abcnovels
Chapter 144
Chapter 144
Chapter 144
The lights in the Märchen Royal Palace burned late 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 my comrades were going through a lot.”
“No, it’s alright. Now I see that the Hero of Märchen is a man who cares for his comrades.”
Everyone applauded 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 place 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 glass!”
“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!”
Ragan laughed heartily, as if he had never been gloomy before, as soon as Jeong-Hoon gave his permission.
Their glasses were filled with alcohol.
“To the eternal glory of the Märchen 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 occasion.
Jeong-Hoon grinned.
“Enjoy it until today. But from tomorrow, you need to reach level 201 and complete your 3rd class 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 player information before you break that enthusiasm.”
“Ah, yes…!”
Only then did the two of them check Jeong-Hoon’s player 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 class 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 account.
“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 become a hot spot.
Users visiting Märchen 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 Class, was Unique-grade.
And the Shadow Combat was Epic-grade.
If the two of them applied, the expedition leader would welcome 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 and come 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 palace, 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 Märchen! I heard you’ve made many contributions before even coming 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 income.
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 Märchen’s Guardian, the nobles wouldn’t even try to oppose Jeong-Hoon.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a smooth path lay 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.
Playing 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 Märchen 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 Märchen Kingdom and headed straight for the Martial Arts Tower.
The place to undertake the 3rd class advancement quest was the tower corresponding to each class.
* * *
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 occasionally.
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 he lacked qualifications in the past, now he had met them.
“Yes. I’ve come for my 3rd class advancement.”
Of course, it wasn’t Kairos, the Tower Master, who was in charge of the 3rd class advancement.
The one responsible for the outsider’s advancement in this Martial Arts Tower was an instructor named Lucas.
====
[NPC Information]
– Nickname: Lucas
– Level: 250
– Occupation: Martial Arts Tower Instructor
====
He was an instructor who taught newcomers in this Martial Arts Tower.
Outsiders usually reached level 201 and then sought out Lucas to proceed with their 3rd class 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 class 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 class advancement trial location.”
With that, Kairos took charge of Jeong-Hoon’s 3rd class 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 had come for his 3rd class 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 class advancement process.
The 3rd class advancement took place on the 5th floor of the Martial Arts Tower, where there was a door similar 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-black 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]
– Requirement: Level 201 or higher, 2nd advancement Martial Artist
– Reward: ‘Advancement Quest: Trial (1/2)’ becomes available.
– Description: You have met the qualifications. It is time to unleash your dormant power.
As Jeong-Hoon accepted the quest, his body was instantly sucked into the tombstone.
———-