Chapter 37

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Translated by Jinmu

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Exiting the underground waterway, Han-bit headed straight to the guild.

Ria, who headed to the slum district, didn’t say a word even when they parted ways.

“But you can honestly be seen by Ria, right?”

Han-bit, moving along the street, asked Yeon-woo who was in the middle of shooting.

Catching the intention of the question, he nodded his head.

“She probably can see me, but my presence would be non-existent. Because the story progresses entirely based on you, the party leader, hyung. And symmetrically, since I don’t interfere, my contribution converges to 0 as well.”

“… Can the Main Quest be cleared in that state?”

“It’s possible to clear even though the rewards are almost nonexistent. Though it’s a method people would normally never choose.”

Yeon-woo didn’t take much interest in the growth of his game character.

His head was already filled entirely with the company preparations, Han-bit’s broadcast, and shooting.

“Well, as long as you’re okay with it, it’s fine.”

“Of course I’m okay with it. You wouldn’t know how honey-jam it is to spectate directly from the side, hyung. If I just edit this well, the view count will also be massive…”

Yeon-woo poured out various words in an excited voice.

He seemed to be enjoying the current situation a lot more than expected.

“Let’s go in.”

Arriving at the guild, Han-bit stepped inside.

Miel at the reception desk was trimming her nails like usual.

“Miel.”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Finishing up her trimming, she turned her gaze.

Her response was fast, perhaps thanks to having given her the Firefly Flower.

“You came to change the request, right? Let’s go with the one I recommend this time.”

Without even asking the business he came for, Miel finished her judgment on her own.

She thought he was giving up on the difficult request of attacking a dungeon.

“I finished the request. Please verify it.”

Clack-

Han-bit placed the item obtained from the Elder Goblin onto the table.

It was none other than the Rank 3 Unique grade Goblin’s Spirit Necklace.

“…?”

Miel, who momentarily froze, slowly dropped her gaze downwards.

Confirming the identity of the item at a glance, she widened her eyes.

“What is this? Why is an Elder Goblin’s loot here?”

“Clearing the dungeon is the request. The boss of the place I went to was an Elder Goblin.”

“No, that dungeon is a D-rank solo dungeon! I earnestly requested you to specially avoid dangerous places like that!”

Miel shouted in a voice mixed with bewilderment and anger.

Even if his skills didn’t suit a rookie adventurer, a D-rank solo dungeon was out of the question.

Because the strategy was far too tricky due to the wicked condition of having to enter alone.

It was a place where one couldn’t even retrieve their corpse if they died inside.

“I still cleared it fine without dying, didn’t I? Anyway, the request is a success, right?”

“That is true but…”

There was no need to even debate whether the request was a success or not.

The Goblin’s Spirit Necklace could only be obtained by the person who personally killed the Elder Goblin.

Let alone purchasing it, there was no other way to obtain it.

“Ah, and this.”

Han-bit handed her the piece of white cloth obtained from the underground waterway.

“… What is this again? It’s embroidered with the national flag of the Holy State?”

“Show it to the Guild Master. Is he upstairs right now?”

“He is, but. It puts me in a tough spot if you speak like you’re telling me to show it to some neighborhood mister. He’s the Guild Master for starters.”

Miel, unaware of the situation, showed a natural reaction.

The Guild Master, whom even the city’s mayor couldn’t swing around haphazardly.

It wasn’t an easy task to even share a brief conversation with him.

Swoosh-

Han-bit took out one more Firefly Flower from his inventory.

“It’s troublesome for you to directly calculate my adventurer rank anyway. Just show this while you’re reporting. You can just show it without saying anything.”

“… It can’t be helped. Just this once.”

Snatching the flower, Miel let out a deep sigh.

She raised her body, took the piece of cloth, and went up the stairs at the back.

And a moment later, she came back down along with a well-built human male.

“Are you the one who brought this?”

A word asked while looking at Han-bit.

That low-pitched voice naturally brought out nostalgia.

‘Long time no see, Cowen.’

Han-bit called the man’s name in his heart.

Edlen’s Guild Master, Cowen.

Even amongst his 55 regressions, possessing, and reincarnations, the number of times he cooperated with him was quite high.

The trial and errors he experienced solving Edlen’s problems right here and now bordered on colorful.

“That’s right. I brought it.”

“… Hmm.”

Cowen, standing in front, focused his gaze as if trying to look into his inner thoughts.

A piece of white cloth was held in his hand.

“I heard you picked this up in the underground waterway. Why did you go there?”

“Because some kid’s cat ran away there. I guess you wouldn’t know even if I said Plona and Ria. Anyway, it’s circumstances of the slum district.”

“…”

When he brought up the names of the two children, Cowen tapped the top of the reception desk with his finger.

That was a small habit he had when his head was complicated and in agony.

Briefly silent, he took something out.

“Place your hand here.”

A silver card placed on the reception desk.

When Han-bit placed his hand on top of it, a faint light emitted.

“From now on, you are an adventurer of the guild. Requests or achievements accomplished through the guild will be able to be looked up with the card at any guild in other regions. I will grant your adventurer rank… as D-rank.”

– D-rank right from the start?

– Why am I F-rank?

– I was F-rank too;

– Newbies, slam the challenge right away.

– A new dead-end section ON.

Adventurer ranks start from F-rank.

Becoming D-rank immediately by clearing the Challenge Dungeon was something Han-bit had personally experienced.

It was good to keep it as it’s a useful identification card.

Ding-

[Main Quest #2 has been completed.]

[You have received 500 Gold.]

[Experience Points increased by 200.]

[The progress rate increases.]

The finally completed Main Quest.

It seemed like a long detour, but the outcome and settlement of the Sub Quest still remained.

“Follow me.”

With a low voice, Cowen went up to the 2nd floor.

Han-bit followed behind him along with Yeon-woo.

“The Guild Master this early… Is this right?”

Yeon-woo was surprised at the early appearance of the Guild Master.

In the existing Main Story, one had to pile up quite a lot of requests, so it was also a natural reaction.

Clatter-

Cowen entered the innermost room of the hallway.

Han-bit also stepped inside.

“Sit.”

At Cowen’s gesture, he took a seat on the chair in front.

No matter when he looked at it, it looked like an interrogation room.

“Are you curious why we changed locations?”

“It’s obvious. Probably because of a conversation that would put you in a tough spot if others heard.”

“A tough conversation… That is certainly true.”

Lowering his gaze slightly, he remained silent for a moment.

Then he met Han-bit’s eyes again.

“You must know that this is an item of the Holy State, correct?”

“I know. It’s the cloth used to make the combat uniforms of the believers. It’s a problem because it’s not an item that should be discovered inside Edlen.”

“Hmm.”

When he brought out a slightly more detailed answer, Cowen stroked his chin and fell into agony.

However, it was still insufficient for him to reveal his hidden main point.

“The reason you told her to show this to me? Was there something you desired?”

“Because you’re one of the people most sensitive to Edlen’s dangers. I want to protect at least the people I got to know here.”

“People you got to know?”

“Younger siblings like Ria and Plona from the slum district I mentioned earlier. Friends like the general store merchant Atsbel. I just grew close with them thanks to having a few opportunities to help.”

“…”

The names of the people listed with sincerity.

Cowen remained silent with an expressionless face, but he couldn’t deceive Han-bit’s eyes.

Because his pupils wavered the most when Ria’s name came out.

“How is it? It looks far too suspicious to just leave it be.”

“… Of course, if combat personnel of the Holy State have infiltrated, it’s difficult to gauge the level of danger. Therefore, more verification will be necessary.”

Continuing to speak, Cowen’s atmosphere changed.

Closing his eyes for a moment and opening them, he met his gaze and said.

“Adventurer Black Dragon, I will issue a request to you. The objective is to infiltrate the underground waterway and find suspicious evidence. This content shall only be recorded verbally.”

Ding-

[Sub Quest #3 has been completed.]

[The settlement of the Sub Quest has been completed.]

[You have received 250,000 Gold.]

[8 Stat Points are distributed.]

[Experience Points increased by 20,000.]

[Level increased by 1.]

[1 Stat Point is distributed.]

[The branching point of the Main Quest is reset.]

[The overall rewards of the Main Quest significantly increase.]

[The progress rate significantly increases.]

[Main Quest #3: Trust]

You discovered the possibility of Holy State combatants infiltrating.

You must carry out a request to earn Cowen’s trust.

Objective: Search inside the underground waterway and collect evidence.

Reward: 80,000 Gold, Experience Points 40,000, Stat Points 4

*Current Progress Rate: 28 Percent

– Gasp;

– 28 percent on the third main quest?

– Are the rewards for real?

– What’s resetting the branching point?

– A really new route came out;

– The existing walkthroughs all became ordinary.

– F*ck I just lost my mind.

Viewers falling into chaos along with the surging messages.

Han-bit, who designed the fast progression, inwardly nodded with satisfaction.

‘From here on out is also important.’

Many things were contained within Cowen’s request.

Beyond simply finding evidence well, he had to instill the trust that they were on the same side.

Standing up from his seat, Han-bit said towards Cowen.

“Good. I’ll depart right away.”

***

Leaving the guild, Han-bit stopped on a deserted street.

It was because Yeon-woo urgently went to the restroom.

‘My weapon is a bit bothersome.’

An entry-level sword obtained when he learned swordsmanship.

It was fine until now, but the lack of performance couldn’t be helped.

Wouldn’t it be okay to buy equipment from players once the Gold comes in on Monday?

Of course, the prediction would change depending on the accumulated entrance fees.

‘Should I check the situation?’

Curious about the number of challengers for the Challenge Dungeon, Han-bit tried to connect to the community.

The moment he moved his finger with anticipation.

Slip-

Suddenly, a massive shadow appeared on the floor.

Reacting instinctively, Han-bit took out his sword and took a defensive stance.

Clang-!

A sharp noise of metal colliding.

A huge man holding a greatsword stood behind him.

– ?

– F*ck you startled me.

– Who are you.

– What is this.

“Hmph!”

He, who grabbed Han-bit’s arm, began to continuously apply force and push against him.

Grrrk-!

The attempt to hold on was easily dashed.

He could naturally feel that it was an obvious difference in stats.

Swoosh-!

Gradually increasing his speed, the man pushed all the way to an alley corner.

Han-bit, receiving the attack while minimizing damage, reached his hand towards the giant’s face.

“Fire Burst!”

Boom-!

“Ugh!”

At the flames covering his vision, the man reflexively let go of his hand.

Han-bit immediately leaped towards the roof.

Whoosh-!

A sharp metal object flying in mid-air.

Twisting his body, he narrowly dodged it.

Clang-!

What slammed into the wall with a cheerful sound was an arrow.

Looking at the tip, blue liquid was smeared on it.

“Wow, f*ck, you dodge that?”

A short-haired human male standing on the roof of another private house.

The nickname ‘Trigger’ was written floating above his head.

“What is that?”

Looking closely, 2 small red lines were drawn next to his nickname.

It was the same even for the man swinging the greatsword.

At a glance, it felt like something bad.

– They are the Nesto Guild;

– Why did a PK guild come here?

– Information) If you continue PK-ing, red lines accumulate.

– With 2 of them, they aren’t named players, but they’re all just crazy bastards.

The viewers’ chats immediately poured out.

At that absurd content, Han-bit’s voice naturally slipped out.

“A PK guild?”