Chapter 155: Chapter 155

Park Jin-Hyeok was currently in the City of Warriors.

‘Jin-Hyeok… I’m going crazy… I don’t need anything else, I just wish I could play the game…’

Lee Hwa-rang’s mental state was shattered due to the continuous suspension.

Because of that, he kept contacting Park Jin-Hyeok, clinging to him for help.

However, it was a situation that Park Jin-Hyeok couldn’t resolve on his own.

Then, he heard the news that a user named Hoon had appeared in the City of Warriors.

‘Let’s apologize.’

Choosing revenge at this point would be madness.

There was no benefit to be gained from attacking him.

Instead, if he apologized and Hoon showed leniency, wouldn’t it be possible to resolve Lee Hwa-rang’s suspension?

It was true that he had resented Lee Hwa-rang after things went wrong, but seeing him become a wreck softened his heart.

Sa Jae-Hyeok also seemed to want Lee Hwa-rang to return.

It was a waste of Lee Hwa-rang’s archery talent to be suspended for a year.

So he decided to make a move, just once.

‘They said they saw him at the Warrior’s Sanctuary, right?’

Park Jin-Hyeok immediately headed to the Warrior’s Sanctuary.

The sanctuary was bustling with many users.

“Does it make sense for Verd to move twice?”

“It seems like he doesn’t give quests to just anyone. I saw on Welcom that he asks you to defeat him.”

“Crazy, is that even possible?”

He overheard a conversation between users near the entrance.

‘It’s Hoon.’

Park Jin-Hyeok approached them and cautiously joined the conversation.

“Excuse me, can I ask you something?”

“Yes? Who are you?”

“Ah, I’m Park Jin-Hyeok from the Myth Guild.”

“The Myth Guild!”

A level 339 Lord Knight.

The users’ eyes widened at his appearance.

In the past, their gaze would have filled him with pride, but now that he was no longer an executive, their attention felt a bit burdensome.

Park Jin-Hyeok managed his expression and continued speaking.

“Do you happen to know where the user who made Verd move went?”

“Well… I’m not sure about that.”

“Ah! Come to think of it, he was talking to Klao.”

Could he be doing Rune farming?

But why would a martial artist do Rune farming in the City of Warriors?

He had questions, but meeting him was the priority now.

After looking around the sanctuary, Park Jin-Hyeok hurriedly left.

Twelve trial grounds marked on the map.

If he had received the quest, he would have headed to one of those twelve locations.

* * *

Meanwhile.

Jeong-hoon looked up at the rocky mountain.

Unlike ordinary mountains, this one had a steep path that made it difficult to even climb.

‘This is practically a cliff.’

The slope was so steep that he could roll down if he wasn’t careful.

From the beginning, he had to use his hands to climb up.

As a result, there wasn’t a single person around.

‘Let’s use the potion.’

One should use their head.

Jeong-hoon took out a potion he had bought in the Märchen Kingdom a while ago.

It was the potion he used to ascend to Skyfield.

[Fly Potion]

– Type: Consumable

– Grade: Epic

– Grants the ability to use the Fly skill for about an hour after consumption.

– However, there’s no telling what side effects might occur after drinking it.

A creation of the alchemist Wigang.

Jeong-hoon drank the potion in one gulp.

[You have acquired the Fly skill (1 hour).]

Fly skill acquired for 1 hour.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Jeong-hoon used the Fly skill to quickly ascend the rocky mountain.

‘Oh, at this rate, we’ll reach the summit in no time.’

“No, we’re not going to the summit.”

Reaching the summit would be great for enjoying the view, but he wouldn’t be able to obtain the Rune there.

‘Then where are we going?’

“There’s a small hole in the middle.”

As Jeong-hoon said, there was an indented spot on the rock.

Looking closer, there was a small hole big enough for two people to enter.

‘Are we going in there?’

Jeong-hoon nodded.

James Marcus had climbed this rocky mountain cliff after getting a hint about the Rune.

In the process, he had entered this hole in the middle.

‘A nameless warrior was sleeping inside.’

He woke him up and underwent a trial, and that’s how he obtained the Legendary-grade Rune.

Jeong-hoon maintained his flight and entered the cave, landing inside.

Perhaps because of its high altitude, the small cave was quite cool.

This was due to the constant gusts of cold wind.

“Amazing. There’s a cave in a place like this.”

‘What, didn’t you know everything already?’

“I only heard about it. This is my first time seeing it in person.”

Jeong-hoon strode into the cave.

For a small cave, it was quite deep.

And in front, there was a worn-out mat and a half-broken pottery jar.

‘…Hmm? Is that all there is?’

There was nothing else besides those.

But the corners of Jeong-hoon’s mouth were already turned up.

“Looks like we came to the right place.”

Jeong-hoon slowly stepped on the mat and reached out towards the pottery jar.

Instantly, his body was sucked into the jar.

* * *

James Marcus.

He was a world-renowned professional gamer with over 100 million YouTube subscribers.

He was active in various fields, including entertainment and advertising, and had established himself as a global superstar.

But now, he was deep in thought.

‘What on earth does this mean?’

The item he received after winning the league hosted by New World this year and being selected as the MVP.

It was a document with a hint written on it.

A document with a ‘hint’ about a hidden opportunity.

At first, he was filled with anticipation of gaining a hidden opportunity, but after checking the hint, his excitement fizzled out.

[Where the warrior’s heart lies, there I am – Nameless Warrior]

The hint was too cryptic.

James Marcus immediately went to find an interpreter.

NPC Raoul.

“Hmm…? What on earth is this?”

“It seems like a cipher. Can it be deciphered?”

“Well, it does look like a cipher, but there doesn’t seem to be any additional trickery involved.”

“Is that so…?”

That meant he had to follow the hidden opportunity solely based on that hint.

This was really troublesome.

James scratched his head and let out a frustrated sigh.

Then Raoul offered an alternative.

“Well, I’m not an interpreter, but there’s someone who’s very good at solving these kinds of cryptic problems. How about meeting him?”

“Who is it?”

“His name is Jordan, a friend who was once quite active as a treasure hunter.”

“Where is he now?”

“He’s in Idenharc. Recently, he even discovered a vein of Evolution Stones buried in Idenharc.”

Idenharc.

He didn’t expect the one who discovered the Evolution Stones to be him.

James Marcus hurriedly headed to Idenharc.

* * *

[You have explored an unknown region alone. You have been awarded 20,000 achievement points.]

His vision brightened.

“Where am I?”

The surroundings were shrouded in black fog, making it impossible to see anything.

He hadn’t expected the method of entering to be getting sucked into a broken pottery jar.

Just then.

The black fog in front of Jeong-hoon swirled, and an old man appeared.

“Hmm, I never thought someone would discover the arrangements I left behind.”

===

[NPC Information]

-Nickname: Nameless Warrior

-Level: 300

-Occupation: X

===

He was an NPC with nothing displayed except for his level.

The Nameless Warrior.

He was the one who had summoned Jeong-hoon into the pottery jar.

“…You don’t have a name?”

“I discarded it long ago. I have no name now.”

“Is that so?”

“By the way, how did you get in here?”

“By chance.”

“By chance…? An interesting fellow has entered.”

The old man chuckled.

The place where he had hidden the pottery jar was on a rocky mountain that was difficult to climb without skill, and inside a very small hole at that.

Finding such a thing by chance?

That was ridiculous.

But the old man didn’t care about such reasons.

The only important thing was to confirm whether the one who found the pottery jar was qualified to receive the hidden opportunity.

“So, what’s the reason you summoned me into the pottery jar?”

Jeong-hoon deliberately asked, pretending not to know.

“Do you desire to become stronger?”

“Yes.”

The corners of the old man’s mouth curled up into a wide grin.

“Then try to pass the trials I set for you.”

“What will you give me if I pass?”

“I’ll give you a Rune.”

A question mark blinked above the old man’s head.

[Hidden Quest: Nameless Warrior]

– Restriction: Talk to the Nameless Warrior

– Reward: Rune (Legendary)

– Description: Pass the trials and obtain the Rune.

A hidden quest that offered a Legendary-grade Rune as a reward.

Jeong-hoon accepted the quest without a second thought.

“Alright. What’s the trial?”

“Prove your worth as a warrior.”

“Prove my worth as a warrior?”

As Jeong-hoon expressed his question, the surrounding black fog instantly cleared.

In front of him, countless monsters were swarming.

Fortunately, there was a barrier preventing them from rushing at Jeong-hoon immediately.

“This is the first trial. Exterminate all the monsters.”

There were hundreds of them visible to the naked eye.

Moreover, each and every one of them was a monster around level 200.

“What’s the time limit?”

The old man grinned and held up three fingers.

“Three hours. I think that should be enough for you to pass.”

“Alright.”

Jeong-hoon readily nodded.

“Hmm? Don’t you need a time extension? Three hours won’t be enough.”

From his perspective, Jeong-hoon was a martial artist who had just surpassed level 200.

He didn’t understand how a martial artist, not a warrior, had found his pottery jar, but it was impossible for him to hunt all those monsters with his skills.

Especially with a three-hour time limit.

“Will you extend the time if I ask?”

The old man shook his head.

“Of course not. If you’re not satisfied, you can leave.”

“…Then why did you ask?”

Jeong-hoon responded in a dumbfounded tone.

“I was just giving you a chance to give up.”

“It’s okay. I have no intention of giving up.”

“I’ll see if that confidence comes from your skills or just mere bravado.”

With those words, the old man disappeared.

The barrier that had been blocking Jeong-hoon and the monsters vanished.

“Human! I’ll kill you!”

“I’ll devour you!”

The monsters roared and rushed towards Jeong-hoon as if they had been waiting.

Jeong-hoon’s hand now gripped Leviathan.

[Exterminate all monsters.]

[Time limit: 3 hours]

Three hours was enough.

[Blackfield activates.]

[All stats are increased by 1.5 times.]

[Due to the effect of Blackfield, all stats of monsters within the area are decreased by 10%.]

As Blackfield activated, the ground turned black.

Now, this place was Jeong-hoon’s stage.

A level 185 Blood Bear charged at him.

As it raised its hand, its claws turned red.

[Blood Bear uses ‘Enhancement: Claws’.]

An enhancement skill that amplifies attack power.

The Blood Bear swung its claws at Jeong-hoon.

Swish.

But the attack didn’t reach him.

The bear’s wrist was severed in an instant.

“Roar!”

The Blood Bear screamed.

“Go.”

Jeong-hoon slashed the Blood Bear’s neck with Leviathan.

As its head fell to the ground, its body went limp and collapsed.

“H-human! Strong!”

“Die!”

Jeong-hoon calmly deflected the attacks of the rushing monsters with his sword and cut them down one by one.

Of course, surrounded by such a large number, it was inevitable to get scratched even with his movement techniques.

[Uses Advanced Healing]

But those scratches were instantly healed thanks to his healing magic.

[1st Form: Initiation activates.]

The first sword of the Sword of Extinction, slashing seven times per second.

90% damage.

But with Jeong-hoon’s detailed stats and the 1.5 times stat boost from Blackfield, the monsters couldn’t withstand a single attack.

There was no need to chain into the second form.

Jeong-hoon repeatedly used Initiation, slaughtering the monsters.

———-