Chapter 95
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Has Anyone Been to the Ruined City in the Merhen Kingdom?
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Has Anyone Been to the Ruined City in the Merhen Kingdom?
-I hear you can go to this place called the Ruined City... but there's not a single soul around there.
Are you nuts lol don't go there
I heard someone got forcibly suspended for a week after going there lol
Fr, the NPCs won't let you leave lol wtf is that even
Crazy bastard pulled a water ghost strat just to survive. Still gives me chills thinking about it.
The Ruined City that everyone avoids.
Just as the name implied, it was a place that had completely fallen to ruin, with only traces left behind, and ferocious monsters roamed it freely. Access was strictly forbidden to players.
You need at least level 250 to take that thing down
-But even if you hit 250 and kill it, what's the point...?
Can't you break some title or achievement?
Nah, nothing like that lol
EXP is pretty juicy... but honestly, at 250, that amount won't even fill you up
Anyway, staying away from the Ruined City is best for your mental health
The Ruined City, flooded with bad reviews.
And that was exactly where Jeong Hoon was headed.
"You're going there?"
Ha-jin reacted with visible unease.
He wanted to protest like before, but thanks to Jeong Hoon, he'd just sucked up some serious honey this time.
Especially the Great Psyche's Armor he was wearing now.
Great Psyche's Armor (Partially Sealed)
-Type: Armor
-Rank: Unique
-Defense: 233
-Evasion Rate: 6.25 6.75
-Physical Damage Reduction: 10
-Magic Damage Reduction: 10
-Remaining Durability: 100
-Special Ability (1): Skill damage reduction increased by 5 while equipped
-Special Ability (2): Critical hit damage reduction increased by 10 while equipped
-Special Ability (3): Passive: Psyche's Blessing automatically activates while equipped
-Special Ability (4): Active: Psyche's Song can be activated while equipped
Even in its partially sealed state, the armor's stats were this impressive.
'It'll be on par with Legendary gear once the seal's released.'
Gulp.
Had he ever lost out by trusting his friend?
Come to think of it, thanks to Jeong Hoon, he'd even scored a free capsule last time.
So, time to trust Jeong Hoon again!
"If you don't wanna go, bail."
Jeong Hoon turned away without a hint of regret.
"Heh heh! What kinda cold talk is that? What're friends for? We're in it till the end!"
Ha-jin hurriedly slung his arm over Jeong Hoon's shoulder.
"You say that, but those eyes look ready to ditch me anytime."
"...No way. Don't you trust me too little?"
"Kidding. Got the camera?"
"Ready! Recording, right?"
"Nah, live stream."
"Live...?"
"Yeah."
He had zero interest in reacting to chat, but the Ruined City needed to become a national dungeon ASAP.
That way, low-level users passing through the Merhen Kingdom could level up faster.
Before entering the Ruined City, Jeong Hoon approached the NPC standing in front.
NPC Info
-Nickname: Nameless Man
-Level: None
-Job: None
This NPC was peculiar.
He was semi-transparent, and reaching out didn't touch him.
'Similar to Michael's ghost.'
Like a ghost, but with an even fainter presence.
A question mark blinked above his head.
Choose a quest.
There were two quests.
Normal Quest
Epic Quest
Choosing one means the other cannot be undertaken.
Pick one, and the other vanishes automatically.
"Ha-jin, Epic?"
"Epic...? Wouldn't Normal be better? Welcome guides say never do Epics."
No.
The welcome guides straight-up said don't even glance at the Ruined City, much less piss near it.
Jeong Hoon grinned.
"Epic's gotta have better rewards, obviously."
"...True, but."
"Hm, one more time. Wanna bail?"
For events or shrines before, Ha-jin was never in real danger.
Jeong Hoon planned to handle everything.
And he'd made it happen.
But this event was different.
Jeong Hoon would cover over 90, but Ha-jin had to grit his teeth and survive on his own too.
"Damn, you sure know how to fire me up? Why would I bail?"
Ha-jin snapped, heated up.
Jeong Hoon's lips curved in satisfaction.
"Okay. Start the stream."
Alright, time to drop some honey tips.
Jang Dae-hwi replayed the uploaded video over and over.
"Haa... I edited it myself, but damn, it's a perfect vid."
The raw footage was clean, but he'd compressed it into a flawless 15-minute arc.
"What, starting again?"
Lee Hak-song rolled his chair over while editing.
He looked at Dae-hwi with pity.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
"...Hyung, you'd be the best if you just shut up sometimes."
"So, views on this one?"
"Hit 1.2 million...?"
It had just broken 1.2 million views.
At this rate, 2 million or 3 million wasn't out of reach.
A nobody NewTuber with one video hitting millions.
Mind-blowing.
"Yeah. Everyone's going nuts over it."
"...Honestly, I leveled up 3 times with it too. Whew!"
Hak-song flashed a V-sign.
"You too? Me too!"
Dae-hwi had rushed home, hopped in his capsule, cleared the shrine event, and hit 188.
"But it got some hate."
"Hate?"
"Says the quest can't progress anymore."
Yeah.
The quest in the honey tip vid was a consumable one.
Capture 5 cultists with marks across the capital.
Once they're captured, no more quest.
"...So 2 million's off the table."
It hit 1.2 mil on hype, but no quest means no more fuel.
"But we did it, so we're good."
"True. Text the dongsaeng."
"Why?"
"Gotta buy him a meal. He handed us 3 free levelscan't just ghost."
Ha-jins channel was too new for revenue.
No matter the views, no cash.
"Right."
Thanks to Ha-jin, though.
Past 100, leveling was brutal, but bam, 3.
Feels good!
Gonna stuff him with pork ribs till he bursts!
Dae-hwi texted Ha-jin.
Then
LIVE stream starting.
A new LIVE popped up on Ha-jin's channel.
Viewers trickled in as the stream started.
-What's this live about?
-Was watching vids, then LIVE pops up?
-Gonna drop new honey tips?
Maybe from the last vid?
Nearly 70 real-time viewers in 10 minutes.
"Ahaha, hey everyone. HoneyTube's Honey 2 here."
Ha-jin awkwardly introduced himself as Honey 2.
Making Jeong Hoon Honey 1 by default.
-lol Honey 2?
-Can't ease up the mosaic and voice changer?
-Customized your char but then mosaic changer on stream? Weird.
Chats rolled in live.
"Ah, that might be tough."
Ha-jin glanced at Jeong Hoon.
Jeong Hoon ignored the stream entirely.
"Please... grant our city's desperate wish..."
"How do we grant it?"
"Eliminate the monsters ravaging our city. Slay the 'beast' at its heart..."
The Nameless Man's voice was desperate.
Jeong Hoon nodded.
"We will."
"To reach it... you must survive several Waves."
"Yes."
The Ruined City's core.
Clear to the monster lurking there.
That was the Epic quest.
-Wtf? Ruined City?
-No way lololol
-Took the Epic quest huh...
-Wow... why Epic tho
-That quest's unskippable too...
-That NPC's nuts. Gives the wish quest, won't let you quit till 3 deaths.
Viewers pitied Jeong Hoon and Ha-jin.
-Ah, thought it was honey but total dud, peace
-First impression killed it lololol
Real-time viewers plummeted.
"W-what do we do?!"
"Hm? Ignore it. Leaving's your loss."
Jeong Hoon stepped into the Ruined City.
-Leaving's my loss lol
-Confidence tho lol
-Fine, I'll watch to the end lol
-But no loot? Gonna flame hard
Meanwhile.
Yeo Min-ji sat in a café with Lee Na-yeon, Jeong Hoon's mom.
Their tea time, delayed by the guild member disappearance, was finally happening.
"Ma'am, here's the second job change info. Shouldn't stray far from this."
She handed over the summarized docs.
Luckily, a guildie with the same Overlord hidden class helped a ton with basics.
"Thanks for always looking out."
"No problem. And I'll re-gear you for your level. Consumables too."
"That's fine, but..."
"No! Overlord jobs rely more on gear and consumables than others. Please take it."
"...Alright. Thanks."
Na-yeon felt it keenly in-game.
Same-level users' hunts were too easy.
Her marksmanship blew heads off, sure, but top reason? Gear.
Hoyoung spared no material support, arming her with Epics to Uniques worth a fortune.
But upgrading again? Kinda burdensome.
"...I survived thanks to Jeong Hoon this time."
"Huh? What happened?"
"Got trapped in a maze recently."
Seriously.
Thinking of looping that maze endlessly? Horrifying.
If Jeong Hoon hadn't spotted and broken its flaw, trapped forever?
Shudder.
Of course, she downplayed it to Na-yeon: just a tough maze her son solved.
"Oh really? Hoonie's definitely special."
Na-yeon agreed.
Her son was unique from young.
Rarely cried, mature beyond peers.
Confirmed different on a family trip.
Nav broke, lost forevertill her 3-year-old pointed the way.
'This way.'
Doubted at first, but the toddler remembered every path perfectly.
Even buildings and landmarks, spot-on.
Perfect recall.
The testing doc's doc had never seen such flawless memory, wanted to study him.
But hubby shut it all down, took him home.
'I want Hoon to live free.'
'...Me too.'
So they backed what he wanted.
This game too.
Without hubby's words, she might've yanked him from it.
"You think so too, right Ma'am?!"
"Of course. He's my son."
Na-yeon's shoulders rose proudly.
Then, rowdy voices from the next table.
"What's that?"
"Huh? Oh, a stream."
"Stream? Sudden stream?"
"Know HoneyTube?"
"Yeah! Leveled 3 off it!"
"Yeah. They're LIVE now."
"LIVE?"
"Merhen Kingdom? They went to the Ruined City."
Voice so loud, Na-yeon's table heard everything.
"Noisy, huh?"
Na-yeon smiled at Min-ji.
But Min-ji's face was grim.
"Ma'am... I think we need to check the stream real quick."
"The stream?"
"Yes."
Min-ji pulled out her tablet, played HoneyTube's LIVE for Na-yeon.
"...This?"
Despite the mosaic, Na-yeon spotted her son instantly.
"Yes. It's Jeong Hoon."
"Hoonie's streaming?"
"No idea why."
"...Let's watch."
Na-yeon and Min-ji focused on the stream.
No cheat keys in places like this?
Jeong Hoon tapped a fist and yep, a dent.
Whoa! There is one?
He shoved his hand in.
Pop!
With the sound, the golems ahead powered down and crumbled.