V55C8P3 – Crisis in Morata

Weed travelled through the sky on Wyvern-Three.

The sunlight was warm, the air was fresh and the breeze was pleasant.

“Ahh, this is nice.”

Through the white clouds he looked down, saw the mountain, trees and the lakes in a harmonious view that refreshed his mind.

– Kuaaagh.

– I’m so tired, master!

Wy-One and the other wyverns behind him struggled to keep up.

He tied the Brazier of Sacrifice to their bodies and was on his way to meet half-elf vishur!

It would have taken a long time if he used a wagon, so instead he chose to fly it over by mobilizing flying creatures.

Weed sewed his leather armor and spoke lazily.

“You guys have to bear it.”

– Why should we?

“Delivery must be fast and precise.”

Wyvern delivery was boastful of its best service!

– But this is too much. It’s too heavy.

– Yeah, so heavy that I’m going to crash.

“Does whining make things any easier for you? I’ve done delivery before and I’m telling you its not that bad. Just do it!”

Weed thought he seemed like a supervisor but he was enjoying it.

Other people may criticize his behavior, but being able to boss people around was very pleasing.

“Just hold on for a little longer.”

– Aren’t we still far from the destination?

“Yeah. Still, I have to tell you to hold for a bit longer. It’s better than telling you to hold for a long time.”

– Kyaaagh!

Wyvern-One screamed furiously.

Unlike the baraags that did exactly as they were told, they were sa.s.sy.

They were wyverns said to scare children who were already crying!

“Are you taking your anger out on me?”

– … No.

“I think you were.”

– That’s not true.

“You respect me right?”

– Y… Yes.

Weed continued sewing as he flew to Baroque Mountain Pa.s.s Forest.

Half-elf Vishur stayed back in this forest in order to recover her lost powers.

“Over there.”

Weed led the wyvern group and descended to the forest.

“I have returned with the Brazier of Sacrifice.”

“So this is it. You recovered it so quickly.”

“Kaybern had it in its possession. I got a.s.sistance from the dwarves.”

Weed explained that he recovered the brazier from Kaybern’s lair through the mine built and excavated by dwarves, intentionally leaving out the part about how that process flowed into robbing the lair.

“I can sense pure heat from this brazier. It’s as if life itself is lit constantly.”

Dwarven Precious Treasure Complete.

Half-elf Vishur said that the Brazier of Sacrifice was required to defeat the Black Dragon Kaybern.

The miracle of the brazier that is fueled by life.

Through the adventure, the savior discovered what the brazier was and finally recovered it.

< You have gained a level. >

< Honor increased by 25,000. >

< The completion of the near-impossible adventure granted permanent special reward.

Maximum health points increased by 500.

Maximum mana increased by 1,000. >

It was quite a hefty gain!

Experience points were important, but as he started out with the sculptor known for low health stats, it was better that he gained little more health points.

‘This isn’t half bad.’

That being said, the biggest gain was the treasure he stole from Kaybern’s lair.

Magic items or mages, dwarven masterpieces, precious jewels.

Weed set aside a warrior set, hunter set and mage set fir himself.

There were equipment that could only be worn by special monsters, but even those could be worn by Weed through Sculptural Transformation.

80% of the weapons and armor taken out of the lair were item level 800 to 900.

Some equipment could not be worn even by Weed, and they were so expensive that most users could only see it on display.

Now that he had owners.h.i.+p of these items, it was inevitable that his hunting or training rate would hit a spike.

For a long time he would never feel disappointed in his equipment.

Vishur spoke to him with glowing eyes.

“Even with the brazier in our possession, our powers are not enough to defeat Kaybern. We need to gather comrades.”

“Are there any candidates out there capable enough to fight the dragon?”

“Knatul who lives near the frozen ocean in the North. If I can meet him, he will help us.”

“Knatul?”

“He is a barbarian with huge fists and unrivaled defence. He battles endlessly with the freezing pillars of wind. Also, fairy knight Malin will be a huge a.s.set if he were to become our comrade.”

Blink!

To find comrades who will fight together…

The cold lands where there are no human footsteps.

Go to the land inhabited by barbarians in white animal hides and find Knatul.

He who wields his two fists as weapons is the mighty hero of the barbarians!

Fairy knight Malin, the lover of elegant beauty, will be in the deepest pond garden.

Meet and talk to them with half-elf Vishur.

Difficulty: S

Quest Requirement: The hero who saves the continent

Highest adventure reputation.

Weed nodded.

If there were warriors who could stand in front for such a dangerous mission, he was ready to invite tons.

“They will be a great help in stopping Kaybern once they join us. I will hurry with the search.”

< You have accepted the quest. >

The quest for slaying the dragon.

Powerful individuals not yet known to the continent were about to gather.

– Mapan: A barbarian with white animal hide? If it says a cold land where humans do not tread, I think you would have to consider the wild regions.

Weed proceeded with the quest and actively gathered information.

If there was a variety of information, the mission time could be reduced significantly.

– Chase: I think it is the glacial region north of Liselit Mountain Pa.s.s. The land is frozen with over 1 meter of piled snow. I’ve heard intel that tough barbarians that battle against gigantic monsters inhabit those lands.

Information gathered fast even for locations they only heard for the first time. The other adventurers were to a.s.sist in confirmation and additional help.

***

Lafaye was living in the ruin of the Hermes Guild.

The users comprised the main battle force. Over 700,000 elite users were dwindling in number from the Haven regions.

“It seems that they have transferred to Gradian where Myul is. After all it is burdening to be playing in the Central continent like nothing happened. Over 20,000 have already made the migration. Hundreds are following each day.”

Lafaye smirked after hearing from Arkhim.

“He turned his back on us now that we’ve weakened…”

“Shouldn’t we give orders for his return?”

“What if he refuses?”

“Then we put him on the wanted list.”

“Who would hunt him down, the guild members who already escaped Haven territories?”

Arkhim’s expression stiffened.

Throwing someone on the wanted list for migrating over the border to the Arpen Empire was going to bring unimaginable consequences.

“The runaways will continue further away from Haven territory, and battles will occur no matter the Central or North continent. If normal users intervene, the safety of our hunters will be at stake.”

“What’s worse is if the guild members that set out to hunt were to never come back.”

Users hating on the Hermes Guild was nothing new, but they were blamed for Kaybern’s deed. The Hermes Guild members knew that as well and tried any way they could to break away from Haven territory.

***

Yoo Byung Jun realized that the world he knew changed after he personally tried Royal Road.

Eating reminded him of the food in Royal Road and observing the people outside his building did the same.

‘Their levels must be higher than mine. Daring to be higher level than the creator himself…’

He was the one who invented Royal Road.

After he spanned out the technical structure, he built up the details with AI as the foundation.

‘I should have tried this sooner.’

Sitting idly made his body all itchy, urging him to log into Royal Road.

He wanted to hunt monsters like rabbits, squirrels and foxes in the novice regions.

‘Should I use a bow for the quick footed monsters? Most of them run away so fast that it’s not easy to hunt.’

He spent more time surfing through auction sites than the time he actually spent on Royal Road. To ensure he had plenty of time, he cut down on sleep.

– t.i.tle: Selling 3,000 gold. Waiting at Morata. Insta-transaction.

– t.i.tle: Selling iron sword. Work of blacksmith Babtus.

– t.i.tle: Binryong town square. Trading up for 10 minutes. 17% mana recovery ring.

Overall, the novice items seemed relatively common, but some had 1 or 2 higher attack damage or special properties.

< Selling Marksman Bow.

Level 10 restriction.

15 attack damage.

Increases accuracy of close and mid-range by 43%.

It will hit most of the time.

We can’t aim long range anyway, haha.

It also has 10% quickdraw and 5% penetration.

I’m desperate for some cash so I will sell to whoever bids highest before the end of today! >

“I landed one!”

The pleasure of looting an item after surfing through the auction sites!

Yoo Byungjoon instantly checked out the maximum price range set by the seller.

“10 million won?”

The bid had started with 10,000 won.

Marksman bow usually sold for 30,000 to 40,000 won so the starting bid was just for courtesy.

“That’s really cheap.”

It seemed very inexpensive for Yoo Byungjoon.

With that bow in his hands, he could land several more shots on those sly rabbits.

That in itself was a great gain for him.

< You have purchased the item. >

He collected decent items for each part of the character and bought various weapons like swords, spears and axes.

– Professor, you are showing the typical traits of addiction on Royal Road.

The AI alert signaled.

“Addiction?”

– Yes. Current state addiction stage 1 with possible sleep disorder and insufficient exercise. Rest is recommended.

Yoo Byung Jun was annoyed by the AI alert.

“I don’t have many years to live anyway, so I’m going to do what I want.”

– That is also plausible.

“…”

The AI acknowledged it without much of a backbite!

Yoo Byung Jun started out in Morata without much thinking, but now he deemed it to have been the best decision.

“Let’s buy everything.”

It was the best city for a novice to spend real currency.

From weapons and armor to production tools and food, all sorts of items were being traded.

Like the saying that late flings are scary, he spent more time spending real currency and buying items across the townsquare instead of hunting.

“So this is the joy of life. I think I can live happily with just Royal Road.”

– You’ve entered addiction stage 2.

(To be continued…)