Episode 32
032. I’ll Give It A Try
Upon hearing the order to even impersonate, the staff officers seemed to click their tongues in amazement.
But Choi Jin-woong’s instructions weren’t finished yet.
“Finally, third, the intelligence team will dig up everything about ‘Golden Hand.’ Whether it’s weaknesses or desires, if he’s human, there must be a gap.”
Finishing his speech, Choi Jin-woong rose from his seat and looked out the window.
“Kang Moo-jin has had it easy until now, right? He’s going to suffer a bit from now on.”
Somehow, Choi Jin-woong seemed to hold personal feelings towards Kang Moo-jin.
But regardless, Asura began moving with seamless efficiency.
Once the commotion at the auction house settled, Dusar invited Golden Hand and Calis to his private forge.
Unlike the opulence of the auction house, his forge was a craftsman’s space, pursuing only practicality.
There, Dusar offered a drink with a smile.
“Here, have some. It’s Ember Ale, brewed by our dwarves.”
The horn cup Dusar offered contained a liquor as red and viscous as lava.
A single gulp felt like his throat was burning.
But Golden Hand could only speak well of it.
“Guh, it’s good ale.”
“Haha! You have a taste for ale! To share a cup with a young master like you, tonight seems too precious to sleep through.”
Calis also emptied his cup, wearing a soft smile.
“Dusar, I feel a bit sorry for causing such an unnecessary disturbance.”
“What are you talking about? On the contrary, cutting out that vermin-like scoundrel was a great gain.”
The two seemed to share a deep familiarity.
Though they appeared formal in official settings, speaking comfortably in private hinted at their closeness.
In that warm, convivial atmosphere, the cups circulated several times.
Then, suddenly, a shadow fell over Dusar’s face.
He let out a deep sigh, staring blankly at the forge flames.
“Is there something troubling you?”
When Golden Hand cautiously asked, Dusar filled the horn cup to the brim and drained it in one go.
Then, he spoke with a bitter expression.
“Lately, the quality of ore mined from our Kratum mines has noticeably declined. Purity is down, and impurities are up. If this continues, the name ‘City of Fire and Mines’ will become meaningless.”
“That is strange. Has the cause been identified?”
When Calis asked, Dusar’s expression hardened further.
He sighed again and spoke.
“That’s… we’ve identified the culprit. The ‘Corrupted Earthworm’. A monstrous, polluted giant worm is the problem.”
According to Dusar, the Corrupted Earthworm was originally a monster inhabiting the deepest lava zones of the mines.
But recently, for some reason, it had expanded its territory, devouring mineral veins indiscriminately and spewing out contaminated waste.
“The mucus from its body is highly acidic, melting most weapons on contact, and it moves freely underground, making tracking it difficult. We’ve already sent out extermination squads composed of our city’s finest warriors several times, but each time they failed, suffering heavy losses.”
A related city-wide quest had already been issued.
[City Quest: Purify the Corrupted Mines!]
Objective: Eliminate the ‘Corrupted Earthworm’ polluting Kratum’s lifeblood mines and restore the mines’ vitality.
Success Condition: Defeat the Corrupted Earthworm (0/1)
Reward: Kratum Honorary Citizenship, 500,000 Gold, Legendary-Grade Mineral Random Box
The legendary-grade reward was quite unprecedented.
Moreover, 500,000 gold.
About 50 million won in cash.
A quest players would swarm to like a pack of dogs.
But if that had solved it, Dusar wouldn’t be as worried as he was now.
It seemed the quest remained unresolved because its difficulty was as extreme as its reward.
“If this continues, our Kratum’s reputation will be tarnished. For a city of blacksmiths to lack quality minerals, what a dreadful thing.”
Deep despair tinged Dusar’s voice.
Calis also wore a serious expression, lost in thought.
But in Golden Hand’s mind, a memory from his past life surfaced vividly.
‘Corrupted Earthworm… that thing, there was a strategy.’
In his past life, this quest remained unsolved for a long time.
Countless players challenged it, but before the Earthworm’s tough hide, acidic mucus, and pattern of burrowing underground, they were repeatedly wiped out helplessly.
Moreover, whenever an opponent that was too strong appeared, it would simply flee.
Later, an alchemy player accidentally found the key to solving it.
‘The creature’s mucus is strongly acidic, but when it meets the sap of a specific plant, it causes a neutralization reaction and rapidly hardens. And that plant is….’
Vague fragments of memory began fitting together in Golden Hand’s mind.
Pretending nonchalance, he posed a question to Dusar.
“That Earthworm monster, by any chance, does it react sensitively to specific sounds or vibrations?”
“Vibrations?”
“Yes, for instance… sounds like dwarven mining hammers.”
Calis tilted his head at Golden Hand’s question.
But Dusar’s eyes widened.
“How did you know! It specifically appears where mining sounds are heard, attacking miners and devouring veins. We even had to suspend all mining operations for a while.”
“I see.”
Golden Hand inwardly cheered.
His memory was accurate.
He then posed the decisive question.
“By any chance, is there a cave near this city where moss grows that glows blue under moonlight? Probably a damp, cool place.”
“Moonlight Moss? Was there such a thing…?”
While Dusar was racking his memory, Calis clapped his hands and spoke.
“Ah! You mean the ‘Blue Cave’ west of the city. At night, the entire cave glows blue, creating a spectacular sight.”
Hearing Calis’s words completed the puzzle.
Golden Hand hesitated no longer.
He rose from his seat and spoke to Dusar.
“Lord Dusar. That quest. I’ll give it a try.”
“Wh-What did you say? You?”
Dusar doubted his own ears.
A blacksmith who had just arrived in the city was volunteering for a quest that even the city’s greatest warriors had failed.
“Your courage is admirable, but this is a reckless act. You could lose your precious equipment… even that steel giant.”
True to form, Dusar mentioned equipment before life.
Though he sincerely worried and tried to dissuade him, Golden Hand’s resolve was firm.
“If a city for blacksmiths is in danger… how can I just stand by?”
At that moment, a system message appeared before Golden Hand’s eyes.
[Will you accept the ‘City Quest: Purify the Corrupted Mines!’?]
Golden Hand nodded without hesitation.
Then.
[Quest accepted.]
[Dusar’s favorability has risen to ‘Maximum’ due to your self-sacrificing choice.]
“Alright, let’s go. Iron Walker.”
“Walker! Go Walker!”
Golden Hand exited the forge with Iron Walker.
Behind his back, the peculiar gazes of Dusar and Calis followed.
“That young man… just who is he?”
“Didn’t you see? A young master, and an outsider.”
Calis drained the remaining Ember Ale in his cup in one gulp and spoke.
“I’m watching him too. If he solves this problem… we’ll find out. Just what kind of person he is.”
Calis’s gaze, fixed on Golden Hand’s retreating figure, only grew deeper.
Golden Hand quickened his pace, leaving Calis and Dusar behind.
His destination was the ‘Blue Cave’ located west of the city.
His primary objective was to harvest the ‘Moonlight Moss’ that grew only there.
‘Moonlight Moss is absolutely necessary to neutralize the Corrupted Earthworm’s acidic mucus.’
The Moonlight Moss was clearly effective against the Earthworm’s acidic mucus.
However, Moonlight Moss wasn’t something that could be harvested bare-handed.
Due to its property of growing while absorbing moonlight, the moss itself contained a weak magical toxicity.
Touching it barehanded would cause numbness starting from the fingertips, spreading throughout the body—a terrible side effect.
‘I’ll need materials to neutralize the toxicity. For that….’
The list of necessary materials rapidly surfaced in Golden Hand’s mind.
‘To cool the frosty heat, ‘Flame Salamander Spit’; to neutralize the toxicity, ‘Mithril Powder’; and to contain the moss, ‘Specially Treated Glass Vials.’
Gathering such minor materials was a hassle.
But with Iron Walker, it probably wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Walker, we’ll need to roam the city a bit… give me a piggyback.”
“Walker! Piggyback? Walker go!”
Iron Walker, as if thrilled by something, readily presented its broad back.
Golden Hand climbed onto it with practiced ease.
Though made of steel, the back was oddly comfortable.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Iron Walker’s heavy footsteps began traversing Kratum once more.
And that bizarre sight instantly captured the attention of passing players.
“Hey, look at that. What is it?”
“Why is a golem carrying someone? Was there a pet like that?”
“Pet or whatever… it’s kind of cringe, isn’t it? A grown man getting piggybacked feels a bit off.”
“But the guy riding it, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere… Huh? That’s Golden Hand!”
“Golden Hand? Ah! That Walker Golem? That’s the golem?”
The players’ murmurs grew louder.
The protagonist who had heated up Repinet.
His unique movements seemed already imprinted on many players’ minds.
Moreover, it seemed they now recognized Iron Walker too.
