Chapter 207
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: Ghost Dungeon
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Jeong Hoon, Ha-jin, and Deok-gu found a dungeon in Songpa-gu, Seoul.
A dungeon that required level 201 or higher and completion of the third job change to enter.
On top of that, entry was restricted unless you wore at least one Unique-grade equipment item.
That was why not a single person was in front of the dungeon.
What kind of dungeon is this place?
Bro, this dungeon reeks of danger...
Ha-jin and Deok-gu glanced warily at the portal.
As befitting a restricted dungeon, the portal was about 1.2 times larger than those of regular dungeons.
Even though normal dungeon portals were already quite big, this one stood out noticeably.
Its fine. Were not hunting here.
Were not hunting?
Jeong Hoon nodded and continued.
Why do you think theres no one around?
Because the dungeons dangerous...?
This time, Jeong Hoon shook his head.
Because theres no need to hunt.
No need?
Yeah. This is a ghost dungeon with no monsters.
Ghost dungeon.
A place inside a dungeon with no monsters at all.
Originally, ghost dungeons didnt exist in New World.
It didnt make sense for a dungeon to have no monsters, after all.
But after reality set in, ghost dungeons began to appear.
Even without monsters, a mysterious power dwelled within, maintaining the dungeons form.
Some people must have entered this dungeon before.
The first ones in would have confirmed no monsters and felt puzzled.
But finding nothing special, theyd have left.
He was certain of that because the treasure inside wouldnt be discovered for another two months.
Huh? Then why are we here?
No monster hunting, and nothing worth filming, right?
At that, Jeong Hoon pulled pickaxes from his inventory and handed one to each of them.
Here, take these.
Whats this?
Whoa! Unique-grade pickaxe?
Deok-gu, who had received the pickaxe, jumped in surprise and asked.
Top-Grade Pickaxe
-Type: Pickaxe
-Grade: Unique
-Attack Power: 290
-Critical Hit Rate: 2 2.25
-Remaining Durability: 100
-Special Ability (1): Automatically activates Passive: Mining when using the pickaxe.
-Special Ability (2): Can activate Active: Forced Mining when using the pickaxe.
-Special Ability (3): Greatly increases mining success rate.
A full-on Unique-grade pickaxe.
With this, no other mining gear was needed.
It offered perfect mining capabilities, after all.
Todays content is mining.
Mining?
Is there something to mine in this dungeon?
Jeong Hoon nodded.
Thats why I called you guys here, right?
Whoa... You even scouted that theres a mine hidden here?
Yeah.
Ha-jin couldnt help but be amazed.
With all those dungeons hed cleared, he shouldve been resting, but hed gone and investigated this too.
Like Ive always thought since way back, this guys no joke...
Jeong Hoon had been the type since childhood to see everything through to the end once he started.
It was the same in games, and even in this unrealistic world, he hadnt changed a bit.
Bro, so what are we mining?
Something incredible, judging by the Unique-grade pickaxe.
Youll see when we get inside.
Jeong Hoon grinned and started the broadcast.
Shinwa Guild.
Shinwa, temporarily using a rented building as their guild hall, was plunged into chaos.
The Guild Master hasnt returned...
What the hell is going on...
It had already been several days since Sa Jae-hyeok failed to return.
No signal from him either.
That meant something had happened to him.
If the Sword King, Shinwas leader, had a problem, the guild would shake to its core.
The Sword King Sa Jae-hyeok was practically the symbol of Shinwa.
Did he say where he was going...?
One guild member cautiously asked.
The executives shook their heads.
No, nothing.
Sa Jae-hyeok hadnt told even the executives his destination.
Just that he had some business and would be out briefly.
That was when it happened.
Another guild member raised his hand.
Um...
All eyes turned to him.
What?
Got something?
He seemed to know something, so they pressed for an answer.
Yes. Do you know about the Transcendents?
Transcendents? You mean those guys trying to tempt us into contracts?
Some executives nodded knowingly.
It made sensetheyd been solicited by Transcendents during dungeon raids.
Of course, they hadnt jumped into any contracts recklessly.
They couldnt just sign away blindly in a power-drunk haze.
Yes. Actually, I signed a contract with one.
And hows that related to the Guild Master?
Well...
The guild member carefully explained.
The executives couldnt hide their shock upon hearing it.
Th-the Guild Master signed a contract with a Transcendent?
Yes.
What... Why would the Guild Master, of all people, need to contract with a Transcendent...
The executives fell silent all at once.
Sa Jae-hyeok, Koreas top swordsman.
The news of his defeat to a Martial Artist in the last siege flashed in their minds.
Hed holed up in the training grounds for a while after, burning with pure revenge against that Martial Artist.
If someone had tempted him with power in that state...?
Im certain. The Transcendent I contracted with told me.
...The Transcendent?
Yes. We can communicate.
Then why hasnt the Guild Master come back?
He entered that abnormal dungeon that opened recently... and died there.
What...?
Silence blanketed the room at the news of Sa Jae-hyeoks death.
If this is bullshit, Ill kill you.
Breaking the silence was Han Tae-seong, an executive who had served Sa Jae-hyeok.
He glared at the guild member with blazing eyes.
I-Its true! My Transcendent is the same one that contracted with the Guild Master!
...What?
A dungeon that imposed penalties if not cleared.
Shinwa had mobilized to clear it too.
With Sa Jae-hyeok absent, executives had filled his spot, but whod have thought he went in there.
Its certain! Please believe me!
Fine, then why didnt you go in?
Same contract holderwhy only Sa Jae-hyeok?
Well... I contracted after the abnormal dungeon closed.
Bullshit. How are we supposed to believe
Han Tae-seongs words cut off.
A familiar message appeared before him.
Guide of the Fallen Star says it will lend you power if you contract with it. It also says it will help you get revenge on Sa Jae-hyeok.
Guide of the Fallen Star.
Definitely a Transcendent.
But how could it offer a contract from outside the dungeon?
Werent they supposed to only intervene inside dungeons?
We can get revenge...?
Did he fall to a monster in the abnormal dungeon...?
The executives eyes wavered.
Guide of the Fallen Star says Sa Jae-hyeok was killed by a human.
Not a monstera human had taken Sa Jae-hyeoks life.
Han Tae-seong ground his teeth.
...If we contract, will it reveal the killers location?
Anyone who killed Shinwas Guild Master deserved to pay.
Guide of the Fallen Star says tracking is only possible while inside the dungeon.
Han Tae-seong nodded.
That was enough.
No, it was more than welcome.
Killing inside the dungeon was far better than outside.
Is the power boost real too?
Guide of the Fallen Star says yes.
Good. Then Ill contract.
As Han Tae-seong accepted, the room buzzed.
Tae-seong... Isnt contracting a bit much? Do we even know what this is?
Executive Ahn Chang-su grabbed him urgently.
Chang-su hyung, this is the bastard who touched our Guild Master. We cant let it slide. Shinwa will crumble if we do.
Han Tae-seongs mind was set.
It promised power upon contracting.
If it kept that promise, they had a shot.
...Fine. Ill contract too.
Reading his intent, Ahn Chang-su voiced his agreement.
Okay. Me too.
Starting with Ahn Chang-su, executives raised their hands one by one.
With Sa Jae-hyeok gone, Shinwas core was shaking.
To solidify it again, they needed that much power.
And revenge for the Guild Master.
I want to contract too!
The other guild members present raised their hands as well.
Heh heh, perfect! It worked!
The guild member watched them with satisfied eyes.
He had an Apostle Quest from his Transcendent.
Apostle Quest: Contracts
-Restriction: Apostle who has contracted with a High Apostle-grade Transcendent
-Reward: 3,000,000 EXP Epic-grade Item Box (Random)
-Description: Actively intervene to facilitate contracts with the Transcendent. (Rewards upgrade based on number of successful contracts.)
Hed accepted this quest, allowing the Transcendent to approach the Shinwa guild members.
Reward upgraded!
Reward upgraded!
Rewards upgraded with each new contract.
The guild members lips nearly split to his ears.
Live Viewers: 202,786
Five minutes after starting the broadcast, viewers surpassed 200,000.
Whoa... This is insane.
Already getting tense.
Ha-jin and Deok-gu, holding their pickaxes, tensed up at the exploding numbers.
What, acting like noobs?
They werent new to streamingshouldnt they be used to it by now?
Ha-jin and Deok-gu gave awkward laughs.
Haha... Its not that, but weve never had this many come in so fast.
Bro... Tons of foreigners too.
The reason viewers broke 200,000 in five minutes?
Their previous video had exploded in popularity.
HoneyTube views had spiked across the board, and subscribers surged to nearly 9.7 million.
Dont mind the comments.
But...
Hmm...
Ha-jin and Deok-gu sneaked peeks at the chat.
He said not to, but they couldnt help it.
SalaryLupinAspirant donated 50,000 won.
-Wow lollll all the honeysuckers gathered!
ArabianNights donated 100,000 won.
-Saw your last vid Helped me adapt quicker. 100k as thanks!
Sponsorships were going crazy even before starting.
This donation system needs updating soon.
Currency was fine, but points would matter more as time went on.
Soon, currency would vanish, replaced by points.
So whats the broadcast about today?
Dont you see what theyre holding? Obviously mining.
Mining? Talking coins?
Lmao they gotta mine coins with their bodies now?
Jeong Hoon grinned.
Yes, exactly. Todays theme is mining.
And theyd be mining some seriously game-changing items.
Why this dungeon?
Whatre you mining?
Fr, another honeypot opener
Missing this is a loss. Gotta watch.
With the game turned real, honeypots were crucial.
Thats why Jeong Hoon was accelerating their discoveryto boost survival rates even a little.
Live Viewers: 259,114
Viewers had grown by another 50,000.
Time to open the honeypot.
Lets go in.
Jeong Hoon led Ha-jin and Deok-gu into the portal.
Confirming dungeon entry conditions.
Entry denied if conditions not met.
Conditions: Level 201, third job change completed.
Ah, what... Cant enter below 201?
Ffs... Im not even 200 yet.
Damn... Should I keep watching?
Killing me... Too curious to leave
Viewers below 201 despaired, and the growth rate visibly slowed.
As many left as joined.
Lv.??? ??? Would you like to enter the dungeon?
Ghost dungeons only showed entry restrictionslevel and name hidden.
No monsters, after all.
Entering.
As they confirmed, their bodies were sucked into the portal.