Chapter 237: Chapter 237

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 237

[Jeong-hoon]

Bzzz—

It was the call he had been eagerly waiting for.

Just as Jang Dae-hwi was about to step outside with his cigarette and lighter, he quickly picked up his smartphone.

“Hello?”

[Yes, it’s Hoon.]

“Hey, why has it been so long since your last call?”

[You know how it is. No tips, no streams.]

A grin crept onto Jang Dae-hwi’s face.

“So, does that mean you’ve found a golden tip this time?”

[Something like that.]

“Great! By the way, did you check the materials I sent you?”

[Ah, yes. I reviewed them.]

The materials Jang Dae-hwi had sent Jeong-hoon were none other than the revenue reports.

With the subscriber count skyrocketing and each video raking in millions of views, the earnings were beyond imagination.

Although points were the hot commodity these days, which had slightly devalued cash, physical currency was still widely accepted and valuable.

“And people are going crazy asking when your next video will drop.”

[It can’t be helped with how long the gaps are.]

“I get it. But are you going live this time as well?”

[No.]

Jang Dae-hwi tilted his head in confusion.

Jeong-hoon’s streams typically involved broadcasting live, attracting a massive audience, receiving immense donations, and revealing the location of the "Honey Pot" afterward.

But this time, it wouldn’t be live.

“Then, are you planning to record instead?”

[That’s right. Speaking of which, could you join us to help with the filming?]

“Filming…?”

[Yes. Filming from multiple angles and editing afterward will make the final product much better in quality.]

Although he wasn’t yet strong enough to contribute directly in battles, handling the filming was an entirely different story.

As an experienced editor, Jang Dae-hwi prided himself on knowing how to capture the best scenes.

“Hmm… Alright, I’ll do it.”

[Okay. I’ll reach out again soon, so stay ready.]

“Got it.”

***

“Hey, Hoon!”

Not long after, Jeong-hoon’s mother arrived home.

“You’re back?”

“Yes. Did everything go well?”

“Yeah, it went perfectly,” Jeong-hoon replied with a bright smile.

“I heard you found a Honey Pot?”

“Yes.”

Jeong-hoon’s mother had been busy clearing dungeons in the real world alongside Ho-Yeong.

While they were progressing rapidly, the primary goal was to avoid any potential penalties by consistently closing dungeons.

Thanks to his mother’s assistance, Ho-Yeong had achieved an unbroken record of victory, 100 wins out of 100 battles.

It was, of course, Jeong-hoon’s summons that brought his mother back home.

“Why did you only call me?”

“The dungeon only allows up to five people to enter,” Jeong-hoon explained.

If the group limit had been larger, he would have called other guild members like Yeo Sunwoo and Yeo Min-ji, as well as Ho-Yeong. However, this particular dungeon restricted entry to just five individuals.

Naturally, the others would enter once Jeong-hoon cleared it.

“Are we starting right away?”

“Not yet. We’re waiting for my brother to arrive and help with filming.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jang Dae-hwi arrived.

“Greetings! My name is Jang Dae-hwi, and I work as the editor for HoneyTube.”

He greeted Jeong-hoon’s mother first.

“Yes, welcome,” she replied warmly.

Learning that Jang Dae-hwi managed her son’s channel, she greeted him with enthusiasm.

“Well then, shall we get going?”

Jeong-hoon pulled out round-trip tickets, handing one to each person.

“Where are we headed?” Ha-jin asked.

“China.”

“China…?”

“Specifically, a place called Xi’an.”

“Is that where the Honey Pot is?”

“Yup, and it’s got some incredibly sweet honey.”

Originally, this Honey Pot had been first discovered by Liu Xiaolong.

He was one of Jeong-hoon’s later allies—though he came with his own group of eight. However, this same person eventually betrayed Jeong-hoon, despite being one of the last surviving team members.

‘By the time Honey Pots became globally renowned, Liu Xiaolong’s associates had already monopolized them.’

That much was certain, as it came straight from Liu Xiaolong himself.

“When on earth did you go there…?” Ha-jin asked incredulously.

Though he knew Jeong-hoon had been busy, he hadn’t expected him to have already traveled to China.

“I went not long ago,” Jeong-hoon said vaguely, brushing off the details.

He couldn’t exactly reveal that he had this knowledge from his regression.

“Well, I guess with a ticket, it would’ve been easy to get there.”

Indeed, with these tickets, there was no need to spend long hours traveling. One use of the ticket, and they could instantly teleport to their desired destination.

“Let’s get going, then,” Jeong-hoon said.

As he used the ticket, his body disappeared in an instant.

***

Xi’an, China.

Where in Xi’an was this Honey Pot located?

It was none other than Mount Hua, one of the Five Great Mountains of China.

Though Jeong-hoon had never visited the place before, its name felt familiar due to its frequent appearances in martial arts stories.

Of course, seeing the real thing was a far cry from the familiar imagery those stories invoked.

“We’re not really climbing that, are we?” Ha-jin asked, staring up at the mountain.

“Why wouldn’t we?” Jeong-hoon replied nonchalantly.

“...Hah.”

Mount Hua, a towering peak at 2,155 meters above sea level.

The sheer, almost 90-degree rock steps that seemed to demand the agility of a rock climber. The precarious cliff-side plank paths known as the Chang Kong Zhandao.

Even just looking at it was enough to make one dizzy—and now they had to climb it.

It already felt daunting.

“Don’t worry. We’re not climbing that path,” Jeong-hoon said, pointing to the daunting stairs.

“Really?”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Ha-jin and Bong-Goo’s faces brightened in relief.

“Instead, we’ll climb the cliff directly,” Jeong-hoon added.

Both Ha-jin and Bong-Goo’s jaws dropped.

“W-We can just use the Fly Elixir! We used it before, remember?” Ha-jin stammered.

“Exactly! With that, it should be fine, right?” Bong-Goo chimed in.

The Fly Elixir they had used previously to reach Sky Field seemed like the perfect solution.

But Jeong-hoon smiled mischievously and shook his head.

“Sorry, we ran out of that.”

“…”

“…”

The hopeful expressions on Ha-jin and Bong-Goo’s faces instantly soured.

“But don’t worry, it won’t be dangerous.”

“Do you have another way, then?” Ha-jin asked cautiously.

Jeong-hoon nodded, pulling out an artifact he had purchased from the Achievement Store.

Since the Fly skill was exclusive to mages and not available to other classes, Jeong-hoon had planned an alternative.

“We’ll use Fairy’s Elixir to climb.”

“Fairy’s Elixir?”

“Yeah. Once you drink it, your body feels incredibly light,” Jeong-hoon explained.

And that wasn’t all. The elixir also automatically generated a protective barrier that shielded the user from environmental damage, such as falling. While it wasn’t useful in combat, as it only protected against environmental hazards, it was perfect for climbing.

“…So we’re still climbing the cliff ourselves, huh?”

“That’s right.”

Jeong-hoon grinned, handing each of them an elixir.

“Ugh… If we fall, we’ll have to climb back up, won’t we?”

“Of course. We all need to enter together, so no one can get left behind.”

“…Understood.”

“Let’s get started, then.”

“W-Wait a second!”

Jang Dae-hwi raised his hand abruptly.

Jeong-hoon tilted his head in confusion.

“What is it?”

“If we’re climbing the cliff, filming might be… a little tricky…” Dae-hwi hesitated.

Carrying a camera while scaling a cliff was clearly impossible.

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Jeong-hoon said, pointing behind Dae-hwi.

When Dae-hwi turned to look, he saw a camera floating in mid-air, already capturing the group.

“Oh, so we’ve got that, huh.”

“Exactly. So no more excuses—let’s go.”

“Got it.”

Dae-hwi nodded and drank the elixir he had been handed.

***

Climbing the cliff.

Why bother scaling a cliff when there’s a perfectly fine path available?

The reason was simple: a hidden portal lay somewhere along the middle of this cliff.

“Everyone, be careful,” Jeong-hoon warned, leading the group.

Right behind him was Jang Dae-hwi, who showed no hesitation. In fact, he was climbing so close behind Jeong-hoon that it seemed like he might overtake him.

“I’m fine. I’ve done climbing before,” Dae-hwi said casually.

It wasn’t just climbing. Throughout his school years and into his early twenties, Dae-hwi had indulged in numerous extreme sports—activities anyone else might deem reckless or outright dangerous. And with the protective shield granted by the Fairy’s Elixir, his face showed no trace of fear.

“Please, slow down!”

“Argh! Brother, I’m seriously going to die here!”

Trailing far behind were Ha-jin and Bong-Goo, complaining endlessly.

Jeong-hoon’s mother followed them, steadily climbing while keeping them in line.

“Be careful, everyone!” she called out, sounding more concerned for the others than herself.

Despite her age, she ascended the cliff with surprising ease, her agility putting the younger men to shame.

Jeong-hoon, focused on his task, resumed his climb.

This should be the spot, he thought.

He recalled that the portal had been somewhere along the cliff face. While he didn’t know the precise location, he could find it by channeling his mana through his fingertips and tracing it along the surface.

As he searched, his hand suddenly felt a faint response.

There it is.

Jeong-hoon grinned and carefully shifted toward the source of the reaction. It was a painstaking process, requiring him to feel his way along tiny crevices while maintaining balance.

Once he reached the location, he pressed his palm against the cliff and poured his mana into it.

Whirrrr—

The cliff began to vibrate softly, and moments later, a portal shimmered into existence.

“A portal!” Jang Dae-hwi exclaimed in astonishment.

Hearing his shout, Ha-jin and Bong-Goo looked up from their precarious climb.

“A vertical portal? Seriously…”

“I swear, I’m about to die. My hands are drenched in sweat!”

“Mine too… At least the elixir’s shield keeps us from slipping.”

The protective barrier didn’t just shield them from falls; it also provided extra grip, acting almost like a resin to keep them steady. Combined with the elixir’s weightlessness effect, the climb itself wasn’t physically taxing—it was just terrifyingly high.

“Alright, time to enter,” Jeong-hoon announced, signaling the end of the climb.

The faces of the others lit up with relief.

***

[Lv.??? Would you like to enter the Radiant Vein?]

[Entry requires exactly 5 members.]

[Please maintain proximity to your party.]

The entry requirements were clear: a party of five was mandatory.

Entry to the portal was strict—no more, no less than five members could enter, and any distance between party members made entry impossible. This was precisely why everyone had climbed the cliff together.

Enter.

With Jeong-hoon, the party leader, signaling the intent to enter, all five members were pulled into the portal in a flash of light.

***

The Radiant Vein was not a sheer cliff as one might have expected but rather a sprawling cave system.

“Finally, I can breathe again…” Ha-jin groaned in relief.

“This place looks like the one from that video we posted before,” Bong-Goo pointed out.

The cave resembled the mine where they had once harvested Celestial Engraving Stones. The glowing minerals embedded in the walls, emitting a soft energy that lit the surroundings, made the resemblance uncanny.

“It’s different,” Jeong-hoon clarified, pulling a unique-grade pickaxe from his inventory and handing it out to the group.

“Are we mining again, bro?” Ha-jin asked.

“Yeah. But this time, there’s no limit to how much you can gather. Take as much as you want.”

“Seriously?!” Bong-Goo’s eyes widened.

The reason for the explosive experience gain was beginning to make sense.

“This is crazy… How did you even know about this?” Ha-jin asked, still in awe.

Jeong-hoon shrugged nonchalantly. “I have my ways.”

“Man, this is unreal…”

“Less talking, more mining. Don’t you want to hit your 4th Class?”

“Right, got it!”

Ha-jin eagerly gripped his pickaxe and headed deeper into the cave.

Identifying the experience-giving minerals wasn’t difficult. The minerals were labeled with EXP, and mining them granted the corresponding experience points directly.

“Alright, everyone, let’s regroup here in two hours,” Jeong-hoon instructed.

The time limit was straightforward: the dungeon allowed only 120 minutes of exploration.

To prepare for their return, Jeong-hoon took out an artifact—a Pathfinder Flag in the shape of a banner.

He planted the flag where they stood, and a red line illuminated the ground, marking the route back to this point.

“Ah, so this artifact shows you the way back,” Jeong-hoon’s mother observed.

“Exactly. Mom, go ahead and touch the flag.”

“Alright.”

When she touched the flag, a similar red line appeared under her feet, leading back to the starting point. One by one, everyone interacted with the flag, ensuring they could all find their way back.

“Now, let’s mine as much as we can for the next two hours,” Jeong-hoon encouraged.

“Wait… What about me?” Jang Dae-hwi asked, looking torn between his pickaxe and camera.

“You can record yourself mining,” Jeong-hoon suggested. “Just make sure it doesn’t affect the video quality.”

“Got it! Ha-jin, come with me!”

With that, Jang Dae-hwi and Ha-jin disappeared down one of the branching paths.

The Radiant Vein was anything but linear, its numerous forks and tunnels spreading in all directions. Each path seemed to promise unique treasures—and the ticking clock made every decision critical.

So, if they took different paths, they wouldn't cross each other.

"Then should I move with my son?"

Jeong-hoon shook his head.

"I have something else to do."

"I see."

His mother nodded with a somewhat disappointed expression.

Then, Bong-Goo quickly intervened.

"Mom! Then, let's mine together! I'll do all the mining for you!"

"Really? Then I guess we'll do that."

"Yes! Brother! I'll record with my smart lenses."

Bong-Goo cleverly activated his smart lenses.

Jeong-hoon nodded with a satisfied expression.

"That's the right attitude."

"Thank you!"

So, Jeong-hoon's mother and Bong-Goo moved together.

"Then, I guess I'll start too."

Left alone, Jeong-hoon took the path at the far left, which no one had chosen.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]