Chapter 10) Talk of Heroes

“Radiant Sword!”

Weed faced the waves and used the skill. The eagles shot out and separated the waves before disappearing.

The daily training in a windy sea has increased the regeneration of all items that add mana and any priests that accompanied you. The place had rough rainfall and sharp winds blowing throughout the day. To the north of Varna Harbour was a beach where hardly any navigators sailed.

“This place is suitable to raise my skill proficiency.”

Weed’s greatest a.s.set was his concentration. He didn’t go fis.h.i.+ng but wielded his sword while standing on the rocks. The waves were so dangerous that it would cover the rocks if he glanced away.

He had to cut it precisely every time the waves swept towards him and he had to push back his instinctive fear when there was a huge storm.

It was a dark place without a separate day or night but marine creatures would appear in the evening.

“They are snacks.”

Weed used Radiant Sword against the sea and hunted monsters. It wasn’t as high as a dungeon but his experience steadily climbed. The sea creatures tried to attack in groups but Seo-yoon, Bahamorg and Eltin.

“It is a bit risky but this is a quest I have to overcome.”

Weed didn’t take a short break even when his mana or vitality ran out.

“Even if the monsters are too strong or I can’t find the required quest items, I can’t fail this quest!”

Grinding was about pride! Dozens of days pa.s.sed and his skill proficiency increased so much that 5 eagles were flying out from Weed’s sword towards the cras.h.i.+ng storm waves.

The mana consumption rose but the destructive power and range also increased. Radiant Sword was now Intermediate level 1.

“The power of the sword technique has risen so I can go to a more dangerous place.”

Weed took a raft out to sea.

Sailing on a sailboat in a severe storm was impossible, let alone riding the turbulent sea on a raft of woven logs. However, he had a certain amount of sailing skill so he was determined.

The storm became increasingly severe and the wind was raging. Weed balanced on the raft and swung his sword. When he was about to fall into the sea, Weed would use his past sculpture Light Wings to leave his seat quickly.

He desperately fought against the turbulent waves and rain that made his previous dungeon hunts seemed easy.

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Seo-yoon came over to his house while Lee Hyun was in the capsule. She had been visiting day and night since moving in next door.

Bark bark bark!

Dogmeat acted even friendlier then he did towards Lee Hyun as he barked and wagged his tail.

“Have you been waiting? Eat a lot.”

Seo-yoon generously poured food into Dogmeat’s bowl and generously gave him snacks. Dogmeat ate all the snacks and bone broth while Seo-yoon brushed off the fur on her.

Cackle!

The chickens welcomed Seo-yoon when they saw her. Even the yellow chicks waddled around her. The rabbits lay in a pile of gra.s.s and stared at her with large, s.h.i.+ning eyes. The ducks came along like they belonged with her.

“Ducks should be raised in a puddle….”

The ducks and chickens locked up looked pitiful. Seo-yoon made a large pond when building her house for the ducks.

“I’ll take the ducks.”

“Why?”

“Don’t they smell and make a lot of noise?”

“Sometimes.”

“I’m going to train them at my house. I’ll also give them rice.”

“Take care of it.”

The ducks were plopped down in a pond that was large enough for a person to swim in. Seo-yoon already controlled the hearts of all the animals in this house.

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Weed risked his life!

The outcome was that his Radiant Sword skill proficiency kept on rising. Weed’s mood was high when a lightning bolt suddenly struck the sea. Luckily he had items with lightning resistance and managed to avoid the lightning storm or he wouldn’t have survived.

Weed was a hot topic once his training was shown on the broadcast.

“I really should rethink becoming a sculptor. He already had several large battles as part of his quests and now he has to endure that?”

“It is said that the Sculptor’s Master Quest is one of the most difficult among all Cla.s.s Master Quests. It is unknown what stage he is even up to anymore.”

People saw Weed’s behaviour and mistakenly thought of it as part of his Master Quest. If they knew it was for a secret sculpting technique then everyone would be astonished but that could never be disclosed. He wouldn’t tell them even after acquiring the skill.

However, many beginner sculptors changed to other professions like a Painter. If the Master Quest was too hard then it would be better to give up early and change to another profession.

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Geomchi5 decided to proceed on the Martial Artist Master Quest first.

“I heard that you cleaned up the monsters. Recently there is a group of bandits that have become a threat…..”

“Should I kill them?”

“The martial arts they are using isn’t ordinary. Only someone who knows martial arts can get rid of those people.”

Geomchi-5 beat the quest using his sword fighting skills. The quests for a martial artist fit Geomchi-5’s inclination perfectly. He could fight against his enemies to get stronger skills.

Wielding a sword was good but Geomchi-5 was completely immersed in the effects of the skills. The skills were useful in special situations and the person using it looked quite flashy. Looking cool in a fight was very important.

“These days the soldiers are too weak. At this rate I don’t know if peace can be defended. Please teach the soldiers some martial arts…..”

“I will teach them until they feel like dying.”

Geomchi-5 smoothly proceeded through his quests. There weren’t any difficult quests. But then he b.u.mped into an obstacle on one of the quests!

“I heard that you help people in trouble. Please rescue our daughter.”

A farmer said while clinging to him.

“They dragged my daughter to the Rui Thieves’ Lair. Who knows what they will do to my poor child….. Rob those bad guys until they have nothing left.”

Geomchi-5 nodded his head.

“Well, I have to accept your request after hearing that.”

Some martial artist quests didn’t give compensation but fame and intimacy with the residents rose instead.

“This is a picture of my daughter that a painter drew.”

Ddiring!

“Looking at this will be helpful.”

Geomchi-5 unfolded the picture without any expectations.

“Heeok.”

A beautiful girl with long, straight hair and a bright smile!

“Father-in-law, did you say the Rui Thieves’ Lair? I will go help immediately.”

He entered the Rui Thieves’ Lair as soon as he accepted the quest. He managed to rescue her but it was too late and she was already dying.

It was his Cla.s.s Master Quest so even if he failed, another chance came again a few days later. This time a merchant asked him to rescue his daughter.

“Father-in-law!”

This time he went to rescue her but failed to bring the daughter out safely. His skill in Weapons Mastery and judgement in battle was superior but he was limited on a fundamental level.

“I am too weak.”

A martial artist frequently had combat quests so his level was essential! Geomchi-5 felt powerless so he desperately hunted before making another attempt and succeeded.

“Thank you for bringing back my daughter safely.”

“It’s nothing, Sir. A man should be able to do this much.”

“It is shabby but this is an old map. I don’t know what you can find….”

“No. I didn’t do this because I was hoping for anything in return.”

“I’m so grateful! My daughter is back so now she can have a wedding ceremony with her fiance.”

“Kuheuhuk.”

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His Sailing skill increased while on the raft. This wasn’t a relaxing sail on a boat without any wind. Weed rode the raft and fought against a storm every day. Dark clouds filled the sky and it was constantly raining.

Kurururung!

Fearful lightning struck the sea! He desperately struggled to stop the raft from being overturned by waves.

“Today is a crisis.”

To be honest, Weed was having fun. His desire to challenge tough things burned inside him as he fought against the heavy waves. He needed to concentrate or he would die if he fell into the water.

He found a wild side while cutting apart the waves. He could live as a free man without worrying about morals or discipline. That’s why many people lived on the sea.

If Weed ran out of vitality then he would come to land and carve the rocks.

A swordsman against the sea!

He sailed on the raft and carved sculptures while fighting against powerful sharks.

“I’m somewhat lonely.”

He made a sculpture of a Blue Marin while observing the features of any sea monsters he discovered.

The sea storms also forced out huge and strong marine creatures. But they didn’t come anywhere without a fast flowing water current. While Weed was training on the raft, they were waiting with open mouths under the water.

Amid the wind and rain, the water turned a little darker due to the marine creatures.

“It has been a little over1 month since I started this quest.”

Thanks to the dangerous training, Radiant Sword reached Intermediate level 4.

“This is enough to achieve the quest.”

It was the 37th day. A more severe storm than usual blew in. The ropes tying Weed’s raft together couldn’t resist the power of the waves and broke apart.

Plop!

Weed was concentrating on Radiant Sword and his reaction was a second too late. In the end he fell into the sea.

‘The prey has come.’

‘It was worth waiting.’

The marine creatures shook their fins and approached. There was even a kraken whose body exceeded dozens of metres. The marine monsters gathered in order to eat Weed.

‘A rare nutritious food.’

‘A strong human.’

Monsters liked strong enemies. If they won the fight then they could grow and learn skills. There were many battles between races on the Versailles Continent and it was common for the winning forces to become stronger.

A human that fell into the water was normally weaker than the sea creatures. They usually couldn’t exert their combat power. Moreover, their ability to resist a severe storm would fall.

“Kkururuk!”

Weed struggled but drifted away due to the rapid sea currents. Waves 8~9 metres washed over him. Suddenly there was an immense wave of water 40~50 metres big.

Wakjak!

The kraken’s tentacles struck the place where Weed was. The logs remaining from the raft were shattered. Other marine creatures tried to swallow him but they just drank water in vain. The sea currents didn’t flow in one direction but surged in complicated patterns.

Weed spiritlessly floated around on the waves.

Although his fatigue was high, the increase in Concentration stat meant that his skill proficiency could grow quickly. However, the bad situation meant he was worried about dying immediately.

In the middle of his desperate crisis, Weed pulled a rope that was tied to his ankle. It was a rope connected to an empty barrel. He grabbed the floating wooden barrel and managed to catch his breath.

He couldn’t support his body because of the waves so he had no choice but to swallow seawater. If he drank the water without breathing then he would lose consciousness.

That’s why grabbing the wooden barrel was a great help.

“It really seems like I’m going to die. I have a lot of savings….”

They weren’t visible but the sea creatures were coming from underwater to eat him. When he was on the raft, he would use his Light Wings so they had been aiming for a chance when he couldn’t escape. They crowded all over the place once he fell into the sea. It was the horror of being eaten by sea monsters!

“Light Wings!”

Radiant wings unrolled behind Weed’s back and he flew into the air.

Peseseok!

At that moment, the wooden barrel was crushed by the big mouth of a monster.

The broken pieces of the raft or any piece of land couldn’t be seen. It was difficult to determine a direction due to the high waves, rain and dark clouds.

“I have to get out of here quickly. But which way should I go?”

The severe storms and winds made abnormal sea currents and waves. His vitality and mana fell from the rough wind and thick rain. If he fell into the water then he wouldn’t be able to swim due to the weight of his armour. Moreover, the water was filled with sea creatures waiting with open mouths.

“There are a few other ways but…..”

Causing a disaster here would be a double sided edge. A disaster falling in this stormy place would just kill him.

“There may be a way to survive the sea.”

Before using such an extreme way, he could also use Sculpture Transformation to turn into a sea creature. Rebirth as a large fish or a squid monster! Training without any precautions in a storm was reckless.

“Well let’s go somewhere else first.”

Weed opened his Light Wings and flew up high. The wind was intense and lightning also struck high in the sky.

“It doesn’t seem to be in this direction. There is no visible signs of land. Let’s go to the right.”

The storm became increasingly intense.

“Not here either. Then once again to the right…..”

He quickly swerved the thick intense and intense, frightful waves.

“Not this side either. This seems to be the centre of the storm.”

Weed took threats to his life seriously. Although the storm was intense, he couldn’t afford to enter the sea.

Then a pure white sh.e.l.l rose up in the sea!

“That is…..”

He had given life to many sculptures in the Jigolaths. The nature of several species that lived in the sea meant they escaped from Weed’s grasp.

Among them was the Malleins Eunoto Turtle! A huge turtle that lived in the depths of the ocean, Surka had often played with it.

“Turtle. Turtle.”

It was Turtle crying out to Weed.

Weed had a great understanding of life.

“Living a good life will give blessings. Reading the contents of a child’s storybook wasn’t a waste.”

“Turtle. Turtle.”

“Let’s go Turtle!”

Weed landed on Turtle’s back. The Malleins Eunoto Turtle was originally an extinct species but was given life using Sculpture Life Bestowal. It had unusual markings on the flat sh.e.l.l and many oysters stuck to it.

“I can do the rest of the training on this sh.e.l.l.”

He was going to use Turtle until the end of his quest.

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Time pa.s.sed as Weed concentrated on training in the stormy sea. A period of more than 100 days wasn’t a short amount of time.

“Hahahaha, I finally found the treasure!”

The Adventurer Chase found a royal treasure while completing his Cla.s.s Quest!

“Have you heard about the adventurer called Chase? He just became tremendously rich.”

“He became an Earl in the Brent Kingdom and bought a plot of land. He is now building a house that could be called a palace.”

The story about Chase spread through Royal Road. The dungeon scene where he unearthed the treasure was so popular it continued being played as reruns during the late night hours.

Warrior Python swung his sword in the Averian Forest, one of the continent’s 10 forbidden zones. His Cla.s.s Master Quest required him to hunt a boss monster here. It was possible to hire soldiers and receive the help of others but he chose to fight alone. Python had the wild charm of a wolf so many users cheered him on.

Farmer Miretas developed new crows and greeted a year with abundant harvests. The great crop yields rapidly increased the birth rate of the city. It was a large topic that Miretas had settled down in the Arpen Kingdom for his Master Quest.

“There is good climate, an abundance of blessings from the Freya Church, a wide fertile land and irrigation from rivers and lakes so the Arpen Kingdom is really good for farming.”

Miretas was a farmer who loved peace. He had lands in the Dale Kingdom but he had to offer half of his grain crops as tax. The Arpen Kingdom had low taxes and the warehouse storage fees were cheap. This was a lot of benefit to farmers so he couldn’t help admiring that point. Weed was a king with consideration and support for each profession so they could feel at ease.

“There is only one set of these clothes on the continent.”

Drago advanced to his eighth quest. He went to a village on the edge of the Arpen Kingdom and made clothes for the children. He cut the fabric, sewed b.u.t.tons and watched children running around in clothes he made. They were NPCs but it felt like he was a parent giving clothes to his children. This was something that only someone who made clothes could feel.

“The form is good with fine lines and it fits well….. The feeling also matches the clothes.”

The residents who put on the clothes became happy. If the residents wore clothes made for specific tasks then their results would be much better. The users on the Chef Cla.s.s Master Quest went to places on the continent suffering from war, plagues or disasters.

“The ingredients found here… I have to cook everything that can satisfy hunger.”

Food was prepared for the weak and starving. Residents would gather once they heard a chef had arrived and the chef’s fame spread.

Heroes were born from the Cla.s.s Master Quests.

Of course, there were also quests for bad cla.s.ses from warlocks, thieves and a.s.sa.s.sins. The Master Quest could make a hero or a villain.

A person who first chose an a.s.sa.s.sin for quick hunting decided to do the Master Quest.

Ddiring!

“a.s.sa.s.sinating wicked people….”

The continent’s top a.s.sa.s.sin. The unknown man was drinking beer at a tavern alone. He had many achievements on the Versailles Continent and hunting secretly.

An a.s.sa.s.sin was a profession that didn’t need to hunt in a party. Even so, their damage was the absolute best about combat professions. Traps could confuse strong monsters or surprise attacks meant an a.s.sa.s.sin could gain experience and skill proficiency quite quickly.

Of course, they also needed to be prepared for more danger.

“The difficult one will be more fun.”

The a.s.sa.s.sin left the tavern and his cloak fluttered as he disappeared into the crowd.

Since that day, vicious lords and high ranking members of the Embinyu Church suddenly lost their lives. The residents of the Versailles Continent cheered but it wasn’t clear that it was the actions of an a.s.sa.s.sin. His every movement was so covert that no one knew his name.

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The continent was no different from the Warring States period. The boundaries of the kingdoms built in the early days of Royal Road changed as the conquest war continued.

The Kallamore and Lasalle Kingdoms had disappeared and rumours about heroes spread quickly. The peace of the kingdoms deteriorated so the residents became dependent on heroes.

“There will be a magnificent coronation five days from now.”

The Black Sword Mercenaries won the civil war and inherited the king’s seat for Gradian Kingdom. It was to win the hearts of the public through the ceremony. The Gradian Kingdom would now start a war of conquest under the control of the Black Sword Mercenaries.

“The status of the knights?”

“Very good.”

“Then the next area to capture…..”

They invaded the villages at the border of the kingdoms controlled by the Roam Guild. The United Supremacy Guild had broken so they couldn’t miss this opportunity.

“We have to grab many villages from the weak guys.”

“We have the precedent of the Hermes Guild so it is okay.”

Anyway, they didn’t believe in anything like an eternal alliance. In the end they needed to acc.u.mulate a large power if they wanted to conquer the continent. Only the Cloud Guild and Hermes Guild were completely silent but their circ.u.mstances were completely different.

The Cloud Guild have been deprived of territory and their grip on the Britten Alliance Kingdom was weakening. It was like a sun who had shone for a while and was now gradually darkening.

They had experienced a large defeat to the Hermes Guild and was slowly collapsing. That’s because users left the losing guild. If they stayed together then they could continue fighting against the Hermes Guild.

Even with the disadvantageous situation, the economic power and population of the Britten Alliance Kingdom meant they could have a dramatic come behind victory. However, many users left the Cloud Guild after suffering a crus.h.i.+ng defeat and feeling intimidated by the Hermes Guild. The Cloud Guild belatedly took steps but they we unable to change the situation.

Meanwhile the Hermes Guild was rapidly expanding their military power while taking care of domestic administration. Now the Cloud Guild didn’t have the ability to declare war. The Hermes Guild wasn’t taking action now but everyone knew they would be advancing at a terrifying speed when they did.

Haven Empire!

It had the economic and military power of an empire so the other guilds paid attention to them.

The Central Continent was also suffering from the Embinyu Church. Many high level users died and became weakened in the wars, residents lost their lives and people closed their stores. There were many thriving cities that turned to ashes.

Despite the overwhelming military and economic power of the Versailles Continent, the users were gradually losing the a.s.sets they acc.u.mulated.

The situation in the east, west and south continents was a little different. Even if a kingdom was small, peace was high so the Embinyu Church couldn’t take root easily.

In the east, Brent Kingdom and the Rosenheim Kingdom decided to settle their rivalry to fight against the Embinyu Church together.

The tribal kingdoms and barbarians aggressively resisted the Embinyu Church.

And the north was changing rapidly.