"Come to Think of It, I Did Get Something from Hakkaras"
“Come to think of it, I did get something from Hakkaras.”
Although he had blown the dragon up entirely, perhaps thanks to the Luck of Archisus, he had managed to salvage a few materials. A damaged scale was one of them!
—Sob... I'm so glad...!
—It is alright, Heuk-heuk!
Heuk-heuk wept in relief while Yong-yong comforted him! Heuk-heuk had almost had his scales ripped out on the spot. In front of Archisus, whether they were a Black Dragon or a Gold Dragon, they were as harmonious as could be.
Carbanog says it is truly surprising to see the two dragons getting along so well.
“The remaining items are... a Unicorn Horn, a Siren's Tear, and a Phoenix Feather... None of them are completely impossible, but they're certainly tricky.”
Unicorns, Sirens, and Phoenixes. They were all rare monsters whose locations were relatively well-known. The problem was getting there, and the even bigger problem was obtaining those specific items from them!
In truth, the most difficult item among them was undoubtedly the Dragon Scale. It was on a completely different level of difficulty compared to a unicorn, a siren, or a phoenix! What kind of dragon would just hand over its scale? But now that the scale was taken care of, the rest would be much easier.
The Phoenix... has been spotted in the volcanic region past the Karp Mountains, way down south on the southern continent of Prica.
The Kaf Volcanic Region! It was a scorching hellscape that lay just beyond the Karp Mountains.
Carbanog asks if the Karp Mountains isn't the place where the Avatar of Archisus wiped out the Sadiq Church.
Now, now. 'Wiped out' is such a harsh word. It was a fair and square duel.
Indeed. The Karp Mountains were where the Sadiq Church, driven out of the Central Continent, had joined forces with the Dark Elves to make their last stand. Because the mountain range was so vast and densely forested, it was the perfect place to hold out with fortresses. However, through the sheer wickedness... no, the holiness of Archisus, the Sadiq Church was ultimately defeated and faded into the shadows of history. As a result, the Karp Mountains were opened to players, and a few explorer players ventured beyond the range. That was how the Kaf Volcanic Region was discovered!
“By the way, has the Kaf Volcanic Region been properly cleared yet?”
“Probably not, aside from a few explorers who visited,” Lee Da-bi replied.
Indeed. The southern Prica Continent was still not very popular. Compared to the massive hype when the shipping routes first opened and players rushed over, the interest had cooled down at an astonishing speed. The player population there was tiny compared to the Central Continent or the Asbian Empire.
No kingdoms + lack of NPCs + high terrain difficulty + awkward positioning = drop in popularity! Although a few guilds and players were trying out various things along the coast, it wasn't very popular. For those reasons, players rarely visited the Kaf Volcanic Region either. The difficulty was high, and since there were no nearby quests to offer rewards, there was no reason to challenge it.
“It's a shame there's a lack of strategy guides, but if explorers have been there, it shouldn't be impossible.”
“Yes. It should be more than enough for you, Tae-hyun.”
Next was the Siren's Tear. Sirens weren't particularly rare monsters. They were creatures that frequently appeared if one sailed out into the deep sea—cruel monsters that targeted people aboard ships!
“This one... well, we can just take a ship out.”
Tae-hyun had access to a swarm of vessels, ranging from the royal fleet to pirate armadas.
“But I've never heard of an item called Siren's Tear before. Is it rare?” Lee Da-bi asked.
Sirens had been hunted several times, but no one had ever heard of a Siren's Tear.
“If we can't find one, we'll just make them cry.”
“...”
Carbanog is filled with admiration!
“The Corrupted Unicorn Horn seems like the trickiest one. Do we have to find a unicorn and corrupt it ourselves?”
Mounts like unicorns and pegasi were incredibly popular in Pan-On. Whenever one appeared, hundreds of hunters would swarm the area!
“I heard a corrupted unicorn was actually discovered in the Demon Realm,” Lee Da-bi said.
“Really? Did they catch it?”
“They said they couldn't.”
Information was currently pouring out of the Demon Realm. This was because so many players had ventured out of their fortresses and scattered in all directions to explore. Every moment, new regions were being opened, new monsters discovered, and new NPCs introduced! Lee Da-bi was utilizing the Power Warrior Guild members to scrape together all kinds of information. This was only possible because the Power Warrior Guild members were active on literally every online community board imaginable.
“...Still, I really don't want to go to the Demon Realm.”
Tae-hyun was only human, after all. Naturally, he had no desire to stick his neck into the Demon Realm under the current circumstances. The moment he stepped foot in there, the Demon Dukes would probably think, What's this? Is he asking to be captured? and pounce on him!
“Normal unicorns have been spotted a few times. Even if it's a corrupted unicorn, we should be able to find one somewhere else besides the Demon Realm.”
“Can we capture one and corrupt it?”
“Should we split up and search? That would be faster than all of us traveling together.”
The other party members chimed in with various suggestions.
“I think I can go with Su-hyeok to get the Siren's Tear?” Choi Sang-yun suggested. “We could even get Cain's help. Nodranche is quite far out, so sirens should appear there.”
“...I really didn't want to say this... but Hyung. The Tyrum Hunters have caught a unicorn before. They might know something about corrupted unicorns too.”
Yu Ji-soo spoke with a face that clearly showed how much she hated saying it. Her class was a Tyrum Ranger, and her class quests required her to grow by bringing Tyrum Hunters along... but at some point, Ji-soo had stopped doing her class quests entirely. Instead, she was just leveling up her skills on her own and finding other quests to clear. Dealing with the Tyrum Hunters was simply too annoying. While Tae-hyun was the type of person who would do absolutely anything, even dealing with the Archisus Church NPCs, if it meant getting what he wanted, normal people naturally avoided NPCs they disliked! But that was that, and if it could help Tae-hyun, she had to make use of the Tyrum Hunters. Even if she absolutely detested them!
“Really?!”
Tae-hyun was genuinely surprised. To think the Tyrum Hunters had such a capability!
“Come to think of it, where are the Tyrum Hunters?”
“...Probably in Tyrum?”
“Why are they in Tyrum?”
“I guess they like Tyrum?”
Jeong Su-hyeok was flustered by Yu Ji-soo's response. It was just a simple answer, but for some reason, he could feel a murderous intent in her voice!
“I'll go find the unicorn,” Ji-su said.
“In that case, Sang-yun and Su-hyeok can take a ship and hunt the sirens, Ji-su can handle the unicorn... and Da-bi and I will go after the phoenix. Don't overdo it, everyone. It's not like we need to light the fire right away.”
Carbanog asks if you are really not going to look for the Avatar's Authority.
Who knows? It might be on the Prica Continent.
...
Of course, the Authorities of Archisus were scattered all over the world... but wasn't it only natural to go to the guaranteed spots first?! It was painfully obvious that Tae-hyun wanted the materials far more than the Authority of Archisus.
The faith of the Archisus Church is spreading throughout the Galkard Dwarf Kingdom.
“I heard the god worshipped by the hero who helped our kingdom last time is called Archisus.”
“Archisus, huh? We've lived just fine without believing in gods, do we really need to start now?”
“I heard it helps with blacksmithing training. Apparently, it makes you luckier.”
“Luckier... That would be useful when going to the mines.”
“Didn't that eccentric Bekelf say he worships Archisus?”
“No way. A god worshipped by such a hero? There's no way that weirdo Bekelf believes in him. If Bekelf were to worship a god, wouldn't it be someone like Sadiq?”
“That actually makes sense.”
Dwarves were fundamentally not a very religious race, but occasionally, some who became intoxicated by flames would worship Sadiq. Of course, even among dwarves, Sadiq was treated as an evil god, so they didn't receive a very warm reception.
“Listen up, everyone! According to an ancient text passed down from long ago, there is a treasure containing the Authority of Archisus sleeping in the mountains. If our Galkard Kingdom doesn't want to be called ungrateful, shouldn't we find that treasure and return the favor!”
“Your Majesty is absolutely right!”
“As expected of Your Majesty, you truly know how things work!”
While Tae-hyun wasn't even looking, the Galkard dwarf tribes had begun moving on their own to find it for him. This was all thanks to the contribution points and affinity he had accumulated from the ancient giant!
Just as there are people who manage to find money on the ground even when they trip and fall, there are also people who have others clear quests for them even when they are just sitting still.
“You know a player from Team KL?! You know... Kim Tae-hyun?!”
“Well, I know him, but the one I'm actually close with is Cain...”
“Ah...”
An “Ah” loaded with so many meanings!
Ha-yeon of Five Girls felt a surge of irritation at the response. What was that “Ah” supposed to mean?!
“...What did you mean by that just now?”
“Oh, no, nothing! Sunbae-nim. I'm just jealous. But are you close with Kim Tae-hyun?”
“I told you, we're not close?!”
If I just said I'm close with Cain, you should be asking about Cain! Why are you asking about Kim Tae-hyun? Do you have no shame?
“But since you were under the same agency, surely you're close...”
“He set up his own company now.”
He had even established his own professional gaming team and gone independent, so what did she mean by “same agency”? In the past, they used to run into each other in the agency building, but now even that rarely happened.
Representative Lee Dong-pal of SI Entertainment had brought in several other Pan-On players since then and achieved decent success, but he still didn't seem satisfied. Of course, from the perspective of those Pan-On players, it was incredibly unfair!
MBS's special broadcast of Cain's Nodranche expedition was prepared in the blink of an eye. It was only natural, as there was no one who would refuse as long as Cain gave his consent.
The guests chosen were Ha-yeon, who was highly popular and well-known for playing a lot of Pan-On, and Lecia, who was a former Pan-On player. Since Ha-yeon was a famous Pan-On player among celebrities and Lecia had originally gained fame through her personal Pan-On streams, there was no way they didn't know about Team KL. And usually, when Team KL was brought up, people would ask about Tae-hyun first, not Cain!
“But still, do you think he might be in his territory?”
“I asked, and they said he isn't. Give up.”
“But still...”
“...Seriously, why aren't you asking about Cain? Cain is also a Team KL player!”
“...C-Can you introduce me to Cain?”
“...I take back what I just said. That actually makes me kind of mad.”
What does she want me to do?! Lecia cursed Ha-yeon inwardly.
Although she was famous for her personal streams, she was practically a rookie in the entertainment industry. She had been nervous about meeting Ha-yeon, a senior far above her, fearing she might find fault with her... But contrary to her worries, Ha-yeon was kind and sweet.
...At least, until they started talking about Pan-On!
It seems she prefers talking about Cain rather than Kim Tae-hyun.
But Lecia couldn't give up. If she didn't meet Kim Tae-hyun through an opportunity like this, she might never get the chance to meet him for the rest of her life! She was a personal fan, and even from a broadcaster's perspective, the benefits would be astronomical.
If we get close and he even appears on my personal stream...!
Cain? ...Well, Cain was a rare opportunity too, but she would think about him after she met Kim Tae-hyun first!