Chapter 132: Chapter 132

Birshin watched the battle between the stranger and the Guardian in a daze.

It seemed like an exchange of blows, but it was a very one-sided fight.

‘…It seems like I’ll lose this bet too.’

The second bet he had made.

If they reached the Celestial Ore, he would be the loser of the bet.

But even if he lost, he didn’t feel bad at all.

Rather, he was excited.

He had wasted a year trying to see the Celestial Ore again.

But seeing the changed mine, he realized that if he hadn’t met this stranger, he wouldn’t have been able to reach the Celestial Ore even if he had spent his entire life trying.

“Let’s go.”

As Jeong-Hoon defeated the Guardian, the barrier blocking their path disappeared.

“Yes, let’s.”

Birshin followed Jeong-Hoon past the barrier.

And they arrived.

At the very place where he had seen the Celestial Ore a year ago.

The same tombstone he had seen back then stood there, but the Celestial Ore was nowhere to be found.

[Qualifications proven.]

The tombstone had clearly said ‘Celestial Ore’ a year ago, but now it said ‘Qualifications proven’.

“Go ahead and touch it.”

Jeong-Hoon stepped aside.

Birshin naturally approached the tombstone.

“Is it okay to touch it? What if something strange happens again, like last time…?”

“I think it’ll be fine.”

‘What an optimistic fellow… Or is it confidence in his skills…?’

Birshin took a couple of deep breaths and then slowly stroked the tombstone.

The tombstone glowed, and a blue light emanated from the empty wall, revealing the ores he had seen before.

“The… Celestial Ore…”

Birshin murmured in a voice filled with emotion.

[Achievement Unlocked! ‘First Discovery of Celestial Mineral’ completed! 50,000 Achievement Points awarded.]

‘It worked.’

The final condition for revealing the Celestial Ore was for Birshin, who had first touched the tombstone, to touch it once again.

Knowing this condition, Jeong-Hoon had brought Birshin into the mine, and because the condition was met, the Celestial Ore appeared.

Jeong-Hoon took out a pickaxe and mined a small amount of Celestial Ore.

[All materials have been gathered.]

– Squishy Tears (Acquired)

– Unidentified Battery (Acquired)

– Celestial Ore (Acquired)

With this, he could finally craft the Bone Lord Wyvern’s heart.

And that wasn’t all.

“Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I would never have seen these beautiful minerals again.”

The Birshin who had tried to kill Jeong-Hoon at the beginning was gone.

He was now expressing his sincere gratitude to Jeong-Hoon with a respectful attitude.

And above his head, an exclamation mark was blinking.

[Quest Completed.]

[You have acquired the Luminous Stone.]

The reward Birshin offered for losing the bet was the Luminous Stone.

Like Evolution Stones, it was a stone used for equipment.

However, unlike Evolution Stones, which upgraded equipment, the Luminous Stone could restore lost equipment.

‘It’s so rare that its value is equivalent to 10 billion won.’

He hadn’t even imagined that Birshin would possess the Luminous Stone.

“Are you sure you want to give me something this precious?”

“Oh, you have a good eye, don’t you? How did you know it was valuable?”

“I can tell just by looking at it.”

“Haha, this is the most valuable item I have, so I’m giving it to you.”

“…”

“Don’t feel too burdened. I’m giving it to you as an apology for everything, from trying to kill you at the beginning to underestimating you.”

Birshin traveled all over the country collecting minerals.

He had acquired the Luminous Stone by chance during his travels.

It was a Legendary-grade Luminous Stone, far more valuable than a Unique Enhancement Stone, and he knew that with just this one, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.

However, as a mineral researcher, he knew that if it weren’t for Jeong-Hoon, he would never have seen the Celestial Ore again.

Today’s experience with the traps had reaffirmed that belief.

So he wanted to gift this Luminous Stone to the person who had saved him so much time.

Touched by Birshin’s sincere eyes and voice, Jeong-Hoon decided to accept the stone.

“Then I’ll gratefully accept it.”

Siegfried had taught him how to restore Mukho.

To reconstruct Mukho to his liking.

However, to do so, he needed to restore the broken base from its foundation, which he had been postponing until now.

The material needed to restore that base was this Luminous Stone.

‘Mukho, I can finally restore you now.’

[Is that true?! How?!]

‘This Luminous Stone is the material that can restore you.’

[…What was that guy’s name again?]

‘Birshin?’

[Birshin, …you’re alright.]

He had just been calling Birshin a fool based on his appearance, and now he was acknowledging him.

Jeong-Hoon found it absurd, but since Mukho seemed happy, he decided not to say anything.

* * *

Märchen Royal Palace.

Verman was tapping on the table, examining the incomplete controller.

“As expected… it’s going to be difficult.”

The Hero of Märchen, who had left to find the missing materials a while ago.

It was thanks to him that peace had come to this kingdom. From Kaiserk V to the ministers below, everyone was smiling, and the soldiers had even received their first-ever vacation.

He was incredibly grateful to the hero, but he honestly didn’t have high expectations for this task.

It had already been nine years since he started working on developing the controller.

As it was about to be ten years soon, he knew how difficult it was to obtain the remaining materials.

‘There are no clues to begin with.’

Squishy Tears.

Unidentified Battery.

Celestial Ore.

These three materials were found in a recipe left by his ancestors.

He had found clues for the Squishy Tears and the Unidentified Battery, but…

The problem was the Celestial Ore.

He wasn’t even sure if it actually existed.

Just then, someone burst through the workshop door.

“Master Verman!”

“Tsk, who’s running around in the royal palace?”

“S-Sorry!”

It was Brendy, a new craftsman who had recently joined the palace.

He was young and still had a lot to learn, but his talent was unmatched, so Verman was personally mentoring him.

“Anyway, why are you in such a hurry?”

“The hero is here! He seems to be heading this way, what should we do?”

“He’s here?!”

No way, so soon?

Did he give up because he couldn’t find them?

Verman guided the arriving Jeong-Hoon into the workshop.

“I’m very late, aren’t I?”

“Haha, late? You came so quickly that I thought you had given up…”

Verman said, observing Jeong-Hoon’s expression.

But Jeong-Hoon’s face was bright.

“I found everything.”

Jeong-Hoon said, placing the three materials on the table.

Squishy Tears.

Unidentified Battery.

And finally, the Celestial Ore.

Verman’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Y-You found them all?!”

“I told you I would find them all.”

“This is unbelievable…”

Verman couldn’t continue speaking.

The reality unfolding before his eyes felt like a dream.

He could understand finding the Unidentified Battery and the Squishy Tears, but to think he would even find the Celestial Ore.

“Then you can complete the controller, right?”

“O-Of course! However… we’re a bit short on the ore. The amount is too small…”

“How much more do you need?”

“At least 20 times more.”

Even this small amount must have been difficult to obtain, but it was far too little for the controller.

He needed at least 20 times more to operate the controller properly.

“Understood. I’ll be back soon.”

“Excuse me…? You can bring more of this ore?”

“Yes. I mined it directly from the mine.”

“Gasp!”

* * *

[Quest Completed.]

[72 hours remaining until controller creation and crafting.]

Although he had completed the quest, he couldn’t craft the heart right away.

72 hours.

It would take 6 hours to complete the controller to 100%, and the rest of the time was for crafting the heart into an item.

“Please come back in 72 hours! I’ll make sure it’s perfect.”

“Yes.”

Jeong-Hoon decided to use his free time to visit the training grounds.

Caryan and Ha-Jin were still diligently training in the training grounds.

‘He’s doing well.’

He was sweating profusely, silently following Caryan’s instructions.

His eyes had long since glazed over, but he was still standing and enduring.

“…That should be enough.”

Caryan observed Ha-Jin and nodded.

“…”

There was no response from Ha-Jin.

He had fainted while standing.

“Hmph, come back when you regain consciousness.”

A smile appeared on Caryan’s face for the first time.

He turned his head, met Jeong-Hoon’s gaze, and gave a brief nod.

Then he turned back and left the training grounds.

“I guess that means it’s okay to heal him.”

The test training had just ended.

Now Ha-Jin should be able to proceed with the quest.

Jeong-Hoon approached him and used Intermediate Healing several times.

[Using Intermediate Healing.]

[Using Intermediate Healing.]

After using it several times, Ha-Jin slowly regained consciousness.

“Ugh… W-Where am I?”

“Where else? The training grounds.”

“Ah! Shit! I was in the middle of training?!”

Ha-Jin hurriedly tried to get up and assume a fighting stance.

“It’s okay. I think you passed the test.”

“I passed…?”

“Yeah. He told you to come back when you regained consciousness, right? He’s probably going to give you a quest.”

“…Really? You’re not lying, are you?”

Ha-Jin muttered in disbelief and then slumped down.

He lowered his head and his shoulders trembled slightly.

‘You did well.’

These efforts would become a great asset to him.

It was the same for Jeong-Hoon himself.

Jeong-Hoon had no doubt that Ha-Jin would rise to the top on his own, not by relying on someone else’s help.

‘Now, is the only one left Kim Bong-Goo?’

[Wait a minute! What about me? What about me?!]n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Mukho interrupted urgently.

‘You?’

[You got the stone, right? Shouldn’t you restore me first?!]

‘Ah… I did get it, but I can’t do it right now.’

[You can’t…?]

‘No.’

The Luminous Stone couldn’t be handled by just anyone.

At least he couldn’t go to an NPC in the beginner area like this and try it.

Restoring Mukho would have to wait until he reached at least level 201 and completed his third class advancement.

So for now, he had to make use of Kim Bong-Goo.

Jeong-Hoon sent a whisper to Kim Bong-Goo.

[Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Bong-Goo. What do I press to call you?]

That nickname was a work of art, as always.

How did it manage to make him frown every time he saw it?

The reply came lightning fast.

[Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: Vroom vroom! Just whisper ‘call’ and I’ll be there anytime!]

[Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Okay. I’m calling you right now.]

[Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: R-Right now…?]

[Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Is there a problem?]

[Whisper/SaltySoup4Mom -> Hoon: I’ll be right there! Where should I go?!]

[Whisper/Hoon -> SaltySoup4Mom: Märchen Royal Palace, Training Ground 2]

* * *

‘Damn it!’

‘Why can’t he just leave me alone?!’

‘Whyyyyy!’

Kim Bong-Goo barely suppressed the urge to log out.

‘If I log out, I’m dead….’

The moment he went against the Viper, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy New World anymore.

‘Let’s go….’

Kim Bong-Goo quickly rushed to Märchen Royal Palace Training Ground.

Jeong-Hoon was alone in the training grounds, sitting on a chair and resting.

Seeing that, a sense of unease washed over him.

‘Should I run away now…?’

But the moment he stepped into the training grounds, it was too late.

“You’re here?”

Jeong-Hoon’s eyes were already fixed on Kim Bong-Goo.

Kim Bong-Goo forced an awkward smile and nodded.

“Yes! Bong-Goo car! I just arrived!”

“The car’s a bit slow. The performance isn’t great, is it?”

“Ahaha, but it’s fully loaded with options!”

“No, that’s not good enough.”

“…”

Kim Bong-Goo fidgeted inwardly, trying to gauge Jeong-Hoon’s intentions.

What on earth did he want to hear?

“Take it out.”

Jeong-Hoon said curtly.

“Yes? Take out what?”

“What do you think?”

“Uh… Yes!”

Kim Bong-Goo took out a pouch filled with gold from his inventory.

Jeong-Hoon looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Didn’t you tell me to take out money?”

He naturally assumed Jeong-Hoon was going to extort gold from him.

“…I said take out your dagger.”

“D-Dagger…?”

“Yeah. Let’s spar a bit from now on.”

Only then did Kim Bong-Goo notice the weapon in Jeong-Hoon’s hand.

It wasn’t Anima or Leviathan, but a simple dagger from the training grounds.

‘Seriously, why are you doing this to me?’

Kim Bong-Goo hurriedly knelt down.

“B-Brother? I don’t know what I did wrong, but please forgive me!”

“Bong-Goo. I really hate repeating myself.”

“…Ugh!”

‘You’re a real jerk.’

In the end, Kim Bong-Goo took out a dagger from his inventory and held it.

“From now on, we’re going to test if tuning is possible.”

“Tuning…?”

“When I saw you at the Wyvern’s Nest, your car was a wreck.”

“…”

“It wasn’t just a matter of depreciation, it was at the level of needing to be scrapped. You know what I mean?”

“No, but…”

“So I’m thinking of tuning it up and taking it for a proper spin, but before that, I want to do some tests. Okay?”

“…Bong-Goo car is just a nickname. I’m actually a human.”

“Let’s start.”

Jeong-Hoon’s figure vanished.

At that moment, a sharp pain pierced his side.

Jeong-Hoon had already moved to his side and stabbed him in the ribs with the dagger.

“Ugh!”

Kim Bong-Goo groaned in intense pain and trembled.

“…This is serious.”

Jeong-Hoon pulled out the dagger and used healing.

The pain subsided, and the wound quickly closed.

“B-Brother… I can’t do this. I’d rather train with someone else!”

“Ah, that’s not possible. You need to do your 3rd class advancement when you reach level 201, right?”

“That’s right…?”

“So, come back when you’ve upgraded to Unique.”

“What…?!”

———