Quest: Chilya's Sword
[Quest: Chilya's Sword]
[Quest Level: No Restrictions]
[Quest Conditions: Obtained by tearing the scroll in a state of Perfect Faith reputation with the Kalun Tribe.]
[Difficulty: S-SSS Rank]
[Rewards: Unknown]
- A trial given to those seeking the journey to find Chil-ya, the swordsmanship created by the War God Gullak.
Find the clues to Chil-ya hidden within the weapons used by his five heroes who followed him, and revive the lost swordsmanship.
- Please go to the blacksmith in Sandorim Forest to find the second clue. Be careful. His temper is foul, and you could lose your life.
[Warning: Once accepted, the quest cannot be forfeited. Forfeiting will destroy all related items and turn the faction's reputation toward you hostile.]
“……”
I read the quest details with a blank expression.
I never imagined that Gullak's swordsmanship, which I thought I'd easily find in the Sword's Tomb, would exist as a world quest like this.
'And if I'd taken the sword from Kael and torn the scroll first without completing the quest, I might not have gotten it at all?'
A chill ran down my spine.
It felt like a warning to always be cautious—extra cautious—no matter if it was greed or mere curiosity.
'This is my chance.'
Sure, Dimension World was a place where money flowed and countless deals were made, but as a player, there was one thing you could never lose.
Your goal.
My goal.
'To become stronger than anyone.'
That's why Gullak's swordsmanship would be the most crucial foundation for me.
'I have to get it, no matter what.'
True, failure came with a massive penalty, but I pressed the accept button without hesitation.
[Quest accepted.]
[We wish you luck on your martial path.]
The notification vanished, but unlike other quests, a cheering message appeared and faded away.
That alone hinted at how brutal this quest would be.
'Difficulty S-SSS rank. Even looking at it, does a quest like this make sense...?'
But I had to do it.
I nodded slowly, like a vow, and gripped Tesaro's sword that Kael had handed me.
'Perfect timing. I was heading to Sandorim Forest anyway to expand my inventory.'
And the blacksmith living there...
No need to even think about it. I knew who it was.
“What are you doing? Aren't you leaving the tomb?”
Kael gestured toward me from the altar's entrance.
“Haha, I have a bit more investigating to do. You go ahead.”
“I don't know what you plan to do in an empty tomb, but be careful. Though with your skills, even if goblins are left, you should be fine...”
He shrugged at my response and headed out of the tomb.
Once he was completely gone, I lightly rubbed the backs of my hands together.
⊳ Party with Kael Harun (NPC) has been disbanded.
Then I called up the system window.
[Would you like to reset the dungeon?]
[Warning: Even after resetting a hidden dungeon, the boss monster will not respawn unless specific conditions or time requirements are met.]
“Quest is a quest... but I still have to do what needs doing.”
As the first discoverer of the dungeon, my stats were boosted, and I was getting 10% extra experience.
'Plus, even normal monsters here give a ton of exp. Passing up a chance like this would be idiotic.'
At first, solo hunting here was impossible, but with the levels I'd gained thanks to Kael and a weapon to fill my gaps, this place had turned from a dangerous dungeon into an experience farm for me.
[Resetting dungeon.]
[All players in the dungeon are being moved to the entrance.]
I closed my eyes.
Amid the pouring white light, I heard monster breaths growing closer from afar.
[Kruk... Krrruk...]
The goblins, swept away by Kael's sword, were growling lowly at me from the dark hall as if nothing had happened.
I looked at them, and my lips curled up involuntarily.
'Hunting time.'
Shing—!!
I drew my sword.
“Hey, you said to trust you, but going dark for a week solo? You think that's okay?”
“That's why I'm here now. I'm short on time as it is, but you whined so much I had to come.”
“...What?”
“Kekeke. Give up. Once that guy's hooked, no one can stop him. Complaining about it being tough is still better than him picking Northern Plateau. Community's blowing up about it.”
Jin-su and Chan-ho grumbled at me after our long time apart, but seeing their faces with heavy dark circles, I figured they were grinding Dimension World just as hard.
“Plus, even the bot farms pulled out from the north? Newbies are flocking elsewhere.”
“Heard they got wiped in the early hunting grounds. Instead of waiting out the two-day rez penalty, they just rerolled and joined the Iron Kingdom.”
“Gonna boost Iron Kingdom's numbers even more.”
“Eh, the eight major clans won't sweat bot farms. More players? They'll love it. When war content drops, numbers are power.”
“True...”
“Anyway, who wiped them? Botters stick to newbie zones, but they're not weak.”
“No clue. They're keeping it quiet out of pride... and haven't been seen since. Do-hyun, you hear anything?”
Jin-su asked me.
“That was me.”
I said simply.
“Crazy bastard...”
“Figures.”
But they reacted like they'd expected it.
“But they said you vanished? What you up to lately?”
“Collecting pieces.”
“...Pieces?”
“Finishing today, so I'll tell you then.”
I nodded around us, putting a finger to my lips to shush.
Capsule rooms were great for group gaming but packed with people.
“You guys doing what I said?”
“Yeah, but... when we meeting up in the central continent?”
“Hold on a bit longer. Need at least level 40 to push central. Gotta grab everything we can by then.”
Good, they were following my instructions without question.
“Long time no see, you guys.”
That's when a man grabbed some pill-like candies from the counter and approached our seats.
“Here, Kato Group's new Sugar Balls. Forget hunger for up to nine hours and boosts focus, they say.”
“Oh... the ones from the ads. Just out, huh? How's it?”
“Customers say it's decent. Kato basically monopolizes Sugar Balls anyway. No choice but to use 'em.”
The tanned, sturdy man who didn't fit the dim capsule room vibe was Nam Hyun-woo, the owner.
“Don't just game all day—go out and have some fun. Streets are dead 'cause all you kids are in Dimension World.”
“Aw, don't say that. We all know you're secretly grinding too. Everyone knows you're Geom-san of Muak Clan.”
Chan-ho smirked and replied, then pointed at the humming capsules filling the building.
“That's why business booms here. Folks wanna catch the eye of Muak Clan's master, domestic rank two.”
Nam Hyun-woo shrugged innocently.
“Still hunting hidden class quests? Why not aim for a major eight spot with your clan? If you wanted...”
“Nah. You guys look like you're scheming something. Got a hot lead? Spill.”
Chan-ho and Jin-su popped Sugar Balls in their mouths at his question.
“Next time.”
Hiss—
As the capsule door closed, Nam Hyun-woo smacked his lips.
“You know not everyone's here just for me, right?”
He handed me the last Sugar Ball.
“They're all wondering what the colosseum rank one's gonna pull next.”
“Cut it. We see through your recruitment info grab.”
“Kuku, why not join our clan while you're at it?”
He said to me.
“Recruitment?”
“Recruit, whatever—you're all welcome.”
I smirked.
“You know all eight majors scouted us.”
“And you turned 'em down. I know.”
“Muak's strong, but anyone can see it's still weaker than the eight.”
“With you? We could aim for it.”
“We don't care about the eight majors. To take us, you'd need to be the undisputed top.”
“Then why reject Los? They're top dog for real.”
Crunch—
I bit down on the Sugar Ball.
“The top has to be overwhelming. Can't call it top with seven rivals. If you still want us, at least match the eight first.”
Hiss—
As the door closed, Nam Hyun-woo grinned oddly.
“The eight majors...”
Beep, bleep—
With a low mutter, he called someone on his phone.
“Yeah, it's me. Gather the kids today. Clearing capsules after 10 PM, so wrap that quest. Let's finish it tonight.”
Nam Hyun-woo said, eyes gleaming like he'd found something fun.
[Kraaaaaah—!!!]
Tesaro's sword flashed in the darkness amid the goblin's shrill scream.
“Hoo...”
I twirled the sword lightly and swung behind the pillar without looking.
[Kek... Kekek...!]
The last one's breath cut off.
“Locked in here a full week, and now I even memorized their respawn spots.”
I scanned the goblin corpses dissolving into black smoke, searching for something.
“Where is it...”
Ignoring their junk drops, I rummaged through the piled magic stones.
Ting—
A glinting small piece caught my eye.
“Found it.”
Feeling the tedious hunt finally end, I let out a low sigh.
“Took exactly a week... What a insane grind.”
I pinched the tiny piece between my fingers and smirked.
[Acquired Worn Key Fragment (16/16).]
[Would you like to combine the fragments?]
As soon as I got the glowing piece, the window popped up, and I hit accept without delay.
Woooong...
The fragments flew out from my inventory, spinning and merging in the darkness.
Clang...
The combined worn metal bits formed with a satisfying sound before my eyes.
I gazed at the small silver key descending into my palm, a faint smile on my lips.
Finally...
Preparations to head central were complete.