Chapter 87
by lionUpon entering the room and locking the door, Jun-sang first summoned Heness. With a flash of light, Heness appeared. Realizing she was in a lavishly decorated room, she breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if the battle was finally over.
“You wash first. I have things to do.” Jun-sang said, tearing open the plastic packaging of a gown.
“I’m fine. You must be tired; you should wash first…” She declined, knowing now that she could be summoned again at any moment, but Jun-sang shook his head with a wry smile.
“That’s why. If I get into hot water now, I’ll probably just fall asleep.” Seeing his wry smile, Heness somehow couldn’t refuse any longer.
“Alright. I’ll go first then.”
“Okay.” Jun-sang sat on the sofa and first checked the accumulated messages.
Quest Completion: Harlagan Defense
Defend the City from the Army of Darkness.
: A mighty Army of Darkness is advancing on the fortress city of Harlagan. Block their invasion. (Time remaining until invasion: 0 hours 0 minutes)
[This quest involves a large number of participants simultaneously.]
-> Completed!
(Hidden) Eliminate General Sarga. (Cooperation) -> Completed!
(Hidden) Eliminate Support Captain Belbaran. (Cooperation) -> Completed!!
(Hidden) Eliminate Armored Captain Hatum. (Cooperation) -> Completed!
– Your actions and performance in this quest will be calculated.
This process will take a moment. Please wait.
Congratulations!
: Your rank is Ex:Savior.
– You have heroically saved the world from a threat.
Additional rewards will be given in addition to the basic reward.
Reward: Large amount of experience, Additional Reward Box (Cooperation) x3, Additional Reward Box (Ex:Savior), Title [Savior of Harlagan]
*-> Do you wish to receive the reward now? (Y/n) (Caution) Unclaimed rewards will be automatically deleted after 7 days.
Despite only defeating three boss-level enemies, his rank was still Savior, the same as before, but the experience reward was reduced from “Very Large” to “Large.” Jun-sang first checked the newly acquired title.
New Title: Savior of Harlagan
[Savior of Harlagan]
: A title granted to the single individual who made a decisive contribution to the defense of Harlagan.
– Effect: Increases experience reward by 10% when completing quests in ‘Sihelbant’, the nation to which Harlagan belongs.
– Title effects are automatically applied upon acquisition.
“Sihelbant,” another unknown place. He wondered if he’d end up receiving “Savior” titles in every nation in that world. Of course, that presumed he’d survive long enough.
“Hoo…”
Should he claim the rewards later? Since the experience was a bit less, even if two levels were impossible, one level-up seemed feasible. Until now, it had been difficult to predict when he’d level up, so he had ignored it and claimed rewards immediately. However, for a quest like this, with a significant amount of experience, claiming the reward at an opportune time could be a great help in a truly critical situation. It would be nice to choose when to receive rewards, but unfortunately, that wasn’t possible.
After a moment of thought, Jun-sang decided to postpone claiming the rewards and first checked the new Rare seeds he had obtained. He cleared the table, laid out a cloth, and then poured out the newly acquired seeds. From them, he picked five Rare seeds that emitted a faint chill and initiated the identification process.
New Seed Information
Name: Grotesque Heart
Level Requirement: 20
Type: Seed
Grade: Rare
Effects:
1. Strength increased by 15%
2. Physical Attack Power increased by 7%
3. Physical Resistance increased by 6%
Description: A special seed possessed by General Sapathan.
Can be equipped to items or cards with Seed slots to enhance abilities.
Special function ‘Dismantle’ is required to remove an equipped seed.
[Click here to equip this seed to an item or card.]
Name: Lizard’s Tail
Level Requirement: 15
Type: Seed
Grade: Rare
Effects:
1. Evasion rate increased by 10%
2. Critical Hit rate increased by 7%
3. Agility increased by 6%
Description: A special seed possessed by Elite Captain Tashas.
Can be equipped to items or cards with Seed slots to enhance abilities.
Special function ‘Dismantle’ is required to remove an equipped seed.
[Click here to equip this seed to an item or card.]
Name: Proof of Corruption
Level Requirement: 15
Type: Seed
Grade: Rare
Effects:
1. Armor effect amplified by 10%
2. Block chance increased by 7%
3. Durability (Stamina) increased by 8%
Description: A special seed possessed by Armored Captain Hatum.
Can be equipped to items or cards with Seed slots to enhance abilities.
Special function ‘Dismantle’ is required to remove an equipped seed.
[Click here to equip this seed to an item or card.]
Name: Gloomy Song
Level Requirement: 15
Type: Seed
Grade: Rare
Effects:
1. Summon/Pet Defense increased by 5%
2. Summon/Pet Durability (Stamina) increased by 7%
3. Summon/Pet Skill Efficiency increased by 9%
Description: A special seed possessed by Support Captain Belbaran.
Can be equipped to items or cards with Seed slots to enhance abilities.
Special function ‘Dismantle’ is required to remove an equipped seed.
[Click here to equip this seed to an item or card.]
Name: Macabre Horn
Level Requirement: 20
Type: Seed
Grade: Rare
Effects:
1. Attack power increased by 15% when charging
2. Physical Resistance increased by 6%
3. Summon attack power increased by 9%
Description: A special seed possessed by General Sarga.
Can be equipped to items or cards with Seed slots to enhance abilities.
Special function ‘Dismantle’ is required to remove an equipped seed.
[Click here to equip this seed to an item or card.]
He wasn’t sure, but he felt like seeds of this caliber would be truly priceless. The number of Rare seeds obtained from the quests in Ibelua, Belkaras, and Harlagan totaled twelve. However, even after fully filling two Hero-grade cards, three slots remained. Come to think of it, the Hero-grade Blood Soaked card had ten seed slots, truly remarkable.
After checking the Rare seeds, Jun-sang was about to begin organizing them when he first took out what appeared to be Hatum’s saddle and examined it.
New Item: Nightmare Saddle
Item Information
Name: Nightmare Saddle
Level Requirement: 15
Type: Saddle
Grade: Rare
Effect: Can summon a ferocious ghost horse.
Seed: 3 slots
Description: Armored Captain Hatum’s saddle.
“Ghost horse?” Jun-sang recalled the large ghost horse Hatum had ridden. It was a bizarre form, emitting blue light that dripped like candle wax. But its size was enormous, capable of carrying even a considerably large and muscular person without difficulty. If he didn’t have an inventory, carrying this large saddle unsummoned would make him look ridiculous, but since Jun-sang already had a fifteen-slot inventory, it would be extremely useful.
The rest of the armor, sword, and shield were not particularly remarkable. Of course, this was only from Jun-sang’s perspective; other players would probably attack with gleaming eyes.
After roughly checking the items, he was about to check the seeds when Heness emerged from the bathroom with wet hair, wearing a gown.
“You’ve already finished washing?”
“Yes.” Embarrassed by her appearance in the gown, Heness’s face flushed, and she replied in a hushed voice.
Jun-sang decided to finish checking the seeds later. He packed the seeds back into the cabinet and stored it, then headed to the bathroom. Inside, the bathtub was filled with water, as if Heness had prepared it beforehand. Judging by the time, she likely didn’t use the bathtub and just took a shower.
“I told you to take your time.” Jun-sang clicked his tongue, but he didn’t dislike Heness’s consideration. He slowly undressed, took a shower first, then got into the bathtub. Even though he had washed roughly, as he soaked, unwashed bloodstains and soot peeled off his body.
“Hoooh…”
The muscles of his body, repeatedly overworked, felt as if they were melting. Jun-sang let out an involuntary sound, whether of relief or a sigh, he couldn’t tell. He felt like he wanted to fall asleep right there, but unfortunately, Jun-sang wasn’t allowed such leisure yet.
After soaking in the bathtub for a few minutes, Jun-sang got out, washed his hair again, showered, then roughly dried himself with a towel and put on a gown before stepping out. As he opened the bathroom door and exited, Heness, who had been sitting on the bed fiddling with the remote control, startled, straightened her posture, and re-fastened the front of her gown. Jun-sang chuckled inwardly but pretended not to notice and summoned the spirits.
“Gentle Breeze, Morning Dew.”
He then instructed the spirits to dry her hair and said, “You must be tired; go to sleep. I have things to do.”
“Oh, I’m not sleepy.”
“Then watch TV or something.”
“Yes…” Heness pouted with a seemingly discontented expression, but Jun-sang pretended not to notice and continued with the seed identification work he had been doing earlier. It took quite a long time to check two Epic Quest’s worth of seeds at once. Feeling a little stiff in his back, he stretched broadly, then saw Heness curled up sideways on the bed, asleep.
“…”
The front of her gown had opened, revealing her slender chest and thighs to Jun-sang’s eyes. Her pristine white skin looked as if it would feel wet to the touch. Was it because she was still young? Her skin was so soft to look at that it made his heart feel warm.
“Ahem…” Jun-sang, who had been unconsciously staring at the open gown, realized his impropriety and quickly coughed, turning his head. But Heness, deeply asleep, showed no signs of waking.
“Hoo…” Jun-sang shook his head and first used Telekinesis to close the open front of her gown, then picked her up, laid her straight on the bed, and covered her with the blanket. There was some skin-to-skin contact during the process, but it was unavoidable.
“Mmm…” Heness let out a small groan but didn’t wake up. What was she relying on to sleep so peacefully? Excessive caution was annoying, but being too careless was also a headache. Jun-sang unconsciously sighed deeply. But then, he turned off the TV and the lights, lay down beside her himself, and tried to sleep. He wouldn’t be able to sleep deeply, not knowing when the next quest would activate, but somehow, he felt more at peace than before. Perhaps it was because someone was lying beside him. Jun-sang let Heness’s soft breathing be his lullaby and quietly drifted off to sleep.
And the next day. Heness slowly woke up, feeling someone’s skin against her face.
“…”
They say if you’re too surprised, you can’t even scream. Heness froze as she realized she was asleep with her face buried in Jun-sang’s chest. What on earth had happened? She remembered inwardly cursing Jun-sang for ignoring her and just doing his own thing, then feeling sleepy and lying down on the bed, but she couldn’t recall anything after that. What on earth had happened last night!
Heness carefully tried to move away from Jun-sang’s body but stumbled and tumbled off the bed.
“Kyaaak!”
As Heness screamed, hitting the back of her head on the floor due to the fall, Jun-sang slowly opened his eyes. He realized Heness wasn’t beside him, sat up, and found her curled up on the floor, clutching the back of her head with both hands.
“…”
Somehow, Jun-sang thought it would be better to pretend he hadn’t seen anything. He quickly lay back down and tried to feign sleep, but before he could, his eyes met Heness’s tear-filled gaze. When their eyes met, Heness quickly re-fastened the front of her gown, which had come undone when she rolled off the bed.
“Are you okay?” Jun-sang quickly turned his gaze away and asked. Heness replied with a choked voice, “No…”
“Pffft!” He felt like he shouldn’t laugh, but a chuckle escaped him anyway. Then Heness’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment despite her pain, and she stomped into the bathroom.
“Oh dear.” Jun-sang felt somewhat sorry when she hid in the bathroom, but he couldn’t pretend the laugh that had already escaped didn’t happen. Fortunately, Heness finished her quick wash and came out of the bathroom, feigning innocence. Jun-sang got off the bed, took the cabinet from his inventory, pulled out his T-shirt and pants, and handed them to her.
“Put these on for now.”
“Okay.” When Jun-sang finished his simple wash and came out, she was wearing the clothes he had given her, looking awkward.
“H-how do I look?” Due to the significant size difference, she looked like a child wearing adult clothes, but perhaps because of her inherently cute appearance, it didn’t feel out of place at all. The thought crossed his mind that this might be what they called being “love-struck,” but Jun-sang nodded and told her she looked good.
As before, Jun-sang first reverse-summoned Heness, then left the inn and resummoned her in a secluded alley. He then took out the Humvee he had acquired earlier from his inventory.
“Get in.”
“Okay.” Having ridden in it once before, Heness skillfully got into the passenger seat. Of course, she was flustered and unsure what to do when Jun-sang reached over to fasten her seatbelt. Jun-sang then drove the Humvee north, heading towards Gangneung. He immediately found a clothing mall and began buying various clothes she needed. Heness’s eyes widened at the sight of the numerous people, the strange new buildings, and the countless clothes filling them, but she soon showed her girlish vivacity and began to adapt to this world.
Jun-sang stayed in Gangneung, buying various necessities for Heness and himself, thoroughly enjoying the rare respite.
On the third day. As he went down to the parking lot where the Humvee was parked, the person he expected was waiting.
“Good to see you, Mr. Park Jun-sang.” It was Im Seo-yoon.
Jun-sang looked at him and said, “You’re later than I expected.” There was a reason he had openly driven the Humvee all the way to Gangneung.
Im Seo-yoon replied with a wry smile, “I’ve been busy, both internally and externally.” He then continued, “May I ask the reason you specifically called me?”
“Let’s go somewhere quiet first.” Im Seo-yoon nodded at Jun-sang’s words.
“As it happens, I know a good place. May I lead the way?”
“Whatever’s convenient.” Im Seo-yoon got into his own car and led the way, with Jun-sang following in the Humvee. Im Seo-yoon took him to a high-end restaurant a little distance from Gangneung city center. After getting a private room and settling down, Seo-yoon spoke first.
“Actually… I was looking for you anyway.”
“Why?” Seo-yoon answered, leafing through the menu. “Are you aware that returned individuals from various countries around the world have been dying in droves these past few days?”
Jun-sang wasn’t without a guess, but he shook his head. “Dozens, sometimes even a hundred or so, returned individuals have died en masse, unable to return from quests. Our country is the only one that has suffered almost no casualties.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Seo-yoon gave a wry smile at Jun-sang’s words. “Well… if you don’t want to talk about it, there’s nothing I can do.” After saying that, Seo-yoon ordered food and then spoke again. “By the way, I’d like to hear the main point now.”
Jun-sang wiped his hands with a wet towel and replied, “I have something I want to dispose of.”
“What is it?”
“Gold and jewels.”
“Did you get them from ‘there’?”
“…” Jun-sang nodded, and Seo-yoon stroked his chin, then said, “In that case, I welcome it. I was just thinking of creating a business for that very purpose.” He then took a sip of water and continued, “How much quantity?”
Jun-sang replied calmly, “How much is possible?”
“As much as you want.”
“…” Jun-sang nodded and was about to immediately take out the items from his inventory when the food arrived, so he stopped. After the food was served and the door closed again, Jun-sang finally took out the cabinet and began placing gold bars onto the table, one by one. One, two, three… At first, Seo-yoon watched with a calm expression, but when the number of gold bars, each easily weighing over a kilogram, significantly exceeded twenty, his expression became flustered.
“My goodness, did you rob a treasure vault?” Jun-sang inwardly complimented his astonishing insight but calmly said, pretending not to know, “Is it possible?”
“Y-yes, of course.”
“…” Jun-sang nodded, then put the gold bars back into the cabinet and returned that too to his inventory. Seo-yoon clicked his tongue but couldn’t stop him.
“And… there’s something I’d like you to get for me.”
“Please tell me.”
“A container house… can you get one?” Seo-yoon immediately nodded.
“As a matter of fact, I have one already prepared. I had originally prepared it for myself, but since this is a rare large transaction, if you offer a suitable price, I’ll hand it over to you.”
“Good.” Since it was merely a matter of stock, the transaction was completed instantly. Seo-yoon poured Jun-sang a glass of alcohol and said, “Actually, I have a request too.”
“Please speak.”
“Would you be interested in joining our guild?”
“No.” Seo-yoon clicked his tongue at Jun-sang’s concise answer. He was sure that ever since he learned that Korea was the only country that suffered no damage in the last quest, it was Jun-sang’s doing, and he had resolved to bring him into the guild at any cost. But with such a firm refusal, it was somehow awkward to press the issue again. Seo-yoon considered various coercive methods but soon shook his head. He figured that if Jun-sang were the type of person to respond to coercive methods, he wouldn’t have lived in such reclusion in the first place. Moreover, doing such a thing to someone capable of sweeping away the Army of Darkness alone would be tantamount to offering his own neck to be killed. Since a deal had been struck anyway, he decided to be content with having established a connection this time.
Jun-sang finished his simple meal and then suddenly said, “Accept.”
“Huh?” Seo-yoon, looking bewildered, then realized a new message had arrived on his phone and quickly checked it.
Park Jun-sang has requested to register you on Messenger.
Accept? (Y/n) _
“This is…” He looked up, wondering what this was, and Jun-sang replied, “That’s the messenger supported by the game. If you send messages through it, you won’t be intercepted.”
“Aha…”
“If the Messenger function hasn’t been opened for you yet, it might be difficult to send a message to me, but since the request went through correctly, it seems you should be able to receive my messages.” Jun-sang finished speaking and stood up. “When will the items be ready?”
Seo-yoon quickly stood up and replied, “I need to bring it from Seoul, so it will arrive tomorrow at the earliest.”
“Then I’ll contact you again tomorrow. Let’s do my transaction then as well.”
“Understood.” Jun-sang and Seo-yoon slowly exited the room and went out to the parking lot.
“You can just take that car, Mr. Jun-sang.” Seo-yoon’s words brought a wry smile to Jun-sang’s face.
“It feels like shackles somehow.”
“Haha…” Seo-yoon was scratching the back of his head with an awkward expression when a group of people, perhaps arriving for a reception, got out of a car and entered the high-end restaurant. Suddenly, something strange happened to one of them. He suddenly emitted light from his body and then vanished without a trace.
Seo-yoon and Jun-sang looked at each other.
“No way?”
“…”
But it wasn’t “no way.” At that very moment. The same phenomenon was occurring all over the world, and people were disappearing. Only then did people realize. That the initial disappearances were just the beginning. And that they themselves could be next.