Chapter 149
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Fragment of the Ancient Warrior's Mark
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Fragment of the Ancient Warrior's Mark.
To think someone would actually show up with this fragment.
Verd stared at the fragment with trembling eyes.
Hidden Quest: Warrior's Mark
-Restriction: Possess Fragment of the Ancient Warrior's Mark
-Reward: Warrior's Mark
-Description: Collect the fragments of the Ancient Warrior's Mark and restore the Warrior's Mark.
The way to restore the Warrior's Mark.
It was by gathering the fragments and restoring it.
Normally, you have to accept and complete all the quests from the NPCs here first before Verd gives you his quest.
And even then, only if you clear them all 100 perfectly does this hidden quest unlock.
But Jeong Hoon had brought the Fragment of the Ancient Warrior's Mark, so the quest activated as a free pass.
I received it as a reward.
A reward...?
Yes.
Hmm, so you didn't loot it?
Verd narrowed his eyes.
To possess a Fragment of the Ancient Warrior's Mark, one needed to have the qualifications, but to him, Jeong Hoon looked like a Martial Artist, not a Warrior.
It was laughable that a mere Martial Artist possessed a Fragment of the Ancient Warrior's Mark.
Do you even know what this is that you'd go looting it?
Jeong Hoon tilted his head.
Not exactly, but...
Fragment of the Ancient Warrior's Mark.
Only a very few knew its value.
If you were going to loot something, you'd go for items that sell for money. There was no reason to loot a fragment.
I want to restore this fragment.
...Let's move to another place first.
Verd glanced around.
Before they knew it, the NPCs and users were all looking their way.
What's up? That Martial Artist?
How's he even talking to Verd?
He won't give out any quests, right?
The users looked at Jeong Hoon with curious eyes.
And they were shocked when Verd started moving.
Gasp!
Verd's moving!
This is insane!
The ruler of the City of Warriors.
They'd thought Verd was just an NPC there to show off who the ruler was, but here he was moving off with a user.
The NPCs were just as shocked.
Boss? What's gotten into him all of a sudden?
The boss's expression doesn't look normal.
Should we follow?
You wanna get slashed for that?
Lord Knight Park Jin-hyuk.
At level 339 with his 4th class change complete, he was one of the rankers admired by Korean Warrior users as an executive in Shinwa Guild.
But overnight, he'd been demoted to the guild's lowest rung.
...Th-there's field cleanup duty today. Could you come with us?
Even so, the guild members couldn't treat him carelessly.
He'd been an executive just a short while ago, and he was a level 339 Lord Knight.
...Fine.
Park Jin-hyuk nodded with a sullen face.
If it gets tough in the middle, just let us know anytime! We'll give you all the break time you need.
Their levels were in the mid-200s.
Meanwhile, Park Jin-hyuk, who was taking orders, was level 339.
Ill kill them if they cause trouble.
But with Sa Jae-hyeok's murderous warning still fresh, Park Jin-hyuk stayed meek.
...Ha, how did I end up like this?
Things had gone seriously wrong ever since he followed Lee Hwarang.
He'd heard Sa Jae-hyeok had come back from Hoyoung Guild in some state, trashed the guild master's office, then gone down to the training grounds and hacked the scarecrow dolls to pieces.
He'd even picked fights with reporters giving updates, or sliced the throats of guild members who irked him.
He was just an unlikeable guy all around.
But what could you do?
He was the head of Shinwa, the current number one Sword King in Korea's Swordsman rankings.
Sorry I'm late!
A level 205 Crusader joined late.
He was a user who'd just reached Epic-grade Crusader with his 3rd class change.
The guild member leading the group chewed him out harder than usual.
You idiot! You forget who's here?!
It was because Lord Knight Park Jin-hyuk was present.
Even a former executive like him had arrived on time, so how could a mere level 205 Crusader be late?
S-sorry... There was something weird going on at the Warriors' holy site...
At the holy site?
Yes... Some Martial Artist met the ruler of the Warriors' City, and the ruler actually moved to another spot with him.
A Martial Artist?
At the word Martial Artist, a familiar face flashed through Park Jin-hyuk's mind.
No way...?
He turned and approached the Crusader.
Could you tell me more about that?
P-pardon...?
Inside the temple was Verd's private quarters.
Jeong Hoon followed his guidance inside.
It's more modest than I expected.
Unlike what you'd expect from the 'Ruler of the City of Warriors' title, the interior was surprisingly plain.
Jeong Hoon sat in a wooden carved chair.
Verd sat across from him and placed a fragment on the table in front.
It was a Fragment of the Ancient Warrior's Mark, just like the one Jeong Hoon had brought.
Aren't you curious why I have the same thing?
...Yes. I am.
Jeong Hoon lied in response.
In truth, there were a total of 6 such fragments.
You needed all 6 to restore the Warrior's Mark.
But now there's one extra.
Restoration required 6 fragments.
Yet after regression, one more had appeared.
Unlike before regression, that meant he could obtain a total of 7 fragments.
In other words, gathering all 7 would yield a 'Perfect Warrior's Mark.'
I have two more of these fragments.
Yes.
A total of 3. And yet restoration failed. Because there weren't enough fragments.
...
I figure you get what I'm saying by now.
In simple terms, hand over the fragment you have.
Jeong Hoon smirked.
You think I'd hand it over just because you showed it to me?
What if I offered 10,000 gold?
Verd pulled out a pouch containing 10,000 gold.
Jeong Hoon grinned and shot back.
Then I'll give you 20,000 gold. Hand the fragment over to me.
...You have 20,000 gold?
Yes.
Jeong Hoon pulled out an empty pouch and filled it with 20,000 gold from his inventory.
Verd let out a hollow laugh as the pouch filled with 20,000 gold appeared.
You're richer than I imagined.
Meaning you can't buy me off with money.
...Fine. Then let's do something else.
Go ahead.
I have a master. Bring me two fragments from my master, and I'll hand over the ones I have.
This was the hidden quest Verd was offering.
Got it.
One month deadline. How's that?
Where?
He should be somewhere in the city. That enough for you?
Verd grinned.
Was this a counter to the 20,000 gold?
Jeong Hoon barely suppressed a chuckle.
He nodded and stood up.
Understood.
What...? You good with just that hint?
Verd looked slightly flustered.
Got any more hints?
Well, no, but...
Yes. No time to waste. I'll head out.
As Jeong Hoon left, Verd stared blankly at the door with a dumbstruck face.
Then he burst into hearty laughter.
Puhaha, what a hilarious guy.
He'd never met anyone so bold.
Where had this guy rolled in from that he could face the head of the Warriors' City without a care?
What an intriguing outsider.
But the fragment will end up in my hands.
When his master decided to hide, even he, a Swordmaster, couldn't find him.
How could a mere Martial Artist possibly track him down?
It was absolutely impossible.
What? How are we supposed to find him with just that?
It's no different from just saying hand over the fragment.
Mukho and Anima grumbled.
They were rightit was impossible to find a hidden old man without clues.
But Jeong Hoon knew where he was hiding.
Fragments? Man, gathering these was a real pain.
James Marcus, once called America's strongest Paladin.
He was still a top pro gamer and New World's superstar.
Before regression, it was James Marcus who had gathered all the Fragments of the Ancient Warrior's Mark.
Really? Where'd you find them?
Alessandro Braiden voiced his curiosity.
James Marcus grinned as if he'd been waiting and gave the answer.
Warriors' City.
Warriors' City?
Yeah. All 6 fragments were in that city.
Verd said he only had 3, but there were still 3 more undiscovered fragments in the city.
Jeong Hoon headed to the outskirts of the city.
The outskirts were where tenant farmers gathered to live.
Ordinary free folk who weren't Warriors.
They farmed there, paid taxes with their harvest, and made their living that way.
Hm? What brings an outsider here?
One NPC approached Jeong Hoon.
NPC Info
-Nickname: Sorce
-Level: 45
-Job: Tenant Farmer
Level 45 in a Warriors' village.
It couldn't be helped.
They were just powerless tenant farmers.
That explained Sorce's very polite attitude.
The outsiders who visited were all over level 201.
He didn't want to pick a fight and get beaten.
I wanted to look around the fields.
The fields...?
Yes.
Why would an outsider want to see the fields?
Sorce eyed Jeong Hoon warily.
Sorry, but that might be difficult.
Is there a reason?
Well... Lately, some guys have been raiding our crops. You might get caught up in it if you're unlucky.
A question mark blinked over Sorce's head.
Normal Quest: Raiders
-Restriction: Enter outskirts of Warriors' City
-Reward: Slight increase in trust from all tenant farmers in Warriors' City
-Description: A raider has been tormenting the tenant farmers lately. Help the tenant farmers.
A normal quest anyone could do.
Jeong Hoon accepted it.
Oh? Then if I help you out, I can take a look?
Y-yes...? You're going to help?
Jeong Hoon nodded.
Sorce signaled to follow quietly and headed somewhere.
It was a rundown mansion, empty of people but piled high with crops.
Crops harvested directly from the fields.
What's this place?
It's a rest spot where us tenant farmers take breaks.
I see. So how can I help?
He'll show up soon. Take him out first.
Got it.
A very simple request.
Jeong Hoon got basic info on the raider from Sorce.
The guy was a bandit from the mountains outside the city, but lately he'd come down and started harassing the tenant farmers.
Then, someone kicked open the mansion door with a bang!
Hey! Crops ready? If they're not, you're in for it today.
He spoke irritablya bald man in his mid-to-late 40s.
He was quite burly, with a black eyepatch over his left eye, a scar peeking out from under it.
Th-that's him.
Sorce muttered in a trembling voice.
NPC Info
-Nickname: Rob
-Level: 220
-Job: Bandit
Rob.
Level 220.
A pretty high-level bandit.
I'll wrap this up quick.
Jeong Hoon stepped forward.
Rob sneered at him.
Puhaha! What's this? Some pretty boy?
Let's start with a beating.
Unbelievable. A guy lower level than me thinks he... Gahk!
Rob couldn't finish.
Jeong Hoon's fist had already sunk into his gut.
Wasting time.
Jeong Hoon started pummeling Rob.
It was no different from a one-sided assault.
...My god. You can beat someone like that?
Sorce marveled at Jeong Hoon's prowess.
At the same time, seeing Rob turn into a bloody mess brought a rush of satisfaction and thrill.