𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐𝟒
I didn’t tell the Great Voyage Guild members, but right now, I can move underwater without any restrictions. This is thanks to the ‘Blessing of the Sea’ on the Azure Guardian Belt, a passive skill that allows free underwater movement.
If I put my mind to it, I could easily rank high in the contribution points competition.
But I went a step further and came up with a way to half-destroy the Great Voyage Guild.
However, there are two things I need to confirm first……
‘Well, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t work.’
It wouldn’t matter if it failed. I could just rank high in contribution points instead. Since the Kraken is definitely a raid boss monster, and with the subjugation event overlapping, I figured I could get rewards beyond imagination if I took first place. So I asked Sina again.
“Do you know when the subjugation is?”
“Are you planning to go?”
“I can’t just ignore a call for help.”
Sina looked at me with suspicion at my answer, which contained not a single grain of sincerity, but she still told me readily.
“Tomorrow at 2 PM. But since the departure time is 2 PM, if you’re going, it’s better to go at 1 PM. The location is Port Run.”
1 PM at Port Run……
Hearing that, I nodded. Now that I knew the time and place, all that was left was to go there tomorrow. The problem was the cost. The Iot Kingdom was a different country, so the teleportation cost alone was 10 gold.
‘Considering enhancements as well, I’m too short on money.’
Originally, I planned to enhance after finishing crafting. But with the subjugation happening tomorrow, I had no choice but to change my plans. Besides, to enhance the entire Azure Guardian Set, I needed a few hundred gold, and naturally, I didn’t have that kind of money.
‘Crafting and selling weapons will take too long…… Should I do a quest?’
If I solo a C-Rank Quest, I can earn more than 10 gold. Considering the gold from the boss and the quest reward. However, in the current situation, that amount of money wouldn’t be much help.
If it were a B-Rank Quest……
‘Ah, right. Didn’t Aizen suggest doing a B-Rank Quest?’
A B-Rank Quest that requires a whopping 100 gold to accept. What if I took on that quest, which most players couldn’t even accept? Thinking the reward would be at least 100 gold, I decided to contact Aizen and try for the B-Rank Quest.
“We’re going to do a quest…… but Rudin-nim, you can’t, right?”
“Yes, it’ll be a bit difficult for me today.”
“It can’t be helped since Rudin-nim has to prepare too. And personally, as someone who supports the character Rudin, I’m looking forward to it.”
‘Support?’
“Good luck. Yua, let’s go.”
“Uh, yeah. But Rudin-nim, if you’re okay, maybe in the evening……”
“Don’t say things like that and just follow me.”
As I watched, Sina dragged Yua, who seemed to have something to say, outside. What was she trying to say? I was curious, but I quickly dismissed it and requested a chat with Aizen. He accepted the request shortly after.
━Yes, Rudin-nim.
“You mentioned doing a B-Rank Quest before, right? Can we do it now?”
━It’s possible if there are executives who can be summoned. Do you want to do it now?
“Can’t we just do it with the two of us?”
Is it really necessary to gather all the executives?
━We can’t afford to fail. If Rudin-nim accepts the B-Rank Quest, I’ll go alone even if I have to.
‘This rich guy is being stingy……’
In the end, I decided to go with Aizen’s suggestion. I told him I’d wait at the Quest Guild first and then went outside. If I completed the B-Rank Quest and received 100 gold, I figured I could enhance the Azure Guardian Chestplate and Leggings, which have high defense.
Murmur~ Murmur~
Anyway, with those thoughts in mind, I arrived at the Quest Guild, and the sight of a far more bustling crowd of players than I expected caught my eye. This is way too many people. It could be because it’s the weekend, but even considering that, it was too much.
‘Is there an event at the Quest Guild or something?’
I listened to the shouts around me.
“E-Rank Quest available! Looking for an E-Rank Quest!”
“Looking for a Guild! I can guarantee active participation!”
“Looking for someone to help with a quest!”
‘……It wasn’t an event.’
To be precise, it seemed like the number of people starting Twilight had increased. But wouldn’t it be a bit difficult to start now? If you really wanted to start, it might be better to do it with friends. Then you wouldn’t need to gather people even if you took on a quest.
‘Speaking of which, when is this guy coming?’
As I sighed and waited for a long time, I felt someone tap on my shoulder.
Tap- Tap━
“……?”
Who is it? Thinking that, I turned my head and saw an unfamiliar player looking at me.
‘He’s not an Emperor Guild member……’
“Excuse me, hyung. We’re trying to do a quest, want to join us?”
“Who are you calling hyung?”
“Huh? You’re not a hyung? I’m 20 years old.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…… Huh, I’m waiting for my party members right now, so I can’t.”
I observed his simple leather armor, a sword of an awkward length that wasn’t a dagger nor a longsword, and finally, his pants and shoes that screamed beginner. I tried to politely decline.
“Come on, just help us out this once.”
“I told you I’m waiting for my party members.”
I was just standing here, why is this kind of guy bothering me? As I was pondering what to do while watching him completely ignore my polite refusals, I heard a familiar voice.
“Rudin-nim.”
‘Finally here.’
I turned around and saw Aizen and six other executives. It seemed more executives were free than I thought. Moreover, their equipment was so good that they could be called experts without exaggeration, attracting the attention of everyone around.
“Wo, wow.”
“Vice Master-nim. Who’s that guy next to you?”
“Is he maybe your younger brother?”
Younger brother my foot.
“No, I don’t know him at all. Let’s go.”
Ignoring the guy who was admiring the Emperor Guild members, I quickly formed a party with Aizen and entered the Quest Guild. Since we were in a party, we could share the internal space of the Quest Guild and enter together.
Anyway, as we stepped inside, I saw the executives entering one by one.
“There are a lot of interesting people these days.”
‘I don’t find them interesting at all.’
More importantly, the number of people gathered……
Looking around the guild members, I saw Heron, Yuke, and Dayin. The other three were just faces I recognized. They sat familiarly at a nearby table, waiting for Aizen to accept the quest. I also sat down and waited, and soon, Aizen approached with a piece of paper.
“This is the only quest available.”
“What is it?”
At my question, Aizen silently handed me the paper, and I checked it.
[Eliminate the Demons that Appeared on the Surface.] (B-Rank)
Details: At some point, demons that appeared on the surface have created their own lair and are plotting something. Upon realizing this, the Church of Light immediately dispatched a subjugation team, but unfortunately, they fell into the demons’ trap and were defeated. According to the adventurer hired by the Church of Light at the time, you have to enter through three paths simultaneously to eliminate the demons and open the way, but the Church of Light, having already failed the subjugation, has no more personnel to deploy, so they have requested this quest from the guild.
*Automatically moves to the Devil’s Crossroads.
Reward: Fame (400), Gold (80 Gold), Item (Random Faith Skillbook)
Recommended Party Size: 9 people
‘Not bad.’
It was a simple quest where we had to divide into three teams and eliminate the demons. Moreover, the reward was substantial. Even excluding the fame and item, 80 gold? I nodded in approval and then asked about other quests out of curiosity.
“What about other quests?”
“The recommended party size was 16. So I brought this one, which has a relatively lower difficulty.”
‘Is he trying to succeed no matter what?’
Certainly, with our current numbers, a 9-person quest had a higher chance of success than a 16-person one. It wouldn’t be good to take on a 16-person quest and die, suffering significant losses. Anyway, when I asked for the opinions of the other guild members, most of them seemed to agree.
“Since we only have 8 people right now……”
“Yes, let’s go with this quest.”
‘Come to think of it, there’s no reason for them to object.’
I thought there was no reason for them to object since everyone here came to do a B-Rank Quest, but Aizen only moved after hearing everyone’s opinion.
“Then I’ll go and apply for this quest.”
Aizen then approached the NPC again. Soon, a new message appeared before my eyes.
[Guild Quest, ‘Eliminate the Demons that Appeared on the Surface’ is being shared.]
‘It’s finally starting.’
A B-Rank Quest that offers a whopping 80 gold upon success. Determined to succeed no matter what, I decided to start the quest without hesitation.
“Start quest.”
[Moving to the quest location.]
Whoosh!━
“Hmm, this is……”
The Devil’s Crossroads?
The location we were transported to was a cave. I looked around and confirmed that there were three paths, then saw the executives coming over one by one. Anyway, as written in the quest details, it seemed we had to divide into three teams and proceed simultaneously.
‘Let’s see, if we divide into three teams……’
The guild members also seemed to be thinking about how to divide the party.
“Now we need to divide the party.”
“How should we divide?”
‘Isn’t it obvious?’
Me alone, and the remaining seven can divide among themselves. I was a bit nervous since it was my first B-Rank Quest, but I believed I could manage if I summoned the raid boss Ust.
“Vice Master-nim. If it’s alright with you, maybe going with two people……”
However, it seemed like the executives decided to put two people with me and divide the rest into two teams of three.
“No, I’ll go alone.”
“Huh? But, will you be able to handle it alone?”
“It shouldn’t be a problem.”
I was confident that I was stronger than the executives here if I fought with all my might. So if I took one path and put four people on a path that seemed a bit risky, wouldn’t it be easier for everyone? And the executives, who vaguely knew my abilities, couldn’t bring themselves to object.
“Yes. Then we’ll leave it to you.”
With that decided, the remaining two teams exchanged opinions. In the end, Aizen went with two unnamed executives, and the rest went with Heron, Yuke, Dayin, and another unnamed executive.
‘Come to think of it, each team has an S-Rank player.’
Me, Aizen, and Dayin. Anyway, considering just these members, it seemed like we could somehow clear this B-Rank Quest.
“Let’s go.”
“Rudin-nim. We’ll leave it to you.”
“Don’t worry.”
I replied lightly and entered the rightmost path. After walking for about 2-3 minutes, a fairly spacious area appeared.
‘……Is that him?’
At the end of the spacious area stood a grotesque creature with only skin on its bones. I called it grotesque because it was over 2 meters tall, and its arms were so long that they exceeded its height, making it hard to see it as human.
[Kosh, the Intermediate Demon]
‘An Intermediate Demon……’
Rumble!━
‘Hmm?’
Suddenly, I turned around and saw the entrance I came through closing shut. Does this mean there’s no escape? At the same time, the Intermediate Demon’s voice pierced my ears.
“You look delicious, human.”
Well, I don’t know if I actually look delicious, but green saliva dripped from the demon’s gaping mouth. Seeing its sharp, protruding teeth like a shark’s, I thought it would hurt if I got bitten and gripped Roar of the Thunder Dragon.
“So the path will open if I eliminate you and the demons on the other paths, right?”
“Kkuk, eliminate? Such adorable words from a human……”
“Jayer’s Guardian Shield.”
Whoosh!━
[S-Rank Skill, Jayer’s Guardian Shield activated.]
A bright white light erupted. Deciding to fight with all my might from the start, I didn’t hesitate and took my next action.
“Title Change. Soul Contract. Summon.”
[Ust, Craving for Life……]
“Title Change. Guardian of Light.”
Having finished all my preparations in an instant, I charged straight at the demon. The demon, seeing the suddenly appearing Ust and me enveloped in white light, seemed momentarily flustered and didn’t make any aggressive moves. I seized the opportunity and swung Roar of the Thunder Dragon.
Crackle!━
[Hit Damage! 946.]
‘Its defense is higher than I thought.’
Is this why it’s a B-Rank Quest?
“Ust, Summon Tree Roots!”
“Kyaaak! You b*stard!”
With that roar, the demon swung its long arm at me. The swing was fast, but not too fast for me to react. My agility was over 400, after all. I saw the direction of the swing and raised my shield, but……
Crack!
“……!?”
Thud!━
Surprisingly, the demon’s arm bent grotesquely several times and struck my head.
[You have received damage! -497.]
‘Crazy, does it have dozens of joints?’
Still, the damage itself wasn’t much. I was sure I could win even in a head-on fight. I decided to push forward more aggressively.
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