Chapter 148: Chapter 148

To enter the next village from the Märchen Kingdom, one had to use a portal located in the north.

And guarding that portal were knights of the Märchen Royal Castle.

They were all people he had met at the banquet while sharing drinks.

“Oh, aren’t you the hero?”

===

[NPC Information]

– Nickname: Ferner

– Level: 175

– Occupation: Märchen Kingdom Knight

===

Ferner recognized Jeong-hoon and greeted him warmly.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Haha, I thought I was going to die back then, but I’m fine now!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Are you leaving now?”

“Yes.”

As Jeong-hoon exchanged a few words with Ferner, all eyes were suddenly on them.

“Huh? The hero?”

“Why is an NPC being so friendly first?”

“This is something new.”

The waiting users were looking at Jeong-hoon with curious eyes.

‘Stop! Only those who are qualified can pass, so please line up!’

It was strange because the NPC had definitely given them a strict order.

Ferner realized the situation and returned to his seat with a cough.

“…Excuse me, but how did you become friends with an NPC?”

A user in front of Jeong-hoon asked with curious eyes.

He was a level 205 archer who had completed his 3rd class.

“Just proceed with the Märchen Royal Castle quest.”

“The castle…?”

“Yes.”

A quest in the castle?

He had visited the Märchen Kingdom after hearing that the previously inaccessible castle had been opened.

However, he couldn’t find any NPC offering quests anywhere in the castle.

“Next!”

Although he was curious about what it meant, it was soon his turn.

The archer had no choice but to go through the portal.

Next was Jeong-hoon’s turn.

“Where are you going?”

“To Rease.”

“I see. Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

Ferner behaved like a knight.

Jeong-hoon received his greeting and passed through the portal.

* * *

Meanwhile.

Ha-Jin and Kim Bong-Goo were busy defeating the Bone Lord Wyvern.

Lv.220 Bone Lord Wyvern.

Unlike regular bosses, the raid boss had an absurd amount of health.

It would take at least a day to defeat it once.

Actually, that was a conservative estimate.

Countless raid parties had failed to defeat it even after days of sleepless attempts.

“…Bong-Goo, let’s take a break.”

“Yes…”

While conducting the raid, Ha-Jin had started using informal speech with Kim Bong-Goo.

On the other hand, Kim Bong-Goo was still very respectful towards Ha-Jin.

Both of their faces were haggard from fatigue.

They had been continuously raiding the Bone Lord Wyvern without rest.

And they had managed to level up once each.

The problem was, when would they reach level 201 and advance to their 3rd class at this rate?

“That kid, Hoon… How did he level up to 201 so quickly?”

“Hyung Jeong-hoon is a monster. A monster…”

“I agree.”

“Ugh, but we can’t just go in there by ourselves, can we?”

For each Bone Lord Wyvern they defeated, they would get a fixed number of five potions.

No matter how many people there were, it wouldn’t drop more than that.

Because of this, the potions were distributed according to the raid party’s contribution ranking, and those ranked 6th and below had to be satisfied with just the experience points from defeating the Bone Lord Wyvern.

“Shall we just do it ourselves?”

“…Wouldn’t we have to stay up for at least three days?”

“This is crazy. How can we be expected to do the same thing? How did Hoon do this anyway?”

Even watching it on a streaming video was astonishing, but after actually raiding the Bone Lord Wyvern himself, Jeong-hoon was just on another level.

“…That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Kim Bong-Goo sighed deeply.

It’s not like just because he could do it, everyone else could too.

“Ugh, but we can’t not do it either.”

There’s a saying in New World that everything starts at level 201.

Why start at level 201 when leveling up is so difficult?

It’s because from that point on, you can grow explosively depending on how you set your direction.

Jeong-hoon would be able to achieve that explosive growth, wouldn’t he?

That’s why he needed to level up quickly and follow Jeong-hoon.

‘If I’m with Hoon, I’ll be able to grow explosively too.’

Now was not the time to rest.

Ha-Jin got up from his seat.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to hunt wyverns while we’re waiting for more people to join the raid party.”

“Hunting wyverns…?”

Kim Bong-Goo’s face turned pale.

How long had it been since they finished raiding the Bone Lord Wyvern?

He felt like he would vomit at the sight of a wyvern now.

“Yeah. If we reduce our rest time and focus on hunting, we might be able to level up a little faster.”

Regardless, Ha-Jin dragged Kim Bong-Goo with him to hunt wyverns.

‘Ah… This guy isn’t normal either.’

He resented himself for thinking that Ha-Jin was his refuge for a moment.

* * *

Free City Rease.

Rease was a concept of a city that was slightly different from medieval cities.

Instead of a lord, each territory was governed by a representative of a profession, and the free citizens residing in that city had to pay taxes at regular intervals.

“Rease…”

Moreover, the center of Rease was called the “City of Peace,” where rulers had made agreements to belong to no place.

The center was a city where commerce was developed, and it was no exaggeration to say that merchants held the real power.

In the streets, both users and NPCs were bustling about.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to the Archer’s City. And you?”

“I’m a thief.”

Like this, users who arrived in Rease would obtain the necessary items in the center and then head to the city of their respective professions.

This was because they could receive quests, experience, hunting grounds, and more that were necessary to grow from level 201 to level 250.

“[Hurry up and restore me!]”

Mukho nagged at Jeong-hoon relentlessly, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Okay, okay, calm down.”

The Radiant Stone he had obtained from Birshin.

However, there was a condition to use the stone.

‘To request a blacksmith who can handle the stone, I need to build up my trust.’

If he just went there, he would be rejected.

His companions had told stories about their experiences while looking at the ruined Rease, and one of them was about being rejected by a blacksmith.

“[You’re not going straight there, are you?]”

When Jeong-hoon didn’t give a clear answer, Mukho asked in an anxious voice.

This guy was so perceptive.

“Yeah. I need to increase my trust level first to make a request.”

“[Ugh…]”

“Good things come to those who wait.”

“[What kind of saying is that?]”

“It’s a Korean proverb.”

“[…I’ll endure it a little longer.]”

“Good idea.”

The place Jeong-hoon headed to was the “Warrior’s Sanctuary.”

To enter the Warrior’s Sanctuary in the Warrior’s City, one had to pass a kind of qualification test.

“Wait.”

Two warriors guarding the entrance to the city stopped Jeong-hoon.

====

[NPC Information]

– Nickname: Lukes

– Level: 230

– Occupation: Barbarian Warrior

====

[NPC Information]

– Nickname: Ram

– Level: 230

– Occupation: Barbarian Warrior

====

They were all barbarian warriors.

The very image of a barbarian, he carried a massive axe on his back and his bulging muscles were barely covered by monster hides.

A question mark blinked above the head of this imposing figure, Lukes.

[General Quest: City of Warriors]

– Restriction: Users with Strength 250 or higher

– Reward: Access to the City of Warriors

– Description: Pass Lukes’ test to gain access to the city.

The requirement to receive the City of Warriors entry quest was to achieve a Strength of 250 or higher.

Even if you weren’t a warrior, you could enter as long as you completed the quest.

And Jeong-Hoon had achieved that number.

[Detailed Stats]

– Strength: 283(+28) -> 311

– Agility: 276(+29) -> 305

– Stamina: 270(+29) -> 299

– Defense: 261(+25) -> 286

– Wisdom: 251(+25) -> 276

– Mana: 400(+40) -> 440

– Divine Power: 400(+40) -> 440

– Mental Strength: 246(+27) -> 273

Stats gained from reaching level 203.

Bonus stats were evenly distributed between Mana and Divine Power, making them 440.

Also, with all stats exceeding 250, he could now undertake the entry quests for all cities.

Jeong-Hoon immediately accepted the quest.

“So, you want to pass through here?”

The corners of Lukes’ mouth curled up into a grin.

“Yes.”

As Jeong-Hoon nodded, Lukes grabbed the handle of his axe and swung it.

Whoosh-

Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to dodge the axe.

Bang!

The axe struck the ground where Jeong-Hoon had been standing.

Aura shimmered at the tip of the axe.

“Then withstand my attacks 10 times. If you do, I’ll grant you entry.”

“Alright.”

10 times? Simple enough.

“How arrogant!”

Lukes shouted, concentrating magic power in his legs.

[Lukes uses Stomp.]

He kicked off the ground and charged at Jeong-Hoon, swinging his axe down with all his might.

[Lukes uses Downward Slash.]

Whoosh!

Leviathan suddenly appeared in Jeong-Hoon’s hand.

He angled Leviathan and deflected Lukes’ axe.

Screech- Bang!

“How?!”

Lukes’ eyes widened in shock.

He had attacked expecting him to dodge, but to think he would block his axe with a sword.

And he wasn’t even a warrior.

Martial Artist.

He was the same kind of guy as those who, lacking strength, barely managed to secure a spot in a corner, throwing punches at nothing.

“I thought it would be boring to just dodge,” Jeong-Hoon said, pointing the tip of Leviathan at Lukes.

At that moment, the corner of Lukes’ mouth twisted into a smirk.

“You’re quite impertinent. Alright, let’s do this. If you can land even a single scratch on me with that sword, I’ll let you pass immediately.”

He added another option.

He was determined to teach this damn martial artist a lesson.

“Oh, that sounds good.”

Jeong-Hoon nodded and then executed his movement technique.

In an instant, he was in front of Lukes.

“What?!”

He couldn’t even sense Jeong-Hoon’s presence properly.

Lukes hurriedly raised his axe to push Jeong-Hoon away.

But Jeong-Hoon’s sword was a beat faster.

[1st Form: Initiation activated.]

Slice.

He executed the 1st Form of the Sword of Extinction, slashing Lukes’ shoulder.

“Ugh!”

Lukes groaned and swung his axe.

Jeong-Hoon used his movement technique to create distance and then stored Leviathan in his inventory.

“It’s over.”

“Did I lose…?”

Lukes touched his shoulder with his hand.

Seeing the blood on his hand, he let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it.

An exclamation mark blinked above his head.

[Quest complete.]

[Access to the City of Warriors has been granted.]

From the beginning, Lukes was no match for Jeong-Hoon.

Level 230.

That meant his detailed stats were similar to Lukes’.

On the other hand, Jeong-Hoon’s Strength and Agility had long surpassed 300.

“I’ll be going in.”

As Jeong-Hoon took a step, Ram, who had been watching from the side, awkwardly moved aside.

Only after he disappeared did Ram check on Lukes.

“Hey, Lukes. Are you alright?”

“…Did I really lose?”

“Yes. You lost.”

“To someone with a lower level than me…?”

“Yes.”

“…I must be dreaming.”

Lukes couldn’t easily accept the fact that he had been overwhelmingly defeated.

***

As befitting the City of Warriors, there were various warriors inside, besides them.

Among them, the ruler resided in the Warriors’ Sanctuary.

The Warriors’ Sanctuary was a place that users with the warrior class had to visit.

The sanctuary was located in the heart of the city and referred to a very grandly built temple.

Countless users were walking around in front of it.

“Hey, did you get the quest?”

“Yeah. It took me two weeks to barely clear it, and the next quest is even worse.”

“That’s how it always is. But you have to clear it to get the relics.”

“Ugh… It’s such a pain.”

“If you don’t do it, your firepower will drop and it’ll be hard to hunt monsters. You have to do it.”

“I guess so…”

Listening to the users’ conversations, I entered the sanctuary.

And inside that sanctuary, more than 10 NPCs were giving quests to the users, but only one NPC was watching the whole situation as if it was boring.

===

[NPC Information]

-Nickname: Verd von Rudheim

-Level: 350

-Occupation: Head of the City of Warriors

===

A handsome man who looked to be in his early to mid-30s, with striking silver hair and red eyes.

That was the head of this city and the Swordmaster.

Verd von Rudheim.

Jeong-hoon passed by the NPCs with blinking question marks above their heads and approached him.

“Verd-nim.”

When he called him, Verd looked at Jeong-hoon.

“Hmm? Who are you?”

“Do you know anything about this fragment?”

What Jeong-hoon took out was the ‘Fragment of the Old Warrior’s Mark’ he had received from Isaac’s wife, Charlotte.

“…Where did you get this?”

At that moment, a question mark blinked above Verd’s head.

It was a red question mark.

———