Episode 84
084:They’re Just Giving This Away?
“It’s fine. Consider it as paying off a debt to Panteria. What worries me is whether they might try to find some petty fault…”
—A fault? What kind of fault?
“Like saying they didn’t want an Ancient-grade item, or that the effect is insufficient… you know, things like that.”
The other party hailed from the homeland of litigation. They could find fault with almost any excuse. Geumson was worried about that, but Cha Yoo-kyung responded with an angry voice.
“Let them try. Then… I’ll show them what kind of place Mirae Group is. But if they want to make another deal, they won’t do such a foolish thing.”
“You think so?”
“Of course! Handing over an Ancient-grade item for a mere 1.3 billion… If I’d known it would be like this, I should have added another ‘0’!”
Cha Yoo-kyung gritted her teeth. She seemed even more regretful than golden hand. Then, she broached a topic with some difficulty.
—Uh… don’t pay attention to ‘some’ of the opinions on Repinet. We’ll handle it properly.
“Repinet?”
—Ah, it’s just… right now, there’s a sentiment on Repinet criticizing you, Geumson, calling you a traitor. Saying we shouldn’t hand over such an Ancient item to Panteria…
Geumson gave a bitter smile at her concerned message. This was exactly why he didn’t frequent Repinet.
‘Still, I should check it out sometime. There might be information I don’t know.’
He planned to take a look once the public opinion calmed down a bit. There might be information about 《Lepione》 he wasn’t aware of or had forgotten. After ending the call with Cha Yoo-kyung, Geumson checked his system messages.
.
.
.
[The ‘Gathering’ skill has reached Lv. 10[MAX].]
[The ‘Extraction’ skill has reached Lv. 10[MAX].]
[The ‘Magic Control’ skill has reached Lv. 10[MAX].]
[The ‘Elemental Affinity’ skill has reached Lv. 10[MAX].]
Seeing the recorded messages, the corners of Geumson’s mouth lifted. While gathering herbs and crafting the ‘Supreme Universal Potion’, he had unknowingly hit the limit.
‘Having an environment where I can train is definitely good.’
Astrid’s cabin was the optimal environment for training, precisely because he could practice without worrying about materials. However, there was something weighing on his mind.
[The patient has not been completely cured.]
[‘Supreme Universal Potion’ cannot restore missing body parts.]
[The patient’s pain is alleviated.]
.
.
.
Among the many patients on the floating island, there were those even Golden Hand potion couldn’t help. He couldn’t help but regret not being able to aid them.
‘If I could make an Elixir, I could have cured them all…’
The ultimate potion said to heal all diseases and even resurrect the dead—the Elixir. It was one of the most needed items in the Age of Ruin, yet also an item of both longing and resentment that no one had ever been able to create.
‘If I could make that… things would be drastically different this time.’
As golden hand set his goal, he felt a soft warmth behind him. Astrid, who had approached without him noticing, draped a thin blanket over his shoulders.
“Don’t push yourself too hard, Golden Hand. You don’t need to bear the weight of the whole world. That’s… something not even the greatest of beings could manage, right?”
It seemed Astrid was comforting him, perhaps sensing his heart. golden hand nodded quietly. Astrid looked down at him with pity. However, her expression was also somewhat dark. Her gaze was not on golden hand, but directed far away toward the mainland of Airtos.
“Master, is there something worrying you?”
Geumson asked, following her gaze. Astrid hesitated for a moment, then let out a deep sigh and spoke.
“The flow of the city… feels strange. I sense a very ominous and alien energy, different from usual. Moreover, the area around the city is restless.”
At her words, Geumson’s brow furrowed. Moiran’s work of destruction. Memories of when he first arrived in Airtos surfaced.
‘Don’t tell me… Moiran hasn’t given up yet?’
The thought of Moiran crossed Geumsom’s mind. That’s why he couldn’t just stay put.
“I’ll go check it out!”
The moment he answered, a message appeared before his eyes. A quest from Astrid.
[Sudden Hidden Quest: Twisted Causality]
Content: Grand Archmage Astrid is concerned about the source of the ominous energy enveloping Airtos. Investigate various parts of the city to discover the cause of the anomaly and report back to Astrid.
Prepaid Reward:
Perception of Vigilance (警戒의 認知)
Astrid’s Brooch
Reward:
Astrid’s Special Skill: Magic Engraving Art
???
Penalty upon Failure:
The Collapse of Airtos
golden hand, who received the quest, noticed a question mark in the rewards. A question mark reward. What this implied was an expected extreme difficulty level.
‘This is… why?’
It seemed like a simple task of finding out about the city’s anomaly. But Astrid’s concern appeared to be significant.
“Be careful. My premonition isn’t good. Just in case, take this with you. It should help you prepare for danger.”
[You have obtained Astrid’s Brooch.]
[It can prove your status as Astrid’s disciple.]
[You have obtained the hidden skill ‘Perception of Vigilance’ !]
The prepaid reward was nothing less than a hidden skill. Moreover, it seemed to be of a similar category to Intuition of Resolve and Insight of the Flow.
[Perception of Vigilance (警戒의 認知) Lv.1]
[Passive Skill]
Content: Detects all hostile intent or hazardous elements within a certain range around the user and marks them on the system map.
Effects:
Recognizes surrounding threats and automatically marks them on the system map.
Also detects hidden targets and automatically marks them on the system map.
Can search a wider area by consuming magic.
Usable even in non-combat situations; can recognize potential threats.
‘They’re just giving this away?’
A quest so difficult that a hidden skill was given as a prepaid reward. But it seemed like he couldn’t back down now.
The revealed reward: Magic Engraving Art. The reason he wanted to learn magic. It was to apply special engravings to crafted equipment. Moreover, it wasn’t just any Magic Engraving Art, but Astrid’s special skill. This was something he couldn’t pass up.
Click-clack! Click-clack! Click-clack!
A barrage of camera flashes erupted consecutively. Dozens of reporters had flocked to the press conference. A man sat alone at the center of the podium.
Kang Moo-jin. Kang Moo-jin, the master of the ‘Reverse Heaven’ guild, was seated.
“Kang Moo-jin-! First, congratulations on the world’s first successful subjugation of the ‘Nightmare King’! Could you briefly tell us about the rewards obtained from this subjugation?”
A reporter from a game-focused channel asked a sharp question. It was what everyone was curious about. Kang Moo-jin smiled leisurely and took the microphone.
“First, thank you. However, regarding the rewards, due to guild policy, it’s difficult to share details. I ask for your understanding. But I can say one thing for sure: our Yeokcheon guild has laid a foundation to grow another step further through these rewards. That much I can confirm.”
It was a skilled answer. The reporters looked disappointed but soon poured out other questions, as the allotted time was running out.
“What exactly does the phrase ‘successful rebellion’ that appeared in the World Message mean? Was it just a simple message?”
“‘Rebellion’ is a rather strong expression… As everyone expected, our Yeokcheon guild has acquired territory.”
“Territory, you say…”
“For now, it’s just a wasteland that needs development. But if our develops it… wouldn’t it change?”
Kang Moo-jin smiled confidently. It seemed plans for developing the acquired territory were already forming in his mind. As the room buzzed again, one reporter cautiously raised a hand.
“Recently, there has been heated controversy on the community about the player ‘Golden Hand,’ the creator of the ‘Moonlight Venomous Snake Sword.’ What are your thoughts, Kang Moo-jin?”
“Specifically, what are you referring to?”
“Well… you know, those extreme opinions calling him a traitor.”
Kang Moo-jin let out a short sigh. He began speaking with a somewhat grim expression.
“My, that’s a rather disappointing question. Calling Craftsman master a traitor…”
Unlike his adept handling of previous questions, Kang Moo-jin showed a somewhat emotional reaction. The reporter seemed a bit tense at Kang Moo-jin’s attitude. But as Kang Moo-jin adjusted the microphone, all eyes focused on him once more.
“Reporter, do you know what I realized while leading the subjugation of the Nightmare King?”
“Well, I wouldn’t really…”
“By using the Moonlight Venomous Snake Sword myself, I realized. How incredible Craftsman golden-handed skills are, and that 《Lepyon》’s items aren’t determined by stats alone.”
Kang Moo-jin, who had once relied solely on item specs—this was the aspect Geumson had been concerned about. But it seemed Kang Moo-jin’s perspective had changed a lot during the Nightmare King subjugation.
“Preparing custom equipment suited to the target that needs to be subjugated. That, too, is part of the skill in 《Lepyon》. In that sense, Craftsman Lepyon is an indispensable talent for our Yeokcheon, no, for South Korea.”
