Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Emergency Production (1)
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Hyun-soo made his way to see Daeng.
When he knocked and entered, Daeng, who was in his office, wore a look of disappointment.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Yes.”
“Have you decided where you’re going?”
“I’m thinking of heading to the Goyard Kingdom.”
“The Goyard Kingdom, you say? Is there a particular reason you’re going there?”
“I plan to participate in the Super Rookie Tournament.”
“Hoh…”
Daeng looked at Hyun-soo with a small smile.
He was intrigued, as no blacksmith had ever won the Super Rookie Tournament before.
“Aren’t you still unqualified to participate in that event?”
“There’s still about a week until the tournament. I plan to raise my level on the way there.”
A glint appeared in Daeng’s eyes, as if he’d just had a brilliant idea.
“Have you considered visiting a place called Kasel Territory, located on the border with the Goyard Kingdom?”
“Kasel Territory?”
“Yes. Kasel Territory is a place constantly at war with the undead. If you join the fight against them, you should be able to reach the level you’re aiming for in no time.”
Daeng stroked his chin and added.
“I’ve heard that the lord there possesses some exceptional ore.”
“…Is that so?”
Hyun-soo’s eyes sparkled. While playing Ares, he had come to realize one thing.
There was a limit to creating exceptional artifacts with his skills alone.
The way to overcome that limit was to use high-quality materials.
Since Hyun-soo needed to level up to 50 anyway, the chance to acquire some ore was a welcome one.
“Then I’ll go and check it out. Thank you for the information.”
“Do so. We will surely meet again someday.”
Hyun-soo could guess what Daeng meant.
Once he reached a certain level, he would meet Daeng again.
Hyun-soo bid him farewell and left.
***
Having set his destination for Kasel Territory, Hyun-soo paid the person in charge of the warp gate.
‘There must be a clear reason why Daeng sent me to Kasel Territory.’
Of course, Daeng had mentioned that the lord possessed good ore.
But that alone didn’t feel like enough of a reason.
Daeng would know that, given Hyun-soo’s level, he couldn’t just request an audience with the lord and expect it to be granted.
‘So, is he telling me to do something remarkable enough to earn an audience?’
As soon as he left the tower, Hyun-soo immediately looked up some information on Kasel Territory.
Kasel Territory was a place where one could participate in a Territory War.
Territory Wars came in two versions.
The first was defending against monster invasions.
The second was a war between territories.
Since Daeng had mentioned that the territory was constantly under attack by the undead, he presumed it was a defensive Territory War.
Hyun-soo warped immediately, his vision engulfed by a pure white light.
[You have entered Kasel Territory.]
When he opened his eyes, Hyun-soo spotted an arrow flying right at his face.
“Watch out!”
A man was rushing over, trying to push Hyun-soo out of the way.
But Hyun-soo drew his sword and swiftly split the arrow in two.
*Thwack—*
“…?”
The man who had been running toward him wore a bewildered expression.
A look that screamed, ‘How did that just get cut in half…?’
Hyun-soo could see the man’s name.
[Centurion Render Lv. 76]
The centurion named Render, his expression still one of shock, let out a dry laugh.
“An outlander with excellent reflexes. Are you here from the capital as reinforcements?”
Having already researched the Kasel Territory War, Hyun-soo knew that saying ‘yes’ would mean he was participating, and ‘no’ would mean he wasn’t.
“Yes.”
[You will now participate in the Kasel Territory War.]
“Then follow me!”
Hyun-soo followed behind Centurion Render, who was moving with urgent steps. Arrows, presumably from the undead, were flying in from all directions.
Centurion Render quickly explained.
“If you’ve come as reinforcements, you must already know. The undead have been pushing in greater numbers than usual lately.”
“More than usual?”
“That’s right.”
Soon, Render led Hyun-soo up to the top of the castle wall.
Once on the rampart, Render pointed at the undead.
A horde of them was rushing toward the wall.
[Zombie Lv. 18]
[Skeleton Lv. 22]
The levels of the undead in front of Hyun-soo were generally low.
But when he turned his head, he saw other undead.
The undead in other areas were of a higher level.
‘Ah, so they guide you to an area that matches your level? Do I just need to deal with the ones here?’
It seemed this convenience was in place because it was a Territory War that beginners could participate in.
Centurion Render then began to explain why more undead were appearing than usual.
“Our territory once had an item imbued with divine power called the Bell of Ramas. Simply possessing the Bell of Ramas weakened the undead by about twenty percent. When the bell rang, they would even flee in agony. But not anymore.”
Render looked into the distance with a grim expression.
He could see the spot where the Bell of Ramas was presumed to have been.
“The Bell of Ramas has been destroyed, and the undead are seizing this opportunity to launch an all-out assault. At this rate, our territory may fall.”
Render was about to give him a mission.
“Outlander from the capital, please hunt the undead and aid our territory…”
“But if it’s broken, can’t you just repair it?”
“Hmm…?”
Render looked puzzled by the unexpected question.
It was rare to be asked something like that.
Most outlanders—that is, players—would just assume it was part of the game’s lore and move on.
Render answered practicedly.
“Unfortunately, it cannot be repaired. Some artifacts are irreparable. The Bell of Ramas was shattered that badly.”
Hearing this, Hyun-soo asked another question.
“Then couldn’t you just acquire another item imbued with divine power?”
Render couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
What a curious outlander this one was!
“You must not know much about the Prime Kingdom. I’ll tell you why the undead have made their home near Kasel Territory.”
Render sighed as he looked at the undead.
“There are countless religious orders on this land. The largest is the Church of Ares. And each kingdom and empire has established such orders within their borders. However, our Prime Kingdom is different.”
Leaning his arm on the battlement, Render wore a bitter expression.
“The Prime Kingdom is a nation that shuns religious orders. Not a single one is permitted within the kingdom’s borders. Moreover, divine power is a potent force for vanquishing the undead and evil. The problem is that those who can craft artifacts imbued with this power are limited.”
“How are they limited?”
“It’s only possible by using materials imbued with divine power or by the blacksmiths of a religious order. It’s absolutely impossible to create anything with divine power within the Prime Kingdom. We even once requested it of the Master of the Tower of the Sword Blacksmith.”
Hyun-soo perked up at the mention of Daeng.
‘Could this be why he sent me here?’
“We asked him to create something imbued with divine power, but Master Daeng refused for the reasons I just mentioned.”
Hyun-soo nodded as if he now understood.
‘What’s the best way to meet the lord?’
A simple solution was right in front of him.
“Could I take a look at that bell?”
“…What?”
To meet the lord, he needed to perform a great service.
And it would have to be a very great service.
The reason Daeng sent Hyun-soo here.
Perhaps he thought Hyun-soo might be able to repair it.
The problem was, Hyun-soo himself couldn’t be sure.
Could an artifact labeled as irreparable be fixed if one had enough skill?
If not, it wouldn’t be due to a lack of skill on his part.
It would be the system limiting him.
Hearing his words, Render’s face was a mask of bewilderment.
‘I told him to hunt the undead, and now he’s asking to see the bell?’
It was absurd.
Hyun-soo spoke shrewdly.
“Master Daeng suggested I visit Kasel Territory.”
“…Master Daeng did?”
Render’s expression was complicated.
This didn’t seem like a matter he could decide on his own.
He spotted the knight commander not far away.
“I think we’ll have to go to the commander first. Let’s go together.”
“Yes.”
The two of them walked off together.
***
“Dammit…”
Knight Commander Kal gritted his teeth as he watched the swarming undead.
‘Is there truly no one who can create a replacement for the Bell of Ramas…?’
Many outlanders had come to Kasel Territory.
Every one of them was arrogant and conceited.
Some had thumped their chests, confidently declaring, “I’m a master blacksmith!”
But after examining the Bell of Ramas, they all had the same reaction.
‘Hmm… it’s written right here. It’s an irreparable artifact. This can’t be fixed.’
‘An irreparable artifact, huh? No one can fix this. Not even a dwarf could do it.’
Those who had started by talking about money licked their lips in disappointment.
Kal found it all preposterous.
The fate of an entire territory was on the line, and they were disappointed they couldn’t make money.
‘There was one decent blacksmith, but even she said it would be difficult…’
Kal’s heart grew heavy.
Just then.
“Commander, this outlander is asking if he can see the Bell of Ramas.”
“…”
Kal nearly slapped a hand to his forehead.
Another outlander? To be honest, having seen the same reaction time and again, Kal no longer held any expectations.
But then Render added.
“Master Daeng recommended he come here.”
“Daeng did?”
Daeng, the Master of the Tower of the Sword Blacksmith. Wasn’t he the greatest blacksmith in the Prime Kingdom?
He felt a sliver of hope.
“Can you tell me if he has achieved a certain level of mastery among blacksmiths!?”
NPCs learned over time, after all.
They knew that outlanders were obsessed with something called levels.
“If you’re asking about his level, it’s 13.”
“…?”
Hearing this, Kal’s face crumpled in dismay.
‘This one, that one… they’re all the same.’
Kal decided to use the same method he always used to deal with people like this.
“We can’t let just anyone touch the Bell of Ramas. Do you see the ghouls before you?”
“Yes.”
“Ghouls are three times stronger than the zombies and skeletons you should be fighting. They’re around level 40. Bring me ten of them. I’ll give you 20 gold for each one you bring.”
Centurion Render’s face filled with alarm. He whispered.
“Commander, he’s a blacksmith, and he should be hunting zombies.”
Kal glared at him as if to say, ‘So what?’
The method Kal was using was simple.
He had given him an impossible trial.
Put nicely, it was, ‘Go back quietly.’ Put bluntly, it was, ‘Get lost.’
But then the outlander asked.
“You’ll give me 20 gold per ghoul?”
“That’s right. And of course, if you bring back ten, I’ll let you see the Bell of Ramas.”
“If I hunt more, will you give me more?”
“I will.”
At that, the outlander named Hyun-soo broke into a wide smile.
***
*Tiring!*
[Quest: Hunt 10 Ghouls]
Grade: A
Restriction: One who has received Kal’s offer.
Reward: 20 gold per ghoul.
Failure Penalty: Unable to inspect the Bell of Ramas.
Description: Kal has intentionally given you a quest to hunt ghouls that are difficult for your level. Hunt the ghouls.
High risk, high return.
That was the law of Ares.
If a quest’s difficulty was judged to be high relative to one’s level, the reward was usually set high as well.
Of course, it was somewhat up to the NPCs’ discretion, but this rule generally applied.
Hyun-soo’s level was 13.
“Ghraaaaaaah!”
[Ghoul Lv. 41]
The ghouls, an upgraded version of zombies, roaring from below were around level 40 on average.
The reward for the high-difficulty quest was 20 gold per kill.
In other words, 20,000 won per kill.
Looking down at the howling ghouls, Hyun-soo took out the Water Buffalo Horn Bow from his inventory.
[Accuracy increases by 60%.]
He then fitted a small arrow he had made beforehand into a half-bamboo launcher.
*Click—*
Standing on the castle rampart, Hyun-soo drew the bowstring and smiled.
‘I wonder how many I can hunt?’