What the Hell Is This?
“What the hell is this?”
Gorik asked Kang Hanbit with a baffled expression.
“Isn't this necessary? So we gotta make a deal.”
“...A deal?”
His face soured the moment the proposal came out. Gorik stepped closer, chin raised defiantly.
“I'm here to take back my property. Why the hell would I need a deal?”
“How are we supposed to know it's yours?”
“You can't tell from looking at it? Are you that dense?”
“It might not even be the royal token.”
“No, it's ours.”
His stubborn reply showed no sign of budging. Just as Kang Hanbit had expected, he pulled out his prepared offer.
“If you're saying it that strongly, how about we head to your country? There'd be other royals or citizens to confirm, right?”
“That's... impossible.”
“Impossible? Then a deal's the cleanest way.”
“......”
-Gorik's country didn't fall, right?
-Yeah, Hedrick Kingdom got wiped out.
-Talking big;
-Ugh, trash.
Gorik shut his mouth at the firm refusal. Overpowering three adventurers by force was impossible from the start. But his royal pride wouldn't let him stoop to bargaining.
“You absolutely refuse to hand it over willingly?”
“Not without something in return. At least give us the full story.”
“...Then this conversation ends here.”
Gorik glared at Kang Hanbit, then turned and vanished into the underbrush without a backward glance.
-?
-And that's it?
-Can't we just mention Camon?
-Yeah, act friendly and it'll work.
-Like a side quest, just ignore and move on.
-Main quest's more important anyway.
Viewers split on Gorik's abrupt exit. But the ensuing alert sound quickly quelled the confusion.
Ding-
[Achievement: Due to Walker of the Path of Truth, conditions have been met.]
[Sub-quest unlocked.]
[Sub-quest #1]
You encountered the prince of a fallen kingdom, Gorik. He left after refusing to hand over the token, but he doesn't seem like the type to give up easily. He was reluctant to share his circumstances—what could his story be?
Objective: Until reuniting with Gorik, investigate the situation in Ifrit.
Reward: Sub-quest #2 unlocked
-Huh?
-Sub-quest here?;
-Achievement mandatory?
-Gotta reset no matter what;
-But without the token, can't do it right?
-Newbies suffer lol.
Viewers vented frustration at the sub-quest requiring both achievement and token. But it was a natural progression.
“The token isn't the only link to Gorik—Camon's item is another. We'll show it to him once our relationship progresses.”
Gorik played a hugely important role in the Ifrit episode, not just for Dwarven Forging but the whole arc. With achievement and relic in hand, the episode could proceed. Experience told Kang Hanbit the token was key to Gorik approaching first.
“Unlike us, you'll have to seek him out directly. He won't even recognize you guys.”
-?
-He won't come to us?
-Player discrimination;
-As long as we can meet him, OK.
-Yeah, Black Dragon'll give the guide.
[Haha donated 1,000 won.]
[Guide... you'll share it, right?]
The faint donation message floated by. Chat flooded with guide requests.
“I'll consider after the episode ends. Do your best till then.”
“No way......”
Kim Jaeha, who'd been listening, couldn't shake his shock. Sorting his thoughts, he asked Kang Hanbit.
“That dwarf's really the owner of this iron plate?”
“Yeah. We're learning Dwarven Forging from him.”
“Then why's he here? The snowy mountains where the plate was found? No, screw that—we gotta catch him now.”
Kim Jaeha knew his role: acquire the hidden skill Dwarven Forging. With the token's owner right there, chasing him down made sense, sub-quest or not.
“Catching him now would backfire. It'd just cause trouble and mess up the later story.”
“Trouble... yeah, I get that.”
Kim Jaeha nodded slowly, recalling Gorik's attitude. The guy bolted at the slightest hitch.
“I think I get it now.”
Avant-garde, who'd been quiet, spoke up. His eyes fixed on the bushes where Gorik vanished.
“That dwarf was following us.”
“Good catch.”
A faint silhouette blended into the shadows beyond the foliage. No need to guess—it was Gorik hiding at a distance. That awkwardly clumsy pose matched memory perfectly.
“Following us? Since when?”
“Since we left that cave earlier. He probably sensed the token before we entered the uncharted zone.”
As royalty, Gorik could detect the token within range. Every regression, Kang Hanbit knew his patrol patterns in Ifrit.
“Wait, what about me? I stayed in Ifrit after getting the token, but he never showed.”
-True. Why not?
-Just watching for fun?
-???: Spin in circles. lol
-Fr, tons of people searched the snowy mountains.
-I wasted a week too.
Kim Jaeha looked flustered. Months wasted wandering with the token from the snowy mountains. Even after the project tanked, solo hunts yielded zilch—no Gorik, no clues.
Kang Hanbit displayed the earlier message.
[Achievement: Due to Walker of the Path of Truth, conditions have been met.]
[Sub-quest unlocked.]
“You didn't get this sub-quest alert, right hyung? Avant-garde did.”
“Yes, I did.”
Avant-garde nodded immediately. Kim Jaeha, beside him, still looked confused.
“No quest popped for me... but the skill's what I need. Tying it to past episodes feels off, no?”
He'd cleared Edlen via guidebook. Wrong path, sure, but impacting skill acquisition seemed weird.
Kang Hanbit shook his head firmly.
“Dwarven Forging and the Ifrit episode both hinge on winning Gorik over. He plays a massive role.”
“Camon's item makes that possible?”
“They were tighter than you think. So he trusts those who fulfill Camon's will in the episode.”
“...Yeah, makes sense.”
Kim Jaeha nodded in understanding. One task left.
“Hyung, head back to Edlen and redo the episode ASAP.”
“I'll rush it. But even hurried, it'll take longer than you.”
Kim Jaeha was set to help Black Dragon however. His only worry: slowing things down.
“Nah, you're good.”
Knowing the concern, Kang Hanbit opened a private message window off-stream and typed quickly.
“Follow this method. Done in two days.”
***
“There it is.”
They'd walked the path a bit when stunning walls appeared ahead. Incredibly, the main material was vividly colored glass—fragile, everyday glass, not some special alloy.
“Black Dragon, is Ifrit's story progressing differently from known guides too? I thought blocking the monster wave was the main focus......”
Avant-garde walking beside him asked casually.
Ifrit's second-episode core was the monster wave—a defense game against proliferating beasts. Issue: key figures in the eye of the storm were uncooperative, even obstructive.
“I know. The walls say it all—pathetic.”
“They call 'em wallpaper walls for a reason. Tons of players snap pics here.”
As Avant-garde said, the walls were infamous. Transparent panes shattered sunlight into rainbows, dyeing the drab land and trees in soft glows. Scaled to kilometers, it was a genuine spectacle. Proven tourist spot even in-game.
“Welcome.”
At the gate, a guard greeted them—zero tension, pure calm.
“Hi. Adventurers from Edlen.”
“I'll check.”
Handing over his adventurer card, the guard scanned it, then pulled a black bracelet from a box.
“Wear this as ID inside the city at all times. Much appreciated.”
“Got it.”
Ifrit ranked visitors by bracelet color—black for low, red mid, gold high. Distinguisher for locals. This was bottom tier.
“You're clear to enter.”
“Thanks.”
Passing inspection, Kang Hanbit entered. The shifting scenery sparked a familiar thought.
Same as always.
He scanned the sprawling buildings. Shops, homes, streets—all beautifully adorned. Yet it screamed Ifrit's flaws.
-Look at these smiling idiots.
-They won't know till it hits.
-Walls look trash from the start.
-Fr, disaster waiting.
Viewers who knew the future lamented. The safety-blind city frustrated everyone.
“Black Dragon, any plans for the remaining time?”
Avant-garde asked, eyeing surroundings. They'd paused progress till Kim Jaeha returned—why he hadn't shown the Edlen intro letter.
“Prep some stuff. Gear, essentials.”
Defense was key in Ifrit. Flush with gold, buying ready-mades was tempting. Unlike past runs, a fat wallet offered fun choices.
“One suggestion.”
Avant-garde, pondering, spoke up with the unexpected.
“How about trying different content this time?”