𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟓𝟖
Click- Click-
“Surprisingly, there are a lot of people who’ve reached level 100.”
Yesterday, after hearing about the promotion quest from Sina, I went to the bulletin board to find out what it was about.
But there were quite a few posts on the bulletin board, perhaps because there were many people who had reached level 100.
[My Level Won’t Go Up From 100!]
[Content: When I reached level 100, a message popped up saying I had to do a promotion quest and I couldn’t gain any more experience. So, it means I have to do this promotion quest or whatever to level up, but this promotion is ridiculously difficult.
It’s almost as if the developers intentionally blocked it to prevent us from leveling up.
I think a special strategy is needed.
One more thing, I found out that you can do the promotion quest in advance from level 90, so even if you’re not level 100, I recommend you check out what the promotion quest is like.
You’ll definitely be cursing like me.]
‘It seems like the promotion quest is quite difficult.’
It seemed like the situation was that if you didn’t do the promotion quest, your level wouldn’t go up, and even if you did, it was too difficult and you would fail. As a result, the players seem to be quite resentful, but I thought maybe it was intentionally made difficult.
‘The skill level could be raised to exactly 30, right?’
And the level limit to reach that 30 was 100. Then, wouldn’t something be different from 101 onwards? It was just a guess, but it felt plausible.
‘Should I look for someone who’s cleared the promotion quest first?’
If I could find one, I could check if my guess was right. With that thought, I looked for someone who had cleared the promotion quest, and sure enough, there was someone who claimed to have cleared it.
[Cleared the Promotion Quest!]
[Content: I cleared the promotion quest after 5 tries! The reward for clearing the promotion quest is no joke. So, I hope you all try the promotion quest hard. That’s all.]
“……”
There was only the mention of clearing the promotion quest, but there was no mention of what rewards were given or what benefits there were. Wouldn’t this make the search meaningless? Anyway, I tried to look for other posts, but there were only occasional posts from people who said they had cleared it, but no one mentioned what the rewards were.
‘Are these guys just saying they cleared it?’
At this point, I started to get suspicious. However, one thing I did find out was that you had to pay 10 gold each time you attempted the promotion quest.
10 gold.
It was an amount that couldn’t be easily spent on a challenge. Well, I could try dozens of times since I earned hundreds of gold by hunting Deronak and Heights, but honestly, it seemed like 10 gold would be enough.
And why wouldn’t it be? Would I fail?
I was the one who enhanced various unique and rare equipment to +10 and acquired 6 S-rank skills. Moreover, I had the skills to solo raid bosses!
Since several people had cleared it, there was no reason why I couldn’t.
‘I barely reached level 90 in the Tower of Darkness yesterday, so I should try it as soon as I log in.’
It was definitely faster to level up by soloing the Tower of Darkness. Of course, I didn’t gain anything other than leveling up, but my initial goal was to level up, so I didn’t mind. Anyway, having set my goal for today, I decided to look for other posts.
Click- Click-
“Huh?”
[Ah, damn it. Someone hunted Heights.]
[Content: I don’t know who it is, but our guild master is raging because someone hunted Heights. He’s telling us to find the culprit somehow. But how can we find them without any clues? Anyway, the guild master told me to post on the bulletin board, so I’m doing this. If anyone hunted Heights, contact us…… or not. Well, do whatever you want. It would be strange if you showed up.]
‘Is this a Yonggammusang Guild member?’
Looking at the content, it felt like they really didn’t want to write the post but were forced to do so. Also, seeing this post made me a little curious about what happened to the guild member who was on guard yesterday.
‘Were they expelled?’
Considering the Yonggammusang Guild Master’s personality doesn’t seem very good, there was a high probability that they were expelled. By the way, if this is the reaction, should I upload the equipment obtained from Heights next week? I felt like someone would be furious if Heights’ equipment appeared in the Real-Time Auction House.
‘Well, there’s no rush now, so I can think about it slowly.’
Even Deronak’s equipment alone could be ranked in the top 5 of the Real-Time Auction House for 4 weeks if I sold it in portions. Just in case, I even enhanced it before uploading, so there’s no reason why it wouldn’t rank high. That way, I can collect 5 gold coins and exchange them for special items.
‘But even though I’m participating in the Real-Time Auction House because the special items are interesting, are there any items I need?’
The items I saw back then were the Sealing Stones that summon the Hellhound and the Magic Sword. Honestly, both were useless to me. However, I thought there would be many other items besides those, so I was collecting coins for now.
‘There definitely won’t be only combat summoning beasts.’
Wouldn’t there be summoning beasts that cast support magic from the rear and even heal? If there were, they might be helpful.
Click-
Finally, after checking the location of the promotion quest, I decided to log in.
[May you find what you seek on the streets illuminated by Twilight……]
After logging into Twilight, I headed straight to the testing ground where I could take the promotion quest without hesitation. This, like the Real-Time Auction House, was said to be available only in the capital cities of each country, and for some reason, I felt like a lot of things were held only in the capital cities.
It’s a good thing the Emperor Guild occupied this area.
If they had occupied another area and operated there, I would have likely been traveling to the capital every day. Now, other guilds are doing that.
One way or another, thanks to the Emperor Guild occupying this area, most guilds were operating in other areas. Anyway, I thought it was fortunate that the Emperor Guild was operating here, so I gradually quickened my pace and soon arrived at the testing ground.
Murmur~ Murmur~
‘There are quite a lot of people.’
Are all these people over level 90?
‘Well, my leveling up was slow.’
I was working on the Random Skillbook whenever I got the chance, and practicing crafting skills whenever I got the chance, so I couldn’t level up quickly. However, thanks to my hard work yesterday, I thought I had leveled up to a certain extent, so I went around looking for the NPC related to the promotion quest.
“Argh! I fell again!”
“10 gold? Isn’t that too expensive?”
“It’s not made to be cleared!”
“I saw on the internet that some people have cleared it.”
Looking around, I could see several players listening to something at a reception-like place and then entering a door at the back. The peculiar thing was that there were quite a few doors, and after seeing that, I approached the NPC to confirm.
“Welcome. What brings you here?”
“I heard you can get promoted here, is that right?”
“You can’t take the promotion test unless you have a certain level of skill, but it seems you already have the necessary skills.”
The skill they’re talking about here probably refers to level 90.
‘But this NPC’s reaction…… Ah, the title was Shield of Protection.’
If it had been Hero of the Present World, it might have been a little different. But I didn’t think that mattered, so I decided to take the promotion quest, and the NPC boldly asked for money.
“And you need 10 gold to take the promotion test.”
‘It’s definitely expensive.’
I wonder if Yua passed?
If she passed, it’s a relief, but if not, she lost 10 gold. Anyway, after handing over 10 gold, I thought I would be able to take the promotion test soon, but unfortunately, there was one more confirmation process left.
“Thank you. Please place your hand here.”
The NPC held out a fist-sized crystal ball and said. And when I placed my hand on the crystal ball, a sudden light appeared, and seeing that, the NPC nodded and said.
“Your highest stat is Strength. Please enter room number 1.”
“Can’t I go to another room?”
“No, you can’t. The promotion test is about seeing your strongest area.”
“Hmm.”
‘Wait? Then what happens if Stamina is higher?’
Do they test Stamina? Looking at the numerous doors located at the back, it seemed highly likely. However, having been assigned to room number 1, I opened the leftmost door and entered, and soon I saw a muscular, middle-aged NPC with a large build.
‘Why is he shirtless?’
“Welcome! Challenger of the test!”
His voice was as loud as his appearance, making him seem like a hearty man.
“What kind of test is it?”
“As a man, it’s all about strength! We’re testing your strength!”
‘What kind of macho……’
Fortunately, when I asked about the test content again, the NPC explained it properly.
“Strength is, in short, attack. We’ll take turns hitting each other, and if I fall first, you pass the test.”
“……That’s simple and nice.”
In other words, it meant that the one who knocked the other down first by taking turns hitting each other would win. In a broader sense, it was a battle without evasion, and if it was a battle, I was sure to win, so I didn’t think much of it, but the NPC’s next words made me think.
“However, weapons are not allowed.”
[Starting the Promotion Quest.]
[Weapons, shields, and some skills cannot be used.]
[Defeat the Promotion NPC, Tayron.]
“……”
Weapons and shields are also prohibited? Excluding these two, my Strength was 1,155. My attack power was also around this level, but I wondered if I could defeat this muscular NPC with this attack power.
“Tell me when you’re ready. We’ll start then.”
‘Should I change my title?’
If I changed my title, my Strength would increase to 1,386. Then, it was obvious that my attack power would be higher, but since Shield of Protection had the effect of increasing HP and defense, it might not be bad to fight as I am.
Anyway……
What kind of simple-minded test is this? It’s good that it’s not complicated, but this is making my mind go blank in its own way.
“……Let’s start.”
“Alright, here I go!”
Even though I couldn’t equip weapons and shields, I was wearing the rare armor enhanced to +10, so I might have an advantage. However, feeling the NPC’s attack that instantly landed a punch on my face, I felt like it wouldn’t be easy.
Pow!-
[You have received damage. -938.]
“Ugh!”
“Ho, you’re quite tough?! I like it!”
What? This damage?
Even without a shield, my defense exceeded 2,000. However, seeing the damage I received, it meant that this macho NPC’s attack power was over 3,000.
Oh my god, an attack power of over 3,000 without even wielding a weapon?
“Now it’s your turn.”
‘It seems like a test where you have to use various skills based on your Strength.’
Reading the message, it didn’t say that I couldn’t use all skills. Then, winning was simple.
“Jayer’s Guardian Shield!”
[Only direct-hitting skills can be used.]
“……”
“It’s over. My turn again.”
“What?”
Pow!-
[You have received damage. -940.]
‘Crazy, what kind of test is this?!’
If only direct hits were allowed, there were no skills I could use. Most of the hitting skills I had were shield bash type. Thinking that far, I swung my fist to check how much the opponent’s defense was.
Thud-
[Hit Damage! 574.]
I felt like giving up and going back.
“It feels like a Stamina test.”
“Stamina? Shouldn’t you be able to defeat me first with overwhelming Strength?”
“……”
Now that I heard it, it made sense.
‘I think I understand why people failed.’
It was a fight that was inherently disadvantageous. My current HP was around 21,000, so I could withstand approximately 21-22 hits. On the other hand, I didn’t know how much the NPC’s HP was, but assuming it was around 13,000, it was a fight I couldn’t win.
Pow!- Thud!-
‘I wonder if anyone can clear this.’
With that thought, after exchanging meaningless punches for a while, I could see the NPC waving his hand.
What’s he doing all of a sudden?
“Aah, I lost. You’re truly amazing.”
‘Huh?’
Checking, my remaining HP was around 3,000. And roughly calculating my damage and the number of hits, I could tell that this NPC’s HP was about 10,000.
‘Attack power over 3,000 and HP of 10,000.’
Looking at it this way, he definitely seemed like an NPC with extremely high Strength.
“Congratulations. You passed the test.”
It felt a bit surreal, but since I passed the test, I felt good. To be honest, I had half given up.
[You have succeeded in the Promotion Quest.]
[The level 100 limit has been removed.]
[From level 101 onwards, your Strength will increase by 2 for each level up.]
[You have acquired the title ‘Recognized by Tayron’. Would you like to equip it?]
[To commemorate your success in the Promotion Quest, you can enhance one skill.]
[Please select one skill to enhance.]
‘Enhance?’
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