Warp to Temosa and the King's Summons
Hanbit turned on the broadcast and headed to Ifrit's Adventurer Guild with the two others. Jinook was pacing at the entrance.
"Ah, there you are."
Spotting Hanbit, he walked over.
"What's up?"
"Got something to give you, and there's a request that came through you."
"A request?"
"Take this first."
Jinook handed over a fist-sized blue crystal.
[You have received the Intermediate Warp Crystal (5-rank - Hero).]
-Huh?
-Warp?
-Handing it out here lol;
-Teleport item GOAT
-That's super expensive, right?
-Never see these for sale.
The viewers, who knew the item well, reacted with excitement. Hanbit checked its details.
[Intermediate Warp Crystal]
Rank: 5
Grade: Hero
Use Restriction: Soulbound to owner, up to 7-person party
Description: A magic tool that teleports you to one of the designated locations. Usable up to 3 times, with restrictions on warping beyond the set distance. Not only is the crafting technique incredibly rare, but the materials are nearly impossible to obtain. And since it's a consumable, it can't even be recycled. If it were tradable, it'd fetch billions.
"Isn't this too expensive?"
"How many lives were hanging in the balance in Ifrit? Plus, my sis... it's from former mayor Firnen's personal funds, so it's fine."
"Alright then. I'll put it to good use."
Hanbit nodded, already knowing the source of the funds. He turned his gaze to the parchment in Jinook's hand.
"What's the request about?"
"Head north from Ifrit, and you'll hit a high mountain range. At the top is a city called Temosa. The guild master there reached out—wants to entrust a request to you specifically."
"How do they know me?"
"Probably heard through the adventurers who came to help us out."
He handed over the parchment while explaining. Hanbit examined its contents.
[Request Letter]
Grade: A-rank
Issuer: Asid Caldif
Content: Track down escaped criminal
Reward: To be negotiated
-It's here.
-Ep 3 time~
-So many criminals lol;
-This place has insane story too. lol
-Such a pain.
-Temosa's a bitch to get to anyway.
The viewers, reading the request, realized it heralded Episode 3. No one could predict his plan to derail the episode, though.
It's not exactly derailing it.
Letting this episode play out unchecked would snowball the problems, bunching the enemies together. That turns Episodes 3 through 5 into one massive new episode.
If the game system specifies Temosa for the third episode, a new episode emerging should be implemented too. The Goddess and the Record Project devs surely knew this possibility.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have used phrases like "first player to uncover the truth of the episodes" back in Edlen.
"I've registered Ifrit, Temosa, and the capital Radianor. Using it drops you right near the gates. If you turn down the request, register somewhere else and use it there."
Jinook added that it wasn't obligatory. But Hanbit shook his head.
"Nah, I was thinking of checking out Temosa anyway."
"Cool. I'll notify the guild then."
Wrapping up the talk, Hanbit activated the crystal immediately. A system window popped up.
[The Warp Crystal has 3 saved locations.]
1. Raven Kingdom - Ifrit
2. Raven Kingdom - Temosa
3. Raven Kingdom - Radianor
Only three uses, but Temosa was far. Best to use it now for speed.
"Heading to Temosa."
Letting Kim Jaeha and Avant-garde know, Hanbit selected 2. A unique teleport sensation enveloped him.
Whoosh—
A steep cliff with sharp winds. The trio, warped in, stared at the walls ahead.
"They built a city here? And it's this high."
"This is one of the milder ones. They say some in the northern and eastern continents take seven hours just to climb."
As Avant-garde said, this was tame. In this world, some spots required literal free-climbing.
-View's killer here too.
-How tf did they even build this city?
-Gotta have people for it lol.
-Devs laughing.
-Laughing (no OT yet)
Business as usual here.
Temosa sprawled along the cliffside. The walls weren't that tall, and the steep incline laid the interior bare.
Step step—
Hanbit headed to the gates with the others. A soldier yawned at the wide-open entrance.
"Hey. Adventurer Black Dragon."
"Ah, yeah. Hello."
Casual greetings exchanged. Hanbit handed over his adventurer card.
"A-rank adventurer Black Dragon. Confirmed. Go on in."
The soldier glanced and stepped aside. Pure formality—no security.
"Let's go."
Hanbit's group passed through the open gates into the city. A message appeared.
Ding—
[Episode 3: Crime City Temosa]
[Main Quest #1: The Request]
You've arrived in the city at the Temosa guild master's request. First, get the full details.
Objective: Head to the Adventurer Guild and hear him out.
Reward: 20,000 gold, 5,000 EXP
Progress: 0%
The episode-start quest was familiar now.
"Atmosphere's heavy here."
"Fits its reputation."
Kim Jaeha and Avant-garde scanned the interior while chatting. It looked dingy at a glance—few outsiders, and the locals were rough.
"Wanna die? Cough up the cash and fuck off!"
"Booze! Get the booze!"
"You hit me, you fucker?"
Chaos erupted from every tavern. Ignoring it, Hanbit pressed deeper with the pair.
"There it is."
Steepening stairs led to a house-sized Adventurer Guild building.
Creeeak—
Pushing the half-broken door revealed the inside. Rickety wooden tables in the corner, a request board with peeling edges. The adventurers chatting inside all had dark circles under their eyes.
At the counter, Hanbit presented his card and request letter to the staff.
"Here to see the guild master."
"Huh?"
The man with a long scar on his cheek raised a brow and turned. Glaring at Hanbit, he snatched the items.
"Oh, you're Black Dragon?"
Nodding as he checked, he returned them and pointed to a corner table.
"That guy's got his head buried sleeping? Wake his ass up."
Turning, they saw a man in simple gear, face truly planted on the table.
[Temosa Guild Master Asid Caldif]
-lololol
-Hey Asid
-Slacking GOAT
-I'd slack here too lol
-Fair
The viewers' reactions poured in with the name. The Asid players knew was the type to ditch guild duties.
"Asid."
Approaching, Hanbit shook his shoulder lightly.
"Ugh......"
A groan and squirm, reeking of booze. No signs of waking.
Swish—
Staring down briefly, Hanbit raised his hand and slapped Asid's cheek without hesitation.
Smack!
"Gah!"
The gray-haired man in his early 30s bolted upright from the shock.
"What? Ambush?!"
-lolololol
-Straight-up slapped lololol
-Black Dragon doesn't hold back.
-It is an ambush lol
-Wake-up call (slap)
Disoriented, Asid whipped his head around. Hanbit, sitting opposite, tapped the table to get his attention.
"Here. You called me, right?"
"...Huh?"
Asid met his eyes at the voice, then sighed and slumped back into his seat.
"An adventurer? Thought my heart was gonna stop."
Rubbing his chest, he ruffled his hair to shake off the daze.
"So, I called you?"
"See."
Hanbit showed the adventurer card. Asid leaned in, finally nodding.
"Ahh, you're Black Dragon? You actually came?"
"Sent the request letter and all. Or you don't need me?"
"Need you bad. As you see, we're desperately short on reliable hands."
He shrugged at the surrounding adventurers. None looked like they'd handle a request properly.
"So, the request? Just said 'track escaped criminal.'"
"Exactly that. Catch this murderer Rabok who bolted after killing."
His casual tone belied the heavy crime.
"Where'd he run?"
"No clue. Was gonna ask you to investigate for a week, but the situation's..."
"H-hey, Black Dragon!"
A urgent voice cut in. The counter staff stood wide-eyed, holding something.
"What?"
"Not 'what'! Come check this quick! Message from the Royal Knights!"
-?
-Royal Knights?
-Leon's peeking?
-New pattern?
-Familiar viewers chase.
-Bet
The sudden contact paled the staff—he'd pulled petty crimes on the sly, so panic hit first.
"Royal Knights?"
Asid's drunken haze vanished instantly, his face sharpening to normal.
"Go check it out. Famous adventurer like you gets calls everywhere, huh."
Hanbit headed to the counter, waving off Asid's shooing hand. The staff tremblingly handed over a golden letter—a special missive for royalty or their approved.
<Royal Knights Vice-Captain Leon>
Hello, Black Dragon. I have urgent news, so I'm reaching out via the guild.
His Majesty the King wishes to meet you.
'It's unofficial, not a formal decree by any means, but if possible, I'd appreciate it if you could make time right away.' That's what he said.
I'm sorry for the sudden request, but I'd really like if you stopped by.
If you come to the capital Radianor, show this letter to the owner of the tavern Sunset Breeze.
-Huh?
-Wait?
-The King?
-Sudden audience? ㄷㄷ
-Unofficial lol
-Straight to capital route is fresh;
The chat exploded at the surprise. Then a message followed.
Ding—
[Sub Quest unlocked.]
[Sub Quest #1]
Unexpected news from Leon. The Raven King himself wants to meet.
Head straight to the capital.
Objective: Go to Sunset Breeze tavern in capital Radianor.
Reward: Sub Quest #2 unlocked
*This quest expires in 1 hour.
-Ah.
-This is tricky;
-Ditch main for this?
-Warp there and back?
-Nah, story pace here's insane.
-Fr, even a little late and shit hits fan.
-Then gg
-Skip capital.
With the sub quest up, viewers leaned toward skipping it. Echoed Kim Jaeha's earlier worry.
But it was all part of Hanbit's plan.
Right on cue.
The king wanting him at this timing was scripted. Just a talk, but this brief meet was crucial.
The finale of Raven Kingdom's story. His role there would flip completely.
Decision made long ago, he looked at the camera.
"I'm heading to the capital."