Edlen Tavern: Dew of Dawn
Edlen's commercial district pub, Dew of Dawn. The bustling place buzzed with all sorts of gossip.
"What's this city development fund crap? What do you think it is?!"
"What else? It's just the nobles lining their pockets. Hasn't it gotten worse since Brooke became mayor?"
"There were even rumors that guy's a puppet. Things were better under Mayor William..."
"Can't they just flee to the Holy Nation? You can live like a king in a powerhouse like that."
Carefree words tossed back with swigs of ale. Dangerous topics for commoners to bandy about.
"Was there a place like this? It's fuzzy."
"It's not exactly a meaningful spot, so yeah. I hadn't been here myself until two years ago."
In the corner booth, Juyeonu and Kim Jaeha shared brief impressions.
After showering Atsbel with apologies and compensation, the trio had moved here for a proper talk. It was the closest pub to her shop, so they'd arrived quickly.
"By the way, what should I call you? Kim Jaeha isn't your real name, right?"
"I'm used to it from work. No need to worry."
-T_T
-Office worker names are public property anyway.
-At least the face is different, thank god.
-Who the hell plays with their real face? lol
-Rainzer:?
-Avant-garde:??
-There are more crazies than you'd think.
"......"
Suddenly labeled a crazy, Kang Hanbit shut his mouth. At least there were streamers who used their real faces—that was something.
"Alright, Kim Jaeha-ssi, let's pick up on that hidden skill talk."
"Ah, sure!"
Kim Jaeha tensed at the mention of Dwarf Blacksmithing. It was good that Black Dragon was interested, but his info was thin.
"You said the first discovery counted as an achievement? Can you tell me more?"
"Not exactly an achievement—it was this little metal tag like a dog tag. It had the exact same text as the achievement description."
"A dog tag? Do you have it now?"
"Of course."
Kim Jaeha nodded and pulled something from his inventory. A thin metal plate about two finger-widths, strung on a slender chain like a dog tag. Kang Hanbit grabbed it, lips curling up.
[Heard the Cry of Iron in the Snow.]
The familiar feel and vivid memory in the text. No room for doubt. This tag was the key to learning Dwarf Blacksmithing.
"Where'd you find it?"
"Midway up the snowy mountains north of Ifrit."
"Those mountains are riddled with veins, right? Lots of mine entrances."
"...How'd you know that?"
Kim Jaeha's eyes widened at the casual question. Juyeonu answered instead.
"Hyung knows this world inside out. Like he memorized a whole webnovel."
"I've seen it on stream, but... is that really possible?"
"I'm amazed too."
-Fr lol
-Otaku basics.
-Standards rising ;;
-Maybe otakus are the real insiders.
-Insiders, don't touch this. Let the image build.
He was used to the growing misconceptions by now. Anyway, the key point was that Kim Jaeha was the first discoverer.
"Dwarf Blacksmithing. You said you ultimately failed to find it? Miss anything?"
"...I think we tried our best. Not just me and my coworkers—we threw in tons of rivals too."
"Company-scale search means you divided zones, right? Did the achievement pop for everyone?"
"Yes. We all got it... but no rewards. This item didn't drop for anyone else, though."
Kim Jaeha fiddled with the tag on the table, face darkening. Looked like a lot had gone down.
*No wonder they couldn't find it.*
Getting Dwarf Blacksmithing wasn't easy. But the failure by Kim Jaeha and past players was simple: only the first discoverer could take the right path.
"Wanna stick together for a bit?"
"Pardon?"
"You came to us 'cause you want something. I need gains too, so let's take some time to decide."
"Uh......"
-Sudden scout ㄷㄷ
-Taeyul boss 1 win.
-Avant-garde crying his eyes out? Upvote.
-If no help, kick him to the curb.
-Fr lol
Kim Jaeha froze at the abrupt offer, but soon beamed and raised his voice.
"Sounds good! As an early user, I can at least offer some small help!"
"Great, looking forward to it. Roper, you cool?"
"Yeah. I can judge for myself."
Juyeonu nodded in agreement. Kang Hanbit flicked his finger, inviting Kim Jaeha to the party.
"Oh, you cleared the Edlen episode already?"
"Sadly, just the main quest. But I can spectate, so I'll ping party chat or messages with any info."
Kim Jaeha added neatly. With things sorted, Kang Hanbit stood.
"See you tomorrow then. I'll message before logging in."
***
Next morning. Leaving home, Kang Hanbit boarded a bus toward the company area. Their meetup was at Lee Minho's place.
*Feels like going to work on a weekend.*
The scenery whipping by was the same as yesterday. Just a few days of grinding, and he already hated the office that much. Made him respect salarymen anew.
"Yo, you see this?"
Lost in thought, snippets of conversation from the guys next to him drifted over. Two college-age dudes, glued to their smartphones.
"Challenge dungeon? I watched live."
"Took me over an hour even with guides. Reality check hit hard."
"Needs realism to hit. This guy's just nuts."
The words stuck out. The chat confirmed it was RP talk.
"But an S-rank nick like that still hanging around. No one thought of Black Dragon?"
"Dev super account rumor. Probably locked the name."
"Super account would've blown up already. Advance teams wouldn't sit still."
"Then explain this. No one's more talented than Odin."
Didn't expect to hear "Black Dragon" IRL too. Curious, Kang Hanbit pulled out his phone and hit the RP community.
Top of the home screen: challenge dungeon hot posts.
<Edlen Challenge Dungeon #1 Replaced>
Black Dragon, who found the hidden route, cleared Wanted and took #1.
Crazy part? Did Plona quest too for the record.
Links to Black Dragon vids compiled.
-Wtf lmao
-Black Dragon, you again......
-Kim Hanseop sobbing.
-Odin, historic talent, turns out mortal lol
-Reporting this bug.
└Asked support, not bug or hack?
└ㅇㅋ Fine, we'll win with propaganda and fakes.
-Tried copying, traps alone 20+ mins.
-Wanted maze ain't AI?
-Donate on stream for answers?
└If he's in a good mood.
└Bigger challenges/donations get big hints.
Players' reactions poured in wildly. A late comment caught Kang Hanbit's eye.
-Challengers over 20k now lol
└Weekend? 40k easy.
└Bet 50k+.
└500 gold entry, everyone's retrying.
└Jealous of Black Dragon ;;
└Kim Hanseop really sobbing.
*...50k?*
Eyes widened at the player estimates. #1 holder's week of entry fees. If 50k challengers, minimum 25 million gold. Hold longer? Endless vault.
"No Kim Hanseop reaction? Must be shocked losing #1."
"Honey pot smashed, down the drain. Burned gold like crazy for advance team spot, now can't."
They kept yapping about the dungeon. Kim Hanseop had hogged rewards for a year. No surprise if he hated the thief. Advance team hopeful meant they'd cross paths eventually.
*Beep.*
At his stop, Kang Hanbit hopped off and climbed the visible hill. Rows of studio apartments. A bit farther, a rundown building appeared.
<Geumsung Villa>
Through the open entrance, up to the fourth floor.
*Bzzzzt.*
402's doorbell buzzed weirdly—broken. *Click. Creak.* Door opened, revealing Lee Minho. Face etched with fatigue.
"Hi. You're early."
"Hey. Up all night?"
"Found a headache. Come in."
With a cryptic line, he led Kang Hanbit inside. Past the narrow entry, a ~7-pyeong room crammed with blueprints, tools, parts—all neatly sorted.
"Sorry it's cramped. Hard to haul gear out..."
"No worries. What headache?"
"Better see it. One sec."
Lee Minho grabbed a semiconductor-like chip and blueprint. Pointed one by one.
"This from disassembling Lv.1 gear. This the diagram. Tech's ahead of its time—super hard to grasp."
He geeked out on structure with jargon. Excited despite the forced gig—curious guy.
Kang Hanbit's knowledge was too shallow for debate.
"Dunno even looking. Anything weird?"
"That's the headache. This chip's insides."
He held up the tiny chip, fetched a home microscope.
"Look. Core with odd markings."
"Odd markings?"
"Known stuff, but looks like a lock. Can't separate physically."
"Hm, lemme see."
Kang Hanbit peered through the eyepiece. Chip guts: complex circuits, central tiny sphere like fruit in a shell.
*This?*
Scanning surface, he spotted the markings. Lines peeking through outer structure—ancient script vibe.
*No way...*
Fleeting thought sparked memory. He asked Lee Minho, gathering notes.
"Anything else odd?"
"More weird than found. Remember the R&D program?"
"Yeah. The data I sent?"
"Yup. Turns out RP devs provided the framework. Like they want us digging secrets."
"Weird."
RP company's baffling moves weren't new. To Kang Hanbit, it screamed Goddess shadow. Lee Minho's next words turned hunch to certainty.
"Key: using your data, spotted weird code pattern. Not in other depts'."
"Pattern?"
"Check this."
Lee Minho spread code-filled printout on the floor. Pointed.
"Other code's decipherable-ish. But this repeating pattern? Meaningless. Unnecessary even."
"...Hold up."
Kang Hanbit focused. Undergrad knowledge barely parsed it. Frowning, Lee Minho handed another sheet.
"This too. Compiled patterns across code."
Shifting gaze, something clicked.
*...No friggin' way.*
Discovered, eyes pulled back. Codes morphed. *Rustle.* Eyes darted wide, tracing. Close: code. His view: hazy outlines, hidden lines like puzzle glyphs.
*...They went all out.*
Sigh at revelation. The "weird pattern": isekai script. One word buried in the vast mess.
Eyes off paper, to Lee Minho.
"Pattern hides a word."
"A word?"
"Yeah. In-game world script. From the original webnovel's appendix. Gone from net now."
"......?"
Lee Minho looked baffled, then refocused. Frowned hard, then looked up.
"Appendix? Hard to remember... Know what it says?"
Hint of hope. Valid worry, but Kang Hanbit's isekai script time dwarfed Korean.
"Lucky I do."
Recalling, nodded. Checked pattern again.
"The word: Edlen. City in the Raven Kingdom."