Chapter 22: Chapter 22

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Chapter 22

Yeo Min-Ji eventually returned to the guild headquarters.

She couldn’t ignore the piling work, and the appearance of an epic-grade Saber in the event that Ho-Yeong had observed caused a stir within the guild.

Since Ho-Yeong was the only famous guild, they could bring in the Saber if they pursued recruitment.

The fact that Yeo Min-Ji was at the Hall of Martial Arts was also included in the report.

‘Please go to the Hall of Martial Arts instead of me.’

‘Ma’am…’

‘I beg you!’

‘…Alright.’

At her earnest request, Park In-Tae had no choice but to head to the Hall of Martial Arts.

“Hmm? You’re not qualified, why are you trying to enter here?”

The instructor guarding the main gate of the hall stopped him.

Only martial artists could enter the Hall of Martial Arts.

Of course, to break that rule, you had to complete a quest given by an instructor to lift the entry restriction.

“…I’m here to do the quest.”

He never thought he would be doing beginner zone quests at this level.

“Really? Then could you help me with some cleaning?”

“Yes.”

Most of the beginner zone quests were menial tasks like cleaning.

Park In-Tae was only able to enter the hall after receiving the quest.

‘I’ll have to observe the situation while cleaning.’

Park In-Tae took a mop from the cleaning tool cabinet and started mopping the floor.

===

[Player Information]

-Nickname: In-Tae

-Level: 269

-Class: Insightful Magician (3rd)

===

“Wow… What? Why is a level 269 here?”

“That’s a magician, right?”

“If it’s Insightful, then it’s epic?!”

The users training in the hall were in an uproar at the appearance of Park In-Tae cleaning.

It was understandable since a level 269 was cleaning the hall where they trained.

“Ha, can you believe the instructor beat up a user?”

“I know, right? Not only playing favorites…”

As he was diligently cleaning, the inner door opened and two users came out.

They were martial artists who had reached level 30 and completed their 1st class change.

‘Huh?’

Park In-Tae perked up his ears.

The instructor beat up a user?

Was it a duel?

From the looks of it, the instructor and the users seemed to have had a duel.

“Excuse me, may I ask what happened?”

Park In-Tae approached a user who was coming out after completing his class change to hear the details.

The user was startled by Park In-Tae’s sudden appearance but soon chatted away about what had happened inside.

‘Found it!’

* * *

[The reward has been greatly increased.]

[You can now change to 1st Class (Epic).]

A smile spread across Jeong-Hoon’s face.

He had achieved his goal of an epic class change.

With this, he would be able to reach the path of All Mastery much faster.

But there was something strange.

There was a rejection message below the list of rewards he could receive.

In New World, class changes were mandatory, not optional.

Therefore, once you took the test, you had to accept the given result unconditionally.

But now, Jeong-Hoon was given the option to refuse.

‘This is strange. There shouldn’t be an option to refuse.’

There was a small exclamation mark icon next to the refusal option.

Jeong-Hoon lightly touched the exclamation mark.

[If you want a higher-grade class change, please press refuse.]

Jeong-Hoon’s eyes widened slightly.

‘A higher grade?’

Did that mean he could get a class change higher than epic?

Kwon Hyun-Je had recognized the Underworld King’s Fist Technique.

Could it be because of the Underworld King’s Fist Technique?

‘Kwon Hyun-Je said he lived in the same era as Dok-Go-Joon… Could it have changed like this?’

Unlike Dok-Go-Joon, Kwon Hyun-Je hadn’t ascended to heaven of his own will and had remained in the Hall of Martial Arts, testing challengers.

“I have never given anyone the opportunity to achieve a grade higher than epic. However, you are qualified. I will give you that chance if you want it. But be careful, you might end up with a class change lower than epic.”

Kwon Hyun-Je’s face and voice were serious.

He was certain that the fist technique shown in the test was that of the Underworld King Dok-Go-Joon.

So he had greatly increased the reward.

‘All or nothing. This is a huge opportunity.’

Yeo Min-Ji of Ho-Yeong had completed a rare-grade class change, and later, a martial artist in Argentina was scheduled to achieve an epic-grade class change.

What Jeong-Hoon had been aiming for from the beginning was an epic-grade class change.

The condition was to completely defeat Martial Artist: A.

The condition for defeating him was to have more than 50% HP remaining.

The plan was that by raising the level by two stages from the normal 1st class change, he could reach the realm of All Mastery even faster, but…

It seems the plan needs a complete overhaul.

Thump-thump.

Jeong-Hoon’s heart began to race.

If he were to achieve a Unique class advancement, it would mean standing on equal footing with James Marcus, who had been a Paladin from his first class advancement.

‘I refuse.’

Jeong-Hoon chose to refuse.

“Very well. However, I won’t be the one granting you the power of advancement.”

Kwon Hyun-Je’s words were unexpected.

“You won’t grant it?”

“The highest grade I can grant is Epic.”

For a higher class advancement, he would have to seek out a different soul.

“Then…?”

“I’ll connect you. The grade will be determined by your choice.”

At that moment, a red question mark appeared above Kwon Hyun-Je’s head.

[Hidden Class Advancement Quest (1/2): Blue Flames Kwon Hyun-Je]

-Restriction: A martial artist recognized by Blue Flames Kwon Hyun-Je

-Reward: Hidden Class Advancement Quest (2/2)

-Description: You have been recognized by Blue Flames Kwon Hyun-Je. Discover the traces of the Fist King beyond the portal.

Upon accepting the quest, a new portal appeared behind Kwon Hyun-Je.

‘An opportunity is useless if you don’t seize it.’

An incredibly precious opportunity had presented itself.

He had to seize this opportunity.

With renewed determination, Jeong-Hoon entered the portal.

“May luck be with you.”

Kwon Hyun-Je quietly watched the portal where Jeong-Hoon had disappeared.

His role was over.

The rest was in the hands of that martial artist.

* * *

Earth Korea User Management Team.

The employees were staring at the monitor screen with shocked eyes.

“What? Why is he going through another portal during a class advancement quest?”

“It’s a hidden class advancement quest, apparently…?”

“What does that even mean…?”

They had come to Earth Korea and observed the gameplay of various users.

And they themselves were also users who enjoyed New World.

However, this was the first time they had seen a user push their limits so drastically.

He had already taken all sorts of opportunities, and now it seemed he was even causing a stir with his class advancement.

That thought proved to be accurate.

He had perfectly passed the test set by the Soul of the Martial Artist, securing a Rare class advancement or higher.

Alright, they could accept that much.

‘Wait, why is the NPC giving him a new quest?’

Oh Jinsu couldn’t hide his confusion.

“What conditions has he met to trigger a new hidden class advancement quest?”

“Team leader… what class do you think this user will advance to?”

“… I don’t know.”

Currently, the highest class advancement achieved in South Korea was Epic.

Expanding to the entire world, the only person to achieve a Unique grade in their first class advancement was Paladin James Marcus, who had reached level 540.

Even James Marcus hadn’t undertaken a hidden class advancement quest, as far as they knew.

Just who was this user?

“Wow… this is really interesting.”

“How is watching this more fun than playing the game yourself?”

“If this person streamed, they’d be a huge hit.”

“They’d be raking in the money.”

The employees were completely absorbed in the user’s gameplay, forgetting their work.

In the midst of this, Oh Jinsu intervened, controlling the real-time monitoring program to adjust the user’s position.

The employees looked at Oh Jinsu with puzzled eyes.

“Alright, now’s not the time to watch that user. We’ve received reports of a few other suspicious users. We need to check them out first.”

But they had only watched for 20 minutes!

The employees sighed in disappointment.

“It was such an important moment…”

“Aren’t you curious about what he’ll do inside that portal?”

“What grade will he advance to?”

Oh Jinsu was also dying to see.

However, most of the work was handled by headquarters, and he was already known as a slacker. He couldn’t delay his work and continue watching when there were reports to address.

‘He’s definitely going to get something amazing, right? I’m dying of curiosity.’

He was incredibly curious about what lay beyond the portal and what class the user would advance to.

* * *

Beyond the portal, the grand gate of a mansion came into view.

The gate was closed, and Jeong-Hoon stood before it.

[You are qualified.]

[The gate opens.]

The tightly closed gate slid open, revealing the inner garden.

What was assumed to be a garden was in ruins, with no trace of its former glory. The fountain in the center was also severely damaged, barely recognizable as a fountain.

‘Is this really where the Fist King lived?’

The eerie atmosphere of the mansion made the name “Fist King” seem out of place.

Jeong-Hoon passed through the garden and entered the mansion.

‘I could believe it if you said there were ghosts here…’

The interior of the mansion was in even worse condition than the garden.

Windows were cracked and shattered, the floors and walls were decayed, and insects swarmed everywhere.

The chandelier that should have been on the ceiling lay shattered on the floor, covered in a thick layer of dust, a testament to the passage of time since this destruction occurred.

Abandoned houses often had an eerie feeling, but this mansion was far worse.

It felt like centuries had passed since it was last inhabited.

‘You said to find traces of the Fist King, right?’

Jeong-Hoon moved, meticulously searching every space, starting with the reception room.

But his efforts yielded nothing.

There wasn’t a single trace to be found.

He had naturally assumed he would find items used by the Fist King during his lifetime.

Perhaps they had all been looted when the mansion fell into ruin, but there wasn’t a single item to be found.

However, he was certain that they must be somewhere in the mansion.

In New World, quests always came with guaranteed rewards.

This class advancement quest was no different.

The fact that the quest existed meant there were traces somewhere in this mansion.

‘Nothing on the first floor.’

Jeong-Hoon ascended to the second floor via the central staircase.

[You are qualified.]

[The door to the bedchamber opens.]

At that moment, an old door creaked open.

“So it was here.”

If it was going to open, it could have just opened quietly.

The old door opening automatically only intensified the eerie atmosphere.

Jeong-Hoon stepped into the bedchamber.

And there he found it.

“You’ve come.”

The soul of an old man in his late 80s, sitting on the bed.

His well-trained body, uncharacteristic for his age, showed no signs of fat.

He rose from his seat.

He was a little over two meters tall.

Jeong-Hoon, at 183 centimeters, had to look up.

“Are you the Fist King?”

The old man shook his head.

“Not anymore.”

“Not anymore?”

“Look around. This place has been in ruins for a long time, hasn’t it?”

The old man looked at the bedchamber with a bitter face.

For reasons unknown, the situation suggested that the Fist King had died and the mansion had fallen into ruin.

This wasn’t part of the New World lore.

Jeong-Hoon had thought it was a simple item retrieval quest, but he never dreamed he would find the soul of the Fist King waiting for him.

“I came to find traces of you.”

The old man nodded.

“Haven’t you found them?”

“Huh?”

“I am that trace.”

With those words, an exclamation mark appeared above the old man’s head.

[Hidden Class Advancement Quest (1/2) completed.]

[Hidden Class Advancement Quest (2/2) can be undertaken.]

Upon touching the exclamation mark, a new question mark appeared.

[Hidden Class Advancement Quest (2/2): A Part of the Soul]

-Restriction: A martial artist who has found the traces of the Fist King

-Reward: First Class Advancement (Hidden)

-Description: You have found the traces of the Fist King. Prove your worth and inherit his power.

And the reward was revealed.

‘Hidden?!’

Jeong-Hoon’s eyes widened.

————