Chapter 22 …
In the back alleys of the beginner city Arde, there was a small door in a place known as the most secret spot in the city.
It was so small that an average adult man would have to duck and squeeze through just to get inside.
Old and worn, the door gave off an eerie and somewhat unpleasant feeling—but once you stepped inside, the story changed.
“Whoa… it’s different from outside?”
“It’s like magic. How can it be this different?”
It wasn’t that the space itself changed or that the size looked different from the outside.
It was just… the atmosphere.
Unlike the crumbling exterior, an incredibly luxurious scene unfolded inside—so much so that it was hard to believe it was the same place.
The small space contained everything it needed, yet it didn’t feel cramped at all.
If anything, the compact size enhanced the mood, as if it were the pinnacle of spatial efficiency.
No wonder people in construction say they get tons of inspiration from God of All Seasons. That’s not just talk.
And it wasn’t only construction.
People in various literary fields felt the same way.
As a world called another reality, God of All Seasons was detailed and realistic, yet its otherworldly scenery—different from modern times—opened up entirely new perspectives.
With non-combat professions being just as numerous as combat ones, the game contributed greatly to the real world.
“I’ve brought the blood of a mutant goblin!”
“Hmm. That’s definitely mutant goblin blood. You may go.”
It seemed someone had just cleared a quest; a group bowed and left.
At that moment, the man in a robe—Kalde—paused mid-gesture.
“Oh? There are quite a few promising ones today.”
Noticing Dohyun’s party had arrived, Kalde curled the corner of his lips upward.
Combined with the room’s atmosphere and the robe covering half his face, even his smile felt somehow sinister.
“He gives me the creeps.”
“Yeah… feels like he researches dark magic.”
“Shh. Don’t judge just by appearances.”
While the party muttered quietly, Dohyun stared straight at Kalde.
When their eyes met, Kalde tilted his head.
“Hm? Didn’t you come by earlier?”
“Yes.”
“What, don’t tell me you’re here to give up? Plenty of people can fetch it, but research requires a great deal of blood—…hm? What’s this?”
As Kalde frowned in complaint, Dohyun extended his hand.
In it was a small glass bottle.
Kalde’s eyes widened slightly when he saw it.
“This is… mutant goblin blood?”
“Yes.”
“Huh… You already brought it back? It’s only been about 40 minutes.”
Kalde looked genuinely surprised.
Which made sense.
Even assuming a first-try clear, the dungeon typically took over an hour.
Moreover, true to its nickname “the newbie graveyard,” the Habitat of the Mutant Goblin Warrior was a dungeon that usually required many attempts to clear.
There was a reason there was no time limit.
It meant: bring it whenever you can.
Because of that, Kalde usually couldn’t remember each client’s face.
Many accepted the request, but those who returned with the item came much later—making it easy to mix them up.
Except in special cases like this.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen something like this… Impressive. Taking down that mutant this quickly.”
[Title “Max Favorability from the Start?” effect activates. Favorability increases further.]
[Kalde’s favorability has increased.]
Oh, this works?
They had said Kalde was hard to please, but this was an unexpected gain.
Not that slightly higher favorability would do much—but at least he wouldn’t say anything unpleasant.
In fact, Kalde looked quite satisfied.
It was rare to see him approach with a faint smile.
“I’ll give you the reward as promised. I needed it at just the right time—thanks to you, my research will proceed faster.”
Ding—
[Quest “Mutant Goblin Blood” cleared.]
[Reward: 1 Gold, a large amount of EXP, and a Silver Ring crafted by Kalde.]
[Level Up.]
[Level Up.]
In an instant, Dohyun rose two levels and reached level 12.
Right on cue, a new quest appeared.
[Conditions met.]
[Warp to the Main Continent is now open.]
[To use the warp, you must pass the Continental Trial.]
[Beginner Graduation]
Grade: Trial 0
Description: You have earned the qualification to graduate from the beginner city Arde.
You may move to the Main Continent via the warp at the edge of the city.Clear Condition: Reach Level 12
Reward: Low-Grade Skill Draw Ticket
Time Limit: None
The so-called graduation quest.
It was an inevitable quest that appeared when users reached each city’s graduation level, and only by completing it could they move to the next city.
True to its name as a trial, later ones tended to become increasingly difficult.
Depending on graduation performance, ranks and rankings were assigned, with differentiated rewards given accordingly…
[You have passed Trial 0.]
[Trial 0 rankings are not recorded.]
[You may now move to the Main Continent.]
[Reward obtained: Low-Grade Skill Draw Ticket.]
The beginner city really does go easy on convenience.
In Arde, none of that ranking talk mattered.
After all, using the warp was something even a newborn could do.
“Finally…!”
“Everyone worked hard. Kaiser—sir… you really worked hard!”
“Great job.”
Even so, since it was their first graduation, the party looked excited.
Understandably so—they could finally head to the Main Continent.
The Main Continent at last.
The stage where all content opened.
Unlike the beginner city, it was a global stage where all races gathered.
Countless adventures across a vast land incomparable to Arde.
Only after stepping onto the Main Continent could one truly experience God of All Seasons.
I’m looking forward to it.
Unlike the somewhat bleak Demrock, this was a future era with advanced civilization—making it even more exciting.
The emotions Dohyun felt when he first started Demrock were now tickling his chest again.
Just as he struggled to calm his excitement—
“With your level of skill… you should be fine.”
Kalde, who had spoken casually, stepped closer.
The excited party froze and looked at him.
Kalde was famous for waving people off dismissively after giving rewards.
Because of that attitude, some users had even picked fights with him.
Of course, after a few had their rewards confiscated, such people disappeared.
And they all said the same thing:
They said he’s absurdly strong.
So strong it made you question whether he was really an alchemist.
Even four level-12 beginners had been completely beaten down without resistance.
His house, his abilities—everything about the NPC was shrouded in mystery.
Still, his name wasn’t particularly famous on the Main Continent, so people didn’t pay much attention.
What is this about?
It was strange enough that someone like him was showing interest.
But what happened next was even stranger.
“Take one each.”
“Huh?”
“What is this…?”
Before they knew it, he had stepped right up and placed something into each of their hands.
It was a letter.
No—more accurately, a postcard.
At that moment—
Ding—
[Special condition met. Reward obtained.]
[You have obtained a postcard written in Kalde’s handwriting.]
[Postcard Written in Kalde’s Hand]
Grade: Rare+
Description: A postcard written in Kalde’s handwriting.
…Special reward?
Dohyun paused at the sudden message, then nodded.
In Demrock, some quests occasionally had hidden conditions.
Only those who fulfilled them received special rewards.
Naturally, since God of All Seasons borrowed heavily from Demrock, the same system existed here.
Looks like it’s a reward for ranking within the time limit.
No wonder rankers fought so fiercely for leaderboard spots.
This was basically a hidden piece, and the reward was quite strong.
Not sure what it’s for yet…
But since it was a Rare+ special reward, it would likely be useful someday.
Items like this were often used as crafting materials.
“Whoa… what is this? It’s Rare+?”
“We were already grateful for the title and items—what kind of jackpot is this?”
Yubin-kyung and Migan-ttakdae stared wide-eyed at their system windows.
When their eyes met Dohyun’s, they hurriedly looked around awkwardly.
At that moment, Shield-Best stepped forward first.
“…Thank you.”
“Huh?”
Despite Dohyun’s puzzled reaction, he continued.
“Thanks to you, we received rewards far beyond what we deserve. And…”
Shield-Best paused and met Dohyun’s eyes.
In his clear gaze were pride, gratitude… and an unexplainable excitement.
Yet he also seemed to hesitate.
When Dohyun tilted his head, he quickly continued.
“…Thank you. For everything.”
“That’s right. Thank you so much.”
“If you ever need our help later, please tell us, hyung! We’ll drop everything and come!”
With Yubin-kyung and Migan-ttakdae joining in, the party repeatedly expressed their thanks.
Their eyes and tone carried more than simple gratitude—they bordered on admiration.
It was far beyond just being thankful for rewards.
Why are they acting like this all of a sudden?
Not knowing the change in their feelings, Dohyun only felt burdened.
He avoided their sparkling eyes and gave a modest nod.
Their faces instantly brightened.
After answering their chick-like chatter for a while, Dohyun shifted his gaze.
It landed on the card pack.
[Use the Low-Grade Skill Draw Ticket?]
Finally…
The highlight of God of All Seasons—the skill draw.
And the moment Dohyun had been waiting for most since leaving the Pantheon.
With a grin, he used the ticket.
A soft beam of light burst forth, and ten cards floated up.
There really is a big difference.
Compared to the Pantheon cards, the skill card pack definitely looked underwhelming.
But that wasn’t what mattered right now.
As Dohyun stared at the cards, a message appeared.
[Eye of Truth activates.]
Yes…!
Once again, the Eye of Truth activated, revealing the colors of the cards.
There were no flashy colors this time.
Only a dull, brownish hue like oak stimulated Dohyun’s vision.
Naturally so—low-grade skill tickets only produced normal-rank cards.
Even so, Dohyun couldn’t suppress his excitement.
Just as I thought—the effect works on skill cards too.
This proved the Eye of Truth didn’t apply only to god summons—but to all draws.
From now on, he could essentially guarantee picks in every draw.
How could he not be thrilled?
Skill tickets always show cards related to your class.
This was why God of All Seasons, despite being heavily luck-based, didn’t get universally cursed by players.
High-grade skills were insanely hard to obtain because skill tickets couldn’t be traded—but at least you always received usable skills.
Swordmasters got sword skills.
Mages got magic skills.
Production classes got fitting abilities…
So what skill would Dohyun get?
Swish.
With a pounding heart, he reached out.
The card flipped over, emitting a soft brown glow.
