°Ultimate training?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s a stage above the advanced training. To date, only the former Divine Archer, Richard, has passed that training. It boasts an extremely high difficulty level.¡± Richard. The Divine Archer who was active in Idenharc. He was an archer who had reached the pinnacle, respected by all archers. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve judged that I can¡¯t evaluate you with the advanced training. So, I¡¯ll make a proposal. Would you like to challenge the ultimate training?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes lit up slightly. ¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯ The condition to receive additional rewards had been triggered. It was Kyle¡¯s recognition. A red question mark blinked above his head. [Hidden Quest: Ultimate Training (Archer)] ¨C Restriction: Users recognized by Kyle ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Kyle has acknowledged you. Pass the new trial and obtain the ultimate reward. Jeong-Hoon epted the quest and said, ¡°I¡¯ll take the challenge.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Kyle nodded and left the training ground. His eyes were softer than before. nk! nk! And a momentter, the portal bound by magic chains on the right end of the training ground started to wriggle. The tightly fastened chains rattled. Crack! The rattling chains shattered in an instant, revealing a portal. ¡®I guess I¡¯m going through that portal.¡¯ Jeong-hoon approached the portal. [Enter Lv.220 Ultimate Training Ground?] [*Caution: Difficulty is higher than the indicated level.] The level was disyed as 220, but the actual difficulty was higher than that. [¡®If there¡¯s a warning, it means it¡¯s a bit difficult, right?¡¯] ¡°It¡¯s not just a bit. That kind of warning appears when the difficulty is much higher than the level.¡± I need to be on my guard. This ultimate training won¡¯t be easy. * * * Kyle came out and manipted the training ground. He had temporarily opened the locked Ultimate Training Ground. Then other instructors approached him. ¡°Hey. Why are youing out alone?¡± ¡°Why did it take so long?¡± The instructors had no doubt that Kyle would teach him a lesson. But as time passed and Kyle didn¡¯te out, they sensed something strange. Kyle smiled bitterly and said, ¡°Unfortunately, I failed to teach him a lesson.¡± At his words of failure, the instructors¡¯ eyes widened. ¡°No, why?¡± ¡°You, who gives training methods that are beyond absurd, failed to teach him a lesson¡­?¡± ¡°Did you give him easy training on purpose?¡± There was no other way he could have failed to teach him a lesson. But Kyle shook his head. ¡°I picked only the most terrible ones.¡± Ones that even the instructors here would struggle with. Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3. At the words that he had endured all the training, the instructors¡¯ jaws dropped. ¡°That outsider?¡± ¡°No way¡­ You mean he shot over 400 meters with a practice bow?¡± ¡°That¡¯s insane¡­¡± A practice bow. He shot over 400 meters with that bow, which struggles to reach even 200 meters? At the absurd story, suspicion clouded the instructors¡¯ eyes. ¡°How do you think I feel, having seen it with my own eyes?¡± Kyle had watched from very close by. The instructor paused for a moment before asking, ¡°So¡­ where did that outsider go?¡± ¡°Is he still inside the training ground?¡± Kyle nodded. ¡°Yes. He moved on to the Ultimate Training Ground.¡± ¡°The Ultimate Training Ground?! Then what you just manipted was¡­?¡± ¡°I opened the Ultimate Training Ground.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Isn¡¯t that the training ground that no one has ever been able to endure?¡± They fell into silence. Just what level of skill does he have to knock on the door of the Ultimate Training Ground? Kyle corrected him, ¡°No one? What about Lord Richard, the Divine Archer?¡± ¡°My friend¡­ that was ages ago¡­¡± The reason the Ultimate Training Ground was kept locked. It was because the difficulty of the training ground was beyond imagination. Therefore, only those with the right to open and close the training ground could open it, and only those who proved their qualifications to challenge it could have the training ground temporarily opened for them. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. If he cleared it in the past, then it¡¯s cleared, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That was 600 years ago¡­ And there¡¯s no evidence that Lord Richard actually cleared it.¡± The news of Richard¡¯s clearing had only been passed down by word of mouth. There was no evidence of his clearing. ¡°It¡¯s certain.¡± ¡°On what basis¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for any basis. If I say I cleared it, then I cleared it.¡± At that moment, the door to the training ground turned red. It was a sign that the outsider had entered the Ultimate Training Ground. If he cleared it here, the color of the door would return to normal, but if he failed, it would turn even redder. ¡®I hope he crushes my pride once again.¡¯ Archery that couldn¡¯t bepared to anyone else in the training hall. It was the first time he had ever seen someone shoot so well. Could he, perhaps, follow in Richard¡¯s footsteps and endure the trials presented by the Ultimate Training Ground? If he endured, it would be the birth of someone clearing it for the first time in 600 years. As the thought reached that point, Kyle¡¯s heart began to race. [Ultimate Training Ground] The Ultimate Training Ground boasted a truly harsh environment. Thend was barren, and the surrounding temperature was basically over 50 degrees Celsius, making it incredibly hot. Not only was the hot sun zing down intensely, but debuffs were also forcibly applied. [All stats are significantly decreased.] [This debuff cannot be removed.] [If you wish to remove it, leave the training ground.] It was a debuff that couldn¡¯t even be removed with divine power. [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 319 -> 159 (-160) ¨C Agility: 314 -> 154 (-160) ¨C Stamina: 304 -> 144 (-160) ¨C Defense: 291 -> 131 (-160) ¨C Wisdom: 281 -> 121 (-160) ¨C Mana: 445 -> 245 (-200) ¨C Divine Power: 445 -> 245 (-200) ¨C Mental Strength: 279 -> 99 (-180) His stats had dropped by more than half. ¡®This is insane¡­¡¯ Jeong-hoon gritted his teeth and tried to activate ckfield. [Skill activation failed] But it failed to activate because it was being controlled by the training ground. [Item use failed] [Stat increases are restricted.] The stat amplification device was no different. In the end, it meant he had to train with only his decreased stats. [¡°Ugh¡­ why is it so hot!¡±] Muk-ho also expressed his annoyance at the intense heat. ¡°Just endure it a little.¡± [Debuff: Extreme thirst applied.] [Debuff: Dizziness applied.] [Debuff: Headache applied.] [Debuff: Decreased endurance applied.] More debuffs poured in after that. Because of them, his head was spinning even before he started training. Jeong-hoon quickly gathered his senses. The high temperature was a problem, but the direct sunlight was too hot. It felt like the apparent temperature was close to 70 degrees Celsius. ¡®No wonder it¡¯s hard to clear.¡¯ Jeong-hoon smiled bitterly. But he couldn¡¯t copse under these debuffs. ¡°I¡¯ll endure it no matter what.¡± Jeong-hoon had endured even worse ces than this. He would seed and acquire the skill he was aiming for. [Would you like to start the training?] A holographic window appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. ¡®I¡¯ll start.¡¯ [Training begins.] [Find and hit 9 hidden targets.] [*You cannot approach within 300m of the targets.] Find and hit 9 targets in this vast area. It¡¯s clear they intend to wear me down. But that won¡¯t happen. Jeong-hoon took out a scan map from his inventory. [Scanning the entire Ultimate Training Ground.] He checked the terrain of the scanned map and marked the most likely ces where the targets could be hidden. Then he purchased a tracking device called ¡®Magic Eye¡¯ from the achievement shop. This Magic Eye was designed to track simr objects in the vicinity by inputting the desired item. ¡®With this, I don¡¯t have to find all 9.¡¯ Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to head towards the forest, the most likely ce. The forest waspletely withered and dead, probably due to the intense heat. And between the dead branches, one target came into view. It was a target so small that it would have been difficult to identify without the Extreme Archer: Soul¡¯s passive. ¡°Lucky! Found it right away.¡± Jeong-hoon immediately drew Anima¡¯s bowstring and aimed carefully. [Additional penalties will be applied if the arrow misses.] Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t like the advanced training where missing just one shot meant failure. But if additional penalties were given in his current state, enduring the rest of the training would be virtually impossible. ¡®One shot, one kill.¡¯ Jeong-hoon released the bowstring he had drawn. Whoosh! The arrow shot out with a sonic boom. Thud! The fired arrow urately pierced the small target. [Remaining targets 8/9] With this, there were 8 targets left. Jeong-hoon took out the ¡®Magic Eye¡¯ he had purchased from the achievement shop. He pressed his finger on the ping pong ball-sized eye, and it grew to the size of a basketball. [Select the ¡®item¡¯ you want to track.] Although it said ¡®item¡¯, it could track things that weren¡¯t items as well. Jeong-hoon selected the target he had just hit. The Magic Eye quickly scanned the target. With this, he could track that target. [Set the range you want to track.] He also had to specify the range to start tracking. Jeong-hoon input the scanned map as the range. [Tracking begins.] Then the Magic Eye floated up and started to move somewhere. Jeong-hoon followed the eye. * * * Whoosh! The arrow pierced thest 9th target. ¡®It was really far away.¡¯ It seemed like the travel time alone took 3 hours. If it weren¡¯t for the tracking device, the Magic Eye, it would have taken much longer. Jeong-hoon¡¯s body was now drenched in sweat. He had sweated so much that he was even experiencing slight dehydration. If he didn¡¯t hold on tight, he felt like he would copse right away. [All targets hit.] [Moving on to the next training.] [Exterminate all summoned monsters.] After hitting all the targets, now it was telling him to hunt monsters. [Lv.220 Training Giant Bear] All the summoned monsters were Giant Bears. And they were level 220 Giant Bears at that. Normally, he would have exterminated them without a second thought, but now they were quite a challenge for Jeong-hoon. ¡°This is the worst.¡± A bitter smile appeared on Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. But he couldn¡¯t give up. ¡®Can you do it?¡¯ Anima asked in a worried tone. ¡°I have to make it happen even if I can¡¯t.¡± That¡¯s why he had entered this ce. Jeong-hoon drew Anima¡¯s bowstring. Giant Bear. The beast had 4 vital points. Eyes, nose, neck, abdomen. Among them, he aimed for the neck. He released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow shot out. Whoosh! The fired arrow urately pierced the neck of the training Giant Bear. ¡°Cough!¡± The bear, hit by the arrow, screamed in pain. ¡®Its defense is high for its level?¡¯ He thought it would copse since he had urately hit its vital point, but it was standing upright on two feet, albeit in pain. Jeong-hoon drew the bowstring again and released it. Whoosh! It pierced the neck of the agonizing bear once more. ¡°Keheuk!¡± Only then did the training Giant Bear copse. ¡®Two shots to kill.¡¯ It was doable. The corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth lifted. ¡°Growl! Kill!¡± As theirrade fell, the training Giant Bears all rushed towards Jeong-hoon at once. Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to create distance between them and began to attack by firing arrows. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 168 Chapter 168 ¡°Cough!¡± Thest remaining Giant Bear trembled and copsed. Two arrows were lodged in its neck, and one in its abdomen. It took a total of three shots to bring it down. ¡°Phew, that was tough.¡± Despite being exhausted, Jeong-hoon had seeded in eliminating all the Giant Bears. And there wasn¡¯t a single scratch on his body. ¡°Crunch! Crunch!¡± Fenrir, who was tearing into the flesh of a Giant Bear right next to him, had helped with the hunt. At first, he tried to do it alone, but there were too many, so he had no choice but to summon Fenrir. The creature, who had previously eaten only a small amount of meat and said it was full, leaving the rest, had returned to its original size and was now devouring all those Giant Bears as if it had never been full. [¡°Doesn¡¯t it ever get tired?¡±] ¡°It¡¯s not affected by the debuffs.¡± Unlike Jeong-hoon, who was struggling with the debuffs, Fenrir was free from them. It was Jeong-hoon who was undergoing the training, and Fenrir was a summoned beast subordinate to him. [You have exterminated all the Giant Bears.] [Moving on to the final training.] It wasn¡¯t over yet? Jeong-hoon frowned. While exterminating the Giant Bears, he had been afflicted with 4 additional debuffs. Because of that, his body had long since reached its limit. [Exterminate monsters and reach the cave at the north end.] The final training. It was to reach the cave in the north while avoiding the monsters scattered everywhere. Jeong-hoon checked the scan map. His current location was at the southern end, far from the north. The Ultimate Training Ground itself was as vast as Yeouido, so it seemed like it would take quite a bit of effort to reach there. [¡°Wow¡­ Look at how many there are.¡±] As Mukho said, there were over 200 visible to the naked eye. It was impossible to exterminate those monsters in his current state. Jeong-hoon looked at Fenrir. The creature, munching on meat, tilted its head at his gaze. ¡°Fenrir, I need you to carry me.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes, you. The destination is the cave at the north end. Can you do it?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Fenrir frowned. A human riding on its back. The thought alone was horrifying. But it couldn¡¯t ignore Jeong-hoon¡¯smand, so it obediently lowered its body. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to climb onto its back. It was sorge that he could grab a handful of fur with his hand and still have some left over. ¡°Then let¡¯s depart. North, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Okay. Here we go.¡± Fenrir rose and dashed forward. The swarming monsters rushed towards Fenrir. ¡°Attack!¡± ¡°Grrr! Die!¡± Fenrir scoffed and trampled over them. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The trampled monsters screamed. ¡®This time, I¡¯ll take it.¡¯ The guy who was next to Lee Hwa-rang when he betrayed Jeong-hoon. William Smith. He was the one who was supposed to clear this Ultimate Training Ground. He had been active on the British server before New World became reality, and he was an archer who had been arade even before Jeong-hoon joined after the realization. If Lee Hwa-rang was the number one archer in Korea, William was the number one archer in the world. Of course, as time passed, Lee Hwa-rang would rise to a positionparable to him, and by supplementing his weakness with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, he would surpass him and be called the true Divine Archer. But after the regression, Lee Hwa-rang had fallen, so that future would nevere. Anyway, as of now, William could be considered the number one archer. He was also the bastard who constantly bothered Jeong-hoon until he blossomed into an All-Master. ¡®What qualifications do you have to be here?¡¯ At that time, Jeong-hoon¡¯s level was far below that of hisrades. Nevertheless, he was able to join as arade because many people, including the then-leaders James Marcus, Alessandro Bryden, and Sophia Stephanie Agaret, agreed. Thanks to that, Jeong-hoon was able to grow into an All-Master by observing their power from the sidelines. Later, he gained everyone¡¯s recognition, but until the mid-game, there were many who were dissatisfied with Jeong-hoon¡¯s joining. ¡®His level is low. And his rank isn¡¯t high either. I can¡¯t understand their thinking.¡¯ William had already reached the rank called Celestial. On the other hand, Jeong-hoon¡¯s rank was Epic. He was on the verge of reaching the threshold and was aiming for Unique, but William consistently ignored him. Is that why? A smile formed on his face at the thought of snatching that bastard¡¯s reward. * * * [Arrived at the destination.] [All debuffs are automatically removed.] [The temperature of the Ultimate Training Ground is normalized.] Upon arriving at the cave, all debuffs were removed. The headache that had been constantly tormenting Jeong-hoon disappeared, and his mind cleared. His stats also recovered and returned to normal. [Using Advanced Healing.] Jeong-hoon used healing to recover his decreased health. Due to the debuffs, his health kept dropping even when he used healing, but with the debuffs removed, his recovered health was maintained without decreasing. However, Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good. He was very dissatisfied with this training. It was because the restrictions prevented him from using the skills that could remove the stacked debuffs. Even before the regression, he had felt like he was being yed by them, and this was exactly one of those cases. He agreed that he couldn¡¯t escape the control of the operators since it was a game, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel angry. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Jeong-hoon checked Fenrir¡¯s body just in case. It had been attacked countless times on the way here. ¡°No.¡± Fenrir shook its head. Its body had only minor scratches; overall, it was fine. Jeong-hoon used Advanced Healing on Fenrir to treat the scratches. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± As he unsummoned Fenrir, its body disappeared instantly. The final training was also over, so it was time to get the reward. [¡°Is it in here?¡±] ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon slowly walked forward. The inside of the cave was pitch ck, and he couldn¡¯t see anything. [¡®It seems like there¡¯s nothing here¡­¡¯] Anima, who had been watching quietly, also spoke up. Jeong-hoon just smiled silently. [¡®The skill I use?¡¯] [¡®Yes. What is it that gives it such tremendous power?¡¯] He had once overheard a conversation between William and Lee Hwa-rang before the regression. [¡®This is the ability used by the Divine Archer, Richard.¡¯] [¡®Richard?¡¯] [¡®Yes. It¡¯s a skill obtained from the archer¡¯s city training hall in Rease.¡¯] [¡®That¡¯s strange¡­ I also went through the training hall, but I didn¡¯t get anything like that.¡¯] [¡®Of course. You need to meet certain conditions to get this.¡¯] William proudly boasted about how he acquired the skill. That¡¯s why Jeong-hoon knew the whereabouts of the skill. Ting! At that moment. With a sound of something clicking, the dark interior brightened. The torch artifact attached to the wall had automatically activated. ¡°There it is.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s gaze stopped at one spot. There, an old bow was embedded in the ground. It was the longbow used by Richard 600 years ago. It was a Legendary-grade weapon called Ancient. [Ancient] ¨C Type: Longbow ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C A weapon that has lost its power due to age. ¨C The weapon is filled with mysterious power. * This weapon cannot be restored. However, it had lost its power and had no options at all. It couldn¡¯t even be restored. Well, it didn¡¯t matter. He hadn¡¯te to take the weapon itself, but the power contained within it. Jeong-hoon approached the Ancient. A red exmation mark blinked above the Ancient. It meant he was qualified to receive the reward. ¡°As expected.¡± Jeong-hoon grabbed the bow with his hand. The Ancient glowed brightly and flowed into Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand. [You havepleted the hidden quest.] [Acquired ¡®Ultimate Arrow¡¯.] [Acquired ¡®Heavenly Strike¡¯.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®What? Why did I acquire two?¡¯ The only skill William Smith had boasted about was ¡®Ultimate Arrow¡¯. He hadn¡¯t even imagined that he would acquire ¡®Heavenly Strike¡¯ here as well. He hadn¡¯t even thought about Heavenly Strike because it wasn¡¯t mentioned separately. ¡®This is crazy¡­ I took both of the wide-range skills he had.¡¯ With this, William wouldn¡¯t be able to acquire not only Ultimate Arrow but also Heavenly Strike. A wide smile spread across Jeong-hoon¡¯s face. [¡°What is it? What kind of skills are they?¡±] [¡®Can¡¯t you open them and show us?¡¯] It seemed Mukho and Anima were also curious. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± Jeong-hoon opened the skills he received as rewards. [Ultimate Arrow] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C The strongest arrow containing the archer¡¯s soul. ¨C Creates one arrow with 1,300% damage. ¨C Ignores 30% of the enemy¡¯s defense. ¨C Maximum range increased to 1km. ¨C (Additional effect) Pration: When the arrow prates an enemy, a shockwave that deals 150% of basic attack power damage explodes, affecting all enemies within 10m. ¨C Cooldown: 300 seconds It was truly a skill with unbelievable power. [¡°That¡¯s insane¡­¡±] [¡®Not only 1,300% damage, but it also ignores defense and even triggers a shockwave that deals with surrounding enemies¡­¡¯] Mukho and Anima also clicked their tongues. [Heavenly Strike] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C A rain of arrows that annihtes everything. ¨C When an arrow is shot, a shower of arrows with 80% damage per arrow falls (up to 100 arrows). ¨C Ignores 20% of the enemy¡¯s defense. ¨C (Additional effect) Holy Explosion: When an arrow hits the target, an explosion urs, dealing 150% of basic attack power damage to all enemies within 10m. ¨C (Additional effect) Blindness: Enemies hit by the explosion are blinded for 3 seconds. ¨C Cooldown: 300 seconds Simrly, Heavenly Strike was also a skill specialized in dealing with multiple enemies. [¡°Wow¡­ is this also a wide-range skill?¡±] [¡®With a maximum of 100 arrows¡­ you could turn the opponent into a honeb.¡¯] ¡°Something like that.¡± Ultimate Arrow. Heavenly Strike. These two skills would be of great help to Jeong-hoon. They were Legendary-grade skills, after all. [The final training isplete.] [Exit the training ground through the portal created next to you.] A portal appeared next to Jeong-hoon. It was a portal leading back to the advanced training ground. ¡®Let¡¯s go back now.¡¯ He had acquired the skills he had nned for, so it was time to return. * * * At the same time. Kyle and the instructors, who were watching from outside, were shocked to see the color of the door change. ¡°It¡¯s back to normal¡­?¡± ¡°Th-then, doesn¡¯t that mean he endured the ultimate training¡­?¡± The instructors all looked at Kyle at once. Kyle wiped the tears streaming down his cheeks with his sleeve and smiled broadly. ¡°That¡¯s right. It means hepleted the ultimate training¡­¡± Seeing his reaction, the instructors also realized that someone had cleared the ultimate training for the first time in 600 years. ¡°Then that means he¡¯s the first since Lord Richard¡­?¡± ¡°No. There¡¯s no proof that Lord Richard cleared it. So officially, this outsider is the first to clear it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± ¡°Haha¡­ This isn¡¯t a dream, is it?¡± The instructors, unable to believe the reality in front of them, pinched their own cheeks. ¡°Ouch! I-it¡¯s real¡­?¡± At that moment, the door to the training ground slowly opened, and Jeong-hoon walked out. Kyle hurriedly approached him. ¡°You did really well! Thank you so much for crushing my pride!¡± ¡°Were you crying¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon looked at Kyle with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°How could I not cry? I just witnessed a legend right before my eyes!¡± Kyle, perhaps feeling a bit embarrassed, shouted. ¡°The ultimate training was definitely difficult. But I¡¯m satisfied because I gained a lot.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been something you could finish just because it was difficult¡­?¡± The instructors, who were listening to their conversation, nodded. They had all experienced challenging the ultimate training. But they couldn¡¯t evenst an hour in the Ultimate Training Ground before giving up. It wasn¡¯t just difficult; it was at a level where clearing it was impossible. How did he endure such ultimate training? It was truly amazing. ¡°It was incredibly difficult. The environment was harsh, and the debuffs were applied to an absurd degree¡­¡± The instructors nodded again in agreement. ¡°You mean you passed all the trials even in those harsh conditions?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you. Thank you so much!¡± Kyle, overwhelmed with emotion, embraced Jeong-hoon tightly. It had been his dream to see someoneplete the ultimate training in his lifetime. And now that dream hade true. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 169 Chapter 169 British Server. William Smith was currently leading his guild members on a raid. The monster they had to defeat was the Lv.420 Ruin Giant Soldier, Talos. A monster in the form of a giant golem. It was a monster with powerful destructive power, immune to magic, and had the special ability to draw energy from the earth, making it a very tricky boss monster. So far, it had only been defeated twice. Moreover, the number of clears on the British server was zero. ¡°Guild Leader! It¡¯s regenerating its health!¡± The monster, whose health they had managed to reduce, hadpletely recovered by drawing energy from the earth. Due to its powerful recovery ability, the party, consisting of users ranging from level 350 to 440, led by Lv. 489 William Smith, was still struggling. ¡°Uwaaaaah!¡± Talos mmed its fist into the ground. The earth¡¯s energy erupted like a volcanic explosion. Rumble. The ground shook, and cracks appeared in the ground where William Smith and his party members were standing. ¡°Jimmy!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The healer called Jimmy cast a protective barrier of light. A protective barrier enveloped everyone, including William. This barrier absorbed attacks from the outside and converted them into health for recovery. ¡°Everyone to your positions!¡± At William¡¯smand, the party members moved swiftly. The attack on Talos resumed. 19 hours passed like that. ¡°Krrr¡­¡± Cracks appeared on Talos¡¯s incredibly tenacious body, and it crumbled in an instant. It was because all 15 of Talos¡¯s cores had been destroyed. ¡°We did it!¡± ¡°We¡¯re the third in the world to clear it!¡± The party members rejoiced. It was a raid they had been preparing for for a whole year. They couldn¡¯t help but be happy that they were able to sessfullyplete such a raid. ¡°Let¡¯s collect the rewards first.¡± While the party members were busy collecting the rewards, William approached the remnants of Talos. He had seen a tombstone sparkling. The party members were too busy collecting the rewards dropped on the ground. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ The tombstone was densely engraved with some kind of writing. At first, it was unreadable, but as he got closer, it transformed into his nativenguage. [Congrattions. You are the third to clear the Ruin Giant Soldier Talos.] ¨C Your ss is ¡®Archer¡¯. ordingly, I would like to give you a small reward. Go to the archer¡¯s city training hall. The conditions for obtaining the opportunity are as follows. ¡­ ¡®This is insane!¡¯ It was none other than a hidden piece offering an opportunity. William¡¯s eyes trembled as he carefully read the tombstone. He turned his head, wondering if anyone else had seen it. Fortunately, no one was approaching him. ¡®Destroy it.¡¯ William smashed the tombstone so that no one could see it. * * * ¡°Are you leaving already?¡± Kyle¡¯s face was full of disappointment. Someone hadpletely cleared the Ultimate Training Ground for the first time in 600 years. He wanted to share a drink with him, but Jeong-hoon declined, citing a busy schedule. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve finished my training, so I should go back now.¡± ¡°¡­I guess there won¡¯t be a chance to see you again?¡± ¡°It seems so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame¡­ Then take this at least.¡± An exmation mark blinked above Kyle¡¯s head. [Acquired additional reward.] [Acquired ¡®[Title] Sessor of the Divine Archer Richard¡¯.] The additional reward was none other than a title. ¡°This is¡­?¡± ¡°The name is grand, isn¡¯t it? This is a reward I made to give to those who endure that Ultimate Training Ground.¡± Sessor of the Divine Archer Richard. [Sessor of the Divine Archer Richard] ¨C Type: Unique Title ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Arrow attack power increased by 5%. ¨C Archery skill damage increased by 5%. ¨C Critical hit chance increased by 5%. ¨C Critical hit damage increased by 3%. A unique title of Unique grade. It was a title with quite fraudulent options. A title that any archer would envy. He had acquired that title. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I¡¯m more grateful that I could give this to you.¡± Kyle let Jeong-hoon go without any regrets. Jeong-hoon, who left the training hall, immediately contacted Michael. ¡®What¡¯s the current situation?¡¯ ¡®¡­Master, this is too difficult.¡¯ Michael replied in a dying voice. ¡®What are you doing now?¡¯ ¡®I have to make a bow¡­ but this crazy person keeps rejecting everything¡­¡¯ ¡®So you haven¡¯t made a single one?¡¯ ¡®¡­Yes.¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been long since Michael left, so he had expected that he wouldn¡¯t havepleted even one quest. But he hadn¡¯t imagined that the progress would be zero. Jeong-hoon suppressed his anger and spoke. ¡®You have to do it no matter what.¡¯ ¡®But¡­ I keep getting rejected!¡¯ ¡®Then it¡¯s a matter of doing well enough not to get rejected. ¡® ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®Did you forget that I promised you a reward? Do it properly.¡¯ ¡®¡­Sniff, sniff, an upgrade?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll upgrade your reward.¡¯ ¡®The Coffin of Death. I¡¯ll get you that coffin.¡¯ ¡®The Coffin of Death?! ¡­But does that even exist? I¡¯ve only heard of it, never actually seen it.¡¯ ¡®Have you ever seen me lie? Do it right. Then I¡¯ll get it for you somehow.¡¯ ¡®Really? You won¡¯t go back on your wordter?¡¯ ¡®Yes.¡¯ ¡®Yes! Please wait a little bit! I¡¯ll finish it somehow ande back!¡¯ Michael¡¯s voice became much more lively. Only then did Jeong-hoon head towards the City of Archers. Like the City of Warriors, it was a ce where the ruler and his close associates resided. ¡°Hold on. Who are you?¡± However, he had to go through five checkpoints before reaching the sanctuary. The security was incredibly tight. ¡°I¡¯m an archer.¡± ¡°I see. Archers may pass.¡± This was the ce Michael had visited earlier. He must have also gone through these checkpoints. Upon arriving at the sanctuary, Jeong-hoon immediately sought out the NPC named Roscantor. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Roscantor ¨C Level: 275 ¨C upation: Temporary Commander === He was the temporarymander leading the archers residing in the Archer¡¯s City. He was acting as themander in ce of the city¡¯s leader because they were preparing for war. As a result, the quests they offered were mainly focused on strengthening their forces. The reason they were thoroughly blocking users of other sses was to hide this fact. ¡®That¡¯s why there¡¯s manualbor, including making bows.¡¯ By making as many bows as possible, they were supplementing the weapons to be used in the war. Since Jeong-hoon was disguised as an archer, a question mark was blinking above Roscantor¡¯s head. [Normal Quest: If You¡¯re a True Archer] ¨C Restriction: Archer user level 201 or higher ¨C Reward: ? ¨C Description: Recently, a worry has arisen in the City of Archers. Please help us eliminate that worry. Jeong-hoon epted the quest. ¡°Hmm? Who are you?¡± Roscantor tilted his head as he epted the quest. ¡°I came here looking for something to help with.¡± ¡°Oh! Really?¡± Roscantor¡¯s face brightened. Recently, there had been a cause for concern in the City of Archers. A few days ago, monsters had swarmed right up to the city¡¯s west gate. Because of that, they had to dispatch 10% of their forces as an extermination team. But the results were disastrous. ¡®W-we failed¡­¡¯ ¡®Failed? You mean you failed even with that many people?¡¯ ¡®Yes¡­ there were too many monsters. Their level was 250.¡¯ ¡®¡­250?! What about the casualties?¡¯ ¡®Nearly half of them died¡­ The rest barely made it back alive, but many are severely injured.¡¯ The messenger delivering the report also had one arm torn off, wrapped tightly in bandages. ¡®Damn it¡­ At a time when the leader hasn¡¯t even woken up¡­¡¯ The ruler of the City of Archers. Altair von Arkenstone. He was the current leader and the absolute powerhouse of the city. But he had been asleep for over three months and hadn¡¯t woken up. The leader had been fine until just before he fell asleep¡­ The problem was that no one residing in the City of Archers could figure out the cause. In the end, the City of Archers paid a hefty sum of gold and requested help from the Holy City. But the Holy City made it clear that they would only provide a diagnosis. If they wanted treatment as well, they had to pay an additional fee after the diagnosis. It was quite unpleasant, but the situation was urgent, so they epted their offer. ¡®It seems to be a curse.¡¯ The priest who visited the City of Archers examined Altair von Arkenstone and mentioned a curse. ¡®A curse?¡¯ ¡®Yes. Among curses, there are some that induce a deep sleep, preventing the victim from ever waking up.¡¯ ¡®¡­Huh, who on earth would do such a thing?¡¯ ¡®Well, perhaps someone with a deep grudge against the leader of the City of Archers?¡¯ ¡®Then is there a way to break the curse?¡¯ ¡®There is, but¡­ such a curse is beyond our power. It would probably require someone of the leader¡¯s caliber to do it.¡¯ ¡®¡­How much would it cost?¡¯ ¡®1 million gold. That¡¯s the minimum we would need.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s insane¡­!¡¯ It was the same as saying they wouldn¡¯t lift the curse. Where on earth could they get 1 million gold? As promised, the priest left as soon as the diagnosis was over, and Roscantor couldn¡¯t help but worry. It was Altair von Arkenstone who had ordered them to prepare for war in the first ce. The fact that he was suddenly cursed was undoubtedly the work of the City of Warriors. There were bound to be dark magicians in the City of Mages, which was allied with the City of Warriors, so it was a reasonable guess. That¡¯s why he had taken on the role of temporarymander to continue the preparations, following the leader¡¯s will, but he never dreamed that monsters would interfere. ¡°So, if we wipe out those monsters, the problem will be solved?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go and wipe out the monsters.¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s bold im, Roscantor let out a hollowugh with an absurd expression. ¡°Your spirit is admirable, but it¡¯s impossible for you alone. How can a mere level 201 Ranger handle those monsters?¡± The corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth subtly rose. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Roscantor, judging that he was being brash, went straight to the point. ¡°¡­Anyway, what I¡¯m asking for is support.¡± ¡°Support?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll be dispatching a second wave of troops to exterminate the monsters. You just need to join that extermination team and lend your strength.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± * * * West Gate of the City of Archers. In front of the tightly closed west gate, countless archers were lined up. These were archers who were considered rtively skilled in closebat, while archers specializing in long-rangebat were positioned on the city walls. ¡°We must stop them.¡± ¡°I will kill them with my own hands.¡± Monsters that should have been lurking in the field had invaded near the city. To drive them away, the first wave of archers had gone out to exterminate them, but the result was a crushing defeat. Comrades who hadughed and chatted over meals had returned as cold corpses overnight. They had somehow managed to barely drive the monsters away, but it was clear that they would attack again. ¡°Alright, is everyone gathered?¡± The one leading them was a level 260 Ranger named Cedric. ¡°Yes!¡± The archers, with their discipline tightened, answered loudly. Satisfied with their response, Cedric nodded and continued. ¡°You all know why we¡¯re gathered here, right?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know when the monsters will attack again, but we must exterminate them. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Gulp¡­!¡± The archers gulped nervously. ¡°Those who are afraid can step back now.¡± It was sure to be a battle with many casualties. So Cedric wanted to give them a choice. Everyone wanted to preserve their lives. ¡°¡­¡± But no one said they would withdraw. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s go.¡± The west gate opened wide. As Cedric and the archers passed through the gate and exited the city, a vast in greeted them. Normally, it would have been a quiet ce where only border guards woulde and go, but the in was currently in ruins. It was because of the monster invasion. The archers gritted their teeth as they saw the bloodstains on the ground. Rumble. At that moment, the in began to shake. ¡°The monsters areing!¡± At Cedric¡¯s shout, the archers felt the hairs on their bodies stand on end. They formed a battle line and drew their bowstrings. Finally, they appeared. [Lv.275 Titan Rhinoceros] They were monsters in the form of giant rhinoceroses. ¡°What the¡­ what are those?¡± Cedric muttered with a dumbfounded expression. The monsters the first wave encountered were level 250 ck King Ogres. But the ones that appeared now were Titan Rhinoceroses, 25 levels higher. ¡°Uwaaaaah!¡± They roared and charged towards the archers. ¡°¡­Damn it, shoot!¡± At Cedric¡¯smand, the archers released their drawn bowstrings. At the same time, arrows were also fired from the city walls. Whoosh! Countless arrows rained down on the Titan Rhinoceroses. [Titan Rhinoceros uses ¡®Hardened Body¡¯.] [Titan Rhinoceros uses ¡®Strengthen: Physical Attack¡¯.] But as they activated their special abilities, the arrows bounced right off. They couldn¡¯t inflict a single wound. ¡°This is crazy!¡± ¡°Block them!¡± The archers, their faces pale, drew their bowstrings again. But the Titan Rhinoceroses pushed forward relentlessly. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°Retreat!¡± The archers hurriedly retreated. It was then. Whoosh! An arrow shot from the direction of the city wall, piercing the head of the leading Titan Rhinoceros. Its body went limp, and a shockwave erupted around it. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± Cedric¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 170 Chapter 170 While the archers were moving to their respective positions, Jeong-hoon took his ce on the city wall. ¡°Huh? Who¡¯s that over there?¡± The archer assigned next to Jeong-hoon tilted his head. He was a man in his early 20s who still had some boyish features. ¡°I¡¯m here to support.¡± The archer nodded at the short answer. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s impressive. You seem to be around my age, but you¡¯re risking your life toe and support us.¡± === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Benjamin ¨C Level: 205 ¨C upation: Ranger === Benjamin chattered non-stop. He¡¯s quite the talker. But his body was trembling slightly. It seemed like he was trying to relieve his tension by talking. Rumble. At that moment, the ground shook, and monsters appeared. ¡®Titan Rhinoceroses.¡¯ Although they were level 275, their defense was so high that it wasn¡¯t easy to defeat them unless you overwhelmed them with attack power. ¡®This quest has a very high chance of failure.¡¯ In fact, the quest¡¯s sess rate was only 0.8%. This was because the level cap for epting the quest was 250. Once you surpassed level 251, the quest would disappear and be unavable. You had to rely purely on firepower to defeat them, but with the level restriction, the quest¡¯s sess rate was low. If those Titan Rhinoceroses passed through the west gate, the quest would automatically fail. ¡°The arrows aren¡¯t working!¡± ¡°Damn it! Fall back!¡± As the Titan Rhinoceroses charged, the archers turned pale and stepped back. Cedric tried to control them, but it was impossible to control the archers who were in a panic due to the advancing Titan Rhinoceroses. ¡°Let¡¯s run! We¡¯ll die if we stay here!¡± Benjamin, who was next to him, was ready to flee. ¡°Why?¡± Jeong-hoon asked casually as he drew Anima¡¯s bowstring. ¡°Why?! If we stay here and the wall copses, we¡¯re done for!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, so you go down first.¡± ¡°What are you¡­¡± Benjamin¡¯s words were cut short. Because Jeong-hoon had released the drawn bowstring. And an arrow different from before was shot. The arrow was glowing. Whoosh! The fired arrow pierced the head of the leading Titan Rhinoceros. [Shockwave triggered.] At the same time, a shockwave erupted, sweeping away 3 more Titan Rhinoceroses around it. The group of Titan Rhinoceroses, surprised by the attack, hurriedly slowed down and stopped. Jeong-hoon jumped down from the wall. ¡°That¡¯s dangerous!¡± Benjamin tried to grab him, but his hand only grasped at the air. ¡°Did you shoot that?!¡± As Jeong-hoonnded on the ground, Cedric rushed over. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± Cedric¡¯s eyes were trembling. From his perspective, Jeong-hoon was just a level 201 Ranger. Even though Rangers specialized in ranged attacks, it was impossible for them to have enough firepower to kill a Titan Rhinoceros in one shot. But what was the power of that arrow just now? Whether he was surprised or not, Jeong-hoon shot another arrow at the Titan Rhinoceroses. Whoosh! The fired arrow hit the head of an unharmed Titan Rhinoceros. And then. [Heavenly Strike activated.] A rain of 100 arrows poured down on the creature¡¯s head. At the same time, explosions urred on the bodies of 4 Titan Rhinoceroses next to it. ¡°If you¡¯re just going to watch, please step aside.¡± Jeong-hoon said to Cedric. ¡°Ah, alright.¡± The archers who were running away were now watching Jeong-hoon¡¯s performance. Cedric began to control them again. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are adjusted by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that invade the area are decreased by 10%.] Jeong-hoon activated ckfield. [All stats increased by 15%.] [20% damage reduction applied.] [Time limit: 1 hour.] Also, on the stat amplification ring. [The activation probability of ¡®Poison Attack¡¯ is increased by 4% for 1 hour.] He finished his strengthening by also using M?rchen¡¯s Guardian. Jeong-hoon drew Anima¡¯s bowstring and aimed at the Titan Rhinoceroses. He released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow shot out. Whoosh! The arrow, flying with a sonic boom, urately pierced the forehead of a Titan Rhinoceros. ¡°Kuwaaaaah!¡± As the arrow pierced its skin, the creature let out a painful scream. [Berserker activated.] At that moment, the passive skill of the Legendary-grade rune Jeong-hoon was wearing activated. ¨C When taking/dealing a certain amount of damage, attack power increases by 1.2 times for 180 seconds. ¨C When taking/dealing a certain amount of damage, defense increases by 1.2 times for 180 seconds. ¨C When taking/dealing a certain amount of damage, all skill damage increases by 5% for 180 seconds. Jeong-hoon¡¯s stats increased even further. And the effect of the ¡®Sessor of the Divine Archer Richard¡¯ title he received from Kyle. He repeatedly shot arrows. Whoosh! Thud! ¡°Kuwaaaaah!¡± The arrows pierced through the Titan Rhinoceros¡¯ skin and lodged themselves in. ¡°Crazy¡­¡± ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡± The archers,mesmerized by the spectacle of carnage, watched Jeong-hoon¡¯s performance. ¡°Kuwaaaaah! It¡¯s dangerous! We have to run!¡± ¡°Run!¡± Finally, the Titan Rhinoceroses turned around and started to flee. Jeong-hoon let them go without a fight. Topletely clear the quest, he had to thoroughly eliminate the source of these monsters. ¡°Uh¡­ why are you letting them go?!¡± Cedric asked with a bewildered expression. ¡°There must be a dungeon portal where they came from. I¡¯ll go close that portal.¡± The portal the monsters had emerged from. Inside, there would be ck King Ogres, Titan Rhinoceroses, and a boss lurking. ¡°A-are you going alone?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell even after seeing it up close? I¡¯m enough on my own.¡± ¡°That may be so, but¡­¡± He had nothing to say. If it weren¡¯t for Jeong-hoon, they would have been annihted instead of defending the west gate. It was solely Jeong-hoon¡¯s power that made them retreat. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon, so please wait.¡± Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to chase after the Titan Rhinoceroses. ¡°How is he so fast¡­?¡± Cedric muttered nkly. Is he really a level 201 Ranger? * * * The Titan Rhinoceroses honestly returned to the portal they hade from. And Jeong-hoon, who followed them in, began the real extermination. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± ¡°S-save me¡­ Cough!¡± The ck King Ogres and Titan Rhinoceroses died at Jeong-hoon¡¯s hands without much resistance. ¡°Krrr¡­ ugh!¡± Even the boss, the level 280 Giant ck Ogre, was taken out with a single Ultimate Arrow. ¡°Let¡¯s go back now.¡± Jeong-hoon exited through the portal. [¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s really amazing.¡±] Mukho repeatedly expressed his admiration for the power of the newly acquired archery skills. [¡®With this, it seems like you can easily handle even stronger bosses?¡¯] Anima was also surprised. ¡°I¡¯ll get even stronger as time passes.¡± [¡°Even stronger than this?¡±] ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s level was now 208. As his stats increased, so did the power of his arrows. Jeong-hoon¡¯s growth would make the skills iparably stronger than they were now. Moreover, these skills wouldn¡¯t stop at Legendary; they could be upgraded even further, making them indispensable for Jeong-hoon. ¡°He¡¯sing back!¡± ¡°It¡¯s true!¡± As he returned to the west gate, he heard the cheers of the archers from afar. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± Cedric rushed over and checked Jeong-hoon¡¯s body. ¡°Yes. There was a portal in front of the field. It seems the monsters were pouring out from that portal.¡± ¡°Did you¡­ even defeat the boss?¡± Cedric asked in a trembling voice. The so-called Wave-generating dungeon. To quell the Wave, one had to enter the dungeon directly and eliminate all the monsters. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Haha¡­ This is unbelievable¡­¡± Cedric muttered with a disbelieving expression. ¡°More importantly, where are the wounded?¡± ¡°The wounded?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Although he couldplete the quest as it was, he needed to perform a good deed to maximize the reward. * * * The wounded were being treated in the infirmary. The ones providing treatment were priests who had been promised arge sum of money. However, despite the ongoing treatment, the condition of the wounded wasn¡¯t improving much. ¡°Ugh¡­ it hurts¡­ it hurts so much¡­¡± As it was a ce where the wounded gathered, the atmosphere was gloomy. Groans filled with pain echoed endlessly, and their families could only watch with pity. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re treating them properly? Why aren¡¯t they getting better?¡± One of the wounded¡¯s family members questioned a priest. It was because the treatment was very slow, even though the injuries weren¡¯t that severe. ¡°Then leave. There are plenty of other people to treat besides you.¡± The priest replied with a cold expression. ¡°What, what did you say?¡± ¡°I said leave. I don¡¯t want to treat people who are dissatisfied.¡± ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± Unable to contain his anger at the absurd remark, he grabbed the priest by the cor. Then all the priests stopped their treatment. ¡°If you don¡¯t let go immediately, we¡¯ll stop the treatment here. Should we not treat the other patients either?¡± ¡°You, you son of a bitch¡­¡± It was tant ckmail. It meant that if he didn¡¯t let go of the cor, they wouldn¡¯t treat the others either. ¡°If you don¡¯t let go within 10 seconds, we¡¯ll stop and leave.¡± Dirty bastards. In the end, he had no choice but to let go of the cor. ¡°What a load of bullshit.¡± At that moment, an outsider entered the infirmary. He was a man with such an ordinary impression that he was almost nondescript. He approached the priest who had been grabbed by the cor and stood in front of him. ¡°What is this ugly thing?¡± ¡°Are you talking about yourself? You rotten bastard.¡± Whack! With those words, the priest¡¯s face was struck and he tumbled to the floor. The outsider had punched him. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Is he crazy!¡± ¡°We¡¯re stopping the treatment! And we won¡¯t being back here! Remember that!¡± The other priests were about to leave the infirmary immediately. Then Jeong-hoon used his movement technique to stand in front of them. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Wh-what?!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s all get beaten up together before you go.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. * * * ¡°St-stop¡­!¡± ¡°Please spare us! Please spare us!¡± Before long, the priests were clinging to Jeong-hoon¡¯s pants, begging for their lives. Their faces were beaten to a pulp, unrecognizable. ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry! We¡¯re truly sorry!¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing to me? You should apologize to the patients and their families.¡± Jeong-hoon gestured with his chin towards the patients and their families. ¡°We were wrong! We havemitted a grave sin!¡± ¡°Please show us mercy just once!¡± They knelt before the patients and their families, pleading. But the response was cold. ¡°This is absurd¡­¡± ¡°At least promise to treat them properly.¡± He wanted to kick them out, but there was no one else to treat the wounded. The potions in the cities were practically monopolized by the Holy City, so they couldn¡¯t even get potions without their prescription. It would be troublesome if they left like this. ¡°They say so? What are you going to do?¡± Jeong-hoon looked down at the priests and asked. ¡°O-of course!¡± ¡°We will treat the patients properly!¡± Satisfied with their answer, Jeong-hoon nodded. And then he activated a skill towards them. It was brainwashing. [Brainwashing activated.] He rarely used it, so he had kept it, but it was indeed a useful skill in times like these. The brainwashed priests, their pupils dted, looked at Jeong-hoon with nk expressions. ¡°From now on, you will take care of the patients with utmost dedication. And you willpletely forget about being beaten by me.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± The priests nodded and then stood up abruptly. They approached the patients and started treating them using healing magic. ¡®They should be fine now.¡¯ They deliberately weakened the intensity of the healing, intentionally slowing down the recovery process. The longer their patients stayed, the more money they could extract. The people of the Holy City intensely disliked outsiders and wouldn¡¯t lift a finger without a hefty payment. Holding sick patients hostage like this was truly repulsive. Jeong-Hoon approached a patient whose injuries looked severe. He was missing an arm and a leg, and hisbored breathing suggested serious internal injuries. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± A woman, presumably his wife, held his hand tightly, tears streaming down her face. ¡°I¡¯ll begin the treatment,¡± Jeong-Hoon said, reaching out towards the man. [Using Advanced Healing.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 171 Chapter 171 A radiant light of divine power erupted from Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands. It was a brilliance far surpassing anything the priests could muster, drawing every gaze in the room towards him. Unfazed, Jeong-Hoon focused solely on the patient¡¯s treatment. While he couldn¡¯t restore the man¡¯s missing arm and leg, hisbored breathing gradually eased. The internal injuries that had tormented him were healed. ¡°It¡¯s done. He¡¯ll regain consciousness in time.¡± Jeong-Hoon finally withdrew his hands. The man would be confused at first, waking up to a missing arm and leg, but that was a trial he¡¯d have to ovee. ¡°Th-thank you! Thank you so much!¡± The woman, the patient¡¯s guardian, expressed her gratitude through tears. ¡°Can you please treat us too?!¡± ¡°Us as well!¡± ¡°We beg you!¡± Witnessing this, the other guardians rushed towards Jeong-Hoon, moring for his attention. It didn¡¯t matter whether he was an archer or a priest. The healing he¡¯d just demonstrated was proof enough of his abilities. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Jeong-Hoon readily agreed and began treating the injured one by one. *** At the Archer¡¯s Sanctuary ¡°Is that really true?¡± Acting Commander Roscantor couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°Yes. After defending the west gate from the Titan Rhinoceros, he¡¯s now personally treating the wounded in the infirmary.¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Was that even possible? A level 201 Ranger had effortlessly subdued a charging Titan Rhinoceros, then proceeded to clear its dungeonir. And now, instead of returning to the Sanctuary, he was in the infirmary, putting those useless priests to shame. But that wasn¡¯t all. Even more astonishing was that he was using healing magic to treat critically injured patients. ¡®I¡¯ll go and wipe out the monsters myself.¡¯ At first, they¡¯d dismissed his words as absurd. Could it be that he was telling the truth all along? ¡°He¡¯ll probably return to the Sanctuary once he¡¯s finished with the treatments.¡± ¡°¡­But how can he use divine power?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the question. ording to Cedric, the arrows this outsider shot were clearly filled with mana.¡± The coexistence of mana and divine power was unheard of. The two forces were fundamentally ipatible. Yet this outsider wielded both. ¡°It seems I¡¯ll have to go and see for myself.¡± Roscantor hastened towards the infirmary. ¡°Gasp¡­ Commander.¡± ¡°The Commander is here¡­ Everyone, rise!¡± The injured patients, who had been lying in bed, attempted to get up upon seeing the actingmander. Roscantor quickly raised his hand to stop them. ¡°Absolutely not! Don¡¯t even think about getting up! Your recovery is the top priority.¡± ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡± ¡°How are you feeling? ¡­You all did an amazing job. We wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold the city without you.¡± Roscantor went around the infirmary, checking on each of the wounded, offering praise andfort. The injured were in much better shape than when they were first brought in. It was a relief. ¡®There he is.¡¯ As he checked on the wounded, he spotted the outsider in the distance. Just as he¡¯d heard, the man was personally treating the injured. *** ¡°Hey there!¡± Jeong-Hoon turned his head at the familiar voiceing from behind him. Roscantor was rushing towards him. ¡°Oh? What brings you here?¡± Jeong-Hoon feigned surprise at Roscantor¡¯s visit. ¡°¡­I have a few questions. Is it true that you wiped out the Titan Rhinoceros?¡± He asked, his voice trembling. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°And that¡¯s¡­ divine power you¡¯re using, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon continued casting Advanced Healing on the injured person in front of him. The light of divine power shimmered from his hands. Roscantor was stunned. ¡°This is insane¡­¡± Exmation marks flickered above his head. [Questplete.] [High contribution! Recalcting rewards.] [You have acquired the Archer¡¯s Mark.] [NPC Roscantor acknowledges you!] [NPC Roscantor¡¯s trust in you has greatly increased.] Perfect. The Archer¡¯s Mark, typically only obtainable with over 95% contribution and acts of goodwill, was now his. But Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡®Completing all of Litton¡¯s quests will reward me with a Fragment of the Ancient Archer¡¯s Mark.¡¯ Thepleted Archer¡¯s Mark must be the result ofbining these fragments with the Archer¡¯s Mark. He was certain, havingpleted the Warrior¡¯s Mark in a simr fashion. But then, a red question mark flickered above Roscantor¡¯s head once again. ¡®Hmm? Another hidden quest?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon tilted his head and checked the quest details. [Hidden Quest: Altair von Askenstone] ¨C Restriction: Must be acknowledged by Roscantor ¨C Reward: ?? ¨C Description: Roscantor is handling affairs on behalf of the ruler of the City of Archers. This is due to an issue concerning the ruler¡¯s safety. Please resolve this issue. ¡®So that¡¯s what it was.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon realized why this quest had triggered. It was because of the Advanced Healing he¡¯d just demonstrated. Witnessing the powerful healing, so different from that of ordinary priests, a glimmer of hope sparked in his heart. ¡®Should I ept the quest?¡¯ He hesitated for a moment. The ruler of the City of Archer had fallen into a cursed slumber while preparing for war. That¡¯s why Roscantor was acting as the temporarymander, overseeing the war preparations. However, ording to the game¡¯s storyline, the war would be thwarted by the intervention of the allied Rogue City. The absence of the ruler, Altair von Askenstone, was the problem. If he epted this quest and lifted the curse on the ruler, the chances of the canceled war breaking out would increase significantly. In other words, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s actions could trigger a war. But he couldn¡¯t just give up on a hidden quest, could he? ¡®Alright. Let¡¯s catch two birds with one stone.¡¯ He wouldplete the quest while simultaneously eliminating the possibility of war. Having made up his mind, Jeong-Hoon epted the quest. As soon as he did, Roscantor spoke cautiously. ¡°Could I¡­ ask you a favor?¡± ¡°A favor?¡± ¡°It¡¯s difficult to talk about it here. Could you apany me somewhere else for a moment¡­?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Roscantor¡¯s face brightened at his ready agreement. ¡°Thank you!¡± He led Jeong-Hoon to the reception room of Altair¡¯s residence. Jeong-Hoon took a seat, and Roscantor sat opposite him. ¡°The reception room is quite tidy.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment. Would you like something to drink?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeong-Hoon wanted to get straight to the point. ¡°I see.¡± Understanding his intention, Roscantor dismissed everyone else from the room. Now, only Jeong-Hoon and Roscantor remained in the reception room. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me now? Why did you bring me here?¡± ¡°The truth is¡­¡± Roscantor slowly began his story. He started with the strained rtionship between the City of Warriors and the City of Archer, then exined how a dungeon had recently been discovered in the City of Warriors, attracting many users. That territory originally belonged to the City of Archer, and they had been preparing for war for the past six months to reim it. The problem was that their leader, Altair, who had ordered the war preparations, was suddenly struck by a curse, and that curse persisted to this day. ¡°So you want me to lift the curse?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Those damn Holy City bastards are demanding 1 million gold to lift the curse.¡± 1 million gold. They were already financially strained due to the war preparations. How could they possiblye up with 1 million gold so quickly? ¡°Hmm, well¡­ I¡¯ll have to examine it, but I should be able to lift the curse.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roscantor¡¯s face lit up. If that was true, then waking up the leader might not be impossible. ¡°Then can you go right now?!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Roscantor guided Jeong-Hoon to Altair¡¯s bedroom. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Altair von Askenstone -Level: 200 (Level lowered due to curse) -upation: Head of the City of Archer === Having been bedridden for a long time, he was emaciated, nothing but skin and bones. His face was also stained ck. ¡®He¡¯s definitely cursed.¡¯ [What kind of curse is it?] Mukho showed interest. ¡®I¡¯ve seen this kind of curse before. The symptoms are the same as when he was affected by the Sleeping Rose.¡¯ Anima gave the answer. Sleeping Rose. It resembled a rose but was characterized by its overall ck color. Consuming arge amount would induce a curse that prevented one from waking up, causing them to slowly wither and die, hence the name Sleeping Rose. ¡®He must have eaten a lot.¡¯ ¡®Indeed. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be in such a deep sleep.¡¯ Altair had been asleep for three months. The reason he was still alive was the potion on the bedside table. A potion he had obtained from the Holy City a while ago remained, and they had been keeping him alive by dripping a small amount into his mouth at regr intervals. Jeong-Hoon reached out towards Altair. [Using Detoxification.] As the Unique-grade Detoxification activated, dark red blood flowed from Altair¡¯s nose. ¡°Cough¡­! Cough!¡± Soon, he began coughing up dark red blood. ¡°Leader¡­¡± Roscantor¡¯s eyes trembled as he watched. ¡°It¡¯s part of the recovery process, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± Jeong-Hoon reassured Roscantor, who was watching from behind. ¡°That¡¯s recovery?¡± Altair continued to vomit dark red blood. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and repeatedly cast Detoxification on Altair again. ¡®It seems he didn¡¯t just consume arge amount at once, but rather ingested it in small doses over a long period.¡¯ ¡®It seems so. Just how much did he have to eat for this to happen?¡¯ If he had consumed arge amount in a short period, the curse should have dissipated after vomiting a couple of times. However, the amount of blood Altair was spewing was abnormallyrge. This meant that he had been consuming the Sleeping Rose for a very long time. [Using Advanced Healing.] Jeong-Hoon also used Advanced Healing. There was a possibility that Altair could die during the Detoxification process if left as is. After repeatedly casting Detoxification and Healing, the curse that had taken root in Altair¡¯s body finally dispersedpletely. ¡°Ugh¡­ Where am I¡­?¡± Altair slowly looked around, his face dazed and confused. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer yet.¡± Jeong-Hoon told Roscantor not to approach and then gently held Altair¡¯s chin, making eye contact. [Using Brainwashing.] [Brainwashing level has increased.] The level of Brainwashing increased upon activation. ¡®I need to max it out and upgrade it to Unique quickly.¡¯ Like ckfield, skills acquired through serendipity required reaching their maximum level to be upgraded to Unique. Currently, Brainwashing was at level 6. Therefore, its grade was still Epic. However, Altair was not in his right mind at the moment. Regardless of the skill¡¯s grade, he was in the perfect state to be brainwashed. Altair stared nkly at Jeong-Hoon, his pupils dted. The brainwashing wasplete. ¡°Never start a war. Withdraw all war preparations and start seeking a peaceful resolution.¡± Jeong-Hoon whispered into Altair¡¯s ear, softly enough that Roscantor couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°Yes¡­¡± Altair nodded. Only then did Jeong-Hoon release him and continue with the healing. ¡°Le-leader? Do you recognize me¡­?¡± At Roscantor¡¯s words, Altair¡¯s head turned towards him. ¡°Yes¡­¡± As Altair nodded weakly, Roscantor¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you so much¡­¡± The leader, whom he thought would never open his eyes again, had awakened. It was all thanks to Jeong-Hoon. He sobbed, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Jeong-Hoon. *** As time passed, Altair gradually regained his senses. ¡°¡­How long was I asleep?¡± ¡°Three months, sir.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Altair tried to hide his confusion. Ever since he became the leader, it had been difficult to fight off sleep. At first, he dismissed it as overwork, but as the days went by, his sleep grew longer and longer, and there were times when he slept for two days straight. And on that day, an unusually strong drowsiness hade over him. His eyes kept closing, and he couldn¡¯t keep them open. Eventually, he stopped working and went to bed earlier than usual. That was hisst memory. ¡®But to think I was asleep for three months¡­¡¯ ording to Roscantor, it was because of a curse, but when did he get cursed? No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± The outsider next to Roscantor asked. He heard that it was thanks to this outsider that he was freed from the curse. Altair nodded. ¡°I feel much better than before.¡± ¡°You were bedridden for three months. The curse is gone, so you should recover quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m truly grateful. But can you tell me what kind of curse I was under?¡± ¡°You were afflicted by the Sleeping Rose.¡± ¡°Sleeping Rose¡­?¡± He had never heard of it before. ¡°Yes. And it seems the culprit is within this very city.¡± ¡°Someone here cursed me¡­?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 172 Chapter 172 Altair couldn¡¯t believe it. He was cursed, and the culprit wasn¡¯t an enemy but an ally? ¡°Yes. And it seems you¡¯ve been ingesting it for a long time.¡± That exined the recurring drowsiness. The umted effects of the Sleeping Rose had finally taken their toll. It was only because he was Altair that he managed to survive by relying on potions after copsing. Anyone else would have long exceeded the lethal dose and lost their life. ¡°But why do you call it a curse instead of poison?¡± Altair couldn¡¯t understand. Usually, something that caused harm through ingestion was called poison. The concept of a curse caused by ingestion was unfamiliar to him. Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Yes. To be precise, this Sleeping Rose is a cursed herb. It¡¯s impossible to detoxify.¡± Consuming the Sleeping Rose triggered an invisible debuff, and the potency of the debuff increased with the amount consumed. Therefore, detoxification couldn¡¯t remove the debuff caused by the Sleeping Rose. Only Detoxification could eliminate the debuff that had taken root in the body due to the Sleeping Rose. However, Altair had to vomit dead blood as a side effect of the process. ¡°¡­Hah, who could have done this to me?¡± Altair frowned. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to find out.¡± ¡°Find out? Do you think we can?¡± The culprit had been secretly administering the poison to him for a long time. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to catch them. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s in charge of cooking here?¡± ¡°Cooking¡­? Altair¡¯s eyes narrowed. Roscantor answered for him. ¡°It¡¯s H.¡± ¡°H?¡± ¡°Yes. She came to the City of Archer ten years ago and started working in the kitchen.¡± H. He heard that she wasn¡¯t originally from the City of Archer but from a small vige called Ardion. However, the vige was destroyed by a monster attack, and she was the only survivor. She was quite skilled in archery and had worked as a mercenary, traveling all over the country. Then, she caught Altair¡¯s eye and settled in the City of Archer. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this so you don¡¯t misunderstand, but H could never be the culprit.¡± Altair trusted H deeply. She was a loyal subordinate who wouldy down her life for him. The idea of her trying to assassinate him with the Sleeping Rose? It was preposterous. ¡°I¡¯m not saying she¡¯s definitely the culprit.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. The culprit was trying hard not to get caught. The fact that the Sleeping Rose was ingested meant that someone had tampered with Altair¡¯s food. The culprit likely set it up to cast suspicion on H, who was in charge of cooking. ¡°So?¡± ¡°First, we¡¯ll leak the information that the leader has awakened.¡± ¡°Hmm? Not announce it publicly?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what method you¡¯re nning, but I¡¯ll follow it unconditionally.¡± This was Jeong-Hoon, the one who had cured him. So he intended to trust himpletely in catching the culprit as well. Roscantor hurriedly interjected. ¡°Leader! Then what should we do about the war preparations?¡± ¡°War preparations?¡± ¡°Yes! You gave the order before you fell asleep, and I¡¯ve been continuing the preparations as the actingmander.¡± ¡°¡­Cancel the war preparations.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Roscantor¡¯s eyes widened in shock. The preparations were already past the halfway point. And now he was saying to let it all go to waste. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble. But I think starting a war will do more harm than good.¡± It was true that before he copsed, he wanted to finish things with the City of Warriors. But after waking up from a three-month slumber, he realized how absurd that order was. Even with full preparations and current strength, countless casualties were inevitable. Not only that. He hated to admit it, but if they shed now, they would surely lose. In the end, it would be him, themander, who would be sending them to their deaths. ¡®I almost became an ipetentmander.¡¯ He regretted giving such an order six months ago, driven by anger. It was time to rectify that. ¡°¡­Understood. I¡¯ll stop the preparations immediately.¡± Roscantor readilyplied. The leader had awakened and ordered the cancetion of the war. As the ruler, his orders were absolute, and it was only natural to follow them. ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± ¡°Of course¡­ It¡¯s only natural for a subordinate to follow his lord¡¯s will.¡± Roscantor knelt on one knee and bowed his head. ¡°Then can I just stay in bed?¡± Altair asked Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What about the bathroom? Do I have to relieve myself here?¡± Until now, Roscantor had been personally taking care of Altair¡¯s bathroom needs. ¡°Yes. The leader has awakened, but his condition is still very poor, and he¡¯s unable to move, ording to the set-up.¡± ¡°I have my pride, you know¡­¡± ¡°If you insist¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon brought an empty container from nearby. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± ¡°Use this to relieve yourself.¡± ¡°¡­¡± *** In the kitchen of the Archer¡¯s Sanctuary Fifteen cooks, including H, were busy preparing meals. With so many people to feed, they had to work quickly to keep up with the demand. Just then, Roscantor entered the kitchen. ¡°H.¡± At his call, H, who was leading the other cooks, hurried to greet him. ¡°Yes. What brings you here?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing major. I just wanted to see if you could spare a moment.¡± ¡°Spare a moment?¡± H tilted her head in confusion. There was no reason for him to have a private conversation with her. She had been deeply saddened by the current leader, Altair¡¯s, copse and had practically been living in the kitchen ever since. Roscantor had only observed her from afar. Perhaps that¡¯s why his summons felt a bit awkward. ¡°Yes, just for a short while.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± H handed over her duties to Ter, who was under her, and followed Roscantor out of the kitchen. But Roscantor was heading towards the reception room. What on earth did he want to talk about that he had to bring her all the way here? ¡°There¡¯s a guest who wants to meet you.¡± ¡°A guest? Who is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see when you get there.¡± Roscantor opened the door, and inside, a stranger was sitting. ¡°¡­Who is this stranger?¡± He was incredibly unattractive. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve brought you here, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave.¡± But Roscantor left the room without any exnation. ¡°Wait¡­!¡± H hurriedly tried to grab his wrist, but he was a step ahead. The door closed quickly and was tightly shut. Now, only the stranger and H were left in the reception room. ¡°I have something to discuss with you, so please take a seat.¡± The stranger gestured for her to sit in front of him. H looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°Can I just ignore you and leave if you¡¯re spouting nonsense?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re quite confident.¡± H reluctantly sat across from the stranger. As if unnecessary pleasantries were pointless, he went straight to the main topic. *** After the conversation ended, H¡¯s pupils were trembling uncontrobly. ¡°You¡¯re lying¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all true. Why else would the actingmander bring you to the reception room, and why would I be sitting here?¡± ¡°No¡­ That¡¯s absurd, no matter how you look at it!¡± ¡°Is it absurd for someone to fall asleep and not wake up for three months?¡± ¡°¡­¡± H, overwhelmed with guilt, started pulling at her hair. If what Jeong-Hoon said was true, it meant that the food prepared in the kitchen was the cause. Altair, as the leader, had his meals prepared separately using only high-quality ingredients, unlike the ordinary archers. ¡®There¡¯s no need to prepare my meals separately. Just give me the same food as everyone else.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s not possible. How could the leader eat the same food as the ordinary archers?¡¯ She had strongly opposed Altair¡¯s suggestion. If they had followed his wishes, he wouldn¡¯t have been cursed. ¡°Are you alright?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all my fault! It¡¯s because of my unnecessary actions¡­!¡± ¡°You can still rectify it.¡± ¡°The leader can¡¯t even get up because of the curse! How can I rectify it?¡± ¡°You can catch the culprit.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± She shouted in frustration. Jeong-Hoon sighed softly and took out a note from his pocket, handing it to her. ¡®Give this to her.¡¯ It was a note that Altair had personally written and given to him. He said that if she read this note, she would indirectly realize that he was alive. ¡°Do you believe me now?¡± ¡°¡­Is this real?¡± H¡¯s pupils trembled. ¡°I¡¯ll exin the details once everything is over. First, we need to catch the culprit.¡± Catch the culprit. Her eyes turned cold. ¡°What do I need to do?¡± *** Ter was in charge of the kitchen. In reality, it was more like overseeing thanmanding. The skilled cooks were perfectly handling their respective parts, so he was merely observing. ¡°Ter!¡± H returned to the kitchen. ¡°You¡¯re back already?¡± Ter, who was overseeing the work, greeted her. ¡°Yes! I have good news.¡± ¡°Good news?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised. The leader has awakened.¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± Ter¡¯s face lit up. The leader, who had been asleep for three months, had finally awakened! ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s such a relief¡­¡± The other cooks also rejoiced upon hearing H¡¯s words. Some even had tears in their eyes. ¡°So today, we¡¯ll prepare a special meal separately. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes! What should we prepare?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make it a liquid diet. The leader¡¯s condition is quite serious after being bedridden for three months¡­¡± H¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. No one in the kitchen was unaware of her loyalty to Altair. The tears meant that the leader¡¯s condition was worse than imagined. ¡°Chef¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll prepare it right away!¡± The cooks were fired up. ¡°Remember those mushrooms we got recently? We¡¯ll use them to make a soup, and warm up some premium milk.¡± As her instructions were given, the cooks moved swiftly. ¡®This should be enough, right?¡¯ The outsider had instructed her to prepare Altair¡¯s meal. He would surely be anxious after hearing the news of Altair¡¯s awakening. ¡®Just wait until I find out who you are. I¡¯ll make sure you pay.¡¯ She gritted her teeth inwardly and observed each of the cooks. *** ¡®What in the world is going on?¡¯ Hudin struggled to hide his confused expression. The n had gone terribly wrong. He wasn¡¯t originally from the City of Archer but from the Rogue City. There was only one reason he hade to the City of Archer. ¡®Only a few know about this Sleeping Rose. Use it to assassinate Altair.¡¯ To assassinate Altair. He had entered the kitchen and worked diligently for six months, gaining their trust. Then, he started adding small amounts of Sleeping Rose to Altair¡¯s meals. He had been doing this for two years and three months. ¡®The leader hasn¡¯t woken up¡­ Stop preparing his meals for the time being.¡¯ Finally, the effects of the Sleeping Rose began to show. He hadn¡¯t woken up for a long time, so it was only a matter of time before Altair died. But the guy was still breathing even after three months. He thought he was a tough one, but he never expected him to wake up. At first, he was flustered, but it was actually a good thing. ¡®Now I can finally leave this dreadful kitchen.¡¯ He had tried to add the Sleeping Rose to the life-sustaining potion, but Roscantor¡¯s strict management made it difficult to find an opportunity. In the end, Hudin had to keep working in the kitchen until Altair breathed hisst. Hudin fidgeted with the small vial he kept in his pocket. He always carried the Sleeping Rose with him, just in case. If he added this to the liquid food, Altair would truly die. Chapter 173 Chapter 173 Jeong-Hoon was with Altair. ¡°Hmm, I wonder who it could be.¡± Altair, lying in bed, was preupied with finding the culprit. ¡°They¡¯ll be caught soon. Why keep guessing?¡± ¡°Of course. Just because we leaked the news that I¡¯ve awakened doesn¡¯t mean the culprit will be caught, right?¡± ¡°No, they¡¯ll make a move.¡± Altair¡¯s awakening was a significant disruption to their ns. They would definitely act again. [Hmm, it would be funny if they didn¡¯t show up after all this.] ¡®They might not. Nothing in this world is 100% certain.¡¯ [Then you wouldn¡¯t me me for not catching the culprit, would you, Master?] ¡®I lifted the curse, didn¡¯t I? They have no right toin, no matter what I do from here on. If they do, I¡¯ll just kill them.¡¯ [I agree. These guys should lick your toes if you tell them to, Master. Don¡¯t you think?] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head throbbed at their crazy conversation. ¡°Hmm? Is something wrong? You don¡¯t look so good.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Just then, the door creaked open, and Roscantor entered. ¡°Leader, your meal is ready.¡± ¡°I see. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had a proper meal.¡± ¡°¡­Do you really have to eat? We just got a lead on the culprit.¡± Roscantor looked at Altair with a worried expression. Eating food that might be poisoned with Sleeping Rose so soon after waking up¡­ The image of Altair vomiting blood was still vividly imprinted in Roscantor¡¯s mind. ¡°Yes, you don¡¯t have to eat it.¡± Jeong-Hoon agreed with Roscantor. ¡°I don¡¯t have to eat it?¡± Altair tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll taste the food and determine if it contains Sleeping Rose.¡± Jeong-Hoon would eat the food himself. Altair¡¯s body was weakened, and even though the curse was lifted, his level remained the same. He couldn¡¯t let him consume the Sleeping Rose again in this state. ¡°You will¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. So, Roscantor, could I have a word with you in private?¡± ¡°Ah, alright.¡± Jeong-Hoon gave Roscantor instructions. Roscantor¡¯s eyes widened at his words. Altair tried to eavesdrop, but their voices were too low for him to hear clearly. ¡°Can you do it?¡± Roscantor nodded. ¡°Trust me. Let¡¯s catch the one who tried to harm the leader.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Roscantor left, and soon the food arrived. A simple liquid meal consisting of mushroom soup and warm milk. ¡°Gulp¡­ The soup looks delicious.¡± Altair couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the food. After being bedridden for three months, he felt like his stomach was touching his back. However, Jeong-Hoon moved the food away from Altair and took a sip of the warm milk first. [Divine power reacts, revealing hidden debuffs!] [Debuff: Drowsiness inflicted.] [Debuff: Sleep inflicted.] [Debuff: Confusion inflicted.] [Debuff: Shackles of Dreams inflicted.] Four debuffs were instantly applied. ¡®They really went all out.¡¯ The colorless, odorless Sleeping Rose. Just a sip of milk triggered these debuffs. If it weren¡¯t for his divine power, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to detect them. The weakness of the Sleeping Rose was divine power. More precisely, the person who consumed it needed to possess arge amount of divine power. ¡®Meaning their divine power stat needs to be over 300.¡¯ Only then could divine power react and detect the debuffs. Of course, Detoxification had to be performed separately. [Using Detoxification.] As the Unique-grade Detoxification activated, the four debuffs vanished instantly. ¡°So, how is it?¡± If there was no Sleeping Rose, Altair was ready to devour the soup and milk immediately. But Jeong-Hoon shattered his hopes. ¡°It contained Sleeping Rose. I was just hit with four debuffs.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Is that true?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring the culprit back.¡± ¡°¡­Do you need me to go with you?¡± ¡°No.¡± *** Hudin held his breath, waiting for the oue. ¡°Hudin, let¡¯s go eat too.¡± After serving the archers in the Sanctuary, it was time for the kitchen staff to have their meal. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll eatter.¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have an appetite.¡± ¡°Really? Alright then.¡± The cook¡¯s attention quickly shifted to the food. Preparing meals for arge number of people consumed a lot of energy, and since they ateter than others, they were always famished. Usually, Hudin would have started eating immediately, but today was the decisive day. The day Altair would breathe hisst. He kept a close eye on the situation, wondering if they had set a trap. However, no one suspected anything about Altair¡¯s safety. They were simply happy that he had woken up. ¡®Blind Assassin.¡¯ A ss specialized in concealing their presence and moving stealthily, capable of changing their identity and deceiving otherspletely. Hudin used his skills to mask his presence and then poured all the remaining Sleeping Rose into the milk. ¡®Kekeke, you foolish archers.¡¯ Even in the Rogue City, only a select few knew about the cursed Sleeping Rose. Even Hudin, a seasoned assassin, didn¡¯t know about the Sleeping Rose until he received orders from the Rogue City¡¯s leader, Markus von Banastar. Of course, even now, he didn¡¯t know where it came from or its exact effects. ¡®Leader, it¡¯s time to move on to the next phase of the n.¡¯ The reason the Rogue City formed an alliance with the City of Archer. It was to backstab and bring down the City of Archer. He was overjoyed when the Warrior¡¯s City formed an alliance with the Mage City. Thanks to that, forming an alliance became much easier. If Altair died like this, the actingmander, Roscantor, would surely start a war with the Warrior¡¯s City, upholding Altair¡¯s will. During the war, the allied Rogue City would turn on the City of Archer, and their n would beplete. But something was strange. ¡®It¡¯s about time for a reaction to show¡­¡¯ There was still no response, even though it was time for the cries of agony to be heard. As seeds of doubt began to sprout in Hudin¡¯s mind. ¡°H! H!¡± Roscantor rushed into the kitchen, his face pale. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± H approached him. His loud voice drew the attention of all the cooks in the kitchen. ¡°The leader¡­ The leader¡­¡± Roscantor couldn¡¯t continue. He finally shed tears and lowered his head. Realizing the gravity of the situation, H¡¯s face hardened. ¡°What about the leader?! What happened?!¡± ¡°¡­He¡¯s passed away.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± The ruler of the City of Archer. The news of Altair von Askenstone¡¯s death. tter. The cooks, who were eating, dropped their utensils on the floor. The entire kitchen was in shock. ¡°Cough! Cough!¡± ¡°He passed away¡­?¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Crazy¡­¡± Roscantor covered his face with his hands. ¡°¡­He suddenly lost consciousness after drinking the milk. And then he stopped breathing.¡± ¡°Sob! Leader¡­¡± H¡¯s legs gave out, and she copsed, sobbing. Her cries triggered tears from the other cooks as well. And Hudin, watching from afar, also wiped away tears. ¡®That stubborn old man is finally gone.¡¯ These weren¡¯t tears of sadness but of joy. He was finally free from these archers. Hudin quietly left the kitchen. Now, all he had to do was return to the Rogue City and report, and his mission would beplete. ¡°Where are you going?¡± But there, standing in front of the kitchen, was a stranger. It was the same incredibly unattractive stranger. ¡°What a funny outsider. Is that something to say to someone who¡¯s grieving?¡± ¡°Why are you grieving? Shouldn¡¯t you be happy that the leader has been assassinated?¡± ¡°¡­What nonsense are you talking about?¡± Hudin tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Your poker face is useless. I know you tried to kill the leader with the Sleeping Rose.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Hudin continued to stare at the stranger with a clueless expression. But inwardly, he was panicking. ¡®How did he know about the Sleeping Rose? Wait a minute¡­¡¯ He even knew that he had tried to kill the leader. Hudin heightened his senses to detect his surroundings. Sharp senses were essential for an assassin. ¡®Damn it¡­¡¯ The sounds of mourning that had been present until he left the kitchen hadpletely vanished. Hudin finally realized he had fallen into a trap. ¡°Oh, you figured it out?¡± The stranger smirked, briefly impressed. ¡°Kekeke. You¡¯re the main culprit who ruined everything.¡± Hudin tried to bite down on the poison pill he had hidden in his mouth. He was prepared tomit suicide at any moment in case of failure. If it was revealed here that he came from the Rogue City, his leader¡¯s grand n would be ruined. But the moment he saw the stranger in front of him, his mind went nk. All the strength drained from his body, and his vision darkened. *** [Using Brainwashing.] Jeong-Hoon had been waiting for Hudin toe out of the kitchen. ¡®I would have been in big trouble if I was anyter.¡¯ He had only provoked him slightly, but the guy quickly caught on and tried tomit suicide. Fortunately, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Brainwashing activated, foiling his attempt. Jeong-Hoon approached him. ¡°You will nevermit suicide. And from now on, you will answer all my questions without leaving anything out. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hudin nodded. ¡°Good. Then where did youe from?¡± ¡°The Rogue City. I am the ¡®Shadow¡¯ of the leader, Markus von Banestar.¡± ¡°Shadow?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ It¡¯s a group that operates in the shadows. The Shadows are those who have dedicated their lives to the leader and will carry out any order.¡± A sly grin spread across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. Unlike other cities, the Rogue City had a dark side. And Markus von Banestar, who ascended to the leadership four years ago, was far more vicious than his predecessors. His attempt to bring down the City of Archer was proof of that. ¡®Why should I trust you and ept your alliance?¡¯ Altair had initially rejected the Rogue City¡¯s offer of alliance. ¡®It¡¯s the will of the previous leader. He told us to keep the Warrior¡¯s City in check so they wouldn¡¯t cause trouble.¡¯ ¡®¡­I see.¡¯ But he had used the deceased former leader¡¯s name to secure the alliance. After all, the former leader had despised the Warrior¡¯s City to an extreme degree. ¡°But why target the City of Archer?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of Irina von Askenstone.¡± ¡°Irina von Askenstone?¡± ¡°Yes. The granddaughter of the City of Archer¡¯s leader.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying you tried to assassinate the leader of the City of Archer because of a woman?¡± ¡°Yes. Then, when the City of Archer started a war, the n was to strike back and bring them down.¡± How absurd. He knew the guy was despicable, but he never imagined his motive would be a woman. [What a piece of trash. Can¡¯t Master just take care of that Markus or whatever his name is?] ¡®That would be good. If necessary, we can gather the people here and storm in.¡¯ Mukho and Anima were also enraged. ¡°It seems I don¡¯t even need to get involved.¡± As soon as Jeong-Hoon finished speaking, the kitchen door burst open. Roscantor and H stood there, ring at Hudin with murderous intent. ¡°You son of a bitch! What did you say?!¡± ¡°You bastard! Repeat after me, ¡®I¡¯m dead today¡¯!¡± They looked ready to pounce on Hudin at any moment. Jeong-Hoon raised his hand to stop them. ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± ¡°But why? We¡¯ve caught the culprit, so let¡¯s just take him away!¡± ¡°Is there only one culprit?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Do you think the City of Archer was breached by just this one guy? No matter how good he is at concealing his presence, how could he have tampered with the food for over two years without getting caught?¡± ¡°Surely not¡­¡± That wasn¡¯t all. There was a war n involved. This meant that the aplice was someone in a position to influence Altair. Jeong-Hoon looked at Hudin again. ¡°You have an aplice here, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Hudin nodded. ¡°Then who is it?¡± At Jeong-Hoon¡¯s question, Hudin slowly opened his mouth. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 174 Chapter 174 ¡°It¡¯s Ulox.¡± Ulox. He was a high-ranking official in the City of Archer, holding a position of significant influence, just like Roscantor. Yet, his name came from Hudin¡¯s mouth. Roscantor and H were speechless, overwhelmed by shock. ¡°Really? Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. Ulox has been spying for our Rogue City for the past six years.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Roscantor shouted in disbelief. Jeong-Hoon raised his hand to silence him and continued. ¡°Exin it in detail.¡± Ulox was a respected archer in the City of Archer. Six years ago, he had left for another city to attend a conference. And there, he came into contact with Markus, an official from the Rogue City. ¡®You should take the next leader¡¯s position, shouldn¡¯t you?¡¯ ¡®What¡­ How could I be the leader?¡¯ ¡®Wouldn¡¯t things be different if the Rogue City helped you?¡¯ ¡®¡­Help me?¡¯ ¡®Yes. I will soon be the leader. You understand what I mean, right?¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ From then on, Ulox began contacting the people of the Rogue City at regr intervals, faithfully fulfilling his role as a spy. He helped Hudin settle in the City of Archer, and when Hudin couldn¡¯t administer the Sleeping Rose, Ulox did it himself. ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± Roscantor couldn¡¯t believe his ears. Ulox, who had sworn loyalty to Altair. To think he was trying to assassinate the leader¡­ ¡®And it was him who instigated the attack on the City of Warriors¡­¡¯ Altair had given the order to prepare for war when he was deeply entangled in the curse. Taking advantage of his impaired judgment, Ulox repeatedly argued that they should reim the territory taken by the City of Warriors through war. It now made sense why the Rogue City had proposed an alliance at such a perfect timing. ¡°Continue.¡± Hudin went on to list the things he had received help with from Ulox. As the story progressed, Roscantor and H¡¯s faces grew grim. ¡°Hah, to think I considered that traitor arade¡­ I have no face to see the leader¡­¡± ¡°That traitor¡­ I won¡¯t let him get away with this.¡± Hudin¡¯s story came to an end. To summarize, Ulox was Hudin¡¯s aplice, and it was thanks to him that Hudin was able to push Altair to the brink. ¡°Now, shall we go apprehend the culprit?¡± Ulox was probably at the Sanctuary right now. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll go capture that traitor Ulox.¡± Roscantor hurriedly left the kitchen. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. It¡¯s legal to kill him, right?¡± H was holding a kitchen knife in her hand. ¡°You¡¯re not nning to kill him with a cooking knife, are you?¡± ¡°Why not? He messed with the food, so let him be an ingredient.¡± She was ready to stab Hudin in the stomach right there and then. But Jeong-Hoon raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Wait a moment.¡± ¡°Why again? We caught the culprit, so let¡¯s send his head to those Rogue City bastards.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. But we need the leader¡¯s judgment first.¡± ¡°¡­Tsk, you¡¯re right.¡± At the mention of the leader, H backed down. As Altair had said, her loyalty was unwavering. *** At the Archer¡¯s Sanctuary Ulox sat with a bored expression. ¡®This is tiresome. When will that Altair bastard finally die?¡¯ It had already been six years since he started spying, believing the promise of bing the leader. During that time, he had been secretly passing information about the City of Archer to the Rogue City. There were a few close calls, but he had managed to ovee the crises with his flexibility. ¡®Just wait a little longer, and we¡¯ll make our move.¡¯ ¡®Make our move? Does that mean the n is finally starting?¡¯ ¡®Yes.¡¯ ¡®¡­I really can be the leader, right?¡¯ ¡®Of course. I have no interest in the City of Archer.¡¯ Markus had no interest in the City of Archer. His goal, since he became the leader at a young age, was Altair¡¯s granddaughter, Irina von Askenstone, whom he had seen at the conference. But Altair wasn¡¯t going down easily. Even after administering the Sleeping Rose for over two years, he was still alive. Still, after seeing him fall into a three-month slumber, Altair must be reaching his limit. ¡°Ulox!¡± Just then, Roscantor rushed into the Sanctuary. ¡°What is it? Why are you in such a hurry?¡± ¡°I need you toe with me somewhere!¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°¡­Could you lend me your ear for a moment?¡± Ulox readily offered his ear. Roscantor whispered something, and Ulox¡¯s eyes trembled wildly upon hearing it. His heart pounded with extreme tension. How did that dying old man manage to wake up? ¡°Is that true¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. The leader woke up a while ago. I¡¯m telling you this quietly because I wanted to bring you alone first.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go immediately. Is he in his bedroom?¡± ¡°Yes. But he¡¯s not in good condition, so I¡¯d like us to go quietly.¡± Ulox nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Roscantor left the Sanctuary with Ulox. ¡°By the way, did you hear about it?¡± Once they were alone, Roscantor suddenly stopped and looked at Ulox intently. ¡°Hear about what?¡± Ulox tilted his head in confusion. ¡°The leader¡¯s prolonged sleep was due to a cursed herb called the Sleeping Rose.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so? I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± ¡°I always admired your loyalty. You were the one who worried the most when the leader was unconscious.¡± ¡°Thank you for recognizing that.¡± ¡°You were so worried that you couldn¡¯t even focus on your work and handed over the actingmander position to me.¡± Actingmander. Despite his ambition for the leadership, he had handed it over to Roscantor. The reason was to shift all responsibility for the war onto Roscantor. Strictly speaking, Roscantor was the second most influential person in the city after the leader. So, if he could remove Roscantor and then personally make a pact with the Rogue City, he could ascend to the leadership, and the n would be aplete sess. But Altair had woken up¡­ Ulox maintained his poker face and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°And you even said you would personally manage the potions because themander¡¯s duties were too demanding, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. But in the end, you ended up managing them.¡± Ulox had nned to tamper with the potions that were keeping Altair alive. However, the actingmander, Roscantor, drew a line, insisting on managing them himself, and the n fell apart. ¡°But I never imagined that your loyalty was a lie.¡± Tears welled up in Roscantor¡¯s eyes. His voice trembled slightly, and he looked at Ulox with resentment. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Why did you do it? Did you covet the leader¡¯s position that much?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about. Speak clearly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking why you betrayed us!¡± Roscantor stepped forward and swung his arm. ¡°What?!¡± Ulox desperately leaned back to avoid the blow. Then, he felt a burning pain in his chest. Roscantor was holding a dagger in his hand. ¡°Will you die here, or will you be quietly restrained and follow me?¡± Roscantor¡¯s aura turned menacing. ¡°Betrayal?! Stop spouting nonsense!¡± Ulox shouted, his face filled with bewilderment. ¡°Don¡¯t hide it anymore. I know you plotted to assassinate the leader.¡± Thump. Ulox felt his heart sink. ¡°¡­Was it a lie that the leader woke up?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°How in the world¡­ Keuk!¡± Ulox couldn¡¯t continue. His vision blurred. He felt dizzy and found it difficult to even stand. ¡°I poisoned the dagger. Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t kill you. You can¡¯t die yet.¡± ¡°Da-damn it¡­¡± ¡°Look forward to it. When you wake up, everything will have changed.¡± With those words, Ulox¡¯s consciousness faded into darkness. *** ¡°¡­Is everything I¡¯ve just heard true?¡± Altair pressed his throbbing temples with his fingers. Hudin and Ulox were tied up in front of him. ¡°No! Absolutely not! How could I do such a thing?!¡± Ulox denied it vehemently. ¡°Then how do you exin the testimony of the person next to you?¡± Hudin, still under the influence of brainwashing, repeated the same story in front of Altair. As the Shadow of the leader, he had seen and heard a lot. Ulox¡¯s face turned pale at his vivid testimony. ¡°Th-that¡­¡± ¡°Let me reiterate. Ulox wanted to assassinate you out of greed for the leader¡¯s position. He also shared internal information with the Rogue City.¡± At Hudin¡¯s confirmation, Ulox red at him with bloodshot eyes and shouted. ¡°You bastard! How dare you spout such nonsense!¡± ¡°I have a recorder made in the Mage City in my pocket. Please take it out.¡± Jeong-Hoon retrieved a recorder from Hudin¡¯s pocket. It contained recordings of every conversation he had with Ulox. When the recorder was yed, Ulox¡¯s voice could be heard. ¡®Hey, this isn¡¯t what you promised. Why isn¡¯t he dying?¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ ¡®Hah¡­ This is driving me crazy.¡¯ ¡®Is there any way we can give him more Sleeping Rose?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s impossible. Even if I try to tamper with the potions, that Roscantor bastard is watching them too closely.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon turned off the recorder. ¡°Is this enough evidence?¡± ¡°You traitor! I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Ulox struggled, trying to lunge at Hudin. But the ropes binding him were too tight for him to move. ¡°Traitor? Strictly speaking, you¡¯re the traitor.¡± Hudin retorted sharply. ¡°No! I¡¯m not a traitor! Leader! It¡¯s all a misunderstanding! Please give me a chance to exin!¡± Ulox vehemently denied the usations once again. ¡°No, there¡¯s no misunderstanding. You will be expelled from the City of Archer effective immediately.¡± ¡°Le-leader¡­¡± Expelled. Ulox¡¯s face turned deathly pale. ¡°Of course, being expelled doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll get to live.¡± ¡°What charges should we use?¡± ¡°Charges? Conspiracy to assassinate me, attempted murder for putting it into action, treason for betraying the City of Archer, espionage and leaking ssified information¡­ Combine all of them and execute him.¡± At the mention of execution, Ulox trembled with fear. ¡°P-please spare me¡­ I must have lost my mind!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit! You have no right to beg for your life!¡± H approached Ulox, grabbed him by the cor, and punched him in the face. ¡°H! Calm down!¡± Roscantor hurriedly stopped her. ¡°It¡¯s alright. He¡¯s a dead man anyway.¡± But Altair, with a cold tone, stopped Roscantor. He was more furious than ever before. He had been betrayed by a trusted subordinate. If it weren¡¯t for Jeong-Hoon, he might have died, the City of Archer would have declined due to the war, and his only granddaughter would have been handed over to the Rogue City. ¡°Please give me one more chance! If you give me a chance, I¡¯ll make it up to you! Please¡­¡± Ulox continued to beg for forgiveness even as he was being beaten. ¡°Roscantor.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Take this traitor out immediately. Put him on the execution tform and wait.¡± ¡°As youmand.¡± Roscantor dragged Ulox out. H was still fuming. ¡°H.¡± ¡°Yes, Leader.¡± At Altair¡¯s call, H regained herposure and knelt on one knee. ¡°Gather everyone in the Archer¡¯s Sanctuary in front of the execution tform.¡± ¡°As youmand.¡± H also left. Only Jeong-Hoon, Hudin, and Altair remained. ¡°Ah, as for that one, I¡¯ll lock him up in the underground prison and let him rot for the rest of his life. Isn¡¯t that a good judgment?¡± Altair nced at Hudin and asked Jeong-Hoon. The underground prison. He had heard it was a horrible ce, where death would be preferable. ¡°Not beheading him and sending him to the Rogue City?¡± ¡°That would be a waste. You did something to him, didn¡¯t you? He¡¯ll answer all my questions obediently. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. He¡¯s currently under a brainwashing spell that forces him to tell the truth. It willst until I release it.¡± ¡°Then wouldn¡¯t it be better to extract information from him here?¡± ¡°Information?¡± ¡°Yes. They struck first, so we need to prepare the same weapons to counter them.¡± Since internal information had been leaked, the City of Archer also needed internal information to keep the enemy in check. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a good idea.¡± ¡°I want to tear Markus apart right now, but¡­ If I do that, I might lose my precious people¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled silently. ¡°Anyway, thank you so much¡­ If it weren¡¯t for you, an unimaginable future would have unfolded.¡± A red exmation mark flickered above Altair¡¯s head. It was proof that he hadpleted the hidden quest given by Roscantor. [Hidden Quest Complete.] Hidden questplete. Altair went to a drawer in the corner and carefully opened it. Inside, there was an old key. He took it out and handed it to Jeong-Hoon. ¡°This key is¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a key that the first leader cherished. You deserve to have it. Please ept it.¡± ¡°Yes. I gratefully ept it.¡± Jeong-Hoon received the key. [You have acquired an Old, Worn Key.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 175 Chapter 175 The Old, Worn Key. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect to see this key appear in this quest.¡¯ It was a key that was supposed to appear muchter in the game. And it wasn¡¯t even a quest reward, but a drop from hunting a boss monster. This was because, at the time the key was discovered, Rease had already been destroyed by monsters. [What¡¯s so special about that key that your face is turning grim?] ¡®Do you know something about it?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± The location where the box matching the key was hidden was currently in the Rogue City. In the early days of Reas, the City of Archer had thergest territory among all the cities. However, after numerous wars, they continued to lose territory, and now their size was no different from other cities. They had also lost a part of their territory to the Rogue City, and unfortunately, the box was buried in that lost territory. But a red exmation mark was still blinking above Altair¡¯s head. [Additional rewards will be given.] [You have acquired the title ¡®[Title] Protector of the City¡¯.] The additional reward was a title. ¡®Protector of the City?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon examined the title he had received as a reward. [Protector of the City of Archer] ¨C Type: Unique Title ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Increases experience gained from hunting monsters by 20%. (Limited to Reas) ¨C Greatly increases the trust of all NPCs in the City of Archer. ¨C Allows you to make NPCs in the City of Archer your followers. (Maximum 10) ¨C Allows you to use shops in the City of Archer at a 20% discount. Although limited to the City of Archer, the 20% increase in experience gain was a pretty decent option. ¡°For your information, I don¡¯t know the purpose of that key either. I was only told to hand it over to someone who saves the city from crisis.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find out how to use it in time.¡± ¡°Is that so? Anyway, thank you for your help.¡± ¡°Yes. You¡¯re still nning to prepare for war, right?¡± ¡°¡­You noticed?¡± Altair flinched, seemingly caught off guard. Jeong-Hoon had released the brainwashing on Altair when he used it on Hudin. So he was certain that Altair would wage war. ¡°Yes. It wouldn¡¯t make sense not to.¡± The purpose of extracting information from the Rogue City wasn¡¯t simply to keep them in check. It was to win the war. They had tried to assassinate the leader of the City of Archer. The alliance was broken, and there was more than enough justification for war. They even tried to harm his only granddaughter. No one could tolerate that. He must have lied about not going to war because he didn¡¯t want to cause unnecessary worry. ¡°¡­You¡¯re too perceptive.¡± ¡°Thank you for thepliment.¡± ¡°Actually, after the execution, I was nning to inform all the cities about the atrocitiesmitted by the Rogue City.¡± ¡°And then start a war?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not trying to conquer the Rogue City. I¡¯m going to cut off Markus¡¯s damn head.¡± Repaying them in kind. That was Altair¡¯s reason for going to war. ¡°Then I¡¯ll join in and help.¡± ¡°J-join us?¡± ¡°Yes. I have some things I need to do.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mind started racing, formting his next n. ¡°Of course! Your participation would be a tremendous help!¡± Altair¡¯s face lit up. He hadn¡¯t expected Jeong-Hoon to offer his assistance. ¡°Yes.¡± *** Jeong-Hoon stepped outside the Sanctuary. ¡®Michael, what¡¯s the current situation?¡¯ ¡®I just finished the first quest!¡¯ ¡®Oh, that was fast?¡¯ Judging by his speed, he thought Michael might have earned 4 or 5 points. But he had already earned 20 points and evenpleted a quest. It seemed he was getting much faster once he got the hang of it. What a clever guy. ¡®Hehe, it¡¯s all thanks to the Coffin of Death!¡¯ Coffin of Death. It was an item Litton had promised to give Michael afterpleting all his quests. It wasn¡¯t obtainable at the moment, but it would be soon. Because that coffin was in the Holy City. ¡®Well done. Let¡¯s call it a day.¡¯ ¡®Alright!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon ended Michael¡¯s summoning. ¡®I wonder how those guys are doing?¡¯ Jang Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo. They were so focused on leveling up that they hadn¡¯t contacted him even once. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: How¡¯s it going?] Jeong-Hoon sent a whisper, and a reply came immediately. [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hey! We did it!] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: Lol, you reached 201?] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Yeah lol. I was in the middle of a job change quest, how did you send a whisper at that timing?] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: Okay, contact me as soon as you finish the job change quest. I have something good for you.] [Whisper/zl-John-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Something good?!] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-John-Ha-Jin12: Yes. You can look forward to it.] Jeong-Hoon logged out to take a short break. *** ¡°Hyah!¡± Ha-Jin swung his sword diagonally. Slice. The ck knight-like figure in front of him scattered like fog and disappeared. [You have failed.] With that message, Ha-Jin¡¯s body vanished and reappeared at the entrance. ¡°This is driving me crazy¡­¡± Ha-Jin scratched his head in frustration. He had been sacrificing sleep, tirelessly running the Bone Lord Wyvern raid, and had finally achieved the impressive feat of reaching level 201. However, the problem was his third ss advancement. To cross over to Rease, where Jeong-Hoon was, he needed toplete his third ss advancement. But the hidden ss advancement quests were notoriously difficult. Especially the final stage. Find the one with the Dark Lord¡¯s will among 1,000 knights. And he only had one chance. If he failed, he¡¯d be sent back to the beginning and have to start all over again. ¡°This is my sixth attempt¡­ Is this even possible?¡± Reaching the final stage wasn¡¯t that difficult, but thisst part was the problem. Ha-Jin progressed through the stages and once again reached the final stage. The number of knights remaining was 995. It meant one of these 995 had it. ¡°Should I just go in blindly?¡± It was a quest that ended once he found one person. So, if he kept trying, he would eventually seed. Ha-Jin swung his sword widely at the knight in front of him, decapitating him. Unlike before, a ck orb floated in the air where the knight disappeared, shimmering brilliantly. [You have found the Dark Lord¡¯s will.] ¡°Huh? Did I just beat the 1 in 995 odds?¡± Hooray! Hooray! *** Meanwhile. Jeong-Hoon was out of his capsule, drinking coffee and browsing YouTube. ¡°This is crazy¡­ The view count has surpassed 30 million?¡± The dungeon discovered in the City of Warriors. A video of him discovering and clearing a dungeon that gave a whopping 150 million experience points. -Wow hahaha just killing normal monsters gave me 150 million EXP -This is the real pro tip lol. What other pro tip is there? -Who the hell is Honey1? How does he get lucky everywhere he goes? -He¡¯s sharing that luck with us hahaha Honey1 is so damn nice The video had a whopping 410,000ments. The number of subscribers had surpassed 2.5 million, reaching 2.52 million. And the number was still increasing. ¡°I can easily reach 5 million before mization.¡± 2.5 million was already a high number, but surpassing 5 million would give him even more influence. Fwoosh- He heard the capsule in his mother¡¯s room open. It seemed she had finished ying the game. Jeong-Hoon went out to the living room, and soon his mother came out as well. ¡°Huh? Son, what are you doing up at this hour?¡± It was currently 1 PM. She was surprised to see Jeong-Hoon out of his capsule when he would usually be in the middle of ying the game. ¡°I came out for a short break.¡± ¡°Really? But Mom has good news!¡± ¡°Good news?¡± ¡°Yes. I justpleted my third ss advancement.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened. No way, that was so fast? ¡°The Tower Master said there was nothing left for me to do at my current level and gave me a bunch of experience potions.¡± Experience potions. They were extremely rare, and Jeong-Hoon had never consumed one unless it was through a serendipitous encounter. But to think she just handed them over without hesitation¡­ ¡®She must really like you¡­¡¯ He didn¡¯t even know she had experience potions. So now, all they needed was for Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo toplete their third ss advancements? ¡°Mom, thene to Reas.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Will that be possible? The Tower Master asked me to be the next Tower Master.¡± It was truly an extraordinary offer. Appointing a user who had justpleted their third ss advancement as the next Tower Master. But once the game became reality, all of that would be meaningless. Still, Jeong-Hoon kept his mouth shut. The game bing reality¡­ She wouldn¡¯t believe such an absurd statement. So when it did happen, he would protect his mother no matter what. ¡°It¡¯s okay. If you tell her you want to gain some experience, she¡¯ll dly let you go.¡± Jeong-Hoon spoke casually. ¡°Really? Then where should I go in Rease?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet in the central Peace City for now. I think a war might break out soon.¡± ¡°War¡­?¡± His mother¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s not a war between users, but between NPCs.¡± With the Rogue City crossing the line, war was inevitable. He also needed to participate in the war to use the key. ¡°What in the world happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a long story.¡± Jeong-Hoon exined what had happened in the City of Archer. After hearing the whole story, his mother nodded. ¡°¡­So it¡¯s something we have to do?¡± ¡°Yes. Please.¡± ¡°¡­Alright. If my son is asking, of course, I¡¯ll help.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± *** When Jang Ha-Jin seeded in his third ss advancement. Kim Bong-Goo was still struggling with his third ss advancement quest. ¡°I¡¯m telling you again, you can¡¯t be a Specter. Just stick to the path of the Shadow.¡± Shadow referred to the Epic grade of the third ss. And what Kim Bong-Goo wanted was the Unique grade, Specter. However, Wol, the NPC in charge of ss advancements, wouldn¡¯t allow Kim Bong-Goo to reach the Unique grade. ¡°Ah, damn it! I need to be a Specter! I even passed the test! Why won¡¯t you let me?!¡± If he couldn¡¯t advance, he would die! If he became a Shadow, a terrible future awaited him. ¡°Why are you so obsessed with bing a Specter?¡± Wol tilted his head. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes were trembling with anxiety. ¡°I¡¯ll die if I can¡¯t!¡± ¡°¡­Die?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Was he that desperate to gain power that he would die without it? Wol pondered. The reason he couldn¡¯t readily grant Kim Bong-Goo power was that, for some reason, Kim Bong-Goo had predicted all of his attacks. It was as if he had studied Wol¡¯s attack patterns beforehand. So Wol slightly changed his attack patterns, and sure enough, Kim Bong-Goo stumbled, unlike before. In other words, he wasn¡¯t showing his true skills. However, it was also true that he had passed the test Wol had presented. ¡°Then answer this question. What is your life goal?¡± He would decide whether to grant the Specter ss based on his answer. ¡°Goal? You¡¯re asking such a simple question. It¡¯s to live a very, very long life.¡± ¡°Longevity?¡± ¡°Yes. But damn it, someone keeps performing rituals to shorten my lifespan!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t be a Specter, I¡¯ll die at a young age. Do you understand?!¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face turned serious. There was no trace of falsehood in his expression. ¡°Is that really true?¡± ¡°They probably even have a coffin ready for me. The moment I be a Shadow, all that¡¯s left is to get into that coffin¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Damn it, I don¡¯t understand either.¡± Wol let out a hollowugh in disbelief. Usually, people would choose something honorable, like reaching the pinnacle of the Rogue ss or saving the world. But this guy¡¯s goal was simply to live a long life. ¡°You¡¯re a funny one. Alright, I¡¯ll give you what you want.¡± Wol gestured. [All tests have beenpleted.] [Advancing to Specter.] [Achievement Unlocked! You havepleted ¡®Limit Break!¡¯ 10,000 achievement points will be awarded.] [The maximum number of runes you can equip has increased to ¡®6¡¯.] [Relic content has been unlocked.] Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes widened as he checked the ss advancement name. ¡®Specter!¡¯ He had sessfully advanced to the Unique grade job that Jeong-Hoon had instructed him to. Tears welled up in Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes, and he burst into tears on the spot. ¡°Sob¡­ I¡¯m alive. Damn it! I¡¯m alive!¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 176 Chapter 176 The key, obtained from a hidden quest no less. In the past, when he first saw this key, he thought it was a disappointing reward. But the box that could only be opened with this key contained items that would amaze even traitors. ¡®Wow¡­ Rease had such rare rewards?¡¯ ¡®This is amazing¡­¡¯ ¡®If I had found this while ying the game, I could have boosted my specs significantly.¡¯ Even at a high level, these were incredibly good items. If he had obtained them between levels 201 and 250, they would have been tremendously helpful. Jeong-Hoon, knowing the future, was determined to acquire these items. ¡®Altair said he didn¡¯t know how to use this key, but¡­¡¯ There was an indentation on the key. When Jeong-Hoon ced his hand on it, a hologram appeared above it. [Restoring the key.] [Tracking the location of the box.] It was inevitable that Altair didn¡¯t know how to use the key. This key only revealed its true value when it fell into the hands of a user. Moreover, the key, which seemed worn out and difficult to use, was now perfectly restored. [The location of the box will be revealed if you hold the key.] As he held the key, another hologram appeared. It was a map. There was an X mark on the map, indicating the location where the box was hidden. ¡®As expected¡­¡¯ But the X marked the Rogue Sanctuary. Specifically, the leader¡¯s residence. In the end, to obtain the box, he had to enter the leader¡¯s residence. ¡®The problem is that the leader of the Rogue City hates outsiders.¡¯ In the cases of Verd and Altair, he could somehow break through, but Markus, the leader of the Rogue City, was impossible. That¡¯s why he intended to acquire the box during the war. ¡°Son!¡± Just in time, his mother arrived at the City of Peace. Since he had deactivated the Disguise Potion¡¯s buff, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face was back to normal. === [yer Information] -Nickname: Yeona -Level: 202 -ss: Genesis Sniper (3rd ss) === His mother didn¡¯t hide the fact that she had a hidden ss with a blindfold. ¡°Wow¡­ What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Did that ss even exist?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hidden ss!¡± The usersing and going in the City of Peace turned their heads towards his mother. It was rare to see a hidden ss up close while ying the game, so it was natural for them to be curious. But his mother didn¡¯t pay any attention to their gazes. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yes. So this is Rease. It¡¯s amazing.¡± His mother was engrossed in sightseeing in the City of Peace. ¡°Yes. This is a zone without dungeons or monsters.¡± Jang Ha-Jin arrived first among the two. It seemed like it had been a long time since they met after the Bone Lord Wyvern raid, so he was very happy. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yes. Hello, Auntie!¡± Ha-Jin politely greeted Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mother. ¡°Yes, Ha-Jin, it¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes! How have you been? Wow! You¡¯re a higher level than me¡­?¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s level was 201. On the other hand, his mother was 202. Not only had she caught up to him, but she had even surpassed him by one level, so it was no wonder he was surprised. ¡°That¡¯s not all. She¡¯s even been appointed as the next Tower Master.¡± Jeong-Hoon proudly shared the news, and Ha-Jin was shocked. ¡°Is that really true?!¡± ¡°I was lucky.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Auntie, that¡¯s amazing.¡± Ha-Jin gave a thumbs-up to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mother. ¡°You don¡¯t have to praise me so much.¡± His mother smiled. Meanwhile, Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s gaze was fixed on Ha-Jin¡¯s information. Her face was filled with astonishment. ¡°A hi-hidden ss¡­?¡± === [yer Information] -Nickname: zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -Level: 201 -ss: Dark Lord (3rd ss) === Ha-Jin¡¯s shoulders lifted at her reaction. Jeong-Hoon had instructed Ha-Jin to turn off his blindfold system if he was using it beforeing here. It was to show Yeo Min-Ji the title of his hidden ss. ¡°What happened to your guild?¡± ¡°Of course, I left. I¡¯m guildless now.¡± Shortly afterpleting his 3rd ss advancement, Jeong-Hoon had contacted him. It was an offer to join the Ho-Yeong guild. Naturally, Ha-Jin epted without hesitation. It had been his dream to join a renowned guild while ying New World. There was no reason to refuse when he could fulfill that dream. ¡°So, what do you say?¡± Jeong-Hoon looked at Yeo Min-Ji. ¡°¡­Please join Ho-Yeong. I promise you¡¯ll be treated well.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯d be d to.¡± Ha-Jin readily agreed. Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s face brightened. She had thought he was a decent yer, maybe around Epic grade, but he turned out to have a hidden ss. ¡®This is totally awesome!¡¯ *** Meanwhile Kim Bong-Goo was standing in front of the portal, ready to head to Rease. ¡°Wow¡­ Specter at 3rd ss?¡± ¡°Specter is a Unique grade, right?¡± The users waiting nearby were briefly impressed as they looked at Kim Bong-Goo with his Unique grade ss. ¡®Hehe, you guys. Never seen a Specter before?¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. Being able to advance to a Unique grade ss at the 3rd ss advancement was definitely something to be admired. ¡°Excuse me, are you in a guild?¡± Some even tried to recruit him into their guilds. ¡°Are you a famous guild?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Ah, not a famous one, but a mid-sized guild called Space.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re not even a famous guild, and you¡¯re trying to recruit me? I¡¯m a Specter, you know?¡± ¡°¡­You seem to be mistaken. Famous guilds don¡¯t recruit like this.¡± The man spoke in a disbelieving tone. Kim Bong-Goo smirked. ¡°Huh, really? That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± If that guy knew what kind of offer he had received, he would surely faint from surprise. ¡®You finished your 3rd ss advancement? Then it¡¯s time to join a guild.¡¯ ¡®A guild? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡¯ ¡®Yes, Ho-Yeong. You should be able to join now that you¡¯re a Specter.¡¯ ¡®Brother! I love you!¡¯ He had been grinning from ear to ear all day yesterday after hearing that he could join Ho-Yeong. ¡®Mom, he¡¯s finally lost it.¡¯ Usually, he would have wanted to poke those eyes that were staring at him creepily, but today, even his sister¡¯s gaze seemed lovely. ¡®Sister, I can forgive you for anything today.¡¯ He approached his sister with a benevolent smile. ¡®Kyaaa!¡¯ But that damn girl screamed and ran to hide in another room. His parents exchanged serious nces at his behavior and then cautiously approached him and sat down in front of him. ¡®What on earth did you do¡­ If you tell us honestly, we¡¯ll forgive you.¡¯ ¡®Did you do something bad¡­? You didn¡¯t get sued for assault or anything, did you?¡¯ ¡®¡­Is it serious enough to require a settlement?¡¯ His parents treated him like a criminal, but even that made him think they were worried because they loved him. ¡®Dad, Mom. I love you!¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo hugged his parents. Along with the words ¡°I love you.¡± His parents¡¯ eyes trembled uncontrobly. Their son had definitely gone crazy. When they confirmed that their son hadn¡¯t caused any trouble, they were somewhat relieved, but at the same time, a new worry arose. His sudden 180-degree change in behavior could indicate a mental health issue. ¡®Bong-Goo, if you¡¯re going through something tough, don¡¯t hesitate to tell us.¡¯ ¡®We¡¯re always on your side.¡¯ His father took out two 50,000 won bills from his wallet and ced them in Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s hand. ¡®Why are you giving me this?¡¯ ¡®So you can buy something delicious.¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo felt like he was on cloud nine. He had be a Specter and even got some extra cash. [Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: If you¡¯re not here in 10 minutes, you¡¯re dead.] Just then, a chilling whisper arrived. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s cheerful expression instantly froze. ¡®What the hell¡­? How can I get there in 10 minutes?¡¯ He looked at the people in front of him. There were currently three people in the queue. If he hurried to Rease, he might be able to make it within 10 minutes¡­ Kim Bong-Goo trembled with anxiety. ¡®Damn it, why are they so slow? Hurry up and move!¡¯ He inwardly cursed at the NPC in front of him, and soon it was his turn. Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly boarded the portal. ¡°Rease, quickly!¡± ¡°Stop rushing me.¡± ¡°Shut up and send me already!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, watch yournguage.¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s body was sucked into the portal. *** With Ha-Jin¡¯s recruitment finalized, only Kim Bong-Goo remained. But Kim Bong-Goo still hadn¡¯t shown up. ¡°Is one person running a bitte?¡± ¡°Yes, please wait a little longer.¡± Kim Bong-Goo would arrive soon. [Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: I¡¯ve arrived in Rease! I¡¯ll be there right away!] Because Kim Bong-Goo had arrived in Rease. Not long after, Kim Bong-Goo arrived, and everyone was gathered. ¡°Vroom vroom! The perfectly upgraded Bong-Go truck has arrived! I¡¯m ready to take my beloved brother anywhere!¡± Yeo Min-Ji stepped back slightly, seemingly a bit overwhelmed by his boisterous entrance. His mother also had a look that said, ¡°What¡¯s with this guy?¡± Kim Bong-Goo finally noticed his mother and Yeo Min-Ji, and his face turned beet red. ¡°Is this him¡­?¡± Yeo Min-Ji whispered in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s ear. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­¡± === [yer Information] -Nickname: SaltySoup4Mom -Level: 201 -ss: Specter (3rd ss) === A Unique grade at 3rd ss was very attractive, but the problem was his nickname. SaltySoup4Mom¡­ ¡°He may seem strange on the outside, but he¡¯s a pretty decent guy.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ If you say so.¡± Well, if Jeong-Hoon was vouching for him like this, he must be a decent person despite his appearance. And so, Jang Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s entry into Ho-Yeong was decided. *** The admission process waspleted quickly. Normally, the procedure would have been much moreplicated, but it was possible because everything had already been arranged. With this, both Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo became members of Ho-Yeong. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m in a renowned guild¡­ Is this real?¡± ¡°This is crazy¡­ It¡¯s not a dream¡­¡± The two of them, their faces brimming with emotion, checked the name of the guild they belonged to over and over again. No matter how many times they rubbed their eyes, the words ¡°Ho-Yeong¡± didn¡¯t disappear. ¡°Alright, now¡¯s not the time to be overwhelmed with emotion. I¡¯ll tell you what we need to do next.¡± ¡°Next?¡± ¡°Joining the guild wasn¡¯t the end, was it¡­?¡± ¡°Nope. First, do you want to see this?¡± Jeong-Hoon took out the key he had received from Altair. ¡°What key is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a key I received from the leader of the City of Archer. I got it afterpleting a hidden quest.¡± ¡°Gasp¡­!¡± A hidden quest. If it was a key obtained afterpleting such a quest, there must be something incredible waiting. Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes sparkled with anticipation. ¡°So, here¡¯s the thing, we need to go to war.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¨C Chapter 177 Chapter 177 In the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary. Verd watched from afar as the outsiders poured in like a flood. ¡®So many of them areing.¡¯ And beside him stood his teacher, Liandor. ¡°Teacher, why are you here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even ask¡­ With all these outsiders flooding in¡­ I can¡¯t even get a moment¡¯s rest.¡± There was only one dungeon, and the number of outsiders trying to clear it was enough to form a long queue, so the entire city was literally saturated. As a result, there were also quite a few users roaming the City of Warriors, taking on small quests. ¡°Don¡¯t you have multiple residences, Teacher?¡± ¡°Those guys are roaming all over the City of Warriors. Where am I supposed to rest?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Tsk, it¡¯s all because that guy discovered the dungeon. If it weren¡¯t for that, I wouldn¡¯t have to evacuate to the Sanctuary.¡± The reason the City of Warriors was so hot right now was because Hoon had discovered the dungeon. ¡°But it¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? How did the information leak out so that so many people are flocking here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious that guy leaked it.¡± ¡°Is it even possible to spread it to so many people in such a short time?¡± ¡°Outsiders are far beyond our expectations. What¡¯s so impossible about it?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. By the way, have you heard the news about the City of Archer?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Recently, an incident urred in the City of Archer. It was an assassination attempt on the ruler. The reason Altair hadn¡¯t opened his eyes for three months was because of a cursed herb called the Sleeping Rose. And the spy they caught was executed on the execution tform, while the one who colluded with him was currently imprisoned in the underground prison. ¡°It seems like war is going to break out.¡± ¡°Probably. They tried to assassinate the leader, so it¡¯s an issue they can¡¯t just overlook. Markus, that damn bastard, shouldn¡¯t have be the leader.¡± ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°What do you mean, what should we do?¡± ¡°A war breaking out means the bnce of power could be disrupted. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve been trying to avoid war until now.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± If that happened, the other cities would be in trouble. If the bnce of power was broken, the side with the superior strength would naturally consume the remaining cities. ¡°If war breaks out, we won¡¯t just stand by and watch.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the leader of this city. You need to make the right judgment.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Just then, Hagus, who was supposed to be on guard at the city entrance, appeared in the Sanctuary. He looked around and then ran towards Verd. ¡°Leader!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± ¡°Please take a look at this.¡± He was holding a bundle of documents in his hand. ¡°Hmm?¡± Verd took the documents and quickly read through them. But as time passed, his expression grew increasingly serious. ¡°What is it? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Liandor asked curiously. ¡°Please read it.¡± Verd handed him the document. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s from the City of Archer.¡± The City of Warriors and the City of Archer had a very poor rtionship. It was to the point where a war could break out at any moment. And yet, the City of Archer had sent a message addressed to Verd, the leader of the City of Warriors. ¡°Yes. They came to us at the entrance and asked us to deliver it directly.¡± ¡°Really?¡± The document started by exining that they had no intention of going to war with the City of Warriors. Next was about the Rogue City. It detailed all of Markus¡¯s atrocities. ¡°In short, it means they won¡¯t let Markus get away with it.¡± ¡°But I wonder if this is okay. If they dere war like this, they¡¯ll have time to prepare countermeasures.¡± How confident were they to openly dere war instead ofunching a surprise attack? ¡°Archers specialize in long-rangebat but are very weak in closebat. On the other hand, those rogues excel in mobility and closebat. They¡¯re also known for their stealth.¡± They werepletely opposite. Tounch a surprise attack against rogues, they needed to move as stealthily as possible. ¡°They¡¯ve eliminated any remaining chance of victory we had.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree.¡± The rogues were experts in ambushes and assassinations. The possibility of the City of Archer assassinating Markus was zero. ¡°Will you take action?¡± Verd shook his head. ¡°Not yet.¡± For now, he would observe the situation. *** ¡°War?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea¡­¡± Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo expressed their disapproval. ¡°You can refuse if you want.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But I¡¯ll share the items from this key.¡± ¡°¡­Really?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I called you here in the first ce.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± ¡°But who is this person next to you?¡± Kim Bong-Goo had never met Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mother before. They wereplete strangers. ¡°She¡¯s my mother.¡± ¡°Your¡­ who?¡± ¡°My mother. Aren¡¯t you going to greet her?¡± ¡°Gasp! Hello, Auntie!¡± His mother nodded awkwardly with a smile. ¡°Hello. What¡¯s your rtionship with my Hoon?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the brother I respect the most in the world!¡± His mother nodded silently. She probably didn¡¯t have a good impression of him because of his nickname. ¡°He¡¯s a good kid.¡± Jeong-Hoon said with a smile. Then he signaled Kim Bong-Goo. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes wavered for a moment, but then he smiled brightly and made a motion of grabbing a steering wheel. ¡°Vroom vroom! I¡¯m the Bong-Goo truck with amazing ride quality that canfortably take you anywhere, even Auntie!¡± ¡°Ride quality?¡± ¡°Haha! It¡¯s a joke! It was supposed to be ¡®getting off¡¯ quality!¡± ¡°You need to change your nickname.¡± ¡°If I could, I would have changed it a long time ago¡­¡± Unlike other games, once a nickname was set in New World, it couldn¡¯t be changed. Kim Bong-Goo had just chosen his nickname as a joke, but seeing people¡¯s negative reactions made him feel quite embarrassed. ¡°Then make sure I don¡¯t see that nickname. If I do, you¡¯re dead.¡± ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo was startled. How could he hide his nickname? But if he ignored Jeong-Hoon¡¯s order, he would surely die. ¡°Just kidding. Why are you so surprised?¡± ¡°¡­Ahaha.¡± ¡°Anyway, about the war, our goal is to eliminate Markus von Banestar, the leader of the Rogue City.¡± ¡°Eliminate an NPC¡­?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°W-wait a minute! How can we possibly take down the leader?¡± Ha-Jin objected, and Kim Bong-Goo nodded in agreement. ¡°No matter how amazing you are, brother, their numbers will be overwhelming¡­¡± There was a reason for the saying, ¡°There¡¯s no fighting against overwhelming numbers.¡± If they were determined, even Jeong-Hoon wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand them. ¡°Who said it¡¯s just us?¡± ¡°Huh? Who else ising?¡± Yeo Min-Ji had returned to the guild afterpleting the admission process. So there were a total of four of them left. ¡°My subscribers.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I posted something on themunity beforeing here.¡± ¡°A post?¡± ¡°Yes. We should start seeing some reactions soon.¡± *** ¡®I¡¯m nning to hold a subscriber event.¡¯ A few hours ago, Jang Dae-Hwi had received a message from Jeong-Hoon saying he wanted to hold an event. ¡®What kind of event?¡¯ There were various types of events. Prize draws. Comment events. Fan meetings, and so on. They were held as a way to thank subscribers. The number of subscribers to HoneyTube had already surpassed 2.8 million. In fact, it was quitete to be holding an event. But the content of the event was far beyond Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s expectations. ¡®War.¡¯ ¡®Huh¡­?¡¯ Jang Dae-Hwi asked back in a dazed voice. ¡®I¡¯m going to use the war content to give away 200,000 gold.¡¯ ¡¯20, 200,000 gold¡­? Hey, 200,000 gold is 2 billion won. 2 billion!¡¯ ¡®Yes, that¡¯s right.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡¯ ¡®Anyway, I¡¯ll write a post on themunity.¡¯ Where did he even get that kind of money¡­? Oh, right. He was the guy raking in money from the Enhancement Exchange. Jang Dae-Hwi checked the post on themunity. [Dear HoneyTube subscribers.] ¨C HoneyTube has already surpassed 2 million subscribers and is approaching 3 million. Although it¡¯s a bitte, we¡¯re going to hold a subscriber event. The event is simple. Soon, a war will break out between the City of Archer and the Rogue City. And you, the subscribers, will join the City of Archer and cut off the head of Markus von Banestar, the leader of the Rogue City. We will select the subscriber with the highest contribution and award them 100,000 gold. Are you disappointed that there¡¯s only one winner? No worries, we¡¯ll also reward the 2nd and 3rd ce winners. They will receive 70,000 gold and 30,000 gold, respectively. ¨C The event starts now, as soon as this post is uploaded. ¨C Participation is limited to levels 201-299. ¨C This event is limited to the South Korean server. After the post was uploaded,ments started appearing one by one as he refreshed the page. ©¸ Huh? ©¸ What kind of bizarre event is this? ©¸ War? Is it a siege? ©¸ Wow¡­ 100,000 gold is so tempting ©¸ Crazy, he¡¯s giving away 2 billion won at once? ©¸ Is there nothing from 4th ce onwards? That¡¯s ruthless lol ©¸ Ah¡­ Damn, I can¡¯t participate in the event if I¡¯m not level 201. ©¸ Ugh¡­ I¡¯m level 189, this is so frustrating ¡°Wow¡­ Thements are insane.¡± In less than a minute, over 200ments were posted. It showed how many people were interested in HoneyTube. ¡°But how did he know that this war would happen?¡± It was truly puzzling. ©¸ How does he know there¡¯s going to be a war? ©¸ It¡¯s strange lol Quite a few subscribers shared the same thought. But that wasn¡¯t important. It was an event with a whopping 200,000 gold at stake. *** Meanwhile. In the Rogue City. Markus von Banestar scoffed at Altair¡¯s actions. ¡°Puhahaha, that senile old man. What¡¯s the point of realizing it now? Nothing¡¯s going to change.¡± Markus von Banestar. He was the one who seized the vacant leadership position after the sudden death of the previous leader, Rasak von Banestar. His first goal as the leader was to bring down the City of Archer. ¡®Take Irina and install a puppet ruler in the City of Archer. What a beautiful n.¡¯ Seven years ago, at a conference he attended on behalf of the previous leader, Rasak, he met his destined partner. A young girl, still years away from adulthood. The girl clung to Altair von Askenstone¡¯s side, never leaving him. Markus couldn¡¯t take his eyes off her, and the content of the conference didn¡¯t register in his mind. He waited for the girl toe of age, and now he was nning to wee her, celebrating the downfall of the City of Archer. But the n had gone wrong from the very beginning. He never dreamed that Altair would wake up. ¡®Hudin, you dare betray me?¡¯ He had trained them harshly since they were young, and only the most elite agents could be the leader¡¯s Shadow. And yet, that guy chose betrayal over suicide. He would never forgive him. ¡°Leader! I have an urgent report.¡± A rogue entered the leader¡¯s residence and knelt on one knee. Markus tilted his head in confusion. ¡°A report?¡± ¡°Yes! The City of Archer has started to move.¡± ¡°¡­Already?¡± He was a bit flustered. What made them so confident to move so openly? ¡°That¡¯s not all. Outsiders are flocking to the City of Archer!¡± ¡°Outsiders?¡± ¡°Yes! It seems they intend to help the City of Archer.¡± Markus let out a hollowugh. The numerous outsiders who entered and exited the city. They came to his city to level up through quests. The fact that these outsiders were stepping up to help the City of Archer meant that they were given quests rted to the war. Altair, you cowardly bastard. You dare involve outsiders in a war between cities? Bam! Markus mmed his fist on the table in anger. ¡°Come out now.¡± At his words, nearly twenty Shadows appeared. ¡°Yes. You called for us?¡± Nell, the leader of the Shadows, bowed respectfully. ¡°This is an order. Head to the City of Archer immediately and bring me the heads of Altair and Hudin, by any means necessary.¡± The targets were Altair and the traitor, Hudin. ¡°Yes.¡± As the order was given, the Shadows vanished instantly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 178 Chapter 178 The response came quickly. ¡°It¡¯s a HoneyTube event!¡± ¡°Damn it, Markus, you¡¯re dead now!¡± An event with a total of 200,000 gold at stake. And not just gold, but the anticipation of seeing Honey1, the star of HoneyTube, drew countless users to Rease. ¡°Where¡¯s Honey1?!¡± ¡°Honey1,e out!¡± But Honey1 was nowhere to be seen. ¡°He started the event, so shouldn¡¯t Honey1 be here too?¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to find Honey1! We need to hurry and kill the Rogue City leader!¡± ¡°But they say we can¡¯t attack NPCs. What should we do?¡± The condition for attacking NPCs. It was when they received a quest. The users pondered for a moment and then headed straight for the City of Archer. If this event was a war, the City of Archer would wee them with open arms. ¡°You want to help us?¡± Dkels, the NPC guarding the city entrance, widened his eyes. It was no wonder, as over 100 users had already entered the city. And their reason was all the same: to help the City of Archer. With Ulox¡¯s execution, people from all cities learned about the atrocitiesmitted by the Rogue City. The city¡¯s residents were enraged, and they didn¡¯t stop throwing stones until his head was hung on the execution tform. Even the executioners had to endure the stones, but the enraged people didn¡¯t care and continued to throw them. ¡®We need to wipe out those rogues!¡¯ ¡®Those bastards! How dare they do that to our leader!¡¯ ¡®Just give us the order! We¡¯ll go and take their heads right now!¡¯ They were ready to attack the Rogue City at any moment. Altair shared the same sentiment. But he couldn¡¯t readily give the order. They were skilled at ambushes. If theyunched a reckless attack, they were likely to be counterattacked. ¡®We heard about the war and came to help.¡¯ ¡®Let¡¯s crush the Rogue City!¡¯ And then, a ray of hope appeared. Outsiders started showing up one by one, offering their help. The outsiders in front of him were no different. ¡®We used to reject anyone who wasn¡¯t an archer¡­¡¯ He was ashamed that they had rejected those who stepped up to help in times of crisis. Even if the leader was asleep and couldn¡¯t wake up, they shouldn¡¯t have done that. ¡°What was the name of the Rogue City¡¯s leader again¡­? Was it Markus? Markus, you son of a bitch!¡± ¡°Markus, you bastard! How dare you try to rival the City of Archer?!¡± ¡°Is this enough proof?¡± The users hurled insults at Markus. ¡°Alright, you may pass.¡± Dkels stepped aside and examined each of the outsiders. NPCs couldn¡¯t know the exact details of the quests the users had received, but they could vaguely grasp them. These people didn¡¯t seem to have approached the Rogue City separately. They were indeed here to help the City of Archer. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to help you achieve victory.¡± The verified users, filled with determination, headed towards the Sanctuary where Altair was. After that, hundreds more users came to the City of Archer. ¡°There were so many people willing to protect our city.¡± Dkels murmured, his face filled with remorse. *** ¡°Wow¡­ Just one event announcement, and so many people gathered?¡± Jeong-Hoon, Ha-Jin, Bong-Goo, and his mother, Lee Na-Yeon, were watching from afar as the users and archers headed towards the Rogue City. There were a total of four of them. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder. I put 200,000 gold on the line.¡± ¡°200,000¡­ That¡¯s crazy. Where did you get that kind of money? Enhancements?¡± Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°I made a lot of money from enhancements, but this is part of the gold I received from Jae-Hyuk.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Now that I think about it, that¡¯s true.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s one-year suspension. It had caused quite a stir in the New World¡¯s South Korean server. The ranker, who was said to have overwhelming potential, started to drop in rankings as time passed due to the suspension. And now, he had fallen from the ranks and his name was nowhere to be seen. Thanks to that, Lee Hwa-Rang was almost forgotten and rarely mentioned these days. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have messed with you¡­¡± ¡°How dare he touch my brother. He doesn¡¯t know his ce.¡± Kim Bong-Goo had already tasted Jeong-Hoon¡¯s wrath. It was firmly imprinted in his mind that Jeong-Hoon was someone he should never mess with. That¡¯s why Lee Hwa-Rang seemed so pathetic to him. A ranker who couldn¡¯t even grasp the situation. He was nothing more, nothing less. ¡°Son, what should we do then?¡± As soon as the users received the quest from Altair, they started attacking the Rogue City. The archers followed behind. Their goal was Markus¡¯s head. ¡°The Rogue City has probably started moving too.¡± It was highly likely that they would send the Shadows to eliminate Altair and Hudin. He nned to buy some time through the Shadows, reorganize the city, and defend it firmly against the invasion of users and archers. Then, when night fell, he would counterattack the City of Archer. ¡°I¡¯ll kill them all!¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face was full of confidence. Having advanced to the Unique grade Specter in the midst of the conspiracy, he was confident he could win against anyone. Except for Jeong-Hoon, of course. ¡°We¡¯ll eliminate the rogues he sends.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t Markus¡¯s head. It was the box carefully stored in the basement that only he could open. There was no need to obsess over Markus¡¯s head. ¡°Yes!¡± *** Altair couldn¡¯t hide his joy. Countless outsiders hade to help the city. It was all thanks to the outsider named Jeong-Hoon. ¡®I gathered the outsiders. It will be much easier to attack the Rogue City.¡¯ ¡®Is that really true¡­?¡¯ ¡®Yes. And I¡¯ll be waiting nearby to eliminate any rogues who try to sneak in.¡¯ He even offered to take care of the rogues approaching the city. ¡°Thanks to our benefactor, things will be much easier.¡± Roscantor, who was assisting Altair, smiled and said. ¡°Indeed. I never imagined that he would not only save my life but also help us catch the culprit and even assist in the war.¡± ¡°¡­We¡¯ve received far more than we deserve, even with the key.¡± ¡°We should give him an additional reward.¡± ¡°An additional reward?¡± ¡°Yes. If we win this war, I¡¯m thinking of bestowing upon him a treasure that the first leader cherished.¡± ¡°The first leader¡¯s treasure?!¡± Roscantor¡¯s eyes widened. What kind of treasure was that? Although it had lost most of its power and was now downgraded to Legendary grade, it was once a treasure that possessed power beyond that level. Moreover, it was so difficult to handle that no leader had been able to control it. And yet, he was considering giving it to an outsider, even if he was their benefactor. ¡°That¡¯s the least we can do to uphold the honor of our City of Archer.¡± He had saved the leader¡¯s life, the City of Archer, and even helped them achieve their revenge. Altair couldn¡¯t think of any other way to repay his debt. ¡°As you wish, Leader.¡± Roscantor fully supported his decision. If it weren¡¯t for him, the City of Archer would have faced a grave crisis. ¡°We¡¯re here to ept the quest!¡± More outsiders started pouring in. ¡°Come this way! I¡¯ll bestow arge amount of experience and rewards upon those who help us in the war.¡± Altair smiled brightly and gave quests to each of the outsiders. *** Nell and the Shadows approached the vicinity of the City of Archer. ¡°Captain, there are too many outsiders.¡± ¡°How did they gather so many people?¡± The number of outsiders they had confirmed before sneaking into the City of Archer was at least ten thousand. They were all here to take the head of Markus, the leader of the Rogue City. That¡¯s why the Shadows couldn¡¯t afford to be careless. If they failed to take Altair¡¯s head here, the Rogue City would be overrun in an instant. Just then. Fwoosh! An arrow shot out and pierced the head of a Shadow in the back row. ¡°Cough!¡± The Shadow, struck by the arrow, copsed on the ground. It was an instant kill. ¡°¡­!¡± Nell and the shadows, unfazed, retreated into the surrounding forest. ¡®How did they know?¡¯ They were currently invisible, their bodies cloaked in stealth. How could anyone see through such concealment? Suddenly, a hundred dark soldiers began to search the area. ¡®What are those?¡¯ Could this be the work of the outsiders? If so, it made sense. They must have anticipated Nell¡¯s approach to the city. Nell gestured to the shadows, signaling them. The n was to swiftly eliminate these foes and move on. Shwing! A dark soldier swung its sword with full force at Nell¡¯s hiding spot. ¡°¡­..!¡± Nell quickly evaded the attack and shook off the dark soldiers. *** ¡°Those guys are incredibly fast.¡± Ha-Jin let out a brief exmation of admiration. To think they¡¯d managed to evade all of the dark soldiers he¡¯d summoned. Having reached the 3rd ss, he could now summon up to 100 soldiers. Although it consumed a tremendous amount of mana, it was an exceptionally effective skill for overwhelming opponents with sheer numbers. Furthermore, the dark energy that enveloped the swords of both Ha-Jin and his soldiers was simr to the aura of the Underworld that surrounded Jeong-Hoon. This dark energy had the effect of absorbing a portion of the opponent¡¯s mana with each strike. This was the reason why the summons could be maintained for a long time despite the immense mana consumption. Bang! However, Ha-Jin wasn¡¯t alone. Taking position, Inayeon precisely hit the right shoulder of a swiftly moving shadow with her sniper rifle. ¡°Ugh!¡± The shadow dropped its dagger and frantically scanned the surroundings. Observing from the side, Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in puzzlement. ¡°Mother, why didn¡¯t you go for the kill?¡± ¡°I did that on purpose.¡± ¡°On purpose?¡± ¡°Yes. I can now detect all enemies within 100 meters of the one I just shot. But if the target dies, the skill won¡¯t activate.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ really?¡± By erasing her own traces with the ¡®Trace Block¡¯ skill and using the newly acquired 3rd ss skill ¡®Tracking Shot¡¯ to pinpoint the locations of hidden enemies¡­ ¡®It¡¯s just insane.¡¯ He was confident that no other sniper could stand a chance against his mother¡¯s overwhelming talentbined with such incredible skills. Bang! Bang! His mother pulled the trigger twice in quick session. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Two more shadows had their heads pierced. Their bodies went limp and copsed onto the ground. ¡°Wow¡­.¡± Kim Bong-Goo, lying in ambush, couldn¡¯t help but express his amazement as well. Not only is Jeong-Hoon a monster, but his mother possesses monstrous talent as well. Kim Bong-Goo vowed to never provoke that family, no matter what. ¡®Alright, I¡¯m going too.¡¯ He had be a Specter. He couldn¡¯t just watch his brothers and mother in action. His body turned ck and slipped into another person¡¯s shadow. This was a skill only possible for a true Specter, unlike those who merely called themselves shadows. ¡°There are four targets to eliminate. Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡± The owner of the shadow gave orders to the others. Aha, so this is the leader of these guys? Kim Bong-Goo gripped his dagger and moved into the leader¡¯s shadow. Then, he quietly emerged from the shadow and attacked the back of the leader¡¯s head. He held the dagger in a reverse grip, aiming to pierce the nape of the neck and end the leader¡¯s life in one swift motion, but the leader bent forward, dodging the attack. ¡°This¡­ this bastard dodged¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo was greatly surprised. He never expected his surprise attack to fail. ¡°Did you really think you could kill me bying out so openly?¡± Nell straightened up and raised the dagger in his hand. Whoosh! An arrow flew from afar. ¡°Gasp!¡± Nell was startled and twisted his body. Thanks to that, the arrow missed its mark but grazed his left shoulder. Nell¡¯s expression hardened. ¡®My body won¡¯t move! Is it poison?¡¯ He tried to use his skills, but his mana was frozen, unresponsive. ¡°Looks like I can kill you after all?¡± Kim Bong-Goo grinned and slit Nell¡¯s throat. Nell¡¯s eyes widened, and he died instantly. Blood gushed from the severed neck, and the stench of blood filled the air. ¡®It¡¯s okay¡­ this is just a game¡­ he¡¯s just an NPC.¡¯ Kim Bong-Goo mentally reassured himself, trying to ovee the gruesome scene. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 179 Chapter 179 It didn¡¯t take long to kill neen of the shadows. Jeong-Hoon captured the remaining shadow instead of killing it. [Brainwashing activated.] He immediately used brainwashing to uncover Markus¡¯s n. However, Markus¡¯s n was nothing special. ¡°I was ordered to kill Altair and Hudin.¡± The shadow confessed everything with vacant eyes. ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s amazing.¡± Ha-Jin stared nkly at the scene. ¡°Is that because of a skill?¡± His mother watched with a bewildered expression. ¡°Now he¡¯s even brainwashing people¡­.¡± Kim Bong-Goo looked at him with a fed-up expression. ¡°So? That¡¯s all, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon immediately ended the shadow¡¯s life. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get going.¡± The next destination was the Thieves¡¯ Sanctuary. Jeong-Hoon started walking, and his mother, Ha-Jin, and Kim Bong-Goo followed behind. *** Markus couldn¡¯t believe it. Despite fortifying the city walls and thoroughly blocking outside intrusion, the outsiders¡¯ military power was beyond imagination. ¡°What?! Our thieves are being killed by the outsiders?!¡± Tens of thousands of outsiders had swarmed in and destroyed the walls. They even easily subdued any thieves who resisted. They didn¡¯t touch those who had given up fighting early on, but those who opposed them were mercilessly ughtered. ¡°Yes¡­ because of them, the archers easily entered the Thieves¡¯ City.¡± ¡°Damn those outsiders!¡± Bang! Markus mmed his fist on the table. His face flushed red with anger. ording to the thieves¡¯ reports, thousands of outsiders were wreaking havoc in the city. They tried to stop them, but their eyes were filled with madness, and many thieves decided to back down, realizing they would be killed if they didn¡¯t. ¡°You need to escape! I don¡¯t know how they persuaded the outsiders, but there¡¯s no way to stop them.¡± ¡°Then we can just give them a quest to stop them!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ we tried, but they won¡¯t listen.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± What kind of quest did they receive? At that moment, the outsiders swarmed into the sanctuary. ¡°Markus! Where¡¯s that bastard hiding?¡± ¡°Come out while we¡¯re still being nice!¡± ¡°Time to rest. We¡¯ll make you rest by force.¡± ¡°You coward! Come out quickly!¡± How dare they call the ruler like that?! Veins bulged on Markus¡¯s forehead. ¡®Nell! What¡¯s the current situation?¡¯ Markus called Nell, the leader of the shadows. But there was no answer. ¡®Nell!¡¯ He called again, but still no answer. He tried to talk to other shadows, but they remained silent. That meant¡­ ¡°They¡¯re all gone.¡± These useless fools! Markus ran his fingers through his hair and stood up. ¡°Master! You need to escape right now!¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous. I can just offer twice the amount that senile old man offered!¡± He would offer a quest with a much higher reward than the one from the City of Archer, diverting the attack towards them. ¡®You crazy old man. You think I¡¯ll fall for this?¡¯ Markus left his quarters and headed for the sanctuary. ¡°I don¡¯t think this is a good idea¡­¡± Altamara, who had given the report, seemed to want Markus to escape. Markus¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Are you saying my judgment as the leader is wrong?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s not what I meant¡­ Cough!¡± Altamara couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Markus had grabbed his neck with his right hand. Altamara¡¯s level was 220. Markus¡¯s level, on the other hand, was 295. With a whopping 75 level difference, Altamara felt his vision darken. But before he lost consciousness, Markus loosened his grip. ¡°If you disrespect me one more time, I¡¯ll break your neck.¡± ¡°Cough! Cough! I-I¡¯m sorry¡­ Cough!¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to the sanctuary right now.¡± Markus left his quarters and headed for the sanctuary. The sanctuary was already upied by the foreigners. ¡°M-Master¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± The NPCs were terrified by the sheer number of foreigners and surrendered before even resisting. As a result, they were tied up in the middle of the sanctuary. ¡°Useless bunch of idiots.¡± Markus muttered under his breath. The foreigners surrounded him. ¡°Kill him!¡± ¡°We just need to bring his head, right?¡± ¡°First one to cut it wins!¡± Only the top 3 would get the gold. This was not the time to hesitate. ¡°W-Wait! I¡¯ll give you something more valuable than what that Altair bastard offered!¡± ¡°Markus! You finally came out!¡± ¡°Move! I¡¯ll kill him!¡± ¡°Fuck! 100,000 gold is mine. It¡¯s mineeeeee!¡± ¡°100,000 golddddddddd!¡± Markus shouted desperately, but the users couldn¡¯t hear him properly. The number of people was beyond imagination, and they were all so focused on the quest ranking that his words fell on deaf ears. Markus¡¯s face turned pale at their charge. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± * * * The battle ended so quickly it wasughable to even call it a war. It was possible because countless users pushed forward like bulldozers. ¡®Well, it¡¯s an event with 1 billion won for first ce¡­¡¯ It might be less than the first prize in the lottery, but it¡¯s still a significant amount. Most people couldn¡¯t save up 1 billion won even if they worked their entire lives, so they were investing. Real estate, stocks, crypto, and so on. Many even started by taking out loans. So it was natural for them to be blinded by the number 1 billion. With money on the line and the perception that it was just a game, the users charged forward without hesitation. ¡°It¡¯s already over¡­?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything¡­¡± The users who joinedte muttered with disappointed faces. Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo felt the same way. ¡°Wow¡­ I was going to just push through with the Shadow Soldiers.¡± ¡°I wanted to show the true power of the Specter. What a waste.¡± His mother smiled at Jeong-hoon. ¡°I¡¯m d it ended quickly.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled back. When he was streaming, the Honeys were blurred out, so no one recognized them. ¡°Ahem, no one seems to recognize us.¡± Kim Bong-Goo seemed a bit disappointed. He was Honey3 on HoneyTube, but no one acknowledged him. ¡°But how do they calcte the contribution points?¡± ¡°I wonder? I was so focused on taking down Markus that I didn¡¯t even think about it.¡± The one holding Markus¡¯s head was a level 297 Crusader. He hadnded the final blow and was holding the head, iming it as his own. The other users were eyeing the head greedily, hoping to snatch it away. But the problem was how to earn the contribution points set by HoneyTube. ¡°Is the first one toplete the quest the owner?¡± ¡°No¡­ then what happens to Markus¡¯s head?¡± ¡°Youplete the quest with the head.¡± ¡°Oh? Then the reward will be different? That would make it easier to judge, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± The users rushed towards the Crusader. To take the head andplete the quest. As the Thieves¡¯ Sanctuary turned into chaos, Jeong-hoon led his mother, Ha-jin, and Kim Bong-Goo towards the ruler¡¯s quarters. ¡°Wow¡­ this is really something. Everyone¡¯s going crazy over that one head.¡± Ha-jin clicked her tongue. ¡°100,000 gold is on the line. Anyone would be desperate.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too envious. Once we go down to the basement, you¡¯ll realize those 100,000 gold are nothing.¡± ¡°¡­Gulp!¡± Kim Bong-Goo swallowed hard. His eyes were gleaming with greed. ¡°Oh, by the way, you¡¯re not getting anything.¡± ¡°What¡­? Why not?¡± ¡°Honestly, you didn¡¯t do anything. If you were just a passenger, you shouldn¡¯t be greedy.¡± ¡°What?! A passenger? Have you forgotten that I killed the leader of the shadows?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I set that up for you?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s arrow had sealed Nell¡¯s movements and prevented him from using his skills. If he hadn¡¯t shot that arrow, Kim Bong-Goo might have been the one in trouble. ¡°Hey, I could have done it myself. I¡¯m a Specter.¡± ¡°A Specter? Yourbat sense was terrible. A good pilot is essential. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo lowered his head dejectedly. Toe all this way and get nothing¡­ That damn bastard. Go to hell. ¡°Son? We all worked hard, why are you being unfair?¡± Just as Jeong-hoon was thinking it was time to stop joking, his mother smiled. But her eyes weren¡¯t smiling at all. That was a sign that she was angry. Jeong-hoon felt a chill down his spine and shook his head. ¡°I was just kidding. Bong-Goo¡¯s reactions are just so good. Of course, I was nning to share everything.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Mother¡­! I¡¯ll treat you like my own from now on.¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes welled up with tears, touched by her words. His mother smiled awkwardly and waved her hands. ¡°That¡¯s okay. And don¡¯t worry, Jeong-hoon wouldn¡¯t discriminate. He¡¯s such a good boy.¡± ¡°¡­Good?¡± ¡°Of course. If there¡¯s anyone kinder than my son, bring them to me.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo hesitated. Even if you gathered all the humans on Earth, it seemed like none would be kinder than Jeong-hoon. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Jeong-hoon led the way down to the basement. The basement was very clean, as if it had been opened rtively recently. However, a massive wall blocked the middle of the basement. It was said that only Markus could open the warehouse, but there was actually one more way to open it. ¡®Force.¡¯ Open it by force. Jeong-hoon took out Leviathan and swung it at the door. Bang! But the door didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Ha-jin asked with a bewildered face. ¡°What does it look like? I¡¯m opening it by force.¡± Jeong-hoon replied nonchntly and continued to strike the door repeatedly with Leviathan. However, the door¡¯s defense was far stronger than he had imagined, making it difficult to break through. [Wow, what¡¯s so sturdy?] Mukho, who had been watching quietly, clicked his tongue in amazement. ¡®Why don¡¯t you use me instead? I think I can break it easily.¡¯ Jeong-hoon grinned. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll be done soon.¡± As he said, small cracks began to appear on the door. The cracks quickly spread, and when Jeong-hoon struck Leviathan again, the door shattered like ss. Beyond the doory a treasure trove of gold and jewels that Markus had hidden away. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°What is all this?¡± Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo eximed in astonishment. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± His mother¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Jeong-hoon, however, had no interest in such treasures. The true treasure was a box tucked away in a corner. Jeong-hoon approached the box and examined it closely. [Unidentified Box] ¨C Type: Box ¨C Grade: ? ¨C An old box with an unknown name ¨C A matching key is required to open the box. It was an unremarkable box at first nce. Nevertheless, Markus had kept this box in his warehouse. That was because it had been found in the territory of the City of Archer that he had seized in the past. He had tried various methods to open the box, but it wouldn¡¯t budge. The only way to open the box was to insert the key Jeong-hoon had into the keyhole and turn it to unlock it. ¡°Is this the box you were talking about?¡± His mother showed interest in the box. ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded with a smile. Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo, on the other hand, were too preupied with the gold and jewels to even nce at the box. ¡°Ehehehe! We can take this, right?¡± ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t lie down! There are so many germs.¡± ¡°Come on, bro! Take a whiff. It¡¯s intoxicating!¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled and took out the key he had stored in his inventory, inserting it into the keyhole of the box. It fit perfectly. As he slowly turned the key, he heard the lock click open. The box then shed brightly and transformed into a dazzling golden color. [Latin Von Askenstone¡¯s Treasure Chest] ¨C Type: Box ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C A subspace pocket containing treasures cherished by the first leader of the City of Archer. ¨C Open the box to im the treasures. ¡°Gasp! Legendary?¡± His mother, who had been watching from the side, was also startled. This was because, having yed New World, you understood the immense value of a Legendary grade item. ¡°I told you to have high expectations, didn¡¯t I?¡± Jeong-hoon smiled and opened the treasure chest. Inside, there were five treasures. Each and every one of them was a Legendary grade item. With these, his mother, Ha-jin, and Kim Bong-Goo would grow even stronger. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 180 Chapter 180 Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo, who had been absorbed in the gold and jewels, also came over to look at the treasure chest. ¡°Brother¡­ did thise out of the box?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The items looked extraordinary at first nce. Jeong-hoon first took out a ring. === [Ring of the Dark Guardian] ¨C Type: Ring ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Special Ability (1): Grants the wearer a temporary 20% increase in attack power. ¨C Special Ability (2): Increases the damage of all dark attribute skills by 10%. ¨C Special Ability (3): Increases the wearer¡¯s curse debuff resistance by 50%. ¨C Special Ability (4): Restores 5% of health and mana for each enemy killed. === ¡°Ha-jin, you take this.¡± ¡°M-me¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. We went through a lot together, so I should give you something this good.¡± The first ruler of the City of Archer was said to have wielded dark attribute powers. That¡¯s why they used this Legendary grade ring very effectively. Although Ha-jin was a warrior, this ring would be a great help to him as he walked the path of the Dark Lord. ¡°Wow¡­ thank you so much.¡± Ha-jin epted the ring with a touched expression. A Legendary grade ring, no less. In terms of real-world value, it was said to be priceless. As they say, it¡¯s important to choose your friends wisely. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be counting on you in the future too.¡± ¡°Call me anytime you need help! I¡¯lle running no matter what!¡± ¡°Make sure you keep that promise.¡± Next was his mother¡¯s turn. This time, Jeong-hoon took out an item called the ¡®Eagle Eye Monocle.¡¯ === [Eagle Eye Monocle] ¨C Type: Monocle ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Special Ability (1): Increases uracy by 20%. ¨C Special Ability (2): Allows the wearer to see the enemy¡¯s weak points and increases critical hit damage by 20%. ¨C Special Ability (3): Increases maximum range by 20% and allows for clear vision even in dark ces. ¨C Special Ability (4): Detects hidden enemies (maximum range 150m). === Although his mother had Tracking Shot, it was a skill that could only track enemies within 100 meters after hitting them. On the other hand, this monocle was a cheat item that allowed the wearer to identify enemies within 150 meters just by equipping it. It was a perfect item for his mother, the gunner. ¡°Mom, take this.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ this is so much better than anything I have.¡± ¡°Right?¡± ¡°Are you sure I can have this?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± His mother had no expectations. No, wait. There was one thing. For her to live a long and healthy life. ¡°Brother, what about me?¡± Kim Bong-Goo held out his hands with sparkling eyes. ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled and took out a piece of equipment from the treasure chest. === [Shadow Cloak] ¨C Type: Cloak ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Evasion: 20% ¨C Physical Damage Reduction: 5% ¨C Magic Damage Reduction: 5% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): [Passive: Perfect Stealth] Avable ¨C Special Ability (2): Increases movement speed by 20% while stealthed. ¨C Special Ability (3): Increases the damage of the first attack by 50% while stealthed. === It was an item with good stats, but unfortunately, its grade was only Unique. ¡°It¡¯s not Legendary¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face was filled with disappointment as he checked the item. He had been expecting a Legendary, but it turned out to be a Unique. Jeong-hoon looked at him with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°I can upgrade this to Legendary. If you don¡¯t want it, just say so.¡± He pretended to put the cloak back into his inventory as if to say he didn¡¯t care. Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly waved his hands. ¡°Absolutely not! It¡¯s a great item. I was just wondering why it wasn¡¯t Legendary!¡± ¡°Really? Then use it well. If you work hard, I¡¯ll upgrade it to Legendaryter.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± ¡°Have you ever seen me lie?¡± ¡°Brother! I¡¯ll follow any order from now on!¡± ¡°Even if I tell you to die?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ that¡¯s a bit¡­¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled and took the cloak out of his inventory, handing it to him. Kim Bong-Goo, who received the cloak, put it on with a touched expression. ¡°Wow! It looks awesome!¡± But to Jeong-hoon, it didn¡¯t look good at all. ¡®The stats are good, but it¡¯s definitely not fashionable.¡¯ The cloak was long enough to reach his ankles, and the cor was thick, making it look like Drac¡¯s cloak. Jeong-hoon looked away from Kim Bong-Goo and put his hand in his pocket. There were two items left. === [Grip of the Ruler] ¨C Type: Gloves ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Defense: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) ¨C Evasion: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) ¨C Physical Damage Reduction: 10% ¨C Magic Damage Reduction: 10% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): Increases all stats by 10% when equipped. ¨C Special Ability (2): Increases the attack power of all weapons by 10%. ¨C Special Ability (3): Increases the proficiency of all weapons by 10%. ¨C Special Ability (4): [Active: Ruler¡¯s Grip] Avable === ¡®I¡¯ll take this one.¡¯ A Legendary grade glove. Just by wearing it, all stats would increase by 10%, and weapon attack power would also receive a 10% boost. And there was also the active skill, Ruler¡¯s Grip. [Ruler¡¯s Grip] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Pulls the desired enemy towards you. ¨C Reduces the defense of the enemy touched by 10%. It was a perfect skill for Jeong-hoon, who enjoyed using martial arts. ¡®Then what about thest one?¡¯ Jeong-hoon took out the remaining item from his pocket. [Highest Grade Experience Elixir] ¨C Type: Elixir ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Grants arge amount of experience when consumed. It was an experience elixir. And it was the highest grade. A very precious elixir that could drastically increase one¡¯s level with just one sip. ¡°Oh my¡­ it¡¯s two whole grades higher than the ones I¡¯ve had before.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ a Legendary grade elixir?¡± ¡°How much will our levels increase if we drink this?¡± His mother, Ha-jin, and Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes widened at the appearance of the elixir. There were a total of four elixirs. Just the right number for the people present. Jeong-hoon intended to share the elixirs with everyone. ¡°Jeong-hoon, you can have them all.¡± His mother quickly refused, sensing Jeong-hoon¡¯s thoughts. She knew how precious the elixirs were and couldn¡¯t ept them so easily. ¡°It¡¯s okay, please take it.¡± But faced with Jeong-hoon¡¯s firm attitude, his mother eventually epted the elixir. ¡°I¡¯ll drink it gratefully.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He then handed the next elixir to Ha-jin. ¡°Is it okay for me to take this¡­?¡± Ha-jin epted the elixir with trembling hands. ¡°Yes. If I take them all myself, I¡¯ll have to stream alone again.¡± ¡°¡­My friend! I love you!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too clingy, it¡¯s gross.¡± ¡°Haha, okay!¡± Finally, it was Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s turn. Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes were filled with anticipation even before receiving the elixir. ¡°Now, show me your talent.¡± ¡°Vroom vroom! I¡¯m your one and only steed, brother! Please fill up this Bong-Goo truck with gas!¡± ¡°The maintenance costs are quite high, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I apologize for consuming so much gas!¡± Kim Bong-Goo shouted loudly, maintaining his attention posture. ¡°Okay. You pass.¡± Jeong-hoon readily bestowed the elixir upon him. ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s grin stretched from ear to ear as he received the elixir. ¡°Then can I take all this gold and treasure?¡± ¡°Of course! Take it all.¡± ¡°I always thought you should have it, brother!¡± All the gold and treasure went into Jeong-hoon¡¯s possession. He nned to exchange one-third of it for cash to give to his mother and use the remaining two-thirds for future content. * * * ¡°What?! It¡¯s already over?¡± Altair asked in disbelief. ¡°Yes! The foreigners have just received the surrender of the Rogue¡¯ City!¡± The informant nodded with a bright face. ¡°How could this be¡­¡± That damn Rogue¡¯ City was defeated without a fight. The foreigners reportedly overwhelmed the residents with brute force, without any tactics. Even Markus was instantly beheaded without putting up any resistance¡­ ¡®Jeong-hoon¡­ what on earth did you do?¡¯ What did he do to make the foreigners go so crazy? Not long after, the foreigners flocked to the sanctuary of the City of Archer. ¡°I brought the head here!¡± ¡°No! I¡¯m the one who beheaded him!¡± ¡°Bullshit! Don¡¯t be fooled! The one holding the head didn¡¯t kill him!¡± What was going on? Altair gaped at the swarming foreigners. ¡°Slowly! Speak slowly!¡± But the users, as if they couldn¡¯t hear Altair¡¯s words, were busy iming that they were the ones who beheaded Markus. * * * Jeong-hoon returned to the sanctuary of the City of Archer. However, the sanctuary was overflowing with users, making it impossible to enter. ¡°Wow¡­ I don¡¯t think we canplete the quest.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo clicked their tongues. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯m going to wait until all those users leave beforepleting the quest.¡± Jeong-hoon stood at the entrance of the sanctuary, observing the users. He wanted to see how the gold rewards for the event would be distributed. ¡°But how are they going to give out the gold? Don¡¯t they have to reveal their faces?¡± If he revealed his face, many eyes would inevitably follow him as he continued to enjoy the game. But Jeong-hoon nodded nonchntly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Jeong-hoon handed 200,000 gold directly to Altair and asked him to distribute it to the top 3 contributors. So when theypleted the quest, they would receive gold ording to their ranking. ¡°Oh¡­ the NPC is very kind.¡± ¡°He has to be.¡± Jeong-hoon had saved Altair¡¯s life, identified the spy, and even intervened in the war to ensure their victory. So such a request was nothing. ¡°Hmm, we won¡¯t get any, will we?¡± 100,000 gold. A whopping 1 billion won. Ha-jin asked with a hint of expectation. ¡°Nope. Zero chance, so don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± Jeong-hoon dashed his hopes instantly. The event was about suppressing the Rogue¡¯ City and beheading Markus. Although Ha-jin, Kim Bong-Goo, and his mother had wiped out the shadows, their contribution would be significantly lower than other users. * * * ¡°Huh? Contribution 0.23%?¡± The user who handed over the head was filled with confusion. ¡°Is the reward insufficient¡­?¡± ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s not it.¡± Upon receiving the reward, his level increased by 1, and he also received a Unique grade item. But that wasn¡¯t the reward he wanted. Contribution. He needed contribution points to receive the 100,000 gold. But the contribution shown next to him was only a measly 0.23%. It was the same for other users. Everyone¡¯s contribution was in decimals. ¡°Wow¡­ damn, they¡¯re ranking us based on these contribution points.¡± ¡°Mine is 0.08%¡­ is this even real?¡± ¡°I have 0.009%.¡± ¡°Quiet, everyone. Those who didn¡¯t even fight have zero.¡± The users received their rewards one by one andpared their contribution points. After a long while, when most of the users hadpleted the quest, Altair shouted to them. ¡°Now! We will rank you ording to your contribution points!¡± The users tilted their heads at his announcement. ¡°Ranking?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t Honey supposed to calcte the rankings?¡± ¡°Did they bribe the NPC or something?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ they really did a good job making it suspenseful.¡± ¡°I admit, HoneyTube¡¯s event nning is top-notch.¡± The users realized that the NPC had beenmissioned by HoneyTube. At the same time, they waited for the rankings to be calcted with nervous anticipation. The top 3, who would receive the gold, would be determined based on Altair¡¯s ranking. ¡°Now! I will announce the 3rd ce first!¡± Altair ced a pouch containing 30,000 gold in front of him. 3rd ce would receive 30,000 gold. The users sped their hands and prayed. It was a more nerve-wracking moment than ever before. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 181 Chapter 181 Altair pondered. ¡®Please give this gold to the top 3 contributors.¡¯ ¡®This much gold¡­?¡¯ ¡®Yes. You can think of it as the force that motivated these foreigners.¡¯ ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ A whopping 200,000 gold. It was an enormous amount for an individual to handle. ¡®The City of Archer will surely win.¡¯ ¡®Why go to such lengths¡­?¡¯ Altair, unaware of the subscriber event, couldn¡¯t help but express his doubts. ¡®This is to ensure a swift end to the war.¡¯ ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Altair fell into deep thought. Distribute 200,000 gold ording to contribution. Jeong-hoon had entrusted Altair with full authority, stating that he would respect any decision he made. ¡®Thank you very much. I will never forget this kindness.¡¯ Altair announced the 3rd ce winner. ¡°Level 287 Saber, Hoffman!¡± ¡°Woooah! Fuck! Thank you, God!¡± A cheer erupted from among the users as the nickname Hoffman was mentioned. Level 287 Saber, Hoffman. His real name was Kim Ji-seok. He was a freshman who had just entered university this year and was attending with the help of student loans. He had been leveling up using capsule rooms because he couldn¡¯t afford to buy a capsule, but those days were over now. The prize was 30,000 gold, a whopping 300 million won. He nned to invest 10,000 gold in the game and exchange the remaining 20,000 gold for cash to pay off his loans and buy a capsule. ¡°Hoffman, pleasee forward. You have achieved a contribution of 0.19%, making you the owner of this 30,000 gold.¡± ¡°Thank youuuuu! HoneyTube is the best! I love HoneyTube so much!¡± Kim Ji-seok confessed his love for HoneyTube publicly and collected his 30,000 gold. He logged out on the spot, perhaps to avoid being bothered by other users. ¡°Wow¡­ damn.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so envious¡­¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t I seed at anything?¡± ¡°Ah, this is frustrating¡­ I didn¡¯t even win the lottery.¡± Despite the users¡¯ints, Altair resolutely announced the 2nd ce winner. ¡°Now, I will announce the 2nd ce.¡± The 2nd ce announcement. The prize for 2nd ce was a whopping 70,000 gold. The users had already forgotten about the 30,000 gold and were focused on the 2nd ce announcement. ¡°Please!¡± ¡°My life depends on this!¡± The users waited for his announcement with bated breath. ¡°Level 296 Necromancer, Dragon!¡± 2nd ce went to the Necromancer Dragon, who had pushed back the thieves with his skeletons. ¡°Kehehehe! 2nd ce is mine. You fools, you can¡¯t win if you don¡¯t have AoE skills.¡± The Necromancer, called Dragon, mocked the other users and collected his 70,000 gold. ¡°That bastard?¡± ¡°Hey! Take it from him!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll challenge you to a PvP, show us what AoE damage is all about!¡± Despite their provocations, Dragon smirked and raised his middle finger. ¡°Try taking it if you can, you idiots. Kehehehe!¡± Dragon also logged out right there. ¡°Ah, that bastard¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s so infuriating.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over yet. There¡¯s still first ce.¡± The highlight of this event. The announcement of the first-ce winner, with 100,000 gold at stake. ¡°Now, I will announce the first-ce winner.¡± Altair cleared his throat and announced the contributor with the highest contribution. ¡°Please!¡± ¡°Oh God¡­ if I win the 100,000 gold, I¡¯ll be a good person for the rest of my life¡­¡± ¡°I have a lot of debt left at home¡­ I maxed out my credit card to buy a capsule¡­ please save my life¡­¡± ¡°The energy of the entire universe ising to me!¡± ¡°Ah, fuck, I checked my horoscope today and it said it was really bad¡­¡± The users waited for the first-ce announcement with anticipation. ¡°Level 290 Assassin, Na Hyeon-woo!¡± The first ce went to the Assassin, Na Hyeon-woo. He was a user who used his real name as his nickname. ¡°Nice! Hooray!¡± The user called Na Hyeon-woo ran forward. ¡°Ah, shit¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± ¡°Na Hyeon-woo? You¡¯re not getting away with this.¡± The rest of the users were frustrated. Although the odds were low from the start, this event had a much higher chance of winning than the lottery. That damn Assassin stole first ce from them. ¡°I beheaded Markus, isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Everyone seemed to havended the final blow, but in reality, it was Assassin Na Hyeon-woo who had cut off his breath first. Unlike those who insisted they were first just because they grabbed Markus¡¯s already lifeless head, the results proved otherwise. ¡°Hyeon-woo, where do you live?¡± ¡°Just tell us. We won¡¯t go looking for you.¡± ¡°Tracking Na Hyeon-woo, starting now.¡± But as many users red at Na Hyeon-woo, he logged out as soon as he received the gold, probably scared. Altair smiled and continued. ¡°Although you didn¡¯t get much gold, I know you all worked hard. So I¡¯m going to give each of you 1 gold. How does that sound?¡± ¡°1 gold¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± ¡°Does money grow on trees? Let¡¯s just take it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take it!¡± The users were disappointed but brightened up at the mention of 1 gold. ¡°Of course, this gold is also being given at the request of HoneyTube.¡± ¡°HoneyTube?¡± ¡°Wow¡­ they¡¯re really generous with the subscriber event, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Amazing¡­ I wasn¡¯t even subscribed, but I¡¯m subscribing today!¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ¡°Damn, those who aren¡¯t even subscribed shouldn¡¯t take it if they have any conscience.¡± *** While the users were pestering Altair, Jeong-hoon was resting in the reception room. His mother had logged out earlier, saying she needed to prepare dinner, and Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo were rxing beside him. ¡°Wow¡­ but is it okay? Didn¡¯t you spend too much money?¡± It wasn¡¯t just the 200,000 gold. Jeong-hoon had also invested additional gold to ensure that all participants received 1 gold. The total amount invested was nearly 300,000 gold. But he had enough gold. The gold and treasure in the basement were literally gold and silver. When he put them in his inventory, it amounted to over 600,000 gold. ¡°Actually, I was going to make you and Kim Bong-Goo 1st and 2nd ce after Mom.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. But people get sensitive about money, so I changed my mind.¡± Jeong-hoon, Ha-jin, and Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s faces would be revealed in the future. If Honey2 and 3 received the gold, they had to consider the possibility of bacsh. There was no need to stir up trouble unnecessarily. The 300,000 gold he had spent this time was an investment. A fairlyrge event had taken ce on the already popr NewTube. The users who participated in the event would spread the word in Wee, and this would likely increase the subscription rate even faster than before. Also, the participation rate for future events would increase. Even though it wasn¡¯t as much as the top 3, everyone received gold, so those who couldn¡¯t participate would be very disappointed and look forward to the next event. ¡°I apologize for making you wait so long.¡± Altair finally entered the reception room. He looked exhausted from dealing with the users. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You did it for my request.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯m grateful for your understanding.¡± An exmation mark was blinking above Altair¡¯s head. It was time for Jeong-hoon toplete the quest. [Questpleted.] [Experience gained.] [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 granted.] He leveled up as he received the experience points. Jeong-hoon¡¯s level was now 209. That wasn¡¯t all. Altair sat in front of them and snapped his fingers. Roscanter appeared, carrying three pouches. Each pouch contained 100,000 gold. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve received so much from you, how could I repay my debt with just delivering gold? I want to deduct the gold given to the foreigners from our City of Archer¡¯s funds.¡± ¡®So he¡¯s giving us gold instead of additional items.¡¯ Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Alright. If that¡¯s your wish, I¡¯ll ept the gold.¡± Jeong-hoon gave one pouch each to Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo. ¡°M-me?¡± ¡°Brother¡­?¡± The two stared at Jeong-hoon with wide eyes. ¡°I have too many pouches. You don¡¯t want it?¡± ¡°No!¡± ¡°Of course not!¡± 100,000 gold. 1 billion won. Who would refuse such an offer? They hurriedly put the pouches into their inventories, afraid someone might snatch them away. [Additional rewards can be obtained.] But the rewards didn¡¯t end there. ¡°And Jeong-hoon, I want to give you one more reward.¡± ¡°A reward?¡± ¡°Yes. If you don¡¯t mind, would you follow me for a moment?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Altair stood up. Jeong-hoon told the two to stay put and followed Altair. ¡®Where are we going?¡¯ He was heading towards a building at the back of the residence. ¡°This is a ce dedicated to honoring the first leader.¡± ¡°I see. But why are you bringing me here?¡± ¡°What I want to give you is inside.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± What kind of precious item was he going to give him? He hadn¡¯t expected much, but now he couldn¡¯t help but get excited. His heart started pounding. [Oh, is he going to give you something the first leader used?] ¡®Seems like it. But if it¡¯s a bow, don¡¯t take it.¡¯ [Huh? Why shouldn¡¯t he take a bow?] ¡®I¡¯m here, iparable to any other bow. Why would he use another one? Hell no.¡¯ [Hahaha, are you jealous?] ¡®It¡¯s not jealousy, it¡¯s just stating facts. Anyway, don¡¯t take the bow.¡¯ Jeong-hoon chuckled and followed Altair into the building. The walls were filled with records of the first leader¡¯s life. ¡°The first leader was an idol to all archers at the time.¡± The first leader. Uris Von Askenstone. He was called the Divine Archer in the city and was a natural-born warmonger. He waged countless wars, excelling in strategy and tactics, and won numerous battles, leading to the continuous expansion of the City of Archer¡¯s territory and its growth into a powerful city. ¡°Are you perhaps going to give me something the first leader used?¡± ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re quick-witted.¡± Altair grinned and approached a warehouse inside. Only the current leader could open this warehouse, and unlike the basement Markus had created, its door couldn¡¯t be opened by force. Altair ced his hand on the warehouse door. Wooooong- The door vibrated slightly and slowly slid open. There was an item ced in front of them. ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ It was unfamiliar even to Jeong-hoon, who had experienced regression. Such an item had never appeared before his regression. In other words, this was its first appearance. Altair carefully picked up the item and approached Jeong-hoon. ¡°Would you ept this?¡± === [Head Ornament Infused with the Spirit of a Divine Beast] ¨C Type: Head Ornament ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Special Ability (1): Increases attack and defense by 25%. ¨C Special Ability (2): With a certain probability, the energy of the divine beast manifests, dealing AoE damage to surrounding enemies. ¨C Special Ability (3): Increases bow firing speed by 10%, and increases the chance of ignoring enemy defense by 10%. ¨C Special Ability (4): X (Ability lost due to an unknown force) * Most abilities have been lost due to an unknown force. * As a result, the grade has been lowered. === Insane. It¡¯s this powerful even with its abilities lost? If the fragments were restored, just how powerful would it be¡­? It was still Legendary even after its grade had been lowered. That meant this ornament was at least Celestial grade originally. ¡®To think an item of this grade existed in a city where levels 201-250 reside¡­¡¯ It made him realize just how great of an archer Uris was in his time. ¡°Can I really ept this?¡± ¡°Of course. Without you, the City of Archer would have been at the mercy of Markus. I want to bestow this upon you for saving us from such danger.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a very difficult item to handle, even the leader couldn¡¯t control it¡­ but I believe you can handle it.¡± Difficult to handle? No problem. Jeong-hoon, who had handled countless pieces of equipment, was confident he could handle this head ornament as well. ¡°Yes. Then I¡¯ll gratefully ept it.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 182 Chapter 182 Meanwhile, Michael sought out Litton. ¡°Oh? Is it over already?¡± Litton asked with wide eyes. He hadn¡¯t imagined it would end so quickly. Although the speed at which the 20 bows were crafted was astonishing, the subsequent city repairs and cleaning were quests that required physicalbor. Moreover, the workload must have been considerable. Nevertheless, Michael hadpleted them perfectly. ¡°Yes. Please give me the next quest.¡± He hadpleted all three quests. However, Michael¡¯s face didn¡¯t brighten. This wasn¡¯t the end of the quests. ¡®Clear all three of them. Then I¡¯ll acknowledge you and give you a new quest. Justplete that one too.¡¯ But Litton wasn¡¯t giving him a quest, instead, he was lost in thought. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t he giving it to me?¡¯ Michael was a little nervous at the sight. He was currently disguised as a Ranger, but in truth, he was a Necromancer. He was secretly anxious, wondering if he had been caught. But it seemed he hadn¡¯t been discovered, as Litton suddenlyughed heartily and patted Michael on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard. Normally, I¡¯d give you more quests, but I can¡¯t keep making a benefactor work on such an auspicious day.¡± ¡°Benefactor¡­?¡± ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t know about the war?¡± Litton tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about it.¡± How could he not know that his master had summoned foreigners and quickly captured the Rogue¡¯ City? But he had to stay behind and continue with the quests. ¡°So, I won¡¯t give you any more quests and will give you the final reward.¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± Michael¡¯s face lit up. Did that mean he didn¡¯t have to do any more quests? ¡°Of course.¡± Litton hadn¡¯t liked the foreigner. That¡¯s why he deliberately gave him only difficult quests, but his opinion changed after seeing him help the City of Archer this time. ¡®It was thanks to the foreigner that the leader survived, the spy was caught, and the war was won without casualties.¡¯ Litton presented the final reward. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something I only give to those whoplete all the quests I offer.¡± It was a material called the Archer¡¯s Seal. The seal was a small, stamp-shaped item. ¡°A seal? Are you sure about this?¡± ¡°That seal is proof of a true archer.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± It was definitely the item his master wanted. He would surely be pleased, right? ¡®Master! I got the Archer¡¯s Seal!¡¯ ¡®Oh, that was fast? How did you do it?¡¯ ¡®Well, they said it was an auspicious day and gave it to me!¡¯ ¡®I see. Good job.¡¯ With those words of encouragement, all the fatigue in his body seemed to melt away. But there was still one important thing left. ¡®Um¡­ when will I get the Death Coffin?¡¯ ¡®Oh, that? You¡¯ll have to wait a bit longer for that.¡¯ It was like a bolt from the blue. ¡®What¡­? I came all this way just for the Death Coffin.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll definitely give it to you, so wait. Have you ever seen me lie?¡¯ ¡®No, but¡­¡¯ ¡®Then go back.¡¯ ¡®Yes¡­¡¯ Just you wait, if you don¡¯t give it to me¡­ * * * With the Archer¡¯s Seal that Michael brought, Jeong-hoon could now obtain the ¡®Completed Archer¡¯s Mark.¡¯ [You can upgrade the Archer¡¯s Mark.] [Would you like to upgrade?] ¡®Yes.¡¯ As he attempted the upgrade, the Archer¡¯s Mark in his hand was enveloped in light. When the light faded, a different mark was in its ce. [Completed Archer¡¯s Mark] ¨C Type: Material ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Aplete Archer¡¯s Mark. It was done. He had sessfully restored the Archer¡¯s Mark. Jeong-hoon took out the Highest Grade Experience Elixir he had stored in his inventory. [Highest Grade Experience Elixir] ¨C Type: Elixir ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Grants arge amount of experience when consumed. A Legendary grade elixir, no less. Jeong-hoon gulped down the elixir. [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 granted.] The messages started popping up continuously. Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled up at the endless stream of messages. ¡®I gained 17 levels from just this one elixir.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s level, which was 209, jumped to 226 in an instant. With the increase to level 226, his stats also rose overall. Jeong-hoon focused on allocating points to mana and divine power, and invested the rest in strength and agility. [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 312(+31) -> 343 ¨C Agility: 300(+31) -> 331 ¨C Health: 293(+30) -> 323 ¨C Defense: 284(+28) -> 312 ¨C Wisdom: 274(+27) -> 301 ¨C Mana: 433(+43) -> 476 ¨C Divine Power: 433(+43) -> 476 ¨C Willpower: 269(+29) -> 298 With these stats, he could be considered on par with a level 350 user in terms of pure stats alone. ¡°Now then.¡± Next was the Head Ornament Infused with the Spirit of a Divine Beast. If no leader other than the first had been able to wear it because it was difficult to handle, it was highly likely to be an Ego item, like Mukho or Anima. Jeong-hoon put on the head ornament. Immediately, a pain like a lightning bolt struck his head. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Jeong-hoon quickly took off the head ornament. The pain disappeared instantly. [Master? Are you okay?] ¡®What the hell is going on?¡¯ ¡°I felt intense pain when I wore this.¡± Was this why no one but the first leader could use it? [Then should we just throw it away?] ¡°No way.¡± It made him even more determined. He would tame it no matter what. Jeong-hoon put the head ornament back on. Again, his head throbbed as if it would split open. It was so painful that he could barely stand, and Jeong-hoon knelt on one knee. [Uh oh? Are you okay?!] ¡®Master!¡¯ He heard Mukho and Anima¡¯s urgent voices, but at that moment, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t hear anything. Even Jeong-hoon, who was usually indifferent to pain, found the agony overwhelming. It felt like his mind would fly away if he didn¡¯t hold on tight. Then it happened. ¡®Growl.¡¯ Fenrir, who had been resting, suddenly bared its fangs. And then, a surprising change urred. The excruciating headache vanishedpletely. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡®Master, are you alright?¡¯ Fenrir asked politely. ¡°What? How did you do that?¡± ¡®I just suppressed the noisy remnants.¡¯ ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡®Of course, I¡¯m stronger.¡¯ Fenrir could suppress it because it was also a divine beast? That made sense. Fenrir was the divine beast that apanied Serion, the first leader of the Warrior City. On the other hand, the Head Ornament Infused with the Spirit of a Divine Beast was an item worn by Uris, the first leader who was active in the same era. Even though it had lost its power. It meant that Uris alsomanded a divine beast. ¡®Fenrir and this head ornament¡­ they¡¯ll be incredible once restored.¡¯ ¡°But this head ornament doesn¡¯t talk, does it?¡± He had naturally assumed it was an Ego item. ¡®I think it¡¯s because it has lost most of its power.¡¯ ¡°Really? That¡¯s good.¡± He already had enough with Mukho and Anima¡¯s chatter constantly ringing in his ears. Anyway, thanks to Fenrir¡¯s suppression, he no longer felt any headaches even when wearing the head ornament. It meant he had seeded in taming it, to some extent. * * * Whoosh- The capsule opened, and Jeong-hoon stepped out. It was already evening after finishing the reward settlement. ¡°Son, are you done with your business?¡± His mother, who had logged out earlier to prepare dinner, had made all of his favorite dishes. ¡°Wow¡­ Mom, why did you make so much?¡± ¡°I received a lot from you, so I put in some extra effort today.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to¡­¡± ¡°Come on, sit down quickly. The food will get cold.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± From bulgogi to various seasoned vegetables and his mother¡¯s signature soybean paste stew. There was everything. ¡°By the way, can I drink that elixir now?¡± ¡°Yes. I already drank mine.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. My level went up by 17.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ Legendary grade is something else.¡± ¡°Mom, you should try it too when you log in. I think your level will go up by 17 or 18.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± His mother¡¯s cooking was delicious. After finishing his meal quickly, Jeong-hoon exined his future ns. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m nning to participate in the siege war next.¡± ¡°Siege war?¡± His mother tilted her head in confusion. ¡°Yes.¡± Guilds always participated in the siege wars held at regr intervals. The results of the siege wars affected guild rankings by granting guild points. Additionally, siege war points were awarded, which could be used to purchase exclusive items. Of course, Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t participating in the siege war because he coveted those things. ¡®I need siege war points to prepare for the 3rd Cataclysm.¡¯ Siege war points. These points were given to individuals who participated, not to the guild itself. That was why guild members were eager to participate in siege wars. ¡®And famous guilds give out a ton of siege war points.¡¯ The system was inherently designed to favor famous guilds. Also, since the 3rd Cataclysm required participation as a guild, he needed to contribute to the guild to some extent. ¡°Hmm? But you¡¯ve never participated in a siege war before, have you?¡± His mother tilted her head. She must have found it strange that her son, who had never participated in siege wars before, suddenly wanted to join. Jeong-hoon smiled. ¡°I just want to try it once.¡± ¡°I see. Are you going with Ha-jin and that¡­ your brother?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re all nning to participate.¡± * * * Ho-Yeong Guild. Yeo Min-ji returned to the training ground. ¡°Oh! Your level went up by 2?¡± The guild member managing the training ground was surprised. Raising levels after reaching 300 was extremely difficult. The world¡¯s number one yer had barely surpassed level 500, so that spoke for itself. ¡°I¡¯ve been diligently clearing dungeonstely.¡± She had been tirelessly running dungeons since she had achieved some results in her training. She took short breaks when there were important matters like Jeong-hoon¡¯s summons, but other than that, she dedicated all her time to dungeons. As a result, she was able to raise her level by 2. ¡°Wow¡­ at this rate, you¡¯ll reach 400 in no time.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Monsters even stronger than her were leveling up more efficiently and faster. This was why, even with the same 24 hours, the gap widened drastically depending on how one leveled up. [Whisper/Hoon -> Minzi: Are you busy right now?] At that moment, a whisper came from Jeong-hoon. ¡®Hmm? What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Yeo Min-ji tilted her head and sent a reply. [Whisper/Minzi -> hoon: No, I¡¯m fine.] [Whisper/hoon -> Minzi: That¡¯s good. I was wondering if we could participate in the siege war, including the two new members.] [Whisper/Minzi -> hoon: The siege war?!] [Whisper/hoon -> Minzi: Yes. I heard there¡¯s a siege war in two weeks¡­ Is it possible?] Jeong-hoon had never participated in a siege war before. In fact, although it was mandatory for guild members to participate in siege wars, she had deliberately not rmended it to him. She was grateful enough that he had joined the guild. So, she had no intention of rmending it until he expressed his willingness to participate. [Whisper/Minzi -> hoon: Of course! We¡¯d love to have you!] Yeo Min-ji replied with excitement. Not only Jeong-hoon but also the Genesis Sniper, his mother, and the Dark Lord Ha-jin. Three hidden sses would be participating at once. There was no reason not to wee them. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 183 Chapter 183 Kim Bong-Goo couldn¡¯t stop smiling these days. Not only had he be a Specter, but he had also received a Unique grade item and a Highest Grade Experience Elixir. ¡®That item can be upgraded to Legendary.¡¯ It was currently Unique grade, but Jeong-hoon had said it could be upgraded to Legendary. His brother¡¯s words were absolute, so it must be true. ¡°Hey¡­ stop it, you¡¯re scaring me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to act like this now, huh?¡± His sister was looking at Kim Bong-Goo with a weary expression. It was understandable, as his grin hadn¡¯t left his face throughout the entire meal. ¡°Is there something good happening these days?¡± His mother broke the ice. ¡°Hehe, have you heard of Ho-Yeong?¡± ¡°Ho-Yeong?¡± His parents, who didn¡¯t y New World, seemed unfamiliar with it, while his sister seemed to know. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a really famous guild?¡± His sister didn¡¯t y New World either, but since most of her friends did, she knew a few famous guilds through them. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t be surprised. I joined them.¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°How could you join Ho-Yeong?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo was momentarily speechless. What did she take him for to spout such nonsense? ¡°If you joined Ho-Yeong, I¡¯d be rolling in money as a superstar right now. You know?¡± His sister scoffed and dismissed him, and Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s smile instantly twisted. ¡°Oh, really? Then what if I really did join Ho-Yeong?¡± ¡°Pfft! If you joined Ho-Yeong, I¡¯ll do anything you ask me to from now on.¡± ¡°Oh? Is that for real?¡± ¡°Yes. But if you¡¯re lying, you¡¯ll be my footstool for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°¡­Deal! Mom and Dad heard that, right?¡± Kim Bong-Goo eximed triumphantly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not deaf. I heard everything.¡± Kim Bong-Goo took out his smartphone, went to the New World homepage, and logged in. Upon logging in, his character¡¯s level, ss, and guild name were disyed. Of course, his nickname was hidden. === [yer Information] ¨C Level: 219 ¨C ss: Specter (3rd ss) ¨C Guild: Ho-Yeong === His sister¡¯s eyes widened. A triumphant smile bloomed on Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s face. ¡°So? It¡¯s Ho-Yeong, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No¡­ how can this trash Bong-Goo truck be in Ho-Yeong¡­?¡± ¡°Trash? That¡¯s a bit harsh.¡± ¡°¡­You fucking photoshopped this, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Swearing in front of our parents! Sister! Watch yournguage!¡± ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± His sister could only stammer, shocked. His parents were also surprised. ¡°No way¡­ what¡¯s gotten into you?¡± ¡°Oh my¡­ and you used to swear at your sister in front of us¡­?¡± ¡­ He had no words to say to that. Anyway, what was wrong was wrong. ¡°Ahem, your son has matured.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So, sister? You¡¯re now in charge of cleaning the Bong-Goo truck. Take good care of me from now on.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Buzz- His smartphone vibrated. [Monster] ¡°¡­!¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes widened. He hurriedly got up from his seat. ¡°Well, I enjoyed the meal!¡± He rushed to his room and answered the call. [Hello?] ¡°Yes! Brother!¡± [I have something to tell you, soe to the cafe. I¡¯ll send you the address.] ¡°Yes!¡± Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly left the house. * * * Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo gathered in one ce. ¡°You came quickly?¡± ¡°You told me to hurry.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ you told me toe quickly.¡± Jeong-hoonughed at their words, looking dumbfounded. Anyone would think he had actually threatened them. He had simply asked them toe to the cafe because he had something to discuss. ¡°No time for chit-chat. The reason I called you here is to participate in the siege war that¡¯s happening soon.¡± ¡°Siege war?¡± ¡°The siege war?!¡± Their eyes sparkled. The siege war, also known as the flower of the guild. One of the biggest benefits of joining a famous guild was the siege war. Assuming they joined a well-established guild, they could earn a considerable amount of siege war points just by participating. These points could be used to purchase various items or exchanged for gold through NPCs. There were many ways for famous guilds to umte vast wealth, and siege wars yed a significant role among them. ¡°Can you do it?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°Wow, it was my dream to participate in a siege war with a famous guild¡­¡± There was another reason why Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo were so excited. The reason why famous guilds could always rank high in siege wars was because of their well-established systems. In siege wars, only exclusive equipment and items could be used, and top-tier guilds like Ho-Yeong could provide more powerful equipment. Moreover, they had guild members with high levels, skills and strategies, organization and cooperation, and additional buffs. This was why it was said that the rich get richer. ¡°Okay. Then that¡¯s all I wanted to say.¡± ¡°Huh? You called us here just for that?¡± ¡°Why? Do you want to go hunting?¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. The schedule in the City of Archer had been quite hectic, and the entire city was in turmoil due to the war between the City of Archer and the Rogue¡¯ City. The Rogue¡¯ City had banned foreigners from entering, while the City of Archer was in a festive mood. Various cities, including the Warrior City, were closely watching the situation, and as a result, foreigners weren¡¯t viewed favorably even if they entered. Unlike the Rogue¡¯ City, which actively weed foreigners, the City of Archer excluded those who weren¡¯t archers. Nevertheless, the foreigners had sided with the City of Archer, so it was natural for them to be seen with resentment. ¡°Haha, wouldn¡¯t it be better to rest for a bit?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± They were being ridiculous. These guys, who had been logging in every single day since getting their capsules, were talking about resting? He thought this inwardly but didn¡¯t say it out loud. ¡°Really? Then what are your current levels?¡± ¡°I¡¯m 219.¡± ¡°Me too, 219.¡± They had been 201, but after consuming the Legendary Experience Elixir, they instantly reached 219. ¡°Okay. Then I¡¯ll see you in two weeks.¡± ¡°Huh? You want us to rest for two weeks?¡± Unlike Ha-jin, who was surprised, Kim Bong-Goo inwardly cheered. ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m nning to take it easy until the siege war starts.¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s not exactly why I suggested resting.¡± ¡°Anyway, prepare well for the next siege war.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± *** Two weeks passed. During that time, Jeong-hoon visited the Holy City and obtained the Death Coffin. The Death Coffin was an item that had already appeared, but it was sealed in the temple because it was said to be cursed. Jeong-hoon used a disguise potion to transform into a priest. Since he possessed divine power, no one doubted that he was a priest. Thanks to that, he was able to easily steal the coffin. ¡®How dare someone!¡¯ ¡®Who has sphemed against God!¡¯ ¡®Taking that will bring a curse upon you!¡¯ They were in an uproar, but Jeong-hoon ignored them. ¡®This Death Coffin was originally created when the Holy City persecuted and killed a powerful Necromancer of that era, sealing his corpse inside.¡¯ They were a wicked group that pretended to be holy. At least, that¡¯s how Jeong-hoon saw them. ¡°Master! Thank you!¡± Michael, who received the Death Coffin, stroked it repeatedly. ¡°Try to tame it well.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Death Coffin. Taming the Necromancer sleeping inside and making him his servant. It was Michael¡¯s specialty as a Necromancer. After finishing his schedule, Jeong-hoon immediately headed to Ho-Yeong. ¡°Mr. Jeong-hoon, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Yeo Sunwoo was waiting for him in front of Ho-Yeong. ¡°Yes, it has.¡± ¡°Thank you sincerely for participating in the siege war. Thanks to you, I feel confident about this defense.¡± Yeo Sunwoo smiled. He wasn¡¯t just saying that; Jeong-hoon would undoubtedly be a great asset to Ho-Yeong¡¯s strength. Soon after, Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo also arrived at Ho-Yeong. The new recruits. A hidden ss Dark Lord and a Unique grade Specter. ¡®Jeong-hoon is a lucky charm.¡¯ They were all rmended by Jeong-hoon. In the eyes of the Ho-Yeong guild leader, Jeong-hoon was more than just a lucky charm. ¡°Wee. This is the first time we¡¯ve met in person, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Oh my! Hello!¡± Kim Bong-Goo recognized him and bowed 90 degrees. As a fellow Rogue ss, he couldn¡¯t know Yeo Sunwoo, who was ranked number one. ¡°Yes. I look forward to working with you in the siege war today.¡± Yeo Sunwoo extended his hand to Kim Bong-Goo. He shook his hand with a touched expression. ¡°Yes! You can count on me!¡± ¡°Yes, I have high expectations. Well then.¡± Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s gaze shifted to Ha-jin beside him. A hidden ss in the warrior category. The Dark Lord. His gaze was markedly different from when he looked at Kim Bong-Goo. ¡°Hello! I¡¯m Jang Ha-jin, a new recruit.¡± ¡°Yes. I have high expectations for you. I look forward to working with you today.¡± Ha-jin shook Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s hand. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°By the way, is Yeo Na not here yet?¡± Yeo Sunwoo turned his gaze to Jeong-hoon. ¡°She¡¯ll be a littlete.¡± She said she was on her way, but it seemed like it would take some time. ¡°I see. Then may I go in first?¡± He didn¡¯t have time to wait like this, as he had to organize the members. ¡°Yes, please do.¡± ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll see youter then.¡± Yeo Sunwoo entered the building. Only then did Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo turn their attention to the Ho-Yeong building. ¡°Wow¡­ so this is Ho-Yeong.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really amazing¡­¡± The Ho-Yeong building, built within the game. Kim Bong-Goo, seeing it for the first time, gaped in awe. Usually, guilds below mid-level didn¡¯t have suchrge buildings. Many guilds even rented mansions for their use. This building was enormous, iparable to those. It was a modern building, far from the medieval European style, standing tall, which was quite surprising. ¡°Jeong-hoon, it¡¯s finally hitting me that I¡¯m in Ho-Yeong.¡± Ha-jin whispered to Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since you joined, and it¡¯s only hitting you now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how amazing it is.¡± ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s do well today.¡± The siege war was about to begin. To start the siege war, they had to move through a portal generated in the basement. The maximum number of guild members who could participate in the siege war was 200. Ho-Yeong had a full roster of 200, but with the addition of Jeong-hoon, Ha-jin, Kim Bong-Goo, and his mother, Lee Na-yeon, they had to exclude four members who were rtively weaker in terms ofbat power. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± Kim Bong-Goo replied energetically. Today¡¯s siege war was his debut. The image he presented here would determine his future. ¡°Okay.¡± Jeong-hoon, on the other hand, seemed very rxed. There was no trace of nervousness in him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you even nervous?¡± Ha-jin looked at him curiously. Jeong-hoon shrugged. ¡°Why should I be?¡± The oue of the siege war didn¡¯t matter to him. He just needed to participate and earn a small amount of points. ¡°As expected¡­ you have the strongest heart among all the people I¡¯ve met.¡± ¡°Whatever. Anyway, do you guys want to go in first? I¡¯ll wait for Mom and join youter.¡± It seemed like she would be a bit longer than expected. He thought it would be more reasonable for the two of them to go in first and observe the situation rather than everyone waiting together. ¡°Hmm, okay. I understand.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Ha-jin and Kim Bong-Goo tactfully left for the siege war field. About 20 minutester, his mother arrived. She apologized to Jeong-hoon with a face full of guilt. ¡°Son, I¡¯m sorry. Am I toote?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. Did youe straight from the tower?¡± ¡°Yes. I tried to make it on time, but the training took longer than expected.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ but you¡¯re already level 222?¡± During the two weeks, his mother had returned to the tower and focused on her growth. As a result, her level had risen to 222. With this, the level difference between Jeong-Hoon and his mother was a mere 4. ¡°Luck was on your side.¡± ¡°Congrattions. Shall we hurry inside then?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯rete, so we need to do our best.¡± His mother clenched her fist. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you to carry us.¡± Jeong-Hoon descended underground with his mother. Yeo Min-Ji was organizing the group in front of the underground portal. ¡°Mother! Over here!¡± Yeo Min-Ji waved her hand upon spotting his mother. ¡°Min-Ji, I¡¯m sorry. Am I toote?¡± ¡°Not at all! Was it difficult getting here?¡± She exchanged a few brief words with his mother. Jeong-Hoon, who had been listening quietly, quickly interjected. ¡°Alright, we don¡¯t have time, let¡¯s move.¡± ¡°Ah, yes! Please use this portal. I¡¯ll join you shortly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± As Jeong-Hoon and his mother stepped into the portal, their bodies were sucked into it. [Teleporting to the Siege War field.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 184 Chapter 184 The monthly Siege War. The Siege War proceeds in a very simple manner. The guild that conquered the castle in the previous Siege War defends it, and the guilds that failed to conquer the castle must attack and upy it. The defense is at an overwhelming disadvantage here, because they have to defend against multiple guilds aiming for the castle. Ho-Yeong conquered 3 castles in the previous Siege War. The final result was 2nd ce. 1st ce went to Dogjeon, led by Min Jin-Ho. Before that, Myth used to take 1st ce like it was nothing, but after losing 3 castles, they recorded 3rd ce. Among them, thergest castle was taken by Ho-Yeong. So Myth must have been grinding their teeth in preparation. [You achieved 2nd ce in the previous Siege War.] [Bonus buffs will be granted.] [Please select the desired buff.] As Jeong-Hoon entered the field, a list of buffs unfolded before his eyes. [Defense and HP increase] [Resource acquisition speed increase] [Attack power and critical hit chance increase] [Slight increase in detailed stats] [Skill cooldown reduction (2%)] [Recovery increase] ¡®Attack power increase would be good.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chose firepower without hesitation. ¡°We absolutely must defend this castle.¡± Yeo Min-Ji quickly briefed them. The most important castle among those Ho-Yeong conquered. It is the centrally located castle taken from Myth. If this castle falls, it will have a tremendous impact on the final result. The other 2 castles are rtively less important, so not many are aiming for them, but this castle is a tempting target that even named guilds covet. ¡°Then, shall we defend this castle here?¡± ¡°Yes. We will send 30 people to each of the other castles and deploy 140 people to this castle.¡± 140 people were deployed to defend the castle at all costs. That was 70% of the total number of people. [Please select options for defense.] From now on, Yeo Sunwoo will make the settings. You can¡¯t defend the castle with nothing. So, from strengthening the walls to installing transparent barriers in front of them. You can receive and deploy additional NPC soldiers, which can be used for defense during the Siege War. Also, there¡¯s a defense-only skill granted only to guild members who own the castle. This skill can only be activated when defending the castle. ¡°You can take out your equipment here.¡± All the equipment provided was of Unique grade. They didn¡¯t have special abilities, but the weapons ignored a certain amount of the opponent¡¯s defense and provided additional attack power when attacking users. Simrly, the armor had options to reduce damage and further increase defense. Usually, the equipment consists of Rare to Epic grades, but as expected of a named guild, the equipment is of Unique grade. ¡°What weapon are you going to take?¡± Yeo Min-Ji asked. ¡°I¡¯ll take a sword and a bow.¡± Jeong-Hoon took a sword and a bow. *** Myth Guild. Led by Sa Jae-Hyeok, the Myth Guild gnashed their teeth as they looked at the castle Ho-Yeong had conquered. ¡°We must conquer that castle.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ho-Yeong had conquered a total of three castles. However, the other two were just a bonus, the main game was therge castle located in the center. Originally, Myth had sessfully defended thatrge castle countless times, but in the previous Siege War, they failed to stop Ho-Yeong¡¯s advance and lost it. As a result, they suffered the humiliation of dropping from 1st ce to 3rd. That¡¯s why Myth was grinding their teeth now. To bring down Ho-Yeong, who was in 2nd ce, not Dogjeon, who was in 1st. ¡°When I think about what I suffered because of Ho-Yeong¡­ Ugh.¡± 1 million gold was lost in a sh, and Lee Hwa-Rang, who was a ranker, had long been pushed back due to continuous suspensions. So, they were determined to conquer that castle. The time limit for the Siege War was 3 hours. If they failed to conquer it within 3 hours, Ho-Yeong would seed in defending it and gain a massive amount of points. ¡°Guild Master, preparations areplete.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Myth moved at Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯smand. The only way to conquer the castle was a direct attack. Even if they wanted to attack from the rear, the vast ins surrounding the castle made it impossible to choose any path without being detected. In other words, it was a battle of firepower. A maximum of 200 people. Composed of elite members, Ho-Yeong would surely fall. ¡°It¡¯s Myth¡­¡± ¡°Are theying here?¡± The Sylphid Guild was watching Myth¡¯s movements from inside the castle. They were close enough to engage in battle if necessary. However, Myth disappeared without even ncing at their castle, as if they had no interest in it. ¡°What? Why are they just leaving?¡± Han Ji-Ye, the Sylphid Guild Master, tilted her head in confusion. Myth, who had their 1st ce taken away in thest month¡¯s Siege War. So they would try to secure as many castles as possible. Why were they just passing by this castle? ¡°It seems they¡¯re targeting Ho-Yeong.¡± ¡°From the beginning¡­?¡± ¡°It seems they want to push Ho-Yeong out and secure 1st ce for sure.¡± Once a conquest is made, reconquest in that Siege War is impossible. Myth¡¯s n was to conquer Ho-Yeong¡¯s castle first and then slowly expand their reach. ¡°The ck Moon guys areing!¡± This was not the time to be thinking about Myth. ck Moon was swarming towards the castle upied by Sylphid. They were a guild with a simr ranking to Sylphid. Not only that. ¡°The Red Foxes areing too!¡± Simrly, the Red Foxes, who were of a simr rank. In an instant, two guilds took charge of the east and west and began to break down the walls. ¡°Stop them!¡± The Siege War began. Myth passed by all the castles under attack and arrived at the castle Ho-Yeong had seized. And that¡¯s when it happened. ¡°Pyororong!¡± With a strange voice, an NPC appeared in mid-air. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Ling Ling -Level: 700 -upation: Event NPC === Event NPC Ling Ling. Sa Jae-Hyeok, who was about to charge towards the castle Ho-Yeong had seized, raised his hand to stop. ¡°What¡¯s this¡­?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok tilted his head in confusion. Event NPCs don¡¯t usually appear, they only appear during events. So why did an NPC appear in the monthly Siege War? ¡°Is it a surprise event?¡± If so, it made sense. Ling Ling looked down at the bewildered users and grinned. ¡°Surprised, aren¡¯t you? I was also surprised to appear like this!¡± ¡°¡­¡± The users looked at Ling Ling without saying a word. As a result, the Siege War was momentarily halted. ¡°You must be wondering why I appeared. Actually, I was nning another event, but¡­ well, there¡¯s no need for that anymore.¡± ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s she talking about?¡± The users started murmuring. ¡°So, I was thinking¡­ I¡¯d like to give some penalties.¡± ¡°Penalties?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! I actually wanted to give penalties a few times¡­ but unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work out, so this time I¡¯m going to impose them forcibly.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± Ling Ling grinned, looking at a certain ce. It was the castle that Ho-Yeong¡¯s guild had seized. *** [What¡¯s she talking about?] ¡®Penalties? Master, do you know what that means?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t say anything in response to Mukho and Anima¡¯s questions. ¡®There¡¯s still some time before the 3rd Cataclysm begins.¡¯ If it were before his regression, this Siege War would end, and about 3 weekster, an event would be held. That was the final chaos, the 3rd Cataclysm. ¡®The future has changed¡­¡¯ For some reason, Ling Ling, who shouldn¡¯t have appeared in the Siege War, did, and she announced that she had canceled the event she was nning. ¡®¡­Is it because I prevented the chaos?¡¯ Originally, the 1st and 2nd Cataclysms should have brought chaos to Earth. However, peace was maintained as Jeong-Hoon sessfullypleted the events with absurd difficulty levels. History has been repeatedly twisted, so the ones above must have started to move. I had forgotten for a moment, as things had been going smoothly ording to n until now. That their whims are beyond imagination. ¡°Well then, shall we have a little chat?¡± Ling Ling snapped her fingers. Then, his vision went dark, and a white wall appeared. ¡®Where is this?¡¯ It was a familiar space. It was the white room where he had talked with Ling Ling before moving to the event location. ¡°Long time no see!¡± Ling Ling greeted Jeong-Hoon with a grin. ¡°¡­What have you done?¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s okay. The Siege War will continue as it is. Of course, you¡¯ll be unconscious for a while.¡± ¡°Unconscious¡­?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. In other words, this is your dream.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°¡­Why did you bring me here?¡± ¡°What else? I wanted to have onest bet with you before the penalty is given, so I forced myself to appear.¡± So, she interfered with the Siege War because she wanted to make a bet? ¡°Onest bet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Make your guild number one in this Siege War.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon stared at Ling Ling without saying a word. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t look at me like that. I¡¯m also taking a risk by making this bet.¡± ¡°Risk?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Actually, they said they¡¯re going to impose a penalty on Earth without warning. But I can¡¯t just stand by and watch.¡± Jeong-Hoon let out a hollowugh, as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡®You¡¯re going to give the final chaos in this way?¡¯ That couldn¡¯t be allowed. ¡°If we take first ce, remove the penalty.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s a bit difficult.¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t do it.¡± Jeong-Hoon turned around. Ling Ling hurriedly waved her hands. ¡°Wait! Hear me out till the end. If you take first ce, I¡¯ll fill up all of your Heavenly Energy.¡± ¡°Heavenly Energy?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened. 100% Heavenly Energy. It was the first condition to advance to the next level after Legendary. The amount of energy Jeong-Hoon currently had was 25%. She was saying she would make that Heavenly Energy 100%. ¡°So, what do you say? Will you try?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why?!¡± ¡°Add to the terms. An overwhelming first ce.¡± ¡°An overwhelming first ce?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll achieve an overwhelming first ce, so add the removal of the penalty. How about it?¡± Ling Ling pondered for a moment. Achieving an overwhelming first ce in the Siege War was almost impossible. ¡°What if you fail?¡± ¡°Do whatever you want, whether it¡¯s imposing a penalty or something else.¡± ¡°¡­Alright! You said overwhelming. Then finish with at least 2 more castles than 2nd ce.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Currently, Dogjeon was in 1st ce. Although Ho-Yeong was currently in 2nd ce, Dogjeon was a named guild that consistently ranked high in Siege Wars. And in the previous Siege War, they seeded in taking 1st ce by conquering a whopping 5 castles. To achieve an overwhelming 1st ce, they had to crush Dogjeon and secure as many castles as possible. ¡°Great! Then I wish you good luck!¡± Ling Ling snapped her fingers. Then, his vision went dark, and soon a familiar scene came into view. ¡°Son! Wake up!¡± His mother was looking down at him with worried eyes. Jeong-Hoon slowly got up. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ What about the NPC?¡± ¡°She suddenly disappeared.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Are you hurt somewhere? No¡­ Can you even faint in a game like this?¡± Originally, if you faint, you would be automatically logged out and the capsule would be forcibly opened. However, Jeong-Hoon did not log out even though he fainted. ¡°What¡¯s the situation now?¡± ¡°The Myth Guild is attacking!¡± Jeong-Hoon looked down from the castle wall. Below, users of the warrior ss were forming a defensive line. Ha-Jin was also included in that line, and inside the gate, close-range users like thieves and martial artists were hiding in stealth. This was so they could join immediately when the warriors shed with the enemy. ¡°¡­Mom, I think we need to get 1st ce in this Siege War.¡± ¡°1st ce?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Originally, he nned tofortably earn Siege War points and prepare for the 3rd Cataclysm, but with Ling Ling¡¯s appearance, the n had to bepletely revised. This Siege War. Ho-Yeong must take 1st ce. To do that, they first had to drive out the Myth Guild and conquer at least 2 or more castles that Dogjeon upied. ¡°Okay. We have to get 1st ce, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached Yeo Sunwoo, who was leading the guild members, and said. ¡°Yes¡­? 1st ce?¡± Yeo Sunwoo asked back with a surprised face. Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s original n was to sessfully defend this castle. ¡°What do you think? Ho-Yeong finishing in 1st ce.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Honestly, if possible, I want to take 1st ce.¡± However, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t have the desire for 1st ce. He had justpromised because it wasn¡¯t realistically easy. ¡°Okay. I understand.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 185 Chapter 185 Jeong-Hoon descended from the castle wall. Yeo Min-Ji was waiting below with the other users. ¡°Huh? Why did youe down here?¡± Yeo Min-Ji looked puzzled. This was because Jeong-Hoon had chosen a sword and a bow, but he was nning to focus on supporting from the backline using the bow. ¡°The n has changed a bit.¡± ¡°The n?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m thinking of making Ho-Yeong number one in this Siege War.¡± ¡°¡­What?!¡± Yeo Min-Ji asked back with a surprised face. That was understandable, because Ho-Yeong¡¯s goal was to maintain their rank. It wasn¡¯t to take first ce. In the first ce, even their current 2nd ce was the first time they had achieved such a high rank since the Siege War began. ¡°Yes. So let¡¯s sweep away Myth over there first.¡± Jeong-Hoon slightly opened the castle gate and joined the warrior users. Yeo Min-Ji followed him. ¡°I¡¯m going with you!¡± ¡°You can wait in the back and jointer.¡± ¡°How can I just watch from behind when Hoon is going out there?¡± ¡°Do as you please.¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled. ¡°Huh? Hoon?¡± Ha-Jin, who was ring at the Myth Guild from the front line, recognized Jeong-Hoon. ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°The barrier is about to break¡­ Their firepower is no joke.¡± NPCs were waiting behind the barrier. Their role was to surround the front of the castle wall and block the attacking users. Of course, they were purely focused on defense, not attack power, and were simply meant to buy time. ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s go.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached the NPCs. Ha-Jin grabbed his wrist. ¡°What are you going to do alone?¡± ¡°The moment that barrier breaks, I¡¯m going to attack Myth.¡± ¡°Are you serious¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Looking at the number of Myth members, it seemed like all 200 of them had gathered, but Jeong-Hoon was confident. ¡®Shall we go then?¡¯ He was only level 226, but this was enough. [ckfield is activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that invade the area are decreased by 10%.] As always, he activated ckfield. His current detailed stats were alreadyparable to those of level 350 users, and with a 1.5 times increase, no one could face Jeong-Hoon alone. ¡®With ckfield alone, most of my stats have exceeded 450. This is enough.¡¯ If he equipped all the additional opportunities he had gained here, he would be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the world¡¯s top rankers. Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring. It was a shame that Anima wasn¡¯t there, but this was enough. *Crack!* Crack! Cracks appeared in the barrier that had been set up, and it crumbled in an instant. ¡°How did it break so fast?!¡± The warrior users gritted their teeth. They had anticipated Myth¡¯s firepower to some extent, but they hadn¡¯t expected it to break through so quickly. It meant that they were that determined to conquer this castle. ¡°Charge!¡± As the barrier broke, the Myth Guild members rushed towards the castle wall. And Jeong-Hoon released the bowstring he had been pulling. Whoosh! The arrow shot out and pierced the neck of a charging user. ¡°Cough!¡± The user, hit in a vital spot, copsed and vanished. They were instantly killed and forcibly returned to their guild. This was because in the Siege War field, once you die, you are forcibly removed, not logged out. Furthermore, a shockwave erupted around that user. A shockwave with 150% attack power. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Cough!¡± The users caught in the shockwave were knocked down. 150% attack power was not to be underestimated, as Jeong-Hoon boasted statsparable to users in the early to mid 400 level range. ¡°Critical injury!¡± ¡°Healer! Healer!¡± The Myth Guild members in the front line urgently called for a healer. But before they could be healed, magic poured down on them from the castle wall. Crackle! Boom! With the overwhelming firepower, the mages created barriers to protect theirrades and then responded with magic. ¡°Damn it!¡± However, Sa Jae-Hyeok had no interest in their magic. The arrow that had just flown in. That arrow was not an ordinary arrow. Song Eun-Cheol, a level 257 Guardian Knight, was instantly killed by a single arrow. That Song Eun-Cheol, with his high defense. ¡®So it¡¯s the guy who humiliated me.¡¯ The despicable guy who took 1 million gold from him. That guy must be right there in front of him. Whoosh! And another arrow flew from the same spot. The arrow urately struck the shield of a warrior in the front line. Then, a rain of arrows poured down on them. ¡°Aaagh!¡± ¡°Ack! Above! Block from above!¡± With arrows dealing 80% damage per shot raining down like a storm, 20-30 guild members couldn¡¯t hold on for long and were forcibly removed. ¡°What the¡­¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s pupils shook. One-third of the warriors in the front line disappeared in an instant. ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­¡± ¡°Who on earth¡­?¡± The Myth Guild members were equally dumbfounded. Their n was to conquer this castle and expand their reach to reim the 1st ce in the Siege War. But before they could even conquer the castle, their front line had crumbled. At this rate, the 1st ce in the Siege War would be a pipe dream. Sa Jae-Hyeok gritted his teeth and gave the retreat order. ¡°¡­Retreat.¡± ¡°Guild Master¡­?!¡± ¡°At this rate, Myth won¡¯t be able to avoid the lower ranks. Change course and aim for another castle.¡± He wanted to drag that damn guy over and cut his throat right away, but given the situation, they had to retreat. And at that moment, Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and quickly approached the Myth Guild members. Reaching the front line, he unleashed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and started knocking down the guild members. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°That bastard!¡± The mages prepared their magic, and the warrior and thief users started to confront Jeong-Hoon. However, all the attacks directed at Jeong-Hoon missed, and he used his movement technique to adjust his stride and punch their faces. *Thud!* Thud! The Myth Guild members, hit in the jaw, lost their bnce and fell to the ground. Whoosh! Jeong-Hoon, who was about to throw a punch, suddenly twisted his waist and stepped back. A sword de swept past where he had been standing. ¡°You have better eyes than I thought.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok red at Jeong-Hoon with eyes burning with hatred. Normally, he would be armed with the ck Dragon Set, but since it was the Siege War, he was also equipped with Siege War-specific equipment. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Jeong-Hoon wiped the blood off his fist and grinned. ¡°Ugh¡­ Go back while I¡¯m still being nice.¡± ¡°Go back? I¡¯m sorry, but Myth needs to be eliminated here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite bold. You dare talk about elimination in front of me, the Sword King?¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Try it if you can.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s figure blurred, and he instantly appeared in front of Jeong-Hoon. At the same time, he thrust his sword forward. A sharp sword strike. Jeong-Hoon stepped back with his left foot and twisted his body, narrowly dodging it. Then, he struck Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s abdomen with the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Bang! ¡°Cough!¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s eyes were bloodshot with pain. The damage that the armor should have defended against went straight into his abdomen. This can¡¯t be happening! His insides burned, and blood gushed out of his mouth. Hum- A sword path materialized beneath his feet. A light blue mana extended in a thin line, drawing arge circle. The Sword King¡¯s space was created. Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s sword strikes became even sharper. When Jeong-Hoon dodged a sword strike, another one flew towards that spot. The Sword King¡¯s space, reading even the slightest movements. However, Sa Jae-Hyeok frowned. ¡®What¡¯s this? Why can¡¯t I read it properly?¡¯ When he couldn¡¯t properly read the enemy¡¯s attack that had entered his space, it meant that the enemy¡¯s stats surpassed his own. But Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s level was 412. Although he was still in his 4th ss advancement because the 5th ss quest was too difficult, he was one of the few users in South Korea who had surpassed level 400. Yet, he couldn¡¯t properly read the movements of a mere level 226 martial artist. Thud! At that moment, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist struck Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s abdomen once again. ¡°Cough!¡± As expected, this attack also dealt full damage. Sa Jae-Hyeok tried to grab Jeong-Hoon by the cor with his left hand. But Jeong-Hoon leaned back, avoiding his grasp, and punched him in the side. ¡°Ugh!¡± He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but at this rate, he would lose. Sa Jae-Hyeok channeled his mana and activated an additional skill. The sword energy that was flickering on the sword de started to bubble, and countless orbs floated up. Those orbs all rushed towards Jeong-Hoon at once. *Bang!* Bang! The orbs exploded as soon as they touched Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body, and small des pierced through his armor and into his flesh. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s health, which had been at 100%, dropped by over 30%. It was truly tremendous damage. [Using Advanced Healing.] Even so, his health quickly recovered with Advanced Healing. Jeong-Hoon drew his sword. ¡°It would be even more humiliating to fall by the sword, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± ng! Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s sword and Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword shed. Sa Jae-Hyeok frowned. Normally, he should be able to overpower him with strength, but Jeong-Hoon was holding his ground against his sword. ¡®How¡­?!¡¯ Moreover, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s expression showedposure. He smiled faintly and said, ¡°How is it? Our strength is simr, right?¡± ¡°What trick did you use?!¡± ¡°What you see is not everything.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok let out a momentarily dumbfounded voice, then parried Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword and swung again. *ng!* ng! The metallic sounds rang out continuously. They exchanged over 10 blows in an instant, and as time passed, Sa Jae-Hyeok started to show openings. Sa Jae-Hyeok was being pushed back in pure swordsmanship. ¡®This can¡¯t be¡­ I¡¯m losing in swordsmanship?!¡¯ At that moment, Jeong-Hoon deflected Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s thrusting sword to the side and then swung his sword upwards. Slice. Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s wrist fell to the ground, and his sword ttered on the ground as well. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok was dumbfounded, staring nkly at his wrist on the ground. ¡°It was a good fight.¡± Jeong-Hoon shed diagonally with his sword, cutting Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s neck. Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s body disappeared instantly. He was instantly killed and forcibly removed. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°The Guild Master has been defeated¡­¡± The Myth Guild members, who had witnessed their leader¡¯s defeat firsthand, denied reality. The number one warrior in South Korea was defeated by a mere level 226 martial artist? Was this even possible? ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to be admiring the view.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed his sword at the Myth Guild members. His next targets were the remaining guild members. And behind them, Ho-Yeong¡¯s warriors were charging. ¡°Charge!¡± ¡°Crush them all!¡± *** Myth¡¯s elimination. Once Sa Jae-Hyeok was defeated, the rest quickly self-destructed. ¡°Huh¡­¡± Yeo Sunwoo, who was watching from afar, couldn¡¯t help but admire. He thought he had grasped Jeong-Hoon¡¯s strength to some extent, but he would have to erase that thought from today onwards. To think that he would overpower Sa Jae-Hyeok, who was on par with him. Moreover, Jeong-Hoon returned to the castlepletely unharmed. ¡°Guild Master, we¡¯ve eliminated Myth.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re truly amazing.¡± The word ¡®amazing¡¯ wasn¡¯t enough, but that was all he could say. He couldn¡¯t think of any other suitable expression. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll go and attack the castles Dogjeon has upied.¡± Yes. Jeong-Hoon said he would take 1st ce in this Siege War. Just defending like this, the chances of taking 1st ce in the Siege War were extremely low. If someone attacked Dogjeon and conquered their castles, the story would be different, but Dogjeon wasn¡¯t the type to be easily defeated. Although Dogjeon was pushed back by Myth and took 2nd ce, it was because they didn¡¯t aim for 1st ce. Compared to Myth, who recklessly charged forward, Dogjeon, who secretly subdued their opponents with poison, could be considered much more tricky. ¡°How many people should I assign to you?¡± But wouldn¡¯t Jeong-Hoon be able to subdue even Dogjeon? Yeo Sunwoo was willing to provide as many people as Jeong-Hoon wanted. ¡°No. I¡¯ll go alone.¡± ¡°What?! A-alone?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± But Jeong-Hoon now said he would go alone. At the absurd statement, Yeo Sunwoo hurriedly shook his head. ¡°You can¡¯t go alone. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± ¡°The rest of us need to protect this castle. We must protect it at all costs.¡± Now that Myth had fallen, other named guilds who were watching the situation wouldn¡¯t easily approach. But that was just an assumption. There was no guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t attack. ¡°Even so¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, so please protect this castle.¡± ¡°¡­Alright.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s judgment was extremely rational. Even if he failed, as long as they defended this castle, they could maintain their top ranking. Yeo Sunwoo couldn¡¯t help but nod. ¡°Yes. Then I¡¯ll be on my way.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 186 Chapter 186 ¡°Hey! You¡¯re going alone?!¡± Ha-Jin blocked Jeong-Hoon, who was about to leave. ¡°It¡¯s okay. Even if I die, I¡¯ll just be forced to leave, right?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you. Will it be a problem if one person like me is missing here?¡± Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°No, it will be a problem.¡± ¡°¡­It will be a problem?¡± ¡°Yes. So stay here and protect this ce.¡± Dogjeon, like Ho-Yeong, had concentrated their members on the important castle and assigned a moderate number of people to the remaining smaller castles. Jeong-Hoon was aiming for those smaller castles first. ¡°Alright¡­¡± His mother and Yeo Min-Ji were also full of worry, but they didn¡¯t say anything due to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s stubborn attitude. ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°Be careful¡­¡± ¡°If you need any help, whisper to me anytime.¡± With their farewells. ¡°Brother! I¡¯ll protect this ce!¡± Kim Bong-Goo grinned and saw Jeong-Hoon off. He looked like he was happy to be apart. ¡°Look at your face. Do you want toe with me?¡± ¡°¡­Haha! If I get poisoned, I¡¯ll only hold you back, Brother! That can¡¯t happen!¡± ¡°You little rascal, if you can¡¯t even talk properly.¡± Jeong-Hoon waved his hand and left the castle. *** Myth had fallen. Moreover, they were defeated while charging to conquer Ho-Yeong¡¯s castle. As this fact spread, the guilds that were watching closely were thrown into confusion. Dogjeon was no exception. ¡°Sa Jae-Hyeok¡­ That guy was defeated?¡± Min Jin-Ho also had a bewildered expression. Of course, it was Myth. The guild that held the title of number one in the Korean Siege War for the longest time. Currently, Dogjeon held that 1st ce, but they thought it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it was taken away at any time. But less than 30 minutes into the Siege War, Myth had fallen. ¡°Ho-Yeong has be that strong¡­?¡± No matter how much Ho-Yeong was evaluated as a guildparable to Myth, that was only when considering Sa Jae-Hyeok and Yeo Sun-Woo. In terms of overall strength, Ho-Yeong was inferior. ¡°Guild Master!¡± At that moment, one of Dogjeon¡¯s executives rushed in. His role was to receive reports from guild members deployed to other castles and provide briefings. The fact that he came in urgently meant that a problem had urred. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°One of the castles is under attack!¡± ¡°Attack? By whom?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit strange.¡± Strange? Min Jin-Ho tilted his head. ¡°Strange?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ They say the attacker is showing no reaction to the poison.¡± ¡°No reaction?¡± ¡°Yes. Because of that, they¡¯re on the verge of being conquered.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡± ¡°¡­What should we do?¡± ¡°Abandon that castle. Tell the survivors to return to the main castle immediately.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± The executive hurriedly went outside. However, he soon returned with a hardened expression. Min Jin-Ho quickly guessed the situation from his expression. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me they were all wiped out?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± *** The first castle Jeong-Hoon targeted was the furthest away from where Min Jin-Ho was stationed. ¡®To take first ce, I need to conquer as many as possible.¡¯ Not just first ce. An overwhelming first ce. Since the criteria for ¡®overwhelming¡¯ in this Siege War was vague, securing as many castles as possible was crucial. ¡°Michael.¡± Jeong-Hoon called out to Michael, who was inside. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Michael bowed respectfully. ¡°How¡¯s the Coffin of Death?¡± ¡°I¡¯vepletely tamed it.¡± ¡°Really?¡± To tame the Necromancer inside that coffin in such a short time. He truly was skilled. ¡°Good. Then summon all the ghosts.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to smash the barrier in front of that castle. You can do it, right?¡± Michael looked at the castle and nodded. ¡°I can do it!¡± After spreading his senses, he found that there were only about 20 people deployed in the castle. It was a castle with a capacity of 200 people, but only 1/10th of that was deployed. It would be strange if they couldn¡¯t take it. ¡°Then begin.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± At Jeong-Hoon¡¯smand, Michael summoned the ghosts. Among them was the Necromancer from the Coffin of Death. The summoned ghosts headed towards the castle. There was a barrier in front of it, and the ghosts struck the barrier with the weapons they were holding. *Bang!* Bang! The guild members who were lying in wait were startled by their attack. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?!¡± ¡°These crazy bastards! They dare to touch Dogjeon?¡± This castle wasn¡¯t very valuable. Attacking such a castle meant dering war on Dogjeon. ¡°Then shall I start too?¡± Jeong-Hoon slowly pulled the bowstring. ¡®Ultimate Arrow.¡¯ The target was the barrier surrounding the castle. As Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring, the Ultimate Arrow shot out in a parab. The fired arrow hit the barrier. A small crack appeared in the barrier. ¡®Got it.¡¯ The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth crept up slightly. At that moment, the Necromancer controlled by Michael chanted a spell. The weapons held by the ghosts turned ck. Perhaps it was amplifying their attack power, because soon the cracks in the barrier grewrger. Crash! The barrier couldn¡¯t withstand it and shattered instantly. In front of it stood the deployed defensive NPCs, holding their shields firmly. ¡°Shall we go then?¡± Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and dashed forward. Then, he pushed an NPC holding a shield with his body. ¡°Ugh!¡± The NPC couldn¡¯t withstand it and fell backward. ¡°Michael, take care of all these guys.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± At Jeong-Hoon¡¯smand, Michael started controlling the ghosts to attack the NPCs. Meanwhile, Jeong-Hoon passed the NPCs and headed for the castle gate. However, there wasn¡¯t a single user at the gate. Instead, as he approached the gate, poison gas was sprayed towards him. These were a group of users who specialized in handling poison. So instead of direct confrontation, they trapped people with poison. Just like now. It was sprayed from an unavoidable distance, so he had no choice but to take it head-on. [Thousand Poison Immunity activated.] [You are not poisoned.] However, the attack didn¡¯t work on Jeong-Hoon. He had acquired One Poison Immunity early on. That One Poison Immunity had grown into the Unique grade Thousand Poison Immunity. It meant that most poisons were useless against him. Jeong-Hoon quickly approached the castle gate and swung it open. Bang! Four users in front of him looked at Jeong-Hoon with startled faces. Then they hurriedly sprayed the poison they had prepared. [Thousand Poison Immunity activated.] [You are not poisoned.] This time too, they couldn¡¯t prate Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Thousand Poison Immunity. Jeong-Hoon slowly walked towards the users. The Dogjeon Guild members froze, seeing him unharmed despite the poison spray. ¡°He¡¯s fine¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this level of poison can¡¯t kill me.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and swung his sword once. The head of one of the guild members in front of him fell to the ground. ¡°Ah, Aaagh!¡± As one of theirrades was forcibly removed, the users screamed and started to run away. However, Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and cut their throats one by one. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Jeong-Hoon climbed the central stairs to the upper floor. As he went up, a variety of poisons greeted him, but they were all dealt with by his Thousand Poison Immunity. ¡°Intruder!¡± ¡°Damn it! The poison doesn¡¯t work!¡± The Dogjeon Guild members fled in panic to the top floor. Jeong-Hoon easily cut off their breaths as he climbed upwards. He finally reached the top floor, where the conquest was possible. The remaining users there red at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Which guild are you from?¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled at their questions and said, ¡°Why do you need to know when you¡¯re about to be conquered?¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Their words were cut short. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to get close to them, swung his sword, and cut their throats. Thus, the number of Dogjeon Guild members remaining in the castle became zero. ¡°Master! I¡¯ve taken care of all the NPCs!¡± Just then, Michael arrived at the top floor. ¡°Okay.¡± Jeong-Hoon approached the center and pulled out the g. [You have conquered the castle!] With this, the ownership of this castle went to Ho-Yeong. ¡°Master! Congrattions on conquering the castle!¡± ¡°We¡¯re not done yet. There are many more castles to conquer, so let¡¯s hurry.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Jeong-Hoon immediately sent a whisper to Yeo Sun-Woo. [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: I¡¯ve conquered one of Dogjeon¡¯s castles.] [Whisper/Sunwoo -> Hoon: Huh¡­ You¡¯ve already conquered one?] [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: Yes. Then I¡¯ll go conquer the next castle.] *** Yeo Sun-Woo couldn¡¯t believe it. It hadn¡¯t even been 30 minutes since Jeong-Hoon left, and he had already conquered one of Dogjeon¡¯s castles. ¡°He says he conquered a castle¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Lee Na-Yeon nodded without surprise. She had personally experienced her son¡¯s extraordinary abilities in the game, so she firmly believed he would seed. ¡°We might actually take first ce in the Siege War.¡± In terms of the number of castles alone, they were now on par with Dogjeon. Of course, other named guilds would also rise up, but if they could conquer a few more castles like this, 1st ce was a sure thing. ¡°Guild Master! Wings areing!¡± ¡°Wings?¡± ¡°Yes! It seems that after the sh with Myth, they judged that Ho-Yeong¡¯s forces aren¡¯t at full strength!¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± What a huge misunderstanding. It was Jeong-Hoon, not Ho-Yeong, who wiped out Myth. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°What do you mean what should we do? We absolutely cannot lose this castle.¡± With Jeong-Hoon working so hard, losing this castle was unthinkable. They had to protect this castle at all costs. *** ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± Jeong-Hoon quickly moved on to the next castle. And just like the first castle he conquered, he seeded in conquering it in an instant. ¡®So Ho-Yeong now has 5 castles?¡¯ However, there was no reaction from Min Jin-Ho. That meant these castles weren¡¯t that valuable. ¡®To achieve an overwhelming 1st ce, I need to take a few castles from other guilds besides Dogjeon.¡¯ Therefore, before conquering the next Dogjeon castle, Jeong-Hoon additionally conquered two nearby easy targets. He felt sorry for the small and medium-sized guilds that owned the castles, but it couldn¡¯t be helped for the sake of 1st ce. ¡°Master, where should we go for the next castle?¡± Michael asked in an excited voice. He was happy to be on a rampage after a long time. ¡°To where Dogjeon¡¯s leader is.¡± In reality, if they couldn¡¯t conquer that castle, achieving an overwhelming 1st ce would be impossible. So confronting Min Jin-Ho, the leader of Dogjeon, was not a choice but a necessity. ¡®Min Jin-Ho, wait for me.¡¯ I¡¯ll break you here. ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The castle where Min Jin-Ho was stationed was a massive castle located in the east. It was the only castle that Dogjeon had been upying for quite a long time. [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: I¡¯m heading to their headquarters.] [Whisper/Sunwoo -> Hoon: Understood! Please don¡¯t push yourself too hard.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: Yes. By the way, what¡¯s the current situation?] [Whisper/Sunwoo -> Hoon: The Wings Guild attacked, but we¡¯re somehow defending.] [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: Can you hold them off?] [Whisper/Sunwoo -> Hoon: We have to stop them no matter what.] That was a very satisfying answer. I don¡¯t have to worry about Ho-Yeong. Jeong-Hoon headed towards the castle where Min Jin-Ho was, along with Michael. Chapter 187 Chapter 187 At the same time. Min Jin-Ho of Dogjeon was tapping the armrest of his chair with his index finger. ¡°So you¡¯re saying we lost two castles without even putting up a proper fight?¡± And in such a short time? ¡°¡­I apologize.¡± ¡°Ha, this is ridiculous.¡± Was this even a possible situation? No matter how much he thought about it, it didn¡¯t make sense. Was it even possible to withstand all the poison they had set up in the castle without any problem? It was impossible with just a high level. To withstand that level of poison, one would need to possess a skill that grants immunity to poison. ¡®Among those I know, no one possesses such a high-level immunity skill.¡¯ Who on earth could it be? Just then. One of the executives who was supposed to be guarding outside the castle rushed in. ¡°Guild Master! Someone is attacking the castle!¡± ¡°Attacking?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°¡­It must be that guy without a doubt.¡± Min Jin-Ho rose from his seat. The guy who took two castles from Dogjeon. He became curious about the face of that damn bastard. *** They arrived at therge eastern castle where Min Jin-Ho, the leader of Dogjeon, was stationed. It was indeed a massive castle, iparable to the two castles they had conquered earlier. ¡°Master, shall we start right away?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Michael led the ghosts and started attacking the castle¡¯s barrier. This barrier had a much higher defense than the previous castles. Therefore, it took longer than expected to destroy the barrier. ¡®Min Jin-Ho.¡¯ Meanwhile, Min Jin-Ho appeared on top of the castle wall. The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth curled up into a grin. ¡°There you are.¡± Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring, aiming at Min Jin-Ho. Ultimate Arrow. He released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow shot out in a parab. The arrow flew urately towards Min Jin-Ho. However, before the arrow could reach Min Jin-Ho, it struck the barrier. ¡®His expression is priceless.¡¯ Min Jin-Ho¡¯s expression waspletely distorted. He must have noticed that the arrow was aimed at him by looking at the direction it came from. *Crackle.* Crackle. Fine cracks appeared where the Ultimate Arrow had struck. It was an arrow with 1700% attack power, so it overwhelmed the barrier¡¯s defense. As the ghosts continued to strike the barrier with their weapons, the cracks in the barrier gradually widened. Crash! Finally, the barrier shattered with a loud crash. NPCs were lined up in front of it. A far greater number of NPCs than in the previously conquered castles were firmly blocking the path. ¡°Enter first.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Michael controlled the ghosts and passed through the NPCs in an instant. The role of the ghosts this time was to disrupt the users lurking in the castle. Unlike the previous castles, there were over 100 guild members stationed here, so it would be much more effective for the ghosts to enter first than for Jeong-Hoon to do so. Meanwhile, Jeong-Hoon charged at the NPCs. All the NPCs in the front line were holding shields. Jeong-Hoon casually grabbed one of the shields in front of him and snatched it away with his strength. Then, taking that shield, he pushed through the NPCs like a bulldozer. ¡°What strength¡­¡± ¡°We can¡¯t stop him!¡± The NPCs were like leaves in the wind. After breaking through the NPCs, he saw 20 users lined up in front of him. They were closebat specialists who also handled poison. ¡°What¡¯s this?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s necromancy! There¡¯s no other exnation!¡± They were fighting the ghosts. Meanwhile, Jeong-Hoon approached them. ¡°Gotcha!¡± At that moment, one of the guild members threw a punch at Jeong-Hoon. A green liquid sshed over Jeong-Hoon. [Thousand Poison Immunity activated.] [You are not poisoned.] But even this poison couldn¡¯t harm Jeong-Hoon. Jeong-Hoon wiped the liquid off his face with his hand and swung his sword at the users. Every time he swung, the users¡¯ heads fell to the ground. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± After quickly killing the 20 users, Jeong-Hoon entered the castle. Simrly, the inside of the castle was filled with poison. [Thousand Poison Immunity activated.] [You are not poisoned.] If it weren¡¯t for the Unique grade Thousand Poison Immunity, he would have already lost his life from the amount of poison. ¡°What the¡­?¡± ¡°How can a mere level 226 martial artist resist the poison¡­?¡± ¡°His face should be turning blue!¡± The users who had prepared the poison looked at Jeong-Hoon with dumbfounded expressions. ¡°This level of poison can¡¯t bring me down.¡± Jeong-Hoon gave them a faint smile and ughtered the users. As expected of a castle that Dogjeon had owned for a long time, not only was itrge in scale, but the scale of the poison was also extraordinary. Jeong-Hoon frowned at the continuous poison party that followed. ¡®It¡¯s obstructing my vision.¡¯ The thick poison gas inside the castle blurred his sight. ¡°Master! I¡¯ll guide you!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-Hoon, guided by the ghosts, climbed the stairs to the upper floors. Along the way, whenever he saw users fighting the ghosts, he quickly cut their throats. When he finally entered the top floor, he found Min Jin-Ho, the leader of the Dogjeon Guild. As if he had been waiting, Min Jin-Ho greeted Jeong-Hoon. ¡°¡­You¡¯vee.¡± A little while ago, when he was standing on the castle wall. An arrow flew in, drawing a parab. Although it was blocked by the barrier, that arrow was clearly aiming for him. Because of that, Min Jin-Ho was in a very bad mood. On the surface, he was just a level 226 martial artist. He couldn¡¯t believe that such a guy had raided their castle. Jeong-Hoon grinned. ¡°Nice to meet you, Guild Master Min Jin-Ho.¡± ¡°Are you aiming for the g?¡± Min Jin-Ho gestured with his chin. A g was nted there. To conquer this castle, they had to pull out that g. Honestly, Jeong-Hoon was confident that he could pull out that g right away. He could order Michael to distract them and then forcibly pull out the g. But that option wasn¡¯t in his mind. ¡°That too¡­ but first, I¡¯m going to defeat you, the Poisoner.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Min Jin-Ho nodded as if he had expected it. He wouldn¡¯t let his guard down. This guy hade all the way to the top floor alone, not with arge group. And in the process, most of his guild members had been wiped out. ¡®It¡¯s a disguise.¡¯ Level and ss. He had heard that there was a way to disguise those. He hadn¡¯t been interested because there was no need to disguise himself, but now that he was facing someone who was disguised, he became curious. Min Jin-Ho, the Poisoner, wiggled his fingers and activated a skill. It released a deadly poison throughout the entire castle. A nerve poison that even guild members proficient in poison couldn¡¯t withstand. It was a poison that only he, who hadpleted the 4th ss advancement, could endure. Hiss- With the sound of gas leaking, poisonous fog descended from the top floor. [You have been poisoned.] [Thousand Poison Immunity has partially resisted.] [Your health is slowly decreasing!] The corner of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth twitched once. ¡®As expected, Thousand Poison Immunity isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ As befitting the leader of Dogjeon, the power of the poison he used was beyond imagination. However,pared to Min Jin-Ho, who had risen above the Heavenly Realm in his previous life, this was nothing. Jeong-Hoon slowly raised his sword and pointed it at his neck. ¡°The poison is strong. Let¡¯s end this quickly.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Min Jin-Ho¡¯s pupils trembled wildly at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words. It wasn¡¯t that he was scared by his warning. The poison he was currently inhaling was a deadly poison that destroyed nerves and took lives. Even guild members proficient in handling poison couldn¡¯tst 30 seconds against this poison, yet he was able to endure it without any problems. Whoosh! Jeong-Hoon kicked off the ground and leaped forward. At his movement technique, Min Jin-Ho hurriedly created distance and pped his hands. Purple liquid gushed up like a fountain from the entire floor. [You have been poisoned.] [Thousand Poison Immunity has partially resisted.] [Your health is decreasing faster!] As the poison stacked, his health decreased at a faster rate. [Using Advanced Healing.] [Health is not recovering properly.] He managed to recover some of his health with healing, but even that wasn¡¯t aplete recovery. ¡°You didn¡¯t eat two of my castles for nothing. You¡¯re the first one tost this long.¡± Min Jin-Ho looked at Jeong-Hoon with a rxed expression. Two types of poison had already stacked. He didn¡¯t know how he was enduring it, but his health must be decreasing. As proof, Jeong-Hoon¡¯splexion was gradually worsening. ¡°¡­¡± However, the corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth were still raised. ¡°Why are you so rxed?¡± Min Jin-Ho frowned, displeased by that. ¡°It¡¯s funny that you¡¯re guaranteeing victory.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll get serious too.¡± [ckfield is activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that invade the area are decreased by 10%.] The cooldown was over, and he could activate ckfield. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s stats increased by 1.5 times, and conversely, Min Jin-Ho¡¯s stats decreased by 10%. The floor turned ck, and a ck hand rose, grabbing Min Jin-Ho¡¯s ankle. ¡°What¡¯s this!¡± ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s an illusion.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and kindly exined ckfield. ¡®If only I could equip my original equipment, this would be over quickly.¡¯ He felt a bit regretful that he could only wear Siege War equipment. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and rushed towards him. ¡°Gasp!¡± Min Jin-Ho tried to use poison again, but Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword moved a beat faster. Slice. With a chilling cutting sound, Min Jin-Ho¡¯s right wrist fell to the floor. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± Min Jin-Ho looked down at his wrist on the floor with a nk expression. It was a speed on apletely different level from before. ¡°It was a good fight.¡± Jeong-Hoon, this time for sure, cut off Min Jin-Ho¡¯s head. Thud His head rolled off and tumbled to the ground. ¡°Master! Shall I pull out that g?¡± Michael, who had been watching from hiding, revealed himself. Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Jeong-Hoon quickly retrieved his sword, took out his bow, and pulled the string. ¡°¡­You¡¯re quick-witted.¡± Min Jin-Ho, whose head had been cut off, didn¡¯t disappear and was staring at Jeong-Hoon. Then, the surroundings shed brightly, and poison gathered towards Jeong-Hoon, clinging to his body. The sticky feeling was quite unpleasant. ¡®Is this Extreme Poison?¡¯ The strongest skill Min Jin-Ho wielded. Extreme Poison. It was a skill that concentrated all the surrounding poison energy onto the target, quickly ending their life. [You have been poisoned.] [Thousand Poison Immunity has partially resisted.] [Your health is rapidly decreasing!] Despite Thousand Poison Immunity resisting, his health started to drop rapidly. [Using Advanced Healing.] [Health is not recovering properly.] Jeong-Hoon tried to replenish his health with Advanced Healing. ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡± And he released the drawn bowstring. The arrow pierced straight into the ceiling. Heavenly Strike. A rain of arrows poured down. The poison that had gathered on Jeong-Hoon scattered once again. ¡°Kuaagh!¡± This was because the rain of arrows poured down on the spot where Min Jin-Ho¡¯s illusion was hiding. Extreme Poison was a very powerful skill, but it had a clear drawback. He couldn¡¯t move his body while controlling the poison. That¡¯s why he had created a clone beforehand and hid as an illusion to trap Jeong-Hoon with poison. That was the reason why he was still fine even after his head was cut off. In the future, Min Jin-Ho would seed in eliminating all those fatal drawbacks, but not now. Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring once again. The illusion was dispelled by the rain of arrows, revealing his true form. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow shot towards Min Jin-Ho. Whoosh! The arrow urately hit Min Jin-Ho¡¯s head. ¡°Cough!¡± Min Jin-Ho¡¯s head snapped, and he copsed. Jeong-Hoon approached him with his sword and ended the battle by piercing his neck. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± However, the poison still remained on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body. Jeong-Hoon replenished his depleted health with holy power and pulled out the g. [You have conquered the castle!] With this, he seeded in conquering the castle that Dogjeon considered most important. ¡®With this, an overwhelming 1st ce is confirmed.¡¯ A wide smile spread across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 188 Chapter 188 Ho-Yeong Guild. Under Yeo Sunwoo¡¯smand, they barely managed to defend the castle while engaging in the Siege War. ¡°The Wings Guild is retreating!¡± ¡°We did it!¡± While Jeong-Hoon was conquering castles, they had seeded in defending the castle that they absolutely had to protect. [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: I¡¯ve conquered Dogjeon¡¯s main castle. In addition, I¡¯ve also conquered the castles of the Paste Guild and the ddin Guild.] Just then, a whisper came from Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Haha¡­ This is unbelievable.¡± Yeo Sunwoo couldn¡¯t believe it. They had only defended one castle, but they had gained 7 more. With this, Ho-Yeong had a whopping 10 castles in this Siege War. [Whisper/Sunwoo -> Hoon: You¡¯ve worked really hard!] [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: What happened to the Wings Guild?] [Whisper/Sunwoo -> Hoon: We seeded in driving them away!] [Whisper/Hoon -> Sunwoo: That¡¯s a relief.] With Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hard carry, 1st ce in the Siege War was all but certain. [The Siege War is ending.] And so the Siege War ended. [Calcting rankings.] [Guild points will be differentially awarded based on ranking.] [Siege War points will be differentially awarded based on ranking.] The Siege War calctes rankings immediately upon ending. All guilds can check the overall rankings, which they use as a reference when preparing for the next Siege War. [Ranking calction isplete.] [Rankings will be revealed.] Soon, all the rankings were revealed. Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s eyes trembled as he checked the rankings. -1st ce: Ho-Yeong Ho-Yeong had achieved 1st ce in the Siege War for the first time. Even though they were considered a named guild, Ho-Yeong had barely managed to stay within the top 10 in Siege Wars. That¡¯s why they considered their 2nd ce in thest Siege War a miracle, and they never dreamed that an even greater miracle woulde. Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s eyes gradually reddened. ¡°Dad!¡± At that moment, Yeo Min-Ji, who had been resting under the castle wall, came running at full speed. ¡°Min-Ji¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re first! First!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ He did it perfectly¡­¡± Siege Wars were fundamentally a team effort. It meant that it was extremely difficult to carry with individual y. Yet, Jeong-Hoon had done it. ¡°As expected of Brother!¡± ¡°Hoon did it!¡± Kim Bong-Goo and Ha-Jin high-fived each other in joy. Lee Na-Yeon, who had disyed perfect archery to prevent the Wings Guild from approaching, just smiled contentedly without saying a word. *** Meanwhile. Jeong-Hoon was in the white room where he had made the bet with Ling Ling. ¡°Did I faint again¡­?¡± ¡°Correct!¡± Ling Ling nodded. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Are you even human?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I look human enough?¡± An overwhelming first ce. As promised, Jeong-Hoon had achieved an overwhelming first ce in this Siege War. One guild had taken a whopping 10 castles. It was a rare urrence, even considering all the servers. Ling Ling had also watched the entire Siege War unfold from above. And she couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge Jeong-Hoon. ¡°No, I¡¯ve seen countless humans, but you¡¯re the first one to stimte me like this.¡± Ling Ling¡¯s face was flushed with excitement, as if she had enjoyed the spectacle immensely. ¡°I¡¯m d you enjoyed it.¡± Even though she lost the bet, at least she enjoyed the show. ¡°As promised, I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to remove the penalty.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°However¡­ even though there won¡¯t be a penalty, I can¡¯t stop the shocking events that will happen afterwards.¡± ¡°Shocking events?¡± Jeong-Hoon pretended not to know and asked back. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Ah, but I could tell you if you give up your Heavenly Energy instead?¡± Ling Ling offered to reveal the shocking events if he gave up his Heavenly Energy. ¡°No thanks.¡± Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of epting that offer. Because he knew better than anyone what those events were. ¡°Really? That¡¯s too bad.¡± ¡°Then please fill up my Heavenly Energy quickly.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± [You have gained 75% Heavenly Energy.] [Your Heavenly Energy is now Max.] [You have gained the qualification to acquire Heavenly Power.] 75% Heavenly Energy. With this, his Heavenly Energy instantly reached 100%. ¡®This is crazy¡­¡¯ He thought it would take at least 1-2 more years to gather 100% Heavenly Energy. Although he had gained ess to Heavenly Energy bypleting the 3rd advancement of the Legendary grade, gathering that energy was an extremely difficult task. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Hehe, do you know how to use Heavenly Energy?¡± ¡°Will you tell me if I ask?¡± ¡°Of course! But you¡¯ll have to receive a penalty!¡± She was quite obsessed with penalties. Jeong-Hoon smiled bitterly and shook his head. ¡°No thanks.¡± Ling Ling pouted at the immediate, unwavering response. ¡°What¡¯s so hard about receiving a penalty once? Just take it¡­¡± ¡°What is the penalty?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ that¡¯s a bit hard to say.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to receive such a troublesome penalty.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re a smart one.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not being smart, it¡¯smon sense. I¡¯m not that smart.¡± ¡°You¡¯re funny.¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled. ¡°If the bet is over, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± As he was about to leave, Ling Ling stopped him. ¡°What else is left?¡± ¡°¡­The countdown will start soon.¡± Countdown. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face hardened. It was impossible to prevent it from bing reality. It was an inevitable future, but he couldn¡¯t help but feel tense. ¡°Countdown?¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯ll naturally find out as time passes.¡± ¡°Is there a way to stop it?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t do anything about that.¡± ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll be going back.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re not going to ask any more questions?¡± Ling Ling tilted her head in confusion. Normally, if she had said this much, people would be overflowing with curiosity and try to dig deeper. Jeong-Hoon turned his back without any hesitation. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t tell me even if I asked, would you?¡± ¡°I could tell you if you pay the price¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°¡­Well, if you don¡¯t want to, I can¡¯t force you. Then, see you next time.¡± Ling Ling snapped her fingers with a face full of regret. Then, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s vision went dark. *** Bang! ¡°Damn it!¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok threw the sword he was holding. The Myth Guild, which had achieved the most 1st ces in the Korean server¡¯s Siege War. That Myth had been eliminated without even conquering a single castle. ¡®It¡¯s all because of that bastard¡­ Everything went wrong when he appeared!¡¯ A level 226 martial artist. That damn bastard who used the nickname ¡®Hoon¡¯. He never dreamed that they would bepletely wiped out by that one guy. ¡®I should have used all my skills from the beginning.¡¯ Honestly, he was a bit careless at first. He never dreamed that he, over level 400, would be pushed back by a level 226 martial artist. If he had focused on attacking that guy from the beginning, pouring all his skills into it, the result would have been different. It was a shame that he couldn¡¯t use the strongest skill he had avable, as it required such preparation. ¡°Guild Master¡­!¡± At that moment, one of the executives entered the guild master¡¯s room. He nced at the chaotic guild master¡¯s room and hurriedly bowed his head. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The results of the Siege War are out.¡± ¡°Results? Do you want to die by my hand?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok felt his insides boiling with rage. Now that Myth had been eliminated early, he had no interest in the Siege War results. ¡°I apologize¡­ But I thought I should report it¡­¡± ¡°¡­Sigh, you know what happens if it¡¯s useless information, right?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok took out the ck Dragon Sword and pointed it at his neck. The executive gulped and nodded quickly. ¡°O-Of course!¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Ho-Yeong took first ce in the Siege War.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°No¡­! I checked, and Ho-Yeong took 3 castles from Dogjeon!¡± ¡°Ha, those bastards lost too?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok recalled Min Jin-Ho¡¯s arrogant face. The guy who cowardly killed people in secret with poison, yet looked down on those who wielded weapons with contempt. How could he have any good feelings towards him? ¡°Yes¡­ They all lost to that martial artist.¡± ¡°Ha, is that so?¡± That wasn¡¯t bad news. Not only himself, but also Min Jin-Ho, who deserved to be torn to shreds, had been eliminated by that guy. ¡°As a result, Dogjeon has been pushed out of the top 10.¡± They had lost their most important castle and were left with only two insignificant ones, so it was natural for them to be pushed out of the top 10. Sa Jae-Hyeok couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter. ¡°Puhaha, that¡¯s somewhat pleasing to hear.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The executive couldn¡¯t continue speaking. Although Dogjeon had been pushed out of the top 10, Myth had been eliminated early after using all their forces in an attempt to take Ho-Yeong¡¯s castle. In reality, they were thest among the named guilds, and their performance was so poor that they were on par with small and medium-sized guilds. ¡°So you disturbed me just to tell me that?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s eyes shed. At the same time, a murderous aura emanated from him. He had been bothered just to be told this insignificant news. ¡°Ha, there¡¯s one more thing.¡± ¡°Tell me.¡± ¡°Y-You need to check the homepage.¡± ¡°Homepage?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok returned to his seat and essed the New World homepage. The New World homepage, which could be checked even while logged into the game. A new notice had been posted on the homepage. === [This is New World.] -Hello! This is the New World development team. It has already been 7 years since theunch of New World. It was a short time if you consider it short, and a long time if you consider it long. Did everyone have fun? You better have had fun. Because this New World will be your lifeline. (Omitted) We, the development team, have determined that enough time has been given to the Earthlings. Therefore, we are about to enter the main game. Please note that the countdown will start unexpectedly. ¨C From all the New World development team === ¡°Huh? What¡¯s this?¡± This notice consisted of content that waspletely iprehensible. ¡°This is strange¡­ It¡¯s not a beta test, what do they mean by the main game?¡± ¡°¡­How are the others interpreting this?¡± ¡°Everyone is confused.¡± ¡°What about Earth Korea?¡± ¡°It seems Earth Korea hasn¡¯t heard anything either. They seempletely clueless.¡± ¡°Damn it, what the hell is this?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s face contorted. *** At that time. Jeong-Hoon also checked the notice. ¡°As expected, it¡¯s up¡­¡± Now they were starting to move in earnest. 120 hours. The countdown started shortly after New World posted the notice on their homepage. That time was only 120 hours. At that moment, Yeo Sunwoo approached Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Jeong-Hoon!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you so much! I will definitely repay this favor!¡± A chuckle escaped his lips. It wasn¡¯t like he had done it expecting something from Ho-Yeong. Rather, he felt grateful. ¡®Penalty removal and 100% Heavenly Energy.¡¯ To obtain those, Ho-Yeong had to defend the castle, and Ho-Yeong had seeded in doing so. So that was enough. He didn¡¯t want anything more. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I didn¡¯t do it expecting a reward.¡± ¡°No! We achieved 1st ce this time all thanks to you. So I want to give you a proper reward. Please ept it!¡± However, Yeo Sunwoo showed no signs of backing down. Finishing 1st in the Siege War. As a result, they received a hefty amount of guild points, and Ho-Yeong¡¯s ranking rose by one step. It was only natural to reward Jeong-Hoon. ¡°¡­Then let¡¯s put it on hold for now.¡± ¡°Put it on hold?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t need anything right now. I¡¯ll think about it a bit and let you know.¡± ¡°Alright! Please let me know anytime if you need anything!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Contrary to his words, now was not the time to think about rewards. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mind waspletely focused on something else. ¡®I need to reach the next stage before the countdown ends.¡¯ 100% Heavenly Energy. In other words, it meant he had qualified to acquire Heavenly Power. He hadn¡¯t obtained the power yet. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s next n was to get his hands on Heavenly Power. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 189 Chapter 189 Seoul, South Korea. Countless people were standing on the streets. Unlike usual, they were standing still, gazing up at the sky. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°120?¡± ck letters were inscribed in the sky above. Those ck letters were formed from dark clouds. And there wasn¡¯t just one cloud. At regr intervals, the number 120 was disyed in dark clouds, so everyone on Earth could see it. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°One would be fine, but so many of them?¡± ¡°What is it? Did someone deliberately create this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡± People tilted their heads in confusion. The number 120 formed from dark clouds. And above those clouds, new ck letters were formed. [Countdown starting.] The letters were disyed in the mostmonly usednguage in each country. At the announcement that the countdown would start, people looked up at the sky with dumbfounded expressions. -119:59:58 Then, the letters that were 120 scattered, and the countdown began. The numbers engraved in the clouds started to decrease. ¡°What is that?!¡± ¡°What the¡­ Am I dreaming?¡± ¡°Damn, I guess I¡¯ve lived too long.¡± People were instantly gripped by shock. *** [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Hey! Did you see the sky?!] Ha-Jin, who had logged out after the Siege War, logged back into the game. Then he immediately sent a whisper to Jeong-Hoon. [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: I¡¯m in the middle of the game, so I don¡¯t know.] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Wow¡­ Log out and check it out right now! Something unbelievable is happening!] [Whisper/Hoon -> zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12: What¡¯s going on?] [Whisper/zl-Zone-Ha-Jin12 -> Hoon: Numbers appeared in the sky and they¡¯re decreasing like a timer! Not in the game, but in reality!] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face hardened slightly. ¡®It has already started.¡¯ Was it inevitable? Jeong-Hoon had entered New World rtivelyte and had been causing a ruckus since the beginner zone. They must have judged that he would grow uncontrobly if this continued. Thus, the countdown had started earlier than expected. 120 hours from now, New World would be reality. ¡®There¡¯s no time.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon increased his speed and reached the northern end of Rease. At the northern end, a huge portal was shimmering, and an NPC was standing guard in front of it. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Haoz -Level: 250 -upation: Rease Portal Guardian === ¡°Where are you headed?¡± ¡°The Heavenly Hall.¡± The Heavenly Hall was a secret theme. Only those who had gathered all of their Heavenly Energy could go there. For reference, before his regression, no one had essed the Heavenly Hall until New World became reality. In other words, Jeong-Hoon was the first to head to the Heavenly Hall while the game was still running. ¡°Hmm? Where¡¯s that? This portal isn¡¯t connected to such a ce.¡± Even Haoz, the gatekeeper, didn¡¯t know about it. ¡°Could you check it once?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be there.¡± Haoz looked at the portal with a doubtful expression. And soon, his eyes widened. The Heavenly Hall, which shouldn¡¯t have been there, was added to the list. Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly. ¡°It¡¯s there, right?¡± ¡°I-It is¡­?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll move to the Heavenly Hall.¡± ¡°¡­Do you, by any chance, know where that is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just going to check it out.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Haoz stepped aside without saying anything further. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-Hoon entered the portal. [Teleporting to the Heavenly Hall.] As he selected the Heavenly Hall, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body was sucked into the portal. *** Earth Korea Headquarters. CEO Yoon Jin-Ho checked the official document over and over again with a dumbfounded expression. [Earth and Genesis will be disbanded as of today.] -We express our gratitude to all the employees who have worked hard so far. We, New World, have determined that there is no longer any reason to continue. Therefore, we will proceed with the dissolution process quickly. Please refer to the attached file below for detailed procedures. This document was sent directly from the headquarters. Furthermore, replies were prohibited, and it could only be viewed. The content of the document stated that Earth would enter the dissolution process from the current time, and Genesis would also disappear. ¡°No¡­ But why?¡± Just a few days ago, they had sessfully concluded a meeting with other Earthpanies. It was a meeting to brief them on the direction of the game and discuss how to sessfully manage it together. But suddenly, the headquarters made the decision to disband. Yoon Jin-Ho couldn¡¯t understand it at all. He picked up his smartphone and called someone. [Yes, CEO.] ¡°Come to my office right now.¡± [Understood!] The call ended, and soon someone knocked on the door. Knock. Knock. ¡°Come in.¡± With Yoon Jin-Ho¡¯s permission, the door opened and a man in his early 50s entered. He was Executive Director Park Min-Soo, whom he trusted and relied on. ¡°Yes, CEO. You called for me?¡± ¡°¡­I have some bad news to tell you.¡± ¡°Bad news?¡± Park Min-Soo tilted his head in confusion. ¡°It would be faster to show you than to tell you. Would you like to see this?¡± Yoon Jin-Ho showed him the official document sent from the headquarters. ¡°What does this mean¡­?¡± After checking the notice, Park Min-Soo looked at Yoon Jin-Ho with a nk expression. His eyes were asking for an exnation of what this notice was. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as it says¡­ They intend to dissolve both Earth and Genesis.¡± ¡°No, then what happens to New World?! What about ourpany¡¯s stock price?!¡± New World was still very popr. Disbanding Earth meant neglecting New World, or even worse, terminating the service. Suddenly abandoning a game enjoyed by 2 billion people worldwide. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Could it be that someone hacked and spread false information?¡± That sounded more usible. ¡°I wish that were the case¡­ but the possibility of that is zero.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Park Min-Soo nodded with aplicated expression. ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t it noisy these days?¡± Yoon Jin-Ho changed the subject for a moment, feeling frustrated. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± Park Min-Soo nodded and looked out the window at the sky. [119:24:32] The numbers disyed in the sky. Anyone could see that it was a countdown. The same numbers were counting down all over the world, giving birth to countless doomsday theorists. ¡®The Earth will perish.¡¯ ¡®That countdown is the time we have left.¡¯ ¡®We all need to prepare for death.¡¯ And the majority supported their views. It was inevitable, as no one could provide a proper exnation for the countdown. As a result, all necessities, such as those in marts, convenience stores, and online shopping malls, had long been sold out due to panic buying. ¡°There are rumors that the countdown is rted to New World.¡± That¡¯s right. New World and that countdown. Strangely, the countdown started shortly after the headquarters development team posted the notice. [Hey, don¡¯t you think there¡¯s really something going on between New World and that timer in the sky?] -Look at the notice. It says the countdown has started. I¡¯m sure this is New World¡¯s doing! ©¸ Be realistic lol ©¸ Seriously lol Even if they¡¯re that advanced, controlling nature is too much, isn¡¯t it? ©¸ But as the original poster said, the timing is too perfect. ©¸ We¡¯ll find out once those 120 hours pass. What will happen lol It was enough to raise suspicions, as the timing was too perfect. ¡°No matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case.¡± However, Park Min-Soo didn¡¯t believe such a ridiculous story. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. No matter how great New World is, it¡¯s just a game.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree with you on that.¡± A game is just a game. Otherwise, stats that surpass humans and shy skills that you would only see in fantasy. No matter how realistic a virtual reality game is, it needs to be distinguished from reality. *** [You have entered the Heavenly Hall.] [You have explored the Secret Theme for the first time.] [You have been awarded 50,000 achievement points.] Even though a long time had passed since theunch of New World, Jeong-Hoon was the first to enter the Heavenly Hall. However, the Heavenly Hall, which should have been a magnificent temple, had regressed to the level of an ancient civilization. ¡®They said the hall would bepleted when reality merged, right?¡¯ This was because it was scheduled to be perfectly implemented when reality merged. In other words, he hade too early. ¡®They didn¡¯t make it easy to gather Heavenly Energy.¡¯ As a result, no one among the world¡¯s top rankers had obtained Heavenly Power. If Jeong-Hoon acquired Heavenly Power here, he would be the first to reach the Heavenly Realm since his regression. Jeong-Hoon walked briskly towards the temple door. The door only had a frame, and the inside was clearly visible. And in front of it, an NPC was floating. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: ?? -Level: ?? -upation: Guide of the Heavens === An NPC with no nickname or level disyed. The NPC was looking up at the sky with a bored expression. Jeong-Hoon approached the NPC. ¡°Excuse me.¡± At his question, the NPC slowly lowered her head and met Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes. Then, the NPC¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°A stranger? How did you get here¡­?¡± ¡°I was able toe because I met the qualifications.¡± ¡°¡­Qualifications?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She tilted her head and scanned Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body. Then her pupils trembled violently. ¡°No¡­ You filled up your Heavenly Energy?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­ How? Heavenly Energy shouldn¡¯t be able to reach 100%.¡± That¡¯s right. The reason why no one could reach the Heavenly Realm. It was because a limit was set so that no one could gather 100% Heavenly Energy. ¡°I was lucky.¡± Jeong-Hoon smiled faintly. Originally, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to gather 100% Heavenly Energy until muchter after the reality merge, but thanks to the bet with Ling Ling, he had achieved 100% in an instant. ¡°It¡¯s not something that can be solved with luck.¡± ¡°Is that so? Anyway, I¡¯ve met the qualifications, so I want to obtain Heavenly Power.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± The NPC slowlynded on the floor. Then, the surrounding environment changed instantly. From the temple to above the clouds in the sky. The hot sun was beating down, and although they were clouds that shouldn¡¯t be able to be stepped on, they were as soft as a bed. It was a familiar feeling, as he had experienced it before his regression. A question mark that wasn¡¯t there before was blinking above the NPC¡¯s head. It was a rainbow-colored question mark. [Secret Quest: Heavenly Power] -Restriction: 100% Heavenly Energy achieved -Reward: New power -Description: You have obtained the qualification to reach the Heavens. Complete the quest given by the NPC to acquire that power. ¡®It¡¯s here.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon epted the quest. ¡°What¡¯s the quest?¡± ¡°It will be a difficult challenge.¡± ¡°I know.¡± The countdown had begun. Time was running out, and there was no room for dawdling. ¡°Is that so? Then I¡¯ll give you the first quest.¡± The NPC snapped her fingers. A list unfolded before his eyes as a hologram. [Gather the materials.] ¨C 10 Lanta Seeds ¨C 10 Harmaind¡¯s Will ¨C 1 King Laust¡¯s Axe ¡°You want me to gather these?¡± ¡°I like that you¡¯re quick on the uptake.¡± The NPC grinned. It seemed like there weren¡¯t that many materials to gather, but the reality was different. First, Lanta. Lanta was a level 240 boss monster. When Jeong-Hoon challenged for Heavenly Power before his regression, he was already over level 500. So he had to hunt Uranok, a level 520 boss monster, instead of Lanta. In other words, the level was adjusted ording to his level. Of course, there was amon point. It was that the drop rate of the materials was extremely low. ¡®Was the drop rate 1%?¡¯ 1%. It meant a 1 in 100 chance of dropping. If you were lucky, it might drop within 10 attempts, but if you were really unlucky, there were many cases where it wouldn¡¯t drop even after 100 attempts. The same was true for Harmaind¡¯s Will. ¡®The problem is King Laust, right?¡¯ As expected, the probability of King Laust dropping the axe would be 0.05%. It was an absurdly low drop rate, even when he looked at it again. With this kind of drop rate, even if they repeatedly attempted to defeat them, they wouldn¡¯t be able to gather them all in 5 days, let alone 10. However, Jeong-Hoon had already gone through this quest once. In the process, he also knew a way to drastically reduce the time. ¡°So I just need to gather these?¡± ¡°Yes. If you bring them, I¡¯ll give you the next quest.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°¡­Well, good. If you go out through that portal, you¡¯ll see a few dungeons. The monsters listed here will be there.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 190 Chapter 190 Jeong-Hoon disappeared into the portal, and the NPC was lost in thought with a serious expression. ¡°Who¡¯s doing this?¡± She muttered softly and fell into contemtion. There was a limit preventing Heavenly Energy from reaching 100%. Because of that, she had been guarding this empty space all this time. The feeling of loneliness had long seeped into her bones. But this too would soon end. Once the countdown was over, this limit would be automatically lifted. But how did the guy who came here now manage to get here? The answer was simple. ¡°Someone gave him Heavenly Energy.¡± Someone with authority, whoever they were, had handed it over. ¡°But why did they give it to him?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand the reason at all. *** Jeong-Hoon came out of the portal and outside the Heavenly Hall. [It¡¯s simr to the Sky Field, isn¡¯t it?] ¡®You¡¯re right.¡¯ As Mukho and Anima said, the field outside was simr to the Sky Field. It was the same ce where they had hunted the Bone Lord Wyvern. However, unlike the Sky Field where wyverns roamed the field, there wasn¡¯t a single monster in sight here. There were only three portals shimmering in the distance. [Lv.240 Lanta of Pleasure] [Lv.255 Gloomy Harmaind] [Lv.260 Great King Laust] Monsters that held the materials the NPC had asked him to gather. Moreover, these were dungeons inhabited only by boss monsters, not ordinary monsters. ¡®Alright, shall we get ready?¡¯ Instead of entering the dungeon, Jeong-Hoon went into the Achievement Shop. This was a method that could only be used after the Achievement Shop reached Lv. 5 or higher. [Achievement Shop (Special) Lv. 5] -Instation -Consumables He skipped the instation category. The item Jeong-Hoon wanted was in the consumables. Countless items were disyed in the consumables category. He quickly scrolled down and stopped at a certain point. -Drop Rate Increase Potion Drop Rate Increase Potion. It was one of the newly added items after reaching level 5. The price was 10,000 points. It was a potion that increased the drop rate by 3 times. But this wasn¡¯t enough. Even if it increased the drop rate by 3 times, it was still only 3%. It was too tight a timeframe to gather all the materials. So he was thinking of crafting a new one to use. -Lucky Four-Leaf Clover One of the items needed for this was the Lucky Four-Leaf Clover. It was an item used only as a crafting material and was sold at a considerably high price of 8,000 points. Jeong-Hoon purchased the material without hesitation. -Reinforcement Mortar Next was the Reinforcement Mortar. Simrly, when using this mortar to craft a new potion, it could enhance the original options. -Amplification Powder Finally, purchasing the Amplification Powderpleted the recipe for the Drop Rate Explosion Potion. The Reinforcement Mortar cost 20,000 points, and the Amplification Powder cost 10,000 points, almost depleting the 50,000 achievement points he had received upon entering the Secret Theme. ¡®Done.¡¯ However, a smile formed on Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. With this, he could gather the materials much faster. Jeong-Hoon put all the purchased materials into the mortar. Then, he used the pestle to crush and mix them together. [Crafting sess rate is increased.] The ¡®Beginner Crafter¡¯ title he had obtained while crafting the Unique Restoration Powder earlier. It only had the option to increase the crafting sess rate, so it wasn¡¯t usually useful, but at times like this, it was a more necessary title than anything else. After crushing the mixture for a long time until it was well blended, light started to shimmer inside the mortar. ¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯ [¡®Drop Rate Explosion Potion¡¯ has been created.] [¡®[Title] Beginner Crafter¡¯ has been upgraded to ¡®[Title] Intermediate Crafter¡¯.] While crafting the Drop Rate Explosion Potion, his title was upgraded. [Drop Rate Explosion Potion] -Type: Consumable -Grade: Unique -Increases drop rate by 10 times for 1 hour after consumption. The Drop Rate Increase Potion, which was originally supposed to increase the drop rate by 3 times, had been transformed into a potion that increased it by a whopping 10 times. ¡°Alright. 10% is doable.¡± With this, he should be able to roughly meet the deadline. Jeong-Hoon filled ss bottles with the potion one by one. A total of 23 ss bottles were filled with the potion. It was enough tost for 23 hours if he drank them consecutively. [Isn¡¯t 10% still a bit low?] ¡®It is low¡­ It¡¯s a 1 in 10 chance of sess.¡¯ It certainly wasn¡¯t a high probability. However, Jeong-Hoon thought differently. ¡°If it¡¯s a 1 in 10 chance, that¡¯s really good.¡± It was a quest that could lead to the Heavenly Realm. There were many quests that were even more difficult than this, so this was considered quite lenient. Jeong-Hoon drank the potion in the ss bottle. [Drop Rate Increase Buff (10x) has been applied.] [Time limit is 60 minutes.] Now, shall we begin? [Would you like to enter the Lv. 240 Lanta of Pleasure Dungeon?] ¡®Enter.¡¯ *** Lanta of Pleasure. The dungeon was characterized by being entirely covered in flowers and nts. On the surface, everything looked beautiful and created a mesmerizing atmosphere, but the reality was different. This was because it specialized in mental attacks. [Oh, what¡¯s this? All these dazzling things?] ¡®It¡¯s beautiful. I¡¯ve lived a long time, but I¡¯ve rarely seen such beautiful flowers.¡¯ Even Mukho and Anima were impressed by the beautiful flowers. However, the fragrance emanating from the flowers was a potent poison that caused strong hallucinations. [Thousand Poison Immunity has failed to resist.] [Health is decreasing.] It was a potent poison that even Thousand Poison Immunity couldn¡¯t resist. Jeong-Hoon hurriedly moved forward. Although it was a dungeon inhabited only by boss monsters, its interior was unimaginably vast. Furthermore, the deeper he went, the stronger the fragrance became. And Jeong-Hoon¡¯s health rapidly decreased. To make matters worse, the hallucinations made him feel like he was going in circles. [Master, isn¡¯t this the same flower we saw earlier?] ¡®I think we¡¯re going around in circles.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°We¡¯re going straight, so don¡¯t worry.¡± This was an illusion. It was making him think he was going in circles so he wouldn¡¯t reach his destination. However, Jeong-Hoon had experience clearing simr dungeons countless times. The fact that the hallucinations were getting stronger meant he was getting closer to it. Jeong-Hoon relied on his senses to explore the surroundings. ¡®This is it.¡¯ Then, Jeong-Hoon stopped abruptly at a certain point. Outwardly, it looked like the same flowers and nts he had seen when he first entered. [Wow¡­ Did wee back to the beginning?] ¡®No¡­ Something¡¯s strange.¡¯ Unlike Mukho, it seemed Anima had noticed something. That¡¯s right. This wasn¡¯t the ce he had firste to. The fragrance was so strong it made him dizzy, and his health was rapidly decreasing. Also, unlike before, there was a very faint flow of mana. It was so subtle that he wouldn¡¯t have noticed it if he hadn¡¯t been concentrating. Jeong-Hoon held Anima and pulled the bowstring. ¡®Heavenly Strike.¡¯ He released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow shot out. The fired arrow urately struck a mesmerizing red flower. [Heavenly Strike activated.] Then, a rain of nearly 100 arrows poured down. [The illusion disappears.] The illusion that had been clouding Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes disappeared, and Lanta revealed itself. It had incredibly gorgeous and mesmerizing flowers, but beneath them, thorny bushes and poisonous nds emitting hallucinogenic toxins were oozing sticky liquid. That liquid was spreading throughout the dungeon, causing hallucinations along with the strong fragrance. ¡°Kieeeeek¡­¡± It let out a painful groan due to the rain of arrows. [Wow¡­ Did you hit it urately?] Mukho eximed briefly. ¡®Mana was flowing faintly from it.¡¯ Although it was difficult to distinguish due to the illusion, Jeong-Hoon had stats higher than his level. Therefore, it was impossible topletely deceive Jeong-Hoon with just a level 240 illusion. Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring once again. ¡®Ultimate Arrow.¡¯ The Ultimate Arrow, boasting a whopping 1700% damage. Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring, and the Ultimate Arrow shot out. The arrow urately struck the thorny bush. ¡°Kieeeeek!¡± It screamed. As it screamed, the flower opened, revealing sharp teeth and a wriggling tongue inside. [Eww! What¡¯s that!] ¡®The flower is pretty, but it looks disgusting like that.¡¯ Lanta, hiding its ugly appearance with flowers. It was a bizarre monster that sought pleasure through hallucinations. [Lanta of Pleasure uses Seduction.] [Lanta of Pleasure uses Intense Pleasure.] Then, powder scattered from the flower. The powder spread rapidly, covering the surroundings before Jeong-Hoon could escape. [Debuff: Seduction applied.] [Debuff: Intense Pleasure applied.] He couldn¡¯t resist, even though it was just a level 240 ability. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ This was a dungeon designed to make all resistance impossible. Jeong-Hoon felt his vision spinning. His whole body felt hot, and he had the urge to enter Lanta¡¯s mouth right away. [Master! Your face is red!] ¡®Are you okay?!¡¯ However, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face was filled withposure. He wasn¡¯t someone who would crumble from such a measly ability. ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-Hoon took out Leviathan. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that invade the area are decreased by 10%.] As always, he activated ckfield first. His current detailed stats were alreadyparable to those of level 350 users, and with a 1.5 times increase, it was even more significant. [All stats are increased by 15%.] [20% damage reduction is applied.] [Time limit is 1 hour.] Then, the stat amplification ring. [The activation probability of ¡®Poison Attack¡¯ is increased by 4% for 1 hour.] He finished his doping by also using the Guardian of M?rchen. The newly acquired Ruler¡¯s Grasp. [Ruler¡¯s Grasp¡¯s special ability activated.] [All stats are increased by 10%.] Jeong-Hoon, with all his might, leaped towards Lanta. As he did, he swung his sword in a wide arc. [1st Form: Initiation activated.] The first form of the Sword of Extinction. As Initiation poured out, Lanta¡¯s body was split vertically. It was killed in just one attack. [All debuffs are removed.] [You are no longer poisoned.] It was a natural result, considering he had used all his items to strengthen himself. Jeong-Hoon checked the items dropped next to the corpse. And the corners of his mouth slowly turned up. ¡°Okay. One down.¡± Arge ck seed. That was the Lanta Seed the NPC had requested. *** The beginning was smooth, but from then on, it was just manualbor. The 10% probability didn¡¯te up as often as he thought. If he was lucky, he would get one more seed after defeating Lanta 4-5 times. However, if he was unlucky, the seed wouldn¡¯t drop even after defeating it over 20 times. It was a truly frustrating probability, but Jeong-Hoon managed to gather all the seeds. ¡®I got them all.¡¯ The mindset of ¡®if it doesn¡¯t work, keep trying until it does¡¯. Jeong-Hoon had to defeat Lanta a total of 178 times to gather 10 seeds. [Wow¡­ Finally!] ¡®¡­But isn¡¯t that less than half done?¡¯ Anima poured cold water on his excitement. ¡°That¡¯s right. Now we need to gather 10 Harmaind¡¯s Wills.¡± 10 Harmaind¡¯s Wills. And 1 King Laust¡¯s Axe. Jeong-Hoon consumed another Drop Rate Explosion Potion. [Drop Rate Increase Buff (10x) has been applied.] [Time limit is 60 minutes.] There was no time to rest. Jeong-Hoon immediately headed towards the portal where Harmaind was lurking. [Would you like to enter the Lv. 255 Gloomy Harmaind Dungeon?] ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 191 Chapter 191 Harmaind¡¯s Will. Gathering that will required a much higher level of difficulty than Lanta. Lanta was a nt-type monster with fixed attack patterns, so he could instantly cut it down with Leviathan using memorized routes. However, to defeat Harmaind, he had to break through a kind of pattern. If he didn¡¯t break the pattern, it would activate an instant death skill, and even Jeong-Hoon, as strong as he was, could be killed instantly. ¡®It¡¯s an absurd ability.¡¯ An instant death skill from a mere boss monster. The only way to neutralize that instant death skill was to overwhelm it with levels. If the level difference was more than 30, it would only take away 20% of his health instead of 100%. However, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level was 226. He couldn¡¯t neutralize the instant death skill, so breaking the pattern was the only way to conquer it. [Wow¡­ So we have to wait until it curls up?] Mukho clicked his tongue. It curled up every 5 minutes. At that time, it would expose its weak point, and they had to aim for that weak point to deal effective damage. Until then, it was invincible, as theymonly called it. If it received a certain amount of damage while in that invincible state, it would activate the instant death skill. As a result, it took longer to defeat it than Lanta. [You have acquired Harmaind¡¯s Will.] However, Jeong-Hoon defeated Harmaind without rest. And after a total of 163 attempts, he seeded in gathering 10 Wills. ¡°Phew, now all that¡¯s left is the axe.¡± King Laust¡¯s Axe. Now it was a race against time. 10 times 0.05% was only 0.5%. In terms of probability, it meant it would drop once every 5,000 hunts. [The next one is only 1, huh?] ¡®¡­It seems like the conditions will be even worse.¡¯ Anima was quite perceptive. ¡°Yes. The drop rate is a whopping 0.5%.¡± [0.5%? That¡¯s a terrible drop rate.] ¡®Doesn¡¯t the drop rate go up to 5% if you take the Drop Rate Explosion Potion? Then it¡¯s a 1 in 20 chance, which isn¡¯t bad?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chuckled at Anima¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s 0.5% after taking the potion. Without it, it¡¯s 0.05%.¡± ¡®¡­That¡¯s really fucked up.¡¯ *** The NPC guarding the Heavenly Hall was looking up at the sky with a bored expression. A human had arrived here for the first time, but he had headed to the dungeon for the quest she had given him. Since the drop rate was so low, he wouldn¡¯t be back soon. ¡®The operation will start before then.¡¯ If that happened, the stranger doing the quest would be forcibly expelled. ¡®That¡¯s too bad.¡¯ She didn¡¯t know how he got in, but he wouldn¡¯t be able to get his hands on Heavenly Power. Because time wouldn¡¯t allow it. ¡®Wasn¡¯t the drop rate 1%, and thest material 0.05%?¡¯ If he was unlucky, it was a task that couldn¡¯t bepleted even in a week, let alone a month. But the stranger who had left for the quest appeared after only two days. The corners of the NPC¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. ¡®He¡¯s giving up, huh.¡¯ Well, the monsters were not easy to defeat, and the drop rate for the materials was abysmal, so it would be strange if he seeded. ¡°I¡¯ve gathered everything.¡± ¡°Failure¡­ What?!¡± The NPC¡¯s eyes widened at his words that he had gathered all the materials. He had definitely left two days ago. Aside from gathering the materials, the monsters deployed were all of high difficulty. Therefore, it should have taken a considerable amount of time just to defeat them, but he had not only defeated them but also gathered all the materials in just two days? That was impossible! However, the stranger took out all the materials he had gathered. ¡°I¡¯ve gathered everything.¡± ¡°No¡­ How¡­?¡± ¡°I just hunted diligently, and they were gathered.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­ Just how many monsters did you kill?¡± ¡°Well, in the case of Lanta, I defeated it 178 times, Harmaind 163 times, and King Laust dropped it after only 8 attempts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous!¡± The NPC shouted angrily. The probability of Lanta dropping its seed was 1%, and the probability of Harmaind dropping its crystallized will was also 1%. Finally, King Laust dropped his cherished axe with a probability of 0.05%. With such absurd probabilities, he seeded in gathering the materials after only that many attempts? ¡°I was lucky.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. Are you trying to pass everything off as luck?¡± ¡°I was lucky, so I was able to gather all the materials in two days, wasn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­¡± She was speechless. The materials the stranger had gathered were definitely obtained by hunting monsters. There were no traces of any tricks. ¡°So, what¡¯s the second quest?¡± Damn, at this rate, isn¡¯t he going to take the Heavenly Power before the countdown ends? Anxiety crept up on her. The NPC pondered for a moment. Unlike the first quest, the second quest wasn¡¯t a race against time. Itspletion depended on one¡¯s inherent physical capabilities. ¡®Let¡¯s increase the difficulty.¡¯ She couldn¡¯t just hand over the Heavenly Power. The NPC grinned and snapped her fingers. *** ¡®She¡¯s trying to prevent me from getting it no matter what.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon could clearly see what the NPC was thinking. If the first quest took five days, the number in the sky would be zero. If that happened, Jeong-Hoon, who was in the capsule, would be forcibly logged out, and he would have to challenge for Heavenly Power again after the reality merge. ¡®Challenging again isn¡¯t a problem, but the problem is that my Heavenly Energy will be 0%.¡¯ The Heavenly Power that could be challenged for when Heavenly Energy reached 100%. However, if he failed the challenge, a penalty would be imposed, and his energy would be 0%. It wasn¡¯t an easy process to gather 100% Heavenly Energy again. Therefore, he had to seed in the quest. [Prove your worth.] ¨C Defeat the Frigid Lycanthrope 0/30 The next quest was to defeat 30 Frigid Lycanthropes. ¡®This is harsh.¡¯ The corner of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth twisted. If it were the original quest, he would have only had to defeat 5 of these monsters. That¡¯s what the quest Jeong-Hoon received in his second ythrough before regression was like. Although the number was very smallpared to the first quest, there was a reason for that. The Frigid Lycanthrope that appeared in the second quest was very difficult to defeat. It was a simr type of monster to Harmaind, where you had to break through its patterns to defeat it. However, it boasted even more difficult patterns, and if you couldn¡¯t break through them, it was impossible to defeat it by any means. Moreover, its level was 310. It would be a tough battle. ¡°So I just need to defeat 30 of them ande back?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s simpler than the first one, isn¡¯t it?¡± The NPC smiled faintly. It was a smile that seemed to say, ¡°Appreciate my mercy.¡± [I want to spit on that face.] ¡®How about threatening her to hand over the power?¡¯ Mukho and Anima also didn¡¯t like her. There was no way someone who gave such insanely difficult quests from the first one would let him off easily. ¡°Well¡­ It seems difficult just by looking at it.¡± ¡°Hmm? Why do you think so? It¡¯s not about gathering materials, it¡¯s just about defeating the boss 30 times.¡± ¡°That also means the difficulty level is that high, right?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re quite perceptive.¡± The corner of the NPC¡¯s mouth, which had been feigning a benevolent expression, twitched. Jeong-Hoon chuckled and turned around. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± There was no time toin. If she had increased the difficulty, he would just finish it quickly. Jeong-Hoon hurriedly left the hall. *** Frigid Lycanthrope. To go to that dungeon, he had to move to the portal located next to King Laust. [Would you like to enter the Lv. 310 Frigid Lycanthrope Dungeon?] ¡®Enter.¡¯ As he epted, his vision went dark, and the scenery changed to a frigidnd. A ce boasting a temperature of minus 47 degrees Celsius. Thanks to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s stats and Legendary grade armor, he hardly felt the cold, but if a pure level 226 user stepped on thisnd, it would be difficult to endure the environment. ¡®This is practically like entering Antarctica.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon moved forward, taking steps. The ground was frozen solid, so slippery that he could easily fall if he didn¡¯t maintain his bnce properly. [Where is it?] ¡®This ce is also huge. Are there any normal monsters lurking around?¡¯ The Frigid Land was much wider than the dungeons of Lanta, Harmaind, and King Laust. Of course, there were no ordinary monsters in this dungeon either. However, the closer he got to the boss, the lower the temperature dropped, quickly exceeding minus 60 degrees Celsius. It was a temperature where it wouldn¡¯t be strange for a person to freeze to death. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t even blink and headed straight for the boss. ¡°Grrrr.¡± And so he faced Lycanthrope. It was a beast covered in white fur. It was difficult topare it to any single animal, as it looked like abination of several animals. Its face resembled a tiger¡¯s, and it had a mane. It also stood upright on two legs, and those legs looked like those of a restored Tyrannosaurus. Even more horrifying was that it had a whopping 12 arms. The shapes of those arms were also quite diverse. Some were elongated bear paws, others were eagle wings¡­ Simply put, it was a monster made by attaching all sorts of things. The fact that it was so crudely put together meant that it had that many abilities. [Lycanthrope uses Space Domination.] [Abilities cannot be neutralized.] [Item special abilities are sealed.] Itunched a preemptive attack. It sealed the special abilities of the items Jeong-Hoon possessed. ¡®That¡¯s quite an interesting trick.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chuckled. Restriction on the use of item special abilities. Although he couldn¡¯t use the special abilities of the items he was currently equipped with, he could still use the skills he had originally learned. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters that invade the area are decreased by 10%.] After activating ckfield, Jeong-Hoon pulled Anima¡¯s bowstring. ¡®Ultimate Arrow.¡¯ He released the drawn bowstring, and an arrow with 1700% damage shot out. However, the arrow passed by Lycanthrope. [Hey! What are you doing at such a crucial moment!] ¡®You¡¯re usually perfect¡­ Why did you miss all of a sudden?¡¯ Mukho and Anima were shocked when the arrow missed. ¡°I did it on purpose.¡± [On purpose?] ¡®As expected, there was a reason.¡¯ The fired arrow pierced the wall behind Lycanthrope. The wall crumbled, and the hidden energy source inside was shattered. As the energy supply disappeared, Lycanthrope looked at the wall with a bewildered expression. He had seeded in skipping the first pattern. ¡®The patterns are simr.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had challenged the Heavenly Power before his regression. In that process, he had defeated the Frigid Kaleos, a level 620 monster. It took him a whole month to learn its patterns. Since dying once meant everything was over, he had to be even more careful in his strategy, which took a considerable amount of time. ¡®But it doesn¡¯t seem as tricky as Kaleos.¡¯ In the case of Kaleos, to skip the first pattern, he had to destroy two energy sources hidden within the walls. However, Lycanthrope only had one energy source. Its first pattern was to unleash a chain of attacks using the energy supplied from the energy source. The straightforward way to break the pattern was to endure all those attacks and then strike when it was replenishing its energy. By repeating the first pattern and reducing its health by 30%, it would move on to the second pattern. Jeong-Hoon had skipped that process by destroying the energy source from the start. ¡®Now.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring again and released it. The arrow urately pierced Lycanthrope¡¯s neck. [Heavenly Strike activated.] Then, a rain of arrows poured down on its head. ¡°Kraaa!¡± It screamed at the powerful rain of arrows. Jeong-Hoon continued to shoot arrows, attacking it. Lycanthrope¡¯s health quickly dropped by 30%, leaving it with 70% remaining. [Lycanthrope enters 1st Berserk.] Along with the notification that the second pattern had begun, Lycanthrope¡¯s body started to turn bright red. ¡°It¡¯s started.¡± The second pattern couldn¡¯t be skipped. From now on, he had to endure its patterns with pure physical ability. Jeong-Hoon switched his weapon from Anima to Leviathan. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 192 Chapter 192 [Lycanthrope uses Frigid Chains.] As the second pattern began, thousands of bundles of dark red chains sprang up from the ground. [What are all those¡­?] Frigid Chains. They might look incredibly hot, but that was an illusion. These chains were so cold that they would freeze anything they touched. Even Jeong-Hoon, d in Legendary armor, would be instantly out if he got hit by those chains. tter! Countless chains stretched towards Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Leviathan needs to hold up.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and swung Leviathan widely. A few chains collided and bounced off. The deflected chains, as if they had lost their power, sank back into the ground. However, there were still countless chains remaining. tter! Numerous chains surrounded and reached out towards Jeong-Hoon. [1st Form: Initiation activated.] Jeong-Hoon activated Initiation and spun his body widely. He quickly deflected the approaching chains. Of course, this alone wasn¡¯t enough to block all the chains. Then he had no choice but to use an additional method. It wasn¡¯t a skill, but a technique anyone could use if they could control mana. However, it was a technique rarely used by anyone other than experts, as it was difficult to control the amount of mana released without sufficient mastery. Moreover, the released mana could only weakly defend against external attacks for a brief moment, and if the timing was even slightly off, it would only consume mana without providing any defense. This was because the condensed mana would disperse into the air. In essence, it was a technique used only by experienced yers. And Jeong-Hoon was an experienced yer. He was Jeong-Hoon, who had done everything he could to rise from his weakest days. ¡°Hup!¡± Jeong-Hoon released a faint amount of mana outwards. *Ting!* Ting! A few chains collided with the released mana and slowed down. The mana that had briefly protected Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body quickly dispersed. [1st Form: Initiation activated.] Gaining that brief moment, Jeong-Hoon quickly repositioned himself and deflected the chains with Leviathan. After repeating this for a while, the second pattern ended. ¡°Damn human¡­!¡± Lycanthrope red at Jeong-Hoon with bloodshot eyes. With the second pattern over, it had exhausted all its mana. Since the energy source was destroyed, it couldn¡¯t recover. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and swung Leviathan down at Lycanthrope. Slice. With a cutting sound, Lycanthrope screamed. Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t stop and continued to unleash the Sword of Extinction repeatedly, pressuring Lycanthrope. Thus, its health, which had been at 70%, dropped to 40%. [Lycanthrope enters 2nd Berserk.] With this, the third pattern. Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique and retreated. Although the third pattern could be skipped, he had noticed something slightly different from the second pattern. If he gambled on skipping it and failed, he would die instantly. He would be logged out for 24 hours. If that happened, it would be impossible to acquire Heavenly Power within the remaining time. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± Various attacks poured out from the arms attached to Lycanthrope. He was able to avoid some attacks because he kept his distance, but he endured the unavoidable attacks by relying on the terrain, like icebergs. [Wow¡­ Look at it unleashing attacks. Where is all that energying from?] Where else would ite from? It was fully charged with energy after going berserk. The third pattern was to dodge all its attacks until that energy ran out. Simrly, if he got hit by those attacks even once, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he died instantly. ¡®Is this thest pattern?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon shook his head at Anima¡¯s question. ¡°It has a total of four patterns.¡± [Why so many?] ¡®They must have made it on purpose to prevent clearing.¡¯ That¡¯s right. They had made the difficulty level hellish to prevent anyone from reaching the Heavens. Nevertheless, there were quite a few people who had ovee that hellish difficulty and approached Heavenly Power. ¡°Grrrr! Hiding is useless!¡± Lycanthrope extended an arm towards the iceberg where Jeong-Hoon was hiding. That arm, unlike the others, was made of machinery. A breath sted out from the machine, melting the entire iceberg. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll hit me if you just shoot randomly?¡± However, Jeong-Hoon dodged even that breath. Frustrated by the continuous misses, Lycanthrope stomped its feet in anger. ¡°Get hit! That¡¯s an order!¡± ¡°Bullshit.¡± Jeong-Hoon dodged yfully, waiting for it to tire out. After repeated attacks, Lycanthrope started to pant. The energy that had been replenished by the berserk state was depleted once again. As the third pattern ended, Jeong-Hoon, as if he had been waiting, used his movement technique and attacked it. Its health rapidly decreased, and when it reached 5%, A light flickered in Lycanthrope¡¯s eyes. The fourth pattern was about to begin. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s end this.¡± Jeong-Hoon threw a potion he had purchased beforehand, called ¡®Burning Asda¡¯s Curse¡¯, at it. Smoke started to rise from Lycanthrope¡¯s body, which was about to go berserk, and it let out a scream on apletely different level from before. ¡°Kraaaaaaaaaaagh!¡± This potion, which melted everything, was fatal to Lycanthrope, an ice-attribute monster. That¡¯s why he was able to skip the fourth pattern. Jeong-Hoon switched to Anima, pulled the bowstring, and released it. Ultimate Arrow. The arrow shot towards its heart and pierced it urately. ¡°Keugh¡­¡± Blood poured from its nose and mouth, and its massive body copsed. [You have defeated Lycanthrope.] [Lycanthrope (1/30)] With Lycanthrope¡¯s defeat, the count increased by one. Mukho and Anima clicked their tongues at the sight. [You worked so hard to catch it, and you still have to do it 29 more times?] ¡®This is really serious¡­¡¯ Still, Jeong-Hoon was quite satisfied with this hunt. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can catch the next one even faster.¡± If he could skip up to the third pattern, he could clear it in a much shorter time. Jeong-Hoon exited the dungeon and immediately entered the Frigid Lycanthrope dungeon again. *** 16 hourster. ¡°¡­You finished?¡± Jeong-Hoon returned to the NPC after defeating all 30. Naturally, the NPC couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. He had defeated the tricky Lycanthrope in just 16 hours. It was an unbelievable result. ¡°Yes. What¡¯s the next quest?¡± ¡°¡­Why don¡¯t you rest a bit?¡± The NPC suggested that Jeong-Hoon take a break, but he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m not fine¡­¡± ¡°Then just hand over the Heavenly Power right now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more¡­¡± She was trying to avoid giving it to him no matter what. That meant she knew about the countdown. ¡°Then give me the 3rd quest.¡± ¡°¡­Ha, alright. I can¡¯t help it.¡± The NPC let out a small sigh and snapped her fingers. [Pass the trial.] ¨C Defeat NPC ??? The final quest was to have a duel with the NPC in front of him. ¡°That¡¯s too unfair.¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s unfair?¡± The NPC asked with a rxed smile. ¡°Our levels are different.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll match the levels.¡± ¡°What about stats?¡± ¡°¡­Why are you so suspicious?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange not to be suspicious?¡± ¡°¡­Alright. I¡¯ll match the stats to level 226 as well. Is that okay now?¡± ¡°Are you confident you can keep that promise?¡± ¡°Yes! If I break it, I¡¯ll hand over the Heavenly Power right away! Satisfied?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°I hope you keep your word.¡± The final duel with the NPC. That was the same method he had used to obtain Heavenly Power before his regression. No matter how much she didn¡¯t want to give it to him, she would keep her word. ¡°But if you fail, I¡¯ll take all of your Heavenly Energy.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± At that moment, the NPC¡¯s figure disappeared. Whoosh- Wind rushed past Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. He tilted his head to the side. A fist grazed his ear and passed by. ¡®Quite fast.¡¯ Even though she had matched his level to 226, the NPC¡¯s movements were so fast that Jeong-Hoon couldn¡¯t read them properly. He had dodged that attack almost unconsciously. Bam! And then a counterattack followed immediately. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s fist hit her side. ¡°Ugh!¡± She let out a small groan. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯ll be losing my energy.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. The NPC¡¯s face flushed at his smile. ¡°This brat?¡± Whoosh! Another fist flew at him. She was trying to subdue him in the same way because he was a martial artist. ¡®Dangerous.¡¯ It was a much faster and sharper punch than the one he had barely dodged before. Thinking he couldn¡¯t avoid it, he raised his guard and hurriedly defended. Thud! He seeded in blocking it, but a shock that made his whole body tingle surged through him. ¡®She said she would match the stats to level 226.¡¯ It was obvious that she hadn¡¯t perfectly matched them. Jeong-Hoon used the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and counterattacked once again. A fist imbued with the Underworld King¡¯s energy flew towards her face. She dodged it lightly, using her left foot as an axis and pulling her right shoulder back, as if it was nothing. Thud! Of course, Jeong-Hoon, who had anticipated the dodge, swung his extended fist to the right and urately struck her jaw. ¡°Ugh!¡± The NPC¡¯s head snapped to the left. She gritted her teeth and struck Jeong-Hoon¡¯s abdomen with her right hand. ¡°¡­!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened slightly at the heavy blow. Then, he grabbed the NPC by the cor and headbutted her nose. Her head was thrown back by the brute force attack, and blood spurted from her nose. ¡°Kragh!¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s forehead also reddened, but he quickly healed it with Advanced Healing. ¡°You¡¯re still far off.¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t let go of the cor he was holding. Then, he started punching her face with his left hand. Of course, the NPC didn¡¯t just take the hits; she attacked Jeong-Hoon using both her hands and feet. It was a contest of pure endurance. However, as time passed, the NPC¡¯s movements started to slow down. ¡®What the¡­ What is this?!¡¯ As the damage umted, she felt like she was about to copse at any moment. ¡®This is strange¡­ I matched the stats to level 330?¡¯ Her im of matching the stats to level 226 was a lie. It was to prevent him from getting the Heavenly Power at all costs. If she had known it would turn out like this, she should have matched it to level 400 instead of 330. The NPC gritted her teeth and pped Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s head turned to the side, and he punched the NPC¡¯s jaw again. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°You¡¯re still far off.¡± Jeong-Hoon repeated the words ¡®still far off¡¯ and focused on hitting the same spot on the NPC. ¡°Damn you! Please stop it!¡± ¡°No. We have to go all the way.¡± With those chilling words, a grin spread across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. The NPC¡¯s shoulders trembled once at his smile. Then, a look of panic washed over the NPC¡¯s face. ¡®Am I scared¡­?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t believe it. Scared of a mere human. It was a moment of crushing pride. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go all the way!¡± *** A long time had passed since the battle began. There was no part of the NPC¡¯s face left unscathed. And the NPC, whose cor was being held, raised both hands, trembling. ¡°S-Stop¡­ I lost¡­¡± This damn persistent guy. How could he not even think about letting go of her cor? She felt like she would really die if this continued. ¡°Really?¡± Thud! Jeong-Hoon said that and punched the NPC¡¯s face one more time. The Underworld King¡¯s energy surrounding his fist was at a whopping 8th form. The NPC, fed up with the absurdly powerful Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, shouted, ¡°Stop it! You bastard!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Thud! Jeong-Hoon punched her jaw again. ¡°Ack! Fuck!¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have lied. If you had honestly matched the stats to level 226, I would have hit you less.¡± ¡°¡­What, you knew?¡± ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know?¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned with his battered face. ¡°¡­Ha. Alright, I was wrong.¡± ¡°So I won?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ So please, just stop.¡± A rainbow-colored exmation mark blinked above the NPC¡¯s head. Only then did Jeong-Hoon release the cor he had been holding. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 193 Chapter 193 All the quests werepleted. As Jeong-Hoon used Advanced Healing, his battered face quickly returned to normal. ¡°Ha¡­ You¡¯re a guy who even uses healing?¡± The NPC was looking at Jeong-Hoon as if he were a monster. She thought he was just a mere creation, but he was not human. Otherwise, he couldn¡¯t have pushed her to the brink in such a brutal way. Moreover, he possessed both mana and holy power, even though he wasn¡¯t a great being. ¡°I was lucky.¡± He ended it by saying he was lucky, and she felt the urge to punch him in the face. Jeong-Hoon tilted his head and approached her. Thinking that it meant he wanted to try again, the NPC flinched and stepped back. ¡°Why! What¡¯s the problem now!¡± ¡°Huh? I¡¯m approaching to receive the power, why are you avoiding me?¡± ¡°¡­Was that it?¡± Embarrassed, the NPC scratched her head. Jeong-Hoon checked the exmation mark above her head. [Questpleted.] As hepleted the quest, light poured down from the sky and instantly enveloped Jeong-Hoon. Knowing that it was the process of awakening Heavenly Power, Jeong-Hoon calmly surrendered his body to the light. [epting new power.] [Transcending limits.] Limit transcendence. The process of going up one step from the currently designated Legendary grade. [The Sovereign¡¯s grade rises from Legendary to Celestial.] [You have received Heavenly Power.] [Skill: Celestial Aura added.] [Skill: Formless Fist added.] [Skill: Movement Technique evolves into Heavenly Step.] [Skill: Indomitable Body evolves into Heavenly Body.] [The limit grade of Steadfast Will has been unlocked. (Legendary -> Celestial)] [You have acquired the title ¡®One who Transcends Humanity¡¯ Lv. 1.] As the Legendary grade rose to Celestial, several skills were added, and Movement Technique and Indomitable Body evolved to the next grade. [Celestial Aura] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Grade: Celestial ¨C An aura that can only be used by those who have reached the Heavenly Realm. ¨C When using the aura, all attack power and defense power are additionally increased by 20%. (Can be stacked) ¨C Decreases the attack power and defense power of all enemies within a 200m radius by 10%. (Can be stacked) ¨C Provides a 5% attack power and 5% defense power increase buff to designated allies. (Cannot be stacked) Celestial Aura. When using the aura, it surrounds the body for a certain period of time, and it¡¯s a skill simr to ckfield, which can give both buffs and debuffs simultaneously. It can be said to be an essential skill that those who have obtained Heavenly Power must use. [Formless Fist] ¨C Type: Active ¨C Grade: Celestial ¨C A formless fist that can only be used by martial artists who have reached the Heavenly Realm. ¨C Additional attack power increased by 20% ¨C When using fist-rted skills, can hit multiple enemies within a 300m radius ¨C When using fist-rted skills, +2 to the number of hits And the Formless Fist. ¡®Wow, what¡¯s this?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had obtained Heavenly Power before his regression. However, at that time, he had acquired the power as a normal ss, not a hidden ss, so he hadn¡¯t learned the Formless Fist separately. ¡®With this, I can use ranged fist techniques, right?¡¯ Originally, fist techniques could only be used in closebat. But with this Formless Fist, it meant he could deal damage with fist techniques even from a distance. Heavenly Step and Heavenly Body were literally evolved forms of skills. These were skills that had been useful even before his regression, and more importantly, the limit grade of Steadfast Will had been raised to Celestial. ¡®This is crazy.¡¯ Even before his regression, the grade of Steadfast Will wasn¡¯t this high. If Steadfast Will reached Celestial through the 4th ss advancement? It meant that all the skills he had learned with Steadfast Will would be upgraded to Legendary grade. That wasn¡¯t all. The Celestial grade title, One who Transcends Humanity. [One who Transcends Humanity Lv. 1] ¨C Type: Unique Evolution Title ¨C Grade: Celestial ¨C Automatically operates natural mana and recovers mana at certain intervals. ¨C Can permanently destroy dungeons. (However, dungeons of higher grade cannot be destroyed) ¨C Is partially unaffected by the influence of Transcendent beings. A wide smile spread across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. ¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯ This was why he had to step into the Heavenly Realm. Things that couldn¡¯t be done with just pure stats as the level increased. One of them was dungeon destruction. Countless dungeons would appear. However, even if those dungeons were cleared, they would only be calmed for a while. After a certain amount of time, they would have to be cleared again to stabilize them. This was because if they weren¡¯t cleared within the time limit, the surrounding area would be devastated. It was one of the means that the Transcendent bastards used to destroy Earth. It meant he could permanently eliminate that means. This was the reason why they had restricted gathering 100% Heavenly Energy before the reality merge. [All quests have been sessfullypleted.] [Experience points will be calcted based on the dungeons.] There was still one thing left. It was the experience point calction. Even though Jeong-Hoon had hunted so many boss monsters, his level was still 226. This was because he didn¡¯t receive any experience points for defeating monsters. In this Heavenly Hall, the experience points gained from defeating monsters were given all at once only after all quests were sessfullypleted. The intention was to take it all if you seeded, and give nothing if you failed. [7,922,132,221 experience points are awarded.] A whopping 7.9 billion experience points. As the experience points were awarded, countless messages about leveling up appeared. [Level Up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] ¡­ [Level Up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] A whopping 58 level-ups. With this, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level instantly became 284. [Wow¡­ Look at the level going up.] ¡®You¡¯ll reach 300 soon, right?¡¯ Mukho and Anima were also shocked by the speed at which his level was rising. ¡°Indeed.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. Now, all his business in the Heavenly Hall was finished. *** [01:11:58] The remaining time was now 1 hour. People were preupied, looking up at the sky with tense eyes. [Is this a sign of the end of the world?] [So far, no one has been able to exin that time.] [Something unbelievable is happening!] The inte, news, YouTube,munities, and so on. Everywhere was busy dealing with the decreasing time in the sky. [Fuck! Let¡¯s all die!] -This shitty world. It wouldn¡¯t be lonely if we all died together lol ©¸ Die alone¡­ ©¸ Loser in life lol Even a life rolling in shit is better than this. ©¸ Ha¡­ I don¡¯t want to die, damn it ©¸ Seriously, this mess happened because they spread the doomsday theory ©¸ If everything is fine after all this fuss, it¡¯ll be hrious lol Various reactions due to this. Jeong-Hoon, who hade out of the capsule, was also looking out the window without having slept. ¡°Son, are you alright?¡± He hadn¡¯t slept at all, determined to obtain Heavenly Power. Because of that, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face was haggard with fatigue. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you get some sleep?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only 1 hour left.¡± Jeong-Hoon pointed to the sky outside the window. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you also believe the world is going to end?¡± His mother didn¡¯t believe the noisy doomsday theory. To be precise, she didn¡¯t want to believe it. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say no. Jeong-Hoon knew what would happen when the countdown ended. Ding-dong- The doorbell rang. ¡°Hmm? Who is it at this hour?¡± ¡°I called them.¡± ¡°You did?¡± His mother tilted her head curiously and opened the door. It was Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo who had arrived. ¡°Hello, Mother!¡± ¡°Good evening!¡± His mother weed their visit with a smile. ¡°Come in.¡± Jeong-Hoon beckoned them. Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo hurriedly rushed to him. ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s the urgent matter you called us for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about to be zero.¡± Jeong-Hoon said, pointing to the time in the sky. ¡°Ah, the world ending thing?¡± ¡°Come on, even if it¡¯s like that, the world won¡¯t actually end, will it¡­?¡± Kim Bong-Goo trembled with fear. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll see when it happens.¡± Jeong-Hoon looked out the window again. He didn¡¯t mention that New World would be reality. It was going to happen anyway. It would be much faster to show them after it happened. [00:03:22] Time passed quickly, and it was already approaching 3 minutes. ¡°¡­Should we just evacuate?¡± Ha-Jin, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up. ¡°Now?¡± Jeong-Hoon chuckled. ¡°¡­You¡¯re right.¡± Ha-Jinughed awkwardly and scratched his head. [00:00:7] 7 seconds left. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. End. [00:00:00] The time became 0. And the letters were cleanly erased. Jeong-Hoon stared at the sky with a hardened expression. And then new text appeared. The message was also sent through all electronic devices worldwide. ¡°Synchronization¡­?¡± ¡°What nonsense is this?¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo tilted their heads, looking at the text. Rumble. Rumble! Then, with a powerful tremor that shook the ground, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo lost their bnce and fell. ¡°Ack!¡± ¡°Wh-What¡¯s happening!¡± Their mother didn¡¯t fall because Jeong-Hoon was holding her. ¡°Why is there an earthquake¡­ Huh?!¡± His mother looked around with trembling eyes, then gasped when she saw outside. Monsters that should have been in New World were roaming around, turning the surroundings into chaos. Thepany where his mother worked had also copsed because of those damn monsters. [All firearms are being eliminated.] [All dangerous items such as nuclear bombs are being eliminated.] [All necessities for food, clothing, and shelter can be purchased with points.] [Dungeons will open in each region shortly.] [Additional penalties will be imposed if you fail to clear them within the time limit.] Messages continued to appear one after another. The corner of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth twitched. Additional penalties. The current earthquake and monsters were just the beginning. In his previous life, no one could destroy those dungeons, so additional penalties were imposed, resulting in the death of 1% of the entire Earth¡¯s poption. ¡°Ha-Jin.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time to use that HoneyTube channel you¡¯ve worked so hard to build.¡± ¡°HoneyTube¡­?¡± Ha-Jin asked back with a puzzled expression. Why was he mentioning a YouTube channel in this situation? ¡°Open your inventory.¡± ¡°Inventory¡­? Whoa!¡± Opening the inventory was simple. It would naturally open if you said ¡®inventory¡¯. ¡°You have the camera, right?¡± The camera they used in New World. That camera only worked in New World, but now that reality had merged, it should be usable. ¡°Yeah. I-I have it¡­¡± ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s start broadcasting with that.¡± ¡°Broadcasting?¡± ¡°Yes. They said dungeons will open soon, right? I¡¯m going to close those dungeons.¡± ¡°Hoon¡­ My head¡¯s not working right now.¡± Ha-Jin stared nkly outside. Monsters were already roaming around outside. It was a scene reminiscent of the fields in New World. ¡°If we fail to clear them, additional penalties will be imposed. I¡¯m going to stop that.¡± ¡°But¡­ why YouTube?¡± ¡°What better way to share useful tips than by clearing it?¡± YouTube. After the reality merge, YouTube was quite active, even if only for a short while. This was because a flood of content rted to New World poured out. Those who gathered information actively used YouTube. Jeong-Hoon intended to use YouTube to prevent as many regions as possible from receiving penalties. *** At that time. Jang Dae-Hwi, the editor of HoneyTube, was staring nkly out the window. Countless monsters that shouldn¡¯t exist on Earth. ¡°Sh-Shit! What the hell is going on?!¡± Just a few minutes ago, Jang Dae-Hwi had also been watching the countdown in the sky reach zero. Then it became zero, and he hurriedly hid under his desk due to the ensuing earthquake. As soon as the earthquake stopped, he immediately checked outside the window and saw monsters starting to wreak havoc on the streets. ¡®This is driving me crazy¡­¡¯ The talk about the world ending when the countdown in the sky reached zero. It was hard to dismiss it as mere nonsense, as there was no way to exin the countdown in the sky. That¡¯s why he had been keeping an eye on it, but he never expected something like this to happen¡­ Buzz- Just then, his smartphone in his pocket vibrated. Jang Dae-Hwi took out his smartphone and checked the caller. It was Jeong-Hoon, the owner of HoneyTube. ¡°Uh¡­ Hello?¡± [Hyung, are you okay?] ¡°¡­Not at all. Are you seeing what¡¯s outside?¡± [Yes. Monsters are wreaking havoc around here too.] ¡°Ha¡­ What the hell is going on¡­ Why are monsters from New World here?¡± The monster that was devastating the area around Jang Dae-Hwi was a level 177 King Sauros. A monster reminiscent of an ancient dinosaur. These 4-meter tall creatures were ramming into buildings and trampling cars on the road. [There¡¯s no time to exin in detail. Dungeons will open soon.] ¡°Dungeons¡­?¡± [Our first task is to close those dungeons.] ¡°Task¡­? Exin it in a way I can understand!¡± Jang Dae-Hwi couldn¡¯t properly understand Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words. His head wasn¡¯t working, as if it had frozen. [You said you y New World too, right, hyung?] ¡°Yeah¡­ I do.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi¡¯s level was 196. He was a Crusader about to undergo his 3rd ss advancement. [Then open your inventory right now.] ¡°Inventory¡­? Whoa!¡± As he muttered ¡®inventory¡¯, a hologram appeared before his eyes. It was the inventory that Jang Dae-Hwi usually used. [It seems you¡¯ve opened it.] ¡°Uh¡­ Why is this in front of my eyes?¡± [Why else? It¡¯s because New World has merged with reality.] ¡°¡­Reality merge? What do you mean?¡± [Anyway, I¡¯m going to broadcast clearing the dungeon that¡¯s about to open, so please edit it as soon as I¡¯m done. If it seems like monsters are going to attack, try to survive by hunting them.] ¡°What¡­? Hey!¡± The call ended just like that. Jang Dae-Hwi bit his lip and scratched his head frantically. ¡®This is driving me crazy¡­ What the hell is going on?¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 194 Chapter 194 The whole world was thrown into chaos. ¡°Huh? My gun¡¯s gone!¡± ¡°Shit¡­ What the hell? They said all the grenades and ammo in the supply depot are gone too?¡± ¡°Emergency! The tanks have disappeared!¡± ¡°The Air Force is in chaos too! They say everything, including fighter jets, has vanished all at once!¡± Especially the military. With the disappearance of all firearms, a serious problem arose in military power, making it impossible to even deploy troops to hunt monsters. ¡°Damn it¡­ What the hell is going on?¡± Commander Shin Pil-Ho pressed his throbbing head. Monsters appearing all over the world. The government had requested the military to deploy, but with the disappearance of all firearms, they were in no condition to do so. ¡®The countdown in the sky was real¡­¡¯ The talk about the world ending when the countdown reached zero. Shin Pil-Ho had dismissed it as nonsense and hadn¡¯t paid much attention to it. But as soon as the countdown reached zero, a serious problem urred, and he had no choice but to acknowledge the countdown. ¡°Commander!¡± At that moment, Operations Director Lee Gi-Taek visited themander¡¯s office. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a change happening among the soldiers and officers.¡± ¡°¡­Change? Exin it clearly.¡± ¡°Do you know the game called New World?¡± ¡°How could I not? But why are you suddenly talking about a game?¡± It was a famous game that even he, themander, had yed. Although he had quit at level 33, he couldn¡¯t deny the technological prowess of New World. But why was he bringing up a game in this situation? Shin Pil-Ho frowned. Lee Gi-Taek then uttered shocking words. ¡°Yes. They say they can use the system from New World.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± Use the game system in reality? ¡°Shout ¡®inventory¡¯ right now!¡± ¡°Inventory?¡± Then, an inventory appeared in front of Shin Pil-Ho¡¯s eyes. It was quite meager since he had quit at level 33, but it was definitely the same inventory from when he yed New World. Shin Pil-Ho¡¯s eyes widened. Seeing his reaction, Lee Gi-Taek continued his exnation. ¡°The officers and soldiers who yed New World are using skills from the game!¡± ¡°Is that true?!¡± ¡°Yes. Go outside and see for yourself.¡± Shin Pil-Ho hurriedly got up from his seat. He left themander¡¯s office and looked at the training ground outside. ¡°Kill them all!¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need guns!¡± ¡°I have skills!¡± There, the officers were fighting off the monsters. Those who had devoted themselves to New World after work. The officers, who had been called game addicts, were now ying the role of heroes. ¡°What the¡­¡± *** At the same time. The whole world was engulfed in chaos. ¡°Whoa, shit¡­ Is this for real?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­ This is unbelievable.¡± The users who had enjoyed New World were bewildered by the power that hade to reality, and soon they started hunting the monsters sweeping the streets little by little. Those who were ustomed to the vivid battles of virtual reality adapted quickly. Also, themunity World Com was on the verge of exploding. [What is this?] ¨C Seriously, monsters are everywhere¡­ ¨C Wait, was the countdown about this? ¨C This is freaking creepy, what¡¯s going on? ¨C What the hell are the New World headquarters doing? ¨C Wow¡­ I¡¯m speechless¡­ ¨C This is not the time to be happy¡­ Is this even possible? ¨C Seriously¡­ Why are New World monsters appearing? Countless people expressed their doubts. A virtual reality game. New World had be reality. [Dungeons are opening.] [Clear them within the time limit.] To make matters worse, dungeons were also opening. Dungeons opened in each region. The dungeon portals were bigger than anything they had seen in New World. ¡°Crazy¡­ What is that?¡± Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s older sister, Kim Bong-Ja, hurriedly picked up her smartphone and called someone. The call connected shortly after. [Yeah, sis.] ¡°Bong-Goo! Where are you right now!¡± [I¡¯m at a friend¡¯s house right now. What¡¯s the situation there?] ¡°You told me to stay home, so I did¡­ What are all those things?¡± [Monsters.] ¡°Monsters?¡± [Yeah. Monsters from New World.] ¡°What the¡­¡± Unlike Kim Bong-Goo, Kim Bong-Ja had never yed New World. Because she wasn¡¯t interested in games. [Anyway, stay home. Don¡¯t go outside.] ¡°O-Okay¡­ What about you?¡± [I¡¯m going to do some broadcasting. Contact as many people as you can and tell them to watch YouTube.] ¡°What¡­? You¡¯re going to broadcast in this situation? Are you crazy?!¡± [No time to exin. The channel name is HoneyTube! I¡¯m going to broadcast clearing dungeons, so hurry!] The call ended just like that. *** The dungeons opened. ¡°Have you contacted our families?¡± ¡°Yes. They seem to be okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a good thing we told them to stay home, as Brother said.¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo nodded. Their families were safe. They were originally far from the dungeon, so no high-level monsters appeared, and they lived in an area where the damage wasn¡¯t that severe. ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s go.¡± There was no entry restriction for the dungeons that opened simultaneously. They just had to clear them within the time limit. Jeong-Hoon, Ha-Jin, and Bong-Goo came out of the house. Their mother stayed hidden in the house, aiming at the monsters nearby. Bang! The bullet fired by his mother pierced the head of a ck King Tiger in front of her. Then, the other ck King Tigers roaming the streets all looked in the direction of the sound and started running towards them. ¡°So they¡¯re ck King Tigers.¡± Ha-Jin grinned and summoned his soldiers. Ha-Jin¡¯s soldiers, who hadpleted their 3rd ss advancement, started ughtering the ck King Tigers. ¡°Brother! I think the dungeon will be easy too!¡± The monsters lurking near the dungeon were just ck King Tigers. Jeong-Hoon smiled bitterly. These guys were just small fries. Of course, if he hadn¡¯t been obsessed with growth after his regression, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle even these small fries. They approached the dungeon portal. Near the portal, four men in their early 20s were watching. The corpses of ck King Tigers were visible in the distance. It seemed they had made their way here by defeating those ck King Tigers. ¡°Wow¡­ This is just unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°Crazy¡­ It¡¯s a real dungeon.¡± They were looking at the portal with shocked faces. The dungeons they had entered countless times in New World. Those dungeons were now appearing right in front of them in reality. However, no one dared to enter the dungeon recklessly. ¡°The portal is too big¡­¡± ¡°What if we die if we enter carelessly?¡± ¡°What happens if we die¡­?¡± What happens? You say goodbye to this world, that¡¯s what. Jeong-Hoon passed them and stood in front of the portal. [Lv. 150 ???] Only the level of the dungeon was disyed. ¡®If I remember correctly, this is a trap.¡¯ Level 150 dungeons scattered all over the world. Since it was level 150, many could challenge it. Because of that, there were countless people who died after entering, relying only on their levels. ¡®And then problems arise.¡¯ Additional penalties. It could cause all sorts of natural disasters, like additional earthquakes or tsunamis. Moreover, each dungeon had a different time limit, and if penalties urred consecutively, 1% of the entire poption would die. ¡°Ha-Jin, are you ready?¡± ¡°Okay. Done!¡± The broadcast setup wasplete. ¡°Then let¡¯s go in right away.¡± Just as Jeong-Hoon was about to enter the portal. ¡°Wait a minute!¡± The men who were watching from a distance approached Jeong-Hoon. They were all men in their early 20s. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°We discovered this dungeon first, you know?¡± They were all over level 200. It seemed they had been ying New World diligently. Jeong-Hoon tilted his head. ¡°So?¡± There was no restriction on the number of people. ¡°So what? If you understand, get out of the way. This dungeon is ours.¡± ¡°¡­Sigh.¡± Jeong-Hoon let out a small sigh. To think they were arguing about turns even in this situation. ¡°You bastard, get out of the way while I¡¯m being nice.¡± Then Bong-Goo, who had deactivated his stealth, grabbed the man who had spoken by the cor. The dagger in his right hand was touching the tip of his neck. ¡°Wh-What?!¡± The man flinched as he felt something sharp against his neck. ¡°If you want to im ownership, you can take it by force, right? Heh heh.¡± It was a typical viin¡¯sugh. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! We discovered this dungeon first!¡± One of the men behind him shouted, drawing his sword. ¡°Oh? I¡¯m a Specter, try me if you can.¡± Bong-Goo scoffed and asked. ¡°Specter¡­?¡± Only then did the man seem to check Kim Bong-Goo¡¯s information and hesitated slightly. ¡°Stop.¡± Jeong-Hoon raised his hand to stop him. ¡°Yes!¡± At his words, Bong-Goo quickly stepped away from the man and returned. ¡®¡­What was that?¡¯ ¡®Treating a Specter like a toy¡­?¡¯ ¡®Shit, he looks like a normal martial artist no matter how you look at it?¡¯ They couldn¡¯t shake off the eerie feeling. ¡°There¡¯s no entry restriction. In other words, anyone can enter, right?¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s just go in peacefully. There¡¯s no need for us to get on each other¡¯s bad side.¡± With those words, Jeong-Hoon entered the dungeon. ¡°Have somemon sense. They said there would be penalties if we don¡¯t clear it within the time limit, is this the time to be iming ownership?¡± Ha-Jin rebuked them. ¡°If you interfere, you¡¯re dead.¡± Bong-Goo made a throat-slitting gesture towards them and followed Jeong-Hoon into the dungeon. ¡°Sorry.¡± Lastly, even Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mother said a word and entered the dungeon. ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± ¡°Should we just hunt the ck King Tigers here?¡± ¡°Fuck¡­ I don¡¯t know either.¡± The men looked at the dungeon and then turned away. They had only stopped them because they felt like they were being robbed of something they had discovered first. None of them had the courage to enter such a massive portal. *** [You have entered the ??? Dungeon.] Upon entering the dungeon, a familiar scene unfolded. ¡°Where is this?¡± ¡°The Starting Vige?¡± The dungeon was the Starting Vige. With the reality merge of New World, the original vige had lost its function and was now being used as a dungeon. Jeong-Hoon immediately started broadcasting. [Number of live viewers: 0] Unlike before, no viewers wereing in, even though they should be flooding in. ¡®They must be preupied.¡¯ It was okay, though. This video would help clear the dungeons that had opened simultaneously. [Lv. ??? Defeat the Demon Baruda.] The condition for clearing the dungeon was to defeat the Demon Baruda. However, Baruda was basically invincible. Moreover, it had two instant-death patterns, making it extremely tricky. ¡®I know how to break through it.¡¯ He hadn¡¯t been able to break through it at the time, but after that, simr dungeons appeared several times, and the method to break through it was revealed. ¡°Let¡¯s go north first.¡± Jeong-Hoon headed towards the northern cliff. On the cliff, where there should have been nothing, a giant red jewel was resonating. ¡®Destroying the jewels in all directions.¡¯ That was the condition to remove its invincibility. Jeong-Hoon pulled Anima¡¯s bowstring and released it. The arrow shot out and urately embedded itself in the jewel. Hum- The jewel resonated strongly. Jeong-Hoon repeatedly shot arrows, and his mother also fired her gun at the jewel, providing fire support. Crack- The jewel couldn¡¯t withstand the powerful firepower and shattered in less than 30 seconds. [Hmm¡­] Then, a message echoed in his mind. The Demon Baruda was currently asleep. Originally, it would wake up after 30 minutes, but it stirred because they destroyed the jewel. ¡°Let¡¯s go east next.¡± Jeong-Hoon immediately headed towards the green jewel in the east. Crack- The green jewel was also quickly cleared. Next was the gray jewel in the south. Finally, he relentlessly destroyed the ck jewel in the west. [Interesting. You dare to disturb my slumber.] After all the jewels were broken, the Demon Baruda fully awakened. Whoosh- A fierce wind swept over Jeong-Hoon. ¡°What a wind¡­!¡± It was a powerful wind that even surprised Ha-Jin, Bong-Goo, and his mother. [Master, it¡¯sing.] ¡®Be careful.¡¯ Mukho and Anima hurriedly advised. ¨C Is HoneyTube raiding a dungeon right now? ¨C It¡¯s a dungeon that opened in reality, right¡­? ¨C The capsule ispletely messed up¡­ Instead, New World unfolded before my eyes. Damn it ¨C Did he just break the jewel? ¨C Yeah, he only broke the jewel The number of viewers had already reached 25,000. Even in this situation, quite a few viewers were watching. ¡®This is good enough.¡¯ As Jeong-Hoon checked the number of viewers, a small bat appeared in front of him. The bat instantly grew in size and transformed into a hideous monster. ¡®There it is.¡¯ There was no reason to drag this out. Jeong-Hoon leaped forward and threw the ¡®Frozen Urese¡¯s Curse¡¯ potion, which he had purchased in advance from the Achievement Shop, at it. ¡°Ugh?! My body won¡¯t move¡­!¡± The cursed monster¡¯s body instantly froze, and its movements stopped momentarily. ¡°It¡¯s over if I destroy its heart in this state.¡± With those words, he thrust his sword into its heart. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 195 Chapter 195 ¡°Keuhk!¡± The monster, which was transforming, let out a scream and vomited blood. ¡°After breaking the jewels, aim for its heart while it¡¯s evolving. Then you can finish it quickly.¡± He could have waited for the pattern to start and then shown them, but this wasn¡¯t a game. If he made a mistake, he could lose his life, so he revealed the pattern that could be skipped quickly. ¨C Wow¡­ ¨C Is it over? ¨C It ended way too easily, right? The viewers were also dumbfounded. [You have cleared the dungeon.] [The penalty for the current area has been removed.] Done. The penalty for the current area was removed. [You have defeated the Lv. ??? Demon Baruda for the first time!] [30,000 achievement points are awarded.] [5,000 dungeon points are awarded.] 30,000 achievement points and 5,000 dungeon points. He was familiar with achievement points, but dungeon points might be a bit unfamiliar. However, these dungeon points would y a very important role in the future. Unlike achievement points, these dungeon points could even be used to take care of food, clothing, and shelter. [Additional rewards are given!] [Unique Random Item or Experience Points] The reward for clearing the dungeon was a choice between a Unique grade item or experience points. ¡®Unique items are good, but experience points are more beneficial here.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chose experience points. This was because the experience points given were beyond imagination. Right now, leveling up through experience points was more important than Unique grade items. [500,000,000 experience points are awarded.] When he chose experience points, he was given 500 million experience points. [Level Up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] And with that, his level became 293. ¨C The experience points are crazy ¨C He defeated it so easily, and they give 500 million¡­? ¨C This is insane¡­ Should I go close dungeons too? The viewers¡¯ admiration didn¡¯t cease. ¡°Please make sure to close the dungeons. Closing the dungeons will prevent monsters from respawning on the streets. That¡¯s all for the broadcast.¡± With those words, Jeong-Hoon ended the broadcast. [The Transcendent Beings are interested in your amazing performance.] Then, a different message from before appeared. The interest of the Transcendent Beings. They weren¡¯t the main culprits who brought New World into reality. They could be seen as the ones right below the main culprit. The Heavens that Jeong-Hoon had ascended to. They wereposed of those who had reached the path of the Heavens early on. ¡®They started actively intervening after the reality merge.¡¯ As if manipting chess pieces. Two Transcendents have shown interest in us. From Earth¡¯s perspective, it¡¯s still the very early stages. The fact that they¡¯ve already revealed themselves means the demon Baruda must have been effortlessly defeated. Originally, Baruda would awaken from his slumber, and the surrounding jewels would resonate, granting him several times his current defense. Furthermore, demonic monsters, confident in their invincibility, would pressure people to prevent them from essing the jewels, significantly increasing the difficulty of clearing the dungeon. ¡®You¡¯re next.¡¯ Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t view the Transcendents favorably either. They would form contracts with humans they found interesting, reaping various benefits. And if they deemed someone to have lost their value, they would impose penalties and mercilessly take their lives. Those who contracted with them would gain immense power, but it also meant the Transcendents could control every aspect of the contractor¡¯s life. ¡°Hun¡­ someone¡¯s watching us? They even said they¡¯d give us power if we make a contract with them.¡± Ha-jin approached Jeong-hoon with a grave expression. It seemed they had approached not only him but also Ha-jin, Bong-Goo, and his mother. Transcendents could have an unlimited number of contractors, so they were trying to contract them all at once. ¡°Ah, don¡¯t ever make a contract with them.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying not to make a contract?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s words startled the Transcendents. They continued to chatter, but Jeong-hoon simply ignored them. He then knelt on one knee and ced his hand on the ground. [You can permanently destroy the dungeon. Would you like to destroy it?] A message appeared before Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. ¡°Destroy it.¡± [The dungeon will be destroyed.] With the destruction, the dungeon began to crumble. Dungeon destruction. With this, the dungeon waspletely erased. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡± From Jeong-hoon¡¯s perspective, they weren¡¯t entities granting power but merely enemies. They didn¡¯t wee the idea of the game ending. Therefore, if a contractor moved towards ending the game, they would hinder them by imposing conditions and creating obstacles. ¡°Get lost.¡± Jeong-hoon gave them the middle finger and left through the portal. * * * ¡°What the hell is this guy¡­?¡± Jang Dae-hwi stared nkly at his smartphone. The broadcast ended way too quickly. The guy who said he¡¯d conquer the dungeon had seeded in hunting the boss monster in an instant. [Hey, can you edit this as fast as possible?] Jeong-hoon called right after the dungeon ended. ¡°Yeah, alright. But what the hell is that demon¡¯s level?¡± The demon Baruda¡¯s level was ???. The fact that the level wasn¡¯t disyed meant it was an incredibly powerful foe, so how could he have been defeated so easily? [Well, I don¡¯t know either.] ¡°Ah, right.¡± He thought Jeong-hoon might know the level since he knew the patterns, but it seemed he didn¡¯t. [Anyway, please upload it as soon as possible.] ¡°Okay, trust me.¡± The call ended there. Jang Dae-hwi looked out the window. The number of monsters remained the same as before, but the difference was that casualties were starting to ur. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to die like this! Pleasee quickly!¡± ¡°What the hell! What kind of bullshit is it that you can¡¯te because of the monsters?!¡± The ground had long been devastated by monsters. No matter how many people enjoyed New World, those who didn¡¯t were powerless. Most people trembled in fear at home, believing the world was ending, but there were also many who ignored the warnings and roamed around, causing unimaginable damage. ¡°Human! Food.¡± The monsters also attacked the evacuees without hesitation, biting into them to satisfy their hunger. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Jang Dae-hwi hurriedly started editing the video. * * * The editing was finished sooner than expected. He usually paid attention to the quality of the video to increase views, but there was no time for that now, so it was a quicklypressed video. But that was enough. As soon as the video was uploaded, the views surpassed 1 million, then 2 million, 3 million. It started to skyrocket like crazy. ¡°Hun, there are too many dungeons!¡± Jeong-hoon was going around closing dungeons. The change that urred when the dungeon was destroyed. It was that the monsters that used to respawn around it no longer did. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only reason. ¡°But we have to do it.¡± There was no other choice. Jeong-hoon closed dungeons without rest, and he had already destroyed 20 of them. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t receive any additional experience rewards. The rewards for clearing were a one-time thing. And the effects of the video started to gradually appear. ¡°If you break the jewel, the demon will appear immediately. Then, after casting the Frozen Curse of Ullr and piercing its heart, it¡¯s done.¡± ¡°We can do it!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s close the dungeon and save Earth!¡± Experienced New World yers gathered, formed parties, and entered the dungeons. ¡®Good.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled up slightly at the sight of them forming parties to conquer the dungeon. The first demon dungeon to open after his return. Originally, it was a dungeon that wouldn¡¯t be closed because no one knew the patterns, but now that he had revealed them, many dungeons would be cleared. [20 dungeons have been destroyed!] [You have achieved a record-breaking feat!] [10,000 additional points will be awarded.] [The cumtive number of dungeon clears within the time limit has reached 40.] [Among the 40 clears, the party with the highest number of clears will receive a benefit. They will gain the right to proceed to the dungeon¡¯s origin.] He thought the dungeons opened simultaneously. But there was an origin to these dungeons. Jeong-hoon had destroyed 20, and other parties had cleared 20, revealing the origin. [A portal that allows you to move directly to the origin will open.] Heading to the origin was simple. A portal appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. By passing through this portal, he could reach the dungeon that was the origin. ¡°The origin¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not dangerous, is it?¡± Ha-jin and his mother looked at the portal with worried faces. ¡°I¡¯ll go alone.¡± [Master, no! It smells dangerous!] ¡®It would be better to lead as many people as possible.¡¯ Mukho and Anima sensed something ominous from the magic power emanating from the portal. But Jeong-hoon had no intention of leading people in. He knew the dungeon patterns because he had heard about them before his return. However, nothing was known about the origin. It was because no one had cleared enough dungeons within the time limit before. ¡®If I¡¯m alone, I can handle whatever happens.¡¯ He didn¡¯t know what dangersy ahead, so it was right for Jeong-hoon to go alone. ¡°That¡¯s not happening. How can you go alone?¡± Of course, his mother objected. With the realization, the game became distant from reality. He had rescued over 500 people while clearing dungeons. Those rescued were the weak who hadn¡¯t yed New World. Some of them had already been eaten by monsters, leaving only parts of their bodies behind. Since it had be reality, not a game, it was natural for his mother not to let her son go alone. But Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯tpromise on this either. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s better for me to go alone.¡± ¡°Why¡­?¡± ¡°The difficulty is too high.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more reason to go together.¡± If the difficulty was high, it was best to send in as many people as possible. That wasmon sense. Jeong-hoon shook his head. ¡°You need to be at least Legendary grade. And I¡¯m telling you this now¡­ I¡¯ve surpassed Legendary grade.¡± ¡°¡­ Surpassed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon exined about the Celestial grade. The Celestial grade, about which nothing had been revealed until now. Hearing this, his mother, Ha-jin, and Bong-Goo¡¯s faces were filled with shock. ¡°Th-that¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°So I¡¯ll go alone.¡± ¡°¡­But take this with you.¡± Seeing her son¡¯s stubbornness, his mother finally surrendered. Instead, with a worried face, she handed him an artifact. It was a pager that could be purchased from the achievement shop. It meant she would join him anytime if a dangerous situation arose. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. There won¡¯t be any danger.¡± Jeong-hoon took the artifact and walked into the portal. [Moving to the origin.] Then, Jeong-hoon¡¯s body was sucked into the portal. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 196 Chapter 196 Ho-Yeong. Yeo Sunwoo and Yeo Min-ji were hunting the demon in the dungeon. The video Jeong-hoon uploaded. By referring to that video, they could easily defeat the demon. ¡°Hah!¡± Yeo Min-ji unleashed a Wind Fist technique, shattering the demon Barras¡¯s heart. ¡°Kuaaah! You damn human!¡± Barras screamed. But when Destruction Fist and Fire Fist followed, he couldn¡¯t withstand it and perished. [You have cleared the dungeon.] [The penalty in the current area will be removed.] As Jeong-hoon said, the penalty in the current area was removed. [You are the first to defeat Lv.??? demon Barras!] [30,000 achievement points will be awarded.] [5,000 dungeon points will be awarded.] [Additional rewards will be given!] [Unique Random Item or Experience] The choice between a Unique item and 500 million experience points. Yeo Min-ji chose experience points, as Jeong-hoon had advised. [500,000,000 experience points will be awarded.] [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] A whopping four level-ups. At a level where gaining a single level was difficult, she gained four at once. [Your remarkable performance has caught the attention of a Transcendent.] A Transcendent spoke to Yeo Min-ji. ¡°¡­¡± [Min-ji, are you okay?] Shortly after the countdown reached zero, Jeong-hoon contacted her. He said he would be conquering dungeons and broadcasting the process, asking her to watch and clear dungeons herself. He also advised her to ignore anyone who offered a contract. ¡®Everything is going as Hoon said¡­¡¯ At first, she was skeptical, but seeing the Water Dragon speak to her, she was convinced. ¡°Dad! Did anyone try to talk to you?¡± ¡°You too? I¡¯ve already been approached by two.¡± Yeo Sunwoo had also been contacted by Transcendents. He was the Legendary-grade Shadow King, possessing far greater talent than Yeo Min-ji. From the Transcendents¡¯ perspective, he was an incredibly tempting fruit. ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Yeo Min-ji shook her head with a hardened expression. ¡°I know. We have to ignore them.¡± He had also received a message from Jeong-hoon. [You need to close the dungeons that have opened simultaneously. If you close those dungeons, monsters won¡¯t respawn.] He knew that dungeons were appearing simultaneously. But they couldn¡¯t move recklessly without information about the dungeons. [I¡¯ve contacted Min-ji. I¡¯ll start the broadcast soon, so please watch it and close the dungeons.] ¡°Understood.¡± Upon hearing that, Yeo Sunwoo and Yeo Min-ji didn¡¯t move immediately but watched the broadcast first. And they couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. Even through the screen, they could see that the unusual monsters were being killed with very simple methods. Furthermore, the video was uploaded to YouTube in less than an hour, and the views had already surpassed 20 million. ¡°How could Hoon respond like this?¡± With the realization, everyone was in chaos, but only Jeong-hoon remained calm. He even offered a solution in the process. ¡°¡­It seems we¡¯ve gained a powerful ally.¡± * * * The origin. It shimmered in the middle of a desert. [Where is this?] ¡®There¡¯s nothing but sand around.¡¯ The temperature was scorching hot. However, as New World became reality, the abilities he had developed were transferred, so Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t sweat a single drop. He also cleared away his umted fatigue with holy power. ¡®It¡¯s so good to have built up in virtual reality.¡¯ He definitely felt that because he had yed in virtual reality, his body¡¯s adaptation was faster. If he only had the memories, it would have taken him a considerable amount of time to adapt. Jeong-hoon looked at the portal in front of him. It was a gigantic portal, iparable to any portal he had seen before. Also, the magic power emanating from it made every hair on his body stand on end. [Lv.??? ???] A dungeon with an unknown level and name. ¡°Entering.¡± As Jeong-hoon epted, the portal sucked him in. For a moment, everything went dark, and when he reappeared, he was in front of a massive gate. The gate was stained ck and studded with sharp iron spikes. A huge torch zed in front of it, and a knight stood guard. [Lv.400 Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper] The gatekeeper. A knight tasked with guarding the gate. ¡°Who are you?¡± The knight¡¯s piercing blue eyes, visible through his helmet¡¯s visor, stared at Jeong-hoon. ¡°Me? I¡¯m here to take down the owner of this castle.¡± Jeong-hoon said with a grin. The gatekeeper drew his sword, his eyes filled with rage. ¡°Nonsense. A mere human dares to challenge our lord?¡± His jet-ck de pointed towards Jeong-hoon. Instead of a bluish aura, a ck aura began to ripple. [Master, be careful. That¡¯s not an opponent to be underestimated.] ¡®Level 400¡­ He¡¯s quite strong.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s okay. I can handle it.¡± Jeong-hoon also drew Leviathan and gripped it in his hand. ¡°You¡¯re a funny one. A mere level 293 dares to face me?¡± The gatekeeper scoffed, and then his figure vanished. Jeong-hoon swung Leviathan in a wide arc. ng! A sharp metallic sound rang out. The gatekeeper raised his sword to protect his neck. His eyes, visible through the helmet¡¯s visor, trembled slightly. ¡°Too bad. I was hoping to end it in one strike.¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± The gatekeeper couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. A mere level 293. But the sword strike just now was so fast that he could barely read it, and it even aimed for his neck. If he hadn¡¯t stopped his footwork and raised his sword to block¡­ His head would be rolling on the ground right now. ¡®He¡¯s not an easy opponent.¡¯ That¡¯s why he was able to reach the castle where his lord resided. [Guard the gate with your life, no matter whoes.] His lord¡¯smand was absolute. So he wouldn¡¯t let him pass through the gate. Even if it cost him his life. ng! Jeong-hoon swung Leviathan once again. This time, the sword strike aimed to cut through the gatekeeper¡¯s waist. However, the gatekeeper swung his sword downward, parrying Jeong-hoon¡¯s attack. A sharp metallic sound echoed once more. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters within the area are decreased by 10%.] And ckfield activated. The ground turned ck, and the gatekeeper entered Jeong-hoon¡¯s ckfield. He looked down at the ground with a bewildered expression and then swung his sword. [Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper uses ¡®Blood Demon Mirror¡¯.] Blood Demon Mirror. As he used his ability, the surrounding air turned red. The air entering his lungs was incredibly stinging. [Resisting poison.] The stinging sensation meant that what was entering his body was poison. A debuff applied when within the gatekeeper¡¯s area of effect. [Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper uses ¡®Heavenly Dragon Sword Break¡¯.] He deployed his domain and immediately used a skill. It was a skill called Heavenly Dragon Sword Break. His jet-ck de mmed into the ground. Boom! The ground shook, and a massive dragon-shaped magical energy erupted, charging towards Jeong-hoon. [Activating 1st Form: Initiation.] Jeong-hoon activated Initiation, swiftly shing left and right, splitting the dragon charging at him, allowing it to pass him by. Crash! ¡°My Heavenly Dragon Sword Break¡­?¡± The gatekeeper¡¯s eyes shook violently as the dragon was effortlessly split apart. Jeong-hoon seized the opportunity and struck the gatekeeper¡¯s armor with Initiation. Bang! The gatekeeper stumbled momentarily from the impact, which was greater than he had imagined. A sly smile crept onto Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. The mark had been imprinted, so it was time to move on to the next form. [Activating 2nd Form: Devour.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s Devour aimed for the gatekeeper¡¯s neck once again. Bang! [Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper uses ¡®Protective Aura¡¯.] An aura erupted from the gatekeeper¡¯s body, deflecting Jeong-hoon¡¯s Leviathan. ¡®He¡¯s quite skilled.¡¯ It was Devour activated after the mark had been imprinted. To think he could casually defend against Devour with his aura. Whoosh- As if waiting for the right moment, the gatekeeper counterattacked, his sword strike far sharper than before. For a level 400, he was a very tricky opponent. [Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper uses ¡®Meteor Chain¡¯.] Meteor Chain, simr to Jeong-hoon¡¯s Initiation. That was the reason his sword strikes had be fiercer. ng! ng! But even with Meteor Chain, Jeong-hoon wouldn¡¯t be defeated. ¡°You damn rat.¡± The gatekeeper¡¯s face contorted as Jeong-hoon perfectly defended against his Meteor Chain. Jeong-hoon parried his Meteor Chain and grinned. ¡°Let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡± He repeatedly unleashed Destruction Sword, and his Steadfast Will had also reached Legendary grade. Could he learn that sword technique now? The swordsmanship that Jeong-hoon had failed to learn before his return. One of James Marcus¡¯s one-hit kill techniques. ¡®Thousand Swords Windfire¡¯ The movements were even rougher than Destruction Sword. He quickly unleashed Initiation, Devour, and Destruction, pressuring the gatekeeper. ¡°This won¡¯t be enough!¡± The gatekeeper roared, parrying Jeong-hoon¡¯s sword strikes. If he were an ordinary level 400 monster, he would have been killed long ago, but the gatekeeper¡¯s swordsmanship was beyond imagination. And then it happened. [Martial Artist exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ activated.] [Skill, ¡®Ten Swords Windfire (Unique)¡¯ acquired.] He had seeded in acquiring it, even if not perfectly. ¡®Alright. I¡¯ve obtained the skill I couldn¡¯t learn no matter what.¡¯ At that moment. [Celestial¡¯s unique ability activated.] [Skills automatically grow based on the proficiency of each weapon.] [Ten Swords Windfire (Unique) evolves into Hundred Swords Windfire (Unique).] Ten Swords Windfire instantly evolved into Hundred Swords Windfire. Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes trembled slightly. ¡®Crazy¡­ Hundred Swords Windfire.¡¯ With this, he could quickly raise it to Thousand Swords Windfire. Jeong-hoon activated Initiation and swung his sword. ng! ng! ¡°I won¡¯t fall for the same trick twice!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Jeong-hoon grinned and unleashed a new skill. [Using Celestial Aura.] The Celestial Aura he had been saving. A starlight aura bloomed from Jeong-hoon¡¯s body, enveloping him warmly. [Attack and defense increased by 20%.] [Decreases Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper¡¯s attack and defense by 10%.] With the addition of Celestial Aura, Jeong-hoon¡¯s momentum became even fiercer. And then. [Hundred Swords Windfire activated.] The activation condition was to swing the sword a certain number of times. And he had just met that condition through Destruction Sword. Countless sword energies erupted from Leviathan, taking their positions in the air. ¡°What the¡­?!¡± Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper was shocked by the sight. ¡°Here I go.¡± [Activating 3rd Form: Annihtion] Jeong-hoon raised his sword and thrust it towards the gatekeeper¡¯s chest with Annihtion The gatekeeper couldn¡¯t react to the increased speed. The tip of Leviathan pierced through the gatekeeper¡¯s armor. ¡°Gah!¡± The sword energies floating in the air swirled and engulfed the gatekeeper, and his body, touched by the sword energies, started to burn fiercely. ¡°Uaaah! Aaaah!¡± He couldn¡¯t bear the pain and screamed. But the sword energies continued to torment him, and soon the gatekeeper copsed. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Jeong-hoon approached the fallen gatekeeper and pierced his neck with Leviathan, ending the battle. [Acquiring the gate key.] [You can now enter the gate.] [Acquiring 25,000,000 experience points.] [Level up.] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] [You are the first on Earth to defeat ¡®Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper¡¯. Acquiring ¡®Gatekeeper¡¯s Will¡¯.] Rewards were given. The experience points awarded were 25 million. With this, Jeong-hoon¡¯s level became 294. [Wow¡­ That was a really tough win.] ¡®If the gatekeeper is this strong, how tough will it be inside¡­¡¯ As Mukho and Anima said, the battles ahead would not be easy. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Jeong-hoon checked the Gatekeeper¡¯s Will he had obtained as a reward. He was curious about what kind of reward it was. [Gatekeeper¡¯s Will] ¨C Type: Consumable ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C The will of Hell¡¯s Gatekeeper, Carnos. ¨C Can only be used on items containing the power of a divine beast. ¨C Upon use, can partially restore lost power. ¡®Oh.¡¯ Jeong-hoon let out a short exmation. He hadn¡¯t expected the gatekeeper to be a humanoid divine beast. No wonder he was so powerful for a level 400. ¡®The items I have that contain the power of a divine beast are Fenrir and the headpiece.¡¯ Jeong-hoon fiddled with the headpiece he was wearing. With this will, he could partially restore the headpiece. However, Fenrir had also lost its power and couldn¡¯t yet disy its true strength. He only had one will. It meant he could only restore one of the two. ¡®Hmm¡­¡¯ Jeong-hoon pondered for a moment before making a decision. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 197 Chapter 197 A Blood Orc was roaming the streets. Blood dripped from its mouth, the blood of humans. ¡®Aaaah!¡¯ ¡®Help me! Please save me!¡¯ Over a hundred people had fallen victim to the orc. And there were those watching the orc. From inside the department store. Countless people had taken refuge within the department store, and many were injured. The Blood Orc had suddenly appeared, catching those on the streets in its rampage. Most had ended up in the Blood Orc¡¯s stomach, bing cold corpses, but fortunately, some had managed to escape into the building and survive. ¡°Thank goodness it didn¡¯te inside the building¡­¡± They had heard that some monsters smashed buildings, killing many inside, but this Blood Orc seemed to be focusing solely on those in the streets. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°It hurts so much¡­¡± However, there were too many people with severe injuries, not just minor ones. ¡°Potions! Wouldn¡¯t potions work?¡± Among them were many users who had enjoyed New World. ¡°Without magic power, they be poison¡­ You know that¡­¡± Healing potions. These potions reacted to magic power, causing a holy power-like energy to circte in the body and initiate the healing process. But without magic power, the potions turned into poison, endangering the person¡¯s life. Ultimately, they needed the help of medical professionals, but due to the monsters wreaking havoc worldwide, treatment was difficult unless they were transported to a hospital. ¡°Damn it¡­ Can¡¯t the people who yed New World take down that Blood Orc?¡± That was impossible. The Blood Orc¡¯s level was 183. Unfortunately, only a very few among them were over level 200. Even those few didn¡¯t dare to challenge the Blood Orc. ¡®This isn¡¯t a game¡­ How can we hunt that Blood Orc¡­¡¯ This wasn¡¯t a game where you could respawn after dying; it was reality, where one death meant the end. Seeing no one willing to step up, who would risk their life ying hero and end up dead? So they quietly hid in the corner. They didn¡¯t even reveal themselves. Now that it was reality, users could see each other¡¯s nicknames, levels, and sses. It would be troublesome if they showed their levels and asked for help. At that moment. ¡°Uwaaaa¡­¡± ¡°Kueaaak!¡± The Blood Orcs roaming the streets suddenly screamed and turned into dust, disappearing. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± The people watching from inside the department store tilted their heads in confusion. And soon, a few people entered the department store. ¡°Are there any injured?!¡± They were users with levels over 300. The Blood Orcs had vanished because they had cleared the dungeons in this area. With the appearance of the users, people shouted urgently, feeling a sense of relief that they were saved. ¡°Yes! Over here!¡± ¡°Please, save me!¡± Like this, the video Jeong-hoon uploaded was spreading, causing many changes. * * * Jeong-hoon immediately summoned Fenrir. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Even after a long time without being summoned, Fenrir remained respectful. ¡°The reason I called you is simple.¡± ¡°Are we going to push down this castle?¡± Fenrir looked at the castle ahead with a serious expression. The powerful energy emanating from within the castle. He couldn¡¯t help but tremble at how strong it was. ¡°Something like that.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned at the sight of Fenrir trembling. ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± ¡°Yes. So drink this first.¡± Jeong-hoon took out the Gatekeeper¡¯s Will. The will was in the form of an elixir, and Fenrir tilted his head in confusion as he looked at it. ¡°This¡­?¡± ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t really like things like this.¡± ¡°How do you know what it is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s something to drink, right? I only drink water. My stomach is a bit sensitive.¡± ¡°Cut the crap. If youin one more time, I¡¯ll lock you up in there.¡± Fenrir was startled at the mention of being locked up in the castle. ¡°I-I¡¯ll drink it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡± How hard it was to get this. Honestly, his whining made Jeong-hoon lose all desire to give it to him, but if Fenrir¡¯s power was restored, he would be a great help to Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon opened the cap and poured the elixir into Fenrir¡¯s mouth. Fenrir¡¯s body was then enveloped in a blue light. ¡°Kying! Kying!¡± Fenrir seemed surprised and whimpered with his eyes wide open. ¡°Stop being so dramatic.¡± What was a divine beast scared of something like this for? [Fenrir¡¯s level increases.] [All of Fenrir¡¯s stats increase.] [Some of Fenrir¡¯s abilities are restored.] The effects appeared quickly. As his tamer, Jeong-hoon could immediately see how Fenrir had been restored. === [Fenrir] ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Level: 308 ¨C ss: Divine Beast [Detailed Stats] -Strength: 330 -Agility: 380 -Health: 354 -Defense: 377 -Wisdom: 295 -Mana: 340 -Willpower: 330 === Fenrir¡¯s level jumped from 227 to 308. ¡®He surpassed my level.¡¯ Even though only a part of his abilities was restored, his level increased by 81. Then how powerful was his original strength? It made him a bit excited. ¡°Fenrir, let¡¯s move on to the next step.¡± ¡°Move on¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. We¡¯re going to catch the one lurking inside that gate. I need your help to catch it.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Jeong-hoon had Fenrir follow him and approached the gate. Up close, the gate was so massive that he couldn¡¯t see the top even when he looked up. Perhaps that¡¯s why the key was also so big that it was difficult to hold with one hand. The only fortunate thing was that the keyhole was located at Jeong-hoon¡¯s chest level. ¡®If it were in the middle, I would have had to use a Fly Potion.¡¯ Jeong-hoon inserted the key into the hole. Then, he slowly turned it to the right, and with a click, the lock was released. [The gate¡¯s barrier is lifted.] With the message that the barrier had been lifted, the gate creaked open. [Entering the Great Demon Rakandra¡¯s Castle.] The Great Demon Rakandra. The demon residing in the castle. The leader of the demons lurking within the dungeon. A demon who had reached the Celestial realm but, for some reason, couldn¡¯t ascend to the position of a Transcendent. However, his skills were exceptional, making him one of the favorites among the Transcendents. ¡®In my previous life, I fought him almost halfway through the game.¡¯ Countless people had died at his hands. And it wasn¡¯t Jeong-hoon who had defeated Rakandra. At the time, he was excluded from dangerous battles due to hisck of strength. It was James Marcus who had taken Rakandra¡¯s life. Even in that process, many had been sacrificed to him. Step. Step. Jeong-hoon entered the castle. Countless demons appeared before his eyes. [Lv.250 Lower Demon] Rakandra had sent the demons he cherished as dungeon bosses, so these were the remaining remnants. Demons without even a name. Jeong-hoon activated Heavenly Vault and charged towards the demons. Leviathan was already in his hand. [Activating 1st Form: Initiation.] He activated Initiation and swiftly beheaded the demons. ¡°Intruder!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let him reach Lord Rakandra!¡± ¡°Stop him at all costs!¡± The demons shouted urgently and activated their abilities. [Lower Demon uses ¡®Chains of the Abyss¡¯.] Chains of the Abyss. These chains bound their target and dragged them into the abyss. Jeong-hoon infused Leviathan with holy power and shed at the chains. The Chains of the Abyss lost their power and vanished. ¡°What the?!¡± ¡°This is impossible¡­!¡± The lower demons were terrified. They thought they could at least bind his feet, but they didn¡¯t expect the chains to disappear so helplessly. And then Fenrir followed behind. ¡°A d-divine beast¡­? Why is a divine beast here?¡± The lower demon recognized Fenrir at a nce. ¡°Push forward.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯smand, Fenrir used his ability. [Fenrir uses Howling.] Howling. The howling instantly sealed the lower demons¡¯ magic power. They also became as stiff as stone, unable to move or use any additional abilities. ¡°Can I eat them?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Drool was already dripping from Fenrir¡¯s mouth. The lower demons¡¯ faces turned pale at the sight. ¡°S-stay away¡­¡± ¡°Uwaaaaak!¡± Despite their pleas, Fenrir began ughtering the lower demons. Meanwhile, Jeong-hoon passed through the demons and headed upstairs. * * * The castle had a total of seven floors. If the first floor was filled with lower demons, the grades gradually increased as he went higher. Even the highest-grade demons, reaching level 360, appeared. Nevertheless, Jeong-hoon pushed through the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th floors with unstoppable force. And so he reached the 7th floor. There wasn¡¯t a single demon in sight on the 7th floor. Jeong-hoon took a step forward. [Human, this is your final warning. Leave this ce immediately, or I will tear you to shreds.] At that moment, a voice echoed in his head. It was a chilling voice that made every hair on his body stand on end. ¡®Rakandra.¡¯ Jeong-hoon grinned. The voice meant that he was close. As he continued walking, an altar appeared before him. On the altary a ck coffin. [A mere human, daring to ignore my warning.] A voice echoed in Jeong-hoon¡¯s head once more, and a demon slowly emerged from the coffin. [Lv.??? Great Demon Rakandra] Rakandra. The leader of the demons lurking within the dungeon. Just facing him made it clear how powerful he was. But there was no turning back now. Jeong-hoon put Leviathan back into his inventory. Pressuring him with Leviathan here would be pointless. ¡®I¡¯ll finish this with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.¡¯ Jeong-hoon, who couldn¡¯t participate in the battle before his return, could only listen to the strategy for defeating Rakandra. But since he was such a formidable foe, he had memorized the detailed strategy. There were two ways to damage him. First, one had to reach the Celestial realm, and second, one had to strike him with a Legendary or higher skill. Also, from the start of the battle, he would inflict a debuff, and one had to be careful not to trigger it by fulfilling the conditions he set. Otherwise, an explosion would ur within the body, leading to instant death. So it was right to fight using Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, which allowed for free movement. ¡°What? How are you unaffected by my presence?¡± Rakandra frowned. It was understandable. He had stepped into the Celestial realm. Even if he hadn¡¯t attained the status of a Transcendent, he had undoubtedly reached that level. So it was extremely unpleasant for a human under level 300 to face him calmly. ¡°I wonder why.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. Upon reaching the Celestial realm, he had acquired the title ¡®[Title] One who has Surpassed Humanity¡¯. One of its options was ¡®Partially unaffected by Transcendents¡¯ influence.¡¯ That¡¯s why he could withstand facing Rakandra. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll tear that damn grin off your face first.¡± [Great Demon Rakandra uses ¡®Death¡¯s Judgment¡¯.] [This debuff cannot be dispelled.] [Death¡¯s Judgment countdown begins.] [Reduce Great Demon Rakandra¡¯s health to below 90% within 20 minutes.] [Failure to do so will result in your health reaching 0% and death.] The first condition was to reduce Great Demon Rakandra¡¯s health by 10%. ¡®Manageable.¡¯ Even so, Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t lose hisposure. It was a battle he could definitely handle. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are increased by 1.5 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters within the area are decreased by 10%.] First, he activated ckfield. [¡®Death¡¯s Judgment¡¯ debuff is active.] [Stats of monsters entering the domain will not be decreased.] However, Rakandra¡¯s stats weren¡¯t decreased. ¡®It¡¯s okay. I just need to increase my own stats.¡¯ [All stats increased by 15%.] [Damage decreased by 20%.] [Time limit is ¡®1 hour¡¯.] Then, he used the stat-boosting ring. [The activation rate of ¡®Poison Attack¡¯ increases by 4% for 1 hour.] Guardian of M?rchen. [The special ability of ¡®Dominator¡¯s Grasp¡¯ is activated.] [All stats are increased by 10%.] [Attack power and proficiency of all weapons are increased by 10%.] Dominator¡¯s Grasp. [The special ability of the ¡®Headpiece Imbued with the Spirit of a Divine Beast¡¯ is activated.] [Attack and defense are increased by 25%.] Headpiece Imbued with the Spirit of a Divine Beast. [Using Celestial Aura.] [Attack and defense are increased by 20%.] [¡®Death¡¯s Judgment¡¯ debuff is active.] [Stats of monsters entering the domain will not be decreased.] Celestial Aura. All doping wasplete. Jeong-hoon activated Heavenly Vault and instantly closed the distance with Rakandra. ¡°Oh?¡± Rakandra was slightly impressed. The human¡¯s movement was unbelievably fast for someone under level 300. But that was all. It would be impossible for a mere human to inflict damage on him. Bam! But when Jeong-hoon¡¯s fistnded on Rakandra¡¯s abdomen, a painful groan escaped his lips. ¡°Cough!¡± Rakandra¡¯s eyes widened. He couldn¡¯t believe that a mere human had dealt damage to him. ¡°Did you think you were the only one who reached the Celestial realm?¡± Jeong-hoon said in a low voice. ¡°¡­This is absurd.¡± ¡°You will die here.¡± Jeong-hoon unleashed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique and started to pressure Rakandra. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 198 Chapter 198 Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, 2nd Form. The Legendary-grade Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique struck Rakandra. ¡°Ugh!¡± Rakandra, with a bewildered expression, allowed a few hits before starting to defend himself. He even counterattacked, dealing significant damage that drastically reduced Jeong-hoon¡¯s health. As expected of someone who had reached the Celestial realm, he was on a different levelpared to the previous foes. Thwack! Jeong-hoon¡¯s Underworld King¡¯s Fistnded on Rakandra¡¯s face, and as if waiting for the opportunity, his ck ws scratched Jeong-hoon¡¯s face. [Debuff: Blood Curse inflicted.] Death¡¯s Judgment and now Blood Curse. [Using Purification.] But Purification worked, and the debuff: Blood Curse disappeared. [Using Advanced Healing.] Jeong-hoon immediately used Advanced Healing to quickly heal the wound on his face. His depleted health was restored, and he pressed Rakandra once again. With the continuous exchange of blows, Rakandra¡¯s health rapidly decreased. [Great Demon Rakandra: 89.9%] Reduce his health to below 90%. With that punch, his health had dropped from 90% to 89.9%. [Death¡¯s Judgment countdown will not activate.] He had seeded in fulfilling the condition to prevent Death¡¯s Judgment from activating. However, Death¡¯s Judgment didn¡¯t disappear and still remained. [Reduce Great Demon Rakandra¡¯s health to below 70% within 30 minutes.] [Failure to do so will result in your health reaching 0% and death.] A new condition to prevent activation was presented. This time, the condition was to keep his health below 70% for 30 minutes. The difficulty had significantly increasedpared to the first condition. The reasony in the next ability he would use. ¡°Damn human! I will erase you without a trace, even if it takes everything I have!¡± Rakandra¡¯s face was contorted with rage. [Great Demon Rakandra uses ¡®Recovery¡¯.] Rakandra¡¯s body momentarily glowed, and his health returned to 100%. ¡®This is why the difficulty increases.¡¯ The recovery ability he could use. It was limited to five times a day. The fact that he had already used it once meant it was to activate the Death¡¯s Judgment on Jeong-hoon. [Great Demon Rakandra uses ¡®Serenade of Despair¡¯.] Rakandra used an additional ability, as if determined to end things this time. The first pattern that had terrified and annihted the humans he first encountered. That first pattern had begun. To survive by avoiding this pattern, one had to defend against a total of twelve attacks. Of course, there was a way to skip the pattern, just like with the demons in the previous dungeons. Jeong-hoon took out the ¡®Eye of Oblivion¡¯ that he had purchased along with the ¡®Frozen Curse of Ullr¡¯. A consumable item that cost a whopping 30,000 points. [Eye of Oblivion activated.] He used the Eye of Oblivion on Rakandra, and the demon¡¯s eyes momentarily lost focus. An eye that could make him forget one ability for 60 minutes. He could only use it when an ability was activated, so he waited for the demon to use it. ¡®Serenade of Despair. I definitely have to skip that.¡¯ It would take a considerable amount of time to dodge all four attacks. If that happened, the Death¡¯s Judgment currently on him would inevitably activate. Jeong-hoon punched Rakandra in the abdomen. The 3rd Form¡¯s energy was imbued in his fist. ¡°Cough!¡± Rakandra¡¯s eyes, which had lost focus, snapped back into focus due to the shock. A groan escaped his lips. It was because the damage from the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique had be stronger than before. And it didn¡¯t end there. [Invisible Fist activated.] Invisible Fist activated with every punch he threw. [Additional attack power increased by 20%.] [Number of hits +2 applied.] That¡¯s right. Whenever Jeong-hoonnded a sessful hit on Rakandra with Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique, an additional +2 hits were applied, resulting in three effective hits. Furthermore, as the battle prolonged, the Underworld King¡¯s energy imbued in his fists grew stronger. [Great Demon Rakandra: 68.4%] The rate at which his health decreased became even faster, and soon, he met the condition to prevent Death¡¯s Judgment from activating. [Great Demon Rakandra uses ¡®Recovery¡¯.] Rakandra¡¯s body momentarily glowed, and his health returned to 100%. ¡°Do you think you can defeat me with just this?¡± Rakandra grinned and reached out towards Jeong-hoon. [Great Demon Rakandra uses ¡®Demon¡¯s Grasp¡¯.] [70% of your health is stolen.] The next ability he used. Jeong-hoon¡¯s health was stolen by 70%, leaving him with only 30%. Since it was stolen, he couldn¡¯t recover it with holy power. Furthermore, the stolen health was added to Rakandra, causing his health to jump from 100% to 150%. [Reduce Great Demon Rakandra¡¯s health to below 50% within 30 minutes.] [Failure to do so will result in your health reaching 0% and death.] With a new condition added, he had to reduce Rakandra¡¯s health by over 100% within 30 minutes. ¡°Yes. You will die by my hand.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded and unleashed Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique once again. Now, the 6th Form¡¯s energy rippled in his fists. With even stronger attack powerbined with Invisible Fist, he started pounding Rakandra again. Rakandra grinned. ¡°You¡¯re a funny human.¡± With those words, a giant scythe appeared in Rakandra¡¯s hand. He had moved on to the next pattern. As if waiting for this moment, Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed, and he punched Rakandra in the chest. Bam! Rakandra¡¯s eyes bulged. The way to skip the pattern. It was to aim when he held the scythe. Because when he held the scythe, his vital point was briefly exposed. At that moment, if a certain level of damage was inflicted on that vital point, his body would stiffen for a few seconds. ¡°What are you doing, exposing your weakness like this?¡± Jeong-hoon grinned and relentlessly pummeled Rakandra. His health was rapidly decreasing. ¡®W-weakness¡­? I had a weakness?¡¯ Rakandra¡¯s mind was inplete chaos as he was being beaten. He was just trying to unleash his power to end this game for good. He had no idea there was a weakness in the process of activating his ability. At the same time, his pride was crushed. A mere human had seen through a weakness he himself didn¡¯t know about. ¡®My health is decreasing rapidly¡­!¡¯ Moreover, as time passed, the human¡¯s attacks became unimaginably stronger. The energy rippling in his fists. It had be iparably denser than at the beginning. It seemed his power grew stronger as the battle continued. This was truly dangerous. ¡®Yes! I can move!¡¯ Rakandra desperately tried to move his body, and as the stiffness wore off, the hand holding the ck scythe rose. [Great Demon Rakandra uses ¡®Death¡¯s Guidance¡¯.] ¡°Human, this is the end for you.¡± Rakandra mmed the ck scythe into the ground. An ability boasting a whopping 4,500% attack power. It even ignored 100% of defense, making it impossible for any human, no matter how skilled, to defend against this attack. Even if they didn¡¯t die, they would be left on the brink of death, and with Death¡¯s Judgment activated, they would ultimately meet their demise. In the end, the victor of this battle was Rakandra. Or so it should have been. ¡°I told you. You will die by my hand.¡± Jeong-hoon was holding the scythe,pletely unharmed. Rakandra¡¯s eyes trembled at the sight. ¡°H-how¡­?!¡± It was simple. Jeong-hoon¡¯s left hand was holding the scythe, but in his right hand was an artifact. [Rudbeckia of Duality (Single Use)] ¨C Type: Artifact ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C An artifact containing the magic favored by Rudbeckia of Duality. ¨C Absorbs the opponent¡¯s attack and reflects it back. ¨C The artifact is destroyed after one use. An artifact he had purchased by spending all his remaining achievement points. Jeong-hoon was able to prepare for this because he knew the demon¡¯s patterns. [Absorbed Great Demon Rakandra¡¯s ¡®Death¡¯s Guidance¡¯.] [Releasing Death¡¯s Guidance.] ¡°Farewell.¡± As Jeong-hoon activated the artifact, Death¡¯s Guidance surged towards Rakandra. ¡°Kuaaah!¡± [Great Demon Rakandra: 15.2%] His health instantly dropped to 15%. At the same time, the nape of his neck turned red. A new vital point appeared when his health fell below 20%. ¡®Those damn Transcendents.¡¯ Rakandra was merely their pawn. They had intentionally created several vital points so that humanity could stand a chance against him. And the most vulnerable of those vital points was the nape of his neck. Jeong-hoon thrust his fist towards the vital point. Bam! ¡°Gah!¡± Rakandra screamed and went limp. [You have defeated the Great Demon Rakandra for the first time! 100,000 achievement points will be awarded.] [10,000 points will be awarded.] [Acquiring the title ¡®Demon yer¡¯.] [You have defeated a being who has ascended to the Celestial realm! You have acquired 0.2% of the unknown Ultimate Energy.] [Acquiring 2,000,000,000 experience points.] [Level up.] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 awarded.] [Acquiring a Unique~Legendary grade Rune Box (random).] [Acquiring a Unique~Legendary grade Item Box (random).] Countless messages popped up. ¡®Amazing¡­¡¯ The rewards for defeating Rakandra were beyond imagination. And then. [You have defeated the boss of the Tutorial Dungeon. All dungeons opened on Earth will simultaneously disappear.] With Rakandra¡¯s defeat, all the dungeons that had opened simultaneously vanished. * * * The users who were clearing dungeons without any problems were facing difficulties. ¡°The demon has awakened!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°What?! Wasn¡¯t it supposed to appear only after breaking the jewel?!¡± They had followed the strategy from HoneyTube, breaking the jewel and using the Frozen Curse of Ullr to quickly eliminate the demon. If things went that way, it was a very easy dungeon, but if the demon awakened, the story changed. Not only did it prevent them from breaking the jewel, but it was also in an invincible state where the Frozen Curse of Ullr didn¡¯t work. Moreover, its strength was beyond imagination. Therefore, even those who had entered as a party couldn¡¯t put up a proper fight. ¡°I¡¯ll turn you all into dust.¡± The demon grinned and activated its ability. [Demon Barion uses ¡®Storm of Destruction¡¯.] The sky turned ck, and a vortex raged. The vortex began to press in on them from all sides. ¡°Oh, shit!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m going to die¡­¡± They turned pale and lost all will to escape. ¡°You foolish humans. I¡¯ll kill you all here¡­ Cough!¡± Suddenly, the demon¡¯s face hardened, and then it screamed and disappeared. Then, the raging vortex vanished. ¡°Wh-what¡­?¡± Those who were on the verge of losing their lives looked around in a daze. And a message appeared before their eyes. [The boss of the Tutorial Dungeon has been defeated. All dungeons will disappear.] [Please exit the dungeon through the portal.] Along with the message that the boss of the Tutorial Dungeon had been defeated, a portal appeared in front of them. ¡°The boss was defeated¡­?¡± ¡°There was a boss?¡± ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re alive¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I thought we were going to die.¡± They exited through the portal. And they could see that the monsters roaming the streets had disappeared. All the monsters, including the dungeons, had vanished. ¡°I-is it over?¡± ¡°It seems like it¡­?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 199 Chapter 199 2 billion experience points. 2 billion experience points allowed Jeong-hoon¡¯s level to instantly surpass 300. Level 315. He could now proceed to his 4th ss advancement. As soon as Rakandra fell, the Transcendents clung to him as if they had been waiting. There were even more of them than when he defeated Baruda. Jeong-hoon ignored them all and exited through the portal. ¡°Hun!¡± Outside, his mother was anxiously waiting for her son. ¡°I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°Thank goodness. Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeong-hoon said with a bright smile. Only then did his mother¡¯s tense face rx, seemingly relieved. ¡°Since I defeated him, all the dungeons should have disappeared.¡± Although it was just the starting point, a tutorial, it was enough that he had changed the future where countless victims would have fallen. ¡°Wow¡­ So that¡¯s why they disappeared.¡± Ha-jin, who was listening from the side, took out her smartphone and showed Jeong-hoon the screen. [You have defeated the dungeon boss.] [Rewards will be given ordingly.] [For one week, no penalties will be imposed for clearing dungeons.] [Normal dungeons will be generated in 6 hours.] Normal dungeons. As the name suggested, they were dungeons that didn¡¯t impose penalties and would be used for growth by both those who had enjoyed New World and those who hadn¡¯t. ¡®It will be peaceful for a week.¡¯ It meant they wouldn¡¯t impose penalties for clearing dungeons for a week. That one week was significant because it secured time for as many people as possible to adapt. ¡®Everyone will be going crazy trying to grow stronger.¡¯ Realization had been forced upon them. People were seeking ways to survive. And they realized that leveling up and gaining strength, just like in New World, was the most certain method, so everyone was heading to the dungeons. Plus, the points they could earn by clearing dungeons. They could use those points to secure food, clothing, and shelter, making going to dungeons not a choice but a necessity. [NPCs will be generated in all regions.] [NPCs with various roles will be deployed, so Earthlings are encouraged to actively utilize them.] NPC generating. With this, the realization wasplete. ¡°NPCs will be generated¡­?¡± Ha-jin muttered nkly at the message that followed. ¡°This is crazy¡­¡± Bong-Goo had a simr reaction. Even though the realization had happened and the dungeons were closed, it wasn¡¯t easy to ept. ¡°We¡¯ve put out the immediate fire, so let¡¯s rest a bit.¡± Rest was essential since they must be quite confused. * * * With the dungeons gone, Ha-jin and Bong-Goo returned to their homes. Jeong-hoon, back at his house, was looking at Wem with his mother. [Who is the person who defeated the dungeon boss?] ¨C They said the demon dungeons that appeared this time were tutorial dungeons, right? Then who do you think defeated the boss? ©¸ I think I know who it is. ©¸ LOL, it¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it? ©¸ ??? Who is it??? ©¸ Damn, stop talking about things only you guys know and tell us. ©¸ It¡¯s HoneyTube. ©¸ It really seems like HoneyTube. ©¸ It has to be HoneyTube¡­ He¡¯s the one who uploaded the strategy video in such a short time. The one who defeated the boss of the tutorial dungeon. Countless people were convinced that the person who defeated him was HoneyTube. It made sense because the strategy video was uploaded shortly after the realization urred. And the views on that dungeon strategy video exceeded 100 million. It was evidence that many people around the world had cleared the dungeon using that strategy video. He was the first to upload the strategy video, so it was safe to assume that he was the one who hunted the dungeon boss. ¡°Hun, what are you going to do now?¡± His mother asked cautiously. He had broadcasted the dungeon closing process, and it was all his son¡¯s doing, even defeating the dungeon boss. ¡°I think it¡¯s best to keep quiet for now.¡± ¡°Keep quiet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The whole world was in chaos. In this situation, if it was revealed that he had defeated the dungeon boss in the dungeon strategy video, countless troublesome situations would arise. There was no need to create such a situation. So Jeong-hoon intended to keep his mouth shut. He had also contacted Ha-jin and Bong-Goo. He told them never to reveal anything about this incident. ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no point in revealing it.¡± His mother seemed to have the same thought and agreed with her son¡¯s opinion. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But can we really hide it¡­? If people are determined to find out, they¡¯ll find out¡­¡± Many people were paying attention to HoneyTube because of the dungeon strategy videos. If they were determined to find out, Jeong-hoon would be exposed soon. ¡°There¡¯s a way.¡± ¡°A way?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled and entered the achievement shop. [Category] ¨C [Special] There were a variety of items visible when entering the Special category. Jeong-hoon scrolled down using the drag function. As he quickly scanned through the items, he found the one he wanted. [Identification Tag] It was an item called an Identification Tag. While the Disguise Potion Jeong-hoon had drunk was useful for concealing his appearance and ss, this Identification Tag could hide his nickname itself. It couldn¡¯t hide his ss or level, but it had the advantage of allowing him to use a dual nickname. ¡®This should be quite useful.¡¯ Jeong-hoon purchased one Identification Tag for 10,000 points. [Set the nickname you want to use for the Identification Tag.] ¡®Heaven-Defier.¡¯ Jeong-hoon set the nickname as ¡®Heaven-Defier¡¯. With this, he could change his nickname whenever he wanted, which would be a great help in concealing his identity. If he also used the Disguise Potion to change his appearance and ss, it would be perfect. ¡®I¡¯ve made sure the broadcasts arepletely blinded, so it should be fine.¡¯ No matter how skilled someone was, it wouldn¡¯t be easy to go against the system created by New World. ¡°Your nickname has changed?¡± His mother was surprised to see Jeong-hoon¡¯s nickname change. ¡°I changed it using an Identification Tag.¡± ¡°Identification Tag?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon exined to his mother how to purchase an Identification Tag and then instructed Ha-jin and Bong-Goo to change their nicknames using it as well. They couldn¡¯t hidepletely, but at least for now, they could avoid troublesome situations. Next, he called Yeo Min-ji. [Yes!] She must have been waiting for his call because it connected after only one ring. ¡°I was wondering how Park Jin-Hyeok is doing.¡± [Park Jin-Hyeok? He¡¯s currently gathering his guild members, and he said he¡¯ll be here soon.] ¡°Then please tell him to be careful of Myth.¡± [Myth¡­ You¡¯re right.] Now that the realization had urred, Myth would also take action. ¡®The target is most likely me, but we can¡¯t rule out Park Jin-Hyeok either.¡¯ And with Lee Hwa-rang, who couldn¡¯t y New World for a year due to the suspension, now able to move, it was better to be safe than sorry. *** Earth Korea. Except for the headquarters, all Earth Corporation and Genesis Corporation branches were in chaos. It was because of the sudden dissolution announcement and the game bing reality. ¡°Dungeons, NPCs¡­? The dissolution of Earth and Genesis is because of this, right?¡± Oh Hye-young, an employee in the management team, asked Oh Jin-soo. They had received the dissolution notice, but it wasn¡¯tpletely dissolved yet. Perhaps that¡¯s why more employees than expected came to work. Of course, there was nothing to do. The moment the countdown in the sky reached zero, New World was blocked. The users who were ying New World through the capsules were forcibly logged out, and the capsules that were working fine suddenly stopped functioning. ¡°¡­¡± Oh Jin-soo, the head of the management team, nodded silently. He couldn¡¯t deny that the situation happening outside was simr to New World. He had witnessed with his own eyes that stats had manifested in reality and skills were being used. But there was also a sense of doubt in his mind. The game has be reality? No matter how much he thought about it, it was hard to believe. ¡°Then what happens to us?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ We couldn¡¯t even y New World¡­¡± The biggest problem was that the employees of Earth and Genesis hadn¡¯t been able to y New World. From the moment they joined thepany, there was a use stating they couldn¡¯t y New World. Because of this, with the realization, they were at the same level as ordinary people. Oh Jin-soo was no exception. === [yer Information] -Nickname: None (Please set a nickname.) -Level: 1 -ss: None === The information disyed before him. Level 1, and he didn¡¯t even have a nickname set. ¡°Sigh, this is driving me crazy.¡± Oh Jin-soo let out a soft sigh. And then it happened. [To all employees who have worked hard after joining Earth Corporation.] Suddenly, such a message appeared. ¡°Wh-what?¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± It wasn¡¯t just Oh Jin-soo; the message appeared before all the other employees as well. [We would like to offer a very special opportunity to all employees who have worked hard.] [We are nning to add various systems for Earthlings and intend to convert all employees who have worked in New World into NPCs.] [At the same time, Earth and Genesis will be dissolved, and a new organization, the New World Association ¨C South Korea, will be established to manage it.] NPCs. In simple terms, were they asking them to be game assistants? Oh Jin-soo was dumbfounded. How was this a special opportunity? ¡°¡­This doesn¡¯t seem like a bad offer.¡± Oh Jin-soo frowned at his team member¡¯s mumbling. ¡°Not a bad offer? It sounds good, but it¡¯s basically telling us to be dogs.¡± ¡°So what? We couldn¡¯t even y New World, so our levels are all 1. How are we supposed to raise them?¡± ¡°¡­¡± He had no words to refute that. Even though they knew New World better than anyone else, they were no different from ordinary people. If they were attacked by monsters, they would lose their lives. Even if they knew the strategies, they couldn¡¯t implement them because theycked the ability to do so. [Oh! There is no right to refuse.] An additional message was sent, causing a stir among them. They were already being forcibly dissolved, and now they were being forced to be NPCs? ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± Oh Jin-soo jumped up from his seat. Even though he had joined Earth Corporation tempted by the conditions and had worked his hardest, he had never once thought of himself as a ve. But wasn¡¯t this the same as being a ve? [NPC conversion in progress.] [1%] Struggling was pointless. The NPC conversion was proceeding forcibly. ¡°Ugh¡­ What¡¯s happening? Manager¡­ My head feels strange¡­¡± At that moment, one of his team members stumbled and copsed on the spot. His face was pale, and blood was flowing from his nose. ¡°Byeong-jin! Open your eyes!¡± ¡°Cough¡­¡± The man called Byeong-jin trembled violently. Oh Jin-soo hurriedly tried to call for paramedics, but the call wouldn¡¯t connect. ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­ Why is this happening all of a sudden?¡± Oh Jin-soo couldn¡¯t hide his confusion. The smartphone that had been working fine until just now suddenly went dead. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± One by one, other team members started copsing as well. And they all showed the same symptoms as Byeong-jin. ¡°Is everyone okay?!¡± As Oh Jin-soo hurriedly checked on his team members. ¡°Ugh!¡± An indescribable headache and severe dizziness hit him, and Oh Jin-soo also copsed. ¡®Is this what NPC conversion is like¡­?¡¯ Oh Jin-soo struggled to hold onto his fading consciousness, but with the pain in his head feeling like a lightning strike, he lost consciousness. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 200 Chapter 200 ¡°Damn bastard. I¡¯ll definitely get you.¡± A man visited Earth Korea, grinding his teeth. Lee Hwa-rang. If he hadn¡¯t encountered that bastard named Hoon before New World became reality, he would have maintained his position as the number one archer. Although he had fallen from the ranks, his archery skills were still sharp. The reason he visited Earth Korea. ¡°They must have information about that bastard here.¡± Earth Korea would have information about the South Korean users who yed New World. Even if not in detail, they should be able to confirm at least some information. What he wanted to confirm was information about Hoon. Everything about how he moved and how he was able to defeat him. ¡°Wee to the Association.¡± The person who greeted Lee Hwa-rang was an employee guarding the entrance to the Association. ¡°Hmm?¡± Lee Hwa-rang frowned. The employee¡¯s voice felt very unnatural. To be precise, it was monotonous. === [NPC Information] -Nickname: Hong Hyun-woo -Level: 100 -ss: Association Security Guard === What¡¯s this¡­? Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s eyes widened slightly. ¡°¡­Why is it an NPC instead of a user?¡± He realized that Hong Hyun-woo wasn¡¯t an ordinary NPC because of the employee ID card hanging around his neck. Earth Korea Human Resources Team 3. Hong Hyun-woo. That¡¯s what was written on the ID card. ¡°How may I help you?¡± ¡°¡­What are you?¡± ¡°Entry is not allowed without an ess card.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous. Step aside if you don¡¯t want to die.¡± Lee Hwa-rang tried to pass by him and enter. ¡°Intruder!¡± Hong Hyun-woo blocked Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s path. [Warning!] [Warning!] [An unauthorized person is attempting to enter the Association.] [All NPCs belonging to the Association will have their levels and stats increased as they are considered intruders.] Following the warning, Hong Hyun-woo¡¯s level instantly jumped to 400. ¡°Crazy!¡± Lee Hwa-rang was startled and stepped back. ¡°The intruder will be eliminated.¡± With those words, the main gate of Earth Korea opened, and 20 more employees appeared. All of them had their levels jumped to 400. ¡°¡­Damn it.¡± Lee Hwa-rang gritted his teeth and left the Association. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but those people weren¡¯t normal. He didn¡¯t know what would happen to him if he forced his way in. Buzz- At that moment, his smartphone in his pocket vibrated. [Sa Jae-hyeok] The caller was Sa Jae-hyeok. ¡®Ha, not a single call since the suspension.¡¯ After the suspension, Sa Jae-hyeok hadpletely cut off contact with Lee Hwa-rang. He had abandoned him after getting him suspended for a year. Just thinking about that bastard made him angry, and now he was calling without a care? Lee Hwa-rang hesitated for a moment before answering the call. He was furious, but he was curious to hear what that shameless bastard had to say. ¡®You son of a bitch, if you talk nonsense, I¡¯ll curse you out.¡¯ He would unleash a torrent of curses and hang up. [Hwa-rang.] ¡°What is it?¡± [I know the suspension is meaningless now. Soe back to Myth.] ¡°Ha, you suspended me for a year and now you want me back? Do you think I¡¯m your fool?¡± [There¡¯s a way to get revenge on that bastard.] ¡°Revenge¡­?¡± [Yes. If Myth hadn¡¯t been messed with by that damn guy, we would have soared even higher. Don¡¯t you think so too?] ¡°¡­¡± He was right. If he hadn¡¯t gotten involved with that bastard, he would be the number one archer right now, with the game turned into reality. [You can get revenge! Soe back.] ¡°How?¡± Lee Hwa-rang gritted his teeth whenever he thought of Myth. He was so pleased when he heard that Myth had been eliminated early in the siege. [You¡¯ll know when youe.] ¡°No thanks. Who knows what other tricks you¡¯ll y?¡± [Did you enter any dungeons after the game became reality?] ¡°No.¡± Even though the game had be reality, Lee Hwa-rang hadn¡¯t entered any dungeons. ¡®Observe the situation.¡¯ He had lost much of his touch due to the long suspension. So he focused on regaining his senses by hunting monsters on the streets. [Then you might not know. I¡¯ve made a contract.] ¡°A contract¡­?¡± [Yes. I¡¯ve gained immense power.] ¡°Nonsense.¡± Lee Hwa-rang couldn¡¯t understand. [Whether it¡¯s nonsense or not, you¡¯ll see when youe. So, what will you do? Don¡¯t you want revenge?] ¡°Are you sure I can get revenge?¡± [Of course. And I won¡¯t let Park Jin-Hyeok, who betrayed you, go unpunished either.] ¡°¡­Park Jin-Hyeok.¡± Lee Hwa-rang gritted his teeth. The friend he trusted more than anyone had abandoned him and joined Ho-Yeong. It was all because he was overshadowed by that bastard Hoon. He was someone he couldn¡¯t let go of. [Come back. Let¡¯s get revenge together.] ¡°¡­If we fail, I won¡¯t let you go unpunished.¡± [Of course. I¡¯ll stake my life on it.] ¡°Alright.¡± Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s eyes changed. * * * NPCs were generated all over the world. Or rather, people were turned into NPCs, and these NPCs wereposed of those who had worked at Earth and Genesis. [Those bastards are truly evil¡­] ¡®They¡¯ve lost their sense of self.¡¯ Mukho and Anima looked at them with pity. Jeong-hoon felt the same. ¡°Yes¡­ They are truly evil.¡± The concept of human dignity didn¡¯t exist for them. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t turn people into such a state. [Is it impossible to heal them with something like Healing?] ¡®Maybe there¡¯s a way to restore them?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s impossible for now.¡± If there was a way, he wouldn¡¯t just be watching; he would be taking action right away. The only way to return them to their original state was to end the game and revert the world to how it was before it started. Jeong-hoon walked over to an NPC. The NPC was a woman wearing an employee ID card with the name Yoo Ji-ah. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Yoo Ji-ah ¨C Level: 100 ¨C ss: Sundries Manager === Her position was Sundries Manager. [Her eyes are lifeless¡­] ¡®How terrible.¡¯ Turned into NPCs, they were literally puppets. They couldn¡¯t make judgments beyond their programmed responses. Jeong-hoon approached her. ¡°I¡¯d like to use my points.¡± ¡°Yes. Please choose the items you need.¡± She snapped her fingers, and a list of items appeared before Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. But the item Jeong-hoon wanted wasn¡¯t there. ¡°I need something else, not these.¡± ¡°Please tell me.¡± ¡°An Association ess card. I need that.¡± ¡°You need 10,000 points to purchase an ess card.¡± 10,000 points. It wasn¡¯t a small amount of points. However, Jeong-hoon had closed 20 dungeons and even defeated Rakandra, the boss of the tutorial dungeon. He could easily afford 10,000 points. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll buy it.¡± ¡°You have 10,000 points. Understood.¡± Yoo Ji-ah nodded, and 10,000 points were deducted from Jeong-hoon¡¯s bnce. At the same time, a ck employee ID card was generated in his inventory. [Association ess Card] ¨C Type: ess Card ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Allows entry to the New World Association when in possession. ¨C ess is restricted to floors 1 through 8. An ess card that could be purchased from the Sundries Manager. Originally, it should have been on the item list, but it was missing because the NPC conversion wasn¡¯t fullyplete yet. ¡®I need to lower the difficulty of the dungeons that impose penalties.¡¯ That was the reason Jeong-hoon purchased the ess card. Unlike now, in his previous life, Earth had been devastated by the tutorial. In that situation, dungeons had erupted. Among them, the difficulty of the dungeons that imposed penalties was beyond imagination, and disasters constantly gued Earth. But there was a way to lower the difficulty of those dungeons. In his previous life, they imposed penalties, but now it would be different. Jeong-hoon headed straight for Earth Korea. But there were about twenty NPCs standing in front of the Association. ¡®It seems someone visited.¡¯ Moreover, their levels were 400, not 100. That meant someone had tried to force their way in. Jeong-hoon quickly lost interest and walked towards the main entrance. As he approached, the NPCs¡¯ gazes all turned towards him. ¡°Entry is not allowed without an ess card.¡± They seemed ready to attack if he didn¡¯t present the ess card. Of course, that wouldn¡¯t happen. ¡°Yes.¡± Because Jeong-hoon presented his ess card. At the sight of the ess card, the NPCs¡¯ expressions softened. And their levels dropped from 400 to 100. ¡°What is the purpose of your visit?¡± ¡°Just looking around.¡± ¡°Alright. You may pass.¡± The NPC stepped aside. Jeong-hoon passed them and entered Earth Korea. The first floor was the lobby, and he could see a cafe and a lounge to the side. ¡®It¡¯s functioning normally.¡¯ In the lobby, employees undergoing NPC conversion were staring nkly at the ceiling. They were the ones who hadn¡¯t been assigned roles yet. Jeong-hoon approached a nearby NPC and took out his smartphone from his pocket. A red message was disyed on the smartphone. [NPC conversion in progress.] [49%] 49% In about 4-5 hours, it would reach 100%. He had to finish his business before then. ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± Jeong-hoon returned the smartphone to the NPC and headed towards the elevator to go upstairs. To ess the elevator, he had to scan his employee ID card, which, of course, the ess card could also do. Beep- He used the ess card to enter and boarded the elevator. ¡®The management team is on the 7th floor, right?¡¯ The management team. They were the team responsible for immediately responding to bugs urring in New World through real-time monitoring, but in reality, they were just highly-paid ckers with nothing to do. There was no way bugs would ur in a game designed by beings who had transcended humanity. Even if there were asional bugs, they were a kind of arrangement disguised as bugs, so those with sharp minds noticed them and took advantage of the arrangements. So, in reality, there was practically nothing for them to respond to. [You have entered the 7th floor.] Jeong-hoon opened the door blocking the elevator using his ess card. Beyond it, NPCs were sitting at their desks, seemingly working. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Oh Jin-soo ¨C Level: 100 ¨C ss: Dungeon Manager === Oh Jin-soo, who had been sitting at the manager¡¯s desk in the management team, had be a Dungeon Manager. ¡°How may I help you?¡± Oh Jin-soo turned his head and looked at Jeong-hoon. As expected, there was no focus in his eyes. ¡°Ah, I have some business.¡± ¡°Business?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon activated Heavenly Vault and grabbed Oh Jin-soo¡¯s neck. ¡°¡­¡± But his body didn¡¯t even flinch. A cold sensation from the hand gripping his neck. He didn¡¯t seem like a living human at all. [Activating Brainwashing.] Jeong-hoon immediately cast Brainwashing. At level 100, it should work without a problem. Jeong-hoon gestured towards theputer with his chin. ¡°There¡¯s a program for managing dungeons, right? Can you open it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A positive answer came from Oh Jin-soo¡¯s mouth. It was proof that the Brainwashing had been sessful. ¡°Open it.¡± Jeong-hoon released his grip on his neck. ¡°Yes.¡± The freed Oh Jin-soo sat down and opened the program. ¡®That must be the program that only worked before the NPC conversion wasplete.¡¯ The program that would be cleanly deleted the moment the NPC conversion was finished. And a new program would appear, one that even the administrator couldn¡¯t change the settings of. [161 hours remaining until normal dungeon generation.] [Setting penalty-imposing dungeon difficulty to ¡®Hell¡¯ mode.] 161 hours until dungeon generation. And the difficulty of the penalty-imposing dungeons was set to ¡®Hell¡¯. If he waited for the dungeons to be generated like this, clearing them would be incredibly difficult. ¡®I can¡¯t change the time, but I can change the Hell mode.¡¯ If he could just change that damn Hell mode, many countries would be able to avoid the penalties. ¡°Lower the mode.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Oh Jin-soo, under the influence of Brainwashing, tapped on the keyboard. Warning messages flooded the monitor. [Warning! Warning!] [An attempt is being made to modify the program.] [All individuals within a 200-meter radius of theputer attempting the modification will be killed.] [Lv.??? demon Baal will appear to carry out the execution.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 201 Chapter 201 With that message, the air distorted, and a crack appeared in space. Red eyes gleamed through the crack. Demon Baal. The master of Hell Mode. If Rakandra was a Great Demon, Baal was a Demon Lord, a being of a higher dimension. The true Transcendent whomanded Rakandra like a pawn. That was Baal. A voice echoed in Jeong-hoon¡¯s head. Although a Transcendent could only observe from afar, if the conditions were met, they could approach this close. ¡®I can¡¯t handle him at my current level.¡¯ The Transcendents Jeong-hoon had defeated in his previous life were of the Apostle rank. Not all Transcendents were the same. First, there were the five named beings called Gods. They were beings capable of controlling the creation and destruction of the world with a single finger. Beings that humans couldn¡¯t even dare to face. And there were 24 Heavenly Kings assisting them, and below them were 120 Lords. Baal was a Lord. He was a being above the 720 Demon Kings who led 12,000 Apostles. ¡®Even I, in my previous life, couldn¡¯t face him.¡¯ The condition for Hell Mode wasn¡¯t to defeat Baal but to pass the trials he presented. No matter how strong a human was, they couldn¡¯t evenpare to a Demon King. Even Apostles, who were around level 1,000, could be defeated if the matchup was unfavorable. How could they possibly defeat a Demon King whomanded such beings? In his previous life, he had only been able to find a way to end the game. It wasn¡¯t about defeating those damn Transcendents to end it. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jeong-hoon said, trying his best to steady his trembling voice. Baal¡¯s red eyes curved slightly. He must have found it fascinating that there was a human who could face him and remain unharmed. ¡°¡­¡± Oh Jin-soo, who had been typing on the keyboard, fainted at Baal¡¯s appearance. That was the normal reaction. ¡°Are you going to kill me?¡± Jeong-hoon asked Baal. Baal¡¯s eyes slowly closed and then opened. He was interested in Jeong-hoon. Normally, he would have attacked without hesitation, but the novelty of having a conversation with a human was intriguing to him. However, if he lost interest here, Jeong-hoon would die at Baal¡¯s hands. ¡®That absolutely cannot happen.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had already calcted that Baal would appear. So he spoke the words he had prepared. ¡°I propose a wager.¡± His red eyes were filled with curiosity. ¡®Baal. I¡¯ve heard he loves wagers and deals.¡¯ The Demon Lord of the Demon Realm. To alleviate his boredom from his eternal life, he had begun making wagers and deals. In the process of these wagers and deals, he slowly tormented his opponents to death, and the thrill was enough to stimte Baal. ¡®They said he took the souls of humans struggling in dungeons through deals.¡¯ For demons, human souls were like tempting fruits. ¡°I will clear the dungeon you upy in the uing dungeon generation.¡± Baal¡¯s red eyes curved like crescent moons. He was quite pleased with Jeong-hoon¡¯s proposal. ¡°However, I¡¯d like you to lower the mode.¡± Clearing the dungeon. That was for Jeong-hoon¡¯s survival. Changing the mode was a separate issue. Jeong-hoon grinned and provoked him. ¡°Why? Are you afraid you¡¯ll lose the bet if you lower the mode?¡± ¡°Since the condition is to clear the dungeon you designate, shouldn¡¯t there be some kind of advantage on my side? Lowering the Hell Mode by two stages to Hard Mode seems like a fair bnce.¡± Despite the sophistry, Baal seemed to be contemting. It was because Jeong-hoon was too intriguing a being to kill here. In the end, Baal decided to ept Jeong-hoon¡¯s request. Very Hard mode, one step below Hell Mode. That was enough, but Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t readily ept. ¡°Hard Mode. You agreed to lower it by two stages, so it should be lowered by two stages, not one.¡± Jeong-hoon clearly asked for a two-stage reduction. Baal¡¯s eyes wavered slightly as he nitpicked on that point. ¡°You need to listen properly. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. ¡°Deal.¡± With that, the wager was established. [Demon Baal uses ¡®Demon¡¯s Bargain¡¯.] [Please confirm the terms of the deal.] A holographic document appeared before Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. The document recorded the conversation he had with Baal without missing a single word. ¡®It¡¯s quite long.¡¯ Jeong-hoon briefly summarized the contents of the document. [Demon¡¯s Bargain] ¨C I, Baal, make a wager with a human. If you clear the dungeon where I reside, I will not take your life. At the same time, I will properly grant the rewards for clearing the dungeon. However, if you fail to clear it, your soul will be my possession, Baal¡¯s. These were the important points. ¡°I need to check it thoroughly.¡± Jeong-hoon checked it several times, just in case there was any trickery. ¡°¡­It seems fine.¡± Only after confirming that there were no issues did Jeong-hoon ce his palm on the document. The document glowed and was then sent to Jeong-hoon¡¯s inventory. Baal would have received the same document. [Lv.??? Demon Baal returns.] With that message, the crack that had opened closed up. [Setting penalty-imposing dungeon difficulty to ¡®Hard¡¯ mode.] The difficulty disyed on the screen also changed from ¡®Hell¡¯ to ¡®Hard¡¯. ¡®A Demon Lord appearing here¡­¡¯ Anima knew about him. Although currently residing in a weapon, Anima was once a High Dragon, reigning supreme among the dragon race. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t know about Baal. [That damn bastard.] It seemed Mukho also knew Baal. ¡°Do you know who that guy is?¡± [How could I not? Siegfried died at the hands of that bastard.] ¡°¡­What?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. Lv.800. The first Tower Master and All-Master, Siegfried. To think that Siegfried had lost his life to Baal. This was the first time he had heard this. [He lost a wager¡­] ¡°What kind of wager?¡± [¡­I don¡¯t know. Baal, that bastard, erased most of my memories. The only thing I know is that Siegfried lost.] ¡°Is that so?¡± It didn¡¯t quite make sense. Wasn¡¯t Siegfried a figure from the past? How could he havee into contact with Baal? [Anyway¡­ we can¡¯t cancel the wager, can we?] Mukho was afraid. He was afraid that Jeong-hoon might end up like Siegfried at the hands of Baal. ¡°We can¡¯t.¡± The milk was already spilled. Even if they could cancel it, Jeong-hoon would refuse. ¡®I have to remove as many penalties as possible.¡¯ People still needed time to adapt, and these penalties weren¡¯t simply going to end in disaster. As the penalties umted, the destruction would elerate. Because of this, Earth had once been on the brink of destruction, and 80% of the world¡¯s poption had disappeared. Such a future had to be prevented at all costs. * * * One week. Earth was incredibly peaceful. Although countless dungeons had been generated, monsters no longer ravaged thend as they had before. Thanks to this, people were adapting quickly. [It is imperative to establish countermeasures for the New World phenomenon.] [Announcing that leveling up increases the chances of survival.] The government actively encouraged leveling up, and even those who hadn¡¯t enjoyed the game started hunting monsters to level up. ¡®Myth hasn¡¯t made a move yet.¡¯ Jeong-hoon was preparing for a possible surprise attack, but they hadn¡¯t shown any particr movement so far. However, there was a gain. He was able to catch a glimpse of something that assured him they would make a surprise attack. [Lee Hwa-rang has joined Myth.] The news of Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s joining. It was certain because he heard it through Yeo Min-ji, who was keeping a close eye on Myth. ¡®It¡¯s highly likely he made a contract.¡¯ He was someone who had made a contract with a Transcendent in his previous life. He was also someone who had caused harm to many people, being obsessed with power. So the option of him not making a contract didn¡¯t exist in Jeong-hoon¡¯s mind. ¡®If he made a contract, he¡¯ll try to sabotage us in this dungeon.¡¯ The dungeon where Baal was the boss. Ironically, there wasn¡¯t just one dungeon where Baal was the boss. It was because they were scheduled to be generated all over the world. In other words, any country could remove the penalty imposed on Earth if they passed the trial Baal presented within the time limit. Jeong-hoon predicted that Sa Jae-hyeok would appear in that dungeon. When someone made a contract with a Transcendent, they were given a Transcendent-exclusive quest. The rewards for those quests were beyond imagination and greatly helped in rapid growth. However, the content of the quests wasn¡¯t to remove the penalty but to sabotage and prevent its removal. Because of this, the Avatars who had contracted with Transcendents contributed to making the clear rate zero. [Abnormal dungeons are being generated.] One week. 168 hours had passed, and the penalty-imposing dungeons were generated. At the same time, a new message appeared before Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. [Due to the Demon¡¯s Bargain, the location of the dungeon is revealed.] Dungeon location revealed. Along with that, a map unfolded before Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. A map showing all the continents of Earth. Countless red dots were marked on the map. At the same time, Baal¡¯s voice echoed in his head. Because of the Demon¡¯s Bargain,munication was possible when the time came. Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll enter the nearest one then.¡± Baal¡¯s voice cut off there. * * * A quest had been issued. As if he had been waiting, Sa Jae-hyeok opened the quest window. [Avatar Quest: Enter the Abnormal Dungeon] ¨C Restriction: Avatars who have contracted with a Transcendent of Apostle rank or higher ¨C Reward: 25,000,000 experience points + Next quest avable ¨C Description: Enter the Abnormal Dungeon and proceed to the next quest. The quest was simply to enter the Abnormal Dungeon. ¡®This is amazing. Just entering the dungeon gives 25 million experience points.¡¯ In New World, it would take at least a few weeks of dedicated hunting to gather 25 million experience points. But he could gain that much experience just by entering once. ¡®It won¡¯t be impossible to get revenge on that damn bastard.¡¯ Sa Jae-hyeok had made a contract with the ¡®Fallen Guide of Stars¡¯ inside one of the simultaneously opened dungeons. The strategy was to break all the surrounding jewels, then use the ¡®Frozen Curse of Ullr¡¯ to incapacitate the demon that appeared, and finally, finish it off. Thanks to the strategy spread by the YouTuber HoneyTube, many people attempted the dungeon, and Sa Jae-hyeok was one of them. During that process, a Transcendent approached him, and although he initially tried to refuse, he ended up making a contract after being promised immense power. ¡°Please tell me the location of the Abnormal Dungeon.¡± Sa Jae-hyeok pleaded with utmost respect. As if on cue, a map unfolded before his eyes. The dungeon was quite close. Sa Jae-hyeok¡¯s face brightened as he confirmed the location. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll enter right away.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 202 Chapter 202 Before departing, Jeong-Hoon took out the two reward boxes he had received. ¨C Unique~Legendary Grade Rune Box (Random) ¨C Unique~Legendary Grade Item Box (Random) These were the rewards for defeating Rakandra. ¡®It says Unique to Legendary, but in reality, it¡¯s basically a Unique box.¡¯ That¡¯s how probability-based items usually work. The probability of getting a lower grade is over 95%, and the probability of getting a higher grade is less than 5%. Even if you open several at once, with good luck, you might barely get one higher grade item. But since there¡¯s only one box, it¡¯s better to expect a Unique item rather than hoping for a Legendary. Of course, Jeong-Hoon had no intention of opening it normally. [Absolute Potion of Luck] ¨C Type: Consumable ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Greatly increases the probability of a one-time draw. This was the Absolute Potion of Luck he had used in the past. It was an expensive potion worth 30,000 achievement points each. Jeong-Hoon quickly consumed the potion. [Would you like to open the Unique~Legendary Grade Rune Box (Random)?] ¡®Open.¡¯ [You have acquired the Rune of Counterattack (Legendary).] The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s mouth turned upwards. He never expected to get a Legendary grade item from the very first box. Moreover, it was a rune, not just any other item. Runes are designed to be unobtainable above Unique grade through any other means. This is because acquiring a Legendary grade rune is harder than finding a needle in a haystack. Even with the Absolute Potion of Luck, they rarely appeared, so he didn¡¯t have high expectations. He was surprised to see it actually happen. ¡®Rune of Counterattack, huh¡­¡¯ [Rune of Counterattack] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Attack Power increased by 5% ¨C Additional Damage increased by 5% ¨C Counterattack As expected of a Legendary grade item, it possessed stats that were iparable to Unique runes. And Counterattack¡­ [Counterattack] ¨C The power to retaliate against everything. ¨C When the rune is used, it absorbs all attack power for 5 seconds and then returns 45% of the damage. At first nce, it seemed like an ability simr to reflection. ¡°Not bad.¡± The reason it could only return 45% of the damage was because it hadn¡¯t been enhanced yet. He wanted to enhance it immediately, but to do so, he needed an item called ¡®[Legendary] Rune Enhancement Scroll¡¯. This scroll couldn¡¯t be purchased from the achievement shop and was a rare drop from random boxes, making enhancement difficult. [Would you like to open the Unique~Legendary Grade Item Box (Random)?] Jeong-Hoon drank another Absolute Potion of Luck and opened the box. [Supreme Reward Acquired!] Instead of an item, a message appeared before his eyes. ¡°Huh?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes widened. Sometimes, when the highest reward emerges from a box, this kind of message appears before the item is revealed. Then, when you touch the confirmation icon below the message, the item appears. With trembling hands, Jeong-Hoon touched the confirmation icon. [You have acquired a Fully Enhanced Enhancement Scroll (Legendary).] A Fully Enhanced Enhancement Scroll. Using this scroll would instantly enhance any Legendary grade item, be it equipment or a rune, to its maximum level. ¡°This is insane¡­¡± Even Jeong-Hoon was seeing this item for the first time. ¡®Legendary enhancement.¡¯ He had many Legendary equipment pieces, but none of them were fully enhanced. That¡¯s how difficult it was, and he couldn¡¯t believe it appeared here. [Oh! Does that mean I can get stronger?!] ¡®Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Use it on me!¡¯ Mukho and Anima saw the scroll and started appealing to him. ¡°Sorry, but I won¡¯t be using it on you guys.¡± As he poured cold water on their hopes, Mukho and Anima slumped. [What¡­ Why not me?] ¡®I acknowledge your archery skills, Master, but good equipment allows those skills to shine even brighter.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon chuckled. ¡°I know, but you guys can be enhanced with Legendary Enhancement Stones.¡± Although he wasn¡¯t enhancing them yet due to hisck of Enhancement Skill proficiency, Jeong-Hoon nned to fully enhance Mukho and Anima eventually. The same went for his other equipment. However, runes were different. The only way to enhance runes was with scrolls, and who knew when he would gather enough Legendary scrolls? Jeong-Hoon had already decided how to use the scroll the moment he saw it. [Don¡¯t tell me¡­ on the rune you just got¡­?] ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ He couldn¡¯t help but express his disappointment. [Would you like to use the Fully Enhanced Enhancement Scroll (Legendary) on the Rune of Counterattack (Legendary)?] [Once selected, this cannot be reversed. Please choose carefully.] A Legendary Fully Enhanced Enhancement Scroll. Without hesitation, Jeong-Hoon used the scroll. sh- The scroll shed brightly and then permeated into the rune. [Achievement Unlocked! You havepleted ¡®First Sessful Legendary Rune Enhancement¡¯. 50,000 achievement points will be awarded.] [Achievement Unlocked! You havepleted ¡®First Legendary Rune Fully Enhanced¡¯. 100,000 achievement points will be awarded.] There it was. [Rune of Counterattack (+20)] ¨C Type: Rune ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Attack Power increased by 25% ¨C Additional Damage increased by 25% ¨C Counterattack (+20) With this, the 45% counterattack damage jumped to a whopping 110%. ¡®Shall we go?¡¯ Extremely satisfied with the result, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s steps became lighter. * * * Abnormal Dungeon. Finding the dungeon¡¯s portal was no easy task. Unlike normal dungeons, Abnormal Dungeons didn¡¯t have a visible portal. To reach an Abnormal Dungeon, one had to pinpoint the hidden location of the portal. ¡°So we have to clear the Abnormal Dungeon to avoid the penalty?¡± ¡°I guess so¡­ The problem is, where is it?¡± It was frustrating wanting to take on the challenge but not knowing the location. ¡®Is it here?¡¯ Meanwhile, Jeong-Hoon stood in front of a seemingly ordinarymercial building. The first floor was currently vacant, and Jeong-Hoon had forced his way through the closed doors. An empty space with nothing inside. However, the Abnormal Dungeon was hidden right here. ¡®They said the portal reacts to the flow of mana, right?¡¯ Finding the portal wasn¡¯t difficult. All he had to do was release his internal mana near the portal¡¯s location. As Jeong-Hoon extended his hand and let his mana flow, a small portal appeared on the empty floor. The portal gradually grew in size until it wasrge enough to enter. ¡®There it is.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon stepped into the generated portal. [Enter Lv.??? Demon Baal¡¯s Cradle?] [Difficulty: ¡®Hard¡¯.] The difficulty had been lowered from Hell mode to Hard mode. This should be manageable enough to clear. ¡®Enter.¡¯ His vision momentarily went dark before brightening again. [Baal¡¯s Cradle] Baal¡¯s Cradle. Nearly a hundred people were already present in the Cradle. Users gathered not only from Korea but from all over the world. Among them, he saw some familiar faces. ¡®Sa Jae-Hyeok¡­ He¡¯s here as expected.¡¯ Sword King Sa Jae-Hyeok. And even Lee Hwa-Rang was beside him. Finding the dungeon portal so quickly must mean he had also made a contract with a Transcendent. Clench- His fist clenched unconsciously. Just then, Baal¡¯s voice echoed. Thanks to that, the anger directed at Sa Jae-Hyeok shifted towards Baal. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± Baal¡¯s voice was slightly excited. The long-awaited wager was about to begin. ¡°Hey.¡± At that moment, Lee Hwa-Rang approached Jeong-Hoon. He maintained a poker face, but in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes, he looked like he was barely suppressing the urge to tear him apart. ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a year, and you already broke your promise?¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. At that smile, Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s face became contorted. ¡°Shut up! Do you even know why I dropped in the rankings because of you?!¡± ¡°I guess you don¡¯t know the meaning of ¡®you reap what you sow¡¯?¡± If Lee Hwa-Rang hadn¡¯t provoked him in the first ce, Jeong-Hoon wouldn¡¯t have bothered with him. He needed to focus on his growth and prioritize finishing the game. He believed that perfectlypleting the game was the true revenge. However, he responded mercilessly to those who crossed the line. And that wouldn¡¯t change even if New World became reality. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. If you had just handed over the Red Dragon Bone Bow, none of this would have happened!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with saying I didn¡¯t have something I didn¡¯t have?¡± ¡°This bastard!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang tried to pull out the bow from his inventory. But Jeong-Hoon¡¯s demeanor changed. ¡°You¡¯ll die if you pull that out.¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang flinched. ¡®W-What¡­?¡¯ He hurriedly checked Jeong-Hoon¡¯s information. ¡°Crazy! Level 315?!¡± Thest time he saw him, Jeong-Hoon was level 203. Yet, in less than a year, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level had soared by 112 levels to 315. Only 32 levels away from his own level of 347. In other words, if he attacked now, he would face certain death. ¡°Want to try it? Or will you back off quietly?¡± Jeong-Hoon gestured with his chin. ¡°Damn it¡­ I will kill you for sure.¡± Gnashing his teeth, Lee Hwa-Rang retreated. Just then, a rift opened in the air, revealing a crimson eye. The appearance of the giant red eye instantly overwhelmed everyone in the dungeon. The Avatars¡¯ legs gave way, and they copsed, their words bing stutters as they struggled to speak. ¡®It¡¯s natural for a Monarch to make an appearance.¡¯ Moreover, that eye wasn¡¯t even Baal¡¯s true form. If his true form appeared, just looking at it would cause them to faint, and in severe cases, even lead to death from a heart attack. Baal clicked his tongue. Then, a holographic window appeared before Jeong-Hoon¡¯s eyes. [1. Devil¡¯s Temptation] ¨C Hunt 100 demons that have spawned outside the Cradle. ¨C Time Limit: 120 minutes ¨C Failure results in death. The first task was to hunt demons. Four portals shimmered in the four cardinal directions within the Cradle. The objective was to defeat 100 demons existing on the other side of these portals within 120 minutes. ¡®It¡¯s structured to prevent free-riding.¡¯ If the condition was to defeat all the demons, then someone could simply annihte them all, allowing everyone to pass the task effortlessly. However, Baal didn¡¯t allow that. He gave each individual a task, designed to make it difficult to fulfill the conditions. [Devil¡¯s Deal activated.] [The difficulty of the task has increased.] Of course, it didn¡¯t end with 100 demons for Jeong-Hoon. [1. Devil¡¯s Temptation] ¨C Hunt 200 demons that have spawned outside the Cradle. ¨C Time Limit: 120 minutes ¨C Failure results in death. ¡®This is still fortunate.¡¯ Hard mode was two steps down from Hell mode. If it were Hell mode, he would have been tasked with hunting 500 demons. 200 demons in 2 hours was a manageable number. The crimson eye curved like a crescent moon. ¡°You¡¯ll regret this.¡± Jeong-Hoon unfolded Heavenly Steps and exited through the eastern portal. [Barren Land] Outside the Cradle was a barrennd. A giant red moon hung in the sky, and the air was thick and heavy. ck smoke rising from the cracked earth obstructed his vision, but spotting the demons wasn¡¯t difficult. Countless red eyes glowed amidst the smoke. [Lv.320 Greater Demon] A Lv.320 Greater Demon. In Hell mode, it would have been filled with the highest-ranking demons and named demons. It had been downgraded to Greater Demons because of the Hard difficulty. ¡®Let¡¯s begin.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon unfolded Heavenly Steps and began ughtering the Greater Demons. The energy of the Underworld King condensed around his fists. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 203 Chapter 203 [The Abnormal Dungeon is activated.] [ordingly, the location of the dungeon will be revealed in 6 hours.] Less than an hour had passed since the message announcing the creation of the Abnormal Dungeon appeared. Yet, it meant someone had already found the Abnormal Dungeon and started clearing it. ¡°Who in the world could it be¡­?¡± Yeo Sunwoo tilted his head in wonder. Numerous guilds, including Ho-Yeong, were already on the move. The penalty. Although they had never experienced it firsthand, they were certain that if it were imposed, it would have a significant impact on Earth. However, no matter how much they searched, they only found normal dungeons. The Abnormal Dungeon remained elusive. ¡°I think it would be better to stop searching for now and focus on clearing it after 6 hours,¡± Yeo Min-Ji suggested. She wasn¡¯t confident that continuing the search would yield any meaningful results. She believed it would be wiser to regroup and properly prepare, then tackle the dungeon once its location was revealed. Yeo Sunwoo agreed with her assessment. ¡°Alright. That¡¯s better.¡± Thus, Ho-Yeong halted their search. * * * After Jeong-Hoon passed through the portal, the others remained motionless. Sa Jae-Hyeok was among them. The next quest. He gained 25 million experience points just by entering. What kind of reward would he get this time? [Avatar Quest: Elimination] ¨C Restriction: Avatars who have contracted with Apostle grade (Upper) Transcendents. ¨C Reward: 50,000,000 Experience Points + Epic~Unique Grade Item Box (Random) ¨C Description: Attack and kill the humans hunting demons. (The reward grade increases with the number of people killed.) Was the reward based on killing one person? Then how much would it increase if he killed more people? Insane! 2 billion experience points. The YouTuber, HoneyTube, had uploaded a video about a dungeon that gave 500 million experience points. However, he could only receive the reward once and was disappointed that he couldn¡¯t get additional experience. But 2 billion, four times that amount¡­ Sa Jae-Hyeok looked at the portal. The person who had just passed through that portal was a martial artist named Hoon. Seeing as the others weren¡¯t moving, it meant they were all Avatars. Then the answer was clear. ¡®Now, it¡¯s time for revenge.¡¯ He would make them pay for humiliating Myth. ¡°Hwa-Rang, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°¡­Once this revenge is over, we¡¯re done.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang only returned to take revenge on that martial artist bastard. Once his goal was achieved, it was goodbye to that damn Sa Jae-Hyeok. ¡°Alright.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok had no intention of holding onto him either. It was a shame to lose his archery skills, but he had gained something even greater. ¡®Lee Hwa-Rang, I¡¯ll take care of you after you deal with the martial artist.¡¯ Lee Hwa-Rang might not know, but Sa Jae-Hyeok had received an additional quest from his Transcendent. It was to kill his formerrade. Initially, he had targeted Park Jin-Hyeok, but he was told it wouldn¡¯t count since Park Jin-Hyeok had already joined another guild. However, in Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s case, although he was suspended, he was still a member of Myth. ¡®If he¡¯s someone who would stab me in the back¡­ it¡¯s better to eliminate him quickly.¡¯ Sa Jae-Hyeok looked at the others. ¡°I believe you are all Avatars like us, correct?¡± A change brought about by the realization of New World. It was the breaking down ofnguage barriers. Even with differentnguages, automatic trantion allowed for seamlessmunication. They all nodded in agreement. Then, the Transcendent intervened, informing him that there was a deceiver among them. ¡°Oh?¡± The corners of Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s mouth curled up slightly. There was a sacrificialmb here to offer him experience points and rewards. He wanted to kill Jeong-Hoon immediately, but first, he had to deal with the rat. ¡°Show me the back of your hand.¡± A man stepped forward, raising the back of his hand. A unique tattoo was engraved on it, a mark of his contract with a Transcendent. ¡°Here.¡± ¡°Here.¡± The Avatars showed their marks by raising their hands. And four of them failed to show the back of their hands. ¡®There we go.¡¯ Sa Jae-Hyeok drew out his ck Dragon Sword and mercilessly beheaded one of those who didn¡¯t show their hand. ¡°Cough!¡± A level 267 Priest. He died instantly without being able to react properly to Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s sword strike. ¡°Ricky!¡± ¡°You crazy bastard!¡± The remaining three who didn¡¯t show their hands were enraged. These four were users who entered the Abnormal Dungeon as a party to close it. They never dreamed that they would be killed by a fellow human, not a monster. [Reward upgraded.] A message appeared before Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s eyes. ¡°Well, who told you to enter carelessly?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok gave them a sly smile. ¡°C-Crazy¡­¡± ¡°Help us!¡± ¡°Please!¡± The three pleaded for help from the others. However, the others turned their heads and looked away. The reason was simple. [Reward upgraded.] The same message appeared before the Avatars, not just Sa Jae-Hyeok. So there was no need forpetition. ¡°It seems like there¡¯s no one to help you.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok wiped the blood off his sword and approached them. Then, those who were begging for help suddenly red and surrounded Sa Jae-Hyeok. ¡°You think we¡¯ll just surrender¡­ Cough!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Their words were cut short. Arrows and bullets rained down on them. ¡°Tsk, aim better.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok clicked his tongue, looking at the arrows and bullets blocked by his protective aura. ¡°So now we just have to deal with the guy who went through the portal?¡± A man with Colombian nationality asked, pointing at the portal. If he was a contractor, there was no way he would have moved to hunt demons like that. ¡°Yes. We¡¯re all going to go and kill him.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok grinned and made a gesture of slitting his throat. ¡°Understood.¡± The Avatars passed through the portal. * * * ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Keugh!¡± The Greater Demons were killed without much resistance against Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. [Greater Demons 155/200] In less than 10 minutes, 155 demons had died at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s hands. At this rate, it would be an easy victory. However, Jeong-Hoon knew that this task wouldn¡¯t be easy. The reason wasn¡¯t the demons, but the Avatars. ¡®They¡¯ll be showing up soon.¡¯ There was no way the Transcendents would be happy with himpleting the task. As proof, the Avatars began to appear one by one. Among them were Sa Jae-Hyeok and Lee Hwa-Rang. [Are those crazy bastards really trying to gang up on him?] ¡®¡­How dirty and despicable.¡¯ Mukho and Anima were indignant. Regardless, the Avatars approached Jeong-Hoon, looking at him as if he were prey. ¡°Baal.¡± Jeong-Hoon summoned Baal. Baal¡¯s crimson eye appeared once again. The approaching Avatars froze in their tracks. ¡°Can we add another wager?¡± ¡°Yes. Those guys right there. If I wipe them out, I want you to give me an additional reward.¡± Baal¡¯s eye rolled around thoughtfully. ¡°Our wager was about clearing the dungeon, wasn¡¯t it? There was nothing about dealing with Avatars.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. Baal replied in an excited voice. If Jeong-Hoon had asked him to chase away the Avatars, Baal would have lost interest. However, the fact that Jeong-Hoon was going to deal with all these Avatars himself made it even more intriguing. ¡°Then I can assume it¡¯s a deal?¡± With Baal¡¯s words, all the lurking demons vanished simultaneously. ¡°Excellent.¡± A sly smile spread across Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face. Avatars who had contracted with Transcendents. Instead of hunting demons, they had contributed to the destruction of Earth. He would wipe those bastards out right here, right now. Baal¡¯s eye turned towards the Avatars. More precisely, it was a warning directed at the Apostle-grade Transcendents who had contracted with them. There was no response, but the warning was surely received. With that, Baal¡¯s eye disappeared once again. ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to beughing.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang red at Jeong-Hoon with a sneer. Nearly 90 Avatars, including him. Even for Jeong-Hoon, it was impossible to face this many people. There was a reason why the saying ¡°there¡¯s no defense against a group attack¡± existed. ¡°Hwa-Rang, shut up. You talk too much for someone who can¡¯t win without ganging up on someone.¡± ¡°Ha, I¡¯ve never seen such a crazy bastard. Your arrogance ends here.¡± Lee Hwa-Rang raised his Tempest Bow and aimed it at Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Hwa-Rang, if you¡¯re going to do it, do it properly.¡± Even with Lee Hwa-Rang aiming at him, Jeong-Hoon remained calm. ¡°Kekeke, you son of a bitch. Alright. Try and block this.¡± As soon as Lee Hwa-Rang finished speaking, Jeong-Hoon felt his legs stiffen. Looking down, he saw chains wrapped around his legs. One of them had cast a binding spell. ¡®Crazy bastards, they treat human life so lightly.¡¯ It reminded him once again how disgusting people could be. ¡°Die!¡± Lee Hwa-Rang released the drawn bowstring. Fwoosh! The arrow shot out, its tip flickering with crimson mes. ¡®Is that Hellfire Shot?¡¯ One of Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s ultimate skills. Hellfire Shot boasted a damage output of 800%. A Unique grade skill flew towards Jeong-Hoon. The arrow struck Jeong-Hoon squarely in the chest. ¡°Heh, you¡¯re still far off.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok smirked. And with those words, countless spells erupted, engulfing Jeong-Hoon. Bound by the restraining spell, Jeong-Hoon was forced to take the full brunt of the magical onught. Boom! Crash! Bang! A massive explosion erupted where Jeong-Hoon stood, sending smoke billowing upwards. ¡°Is it over?¡± ¡°Definitely. No one can survive that many attacks.¡± The Avatars were convinced that Jeong-Hoon was dead. His level was 315. Not a low level, but most of the people here were over 300. Even with the best armor, his chances of survival were zero. ¡°Is this the end?¡± As the words echoed, the rising smoke suddenly dispersed. A red orb floated in front of Jeong-Hoon. ¡°W-What?!¡± ¡°Impossible!¡± All the Avatars, including Sa Jae-Hyeok and Lee Hwa-Rang, were shocked. The reason Jeong-Hoon was unharmed. It was thanks to the rune he had recently acquired. [Rune of Counterattack activated.] [Absorbed attacks can be returned.] If it wasn¡¯t for the Rune of Counterattack, he would have been in real danger. While Block only defended against one attack, the Rune of Counterattack absorbed all iing attacks for 15 seconds. When he first obtained it, it was supposed to absorb attacks for 5 seconds, but upon reaching full enhancement, it had significantly increased to 15 seconds. ¡®I let them attack me because I had this.¡¯ He had deliberately made them lower their guard because of the Rune of Counterattack, and that strategy had been very sessful. ¡°¡­How?¡± ¡°How, you ask? There¡¯s always a way.¡± Jeong-Hoon snapped his fingers. The red orb grew in size and then shot out like a bullet. Theunched orb had homing properties and struck everyone who had attacked Jeong-Hoon. Kaboom! ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Uaagh!¡± Those hit screamed. The chains binding Jeong-Hoon disappeared, and he activated Heavenly Steps, appearing before Lee Hwa-Rang. ¡°Hwa-Rang, does it hurt?¡± Lee Hwa-Rang was in no condition to fight. His abdomen was pierced by the Hellfire Shot. ¡°Cough¡­! You damn bastard¡­¡± Coughing up blood, Lee Hwa-Rang red at Jeong-Hoon with murderous intent. ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? You¡¯d die if you pulled out that bow.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Staying ugly until the very end. Now, truly disappear.¡± With those words, Jeong-Hoon ended Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s life. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 204 Chapter 204 Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s breath ceased. [You have in an Avatar of a Transcendent.] [Due to the contractor¡¯s death, you gain 30,000,000 experience points from the Transcendent.] [Level Up!] [All stats +1] [Bonus stat +1] [You have acquired the title [Title] Avatar¡¯s Adversary Lv.1] Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s eyes widened at the sight. ¡°When did you be this strong?!¡± He couldn¡¯t read Jeong-Hoon¡¯s movements. Even with a level up, could he really change this much? ¡°You¡¯re next.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned at Sa Jae-Hyeok. Killing a human, not a monster. This was the first time since his return. In the game, being killed just meant logging out, but after the realization, it was actual death. ¡®I didn¡¯t want to kill if I could avoid it.¡¯ He had ruthlessly killed in the game, but he intended to take revenge bypleting the game. That was why he had held back even when Lee Hwa-Rang provoked him. However, if he didn¡¯t eliminate them here, they would be obstacles. There was no reason to hesitate any longer. And the same went for the Avatars in front of him. [Celestial Aura activated.] Celestial Aura enveloped Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body. An aura of starlight emanated from him, wrapping him in a gentle embrace. [Attack power and defense increased by 20%.] [Attack power and defense of targets within range decreased by 10%.] The targets were all the Avatars. Jeong-Hoon now held Leviathan in his hand. ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok was terrified by the Celestial Aura. His strength drained away while Jeong-Hoon¡¯s energy intensified. ¡®Damn it! It¡¯s not just his level that¡¯s increased!¡¯ Thest time he encountered Jeong-Hoon was at the siege. Although he had been defeated there, Sa Jae-Hyeok had a rough idea of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s skills. But the Jeong-Hoon he saw now waspletely different. While Sa Jae-Hyeok was in a state of confusion, Jeong-Hoon used Heavenly Steps and swung Leviathan at him. [First Form: Initiation activated.] A sharp sword attack poured down, and Sa Jae-Hyeok, startled, deployed his Sword Domain. However, the Sword Domain crumbled instantly, and Jeong-Hoon¡¯s sword headed for Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s neck. ng! He was on the verge of losing his life helplessly. Just before his head could be severed, something formed a barrier around Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s body, preventing the fatal blow. ¡®An offer?¡¯ Sa Jae-Hyeok read the message with trembling eyes. Seeing this, Jeong-Hoon frowned. ¡®The Transcendent has intervened.¡¯ Guide of the Fallen Star was the Transcendent who had contracted with Sa Jae-Hyeok. Judging by its alias, one might think it was Baal, but it was an Apostle-grade Transcendent. There wasn¡¯t just one star. There were stars that followed the brilliantly shining star. In other words, this Apostle-grade Transcendent could be considered Baal¡¯s subordinate. ¡®Indeed, Baal. There¡¯s no way that bastard would obediently prevent the Transcendent¡¯s intervention.¡¯ He enjoyed the wager. Not just the result, but the entire process. Seeing that the tide had clearly turned in Jeong-Hoon¡¯s favor with the activation of Celestial Aura, Baal had chosen not to block the Transcendent¡¯s intervention. At that moment, Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s eyes lost focus and turned crimson. ¡®Sa Jae-Hyeok, you actually sold your soul.¡¯ For an Apostle-grade Transcendent to directly intervene, it needed a contractor. To exert even greater power, it had to receive a corresponding price from the Avatar. Sa Jae-Hyeok had just offered his soul as a price, allowing the Transcendent to intervene forcefully. ¡°I will kill you for sure.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s lips curled into a smile as he spoke. He seemed quite satisfied with the power he had gained. ¡®Is this the fate of the one praised as the Sword King?¡¯ It was an even more tragic ending than before his return. The previous Sa Jae-Hyeok had contributed greatly to the Earth¡¯s destruction, but at least he hadn¡¯t sold his soul. [ckfield activated.] [All stats are adjusted by 1.5 times.] [Due to the influence of ckfield, all stats of monsters that invade the domain are decreased by 10%.] [The debuff does not apply to the target ¡®Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯.] He quickly added ckfield. All stats increased by 1.5 times. [First Form: Initiation activated.] Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Embrace surged towards Sa Jae-Hyeok. Sa Jae-Hyeok manifested his sword path and began to counter the sword attack. ¡®Even though I¡¯ve entered his space, I can see it!¡¯ What he couldn¡¯t read before was now clearly visible! Although temporary, Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s abilities had reached the level of the divine. ¡®I see. So this is the level he has reached?¡¯ Excitement made his blood boil. Sa Jae-Hyeok enveloped himself in Celestial Aura. Although it was inferior to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Celestial Aura in every aspect, it was enough. ¡®Gale Sword.¡¯ The skill he couldn¡¯t use properly before due to his panic. Sparks flew from Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s blue sword energy, and small whirlwinds arose. The small whirlwinds grew in size, strengthening the Sword King¡¯s sword path. Domain Enhancement, one of the options of Gale Sword. By strengthening the domain, Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s senses were further heightened. And with that, he swung his sword. A fierce gust of wind apanied the sword strike, sweeping towards Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Haa!¡± Jeong-Hoon took a deep breath and deployed Devour. [Second Form: Devour activated.] ng! ng! Jeong-Hoon¡¯s Leviathan shed with Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s ck Dragon Sword. * * * With each sh, whirlwinds erupted, engulfing the nearby Avatars. They hurriedly created distance, moving far away. ¡°We¡¯ll die if we get any closer¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­ To think there were such skilled individuals in Asia¡­¡± The two had reached a realm that was impossible to approach. ¡°Yes! I-Is it impossible for us to gain such power too?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Give us power too!¡± However, there was no response from the Transcendents. * * * The battle dragged on. At first nce, they seemed evenly matched, but Sa Jae-Hyeok was currently utilizing all his skills to fend off Jeong-Hoon¡¯s attacks. On the other hand, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face was full ofposure. Therefore, Sa Jae-Hyeok gradually grew impatient. ¡®Shut up! I know that much!¡¯ The buffs were granted in exchange for his soul. The duration of those buffs was nowing to an end. If this continued, he would die at the hands of the man in front of him, and his soul would be handed over to that Transcendent. He didn¡¯t care about thetter, but he would never ept the former. ¡®A price! I¡¯ll pay an additional price!¡¯ ¡®You damn bastard!¡¯ There was no further response from the Transcendent. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Reaching your limit?¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips curled into a smile as their swords shed. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me!¡± ng! Damn it! Sa Jae-Hyeok gritted his teeth. All his attacks were being blocked. ¡°Let¡¯s end this.¡± As Jeong-Hoon spoke, countless sword energies erupted from Leviathan, filling the air. [Hundred Sword Wind Flower activated.] Hundred Sword Wind Flower, which he could now unleash by swinging a certain number of times with Leviathan. ¡°W-What?!¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok shuddered at the overwhelming presence of Hundred Sword Wind Flower. [Third Form: Annihtion activated.] Jeong-Hoon raised his sword, aiming for Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s neck with Annihtion, and thrust swiftly. ¡®This crazy¡ª!¡¯ Sa Jae-Hyeok btedly realized that he had unconsciously exposed an opening and hurriedly raised his sword to defend. ng! He swung his sword, disrupting Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s sword path, and dodged to the side. He sessfully evaded the attack, and Sa Jae-Hyeok rotated his body, aiming for Jeong-Hoon¡¯s side and swinging his sword once more. ng! But it wasn¡¯t Jeong-Hoon who blocked Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s attack. ¡°W-What¡­?¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s eyes widened. His ck Dragon Sword was blocked by countless sword energies. ¡°I told you, it¡¯s over.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. At that moment, the countless sword energies swirled and engulfed Sa Jae-Hyeok. Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s body, struck by the sword energies, began to burn fiercely. ¡°Uaagh!¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok screamed in unimaginable heat. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked, watching him writhe in agony. ¡°Uu, Uaagh!¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok couldn¡¯t even answer, overwhelmed by the excruciating pain of his entire body burning. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t interfered, I wouldn¡¯t have killed you.¡± Jeong-Hoon muttered and quietly watched Sa Jae-Hyeok burn. Soon, his struggles subsided, and he becamepletely still. [It¡¯s over.] ¡®Indeed. I don¡¯t know what tricks he used, but it was incredible.¡¯ The power gained in exchange for his soul was beyond imagination. He had fought almost equally against Jeong-Hoon, who had reached the celestial realm. Jeong-Hoon approached him and pierced his neck, ensuring his death. [You have in an Avatar of a Transcendent.] [Due to the contractor¡¯s death, you gain 30,000,000 experience points from the Transcendent.] [Level Up!] [All stats +1] [Bonus stat +1] [[Title] Avatar¡¯s Adversary grows to Lv.2.] ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s gaze shifted to the Avatars standing at a distance. They were also the first Avatars who had contributed to disrupting the world. They would hinder his n to end the game and bring peace, so he had to eliminate them for sure. ¡°P-Please spare us!¡± ¡°We were wrong!¡± Having witnessed the deaths of Sa Jae-Hyeok and Lee Hwa-Rang, the Avatars quickly made their decision and knelt. However, Jeong-Hoon mercilessly began to y them. * * * After killing all the Avatars, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level rose to 342. A rift formed in the air, and the crimson eye appeared once again. ¡°Weren¡¯t you supposed to prevent the Transcendent from intervening?¡± A demon was a demon after all. That guy prioritized pleasure above all else. He never expected Baal to keep his promise in the first ce. ¡®This actually worked out better.¡¯ Despite the Transcendent¡¯s intervention, Jeong-Hoon had eliminated all the Avatars. This only served to pique Baal¡¯s interest further, not diminish it. ¡°Oh really? Anyway, I won, so make sure the reward is ready.¡± Baal¡¯s eye disappeared once again. [Devil¡¯s Deal activated.] [The difficulty of the task has increased.] And a new task appeared before him. [2. Devil¡¯s Call] ¨C Hunt 2 demons. ¨C Time Limit: 60 minutes ¨C Failure results in death. Two demons. [Lv.??? Baron] [Lv.??? Bayuda] They were named demons with unknown levels. Despite the difficulty being set to Hard, the task¡¯s difficulty increased, and a second named demon appeared. Even for Hard mode, named demons¡­ That Baal bastard. He must be getting desperate. Of course, for Jeong-Hoon, named demons were monsters he could handle. [Demon yer] ¨C Type: Title ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C When hunting demon monsters, attack power increased by 20%. ¨C When hunting demon monsters, damage dealt increased by 10%. ¨C ¡®[Passive] Gaze of Purification¡¯ automatically activated. ¨C ¡®[Passive] Hammer of Justice¡¯ automatically activated. Demon yer, which he had acquired after defeating Rakandra. The title¡¯s grade was Legendary. And as expected of a Legendary title, its abilities were also broken. Gaze of Purification helped decipher the named demons¡¯ patterns, and Hammer of Justice had an option to ignore their patterns with a low probability. ¡®There¡¯s no invincibility pattern.¡¯ The named demons summoned by Rakandra had that pattern. Fortunately, these demons didn¡¯t have an invincibility pattern. Jeong-Hoon unfolded Heavenly Steps. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 205 Chapter 205 ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± The second task took less than 5 minutes. And the following third task was no different. The Devil¡¯s Whisper. The task was to avoid being tempted by the whispers and escape thebyrinth created by Baal. If the first and second tasks tested strength, the final third task tested mental fortitude and judgment. [Devil¡¯s Deal activated.] [The difficulty of the task has increased.] As before, the difficulty of the task increased, and thebyrinth was incrediblyplex. Strange sounds filled the air, his vision blurred, and his head spun so intensely that he felt as if he would copse at any moment. ¡®It¡¯s designed to prevent me from finding the exit.¡¯ He even lost his sense of direction. However, Jeong-Hoon had the title Demon yer. With Gaze of Purification, he could discern the path through thebyrinth. Thanks to this, he reached the destination in less than two hours, and his body quickly returned to normal. [You have cleared Baal¡¯s Dungeon for the first time!] [15,000 points awarded.] [You have gained 2,500,000,000 experience points!] [Level Up!] [All stats +1] [Bonus stat +1] [You have acquired Legendary Enhancement Stone x5.] [You have acquired Legendary Enhancement Stone x5.] Despite losing the wager, Baal showed no signs of disappointment. Instead, he was looking at Jeong-Hoon with amusement. ¡®Someone like Baal wouldn¡¯t be affected by a small wager like this.¡¯ He was a Demon King-grade Transcendent, not just an Apostle-grade. This wager was mere entertainment for him. ¡°Then, shall we discuss the reward?¡± When Jeong-Hoon mentioned the reward, Baal¡¯s eye curved like a crescent moon. The winner of this wager was Jeong-Hoon. As promised, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s life was safe. Furthermore, the penalty imposed on Earth was also removed. However, due to the Avatars, the conditions of the wager had been expanded. Baal hadn¡¯t thought about a specific reward. He never dreamed that he would lose this wager. ¡°Ultimate Energy.¡± Jeong-Hoon answered without hesitation. Baal¡¯s amused eye trembled for the first time. ¡°Yes.¡± When New World became reality and he defeated Rakandra, he first received 0.7% of Ultimate Energy. It was a very small amount, but this Ultimate Energy was what allowed one to transcend beyond the celestial realm. ¡®A realm that no one has ever reached.¡¯ Before his return, no one had ever reached this realm. Therefore, no one knew what this realm was like. It was only assumed to be a level where one could overwhelm Apostle-grade Transcendents. In the first ce, very few had even set foot in the celestial realm. If things continued this way, it wouldn¡¯t be much different from before his return. ¡®If I reach that realm, no one will be able to hinder me.¡¯ Currently, the obstacles were, as always, the Transcendents. Especially the Apostle-grade Transcendents who had contracted with Avatars. They would hinder his attempts to end the game by presenting various quests, just like they did with Sa Jae-Hyeok. So he couldn¡¯t becent with his current position. ¡°Baal, you would be capable of that, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± NPC Ling Ling. Ling Ling could provide Celestial Energy, but not Ultimate Energy. It was simply not within her domain. However, Baal was a Demon King-grade Transcendent. This meant he could hand over Ultimate Energy. Baal hesitated slightly. ¡°That¡¯s not fair. If I had lost, would you have shown mercy?¡± Baal remained silent. Because Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words werepletely urate. If Jeong-Hoon had lost, he would have ruthlessly stolen his soul. ¡°So hand it over.¡± Jeong-Hoon smirked. ¡°Alright.¡± 3%. It was by no means a small amount. Of course, he wanted to receive around 10%, but judging by Baal¡¯s attitude, it seemed unlikely he would get more. [You have acquired 3% Ultimate Energy.] [You have reached 1% of Ultimate Power. 100,000 achievement points awarded.] With this, his total Ultimate Energy was 3.7%. ¡®Amazing. Before my return, James Marcus only managed to gather 7.1% throughout his entire life.¡¯ He had instantly achieved 3.7%, which was more than half of James Marcus¡¯s total. At this rate, reaching Ultimate Power might not be impossible. Baal muttered softly. ¡°What are you talking about after giving a measly 3%?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should be careful with wagers.¡± Baal¡¯s eye curved like a crescent moon. ¡°Win the wager. Then I¡¯ll tell you.¡± ¡°A trade is also possible.¡± ¡°The reason why Transcendents are intervening in this game.¡± He was purely curious. Even after his return, the reason remained unclear. Why were theyplicit in the destruction of dimensions? However, Baal did not ept the trade. ¡®So it¡¯s more than just simple amusement.¡¯ It was a shame, but he would be satisfied for now. He had achieved the most important goal of removing the penalty. ¡°A wager?¡± The wager Baal proposed was exceptional. A whopping 4% Ultimate Energy and an item of Legendary grade or higher. Legendary grade or higher meant he could even aim for Celestial grade. However, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t readily ept. ¡°What¡¯s the time limit?¡± No matter how great the reward, if the time limit was short, it would be a wager he couldn¡¯t win. ¡°Half a year¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon pondered for a moment. 10 dungeons opening within half a year. If he remembered correctly, those dungeons were all notoriously difficult. Even for skilled yers, clearing them within half a year was 99% impossible. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ They weren¡¯t dungeons with separate penalties, so there was no need to ept the wager. However, the reward was too tempting to give up. A whole 4% of Ultimate Energy. If he won the wager against Baal, he would immediately surpass the amount of energy James Marcus had umted before his return. ¡°I need conditions.¡± ¡°First, do not directly intervene in the dungeons. Second, ensure that the Transcendents do not interfere.¡± Baal¡¯s crimson eye narrowed. Jeong-Hoon chuckled. ¡°Yes. Who knows what kind of tricks you¡¯ll pull in the wager this time?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t. But the Transcendents under you intervened, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°If you promise those two things, I¡¯ll ept the wager.¡± Baal remained silent for a long time. As Jeong-Hoon waited for his answer, he added, ¡°It will be quite the spectacle if you ept.¡± At his confident words, Baal¡¯s eye slowly curved into a smile. ¡°Deal.¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. This wouldn¡¯t be much different from the dungeons that opened before his return. Thus began another Devil¡¯s Deal between Jeong-Hoon and Baal. * * * [The Abnormal Dungeon has been cleared.] [As the dungeon disappears, its location will be set to private.] [Rewards will be given for clearing the dungeon.] [For one month, there will be no penalty for clearing dungeons.] The message was broadcast to the entire world¡¯s poption. ¡°Cleared?¡± ¡°¡­It was cleared before it was even made public?¡± It was unbelievable. The message announcing the appearance of the Abnormal Dungeon had been sent 5 hours ago. This meant that someone had found it and cleared it within those 5 hours. ¡°Who in the world could it be¡­?¡± Yeo Min-Ji asked with a dumbfounded expression. It was just 1 hour before the location was to be revealed. They had finished their preparations for departure long ago and were waiting for the announcement. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Yeo Sunwoo shook his head. At the same time, he felt a bit relieved. The Abnormal Dungeon. They were facing a situation where they had to conquer a dungeon with little information. They could fail, and even if they seeded, someone who entered with them could lose their life. He didn¡¯t even want to imagine it, but in the worst-case scenario, he could have lost his daughter. ¡®Who could it be?¡¯ Who could possibly possess such skill? One person came to mind. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be Mr. Hoon, could it¡­?¡± Yeo Min-Ji mentioned Jeong-Hoon, as if she had the same thought. ¡°I thought of that too, but I¡¯m not sure.¡± However, he couldn¡¯t be certain it was Jeong-Hoon. No matter how amazing he was, it was nearly impossible to find and close a dungeon in such a short time. * * * One month without penalties. Relieved, the users focused on normal dungeons once again. Clearing dungeons was essential for earning points. ¡°Uaagh!¡± ¡°Min-Gyu! Damn it!¡± Of course, even normal dungeons weren¡¯t safe. People continued to lose their lives due to mistakes. [Must bring a healer when entering.] ¨C I heard a friend of a friend died in a dungeon¡­ You¡¯ll probably hear stories like this often, so you definitely need to hire a healer. ©¸ This is true¡­ When we were in the capsules, dying just meant logging out, but now it¡¯s real death¡­ ©¸ That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to start going to church. I¡¯m going to heaven. ©¸ Are you crazy? Try to think of a way to survive. ©¸ Healers have be super rare lol. Ha, I should have been a healer. ©¸ For real, healers are the nobility now. ©¸ If you¡¯re choosing a ss, definitely go for Priest. ©¸ You have to choose Magician and then switch to Priest, and there¡¯s a separate tip post about how to do that, so read it carefully. With the realization of New World, the atmosphere had changedpletely. While sses with shy skills and powerful damage were the most popr before, now healers who could heal injuries had be the most sought-after. It was inevitable, as everyone only had one life. To preserve that life, a healer¡¯s healing was essential. ¡®Yes, healers are necessary.¡¯ Returning home after clearing the dungeon, Jeong-Hoon immediately started reading the posts on World Com. Unlike before his return, there was no penalty imposed. So it was necessary to keep track of how the situation was unfolding. Although World Com was also in a state of chaos after the realization, it had calmed down to some extent, and tips rted to New World began to pour in. The number of views for each tip post exceeded 100,000, as those who hadn¡¯t yed New World before were visiting the site to gain information. ¡®But beginners shouldn¡¯t all flock to the healer ss.¡¯ However, it would be problematic if people chose the healer ss just by reading these tips. While all sses needed to be evenly distributed, it was better to choose a ss that could participate inbat for faster growth. The Priest ss focused on support rather than growth, making it quite difficult for beginners. How could they grow with only weakbat skills and healing? Since receiving help from high-level yers was also restricted, it was far more beneficial to choose abat-oriented ss than a Priest when considering the future. ¡®Actually, many people flocked to the healer ss, but they couldn¡¯t grow properly and died en masse.¡¯ They could have survived if they had chosen other sses and focused on growth. Knowing the future, Jeong-Hoon hurriedly started writing a post. To encourage as many people as possible to choose other sses. Also, enhancement requests had increased significantlypared to before. There were already many requests, but now there were even more. ¡®It¡¯s a matter of life and death, so everyone is going crazy trying to enhance their equipment.¡¯ The biggest reason was supply. In the past, there was a shortage of enhancement stones, but now they could be obtained inrge quantities using points. [Master Enhancer] ¨C Normal (Fully Enhanced) 3,112/10,000 ¨C Rare (Fully Enhanced) 2,303/10,000 ¨C Epic (Fully Enhanced) 1,734/10,000 ¨C Unique (Fully Enhanced) 72/1,000 ¨C Legendary (Fully Enhanced) 1/100 He still had a long way to go before acquiring Master Enhancer, but considering it was the early stage of the realization, it was a remarkably fast pace. As the supply gradually increased, the time required would shorten. Jeong-Hoon quickly began processing the iing requests. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 206 Chapter 206 [Master Enhancer] ¨C Normal (Fully Enhanced) 3,485/10,000 ¨C Rare (Fully Enhanced) 2,511/10,000 ¨C Epic (Fully Enhanced) 1,839/10,000 ¨C Unique (Fully Enhanced) 111/1,000 ¨C Legendary (Fully Enhanced) 1/100 This was the count afterpleting the requests. While the numbers for Normal, Rare, and Epic had increased significantly, the most noticeable change was in Unique. Since Unique Enhancement Stones became avable for purchase at a low price using points, the number of requests had increased dramatically. This was also the reason why he was getting closer to bing a Master Enhancer. Furthermore, as he enhanced more Unique items, his Enhancement Skill level also increased significantly. [Transcendent Enhancement: Legendary] ¨C Type: Enhancement ¨C Level: 9 ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Allows equipment enhancement (up to Legendary). ¨C Sess rate for each equipment (Normal 100%, Rare 100%, Epic 100%, Unique 95%, Legendary 54%) ¨C 0% chance of equipment destruction upon failure. ¨C Enhancement count is not deducted upon failure. With the skill level reaching 9, the sess rate for Unique was 95%, and for Legendary, it had increased to over half at 54%. ¨C Points Held: 412,442p His held points had also increased significantly to 410,000. ¡®With this much, I can start enhancing my equipment, right?¡¯ Legendary equipment. It was time to use the Legendary Enhancement Stones he had been saving, as the sess rate was less than half. Currently, Jeong-Hoon had 10 Legendary Enhancement Stones. These were the enhancement stones he received as a reward for clearing Baal¡¯s dungeon. However, this wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Wee.¡± NPCs were stationed throughout the streets. Among them, he had to find an NPC who specialized in selling enhancement stones. Near Jeong-Hoon¡¯s location, there was an NPC named ¡®Lee Kang-Hyeok¡¯ who was in charge of selling those materials. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Lee Kang-Hyeok ¨C Level: 100 ¨C ss: Enhancement Assistant === Enhancement Assistant. This meant an NPC who exclusively sold enhancement stones. ¡°Do you have Legendary Enhancement Stones?¡± Legendary Enhancement Stones became avable for purchase from NPCs after the realization. ¡°Yes. 300,000 points each.¡± 300,000 points. It wasn¡¯t a small price. Even after scraping together all his points, he could only buy one. To fully enhance an item, he needed at least 20, and that was assuming all enhancements were sessful. If the sess rate for Legendary enhancement was slightly over 50%, it meant he needed at least 30 to 40 stones to attempt a full enhancement, based on expected value. ¡®It¡¯s impossible with my current points.¡¯ So he intended to use a different method. ¡°Can I exchange currency?¡± Specifically, exchanging gold. ¡°Yes, you can. Only gold can be exchanged, and the rate is 10 points for 1 gold.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then let¡¯s exchange all the gold.¡± Since the realization of New World, gold had be unnecessary. There was no use for it. So he had to transfer his gold into points. ¡°You currently have 2.87 million gold. Silver and copper will be deleted.¡± 2.87 million gold. Even after spending the 1 million gold he received from Sa Jae-Hyeok, he still had 2.87 million gold. If he exchanged all of this, he would receive 28.7 million points. ¡°Let¡¯s exchange it.¡± Without hesitation, Jeong-Hoon exchanged all his gold for points. ¡°Yes.¡± ¨C Points Held: 29,112,442 After the exchange, his points increased to 29.11 million. Perfect. This should be enough to fully enhance his equipment. Jeong-Hoon purchased 90 Legendary Enhancement Stones. Buying 90 stones cost him 27 million points. ¨C Points Held: 2,112,442 His remaining points were now 2.11 million. After purchasing the enhancement stones, Jeong-Hoon returned home. ¡®I¡¯ll visit Ho-Yeong for a bit.¡¯ His mother had gone to the building where Ho-Yeong was staying, so Jeong-Hoon was alone at home. [Are you finally going to enhance me?] Mukho asked with an excited voice. Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I bought 90 of them.¡± 90 Legendary Enhancement Stones. Including the 10 he received as a reward for clearing Baal¡¯s dungeon, he now had a total of 100. This should be enough to fully enhance both Mukho and Anima. ¡®I think it¡¯s better to start with myself.¡¯ [What? This bastard is good with words, huh?] ¡®Heh, thanks for thepliment. I¡¯ve always been told I have a way with words.¡¯ [He¡¯s doing this on purpose, right? Hey, Master! Me first! Got it?!] ¡®No. You¡¯re at no enhancements, and I¡¯m at +1. Wouldn¡¯t it be faster to fully enhance me first?¡¯ [Bullshit.] They were on the verge of getting into an argument. ¡°Quiet.¡± Jeong-Hoon intervened, as he always did. Then he changed out of Mukho and into another piece of armor. This meant he would enhance Mukho first. [That¡¯s right!] Mukho cheered. ¡®¡­To think I¡¯d lose to that guy.¡¯ On the contrary, Anima was dejected and spoke in a gloomy voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to fully enhance both of you, so why are you upset?¡± ¡®Do you know how important it is to be pushed back in line?¡¯ ¡°But I enhanced you to +1 first.¡± ¡®That¡¯s that, and this is this, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ ¡°Really? Then be content with +1. After Mukho, I¡¯ll enhance the headpiece.¡± ¡®Second ce is fine too!¡¯ Jeong-Hoon nodded at his quick change of attitude. ¡°Right?¡± [Puhehehe! You idiot! Be grateful for second ce!] ¡®This damn bastard¡­!¡¯ Anima trembled with rage at Mukho¡¯s taunt. ¡°Ha, should I just stop enhancing both of you? I¡¯ll just enhance Mukho to +1 and stop. That¡¯s fair.¡± [No! I won¡¯t fight anymore!] ¡®Yes! I¡¯ll stop!¡¯ They hurriedly dered peace. ¡°Okay.¡± Jeong-Hoon started enhancing Mukho. And soon, all 100 Legendary Enhancement Stones were gone. They were all used for enhancement. [+20 Mukho] [+20 Dragon Anima Bone Bow] [+20 Headpiece Imbued with the Spirit of the Divine Beast] The result was much better than expected. He had anticipated fully enhancing Mukho and Anima, but he didn¡¯t have high hopes for the headpiece. However, with thest 100th Enhancement Stone, the Headpiece Imbued with the Spirit of the Divine Beast was enhanced from +19 to +20, bing fully enhanced. [Achievement Unlocked! You havepleted ¡®First Legendary Equipment Fully Enhanced!¡¯ 50,000 achievement points awarded.] [You have ¡®Acquired a Legendary Fully Enhanced Equipment (3/3)¡¯.] [Limit released.] With this, he had three fully enhanced Legendary equipment pieces. ¡®Alright. Now that I have three fully enhanced Legendary equipment pieces, I can move on to the next step.¡¯ The method to upgrade equipment from Legendary to Celestial. It was to fully enhance Legendary equipment a total of three times and release the limit. This was also the reason why he couldn¡¯t quickly restore the headpiece even though its grade had been downgraded. ¡®That Baal bastard will appear again in two months.¡¯ The reason for the six-month deadline was that the 10 dungeons would appear over a period of six months. ording to Jeong-Hoon¡¯s memory, Baal wouldn¡¯t appear for about two months. [Kyaa! This is great!] As it became fully enhanced, a dark aura emanated from Mukho. ¡°Do you like it?¡± [Of course! Why are you even asking? I feel like I¡¯m finally regaining my true form.] All options were greatly increased. Physical and magic damage reduction increased from 30% to 50%, and special abilities were almost doubled. ¡®It¡¯s still far from my power. But I should be satisfied with this.¡¯ Anima was the same. Its attack power had been fixed at 1.2 times its level, but now it had increased to 1.5 times. Furthermore, its special abilities were also greatly enhanced overall. ¡®Alright. With this, I can enter the dungeon that Baal will suggest.¡¯ A dungeon that opened before his return, but no one could enter because they didn¡¯t meet the requirements. If Jeong-Hoon¡¯s prediction was correct, it was highly likely to be one of the dungeons Baal would present. The condition was to possess at least one Celestial grade equipment item. And the total sum of stats had to exceed 1,500. * * * Ding-dong- Not long after he finished enhancing, the doorbell rang. Jeong-Hoon went out and opened the door. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Brother, I¡¯m here!¡± It was Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo who visited Jeong-Hoon¡¯s house. The reason for their visit was none other than Jeong-Hoon¡¯s summons. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to do with you guys. Did you get enough rest?¡± It was the first time he had seen them since the Great Demon Rakandra. ¡°I got plenty of rest and spent a lot of points. My family didn¡¯t really y New World, after all.¡± ¡°Me too. I had a lot of points piled up, so I renovated the house a bit. Everyone except me is a beginner¡­¡± This was the reason why points became so important after the realization. Points could be used to purchase everything rted to food, clothing, and shelter. Since point trading between users was also possible, some people were already working as point hunters. All humans on Earth could now grow. Naturally, this led to chaos in many areas. Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo were busy taking care of their families¡¯ safety using their points. ¡°Good job. So today, I¡¯m going to try to solve that problem a little.¡± ¡°Solve?¡± ¡°What do you mean by solve?¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo tilted their heads in confusion. ¡°Do you remember me saying there was a lot of content to do after level 201?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They both nodded. That¡¯s why they frantically hunted Lord Wyverns to reach level 201 andplete their third ss advancement. In the process, Bong-Goo went through all sorts of hardships to be a Specter. ¡°I¡¯m going to resume that content now.¡± ¡°In this situation¡­?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ this isn¡¯t a game anymore.¡± New World had be reality. How could they proceed with the content in this situation? ¡°There¡¯s always a way.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned. Even though New World had be reality, with the creation of normal dungeons, countless new dungeons were generated in addition to the ones they enjoyed in the game. This meant that dungeons filled with treasures had also appeared everywhere. Jeong-Hoon¡¯s target was those treasure dungeons. * * * [World¡¯s First Demon Monster Strategy Video! (You¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t watch!)] [Views: 108,221,232] 100 million views. A single strategy video had garnered over 100 million views. And the number of views was still increasing, making it impossible to predict how high it would go. ©¸ I¡¯m curious when the next strategy video will be. ©¸ Thanks to you, I was able to clear the dungeon. Thank you. ©¸ I¡¯m curious about HoneyTube¡¯s face! This number of views was possible because people from all over the world, not just Korea, had watched the video. As proof, there were a significant number ofments written in variousnguages besides Korean. Jang Dae-Hwi read through thements one by one, tranting them. ¡°I wonder when the next broadcast will be.¡± He now knew when Jeong-Hoon would start broadcasting. He didn¡¯t broadcast just to earn money, but when he had a topic he wanted to share. So all he had to do was wait for Jeong-Hoon to contact him. Bzzz- Just like now. ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± Jang Dae-Hwi hurriedly answered the phone. [Oh, what? Were you waiting for my call?] A slightly surprised voice came from the other end of the smartphone, as if the call had connected immediately. ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve been waiting for you to contact me.¡± [Oh, that¡¯s a bit creepy.] ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t interpret it in a weird way.¡± [Anyway, you know why I called, right?] ¡°Of course! You¡¯re going to broadcast, aren¡¯t you?¡± [Bingo. I¡¯ll be starting soon, so please post an announcement. And edit it as soon as the broadcast is over.] ¡°Okay. But what kind of broadcast is it this time?¡± What would the topic be this time? Another hunting strategy video? The previous video had over 100 million views, so this one would also be very profitable. But the answer he received waspletely unexpected. [Mining.] ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 207 Chapter 207 Jeong-Hoon, Ha-Jin, and Bong-Goo visited a dungeon in Songpa-gu, Seoul. A dungeon that could only be entered by those above level 201 who hadpleted their third ss advancement. Furthermore, the entry restriction required them to wear at least one Unique equipment item. That¡¯s why there wasn¡¯t a single person in sight in front of the dungeon. ¡°What kind of dungeon is this?¡± ¡°Brother, this dungeon smells dangerous¡­¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo nced at the portal. As expected of a restricted dungeon, the portal was about 1.2 timesrger than that of a normal dungeon. Since dungeon portals were usually quiterge, it stood out even more despite being only 1.2 times bigger. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re not going to hunt in this dungeon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going to hunt?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded and continued. ¡°Why do you think there¡¯s no one around?¡± ¡°Because the dungeon is dangerous¡­?¡± This time, Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°Because there¡¯s no need to hunt.¡± ¡°No need?¡± ¡°Yes. This is a ghost dungeon with no monsters.¡± Ghost dungeon. It meant a ce where there were no monsters within the dungeon. Originally, ghost dungeons didn¡¯t exist in New World. It didn¡¯t make sense for a dungeon to have no monsters. However, after the realization, ghost dungeons came into existence. Even without monsters, a mysterious power resided within them, forming the structure of the dungeon. ¡®There must have been people who entered this dungeon before.¡¯ Those who entered earlier would have felt puzzled after confirming that there were no monsters. However, they would have left after failing to find anything unusual. He was certain of this because the treasure within this dungeon wouldn¡¯t be discovered for another two months. ¡°Huh? Then why did wee here?¡± If they weren¡¯t hunting monsters, was there anything else worth filming? Jeong-Hoon then took out pickaxes from his inventory and handed them to each of them. ¡°Here, take this.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± ¡°Gasp! A Unique grade pickaxe?¡± Bong-Goo, holding the pickaxe, asked in surprise. === [Highest Grade Pickaxe] ¨C Type: Pickaxe ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Attack Power: 290 ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 2 ~ 2.25% ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): When using the pickaxe, [Passive: Mining] is automatically activated. ¨C Special Ability (2): When using the pickaxe, [Active: Forced Mining] can be activated. ¨C Special Ability (3): Mining sess rate greatly increased. === It was a Unique grade pickaxe. With this pickaxe, there was no need for any other mining equipment. It boasted such perfect mining capabilities. ¡°This time, the content is mining.¡± ¡°Mining?¡± ¡°Is there anything to mine in this dungeon?¡± Jeong-Hoon nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I called you guys here.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ you even investigated that there¡¯s a mine hidden in here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ha-Jin couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. He had closed so many dungeons, and yet, instead of resting, he had even investigated this¡­ ¡®I¡¯ve felt it before, but this guy is no joke¡­¡¯ Ever since he was young, Jeong-Hoon was someone who always saw things through to the end once he started. It was the same in the game, but he never thought Jeong-Hoon wouldn¡¯t change at all even in this unrealistic world. ¡°Brother, then what are we going to mine?¡± If they were using Unique grade pickaxes, they must be mining something incredible. ¡°You¡¯ll see when we get there.¡± Jeong-Hoon grinned and started the broadcast. * * * Myth Guild. Myth, which was temporarily renting a building to use as a guild house, was in a state of turmoil. ¡°The Guild Master isn¡¯t back¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± Several days had passed since Sa Jae-Hyeok left. There was no sign of him, and no signal could be detected. This meant that something had happened to him. If something happened to the Sword King, the leader of Myth, the guild would inevitably be shaken. Sword King Sa Jae-Hyeok was practically the symbol of Myth. ¡°Didn¡¯t he say where he was going¡­?¡± One of the guild members asked cautiously. The executives shook their heads. ¡°We haven¡¯t heard anything.¡± Sa Jae-Hyeok hadn¡¯t even told the executives about his destination. He just said he had some business to take care of and left for a while. That¡¯s when it happened. Another guild member raised his hand. ¡°Um¡­¡± Everyone¡¯s attention turned to him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you have any idea?¡± They urged him to answer, sensing that he knew something. ¡°Yes. Do you happen to know about Transcendents?¡± ¡°Transcendents? Those guys who tempt us to make contracts with them?¡± Some executives seemed to know. It was natural, as the Transcendents had tried to entice them into contracts while they were clearing dungeons. Of course, they didn¡¯t readily agree to the contracts. They couldn¡¯t just blindly make a contract because they were tempted by power. ¡°Yes. Actually, I made a contract with a Transcendent.¡± ¡°So what does that have to do with the Guild Master?¡± ¡°Well, you see¡­¡± The guild member carefully exined the situation. The executives were astonished by his story. ¡°T-The Guild Master made a contract with a Transcendent?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What¡­? Why would the Guild Master need to make a contract with a Transcendent¡­?¡± The executives fell silent. Sword King Sa Jae-Hyeok. They suddenly recalled the news that he, the best swordsman in Korea, had been defeated by a martial artist in thest siege. Because of that, Sa Jae-Hyeok had shut himself in the training ground for a long time, driven solely by his desire for revenge against that martial artist. What if, in that situation, someone tempted him with power¡­? ¡°I¡¯m sure of it. The Transcendent I contracted with told me so.¡± ¡°¡­A Transcendent?¡± ¡°Yes. We canmunicate with each other.¡± ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t the Guild Master returned?¡± ¡°He entered the Abnormal Dungeon that opened recently, and I was told that he died there¡­¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Silence fell over the room at the news of Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s death. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you¡¯re lying.¡± It was Han Tae-Seong, one of the executives who assisted Sa Jae-Hyeok, who broke the silence. He red at the guild member with burning eyes. ¡°I-It¡¯s true! The Transcendent I contracted with is the same one who contracted with the Guild Master!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± A dungeon that imposed a penalty if not cleared. Myth had also moved to clear that dungeon. Since Sa Jae-Hyeok was absent, the executives filled his shoes, but to think he had entered that ce¡­ ¡°I¡¯m certain! Please believe me!¡± ¡°Ha, then why didn¡¯t you enter?¡± If they were both contractors, why did only Sa Jae-Hyeok enter? ¡°That¡¯s¡­ because I made the contract after the Abnormal Dungeon was closed.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me. How can we believe¡­¡± Han Tae-Seong couldn¡¯t continue his words. A familiar message appeared before him. Guide of the Fallen Star. It was definitely a Transcendent. But how could it offer a contract outside the dungeon? Weren¡¯t they supposed to be unable to intervene outside dungeons? ¡°It says it can help me get revenge¡­?¡± ¡°Was he killed by a monster in the Abnormal Dungeon¡­?¡± The executives¡¯ eyes wavered. A human, not a monster, had taken Sa Jae-Hyeok¡¯s life. At those words, Han Tae-Seong gritted his teeth. ¡°¡­So if we make a contract, will it reveal the bastard¡¯s location?¡± If someone had killed the Guild Master of Myth, they deserved to pay the price. Han Tae-Seong nodded. That was enough. No, it was more than enough. It was much better to kill him inside a dungeon than outside. ¡°Is it true that it will give us power?¡± ¡°Alright. Then I¡¯ll make a contract.¡± As Han Tae-Seong epted the contract, the room buzzed with excitement. ¡°Tae-Seong¡­ isn¡¯t a contract a bit much? Do you even know what this is?¡± Executive Ahn Chang-Soo hurriedly tried to stop him. ¡°Chang-Soo, this is the guy who messed with the Guild Master. We can¡¯t let this slide. If we do, Myth will eventually crumble.¡± Han Tae-Seong had already made up his mind. The Transcendent promised to give him power if he made a contract. If it kept its promise, he would have a chance to win. ¡°¡­Okay. Then I¡¯ll make a contract too.¡± Reading his thoughts, Ahn Chang-Soo also expressed his intention to make a contract. ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll do it too.¡± Starting with Ahn Chang-Soo, the executives raised their hands one by one. With Sa Jae-Hyeok gone, the core of Myth was greatly shaken. To solidify Myth once again, they needed that much power. And they also had to avenge their Guild Master. ¡°I want to make a contract too!¡± The guild members present also raised their hands. ¡®Kekeke, it¡¯s done! It¡¯s done!¡¯ The guild member who had started it all watched the scene with satisfaction. This was because he had an Avatar quest received from the Transcendent. [Avatar Quest: Contract] ¨C Restriction: Avatars who have contracted with Apostle grade (Upper) Transcendents. ¨C Reward: 3,000,000 Experience Points + Epic Grade Item Box (Random) ¨C Description: Actively intervene and facilitate contracts with the Transcendent. (The reward grade increases with the number of sessful contracts.) It was because he epted this quest that the Transcendent was able to approach the Myth guild members. [Reward upgraded!] [Reward upgraded!] The reward was upgrading as the number of contractors increased. The guild member¡¯s grin stretched from ear to ear. * * * [Current Viewers: 202,786] Within 5 minutes of starting the broadcast, the number of viewers exceeded 200,000. ¡°Wow¡­ that¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m already nervous.¡± Holding their pickaxes, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo started to get nervous at the explosively increasing number. ¡°What¡¯s with you guys, acting like amateurs?¡± It wasn¡¯t like this was their first or second time broadcasting. It was about time they got used to it. Ha-Jin and Bong-Gooughed awkwardly. ¡°Haha¡­ well, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever had this many viewers before.¡± ¡°Brother¡­ there are so many foreigners?¡± The reason they could surpass 200,000 viewers in 5 minutes was due to the explosive response to the previous video. Thanks to that, the views on all of HoneyTube¡¯s videos increased, and the number of subscribers also exploded, reaching 9.7 million. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about thements.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo nced at thement section. Even though Jeong-Hoon told them not to mind it, they couldn¡¯t help but be conscious of it. [MonthlyWageThiefWannabe donated 50,000 won.] ¨C Wow lol, all the piggies have gathered! [ArabianNightDream donated 100,000 won.] ¨C I saw the video you uploaded before. I think it helped me adapt a little faster. 100,000 won as a thank you! Donations were pouring in like crazy even before they started. ¡®This donation system needs to change soon, too.¡¯ While money was good, points would be more important over time. Before long, money would disappear, and an era where points were the currency would arrive. ©¸ So what are you going to show us today? ©¸ Can¡¯t you see what he¡¯s holding? It¡¯s obvious he¡¯s going to mine. ©¸ Mining? You mean coins? ©¸ Crazy lol. Do we have to mine coins with our own bodies now? Jeong-Hoon chuckled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Today¡¯s broadcast is about mining.¡± And he was going to mine a very special item. ©¸ For real? ©¸ What are you going to mine? ©¸ He¡¯s really opening a treasure chest today lol ©¸ You¡¯ll miss out if you don¡¯t watch. I have to watch this. Now that the game had be reality, treasure chests were an even more important element. That¡¯s why Jeong-Hoon wanted to bring forward the timing of the treasure chest reveal to increase the survival rate even a little. [Current Viewers: 259,114] The number of viewers had increased by another 50,000. It was time to reveal the treasure. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Jeong-Hoon led Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo into the portal. [Please check the conditions for entering the dungeon.] [If you do not meet the conditions, you cannot enter.] The entry conditions were to be at least level 201 and havepleted the third ss advancement. ©¸ Ah, what the¡­ those under level 201 can¡¯t enter? ©¸ Really, damn it¡­ I haven¡¯t even reached level 200 yet. ©¸ Ha¡­ should I watch this? ©¸ This is driving me crazy¡­ I can¡¯t leave because I¡¯m curious Viewers who were not level 201 were in despair, and the explosive growth in viewership noticeably slowed down. This meant that as many people were leaving as were joining. [Enter Lv.??? ??? Dungeon?] Only the entry restrictions were disyed in detail for ghost dungeons, and the level and dungeon name were not disclosed. This was because there were no monsters. ¡°Enter.¡± As he dered his intention to enter, everyone¡¯s bodies were sucked into the portal. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 208 Chapter 208 [???] An unnamed dungeon. The dungeon was a vast in with nothing in it. A barrennd with not a single de of grass. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here.¡± ¡°There really isn¡¯t a single monster.¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo heightened their senses to the maximum to prepare for any surprise monster attacks. ¡°I told you it¡¯s okay.¡± Jeong-Hoon strode forward. An endless in unfolded before them. Even after walking for nearly an hour, the surrounding scenery hadn¡¯t changed a bit. It was as if they were endlessly walking in the same ce. ©¸ What is this? ©¸ I feel like we¡¯re just going around in circles, is it just me? ©¸ What treasure is supposed to be here? ©¸ I don¡¯t understand. The viewers also expressed their doubts, seemingly bored. ¡®Well, it¡¯s understandable that they¡¯re bored after seeing the same thing for an hour.¡¯ However, the number of viewers was actually increasing. Because of what he had shown them so far, they couldn¡¯t easily give up their anticipation. ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Finally, Jeong-Hoon stopped walking. ¡°Here?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing here.¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo tilted their heads in confusion. ¡°This is the ce. It¡¯s the center of this dungeon.¡± If they heightened their senses to the maximum, they could sense mana flowing from the center of the dungeon. Of course, it was so faint that they couldn¡¯t feel it unless they concentrated. ©¸ What¡¯s here? ©¸ Finally! ©¸ It would be funny if there¡¯s nothing here lol There was no way there was nothing here. Jeong-Hoon raised the pickaxe he was holding and mmed it into the ground. Crack. Cracks began to appear on the dry ground, and the range quickly widened. Rumble. Then the ground started to shake violently as if there was an earthquake. ¡°Uh¡­ uh?!¡± ¡°W-What¡¯s happening?!¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo were bewildered. Thud. Rumble. A giant sinkhole appeared where Jeong-Hoon, Ha-Jin, and Bong-Goo were standing, and they fell downwards. ¡°Uaagh!¡± ¡°Aaack!¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo screamed, pale with fear. ¡°¡­¡± On the other hand, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s face remained calm. However, due to the broadcast settings, their faces were blurred, so the viewers couldn¡¯t see their expressions. ©¸ Gasp! ©¸ Crazy¡­ ©¸ What was that sinkhole?! The depth of the sinkhole was beyond imagination. It took almost 5 seconds to reach the bottom. ¡°Is everyone alright?¡± Jeong-Hoon, afternding, checked on Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo. They seemed to havended awkwardly, clutching their arms and legs and groaning. ¡°Ow¡­ why is it so deep?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ if this was my real body, I would have died¡­¡± Jeong-Hoon handed them potions and looked around. There was an entrance to a mine in front of them. ¡°I¡¯ve found the mine.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s words caused an explosion ofments. ©¸ Whoa¡­ there was a mine here? ©¸ Crazy¡­ I thought there was nothing. ©¸ Treasure chest revealed lol Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo eximed as they saw the entrance to the mine. ¡°Wow! There really was one?!¡± ¡°If there are entry restrictions even though there are no monsters, there must be something incredible hidden inside, right?¡± Maybe it was because they were on air. Their reactions were more exaggerated than usual. Jeong-Hoon chuckled and nodded. ¡°I guess so.¡± Bong-Goo was right. There were entry restrictions despite it being a ghost dungeon. It was unfamiliar at this point in time, but soon, people would be frantically searching for dungeons like this. This was because there was almost zero chance of dying since there were no monsters, and there was a possibility of hitting the jackpot with hidden treasures. In fact, there was a case where a beginner who hadn¡¯t yed New World before identally discovered a ghost dungeon and grew enough toplete their second ss advancement, even acquiring a Legendary grade item. ¡®This isn¡¯t that kind of dungeon, but it¡¯s a very important ce that reveals the existence of items with grades higher than Legendary.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon entered the mine with his pickaxe. The inside of the mine was bright because the ores embedded in the mine emitted their own energy. It could be mistaken for radioactive material, but that energy was actually mana. [Mana +1] [Mana +1] His mana increased just by entering the mine. The mana emitted into the air was inhaled, and for some reason, the mana that entered his lungs quickly circted and umted within his body. ¡°Wow¡­ my mana is increasing!¡± ¡°This is really amazing¡­¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo couldn¡¯t help but be amazed. Thements also exploded. [XylitolForever donated 100,000 won.] ¨C Where is this ce? I¡¯ll donate another 1 million won if you tell me! [SkyBlueParty donated 200,000 won.] ¨C Please tell me ?? I¡¯m a beginner and I want to increase my mana Donations were pouring in. ©¸ Ah, it¡¯s so frustrating that they don¡¯t reveal the location during the live broadcast;; ©¸ This is so true. Please just reveal the location ©¸ Whoa;; I¡¯m getting dizzy. ©¸ That¡¯s because you have high blood pressure lol Thements were going wild. But Jeong-Hoon wasn¡¯t going to reveal it here. ¡°I will reveal the location when the video is uploaded.¡± He ignored the explodingments. ¡°So we just have to mine this ore?¡± Ha-Jin raised his pickaxe, trying to mine the mineral that was emitting mana on its own. Jeong-Hoon shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t mine that carelessly.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mine it¡­?¡± Ha-Jin tilted his head in confusion. Even at a nce, it was an extraordinary mineral. So he thought the purpose was to mine this mineral. ¡°There¡¯s a limit on how many times you can mine. You¡¯ll regret it if you use up your chances without knowing anything.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a limit¡­?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The treasure Jeong-Hoon was revealing was designed so that many people could benefit from it. ¡®Each individual is given exactly 5 chances.¡¯ Those were chances to mine. If they seeded, they could take the mined mineral, but if they failed, their count would be reduced even if they didn¡¯t mine the mineral. And when their chances reached 0, they would be automatically expelled from the dungeon and unable to re-enter. ¡®So we have to take the best ones here.¡¯ The chances were fair, but the minerals were limited. Moreover, there were very few high-value minerals, so whoever entered first and discovered them was the owner. ¡°Wow¡­ it would be a real loss to mine here.¡± This was just the entrance to the mine. They couldn¡¯t waste their chances here. They had to carefully select and mine the most valuable ones. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jeong-Hoon took the lead and moved forward. * * * 3 hours had passed since they entered the mine. Yet, Jeong-Hoon was busy walking instead of mining minerals. As a result, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo had to keep talking. ¡°Haha, so yesterday, what happened was¡­¡± ¡°Wow! That must have been really fun?!¡± This was because there were viewers watching. ©¸ Ah, damn it, you piggies, I¡¯m not interested in that kind of story. ©¸ He¡¯s supposed to be opening a treasure chest, but he¡¯s opening a dunghill instead ©¸ If you¡¯re going to talk, at least tell an interesting story lol. This is so boring;; Of course, the response was cold. They were so boring that some viewers even demanded that Honey2 and Honey3 leave. ¡°What do we do¡­?¡± ¡°Brother¡­ help us.¡± Finally, the two sent an SOS signal to Jeong-Hoon, who was walking ahead. ¡°Okay! This is it.¡± As if responding to their signal, Jeong-Hoon, who had been walking silently, finally stopped. There was a wall blocking their path. They had reached the end of the mine. ¡°Brother¡­? There¡¯s nothing here.¡± The problem was that there wasn¡¯t a single mineral in sight at the end. ¡°That¡¯s why I brought this pickaxe.¡± Jeong-Hoon raised the pickaxe high and struck the wall. Thud. As he struck the wall with the pickaxe, it couldn¡¯t withstand the force and began to crumble. ¡°Let¡¯s dig too.¡± Ha-Jin also started swinging his pickaxe, following Jeong-Hoon. ¡°Yes.¡± Bong-Goo also started swinging his pickaxe, and an exmation burst from his mouth. It was because he didn¡¯t have to exert any force to swing the pickaxe. As expected of the Highest Grade Pickaxe, it automatically adjusted for him. Thud. As they continued to dig through the wall, minerals gradually appeared. ¡°This is¡­?!¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s eyes widened. The mineral that appeared was none other than an Enhancement Stone. [Celestial Enhancement Stone] ¨C An Enhancement Stone that can enhance Celestial grade equipment. ¨C Can be obtained with a low probability when hunting bosses above Lv.500. ¨C Sess Rate: 2% (applied to all enhancement levels) ¨C If failed, there is a 50% chance that the equipment will be destroyed. It was a Celestial grade Enhancement Stone. ©¸ Huh? Celestial? ©¸ What¡¯s that?? ©¸ Wait a minute! That¡¯s a new grade! ©¸ A new grade? Jeong-Hoon grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t mine that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mine it¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. You don¡¯t have any equipment that can be enhanced anyway. There¡¯s no need to mine it.¡± It was a great sess that it had surfaced. They would now be aware of the existence of a grade higher than Legendary. Now it was time to reveal the method of upgrading to that grade. Jeong-Hoon increased his pickaxe swinging speed. Several minerals were revealed. [Highest Grade Energy Condensation Stone] [Unique Enhancement Stone] [Legendary Engraving Stone] A variety of minerals. However, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t mine those minerals and continued to dig through the empty wall. After digging for a long time, a mineral emitting a pure white light was revealed. ¡°There it is.¡± Jeong-Hoon stopped swinging his pickaxe and muttered nkly. [Celestial Enhancement Stone] ¨C An Enhancement Stone with celestial power imbued in it. ¨C Can be used to upgrade equipment of Legendary (fully enhanced) grade or lower, and the sess rate is as follows: ¨C Legendary: 50% (1 needed) ¨C Unique: 0.005% (5 needed) ¨C Epic: 0.000001% (20 needed) ¨C Rare: 0% (cannot be upgraded) ¨C Normal: 0% (cannot be upgraded) ¨C If failed, there is a 99% chance that the equipment will be destroyed. ¨C The equipment must be fully enhanced to be upgraded. Celestial Enhancement Stone. It was an Enhancement Stone that could upgrade Legendary equipment to Celestial grade. Jeong-Hoon started mining the Celestial Enhancement Stone. However, even with a Unique grade pickaxe, it wasn¡¯t easy to mine. It was firmly embedded and wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡®I knew it would be like this.¡¯ Celestial Enhancement Stone. This Enhancement Stone couldn¡¯t be mined without Unique grade mining equipment. [Using Forced Mining.] This was because a skill had to be used to mine it. [You have mined a Celestial Enhancement Stone.] He was only able to sessfully mine the Celestial Enhancement Stone after using a skill. ¡®Alright.¡¯ He acquired the only Celestial Enhancement Stone in this mine. * * * After mining the Celestial Enhancement Stone, Jeong-Hoon ended the broadcast. This should be enough to reveal the treasure. Jeong-Hoon then mined additional Celestial Enhancement Stones. Although Ha-Jin didn¡¯t need them, they would be necessary for Jeong-Hoon. After mining the Enhancement Stones, he mined the ¡®Highest Grade Energy Condensation Stones¡¯ with Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo. On their way here, his mana had increased by 16. Even though they were all Low to Mid-High grade Condensation Stones. However, these Highest Grade Energy Condensation Stones had the effect of increasing all stats. Moreover, there were only 30 of them, so they had to take them all. ¡®When we leave, my mother cane in.¡¯ He wanted to bring his mother with them if possible, but she couldn¡¯t move separately because she was with Ho-Yeong. ¡°Hoon, I mined 3 Energy Condensation Stones and 2 Legendary Enhancement Stones.¡± ¡°Me too!¡± ording to his memory, Legendary Enhancement Stones were also rare minerals, with only about 8 being found. ¡°Good job. Then let¡¯s get out of here.¡± Under Jeong-Hoon¡¯smand, the mining came to an end. Now all that was left was to go back and inform Yeo Min-Ji and his mother about this. However, there were 14 users waiting for them at the exit. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon tilted his head. A murderous aura was emanating from them. That murderous aura was directed at him. At a nce, it didn¡¯t seem like they came after watching the broadcast. ¡®Ah, Myth.¡¯ He had familiarized himself with the faces of the Myth members during the siege against Sa Jae-Hyeok, and he could see about 6 of them mixed in with the group. ¡°You damned bastard. It was you who killed our Guild Master.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll make you pay for your sins.¡± They also recognized Jeong-Hoon. The situation was on the verge of exploding. ¡®It seems they made contracts with Transcendents.¡¯ The fact that they knew he had killed Sa Jae-Hyeok meant that they had made contracts with Transcendents. In other words, they were Avatars. Jeong-Hoon took out Anima. ¡°If you can.¡± He couldn¡¯t leave Avatars alone. Jeong-Hoon drew the bowstring and aimed at the one leading the group. ¡ª¡ª¡ª Chapter 209 Chapter 209 ¡°I was right!¡± Han Tae-Seong was convinced. It was this damn martial artist who had killed their Guild Master. At the same time, he realized that he was no match for Jeong-Hoon in his current state. Ultimate Power. He would need that power to stand a chance. ¡°Price¡­?¡± But to gain that power, he had to pay a price. His soul?! Han Tae-Seong¡¯s eyes widened. The others reacted simrly. They made a contract to receive power, and now it was asking for their souls? ¡®If I seed in my revenge¡­?¡¯ Han Tae-Seong nodded. ¡°It¡¯s all or nothing, then. Fine.¡± He then signaled to Ahn Chang-Soo next to him. Ahn Chang-Soo, quick to understand, also nodded. ¡°Yes. If we all attack together, we should be able to do something.¡± Even Sword King Sa Jae-Hyeok couldn¡¯t handle this many people. So this guy wouldn¡¯t be much different. If they added Ultimate Power to that, revenge might not be impossible. With this, they gained power in exchange for their souls. * * * Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring. Fwoosh! The arrow shot out and urately struck Han Tae-Seong¡¯s head, who was at the forefront. [Heavenly Strike activated.] A rain of arrows poured down from the sky, engulfing them. ¡°H-Hoon!¡± ¡°Brother! Those aren¡¯t monsters, they¡¯re humans!¡± He knew. That¡¯s why he had to eliminate them. Jeong-Hoon drew and released the bowstring once again. ¡®Arrow of the Storm.¡¯ The Arrow of the Storm shot towards Han Tae-Seong again. [Arrow of the Storm has been nullified.] However, the Arrow of the Storm vanished before it could even reach him. [Heavenly Strike canceled.] The downpour of arrows also disappeared. The corners of Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips twitched. ¡®Did he gain power by paying the price?¡¯ Sa Jae-Hyeok had also gained Ultimate Power by offering his soul to a Transcendent. They would be no different. ¡®It must be the same bastard.¡¯ The Transcendent who had actively intervened in the previous wager with Baal, the one who had contracted with Sa Jae-Hyeok. The reason it was able to intervene was that Baal had turned a blind eye to its involvement. ¡®Ha, what a bastard.¡¯ A twisted smile crept onto Jeong-Hoon¡¯s lips. That Transcendent was trying to hinder him under the guise of revenge. Since Baal couldn¡¯t directly intervene in the dungeon, it was trying to urately gauge Jeong-Hoon¡¯s level during this time. That information would be helpful in choosing the dungeons for their wager. ¡®So you¡¯re going to y it this way?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon had clearly set conditions. Do not directly intervene in the dungeons. And ensure that the Transcendents do not interfere. Yet, there was a reason why that Transcendent could still act like this. ¡®It could just argue that the condition only applies to the dungeons it designates.¡¯ He had been shortsighted. He never thought that Transcendent would use its subordinates like this. They didn¡¯t simply gain power through contracts. They had to pay a price in exchange for the contract. If Jeong-Hoon wiped out these Myth members here, a penalty would be imposed, and the Transcendent would be stripped of its position and annihted. That¡¯s why Transcendents didn¡¯t hand out contracts recklessly. Especially Apostle-grade Transcendents had to be even more careful in choosing their contractors. ¡®But it must have no choice.¡¯ It must have been Baal¡¯s order. ¡®Then this means I can eliminate that Transcendent bastard.¡¯ Jeong-Hoon drew Anima¡¯s bowstring once again. Anima was now fully enhanced. === [Dragon Anima Bone Bow (+20)] ¨C Type: Bow ¨C Grade: Legendary ¨C Attack Power: ? (Adjusted ording to the wearer¡¯s level) (2.5x applied) ¨C Critical Hit Rate: 25 ~ 30% ¨C Damage reduction due to level difference is decreased. (Legendary exclusive) ¨C Remaining Durability: 100% ¨C Special Ability (1): Infinitely generates Mana Arrows. (Mana Arrow damage increased by 30%) ¨C Special Ability (2): Upon hitting the target with an arrow, applies a random debuff with a low probability (Debuff probability slightly increased) ¨C Special Ability (3): ¡®Passive: ck me¡¯ is activated with a random probability (10%) ¨C Special Ability (4): ¡®Passive: Dragon Void¡¯ is activated with a random probability (12%) ¨C Remaining Enhancements: 0 (Reached maximum enhancement) === By reaching full enhancement, all options were greatly increased. It was in an ideal state to wipe out all those guys. ¡®This is why fully enhanced Legendary is broken.¡¯ Of course, he couldn¡¯t be satisfied with this grade. Some enemies required him to wear Celestial grade or higher equipment to even damage them. With equipment below that grade, they would be invincible, and their health wouldn¡¯t decrease. Such despicable people existed, so he had to upgrade his equipment. Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring. The arrow shot into the fog. ¡®Extreme Archer: Soul.¡¯ Even though his vision was obscured, the arrow must have dealt damage to them. However, the arrow vanished before it could hit them once again. ¡°Kekeke, you fool. Did you think we would fall for such a simple arrow?¡± Han Tae-Seong, who had been shot in the head, sneered,pletely unharmed. ¡®Is it invincibility?¡¯ There were various types of power one could receive from a Transcendent. Among them was invincibility. It didn¡¯t strengthen one¡¯s power, but it made the body able to withstand any attack. ¡®And there must be someone with the power of nullification.¡¯ Nullification. The ability to nullify an opponent¡¯s attack. Those many people had gained power by paying the price. However, there was a weakness in their power. Just like Sa Jae-Hyeok, they couldn¡¯t maintain that power for long. Moreover, Sa Jae-Hyeok was a level above them. Since those who were not even at his level had received such powerful abilities, the duration would be much shorter. As proof, their faces were filled with impatience. Jeong-Hoon drew and released the bowstring once again. Fwoosh! The arrow shot out. As before, the arrow vanished before it could hit them. Nevertheless, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t stop and continued to shoot arrows. In response, the Myth members also began to cast magic. [Celestial Aura activated.] Celestial Aura enveloped Jeong-Hoon¡¯s body. An aura of starlight emanated from him, wrapping him in a gentle embrace. [Attack power and defense increased by 20%.] [Attack power and defense of targets within range decreased by 10%.] With Celestial Aura, [Adamantine activated.] He used the special ability of the fully enhanced Mukho. Thanks to this, Jeong-Hoon didn¡¯t take much damage from the pouring magic. [Using Advanced Healing.] He quickly recovered his lost health with healing. On the other hand, their faces were filled with shock. ¡°Crazy! The arrows aren¡¯t disappearing!¡± ¡°Uaagh!¡± The arrows that had been disappearing suddenly started hitting them. Even those who were enduring with invincibility couldn¡¯t withstand the damage of the arrows and copsed on the spot. ¡®Alright.¡¯ [Avatar¡¯s Adversary Lv.2] ¨C Type: Title ¨C Grade: Unique ¨C Nullifies the power of Avatars with a low probability. ¨C Nullification is limited to powers granted by Transcendents. ¨C The title effect is limited to Apostle-grade Transcendents. It was because of this title. ¡°How¡­?¡± Han Tae-Seong, unaware of the title¡¯s effect, muttered nkly with an arrow through his chest. Jeong-Hoon approached him as hey on the ground. ¡°Why did you make a contract with a Transcendent?¡± ¡°¡­To avenge our Guild Master.¡± ¡°What did he do for you?¡± Why go this far? Sa Jae-Hyeok was a man full of ambition. He was also trash who could abandon even his close aides for the sake of Myth. In fact, before his return, those who were loyal to Myth were betrayed by Sa Jae-Hyeok and annihted. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t understand why these people were going this far for Sa Jae-Hyeok. ¡°Cough! What¡¯s wrong with being loyal to our lord¡­?¡± ¡°You fool.¡± ¡°You can call me a fool. Kill me.¡± ¡°¡­You had good people around you.¡± Jeong-Hoon ended their lives one by one with Leviathan. [You have in an Avatar of a Transcendent.] [Due to the contractor¡¯s death, you gain 10,000,000 experience points from the Transcendent.] [You have in an Avatar of a Transcendent.] [Due to the contractor¡¯s death, you gain 10,000,000 experience points from the Transcendent.] The messages popped up repeatedly. It was time to pay the price. However, the Transcendent seemed to have already epted its annihtion, cursing Jeong-Hoon instead of panicking. ¡°I understand, so just disappear.¡± Jeong-Hoon sneered at it. * * * Meanwhile. Jang Dae-Hwi, who had been watching the broadcast, couldn¡¯t stop admiring while editing the video. ¡°Wow¡­ damn, a grade higher than Legendary!¡± A grade higher than Legendary was revealed. And it was through Jeong-Hoon. ¡®Celestial grade.¡¯ It was unfamiliar because it was a grade he had never seen before, but he soon realized that it was the grade following Legendary. The reason was the Celestial Enhancement Stone that Jeong-Hoon foundter. [Celestial Enhancement Stone] ¨C An Enhancement Stone with celestial power imbued in it. ¨C Can be used to upgrade equipment of Legendary (fully enhanced) grade or lower, and the sess rate is as follows: He clearly saw it. It said it could upgrade equipment of Legendary grade or lower. Didn¡¯t that mean it was the grade following Legendary? ¡°When this video is uploaded¡­ it will definitely cause a huge stir.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi continued editing the video with that conviction. * * * [Okay! We¡¯ll hurry to that dungeon!] ¡°I¡¯ll send you the Highest Grade Pickaxe by mail, so use that to mine.¡± [Okay!] Before uploading the video, he contacted Yeo Min-Ji and instructed her to head to the dungeon with his mother. Ho-Yeong was short on snipers, so his mother was actively helping them. ¡®With this, I¡¯ve definitely prevented my mother¡¯s death.¡¯ He had corrected one of the things he regretted the most. That alone made him feel like all his efforts had been rewarded. Jeong-Hoon smiled brightly and took out the Celestial Enhancement Stone. ¡°Now, shall I get to work?¡± It was time to upgrade his fully enhanced Legendary equipment. [Heh, you¡¯ll upgrade me first this time, right?] ¡®Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Didn¡¯t we do you firstst time? Of course, I have to go first.¡¯ As expected, Mukho and Anima started arguing about who would go first. Jeong-Hoon tilted his head. ¡°Are you sure?¡± At his question, Mukho and Anima responded in puzzled voices. [What do you mean, are we sure?] ¡®What does that mean?¡¯ Jeong-Hoon showed them the Celestial Enhancement Stone once again. ¡°Look at the sess rate. It¡¯s 50%, right?¡± The sess rate was 50%. If sessful, it would be upgraded to Celestial grade, but if it failed, there would be a problem. [If it fails, there¡¯s a 99% chance it will be destroyed¡­?] ¡®Uh¡­ um¡­¡¯ Mukho and Anima were speechless with shock. The destruction of the equipment meant the same as annihtion. ¡°Who wants to go first?¡± Jeong-Hoon asked them again. [I¡¯ll yield! Let¡¯s do Anima first!] ¡®You damn bastard? You go first. Didn¡¯t we do you firstst time?¡¯ [That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying I¡¯ll yield this time! It¡¯s a chance to be stronger, and I¡¯m giving it up?] ¡®I¡¯m already strong. It¡¯s only right that you, who are insignificant, get the chance.¡¯ They started pushing each other away, not wanting to be destroyed. ¡°Neither of you will go first. What I¡¯m going to upgrade is this.¡± Fortunately, the item Jeong-Hoon was going to upgrade was the ¡®Headpiece Imbued with the Spirit of the Divine Beast¡¯. [Are you sure¡­? If it¡¯s destroyed, it¡¯ll disappear?] ¡®Even with a 50% chance, you have to be careful¡­¡¯ Mukho and Anima expressed their concern while also feeling relieved. It was a fully enhanced Legendary equipment. Such equipment could disappear in an instant and turn to dust. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I have a way.¡± Before his return, Jeong-Hoon had upgraded four pieces of equipment to Celestial grade. So he was confident that he could seed in this upgrade. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 210 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 210 [Method?] ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯ If it fails, there¡¯s a 99% chance of destruction. The only way to prevent destruction is the 1% chance of preservation. But is there another way besides that? ¡°Yes.¡± A method to make the sess rate of the Celestial Engraving Stone 100%. It involves refining the Engraving stone. ¡®Because this is still an iplete Engraving stone.¡¯ The power of the Celestials is engraved on it, but it¡¯s unstable, and the recoil force is too strong. Although the stated sess rate is 50%, the actual rate is about 40%. That means there¡¯s only a 4 out of 10 chance of sess. It¡¯s not considered extremely low, but when you realize that it gets destroyed in a single failed attempt, it¡¯s a painfully significant risk. ¡®If it could just be stabilized, the sess rate would go up, and the chance of destruction would drop to zero.¡¯ The process that both increases the sess rate and reduces the destruction rate to 0%. However, refining is something Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t do himself. Only an exceptionally skilled alchemist could handle the refinement. If this were the New World game, it would be easier to find an alchemist after obtaining the Engraving stone, but for now, it¡¯s a difficult task. ¡®Because everything has been destroyed.¡¯ The map of New World had lost its functionality and had turned into a dungeon. Like how the dungeon where they had previously fought the demon was based on the original vige. That being said, not all NPCs were wiped out. Some NPCs were still alive. ¡®If I recall correctly, the alchemist should be in that dungeon.¡¯ Not in South Korea, but in a dungeon located in Los Angeles, USA. Among the NPCs hiding in that dungeon, there was an alchemist who could harness celestial energy. To do that, Jeong-hoon had to head to Los Angeles. Jeong-hoon went to find the NPC in the city. --- [NPC Information] - Nickname: Jin Sejun - Level: 100 - Job: Travel Assistant --- An NPC responsible for helping people travel to other regions. He was a former employee of Genesis and had traveled the country installing capsules. ¡°How can I help you?¡± ¡°I need to go to Los Angeles, USA.¡± ¡°A round trip is 2,000 points, a one-way ticket is 1,500 points.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the round trip.¡± ¡°Yes. But remember, the round trip ticket expires in a week, so please return before then.¡± [Super Express Round Trip Ticket] - A ticket that allows you to instantly travel to any desired location. - After using it once, you must use it again within a week, or it will disappear. A round trip ticket. If it¡¯s not used within the timeframe, it automatically vanishes, and you¡¯ll need to purchase it again. ¡®LA, the ce where James Marcus lives.¡¯ The man who once invited him to join his ranks. However, in the end, he was the one who stabbed him in the back¡ª a traitor. He wanted to kill him right away, but before the betrayal, James had been a good man who worked hard for peace. ¡®I should wait and see for now.¡¯ He might still be useful, after all. Of course, if anything suspicious happens, Jeong-hoon won¡¯t hesitate to deal with him. Jeong-hoon pulled out a disguise potion and changed his appearance and level. He also altered his nickname using an identity badge, so nothing unexpected would ur. With his disguise perfected, Jeong-hoon set the coordinates for Los Angeles, USA, and immediately used the ticket. In an instant, his body vanished. * * * A video titled "The Emergence of a Rank Beyond Legendary?!" was uploaded on HoneyTube. As Jang Dae-hwi predicted, the moment it was posted, the view count skyrocketed, andments were pouring in by the dozens every second. That wasn¡¯t all. It spread across the inte, news channels, and various media outlets worldwide, making the entire globe focus on HoneyTube. [What is the Celestial Rank?] [Does a rank beyond Legendary actually exist?] ¡°Is this even real...?¡± Ha-jin and Bong-Goo were watching the uploaded video together. It had only been 6 hours since the video was posted. The view count had soared past 100 million, now exceeding 150 million. Considering it had spread across the world, these numbers were hardly surprising. ¡°This is insane¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, people are going nuts asking for the location of that dungeon.¡± Everyone was moring for the dungeon¡¯s location to be revealed. In fact, many couldn''t wait and had already started making their move. Foreigners from all over the world were flocking to South Korea. Bzzzt- At that moment, Ha-jin¡¯s smartphone vibrated. The caller was Yeo Min-ji. Ha-jin quickly answered. ¡°Hello?¡± [Ha-jin, I can¡¯t get in touch with Jeong-hoon right now. Are you with him?] ¡°No, Jeong-hoon is off handling something else.¡± [We¡¯ve just finished our excavation, so I was going to say it¡¯s okay to reveal the location now... Where could he have gone? Anyway, got it!] With that, the call ended. * * * At the same time. In Los Angeles, USA, there was a user watching the HoneyTube video. ¡°This is crazy...¡± He had subscribed to HoneyTube after seeing the demon dungeon strategy video and had been keeping up with the recent livestreams. When the Celestial rank appeared, he was so shocked that he yelled out loud. All eyes turned toward him, but he didn¡¯t care and stayed focused on the broadcast. ¡°James, how many times are you going to watch the same video?¡± A man nearby asked, his face bored. ¡°This is an incredible discovery, Louis.¡± ¡°So, are you nning to go after that mineral?¡± ¡°No, not exactly. But I think I''ve figured out the secret behind this Heavenly energy.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. You said you¡¯ve already gathered up to 28%, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The top-ranked warrior in America. James Marcus, who had been scouted by the WFT team as a pro, began sweeping through every tournament after joining, rising to superstardom as the best warrior. He held a legendary ss, with the hidden ss of Pdin. On top of that, he had slowly been umting Heavenly energy, having reached 28% so far. However, what exactly Heavenly energy meant was still unclear¡ªuntil this video confirmed it. ¡®If you gather 100% of the energy, you can advance to Celestial rank.¡¯ The Celestial rank had surfaced, making things clear. ¡°Amazing... I¡¯m only at 2%.¡± Louis Verdan, also a legendary ss holder with a hidden ss. The Judicator of Divinity. Ranked number one among priests in America, he was, like James Marcus, a member of WFT and had helped dominate the various tournaments. ¡°Louis, don¡¯t you think this guy looks pretty good?¡± James Marcus pointed at Bong-Goo on the video. ¡°Hm? Bong-Goo, you mean?¡± ¡°Yeah. You know it too¡ªNew World isn¡¯t just a game anymore.¡± ¡°...¡± Capsules had malfunctioned, the game had be reality, and the stats of the characters they had nurtured were inherited directly. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of gatheringrades from now on.¡± ¡°Comrades?¡± ¡°Yeah. Although we¡¯re stillcking, we¡¯ll recruit those with great potential and move forward with them.¡± ¡°Do we really need to go that far?¡± Louis Verdan couldn¡¯t quite understand him. It wasn¡¯t just because James Marcus was a Pdin that he had be a superstar. His keen intellect,bined with exceptional leadership and decisiveness, had made James Marcus who he was today. That¡¯s why Louis had never questioned his orders until now, but he couldn¡¯t understand this particr n. Was it really necessary to go to the trouble of gatheringrades? ¡°Penalties. Someone has been clearing the penalties so far, but those penalties are surely meant to destroy the Earth.¡± When New World became reality, monsters had ravaged thend. That¡¯s why there had to be a connection to the penalties. The penalties would likely intensify, and the conditions to clear them would be more stringent. James Marcus was nning to form an elite force to maintain the peace on Earth. * * * Los Angeles, USA. Jeong-hoon appeared in the middle of the city. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been here.¡± Although the ce had been devastated by monsters, the restoration efforts were progressing quickly since no penalty had been imposed. [Oh, the atmosphere here is different, isn¡¯t it?] Mukho seemed to be quite taken with the sights of LA. ¡®Hmm, if it¡¯s not going to be destroyed, I might as well do it first¡­¡¯ Anima was still dissatisfied with its choice. It had put things off out of fear of destruction, not expecting there would be a way to avoid it. ¡°I¡¯ll upgrade you all soon, so just wait.¡± Mukho may not know, but Anima truly shines when it levels up to a higher grade. It''s impressive now, but when Lee Hwa-Rang handled Anima at the Celestial level, it was awe-inspiring. ¡®Well then¡­¡¯ Just then. ¡°Hey.¡± Five men approached and surrounded Jeong-hoon. They were typical delinquents, swaggering while smoking a cigarette. ¡®So I disguised myself as level 160, and now I¡¯m being picked on.¡¯ Their levels were all close to 200. Jeong-hoon quickly unleashed the Celestial technique and subdued them with his fists. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± They couldn¡¯t withstand it and fell out cold. In less than ten seconds, Jeong-hoon had subdued them, leaving the onlookers in shock. ¡°What!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Is that really level 160?¡± Jeong-hoon nced at them and then headed toward his destination, the dungeon. Not far from downtown LA was a green portal. There was no one in front of the portal. ¡°Fortunately, it looks like there won¡¯t be a fight.¡± Jeong-hoon stepped straight into the portal. [Do you wish to enter the Alchemist¡¯s Street at Lv.160?] *Only levels below 161 may enter. Alchemist¡¯s Street. To enter this street, one must not exceed level 161. However, Jeong-hoon had lowered its level to 160 using a disguise potion. ¡®Is this why the disguise potions are bing scarce?¡¯ For some reason, the disguise potion worked at the green portal. The green portal indicated a special dungeon that includes monsters and NPCs, meaning it was a dungeon where existing New World NPCs could be found. ¡®Entering now.¡¯ As it dered its intent to enter, Jeong-hoon¡¯s body was pulled into the portal. * * * [Alchemist¡¯s Street] The street was so destroyed that it was almost unrecognizable. No one could have expected that people could live in such a ce. [Is there really someone here?] ¡®Huh¡­ This is serious.¡¯ Mukho and Anima also seemed speechless at the scenery around them. ¡°Yeah.¡± Originally, this ce was a city where alchemists resided in Reas. Some towns inhabited by NPCs had survived in the form of special dungeons. However, even those are expected to disappear as time passes, with special dungeons vanishing one by one. This dungeon, too, would notst a year before it vanished. The standard for destruction is the death of NPCs. NPCs are being killed off by continuous monster attacks. Jeong-Hoon strode forward with purpose. He soon spotted a few alchemists. Among them was someone familiar. === [NPC Information] - Nickname: Ligriner - Level: 210 - Job: Alchemist (Enhancement) === So he¡¯s a disciple of Lenc. He had previously received help from Lenc regarding deciphering ancient recipes. Thanks to that, he acquired the transcendent enhancement skill. ¡°Uh...? Is that you?!¡± Ligriner, staring nkly at the sky with his pupils dted, finally noticed Jeong-Hoon. His eyes sparkled with recognition. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time.¡± Upon hearing Jeong-Hoon¡¯s greeting, Ligriner hurriedly came out from behind a pile of rocks and ran towards him. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re alive?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Please! Help us!¡± Above Ligriner¡¯s head, a red question mark was shing as he cried out desperately. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 211 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 211 The once peaceful Alchemist''s Street. It took only a moment for that street to crumble. There were no signs of impending disaster. When they awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of a great earthquake, everything had changed. Except for the room where Ligriner was staying, everything else was in ruins, leaving only remnants behind. ¡°Uh...? M-Master!¡± Ligriner, pale with fear, began searching for their mentor, Lenc. It wasn''t long before Ligriner found Lenc. Buried under a pile of stones. ¡°Master!¡± Ligriner urgently cleared away the rubble. As they grasped Lenc and tried to pull him out, they felt how cold his body was. The master, who had recently improved enough to move around easily, had suddenly be a cold corpse overnight. The problem was that it wasn''t just their master; over 70 alchemists had met a tragic fate. Only 17 survivors remained, including the injured. But that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°Grrrr! Kill them all!¡± ¡°Kill! Kill!¡± Monsters were roaming the streets. Because of this, Ligriner had to hide quickly. Fortunately, the monsters would disappear after a certain period, so they just had to hold out until that time passed to survive. ¡®Let¡¯s call for help from the Kingdom of M?rchen!¡¯ Alchemist''s Street was a small town where alchemists gathered. And that town was located within the Kingdom of M?rchen. If they requested protection from the unexpected monster attacks, they would surely help. ¡°Uh...? The path is blocked!¡± However, the road leading to the kingdom waspletely obstructed. A barrier had been erected, making it impossible to pass. ¡°What the...¡± The alchemists were disheartened and had no choice but to return to the streets. Not long after, several outsiders appeared. ¡°Hey! Save us!¡± ¡°If you save us, I¡¯ll give you the rune I developed!¡± If these outsiders were offering a quest, they would surely provide assistance. However, the response was cold. ¡°A hidden quest?!¡± ¡°We have to do it!¡± ¡°Hey! Are you crazy? The monsters are all over level 200. How can we take them on?¡± ¡°Ah... That¡¯s true...¡± ¡°It¡¯s not worth risking our lives. Let¡¯s just skip this.¡± All their levels were below 160. They had entered on a whim, but hunting monsters in the mid-200s was out of the question. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t a game; once they died, it would be over for good. They couldn''t afford to gamble with their lives. ¡°Please, help us!¡± Despite such a desperate plea, the outsiders exited through the portal. The alchemists tried to follow the outsiders through the portal, but it was either locked or malfunctioning. Just as the small spark of hope seemed to vanish, Jeong-hoon appeared. [Hidden Quest: Alchemist Ligriner] - Requirement: Encounter with survivors - Reward: ?? - Description: Protect Ligriner and the surviving alchemists. When the quest is epted, the monster wave will begin. Monster Wave. The root cause that hadpletely annihted Alchemist''s Street. This wave consisted of monsters over level 200. ¡®It won¡¯t be easy for me.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s current level was 366. He was on the brink of reaching level 370. ¡°I will help you.¡± ¡°Really?!¡± As Jeong-hoon nodded, Ligriner''s face lit up with hope. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Thank you! It¡¯s almost time for them to show up! Wipe them all out!¡± Upon epting the quest, a new message appeared. [17 minutes until the first monster wave begins.] * * * As Jeong-hoon left, the alchemists gathered together. ¡°Ligriner¡­ Do you think this outsider can save us?¡± There was a flicker of hope in the alchemists'' eyes. But Ligriner shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t know?¡± At such an absurd answer, the flicker of hope in the alchemists'' eyes extinguished. Regardless, Ligriner continued calmly. ¡°All I know is that he treated our master, who no one else could.¡± ¡°No... How is treating him the same as hunting monsters?¡± ¡°Then who will help us? The ones who came before just ignored us and left!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Many outsiders had already visited this street, aside from Jeong-hoon. However, none had offered to help. The reason was that they could not gain experience from monsters. They wanted to hold on to someone, but they had nothing to offer, so they could only watch them leave. ¡°Anyway, that outsider is our only hope right now. Got it?¡± ¡°...Understood.¡± [The first wave is starting.] With the announcement of the start, portals began to form around them. And from those portals, monsters poured out in droves. [Lv. 210 Red Lizardman] The monsters were Red Lizardmen. These monsters were level 210, relying on high defense and agility in battle. ¡°Damn... Where''s the rune energy?¡± ¡°We can still hold out. Should we activate it now?¡± They fought for survival using the runes they had developed. At that moment, the new form in front of Jeong-hoon vanished, and in an instant, ten Red Lizardmen fell. ¡°Uh¡­?¡± ¡°What, what¡¯s happening¡­?¡± The alchemists, including Ligriner, stared in shock with wide eyes. * * * [The first wave has ended.] Approximately 300 Red Lizardmen were hunted in the first wave. ¡®That¡¯s a lot.¡¯ With so many monsters pouring out in a wave, surviving for almost a year could be considered a miracle. ¡®It¡¯s probably because of Ligriner.¡¯ He was a prodigy personally brought in by the renowned alchemist Lenc. He protected this street using alchemy rted to enhancements. However, with the continuous waves, it was ultimately doomed to destruction. Jeong-hoon casually discarded the corpses of the Red Lizardmen and returned. ¡°How long does it usually take for a wave to ur again?¡± Ligriner, who had been dazedly watching, snapped back to reality and asked. ¡°Um¡­ I believe it was four waves.¡± ¡°I see. Then please wait a little longer here.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded and readied himself for battle once more. Before long, the second wave began. [The second wave has started.] [The difficulty will be adjusted based on the clear time of the first wave.] The number of monsters in this wave was so vast that it was hard to count them visually. Having finished the first wave so easily, the difficulty had increased significantly. [Lv. 240 Giant Lizardman] However, they weren¡¯t too difficult for Jeong-hoon. ¡®Oh, instead of dealing with them, I can just feed them to Fenrir.¡¯ Fenrir was starting to get hungry. Jeong-hoon immediately summoned Fenrir. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Fenrir, aren¡¯t you getting a bit hungry?¡± ¡°My stomach is sticking to my back.¡± ¡°I thought so. So, I¡¯ve prepared a feast for you.¡± ¡°A feast?¡± Fenrir looked at the alchemists. The alchemist trembled in fear at the gaze. Jeong-hoon shook his head. ¡°Not like that.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Only then did Fenrir turn to look at the Lizardmen pouring out. ¡°You were just pretending not to notice, right?¡± ¡°I just wanted to scare them a little¡­¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fenrir''s level was 308. Handling a Giant Lizardman would be a piece of cake for him. ¡°One of them!¡± ¡°Kill it!¡± The Giant Lizardman, standing at 2.5 meters tall, raised its spear and charged at Fenrir. At that moment, Fenrir''s gaze changed. [The Great Wolf Fenrir uses Prey Watch.] Prey Watch. [Movement speed reduced by 20%.] [Enters a state of fear.] [All stats reduced by 10%.] A debuff was applied to the Giant Lizardman. In that brief moment, Jeong-hoon cast Magic Missile. Countless Magic Missiles were generated and struck down upon the Giant Lizardman. ¡°Ke-eek!¡± ¡°Gge-eek!¡± One Magic Missile was enough to take down one Giant Lizardman. The rest were cleared out using Anima. [The second wave has ended.] ¡°...Um.¡± At that moment, Fenrir approached Jeong-hoon. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say it was a feast for me?¡± ¡°Did I?¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Of course you did. You applied a debuff.¡± ¡°......¡± ¡°Now, go eat.¡± ¡°......Yes.¡± *** [All waves have ended. No more monsters will invade the dungeon.] [The curse that afflicted the Alchemist''s Street has been lifted, and the barrier has disappeared.] [A new special dungeon has been created.] [You can enter a new episode.] It¡¯s done. With this, Jeong-hoon had rewritten the history of the Alchemist''s Street that would have vanished within a year. He approached Ligriner, who had been watching in a daze from the back. ¡°The wave is over. There won¡¯t be any more monster invasions.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­ thank you, thank you very much!¡± Ligriner now spoke formally, no longer casually. It clearly indicated his acknowledgment of Jeong-hoon¡¯s abilities. A question mark began to sh over his head. [You havepleted the quest.] Ligriner rummaged through his spatial pouch. Jeong-hoon raised his hand to stop him. ¡°You can keep the reward.¡± ¡°R-really?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah, um¡­ why not?¡± ¡°Instead, I¡¯d like to ask for something else.¡± ¡°What do you mean by something else?¡± Jeong-hoon took out the Celestial Engraving Stone he had mined and presented it to him. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± ¡°...What is it? I''ve never seen it before.¡± ¡°Of course not. It''s a power above legendary.¡± ¡°W-What?!¡± Ligriner hadn¡¯t learned everything from Lenc. Although he had be Lenc''s apprentice, the period of learning had been too short. However, he remembered hearing about a power above legendary. ¡®If a power exists above legendary, would you believe it?¡¯ ¡®Come on, where in the world could such a thing be?¡¯ At that time, after sessfully deciphering the recipe Jeong-hoon had brought, Lenc had seen a brief glimpse of a power surpassing legendary while tidying up the remaining debris. Since then, he understood that legendary was not the end. When he first heard that story, he had dismissed it as absurd, but he never imagined it actually existed. ¡°I want to use this engraving stone, but the power is a bit unstable.¡± ¡°Unstable?¡± ¡°Yes. So, I would like you to stabilize this power.¡± ¡°Um¡­.¡± For a moment, Ligriner was speechless. The request was absurdly difficult. How could he handle something he had never dealt with before? Maybe if it were his master, it would be different, but for him, it was impossible to fulfill this request. ¡°I can do it.¡± Jeong-hoon was confident that Ligriner could handle this power. ¡®Only an alchemist who specializes in enhancement can do this.¡¯ Moreover, Ligriner had defended this ruined street for nearly a year. He could definitely do it. ¡°No, even so¡­.¡± Ligriner continued to hesitate. A power above legendary. If he failed, the consequences would be unimaginable. ¡°Please. It''s something only you can do.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes were filled with trust as he spoke those words. Seeing that gaze made it impossible for Ligriner to refuse. With a serious expression, Ligriner nodded. ¡°Alright. If you put it that way, I will give it a try.¡± ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled warmly. [The reward has been changed.] [The sess rate of the request has significantly increased.] And as the reward changed, the sess rate increased dramatically. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 212 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 212 [Views: 68,121,883] It had only been a day since the video was uploaded. The view count had surpassed 50 million and was nearing 70 million. Jang Dae-hwi was repeatedly refreshing the page by hitting F5 with his hand. ©¸No, seriously, where is this ce? ©¸Should I be running to South Korea right now? ©¸I want to run there, but please reveal the location! ©¸Seriously, even foreigners have joined in;; can we even eat this? ©¸I¡¯m really losing it, lol. Thements had easily exceeded 100,000. Most of them were requests asking for the dungeon''s location. ¡®Please reveal the location to themunity once the video hits 50 million views.¡¯ Jeong-hoon sent dozens of coordinates along with a message. ¡°Is this really correct?¡± The coordinates he sent pointed to a specific area. Wondering if it was sent by mistake, he asked, but Jeong-hoon confirmed it was right and requested to post it. Ultimately, Jang Dae-hwi shared the coordinates Jeong-hoon had provided with themunity. Once the post was up,ments started pouring in as if they had been waiting. ©¸What is this ce? ©¸Are you saying one of these is the answer? ©¸No way, lol. This is too much ?? ©¸Wow, so it''s basically a game of chance? Jang Dae-hwi was feeling mixed emotions. Why did he ask for so many coordinates? As expected, the initial reactions were cold. However, it didn¡¯t take long for the mood to change 180 degrees. ©¸Oh? What¡¯s this? This is the correct answer?! ©¸It¡¯s the answer! ©¸The road to the mine is correct! ©¸Wow, lol. ©¸What¡¯s going on? But why do all those coordinates point to the same dungeon? ©¸Incredible, lol. Jang Dae-hwi widened his eyes as he read thements. ¡®What the¡­? Are all those coordinates pointing to the same dungeon?¡¯ * * * Meanwhile, Jeong-hoon was resting inside one of the half-destroyed buildings. ¡®By now, the dungeon¡¯s location must have been revealed.¡¯ Interestingly, there was not just one door leading to the dungeon. They were scattered across the globe, meaning whoever found one first would im it. Moreover, with many of the mythic higher-ups dead, it was safe to say that the groups interfering with yers in this dungeon had effectively been dismantled. ¡®I didn¡¯t want to eliminate the myth itself.¡¯ Many who had contracted after following Sa Jae-hyeok had done so, but there were also those who had split from the myth and were working hard to finish the game. Eliminating them all at once didn¡¯t sit well with him. [So jealous¡­ to think that engraving stone is just used as a headpiece.] ¡®¡­I should have said I would do it.¡¯ Unaware of Jeong-hoon¡¯s feelings, Mukho and Anima continued to murmur in disappointment. ¡°They said you can do itter.¡± The headpiece was merely a condition for clearing the dungeon presented by Baal. However, it wasn''t an option to just keep waiting here. While Ligriner stabilized the power of the engraving stone, there were additional tasks to attend to. He hadn¡¯te to this special dungeon solely to stabilize the engraving stone. [A new special dungeon has been created.] [You can now enter a new episode.] This meant he was qualified to enter a new episode. ¡°It¡¯s also a key to finishing the game.¡± Simply avoiding penalties wouldn¡¯t allow them toplete the game. [By clearing 100 episodes, you will acquire a crucial clue to end New World.] Yes. This was it. Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t just focused on survival; he was dedicated to growth. With the reality of New World unfolding, the episodes began. They had set up a few mechanisms, and he needed to clear these episodes to finally finish the game. Of course, it wouldn''t be easy. Once he cleared one episode, he would need to tackle a higher-difficulty episode to continue progressing. Before his regression, Jeong-hoon had cleared 99 episodes, leaving only one remaining. Having been betrayed just one step away frompleting the game fueled his anger even more. <¡°The ¡®Irretrievable Ruiner¡¯ says you¡¯re faster than expected. They will keep a closer eye on you.¡±> <¡°The ¡®Guardian Consumed by the Abyss¡¯ expresses curiosity about you.¡±> <¡°The ¡®Judicator of the Sky¡¯ tilts their head, stating that it¡¯s too early for the episode to begin.¡±> Jeong-hoon lightly ignored the messages from the transcendent beings and opened the episode. The newly added episode window appeared. [Starting the first episode.] [EP.1 The Fallen Kingdom of M?rchen] The episode that could be started in this special dungeon was the M?rchen Kingdom. Jeong-hoon had grown up in this M?rchen Kingdom and had even received treasures from the king. As the episode began, an alchemist approached him. ¡°Um¡­ are you busy?¡± === [NPC Information] - Nickname: Haphaeis - Level: 165 - ss: Alchemist (Healing) === He was the alchemist named Haphaeis. A question mark was shing above his head. [Episode Quest: Search the M?rchen Kingdom] - Requirement: Perfectly clear the wave of monsters in the Alchemist''s Street - Reward: Ability to proceed with the next quest + experience points - Description: Search the M?rchen Kingdom. As Jeong-hoon epted the quest, he asked, ¡°Is there something you need?¡± ¡°...The truth is, since the sudden disaster, we can no longer cross into the M?rchen Kingdom.¡± Before Jeong-hoon arrived, there had been a monster raid, and they intended to seek help from the M?rchen Kingdom. However, due to a barrier, they couldn¡¯t get through to the kingdom. Although the barrier was lifted after clearing the monster wave, now the monsters were blocking the path, making it difficult to enter. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m really sorry to ask, but could you clear the path to the M?rchen Kingdom for us?¡± For some reason, the M?rchen Kingdom had been neglecting the monsters blocking the way. ¡°Understood.¡± Since he had to carry out the episode, Jeong-hoon epted without hesitation. ¡°Really?!¡± Haphaeis rejoiced at his affirmative answer. ¡°Yes. I also happen to have business in the M?rchen Kingdom.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m counting on you! This is the best reward I can offer you.¡± Haphaeis presented a potion that slightly increased all stats. For his level, it was a top-tier reward. ¡°Thank you.¡± Jeong-hoon gratefully epted the reward and set off toward the M?rchen Kingdom. The barrier had been lifted, but the way was still blocked. To pass through, he needed to use the green portal, which was also a dungeon. [Would you like to enter the Lv. 165 North Pathway?] ¡®I¡¯ll enter.¡¯ * * * It wasn¡¯t just the M?rchen Kingdom. Many territories had be a mess due to monsters, and not a single survivor could be seen. [Wow... This is really serious.] ¡®I¡¯ve lived a long time, but this is the first time I¡¯ve seen such a scene.¡¯ That would make sense. All the dimensions originally used for episodes should be considered destroyed. Even so, the fact that NPCs were still alive was a mechanism created by the transcendent beings with the power of creation to alleviate their boredom. To watch as the creatures struggle between hope and despair. Of course, with monsters far above the required entry level swarming around, it was practically impossible to clear without using a top-tier disguise potion. ¡°Human! Die!¡± At that moment, a giant lizardman, who had been hiding, lunged at Jeong-hoon. Swoosh¡ª However, Jeong-hoon remained unfazed and swiftly shed the lizardman¡¯s neck with Leviathan. ¡°Gah!¡± Once he eliminated thest remaining giant lizardman, a portal appeared in front of him. [You may proceed to the next area.] Jeong-hoon stepped through the portal to the next area. He arrived in the M?rchen Kingdom. ¡®I wonder if anyone is alive.¡¯ Upon arriving, Jeong-hoon¡¯s first destination was the stables. As expected, it was aplete wreck due to the monsters, and he had to clear them one by one. ¡°Damn these bastards!¡± Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t the only one hunting the monsters. === [NPC Information] - Nickname: Ragan - Level: 245 - ss: Commander of the M?rchen Kingdom Knights === A familiar face. It was Ragan, themander of the knights. He was busy exterminating monsters alongside his knights. Jeong-hoon unfolded his heavenly armor and joined them in cutting down the monsters. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± As he got closer, Jeong-hoon greeted Ragan first. Ragan, who had been focused on the monsters, turned his head toward Jeong-hoon, his eyes widening in surprise. ¡°Hoon!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s assess the situation first.¡± With Jeong-hoon¡¯s assistance, the monsters were swiftly dispatched. Once the situation was under control, the knights sat down, exhausted. ¡°Hoon! Thank you foring. Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Ragan asked with a mix of gratitude and concern. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled faintly. ¡°I see. But you¡¯ve be much strongerpared tost time. Your level still seems low, though¡­¡± ¡°I had to keep my level down for some circumstances.¡± ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± ¡°By the way, what happened to the others?¡± ¡°......¡± Ragan¡¯s expression darkened instantly. That alone was enough of an answer. ¡°......I see.¡± Jeong-hoon approached the knights and cast an Advanced healing spell. [Using Advanced Healing.] There were about fifty knights remaining. The rest must have perished. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± ¡°How can we ever repay this kindness¡­?¡± The knights expressed their gratitude, but their faces were grim. There was not a hint of hope in their eyes. ¡°Hoon¡­ Is the situation better in other ces?¡± Ragan asked. ¡°What do you mean by other ces?¡± ¡°Other regions. The portal isn''t functioning, andmunication has gone silent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably not much different¡­¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Ragan nodded without showing any surprise, as if he had expected this. ¡°Is the royal pce safe?¡± ¡°It is. If the pce had fallen, we wouldn¡¯t be alive to talk.¡± ¡°I see.¡± At that moment, an exmation mark flickered above Ragan¡¯s head. [You havepleted the quest.] [You have gained 2,000,000 experience points.] [You can proceed to the next quest.] Then, a question mark flickered above Ragan¡¯s head once again. [Episode Quest: M?rchen Kingdom Search (2)] - Restrictions: Complete the M?rchen Kingdom Search Quest - Rewards: Ability to proceed to the next quest + Experience points - Description: Eliminate all red portals lurking in the M?rchen Kingdom. *If you ept the quest and fail to eliminate the portals within the time limit, the episode will end forcefully. The next quest is to eliminate the red portals threatening the kingdom. The original dungeon has been destroyed, and the red portals have appeared. The problem is that monsters are continuously pouring out of these red portals. If the portals are not eliminated, the episode will end forcefully, and M?rchen will copse entirely. ¡®It would be beneficial not to ept the quest.¡¯ However, the fact that the episode ends forcefully means that the Alchemist¡¯s Street would also be destroyed. If that happens, the Celestial Engraving Stone entrusted to Legriner would also disappear. Of course, that won¡¯t happen. This is an episode that cannot fail. ¡®I ept.¡¯ Jeong-hoon epted the quest. As soon as he epted it, Ragan spoke with a serious expression. ¡°The monsters will probably keep pouring out.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± Jeong-hoon pretended not to know and asked back. Ragan sighed heavily and continued. ¡°Red portals have been discovered all over the M?rchen Kingdom¡­ That¡¯s why the monsters are pouring out.¡± ¡°Have you attempted to eliminate them?¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t even attempt it¡­¡± It was dawn. With a sudden deafening roar, the M?rchen Kingdom was thrown into chaos. To make matters worse, the attacks from the monsters continued, causing the kingdom to copse overnight. Ragan hurriedly led his knights to confront the monsters, but it was already difficult to defend the royal pce. ¡°I see.¡± Jeong-hoon finished his healing and stood up. ¡°Hmm? Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to eliminate the portals.¡± [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 213 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 213 First, Jeong-hoon headed towards the red portal located near the royal pce. As he approached, monsters poured out of the portal all at once. ¡®No wonder it¡¯s impossible to get close.¡¯ The number of monsters would only increase to an overwhelming amount the closer you got to the portal. ¡°Fenrir,¡± Jeong-hoon called out. Michael was summoned as well. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Master¡­ this is really too much.¡± Unlike Fenrir, who responded politely, Michael¡¯s eyes were filled with resentment. ¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± Jeong-hoon asked, tilting his head in curiosity at Michael¡¯s sulking expression. ¡°How long has it been since youst summoned me? I thought I was going to die from the frustration!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ve called you now, haven¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you summon me more often...?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time to chat. From now on, we¡¯ll hunt every monster on the surface.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± Michael¡¯s jaw dropped as he stared at the horde of monsters. There were far too many of them. Jeong-hoon nodded in response to Michael¡¯s overwhelmed expression. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± ¡°There¡¯s just... so many of them¡­¡± ¡°We have to. Start now.¡± With that, Jeong-hoon gave themand and disappeared into the red portal. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Michael gazed at the portal where Jeong-hoon had vanished, his eyes still full of resentment. Watching this closely, Fenrir muttered, ¡°I should tell him the truth.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Michael¡¯s head snapped toward Fenrir. ¡°That you were staring at the portal long after the Master went in.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense. It seems like the truth to me.¡± Fenrir chuckled under his breath, causing Michael¡¯s face to scrunch up in frustration. ¡°I never did such a thing. And you, you¡¯re being incredibly insolent, you know that?¡± ¡°Me? Are you really saying a divine beast like me is insolent?¡± ¡°Divine beast, my foot. If you¡¯re the Master¡¯s loyal servant, then act like one.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you also one of his loyal servants?¡± ¡°Hey, have you forgotten I¡¯m your senior?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°If you¡¯re a junior, act like one. Got it, junior?¡± Fenrir scowled at the remark. Why do I have to follow someone like this? Though he wanted to argue, the flood of monsters left him no time. Fenrir¡¯s eyes shifted, growing fierce. [The giant wolf Fenrir activates Predator''s Gaze.] Predator''s Gaze. [Movement speed is reduced by 20%.] [Fear status inflicted.] [All stats decrease by 10%.] The terrifying thing about this ability is that it has no limit on the number of targets. In other words, every one of those countless monsters was hit with a debuff. ¡°Nice work, junior. You¡¯ve done well enough for me to actually call you my junior.¡± Michael, while continuing to provoke Fenrir, summoned spirits and began the hunt. * * * At that moment, Jeong-hoon, who had entered the red portal, was busy hunting monsters. sh. He cut down a Giant Lizardman with Leviathan. Boom! Boom! Boom! The sheer number of enemies forced him to use Magic Missiles. Crackle. Even then, the monsters didn''t seem to lessen, so he unleashed Lightning Bolt to deal area damage. [Impressive¡­ considering you hardly ever use magic.] ¡®There are just too many.¡¯ Anima was right. The sheer number of monsters made it necessary to use every technique in his arsenal. The longer the extermination took, the more those outside would be put at risk. ¡°I have no choice if I want to deal with this quickly.¡± He thought that he would soon need to find another hidden theme to learn more magic. Magic Missile was limited to 20 shots at maximum, and although Lightning Bolt was effective, it still left something to be desired forrge-scale damage. He needed to steal the magic Alessandro had used so effectively. With that, the next episode would go much smoother. [Form 1: Initiation activated.] With Initiation activated, he ruthlessly cut down the monsters. ¡°Kegegegek!¡± A Giant Lizardman, its limbs severed, screamed as it copsed to the ground. After cutting down Giant Lizardmen for a while, the Giant Lizardman Shaman finally appeared. This was the dungeon''s boss. It was entirely focused on producing more Giant Lizardmen. More specifically, it was the several portals next to it. By maintaining those portals, the Giant Lizardmen kept appearing through them. Jeong-hoon raised Anima and drew the bowstring. ¡®Arrow of the Storm.¡¯ As he released the string, the storm arrow flew straight toward the Giant Lizardman Shaman. The arrow pierced the shaman¡¯s head with precision. ¡°Keck!¡± With a dying scream, the shaman copsed, lifeless. Its head exploded, sttering brain matter onto the ground. [You have cleared the boss monster.] [All Giant Lizardmen are vanishing.] With the boss defeated, the red portal ceased to exist. ¡°Keck!¡± ¡°Kreeee!¡± The Giant Lizardman that was emerging from the portal let out a scream as it vanished, and the portal from which it came also disappeared in an instant. Jeong-hoon exited through another portal that had formed nearby. Outside, Fenrir and Michael were still hunting monsters fiercely. ¡®They¡¯re doing well.¡¯ Jeong-hoon smirked and entered the nearby red portal. * * * At the same time, Ragan returned to the royal pce, leading his knights. Sitting on the throne was Kaiserk V, his face heavy with worry. ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯ve justpleted my mission and returned.¡± ¡°Yes. How are things outside?¡± It was a meaningless question. The M?rchen Kingdom had copsed overnight. ¡®Will the history of this kingdom end in my reign?¡¯ It had once been a prosperous nation, but now, it would be recorded as a kingdom that fell in the blink of an eye. Kaiserk V was drowning in guilt, feeling he had failed to protect the M?rchen Kingdom, and thus, no words from Ragan could prate his mind. ¡°We seeded in exterminating the monsters with Hoon''s help.¡± But Ragan''s next words jolted him out of his stupor. ¡°What did you just say¡­?!¡± ¡°Yes. Thanks to Hoon¡¯s assistance, we were able to defeat the monsters.¡± ¡°Hoon came?!¡± Kaiserk V sprang to his feet. ¡°Yes. If it hadn¡¯t been for Hoon''s arrival¡­ the situation would have been utterly hopeless.¡± They had managed to hold on somehow, but they were on the verge of hitting their limit. If Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t arrived in time to help, they might not have made it back to the pce at all. ¡°Ha¡­ how could this be.¡± The savior who had once rescued the M?rchen Kingdom. Kaiserk V had bestowed one of the kingdom¡¯s treasures upon him in gratitude. After Hoon had left, the king never expected to see him again, let alone in such a critical situation. ¡®He truly is our savior.¡¯ Of course, just because Jeong-hoon had appeared didn¡¯t mean the M?rchen Kingdom would be restored. But the mere fact that he had shown up to save the kingdom in its time of peril was enough to be immensely thankful for. ¡°At present, Hoon is working to eliminate the red portals within the M?rchen Kingdom.¡± ¡°By himself?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Kaiserk V was in utter shock. The kingdom was littered with red portals. Those cursed portals were the very reason the M?rchen Kingdom was copsing. Approaching them to close the portals only caused monsters to pour out, making it impossible to get close. But to think that Jeong-hoon had taken it upon himself to handle them directly. ¡°Then, shouldn¡¯t we send support?!¡± ¡°Given the situation¡­ we had no choice but to return first.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absurd!¡± No matter how severe the losses to their forces, they couldn¡¯t just send their savior into such danger. ¡°Your Majesty, I don¡¯t think you need to worry too much. After all, wasn¡¯t it Hoon who single-handedly saved our kingdom in the past?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s true, but still.¡± "Hoon will seed this time as well." At the time, Ragan had also intended to follow him and assist in closing the red portals. However, the look in Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes told him everything¡ªthis was not the time to intervene. Any help from him would likely only get in the way. It would be a lie to say his pride wasn¡¯t hurt. But since he hadn¡¯t been able to close even a single red portal himself, he had no choice but to step back quietly. Just then¡ª ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Two sentries, who had been monitoring the situation from the city walls, rushed back. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The red portals are disappearing rapidly!¡± ¡°What?!¡± * * * [You have defeated the boss monster.] [All Spectral Golems are vanishing.] When the Level 235 Spectral Golems vanished, another red portal was closed. ¡®That makes 32.¡¯ There had been 32 red portals in the capital city alone. Of course, there were far more outside the capital, but at least for now, the quest was nearingpletion. ¡°You did well.¡± Thanks to the efforts of Fenrir and Michael, the surrounding area had suffered minimal damage. After sending them back, Jeong-hoon hurried to return to the royal pce. Inside the pce, there were many familiar faces. ¡°Hoon!¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seeded!¡± ¡°Hurraaaay!¡± Jeong-hoon was greeted with cheers as he approached Kaiserk V. ¡°Hoon! Come quickly!¡± Kaiserk V descended from the throne and ran towards him, anxiously checking for any injuries. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Is that true? You¡¯ve closed so many portals¡ªhow could you not be hurt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can heal myself.¡± Jeong-hoon had now risen to the Celestial grade. This allowed him to restore his mana using the natural forces, making prolonged battles much easier. Unlike before his regression, when he had to take breaks after getting injured, now he had divine power, so that concern was gone. ¡°I see¡­ Thank you once again for helping our kingdom.¡± A teary-eyed Kaiserk V gazed at Jeong-hoon, as a blinking exmation mark appeared above the king¡¯s head. [You havepleted the quest.] [You have gained 10,000,000 experience points.] [You can now proceed to the next quest.] A question mark then appeared above Kaiserk V¡¯s head. [Episode Quest: Saving the M?rchen Kingdom (1)] - Requirement: Complete the M?rchen Kingdom Search (2) quest. - Reward: ?? - Description: Save the M?rchen Kingdom, which is facing an existential crisis. The quest to save the M?rchen Kingdom had begun. This was the final episode quest. As Jeong-hoon epted the quest, he spoke. "Do you remember the treasure you gave me before?" "How could I forget?" "The Guardian of M?rchen. Since I received that treasure, it¡¯s only right that I help when the kingdom is in danger, isn¡¯t it?" "You¡­" At Jeong-hoon¡¯s words, not only Kaiserk V but everyone present became teary-eyed. "I''ve removed all the red portals in the capital. But this isn¡¯t the end." "Indeed... if there were so many in the capital, then other ces might be even worse." "That seems likely." "Still, thanks to you, Hoon, the kingdom should be safe for a while. Truly, thank you." "No. We have to eliminate thempletely." The quest was frustratingly vague. It didn¡¯t provide clear instructions. In other words, it was up to Jeong-hoon to stabilize the M?rchen Kingdom. It was typical for thest quest of an episode to be this unkind. "Hmm? Is that even possible?" "I¡¯ll have to find out." Jeong-hoon smiled slyly. In truth, he already knew the answer. While he hadn¡¯t personally cleared the M?rchen Kingdom episode, he had researched the solution whilepleting other episodes. However, he had missed the opportunity to finish the episode within the time limit, much to the disappointment of his former leader, James Marcus. ¡®Damn it¡­ If only I had known about this sooner¡­¡¯ A fortuitous encounter? Not quite. ¡®Synergy.¡¯ There was a synergy effect that activated once certain collections werepleted. The M?rchen Kingdom episode was also part of the collection list, but it had been prematurely locked, leaving parts iplete. As a result, no one had ever obtained the final stage synergy effect. ¡®If I clear it here, I¡¯ll be able to unlock the synergy effect from the final stage.¡¯ [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 214 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 214 "Then I¡¯ll leave it to you! If you can put an end to this crisis, I¡¯ll give you everything I have!" Kaiserk V was desperate. The M?rchen Kingdom was on the brink of copse. To save his kingdom, he was even prepared to sell his soul. In fact, before Jeong-hoon¡¯s regression, Kaiserk V had made a pact with a demon in an attempt to prevent the fall of M?rchen. As a result, the kingdom was able to hold on for nearly two more years, but due to the pact''s repercussions, all the survivors were corrupted and ultimately dragged into hell. ¡®It wasn¡¯t just Kaiserk V. There were many others who couldn¡¯t bear to watch the kingdom fall.¡¯ Like Kaiserk V, Ragan also sacrificed his soul to gain power and remained until the end, one of the few who fought to protect the M?rchen Kingdom. "It¡¯s time to put an end to this once and for all." Jeong-hoon fiddled with the Guardian of M?rchen hanging from his ear. The Guardian of M?rchen, personally bestowed upon him by Kaiserk V. --- [Guardian of M?rchen] - Type: Earring - Grade: Epic - Special Ability (1): When the earring¡¯s magic is activated, it increases the activation probability of one selected attack skill by 4% for 1 hour. (Cooldown: 12 hours) - Special Ability (2): When the earring¡¯s magic is activated, it increases the wearer¡¯s attack power by 4% for 1 hour. (Cooldown: 12 hours) - (The grade increases and hidden abilities are unlocked when the essory set ispleted.) --- The Guardian of M?rchen was an epic-grade item. Some might think of it as a ridiculously overpowered epic essory, but the problemy in unlocking its hidden abilities. ¡®To unlock that, I need to collect the entire set of essories.¡¯ However, there was no exnation regarding which essories were part of the set. That was understandable. The items needed to activate the set effect were not yet revealed back then. This was why Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t actively sought out the set. "Alright, let¡¯s head out." Jeong-hoon made his way to an unnamed mountain to the east of the kingdom. But to reach the mountain, he first had to eliminate the red portals. --- [There are too many monsters nearby.] [You cannot proceed to the next area until all red portals in this zone are removed.] --- "They just keeping endlessly." The early special dungeon episodes were generally on the easier side in terms of difficulty. However, the M?rchen Kingdom episode was notorious for its extreme difficulty. That was because it was part of the collection. Jeong-hoon summoned back Fenrir and Michael, whom he had previously sent away. "Yes, master." "Are we hunting monsters again?" The ever-polite Fenrir and the quick-to-catch-on Michael. Jeong-hoon pointed to the red portal. "We''re eliminating that portal again. You understand what that means, right?" "Yes." "Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll clear out the monsters with my junior!" "Junior?" Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. Jeong-hoon quickly realized that by "junior," Michael was referring to Fenrir. He noticed Fenrir''s face scrunching up in frustration. Regardless, Michael summoned spirits with a bright smile on his face. "Of course! He joined after me, so he''s the junior, right?" "Well, technically, that¡¯s true." "...Master, this is so unfair. I''ve lived far longer than him. How can I be his junior?" Fenrir, looking crestfallen,ined to Jeong-hoon. In his heart, he wanted to rip Michael apart, but as a fellow subordinate, he couldn¡¯t act on those impulses. Instead, he hoped Jeong-hoon would make the final decision. "Sorry, but we follow the order of entry around here." Unfair as it might be, rules were necessary to maintain order and hierarchy. "Master! That¡¯s an incredibly wise decision!" Michael beamed, while Fenrir''s face twisted in displeasure. It was a moment where joy and frustration collided. "Alright, let¡¯s get started." There wasn¡¯t time to waste talking¡ªthey needed to eliminate as many portals as possible. As Jeong-hoon approached a portal, monsters poured out. ¡®Lightning Bolt.¡¯ He led with a spell he didn¡¯t often use. Bzzzzzt! Against enemies of a simr level, this spell wouldn¡¯t have caused much damage, but for Jeong-hoon, these creatures were like fodder. "Kaeeeek!" The monsters that poured out convulsed as they were electrocuted. Jeong-hoon cut them down with Leviathan and entered the portal. * * * "This can¡¯t be¡­." Ragan muttered in disbelief. Behind him, the knights looked around with expressions that were half amazement, half admiration. The capital, once filled with red portals. Because of those cursed portals, the capital had beenid to waste in an instant. Yet now, not a single red portal could be seen. "It appears they''ve all been eradicated." "Haha¡­ How could someone manage to clear out so many on their own¡­?" After Jeong-hoon departed, Ragan led the knights in a search, only to discover that every portal in the capital had been destroyed. "Commander, could he really be the savior the prophecy spoke of?" There was an ancient prophecy passed down through legend. It foretold that a great crisis would befall the M?rchen Kingdom, and in that time, a savior would appear to deliver them from it. Since the prophecy came from Brahman, the greatest seer of the era, the king hadn¡¯t taken it lightly and passed it down like a final will. Though the prophecy had reached the ears of many, no one had ever seriously believed in it. But now, the prophecy seemed to being true. "If peace returns to the kingdom¡­" Ragan gulped. Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t just a benefactor; he was the savior of M?rchen. "Is it even possible...? The capital may be calm for now, but what about elsewhere...?" At the knight''s words, everyone¡¯s faces darkened. While the damage in the capital was severe, it was likely far worse in other regions. In the worst-case scenario, smaller territories might have no survivors at all. "For now, our best option is to trust Hoon," Ragan reminded the knights once again. Jeong-hoon had made himself clear before he left. ¡®Do not leave the capital. Understand?¡¯ After witnessing him eliminate all the red portals, how could they not trust his words? Even Emperor Kaiserk V had no choice but to nod in agreement, along with everyone else. --- There were at least three, sometimes up to five, red portals per zone. [You have cleared the boss monster.] [The Blood Ogres have all been annihted.] Once all the portals in an area were cleared, Jeong-hoon could move on to the next. After several hours of relentless portal destruction, he arrived at the Palesman Barony. This barony marked the eastern edge of the M?rchen Kingdom. "Plenty of them here, too." The barony waspletely devastated, with not a single intact structure in sight. While the capital had its knights to fight off monsters and hold the line, the barony had no such forces capable of doing the same. Or rather, almost none. As Jeong-hoon sliced through the monsters, he made his way toward the half-ruined castle. "Come forth." There, a towering old man was swinging his sword, mercilessly cutting down monsters. His sword was even coated in a distinct sword aura, clear and sharp. ¡®Caryan.¡¯ He was none other than Caryan, the man who had handed the Dark Lord''s Memoirs to Hajin. Originally, Caryan had retired and was serving as the warden of the royal prison. After passing the memoirs to Hajin, he even quit that position. Emperor Kaiserk V had attempted to grant him a title, but Caryan adamantly refused. Still, the emperor wasn¡¯t one to back down easily, and in the end, Caryan reluctantly epted the baronial title. "I should lend a hand." Jeong-hoon used Lightning Bolt to electrocute the monsters closing in on Caryan. "Hmm?!" Startled, Caryan turned his head toward the source of the magic. His eyes met Jeong-hoon''s. ¡®Long time no see.¡¯ Jeong-hoon greeted him with a smile and a nod. Caryan tilted his head in confusion. ¡®Who are you?¡¯ His expression seemed to be asking that exact question. It was understandable¡ªCaryan had met Hajin after he became the Dark Lord, not Jeong-hoon. ¡®Let¡¯s deal with them first.¡¯ Jeong-hoon gestured toward the monsters with his chin, and Caryan nodded in agreement. The ughter resumed. --- After the battle ended, Jeong-hoon approached Caryan, who was clearly exhausted. [You use Advanced Healing.] Jeong-hoon said this while casting advanced healing on Caryan. "¡­Who are you?" Expert in swordsmanship and capable of healing too¡ªCaryan quickly realized that this man was the same foreigner who had once aided the M?rchen Kingdom. "I¡¯vee to help." "I see¡­ how is the capital?" "The damage is severe. However, His Majesty the King is safe." "¡­That''s a relief." Caryan let out a sigh of relief. With so many monsters, even defending a single castle was proving difficult. In such a situation, making it back to the capital seemed impossible. "Are you thest survivor, Baron?" "No, including me, there are nine survivors. The other eight are inside." Caryan pointed toward the castle. "I see. Are there any wounded?" "Two are gravely injured." "Please, lead me inside. I''ll treat them." "Is that true?!" Caryan''s face lit up with hope. "Yes. It''s fortunate there are survivors." Jeong-hoon had passed through four other territories before reaching here, but tragically, there had been no survivors. The fact that people were still alive here was a testament to Caryan''s efforts. "Thank you! Come inside, quickly!" "Of course." Leaving Fenrir and Michael outside, Jeong-hoon followed Caryan into the castle. The castle was in ruins, with hardly any intact rooms left, but there was a small area still habitable. The survivors had gathered there. "Only eight¡­" There were eight survivors: the head butler, three maids, and a family of three who lived near the castle. The two wounded were the parents from the family. "...The sudden earthquake and monster attacks prevented me from saving anyone else. I barely managed to save these few in time," Caryan exined, his expression filled with regret. Jeong-hoon nodded and approached the two wounded. ''Their condition is quite serious.'' The two parents had sustained severe external injuries, barely staying alive thanks to potions. Their young child, no more than three years old, clung tightly to the mother. ''I can save them.'' Though the wounds were severe, repeated use of advanced healing would be enough to heal them. [You use Advanced Healing.] Jeong-hoon continuously cast advanced healing on both of them. It wasn¡¯t until he felt his divine energy depleting that he finally finished their treatment. "Th-thank you!" "Truly, thank you so much!" The two, who had been groaning in pain just moments ago, now felt at ease. They bowed deeply to Jeong-hoon in gratitude. "Impressive... I never imagined you could heal such injuries." Caryan was astonished, almost in disbelief. Over the years, he had encountered countless priests, but he had never met anyone capable of such powerful healing. "I''m d to see you''re better. The child must have been very worried," Jeong-hoon said with a smile, gently patting the young child''s head before standing up. "I''m truly grateful. Without you, we wouldn''t havested much longer." His gratitude was genuine. It was challenging to face so many monsters alone; just surviving this long was a feat in itself. "Not at all. But, Caryan, I have something I need to discuss with you." "Oh, of course. Follow me to my room." Quick to catch on, Caryan led Jeong-hoon to a private room where they could talk without interruption. Once they were alone, Jeong-hoon revealed what he had been preparing to say. "I want to put an end to this crisis." "You mean the monsters pouring out?" "Yes." "......Is that even possible?!" A glimmer of hope sparkled in Caryan''s eyes. "Yes. However, I will need your assistance to do so." "My help? Just tell me what you need!" "I need the key to the Cursed Forest." The Cursed Forest was a ce sealed away due to an incident during the reign of Kaiserk I. It was cursed and off-limits to everyone. ess required two keys¡ªone held solely by the king, and the other kept in the possession of the Psman Barony. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 215 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 215 King Kaiserk V sat on his throne, tapping his fingers in thought. ¡°Your Majesty! Themander of the knights has returned.¡± ¡°Let him enter.¡± At Luke''s words, King Kaiserk V nodded. As if waiting for his permission, Commander Ragan entered and knelt on one knee. ¡°Your Majesty! I havepleted my search and returned.¡± ¡°Very well. What is the situation outside?¡± ¡°Yes. There are no red portals visible within the capital.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­? That is truly fortunate.¡± A sigh of relief escaped Kaiserk V. ¡°Yes. I believe we can begin to return the citizens who were evacuated to the castle.¡± Those who survived within the capital were hastily evacuated to the castle. They had been enduring day by day, but thanks to Jeong-hoon, they were now able to return. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± A smile curved the corners of Kaiserk V¡¯s mouth. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Now, we just need to wait for Hoon.¡± He recalled the conversation he had with Jeong-hoon a few hours earlier. ¡°Your Majesty, I have something to discuss. May I have a moment alone with you?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s request, Kaiserk V dismissed everyone, including Luke, leaving only the two of them. Jeong-hoon got straight to the point. ¡°I need a key to enter the Cursed Forest.¡± ¡°That key...? How do you know about it?¡± The Cursed Forest. It was a name given because it was literally cursed. It was said to have been a perfectly fine forest when the Kingdom of M?rchen was founded, but for some unknown reason, it became cursed and has remained sealed, never to be opened until now. Now, Jeong-hoon was saying he wanted to lift that seal. ¡°Shouldn''t we at least try? I intend to visit the Cursed Forest.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absolutely out of the question! It¡¯s not just because I fear the seal will be broken; I¡¯m worried something might happen to you!¡± The reason the seal had never been lifted was that even approaching it could lead to a curse. Because of this, no one dared to get close, and a multiyered barrier had been erected to prevent any potential fools from approaching. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have the means to handle it.¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I¡¯m the one who removed all the portals by myself. Do you think I can¡¯t withstand a mere curse?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°I will do everything in my power to prevent M?rchen from falling. Please believe in me.¡± Eventually, under Jeong-hoon¡¯s continued persuasion, Kaiserk V relented. He ended up handing over the key, and now he was waiting for Jeong-hoon¡¯s return. ¡°He will definitelye back.¡± Ragan¡¯s gaze was firm and unwavering, a testament to his high trust in Jeong-hoon. ¡°I know. I just hope there are no issues regarding his safety.¡± The Cursed Forest, which no one had been able to approach. All they could do was fervently hope for a safe return. *** ¡°The key to the Cursed Forest? That¡¯s out of the question.¡± Caryan shook his head. Since receiving his title as baron and being assigned to the small territory of Psman at the eastern edge, several had attempted to approach the Cursed Forest and had been caught. Fools exist everywhere. Those miscreants were captured and imprisoned for defying the king¡¯s orders not to approach. To think someone would try to enter that cursed ce was absolutely uneptable. ¡°Are you suggesting that we simply let this situation continue?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡± ¡°Look at this.¡± Jeong-hoon pulled out a key. ¡°Wha¡ª!¡± Caryan gasped in surprise, inhaling sharply. That key was known to be the exclusive property of the king, the key to the Cursed Forest. ¡°Didn¡¯t His Majesty grant permission? Are you really going to oppose this now?¡± ¡°...Is that true?¡± ¡°Do I have any reason to lie?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s gaze held no hint of doubt. ¡°Hmm¡­ I understand.¡± If the king had granted permission, Caryan had no further reason to oppose it. He retrieved a key from his possession, something he had kept close since bing a baron, just in case someone tried to steal it. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°...Be careful. The Cursed Forest isn¡¯t a ce that can be essed with just the key.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Receiving the key, Jeong-hoon immediately made his way to the Cursed Forest. Located farther away than Psman, which was already at the eastern edge, the forest was shrouded in thick mist, with tripleyered barriers set before it. [They''ve set up quite a dense barrier here.] ¡®This is going to be hard to break through.¡¯ The barrier had stood firm for a long time. It was impossible to breach with conventional methods. ¡°I¡¯ll have to release it myself.¡± The method for dispelling the barrier was simple. Jeong-hoon approached the barrier and extended his hand, channeling his magic into it. [Using Safeguard.] Safeguard didn¡¯t just dispel simple debuffs; it also had an effect on barriers. While normally one would need to carefully untangle aplex array of spells, Safeguard bypassed that requirement. As the unique-grade Safeguard activated, the barrier trembled and shattered with the sound of breaking ss, disappearing entirely. With the barrier that sealed the forest gone, the thick fog dispersed, revealing the entrance to the woods. Before him stood another barrier, far more solid than the previous one. To open this barrier, he would need to remove the two locks in front of him. Jeong-hoon took out the keys he had received from Kaiserk V and Caryan, inserting one into each lock. Click! Turning the key, the sound of the lock clicking open echoed, and the final barrier vanished. ¡°Done.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned and stepped into the forest. At that moment, all manner of curses descended upon him. [You have been cursed.] [You have been cursed.] [You have been cursed.] Messages indicating that he had been cursed flooded in, apanied by numerous debuffs. [Using Safeguard.] Jeong-hoon easily dispelled those debuffs using Safeguard. This was a forest lower than his level, after all. Woooo¡ª Then, the M?rchen Guardian pendant he wore began to vibrate slightly in his ears. ¡°It¡¯s resonating.¡± The Guardian essory set had the characteristic of resonating with each other when in close proximity. In other words, it meant he could find other essories using this Guardian. Jeong-hoon moved around, focusing on the M?rchen Guardian. ¡®There¡¯s a portal.¡¯ Following where the Guardian was pointing, he found a portal before him. No monsters could be seen in the Cursed Forest. It was a space that had been sealed for a long time, making it impossible for anyone to enter, so it was only natural there were no monsters. Thus, it was normal that no portals existed. This meant that the portal had been generated during the quest progression. Jeong-hoon approached the portal. Suddenly, an exmation mark began to blink above the portal. [You havepleted the quest.] [You have gained 20,000,000 experience points.] [You can now perform the next quest.] Once again, a question mark blinked above the portal. [Episode Quest: Save the M?rchen Kingdom (2)] - Restrictions: Complete the Save the M?rchen Kingdom (1) quest - Rewards: ?? - Description: Save the M?rchen Kingdom from a critical situation. The description was the same as the quest given by Kaiserck V. Jeong-hoon epted the quest. [Will you enter the episode dungeon: M?rchen Kingdom?] ¡®I¡¯ll enter.¡¯ As he epted the entry, Jeong-hoon¡¯s body was sucked into the portal. --- ¡°Where am I?¡± As he entered the dungeon, his vision brightened considerably. Jeong-hoon instantly recognized that this was indeed a forest. ¡°Hey! Hamel¡± Then, arge man rushed toward Jeong-hoon. === [NPC Information] - Nickname: Kel - Level: 80 - upation: Psman Barony Territory Guard === He was a guard named Kel. Given that he was stationed here in the Baron¡¯s territory and his level, he appeared to be a regr soldier rather than a knight. ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°What the hell are you doing here? Monsters are pouring out!¡± Kel was calling Jeong-hoon by the name Hamel. Jeong-hoon took out a rune and examined his face. Only then did he realize that he had transformed into a balding man in histe 40s. ¡®Of all things, why did I have to turn into someone like this?¡¯ He had morphed into a hefty body that looked like it could easily weigh over 100 kg. Unlike regr dungeons, episode dungeons followed a specific story within. [Ugh¡­ What is that?] ¡®I¡¯ve aged terribly.¡¯ Mukho and Anima shuddered as if they had seen something horrifying. ¡®You guys, no matter what, what¡¯s with that reaction?¡¯ Jeong-hoon red at them. Then Mukho and Anima scrambled to exin themselves. [No... it¡¯s just so different from before. That look isn¡¯t bad!] ¡®Yeah, there are benefits. It¡¯ll be easier to wash my hair, and I won¡¯t need to dry it either.¡¯ ¡°Oh, really?¡± The corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth twisted into a smirk. ¡°Hamel? You idiot!¡± He couldn¡¯t think deeply for long, thanks to the loud shouting from the guy next to him. ¡°Got it, so shut up for a second.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you, monsters areing! We need to run too!¡± ¡°Run?¡± As the man spoke, ck King Ogres were charging toward them. ¡°Uwaaaah! They¡¯re already here! I¡¯m dead!¡± Kel shrieked and hid behind a tree. [Wow¡­ He¡¯s really useless for his size.] ¡®From the looks of it, I could easily crush those little guys.¡¯ Mukho and Animaughed at Kel. ¡°Exactly.¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled and unfolded the Celestial Scroll. In his hand, Leviathan was already in grip. ¡°H-Hamel?!¡± Kel¡¯s urgent shout came from behind him. However, despite his shout, one ck King Ogre after another fell over with a thud. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Wow, he¡¯s strong!¡± ¡°We need to run away!¡± The ck King Ogres, terrified by Jeong-hoon¡¯s might, tried to retreat. Jeong-hoon then blocked their escape route with the Celestial Scroll again and continued to sh at them. ¡®That should be enough.¡¯ The situation ended in an instant. Forty-seven ck King Ogre corpsesy sprawled on the ground. Jeong-hoon shook off the blood from Leviathan and turned back to Kel. Kel had emerged from behind the tree and was staring nkly at the corpses of the ck King Ogres. ¡°What are you standing there staring at?¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s words, Kel seemed to snap out of it, grabbing his shoulder with a look of shock. ¡°You, you¡­ how did you do this?!¡± He was stammering, clearly in disbelief. ¡°There¡¯s no time to exin. What¡¯s happening right now?¡± ¡°We failed the raid, and penalties are being applied! We need to get to the shelter quickly!¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Jeong-hoon furrowed his brow. The flow of all episodes was the same. It depicted the process of a dimension¡¯s destruction. Of course, to reach destruction, penalties must umte to a point where recovery is no longer possible. From the current state of the forest, it was clear that it hadn¡¯t progressed that far yet. ¡°Come on! Hurry!¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m on it.¡± Jeong-hoon was currently a guard named Hamel. To clear the episode dungeon, he needed to follow the story. Additionally, the Guardian of M?rchen did not respond here. For now, it made sense to follow Kel and exit the forest. ¡°By the way, what are those dazzling things?¡± Kel finally noticed the Mukho and essories that Jeong-hoon was wearing. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? They¡¯re items.¡± ¡°Aha¡­ so is that why you could fight the monsters?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time for a long exnation. Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Jeong-hoon followed Kel as they headed toward the shelter. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 216 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 216 Underground Shelter at the Palesman Barony. The underground shelter had been created by piercing through the blocked ground, all due to the penalties. ¡®No response.¡¯ Jeong-hoon fiddled with the Guardian of M?rchen hanging from his ear. However, even during the process of entering the shelter, the Guardian showed no reaction. If there had been any response, they would have headed there instead of to the shelter. ¡°Kel! Hamel! Are you here?¡± The guards in the shelter, anxious and restless, were waiting for Kel and Hamel. ¡°Yeah! I almost died, but I barely made it out alive.¡± Kel listed the monsters they had encountered while fleeing to the shelter. Every time a monster''s name was mentioned, the guards were shocked. ¡°No way, how did you even survive?¡± The monsters he spoke of were high-level ones, unseen in the Palesman Barony. Though Kel¡¯s words might have sounded like an exaggeration, given the strange things that happen during penalties, it didn¡¯t seem far-fetched. ¡°Don¡¯t be surprised when I tell you¡ªHamel took them all down!¡± ¡°Hamel¡­?¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± The guards quickly dismissed Kel¡¯s im as nonsense. Hamel was the weakest among the guards,gging far behind even the cowardly Kel in terms of ability. How could someone like Hamel hunt high-level monsters? ¡°I¡¯m serious!¡± ¡°Alright, alright. Get inside already! It¡¯s your turn to stand guard now.¡± As soon as Kel and Hamel arrived, the guards passed the shift to them and retreated into the shelter. ¡°Damn it... Why doesn¡¯t anyone believe me...?¡± ¡°Because you keep spouting nonsense.¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled. To the others, Jeong-hoon would appear to be Level 75. That¡¯s why no one believed Kel¡¯s words. ¡°Then what did I see? And doesn¡¯t Hamel¡¯s gear seem odd to you?¡± ¡°Just shut up and stand guard.¡± Kel had noticed that Hamel¡ªwho was now Jeong-hoon¡ªwas dressed differently than usual, but no one else had. Originally, both Kel and Hamel were supposed to die there, ording to the original timeline. Perhaps that¡¯s why this slight error urred, but Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t think much of it, as such discrepancies often appeared in the episodes before his regression. ¡°This is really weird... Are you sure you''re Hamel?¡± ¡°Who else would I be?¡± ¡°...¡± Even while standing guard, Kel continued muttering to himself. Rumble. Suddenly, the ground shook with a thunderous roar. ¡®Meteorite?¡¯ The penalties came in many forms. One of them was a meteorite impact. Although the meteorites were small and wouldn¡¯t cause immediate destruction, the damage they caused was unimaginable. ¡°Wh-what is this?!¡± Kel approached Jeong-hoon with a bewildered expression. ¡°It seems a meteorite has fallen.¡± ¡°A m-meteorite?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± At that moment, an exmation mark shed above Kel¡¯s head. [You havepleted the quest.] [Episode Dungeon Clear Progress has reached 20%.] [You can now proceed with the next quest.] Moving to the shelter with Kel and witnessing part of the penalty seemed to be the conditions for clearing this mid-quest. A question mark shed again above Kel¡¯s head. [Episode Quest: Salvation of M?rchen Kingdom (2)] - Requirement: Complete Salvation of M?rchen Kingdom (1) Quest - Reward: ?? - Description: Head to the royal capital. When Jeong-hoon epted the quest, a much more powerful roar echoedpared to before. At the same time, a wave of heat enveloped his body. It appeared that a meteorite hadnded nearby. ¡®It¡¯s a miracle we weren¡¯t swept away.¡¯ However, this ce wasn¡¯t safe. The overwhelming heat engulfing the shelter indicated that the falling object wasn¡¯t just an ordinary meteorite. ¡°Ughhh!¡± Kel, who was standing guard, was the first to react. He looked like he was about to copse at any moment. Additionally, the people inside the shelter started to emerge. ¡°It¡¯s so hot!¡± ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to die!¡± They desperately tried to flee the shelter. ¡°You can¡¯t go out.¡± Jeong-hoon stopped them in their tracks. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Move! We¡¯re going to die!¡± Regardless, they tried to push past Jeong-hoon. Of course, it was impossible for them to move him. ¡°W-what¡¯s this? Why won¡¯t he budge?¡± ¡°You bald-headed jerk! Get out of the way!¡± If they left, even standing their ground like this would be impossible. The surface was already a sea of mes. Jeong-hoon let out his divine power to shield the shelter. [Exclusive Skill for Martial Artists, ¡®Steadfast Will,¡¯ is activated.] [You have acquired the skill, ¡®Barrier of Light (Unique).¡¯] In response to his Steadfast Will, a new skill was acquired. ¡®Oh, I even got this?¡¯ A barrier formed from divine power. As long as they were within this barrier, they could withstand any environment. Of course, this was only possible because the barrier was made from Jeong-hoon¡¯s immense divine power, which made it seem like nothing at all to him. The barrier blocked the heat inside the shelter, and those who had been suffering and trying to escape gradually began to feel morefortable. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this, it suddenly feels cool?¡± Their frantic movements finally subsided. ¡°Now, it¡¯s dangerous outside, so please head back in.¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry.¡± As the pain disappeared, they nodded obediently and returned. ¡°Wow¡­ what was that just now?¡± Kel, who was next to Jeong-hoon, looked amazed. ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, I saw a golden lighting from your body, and all the pain vanished!¡± This was another anomaly. Though no one else noticed Jeong-hoon manifesting divine power, Kel alone could see it. ¡°It¡¯s called divine power.¡± ¡°Divine power? Isn¡¯t that something only the people at the temple can use?¡± The temple was located in the capital of the M?rchen Kingdom. Divine power wasn¡¯tmonly seen, but Kel had recognized it because he was once severely injured and received healing from a priest years ago. ¡°Indeed. How could I possibly use it?¡± ¡°Man¡­ You know you¡¯re acting really strange, right? You¡¯re not actually Hamel, are you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re not?¡± ¡°Anyway, watch over things here. I need to head to the capital.¡± ¡°What...? Hey!¡± * * * Jeong-hoon quickly made his way toward the capital. The path was filled with monsters, with not a single trace of human presence. [Wow... this is too much.] ¡®It¡¯s be an uninhabitable ce for humans.¡¯ Indeed. The explosion of noise that urred the moment he epted the quest wasn¡¯t just confined to the Barony of Palesman. The surface had turned into a sea of fire, and only monsters roamed around unaffected. ¡®When I first entered, everything seemed fine... but it copsed all at once.¡¯ Things had taken a slightly different turn than on Earth. Unlike Earth, where the slow demise came gradually due to penalties, in this dimension, everything that had built up erupted all at once. Jeong-hoon quickened his pace. Soon, he arrived at the capital of M?rchen Kingdom. It was a hellscape,pletely different from how it had been before entering the dungeon. ¡°Is there no one left alive?¡± Just in case, he headed towards the royal pce. There, Kaiserk V and a few knights stood guard. [Are they dead...?] ¡®...It seems so.¡¯ But they were already deceased. The stench of rotting corpses filled the air, a testament to how much time had passed. Jeong-hoon approached Kaiserk V, whose head hung low as he sat on the throne. Above the king''s head, an exmation mark blinked. [You havepleted the quest.] [You have reached 50% progress in clearing the Episode Dungeon.] [You can now undertake the next quest.] The next quest appeared. [Episode Quest: Salvation of the M?rchen Kingdom (3)] -Requirement: Completion of the quest Salvation of the M?rchen Kingdom (2) -Reward: ?? -Description: Defeat the demon that has upied the royal pce. Jeong-hoon epted the quest, and a deafening roar echoed once more. Fwoosh! mes suddenly engulfed the pce. [Using the Barrier of Light.] Jeong-hoon quickly surrounded the pce with the Barrier of Light. "Ho... So, someone still remains capable of using such power?" A demon slowly revealed itself, descending from the ceiling. [Lv. ??? Demon Baremund] Jeong-hoon pulled out Anima and aimed it at the demon. ¡®Ultimate Arrow.¡¯ The ultimate arrow flew straight toward the demon. ¡°!¡± Startled, the demon hastily deployed a barrier. Crash! However, Jeong-hoon''s arrow shattered the barrier in an instant, piercing through the demon''s shoulder. ¡°Graaagh!¡± Jeong-hoon smirked at the sight. "Let''s end this quickly, no need to drag it out." He decided to bring the demon down to the ground first. [Using Celestial Aura.] As Jeong-hoon activated the Celestial Aura, the demon''s eyes widened in shock. ¡°What...?! How do you have that power?!¡± Instead of answering, Jeong-hoon thrust his left fist toward the ceiling. His fist was infused with the energy of the Underworld King. [Using Formless Fist.] Formless Fist. Typically considered useless at long range, this martial art had its shorings fixed when it reached the Celestial level. With the enhanced Formless Fist, Jeong-hoon could now strike targets within 300 meters. ¡°Urgh!¡± Simultaneously, Jeong-hoon felt the satisfying impact as the demon''s body bent in half from the blow. Setting Anima aside, Jeong-hoon continued throwing punches. Thwack! Thwack! However, Baremund was tenacious. Gradually, he adapted to the Formless Fist and began dodging the attacks with slight but noticeable movements. ¡®Not bad.¡¯ Jeong-hoon''s face was full of confidence. It wasn''t just about his level; he also had a powerful title. ''Demon yer.'' Though there were numerous ways to deal with demons, none were as effective as the perks that came with this title. [The demon Baremund uses ''Gaze of Death.''] At that moment, Baremund activated one of his abilities. His eyes turned pitch ck as he focused his full intent on Jeong-hoon. However, Jeong-hoon continued his martial arts attacks without concern. Thwack! Thwack! ''W-What is this!'' Baremund was baffled. The ability he had just used was a deadly instant-kill technique. The condition for activation was for the target to look into his eyes for more than two seconds. With this power, he had wiped out everyone in the pce. But something was wrong. The human before him was making direct eye contact, yet waspletely unaffected. ''Is... is the gap in power toorge? A mere human?'' The only weakness of this ability was that it wouldn''t work on targets vastly more powerful than him. This meant that the human standing before him was far stronger than he was. "What''s wrong? Shocked that someone stronger than you showed up?" Jeong-hoon grinned smugly. "You... you cursed human bastard!" "Shut up and die." [The demon Baremund tries to use ''Shackles of Evil''...] But before he could finish activating his next ability, he faltered. "Urgh!" Thwack! Thwack! The relentless barrage of attacks had left him unable to endure any longer. Baremund plummeted to the ground. "It''s over." Jeong-hoon summoned Leviathan and raised it high. Baremund sneered bitterly at him. "Heh... No matter what you do, you won''t be able to stop the destruction." "Is that so?" "Of course. Nothing will change, no matter what you try¡ª" Baremund never finished his sentence. Jeong-hoon swung Leviathan down, severing the demon''s life in an instant. "Things will change. I¡¯ll make sure of it." With a cold expression, Jeong-hoon looked down at the lifeless demon, then turned to approach Kaiserk V. The exmation mark above the king''s head blinked once more. [You havepleted the quest.] [You have reached 80% progress in clearing the Episode Dungeon.] [You can now undertake the next quest.] Eighty percent progress. It was a sign that he was nearing the final stages. Just then, the Guardian of M?rchen, which hung from Jeong-hoon¡¯s ear, began to resonate strongly. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Jeong-hoon touched the Guardian with his hand, and suddenly, his vision went dark. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 217 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 217 The darkness that had clouded Jeong-hoon''s vision lifted. Woooong¡ª The Guardian of M?rchen resonated even more powerfully. It shook violently, hanging from Jeong-hoon''s ear. "Where am I?" Jeong-hoon looked around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Thick ck mist enveloped everything, leaving him blind to his environment. The only thing visible was a brilliant light shining directly in front of him. The source of that light was a single, floating artifact. === [M?rchen: The One Who Resists Fate] - Type: Ne - Grade: Unique - Special Ability (1): None - Special Ability (2): None === That was it. The artifact that would unlock the set bonuses of the Guardian of M?rchen. A question mark hovered above the glowing ne. === [Episode Quest: M?rchen Kingdom''s Salvation (4)] - Condition: Complete M?rchen Kingdom''s Salvation (3) Quest - Reward: ?? - Description: Obtain the artifact. === The quest seemed straightforward¡ªobtain the artifact. ¡®It won¡¯t be that easy,¡¯ Jeong-hoon thought. He had learned from experience that quests involving item acquisition were never simple. ¡®But I have to do it.¡¯ That ne was crucial. Without it, he wouldn¡¯t be able toplete all the episodes of the M?rchen Kingdom sessfully. Jeong-hoon epted the quest. Woooong¡ª The ne began to resonate in response. Then, a man suddenly appeared before Jeong-hoon, walking out of the mist. "You''re qualified." "What?" "You may take the artifact." Contrary to his expectations, the manughed heartily and pointed at the ne. "...You''re just going to give it to me?" Jeong-hoon furrowed his brow. It seemed far too easy for the final quest. "I have a feeling you might be able to change something." It was then that Jeong-hoon realized who the man was. "Ah, you¡¯re the artifact itself, aren¡¯t you?" "Bingo." The man pped his hands, smiling broadly. The fact that the ne couldmunicate in human form, of its own will, meant one thing¡ªit was the master of this strange space. "...So, did you create this entire episode dungeon?" Jeong-hoon asked. "That''s right. I poured everything I had into creating this setup. Used up all my power in the process, though." "Why go to such lengths? If you¡¯d just waited quietly, someone would¡¯ve taken it eventually." Jeong-hoon looked disappointed. The artifact''s power was now zero, thanks to the device it had set up. Though it was still a useful item, the loss of its original abilities was regrettable. "I wanted to show something. The world as it was destroyed." "Is that the final memory of the M?rchen Kingdom?" "Yes. It fell, just like that." The history the ne showed was different from the one Jeong-hoon experienced in the episode dungeon. In contrast to the narrative where Kaiserk V and others dyed the kingdom¡¯s downfall by making a pact with demons, the memory the ne revealed was of the kingdom copsing almost instantly, a penalty for their sins. ¡®That¡¯s probably the real history.¡¯ The exaggerated backstory of people gaining strength by offering their souls to demons was likely twisted by transcendental beings to allow Earthlings to experience andplete the episodes. "So, why show me all of this?" "...I didn¡¯t want it to happen again." "I see," Jeong-hoon nodded in understanding. There was no need for further discussion. Their goals aligned. "Just onest question," Jeong-hoon said. "Go ahead." "Can you change this damned fate?" The man''s expression hardened, his teeth grinding. "Yes. No matter what, I¡¯ll change it." Jeong-hoon nodded firmly, his face serious. "...Good answer," the man said, before dissolving into smoke. A notification appeared above the ne. [Quest Complete.] [You have obtained ''M?rchen: The One Who Resists Fate.''] [Episode Dungeon Clear Progress: 100%.] [You have cleared the Episode Dungeon.] [You have gained 40,000,000 EXP.] [Level Up!] [All stats have increased by +1.] [You have gained +1 bonus stat point.] With thepletion of the episode dungeon, Jeong-hoon had fully assembled the Guardian of M?rchen''s ne set. He stepped through the portal that appeared in front of him, leaving the dungeon. --- Palesman Barony. Caryan paced around the mansion, his anxiety palpable. "Baron, are you alright?" the head butler cautiously approached. "Ah... I''m fine, don''t worry." What truly concerned him was the outsider who had entered the cursed forest. Caryan saw it with his own eyes¡ªthe barrier around the forest was disappearing. He wasn¡¯t sure why His Majesty had entrusted the key to this outsider, but there must have been a reason behind it. "...He will bring back good news," the head butler murmured, almost as if trying to hypnotize himself. It made sense¡ªthe outsider who ventured into the cursed forest was their only hope, not just for them, but for the entire M?rchen Kingdom. "Raaaaargh!" Suddenly, the monsters that had quieted down began to pour out once again. "What the...!" Caryan''s face turned pale. It hadn¡¯t been long since they cleared out the previous wave of monsters, and yet they were already appearing again. "Baron!" "Get inside the mansion!" At Caryan''s order, the head butler rushed indoors. ¡®The intervals are getting shorter... at this rate, we won¡¯tst much longer.¡¯ Caryan drew his sword. The de was worn from countless battles with the monsters. He had a feeling this might be hisst fight. Among the iing horde was a Lv. 270 Iron Orc, d in iron armor and wielding a massive axe. Even at Caryan¡¯s level, Lv. 300, the sheer number of them was overwhelming. ¡®If there are any gods, please protect our kingdom,¡¯ Caryan prayed silently as he charged forward. Thwip! Out of nowhere, an arrow flew and struck the Iron Orc right in the neck. Then a rain of arrows followed, showering the monsters. "Raaaghhh!" The Iron Orcs copsed under the barrage of arrows. "What... what is this?" Caryan looked up in surprise, only to see Jeong-hoon standing there. "Are you alright?" Jeong-hoon asked as he quickly moved to Caryan''s side with blinding speed. "...You returned from the forest?" "Yes. Quite sessfully, I¡¯d say," Jeong-hoon replied, grinning as he fiddled with a ne in his hand. "And that is...?" "A ne I retrieved from the forest," Jeong-hoon said. It was the ne M?rchen: The One Who Resists Fate. === [Guardian of M?rchen] - Type: Earring - Grade: Legendary (Legendary) - Special Ability (1): When the earring''s magic is activated, you can designate one of your attack skills, increasing its activation chance by 4% for 1 hour. (Cooldown: 12 hours) - Special Ability (2): When the earring''s magic is activated, it increases the wearer''s attack power by 4% for 1 hour. (Cooldown: 12 hours) - [Set Option Activation (1)]: Increases the effects of special abilities by 3 times. - [Set Option Activation (2)]: Automatically activates Passive: Guardian of the Kingdom. === With the gathering of two essories, the grade of the Guardian of M?rchen had risen to Legendary. Along with that, the set option activated. === [Guardian of the Kingdom] -Type: Passive - Removes all threats to the M?rchen Kingdom. (All stats increase by 1.5 times) === Jeong-hoon drew his bowstring again, aiming at the Iron Orc. ¡°You can rest easy now,¡± he reassured Caryan before releasing the arrow. *** It wasn''t just the set that hade together; he had also fulfilled the conditions toplete the episode. ¡®The condition for clearing this episode was to gather the essories and eliminate 1,000 monsters.¡¯ Jeong-hoon spread the Heavenly Bow and began to exterminate the monsters. Thanks to the set effect, the count of 1,000 was quickly filled. As soon as he hit the target, the previously overwhelming monsters vanished in unison. He hadpleted the final piece of the episode''s puzzle. ¡°With this, we should be okay for a while,¡± Jeong-hoon muttered, watching the area where the monsters had disappeared. He couldn''t say he had saved the M?rchen Kingdom just yet; the game wasn''t fullyplete. He knew that he couldn''t predict when trouble might strike again, but for now, this was the best oue. ¡®Time to go back.¡¯ It was time to collect the remaining rewards. Jeong-hoon prepared to return to the royal pce. ¡°Thank you so much. I really appreciate it,¡± Caryan said repeatedly, grateful for being saved from the Iron Orcs. He faced monsters he could never have defeated with his dull de. Had Jeong-hoon not appeared in time, it was clear he would have lost his life. ¡°It was the right thing to do,¡± Jeong-hoon replied. ¡°The right thing¡­ So that¡¯s your knightly way, is it?¡± Caryan smiled faintly. He remembered dreaming of being a just knight when he was younger. Of course, the realities of life had gradually distanced him from that ideal. ¡°I should be going now. Stay safe,¡± Jeong-hoon said. ¡°Be careful,¡± Caryan replied, maintaining his smile. But Jeong-hoon could see that it was forced. ¡®Of course, he would be putting on a brave face after nearly losing all his vassals.¡¯ After receiving his barony not long ago, he had faced the worst situation possible. Jeong-hoon left the barony and headed straight to the royal pce. The pce was bustling with the knight order conducting searches throughout the streets. ¡°Hun!¡± Ragan, leading the knight order, spotted Jeong-hoon and called out loudly. He hurried over, concern etched on his face as he checked Jeong-hoon¡¯s well-being. ¡°I''m fine, so don''t worry too much.¡± ¡°Fine, you say¡­ So that means...?¡± ¡°Yes. The monsters tormenting the kingdom will no longer emerge.¡± ¡°Is that really true?! How?¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to this ne,¡± Jeong-hoon said, pointing to the one around his neck. ¡°What¡¯s that ne¡­?¡± Ragan looked confused, clearly unfamiliar with it. That made sense; this ne was an item revealed only after the reality shift. ¡°It¡¯s an item that pairs with the Guardian of M?rchen.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± Ragan inhaled sharply, astonished. Jeong-hoon continued calmly, ¡°Without this, it would have been impossible.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­!¡± ¡°Yes. Where is His Majesty?¡± ¡°He¡¯s inside! He¡¯s been anxiously waiting for your return.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± As Ragan had said, Kaiserk V was indeed anxiously waiting for Jeong-hoon. Upon hearing the news of Jeong-hoon¡¯s return, he rushed out to greet him. ¡°Hun! I¡¯ve been waiting!¡± Seeing him dash out, Jeong-hoon smiled warmly. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve returned safely.¡± To prove that, an exmation mark shed above his head. [Episode: Completed all of M?rchen Kingdom.] [Episode Collection System is now open.] [Included in the episode collection.] [The episode¡¯s rating is ¡®S¡¯.] [The episode has been registered in the collection.] [Synergy with the Monster Collection has been established.] [Stage 1 synergy is applied.] [All stats increase by 2%, damage increases by 2%, all skill damage increases by 2%.] Stage 1 synergy. There were still not enough episodes registered in the collection, making the options somewhat disappointing. However, as more episodes were added to the collection, the synergy would be stronger, and important options would be added. ¡®Now that I¡¯ve cleared the M?rchen Kingdom, the rest should be a breeze.¡¯ Having cleared the most crucial aspect, he felt he had achieved the primary goal of his n. *** ¡®Are you really leaving so soon?!¡¯ Kaiserk V felt a sense of regret at Jeong-hoon¡¯s departure. However, given that the M?rchen Kingdom was on the brink of copse, the idea of holding a celebration was out of the question. ¡°Yes. I have things to do.¡± With Jeong-hoon stating that he had tasks to attend to, there was no reason to hold him back. ¡®I see¡­ When will you be back again?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not sure yet.¡¯ With the episode wrapped up, what remained was in the hands of the survivors of the M?rchen Kingdom. Jeong-hoon bid farewell to Ragan and the knights before returning to the Alchemist''s Street to check on the status of the Celestial Seal he had entrusted to Ligriner. ¡°Are you here?!¡± However, instead of focusing on the stabilization work, Raigliner greeted Jeong-hoon with a beaming smile. ¡°It seems like the results are good?¡± ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s go check right away!¡± [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 218 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 218 After Jeong-hoon left, Ligriner was deep in thought, furrowing his brow. No matter what he tried, he couldn''t find a way to stabilize the power of the Celestial Engraving Stone. ¡°Hmmm, what should I do?¡± Ligriner pondered. What would my master have done in this situation? Surely, they would have found a new method and aplished it brilliantly. ¡®I¡¯m not my master¡­¡¯ Thinking of his master made him feel incredibly insignificant. ¡®Please! This is something only you can do.¡¯ However, he couldn¡¯t give up, especially because of the words Jeong-hoon had left behind. Ligriner ced his hand on the Celestial Engraving Stone and channeled his magic into it. Woom¡ª As the magic was injected, the Celestial Engraving Stone began to glow and vibrate intensely. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Ligriner was at a loss for words. The stone vibrated and shone brilliantly. Perhaps momentarily entranced by the beautiful light, he snapped back to reality only to find that two hours had passed. ¡°Damn it!¡± It was an urgent situation, and he had wasted so much time. Ligriner withdrew his hand from the engraving stone. Then an astonishing change urred. Woom¡ª Even though he cut off the magic, the light from the stone remained, softly vibrating. Ligriner¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± He cautiously examined the engraving stone. Soon, his face turned to one of shock. ¡°It stabilized?!¡± Just a moment ago, the energy had been forcefully contained, but now it flowed harmoniously throughout the entire stone. ¡°No, how¡­?¡± All he had done was channel his magic into it. * * * [Stabilized Celestial Engraving Stone] - An engraving stone with celestial power inscribed within. - Can upgrade equipment up to Legendary (Fully Enhanced) grade, with the following sess rates: - Legendary: 100% (1 required) - Unique: 0.1% (5 required) - Epic: 0.0001% (20 required) - Rare: 0% (cannot be upgraded) - Normal: 0% (cannot be upgraded) - If the upgrade fails, there is a 99% chance that the equipment will be destroyed. - To bestow power, the equipment must be fully enhanced. With the stabilization workpleted, the Celestial Engraving Stone could now be upgraded from Legendary grade to Celestial grade with a probability of 100%, up from 50%. The fear of equipment destruction was eliminated. Moreover, a smile lingered on Ligriner''s face. ¡®That makes sense. It seeded too easily.¡¯ There was a high possibility that Ligriner was falling into the illusion that he was a genius. However, it wasn¡¯t because Ligriner was a genius. Jeong-hoon had altered the rewards uponpleting the quest, significantly increasing the sess rate of the request. In other words, it meant that Ligriner, as an enchanter, only needed to channel his magical power for sess. Of course, Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t mention this fact. ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Jeong-hoon said, smiling. ¡°Oh, this is nothing!¡± Ligriner¡¯s shoulders lifted with pride. ¡°Indeed, my judgment was not wrong.¡± Since it hade to this, he decided to push his luck further. ¡°Hahaha! You tter me!¡± ¡°If there¡¯s another opportunity, I¡¯d appreciate your help again.¡± ¡°Anytime!¡± Now that their business was finished, Jeong-hoon was about to turn away when a new message appeared before him. [Kingdom of M?rchen: You havepleted the hidden episode.] ¡®Hidden episode?¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. This was the first time he hadpleted a hidden episode since his regression. ¡®How¡­?¡¯ [When you achieve a perfect clear of the episodes included in the collection, including the side episodes, the hidden episode ispleted.] Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. The Kingdom of M?rchen and the Alchemist''s Street could be seen as one set. And perfect clear meant he hadpleted all episodes wlessly. ¡®Originally, perfect clears didn¡¯t hold any significance.¡¯ It was simply about finishing the episodes. Yet he never expected a hidden episode would be hidden like this. ¡®That means the other collection episodes also have hidden ones, doesn¡¯t it?¡¯ His mind raced. Then what would be the reward forpleting the hidden episode? [The hidden episode is registered in the collection.] [Thepletion percentage of the episode increases by an additional 10%.] ¡®What¡­?¡¯ Completing 100 episodes. This meant that increasing the episode¡¯spletion percentage by 10% was equivalent to getting 10pleted for free. But that wasn¡¯t all. [The effects of the synergy are significantly increased.] [All stats increase by 4%, damage increases by 4%, all skill damage increases by 4%.] This was insane. While one might see 4% as a small number, considering that only synergy level 1 was currently applied, it was an extraordinary figure. Originally, it was 2%, so it had doubled. ¡®Thinking about the future¡­¡¯ Jeong-hoon clenched his fist. * * * Los Angeles, USA. James Marcus and Louis Verdan were emerging from a dungeon. ¡°Wow¡­ It¡¯s James Marcus¡­¡± ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡± ¡°Take a photo! Photo!¡± People around them were frantically trying to take pictures of him. Even with New World bing a reality, he remained a top star. In fact, his poprity had skyrocketed even more. It was no wonder. In this new reality, levels had be synonymous with power. ¡°Louis, I think we might be a bitte.¡± James Marcus turned his head, wearing a slightly displeased expression. Louis Verdan, standing behind him, shrugged his shoulders. ¡°The whole world has gathered here. It¡¯s only natural to bete.¡± ¡°Haha, true enough.¡± That wasn¡¯t what James Marcus meant, though. He hadn¡¯t expected much gain from this dungeon. What he was truly looking for was someone he could recruit as apanion. However, there wasn¡¯t a single person who caught his eye. ¡°There will be plenty of opportunities. So let¡¯s not rush,¡± Louis Verdanforted him. ¡°Just like you, Louis. You¡¯re the best.¡± James Marcus chuckled. At that moment, he spotted an Asian man in the distance. Their eyes met, and he felt a shiver run down his spine. ¡®What is this¡­?¡¯ He had never seen such a gaze in his life. What was even more astonishing was the rainbow-colored aura emanating from him. It reminded him of the skill he had gained through fate: ¡°Gauge.¡± This skill allowed him to assess the potential of others. The lower the potential, the darker the color; the higher the potential, the brighter the color. But rainbow colors were something he had never seen before. In other words, the man¡¯s potential was beyond imagination. James Marcus hurriedly checked his information. === [yer Information] - Nickname: The Celestial Gazer - Level: 160 - ss: Intermediate Martial Artist (Second Advancement) === He was only a 160-level intermediate martial artist. It didn¡¯t make sense. How could a man with such potential only be at level 160? ¡°James, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Louis Verdan shook his shoulder. ¡°Louis, I think I¡¯ve found someone incredible.¡± James slowly turned his head to meet his gaze. ¡°Incredible person?¡± Louis tilted his head, intrigued by James¡¯s excited look. ¡°Yeah. Right over there.¡± James pointed ahead with his finger. Louis¡¯s gaze followed the tip of his finger. But there was no one there. ¡°Huh? There¡¯s no one there?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no one?!¡± James quickly turned his head to look again. The Asian man who had just been there hadpletely vanished. ¡®What the¡­ Where did he go?¡¯ Level 160. Nickname: The Celestial Gazer. He had definitely seen him, right? ¡°What the hell¡­ Am I seeing ghosts now?¡± ¡°¡­No, it wasn¡¯t a ghost.¡± James Marcus¡¯s expression darkened. The Celestial Gazer. He had memorized that name, and he would never forget it. If he encountered him again, he would surely recruit him as apanion. * * * ¡°Damn it.¡± Returning home, Jeong-hoon recalled James Marcus. Before his return, he was the one who had suddenly extended a hand, asking Jeong-hoon to join him as apanion when he had nothing. ¡°He said he saw incredible potential in me.¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled softly. He had unexpectedly crossed paths with him after exiting the dungeon. It seemed he had entered the dungeon through coordinates posted on HoneyTube. ¡°If the timing is right, he would have already been looted and left with nothing.¡± Given his personality, it didn¡¯t seem likely he would act leisurely. Could he be trying to recruitpanions? If so, everything made sense. ¡®Was it called Gauge?¡¯ It was a skill he had obtained through fate, allowing him to see the potential of others. The reason Jeong-hoon had been able to join as apanion when he had nothing was entirely thanks to that skill. [Master, are you alright?] ¡®Your expression looks really fierce.¡¯ Awakened from his thoughts thanks to Mukho and Anima, Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°I was just reminiscing for a moment.¡± Pushing aside his dirty past, it was now time to use the Celestial Engraving Stone. Jeong-hoon took out the Celestial Engraving Stone. Using the engraving stone was simple. ¡®All you need are enhancement skills.¡¯ Upgrading and enhancing could be considered the same in the sense that both improve an item¡¯s performance. [The enhancement level of the Head Ornament imbued with the Spirit of the Divine Beast has reached Max.] [Proceeding to Equipment Upgrade.] [Materials are required for the upgrade.] This is exactly how it goes. Jeong-hoon chose the Celestial Engraving Stone. [You have selected upgrade materials.] [Would you like to attempt the upgrade?] [Once attempted, it cannot be reverted to its original state. Please think carefully before deciding.] A phrase that made him reconsider since the sess rate wasn¡¯t 100%. However, with a 100% sess rate, there was no reason to hesitate. ¡®I¡¯ll attempt it.¡¯ [Initiating the upgrade.] At that moment, light burst forth from the head ornament. It was a brightness so intense it could blind him. As the light gradually subsided, the head ornament shone brilliantly, unlike before. [The upgrade was sessful.] [You have achieved an incredible feat! You havepleted ¡®First Holder of Celestial Equipment¡¯! You have been awarded 500,000 achievement points.] [Due to your remarkable achievement, the level of the Achievement Shop has risen to ¡®7¡¯.] Upgrading to Celestial grade had also increased the Achievement Shop level to 7. ¡®Done.¡¯ Jeong-hoon smirked. Achieving the Celestial grade for the first time significantly boosted the Achievement Shop level. The previous shop level was 5. From level 7 onward, additional materials for enhancing and upgrading Legendary or higher-grade equipment would be avable. And that wasn''t all. === [Head Ornament Infused with the Spirit of the Divine Beast] - Type: Head Ornament - Grade: Celestial - Special Ability (1): Increases Attack and Defense by 40% - Special Ability (2): Has a certain probability to awaken the Spirit of the Divine Beast, dealing area damage to surrounding enemies. - Special Ability (3): Increases bow firing speed by 20%, with a 20% chance to ignore enemy defense. - Special Ability (4): When wearing the head ornament, has a 70% chance to ignore environmental damage. - Special Ability (5): When wearing the head ornament, automatically generates a shield that provides 15% protection based on all stats. (While the shield is active, all damage taken is reduced by 10%, and the time until shield regeneration is ¡®10 minutes¡¯.) *The shield can stack. === As the grade of the head ornament increased, two additional special abilities were gained. This must have been the original performance of the head ornament. ¡®This is truly incredible¡­¡¯ Just with this one head ornament, his defense had significantly increased. He could reduce environmental damage by 70% and also had the ability to create a shield. It could even stack. ¡®Not only can I deploy it twice, but I also have an invincibility skill.¡¯ Currently, it was a Legendary-grade skill that was seldom activated. Block. With this level of defense, it wouldn¡¯t be impossible to take down the dungeon bosses that had caused massive damage across the entire Earth before his return. ¡®Those bosses had multiple instant-death patterns, which led to the death of everyone who attempted the hunt.¡¯ As a result, they failed the hunt, and Earth received penalties, transforming into an environment where humanity could hardly survive. Consequently, those who could not properly grow perished under these harsh conditions. This is why repeating that history should be avoided at all costs. ¡®Now, shall Iplete the fourth advancement before Baal appears?¡¯ It was now time to proceed with the long-awaited fourth ss change. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 219 Chapter 219 Despite being over level 301, Jeong-hoon did not immediately begin his fourth ss advancement. The reason for this was the difficulty of the ss advancement itself. Now, he was no longer at the Legendary level, but at the Celestial level. The fourth advancement would certainly boast an extreme level of difficulty, so it was essential to prepare adequately. [ss Advancement Quest: Transcendence (1/2)] ¨C Requirements: Level 301 or higher, Third ss Advancement Martial Artist ¨C Reward: ess to ¡®ss Advancement Quest: Transcendence (2/2)¡¯ ¨C Description: You are qualified. It is time to awaken the power that has been dormant. After taking a deep breath, Jeong-hoon epted the quest. His vision dimmed, and soon an familiar space unfolded before him. ¡°What is this ce?¡± This was the Celestial Hall he had visited previously to advance to the Celestial level. In this hall, there was an NPC he had seen before. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: Harphael ¨C Level: ?? ¨C ss: Guide of the Heavens === The Guide of the Heavens, whose nickname had not been disyed, was named Harphael. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± Harphael smiled widely. ¡°Why are you the one overseeing the fourth ss advancement?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. Normally, he would have to meet the Authority of the Blue me to begin the fourth advancement. ¡°Why indeed? You¡¯ve stepped into the Celestial realm, and now you seek a test from a mere creature?¡± Harphael said this because the Martial Artist had risen from the Legendary level to the Celestial level, suggesting he must undergo a trial. Jeong-hoon looked at him incredulously. ¡°Are you going to try to avoid giving it to me again?¡± Harphael¡¯s shoulders twitched. Then he awkwardly cleared his throat, avoiding Jeong-hoon¡¯s gaze. ¡°Since you are qualified, how could I do such a thing?¡± It was clear that he was still trying to avoid giving it to him. The corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Then I take it that means you will definitely give it to me?¡± ¡°Ohe on, I still need to test you, right?¡± ¡°Then you¡¯ll be giving it to me at an easy difficulty level, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?! Do you think Transcendence is that simple?!¡± ¡°What, so you really don¡¯t n on giving it to me?¡± ¡°Ahem, if you don¡¯t like it, you can just go back.¡± In the end, Harphael revealed his true colors. ¡°I knew it. Then let¡¯s get started.¡± ¡°What are you doing? You said it wouldn¡¯t be easy!¡± Harphael wore a bewildered expression at Jeong-hoon¡¯s eagerness to start without any hesitation. ¡°Is there anything to think about? I need that power.¡± ¡°Fine. Then shall we begin?¡± Harphael smiled broadly and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a clone of Harphael appeared before him. [Defeat the Lv. 400 Harphael¡¯s Clone.] That was the first task this time. ¡°Do I just need to defeat it?¡± ¡°No, there are conditions.¡± ¡°Conditions?¡± [Defeat it within 30 hits with damage taken.] It was an absurd condition. To defeat something without knowing its level within 30 hits was unreasonable. This meant that even a slight scratch would count as one hit. ¡°How does that sound? Should be manageable, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­This is ridiculous.¡± Jeong-hoon let out a hollowugh. ¡°As I said before, if you don¡¯t want to, just go back. It¡¯s that simple.¡± Harphael pointed at a portal with his finger. That portal was the way out of this Celestial Hall. ¡°If you leave, you won¡¯t be able to continue the quest.¡± ¡°Correct! The ss advancement quest will no longer be feasible. You can just stay as a Third ss forever.¡± ¡°Ah, I see.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded dismissively and unfolded the Heavenly Armor. His figure shimmered and appeared instantly in front of Harphael¡¯s clone. He reached out and punched the clone¡¯s jaw. Whack! The clone¡¯s head snapped to the side. However, it seemed unaffected as it turned its head back to its original position. [Activating the Power of the Intangible.] As the Power of the Intangible activated, the clone¡¯s jaw was forcefully twisted again. ¡°Ha! It won¡¯t be that easy.¡± Harphael had moved back to observe the fight from a distance. Fourth ss advancement. Transcendence. He had broken through the threshold in the Third ss, but this limit was tiered. Limits would inevitably reappear, and to go beyond that, one had to progress through the ranks. But this man had already transcended humanity. ¡®If I let him break his limits here¡­ he will surely be a hindrance.¡¯ His speed was absurdly fast. Moreover, he was not even at level 301; he remained in the mid-300s. To have raised his level so dramatically in such a short time meant he had likely done something extraordinary. Harphael was aware that this person woulde here. After all, he had received orders from above to prevent his ss advancement. ¡®So I need to hold him back here.¡¯ He intended to make him fail the ss advancement quest, forcing him to remain at the Third ss indefinitely. If that happened, no matter how high he soared, a limit would eventually appear, and he would naturally fall away. The unreasonable conditions were ced for exactly that reason. But why? ¡®Why isn¡¯t the damage counting?¡¯ The clone was certainly being attacked, albeit weakly, but the hit count remained at zero. Harphael examined him closely. ¡®It¡¯s surrounded by a barrier.¡¯ Only then did he notice a transparent shield enveloping its body. It was a clear barrier, so transparent that it was hard to notice unless one looked closely. Even so, it was meaningless. ¡®Heh heh, it will be impossible to defeat that clone.¡¯ The clone¡¯s vitality had been significantly boosted, so it could never be brought to zero by his power. But why? Unlike before, the clone¡¯s condition was gradually changing. Harphael¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, and he began to tremble. ¡®W-What the hell!¡¯ The clone¡¯s vitality was rapidly decreasing. Even a high-level clone should have been set up to withstand attacks easily, right? ¡®Looks like you¡¯re quite surprised.¡¯ In contrast, Jeong-hoon remained calm. The reason was simple. [Annihtion] ¨C A power that eradicates everything ¨C Attack power increases by 7% ¨C On attack, there is a 1% chance to erase 1% of vitality. (Cannot recover for 90 seconds) (Only activates for levels 60 and below) This was the Annihtion Rune he had acquired previously. With the effect of the Guardian of M?rchen, the activation probability was increased to 4%. Moreover, the set effect tripled that, raising it to 12%. [Annihtion is activating.] [Remaining Vitality: 86.96%] In other words, every time Jeong-hoon attacked, 1% of the clone¡¯s vitality was erased. ¡°Gah!¡± As its vitality quickly dwindled, the clone frowned in pain. ¡°Why? Does it hurt?¡± Jeong-hoon grinned and easily dodged the clone¡¯s attacks. Although the shield prevented the hit count from increasing, it didn¡¯t render the clonepletely invulnerable. Bam! [Annihtion is activating.] [Remaining Vitality: 85.96%] It had no choice but to allow unavoidable attacks, so he needed to finish this as quickly as possible. Whack! He extended his fist and struck the clone in the abdomen. The clone¡¯s torso bent in half. With that, the Power of the Intangible activated, delivering an additional blow. ¡°Damn you!¡± The clone red at Jeong-hoon with bloodshot eyes. ¡°What are you going to do by staring at me?¡± Jeong-hoon continued to smile as he kept attacking. ¡°Gah!¡± Vitality began to dwindle rapidly. After about 30 minutes of battle, the following message appeared: [Annihtion is activating.] [Remaining Vitality: 0.35%] The clone had only 0.35% of its vitality left. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± Jeong-hoon delivered a powerful punch, infused with the energy of the Underworld Kings Fist Technique, squarely hitting the clone¡¯s face. ¡°Gah!¡± The clone stumbled backward from the blow. Jeong-hoon then brought his fist down on the clone¡¯s sr plexus. Thud! ¡°Ugh!¡± The clone flopped around like a fish before disintegrating into dust. It could no longer sustain itself as its vitality had reached zero. ¡°Phew, I did it.¡± Jeong-hoon checked the message disyed before him. [Hit Count: 17/30] Despite the long battle, the hit count was only 17. He had sessfullypleted the absurd task. ¡®If it weren¡¯t for Annihtion, I would have been in big trouble.¡¯ After his regression, Jeong-hoon had focused fiercely on his growth. In that process, he collected only overpowered items. So, it was only natural that he achieved such results. ¡°You¡­ how did you do that?!¡± Before he knew it, Harphael approached with a look of shock on his face. Jeong-hoon smiled and replied, ¡°I just hit it until it went down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense! It¡¯s impossible for someone of your level to defeat the clone!¡± Harphael was right. He had never intended to allow Jeong-hoon to reach the fourth ss. That¡¯s why he had given such a ridiculous difficulty task from the very first step. ¡°So what? Anyway, I seeded, so let¡¯s move on to the next stage.¡± A notification popped above Harphael¡¯s head. [You havepleted the quest.] [You can now perform the Transcendence Quest: Transcend (2/2).] Next step. Now,pleting this would allow him to finalize the long-awaited fourth ss. ¡®Of course, it won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Having nned to present a horrific level of difficulty, Jeong-hoon had seeded despite it. So now, Harphael would undoubtedly raise the difficulty to ensure failure. [Transcendence Quest: Transcend (2/2)] -Restrictions: Level 301 or higher, Third ss Martial Artist -Reward: Fourth ss Advancement -Description: You have qualified. It is time to awaken your slumbering power. Jeong-hoon epted the quest. Then Harphael pointed to a portal emanating a radiant light, one that could not be seen in the Celestial Hall before. ¡°This is the final test. Go, pass it, and return.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°¡­Can I ask you something before you go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not human, are you?¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Something wearing the guise of a human?¡± At the absurd question, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary human.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a ridiculous im. If you¡¯re an ordinary human, then what about those other beings over there?¡± ¡°They¡¯re ordinary humans too.¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s not talk nonsense.¡± ¡°Just focus on preparing yourself.¡± ¡°You speak as if you¡¯re definitely going to seed.¡± The corners of Harphael¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Yes. I will definitely seed.¡± ¡°Ha ha, let¡¯s see how long that confidencests.¡± Without responding, Jeong-hoon stepped through the portal. Left alone, Harphael muttered as he gazed at the portal where Jeong-hoon had disappeared. ¡°I don¡¯t know how he managed with the clone, but he won¡¯t seed this time.¡± * * * The portal led to a training ground of sorts. ¡®Is this another battle?¡¯ Simple enough. But the figure before him was a man. === [NPC Information] ¨C Nickname: ??? ¨C Level: ??? ¨C ss: Avatar of the Transcendent === He was a transcendent being, far superior to Harphael¡¯s clone. Even as a clone, the pressure emanating from him was beyond imagination. ¡®They really seem intent on preventing me from achieving the fourth ss.¡¯ One corner of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth curled slightly upward. It was likely an order from the higher-ups. He had anticipated that they would gradually interfere from the moment of materialization, but he hadn¡¯t expected to encounter an avatar of a transcendent here. ¡®This will be quite tough.¡¯ Before his regression, Jeong-hoon had faced an avatar of the transcendent when his level was over 500. Of course, that was after he hadpleted the fourth ss and reached a certain level of mastery as an All-Master. Now, facing such an opponent in the fourth ss advancement quest was unexpected. Having had prior experience fighting one, he knew this battle wouldn¡¯t go easily. ¡°Is it you?¡± A mechanical voice escaped the man¡¯s lips. Typically, an avatar of the transcendent did not take on the appearance of their original form. So, Jeong-hoon had no idea which transcendent this clone belonged to. ¡°Who are you?¡± Jeong-hoon feigned ignorance on purpose. ¡°Me? Simply put, I¡¯m the examiner.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s begin.¡± The corners of the clone¡¯s mouth rose in a sly smile. [Lv.??? Defeat the Avatar of the Transcendent.] The final quest for the fourth ss advancement had begun. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 220 Chapter 220 Battle with the Transcendent¡¯s Clone. ¡®First, confirm his abilities.¡¯ If the clone¡¯s level had been fixed like that of Harphael¡¯s, then Annihtion would have worked. Unfortunately, Annihtion was only effective when the level difference was 60 or less. In other words, it wouldn¡¯t apply here. Jeong-hoon unfolded the Heavenly Step. At the same moment, the clone mirrored his footwork and charged at Jeong-hoon. ¡®Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique.¡¯ Jeong-hoon threw a punch. The clone responded by throwing his own punch, and their fists collided. Thud! Crack. Bone met bone, and Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist shattered instantly. As his bones fractured, his grip loosened. [Using Advanced Healing.] Quickly activating Advanced Healing, he treated his wound and followed up by driving his knee into the clone¡¯s abdomen to gain some distance. ¡®I¡¯m outssed in every stat.¡¯ Jeong-hoon quickly assessed the situation and began doping immediately. [ck Field activates.] [All stats are boosted by 1.5 times.] [All stats of monsters within the field¡¯s area decrease by 10%.] [The target¡¯s level is too high. The stat reduction debuff has been canceled.] The debuff failed to apply. Anticipating this, Jeong-hoon remained calm and continued doping. [All stats increase by 15%.] [Damage received decreases by 20%.] [Time limit: 1 hour.] With the stat-boosting ring. [¡®Poison Attack¡¯ activation rate increases by 12% for 1 hour.] Since Annihtion wouldn¡¯t work, he applied it to Poison Attack. [Special ability of the Ruler¡¯s Grip activates.] [All stats increase by 10%.] [Attack power and weapon proficiency increase by 10%.] Ruler¡¯s Grip. [Special ability of the Headpiece Containing the Divine Beast¡¯s Soul activates.] [Attack power and defense increase by 40%.] Headpiece Containing the Divine Beast¡¯s Soul. [Using Celestial Aura.] [Attack power and defense increase by 20%.] [The target¡¯s level is too high. The stat reduction debuff has been canceled.] [Diamond Body activates.] Finally, with Celestial Aura and Mukho¡¯s special ability, Diamond Body, active. With his preparationsplete, Jeong-hoon once again unfolded the Heavenly Step. Once again, the clone mirrored Jeong-hoon¡¯s footwork and charged forward. When Jeong-hoon threw a punch, the clone responded in kind, shing fists once more. Thud! A strong impact reverberated through Jeong-hoon¡¯s fingers, but this time, his bones remained intact. Yet, the clone still held the upper hand in power. ¡®So, he¡¯s trying to crush me with raw power.¡¯ Jeong-hoon could sense it after just two exchanges. The clone was using identical footwork and attacks, trying to disy the difference in strength. ¡®This bastard is definitely not Apostle-level.¡¯ A clone could never draw out 100% of the original¡¯s power. At most, it could reach around 25-30%. Yet, for Jeong-hoon to struggle despite being fully doped¡­this was at least Demon King-level. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Think you can¡¯t win?¡± The clone sneered. ¡°Not at all.¡± Jeong-hoon slipped his right foot between the clone¡¯s legs and struck his sr plexus with his elbow. The clone¡¯s body bent slightly and was forced back. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± A brief expression of surprise crossed the clone¡¯s face. He had deliberately allowed the strike to gauge Jeong-hoon¡¯s strength, only to find it unexpectedly powerful. And now, the poison damage followed, slowly eating away at his vitality. ¡°Letting your guard down could be dangerous, huh?¡± This time, Jeong-hoon sneered, offering a word of caution. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s get serious.¡± The clone¡¯s figure blurred momentarily. Thud! Crunch! In an instant, Jeong-hoon felt a heavy pain in his side. ¡®My shield shattered from a single hit.¡¯ He spun, trying to grab the clone by the cor. But the clone¡¯s movements were a beat quicker. Thud! This time, a sharp pain struck him in the back, nearly causing him to lose his bnce. Jeong-hoon quickly regained his footing, reflexively raising his guard. Thud! A powerful impact struck his wrist, making it tremble violently. ¡®Unbelievable.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t anticipate the clone¡¯s movements at all. Even his recent block had been purely reflexive. If he hadn¡¯t blocked it, he¡¯d be feeling a lot more pain right now. ¡°Oh? How did you block that?¡± The clone tilted his head, curious. ¡°Hey. Mind if I ask you something?¡± Jeong-hoon addressed the clone. Fortunately, the clone gave a slight nod in approval. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°Why is the difficulty so high? It¡¯s just the fourth stage, right?¡± ¡°Did you think reaching the Celestial Realm would make things easy?¡± ¡°Still, this is going a bit overboard, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Kuh-kuh, then you¡¯re free to give up.¡± That wasn¡¯t an option. Jeong-hoon threw another punch. Even switching to a different weapon would be pointless here. If even the legendary Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique can¡¯t get through, then nothing else will either. So, he had no choice but to confront it with the strongest Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. Thud! Once again, their fists collided. Then the clone started to vary his attacks, pressing Jeong-hoon further. Thud! Thud! [Aargh! Master! What is that guy?!] Mukho cried out. Even with legendary-grade, fully upgraded armor, the pain was no joke. ¡®Even after reaching the Celestial Body¡­ it¡¯s still like this.¡¯ Upon ascending to Celestial grade, his Indomitable Body evolved into the Celestial Body. And yet, the damage was overwhelming enough to render even this Celestial Body nearly helpless. Thud! At that moment, as the clone was pounding Jeong-hoon, his torso suddenly folded in half, causing him to lose bnce and fall backward. [Mukho¡¯s special ability has activated.] Mukho¡¯s special ability. It allowed for a low chance of reflecting close-range attacks. [Phew¡­ Thought I was gonna die there.] ¡°That makes two of us.¡± [Using Advanced Healing.] Jeong-hoon cast Advanced Healing, grinning as he healed himself. ¡®I fully upgraded it, so why is the activation rate still so low?¡¯ He almost lost his patience waiting for it to trigger. ¡°You¡­ you¡­?!¡± The clone stared at Jeong-hoon in shock. ¡°What¡¯s got you so worked up?¡± ¡°¡­Damn it!¡± This time, the clone didn¡¯t rush in so quickly. He was cautious now, knowing Jeong-hoon might reflect an attack at any moment. Also, it seemed the clone wasn¡¯t using any special abilities. ¡®He probably invested everything into attack power.¡¯ If he could unleash 100% of his performance, he¡¯d be wielding those absurdly high attacks along with his special abilities. ¡®In other words, his defense is extremely low.¡¯ He confirmed this when he elbowed him earlier, seeing the clone¡¯s surprised expression despite not channeling any of the Underworld King¡¯s aura. Jeong-hoon readied his Heavenly Steps. He threw another punch, and the clone matched him, swinging his fist in response. ¡®So he¡¯s trying to crush me purely with attack power.¡¯ The force pressing him back was due to that overwhelming attack power. ¡°Come on, try to attack.¡± Jeong-hoon smirked, taunting him. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± The clone didn¡¯t respond. But it was clear he was wary of the reflection ability, hesitating to counterattack. Feigning a punch toward the clone¡¯s face, Jeong-hoon abruptly pulled back. It was a perfectly timed move. Smack! Suddenly, Jeong-hoon felt a heavy impact on his face, causing him to stagger momentarily. ¡°You little¡­¡± A look of shock appeared on the clone¡¯s face. He realized Jeong-hoon¡¯s intention to use reflection to counterattack. [Using Advanced Healing.] What¡¯s more, Jeong-hoon was healing himself with Advanced Healing as soon as he took any damage. Smack! At that moment, Jeong-hoon¡¯s fistnded squarely on the clone¡¯s face, causing him to stumble backward. ¡°You¡­!¡± The clone had clearly seen Jeong-hoon feint by pretending to pull back his fist, only to change direction at thest moment and strike his chin. It was an awkward move to counter. Whoosh! However, seeing it twice made it easier to predict. When Jeong-hoon pulled his fist back again, the clone quickly withdrew his own fist as well. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re not going to hit me anymore?¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll never be able to bring me down.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist now carried the power of the Myungwang Fist at its fourth level. He pressed the attack again, throwing punches to keep the clone on the defensive. But now, the clone was reading his moves. He responded with punches if Jeong-hoonmitted to a strike, and immediately withdrew when Jeong-hoon feigned. This back-and-forth continued until¡ª [Activating Invisible Fist.] With the activation of Invisible Fist, the clone¡¯s head snapped to the side. ¡°Ugh!¡± Seizing the opening, Jeong-hoon drove his fist into the clone¡¯s side. Then, Jeong-hoon¡¯s body doubled over. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll kill you before you can use that ability again.¡± Whether the clone decided dragging this out was pointless, or if he¡¯d simply lost his temper from thest hit, he began attacking relentlessly. And this time, the damage was on a whole new levelpared to the start. ¡®Time to turn things up.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed as he pounded away at the clone. Even without Mukho¡¯s close-range reflection, he still had his Rune of Counterattack. [Activating Rune of Counterattack.] Unaware of this, the clone hammered at Jeong-hoon as if he intended to finish him off before any reflection could happen. But with the rune active, Jeong-hoon took no damage at all. After 15 seconds¡ª [You may now return the absorbed attacks.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled into a smile. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± ¡°What¡­? Guh!¡± The clone was struck by the full force of Jeong-hoon¡¯s absorbed attacks from the past 15 seconds. With a scream, it disintegrated on the spot. [You have defeated the Transcendent¡¯s Clone.] ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± Jeong-hoon exhaled in relief. [Wow¡­ You actually took it down?] ¡®What a nightmare¡­ What kind of monster was that?¡¯ [That bastard was something else. Ugh, my whole body still aches.] Mukho and Anima, finally relieved, vented their frustrations about the now-vanquished opponent. ¡°Good work.¡± After taking a moment to catch his breath, Jeong-hoon exited through a portal. Outside, he was greeted by Harphael, who was staring at him in shock, an exmation mark blinking above her head. ¡°N-No way! How did you do that?!¡± Harphael yelled, unable to contain herself. ¡°How? You told me to defeat him, so I did.¡± ¡°Impossible! You¡¯re telling me you defeated him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon replied nonchntly, and Harphael was on the verge of tearing her hair out in frustration. Even if it was just a clone, it was at a Demon King level. That clone ranked above apostles, the beings who made contracts with humans. With someone like that stepping in, the human should¡¯ve had zero chance of sess. But he actually won? How could this be real? ¡°¡­What are you?¡± ¡°A human,¡± Jeong-hoon replied with a smile. It was finally time toplete his ss advancement quest. [You havepleted the quest.] [You have sessfully Transcended.] [Advancing to Martial Emperor (Fourth ss).] [All stats increase by 20%.] [All skill damage increases by 10%.] [Achievement unlocked! You havepleted ¡®Transcendence.¡¯ You receive 50,000 achievement points.] [The rune slot limit has increased to a maximum of ¡®8¡¯.] [Celestial: You have achieved the Fourth ss. You now qualify to approach the ¡®Ultimate Power.¡¯] The Fourth ss advancement wasplete. Unlike the third ss, this advancement brought an explosive increase to all stats and skill damage. [¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ has been upgraded to ¡®Celestial¡¯ grade.] [Skills obtained through ¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ have been upgraded in rank.] Now that Jeong-hoon was a Celestial-grade Martial Emperor, his Steadfast Will had also risen to Celestial level. As a result, all skills acquired through Steadfast Will were upgraded to Legendary. And there was more. [You have gained ess to the ¡®Martial Emperor¡¯s Domain.¡¯] The Martial Emperor¡¯s Domain¡ªa ce only essible to those who had achieved the hidden Martial Emperor ss. ¡®In this domain, I¡¯ll be able to acquire Fourth ss Transcendent skills.¡¯ Unlike the third ss, the fourth ss offered an opportunity to obtain Transcendent skills. This was the difference between the third and fourth ss advancements. ¡®I wonder what I¡¯ll get.¡¯ ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 221 Chapter 221 Harphael bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. ¡°Damn it, we¡¯re doomed.¡± The directive to stop him hade through, even bringing in the demon king-ss Transcendent, ¡°Mandora,¡± to assist. So, even if his own doppelganger had fallen in the first stage, defeating Mandora¡¯s doppelganger should have been impossible. But how did this happen? ¡°Lord Mandora has been defeated¡­.¡± Harphael looked up at the ceiling. Mandora¡¯s voice echoed down to him. ¡°Was he truly that strong?¡± ¡°A trick, you say?¡± Even as just a doppelganger, Mandora was demon king-ss. What kind of trick had Jeong-hoon used to bring it down? Harphael¡¯s curiosity lingered, but he held his tongue, recognizing the unmistakable fury in Mandora¡¯s voice. * * * Havingpleted his job advancement, Jeong-hoon immediately entered the Emperor of Martial Arts¡¯ realm. [The Martial Emperor¡¯s Realm] -A secret library chronicling all who have attained the peak of martial prowess The Martial Emperor¡¯s realm was, in essence, a library. Countless books filled the shelves, ranging from ancient, worn tomes to newer, well-preserved volumes. ¡°So, this is my first time here.¡± Before his return, when Jeong-hoon hadpleted his fourth ss advancement, he was in a Unique-tier, standard ss. So, instead of a library, he had simply learned a transcendent skill essible to his ss. However, a hidden ss was in a different league altogether. Not only was it limited to a single individual, but the gap in growth widened drastically over time. The transcendent skills highlighted this difference. Standard sses could only acquire one transcendent skill, whereas hidden sses had ess to a full three. [yers with a true hidden ss hit the jackpot¡­] ¡ªI heard you can get as many as three transcendent skills after fourth ss advancement. ©¸Sure, but good luck reaching Level 301 ©¸Plus, the quest difficulty is insanely high, they say. ©¸True, it¡¯s tough to get, and leveling up is ridiculous too. Despite this, yers revered hidden sses. Once cleared, the difficulty became worth it as they gained power far beyond standard sses. ¡°Those Transcendent bastards. Not allowing a fourth ss advancement¡­this is why.¡± Jeong-hoon had already surprised many. Who wouldn¡¯t be astonished watching his progress? The Transcendents were likely observing quietly, and it probably grated on them. That must be why they¡¯d had a demon king-level Transcendent intervene in his fourth ss advancement quest, aiming for his failure. [So, how many can you choose here?] Jeong-hoon held up three fingers. ¡°Three.¡± [Only three?] Mukho couldn¡¯t hide his displeasure. It was understandable, given how severely he¡¯d been beaten when facing that creature. Honestly, Jeong-hoon had beenpletely taken aback when he first confronted the doppelganger. At this early stage in reality¡¯s awakening, only Apostle-level Transcendents had been able to intervene in the real world. Demon king-level Transcendents, like Mandora, rarely appeared until muchter¡ªand even then, only one or two. But here was a demon king-ss Transcendent, right at the start of his fourth ss advancement quest. ¡°Three is rather few.¡± The reward felt unusually stingy, considering he had defeated such a formidable opponent. Then, suddenly: [You have vanquished a demon king-level Transcendent.] [A hidden area has opened.] ¡®Hmm? What¡¯s this?¡¯ Jeong-hoon tilted his head in curiosity as a blocked wall began to glow, revealing a newly formed passageway. [Entering the hidden area will allow you to take only one book.] The selection had dropped from three books to one. [Oh,e on! Three books is way better! Just one? That¡¯s ridiculous!] ¡®But wasn¡¯t this passage unlocked as a reward for defeating that creature? Seems like it¡¯s worth exploring.¡¯ Mukho and Anima had opposing opinions, but Jeong-hoon agreed with Anima¡¯s assessment. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just one book, it¡¯s bound to be iparable in quality.¡± Without hesitation, he walked through the passage. Inside, the space was empty¡ªno bookshelves, nothing. [What the¡­ there¡¯s nothing here?] ¡°Looks like it.¡± Jeong-hoon took a few steps into the room, and suddenly, a light began to radiate from the center. The light gradually formed into a single object, eventually taking the shape of a book. ¡®So that¡¯s why it was only one book.¡¯ It seemed there was no other option to choose from. Jeong-hoon approached the book. ¡ª [Transcendent: Elevation of Power] ¨C Type: Skillbook ¨C Rank: Celestial ¨C Using this skillbook will grant you the skill, ¡°Elevation of Power (Celestial).¡± ¡ª A transcendent skill, Elevation of Power. It was a skill he had never encountered before. ¡®Celestial!¡¯ The skillbook was of Celestial rank, above even Legendary. Without hesitation, Jeong-hoon used the skillbook. [You have acquired the transcendent skill, Elevation of Power.] Transcendent skill: Elevation of Power. ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Level: 1 ¨C Rank: Celestial ¨C Elevates power by one tier. ¡®Elevates power by one tier?¡¯ Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. There were no changes in his level or stats. He didn¡¯t even feel any stronger. ¡®Could it be a skill that allows me topete against the Transcendents?¡¯ If that were the case, it would make sense. After all, he had been desperately seeking growth since his regression. Yet, despite his efforts, he had barely managed to handle just one demon king-level Transcendent. Even facing the doppelganger, if it hadn¡¯t been for Mukho¡¯s proximity attack reflection and counter-attack runes, he would have certainly lost¡ªthere was a clear gap in their levels. Jeong-hoon formted a hypothesis. ¡®There exists an invisible wall between me and them.¡¯ No matter how much he grew, he felt no confidence in defeating those above him. However, if this ¡°elevation¡± could bridge the gap with the Transcendents¡­ ¡®Then I¡¯ve gained something incredible.¡¯ Moreover, transcendent skills were capable of growth. This meant that with proper development, he could potentially elevate his power by several tiers. Jeong-hoon clenched his fist. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I actually got this.¡± At that moment, a voice came from behind him. Jeong-hoon turned his head. ¡°¡­Who are you?¡± It was an old man he had never seen before. Moreover, there was no trace of any aura emanating from him. ¡®This means he has immense strength that I can¡¯t even perceive.¡¯ Since this was in the space of the Martial Emperor, it was certain. Despite that, Jeong-hoon felt no need to be on guard. There was no sign of hostility in the old man¡¯s eyes. Instead, he regarded Jeong-hoon with a look of satisfaction. ¡°Me? I¡¯m just an old man who died a long time ago.¡± ¡°And why have you appeared before me?¡± ¡°Hoho, because you¡¯re the first among those who entered this space to take that book.¡± ¡°¡­Are you its owner?¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°Then who are you?¡± ¡°I was the one who possessed it before you did.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s going to be a difficult journey for you.¡± A shadow passed over the old man¡¯s face. His words suggested that he, too, had been toyed with by the Transcendents and had ultimately failed. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± The old man smiled and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a small light began to swirl around Jeong-hoon¡¯s body. [All skills level up to Max.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. With his Steadfast Will, the rank of the skill he had acquired rose to Legendary, resetting its level to 1. In an instant, the levels of those skills shot up to Max. But that wasn¡¯t all. The newly acquired Elevation skill also reached Max. [Elevation of Power] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Level: 10 ¨C Rank: Celestial ¨C Elevates power by two tiers. The power that had previously increased by one tier leaped up to two tiers in an instant. ¡°What is this¡­?¡± ¡°It is everything I can give you.¡± ¡°How¡­?¡± ¡°By obtaining that book, you allowed me to intervene, even if just for a moment.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. In the hidden space of the Martial Emperor, defeating a doppelganger of a demon king-level Transcendent was nearly impossible. ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°Anyway, thank you. I had been blocking ess to what I left for the next generation¡­ and you managed to break through.¡± Defeating a Transcendent in the demon king level was no small feat. Even though it was a doppelganger, fulfilling the conditions allowed him to get this far. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That skill is still not in itspleted form. I couldn¡¯t finish it, but you mustplete it and change this damned fate.¡± With those words, the old man vanished, having exceeded the time he could maintain his form. Jeong-hoon stared at the spot where he had disappeared and muttered softly, ¡°I will definitely do so.¡± ¡ª The gap between the third and fourth sses was immense. It wasn¡¯t just about the rise in stats. From the fourth ss onward,mon passives applied. [Rage] ¨C Type: Passive ¨C Rank: Celestial ¨C Increases attack power by 20%. ¨C Increases critical damage by 15%. ¨C Ignores 20% of defense. ¨C Ignores 20% of damage reduction based on level. Upon transitioning to the fourth ss, Jeong-hoon gained this additionalmon passive: Rage. The power was impressive, but the most crucial aspect was thest point. Ignoring damage reduction based on level meant that if his opponent was at a significantly higher level, the damage would still be considerably reduced. Now, he could ignore 20% of that reduction. With the ability to ignore 20% of defense, it was only natural that the gap between the third and fourth sses widened. Whoosh! ¡°Keuhk!¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s arrow pierced the neck of the Lv. 133 Arc Enermic. Of course, there weren¡¯t any monsters that could showcase such power yet. [Questpleted.] [The progress of the Episode Dungeon clear has reached 100%.] [You have cleared the Episode Dungeon.] [You have gained 10,000,000 experience points.] ¡°Hoon, are you going to keep repeating the episodes?¡± Beside him were Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo. ¡°Yeah. For now, I¡¯m focusing on episodes.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stream?¡± Bong-Goo asked. Thest video he had uploaded was about mining. [Views: 671,621,892] With over 600 million views, his subscriber count had surpassed 10 million and was approaching 20 million. Although the growth rate was slowpared to the views, the fact that he was on the verge of hitting 20 million was still an impressive figure. And with such explosive poprity, many were eagerly waiting for his next stream. ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can share as a tip yet.¡± In reality, he could reveal something if he wanted to, but there weren¡¯t any incredible items hidden like before in the mining video. It was wiser to clear the episodes a little more to save time. And soon, Baal would make an appearance. ¡®The next stream will be about the dungeon he points to.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had already nned his next broadcast. ¡°Well, it¡¯s only the HoneyTube when there are actually tips to share.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo agreed wholeheartedly. ¡°Then let¡¯s call it a day.¡± They had already finished two episodes. Clearing one required almost several days of effort, but since it was an episode they had alreadypleted, one day was enough. ¡°Oh! We finally finished?¡± ¡°Wow! Now we can rest, right?¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo wanted to throw themselves onto their beds immediately. They had been in a sleep-deprived state for 40 hours. While their bodies were fine thanks to the stat boosts from New World, they desperately wanted a break after moving without rest. ¡°Yeah. You worked hard.¡± Jeong-hoon sent them home. Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo hurriedly left, wanting to disappear before Jeong-hoon changed his mind. ¡®Those kids are just fleeing outright.¡¯ But he would call them back in a day anyway. Just like in the M?rchen Kingdom, there were episodes that could be entered alone, while others required exactly three people to enter. [Are you finally going to rest, Master?] ¡®It¡¯s time to take a little break.¡¯ Mukho and Anima wanted Jeong-hoon to rest. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Bzz¡ª At that moment, Jeong-hoon¡¯s smartphone vibrated. The caller was Yeo Min-ji. He took out his phone and answered. ¡°Yes, hello.¡± [Hoon! The Japanese are starting to move!] ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Yes! A group of 14 users led by Iwase Haruto and Kaneda Shun has crossed over to Korea.] ¡°Okay, got it.¡± Jeong-hoon ended the call. [What the¡­ No rest for you?] ¡®Really¡­ What a ridiculous timing.¡¯ While the other two sighed, Jeong-hoon was smiling. He never expected to receive news during his downtime. It was perfect timing. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 222 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 222 Haruto Iwase and Shun Kaneda. Both were sharpening their des of vengeance. All because of one Korean. ¡°I still can''t sleep just thinking about that bastard.¡± ¡°Haruto, Ipletely agree with you.¡± Shun Kaneda¡¯s thirst for revenge was especially intense. How many times had he died at the hands of that insane Korean? Because of him, they lost their items and couldn''t log into New World for a while. During that suspended time, they cursed the Korean like mad. They exhausted every method to cast curses, and as a result, an opportunity for revenge arrived. <¡°I will reveal his location.¡±> The beings they contracted with were a bit different from ordinary Transcendents. Instead of rying messages, they spoke directly to them. It wasn¡¯t just curiosity that drove them; the lure of being granted the power for revenge was the deciding factor. And, upon making the contract, they received explosive power and were continuously informed of locations filled with fortune for growth. Thanks to this, Haruto Iwase, Shun Kaneda, and theirpanions became iparably stronger than before. ¡°Getting revenge isn¡¯t impossible.¡± Shun Kaneda¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. ¡°Shun, we have to kill him no matter what.¡± Haruto felt the same way. He had been stripped of his Transcendental powers by that guy. His contract with the Transcendent was for the same reason as Shun Kaneda¡¯s. And behind them stood twelve guild members. They were people Shun Kaneda had convinced to join. They, too, were lured by the promise of power and had taken on the quest to kill the Korean. [Avatar Quest: Eliminate] - Requirement: Avatar contracted with Upper Apostle-grade Transcendent - Reward: Level up by 40 + ss Rank Up - Description: Seed in your revenge. Upon a sessful revenge, they would gain a massive 40-level increase, and their current ss rank would advance by one tier. It was an unbelievably generous reward. Especially for Shun Kaneda and Haruto Iwase, their rewards were of a different dimension. Shun Kaneda was promised a hidden ss advancement, allowing him to rece the Dark Lord. And Haruto Iwase was granted the promise of yet another Transcendental power. ¡°Finally, we¡¯re going to crush that bastard.¡± Haruto Iwase surveyed his surroundings with eyes zing with fury. Using a round-trip ticket, they quickly arrived in Seoul, South Korea. ¡°Yes, this time, we¡¯re going to kill him.¡± Shun Kaneda, originally friendly towards Korea, hade to hate it intensely due to the Dark Lord¡¯s plunder. <¡°His location has vanished, so wait for a moment.¡±> They could only track him while he was inside a dungeon. Following the Transcendent¡¯s instructions, they waited patiently. *** ¡°As you said, they¡¯ve shown up in Seoul.¡± Across from Yeo Min-Ji sat Jeong-hoon. And beside him sat his mother, Lee Na-yeon. ¡°Who on earth are those guys that you¡¯re talking about so seriously?¡± His mother was unaware of the existence of Haruto Iwase and Shun Kaneda. ¡°They¡¯re targeting me.¡± ¡°Targeting¡­ you?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. Only then did his mother¡¯s expression turn serious. ¡°This won¡¯t do. If they¡¯reing after my son, I can¡¯t just stand by.¡± Unlike before his return, she had continued growing as a Genesis Sniper. As his mother, she would surely be a great help to Jeong-hoon. ¡°Thank you. I wanted to exin why they¡¯re after me.¡± Jeong-hoon briefly exined what happened in New World. Of course, he left out the part about repeatedly killing them and causing their ounts to be suspended. ¡°So¡­ they believe you stole their items, thinking they were entitled to them?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± ¡°Ridiculous. Items go to whoever gets them first, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Apparently, they didn¡¯t think so.¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled bitterly. ¡°We can¡¯t just ignore this. I was holding back because you asked, Jeong-hoon, but Ho-Yeong¡¯s side will respond strongly.¡± Yeo Min-Ji was also furious. But Jeong-hoon shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± ¡°Why? There are only 14 of them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s highly likely they¡¯ve made a contract with a Transcendent.¡± ¡°A Transcendent¡­?¡± These unidentified figures who had approached them, now materializing into reality¡ªthose were the Transcendents. If one makes a contract with them, they¡¯re bound to live asplete puppets, but they gain tremendous power. ¡°The fact that 14 of them havee to Korea together means they¡¯re tracking me. In other words, the contract isplete.¡± ¡°¡­So what do you n to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just need some support. I¡¯ll handle them myself.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve got a n.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled slightly. ¡°A n?¡± ¡°Yes." *** Perfect. The group waiting in Seoul headed straight for the dungeon he¡¯d entered. But standing guard outside were more than 20 users. ¡®Dark King.¡¯ Shun Kaneda recognized him instantly. One of Korea¡¯s elite Seven, the Dark King. Yeo Sunwoo was preparing for a dungeon raid. In other words, if they get past these people and enter the dungeon, the target will be there. One corner of Shun Kaneda¡¯s mouth twisted upward. ¡°It¡¯s a trap.¡± ¡°I think so, too,¡± Haruto Iwase said, biting his lip. Through information gathered beforehand, they knew the target was affiliated with Ho-Yeong. Whatever the case, it seemed the target had anticipated their ambush. ¡°Could it be that he¡¯s also made a contract?¡± Kaneda asked with a frown. No contract? Iwase gestured towards Ho-Yeong¡¯s forces with his chin. ¡°Should we just crush them?¡± ¡°¡­But the leader¡¯s the Dark King. It won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°So, are we giving up on revenge?¡± ¡°Is there any other way?¡± Can he intervene to that extent?! Kaneda¡¯s face lit up. He knew that even in a contract, intervention beyond issuing quests was umon. As expected, the Transcendent they contracted with was different from the usual ones. ¡°Urgh!¡± ¡°Damn it! What¡¯s happening all of a sudden?!¡± Their reaction was immediate. Including the Dark King, Yeo Sun-woo, the users fell into confusion, and their previously imprable formation began to waver. However it was done, the blocked path was now clear. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Kaneda led his group into the dungeon. Not long after, the Ho-Yeong forces, who had been thrown into disarray, regained theirposure. ¡°G-Guild Master!¡± ¡°Yes, the dungeon?¡± ¡°It seems the entrance is sealed! We can¡¯t get in.¡± ¡°Just as¡­ Hoon said.¡± A Transcendent. Whoever these entities were, they were capable of defying all logic. To think they could cloud the vision of those outside the dungeon entrance. Even worse, the previously open dungeon entrance was now sealed, making entry impossible. ¡®There are levels among Transcendents.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had provided brief information about Transcendents, though it was unclear how he¡¯d obtained it. Those who assist growth through contracts and quests are at the Apostle grade. Those able to intervene briefly in reality are at the Demon King grade. Of course, their influence is limited to their contractors¡¯ vicinity, with greater reach inside dungeons. ¡®But there are restrictions, right?¡¯ What those restrictions were, he didn¡¯t know, as Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t borated. ¡°Guild Master, what should we do¡­? The youngdy is inside¡­¡± Park In-tae asked with a troubled expression. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Hoon is in there with her.¡± Even as Yeo Sun-woo spoke calmly, his face betrayed worry. No parent in the world could bepletely untroubled when their child was in danger, no matter how capable Jeong-hoon might be. But what was done was done. All that was left now was to wait for their return. * * * [Master! It looks like they¡¯re inside!] ¡®They managed to break through, so it won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had deliberately stationed Yeo Sun-woo and some Hoyeong guild members outside the dungeon. ¡®If they contracted with an Apostle-grade Transcendent, a battle would have broken out outside.¡¯ He had asked them to prevent entry, but there¡¯d been no contact from Yeo Sun-woo. That was per Jeong-hoon¡¯s request. In case ofbat, they were to send an SOS signal; otherwise, he asked them not to reach out. Theck ofmunication suggested the Transcendent had actively intervened. ¡®That means it¡¯s Demon King grade.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s brow furrowed. Why was a Demon King-level entity intervening twice this early? He didn¡¯t know the reason, but the priority now was eliminating the intruders. ¡°Well, shall we begin?¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t expect your n would be a straightforward brawl,¡± Yeo Min-ji remarked, on guard and ready for battle by his side. ¡°We¡¯re martial artists, after all.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± She chuckled as well. ¡°And we¡¯re not alone.¡± Jeong-hoon summoned Fenrir and Michael. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°You called?¡± Both stood respectfully, their posture disciplined. With Jeong-hoon summoning them more frequently, even Michael had be more obedient. ¡°Good. There¡¯s something I need you two to do.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± ¡°Soon, intruders wille this way. Lend your strength.¡± If they were Avatars, he would eliminate them without mercy. It wasn¡¯t long before familiar faces appeared. Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡®Shun Kaneda, Haruto Iwase.¡¯ Just like Lee Hwa-rang, these traitors from before his regression now faced him again as Avatars. Such a cruel twist of fate. ¡°Hey, you damned Joseon scum!¡± Shun Kaneda shouted, his eyes zing as he red at Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon raised his middle finger with a smirk. ¡°Th-that bastard?!¡± Beside him, Haruto Iwase¡¯s face twisted in fury. ¡°Ha, you idiot. Do we look like easy prey to you now?¡± At Kaneda¡¯s question, Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Yeah. You look ridiculously easy.¡± ¡°.......¡± "Stop stalling. If you''re going to attack, do it already. I''m not here to waste time." Jeong-hoon flicked his fingers, and Fenrir, standing behind him, activated his power. [The giant wolf Fenrir uses Hunter''s Gaze.] Hunter''s Gaze. [Movement speed decreased by 20%.] [Enemies are inflicted with fear.] [All stats decreased by 10%.] As the debuffs applied, Jeong-hoon began his own preparations. Layering multiple buffs, from ck Field to Celestial Aura, he stacked debuffs on the opponents. "W-what is this?!" "Damn it!" Shocked expressions spread across their faces as they felt their strength draining. "This''ll be over in one shot." Jeong-hoon drew Anima¡¯s bowstring. The ultimate arrow. His intent was clear: end it swiftly. [All debuffs are dispelled.] Suddenly, all the stacked debuffs vanished without a trace. It was the work of the Transcendent contracted with his opponents. ¡®Of course, so that''s your move.¡¯ The Transcendent had no choice but to intervene. If these contracted avatars were annihted, it would lose its status as a Transcendent. To prevent that, it had paid an additional cost to dispel the debuffs. "Is it you? The true form of the projection?" The Transcendent gave no response, but that was all Jeong-hoon needed. Because he already knew the answer. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 223 Chapter 223 Jeong-hoon released the arrow he had drawn. Whoosh! The ultimate arrow shot forward, hitting the Japanese man standing to Shun Kaneda¡¯s right directly in the chest. ¡°Gah!¡± The man hit by the arrow copsed instantly. ¡°Hiroshi!¡± Hispanion shouted in panic, but the man, known as Hiroshi, coughed up blood and died where he fell¡ªhis heart pierced. [You have defeated a Transcendent¡¯s avatar.] [Due to the death of the contractee, you gain 40,000,000 experience points from the Transcendent.] So, this is the power of a Demon King-ss Transcendent? Unlike Apostles, it gives experience points generously. ¡®This is nice.¡¯ A slight smile tugged at the corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth. ¡°What the¡­? How could it be a one-shot kill?¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ Our bodies should be protected, shouldn¡¯t they?¡± Unlike those contracted with Apostle-ss Transcendents, avatars bound to higher-ss Transcendents are granted special protections. These protections provide constant buffs, drastically increasing physical stats. Even if Jeong-hoon is strong, it shouldn¡¯t be possible for a single arrow to kill him instantly. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Shun Kaneda bit his lip. ¡ª [yer Information] ¨C Nickname: Hoon ¨C Level: 367 ¨C ss: Martial Arts Master (4th ss Advancement) ¡ª Btedly, he checked Jeong-hoon¡¯s level. Level 367, havingpleted the 4th advancement. ¡®He reached level 367 in such a short time?¡¯ He had miscalcted. He hadn¡¯t imagined that Jeong-hoon would not onlyplete his 4th ss advancement but also reach the upper 300s in level. An upgraded reward. Shun Kaneda drew his sword and deployed the ¡°Veil of Light.¡± Because of that bastard, he still hadn¡¯t achieved a hidden ss but remained as a Royal Guard. This time, he¡¯d kill Jeong-hoon and gain a hidden ss as his reward. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a boost.¡± Then, Iwase Haruto activated his power. He held a hidden ss known as the ¡°Enhancer of Detection.¡± It wasn¡¯t just a reconnaissance-based ss. As a hidden ss, it also carried the abilities of a buffer. [¡®Veil of Light¡¯ has been enhanced.] With the enhanced buff applied, the light around Shun Kaneda¡¯s barrier grew even brighter. And that wasn¡¯t all. The abilities of all the Japanese fighters present were enhanced by one level. The Transcendent intervened once again, this time casting debuffs on Jeong-hoon. [Safeguard is used.] However, Jeong-hoon used Safeguard to immediately dispel all the debuffs affecting him. Looking up at the sky, he smirked. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who can dispel.¡± A voice of shock rang out. Understandably so. These debuffs had been directly cast by a Demon King-ss Transcendent, and while not at full power, they weren¡¯t something a mere human like Jeong-hoon should be able to remove. Yet the reason Safeguard worked was due to a new passive skill he had acquired. ¡®Just as I expected.¡¯ Elevation of Power¡ªa skill that allowed him to confront Transcendents directly. Although the debuffs he¡¯d ced on the enemies had been dispelled, using Safeguard was a meaningful advantage. Bang! Support fire from his mother followed. ¡°Ugh!¡± The Japanese fighter holding a dagger staggered in ce. Though hit directly in the head, he merely faltered from the impact rather than suffering a fatal injury. His enhanced physique as an avatar and Shun Kaneda¡¯s Veil of Light protected him. The Veil of Light wasn¡¯t just a single-target skill; it was an area-wide buff. But, in an instant, the veil surrounding him dissipated. ¡®Genesis Shot.¡¯ The Genesis Shot erased the Veil of Light. Seizing the moment, Jeong-hoon drew and released his arrow. It struck the man squarely in the neck. ¡°Gah!¡± Clutching his neck where the arrow had embedded, he copsed. [You have defeated a Transcendent¡¯s avatar.] [Due to the death of the contractee, you gain 40,000,000 experience points from the Transcendent.] Two targets had been eliminated in quick session. ¡°Damn it!¡± Shun Kaneda gestured toward his rear, prompting an onught of spells directed at Jeong-hoon. [Light Barrier is used.] Jeong-hoon deployed the Light Barrier. Upgraded to a legendary grade, the Light Barrier withstood the wave of magic without a scratch. ¡°L-L-Light Barrier¡­?¡± Shun Kaneda¡¯s eyes shook with disbelief. Light Barrier was a skill superior to Veil of Light. How could a martial artist wield it? And the radiant glow indicated it was no ordinary grade. Bang! And once more, a gunshot echoed. Thud! Shun Kaneda staggered briefly as pain exploded in his head. [Veil of Light is destroyed.] In an instant, the Veil of Light he had cast vanished. It was due to another Genesis Shot being fired. Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened at the sight. ¡®How¡­?¡¯ He knew his mother¡¯s Genesis Shot could only be used once per day. Yet, here it was, fired consecutively. ¡®Mother must have undergone some kind of change.¡¯ His mother, too, was growing stronger, and with her growth, Genesis Shot seemed to have evolved as well. Jeong-hoon once again drew his bow and released. An arrow shot toward Shun Kaneda. ¡°Damn it!¡± Shun Kaneda hastily activated Divine Armor. He had used this Divine Armor once before in his battle with Jeong-hoon. It was an invincible ability that required nearly all of his divine power, leaving only 1% as he entered an absolute defense state. During the next three minutes, any umted damage would convert back to divine power, automatically triggering a ¡°Counter¡± buff. However, there was a drawback: it was ineffective against stronger opponents, leading to his previous defeat. But this time was different. Shun Kaneda¡¯s Divine Armor shone brilliantly. With Iwase Haruto¡¯s enhancement buff and the Transcendent¡¯s intervention, the Divine Armor instantly ascended to a legendary grade. A counterattack? If that were true, there was a high chance of a reversal. A sly smile formed on Shun Kaneda¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ll break the barrier. The rest of you can handle it, right?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve got this.¡± The ten support members behind him, enticed by a promise of sweet rewards, hade this far. Retreating wasn¡¯t an option if they wanted those rewards. Bang! Once again, a gunshot echoed. Thud! Another impact struck Shun Kaneda¡¯s head. But his smile only grew. With Divine Armor activated, the damage could be stored and returned. [Divine Armor is deactivated.] But just like the Veil of Light, Divine Armor vanished in an instant. ¡°Damn it!¡± Shun Kaneda¡¯s face turned pale. Swish! At that moment, the arrow struck his abdomen. Shun Kaneda¡¯s body doubled over in pain. ¡°Shun!¡± Iwase Haruto called out urgently. ¡°Gah!¡± With bloodshot eyes, Shun Kaneda looked toward the origin of the arrow. There, Jeong-hoon stood, expressionless, drawing his bow again. ¡®Damn it! Help me!¡¯ Shun Kaneda silently pleaded, casting his gaze to the sky. But instead of helping, the Transcendent muttered in shock. Thwack! An arrow pierced Shun Kaneda¡¯s shoulder. At that moment, a rain of arrows poured down from above. ¡°Dodge!¡± Iwase Haruto and the ten other Japanese fighters scrambled for cover, leaving Shun Kaneda to take the full brunt of the attack alone. Soon, his body was so riddled with arrows it was hard to find a spot unscathed. ¡®This doesn¡¯t make sense¡­ I¡¯ve grown this strong¡­ why, how¡­?¡¯ Even as his consciousness faded, Shun Kaneda red at Jeong-hoon. Despite undergoing a contract, he couldn¡¯te close to Jeong-hoon¡¯s power. What was he missing? ¡®If it weren¡¯t for that bastard, my life would¡¯ve been perfect.¡¯ With that resentful thought, Shun Kaneda closed his eyes. * * * The rest happened in the blink of an eye. Jeong-hoon pulled back his bowstring, taking down Iwase Haruto and the remaining Japanese fighters one by one. [You have defeated a Transcendent¡¯s Incarnation.] [With the death of the Contractor, you gain 40,000,000 experience points from the Transcendent.] [You have defeated a Transcendent¡¯s Incarnation.] [With the death of the Contractor, you gain 40,000,000 experience points from the Transcendent.] [Level up!] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stat +1 has been awarded.] [[Title] Incarnation yer has advanced to Lv.3.] Only then did Jeong-hoon finally lower Anima. It was time for consequences. Normally, the death of just 14 Contractors wouldn¡¯t be enough for a demotion. However, the Transcendent had interfered multiple times. If the Contractors hadpleted the quest, perhaps rewards would have been granted alongside the intervention. But with Jeong-hoon¡¯s victory, the Transcendent¡¯s ns had failed. ¡°Funny how you¡¯re all talk when you¡¯ve lost your power and been demoted to Apostle rank.¡± Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. He had hoped the Transcendent would be erased entirely, but it had merely been demoted. How could he not feel a pang of regret? Mandora, reading his expression, was enraged. ¡°Sure. Go ahead, try your best, even though you can¡¯t intervene for a while.¡± Mandora¡¯s demotion came with more than just a rank drop¡ªit also meant losing its position and incurring a penalty that prevented it from interfering for some time. Mandora¡¯s words were cut short. [You have demoted a Demon King-level Transcendent.] [[Title] Transcender of Humanity has advanced to Lv.2.] [You have randomly seized one of Mandora¡¯s possessions.] When a Demon King-level Transcendent is demoted, you gain one random item from their possessions. [You have obtained the ¡°Box of the Seven Deadly Sins.¡±] ¡°Oh?!¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened slightly. The Box of the Seven Deadly Sins. He hadn¡¯t seen it before, but he knew it was a box that randomly contained one of the Seven Deadly Sins. ¡®I can¡¯t wait. What wille out of this?¡¯ Jeong-hoon nced at the box now stored in his inventory, a smirk on his face. Just then, Yeo Min-Ji, looking somewhat miffed, made ament. ¡°Am I just a bystander?¡± Realizing he had almost forgotten about her, Jeong-hoonughed awkwardly. ¡°Not at all. They just didn¡¯t even try to engage us in closebat.¡± ¡°They couldn¡¯t. You wiped them out with your arrows¡ªhow were they supposed to get close?¡± She wasn¡¯t wrong. When the enemies first appeared, Yeo Min-Ji had been tense and on guard. But suddenly, Jeong-hoon had started shooting arrows, and they fell one after another. The battle ended before she had the chance to do much besides watch from the sidelines. ¡°Still, thank you. Because of you, it was easier to lure them out.¡± Without her, they might not have detected the enemies¡¯ incursion into Korea as quickly. She had contributed significantly to the sess of their n. ¡°¡­Though the ending still feels a bit unresolved.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you next time as well.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± Yeo Min-Ji nodded. At that moment, Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother returned from where she had been lying in ambush, supporting them from a distance. ¡°Son! Are you safe?!¡± ¡°Yes, thanks to you.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled brightly. ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°But¡­ Mom, how many times did you shoot the Genesis Shot?¡± The Genesis Shot, originally limited to once per day, had been unleashed nearly ten times. ¡°My skill got an upgrade; I can shoot up to ten shots a day now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡­¡± The power to seal abilities in ten Genesis Shots. ¡®Even Mandora was shocked by it.¡¯ The Transcendent seemed familiar with the power of a Genesis Sniper. Could it be that his mother¡¯s ss wasn¡¯t just any hidden ss? He made a mental note to learn more about the Genesis Sniper when he had the chance. ¡°I¡¯m d I was able to help.¡± She smiled warmly. ¡°Yes. Then, let¡¯s head back.¡± He couldn¡¯t wait to get home and open the Box of the Seven Deadly Sins. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 224 Chapter 224 As soon as he emerged from the dungeon, Jeong-hoon saw Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s face. ¡°Are you unharmed?!¡± Yeo Sunwoo rushed to him, clearly anxious. Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Yes. Fortunately, I¡¯m fine.¡± The battle had ended rather uneventfully. Despite having summoned both Fenrir and Michael, making thorough preparations, in the end, it was safe to say that thebined strength of Jeong-hoon and his mother alone had resolved the situation. Fenrir and Michael wore visible expressions of disappointment, even as they returned. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure to give them more chances next time.¡¯ The reason they had been able to dispose of Kaneda Shun and the other incarnations so easily was likely due to the ¡°Rise in Level.¡± The strengthened bodies granted through their contracts had been pierced instantly by the arrows. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Yeo Min-Ji remarked, tilting her head in puzzlement. ¡°Hmm? They must have been rather skilled opponents,¡± Yeo Sunwoo replied. ¡°Yes, they had formidable spirit, but they just copsed with a few arrows.¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡± Jeong-hoon gave a slight smile. ¡°We were lucky. If my mother hadn¡¯t been there, it would¡¯ve been a tough battle.¡± That was the truth. The primary reason Yeo Min-Ji had not intervened was because of his mother¡¯s shooting ability. The Genesis Shot had sealed their powers. Without it, closebat would have been inevitable. ¡°Then, are all the ones inside dead?¡± Yeo Sunwoo asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Yeo Sunwoo fell silent for a moment as he watched Jeong-hoon nod calmly. They hadn¡¯t killed monsters, but humans. Yet, there was no visible shift in Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression. ¡®It¡¯s almost like he¡¯s killed many before.¡¯ One could hardly react so calmly otherwise. ¡®All incarnations must be eliminated. Those who collude with the Transcendents will eventually lead to the downfall of Earth.¡¯ This was why he acted so decisively. Though Yeo Sunwoo couldn¡¯t fully understand Jeong-hoon¡¯s certainty, he recognized that Jeong-hoon was firmly rejecting them. And Yeo Sunwoo found himself on Jeong-hoon¡¯s side. ¡®Whatever the case, their targets were humans.¡¯ If Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t killed them, he and his daughter would have been the ones to lose their lives instead. Supporting his decision was natural. ¡ª When Jeong-hoon returned home, he went straight to his room. [Open the box! Open the box!] Left alone, Mukho eagerly urged him to open the box. ¡®I¡¯m curious too. What could possibly be inside?¡¯ Anima felt the same. The box awarded to his inventory was unlike any he had seen before¡ªremarkably high quality. However, it wasn¡¯t good quality in a positive sense, but rather in a distinctly unsettling way. A gloomy aura emanated from the box, so thick that it felt as though touching it might invite any number of curses. [Box of the Seven Deadly Sins] ¨C Type: Box ¨C Grade: ? ¨C Contains one of the Seven Deadly Sins at random ¨C Filled with the energy of evil ¨C Opening the box recklessly could result in a fatal curse. This box was indeed dangerous to open without caution. ¡°It won¡¯t be an issue for me.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s Safeguard had been elevated to Legendary status following his fourth job advancement. In addition, his level had reached the max within the Muhwang¡¯s domain. The curse from the Box of the Seven Deadly Sins should be something his Safeguard could handle. [Would you like to open the box?] [Warning: Once chosen, this action cannot be undone.] The warning message emphasized the box¡¯s inherent danger. A slight smirk yed on Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°Open.¡± The box lid creaked open, and a dark light spilled out. [Acquired Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth] [You are cursed.] [You are cursed.] [You are cursed.] The moment he acquired the item rted to the Seven Deadly Sins, countless curses began to pour forth. [Your life force is rapidly decreasing!] [Your life force is rapidly decreasing!] [Your life force is rapidly decreasing!] His life force dwindled madly, making his vision spin. Jeong-hoon quickly activated his Safeguard. [Using Safeguard.] But even one use of Safeguard wasn¡¯t enough to dispel all the curses. He had to activate Safeguard repeatedly¡ªeleven times in total¡ªbefore he could finally break free from all the curses. ¡°Whew¡­ that was intense.¡± Sweat dripped down Jeong-hoon¡¯s forehead. Although it was the first time encountering an item like the Box of the Seven Deadly Sins, he¡¯d thought his Legendary Safeguard would be more than sufficient. Especially with his maxed-out level. And yet, it had taken considerable effort to lift all the curses. If his Safeguard hadn¡¯t been at Legendary¡­ ¡®I¡¯d rather not imagine it.¡¯ In any case, it was time to examine the oue. ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s certainly a curious sight.¡± The itembeled as the Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth looked oddly like a sea urchin. In simple terms, it was a ck orb bristling with numerous spikes. [Would you like to awaken the ¡®Seven Deadly Sins¡¯?] A message appeared above it. ¡°Awaken it?¡± Was it an item with a will of its own, like Mukho or Anima? After a moment¡¯s thought, Jeong-hoon decided to awaken it. [The ¡®Seven Deadly Sins¡¯ awakens.] [Currently, ¡®1¡¯ out of the ¡®7¡¯ Deadly Sins has gathered.] [As a result, the Seven Deadly Sins is not fully awakened.] The iplete awakening of the Seven Deadly Sins resembled that of a snail. A caterpir was squirming around, using a shell that looked like a sea urchin. ¡®Is this what the Seven Deadly Sins is like¡­?¡¯ ==================== [Seven Deadly Sins] ¨C Type: Sloth ¨C Level: ?? (Grows by absorbing abilities) ¨C Grade: Rare [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 50 ¨C Agility: 50 ¨C Stamina: 50 ¨C Defense: 50 ¨C Wisdom: 50 ¨C Mana: 50 ¨C Willpower: 50 ===================== This creature was a pet that could be summoned andmanded, much like Fenrir and Mihael. ¡°How underwhelming¡­¡± After all the curses he had endured to acquire this sin, its stats were dismally weak. At least it was fortunate that it had the potential to grow, though the exact method for that was unclear. ¡°Well, I can take my time figuring it out.¡± Jeong-hoon reached out a hand toward Sloth. As if responding, the creature retracted its spines, making itself easier to touch. Thanks to that, he could pet it, even if it felt a bit rough. ¡°Kiing.¡± It seemed incapable of speech, letting out a beastly cry instead. A snail making such sounds was an odd image. It didn¡¯t quite match up, but nevertheless, a new sessor to Fenrir had been born. Jeong-hoon summoned Fenrir in a smaller size. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Fenrir, you have a new sessor.¡± ¡°A sessor?¡± Fenrir tilted his head, turning to look at Sloth. At that, Sloth¡¯s gaze wavered, as if it recognized something. ¡°Do you know what that is?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. That¡¯s a Demon Beast.¡± ¡°A Demon Beast?¡± ¡°Yes. Although it¡¯s a young one, it¡¯s definitely a Demon Beast.¡± Demon Beasts. They are entities in direct opposition to Divine Beasts. Unlike typical monsters, they can be viewed as a race that demonsmand. The Seven Deadly Sins was essentially the leader among such Demon Beasts. ¡®I¡¯m not sure why Mandora possessed this box of the Seven Deadly Sins, but regardless, they had obtained a leader-ss Demon Beast.¡¯ Its small size was likely due to theck of collected sins. To fully develop it, they would probably need to gather all the remaining sins. ¡°Anyway, since it¡¯s your sessor, take good care of it.¡± ¡°Sessor¡­¡± Fenrir¡¯s expression soured. It was understandable; Fenrir had an extreme aversion to Demon Beasts. ¡°Kii¡­¡± In contrast, Sloth seemed frightened of Fenrir and attempted to burrow into Jeong-hoon¡¯s arms. ¡°Don¡¯t scare it.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Fenrir nodded but continued to re at Sloth. It seemed difficult for Fenrir to ept it immediately. ¡°Alright, go back in.¡± Jeong-hoon sent Fenrir back. ¡°Kiiing¡­¡± Sloth seemed unwilling to go back and hid inside its shell. ¡°Hmm, I guess I should keep it summoned for a while.¡± If he sent it back like this, he didn¡¯t know what Fenrir might do. For now, he needed to learn more about this Demon Beast. ¡®I¡¯ve never seen one like this before the regression.¡¯ Before the regression, there had never been an appearance of the Seven Deadly Sins. Perhaps that was why he was even more curious. ¡ª Seoul, South Korea. Seoul had turned into awlessnd. With the New World bing a reality, power was suddenly thrust upon the people. This power plunged the entire world into chaos, and it wasn¡¯t long before a period of adaptation took ce. Afterward, there were no longer any means to control them, and so-called power became thew. ¡°Ugh!¡± A man in his early thirties was knocked over as he was struck by a blunt object from behind. ¡°Lucky! I just took down a level 89 user!¡± A teenager in histe teens grinned while wielding the blunt weapon. Three other students, seemingly his friends, surrounded the fallen man. Their levels were around 150. These were kids who had secretly leveled up in capsule rooms without their parents¡¯ knowledge, now enjoying their power as school bullies. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s see how many points you have.¡± The method for robbing a user¡¯s points was simple. If they inflicted a fatal wound that brought the target¡¯s health below 10%, they could forcibly steal their points and items. Of course, since this system was created after the reality shift, not many people knew about it. ¡°Wow, only 220 points?¡± ¡°Ha, what the hell. You¡¯re level 89 and only have 220 points?¡± ¡°What a broke loser. Let¡¯s grab some other items.¡± The students rummaged through his inventory and collected all usable items. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before someone sees us.¡± They carelessly tossed the bloodied and unconscious man into an alley and prepared to leave. At that moment. ¡°Wow. Looks like there are already some guysmitting crimes?¡± Someone was walking toward them. He was an East Asian man in his early twenties, using the nickname ¡°The Reversed Skywalker.¡± ¡°What do you want?¡± One of the students drew his sword at him. ¡°Level 160? You¡¯ve leveled up a bit, huh?¡± ¡°Oh! You¡¯re even higher level than us?¡± ¡°Heh heh, but what will you do? There are four of us.¡± Even though their levels were rtively low, there were four users around level 150. In a 4:1 fight, it was obvious that the majority would win. At that moment, The Reversed Skywalker vanished. ¡°Ugh!¡± The student who had drawn his sword screamed and was sent crashing into the wall. ¡°Sang-su!¡± ¡°What the hell!¡± Their faces filled with shock as their friend went down in an instant. Then he stood before another student. ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± With that, the student was also mmed against the wall with a scream. The remaining two met the same fate. It took just about 40 seconds to take out all four of them. ¡°Tsk.¡± Jeong-hoon clicked his tongue as he approached the fallen man. The time was 7:50 AM. From his attire, it seemed he had been attacked on his way to work. Jeong-hoon reached out to him. [Using Advanced Healing.] As the Advanced Healing took effect, the man slowly opened his eyes and began to rise. ¡°W-where is this¡­?¡± ¡°They were trying to rob you.¡± Jeong-hoon gestured toward the students, who were knocked out against the wall. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Only then did the man realize he had fainted from a strong blow to the back of his head. Yet for some reason, his injured head felt fine. He felt no pain at all. ¡°I¡¯ve healed your injuries, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± ¡°T-thank you. I don¡¯t know how to repay this kindness¡­¡± The man continued to express his gratitude. If it hadn¡¯t been for Jeong-hoon, it would have been a serious situation. ¡°You¡¯re fine, so just go quickly.¡± ¡°Y-yes!¡± The man hurriedly left, almost fleeing the scene. ¡°Kiiing!¡± Then Sloth wiggled out from Jeong-hoon¡¯s arms and slowly crawled toward the students. Its movements were so slow that Jeong-hoon felt like yawning. Nevertheless, he carefully observed Sloth¡¯s every movement. Before long, Sloth reached the feet of the fallen student. [Absorbing stats.] ¡®Huh?¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. With the stat absorption message, Sloth¡¯s stats began to rise gradually. ¡°So that¡¯s how it works.¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª- The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 225 Chapter 225 ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± At a point when Sloth had absorbed a decent amount of stats, Jeong-hoon decided to stop him. ¡°Whine¡­¡± Though he hesitated with a look of regret, he obeyed Jeong-hoon¡¯smand and stepped back. ====================== [Seven Deadly Sins] ¨C Type: Sloth ¨C Level: ?? (Grows as it absorbs stats) ¨C Grade: Rare [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 56 ¨C Agility: 57 ¨C Stamina: 56 ¨C Defense: 58 ¨C Wisdom: 56 ¨C Mana: 56 ¨C Spirit: 56 ==================== ¡°For how much he¡¯s absorbed, the growth is way too slow.¡± Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. After all, he had already confirmed it through a monster. ¡®It couldn¡¯t absorb the monster.¡¯ Even after defeating the monster, Sloth hadn¡¯t made any move to absorb it, meaning there was likely a limitation¡ªhe could only absorb from other yers. In a way, it was an incredibly overpowered ability. Without a growth limit, no one could keep up if he could keep absorbing endlessly. ¡°So, what should I do with these guys?¡± Jeong-hoon looked down at the four students whose stats had been drained. They still hadn¡¯t regained consciousness. After a moment¡¯s thought, he extended his hand. [Using Advanced Healing.] With Advanced Healing applied, the students who had lost consciousness quickly came to their senses. ¡°Hey.¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s call, the students flinched. Just a moment ago, the four of them had beenpletely defeated without any chance to resist, and as a result, their fighting spirit had beenpletely crushed. Though their levels remained the same, their stats had been downgraded to the equivalent of Level 30. They were thoroughly confused, but with Jeong-hoon right in front of them, they were trapped in an uncertain situation. ¡°Don¡¯t answer, and you¡¯ll really die. Got it?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s words prompted the students to quickly respond. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We¡¯re listening!¡± Finally, they were cooperating. Jeong-hoon gave a sly grin. ¡°Now, think of it this way¡ªevery time you fail to answer a question, one of you dies. Are you avatars?¡± The students¡¯ eyes shook with fear, and they shook their heads vigorously in response. ¡°Avatars¡­? We don¡¯t know anything about that.¡± ¡°Really? Then where did you learn how to steal points and items?¡± The theft of points and items wasmon but not as widespread these days. Since the methods weren¡¯t fully known, only a few were exploiting it in the early stages. ¡®If I remember correctly, it was the avatars who made contracts with the transcendent Barus that caused such chaos.¡¯ Barus. This insane transcendent, at an Apostle-level, taught his avatars how to steal points and items, turning it into a quest. As a result, lower-level users suffered significantly, with many even losing their lives. In other words, people who deserved to be torn apart. ¡®If these guys are avatars of Barus¡­¡¯ He¡¯d kill them without hesitation. However, the response he got was unexpected. ¡°We¡­ we heard it from the guild.¡± ¡°A guild?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Which guild?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± The students avoided his gaze, looking hesitant. Jeong-hoon pulled Leviathan from his inventory and aimed it at them. ¡°Can¡¯t answer?¡± ¡°Eek! Golden Roon!¡± ¡°Golden Roon?¡± Jeong-hoon recognized the name. Golden Roon¡ªa guild that had failed to make a name for itself in New World but had suddenly risen after the game¡¯s reality shift and then faded into obscurity. ¡°Yes! We¡¯re members of that Golden Roon guild.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Jeong-hoon lowered Leviathan. ¡°Now, tell me the details.¡± * * * ¡°Heh, heh. Don¡¯t worry! Our guild members are taking care of everything.¡± Golden Roon¡¯s guild master, Kim Ji-gang, grinned. Though he had established the Golden Roon guild in New World, they were constantly overshadowed by other guilds, barely surviving. But after the game¡¯s reality shift, an opportunity for aeback arose. A transcendent had approached him with a contract offer, no less. On top of that, the quests were numerous, and even using guild members toplete them was allowed. From that day forward, Kim Ji-gang began actively recruiting guild members, particrly targeting students, as younger members were more inclined to disy their strength. ¡®Join the guild, and you¡¯ll gain lots of benefits. All the points and items you steal are yours to keep.¡¯ With rewards and privileges for stealing, it was an enticing offer that drew students into Golden Roon. Thanks to this, Kim Ji-gang couldfortably sit back and repeatedlyplete the quests handed down by the transcendent. But as they say, the longer the tail, the more likely it is to get caught. Bang! The door of the office-tel, used as Golden Roon¡¯s headquarters, burst open with a loud noise. Startled, Kim Ji-gang, who had been rxing on the sofa, shot to his feet. ¡°What the¡ª! Who do you think you are, barging in like this?¡± ¡°Are you the guild master of Golden Roon?¡± In front of him stood a young man, appearing to be in his early twenties, staring at Kim Ji-gang with a smirk. ¡°Hah, who the hell are you? Don¡¯t tell me you want to join the guild?¡± ¡°As if. You recognize these guys?¡± At the man¡¯s nod, four students walked in behind him¡ªthose same four who¡¯d been beaten up by Jeong-hoon. They had only been members of Golden Roon for about a week. ¡®Damn it. I just let them in, and they¡¯re already tattling?¡¯ Kim Ji-gang quickly scanned the man¡¯s information, and a sly grin crept onto his face. ¡°What, you¡¯re only Level 160?¡± Kim Ji-gang was Level 211, an Assassin who hadpleted three ss advancements. No matter how skilled the guy was, he believed there was no way he¡¯d lose. He raised his awareness, scanning the surroundings, but felt no other presence. Coming in alone with just Level 160¡ªclearly, this guy was out of his depth. ¡°Who said I came alone?¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled. Immediately, the students drew their weapons and aimed at Kim Ji-gang. ¡°We¡¯re quitting Golden Roon!¡± ¡°We¡¯re done with you, you bastard!¡± ¡°You think today¡¯s yourst day on Earth?¡± Hearing their curses, veins stood out on Kim Ji-gang¡¯s forehead. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll kill every one of you here.¡± In an instant, his demeanor shifted. Despite being Level 211, afterpleting dozens of quests from the transcendent, Kim Ji-gang¡¯s physical stats exceeded Level 250. Not only that, he¡¯d discarded his old rare-grade gear, now decked out in unique-grade equipment. Even though it was five against one, he was confident he¡¯d crush them. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°This is insane¡­¡± ¡°W-what should we do?¡± Seeing his menacing aura, the students visibly hesitated. ¡°Come back to the guild now, and I¡¯ll spare your lives,¡± Kim Ji-gang sneered, offering them a way out. All he needed was to disy his strength, and they¡¯d fall in line. Some of the students¡¯ expressions wavered. ¡°If¡­ if wee back, you¡¯ll forgive us¡­?¡± ¡°Bullshit! He¡¯ll just stab us in the back for being ¡®traitors¡¯ the moment we return!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true!¡± Kim Ji-gang shook his head with a calm expression. ¡°No way. If youe back now, I¡¯ll forgive everything.¡± ¡°Shut it.¡± In that instant, Jeong-hoon¡¯s figure vanished and reappeared right in front of Kim Ji-gang. ¡°What the¡ª!¡± Kim Ji-gang staggered backward in shock. But Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand shot out, grabbing him by the cor. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± ¡°Guh! Who the hell are you?!¡± ¡°Who do you think?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist connected with Kim Ji-gang¡¯s stomach. ¡°Ugh!¡± Kim Ji-gang¡¯s torso folded over, and he gagged, vomiting up bile. [Gross! I got sttered with that!] Mukho shrieked in disgust. ¡®It¡¯s not like you¡¯re the one getting hit, stop whining.¡¯ Jeong-hoon struck Kim Ji-gang¡¯s face next with another punch. ¡°Guh!¡± Just two attacks, and Kim Ji-gang¡¯s head was spinning. His health had dropped below 30%. If this continued, he would die for sure. Desperate, he raised his hand. ¡°Oh? Got something to say?¡± Fortunately for him, Jeong-hoon paused his assault. ¡°S-spare me¡­ I¡¯ll give you everything I have.¡± ¡°Everything? And that is?¡± ¡°The position of Golden Roon¡¯s guild master¡­ and all the items I own. No, I¡¯ll give it all to you, please¡­¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°Please¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t bear the thought of dying here. But Jeong-hoon showed no mercy,nding a few more punches to his face. Each hit carried the energy of the Underworld King. ¡°Guh!¡± Unable to withstand it, Kim Ji-gang copsed, lifeless. ¡°Hup!¡± ¡°He¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s dead¡­¡± The students watching from behind trembled uncontrobly. ¡°Hey, you don¡¯t want to end up like him, right?¡± Jeong-hoon turned to the students with a sly grin. They nodded frantically, terrified. ¡°Then quit the guild.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The four hastily withdrew from Golden Roon. ¡°Good. I¡¯ll let it slide this time. But if I catch any of you stealing again, there won¡¯t be any mercy next time.¡± ¡°Yes! We understand, sir!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll count to three. Be gone before I even get to one.¡± Before Jeong-hoon even began counting, the students scrambled, shoving each other in a desperate bid to escape. [Cowards. They really got scared this time,] Anima muttered. ¡®You wanted me to just kill them? Bit of a waste, really.¡¯ Anima didn¡¯t seem thrilled about letting them go. ¡°If they were avatars, they¡¯d be dead already.¡± But they weren¡¯t avatars; they were mere students manipted by one. Although their actions were vile, Jeong-hoon had no desire to stain his hands with their blood. Besides, with their power levels at barely Level 30, they wouldn¡¯t be causing much trouble anymore. Of course, he had no intention of letting things end here. Jeong-hoon turned his attention to Golden Roon¡¯s records. ¡®The guild currently has 42 members.¡¯ Quite a crowd. Using Kim Ji-gang¡¯s ess, Jeong-hoon acquired the full roster of members. ¡°Whine¡­¡± At that moment, Sloth wriggled out from his embrace. ¡®Going to absorb some stats, are you?¡¯ As expected, Sloth moved closer to Kim Ji-gang, just like it had done with the students. [Absorbing the avatar¡¯s stats.] [Absorbing a portion of the contracted transcendent¡¯s power.] [Sloth¡¯s grade has been upgraded by one level.] ¡®What?!¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. =============================== [Seven Deadly Sins] ¨C Type: Sloth ¨C Level: ?? (Grows as it absorbs stats) ¨C Grade: Epic [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 86 ¨C Agility: 87 ¨C Stamina: 86 ¨C Defense: 88 ¨C Wisdom: 86 ¨C Mana: 86 ¨C Willpower: 86 ========================= With the absorption of Kim Ji-gang¡¯s essence, Sloth¡¯s stats were nearing the 90-mark across the board. But more intriguing was the partial absorption of the transcendent¡¯s power. What could that be? ¡°What did you absorb?¡± ¡°Whine.¡± Sloth wriggled and then activated a skill. It was invisibility. ¡®Invisibility?¡¯ And it was a wless invisibility, though it wore off quickly¡ªlikely a short duration skill. ¡°Can you activate it repeatedly?¡± ¡°Whine¡­¡± But Sloth didn¡¯t use the skill again. ¡®So it wasn¡¯t aplete absorption, then?¡¯ Since only a portion was absorbed, Sloth likely picked up Barus¡¯s invisibility. ¡°Incredible¡­¡± Who would¡¯ve thought that absorbing an avatar would also allow it to take on some of the transcendent¡¯s power? ¡®There must be a reason it was locked in that box.¡¯ Even a transcendent had kept that box carefully sealed. There had to be an exnation. ¡°Whine¡­¡± Sloth retreated into its shell once again, hidden from sight as usual when not in the middle of absorbing stats. ¡®Living up to its name, huh?¡¯ Jeong-hoon smirked as he pulled up the member roster. ¡°Guess the rest of them could use a little¡­ guidance.¡± Because of the contract between the guild leader, Kim Ji-gang, and Barus, countless people had fallen victim. Even though Kim Ji-gang had been subdued, the guild members would likely continue their looting, preying on weaker targets. With that thought, Jeong-hoon manipted Kim Ji-gang¡¯s hand to send a mass message to the guild members, ordering them to report to the Golden Roon office immediately. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 226 Chapter 226 Thud! ¡°Aaagh!¡± A man in histe 20s screamed and copsed. The cursed poison entering through his respirator was taking effect. The poison quickly spread through his body, blurring his vision. ¡°Heh, lucky us!¡± ¡°Wow, we managed to take down a Level 162!¡± Three students stood before him, looking down and sneering. They were Level 130¨C140 yers, watching as the Level 162 many dying before them. ¡°What about the points?¡± ¡°Hold on¡­ Whoa! He¡¯s got 2,300 points!¡± ¡°Guess he didn¡¯t level up for nothing.¡± Mocking him, the students stripped him of his points and items. Then, they frowned as they received a message. ¡°What¡¯s this? We¡¯re being called back to HQ?¡± ¡°Out of nowhere?¡± ¡°Tch, let¡¯s finish this up and head over.¡± They would¡¯ve ignored it if they could, but being part of the guild left them no choice. After looting him, they left the man there and headed toward HQ. ¡°Hey, if we leave him like that, won¡¯t he die?¡± One student nced back at the man. ¡°Let him die.¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯d be better to at least give him some antidote. It¡¯d look bad if he dies.¡± ¡°Guess you¡¯re right.¡± In the end, they roughly administered an antidote they bought with points before leaving. When they arrived at HQ, they found fourteen students sprawled across the floor. ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± The students were bewildered. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here?¡± A man waved at them from where he was sitting on the couch. ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°Damn it, was this your doing?¡± Two of the students asked, ring at him with a threatening tone. The man smirked and nodded. ¡°Yep, that was me.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± ¡°That bastard¡¯s only Level 160.¡± ¡°Nickname: Heaven Defier? Damn, how cringey.¡± These three students had already taken down a Level 162 once before. One of them subtly released some poison, which would inevitably affect those lying around as well¡ªbut that didn¡¯t matter. Taking out this cringeworthy guy came first. But even as time passed, he didn¡¯t so much as flinch. ¡°What the¡­ isn¡¯t the poison working?¡± ¡°It is¡­ look.¡± The sprawled-out students¡¯ faces were turning a faint shade of purple, showing that the poison was indeed filling the space. Nheless, the Level 160 man calmly stood up. ¡°You¡¯re using poison on me?¡± He smirked, taking slow steps forward. The three students instinctively backed away. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± ¡°Come any closer, and I¡¯ll kill you.¡± The student at the front drew his sword, pointing it at the man. But the man¡¯s form disappeared in an instant. ¡°Drawing your sword¡ªdoes that mean you understand it could be you who dies?¡± ¡°What¡­ ugh!¡± Bang! The student with the drawn sword was folded in half and mmed into the wall. ¡°Kim Sang-ho!¡± The student who had released the poison called out to his friend, his face going pale. ¡°Is this really the time to worry about your friend?¡± At that moment, the man appeared right in front of him. Although he wore a smile, his expression was more chilling than ever. ¡°Ah, aaaaah!¡± The second student was hit in the stomach and thrown back into the wall as well. ¡°Eek!¡± With his two friends down in an instant, thest student bolted, trying to escape. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± The man grabbed him by the hair, yanking him backward and mming him to the ground. ¡°Aaah! My hair! You¡¯re ripping my hair out!¡± ¡°Shut up. You¡¯re being noisy.¡± ¡°O-okay, just please¡­ don¡¯t hit me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not happening.¡± ¡°Gah!¡± Finally, thest student took a punch to the face and was knocked out cold. * * * ¡°That¡¯s about enough.¡± Jeong-hoon returned to the couch and sat down. As the students slowly regained their senses, they were already kneeling with their hands raised. ¡°Hey, what about the antidote?¡± ¡°I-I administered it.¡± Jeong-hoon had a skill that now made him immune to all poisons, but the others didn¡¯t. The student who¡¯d released the poison had to spend most of his stolen points on antidotes to save the poisoned students. ¡°So, shall we have a little chat now?¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. ording to the roster, there were 42 names. Originally, there had been 46, but four had quit before he obtained the list, reducing the count to 42. Including the ones he had just subdued, he¡¯d dealt with a total of 35. Even excluding Kim Ji-gang, who had died, six were still unounted for. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll never do something like that again¡­¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t. I¡¯ve reduced all your stats to zero.¡± === [Seven Deadly Sins] ¨C Type: Sloth ¨C Level: ?? (Grows by absorbing stats) ¨C Grade: Epic [Detailed Stats] ¨C Strength: 102 ¨C Agility: 101 ¨C Stamina: 100 ¨C Defense: 101 ¨C Wisdom: 102 ¨C Magic Power: 102 ¨C Mental Strength: 101 === Jeong-hoon had knocked all the students unconscious. The reason was simple. It was to feed their stats to Sloth. As a result, Sloth¡¯s stats had all exceeded 100, while the 35 kneeling students had their stats downgraded to levels unworthy of their ranks. ¡®They¡¯re practically at Level 20 now.¡¯ So, even if they all attacked him at once, Jeong-hoon was confident he could handle them with one hand. ¡°¡­¡± The students fell silent. They were all high school students. Jeong-hoon drew Leviathan and pointed it at them. ¡°Well then, who should I kill first?¡± At his chilling words, the students flinched, and some even wet themselves. ¡°P-please spare us¡­!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll do anything if you let us live!¡± Jeong-hoon stroked his chin. ¡°Begging to be spared? I bet those you robbed begged the same way.¡± ¡°We never killed anyone!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! We only robbed them¡ªwe never killed anyone!¡± The students quickly protested. Jeong-hoon scanned their faces and nodded. They didn¡¯t seem to be lying. ¡°Fine. Then quit the guild immediately.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave right now!¡± At hismand, the students began to leave the Golden Roon Guild one by one, erasing their names from the roster. ¡®Still not here, huh.¡¯ Despite the message he had sent to everyone, there were still six who hadn¡¯t shown up. ¡°Anyone here know about these six?¡± Jeong-hoon showed the students the names on the roster. The students nodded. ¡°They¡¯re the executives!¡± Then one of the students shouted anxiously. ¡°Executives?¡± ¡°Yes! There are six executives in the Golden Roon!¡± ¡°Okay, you¡¯re good. You can go home.¡± ¡°Th-thank you!¡± Before Jeong-hoon could change his mind, the student quickly stood up and bolted for the door. Despite having knelt for so long that his legs must have been numb, he moved with impressive speed. The remaining students, seeing the opportunity, began to share all the information they knew, their eyes shining with excitement. Most of it was useless, but a few pieces of information caught Jeong-hoon¡¯s attention. ¡®Oh? There might be more than just that one avatar around.¡¯ Though not certain, it seemed that the six executives could also be avatars. The students reported that they had learned the entire process of targeting and robbing from the executives, not from Kim Ji-gang. ¡°Okay, you all can go back now. If I catch you doing that kind of thing again, I won¡¯t hold back next time.¡± He had already drained enough from them. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± ¡°We¡¯ll behave from now on!¡± The students hurriedly fled. [Behaving, my ass.] As he watched them run off, Mook-ho grumbled. He was unhappy about letting so many of them go, just like the four earlier. ¡°It¡¯s fine. They¡¯ll be dealt with by someone else, even if not by me.¡± With their stats dropped to that of a Level 20, the quickest way to recover their abilities would be to level up, but their levels remained unchanged. In a world where strength equated to power, surviving would be incredibly tough for them. ¡®No need for me to get my hands dirty.¡¯ * * * Jeong-hoon sat on the couch, waiting and waiting for the remaining six to return. Finally, he faced them. ¡°It¡¯s you, huh? The one who took down our guild leader.¡± They appeared to be around the same age as Kim Ji-gang. It seemed they were aware of Jeong-hoon¡¯s existence, entering with scornful expressions. ¡°Did you receive a quest or something?¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s question, they shrugged their shoulders. ¡°So what if we did?¡± Their levels were slightly lower than Kim Ji-gang¡¯s, between 205 and 210. They had evenpleted all three job advancements. Despite knowing that Kim Ji-gang had fallen, they still acted so nonchntly. Jeong-hoon smirked. ¡®There are cases where transcenders can¡¯tmunicate with each other.¡¯ If that weren¡¯t the case, it wouldn¡¯t make sense that they didn¡¯t receive instructions to eliminate him through the avatar quest. ¡®They¡¯re still issuing avatar quests even after demoting a demon-level transcender like Mandora?¡¯ Normally, they would see him as a threat and retreat. Moreover, they were oblivious to Sloth¡¯s existence. The connection had been severed after Kim Ji-gang¡¯s death. This was precisely why Jeong-hoon had chosen to kill him first. ¡°What are you grinning about?¡± ¡°Have you lost your mind, thinking you can challenge me at the brink of death?¡± Despite provoking Jeong-hoon, the two remained on guard. It was no surprise; their guild leader, Kim Ji-gang, had fallen. The fact that he was continuously growing stronger whilepleting quests was clear evidence that Jeong-hoon was no ordinary opponent. ¡°Sure. Go ahead and show me your trump card.¡± Jeong-hoon opened the Celestial Gate and moved closer to the one on his right. His fist swung towards the man¡¯s face. Thud! At that moment, Jeong-hoon¡¯s head snapped to the side. He turned his gaze to see magical energy swirling around the face of the one he had just aimed at. He had used physical attack reflection. ¡°Heh heh, it¡¯s already troublesome if you can¡¯t handle my first move without using your trump card.¡± The man who reflected the attack chuckled. Jeong-hoon smirked in response. Then he swung his fist again. Thud! This time, the attack was not reflected. The man¡¯s torso folded in half, and he crashed into the wall. Gah! The man fainted on impact. As Sloth began to stir again, Jeong-hoon blocked its emergence. ¡®Wait. Not yet.¡¯ He drew Leviathan and swiftly ended the man¡¯s life. [You have defeated the Avatar of the Transcendent.] [You have gained 10,000,000 experience points from the death of the Contractor.] As expected, he was indeed an avatar. ¡°What the hell?!¡± The remaining five watched the scene in shock, their expressions frozen in disbelief. They were probably wondering how he could ignore the attack reflection. The method was quite simple. The reflection did not cover all areas. Even Mukho, of Legendary rank, had a very low chance of sessfully reflecting melee attacks; how high could this man¡¯s reflection rate be? There was bound to be a w, and Jeong-hoon simply exploited that weakness. [Avatar¡¯s Adversary Lv.2] ¨C Type: Title ¨C Rank: Unique ¨C Has a low chance to nullify the power of the avatar. ¨C Nullification is limited to powers granted by the transcendent. ¨C Title effect is limited to apostle-level transcenders. Moreover, since Jeong-hoon possessed the Avatar¡¯s Adversary title, it was a battle he could not afford to lose. He opened the Celestial Gate and swiftly cut down the remaining five. Gah! Gah! Though they attempted to unleash their secret moves, to Jeong-hoon, they looked like mere child¡¯s y. The battle ended in an instant. [You have defeated the Avatar of the Transcendent.] [You have gained 10,000,000 experience points from the death of the Contractor.] [You have defeated the Avatar of the Transcendent.] [You have gained 10,000,000 experience points from the death of the Contractor.] The message continued to pop up repeatedly. ¡°Damn, they must be furious.¡± Barus. Even if it wasn¡¯tplete annihtion, losing seven Contractors at once would hit hard. Screeeech. Then Sloth emerged and began absorbing their stats. [Absorbing the stats of the Avatar.] [Absorbing a portion of the Contractor¡¯s abilities from the Transcendent.] This confirmed it. While his rank didn¡¯t increase, the speed at which his stats were rising was different from when he dealt with Kim Ji-gang. By absorbing those six, Sloth¡¯s stats approached 120. As the absorption concluded, Sloth retreated back into his shell. ¡°Well then, that¡¯s the Golden Roon matter taken care of.¡± He didn¡¯t expect crime to vanish entirely, though. The sudden surge of power had turned the world into awlessnd. That was all the more reason to end this game. At that moment, a familiar pair of eyes appeared in the gap before Jeong-hoon. Baal. Finally, you¡¯ve shown yourself. A smile crept onto Jeong-hoon¡¯s face. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 227 Chapter 227 As expected, Baal appeared. Jeong-hoon met his gaze and smirked. ¡°So, where¡¯s the dungeon I¡¯m supposed to clear?¡± With those words, a ticket fluttered down in front of Jeong-hoon. It was a ticket bound for India. ¡°India?¡± ¡°I see.¡± He thought he understood which dungeon Baal was referring to. ¡®It must be Serpentid.¡¯ Serpentid. A monster reminiscent of a giant eel. It was a dungeon where that creature lurked. ¡®It¡¯s a pretty troublesome one¡ªit took nearly two years to subdue.¡¯ It¡¯s well-known as the dungeon that was finally cleared by an expedition led by James Marcus after 14 failed attempts. That was the ce Baal was pointing to. Baal¡¯s eyes curved into a crescent shape. Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°Of course not. You¡¯ve prepared a reward, haven¡¯t you?¡± Baal¡¯s narrowed eyes returned to normal at Jeong-hoon¡¯s rxed tone. Jeong-hoon¡¯s soul would be offered to Baal. ¡°Of course.¡± But, naturally, that wasn¡¯t going to happen. Jeong-hoon knew the strategy for tackling Serpentid. * * * Meanwhile. The students who had fled from Golden Roon shivered at the thought of Jeong-hoon. ¡°Damn it!¡± ¡°Because of that bastard, look at this mess¡­¡± ¡°My stats¡­ This is seriously screwed up.¡± At the time, they had only focused on survival and hadn¡¯t noticed, but somehow, their stats had drastically decreased. The problem was that their level hadn¡¯t changed. ¡°This will get restored, right¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ probably temporary.¡± They had never heard of a case where stats decreased like this. Assuming it was a temporary debuff, they bought Safeguard potions with the points they¡¯d stolen. If it was a debuff, the Safeguard would clear it up. However, even after drinking the Safeguard potions, their reduced stats didn¡¯t return. ¡°Damn it¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°They¡¯re noting back¡­?¡± ¡°This is insane. Seriously!¡± They were going out of their minds. ¡°If this keeps up, we won¡¯t even be able to keep looting¡­¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± They had barely survived, but the idea of stopping their thefts never crossed their minds. Once they¡¯dmitted a crime, doing it a second time didn¡¯t seem that hard. Robbing others brought in much more than going through a dungeon themselves. So, they nned to be more cautious next time to avoid getting caught. But with their stats in this state, it was a different story. No matter how shy their skills were, everything was based on their stats. With low stats, even powerful skills wouldn¡¯t produce high damage. ¡°Damn it, what do we do?¡± It was then, while the students were panicking. ¡°Hey.¡± Someone was approaching them. There were four of them, and one had a familiar face. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t that the guy we robbed?¡± That¡¯s right. The man they had looted before was among them. ¡°That¡¯s them, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, the ones who poisoned me and robbed me.¡± The man¡¯s eyes were filled with rage. ¡°Damn¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re screwed, aren¡¯t we?¡± The students¡¯ faces went pale. ¡ª Penalty-Imposing Dungeon. These dungeonse in many forms, and once cleared, penalties no longer apply to that area. However, in abnormal dungeons like the one where Baal previously appeared, failure to clear results in penalties across the entire Earth. While there were usually multiple entrances, making ess easy, this time was different. ¡®One entrance. And the penalty affects the entire.¡¯ There was a reason they¡¯d formed an expedition team and struggled to clear that dungeon. If it wasn¡¯t cleared, a penalty would be applied periodically, with the intensity increasing each time. In other words, they needed to close that dungeon quickly to avoid the penalties. ¡®That¡¯s the dungeon Baal pointed me toward.¡¯ Baal had set one condition. No assistance from others was allowed. To prevent any tricks, Baal was blocking every loophole he could think of. [Are you leaving right away?] At Mukho¡¯s question, Jeong-hoon shook his head. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡®Hmm? Do you still have other preparations?¡¯ Anima asked perceptively. Jeong-hoon grinned and nodded. ¡°Yes. I could clear it if I went in now, but it would take a while.¡± Serpentid was a high-level, extremely difficult monster. Without knowing its strategy, it was nearly impossible to defeat. A cursed monster that had imposed a penalty no less than 22 times. To swiftly eliminate that monster, a few key items were necessary. ¡ª The Indian Ocean. One of the world¡¯s five major oceans, it stretched beneath India. Countless portals shimmered on its surface¡ªa pathway leading directly into a dungeon. ¡°We¡¯re clearing this dungeon today.¡± Thirteen people stood in front of one of these portals, having anchored their ship temporarily to prepare for the dungeon entry. This group was a pirate guild specializing in subduing dungeons on the ocean. Dungeons in the ocean were less frequently tackled than those onnd, so they were often packed with resources, including some rare items that could only be obtained from oceanic dungeons. ¡®Unique-grade Mana Stones.¡¯ Unique-grade Mana Stones, which never appeared onnd, had been found over fifty times in ocean dungeons. Each of these Unique Mana Stones was worth a staggering 100,000 points. With reality itself now materialized, points had be incredibly valuable currency. This was why so many adventurers set sail, including the pirate guild. They had lived primarily at sea during the New World era, specializing in ocean dungeon raids. Thus, they prided themselves on knowing ocean dungeons better than anyone else. ¡°Are we sure it¡¯s safe here¡­? I don¡¯t know¡­¡± But today¡¯s dungeon was unusual. Massive waves of mana radiated from the portal. Also, there was no indication of the dungeon¡¯s level at its entrance. Yet, the pirate guild leader, Vikram, felt confident about this dungeon. [No threats detected.] He possessed a detection skill specifically attuned to dungeons. ¡®It¡¯s even a Legendary-grade skill. Heh.¡¯ This Legendary-grade detection skill was specialized in dungeon hazards. As a result, Vikram could choose dungeons with minimal risk and had obtained Unique Mana Stones no fewer than six times. ¡°It¡¯s fine. This ce isn¡¯t that dangerous.¡± Vikram reassured his guild members. Knowing he had a Legendary-grade detection skill, they nodded in relief. ¡°Still¡­ no matter what¡­¡± Yet, Aditya, a guild member, remained uneasy. As a mage with highly sensitive instincts, Aditya felt something unsettling. ¡®If we enter, we¡¯ll die.¡¯ That feeling prevented him from being reassured by Vikram¡¯s words. ¡°Come on, rookie, act like a rookie.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doubting the guild leader¡¯s detection skill?¡± ¡°What, ignoring a Legendary-grade skill now?¡± The others mocked Aditya. Aditya had only joined the guild about a year ago, making him the youngest. As the rookie, he was expected to follow orders diligently, so his reluctance to agree with the guild leader naturally rubbed them the wrong way. But Vikram raised a hand to silence the mocking guild members. ¡°You idiots! Are you looking down on Aditya just because he¡¯s the rookie?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what we meant¡­¡± ¡°Quiet. That¡¯s enough.¡± At Vikram¡¯smand, the guild members fell silent. Vikram then approached Aditya, who waved his hands with a flustered expression. ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to disrespect you, guild leader! I just have a bad feeling about going in there¡­¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Vikram patted his shoulder reassuringly. ¡°Guild leader¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s normal to feel that way sometimes. But I want you to trust me this once. That¡¯s definitely a trap.¡± ¡°A trap¡­?¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve seen simr traps before. And with this detection skill, I¡¯ve managed to break through every single one.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Aditya was a few levels below Vikram, and with Vikram¡¯s Legendary detection skill, he slowly began to feel reassured. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go in.¡± With Vikram leading, the raidmenced. ¡ª Using a ticket to cross over to India, Jeong-hoon immediately drank a Fly Potion. [Fly Potion] ¨C Type: Consumable ¨C Grade: Epic ¨C Effect: Allows the user to use flight skill for approximately one hour. ¨C Side Effects: Unknown adverse effects may ur upon consumption. Although it would have been safer to rent a boat, the dungeon wasn¡¯t far, so he opted to fly. ¡®Hmm? There¡¯s a ship here?¡¯ After flying for some time, Jeong-hoon arrived at the dungeon where the serpent lurked, only to find a ship anchored in front of it. Hended lightly on the ship. Suddenly, a man burst out from the cabin with a sword in hand, ready to defend the vessel. ¡°Who are you?¡± Thanks to the dismantling ofnguage barriers, he understood perfectly. ¡°Someone here to clear this dungeon.¡± ¡°Ha! What a joke! This dungeon is imed by our pirate guild. If you understand, get lost.¡± ¡°What if I refuse?¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. ¡°You little¡­!¡± The man¡¯s forehead veins bulged in anger. He was Level 220, a Crusader who had undergone his third ss advancement. With his sword drawn, he lunged at Jeong-hoon. ¡°Sigh, what a bother.¡± Jeong-hoon scratched his head, easily sidestepping the attack, and then struck the man¡¯s sr plexus with his fist. ¡°Guh!¡± The man, struck in a vital point, crouched down, unable to move for a while, panting heavily from the pain. ¡°Stop whining. Just guard the ship while I¡¯m in there.¡± Jeong-hoon had barely hit him. Had he put in any real effort, the crusader would¡¯ve not only lost consciousness but probably his life as well. Leaving the Crusader behind, Jeong-hoon entered the portal. [Do you wish to enter Serpentid¡¯s Lair?] [*Upon entering, underwater breathing will be enabled.] A dungeon without even a level indicator. ¡®What were they thinking,ing in here?¡¯ Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t understand the fools who entered before him. Anyone with half a brain would recognize this ce was dangerous. ¡®I¡¯m going in.¡¯ As Jeong-hoon epted the prompt, his body was pulled into the portal. The sight that greeted him left him momentarily speechless. ¡°A massacre¡­?¡± There wasn¡¯t a single uninjured person in sight. Bodiesy everywhere, some with their necks torn out, others ripped in half, leaving only the torso or limbs. And in front of him, a giant serpent-like creature, the Serpentid, was gnawing on something¡ªlikely one of the unfortunate guild members. ¡°S-save me¡­¡± A faint voice reached Jeong-hoon¡¯s ears. With underwater breathing enabled,munication was possible as well. Turning his head, Jeong-hoon noticed someone clinging to life. ¡®A survivor.¡¯ The man had lost one arm, yet he was still conscious. Jeong-hoon swam swiftly toward him. [Casting Advanced Healing.] As the Advanced Healing spell took effect, the torn area closed up rapidly. ¡°A-are you a priest¡­?¡± The man¡¯s face clouded with despair, assuming a priest would be helpless against the monster. ¡°Just stay back.¡± But Jeong-hoon, expressionless, replied calmly. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°You¡¯d just get in the way of dealing with it.¡± Right on cue, the Serpentid lunged toward them. ¡ª¡ª¡ª- Chapter 228 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 228 Aditya resented Vikram. From the start, this raid was absurd. A dungeon without any level indicator. Attempting to tackle such a dangerous dungeon while relying solely on one Legendary Detection Skill. ¡°A human!¡± As soon as they entered, a monster charged at them. [Lv.450 Serpentid] The creature¡¯s level was 450. Facing an opponent with such an insanely high level, they felt their fighting spirit vanish. Vikram felt the same. ¡®This is ridiculous!¡¯ A dungeon without a disyed level, the kind that screams danger upon entry. Vikram had encountered such dungeons a few times before. Initially, he too had hesitated, but he trusted in his Legendary Detection Skill and entered. Those times, it worked out brilliantly. So he assumed this one was simr¡ªwho could¡¯ve predicted a level 450 boss would be lurking inside? ¡°Argh!¡± Suddenly, a scorching pain surged through his arm. Turning his head, Vikram realized his right arm was missing. ¡®I didn¡¯t even see it get close!¡¯ That wasn¡¯t the only issue. By the time he registered that his right arm was torn off, his left leg was already gone, causing him to lose bnce and copse. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± Vikram let out a scream. ¡°Guild Leader!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The guild members scrambled into battle stance. They couldn¡¯t defeat this creature, but they couldn¡¯t just surrender, either. But no matter what they tried, they couldn¡¯t even scratch the Serpentid. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Aaargh!¡± Five of them died in an instant. Some had their throats ripped out, others had their bodies torn apart from torso to waist. All devoured by the Serpentid¡¯s maw. ¡°No!¡± Vikram, who had lost an arm and a leg, let out a desperate cry. In an instant, the Serpentid lunged forward and tore out his throat. ¡°Guh... agh!¡± The guild members watching from behind scattered in terror. Fighting that thing was impossible. Aditya quickly activated his stealth and hid in a corner, trembling uncontrobly. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°Gahhhh!¡± With his eyes shut and ears covered, he frantically called out to the gods. Begging to be saved from this hopeless situation. Promising he would do anything, if only they¡¯d spare his life. Then, his strength gave out, and the hand covering his right ear fell away. As his hand dropped, an indescribable pain surged through his arm. ¡°G-gah¡­ugh¡­¡± He slowly turned his head. Where his right arm should have been, there was nothing but a stream of blood pouring out. His severed right army on the ground. He thought he was finished. At that moment, someone entered through the portal. Aditya struggled to cry out for help, though his voice barely made a sound. The person noticed him, approached, and healed his wounds instantly. ¡®A priest¡­?¡¯ The pain vanished in an instant. That meant this person was a high-level priest. Which also meant he¡¯d be severelycking inbat ability. His level was only 160. Aditya couldn¡¯t fathom how someone at level 160 could have such healing power, but the situation was still hopeless. At least, that¡¯s what he thought. ¡°Graaaah!¡± The Serpentid, charging toward them, suddenly let out a piercing scream. ¡°Huh?¡± Aditya made a startled sound. ¡®The level 450 boss¡­ in pain?¡¯ Looking closer, he saw what looked like a harpoon lodged in the Serpentid¡¯s head. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to move back?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Finally snapping back to his senses, Aditya retreated. * * * Poseidon¡¯s Harpoon It was the first item Jeong-hoon had prepared. The harpoon, which could be purchased for 50,000 points, was a one-use item that vanished after a set time once thrown. [One of Serpentid¡¯s abilities will be forcibly sealed.] Poseidon¡¯s Harpoon had an effect that sealed one of the creature¡¯s abilities. ¡®My Extreme Archer ss alone wouldn¡¯t work for this.¡¯ The Serpentid¡¯s high level wasn¡¯t the only problem; his skill set had no means of sealing its abilities. Thus, Jeong-hoon¡¯s Extreme Archer abilities were ineffective against the Serpentid¡¯s actions and skills. But Poseidon¡¯s Harpoon was different. No matter what, it could forcibly seal one of the creature¡¯s abilities. Of course, the effectsted only about five minutes. ¡®That should be enough time.¡¯ The ability he sealed was ¡°Targeting.¡± This ability allowed the Serpentid to mark a target and forcibly tear apart specific body parts, even from a distance. This targeting ability was the first attack pattern and the reason why the team had been decimated all at once. ¡®The first pattern has been neutralized.¡¯ The James Marcus Expedition, which had previously hunted the Serpentid, mentioned that there were a total of four patterns for countering it. The second pattern would only emerge once the creature''s health fell below 70%. [ck Field has been activated.] [All stats are enhanced by 1.5 times.] [Under the influence of ck Field, all stats of monsters within the area decrease by 10%.] Jeong-hoon activated ck Field. [All stats increase by 15%.] [Damage received is reduced by 20%.] [Duration: 1 hour.] In addition, the stat-boosting ring took effect. [Activation probability of ¡®Poison Attack¡¯ increases by an additional 4% for 1 hour.] Although he wanted to use it for annihtion, the level gap between him and the Serpentid was more than 60, leaving him no choice. [Special ability of Dominator¡¯s Grip is activated.] [All stats increase by 10%.] [Attack power and proficiency with all weapon types increase by 10%.] Dominator¡¯s Grip. [Special ability of the Head Ornament infused with Divine Beast¡¯s Soul is activated.] [Attack power and defense increase by 40%.] Head Ornament infused with the Divine Beast¡¯s Soul. [Using Celestial Aura.] A radiant, starlit aura surrounded Jeong-hoon, enveloping him in a gentle glow. [Attack power and defense increase by 20%.] [Serpentid¡¯s attack power and defense decrease by 10%.] With all these buffs in ce, Jeong-hoon drew Anima¡¯s bowstring. Although he was underwater, the arrows were unaffected by water resistance in this dungeon. ¡®I¡¯ll aim for the weak spot.¡¯ Though he had countered the first pattern, it wasn¡¯t foolproof. To end this quickly, he needed to take down the creature within the five-minute limit. Jeong-hoon released the bowstring. Whoosh! ¡®Ultimate Arrow.¡¯ The arrow struck the Serpentid¡¯s forehead dead-on, piercing the crystal embedded in one of its vital points. ¡°Kieeeeek!¡± The Serpentid screamed as the arrow hit its weak spot. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. [Heavenly Strike has been activated.] Heavenly Strike triggered, unleashing a storm of arrows. The Serpentid¡¯s health started depleting rapidly, bolstered by Jeong-hoon¡¯syered stat increases from his buffs. Then, the creature¡¯s body began to glow, and its eyes turned blood-red. It was about to activate its second pattern. ¡®Now!¡¯ Jeong-hoon released the bowstring again. Whoosh! The arrow flew and struck precisely at the Serpentid¡¯s tail. At that moment, the crystal orb attached to the arrow¡¯s tip exploded. It was the second item Jeong-hoon had prepared in advance: ¡®Latte¡¯s Crystal Orb.¡¯ When the crystal orb exploded, the creature was rendered immobile for 15 seconds, effectively disabling its second pattern. This crystal orb was a costly purchase, bought for a massive 100,000 points. Although it only worked on monsters and immobilized them for a mere 15 seconds, making it a rarely sold item, its true valuey elsewhere. When used as the creature activated a skill, it would automatically cancel that skill. This meant that even after the 15 seconds of stun psed, the creature¡¯s attempted ability would not take effect. ¡®The Serpentid''s second ability is Petrification.¡¯ As light began to emanate from the creature''s body, exposure would cause one''s body to harden. The petrificationsted about a minute, and being swallowed whole by the Serpentid would be inevitable. However, the petrification was canceled thanks to Latte''s Crystal Orb. Jeong-hoon drew and released his bowstring once more. Whoosh! The arrow struck the creature¡¯s forehead again. ¡°Kieeeek!¡± The Serpentid¡¯s health rapidly diminished, leaving only 30%. The third pattern was also disabled due to Latte¡¯s Crystal Orb, preventing it from activating. Jeong-hoon continued to unleash arrows relentlessly. [Remaining Health: 17%] [Remaining Health: 14%] [Remaining Health: 10%] The health dwindled at an astonishing rate, leaving only 10%. At that moment, the Serpentid¡¯s paralysis wore off, and it began thrashing violently. It now nned to activate its final special ability. [Serpentid regenerates health.] [Remaining Health: 30%] The creature¡¯s health shot up from 10% to 30% in an instant. Jeong-hoon lowered Anima, the bow he was holding. [Huh¡­? What¡¯s going on? Why¡¯d you stop?] ¡®Keep firing! What are you doing?!¡¯ Mukho and Anima eximed in confusion. Jeong-hoon smirked. ¡°I want to finish this easily.¡± At that moment, the Serpentid opened its mouth wide. [Serpentid uses ¡®Ice Breath.¡¯] A dragon¡¯s breath attack¡ªthe Serpentid¡¯s final pattern was this breath attack. The breath shot out toward Jeong-hoon, who didn¡¯t make any attempt to dodge. ¡°No!¡± Aditya, who had been watching from a distance, cried out in despair. Just moments before, he¡¯d been watching with hopeful eyes, but seeing the creature¡¯s health regenerate and Jeong-hoon willingly taking the breath attack left him feeling crushed. There was no one who could survive that kind of attack. The spot where the breath struck instantly froze over. ¡°You¡¯re next,¡± the Serpentid hissed, its bloodshot eyes locking onto Aditya. His legs trembled, and he found himself unable to move. ¡°P-please¡­¡± Oh, God¡­ Bang! At that moment, the ice shattered, and Jeong-hoon swam out unscathed. ¡°How¡­?!¡± Serpentid looked at Jeong-hoon with eyes filled with disbelief. ¡°Any way I can.¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. [The Counterattack Rune is activated.] [You can return the absorbed attack.] With the Counterattack Rune, he could absorb all iing attacks for 15 seconds and return them. Jeong-hoon redirected the breath he had just absorbed back at Serpentid. Zzaaaaak! With a deafening sound, the breath shot forth, engulfing Serpentid. The creature didn¡¯t even have time to scream before it was obliterated. [Serpentid¡¯s den has been cleared.] [Rewards are given for clearing the den.] [No penalties are applied for this dungeon.] It¡¯s done. With that, the penalty from Serpentid''s den waspletely erased. But that wasn¡¯t all. [You have achieved an amazing aplishment!] [You have defeated the North Sea Sentinel ¡®Serpentid¡¯.] [You receive 100,000 achievement points.] [You receive 300,000 points.] [You gain 5,000,000,000 experience!] [Your level has increased.] [All stats have increased by +1.] [You receive +1 bonus stat.] With the defeat of Serpentid, Jeong-hoon earned achievement points, points, and experience. [A new special dungeon has been created as a result of defeating the North Sea Sentinel.] [You can now enter a new episode.] Furthermore, a new episode was unlocked. ¡®It¡¯s open.¡¯ An episode included in the collection. Like during the M?rchen, the difficulty would be high, but it was an episode that had to bepleted to finish the game. Then Baal revealed himself before Jeong-hoon. ¡°Yikes! What is that?!¡± Aditya eximed in surprise. Baal frowned. At that, Aditya fell backward and fainted. Baal turned his attention back to Jeong-hoon. ¡°I cleared it alone, just as I said.¡± <¡­Ha, I never expected you to take down that Serpentid by yourself.> ¡°He was indeed a tricky one, just as you said. It would have been much harder without the help of items.¡± This statement was sincere. If he hadn¡¯t known how to counter the patterns, it would have been a tough battle. ¡°Really? Where is it?¡± [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 229 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 229 Previously, the Alchemist¡¯s Street was a special dungeon with a green portal. Now, the dungeon leading to the Serpentid was marked by a ck portal. Transitioning from a ck portal to a special dungeon was unusual. Yet, strangely enough, it actually happened¡ªthree times, no less. While two of these special dungeons weren¡¯t important since they weren¡¯t part of any collection, the special dungeon opened through the Serpentid was different. "Should I start right away?" Baal¡¯s eyes curved into a crescent shape. The wager¡¯s timeline was half a year. Within that half-year, Jeong-hoon had to clear the 10 dungeons Baal presented. Currently, nearly two months had passed. In other words, Jeong-hoon had roughly four months left. ¡°I know. Just remember that you need to present all 10 within that half-year as well.¡± If Baal proposed them too tightly spaced, it would put Jeong-hoon at a disadvantage. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± Jeong-hoon smirked and carried the unconscious Aditya out of the dungeon. Outside, a Crusader was waiting with a grave expression. "You¡¯re out! You devil... Aditya!" He looked ready to charge, but upon seeing Aditya slung over Jeong-hoon¡¯s back, his face turned pale. Aditya¡¯s right shoulder, where his arm should have been, was missing. ¡°If you¡¯re itching to get beaten up, go ahead.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned, and the Crusader halted his steps. ¡°L-let go of Aditya!¡± ¡°I was already nning to.¡± Jeong-hoon gently lowered Aditya and shook him by his left shoulder. ¡°Ugh, where am I...?!¡± Slowly regaining consciousness, Aditya quickly sat up. ¡°Are you awake?¡± ¡°Huh¡­ Huh? Am I alive?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s words, Aditya broke into sobs. ¡°Aditya¡­ what in the world happened in there?¡± Now speaking more respectfully, the Crusader cautiously questioned Jeong-hoon. With the Crusader showing proper courtesy, Jeong-hoon responded ordingly. ¡°We were wiped out by the Serpentid. Of everyone who entered, he¡¯s the only survivor.¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡± The Crusader¡¯s legs seemed to give out as he slumped to the ground. Jeong-hoon looked at him incredulously and asked, ¡°What on earth made you think it was a good idea to enter an unranked dungeon?¡± The portal exuded such intense magic that just approaching it should have been out of the question. Did they take their lives as a joke? ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, our guild master has a legendary-grade detection skill. That skill assured us that the dungeon was safe.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it a failure to detect rather than dering it safe?¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°A foolish leader drove everyone into a death trap.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult our guild master!¡± ¡°So, if that guild master hadn¡¯t called this dungeon safe, you wouldn¡¯t have thought of going in, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± The Crusader fell silent, unable to refute Jeong-hoon¡¯s words. ¡°He¡¯s right¡­ if it weren¡¯t for the guild master, things wouldn¡¯t have ended up like this.¡± ¡°Aditya¡­¡± ¡°Thank you for saving me¡­ If not for you, I would have died as well.¡± Aditya expressed his gratitude to Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon waved it off. ¡°It¡¯s fine. But could you guard this ship a little longer?¡± ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s still a dungeon I need to clear inside.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°The inside is safe, so you can move the bodies onto the ship.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± After moving Aditya onto the ship, Jeong-hoon re-entered the portal. * * * As the Asian man said, Serpentid lurking within the dungeon had been eliminated. Beyond that, a green portal shimmered. He was likely entering there toplete the dungeon. ¡°Aditya, I should have listened to you¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. It would¡¯ve been strange for anyone to heed my warning in there.¡± Aditya med the guild master Vikram but didn¡¯t hold any resentment toward the other guild members. ¡°It¡¯s really safe inside, right¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. Otherwise, how could I have survived?¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± Crusader Arundi entered the dungeon with Aditya. Inside, the scene was horrific. ¡®My god¡­¡¯ Arundi was at a loss for words in the face of the massacre. There wasn¡¯t a single body with all limbs intact. ¡°Let¡¯s move them quickly.¡± Aditya, somewhat ustomed to the sight, grimaced and started moving the corpses. ¡°Y-yeah.¡± Arundi followed him. * * * The ce he crossed into through the portal was atop an iceberg. The iceberg was so massive that the ocean was barely visible, and in the distance, a gate to a city leading to the capital was visible. Jeong-hoon touched the ground with his hand. It was so lukewarm that he barely felt the cold. ¡°A preservation spell.¡± It appeared that preservation magic was keeping the iceberg from melting. nts were even growing on it. They were all unfamiliar species, and the ice was so transparent that their roots could be seen extending below. [Starting the first episode.] [EP.1 The Past of Riadolf] The episode begins. As soon as it starts, the city gates open, revealing three soldiers. ¡°Phew, why are things so hectic these days¡­.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± ¡°Wait! Intruder!¡± In the midst of their idle chatter, one soldier pointed toward Jeong-hoon. All three soldiers drew their swords and slowly approached him. Jeong-hoon calmly raised his hands to show he had no intention of fighting. A question mark blinked above the head of the soldier in the center. [Episode Quest: The Powerful Nation of Riadolf] - Condition: Defeat the Serpentid - Reward: Ability to proceed to the next quest + EXP - Description: Enter Riadolf. The first quest was to gain entry into Riadolf. ¡°Kking.¡± At that moment, Sloth, who was nestled in Jeong-hoon¡¯s arms, tried to wriggle out. Jeong-hoon held him back to prevent him from emerging. ¡®Not food.¡¯ One must be discerning with what they consume. These soldiers were NPCs necessary for the episode¡¯s progression. Upon epting the quest, the guards became even more hostile. ¡°Show your identification.¡± ¡°Failure to do so will mean we¡¯ll consider you an enemy.¡± Identification. Of course, Jeong-hoon had none. ¡®How should I handle this¡­?¡¯ Jeong-hoon pondered briefly. The quest required entry into Riadolf. In other words, he just needed to get in by any means necessary. ¡°I apologize.¡± ¡°What¡­ ack!¡± ¡°Hup! Ugh!¡± ¡°Who does he think he¡­ gah!¡± Jeong-hoon swiftly subdued the guards with hand strikes using his Celestial Martial Art. All three copsed in an instant. [Can you really just barge in like this¡­?] Mukho asked in disbelief. ¡°There¡¯s no other reasonable way.¡± It was clear from the look in the guards¡¯ eyes. Their vignce toward outsiders was unusually high. Trying to persuade them to let him enter Riadolf would¡¯ve been impossible. Subduing them to slip into the city was his best option. Jeong-hoon quietly passed them and crossed Riadolf¡¯s gates. ¡°W-who¡¯s there!¡± Of course, it was only a matter of time before he was noticed. But Jeong-hoon, using his Celestial Martial Art, easily eluded them. Jeong-hoon noticed a beggar sitting on the street, a blinking exmation mark hovering above his head. It seemed that entering Riadolf through this unconventional route was, indeed, the correct approach. --- [NPC Information] - Nickname: Patrick - Level: 50 - ss: Beggar --- Jeong-hoon approached the beggar. [Questpleted.] [You have gained 3,000,000 experience points.] [You may now proceed to the next quest.] Above the beggar¡¯s head, a question mark began to blink again. [Episode Quest: Crawford] - Condition: Entry into Riadolf - Reward: ess to the next quest + EXP - Description: Meet with a Crawford guild member and enter the guild headquarters. (The passcode is ¡®@$%#@!¡¯.) The next quest was to infiltrate the guild. For some reason, the beggar wasn¡¯t a mere beggar after all. epting the quest, Jeong-hoon approached and quietly asked, ¡°Are you a member of the Crawford Guild?¡± ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that? Can¡¯t you just spare some money¡­? I haven¡¯t eaten in days, and I¡¯m really about to starve¡­.¡± The beggar rubbed his stomach, pleading with Jeong-hoon. With a small grin, Jeong-hoon took out paper and a pen from his inventory and wrote down the passcode from the quest. It was a series of symbols converted into special characters when the quest was granted¡ªhe didn¡¯t know what it meant, but it was clear this was needed. ¡°Could you lead me to Crawford?¡± he asked, showing the slip of paper. The beggar¡¯s dull expression shifted dramatically. ¡°...Follow me.¡± He stood up quietly, ncing around with caution. --- [NPC Information] - Nickname: Patrick - Level: 250 - ss: Crawford Guild Member --- The NPC¡¯s info updated, and his level shot up from 50 to 250. Without pausing his wary nces, he led Jeong-hoon to a tavern along the road heading north from Riadolf. ¡°Is it here?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Patrick nodded and opened the tavern door. As they entered, a man at one of the tables, who was enjoying his drink, jumped up with a scowl. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s a beggar doing here, ruining the mood!¡± Shone. No matter how convincingly Patrick acted, his performance appeared riddled with awkwardness to Jeong-hoon. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Can¡¯t Ie in here?¡± Patrick shot back defiantly. In response, the man grabbed him by the cor, sneering, ¡°You think you¡¯re allowed to talk back, huh? Say goodbye, you¡¯re dead today.¡± As he began dragging Patrick out, Patrick discreetly signaled Jeong-hoon with a small hand motion¡ªan invitation to follow. Jeong-hoon obediently trailed behind, and they made their way to a narrow alley beside the building. ¡°He¡¯s the one who spoke the passcode,¡± Patrick said quietly. The man nodded, releasing Patrick¡¯s cor with a respectful nod. ¡°Yes. Understood.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll guide him to the guild. Make sure everything¡¯s in order behind us.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Patrick led Jeong-hoon to a small door at the back of the building. A few men lounged there, idly smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, clearly stationed to guard the entrance. As Patrick approached, they stubbed out their cigarettes on the ground and stood up, bowing in greeting. ¡°Sir, you¡¯ve arrived!¡± ¡°Yes. Open the door.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± With a loud creak, the door opened. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Following Patrick, Jeong-hoon stepped through the door and found himself descending a steep staircase that seemed to stretch on forever. Finally reaching the bottom, they arrived at another door. Patrick ced his hand on it, causing a soft glow to emerge as the door smoothly swung open. ¡°What is this ce?¡± Jeong-hoon asked. ¡°The guild headquarters,¡± Patrick replied, gesturing at the expansive area beyond¡ªa spacerge enough to justify the title of a guild¡¯s main base. Inside, seven people were busy at their stations, and above one individual, who appeared to be the guild master, an exmation mark blinked. Approaching the guild master, Jeong-hoonpleted his quest. [Questpleted.] [You have gained 4,000,000 experience points.] [You may now proceed to the next quest.] Once again, a question mark blinked above the guild master¡¯s head, signaling the next step. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 230 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 230 --- [NPC Information] - Nickname: Valderian - Level: 370 - Role: Crawford Guild Master --- He is Valderian, the Guild Master of Crawford. [Episode Quest: Prisoner] - Restriction: Entering Crawford - Reward: Ability to proceed with the next quest + Experience Points - Description: Help Crawford. The next quest involved assisting this guild. ¡®The Fall of Riadolf? That was quite a wild episode.¡¯ It is said that James Marcus clicked his tongue afterpleting it. This episode required entering Crawford to bring down the Kingdom of Riadolf. To be precise, it meant triggering the cause of its downfall. ¡®So, this episode can only bepleted by toppling the powerful Riadolf.¡¯ No one quite understood why such an episode existed. ¡®We have to find out.¡¯ In New World, quests were never assigned without purpose. Every quest came with a mandatory reward, and when an absurd quest appeared, there was always a reason for it. The episode that James Marcus tackled was essentially fruitless. However, within the collection of episodes, there existed something known as a "Hidden" episode. Therefore, this episode likely had a hidden element as well. Jeong-hoon brushed his hand over his dantian. The power that allowed him to return in time. It was certain, given what he had heard from "him" before obtaining this power. There were no meaningless episodes¡ªhe just had to navigate it carefully. "Hmm, how did you figure out our passcode?" Valderian asked Jeong-hoon with an intrigued expression. He had realized that Jeong-hoon deciphered the code upon entering with Patrick. "I came across it by chance." "By chance, huh¡­ Fine. So, what brings you here?" "I want to join the guild." "Rejected." Valderian replied without a second''s hesitation. "And why is that?" "Our guild doesn¡¯t ept outsiders." Valderian smirked. ¡®Every single quest is supposed to be difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ Even James Marcus had struggled for a long time before he was able to join this guild. The difficulty was notoriously high, making the quests extremely challenging toplete. However, Jeong-hoon had learned the strategy through him. This episode was so tough it often came up as a topic of conversation, so it was impossible to forget. Jeong-hoon looked at him with a sly smile. "I¡¯ll take care of the guild''s long-standing wish." ¡°Long-standing wish?¡± Valderian frowned. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll help resolve the guild¡¯s long-standing wish.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re quite an informed fellow.¡± ¡°Well, if I figured out the passcode, wouldn¡¯t I know at least that much?¡± ¡°Ha ha, fair enough.¡± Valderian chuckled and pulled out a document, handing it to Jeong-hoon. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± The document had a bold title: ¡°Emergency Rescue Request.¡± In short, three members of Crawford were held captive in Riadolf, and it was a request for their rescue. The sender was Valderian. The recipient was a guild member acting as a spy within Riadolf. ¡°We need to rescue these captives, and I¡¯d like you to help a little.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s skip the lies and get to the point.¡± Jeong-hoon had no intention ofpleting every quest detail like James Marcus had. Every episode had skippable parts¡ªjust like now. ¡®The captives are fake to begin with.¡¯ If he followed the quest diligently, he¡¯d be asked to fulfill certain demands under the guise of freeing the captives. Only after meeting those demands could he proceed to the next quest. Since this process could take a considerable amount of time, he intended to skip it entirely. As he made this decision, a question mark flickered above his head. [Episode Quest: Join Crawford] - Restriction: Complete the Crawford Prisoner Quest - Reward: Ability to proceed with the next quest + Experience Points - Description: Join Crawford. Done. He sessfully skipped the quest. When Jeong-hoon epted the quest, Valderian let out a heartyugh. ¡°What an amusing friend you are. Alright, then let me ask you once more.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your real reason for wanting to join Crawford?¡± ¡°Because I dislike Riadolf.¡± ¡°Dislike?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± A simple, straightforward answer. Yet it was enough to win Valderian¡¯s trust. ¡®After all, they aren¡¯t on Riadolf¡¯s side.¡¯ The mighty kingdom of Riadolf had invaded and now ruled over a small nation called Soberion, and Crawford was a guild formed by people from Soberion. Their ultimate goal was the liberation of Soberion¡ªa quest that was virtually impossible toplete unless Riadolf fell. This was why the difficulty was so high. ¡°That¡¯s a good answer.¡± A sly smile curved on Valderian¡¯s lips. At the same time, an exmation mark blinked above his head, indicating that Jeong-hoon could now proceed with the next quest. [Quest Completed.] [You have gained 4,000,000 experience points.] [You may proceed to the next quest.] At that moment, one of the men seated nearby sprang to his feet. ¡°Guild Master! You¡¯re not seriously considering allowing an outsider to join the guild, are you?!¡± Crawford was strictly a guild for people from Soberion, so it was natural for members to resist the Guild Master¡¯s decision. ¡°It¡¯s not a full membership. It¡¯s a temporary one.¡± ¡°Temporary membership?¡± The mention of temporary membership softened the guild members'' opposition. ¡°Yes. To gain full membership, he¡¯ll have to prove himself.¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Prove myself?¡± ¡°Yes. Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d help fulfill our long-standing wish?¡± As Valderian nodded, a question mark flickered above his head. [Episode Quest: Investigation] - Restriction: Complete the Crawford Guild Membership Quest - Reward: Ability to proceed to the next quest + Experience Points - Description: Investigate Riadolf¡¯s capital and help fulfill Crawford¡¯s long-standing wish. The next quest was an investigation. ¡®Here it is.¡¯ The foundation of Riadolf¡¯s downfall. While James Marcus had spent about three weeks on this quest, Jeong-hoon had no intention of investing that much time¡ªhe already knew the answer. * * * Riadolf¡¯s Capital Jeong-hoon moved carefully, avoiding people¡¯s eyes. The area was under heavy guard. [Are they trying to capture intruders?] ¡®Probably. Especially after we took down those guards.¡¯ Anima was right. The heightened security was because Jeong-hoon had subdued the guards to get in, making it necessary to stay out of sight. He moved cautiously and finally reached the central fountain. ¡®If James Marcus was right, there¡¯s supposed to be a button here.¡¯ A mechanism to trigger the episode¡¯s progression. Jeong-hoon dipped his hand into the water. Releasing his magic, the fountain began to glow, and a portal formed on the water¡¯s surface. [W-what¡¯s happening?] ¡®What is this?¡¯ Mukho and Anima were shocked by the sudden appearance of the portal. ¡°It¡¯s a hidden portal.¡± It had been there all along, just hidden beneath the fountain. Jeong-hoon simply released magic to bring the portal to the surface. He nned to exit through that portal. ¡°Intruder!¡± ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± But as he prepared to leave, he was confronted by the guards he¡¯d knocked out earlier. ¡°Now this is annoying.¡± Jeong-hoon had nned to slip out quietly, but he hadn''t expected to run into those guards again. He unfolded his Sky Scroll and swung his fist at them. ¡°Guh!¡± ¡°Urgh!¡± One guard fell with each punch, a sight so astonishing that the remaining guards were gripped with shock. ¡°H-how is he so strong¡­ ugh!¡± ¡°Damn it! Call for backup!¡± ¡°Argh!¡± They didn¡¯t even get the chance to call for reinforcements. Within five minutes, all of them were down. Jeong-hoon strolled out, calm and unbothered. * * * Meanwhile, someone was observing the scene from afar. ¡®Is that guy a monster?¡¯ It was none other than Valderian, the Guild Master of Crawford. Shortly after Jeong-hoon departed, Valderian followed to keep an eye on him, intending to confirm whether this stranger was trustworthy. Without hesitation, Jeong-hoon had gone straight to the central fountain and ced his hand in the water. Valderian scoffed at the sight. That fountain had already been thoroughly inspected¡ªnothing was supposed to be there. But then, to his astonishment, the fountain began to glow, and a portal appeared on the water¡¯s surface. ¡®What in the world!¡¯ Valderian couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. The dungeon he¡¯d searched for all this time had just revealed itself. And to top it off, Jeong-hoon had dispatched the guards in no time and vanished. ¡®¡­Time to head back.¡¯ Valderian quickly used a return stone and hurried back to the guild headquarters. * * * Shortly after Valderian returned to headquarters, Jeong-hoon also arrived. ¡°What¡­ are you?¡± Valderian looked at Jeong-hoon, face filled with astonishment. ¡°Were you tailing me?¡± Jeong-hoon grinned slyly. In fact, he¡¯d sensed Valderian¡¯s presence while leaving the headquarters. He¡¯d feigned ignorance to gain Valderian¡¯s trust. ¡°¡­Yes. It was to see if you¡¯re someone I can trust.¡± ¡°Of course. Either way, the investigation¡¯splete. As you saw, a portal appeared at the central fountain.¡± ¡°How did you manage it?¡± ¡°I just channeled my magic, and it worked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ impossible¡­¡± Valderian was at a loss for words. He had personally examined every corner of the capital, including the fountain, yet had found nothing. He¡¯d even tried channeling magic and various other methods, all to no avail. ¡®Of course. The device only responds when someone is actively on the quest.¡¯ These characters were merely NPCs, meant to function within the confines of the episode. Naturally, they couldn¡¯t stray from the set storyline, and only yers on the quest could progress to the next stage. KABOOM! A deafening roar shook the ground. ¡®It¡¯s begun.¡¯ As the dungeon rose to the surface, the monsters within it began to escape. These creatures would bring about the downfall of the mighty nation of Riadolf. That was the intended end of this episode. Due to its extreme difficulty, this was an episode that typically required yers to struggle through for a long time, but Jeong-hoon, already familiar with the strategy, cleared it swiftly. However, Jeong-hoon had no intention of ending it here. ¡°Heh, so it begins,¡± Valderian chuckled, a gleam of excitement in his eye. A blinking exmation mark hovered over his head. The final quest was to evacuate Valderian and the Crawford guild members from Riadolf. Once they escaped, the nation would fall, and Crawford, with Valderian at its center, would survive. But Jeong-hoon chose to ignore this quest. ¡®Evacuating now would mean nothing.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had a ¡®hidden¡¯ n in mind for this episode. He intended to eliminate the monster, going beyond the scripted oue. ¡°Guild Master! You need to evacuate immediately!¡± ¡°¡­¡± But Valderian didn¡¯t respond, as Jeong-hoon had yet toplete the quest. And, of course, that quest was never going to bepleted. ¡°I¡¯ll be off now.¡± As Jeong-hoon rose to leave, Valderian grabbed his arm. ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you hear the explosion outside?!¡± ¡°Likely, monsters are emerging from the portal. It¡¯s the only thing that could exin that noise.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Riadolf is going to fall¡ªthanks to you!¡± Valderian¡¯s maniacal words hung in the air, but Jeong-hoon replied with a calm smile. ¡°No. I simply dislike Riadolf. I have no intention of destroying it.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Unfurling the Sky Scroll Jeong-hoon left the headquarters, his movements so swift Valderian had no time to react. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 231 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 231 ¡°Awaken the demon that slumbers in the capital. By doing so, Riadolf will fall.¡± Just before Soberion was devoured by Riadolf. Valderian stumbled upon a stone tablet inscribed with that phrase. The demon lying dormant in the capital. If that demon were awakened, he could bring ruin to the doomed Riadolf and reim Soberion. Driven by that single purpose, he founded Crawford and gradually gathered like-minded people from Soberion, establishing their base of operations in Riadolf¡¯s capital. And today, the long-awaited moment hade, delivered by an outsider. Now, all that remained was to lead his people out of Riadolf, and it would be over. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t make it out unscathed¡­¡± It didn¡¯t matter. From the moment Crawford was established, he¡¯d resolved toy down his life. Could he not sacrifice a single life to reim his homnd? But the outsider who had granted them their wish had already left. ¡°Ch-chase him down!¡± Valderian shouted urgently. Following hismand, the guild members moved to pursue Jeong-hoon. However, Jeong-hoon had already entered the heart of the capital, where a massive demon pped its wings, showcasing its ominous presence. ¡°Guildmaster¡­ we may need to retreat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Even if he attempts to destroy that creature, nothing will change.¡± Valderian shared the same thought as his guild members. At first, he intended to chase Jeong-hoon, but upon seeing the colossal demon, he reconsidered. No one could possibly defeat that demon. Damn that man. Let him face the consequences for his betrayal. ¡°Retreat.¡± Valderian and his guild members began to withdraw from the capital. * * * ¡°How pitiful.¡± The demon Baramuth smirked as he watched those trying to escape the capital. With a simple gesture, a dark barrier formed around the capital, blocking any attempt to flee. Having received thismand, he had awaited the right moment, but someone had hastened it. Thanks to that, he had awakened much sooner than expected. ¡°Hey.¡± Someone called out to him. ¡°Hm?¡± Baramuth¡¯s gaze dropped downward. There, a lone man aimed an arrow directly at him. ¡°Do you intend to destroy Riadolf?¡± At this question, Baramuth smirked. ¡°And if I do?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to destroy you.¡± ¡°Heh, you think you can destroy me?¡± An absurd deration. To think a mere creature would dare to dere his intent to eliminate one who has ascended to a transcendent ne. ¡°What an amusing human. Heh heh.¡± Baramuth was originally a transcendent of apostolic rank. However, in the past, during a dimension-wiping operation, he had been penalized and destroyed. If not for divine grace, he wouldn¡¯t be alive now. Although he was currently tasked with merely wiping out a mortal nation, simply existing again was satisfaction enough. This was the reason he had been able to endure his long period of suffering. ¡°Why? Think you can¡¯t do it?¡± The human gave a faint smirk. ¡°Heh, fine. In honor of being outside, I¡¯ll let yound one hit.¡± Baramuth spread his arms wide. He intended to show mercy, allowing the human to experience the insurmountable gap between them. ¡°As you wish.¡± The human released the drawn bowstring. Fwshhh! The arrow flew straight toward Baramuth¡¯s chest. Even so, Baramuth was calm. After all, that arrow couldn¡¯t possibly pierce him. ¡°Do you really think an arrow could prate my body?¡± An invisible barrier was always protecting his body. Thud! But the arrow pierced through the barrier and lodged directly in his chest. ¡°Gah!¡± At that moment, searing pain flooded him, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Simultaneously, a rain of arrows descended, embedding themselves all over his body. ¡°Aaaah!¡± The excruciating pain forced a scream from his mouth. How could this be?! He hurriedly attempted to use his abilities to dispel the arrows. [Abilities cannot be used.] [Abilities cannot be used.] No matter how hard he tried, his powers wouldn¡¯t activate. ¡°Could it be¡­?!¡± Did these arrows have the power to restrict his abilities?! ¡°Damn it!¡± Baramuth red at the human, eyes bloodshot. The human simply sneered back at him. *** [¡°Puhahaha! Serves you right for letting your guard down!¡±] ¡°I can¡¯t rx; it¡¯s not over yet.¡± Anima was right. The creature¡¯s level was also marked as a question mark. ¡°Not even the thought of standing against him crossed my mind.¡± James Marcus, who had escaped with Crawford, assessed Baramuth this way. Back then, during a quest, he barely managed to shatter the creature¡¯s barrier, barely concluding that episode. Since he hadn¡¯t yet ascended to the celestial realm, facing Baramuth had been virtually impossible. While Baramuth was now at the lower ranks among the transcendent, he had once been an apostolic-level transcendent. But Jeong-hoon was confident he could take him down. ¡°He¡¯s stronger than Rakandra. But I, too, am constantly growing.¡± At the time Jeong-hoon defeated Rakandra, he had only reached his third ss advancement. But now? He hadpleted the fourth advancement, and every skill he acquired through Steadfast Will had been upgraded and reached its maximum level. He had even gained close to 100 levels and earned the title ¡°Demon yer.¡± No matter how powerful Baramuth was, he could no longer be a match for Jeong-hoon. ¡°You damn bastard!¡± With his roar, the rain of arrows ceased. Baramuth, having taken the full brunt of the onught, was a wreck, without a single unscathed spot on him. ¡°Hm? Why are you getting angry? Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d let me hit you once?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in mock confusion. ¡°You damn mutt! Was that supposed to be a single hit?!¡± Baramuth, clearly feeling wronged, pointed to his battered body. ¡°That was abo; it should still count as one hit.¡± Where was the attitude of willingly taking a hit he¡¯d boasted about earlier? Are all demons so quick to change their words? Jeong-hoon clicked his tongue, looking at him with disdain. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ you actually think I¡¯m¡­ pitiful?¡± Baramuth¡¯s voice trembled as he looked at Jeong-hoon, his face a mixture of shock and frustration. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Aaaargh!¡± Baramuth clutched his head in agony, clearly rattled by the human¡¯s taunts. Jeong-hoon drew his bowstring again and released it. Fwshhh! This time, however, Baramuth caught the arrow in his hand before it could pierce him. ¡®Impressive reflexes.¡¯ But he wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge this. Boom! A magic missile, conjured simultaneously with the arrow, struck Baramuth. ¡°Argh!¡± Baramuth screamed in pain. In that moment, Jeong-hoon drew and released his bowstring once more. Fwshhh! In response, a surge of dark energy exploded from Baramuth¡¯s body. Boom! The magic missile and arrow disintegrated instantly. [The Archdemon Baramuth uses ¡°Annihtion.¡±] As Extreme Archer¡¯s duration expired, Baramuth was able to activate his special ability. [The Archdemon Baramuth uses ¡°Enhanced Death¡¯s Judgment.¡±] [A debuff that cannot be safeguarded against has been applied.] [Death¡¯s Judgment countdown begins.] [Reduce the Archdemon Baramuth¡¯s life force below 30% within 3 minutes.] [Failure to do so will result in your life force dropping to 0%, resulting in death.] It was a familiar ability. It was the very one the Archdemon Rakandra had once used. Yet this enhanced Death¡¯s Judgment required him to reduce Baramuth''s life force below 30%¡ªwithin just three minutes. ¡°Not even a three-minute cup of noodles.¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. [Remaining Life Force: 68.16%] Baramuth¡¯s life force was still at 68%. Three minutes was more than enough. Jeong-hoon began using his buffs, starting with ckfield and adding Celestial Aura. As all his stats surged wildly, his aura transformed. [You are affected by the ¡°Enhanced Death¡¯s Judgment¡± debuff.] [Monsters within the field are not affected by a stat reduction.] However, with the effects of Enhanced Death¡¯s Judgment, Baramuth¡¯s stats hadn¡¯t dropped. But not anymore. [Safeguard activated.] [Debuff has been dispelled.] [ckfield effect: All stats of monsters within the field are reduced by 10%.] [Celestial Aura effect: Archdemon Baramuth¡¯s attack and defense power decreased by 10%.] This was a Legendary-tier Safeguard. Its level was at Max. An enhanced Death¡¯s Judgment was manageable. ¡°This is insane!¡± Baramuth was aghast. It wasn¡¯t just that the debuff was lifted¡ªit was the fact that this human had reached a heavenly realm. Jeong-hoon drew and released his bowstring again, firing a series of arrows. Two of them pierced Baramuth¡¯s leg and arm. ¡°Damn it!¡± Baramuth urgently tried to activate his special ability. [Ability cannot be used.] Just like before, his powers wouldn¡¯t activate. These damned arrows! ¡°Arghhh!¡± With another barrage of arrows hitting him, Baramuth finally plummeted from the air. Jeong-hoon had been waiting, preparing Heavenly Step. This time, he held Leviathan in his hand instead of Anima. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± In a sh, Jeong-hoon was above the fallen Baramuth, bringing his sword down with lethal precision. Thud! Leviathan pierced directly through Baramuth¡¯s throat. ¡°Gah!¡± Baramuth¡¯s eyes widened as blood spurted from his mouth. ¡°How does it feel to be taken down by a human?¡± ¡°How dare you¡­!¡± ¡°That pride of yours hasn¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°Shut¡­ up¡­¡± Jeong-hoon said no more. Instead, he slowly withdrew Leviathan from its embedded position, then struck down again, putting an end to Baramuth¡¯s life. [You have defeated the Archdemon Baramuth for the first time! Achievement Points: 100,000 awarded.] [Points: 10,000 awarded.] [[Title] Demon yer has leveled up to Lv.2.] [You have defeated a being who ascended to the heavens! You acquire 0.3% of the ultimate energy, an unknown power.] [You gain 2,500,000,000 experience points.] [Your level has increased.] [All stats have increased by +1.] [You received a bonus stat point.] [As you possess one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the reward has been partially modified!] [You have obtained a ¡°Mystery Box (Sin).¡±] Just like with Rakandra, countless reward messages appeared in rapid session. It was expected, given he had defeated a being of heavenly rank. ¡°Kreeee!¡± At that moment, Sloth, who had been hiding in Jeong-hoon¡¯s arms, squirmed out. ¡°Hm? Are you nning to absorb this one?¡± ¡°Kreeee.¡± With a confirming cry, it crept over to Baramuth¡¯s corpse. [Absorbing the abilities of Archdemon Baramuth.] [Due to absorbing a transcendent being, one of Baramuth¡¯s abilities will be acquired.] [The Seven Deadly Sins entity ¡°Sloth¡± has acquired ¡°Annihtion.¡±] [The rank of Sloth has been upgraded by one level.] ¡°Oh!¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened with amazement. Who would have thought that absorbing Baramuth would let Sloth acquire his ability in its entirety? It was different from Stealth. When he had absorbed a lesser manifestation, he could only partially acquire the transcendent¡¯s ability. But Baramuth was different. Annihtion was fully absorbed. And that wasn¡¯t all. Sloth, which had previously been of Epic rank, had now leapt to Unique rank. --- [Seven Deadly Sins] - Type: Sloth - Level: ?? (Grows by absorbing stats) - Rank: Unique [Detailed Stats] - Strength: 168 - Agility: 165 - Vitality: 164 - Defense: 167 - Wisdom: 165 - Magic: 166 - Mental Strength: 164 --- At Unique rank, all of Sloth¡¯s stats had surpassed 160. Absorbing just one Baramuth had increased it this much. ¡°This is excellent.¡± Then there was the Mystery Box. A reward modified due to possessing one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The ¡°Sin¡± in its name indicated it must be rted to the Seven Deadly Sins. However, it wasn¡¯t the right moment to open the reward. ¡°The hidden episodees first.¡± The key to the hidden episodey ahead, with the sentries. ¡°Th-thank you!¡± The sentries who had previously identified him as an intruder now approached, bowing respectfully. Above their heads, question marks blinked. This meant he could now continue the episode. ¡°That episode is the key topleting the hidden episode.¡± [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 232 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 232 ¡°When the demon awakens, Riadolf shall fall.¡± This is a legend every resident of Riadolf knows. Most dismiss it as an absurd tale, something to ignore. But today, the demon has awakened. "Damn it!" "It¡¯s a demon!" "Return to the castle at once and report this!" The sentries who were searching for intruders paled, fleeing from the demon in terror. Yet, many stood frozen, paralyzed by the demon¡¯s overwhelming presence. "Running is pointless¡­." "We¡¯re all doomed¡­." They didn¡¯t even have the courage to fight back. Then¡­ what was this? Someone was firing arrows at the demon. Not only that, but a barrage of arrows rained down on the demon, pressing it back. As a result, both those who had been running away and those who were headed back to the castle to report turned around and gathered in the center, captivated. And there, they witnessed it: A human defeating a demon. *** A crowd quickly formed around Jeong-hoon. Ignoring them, he focused on the sentry ahead of him. It was the very same sentry who had pointed his sword at him at the castle gate. [Episode Quest: Hero] - Condition: Defeat the Archdemon Baramuth - Reward: ?? - Description: You have be a hero of Riadolf. Enter the royal pce to im your reward. The quest was simple: im the reward. If helping Crawford evacuate had been the end, then this hidden episode¡¯s condition was to defeat the Archdemon Baramuth. Jeong-hoon had met that condition and epted the sentry¡¯s quest. "I came here to take down that demon." An absurd excuse, but he had eliminated the demon that threatened Riadolf. They couldn¡¯t very well treat him as an intruder after he¡¯d done that. "My apologies! We didn¡¯t know¡­." The sentry bowed repeatedly, looking contrite. "There will be no more demons." "Is that so? You¡¯re sure there aren¡¯t any more¡­?" "If there are, I¡¯ll take care of them too." Hearing Jeong-hoon¡¯s promise to exterminate any remaining demons, the sentry nodded, visibly moved. "Truly, you are different, Hero." At that moment, a squad of knights came rushing to the center. The captain leading them approached Jeong-hoon and the sentry urgently. "What is the situation here? A demon has been in¡­?" "The Hero defeated it!" "The Hero?" "Yes!" The sentry looked at Jeong-hoon with admiration in his eyes. "Is that true?" The knightmander turned his gaze to Jeong-hoon, seeking confirmation. Jeong-hoon nodded. "Yes." "On behalf of the knights, I thank you, Hero. Without you, Riadolf might have fallen." Commander Eurice had been training knights when he witnessed the demon¡¯s appearance. Even from afar, he instantly recognized the demon as a harbinger of Riadolf¡¯s destruction. He quickly returned to the pce, reported to the Emperor, and led the knights to the city center to subdue the demon. Yet, despite his loyalty, Eurice anticipated their defeat, fearing they could not prevail against such a monster. But upon reaching the center, he found the battle already over. The sight of the demon¡¯s lifeless body brought him immense relief. "It was merely my duty." "Of course¡­ I understand." With a moved expression, Eurice nodded. To see one so humble about such a feat¡ªthis was the mark of a true hero. "Then, I¡¯ll be on my way." Jeong-hoon turned to leave. "Please, wait a moment!" Eurice urgently stopped him. ¡®We can¡¯t just let the Hero leave like this.¡¯ It was only right to recognize his contribution in defeating the demon and bestow upon him a hero''s reward. "Hm? Is there something more you¡¯d like to say?" Jeong-hoon asked, pretending not to know. "Would you be willing to apany us to the royal pce?" "The pce?" "Yes! Once His Majesty hears of this, he will surely want to reward you!" "Hm¡­ Very well." "Excellent!" Eurice instructed his knights to escort Jeong-hoon, and so Jeong-hoon began his journey to the pce. --- "Damn it! Damn it!" Valderian was punching the wall in rage. The Archdemon Baramuth, who was supposed to bring Riadolf to ruin, had been brought down without much resistance. "Guild Master, that cursed outsider¡­ he defeated the demon¡­." That wretched man¡ªthe one who had both resolved Valderian¡¯s long-standing grudge and, at the same time, dragged him into despair. "How could this even happen?" Valderian shouted in frustration. "We don¡¯t know¡­ but one thing¡¯s certain: he overpowered the demon." Blocked from leaving Riadolf by a barrier, Valderian had sent several guild members to the center to assess the situation. And there, they had witnessed the outsider overwhelming the demon. "So¡­ how could this even¡­ ha." Valderian staggered for a moment, his blood pressure spiking and bringing on a wave of dizziness. "Guild Master!" A guild member rushed to support him, but Valderian waved him off. "I''m fine. More importantly, what happened to him?" "Please wait a moment." The guild member contacted those who had yet to return, trying to get an update on the situation. Before long, the remaining members returned to headquarters, bringing news that was, to say the least, unexpected. "So¡­ that bastard went to the pce, is that what you''re saying?" "Yes." "¡­Then we¡¯re leaving the capital." "The capital?" "Yes. If he went to the pce, he could reveal our existence." "Understood¡­." "Destroy anything that could serve as evidence." *** Riadolf Royal Pce. King Vernac VI sat on his throne, listening to Knight Commander Eurice¡¯s report with a satisfied nod. "So, you¡¯re our hero." His gaze shifted to Jeong-hoon. "Hero¡­ You tter me, Your Majesty." "Not at all. You¡¯ve practically saved Riadolf." When Vernac VI heard of the demon¡¯s appearance and the threat it posed to Riadolf, he¡¯d shut his eyes in despair. It was a hopeless situation. But now, with the demon vanquished, calling Jeong-hoon a hero felt entirely fitting. A savior. For Riadolf, Jeong-hoon was more than a hero¡ªhe was a true savior. "It was simply my duty." "Indeed. Then it¡¯s only right for us to fulfill ours." With a gesture from Vernac VI, an aide brought out a treasure. Yet Jeong-hoon¡¯s interest in the treasure was minimal. Legendary grade¡­ It¡¯s tempting, butpleting the episode takes priority. The treasure was of legendary quality, but it wasn¡¯t what he needed at the moment. "I don¡¯t require a reward." "You don¡¯t?" "That¡¯s correct. But I do have a favor to ask." "Very well. Speak." Vernac VI gestured, and the aide stepped back. "Do you know about Soberian?" "Soberian? Yes, I do." Soberian was a small country that Vernac VI had annexed eight years prior. The reason for the annexation had been simple. In Soberian, they had found something that should never have been uncovered. Tablets engraved with prophecies of Riadolf¡¯s doom. And it wasn¡¯t just one or two; several had been discovered. Outraged, Vernac VI had annexed Soberian, taking advantage of the situation. Additionally, Riadolf had reaped significant benefits from Soberian¡¯s exclusive resources. "Please release Soberian." "Release¡­?" Vernac VI furrowed his brows at Jeong-hoon¡¯s request. "Yes. That¡¯s all I ask." The liberation of Soberian. Crawford¡¯s ambition had never been just about awakening demons¡ªit was about bringing ruin to Riadolf and, in doing so, freeing Soberian. "¡­Sigh." Vernac VI struggled to make a swift decision. Soberian was far too valuable to simply let go. But he would have no choice. [Reward has been modified.] [Releasing Soberian from Riadolf¡¯s control.] It was for the sake of the reward. These were mechanisms in ce to reconstruct a dimension lost to the episode. The system¡¯s constraints could not be ignored. "Once again, I ask that you release Soberian." "¡­Very well. For a hero, how could I deny this request?" At Vernac VI¡¯s words, the audience began to murmur. Knight Commander Eurice quickly spoke up. "Your Majesty! We shouldn¡¯t release Soberian so easily!" The invasion of Soberian had cost many knights their lives. The Soberian defenders had set up strange traps and fought relentlessly, refusing to surrender. "The demon is gone. There¡¯s no need to keep Soberian bound any longer." "That may be true, but¡­." "Knight Commander Eurice, are you defying me?" Vernac VI¡¯s expression twisted with anger. "My apologies, Your Majesty. I spoke out of turn." Realizing he couldn¡¯t sway the Emperor¡¯s will, Eurice backed down. "From this moment, Soberian is free!" With this promation, Vernac VI dered Soberian¡¯s liberation, and a message appeared before Jeong-hoon. [Riadolf: Partiallypleted hidden episode.] [Hidden episode cannot bepleted until all episodes are resolved.] All that remains is Crawford. Jeong-hoon¡¯s next step was to confront Crawford and bring the episodes to a close. *** As Jeong-hoon exited the pce, he unfurled the Celestial Compass and headed straight for Crawford¡¯s headquarters. Several guild members, including Valderian, were seen leaving the building with their belongings, suggesting they were shutting down operations. "I¡¯ve arrived," Jeong-hoon announced, approaching them with a casual expression. Since he¡¯d used the Celestial Compass, they hadn¡¯t detected his approach and, startled, quickly raised their weapons at him. As soon as the guild members, including Valderian, confirmed it was Jeong-hoon, their eyes were filled with fury. "You bastard, what are you doing here?!" Valderian was ready to charge at Jeong-hoon in an instant. "I told you, I¡¯m fulfilling my wish," Jeong-hoon replied, his expression serious. "Wish? Ha! You¡¯ve ruined ours!" Valderian spat angrily. The demon was supposed to bring about Riadolf''s ruin, but Jeong-hoon had killed that demon, destroying their entire n. Jeong-hoon maintained hisposed demeanor. "Is it the liberation of Soberian you''re concerned with, or the destruction of Riadolf?" "...?" "If the demon had been left alive, Riadolf would have fallen. Soberian wouldn¡¯t have been spared either." Soberian was a small nation located to the east of Riadolf. If the demon had wiped out Riadolf, Soberian would have fallen as well. "So what? You killed the demon for that reason?" Valderian sneered. "Yes. And Soberian is now liberated." "Liberated...?" Valderian¡¯s expression shifted from anger to disbelief. "Yes. I just met with His Majesty, the Emperor, and he proimed Soberian¡¯s liberation." "That¡¯s nonsense!" "Guildmaster!" At that moment, a guild member who had been scouting near the pce rushed back urgently. "What¡¯s going on?" Valderian, still holding his weapon aimed at Jeong-hoon, turned his gaze toward the scout. "They... they say Soberian has been freed! And that they''ll maintain a friendly rtionship with us!" "What...?!" At that, all the weapons that had been pointed at Jeong-hoon dropped to the ground. "Now, do you believe me?" Jeong-hoon grinned smugly. "How...?" It was clear that Valderian was asking how Jeong-hoon had managed to convince Vernac VI. Everyone knew how possessive Vernac VI was. No one could believe he would release Soberian just because the demon was in. "There were ways," Jeong-hoon responded, vaguely. "Ah... So that¡¯s what you meant by fulfilling your wish," Valderian muttered under his breath. Above his head, a notification popped up. [Questpleted.] [The dungeon clearing progress for the episode "Episto" has reached 100%.] [Episode: Crawfordpleted.] [The episode collection system is now open.] [The episode has been added to the collection.] [The Riadolf episode: Hidden episodepleted.] [The hidden episode has been added to the collection.] [Episodepletion increased by 10%.] It was done. With this, two hidden episodes were now registered in the collection. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 233 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 233 [Bypleting two hidden episodes, the ¡®Memory¡¯ system has been unlocked.] ¡°Memory?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. Did such a system even exist? [Memory] - You can view the memories of episodes registered in the collection. Currently avable episodes for viewing: ¡®Edenharc¡¯ and ¡®Riadolf¡¯. So, there really isn¡¯t any useless episode. It seems it doesn¡¯t just boost the episodepletion rate. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± ¡°We¡¯re so sorry for the misunderstanding!¡± The Crawford Guild members bowed their heads deeply toward Jeong-hoon. ¡°We apologize sincerely¡­ We had no idea there was such a profound purpose.¡± Valderian did the same. Unlike earlier, he showed respect as he expressed his gratitude to Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon shook his head, smiling slightly. ¡°It¡¯s all right. Anyone would¡¯ve been frustrated in that situation.¡± ¡°¡­May I ask why you chose to keep it hidden?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t allow even the slightest disruption to the n.¡± Jeong-hoon responded to the expected question. Valderian nodded, looking deeply moved. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°In any case, Soverion is now liberated and will recover swiftly.¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± Valderian and all the guild members once again expressed their gratitude to Jeong-hoon. --- A portal leading outside. However, Jeong-hoon did not take that portal. ¡°Let¡¯s check it out.¡± With thepletion of two hidden episodes, the memory system was now essible. [Would you like to open the memory of ¡®Riadolf¡¯?] ¡°Yes, open it.¡± His vision faded to ck, and then a familiar scene appeared. [Nothing has changed at all?] ¡°What is this supposed to be?¡± Just as Mukho and Anima had mentioned, the central fountain of Riadolfy before Jeong-hoon. People passed by, pulling carts, parents strolled with their children¡­ It was an utterly ordinary scene. ¡°What kind of memory is this?¡± Then, suddenly¡ª Boom! With a tremor, knights appeared from somewhere, frantically rushing by. Jeong-hoon, as if in a trance, followed behind them. Ahead, monsters were running rampant. The knights gathered together to fend off the countless creatures, and soon, a siege began. ¡°Stop them from advancing!¡± ¡°It¡¯s no use! The level of these monsters is unlike anything we¡¯ve seen before!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± Before Jeong-hoon could react, the scene quickly shifted. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Gah!¡± The once-peaceful Riadolf was now ravaged by monsters. And looming above, unting its might, was a demon¡ªnone other than Baramuth, the archdemon Jeong-hoon had once dealt with. ¡®I awakened Baramuth earlier due to the episode progression, but normally, he wouldn¡¯t have emerged until muchter.¡¯ Monsters began to swarm toward Jeong-hoon. He readied himself to wipe them out but then abruptly rxed his stance. The monsters passed right through him, unaffected. Since he was merely observing a memory, he couldn¡¯t exert any influence. ¡®So I¡¯m just here to watch.¡¯ Jeong-hoon frowned. ¡°It is time!¡± With that cry, a massive meteor shower rained down upon thend. ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°Nooo!¡± Screams erupted amidst the deafening sts. Jeong-hoon¡¯s face hardened as he recognized the familiar scene. ¡®This is the catastrophe triggered by stacking penalties.¡¯ Penalty stacking. He¡¯d heard that Riadolf had fallen before its dimension was ultimately destroyed, but perhaps that wasn¡¯t the case? He needed to watch a bit longer. The scene shifted once more. Now, devastation stretched as far as the eye could see. [Completely obliterated.] As Mukho had mentioned, only ruins remained of Riadolf. Yet, monsters continued searching through the rubble for any survivors. And above them all was Baramuth, reveling in his newfound freedom. After being trapped for so long, how much he must be enjoying this. Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth twisted into a sneer. ¡°You damned demon!¡± ¡°We will bring you down!¡± Suddenly, an expedition team began cutting through the monsters, heading straight toward Baramuth. ¡®These are those who defy fate.¡¯ Watching them, Jeong-hoon felt a sense of familiarity. He quietly observed the scene. ¡°If we kill that bastard, we can finally end this cursed game!¡± ¡°We can finallyplete the episode!¡± Then, Jeong-hoon heard words that made him question his ears. ¡®Complete the episode?¡¯ The only key to ending the game was toplete all 100 episodes. In other words, these people had reached 99%. ¡°Do you really think mere mortals can put an end to this?¡± Baramuth sneered, reaching out his hand. Lightning struck from the sky, engulfing them. ¡°Barrier!¡± But the lightning was rendered ineffective as a mage cast a barrier, perfectly blocking the strike. [The Archdemon Baramuth uses ¡®Enhanced Judgment of Death.¡¯] With a sinister grin, Baramuth unleashed the Judgment of Death, as if waiting for this moment. ¡°Hmph, do you really think such power can make us yield?¡± A middle-aged man, appearing to be a warrior, swung his sword forcefully. Immediately, the Judgment of Death afflicting his allies vanished. ¡®Ah, a Pdin who¡¯s ascended to the Celestial Realm.¡¯ A Pdin at this level could dispel any debuff, but to remove that many in one go suggested he was at the pinnacle of celestial power¡ªperhaps even beyond. ¡®The others are just as capable.¡¯ None of them fell shortpared to the warrior. Yes, only a team of this caliber could havee this close topleting the episodes. Together, they overwhelmed Baramuth, rendering even his special abilities useless. Soon, Baramuth crashed to the ground. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± The warrior approached the fallen Baramuth, raising his sword. Baramuth grinned, spitting out blood. ¡°!@$#!!¡± Jeong-hoon frowned. He could no longer make out Baramuth¡¯s words. Then, the scene faded, and once again, Riadolf, where he had performed the episode, appeared before him. ¡°Ha.¡± Jeong-hoon ran his hand through his hair, clearly annoyed. He¡¯d been curious about what might happen with the final episode, only for it to cut off at the most crucial moment. [Check the other one, too!] ¡®Right. There might be some clues there.¡¯ Having reviewed Riadolf, it was time to look at Edenharc. Jeong-hoon immediately opened Edenharc¡¯s memory. But again, the final part was cut off, yielding no useful information. --- ¡®In the end, I might just have toplete all the episodes.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression hardened. Before his regression, he¡¯d been convinced he could end the game because the episodepletion rate had been at 99%. Completing all episodes was supposed to end this cursed game. But after seeing the memories of Edenharc and Riadolf through the memory system, he began to think that perhaps it wasn¡¯t just aboutpleting the episodes to end the game. ¡®Please, don¡¯t let it be as bad as I¡¯m thinking.¡¯ As Jeong-hoon muttered to himself, a rift appeared before him. <¡­You never cease to amaze me.> Within the rift, Baal¡¯s eye appeared, curving like a crescent moon. ¡°Only eight remain.¡± Eight dungeons left. There was a reason Baal seemed pleased. Even though Jeong-hoon had cleared the dungeon, his expression remained unsatisfied. ¡°There¡¯s been¡­ a lot going on.¡± He forced a faint smile. ¡°Oh? If I ask, are you going to tell me?¡± ¡°Then forget it.¡± He¡¯d find out on his own. ¡°Has it not shown up yet?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Things won¡¯t turn out the way you¡¯re hoping.¡± Jeong-hoon was confident he¡¯d clear them all. With those enigmatic words, Baal disappeared. Left alone, Jeong-hoon used a ticket to return home. --- After Jeong-hoon left, Arundi and Aditya were still waiting outside. ¡°This is taking a while.¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Despite retrieving all the bodies, they remained at the spot, waiting for the man who had entered the dungeon to clear it. They intended to guide him back tond once he returned. But no matter how long they waited, there was no sign of him. ¡°Aditya, could you watch the boat for a bit?¡± ¡°Huh? Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to check the situation inside.¡± ¡°¡­In that case, let me go with you.¡± ¡°Together?¡± ¡°Yes. I had sensed a faint magic aura before, but it suddenly vanished.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Aditya¡¯s keen senses rarely missed anything, and Arundi hade to fully trust his instincts. ¡°Let¡¯s head in, then.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡± Aditya led the way, with Arundi following closely as they stepped through the portal. But once they arrived, there was nothing. The green portal that had been swirling before them hadpletely vanished. ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± At that moment, they realized the dungeon had been cleared. ¡°Where did our benefactor go?¡± ¡°¡­Could he have used a ticket to return?¡± ¡°Oh, right. He had a ticket.¡± For some reason, the man had left without a word. ¡°We didn¡¯t even get a chance to thank him.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ Looks like he went ahead, so we should head back, too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± Back at home, Jeong-hoon finally remembered Arundi and Aditya, who had been waiting outside. ¡°They probably headed back on their own.¡± With the dungeon now cleared and the magic aura dissipated, they likely realized it was over, especially with someone as perceptive as Aditya around. Jeong-hoon took out the mysterious box he¡¯d obtained after defeating Baramuth. [Mysterious Box (Sin)] - ??? - Luck Effect X - Requires Mysterious Key (Sin) (Not in possession) The box¡¯s description provided little information, but Jeong-hoon had experience with these types of boxes before. Thest time he opened one, he received the stat-boosting ring he still wore¡ªa crucial item despite only being Epic grade. ¡°The problem is¡­ how to get this key.¡± Ordinary mysterious keys were avable in the Achievement Shop, making them easy to acquire. However, the Mysterious Key (Sin) was not sold there. ¡°Kyi-ing.¡± Just then, Sloth, nestled in his arms, began to wriggle free. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s this?¡± He let Sloth crawl out. It slowly made its way over to the mysterious box and climbed atop it. A dark glow started radiating from Sloth¡¯s body. [Would you like to create the Mysterious Key (Sin)?] [Note: Sloth¡¯s abilities will decrease if you proceed.] So, this was how the key could be made. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jeong-hoon considered his options. Creating the key would mean lowering Sloth¡¯s hard-earned stats. ¡®But I have no choice.¡¯ Sloth could regain its stats over time, but without the key, the box couldn¡¯t be opened. ¡°Create it.¡± With his decision made, the light from Sloth¡¯s body faded, and it spat out a single key. [Mysterious Key (Sin)] - A key capable of unlocking the Mysterious Box (Sin). ¡°Kyi-ing¡­¡± Exhausted from the effort, Sloth retreated back into its shell. --- [Seven Deadly Sins] - Type: Sloth - Level: ?? (Grows by absorbing abilities) - Grade: Unique [Detailed Stats] - Strength: 128 - Agility: 125 - Stamina: 124 - Defense: 127 - Wisdom: 125 - Mana: 126 - Mental Power: 124 --- All of Sloth¡¯s stats had decreased by a whopping 40 points. ¡®At least the grade didn¡¯t drop.¡¯ The Unique grade remained intact. Jeong-hoon picked up the key that had fallen in front of Sloth. Now, he could finally open the Mysterious Box (Sin). [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 234 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 234 [Do you want to open the Mysterious Box (Sin)?] The Mysterious Box (Sin). What kind of item would be inside? ¡®I¡¯ll open it.¡¯ With a tense expression, Jeong-hoon inserted the key into the slot. He turned it slowly to the right, feeling it fit perfectly into the lock. Click. As the lock disengaged, light burst from the box, filling the room. [You have obtained the Evolution Stone (Seven Deadly Sins).] The light faded, revealing a single ck gemstone gleaming brilliantly within the box. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Jeong-hoon picked up the Evolution Stone. At that moment, Sloth, who had hidden in its shell in exhaustion, poked its head out again. ¡°Squirm.¡± ¡°You want this?¡± ¡°Squirm.¡± Sloth nodded enthusiastically. [Evolution Stone (Seven Deadly Sins)] - Type: Consumable - Grade: ?? - Upgrades a Seven Deadly Sins creature by one stage. - Note: Only usable if the creature¡¯s grade is Unique or higher. It became clear why Sloth desired this gemstone. ¡®One stage upgrade?¡¯ Would that mean Unique could evolve to Legendary? The thought gave him a bit of hesitation. Upgrading from Unique to Legendary could naturally be achieved through absorbing enough stats. ¡®It¡¯d be far more efficient to use this when Sloth reaches Legendary rather than now.¡¯ However, Sloth seemed eager to consume it immediately, crawling up Jeong-hoon¡¯s arm toward the gemstone. ¡°Let¡¯s save it forter.¡± ¡°Squirm.¡± Sloth, however, ignored himpletely. ¡°...Fine, I guess it¡¯s okay.¡± Seeing Sloth insist so much, there had to be a reason. Jeong-hoon handed the gemstone to Sloth, who promptly began to absorb its energy. [Seven Deadly Sins creature is upgrading by one stage.] Dark energy rose from Sloth¡¯s body, enveloping it entirely. ¡°What is...?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. This wasn¡¯t merely an increase in grade. Sloth¡¯s form was slowly transforming. The shell that once gave it the appearance of a snail began to shrink as arms and legs emerged, followed by a pair of wings. The body reformed to shape a head, and as the dark energy faded, Sloth¡¯s transformation wasplete. [It looks truly grotesque.] ¡®Honestly, it was a bit cuter before.¡¯ As Mukho and Anima pointed out, its previous form had been much more endearing. As the dark energy enveloped it, Jeong-hoon wondered if it might transform into a fairy¡ªbut true to its nature as a creature of the Seven Deadly Sins, it became a demon instead. ¡°Ugh, I thought I¡¯d suffocate in there,¡± it even spoke. --- [Seven Deadly Sins Creature] - Type: Sloth, Gluttony - Level: ?? (Grows by absorbing stats) - Grade: Legendary [Detailed Stats] - Strength: 208 - Agility: 205 - Stamina: 204 - Defense: 207 - Wisdom: 205 - Magic: 206 - Mental Strength: 204 --- Its grade had upgraded to Legendary, and its stats had soared past 200 in an instant. And now there was something new. ¡®Gluttony.¡¯ Originally, it had only Sloth, but the Evolution Stone had added a new sin. ¡®I thought I¡¯d have to acquire each one individually.¡¯ He¡¯d obtained Sloth through a box containing one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Naturally, he¡¯d assumed the remaining sins would be simrly sealed in their own boxes. But that assumption had proven false. ¡®So, this Seven Deadly Sins creature was meant to be a single entity.¡¯ In other words, the box hadn¡¯t just sealed away individual sins but the creature itself. Though Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t know why the transcendent being at a Demon King level had kept this box, he realized that once all sins were unlocked, this creature would be whole. ¡°So, it¡¯s still a long way fromplete, then.¡± ¡°Right. But thanks to you finding that Evolution Stone, I¡¯ve regained a bit of my power.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yup! I can even talk now.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded, now finding it odd to keep calling it Sloth. He seated the Seven Deadly Sins demon before him. ¡°Alright, now that you can talk, I have a few questions for you.¡± ¡°Sure. Ask away.¡± ¡°Are all seven sins yours?¡± ¡°The seven sins? Yeah, they¡¯re mine. I was split into seven and sealed that way.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yep. Everything in the Seven Deadly Sins Box and what came out of the Mysterious Box¡ªit¡¯s all me.¡± ¡°Why were you sealed?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yeah. Most of my memories were erased along with the seal. I don¡¯t even remember who split me into seven and sealed me.¡± From the look in the demon¡¯s eyes, it didn¡¯t seem to be lying. ¡®Ah, that¡¯s really frustrating.¡¯ Now that it could talk, Jeong-hoon wanted to ask it about the game and transcendent beings. There were countless other questions he was dying to ask as well. But if it didn¡¯t even know who had sealed it, he wouldn¡¯t be getting much useful information. [What apletely useless creature!] ¡®That¡¯s a bit harsh.¡¯ [No, it¡¯s true! ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t remember a single thing~¡± Seriously, if it¡¯s going to start talking, why raise my expectations like that?] ¡®Hey now.¡¯ [I¡¯m just voicing your thoughts. It¡¯s not what I think.] Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t say anything, because he felt the exact same way as Mukho. ¡°Then, if I collect the remaining five sins, will you regain your memory?¡± He asked with a glimmer of hope¡ªand received a positive response. ¡°I think so!¡± ¡°¡®Think so¡¯? So, it¡¯s not certain?¡± ¡°Yeah. Until I used the Evolution Stone, I didn¡¯t remember anything. I just had this instinct to consume whatever I could.¡± ¡°Ah, so using the Evolution Stone helped you recover part of your memory?¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± So, to get more clues, he¡¯d need to collect the remaining five sins. ¡°It might actually be faster toplete an episode.¡± After all, how was Jeong-hoon supposed to find all the parts of a Seven Deadly Sins creature he¡¯d never encountered before? The thought was frustrating. ¡°No way! Look, parts of my power were sealed, right? Which means I can sense that power too.¡± ¡°Really? So you can track them?¡± ¡°Bingo!¡± Alright, then. Adding the search for the remaining sins to the n was a must. ¡°So, where are the other sins?¡± The creature pointed upward. ¡°They¡¯re not on Earth. They¡¯re up there.¡± ¡°Other transcendents have them, then?¡± ¡°Looks like it.¡± ¡°So, if one of them gets close, we¡¯ll know?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Perfect.¡± That meant getting closer to these transcendents would be his first priority. A gleam appeared in Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes. *** To get near a transcendent, he¡¯d need to enter a dungeon. That¡¯s where Apostle-level transcendents would gather. Although he¡¯d ignored it before, countless transcendents had sent him calls. It was happening again. With each dungeon venture and every aplishment, the calls would pour in. But so far, there had been no response from the Seven Deadly Sins creature. ¡®Well, there are only five of them.¡¯ In contrast, the Apostle-level transcendents numbered over ten thousand. And focusing solely on Apostle-level entities wouldn¡¯t suffice either. The reason was simple: the first time Jeong-hoon had obtained a Seven Deadly Sins creature, it was from the Demon King-ss Mandora. This meant he had to consider even the creatures above the Apostle level, making the odds very slim. Just then, a familiar slit opened in front of Jeong-hoon, and familiar eyes appeared. It was Baal. ¡°Looks like you found the next dungeon?¡± "From eight down to one?" Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips twisted into a grin. ¡°You didn¡¯t happen to make this dungeon yourself, did you?¡± <¡­¡­.> Baal was silent, as if Jeong-hoon had hit the mark. ¡°So, that¡¯s why you needed time to ¡®find¡¯ one, wasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Got to be, don¡¯t I?¡± Baal wouldn¡¯t make an offer that seemed beneficial to Jeong-hoon unless he had crafted a dungeon nearly impossible to clear. ¡®It¡¯s him!¡¯ The Seven Deadly Sins creature reacted, prompting Jeong-hoon to send Fenrir and Michael back to continue searching. He had set it up so the creature would notify him when it sensed a reaction. ¡®Well, well, Baal has one of the sins?¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes gleamed. Baal¡¯s crescent-shaped eyes curved. ¡°Yes. But I¡¯d like to amend one of the rewards.¡± ¡°Leave the Ultimate Energy as it is. I want to change the Legendary item to something else.¡± ¡°One of the sins.¡± At the mention of the sins, Baal¡¯s amused gaze hardened. ¡°I already have one.¡± ¡°So, will you make the change?¡± ¡°Then I have no reason to enter your dungeon.¡± It was a gamble. If Baal didn¡¯t agree, Jeong-hoon wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain the sin Baal held. ¡®No matter.¡¯ Even if he couldn¡¯t obtain it now, he could still search for the others. He didn¡¯t need the creature to beplete; recovering some of its memories would be enough. <¡­¡­.> Baal stared at Jeong-hoon, but there wasn¡¯t a hint of impatience in his expression. This meant Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t desperate for the exchange, and he had no regrets if Baal declined. "How are you going to handle this?" <...Fine. I ept.> The gamble paid off. ¡®That bastard must be really eager for my soul.¡¯ There was no other reason for Baal to agree to change the reward. "Call. So, where''s the dungeon I need to clear?" <...I will give you a ticket. Use it to go through.> As Baal finished speaking, a ticket fluttered in front of Jeong-hoon. [Express Round-Trip Ticket] - Can be used to teleport instantly to a set coordinate. "Do I just start right away?" Jeong-hoon had modified the conditions of the wager and changed the reward. Baal wasn¡¯t showing any mercy this time. "Nice." With a grin, Jeong-hoon tore the ticket in half. --- [The call cannot be connected, followed by a beeping tone¡­] "What¡¯s going on? Why can''t I reach him?" Ha-Jin stared at his smartphone, puzzled. He had sent a message, but the number one still hadn¡¯t disappeared. "Is he busy, maybe?" In front of him, Kim Bong-Goo was sipping on an iced chocte drink. "Seems like it." "Can he really afford to take this much time off?" It had been quite a while since Jeong-hoon had granted a break, yet there was still no word from him. Because of this, Ha-Jin had already made a few trips to respond to requests from Ho-Yeong. They were also members of Ho-Yeong''s guild, after all. "Do you think something happened?" It was unusual for Jeong-hoon to be unreachable for this long. Kim Bong-Goo, seeing Ha-Jin¡¯s worried expression, let out a smallugh. "Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no way anything serious has happened." That¡¯s who Jeong-hoon was. He had shown overwhelming strength since their gaming days and, even after reality had merged with the game, he had remained calm, contributing immensely to stabilizing everything. If something had happened to him, it would be like the world was ending. "You trust him a bit too much, don''t you?" Ha-Jin, who also relied heavily on Jeong-hoon, said this with a slight hint of concern. "Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯d stake my sister¡¯s life on it¡ªhe¡¯s safe. He must just be busy with something." "Why would you stake your sister¡¯s life on it¡­" --- The coordinates set by the ticket led Jeong-hoon to the depths of a cave. "Where am I?" There was no portal in sight. Jeong-hoon slowly walked forward, and the intense heat engulfed him. The source of the heat was none other than magma. ¡®Under a volcano, huh.¡¯ Had the stats from New World not transferred over, the heat would have been enough to melt his body by now. The gases entering through his respiratory system were also chaotic. [Activating the Light Barrier.] As Jeong-hoon activated the light barrier, he began to move again, but just then, a slit appeared, revealing Baal¡¯s eyes. "...Where¡¯s the portal? I don¡¯t see it." At that moment, a portal slowly began to form in front of Jeong-hoon. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 235 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 235 [Would you like to enter ???] There¡¯s no description of the dungeon, nor any indication of its level. Not even a trace of mana can be sensed within the portal. In other words¡ª ¡®It must mean the dungeon¡¯s difficulty is extreme.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had often used the term ¡°extreme¡± for challenging encounters, but this was likely the greatest trial he¡¯d faced since his return, one that could rival even those from before his regression. ¡®It might even be on par with the foes I faced back then.¡¯ Moreover, it was a dungeon where he couldn¡¯t rely on memories from his past life. He would have to ovee it purely with his own skills. After taking a deep breath, Jeong-hoon indicated his intent to enter. Immediately, his body was pulled into the portal. --- [You have entered the Extreme Field.] ¡°What is this ce?¡± Contrary to his expectations, the field waspletely empty. But despite its crude appearance, the ground wasposed of neatly interlocking blocks. Then, it happened. Whoosh. Pirs of fire erupted from outside the blocks, and magma began to flow onto the field, apanied by gas that nketed the area. However, certain blocks remained untouched by the magma, unaffected by the inferno around them. [Stepping on a discolored block results in immediate disqualification.] ¡®Ah, so that¡¯s the setup.¡¯ A faint smirk formed on Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. Now he understood why the ground wasposed of blocks. Instead of simply hunting monsters, there was an added elimination mechanism. And there were only a few safe blocks left. Each block was barelyrge enough to fit one person, and he would have to keep track of them while progressing through the dungeon. [Defeat the Archdemon Zeek.] In front of Jeong-hoon, the Archdemon Zeek appeared. ¡®Doesn¡¯t look easy.¡¯ As soon as he saw Zeek, Jeong-hoon recognized him as a higher-ranked being than Archdemon Rakandra or Archdemon Baramuth. Though perhaps not Baal¡¯s right-hand, Zeek was certainly a formidable entity. The fact that such a creature appeared meant that this dungeon was designed with the intent of preventing him from seeding. [Be careful! One wrong step and you''re done for!] ¡®Cunning bastard. Truly malicious.¡¯ There was a reason Baal had reduced the eight dungeons to just one. [Skills allowing flight are disabled.] [If you remain off a block for more than 30 seconds, you will be automatically disqualified.] Not even unconventional methods were allowed. Jeong-hoon leapt to safe blocks, distancing himself from Zeek. Then, some blocks turned red, while others that had previously changed color returned to normal. ¡®It looks like the blocks follow a pattern.¡¯ Jeong-hoon observed the blocks¡¯ color changes, trying to discern the pattern. Zeek grinned as he slowly approached Jeong-hoon. Despite stepping haphazardly, Zeek remained unaffected by the blocks. "Lord Baal is quite taken with you." "And so?" "I¡¯m going to kill you and offer your soul to him." Zeek licked his lips, reaching out. The archdemon Zeek, currently a transcendent apostle known as the "Corrupted Apostle of Light," had discovered Jeong-hoon at a time when he¡¯d just begun destroying Earth. Jeong-hoon was a mere human, yet one who had the audacity to outright reject Zeek¡¯s contract. A creature too foolish to understand his ce¡ªyet somehow, he had caught Baal¡¯s interest. Thanks to this, Zeek had an opportunity to score some points. ¡®If I offer this soul, I could be a Demon King.¡¯ A vacant throne remained. If he offered this human¡¯s soul, Baal promised to raise him to the rank of Demon King. To im that title, this human had to die here. Even this field was crafted to give Zeek a significant advantage. It would be an impossible battle for him to lose. "Go ahead if you think you can." The creature had the nerve to taunt him with unparalleled arrogance. Fine, then. Let¡¯s see if he can live up to his words. [The archdemon Zeek uses "Chains of Blood."] From Zeek¡¯s hand, hundreds of crimson chains shot out, coiling around Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon drew Leviathan, slicing wide around himself. [Activating Stance: Initiation.] The Initiation unleashed a fierce strike, cutting through the blood chains. "Hah! Do you think such crude swordsmanship can sever my chains?" The scattered chains quickly reformed. These Chains of Blood were crafted from the archdemon¡¯s own blood and mana. They couldn¡¯t be severed by a mere sword! "So it seems." Yet, Jeong-hoon¡¯s face remained calm, his expression utterly unbothered. "Annoying little pest." Zeek scowled. He¡¯d sensed it from the moment he¡¯d offered him a contract¡ªthis one was irritating on every level. [ckfield is activated.] [All attributes increased by 1.5 times.] [All monsters within the field have a 10% reduction in all attributes.] Jeong-hoon activated the ckfield. [All attributes increased by 15%.] [20% damage reduction applied.] [Time limit: 1 hour.] On top of that, his Stat Amplification Ring activated. [Probability of "Poison Attack" activation increased by 4% for 1 hour.] And he was far from done. [Special ability of the Dominator¡¯s Grasp activated.] [All attributes increased by 10%.] [Attack power and proficiency of all weapons increased by 10%.] The Dominator¡¯s Grasp. [Special ability of the Headdress infused with the Spirit of the Divine Beast activated.] [Attack power and defense increased by 40%.] The headdress imbued with the spirit of the Divine Beast. [Using Celestial Aura.] A starlight aura emanated from Jeong-hoon¡¯s body, enveloping him in a soft, radiant glow. [Attack power and defense increased by 20%.] [Archdemon Zeek''s attack power and defense reduced by 10%.] Now fully boosted, Jeong-hoon unfolded his Heavenly Steps. ¡®The block pattern is consistent.¡¯ The blocks shifted in a set pattern every 20 seconds. The block that had just turned red withva returned to its original state. Landing on that block, Jeong-hoon unleashed another First Form, severing the Chains of Blood attempting to ensnare him once more. [Activating First Form.] [Passive skill "Destruction" activated.] His passive skill kicked in. ¡®It activated.¡¯ [Destruction Sword] - Type: Active - Level: 10 - Rank: Legendary - Unleashes a sword strike that annihtes all it touches. - First Form: Initiation - Second Form: Encroachment - Third Form: Annihtion - Unique Passive: Destruction [TL/N: Destruction Sword is an active skill Jeong-Hoon applies on Leviathan] A sword skill that eradicates all. Upon reaching Legendary rank, the skill gained a new passive: Destruction. This passive, which activates with low probability, allows Jeong-hoon to negate any power for 10 seconds, making it an extraordinary skill. This was why his swordsmanship alone had reached the realm of Grandmaster. However, it had a drawback: it could only reactivate every 12 hours¡ªa limitation that, at the celestial stage, could be somewhat mitigated. As Jeong-hoon wielded Leviathan, cutting down the Chains of Blood, they no longer regenerated. Zeek¡¯s face twisted with shock. "Wh-why?!" "Why? Curious?" Jeong-hoon grinned. Zeek¡¯s face flushed in anger at his smirk. "I swear I¡¯ll kill you with my own hands!" [Archdemon Zeek uses "Death Road."] The ground beneath Zeek turned ck, forming a deep ck carpet that extended toward Jeong-hoon, bridging the gap between them. Jeong-hoon used his Heavenly Steps to retreat onto a safe block. The Death Road extended, stretching swiftly toward him. [Remaining on the Death Road for more than 10 seconds will result in instant death.] As expected of a transcendent apostle¡ªhis power was absurd. Even divine power had no effect here. ¡®Still not enough.¡¯ Even with his skill at Legendary rank and maxed level, it was insufficient. "Let me out!" At that moment, a desperate voice echoed from the Seven Sins Bell. "Oh, right. I almost forgot about that." Jeong-hoon immediately summoned the Seven Sins Bell. Seeing it, Zeek¡¯s face froze in shock. "What¡­ What is that?!" He seemed to recognize the Seven Sins Bell. "Hey, you asshole! You know who I am, don¡¯t you?" The bell seemed to be thinking the same thing, as it directed its question at Zeek. That line... It felt oddly familiar. Maybe it was just his imagination. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Zeek fell silent, as if struck speechless. In response, the Seven Sins Bell unleashed its Enhanced Judgment of Death upon him. "If you don¡¯t attack, you¡¯ll die, huh?" Enhanced Judgment of Death. The terrifying aspect of this ability is that its power doesn¡¯t depend on the bell¡¯s stats. In other words, it has the same effect as when it used the Enhanced Judgment of Death against Baramuth. "Damn it!" [Archdemon Zeek uses Death Mines.] Countless dark spheres appeared around Zeek. Spikes began to emerge from these dark spheres like sea urchins, and, like his chains of blood, they shot toward Jeong-hoon. Where the chains served to bind him, these mines would explode the instant they made contact. [*Barrier of Light* activated.] Legendary Max-level Barrier of Light. Crash! The mines exploded upon impact with the barrier, causing cracks to form across its surface. "It¡¯s not going to hold for much longer." On top of that, Jeong-hoon had to continuously change positions with Heavenly Steps to avoid the ck Carpet attack, adjusting to the shifting block patterns. "Just hang in there a bit longer!" The Seven Sins Bell clung to Jeong-hoon¡¯s back, cheering him on with all its might. "I¡¯ll kill you! I¡¯ll tear you apart!" As the countdown progressed, Zeek became more desperate, drawing a dark scythe. [Archdemon Zeek uses Death Scythe.] Zeek swung the scythe with full force. A ck storm surged forward, engulfing Jeong-hoon. At that moment, Jeong-hoon dispelled his Barrier of Light. [*Rune of Counter Attack* activated.] [Absorbed attacks can now be returned.] He did so to unleash the Rune of Counter Attack. Jeong-hoon absorbed all iing attacks for 15 seconds. And then, he returned every bit of it to Zeek. "W-What?!" Zeek hurriedly activated a defensive skill. [Archdemon Zeek uses Block.] Block. A dark barrier formed around Zeek¡¯s body. Boom! The Death Mines and Death Scythe storm pounded against him. Yet, as expected from Block, Zeek remained undamaged. "Now¡¯s the time." Block granted invulnerability for 10 seconds, blocking all attacks. Once the 10 seconds passed, the barrier vanished. Jeong-hoon immediately activated Heavenly Steps. [Third Form: Annihtion activated.] The tip of Leviathan¡¯s de pierced through Zeek. ¡°Gah!¡± Zeek let out a groan of pain from the substantial damage. [First Form: Initiation activated.] Jeong-hoonunched a relentless barrage with Initiation, evading the ongoing Death Road by sidestepping across the blocks and attacking whenever Zeek showed an opening. "This is insane!" Zeek couldn¡¯t even think about swinging the Death Scythe. Jeong-hoon kept him entirely on the defensive, denying him the chance tounch a storm with a wide swing. Finally, the countdown reached zero. [Death activated against Archdemon Zeek.] With the Enhanced Judgment of Death, blood began pouring from Zeek¡¯s eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. He copsed,pletely incapacitated. Normally, Block could¡¯ve shielded him, but he had already used it to counter act Jeong-hoon¡¯s counterattack. Reuse required time, but the countdown gave him only three minutes¡ªnowhere near enough to activate it again. Of course, Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t about to stop there. [Hundred Swords Tempest activated.] Hundreds of sword shes rained down upon Zeek as Hundred Swords Tempest activated. Zeek¡¯s body erupted in mes. ¡°Aah! No! It¡¯s mine to consume!¡± At that moment, the Seven Sins Bell clinging to Jeong-hoon¡¯s back pulled on his clothes, its face turning white with terror. [Aagh! Stop pulling, you filthy demon!] Mukho screamed. ¡°Alright, alright, calm down.¡± Judging that the mes had done enough, Jeong-hoon canceled Hundred Swords Tempest. In an instant, the zing mes that had engulfed Zeek subsided. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 236 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 236 ¡°Khehehe, shall I try to devour it now?¡± The Seven Deadly Sins moved toward the fallen Zeek. In an instant, Zeek¡¯s body disintegrated into dust and vanished. ¡°Hm?¡± Jeong-hoon furrowed his brow. If someone was behind this, it could only be Baal. That would mean he had broken the rules of their wager. One of the terms was not to interfere during the dungeon clear. At that moment, a rift opened, and Baal¡¯s eye emerged. ¡°Then what¡¯s the meaning of this situation?¡± Jeong-hoon gestured with his chin toward the spot where Zeek had disappeared. ¡°I see.¡± It seemed the configuration had been altered to prevent the Seven Deadly Sins from absorbing him. Although consuming Baramuth earlier had significantly boosted their stats, the real gain had been absorbing the "Enhanced Judgment of Death." If Zeek had been absorbed, it would not only have increased their stats further but also allowed them to gain one of his abilities. ¡°How annoying¡­¡± The Seven Deadly Sins pouted, dissatisfaction written all over their face. Zeek was one of the most prominent candidates to upy a vacant Demon King rank. He wasn¡¯t someone a mere human could easily handle. ¡°So, how about giving me my reward?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not over?¡± With those words, Baal disappeared. Suddenly, the floor blocks began copsing outward. The fallen blocks were swallowed by magma and melted away. [Contact with the magma results in instant death.] A smirk appeared on Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. ¡°So, escaping from here is the final mission.¡± If that¡¯s the case, there must be an exit portal somewhere. However, no matter how hard he searched, there was no trace of a portal. [Master! What do we do now?] ¡®If we don¡¯t escape, we all die.¡¯ The speed at which the blocks were copsing was rming. The estimated time before all the blocks were gone was less than ten minutes. Even so, Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression remained calm andposed. ¡®I¡¯ve cleared dungeons like this before.¡¯ Before his regression. Just before clearing the 88th dungeon in Episode 88. Back then, the dungeon began to copse after defeating the monster. When they first entered, the dimension itself was already on the brink of destruction. That¡¯s why the final quest after defeating the monster was to escape the dungeon. Naturally, no exit portal existed, leaving Jeong-hoon and hispanions in a life-or-death situation. ¡®Wait. I see a way.¡¯ At that moment, Iwase Haruto, a Hidden ss Enhanced Tracker, seeded in locating the exit. The exity within one of the fragments formed as the dimension copsed. Thanks to that discovery, they had been able to escape using the fragment. Jeong-hoon carefully examined the floor blocks. There had to be something different about one of them¡ªhowever slight. ¡®I need to find it before that block copses.¡¯ Jeong-hoon spread out his Sky Gaze Scroll and began inspecting the remaining blocks one by one. Although the blocks were crumbling, their copse followed a consistent pattern. In other words, stepping on a faulty block would result in instant elimination. Naturally, this made the block search slow and tedious. ¡°What are you looking for? If you tell me, I¡¯ll help you!¡± The Seven Deadly Sins frantically asked Jeong-hoon. ¡°A block. Among all these blocks, one of them has to be different. We need to find it.¡± ¡°Got it!¡± pping its wings, the Seven Deadly Sins began searching for the block. Not having to step on blocks gave it a faster search speed than Jeong-hoon. Before long, it flew back to Jeong-hoon. ¡°Did you find it?¡± ¡°Yeah! There¡¯s one ck block over there!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Jeong-hoon followed the Seven Deadly Sins¡¯ guidance to the block in question. While it looked no different from the other blocks, something about it stood out to the Seven Deadly Sins. ¡°This is the one! I¡¯m sure of it!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Just then, the block began glowing red. Jeong-hoon waited momentarily until the block reverted to its original state, then immediately reached out and touched it. The block began to shine and unexpectedly created a portal¡ªthe dungeon''s exit. --- [You have cleared the dungeon.] Upon exiting the portal, a message appeared before Jeong-hoon. Simultaneously, a rift opened, revealing Baal¡¯s eye. <¡­You made excellent use of that creature.> With a displeased re, Baal looked at the Seven Deadly Sins standing beside Jeong-hoon. ¡°And what do you n to do by ring like that?¡± The Seven Deadly Sins stuck out its tongue, mocking Baal. Baal shifted his gaze from the Seven Deadly Sins to Jeong-hoon. ¡°Well then, shall we settle the score?¡± <¡­Let¡¯s do so.> [You have gained 4% of Ultimate Energy.] [You have reached 5% of Ultimate Power. Achievement Score: 200,000 points awarded.] [You have reached 8% of Ultimate Energy. You can now undertake the quest Path to the Ultimate (1).] In a sh, Jeong-hoon¡¯s Ultimate Energy had reached 8%. ¡®*Path to the Ultimate*?¡¯ It was a quest he had never heard of before. Even James Marcus, who had held the highest recorded energy, had stopped at 7.1%. Thus, Jeong-hoon could im the unprecedented achievement of unlocking the Path to the Ultimate both before and after his regression. ¡°This isn¡¯t the end, is it?¡± <...The losses are considerable.> [You have obtained the ¡®Seven Deadly Sins Chest.¡¯] Unlike the Evolution Stones, this came as a chest. Jeong-hoon checked the chest, which had been sent to his inventory, before turning back. ¡°That¡¯s it. Our wager is officially over.¡± <...You wouldn¡¯t consider another wager, would you?> ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve got more pressing matters to attend to.¡± Jeong-hoon had no intention of continuing wagers with Baal. While his Ultimate Energy was only at 8%, there were plenty of other ways to umte it without relying on Baal. ¡®I can¡¯t afford to keep wasting time on these wagers.¡¯ When the potential risks outweigh the benefits, knowing when to give up the gains is critical. Now was precisely that moment. With Jeong-hoon rejecting the wager, Baal lost any means of further interference. The rift between them began to close rapidly. ¡°If the opportunity arises, let¡¯s have another wager sometime.¡± Baal¡¯s crescent-shaped eye narrowed with a sinister smile before the rift sealedpletely. *** [Seven Deadly Sins Chest] - Type: Chest - Grade: ? - A chest containing one of the Seven Deadly Sins at random. - Filled with the energy of evil . - Opening the chest carelessly may result in a fatal curse. It was the same type of chest Jeong-hoon had received when he acquired Sloth. Without hesitation, he opened the chest. [You have obtained Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath.] [The Seven Deadly Sins has been partially restored.] [You have been cursed.] [Your life force is rapidly decreasing!] As expected, the curse triggered, and his life force began to drop at an rming rate. [Using Safeguard.] Jeong-hoon activated Safeguard to dispel the cursespletely. [Seven Deadly Sins] - Types: Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath - Level: ?? (Grows by absorbing stats) - Grade: Legendary With the addition of Wrath, The Seven Deadly Sins advanced another step. ¡°Kuhaha! We¡¯re nearly halfway there!¡± The Seven Deadly Sins cackled, clenching and unclenching its fists. Although its outward appearance remained unchanged, the aura it emitted had grown significantly more menacing. All of its stats had surged past 300 in an instant. ¡°You¡¯re starting to look even more sinister.¡± It wasn¡¯t surprising; he was a demon, after all. ¡°Sinister? Call it reiming my original self.¡± ¡°Fine. So, have your memories returned?¡± ¡°Partially, yes!¡± ¡°Good. Then, who¡¯s the one who sealed you?¡± ¡°Escanon.¡± Jeong-hoon furrowed his brow. Escanon. A name that struck a chord. ¡°The Doom of Escanon.¡± A transcendent being at the Celestial Lord level, surpassing monarchs and ranking just below the top five named entities. Jeong-hoon was familiar with Escanon for a reason: a portal leading to Escanon¡¯s shrine had appeared on Earth. It wasn¡¯t an episode-specific dungeon but a general dungeon¡ªone of the culprits responsible for driving Earth to the brink of destruction. Countless lives were lost in the attempt to eliminate the guardian lurking within that shrine. And all for the sake of defeating a single guardian that had been dormant for ages. ¡°Why did Escanon split you into seven parts and seal you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have all my memories yet... but one thing¡¯s clear: that guy absolutely despised me.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± For Escanon to personally seal him, the Seven Deadly Sins might have been a transcendent being of higher rank than Jeong-hoon had initially assumed. Jeong-hoon nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Then, do you know how to bring this game to aplete end?¡± The thought of Leandorf and Edenhark, glimpsed through the Memory System, lingered in his mind. Those yers had been progressing towardpleting Episode 100%. It seemed they had been on the verge of sess, yet the annihtion of dimensions was proof of ultimate failure. ¡°Ifpleting the episode to 100% reveals a critical clue to ending the game, then they must have discovered it... and still failed afterward.¡± While Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t know what that clue might be, it was clear it wouldn¡¯t be easy. ¡°You have to eliminate the Architect. That¡¯s the only way.¡± ¡°The Architect?¡± ¡°Yeah. See the episodes? Once youplete one to 100%, you¡¯ll gain a chance to confront the Architect.¡± ¡°A chance...?¡± ¡°Exactly. But listen carefully¡ªif you¡¯re not strong enough when you hit 100%, you¡¯ll die. Instantly.¡± ¡°...Die?¡± ¡°Yep. Once you hit 100%, you¡¯re forcibly teleported to the Architect.¡± That was news to Jeong-hoon. ¡°If I had blindly pushed for 100%, I could¡¯ve been in serious trouble.¡± If he had reached 100% without any information about the Architect, he would have been thrown into the confrontation unprepared. So, the so-called critical clue referred to that very encounter. ¡°...I¡¯ll have to proceed with the episodes more cautiously.¡± He had intended to rush through to 100%, but his ns would need serious revision. ¡°This is all I can share for now. The rest of my memories haven¡¯t returned yet...¡± To gather more information about the Architect, Jeong-hoon needed to recover the remaining sins. Of course, he couldn¡¯t neglect his growth in the meantime. "Alright, got it. You can head back now," Jeong-hoon said, dismissing the Seven Deadly Sins. Once alone, he pulled out his smartphone. Missed calls, texts, and messages from various tforms had piled up during his absence. ¡°Man, there¡¯s a lot.¡± He decided to call Ha-jin first. *** Ha-jin and Bong-Goo arrived at Jeong-hoon¡¯s ce shortly after being summoned. "You¡¯re here?" ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t you pick up or respond even once?¡± Ha-jinined, making his displeasure clear as he entered. ¡°Sorry, I was swamped. But I¡¯ve discovered something incredible, so don¡¯t stay mad.¡± ¡°Alright, spill it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an item, but I found a way to level up like crazy.¡± ¡°Level up?¡± ¡°Yeah. You two need to get to the Fourth Advancement soon, right?¡± ¡°Well, yeah¡­¡± To begin the Fourth Advancement, yers needed to reach at least Level 301. However, Ha-jin and Bong-Goo were still in their mid-200s, making that milestone seem like a distant dream. And now Jeong-hoon imed he¡¯d found a shortcut? ¡°That¡¯s not all¡ªyou can pick up some skills along the way, too.¡± ¡°Are you serious¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Bong-Goo raised his hand. ¡°Boss! I have a question!¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re going to start streaming on HoneyTube again?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s HoneyTube channel had been on hiatus for some time due to his packed schedule. ¡°Why ask something so obvious?¡± Jeong-hoon replied with a sly grin. ¡°Got it!¡± Bong-Goo said, pumped up at the prospect of new content. The HoneyTube hive is about to buzz again. ¡°But I won¡¯t be doing live streams this time,¡± Jeong-hoon rified. ¡°No live streams?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll record the content and upload edited videos instead.¡± With the dungeon they were about to tackle, Ha-jin and Bong-Goo would shoot past Level 301 in no time. And since there were items and skills that needed to be secured there, Jeong-hoon was determined to im it all first. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 237 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 237 [Jeong-hoon] Bzzz¡ª It was the call he had been eagerly waiting for. Just as Jang Dae-hwi was about to step outside with his cigarette and lighter, he quickly picked up his smartphone. ¡°Hello?¡± [Yes, it¡¯s Hoon.] ¡°Hey, why has it been so long since yourst call?¡± [You know how it is. No tips, no streams.] A grin crept onto Jang Dae-hwi¡¯s face. ¡°So, does that mean you¡¯ve found a golden tip this time?¡± [Something like that.] ¡°Great! By the way, did you check the materials I sent you?¡± [Ah, yes. I reviewed them.] The materials Jang Dae-hwi had sent Jeong-hoon were none other than the revenue reports. With the subscriber count skyrocketing and each video raking in millions of views, the earnings were beyond imagination. Although points were the hotmodity these days, which had slightly devalued cash, physical currency was still widely epted and valuable. ¡°And people are going crazy asking when your next video will drop.¡± [It can¡¯t be helped with how long the gaps are.] ¡°I get it. But are you going live this time as well?¡± [No.] Jang Dae-hwi tilted his head in confusion. Jeong-hoon¡¯s streams typically involved broadcasting live, attracting a massive audience, receiving immense donations, and revealing the location of the "Honey Pot" afterward. But this time, it wouldn¡¯t be live. ¡°Then, are you nning to record instead?¡± [That¡¯s right. Speaking of which, could you join us to help with the filming?] ¡°Filming¡­?¡± [Yes. Filming from multiple angles and editing afterward will make the final product much better in quality.] Although he wasn¡¯t yet strong enough to contribute directly in battles, handling the filming was an entirely different story. As an experienced editor, Jang Dae-hwi prided himself on knowing how to capture the best scenes. ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll do it.¡± [Okay. I¡¯ll reach out again soon, so stay ready.] ¡°Got it.¡± *** ¡°Hey, Hoon!¡± Not long after, Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother arrived home. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Yes. Did everything go well?¡± ¡°Yeah, it went perfectly,¡± Jeong-hoon replied with a bright smile. ¡°I heard you found a Honey Pot?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother had been busy clearing dungeons in the real world alongside Ho-Yeong. While they were progressing rapidly, the primary goal was to avoid any potential penalties by consistently closing dungeons. Thanks to his mother¡¯s assistance, Ho-Yeong had achieved an unbroken record of victory, 100 wins out of 100 battles. It was, of course, Jeong-hoon¡¯s summons that brought his mother back home. ¡°Why did you only call me?¡± ¡°The dungeon only allows up to five people to enter,¡± Jeong-hoon exined. If the group limit had beenrger, he would have called other guild members like Yeo Sunwoo and Yeo Min-ji, as well as Ho-Yeong. However, this particr dungeon restricted entry to just five individuals. Naturally, the others would enter once Jeong-hoon cleared it. ¡°Are we starting right away?¡± ¡°Not yet. We¡¯re waiting for my brother to arrive and help with filming.¡± As soon as he finished speaking, Jang Dae-hwi arrived. ¡°Greetings! My name is Jang Dae-hwi, and I work as the editor for HoneyTube.¡± He greeted Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother first. ¡°Yes, wee,¡± she replied warmly. Learning that Jang Dae-hwi managed her son¡¯s channel, she greeted him with enthusiasm. ¡°Well then, shall we get going?¡± Jeong-hoon pulled out round-trip tickets, handing one to each person. ¡°Where are we headed?¡± Ha-jin asked. ¡°China.¡± ¡°China¡­?¡± ¡°Specifically, a ce called Xi¡¯an.¡± ¡°Is that where the Honey Pot is?¡± ¡°Yup, and it¡¯s got some incredibly sweet honey.¡± Originally, this Honey Pot had been first discovered by Liu Xiaolong. He was one of Jeong-hoon¡¯ster allies¡ªthough he came with his own group of eight. However, this same person eventually betrayed Jeong-hoon, despite being one of thest surviving team members. ¡®By the time Honey Pots became globally renowned, Liu Xiaolong¡¯s associates had already monopolized them.¡¯ That much was certain, as it came straight from Liu Xiaolong himself. ¡°When on earth did you go there¡­?¡± Ha-jin asked incredulously. Though he knew Jeong-hoon had been busy, he hadn¡¯t expected him to have already traveled to China. ¡°I went not long ago,¡± Jeong-hoon said vaguely, brushing off the details. He couldn¡¯t exactly reveal that he had this knowledge from his regression. ¡°Well, I guess with a ticket, it would¡¯ve been easy to get there.¡± Indeed, with these tickets, there was no need to spend long hours traveling. One use of the ticket, and they could instantly teleport to their desired destination. ¡°Let¡¯s get going, then,¡± Jeong-hoon said. As he used the ticket, his body disappeared in an instant. *** Xi¡¯an, China. Where in Xi¡¯an was this Honey Pot located? It was none other than Mount Hua, one of the Five Great Mountains of China. Though Jeong-hoon had never visited the ce before, its name felt familiar due to its frequent appearances in martial arts stories. Of course, seeing the real thing was a far cry from the familiar imagery those stories invoked. ¡°We¡¯re not really climbing that, are we?¡± Ha-jin asked, staring up at the mountain. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we?¡± Jeong-hoon replied nonchntly. ¡°...Hah.¡± Mount Hua, a towering peak at 2,155 meters above sea level. The sheer, almost 90-degree rock steps that seemed to demand the agility of a rock climber. The precarious cliff-side nk paths known as the Chang Kong Zhandao. Even just looking at it was enough to make one dizzy¡ªand now they had to climb it. It already felt daunting. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re not climbing that path,¡± Jeong-hoon said, pointing to the daunting stairs. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Oh, thank goodness!¡± Ha-jin and Bong-Goo¡¯s faces brightened in relief. ¡°Instead, we¡¯ll climb the cliff directly,¡± Jeong-hoon added. Both Ha-jin and Bong-Goo¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°W-We can just use the Fly Elixir! We used it before, remember?¡± Ha-jin stammered. ¡°Exactly! With that, it should be fine, right?¡± Bong-Goo chimed in. The Fly Elixir they had used previously to reach Sky Field seemed like the perfect solution. But Jeong-hoon smiled mischievously and shook his head. ¡°Sorry, we ran out of that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The hopeful expressions on Ha-jin and Bong-Goo¡¯s faces instantly soured. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t be dangerous.¡± ¡°Do you have another way, then?¡± Ha-jin asked cautiously. Jeong-hoon nodded, pulling out an artifact he had purchased from the Achievement Store. Since the Fly skill was exclusive to mages and not avable to other sses, Jeong-hoon had nned an alternative. ¡°We¡¯ll use Fairy¡¯s Elixir to climb.¡± ¡°Fairy¡¯s Elixir?¡± ¡°Yeah. Once you drink it, your body feels incredibly light,¡± Jeong-hoon exined. And that wasn¡¯t all. The elixir also automatically generated a protective barrier that shielded the user from environmental damage, such as falling. While it wasn¡¯t useful inbat, as it only protected against environmental hazards, it was perfect for climbing. ¡°¡­So we¡¯re still climbing the cliff ourselves, huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned, handing each of them an elixir. ¡°Ugh¡­ If we fall, we¡¯ll have to climb back up, won¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Of course. We all need to enter together, so no one can get left behind.¡± ¡°¡­Understood.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get started, then.¡± ¡°W-Wait a second!¡± Jang Dae-hwi raised his hand abruptly. Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If we¡¯re climbing the cliff, filming might be¡­ a little tricky¡­¡± Dae-hwi hesitated. Carrying a camera while scaling a cliff was clearly impossible. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Jeong-hoon said, pointing behind Dae-hwi. When Dae-hwi turned to look, he saw a camera floating in mid-air, already capturing the group. ¡°Oh, so we¡¯ve got that, huh.¡± ¡°Exactly. So no more excuses¡ªlet¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Dae-hwi nodded and drank the elixir he had been handed. *** Climbing the cliff. Why bother scaling a cliff when there¡¯s a perfectly fine path avable? The reason was simple: a hidden portaly somewhere along the middle of this cliff. ¡°Everyone, be careful,¡± Jeong-hoon warned, leading the group. Right behind him was Jang Dae-hwi, who showed no hesitation. In fact, he was climbing so close behind Jeong-hoon that it seemed like he might overtake him. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯ve done climbing before,¡± Dae-hwi said casually. It wasn¡¯t just climbing. Throughout his school years and into his early twenties, Dae-hwi had indulged in numerous extreme sports¡ªactivities anyone else might deem reckless or outright dangerous. And with the protective shield granted by the Fairy¡¯s Elixir, his face showed no trace of fear. ¡°Please, slow down!¡± ¡°Argh! Brother, I¡¯m seriously going to die here!¡± Trailing far behind were Ha-jin and Bong-Goo,ining endlessly. Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother followed them, steadily climbing while keeping them in line. ¡°Be careful, everyone!¡± she called out, sounding more concerned for the others than herself. Despite her age, she ascended the cliff with surprising ease, her agility putting the younger men to shame. Jeong-hoon, focused on his task, resumed his climb. This should be the spot, he thought. He recalled that the portal had been somewhere along the cliff face. While he didn¡¯t know the precise location, he could find it by channeling his mana through his fingertips and tracing it along the surface. As he searched, his hand suddenly felt a faint response. There it is. Jeong-hoon grinned and carefully shifted toward the source of the reaction. It was a painstaking process, requiring him to feel his way along tiny crevices while maintaining bnce. Once he reached the location, he pressed his palm against the cliff and poured his mana into it. Whirrrr¡ª The cliff began to vibrate softly, and momentster, a portal shimmered into existence. ¡°A portal!¡± Jang Dae-hwi eximed in astonishment. Hearing his shout, Ha-jin and Bong-Goo looked up from their precarious climb. ¡°A vertical portal? Seriously¡­¡± ¡°I swear, I¡¯m about to die. My hands are drenched in sweat!¡± ¡°Mine too¡­ At least the elixir¡¯s shield keeps us from slipping.¡± The protective barrier didn¡¯t just shield them from falls; it also provided extra grip, acting almost like a resin to keep them steady. Combined with the elixir¡¯s weightlessness effect, the climb itself wasn¡¯t physically taxing¡ªit was just terrifyingly high. ¡°Alright, time to enter,¡± Jeong-hoon announced, signaling the end of the climb. The faces of the others lit up with relief. *** [Lv.??? Would you like to enter the Radiant Vein?] [Entry requires exactly 5 members.] [Please maintain proximity to your party.] The entry requirements were clear: a party of five was mandatory. Entry to the portal was strict¡ªno more, no less than five members could enter, and any distance between party members made entry impossible. This was precisely why everyone had climbed the cliff together. Enter. With Jeong-hoon, the party leader, signaling the intent to enter, all five members were pulled into the portal in a sh of light. *** The Radiant Vein was not a sheer cliff as one might have expected but rather a sprawling cave system. ¡°Finally, I can breathe again¡­¡± Ha-jin groaned in relief. ¡°This ce looks like the one from that video we posted before,¡± Bong-Goo pointed out. The cave resembled the mine where they had once harvested Celestial Engraving Stones. The glowing minerals embedded in the walls, emitting a soft energy that lit the surroundings, made the resemnce uncanny. ¡°It¡¯s different,¡± Jeong-hoon rified, pulling a unique-grade pickaxe from his inventory and handing it out to the group. ¡°Are we mining again, bro?¡± Ha-jin asked. ¡°Yeah. But this time, there¡¯s no limit to how much you can gather. Take as much as you want.¡± ¡°Seriously?!¡± Bong-Goo¡¯s eyes widened. The reason for the explosive experience gain was beginning to make sense. ¡°This is crazy¡­ How did you even know about this?¡± Ha-jin asked, still in awe. Jeong-hoon shrugged nonchntly. ¡°I have my ways.¡± ¡°Man, this is unreal¡­¡± ¡°Less talking, more mining. Don¡¯t you want to hit your 4th ss?¡± ¡°Right, got it!¡± Ha-jin eagerly gripped his pickaxe and headed deeper into the cave. Identifying the experience-giving minerals wasn¡¯t difficult. The minerals werebeled with EXP, and mining them granted the corresponding experience points directly. ¡°Alright, everyone, let¡¯s regroup here in two hours,¡± Jeong-hoon instructed. The time limit was straightforward: the dungeon allowed only 120 minutes of exploration. To prepare for their return, Jeong-hoon took out an artifact¡ªa Pathfinder g in the shape of a banner. He nted the g where they stood, and a red line illuminated the ground, marking the route back to this point. ¡°Ah, so this artifact shows you the way back,¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother observed. ¡°Exactly. Mom, go ahead and touch the g.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± When she touched the g, a simr red line appeared under her feet, leading back to the starting point. One by one, everyone interacted with the g, ensuring they could all find their way back. ¡°Now, let¡¯s mine as much as we can for the next two hours,¡± Jeong-hoon encouraged. ¡°Wait¡­ What about me?¡± Jang Dae-hwi asked, looking torn between his pickaxe and camera. ¡°You can record yourself mining,¡± Jeong-hoon suggested. ¡°Just make sure it doesn¡¯t affect the video quality.¡± ¡°Got it! Ha-jin,e with me!¡± With that, Jang Dae-hwi and Ha-jin disappeared down one of the branching paths. The Radiant Vein was anything but linear, its numerous forks and tunnels spreading in all directions. Each path seemed to promise unique treasures¡ªand the ticking clock made every decision critical. So, if they took different paths, they wouldn''t cross each other. "Then should I move with my son?" Jeong-hoon shook his head. "I have something else to do." "I see." His mother nodded with a somewhat disappointed expression. Then, Bong-Goo quickly intervened. "Mom! Then, let''s mine together! I''ll do all the mining for you!" "Really? Then I guess we''ll do that." "Yes! Brother! I''ll record with my smart lenses." Bong-Goo cleverly activated his smart lenses. Jeong-hoon nodded with a satisfied expression. "That''s the right attitude." "Thank you!" So, Jeong-hoon''s mother and Bong-Goo moved together. "Then, I guess I''ll start too." Left alone, Jeong-hoon took the path at the far left, which no one had chosen. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 238 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 238 Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo moved forward, holding pickaxes. As they went a bit further inside, they found a heap of mineralsbeled "EXP." "Brother, there¡¯s a mineralbeled EXP here!" "Let¡¯s mine it quickly." "Yes!" Bong-Goo immediately started mining. Thanks to their unique-grade pickaxes, mining was exceptionally easy. As they mined the experience minerals, the minerals disappeared, and a message appeared before them. [You have gained 2,000,000 EXP.] With just one swing, they earned a whopping 2 million experience points. It was the amount of experience that would normally take nearly an hour of hunting, but they gained it with a single mining attempt. And it didn¡¯t stop at just 2 million. [You have gained 5,000,000 EXP.] Some minerals even granted 5 million experience points. ¡°This is insane¡­ Now I understand why Hoon said it¡¯s easy to break through Level 301.¡± Ha-Jin couldn¡¯t help but marvel as he continued mining. No matter how much they mined, the EXPbeled minerals seemed endless, and as they repeatedly gained experience, their levels increased rapidly. ¡°Wow¡­ At this rate, won¡¯t we hit Level 350 instead of just 301?¡± ¡°Who knows? I heard that once you surpass 301, the experience required for leveling up doubles.¡± ¡°It doubles from here¡­? That¡¯s just brutal.¡± It was no wonder rankers held their status. ¡°Still, just breaking through 301 is something. Let¡¯s mine as much as we can.¡± They were given only two hours. The time was so precious that every second felt invaluable. On top of that, they had to think about recording the process. They nned to edit the footage into a video and upload it to YouTube. *** ¡°Damn it! If only I¡¯d known a bit earlier, I could¡¯ve taken that hidden theme for myself.¡± ¡°Haha, if you¡¯re so upset, you should¡¯ve found it before me.¡± ¡°You irritating bastard¡­¡± This was the conversation between Alessandro Bryden and Liu Xiaolong. The topic was the hidden theme Alessandro had been desperately searching for. Despite his frantic efforts to locate it, the hidden theme was taken by the mage who was moving with Liu Xiaolong. ¡°So it¡¯s right here.¡± A hidden theme. Before his regression, Jeong-hoon was called the All Master, but he didn¡¯t think of himself that way. ¡°Because I didn¡¯t truly reach the peak in every field.¡± Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t reached the pinnacle. He had merely reached a certain level in every field, which naturally earned him that nickname. Especially in magic¡ªdidn¡¯t he only know how to use Magic Missile back then? ¡°What aughable nickname.¡± Even now, the only magic he had mastered was Magic Missile. Because he mastered it with steadfast will, it was of legendary grade, and its level was maxed out. Additionally, there was Lightning Bolt. It was still epic, and its block skill was legendary. Having mastered only three spells so far, he intended to learn more magic in this hidden theme. Jeong-hoon, who had been moving forward without hesitation, suddenly stopped. ¡®Found it.¡¯ A familiar crystal orb embedded in the wall. It was the very same crystal orb that had guided Jeong-hoon to the hidden theme. ¡®Let¡¯s get started.¡¯ There was no need to mine it with a pickaxe. Jeong-hoon simply reached out and ced his hand on the crystal orb. A single exmation mark appeared above the orb. [You have discovered a hidden theme!] [You have gained 5,000 achievement points!] Discovery of the hidden theme. [Would you like to move to the Brilliant Archmage''s Vault?] ¡°Move.¡± As soon as Jeong-hoon epted, his body was enveloped in a blue light and absorbed into the crystal orb. *** [You have entered the Brilliant Archmage''s Vault.] [You have gained an additional 10,000 achievement points.] A new hidden theme: the Brilliant Archmage''s Vault. Despite being called a vault, it was an expansive space that hardly fit the term. ¡®The Brilliant Archmage.¡¯ There was only one mage who carried that title: Sol, the God of Magic. The apex of white magic, Sol was revered as a god, and this hidden theme was one of the legacies he had left behind¡ªa brilliant vein of mana. ¡®I¡¯ve been here before.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had already visited hidden themes twice in the past. The first was the Field of Overflowing Mana, designed to make inscribing circles easier. The second was Sol¡¯s Hall, a legacy left not directly by Sol, but by his disciple, where Jeong-hoon had learned Lightning Bolt and Block. ¡®This Brilliant Archmage¡¯s Vault, however, was directly created by Sol.¡¯ Unlike Sol¡¯s Hall, which had been prepared by a disciple, the vault was Sol¡¯s personal dwelling. He was known for choosing secluded and unreachable locations, and this volcano was one such ce. Originally, his dwelling had existed in another dimension. However, with the game merging with reality, his dwelling was transformed into a hidden theme, taking its ce in the volcanic cliffs. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get searching.¡± This was a rare opportunity to learn new magic and inscribe additional circles. Jeong-hoon began exploring, examining the tools that Sol had used one by one. Most of the items were magical artifacts, carefully arranged by Sol for those who would eventually visit this ce. ¡®He wanted someone to finish the game.¡¯ These preparations had been made long ago, during the copse of a certain dimension. They were born of Sol¡¯s desperate wish for future generations to bring this filthy game to an end. [You have discovered a tome brimming with mana.] It was exactly these kinds of items. Jeong-hoon picked the worn tome with his hands. As he did, the tome glowed and merged into his body. [You have inscribed an additional circle.] [Your circles have increased to ¡®4.¡¯] Merely acquiring the magic tome had elevated Jeong-hoon to the 4th Circle¡ªa leap of two entire levels. ¡®That¡¯s why Alessandro was so bitter about missing this.¡¯ This hidden theme couldn¡¯t even bepared to Sol¡¯s Hall. And the preparations here were only just beginning. The next magical artifact Jeong-hoon picked up was a staff. At first nce, it looked like an ordinary wooden branch, but this staff was one that Sol himself had wielded. [You have discovered the Brilliant Staff of Sol.] [You can randomly learn one spell from the magic avable within your current circle.] [Additionally, each time your circle increases, you can randomly learn a spell corresponding to that circle.] The staff allowed the automatic acquisition of Sol¡¯s magic, who had reached the pinnacle of white magic. For Jeong-hoon, who couldn¡¯t learn magic through traditional means, this artifact was a godsend. He secured the staff. Though it wasn¡¯t designed forbat, it was essential for learning new spells as his circles increased. ¡®Assuming I reach the 9th Circle, I¡¯d be able to learn 9th Circle magic instantly.¡¯ Alessandro Bryden. Even he had failed to break through the barrier of the 9th Circle. If Alessandro had visited this ce, he might have ovee that wall. That was why he regretted losing the hidden theme to Liu Xiaolong so deeply. It wasn¡¯t just the ease of advancing circles; this was essentially a cheat item that granted new spells immediately. Jeong-hoon channeled mana into the staff. The staff glowed momentarily before merging with him. [*You have acquired the spell ¡°Fly¡± (Epic).*] A 3rd Circle spell, Fly. A smile formed on Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. ¡®Perfect. Of all the spells, I got Fly.¡¯ With this, he could now fly freely. But it wasn¡¯t over yet. [*You have acquired the spell ¡°Holy of Glory¡± (Legendary).*] Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. ¡®Holy of Glory?¡¯ It was a spell automatically learned upon reaching the 4th Circle, yet one he had never encountered before. --- Holy of Glory - Type: Active - Level: 1 - Grade: Legendary - Effect: Consumes 20% mana to purify all aspects of a designated target. (Does not activate if the target¡¯s disparity is too great.) - Cooldown: 240 seconds --- It wasn¡¯t abat or buff spell, but Jeong-hoon was certain it was exclusive to Sol. The reason was simple: Sol primarily wielded light-attribute magic. Light-attribute spells were exceptionally rare, with most mages barely reaching a foundational level of proficiency. Yet here he was, having learned a 4th Circle light-attribute spell¡ªnot at a basic level but a masterful one. ¡®There will surelye a time when this spell will prove invaluable.¡¯ Jeong-hoon, having stored the staff in his inventory, continued to explore the warehouse. ¡®There should be one more.¡¯ ording to Liu Xiaolong, the hidden preparations within this space numbered three in total. Jeong-hoon eventually came to a halt before a wall adorned with a massive portrait of Sol. The painting depicted the grand figure of Sol in exquisite detail. ¡°This is it.¡± Jeong-hoon reached out to touch the portrait. As soon as his hand made contact, the painting glowed brightly and merged into him. [You have acquired all umted experience.] The final preparation was pure experience points. [Your level has increased.] [All stats have increased by +1.] [Bonus stat points have been awarded: +1.] . . . Levels surged wildly. ¡®I¡¯ve already surpassed 400.¡¯ When the notifications stopped, his level had soared to 431. ¡°This is insane. I can start my 5th advancement now.¡± The 5th ss advancement quest, a milestone only essible to those who reached Level 401 or higher, was now within his grasp. But it wouldn¡¯t be that simple. [Youck the ultimate energy required.] [You cannot begin the 5th advancement quest.] Even with his Legendary Hidden ss, Martial Emperor, Jeong-hoon¡¯s next path forward was obstructed. To unlock the 5th advancement, he needed to fill his Ultimate Energy to 100%. ¡®Only then can I stand against Demon King-level threats.¡¯ At present, even with all his buffs active, he could only handle Apostle-ss opponents. This gap made it clear he wasn¡¯t yet on par with Demon Kings. It was then that a new notification appeared. [You have inherited a portion of Sol''s umted Ultimate Energy.] [You have gained an additional 36.8% Ultimate Energy.] Over a third of the energy required had been transferred in an instant. ¡®Why...?¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes flickered with confusion. Based on what Liu Xiaolong had shared, this inheritance should have ended with gaining experience points. At that moment, the portrait of Solpletely vanished. [I have been waiting for this moment.] A voice unfamiliar yetmanding echoed in Jeong-hoon¡¯s mind. He instantly recognized the voice¡¯s owner. ¡°Sol?¡± [Yes. That is what people call me.] ¡°How is this possible?¡± [Because you have opened the path to the ultimate.] The Path to the Ultimate. With 8% of the Ultimate Energy gathered, Jeong-hoon had officially qualified to begin the quest. ¡°So that¡¯s why I could ess this?¡± [To be precise, it was designed to only react to those who meet the qualifications.] ¡°I see. Then why did you choose to approach me?¡± [Before answering, I have a question for you. Has much time passed since this game¡¯s outbreak?] ¡°Not really. It hasn¡¯t been that long.¡± [...I see. What about penalties?] ¡°I haven¡¯t received a single one.¡± [Is that true?!] Sol¡¯s voice rose in astonishment, brimming with excitement. Jeong-hoon nodded firmly. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true.¡± [...Then perhaps this is different.] ¡°What is?¡± [Ending the game. Preventing this madness from repeating itself.] ¡°You don¡¯t need to say it. I¡¯ll make sure that happens.¡± [Good... In that case, I¡¯ll provide you with coordinates. Head there.] A message window appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. ¡°What¡¯s this ce?¡± [You¡¯ll find something that can help youplete the Path to the Ultimate quest.] ¡°Is that so?¡± [It¡¯s a path I couldn¡¯t break through myself. I hope you¡¯ll seed where I failed and challenge the Architect.] Sol was aware of the Architect. This meant he had already reached the Architect once before. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, tell me everything you know about the Architect.¡± [I cannot.] ¡°You can¡¯t?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s brows furrowed, his expression hardening. That wasn¡¯t the answer he wanted. [I¡¯m sorry. That¡¯s beyond my ability to interfere.] ¡°You... Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re in the Architect¡¯s grasp.¡± [...] Sol remained silent, but his silence spoke volumes. ¡°So, that¡¯s the message? That no matter how much I struggle, it¡¯s all futile?¡± A crooked smile twisted Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips. If Sol could interfere even slightly, it was likely because the Architect allowed it. ¡®Architect, you¡¯ll regret ever underestimating me.¡¯ [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 239 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 239 [This is as far as I can help you.] With those final words, Sol''s voice disappeared. ¡°...I still couldn¡¯t scratch the itch this time either.¡± Neither the Seven Deadly Sins nor Sol provided a definitive clue about the Architect. ¡®It¡¯s probably being deliberately controlled that way.¡¯ Otherwise, there¡¯s no way it would feel like being abruptly cut off in the middle of things. Was it because this was still the early stage of the game? Jeong-hoon checked the coordinates he received from Sol. There was supposed to be an item there to helpplete the Path to the Ultimate quest. ¡®The next destination is set.¡¯ Having obtained all the hidden arrangements from the theme, Jeong-hoon stepped out of the crystal orb. [Master, there¡¯s no time! Dig quickly!] There was just over an hour left. Jeong-hoon pulled out his pickaxe and began mining the EXP ores in a hurry. Even though he had reached Level 431, his hunger for more remained unfulfilled. [You have gained 2,000,000 EXP.] [You have gained 3,200,000 EXP.] [You have gained 1,900,000 EXP.] [You have gained 4,000,000 EXP.] .. *** With only 5 minutes remaining, Jeong-hoon returned to the entrance marked by the red line he had entered through. At the entrance, Ha-Jin , Bong-Goo, Jang Dae-Hwi, and his mother were waiting for him. ¡°Did everyone do well with the mining?¡± As he asked, Jeong-hoon checked their levels. ¡®All of them are over Level 280.¡¯ The power of the unique pickaxe was evident. With mining made easy, even Jang Dae-Hwi, who hadn¡¯t reached Level 200 before, had achieved Level 282. Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo reached Levels 329 and 326, respectively, while his mother had risen to Level 330. ¡°Yes, thanks to you, I managed to reach Level 330.¡± His mother smiled gently. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. It seems like everyone achieved solid results, which is a relief.¡± ¡°This ce is amazing!¡± ¡°Brother! Is there no way we can leave ande back in again?¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo were thoroughly steeped in dopamine,pletely exhrated. And no wonder¡ªit was nearly impossible to gain even one level under normal conditions, yet they had experienced a surge in levels. As they say, human greed knows no bounds. Ending things here felt truly regretful. But Jeong-hoon shook his head. ¡°No, we can¡¯t enter again.¡± ¡°...Really? This golden opportunity is only avable once...?¡± ¡°Such a shame...¡± Even if it was regretful, there was nothing they could do. If there had been no entry restrictions, Jeong-hoon himself would have entered repeatedly to surpass Level 500. But for now, his level stopped at 433. Despite mining for nearly an hour, Jeong-hoon¡¯s level had only increased by two. ¡®It¡¯s fine. There will be plenty of opportunities to level up.¡¯ Following the memories from before his regression, he was confident he could easily reach levels between 700 and 800. Of course, it would take significant time to climb that high, but along the way, he would achieve the ultimate power and uncover clues about the Architect. To end this ursed game, no matter what. ¡°I think the footage turned out well.¡± Jang Dae-Hwi was thrilled not just because he had reached Level 282 but also because the filming had gone sessfully. ¡°I couldn¡¯t mine properly because of the filming... What should I do¡­¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother spoke apologetically. She had wanted to help, but Jang Dae-Hwi had insisted this was his specialty and adamantly refused her assistance. Dae-Hwi shook his head. ¡°Not at all. Filming took priority over leveling.¡± The reach of HoneyTube is beyond imagination. Uploading low-quality footage to such a tform? Unthinkable! ¡°Thanks, brother,¡± Jeong-hoon said with a bright smile of gratitude. ¡°You won¡¯t be disappointed. Ha-Jin , Bong-Goo, did you get any footage?¡± ¡°We did, but¡­¡± ¡°We were too focused on mining, so it¡¯s a bit rough,¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo admitted. Both of them had surpassed Level 320, clearly prioritizing mining over filming. Jang Dae-Hwi clicked his tongue as if he had expected it. ¡°Tch, good thing I handled it. Otherwise, it would¡¯ve been a disaster.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ brother, we¡¯re counting on you.¡± ¡°Yes, please!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Leave it to me.¡± It was clear that bringing Jang Dae-Hwi along had been an excellent decision. ¡°Let¡¯s head out,¡± Jeong-hoon said, pointing to the exit portal. At that, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo turned pale and asked, ¡°We¡¯re not going to have to climb down a cliff, are we?¡± ¡°Come on¡­ Surely not.¡± Jeong-hoon smirked mischievously. ¡°Why not? If you climbed up, you¡¯ve got to climb down too.¡± ¡°Agh¡­¡± ¡°Oh, God¡­¡± A cliff. Climbing up had been difficult enough, but climbing down essentially meant jumping off. If only they¡¯d thought to bring parachutes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I brought parachutes for everyone.¡± ¡°Hah, that¡¯s¡­ actually reassuring¡­¡± ¡°Or, if you don¡¯t like that, you can hang on to me and I¡¯ll take you down.¡± ¡°Hang on to you?¡± ¡°Yeah. I learned the Fly spell.¡± ¡°What¡­?!¡± *** After receiving a message from Jeong-hoon, Yeo Min-Ji also gathered a group of five, including Yeo Sun-Woo, and arrived at the volcano. ¡°We have to climb this cliff¡­?¡± Staring up at the dizzyingly tall cliff, Yeo Sun-Woo¡¯s mouth hung open in disbelief. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Think you can¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Of course I can. We have In-Tae with us.¡± Yeo Sun-Woo pointed to Park In-Tae, who was standing behind him. Park In-Tae, the Magician of Insight, possessed one of the hidden sses in the mage category. While hisbat abilities were somewhatcking, his unique magic created unpredictable opportunities, making him a valuable asset. ¡°Yes. Please give me a moment. I¡¯ll check if this is indeed the right cliff.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Park In-Tae snapped his fingers, conjuring a dove out of magic. The dove, formed entirely of mana, pped its wings as though alive and flew up the cliff. Before long, good news arrived. ¡°Guild leader! This is the ce!¡± ¡°Oh, as expected.¡± ¡°If what Hun said is correct, it seems we can explosively increase our levels here.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡± Park In-Tae cast another spell, and soon everyone¡¯s bodies began to lift off the ground. It wasn¡¯t quite like the Fly spell. In an instant, their bodies disappeared, and they reappeared at the entrance to a dungeon portal. ¡®Spatial Movement.¡¯ Park In-Tae had transformed the dove into a marker and ced it near the portal. Using this marker, he teleported the entire party to the designated location. ¡°This is the ce.¡± As the party leader, Yeo Sun-Woo signaled their intent to enter the dungeon, and everyone¡¯s bodies were pulled into the portal. *** [Hun! We just finished mining as well!] After receiving Yeo Min-Ji¡¯s message, Jeong-hoon signaled to Jang Dae-Hwi. ¡°Okay, just give me a bit more time to finish editing,¡± Dae-Hwi said as he reviewed the edited video. ¡°Wow, brother, you¡¯re seriously amazing at editing,¡± Ha-Jin , who had been watching from the side, expressed his admiration. It was just a mining video, but from its attention-grabbing opening to the detailed editing, it was constructed in a way that kept the viewer hooked. The opening phrase, highlighting the discovery of a ¡°honey pot¡± to rapidly boost experience, was particrly enticing. ¡°I think this will do,¡± Jeong-hoon said, nodding in satisfaction as he watched the video. However, Jang Dae-Hwi reyed the video with a slightly dissatisfied expression. ¡°Not yet. Give me a bit more time. I think it¡¯s still missing something.¡± ¡°Upload it when you¡¯re satisfied, brother.¡± There was no need to rush. No matter when the video was uploaded, its impact would undoubtedly be massive. Jeong-hoon checked the coordinates disyed in the message once more. ¡®Time to head there.¡¯ [Path of the Ultimate (1)] Before starting that quest, he needed to find the ce Sol had mentioned. ¡°Hmm? Hun, where are you off to?¡± As Jeong-hoon pulled out a ticket, Ha-Jin tilted his head and asked. ¡°There¡¯s somewhere I need to visit for a bit.¡± ¡°Really? Want me toe with you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯ll go alone.¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re always so busy.¡± ¡°Cut me some ck. I¡¯ll bring back another honey pot next time.¡± ¡°Okay! While you¡¯re gone, I¡¯ll wrap up my fourth advancement.¡± Ha-Jin had already qualified to take on his 4th ss advancement quest. ¡°I¡¯ll finish mine by the time you¡¯re back too, brother!¡± Bong-Goo was also ready to proceed. Their mother had already left toplete her own 4th ss advancement quest, so she¡¯d likely finish before the two of them. ¡°Alright. Make sure you seed.¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled softly as he tore the ticket. *** The coordinates pointed to Jeju Ind. ¡°That¡¯s surprisingly close.¡± Of all the countries in the world, it led him to South Korea¡ªspecifically, Jeju Ind. It was surprising, but not entirely unexpected. ¡°Jeju Ind is practically crawling with dungeons.¡± Portals were so abundant that you could spot a new dungeon after just a few steps. Jeju had been described as a copsednd, a fitting metaphor for its current state. Most residents had long since fled to other cities, leaving only dungeon raiders to roam the ind, clearing one dungeon after another. With dungeons avable for all level ranges, it was an inevitable phenomenon. ¡°Whoa¡­ Level 433?¡± ¡°No way! There¡¯s a martial artist with a level that high?¡± ¡°I thought Yeo Min-Ji was the top-ranked yer.¡± Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t hiding his nickname or level, so it was no surprise that he was drawing attention. While his job ss was concealed, his astonishing Level 433 was clearly visible. ¡°Look at these guys, gawking.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s only natural when you¡¯re this high level.¡± Everywhere he walked, eyes followed him. A few people even trailed him persistently. ¡°What a hassle.¡± Eventually, Jeong-hoon unfolded the Sky Steps scroll, effortlessly shaking off the pursuers. His destination was a green portal¡ªspecialized for a unique type of dungeon where even NPCs coexisted with monsters. ¡°It¡¯s not in my collection, so it should be fine to go in.¡± As Jeong-hoon approached the portal, a prompt appeared: [Lv. ??? Would you like to enter the Cult of the Heavenly Demon?] Cult of the Heavenly Demon? Has a special dungeon like this existed before? [To enter, you must ept the quest: ¡°Path of the Ultimate (1).¡±] It seemed to be a dungeon that required epting a quest before entry. "I was nning to investigate further before starting." He hadn¡¯t expected to be forced into starting. After a brief moment of hesitation, Jeong-hoon epted the quest. [Starting ¡°Path of the Ultimate (1).¡±] [Lv.??? The entrance restriction to the Cult of the Heavenly Demon has been lifted.] Entering. Jeong-hoon dered his intent to enter, and his body was quickly pulled into the portal. *** Meanwhile, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo had finished preparing to undertake their 4th ss advancement quest. ¡°Brother, let¡¯s meet up after finishing the 4th advancement.¡± ¡°Yeah. Be sure to seed ande back as the Dark King.¡± The Dark King. If the Dar Spirit was of unique grade, then the Dark King was of legendary grade. Bong-Goo flinched and waved his hands in denial. ¡°I barely managed to advance to Dark Spirit. Legendary is out of my league.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no limit. We¡¯vee this far, so you should at least try for legendary.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Bong-Goo said this as he epted the advancement quest. ¡°Good.¡± Ha-Jin also epted the quest, silently promising to sessfullyplete it so he could catch up to Jeong-hoon, even if just a little. *** [Cult of the Heavenly Demon] Jeong-hoon found himself inside a mansion. It was a small room, enough for one person to stay in. ¡°What is this?¡± Jeong-hoon heightened his senses and surveyed his surroundings. He could feel a lot of energy around him, so he cautiously opened the door and stepped outside. In front of him, a teenage NPC in his mid-teens was sweeping the yard. --- [NPC Info] - Nickname: Ki Tae-hyeok - Level: 50 - Job: Low-level Convert --- ¡°Is he a newly initiated member?¡± Ki Tae-hyeok was a low-level convert. A question mark flickered above his head. [Path of the Ultimate (1): Ki Tae-hyeok] - Restriction: Entry to the Cult of the Heavenly Demon - Reward: ?? - Description: You are currently an intruder. Lure him out and seed in your infiltration. An intruder. Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°You! Who are you?¡± Ki Tae-hyeok pointed his broom at Jeong-hoon and shouted. His eyes were filled with suspicion. ¡°Who the hell is this? A newbie who doesn¡¯t even know the difference between up and down?¡± Jeong-hoon red at Ki Tae-hyeok and summoned his magic. Ki Tae-hyeok¡¯s face went pale, and he immediately knelt, bowing his head. ¡°S-Sorry! I¡¯ve only just joined, so I was rude!¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll overlook this mistake just once.¡± ¡°Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± An exmation mark blinked above Ki Tae-hyeok¡¯s head. Since he was a newly initiated member, deceiving him was easy. ¡°Alright, now let¡¯s move on to the next step.¡± [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 240 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 240 The scale of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect surpassed imagination. Through Gi Tae-Hyuk, the first quest had beenpleted, and the second one was to integrate into the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect and join the ranks of the general disciples. [Path to Ultimacy (1): General Disciple] - Restriction: Sessful infiltration of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect - Reward: ?? - Description: Join the ranks of the general disciples and eliminate the iing monsters. Monsters. The fact that they existed in this special dungeon meant that this dimension, too, had sumbed to destruction. ¡°But what brings you to such a humble ce?¡± The location where Jeong-hoon was situated housed the lower-ranked disciples. It was unclear why the starting point had been here, but starting from within the sect had made infiltration incredibly smooth. However, this ce wasn¡¯t entirely safe either. Bang! A thunderous roar shook the ground. ¡°I-It seems a demonic beast has appeared!¡± Gi Tae-Hyuk, his face pale, trembled uncontrobly. ¡®A demonic beast¡ªthey must mean monsters.¡¯ Fenrir had referred to the Seven Deadly Sins as "demonic beasts," but the two were fundamentally different. These people merely called monsters "demonic beasts." In any case, this ce was also gued by monsters. ¡°You, stay inside.¡± ¡°W-Wait inside¡­?¡± ¡°What else? Are you nning to go out and subjugate the demonic beast?¡± ¡°Of course! We must join the fight!¡± Lower-ranked disciples were likely to be used as disposable shields in case of emergencies. ¡°That¡¯s an order.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s words, Gi Tae-Hyuk didn¡¯t hesitate and went back into the room. Left alone, Jeong-hoon unfolded the Sky Scroll and left the spot. --- The members of the Demonic Sect were hunting monsters. ¡®It¡¯s better to blend in with them.¡¯ Using a disguise potion, Jeong-hoon altered his appearance and level, then clumsily disyed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique as he naturally joined the disciples. Given the tense atmosphere, no one doubted Jeong-hoon. Even the martial art they practiced, though rudimentary, faintly carried the energy of the Underworld King within their fists. ¡®How curious. The energy of the Underworld King and those belonging to the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect are so simr.¡¯ Could it be that the Heavenly Demon was somehow connected to the Underworld King? ¡°Hey! Who are you?¡± As countless spections swirled in his mind, a man approached Jeong-hoon. Whether it was because he hadpleted a quest through Gi Tae-Hyuk or because he had disyed a simr martial art, the man showed no trace of suspicion. It seemed he simply intended to reprimand Jeong-hoon for joiningte. === [NPC Information] - Nickname: Seok Cheol-Un - Level: 150 - ss: General Disciple === He was a general disciple, positioned above the lower-ranked disciples. His aura was distinctly different from that of the lower-ranked disciples, and his level was as high as 150. ¡°General Disciple Hoon, reporting.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your name! Where were you, and why are you sote joining us?¡± The individuals engaging in battle with the monsters were not lower-ranked disciples but all general disciples. Unlike the lower-ranked disciples, who remained in the facilities, the general disciples were trained to confront monsters at any time. This exined the anger over his dyed arrival. ¡°My apologies. I had an urgent need to relieve myself.¡± ¡°Hmph. Be more careful next time.¡± The excuse was absurd, but fortunately, it worked. Perhaps because this was part of a quest, Seok Cheol-Un refrained from further reprimanding him and turned away. Rumble. Once again, the ground shook violently. It signaled that monsters were emerging from the portal. ¡°A demonic beast ising! Prepare for battle!¡± ¡°Damn it, why is this happening today of all days!¡± At Seok Cheol-Un¡¯smand, the general disciples, who had been resting, swiftly assumed battle positions. Jeong-hoon did the same. Since there was no reaction indicating the quest wasplete, it seemed necessary to thoroughly eliminate these monsters to fulfill the objective. --- Two days after Jeong-hoon had joined, a flickering exmation mark appeared above Seok Cheol-Un¡¯s head. Over those two days, Jeong-hoon witnessed the relentless waves of monsters, leading him to conclude that this dimension was nearing its end. ¡®This is serious.¡¯ The constant battles had taken a toll on the disciples. ¡°Damn it, if only the Sect Leader were here¡­¡± The Sect Leader, the master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect. The Heavenly Demon. The sky above the sky. The Absolute One. All of these referred to the same person. However, that individual was no longer present in the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect. ¡®It¡¯s been over ten years since the Sect Leader disappeared.¡¯ With the Sect Leader¡¯s sudden disappearance, the Young Sect Leader had taken over the sect¡¯s leadership. But the continuous monster invasions had caused the sect¡¯s power to decline steadily. Even the facilities for managing new disciples had been established for this reason¡ªturning them into functionalbatants before deploying them to the front lines. ¡®There are too many dungeons in the area.¡¯ And most of them were penalty dungeons. Because these dungeons hadn¡¯t been cleared, they had piled up over time, worsening the situation. When the Sect Leader resided in the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, it had never been this severe. Many believed that if the Sect Leader were still present, the sect¡¯s dominance would remain unmatched. ¡°The area has calmed down. Everyone, take a break.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The flickering exmation mark above Seok Cheol-Un¡¯s head glowed brightly. [Quest Complete.] [You may proceed with the next quest.] Quest Completed. Despite all his efforts, there was no reward. Jeong-hoon observed the flickering question mark above Seok Cheol-Un¡¯s head. [Path of the Ultimate (1): Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun] - Requirement: Eliminate 50,000 monsters. - Reward: ?? - Description: Seek out Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun. (Dokgo Jun¡¯s location will be revealed.) Fifty thousand monsters. No wonder it had taken more than two days. The next quest involved finding the Sect Leader, Dokgo Jun. ¡®Dokgo Jun?¡¯ Jeong-hoon furrowed his brows. It was a name that felt all too familiar. *** Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun Once an orphan of the heavens, he was adopted by Dokgo Myung, the former Sect Leader, who noticed his potential. Despite his young age¡ªbarely into his early 40s¡ªhe ascended to the position of Heavenly Demon. But now, he found himself in a life-or-death situation. ¡°You¡¯re quite impressive. Even after all this, you¡¯re still alive.¡± Hovering above with its wings spread, a being with crimson eyes looked down at him. It was Bng, a transcendent of demon king caliber, far beyond the likes of lesser entities. ¡°Silence!¡± Dokgo Jun struggled to his feet. However, his body had been pushed to its limit by the relentless battle, and a strange sorcery seemed to disrupt his flow of demonic energy, scattering it every time he tried to use it. To revive the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, Dokgo Jun had entrusted everything to the Deputy Sect Leader and secluded himself in closed-door training. Through those efforts, he mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, creating the most powerful martial techniques. But ironically, they were ineffective against this opponent. ¡°Howughable. Did you truly think a mere creation could be a god?¡± Though mocking him outwardly, Bng couldn¡¯t help but feel admiration internally. Dokgo Jun was a formidable adversary. Even the apostle-ss beings under Bng had been defeated when sent against him. This battle revealed why the Sovereign had deemed it necessary to dispatch a demon king-level transcendent like himself. Especially troubling was Dokgo Jun¡¯s martial arts. Had they not intervened, he would undoubtedly have risen to be an absolute ruler. ¡®Now I understand why we were ordered to eliminate him at all costs.¡¯ The Heavenly Demon. A title associated with a group of humans who dared to proim themselves as gods. Seeing the sheer mastery of his techniques, it was clear why so many followed him. ¡°Why should I not?¡± Dokgo Jun smirked. It had been a decade since he began his secluded training. He wasn¡¯t about to fall here. ¡°How do you n to fight in that condition?¡± ¡°Enough with the chatter.¡± Dokgo Jun assumed his stance. Bng¡¯s lips curled into a sly grin. ¡°It¡¯s such a waste to kill you. You¡¯d make an excellent pawn for Him instead.¡± "Go!" Dokgo Jun closed the distance to the entity using Heavenly Demon Supreme Step. Heunched another punch, channeling his newly devised divine technique. Derived from the Heavenly Demon Sky-Shattering Fist taught by the previous sect leader, it was a power that tore the very air apart as it neared its target. A devastating shockwave engulfed Bng. ¡°I told you¡ªit won¡¯t work.¡± Bng swung his scythe. A crimson-marked card materialized before him, spinning rapidly. The card absorbed the shockwavepletely. Simultaneously, Dokgo Jun¡¯s body folded in half as his waist was violently struck by an invisible force. Forced Reflection Ability. An absurd power that doubled iing damage and reflected it unconditionally. Worse, it ignored all defensive measures. No matter how formidable Dokgo Jun was, to Bng, he remained merely a creation. ¡°Urgh!¡± Dokgo Jun spat blood butunched another punch. Even his Heavenly Demon Physique was rendered useless. He had never encountered such an ability before. ¡°You¡¯d be better off as a pawn. I might even find some amusement in using you,¡± Bng sneered. Dokgo Jun red at him with bloodshot eyes. ¡°You dare call me a pawn?¡± Swish! At that moment, an arrow flew out of nowhere. ¡°A meddler,¡± Bng growled, frowning as he swung his scythe. This time, several green cards appeared, spinning swiftly as they consumed the arrow entirely. The arrow had carried immense force, enough to make Bng¡¯s aura turn sharper. ¡°So, you can absorb the power of arrows too?¡± A young man began to approach slowly from the distance. * * * ¡®As expected, the Heavenly Demon is that Dokgo Jun.¡¯ The enigmatic elder Jeong-hoon met in the primordial vige, the one who had imparted the Underworld King''s Fist Technique to his sessor¡ªhe was none other than Dokgo Jun. ¡®A game piece in their machinations.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes narrowed as he studied the transcendent before Dokgo Jun. This being wasn¡¯t of apostle level but demon king caliber. For a demon king to manifest in the mortal ne meant it had epted severe penalties. It underscored the importance of Dokgo Jun¡¯s elimination to their ns for this dimension''s destruction. ¡®Judging by the timing, the transcendent attacked Dokgo Jun as soon as I epted the quest.¡¯ The objective was clear¡ªaid Dokgo Jun and stop the transcendent. ¡®But can I pull it off?¡¯ Suddenly, a flickering exmation mark appeared above Dokgo Jun¡¯s head. [Quest Completed!] The quest was marked asplete, unlocking the next challenge. [Path of the Ultimate (1): Transcendent] - Requirement: Encounter Dokgo Jun. - Reward: ?? - Description: Aid Dokgo Jun to survive for 10 minutes. (Countdown begins upon quest eptance.) The task wasn¡¯t to defeat the transcendent but merely to ensure Dokgo Jun¡¯s survival. ¡°Just 10 minutes.¡± This simple requirement underscored the enemy''s overwhelming power. It was a demon king-ss transcendent, far beyond Jeong-hoon¡¯s current capabilities. Upon epting the quest, Jeong-hoon immediately unfurled the Heavenly Tome. [Activating Holy Orb of Glory.] [Using Advanced Healing.] He targeted Dokgo Jun with Holy Orb of Glory, surrounding him in a protective divine aura, and followed it up with Advanced Healing to mend his injuries. ¡°Hoho,¡± Bng observed, an intrigued expression on his face. The fact that he wasn¡¯t interrupting this process showed the extent of his confidence. ¡°You¡­ who are you?¡± Dokgo Jun asked in a trembling voice. ¡°A newly inducted member of the sect.¡± ¡°Is that so? How did you know I was here? Even the sub-leader doesn¡¯t know my location.¡± ¡°I just have good intuition.¡± ¡°Lies,¡± Dokgo Jun chuckled, despite himself. Someone who could locate him here and heal his ruined body so effortlessly couldn¡¯t possibly be an ordinary disciple. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a lie,¡± Jeong-hoon admitted with a sly grin. ¡°¡­Fine, I don¡¯t care. Just help me.¡± ¡°That was the n all along.¡± Jeong-hoon clenched his fist, and the Underworld King¡¯s Aura radiated from it. The quest¡¯s requirement was straightforward¡ªkeep Dokgo Jun alive for 10 minutes. Instead of pushing him into further danger, Jeong-hoon chose to take the lead in confronting Bng directly. [Title: One Who Transcends Humanity Lv. 1] - Type: Unique Evolution Title - Grade: Celestial - Automatically channels natural mana and periodically regenerates magic power. - Can permanently erase dungeons (excluding high-grade ones). - Partially resists the influence of transcendent beings. It was a title earned upon ascending to celestial heights. The partial resistance to transcendent powers offered a slim chance to withstand the demon king¡¯s overwhelming abilities, if only for 10 minutes. ¡°Let¡¯s see if I can hold him off,¡± Jeong-hoon muttered as he braced himself for the impending sh. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 241 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 241 "This is absurd!" Dokgo Jun¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. A young man iming to be a sect disciple had suddenly appeared out of nowhere to help him. The man had instantly healed his broken body and begun fighting the one who had inflicted such damage upon him. But what truly stunned Dokgo Jun was the martial art the young man disyed¡ªit was incredibly familiar. "That¡¯s the martial art I created!" A technique Dokgo Jun had relentlessly trained to perfect in his quest to reach a higher realm than the Heavenly Demon. Before entering his secluded training, he had hidden his identity and visited the martial world twice to assert his dominance over it. During those visits, he had earned the moniker ¡°Underworld King¡± after demonstrating his still-unfinished martial art. "What aughable title." Yet somehow, this young man was using the very martial art he had created. Not only that, but his mastery of it wasparable to the level Dokgo Jun had reached during his secluded training. "Even so, it¡¯s futile," Dokgo Jun thought grimly. He had already faced Bng once and realized the vast difference in their capabilities. Whatever power Bng used, it rendered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art ineffective, and even Dokgo Jun¡¯s enhanced Heavenly Demon Physique couldn¡¯t withstand his attacks. "This one isn¡¯t worth much either," Bng muttered with a bored expression, casually swinging his scythe. Three red cards materialized before him, spinning rapidly. "Watch out!" Dokgo Jun recognized the danger. The red cards absorbed damage and reflected it back unconditionally. Jeong-hoon, the young man, quickly withdrew his fist and retreated from Bng. "Ho, you¡¯re quick to catch on," Bng remarked. "I¡¯m not that easy to deal with," Jeong-hoon replied with a grin. He carefully analyzed the cards, already familiar with their effects: - Red cards: Absorb damage and forcefully reflect it. - Green cards: Absorb damage and temporarily enhance the user proportional to the absorbed energy. To activate the full effect of the red cards, Bng needed to mark his target, as Jeong-hoon had observed during Dokgo Jun¡¯s earlier encounter. The mark had been engraved on Dokgo Jun¡¯s forehead, which was why Jeong-hoon had immediately used Advanced Healing and activated Holy Orb of Glory. The Holy Orb of Glory purified everything on the designated target, including Bng¡¯s marking. "Heh, is that so?" Bng smirked and swung his scythe again. This time, three blue cards appeared and began spinning before him. "Blue cards¡­ what do they do?" Jeong-hoon furrowed his brow, pushing his senses to their limit. Suddenly, mana from the surroundings began flowing into the cards. The cards grewrger, abruptly stopping in ce before shooting toward Jeong-hoon. Shaaak! The cards scattered into multiple shards, forming a whirlwind that engulfed Jeong-hoon. "My mana is being drained!" Caught in the vortex, Jeong-hoon felt his mana being siphoned away. He tried to regain control, but it waspletely ineffective. At this rate, all his mana would be drained. The real issue was that even his life force had started diminishing. "Impressive." As expected, this was the power of a Demon King-level being. Unlike Apostle-level foes, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t even discern the abilities Bng was using. However, Jeong-hoon had encountered a simr ability before during his regressions. While it wasn¡¯t as powerful as this, he had fought an Apostle-level transcendent who wielded something eerily simr. "There¡¯s always a weakness." Analyzing the flow of mana being siphoned from him, Jeong-hoon activated the Underworld King''s Fist Technique . [Activating Formless Fist.] As he struck with his fist, the Formless Fist activated, systematically eliminating the blue cards one by one. There could be no mistakes in the sequence. The cards didn¡¯t absorb mana and life force simultaneously; instead, they targeted randomly. To eliminate them, they had to be struck while actively absorbing either mana or life force. If he touched any other cards, all of them would activate at once, leading to catastrophic consequences. Jeong-hoon focused intently, targeting only the cards affecting his mana and life force. Crackle. Crack! As the cards disintegrated, Bng¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. "Impossible!" The blue cards represented ¡°Plunder.¡± They drained mana and life force from their target, slowly whittling them down to death. With hundreds of cards swirling around, they gradually ate away at his reserves. If the victim panicked and tried to escape by touching the cards, every single one would activate at once, killing them instantly. It was a perfect death trap. Yet, this young man was calmly dismantling the cards with precision punches. That meant he had already figured out how to counter them. "Then try this!" Bng swung his scythe once more, and a massive yellow card appeared on the ground. Boom! The ground trembled violently, causing both Jeong-hoon and Dokgo Jun to groan. The yellow card was a gravity maniption ability. "Hngh!" [Activating Barrier of Light.] Jeong-hoon summoned the Barrier of Light, a Legendary-grade skill. Though it wouldn¡¯tst long, it granted him temporary freedom of movement. [Activating Formless Fist.] Jeong-hoon swiftly eliminated more cards. When he determined that enough of them had been cleared, he extended his hand toward Bng. [Activating Grasp of the Overlord.] The Grasp of the Overlord wasn¡¯t just a buff skill¡ªit had an active ability to designate a target and pull them toward him. The ability activated, and Bng was forcibly dragged toward Jeong-hoon. "You bastard!" Bng, now visibly shaken, swung his scythe in desperation. A red card appeared before him. If one¡¯s body touched the card, it would trigger a marking. However, unlike before, Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t hesitate to swing his fist. "Hup!" "Oh?" Bng furrowed his brows. He must know about the marking, so why? At that moment, the red card''s forced reflection ability activated. Yet Jeong-hoon continued to strike toward Bng without concern. Of course, the red card absorbed all of his attacks, nullifying them entirely. "Bingo." Jeong-hoon smirked. Suddenly, Bng¡¯s body bent forward at the waist, almost folding in half. "Kuhack!" A groan of pain escaped from Bng''s mouth. [Rune of Counterattack activates.] [You can return the absorbed attacks.] For 15 seconds, all iing attacks are absorbed and returned in full. Jeong-hoon had sessfully turned the red card''s forced reflection against Bng, delivering a counterstrike. ¡°Underworld King''s Fist Technique''s 6th form.¡± Initially, Jeong-hoon had deliberately avoided the marking because his martial art was only at its first form. To inflict meaningful damage, he needed to increase its level. By rapidly destroying hundreds of cards, he had elevated the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique to 6th form in one go. "How does that taste?" Jeong-hoon grinned while finishing off the remaining cards. "Kuh-kuh, you really are a fun one." Bng, however, did not fall. Instead, he gazed at Jeong-hoon with an expression of amusement. "So, even this isn¡¯t enough," Jeong-hoon thought. But it didn¡¯t matter. This much was sufficient. [10 minutes have passed.] Jeong-hoon had sessfully protected Dokgo Jun for ten minutes. "You seem to be in a good mood. Was it spicy enough for you?" "You¡¯re making this tough. Now I really want to go all out." Bng swung his scythe once more, and a rainbow-colored card appeared before him. "That¡¯s dangerous." The red cards reflected attacks. The yellow cards manipted gravity. The blue cards plundered mana and life force. The green cards absorbed damage. Each of them had terrifying abilities. A rainbow-colored card, however, signified a power far beyondparison with the others. But before it could activate, Bng¡¯s figure began to blur. Jeong-hoon exhaled a sigh of relief and taunted Bng. "Looks like your time to interfere is up, huh?" "Damn it... I got too caught up with you and lost track of time..." Bng ground his teeth in frustration. "You should¡¯ve kept better track of time." The n had worked perfectly. By breaking the blue cards and using the Rune of Conterattack, Jeong-hoon sessfully diverted Bng''s attention, allowing the ten minutes to pass uneventfully. "...I hope we meet again. Next time, I¡¯ll make sure to end you for good." With those words, Bngpletely disappeared. "Phew... I¡¯m alive." Even with all the doping, there was no guarantee of victory against such an opponent. If the quest had required defeating Bng instead of merely surviving for ten minutes, failure would have been inevitable. Jeong-hoon turned and walked toward Dokgo Jun, who was staring at him with a dazed expression. ¡®Is that really the Heavenly Demon?¡¯ The sky above the sky. The absolute being. Those were the titles attributed to this man, yet his dumbfounded expression didn¡¯t match the image at all. Above Dokgo Jun''s head, an exmation mark was blinking. [You havepleted the quest.] [You can now inherit the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.] With the questplete, the opportunity to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art had arrived. ¡®If I inherit the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it means the Underworld King''s Fist Technique will evolve.¡¯ Jeong-hoon thought about it. The Underworld King''s Fist Techniquecked nothing. It was wless, a near-perfect martial art. But staying at the Legendary grade wasn¡¯t enough. To surpass his limits, he needed to inherit the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from Dokgo Jun, the Heavenly Demon himself, and elevate the Underworld King''s Fist Technique to an even greater level. ¡®This must be why the quest is called ¡°The Ultimate Path.¡±¡¯ Ultimate Path (1). The number indicated there were multiple paths. Sol must have pointed him to these coordinates intentionally. By first evolving the Underworld King''s Fist Technique, Jeong-hoon would be better equipped to handle the subsequent quests in the Ultimate Path series. ¡®How did that strange guy even know I practiced the Underworld King''s Fist Technique?¡¯ The coordinates were too precise for anyone who didn¡¯t know Jeong-hoon¡¯s abilities intimately. Though he was curious, there were more pressing matters at hand¡ªstarting with inheriting the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. "You. Where did you learn that martial art?" With the yellow card gone, the gravity returned to normal. Dokgo Jun straightened his legs, rising from his previously kneeling position. "Would you believe me if I told you the truth?" "...Speak." "I came from another dimension." "Another dimension?" "Yes. I¡¯m ying this damned game over there as well." Dokgo Jun frowned, pondering Jeong-hoon¡¯s words. The primary reason he had entered closed-door training wasn¡¯t just to dominate the martial world, but topletely eradicate the demonic beasts. "Since you entered your closed-door training, the Heavenly Demon Cult has rapidly fallen into ruin." "What did you say?!" Dokgo Jun¡¯s eyes widened in shock. When he handed over leadership to the vice-cult leader and isted himself, the Heavenly Demon Cult had still been thriving. "It¡¯s because the number of gates releasing demonic beasts has increased beyond imagination." "...Damn it. That means the penalties have beenpounding all this time." Dokgo Jun groaned, rubbing his forehead in frustration. While undergoing his closed-door training, Dokgo Jun hadpletely isted himself from the outside world, so he had no idea what was going on. "To be honest, the lifespan of this dimension is almost over." "... "It''s probably because we¡¯ve failed to close the gates consecutively." "Nak Jin-cheon...? Was Nak Jin-cheon just watching?! No, what about the martial artists in the martial world?! What the hell were they doing?!" "The King of Martial Arts, Nak Jin-cheon." He had lost to him in martial arts, but he was a formidable opponent who was deserving of the title of King of Martial Arts. He had even been impressed enough to reveal his real name, Dokgo Jun. "I don¡¯t know about that." "...Huh." "Anyway, I need power." "Power? You¡¯ve already mastered the martial art I created perfectly." "No. I want to fully inherit the Heavenly Demon Divine Art." "The Heavenly Demon Divine Art?" "Yes." The Heavenly Demon Divine Art. A martial art created using divine energy, it was simr in structure but entirely different in nature. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art, said to be something only a Heavenly Demon could wield. What Jeong-hoon wanted was precisely that¡ªthe Heavenly Demon Divine Art. "...It¡¯s meaningless. Even the Heavenly Demon Divine Art couldn¡¯t defeat that one person." He was referring to Bng. "That doesn¡¯t mean we can just stand idly by and watch." "...Then can you promise me one thing?" "What is it?" "Completely eradicate the demonic beasts." "...This dimension is beyond saving." It had already fallen. That¡¯s why it was being used as a special dungeon now. Dokgo Jun shook his head. "I know. I felt it painfully while facing him." The realization that he couldn¡¯t do anything with his own power. "Then?" "Protect the world you¡¯re in. And then, I hope you¡¯ll continue the legacy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art." If the dimension was destroyed, the legacy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art would end with it. But if Jeong-hoon inherited the art, the legacy would not be severed. Jeong-hoon nodded. "I¡¯ll do that." [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 242 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 242 Learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a highly challenging task. "It requires activating it with Steadfast Will?" It wasn¡¯t a matter of simply transferring a skill. To learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from Dokgo Jun, one had to activate it through steadfast determination while practicing the art itself. "Thinking about the future, it¡¯s not a bad investment." Skills acquired through Steadfast Will would inherently match its grade due to the nature of Martial Emperor''s abilities. In other words, as the grade of Steadfast Will increased, so did the grade of the skill learned with it. However, no matter how much training Jeong-hoon underwent, he was unable to fully master Dokgo Jun¡¯s Heavenly Demon Divine Art. ¡°This is strange. The mantra is correct¡­¡± Even Dokgo Jun found it puzzling. To him, Jeong-hoon was like a sponge¡ªsomeone who remembered and replicated anything perfectly after being taught just once. His talent was nothing short of monstrous. Moreover, the dark energy emanating from Jeong-hoon¡¯s fist was unmistakably proof of Demonic Arts¡ªthe martial techniques of the Demonic Sect. So why couldn¡¯t heplete the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? Jeong-hoon recited the mantra for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that Dokgo Jun had passed down to him once again. Yet, Steadfast Will still showed no reaction. Why was this happening? "This is Celestial-grade Steadfast Will. It¡¯s strange that there¡¯s no response." As the grade of Steadfast Will increased, the speed of skill acquisition became absurdly fast. And yet, no matter how much Jeong-hoon tried, he couldn¡¯t learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, leaving him equally baffled. [¡°Shouldn¡¯t you try a different method?¡±] Mukho, who had been watching for some time, suddenly voiced his thoughts. "I agree. Simply mimicking that guy might not be the right approach." Anima also chimed in, agreeing with Mukho¡¯s perspective. Jeong-hoon shared their sentiment. Theck of response from Steadfast Will suggested that the conditions for learning the technique weren¡¯t being met. ¡°This method doesn¡¯t seem to be working.¡± ¡°Hm? That¡¯s impossible. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art has been passed down for generations.¡± Dokgo Jun confidently asserted that his method was correct. The mantra for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art could only be transmitted to the sessor, and apart from the sect leader, no one else knew it. Dokgo Jun had already taught Jeong-hoon the entire mantra. ¡°Still, even if I follow it perfectly, it doesn¡¯t result inpletion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been three days. It took me 20 years to master the Heavenly Demon Divine Art fully.¡± Twenty years. Expecting Jeong-hoon to master such an art in just three days, even at the first form level, was utterly unreasonable. ¡°Hm.¡± However, Jeong-hoon held a different opinion from Dokgo Jun. If Celestial-grade Steadfast Will wasn¡¯t responding, it was undeniable evidence that the training method was wed. "Should Ibine it with the techniques from the Underworld King Fist?" For the first time, Jeong-hoon considered merging the Heavenly Demon Divine Art mantra with another technique. ¡°I¡¯ll continue training,¡± he said, focusing on mastering the mantra. Dokgo Jun decided to enter closed-door training, intending to push through the limitations. The looming destruction of dimensions went unnoticed, as he was wholly absorbed in his martial pursuits¡ªa reckless act unbing of the leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect. "I was a fool." Though it might already be toote, Dokgo Jun resolved to go out and exterminate the demonic beasts as soon as he finished passing down the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to Jeong-hoon. It was at that moment. Bwoong¡ª Suddenly, while simply following the mantra, Jeong-hoon''s fist began perfectly executing the first form of Heavenly Demon Divine Art. ¡°This is it,¡± Jeong-hoon muttered with rity, retracting his fist with a satisfied expression. ¡°H-how did you do that?!¡± ¡°Ibined them.¡± ¡°Combined them?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon demonstrated by unfolding the first form of Underworld King Fist and then immediately following it with the first form of Heavenly Demon Divine Art. At that moment, Steadfast Will responded. [The exclusive skill of Martial Artists, ¡®Steadfast Will,¡¯ is activated.] [Skill, ¡®First Form Heavenly Demon Divine Art (Legendary),¡¯ acquired.] [Due to ¡®Steadfast Will,¡¯ ¡®Underworld King Fist (First Form)¡¯ and ¡®Heavenly Demon Divine Art (First Form)¡¯ have fused.] [Skill, ¡®True Heavenly Demon Fist (First Form),¡¯ acquired.] The fusion of the Underworld King Fist and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art marked the birth of the True Heavenly Demon Fist. === [True Heavenly Demon Fist (First Form)] - Type: Active - Level: 1 - Grade: Celestial - A supreme martial art that not even the Heavenly Demon could reach. - Currently executable up to its first form. === The True Heavenly Demon Fist was a Celestial-grade evolution of the Underworld King Fist. === [True Heavenly Demon Fist (First Form)] - Proficiency: 50% - Effect: - Increases fist damage by 50%. - 80% chance to nullify the opponent¡¯s defense. - Enhances dynamic vision by 50% within a 20-meter radius. - Grants invincibility for 1.3 seconds when using the skill (stackable). - Cooldown: 120 seconds. === "This is insane... absolutely insane." The Heavenly Demon Fist was overpowered, even at just it''s first form. While the original Underworld King Fist (First Form) increased damage by 25%, the Heavenly Demon Fist doubled that, offering a 50% boost. On top of that, it had an 80% chance to nullify the opponent¡¯s defense, rendering any armorpletely ineffective. And that wasn¡¯t all. The enhanced dynamic vision and the 1.3-second invincibility window provided unparalleled utility. "So, using the technique grants 1.3 seconds of invincibility, huh." This wasn¡¯t just for offense; it could also be a lifesaving defensive measure. "Even if I¡¯m caught off guard without a weapon or a Block avable, I can momentarily activate the Heavenly Demon Fist to defend myself." Unlike Block, which could be used only once and required careful timing, the Heavenly Demon Fist could provide 1.3 seconds of invincibility every 120 seconds. "In simple terms, this is broken." Jeong-hoon smirked slyly. "Unfold it again!" Dokgo Jun¡¯s voice trembled. ¡°Sure.¡± Jeong-hoon obediently demonstrated the First Form of True Heavenly Demon Fist once more. A martial art surpassing both the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and the Underworld King Fist unfolded before Dokgo Jun, whose eyes widened in astonishment. ¡°You... what, what have you done?¡± It seemed he had finally realized. This was not the Heavenly Demon Divine Art nor the Underworld King Fist he had devised¡ªit was a martial art on an entirely different level. ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself. I told you, Ibined them.¡± ¡°No... I developed the Underworld King Fist based on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but it was fundamentally a different martial art. How did you merge them?¡± ¡°I just executed them back-to-back, and it came to me.¡± In truth, it was thanks to Steadfast Will forcing him to master it upon reacting. Normally, Steadfast Will only responds after reaching 100% proficiency and undergoing insane levels of training. However, Jeong-hoon¡¯s Celestial-grade Steadfast Will allowed it to react automatically once he reached a certain level, even without excessive training. This is why the Martial Emperor, a hidden ss, is considered utterly broken. ¡°This is absurd...¡± Dokgo Jun muttered in disbelief. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll continue my training.¡± ¡°Huh? You¡¯re going to keep going?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve only mastered its first form.¡± Only at its first form, Jeong-hoon had no intention of stopping there. He nned to master the Heavenly Demon Divine Art mantra passed down by Dokgo Jun,bined with the Underworld King Fist, before leaving. *** At the same time. Jang Dae-hwi¡¯s hands trembled as he stared at the monitor. [Views: 1,106,344,210] It had only been a few days since they uploaded the cleanly edited video... ¡°What the hell is this?¡± ¡°1.1 billion...¡± ¡°How long has it been since we uploaded this?¡± ¡°...Three days.¡± ¡°1.1 billion views in just three days... is that even possible?¡± There are plenty of videos with over a billion views, but surpassing that number in such a short time¡ªless than a week¡ªhad to be unprecedented, even for HoneyTube. ¡°HoneyTube has always been a little crazy.¡± Ha-jin let out a hollowugh. As incredible as HoneyTube was, they never expected the views to skyrocket like this in such a short time. This unprecedented surge was possible because of New World, which had be a global phenomenon after its real-world integration. As people around the world dived into the game, video content rted to New World experienced a massive spike in views. HoneyTube didn¡¯t stop at merely exploring the hidden features of New World; they revealed secrets twice even after the game''s real-world integration. This was their third video, and the view count reflected its explosive reception. The numbers would likely continue to soar at an insane rate over time. "Check the estimated revenue... This is insane." "Brother, even at a time like this, you''re only thinking about money?" "Let¡¯s see if you can say that after seeing this." Jang Dae-hwi switched the screen to disy the estimated revenue. [Estimated Revenue: ?8,110,400,289] "8... 80 billion won?!" "Yeah, a staggering 80 billion." "This is crazy! Is this really the estimated monthly revenue?" "How many times do I have to tell you?" "Wow... I finally understand why you''re obsessed with money." "This amount leaves me speechless." Even Ha-jin couldn¡¯t help but be amazed by the mind-blowing figure. "And thements¡ª1.1 billion of them?" Thements were an even bigger shock. One video alone had amassed 1.1 billionments, meaning 100% of viewers took the time to leave ament¡ªa rare urrence. "Of course. The discovery was a mining vein for farming experience points." "Still, that''s incredible." "And that¡¯s not all. Right now, the volcano is so crowded people can¡¯t even move." "Wow..." Ha-jin scrolled through thements with his mouth agape. ©¸ Why didn¡¯t you stream this live? ©¸ For real, the volcano is way too crowded T_T ©¸ People areing and going because of the tickets. Crowds from all over the world are rushing in. ©¸ But seriously... how did you climb this cliff? ©¸ This is insane... How are yers without flying skills supposed to handle this T_T ©¸ Subscribed to HoneyTube. Please keep sharing great tips! ©¸ I¡¯m from America. I wish I could block everyone else so I can keep HoneyTube all to myself. "Jeong-hoon will be shocked when he sees this, right?" Jang Dae-hwi smiled proudly. Ha-jin nodded vigorously. "He¡¯ll definitely be surprised. The subscribers just passed 100 million." HoneyTube¡¯s subscriber count had skyrocketed, already surpassing 120 million. "But that¡¯s not even the most surprising thing." Jang Dae-hwi switched the screen again, this time opening his email. "Why the email?" "Just wait. You¡¯re about to be blown away." He began scrolling through the messages, stopping at a particr one and clicking on it. "Is it an ad inquiry?" "No. This isn¡¯t some mere ad offer." "Then what is it?" "Look at the sender." The sender: James Marcus. A name no one who ys New World could fail to recognize. "J-James Marcus?!" "That''s right! James Marcus wants to meet us!" "Wow! This is huge!" The number one warrior in the Americas, globally recognized as the best tank and a star yer¡ªJames Marcus¡ªhad sent them a direct invitation. *** [The Martial Artist-exclusive skill, ''Steadfast Will,'' has been activated.] [Skill ''Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps (Legendary)'' has been acquired.] [''Steadfast Will'' has fused ''Heavenly Step Manual'' and ''Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps.''] [The skill ''True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps'' has been acquired.] It wasn¡¯t just about merging the Underworld King¡¯s Fist Technique. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art reacted with almost all of Jeong-hoon''s skills, causing multiple evolutions. First, by mastering the Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps, it fused with the Heavenly Step Manual, evolving into True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps¡ªCelestial grade. The Heavenly Body, an evolution of his Indomitable Body, further transformed into the True Heavenly Demon Divine Body, also reaching Celestial grade. Lastly, his sword technique, Annihtion Sword, merged with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, evolving into the Heavenly Demon Annihtion Sword. "The Heavenly Demon Fist seems to cap at Level 3." The Heavenly Demon Fist had reached its third level. Beyond that, no matter how much he deployed the Underworld King¡¯s Fist, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art wouldn¡¯t respond. "His speed is insane." From afar, Dokgo Jun watched with his mouth agape. Jeong-hoon''s growth rate was beyond belief¡ªinhumanly fast. "Every single one of them surpasses the original Heavenly Demon Divine Art." Traditionally, inheriting such skills required decades to reach the same level. Yet Jeong-hoon had advanced the Heavenly Demon Divine Art several times in a single week¡ªhis physique, movement techniques, swordsmanship, and martial arts alike. Although still iplete, when perfected in due time... "He''ll rewrite history." He might even be able to end this cursed game. No, Dokgo Jun was sure¡ªhe would end it. "I think it¡¯s time to head back now." Jeong-hoon approached Dokgo Jun, his martial arts trainingplete. "...Yeah. Let¡¯s head out." Having passed down the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, it was time for Dokgo Jun to finish his remaining tasks. "I''ll help you with that." "Help? You want to help me?" "Yes." Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t select the return option. The reason was simple: the question mark blinking above Dokgo Jun''s head. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 243 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 243 [Path of the Ultimate (1): The Birth of a New Heavenly Demon] - Requirement: Master the Heavenly Demon Divine Art - Reward: ?? - Description: Assist the Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun in supporting the Cult of the Heavenly Demon. The ultimate path had not yet reached its conclusion. ¡°This could be an opportunity to learn additional martial arts techniques.¡± Otherwise, the quest wouldn¡¯t continue to appear. Jeong-hoon epted the quest. "Absolutely not! It¡¯s dangerous. Didn¡¯t you say you came from another dimension? Then you should return to save your world." "No, I can¡¯t turn a blind eye to my master¡¯s world." "Master?" "Yes. Since you passed on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to me, aren¡¯t you my master?" "...If you¡¯re going to call me that, then address me as the Cult Leader. I may not look it, but I am the head of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon." "Apologies, but I didn¡¯te here to join the cult." Jeong-hoon grinned. At his smile, Dokgo Jun burst intoughter. "Fair enough. Do as you wish." "Yes, Master. Then, let¡¯s depart." "Alright." Dokgo Jun¡¯s period of secluded training hade to an end. *** The cultists were utterly exhausted. The number of the dead was beyond counting. Yet, what kept them standing was their unwavering faith in their leader¡ªthe belief that they had to protect the cult in the leader¡¯s absence. "Let¡¯s hold strong!" "Both the elders and the young cult leader are on the frontlines right now! We have to defend the cult ourselves!" The situation was dire, with fiends swarming so intensely that even the young cult leader and the elders had gone to the frontlines to seal the gates. Still, there was a glimmer of hope¡ªthe number of fiends had noticeably decreased. "The fiends are retreating! The young cult leader must be sessfully sealing the gates!" The cultists¡¯ eyes sparkled with hope. And then, at that moment. The fiends advancing toward the Cult of the Heavenly Demon began to copse one by one. "Argh!" "Cursed human!" The fiends¡¯ howls of pain puzzled the cultists. "What¡¯s happening?" "Someone is helping us!" "Let¡¯s move!" As the cultists rallied with newfound confidence, a familiar figure slowly emerged. With a simple wave of his hand, the fiends were swept away. "It¡¯s the Cult Leader!" "The Cult Leader has returned!" The Heavenly Demon Dokgo Jun had returned. Recognizing him, the cultists erupted in cheers. "Human!" "Kill that human!" The fiends shifted their focus to Dokgo Jun and charged at him. However, they didn¡¯t even get close before meeting their demise. That was because Dokgo Jun wasn¡¯t the only one who had returned to the Cult of the Heavenly Demon. ¡°Huh? That guy...?¡± Suk Cheol-woon, one of the ordinary cultists, immediately recognized him. It was the same man who had joined the cult a few days ago, albeitte. Not long after, he had disappeared, prompting Suk Cheol-woon to n on scolding him harshly if he ever showed up again. Yet, here he was, fighting alongside the cult leader to subdue the fiends. What¡¯s more, his movements were on apletely different level than before¡ªso fast and precise that Suk Cheol-woon¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t keep up. ¡°I knew I had an eye for talent.¡± Dokgo Jun offered an approving remark, clearly satisfied. ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down. You¡¯ll end up paying for it,¡± came the calm retort from the ordinary cultist¡ªno, from Jeong-hoon, who responded with a faint smile. Dokgo Jun frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! Do you think a Heavenly Demon like me could be defeated so easily?¡± ¡°You nearly fell to that thing, didn¡¯t you?¡± The Transcendent Fiend¡ªBng. Dokgo Jun¡¯s face flushed red with embarrassment. ¡°Ahem! That one doesn¡¯t count. Besides, you couldn¡¯t defeat him either.¡± ¡°Not defeating him is different from being caught off guard.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t caught off guard either!¡± ¡°Sure, sure. Then why don¡¯t you focus on taking care of these fiends? I¡¯ll head into the dungeon and seal it.¡± ¡°You think you can handle it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon possessed the ability to permanently eliminate dungeons. [Transcendent Human Lv. 2] - Type: Unique Evolution Title - Grade: Celestial - Details: - Automatically channels the mana of nature and recovers magical power over time. - Can permanently destroy dungeons (except for high-grade ones). - Partially resists the influence of other transcendents. This title was acquired when he ascended to the celestial realm. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll leave it to you, then.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Leaving the remaining fiends to Dokgo Jun, Jeong-hoon headed toward the nearest dungeon. *** Left alone, Dokgo Jun continued eliminating the fiends and eventually regrouped with the ordinary cultists. ¡°Cult Leader!¡± ¡°We greet the Cult Leader!¡± The cultists, ovee with emotion, weed Dokgo Jun with expressions of pure joy. With a face full of guilt, Dokgo Jun apologized to them. ¡°Sorry for beingte.¡± ¡°No, not at all! We never doubted that you would return, Cult Leader!¡± Tears streaming down his face, Suk Cheol-woon shouted with conviction. The other cultists nodded furiously in agreement, as if echoing his sentiments. "Very well. While my disciple seals the gate, I''ll handle the fiends. All of you, stand back." "Y-Your disciple? What about the Young Cult Leader?" "The one to seed me as the next Cult Leader will be him. That has nothing to do with being my disciple." "I see... Is that so...?" Suk Cheol-woon was utterly confused. This was not the kind of information someone as lowly as a regr cultist should be hearing. "Where are the others? Why are only you lot here?" A look of curiosity shed across Dokgo Jun¡¯s face. "The Young Cult Leader and the elders have gone to seal the gates. That''s why we¡¯ve been left to defend the cult!" "No, that¡¯s not what I meant. Where is the Demon Sword Unit?" Before Dokgo Jun entered his seclusion for training, it was the Demon Sword Unit that safeguarded the Cult of the Heavenly Demon. Comprised of exceptionally talented individuals among the cultists, they were distinguished by their uniforms and swords¡ªsymbols of their elite status. But these people wore no such attire or carried no such weapons, marking them as ordinary cultists. "The Demon Sword Unit¡­ was annihted years ago." "Annihted?" "Yes. They attempted to forcibly seal a gate, and... they perished in the process." "And what happened to that gate?" "They somehow managed to seal it. However, the Demon Sword Unit¡ªincluding its captain¡ªand even Elder Mok Jin-woon lost their lives in the attempt." "This is insane..." That such a tragedy had urred was beyond belief. Holding his head, which began to ache at the revtion, Dokgo Jun gestured with his hand. In an instant, the head of a fiend creeping toward him burst apart. "Gasp!" The ordinary cultists, who had failed to notice the fiend''s presence, flinched in shock, their bodies trembling. "I''ll ask for the full detailster," Dokgo Jun said, dismissing the matter for now. Dealing with the fiends took precedence. *** [Quest in Progress] [The dungeon is changing.] Upon entering the dungeon, a message appeared before Jeong-hoon. Dungeon changing? Tilting his head in confusion, his vision suddenly cked out, and a differentndscape unfolded. "Human!" "There''s a human here!" Before Jeong-hoon could survey his surroundings, he found himself surrounded by monsters. [Lv.370 Blue Giants Corrupted by Dark Energy] These were massive humanoid monsters, their bodies marred with ck splotches from the corruption of dark energy. "Level 370? These aren¡¯t even worth mentioning." Jeong-hoon smirked at the giants. Though he hadn¡¯tpleted his fifth ss advancement yet, his level had long surpassed 400. Even though the number of level 370 giants seemed endless, Jeong-hoon was confident he could handle them. True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps Jeong-hoon emanated the ultimate movement technique of the Heavenly Demon¡ªthe Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps. Jeong-hoon advanced a step and swung his fist toward the giant in front of him. Until his punch struck the giant''s weak spot¡ªthe groin¡ªthe other giants'' eyes remained locked on the ce where Jeong-hoon had been standing. Thud! [True Heavenly Demon Fist Technique ¨C First Form] "Urgh!" The giant, struck in its vital point, widened its eyes in agony and copsed to its knees. The pain was so intense that it couldn¡¯t even muster a proper scream, its body trembling violently instead. "Hup!" Jeong-hoon followed up with a swift punch, smashing into the giant¡¯s throat with brutal force. Crunch¡ª The giant¡¯s neck snapped as blood spurted from its nose and mouth. It copsed lifelessly. "Human! Dangerous!" "A dangerous one!" Only then did the other giants realize the threat Jeong-hoon posed. "A bit slow on the uptake for a bunch of level 370s, don¡¯t you think?" Jeong-hoon smirked as he unsheathed Leviathan, his weapon of choice. The previous attack had revealed their weakness¡ªstriking critical points like the groin was devastatingly effective. Instead of prolonging the battle with hand-to-handbat, switching to swordsmanship would expedite their defeat. He decided to employ the evolved version of the Heavenly Demon Sword Technique, the Heavenly Demon Annihtion Sword. [Heavenly Demon Annihtion Sword] -Type: Active -Level: 1 -Grade: Celestial -Description: Wields sword strikes capable of annihting everything. - First Form: Heavenly Demon¡¯s Initial Strike - Second Form: Heavenly Demon¡¯s Devouring Strike - Third Form: Heavenly Demon¡¯s Annihtion Strike - Unique Passive: Destruction [First Form: Heavenly Demon¡¯s Initial Strike] - Type: Active - Description: Delivers 11 strikes per second, dealing 200% damage per strike, and marks the target with the Brand of the Heavenly Demon. - The brandsts for 60 seconds. Once it disappears, it cannot be reapplied for 180 seconds. The Brand of the Heavenly Demon was simr to its predecessor but added extra damage upon marking a target. [Second Form: Heavenly Demon¡¯s Devouring Strike] - Type: Active - Description: Unleashes four sword strikes, each dealing 180% damage, and applies the Second Form Brand. - Targets marked with the First Form Brand receive 420% damage. - The brandsts for 60 seconds. Once it disappears, it cannot be reapplied for 180 seconds. Look at that damage. The Second Form delivers a staggering 420% damage to marked targets. Combining the First Form and the Second Form, most monsters would be annihted in an instant. The sheer destructive force was unparalleled. "Let¡¯s see how you handle this," Jeong-hoon muttered with a confident grin as he prepared to unleash the technique. [First Form: Heavenly Demon¡¯s Initial Strike activated.] As Jeong-hoon unleashed the First Form, his de danced through the air, cutting down the towering giants with ruthless efficiency. "Argh!" "Graahk!" With each swing, severed limbs scattered across the ground. Giants screamed in pain, unable to withstand the precise and devastating strikes. [Second Form: Heavenly Demon¡¯s Devouring Strike activated.] Jeong-hoon seamlessly transitioned into the Second Form, carving through the branded giants and finishing them with a single, final blow. Thebination of the True Heavenly Demon Step and the Heavenly Demon Annihtion Sword rendered the giants utterly helpless. *** It took only 30 minutes. That was all Jeong-hoon needed to ughter every giant on the field. ¡°Now, only the boss remains,¡± he muttered, scanning his surroundings. The once-thrumming energy of monsters hadpletely dissipated. The dungeon had gone silent, leaving only the faint echo of his footsteps as he began his search. If he could defeat the boss, the dungeon would copse permanently. ¡°Where could the boss be?¡± Jeong-hoon wandered through the battlefield, looking for signs of a portal that would lead to the boss¡¯sir. Yet, no portal appeared. ¡®Strange. I don¡¯t sense anything.¡¯ Portals typically radiated magic, an unmistakable presence that Jeong-hoon¡¯s senses could easily detect. But here, there was nothing. ¡®So, this isn¡¯t the type of dungeon where you defeat a boss.¡¯ Such dungeons weren¡¯t unheard of. Jeong-hoon had encountered them before in his previous life. In these, defeating all the monsters wasn¡¯t enough to clear the dungeon. Instead, the key to clearing ity elsewhere. ¡°Items. I need to find an item,¡± Jeong-hoon dered, shifting his focus. [Item? Why an item all of a sudden?] Mukho, his spectralpanion, chimed in, his voiceced with curiosity. ¡°That item is the key to clearing this dungeon.¡± [A key?] ¡°Exactly. Think of it as a trap.¡± Jeong-hoon exined. Activating the item would trigger a hidden mechanism, revealing anotheryer to the dungeon¡ªa dualyer dungeon. Until the key was activated, the dungeon wouldn¡¯t be considered cleared, no matter how many monsters were defeated. [What kind of item are we looking for?] ¡°We¡¯ll have to touch everything to find it.¡± The item was undetectable by normal means. Camouged to blend seamlessly with its environment, its discovery relied solely on painstaking manual search. [You¡¯re seriously going to search like that?] ¡°Yeah. If I keep moving, I¡¯ll find it eventually.¡± With determination, Jeong-hoon began his search, inspecting rocks, trees, and grass with his hands. Time passed slowly. Thud. Finally, Jeong-hoon felt a faint vibration beneath a pile of stones he had touched. ¡°Got it.¡± A subtle smile formed on Jeong-hoon¡¯s face as he watched the ground beneath him begin to tremble. The key to the dungeon had been found. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 244 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 244 [Would you like to enter the ancient tomb?] Ancient tomb. Theck of information about the level implies either a tremendously high difficulty or the presence of hidden treasures. Just like the serpent I encountered in India before. ¡®I¡¯ll enter.¡¯ Of course, there was no choice other than to enter. This quest, like the others, was a dungeon that had to be cleared in order to seed. As soon as Jeong-hoon expressed his consent, his body was sucked into the portal. *** At the same time. "Young Master!" The Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Dokgo Mujin was currently in a life-or-death crisis. "Ugh!" It was because of the specter before Dokgo Mujin. The shape of the ck specter was unrecognizable, and it had its hand firmly grasping Dokgo Mujin¡¯s throat. "Protect the Young Master!" The elder who had followed quickly drew his sword and tried to attack the specter. "No!" Dokgo Mujin hurriedly stopped the elders. "Young Master!" "It¡¯s too dangerous!" "We must eliminate it!" The elders urgently cried out. ''Promise me that you won¡¯t interfere with anything that happens from now on.'' Before entering this ce, Dokgo Mujin had given them thismand. With the sect leader absent, the Young Master was standing in his ce, so his orders were absolute. Even the elders could not go against his will. However, if the Young Master¡¯s life was in danger, the situation changed. "I¡¯m sorry." In the end, the eldersunched a full attack on the specter. But the specter, seemingly amused, gestured with its hand, and in that instant, the elders fell unconscious, vomiting blood. "Goddamn..." Dokgo Mujin bit his lip. He thought it was all over. The sect leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect. He had only been one step away frompletely taking the sect leader¡¯s position after driving out his stepfather, Dokgo Jun! But who would have known that the soul of the Heavenly Demon was guarding this ¡®thing¡¯? It was a miscalction. The corners of the specter¡¯s mouth curled into a sinister grin as its form slowly entered Dokgo Mujin¡¯s nose and mouth. "Gah..." Dokgo Mujin desperately struggled, but it was futile. ''If I had known this would happen... I should have just gone to find the sect leader.'' Dokgo Mujin knew the location of Dokgo Jun¡¯s seclusion. Despite this, he had not gone to find him, even though the Heavenly Demon Sect¡¯s power was declining. He had intended to secure the legacy of the ancient Heavenly Demon and push Dokgo Jun out to gain the true power of the Heavenly Demon for himself. He had been desperate to find the legacy, leaving the Heavenly Demon Sect behind. And finally, he seeded in finding the legacy. Who would have thought that the cursed beast was lurking beyond that door? No wonder it had been so hard to find. But that¡¯s where the misfortune began. Vroom¡ª As he reached out to the tomb where the legacy was buried, an unknown vibration shook the air, and a ck specter appeared. And this was the result. The ck specter entered through his nose and mouth, and his consciousness began to fade. "Wow, is it okay to eat this?" At that moment, a child¡¯s voice came from the side, and the specter¡¯s movement froze. Jeong-hoon¡¯s gaze turned toward where the voice came from. There, a beast-like humanoid creature was holding the specter in ce. "!^$#@!#@$" The specter let out an unrecognizable scream, and the creature emerged from Dokgo Mujin¡¯s nose and mouth. "Cough! Cough!" Having regained his freedom, Dokgo Mujin coughed and teared up. "Are you alright?" A young man approached him. "Cough! Who¡­ who are you?" "I¡¯m the one who came to close this door." "¡­This tomb is mine." How many years had he wasted to find this tomb? He couldn¡¯t let this young man take it from him now. "You¡¯ve been saved, and yet you still can¡¯t let go of your greed." "What?!" "Know when toe and when to go." "Ugh!" The young man struck Dokgo Mujin¡¯s neck, knocking him out. "Now, shall we close it?" Jeong-hoon looked at the specter that had been captured by the Seven Deadly Sin. When he hade through the portal into the tomb, the Seven Deadly Sin had caused a ruckus. Saying they wanted to eat that thing. ¡®It¡¯s a dead soul, so absorption should be possible.¡¯ Thanks to that, the first trial was going to be solved quite easily. [Absorbing stats.] The specter offered no resistance and had its stats drained by the Seven Deadly Sin, eventually vanishing after a short time. "This was tastier than I thought." Having finished his meal, the Seven Deadly Sin returned with a satisfied expression. "Full?" "Well... not exactly full. I still want to eat those too." The Seven Deadly Sin pointed at the unconscious Dokgo Mujin and the elders. "They¡¯re off-limits." "Why? They¡¯re nothing but greedy fools. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to get rid of them." "That doesn¡¯t give a reason to eliminate them." "Tch." "Anyway, if you''re done eating, go inside." Jeong-hoon sent the Seven Deadly Sin away and approached the ancient tomb. It was undoubtedly a tomb for someone extraordinary, as it was massive. ¡®It¡¯s going to take some time to excavate all of this.¡¯ Jeong-hoon pulled out a shovel and began digging at the top of the tomb. As he dug vigorously, the unconscious elders started waking up one by one. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°What in the world happened here¡­?¡± ¡°Ah?! Who are you?!¡± Annoying pests were waking up. [Why didn¡¯t you just tell him to eat it?] ¡®I agree. That way, there would be no trouble.¡¯ Mukho and Anima added their thoughts. Though their words weren¡¯t wrong, Jeong-hoon had no intention of doing that. ¡°No, this works out. The tomb is so huge that I thought it would take a while if I did it alone.¡± Jeong-hoon smirked and stepped away from the tomb. The elders trembled slightly as they saw him. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°Be careful! That ck shape might have transformed!¡± The ck specter. They didn''t know it had already been absorbed by the Seven Deadly Sin and mistook Jeong-hoon for the ck specter. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, start digging this tomb.¡± Jeong-hoon tossed the shovel in front of them. ¡°Dig¡­ the tomb?¡± They stared nkly at Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon then clenched his fist. The energy of the Heavenly Demon Martial Art surrounded his fist. The elders were shocked as they recognized the energy. ¡°What¡­ What is this?!¡± ¡°My goodness¡­ isn¡¯t that the Heavenly Demon Martial Art?!¡± As expected, the elders quickly identified it as the Heavenly Demon Martial Art. ¡°So, now you understand who should take this tomb, right?¡± ¡°W-wait! Who are you?!¡± One of the elders quickly asked. ¡°Me? I¡¯m the Heavenly Demon from another dimension. To put it simply, I came here through a simr portal.¡± Jeong-hoon referred to himself as the Heavenly Demon. He had received the Heavenly Demon Martial Art and had evolved it beyond what Dokgo Jun had practiced. They quickly understood. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Then, did you also eliminate the ck specter¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°I eliminated it. If I hadn¡¯t, you all would have died.¡± The elders shuddered in fear. ¡°I- I see¡­¡± ¡°Then, what brings you to this tomb?¡± It was good that they understood quickly. Jeong-hoon withdrew the energy from his fist and motioned toward the tomb. ¡°I¡¯m here to take the legacy inside.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± They couldn¡¯t respond. The legacy Jeong-hoon was after was the very thing the sect¡¯s junior leader had coveted. It was the reason the entire sect had mobilized, leaving the Heavenly Demon Sect in the hands of the disciples. The junior leader had believed that by iming the legacy, he could eliminate the monsters that had been tormenting the Heavenly Demon Sect and take control of the entire martial world. The missing sect leader had fallen into obsession with martial arts and had lost interest in the martial world altogether. ¡°Tch, you don¡¯t really think things will change just because the junior leader gets his hands on this, do you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°In that case, you¡¯re looking inpletely the wrong direction.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If anyone dares to defy me,e forward. I¡¯ll personally end you.¡± Jeong-hoon stepped forward, his footsteps echoing with the weight of the True Heavenly Demon¡¯s Command. The elders froze in ce, feeling the overwhelming pressure. ¡®This is different.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s the real Heavenly Demon¡­¡¯ Though the junior leader was powerful,pared to Jeong-hoon, he was like a puppy. Naturally, the elders dropped to their knees and bowed their heads. ¡°We will follow your orders.¡± ¡°Please show mercy.¡± In the Heavenly Demon Sect, strength was power. It was natural for the weak to bow to the strong. ¡°Then start digging.¡± Jeong-hoon gave the order and approached the junior leader. He pped him across the face to wake him up. ¡°Cough!¡± ¡°Are you awake now?¡± ¡°You, you are¡­?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re awake, start digging the ground.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s words became shorter. From now on, these were his hired workers¡ªhis precious(?) personnel. To make them obey, he would have to subjugate them with force. ¡°Nonsense! Elders! What are you doing?! Why aren¡¯t you killing this bastard right now?!¡± The junior leader, Dokgo Mujin, shouted at the elders. But the elders only flinched, not daring to move. No, to be exact, they couldn¡¯t move. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you first.¡± ¡°What, what¡­?! Aaagh!¡± The scream of the junior leader, Dokgo Mujin, echoed throughout the tomb. *** The time for subjugation was over, and it was now time for work. Thoroughly beaten, Dokgo Mujin no longer had any intention of resisting and began to dig the tomb with a shovel. The elders were the same. No one dared to defy Jeong-hoon. ¡°Hurry up and dig.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± Everyone responded loudly to Jeong-hoon¡¯smand. Indeed, with these types of people, a good beating was all it took. [Wow, this is way faster than when I was doing it alone.] ¡®So this was all part of the master¡¯s grand n.¡¯ No. It was simply that he didn¡¯t want to see the blood of those who hadn¡¯t evenmitted any wrongs. Of course, by choosing this option, his workforce had increased, and the speed of the work was now far faster than when he was doing it alone. When the tomb was fully excavated, a ck coffin appeared. ¡°Step aside.¡± Jeong-hoon dismissed them all and reached for the coffin. At that moment, an unfamiliar voice echoed in his head. [Is it you? The one trying to take my legacy.] ¡®Who is this? Could it be the Heavenly Demon in this coffin?¡¯ [Quick-witted. I like that.] ¡®...Are you trying to stop me?¡¯ Jeong-hoon asked with a stern expression. Then a heartyugh returned. [Hahaha, no way.] ¡®So, you¡¯re just going to hand it over quietly, then?¡¯ [Of course. The ck Specter. I hastily created this device. The fact that you¡¯ve made it this far means you¡¯ve effectively dismantled my device, right?] Strictly speaking, it was something absorbed by the Seven Deadly Sins, but still. ¡®Was that a test?¡¯ [Correct.] At that moment, a shing exmation mark appeared above the coffin. Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡®So this was the way toplete it.¡¯ [Questpleted.] [You may now take the legacy of Heavenly Demon Cheon Ahwi.] With the questpleted, the coffin slid open. Inside, an old book was ced atop the corpse of Heavenly Demon Cheon Ahwi. ¡°This is it.¡± Jeong-hoon retrieved the book. A message then appeared before him. [You have cleared the ancient tomb.] The process of clearing the dungeon wasplete with the retrieval of the book. [May you achieve what you desire.] Cheon Ahwi¡¯s voice ended, and a portal to the outside opened. ¡°I certainly will.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled faintly as he ced the book into his inventory. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 245 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 245 The demonic beasts surged endlessly. Dokgo Jun relentlessly hunted them down. ¡®There are truly so many of them.¡¯ Compared to ten years ago, their numbers were iparable. Although they were far below his level, for the cult disciples, they were formidable opponents. It was against such demonic beasts that the Heavenly Demon Cult had endured. ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Dokgo Jun silently offered his apology to them. His martial arts¡ªmore specifically, his obsession with mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art¡ªhad led him to neglect the cult under the pretense of closed-door training for ten years, a decision he deeply regretted. If only he hadn¡¯t fixated on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. ¡®The Elder Mok Jin-Woon of the Demon Sword Division would still be alive.¡¯ To still call himself the Heavenly Demon after leaving the cult in such a state¡ªit wasughable. ¡°Cult Leader! Let us assist you!¡± Behind Dokgo Jun, ordinary disciples brandished their swords, fighting against the demonic beasts. ¡°Very well. Your efforts are appreciated.¡± Dokgo Jun let out a faint smile and stepped forward with the Heavenly Demon¡¯s Dominating Footwork. Wherever he passed, the demonic beasts fell to the ground, lifeless. Time flowed as he continued. Eventually, a familiar face appeared. ¡°I apologize for beingte. Are you unharmed?¡± A young man approached Dokgo Jun without him noticing. It was his disciple, Jeong-hoon, to whom he had passed down the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s been a while since I moved so much, so my body aches.¡± Dokgo Jun rubbed his back, groaning in pain. Seeing this, Jeong-hoon burst outughing as if it was absurd. ¡°For someone in pain, you look remarkably unscathed.¡± ¡°Do I now?¡± Dokgo Jun chuckled weakly. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s your heart that seems to have taken the real blow.¡± He had hit the mark. Dokgo Jun gazed at the exhausted, copsed disciples and murmured. ¡°It''s just¡­¡­ I can¡¯t help but regret it. I¡¯ve made an irreversible mistake.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right. Master, you did your best.¡± ¡°Hmph, are you trying tofort me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s notfort¡ªit¡¯s the truth.¡± It wasn¡¯t mere ttery. Even as a chess piece, he had passed on the Dark King¡¯s Fist Technique to users. In his previous life, it was to Yi Hwarang. Now, it was to Jeong-hoon. Though the dimension was already destroyed, he had taken the Heavenly Demon Divine Art a step further by passing it down again. The past couldn¡¯t be undone, but he had done his best to ensure the future generations could finish the game. ¡°Ha ha, thank you.¡± ¡°Oh, and the Young Cult Leader and the elders are safe.¡± As Jeong-hoon said, the Young Cult Leader and elders could be seen running toward them in the distance. Since their movement techniques were far inferior to the True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Step, their arrival had been dyed. "Did you save them?" "Yes." If Jeong-hoon had been even slightlyte, they would have been annihted by the ck wraiths. In essence, he had saved them. "Thank you." Dokgo Jun sincerely expressed his gratitude to Jeong-hoon. "It¡¯s nothing." "Leader! You¡¯vee!" The second to arrive was Dokgo Mujin, the Young Cult Leader, who immediately knelt before him in urgency. Dokgo Mujin was Dokgo Jun¡¯s adopted son. When Dokgo Jun had gone into hiding in the martial world, he brought back a gifted child and adopted him¡ªjust as someone had once done for him. However, Dokgo Mujin fell short of Dokgo Jun in mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Whenever an easier path presented itself, he would always choose it, no matter the cost. Thus, he couldn¡¯t understand Dokgo Jun¡¯s decision to enter closed-door training. "You fool!" Dokgo Jun reprimanded him with a fierce expression. "¡­¡­." Dokgo Mujin lowered his head, not daring to look up. He had failed to protect the Heavenly Demon Cult in Dokgo Jun¡¯s absence, despite being entrusted with that responsibility. Worse, in his desire for power, he had led the elders to a graveyard, leaving the cult defenseless and under the protection of mere disciples. In short, everything was in disarray. "If I were to act on my feelings, I¡¯d tear you apart and kill you! But since I¡¯ve made my own mistakes, I can¡¯t do that." One by one, the elders began to arrive. "Leader!" "We greet the heavens!"N?v(el)B\\jnn As was customary for the cult, the elders addressed Dokgo Jun as the heavens. Dokgo Jun waved them off dismissively. "All of you, stand up." "Yes." At hismand, the elders, including Dokgo Mujin, raised their heads. "Apologies for beingte." Dokgo Jun met their gaze and offered an apology. The elders, startled, quickly bowed their heads again. "Not at all!" "Please don¡¯t say such things!" "It was our duty to protect the cult in your absence, and we failed. We are deeply ashamed." Dokgo Jun shook his head. "It¡¯s fine. What matters now is eradicating the remaining demonic beasts. Lend me your strength." "Of course!" "We¡¯ll begin the hunt immediately!" *** With the Young Cult Leader and the elders joining in, the extermination of the demonic beasts became significantly easier. Jeong-hoon entered the dungeon and destroyed it, leading to a rapid decline in the number of demonic beasts. "Leader." When the extermination was nearlyplete, Dokgo Mujin cautiously approached Dokgo Jun. "What is it?" Dokgo Jun responded without even ncing at him. "¡­Do you know about the Heavenly Demon¡¯s Legacy?" "The Heavenly Demon¡¯s Legacy?" At that, Dokgo Jun¡¯s gaze turned to Dokgo Mujin, who, uncharacteristic of a Young Cult Leader, hesitated and fidgeted under his scrutiny. "Yes¡­ Actually, I led the elders to search for that legacy." "And?" "¡­Pardon?" "Did you find it?" "Ah, yes. We did find it, but¡­" Dokgo Mujin began recounting what had transpired at the grave in detail. After hearing the entire story, Dokgo Jun tilted his head as if it had nothing to do with him. "So, why are you telling me this?" "¡­Pardon? I mean, it¡¯s the Heavenly Demon¡¯s Legacy. Shouldn¡¯t it rightfully belong to you, Leader?" "The Heavenly Demon already took it, didn¡¯t he?" "¡­" "He¡¯s surpassed me. If there¡¯s a legacy, it¡¯s only natural to pass it on to him." Dokgo Mujin clenched his fists tightly. It was the Heavenly Demon¡¯s Legacy, after all. The thought of handing it over so easily to someone he had never seen before was unbearable. "We have a different perspective. If you were to im that legacy, Leader, you could surpass the Heavenly Demon who came from another world." "Conversely, if someone stronger than me takes it, they¡¯ll grow even more powerful, won¡¯t they?" "¡­What?" "Actually, it¡¯s better this way since it can further strengthen him." "¡­" "If you¡¯re so opposed to it, take it from him yourself. I have no interest." "L-Leader?!" Just then, Jeong-hoon returned after destroying the dungeon. "Perfect timing. There hees." Dokgo Jun added calmly, watching Jeong-hoon approach. Dokgo Mujin¡¯s face paled as if drained of all color. *** This bastard¡­ Having listened to the entire story, Jeong-hoon red at Dokgo Mujin. Unable to withstand the intensity of the gaze, Dokgo Mujin hurriedly fled the scene. "I¡¯ll apologize on his behalf. Please forgive him just this once." "¡­Fine." Jeong-hoon nced at the notification above his head. [You havepleted the quest.] [You have finished all quests in The Path to the Ultimate (1).] [You have gained 5% of the Ultimate Energy.] It was done. The final quest of The Path to the Ultimate (1) required clearing 30 dungeons around the Heavenly Demon Cult. Bypleting it, Jeong-hoon had gained 5% of the Ultimate Energy. At this rate, gathering 100% isn¡¯t impossible. The Ultimate Energy obtained from Solo had been a significant boost. [Episode: Heavenly Demon Cult has been fullypleted.] And with that, the episode had been wrapped up as well. It was time to return. "Are you leaving?" Dokgo Jun asked. "Yes, I¡¯m nning to head back." "¡­Thank you, truly, for all your help." "I will keep my promise." To protect the world. The world Dokgo Jun resided in was effectively destroyed, but Earth was still hanging on. "I¡¯ll leave it to you." "¡­Take care." Jeong-hoon stepped through the portal and left. "Take care, huh¡­ if only it were that simple." Dokgo Jun smiled bitterly. RUMBLE¡ª Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a familiar figure emerged. "Been a while. Did you miss me?" The Overlord-ss Transcendent. Bng. With Jeong-hoon returning to his original world, Bng was now free to intervene again. "Persistent as ever, aren¡¯t you?" Dokgo Jun looked up at him with a weary expression. Bng grinned. "I¡¯ve been ordered to use you as a pawn." "That¡¯s unfortunate. That¡¯s not going to happen." Dokgo Jun assumed the stance of the Heavenly Demon Lord''s Step. *** Back at home, Jeong-hoon retrieved the Heavenly Demon Hui¡¯s Legacy from his inventory. It was time to examine the legacy. [The Completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art] As he flipped through the pages, the bold title caught his eye. The Completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art¡­ "Does this helpplete the art?" Jeong-hoon¡¯s True Heavenly Demon Fist was currently in 3 forms. Beyond that, it felt as though a lock prevented further progress. If there were prerequisites to advance beyond this point, the legacy might hold the answer. [The mnemonic to achieve the end of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is inscribed here.] His guess was correct. The legacy left behind by the Heavenly Demon Hui contained thepletion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. No wonder Dokgo Mujin was so desperate for it. Dokgo Jun had created the Underworld King¡¯s Fist in his quest toplete the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. However, the Underworld King Fist was fundamentally different from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. Even ifbined, it was inevitable that it would reach a limit. But this changes everything. The legacy was filled with the precise mnemonics for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. With these mnemonics, Jeong-hoon could aim for realms beyond its 4th form. He immediately stood up and began following the mnemonics written in the legacy. The Heavenly Demon Divine Art he learned from Dokgo Jun differed slightly from this one. As he practiced, Steadfast Will responded. [Martial Artist-exclusive skill, "Steadfast Will", has been activated.] [You have acquired the skill "Heavenly Demon Divine Art 4th form (Legendary)".] [Steadfast Will has fused "Underworld King Fist (4th form)" with "Heavenly Demon Divine Art (4th form)".] [You have acquired "True Heavenly Demon Fist (4th form)".] The seemingly imprable wall of the 4th form Heavenly Demon Fist had crumbled in an instant. A smile tugged at Jeong-hoon''s lips. ¡°This is incredible.¡± But the excitement was short-lived. Though he had easily broken through to the 5th form level of the Heavenly Demon Fist, advancing to 6th form proved to be a different story. ¡°I need enlightenment.¡± Beyond the 6th form level, it was no longer just about the body but also the mind. Unfortunately, there were no instructions regarding the mind in the legacy. For now, it seemed impossible to break through further. Jeong-hoon set aside his training and pulled out his smartphone to call Ha-jin. The call connected before the second ring. [¡°Hello? Jeong-hoon! Are you done with your business?¡±] Ha-jin¡¯s voice was filled with excitement. ¡°Huh? Did something good happen?¡± [¡°Haha, you¡¯re quick to notice, as always.¡±] ¡°What is it?¡± [¡°Jeong-hoon! Don¡¯t freak out. The video we uploaded has already surpassed one billion views!¡±] ¡°Whoa, really?¡± That was astonishing. It hadn¡¯t been long since the video went live, and it had already crossed a billion views. At this rate, hitting two or three billion wouldn¡¯t take long. [¡°And that¡¯s not all. We got an email.¡±] ¡°An ad offer?¡± Given HoneyTube''s unprecedented growth, countless advertising inquiries were likely flooding in. However, Ha-jin¡¯s response took Jeong-hoon by surprise. [¡°No! It¡¯s even bigger than that!¡±] ¡°What is it?¡± [¡°You know James Marcus, right?¡±] ¡°Yeah.¡± How could he not? The name of that detestable bastarding out of Ha-jin¡¯s mouth was unexpected. [¡°James Marcus says he really wants to meet us!¡±] ¡°Oh, really?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s smile twisted slightly. He hadn¡¯t expected to hear from him again, though he wasn¡¯t entirely surprised. Since the dawn of reality merging, James Marcus had slowly been gathering allies. ¡°I want to end this game.¡± Even Jeong-hoon had once been swayed by those words. This marked Marcus¡¯s second attempt to approach him. The first was before his regression. And now, the second, in this timeline. [¡°What should we do? Should we meet him? It might be worth it.¡±] Ha-jin, a die-hard fan of the New World League, especially idolized James Marcus. It was no coincidence he had chosen to y a warrior; Marcus himself was one. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s meet him.¡± [¡°Really?!¡±] ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s gather at Dae-hwi hyung¡¯s ce first.¡± [¡°Got it!¡±] [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 246 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 246 After hanging up the phone, Jeong-hoon thought about James Marcus. The face of the man who had betrayed him before his regression. If it were up to him, he would¡¯ve liked to strangle him right away. But it was necessary to find out when exactly Marcus had started coveting power. ¡°If he had been nning this from the very beginning¡­¡± Then, he would crush him in advance. [¡°Whoa, whoa, Master. Rx your expression a bit.¡±] [¡°Yeah, if you go in like that, a few people might not make it out alive.¡±] As Mukho and Anima pointed out, Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression was as menacing as it could be. In the past, he had been betrayed by those he had spent a long time with. Now, the ringleader who had brought together those traitors wanted to meet him. How could he possibly feel any goodwill toward that? ¡°Anyway, this is his second attempt to approach me.¡± The first had been before his regression. The second was now. Jeong-hoon got ready quickly and headed to Jang Dae-hwi¡¯s house. Ha-jin, who had been informed, was waiting outside Dae-hwi¡¯s house with Bong-goo. ¡°Jeong-hoon! You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Yeah. But why are you waiting out here instead of going in?¡± ¡°Oh, I called Dae-hwi hyung, and he said he was cleaning up. So, we¡¯re waiting outside for a bit.¡± ¡°I see.¡± After about ten minutes, Jang Dae-hwi opened the window. ¡°All done. You cane in now.¡± With his permission, Jeong-hoon entered Dae-hwi¡¯s house. ¡°Hyung, Ha-jin told me James Marcus reached out. Is that true?¡± ¡°Yeah. He said he wants to meet some of the people featured on HoneyTube.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Yeah. Specifically, he wants to meet HoneyOne¡ªyou, to be exact.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah. I guess he got interested in you because of everything you¡¯ve shown in the videos so far.¡± This was something Jeong-hoon had expected. James Marcus¡¯s ultimate goal was recruiting allies. It wasn¡¯t that he was particrly interested in HoneyTube itself but rather that he was intrigued by Jeong-hoon and had extended the invitation because of that. ¡°You haven¡¯t responded yet, right?¡± ¡°Of course not. I wanted to hear your opinion before deciding.¡± ¡°Good. In that case, send a reply saying we¡¯ll meet.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to meet him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The influence of HoneyTube was beyond imagination. It had surpassed 100 million subscribers, and in South Korea, not knowing about HoneyTube was enough to bebeled clueless. During this process, prominent guilds and even the South Korean government were trying to make contact with HoneyTube. ¡°They must think we have some kind of detection ability because we keep finding honey repeatedly.¡± Ordinary people might find it once, if at all, yet HoneyTube consistently uncovered honey. Now, if HoneyTube were to meet with James Marcus? If that became known, the impact would be immeasurable. Of course, the meeting would proceed inplete secrecy, so that wouldn¡¯t happen. ¡°Got it. So, we¡¯re agreeing to the meeting?¡± ¡°Yes. But we¡¯ll decide the time and ce.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± *** ¡°James, there¡¯s a reply.¡± ¡°Really?¡± James Marcus¡¯s face lit up as he checked the monitor. Just as he was told, a response had arrived from HoneyTube¡¯s editor. The reply was surprisingly positive. It stated that they would confirm the schedule and contact him again. ¡°Do you really n to recruit these people as allies?¡± The voice belonged to a young woman in her early-to-mid 20s, Amelie Reina, who had apanied James Marcus this time. Her current level was 443, and her ss, Heretic Inquisitor, was a hidden one among priest professions. Despite her ss, she was also known as the Saintess, a title that reflected her status as a high-level yer. However, her feelings toward HoneyTube were far from favorable. ¡°Because of this channel, I still haven¡¯tpleted my fifth job advancement.¡± Thest stage of her fifth job advancement quest required her to identify and judge 1,000 heretics. But how was she supposed to meet such a high number? Even after the game''s elements began to manifest in reality, increasing that count was no easy task. Simply targeting yers in reality didn¡¯t contribute to the count. Instead, she had to engage NPCs to fulfill the quota. If HoneyTube hadn¡¯t meddled, she would¡¯ve alreadypleted her fifth advancement. ¡°Yes,¡± James replied confidently. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like them,¡± Amelie responded with clear distaste. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because of HoneyTube, I haven¡¯t been able to finish my fifth job advancement.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± James Marcus quickly understood.N?v(el)B\\jnn He had developed an interest in HoneyTube and had watched all their videos, including those featuring the M?rchen Kingdom. One of them had a thumbnail that read: [A single quest can raise your level by 3?] Because of that video, Amelie still hadn¡¯tpleted her job advancement. It was no wonder she harbored resentment. ¡°Either way, I¡¯m against this.¡± ¡°I get it. But you must admit, that YouTuber¡¯s detection ability is insane.¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡± ¡°If he joins us, we¡¯ll gain an even greater advantage.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Amelie couldn¡¯t refute this. How many videos had they uploaded so far? It was far too many to dismiss as mere coincidence. That meant he likely had a unique ability to detect rare opportunities. If he were to join their ranks, they could discover untapped opportunities and significantly elerate their growth. ¡°Any word from Alessandro about Sophia?¡± James asked, changing the subject. Sophia Stephanie Agaret, a mage ss yer ranked number one in France, was another individual James was trying to recruit. Alessandro shook his head. ¡°You know how she is. Sophia¡¯s temper isn¡¯t exactly mild.¡± Sophia, having also been a professional gamer, was acquainted with both James Marcus and Alessandro Bryden. For that very reason, they knew she wouldn¡¯t be easy to recruit as an ally. ¡°Still, we have to keep trying.¡± Those with power needed to unite. Only then could they thoroughly prepare for whaty ahead. *** After some deliberation, Jeong-hoon sent James Marcus the date and location. The chosen location was a dungeon. Jeong-hoon intentionally selected it so that, in case he sensed anything suspicious about James, he could deal with him immediately. ¡°Isn¡¯t this dungeon a bit too dangerous?¡± ¡°Sir, the monsters in this dungeon are level 360.¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo hesitated in front of the dungeon entrance, reluctant to go inside. The dungeon was 30 levels above their own, and they had yet toplete their fourth job advancements. The difficulty of the quests made them time-consuming, and failure had dyed their progress further. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you two just focus on your advancement quests?¡± Even Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother had been absent from home, busy with her own advancement quest. Though Jeong-hoon wished she wouldn¡¯t overdo it, she couldn¡¯t stop mid-way; otherwise, she¡¯d have to start over from the beginning. ¡°Heh, but how can we miss meeting James Marcus?¡± ¡°Exactly! When else would we get a chance to see someone like him?¡± Despite the dangers, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo prioritized meeting James Marcus over their advancement quests. He was a superstar of New World, and the opportunity to meet him in person felt like an honor in itself. ¡°...Listen carefully to what I¡¯m about to say.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Yes, sir! Speak your mind!¡± Jeong-hoon fell silent for a moment. While he would¡¯ve preferred not to bring these two along, their persistence had left him with little choice. ¡°I want you to keep an open mind about whatever conversation I have with James Marcus.¡± ¡°An open mind¡­?¡± ¡°What kind of conversation are you nning to have?¡± ¡°Who knows? We¡¯ll see how it goes.¡± Jeong-hoon gave a cryptic smile as he stepped into the dungeon. *** Once inside, Jeong-hoon immediately began clearing the surrounding area. sh. ¡°Krrrrk!¡± ¡°Kiieeek!¡± The monsters, each level 360, were no match for Jeong-hoon¡¯s Heavenly Demon Annihtion Sword and were effortlessly cut down. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Sir, I think you¡¯ve gotten even stronger than before.¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo couldn¡¯t even track Jeong-hoon¡¯s movements properly. Watching level 360 monsters fall so easily made it clear how vastly Jeong-hoon¡¯s strength had grown. ¡°All right, let¡¯s get ready to greet him.¡± The time to meet James Marcus face-to-face had finally arrived. Jeong-hoon took out a table and chairs he had purchased with points and set them up. Not long after, the entrance portal shimmered, and three figures emerged. ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°J-James Marcus¡­!¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo recognized him instantly, as did Jeong-hoon. The face he hadn¡¯t seen in a long time was noticeably different from what it had been before his regression¡ªclean and youthful. The once-wrinkled skin was now firm, and the long scar that had stretched from his left eye down to his jawline was gone, reced by smooth, pale skin. His sharp features were striking, eliciting admiration from anyone who saw him. It was no exaggeration to say that his looks contributed significantly to his poprity as a superstar. Even the Saintess, Amelie Reyna, who stood beside him, had been swayed to join him as the third member of his group,rgely due to his charm. ¡°Are you the owner of HoneyTube?¡± James Marcus directed his question to Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon gave a small nod. ¡°Yes. And you¡¯re James Marcus?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But may I ask why you chose a dungeon as the meeting ce?¡± ¡°No particr reason. I just want to keep this brief.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s tone made it clear he had no interest in small talk. This attitude caused Alessandro Bryden and Amelie Reyna to frown. Jeong-hoon showed not the slightest hint of courtesy. Yet, James Marcus onlyughed heartily and took a seat across from Jeong-hoon. ¡°Very well. Let¡¯s cut to the chase. I have a proposal: I¡¯d like you to join our group.¡± ¡°A group?¡± Jeong-hoon feigned ignorance, tilting his head slightly. ¡°That¡¯s right. I want to end this game.¡± ¡°End the game?¡± Jeong-hoon smirked inwardly. As much as he wanted to rip that mouth apart, he suppressed the urge. ¡°That¡¯s correct. If this game has be our reality, then there must also be an ending to it.¡± ¡°Not ending the game¡ªmore like aiming to seize power, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°...?¡± ¡°Why else would you only recruit people who are useful? You¡¯re clearly trying to build a cartel.¡± Jeong-hoon gave a sly grin, carefully watching James Marcus¡¯s reaction. James, startled, waved his hands in denial. ¡°No, absolutely not! That¡¯s not my intention at all!¡± ¡°Then prove it.¡± Jeong-hoon retrieved an artifact: a crystal orb he had purchased with points. The orb, designed to uncover truths, worked by discerning whether spoken words were true or false. ¡°ce your hand on this and speak. Let¡¯s see if your intentions are genuine.¡± ¡°¡­Fine.¡± James Marcus ced his hand on the orb. Jeong-hoon asked again, ¡°Let me repeat the question. Do you sincerely want to end the game?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± As James answered, the color of the orb began to shift. ¡®If it turns green, it¡¯s the truth. If it turns red, it¡¯s a lie.¡¯ If the orb turned red, Jeong-hoon would have no hesitation in eliminating him on the spot. However, the orb didn¡¯t turn red. Instead, it shifted to green. Jeong-hoon narrowed his eyes. ¡®The truth?¡¯ The orb indicated that James Marcus was speaking honestly. Seeing the color change, James Marcus smiled faintly. ¡°Now, you can trust me, right?¡± ¡°Hmph, for now, I¡¯ll take you at your word.¡± Indeed, changing one¡¯s mind is easy. Perhaps at the beginning, James Marcus truly wanted to end the game with pure intentions. But, after tasting power, it was likely that his goal became clouded. ¡°For now?¡± James Marcus tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Well then, I guess I¡¯ll give my answer. I refuse.¡± There was no immediate reason to attack him, so Jeong-hoon decided not to. His ultimate revenge was to see the end of this game, wiping out all the power these individuals had gained. Of course, if someone like Lee Hwa-rang or Sa Jae-hyeok strayed down a strange path, things might change. ¡°Wait, can you at least tell me why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. Because I can¡¯t trust you.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t trust me?¡± James Marcus nced at the green-glowing orb. ¡°I¡¯ll believe that you¡¯re not trying to form a cartel and seize power. But that doesn¡¯t mean I trust you, James Marcus.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°No matter what kind of show you put on, I won¡¯t be swayed. So, let¡¯s end the conversation here.¡± Without hesitation, Jeong-hoon stood up to leave. At that moment, a Fire Spear shot toward him, and Jeong-hoon quickly turned his head to dodge it. The Fire Spear embedded itself in a tree behind him and immediately ignited in mes. Fwoosh¡ª ¡°Alessandro! What are you doing?!¡± James Marcus shouted in a panic. ¡°James, shut up. Are you telling me to tolerate this attitude?¡± Alessandro gritted his teeth. Even though they were the ones making the proposal, he couldn¡¯t overlook Jeong-hoon¡¯s defiant attitude. He was going to give this arrogant fool a lesson he wouldn¡¯t forget. ¡°Hey, you attacked first?¡± With those words, Jeong-hoon drew out Leviathan, a broad grin spreading across his face. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 247 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 247 James Marcus was understandably flustered. No matter how bad that Korean¡¯s attitude might be, it wasn¡¯t enough of a reason to attack outright. At that moment, Alessandro used magic to send a telepathic message. [This is a good chance to test his skills.] Skills? When James tilted his head in confusion, Alessandro¡¯s lips curled into a subtle smile. [Let¡¯s see if that bastard deserves to act like that toward us.] What kind of nonsense is this?! Stop it right now! Sensing James¡¯s unease, Alessandro quickly added anotherment. [Well, that¡¯s just one reason¡­ Also, I really hate East Asians.] A racist remark?! Alessandro was a friend James had connected with through the game. Ever since the game became reality, Alessandro was arade he had to rely on even more. Never in his wildest dreams did James imagine such words woulde out of his mouth. ¡°Anyway, calm down!¡± James Marcus quickly stepped in between them. At that, Jeong-hoon sneered and pointed the tip of Leviathan¡¯s sword at James. ¡°You saw that Fire Spear just now. You know it wasn¡¯t just for intimidation, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± James couldn¡¯t say a word. As Jeong-hoon said, Fire Spear wasn¡¯t a spell used to intimidate. It had been aimed precisely at his head, and if he hadn¡¯t dodged¡­ ¡®It would¡¯ve pierced through my head.¡¯ And in a truly horrifying manner. ¡°What¡¯s the point of being over Level 400 if you can¡¯t even dodge something like that?¡± Alessandro smirked. ¡°Interesting.¡± Jeong-hoon smirked in return. Perhaps disliking that expression, Alessandro¡¯s eye twitched slightly. If Jeong-hoon were to back down even now, Alessandro was willing to forgive him. ¡°Let¡¯s see how far that expression of yours goes.¡± With those words, Alessandro conjured countless ice spheres. They were Ice Missiles, a higher version of Magic Missile. Though it was a 3rd-circle spell, each Ice Missile carried a severe chill. That meant even as a 3rd-circle spell, it consumed a significant amount of mana. ¡®A mage can adjust the power of their magic depending on mana consumption.¡¯ And the power of those Ice Missiles was at a 6th-circle level. It meant Alessandro was serious about obliterating his opponent. If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s time to give him a taste of my newly evolved martial arts. Jeong-hoon temporarily sheathed Leviathan. [Wow, Master. How about just killing that bastard?] ¡®I agree. He¡¯s an irredeemable jerk.¡¯ Mukho and Anima were furious. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°What are you doing to our hyung?!¡± Ha-jin and Bong-Goo shouted angrily at Alessandro. Jeong-hoon gestured to the two to stay back. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Magic like that won¡¯t even leave a scratch on me.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Then try handling this one.¡± As Jeong-hoon smiled confidently, Alessandro red at him and fired the Ice Missiles. Countless Ice Missiles surged toward Jeong-hoon. However, Jeong-hoon stepped forward using True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps, dodging the missiles just before they struck him. The missed missiles exploded on nearby mountains and forests, wreaking havoc. Meanwhile, Alessandro¡¯s eyes widened as he struggled to track Jeong-hoon¡¯s speed, which was almost impossible to follow with the naked eye. Sensing imminent danger, Alessandro hastily deployed Absolute Barrier. A defensive magic of the 8th circle. CRASH! A deafening roar overwhelmed Alessandro¡¯s senses. ¡°Ugh!¡± A groan escaped Alessandro¡¯s lips involuntarily. Even with the barrier in ce, the shock reverberated through his entire body. ¡°You¡¯re quick to react. Without that barrier, I would¡¯ve killed you in a single hit.¡± The attack had been nothing more than a punch. [Absolute Barrier has sustained 4% damage.] Just one punch had caused a 4% dent in the Absolute Barrier. ¡®This doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡¯ Absolute Barrier was an 8th-circle magic Alessandro had acquired after his 5th ss advancement. There was no way a mere 4th-ss martial artist could break through it. But what was this overwhelming force? Jeong-hoon smirked, clenching and unclenching his fist. A dark aura pulsated around his hand. True Heavenly Demon Fist Technique - 1st Form. Even without using any buff-type skills, his strength was this devastating. ¡®I¡¯ll toy with him a bit longer.¡¯ Ending things too quickly felt like a waste. Alessandro, who prided himself on being one of the chosen, the first mage to ascend to the supreme domain, would be thoroughly crushed. ¡°¡­Hey, East Asian. Care to tell me your stats?¡± Alessandro no longer underestimated Jeong-hoon. The speed he couldn¡¯t follow with his eyes, the devastating punch¡ªit was far beyond what someone at Level 431 should be capable of. It meant his stats were disproportionately high for his level. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Starting to feel nervous now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you should pick your battles wisely.¡± You bastard. You¡¯re dead here. Jeong-hoon locked eyes with Alessandro, stepping forward again with True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps. This time, his fist swung toward Alessandro¡¯s side. CRACK. The barrier started to fracture further. Panicked, Alessandro activated Insight Eye, a 5th-ss skill. ¡®I can read him!¡¯ Only then did Jeong-hoon start to grasp Alessandro''s footwork to some extent. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± Alessandro consumed a massive amount of mana to cast Creation Fire. A spell that conjures mes, allowing their intensity and form to be adjusted based on the caster''s mana. Encircling himself with fire, Alessandro set it spinning around him. Whoosh¡ª The mes, reaching the level of the 8th circle, whirled violently, forming a ferocious storm of fire centered on Alessandro. ¡°Alessandro! Please, stop! Everyone, get behind me!¡± James Marcus, his face pale, raised his shield. He prepared to block the storm with Holy Shield. However, Ha-jin and Bong-Goo stood rooted in ce as if frozen, unable to move. ¡®That won¡¯t harm Hoon.¡¯ ¡®Hyung-nim! Just crush him already!¡¯ From the moment Alessandro had attacked Jeong-hoon, they couldn¡¯t view him favorably. Moreover, with what Jeong-hoon had demonstrated so far, it was clear such a storm wouldn¡¯t faze him. As if responding to their trust, Jeong-hoon began activating his skills. ck Field, followed by Celestial Aura. Meanwhile, Alessandro found himself debuffed, causing the storm to weaken noticeably. ¡°What the¡ª!¡± As the storm subsided, Alessandro¡¯s gaze wavered. Jeong-hoon once again moved using True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps. This time, Alessandro couldn¡¯t read his movements at all. ¡®Insight Eye can¡¯t track him?!¡¯ Crack. Absolute Barrier began to take damage again. Jeong-hoon continued to strike relentlessly with his martial arts. Whenever Alessandro attempted to counter with magic, Jeong-hoon would evade with his footwork and retaliate with punches against the barrier. Smash! [Absolute Barrier has sustained 91% damage.] [Absolute Barrier has sustained 96% damage.] [Absolute Barrier has beenpletely destroyed.] Crash! In the end, the Absolute Barrier shattered entirely, unable to withstand the onught. ¡°So, what will you do now?¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. The drawback of Absolute Barrier was its 600-second cooldown after activation. Though a rtively short or long time depending on the context, in this case, its quick destruction rendered Alessandro vulnerable. ¡®True Heavenly Demon Fist Technique, 2nd Form.¡¯ During the process of breaking the barrier, the technique had advanced from its 1st form to its 2nd. Jeong-hoon used True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps to close the gap, delivering a punch squarely to Alessandro¡¯s face. Thwack! ¡°Gah!¡± Alessandro cried out in pain, stumbling backward as he clutched his face in agony. ¡°Now, it¡¯s time to return the favor.¡± With those words, Jeong-hoon began pounding on Alessandro. Though Jeong-hoon¡¯s attacks targeted only Alessandro¡¯s face and upper torso, the devastating damage from the Heavenly Demon Fist Technique was amplified by its defense-ignoring attribute, causing excruciating pain. ¡°P-please, stop!¡± Alessandro clung desperately to Jeong-hoon¡¯s waist, his trembling hands betraying his fear. His face was aplete mess, smeared with blood and swelling. Leaning in close, Jeong-hoon whispered softly into Alessandro¡¯s ear. ¡°Why should I stop?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t know my ce!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me that crap. You were just trying to kill me, and now you think an apology will make it all better?¡± ¡°Th-then what do I need to do?¡± Blood dripped from Alessandro¡¯s eyes, nose, and mouth. His cornea had been damaged by one of Jeong-hoon¡¯s punches. Yet, it was evident that Jeong-hoon¡¯s anger was far from subsiding. Before his regression, Alessandro had betrayed him. And now, after the regression, he had the audacity tounch a magical assault, cloaked in a veil of righteous indignation. Even the most forgiving of people wouldn¡¯t let such actions slide. ¡°Well, here¡¯s the thing. I¡¯m not a particrly magnanimous guy. Unless you give me your life, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll feel satisfied.¡± ¡°P-please, anything but that¡ª!¡± Thud! Jeong-hoon cut him off with a brutal knee strike to the stomach. Alessandro¡¯s grip on his waist ckened, and he crumpled over, writhing in pain. ¡°Stop! We¡¯re sorry! Please, just let him go!¡± James Marcus, who had been watching the situation unfold, intervened hastily. Initially, he had stayed out of it, knowing Alessandro was at fault. However, it was clear now that if this continued, Alessandro¡¯s life would be forfeit. ¡°Let him go? Why should I?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his chin toward the broken Alessandro, signaling James to look. James nodded reluctantly. ¡°...I¡¯ll take full responsibility. Just spare Alessandro.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Jeong-hoon summoned Seven Deadly Sins. The sudden appearance of the demon startled both James Marcus and Amelie Reina, who had been watching from a distance. ¡°What¡¯s up? Why¡¯d you call me?¡± ¡°You hungry? Feel free to absorb his stats.¡± Jeong-hoon pointed at Alessandro. ¡°Really? Sweet!¡± The demon¡¯s grin widened as it advanced toward Alessandro. To prevent any potential resistance, Jeong-hoon struck Alessandro¡¯s neck, rendering him unconscious. Thud! ¡°Time for a feast!¡± Seven Deadly Sins began absorbing Alessandro¡¯s stats.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om [Absorbing stats...] ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± James Marcus unsheathed his sword and charged at Seven Deadly Sins. ng! Jeong-hoon intercepted the attack with Leviathan, preventing James from interfering. ¡°Stand down, or do you want more of this?¡± ¡°Please! Alessandro was wrong, but this is too much! There¡¯s no need to go this far!¡± ¡°Spare me the lecture. If I were weaker than that bastard, I¡¯d be 100% dead right now.¡± The magic Alessandro had wielded was undeniably powerful. ¡°...That¡¯s true.¡± Even James Marcus couldn¡¯t refute Jeong-hoon¡¯s logic. Jeong-hoon smirked. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not going to kill him.¡± James¡¯s face lit up at those words. ¡°Really? You mean it?¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Initially, Jeong-hoon had considered ending Alessandro¡¯s life. But that would¡¯ve made his revenge far too easy and unsatisfying. No, a true punishment would be to let Alessandro live in misery. ¡®I¡¯ll drain everyst one of his stats.¡¯ To rebuild his stats, Alessandro would need either rare items or to level up. However, given that Alessandro was already beyond level 500, further leveling was practically impossible. ¡®In other words, he¡¯ll be forced to face the harsh reality of being a weakling.¡¯ A man who had always ruled from above, now reduced to struggling as a powerless underdog just to survive? There could be no sweeter revenge. ¡°What about... that thing?¡± James shot a nervous nce at Seven Deadly Sins. ¡°I can¡¯t allow that.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s tone was cold. ¡°I¡¯ve never let anyone who crossed me walk away unscathed.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°So, make your choice. If you don¡¯t back off now, this ends in blood.¡± ¡°I... I understand.¡± Faced with Jeong-hoon¡¯s chilling warning, James Marcus had no choice but to step back. Whatever the oue, it was clear Alessandro had brought this upon himself. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 248 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 248 Alessandro regained consciousness only after Jeong-hoon had left. Though his injuries were severe, Amelie Reina had healed him, allowing him toe to his senses. As a hidden-ss Inquisitor, she possessed exceptional abilities in healing and removing debuffs. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that she was called a Saint. Thanks to her efforts, Alessandro quickly began to recover his condition. ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Seething with frustration, Alessandro mmed his fist into the ground. Yet, oddly, it felt like his strength had vanished. ¡®What is this... this strange feeling?¡¯ Even as a mage, all his stats should have been enhanced, including his physical strength. So why did his body feel so weak? ¡°Alessandro, I don¡¯t know what he did to you, but¡­ I can barely sense your energy.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t sense it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± rmed, Alessandro Bryden quickly opened his status window. === [yer Information] Nickname: Alessandro Bryden Level: 503 === The level was unchanged. But the problemy elsewhere. === [Detailed Stats] Strength: 11 Agility: 11 Stamina: 10 Defense: 10 Wisdom: 9 Mana: 12 Mental Strength: 10 === Alessandro rubbed his eyes and looked again. His Mana had previously exceeded 1,000, and all his other stats had been over 500. Yet now, these pitifully low numbers mocked him. ¡°W-What is this? Is this a dream?¡± ¡°What happened? What did he do to you?!¡± James Marcus, standing nearby, couldn¡¯t fathom that Alessandro¡¯s stats had dropped so drastically. He assumed Jeong-hoon had temporarily sealed Alessandro¡¯s powers and was already considering how to reverse it. But as he observed Alessandro¡¯s despair, it became clear that the situation was far worse than he had imagined. ¡°My stats! My stats are gone!¡± ¡°Gone¡­?¡± ¡°Yes! My Mana is only 12 now!¡± ¡°What the¡­?¡± The concept of stats being reduced was unheard of. ¡°Damn it! What the hell is going on here?!¡± Alessandro urgently attempted to cast a spell. However, every one of his spells required more Mana than he currently possessed. In other words, he couldn¡¯t use any spells above the third circle. To cast magic again, he would need to raise his Mana stat¡ªa task far from easy. Leveling up was the most straightforward method, but as a Level 503 yer, it was nearly impossible for him to increase his stats through leveling. ¡°Alessandro¡­ calm down for now.¡± James tried to soothe Alessandro, but his words didn¡¯t reach him. ¡°Argh! That damned bastard! He did this to me!¡± ¡°Alessandro!¡± That smug Eastern man who had humiliated him¡ªhe was undoubtedly the culprit behind this predicament. Yes. That tiny demon he¡¯d seen before losing consciousness! Since his memory had gone nk after seeing that summoned creature, it was undoubtedly connected to it. ¡°The summoned creature! What did it do to me?! Tell me now!¡± ¡°¡­That creature clung to you and wouldn¡¯t let go.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t let go?¡± ¡°Yes. If your stats have dropped, it might be rted to that.¡± ¡°Damn it! Where is that Eastern bastard?!¡± Alessandro frantically searched for Jeong-hoon. But Jeong-hoon was already long gone. ¡°Alessandro, I understand, but for now, please calm down.¡± ¡°Shut up! Calm down? James, are you joking with me right now?!¡± ¡°Hah, you¡¯re the one who caused all this. Why are you making such a scene?¡± Amelie¡¯s voice suddenly interrupted. Both men turned their gazes toward her. Alessandro, in particr, red at her with eyes full of fury, as if he intended to kill her. In response, Amelie simply smiled. ¡°What? Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°Amelie! Why are you acting like this too?¡± James scratched his head in irritation. ¡°James, didn¡¯t you see that man¡¯s actions with your own eyes earlier?¡± This entire situation was undeniably Alessandro¡¯s fault. ¡°¡­¡± As such, James Marcus had no way to refute her words. ¡°Hah, so what? Are you saying we should just part ways here?¡± ¡°Why not? You said your stats are gone, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re useless as a teammate now?¡± ¡°You bitch! James! Get this filthy woman out of my sight, now!¡± ¡°Hah, I heal you, and this is the thanks I get?¡± ¡°Did I ever ask you to heal me? James, get rid of this woman and find new allies. That would be better.¡± James Marcus remained silent. ¡°¡­¡± Seeing this, Alessandro red at him. ¡°What? Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± ¡°¡­Alessandro, exactly how bad are your stats right now?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± At that moment, James''s figure vanished, reappearing behind Alessandro. With a light push against Alessandro''s back, James sent him sprawling to the ground with surprising ease. James was at a loss for words as he observed Alessandro copse so helplessly. ''I barely applied any force. For him to fall like this¡­'' It meant that nearly all of Alessandro¡¯s stats had been reduced to the level of aplete novice. Amelie Reyna couldn¡¯t hold back herughter. ¡°Pfft.¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°You¡­ you¡ª!¡± Alessandro scrambled to his feet, his face flushed bright red with humiliation. ¡°Alessandro, it seems this is where we part ways,¡± James Marcus stated with finality. ¡°What¡­?¡± Alessandro¡¯s expression turned nk in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s not just because your stats have dropped that I¡¯m excluding you as an ally,¡± James rified. He had been deeply disappointed by Alessandro¡¯s discriminatory remarks and attitude. James sought teammates with potential and skill who could face harsh realities with him. But someone who chose to discriminate on a whim could never unify with the group. Thus, this was where he would bid farewell to Alessandro. ¡°James¡­ you¡¯re joking, right?¡± Alessandro¡¯s trembling eyes showed his desperation. For a moment, James felt a twinge of guilt, but his decision was firm. ¡°James, let¡¯s just go,¡± Amelie urged. In the end, James left with Amelie Reyna, leaving Alessandro standing there alone, frozen in shock. The blow had hit him so hard that he didn¡¯t even move. *** ¡°Wow, seriously, what¡¯s up with that guy?¡± ¡°Is he insane? How dare he throw magic at hyung-nim?¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo were busy criticizing Alessandro. They, too, were well aware of who Alessandro Bryden was. The first mage in the world to surpass Level 500. Who wouldn¡¯t know such a renowned figure? They had even admired him at one point and had secretly hoped for his autograph when he appeared alongside James Marcus. But never in their wildest dreams did they think Alessandro would turn out to be such a despicable person. ¡°Calm down. He got his lesson, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Lesson? What kind of lesson is just knocking him unconscious?¡± ¡°Exactly! You should¡¯ve just twisted his neck and finished him off!¡± Unaware of the fact that the Seven Deadly Sins could absorb stats, the two couldn¡¯t hide their frustration. They had hoped Jeong-hoon would leave Alessandro at least half-crippled but were disappointed that it seemed to end with him merely being knocked out. ¡°When did I only knock him out?¡± Jeong-hoon interjected. ¡°But you did knock him out! Then your summoned creature approached, and¡ªwait. Speaking of which, what exactly was that summoned creature?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time you asked¡­¡± Jeong-hoon shot Ha-Jin an exasperated look. Ha-Jin coughed awkwardly and avoided Jeong-hoon¡¯s gaze. ¡°Ahem¡­ So, what was that summoned creature?¡± ¡°A summon capable of stealing stats,¡± Jeong-hoon exined casually. ¡°Wha¡­? A summon like that actually exists?¡± Ha-Jin asked, his eyes wide with astonishment. ¡°It does.¡± ¡°Then, Alessandro¡­?¡± ¡°He¡¯s probably been reduced to a beginner¡¯s level.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what happened?¡± ¡°Aha! Serves him right!¡± Bong-Goo and Ha-Jin finally burst intoughter. Seeing the arrogant Alessandro Brydenpletely humbled was immensely satisfying. ¡°Well, anyway, that guy won¡¯t be causing any more trouble,¡± Jeong-hoon remarked, smirking. He suspected that Alessandro might have been cast out from James¡¯s group already. Despite her nickname as the Saintess, Amelie Reyna earned that title for her exceptional skill, not herpassion. She despised weakness. If Alessandro had be weak, it was highly likely she¡¯d sever ties with him. ¡°Ha! Alessandro, you pathetic fool!¡± Ha-Jin guffawed. ¡°We should¡¯ve gotten a hit in too,¡± Bong-Goo added with mock regret. ¡°Yeah, feels like a missed opportunity,¡± Ha-Jin agreed. Their camaraderie was undeniable, their banter perfectly in sync. Jeong-hoon watched them for a moment before addressing them. ¡°Alright, enough of that. We¡¯ve wrapped up HoneyTube, met James Marcus, so it¡¯s time to move on to the next thing.¡± ¡°Next thing?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo tilted their heads in curiosity. ¡°Fourth advancement.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± At the mention of fourth advancement, their expressions darkened. ¡°¡­You two need to get stronger, don¡¯t you? Why do you think I turned down James Marcus¡¯s offer?¡± ¡°Wait, you turned it down¡­ because of us?¡± Jeong-hoon shrugged as if the answer was obvious. ¡°Of course. He only wanted me. You think I¡¯d leave you two behind?¡± ¡°Jeong-hoon!¡± ¡°Hyung-nim!¡± Their faces lit up with emotion as they gazed at him. ¡°Now, listen up. Two weeks.¡± Jeong-hoon held up two fingers. ¡°Two weeks?¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± As their expressions grew increasingly grim, Jeong-hoon grinned mischievously. ¡°That¡¯s right. Wrap up your fourth advancements within two weeks.¡± *** Fourth Advancement. Challenging, but an essential milestone to ovee. After sending Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo off, Jeong-hoon headed home. ¡°Looks like Mom hasn¡¯t finished yet.¡± His mother was likely still in the middle of her own fourth advancement, as she wasn¡¯t at home. It made sense¡ªher hidden ss, Genesis Sniper, came with an advancement quest of unparalleled difficulty. It was only natural that it would take a long time. [Master, are you okay?] Mukho cautiously asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± [Your expression looks grim.] ¡°My expression?¡± Jeong-hoon entered the bathroom and looked into the mirror. As Mukho had said, his face was set in a hard, stern expression. ¡®My emotions are showing through my expression? I still have a long way to go.¡¯ The reason he couldn¡¯t maintain his usual poker face was soon revealed. Boom! A loud rumbling sound filled the air, followed by a tremor. ¡®What is that sound?¡¯ ¡°Penalty,¡± Jeong-hoon muttered. ¡®Penalty? But I removed all the penalties.¡¯ As Anima had pointed out, Jeong-hoon had closed the penalty dungeons long ago. Of course, there were still some penalties he couldn¡¯t remove from all regions, but they weren¡¯t anything to be too concerned about. However, the recent tremor was different. ¡°Force penalty.¡± A forced penalty. This penalty was something that could not be erased in advance. In other words, it meant that he had no choice but to receive the penalty forcibly. [Huh?! What happens now?] ¡®Are monsters going to destroy the surface again?¡¯ At the beginning, during the manifestation event, monsters had ravaged the surface, creating chaos. That had also been considered a forced penalty, and now it seemed to be happening again. However, this time, monsters wouldn¡¯t be appearing. Instead, natural disasters would ur endlessly. ¡°The buildings are copsing!¡± ¡°What the hell?! Why is this happening all of a sudden?¡± People on the surface screamed in terror. Buildings that had seemed perfectly stable began to crumble unexpectedly. The first forced penalty had caused the copse of buildings due to an earthquake. As time passed, the intensity of the forced penalties would only grow. ¡®Eventually, meteors will start falling to the ground.¡¯ While it wouldn¡¯t reach the level ofplete destruction, the damage caused by falling meteors was unimaginable. Therefore, he needed to prevent things from escting to that point. [Forced? Is there no way to stop it?] ¡°No, there is a way.¡± While it was impossible to stop the penalty from being imposed, it was possible to prevent its intensity from escting. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 249 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 249 The sudden, massive earthquake caused chaos around the world. These words appeared in the sky. It was a phenomenon reminiscent of when the game became reality. Since such phenomena hadn¡¯t urred after the initial stages, it had been forgotten for a while. But why was it appearing again? Furthermore, just like before, the message was transmitted through all electronic devices. 1%. While it might seem small as a percentage, in numbers, it meant tens of millions. This implied that the earthquakes would continue until those tens of millions perished. People turned pale and trembled in fear. ¡°Are you kidding me?!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re working like crazy to stop this penalty?!¡± ¡°You bastards of New World!¡° Even worse, it was stated that the penalty could not be halted. ¡°How are we supposed to handle this damage?!¡± ¡°Damn it!¡± The issue wasn¡¯t just the death of tens of millions. The world had already been devastated by monsters. Many ces were still undergoing restoration efforts. If continuous earthquakes were to ur now, not only would the restoration efforts fail, but the very infrastructure of society would copse. Greater damage. Those who received the message clenched their teeth. Therge-scale earthquakes alone had already brought destruction, but if there were to be even greater damage, humanity could genuinely face extinction. ¡°¡­This isn¡¯t the time to bepleting a 4th ss Advancement Quest, is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­¡± Before starting the quest, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo intended to share its details. But with the sudden massive earthquakes, the message hade through. ¡°For now, let¡¯s contact Hoon.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Ha-Jin quickly tried calling Jeong-hoon. The signal connected before the phone could even ring twice. [Why are you calling instead of doing the quest?] Jeong-hoon¡¯s voice on the other end was remarkably calm. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t seem like the right time to be doing the quest.¡± [You two just focus on the quest. I¡¯ll handle this situation myself.] ¡°Handle it yourself?¡± [Yeah. I already knew thisrge-scale earthquake was going to happen.] ¡°Really?!¡± [Yes.] As expected of Jeong-hoon. Though it was unclear how he knew, if Jeong-hoon was speaking with such confidence, it meant he also knew how to resolve the crisis. "Ah, got it. Then I''ll trust you and head toplete the quest." [Alright. Next time I see you, you better havepleted your 4th Advancement. Got it?] "¡­I''ll try my best." [Don''t just try. Once you finish the 4th Advancement, you¡¯ll head straight to Rease.] Rease. It was the name of the vige where Jeong-hoon had stayed before New World became reality. The vige was characterized by its formation of cities based on specific professions. After reality and the game merged, Ha-Jin thought he¡¯d never return, but Jeong-hoon brought up Rease again. "Why Rease? Is there something good there?" [Who knows? You''ll have to see for yourself when you get there.] "Huh?" [Anyway, make sure youplete it.] The call ended abruptly. ¡°What did Hoon say, hyung?¡± "¡­He told us to finish the 4th Advancement, no matter what." "Ah, I see¡­" *** ¡®This should motivate them.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had intentionally mentioned Rease. While there wasn¡¯t an immediate reason to head there, humans tend to work harder when given a tangible goal. ¡°For now, I need to deal with that penalty.¡± Koo-goo-goong! Another massive earthquake struck, toppling even the few buildings that were still standing. Jeong-hoon walked forward, recalling what he knew. The method to erase the forced penalty required clearing a specific number of dungeons. ¡®Clear 2,000 dungeons to close them. Once all are cleared, a portal to the dungeon created by the Transcendent will open. Only by perfectly clearing that dungeon can the forced penalty be lifted.¡¯ It was an extremelyplex process. In the early stages of the game¡¯s reality merge, penalties were erased through simpler tasks, almost like tutorials. But now, the difficulty had skyrocketed, making it significantly harder to remove penalties. ¡®I need to move as quickly as possible.¡¯ Jeong-hoon stepped into a nearby shimmering portal. Not just any dungeon would suffice. The requirement was to clear dungeons of Lv.201 or higher. Only then would progress count toward the goal. [Lv.245: Blood Snake¡¯s Den] There was no time to waste. Jeong-hoon entered the portal. [Would you like to enter the Lv.245 Blood Snake¡¯s Den?] *** <127/2,000> The method to remove the penalty was revealed: clear 2,000 dungeons of Lv.201 or higher. However, when the method was disclosed, the counter stood at only 127. This meant that since the forced penalty began, only 127 dungeons of Lv.201 or higher had been cleared globally. "Damn it¡­ Why does it have to be 201 or higher?" "This is going to drive me insane." Dungeons Level 201 and Above While the level was an obstacle, the real issuey in the difficulty of the dungeons. Starting from Level 201, the difficulty increased drastically. Back in the days of New World, yers could retry after death, but since reality merged with the game, death meant the end. Even high-level yers were reluctant to challenge high-level dungeons due to the risk. The other problem was the significant number of yers who hadn¡¯t reached Level 201. Leveling up wasn¡¯t easy, and most impatient yers quit around Level 100. This caused a sharp decrease in the number of yers as levels increased. Clearing 2,000 dungeons was no small feat. <158/2,000> ¡­ <203/2,000> However, as time passed, the count began rising rapidly. Even though it was a global effort, the speed was unnaturally fast. "Is it normal for the count to rise this quickly?" "¡­Not really." "Whatever! Just clear more dungeons!" "Please¡­ Just make these earthquakes stop." yers below Level 200 could do nothing but hope that higher-level yers would clear the dungeons. *** [Master, aren¡¯t you overdoing it?] ¡®Yeah. You could take it a little slower.¡¯ Mukho and Anima voiced their concerns, their tones heavy with worry. But despite their protests, Jeong-hoon had already cleared his 38th dungeon without resting. Because he only tackled dungeons Level 201 and above, his level didn¡¯t increase, but the count steadily climbed. "I''m fine. I have divine power." Jeong-hoon recovered his fatigue and stamina using divine power. To replenish his mana, he drank premium-grade mana recovery juice purchased from the achievement shop. No matter how many dungeons he cleared, his condition barely wavered. He nced at the counter disyed in the sky. <272/2,000> Despite Jeong-hoon¡¯s relentless efforts, the count was rising far too slowly. This indicated that not all yers were contributing to the effort. "They''ll regret this." Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t just closing dungeons to erase the penalty. The forced penalty had been meticulously crafted by a transcendent being, likely of at least Demon King level. This meant that those who cleared the most dungeons were bound to receive a reward. If the final dungeon¡ªcrafted with the utmost care¡ªwas perfectly cleared, the reward would undoubtedly be extraordinary. And one more thing. The reward was highly likely to be connected to the Seven Deadly Sins. ¡®That bastard has what belongs to me!¡¯ The artifact tied to the Seven Deadly Sins had reacted. This gave Jeong-hoon even more reason to clear as many dungeons as possible. With determination zing, Jeong-hoon entered yet another Level 201+ dungeon. *** <2,000/2,000> 19 Hours. That¡¯s how long it took to clear 2,000 dungeons. Of those, Jeong-hoon alone cleared a staggering 102¡ªover 5% of the total effort. <2,000 dungeons have been cleared.> "What? It¡¯s not over?" "Are you kidding me!" Outrage erupted among the yers as they read the message. In the 19 hours it took to clear the 2,000 dungeons, no fewer than seven earthquakes had struck, leaving catastrophic damage in their wake. Reconstruction would take considerable time, but Jeong-hoon knew it was manageable. ¡®Once this forced penalty ends, new items will be added to the point shop. Among them will be restoration scrolls.¡¯ These scrolls could rapidly rebuild the destroyed structures, just as Jeong-hoon had used them countless times before during his regressions. *** The next condition had been revealed: defeat the Colossus Ursus. ¡®Back then, they failed to take it down.¡¯ Even when the world¡¯s top-ranked yers gathered, they couldn¡¯t defeat Ursus. This crushing defeat made many rankers acutely aware of their limitations. It also led countless yers to ally with James Marcus, swayed by his recruitment efforts. Sophia Stephanie Agarette, the Dark Mage of France, was one such case. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll be seeing most of them there.¡¯ The path to Ursus was straightforward. Thousands of crimson portals had appeared worldwide. Entering one would lead directly to the Grand Cavern where Ursus awaited. Jeong-hoon used True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps to swiftly locate one of the shimmering red portals nearby. ** "Kill. Kill." Alessandro Bryden seethed as he recalled the face of the Eastern man who had humiliated him. He wanted nothing more than to tear the man apart limb by limb and throw him into a zing inferno. But his diminished power showed no signs of returning. ¡°Alessandro!¡±n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Wow, it¡¯s him!¡± Everywhere he went, people recognized him. And why wouldn¡¯t they? He had been the world¡¯s first Archmage to surpass Level 500. But now? ¡®Damn it. I¡¯m no better than some third-rate nobody now.¡¯ His mana was so depleted that he couldn¡¯t even cast proper spells. At most, he could manage 3rd-circle magic. To recover, Alessandro needed to raise his mana levels. But he had already exhausted every known method. All he had left were his meager achievement points¡ª6,300 of them. He couldn¡¯t even afford an elixir to increase his mana levels. The cost of elixirs rose with each purchase, and Alessandro had already used most of his achievement points to boost his mana. Now, acquiring another elixir required a staggering 50,000 points. ¡°Alessandro! Please, defeat the Colossus Ursus!¡± ¡°Yes! If it¡¯s you, Alessandro, you can do it!¡± Oblivious to his internal despair, the people who spotted him began chanting his name. Their eyes shone with unwavering belief that Alessandro could lift the penalty. ¡®Damn it! Damn it!¡¯ Overwhelmed, Alessandro fled from the scene as though running for his life. ¡°Please, we¡¯re counting on you!¡± ¡°May the gods bless you!¡± The onlookers assumed he was heading toward Ursus and cheered him on with all their might. But Alessandro wasn¡¯t heading for Ursus. He was retreating to the safety of his home. How could I possibly defeat the Colossus Ursus with mere 3rd-circle magic? Going there would also mean confronting James Marcus¡ªthe man who had abandoned him¡ªand that insane woman, Amelie, who now clung to Marcus like a parasite. ¡°Damn it... Someone, anyone, just kill those bastards for me¡­¡± Curled up and burying his face in his hands, Alessandro felt tears welling up. The countless hours he had poured into New World now felt utterly wasted. A chilling voice echoed in his ears. ¡°W-What was that?¡± Alessandro flinched, his entire body trembling. Slowly, he lifted his head. And then, he saw it. A massive, crimson eye staring back at him. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 250 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 250 "What¡­ what are you?" Alessandro jumped up in fright. A massive, writhing crimson eye peeked through a distortion in the air. Even a mere nce brought a chilling fear that sent cold sweat down his back. It muttered softly, scanning Alessandro from head to toe. "What the hell are you?!" Alessandro shouted angrily. "Power¡­?" That was right. He had just said that moments ago. Alessandro wiped the tears from his eyes and asked, "So, you¡¯re saying you can give me the power to kill them?" The crimson eye curved into the shape of a crescent moon. "¡­" It was true. Everything it said was true, but how could he trust such a being and ask for power? "There¡­ there must be a price, right?" "What is it?" "My soul¡­?" Alessandro Bryden¡¯s eyes wavered. He never imagined it would demand his soul as the price. "What¡­?" If he seeded in his revenge? Then what would remain for this crimson eye? "¡­Why are you making such an offer?" Alessandro tried to read its intent through its gaze. But every time their eyes met, an icy chill overwhelmed him, forcing him to look away. "¡­" "What exactly do you mean by power?" "My stats! Can you restore my stats?!" Alessandro¡¯s eyes widened significantly. Not only could his stats be restored, but they could also be enhanced? For a mage, magic power was everything. Magic power represented the total amount of mana, and casting high-circle spells required a significant amount of it. In other words, the higher the magic power, the greater the variety of spells one could wield inbat. "If¡­ if I seed in my revenge, it¡¯s true you¡¯ll rescind your im on my soul, right?!" It was a gamble. If he seeded, he would gain everything. If he failed, he would suffer eternal torment, even in death. Alessandro¡¯s eyes gleamed with madness. "I¡­ will¡­!" *** [Great Cavern: Entering the Sealed Titan Golem Ursus.] The first to arrive at the Great Cavern was Jeong-hoon.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Soon after, rankers began appearing one by one. ¡®There are quite a few of them.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled slightly. Amid the rankers, he noticed some familiar faces. ¡®Sophia.¡¯ The French Dark Mage. Sophia Stephanie Agaret. Though she always had a cold demeanor, she had once helped Jeong-hoon in learning magic. While Alessandro Bryden had always treated Jeong-hoon with disdain, Sophia had not. In fact, Jeong-hoon had been able to learn the 1st-circle spell Magic Missile thanks to her assistance. Of course, that was all in the past now. ¡®Impressive. Even in that state, you¡¯re still struggling to survive.¡¯ Sophia, a master of debuffs, had once strangled Jeong-hoon by applying over 20 debuffs simultaneously. Perhaps that was why Jeong-hoon¡¯s fists clenched involuntarily. But she wasn¡¯t the only one. The Spear Master Liu Xiaolong, who had cut Jeong-hoon¡¯s body to shreds with the me Demon¡¯s Spear. The Assassin of the Abyss, Rick Boyd, who had done the same using Verdan¡¯s Fang. Louis Verdant, who had risen to the position of High Priest just like Amelie. Even Paul Raymond, who had served as a wless sniper at the rearguard. There were many. Among them was Jeong Chang-ho, another betrayer. Though his presence was far less imposingpared to the others, the fact that he had sided with the traitors was reason enough for Jeong-hoon to mark him as a target. ¡®Looking at it like this, there are quite a lot of traitors.¡¯ Following them, James Marcus and Amelie Reina appeared. Even with only a portion of the betrayers gathered, there were already seven of them. But now was not the time to focus on them. At the center of the Great Cavern stood a massive golem. That was the Sealed Titan Golem, Ursus. A barrier surrounded Ursus, and to defeat the Titan Golem, breaking the barrier was the first priority. ¡°Before regression, they couldn¡¯t even manage to break the barrier.¡± It was almostughable. Even with the world''s top rankers gathered, they had failed to breach the barrier. As a result, the forced penalties escted to the highest level, leading to a drastic decline in the global poption. This incident was the very reason Jeong-hoon had lost his home and been forced to wander. Thus, he was even more determined to take down Ursus this time. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! Step right up!¡± It was then that an NPC appeared in front of Ursus. === [NPC Information] Nickname: Rangrang Level: 999 ss: Event NPC === The figure was Rangrang, an event NPC. ¡°An event, of all things.¡± Jeong-hoon shot a sharp re at Rangrang before averting his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m Rangrang, your assistant for the Titan Golem Ursus Event!¡± the NPC announced cheerfully, his booming voice echoing through the cavern. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± ¡°How did this penalty turn into an event?¡± The surrounding rankers¡¯ reactions were cold, unsurprisingly. However, Rangrang seemed unfazed, pping his hands with a sly grin. ¡°Now, before we officially begin the event, please wait 20 minutes! It seems not everyone has arrived yet!¡± At that moment, ck thorns coiled around the legs of all the rankers, including Jeong-hoon, immobilizing them. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°It seems he can manipte the environment,¡± someone muttered. While initially taken aback, the rankers quickly regained theirposure, as expected of their experience. Each of them had a level exceeding 400, signifying an immense amount ofbat experience. Something like this wouldn¡¯t shake them easily. ¡°They¡¯re stilling in,¡± Rangrang remarked. As he said, more high-level yers continued to enter the Great Cavern. Among them was Alessandro Bryden. Jeong-hoon¡¯s eye twitched slightly. ¡°Alessandro? Why is he here?¡± Using the Seven Deadly Sins, Jeong-hoon had drained Alessandro of all his stats. Although Alessandro¡¯s level had exceeded 500, in reality, his power had declined to that of a magician in their 20s or 30s. Jeong-hoon had expected Alessandro to keep a low profile, but here he was, boldly stepping into the Great Cavern. Worse yet, their eyes met, and Alessandro¡¯s gaze was aze with fury. It was as if he was ready to kill Jeong-hoon on the spot, his bloodlust palpable. And the overwhelming magical energy emanating from his body. ¡°Someone must have interfered.¡± Jeong-hoon was certain that Alessandro had be an avatar of some higher being. There was no other exnation for such an abrupt change. Who could have intervened? ¡°Not someone at the Apostle level.¡± Apostles were only capable of forming contracts within dungeon boundaries. Moreover, their powers weren¡¯t sufficient to restore Alessandro¡¯s abilities. This meant the involvement of a being at least on the level of a Demon King. ¡°Interesting.¡± Jeong-hoon had intended for Alessandro to live a life of prolonged suffering, yet here he was, seemingly begging to be killed sooner. Additionally, if Alessandro¡¯s stats had been restored, it meant Jeong-hoon could drain them once again using the Seven Deadly Sins. ¡°Alessandro!¡± At that moment, James Marcus called out Alessandro¡¯s name. Alessandro, who had been ring at Jeong-hoon, turned his eyes toward James. His gaze, however, was no less filled with murderous intent. ¡°James, I¡¯ll deal with youter.¡± With that, Alessandro smirked, the corner of his mouth curling upward. ¡°Alessandro¡­¡± James couldn¡¯t finish his sentence, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of Alessandro¡¯s fury. ¡°You¡¯re no different.¡± This time, Alessandro fixed his re on Amelie Reina, who was standing beside James. ¡°What a pathetic excuse for a human being.¡± Amelie met his gaze with cold, unwavering eyes, her words cutting. ¡°Now, now! It seems the time hase to announce the event details!¡± After the 20 minutes had psed, Rangrang pped his hands. The thorns binding everyone disappeared, freeing them to move. ¡°Oh, and just so you know, any unnecessary actions will result in immediate expulsion.¡± Rangrang¡¯s eyes turned toward Alessandro, issuing a clear warning. Alessandro had been preparing to cast a spell the moment his movements were freed. ¡°Tch.¡± Left with no choice, Alessandro canceled his magic. Atst, Rangrang began to hover slowly in the air, pointing toward Ursus. ¡°Now then, let me exin the event! Before you stands the Titan Golem, Ursus, bound in its seal!¡± The Titan Golem Ursus. Its arms and legs were restrained by enormous chains, and its head hung low, utterly motionless. ¡°When the event begins, Urs¡¯s seal will be lifted! Your task is to destroy Ursus within the time limit and reduce its vitality to zero!¡± The objective was straightforward: defeat Ursus. However, the process would undoubtedly be anything but simple. Just then, a ranker raised a hand¡ªa face Jeong-hoon recognized. It was none other than the Spear Master, Liu Xiaolong. ¡°Hey, you called this an event, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an event.¡± ¡°Then there must be some sort of prize involved?¡± Rangrang smirked and nodded. ¡°Correct! Let me exin the rewards now!¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a message appeared before everyone, including Jeong-hoon. [Rewards based on Contribution!] [1st ce: Legendary ~ Celestial Tier Item Box (Random) ¨C 50/50 chance] [2nd ce: Legendary Tier Item Box (Random)] ... The lower the rank, the lower the grade of the reward box. First ce, however, was particrly enticing¡ªa box with a chance to contain a Celestial-tier item. And not just any chance¡ªa 50/50 probability. ¡°Celestial?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a tier above Legendary...?¡± The existence of the Celestial tier had not been revealed until now. The rankers stared at the message in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief. ¡°Now, are you all ready to defeat Ursus?!¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Jeong-hoon raised his hand, cutting through the moment. Rangrang tilted his head and looked at him quizzically. ¡°Are you having trouble understanding? What¡¯s so difficult to grasp?¡± ¡°I just have a question.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled faintly, locking eyes with Rangrang. ¡°Go ahead, ask.¡± ¡°That barrier¡ªit disappears the moment the event starts, right?¡± ¡°...¡± Rangrang remained silent. Or perhaps, he couldn¡¯t answer. After all, he was an NPC dispatched under the orders of a transcendent being. This meant he had been instructed to ensure the dungeon could not be cleared. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering?¡± ¡°Ahem, you must destroy the barrier before you can defeat Ursus.¡± ¡°Then another question: can the barrier be destroyed with physical or magical attacks?¡± ¡°...¡± Again, there was no response. As I expected. If the barrier had been something even a gathering of top-ranked yers couldn¡¯t break, it must mean there was no conventional way to destroy it. ¡°If attacks don¡¯t work, then is there another method?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Judging by your silence, there really isn¡¯t a way to break the barrier, is there?¡± ¡°Ahem. You¡¯re more perceptive than you appear, human.¡± Rangrang coughed awkwardly, forcing a strained smile. The n to entice the participants with rewards and hasten the event¡¯s start had backfired entirely. ¡°So, the whole idea was to make sure we couldn¡¯t defeat it, huh?¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s words, the rankers red at Rangrang. ¡°You were trying to push the penalty to the highest level, no matter what.¡± ¡°Hey! Are you kidding us right now?!¡± As the atmosphere grew hostile, Rangrang pped his hands. Once again, ck thorns sprang forth, binding their movements. ¡°Now, now, calm down, everyone. I¡¯m just the event assistant here. My only duty is to announce the guidelines for defeating Ursus, nothing more.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The announcement isplete, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave now! The event will begin as soon as I disappear. The time limit is a generous 12 hours! Good luck!¡± With those words, Rangrang vanished. At the same time, the binding ck thorns dissolved, and a glowing timer appeared in the air: 12:00. So that¡¯s how you want to y it, huh? Jeong-hoon smirked as he stared at the spot where Rangrang had disappeared. The intention was clear¡ªto ensure failure. But surrendering wasn¡¯t an option Jeong-hoon would ever consider. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 251 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 251 [11:59:59] The countdown had begun. Following this, the usersunched an onught of attacks against the barrier. However, just as Jeong-hoon had said, not even the slightest crack appeared in the barrier. In other words, it was impossible to break the barrier with physical or magical attacks. "Looks like it¡¯s useless after all." "Exactly. Just continuing to attack like this won¡¯t solve anything." Hearing Jeong-hoon and Rangrang''s conversation, the users quickly ceased their attacks and started seeking alternative methods. Yet, most of their responses remained pessimistic. "They¡¯re saying there¡¯s no way to break the barrier." "That guy ns to push this penalty to its highest stage." It was inevitable. ¡®Judging by the silence, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any way to break the barrier.¡¯ ¡®Hmm, this human is sharper than he looks.¡¯ How could anyone react positively after hearing such conversations? [So, there¡¯s no way to break it in the end.] ¡®Tsk, not even a chance to attempt it.¡¯ Mukho and Anima also seemed ready to give up. The Colossus Ursus remained sealed, showing no movement, making it seem rtively easy to deal with. This only made the situation more frustrating. "Who said we¡¯re giving up?" Jeong-hoon approached the barrier. [Seal Barrier] The barrier sealing Ursus. If this barrier were to disappear, Ursus would awaken. [Is there another way?] ¡®Didn¡¯t they say there¡¯s no way to break it?¡¯ Mukho and Anima tilted their heads in confusion. "There must be." Before the regression, right before his betrayal, there had been a time when he broke a simr barrier. It was in that dungeon, where he barely managed to prevent annihtion. To reach the boss, the barrier had to be destroyed. Much like the current barrier sealing Ursus, physical and magical attacks had been ineffective against it. And Jeong-hoon had sessfully removed that barrier. ¡®The same method should work here.¡¯ The barrier wasn¡¯t entirely sealed across its entire range. It started from the point where it was initially established. From that point, magic energy flowed outward, enveloping the surroundings. In other words, focusing on that point of flow would allow the barrier to be broken. ¡®Of course, instead of physical or magical attacks, the barrier¡¯s magic form must be dismantled.¡¯ Fortunately, Jeong-hoon was familiar with the magic form of the barrier sealing Ursus. This familiarity gave him confidence. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s get started.¡¯ Jeong-hoon ced his hand on the barrier and began to move slowly. It was the task of locating the core of the barrier. The users, unaware of what Jeong-hoon was doing, tilted their heads and watched his actions with curiosity. "What is he doing right now?" "No idea." And then it happened. Whoosh¡ª A barrage of Fire Spears wasunched at Jeong-hoon, who was examining the barrier. "What the¡ª?!" "Watch out!" The users shouted in rm. [Using the Light Barrier.] Without even ncing at the iing Fire Spears, Jeong-hoon deployed the Light Barrier. Boom! Boom! The Fire Spears struck the Light Barrier and disintegrated instantly. The users widened their eyes at the sight. "He stopped the Fire Spears?" "And wait, isn¡¯t that guy a martial artist?" A martial artist deploying the Light Barrier? What¡¯s more, its radiant glow suggested it wasn¡¯t an ordinary-grade skill. "¡­Impressive." James Marcus, who had been observing, couldn¡¯t help but express his admiration. He had sensed it ever since Jeong-hoon effortlessly subdued Alessandro Bryden¡ªthis martial artist wasn¡¯t ordinary. "That man is full of secrets." Amelie Reina¡¯s words were something James could wholeheartedly agree with. After all, the Light Barrier was a skill Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t even used during his confrontation with Alessandro. "Exactly. Which is why I want him as an ally even more." If that martial artist became their ally, he would undoubtedly be a significant asset inpleting this game. "But what happened to that guy?" Amelie turned her gaze toward Alessandro. The murderous aura emanating from him was far greater than when they first encountered him in the Great Cavern. Additionally, the Fire Spears heunched now were iparably stronger than before. "¡­Could it be that he made a pact?" Thest time they saw Alessandro, he had lost his power. Yet now, not only had he regained it, but the magic energy he exuded was far more powerful than ever before. This could only mean one thing: Alessandro had entered a pact with a transcendent being. "¡­So making a pact can grant you that kind of power?" Neither James Marcus nor Amelie Reina had formed a pact with any transcendent beings. Though they had been tempted by the initial offers, they couldn¡¯t bring themselves to trust those beings enough to go through with it. James had immediately realized that the offers were a trap and chose not to proceed with the pact. And it had been the right decision. Those who became Avatars of the transcendent beings received exclusive quests, but the contents of those quests only hastened Earth¡¯s destruction. The same held true for Amelie. She, too, couldn''t shake off her doubts and had yet to finalize a pact with the transcendent beings. Thanks to this, she was able to remain as James Marcus¡¯s ally. "Alessandro... you''ve finally crossed the line you were never meant to cross." Seeing the ruin of a friend she once relied on heavily left her with a bitter feeling. But Jeong-hoon paid Alessandro no attention, continuing to inspect the barrier instead. "You damned bastard!" Enraged, Alessandro activated Creation Ice, forming an enormous spear. The sheer size and sharpness of the spear were iparable to a regr Ice Spear, and even from a distance, the chilling cold could be felt. With such destructive power, even the Light Barrier would be hard-pressed to withstand it. It was only then that Jeong-hoon turned his gaze to meet Alessandro''s. "Busy as I am, I should¡¯ve taken care of you back then." Jeong-hoon sighed with an annoyed expression. "Heh, I¡¯ll make you regret not finishing me off." At Alessandro¡¯s gesture, the massive Ice Spear was hurled toward Jeong-hoon. Crash! The Light Barrier shattered instantly upon impact, and Jeong-hoon evaded the spear using True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps. ''Who is he, really?'' Frowning, Jeong-hoon scrutinized Alessandro. The Creation Ice just now possessed destructive power far beyond the 9th Circle. This wasn¡¯t just a return to his previous status as an Archmage surpassing Level 500; Alessandro had be a monster of an entirely different level. A transcendent being capable of granting such power¡­ ''Could it be Baal?'' If Alessandro had entered a pact with Baal, such destructive power made sense. "Hey, did you make a pact with those red eyes?" "¡­." At Jeong-hoon¡¯s mention of red eyes, Alessandro flinched. The subtle tremor in his gaze betrayed his thoughts¡ªhe was asking how Jeong-hoon knew. "So, I was right." As he suspected, Baal was involved. Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t thought much of Baal since theirst bet, believing their connection to be over. ''He must have been bored.'' Baal clearly held a significant interest in Jeong-hoon. But without another wager, Baal had no reason to directly interfere. Instead, he had chosen to meddle with Alessandro, likely hoping to amuse himself by watching Jeong-hoon¡¯s reaction. This way, Baal risked no losses from any wager, and he could easily im Alessandro¡¯s soul. ''I¡¯d hate to y along with his ns.'' As much as Jeong-hoon wanted to leave Alessandro to suffer, Alessandro was now an Avatar. This meant that Alessandro had to be killed here and now. Though Jeong-hoon wanted to focus on the barrier first, it was clear that wouldn¡¯t happen under these circumstances. ''I wanted to break the barrier before other Avatars could intervene.'' Unsurprisingly, there were already many Avatars present in the area. More than half of the high-ranking yers here were likely Avatars. After all, with the promise of power beyond imagination, who could resist? James Marcus had recruited allies among those who weren¡¯t obstructing him. He had long realized that Avatars yed a pivotal role in hastening the world''s destruction. "¡­So, what now?" Alessandro smirked as he conjured another spell. A sphere the size of a fireball appeared above his head but quickly began expanding. In mere moments, it grew to fill the vast cavern, its scorching heat suffocating everyone present. Many scrambled to flee, but the countdown had begun, sealing off any escape routes from the cavern. ¡®A 9th Circle spell? How could a human achieve such power¡­?¡¯ Anima was stunned. The spell was Wrath of the Sun, a devastating 9th Circle magic that created an artificial sun to burn everything in its vicinity. ¡°Baal must have given him quite a boost.¡± Even though Alessandro had surpassed Level 500, he hadn¡¯t truly reached the 9th Circle. The 9th Circle was a realm beyond human limits, essible only under extraordinary circumstances. In Jeong-hoon¡¯s previous timeline, Alessandro had achieved the 9th Circle only after ascending to a celestial state. ¡°I¡¯ll kill everyst one of you!¡± Alessandro¡¯s expression twisted with madness. His target was no longer just Jeong-hoon; he intended to obliterate everyone present. ''This lunatic!'' ¡®At this rate, we¡¯re all going to die!¡¯ The hidden Avatars, who had been lying in wait, grew anxious. Alessandro was originally an Archmage who had surpassed Level 500. Now, having entered a pact with a Lord-ss transcendent being, he was far beyond their league. In contrast, most of them were lower-level Avatars tied to Apostle-ss transcendent beings. The power disparity was clear, and it was obvious they couldn¡¯t withstand a full-force attack from someone like Alessandro. ¡°What¡¯s your ss?!¡± ¡°Form groups and brace for impact!¡± The yers hastily organized themselves into groups, preparing defenses against the oing spell. Even the Avatars reluctantly mingled with the yers, forming defensive units. ¡°Burn in hell!¡± With a maniacal cry, Alessandro hurled thepleted artificial sun toward Jeong-hoon.N?v(el)B\\jnn The massive orb hurtled toward him, yet Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t even attempt to evade. BOOM! The artificial sun collided with the ground, triggering an earth-shaking explosion. *** Crackle. Crackle. The inferno that had erupted began to subside as time passed. ¡®Heh¡­ It¡¯s done! He¡¯s finally dead!¡¯ Around Alessandro, corpsesy scattered. Despite their best efforts to coordinate defenses, the overwhelming power of the 9th Circle spell had proven insurmountable, leaving only devastation in its wake. The air reeked of burnt flesh, but Alessandro¡¯s face was alight with a victorious grin. With that level of heat, even he wouldn¡¯t have survived. ¡°So? How do you like the sight of my revenge, you damned fool?!¡± Alessandro¡¯s triumphantugh echoed through the charred cavern. When Alessandro shouted into the void, a rift tore open, and a pair of crimson eyes appeared. <"Hmph, do you truly believe that?"> But Baal¡¯s tone carried a distinct note of disapproval. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Upset that you couldn¡¯t im my soul?¡± Alessandro sneered, smugly reveling in his victory. He had won this wager fair and square. <"Humans truly are dull creatures. It seems only that human will suffice."> Baal''s cryptic muttering made Alessandro furrow his brow in confusion. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± It was then that a familiar voice reached Alessandro¡¯s ears. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the rune, that could¡¯ve ended badly.¡± The one who should have been reduced to ashes was instead walking toward him, entirely unscathed. Alessandro¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°H-how is this possible?!¡± ¡°Alright, let me return the favor.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned mischievously as he extended a hand toward Alessandro. mes erupted from Alessandro¡¯s body without warning, consuming him in an instant. Before he could even scream, his body detonated, leaving nothing but silence in its wake. *** "Are you alright?" "Yes, thank you." Wrath of the Sun. Even in the face of such a devastating spell, some had managed to survive. Foremost among them was James Marcus. True to his reputation as the strongest Pdin of the Americas, he had raised his shield and blocked the st. Thanks to his efforts, Amelie Reyna, who stood behind him, emerged unscathed. Several other high-ranking yers had also managed to endure the spell by utilizing runes and skills. "Can you tend to the injured?" "The injured?" Amelie frowned at the suggestion. But James Marcus was insistent. "Yes, there are too many wounded." "And what if you end up healing the contracted ones too? Besides, you¡¯re in no shape to keep this up." "I¡¯ll be fine. Please, we can¡¯t afford to argue about that now¡ªhow else will we deal with that?" James gestured toward the colossal Ursus, a towering golem wreaking havoc nearby. ¡°¡­Fine.¡± With a resigned sigh, Amelie began tending to the wounded from other groups. She wasn¡¯t the only healer present; given the gathering of elite yers, there were others with simr professions. While the casualties were significant, the number of survivors far outweighed them. As Amelie moved on to assist the others, James Marcus turned his gaze toward Jeong-hoon. There was no way anyone could have survived that spell unscathed. Yet, there Jeong-hoon was, walking calmly as if nothing had happened. James''s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡®¡­Impossible!¡¯ Even with a Light Barrier, defending against that magic should have been a near-impossible task. Yet, Jeong-hoon had not only endured it but also retaliated, eliminating Alessandro with little resistance. Alessandro¡¯s body had been torn apart from within, scattering in gruesome pieces. Despite the horrifying scene, Jeong-hoon waspletely unfazed. Instead, he began inspecting the barriers surrounding the cavern with aposed expression. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 252 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 252 The troublesome foe had been dealt with. ¡®Just took him down with a single Rune of Counterattack. What a gain.¡¯ Alessandro Bryden. He must have gained his powers by contracting with Baal and offering his soul as payment. After all, Baal had a particr fondness for human souls. But with Jeong-hoon delivering a perfect counter and killing him, Alessandro would find no peace even in death. That alone was satisfying enough. ¡®I want to absorb his stats!¡¯ However, Alessandro¡¯s body had exploded into fragments, making absorption impossible. Jeong-hoon summoned the Seven Deadly Sins. ¡°How can I absorb him in that state?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s still possible.¡± With those words, the Seven Deadly Sins moved to where Alessandro had been standing. Traces of Alessandro remained faintly on the ground. [Absorbing stats.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes widened. To think it was possible to extract stats even in such a state. In any case, it was a fortunate turn of events. He had thought Alessandro¡¯s swift demise might prevent him from absorbing anything. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om At that moment, a rift opened, revealing crimson eyes. The appearance of the crimson eyes shifted the attention of every user in the grand cavern to Baal. ¡°How does it feel to im a human soul?¡± Alessandro had used all his mana to create an artificial sun in an attempt to kill Jeong-hoon. Because of that, he hadn¡¯t been able to prepare for the Rune of Counterattack. ¡®If he hadn¡¯t been blinded by revenge, he could have calcted better.¡¯ In the end, his demise was nothing short of hollow. ¡°So, you interfered because you wanted to enjoy yourself?¡± Baal¡¯s interference had not been part of the n. ¡°...Stop talking like that; it¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°Hmph. So, are you suggesting we make a wager?¡± ¡°Then how about you just leave?¡± Jeong-hoon waved his hand dismissively, as if annoyed. At that, the crimson eyes curved into a crescent shape. ¡°Hmph. For now, there are too many eyes watching. Could you quiet things down a bit?¡± As Baal finished speaking, the surroundings seemed to freeze, as if time had stopped. ¡®This guy ispletely addicted to gambling.¡¯ Stopping time to this extent meant Baal had expended considerable energy. Though normally he wouldn¡¯t be able to intervene this directly, the contract with Alessandro had allowed for a more forceful interference. It was likely Baal had used Alessandro less for entertainment and more to create an excuse to approach Jeong-hoon again. ¡°So, what exactly can you offer me?¡± ¡°Hm, that¡¯s not enough. As you can see, the Colossus Ursus is proving to be quite troublesome.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like 5% of the Ultimate Energy, and the most powerful soul in your possession.¡± Baal¡¯s crimson eyes narrowed, his expression betraying his surprise¡ªclearly not expecting Jeong-hoon to ask for a soul. ¡°That seems like fairpensation, don¡¯t you think?¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. No, he couldn¡¯t handle souls directly. But he did have a summon that could. That summon was Michael. ¡®He¡¯s a necromancer I brought out from the Coffin of Death. If I can get my hands on a soul Baal owns, Michael will only grow stronger.¡¯ That was exactly what Jeong-hoon was after. ¡°So, what¡¯s your answer? Yes or no?¡± Jeong-hoon grinned slyly. Baal¡¯s crimson eyes curved into a crescent. ¡°Then, do I wager my soul again this time?¡± ¡°Something else?¡± ¡°A contract?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in puzzlement. Baal was a transcendent of lordly rank, the kind who wouldn¡¯t contract with just anyone. Typically, he would engage in temporary contracts only to im souls or wager on a game. When victorious, he would mercilessly terminate the contract and im the other party¡¯s soul¡ªa ruthless, malevolent approach. But now he was bringing up a proper contract? What was his game? ¡°Is that so? But what should I do? I¡¯m not interested in forming a contract with you.¡± He wasn¡¯t wrong. From Jeong-hoon¡¯s perspective, it was much safer than wagering his soul outright. Even in defeat, all he¡¯d have to do was proceed with the contract. "Fine. I¡¯ll ept the wager." The decision didn¡¯t take long. The Ultimate Energy and the powerful soul Baal possessed were worth the risk. With the wager agreed upon, Baal disappeared. As he vanished, time, which had been frozen, began to flow again. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°The crimson eyes disappeared in an instant!¡± As Baal vanished before their eyes, the yers turned to Jeong-hoon, their gazes filled with confusion. After all, he had been the one conversing with Baal just moments ago. ¡°Did you¡­ form a contract with the crimson eyes?¡± James Marcus approached Jeong-hoon with a stiff expression. Jeong-hoon chuckled dryly and responded, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? And even if I did, what¡¯s it to you?¡± ¡°...It matters. If you¡¯ve formed a contract, you¡¯re now my enemy.¡± ¡°Enemy?¡± Howughable. Jeong-hoon had never considered James Marcus an ally in the first ce. To him, the man was nothing more than a traitor¡ªnothing more, nothing less. ¡°Indeed.¡± James Marcus unsheathed his sword, pointing it at Jeong-hoon. ¡°Tch, what a pain,¡± Jeong-hoon muttered, scratching his head. He wanted to deal with the Colossus Ursus now that the wager had begun, but nuisances like this kept getting in the way. ¡°Should I just kill him here?¡± Hearing Jeong-hoon¡¯s murmur, James Marcus flinched. He knew all too well that Jeong-hoon was strong enough to deal with Alessandro without breaking a sweat. ¡°Of course, if you haven¡¯t formed a contract, then you¡¯re not my enemy!¡± ¡°And yet, you drew your sword before knowing for sure. How is that any different from asking to be killed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s different! This is just¡­¡± ¡°Tch. Are you going to fight?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Or are you going to move aside? I need to deal with my penalties.¡± ¡°I¡­ I see.¡± Hearing Jeong-hoon mention penalties, James Marcus sheathed his sword. If Jeong-hoon had indeed formed a contract, he would¡¯ve been assigned an Avatar Quest to prevent him from dealing with the Colossus Ursus. In other words, Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t made a contract. [That guy¡­ why is he such a pushover?] ¡®I agree.¡¯ Jeong-hoon barely suppressed augh at the remarks from Mukho and Anima. ¡®That¡¯s just how he¡¯s always been.¡¯ James Marcus had been the one to take Jeong-hoon in as arade, despite the objections of others, back when Jeong-hoon had nothing. James had been someone who valued justice above all else. Why he betrayed Jeong-hoon in the end still remained a mystery. Jeong-hoon ced his hand on the barrier once more. ¡®This is it.¡¯ The search had been interrupted earlier due to Alessandro, but thanks to his use of 9th-circle magic, Jeong-hoon was able to locate it quickly. The 9th-circle magic was immensely powerful, causing the mana forming the barrier to surge rapidly. As a result, the core of the barrier became visibly distinct to the naked eye. Jeong-hoon ced his hand on the spot and sent his mana into it. At that moment, a form emerged in front of him. [What is this?] ¡®It¡¯s written in strange characters.¡¯ [How are we supposed to decode this?] There¡¯s always a way. Jeong-hoon essed the achievement shop and purchased the ¡°Decoding Lens.¡± A special item only avable upon reaching Level 6 in the achievement shop. And Jeong-hoon¡¯s level was already at 7. Upon equipping the lens, the characters began to decode, and Jeong-hoon, recalling memories from before his regression, started tampering with the barrier¡¯s form. Buzz Each time he manipted the form, the barrier vibrated. Jeong-hoon continued working on the form, and before long, the barrier surrounding Ursus shatteredpletely. Crash! With the sound of shattering ss, the barrier dissipated. The yers watching were left with their jaws hanging open. ¡°Holy¡­?!¡± ¡°The barrier¡¯s broken?¡± ¡°Wait, so it wasn¡¯t unbreakable?¡± They were all rankers, confident in their knowledge of New World. Yet, the barrier before them was unlike anything they had ever seen. A barrier impervious to both physical and magical attacks. There wasn¡¯t even a quest avable to break it. And yet, a single yer had effortlessly undone it. ¡°...James, is that even possible?¡± Amelie Reina was equally stunned. ¡°This is insane. Someone like that actually exists¡­¡± All James Marcus could do was repeat the word ¡°insane.¡± And then¡ª Vrrrrr! The Colossus Ursus began to tremble, slowly lifting its head. Its lifeless eyes regained vitality, glowing with a bright yellow light. [Lv.??? Colossus Ursus] The battle had now begun. *** Even from a distance, NPC Rangrang was unable to hide her shock. ¡°No way, how?!¡± His mission was to provoke the forced penalty to its highest level. To do so, the defeat of the Colossus Ursus had to fail. But what was this situation? The n was to not be able to break the barrier, yet some human had shattered it in an instant. [11:13:43] Remaining time: 11 hours. The Colossus Ursus would not be harmed, but with so much time remaining, a sense of unease began to rise. ¡°If I don¡¯t seed¡­ I die.¡± NPC Rangrang. He had descended under the orders of Ulyon, the master of this dungeon. If he failed to carry out those orders, he would incur the wrath of the gods and surely vanish without a trace. ¡°That can never happen.¡± Rangrang hastily manipted the dungeon to drastically increase the difficulty of Colossus Ursus. He raised it to the maximum level, making it impossible to challenge. * * * ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Jeong-hoon tilted his head. The yellow light in Ursus¡¯s eyes turned red. At the same time, the mana emanating from it grew even stronger, soon bing unreadable. That meant... ¡®The difficulty has been raised to the maximum.¡¯ The only exnation for what was happening was that Rangrang had manipted the Colossus Ursus. It seemed this battle wouldn¡¯t be easy. [The seal on Colossus Ursus has been lifted.] With the message that the seal had been lifted, Ursus easily broke the chains binding its hands and feet. At the same time, an unknown aura pressed down on all yers, including Jeong-hoon. [Colossus Ursus is using ¡®Overwhelm¡¯.] It was Ursus¡¯s ability. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Damn...!¡± Under the powerful pressure, most of the yers kneeled. Jeong-hoon, too, could barely stand on both legs. ¡°Wow... I can¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Yeah, tell me about it.¡± Among them, some had smiles on their faces. They were all avatars of the divine beings. They didn¡¯t want to defeat Colossus Ursus. It was because of the avatar quest given by the Transcendent. ¡°Damn bastards. I¡¯ll remember your faces.¡± Jeong-hoon thoroughly memorized their faces and then stepped onto the True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion. The Colossus Ursus was a towering 42 meters tall. Its head was even close to touching the ceiling of the massive cavern. To tackle such a creature, simple attacks wouldn¡¯t suffice. ¡®I have to destroy the core around it first.¡¯ A ck rectangr object about 2 meters in size. It might look like a simple building, but in reality, it¡¯s the core of Ursus. Ursus has many cores, and only by destroying them all can Ursus be defeated. Of course, getting close to the cores is no easy task. Bang! Ursus blocked Jeong-hoon¡¯s path by mming a fist down. The intense heat radiating from the punch enveloped Jeong-hoon. [Using Light Barrier.] Jeong-hoon quickly cast the Light Barrier, but as soon as it touched the heat, the barrier instantly disintegrated. ¡®This is dangerous.¡¯ Jeong-hoon retreated from the spot using the True Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Steps. Ursus then withdrew its fist and stretched its hand toward the area where the yers were. [Colossus Ursus is using ¡®Annihtion¡¯.] The next special ability began. Aser shot from Ursus¡¯s hand. ¡°Evade!¡± James Marcus shouted loudly as he pulled Amelie Reina into his arms and swiftly performed a movement technique to escape the spot. Boom! A deafening explosion sounded, and everything before their eyes shed. Jeong-hoon frowned and closed his eyes. It was so intense that even with his eyes closed, his vision didn¡¯t return. ¡®Now¡¯s the time.¡¯ For a brief moment, Ursus¡¯s body, having used its ability, seemed to freeze as if it had malfunctioned. Jeong-hoon quickly stepped into the True Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Dominion. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 253 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 253 The history before the regression was changed. Originally, they wouldn''t have been able to even break the barrier, let alone touch Ursus. But Jeong-hoon broke the barrier, awakening Ursus. Not only that, but the NPC Rangrang significantly increased the difficulty, causing the difficulty of subjugating Ursus to skyrocket. As a result, many users lost their lives, caught up in Ursus¡¯s ability, Annihtion. Among them was even a Chosen One. ¡°Amelie! Are you okay?!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± James Marcus had narrowly survived. If he hadn''t embraced Amelie and fled the scene, he would have been caught in Annihtion and lost his life. Amelie held her throbbing head and nodded. ¡°Whew, that¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°More importantly, what do we do about that¡­?¡± Amelie Reina asked with a troubled expression. The ability Ursus just disyed made the gap in power abundantly clear. ¡®We can¡¯t bring it down.¡¯ No matter what they did, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to scratch the Colossus Ursus. Then, it happened. Uwooooh¡ª The Colossus Ursus let out an iprehensible roar. Crack¡ª In front of it, Jeong-hoon had already destroyed one of its cores. ¡°In that short amount of time¡­?!¡± James Marcus muttered in shock. Jeong-hoon then moved toward the next core, stepping into True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps. Uwooooh¡ª Ursus roared and swung its fist at Jeong-hoon. [The Colossus Ursus uses Convergence.] Convergence. At that moment, clusters of magical spheres formed around Ursus. The spheres poured down toward Jeong-hoon. ¡®Damn.¡¯ Jeong-hoon frowned and continued moving with Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps. There was no path to avoid them. However, there was a solution. True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Fist Technique. When the Heavenly Demon Lord''s Fist Technique is activated, it grants invincibility for a set duration. Determining that he couldn¡¯t dodge, Jeong-hoon activated the Heavenly Demon Lord''s Fist Technique. Boom! Boom! Boom! Countless magical spheres fell in Jeong-hoon¡¯s path, and deafening explosions resounded. ¡®Now!¡¯ In that instant, Jeong-hoon extended his fist toward the core that appeared beside him. The difficulty increased, but Ursus''s cores were essentially its weak points, so the second core was destroyed just as quickly as the first. Uwooooh¡ª! Ursus let out another scream. Having two cores destroyed inflicted unimaginable damage on it. This caused a slight dy, and Jeong-hoon used the opportunity to step into The Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion and destroy another nearby core. ¡®Let¡¯s keep going like this.¡¯ If this drags on, who knows what tricks NPC Rangrang might pull next. Jeong-hoon needed to destroy the cores as quickly as possible and end this. As Jeong-hoon relentlessly destroyed the cores, the Colossus Ursus couldn¡¯t hold out any longer and fell to its knees. ¡°Everyone, attack the cores!¡± Jeong-hoon shouted at the users behind him. Only then did the dazed users, who had been standing idly by, start moving in a hurry. ¡®There are traitors among them, but Ursuses first.¡¯ Recalling the betrayal he suffered before the regression, Jeong-hoon wanted to wipe them all out right here and now. However, strictly speaking, they hadn¡¯t betrayed him yet. This was why he only punished those who had directly harmed him. For Jeong-hoon, true revenge was about perfectlypleting this "game." ¡°I¡¯ll help!¡± As Jeong-hoon destroyed a core and Ursus groaned in agony, the users figured out the strategy. They pushed their bodies, overwhelmed by Ursus''s presence, toward the cores. Uwooooh¡­ With the consecutive destruction of its cores, Ursus could no longer stop them. *** ¡°No! No, this can¡¯t happen!¡± NPC Rangrang frantically manipted the dungeon in desperation. But Ursus, whose cores were being destroyed, no longer moved as Rangrang intended. It was designed from the beginning to be defeated in this way. ¡°Ulyon, please! I beg you!¡± He couldn¡¯t stand to watch Ursus be taken down. He had to somehow get Ursus back up and eliminate all those cursed creatures. If that happened, the penalty would reach its highest level, and Earth would smoothly proceed toward destruction! At that moment, a voice that brought salvation to Rangrang resounded. It was Maroon, a Demon King-ss transcendent under Ulyon¡¯smand. To Rangrang, even Maroon was an immensely superior being. ¡°Please give me your orders!¡± Rangrang¡¯s body trembled violently. Eternal torment. Obliteration would be better than that. But Ulyon¡¯s orders were absolute. And if Rangrang seeded in fulfilling thismand, he could finally be the transcendent he had long desired to be. ¡°I will seed without fail!¡± With that, Maroon¡¯s voice faded away. ¡°...I¡¯ll modify the settings so it doesn¡¯t copse from core destruction.¡± Rangrang began altering the configuration, ring at the humans leading the attack on Ursus. *** Wooong¡ª Ursus¡¯s body began to vibrate slightly. The beast, which had been kneeling, slowly rose again. Unlike before, destroying its cores no longer elicited any reaction. ¡®Don¡¯t tell me they changed it again.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression hardened. The previously straightforward strategy of core destruction had now be useless. [What the hell? What¡¯s wrong with it now?] Mukho shouted in rm. ¡°It means that simply destroying all the cores won¡¯t bring it down anymore.¡± [What?! Then there¡¯s no way to take that thing down?!] ¡°There is, so don¡¯t worry.¡± The strategy still existed, and Jeong-hoon was the only one who knew it. ¡®It¡¯s the same as the one I faced before regression.¡¯ Jeong-hoon dug into his pre-regression memories. It was a slightly different type of golempared to the Colossus Ursus, but the strategy was the same: destroy all the surrounding cores to incapacitate it, thenpletely obliterate the core inside its body. However, that enemy didn¡¯t just sit idly by while its cores were destroyed. It resisted by gathering all its energy in one ce and unleashing a massive explosion. During that incident, 23 allies who joined the raid lost their lives. Even those who survived were in terrible condition, despite the area being structurally more escapable than the current Great Cavern. Just as before, Ursus was now absorbing all of its remaining energy into the internal core. ¡®Not a pleasant memory, but I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d have to use it now.¡¯ Jeong-hoon stepped into True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion and approached Ursus. Then a new barrier formed around Ursus. It was the same as the one that had originally sealed Ursus. At the same time, Ursus crouched, elerating the rate at which energy was umting. ¡®It¡¯s nning to blow up the entire Great Cavern.¡¯ There was no exit from the Great Cavern. If Jeong-hoon and the others died, it would result in a full wipeout, and the dungeon raid would fail. Failure would trigger the highest-level penalty. ¡®I won¡¯t let that happen.¡¯ Jeong-hoon ced his hand on the barrier. The same spot he had previously disrupted to break the seal. However, Ursus¡¯s movements had shifted its position. ¡®Stay calm.¡¯ Jeong-hoon maintained hisposure as he meticulously searched the barrier¡¯s magic form. Fortunately, it didn¡¯t take long for him to locate the form, and using his lens, he swiftly disrupted and shattered the barrier. This allowed him to reach Ursus¡¯s feet. Wooooong¡ª The creature was too preupied with gathering energy to stop Jeong-hoon¡¯s approach. Extending his hand toward Ursus, Jeong-hoon unleashed a torrent of his mana and divine power. The rapidly umting energy within Ursus went haywire, resulting in a catastrophic internal explosion. Boom!n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The tremendous st sent violent shockwaves rippling through the cavern, engulfing Jeong-hoon and the other yers. Although the explosion originated from within Ursus and spared the Great Cavern from total destruction, the impact alone inflicted significant damage. Even so, Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t falter. Continuing to channel divine power and mana, he carefully inspected Ursus¡¯s core. Had he only used mana, the energy might have continued rampaging after the explosion. But the addition of divine power kept it in check. Now, he needed to locate the core where the energy had converged among the countless others. Following the energy¡¯s trail, Jeong-hoon moved swiftly, soon pinpointing its location¡ªUrsus¡¯s left nk. Havingpleted his search, Jeong-hoon retreated while readying Anima. Drawing the bowstring, he activated every buff skill and item at his disposal. ¡®Ultimate Arrow.¡¯ Jeong-hoon loosed the Ultimate Arrow, aiming for Ursus¡¯s left nk. Caught off-guard by the explosion and still reeling, Ursus couldn¡¯t defend itself. The arrow struck true, piercing its nk and shattering something vital inside. Crack! Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curved into a satisfied smirk. ¡®Got it.¡¯ With a victorious grin, he watched Ursus crumble instantly. The once-indomitable colossus fell far more easily than expected, leaving the surviving yers in stunned silence as they stared at Jeong-hoon. [What the hell? Did it end that easily?] ¡®How did he even do it?¡¯ Mukho and Anima were just as astonished. ¡°Its defenses plummeted after the explosion,¡± Jeong-hoon exined. When Ursus¡¯s core energy disperses, it triggers an explosion, temporarily rendering the creature groggy. Jeong-hoon had capitalized on this vulnerability to locate and destroy the core before Ursus could recover. Had he hesitated even slightly, Ursus would have regained its footing, prolonging the battle and making victory uncertain. [You have defeated the Colossus Ursus.] [The Forced Penalty has been removed.] [All survivors are awarded 1,000,000,000 EXP.] [A remarkable feat has been aplished! The yer who destroyed Ursus is awarded 100,000 Achievement Points.] [An extraordinary performance! The yer who destroyed Ursus is awarded 300,000p.] [You can plunder an item from the dungeon creator.] [Please select the item to plunder.] [This is an exclusive privilege for the yer who defeated Ursus.] A list of items Ursus possessed appeared before Jeong-hoon. Without hesitation, Jeong-hoon made his selection. ¡°The Box of Seven Deadly Sins.¡± [You have plundered the ''Box of Seven Deadly Sins'' from the dungeon creator.] The Box of Seven Deadly Sins¡ªthis acquisition marked the collection of four out of the seven artifacts. [You have exceeded 90% contribution.] [As a result, you randomly plunder an item from NPC Rangrang¡¯s inventory.] But the rewards didn¡¯t end there. [You have obtained the ''Fragment of Memory.''] ¡®Hmm?¡¯ Jeong-hoon tilted his head in curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s this item used for?¡± Though intrigued, he decided to investigate itter. [You have achieved first ce in contribution.] [You have obtained a ''Legendary ~ Celestial Grade Item Box (Random) ¨C 50:50 Chance.''] Along with iming the top contribution spot, Jeong-hoon secured Rangrang''s prized item box as well. *** ¡°Aaaaaaagh!¡± Rangrang screamed in anguish. He had nned to eliminate all the humans in the Great Cavern using Ursus. The ¡®Massive Explosion¡¯, which concentrated the core¡¯s energy for a catastrophic detonation, was his ultimate weapon. Although it required a brief charge time to activate, he hadn¡¯t anticipated Jeong-hoon exploiting that moment to destroy Ursus. ¡®Damn it! If only I had used another strategy!¡¯ But regret was futile now. The dungeon had been cleared, its master Ulrion stripped of his prized item. Even worse, Rangrang himself had lost an item to that human and now faced the punishment of Eternal Torment. Desperate, Rangrang fell to his knees. ¡°Please, grant me just one more chance!¡± He didn¡¯t want to disappear. He had ambitions to rise and take the title of Apostle. But no response came. The silence was a clear denial. Rangrang, pale with dread, repeatedly bowed his head. ¡°Please, I beg you. Please¡­.¡± Still, no answer. At that moment, an unbearable pain surged through Rangrang¡¯s body as he began to burn. His screams echoed throughout the dungeon. ¡°Aaaaagh!¡± Rangrang¡¯s agony continued until his body waspletely consumed by the mes and he vanished into nothingness. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 254 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 254 It was over. By defeating the Colossus Ursus, the forced penalty was sessfully removed. ¡°If the mana and divine power hadn¡¯t reacted, it would have been a disaster.¡± Before Ursus could prepare for its massive explosion, it entered a charging state, absorbing energy. During this process, it couldn¡¯t move and protected itself with a barrier. This was because the charging process for core energy was designed to trigger an explosion if any other energy interfered. It might seem like a somewhat forced design, but such a setup was necessary to include a strategy during the production phase. ¡°That¡¯s the rule, isn¡¯t it?¡± The transcendent beings above didn¡¯t simply aim to destroy dimensions¡ªthey used humans as ythings to alleviate their boredom. They enjoyed watching humans struggle in despair. Thanks to this, Ursus could be easily forced into a groggy state, and its weakened defenses from the explosion created an opening to destroy its core and finish it off. yers who didn¡¯t understand the detailed process showered Jeong-hoon with praise. ¡°...What kind of person are you?¡± James Marcus approached Jeong-hoon with a puzzled expression. Jeong-hoon tilted his head. ¡°What¡¯s the point of that question?¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll be honest. My level is higher than yours. And I¡¯m the first warrior ss yer to achieve the fifth job advancement.¡± Indeed, James Marcus was a top star. How many in the world didn¡¯t know of him? Most of the yers who survived here in the Great Cavern admired James Marcus. His recruitment skills shone brightly, thanks inrge part to his fame. Even such a figure as James Marcus despaired when faced with the Colossus Ursus. No matter what he tried, it was an insurmountable foe. Just standing in its presence was enough to be overwhelmed by its aura and lose the will to fight. If Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t been there, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to make a move. Moreover, Jeong-hoon approached and resolved the situation on his own while the creature was hunched over, charging its energy. ¡°He¡¯s beyond the scope of humanity.¡± How could a yer in the 400-level range defeat the Colossus Ursus alone? Could he truly be called human? ¡°So, are you saying you¡¯re jealous because I did what you couldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean¡­!¡± ¡°In any case, I have no business with you, so get lost.¡± ¡°...Why do you dislike me so much?¡± James Marcus tried to read Jeong-hoon¡¯s thoughts with aplicated expression. However, Jeong-hoon¡¯s expressionless face revealed nothing. ¡°Do I really need to exin?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s because of Alessandro, I sincerely apologize. I honestly didn¡¯t know Alessandro had such intentions.¡± James bowed his head. ¡°Annoying.¡± Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t hide his irritation. Before the regression, James had betrayed him, and now he ovepped with that memory. Jeong-hoon felt a strong urge to twist his neck right then and there. However, he had resolved not to cross certain lines. Suppressing his anger, he asked James about his intentions. ¡°So, are you here to ask me to join your group again?¡± James Marcus shook his head. ¡°No. I know you¡¯ll refuse anyway. I just¡­ wanted to apologize forst time and thank you for hunting Ursus.¡± If not for Jeong-hoon, James would have lost his life. He wanted to express his gratitude here, knowing it would be inappropriate to persist when it was clear Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t want to see him. ¡°Alright.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded and turned away. Though it felt petty, it was better to draw a clear boundary here. At that moment, time stopped, and a fissure opened. <¡­I didn¡¯t expect you to figure out that strategy.> Baal¡¯s eyes trembled as if genuinely shocked. The Colossus Ursus¡ªa dungeon that NPC Rangrang had significantly increased in difficulty, making it virtually impossible to clear. Yet Jeong-hoon had swiftly defeated it using the sole viable strategy, leaving Baal astonished. ¡°It was just luck.¡± Baal¡¯s crescent-shaped eyes gleamed with amusement. Despite losing the bet, Baal seemed thoroughly entertained. ¡°You¡¯re awfully generous, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. Baal¡¯s gaze narrowed in response. ¡°Sorry, but I have no intention of forming a contract with anyone.¡± Jeong-hoon pointed at the holographic window with his finger. On the screen, countless transcendents were sending love calls to him. However, the moment Baal appeared, they all went silent, as if they had vanished into thin air. The presence of a Demon King-ss transcendent had driven them away. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Anyway, hand over what you promised.¡± [You have acquired 5% of Ultimate Energy.] An additional 5% of Ultimate Energy was obtained. With this, his Ultimate Energy surpassed the halfway mark, reaching 54.8%. ¡®Good. Just half more to go.¡¯ He was on the verge of reaching a realm no one else had achieved. Baal¡¯s rewards didn¡¯t stop there. ¡°And the soul?¡± What Jeong-hoon demanded was Baal''s strongest human soul in addition to the Ultimate Energy. <¡­Hah, it¡¯s something I acquired with great difficulty.> Despite his reluctance, Baal handed over the promised soul to Jeong-hoon. Before Jeong-hoon, a soul with a human form materialized. It was d in a ck helmet and armor, with a blood-red cape draped over its shoulders and a massive greatsword strapped to its back¡ªa warrior exuding immense strength. Jeong-hoon felt a strange sense of familiarity with the soul. ¡°Hmm?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in curiosity. ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± ¡°Alright. Then, be on your way.¡± <¡­It feels like a shame to end it like this.> Even after the wager concluded, Baal didn¡¯t disappear. This lunatic had even approached Alessandro to get closer to Jeong-hoon. It was clear he wasn¡¯t the type to simply vanish after something like this. Jeong-hoon thought for a moment before snapping his fingers. ¡°Then how about another wager?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll hunt the Ultimate Warrior in Rease.¡± The Ultimate Warrior. In New World, progressing from the free city of Rease to the next town, Darvis, required fulfilling a specific condition: defeating the Ultimate Warrior, who was a Death Knight. The Ultimate Warrior guarded the gateway to Darvis. ¡®And after the game''s reality adaptation, the Ultimate Warrior¡¯s level jumped to 1,100.¡¯ The warrior¡¯s role remained the same: to block ess to Darvis. However, Jeong-hoon intended to pass through Rease and head toward Darvis. Darvis was included in the Episode Collection, making it a critical destination. Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t remain stagnant, merely fending off penalties indefinitely. Darvis also held numerous hidden opportunities, including an unrevealed hidden theme. Jeong-hoon aimed to collect all these opportunities, surpass level 500, and eventually reach level 600. ¡®If I get the wager reward for defeating the Ultimate Warrior, it¡¯ll be a huge gain for me.¡¯ However, Baal¡¯s expression soured, clearly unimpressed by the proposed wager. Indeed, the Colossus Ursus represented the highest difficulty, with no discernible level limit. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Warrior¡¯s level was fixed at 1,100. Could Jeong-hoon, who had bested Ursus, possibly fail against the Ultimate Warrior? Still, Jeong-hoon had nothing to lose. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, just say no.¡± <¡­Could I perhaps add one more condition?> ¡°You want to add a condition?¡± "Let''s hear it first." The Dark Soul. ording to the New World guidebook, the Ultimate Warrior had an exceedingly low probability of dropping this item upon defeat. The exact drop rate was undisclosed, but yers collectively deemed it effectively zero. This was because, since theunch of New World, no one had ever seeded in obtaining it, despite the countless Ultimate Warriors that had been in. ¡°You¡¯re trying to make sure you win, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Do you even know how low the odds are?¡± Baal, knowing Jeong-hoon¡¯s desire for Ultimate Energy, once again used it as a bargaining chip. But Jeong-hoon was aiming for something different this time. "Add something more, and I¡¯ll agree." "Experience points." Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t need items right now. What he needed was raw power. "One quintillion." <...> Baal was momentarily speechless at the absurd figure. "What¡¯s wrong? Is it too much?" "Deal." Experience points in the trillions. With that amount, Jeong-hoon could break past level 500 in an instant. Frankly, he hadn¡¯t expected Baal to offer such an amount, so hearing the demon suggest a trillion made this negotiation all the sweeter. "Got it." As Baal disappeared, time, which had been momentarily frozen, resumed its flow. *** [Breaking News: Forced Penalty Removed!] [The Hero Who Removed the Penalty is Korean!] Shortly after the forced penalty was lifted, countless articles flooded the inte. Their content highlighted that the hero responsible for eliminating the penalty was none other than a Korean yer. This event sent Korea¡¯s reputation skyrocketing on the global stage. [Korea, Now the Center of the World!] -James Marcus? Oh, he¡¯s nothing. Korea reigns supreme! ©¸ Why does your tone sound so smug? LOL. ©¸ But seriously, who was the Korean yer? ©¸ Most people didn¡¯t even survive. Is he okay? ©¸ ording to the articles, he¡¯s a Martial Artist over level 400! ©¸ Yeo Min-Ji? No way, she hasn¡¯t even hit level 400 yet. Amid countless spections online, Ha-Jin grinned ear to ear. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s Hun! I knew you¡¯d pull it off!¡± He slung his arm over Jeong-hoon¡¯s shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Don¡¯t cling to me. It¡¯s annoying." ¡°Hey! Friends don¡¯t reject each other!¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense.¡± Having removed the penalty, Jeong-hoon wasted no time summoning Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo. Since Bong-Goo hadn¡¯tpleted his quest yet, only Ha-Jin arrived first. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ve finished the fourth advancement, just like you said.¡± Ha-Jin had been able toe early because hepleted the fourth advancement quest for his Dark Lord ss. ¡°Good. Now we just need Bong-Goo to wrap things up.¡± Considering his quest was likely less difficult than Ha-Jin¡¯s, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t fathom why it was taking him so long. ¡®Maybe I should¡¯ve pushed him harder.¡¯ "Kids, have some fruit." At that moment, Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother entered, carrying a tter of sliced apples and melons. Havingpleted her quest as well, she was now taking a well-deserved rest. ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am! Thank you so much!¡± Ha-Jin respectfully epted the te of fruit and ced it on the table. ¡°Mom, do you have some time?¡± ¡°Hmm? Why?¡± ¡°I was thinking of heading to Rease in a few days, and I was hoping you coulde along.¡± ¡°Rease? Sure.¡± ¡°Yes. Now that we¡¯vepleted the fourth advancement, we¡¯re nning to move to Darvis.¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Darvis. A vige essible only to those level 301 or higher and who hadpleted their fourth advancement. After the world¡¯s reality shift, the path had been sealed, requiring the defeat of the Ultimate Warrior to proceed. The main reason Jeong-hoon had dyed going to Darvis was to ensure that his mother, Ha-Jin, and Bong-Goo could also cross over. ¡®Ah, I need to include the Ho-Yeong Guild members too.¡¯ He nned to gather all those who hadpleted the fourth advancement for a raid on the Ultimate Warrior. If luck was on his side and the Dark Soul dropped, that would be ideal¡ªbut who knew how long it would take? ¡®I¡¯ll have to use some tricks.¡¯ Relying on sheer effort alone wouldn¡¯t be enough to secure such an elusive drop. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 255 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 255 ¡°Ah, this is driving me crazy...¡± Kim Bong-Goo scratched his head nervously. In front of him, a portal was shimmering. The final gateway of the 4th ss Advancement. It was the portal leading to that gateway, but he couldn¡¯t muster the courage to enter. === [ss Advancement Quest: Transcendence (2/2)] - Requirement: Level 301 or higher, 3rd ss Thief - Reward: 4th ss Advancement - Description: You have met the qualifications. It is time to unlock the dormant power within you. === No matter how many quests hepleted, it felt like there was no end. Even Transcendence (1/2) had nearly killed him. Had he not reacted properly, he would have died on the spot. Although his body had healed, mentally, he was utterly exhausted. But giving up now was not an option. ¡®Done with my 4th advancement! Bong-Goo, how¡¯s it going on your side?¡¯ That was Ha-Jin, who had alreadypleted his 4th ss Advancement. ¡®Hurry up and finish it.¡¯ Then there was Jeong-Hoon, pressuring him. The pressure from Jeong-Hoon was especially suffocating, making Bong-Goo feel as if his breathing was restricted. ¡°Screw it! I don¡¯t care anymore!¡± epting the ss advancement quest, Bong-Goo stepped into the portal. Inside, a shadowy figure awaited him. ¡°Shadow King?¡± Ah, this was really going to drive him insane. Bong-Goo¡¯s current rank was Shadow Spirit. Shouldn¡¯t a clone of a Shadow Spirit appear? Why was it the clone of the Shadow King, a legendary rank figure? === [NPC Information] Nickname: ??? Level: 350 Job: Clone of the Shadow King === To make matters worse, the Shadow King¡¯s level was 350. Sensing that it would not be an easy battle, Bong-Goo gripped his dagger tightly. Cold sweat dripped down his back, and his mind went nk. ¡®Stay calm. Stay calm.¡¯ In any case, failure would mean death. Jeong-Hoon would never let him off the hook if he failed. So, it was all or nothing now. *** At the same time... Jeong-Hoon was sipping coffee while on the phone with Yeo Min-Ji. [¡°The Death Knight of Rease?¡±] ¡°Yes.¡± [¡°I¡¯ve already cleared it and moved on to Darvis¡­ Do I have to clear it again?¡±] To move beyond Rease, the Death Knight had to be defeated. As it was a requirement, countless Death Knights had been hunted. ¡°You¡¯ll likely need to clear it again.¡± [¡°Hmm, in that case, I should be able to handle it without trouble, right? The Death Knight is only Level 250.¡±] ¡°No. It¡¯s no longer Level 250. It¡¯s been raised to Level 1,100.¡± [¡°W-What?!¡±] Jeong-Hoon pulled his smartphone slightly away from his ear at the shocked voice on the other end. ¡®Almost burst my eardrum.¡¯ The voice was so loud. Once the phone quieted down, Jeong-Hoon returned it to his ear. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m nning to take down the Death Knight soon. You¡¯ll join, right?¡± [¡°If you call, I¡¯lle. But¡­ why was it reset in the first ce?¡±] ¡°Who knows.¡± Why, indeed? It was obviously because the higher-ups wanted to block the path to Darvis. ¡®Massive update.¡¯ Since the game¡¯s virtualization, a massive update had naturally started. Without any prior notice, therge-scale update was still ongoing. The Death Knight¡¯s level rising to 1,100 was one result of that update. Of course, Darvis itself had alsopletely changed from how it was in the game. [¡°Alright then! When¡¯s the raid scheduled?¡±] ¡°It¡¯s not set yet. One of us hasn¡¯t finished their 4th advancement.¡± [¡°Ah, that¡¯s Bong-Goo, right?¡±] ¡°Yes.¡± [¡°If he¡¯s a Shadow Spirit, it shouldn¡¯t be that difficult... Strange.¡±] ¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡± That Bong-Goo guy. Just wait until he gets back. If he returns without any solid results, he¡¯ll be put through the wringer. *** Three dayster, Bong-Goo finally returned. During that time, Jeong-Hoon hadpleted two additional episodes. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Hyung! I did it!¡± Bong-Goo reported back with a face full of emotion. ¡°You seeded?¡± Jeong-Hoon tilted his head in confusion before ncing at Bong-Goo¡¯s updated stats in surprise. ¡®Shadow King?¡¯ Indeed. Bong-Goo had advanced from Shadow Spirit to Shadow King through the 4th ss Advancement Quest. ¡°I¡¯m Legendary now!¡± ¡°¡­How did you even manage that?¡± Jeong-Hoon hadn¡¯t expected Bong-Goo to advance to Shadow King. In his view, just advancing to Shadow Spirit was already a significant achievement. That¡¯s why he had been understanding of the dy in the 4th ss Advancement Quest. But to think Bong-Goo would climb even higher to be a Shadow King! ¡®He¡¯s now on par with Yeo Sunwoo, who was once one of Korea¡¯s Top 7.¡¯ Shadow King Yeo Sunwoo. He, too, had advanced to Shadow King during his 4th ss Advancement, rising to the top of Korea¡¯s thief rankings. Now, Bong-Goo had achieved the same by advancing to Shadow King in his 4th. ¡®And not just in a game, but in reality.¡¯ In a game, dying means you can respawn and try again. But in reality, dying once is the end. In other words, Bong-Goo hadpleted the advancement quest without dying even once. ¡°Hyung¡­ I really thought I was going to die,¡± Bong-Goo said, his eyes brimming with tears. ¡°I can imagine¡­ Advancing from Shadow Spirit to Shadow King isn¡¯t a small feat.¡± ¡°Exactly! Those crazy developers ramped up the difficulty to absurd levels as the quest went on!¡± ¡°¡­You did well.¡± Jeong-Hoon had nned to put Bong-Goo through the wringer once he returned, but that idea vanished instantly. ¡°That Shadow King clone at the end¡­ I can¡¯t believe I made it. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange if I had died a dozen times there¡­¡± ¡°How did you pull it off?¡± ¡°Well, if I failed, I knew you¡¯d kill me anyway¡­ So I went all out, and luckily, I managed to take it down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impressive¡­¡± Kim Bong-Goo, this punk. You¡¯ve grown! This time, you deserve recognition. ¡°Alright, good job.¡± Jeong-Hoon cast a top-tier healing spell on Bong-Goo, soothing his physical and mental exhaustion. While his body was visibly battered, his spirit must have been equally worn out. Bong-Goo¡¯splexion quickly improved under the effects of the healing. ¡°Thank you, hyung!¡± ¡°Alright, shall we get going then?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Bong-Goo blinked in confusion. Jeong-Hoon tilted his head at the reaction. ¡°We agreed to head to Rease after your 4th advancement, didn¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Well, yeah, but¡­ I just got back¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I healed you.¡± ¡°Even so, shouldn¡¯t I rest a bit¡­?¡± ¡°Do you know how long we¡¯ve been waiting because of you?¡± It had taken far too long. Still, Bong-Goo couldn¡¯t hide his look of protest. ¡°But I advanced to Shadow King! You have to give me credit for that!¡± ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why I¡¯m letting this slide without saying much.¡± ¡°Then¡­ can¡¯t I just rest a little longer¡­?¡± Bong-Goo pleaded with a desperate expression. Jeong-Hoon chuckled and nodded. ¡°Fine. Take two days off.¡± ¡°Wait, what?¡± ¡°What? You don¡¯t want it?¡± ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually let me¡­¡± ¡°I was joking. You achieved something significant, so pushing you right away would be too harsh.¡± ¡°Hyuuung! I swear on my life, I¡¯ll serve you forever! Vroom vroom! This Bong-Goo van is at your service!¡± ¡°Alright, alright, just pipe down. We¡¯re heading out in two days, so rest up until then.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± *** Bong-Goo returned home with a beaming smile. At home, Bong-Goo¡¯s father, mother, and older sister were all gathered. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± ¡°Bong-Goo,e and have a seat.¡± Kim Bong-Goo, once the problem child of the family, had now be an indispensable presence in their home. After all, he was the only one in the family who had surpassed Level 300. ¡°Yes!¡± Bong-Goo grinned brightly and took a seat.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°What¡¯s with the cheerful mood, Bong-Goo? You¡¯ve been gone for days without a word,¡± his sister said, unable to hide her annoyance. It had been far too long since Bong-Goost came home. ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t be too surprised. I finished my 4th advancement.¡± ¡°Your 4th advancement?¡± His sister¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Yep, I¡¯ve been busypleting it over the past few days.¡± ¡°Then you should¡¯ve said something before you left! We were worried sick, thinking something had happened to you!¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d take this long.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Anyway, so you¡¯ve advanced?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°To Shadow King¡­? Wait, is that¡­ Legendary?!¡± Having checked the information, his sister¡¯s eyes grew even rounder. Bong-Goo scratched his nose, pretending to be shy. ¡°Hoho, finally figured it out, huh?¡± ¡°Is this for real¡­? Not some kind of hidden camera prank?¡± ¡°Come on, why would I joke about this?¡± ¡°This doesn¡¯t make sense. How did a ¡®rusty van¡¯ like you hit Legendary?¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s harsh. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re crossing the line?¡± ¡°How¡¯s that harsh? I¡¯m just stating facts. You sure you didn¡¯t scrape by?¡± ¡°There you go again. Seriously. At least I can roll forward. You¡¯re like a stic bag blowing in the wind.¡± ¡°Are you out of your mind, punk?¡± As always, the sibling bickering escted quickly, prompting their father to step in. ¡°Is this really the time to fight? You should be celebrating instead! Both of you, knock it off!¡± Their mother chimed in as well. ¡°Exactly! Bong-Ja, Bong-Goo, both of you stop now.¡± *** Two days passed. Everyone had gathered at Jeong-Hoon¡¯s house. ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± The group nodded in unison. ¡°Hyung! Vroom-vroom! I¡¯m ready to go anytime!¡± Bong-Goo seemed to be in top condition after two days of rest. Given the top-tier healing he received and the rest he took, it wasn¡¯t surprising. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s head out, then.¡± Portals to Rease were set up all across the regions. Although their locations weren¡¯t public, Jeong-Hoon knew exactly where to find one. ¡°Oh, by the way, Jeong-Hoon, are you nning to record this trip too?¡± Bong-Goo was referring to YouTube. The rapidly growing tform, HoneyTube, was proving to be a phenomenon. ¡°Yes, I n to record this one too,¡± Jeong-Hoon confirmed. There was, of course, a proper strategy to defeat the Death Knight, no matter its daunting Level 1,100. Jeong-Hoon intended to show that as long as they followed the correct strategy, the supposedly formidable foe could be taken down with rtive ease. His goal was to encourage as many yers as possible to venture into Dalbis and progress further. After all, the more people who grew stronger, the greater the chances of shared fortuitous encounters in the future. ¡°It¡¯s a shame. If Dae-Hwi hyung were here, this would¡¯ve been a lot easier.¡± Unfortunately, Jang Dae-Hwi hadn¡¯t reached Level 301 yet. As a result, he was ineligible to participate in this expedition. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ve already contacted him. Once we¡¯re done, I¡¯ll send him the footage.¡± ¡°Ah, got it. Sounds good.¡± ¡°Alright, the portal to Rease is right here,¡± Jeong-Hoon announced, pulling up a map on his smartphone. The map disyed coordinates he had marked in advance. ¡°This is Seongsu-dong, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Seongsu-dong. [TL/N: Actual Location in Korea] It was there that the portal to Rease shimmered, waiting to be discovered. *** Seongsu-dong ¡°Wow, it¡¯s Ho-Yeong.¡± ¡°Look at those levels¡­ every single one of them is over 300!¡± ¡°This is insane¡­¡± ¡°Wait, isn¡¯t that person over Level 400? Hold on! Is that the martial artist who was all over the news?¡± The moment Jeong-Hoon appeared in Seongsu-dong, all eyes turned toward him. A convergence of three phenomena: - The presence of Ho-Yeong, a famed figure. - A group of adventurers with visibly high levels. - The newsworthy martial artist, whose level exceeded 400. It was only natural for the crowd to react. ¡°Let¡¯s ignore them and keep moving,¡± Jeong-Hoon suggested, brushing past the attention. He led the group with confidence, guiding them to the top of a building. The rooftop was locked with a padlock. ¡°We have permission from the owner, so feel free to break it open,¡± Yeo Min-Ji said, having secured approval from the building''s owner by offering generouspensation in both money and points. ¡°Understood.¡± Jeong-Hoon grasped the lock and casually crushed it in his hand. As the rooftop door opened, two portals came into view. One was a dungeon portal designed for Level 220 adventurers. The other was the portal to Rease¡ªvastlyrger and radiating an intense magical energy that was impossible to ignore. ¡°Wow, the portals are on a whole different scale,¡± someone remarked. The sheer size of the Rease portal, coupled with the overwhelming mana spilling from it, was in stark contrast to the smaller dungeon portal. ¡°...Are we sure it¡¯s safe to enter just like this?¡± Yeo Sunwoo asked cautiously, his expression tense. As the leader of this expedition, Jeong-Hoon¡¯s opinion carried weight. ¡°Yes, don¡¯t worry too much,¡± Jeong-Hoon reassured him. ¡°But¡­ a Level 1,100 enemy is no joke. We can¡¯t underestimate it,¡± Sunwoo insisted. ¡°Did you forget that I defeated the Colossal Golem Ursus? Trust me, we¡¯ll be fine. There¡¯s a method to this.¡± Jeong-Hoon¡¯s confident smile was enough to quell Yeo Sunwoo¡¯s doubts. With a nod, the group prepared to step into the portal. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 256 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 256 Free City, Rease. The center of the City of Peace had been in ruins for a long time. No survivors. The surface swarmed with mutated monsters exceeding Level 300. ¡°Danger¡­!¡± Upon entering Rease, Yeo Min-Ji gasped and shouted in rm. At that moment¡ª Swish. Jeong-hoon swiftly swung Leviathan, decapitating the monster. ¡°Kehek!¡± Despite the sudden ambush, his response was calm and precise. ¡°Let¡¯s clear out the monsters here first.¡± With a single remark, Jeong-hoon initiated the Heavenly Demon Lord''s Step, beginning his assault on the monsters. It was necessary to exterminate all the monsters in the City of Peace before advancing to the next section. As he led the attack, Yeo Min-Ji moved to the frontlines alongside Jeong-hoon, engaging the monsters. [The Mutated Orc activates Intimidation.] True to its Level 300+ status, the monster unleashed its special ability. However, its Intimidation was powerless against someone as formidable as Jeong-hoon. He continued eliminating the monsters effortlessly. ¡°Bong-Goo, let¡¯s move together.¡± Yeo Sunwoo paired up with Kim Bong-Goo, the fellow Shadow King. Meanwhile, Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother, having already prepared for the assault, sniped the head off a Mutated Orc attempting to corner Jeong-hoon and Yeo Min-Ji. ¡°Oh, trying to overwhelm us with numbers? But what¡¯s this? I won¡¯t lose in a battle of sheer numbers.¡± Ha-Jin, the Dark Lord who hadpleted his fourth ss advancement, summoned arge number of Dark Soldiers. It wasn¡¯t just ordinary soldiers. Among them were shielded warriors, soldiers wielding bastard swords, and knights exuding an aura far beyondparison. The army numbered a staggering 500. With Ha-Jin at the center, the 500 knights and soldiers advanced, hunting down the Mutated Orcs. ¡®Ha-Jin¡¯s gotten a lot stronger.¡¯ Though Ha-Jin had only recentlypleted his fourth advancement, his ability tomand 500 knights and soldiers was remarkable. It was clear¡ªonce he grew further, controlling even twice as many would be inevitable. As Jeong-hoon watched with satisfaction, he turned his attention to an approaching Orc, unleashing his stance. Swish. ¡°Ki-hek!¡± Striking the Orc¡¯s vital point, he swiftly severed its throat, killing it instantly. Within less than an hour, the monsters infesting the City of Peace werepletely eradicated. ¡°There don¡¯t seem to be any more monsters.¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s rest for a bit before proceeding to the next section.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a single NPC here. Has it beenpletely destroyed?¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Seems like it. Judging from the state of things, it¡¯s been a long time since this ce fell.¡± The buildings had beenpletely destroyed and corroded¡ªa clear sign that a considerable amount of time had passed. ¡°Then, I guess it¡¯s the same story elsewhere,¡± Yeo Min-Ji remarked. However, if Jeong-hoon¡¯s memory was correct, there were still NPCs here¡ªalbeit only guides on the path to find the Death Knight. ¡°We¡¯ll see when we get there.¡± Jeong-hoon gave a nonchnt response and cast a top-tier healing spell on the group as they rested, ensuring their physical and mental recovery after the battle. *** After the break, Jeong-hoon led the group to the City of Warriors. Guarding the city entrance wasn¡¯t an NPC but a monster, which Jeong-hoon swiftly dispatched before entering. ¡°There aren¡¯t any monsters in sight,¡± Ha-Jin observed. ¡°Yeah, weird,¡± added Kim Bong-Goo, scanning the surroundings cautiously. Unlike the outskirts, the city¡¯s interior was eerily quiet. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start filming,¡± Jeong-hoon announced, activating his camera. ¡°Huh? Why start filming here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quiet, isn¡¯t it?¡± Though Jeong-hoon gave a simple exnation, his real reason was different: ¡®This is where the NPCs reside.¡¯ The City of Warriors was familiar territory to him, having visited it both before and after his regression. As Jeong-hoon began filming, he strode confidently toward the Sanctuary of Warriors. Even on the way to the sanctuary, not a single monster appeared. ¡°This silence feels almost unnatural,¡± Yeo Sunwoo remarked. ¡°Indeed,¡± Yeo Min-Ji replied, staying vignt as they approached the sanctuary. Atst, they arrived at the Sanctuary of Warriors. The sanctuary was almost identical to how it had appeared in the game¡ªexcept for one notable difference: the presence of NPCs where none should have existed. Not just one or two NPCs, but nearly thirty of them stood within the sanctuary. ¡°N-NPCs?¡± Yeo Min-Ji stammered, her eyes wide with surprise. === [NPC Information] - Nickname: Lattin von Rudheim - Level: 220 - Role: Leader of the City of Warriors === At that moment, a man named Lattin von Rudheim drew his sword. ¡°Who are you people?¡± His eyes were filled with suspicion and wariness. The other NPCs followed suit. When Lattin drew his sword, they did the same, aiming their des at Jeong-hoon and his group. Their reaction was entirely understandable. ¡°We¡¯vee to help.¡± A single, abrupt statement of intent. But it was enough. For a brief moment, Lattin¡¯s eyes wavered. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous! First, tell me where you¡¯re from and why you¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Does that really matter right now? The fact that we¡¯re here means we¡¯ve already cleared out the mutant monsters outside. Isn¡¯t that proof enough?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The room grew restless at Jeong-hoon¡¯s words. After all, the City of Warriors was surrounded by hordes of monsters. To reach the city, outsiders would have had to fight their way through. ¡°What will you do? Should we just leave?¡± Jeong-hoon shed a knowing smile. ¡°...N-No, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± After a brief hesitation, Lattin lowered his sword. Above his head, a question mark began to blink. [General Quest: Fallen Rease] - Requirement: Enter the Sanctuary of Warriors - Reward: Unlock the next quest - Description: Defeat Lattin in a duel. The quest required defeating Lattin in a duel. Jeong-hoon epted the quest without hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again. Do you need our help?¡± ¡°...Can I confirm something first?¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Confirm?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Lattin nodded and swung his sword. However, to Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes, his movements were agonizingly slow. Whoosh¡ª Thud! Before Lattin couldplete his swing, Jeong-hoon grabbed his wrist. ¡°Ugh!¡± Lattin grimaced in pain, his expression tightening as the grip on his wrist intensified. ¡°Is this enough?¡± Jeong-hoon asked calmly. ¡°Y-Yes! Yes! Please let go!¡± Lattin pleaded, visibly in pain. Only then did Jeong-hoon release his grip, and Lattin slumped to the ground. ¡°You didn¡¯t let go of your sword until the end. Imend you for that.¡± As expected of the current leader of the City of Warriors, Lattin disyed unwavering resolve, never relinquishing his de. Jeong-hoon was quite satisfied. He cast a healing spell on Lattin, whose pained expression quickly rxed. ¡°How is this possible¡­?¡± Realizing that he had just been healed, Lattin was stunned. Jeong-hoon smiled warmly. ¡°Now, shall we continue our conversation?¡± ¡°...Yes.¡± Above Lattin¡¯s head, an exmation mark began to blink. [Quest Completed] [You can now proceed to the next quest.] The exmation mark disappeared, reced once more by a blinking question mark. [General Quest: Fallen Rease] - Requirement: Defeat Lattin in a duel - Reward: Unlock the next quest - Description: Collect 1,000 Mutant Ogre Tusks and 1,000 Mutant Owlbear ws. The next quest involved hunting monsters to gather specific materials. The reasoning was clear¡ªtheir equipment was in a dire state. Even the sword Lattin had drawn was severely corroded, its rusted de looking ready to shatter at any moment. ¡°As you can see, our equipment is far from functional¡­¡± ¡°I understand. So, you wish to forge new weapons and armor?¡± ¡°Yes, but weck the necessary materials. Could you help us gather them? Of course, we will ensure you are properly rewarded.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Jeong-hoon readily agreed. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Lattin¡¯s face lit up with gratitude. Given their rude behavior¡ªambushing them and then immediately requesting a favor¡ªhe hadn¡¯t expected such generosity. ¡°Well, let¡¯s head out.¡± Since Jeong-hoon, as the party leader, had epted the quest, there was no reason to linger in the sanctuary. As he turned to leave, the others silently followed, though not without some reluctance. Once outside, Yeo Min-Ji leaned closer to Jeong-hoon and whispered, ¡°Why did you do that?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± Jeong-hoon asked, feigning confusion. ¡°I mean, it was an ambush. You could¡¯ve taught them a harsher lesson¡­¡± The City of Warriors¡¯ leader hadn¡¯t even offered an apology, yet immediately requested help gathering materials. To Yeo Min-Ji, their attitude was uneptable. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. That¡¯s just how it¡¯s designed.¡± ¡°Designed?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon let it slide because their role was predetermined. They were nothing more than stepping stones¡ªguides to lead him toward the ultimate goal of defeating the Death Knight. ¡°Hmm¡­ well, if you say so, Hoon, then that must be the case.¡± Yeo Min-Ji didn¡¯t press the matter further. After walking for quite some time, they reached the border of the City of Warriors. Beyond the border, countless monsters red at them, their predatory eyes fixated on the group. The monsters desperately wanted to cross over, but the border¡¯s barrier prevented them. For now, ring was all they could do. ¡°Well then, shall we begin the hunt?¡± The monsters watching them hungrily were Mutant Ogres. [Mutant Ogre Tusks: 0/1,000] They needed to collect 1,000 tusks. Had Jeong-hoon been alone, it might have taken a while, but with six people¡ªincluding himself¡ªin the group, the task would be significantly quicker. The ground was littered with tusks the size of a human head, sharp and menacing, marking the spots where the ogres had fallen. The quest¡¯s settings ensured that the tusks would drop upon the monsters¡¯ defeat. ¡°Hoon, we¡¯ve gathered all 1,000!¡± Yeo Min-Ji called out as she picked up another tusk. Jeong-hoon nodded in approval. ¡°Great. Let¡¯s move on to the next target.¡± Unlike the City of Peace, the City of Archers was swarming with monsters, an unending tide. This was due to the respawn mechanics¡ªonce their numbers dwindled, more would appear to rece them. Thus, the team needed to push forward relentlessly, gathering materials as they went. ¡°I¡¯ll clear the way!¡± Ha-Jin dered, summoning his Dark Knight soldiers to carve a path through the horde. ¡°Got it.¡± Thanks to Ha-Jin¡¯s efforts, the group easily crossed the border into the City of Archers. On the other side, Mutant Owlbears roamed, their sharp ws gleaming menacingly. ¡°Are those the ones we need to hunt next?¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s mother was already aiming her sniper rifle at one of the owlbears. Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Yes, defeating them will drop the ws we need.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± Bang! Before Jeong-hoon even finished speaking, the crack of a gunshot echoed, and an owlbear fell, its head pierced cleanly by the bullet. The rest of the owlbears, moving in groups, scattered in confusion. Jeong-hoon seized the opportunity,unching himself into the fray with his Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps. [Lv.305 Mutant Owlbear] Although the owlbears were Level 305, they were far weaker than Jeong-hoon. With each swing of his Leviathan de, heads and ws flew through the air. ¡°Humans! Kill them!¡± ¡°How dare you! How dare you!¡± The enraged monsters fought back, but they were no match for Jeong-hoon¡¯s precise and overwhelming strikes. Meanwhile, Yeo Min-Ji efficiently finished off any owlbears that weren¡¯t quite dead yet. ¡°I¡¯ll hold the rear!¡± Ha-Jin deployed his Dark Knight soldiers to fend off pursuing ogres. ¡°Guild Master, we¡¯ll handle the rest of the owlbears over here.¡± ¡°Very well. Proceed.¡± Yeo Sunwoo and Kim Bong-Goo split off to hunt down the fleeing owlbears, ensuring none escaped. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 257 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 257 After Jeong-hoon left, the hall remained silent. The one to break the stillness was Audon, a warrior who assisted Lattin. ¡°Chief, do you think they¡¯ll be able to gather the materials?¡± Lattin pondered for a moment before nodding. ¡°You saw it earlier, didn¡¯t you? How easily he subdued me.¡± A formidable aura that could be felt even at a nce. Just meeting his gaze was enough to leave one paralyzed. The ambush wasn¡¯t for malice but to gauge his strength. However, the ambush ended before it could even begin. The moment Lattin swung his sword, Jeong-hoon had seized his wrist. ¡°That grip wasn¡¯t human.¡± Lattin nced at his wrist, which Jeong-hoon had held earlier. Though it had been healed and looked fine, the memory of the searing pain lingered vividly in his mind. It was the pain of having his wrist nearly crushed. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ the amount of materials is enormous.¡± Mutant Ogre tusks. Mutant Owlbear ws. 1,000 of each. It was by no means a small amount. On the other hand, the ones who had volunteered to help were just six people. Audon was concerned about their safety. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. If my instincts are correct, they¡¯ll definitely seed.¡± Lattin saw a glimmer of hope. The monsters they were up against, each over Level 300, were overwhelmingly strong¡ªbeings so fearsome that even considering fighting them seemed absurd. The only reason the city had managed to survive so far was that the monsters hadn¡¯t yet crossed into the City of Warriors. However, the constant fear of their possible invasion was unbearable. To make matters worse, their equipment was in poor condition, makingbat nearly impossible. In the midst of such dire circumstances, Jeong-hoon had appeared. ¡®Please, return safely.¡¯ Lattin silently prayed with all his heart. *** [Mutant Owlbear ws: 1,000/1,000] It took about two hours to collect all the ws. Despite relentless hunting, the drop rate was low, making the task take longer than expected. ¡°Let¡¯s head back now.¡± ¡°Whew, this is exhausting.¡± ¡°Hyung-nim, can we rest for a bit before heading back?¡± Unlike Jeong-hoon, the rest of the group was visibly exhausted. They had hunted Mutant Ogres, immediately followed by Mutant Owlbears¡ªthree hours of nonstopbat. The physical and mental toll was unavoidable. ¡°Sure.¡± Jeong-hoon scanned the surroundings and soon found a cave nearby. He began moving toward it. Luckily, there were no monsters visible inside the cave. As they sat down to rest, Yeo Min-Ji spoke with a serious expression. ¡°This quest appears to be one about clearing paths. In other words, to reach the Death Knight, we¡¯ll likely have to visit every single city.¡± The Death Knight. That knight could only be summoned through a special ritual. Naturally, the ritual required materials, which could only be obtained bypleting quests. ¡°We¡¯ll gather them quickly.¡± To do so, they needed to act as swiftly as possible. After resting for about 30 minutes, Jeong-hoon resumed their journey back to the Warrior¡¯s Sanctuary. Even during their return, they encountered monsters, but thanks to Ha-Jin, they managed to break through with ease. As expected, sheer numbers were a cheat code. ¡°You¡¯ve brought everything?!¡± Lattin weed Jeong-hoon¡¯s return with a face full of excitement. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon handed over the materials he had collected. Upon receiving all 2,000 items¡ª1,000 of each¡ªan exmation mark began blinking above Lattin¡¯s head. [You havepleted the quest.] [You have gained 10,000,000 experience points.] [You have acquired the ¡®Orb of Death.¡¯] [You may now proceed to the next quest.] Ten million experience points. It wasn¡¯t a small number, but rtive to Jeong-hoon¡¯s level, it wasn¡¯t particrly impressive. Since he already knew he wouldn¡¯t receive extraordinary rewards here, it wasn¡¯t disappointing. The Orb of Death. This was a material required to summon the Death Knight. Once additional materials were collected and fused with this orb, the Perfect Orb of Death would bepleted. ¡°Thank you so much! Thanks to you, we can now forge new equipment!¡± ¡°You¡¯re wee. Is there anything else you need?¡± ¡°No, really, you¡¯ve already done so much for us. How could we ask for more¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just tell me.¡± Fulfilling Lattin¡¯s requests was necessary to unlock the path to the next city, the City of Thieves. The way forward was currently blocked, making it impossible to progress further withoutpleting this step. Reaching the Death Knight would otherwise be out of the question. ¡°Well¡­ if you¡¯re okay with it, could you gather a few more materials?¡± ¡°As many as you need.¡± Jeong-hoon smiled and epted the quest. *** At the same time. Jang Dae-Hwi was checking his HoneyTube channel alone. ¡°Amazing.¡± It hadn¡¯t been long since his subscriber count surpassed 100 million, and it was already nearing 150 million. The growth was unprecedented and insane. ¡°Ah¡­ what a shame.¡± Because of this, he deeply regretted not being able to join the raid on the Death Knight for his next content. Was it because of the thrilling cliff-climbing experience he had during the Xian Volcano content? Or was it the insane leveling he achieved by gaining a massive amount of experience points? Jang Dae-Hwi couldn¡¯t tell. He wanted to participate this time as well, but failing to reach Level 301 meant he was ineligible to join the raid. ¡°I should¡¯ve focused on farming experience instead of filming back then...¡± He muttered to himself before shaking his head. ¡°No, if I had, the views might not have skyrocketed like this.¡± [Views: 2,411,765,480] The Xian Volcano video had surpassed 2.4 billion views. The view count was rising so rapidly in real time that its eventual total was impossible to predict. While he felt a pang of regret, the sheer numbers on the screen made him grin uncontrobly. ¡°What kind of reaction will the audience have when Hoon brings in the next video?¡± The hunt for the 1,100-level Death Knight. Originally Level 250, the Death Knight had jumped to a staggering 1,100. Most wouldn¡¯t even consider attempting such a feat. But Jeong-hoon had dered he would prove the raid wasn¡¯t as difficult as it seemed. If that turned out to be true... ¡°This video is going to break every record.¡± There was no doubt about it. *** On the fifth day since entering Rease.N?v(el)B\\jnn Afterpleting a series of repetitive quests, Jeong-hoon finally managed to unlock ess to the City of Fighters. Like the Warrior¡¯s City, the City of Fighters was also popted solely by NPCs. ¡°I just want to escape this cursed world...¡± ¡°We¡¯re alive only because we can¡¯t die¡­¡± The atmosphere upon entering the City of Fighters was even bleaker than in the Warrior¡¯s City. Their leader, Paul, was only a Level 150 Fighter. Most others were of simr or lower levels, far weaker than the NPCs Jeong-hoon had encountered elsewhere in Rease. ¡®It¡¯s because those above deliberately set it this way.¡¯ To ensure there was no chance of these people resisting against the monsters. As a result, they were merely scraping by, barely surviving. Still, thanks to Jeong-hoon¡¯s help during questpletions, their expressions had noticeably softened since his first visit. ¡°Thank you so much. I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life.¡± Paul bowed repeatedly, a full 90 degrees each time, expressing his gratitude. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± With thistest questpletion, Jeong-hoon had gathered all the necessary materials to summon the Death Knight. He purchased a fusion potion from the achievement shop and applied it to the collected materials. [You have acquired the ¡®Perfect Orb of Death.¡¯] The Perfect Orb of Death. All that remained was to use it at the altar where the Death Knight slumbered. The location of the altar was at a portal on the border of the City of Fighters. ¡°Please, clear out the monsters near the border.¡± Monster extermination. Among those monsters, the Death Knight awaited. ¡°Yes.¡± Jeong-hoon epted the quest once again and immediately set out for the bordends with his party members. The problem was the unusually high levels of monsters around the City of Fighters. Upon reaching the bordends, the monsters'' levels peaked at an astonishing 420. [Lv. 420 Mutated King Wyvern] A massive flying monster patrolled the skies above. ¡°Wow... How do we even take that thing down?¡± Ha-Jin gawked at the King Wyvern in disbelief, clicking his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jeong-hoon reassured. He nocked an arrow on Anima, aimed at the sky, and drew the string. Fwoosh! The arrow whizzed through the air, following a precise arc, and struck the King Wyvern squarely in its body. ¡°Kieeehhk!¡± With a piercing cry, the wyvern lost its bnce and plummeted to the ground. ¡°Finish it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯smand, Bong-Goo dashed forward and plunged a dagger into the wyvern¡¯s neck, delivering the killing blow. ¡°Mother, please aim for the wyvern¡¯s heads,¡± Jeong-hoon instructed. ¡°Understood.¡± From here on, his mother¡¯s prowess was essential. Bang! Each gunshot reverberated through the air, and with every shot, a wyvern fell from the sky. The rest of the team quickly dispatched the fallen wyverns. Jeong-hoon supported his mother by using Anima to bring more wyverns down, and their numbers dwindled rapidly as time passed. While new wyverns respawned to replenish their ranks, the quest''s count of 1,000 wyverns continued to climb steadily. After nearly two hours of relentless hunting, the party finally met their goal. ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the next area!¡± Jeong-hoon led the way, cutting through the remaining wyverns, and advanced to the next section. Awaiting them there was a swarm of mutated King Tigers. [Lv. 450 Mutated King Tiger] These beasts were a daunting Level 450. ¡°...If this keeps up, the Death Knight¡¯s level will really be astronomical, just as Hoon said,¡± Ha-Jin remarked nervously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. It¡¯ll be over quickly,¡± Jeong-hoon replied with a grin. With a burst of speed, heunched himself forward using Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps. In his hand, Leviathan gleamed ominously as he unleashed Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion de, cutting through the mutated King Tigers in a rapid and ruthless onught. *** Mutated King Tigers. Mutated ck King Tigers. Corrupted Nameless Soldiers. Corrupted Nameless Knights. The party fought their way through waves of these monsters until they finally encountered the Death Knights guarding the way forward. Clearing the required number of Death Knights, Jeong-hoon and his party pressed onward, eventually reaching the farthest edge of the City of Fighters'' bordends. At the end, a portal shimmered. It was the dungeon where the Death Knighty in wait. ¡°Wow¡­ it really is 1,100.¡± As Jeong-hoon had said, the dungeon level was indeed 1,100. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Before entering the dungeon, Jeong-hoon asked his party members. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± As they neared the Death Knight, Jeong-hoon had advised everyone. When the Death Knight appears, do not approach it under any circumstances. This battle was something he would finish on his own. Recalling the performances Jeong-hoon had shown so far, the party nodded obediently. His mother, though worried for her son, decided to follow his wishes after continued persuasion. ¡°Then, let¡¯s go in.¡± As Jeong-hoon expressed his intention to enter, everyone¡¯s bodies were pulled into the dungeon. Inside the dungeon, it was extremely dark. ¡°It¡¯s so dark.¡± Yeo Min-Ji squinted, looking around. She had already defeated the Death Knight before. But she had never encountered a ce this dark. There was even a chilling energy that made her hairs stand on end. They hadn¡¯t even summoned it yet, and it already felt this ominous... Could Jeong-hoon really take it down 1v1? Looking at him with worried eyes, Jeong-hoon smiled reassuringly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± The battle will be over soon. Jeong-hoon took a step forward, and torches lit up, slowly brightening the surroundings. Ahead, there was a pedestal where the Death Knighty dormant. - Legend, resting here. In front of the pedestal stood a stone monument. As the inscription on the stone read, the legend referred to the title of the Death Knight. ¡®Shall we begin?¡¯ As Jeong-hoon had said beforehand, no one moved except him. Now, it was a 1v1 battle between Jeong-hoon and the Death Knight. Jeong-hoon took out the "Completed Orb of Death" from his inventory. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 258 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 258 The method to summon the Death Knight is simple. - Legend, slumbering here. One only needs to ce the Complete Orb of Death in front of the tombstone engraved with these words. Jeong-hoon ced the orb in front of the tombstone. Seconds passed, and the tombstone began to absorb the energy from the orb. As the energy drained away, the orb turned from ck to white and eventually shattered into pieces. [Warning! Warning!]n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om [The Death Knight is appearing.] A message appeared before Jeong-hoon, announcing the appearance of the Death Knight, as ck smoke swirled atop the altar. [The Death Knight uses Sword Aura Release.] At that moment, sharp, thorn-like sword auras poured toward Jeong-hoon inrge quantities. [Using Barrier of Light.] Jeong-hoon deployed the Barrier of Light. Crash! With each collision, the barrier quickly began to break apart. However, the Barrier of Light constructed by Jeong-hoon¡¯s stats was able to withstand the Death Knight¡¯s sword aura to some extent. After blocking the Sword Aura Release, the swirling ck smoke subsided, revealing the enormous Death Knight. [Lv.1,100 Death Knight (Awakened)] Originally a Level 250 entity, the Death Knight had now leaped to Level 1,100. ¡°What in the world¡­?¡± ¡°This is insane¡­¡± Those watching from behind gazed up at the Death Knight with astonished eyes. Even when it was at Level 250, the Death Knight had been deemed a troublesome boss, but its current presence was iparably more overwhelming. ¡°Human, are you the one who summoned me?¡± A low voice emerged from between the ck helmet. Jeong-hoon pointed Leviathan at him and nodded. ¡°Yeah. Grateful, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­How dare you defy the will of the gods!¡± The will of the gods. Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips twisted into a crooked smile. ¡°The will of the gods is for you to perish. You bastard.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a human who cannot be reasoned with.¡± The Death Knight stepped down the altar¡¯s stairs with heavy, deliberate steps. Each step shook the ground, sending waves of ck magic that overwhelmed everyone nearby. Jeong-hoon was no exception. ¡®My legs feel heavy.¡¯ Just having the Death Knight approach made his legs feel as though they weighed a thousand pounds. All his senses screamed at him to flee from the Death Knight. But what choice did he have? He hade this far, and he had to defeat it to progress to the next stage. Jeong-hoon¡¯s mind was filled with only one goal: the subjugation of the Death Knight. But first, there was something he needed to do. [Potion of Absolute Fortune] - Type: Consumable - Grade: Unique - Effect: Significantly increases the sess rate for a single draw. Jeong-hoon had previously used this Potion of Fortune to great effect. And this time was no different. ¡®Even slightly increasing the odds will help me catch it.¡¯ The Soul of Darkness, dropped at a very low probability. Specifically, it is the soul of the Death Knight. Jeong-hoon sought to obtain the tragic soul, eternally trapped here and used as a tool by a Transcendent. ¡®It would be great if it dropped quickly this time.¡¯ Until now, the Soul of Darkness had not dropped even once. Expecting a dramatic change with just the Potion of Absolute Fortune was unrealistic. So, Jeong-hoon upgraded it by fusing it with other items. He purchased two items newly added to the Level 7 Achievement Shop: - Miracle Magic Quill - Illusory Timer The Miracle Magic Quill is a legendary item that brings to reality any phrase written with it. It is only avable at Level 7 of the shop and costs a staggering 300,000 points per unit. The Illusory Timer, on the other hand, can transform single-use items into timed buff items. Using the Potion of Absolute Fortune as a base, Jeong-hoonbined the two. The result was the Potion of Miraculous Fortune. [Potion of Miraculous Fortune] - Type: Consumable - Grade: Legendary - Effect: Dramatically increases luck-based probabilities. - Additional Effect: Has a low chance to create miraculous oues. - Buff Duration: Drinking the potion grants the Miraculous Fortune buff for 6 hours. Jeong-hoon downed the potion in a few gulps. [The Miraculous Fortune buff has been applied.] With the buff activated, it was time to begin. As always, Jeong-hoon started in the ck Field, activating all buff-type skills and items. The Celestial Aura enveloped his body, shimmering with radiant light. ¡°All right, now I¡¯ll exin the strategy for defeating the Death Knight,¡± he said, ncing at the camera recording him from behind. Jeong-hoon then activated True Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Steps and dashed forward. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re fast,¡± remarked the Death Knight as it raised its sword for a wide swing. [*The Death Knight uses de of Ruin.] The de of Ruin was simr in concept to Jeong-hoon¡¯s Annihtion de but vastly different in execution. While the Annihtion de marks a target and inflicts fatal damage, the de of Ruin is a weapon of total destruction, destroying everything it touches. As the de swung, the surrounding air pressure surged violently, sweeping across the battlefield. ¡°At this point, you dodge downward,¡± Jeong-hoon said, demonstrating while keeping hisposure. However, the de of Ruin had its drawbacks. Unlike attacks that spread across a wide area, the de of Ruin only inflicted damage along the precise path it cut. In other words, as long as you observed its trajectory, evading it was straightforward. For a level 1,100 boss, the Death Knight''s movements were rtively slow due to the immense power required to execute the de of Ruin. Thus, with focus and timing, even other yers could avoid the attack. After dodging the de of Ruin, Jeong-hoon activated Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Steps and closed the gap to the Death Knight. ¡®It¡¯s much easier to approach after the de of Ruin is triggered.¡¯ When the de of Ruin is activated, it consumes arge amount of mana, leaving the Death Knight in a stiffened state for 1.5 seconds. That brief window was the perfect opportunity to strike a vital point. [Third Style: Heavenly Demon¡¯s Annihtion activated.] Jeong-hoon drove his de through the vulnerable gap between the Death Knight¡¯s armor and helmet, piercing its neck. ¡°Gah!¡± It was over. Jeong-hoon withdrew his sword and stepped back as the Death Knight copsed. Despite being a level 1,100 boss, it fell with a single, well-ced attack. Targeting its vital point was one factor, but the buffs Jeong-hoon had used had temporarily raised his stats to surpass the level 1,000 threshold. Unfortunately, the Soul of Darkness didn¡¯t drop. ¡®As expected, it¡¯s not going to happen on the first try.¡¯ Jeong-hoon let out a wry smile and returned to his party members. ¡°It¡¯s... it¡¯s over?¡± ¡°A level 1,100 boss went down that easily...?¡± They stared at the Death Knight¡¯s lifeless form in disbelief. Its bodyy motionless, facedown, confirming its death. ¡°I told you it¡¯d be over quickly,¡± Jeong-hoon said with a grin. ¡°No, something¡¯s off... That boss shouldn¡¯t die so easily.¡± The Death Knight had been hunted countless times before, and its mechanics were well-documented. But no one had ever defeated it this quickly. ¡°That¡¯s because the strategy has been updated,¡± Jeong-hoon exined. ¡°Updated?¡± He nodded. ¡°Originally, the Death Knight had three phases, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, you could only deal damage after it attacked three times in Phase 1.¡± ¡°Exactly. But as its level increased, new phases were added.¡± When the Death Knight leveled up to 1,100, it gained two additional phases, bringing the total to five. Naturally, this also introduced changes and additions to its mechanics. ¡°I see... So how did you manage to finish it so quickly?¡± ¡°As you saw, it now has a new ability called the de of Ruin. This appears in Phase 1. While the de of Ruin is powerful, it has a critical weakness: after using it, the Death Knight stiffens for 1.5 seconds.¡± ¡°Ah! So during that 1.5 seconds, you target its weak spot for an easy finish?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± The Death Knight¡¯s leap from level 250 to 1,100 brought dramatic changes to its mechanics. The addition of the stiffness after de of Ruin was one of those new elements. ¡°...What happens if you fail?¡± 1.5 seconds. While Jeong-hoon was skilled enough to exploit that brief window to deliver a fatal blow, others weren¡¯t. Taking down a level 1,100 boss in just 1.5 seconds was impossible for most. ¡°You¡¯d have to rely on another strategy.¡± ¡°Another strategy?¡± ¡°Yes. From now on, I¡¯ll keep hunting the Death Knight and record everything.¡± There were a total of 13 strategies for defeating the Death Knight. Among them, only 4 allowed for such a swift victory like before. Jeong-hoon nned to capture every pattern and strategy in the recordings. The more people understood the boss, the easier it would be to defeat it. ¡°You¡¯re not nning to do all that alone, are you?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Jeong-hoon replied with a smile. Now that they had cleared the dungeon as a party, everyone here could move on to Darvis. That meant he could handle the Death Knight solo from this point onward. *** [Hyung, I¡¯ll be sending you videos continuously from now on. Please review and edit them one by one.] With that text, videos started flooding in. ¡°Man, he¡¯s fast¡­¡± Even while reviewing one video, new ones kept arriving, meaning Jeong-hoon was defeating the Death Knight at an impressive pace. ¡®Let¡¯s focus on the first one for now.¡¯ The first video began with Jeong-hoon¡¯s journey from the City of Warriors to the City of Martial Artists. Jang Dae-hwi wanted to thoroughly review the footage, but the video was over 120 hours long. He had no choice but to fast-forward through unnecessary parts and focus on key moments. Even so, it took him 8 hours just to finish reviewing the first video. ¡®How long is this going to take¡­?¡¯ Dae-hwi sighed as he looked at the sheer number of videos still left to review. But as he started watching the recordings of the Death Knight battles, he couldn¡¯t hide his astonishment. ¡°What the¡­? A level 1,100 boss dies that easily?¡± In the first battle, the Death Knight was brought down with a single strike to the neck. The first video ended with that clean kill. Rushing to the next recording, Dae-hwi saw that this time the fightsted a bit longer. Yet, once again, the battle concluded with a decisive stab to the neck. The same pattern repeated across the other videos. The specific approach varied slightly, but the end result was always the same¡ªtargeting the knight¡¯s neck to finish the fight. ¡°It¡¯s like art¡­¡± Even on repeat viewing, the precision and fluidity of Jeong-hoon¡¯s battles were awe-inspiring. Despite the Death Knight¡¯s level 1,100 status and its arsenal of diverse abilities, Jeong-hoon evaded every attack effortlessly and dealt the final blow. It became clear that Jeong-hoon could have ended any of the battles at will, yet he chose to continue hunting the boss multiple times to reveal all the strategies. ¡°This is going to be a massive hit.¡± To progress to Darvis, defeating the Death Knight was mandatory. Revealing the strategies for its defeat ensured massive sess was inevitable. *** Jeong-hoonpleted his hunting spree 5 hours after sending all the videos to Jang Dae-hwi. "I finally got it." At the 5-hour and 45-minute mark, after tirelessly hunting even after sharing all the strategies, Jeong-hoon finally acquired the Soul of Darkness he had so desperately sought. [Soul of Darkness] - Type: Material - Grade: Legendary - The soul of the Death Knight. The long-imprisoned soul was now in Jeong-hoon¡¯s possession. At that moment, a rift opened, and a pair of crimson eyes emerged. Baal had been closely observing Jeong-hoon through their wager. "Quickly? Hardly. That was my 281st hunt." Once the strategies were figured out, Jeong-hoon would enter, instantly sever the knight¡¯s life, and leave if the soul didn¡¯t drop. He no longer needed to use another Orb of Death , having already activated one earlier. Each time he re-entered, the Death Knight awaited him atop the altar. Since Jeong-hoon hadpleted all of the quests in Rease and already utilized the orb, he could engage in consecutive hunts without dy. ¡®Honestly, I was ready to give up halfway.¡¯ Even after using the Miracle Luck Potion, a shortcut method, the soul refused to drop. With his buff duration nearing its end, he was running out of time. Yet, fortune finally smiled upon him; with only 15 minutes left on the clock, the soul dropped into his grasp. Thanks to that, he managed to win histest wager as well. ¡®Now, time to im my rewards.¡¯ [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 259 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 259 <¡­Honestly, I thought it would take at least a month.> A month? Hardly. The soul had never dropped even once until now. To acquire such a soul, the chances of it not dropping even after a year¡ªlet alone a month¡ªwere very high. ¡®The fact that it even dropped is a miracle.¡¯ Before the regression, the Soul of Darkness was first obtained when Jeong-hoon reached Level 500. At that time, the whole world was abuzz, questioning whether the Soul of Darkness was even a real item. It had been nothing short of a gamble, but in the end, Jeong-hoon emerged victorious. ¡°Just lucky, I guess.¡± ¡°So, shall we move on to the rewards now?¡± Jeong-hoon smiled faintly. At that, Baal''s crimson eyes narrowed. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want, you can always propose another wager next time.¡± As Baal finished speaking, a message appeared before Jeong-hoon. [You have obtained 10% of Ultimate Energy.] [You have reached 60% of Ultimate Power. Achievement Score: 300,000 points awarded.] [You can now proceed with the quest ¡®Path of the Ultimate (2).¡¯] Reaching 60% of the Ultimate Energy allowed Jeong-hoon to unlock the next stage, Path of the Ultimate (2). ¡®The second step of the Path of the Ultimate¡­ I wonder what lies ahead.¡¯ During the first stage, he had significantly evolved many of his abilities. The second stage would likely grant rewards of a simr magnitude.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°And what about the experience points?¡± Jeong-hoon had yet to receive the other reward Baal promised¡ªa staggering 1 trillion experience points. The moment Baal spoke, an additional message appeared. [You have obtained 1,000,000,000,000 experience points.] A full trillion experience points had been awarded. [Your level has increased.] [All stats increased by +1.] [Bonus stats: +1 granted.] Jeong-hoon¡¯s level skyrocketed, surging upward like a storm, until it finally stopped. ¡®517.¡¯ With 1 trillion experience points, his level had soared to 517 in an instant. ¡®Unbelievable¡­¡¯ He hadn¡¯t expected to exceed Level 500 before even moving on to Darvis. Overwhelmed, Jeong-hoon stared at his level with awe. [Detailed Stats] - Strength: 634 (+63) ¡ú 697 - Agility: 622 (+63) ¡ú 685 - Stamina: 584 (+59) ¡ú 643 - Defense: 605 (+60) ¡ú 665 - Wisdom: 565 (+56) ¡ú 621 - Mana: 824 (+82) ¡ú 906 - Divine Power: 824 (+82) ¡ú 906 - Willpower: 560 (+59) ¡ú 619 Jeong-hoon¡¯s level rose to 517, and he carefully allocated the bonus stats, pushing both Divine Power and Magic Power beyond 900. ¡®Perfect. With proper buffs, I¡¯ll easily surpass 2,000 in no time.¡¯ A sly grin spread across his face. At this level, there wouldn¡¯t be many monsters in Darvis capable of challenging Jeong-hoon. ¡°How about it? Are you going to leave now?¡± Jeong-hoon asked, ncing at Baal. ¡°That¡¯s just the worst.¡± ¡°Suit yourself.¡± Baal¡¯s gaze fell on the Soul of Darkness in Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand. However, Jeong-hoon had no intention of giving it up. ¡°And why exactly should I hand it over?¡± ¡°Our bet was about whether I¡¯d acquire the Soul of Darkness, not about giving it to you. That¡¯s how I remember it, at least.¡± Baal, as if struck, let out a hollowugh. ¡°Well, if you want it so badly, we could always wager for it.¡± With those parting words, Baal disappeared. Left alone, Jeong-hoon immediately summoned Michael. ¡°Michael.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Michael¡¯s face was drawn with exhaustion. ¡°Not going well, I take it?¡± ¡°No¡­ It¡¯s too stubborn to listen to me.¡± The soul Jeong-hoon had won in his bet against Baal¡ªhe had tasked Michael with taming it. But so far, Michael hadn¡¯t seeded. ¡°How long do you think it¡¯ll take?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ It¡¯s incredibly prideful and refuses to yield.¡± Michael couldn¡¯t hide his frustration. Though ordered by Jeong-hoon to tame it, this wretched soul stubbornly resisted all attempts. In his entire career as a necromancer, Michael had never encountered a soul this difficult to handle. ¡°Really? Then why don¡¯t you summon it for me?¡± ¡°Summon it?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Just a moment.¡± Michael began chanting a spell, forcibly summoning the soul. Since Jeong-hoon had forcefully bound the soul to Michael upon acquiring it, it could be summoned even if it hadn¡¯t been fully tamed. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The soul appeared, but it remained unresponsive. ¡°Hey! How dare you show such disrespect to the master?!¡± Michael, incensed, tried to force the soul to bow, but it didn¡¯t budge an inch. [So it really was him.] Mukho, who had been wavering in doubt, suddenly spoke up. ¡°Who?¡± [Siegfried.] ¡°Siegfried?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head, puzzled. When he first encountered the soul, it had felt oddly familiar. Yet the aura it exuded was distinctly different from the Siegfried he knew. But Mukho seemed certain this soul was indeed Siegfried. [Trust me, I¡¯m sure of it.] Mukho had fought alongside Siegfried. If he recognized something within this soul, there was no reason to doubt him. ¡°Siegfried,¡± Jeong-hoon called out. At that moment, the unresponsive soul flinched, its shoulders trembling slightly. ¡®Mukho was right.¡¯ Who would have thought the soul he wrested from Baal was Siegfried? Reflecting on it, it made sense. Mukho knew Baal because Siegfried had died at Baal¡¯s hands. Baal, ever fond of wagers, must have imed Siegfried¡¯s soul after defeating him in a bet. [Ha, this is what happens when you lose. And now look at you¡ªyour new master¡¯s just toying with you.] Mukho clicked his tongue in disdain, evidently unimpressed with Siegfried¡¯s current state. ¡°Anyway, Siegfried, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could lend me your strength. I want to put an end to this cursed game.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s words caused Siegfried¡¯s shoulders to tremble again. Even though his face was obscured in shadow and his voice remained unheard, his emotions were palpable. Finally, Siegfried nodded. ¡°Master! He¡¯s responding!¡± Michael eximed. At that moment, Siegfried¡¯s body was enveloped in ck light, then swiftly absorbed into Michael¡¯s hands. He had be one of Michael¡¯s subordinates. ¡°Good. Summon him again,¡± Jeong-hoon ordered. ¡°Yes!¡± Michael chanted, summoning Siegfried anew. This time, his form was clear and distinct, no longer a hazy silhouette. True to Mukho¡¯s words, it was undoubtedly the Siegfried Jeong-hoon had once encountered. ¡°¡­Finally, you can speak,¡± Jeong-hoon said as Siegfried opened his mouth. ¡°It has been a long time,¡± Siegfried replied. ¡°Do you know me?¡± But Siegfried¡¯s gaze revealed he didn¡¯t recognize Jeong-hoon. ¡®How long has he been trapped?¡¯ It must have been so long that Siegfried had lost all sense of time. After being imprisoned for what seemed like an eternity, he was finally released. But even in freedom, he wasn¡¯t truly free. Instead of liberation, he found himself bound again, this time to a stranger. And to make matters worse, some nobody had tried to tame him. If he had his way, he would¡¯ve cut the insolent one down on the spot¡ªbut his body wouldn¡¯t obey him. As if he had be nothing more than a puppet. ¡®My body only moved when my name was called.¡¯ Even then, he could barely manage a slight shrug of his shoulders. Had Jeong-hoon not called for his help, he would never have ended up as thatckey¡¯s subordinate. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ve already spoken a few times,¡± Siegfried said. ¡°Is that so? Strange... I don¡¯t recall anything like that,¡± Jeong-hoon replied. ¡°That¡¯s only natural.¡± NPC. It was a term used by Transcendents. They referred to individuals reanimated as mere puppets. It wasn¡¯t surprising that Siegfried, in his current soul state, didn¡¯t recognize Jeong-hoon. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯ve asked for my strength to put an end to this game, haven¡¯t you?¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Do you remember anything at all?¡± ¡°Not a thing.¡± Siegfried shook his head. He couldn¡¯t remember where he was born, how he had lived, or why he ended up imprisoned. And yet, he had decided to heed Jeong-hoon¡¯s request. The reason was simple: It just felt like the right thing to do. A profoundly straightforward reason. ¡°If I tell you the whole story, it¡¯s going to take some time. Are you okay with that?¡± ¡°¡­Go ahead,¡± Siegfried replied. Jeong-hoon began recounting the long, arduous tale. The start of this cursed game. The destruction of dimensions. The wager with Baal and Siegfried¡¯s ultimate defeat, leading to his soul being imed by Baal. When the story was over, Siegfried nodded calmly. ¡°You don¡¯t seem too surprised,¡± Jeong-hoon observed. ¡°Well, I figured there had to be a reason I was imprisoned,¡± Siegfried replied matter-of-factly. ¡°That makes sense. So, does this mean you¡¯ll lend us your strength?¡± ¡°Obviously. I wouldn¡¯t have be a subordinate otherwise¡ªto that weakling, no less.¡± ¡°Weakling?¡± Michael, clearly offended, shot back. ¡°What? Did I say something inurate?¡± Siegfried retorted. ¡°Wow¡­ Master! Isn¡¯t this insubordination?¡± Michael sent an SOS signal to Jeong-hoon. But Jeong-hoon simply ignored him. ¡°He¡¯s not exactly wrong, is he?¡± ¡°¡­Master,¡± Michael muttered, betrayed. ¡°But,¡± Jeong-hoon added, ¡°I also think it¡¯s not good to disregard your master like that.¡± The proverbial stick followed by the carrot. At Jeong-hoon¡¯s reproach, Siegfried scratched his head. ¡°You¡¯ve got a point.¡± ¡°Master! I knew you¡¯d stand up for me!¡± Michael eximed. Siegfried reluctantly bowed his head toward Michael. ¡°I don¡¯t like it, but... I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on, Master.¡± ¡°Is that better?¡± ¡°Yes! You insolent fool! Since you dared to defy me, I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re properly disciplined!¡± Michael grinned maliciously. ¡°Now, go back.¡± Jeong-hoon sent Michael away, and naturally, Siegfried also disappeared. [...Siegfried, huh. I''m a bit disappointed.] Mukho couldn¡¯t hide his disappointment. It made sense¡ªSiegfried, who had once been hispanion, seemed to havepletely forgotten him. ¡°You have to understand. How can he remember anything if he has no memory?¡± Jeong-hoon turned and left the dungeon. * * * Two days had passed. ¡°It¡¯s done!¡± Jang Dae-hwi stretched out his stiff shoulders and let out a relieved sigh after finishing the editing. On the monitor, there were two 30-minute videos. He had edited the footage Jeong-hoon sent him, splitting it into two parts. Both videos were packed with the essentials, so the view count was sure to rise. ¡°Is it good to go?¡± Behind him stood Jeong-hoon, Ha-jin, and Bong-goo. They were there to confirm the videos before uploading them to YouTube, before they set off for Darvis. ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s check it out.¡± Confidently, Jang Dae-hwi hit y. The two 30-minute videos. Jeong-hoon watched them for a full hour, nodding with satisfaction. ¡°Looks good. We can upload it just like this.¡± ¡°Wow... How many times did you actually take him down?¡± ¡°Hyung, you¡¯re amazing!¡± Ha-jin and Bong-goo had seen Jeong-hoon take down the Death Knight once, and it had been over too quickly. But in the video, the Death Knight used a variety of abilities, each of which was swiftly cut down by Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t exaggerate. It¡¯s an easy boss if you know the strategy.¡± ¡°Easy? It¡¯s level 1,100.¡± Bong-goo awkwardly chuckled. Even if the strategy was simple, the boss was level 1,100. Just facing him made their legs tremble. How could it possibly be easy to defeat? Still, if the strategy spread through the video, even a level 1,100 boss could surely be defeated. ¡°Then I¡¯ll upload the first one. The second one can go up in a few days, right?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 260 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 260 [Rease¡¯s Level 1,100 Death Knight Subjugation Process Revealed! - Part 1] The first part of the video was uploaded. As soon as it went live, subscribers with notifications enabled swarmed in like bees, and the view count began to skyrocket. Within just 10 minutes of being uploaded, it surpassed 1 million views. It seemed viewers were too engrossed in watching to leave manyments. ¡°Wow, the response is insane!¡± ¡°Hyung! Thest video surpassed 2 billion views. This much is expected.¡± Even though Ha-Jin was blurred out in Part 1, he still made an appearance. Ha-Jin grinned ear to ear, feeling like a star. Bong-Goo, sitting next to him, was just as pleased. Every video he appeared in seemed to be a massive hit. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move on to Darvis.¡± After checking the early reactions to the video, Jeong-hoon stood up without hesitation. ¡°Huh? Can¡¯t we rest a little longer?¡± Ha-Jin wanted to observe the rising view count a bit more. ¡°We¡¯ve rested enough. Time to get moving.¡± Jeong-hoon, having ensured they¡¯d had ample rest during the video editing process, showed no mercy. ¡°Hyung-nim! What¡¯s your n once we get to Darvis?¡± Darvis. Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo had never been there before. Their levels had been too low. ¡°Hmm, I guess we¡¯ll find out when we get there.¡± Jeong-hoon, having experience in Darvis, feigned ignorance since the other two were total rookies. ¡°Isn¡¯t it time you told us now?¡± ¡°Told you what?¡± ¡°You¡¯re over Level 500 now!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Hyung-nim, your level is nearly 200 higher than ours now.¡± Before subjugating the Death Knight, Jeong-hoon¡¯s level had started with a 4. But when they reunited after the subjugation, it had jumped to 5. Ha-Jin, stunned by this absurd progression, asked how it was possible, but Jeong-hoon had brushed it off, saying he¡¯d exinter. However, Ha-Jin was persistent. What on earth had Jeong-hoon done to achieve such a massive leap in levels? ¡°I made a bet.¡± Jeong-hoon finally revealed the truth. ¡°A bet?¡± ¡°Yeah, with a Transcendent.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Transcendents? Those are the ones who keep showing up in the dungeon, right?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°How did you even end up making a bet with one of them?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a long story. But thanks to that guy, I managed to surpass Level 500.¡± ¡°Whoa¡­ Should I try making a bet too?¡± ¡°You¡¯d have to wager your soul. If you lose, you die.¡± ¡°¡­What the hell, you lunatic!¡± Ha-Jin¡¯s face turned ghostly pale. The thought of Jeong-hoon risking his life on a bet had never crossed his mind. At the same time, he was furious at his friend¡¯s recklessness. ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to tell you.¡± ¡°No matter what, once you¡¯re dead, that¡¯s it. You get that, right?¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°And yet you risked your life? Do you think your life is a joke?!¡± Ha-Jin, now furious, was practically shouting. If his mother had overheard this¡­ The thought alone was horrifying. ¡°Anyway, just keep this whole thing a secret, okay? I¡¯m not going to risk my life again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure about that?¡± ¡°Yes, absolutely. Trust me on this one.¡± ¡°¡­Fine. If you¡¯re that adamant, I won¡¯t say anything else.¡± Ha-Jin wisely chose to drop the topic. Jeong-hoon gave a soft smile and patted Ha-Jin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Thanks.¡± *** At the same time. James Marcus was watching YouTube with Amelie Reina. Even with the world turning into a game-like reality, YouTube continued to function without issue. ¡°They¡¯re saying the Death Knight reached Level 1,100?¡± The channel they were watching was none other than HoneyTube, run by Jeong-hoon, the same man James had failed to recruit as an ally. A new video had just been uploaded to the channel, showcasing the subjugation of a Level 1,100 Death Knight. ¡°What?! How does someone go from Level 250 to Level 1,100?¡± James Marcus stared at the screen in disbelief. ¡°Also¡­ the monsters in the video all seem to be over Level 300.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± As Amelie Reina pointed out, every monster swarming in the Archer¡¯s City shown in the video was at least Level 300. That alone made it clear the Death Knight couldn¡¯t possibly be stuck at Level 250. James Marcus focused intently on the video. From Archer¡¯s City to Warrior¡¯s City, he tried to catch every detail. What quests werepleted, how the monsters were defeated¡ªhe didn¡¯t want to miss a thing. Eventually, the footage reached the border of Warrior¡¯s City. Atst, the Death Knight subjugation began. [Lv. 1,100 Death Knight (Awakened)] Just as the video title indicated, the Death Knight had indeed been elevated to Level 1,100. ¡°This is unbelievable¡­ But how are they going to defeat it?¡± Level 1,100. An absurd number that made it hard to even imagine a way to challenge it. It was easier to ept if the level weren¡¯t disyed, like with the demon they¡¯d previously defeated. But how were they supposed to take down something with such a clearly overpowered level? James Marcus didn¡¯t respond to Amelie Reina¡¯s question, his full attention locked on the video. ¡°Ugh!¡± Shockingly, the Level 1,100 Death Knight was defeated with almostughable ease. ¡°What¡­ was that¡­?¡± James Marcus, stunned, rewound the footage. No matter how many times he reyed it, the Death Knight fell in a single strike. ¡°Does this even make sense¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I have no idea what¡¯s going on either.¡± The video ended with a teaser promising a detailed exnation of how to defeat the enemy in the next part. ©¸ Wow¡­ A Level 1,100 boss went down that easily? ©¸ So we need to take that thing down to move on to Darvis? ©¸ Do you think we can do it too? ©¸ It should be possible if we meet the conditions. But if it¡¯s that quick, can it really be called a strategy¡­? ©¸ You idiot, they said they¡¯ll cover the strategy in detail in Part 2. ©¸ We just have to wait. If you rush in unprepared, you¡¯ll lose your life. Thements had a point. That wasn¡¯t a strategy. It was sheer domination. Nothing else could exin it. ¡°They made it to Darvis. Shouldn¡¯t we head there too?¡± ording to the video, the path to Darvis had been closed off again. To reopen it, the only way was to defeat the Level 1,100 Death Knight. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s wait for now. They haven¡¯t arrived yet.¡± ¡°Who¡¯sing?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± James Marcus was waiting for someone. Not long after, people began to arrive one by one. ¡°Hello.¡± The first to appear was Sophia Stephanie Agaret, a Dark Mage from France. She was someone James had met before during the subjugation of the Colossus, Ursus. While their connection had been limited to that encounter, James had somehow managed to recruit her. ¡°I reached out to people who weren¡¯t already tied down. I¡¯ve got quite thework.¡± James smiled mischievously. ¡°Well, calling them allies might be a stretch, but it¡¯s better than having no one.¡± Sophia replied with a displeased expression. She hadn¡¯t wanted to join in the first ce, but the fight against Ursus had made her keenly aware of her limitations. She had no choice but to ept James Marcus¡¯s offer, knowing that her power alone wouldn¡¯t suffice. ¡°Anyway, thanks for agreeing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand. I didn¡¯t join because I like you.¡± The next to arrive was Louis Verdan, another survivor of the Ursus subjugation. During the battle, Louis had worked alongside Amelie to heal others, disying even greater healing abilities than the Inquisitor herself. And it wasn¡¯t just Louis Verdan. Liu Xiaolong. Rick Boyd. Paul Raymond. One by one, a considerable number of individuals epted James Marcus¡¯s recruitment. *** ¡°Splitting up?¡± Jeong-hoon, Ha-Jin, and Bong-Goo had made it to Darvis. At this point, Jeong-hoon proposed that they go their separate ways from here. "Yeah. Just head to the ces I mentioned," Jeong-hoon replied, handing each of them a note. Ha-Jin''s note pointed him to the Naobi Duchy in the north. Bong-Goo''s note sent him to the Valderman Marquisate in the west. ¡°Uh¡­ So all I have to do is go there?¡± Ha-Jin asked. ¡°Yeah. There¡¯ll be an NPC waiting. Justplete all the quests they give you.¡± This opportunity wasn¡¯t a shared one¡ªit was firste, first-served. Unlike the hidden opportunities Jeong-hoon had discovered so far, this one didn¡¯t require borate searching. Bypleting the quests, the rewards woulde naturally. Jeong-hoon intended to give this opportunity to Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll head to the ce you told me about,¡± Ha-Jin said, nodding. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll return here as soon as I¡¯m done,¡± Bong-Goo added.N?v(el)B\\jnn ¡°Alright. Stay safe out there.¡± With that, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo departed for the locations indicated on their notes. Jeong-hoon, now alone, didn¡¯t leave immediately. Instead, he settled nearby, waiting for someone. That someone was his mother, Yeo Sunwoo, and Yeo Min-Ji. He had contacted all of them, and they were expected to arrive soon. Before long, his mother arrived first, followed shortly by Yeo Sunwoo and Yeo Min-Ji. He handed notes to them as well. ¡°Isn¡¯t it dangerous for each of us to act separately?¡± his mother asked, concern evident on her face. Jeong-hoon shook his head with a reassuring smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. This isn¡¯t like Rease, where monsters are swarming everywhere.¡± Darvis was a stepping stone for growth, a ce perfectly suited for honing skills. ¡°Alright. If you say so, I trust you.¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s all regroup here afterpleting our quests.¡± After sending them off, Jeong-hoon turned toward his own destination: a small vige in the east called Vern. [What are you nning to do here?] ¡°I¡¯m going to find my own opportunity.¡± Darvis was like a treasure trove. In his previous life, Jeong-hoon had entered Darvis far toote, missing out on everything it had to offer. But now was different. With no one else here yet, he could monopolize the opportunities if he acted quickly. The reason Jeong-hoon had chosen Vern was simple. ¡®The best opportunity in Darvis is right here.¡¯ Although he felt a little sorry for his mother, Ha-Jin, Bong-Goo, Yeo Sunwoo, and Yeo Min-Ji, the best opportunity was something he intended to im for himself. He needed it to ensure his future ns went smoothly. As Jeong-hoon approached Vern, a man stepped out to block his path. ¡°Hey, this vige doesn¡¯t allow outsiders. So why don¡¯t you turn around while I¡¯m still being polite?¡± === [NPC Information] - Name: Maurice - Level: 350 - ss: Viger === For a mere viger, Maurice¡¯s level was absurdly high. ¡®Of course it is. Vern isn¡¯t just a vige; it¡¯s an experimental site.¡¯ A ce dedicated to human experimentation, no less. The experiments in Vern were carried out mainly on kidnapped individuals or purchased ves. The number of lives lost during these experiments was incalcble. ¡®They¡¯re vile enough to experiment on anyone, regardless of age or gender.¡¯ Even children under the age of ten were frequently subjected to experiments and died as a result. "Seven Deadly Sins." Jeong-hoon summoned the Seven Deadly Sins. "...Why call me out after so long?" The entity looked ravenous, its face filled with hunger. ¡°Sorry. It took me a while to find some prey for you.¡± ¡°Prey?!¡± The Seven Deadly Sins¡¯ eyes gleamed as it scanned the surroundings, eventually locking its gaze on Maurice. ¡°You¡­ you bastard! You¡¯re a Dark Mage?!¡± Maurice¡¯s face turned pale as he stumbled backward, his voice trembling in fear. Jeong-hoon stepped forward with precision, employing the Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Steps, and grabbed Maurice by the cor. "Dark Mage? What nonsense are you spewing?" ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry! Please, spare my life!¡± Maurice stammered, unable to form coherent sentences. The chilling killing intent radiating from Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes had Maurice frozen in fear. He couldn¡¯t even process Jeong-hoon¡¯s movements earlier¡ªthey were beyond hisprehension. "No, that¡¯s not happening," Jeong-hoon said coldly. Even if Maurice was just an NPC, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t overlook someone who treated human lives as disposable ythings. "Bon app¨¦tit!" The Seven Deadly Sins licked its lips hungrily as it approached Maurice. [Absorbing stats...] Despite struggling desperately in Jeong-hoon¡¯s grip, Maurice was helpless as the Seven Deadly Sins drained his stats. By the time it was done, Maurice¡¯s stats had been reduced to a pitiful 5 across the board, leaving him weak and trembling. Of course, his suffering didn¡¯tst long. ¡°Guhhk!¡± Jeong-hoon silenced him with a swift strike to the neck, ending his life instantly. "Alright, let¡¯s head in." Without sparing Maurice another nce, Jeong-hoon brushed his lifeless body aside and made his way into the vige. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 261 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 261 "Who are you?" "An intruder!" As Jeong-hoon entered the vige, rms red, and around twenty people emerged from the buildings. Every one of them was over Level 300. ¡®Impressive.¡¯ Before regression, when Jeong-hoon visited Darvis, the experimental site known as Vern had disappeared without a trace. It was because users who had entered earlier had already destroyed it. Thus, this was the first time Jeong-hoon saw Vern intact, whether before or after his regression. "Seven Deadly Sins, all of them are your prey." At Jeong-hoon''s words, the Seven Deadly Sins gazed at the NPCs with greedy eyes. Saliva dripped from its mouth. "Can I eat them now?" "Yes, of course." With Jeong-hoon''s permission, the Seven Deadly Sins charged at the NPCs. "Kill the demon!" "Drive out the intruder!" The NPCs drew their swords toward the Seven Deadly Sins. Jeong-hoon, stepping into True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion, began subduing them one by one. "Keugh!" "Argh!" Wherever Jeong-hoon passed, NPCs'' arms, heads, and legs were severed, scattering across the ground. Thanks to his swift and decisive attacks, the Seven Deadly Sins leisurely absorbed their stats. After dealing with everyone in sight, Jeong-hoon entered the building the NPCs hade out of. Inside, it appeared to be an ordinary mansion. However, at its center, there was a staircase leading underground. As Jeong-hoon approached the stairs, a stench assaulted his nostrils. ¡®This smell.¡¯ Jeong-hoon frowned. A smell he knew all too well. Not from after his regression, but from before. The revolting stench of blood and decaying corpses. As expected, the underground was piled high with rotting corpses. The bodies had been dumped inside iron cages, and next to them, a ck door stood firmly shut. [Wow¡­ this is seriously bad. What is this ce?] ¡®¡­The depravity of humanity.¡¯ That was correct. Even though these were puppets being used, this scenario reflected the state of the dimension before its destruction. In other words, biological experiments were already being conducted before its downfall. The depravity of these individuals remained unchanged. Jeong-hoon approached the ck door. [Outsiders are not allowed to enter.] However, the ck door refused to grant Jeong-hoon ess. "You¡¯re forcing me to break it open." Jeong-hoon smirked and threw a punch. Bang! The ck door crumpled under the force of Jeong-hoon''s overwhelming strength. He didn¡¯t stop punching, and soon the door, unable to withstand the relentless assault, was sted off its hinges. [Warning! Warning!] rm sirens red, and a few NPCs wearing whiteb coats rushed out in a panic. === [NPC Information] - Nickname: Pharun - Level: 320 - ss: Corrupted Alchemist === Corrupted Alchemists. The reason for their corruptiony in this very ce. ¡®They said they were consumed by the allure of the fortune hidden here.¡¯ This was also why the experimental site disguised as a vige had been constructed. [Resisting Poison.] At that moment, Jeong-hoon felt a sharp prickling sensation throughout his body. In their hands, the alchemists clutched peculiar stones that glowed white, enveloping them in a protective barrier. Ssshhhhh¡ª A faint hissing sound reached Jeong-hoon''s ears. ¡®Poison gas.¡¯ They had released the gas to eliminate the intruder. However, it was futile against Jeong-hoon''s body, imbued with the legendary resistance skill Poison Resist. He casually moved forward, deliberately refraining from using True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion. Even the simple sight of him calmly walking toward them was enough to instill terror. "W-What the hell is this?" "Why isn¡¯t the poison working?" The alchemists, visibly shaken, stumbled backward in confusion. The room was now filled with lethal poison gas, seeping into the air and infecting anyone who inhaled it. Under normal circumstances, exposure would cause the victim¡¯s skin to turn purple, disrupt their breathing, and eventually render them unconscious. Yet, the intruder standing before them exhibited no signs of any such effects. "Hey, about those biological experiments you¡¯re conducting..." When Jeong-hoon mentioned the experiments, the alchemists flinched. Their faces twisted with fear as they looked at him, their eyes silently asking how he could know about such things. It was almost amusing. ¡°Pathetic creatures. You beasts wearing human masks... So you do realize what you¡¯re doing is wrong, huh?¡± ¡°R-Release more poison!¡± ¡°Leave this ce immediately!¡± An alchemist standing at the back released even more poison into the air. ¡°No need for long discussions. All of you will die here.¡± Jeong-hoon, who had been walking leisurely, unsheathed Leviathan and activated True Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion. [Form 1: Activating Initiation.] Jeong-hoon unleashed Initiation, ruthlessly shing through the alchemists. ¡°Gahhh!¡± ¡°Arghhh!¡± The sheer difference in stats was insurmountable, leaving the alchemists powerless against his relentless sword strikes. ¡°Nice! There¡¯s plenty to feast on here too.¡± The Seven Deadly Sins manifested a satisfied grin as it absorbed the alchemists'' stats, greedily draining their strength. *** Meanwhile, in the real world¡­ ¡°Wow, what¡¯s with these views?¡± Jang Dae-hwi marveled at the explosive rise in real-time viewership. [Views: 302,833,275] Over 300 million views and counting. The previous video had already surpassed 2.7 billion views, but the current video was climbing at an even faster rate. ¡®This is going to break every record.¡¯ It was astounding how each new upload managed to outperform thest. Curious, Jang Dae-hwi scrolled through the flood ofments below the video. ©¸ When¡¯s Part 2 dropping? ©¸ Please share the strategy! ©¸ This is killing me¡­ I can¡¯t even attempt it without knowing the strategy. ©¸ Level 1,100 is way too much! ©¸ But isn¡¯t the fact that Ggul1 toyed with a Level 1,100 boss even more insane? lol ©¸ Do you think we¡¯d be able to manage if the strategy was revealed? ¡°If Part 1 is getting this kind of reaction, imagine what Part 2 will do,¡± he muttered. The path to Darvis was currently blocked. To clear it, yers had to defeat the Death Knight, an insurmountable obstacle for most. The promise to reveal the first-ever strategy for beating the Death Knight had drawn massive attention. ¡°Just be patient. I¡¯m not releasing Part 2 anytime soon,¡± Jang Dae-hwi smirked. His n was simple: once Part 1 set new records, he would drop Part 2 and let it blow up even bigger. However, before Part 2 could be released, a party led by James Marcus had already begun preparations to challenge the Death Knight. ¡°James, wouldn¡¯t it be better to wait for the strategy to be released first?¡± ¡°I agree. That monster who soloed the Colossus Ursus also defeated the Death Knight. What makes you think we can do the same?¡± Sophia, a Dark Mage who had long harbored envy for James Marcus, interjected. While she prided herself on being unparalleled as a mage, her renown was confined to France. James, on the other hand, was a global sensation¡ªa shining star in New World. Driven by a desire to surpass him, Sophia poured every ounce of her energy into the game. Yet, she hade to realize she was a frog in a well. There existed a yer so monstrous that even James Marcus seemed insignificant inparison. This yer had single-handedly defeated the Colossus Ursus. She hated to admit it, but without him, she likely wouldn¡¯t even be alive in-game. ¡°Even so, we can¡¯t sit around waiting for a guide to drop,¡± James replied firmly. ¡°At the very least, we need to reach the Death Knight.¡± Despite his words, James¡¯s true intentions were clear¡ªhe nned to take down the Death Knight. ¡°I can¡¯t just stand by and watch.¡± There was always someone stronger, even above the strongest. It baffled Sophia why she hadn¡¯t known of such a monstrous yer until now. If she stayed idle, the gap would only widen further. She wanted to close that gap, even just a little, to earn his recognition. The rejection of her earlier proposal must have been due to the stark difference in their skill levels. ¡°Maybe¡­ if it¡¯s just aboutpleting the quest, it might be doable,¡± murmured Louis Verdan, deciding to follow James¡¯s lead. ¡°What? Are you telling us to start grinding right now?¡± Sophia frowned, her expression darkening. But James nodded firmly. ¡°We have no other choice if we want to cross into Darvis.¡± ¡°I get that, but still¡­¡± Sophia hesitated. ¡°Anyone opposed?¡± James turned to their newly joinedpanions. None of them raised an objection. If there was a mountain to climb, the sooner they started, the better. Besides, the people gathered here were some of the best-ranked yers in the world. They weren¡¯t ones to back down easily. James Marcus nced at Sophia with a sly smile. ¡°Democracy works, right?¡± ¡°¡­Fine. Do whatever you want.¡± In the end, Sophia Stephanie Agaret relented, agreeing to James¡¯s n. *** At the same time. Having cleared out the alchemists, Jeong-hoon made his way into theboratory. The room was filled with countless capsules, each containing a person. The upants appeared unconscious, their bodies convulsing violently. [What¡¯s happening to them?] ¡®Their bodies are rejecting whatever¡¯s been injected. What did they put in these people?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t poison. Jeong-hoon stepped closer to one of the capsules and shattered it effortlessly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Crash! The sound of shattering ss echoed as fragments scattered across the floor. Carefully brushing away the debris, Jeong-hoon pulled the person inside out of the capsule. [Casting Superior Healing.] He cast a top-tier healing spell while examining the person¡¯s condition. ¡®This is serious.¡¯ Their body had been pushed to the brink of copse. However, with a Legendary-grade healing spell, recovery was possible. As the healing magic took effect, the convulsions subsided. Momentster, the person opened their eyes and slowly sat up. ¡°Wh-where am I¡­?¡± ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jeong-hoon asked. ¡°Who¡­ who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to save you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ uh¡­¡± Hearing those words, the NPC began trembling violently, as if the memories of thisboratory came rushing back. Leaving the frightened NPC behind, Jeong-hoon moved on, shattering the remaining capsules one by one and rescuing their upants. Each of them was severely debilitated, requiring healing. Those who had been confined more recently regained consciousness sooner. ¡°Ahh¡­ thank you so much¡­ truly¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how I can ever repay this kindness¡­¡± The NPCs, who had suffered under the torment of the alchemists, wept as they expressed their gratitude to Jeong-hoon. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just get out of here quickly.¡± At his words, the NPCs hurried out of theb. Desperate to escape, they ran without looking back. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s keep going down.¡± As Jeong-hoon moved forward, he encountered a staircase leading downward. Below the stairs were more capsules, filled with people of all ages¡ªchildren, men, women, and the elderly, all imprisoned without discrimination. ¡®First, we focus on the rescue.¡¯ Just as he had done above, Jeong-hoon began breaking open the capsules and freeing the captives, steadily working his way downward. ¡°Die!¡± Suddenly, aser beam shot toward Jeong-hoon. [Casting Light Barrier.] Jeong-hoon activated a barrier of light as he calmly descended the stairs. At the bottom, alchemists stood with guns aimed directly at him. Theser¡¯s origin became clear¡ªit was their doing. Behind them, a portal shimmered ominously. ¡°Found it.¡± A smirk crept across Jeong-hoon¡¯s face. The presence of countless alchemists guarding the portal was proof enough that it concealed something significant¡ªa hidden fortune or opportunity. ¡°If youe any closer, we¡¯ll kill everyone here!¡± When brute force failed, the alchemists resorted to threats, pointing toward the people imprisoned in iron cages. Inside the cages, countless people, shackled and trembling, stared in terror. ¡°Michael.¡± Jeong-hoon called out. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Handle those fools so they can¡¯t pull any more stunts.¡± ¡°As youmand!¡± Michael summoned Siegfried and other phantoms to his side. ¡°W-what the¡­?!¡± The sudden appearance of ghosts threw the alchemists into a panic. ¡°Hey! Do you think human lives are a joke? Threatening to kill them if wee closer?¡± Siegfried approached one of the alchemists who had been using the captives as hostages. ¡°D-don¡¯te any closer! I-I¡¯ll do it! I¡¯ll kill them!¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°W-what¡­?¡± ¡°Do it if you can.¡± Siegfried smiled faintly before swinging his sword in a wide arc. sh¡ª A sickening sound echoed as the alchemist¡¯s head hit the ground, blood gushing like a fountain as the body copsed. ¡°Ahhh!¡± The sight was too much, and even the alchemists who had managed to stayposed broke into screams, scattering in a desperate attempt to flee. Michael¡¯s summoned phantoms gave chase, tormenting them as they ran. In the chaos, Jeong-hoon broke the cages apart. Crash! Crash! The iron bars couldn¡¯t withstand Jeong-hoon¡¯s strength and shatteredpletely. ¡°Michael, remove the shackles binding their hands and feet and help them escape.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand!¡± ¡°And you,¡± Jeong-hoon added, ncing at the phantoms, ¡°go ahead and drain whatever stats you can from those alchemists.¡± ¡°With pleasure!¡± Leaving the cleanup to Michael and the Seven Deadly Sins, Jeong-hoon turned his attention to the portal that the alchemists had been so desperately protecting. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 262 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 262 [Would you like to move to the Special Energy Vein?] It appeared. A fortuitous opportunity. The Special Energy Vein. The experiments conducted here were all for the sake of this energy. If the energy could be absorbed without rejection, it granted unimaginable Mana. ¡®Alessandro and Sophia took control of this vein, didn¡¯t they?¡¯ Alessandro Bryden. Sophia Stephanie Agaret. The two significantly boosted their Mana by iming the energy vein. Of course, that wouldn¡¯t happen this time. ¡®Because I¡¯m going to take it.¡¯ When Jeong-hoon epted, his body was sucked into the portal. His vision darkened, and when it brightened again, a massive stone came into view. ¡°So this is what it looks like.¡± He had only heard stories about it, but seeing it in person felt surreal. This was the first time he encountered a stone brimming with such energy. ¡®This is iparable to any ce I¡¯ve been before.¡¯ The closestparison was the Hidden Theme of the Primordial Vige. It resembled the abundant magical field there but held an even greater and overwhelming amount of energy. And yet, they conducted grotesque experiments, injecting this energy into people to force adaptation. This energy was not something to be used carelessly. Absorbing it without a sufficient reserve of Mana caused rejection within the body, leaving one crippled. Jeong-hoon reached out his hand toward the stone. As if waiting, a surge of energy flowed into Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand. Throb¡ª In that instant, intense pain coursed through his body. Jeong-hoon grimaced as he circted his Mana to control the energy. ¡®If I had to pick one of my worst experiences, it would be Bern.¡¯ ¡®I agree. Back then, I really thought I was going to die.¡¯ Alessandro and Sophia shuddered as they recalled those memories. Although they had gained immense power, the process was anything but smooth. Just as it wasn¡¯t now. ¡°Cough!¡± Jeong-hoon spat blood from his lips. His muscles spasmed uncontrobly, and his internal organs twisted as if caught in a vortex. [Master! Are you alright?!] ¡®Let go immediately! It¡¯s dangerous!¡¯ Jeong-hoon shook his head. He couldn¡¯t give up now, not aftering this far. Besides, even Alessandro and Sophia had seeded in this endeavor. Would he falter at something of this level? ¡®Go ahead, rampage all you want. In the end, I¡¯ll win.¡¯ Jeong-hoon smirked and continued channeling his Mana. In response, the energy surged wildly as if retaliating, constricting him with overwhelming force. Even with his Mana, controlling it was proving to be difficult. And understandably so. Sophia herself had once shaken her head, saying that absorbing this energy was only possible because she and Alessandro worked together on it. But Jeong-hoon was alone this time. What had been a task barely achieved by two people now had to be aplished solo. Even so, Jeong-hoon¡¯s expression remained calm and confident. ¡®I see. I think I know how to control it now.¡¯ Jeong-hoon concentrated his Mana to confine the energy in one ce. Whenever more energy entered, he would carefully open a small channel to guide it while ensuring it couldn¡¯t escape again. The confined energy gradually transformed into Mana and began to settle within Jeong-hoon¡¯s body. [Mana increased by +1!] [Mana increased by +5!] [Mana increased by +3!] Messages popped up endlessly before Jeong-hoon. As the energy converted into Mana, his stats climbed rapidly. But that wasn¡¯t all. [Absorbing immense energy has increased the rank of ¡®ck Field¡¯ by one level.] As Jeong-hoon absorbed the vast energy, his spells also leveled up. [Absorbing immense energy has increased the rank of ¡®Brainwash¡¯ by one level.] [Absorbing immense energy has increased the rank of ¡®Lightning Bolt¡¯ by one level.] While Legendary-tier spells remained unaffected, the lower-tier spells quickly advanced in rank. The Unique-tier ck Field was upgraded to Legendary-tier in an instant. Brainwash advanced from Rare to Epic-tier. Lightning Bolt progressed from Epic to Unique-tier. ¡®This is insane.¡¯ ck Field had initially started at Rare-tier and grown to Unique-tier. However, progress toward Legendary-tier had been painstakingly slow, and he had written it off. Who would have thought it would leap tiers so suddenly here? Jeong-hoon continued absorbing the energy without stopping. *** - Mana: 1,211(+121) -> 1,332 By the time he absorbed all the energy, Jeong-hoon¡¯s Mana soared beyond 1,000, reaching an astonishing 1,332. ¡°This is incredible.¡± Jeong-hoon released his hand from the stone, a satisfied smile on his face. Havingpletely drained it of energy, the stone lost its brilliance, bing no different from an ordinary rock. [So, this was a fortuitous opportunity to raise Mana.] ¡®My magical reserves are now iparable to before. It¡¯s not much different from that of our kind.¡¯ Naturally so. Once a stat surpasses 1,000, raising it further bes exceedingly difficult. From this point onward, even leveling up no longer automatically increases stats. ¡®You need to level up three times just to raise one stat point.¡¯ And that¡¯s only if all bonus stat points are invested into a single stat. Essentially, it¡¯s six times harder to progress now. That¡¯s why this range, starting from 1,000, is often called the "zone of patience." At such a high stat threshold, leveling up bes grueling, and even when you do, your stats barely increase. But surpassing not just 1,000 but reaching over 1,300? It was an absurdly high figure. No wonder Jeong-hoon had blurted out, "This is incredible." ¡°Alright. The first n in Bern was a sess.¡± It was now time to move on to the next phase. When Jeong-hoon stepped outside, the situation had already been resolved. ¡°Master! As you instructed, we ensured everyone escaped safely.¡± The captives had all fled, leaving only the alchemist¡¯s lifeless body behind in theb. ¡°Such a pity. I should¡¯ve made his death more agonizing.¡± Siegfried clicked his tongue, clearly displeased. [That psycho streak of his still hasn¡¯t changed.] Mukho casually muttered, causing Jeong-hoon to stifle augh. ¡°Has he always been like this?¡± [Can¡¯t say I remember everything perfectly, but¡­ he used to be worse.] ¡°Really?¡± [Yeah, just don¡¯t mess with his temper. It¡¯s bad for your mental health.] ¡°Noted.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded while ncing at Siegfried, who tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Master, who are you talking to?¡± ¡°My clothes.¡± ¡°Your clothes?¡± ¡°Yes.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om ¡°Fascinating. Talking clothes. Mind if I tear them apart to see what¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯d allow that?¡± ¡°Haha, just joking.¡± Siegfriedughed heartily, prompting Jeong-hoon to chuckle as well. Meanwhile, Mukho was far from amused. [Did that lunatic just say he¡¯s going to tear me apart?] ¡®That¡¯s what it sounded like.¡¯ [He¡¯s insane. Can¡¯t we just get rid of him?] ¡®He seems pretty useful, though.¡¯ [Ugh! Just get rid of him already!] Jeong-hoon ignored Mukho¡¯s grumbling without a second thought. ¡°Master, what should we do about this ce?¡± Michael gestured at the now-abandonedboratory. ¡°Leave it.¡± Now that the treasure was gone, there was nothing left of interest here. Jeong-hoon sent Michael back and exited the building. However, outside, a few people who hadn¡¯t fled were waiting for him. ¡°The savior has appeared!¡± ¡°Woooah!¡± They cheered loudly upon seeing Jeong-hoon. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion. The reason was simple¡ªabove one of their heads, a glowing red question mark was blinking. A red question mark, not the usual color. In other words, this was a hidden quest. [Hidden Quest: The Missing Third Prince] - Requirement: Escort the Third Prince, Karvan, to safety. - Reward: ? - Description: You have rescued the missing Third Prince. Safely guide him to the Imperial Capital. Among those Jeong-hoon had saved was none other than the Third Prince. ¡®The Third Prince¡­ so there was such a quest.¡¯ The prince was a boy barely over ten years old, in critical condition, requiring Jeong-hoon¡¯s most advanced healing spell to survive. Had Jeong-hoon been even slightly dyed, the boy likely wouldn¡¯t have made it. This exined why no one had information about this quest prior to Jeong-hoon¡¯s regression¡ªthe prince had died before he could even appear. ¡®The Empire, huh¡­ this is convenient.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s goal ining to Darvis was purely to monopolize its hidden treasures. By iming them, he could elerate his growth. His n was toplete the episode and move on to the next phase. Since this quest aligned with his direction, he epted it without hesitation, confident it wouldn¡¯t disrupt his ns. ¡®If I¡¯m lucky, I might even unlock the hidden episode.¡¯ Hidden episodes were rare and valuable. Darvis itself was part of a collectible series of episodes, so a hidden episode likely existed within it. However, no one had ever managed toplete it. Many assumed it was impossible, likely due to critical NPCs dying before quests could be triggered. Jeong-hoon was certain this hidden quest was connected to the episode. ¡°I n to head to the Imperial Capital now. Does anyone want to apany me?¡± Jeong-hoon asked the group. Most of them were residents from the outskirts. At that moment, a boy stepped forward and raised his hand. It was none other than the Third Prince, Karvan. ¡°May I apany you?¡± ¡°Of course. Let¡¯s go.¡± The quest officially began. *** The journey to the Imperial Capital was anything but smooth. [You cannot proceed to the next area unless the dungeon in this region is cleared.] Due to the quest, Jeong-hoon had to clear specific dungeons to move forward. Worse still, every dungeon had a level requirement exceeding 350, and the sheer number of monsters was abnormal, requiring a significant amount of time to clear. "Wow..." Karvan, who was apanying Jeong-hoon, couldn''t stop marveling at his skills. Each monster exuded an overwhelming aura. Even watching from a distance was enough to make one feel crushed. Yet, Jeong-hoon cut down such monsters effortlessly. It was impossible not to be impressed. ¡°Let¡¯s move.¡± After ying the dungeon¡¯s boss monster, Jeong-hoon exited the dungeon with Karvan. Ideally, Jeong-hoon would have preferred to enter the dungeon alone, but the quest required Karvan to be present for the clear to be recognized. After clearing dozens of dungeons, they finally arrived at the Imperial Capital. The gates to the capital were heavily guarded. ¡°Halt!¡± As they approached the gates, the guards stepped forward to confront Jeong-hoon. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this,¡± said Karvan, stepping forward for the first time since the journey began. ¡°Huh? Prince Karvan?!¡± ¡°The prince has returned!¡± The guards, recognizing Karvan, were startled and immediately checked on his safety. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Open the gates.¡± Though he was just a young boy, Karvan issued hismand with the dignity of royalty. ¡°Understood!¡± ¡°Hurry, open the gates!¡± The guards quickly opened the gates, though their wary gazes lingered on Jeong-hoon. ¡°This man saved me. Show him proper respect!¡± Karvan shouted, his voice full of authority. Only then did the guards bow respectfully to Jeong-hoon. ¡°Our apologies...¡± With that, Jeong-hoon entered the Imperial Capital, walking alongside Karvan as they made their way toward the Imperial Pce. Their goal was to announce Karvan¡¯s safe return. ¡®The course of history has changed.¡¯ The return of the Third Prince, who should not have existed in this timeline, had disrupted the original flow of events. How would the episode unfold now? With those thoughts, Jeong-hoon moved forward, recalling the events of the episode from his previous life. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 263 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 263 Crown Prince Laos could not hide his difort. ¡°Communication has been cut off. What in the world is happening?¡± Every morning, he would receive a secret report. The contents were always about the vige of Bern, located on the frontier. Officially, it was under the pretext of inspecting small viges, but the reports were filled to the brim with details regarding a peculiar energy. However, this morning, a report came in stating that contact with Bern had been severed. "Hey! Why is the cleaning so sloppy? Can¡¯t you see the dust here?!" The misced frustration ended up being directed at the servant responsible for cleaning. On the surface, the room appeared spotless, but Laos needed someone to vent his anger on. "I-I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯ll be more thorough next time!" "Sorry? Damn it, then don¡¯t do something you¡¯ll have to apologize for! Hey, lock that useless wench in the dungeon and give her nothing but water for three days!" "Please forgive me! It won¡¯t happen again!" The servant turned pale, dropping to her knees and begging earnestly. Being confined to the dungeon for three days with only water wasn¡¯t where the punishment ended. It involved brutal torture throughout the process. When the torture was finally over, she would likely be left half-crippled and expelled from the royal pce, forced to fend for herself. If that happened, her younger siblings waiting at home would surely starve. Yet Laos showed no mercy. "Are you deaf? Get her out of my sight now!" At Laos''smand, the knights entered the room and dragged the servant away. "Your Highness! Your Highness!" Even as she was being taken away, the servant desperately called out to him. "That¡¯s what happens when you hire untrained fools. Disgraceful." Laos clicked his tongue in irritation before leaving the room, preparing to head out. "Your Highness, are you going somewhere?" The steward managing the entire royal pce cautiously approached. Word had already spread that the servant responsible for cleaning Laos''s room had been dragged away, so it was impossible for him not to know. To avoid provoking Laos''s temper, the steward maintained a deferential attitude. Fortunately, Laos did not take issue with his demeanor. "I need to go out for a while. Where¡¯s nc?" "He should be at the training grounds. Shall I summon him immediately?" "Yes, tell him I¡¯m heading to Bern." "Understood." As the steward hurried off towards the training grounds, a sudden announcement echoed through the pce. "Prince Karvan has returned!" The news of Karvan¡¯s return reached Laos¡¯s ears, causing him to freeze mid-step. "What...?" Karvan had returned alive? That bastard was supposed to be conducting experiments in Bern right now. Laos changed direction and approached the servant who had delivered the news. "Say what you just said again." "Pardon...?" "I said, speak clearly in front of me!" Laos grabbed the messenger by the cor, ring at him with a murderous intensity. "I-I¡¯ll repeat! Prince Karvan has returned!" The report from Bern had been cut off, and now Karvan had returned. "Damn it." Laos¡¯s eyes burned with fury. "Where is Karvan now?" "H-he is waiting to meet His Majesty." "Is that so?" That brat was still young. For someone who should have already been dead to return alive could only mean he had hidden allies. Calcting the situation in his mind, Laos turned and headed toward the audience chamber. *** As Karvan entered the royal pce, an exmation mark appeared above his head. [You havepleted the quest.] [im your reward.] Uponpleting the quest, Karvan pulled a pocket watch from his coat and handed it to Jeong-hoon. "Could you ept this?" "What is this?" "...It¡¯s the most valuable thing I own." [Broken Pocket Watch] - Type: Watch - Grade: ??? - A watch imbued with mysterious power. - It has lost its functionality due to being broken. The pocket watch was damaged. The most valuable item he owned, and yet it was broken. "A broken watch as a reward..." Rejecting the item didn¡¯t seem likely to trigger a new quest. Karvan had explicitly stated it was the most valuable thing in his possession. Jeong-hoon epted the watch. "Thank you. I¡¯ll treasure it." If the watch contained mysterious power, its true worth might be revealed upon restoration. "Thank you so much. Without you... I¡¯d probably be dead." A boy, no older than ten, spoke of death so casually. As Karvan spoke, a question mark began to blink above his head again. [Episode Quest: The Survival of the Third Prince] - Condition: Ensure Third Prince Karvan enters the royal pce alive. - Reward: Progress to the next quest + Experience points. - Description: Help the Third Prince Karvan survive. (7 days) The start of an Episode Quest. "This was supposed to be triggered through the Second Prince." Since Karvan had been rescued, the quest was now essible through him. The quest¡¯s objective was to ensure Karvan survived for seven days within the royal pce. This clearly implied that someone was targeting Karvan¡¯s life. "It¡¯s probably the Crown Prince." When Jeong-hoon had visited Darvis, he couldn¡¯t start the episode quest but had heard about its storyline. The quest involved protecting the Second Prince from the Crown Prince¡¯s machinations. Even after ascending to the position of Crown Prince, he continued to suppress his siblings, eliminating even the slightest potential threats to his rule. He attempted to assassinate the Second Prince quietly, but with yers¡¯ intervention, the attempt failed, and the Crown Prince ultimately met his demise. The episode had significant narrative skips andcked detailed lore, yet yers appreciated the simplicity, which madepleting the quest more convenient. "Let¡¯s wrap this up quickly." Jeong-hoon had no intention of dragging this quest out. Normally, one would need to counter the Crown Prince¡¯s faction and protect Karvan, but Jeong-hoon had a different approach. If there was no opposition to begin with, there¡¯d be nothing to defend against. "I¡¯ll use Laos¡¯s abilities too¡ªthis will be a smooth ride to the final quest." And in the process, he could also boost the stats of the Seven Deadly Sins. ¡°Hey, Seven Deadly Sins, feeling hungry?¡± Jeong-hoon summoned the Seven Deadly Sins. ¡°I¡¯m always hungry,¡± it replied with a grin. ¡°Great. I¡¯ll have you deal with a few targetster. Don¡¯t kill them, just incapacitate them.¡± ¡°Sounds delightful!¡± The Seven Deadly Sins grinned widely. ¡°Um¡­ what exactly is that?¡± Karvan couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the creature, his expression clearly flustered. It was understandable¡ªsomething had just appeared out of thin air. ¡°It¡¯s my summonedpanion,¡± Jeong-hoon exined. ¡°A summonedpanion¡­?¡± ¡°Think of it as a pet I¡¯m training.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Finally understanding, Karvan began observing the Seven Deadly Sins with fascination. Not long after, an aide to the Emperor approached them. ¡°His Majesty declines to see you.¡± The return of the Third Prince. Yet the Emperor, showing no interest, refused the audience request outright. "He¡¯s always been like this." The Emperor had imed the throne after bathing in the blood of many. He intended to pass the throne to someone who could also survive and thrive in such a blood-soaked environment. This pce was a battlefield. The weak were naturally weeded out. "I-I see..." Karvan nodded dejectedly, his face filled with dismay. No matter how indifferent his father had been, he hadn¡¯t expected the Emperor to refuse to see him even after three months of separation. "Then, please just return." Leaving those words, the aide turned back and disappeared inside. "...It seems I have no choice but to return. Thank you so much for apanying me this far." Karvan¡¯s residence was located in an annex quite a distance away from here. His reason for bringing Jeong-hoon along this far was to formally express his gratitude to the benefactor who had saved him. However, having been denied even an audience with the Emperor, Karvan now felt deeply apologetic. "Are you sure you¡¯ll be okay returning on your own?" "...I don¡¯t really have a choice, do I?" "Then let me apany you to the annex. As you can see, I¡¯ve got plenty of time to spare." Jeong-hoon gave a small smile. At his words, Karvan¡¯s face brightened. "Would that really be alright?" "Of course. After all, I¡¯ve already received a reward; if I just leave now, I wouldn¡¯t feel right either." Jeong-hoon held up the pocket watch as he spoke. "Then I¡¯ll dly take you up on your offer!" It was at that moment. "Hey, Karvan." A male voice rang out from behind Jeong-hoon. At the sound of it, Karvan began trembling. The child¡¯s young eyes were quickly overtaken by fear. The Crown Prince. Jeong-hoon slowly turned around. Striding toward them was a young man in histe teens. Seven Deadly Sins. Without needing to think, Jeong-hoon sent a signal to his summon. "Enjoy your meal!" With those words, the Seven Deadly Sins charged at the Crown Prince. "What in the world is this?!" Startled, the Crown Prince stopped in his tracks as the Seven Deadly Sins lunged toward him. "How dare you!" One of the knights apanying the Crown Prince swiftly drew his sword and shed at the summon. But before the attack couldnd, Jeong-hoon had already stepped forward, using the Heavenly Demon Sovereign Step to grab the knight¡¯s wrist and halt the strike. Crunch! "Ugh!" As Jeong-hoon applied more pressure to his grip, the knight grimaced in pain. "Release him this instant!" Another knight pointed his de at Jeong-hoon in warning. With a cold smirk, Jeong-hoon tilted his head toward the knight whose wrist he held captive. "Lower your sword, or this guy loses his hand." "W-what?!" "What, think I¡¯m bluffing?" Jeong-hoon tightened his grip further. Crack! "Arghhh!" With the sound of bones breaking, the knight let out a scream and copsed to his knees. Hearing the painful cry, the other knight who had been pointing his sword at Jeong-hoon hurriedly lowered it. "At least one of you has some sense." Only then did Jeong-hoon release the wrist he had been gripping. The knight clutched his throbbing wrist, grimacing in pain. [Absorbing stats.] In the meantime, the Seven Deadly Sinstched onto Laos and began draining his stats. "Arghhh! Get this thing off me! Get it off, now!" Laos drew his sword and swung it at the Seven Deadly Sins. However, the summon effortlessly blocked the strike and continued its absorption undeterred. "Your Highness!" One of the knights rushed toward Laos in a panic. "Where do you think you''re going?" Jeong-hoon stepped forward, drawing Leviathan and aiming it at the approaching knights, halting them in their tracks. [Activating Mind Control.] With a singlemand, Jeong-hoon unleashed his overwhelming power, instantly subjecting the two knights to mind control. "Protect the Third Prince. That¡¯s your only duty now." "Yes..." "Understood..." The two knights nodded nkly, their expressions vacant. "Now then," Jeong-hoon said, turning his attention back. === [NPC Information] - Nickname: Laos Rude Hixmion - Level: 275 - ss: Crown Prince of the Hixmion Empire === Level 275. Not exactly low. "This should be quite profitable," Jeong-hoon mused, his lips curling into a smirk.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om *** Laos Rude Hixmion. His mind was inplete disarray. What in the world was happening here? He hade to confront his younger brother, who had miraculously returned from the brink of death, only to find himself under attack by a strange entity that refused to let go. To make matters worse, he felt his strength draining by the second, to the point where he began to fear for his life. "Let go, you bastard!" "That was a good meal." Atst, the creature detached itself, looking satisfied. Seeing its smug expression only made Laos boil with rage. "You little... I¡¯ll kill you myself!" Laos red at the Seven Deadly Sins with murderous intent. "And how exactly do you n to do that?" Jeong-hoon stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Laos. "You filthy wretch! What the hell have you done to me?!" "Done to you? Oh, nothing much. Just made sure you¡¯re no longer capable of doing anything useful." "What...?" "Go back to your room and live like a mouse in hiding. If you do that, I might let you live." Jeong-hoon ced his hand on Laos¡¯s shoulder and slowly applied pressure. Devoid of his stats, Laos could no longer resist, and the slight force made him crumble to his knees. "Urgh! Let go! I said, let go!" "I already warned you." [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 264 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 264 ¡®To push my brother to such an extent¡­¡¯ If Karvan were asked to name the scariest person in the empire, he would undoubtedly choose his brother, Laos. The Emperor was intimidating in his own way, but he had always been indifferent toward Karvan. Laos, on the other hand, had always regarded Karvan as a thorn in his side, seizing every opportunity to torment him, no matter how small the pretext. Even his recent journey to the vige of Bern was entirely because of Laos. "Karvan, visit the temple in Bern. If you seed and return, I will acknowledge you as my brother." For the first time, his brother had issued him a directmand. If Karvan couldplete the task sessfully, Laos promised to recognize him as his sibling and no longer torment him. Despite the promise, young Karvan didn¡¯t believe a word of it. He fully expected Laos to haveid a trap for him. However, refusal wasn¡¯t an option¡ªLaos would have killed him on the spot. When Karvan initially resisted, the torment escted to a different level. From that day on, his food was poisoned, his clothes were treated with chemicals that ruined his skin, and countless other acts of malice followed. Ultimately, Karvan was left with no choice but to leave for Bern. It was there that he was pushed to the brink of death. ¡®He truly intended to kill me.¡¯ Karvan realized this during the experiments he endured. As he suspected, Laos never had any intention of acknowledging him as his brother. And yet, when Karvan departed for Bern, a sliver of hope had lingered in his heart. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this up and return,¡± Jeong-hoon said with a casual smile after effortlessly subduing Laos. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes¡­¡± Karvan could only nod in agreement. However, as they made their way back to the annex, Karvan suddenly stopped in his tracks. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Jeong-hoon tilted his head in curiosity. ¡°Why¡­ Why are those men following us?¡± Karvan pointed at the two knights trailing behind them.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Those knights were part of Laos¡¯s personal guard. Their presence puzzled Karvan¡ªwhy would they be following him instead of staying with Laos? ¡°I cast a spell on them,¡± Jeong-hoon exined. ¡°A spell?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve brainwashed them to protect the Third Prince instead of the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Is¡­ Is that even possible?¡± ¡°You¡¯re seeing it with your own eyes, aren¡¯t you?¡± What kind of person is he? Karvan¡¯s curiosity deepened, but he decided not to ask further. Even if he did, he doubted Jeong-hoon would answer. *** ¡°Arghhh! You wretched bastard!¡± Crash! Laos screamed in rage, trashing his room in a fit of fury. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The servant, who had been quietly cleaning, slipped out of the room without making a sound. Yesterday, another servant had been thrown into the underground dungeon for what Laos deemed poor cleaning standards. Once outside, the servant struggled to suppress their trembling. Left alone, Laos sat on the edge of his bed, pounding his fist repeatedly, unable to quell his rage. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Damn it, why is there no strength in my body?!¡± Since that strange man hadtched onto him, he felt his strength being drained. At first, he thought it was a temporary condition. However, even after a day had passed, his strength did not return. It felt as though every ounce of power, starting with his physical strength, had reverted to that of a child. ¡®It¡¯s definitely that bastard¡¯s doing.¡¯ There was no other exnation for this strange phenomenon. Surely, he must still be with Karvan. With that thought, Laos made his way to the training grounds, where the knights were practicing. *** Jeong-hoon¡¯s im turned out to be true. Days passed, and Laos no longer came to torment Karvan. Even the knights who were supposed to serve Laos remained by the side of the Third Prince, Karvan Rude Hixmion, stationed at the annex. Whenever Karvan went for a walk to get some fresh air, the knights would quietly follow behind him. This constant presence made Karvan feel incredibly ufortable. ¡°Your Highness, would you prefer if we walked a bit farther behind?¡± one of the knights asked cautiously, seemingly aware of his difort. ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not that¡­¡± ¡°Oh, Your Highness, please speak informally to us. We are merely your swords, here to protect you.¡± ¡°Indeed. If you spoke formally to us, we¡¯d feel more ufortable.¡± No, that¡¯s not the point¡ªyou¡¯re supposed to be Laos¡¯s men! Karvan bit his tongue, holding back the words he wanted to say. After finishing his walk, Karvan returned to the annex, only to run into Jeong-hoon. The man had remained at the annex for the past few days. "I¡¯ll be staying here for a little while," he had said. Karvan thought that the peace he was currently enjoying was all thanks to his benefactor. Approaching Jeong-hoon, Karvan bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making you stay in such a humble ce.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s quiet and pleasant here.¡± The annex, located far from the main pce, was indeed peaceful and an ideal ce for rest. However, that tranquility was shattered in an instant. ¡°His Highness, Crown Prince Laos, is here!¡± The announcement of Laos¡¯s visit drained the color from Karvan¡¯s face. He¡¯s back? ¡°As expected, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d stay quiet,¡± Jeong-hoon said with a knowing smile. ¡°Could it be¡­ he¡¯s here to kill me this time?¡± Karvan asked nervously. "Go back to your room and live quietly. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll kill you." However, Jeong-hoon shook his head. ¡°If that happens, it¡¯ll only cause trouble for me.¡± Killing the Crown Prince of the Hixmion Empire? That would turn the episode quest into a disaster, branding him a traitor and making progress nearly impossible. Laos Rude Hixmion¡¯s death wasn¡¯t ted to ur until thetter part of the episode. For now, Jeong-hoon¡¯s priority was protecting Karvan. ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­¡± Karvan truly didn¡¯t want to see his benefactor in trouble because of him. But what to do about Laos, who was already here? Tension stiffened his entire body. Noticing this, Jeong-hoon patted Karvan¡¯s shoulder with a reassuring smile. ¡°Of course, I said I wouldn¡¯t kill him.¡± ¡°Th-then¡­ is there a way?¡± ¡°Yes. We just need to drive him away, don¡¯t we?¡± The answer was simple and direct. ¡°¡­I understand.¡± Bolstered by those words, Karvan headed to the annex entrance to face Laos. Waiting at the entrance were Laos and his fifty knights. ¡°So you were here after all.¡± But Laos¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t fixed on Karvan¡ªit was locked on Jeong-hoon. Since his abilities had beenpletely drained, Laos¡¯s physical condition had regressed to that of an untrained adult. ¡°I warned you, didn¡¯t I? To stay out of my way.¡± Jeong-hoon ran his hand through his hair and stepped toward Laos. Laos flinched, then quickly ducked behind his knights. ¡°C-capture him!¡± ¡°Your Highness?¡± ¡°Your Highness¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡± The knights were baffled. The hot-tempered Crown Prince, who would normally draw his sword without hesitation, was cowering in fear. Yet, hismand had been given, and the knights unsheathed their swords. [Activating Mind Control.] Jeong-hoon cast his ability on the approaching knights. In an instant, their rtively low stats rendered them susceptible, and their eyes turned vacant. ¡°You are now to protect the Third Prince, Karvan Rude Hixmion,¡± Jeong-hoon ordered. The knights nodded obediently. ¡°Now step aside.¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s nextmand, the knights parted, revealing Laos Rude Hixmion trembling behind them. ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?! I told you to capture him!¡± With his stats drained, even his intelligence had plummeted. If he had retained a shred of wit, he wouldn¡¯t have been acting so foolishly. Jeong-hoon advanced toward Laos, employing the graceful movements of the Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Steps. In the blink of an eye, Jeong-hoon reached Laos, who immediately gasped for breath. His body trembled like a leaf in the wind. ¡°I clearly warned you, didn¡¯t I? If you don¡¯t live quietly like a mouse, you¡¯ll die.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s voice was filled with killing intent, his eyes locking onto Laos as though ready to end his life right there. Laos, with a pale face, hupped nervously. ¡°Hi-ik! Th-th-that¡­!¡± ¡°Do you want to die? Or would you rather go back quietly?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll go back¡­ Hi-ik!¡± ¡°Get out of here before you change your mind.¡± ¡°Y-yes¡­ yes!¡± With a quick gesture from Jeong-hoon, Laos turned and fled, stumbling repeatedly as he lost his bnce, but he didn¡¯t stop running. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Far off, Karvan, who had been watching, was once again in awe. This time, Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t even used force. And yet, he subdued Laos so effortlessly. Truly, his benefactor was incredible. ¡°You should be fine for now.¡± Karvan nodded, expressing his gratitude. ¡°Thank you so much! It seems like the more I receive, the more I want to repay you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Only three days were left. If he could hold on for just three more days, he would be able to proceed with the next episode quest. * * * [Quest Completed] [You have gained 10,000,000 experience points.] [You can now proceed with the next quest.] Seven days passed, and the quest waspleted. From that point on, things proceeded swiftly. Bing the benefactor of the third prince and assisting him in establishing his position¡ªthis was a lengthy quest, but Jeong-hoon skipped over as much as he could to speed through it. And soon, the final quest was in sight. [Episode Quest: The Fall of the Hixmion Empire] - Requirement: Complete the New Heir quest. - Reward: ess to the next quest + experience points. - Description: Eliminate Laos Rude Hixmion, the seed of destruction. It was here. Normally, this episode would end with Jeong-hoon assisting the second prince and eliminating Laos Rude Hixmion. The direction had shifted slightly, but the conclusion remained the same. ording to the story of the original timeline, Laos should have fallen much sooner. However, due to his intelligence, he surrounded himself with capable people and managed to narrow the position of Laos. Having begun to fall behind in the session struggle, Laos grew desperate, and ultimately made the worst decision. ¡®He summoned a transcendent and made a contract with it.¡¯ Having made a contract with the transcendent, Laos lost his sanity and went on a rampage, bringing about the destruction of the Hixmion Empire. Even though Jeong-hoon would stop him during the episode quest, the destroyed dimension wouldn¡¯t return to its original state. Still, toplete the quest, Laos had to be dealt with. As soon as Jeong-hoon epted the quest, he stormed into the room where Laos Rude Hixmion was holed up. Bang! When he opened the door, a musty odor hit him, and ck smoke slowly began to rise from inside. Jeong-hoon raised Leviathan and immediately swung his sword at Laos. ng! Laos, raising his sword, blocked Jeong-hoon¡¯s strike. Despite having his abilities drained, Laos managed to block the attack perfectly, even though he shouldn¡¯t have had the strength to do so. This meant Jeong-hoon was a step too slow. ¡°Hehehe, it¡¯s done. I¡¯ve gained the ultimate power! With this, I can kill you!¡± Laos grinned maniacally, aiming his sword at Jeong-hoon. ¡°Is it so hard to live quietly like a mouse?¡± Jeong-hoon had hoped to end this quickly and finish the episode. Sighing softly, he stepped into the Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Dominion stance. ¡°Heh, shut up. I¡¯ll kill you with my own hands.¡± ng! Their swords shed again. Laos had gained enough power to destroy an entire empire on his own. It was clear that he hadn¡¯t simply made a contract with an ordinary transcendent. [ckfield Activated] [All stats are increased by 1.8 times.] [Due to the effect of ckfield, all stats of monsters entering this domain are reduced by 15%.] Jeong-hoon summoned the Legendary-level ckfield. When it had been at the Unique level, it had been boosted by 1.5 times, but with the upgrade to Legendary, the boost had increased to 1.8 times. Along with that, he activated his stat-boosting ring and Celestial Aura all at once. The final episode quest. He would end it with full power in an instant. Swoosh¡ª As Jeong-hoon swung his sword, a chilling cutting sound rang through the air, and Laos¡¯ right arm fell to the ground. ¡°AAAGH!¡± Laos screamed in pain, but it was toote. Swoosh¡ª Jeong-hoon swung again, and this time, Laos¡¯ right leg was severed. With that, Laos lost his bnce and fell to the ground. ¡°Ghhhk! Why! Why!?¡± ¡°Why? Because you¡¯re weak.¡± Jeong-hoon swung his sword once more to finish the job. ng! At that moment, someone appeared and blocked Jeong-hoon¡¯s sword. It was the transcendent who had made a contract with Laos. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 265 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 265 A transcendent being appeared. Moreover, he was wearing a ck mask. Jeong-hoon tilted his head slightly in confusion. ¡°This is strange.¡± If eliminating Laos Rude Hixmion in the Episode Quest was supposed to be the final task, then taking down the one who had made a pact with the transcendent being should have been the ultimate objective. In other words, ending Laos¡¯s life would concRude the episode. But just as Jeong-hoon was about to sever Laos¡¯s breath, a transcendent being manifested and directly intervened. This signified a change in the content of the final quest. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Well, people call me the Night Raven.¡± Night Raven. Ah, now it makes sense. Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled into a smirk. ¡°Mist, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°How did you¡­?¡± Night Raven. Mist¡¯s eyes, visible through the mask, widened in surprise. ¡°How did I know, you ask?¡± Jeong-hoon recognized him because, in his previous regression, he had encountered Mist, albeit from a distance. Of course, he had never directly confronted him. ¡°A Demon King-Level transcendent¡­¡± He was on par with none other than Baal. Who would have thought that a Demon King-Level transcendent would intervene? This was a disaster. ¡°So this is why the Empire fell.¡± Jeong-hoon had nned to wrap up the final quest quickly, but he never imagined that a Demon King-Level transcendent would appear. As he was now, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t hope to defeat such an enemy. ¡°Did something change because the third prince survived?¡± Otherwise, there was no reason for a transcendent being to manifest directly in a mere episode quest. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re about to die anyway.¡± Mist, clearly intent on preventing Jeong-hoon frompleting the quest, pointed his sword at him. Then, in an instant, Mist¡¯s body disappeared and reappeared right in front of Jeong-hoon. Whoosh! Jeong-hoon instinctively raised his sword. ng! Their swords shed, and Jeong-hoon was forced backward. He nearly lost his footing and copsed. To think the gap in skill would be this vast after just one exchange. ¡°Damn it!¡± Jeong-hoon gritted his teeth.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om There was no way he could retreat now. To advance closer topleting the game, Jeong-hoon needed to finish the quest andplete the collection. ¡°Ho, for a human, you¡¯re holding up quite well,¡± Mist remarked, watching Jeong-hoon with interest before disappearing again. No, it wasn¡¯t that he vanished¡ªit was that he moved so quickly that Jeong-hoon¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t track him. Jeong-hoon raised his sword again. ng! Their swords shed once more. By sheer reflex, Jeong-hoon managed to block the attack. However, it wasn¡¯t a perfect defense. In the process of deflecting the de, his left shoulder was shed. [Using Superior Healing.] [Healing failed.] Even healing wasn¡¯t working. It was likely due to some ability Mist possessed. Despite the blood dripping from his shoulder, Jeong-hoon had no time to worry about the wound. He had to remain alert for Mist¡¯s next attack. [Dammit! Even with my defense, it¡¯s useless!] Mukho, too, was equally unsettled by the situation. ¡°This time, I¡¯ll finish you,¡± Mist dered as his body disappeared once more. And then, it happened. A rift opened, revealing crimson eyes. With the appearance of Baal, Mist revealed himself once again. His sword was poised at Jeong-hoon¡¯s throat. ¡®If Baal hadn¡¯t intervened¡­ I¡¯d be dead.¡¯ Though rage surged within him, Jeong-hoon had to admit the truth. Even though he had grown stronger, he was still no match for a Demon King Level transcendent. ¡°What¡¯s this? Why have you appeared?¡± Mist asked, his voice tinged with annoyance. Baal¡¯s voice was filled with a fury unlike any Jeong-hoon had ever heard. Feeling the weight of Baal¡¯s anger, Mist furrowed his brow. ¡°Hah? Listen, that human isn¡¯t even your contractor. Why are you so concerned?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Even among Demon King Level transcendents, there was a hierarchy. And Mist was far below Baal in rank¡ªso much so that he couldn¡¯t even conceive of opposing him. At Baal¡¯s warning, Mist¡¯s face twisted in frustration. ¡°Shut up! Are you telling me to ept penalties for this?¡± At that moment, Jeong-hoon raised his hand. ¡°Hold on.¡± Baal¡¯s crimson eyes turned toward Jeong-hoon. "How about a wager?" "Yes. I¡¯m going to kill that guy andplete this quest." Jeong-hoon gestured toward Laos, who groaned in pain, missing an arm and a leg. "Of course, I could just kill him and be done with it. But since you¡¯ve decided to interfere, I thought I¡¯d make things a bit more entertaining for you." Jeong-hoon turned his gaze toward Mist. "You can grant him more power if you want." "Power?" "Yes. And I¡¯ll take him down. How does that sound?" "¡­Are you serious?" Mist hadn¡¯t yet granted Laos 100% of his power. Doing so came with unimaginable penalties ifplications arose. Even as it stood, he had already poured a considerable amount of strength into Laos, enough to destroy an empire. His decision to manifest directly had been carefully calcted for its potential benefits. Baal¡¯s crescent-shaped eyes gleamed with intrigue. "Hmm, so it¡¯s fine if this human dies in the process, right?" Although Baal didn¡¯t entirely approve, if the wager allowed Mist to avoid directly fighting, he had no reason to interfere. "So, that¡¯s an agreement?" "¡­Fine." Mist gave Jeong-hoon onest sharp re before nodding reluctantly. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished from the spot. Laos, who had been missing an arm and a leg, began regenerating rapidly. His limbs grew back as an overwhelming aura surged from his body, far surpassing the power he had when Jeong-hoon first entered the room. ¡®It¡¯s a gamble.¡¯ If Laos were to lose, the penalties Mist would suffer would be unimaginable. That was precisely what Jeong-hoon was aiming for. ¡®There¡¯s no way I can handle a transcendent with my current strength. I need to close the gap as quickly as possible.¡¯ If a single Demon King Level transcendent was enough to overwhelm him, the chances of defeating the Architect were zero. To change that zero into a possibility, Jeong-hoon knew he had to grow stronger. There was no room forcency. "Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill." The newly empowered Laos had long lost his sanity, bing a pure instrument of murder directed at Jeong-hoon. ¡®As expected, this is what it means to face a Demon King level transcendent.¡¯ The method Mist used to empower Laos was straightforward¡ªstacking buffs to inte his stats, much like how Jeong-hoon enhanced his own abilities. Baal, too, had granted Alessandro some power, but it was limited, intended only to allow Jeong-hoon to approach him. Mist, on the other hand, had given Laos a level of strength that was suicidal to bestow, fully prepared to risk annihtion. In raw stats alone, Laos now held a slight edge over Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon initiated Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Steps. Laos¡¯s eyes tracked Jeong-hoon with precision. ng! The sound of shing swords reverberated as metal met metal. ¡®I¡¯m losing in strength.¡¯ That cursed Mist. He¡¯s gone all in here. What could the Third Prince possibly be worth to warrant such measures? It¡¯s already a destroyed dimension. At this point, Hixmion is nothing more than a mechanism set up for the Earthlings. There¡¯s no reason to make such a gamble. Jeong-hoon mulled over these questions in his head while continuing the fight. "Kill. Kill." Laos kept muttering the same word as he relentlessly pressed Jeong-hoon. Even in his maddened state, he managed to parry every strike Jeong-hoon made, counterattacking with unrelenting ferocity. Dozens of exchanges urred every second. Throughout the intense sh, Jeong-hoon¡¯s body gained small injuries, and Laos wasn¡¯t faring much better. "Kill¡­!" Despite his torn flesh and the blood pouring from his wounds, Laos didn¡¯t cease his attacks. Even so, Jeong-hoon blocked every single one of his strikes. ¡®The key is to exploit an opening.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had encountered this type of battle countless times before. It was a deceptively simple yet arduous task¡ªespecially when every move you made was being read by your opponent. In such situations, Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t avoid taking hits, which was why his body was riddled with injuries. Even healing himself wasn¡¯t an option, as Mist¡¯s abilities suppressed any attempts at recovery. Yet as time went on, it was clear that Jeong-hoon was gaining the upper hand. No matter how much power Laos had been granted, it was impossible for him to defeat Jeong-hoon, who had umted a wealth of battle experience. Mist¡¯s urgent voice echoed loudly. He had already gauged Jeong-hoon¡¯s skill during their brief sh earlier. Mist was utterly convinced of Laos¡¯s victory, but the situation was taking an unexpected turn. ¡®That¡¯s what happens when you act rashly,¡¯ Jeong-hoon thought with a smirk. His exchange with Mist had been extremely brief. The disparity in power was so overwhelming that Jeong-hoon had been at Mist¡¯s mercy, leaving no time for Mist to assess the extent of Jeong-hoon¡¯s experience. Slice¡ª Jeong-hoon¡¯s Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Sword shed through Laos¡¯s wrist. "¡­!" Laos¡¯s eyes widened in pain. But instead of his severed wrist falling away, it reattached almost instantly. Mist¡¯s abilities didn¡¯t just suppress Jeong-hoon¡¯s healing; they appeared to extend to regenerative powers as well. It wasn¡¯t just suppression¡ªit seemed Mist had dominion over restoration as well. However, during the healing process, a vulnerability was exposed. Seizing the opportunity, Jeong-hoon swung his sword wide, unleashing a technique from the Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Sword. [Activating Third Style: Heavenly Demon Annihtion Style.] The tip of Leviathan¡¯s de pierced through Laos¡¯s chest in an instant. [Unique Passive: Annihtion has been activated.] At the same time, Jeong-hoon¡¯s unique passive ability, Annihtion, triggered. This ability restricts the activation of any powers for ten seconds. As a result, Laos was unable to heal his impaled chest. ¡°Gah¡­ gahhh!¡± Unable to recover, Laos coughed up blood and copsed to his knees. [Activating Third Style: Heavenly Demon Annihtion Style.] Jeong-hoon unleashed the Third Style once more, driving his de through Laos¡¯s throat. ¡°Urk!¡± It was over. No matter how much power Laos had borrowed from Mist, it was meaningless before Jeong-hoon. Mist¡¯s agonized voice echoed in despair. ¡®Why is he so obsessed?¡¯ Jeong-hoon wondered. At that moment, an item crossed his mind¡ªsomething he had obtained while rescuing the Third Prince. [Broken Pocket Watch] Jeong-hoon retrieved the pocket watch from his inventory and held it up. ¡°Could this be what you were after?¡± <¡­> Mist gave no response. ¡®So, I was right.¡¯ Jeong-hoon now understood why Mist had gone to such lengths, even manifesting directly to eliminate him. ¡®He wanted to kill me and retrieve this.¡¯ Though Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t know what purpose the item served, it was clearly of great value if Mist was so desperate to recover it. Jeong-hoon returned the pocket watch to his inventory. ¡°Interesting. This is mine now. Don¡¯t even think about touching it.¡± Mist seemed on the verge of manifesting again, but Laos¡¯s death stripped him of the authority to intervene. Simultaneously, severe penalties began to be imposed on Mist. The first penalty was Plunder. [[Title] Transcendent of Humanity has advanced to Level 3.] [Two items have been randomly plundered from ¡®Mist.¡¯] Unlike a Demon King-level entity, Mist wasn¡¯t demoted in rank. However, Jeong-hoon managed to steal not just one, but two items from a ruler-ss entity. A faint smirk spread across Jeong-hoon¡¯s face. What items would he gain? [You have obtained the Ultimate Restoration Elixir.] The first stolen item was the Ultimate Restoration Elixir. ¡®Restoration elixir?¡¯ [Ultimate Restoration Elixir] - Type: Consumable - Grade: ?? (Unable to determine grade) - Effect: Restores a desired item to its original state. ¡®Hmm, could this restore the pocket watch?¡¯ Without hesitation, Jeong-hoon used the elixir on the broken pocket watch. [Restoration failed.] [Insufficient materials toplete the restoration.] Even with the Ultimate Restoration Elixir, the pocket watch remained unrestored. ¡®What kind of item is this, for even the elixir to fail?¡¯ Suppressing his disappointment, Jeong-hoon turned his attention to the second stolen item. His eyes widened in astonishment. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 266 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 266 [You have obtained ¡®Transcendence: Hyper Regeneration.¡¯] The second item Jeong-hoon plundered was a skill book. Who would¡¯ve thought it possible to plunder a skill book? [Transcendence: Hyper Regeneration] - Type: Skill Book - Grade: Celestial - Effect: Upon use, you acquire the skill Hyper Regeneration (Celestial). It was none other than the Celestial-grade Hyper Regeneration. Without hesitation, Jeong-hoon used the skill book. [You have acquired the Transcendence skill, ¡®Hyper Regeneration.¡¯] [The martial artist-exclusive skill, ¡®Steadfast Will,¡¯ has been activated.] [¡®Steadfast Will¡¯ has fused ¡®Superior Healing¡¯ and ¡®Hyper Regeneration.¡¯] [You have acquired the skill ¡®Divine Healing (Celestial).¡¯] This was incredible. A fusion of the Legendary-grade Superior Healing with Hyper Regeneration. Who would¡¯ve expected Steadfast Will to react like this? ¡®Divine Healing, huh¡­¡¯ Healing elevated to a Celestial level. [Divine Healing] - Type: Active - Level: 1 - Grade: Celestial - Effect: Consumes 100 mana to fully restore health to 100%. - Ignores non-heble conditions with a certain probability. (Cannot be used on others.) The options were ridiculous. Healing that worked even under a non-heble condition? This meant Jeong-hoon could now bypass Mist¡¯s power, which previously nullified healing abilities. A grin stretched across Jeong-hoon¡¯s face, wide enough to reach his ears. Mist ground his teeth in frustration. ¡°I only yed by the rules. Got a problem with that?¡± Jeong-hoon chuckled. ¡°Just ept your penalties quietly.¡± The plundering wasn¡¯t the end. Now came the penalties imposed on Mist. Given the extent of his interference, it wouldn¡¯t have been surprising if he were demoted to a Demon King-level entity. A total of 7,250 hours of disqualification. Mist wasn¡¯t demoted to Apostle level, but for the duration of his penalty, he could no longer pose as a ruler-ss Transcendent. Additionally, since he could no longer intervene on Earth, it was impossible for him to obstruct Jeong-hoon. Baal looked at Mist¡¯s downfall with amusement in his eyes. Mist hurled curses at Jeong-hoon before disappearing. ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± Jeong-hoon intended to grow so strong that even ruler-ss Transcendents wouldn¡¯t dare to provoke him. Baal was now looking at Jeong-hoon with a smile. ¡°Why? Are you happy because an annoying nuisance got taken care of?¡± Baal hadn¡¯t acted solely for Jeong-hoon¡¯s benefit. The moment Mist tried to interfere with Jeong-hoon, Baal had silently observed, stepping in at the perfect time to impose penalties on Mist. Jeong-hoon had seen through Baal¡¯s ploy and turned it into a wager. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. You put on a good show for me, so I should reward you, shouldn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°This.¡± Jeong-hoon pulled out a broken pocket watch¡ªsomething Mist had attempted to reim. When he disyed the watch, Baal¡¯s crimson eyes narrowed. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ¡°Is that possible?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Then let me rephrase the question. What¡¯s the method to restore it?¡± Even with the ultimate restoration elixir, the watch couldn¡¯t be repaired due to missing materials. And yet, no one had been willing to reveal how to restore it. Jeong-hoon frowned. ¡°You don¡¯t know, do you?¡± The Temple of Fate. A familiar ce. It was a dungeon Jeong-hoon had personally cleared in his previous life. ¡®Ah, I see. So that¡¯s what¡¯s needed.¡¯ An item obtained from the Temple of Fate. If that item werebined with the ultimate restoration elixir, the restoration might be possible. However, there was a problem. ¡®I can¡¯t enter the temple right now.¡¯ The Temple of Fate hadn¡¯t opened yet. It would be several years before it became essible. Of course, there was another way. ¡°Can you open a door to that temple for me?¡± ¡°Of course. It¡¯s something that guy went after even while risking penalties to manifest himself. How could I just let it go?¡± ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re saying you can open it.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. Baal was a ruler-ss Transcendent. That meant he had the power to summon and activate dungeons that were already prepared in advance. After all, if he could create and open a dungeon specifically to impose penalties, surely opening this one wasn¡¯t beyond him. <¡­Fine. However, I cannot grant you the ultimate energy. I trust that¡¯s eptable?> ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go with that.¡± There were other ways to gather ultimate energy outside of wagers. Though disappointing, opening the Temple of Fate was enough for now. ¡°How long will it take?¡± ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll see you in six hours then.¡± *** Karvan was pacing anxiously in the garden in front of the annex, waiting for Jeong-hoon. ¡®The crown prince feels suspicious.¡¯ Suspicious behavior. Upon hearing that, they had tracked Laos, discovering that he was preparing a summoning ritual. Jeong-hoon had gone to confront Laos. Yet despite the passage of considerable time, Jeong-hoon still hadn¡¯t returned. ¡°Your Highness, perhaps you should go inside?¡± Originally, the annex was supposed to be upied only by Karvan and four attendants. But now, it was bustling with servants and knights. This change had urred only after Jeong-hoon started staying by Karvan¡¯s side. ¡®If I were alone, things would still be the same as before.¡¯ With the crown prince firmly asserting his presence, no one would have supported a ten-year-old like Karvan. Even the emperor, who neglected his children to the extreme, showed no interest in what happened to them. As a result, Karvan had been leftpletely isted, aside from a handful of attendants. But Jeong-hoon had saved Karvan¡¯s life, returned to the empire, and provided him with both material and emotional support. This had drawn many people to Karvan¡¯s side. To Karvan, Jeong-hoon had be more than just a benefactor¡ªhe was someone irreceable. ¡°I¡¯m fine. It¡¯s warm and pleasant out here.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then shall I bring out some refreshments?¡± ¡°Yes, please do.¡± Shortly after the attendant left, Jeong-hoon appeared in the distance, walking toward them. ¡®He¡¯s back!¡¯ Karvan hurriedly ran toward Jeong-hoon. *** ¡®It¡¯s done.¡¯ When Jeong-hoon returned to the annex, an exmation mark was shing above Karvan¡¯s head. [Quest Completed] [The progress of the Episto Dungeon has reached 100%.] [Episode: You havepleted all of Hicksmeon.] [The Episode Collection system has been unlocked.] [This episode is now included in your Episode Collection.] [The episode''s rating was ''SS''.] [The episode has been added to your collection.] [Hicksmeon: You havepleted a Hidden Episode.] [The Hidden Episode has been added to your collection.] [Your Episode Completion percentage increases by 10%.] This meant that Jeong-hoon had finished all the episodes rted to the Hicksmeon Empire. ¡®This makes three Hidden Episodes, huh.¡¯ With a satisfied smile, Jeong-hoon closed the hologram window. ¡°Your Highness, I have something I¡¯d like to ask.¡± ¡°Yes. Feel free to ask, I¡¯ll tell you whatever I know.¡± The trust between Karvan and Jeong-hoon was maxed out. Karvan¡¯s gaze was filled with unwavering trust in Jeong-hoon. Jeong-hoon ced the pocket watch he had taken out on the table before Karvan. ¡°It¡¯s about this watch.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Upon seeing the pocket watch, Karvan¡¯s face darkened almost immediately. After all, Jeong-hoon had helped him in every way possible, and all he had given in return was a broken pocket watch. It was understandable that Karvan might be dissatisfied. ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand. I do cherish this watch a lot.¡± ¡°Then why¡­?¡± ¡°I want to know where it came from.¡± ¡°Where it came from?¡± ¡°Yes. Who gave you this watch?¡± ¡°Oh, well¡­¡­¡± Had it been a sharp question? Karvan fidgeted, unable to answer immediately. ¡°Did you steal it?¡± ¡°Absolutely not! It was given to me by my mother!¡± ¡°Your mother?¡± Karvan¡¯s mother. She had been weak by nature, and after giving birth to Karvan, she had fallen ill and passed away when Karvan was seven. Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t expected this pocket watch to be a keepsake from her. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I thought you wouldn¡¯t ept it if I told you it was a keepsake¡­¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. For Karvan, this pocket watch was probably the only valuable item he had. Having saved his life, Jeong-hoon now realized that Karvan had wanted to repay him, but had hidden the truth about the watch, pretending it wasn¡¯t a keepsake. ¡®Sorry, but I can¡¯t return it to Karvan.¡¯ The pocket watch was just a means to figure out its true nature. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t ask you to return it.¡± If Jeong-hoon had nned to ask for it back, he wouldn¡¯t have handed it over in the first ce. ¡°Yes. So, do you know what this watch is used for?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure myself... My mother just said it was precious and that I should give it to someone who truly needs it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± So, it seems that Karvan didn¡¯t know what it was for, at least not until it¡¯s restored. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you a clear answer...¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. In any case, I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving?!¡± Karvan jumped up in surprise, nearly knocking over the teacup in front of him. ¡°Yes. I had no choice but to end things with the Crown Prince. If I hadn¡¯t acted, the Empire would have been doomed.¡± Jeong-hoon had obtained evidence that Laos was preparing for the summoning ritual. During the process, there had been a battle, and the room had turned into chaos. Since it was during a quest, no one had intruded, but now that the quest wasplete, the situation would soon surface. So, Jeong-hoon decided to leave before the Empire became too noisy. ¡°¡­You really have to go, don¡¯t you?¡± Karvan didn¡¯t want Jeong-hoon to leave. Everything he had now, his life, was thanks to Jeong-hoon. If not for him, he would still be living alone in the annex, isted and lonely. Karvan had hoped Jeong-hoon could stay a bit longer, to rest and be at ease. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry, but my role here is over.¡± ¡°I understand...¡± If Karvan kept him here, it would only cause trouble. Even as a child, he understood that much. ¡°If I get the chance, I¡¯lle again.¡± Jeong-hoon gathered the pocket watch and stood up. ¡°Yes. Thank you for everything. I will never forget this kindness.¡± Karvan bowed deeply to Jeong-hoon. It was an unusual sight to see the Crown Prince of Hixmion bowing to a mere foreigner. If anyone else saw this, they would be shocked. But to Karvan, Jeong-hoon was like a second parent. After his mother passed away, Karvan had always been alone, and Jeong-hoon was the first person he could truly rely on. It was only natural for him to show respect. *** Jeong-hoon left the Hixmion Empire and headed straight to the northern field. Before finding his next opportunity, he nned to visit the Temple of Fate that Baal would open for him. While hunting in the field, a gap appeared, and the red eyes emerged. ¡°It took longer than I expected. I thought I was going to die from boredom.¡± As Baal spoke, a portal appeared in front of Jeong-hoon. It was the portal to the Temple of Fate. ¡°Alright. Time to go.¡± Jeong-hoon was about to step into the temple when Baal called out to him. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why do you think that?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± Jeong-hoon grinned. No matter what Baal said, if his memory was correct, the pocket watch would indeed be restored. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 267 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 267 [Lv. 350 Would you like to enter the Temple of Fate?] The level of the Temple of Fate was 350. Although this was lowerpared to Jeong-hoon''s current level, it wasn''t something to be taken lightly. ¡®The temple''s level adjusts to mine.¡¯ If a yer is below Level 350, the temple remains unchanged. However, if someone above that level enters, the temple scales upward to match their level. When entering as a party, the level adjusts to the highest-level yer in the group. For this reason, one should never underestimate a Level 350 temple. ¡®I¡¯m going in.¡¯ As Jeong-hoon epted, his body was sucked into the portal. His vision went dark, and when it cleared, he found himself standing in the center of an opulent temple. Before him, a strange crystal orb floated in midair. [Lv. 517 Mysterious Crystal Orb] The orb''s level was 517¡ªexactly the same as Jeong-hoon''s. ¡®It''s been a while since I¡¯ve seen this.¡¯ Before his regression, he had recklessly ced his hand on the crystal orb, unaware of what would happen. Now, Jeong-hoon knew exactly what the orb would trigger. ¡®A boss monster appears ording to the level.¡¯ Once the boss spawns, battle begins immediately. Jeong-hoon had no intention of defeating the boss right away. ¡®If I want clues about the pocket watch, I need to search the temple.¡¯ He turned away from the orb and began inspecting the temple. Fate. A predetermined future. Before his regression, the fate Jeong-hoon had glimpsed was his rise as an All-Master. The only reason he had seen such a limited vision was because he had failed topletely subjugate the boss. When a yer ces their hand on the orb, they are given just five minutes. During that time, they must confront the boss. At the end of those five minutes, the crystal orb reflects thebat results and reveals a vision of their fate. ¡°Nothing here.¡± Unfortunately, there were no clues about the pocket watch to be found. It seemed there was no other option but to interact with the crystal orb. ¡®This won¡¯t be easy.¡¯ Before his regression, Jeong-hoon had only managed to reduce the boss¡¯s health by a mere 2%. Some might suggest using all avable buff skills to overwhelm it, but the boss had the ability to copy all of Jeong-hoon''s powers. If Jeong-hoon used buffs, the boss would also grow stronger. On the other hand, applying debuffs would simply be negated. This made the boss an exceptionally difficult opponent, requiring meticulous strategy. But this time, things were different. Jeong-hoon was determined to utterly defeat it. At that moment, a rift opened, and a pair of crimson eyes emerged. The crescent-shaped eyes of Baal curved with amusement. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly to my liking.¡± Jeong-hoon deliberately furrowed his brow. Baal, apparently pleased by the expression, narrowed his eyes even further in amusement. ¡°You told me toe to the temple if I wanted to know, but it¡¯s all nonsense.¡± Baal directed his gaze toward the crystal orb. ¡°The crystal orb?¡± Feigning ignorance, Jeong-hoon yed dumb. ¡°Oh? So you showed up to tell me that?¡± ¡°A wager?¡± Quite obsessed with making contracts, aren¡¯t you? Jeong-hoon paused to think. Could he defeat the boss that would appear from the crystal orb? To acquire the restoration material, he would have topletely annihte the boss. He knew this because, during his previous encounter, he had briefly seen an item while reviewing the reward calctions. That item was none other than the Blessing of the Gods. A top-tier item capable of restoring damaged, non-functional artifacts. Even the ultimate restoration potion hadn¡¯t been able to repair the pocket watch, but with the Blessing of the Gods, it might be possible. It was clear why Baal had brought up the Temple of Fate¡ªit was all connected to that item. The issue, however, was that Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t confident he could defeat the boss. ¡®Do I really need to ept this wager?¡¯ Jeong-hoon had already opened the Temple of Fate through his own efforts, so there was no need to take an additional gamble. ¡°I refuse.¡± After careful consideration, Jeong-hoon declined the wager. He had no particr reason to extract anything from Baal, nor any incentive to take unnecessary risks. He noticed Baal¡¯s crimson eyes tremble faintly. ¡°Sometimes, even I need to take a break.¡± ¡°Why so upset? Haven¡¯t I already given you plenty of entertaining spectacles?¡± ¡°In any case, if there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯d appreciate it if you left.¡± ¡°I¡¯m missing the ultimate energy right now. Provide me with all of it.¡± <¡­> Was the demand too unreasonable? Baal fell silent for a moment. ¡®If he agrees, great. If not, oh well.¡¯ Jeong-hoon had nothing to lose. In truth, avoiding the wager was far safer, but if he could fill his ultimate energy to 100%, it was a gamble worth taking. ¡°So, what¡¯s your decision?¡± ¡°Great. But there¡¯s a condition.¡± ¡°Do not interfere in the dungeon.¡± <...Fine. I won¡¯t.> The deal was sealed. *** The wager began, and Jeong-hoon approached the crystal orb. [Lv. 517 Mysterious Crystal Orb] Jeong-hoon ced his hand on the orb. Immediately, it began voraciously absorbing his mana. Although his formidable mana drained rapidly, Jeong-hoon remained unfazed. He¡¯d already panicked enough in his previous regressions. [Lv. 517 Mysterious Death Reaper has appeared.] [Hunt time: 5 minutes.] With that message, the crystal orb vanished, and before Jeong-hoon stood a reaper draped in a ck shroud. In its hand was a massive scythe. === [Detailed Stats] - Strength: 697 - Agility: 685 - Vitality: 643 - Defense: 665 - Wisdom: 621 - Mana: 1,332 - Divine Power: 906 - Mental Strength: 619 === The reaper had perfectly copied Jeong-hoon¡¯s stats. ¡®I can¡¯t use buffs.¡¯ Using buffs would only increase the reaper¡¯s stats as well, and debuffs wouldn¡¯t affect it. Worse, it would turn the debuffs back onto Jeong-hoon. Although he could use Safeguard to counteract them, that would render buffs pointless either way. ¡®If only I could use Annihtion, this would be easy.¡¯ An overpowered ability to rapidly drain life force. However, debuffs and simr effects didn¡¯t work on the reaper. On top of that, since it had copied Jeong-hoon¡¯s abilities, it could use Annihtion too. ¡®I have no choice but to beat it with pure skill.¡¯ Havingpleted his calctions, Jeong-hoon activated Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion. The reaper mirrored him, moving exactly the same way. Jeong-hoon threw a punch. The punch carried the energy of Heavenly Demon Lord''s Fist Art, Level 1. Whoosh! But his fist didn¡¯t connect with the reaper¡¯s face. Because the reaper evaded using its movement. Thwack! At that moment, Jeong-hoon stepped forward and struck the reaper''s chest with his elbow. The reaper''s face instantly twisted with surprise, and Jeong-hoon seized the opportunity to deliver a solid punch to its face. ¡°Gah!¡± With a short groan, the reaper staggered backward and fell. Its scythe slipped from its grip, spinning through the air before hurtling toward Jeong-hoon. As Jeong-hoon twisted his body to evade, the scythe shifted direction, aiming for his back. Danger. Jeong-hoon dropped to his knees in the same motion. The scythe barely grazed his hair as it passed. Before the weapon could adjust its course again, Jeong-hoon used Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps to close the distance to the reaper. ¡°Not bad.¡± The reaper distanced itself from Jeong-hoon using Heavenly Demon Lord''s Steps and extended its hand. The scythe immediately returned to its grasp. Remaining time: 4 minutes and 25 seconds. ncing at the dwindling time, Jeong-hoon activated Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion once more. Simultaneously, he retrieved Leviathan from his inventory. [Form 1: Heavenly Demon Lord''s First Stance initiated.] He unleashed the first form of Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Sword. ng! However, the reaper mirrored his actions perfectly, wlessly defending against the attack. [A mark has been engraved.] Not only that, but the reaper replicated the marking process exactly. Even so, Jeong-hoon relentlessly continued his assault with the Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Sword. ng! ng! The exchange of blows continued unabated. Time was slipping away quickly, leaving only 3 minutes remaining. At this rate, Jeong-hoon would lose the wager with Baal. ¡°That won¡¯t happen.¡± The Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Sword was an advanced evolution of his swordsmanship. It had been upgraded from Annihtion Sword to Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Sword, a technique virtually wless in execution. But Jeong-hoon, having repeatedly executed the swordsmanship, noticed a crucial w in the reaper''s replication. ¡°It can¡¯t perfectly perform the swordsmanship.¡± Jeong-hoon deliberately executed a slightly imperfect form of Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Sword, creating intentional openings. As expected, the reaper mimicked his movements, replicating the wed execution. Jeong-hoon nned to exploit these openings to end the battle decisively. ng! ng! He continued wielding his sword, executing the first form repeatedly. The reaper mirrored his every movement, countering with its scythe. The fierce exchange carried on until their weapons shed violently, destabilizing both of them. Now was the moment. [Form 3: Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Stance initiated.] Jeong-hoon, who had momentarily lost his bnce, raised his sword and thrust it forward in a single fluid motion. Swish! Thud! The attack pierced through cleanly with such speed that it was impossible for the reaper to replicate. ¡°Gah!¡± The reaper copsed, clutching its throat where the de had struck. [Form 3: Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Stance initiated.] Jeong-hoon immediately unleashed the third form again, targeting the fallen enemy. ng! This time, the reaper¡¯s scythe flew toward him, deflecting the Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Stance. ¡°As expected.¡± Without hesitation, Jeong-hoon extended his hand, seizing the scythe midair. Buzz¡ª The scythe struggled violently, attempting to wrench itself free from his grip. His arm shook from the resistance, but Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t let go. ¡°You... damn... pest...¡± The reaper, coughing up blood, red at him with a mixture of rage and desperation. With the mark engraved and the third form of Heavenly Demon Lord''s Annihtion Stance executed, the attack had inflicted a mortal wound. Despite this, Jeong-hoon had never once used healing abilities. He avoided activating them deliberately because the reaper could only replicate abilities that were used in its presence. With such grievous injuries, recovery was now impossible for the enemy. ¡°This ends now.¡± Jeong-hoon hurled the scythe with all his might.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Simultaneously, he activated Heavenly Demon Lord''s Dominion and initiated the third form once more. The scythe attempted to block in a rush, but Jeong-hoon¡¯s sword reached the reaper¡¯s throat first. ¡°Gah!¡± The de pierced the reaper¡¯s neck again, silencing it with a final death cry. The flying scythe disintegrated immediately afterward. [You have perfectly vanquished the enigmatic reaper.] Only after confirming the system message did Jeong-hoon allow himself to copse onto the ground. ¡°Phew... it¡¯s over.¡± Barely a minute remained on the timer. Had he not exploited the reaper¡¯s weaknesses, the mission would have ended in failure. It was then that Baal appeared, his crimson eyes wide with shock. ¡°What¡¯s got you so surprised?¡± Baal had anticipated that Jeong-hoon would use all his abilities to defeat the reaper. In that case, the reaper would have replicated every one of them, and the five-minute limit would have been wasted. But Jeong-hoon did the exact opposite. He deliberatelyunched attacks riddled with ws, forcing the reaper to replicate the same imperfect techniques. This created openings, which Jeong-hoon exploited to decisively turn the tide in his favor. Baal was rendered speechless by the wless strategy. It was impossible to imagine such a perfect approach without an intimate understanding of the reaper¡¯s abilities. How in the world¡­ ¡°Anyway, honor your promise.¡± That meant replenishing all the ultimate energy that Jeong-hooncked. The ultimate energy¡ªby granting Jeong-hoon this power in its entirety, he would be able to challenge the pinnacle of strength. To think that he, Baal, would end up as the greatest benefactor enabling Jeong-hoon¡¯s ascent to ultimate power. ¡°Wait here. I¡¯ll restore it right away.¡± <¡­> The reaper had been perfectly vanquished. Now, the orb of destiny would grant Jeong-hoon a reward while also revealing a glimpse of his future. After catching his breath briefly, Jeong-hoon rose and approached the orb. ¡®What will it show me this time?¡¯ While the reward was of interest, it was the glimpse of his future that intrigued him the most. Jeong-hoon ced his hand on the orb. The orb began to glow, and text emerged above it. ¡°What¡­?¡± Jeong-hoon frowned deeply as he read the message. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 268 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 268 ["Your Fate will not change. ept the fate given to you."] Fate cannot change, huh. What an utterly unpleasant phrase. <"It speaks the obvious. Fate is something that can never be altered."> Baal gazed at the words with satisfaction in his eyes. No matter how remarkable humans may be, altering their predetermined Fate is an impossibility. "How amusing." Jeong-hoon¡¯s frown softened, his expression now calm andposed. <"Amusing, you say?"> "Yes. I¡¯m entertained at the thought of proving this damned crystal ball wrong." <"Prove it wrong?"> How iprehensible. That crystal ball is meant to divine Fate. Unless one is a transcendental being of a Demon King-level or higher, not even Baal himself could defy the Fate foretold by the orb. How could a mere human possibly do so? Such arrogance is precisely what this is. "Yes, it¡¯s wrong. I will change this cursed Fate." <"Oh?"> Jeong-hoon closed the book that contained the phrase. [What kind of Fate could provoke such anger in you?] ¡®Master, calm down. Just ignore whatever nonsense that crystal ball says.¡¯ No. After perfectly vanquishing the Grim Reaper, he gained a broader perspective on the future. The assertion that Fate cannot be changed? ¡®It must mean I can¡¯t end this goddamn game.¡¯ Jeong-hoon¡¯s ultimate goal. The termination of New World. To bring peace to the world in the process. But the crystal ball deres such a thing impossible. ¡®Then I¡¯ll prove it wrong.¡¯ It won¡¯t be an easy path, but it¡¯s the only one he¡¯s been running toward. Even after regression, his resolve hasn¡¯t wavered. If ending New World is possible, he¡¯s ready to do whatever it takes. For that, he¡¯ll need even greater strength. How could he end this game if he¡¯s incapable of dealing with even a single monarch-level transcendent? [Rewards are being calcted.] [An unbelievable result!] [You¡¯ve earned the highest reward possible!] [Please select one reward of your choice.] The rewards were tallied. Before Jeong-hoon, a list of five items appeared. ¡®There¡¯s no need to hesitate.¡¯ After all, he had even bet against Baal. Jeong-hoon''s purpose foring here was, above all, the restoration of the pocket watch. "Divine Blessing." There was no need to even nce at the other four items; his choice was clear. [You have obtained ¡®Divine Blessing.¡¯] It was done. With this, he sessfully acquired the Divine Blessing. Unlike the Ultimate Restoration Potion, the Divine Blessing was a small, stone-shaped item. ¡®An item I couldn¡¯t even dream of touching before regression.¡¯ === [Divine Blessing] - Type: Consumable - Grade: ?? (Grade Undetectable) - Description: A mystical stone imbued with the power of a god. - Effect: Restores the functionality of broken items. === With the Divine Blessing, he could finally restore the broken pocket watch. Jeong-hoon took the pocket watch out of his inventory. [You can restore the ¡®Broken Pocket Watch.¡¯] A message appeared. Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips curled into a grin so wide it almost reached his ears. "Baal, it looks like I¡¯ve won, don¡¯t you think?" <"Yes... I¡¯ve lost."> "Let¡¯s talk more after the restoration isplete." For now, restoring the pocket watch came first. [Restoring the ¡®Broken Pocket Watch.¡¯] [Materials required: ¡®Divine Blessing,¡¯ ¡®Ultimate Restoration Potion.¡¯] [Materials will be consumed.] The Ultimate Restoration Potion and the Divine Blessing dissolved and were absorbed into the pocket watch. The previously broken pocket watch began to tick again, its hands moving once more. === [Psyche¡¯s Pocket Watch] - Type: Watch - Grade: ??? - Description: A watch imbued with the power of Psyche, the Goddess of Fate. - Effect: Allows the user to travel to a time based on their memories (maximum duration: 120 hours). - Additional Info: Not restricted by dimensions. The item disappears after a single use. === A truly insane item. An artifact capable of time travel. Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t sure what Mist had wanted, but it was evident he desired to use the watch to travel into the past. This watch allowed its user to move to any desired time in their memory. ¡®This is incredible¡­¡¯ While Jeong-hoon was absentmindedly fiddling with the watch, a barrage of new messages flooded in. [You have restored an item containing Psyche¡¯s power.] [You have achieved an unprecedented level of aplishment.] [You have been awarded 1,000,000 points.] [Achievement Points: 1,000,000 have been awarded.] [The Temple of Fate has been renamed to Psyche¡¯s Temple.] So that¡¯s how it is. The owner of this temple is Psyche. Psyche¡ªone of the five Named Gods and the overseer of Fate. I didn¡¯t expect this temple to belong to her. Baal let out a sigh. <"I stopped Mist from taking it, only for a human to go and restore itpletely."> ¡°So, this is the secret of the pocket watch you mentioned?¡± <"Yes. That pocket watch belongs to Psyche."> Even Baal couldn¡¯t casually utter her name. ¡°Then you owe me a reward for our wager, don¡¯t you?¡± The agreed reward from the wager was to fully replenish Jeong-hoon¡¯s depleted Ultimate Energy. <"Do you think this will change your fate?"> ¡°It won¡¯t, but it¡¯ll make me stronger than I am now.¡± Despite reaching celestial-level power, Jeong-hoon still couldn¡¯t defeat a single Sovereign-ss being. However, if he attained Ultimate Power, things could change. He nned to approach it step by step without haste. <"...Ha, damn it. If I¡¯d known it¡¯d turn out this way, I shouldn¡¯t have made the bet."> Gambling often leads to ruin. ¡°Be more careful next time,¡± Jeong-hoon quipped with a smirk. A message appeared before him. [Your Ultimate Energy has been fully replenished.] [You have qualified to attain Ultimate Power.] [To im Ultimate Power, you mustplete all Ultimate Path quests.] It was done. Now, bypleting the Ultimate Path quests, he could im Ultimate Power. But before that, there was something else he needed to address. ¡®I need to investigate the force that sent me to the past.¡¯ The unknown power that had sent him back. It was the same power he had encountered when he prevented Earth¡¯s destruction in the past. With this pocket watch, uncovering its nature wouldn¡¯t be too difficult. ¡®And revenge.¡¯ He had no lingering attachments to the past. After regression, he seeded in protecting his mother, who had be a formidable Sniper of Creation. The only unresolved matter was dealing with the traitors, led by James Marcus, who had brought him to ruin. ¡®But exacting revenge on their current selves won¡¯t be true revenge.¡¯ For Jeong-hoon, true revenge meant ending the game itself, erasing their power entirely. The reasoning was simple¡ªtheir current selves, strictly speaking, weren¡¯t the traitors yet. The ones in the present haven¡¯t yet berades, nor have they killed him. That¡¯s why he only punished them thoroughly when they crossed the line. However, if he could pinpoint a moment from his past and travel there, the situation would be different. Returning to the moment of betrayal to eradicate them once and for all. ¡°Hey, Baal.¡± <"What is it?"> ¡°What happens if I use this?¡± <"What exactly are you asking?"> ¡°I¡¯m asking if you can interfere.¡± <"Do you think that¡¯s possible? It¡¯s a power that lets you travel back to the past. I won¡¯t be able to do anything."> As expected. In that case, he could use it without worry. At the very least, no one would realize that he was a regressor. Jeong-hoon imbued the pocket watch with his mana. As he did, his vision darkened, and a holographic message appeared in front of him. Everything around him was pitch ck, making it impossible to see anything else. [Select the point in time you wish to return to.] The point in time he wanted to return to. Strictly speaking, Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t aiming to return to the past but to the future. And that future existed vividly in his memory. [Using Psyche¡¯s Pocket Watch.] As the pocket watch activated, Jeong-hoon¡¯s body was swallowed by a radiant light. *** When his vision returned, an unfamiliarndscape unfolded before him. ¡°¡­Where is this?¡± Jeong-hoon looked around. If he had arrived at the right point in time, this should be Seoul. Seoul, which had once been reduced to rubble butter sessfully rebuilt. However, there wasn¡¯t even a trace of that Seoul now. ¡°What¡­ is this?¡± Not even ruins remained. It was as if the city had never existed in the first ce,pletely erased. ¡°Damn bastards¡­ In the end, they couldn¡¯t prevent the destruction.¡± Jeong-hoon clenched his fists tightly. The traitors who had betrayed him for the nonsensical reason of wanting to cling to their power. At first, they had rallied around the goal of ending the game. But when he found a way to actually do it, they spouted absurdities about preserving it instead. And this was the result of their choices? Before his regression, he had been on the verge ofpleting 99% of the game¡¯s episodes. They had betrayed him to ensure he couldn¡¯t reach 100% and confront the Architect. If that was their decision, they should have at least managed to prevent the destruction. But instead, they left everything in shambles? ¡°Bastards.¡± Of course, even reaching 100% didn¡¯t guarantee that the game would end. It only granted an opportunity to confront the Architect. However, having been betrayed in a situation where he didn¡¯t yet know the full picture, Jeong-hoon¡¯s fury reached its peak. ¡°I wanted to return to the point where I could have prevented the destruction, if possible.¡± Regrettably, it seemed he had failed to pinpoint the exact moment. ¡°Huh? Who¡­ are you?¡± At that moment, a small voice reached his ears. Jeong-hoon instinctively turned his head. Two men were cautiously approaching him. ¡°Quiet.¡±n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om With a single step using the Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Steps, Jeong-hoon appeared directly in front of them in an instant. ¡°Gah!¡± ¡°Sorry, but could I take a look at your watch?¡± The New World Watch. At this time, allmunication systems were integrated into the New World Watch, a system created by transcendents to monitor everything. ¡°W-Wait, shouldn¡¯t we figure out who you are first?¡± The man¡¯s wary eyes were filled with suspicion. ¡°Don¡¯t you recognize me?¡± Jeong-hoon pointed at his own face with his finger. At this time, he was famous as the All-Master. He had even personally stopped an apocalypse once. There wasn¡¯t a single person who didn¡¯t know him. ¡°Wha¡ª?! Are you¡­ Jeong-hoon?¡± ¡°Hold on, but you look way too young for that¡­¡± The two men activated their watches and searched for Jeong-hoon. Although he looked noticeably younger, he was still recognizable. Furthermore, the nickname he often used was unmistakable. Even if the levels were different, the nickname Hoon was unique to Jeong-hoon alone. ¡°There are some circumstances behind my appearance, but yes, I am the Jeong-hoon you know.¡± After verifying the nickname, the men nodded. ¡°O-Oh, I see¡­ but what about the watch?¡± ¡°I just need to check something quickly.¡± ¡°Ah, understood.¡± With that, one of the men handed his watch to Jeong-hoon. The first thing Jeong-hoon checked was the date. It had been six months since he had stopped the apocalypse. ¡°Only six months¡­¡± Right before he regressed, Seoul had been intact. In other words, in just half a year, South Korea¡¯s capital had beenpletely destroyed. ¡°What happened in those six months?¡± At Jeong-hoon¡¯s question, the man¡¯s expression darkened noticeably. ¡°The All-Master went missing¡­ and consecutive apocalypses struck. As a result, Seoul was wiped out.¡± Jeong-hoon furrowed his brows. Just as he had expected. "More importantly, did you hear that I went missing?" "Yes. James Marcus announced it publicly." "Is that so..." That bastard. He betrays me and then boldly deres that I¡¯ve gone missing? "Then where exactly have you been, All-Master?" "It''s a long story. Where are the other survivors?" "Ah, we¡¯re from Namyangju. We¡¯re here conducting inspections for reconstruction efforts." "At least it¡¯s good to know that area is still intact." "Yes, the situation is bleak, but we¡¯re doing our best to hold on. Have you met up with yourrades?" Jeong-hoon¡¯s lips twitched. Comrades. No, those treacherous bastards. The misaligned timeline meant he had to give up on the mysterious power he sought, but vengeance still remained. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 269 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 269 ¡°He should be in Texas right now.¡± The traitors were in Texas. Jeong-hoon was given only 120 hours. Within that time, he nned to exact his revenge, prevent further destruction, and im new power. ¡°The First Cataclysm. I obtained an unknown power there.¡± Rewards were granted for stopping each Cataclysm. One of those rewards was the enigmatic, unknown power. If he could obtain a simr level of reward and return, it would y a significant role in overturning fate. The traitorous group, including James Marcus, was reportedly preventing a Cataclysm urring in Texas. In other words, there wasn¡¯t just one Cataclysm. ¡°If I clear a Cataclysm-level dungeon, I might not obtain unknown power, but I could still gain somethingparable.¡± The reason he used the pocket watch immediately wasn¡¯t just for revenge or investigating the unknown power. Ultimately, it was to achieve his goal of twisting the fate imposed on him. [Your fate will not change. ept the destiny given to you.] Hearing such nonsense¡ªhow could he not feel enraged? As New World began to materialize, progress had to be made step by step from the bottom, making explosive growth realistically difficult. Despite acquiring many opportunities, he still couldn¡¯t stand against beings like Demon King-Level Transcendents. This made rapid growth even more critical, which is why he chose to directly prevent Cataclysms and seize immense power. Having already stopped the First Cataclysm directly, there was no reason the subsequent ones would be impossible to stop. ¡°I need to grow as much as I can in these 120 hours.¡±n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Only 120 hours were given. Even if he couldn¡¯t fully uncover the secrets of the unknown power, Jeong-hoon was determined to use this time to grow, not just to avenge himself. Only then would using the pocket watch hold any meaning. ¡°To face the Architect as an equal, that¡¯s what I need.¡± Both revenge and the game¡ªhe would end them with his own hands. With that resolve, Jeong-hoon immediately set off for Texas. *** At that time. Inside a building in Texas, James Marcus and his group were waiting. Their expressions were grim. ¡°James! What are we going to do now?¡± Sophia, the Dark Mage and Debuff Master, asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°No, how can you just sit there after seeing what¡¯s happening outside?¡± Outside the window, a massive portal shimmered ominously. If they failed to enter the portal and prevent the Cataclysm, all of Los Angeles would be wiped off the map. Yet none of them, including James Marcus, dared to step into that portal. It wasn¡¯t surprising¡ªit was a dungeon at level 2,000. This meant a being of an entirely different magnitude was lurking within. ¡°That¡¯s right, James. If we keep avoiding this, the Earth will bepletely destroyed.¡± ¡°I never thought this would happen right after killing that guy¡­¡± Jeong-hoon. The Korean Man They Killed Half a Year Ago. Once arade who had fought by their side, Jeong-hoon was determined to end the game. But when they learned that their power would disappear, they betrayed him in an effort to stop him. The betrayal was driven by the desperate need to protect that power. Yet protecting it hade at a grave cost¡ªCataclysm now loomed over them. In just half a year, countless cities had been erased. In the United States alone, 13 states had already been annihted. While 30 or so states, including Texas, still remained, in just 20 hours, Texas would vanish too. The people clung to hope, wishing desperately for the strongest party to conquer the dungeon. But that so-called strongest party did nothing more than linger around the dungeon¡¯s perimeter. ¡°If we go in now, we¡¯ll all die,¡± James Marcus stated firmly. ¡°Why do you think that?¡± Sophia, the Dark Mage and Debuff Master, countered. ¡°Look at our levels. Level 2,000 is high, yes, but it¡¯s not impossible.¡± Their levels were nearly at 1,000¡ªa daunting gap, but Sophia believed that if theybined their strength, stopping the Cataclysm was not entirely out of reach. James, however, shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ So, what? Are you saying we should just sit back and watch Texas get wiped out?¡± ¡°If I¡¯d known it woulde to this, I would¡¯ve agreed with Hoon and ended the game¡­¡± Silence fell over the group. When Jeong-hoon had insisted the game could be ended, the Earth was still rtively intact. While the dungeons had caused devastation, it was damage that could still be repaired. At the time, they were revered as ¡°gods¡± by the survivors. Originally, their goal had been to end the game early, but somewhere along the way, they had sumbed to the intoxication of power and lost sight of that goal. ¡°And so what? Do you think regretting it will bring Hoon back to life?¡± James broke the silence with a bitter expression. Jeong-hoon was dead. They had burned his corpse and scattered his ashes into the sea. ¡°It¡¯s funny hearing that from you, though, considering you¡¯re the one who killed him,¡± Lee Hwa-Rang said with a sneer. While they had collectively driven Jeong-hoon to the edge, it was James Marcus who had delivered the final blow. ¡°I¡¯m well aware, so you don¡¯t need to remind me,¡± James replied coldly. ¡°Really? Then you haven¡¯t forgotten that you were the first to im our powers would disappear if we ended the game?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± James Marcus had been the one to first raise the idea that ending the game would mean losing their powers. He had approached each member individually, persuading them to oppose ending the game. Initially, most of them had wanted to bring the game to a close. But James managed to sway the one he had spent the most time with¡ªLouis Verdan. Louis, who possessed mind-control skills, then used those abilities to bring the rest of the group under their influence. Once Jeong-hoon was killed, Louis Verdan''s mind control began to wane. As its effects gradually dissipated, the group started to realize the gravity of their wrongdoing. However, their newfound rity came toote¡ªJeong-hoon, who had fought to end the game, was already gone. ¡°...Hwarang, watch your words,¡± Louis Verdan warned. ¡°Oh? And do you think you¡¯re in any position to say that?¡± At Amelie Reina¡¯s biting remark, all eyes turned to Louis. Feeling the weight of their stares, Louis let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°There were reasons for everything,¡± he muttered. ¡°Reasons? Reasons we would find eptable?¡± asked Paul Raymond, the group¡¯s leader, his expression grim. Louis nodded. ¡°Yes. If you want details, ask James.¡± With that, every gaze shifted to James Marcus. ¡°...Louis, I told you to keep that to yourself,¡± James grumbled, exhaling deeply. ¡°And how long did you n to keep it hidden? We all betrayed Jeong-hoon. Do you want us to live with this guilt forever?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± James faltered, unable to respond. Bang! The heavy doors swung open, and a young man in his early twenties strode in. ¡°Found you.¡± ¡°...!¡± Every pair of eyes widened in shock. Standing before them was Jeong-hoon, who should have been dead. What¡¯s more, he looked much younger than when theyst saw him. *** ¡°So, this is where you¡¯ve been hiding,¡± Jeong-hoon muttered, his gaze dripping with disdain as he scanned the room. Outside, the portal that unleashed the penalty of Destruction shimmered ominously. The only way to stop the apocalypse was to close the dungeon tied to it. Yet these bastards were just sitting here, watching it all unfold. ¡°Hey,¡± Jeong-hoon called out, his voiceced with venom as he fixed his eyes on James Marcus. ¡°Miss me?¡± Look closely. This isn¡¯t just power¡ªit¡¯s authority. The kind that ces the world beneath my feet. James Marcus had spewed such nonsense as he tried to snuff out Jeong-hoon¡¯s life. Jeong-hoon took a step forward, utilizing the Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Step to close the distance in an instant. Though the group had reached a celestial level of mastery and could perceive his movements, they found themselves paralyzed, unable to react. Their shock at seeing Jeong-hoon alive¡ªand younger¡ªfroze them in ce. ¡°...¡± James Marcus, now seized by the cor, remained silent, his face pale. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance to run that mouth of yours,¡± Jeong-hoon sneered. ¡°Do you still think the game shouldn¡¯t be ended?¡± ¡°...How did you find us?¡± James croaked. Jeong-hoon¡¯s grip tightened. "Did I tell you to ask questions?" ¡°Urgh¡­¡± James Marcus groaned, struggling to breathe under Jeong-hoon¡¯s tightening grip. ¡°You lot are next, so sit tight,¡± Jeong-hoon growled, his voice brimming with killing intent. He red back at James, fury zing in his eyes. Yet, to Jeong-hoon¡¯s surprise, the corner of James¡¯s lips began to curl into a faint smile. ¡°As expected¡­ Sending you was the right choice.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You seeded in returning¡­ didn¡¯t you?¡± At those words, Jeong-hoon¡¯s grip ckened. The shock of hearing the word "returning" escape James¡¯s mouth was beyond anything he had anticipated. ¡°You¡­¡± Cough! Cough! James heaved, his breathing ragged. ¡°Thank you¡­ and I¡¯m sorry for putting you in that role¡­¡± Jeong-hoon frowned, his thoughts racing. ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll answer your earlier question,¡± James said, his voice hoarse. ¡°I think this game must end.¡± ¡°Ha.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s mind swirled with confusion. Moments ago, he had been ready to annihte everyone in the room and close the dungeon portal outside. Now, James Marcus¡ªsomeone he had marked as a traitor¡ªwas suddenly talking about ending the game. ¡°I won¡¯t make excuses,¡± James said earnestly. ¡°Even if you kill me, I won¡¯t me you.¡± His gaze was sincere, devoid of any deceit, and it left Jeong-hoon momentarily speechless. [Master¡­ who are you, really?] ¡®A regressor¡­ That¡¯s it. Now everything makes sense.¡¯ Mukho and Anima¡¯s murmurs echoed in Jeong-hoon¡¯s mind, but he barely registered them. His thoughts were a chaotic mess. ¡°James Marcus,¡± Jeong-hoon said finally, his tone cold. ¡°Spill everything you know. Now.¡± [Activating Mind Control.] Jeong-hoon tried using his mind control ability. [Mind Control failed. Target¡¯s resistance is too high.] James Marcus¡¯s immunity to the epic-tier mind control left Jeong-hoon grimacing. ¡°You¡¯ve even gained mind control¡­ Fine. I¡¯ll tell you everything. But hold off on killing me for a bit.¡± Jeong-hoon silently nodded, his eyes boring into James. ¡°What I¡¯m about to say is hard to believe, but it¡¯s the truth.¡± *** Regression¡ªthe ability to live one¡¯s life again. James Marcus was a regressor. The key to his regression? The First Cataclysm. ¡°If the First Cataclysm is stopped, one gains a power beyondprehension.¡± At first, James hadn¡¯t realized this "power" was the ability to regress. James initially dismissed the energy as merely simr in nature to magic but fundamentally different. However, everything changed during the Second Cataclysm. James Marcus perished in the dungeon¡¯s overwhelming difficulty, marking the end of his life and the beginning of his first regression. Strictly speaking, regression was a fusion of his consciousness into the past self of a parallel world. After his first regression, James rapidly advanced, gathering allies once again to challenge the impending doom. ¡°Gah!¡± But history repeated itself. Failing to prevent the Second Cataclysm, his party was wiped out once more. Thanks to the power of regression gained during the first Cataclysm, James returned again. Determined, he scoured for fortuitous opportunities and continued to grow stronger. ¡°Argh!¡± Yet, when the Second Cataclysm loomed again, James met his end for the third time. And then the fourth, the fifth¡­ The cycle of death and regression repeated so many times that he lost count. The relentless trials wore on his psyche, leaving him consumed by despair. At times, James contemted abandoning everything and sumbing to death. ¡°If this fails again¡­ it¡¯ll be the end. I¡¯ll ept death quietly.¡± That was his resolve during his most recent attempt. It was then that he met Jeong-hoon¡ªa wild card amidst the endless cycles of familiar allies and oues. Jeong-hoon was unlike anyone James had encountered. Though unimpressive at first nce, Jeong-hoon possessed untapped potential that defied imagination¡ªpotential so vast it eclipsed that of all othersbined. Unfortunately, James¡¯s otherrades failed to see Jeong-hoon¡¯stent abilities. ¡°James, why would you bring someone like him into the group?¡± ¡°Look at him. His level is low, and his rank is even lower. He¡¯s just going to drag us down.¡± ¡°Please, for everyone¡¯s sake, get rid of that martial artist.¡± James knew their concerns, but he stood firm. ¡°Can¡¯t you trust me just this once? Hoon will be an invaluable ally to us.¡± His conviction was proven right. Jeong-hoon¡¯s growth was nothing short of extraordinary. He advanced at a breakneck pace, absorbing everything he witnessed in battles like a sponge. The most astonishing aspect of Jeong-hoon was his eidetic memory. He never forgot anything, no matter how insignificant, recalling even the smallest details with perfection. For James, this was a beacon of hope amidst his despair. ¡°If it¡¯s Hoon¡­ maybe he can create a future different from mine.¡± [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 270 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 270 The first time James Marcus met Jeong-hoon was in Seoul, South Korea. At the time, James had traveled to Seoul to clear a dungeon. While scouting the outskirts, he spotted a man struggling desperately against monsters. That man was Jeong-hoon. === [yer Information] - Nickname: Hoon - Level: 127 - ss: Intermediate Martial Artist (Second Advancement) === A mere Level 127 Intermediate Martial Artist. Yet, James couldn''t take his eyes off him¡ªnot because of his level, but because of the monsters he was fighting. [Lv. 150 ck Bear] Jeong-hoon was surrounded by four Level 150 ck Bears. Despite being unable to deal any significant damage to them, he persisted with relentless determination. "Hmm." James Marcus saw the fierce resolve in Jeong-hoon''s eyes. That wasn''t just anger¡ªit was hatred. A hatred that was singrly directed at the ck Bears. And more than that, it was the potential within Jeong-hoon. James had never seen such immensetent power before. "How did I overlook someone like this...?" It was as though all his repeated regressions had been leading him to this very moment¡ªto meet this man. "What¡¯s the matter? You like that guy?" Even Louis Verdan, who had apanied James through countless regressions, noticed his interest and asked. "Yeah. He¡¯s incredible." "Incredible, huh?" "Yeah." Without further exnation, James swiftly eliminated the ck Bears. At Level 150, they were mere nuisances to him. "...Thank you." Jeong-hoon, battered and exhausted, expressed his gratitude. He then turned to leave. "Wait!" James stopped him and asked Louis to heal his injuries. That was the beginning of their connection. From that point on, James put in relentless effort to recruit Jeong-hoon as an ally.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om When Jeong-hoon finally surpassed Level 300, James Marcus made a decision. He would entrust this regression to Jeong-hoon. He was certain Jeong-hoon could achieve a different oue than he ever could. "Hey, Hoon, sit down." Every night, James would call Jeong-hoon over as the day came to an end. "Why?" Every time, Jeong-hoon would try to leave with a reluctant expression. Of course, James Marcus wasn¡¯t the type to just let that happen. He would make Jeong-hoon sit down and engage him in conversation. James often boasted about himself on purpose. This was a strategy to prepare for when Jeong-hoon regressed, enabling him to seize fortuitous opportunities. With Jeong-hoon¡¯s perfect memory, he would undoubtedly im those opportunities. "Hey, James, do you think those fortuitous encounters were only meant for you?" In response, theirrades joined in, sharing their own heroic tales. Jeong-hoon focused intently, his ears practically twitching as if he didn¡¯t want to miss a single word. It was a very promising sign. "James, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re shielding that guy too much?" "I feel like our value diminishes when he¡¯s around." Naturally, maintaining that dynamic required considerable effort. The strongest party had one w¡ªan Asian martial artist. Whenever such assessments arose, therades harbored extreme disdain for Jeong-hoon. However, instead of breaking, Jeong-hoon only grew stronger, reaching celestial heights and earning the title "All-Master." "...Not bad." "What? Turns out James was right." As Jeong-hoon continued to excel, therades gradually began to acknowledge him, while James Marcus observed with a satisfied expression. And the moment drew near. James Marcus made an absurd im to Jeong-hoon and the others: that their powers would disappear. "Once this game ends, our power will vanish." He insisted that the game needed to continue. "What nonsense!" Naturally, Jeong-hoon opposed the idea. After all, the reason he joined the party and achieved such rapid growth was to avenge his mother. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say he wanted to end this game. So when James suggested keeping the game going, opposition was only natural. "Hoon, think carefully. Are you okay with losing your power now?" "Why are you even asking? Say that again, and I won¡¯t let it slide." "..." It was the expected response. James Marcus gradually convinced the others and, finally, the day of the decisive battle arrived¡ªthe First Cataclysm. "Hoon, you go." At the critical moment of ending the First Cataclysm, James entrusted everything to Jeong-hoon. "What? James, what are you talking about?" "You¡¯re sending Hoon alone?" "Is that really okay?" Feigning ignorance, therades questioned James. Thanks to Louis Verdan''s brainwashing, they had already agreed to follow James¡¯s n. Jeong-hoon, unaware of the n, nodded in agreement. "Alright. I''ll handle it ande back." Without suspicion, Jeong-hoon entered to stop the Cataclysm. When he sessfully prevented it and returned, James Marcus and the othersunched a full-on attack against him, cutting off his lifeline. "Ha. Damn. So you¡¯re justifying killing me now?" Jeong-hoon cursed as he listened to the story. At that, James Marcus fell silent. "..." "I get the gist. But why did you have to stab me in the back?" "I thought the heightened sense of vengeance would be a plus..." "Wow, this guy was insane even in theory, wasn¡¯t he?" Jeong-hoon couldn¡¯t hold back hisughter. Was this guy even serious? In the end, unable to do it himself, James had not only marked Jeong-hoon as his proxy but also betrayed him in the most arbitrary way. From James Marcus¡¯s perspective, he might have hoped for Jeong-hoon to change the future. But from Jeong-hoon¡¯s point of view, he had been used. Worse yet, ording to James, Jeong-hoon hadn¡¯t merely turned back time. A parallel world. Strictly speaking, he had returned to the past of another world. "So, the me of this world was already killed by those bastards." By the very people standing before him now. He hadn¡¯t even been able to exact revenge for his mother or see the game¡¯s conclusion. And the traitors who killed him were now just idly watching the Cataclysm unfold. Yet he was supposed to forgive them? "Don¡¯t make meugh." Jeong-hoon wasn¡¯t magnanimous enough to forgive the ones who killed him. "James, you still need to die." As he pulled Leviathan from his inventory, an arrow came flying toward him. "A Storm Arrow, huh." It was even a Celestial-grade arrow, a level above Legendary. Jeong-hoon spun his body, deflecting the arrow with Leviathan. Even so, the Storm Arrow, carrying heavy destructive force, continued flying and lodged itself in the wall. Crash! The wall couldn¡¯t withstand the impact and crumbled, revealing a massive portal outside the window. Jeong-hoon¡¯s gaze followed the source of the arrow. Lee Hwa-Rang. In the parallel world, he had be an Avatar and met his end at Jeong-hoon¡¯s hands. "Hey, calm down. I don¡¯t know how you ended up here, but monopolizing fortuitous encounters after regressing doesn¡¯t sound like a bad oue, does it?" The veins on Jeong-hoon¡¯s forehead bulged. "Shut up. I don¡¯t n to stop at killing James." Jeong-hoon ran his hand down his chest to his abdomen. "I remember every sensation of your attacks on me. No matter what happens, none of you are leaving here alive." "Hoon, calm down! Do you think we felt good about it?!" Louis Verdant unleashed Light Bind toward Jeong-hoon, aiming to immobilize him. "You''re spouting nonsense." However, Jeong-hoon evaded it with Heavenly Demon Ruling Steps. Before his regression, exhausted from preventing the Cataclysm, he had been caught in that very bind. He hadn''t even been able to resist properly before their full-on assault ended his life in an instant. That memory only fueled Jeong-hoon''s rage. "If you keep this up, we won¡¯t stand idly by!" Yi Hwarang shouted, drawing his bow and preparing Hellfire Shot. Should Jeong-hoon be thankful it wasn¡¯t an Arrow of Annihtion? Grinning, Jeong-hoon activated a buffing skill. To handle so many opponents, boosting his stats was necessary. With Celestial Aura emanating from him, Jeong-hoonunched into the techniques of the Heavenly Demon Annihtion Sword while utilizing Heavenly Demon Ruling Steps. ng! James Marcus urgently intervened, raising his shield. The sh of Leviathan and the shield resounded with a sharp metallic ring. "Hoon, if you must kill someone, let it be me! I orchestrated all of this!" "That¡¯s not going to happen. A reason doesn¡¯t justify murder, does it?" "Please... " "Then I¡¯ll repay you in kind." Jeong-hoon smirked and resumed his assault with the Heavenly Demon Annihtion Sword. ng! ng! But James Marcus could barely defend against the onught. Despite their levels exceeding 1,000 and possessing various fortuitous encounters, none of them could match Jeong-hoon. [3rd Form: Heavenly Demon Annihtion Technique activated.] Leviathan pierced through James¡¯s thigh as it sliced past. "Gah!" James groaned in pain, and just then, a ming spear flew toward Jeong-hoon. It was the Spear of the Fire Demon. Jeong-hoon twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the spear. At the same time, Hellfire Shot targeted his heart, but Jeong-hoon dodged it with Heavenly Demon Ruling Steps. Whoosh¡ª However, he couldn¡¯tpletely avoid it; the arrow grazed his chest, igniting mes where it passed. [¡®Divine Healing¡¯ activated.] Jeong-hoon quickly healed the wound with Divine Healing. "We were wrong! Please stop this!" Liu Xiaolong, who had thrown the spear, shouted desperately. "Stop? After you just threw a spear at me? Doesn¡¯t that seem a bit hypocritical?" Jeong-hoon''s lips curled into a twisted smirk. [Debuff: Mana Seal applied.] [Debuff: Attack Power Reduced Applied.] [Debuff: Defense Reduced Applied.] [Debuff: Shackles of Darkness Applied.] ... At that moment, 14 debuffs had been applied to Jeong-hoon. His gaze shifted toward Sophia, the Debuff Master. All these debuffs were her doing. It reminded him of before his regression, when he¡¯d been simrly overwhelmed by her debuffs. Light Bind, Spear of the Fire Demon, debuffs¡ªnostalgia wasn¡¯t quite the right word for it. Why had he been so powerless back then? [Holy of Glory activated.] Holy of Glory. It consumed 20% of his mana to purify everything. Against Sophia, whose debuffs were heavily darkness-aligned, simple cleansing skills like Safeguard weren¡¯t enough to remove thempletely. "This... this is impossible..." Sophia muttered nkly. She couldn¡¯t believe all those debuffs had vanished in an instant. "What¡¯s wrong? Upset I¡¯m not just taking it like before?" "...." "Fine. I¡¯ll concede you had your reasons for killing me. But why did you stand by and watch Earth¡¯s destruction?" "Because!" James, being treated by Amelie, shouted in panic. "We told you we couldn¡¯t stop the second Cataclysm no matter what we did!" "So what you¡¯re saying is, you dumped it all on me because you were too scared to die and had no confidence to change anything." "...." "Are you even human? If you had a shred of decency, you wouldn¡¯t have stood by idly, would you?" "...." Under Jeong-hoon¡¯s furious reproach, James and the others were rendered speechless, as if their tongues had been tied. "Hah. Do you even have the will to atone?" "Of course we do!" James stammered. "Then go in." "What...?" "Go in. Into that dungeon. Stop the second Cataclysm yourselves." Jeong-hoon pointed to the massive portal swirling ominously outside. Its oppressive presence was enough to make anyone hesitate, let alone approach it. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 271 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 271 The Second Cataclysm. Jeong-hoon lost his life immediately after the second Cataclysm. Because he was stabbed in the back. Even so, the reason he knows about the subsequent Cataclysms is because there are conditions for Cataclysm to be triggered. ¡®First, 20 years must have passed since the initial manifestation.¡¯ And the second condition is when the episodepletion rate reaches 99%. When the episode reaches 99%, three Cataclysms are forcibly unleashed. If all three Cataclysms are prevented, the episode thatpletes the remaining 100% can be undertaken. Jeong-hoon knew this, and therefore believed that if he could stop all three Cataclysms, he could finish the game. However, ording to James, the second Cataclysm is said to be impossible to clear. If he went in alone, he would fail with 100% certainty. In that case, using others could increase the chances of clearing it. They may be traitors, but their skills are undeniable. ¡°Are you saying we should stop the Cataclysm together¡­?¡± James¡¯s eyes trembled as he asked. ¡°You don¡¯t die here; you die after entering.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for you. If you stay here, Texas will be erased. Eventually, the entire Earth will disappear.¡± Jeong-hoon was right. Closing that dungeon was the only way to stop the second Cataclysm and temporarily restore peace. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll go in, so stop it now.¡± Amelie Reina spoke. She had realized that Jeong-hoon pressuring James and threatening them was all to get them to enter the dungeon. Remaining time: 117 hours. ¡®I have to stop the Cataclysm within this time.¡¯ If the second Cataclysm is stopped, the reward would be unimaginable. That reward could help overturn the fate that the mysterious crystal orb had foretold. ¡°Hun, as I said, the second Cataclysm¡­ no one has ever stopped it, not even once. The difficulty is that high.¡± James Marcus repeatedly warned that entering the dungeon would lead to annihtion. ¡°Go in.¡± Of course, Jeong-hoon had no intention of listening to him. It was a dungeon that needed to be cleared anyway. If he couldn¡¯t stand against this Cataclysm, how could he face whaty beyond it? ¡°¡­All right.¡± James Marcus nodded reluctantly. Even though he had personally ended Jeong-hoon¡¯s life to force the regression, he had always avoided the second Cataclysm out of fear. ¡®If I¡¯m going to atone, I have to do it right.¡¯ Then Alessandro Bryden urgently grabbed him. ¡°Wait! Are you really nning to close that now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hey, James, if what you¡¯re saying is true, we¡¯ll be wiped out!¡± The Second Cataclysm. A Cataclysm that is absolutely impossible to stop. Because of this, many regions had been swept away, and James could only watch helplessly. But he couldn¡¯t stand by any longer. ¡°Alessandro, this is our only chance.¡± ¡°Our only chance?¡± James Marcus nodded. ¡®When Hun came back, that was the opportunity.¡¯ It was hard to believe, but Jeong-hoon was alive. That meant Jeong-hoon had returned through a parallel world and, for some reason, appeared here. Whatever the case, there was only one choice left for them. To enter that dungeon. If left alone, the Cataclysm would continue until the Earth itself was obliterated. ¡®Hun has grown immeasurably strongerpared to thest time I saw him.¡¯ Just witnessing how he overwhelmed James was proof enough. Jeong-hoon was once known by the alias All Master, but he never had the strength to confront all of them simultaneously. Even if hisbat strength was at 100%, a coordinated attack would have easily defeated him. But the current Jeong-hoon had grown so much that victory was no longer guaranteed, even with a total offensive. With Jeong-hoon joining them, perhaps James¡¯s prediction of annihtion could be avoided. ¡°I told you, I¡¯ve regressed,¡± Jeong-hoon said. He began exining the strategy for the dungeon. Going in unprepared would lead to total annihtion. ¡°Speak,¡± Jeong-hoon demanded, asking about the dungeon strategy. Rather than wasting time on revenge, understanding the dungeon¡¯s mechanics was the smarter choice. After all, strength was necessary to twist this cursed fate. James nodded and began to speak. ¡°The enemy¡¯s special ability is reflection. During certain periods, it enters an invincible state and can forcibly return triple the damage it received to a designated target at will.¡± Even worse, this special ability could be used consecutively, meaning surviving one instance didn¡¯t mark the end. James Marcus had fought carefully, mindful of this special ability, but in the end, he fell victim to the reflection and lost his life. ¡°This isn¡¯t an opponent we can overpower with brute force, is it?¡± Paul Layman, themander, nodded as if he understood. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°What¡¯s its rank?¡± ¡°Demon King-tier. It¡¯s equivalent to a Sovereign-tier being.¡± A Demon King-tierparable to a Sovereign-tier. At James¡¯s words, everyone¡¯s faces darkened. While Apostle-tier enemies were manageable, a Demon King-tier was overwhelmingly difficult to handle. And this wasn¡¯t just any Demon King-tier¡ªit was on par with a Sovereign-tier. It was clear why James Marcus had been forced to regress repeatedly. ¡°If only we had managed toplete the Ultimate Energy to 100%, things might have been different...¡± Ultimate Energy, 100%. To gather all that energy would grant the right to im ultimate power. James Marcus had tirelessly worked toward acquiring the Ultimate Energy, but reaching 100% before the second Cataclysm was impossible. In fact, he hadn¡¯t even managed to reach 10%. [¡°Huh? But master already reached 100%!¡±] ¡®Indeed. If master attains the pinnacle and then prevents that Cataclysm, it should work.¡¯ No, that wasn¡¯t an option. There were only 117 hours left. Achieving ultimate power within that time frame might be impossible. Nor could they choose to im ultimate power and then use the pocket watch to reset. ¡®The Ultimate Energy was never meant to reach 100% in the first ce.¡¯ The only reason it had been filled to 100% was thanks to a gamble with Baal. Gathering the energy and iming the power were fundamentally different. Since fate couldn¡¯t be changed, iming ultimate power had likely been impossible. ¡®Even acquiring celestial power required defeating a Demon King-tier avatar.¡¯ The Ultimate Power would be exponentially harder to obtain. Jeong-hoon felt a sense of powerlessness against a Sovereign-tier opponent. iming ultimate power in his current state was out of reach. Thus, he nned to grow stronger by preventing Cataclysm and eventually im that power. Little did he know the difficulty of the second Cataclysm would be this overwhelming. Regardless, once inside the dungeon, the entire domain would be the enemy¡¯s territory. ¡°We don¡¯t have the luxury of staying out¡­¡± His muttering silenced the room. James Marcus¡¯s repeated regressions meant that their counterparts in parallel worlds had met their demise every single time. Surely, James had shared the strategy each time, emphasizing it as thoroughly as he was now. Just like this moment. ¡°It¡¯s doable,¡± Jeong-hoon said, breaking the heavy silence. He had faced Demon King-tier transcendent beings both before and after his regression. Notably, in the Path to the Ultimate quest, he had confronted Bng, a Demon King-tier transcendent under the Heavenly Demon Cult. Bng, who was nearly Sovereign-tier, had been so powerful that Jeong-hoon barely managed tost ten minutes against him. His strength was on apletely different levelpared to Apostle-tier enemies. Truthfully, saying ¡°it¡¯s doable¡± was a lie, but Jeong-hoon¡¯s calm demeanor caused even the betrayers¡¯ eyes to tremble slightly. ¡°Is that really true?!¡± James Marcus grabbed Jeong-hoon¡¯s hand, desperation in his voice. ¡°Let go.¡± Jeong-hoon¡¯s cold tone prompted James to release him immediately. ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why we¡¯ll study the strategy thoroughly and head in right away.¡± ¡°O-okay.¡± Hope flickered in James Marcus¡¯s eyes. He began to exin the strategy in detail, sharing everything he had painstakingly gathered through his repeated regressions. The Demon King-tier transcendent was a monster born from endless cycles of defeat and study. Darkhan¡ªa transcendent dragon. *** [Second Cataclysm: Would you like to enter Darkhan?] The Second Cataclysm. The party led by James Marcus epted the entry prompt. Following them, Jeong-hoon stepped into the dungeon. Upon entry, they were greeted by a vast cavern and an enormous dragon. ¡°Ho, humans are foolish enough to enter my domain?¡± The transcendent dragon. Darkhan. Its vertically slit pupils scanned the intruders, its gaze alone enough to overwhelm them. Every hair on their bodies stood on end from the tension, and their limbs trembled uncontrobly. ¡®Judging by its aura, it¡¯s above Bng.¡¯ Even so,pared to Mist, whom he had recently faced, Darkhan seemed manageable. To Jeong-hoon, Darkhan wasn¡¯t a Sovereign-tier being. It was merely a high-ranking transcendent within the Demon King tier. A true Sovereign was on an entirely different level. ¡°Be careful! It¡¯s about to start!¡± James Marcus shouted a warning. At that moment, Darkhan exhaled mes¡ªnot directly at them but onto the surroundings. The mes burned brightly, forming a massive ring. [Debuffs applied: All stats reduced by 20%.] [Debuffs applied: Safeguard disabled.] [Debuffs applied: Random skill seal activated.] The mes weren¡¯t just to trap them. The moment the ring ignited, a devastating set of three debuffs took effect. ¡®A 20% stat reduction and a skill seal.¡¯ The debuffs were nothing short of crippling. Jeong-hoon immediately tried to activate Holy Orb of Glory. [Skill sealed: Holy Orb of Glory cannot be used.] Holy Orb of Glory, a skill that consumed 20% of his mana to purify everything, was sealed at the worst possible time. ¡®Even Safeguard is unusable.¡¯ With Safeguard disabled, his n to cleanse the debuffs with Holy Orb of Glory had failed. In other words, they were forced to fight Darkhan with the penalties in ce. ¡°Damn it, my crucial skills are sealed!¡± ¡°Just as James said,¡± another party member muttered. ¡°Alright, stick to the n we prepared!¡± Having carefully listened to James Marcus¡¯s strategies, the group didn¡¯t panic and began executing their respective roles. However, to Darkhan, their efforts were nothing more than a child¡¯s yful antics. The dragon yawned, thenzily beckoned them with a flick of its w, signaling for them toe closer at their peril. "Attack!" James Marcus charged forward, wielding a shield and sword. Following him, the martial artist Maximus Perion and Spear Master Liu Xiaolong joined the assault. Meanwhile, Dark Lord Kaneda Shun summoned a legion of shadow knights, encircling Darkhan. "Step back." In the midst of this, Poisoner Min Jin-ho raised his hand. A deadly venomous liquid poured down onto Darkhan''s head. As the venom coated him, a gunshot echoed. Paul Raymond had aimed his sniper rifle precisely at Darkhan¡¯s head and pulled the trigger. "Full assault!" Alessandro Bryden unleashed his magic, and everyone followed, using their respective skills to attack Darkhan. However, Jeong-hoon didn¡¯t move, simply observing Darkhan. ¡®That bastard is holding back.¡¯ Jeong-hoon noticed Darkhan¡¯s nonchnt demeanor. "Pointless." As if confirming Jeong-hoon¡¯s suspicion, Darkhan murmured softly and entered an invincible state, absorbing all iing attacks. It was reminiscent of the ability Bng had disyed at the Heavenly Demon Cult. However, while Bng reflected damage at twice the magnitude, Darkhan¡¯s ability amplified it to threefold. "Alessandro!" When James called Alessandro''s name, Alessandro immediately deployed Absolute Barrier around Darkhan. This barrier was on apletely different level than the one Alessandro from the parallel world had once used. Having reached celestial heights, Alessandro¡¯s power was unparalleled. "Foolish tricks!" Darkhan roared, causing Absolute Barrier to sustain 32% damage. The debuffs hampering their performance were a major setback. Despite this, Alessandro calmly deployed multipleyers of Absolute Barrier. The earlier spells had been a foundation for thisyered defense. However, the first barrier was quickly destroyed. The subsequent barriers also began to crack. Crash!N?v(el)B\\jnn Ultimately, Absolute Barrier waspletely shattered. Darkhan, as if waiting for this moment, targeted everyone present to reflect the absorbed attacks. James, aware of Darkhan¡¯s habit of raising his hand when using reflection, shouted urgently. "Now, Hwa-rang!" "Got it." It was Lee Hwa-rang¡¯s turn. He loosed a prepared Annihtion Arrow at Darkhan. "Enhance." Iwase Haruto cast an attack-enhancing buff on Lee Hwa-rang, greatly amplifying the arrow¡¯s size. Darkhan, when attempting reflection, wasn¡¯t in an invincible state nor capable of absorbing attacks. This was their chance to deal significant damage. "Pathetic." However, Darkhan seemed to anticipate this, absorbing even the arrow. "What?!" James Marcus''s eyes widened in shock. Throughout countless regressions, exploiting this exact weakness had always worked. Yet this time, it didn¡¯t. "I¡¯d like to y longer, but it seems that won¡¯t be possible." Darkhan finally activated his reflection. In an instant, the designated targets'' bodies exploded simultaneously. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 272 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 272 There wasn¡¯t even time to scream. Those with personal defense skills seeded in blocking it, but those without them died on the spot. A 1,000-level user died without even being able to respond to a single reflected attack. James Marcus muttered nkly. ¡°This doesn¡¯t make any sense...¡± Alessandro Bryden, who barely managed to defend himself with Absolute Barrier, spoke in a panicked voice. ¡°James! What the hell is going on here? You never said the reflected attack would cause an internal explosion!¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t know either... This has never happened before, not even in all my regressions!¡± An internal explosion. In such cases, evasion itself is impossible. Fortunately, because the damage was divided ording to the number of people, they barely managed to survive. The problem lies with those who don¡¯t have defensive skills. Most of theirrades without defensive skills perished instantly. James Marcus almost dropped his sword and shield. At that moment, Kaneda Shun, leading the Dark Knights, shouted. ¡°James! Get a grip! What are you going to do if you¡¯re panicking like this?¡± At his words, James quickly regained hisposure. ¡°Y-You¡¯re right. This isn¡¯t the time to despair.¡± The number of survivingrades was barely ten. Just now, eleven had lost their lives to the reflected attack. More than half of their forces were gone. ¡°Are you d to still be alive?¡± Darkhan sneered as he looked down at the humans. He could kill them all if he wanted to, but he decided to savor the rare entertainment a bit longer. ¡®Exterminate all humans.¡¯ That was themand given to Darkhan. He created dungeons in specific zones, deleting the area after a certain amount of time to destroy the Earth. Naturally, humans who tried to interfere with his task existed, but they were too insignificant to be worth ying with, so he killed them immediately. However, the humans before him were a bit different. More than half of their group had disappeared, but they had survived his reflected attack. ¡®Beware of humans. Let me grant them a new ability.¡¯ The explosion just now was a blessing bestowed by the Supreme One about two hours earlier. Its performance was indeed remarkable. It designated the one who attacked him and returned the iing damage in full, causing an explosion. While the need to divide the iing damage was a drawback, it was split into three times the original damage, allowing it to kill even those over level 1,000. James Marcus clenched his teeth and shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, no matter what, and stop the final destruction!¡± ¡°You¡¯re spouting amusing nonsense. You, who crawl on your knees before mere apostles?¡± Darkhan sneered again. If he wanted, he could kill these humans at any moment. But he still wondered why he had been told to be cautious. For now, he thought, he would toy with them a little more before finishing them off. Boom! At that moment, an explosion erupted from Darkhan¡¯s body. ¡°Gah!¡± Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Darkhan grimaced. ¡®Where did thate from?¡¯ Darkhan¡¯s gaze shifted to one man. It was none other than Jeong-hoon. ¡®Was it him?¡¯ Darkhan¡¯s eyes narrowed. What kind of attack was that? It bore a resemnce to the method he used to reflect attacks. Could he possibly have a simr ability? ¡°Jeong-hoon! Was that your attack just now?¡± James Marcus also realized it was Jeong-hoon¡¯s doing. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯ve gained something, haven¡¯t you!¡± ¡°Shut up and focus on finding a way to take him down.¡± Jeong-hoon had just used the Rune of Counterattack to strike Darkhan. It returned 45% of the iing damage back to the attacker. [Master, wasn¡¯t that too hasty?] ¡®Yeah. This dragonkin¡ªI¡¯ve never seen him before, but I can¡¯t afford to underestimate him.¡¯ It¡¯s fine. The reason Jeong-hoon used the Rune of Counterattack was to confuse the enemy. He wanted to imnt the idea that the same tactic might be used against him if he tried to reflect attacks again. Now, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy for Darkhan to rely on reflection. ¡®Lee Hwa-Rang¡­ he¡¯s alive.¡¯ This version of Lee Hwa-Rang in this world had numerous close-range defensive skills, even excluding the Art of the Underworld King. In the regressed timeline, however, Lee Hwa-Rang had lost his reason to vengeance, became an incarnation, and was ultimately killed by Jeong-hoon. Alessandro was also still alive. Jeong-hoon drew Anima and aimed it at Darkhan. At that, Lee Hwa-Rang¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you took that?¡± ¡°Is that a problem?¡± ¡°Ha¡­ So, the version of me in your world must have lost everything.¡± He had always bragged about his heroic feats. With Jeong-hoon¡¯s perfect memory, he must have collected all the opportunities from that timeline. ¡°You¡¯re absolutely correct.¡± Jeong-hoon smirked and released the bowstring. The Arrow of the Storm arced through the air, striking Darkhan squarely between the eyes. However, Darkhan absorbed the arrow without harm. Seeing this, Lee Hwa-Rang and the other survivorsunched a renewed barrage of attacks. ¡°Pointless.¡± Darkhan scowled as he began absorbing their assaults. ¡°Oh, really? Are you sure it¡¯s pointless?¡± Jeong-hoon smirked. As expected, Darkhan refrained from using his reflection ability. He couldn''t risk it, knowing the same counterattack could be turned against him. ¡®He doesn¡¯t have any proper defensive skills.¡¯ Absorption and reflection¡ªDarkhan had abilities that could be considered near-cheating. Yet beyond those, hecked adequate defensive capabilities. Thus, he had to rely on his innate defenses. But Jeong-hoon¡¯s counterattack earlier had dealt significant damage, making it dangerous for Darkhan to recklessly use his reflection ability. At least, until he uncovered Jeong-hoon¡¯s trick. Jeong-hoon summoned Seven Deadly Sins and Michael. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°You called for me, Master?¡± As Seven Deadly Sins appeared, it eyed Darkhan curiously, while Michael respectfully greeted Jeong-hoon. ¡°Yes. Today, we¡¯re hunting that thing.¡± ¡°That massive dragon, you mean?¡± Jeong-hoon nodded. ¡°Think you can do it?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯ll try my best.¡± Overwhelmed by Darkhan¡¯s aura, Michael replied hesitantly. ¡°Not try¡ªyou must do it.¡± The reason Jeong-hoon summoned Michael was straightforward: While Darkhan could absorb and reflect physical and magical attacks, spirits weren¡¯t affected in the same way. Unless Michael, their summoner, was eliminated, the spirits couldn¡¯t be dispelled. In other words, Michael was a perfect counter to Darkhan. Additionally, Michael had under hismand necromancers gained through the Crown of Death and even Siegfried. Theirbined strength was more than sufficient. As for Seven Deadly Sins, Jeong-hoon summoned it not only to absorb Darkhan but also because of its unique abilities. ¡°That thing looks tasty.¡± Seven Deadly Sins drooled, staring at Darkhan hungrily. Darkhan¡¯s eyes widened in shock. ¡°Seven Deadly Sins¡­?!¡± The entity that should have been sealed appeared right in front of him. ¡®This is impossible!¡¯ It was supposed to be divided into seven fragments and sealed. How could it be here, whole and unrestrained?! ¡°You can eat it.¡± With Jeong-hoon¡¯s permission, Seven Deadly Sins grinned wickedly and began approaching Darkhan. Darkhan¡¯s body involuntarily trembled. ¡®This thing¡­ it¡¯s no ordinary entity.¡¯ The Seven Deadly Sins, which had once been sealed in seven parts by the celestial Eschanon of the Apocalypse, was clearly an extraordinary existence. Even without knowing its full history, Darkhan¡¯s fearful gaze at Seven Deadly Sins made it clear. Seven Deadly Sins likely possessed power surpassing that of a monarch. As proof, it unleashed an enhanced Judgment of Death on Darkhan without breaking a sweat. ¡°Damn it!¡± The moment Judgment of Death was imposed, Darkhan seemed to lose hisposure and unleashed a flurry of special abilities. [Transcendent Dragon Darkhan uses Death Breath.] Darkhan began gathering ck mes in his maw before firing them directly at Seven Deadly Sins. To escape the countdown of Judgment of Death, Darkhan had to reduce Seven Deadly Sins¡¯ life force to below 30% within three minutes. But Jeong-hoon had no intention of letting that happen. ¡®Heavenly Demon Fist.¡¯ Jeong-hoon stepped in front of Seven Deadly Sins, throwing a punch as his body entered an invincible state, blocking the Death Breath. ¡°You fool.¡± Darkhan sneered at Jeong-hoon. Death Breath was an unblockable ability, a trump card far beyond absorption or reflection. At that moment, Jeong-hoon¡¯s body exploded. Boom! [Debuff: Death is imposed.] Death Breath annihted everything it touched. Jeong-hoon had taken the attack head-on. There was no way he could survive. ¡®Now to target that creature.¡¯ Darkhan shifted his focus to Seven Deadly Sins, lurking behind Jeong-hoon. He began gathering power once more. If he didn¡¯t eliminate it quickly, the activation of Judgment of Death would im his life. ¡°Jeong-hoon!¡± ¡°What¡­ what is this¡­?¡± ¡°Now¡¯s the time! Attack!¡± There was no time to mourn. James Marcus had noticed a crucial fact¡ªthe moment Darkhan used Death Breath, his body became vulnerable. Though Jeong-hoon¡¯s sacrifice was tragic, they couldn¡¯t let this chance slip away. Crash! James Marcus unleashed Divine de. A massive sword of light materialized around his weapon, forming an enormous de. As he swung, the massive energy sh struck at Darkhan¡¯s neck. ng!n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The de collided with Darkhan¡¯s scales, emitting a piercing metallic sound. ¡°Grrr!¡± Darkhan groaned in pain, clearly shaken. Concentrating all his energy on Death Breath had left him temporarily unaware of the lesser opponents. ¡°Attack now!¡± James Marcus shouted again, and the surviving fightersunched an all-out assault on Darkhan. Energy beams, projectiles, and spells rained down, exploiting his momentary weakness. ¡°Kraaah!¡± Darkhan growled in frustration. He needed to absorb energy, but the Death Breath held in his maw prevented him from doing so. Left with no choice, Darkhan extinguished the gathered Death Breath and reactivated his invincible state. ¡°Damn it! Stop attacking!¡± James Marcus ordered, and the barrage of attacks halted immediately. This only added to Darkhan''s growing anxiety. [2 minutes 23 seconds remain until Judgment of Death is activated.] With just over two minutes left, Darkhan was trapped in a dilemma. He couldn¡¯t gather another Breath without exposing himself, and anypse in his invincibility would invite another wave of attacks. He was truly cornered. ¡®Reflection is my only option.¡¯ Although Seven Deadly Sins had returned, it was still far from its original form. It hadn¡¯t fully regained its strength, meaning it could still be defeated. ¡°nning to use reflection?¡± A voice echoed from the thick smoke. Darkhan¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯re alive?!¡± ¡°Of course.¡± As the smoke cleared, Jeong-hoon stepped forward, unscathed despite taking the full brunt of the Death Breath. ¡°How is this possible?!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t just have one invincibility skill.¡± Jeong-hoon had used the momentary invincibility from his Heavenly Demon Lord¡¯s Fist to block the Death Breath. For the subsequent explosion, he employed Block, a skill that expended 50% of his mana to absolutely negate any attack. ¡°That¡¯s absurd! My Death Breath isn¡¯t something that can be blocked by invincibility skills!¡± But Jeong-hoon¡¯s Block wasn¡¯t ordinary invincibility. It was an overpowered skill capable of defending against any attack, no matter how destructive, at the cost of immense mana. ¡®Of course, it¡¯s a one-time use. I can¡¯t rely on it again.¡¯ However, Darkhan wouldn¡¯t get another chance. James Marcus and the others were ready to strike the moment he let his guard down. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡± The countdown continued, leaving only 1 minute and 40 seconds before Judgment of Death would activate. At this point, Darkhan¡¯s options were exhausted. If things ended this way, they would sessfully prevent the second apocalypse. All that remained was to im their reward. ¡°Keuk-keuk, don¡¯t kid yourself!¡± Suddenly, Darkhan¡¯s body began to glow with an ominous red hue. Jeong-hoon¡¯s face hardened. ¡®A mutual destruction gambit.¡¯ Cornered, Darkhan was preparing to unleash his final, desperate attack¡ªa suicidal move to take them all down with him. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 273 [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] Chapter 273 "What... what is that...?" James Marcus let out a dazed voice. Despite repeating regressions, he had never seen such an ability from the creature before. "It¡¯s mutual destruction." At that moment, Jeong-hoon provided the answer. "Mutual destruction? You mean it¡¯s going to self-destruct?" "That¡¯s right. At this rate, it¡¯s going to die." "Die? What do you mean...?" "There¡¯s no time to exin. If you have anyst words, say them now." "Last words...?" James Marcus bit his lip. That damned bastard. It won¡¯t let things end easily, even at the veryst moment. "There¡¯s no stopping that..." Alessandro muttered nkly. The amount of energy gathering in its chest was nothing short of rming. Darkhan was preparing to obliterate not only them but the entire area along with himself. "Damn it! Is there no way to escape?" Both the entrance and exit were blocked¡ªDarkhan was still alive and holding them captive. Of course, Jeong-hoon had no intention of letting things end like this. "Michael, start." "Yes!" At Jeong-hoon¡¯smand, Michael summoned all the spirits, including Siegfried. He then ordered the spirits to attack Darkhan, who was gathering energy. Everyone moved at once.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Seven Deadly Sins, can you consume it now?" "Of course!" "Then go consume it." "Got it!" The Seven Deadly Sins began to move. The spirits, including Siegfried,unched attacks on Darkhan. However, all the attacks were absorbed, only increasing the amount of energy Darkhan was gathering. "Kuhaha! You all will die here! Come with me to the end!" Darkhan sneered as he looked down at Jeong-hoon. "Really?" Jeong-hoon tilted his head and pointed his finger at something. It was Darkhan¡¯s tail. Naturally, as Darkhan continued gathering energy, his gaze shifted to his tail. At the end of his tail, the Seven Deadly Sins had climbed up and perched. "Wha-what?!" Darkhan was startled. How did it get there? He hadn¡¯t noticed it at all. The spirits were too focused on being absorbed by Darkhan to notice anything else. Could it be that those attacks were merely a diversion? [Absorbing stats.] The Seven Deadly Sins began absorbing Darkhan''s stats. [All energy is absorbed ording to Gluttony.] The Seven Deadly Sins possessed three traits: Sloth, Gluttony, and Wrath. Among them, Gluttony activated and rapidly started absorbing the energy Darkhan had been umting. "No! No!" Darkhan screamed in despair. He needed that energy toplete his self-destruction, but it was being drained at an rming rate. To make matters worse, only 30 seconds remained until the enhanced Judgment of Death would activate. 30 seconds. 29 seconds. 28 seconds. The countdown was ticking away rapidly. "Goodbye," Jeong-hoon said with a sly smile, waving his hand. "You cursed bastard!" Darkhan roared in fury. 3 seconds. 2 seconds. 1 second. Atst, the countdown reached zero. [¡®Death¡¯ activates on Transcendent Dragon Darkhan.] As the enhanced Judgment of Death triggered, blood poured from every orifice¡ªhis eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Darkhan copsed. Boom! The ground quaked as Darkhan''s body hit it with a thunderous crash. [Absorbing stats.] The Seven Deadly Sins, undisturbed, continued absorbing Darkhan''s stats. James Marcus stared at the scene in disbelief. "I-is it over?" "Yes," Jeong-hoon replied calmly. "No way. That monster... was taken down this easily..." Watching them, Jeong-hoon fiddled with Leviathan in his inventory. If anyone dared to get greedy for the rewards, he was prepared to draw the sword without hesitation. However, it didn¡¯te to that. "Jeong-hoon, we¡¯ll just be on our way..." "The rewards here are all yours." Perhaps out of some faint sense of conscience, they offered to leave the rewards to him and stepped back. Even so, Jeong-hoon deliberated for a moment. Should he let them leave alive? Or should he end it here and settle the score once and for all? "Whatever happens, I¡¯ll return soon. And those people... whether they live or die, they¡¯ll eventually face the third cataclysm." The third cataclysm would also boast an extreme level of difficulty¡ªperhaps even iparable to the second. In the first cataclysm, Jeong-hoon had defeated two transcendent apostles equivalent to demon kings. In the second, he had in the transcendent dragon Darkhan, a being at the level of a sovereign. The sheer esction in difficulty was evident just from these battles. Thus, it was highly likely that the third cataclysm would bring forth an even greater foe. ¡°Whatever the case, their fate is sealed. There¡¯s no reason for me to intervene.¡± Having resolved his internal conflict, Jeong-hoon decided not to draw Leviathan. With the death of a sovereign-level transcendent, it was now time to im the reward. The process for receiving the reward was straightforward: As proof of having prevented the second cataclysm, two portals appeared¡ªone leading to the exit and the other to the reward. To im the reward, one simply had to use thetter portal. ¡°Of course, you must prove your qualifications to obtain the reward.¡± Jeong-hoon recalled the mysterious power he had acquired in a parallel world. That power had also been earned in a simr manner. After defeating two apostle-level transcendent beings nearly equivalent to demon kings, Jeong-hoon had entered a reward portal alone. On the other side of that portal, another apostle-level transcendent awaited. Jeong-hoon had to struggle immensely to hunt it down and im the power. ¡°It was in a temple.¡± The mysterious power hade from a temple unlike any he had seen before. It resembled the Temple of Fate he had visited earlier, but it was far older and in ruins. Deep within the crumbling remains of that temple, he had discovered the power. What reward would he obtain for stopping the second cataclysm? Jeong-hoon stepped through the portal. *** James Marcus couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Darkhan. The transcendent dragon who had always crushed him in the endless loops of regression. No matter how much strength he gathered to oppose Darkhan, he would always meet his end at the dragon¡¯s hands. But now, Darkhany before him as a cold, lifeless corpse. "James, I think I understand why you sent Jeong-hoon." Those words snapped James out of his daze. He turned his head to see Louis Verdant tapping him on the shoulder. "Louis, I¡¯m not dreaming, am I?" "Not a chance." "Haha¡­ To think we finally stopped the second cataclysm¡­" "All thanks to Jeong-hoon. Or more precisely, his summons did most of the work." The Korean they had once called an ally. James recalled how Yoo Chan, another Korean, had taught Jeong-hoon the taming skill. To think Jeong-hoon had even mastered that skill. "Louis, was my choice the right one?" When Jeong-hoon had regressed to their parallel world, James felt more guilt than joy. He had resorted to actions he shouldn¡¯t have taken, all to push Jeong-hoon to grow stronger. "I believe it was the right choice." "Why?" "Jeong-hoon is righteous. Far more so than we could ever hope to be." "..." "But he¡¯s also incredibly vindictive. Anyone who¡¯s ever crossed him never had a happy ending." "That¡¯s true." "Right? If we had just exined everything to him and let him go, he wouldn¡¯t have grown this strong with such a fierce resolve." "Are you sure about that?" Just then, a voice unfamiliar and cold interrupted their conversation. James and Louis turned to see the necromancer Michael ring at them, his presence radiating hostility. "And you are?" "One of Jeong-hoon¡¯s summons?" Michael nodded. "That¡¯s right. I am Michael, the right hand of my master." "I see. And what is it you want to say?" "I¡¯m telling you to stop rationalizing your actions. I¡¯ve heard everything. I know you betrayed my master." "..." "You killed the version of him from this world, and you call that the right choice? You lunatics. If I were my master, I¡¯d have killed you a hundred, no, a thousand times over." "..." "I don¡¯t know why my master let you off so easily, but scum like you deserves nothing less than eternal damnation. And I¡¯ll be praying that¡¯s exactly where you end up." Michael¡¯s venomous words left James and Louis speechless, the weight of his disdain suffocating them. *** ¡°A temple?¡± Beyond the portal stretched the same temple he had seen when he stopped the first cataclysm. "Could this hold answers about the mysterious power?" The force that had allowed him to regress to a parallel world. Normally, someone should be guarding the reward, preventing ess, but the temple stood eerily empty. Jeong-hoon moved cautiously. At the center of the temple was a staircase leading down into the depths below. The mysterious power he had once imed was hidden at the bottom of simr stairs. ¡°Nothing here.¡± But the underground chamber was empty. Jeong-hoon frowned. He had assumed there would be a reward equivalent to the monumental effort of preventing the second cataclysm. "This is bad." To challenge ultimate power, he needed to grow stronger. Going forward as he was now would be a gamble. The Seven Deadly Sins were formidable allies, so it wasn¡¯t an impossible task, but to ensure sess, he needed more strength. So why was there no reward in sight? Could it be hidden somewhere? Jeong-hoon began searching every corner of the underground chamber. And that was when he found another staircase. "There''s another staircase here?" Jeong-hoon tilted his head. Before his regression, when he stopped the first cataclysm and imed his reward, there hadn''t been any stairs. This meant that while the structure of the temple was very simr, it was a different temple altogether. "There must be a reward here." Although he couldn''t uncover the secret, he was genuinely relieved. Jeong-hoon quickly descended the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs stood a statue of a goddess. Above the goddess¡¯s head, a question mark was shing. It was a rainbow-colored question mark, indicating a secret quest. "Bingo." The corners of Jeong-hoon''s mouth lifted. [Secret Quest: Savior] - Requirement: One who has stopped the second cataclysm - Reward: ??? - Description: A trial will be given to those who have stopped the second cataclysm. If the trial ispleted, a tremendous reward can be gained. Ah, so this is how the rewards are acquired. When he stopped the first cataclysm, he had fought alone against two arch-demon-level transcendent beings and earned the unknown power. However, during this second cataclysm, there was no one guarding the temple. The method of acquiring the reward was different this time. Jeong-hoon immediately epted the quest. No matter what trial he was given, he would seed and im the great reward. ¡®Then, I¡¯ll twist this damn fate.¡¯ [The trial begins.] With that message, the goddess statue vibrated and slowly began to move. A voice echoed in Jeong-hoon¡¯s head. It was a clear and melodious voice. "Who are you?" "I just wanted to know your name since you''re giving me a trial." "No. I¡¯ll change my question." It was merely a formal question. Who the voice belonged to wasn¡¯t his main concern. "Reward. If I endure this trial, what kind of reward will I receive?" Typically, people would ask about the nature of the trial at times like this. But Jeong-hoon, on the other hand, asked about the reward first. "Will the reward be better if the difficulty of the trial is higher?" <...Hoh, you''re certainly an interesting human, having defeated Darkan toe here. You¡¯re quite arrogant.> The corners of Jeong-hoon¡¯s mouth lifted. "So you¡¯re saying it''s possible." A desired reward. If there were options to choose from, there was one thing he wanted. [Trantor - Kiteretsu] [Proofreader - Kyros] The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!