Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Merchant on the Brink of Bankruptcy
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Yuseong, having left Tar, set his sights on the city of Verhil. It was the location for the next stage of the linked quest he was currently pursuing.
Verhil was a city nestled within the Blue Floodplains. Unlike the barren gray tones that defined Tar, it brimmed with vibrant life, instantly appealing to Yuseong.
‘Might as well take a look around the city first.’
He needed to check out the various shops, especially the bakery.
Verhil was impressively large. Countless buildings sprawled haphazardly around a central castle, dwarfing the Blue Plains village or Tar that he’d seen so far.
But the biggest difference was the shops run by player NPCs.
From simple setups with mats laid on the street and goods displayed atop them, to full buildings decked out with fancy signs.
They sold items crafted by production-class player NPCs like blacksmiths and alchemists, or byproducts looted from monsters.
Yuseong was already so accustomed to NPCs acting like players that he didn’t even question it anymore.
Out of curiosity, he peeked into a few shops but ended up turning away empty-handed.
‘Expensive!’
The performance was supposedly better than general stores, but the prices reflected that.
‘And there were hardly any firearm-related items.’
Since guns were off the beaten path in this game, that made sense. As the strategy guide had advised before starting, it seemed best to learn Alchemy and supply himself.
It wasn’t just the player NPC shops that caught Yuseong’s eye.
‘Guilds.’
Guild buildings dotted the area, varying wildly in size and style based on their finances, specialties, and personalities. Player NPCs coming and going from them stood out too.
‘No need to get involved right now.’
There were no major guilds in the Verhil region.
‘First things first, let’s wrap up the linked quest. Strategy Guide. Show me the linked quest.’
[Quest: Merchant on the Brink of Bankruptcy]
Reward - Varies based on the value of the recovered goods. Linked quest.
Yuseong clicked his tongue at the window. The variable reward was one thing, but unlike before, there was no black bread in the quest reward. That alone plummeted the quest’s value.
A map of Verhil appeared, marking the quest-giving NPC’s location. Yuseong followed the strategy guide’s directions.
Upon arriving at the destination, he spotted an NPC. Slumped beside a half-destroyed cart, staring blankly at the sky with a deeply disheartened expression.
‘That must be the NPC.’
Even without the strategy guide pointing it out, it was obvious. Quite a few player NPCs were gathered around him.
Player NPCs entering a certain radius around the quest NPC would vanish and reappear.
The system created a dedicated space for each to receive the quest without waiting.
It was such a meticulous and absurdly detailed setup that even Yuseong, who was getting used to player NPCs, had to marvel at it again.
Yuseong approached the quest NPC.
As he entered the quest NPC’s range, the surrounding player NPCs vanished all at once. He had entered the dedicated space.
“It’s over. Everything’s done for.”
The quest NPC’s mutter reached his ears. Yuseong stood before the NPC. The unfocused eyes that had been gazing at the sky shifted to him. Focus returned to them.
“H-Hey! If you’ve got some time, could you help me out?”
Yuseong nodded.
“I can’t thank you enough! As you can see, I’m a merchant. I used to travel around buying and selling grain in these parts, but I wanted to expand my wares, so this time I bought some jewelry. But on the way to Verhil, I ran into a bandit gang.”
The NPC let out a heavy sigh.
“Fortunately, I survived, but they took every last bit of my goods. All that’s left is this half-smashed cart. If things stay like this, bankruptcy is as good as certain. Please, I beg you. Retrieve the goods the bandits stole. I’ll make it worth your while!”
[Quest: Merchant on the Brink of Bankruptcy]
The Verhil merchant Eurd was raided by bandits and lost his goods. Recover the goods from the bandits and return them to Eurd.
Reward - Varies based on the value of the recovered goods.
Yuseong nodded once more to accept the quest and turned away. As he put some distance between himself and Eurd, player NPCs began reappearing. He had left the dedicated space.
Yuseong glanced at the player NPCs around him for a moment.
‘There seem to be especially a lot gathered here…’
He’d seen other quest NPCs while wandering Verhil, but none had this many player NPCs clustered around.
That’s when he overheard two player NPCs conversing.
“Did you get the quest alright?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s head to the hunting ground.”
“Going to the ‘Green Floodplains Bandit Stronghold’?”
“What, still pissed about it?”
“Of course. Charging money just to hunt? They didn’t make the game—how does monopolizing hunting grounds even make sense!”
“What can you do? Guilds monopolizing good spots isn’t new. It’s not just Hers Guild doing it.”
“That’s exactly the problem!”
“But Hers Guild at least lets you use the spot if you pay. That’s better than other guilds.”
“With real-world money, not game cash.”
“Plenty of other guilds don’t even offer that. If it bugs you that much, either take on Hers Guild or give up the hunting ground. Which is it?”
“How? They’re one of the top guilds around here.”
“Or give up the hunting ground?”
“Then I can’t complete the quest. This one’s worth doing.”
“Then the answer’s clear. Quit griping and let’s gear up. We’re paying to get in, so we gotta milk it for all it’s worth.”
“No other hunting grounds?”
“Hers Guild’s got a monopoly on all three bandit spots. Give it up.”
“Damn it!”
The two player NPCs walked away.
‘Hunting ground monopoly, huh.’
Naltorri’s words came to mind. It looked like his warning had come true.
‘They’ve monopolized every bandit hunting ground?’
Like the two who just left, Yuseong was in a tough spot too.
He had no intention of abandoning the quest. But he couldn’t pay like they were doing either.
‘Real-world money? What the hell.’
It was game money they were supposedly using outside the game somehow, but Yuseong didn’t have any of that.
‘Guess that leaves fighting them head-on?’
But he’d heard the guild monopolizing the grounds was top-tier around here. Could he handle them alone?
‘They’re probably stronger than those guys from before, right?’
He recalled the Moonlight Starlight group that tried to trap him, and the mob that ambushed during the undiscovered dungeon clear.
If they were around that level, he was confident even in a straight fight, but that was probably too optimistic.
In the end, he turned to the strategy guide again.
‘Strategy Guide. What’s the best move here?’
【Hers Guild has claimed three hunting grounds in total. However, there is an undiscovered dungeon where bandits appear.】
‘Really?’
【In fact, to progress your linked quest, Player, you need to enter that undiscovered dungeon.】
No need to agonize. Yuseong followed the strategy guide’s directions and moved out immediately.
Unlike other dungeons so far that required leaving the city, the guide led him to a spot inside the city.
Verhil boasted picturesque streets with well-paved roads and pristine buildings. But the destination felt like a different city altogether.
Unpaved roads were a muddy mess of sewage and filth from who-knows-where, and most buildings looked ready to collapse at any moment.
Some lacked even that, living under filthy tents. A thick stench hung over it all, making the scene even more dismal.
It was Verhil’s slums.
Most passing NPCs seemed utterly devoid of spirit. The occasional player NPCs grimaced, carefully stepping to avoid the muck.
But Yuseong strode forward without hesitation. Compared to his trash heap of a real life, even these slums felt decent.
Navigating the slum alleys, Yuseong stopped at a house deeper in the slums.
‘This the place?’
【Yes.】
Yuseong opened the door. It wasn’t locked. The rickety door let out a eerie creak.
The interior was as shabby as the outside. He passed household items broken and dust-covered, scattered haphazardly, and headed to the basement.
A single small candle dimly lit the basement.
【Move that cupboard aside.】
The strategy guide indicated the one somewhat intact cupboard. Scratches on the floor suggested it had been moved before.
He pushed the cupboard aside.
Scraaaape!
A hole in the wall gaped open. Beyond it stretched a downward-sloping tunnel. Yuseong entered.
Scraaaape!
The cupboard slid back on its own, sealing the hole.
After walking the passage a short way, a sturdy-looking door appeared. He opened it and went in.
[You are the first to discover the dungeon ‘Bandits’ Hidden Hideout Beneath the Slums’. Experience gained for first discovery of the dungeon. 1 bonus point awarded for first discovery of the dungeon. For one week, experience, money, and item drop rates inside the dungeon increased by 200%.]
Hearing the familiar system voice, Yuseong drew his gun.
* * *
A corridor stretched straight ahead, built of weathered bricks that spoke of time’s passage. Doors lined both walls.
Yuseong opened the nearest one. A small room appeared. Two bandits inside looked at him as he opened the door. He aimed without a second thought.
Bang!
One bandit dropped as he pulled the trigger. The other drew a short dagger, roaring as he charged. Yuseong swung his gun and fired at him.
Bang!
The bullet struck the bandit’s abdomen. He flinched briefly but didn’t die, continuing his rush at Yuseong.
The bandit fell dead only after another bullet pierced his gut.
‘Headshot for one hit. Otherwise, two.’
Just as the strategy guide had informed him before entering. Yuseong picked up the bundle the bandit dropped.
Amid the money and junk items was one labeled ‘Stolen Goods (Low Value)’.
‘This is the quest item, right?’
【Yes.】
‘How many do I need?’
【The more you collect, the better the proportional reward. However, to unlock the linked quest, you need 50 ‘Stolen Goods (Tear of Ruby)’. ‘Stolen Goods (Tear of Ruby)’ drops from the ‘Head Bandit’. The ‘Head Bandit’ is this dungeon’s boss monster.】
‘So I have to clear the dungeon after all.’
Routine stuff. Yuseong reloaded his spent ammo and left the room.