Chapter 143: Chapter 143

‘A one-year suspension…’

Asking for a one-year suspension for Lee Hwa-Rang on top of 1 million gold?

Sa Jae-Hyeok understood that he was lying because he didn’t want to sell the item, but he was taken aback by his boldness.

‘Could it be…?’

The Red Dragon Bone Bow.

The only weapon known to have the Black Flame option.

He had checked the clues Lee Hwa-Rang had brought, so he was certain.

But what was with this confidence?

“If you’re not interested, I’ll be on my way.”

Jeong-Hoon was about to leave as Sa Jae-Hyeok hesitated.

Sa Jae-Hyeok didn’t miss that.

He almost fell for it.

Trying to escape after making such an outrageous demand!

“Of course not. I’ll add the one-year suspension for Lee Hwa-Rang.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Sa Jae-Hyeok nodded.

“Yes. I recorded our conversation.”

Yeo Sunwoo took out a recorder and shook it.

It was a big deal, with 1 million gold and a one-year suspension for Lee Hwa-Rang at stake, so he wanted to make sure everything was clear.

Sa Jae-Hyeok gritted his teeth at the sight.

“Normally, I wouldn’t show off a weapon like this, but… I’ll show it to you briefly.”

Jeong-Hoon took out Anima and temporarily made it public.

===

[Dragon Anima Bone Bow (+1)]

– Type: Bow

– Grade: Legendary

– Attack Power: ? (Adjusted according to the wearer’s level) (1.2x applied)

– Critical Hit Rate: 10 ~ 15%

– Reduced damage reduction due to level difference. (Legendary exclusive)

– Remaining Durability: 100%

– Special Ability (1): Infinitely generates mana arrows. (Mana arrow damage increased by 10%)

– Special Ability (2): Low chance of applying a random debuff when an arrow hits. (Debuff probability slightly increased)

– Special Ability (3): ‘Passive: Black Flame’ activates randomly. (1%)

– Special Ability (4): ‘Passive: Dragon Void’ activates randomly. (2%)

– Remaining Enhancements: 19

===

Dragon Anima Bone Bow.

That was the name of the bow Jeong-Hoon had taken out.

“L-Legendary…?”

Sa Jae-Hyeok’s eyes trembled wildly.

He was also wearing Dragon equipment.

But its grade was Unique.

This was the first time he had seen a Legendary-grade item.

How on earth did he get it?

Judging by the Black Flame special ability, it was clear that the Black Flame had been triggered by this bow.

“Huh… You’ve even succeeded in enhancing it to +1.”

Yeo Sunwoo was equally shocked.

Seeing the +1 enhancement level next to it, he realized that Jeong-Hoon had used the Legendary Enhancement Stone he had given him earlier to enhance the bow.

“Yes. Is this enough?”

Jeong-Hoon was about to put Anima away.

But Sa Jae-Hyeok grabbed his wrist.

“W-Wait! Instead of this, please come to the training grounds and show us how you trigger the Black Flame!”

“Excuse me?”

Sa Jae-Hyeok couldn’t accept the reality in front of him.

‘Could it be fake?’

The Red Dragon Bone Bow.

The only weapon known to have the Black Flame option.

He had confirmed the clues Lee Hwa-Rang had brought, so he was certain.

But what was with this confidence?

“Well, if that’s what you want, let’s go right now.”

Jeong-Hoon shrugged and headed to the training grounds.

“Would a level 300 scarecrow dummy be enough?”

Yeo Min-Ji approached Jeong-Hoon and asked.

“Yes, level 300 should be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll create it right away.”

The creation of the scarecrow dummy was done swiftly.

Also, about 30 Ho-Yeong guild members entered the training grounds and took their seats in the empty spaces.

“You have to keep your promise.”

Yeo Sunwoo stood next to Sa Jae-Hyeok.

He replayed the recording from earlier, reminding him of his promise once again.

“…Don’t worry, I know.”

Anima?

He had never seen or heard of such a Dragon item.

He was told that only the Red Dragon could trigger Black Flame, so what was going on?

‘He looks quite troubled.’

Looking at Sa Jae-Hyeok, who couldn’t manage his expression at all, he almost wanted to laugh.

Black Flame.

In fact, Black Flame was a set ability that couldn’t be triggered by the ‘Red Dragon Bone Bow’ alone before it was upgraded to Anima.

‘Only the Red Dragon can trigger Black Flame.’

That ability was added to the bow when the set was complete, not just with the bow alone.

Of course, Sa Jae-Hyeok and Lee Hwa-Rang had no way of knowing that, which is why they made such an absurd offer.

[Awesome, so we’re getting 1 million gold and that hothead gets deleted for a year?]

‘One year… It’s a bit disappointing, but it’s not bad.’

He was right.

It was a bit disappointing, but one year would be enough to slow down Lee Hwa-Rang’s growth.

Jeong-Hoon drew his bow and aimed at the scarecrow dummy.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew and pierced the scarecrow dummy’s chest accurately.

But Black Flame didn’t activate.

It would be strange if it activated every time, with only a 1% chance.

Jeong-Hoon drew his bow again and aimed at the scarecrow dummy.

Whoosh!

Again, the arrow pierced the scarecrow dummy’s chest, but Black Flame didn’t activate.

“Wow…”

“This is insane…”

The guild members who had come to see the Black Flame were captivated by Jeong-Hoon’s archery skills after just two shots.

On the other hand, Sa Jae-Hyeok had no interest in his archery skills.

He was only curious about whether the Black Flame would appear.

Whoosh!

Jeong-Hoon’s arrow once again pierced the scarecrow dummy’s chest.

Black flames started to rise from where the arrow was embedded.

“Is this proof enough?”

“That’s impossible…”

Yeo Sunwoo asked in a triumphant voice, while Sa Jae-Hyeok stared at the Black Flame with shocked eyes.

[Passive: Black Flame activated.]

The 1% chance had triggered in just three attempts.

He was feeling lucky today.

* * *

Lee Hwa-Rang was spending his time without even logging into the game.

“Tsk, it’s taking damn long.”

It was about time for the results to come out.

As time passed, Lee Hwa-Rang grew increasingly impatient.

Buzz-

His smartphone rang.

The caller was Park Jin-Hyeok.

It seemed the results were out.

[Dude… I think you’re really screwed.]

As soon as he answered the call, he heard Park Jin-Hyeok’s grave voice.

“What? What nonsense are you talking about?”

[Well, it’s like this…]

Park Jin-Hyeok relayed the information he had received from Sa Jae-Hyeok to Lee Hwa-Rang.

“What the fuck?!”

Lee Hwa-Rang couldn’t believe his ears.

The bow that ‘Hoon’ had was confirmed to be not the Red Dragon Bone Bow, but a different weapon.

Furthermore, they had to pay 1.1 million gold, including compensation for damages, and Lee Hwa-Rang would be suspended for a year.

It was a shocking announcement, telling him not to log in for a year if he wanted to keep his pride.

[You said the bow was coming… Is this what you meant?]

“Dude! A one-year suspension? Fuck, what kind of bullshit is this?!”

Not a week, not a month, but a whole year?

During that time, not only would he lose his ranker status, but he would surely fall behind.

[Think of it as taking responsibility for your actions.]

“What? Responsibility? Are you kidding me?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[Does this sound like a joke to you? Anyway, I’m just relaying the message, so I’m hanging up.]

“Ha, Sa Jae-Hyeok, you son of a bitch!”

Lee Hwa-Rang hurriedly entered the capsule and logged in.

The first thing he saw was a fist.

Thud!

Lee Hwa-Rang was punched in the face without even having a chance to defend, his head snapping to the side.

“Ugh!”

He winced in pain, his brain throbbing, and straightened his head.

Jeong-Hoon was standing in front of him.

“Hello. Long time no see.”

The place he logged in to was the reception room of the Ho-Yeong Guild.

No one else was visible in the reception room except for Jeong-Hoon.

“What the…”

“Didn’t you hear? You can’t play the game for a year.”

“Fuck off!”

Lee Hwa-Rang shouted and tried to take out his Tempest Bow.

But Jeong-Hoon’s fist struck his face once again.

The Underworld King’s energy settled in his fist.

“Don’t be stubborn and just go.”

“Puhaha! Shut up, you bastard. You think I can’t last 5 minutes?”

The suspension time increased if he died within 5 minutes of reconnecting.

In other words, if he could endure for just 5 minutes, it would only be a 24-hour suspension.

“Huh? What are you talking about? You’re going to keep dying here for a year anyway.”

“What…?”

“I’m going to keep killing you for a year.”

“Bullshit. You think I can’t get out of here?”

Lee Hwa-Rang had a Guild Transfer Scroll.

If he used the scroll, he would be instantly transported to the guild’s safety zone.

“Ah, that probably won’t work. I’m guessing they’ve closed the safety zone.”

To enforce Lee Hwa-Rang’s one-year suspension, Sa Jae-Hyeok had no choice but to fulfill his promise.

Therefore, he had completely blocked any escape routes for Lee Hwa-Rang.

“Y-You’re kidding!”

As if in disbelief, Lee Hwa-Rang took out the scroll from his inventory.

He hurriedly infused mana and tore the scroll, but nothing happened.

“Well then, let’s die one more time.”

“You fucking bastard!”

* * *

Jeong-Hoon killed Lee Hwa-Rang once again in less than 5 minutes.

With this, it was a 48-hour suspension.

“Then I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Jeong-Hoon picked up the pouch and spoke to Yeo Sunwoo.

“Yes, I understand.”

Yeo Sunwoo smiled faintly.

Before being the Ho-Yeong Guild Leader, he was one of the Seven Strongest, along with Sa Jae-Hyeok.

The number one Thief in South Korea.

The King of Shadows.

That was Yeo Sunwoo.

If he stepped in, Lee Hwa-Rang’s suspension would continue.

In New World, it was rare for users to be permanently banned, but there were cases where they received suspensions ranging from two days to a year.

There were cases where they were trapped in a field and repeatedly killed, but it was also common for malicious users to get repeatedly suspended.

There had been an incident in the early days where users expressed their dissatisfaction with this, but New World had consistently ignored it.

‘It means the weak should die.’

New World constantly provided opportunities for growth, but it was merciless to the weak.

That’s why, unlike typical games, there were quite a few absurd systems in place.

And that wouldn’t change until it became reality.

“Yes.”

The gold was transferred directly to Jeong-Hoon’s inventory.

“Are you leaving now?”

“I have to. I have a lot to do.”

“I see.”

“Yes. By the way, aren’t you curious about what I’m going to do with all this gold?”

Yeo Sunwoo hadn’t asked about the gold until the very end.

“That’s something you earned by proving your innocence. I can’t be interested in such gold.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes. Good luck. Please contact me anytime if you need help.”

* * *

[Puhahaha, that guy’s expression is still hilarious.]

Mukho couldn’t stop laughing, as Lee Hwa-Rang’s stupid expression wouldn’t leave his mind.

‘By the way, do you have any plans for all that gold?’

‘Yes, I’ll put it to good use.’

1.1 million gold, obtained thanks to Sa Jae-Hyeok.

Thanks to this, he wouldn’t have to worry about gold for a while.

While waiting for Ha-Jin, Jeong-Hoon completed all the enhancement requests that had come into the workshop.

Starting with Yeo Min-Ji’s equipment, he worked through the pile of requests that had accumulated in the workshop.

[Master Enhancer]

– Normal (Fully Enhanced) 751/10,000

– Rare (Fully Enhanced) 634/10,000

– Epic (Fully Enhanced) 12/10,000

Even so, the road to Master Enhancer was still long.

===

[Leviathan (+16)]

– Type: One-handed Sword

– Grade: Unique

– Attack Power: 478

– Critical Hit Rate: 6 ~ 6.25%

– Remaining Durability: 83%

– Special Ability (1): 5% chance to trigger Leviathan’s Wrath when swinging the sword

– Special Ability (2): [Passive: Enhanced Courageous Spirit] automatically activates when holding the sword

===

He also used all 22 Unique Enhancement Stones to enhance Leviathan to +16.

However, since its durability had dropped to 83%, it seemed like it was time to go to the blacksmith for repairs.

“Hoon!”

Just then, Ha-Jin came running over with a bright smile on his face.

Seeing his expression, Jeong-Hoon had a feeling he had good news.

“Did you succeed?”

His guess was correct.

Ha-Jin grinned and nodded.

“Yes! Hahaha! I’m not an Aura Knight anymore! I’m a Dark Lord!”

He was so happy that he couldn’t stop dancing and grinning from ear to ear.

Was this a natural reaction after being promoted from Rare-grade to a Hidden Class?

“So, what’s the Dark Lord like?”

Obtaining the Dark Lord wasn’t the end.

He had acquired the Hidden Class, so now it was just the beginning.

Whether or not Ha-Jin could unleash the true power of the Dark Lord depended on how he grew from now on.

“It’s totally awesome! I can’t believe this is called a swordsman!”

Dark Lord.

In other words, the King of Darkness.

Simply put, it can be seen as a knight-king class leading the legions of darkness.

It was a Hidden Class that originally should have been taken by Kaneda Shun.

In the past, even though Kaneda Shun was a Dark Lord who had completed up to the 5th advancement, he couldn’t fully utilize 100% of the Dark Lord’s power.

To what extent could Ha-Jin draw out the power of the Dark Lord?

Everything depended on Ha-Jin’s capabilities.

“Then I guess it’s time to hold the banquet.”

“Banquet?”

“Yeah. I recently completed the royal palace quest, and they said they would hold a banquet. But you’re struggling to get the Dark Lord, and I can’t enjoy it alone. So I’ve been postponing it until now.”

“My friend…!”

It sounded like the process of obtaining the Dark Lord was a journey of hardship for Ha-Jin.

He said he had personally experienced why Caryan had pushed him to his limits.

“Caryan was close friends with the previous Dark Lord, right?”

“That’s right.”

The previous Dark Lord and Caryan were said to be inseparable friends.

Even though they walked different paths, they met regularly and shared drinks.

‘I need someone to inherit the power of the Dark Lord.’

‘That power?’

‘Yes. So I’m going to spread a book containing the succession process, and I’ve made it so that Caryan will bring it to you.’

‘Oh my friend… Why are you dragging me into this?’

‘Puhaha, after living for so long, you’re the only one I can trust. So if you like the guy who comes, help him with the succession.’

‘…Alright, I’ll do that.’

‘…Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I would have lived my life in vain.’

The previous Dark Lord passed away not long after saying those words.

It was due to a chronic illness he had been suffering from since birth.

That was why visiting Caryan was the starting point for becoming the Dark Lord.

“Anyway, I think he felt relieved after passing it on to me.”

“I guess so.”

“Then are we going to the banquet right away?”

“No, one more person needs to come.”

“One more?”

“Yeah. He should be here soon.”

Speak of the devil.

A familiar user appeared.

“Vroom vroom! The upgraded Bong-Goo car has just arrived!”

“Pfft…!”

Ha-Jin burst into laughter at Kim Bong-Goo’s boisterous entrance.

Kim Bong-Goo’s face turned bright red.

“You’re here? Then let’s go.”

Jeong-Hoon walked casually.

“Where are we going…?”

“To the banquet.”

“Huh?”

———-