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(204) Volume 21 03 — Coffee Date
(204) Volume 21 03 — Coffee Date
Volume 21 Chapter 03 — Coffee Date
KMC’s live broadcast about Weed’s quest achieved the largest viewership ever recorded in the nation. Since the broadcast was so popular they were quickly organizing a follow up program.
“Weed’s adventures didn’t get completed as the broadcast had to be shown as a real time quest. Let’s put sufficient time and manpower into properly broadcasting the full chain quest.”
They celebrated with with a company dinner that night but devotedly got right back to work the next day which was Saturday. Thus, the full version of Weed’s chain quest was setup to be published in three parts.
=Part One : The River of Lamentation =
Weed cleans a river of souls and creates an alliance of tribes and monsters to fight an epic battle against the Church of Embinyu.
=Part Two : The Forbidden Land of Jigolaths =
Weed’s long voyage across a mysterious sea and his great explorations in the forbidden zone of Jigolaths.
=Part Three : The Dark Mage =
Weed leads armies of the undead in battle against the Chaos Warriors, Guilds and Pirates. Weed’s final fight, a Dragon vs. the Tribal Warlord to decided the fate of Jigolaths.
The main content of the quest had already been broadcast as the live, real-time quest, the full production would fill in all the missed details of the chained quest, starting with the river of Lamentation quest.
The bulletin boards were completely swamped with requests for both the full production and a re-broadcast of the original live quest.
“When will the full chained quest be shown?”
“Sunday afternoon.”
This decision was determined as the best time to ensure the highest ratings.
KMC media decided to broadcast the full version, the chained quest of Weed’s adventure on Sunday afternoon, before then they needed to hustle and sell the 30 second media ad slots.
Director Kang was very adept at producing advertising revenue.
“Part One is the alterations of the mass of sculptures and some short scenes of the fight between King Hydra, the Lich Barkhan Demoph and the Imugi. Part Two is the volcanic eruptions as well as the arrival of Haven Kingdom’s army fleet and the pirates, and the fighting scene. And part Three…”
…The Director objected.
“For part three… the time allowed for advertisement is too short.”
“The third part will briefly show the head of a dragon. So that dragon’s roar can be used to go into the advertisement time.”
The promotional video was the work of KMC media department, it was very good considering the rather short time frame they had to make it with;
The fog of war drifts slowly over
the River of Lamentation…
An Army gathers for combat
with the faint strains of majestic music
Fire Giants moving through a lava lake
attacking human adventurers…
An Undead Lich Lord and a Dragon!
The viewers watching the trailer eagerly awaited the broadcast of the chained quest.
When they started the broadcast on air they had achieved a total of 63.9% of viewership. There was no better moment than that as it was the largest rating ever recorded. For now there isn’t anyone who didn’t know the name of Weed from Royal Road.
The story of Weed’s adventures in Royal Road was associated with every topic day after day on Internet message boards.
-I am curious about that sea voyage. How long would it take until you had skill enough to sail a tall masted ship and navigate? Those rowing galley seems like it would be very hard work.
-You can raise fish. There are a lot of unknown eggs; dolphins that were born 4 months ago, if you feed them well, they can also help raise the speed of mastering the sailing skill. You can keep birds to help too. You are not alone in the open sea. As you navigate, nature will follow.
– Is it possible to find adventure on the sea? Weed discovered an island, can we too go and explore a new continent?
-You can. Assuming that there are many lands unknown in the sea. It is the dream of all sailors to find the legendary Treasure Island.
After the broadcast of Weed’s chained quest, interest for the sea was triggered. Sailing into the vast uncharted ocean waters and advancing through its warm surging waves was considered romantic.
The desire to be a necromancer also spread like wildfire.
-I am asking you because you are a former necromancer. After you have gone through your 2nd Class change as a wizard, were there any major differences?
-A Lich! It is totally my dream job. Dark magic and mean… people under his command!
-Building intimacy with others is hard as a Necromancer, if you kill someone, notoriety will pile up fast, that’s the story, thank you. Originally, I did not have any friends.
-Why not create a party of necromancers for adventure? Make like 5,000 skeletons, and kill all when exploring a dungeon.
An Undead Army is strong especially when you consider how they can use just the fear of them to hunt more effectively. Of course this hunting style gets used mainly at night and mostly alone. Some of being alone may be due to the foul stench and flies that go along with raising the dead.
Still a solo player which can boasts of having the strongest power as a Necromancer was becoming a popular idea again.
In order to become a Lich, the existing Necromancers were eagerly exploring and leveling up.
*****
-An adventurer that makes the impossible possible.
-Creating his own path step by step.
-The God of War, a hero who won’t give up.
Weed was being praised with many grandiose headlines.
Within the Versailles continent, heroes are made quickly. The Bards and Dancers of the continent spread the word by performing about them. They would dress-up as Weed and monsters and hold performances to entertain people in the streets.
In Rosenheim Kingdom, the feelings and therefore the value about the sculptures Weed created had changed.
Before the change;
A Fox Sculpture : Durability: 9 / 10
A finely carved sculpture of a fox.
The carved target is a fox that can often be seen outside of Serabourg Citadel.
Made in large quantities in a short time, the work is one of many. Is made from wood that can be easily found in a forest.
Despite the age of the work, it has maintained a vivid appearance since it was well cared for.
Artistic value: Negligible
Options:
+you can use it as a gift to raise intimacy
Sold cheaply for only a few silvers before, there was a surge in the value of these sculptures.
After the change;
A Fox Sculpture : Durability: 9 / 10
A finely carved sculpture of a fox.
The carved target is a fox that can often be seen outside of Serabourg Citadel.
Ordinary people might not know but it was made by the Versailles continent’s sculptor Weed.
A sculpture created in his early years, it seems to be quite valuable among enthusiasts looking for crafted work by this famous Sculptor.
Is made from wood that can be easily found in a forest.
Despite the age of the work, it has maintained a vivid appearance since it was well cared for.
Artistic merit: Seems to have considerable collectible value.
Options:
+You can use it as a gift for a very big favor
+Intimacy will also be raised.
+Charm +2
It was not a big change, but Weed’s sculptures were coveted by collectors. His sculptures prices in the stores tripled and the Sculptor guild’s requests to commission Weed to create sculptures multiplied.
“How much do you know about the adventurer Weed? There is work I’d like to have him do… you’re not reliable enough.”
“The risk’s are high, but… I will place my hope in Weed as a truly great adventurer.”
“The Warriors of Chaos are a very strong tribe. You need to be a warrior of great courage to fight against them.”
“In the North, Morata’s great lord successfully completed that expedition. The people in this area are glad to be able to follow such a courageous lord. We also worry less about the threat of monsters.”
Knight’s, soldiers and residents were all talking about how they felt about Weed.
Even the town drunks would talk about it.
“Hic! There’s ‘s no liquors leftt. I wants ta drink more …but I don’t have no’s money ‘ss. When ‘ss I gets home…my wife would ask w-here … where is ‘s ta money… is today, I’ll have ta shleep outside. I ‘d sure give mah las’ drink to hear Weed’s story though … ”
The praises for Weed reaching new heights for completing the first S-level difficulty quest only incensed his enemies. Drinfeld, Griffith and other users of Hermes guild were burning with motivation to kill Weed.
“Weed…he must die by our hands.”
“Weed and those comrades of his will not get out of Jigolaths alive.”
“That cow… will not just be killed, it will also be made into wonderful beef-rib soup.”
*****
The iron mining cart having finally stopped, delivered Weed and Yellowy safe and somewhat sound to the mining area!
*Ting!*
A sculptor has arrived in the area to
excavate ore in the mine
Rewards: reputation increased by 460.
For one week, stamina consumption is slightly reduced while mining.
“fhu fhu fhu .”
Weed had a smile on his lips. He could sell the land of this mining area since it was a spacious place and he was not forced to keep it.
“My prediction was right.”
On the map this place had a ‘mine’ in it’s name therefore it was a possibility that they could ‘mine’ there and not hunt monsters or receive additional quest.
This was the type of moment when you get to say ‘Full speed ahead, roll up your sleeves and get to it. It won’t dig itself’!
You could easily tell that the previous sculptor’s had dug up ore all over the place here.
For work like this Weed consider it necessary to employ Yellowy as a beast of burden.
= You have obtained the ore : feldspar =
The smooth surface will make a luxurious stone sculpture.
“All right Yellowy, here you go.”
= You have obtained the ore : Moonstone =
It will emit a fragrance on moonlit nights. If you place a sculpture made from this in a secluded pond; fairies, butterflies and fireflies will be attracted to it.
“Yellowy, carry that.”
= You have obtained the ore : Malachite =
This is a popular sculpting material, it’s demand makes it a good choice for barter with sculpture supply shops or you can sell it for a good amount of gold.
Of course using money was the almost the same as bartering.
“Yellowy, put that away carefully.”
The minerals were sweep clean and they all went into Yellowy’s backpack.
*****
On the wall of the mine, a previous sculptor had chiseled in these words;
The sculptures from the continent are declining.
New materials and new craftsmanship are needed to challenge and surpass this decay.
Creating new sculptures made of Helium will bring back the great honor that sculptors once held.
Is the legend of Helium really true?
Or is it just a man-made myth generated by greed?
Helium that is an endless source of mana.
Could it really be made into a sculpture?
Dig, endless digging always.
Here, time seems without measure, you just age.
Now our songs no longer empower us
Why is the pursuit of art such a foolish thing?
Something was uncovered by my pickaxe.
I was expecting Helium……but it was a rock.
What the hell… how many rocks have I mined?
I think coming here became pointless…
These words are filled with regrets.
There were no sculptures made of Helium but there were a few very rare items made with blacksmith skills.
In the continent, several items such as swords, armor, holy relics and certain sacred stones made with Helium were able to emit limitless mana. The value of such things is enormous.
Unless it’s completely broken or crushed it will produce mana endlessly.
The ancient legacy of Helium was also thought to be tied somehow into the Dragons power, the eldest Dragons were known to have hoarded it.
Weed was certain that the Helium was here.
“It just needs a construction worker like me to make that story come true!”
It’s not hard to dig, it’s the finding that’s difficult.
“It’s sorta like dragon hunting, you can’t just ask a dragon to show up, Helium mining is more complex than that.”
It’s like going to a wedding dinner yet you somehow come home starving and there’s nothing in the house to eat but food stamps. Weed could not even imagine things working like that, since that contradicts the laws of nature!
Ox bone soup, breaded port cutlets or a cold buffet spread, basic common sense would tell anyone to at least provide drinks and a hearty meal for guest who would attend your wedding.
“Let’s take a look at what the other guys dug up.”
Weed assumed that the sculptor’s might have left something important and was searching for it. There was a sack of rotted wood handles with blunt ends whose use seemed questionable.
“For this work I’ll need a tool…”
Weed, using his blacksmith skills created a pickaxe with a mixture of steel and a small amount of Mithril. He was using high-quality materials but it could be recovered by just melting it again so there was no loss.
*klang! klang! Klang!*
Weed’s digging was top notch. Endless hours slipped away.
He had been digging the ground for at least a day but there was no Helium.
-You have obtained tier 2 iron ore.
-You have obtained a small amount of copper ore
Sometimes finding some minerals was the only consolation.
*Ting!*
– Skill earned due to repetitive tasks-
Beginner Mining Level 1(0%): a miner’s skill.
-Skill needed to dig in the mines’ grounds.
-Slightly increases the effectiveness of pickaxes and shovels.
-Will increase in strength and perseverance as the skill grows.
-If you find high quality minerals, your luck and fame will increase.
“Sh*t!”
Weed while continuing to use the pickaxe was reflecting and feeling full of anger for being so stupid.
There were a huge variety of ways to raise skill stats with drudgery. Digging in the ground did allow you to earn the mining skill, yet he should have leveled it up a long time ago.
“I am still lacking.”
Weed was caught off guard for that moment and his heart felt despondent…so he just needed to work harder. He could make a sculpture to increase his stats for the day but they would only go up once.
“If I only had a few months to mine what I wished out of the earth…”
With that much time even his low mining skills would become useful!
Minerals, by the way, are consumed by a sculptor and blacksmith. Both professions need to experience mining at least once.
After the skill was generated,Weed had improved it a little. It slightly reduced the consumption of stamina, while it also widened the range the pickaxe could dig.
But this was a big mine with just this much skill it was going to be very tiring.
“I guess I should slightly improve the efficiency.”
Weed with the remaining Mithril made a plow for Yellowy.
“It’s all about the people close to you. With my support you can eat a lot. But, you can’t just eat for free . If you work diligently you’ll get two coppers each day.”
Food… for the sake of eating Yellowy allowed Weed to harness him.
“Master takes such good care of me. You don’t use me on a real farm and have my nose pierced.”
Using bribes was a sure way to use Yellowy to increase the efficiency of the operation. However, the mining areas were broad enough to build apartment buildings.
“Nevertheless, humans have limitations.”
It had been a long time since Weed made the statue of the Orc Karichwi. The unmatched ugly face remained the same but it had grown in important ways. His robust muscular shoulders and strong legs were at least 50% bigger.
“Sculpture Transformation!”
The Orc has a lot of work muscle which is why he wanted to transform.
“Let’s give it a try! Chwiik!”
In the undead state, there were two advantages, infinite stamina and no need to eat food. However when it comes to strength, Orcs were better.
An Orc’s main trade was it’s superior strength, as a clan they were ignorant and blindly moved on instinct alone. When transformed into such an uncivilized tribe he would not be able to take advantage of many skills.
However the strength levels when using the Orc Karichwi allowed mining to become much more effective. So he was better off using that form since he was constantly searching for Helium.
“I’ll just have to have hope and eat a lot more food.”
The Orcs weren’t just wanting to eat sooner, since they were dramatically consuming stamina they had to eat constantly. Since he couldn’t really eat Yellowy he’d have to find other ways to keep it within reasonable limits.
Due to Weeds new body size he felt that while his head was smaller his digging got better. He was definitely able use a lot more power when hitting the earth. Weed was able to gather quite a lot of ore.
*Ting!*
– Mining skill has reached beginner level 2.
When using pickaxes and shovels to aim at the gaps of the rocks,stamina consumption is decreased and you will be able to increase the speed of mining operations.
-Perseverance and luck are increased.
The skill proficiency was increasing at a very fast speed.
Since robust strength is required for repetitive tasks, to be equipped with indefatigable stamina is one of the most important requirements for a miner.
Mining skills has reached beginner level 3.
Mining skills has reached beginner level 4.
He did not know how much time had passed. Weed sang as his sweat ran down his whole body. Ignoring the beat was of course key, only finding joy in the motivation to work was important for his singing.
“When you dig, money comes out,
food comes out, rice comes out.
When Helium comes out, it’s a jackpot.
With the money, where should it go.
Spend it on delicious food? Of course not, it’s such a waste.
Spend on clothing? After a few years it won’t fit it anymore.
I should keep it to myself and take it to my grave.”
A song of love for money and thrift!
The mining skill was increasing and it was now possible to see and determine roughly where they were buried. If you dig more and find better minerals, you could improve the mining skill proficiency. Weed’s strength and perseverance stats were also phenomenal and in Jigolaths, if you had high levels they would plainly give you an advantage as you dig in the mines.
“We could probably dig up a lot of ore. Gotta earn money like you love money.”
Together Weed and Yellowy keep digging.
*****
In between his hunting and adventuring in Jigolaths, Lee Hyun had his midterm exams at Korean University.
The second semester soon drifted into November. Along with the fall leaves the winter break was coming, he was looking forward to it.
“Tuition really is meaningless. The last few days have disappeared so quickly it’s like they were thrown away.”
Lee Hyun was walking with his backpack slung on drooping shoulders. Although he trained everyday in the studio, his shoulders were the result of thinking too deeply about money.
At times Ahn Hyun-Do’s dojang was about one thing; tales of when they had been young too.
“The Hidden potential that mankind has is scary. Nothing is impossible if they take heart to do it. You can literally feel the cells coming alive one by one when they want to live between the border of life and death.”
Like describing life in a jungle, you’d have to say that there a person’s life is under constant threat from animals and insects.
“Hello sir.”
In Korean University, Lee Hyun only needed to walk and Martial Arts students would greet him politely and bow. Even the seniors would bow respectfully, but Lee Hyun didn’t feel awkward about it.
The disciples where formally trained in the large dojang and they would encounter each other at the same place. They were showing respect and would bow their head to Lee Hyun according to the ranking system.
After Lee Hyun had gone the talk about him would start.
“He is one of the best with a sword… after he beat you didn’t you say he was invincible.”
“Come on, don’t talk about that. At first I thought I would win, then I thought I was going to die for no reason at all. The only reason I didn’t was because he just didn’t choose to complete the blow to finish me. I heard the others got the living crap beaten out of them since they all froze up. There’s a good reason he learns directly from the master ya know.”
Even though he was a regular student Lee Hyun’s name was becoming famous.
“I heard he jumped from planes and crossed deserts last summer.”
Amongst the students there were the odd students who enjoy extreme sports and they were the ones spreading the rumours about Lee Hyun’s trip to Europe. It was also difficult to hide the fact that at one point he was well known on the internet as the ‘Princess Knight’.
“Be quiet. I want to receive a scholarship.”
Lee Hyun sighed angrily and let it rest.
Why was the university so rigid about a perfect attendance, that would be a good question. Lee Hyun was just waiting for the time to pass and then go home quickly after school.
But he was a stuck here listening to a professor’s lecture.
He was sitting there with a twinkle in his eye.
The key to all classes was to understand that you needed to come early and sit at the front of the class with a ‘I want more’ look on your face. That basic attitude is what will you get you credit for scholarships and who knows what else.
Underneath Lee Hyun’s fake shell was the fact that he didn’t really study much at school. He believed in study in his own way, not the kind that the world believed you needed.
He needed most of his time to make money. He’ll most likely need to drop out from school at some point anyway.
However several of the lectures at the University did have useful international content. The trip during the summer when he went to Africa and Europe had opened his eyes to the poverty in the world. Even a one year old should be thinking of seed money and the ways he’ll need to invest it.
After class began, Seo Yoon passed him a note.
[Would you like to drink coffee after class with me tonight?]
Of course for Lee Hyun, this note was extremely troublesome.
He wanted to get home early and play Royal Road. A few days was needed for that body to get accustomed to the feel of the pickaxe. He needed time to dig and collect minerals, he didn’t have time indulge to drink coffee and eat with a woman.
It was Lee Hyun’s completely depraved standards.
He did not care for either women or extracurricular activities.
‘I’m not really sure why I’m being asked fill my belly with coffee.’
It’s not normal, but with Seo Yoon’s sword cutting skills you really should grant even difficult requests.
‘Would she kill them?…… is it that sort of business? Golden Bird and Silver Bird are to be used as hostages…or perhaps they’re waiting to ambush me if I don’t comply?’
Seo Yoon’s was of speaking was primarily by note, even if they meet in real life she still would hand Lee Hyun a hand written note. She gave him another one.
[I want Job’s Tears tea]
After the lecture, Lee Hyun got Seo Yoon’s attention and headed for the vending machines.
“That tea is 300 won, where do I put the 300 won, in here?”
It was crowded with many students putting in coins to get coffee. When he tried to pull out his coins, Seo Yoon took charge, grabbed his collar and tugged.
“What?, they have Job’s Tears tea, don’t you want it now?”
Lee Hyun raised his head, conscious of the stares from the other students as he was still getting tugged by his collar. This meant she wanted to drink at some other place.
“Don’t tell me, you don’t want it now?”
He looked at Seo Yoon spending patterns, and took a guess. This means a place that was well-decorated, suited for conversation and with a better atmosphere!
Guessing from Seo Yoon’s spending habits, this was a clear message to move on. This was a skillful way to get him to another place. One that would be good for conversation and a nice atmosphere…some sort of a pricy place!
“Don’t tell me…a coffee shop?”
Lee Hyun did not understand why people went to the coffee shop. Spending over 3,000 won for coffee was just throwing your money away.
‘Coffee isn’t worth drinking…just like it’s not worth drinking a beer with too much foam. I don’t have a nose like a dog so I don’t enjoy the smell. When I used to drink it I needed at least three spoons of sugar in it.’
Just thinking about it made him angry, Lee Hyun did not want to pay the price of the overpriced coffee. His daily life was better now, but just 2-3 years ago, he did not even have enough money to buy rice. So Lee Hyun stayed in front of the vending machines despite the fact that Seo Yoon was still holding his collar.
Seo Yoon took out her wallet. There were money and credit cards inside!
“What? You’re buying?”
Seo Yoon Nodded.
As Seo Yoon was clearly in charge of where they were going, Lee Hyun shook his head and followed her.
“People should add some culture into their life. Anyway I am now starting to feel like drinking some coffee in that kind of place.”
*****
Seo Yoon gave a written note to the taxi driver for the destination. As they rode the taxi it arrived at the foot of a hillside for a five-star hotel where the view was very good, a famous place. Here too the gap between rich and poor was made clear to Lee Hyun. In the hotel there was a space for a coffee shop and a movie theater.
“I can understand why people come all the way out here to drink coffee.”
Of course, if you were eating outdoors, it is especially superb if you were eating outside on the deck of a ship. For coffee too having a good atmosphere is better for enjoying it that much more!
“My stomach is starving. If you starve for few days, whatever you eat is going to be delicious.”
Lee Hyun muttered certain words but sat down in the coffee shop chair. The view from the window overlooked a river with a nearby bridge, the lights from the cars and highway sparkled in the evening twilight. A waiter laid a menu on the table.
“Are you ready to order?”
Lee Hyun wanting something to drink froze after reading what was written on the menu.
Americano 13,000
Hazelnut 13,000
Espresso 13,000
——————
Herbal Tea 14,000
Iced coffee 14,000
Coke 8,000
——————
Fruit juice 15,000
Cocktail 19,000
——————
Tax (10%), service charge (10%)
“Keoeok!”
Taxes and services charge are not included in the listed price, the official price for a cup of coffee was more than 13,000 won. One slice of cake with strawberry jam was priced at over ten thousand won, and hard liquors were priced at anything from hundreds of thousands to even over one million won as well.
A small meal with a side was around 30,000 to 50,000 won. A bottle of mineral water was 6,000. Of course that was excluding the tax and service fee. Lee Hyun was rapidly gaining the utmost respect for the rich. The people who ate dinner at such places were clearly not ordinary humans.
Lee Hyun gave his order while looking at the menu.
“An Americano and put an egg in it”
“Excuse me?”
“I want an egg added.”
An expensive coffee that does nothing to fill you up was unfair.
Seo Yoon pointed with her finger at the menu entry and ordered a set of coffee and waffles without speaking. The warm rich scent of coffee filled the air, pleasantly soft ambient music played in the background. This was the perfect moment that Seo Yoon wanted to exploit.
Since there were people around Seo Yoon found it difficult to speak. She really wanted to speak with Lee Hyun. Over time she had learned to adjust and was comfortable with him.
An attitude with a look from the eyes didn’t really convey enough and that was frustrating. For the frequent meals that were cooked for her in royal road she managed to find ways to be expressive.
When she was hungry at the end of a tough battle, he would give her special meals since he knew what her favorite dishes were. He would give her the delicious and tender parts of the roasted meat to eat.
In a fight, he would take the lead since his defense was high. It was difficult to know the warmth of that man. Seo Yoon wanted to take it a step further and forge a dialogue with Lee Hyun.
She opened her mouth and spoke with a lovely voice.
“Hey, do you want me to tell you how they’re doing now?”
“I don’t.”
“Half Sauce half fried and the other chickens?”
“Didn’t you eat them yet?”
“The eggs have hatched and newborn chicks came out.”
“A good earthen pot of chicken soup with ginseng.”
The conversation was running in completely separate lines.