Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Merchant Guild's Stolen Goods
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Even Istin, who had been fiercely protesting, had no choice but to yield to the guild master's firm words. Her shoulders slumped down.
[Guild master is so cool!]
[How dare a mere guild member talk back to the guild master like that!]
[Yeah, that's what a real 'guild master' should be like.]
Istin, who had never had any redeeming qualities, was sharply rebuked. Just from that scene alone, the viewers gave the guild master glowing reviews.
The guild master, having easily crushed Istin, turned back to Yuseong.
"I'm sorry, but could you spare us a moment? As you just saw, there's an incident we'd like to entrust to you, Yuseong."
"Sure."
"Thank you for your time. Let's head to my room. I'll explain the details there."
Then the guild master looked at Istin again.
"Bring the documents to my room."
"...Yes."
"And one more thing."
The guild master's eyes sharpened.
"As a merchant, you may not be the friendliest, but you must never make the customer uncomfortable. I taught you not to be shortsighted and miss the forest for the trees over petty gains."
It was clearly a reprimand for her attitude toward Yuseong. Istin bit her lip. But she couldn't bring herself to deny the guild master's words.
"...I'll keep that in mind."
[Lololol Serves Her Right]
[Yeah, I knew that jerk was like that]
The viewers enthusiastically mocked Istin.
The guild master led Yuseong up to the guild master's office on the second floor of the building.
[First time seeing the guild's second floor]
[Has anyone been in here?]
[This is the guild master's first appearance too, right? No way]
The guild master's office was surprisingly modest for a merchant guild. The decorations didn't look expensive at all, and the only furniture was a desk for work, guest chairs, and a table.
"Have a seat."
The guild master seated Yuseong first, then sat across from him.
The two faced each other. The guild master bowed his head slightly.
"First, I apologize for the rudeness of our guild member."
"It's fine."
Yuseong truly didn't care. He just wanted to get the quest quickly.
Fortunately, the guild master got straight to the point.
"As I mentioned, we brought you here because we have a job we'd like to entrust to you."
He lowered his voice slightly, as if sharing a secret.
"As Istin said earlier, this commission involves some sensitive matters for our guild. Can I ask you to keep it confidential?"
Yuseong nodded. The guild master smiled.
"Thank you. Truthfully, this isn't something we should entrust to an outsider, but I believe we can trust you. You've proven yourself reliable so far."
He continued.
"Our guild handles storage services, keeping others' belongings safe. But we don't take just anything. It's for valuables from wealthy nobles and merchants."
[It's like a bank?]
[Early banking was probably storing valuables for the rich]
"But the vault where we store those items was robbed."
[Oh no]
[That's bad]
"Fortunately, the customers' items were all safe. But our guild's assets were stolen. We immediately started an investigation, of course. But we kept it secret from everyone. Even if the customers' goods are fine, just the fact that someone broke into the vault would plummet our credibility."
[Yeah, that makes sense]
[I wouldn't trust them either]
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. The receptionist cautiously entered, placed a few sheets of paper on the table, and left. Yuseong glanced lightly at the documents on the table.
'Hmm, unfamiliar script.'
They weren't made for players, apparently.
The guild master picked up the documents.
"Fortunately, our investigation revealed that the thief fled into the Stranded Wetland."
[Stranded Wetland?]
[There?]
[What's there?]
[It's a hunting ground no one wants. Even nearby guilds don't bother monopolizing it.]
[Efficiency is low, and the environment sucks.]
"I'll formally commission you, Yuseong. Search the Stranded Wetland, find them, and recover our stolen goods."
Quest: The Merchant Guild's Stolen Goods
A few days ago, a thief broke into the Merchant Guild's vault and stole a significant amount of wealth. The thief is hiding somewhere in the Stranded Wetland. Retrieve the treasure.
Rewards: 824 EXP, 1,153 Gold, Low-Grade Dexterity Enhancer x2, Mysterious Map
'This is supposed to be a pretty important item.'
Yuseong eyed the Mysterious Map. This was the real point of the quest, apparently.
[Whoa? Mysterious Map?]
The viewers recognized it too. They reacted immediately upon seeing the quest rewards.
[This quest gives the Mysterious Map?]
[For real?]
The chat heated up.
[Wow, first time seeing a quest that gives that!]
[What's it for then?]
[No idea]
The absurd response seemed like a joke. Why would the chat explode over something unknown? But the person wasn't joking.
[I really don't know what it is. It's called a map, but it's just a pitch-black cloth—nothing drawn on it.]
[The problem is it only drops from super rare quests.]
[And Utopia keeps hinting it's something big.]
[Few top rankers even have it.]
[How did a quest from a near-bankrupt merchant lead to this linked quest?]
Shock, envy, questions—every emotion poured into the chat.
"Understood."
Yuseong nodded and accepted the quest.
"Thank you so much. We have some intel we've gathered. Here, it should help with your search."
A map appeared in front of Yuseong on its own. Eight red circles marked areas in what was presumed to be the Stranded Wetland, indicating certain radii.
"Then, we leave it to you."
Yuseong returned the guild master's greeting and headed out immediately.
He went down to the first floor. Out of curiosity from the viewers about the new guild building, he looked around a bit, but all the doors were locked, so it didn't satisfy much.
The receptionist gave him a slight bow. He passed her and headed to the entrance.
Istin was standing at the entrance. Her bloodshot eyes glared at Yuseong.
"You'd better not get too cocky. If you value that worthless life of yours."
With that, Istin left the guild.
[That jerk is like that to the end]
[They really made this NPC super annoying]
The viewers were dumbfounded.
* * *
After leaving the Merchant Guild, Yuseong prepared a few things and headed to the Stranded Wetland.
The vast plain was filled with water, dense with trees and bushes. Yuseong loved the lush scenery before him, but the viewers apparently didn't.
[Wetlands suck so much]
[No sunlight, hard to move]
[That sinking feeling in the mud is the worst]
Yuseong stepped into the wetland.
Splash!
His leg sank into the water. But the depth was shallow, so his whole body didn't submerge.
Yuseong put his other leg in as well. Then he began walking slowly. Ripples spread with each step.
'It really is inconvenient to move.'
The soft ground made his feet sink with every step. This restricted Yuseong's greatest strength—his agile movements.
Plus, even if shallow, both legs were submerged. The water's resistance, stronger than air, inevitably slowed any part of the body below the surface.
'No wonder they hate it.'
If Yuseong encountered this in real life, he'd explode from stress.
'Fighting monsters or beasts in a place like this? Can't even imagine.'
Unless it was critically important, he'd never set foot there.
But this was just a game. No need to tense up that much.
Yuseong pulled up the map and headed toward the nearest red circle.
Of course, Yuseong knew the exact destination. He had the strategy guide. No need to waste effort here.
But with viewers watching, he planned to wander aimlessly for a bit, then hit the right spot around the third try.
Splash!
Yuseong stopped. He heard a small sound. He turned toward where it came from.
[What's up?]
[Monster?]
The chat grew noisy as Yuseong halted. Sharp-eyed viewers spotted the suspicious something where he looked.
[Swamp Crocodile]
Two ping-pong-ball-like orbs floated on the water's surface.
It was a swamp crocodile, a monster from this wetland.
It usually hid its body under the murky water, exposing only its eyes, making it extremely hard to spot.
[That's why I hate this hunting ground]
A viewer who seemed to have had a bad run-in grumbled.
But it wasn't just them.
[Anyone would hate that thing]
[How do you even spot it?]
Even those who knew about swamp crocodiles from the start, and first-timers alike, were baffled by its camouflage. Some viewers hadn't even found one yet.
Sloooowly.
The swamp crocodile's eyes moved toward Yuseong. With all the floating debris, even that motion was hard to notice. The viewers clicked their tongues again.
Yuseong aimed his gun at the swamp crocodile's eyes.
Bang!
Splat!
The gunshot rang out, and one of the quietly moving eyes burst.
-Kraaaaaang!-
The swamp crocodile thrashed and let out a massive scream.
Only then could the viewers see its body.
A long snout lined with triple rows of tightly packed teeth, followed by a lengthy body. Its rugged skin looked thick enough to shrug off attacks, teeth not even piercing.
It was over 2 meters long, roughly.
The chat flipped out again at the sight.
[No way that size was hiding like that?]
[Hit a vital spot and it doesn't die in one shot?]
[High HP, I guess]
[High stealth, high HP—it's got it all]
[And high attack power too]
But regardless of the viewers' uproar, Yuseong silently aimed at the remaining eye.
Bang!
Splat!
The second eye burst from the shot. The thrashing swamp crocodile's body stiffened.
Splash!
It splashed into the water, then floated belly-up on the surface.
Yuseong reloaded the two spent rounds.
[No big deal.]
[High stealth, HP, attack power? So what?]
[Yeah, still just food]
It was a familiar sight by now.