Chapter 237
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: Radiant Vein
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Jeong Hoon
Whirr
It was the caller he'd been waiting for.
Jang Dae-hwi, who had been about to head out with his cigarettes and lighter, hurriedly grabbed his smartphone.
"Hello!"
Yeah. It's Hoon.
"Man, it's been forever. Why the long silence?"
You know how it is. No tips, no streams.
Jang Dae-hwi's lips curled up.
"So you've got a hot tip this time?"
Something like that.
"Awesome! Oh, did you check the payout I sent?"
Oh, yeah. I did.
The data he'd sent Jeong Hoon was none other than the settlement payment.
With subscribers skyrocketing and views hitting the hundreds of millions per video, the revenue was beyond imagination.
Sure, points were all the rage now, diminishing cash's value a bit, but it was still valid currency.
"And everyone's losing their minds asking when the next video drops."
The gaps are long, so what can I do?
"I get it. So, live stream again this time?"
No.
Jang Dae-hwi tilted his head.
Jeong Hoon usually went live for the big honey pot reveals.
Drawing in viewers, raking in massive donations, then dropping the location later.
But not this time.
"So, pre-recorded then?"
Exactly. Which is why... could you join us and help with the filming?
"Filming...?"
Yeah. Multi-angle shots and editing will make the quality way better.
He couldn't help with the third round yet, but pure filming duty? That was different.
As an editor, he prided himself on knowing exactly how to capture killer shots better than anyone.
"Hmm... sure."
Great. I'll hit you up again soon. Stand by.
"Got it."
"Hoon!"
Not long after, his mother arrived home.
"You're back?"
"Yeah. Work go well?"
"Yes. Very successfully."
Jeong Hoon grinned.
"But you found a honey pot?"
"Yes."
His mother had been busy clearing real-world dungeons with Hoyoung.
Not just for growth, but to close them off and avoid potential penalties.
With her joining, Hoyoung was on a 100-0 streak.
Her return home was, of course, due to Jeong Hoon's summons.
"But why just me?"
"The dungeon there only allows up to five people."
If there were more slots, he'd have called Yeo Sun-woo and Yeo Min-ji too, but this one capped at five.
The rest would enter after he cleared it.
"Starting right now?"
"Not yet. My bro's coming to help film."
Moments after he spoke, Jang Dae-hwi arrived.
"Hello! I'm Jang Dae-hwi, editor for Honey Tube."
He greeted Jeong Hoon's mother first.
"Yes. Come on in."
She welcomed him warmly upon hearing he managed Jeong Hoon's YouTube.
"Alright, let's head out."
Jeong Hoon pulled out round-trip tickets and handed one to each.
"Where's this take us?"
Ha-jin asked.
"China."
"China...?"
"Specifically, Xi'an."
"There's a honey pot there?"
"Yeah. The sweetest honey around."
It was originally Liu Xiaolong's discovery.
A latecomer ally who'd already formed his own group, entering with eight total.
One of the survivors who'd betrayed Jeong Hoon in the end.
'By the time the honey pot went global, Liu Xiaolong's crew had already claimed it all.'
Straight from the guy's mouth, so it was legit.
"You went there when...?"
Ha-jin looked dumbfounded.
He knew Jeong Hoon had been busy, but China?
"I swung by recently."
Couldn't exactly say a Chinese ranker named Liu Xiaolong found it pre-regression, so he played it vague.
"Guess with tickets, it's a quick trip."
No need for long travel anymorejust use one and zip to your spot.
"Let's go then."
Jeong Hoon used his ticket and vanished in an instant.
Xi'an, China.
The honey pot was at Mount Hua, one of China's Five Great Mountainsthe West Peak.
Never been, but familiar from wuxia novels.
Though seeing it up close shattered any sense of familiarity.
"We're not climbing that, right?"
"Why not?"
"Damn..."
A massive peak at 2,155 meters.
Near-vertical stone steps like rock climbing walls, and the Long Corridor carved into cliffs.
Just looking made him dizzy.
Already dreading it.
"It's fine. We're not taking those paths."
"Really?"
"Thank God!"
Ha-jin and Deok-gu's faces lit up.
"We're scaling the cliff directly."
Ha-jin and Deok-gu's jaws dropped at Jeong Hoon's follow-up.
"F-Fly Potion! We can use that!"
"Right! That'll work!"
The Fly Potion from their Sky Field trip.
Jeong Hoon shook his head with a smirk.
"Sorry, used 'em all."
"......"
"......"
Ha-jin and Deok-gu's faces soured instantly.
"And it'll be safe."
"There's another way?"
Jeong Hoon nodded and pulled an artifact from the Achievement Shop.
Fly was a mage skill, off-limits for others.
Time for plan B.
"Fairy Potion to climb."
"Fairy Potion?"
"Yeah. Makes your body feel super light."
And not just that.
It auto-generated a shield against external shocks.
Downside: only environmental damage, useless for dungeon clears, but perfect for falls.
"...So we still climb straight up."
"Pretty much."
Jeong Hoon grinned and passed out potions one by one.
"Ugh... if we fall, we climb back up, right?"
"Duh. Gotta enter together, no stragglers."
"...Got it."
"Let's start."
"W-Wait!"
Jang Dae-hwi raised his hand urgently.
Jeong Hoon tilted his head.
"What?"
"C-Climbing this... filming's gonna be tough..."
No way to hold a camera while free-climbing.
"Oh, that's fine. That'll handle filming."
Jeong Hoon pointed behind him.
Jang Dae-hwi turned.
A camera floated there, filming them.
"Oh, nice. Forgot that."
"So quit worrying and climb."
"Got it."
Jang Dae-hwi nodded and downed his potion.
Cliff climbing.
Why skip the safe path for this?
A portal hid midway up the cliff.
"Everyone, careful."
Jeong Hoon led from the front.
Jang Dae-hwi followed close, fearlessno lagging, right on his tail.
"I'm good. Did some climbing before."
Not just that.
He'd done extreme sports through school and early twentiesstuff that screamed danger.
With the Fairy Potion's shield, no fear in his expression.
"Slow down, please!"
"Aaah! Bro! I'm gonna die!"
Ha-jin and Deok-gu whined nonstop.
His mother forcibly dragged them up.
"Everyone, be careful!"
Despite worries, she scaled the cliff effortlessly.
Jeong Hoon resumed climbing.
'Somewhere around here.'
Liu Xiaolong said it opened on the Huashan cliff.
Exact spot unknown.
So he channeled mana through his fingertips, probing.
After fumbling around awhile
Swish
He caught a faint reaction from inside the cliff to his mana.
'Jackpot. Here it is.'
Jeong Hoon smirked and edged toward it carefully.
Fingering tiny cracks slowed him down.
Reaching it, he pressed his palm flat, pouring in mana steadily.
Whirr
The cliff vibrated faintly, spawning a portal.
"P-Portal!"
Jang Dae-hwi, right behind, yelped in surprise.
Ha-jin and Deok-gu, struggling up, looked skyward.
"What portal's... rippling vertically...?"
"Gonna die... hands are sweating buckets."
"Same... but the shield's like rosin. No slipping."
The environmental shield even gripped like rosin.
Body light toono real effort climbing.
Just the insane height terrifying them.
"Alright, entering."
Jeong Hoon announced the end of the climb and approached the portal slowly.
Everyone's faces brightened.
Lv.??? Do you wish to enter the Radiant Vein?
Party must consist of exactly '5' members to enter.
Maintain distance from party members.
Exactly five to enter.
Fewer or more? No go.
Too far apart? Same deal.
Hence the group cliff climb.
'Entering.'
As party leader, Jeong Hoon confirmed, and everyoneincluding himgot sucked into the portal.
The Radiant Vein was a cave, not a cliff interior.
"Finally... can breathe..."
"But this looks like that mine from your last video."
Just like the Celestial Inscription Stone quarry.
Even the self-illuminating ore veins were identical.
"Different."
Jeong Hoon pulled Unique-grade pickaxes from his inventory and handed them out.
"Bro, mining like last time?"
"Yeah. But unlimited swingsgo wild."
"For real?!"
Now he got why EXP gains exploded here.
"Insane... how'd you know about the EXP?"
Jeong Hoon shrugged at Ha-jin's question.
"Ways to find out."
"...You're unreal."
"Less talk, more mining. No fourth round?"
"Right, got it."
Ha-jin grabbed his pickaxe and headed in.
EXP ore was easylabeled "EXP." Mine it, claim the EXP inside.
"Meet back here in two hours, everyone."
Simple reason: dungeon time limit was 120 minutes.
Jeong Hoon pulled an artifact.
A flag-like Guidepost.
Planted it, and a red line traced the floor from his spot.
"Oh, guides you back here."
"Yep. Mom, touch the flag."
"Got it."
She did, and a red line appeared for her too.
Everyone touched it.
No getting lost on return.
"Alright, mine hard for two hours."
"Uh... what about me?"
Jang Dae-hwi eyed the pickaxe and camera uncertainly.
"Film yourself mining."
"That okay?"
"Yeah. As long as quality holds."
"Sweet! Ha-jin, team up with me."
Jang Dae-hwi dragged Ha-jin off.
The vein split into multiple paths.
Different branches meant no crossings.
"Guess I'll mine with you, son?"
Jeong Hoon shook his head.
"I've got separate stuff."
"I see."
His mother nodded, looking disappointed.
Deok-gu jumped in.
"Ma'am! Mine with me! I'll get it all!"
"Sure? Let's do that."
"Yes! Bro! I'll film with smart lenses."
Deok-gu smartly activated his lenses.
Jeong Hoon nodded approvingly.
"Perfect attitude."
"Thanks!"
His mother and Deok-gu headed off together.
"Time to get to it."
Alone now, Jeong Hoon took the untouched leftmost path.