3) Matchless Warrior

Weed watched the huge body lying on the floor.

The skin was like blazing lava and the three horns sprouting from the forehead was a threat itself. This was the boss monster of Metapeia, the Fire Salamander King. It was a legendary existence that lived in the desert.

But it was being hunted by Weed and his subordinates. The special leather with patterns drawn on it, blood and horns were all pieces that could be sold in stores.

Of course, the process to raise the prices through bargaining was essential!

“As expected from something known as the most powerful monster.”

He took out medicinal herbs and bandages and wrapped it around himself with familiar hand movements.

The Fire Salamander King has been destroyed. Among all the monsters Weed faced, this was definitely the best.

The thick walls and ceilings had melted during the hunt. There were many injured and dead warriors. The fast and resilient desert warriors gave up their lives so Weed could jump at the head of the creature and deal continuous, critical hits.

“We barely defeated it.”

The body of the fallen monster was still hot. Sparks were still covering Weed’s body. The effect of the flames was the special move used by the Fire Salamander King! However, it wasn’t hurting anymore thanks to his high fire resistance.

Ddiring!

“Huhuhut, this is the taste!”

The experience from hunting a boss monster was multiplied by 100 times. Of course, his growth process wasn’t normal so Weed had different skills at this level. Furthermore, the stats related to his sculpting failed to grow even higher. This was a disadvantage but he still reached a colossal level!

Even if he was facing level 400 mobs, they wouldn’t dare resist and would just stay still for his sword swing. If Weed was determined enough then he could easily crush a city. A Sun Warrior was an upgrade from Desert Warrior.

However, the profession of desert warrior is only granted to the strongest in the world. At the end of the day, the strongest Sun Warrior’s skill was Mana Burn.

“Let’s check the item.”

Sya sya syak!

“As expected, these items aren’t simple. I’m looking forward to it. These things might be helpful.”

Weed glanced at his subordinates. The injured soldiers were sitting on the ground after the last big battle. Less than half of the desert warriors who entered the dungeon remained. The injured were in the centre of the room but at least 200~300 people had died.

His conscience was slightly p.r.i.c.ked at the thought of monopolizing all the items from the Fire Salamander King.

“I need to confirm it secretly. Inspect!”

His conscience was slightly active but he still concealed checking the items from his subordinates.

Ddiring!

“How excellent.”

Weed was satisfied with this loot. This was the feeling of happiness when hunting a boss cla.s.s monster. And the crystal with a red aura around it!

“Inspect!”

“I’ve heard of this.”

An old man in a desert city said.

-Fire, water, wind, earth and lightning. There are special places that are the source of all this.

The desert has 5 sanctuaries hidden that are related to this. How do you know?

It was recorded in the diary found on five charred corpses. Chuckle. The book is probably left behind from a city covered in sand.

You will suffer if you try to find it.

The old man gave him some clues but not enough for Weed to find it. And he had no plans to find it. There were only 4 minutes remaining in his 80 days of hunting. His plan was to hunt incessantly before time ran out.

“These guys. You’ve gone through a lot of suffering.”

He checked the items and wrapped bandages around the bodies of his subordinates.

“Kuooh, Great Emperor…”

“You came here because you believed in me. You worked hard.”

Kindness would be more favourable in this quest!

‘There is only a little bit of time remaining so should I try to raise my level some more?’

Weed’s eyes sparkled at the thought. His current level was 824. The level of his subordinates was also considerably high. The desert tribes were so loyal that it didn’t matter if they died.

‘No. I still have a few hundred people remaining. They followed me despite the harsh treatment so their discipline isn’t bad. There is no chance of a rebellion even with a deep injury. I can use these guys later. I should make something to eat. I can even sell it on a shrimp boat later.’

Weed handed the bandages back to his subordinates and didn’t hesitate to pull out a weapon.

“Thank you for everything so far. The fact that we won this battle is all due to you.”

“No, Great Emperor. It is a glory that I could follow behind the Great Emperor. I will go anywhere. I won’t forget the glorious days even if I die.”

“You can’t die before me. I feel the pain of my flesh tearing every time you get hurt.”

“Great Emperor!”

“Yes, this insignificant desert warrior won’t end here!”

“Heeok! Please remember my humble name.”

“Of course thoughts about all of you are filling my head! I can’t take you lightly.”

Weed called the names of his subordinates one by one and sent them encouragements.

“Tallonya, Bollos, Krengrand, Ai…sumi? Hmm hmm. Your injury is serious. Come here. There are still many bandages remaining.”

“My injury is nothing. Great Emperor doesn’t need to take care of it.”

“We are the sword and bow that will split Great Emperor’s enemies.”

His subordinates were thrilled that he remembered their names.

‘This person called Hestiger! He is still alive. Looking at that arm protector, he has picked up another good item.’

He felt jealousy whenever he heard that name. Soon it was time for the Nodulle’s Growth quest to end.

Ddiring!

The crisis was over but he felt a premonition that the next quest would be even more eventful.

“The next request hasn’t been given.”

Weed sighed but it couldn’t be helped. He had completely succeeded in continuous, difficult quests. It was natural to receive even more difficult quests.

Weed and his subordinates returned to the desert city of Laos near the oasis. Of course, he had to pack the skin, bones, teeth and claws of the Fire Salamanders before leaving the dungeon. The dungeon was empty as it lost everything. The Fire Salamanders had been purified and it would take at least 1 year for the to reappear.

The number of desert warriors that survived this hunt was 741 people! His troops had suffered and their numbers were significantly reduced. However, they became considerable stronger after the experience in the Fire Salamander dungeon.

“Warrior-1, this is Laos right?”

“Yes. It seems to fit.”

Laos had changed a lot during the course of his quest. The residents had built thousands of red and white houses along the sand dunes. The beautiful, colourful walls gave off a type of elegance.

The kingdoms of the Central Continent were cities built to match the lush, green forests and mountains and were suitable for n.o.bles. The materials were stone or wood from trees.

Laos was a popular city but the houses were made with sand and earth. It gave a solid and cosy feeling of a revived city!

It was a city of desert warriors so it didn’t need to worry about attacks from outside. The high walls were meant to divide the city rather than play a defensive role and the gates were open.

Due to Cloud Sculpting and the abundance of rain falling, the oasis turned into a clear, blue lake with a river flowing from it.

Honey and milk flowed from Laos and merchants and nomadic farmers gathered, making it always crowded.

“Throwing this much money… I’d rather embezzle the money then spend in on the arts.”

Seo-yoon thought that Weed liked the arts so she generously invested the funds she gained from the mercenary guild in this area. The desert had a creative culture of pa.s.sionate dancing, singing, sculpting, art, etc.

“The Great Emperor is visiting!”

“Everybody come forth!”

Weed’s visit attracted attention so all the troops and residents ran out to the streets and bowed respectfully on the ground.

The most majestic presence in the desert! He had the status of the strongest in the desert so it was natural for them to wors.h.i.+p him. In fact, Weed’s power was so huge that he would settle disputes among large tribes.

“Watching you fight every time can be very annoying.”

“Great Emperor, they robbed the flock of sheep that we have been raising for 80 years.”

“No. This is our pasture. Their one is over there. Here is the evidence.”

“Too noisy. The reason isn’t required. In my eyes, both of you are wrong for causing a conflict in the desert.”

“Save me!”

“We were wrong.”

“Both sides made a mistake so you should give compensation. The flock of sheep and pasture. Your relations.h.i.+p isn’t good so you should give the properties to me. If you don’t want to die.”

“T-thank you for the fair judgement.”

Weed lightly showed off his power to extort them of their property. He would return to his original time after the final secret sculpting technique quest was finished so he needed money. He used it to purchase good weapons, equipment, skills etc. He gained the t.i.tle of ‘Person Seeking Bribes’ but that didn’t matter.

“There is nothing wrong with it. I’m not an honourable person.”

His active spirit of bribery overrode any actions of aid or virtue. He was meeting Seo-yoon in the city but it was difficult to tell apart the faces covered in cloth with only the eyes showing. Weed sent a whisper to Seo-yoon.

–Where are you?

–The fountain.

–I’ll be there in a minute.

Seo-yoon was waiting in front of the fountain in the city.

Weed got off Bactrian Camel and took off the Pharaoh’s mask. His bald head glared in the sun!

Seo-yoon was wearing a headscarf and neat desert clothes, giving off an elegant and intelligent style. It was absurd but she hadn’t aged as the quest progressed.

Seo-yoon smiled brightly as Weed headed towards the fountain and looked like a model for expensive cosmetics. She proved the reason why females poured money into skin care.

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“This isn’t going to happen…”

“It is still too early to give up. We should be able to buy some time if we enter the sewers!”

Artists packed their brushes and paints and escaped in a hurry. Usually cities were a safe zone from monsters but these people were being pursued by a.s.sa.s.sins.

“Where are they coming from?”

“I don’t know. I can’t see. We’ve arrived at the sewers. This should be enough…cough!”

A purple dagger with poison on it belonging to an a.s.sa.s.sin suddenly hit the drain!

“This place is obvious for anyone thinking of escape.”

“Shut up, you Hermes dog!”

“This is proof of the rumours.”

Seokeok!

In order to maintain peace in the Haven Empire, the Hermes Guild employed a merciless squad of a.s.sa.s.sins.

“There is a lot of graffiti. The deterioration of public order is more serious than I thought.”

“Kill anyone who is suspicious. Pay special attention to the painters in the city.”

They a.s.sa.s.sinated painters, rebels and anyone belonging to the Embinyu Church! The Haven Empire acted swiftly to maintain public order.

The players protested in the square of the Imperial Palace but the military mobilized their forces, including battle carriages in order to exterminate them. Public opinion was bad but the Haven Empire had the strongest power in the Central Continent and used that to supress any backlash.

Additionally, Emperor Bardray set some edicts.

1. All those who oppose the rule of the Haven Empire will be given the death penalty.
2. Any who help the rebels of any kingdoms will be given the death penalty.
3. Those who draw graffiti about the n.o.bles of the Empire will be given the death penalty.
4. Anybody with a connection to the Embinyu Church will be given the death penalty.
5. Any actions that will worsen public order will be disposed of.

Emperor Bardray.

The Haven Empire wanted to unify the Versailles Continent so they were concerned about ending the war and maintaining peace. Users from the defeated kingdoms or guilds often spread false rumours to disturb the rule of the Haven Empire.

Users who were caught doing these things were killed and then permanently expelled from the Haven Empire’s territory and hunting grounds. The vast majority of general users had to endure the rule of the Haven Empire.

A hometown was very important on the Versailles Continent. It was a familiar city and their colleagues were there. Their contribution and intimacy with NPCs would also rise and it would become the base city for their adventures.

Even if others criticized the Hermes Guild, the users who started in the Haven Kingdom had already adapted to the bad situation.

Expensive hunting ground admission prices and heavy taxes. The situation wasn’t like other kingdoms.

The Empire was increasingly gaining strength. As the Haven Empire expanded, the scope of the users’ activities naturally widened.

Moreover, the Haven Empire might be the first to unify the continent. Other guilds had to compete for places. Quite a few people left for the north to escape the Hermes Guild’s persecution but many people still lived in the Empire.

“Edicts? It really isn’t a joke.”

“The Haven Empire just wants to kill anyone they see as wrong.”

“This rule is a dictators.h.i.+p.”

The users were dissatisfied but they didn’t show it on the outside. The military power of the Haven Empire was pus.h.i.+ng on them from above. In addition, the Allied Forces on the continent were thoroughly defeated.

The Haven Empire continued to increase the occupied territory and used the money plundered to grow their military. People looked away like it was unrelated to them and continued quietly hunting and adventuring.

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The flames under Fabio’s hand seemed like they were dancing. He learnt to deal with both metal and fire!

His blacksmith skill proficiency had reached a high of 99%. He was waiting to become a master but even the most perfectly created sword didn’t increase it anymore. Even smelting hard metal didn’t change the proficiency.

“This is the limit of simple production. I need to look for a new method.”

In fact, Fabio had expected this to some extent.

The best blacksmith had to create a legendary sword that would be known throughout the continent.

A Master Blacksmith. He needed a great achievement in order to become a ruler of metal. There were numerous users waiting to master their skills but Fabio was stuck at the final step.

Fabio rose from his spot.

“The best armour and perfect sword. It will be good items for those qualified to use them. The hero who is the first to unify the continent will be the one I make this weapon and armour for.”

He was well aware of how the world was changing.

The dwarf kingdom of Thor hadn’t received any external aggression yet. The dwarf culture had no kings or n.o.bles and were uncompromising warriors who dealt with their enemies using their axes. Most of all, the presence of Akryong Kaybern meant conquering the kingdom wasn’t going to be that easy.

But the dwarves would naturally be affected if the Haven Empire conquered the world. Their fate as a minority species was to be swept away by the war. The Thor Kingdom wasn’t active in the world but they were naturally interested in the changes occurring on the continent.

“The military needs to strengthen its cooperation with the Hermes Guild. We have to make that choice before it is too late.”

Fabio and the junior blacksmiths decided to aid the conquest of the Haven Empire. The dwarves made weapons and defensive items from ores. Numerous other guilds who had been watching quietly until now sided with the Haven Empire.

They decided to give up on resistance and accepted the rule of the Haven Empire.

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Pale, Surka, Irene, Romuna, Hwaryeong, Bellot, Maylon and Mapan were all gathered together.

“Sigh… Everybody went through a lot of trouble.”

Bellot said as she looked at the others’ faces. The reason she failed to connect to Royal Road for a while was a TV filming.

But everyone’s face had changed in the meantime. Their hair had become matted, their faces dirty and armour shattered. Repairs could make them neat again but they had just returned from a quest.

“It is okay. It was worth it. Look at my fist now!”

Surka whose face looked like a dark elf gripped her fist tightly. When her fist punched something, there was a probability of causing lightning. It was a fighting skill gained from the monsters in Lightning Valley!

Pale’s bow had also changed, indicating that he had gained quite a bit of profit.

“Ah, this fragrance is really good.”

Romuna wore a robe that covered her face and sat quietly while drinking tea. This was unusual since she liked to talk. This was either a very large failure or a one-time jackpot!

‘I was nervous but I guess the work succeeded.’

People who knew her well thought that she was lucky. Hwaryeong was dressed like an Indian female in order to learn a new dance.

After greeting each other, Mapan started talking with a heavy atmosphere. Mapan had invited them to his mansion in Morata.

“Here, this is the reason I invited you…this is a book bought cheaply from a farmer.

It isn’t unusual for something that I read to turn out to be something more.” Mapan pulled a book from his backpack. A corner of the book was torn and the t.i.tle said ‘The Discovery on Halmerun Mountain.’

“Let’s read a bit of chapter 1. Start now.

I’ve seen a lot of places as an adventurer. But I think this is a special place.”

When I first came to the north… I was going to run away. The monsters were too scare for my colleagues and I.

I’m writing this book while hiding in a cave but this is a romantic adventure.

So why is there a musty smell? This is the smell of a bear. Tonight we didn’t want to be the bear’s dinner. Please note that I have no taste. Although the Shabel Tiger tried to bite my arm, it soon left to seek different prey. The reason for this is the secret paste I applied to my body.

…Omission…So I was wandering lost in a place overgrowing with trees.

It was an area with deep, dark trees when I saw a ring.

It was a ring belonging to a missing knight of the Niflheim Empire called Ivanstein.

I looked around a little bit but returned after not finding anything.

Facing a hungry monster on a dark night is very dangerous.

“Who is Ivanstein?”

Surka asked a question but everyone was quiet. It was because they also didn’t know. They were like new chicks in this area.

“Knights of the Niflheim Empire are constantly fighting off invading monsters. I searched in the library for Ivanstein and discovered that he was a knight holding a bra.s.s plate before disappearing. It is one of the four treasures of the Niflheim Empire.”

“What is the effect of the bra.s.s plate?”

“Unfortunately, I couldn’t find out. However, it seems valuable enough to search for it.”

“By ourselves?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The people looked in each other’s eyes.

This required searching a mountain based on a story from a book! It was far away and they would have to pa.s.s through several monster habitats.

Apart from quests, adventures could also be obtained from clues like this.

“Let’s go.”

“I will go.”

“We have to go there.”

It was an important decision but everyone made it easily. There were unpredictable difficulties that could occur on adventures.

‘It might be a little hard but we will suffer even more under Weed.’

‘This is nothing compared to Weed’s quest.’

They grew quickly while hunting with Weed!

The tension in regular quests wasn’t high enough. Every once in a while, they wanted to feel the thrill and exciting moments when hunting with Weed.

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[Minor TL Note]: This is just speculation but I’m going to put it down here because I know some people will ask the question. I a.s.sume that Weed still has the level he earned because the whole point of this quest is to level up for the next few quests. Therefore, Weed probably won’t get the reward for the levelling up until his level is reset. But this is just my guess…

Another thing for the readers who use Discord. I’ve made a server for this website where people can talk about the novels in general or spoilers. I will also post status updates and will be occasionally on to chat or answer questions. So feel free to join if you want. Here is the invitation link:

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