Chapter 399
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 399
Chapter Title: Crossing to Arandis
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Having handed notes to his mother, Yeo Sun-woo, and Yeo Min-ji as well, Jeong Hoon headed for Arandis.
Atlas was the last place one could reach using the station.
The unknown realm of Arandis required traveling through a separately connected portal once, then crossing over on a specially made ferry boat.
"Um? You can't just cross this river carelessly because it's full of dangerous monsters..."
An old man sitting at the dock tried to block Jeong Hoon but shut his mouth upon seeing the ID badge he held out.
It was an item made in Atlas, proof that its owner was a capable individual.
It was absolutely necessary to enter Arandis, as without the old man's permission, no one could use the ferry boat.
"You can let me pass, right?"
"I apologize for the rudeness. Feel free to use it as much as you like."
The old man readily stepped aside.
"Thank you."
Jeong Hoon selected one of the ferry boats waiting in front and boarded it.
A message then appeared before him.
Would you like to head to 'Arandis'?
'Move.'
Movement permitted.
Row the oars diligently to travel.
Caution! There is a high chance of monster attacks.
'This is ridiculous? It asks like it'll teleport me, then tells me to row hard?'
'Calm down. It was just a movement permission message.'
Jeong Hoon couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange between Mukho and Anima.
"Alright, let's get going."
Jeong Hoon picked up the oars and began rowing.
The place Ha-jin and Deok-gu headed to was Leas.
Their first destination was a small prayer hall in the holy city.
"Bro, is the ritual really happening here?"
"If Hoon says so, then it is."
There was no reason for Jeong Hoon to lie about something like this.
His mother Lee Na-yeon, the Hoyoung Guild Master, and Min-ji were all mobilizing for it.
So the ritual was real.
The problem was that a devil had to be eliminated in the process, and the thing's level was quite high, making it no easy task.
Still, it was a quest they absolutely had to do for growth.
Ha-jin knocked on the prayer hall's front door a couple of times.
"Who is it?"
A nun came out as the door opened.
"Ah, we just want to offer some prayers."
They had to get inside the prayer hall first.
"I'm sorry, but outsiders are prohibited from entering right now."
But the nun wasn't a pushover.
If a ritual was underway, she'd block outsiders, so they had to break through by any means necessary.
Even killing the NPC was fine if needed.
Stab!
Deok-gu unhesitatingly thrust his dagger through the nun's throat.
"Gahk!"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the nun's eyes widened before she collapsed.
You have killed an NPC.
NPC Laura's role has been removed.
"Kim Bong-gu!"
Ha-jin shouted angrily.
No matter what, killing an NPC like thiswhat was he thinking...?
"Bro, if the ritual's going on, they won't let us in no matter what we do. Better to handle it quietly before it causes a commotion inside."
Was it because it was a game?
Deok-gu's hands showed no mercy.
Ha-jin rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"Hoo... Fine. You're right."
The list in the note was so long it required turning pages.
They couldn't waste time here.
The NPC Laura, stripped of her role, vanished completely.
Ha-jin and Deok-gu entered the prayer hall.
"Bro, wait here a sec."
Deok-gu had reached Dark King after completing his fourth job change.
He didn't know why, but he'd boldly started it, only for it to auto-complete, leaving him deflated.
Of course, he'd cheered the moment he saw the results.
And it wasn't just Deok-gu.
Ha-jin had also skipped through his job changes quickly, yielding astonishing results.
They weren't the same Ha-jin and Deok-gu as before.
"Don't make too much noise."
"Don't worry!"
Deok-gu slipped stealthily inside.
"Urk!"
"Gahk!"
Screams of death followed one after another.
"I said keep it quiet..."
Ha-jin shook his head and went inside.
You have killed an NPC.
You have killed an NPC.
You have killed an NPC.
Countless messages popped up as the NPCs' bodies vanished.
"Bro, all done."
Just as Deok-gu said, all the NPCs inside were dead.
"...Shouldn't we have left one alive?"
They needed to interrogate it to check the ritual's progress.
"It's fine. There's a room deeper inI saw two kids inside."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. It's similar to the quest Hoon bro did."
"Okay. Let's go in."
Ha-jin moved toward the inner room with Deok-gu.
But the door was covered in talismans.
"Looks like they drove out the original people and took over this prayer hall."
"Yeah?"
"See over there."
Deok-gu pointed inside.
He could see the kids, but even more striking was the corner.
In the corner, six corpses lay in a row.
Judging by their clothes, they seemed to be believers who worshipped at this prayer hall.
"There's bruising on their faces and necks."
"Yeah. Were these bodies used in the ritual too?"
"Who knows. Hoon's note says two."
"Then probably not."
"Let's remove the talismans first."
Ha-jin reached for the talismans.
Would you like to remove the talismans?
"Remove them."
Ha-jin removed all the talismans and flung the door open.
Black smoke inside burst out as if waiting for it.
"......!"
"......!"
Startled, Ha-jin and Deok-gu tumbled backward.
"Whawhoa, that scared me..."
It was in the note, but he'd forgotten while removing the talismans.
Ha-jin summoned his knight and ordered it to guard.
'Unknown Existence' asks furiously if you two are the ones who disturbed my ritual.
His heart sank, his whole body trembling.
'Hoon took on something like that...?'
Ha-jin swallowed dryly and stood.
His legs shook, making it hard to keep balance, but giving up here meant no Origin Fragment.
"Deok-gu."
"Yeah... bro..."
Deok-gu's voice trembled slightly from the overwhelming pressure too.
"Physical attacks work on it, so we can do this."
"Yeah."
It looked like physical attacks wouldn't work at all, but Jeong Hoon's note clearly stated they did.
So they could definitely take it down.
"Hey! Apostle!"
Ha-jin shouted boldly to overcome the pressure.
The black figure approaching them froze.
'Unknown Existence' asks if we know about it.
"Of course! You're trapped in New World, thrashing to escape!"
He didn't know the details.
The note from Jeong Hoon just said that.
The taunt was highly effective.
'Unknown Existence' tells you to shut up before it rips your mouth apart.
"Bro!"
At that moment, Deok-gu lunged forward, darting past the black figure's side.
Its flank split open.
Even an apostle-level transcendent at high level wasn't at 100 ritual completion yet.
That's why Ha-jin and Deok-gu's power alone was enough to break it.
'Unknown Existence' urgently proposes a deal.
"A deal? No thanks."
Ha-jin laughed incredulously and controlled his knight.
The knight charged the black figure, unleashing a flurry of fierce attacks.
Arandis.
The attacks began after rowing for a bit.
No one but Jeong Hoon could cross, as the assaults were relentless.
Lv.520 Giant Fish
Lv.544 Mutant Poison Snake
Of course, nothing could hinder Jeong Hoon.
He kept rowing while casting spells, easily subduing the monsters.
Whisperzl12 - Hoon: Success!
Upon safely arriving in Arandis, a whisper came from Ha-jin.
'Fast.'
WhisperHoon - zl12: Good job.
Whisperzl12 - Hoon: Killed quite a few NPCs... but got two Origin Fragments here.
He'd said killing NPCs was okay to avoid delays.
With the ritual ongoing, they could face an apostle-level transcendent.
Once it fully completed and descended using the sacrifices as hosts, no one but Jeong Hoon could handle them.
WhisperHoon - zl12: Do the same for the rest. If you gather them all, breaking the level 1,000 wall might not be impossible.
Whisperzl12 - Hoon: Whoa... level 1,000?
WhisperHoon - zl12: So suck the honey while you can. Once the ritual hits 100, you can't.
Whisperzl12 - Hoon: OK, gotta move fast.
No need to worry about that side anymore.
Jeong Hoon stepped into Arandis.
Unlike Atlas, it was a place with little development.
High-level monsters roamed freely, preventing growth like Atlas.
Lv.535 Mutant Giant Bear
535-level Mutant Giant Bears wandering the streets.
Not just oneover twenty.
They moved in packs but oddly ignored the NPCs.
Yet if anyone crossed into their territory even slightly, they tore them apart mercilessly.
"Grrr. Human!"
The Giant Bears turned as one, glaring at Jeong Hoon.
He stood in a road between buildings.
It was wide enough for all twenty to charge at once.
"What a hassle."
Jeong Hoon gripped Titan and swung wide at the blocking Mutant Giant Bears.
Slash.
With a gruesome sound, one bear's body split in half.
Crack. Thud.
Seeing their comrade fall, the Mutant Giant Bears hesitated briefly.
Jeong Hoon mercilessly slashed them again and again.
It took just over a minute to kill all twenty.
Level partially restored.
Stats partially restored.
Was it because he'd entered Arandis?
His level and stats seemed to recover even faster.
"Ooh, a real powerhouse has finally shown up."
"Outsider! Could you help us a bit?!"
NPCs emerged from their homes upon confirming the Mutant Giant Bears were dead.
But they couldn't venture onto the streets carelesslythe area outside buildings was monster territory at this hour.
"I'll come back later."
Crossing to Arandis was for a quest, but first, to find the angel and obtain the second letter of recommendation.
"Don't goplease help us out. We'll reward you handsomely."
A question mark blinked above the NPC's head.
General Quest: Extermination (1)
-Restriction: Enter Arandis
-Reward: Chapel entry restriction lifted
-Description: Help the villagers of Arandis.
Seeing the reward, Jeong Hoon let out a hollow laugh.
They'd blocked approach unless you took the quest.
'Best to finish it quickly.'
Jeong Hoon reluctantly accepted the quest.