This Is a Failure, Right?
"This is a failure, right?"
"Yeah, a total failure."
Lee Da-bi and Tae-hyun grumbled. To think they had to clear a quest just to meet him—this was a complete scam!
"..."
Lee Se-yeon opened her mouth to object but stopped herself. She felt like she would be the only weird one if she spoke up.
"...Y-yeah, you're right. We can definitely call this a failure... Ugh!"
Why did I say that?!
The moment the words left her mouth, a wave of self-loathing washed over her.
"Right?"
"See?"
Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi's faces lit up as they welcomed her agreement. As expected of Lee Se-yeon! They knew she would understand!
...Should I call Hyun-ah...?
Lee Se-yeon suddenly felt incredibly lonely.
Dispel the Vassals' Doubts
The Count has collapsed, yet Dorango has returned. The Count's vassals are utterly astonished. To them, this is an event on par with the heavens flipping upside down, the earth splitting open, and the sun rising from the west!
However, the vassals' resentment and suspicion will not fade so easily. To dispel their doubts, you must bring them a Highest-grade Pure White Resurrection Herb. If you do not bring the Resurrection Herb to aid the Count's recovery, you will not be allowed to meet him!
🎁 Reward: ?, ???
...
[...]
Wait, is it really that shocking? Just what kind of trash is this guy...?
"A Highest-grade Pure White Resurrection Herb... Da-bi, where does it drop?"
"Just a moment... It's not on the auction house. The supply must be extremely low, or it's a very specific item." Lee Da-bi asked around, then nodded. "They say it comes from the Ohro Plains. But the harvest rate is so abysmal that it rarely hits the market."
"We can probably get one if we go there and ask around. Let's move." Lee Se-yeon summoned her mount. Gathering rare materials like this was also a measure of a player's capability. As a top-tier ranker, Lee Se-yeon was naturally well-versed in such tasks. Sometimes it required hunting, sometimes negotiation, and sometimes bribery... Naturally, she was brimming with confidence.
"Oh. Se-yeon, is it a place you know well?"
"No, I've only heard the name. But I've done countless material-gathering quests. ...You've done plenty of them too, haven't you?"
"I usually gather them myself, or..."
"You stole them, right?"
"Exactly."
Watching Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi chat so harmoniously, Lee Se-yeon suddenly remembered.
Right, I forgot. These two play the game in the most bizarre ways possible!
They were far too accustomed to abnormal playstyles! Lee Se-yeon shook her head.
"Fine. I'll take this opportunity to show you."
"Show us what?"
"How to clear a quest perfectly."
"Ooh..."
"Miss Se-yeon...!" Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi marveled at her confidence. Hearing her speak with such certainty, they figured she must have a brilliant plan up her sleeve!
"Excuse me, I'm looking to obtain a Highest-grade Pure White Resurrection Herb..."
"Are you mocking me right now?! Get lost!!"
"..." Lee Se-yeon got lost. She had to maintain her dignity since the other two were watching from behind.
"Excuse me, I'm trying to find a Highest-grade Pure White Resurrection Herb..."
"Are you making fun of me? Go away!"
"..."
"Miss Se-yeon! Calm down!" As Lee Se-yeon gripped her staff tightly, Lee Da-bi hurriedly intervened in a panic. She looked ready to reduce the entire area to ashes!
"This is strange. Even so, their reactions are way too extreme..."
"You're right, Se-yeon. It's not your fault." Lee Da-bi and Tae-hyun did their best to soothe her. Lee Se-yeon's eyes were actually welling up with tears of sheer frustration.
"I... I'm usually really good at things like this..."
"I know, I know. Of course you are." Tae-hyun comforted her. Everyone had moments where they lost face while trying to clear a quest. There was absolutely no reason to take it so hard.
"Let me ask."
"What difference is it going to make if you ask?"
Tae-hyun walked up to the player who had just snapped at Lee Se-yeon. He asked his question. A moment later, Tae-hyun returned, nodding.
"They say the Highest-grade Pure White Resurrection Herb is incredibly hard to get."
"...They actually gave you a straight answer?!"
"Ah. I just phrased the question a bit differently."
"Hey. If you don't answer my question properly right now, this bomb is going off. Why is it impossible to get a Highest-grade Pure White Resurrection Herb?"
"..."
That's just extortion!
"Doesn't extortion count as a form of questioning? Besides, you have to threaten people sometimes."
"Exactly."
"I feel like you only threaten people... but anyway, thanks."
The Ohro Plains were the perfect environment for Resurrection Herbs to grow. Players who wanted them would buy seeds from the town, plant them, and wait. ...The problem was that these damn herbs refused to grow properly.
• The weather has become hot. The Resurrection Herb dies.
• The weather has become cold. The Resurrection Herb dies.
• The weather is subtle. The Resurrection Herb...
"No, what the f*ck! Why does it die just because the weather is 'subtle'?!?!"
Even if they managed to raise them with blood, sweat, and tears, that wasn't the end of it.
• A Low-grade Red Resurrection Herb has bloomed!
• A Low-grade Blue Resurrection Herb has bloomed!
• ...
• ...
Most of them were Low-grade, and if you were incredibly lucky, you might get an Intermediate-grade... On top of that, matching the color was a nightmare.
"Hoho. Adventurer... To craft this, I require an Advanced Red Resurrection Herb."
"Come on!! If you look closely, this pink Resurrection Herb basically looks red! Just take this one!"
"Hahaha... I cannot do that..."
When getting a high grade was already hard enough, having to match the color as well? The only solution was to keep planting and harvesting until you got lucky.
Players who came to clear their quests bought seeds endlessly, planted them, watched them bloom, fell into despair, screamed that they were quitting the game, and sobbed their eyes out.
"Ah. Tae-hyun, I thought this place felt strangely familiar..."
"?"
"It's kind of like the Valley, isn't it?"
"..."
"..."
Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon fell silent.
"N-no, it's not that bad. The Valley actually has a pretty decent atmosphere now."
Tae-hyun did have a point. Surprisingly, there were quite a few successful people in the Valley. Since they were constantly scratching off all kinds of lottery tickets while receiving various Archisus buffs, some of them were bound to hit the jackpot!
In comparison, the players on this plain looked like half-dead corpses. Grasping at straws, they wandered around searching for any trick or method.
"I heard they bloom really well if you plant them at 4:00 AM."
"Where did you hear that?"
"The Power Warrior Guild bulletin board. Keep this between us."
"Ooh... I'll give you a secret tip of my own. If you pour this red potion on it, the chance of a Red Resurrection Herb blooming apparently goes up."
Of course, not all the methods were this crazy.
"Looking for someone with Advanced Farming skill! Looking for someone with Advanced Farming skill!"
"Looking for players affiliated with the Archisus Church! Paying top dollar for anyone with an Archisus Church-related class or connections to Archisus Church NPCs!!"
Surprisingly, anything related to the Archisus Church was highly sought after here. It wasn't some weird superstition, but one of the most practical methods available!
"I'm with the Archisus Church."
"Whoaaa!! Oh my god!"
"Our party! Please join our party!"
"Get the hell out of the way! He's coming with us!"
"P-please, come to our party!"
"...Am I seeing things?" Tae-hyun muttered. What on earth was this...?
In the early days, playing as an Archisus Church member was nearly impossible unless you were a die-hard fan of Tae-hyun. Or if you had been dragged in by force...
It was so bad that posts like this used to circulate on the community boards!
But now, the Archisus Church had grown truly massive. To the point where simply being affiliated with the church carried immense value!
"Hey. Move."
"W-what?! Are you saying that without knowing I'm with the Archisus Church?!"
"I'm with the Archisus Church too. What tier are you?"
"B-Bronze."
"I'm Silver. You greenhorn."
"S-Silver!"
"To reach Silver Tier in the Archisus Church, just how many Contribution Points do you need...?!"
Watching from the side, Tae-hyun muttered, "Isn't Silver only about a thousand points?"
Those tiers were ones Tae-hyun had created back in the early days of the Archisus Church. Because there were so few members, he had divided them into Bronze, Silver, Diamond, and so on, awarding tiers based on Contribution Points. Just to make them feel good!
At the time, there were virtually no practical benefits. There were barely any NPCs back then, and the church had almost no assets...
But since the system had already been established, it had kept running. Though Tae-hyun had no idea.
I'm pretty sure Silver Tier wasn't that big of a deal...
It seemed his muttering had reached the ears of the chatting party. They flared up in anger. They got angry first, fearing that the precious(?) Archisus Church players would take offense if they heard it.
"What do you know to be talking like that!"
"Exactly! Watch your mouth. No matter how jealous you are, do you think the Archisus Church is some kind of joke?!"
"...Haha. My mistake."
When Tae-hyun chuckled, Lee Se-yeon flinched.
Are they about to die?
She suddenly recalled how Tae-hyun used to run wild back in Pan-On 1.
"This is your spot? Did you mean your grave??"
But Tae-hyun was actually in a very gentle mood. He felt quite proud to hear them hyping up the Archisus Church like this.
"I'm not very well-informed, so could you tell me why the Silver Tier is so amazing?"
"Hmph. Listen closely. When you first join the Archisus Church, you start at the Iron Tier."
"Not... Bronze?"
"Ah, this guy really knows nothing! Why were you acting like you did then?!"
"I-I see."
At the rare sight of the Archisus Church's Pope getting scolded, Lee Se-yeon had to bite her lip to keep from bursting into laughter.
- Miss Da-bi, are you recording this?
- Yes. I'll send it to you later. This is hilarious!
Flustered, Tae-hyun whispered to Lee Da-bi.
- Wasn't it Bronze when you joined?
- Well, that was back when we weren't doing so well. Now that we're highly successful, we expanded the tiers and adjusted the points...
- Ah...!
"You start at Iron, and to reach Bronze, you have to accumulate a whopping one thousand Contribution Points."
"So Silver is around two thousand points?"
Everyone burst into laughter at Tae-hyun's question.
"Look at this newbie!"
"So naive!"
"Now, now. Let's be understanding. We were all like that when we were newbies."
The Silver Tier player magnanimously calmed the crowd. True to his Silver Tier status, he was broad-minded, generous, and overflowing with confidence.
"Listen here. To reach Silver Tier, you need a staggering ten thousand points."
"Ten... ten thousand points?"
"Haha. Surprising, isn't it? Of course, you can't build up that many points in just a day or two. I steadily accumulated them by clearing countless quests in the Valley. And did you know? I'm actually on close terms with Lord Pelmas."
"With... Lord Pelmas?!"
"That's incredible!"
The surrounding players gasped in shock. Tae-hyun had to work incredibly hard to keep his face straight.
"As a reward for my contributions, Lord Pelmas gifted me this small statue."
"It doesn't seem to have any effects, though?"
"Haha. Unlocking the hidden effect within it must be the trigger to start a quest. I'm still searching for it even now."
No way...
Tae-hyun cursed Pelmas in his mind.
That bastard... How could he scam a believer who works this hard?!
"Everyone, please do not fight! I will help all of you!"
"Whoaaaa!"
"Long live the Archisus Church! Long live the Archisus Church!"
"You over there, newbie. Why don't you join us? I'll help you out."
"Uh... well... no..."
"Come on! No need to be shy!"