abcnovels
Chapter 154
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 income would be cut off.
From the perspective of Verd, the city’s head, it wasn’t exactly welcome 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 any complaints, tell them to come 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 as laborers 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 explanation 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 become 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 had completed his 3rd class change, so he must have become incomparably 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 planning 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 success 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 Klao in the sanctuary.
===
[NPC Information]
-Nickname: Klao
-Level: 275
-Occupation: Executive of the City of Warriors (Runes)
===
Klao 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 after completing the 3rd class change.
Normally, Klao shouldn’t give Jeong-hoon a quest.
This was because his class 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 monsters later?
?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 class 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 class change, there was no limit to the number of Runes one could possess.
[Rune Quest: What are Runes?]
-Restriction: Level 201 or higher, 3rd class changed Warrior user (Other classes can undertake this quest after fulfilling certain conditions)
-Reward: Rune quest progression
-Description: Listen to Klao’s explanation about Runes.
Jeong-hoon immediately accepted the quest.
“Oh, you’re the foreigner who spoke with the head.”
“Yes.”
“I see. You want to know about Runes, right?”
Klao grinned and explained 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 explanation, the quest was completed quickly.
[Rune Quest: Recognition of the Ancient Warriors]
-Restriction: ‘Rune Quest: What are Runes?’ completed
-Reward: Random Rune +1
-Description: Pass the trials presented by the Ancient Warriors and obtain a Rune.
Upon accepting the quest, Klao handed him a map.
There were 12 X marks on the map.
“The places 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 delay.
The place Jeong-hoon visited was a small shop.
Accessories were displayed 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 displayed.
“Welcome.”
===
[NPC Information]
-Nickname: Chris
-Level: 275
-Occupation: General Merchant
===
Chris was a general merchant.
However, that was just his surface-level occupation, and all the weapons and armor could be considered his creations.
“I’d like to request a commission.”
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 place they arrived at through the portal was a blacksmith’s workshop.
“So you craft equipment here.”
“That’s right. But what is the commission 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 blacksmith’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 accessory shop located a bit further away.
‘Those places 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. The commission 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 being commissioned.]
[Remaining time: 72 hours]
[The time may be extended depending on the situation.]
‘See you later, 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 place Jeong-hoon headed to was a rocky mountain, completely unrelated to the marks.
‘Is this the right place? 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, one comes 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 his comrades 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 necklace?’
‘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.
———