Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Ruby's Tear
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"Ahh, thank you so much!"
Eurd beamed with joy as he took the items Yuseong had handed over in abundance.
Yuseong stood there with his arms crossed, waiting for Eurd's next reaction. The items he'd just given more than satisfied the conditions to unlock the next quest.
Sure enough, Eurd spoke words different from his usual ones.
"I never imagined you'd help me this much. If I may ask... were you the one who helped the old baker in Blue Meadow Village and cleared out the kobolds on Tar's Highway?"
Yuseong nodded.
"I knew it! I heard rumors about you when I stopped by those two towns to sell grain! Your description matched, so I wondered if it might be you. You're every bit as righteous as the stories say!"
As he praised Yuseong, Eurd shrank back slightly, as if gauging Yuseong's mood.
"It's shameless of me to say this, but... trusting in your character, may I ask one more favor?"
Yuseong nodded again.
"You're truly magnanimous! Truth be told, though you've recovered many of my goods, the truly valuable ones are still missing."
He was probably referring to the stolen goods (Ruby's Tear).
"That item was worth more than half of all my merchandise combined. I beg you—please find those as well."
[Quest: Bankrupt Merchant's Main Goods]
You've recovered many goods for Eurd, but sadly, the most valuable one is missing. Retrieve the 'Stolen Goods (Ruby's Tear),' his most prized possession.
Reward - 81 EXP, 250G
Yuseong accepted the quest right away.
"Thank you so much! You're a real angel!"
Yuseong felt a slight twinge of annoyance. He'd only encountered religion in records, but having survived a world-ending apocalypse, he harbored a deep aversion to it.
'Things that can't even stop the world from ending—what good are they?'
Still, he had no intention of arguing the point here like an idiot.
"Even after taking down so many bandits, no Ruby's Tear has turned up, so they must have handed it over to their leader. I suspect we'll need to take out the bandit chieftain to get my goods back."
Eurd pulled out paper, ink, and a quill from his pocket and scribbled a few lines.
"That bandit is bold enough to hide right in the city. Ted should know his hideout—he's plugged into all the info. Here, a letter for him. He owes me a favor, so show him this and he'll talk. You'll find him at the 'Mountain Bird' tavern in the center of the market district."
Yuseong took the letter.
'This is how you unlock the bandit dungeon hideout.'
Of course, thanks to the strategy guide, Yuseong had already explored the dungeon and amassed a mountain of quest items. He immediately handed over the 'Stolen Goods (Ruby's Tear)' to Eurd.
"Oh, oh! You actually found it!"
Eurd rejoiced.
"And all of the Ruby's Tears that were stolen from me, no less!"
Since Yuseong had holed up in the dungeon hunting without venturing into the city much, he'd already collected all 50 'Stolen Goods (Ruby's Tear).'
"I was right to ask you! Here's the promised reward."
He heard the notification for EXP gained, and his gold increased.
"And since you've recovered every last one of my lost goods, take this too."
[Acquired 'Lowest-Grade Strength Enhancer.']
'An enhancer?'
It was a new item. Yuseong immediately summoned the strategy guide.
【Enhancers are items that boost your stats. The Lowest-Grade Strength Enhancer raises Strength by 1.】
Boosting stats—definitely not a bad item.
'Is there a way to get more of these?'
【Stat-boosting items are extremely rare and can't be bought from regular shops. You can only obtain them by completing quests or defeating exceptionally rare monsters.】
'If I bring Eurd another 50 Ruby's Tears, will I get more?'
【Eurd only gives one 'Lowest-Grade Strength Enhancer.' You can bring more 'Stolen Goods (Ruby's Tear)' for EXP and gold, but no more enhancers.】
'Too bad.'
But that was that. Yuseong let go of any lingering thoughts at the strategy guide's firm word.
Yuseong left Eurd's side. With the linked quests done, he planned to handle other business.
'Level up some more first, then take on a nearby optional boss.'
As he pondered the closest optional boss to Verhill, someone blocked his path.
A familiar face.
'An NPC from Hers Guild.'
Gone was the polite facade from before; now his face was stiff, openly radiating displeasure.
"Found you!"
He spat the words like they tasted foul.
Yuseong ignored him and tried to walk past. But a few more NPCs blocked his way.
'Those guys?'
The ones who'd doggedly tracked him. He'd glimpsed them following once or twice, and they matched the description.
Even holed up in the dungeon, Yuseong had emerged now and then to stock up on ammo—something he couldn't skip, at least.
Each time, a tail had stuck to him. Their claim to know Verhill like the back of their hand wasn't bluffing; they always sniffed him out brilliantly.
But only in player-frequented spots like the market district. The moment Yuseong ducked into back alleys, they lost him every time.
Since fights were impossible in the city anyway, he figured he'd brush past these ones too—but instead, Yuseong turned to the Hers NPC and chose the dialogue option.
"What's this about? We have nothing left to say to each other."
"Bullshit!"
The man snarled.
"Is this about the bandit dungeon again?"
"Yeah!"
"Fine. Let's make a deal."
"What?"
"I'll sell you the info for the 1,000 gold you mentioned."
He had no more business in that dungeon anyway. Even if 1,000G was peanuts, better than nothing.
But the other side clearly thought differently.
"Like hell!"
He barked the curse.
"You humiliated our guild and now you wanna deal? What the fuck do you take us for?"
'Strategy guide. When did I ever humiliate them?'
【It seems Hers Guild missing you repeatedly has become a hot topic.】
Yuseong was already drawing eyes for his string of optional boss kills, and clashing with Hers Guild focused even more attention. Some streamers even mentioned it on broadcasts.
That's when witnesses caught Hers Guild losing you. Footage of their members slinking out of the slums after chasing you racked up views.
Naturally, Hers Guild became a laughingstock.
【But it's not humiliation-level. They're probably using you as an example to deter others from defying the guild—making a spectacle of you.】
'So no peaceful resolution, then?'
【Probably not.】
Yuseong addressed the glaring Hers NPC.
"So what do you want?"
"Hand over the dungeon info right now, plus all your items and gold. Do that, and we'll only kill you ten times."
"And if I refuse?"
Above all, Yuseong could never accept demands for his money.
The Hers NPC's lips curled smugly.
"We'll kill you on sight! Better quit the game while you can!"
He raised his voice as if for everyone to hear.
By now, players had gathered around Yuseong and the Hers NPC, lining up with eager eyes on the scene.
The Hers NPC was probably shouting more to warn the onlookers than at Yuseong.
'An example, like it said.'
The Hers Guild NPC haughtily tilted his chin, as if to say, "What now?"
No need to think. Yuseong calmly raised his right hand and flipped him off.
"Fuck off."
The Hers Guild NPC's face twisted. But cheers erupted from the crowd, contrasting his reaction.
The hottest newbie in Ark was openly provoking one of Verhill's top guilds.
Verhill was a newbie hub where guilds weren't elite, but a guild was still a guild—too much for one player.
Even with Yuseong's rep as Ark's top-tier potential, it held.
To provoke them so brazenly?
Naturally, the spectators cheered regardless of realism.
But Yuseong himself was thinking something else.
'Something I always wanted to try.'
Flipping the bird, the satisfying curse that rolled off the tongue. Doing what he'd only read about in books sparked odd thrill.
'Is the hand shape right? Pronunciation too?'
He worried if he'd nailed it. But the Hers NPC's crumpling face suggested the intent landed.
'No wonder folks in the old days fired off curses when pissed.'
He felt a slight mood boost from the reaction. NPC or not.
"...Fine. Let's see what happens. I'll show you exactly what comes of messing with Hers Guild in Verhill!"
With that, the Hers NPCs left.
The onlookers swarmed Yuseong, shouting encouragement like "Go get 'em!" or "Wreck them!"
But it was just crowd hype, not sincere belief.
No one truly thought Yuseong would win.
'In the end, I'll have to fight them.'
Yuseong hadn't sought this confrontation. Hers Guild's unacceptable demands left him no choice.
'Either way, the fight's on.'
No combat in the city, so they'd wait for him to leave.
He could hole up to avoid it, but Yuseong had no plans to.
He needed attention and gold.
Besides.
'Quit the game?'
Cold killing intent flashed in Yuseong's eyes.
That meant stripping him of his haven and threatening his survival.
'I'll crush them!'
It'd be tough, but nothing compared to real-world misery.
Yuseong slowly shifted his mindset from game to reality.
From now on, these battles weren't content—they were a fight for survival.