Chapter 215
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 215
Chapter Title: Saving the Merhen Kingdom (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kaiserk V sat on his throne, tapping his fingers as he lost himself in thought.
"Your Majesty! The Knight Commander has returned."
"Let him in."
At Luke's words, Kaiserk V nodded.
As if he'd been waiting for the permission, Knight Commander Ragan entered and dropped to one knee.
"Your Majesty! This humble servant has completed the search and returned."
"Good. What's the situation outside?"
"Yes. Not a single red portal can be seen within the capital."
"I see... That's a relief."
Kaiserk V let out a sigh of relief.
"Yes. It seems safe to send the citizens who evacuated to the palace back home."
Those who had survived in the capital had been hastily evacuated to the palace.
They had been holding out day by day, and now, thanks to Jeong Hoon, they could return.
"Thank goodness."
The corners of Kaiserk V's mouth curved into a smile.
"Yes."
"Now we just have to wait for Hoon."
He recalled the conversation he'd had with Jeong Hoon just a few hours earlier.
'Your Majesty, there's something I need to discuss. Could you ask everyone to leave us for a moment?'
'Of course.'
At Jeong Hoon's request, Kaiserk V dismissed everyone, including Luke.
Once they were alone, Jeong Hoon got to the point.
'I need the key to the Cursed Forest.'
'The key...? No, how do you even know about that?'
The Cursed Forest.
It was named as such because it was literally cursed.
When the Merhen Kingdom was founded, the forest had been perfectly fine, but for some reason, it became cursed and was sealed away, never to be opened even once since.
Now, Jeong Hoon was saying he would break that seal.
'We have to try something, don't we? I plan to head into the Cursed Forest.'
'That's absolutely out of the question! Not because I'm afraid of the seal breaking, but because I'm worried about you!'
The reason the seal had never been broken.
Simply approaching it would curse you.
That's why no one ever got close, and multiple layers of barriers blocked the way, preventing even the craziest fools from entering.
'It's fine. I have a way to handle it.'
'Even so...'
'Your Majesty, this is the man who cleared all those portals single-handedly. You think I can't handle a mere curse?'
'Hmm...'
'I'll do everything I can to keep Merhen from falling. Please believe in me.'
Persuaded by Jeong Hoon's persistence, Kaiserk V relented.
In the end, he handed over the key, and now he was simply waiting for Jeong Hoon to return.
"He'll come back for sure."
Ragan's gaze was steady and unwavering.
It was proof of his immense trust in Jeong Hoon.
"I know. I just hope nothing happens to him."
The Cursed Forest, which no one had ever approached.
All he could do was fervently pray for a safe return.
"The key to the Cursed Forest? That's impossible."
Karyan shook his head.
Since receiving his baronetcy and taking charge of the small Palesman territory at the eastern edge, several fools had tried to approach the Cursed Forest and been caught.
Crazy people existed everywhere.
He had thrown them all in prison.
For defying the royal decree that no one was to approach.
Allowing access to that Cursed Forest was absolutely forbidden.
"So you're saying you want this crisis to continue?"
"That's..."
"Look at this."
Jeong Hoon pulled out a key.
"Gasp!"
Karyan inhaled sharply in shock.
That was the key to the Cursed Forest, said to be possessed only by the king.
"His Majesty has given his permission. Are you going to oppose it now?"
"...Is that true?"
"Why would I lie?"
There wasn't a hint of hesitation in Jeong Hoon's eyes.
"Hmm... Very well."
If the king had approved, he had no reason to object.
Karyan pulled a key from his pocket.
It was one he had carried with him ever since becoming a baron, just in case someone tried to steal it.
"Thank you."
"...Be careful. Having the key doesn't mean you can just walk in."
"Yes."
With the key in hand, Jeong Hoon headed straight for the Cursed Forest.
The forest was located even farther out from the Palesman Barony at the eastern edge.
It was shrouded in thick fog, with triple barriers erected in front.
They sure laid these barriers thick.
'This'll be tough to break through.'
These were barriers that had held for ages.
No ordinary method could breach them.
"I'll dispel them myself."
The method to dispel the barriers was simple.
Jeong Hoon approached the barrier, placed his hand on it, and channeled his mana.
Using Dispel.
Dispel didn't just remove debuffs.
It worked on barriers too.
Normally, it would be an incredibly complex spell, requiring careful unraveling like a tangled knot, but Dispel made it unnecessary.
As the Unique-grade Dispel activated, the barrier vibrated, then shattered like breaking glass and vanished.
With the barrier sealing the forest gone, the thick fog dispersed, revealing the entrance.
Another barrier stood before it, far sturdier than the previous one.
To open it, he needed to unlock the two padlocks in front.
Jeong Hoon took out the keys from Kaiserk V and Karyan and inserted them into the padlocks.
Click!
Turning the keys unlocked them, and the final barrier disappeared.
"Done."
Jeong Hoon grinned and stepped into the forest.
All sorts of curses immediately assailed him.
You have been cursed.
You have been cursed.
You have been cursed.
Along with the messages, countless debuffs piled up.
Using Dispel.
Jeong Hoon easily removed them with Dispel.
The forest was low-level compared to his own.
Vmmm
Then, the Merhen's Guardian in his ear began to vibrate faintly.
"It's resonating."
Guardian accessory set.
Accessories resonate with each other when close.
Meaning he could find the others using this guardian.
Jeong Hoon moved around, focusing on Merhen's Guardian.
'There's a portal.'
Heading toward where it pointed, he found a portal.
No monsters were visible in the Cursed Forest.
It had been sealed for so long that no one could enter or exit, so that was natural.
Thus, no portal should be here either.
This one must have spawned during the episode progression.
Jeong Hoon approached the portal.
An exclamation mark blinked above it.
You have completed the quest.
You have gained 20,000,000 EXP.
You can now undertake the next quest.
A question mark blinked above the portal again.
Episode Quest: Saving the Merhen Kingdom (2)
-Restriction: Complete Saving the Merhen Kingdom (1) quest
-Reward: ??
-Description: Save the Merhen Kingdom from its desperate crisis.
The description matched the quest from Kaiserk V.
Jeong Hoon accepted it.
Would you like to enter the Episode Dungeon: Merhen Kingdom?
'I'll enter.'
Accepting pulled Jeong Hoon's body into the portal.
"Where's this?"
His vision brightened as he entered the dungeon.
Jeong Hoon immediately realized it was a forest.
"Hey! Hamel!"
A burly man came running toward him.
NPC Information
- Nickname: Kel
- Level: 80
- Job: Palesman Barony Patrol Soldier
He was a patrol soldier named Kel.
Judging by his position patrolling down to the barony and his level, he seemed to be a regular soldier, not a knight.
"Hm?"
"What the hell are you doing here?! Monsters are pouring out!"
Kel was calling Jeong Hoon "Hamel."
Jeong Hoon pulled out an artifact to check his face.
Only then did he confirm his face had become that of a balding man in his mid-40s.
'Of all things, why this guy?'
His body had transformed into a hefty one easily 100kg heavier than his original.
Episode dungeons differed from regular ones by following the story inside.
Ugh... What the hell is that?
'I've aged horribly.'
Mookho and Anima shuddered as if they'd seen something horrifying.
'You bastards, what's with that reaction?'
Jeong Hoon glared at them.
Mookho and Anima immediately started making excuses.
'No, it's just... so different from usual. It's not bad!
'Yeah. Lots of perks. No need to wash or dry your hair.'
Oh, really?
Jeong Hoon's lips twisted upward.
"Hamel? Hey!"
Plus, the guy next to him was yelling loud enough to burst eardrums, so he couldn't dwell on it long.
"Got it, so shut up."
"Monsters are coming! We gotta run!"
"Run?"
As the man spoke, Black King Ogres charged toward them.
"Aaah! They're already here! I'm dead!"
Kel freaked out and hid behind a tree.
Wow... All talk, no action.
'Looks like he could squash these small fries easily.'
Mookho and Anima sneered at Kel.
"Yeah."
Jeong Hoon chuckled and unfurled Sky Piercing Steps.
Leviathan was already in his hand.
"H-Hamel?!"
Kel's panicked shout came from behind.
But it was in vain as the Black King Ogres dropped one by one.
"Gah!"
"S-Strong!"
"We gotta retreat!"
The Black King Ogres, terrified by Jeong Hoon's prowess, tried to flee.
Jeong Hoon blocked their retreat with Sky Piercing Steps and cut them down again.
'About this much.'
The fight ended in an instant.
Forty-seven Black King Ogre corpses littered the ground.
Jeong Hoon shook the blood from Leviathan and turned back to Kel.
Kel had come out from behind the tree and was staring blankly at the corpses.
"What're you spacing out for?"
At Jeong Hoon's words, Kel snapped to and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him in astonishment.
"Y-You... How did you do this?!"
He was so shocked he was even stuttering.
"No time to explain. What's the situation?"
"The raid failed, and penalties are happening! We need to get to the shelter now!"
"I see."
Jeong Hoon furrowed his brow.
All episodes followed the same thread.
The process of a dimension's destruction.
Of course, it took stacked penalties reaching an irreversible point to fully collapse.
The current state of the forest showed it hadn't progressed that far.
"Come on! Hurry!"
"...Fine."
Jeong Hoon was currently Hamel, the patrol soldier.
To clear the episode dungeon, he had to follow the story.
Merhen's Guardian wasn't reacting here either.
Best to follow Kel out of the forest for now.
"But what's with all that flashy stuff?"
Kel finally noticed the gear Jeong Hoon was wearing, including Mookho and the accessories.
"Can't you tell? Items."
"Ah... Is that why you could take on the monsters?"
"No time for long explanations. Let's move."
"Got it."
Jeong Hoon followed Kel toward the shelter.