Knight's Honors and the Forbidden Cave

Vulcan, having extracted the necessary information, urged his mount onward and hurried back to Rezina Village. A knight had already ridden ahead on the fastest horse to report to the lord, so there was no real need to rush. But with so much to gain and so many tasks ahead, his impatience was growing.

"We'll head back to the temple for now," Tiran said. "We'll interrogate this one and share any useful intel with you, Vulcan. Separately from that, please visit the temple once things wrap up here. We'll have your reward ready."

"Of course. I'll be there soon."

At the village entrance, Tiran bid Vulcan a brief farewell. Unlike Vulcan, who had to give a detailed report to the lord, they were temple affiliates and needed to return for debriefing and to question the captured Sharon. She had torched an entire village and left it in ruins, but as a fallen priest who had awakened a forbidden demon realm entity, this fell squarely under the temple's jurisdiction.

The lord might see it differently, but the temple wouldn't yield. They could cooperate, but they insisted on taking the lead—and with no response from the lord yet, they had no intention ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of backing down, even if it came to a power struggle.

The lord will probably step back a pace, Vulcan thought.

Even a lord was just a lowly baron-tier noble. Challenging a temple's authority wasn't a light decision for any high noble; they'd compromise appropriately. Temples varied in influence by order, but some could even stand against the crown depending on the situation. Especially those that periodically bestowed divine power—their sway over public sentiment made nobles eager to avoid friction.

Tiran's history of healing those afflicted by the Pain Eaters gave them solid justification too.

"Shall we go collect your reward, then?"

Parting from Tiran at the entrance, Vulcan headed straight for the lord. The same lord who had tried to detain him—but having heard of Vulcan's major role in this incident, he'd hand over the rewards without complaint. A knight's title was a given, plus extra compensation, so Vulcan walked with a spring in his step.

"Well done. Sorry for suspecting you, even briefly."

"No need. It was understandable."

Upon arriving at the Lord's Castle, the audience flowed naturally. The investigation team had sent word ahead, and with nothing more pressing, the lord had arranged to receive Vulcan immediately.

"We also verified the decryption of the cipher you sent to Hainel. Your interpretation was spot on. Where on earth did you learn Goblin? He raved about it—said you outdid even him in that area."

"Just a minor talent."

In Vulcan's absence, the document sent to Hainel for cross-checking had been decoded, erasing any lingering doubts. Vulcan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had worried about restrictions until Sharon's interrogation ended, but it was unfounded. Sure, he could complain or grumble, but in Gloria Saga, that could backfire badly. The NPCs' AI was top-tier; treat them unlike real people, and they'd react like real people—getting angry, holding grudges. It wasn't just favorability stats; it ran deeper.

"Humble too? I like you. Ah, yes—you've earned your reward. Bring it here!"

Treat them with respect, though, and they'd warm to players just as much.

At the Rezina lord's command, soldiers brought two items: a longsword of decent quality and a hefty-looking pouch.

Money!!

No telltale jingle, but Vulcan knew the pouch's contents instantly. That bulge, the weight, the shape—he'd never mistake it.

Inside were a whopping 300 gold. With 100 copper to a silver, 100 silver to a gold—and one gold worth 10,000 won in cash value—that was 3 million won. Not huge for a noble's reward, but for the first village beyond beginner zones, it was massive. Typical players grinding quests and hunts until leaving their starter village might scrape together under 3 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gold. And game economy-wise, its value was no joke—Vulcan was plenty satisfied. Enough to fund serious gear buys.

"Your contributions were immense. But as lord of a small village, this is the best I can offer."

"It's more than enough."

"Care to stick around and work for my territory?"

Laying the sword on Vulcan's shoulder to confer regular knight status, the Rezina lord proposed recruitment—but Vulcan politely declined. Many players dreamed of serving under NPC nobles, but the restrictions were brutal. Especially under a bottom-tier baron. The cons outweighed the pros.

"Apologies. I'm still green and want to see more of the world."

"Fair enough. Talented adventurers like you belong to the continent, not pinned here. Just testing the waters—don't mind me."

Thankfully, the lord took it in stride, seeming understanding. If anything, he added a few words to keep the connection alive.

"Oh, right—Hainel wants to meet you. He wished to come himself but couldn't due to urgent research. He specifically asked me to send you his way. For my sake, could you visit? I guarantee it won't be a loss for you."

Sage Hainel. The one who should have decoded the goblin script instead of Vulcan. Now he wanted to meet at his request.

Didn't give me a quest before, though?

Vulcan knew him, but it was unexpected. Hainel answered player questions well enough on topics that piqued his interest, sharing knowledge briefly—but he never tasked players with anything. Vulcan had never seen a user get a quest from him.

Yet now he had a favor to ask? Vulcan smelled opportunity. Main scenario link or side? Either way, a special quest—and those always came with standout rewards.

"Yes. I'll go."

"He's deep in research now, so come in about a week. That said, if you're free until then, mind one more favor?"

"A favor?"

Hidden quest confirmed. The thick scent of gold had Vulcan accepting eagerly; the lord nodded and made his pitch. Hainel was a week out anyway—might as well fill the time with another quest. No reason to refuse, but Vulcan had to ask details.

"This incident exposed our military's weaknesses—and we lost knights and soldiers, weakening us further. Your main class is artisan, right? Care to craft some gear? We have a smith, but yours feels... special."

"Gear?"

"Not for regular troops, of course. Knights' weapons should suffice. Sound good? We'll pay based on quality."

"Of course."

Proper pay? No-brainer. This incident reminded Vulcan he needed to rank up his crafting skills. Legendary or not, repairing 150-level gear was a struggle. Destroying the Altar of Conviction worked because low skill rank made it "easier" to break—but full repairs? High failure risk.

So crafting good gear to use or sell was essential for rank-ups. Leveling still took priority, but...

"What should I make?"

"Longswords, ideally. Knights prefer them. I'll send the exact recipe."

"Got it."

The requirement: 10 knight's longswords like the one bestowed. But Uncommon minimum—and delivering just Uncommons might disappoint. Need a Rare or two at least...

Minimum Rare for a couple to maximize rewards—but with time, Vulcan was confident.

"Yes. And materials...?"

"Regon Village rebuild and troop recruitment have us short. Mind sourcing your own? We'll cover material costs in the payout."

Materials were the issue. A week felt generous—suspiciously so. To average smiths, 10 Uncommon longswords might mean dozens, hundreds of failures. But for Vulcan, walking the Legendary path from day one? Fishy.

Ah, that's why...

Sure enough, the lord flat-out refused material support—but promised to factor it into payment. Vulcan felt uneasy.

"No need to worry. Main ingredient's blue iron ore from nearby mines."

"Blue iron ore?"

To ease concerns, the lord revealed the recipe's key material—but Vulcan's expression didn't brighten. He knew it well.

Those guys control the mine access...

Blue iron ore lived up to its name: faintly blue-tinged iron ore from Rezina and select areas. Higher mana content and conductivity than regular iron made early gear popular.

Problem: guilds monopolized it. They controlled mines, charged entry fees, forced sales to them—most auction blue ore came from specific guilds, at premium prices.

Not just melee wanting mana-infused hunt gear; mages loved it for iron staves. Better options, durability, and physical attack than gem-studded magic staves.

Buyable, but pricey.

Failures piling up could mean losses... Is that why the 300 gold?

Vulcan crunched numbers fast. Payout unknown, but attempts and Rare+ output determined profit or loss. Mining himself risked deadlines.

"My lord, if I may make a few requests?"

After deliberation, Vulcan played his card—leveraging his knowledge for max gain.

"Speak."

"Grant access to develop the Cave of Screams."

"The Cave of Screams?"

He named a restricted area in Rezina territory, off-limits to players. High-level users could force entry, but risked reputation hits or NPC pursuit—no one returned post-leveling.

But not unentered.

Gamers did the forbidden. Vulcan recalled a streamer who broadcasted entry—revealing its secrets. That's why no revisits.

"Yes. It produces blue iron ore. Other mines are too competitive for timely supply. With permission, I'll develop it and source our own."

"But that place..."

The bold ask flustered the Rezina lord—not offense, but hesitation to send a hero into a headache spot even he delayed developing.

"I'm an Immortal. Since I'm helping your territory, permit me and I'll develop it fully."

"Hmph. Very well. Permission granted. But beware—knights avoid it too."

"Thank you."

With safety concerns outweighed by Immortal resurrection, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the lord relented. Vulcan gained access—and authority to mobilize NPCs based on development progress.

"And one more request?"

"What?"

Securing that, Vulcan made his final ask.