《Royal Roader on My Own》 Chapter 1 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 1: The End was just a New Beginning (1) New series! Similar to the Gamer in my opinion, but he gets transported into the game. What will happen? Come on and hop aboard and let¡¯s find out together! Synopsis: ¡®Royal Roader,¡¯ the game that I ruled as an overlord was ending its service. Shit! It was my life¡¯s only pleasure. The last day! I used all of my strength and in-game connections to defeat the final boss monster, Demon Heros. As a reward, I earned a Marble of Wishes. [Please state your wish.] My wish? [Royal Roader¡¯s renewal as reality.] I was just joking. I really only wrote it as a joke¡­ ¡°Hwi Ram! Did something happen?¡± I guess I really do suck at maintaining my expression. Mr. Kim who works at the carwash with me knew right away. ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Then why is your expression so dark today? They¡¯re going to cut your kindness pay.¡± Kindness pay! In other words, Laughter pay. This is a luxury car wash. Because of that, the workers here do not only sell our physical labor, we also sell laughter with it. That is why even if we are feeling sad, we have to always smile. If we don¡¯t, they¡¯ll dock our pay. ¡°I¡¯m just really tired today. Haha.¡± ¡°There we go! You¡¯re not the usual Hwi Ram without that bright smile. Since someone who smiles all the time was being gloomy, you looked like an angry person. Haha.¡± Someone who is always smiling! How could a person always be smiling? No matter who it is, there are times it would be difficult for them to live. Today was especially like that for me. It made me want to just throw everything away and give up. What happened you ask? Today was the day that ¡®Royal Roader¡¯ was ending its service. Yes. ¡®Royal Roader¡¯ is a computer game. You¡¯re probably asking why it is so terrible that a stupid computer game is ending its service. I suppose you¡¯re right. Why am I having such a hard time over a trivial computer game? But what can I do about the fact that I¡¯m having such a hard time about it? Royal Roader was my life¡¯s only source of happiness and a place for me to rest, as well as a safe haven for me. To lose Royal Roader was like losing half of my life all at once. It¡¯s something that would be difficult for anybody else to understand. This is just a personal matter. That is why getting past this is something for me to do on my own as well. ¡®Yes! Let¡¯s smile! I need to smile in order to make money for my mother¡¯s medicine and to pay the bills.¡¯ A new customer arrived. He was riding a black luxury convertible sportscar. The owner of the sportscar was a regular at our car wash. I¡¯m not sure about his age, but looking at him and the way he carries himself, he seems to be in his early or mid twenties. He seemed to be three or four years younger than me. I quickly ran over and bowed my head. Of course with a bright smile. ¡°Sir, you¡¯ve come?¡± Once again, the lady by his side was different. He had a lot of game. He comes to the car wash at least once a week, but every time, he has a different woman. On top of that, each and every one of them were slim and busty beauties who could pass as celebrities. ¡°Do a good job and make sure there aren¡¯t any scratches!¡± But why is it that this punk always speaks down to me? Did his parents never teach him any basic manners? If you work at a place like this, you see quite a few people like him. They think that having money means you are more respectable and look down on people who work like we do. It makes me question just what he learned at home. Every time he speaks to me that way, I can feel my insides turning upside down. However, I need to hold back. That is why the boss was really good to the workers and gave us a lot of pay. The customer took a 10,000 won bill out of his wallet and handed it to me. This was a tip, which was separate from my salary. First, I will receive what I should receive. It¡¯s not like the money was the one that looked down on me. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Oh my! Oppa, you¡¯re so cool!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just 10,000 won. I¡¯ll return in three hours so please make sure to pay attention to every corner.¡± ¡°Yes, Mr. customer!¡± The customer put his arm around the woman¡¯s slim waist and left the car wash. Damn bastard. But I am definitely envious of him! They say you lose if you¡¯re envious, but isn¡¯t it worse to trick yourself that you¡¯re not envious when you really are? Yes! If you¡¯re envious, you¡¯re envious!¡± I want to live like that too. I want to drive a cool sportscar, I want to meet beautiful women, and I want to be able to spend a lot of money and relax on the green hitting golf balls while others are working. Even so, I would not speak informally to anybody like this punk. No matter what happens, you can¡¯t lose your sense of respect. But do you think something like that could become a reality in my life? I don¡¯t want to spend 8,000 won so I can¡¯t even eat the soondaegookbap that I like so much. I live in a 150,000 won goshiwon (a very small room that students live in before a big test) where I can¡¯t even stretch my legs properly. How could someone like me live like that? Still, I pushed forward and started to clean the car. Thankfully, I had a job like this so that I could feed my family. But today, I really don¡¯t have any energy. Even while I was washing the car, the only thing on my mind was thoughts of ¡®Royal Roader.¡¯ ¡®Sigh, starting tomorrow, what will be my joy to continue living?¡¯ Like that, it became time to leave. My entire body was tired. But I was still a bit excited. At least until today, I can enjoy Royal Roader. ¡®Let¡¯s ignite the last flame and play until the end!¡± Unfortunately, a distraction appeared. Riiiiiiing~ Riiiiiiing~ My girlfriend Hae Sook was calling. -Let¡¯s meet. I have something to say. Her tone was cold again. It¡¯s been like this pretty often lately. I guess it¡¯s time to break up. Royal Roader is important, but is it more important than my girlfriend? ¡°Where are you right now?¡± -I¡¯ll go towards your house. Come out to the playground. My house? How could you call this cheap 150,000 won goshiwon my house? The area around the goshiwon isn¡¯t the best. That¡¯s why I feel uncomfortable meeting someone around it. But Hae Sook always does what she wants. She doesn¡¯t ask for my opinion and decided where to meet on her own. The playground near the goshiwon. I¡¯m hungry after working all day. I should tell Hae Sook that we should eat first when I see her. However, I couldn¡¯t even bring up anything about a meal. It was like she threw a bomb as soon as we met. ¡°Let¡¯s break up.¡± She did complain a lot lately, but this was the first time she said we should break up. It seems like her degree of complaining is getting worse as it goes. But looking at Hae Sook¡¯s expression, it didn¡¯t seem like just a complaint. She looked like she had firmly made up her mind. ¡°Why do you want to break up all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see a future in you, oppa. And it¡¯s not like you have a lot of money. You don¡¯t even care about me.¡± Hae Sook turned her head away as she spoke. It was like she was saying she had no desires to work things out. ¡°You¡¯re slow and you don¡¯t even know how to be funny¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m lacking quite a bit! There¡¯s a lot of areas of improvement as well! Yes! I admit she¡¯s right! Even I know myself. I¡¯m someone who doesn¡¯t have a lot of things and who is lacking in quite a few areas as well. However, there was nothing I could do about it. It was a situation I couldn¡¯t change no matter how hard I tried, so what could I do?¡± ¡°Do you know what I like the least? Oppa, you didn¡¯t even go to uni¡­¡­¡± ¡°Enough! Stop there!¡± I stopped Hae Sook from continuing. After hearing her talk for a bit, I think I figured out the answer. She must have found a new man. How do I know? She knew about my situation from the beginning. In fact, she was the one chasing after me saying she liked me regardless of my situation. Most importantly, she was bringing up each and every one of my sore spots. She was doing it on purpose. This was telling me she was determined to break all ties with me. ¡°Then why did you meet with me until now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because¡­¡­¡± ¡°Just be honest with me. If you¡¯re tired of me, tell me you¡¯re tired of me. If you found a new man, tell me. Or, if there is something you¡¯re upset about, tell me.¡± ¡°Fine. Then I will be honest with you.¡± After hearing me speak, Hae Sook lowered her gaze. It looked like she was prepared to tell me exactly what she had on her mind. Alright, let¡¯s at least listen to her. Why does she suddenly want to break up? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 2 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 2: The End was just a New Beginning (2) ¡°Oppa, you¡¯re a really good person. However, I hate everything around you. It¡¯s not a family that I can handle. I definitely have no confidence living with such a father-in-law and brother-in-laws.¡± As expected, it was because of that! I had nothing to say. I agreed 100%, no 200% with her. Even if I was Hae Sook, I wouldn¡¯t want to come into a family like this. Shit! Hae Sook made me remember bad things from my past. My life was really best described with the word cursed. When I was twelve, my dad¡¯s company went bankrupt. He ended up running away, leaving the family with a ton of debt. A few days later, my half brothers all ran away like my dad. At some point, I heard news about my dad and half brothers. My dad ended up creating a new family with some woman in Pyeongtaek, and my half brothers ended up as gangsters. Knowing that, no wonder my life was difficult. How difficult you ask? People often tell you to look down when things are tough. Look at how the people who have it worse than you are still able to try so hard to survive. Unfortunately, I could not find such people. At least around me, there was nobody who had it worse than I did. There was a bit of time when my situation got better. When I was in high school, I was able to make some money through Royal Roader. I was able to pay for a room and we were able to get out of the greenhouse we were tired of living in. The day we moved into the room, my mom and younger sister Minji, the three of us had a samgyupsal party. I think that was the happiest time of my life. But that happiness came to an end quickly. Because of my mom¡¯s illness, my family had to tighten our belts again. It¡¯s the same now, after I have returned from the military. Working at the luxury carwash gets me close to 3,000,000 won (TL: that¡¯s about $2,600) a month, but after paying the interest for the loan we got to pay for my mom¡¯s medicine, there is almost nothing left. It was because of this that I could not hate Hae Sook even when she was saying all of this. I wanted to hold on to her, but I had no face to do so. It¡¯s not like she gave me a chance to do that either. ¡°And as you mentioned, I did find a new man. This time, I am meeting him with the intention of marrying him. So we should have a clean break-up.¡± (TL: Girl, that¡¯s called cheating.) Even though I wanted to say something, anything, my lips had no intentions of opening. Hae Sook stopped after that and stood up. ¡°Please don¡¯t contact me ever again. No, erase my phone number. I will also erase yours. You don¡¯t need to walk me back today.¡± After saying that, Hae Sook stood there for a second before she disappeared quickly like the wind. If I¡¯m being honest with you, I was always worried. I always thought that Hae Sook would leave me someday. There was no way a girl like her would marry a guy like me. Maybe that¡¯s why I had been subconsciously prepared to say goodbye. I wanted it to hurt even a tiny bit less when I got thrown away like this. ¡°It¡¯s okay! Let¡¯s not be hurt!¡± I pretended to be okay as I left the playground. However, as expected, I had no energy. Rather, I was feeling very depressed. The worst part was that even in the midst of this, I was hungry. What the heck must be in this stupid stomach so that three times a day, it bugged a person like this? Maybe it was because of the smell of the soondaegookbap. There was a soondaegookbap store right in front of the goshiwon, and the taste of their food was heavenly. ¡®Should I buy a plate?¡¯ However, I didn¡¯t want to waste my money. I had to live off of around 400,000 won a month. After taking out the cost of the goshiwon, I was left with 250,000 won. Which means, I had about 8,000 won a day. (TL: US $6.99) Thankfully I could walk the 3km to the carwash and save on travel fees, and I could eat lunch at the carwash. I don¡¯t drink or smoke. I never smoked, and my alcohol tolerance is pretty high, but I never spend my own money to drink alcohol. The problem was the monthly 6,000 won fee for internet and phone, but since Royal Roader was ending its service, I had no reason to maintain my internet service. Just doing that will save me 3,000 won a month. I finally have a bit of flexibility. However, my feet headed not to the soondaegookbap store but to the convenience store next to it. ¡®How can I eat soondaegookbap on a day like this when I¡¯m feeling so down? I¡¯d get indigestion. Let¡¯s just have a small meal.¡¯ In the end, I bought a cupbap from the convenience store and went up to my room. It was a bulgogi rice bowl. Usually I fill myself up with the 2,000 won kimbap, but sometimes, I need to eat other food like this. Since I even received a tip today, I guess I can consider it a small award to myself for working so hard. ¡®I should eat it before it gets cold.¡¯ Chew.Chew.Chew. The cupbap tasted decent when I first ate it, but after having eaten it so many times, now I¡¯m getting tired of it. I still convinced myself that it was tasty and chewed it down slowly. But without thinking about it, I started to eat faster. My mind was telling myself that I needed to eat it quickly so that I could enjoy Royal Roader for the last time. When I looked at the clock, it was already 8pm. Since they said the service would end at 10pm, I had around two hours left. ¡®Let¡¯s make this last run a great one.¡¯ I put down the empty bowl and the spoon and sat in front of the computer. There wasn¡¯t much that I was not able to accomplish after making up my mind while playing Royal Roader. But there was this one thing. That last thing left was punishing the Boss Monster, Demon Heros, that resided in the Blood Field past the Western Mines. It was the strongest of all the monsters that I¡¯ve hunted. For my last act, let¡¯s hunt that one monster. Then I will let go without any regrets. I logged into the game and immediately headed past the Western Mines into the Blood Field. I always enjoyed solo play. That doesn¡¯t mean that I had no helpers. As one of the top ranked characters, I traveled across the continent and completed many quests, and gained a lot of followers in the process. There were even some great warriors among my followers. I asked the Magician¡¯s Tower to gather all of them in the Blood Field. There were a total of 20,000 followers who answered my call. They were all people who were known throughout the continent for their weapon mastery. I also had a strong slave brigade. They were existences that lived and died based on my command. I stood in the front. The followers became my wings on the left and right, and the slave brigade created a strong support from the back. We quickly entered the center of the Blood Field in that formation. Although I had to sacrifice countless followers and slaves, the Demon¡¯s strength weakened as well. And Finally, a battle with the Demon Heros! It was a duel between the two strongest forces that nobody could interfere with. It was a 1 on 1 battle between Heros and I. Heros was definitely strong. I had to press the shortcut key ¡®Q¡¯ to feed myself healing potions continuously as I hunted him down. But in the end, it was my victory. After launching an attack with my life on the line, I succeeded in a whopping 36 hit combo, and the damage counter served as a bloody decoration as I finally defeated the Demon Heros. Tons of items started to flow out. Of course, none of them had any meaning since the game would end. But my eyes did notice a somewhat special item. There was an empty space to submit your wish. ¡®Who needs a wish when the game is ending?!¡¯ If it was pressing a button on my mouse, I might have done it, but I hated typing on my keyboard. It was too cumbersome. I tried to skip past it. ¡®Oh? There is no button to skip it.¡¯ I could not skip it. There was no button to move on, and there was no button to close the window either. It was made so that you could not get to the next screen without filling in the blank. I¡¯m sure if I searched around, I might find a method. However, rather than putting in the effort to find it, it¡¯ll probably be easier to just type a few words. ¡®Fine. I will answer.¡¯ I was about to type randomly before I became curious. ¡®Should I really try putting a wish down? Then maybe the moderator might be interested.¡¯ I had nothing to lose. Right now, I only had one wish. The renewal of Royal Roader. If it was a wish like this, even the moderator could accept it happily. They might even give me a small gift. On one hand, I even imagined such a situation. Royal Roader becoming reality, and me being the main character in it. There would be no cooler life than that. I wrote it in as a joke. [Royal Roader¡¯s renewal as reality.] Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 3 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 3: The End was just a New Beginning (3) A new ¡®confirm¡¯ button appeared below. They shouldn¡¯t have put so much effort into this. I pressed the ¡®confirm¡¯ button. Finally the screen moved on. And not much later, the screen froze. Instead, a new window popped up. [Royal Roader¡¯s service has ended.] I looked at the clock and noticed it was exactly 10pm. I closed the game and tried logging onto the Royal Roader website to see if my wish was granted and if there was any news of a renewal. Of course, I knew the chances of that happening were zero. [The requested page cannot be found.] ¡®As expected.¡¯ The homepage had disappeared. It had finally ended for good. I felt like there was a giant hole in my chest. It feels like the first time I¡¯ve ever felt this way in my life. Royal Roader was that important of a game to me. It wasn¡¯t like that from the beginning. I first started to play Royal Roader in the second year of middle school. It was because of something my friend Hwang Joon Yul said to me. [Log into Royal Roader and go mine a ¡®Mithril¡¯! Well, our relationship is kind of complicate to call it friendship. Hwang Joon Yul was the coolest kid in the class and was in the position of giving me orders, and I was just his ¡®bread shuttle¡¯. He just pretended like he didn¡¯t know I was saying I was his friend as long as we were in the same class and I worked hard as his bread shuttle. You¡¯re saying I was a wimp? How laughable! You think you wouldn¡¯t have acted that way if you were in my shoes? Hwang Joon Yul was at the top of the food chain at the school. I don¡¯t know what kind of man his dad was, but even the principal would shake in fear in front of Hwang Joon Yul. Because of that, the majority of the students acted like his lackies. It was because I had some courage and conscience that I acted as his bread shuttle. What does being a bread shuttle have to do with courage and conscience? It¡¯s simple. I didn¡¯t have the courage to stand up to Hwang Joon Yul, but I also didn¡¯t want to bully other students. That was why I didn¡¯t follow his command to ¡®slap that bastard ten times,¡¯ and that day, I got beat up so hard before it was decided that I would serve as his bread shuttle. I think with that much, I can say I have courage and a conscience. Anyways, Hwang Joon Yul commanded me to ¡®go mine a Mithril in Royal Roader,¡¯ and I followed his command diligently. I immediately created an account with Royal Roader and without thinking about leveling up, I spent all my time swinging a pickaxe. That was how I spent six months of my life. After he finished the mithril quest, Hwang Joon Yul gave me a new command. [People say that it is easy for miners to become blacksmiths. Become a blacksmith so you can fix my weapons.] I worked as hard as I could for another 3 months to become a blacksmith. And then I took all the worn out weapons that Hwang Joon Yul threw at me and fixed them up like new. It was the definition of exploitation. Because of that, Royal Roader was a game that felt like hell. To think that Royal Roader would end up becoming the flower of my life. Hwang Joon Yul grew tired of Royal Roader after only 1 year. When we moved up to our third year, we were in different classes. My real experience with Royal Roader started at that point. At that point, Royal Roader had already been going for over three years. It was like I had started over 2 years later than all the other users. Regardless of that, I leveled up at a scary speed. I swept a ton of Royal Roader¡¯s records and when I became a freshman in high school, I had become Royal Roader¡¯s strongest character. I was not just the strongest character. I was so overwhelmingly strong that it wouldn¡¯t have been wrong to call me an overlord. How was that possible? Ironically, it was because of Hwang Joon Yul. Did Hwang Joon Yul pass his character and items to me when he stopped playing? Nonono! How could you imagine such nonsense? Hwang Joon Yul would never do that. Then my method? It was because of all the mining in the mine. It turned out that a miner was a ¡®hidden class¡¯ in Royal Roader. The majority of users started by hitting a scarecrow when they first started playing Royal Roader. That¡¯s the only way to increase your ¡®dexterity,¡¯ the most important stat to use a weapon. If you don¡¯t increase your dexterity, no matter how much you swing your weapon, they will all end up with a ¡®miss.¡¯ You wouldn¡¯t cause any damage at all. You had to raise it to at least Intermediate 1st level to start hunting. Your stats also go up as well. That is why the majority of people would spend around 30 minutes hitting the scarecrow to raise their dexterity to intermediate level 1, and the really persistent people would spend over 4 hours to raise it to intermediate level 2 before starting monster hunting. Mining ended up having the same effect as hitting the scarecrow. Your dexterity went up as well as your stats. I did that for about 6 months. Not six hours, not six days, not even six weeks, but six freaken months. Thanks to that, I was able to raise my dexterity to advanced level 3. I was the only player in Royal Roader¡¯s 14 years to increase their dexterity to the advanced level. That was not it. When you are mining, you tend to run into a lot of fortuitous encounters. Through those encounters, I gained a lot of stats or learned a lot of new skills that other people could not get. I even earned a unique slave. The blacksmith was also similar to a hidden class. If you become the greatest blacksmith, you could even reach the level of ¡®One with the Sword,¡¯ where you are connected mentally with your sword, and could even become promoted to an alchemist. I reached the ¡®One with the Sword¡¯ level after working as a blacksmith for 6 months, and I even got promoted to an alchemist. Of course, all of this was only possible because my dexterity was at an advanced level. This was also something that only I managed to accomplish in Royal Roader¡¯s history. Thanks to that, as soon as I started hunting out in the field, I could run wildly. Even if a horde of monsters over 10 levels higher than me were coming at me, I could easily defeat them on my own. It¡¯s no surprise that I was able to create all sorts of new records. Spending my time like that for 1 year, I had ended up becoming the strongest character in Royal Roader. No wonder I found it to be so fun. No matter how difficult my life was, or what kind of sorrows I faced in life, I could forget about all of it once I logged in to Royal Roader. The moments I was playing Royal Roader were extremely delightful and made me happy. I also earned a decent amount of money through it. It was easy for me to earn around 2,000,000 won a month, and if I was lucky, I could even gain an item worth 5,000,000 won in one go. But that was it. Royal Roader quickly started on its march to the afterlife and it finally came to today¡¯s situation. ¡°Sigh, what should I do with my life from now on?¡± Should I find a new game and start fresh? I didn¡¯t dare to do so. The only reason I was able to become an overlord in Royal Roader was because I happened to start on a path to a hidden class. Unless a coincidence like that happened again, it would be impossible. It¡¯s also difficult for me to make time to play. ¡®Let¡¯s stop playing games! Am I even at a place to play games right now? Let¡¯s use that time to get a second job.¡¯ Tomorrow, I should look for another job that I could work for a bit in the evening. In order to do that, I guess I should get a good night¡¯s rest. I turned the light off and laid down. Maybe it was because of my regret and longing for Royal Roader, but I could not fall asleep easily. ¡®How great would it be if Royal Roader was to reopen tomorrow?¡¯ Was my imagination too much? I started to hear some weird chants in my head. ¡®Yes, please renew.¡¯ My mind had headed towards the dream world at some point. Even as I was falling asleep, the chants still continued. It was almost like a lullaby. The chants didn¡¯t stop even after I fell completely asleep. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 4 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 4: Is This for Real? (1) FLASH! ¡®Huh? What is that?¡¯ A lightning flashed in front of my eyes. The unexpected flash of light made me open my eyes. ¡°What the heck?¡± I could only be surprised after seeing the scenery around me. I was outside. I was actually in the plaza of a foreign village where a lot of people were walking back and forth. I¡¯m sure I was laying down in my room at the goshiwon, so where is this? The even weirder part were the people¡¯s outfits. The majority of them were wearing clothes that looked like rags, and every so often, I saw people with golden armors and even robes like magicians. It felt like they were cosplaying a village in a video game. It was especially similar to Royal Roader that I enjoyed so much. When my thoughts got to that point, I suddenly became wide awake. ¡°Ah! Royal Roader!¡± Now that I think about it, this scenery, I¡¯m very familiar with it. It looks very similar to when I first started playing Royal Roader. No, it is exactly the same. ¡®That square is Titan Square, that shop is Dooshik¡¯s Mineral Store, that alley is the path to the training ground¡­¡­¡¯ No matter where I looked, it was exactly the same. This village was Titan Valley, the first village I logged into when I started playing Royal Roader. My appearance was also the same. I was sitting on a bench wearing a shabby looking grey, casual outfit. On my side was a worn out leather bag. I looked inside the bag. It was a magical bag with a total of 32 inventory slots. There were 5 rye breads and 50,000 won worth of coins each taking up an inventory slot. ¡®Even this is the same!¡¯ Everything was the same as when I first started Royal Roader. Even the unit of currency was the same. Royal Roader used the regular Korean won for currency. ¡®Then maybe even the stat information¡­¡­?¡¯ Once I thought about stats, the related information automatically popped up in front of my eyes. [Kang Hwi Ram ¨C Level 1] Dexterity: Beginner 0% Strength: 12 Agility: 7 Stamina: 2 Intuition: 2 Magic: 2 Vitality: 2 Mana: 8 Health: 28 All of the stat information, including dexterity, was the same. Even the terribly low beginning amounts for each stat was the same. What the heck is going on? I suddenly remembered about the Marble of Wishes I gained for defeating the Demon Heros. My wish was written as ¡®Royal Roader¡¯s renewal as reality.¡¯ I shook my head. Even if that was my wish, how could Royal Roader be renewed? Even more, how could it be renewed as reality? Finally, for all that to happen and then me coming into it to play the game myself? This does not make any sense. Then am I dreaming? ¡°OW!¡± It¡¯s definitely not a dream. How could the feeling of pinching my thigh feels so vivid. Plus, the fresh scent of the forest that is invading my nostrils, the clear view of the Titan Mountains that opens your pupils extremely wide, and the loud chatter of the people walking back and forth! Each and every one of those were extremely clear and vivid. I could not believe this was a dream. Either that, or I was dreaming a really vivid dream. It was a mess inside my head. I could not do anything. The thing that I was most worried about was that I didn¡¯t know how to return to reality. It might be a terrible and miserable reality, but at least my family was not far away. I sat there with a blank expression for a while. But as time passed by, I started to slowly calm down. Then I came to a single conclusion. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter if this is a dream or reality. The important thing is that I cannot just sit here and do nothing! I need to do something.¡¯ No, I wanted to do something. Royal Roader was my life¡¯s only source of happiness and joy. Didn¡¯t I end up inside that same game? Even though I could not feel any type of skills, my heart was beating wildly in anticipation. Reality? Family? Of course I must return. However, it¡¯s not like I would be transported back by sitting around doing nothing. Rather, I need to actively search around to gather knowledge and expand my horizons to figure out a way to get back home. Where should I start? I did not have to ponder for a long time. No, there was no need to debate anything. All of the scenario was the same as Royal Roader. That means that I just need to follow exactly in the footsteps I already took once before. I just needed to progress on the road to becoming Royal Roader¡¯s strongest character. ¡®I guess I should first head towards the Batoom Mines.¡¯ Of course I wouldn¡¯t replay all the mistakes I made before as well. There has to be some kind of growth the second time around. When I first started Royal Roader, I suffered a lot because of a lack of rye bread. I even got scammed by an NPC because of it. I headed to the nearby grocery store. I remember using this grocery store frequently when I was playing Royal Roader. ¡°Welcome. What can I get for you?¡± ¡°How much is your rye bread?¡± ¡°Each one is 300 won, and a set of 30 is 7,000 won.¡± Even the prices were the same. ¡°Please give me one set.¡± I received the rye bread and put it in my bag. There is a protection magic on the bag which makes us able to store food in it without spoiling for a long time. Next, I immediately headed for the Batoom Mines. Last time, I needed to talk to the NPC merchants passing by to find it, but I didn¡¯t need to do that this time. I already knew where it was. ¡®It¡¯s over there!¡¯ [Batoom Mines] The name of the mine, location, and even Batoom, the old-fashioned miner, were all the same as the game. I remember his face because I saw him so many times. ¡°What can I do for you?¡¯ ¡°I came to mine for minerals.¡± ¡°You know that only people under level 10 are allowed inside, right?¡± Even the level restriction was the same. Around 1000 years ago, there was an invasion from the Demon World. At that time, caves similar to the mines worked as passageways to the Demon World. Because of that, they called forth a divine power to create a force field. That way, a force field was also created on the other end of the tunnel located in the Demon World, preventing any monsters higher than level 10 from entering this world. It¡¯s information that was written on the Royal Roader homepage. ¡°I¡¯m level 1.¡± ¡°Great! Go into tunnel 7. You can use these equipment.¡± I received a single safety helmet and a pickaxe from Batoom. [Old Safety Helmet] Durability: 5/12 Defense: 4 Restriction: Strength 4 [Old Pickaxe] Durability: 11/20 Attack: 5 Attack Speed: 5 Restriction: Strength 7 I needed to verify something before I entered the mines. ¡°Is the supervisor for tunnel 7 Bae Doochi?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. Do you know Bae Doochi?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯ve just heard of his name. Then Old Man Jonnan must be there too.¡± ¡°Should be.¡± I was relieved. Things would get complicated if I could not meet Jonnan. I cautiously entered into the mine. ¡®Wow! This is no joke!¡¯ The environment in the tunnel was the worst. Putting aside the fact that it was narrow and dark, there was a lack of oxygen, making it difficult to breathe normally. I felt like I was marching in the military with gas masks on. No, it was actually much worse. It was so bad I even felt like I would die like this. The more I thought that way, the more I became extremely confident that this was not a dream. There was no way things would feel this realistic in a dream. I did not stop walking. I was afraid, but I had to overcome it. If I backed away right now, my life would just turn back to hell. Rather than letting that happen, it would be better to die in this underground tunnel. ¡®Would I really die? If I persist, then I will win!¡¯ After I walked for a while, I finally saw the sign. [Tunnel #7] ¡®Here it is!¡¯ I went into the tunnel. There were seven miners diligently swinging their pickaxes. (TL: 7 miners? I can¡¯t help but think of the 7 dwarfs singing as they mine) ¡®That person is tunnel supervisor Bae Doochi.¡¯ He was known for his hawk eyes and strong physique. Just by looking at him you could tell that he was overflowing with power. ¡®That elder is Jonnan.¡¯ An extremely skinny old man who was hunched over. He was someone who was like a family member to me in the game. Should I say he was my soul¡¯s partner? Of course, right now, I had to pretend that I didn¡¯t know him. Jonnan needed to be thrown away by Bae Doochi in order to become my person. ¡°My name is Kang Hwi Ram. Please take good care of me.¡± ¡°I am the tunnel supervisor Bae Doochi! Work hard and don¡¯t cause any issues. If you do that, I won¡¯t kick you out.¡± After exchanging simple glances with the other miners, I headed to one side of the tunnel. I took a deep breath with the pickaxe in my hand. This was not just simple mining. If it is the same system as Royal Roader, mining is equivalent to training your sword skills. If that¡¯s the case, you have to focus even if you are swinging it just once. Clicking the mouse and physically doing it myself is completely different. That¡¯s what I need to do to not waste any strength and quickly upgrade my stats and dexterity. I did a lot of shoveling and mining in my military days. You may not believe it, but I was actually part of the Shovel division in the Chungsung Brigade, which is known to be the greatest infantry unit in Korean history. Within the brigade, I was an artillerist in charge of the 105mm cannons. (TL: The Chungsung brigade was a unit that took down the North Korean forces with less people and supplies during the Korean War). The specialty of the shovel division was digging a ditch for the artillery whenever our eyes were open. We had to dig a ditch large enough to cover up the 105mm cannon. Because of that, whether it is a shovel or a pickaxe, as long as it was a tool related to digging, I can proudly say I¡¯ve reached the master level. ¡®Choke up on the shaft when you are lifting it up and then use the swing of your hips when you strike down. Then you can use only a bit of strength to deliver a strong impact. Haaaaaa!¡± Clang! Clang! Clang! ¡®As expected, I won¡¯t die.¡¯ The sound of the rocks breaking was refreshing. Every time the pickaxe hit the rock, I could see the damage written in red writing. 2 2 Confirming the damage with my eyes made me feel less fatigued. I focused all of my thoughts on mining. I would say it was about 30 minutes later? CLAAAANG! An especially clear and refreshing sound that was different than before came out. The damage was also written not in red, but in green. [4] ¡®Yes! This is what I¡¯ve been waiting for!¡¯ Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 5 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 5: Is This for Real? (2) Critical hit does 2x the damage. In other words, if you just focus properly, you can do twice the work with the same amount of effort. Of course, the effects of critical hit don¡¯t end there. You have to launch a lot of critical hits for your dexterity to advance quickly. There is also one more effect that is just as important! One of the reasons I can confirm a miner is a ¡®hidden class¡¯ is because of this. The speed at which you could raise your stats was surprisingly fast and almost at the speed of raising your dexterity. If you managed to trigger the right qualifications, the stats increase even faster. First, you have to focus and launch a lot of critical hits. Second, even if you are tired, you have to continue to swing the pickaxe. In other words, you have to push your body to the limit. Other than stopping briefly to erase my hunger, I continued to swing the pickaxe. Since I knew I would be rewarded based on my efforts, I could continue working with joy even though it was difficult. ¡®Ahrachacha!¡¯ (TL: It¡¯s really just a grunting noise.) Claaaang! Claaaang! As I continued to do that, the sound of my stats going up became more frequent. Humans are definitely animals of adaptation. On the first day, I really thought I was going to die. Not only was I in a harsh environment like the narrow underground tunnel, I was feeling an immense amount of pain from my sore muscles. But I clenched my teeth and persevered. The other miners only worked an average of five to six hours a day, but I worked more than two times that amount, swinging my pickaxe 14 hours a day. No wonder I was so tired that it wouldn¡¯t be weird if I fell over. However, after four days my muscles completely stopped being sore and I was getting slowly used to this harsh environment known as the mine. My speed in mining ores became faster each and every day. Only nine days had gone by, but I was mining over 40,000 won per day. That was the case even without selling titanium, the most expensive ore. Thanks to that, I already had 299,990 won in my bag. Just 10 won short of 300,000 won. I managed to save that much even after spending a decent amount on food and living accommodations. It was thanks to my increased stats. [Kang Hwi Ram ¨C Level 1] Dexterity: Intermediate level 3,17% Strength: 16 Agility: 8 Stamina: 9 Intuition: 3 Magic: 2 Vitality: 2 Mana: 8 Health: 46 My stamina points increased the most. It even went up by 7 points. Following that was my strength with 4 points, and agility and intuition both raised 1 point each. Vitality will increase on its own as stamina and health goes up, so I don¡¯t need to worry about that. Same thing with mana, that¡¯ll increase on its own as magic and knowledge go up. (TL: But knowledge isn¡¯t one of the listed stats¡­) Anyways, I had a total of 13 point increase in stat points. Of course it doesn¡¯t go up like this forever. The speed goes down as the stats get higher, and at some point, it will stop completely. When I was playing Royal Roader the game, it took about 5 months to arrive at that point. Until I get there, I will continue to swing this pickaxe without looking at anything else. ¡®Shall I get started again? Aja!¡¯ Clang! Clang! Clang! I focused all of my attention as best I can. I treated it as if I was training sword skills. Thanks to that, I did not miss even one hit. Each swing with the pickaxe resulted in critical hit. But suddenly, I felt lightheaded. At the same time, my eyes became dark and my mind started to get cloudy. It felt like I was suffering from an extreme case of anemia. It was unexpected and happened in an instant. ¡®Why all of a sudden¡­¡­?¡¯ My thoughts did not continue any further. Less than 0.1 second after I felt anemic, I lost consciousness. * * * I opened my eyes wide. ¡°Where is this place?¡± I looked around my surroundings with dazed eyes. I was not in the mine. I was in my room at the goshiwon, which was cramped and shabby but still comfortable and safe. ¡®What happened? I was in the tunnel just now.¡¯ As I came to my senses, I noticed that the alarm was ringing on my cellphone. Once I heard that noise, I realized the current situation. With a sense of disbelief, I subconsciously launched a kick at the blanket. ¡®Damn it! How could this be?! It was a dream?!¡¯ How could it be so cruel! I really believed that it was real and not a dream. I really believed that I could once again become the greatest warrior and rule while sitting on top of the world. Yet it was only a dream! It felt like the world was falling apart. ¡®Shit! Shit! Shit!¡¯ I couldn¡¯t hold in my anger and continued to kick my blanket. But that didn¡¯t change anything. I couldn¡¯t believe it, but I had no choice but to accept the situation. But it was so weird. I was dreaming about eating, sleeping, and even using the restroom? I vividly remember each and every one of those actions. How could a dream feel so realistic? The conclusion I came to was this. I¡¯ve been way too deep into games lately. As a result, I had a game-related dream that felt like reality. Now it was time to clear my mind. But I guess I was not ready yet. As soon as I woke up, I approached my computer out of habit. To me, my addiction to computer games was harder to kick than smoking. Like usual, I turned on my computer and went to the Royal Roader homepage. ¡®Huh? It¡¯s loading!¡¯ Just last night, it only had a message that said ¡®Page cannot be found.¡¯ But now, I was able to enter the homepage. But that was it. Although the homepage loaded, none of the buttons to any of the posts worked. In fact, none of the buttons wor¡­¡­! ¡®Oh! This one works!¡¯ The Virtual Accounting button! It¡¯s a function that lets you manage the game money you have in Royal Roader on the internet. This button was still working. ¡®What is this? Are they saying they¡¯ll at least protect our earnings?¡¯ There was no point. You could only use the Royal Roader game money in the game itself. Plus, the interest in the game fell so far that there wasn¡¯t even any trading going on for cash. But I was still interested. I clicked the button and entered the Virtual Accounting page. I still had some game money left. Exactly 299,990 won. I couldn¡¯t believe it. At one point, I had saved over 1 trillion won. I had so much that when I was in Royal Roader, money didn¡¯t even look like money. But now, it was only about 300,000 won. Exactly 10 won less than 300,000 won. ¡®Wait? Hold on! 10 won less than 300,000 won?¡¯ That amount was surprisingly familiar. The last time I checked my account in my dream, I also had exactly 10 won less than 300,000 won. How could it be exactly the same? ¡®Hmm, whose game money is this?¡¯ I was not logged in right now. Because the homepage wasn¡¯t really working, it was not possible to log¡­! ¡®Huh? I guess I am logged in!¡¯ My name, ¡®Kang Hwi Ram nim¡¯ was clearly visible on the top corner of the homepage. How is this possible? I never logged in. It was a situation I could not understand. Oh? What is this thing? As I looked, there was an unfamiliar button under Virtual Accounting. [Money Transfer] Has this button always been here? No, it wasn¡¯t here before. I have been obsessed with Royal Roader for over 11 years. I fell even further into the game once I became the overlord. So I¡¯m confident that I have analyzed the game more than anybody else. It was to the point that I even researched information about irrelevant NPCs. I thought that there might be some important hidden quests I didn¡¯t know about. After all of that, there was nothing I didn¡¯t know about the game or the homepage. In fact, there were over fifty errors on the homepage that I personally caught¡­ But you¡¯re telling me I missed a ¡®Money Transfer¡¯ button? Not possible. If there was a button like this, I would have used it endlessly. Which means, until the website disappeared yesterday, this ¡®Money Transfer¡¯ button was not there. Then why did this suddenly appear? Did one of the Royal Roader programmers make it out of boredom? Since it was a terminated website, they could play around to practice their programming. Whatever the reason was, I was curious. There is a saying that people use for these type of situations. ¡®You have nothing to lose. Might as well try it!¡¯ I pressed the money transfer button. Three new windows popped up. [Name of Bank: ???] [Account number: ???] [Transfer amount: ???] What is this? It feels like it is getting more serious as I continue on. I felt like the money would really be transferred if I put information into the empty areas and clicked transfer. Is it okay to try it? What could go wrong? It¡¯s an account under my name anyways. It¡¯s not my mistake either. If the owner of the money comes forward and says ¡®that money was transferred in error so please return it,¡¯ I can just be cool and return it then. ¡®Alright, let¡¯s try it!¡¯ My hand was starting to fill in the empty windows. My account number for my account at Saemaool Safe. (TL: This is a legit online banking website in Korea.) Transfer amount, 99,999 won. There was no special meaning behind that amount. I just simply clicked wherever my finger went. Then I pressed the transfer button one more time. An unbelievable message popped up on my screen. [99,999 won was transferred to Kang Hwi Ram nim¡¯s Saemaool Safe account.] Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 6 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 6: Let¡¯s Just Brush It Off and Start Over (1) That wasn¡¯t all. The game money in my Virtual Accounting page also decreased by the same amount. 199,991 won. Really? The money was really transferred? Does this make any sense? I couldn¡¯t believe it. But my hands were already guiding the mouse and keyboard. I was going to verify the amount in my Saemaool Safe account that the money should have been transferred to, through internet banking. If it was really transferred, there should be a record of it in my account. My hands were moving so fast that they seemed clumsy. Within seconds, I pulled up my account information. At that moment, my jaws dropped. ¡°Oh my God!¡± The money had been deposited. Exactly 99,999 won was deposited into my account. The transfer date was also listed as today. I¡¯m certain this was the game money that I just transferred. ¡®What is this?¡¯ My mind was drawing a blank for a while. ¡®How could the game money be deposited into my bank account? Especially for a game that has already ended its service.¡¯ However, the more I thought about it, the more my mind raced to a single conclusion. The dream I had last night. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a dream.¡± It¡¯s something that is unbelievable. However, I could not not believe it. There was too much clear evidence to show it wasn¡¯t a dream. First evidence is the dream itself. No matter how vivid a dream may be, how could you clearly remember everything that happened from the moment you woke up in the morning to the moment you went to sleep at night? Furthermore, I remembered pretty much everything that happened for about ten whole days without missing a single minute. Second evidence was the Virtual Accounting. The final amount I remember from my dream aligned perfectly with the amount in Virtual Accounting. I didn¡¯t even need to consider the other evidence. That was enough. ¡®Just what is going on here?¡¯ There¡¯s no way I¡¯m still dreaming, is there? Riiiing. Riiiiing. The phone alarm brought be back out of my thoughts. I suddenly became alert. ¡°Aaahh! I¡¯m late!¡± I¡¯ve always lacked sleep. That¡¯s because after finishing work at the carwash, I would sleep late after having fun playing Royal Roader. That is why I have two sets of alarm set up every morning. One to wake up from my bed. The second one to finish eating and get up from the restaurant. Which means, even if I was to rush, I would still be late. I frantically finished my preparations and darted out of the goshiwon like an arrow. I was hungry, but I didn¡¯t have time to eat breakfast. I ran full speed towards the carwash. Unfortunately, my rhythm was interrupted by red lights multiple times. In the end, I was 5 minutes late. GM Jang was waiting for me and started to bark at me like a dog. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram, you¡¯re late again?¡± I feel very bad about being late. But why does he need to say ¡®again¡¯? During the two years that I¡¯ve been working here, I¡¯ve been late less than five times. There was only one reason for GM Jang to do this. He just wanted to yell at me. ¡°You have a lot of loose screws these days! You don¡¯t put in any effort in washing cars and you suck when you are greeting customers! Do you not want to work here anymore?¡± Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t understand. ¡®Why is GM Jang treating me like this these days?¡¯ When it comes to work environment, our carwash has probably the best one. The president treats the employees really well, and that is the method to our carwash¡¯s success. Since the president treats employees like family, the employees just hold back no matter how rude customers are, and provide the best service. GM Jang had learned a lot from watching his father, the president, so he was really good to the employees. Even to me. But the atmosphere changed suddenly once the president was hospitalized after a car accident. GM Jang picked me to yell at all the time. The amount of yelling he did wasn¡¯t only a little either. He raised the intensity each and every day, making it feel like he was silently asking ¡®oh, you¡¯re still not going to resign?¡¯ Today was especially bad. He seems to have made up his mind to blabber on. ¡°Starting right now, you are to practice giving a kind service 30 times before you start working. Got it? Today, do it where I can see you.¡± Kind service practice. This is where you have to bow and say ¡®Welcome.¡¯ ¡®Thank you very much.¡¯ And ¡®Have a wonderful day.¡¯ Over and over into thin air. At that moment, a single thought came to my mind. ¡®I guess this is the end for this carwash.¡¯ If I¡¯m being honest, I owe a lot of gratitude to the president. Whether it was for my mother¡¯s hospital fees or younger sister¡¯s school fees, whenever I needed an advance, he would let me borrow 500,000 or even 1,000,000 won (TL:~$500). Of course I always paid the debt back quickly. Because of my feelings of gratitude and loyalty, I continued to work at this carwash. But it puts me in an awkward position if GM Jang comes at me like this. We get plenty of nagging from our customers, but we have to suffer the same from our own family? I can¡¯t do that. On one hand, I thought it was great. My mind was out in the bean field anyways. Let¡¯s be honest. Even now, my mind was full of Royal Roader. I wanted to hurry back to the goshiwon and experience that dream once more. I felt like it was possible. Didn¡¯t I verify the money that was deposited in my account with my own eyes? If that type of thing could continue to happen, this would be my life doing a full 180. I didn¡¯t have time to worry about this job at the carwash. Plus, this type of job was easy to find if I put my mind to it. People are all saying that the unemployment rate is really high, but carwashes, and other manual labor jobs such as electrical or welding, are almost begging for workers. As my thoughts reached that point, I made up my mind. ¡®Alright! Let¡¯s just quit! I have no debt or owed salary anyways.¡¯ Even if I was going to quit on my own accord, there was something I needed to confirm. I bluntly asked GM Jang. ¡°What is the reason?¡± GM Jang could think that my attitude was terrible. My attitude and tone were both a bit like I was arguing. Since I already decided to quit, do I even need to care? Was that the reason? GM Jang hesitated for a second. ¡°¡­¡­What did you say?¡± ¡°For the last few days, you¡¯ve started to nag at me for no reason. Stop acting like a prude and speak up like a man. Did I do something to upset you?¡± ¡°Look at this punk! Are you talking back to me?¡± ¡°Punk? Just because I¡¯m a little bit younger doesn¡¯t mean you can talk like that to a full grown man. And this isn¡¯t talking back; this is me asking a question. Why are you suddenly like this to me?¡± Now I crossed the bridge of no return. GM Jang must have felt it as well. He should know that I¡¯ve made up my mind to leave. That might be why, but he stopped being rude to me. ¡°I just never liked you from the beginning. So disappear quietly. We don¡¯t need someone like you at our carwash.¡± This is really weird. I¡¯ve been working at this carwash for quite a while, and working hard at that. In fact, I even gained a lot of returning customers for us. Which means, if I quit, the carwash would face a lot of losses as well. GM Jang should know this as well, so why is he like this? There has to be a reason for it. What could it be? Whatever, I can¡¯t figure it out. It¡¯s not like it matters to me now anyways. The more important fact was that Royal Roader was waiting for me. Let¡¯s not waste my time here. ¡°Fine then. Tell the president thank you for everything.¡± With that one sentence, I turned around with no regrets. For some reason, my mind was feeling refreshed. Maybe it was because of anticipation or excitement, but my footsteps heading back to the goshiwon could not be any lighter. (TL: Calling it now. President said he was going to leave the carwash to Hwi Ram). Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 7 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 7: Let¡¯s Just Brush It Off and Start Over (2) I arrived at the goshiwon walking so quickly that I was almost running. I was a bit hungry, but my desire for Royal Roader was greater. I immediately headed to the goshiwon and laid on top of my blanket. ¡®Ah, alarm.¡¯ I set my alarm for 2 hours later for now. This was just a test. I tend to like sleeping a lot. When I was obsessed with Royal Roader, there were times when I went four days without sleeping, but on the other hand, if I went to sleep, I could sleep consistently for 24 hours without waking up. It was especially true when I was full of fatigue like right now. As soon as I laid down and closed my eyes, I started to fall asleep. * * * FLASH! I felt a light similar lightning and opened my eyes. I thought I was falling asleep but I had already woken up. I didn¡¯t even need to look around. The dark environment, the air that was humid yet still lacking oxygen making it hard to breathe. Most importantly, the sound of the pickaxe going clang, clang, clang. I was in tunnel 7 of the Batoom Mines. I was back to the exact moment before I returned to reality. I looked at the magic clock hanging on the tunnel. 4:31pm. Even the time had not changed. I was up for at least 2 hours in the real world including the time to go to work and come back, but not even a second had passed here. It felt like I returned back to reality in the time it took to blink. But is the expression correct to call it ¡®reality¡¯? To me, this also feels like reality. A reality different than reality. Whatever. I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s just make it easy and consider this to be Royal Roader. It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be sharing the information about this place with anyone else. The more important thing was the money in my inventory. In the real world, I moved 99,999 won to my bank account. Because of that, the money that was left in Virtual Accounting was 199,991 won. I confirmed the money left in my inventory. [199,991 Won] ¡®As expected.¡¯ It was the same. It decreased the exact amount I transferred in the real world. My hunches were starting to turn closer to confirmation. I just needed to verify one more thing. When I go back to reality, I need to see if the money in Virtual Accounting is the same as the money in my inventory. And then, I need to see if I can transfer that money to my bank account again. Of course, with the current situation, I felt 100% sure. Look at this. The taste of the rye bread feels so realistic. It¡¯s really tough and bland. Look at this. The foul smell in the restroom is there and the refreshing feeling of squatting and taking a dump is no different than reality. Look at this. Even down to the detail about wiping wrong and getting some on your hand. How could this be a dream? However, since this was something that could not really happen in real life, I wanted to confirm one last thing. Even if confirmation was not my goal, there was really only thing I could do here anyways. I started to mine again. Since my feelings about this being a different reality started to get stronger, I felt more strength. But how do I go back to reality? Is it not based on my will? It felt like this place was subject to the situation in the real world. I needed to fall asleep in reality to enter this place and wake up to leave. I wasn¡¯t too worried. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll wake up when it¡¯s time. Since I set my phone alarm for 2 hours later, it should not take too long. Two days passed. I continued to frequently check the amount of money in my inventory and made sure to remember the amount. I had to, since I didn¡¯t know when I would be returning to reality. The first thing I¡¯m going to do when I return is check the amount in Virtual Accounting. I earned an extra 83,910 won the last two days so my inventory had a total of exactly 283,901 won. As morning came around again, I felt my head getting dizzy and felt anemic again. This feeling, I felt this way last time too, ¡®I guess I¡¯m finally returning to the real world.¡¯ It really happened in an instant. I felt like I lost consciousness before I could even finish my thought. * * * I opened my eyes. I was back in my room at the goshiwon. Of course, the two days I spent in the game were vivid in my mind. I could remember everything that happened down to the minute and second. It felt like I was going back and forth between reality and the game with a single blink. ¡®This is really amazing.¡¯ The last thing left was to confirm the amount. I quickly turned on my computer and went to the Royal Roader homepage. I then clicked the Virtual Accounting button and checked the amount. Since I checked the amount in Royal Roader so many times, I knew I would not fail to remember how much was there. ¡®Will it be the same?!¡¯ [Total: 283,901 Won] ¡®Oh, as expected!¡¯ It was exactly the same. It was the same amount that I last saw in my inventory while I was dreaming. I had no more doubts. 100%, no I was 200% sure. That wasn¡¯t inside a dream or even inside a game. It was a different reality. I was traveling back and forth between two worlds that were in two different dimensions. ¡®How is this possible?¡¯ It was not something I could figure out on my own by worrying about it. But it wasn¡¯t like I could ask anybody about it. Either way, that wasn¡¯t the important part. I could enter Royal Roader like it was reality, and I could use the money I earned there in the human world. My mouth and eyes started to move on their own. I found myself smiling so hard I could not contain myself. How should I express this feeling? Should I describe it as feeling like I¡¯m flying in the sky? Maybe like I want to jump up and down in joy? I don¡¯t know. If I had to use a single word to describe it, I would describe it like this. ¡°JAAAAAAACKPOT!¡± A miracle happened to me. In a single day, I earned close to 300,000 won. No, that 300,000 won was nothing. I was someone who ruled over Royal Roader as the strongest player and had trillions of won. I even earned hundreds of millions of won in a single day before too. Of course, back then, it was just game money, but it was a different story now. If I could manage to obtain that kind of success this time¡­¡­! My jaws dropped on their own. My heart was pounding. I was both nervous and full of anticipation. I can become rich. In fact, I can become extremely rich. On one hand, I was fearful. I feared that this miraculous situation might disappear like a mirage. That is really something I don¡¯t even want to think about. I needed some type of information. That way, I could at least lessen this fear. But where could I get some information? ¡®Ah, homepage.¡¯ The Virtual Accounting was on the Royal Roader homepage. It was also there that I could transfer the money to my bank account. Which means, that was the tunnel that lets me communicate with Royal Roader. Maybe the information I need might be hidden there too. It¡¯s not like I tried every button on the website. I was clicking on things until I noticed that the Virtual Accounting button was still working and stopped. There¡¯s still some buttons I haven¡¯t tried yet. I started to click the buttons again. The one that I had most anticipation about was the Q&A button. It was the place to ask any questions and get answers. But the Q&A was dead. The game information was also dead, and the item information was dead as well. My information ¡­¡­oh! When I clicked my information, a new window opened. [Kang Hwi Ram] Dexterity: Intermediate level 3, 31% Strength: 127 (+1) Agility: 104 Stamina: 136 (+1) Intuition: 103 Health: 100 (+5) Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 8 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 8: Let¡¯s Just Brush It Off and Start Over (3) ¡®Huh, what is this?¡¯ I can tell that it was my stat information. What I was seeing was the same as what I saw in Royal Roader. But why were the numbers like this? It was much different than the one in Royal Roader. In Royal Roader, my numbers were mainly 2 or 3, and the highest one was still less than 20. The stats right now were higher than 100 on average. Maybe¡­¡­.? There¡¯s no way¡­¡­! For real? ¡®Holy crap! This isn¡¯t Royal Roader but my stats in real life!¡¯ I could start to understand it as I sat there thinking. The way to increase your stats in Royal Roader was through leveling up. But in reality, there was no leveling up. Your body just changed as you got older, or through working out. No wonder there is such a difference. My eyes became extremely wide. I carefully looked at each and every stat. The majority of them were around 100. That should mean that for each category, 100 should be the norm for an average person. ¡®I guess my stats tend to be on the higher end.¡¯ I was confident in my strength since I was young. Plus, after training my body through manual labor like working in a carwash, no wonder my stats were higher than average. But what is the ¡®+1¡¯ next to strength? ¡®Maybe?¡¯ The majority of my stats in Royal Roader was less than 10. Among them, the only ones to pass 10 were strength, stamina, and health each at 17, 10, and 49. It was just these stats that had a ¡®+¡¯ behind them. In fact, the number behind it was exactly 10% of the stat in Royal Roader. Which would mean that 10% of the stat in Royal Roader gets added to my stats in real life? Holy crap. I think that¡¯s the case. So, if I was to raise my strength to 1,000 in Royal Roader, my strength in real life would be twice that of a normal person. I think I heard my heart drop. If this was true, doesn¡¯t it mean that I could earn a ton of money and become stronger than anybody else as well? Of course this is all just speculation right now. In order to know the truth, I will need to wait until time goes by and I gather a lot of data. There¡¯s no reason to act like a fool without knowing if it is true. I need to put aside premature thoughts and focus on what I can do right now. I tried clicking other buttons as well. But nothing else came up. The only working buttons were ¡®Virtual Accounting¡¯ and ¡®My information.¡¯ I had no other way to gather information. ¡®Then there is nothing else I can do right now.¡¯ I erased the trivial things from my mind. Isn¡¯t this the moment my life will change? Not only mine, but all of my family¡¯s life was about to change. I needed to think things through and act smart. ¡®What should I do right now?¡¯ Of course there was just one thing. I needed to forget about everything else and focus only on Royal Roader. Lacking information? Of course, tackling the source was the best method. More than any other method, using your body to gain information should the fastest and most accurate way. Then there is just one conclusion. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep. I will just continue to sleep.¡± That was the way for me to quickly earn a lot of accurate information, and also the way to get stronger faster. That¡¯s what I needed to do to earn a lot of money anyways. I tried to fall asleep again. I tend to like to sleep a lot. Although I slept close to eleven hours already, once I laid down and tried to sleep, I fell asleep again. But even I could not just continue to sleep forever. I managed to sleep another six hours, but any more was too much. No matter how many times I put the blanket over my head, I could not fall asleep even after counting 1,000 sheeps. It felt like my closed eyes were saying ¡®horse poop, horse poop¡¯ to me. (TL: Must be a Korean saying; not too sure¡­) This isn¡¯t going to be an effective method. I would spend more time trying to sleep than actually sleeping. Also, since I continued to sleep without eating, I was hungry. I couldn¡¯t sleep because I was hungry. ¡®Let¡¯s eat something first.¡¯ I came outside of the goshiwon. I went big and ordered the ¡®Special¡¯ Soondaegookbap. It was even the one with the assorted soondae. (TL: For those of you interested, or maybe hungry, here¡¯s a link to the assorted soondaegookbap: https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5697/22276089798_2e066c8826.jpg) I spent a whole 20,000 won on one meal. But I wasn¡¯t feeling like it was too much at all. Yes! Since I worked hard until now, I can live a little. I don¡¯t need to fret over a couple thousand won anymore. Thanks to that, I felt my stomach being very full. It felt like I was eating without worries for the first time in a long time. ¡®Ah, this is great.¡¯ I placed the empty plate and pot in front of me and felt a sense of happiness. Alright, let¡¯s do some constructive thinking again. The most important thing was sleeping a lot. However, something just as important was sleeping healthily. This isn¡¯t something that is going to end in one or two days. I needed to think about the long term. This is something that could continue for a couple months, or even a couple years. Maybe even forever. The method to healthily sleep a long time? The answer came easily. ¡®Tiring out your body.¡¯ Of course manual labor was out of the equation. There was no reason to push myself to get a salary of 200,000ish won when I could earn a ton of money in Royal Roader. Plus, if I got hurt in the process, it would be more harmful than good. The best method would definitely be sports. If I spend a bit of money, I could tire myself out while being healthy and having fun. After living as a cheapskate for all my life, I felt odd thinking about words like ¡®money¡¯ or ¡®spending¡¯, but if I could earn more money through it, I needed to confidently make the decision. Alright, let¡¯s brush away my terrible past. I can enjoy my life now too. Full of fun. ¡®Let¡¯s start right away.¡¯ I immediately headed over to the sports center and signed up. I can use the pool and the health club. Including the training fee, it was 100,000 won a month. I charged the fee to my debit card. I guess I was still holding on to some of my identity as a cheapskate. I felt so sad, almost to the point of tear, spending 100,000 won at once. Ah! My money that is like my blood! Well, wasn¡¯t I the person who didn¡¯t want to waste a couple thousand won that I needed to really think about spending the money to buy the shrimp chips that I like so much? But thanks to that, I could see my passion starting to burn. ¡®I will make sure to get my money¡¯s worth.¡¯ I started to work out. The word ¡®adequately¡¯ is not in my dictionary. Whenever I start something, I put a single phrase in front of it. ¡®So hard that I might die!¡¯ It must be because of the environment I grew up in. I couldn¡¯t persevere unless I tried anything with all my might that I might die. There¡¯s no reason to fix a habit like this. At least until I can perfectly take my place in Royal Roader, aggressively pushing forward is the right thing to do. I really worked out so hard like I would die while swimming and in the health club. Although my body was trained through manual labor like washing cars, my whole body was full of aching muscles. However, as I clenched my teeth and continued on, my body soon adapted. On the third day, it felt like the aches were as bad as they could get, but starting from the fourth day, it quickly started to get better. After six days, I wasn¡¯t feeling any issues at all. Thanks to that, sleep came easily as well. I could easily sleep an average of 12 hours a day. If I overdid it, I could probably sleep up to 14 hours, but I didn¡¯t do that. This was going to continue for a long time. Thanks to that, my condition was always in tip top shape. As I continued going back and forth between Royal Roader and reality just like that, I was able to figure out a few rules. First was the rule related to time. If I sleep for 1 hour in the real world, one day passes in Royal Roader. In other words, if I sleep 12 hours a day, I am spending 12 days in Royal Roader. It was pretty accurate. On the other hand, when I was spending time in the real world, the time in Royal Roader stopped. So, even if I spent 24 hours in the real world and returned to Royal Roader, not even 1 second would have gone by. I would just feel dizzy, and then, in the moment it takes to blink my eye, I would have traveled to and from the real world. Second was the rule related to stats. As I expected, 10% of the stat in Royal Roader is transferred to reality. If my strength was 50 in Royal Roader, 10% of that, or 5 points would be added to my real world stats. That¡¯s what the ¡®+1¡¯ in brackets meant. However, my stats in the real world had no effect on my Royal Roader stats. Third was the rule relating to money. I could bring the money from Royal Roader into the real world. However, I could not take money from the real world into Royal Roader. So, Virtual Accounting on the Royal Roader homepage only allowed withdrawals and no deposits. To sum it up, many of the things in Royal Roader affect the real world, but the things in the real world do not affect Royal Roader at all. Why were these rules created? No, why were these things happening to me? I was full of questions. However, I did not find a dire need to find out. It¡¯s not like I had a way to find out if I wanted to. How could someone be so carefree you ask? I think I can explain it like this. The majority of people do not know why space was created. They don¡¯t know why things like gravity, nuclear power, or electromagnetic forces were created. Nor do they try to really find out. They just know that they need to abide by those laws as they live. Of course, there are some scientists who spend their whole live researching these phenomenons, but I am far from those type of people. So, similar to the average person, I am just abiding by the rules of Royal Roader as I live. While giving it my best. Thanks to sleeping diligently like that, money continued to pile up in Virtual Accounting. In less than one month, I was able to gain close to 10,000,000 won (TL: $8,877.60) That doesn¡¯t mean I was living like a scrooge. Obviously I paid for my mother¡¯s hospital fees and my sister¡¯s school fees and gave them enough money for their living expenses. I even paid back all the interest on the loan. The total amount I sent to Daejeon for the month was 7,000,000 won. In addition to that, I spent around 1,500,000 won on my personal living expenses. Even with that, I had close to 10,000,000 won left. Yes, I had made close to 20,000,000 won in one month. (TL: The author tends to say one thing, and then change it just a bit later. Now it is no longer close to 10,000,000 won but actually 20,000,000 won). Thanks to that, I became full of hope every time I looked at the Virtual Accounting page these days. ¡®At this rate, I should be able to gather 140,000,000 won quickly.¡¯ Then I could reach my first goal. I want to gift my mother a house. I already found a decent house in Daejeon. It¡¯s a house located in Daedong, and it is close to both the train station and Lotte Mart. Most importantly, it has a pretty large front yard, enough to have a small garden. It was the type of house my mom had been dreaming about. (TL: At least he is filial). The house was a bit shabby, but that can be fixed. The sale price was listed at 290,000,000 won. If you¡¯re willing to get a loan, you only need to have 140,000,000 won on hand. Then we would have a house to call our own. Plus, if my estimate is correct, soon, I will be meeting my first turning point in Royal Roader. When that happens, I can earn five to six times what I am earning right now. My dexterity and stats were growing normally as expected as well. I was suddenly full of motivation. I was a bit disheartened thinking about the harsh conditions in the mine tunnel, but thinking about the future full of rosy lights, I wanted to quickly head back to Royal Roader. ¡®Then shall I start my manual labor again?¡¯ I need to quickly create the turning point. Let¡¯s go!¡¯ Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 9 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 9: You are My First Turning Point (1) After entering Royal Roader, I once again grabbed the pickaxe. Clang. Clang. [12] [13] Clang. Clang. Clang. [12] [12] [13] Each time the pickaxe hit the boulder, the green number continued to pop up. There were no red numbers, just 100% green numbers. Green means that it was a critical hit. My accuracy had gone up that much. My damage has also increased. At first, even when I succeeded in a critical hit, the damage was only at ¡®4¡¯ but now ¡®12¡¯ easily came out. It was thanks to the fact that my dexterity and strength both went up. ¡®I¡¯m hungry¡¯ I had been swinging my pickaxe without rest for five hours. I had run out of stamina a long time ago, so my hands and feet were shaking. I sat down on a large boulder to rest and fill my stomach. Today¡¯s lunch menu is a 5,000 won fried rice lunch box. Since I¡¯m mining to make a living, I couldn¡¯t always just eat that bland rye bread to save 5,000 won. Plus, in Royal Roader, the food you ate affected your stats in different ways. [Lamb Fried Rice] (TL: That sounds really yummy¡­) Increase your stamina by 2% for 6 hours. The cheapest food like the rye bread do not give any benefits to your stats. So if you think about it holistically, since I can swing the pickaxe stronger the higher my stamina, it is more beneficial to eat the fried rice. Being full makes it easier to use more strength. ¡°Chew chew chew.¡± I scooped up the fried rice with my spoon and ate it as I checked my stats. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 1] Dexterity : Intermediate Level 6, 96% Strength: 49 Agility: 13 Stamina: 33 Intuition: 16 Magic: 2 Vitality: 2 Mana:8 HP:127 Compared to my initial stats, my points raised by about 90. To raise my stats 90 points through leveling up would require me to level up 18 times. In other words, without leveling up and only swinging this pickaxe, I gained the same amount of stats as raising 18 levels. Of course, in Royal Roader time, it took me around 1 year. But I was still satisfied. ¡®As expected, my strength is increasing the fastest.¡¯ Following that was stamina, intuition, and agility. Magic and Vitality no changes. But my HP went up because of my strength and stamina. Each increase in strength raised 1 HP and each increase in stamina raised 2 HP. The thing I was happiest about was my dexterity. It was already close to intermediate level 7. The speed goes down as I get higher in level, but there was still joy in watching it. ¡®Manual labor is the best because it is a stupid method where you don¡¯t need to use your brain.¡¯ You didn¡¯t need to be adaptable. In order to mine perfectly, all you had to do was focus as best as you can and continuously swing your pickaxe without stopping. By the way, I wonder when he is changing tunnels? I peeked at the tunnel supervisor Bae Doochi. I heard the news some time ago. Mine owner Batoom was finally retiring, and he was starting a competition to find his successor. Of course, it was the same story as the first time I played. Which means, Bae Doochi will soon change tunnels. No, it needed to happen. That was the only way to make Jonnan one of my people, and I needed that to create my life¡¯s turning point. If things don¡¯t go as expected? I need to step up and shift it in the right direction. I need to make sure it flows the same way it did when I played the game. That might actually be the most important thing for me to do. But why has he still not changed tunnels? Let¡¯s wait a little longer. Rushing it won¡¯t change anything. ¡°Burp!¡± My stomach was pretty much full. Shall I start again? I started to swing my pickaxe again. Even though my stamina was boosted with the fried rice, my body was completely drained after 30 mins. However, I did not rest since this was what you needed to do to quickly increase your stats and dexterity. But then I heard a pleasurable sound next to me. It was the voice of tunnel supervisor Bae Doochi. ¡°I am now switching tunnels.¡± ¡®Oh, finally.¡¯ I¡¯ve been waiting for this for a long time. I focused my attention on what Bae Doochi had to say next. ¡®Please don¡¯t take Jonnan with you.¡¯ Bae Doochi pointed with his finger and started to select miners. ¡°Sam, Peter, Harmon, Simpson! You four can come with me.¡± I thought that things were good. Jonnan was not included in Bae Doochi¡¯s list. But I did not cause a scene. If I started acting now, Bae Doochi might feel that something was odd and choose to take Jonnan with him. I need to wait until Bae Doochi is completely gone and Jonnan and I are the only two people left. That was the only way the perfect opportunity would arise. I quietly continued to watch. The selected miners let out a sigh of relief. But the ones who did not get selected were starting to look pale. That was especially the case for Jonnan. He was so shocked that he grabbed onto Bae Doochi¡¯s sleeve. ¡°Hey Bae Doochi. How come you are not taking me with you?¡± ¡°Old man, don¡¯t you have any conscience? It should be enough that I¡¯ve been taking care of you for the last 10 years. How long do you plan to live off of me?¡± ¡°Ho¡­¡­taking care of me? Live off?¡± Jonnan¡¯s expression looked like he was in disbelief. However, Bae Doochi¡¯s expression did not change one bit. The other miners who were tossed away held onto his pant legs but he coldly pushed them away. ¡°I am not the messiah who will save the useless. Go look for him elsewhere.¡± He then gathered his supplies and was about to leave the tunnel. ¡®Perfect. The situation with Jonnan was resolved cleanly.¡¯ Then it was time to earn the next thing. Until now, I did not sell even a single bar of titanium. I put them in my bag whenever I found one and stored it in my temporary residence. Why? I was going to sell the titanium to Bae Doochi. At an expensive cost at that. To explain it a bit further, it¡¯s something only someone who knows the future could prepare for. ¡°Supervisor-nim. Do you have any thoughts about purchasing titanium?¡± ¡°Hmm? Titanium?¡± Bae Doochi stopped trying to leave the tunnel and turned his head. ¡°Yes. Approximately 80 ryang.¡± (TL: ryang is a method of counting. Will be explained soon). ¡°80 ryang?¡¯ Bae Doochi¡¯s eyes started to shine. He must be tempted. The topic of Batoom¡¯s competition for a successor was titanium. But they couldn¡¯t just go buy titanium from somewhere else. You could only battle with the titanium that was mined in the Batoom Mines. Because of that, even if he had to pay above the market price, he would want to gather as much titanium as possible. It was a loss that he could recoup easily if he became the owner of the mine. There was even 80 ryangs of it. After all, I had not sold any titanium for a whole year of Royal Roader time. 1 ryang was equal to 100 bars, so it was approximately 8,000 bars. It wasn¡¯t enough to seal the win for him, but I was sure it was a large enough amount to help him greatly. ¡°I was planning on passing it on to Gildeon, but I could never find him. If you are willing to buy it at an expensive price, I will give you all of it.¡± As soon as the name Gildeon was mentioned, Bae Doochi¡¯s eyes started to burn with a competitive spirit. There were many candidates, but the only one who could be Bae Doochi¡¯s competition was Gildeon. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call the competition for the successor as a battle between just two people, Bae Doochi and Gildeon. All of the other miners felt the same way. So then of course he would be greedy for the titanium.. He completely bit onto the bait that I had tossed. ¡°How much are you thinking?¡± Back in the game, I was scammed by Bae Doochi when it came to titanium. The market price was 1 bar for 2,000 won, but I had sold it to him for 4 rye breads, aka a price that didn¡¯t even reach 1,200 won. But at that point, there was nothing I could do since I entered the mines without preparing anything to eat. I also didn¡¯t know the market price for titanium. But it was different this time. I was the one holding the blade this time. ¡°I will take 5,000 won per bar.¡± ¡°What? 5,000 won?¡± I did push it a bit far up. Even the other miners were looking at me in shock. However, if you add other considerations, the story changes. ¡°In return, I will only sell any future titanium to you. Of course the price will continue to be 1 bar for 5,000 won. Think about it. As you battle with the other successor candidates, wouldn¡¯t the market price go up? In the long run, it is a good deal for you.¡± Bae Doochi¡¯s pupils were moving quickly. He was calculating the gain in his head. Then he happily nodded his head and asked for a handshake. ¡°Fine! I will trade with you. But it is only until the end of the successor competition.¡± I also reached my hand out and shook his hand. ¡°Of course.¡± Once that happened, a voice announcing the successful trade appeared in my head. After that, a red dot appeared on my wrist. The promise was engraved in the dot. When I touched the dot with my hand, the voice that I had just heard repeated itself. ¡®This is how promises are handled.¡¯ I made a lot of similar promises in the game. Back then, I could verify the promise with the message that popped up on my screen, but here, it looks like I can verify it with the voice in my head. (TL: I hear voices in my head¡­they counsel me, they understand, they talk to me¡­ are we about to get an RKO out of nowhere? xD) We decided to trade my current stash of titanium in the evening. The exact number of titanium I had mined was 8,083 bars. After I complete the trade, over 40,000,000 won will be given to me. ¡®Haha, it¡¯s easy to make money.¡¯ Bae Doochi left the tunnel after that. The miners who were not selected plopped down on the floor and let out a sigh. Not long after, they all started to leave the tunnel. They were going to look for a new tunnel supervisor. But there was one person who could not leave until the end. It was, of course, Jonnan. He just continued to sigh as if he had lost his whole world. I just need to reach out to him now. I started to talk to him. ¡°Senior, why do you continue to sigh like that? You need to be strong again.¡± Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 10 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 10: You are My First Turning Point (2) ¡°Siiiigh. I have many mouths to feed but I lost my job ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just find a new job?¡± ¡°Look at me. How could I find a new job with my age and this body?¡± It made sense. No matter how you looked at him, his body was short and weak, not suitable for mining. He didn¡¯t even have the strength to use a pickaxe that he was using a small hand hoe. His method of working was using that hoe to crack open the rocks that the other miners threw away to collect minerals like he was gleaning. Jonnan¡¯s body wasn¡¯t like this from the beginning. At one point, he was so strong that he was called the greatest wrestler of Titan Valley. You¡¯re asking how he ended up like this? It was because of Akto¡¯s curse. A curse that will actually be a blessing for me! Thanks to that, I will be able to learn the foundational knowledge related to alchemy. But that¡¯s a story for the distant future. Since it¡¯ll be around the time the Successor competition ends, it¡¯ll be around 2 years later in Royal Roader. To at least prepare with that future in mind, I needed to become soulmates with Jonnan. I can¡¯t receive Akto¡¯s blessing without it. ¡°Siiiigh, I was completely stabbed in the back by that damn Bae Doochi.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± I pretended to not know and asked. You needed to have a lot of conversations to increase your intimacy, and you needed that to become soulmates. As I scratched the itchy spot, Jonnan started to sing the blues. In the beginning, Jonnan¡¯s fame spread wide as one of the miners representing Titan Valley, along with Batoom and Goultan. However, after having a large accident while competing for the owner position, he ended up being unable to work. It was not only Jonnan. His wife and two kids as well. His whole family was working together to help him when the accident happened. It was an accident created by Akto¡¯s curse. If it wasn¡¯t for that curse, this mine would not be the Batoom Mines, but the Jonnan Mines. Jonnan¡¯s skills as a miner was much higher than the others. Anyways, Jonnan¡¯s wings as a miner were broken because of that accident, and he even failed in a business before becoming penniless. Since then, he had been working as Bae Doochi¡¯s servant to survive. It had been 10 years like that. ¡°Sigh, I knew about Bae Doochi¡¯s ruthlessness from the beginning, but for it to be this bad. Do you know how much I have done for him?¡± I know Bae Doochi¡¯s personality really well too. An extremely selfish person. For his own gain, he doesn¡¯t care if someone else dies or not. That is why he is someone who cannot be the mine owner. That was what majority of the miners though. Jonnan was the same. Was that the reason? Jonnan stopped singing the blues to talk to me like he was resenting me. ¡°How could you make that kind of trade with someone like Jonnan? If someone like him becomes the mine owner, the future of the miners will disappear.¡± It¡¯s not a surprise that I also hate Bae Doochi. I definitely don¡¯t want to see someone like him living arrogantly. However, do things in life go the way you want it to go? Sometimes a blessing might end up a curse, and a curse might end up a blessing. That¡¯s why phrases like ¡°Blessing in disguise¡± and ¡°Persistence can overcome anything¡± exist. I know a bit about Royal Roader¡¯s future. In order for it to go the same way that I know about, Bae Doochi must become the mine owner. It is only then that a better future will be created for not only the miners, but also myself. Of course, I can¡¯t tell Jonnan something like that. Not like he would believe me anyways. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me this earlier? Then I would have traded with Gildeon and not Bae Doochi.¡± ¡°I was living thanks to him. How could I step forward against him in such a situation?¡± Jonnan dropped his head again and let out a sigh. The world in front of him must have become dark thinking about how to survive from here on. The atmosphere is ripe for picking! Now it was time to show Jonnan a new path. ¡°Senior, since it¡¯s like this anyways, how about we help each other out?¡± ¡°How do you propose?¡± ¡°Senior, you are a expert that even Bae Doochi recognizes. I am strong but extremely lacking when it comes to experience. So senior, you will be in charge of experience and I will be in charge of the strength.¡± Honestly speaking, this was the cold truth in front of us. My strength and stamina had increased a lot, but I was still extremely lacking when it came to experience. Even though I was working twice the amount that the other miners worked, my gain was not even half of theirs (TL: Apparently this master RR player has no experience after now working probably 4 years in the mines¡­) On the other hand, Jonnan was skilled in finding lodes. He was also very accurate about selecting the money making minerals. However, because of a chronic illness and Akto¡¯s curse, he did not have the strength to break the rocks. In other words, we would be the perfect partners. At my suggestion, Jonnan abruptly raised his head. His depressed eyes also started to come back alive. ¡°Oho! That is a great method.¡± That was the start of our symbiotic relationship. Just like it was the case in Royal Roader, we had quickly become soulmates. ¡°Perhaps, is there a specific mineral you want to find?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°What mineral is it?¡± ¡°The five-colored jewel. Among those, I am especially interested in the red Jewel of Luck.¡± I casually answered him. However, Jonnan let out a laugh like it was impossible. ¡°Hahaha, you have such wild dreams. Don¡¯t you know that the five-colored jewels are protected by the powers of the fairies? If you wanted to find the jewel of creation, it might be possible, but the rest cannot be found unless you are the best miner.¡± ¡°Senior, I have you.¡± ¡°Me? I tried. But I failed. Not only me, but even if you searched the entire Titan Valley, you would not find the best miner.¡± Of course, even I knew about this. The jewel of creation was something any expert miner could find, but the other 4 colors of the jewels could only be found by the best miners. And even if you increased the radius to the entire kingdom, there were only two people. However, that is the current situation. Soon, a ¡®best miner¡¯ will be born in Titan Valley. Not one, but four of them. One of them will be you, ¡®Jonnan¡¯. Of course I could not tell him this right now. ¡°A person must have grand dreams. Haha.¡± I passed it off like I was joking. ¡°But don¡¯t have false hopes like that. You can¡¯t find the Jewel of Luck even if you become the best miner. The Jewel of Luck does not come out in this vicinity.¡± That thought process will change soon too. I know where a lode of the Jewel of Luck exists. When the time comes, I will develop the mine with my own hands. It would be even better if I owned the whole mine too. From that point, I will be able to earn money at a different level. Not only would I be the richest man in Titan Valley, I would be one of the richest in the Batorou Kingdom. ¡°It¡¯s just a saying. Since we¡¯ve rested quite a bit, shall we start working a bit?¡± ¡°Sure. Will you dig here? It¡¯s somewhere I¡¯ve been eyeing for a while. If we¡¯re lucky, we might even find an Azurite lode.¡± ¡°Senior, I will just trust you! Oosha!¡± (TL: Noise made when lifting things up.) Clang Clang Clang. [You gained 1 bar of azurite.] ¡°Oh, an azurite came out.¡± ¡°Just as I suspected. Focus on mining with this area as the focus. I will pick out the minerals. ¡°Yes, senior. Oosha!¡± Clang. Clang. Clang. ¡°It must be because you are young, but you are very strong.¡± ¡°I do have some strength. Oosha!¡± Clang. Clang. Clang. Jonnan and I were a perfect pair as I expected. I just focused on swinging my pickaxe and Jonnan found all the minerals that were worth money in the rocks that I cracked. Since our operation was perfect, it was no wonder that our earnings increased that much as well. ¡°Wow! Did the two of us mine all of this?¡± Putting aside the 54 bars of titanium, the amount of minerals we mined was huge. When we took it to mine owner Batoom, he gave us 520,000 won. This was not an amount I expected. When I was working alone, the best I did was 70,000 won in a day. On average, it was probably 60,000 won a day. I thought that my earnings would be about three or four times that if we worked together. If that was the case, it would be around 250,000 won on the high end. But for it to be 520,000 won. Then each person can take back 260,000 won. This amount is something only expert miners with at least 10 years of experience can take home. Of course, the only difference would be that they would work 5 to 6 hours a day. Either way, it was above my expectations. It just meant that Batoom and my partnership was perfect. (TL: I¡¯m sure he meant Jonnan.) Batoom was also surprised. ¡°Are you saying the two of you mined all of this?¡± ¡°Hwi Ram is very strong. Plus, you should have seen how diligently he worked.¡± Batoom nodded his head at Jonnan¡¯s words. ¡°Hwi Ram is definitely dedicated. I have never seen anybody in my entire life who works over ten hours in the mines.¡± Oh stop it, you¡¯re embarrassing me. I guess I need to show some modesty in times like this. ¡°No, it was because Senior Jonnan has a good eye.¡± ¡°Either way, you are two peas in a pod! What do you think? Do you want to become a professional miner? If you become a pro, I will lower the the tax to 20%.¡± (Author¡¯s Note in comments: Original tax rate is 30%. It was originally listed somewhere but it must have been erased in the editing process). It¡¯s finally here! The occupation quest!¡± Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 11 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 11: You are My First Turning Point (3) Of course I will become a miner. In fact, I will leap past the expert miners and become the best miner. However, now was not the right time. I am a little disappointed I won¡¯t get the reduced tax rate, but I can¡¯t be penny wise and pound foolish. If I wait a little longer, I will earn something much greater. My strength needed to be at least 70. Only then can I start the occupation quest and charge forward to earn a reward that others could not get. ¡°I will think about it. Anyways, senior, here is your share.¡± I took out half of the 520,000 won, so 260,000 won, out of my virtual accounting, put it in a coin, and handed it over to Jonnan. Trading in Royal Roader is quite simple. There are a bunch of empty coins in your inventory, and all you have to do is put the desired amount in one of those coins. Whether it is 1 won, 10,000 won or even 100,000,000 won, you can immediately put it into a single coin. Jonnan shook his head in surprise. ¡°How could my share be so much when you did all the hard work? 150,000 won is enough for me.¡± He was the same in the game. He always accepted only 150,000 won. Of course, I knew the reason. It was because of the fear he had based on the fact that he was thrown away by Bae Doochi. He lowered his worth to not be thrown away by me as well. However, that was the same for me. I needed to work together with Jonnan for a really long time. In order to do that, I needed to gain his heart and not worry about material gain. The money just helps. The more important thing is the discussion as the money changes hands. ¡°Senior, without your experience, I would not have been able to make such a profit. Plus, you have a lot of family members to take care of.¡± ¡°You worked close to fourteen hours in one day. On the other hand, I barely worked 6 or 7 hours. It only makes sense that your share is greater. Instead, I have a different request that I would like you to consider. How about that?¡± ¡°Please speak.¡± ¡°I want to go the long haul with you. Will you make a contract with me?¡± Of course you should come in this fashion. If Jonnan did not ask first, I would have created the right environment to ask myself. The important thing is the conditions of the contract. It won¡¯t be immediately, but in the not so distant future, there will be a big change. To me, to Jonnan, even to Titan Valley. Especially Jonnan, he¡¯ll become someone who won¡¯t have anything to be envious about in the world. If he becomes my partner, it will naturally be that way. I needed to set the conditions of the contract with that in mind. First, let¡¯s hear Jonnan¡¯s proposal. ¡°Since the help I received from you was great, I will do as you ask. Please state your conditions.¡± ¡°From here on, we are on the same boat. So all earnings will be split 7:3. You will get 7 and I will get 3. In return, the duration of the contract will be 20 years. What do you think?¡± The conditions were satisfactory. Except for two things. ¡°Is there really a reason to put a duration? Let¡¯s just say for our whole lifetime.¡± ¡°Young man. I am 60 years old. In 20 years, I will be 80. With my body being so weak, I don¡¯t even know if I will be alive that long.¡± Don¡¯t worry mister. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t believe me, but you¡¯ll be coming and going from the mine until you are over 90 years old. ¡°They say that the weak tend to live a long time. It¡¯s not like it¡¯ll be your loss to extend the contract duration.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°Also, you are saying that we will split the earnings 7:3 for just the things we mine in the mine right?¡± ¡°Of course. We can¡¯t split the profit you make from doing other things.¡± No matter how you looked at it, the conditions were definitely in my favor. Especially since I will stop mining in the near future. In other words, thanks to Jonnan, I will be able to earn a lot of money for free. Of course, Jonnan will also become the richest man in Titan Valley thanks to our contract. Of course, he would not be as wealthy as me. It was the perfect conditions for both parties to benefit from, without needing to add or remove anything. I reached out my hand first. ¡°Let¡¯s do it as you said.¡± Jonnan also smiled brightly and shook my hand. ¡°Hahaha. Thank you. Thank you.¡± ¡°I am the one who is thankful.¡± ¡°And take it easy. If you work that hard, your body will get damaged quickly. Money is good but you need to be healthy to work a long time.¡± Honestly, I also felt like I was dying. The physical pain was severe, but the mental pain was even worse. If I continued to work like this for two to three years, my mind and body would be a complete mess like Jonnan mentioned. However, I needed to do it like this. In fact, I wanted to push harder. If it was possible, I would not work 14 hours, I would work even 20 hours a day. Money wasn¡¯t the issue. There were some benefits I could only gain by working that way. A special benefit that neither Jonnan nor Batoom even knew about. Of course, it was a benefit I could only earn if this world was the same as the game system. Regardless, it was a benefit I could definitely not give up on. ¡°I will keep that in mind.¡± I answered quickly. However, my working pattern did not change at all. I would wake up really early to go to the mine, and only returned to my temporary residence late at night. I was an overachiever, working an average of over 14 hours a day. It was so hard I felt like I might die, but I did everything I could to endure it. ¡®I just need to get past this hardship. Let¡¯s focus.¡¯ Clang. Clang. ¡®The end is near. At most it will be one to two months. Oosha!¡¯ Clang. Clang. My stats continued to increase frequently. It was at a frustratingly slow speed compared to the beginning, but it still steadily headed towards my goal. ¡®Just a little more.¡¯ Welcome messages continued to appear. However, none of them were the news I was really waiting for. I just silently continued to swing my pickaxe. Just like that, another month or so went by. In real time it was around 2 months, in Royal Roader time it was exactly 2 years later. How do I know it was exactly 2 years? It was because of a message that popped up in my head. It was the message I had been waiting for since the beginning. ¡°Success! It has finally been created!¡± I inadvertently let out a loud howl. It didn¡¯t matter since I was alone in the tunnel. It was already late at night so Jonnan had already retired for the day. Because of that, I could let out my joy without worrying about anybody else. ¡°My endurance is even at 5 points! Muhahahahah!¡± This was the reason I worked myself to death for 14 hours a day. The blessing of the God Hades. This was a benefit you got for working in the mines for over 10 hours a day for 2 years. Of course, the higher your average hours worked was to 10, the higher your increase in stat. This was something I learned after researching the dwarf race. I was trying to figure out why the battle strength of dwarfs were so amazing, and found the ¡®endurance¡¯ stat to be one of the reasons. ¡®Endurance¡¯ was a very useful and important stat. First, the damage you receive in battle or while hunting does down based on your endurance level. If I received 100 damage, the actual damage I receive would go down 5% to 95. In addition, it works together with your pain tolerance to increase your defense, prevents you from getting stunned, and also increase the rate at which your HP recovers. Right now you can say it isn¡¯t much since it is only at 5%, but the story completely changes if you raise your endurance to about 30. Basically, I created the foundation to develop battle strength comparable to the dwarfs. My effort for the last two years was not only to create the endurance stat. The other stats increased in large amounts as well. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 1] Dexterity : Intermediate Level 8, 13% Strength: 71 Agility: 15 Stamina: 49 Intuition: 25 Magic: 2 Vitality: 2 Mana: 8 HP: 181 Endurance: 5 Confirming my stats automatically created a smile on my face. ¡®My strength is also over 70.¡¯ Even my agility, which was at 15, could be pulled up to a decent level by leveling up and using stat boosts from equipments. Now I¡¯m in the safe zone. It¡¯s time to create that turning point again. Next morning. I came out of my room a little later than normal. I wanted to match the time mine owner Batoom came to work. Thanks to sleeping in, I was able to reduce a decent amount of fatigue I had gained over the days as well. ¡°You¡¯re a little later than usual. Did you sleep in?¡± Batoom welcomed me with a bright smile. ¡°Batoom-nim, I had something to tell you so I purposely matched the time you came to work.¡± ¡°Is that so? What is it you want to tell me?¡± ¡°I wish to become a miner.¡± Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 12 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 12: I¡¯ve Been Waiting for this Moment (1) I spoke in a straightforward manner. ¡°I will become a miner.¡± I saw Batoom¡¯s eyes become the size of a lamp post. ¡°Will you really?¡± It was an obvious reaction. Everytime Batoom saw me, he would tell me to become a miner to the point I felt like my ear would fall off, and each time, I answered that ¡®I¡¯ll think about it¡¯ and continued to push it off. I was waiting for this moment to arrive. ¡°Yes. What do I need to do to become a miner?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. You just need to complete five quests. I believe you will be able to complete them quickly.¡± Of course I knew about it. Whether it was the Miner Occupation Quest, the Expert Miner Occupation Quest, or the Best Miner Occupation Quest. Even the methods to finish them quickly and effectively. I knew them all. ¡°Then let¡¯s start.¡± ¡°Oh, yes. Yes we should.¡± Batoom started to hurry, which was not like his normal self. Maybe he thought it would be terrible if I decided to change my mind or something. ¡°The first quest is working over 5 hours a day for an entire week in the mine. But since you have worked consistently for an even longer time, I will consider that the first quest has been completed.¡± This was as I expected. I completed it without lifting a finger. I predict that the rest of the remaining four quests will proceed in similar fashion. If it is something related to a miner, I have already experienced it to the point of boredom. Batoom just laughed with joy. ¡°Huhuh, then the second quest. You have to go mine a mineral of my choice on your own. But you already¡­¡­¡± This one was also completed without lifting a finger. Mining five different types of minerals on your own, mining a whole day¡¯s worth of minerals on your own, mining 500 bars of titanium, were all given as quests after that. And then the quest completion was announced immediately in that spot. I had instantly completed all five of the linked quests. By just standing in place. And the reward following it? It was definitely the same system as the game. Establishing a new record and bonus stats. Of course, all new records were based on the human race. I felt a bit of joy for suffering for 2 years worth of Royal Roader time. But this was just eating the first fruit. There were many more fruits to eat in the future. Once the miner occupation quest was completed, Batoom laughed with joy. ¡°Hahaha, I knew I saw correctly. You are a genius who has what it takes to surpass the best miner and become the legendary miner. What do you think? Since you seem to have enough skill, do you want to try and become a expert miner while you¡¯re at it?¡± Of course I will challenge it. One of my goals is establishing a new record for completing 10 continuous quests. ¡°I will try it.¡± The expert miner occupation quest was also the same as the game. First, I needed to go bring the retired miner, Goultan. Goultan was a veteran miner who, at one point, competed against Jonnan and Batoom for the owner position. His pride was also very high. Because of his pride, he announced his complete retirement after he lost in the competition, and it is said that he has never come out to the mine since then. However, he didn¡¯t reject my request. Rather, he welcomed me. ¡°You are Kang Hwi Ram.¡± It was because of my efforts for the last 2 years. The rumor about me living in the mine for 14 hours a day had spread like a legend among the miners in Titan Valley. ¡°Could I ask for your help?¡± ¡°Of course. To be honest, I had been waiting for someone like you to appear. Titan Valley needs a miner like you.¡± With that, we went back to the Batoom Mines and Batoom and Goultan¡¯s dramatic reunion was successful. I then received quests to learn such skills as rock breaking, mineral selection, tunnel construction and Goultan taught me these skills. Everything up to the fourth quest was completed in a breeze. They were all quests people could complete if they put in the time. I just happened to complete all those quests in one day. After all, I had been doing all of these things for 2 years worth of Royal Roader time. The final fifth quest. ¡°All miners in Titan Valley need to make a special accomplishment that will get them recognition. That is the last quest to become an expert miner.¡± ¡°What kind of accomplishment do I need to achieve?¡± ¡°That I cannot say. However, miners have a stronger pride than brain. Unless you do something really big, they will not easily accept it.¡± Let¡¯s be honest. I already knew the answer to what kind of accomplishment needed to be made. I just didn¡¯t want to say it first so I asked the question. I then quickly peeked at Goultan. In the game, Goultan gave away the answer as if he let it slip. However, even Goultan was keeping his mouth shut. There was no reason to waste any time. It wasn¡¯t so important that the story would change if I said it myself. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the 99th tunnel in this mine has not been cleared and is currently barricaded. If I clear that tunnel, would that be a good enough accomplishment?¡± I said it as if I was just casually tossing it out. Batoom jumped when I said it. ¡°What? Are you crazy? That is a place that nobody has managed to clear for hundreds of years. They say that it is a place you cannot come back out alive from if you enter. Do not even think about the 99th tunnel.¡± It was an expected response. It also showed how difficult it was to clear the 99th tunnel. It had to be difficult. Only players under level 10 can enter the mines, and with that level, it was impossible to hunt the strong monsters lurking in the 99th tunnel. How is it that strong monsters over level 10 can exist in the mine? That¡¯s because they were already in the mines before the forcefield was created. Of course, the warriors entered in droves to first clear the monsters before they created the forcefield. However, they could end up missing some monsters, and the monsters in the 99th tunnel are those monsters that they missed. Because of that, they even locked the entrance to the 99th tunnel. ¡°I make the decision. If I clear the 99th tunnel, will that be an accomplishment everyone could approve of? Batoom finally nodded his head yes. ¡°That¡¯s true, but ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then I will attempt it. If I die, I die. If I live, I live. So please just assign me the quest.¡± Batoom let out a deep sigh. Goultan who was standing next to him also seemed restless. However, maybe they were able to read my firm will and did not say much else. They didn¡¯t want to say anything bad before I even started. In the end, Batoom gave me the quest. ¡°Fine. Clear the 99th tunnel. Then all of the miners will praise your accomplishment. In addition, I will guarantee that you will have the tax collection rights and tunnel supervisor selection rights for 10 years.¡± ¡®I did it.¡¯ Now I needed to prepare for the monster hunting. My current stats are similar to that of a level 30 player. However, just this much stat is almost impossible to hunt the monsters in the 99th tunnel. If that was possible, there would be no reason the other miners couldn¡¯t do it. The other miners have been doing this manual labor for tens of years and their stats are much higher than mine. I just happen to know the method to hunt them. ¡°I will go make some preparations.¡± I immediately left the mine and headed towards Titan Square. The first place I headed to was the Slave Trading Post. Well, the slave had nothing to do with the monster hunting. But there is a trade that is only possible when you are level one, so I had to come here before starting to hunt. ¡®It¡¯s over there.¡¯ I took large steps as I walked into the Trading Post. Once I did, an old man with one blind eye welcomed me with a bright smile. ¡°Welco¡­..¡± But after looking up and down my clothes, his expression changed. ¡°Hmm? What do you want?¡± I guess I did look a bit like I was homeless. I came straight here wearing the clothes I rolled around in while working in the mines. I didn¡¯t seem to have the power to buy a slave. It still made me upset. I had no reason to be looked favorably by the slave trader anyways. Rather, it¡¯ll be good to show him a defiant personality. I shot back a response. ¡°What do you think I want? I¡¯m here as a customer.¡± ¡°A customer? You came to buy a slave? Do you even have money?¡± ¡°Then would I have come without money? How much will it cost to buy one?¡± ¡°What kind of slave are you looking for?¡± ¡°I need them to be strong. Nothing else matters.¡± ¡°Hmm, strong slaves are kind of expensive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you how much.¡± The trader once again looked me up and down. It looked like he was trying to determine my value rather than a slave¡¯s value. He then suddenly called out an extremely expensive price. ¡°It¡¯ll cost you 100,000,000 won.¡± I dropped my jaws and pretended to be really surprised. ¡°Are you joking? What is this price of 1,000,000 won written here?¡± ¡°Of course we also have 1,000,000 won slaves too. It¡¯s the weakest one in our trading post though. Why? Do you want that one?¡± A slave like that is useless even if you buy it. ¡°Do you have any other slaves?¡± ¡°At what price range?¡± ¡°Around 50,000,000 won.¡± Once I said that, the slave trader once again checked me out top to bottom. It was a very eerie expression. ¡°Hmm. 50,000,000 won. You said they just needed to be strong?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I have one that kind of has a bad personality. Oh, I will guarantee his strength. It is probably the strongest among the slaves.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with his personality?¡± ¡°This is a bit lacking. But he¡¯s still not an idiot.¡± The trader pointed to his head. I just need him to mine well. In that case, a somewhat stupid slave is better than a smart slave. That way, they¡¯ll do as they are told, and eat whatever I give them to eat. Of course I would show a negative expression to the slave trader. ¡°If the slave is stupid, the master suffers. Hmm, you¡¯re saying he¡¯s perfect other than that, right?¡± The slave trader¡¯s expression turned a bit dark. He then started to spit out the slave¡¯s faults. ¡°He¡¯s a bit of a klepto.¡± That much is child¡¯s play. I just have to make sure not to leave anything around him that he can steal. However, my expression started to get worse, and as that happened, the trader¡¯s voice started to crawl. ¡°He¡¯s also a bit slow ¡­¡­and a bit of a lecher¡­¡­¡± ¡°He has a lot of problems. Isn¡¯t he a completely nutcase? You want to charge 50,000,000 won for such a slave?¡± ¡°I will cut 5,000,000 won. How does 45,000,000 won?¡± He knew to offer a discount even though I didn¡¯t ask. That means there was room to bargain. However, how much do you think you can cut the cost through bargaining? I will earn this slave at a much more explosive price. Method? Of course I have one. I will use the slave trader¡¯s weakness. ¡°Is his strength that strong?¡± ¡°Of course. There shouldn¡¯t be any level 1 players who could beat him.¡± Once the discussion about strength came out, the slave trader spoke as if he was proud. This is the opportunity! I quickly slammed the nail into the trader¡¯s words. ¡°Can you take responsibility for those words?¡± Last chapter for the week. See you all in a few days! Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 13 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 13: I¡¯ve Been Waiting for this Moment (2) ¡°Have you been scammed your whole life? If you bring someone who is the same level and stronger than him, I will give you another 5,000,000 won discount.¡± ¡°Just what kind of person is it that you¡¯re so proud? Let¡¯s meet him first.¡± ¡°Hey. Go bring slave #87.¡± As the trader shouted, a slave was dragged out. His shoulders were very wide and his body was firm. With one look, you could tell he was very strong. It was a guy who fit my needs perfectly. ¡°I guess visually he looks strong. But you¡¯ll barely give a 5,000,000 won discount? I guess you are not confident? In the end, merchants just exaggerate a lot.¡± ¡°Even if he was stronger than most, he couldn¡¯t be the strongest in the world.¡± ¡°But shouldn¡¯t he at least be stronger than someone like me? Who cares if he looks strong if on the inside he¡¯s just a fluffy rice cake?¡± I pounded my chest as if I was showing off my strength. Seeing me like that, the slave trader looked at me again with a sharp expression. ¡°What level are you?¡± ¡°No more and no less. Exactly 1.¡± ¡°Really? Can I verify it?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± With my permission, the trader opened his palm and recited a spell. ¡°View level force.¡± It¡¯s a skill most merchants tend to have. Mine owner Batoom also has this skill. It¡¯s a skill anybody can learn and use once they increase their intuition to 40. However, you must get permission from the other party. That¡¯s the restriction created by the divine power. ¡°Oh, you really are level 1.¡± Of course. Why do you think I persisted without leveling up until now. It was for this moment. Of course, the trade with the slave trader was a small reason among many. ¡°Have you been scammed your whole life? Now that I look at him, it looks like he doesn¡¯t have any useful muscles and he¡¯s just full of water fat. Let¡¯s just trade at 20,000,000 won.¡± ¡°20,000,000 won my ass. I am telling you, he¡¯s extremely strong. I will give you my word that he is definitely stronger than you. I will even make a bet!¡± The field has been set. Now it was time to use the trader¡¯s weakness to my benefit. The slave trader is quick-witted and a great talker, but he has one problem. Gambling! He can¡¯t help himself when it comes to a bet. ¡°What if he is weaker than me?¡± I stopped there and pointed to the info panel next to me. The panel had the 1,000,000 won written on it. ¡°Will you sell him for that price then?¡± The slave trader completely took the bait. ¡°What if he is stronger than you?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I will pay the full price of 50,000,000 won.¡± ¡°What kind of bet is that? It needs to be fair on both sides. If he is stronger than you, buy him at 100,000,000 won! Or don¡¯t gamble. Do you not have a conscience? If you don¡¯t have the money, just quietly get squashed.¡± Alright. Now I just need to strongly fan the flame. I pretended to become extremely agitated by the slave trader¡¯s words and raised my voice as if I was trying to argue. ¡°What? Be squashed if I don¡¯t have money? I may look like this, but I am still a customer! How could you say such things to a customer? And who says I don¡¯t have money? Is this not money and just chocolate?¡± I put 100,000,000 won into a coin and showed it to the slave trader. The slave trader took a peek at it and his eyes started to sparkle. It was the expression of greed. However, he just snorted and looked down on me. ¡°Hoho, I guess you¡¯re not a complete beggar. But you think you can bet with just that type of money? You¡¯re just all talk when you¡¯re going to be squashed anyways. Tsk tsk.¡± He was provoking me. He was trying to make me even more agitated so that I would bite onto his bait. Then he¡¯ll be able to swallow this 100,000,000 won. Of course I bit on just as the slave trader wanted. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s do this. I just need to win.¡± Once I said that, the slave trader clapped his hand as if he was hammering the nail on my words. ¡°Alright. You promised. Let¡¯s trade!¡± In other words, no going back. At the same time, there was a message ringing in my head. Inside, I wanted to say ¡®alright¡¯! But after taking another look at the slave, he did seem to be really strong. He was full of muscles from head to toe. ¡®There¡¯s no way I would lose right?¡¯ But even if I lost, I would have no regret. If he is only level 1 and already stronger than me, 100,000,000 won was not expensive at all. The slave trader who did not know what I was thinking could not hide his giant smile. He thought that I had been caught by his provocation. ¡°Alright then, shall we start? If it is a competition of strength, it has to be arm wrestling right?¡± Whatever will be will be. Why do you think I persevered and raised my stats for so long in the mine? I know I can win. ¡°Very well. We will finish it with one round.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s start.¡± The slave trader prepared for the arm wrestling. He then whispered something in the slave¡¯s ear. Once he finished talking, the slave¡¯s eyes became the size of a lamp post. He seemed to be extremely afraid. He must have told him that something bad will happen if he loses to me. Whatever it takes to make him use all of his strength. However, there has to be a limit with just sheer will. In the game, the slave¡¯s strength was less than 60. That is why I had waited until I had at least 70 strength. We held hands and prepared to start. ¡°Ready. Start!¡± With the slave trader¡¯s shout, the slave used his strength first. ¡°Grunt.¡± Oh, he is stronger than I thought! Doe a difference of 10 strength only equate to this? Or is the slave¡¯s strength stronger than in the game? However, he could not overcome my strength. He struggled to the point that his veins were popping out all over his forehead, but he could not give me that much pressure. ¡®It¡¯s my win!¡± I started to use my full strength. The slave got nervous and tried to use all the strength he had, but the battle had already turned in my favor. A moment later. Tap! The back of the slave¡¯s hand hit the table. The slave trader¡¯s jaws dropped open wide. ¡°How is this possible? You¡¯re not possibly hiding an item that raises your strength, are you?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that suspicious, go ahead and check.¡± ¡°View magic force!¡± The slave trader urgently recited the spell. However, there were no magic items of any kind on my body. The slave trader had an expression of despair. Haha! With this, I made 50,000,000 won!¡± To think that you could earn money this easily. I was debating whether I was the same person who passed by the soondaegookbap store and ate the cupbap because I didn¡¯t want to spend 8,000 won. I also earned a really good slave in the process. If I use this slave properly, even more money will be flowing in to me. I pushed forward the coin with 1,000,000 won to the slave trader. With my other hand, I scratched my head before grabbing onto the slave¡¯s wrist. ¡°Now I can take him right?¡± However, the slave trader did not allow me to take the slave after taking my money. ¡°Not so fast. You don¡¯t have the qualifications yet!¡± Oh right! There is one more thing. ¡°In order to lead a slave, you need to show the God Chronos that you have the qualifications to do so. Of course you knew about that, right?¡± The slave quest. I forgot about it for a bit because of my happiness in making 50,000,000 won. ¡°How do I need to show it?¡± ¡°You need to hunt a mutant wolf on your own. It¡¯ll be good enough if you skin it and bring it back as proof. But you must hunt it by the end of the day.¡± ¡°I just need to hunt it before midnight right?¡± ¡°Fine. I will be generous and wait until midnight.¡± ¡°Just wait. I will quickly hunt it and return.¡± The slave trader raised the corners of lips and started to scoff. ¡°Hoho, you may have some strength, but do you think a mere level 1 miner could hunt a mutant wolf? Don¡¯t go looking for your grave and just give up.¡± I let that comment go. I just need to show him with my actions anyways. I immediately headed to the weapon store. The mutant wolf is around level 27. Although I may have stats similar to level 30 players, it is not an easy prey. The reason is simple. My stats lean very heavily towards strength and stamina. If your agility is weak, the chances of your attack succeeding go down. In other words, if you hit it properly, you can cause a lot of damage, but the problem is that it was hard to land that one hit. The mutant wolf is just the beginning. There are much stronger monsters waiting for me in tunnel 99. It made me think about when I was playing the game. I died over 200 times trying to hunt a single mutant wolf. I think I died around 900 times hunting the monsters in tunnel 99. When I died, I would revive myself and run over to fight again, and if I died again, just repeated the process¡­¡­ I died so many times and revived to go fight again. It was only possible because it was a game. But this wasn¡¯t a game. If I died, that was the end. I need to make sure I don¡¯t die. Because of that, in addition to the information I have, whether it is weapons or defensive equipment, I need to use any and everything I can use. In order to not die. No, to erase the possibility of death completely. ¡°Welcome. We have all sorts of weapons here. Please feel free to take a look.¡± Unlike the slave trader, the weapon merchant was pretty nice. I immediately headed in and grabbed a cutlass. It¡¯s shaped like a sashimi knife, but the size was about 3 times the size. However, it was not a weapon I could use. Don¡¯t even mention swinging it, I couldn¡¯t even lift it up. ¡®It¡¯s really heavy.¡¯ [A Master¡¯s Cutlass] The greatest cutlass created by a dwarf blacksmith with extraordinary skills. Durability: 67/67 Attack: 71 Attack speed: 70 Restriction: Strength 162, agility 200, level 109 * Cannot use As expected, it is a weapon I cannot use. Of course, I knew that would be the case. However, since I came to the weapon store anyways, I just looked at it like I was window shopping. Right now it was impossible, but in the near future, I will use a sword like that. With a little more time, I will even make it myself. After taking my hands off of the titanium cutlass, I moved a bit more to the side. That was where a cutlass that fit my standards was located. [Training Cutlass] Durability: 26/26 Attack: 5 Attack speed: 50 Restrictions: Strength 21, agility 21 * Due to your lack of agility, the attack and attack speed will decrease by 30% Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 14 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 14: March Towards the New Record (1) There was no level restriction. I also had enough strength. ¡®Looks like my agility is a bit low.¡¯ [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 1] Dexterity : Intermediate Level 8, 13% Strength: 72 Agility: 19 Stamina: 50 Intuition: 26 Magic: 3 Vitality: 3 Mana: 52 HP:190 Endurance: 6 Even after putting all the bonus stat points I received for establishing a new record, I was still short 2 points. It didn¡¯t matter. I just had to find some equipment that will boost my agility. Of course there were weapons such as the longsword that had a higher strength requirement in return for having a lower agility requirement. If I used a weapon like that, even without supplementing my stats, my current stats would cause a strong enough attack. However, I can guarantee that I will not be able to hunt the mutant wolves with it. No matter how strong the attack is, it doesn¡¯t mean anything if you can¡¯t hit it. How do I know so much? I experienced it countless times in the game. Do you know how many times I came back dead after trying to fight it with a longsword? There¡¯s no reason to have that experience again here. No, that can NEVER happen. If I died in the game I could revive, but if I die here once, that¡¯s it. Of course I can¡¯t be 100% positive because I haven¡¯t died yet, but it¡¯s not like I could just try dying once as a test. Here, it is safety first and safety second. I should rather give up on the hunt to make sure I don¡¯t die if need be. In order to do that, I need to have skills that overpower the opponent. How? In my current situation, there is only one method. ¡®Then shall I show off my money a bit?¡¯ As with most games, Royal Roader was a game where ¡®pay to win¡¯ worked. Since the system here is the same as Royal Roader, if I use a ton of money, I should be able to protect my life. There was an item I had in mind. ¡°Do you have the armor set made from the skywolf leather?¡± Once I said ¡°Skywolf Armor,¡± the weapon merchant¡¯s eyes got slightly bigger. He then immediately had an apologetic look. ¡°Customer. How could such an expensive armor be in a country town like this? You would need to go to somewhere like Avangarde to find one.¡± ¡°Can you get it for me?¡± The weapon merchant made a complicated expression. He also carefully looked at my whole body. It must have been a bit weird. I was dressed in a shabby miner outfit asking about such an expensive armor. Plus, there were not many people who were looking for the Skywolf Armor. There wasn¡¯t any better armor in the early part of the game, but it becomes useless once you hit around level 50. Unless you were so rich that you didn¡¯t know what to do with your overflowing money, who would try to buy an armor like that with money? He was probably thinking I was trying to pull one on him. Make the order and then never come and actually buy it. ¡°If the customer wishes for it, I can go and get it right away. However you will need to pay in advance. Including a service charge, it will be 65,000,000 won.¡± It was the best decision for the weapon merchant to make. But it is extremely expensive! However, right now is not the time to save my money. I had prepared for this anyways. Wasn¡¯t that why I held off on buying the house and saved over 200,000,000 won in my inventory? ¡°Here you go.¡± The weapon merchant who received the coin made another surprised expression. He then quickly nodded his head. ¡°I will go get it right now. Please wait just 2 hours.¡± ¡°Then I will return in 2 hours.¡± Next was the magic store. The magic store was extremely huge. It made sense since they had to sell an assortment of different magic items. There was a lot of variety even within the potions. Health, mana, antidotes, antifreeze, revives, paralyze heals¡­¡­ There were so many that it could make you dizzy. ¡°Let me buy some health potions.¡± ¡°Which ones would you like?¡± Potions were divided based on performance, weakest, weak, middle, strong, strongest, and by size, small, medium, large, XL. ¡°50 of the small strong ones and 100 of the XL weakest ones.¡± ¡°Did you say 100 XL weakest potions?¡± The worker made a weird expression as if he had heard wrong. I did make a weird order. There shouldn¡¯t be many people who use the XL weakest potions. Of course, that¡¯s the same for me. Then why am I buying these XL weakest potions? It¡¯s not for me to use but to feed it to a monster. You¡¯ll eventually figure out why I need it. ¡°Yes. Here is the payment.¡± The worker placed the potions in my bag after receiving the coin. Now to head to the sword arts school. Once I entered through the gate, an old-fashioned instructor approached me and started to speak. ¡°Which sword arts would you like to learn?¡± ¡°Please give me the twin blade sword art.¡± ¡°Twin blade sword arts are very hard to learn. In addition, there are no instructors in Titan Valley who can teach you the twin blade sword arts.¡± It didn¡¯t matter. I know an instructor who can teach it to me. Plus, I already know the method to quickly learn the twin blade sword arts. It¡¯s something only I know and a method only I can use. What is it? Haha, you will eventually find that out too. ¡°I still want to learn the twin blade sword arts. When it comes to using combos, there is nothing more effective than the twin blade sword arts.¡± ¡°Then there is nothing for me to say. The textbook for twin blade sword arts is on the expensive side. It costs 17,000,000 won for a week rental.¡± It¡¯s not like I planned on mastering the sword art from this cheap textbook. This was just a warm up to get a proper twin blade sword art textbook. How is a 17,000,000 won textbook cheap? I was the strongest character in Royal Roader the game that I was even called an ¡®overlord.¡¯ There is no way a 17,000,000 won textbook would satisfy me. Plus, I will be able to get a textbook that is 100 times better in the near future. I received the textbook from the instruction. [Basics of the Twin Blade Sword Arts] Teaches you the 10 different basic movements of the TBSA (TL: I¡¯m getting tired of writing this out so TBSA it is). Duration of instruction: 7 Days ¡®Learn textbook!¡¯ Once I shouted, the textbook came to life. The book had a total of 10 pages. Every time I turned the page, the ten basic movements of the TBSA played out like a video and became ingrained in my mind. Of course, I could not properly use any of the moves. I hadn¡¯t practiced any of them. Based on how much I practice it in the next 7 days, the percentage of completion for each movement will be different. I put aside nine of the movements and just continuously practiced one movement: ¡®Continuous Slash.¡¯ The damage from each individual hit is low, but it allows you to use quick and continuous attacks and was one where you could quickly run away from the opponent¡¯s counterattack as well. Should I call it selection and focus? Tatataat! Every time I swung the wooden sword against the scarecrow, the TBSA that was ingrained in my mind controlled my body. Even so, it was still pretty awkward. If I managed to make a 3 hit continuous attack, the action became abnormal and the combo stopped. I feel like my movement is even more awkward because of the agility restriction on the cutlass. (TL: Wasn¡¯t he just using the wooden sword? He probably needs one wooden sword and the cutlass for the TBSA). Every time that happened, the textbook in my mind fixed the incorrect movement. ¡®He should be back around now right?¡¯ I matched the time and headed back to the weapon store. The weapon merchant quickly approached me as if he had been waiting. ¡°Here is the item you requested.¡± [Skywolf¡¯s Leather Armor Set] It is made of a skywolf¡¯s leather and the armor and pants make a full set. Durability: 68/68 Defense: 24 Restriction: Strength 9 * Agility +27 * Special Abilities: Stealthy Movement Rank A, Evade Rank A ¡®Great.¡¯ The boost to my agility was great, but I liked the special abilities even more. Of course they weren¡¯t really good abilities. There are plenty of armors with much better abilities. However, who cares if there are tons of armor with better abilities? With my current strength and level, there aren¡¯t many that I can wear. Putting on the Skywolf Leather Armor raised my agility to 46 and the restriction on the cutlass disappeared as well. I returned back to the Sword Art School and practiced the TBSA until late in the afternoon. I finally stopped practicing around 5pm. Since it might take a bit of time to hunt the mutant wolf, I should start to head out now. Of course I had a sense of disappointment. My time to practice the TBSA was too short. Even though I put aside nine movements and focused on one, I still felt a bit awkward with the movement. (TL: So learning this didn¡¯t increase his level, nor did it affect his stats in any way. How come he couldn¡¯t learn this first and then go find the slave trader? Would waiting 1 day have made things significantly different? Maybe we will find out tonight is the night of the full moon or something¡­) But this much should be enough. The stat boost I get from the Skywolf Armor is tremendous. ¡®Alright, then shall we go hunt a mutant wolf? Now that I think about it, it¡¯s my first hunt in this Royal Roader.¡¯ Of course I was both excited and nervous. The difference between hunting with a mouse and keyboard and with my own body is like heaven and hell. ¡®Which castle gate should I leave through?¡¯ Outside the North and West gates were rough mountain terrains where strong monsters including the mutant wolf were plenty. On the other hand, the South and East gates were mainly full of hills, so many weak monsters including mutant chickens can be found. Leaving through the South or East should be safer, but it might take a while to find a mutant wolf. ¡®Shall I go through the West gate?¡¯ As I turned my feet towards the West gate, a bell started to suddenly ring in the sky. It was coming from the Magic Bell Tower in the center of Titan Square. A PSA soon followed. Thanks to the magic, I heard it directly in my head. It was a PSA that could cause a lot of fear. Almost to the point where it feels like the world might blow up at any moment. But the people were all calm. Even your average civilians acted like it didn¡¯t have anything to do with them and the militia members running in response to the command all looked confident as well. Creation of Monster Dens were part of their everyday lives. Plus, if it is a level 49 monster den, it¡¯s not even that dangerous. It means that of the monsters coming from the Demon World, the highest would be a level 49. Of course, that is a monster that is impossible for me to hunt right now. Even if I could, I wouldn¡¯t hunt it. If I level up past level 10, I can¡¯t enter the mines anymore. ¡®In the end, safety is the most important. Let¡¯s go through the South Gate.¡¯ There was a large training ground next to the castle gate. It was an open format so you can clearly see inside. A large group of young boys were holding wooden swords and striking scarecrows. They were trying to raise their dexterity to intermediate before stepping out of the castle gate. I skipped that step since my dexterity had already been raised to intermediate level 8. So I just headed straight outside the castle gate. In that instant, I let out a gasp in admiration. ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t know there were so many stars outside the castle gate!¡± The natural scenery was so beautiful. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say it had an ¡®overwhelming beauty.¡¯ Bright green grass and the multi-colored flowers with names that I don¡¯t know growing between them. I¡¯m sure the scenery outside the North gate was even more beautiful. The vast Titan Mountain Range is overwhelmingly beautiful even from inside the village. I admired the scenery as I followed the path into the forest. In the forest, there are many animals such as chickens and rabbits. Among them, there are quite a few mutant animals as well. The mutant animals are the ones who are affected by the power of the demon world when a monster¡¯s den is created and become monsters. Their aggression is much higher than your average animals. But mutants under level 10 are not like that. Unless they are attacked first, they don¡¯t act like monsters at all. That was the same reason they made the forcefield in the mines at level 10 as well. Soon enough, I saw a mutant rabbit. The mutant rabbit is barely level 3. Regardless of the fact that I was approaching it with a cutlass, it just casually continued to eat the grass. I approached really close and swung the cutlass with all my might. [17] The damage color was green. I had successfully managed a critical hit on my first attack. But what the! The mutant rabbit was killed in one hit. It felt like the mutant rabbit was being killed as soon as I touched it with the cutlass. Since my level was so low, I leveled up after hunting a single little mutant rabbit. You earn 5 bonus points when you level up. Without question, I put them all to agility. I saw another mutant rabbit. There must be a lot of mutant rabbits in this area. They too were killed with a single hit. It was the same for the level 5 mutant chicken. They seemed to melt away whenever I touched them with the cutlass.The mutants had no chance of attacking back. Before I knew it, I had already become level 7. I can¡¯t raise my level anymore. I might end up getting past level 10 after hunting the mutant wolf and the monsters in the 99th tunnel. I still have things to do in the mines. So now it was time to catch the mutant wolf. ¡®Wolfie, where are you? Oh, there it is.¡¯ I saw a mutant wolf just calmly sitting in the grass. It seemed to be enjoying a sunbath. It¡¯s beautiful fur shined brightly from the sunlight. But the mutant wolf was not comparable to the mutant rabbit or the mutant chicken. It was a level 27 monster. On the other hand, I was barely level 7. Was that the reason? As I came face to face with the mutant wolf, my confidence started to disappear and instead, I felt nervous all over. ¡®Will I be able to hunt it? Am I doing something crazy?¡¯ Ch 13 wasn¡¯t the last chapter for the week. I just forgot to remove the message from chapter 12 ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 15 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 15: March Towards the New Record (2) It made me think about the game. When I first hunted that punk, I died close to 200 times. It wasn¡¯t just because of the level difference. If you compared just our pure stats, mine were higher. My stats back then were similar to that of a level 30 player. The reason I was still killed by the mutant wolf was because my agility was too low. Only my strength was high. On top of that, the weapon I used was the longsword. It was an obvious choice for someone like me who had high strength and low agility. Similarly, the longsword was a weapon that had a strong attack but extremely low attack speed. The mutant wolf was the opposite. Weak but extremely fast. So how could I hit it? No matter how many times I swung the longsword, it easily hopped around and dodged my attacks. It was what you would call a feast of misses. On the off chance that I hit it, it just skimmed it and caused just a tiny bit of damage. In return, each and every one of the mutant wolf¡¯s hits caused critical damage. Whenever that happened, I just died and died and died. Once I finally started to use the training cutlass which had a decent attack speed, I was able to start causing some decent damage. I still ended up dying over 50 times before I finally managed to hunt a single mutant wolf though. But things should be different this time. I put all my bonus stats into agility, and the Skywolf Leather Armor also increased my agility by 27 points. Thanks to that, my current agility was 76. It was even higher than my strength. I still have to be careful. Unlike the game, dying and reviving is impossible here. Everything will end with a single death. If I decide that there is no chance of winning, I need to just give up. I can¡¯t throw my life away to earn a single slave, now can I? I stealthily approached the mutant wolf. The mutant wolf has not noticed my presence yet. It was thanks to the ¡°Stealthy Approach¡± ability from the Skywolf Armor. Once I crept up right next to it, I swung my cutlass towards its neck. It was the TBSA ¡®continuous slash¡¯ that I practiced all day. Papat! 6 [11] The second slash brought forth a green damage. I managed to land a critical hit. Whimper- The moan coming out of the mutant wolf¡¯s pointy mouth could not sound any sweeter. However, I couldn¡¯t hunt the mutant wolf with this one hit. All I managed to do was give it a little cut. The shocked wolf started to move properly. But his movement actually gave me more confidence. ¡®I¡¯m faster!¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a big difference. But I felt like I could definitely manage to keep up with the wolf¡¯s movement if I tried. In addition, when it came to strength, I was overwhelmingly stronger. If our agility is similar, then the difference in our strength becomes the difference in our overall power. Was that the reason? The mutant wolf that bothered me so much in the game seemed to be quite an easy opponent. It almost made me greedy to the point I debated whether I should practice my TBSA or combo on it. But I can¡¯t let my guard down. This is not a game. There is one thing I cannot forget whether I am awake or sleeping. ¡®If I die, that is the end. Let¡¯s not be greedy.¡¯ My TBSA is still awkward and I haven¡¯t even gotten the combo skill. In this type of situation, the stupid method is the best. Hit and run. I focused on the run more than the hit. Any time the mutant wolf¡¯s attacked seemed like it would get dangerous, I completely gave up on attacking and dodged or defended. And then when the wolf¡¯s momentum seemed to slow down, I swung my cutlass once. There were no miss messages. In fact, I even landed a critical hit once in every three hits. ¡®I guess agility was really the problem.¡¯ If I had raise my agility in the game, I wouldn¡¯t have died that much either. I also wouldn¡¯t have spent six hours flailing around trying to catch a single wolf. Tatat! I could feel the thrill every time I swung the cutlass. Green and red damage messages created a harmony as they came out together. Just 5 minutes later, I heard another sweet sound coming from the wolf. Whimper- The message that followed. But there were many messages in my head. This was the part I liked the most while playing Royal Roader. No matter the level difference between you and the monster, you will only go up 1 level. In return, you are given other rewards. (TL: I enjoyed all of your discussions about how things would work! Keep it up) ¡®Toughness.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just useful for physical defense but also elemental and magic resistance as well. Together with ¡®endurance,¡¯ these were the two special stats that I was thankful for. These two helped me become a greater existence than anyone else. Thanks to it, I¡¯m able to have my defense and resistance at over 200 without the help of any armor. In other words, my skin itself was as strong as an armor. The new record and the rewards that followed were just extra. I¡¯ve already managed to create two new records, and the bonus stats I¡¯ve received from that alone is already 6 points. A part of me wants to put them into endurance or toughness whenever I get bonus points, but that was impossible. You can¡¯t just raise those two stats like the rest. Either way, it was a great beginning. ¡®Alright! Now it¡¯s time for the bug!¡¯ I skinned the wolf and took the skin with me to the slave trading post. In reality, they say that it is difficult to remove the skin of an animal, but it came off really easily in Royal Roader. Thanks to that, I was able to return to the slave trading post before the sun even set. ¡°You really hunted this on your own?¡± I didn¡¯t even need to answer. I handed the mutant wolf¡¯s skin to the slave trader and grabbed the slave¡¯s wrist. ¡°Now I can take him, right?¡± The slave trader let out a long sigh. ¡°This is your new owner. Go ahead.¡± Another new record. This makes 9 bonus points from new records. Every time I earned them, I put all the bonus points into agility. Thanks to that, my agility was already at 82. Well, that¡¯s including the 27 points from the Skywolf¡¯s Leather Armor of course. Now it was much higher than my strength. ¡®Anyways, I wonder if this dude will be useful.¡¯ I took a peek at the slave. The slave must have felt my stare as he closed his shoulders a bit and scratched his head. He looked really dumb. ¡°Name?¡± ¡°Number 87.¡± He didn¡¯t have a real name yet. I also gave him a name in the game. There was a name that popped up in my mind as soon as I saw his face so I just decided on it. He wasn¡¯t much different than in the game. Then there was no reason to find another name when I already had a good one. ¡°From now on, your name is Jul Goo.¡± (TL: Korean word for Mortar) ¡°Jul Goo?¡± The slave tilted his head as if trying to say he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°It¡¯s a very fitting name for a strong man like you. It is a very good name.¡± ¡°It is? Jul Goo. Hehe.¡± He even laughed like an idiot. Anyways, I wonder what his strength is. ¡°Open Jul Goo¡¯s stat window.¡± [Jul Goo, Level 1] Dexterity: Beginner 0% Strength: 59 Agility: 6 Stamina: 7 Intuition: 1 Magic: 1 Vitality: 1 Mana: 4 HP: 67 Loyalty: 63 His strength was the one stat I liked. He might be weaker than me but as the slave trader mentioned, there wouldn¡¯t be many level 1 slaves with this much strength. (TL: I wonder how he raised that strength without raising dexterity at all.) ¡®Yes. All he needs to be able to do is swing the pickaxe well. What else could I expect?¡¯ Next morning. Batoom welcomed me as soon as I showed up at the mine. ¡°It¡¯s been a while!¡± What does he mean by a while? ¡°I wasn¡¯t here just one day yesterday.¡± ¡°If you usually see someone everyday and see them for the first time in two days, that¡¯s a while.¡± There¡¯s no point to waste my time with useless chatter. I also only had six days left of the TBSA textbook rental. It might be a cheap textbook, but I still paid 17,000,000 won for it. In order to get my full money¡¯s worth, I need to cherish each minute and each second. ¡°Please show me the way to Tunnel 99.¡± Batoom¡¯s expression became stoic when I brought up Tunnel 99. ¡°You really¡­¡­¡± I said I had no time to waste on lip wrestling. Plus, you don¡¯t know how long I¡¯ve been waiting for this moment. Do you even know how much my heart is pounding right now? Batoom would never know this excitement and nervousness I have right now. I hurriedly lifted up my hand and stopped Batoom. ¡°I¡¯ve already made up my mind. Please don¡¯t say anything negative. It might bring bad luck. Just please show me the way.¡± Batoom let out a long sigh. He then headed me a small key. All you need to do is follow the sign that says 9 on it. And ¡­¡­I wish you luck.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I received the key and went into the tunnel. As I followed the signs, I checked my equipment. The durability on my cutlass was full and the condition was great. After walking like that for some time, I saw a metal gate in the darkness. There was writing on the gate. It had been a long time, but the shape was still there. [99] ¡®This is it.¡¯ I took a deep breath and opened the lock with the key. Once I entered, I felt that the air around me changed. The darkness definitely became stronger and even the eerie air seemed to be grasping onto my skin. In addition, I kept stepping on weird things and they let out noises I did not want to hear. Crunch. Crunch. It was the noise of the human bones breaking as I stepped on them. This was all created to present a fearful scene. When I walked about 20m, a large hall appeared. It was both tall and wide. Even though the magic light on the safety helmet was lighting up the area in front of me, I still couldn¡¯t see the end clearly. It looked like a large gym that had multiple basketball courts next to each other. I cautiously walked in and looked around the hall. Inside, there were six large holes. The holes were huge. Even if I was to walk in and jump up and down with my arms stretched out, I wouldn¡¯t be able to touch the ceiling. He is hiding in one of these holes. ¡°Come out!¡± Come out ¨C come out ¨C come out ¨C As I shouted loudly, the noise echoed throughout the hall. He answered with a rough breathing noise from inside the cave. Huuu- I felt a light breeze. It was coming from inside the cave. I felt the earth shake as well. It was the sign that he was quickly coming out of the cave. I quickly moved backwards. Soon enough, he showed himself. ¡°Phew, he¡¯s extremely huge. Thankfully. Hoho.¡± Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 16 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 16: You are My OOO (1) His name in Royal Roader was Deathworm. I don¡¯t know what his name is here. Nor do I need to know. The important thing isn¡¯t his name but his usefulness. ¡®He¡¯s much bigger than I expected!¡¯ He looks like a long worm, but his body is the size of a bus. He seemed to be about 20m long as well. Regardless of that, he was actually quite agile. I still didn¡¯t feel like I was in much danger. I already knew his strengths and weaknesses as well as how to hunt him. Plus, unlike the way he came out of the cave, he was quite calm in the hall. It was almost like he couldn¡¯t find me. It was because of the special ability on the Skywolf¡¯s Leather Armor. He couldn¡¯t read my presence. Stealthy Approach wasn¡¯t useful against high level monsters, but it was super effective against monsters less than level 50. ¡®It was a great purchase!¡¯ I first threw the ¡®lightning¡¯ magic marbles to multiple places. As the marble made noises from falling down, Deathworm sensitively responded. However, once the noise disappeared, it settled down again. The magic marble let out a light. Thanks to that, the entire hall because brightly lit. I could inspect Deathworm even better. On top of his head, there were two antennas with a nail like tentacle underneath it. On his tail, there were no antennas, just tentacles. He had a large mouth with teeth that looked like shark teeth. There was no unique characteristics on his body. His skin just looked a bit thick. I should be fine as long as I am careful of the tentacles on the head and tail. ¡®Then shall I get started?¡¯ I erased my presence as I cautiously approached the side of Deathworm. Deathworm did not notice my approach at all. After approaching until I was 1m in front of him, I swung the cutlass in both of my hands. Papat! The surprised Deathworm started to struggle. I just followed his movement and continued to swing my cutlass. It was the ¡®Continous Slash¡¯ I learned from the TBSA textbook. In an instant, I was able to hit five critical hits. The green damage counter started to come out quickly. ¡¤¡¤¡¤ [1] [1] But the damage was terrible. The least possible amount of damage. This meant that my attack was weaker than his defense. In Deathworm¡¯s point of view, it was probably just ticklish. But he must at least feel the attack since he continued to flail his body. Shuaaat- It was the tentacle on its tail. It came towards me as if it was trying to pierce my body. ¡®Ack!¡¯ I didn¡¯t need to overdo it. I stopped swinging my cutlass and activated stealthy approach to get far away from Deathworm. At the same time, a voice rang inside my head. The reason I was excited to meet Deathworm. And the reason I was so happy to see him again. It was because of this. Combo! To my knowledge, it was the strongest attacking skill in Royal Roader. Of course, the majority of the people who played Royal Roader would not agree. There were many strong one hit skills such as ¡®Rage¡¯ and ¡®Blood Attack¡¯ in Royal Roader the game. However, that is because they don¡¯t know how to properly use combo. In simple terms, combo was just continuous critical hits. In other words, if you can successfully land multiple critical hits, it becomes a combo. It is very easy. There is no easier skill to learn, and no easier skill to use. However, on the flip side, there is no skill that is harder to learn than combo and harder to use than combo. Why? In order for combo to show it¡¯s true power, it needs to be at least on the 20th level. So, combo itself is very easy, but to properly land a combo with a strong power is extremely difficult. But it was possible for me. How was it only possible for me? The biggest reason is because of my high dexterity. The majority of other users did not get their dexterity higher than intermediate level 4, but I raised it all the way up to advanced level 3. Thanks to that, I could just casually swing and still get a critical hit. It¡¯s no wonder it was easy to get higher combos. However, there¡¯s actually another just at big reason. This guy! It¡¯s thanks to Deathworm. In the game, even when he dies, he revives. In addition, anyone under level 30 who is killed by him didn¡¯t have a penalty for dying. Thanks to that, I was able to practice the combo on Deathworm without fear of death. Of course I made a new record. The first record I broke against Deathworm was a 12 hit combo. Until I came around, a 12 hit combo was the best record for humans. But I was able to establish a new record of 36 hit combo at once. With this Deathworm as the opponent. So then how much effect do you think the combo had? If you look at the basic quality, each level/hit adds 10% extra damage. It is compounding so it gets better the more it goes up. For example. If the 1st level damage is 100%, then the second level damage will be 110% of that. 3rd level damage is 110% of that number¡­and it continues to exponentially grow like that. So, at the 10th level, the combo damage will be 236%. 20th level, 612%. 30th level, 1,586%. To give you an example, if the base damage was 10, with a 30 hit combo, it would do 150 damage. On top of that, if you use rage or blood attack as the last part of a combo, the damage becomes 2x again. No wonder I became a combo fanatic. That obsession will repeat itself in this Royal Roader as well. That was the reason I took on the challenge of clearing the 99th tunnel, the reason I selected the TBSA, and finally, the reason I bought the XL weakest potions in bulk. ¡®Register skill! Confirm skill information.¡¯ [Skill] Dig: Intermediate Level 7, 27% Rock Breaking: Intermediate Level 3, 49% Mineral Selection: Intermediate Level 1, 6% Tunnel Construction: Intermediate Level 2, 93% Continuous Slash: Intermediate Level 1, 19% Combo (Under 40%): Beginner 0% Once I saw the skill information, I had an ¡®I knew it¡¯ moment. It was because of the ¡®Under 40%¡¯ next to the combo skill. This describes the relationship between my strength and my weapon. It means the strength requirement of the weapon needs to be within 40% of my strength. If I used a weapon that had a restriction that was 40% higher than my strength, I can¡¯t use this combo skill. I don¡¯t know who or why they created this world and brought me here, but I can at least confirm that all of the details from Royal Roader have followed through as well. Anyways, this was the beginning. I feel bad for Deathworm, but I plan to raise my combo skill as much as I can with this opportunity. ¡®He has a terrible life anyways. Go after serving as my sandbag for a while.¡¯ I used stealthy approach to approach Deathworm again. Then I activated combo. Of course I used the ¡®continuous slash¡¯ I learned from the TBSA textbook. It was still a bit awkward, but by the time I finish hunting Deathworm, I should be able to use it perfectly. After that, I can learn a proper TBSA. The more I repeated my attacks the more daring my movement became, and combo continued to climb to a high level. At the same time, I also became safer than before. It was because I was able to read Deathworms movement as time went by. Its movement was pretty structured. Almost like it had a habit whenever it gets hit. Because of that, after a while, I could predict Deathworm¡¯s movement, which meant I could do more bold attacks. As I continued on like that, I finally heard a happy message. Those feel good messages did not stop there. Every time I managed to complete a higher level combo, a new record was established and I was given the corresponding bonus. I then put all those bonus stats into agility to increase the power of combo. Just like that, I managed to get up to a 19 hit combo. However, the damage to Deathworm did not change at all. Papapat! ¡­ [1] [1] [1] ¡­ How tough must it be? Even a hit with a 19 hit combo could not defeat it¡¯s defense. The situation finally changed once I passed the 20 hit combo. The damage quickly started to increase. ¡¤¡¤¡¤ [2] [15] [28] [43] [59] This is the power of combo. If the basic damage is 22, then it becomes 135 at a 20 hit combo, 148 at a 21 hit combo, and 163 at a 22 hit combo. If Deathworm¡¯s defense was 120, then any damage under 120 will only cause 1 damage. However, once the damage passes 120, then the damage above 120 will all go through. That was the reason the damage started to quickly increase after the 20 hit combo. I continued to attempt combos and after a long time, I managed to succeed in a 29 hit combo. But I had to stop there. It wasn¡¯t because my abilities were lacking. It also wasn¡¯t because my HP fell, nor because an obstacle got in my way. It was because Deathworm could not take anymore damage. The reason I was able to succeed in such a high combo on the first day was because Deathworm became a mess. WIth scars all its his body, its speed became much slower, so it ended up becoming a giant sandbag by the end. If I hit it with a few more combos, it will end up dying. That can¡¯t happen. We still have a long way to go. I left the half-dead Deathworm alone and confirmed the information in my skill window. I didn¡¯t need to look at anything else. The only important skills right now were combo and TBSA¡¯s continuous slash. [Continuous Slash: Intermediate Level 2, 31%] [Combo (Under 40%): Intermediate Level 2, 26%] Among the two, I really just focused on combo. TBSA was something I needed to relearn properly anyways. My goal for combo was minimally intermediate level 5. If I¡¯m lucky, I might even manage intermediate level 6. To do that, Deathworm needs to continue to be alive. I couldn¡¯t let it die so easily like this. That is why I spent a lot of money to prepare something. ¡°Here you go. Eat this!¡± Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 17 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 17: You are My OOO (2) The moment Deathworm opened it¡¯s mouth, I threw the XL Weakest potion in there. I even threw three of them. Since it was the weakest strength potion, the healing speed will be very slow. But since the size was XL, with enough time, it¡¯ll heal it enough to keep acting as my sandbag again. ¡°Rest well and see you again tomorrow.¡± I left Deathworm alone and left Tunnel 99. It was only 5pm. I started at 8am, so other than the time I took to eat lunch, I played with Deathworm for about 8 hours. There was still a lot of time before the day was over. I had some stamina left as well. What good will come from playing around? ¡®Let¡¯s just work two or three hours before resting.¡¯ I also wanted to know if my new slave Jul Goo was doing well. I immediately headed over to Tunnel 7. Clang! Clang! Clang! I could hear the continuous noise of the pickaxe. I also heard Jonnan shouting with it. ¡°Even if you are doing it once, you should do it properly. If you do it half-assed like that, you end up just wasting your strength.¡± He was scolding the slave Jul Goo. I stopped walking and looked at what Jul Goo was doing. I could easily tell why Jonnan was getting angry at him. The way Jul Goo was doing it was terrible. Slowly. Half-assed. Mediocre. In other words, there was no desire. He didn¡¯t want to work, but since he was told to do so by his master, he had to do it. As a result, he just pretended to put in the effort. It was understandable. This wasn¡¯t a game. It was reality. In the game, the slaves would do as they are told and follow the system without any emotions, but isn¡¯t the current slave a person with emotions just like me? Even if I was Jul Goo, I wouldn¡¯t want to work. There was no reason for me to push myself. ¡®Then I need to give him a reason.¡¯ If I use the carrot and the stick properly, Jul Goo¡¯s attitude will change. I will just look past it today. ¡°Did you work a lot?¡± I made my presence known as I walked into the tunnel. Jonnan happily responded as soon as he heard my voice. ¡°Oh! You¡¯re here! You¡¯re not hurt anywhere? I¡¯m glad you are safe. I was worried all day.¡± Jonnan is probably the person who worries the most about me. If I died, he would lose his partner for mining the minerals. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. But it looks like Jul Goo is working hard.¡± At the term ¡®working hard,¡¯ Jonnan stared at Jul Goo while complaining. ¡°Who is working hard? He just half-asses everything he does. I don¡¯t think he is fit to be a miner.¡± ¡°Is that so? Jul Goo. Do you not like mining? Is it not fun?¡± Jul Goo scratched his head while trying to read my intentions. It seemed like he was worried that he might get in trouble if he was honest. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m trying to find you a job that is a good fit with you so you can be honest. Do you think you are not suited for mining?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­yes.¡± Jul Goo cautiously nodded his head. ¡°I guess the work is boring?¡± ¡°It is tiring and not fun at all.¡± Once he started to talk, the rest flowed easily. ¡°You punk, you should have said so from the beginning. Then tomorrow, let¡¯s try something else. You might find that work to be fun.¡± ¡°What kind of job is it?¡± Jul Goo was showing interest as ¡®something else¡¯ and ¡®fun.¡¯ ¡°You¡¯ll find out when we get there. It is a job full of excitement. How about it? Aren¡¯t you looking forward to it?¡± ¡°Yes. Hehe.¡± Jul Goo started to smile from happiness. ¡®This punk. He¡¯s so innocent.¡¯ Next morning. Jul Goo stopped outside the entrance of Tunnel 99. ¡°Waaaaa. I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, you little rascal. Just head on in first.¡± I pushed Jul Goo¡¯s back. Jul Goo stuck his butt out and tried to fight it, but he ended up being pushed in with my strength. Then the crunching noises of the bones on the floor started to come out. Crunch. Crunch. ¡°Aaah! This¡­¡­what is this noise?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. Just the sound of human bones breaking.¡± ¡°AAAAAAAAAH!¡± The surprised Jul Goo tried to run outside of the tunnel. But since I, the stronger person, was blocking the gate, he could not escape. ¡°Why are you throwing such a fuss about dead people¡¯s bones? How scary can it be? Plus, what kind of slave runs away without their master? Now that you are here, we live together and we die together.¡± ¡°What? Di¡­¡­die?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a saying, you little punk! Stop talking and lead the way!¡± I pushed Jul Goo¡¯s back. Just like that, we passed through the small tunnel and arrived at the large hall. I did not see Deathworm. It must be resting inside the large tunnel in the back. By now, it should be lively again, right? I really hope it is. ¡°What is over here?¡± Here. Here. Here¡­¡­ Jul Goo¡¯s tiny voice echoed throughout the hall. The echo sounded like a ghost was wailing. ¡°You¡¯ll know when you see it for yourself.¡± Self. Self. Self¡­¡­ I let out a long whistle instead of saying anything else. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEET- The huge tunnel was like a natural amplifier. The whistling noise echoed and bounced off of each other. Once that happened, Deathworm, who was curled up inside the cave immediately responded. Huuuuuuuu- With a rough breathing noise, it came out into the hall while shaking the earth. The large body that looked like three of four connected trains! It was also much more violent. It must have been extremely angry because of the memory of being beaten up by me yesterday. It was natural that Jul Goo started to shout. ¡°AAAAAAAAAH!¡± He screamed and tried to run away. I grabbed onto him. He needed to face a lot of fear for it to have a strong effect. Deathworm responded to Jul Goo¡¯s scream and quickly headed towards this direction. Even with such a large body, it was extremely fast. It instantly shortened the distance. Jul Goo was close to fainting. ¡°Save me! Let go!¡± I guess in times of trouble, anybody can show supernatural powers. Jul Goo pushed my hand away with an unbelievably strong power. ¡°Wow! Was this punk always this strong?¡± I almost landed on my butt because of him. In that moment, Jul Goo started to run towards the gate. Every time he took a step, the bones underneath made noises as they cracked. Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! ¡°Aaaaaaah! What is this?¡± Jul Goo, who was extremely scared, jumped around like a kangaroo before he disappeared past the gate. Crunch! Crunch! Crunch! I first moved out of the way as well. It¡¯s natural to avoid a downpour. It¡¯ll be better to play with Deathworm once it calmed down a bit. I ran like the wind and caught up to Jul Goo. He might be pretty strong, but since my agility was much higher than his, I could catch up and grab him quickly. Jul Goo freaked out, as if my hand was Deathworm¡¯s tentacle or something. ¡°Aaaah! Please let go. Soooob. Master, why are you doing this to me?¡± ¡°Why else? I¡¯m trying to find a job that is suitable for you.¡± ¡°That is a monster! What does being eaten by a monster have to do with a suitable job? Sooooob.¡± ¡°Do you know why I paid 50,000,000 won to buy you? Either to make you mine or hunt monsters. Since you don¡¯t seem to be a good fit for mining, then you have to hunt monsters.¡± ¡°Then I will just mine.¡± ¡°You said you weren¡¯t fit for mining. You said it was just boring.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s the perfect job. It is really really fun. Please.¡± Jul Goo put his two hands together and started to beg. He must have been really scared. I think this should be enough to give him a fright. I just need to throw him the carrot at the right time. ¡°Really? Then go back to Elder Jonnan and start swinging your pickaxe. I will go there after hunting that guy. Ah. If it really doesn¡¯t suit you, then you don¡¯t need to put in much effort. There¡¯s plenty of monsters left to hunt.¡± ¡°I told you it is the perfect job for me.¡± Jul Goo did not even look back. As soon as I allowed him to do so, he ran away as fast as he could. For a while, he should be properly mining. ¡®Then shall I raise my combo skill?¡¯ I headed back into Tunnel 99. Deathworm was still in the large hall. I quietly took out my cutlass. ¡®You really can¡¯t die quickly. Be a good boy.¡¯ And then it restarted. Papapat! ¡®This is a good start!¡¯ Last chapter for the week. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 18 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 18: You are My OOO (3) ¡°Huuuuu.¡± Sweat was pouring like rain from my face. I kept moving without stopping for four hours. Especially in a place as uncomfortable and eerie as Tunnel 99. I had to remain completely focused the whole time, since if I made a mistake and got a critical hit from Deathworm, it was instant death. Even so, I still got a lot of injuries during that time. I had to use five of the strongest potions to heal myself. But I gained a lot in the process too. ¡®Skill confirmation.¡¯ [Continuous Slash: Intermediate level 4, 86%] [Combo (Under 40%): Intermediate level 3, 41%] ¡®It would be great if I could just raise combo to intermediate level 6.¡¯ If I do well, I think it might be possible. But this was it for today. Otherwise, Deathworm might end up dead. But Deathworm¡¯s HP is unbelievable. 3 XL potions weren¡¯t close to enough so I had to feed him 6 of them. Which means, his HP was at least 300,000. Well, that was the specialty of the Deathworm I knew anyways. His movement was slow and his attack wasn¡¯t strong, but he survived on his toughness and ginormous HP. That is why he is also the best opponent to practice combo. ¡®Should I have bought more potions?¡¯ Either way, he¡¯ll be lively again by tomorrow. Then I will be able to reap the worth of those six potions properly. I left Deathworm and headed back to Tunnel 7. I could hear the sound of the pickaxe. Clang. Clang. Clang. It was definitely different than yesterday. I could sense the strength behind each hit. Jonnan was no longer yelling either. Instead, he just squatted in the back and took apart the smaller rocks that Jul Goo broke off to find the sellable minerals. It was clearly effective! I should really thank Deathworm for all of its services. He acts as my sandbag and he works as a motivation for Jul Goo. But the effect on Jul Goo is only temporary. It is because of his fear of Deathworm that he is doing something he doesn¡¯t want to do. That much is clear. Something like this will not last a long time. Then what do I have to do to keep it going? Instead of fear, I need to instill passion inside of him. A reason to work? A goal? Of course I know the answer. I know what Jul Goo is weak against. ¡°Jul Goo, are you working hard?¡± I made my presence known as I stepped into Tunnel 7. Jul Goo stopped mining and quickly bowed. ¡°Master, you have arrived.¡± It was an extremely exaggerated welcome. The way he looked at me showed that he was full of fear. Jonnan also stopped working and came over to check for any injuries on my body. ¡°Oh, you are back! Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°I am completely fine.¡± ¡°Just give up. Tunnel 99 is not somewhere we can handle with our strength. You might really end up dying!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not easy. It would be easier if Jul Goo would help me¡­¡­Jul Goo. Don¡¯t you think mining is not a good task for you? Let¡¯s go hunt monsters together.¡± The extremely surprised Jul Goo quickly lifted up the pickaxe. ¡°Whaat? It¡¯s so fun! Why would you say it is not fit for me?¡± He then struck down much stronger than before against the boulder. He was even adding some commentary as he went. Clang- Clang- ¡°Wow, this is so refreshing! I can feel my stress just floating away. Oh yeah!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but laugh while watching him. I¡¯ll stop making fun of him now. Otherwise, he might end up hurting himself. So I started to take Jul Goo¡¯s side a bit. ¡°I guess Jul Goo is a better fit for mining than I thought. Elder, what do you think?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He¡¯s completely different than yesterday. Today, he is actually working pretty hard.¡± ¡°Jul Goo, do you really want to keep mining?¡± ¡°Of course. This is really fun. Perfect job for me.¡± Clang- Clang- ¡°Whatever you say. You can succeed in anything if you do it with fun. If you keep working hard like that, I will find you a bride.¡± Jul Goo suddenly stopped moving. He then looked at me with eyes that were now the size of giant marbles. ¡°B¡­¡­.bride?¡± As I expected. The slave trader wasn¡¯t lying when he said he was a lecher. No! If a healthy young man didn¡¯t lust after a woman, that would be really weird. ¡°Why? Is there something that says slaves cannot be married? Isn¡¯t that right, elder?¡± ¡°Of course! If the owner is willing, they could even be married ten times.¡± As I asked Jonnan, he played along right away. He even laughed a bit. He seems to have caught onto my plan. He¡¯s a sharp one, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°Hold on a minute. Jul Goo, how old are you this year?¡± As I asked, Jul Goo quickly responded with sparkling eyes. ¡°Eighteen years old.¡± That¡¯s it? I thought he was easily over 20 years old. I guess he suffered through all sorts of things as a slave since he was young. No wonder he aged so much visually. ¡°Even if you do it late, you need to get married before you are thirty. If you are too old, women won¡¯t like you. The best would be to get married before you turn 25.¡± ¡°Heh~¡± Jul Goo¡¯s lips were open really wide. I couldn¡¯t tell because it was dark, but it looked like he was almost drooling. This lecherous punk. ¡°Are you that happy that I said I¡¯ll get you married?¡± ¡°Yes master. Jul Goo wants to be married. Hehe.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s make a deal. From here on, Senior Jonnan will grade your sincerity once a month. If you score higher than 90 every month, I will find you a wife the day you turn 25.¡± ¡°Are, are you serious?¡± ¡°I promise. In addition, I will pay for the marriage ceremony as well as provide you with money to start your family. In order to be the head of a household and lead a family, you will need at least 200,000,000 won to start.¡± ¡°Gasp! Master! Thank you!¡± Jul Goo bowed much further than before. If he had bowed out of fear earlier, this time, he was being sincere. He really didn¡¯t have a reason to thank me though. I plan on getting my money¡¯s worth by working him extremely hard. ¡°In return, you have to work hard. Every time your score goes under 90, I will push your marriage back by two months. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Yes. I will work hard, master!¡± Jul Goo¡¯s voice was full of vigor. Of course, the effect of this won¡¯t last that long. Humans are fickle so they can change their mind day by day. If I say the right things at those times, I should still be able to use him for quite a while. Of course, I will get him married as I promised. * * * I stood in front of the metal gates of Tunnel 99. Today was the 15th day. As each day went by, the time I spent with Deathworm shortened. I was with him for about 8 hours on the first day but it was less than 20 minutes yesterday. Deathworm couldn¡¯t handle it. Even though I fed him six potions and helped him recover a lot of HP, it was still the same. Of course it was because of combo. Within six tries, I managed a 52 hit combo. If I really wanted to, I probably could have landed a 60 hit combo, but I thought Deathworm would die so I stopped attacking. ¡®Skill confirmation!¡¯ [Continuous Slash: Intermediate Level 7, 12%] [Combo (Under 40%): Intermediate Level 5, 87%] It looks like today will be the last day. Will I be able to get past level 6 today? I prayed that I will as I walked into Tunnel 99. I whistled to call Deathworm over. Deathworm was vigorous today as well. He was extremely large and his skin looked tough. However, it was weird. He seemed to be really weak. He seemed like he would fall over with a couple combos. Do I need to feed him some potion before we start? ¡®Hmm? Feed first?¡¯ That sounds like a magnificent idea. Potions range from weakest to strongest in terms of performance. The difference between them isn¡¯t the amount it heals, but actually the healing speed. For example, an XL potion, regardless of weakest or strongest, will each recover 20,000 HP. The difference is that the strongest will take 1 minute while the weakest will take 3 hours. I just need to use this to my benefit. If I feed him a potion first before I attack, the damage I cause will be healed by the potion. Of course, if the speed at which I damage him is faster than the speed of healing, there won¡¯t be much effect, but it was worth a try. There was no reason to feed him many at once. The healing amount would be the same, it¡¯ll just increase the time it takes to heal. ¡®Open your mouth!¡¯ As I made my presence known, Deathworm thrashed around and opened its mouth wide. Pop- ¡®It worked! Then shall I start?¡¯ Papat! [1] [1] ¡¤¡¤¡¤ In the beginning, the damage was still low. Only enough for Deathworm to feel ticklish. But I did not care. In fact, I would be thankful if it did little damage so Deathworm could last a long time. That doesn¡¯t mean I can attack lightly. The basis of combo is critical hit. If I don¡¯t put in 100% of my effort, critical hit would not happen, and if I fail at landing a critical hit in the middle, even if it is just once, the combo would end. Because of that, I need to focus on each and every hit. Papapat! I instantly created a 20 hit combo. Even after that, the combo continued. I¡¯m feeling really good today. I can see Deathworm¡¯s movement strangely well too. Thanks to that, I could avoid Deathworm¡¯s attacks while continuing my combo. 21 hit combo, 22 hit combo¡­¡­ As combo passed the 20 hit mark, the damage exponentially started to rise. ¡¤¡¤¡¤ [3] [16] [29] ¡¤¡¤¡¤ I did not stop the combo. Deathworm, who was starting to feel the damage thrashed around to get rid of me, but he could not stop my combo. I was completely reading Deathworm¡¯s movement. I could even tell the direction he was going to move in. Plus, every time I received bonus stat points for establishing a new record, I put them all to agility. As a result, my currently agility is up to 79. If you add in the effects of the Skywolf Leather Armor, it is 106. So my movement was extremely fast. No matter how much Deathworm tried, he couldn¡¯t touch a single hair on my head. My combo had already passed 40 and reached 50, and then 60. 61 hit combo, 62 hit combo, 63 hit combo. The damage inflicted to Deathworm passed 1,000 and was shooting up close to 8,000. Deathworm became a mess and his movement slowed down. It became much easier to continue my combo. If Deathworm could handle it, I could pass 100 hit combo and probably even reach 200 hit combo. The problem was Deathworm¡¯s stamina. ¡®Please hold on a little longer. Just a little longer!¡¯ I encouraged Deathworm on as I continued my combo. The damage continued to rise and passed 10,000. 66 hit combo, 67 hit combo, 68 hit combo. ¡¤¡¤¡¤ [10,667] [11,745] [12,931] But that was it. I felt like Deathworm¡¯s body was breaking down quickly, but suddenly, with a loud yell his large body fell. Scrreeeeech- At the same time, there was a voice in my head. The fact that my level increased meant that Deathworm was dead. An intense feeling of disappointment filled my heart. ¡®Ah! I was so close to passing a 70 hit combo!¡¯ Monsters that are easy to practice combo on are lacking in HP while the monsters with enough HP are too fast and strong to use combo. If it was easy to find a scarecrow like monster with unlimited health, anybody could raise combo to the advanced level. I should be thankful that Deathworm was able to last until the 68 hit combo. While I was consoling myself, the message continued on. For hunting a single insect, there was quite a lot of rewards. Well, Deathworm is an average monster under level 40, but if you consider the fact that only level 10 and under can enter the mines, it can be considered an extremely special monster. I guess it would be normal to get a lot of rewards. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 19 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 19: A Pretty Savory Extra Gain (I) Before the message even finished, my surroundings became really bright. The large hall and even the six large caves were clearly visible. ¡®It was thanks to the ¡®Owl¡¯s Eye.¡¯ Now, I could easily observe my surroundings even through any kind of darkness. I also earned a lot of other things. I liked each and every one of them. Hearing that my dexterity had reached the advanced level made me scream ¡®Aja!¡¯ And tightly clench my fist. Since I was completing high level combos numerous times, my dexterity increased quickly too. But there was a different item that really made me excited. ¡®I finally have it! Drake¡¯s TBSA textbook!¡¯ The reason someone like me, who wasn¡¯t even used to a one-handed sword, confidently chose the TBSA was because of this. I quickly confirmed the textbook¡¯s information. [Drake¡¯s TBSA Textbook] Teaches you the foundation for TBSA. Instruction Time: 1 year In the game, I hurriedly used this textbook. I wanted to become a character with a strong attack strength like other people. That greed made me not think things through and use it right away. That was such a terrible mistake. Since I used the textbook when I didn¡¯t have a proper sparring partner, there was no way my skills would increase as much as it should. I had high dexterity and stats similar to a gangster which helped me become the strongest player, but it was still disappointing. If I had raised my TBSA to a higher level earlier on, the rest of my journey would have been much faster and much easier. I will not make such type of mistake this time. In the near future, I will meet someone I can practice the TBSA with. I will use this textbook at that time. ¡®For now, put it in my bag.¡¯ The Mysterious Pickaxe was pretty nice too. [Mysterious Pickaxe] There is a seal that makes it impossible to inspect this item. Conditions for removing the seal: Expert Miner This Mysterious Pickaxe is actually as expensive as Drake¡¯s TBSA textbook. You might think that this is ¡®just a stupid pickaxe,¡¯ but when it is unlocked, it actually is a ¡®legendary weapon.¡¯ Of course, I can¡¯t use it right now. Fitting its status as a legendary weapon, there are 3 levels of seals I need to go through. The first seal is removed by becoming an ¡®expert miner,¡¯ the second seal by becoming a ¡®best miner,¡¯ and to unlock the third seal? You needed to become a ¡®legendary miner.¡¯ The legendary miner was something even I failed to achieve in the game. Because of that, even I didn¡¯t know what was hiding behind the third seal. I knew nothing about this pickaxe¡¯s true abilities. But in the end, a pickaxe is still only a pickaxe. If I continued to walk the path of a miner, there is probably no better tool. However, to walk the path of a warrior, it¡¯ll just rust inside the inventory of my magic bag. ¡®I also earned one jewel of creation!¡¯ One of the five-colored jewels! It was the first time I saw this jewel in Royal Roader. But I wasn¡¯t really excited. Unlike the rest of the five-colored jewels, the jewel of creation was known as being common. If I asked Jonnan, I would probably have found over a 100 of them. But I¡¯ll keep this one anyways since it is like a souvenir! Either way, it was a satisfying haul. It was almost as if Deathworm was saying ¡®eat this and get away from me!¡¯ and threw this at me before running away. ¡®Should I go see Batoom now?¡¯ Batoom¡¯s jaws dropped open. ¡°How is this possible? Did you really defeat the monster in Tunnel 99?¡± Jonnan was so shocked he couldn¡¯t even speak. ¡°I struggled a bit to take care of that monster.¡± With the amount of time I spent, I guess it wouldn¡¯t be a lie to say I struggled. No matter the reason, I spent half a month to get it done. I even used over 100 potions. I used about 20 400,000 won potions, and the ones I threw into Deathworm¡¯s stomach were slightly over 80 of the 600,000 won ones. ¡°This should be enough to prove that I deserve to be an expert miner? Yes?¡± ¡°Of course! You worked hard. You really worked hard. All of the miners will praise your promotion.¡± Haha! I succeeded in the new record! ¡®Stat Confirmation!¡¯¡¯ [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 9] Dexterity: Advanced Level 1, 0% Strength: 74 Agility: 109 Stamina: 52 Intuition: 28 Magic: 5 Vitality: 5 Mana: 120 HP:208 Endurance: 8 Toughness: 4 * Remaining points: 10 My agility was the highest. It was because I put all the bonus points I earned from establishing a new combo record into agility. I also had 10 points that I didn¡¯t use yet. I plan on putting all of those points into strength. But not yet. If I increase my strength too early, the speed at which my strength increases from swinging the pickaxe will slow down. When my strength stat reaches my goal in the near future, I plan on putting all the points at that time. My mana had increased a lot too. It was thanks to my knowledge going up. Every time the knowledge goes up by 1 point, mana increases by 2. (TL: But as mentioned before¡­where is the knowledge stat¡­) There is another window that lets me check my knowledge, charm, fame, and other stats. I also opened that. (TL: We have our answer!) Faith: 5 Knowledge: 55 Charm: 5 Sensitivity: 5 Fame: 170 Miner Rank: 114 Titan Valley Public Rank: 118 Overall, it was pretty satisfying. My fame and Titan Valley Public Rank was at 170 and 118 respectively. It wasn¡¯t that great, but my name was decently known in Titan Valley. Which should also mean that I should be able to get some discount when buying things as well. ¡°But what is that pickaxe you have there?¡± Jonnan noticed the Mysterious Pickaxe next to me. At that point, Batoom also took a look at the Mysterious Pickaxe. ¡°Now that you mention it, I have never seen this pickaxe before.¡± ¡°Oh this? Deathworm spit it out once I hunted him.¡± Since I was now an Expert Miner, the first level of seal should be removable. Once I remove the seal, Jonnan and Batoom¡¯s eyes should get even larger. I hope they don¡¯t end up fainting. Seeing their expression will be entertaining! I lifted up the pickaxe. ¡®Remove seal!¡¯ [Miru¡¯s Pickaxe] A pickaxe made by a dwarf. Made of titanium and mithril, it can easily break boulders, and thanks to the magical powers imbued inside, it can break boulders very quickly. Durability: 91/267 Attack Strength: 32 Attack Speed: 15 Restrictions: Strength 88, Agility 31, Expert Miner Occupation Option 1: All Miner related skills +3 Option 2: 200% extra damage with a successful critical hit Other Options: Currently unavailable This stupid pickaxe came with an explanation. It also had a ton of information. Almost as if they made a promise, Jonnan and Batoom both let out a gasp. ¡°Gasp! Tha, that is¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Mi, Miru¡¯s pickaxe!¡± They showed the expected reaction. Jonnan and Batoom were both in so much shock that I thought they might fall over with heart attacks. Well, this was the only pickaxe that is categorized as a legendary weapon after all. You could even call this the Pickaxe of Dreams for miners. ¡°I, can I¡­..touch it just once?¡± Jonnan was the first to reach out. Seeing that, Batoom also approached and reached out, as if saying ¡®me too.¡¯ They looked like children asking for something they were envious to have. Of course I didn¡¯t resist. That was the reason I showed it to them in the first place. But I guess Goultan has not heard the news yet. Goultan needs to see this pickaxe in order for me to get some benefit. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be here soon. I passed Miru¡¯s Pickaxe to Jonnan. Jonnan was extremely careful with it, as if he was handling an ancient relic. Together with Batoom, they were touching every part of it, as if they were caressing their lover¡¯s hand. It was at that moment that the old yet thick voice resounded behind us. ¡°Tunnel 99 has been cleared? Is that for real?¡± He¡¯s here! It was Goultan. He must have ran over as soon as he heard the news. Neither Jonnan nor Batoom could say anything. It looked like they forgot how to speak from the shock. Instead, they showed Goultan Miru¡¯s Pickaxe. ¡°What is that pickaxe¡­¡­gasp!¡± Even Goultan was shocked after seeing the information of the pickaxe. Jonnan nodded his head. ¡°You are correct! It is Miru¡¯s Pickaxe.¡± ¡°My goodness. This pickaxe was real?¡± ¡°I thought it was just a legend as well. I never expected to see it with my own two eyes.¡± ¡°Me, could I touch it too?¡± Of course. In fact, I need Goultan to touch it and feel it more than Jonnan or Batoom. As I nodded yes, Goultan respectfully received the pickaxe as if he was receiving a reward from an emperor. Then, just like Jonnan and Batoom, he cautiously touched the pickaxe. His eyes were full of shock and he looked like he might start crying. Now that I think about it, the three veterans who attempted to become the best miner were all gathered in one spot. They were all over sixty years old. Seeing them like this, I started to feel a bit sorry. It was because I planned on making them all pick up a pickaxe again in the near future. That was the only way for them to mine the five-colored jewels on my behalf. Haha, they all seem so reliable. Goultan admired Miru¡¯s pickaxe for a while before looking at me. ¡°You, really ¡­¡­you managed to do something big!¡± I¡¯ve heard that type of praise plenty of times. I prefer material rewards much more than just words of praise like that. That should have been plenty of time to admire it right? Now they should pay the admission fee. You don¡¯t think I showed them this ¡®legendary weapon¡¯ for free without getting any benefits, do you? I started to lead the conversation the way I needed it to go. ¡°I¡¯m very proud as well. But a bit disappointed as well.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°That pickaxe. I finally found a useful pickaxe, but the strength restriction is too high for me to use. That means I need to use this original pickaxe again! Sigh, it¡¯s so old that my efficiency doesn¡¯t go up.¡± I then looked at the old pickaxe with a pitiful expression. It was the pickaxe Batoom handed to me like a present when I first arrived at the mines. I said this for Goultan to hear. I know Goultan has a very good pickaxe that is his prized possession that is hidden away. If I used that pickaxe, the number of minerals I mine would increase at least five times. That would be a decent reward for clearing Tunnel 99. If he doesn¡¯t offer it himself, I will need to convince him to give it to me. Goultan took turns looking at me, the old pickaxe, and Miru¡¯s Pickaxe. The shaky look in his eyes told me the hard decision that was going on in his mind. ¡®Yes! Hurry up and give it to me!¡¯ Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 20 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 20: A Pretty Savory Extra Gain (II) ¡°Hwi Ram! Will you come visit my house when you have the time? I have something to show you.¡± I did it! The item Goultan wants to show me, and the item he will gift me on the spot, is pretty obvious. ¡°I¡¯m free to go there right now.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go together.¡± We immediately headed over to Goultan¡¯s house. Jonnan and Batoom were with us as well. Once we arrived, Goultan headed up to the attic to get a pretty large wooden container. It looked to be the perfect size to store a pickaxe. As expected, there was a single pickaxe inside. ¡°This is the pickaxe I have treasured for my whole life.¡± I received the pickaxe from Goultan. [Goo Chu¡¯s Pickaxe] Durability: 98/98 Attack Strength: 15 Attack Speed: 10 Restriction: Strength 63 Option: 50% extra damage with a successful critical hit Other options: Currently unavailable ¡°I wanted to become one of the best miners and reveal the other options with my own hands, but I ended up failing to do so.¡± I¡¯m sure Goo Chu knows about the other options. Although there aren¡¯t any in Titan Valley, there are some best miners in other places. ¡°It is not an item I need anymore. I won¡¯t have any need to use it again.¡± I don¡¯t know about that. We will need to wait and see. You look like someone who will end up working in the near future. Of course, you will be well compensated for it. ¡°Please attempt to become one of the best miners. And then, reveal the other options with your own hands. If you can promise me that, I will gift you this pickaxe.¡± I planned on challenging it anyways. If I have the opportunity, I would surpass the best miners and become a legendary miner. I¡¯m also curious about the hidden third option on Miru¡¯s pickaxe after all. I happily nodded my head. ¡°I understand. Since I made it this far, I might as well challenge it.¡± ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much.¡± Goultan clasped my hands tightly. ¡°But I have Miru¡¯s pickaxe. Once I get enough strength to use it, could I gift this pickaxe to someone else?¡± To be specific, to my slave Jul Goo. All the minerals Jul Goo mines is mine anyways. ¡°It is now yours. If you see someone who deserves this pickaxe, you are free to gift it as you would like.¡± Batoom assigned me the best miner occupation quest. In Titan Valley, only Batoom is allowed to assign miner related occupation quests. ¡°I also want to thank you. My lifelong goal was having a best miner come out of Titan Valley, and it looks like you will make my dream come true.¡± ¡°I will work hard to make it happen.¡± ¡°This is the first quest. As a tunnel supervisor, recruit ten miners to work for you. However, they must be completely new miners who have never mined in any mine before.¡± In other words, use my fame to recruit miners. This should be a pretty easy quest. In fact, I shouldn¡¯t need to do anything. There is someone very close to me who knows quite a lot of people. My soul¡¯s partner, Jonnan! As soon as I received the quest, Jonnan pulled up his sleeves. ¡°I will take care of that.¡± ¡°Is that okay?¡± Batoom nodded his head yes. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Even if someone helps you, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that there will be miners working for you.¡± ¡°Then, thank you in advance, senior! If that¡¯s the case, please pick some smart and sharp people!¡± ¡°Like I said, just leave that to me.¡± He¡¯s not just bluffing. This is someone who has been a miner in Titan Valley for 40 years. Then shall I make some money while he does that? Mining is not the only way to make money in the mines. I have the rights to the tax collected in Tunnel 99. That alone should make about as much money as I would make mining. One more thing. Power to designate a Tunnel Supervisor. How could that power make me money? Lobbying and bribes don¡¯t only exist in the real world. Tunnel 99 is split into 6 different tunnels inside. Each of the six large holes in the hall lead to those sub-tunnels. I assigned Bae Doochi as one of the Tunnel Supervisors. Is it because I like Bae Doochi? No! No! The person I really want to bring over is Gildeon, the only person who is competing with Bae Doochi to be the successor of the Batoom Mines. In fact, the rest of the other miners felt that way too. They all wished for Gildeon to be the successor. Gildeon was sincere and trustworthy; as a supervisor, he cared for his miners. But why am I pushing for Bae Doochi instead of Gildeon? That¡¯s because I saw Titan Valley¡¯s future in the game already. In the game, Gildeon wins and becomes the next mine owner. Because of that, I was forced to go through the next part with Bae Doochi. I suffered a lot as a result. I wanted to change that future. Of course, it was kind of a dangerous move. My small change could be the butterfly effect that completely changes the future that I know. However, I was not scared. No, I did not want to be scared. I guess I hated myself for being scared too much? If I look back in my life, I always lived in fear. That¡¯s because I was always the weak one being trampled on. It wasn¡¯t just in the real world. It was the same in the game. My stats, dexterity and combo was really high, but I was still only a level 9 noob. Until I became the strongest character, I suffered under other users, as well as NPCs like Bae Doochi. You¡¯re telling me I need to stay strong and experience those same sufferings again? I just need to hold it in until I become the overlord?¡± Would that change anything? I might have been an overlord, but I was just an existence with a strong attack strength. If I met someone with a strong influence, I was still a weakling who would need to bend the knee or quietly avoid them! I didn¡¯t want to follow that same path again. Nor did I have a reason to do so. If I put in a bit of effort, I could change the dangers headed my way to make them become opportunities. Those changes might negatively affect my future, however, it could also make it much better. No, I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll be the case. Instead of just a strong person, I can become an omnipotent existence. I want to challenge to reach that omnipotence. In order for that to happen, I cannot be afraid of change. Rather, I need to have the courage to make those changes happen myself. The rights to assigning Tunnel Supervisors is the start of that change. Maybe this ability to create change will be the greatest gain from clearing Tunnel 99. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean I need to give up the gains in front of my eyes right now. The smartest thing to do right now was pretend to push Bae Doochi while making sure to increase my gains to the highest level. ¡°Pick the tunnel you like.¡± ¡°I want to select the tunnel with the most titanium.¡± ¡°Then go to 99-5. That one has the most titanium.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°The monster gave me some information as it died. If you don¡¯t like the amount of titanium you find and want to switch tunnels, I am more than happy to let you switch.¡± Bae Doochi had a wide smile on his face. There could be no better deal. ¡°Fine. How much will it cost?¡± The rights to a tunnel supervisor position were usually traded at a couple million to the tens of million wons. I heard that Batoom also received around that much when he was splitting up the tunnels. However, I showed a little more greed. Something at a different level. ¡°Just give me 1,000,000,000 won.¡± Bae Doochi¡¯s jaws dropped immediately. ¡°Wha¡­what? 1,000,000,000 won? Are you crazy?¡± I did exaggerate a bit. No matter how good a position was, there would be no chance of getting a bribe of 1,000,000,000 won for the rights to select a tunnel. But Bae Doochi will need to accept it. This isn¡¯t just the rights to a tunnel. It will be the means for him to become the owner of the mines. Plus, if you think about it, 1,000,000,000 won isn¡¯t that much. Unlike in the real world, in Royal Roader, people respect miners quite a bit. If you have about 10 years of experience, you should be able to make 5,000,000 won in a month working only five to six hours a day. If you work hard, you could easily make 10,000,000 won a month. The tunnel supervisors make even more money. An experienced supervisor like Bae Doochi should make about 30,000,000 won a month on a normal basis. If he becomes the owner, he could make much much more than that as well. So it shouldn¡¯t have been hard for him to make at least 100,000,000 won in a year, and since he has 20 years of experience, he should have plenty enough to pay 1,000,000,000 won. Do you know much I had to plot to get this much out of him? I might as well stick the straw in pretty deep while I can. Bae Doochi had no choice but to be sucked dry. ¡°Why are you so surprised? In return you can change tunnels as you please. Then don¡¯t you have the competition in the bag? You¡¯ll be able to make that 1,000,000,000 won back easily.¡± ¡°But what kind of person asks for 1,000,000,000 won? It¡¯s like I have an arrow in my head.¡± Bae Doochi had a stiff expression on his face. I didn¡¯t want to carry this conversation on much longer. I really didn¡¯t like him anyways. A single arrow to his head will be enough! ¡°Then Bae Doochi-nim, I guess we will need to discuss it again in the future. I can take this offer to Gildeon-nim.¡± ¡°What? Gi, Gildeon?¡± Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 21 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 21: A Pretty Savory Extra Gain (III) ¡°What? Gi, Gildeon? Hold on! How does 500,000,000 won sound?¡± As expected, there was no better threat than ¡®Gildeon.¡¯ Of course, I had no desire to compromise. Even at 1,000,000,000 won, Bae Doochi had no option but to agree. ¡°I will see you again tomorrow.¡± ¡°700,000,000 won! 1,000,000,000 won is inhumane.¡± I did not respond. Instead, I opened the door and stepped outside. As I was walking, Bae Doochi chased after me and grabbed onto my sleeve. He let out an extremely loud sigh. ¡°Sigh, fine. 1,000,000,000 won. However, if I don¡¯t like the tunnel, you must agree to let me switch even if it is ten times, twenty times, or even more than that. Even if there is a different supervisor in that tunnel.¡± I¡¯m sure that won¡¯t happen. Tunnel 99-5 has an overwhelming amount of titanium compared to the other locations. The more he switches, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. ¡°Of course.¡± I assigned supervisors for the other subtunnels after receiving bribes as well. Tunnel 99 has a lot of good mineral deposits, so I was able to receive and average of 200,000,000 won for each of the remaining four. Of course, I sold one of them to Gildeon as well. ¡®It¡¯s so easy to make money.¡¯ I kept one of them for myself. It was the tunnel with the greatest gain. While I was settling all of that, Jonnan came back with the ten new recruits. ¡°They¡¯re all youngsters who wish to become mercenaries.¡± Seeing their physical appearances, it made sense that they would dream of becoming mercenaries. Each and one of them had a body like Rambo. Their ages ranged between 18 ¨C 22. ¡°Work hard. If you do, you can become like Kang Hwi Ram-nim. You heard the stories, right? He defeated a monster by himself and cleared Tunnel 99. The hero of Titan Valley.¡± It was just recently that I was at the bottom of the food chain at the carwash. But to suddenly be called a ¡®hero¡¯? It was kind of embarrassing. However, I could not show that type of expression. No, from now on, I needed to change my own thoughts. What I have done in the past is not important, the important thing is what I will do from here on.¡± My dream! Yes! I will become a hero. I will push past the strongest warrior and become an omnipotent presence. I will do as I please in the world and rule from the top of the world. I was confident that I could achieve it. Then shouldn¡¯t I act the part? I have to stop lowering myself and thinking low about myself. I opened my shoulders widely at Jonnan¡¯s introduction. I looked towards them with a somewhat nonchalant expression. Their gazes were full of respect and admiration. They all knew about me from the stories about Tunnel 99. ¡°You dream of becoming mercenaries?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± They seem very disciplined. ¡°The reason?¡± ¡°Because I can earn a lot of money as a mercenary¡­¡­¡± ¡°It looks cool¡­¡­¡± ¡°I want to travel all around the continent¡­¡­.¡± Each of them had their own reasons. However, the common goal for all of them was of course, money. If their families had enough money and influence, they could achieve their goals without necessarily becoming mercenaries. I guess I feel sorry for them? ¡°The majority of you will not be able to achieve that dream. In fact, you will decide on your own accord to give up that dream.¡± My blunt response made them all confused. Their expressions seemed to be asking why. ¡°Are you curious as to why?¡± ¡°¡­¡­yes!¡± ¡°Because I will show you a path that will make you much richer than if you were to become a mercenary. Then you will forget that you ever wanted to be one.¡± They all had a look that seemed to be saying ¡®Ah!¡¯ ¡°Of course, I will not show that path to just anybody. Whether you appeal to me with your talents or with your loyalty, do what you can to become one of my people. Then I will take care of you for life!¡± They could think that I¡¯m bluffing and saying things that I cannot promise. But I was really confident. I needed to be. The reason I was the strongest character in the game but could not become an omnipotent presence was because of my lack of influence. I will start early to start making people mine one by one. The first will be Jonnan, Batoom, and Goultan. The youngsters gathered here will be my people as well. In return, they will be rewarded with a life full of luxury. How? I will show them with my actions. ¡°First, I will help you earn money. I¡¯m sure all of you are in need of money right now. Am I right?¡± ¡°Yes, Tunnel Supervisor-nim!¡± ¡°Great! From now on, clench your teeth and put in the effort! If you do, around this time next year, you will be able to make more than 1,000,000 won in a single day. This is my first promise to all of you. Of course, only to those who become my people! The youngsters lived with us starting that day. All of the youngsters put in their full effort. Jonnan really did pick some determined characters. As that happened, time went by so fast that you couldn¡¯t even tell how the day was going. * * * ¡°Griiiiiind! Yaaaawn~ I slept well.¡± (TL: You slept for like¡­ 5 chapters. So freaken long. Although I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t sleep the whole time¡­) I stretched real wide as I woke up. As soon as I woke up, I looked at the clock out of habit. 10am. I slept exactly 12 hours again. Maybe that was why, but I felt so good like I could fly away. Best condition! I opened my smartphone to access the Royal Roader homepage. I start everyday by checking my Virtual Accounting account. (TL: Early signs of turning into Gollum) [Amount: 3,146,833,291 won]¡¡(TL: $2,826,328.32 Fool became a millionaire!] ¡°I guess I collected a decent amount.¡± Although I was saying that, my smile was so wide my lips were hanging on my ears. It wasn¡¯t 31,000,000 won, or 310,000,000 won, but a whole 3,100,000,000 won. Wasn¡¯t I the person who bought kimbap or cupbap from the convenience store instead of soondaegookbap because I didn¡¯t want to spend 8,000 won? But now, I could be so calm seeing a hundred million won in my account. No, this is not being calm. It¡¯s so amazing that it doesn¡¯t even feel real. In fact, I feel like I¡¯m seeing someone else¡¯s money and not my own. ¡®Is this really all my money?¡¯ The thing that was even harder to believe was that it only took me half a month to collect this much money. (TL: I need this in my life¡­) You¡¯re asking how this was possible? It was thanks to clearing Tunnel 99. First of all, unlike Tunnel 7, Tunnel 99 has a lot of expensive mineral nicely stored. Titanium was considered a common mineral there, with mithril, azurite, and even gold being found. In addition, switching from the ¡®old pickaxe¡¯ to ¡®Goo Chu¡¯s pickaxe¡¯ had a huge impact as well. My attack strength went up from 5 to 15, and attack speed went up from 5 to 10. Plus the extra damage¡­ By simply changing my pickaxe, my efficiency increased by 6 times. Thanks to that, even though I was working the same amount, my income was over 20 times more than before. My slave, Jul Goo, also helped. His dexterity is still low so he¡¯s still rough at it, but he¡¯s still doing his best to give it his all. Working together with Jul Goo, the two of us mined enough for my share to be around 4,000,000 won a day. I also received around 3,000,000 won a day from the taxes for Tunnel 99 as well. Put it together, I was making an average of 7,000,000 won a day. That is, of course, speaking in Royal Roader time. In the real world, it was about 85,000,000 won a day. In addition to that, I received bribes of approximately 1,800,000,000 won from handing out the supervisor positions. Let¡¯s be honest. At this level, I can enjoy my life. Whether it is in the real world or in Royal Roader, I could leave the hard mining to Jul Goo and Jonnan while doing whatever I want. No, I could even immediately start walking the path of a warrior. Even with my current dexterity and stats, I could rise up to become the greatest warrior. However, I had no thoughts about doing that at all. Why should I be satisfied and stop at 5 when I know I can get to 100? The successor to the mine competition does not take that long. Once that ends, I could once again make my life¡¯s turning point. If I can get past the last hurdle at that point, I could walk the path of flowers. I just need to wait a little longer. I opened the Royal Roader homepage on my smartphone and clicked ¡®my information.¡¯ [Kang Hwi Ram] Dexterity: Advanced Level 1, 5%] Strength: 131 (+9) Agility: 114 (+10) Stamina: 141 (+6) Intuition: 107 (+3) Mana: ¨C (+12) HP: 119 (+25) [Jewel Box] For the last fifteen days, all I did was work out when I was awake. I wanted to tire myself out as much as I could so that I could manage to sleep longer. I also ate a lot of food. Working out increased my appetite, but I also ate all the food that I wanted to eat but couldn¡¯t in the past. But since I didn¡¯t gain any weight from it, it should mean that all of it went to my stats. Thanks to that, my body was visibly much better. Of course my stats increased quite a bit as well. In addition to that, because I get 10% of my stats in Royal Roader, I could probably go against anybody and no longer be called weak. I once again admired my stats. I got happier every time I saw it. But suddenly, a weird item caught my attention. [Jewel Box] ¡®Wait! What is this? I know this wasn¡¯t here when I looked yesterday!¡± Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 22 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 22: Skill In the Real World (I) There was a possibility that came to me. ¡®Perhaps the Jewel of Creation?¡¯ I earned a Jewel of Creation while hunting Deathworm. It wasn¡¯t that useful, but since it was the first jewel I earned, I put it in my bag. It was the only jewel I had. I hurriedly clicked the Jewel Box. Once I clicked it, I was able to see an inventory. It was split into a total of five slots, and there was a shiny jewel in one of those slots. Next to the jewel, they were nice and listed the jewel¡¯s name and quantity. [Jewel of Creation: 1] How is this possible?! I can see this even in the real world? I wonder if I could also use it. I felt like it would be possible. I threw all sorts of things in my bag in Royal Reader. Rye Bread, bentos, minerals, etc. However, out of all those things, the only thing that had been visible in the real world was the money. And that money was usable. This time, it was the Jewel of Creation. I didn¡¯t need to ponder about an answer that won¡¯t reveal itself. If I try using it, I would get my answer easily. But how do I try it? Is this how I use it? I clicked the Jewel of Creation with my finger and tried to drag it outside the inventory. When I did that, a notification window and a selection window popped open. [Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 72 Will you make a skill?] [YES / NO] ¡®Oh! It works!¡¯ This was like hitting the jackpot! It was just as shocking as when I learned that I could move money to my bank account through Virtual Accounting. In Royal Roader, the Jewel of Creation is pretty much useless. It can only create skills based on abilities that I possess. Maybe if I was an expert in some aspect it might be useful, but without skills like that, what would be the point of creating skills? It was much better to buy some skill textbooks and learn it. There was also the method of earning skills through Occupation quests. That is why miners didn¡¯t really care about the Jewel of Creation. However, in the real world, the situation is completely different. A skill helps you remember a specific way of doing something. In the real world, that in itself could become a tremendous skill. Especially when it comes to sports. Let¡¯s take golf as an example. What if you could hit the exact same shot each time? If you made 50 different swings each into a skill, then it would not be a dream to win the Pro tour. Of course, I had no desires to become an athlete. There wasn¡¯t a reason for me to do so. Why should I put myself through all that trouble when I could make enough money with just Royal Roader? This could be used for ¡®fun.¡¯ If you could feel the taste of victory frequently, there is nothing more fun that sports. If I was to become an athlete, that would be in the level of fun as well. ¡®With this, I could even become a super athlete in every sport!¡¯ That¡¯s that. But the important thing right now wasn¡¯t the ¡®Jewel of Creation.¡¯ There were 5 inventory slots in the Jewel Box! That should mean that in addition to the Jewel of Creation, all of the five-colored jewels, including the Jewel of Luck, should be usable in the real world. This is something that transcends the level of fun. If I use the five-colored jewels properly, I could become an omnipotent presence in the real world as well. Just thinking about it gets my blood boiling! (TL: Now this is becoming The Gamer) Let¡¯s try using the Jewel of Creation first. I need to figure out how to properly use the jewels so that I don¡¯t make any mistakes when I manage to get the other jewels. Today is time for swimming lessons! The lesson starts at 5:30pm. I called my swimming instructor. ¡°Is it possible to get 1:1 lessons?¡± No need for excuses. It¡¯s basically about money. Just get to the point! ¡°How much is it?¡± 100,000 won an hour. If it was the old me, I would be thinking ¡®Wow! So expensive!¡¯ but now, I didn¡¯t have any issues with it. I made an appointment without a second of hesitation. ¡°Before the lesson today, I would like 2 hours please. When are you available? I¡¯m free all day today.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± As soon as the call ended, I left the house. Wearing a fancy suit! It was the first thing I bought when I made some money. I changed my hairstyle and bought some fancy casual wear and even had the latest sleek smartwatch as well. Of course I didn¡¯t only get them for myself. When I escorted my mom to Seoul for her comprehensive examination, I took her to the Department Store with my sister Minji, and gave them a complete transformation from head to toe. While we were at it, we also shopped for a car. I tried to buy Minji a pretty Mini Cooper, but she was stubborn and said that ¡®the first car needs to be a domestic used car¡¯ so we bought her a used red morning. (TL: Name of a Kia car?) I picked the Land Rover Discovery that I¡¯ve wanted for a long time. However, I haven¡¯t even been able to sit in it yet. They were backordered so I still need to wait about 3 months. I paid for all of it with a bank transfer. I also finally escaped from that cheap goshiwon. A clean one bedroom is my place in Seoul now. We also finished moving to an apartment in Daejeon. However, it is a month-to-month lease. As soon as we find a house with a front yard, we need to move again. I stopped for a second to look at my reflection in a large glass door. I definitely look cool and stylish. ¡®Money is great!¡¯ Swimming Pool. The instructor was shocked after hearing what I had to say. ¡°You want to learn the butterfly stroke? It is still too early!¡± That is why I picked the butterfly stroke. I felt like I needed to start with a blank slate to really feel the effect of the Jewel of Creation and the created skill. ¡°There is an important reason for me to learn it today. Please.¡± The instructor had a complicated expression. However, once I transferred 300,000 won to his account, he ended up nodding his head. ¡°I understand. However, please don¡¯t curse me even if you show no results from this lesson.¡± Must you add a qualifier like that? Just saying you would try your best would have been enough. I used the jewel before starting the lesson. I dragged the Jewel of Creation out of the inventory. [Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 72 Will you make a skill?] [YES / NO] I pressed ¡®YES¡¯ with the tip of my finger. [Please enter the name of the skill.] >Butterfly Stroke [Starting now, the butterfly stroke skill will be created based on Kang Hwi Ram-nim¡¯s will. The duration is 1 hour.] I guess there is a time limit of 1 hour. ¡°Then let¡¯s start with the basic movement¡­¡­¡± The lesson started. First, how to move your body like a wave, how to kick, the proper arm movement. I learned each of these movements individually. ¡°The most important aspect of the butterfly stroke is the wave. You need to relax and let it flow for your form to look cool and for your speed to be fast.¡± I followed the instructor and tried to move my body in a wave while standing upright. I¡¯ve tried it for fun while watching TV, but I had never learned it properly. Of course my movement was a mess. Even I could tell that my wave was extremely terrible. But that only lasted for a while. As I continued to follow the instructor, I had a feeling of ¡®Ah! This is it!¡¯ Along with that, the wave movement was completely mine. As I smoothly waved my body, even the instructor started to praise me. ¡°Yes, just like that! Now you got it! Oh! Great! Have you learned butterfly stroke before?¡± How could I? How could someone like me, who was having a hard time to even survive, learn something like the butterfly stroke? It is because of ¡®skill.¡¯ The moment I felt like ¡®this is it!¡¯ The skill helped me remember the movement and the feeling. Once that is registered, I just have to follow the movement of the skill. ¡°Wow, it is very stable. I think you learned it perfectly. Then shall we move to the next movement?¡± None of the movements were easy. However, only the beginning was hard. As I follow the instructor, at some point, I have the ¡®this is it!¡¯ type of feeling. Then the skill remembers the movement and then I can perfectly repeat the movement. Of course the ¡®perfectly¡¯ is for my level. If an expert was to look at it, it¡¯ll be full of issues. After 30 minutes, I managed to master all of the basic movements. The skill is just called ¡®butterfly stroke,¡¯ but there are so many different foundational movements that I have now learned. The instructor¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°Wow! Are you a prodigy? The butterfly stroke is not such an easy form to learn.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you taught me well. Then can we start connecting the movements now? If possible, I want to try perfecting that part within an hour as well.¡± ¡°Sure, let¡¯s try it. I think you¡¯ll be able to do it.¡± The instructor started to teach me how to connect the moments. About 20 minutes later, I was able to remember everything under the umbrella of the ¡®butterfly stroke¡¯ skill. With that, the hour came to an end. ¡°Is this really your first time learning? I¡¯ve never seen anybody master the butterfly stroke in one hour! With intuition like that, you could even become a professional swimmer. You should have started swimming earlier in your life.¡± I was also satisfied. I could now complete a lap in a 25m pool just using the butterfly stroke. Of course it was still a bit off. How do I describe it? It felt like the skill was forcing my body, which was still not used to it, to move in the correct way. I verified my skill information through my smartphone. [Kang Hwi Ram] Dexterity: Advanced, Level 1, 5% Strength: 131 (+9) Agility: 114 (+10) Stamina: 141 (+6) Intuition: 107 (+3) Mana: ¨C (+12) HP: 119 (+25) [Jewel Box] [Skill] ¡®Oh! It was created!¡¯ Under the Jewel Box in my information, a new window called ¡®skill¡¯ appeared. When I clicked the skill window, I could see the skill information. [Butterfly Stroke: Beginner 7%] Last chapter for the week. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 23 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 23: Skill In the Real World (2) The first skill I made in the real world! My lips were dancing with joy while looking at the skill. Couldn¡¯t I continue to make any kind of skill I want just like this in the future? Billiards, golf, swimming, tennis, skiing, snowboarding, surfing, yacht¡­¡­! (TL: Not sure why you need any skills for a yacht. To drive it maybe?) I could master them all. The Jewel of Creation is something that is extremely common in Royal Roader! If I really put my mind to it, I could get enough to swim in, so I had no reason to be selective. However, there was a disappointing part as well. ¡®I guess I can¡¯t bring over skills from Royal Roader.¡¯ (TL: There¡¯s our answer) If it was possible, the skill information would have said so. It was especially disappointing that I couldn¡¯t bring over the TBSA or combo. If I could bring over skills like that, I could become even stronger than Wong Fei-hung. (TL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wong_Fei-hung) ¡®Then shall I start again?¡¯ But how do I use the skills that I have created? Is it the same method as in Royal Roader? It was pretty easy to use the skill in Royal Roader. All you had to do was think ¡®I¡¯m going to use this skill¡¯ and it automatically started. It was as easy as moving your fingers or toes. Of course you could use multiple skills at once too. Just like using combo and Blood Attack together. ¡®Activate Butterfly Stroke skill!¡¯ I thought about it as I started swimming. I could feel the effect of the skill being activated. Even without thinking about it, the movements that were recorded as the skill automatically started to flow naturally. Because of that, all the movements repeated itself properly, repeating the exact moment I realized ¡®this is how it is supposed to be.¡¯ Maybe it was just how I was feeling, but I thought the butterfly stroke was easier than freestyle right now. ¡°Great! You¡¯re doing well! A little bit smoother!¡± ¡°You did well.¡± I finished everything including the evening lesson. The time was 6:20pm. I had been swimming for over three hours without resting. However, I did not get out of the pool. It was because of the desire to try using the butterfly stroke again. Maybe it was because of the skill, but I found it to be quite fun. I also had some stamina left. ¡®Let¡¯s practice just 30 minutes more.¡¯ If I go eat dinner afterwards and then head home, I should be able to sleep well. I started to do laps in the pool using the butterfly stroke. Splash! Splash! This thing called the butterfly stroke is quite charming. The movements are pretty dynamic, so even I think I my form looks pretty cool. Plus, it is a way to use up a lot of energy in a short amount of time, so it is kind of the perfect thing for me. ¡®Huu, can¡¯t do it anymore.¡¯ After doing 3 more laps in the 25m pool, I was completely out of energy. This should be enough for today. There¡¯s no point to hurt myself when I¡¯m doing this to be healthy. I exited from the side of the pool. As I did, I heard a beautiful voice calling out to me. ¡°Oppa, you learned how to swim very quickly! When did you learn the butterfly stroke?¡± I saw Im Jung Ah when I looked up. The sexiest lady in our swimming class. She was so pretty that I thought she was trying to become a celebrity when I first saw her. We first met around half a month ago, but since then, she would approach me and start talking to me every chance she got. Quite aggressively, I might add. If it was the old me, it wouldn¡¯t feel realistic. No, I would have confirmed that she was trying to scam me. There is no way a stunning beauty like her would give me any type of attention. But it was different now. I guess I gained some more confidence as a man? Lately, there¡¯s been quite a few women around me. Especially at the club. After starting my life with Royal Roader, I went to the place called a club for the first time in my life. Of course I was dressed very well when I went. When I got there, many women were pretty much fighting with each other to hunt me. I had so many girls to pick from! I took the prettiest girl and went out for round 2! Of course the end was in a motel! I never had any experiences like that so I couldn¡¯t say anything, but the girl was really forward and dragged me to the motel saying ¡®oppa, sleep with me!¡¯ After that, I went to the club five more times. I pretty much went an average of two times a month. Each time, I scored. I was hunted by a slim beauty each time I went, and all of those times ended in a motel with some rough movements. With that, how could I not gain some confidence? ¡°Today. It¡¯s because the instructor is great.¡± ¡°Oppa, it¡¯s because you have great athletic senses. I find athletic men very attractive.¡± Im Jung Ah is quite forward today. Every time she spoke, the gaze she was giving me was full of interest and lust. Like someone who has made up her mind. No matter what it was, I didn¡¯t have a reason to say no. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest with you, you¡¯re exactly my type as well. I love sexy women like you.¡± Although I was talking with Im Jung Ah, my eyes were nonchalantly looking at my phone. I was checking the change in my skill level. Even the practice time was short, there should still be some changes. [Butterfly Stroke Skill: Beginner 11%] In Royal Roader, it did not take long to advance from beginner to intermediate. Out of all the skills I came across, there was none that took over a day. But this butterfly stroke seems pretty slow. At this speed, I wouldn¡¯t reach intermediate even if I practiced all day. Is this the difference between Royal Roader and the real world? ¡°Oppa, are you hitting on me right now?¡± I looked back at Im Jung Ah. She had a slightly shocked look on her face. Her beautifully smiling lips told me she didn¡¯t hate it. ¡°I¡¯m really bad at things like this. I prefer my method.¡± ¡°Oppa, what is your method?¡± ¡°Go out with me.¡± The corners of Im Jung Ah¡¯s lips continued to go up. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ depends on how you do today.¡± ¡°Then shall we go?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± We left the swimming pool together. I first changed my clothes and went out to the sports center lobby. I waited until Im Jung Ah had enough time to put on some makeup. Im Jung Ah came out about 20 minutes later. My eyes immediately started swimming. The clothes that seemed to show quite a lot of skin, the somewhat thick makeup, it looks like she planned to seduce me today. ¡°Did you wait a long time?¡± As soon as she came out, she first grabbed my arm. I was going to try to take the initiative, but it looks like she beat me to it. Not like I had a problem with it! ¡°No, not really. Should we watch a movie? Or go to the amusement park?¡± ¡°I like movies. There¡¯s also a movie I want to watch right now.¡± We left the sports center together. However, I had to stop after taking only a couple of steps. I saw something I shouldn¡¯t have seen. ¡®Hae Sook!¡¯ My ex-girlfriend was walking into the sports center linking arms with another man. It made sense she was with a man. She told me about him when she broke up with me. However, for that man to be that person. It made me think about something that happened two months before I quit the carwash. Hae Sook came to look for me, saying she got off early for the first time in a while. There was a lot of customers that day, so I ended up leaving pretty late. Hae Sook waited for me in the office, and if I remember correctly, GM Jang went in and out of the office quite often that day. Something must have happened that day. Or did something else happen after that? Either way, the situation ended up like this. Hae Sook seemed to be pretty surprised. It wasn¡¯t because she was caught with GM Jang. If it was that, she would have made a guilty expression. Her expression right now was because of her shock at seeing me look like a completely different person. On the other hand, GM Jang let go of Hae Sook¡¯s arm as soon as he saw me. With an extremely guilty expression. He knew he had done something shameful! Of course it¡¯s something that could happen. That is why songs like ¡®Wrong Encounter¡¯ could become a great hit. You can¡¯t really call it a shameful act. (TL: Man, I haven¡¯t heard this song in a long time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDKBuynxXfM) It was more so the way he went about it. ¡°Why weren¡¯t you just honest with me? Then I would have quit even if you didn¡¯t rag on me.¡± He should understand what I mean even if I don¡¯t come out and say it bluntly. ¡°I started dating your girl. It¡¯s uncomfortable to work with you so please quit.¡± Just coming out and saying it like that. But how many people could really say something like that? Still, it was too much to push me out by pestering me. ¡°It seems fair for me to get angry, no?¡± GM Jang¡¯s face became completely red. Since the situation is like this, I could give him a piece of my mind. But I decided not to do it. It¡¯s all spilled milk anyways! It all happened a long time ago. To Hae Sook or GM Jang, it only happened a few months ago, but for me who has spent each day like ten days because of Royal Roader, it was like it happened a couple years ago. Plus, there was a bigger reason. The President is better now, right? ¡°Uh, ye¡­¡­yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad. The president was very good to me.¡± It wasn¡¯t a large amount, but it was because the president lent me money during important times that my mother was able to maintain her health. I may not have grown up with much or grown up with a dad, but I still know how to differentiate between grace and revenge. ¡°That is why I am just looking past this. In return, be good to Hae Sook. I¡¯m sure you already know, but she is a really good girl.¡± I was being honest. Hae Sook really has a lot going for her. Plus, she was really good to me. I¡¯m sure when she was breaking up with me, she was suffering as much as I was. I hope she doesn¡¯t feel that kind of hurt anymore and can live a happy life. ¡°I am being completely honest right now when I¡¯m saying this. I really want you to be happy. I wanted to say this back then, but I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Uh? Me ¡­..just uh! Thank you! You too, oppa.¡± I guess I should disappear about now. Not like I had anything else to say anyways. I gently smiled at Hae Sook and GM Jang before leaving the sports center with Im Jung Ah. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 24 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 24: Jong Suk is My Treasure (I) One week later. ¡°Yaaaawn. I slept well. Hmm? Where is this?¡± When I woke up, I wasn¡¯t in my room. An unfamiliar ceiling and lighting! An unfamiliar bed! ¡®Ah! Motel!¡¯ I finally remembered the events of last night. After having dinner and drinking, we went to a Noraebang. (TL: Karaoke) We were a bit drunk I guess. Im Jung Ah started to touch me first, so I touched her back. I started at a casual spot before ending up in that secret location. We spent two hours like that in the Noraebang. I was turned on so much it was hard to hold back. Im Jung Ah was the same way. We immediately headed for a motel and intertwined with each other. ¡®That happened yesterday!¡¯ It¡¯s the side effect I¡¯ve been having after visiting Royal Roader. It¡¯s hard for me to easily remember the events of the day before. It felt like it had been multiple days. It couldn¡¯t be helped. I did spend over ten days in Royal Roader before coming back. But I can still vividly remember how Im Jung Ah felt. She had a gorgeous body. There are many celebrities who compete with their bodies on TV, but she would give them a run for their money. Especially how voluptuous her body is. Her breasts and butt all felt so full like it was ready to burst. Almost like they were extremely angry. Thinking about Im Jung Ah is getting me excited again. ¡®Just hold on until the evening little man! Can¡¯t do anything about it right now!¡¯ Streeetch! I stretched before checking my information on my smartphone out of habit. Especially the Jewel Box and skill. [Jewel Box] Jewel of Creation: 279 In Royal Roader, I seemed to find around 5 a day. I find one and Jonnan finds four. Thanks to that, after sleeping one night in the real world, I can add about 50 into my jewel box. Since that was the case, I could use the Jewel of Creation as much as I wanted. I used over 30 of them in one week. It was normal that my skill window was filling up with skills. However, the skill window itself was more organized than I expected. It was because it was possible to organize it by category. [Skill] Butterfly Stroke: Beginner 58% Martial Arts*: Beginner 2% Golf*: Beginner 2% ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ For skills like ¡®Martial Arts¡¯ and ¡®Golf¡¯ that have a ¡®*¡¯ behind it¡¯s name, those are all ¡®skill categories.¡¯ So if you open them up, there are quite a lot of related skills inside. I opened the golf skill category. [Golf*] 7 Iron Approach: Intermediate Level 1, 94% 7 Iron Half Swing: Intermediate Level 2, 27% 7 Iron Full Swing: Intermediate Level 1, 54% Driver Half Swing: Beginner 11% Driver Full Swing: Beginner 2% ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ I started learning golf the day after making the butterfly stroke skill. Since the day was cold, I got some 1 on 1 instruction from a teaching pro in an indoor practice range. The first thing I learned was the 7 Iron Approach. It was just moving the 7 iron and making it hit the ball correctly. I mastered it in exactly 10 minutes. Of course by ¡®mastering,¡¯ I mean at my level. However, since the duration of the jewel of creation is 1 hour, I filled the full hour and completed the skill. The teaching pro complimented my settled form as well. ¡°You learn very quickly. We can immediately move on to the half swing.¡± I started the half swing and after one more hour, I attempted the full swing. I continued to use a jewel of creation each hour. No wonder I continued to get golf related skills. WIthin 6 days of starting golf, I had created 8 skills related to golf. Martial Arts was the same. Within it there were straights, hooks, uppercuts, front kicks, side kicks and other similar actions created as skills. Why do I just waste Jewels of Creation like that? One reason is that I am almost overflowing with Jewels of Creation. But the bigger reason is the efficiency. If one skill has too many movements, the training speed goes down. The level falls as well. On the other hand, if you make each movement into different skills, the training speed is extremely fast. The butterfly stroke that I started a day earlier is still at the beginner level, but the 7 iron full swing is already at the intermediate level. You can compare the training speed based on that. I guess you could describe it as a zero-sum relationship between quantity and quality. Even the 7 iron full swing can be broken down into ¡®backswing¡¯, ¡®cocking¡¯, ¡®impact¡¯, ¡®follow swing¡¯ and other similar actions. But I¡¯m not at that level yet, so I am just waiting for my next lesson. ¡°Then shall I send them flying again?¡± My schedule for the day was full. Of course I used to have long days in the past. But I wasn¡¯t bored since I was spending all day at the sports center swimming or working out. Every so often, I also went to the club to let out some stress. But now, I didn¡¯t have time to feel bored. With the discovery of the Jewel of Creation, I changed my entire thought process. The day goes by quickly while I learn and practice swimming, golf, martial arts, and other things. I lightly washed and got dressed. I suddenly got a text on my phone. [Are you busy today?] ¡®Oh! It¡¯s Jong Suk.¡¯ He¡¯s someone I got close to in middle school once I started being bossed around by Hwang Joon Yul. We got along since we were in the same boat. Plus, although it wasn¡¯t as bad as my life, Jong Suk¡¯s dad passed away at a young age, so his family had it pretty hard. Maybe the similarity there helped us get even closer. After that, we went to different high schools, but we still keep in contact. No, he¡¯s one of my closest friends that if you told me to pick the ones I am closest to, he¡¯ll be in the top three. On one hand, he is the friend I am most envious about. What does someone who is rolling in money from Royal Roader have to be envious about? Money isn¡¯t everything. Jong Suk has many things that I never had. First is a goal. Since Middle School, Jong Suk had figured out a goal for himself. [I will definitely be accepted into the Economics Department at Seoul University and become Korea¡¯s best economics expert.] Of course anybody can set a goal. But the really important part is the effort to make it happen. And something even more important that is talent! Even though Jong Suk had a rough life, he still did really well in school. Once he was able to escape from Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s control, he placed 1st place in his entire high school, and in the end, he made it to the Economics department at Seoul University. He had to do a lot of part-time jobs to support his family, and yet he still managed to do really well in school. If you think about it, he¡¯s probably a genius on the academic side. I¡¯m pretty good at using my body, but I wasn¡¯t confident at using my brain. My backpack strap was short too (TL: Didn¡¯t get much education). That¡¯s why I was envious of Jong Suk¡¯s abilities. Especially at the fact that he could speak English as fluent as a native speaker. I wonder if there is a special method to being smart? If there was, I would use all of the Jewels of Creation if I needed to do so, to make that my skill. Once my thoughts got there, I felt like my eyes suddenly opened. ¡®Hmm? Skill? Studying? Why couldn¡¯t it work?¡¯ Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 25 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 25: Jong Suk is My Treasure (2) I¡¯m not talking about actually gaining IQ levels. Rather, I¡¯m talking about the process of becoming more knowledgeable. In that case, shouldn¡¯t it be possible to make a skill? No point in giving up before even trying it out. I have plenty of Jewels of Creations to spare. ¡®Let¡¯s give it a try!¡¯ It¡¯ll be good to get Jong Suk¡¯s help. Out of everybody I know, he¡¯s the best when it comes to studying. Other than that, I always feel this mysterious energy that makes me feel good to be around him. I suddenly want to see him! I hurriedly gave him a call. ¡°Yes! What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Cool. I¡¯ll head over to you.¡± As soon as I ended the call, I left the motel and headed to my one bedroom. I needed to change first. I didn¡¯t want it to feel like I was showing off my money in front of Jong Suk. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. ¡®This is good enough!¡¯ I headed towards Seoul University where Jong Suk was. ¡°Hwi Ram! Over here!¡± Jong Suk called out to me. Chang Hoon was with him as well. ¡°But are you really Hwi Ram? Your style is completely different!¡± ¡°Seriously. His hair isn¡¯t a mess, his clothes are neat, I¡¯m looking at the right person, right?¡± ¡°These pots are calling the kettle black! Especially Jong Suk!¡± ¡°I should be asking you that question! Are you really the Kim Jong Suk I know? Comb your hair and shave. You look like you just got off a deserted island.¡± ¡°Shave? I¡¯m so busy I don¡¯t even have time to fart!¡± I¡¯m sure he isn¡¯t joking. Jong Suk is the craziest of everybody I know. Whether it was studying or research, once he starts something, he focuses on it like he¡¯s gone crazy. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Let¡¯s go eat.¡± My friends have always been paying for the meals. Since my life was such a mess and I was pretty much like a beggar, they didn¡¯t even give me the opportunity to pay. Let¡¯s start repaying that favor starting today. I want to take them somewhere fancy. ¡°Oh! That place looks good!¡± [The Single Cow] I lead the way and started to walk over. No, I tried to walk. But Jong Suk grabbed my wrist. ¡°That place is expensive! I don¡¯t have money!¡± ¡°It¡¯s on me today. Don¡¯t worry and just follow me.¡± ¡°Really? You earned some money?¡± ¡°I was wondering how you managed to get so stylish; your situation has gotten a bit better! Did you win the lottery or something?¡± Is the lottery that great? It¡¯s something that¡¯s much better. ¡°I have enough to feed you some beef.¡± ¡°But not over there. I¡¯d rather you buy me Daepae samgyupsal ten times.¡± (TL: Daepae samgyupsal gets its name from the fact that it folds over like shaved pieces of wood) ¡°Yes! Don¡¯t you know how delicious it is to eat daepae samgypusal fried rice?¡± These punks are still considering my pocket situation! Fine! We will eat daepae samgyupsal! It¡¯s not like there is a ghost on me that died from not eating beef. What matters is the feeling not the cost anyways. No matter what it is, it¡¯s best if you can eat delicious food with a peace of mind. We entered the daepae samgyupsal store. ¡°We can finally mooch off of Hwi Ram for once!¡± ¡°I unbuckled my belt! You better be ready!¡± It¡¯s really weird. I¡¯m the same person, but why does it feel so different? When I am with my friends, no matter what I am doing, I¡¯m having fun. We talked about a lot of things while grilling and eating the meat. Even though we haven¡¯t met for a while, there was no awkwardness at all. ¡°I heard you quit the carwash.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°Eat and have fun.¡± ¡°A youngster already thinking about eating and having fun. You need to have a dream!¡± They¡¯re taking it as the truth. Do they really think I¡¯ll live like a pig without any dreams? I¡¯m just taking a short break right now. Should I call it the time to recharge? I¡¯ve been living like a dog all these years. ¡°I have a dream too.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± An omnipotent existence. Not just in Royal Roader, but also in the real world. The type of existence that can rule from the top, looking down on everyone else. Of course that dream is still just a dream. I just have my destination, I don¡¯t even know which direction I need to head in to get there. If I use the things I gained from Royal Roader, I think I could find the path, but right now, I can¡¯t see it. No matter what, if I start to prepare one step at a time, one day, I will see the path. That is why for now, whether it is money, sports, networking, or knowledge, I will experience and absorb everything and make it mine. ¡°This and that.¡± ¡°Be honest dude. You don¡¯t have one!¡± ¡°Then do you have one?¡± There is no way Jong Suk wouldn¡¯t have a dream. As soon as I asked, he quickly answered, as if he was waiting for me to ask.¡± ¡°My dream is to become a wealthy man who has 100,000,000,000 won.¡± (TL: ~$89.7 million) He¡¯s very thorough. He even determined an amount. But his dream is quite funny. It¡¯s not like Chun Uk Won is someone¡¯s dog¡¯s name. (TL: The amount in Korean is pronounced Chun Uk Won.) ¡°Do you have a method?¡± ¡°Of course. Don¡¯t you know that I have been researching on the S-Project since I was a freshman?¡± Jong Suk is quite amusing I guess you can say he has heart? I don¡¯t know what the S-Project is, but in order to make that a reality, he has even pushed back his military service. But next year is the max. Once he graduates from graduate school, he won¡¯t be able to push it back anymore. That must be why he is researching like crazy. His long shabby hair and scruffy beard is most likely because of that too. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s working on it like his life is on the line. ¡°I don¡¯t know the name, but I do know you¡¯ve been working on something.¡± ¡°An AI program to research stocks! It¡¯s pretty much finished now.¡± ¡°Ah! Stocks!¡± Now that I was hearing about it, it was quite grand. Breaking down the big data related to stocks and determining its future forecast. It¡¯s a great way to become bankrupt! No matter how much good information you had in your hand, how could an ant beat a large corporation? Plus¡­¡­ ¡°Aren¡¯t there programs like that already out?¡± ¡°There are quite a few. But our program has a higher success rate. Also, we can bring over the big data from Google, so Nasdaq, Nikkei, Shanghai, we can analyze them all. We tried a test with Nasdaq information last time, and our success rate was 65.2%. I could feel Jong Suk¡¯s eyes start to glow. He should be extremely tired, but as soon as we started to talk about the S-Project, his passion started to burn again. Was that the reason? I started to get interested as well. ¡°Wow! Then you should earn some money!¡± If the success rate is 65.2%, then even if you tried five times, you¡¯d earn a gain at least three. Then your successes will start to pile up and continue to build until 100,000,000,000 won won¡¯t be just a dream anymore. But Jong Suk¡¯s response was just the opposite. ¡°No! I lost a lot of money! Up until now, I used 30,000,000 won and invested about 100 times, but rather than a gain, I almost lost all of the initial amount as well.¡± ¡°Why? You said the success rate is 65%.¡± ¡°The success rate is 65%. But the remaining 35% was the problem. We gain and gain until we lost everything at once. Repeating that a couple times, our total +/- is at a negative. But this time, we fixed up the program a bit. I predict that our success rate will be close to 70% now. So everyone on our team is extremely excited right now.¡± In my opinion, Jong Suk is the most excited. He looks like the world¡¯s money is all his already. But what is that going to do? ¡°If the success rate is 70%, the failure rate is 30%. If you get caught there, won¡¯t you lose everything?¡± Did I hit him where it hurt? He suddenly let out a deep sigh. ¡°Siiiigh! It¡¯s because I don¡¯t have any luck. Yes! Out of 10, I just need to not hit 3, but why do I always end up picking those three? This is a game that I could win if I had even a bit of luck. Do I need to buy some lucky charm and stick it in my underwear? I suddenly felt like my ears opened up. ¡®Luck? Charm? With a bit of luck, win everything?¡¯ It was almost like he said it for me to hear. There is something called the five-colored Jewels in Royal Roader. These jewels are infused with the power of fairies, and based on the fairy¡¯s specialty, the jewels have a different color and ability. The Jewel of Creation is one of them. It¡¯s just that it is common and useless that even though it is one of the five-colored jewels, nobody really cares for it. Of course that is just in Royal Roader. But among the five-colored Jewels, there is also a Jewel of Luck. (TL: He talks like he hasn¡¯t been talking about these jewels at all¡­) Just like the name, it has the power of luck. If you use the jewel, your luck will rise between 1% and 49%. The majority were less than 5%, and even if you had excellent jewel researching abilities, it would be difficult to raise it higher than 30%. But who cares? Success rate of 65%? 70%? If I used a 10% Jewel of luck on top of that? My heart sank once my thoughts reached that point. ¡®This is a game I can¡¯t lose!¡¯ Of course I could not mine the Jewel of Luck yet. I haven¡¯t developed the Northern Mines that contain the Jewel of Luck. But it will happen soon. In the near future, I will be chased out of the Batoom Mines. All part of my plan. Then I will focus on developing the Northern Mines, and will start mining large quantities of the Jewel of Luck. Then I can enjoy this game that has a success rate of approximately 80%. Not just in the Korean Stock Market, but the American, Japanese, and Chinese Stock Markets as well. Just thinking about it made my heart beat quickly. I think it would be much more fun than during the game. Was that the reason? Jong Suk looked so beautiful today. ¡®This punk! Now that I think about it, he is a treasure chest!¡¯ Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 26 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 26: Universal Skill ¡°Then once it is completed, can I use it too?¡± ¡°Of course. We are going to make it a paid membership, but I can¡¯t take money from the two of you. Free members for life!¡± Great! You are one of my peeps for life too. You are a lucky charm dude! But that is for later. Right now, I need to prepare for that future. First,I need to move the money from Virtual Accounting to my bank account. The experts are getting ready right now. D-Day will be when I make 20,000,000,000 won to start money laundering. But I will probably lose around 7,000,000,000 won for fees and taxes. I¡¯m not too upset about taxes. It¡¯ll be unfair if I had to pay something others don¡¯t have to, but if it is something everyone needs to pay, it is not unfair. But I am sad about the commission I will need to pay the experts. All they will be doing is making it look like normal income, but they are taking a fee of close to 100,000,000 won. But I couldn¡¯t do anything about it. I want to properly inform the government of my gain and pay the taxes, but the problem was that I could not tell them the origin of my money. Who would believe that I was earning my money in a world called Royal Roader? I hate to do it, but taking care of it to not have any future issues is the best way. I also need to memorize a good amount of English. In our country, if you can speak a little bit of English, even if your head was full of shit, they will see you as a wise person. Of course I plan to fill my head with other things than shit. I can¡¯t have people point at me and called me an idiot when I become an omnipotent existence. In order to do that, I need to learn how to study well first. If I could make it into a skill, things will be much easier. Seeing that our conversation was slowing down, I made it sound casual as I asked Jong Suk. ¡°If you have a way to study well, please teach me!¡± ¡°Why? To go to college?¡± ¡°No. I just want to live without being called an idiot. Isn¡¯t there a method for even someone like me to study well?¡± ¡°There really isn¡¯t a special method to studying well. It really comes down to your focus. The amount of time you study is important and so are skills like associative memory, but if you can¡¯t focus, everything else is useless.¡± It was a textbook answer. It was a method the whole world knew about but one not anybody could easy do! ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t focus because I don¡¯t want to? The problem is that I can¡¯t focus even when I want to!¡± ¡°Is there anybody who is good at it when they first start? Focus is a habit as well. If you keep trying, your body adapts to it! You need to be persistent until that time. Plus, don¡¯t you focus well when you are playing games? Studying is no different!¡± Oh! It¡¯s easy to understand when he uses games as an example. As Jong Suk mentioned, when I¡¯m playing games, my focus is extremely good. I can easily get lost in games. ¡®I just need to study like I play games.¡¯ In the end, a problem of mind control. I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be easy, but if I¡¯m lucky, I should be able to focus on studying as if I was playing a game, for about five minutes. That was enough for me. The skill will take it from there. I think I see a method. Once I said goodbye to my friends, I headed back to my one bedroom. My head was full of thoughts about ¡®methods to studying well.¡¯ ¡®Focus is the core! Study like you are playing a game. Will it work?¡¯ I opened my smartphone and took out the jewel with the highest creation index. [Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 91 Will you make a skill?] [YES / NO] ¡®Yes! Skill name is Focus. Then shall I start?¡¯ I opened the ¡®English Vocabulary 3000¡¯ and started to memorize it. I stopped by a bookstore to buy it on my way back. As I expected, focusing was hard. I¡¯ve been far away from studying since I was in middle school. I played games all night and slept during class. Maybe that was the reason, but I kept feeling sleepy and started to think about other things. But after trying for an hour, a skill was created. There were moments I had some levels of focus after all. Although it was only short moments! But the skill should have caught the feeling I had in each of those moments and recorded it. [Focus: Beginner 0%] ¡®The level is at 0%! Will it get better if I use it a bit?¡¯ I tried using the skill to go through the English Vocabulary. ¡®Oh! There is some effect!¡¯ The feeling felt different than when I was studying without the skill. The small moments of focus I felt earlier were coming alive through the skill. This was the good thing about skills. Before making the skill, it was hard to even focus for 1 minute, but using the skill, I could remember that feeling for 1 hour or 2 hour or even more if I wanted to do so. But I wasn¡¯t satisfied with it. It was quite lacking to be called a ¡®focus skill¡¯. What will I need to do to create a proper focus skill? If I could manage to focus properly for about 5 minutes, I should be able to make a proper skill. Is there no way? I pondered that question for quite a while. Then suddenly, I remembered something. It was what Jong Suk said to me. [Don¡¯t you focus well when you play games? Studying is the same!] ¡®Ah! Game!¡¯ As Jong Suk mentioned, when I am playing games, I have extreme levels of focus. It was to the point that I wouldn¡¯t understand what people were saying even if they were right next to me. In High School, I had times I told myself ¡®I¡¯ll play just one hour and then sleep¡¯ but by the time I regained my consciousness, it was already morning. Isn¡¯t that the same focus? It¡¯s just that the point of focus is slightly different. I suddenly felt like a path opened up widely for me. ¡°Let¡¯s try playing a game!¡± A PC game should be better than a mobile game. It¡¯s easier to get absorbed. I turned on my computer. I haven¡¯t played another game since Royal Roader. However, I do know the basic information about many games. ¡®Battlefield should be good.¡¯ It is the most popular game right now. In addition, the controls are pretty similar to Royal Roader, so it should be easy to learn and easy to like. ¡®Oh! It¡¯s better than I thought!¡¯ It really was fun, but I continued to brainwash myself by telling myself ¡®it is fun. It is fun.¡¯ I needed to fall in love with the game to really become absorbed. Did I spend about two hours like that? As I got used to the game, I could finally feel Battlefield¡¯s true charm. I could feel for myself why people raved so much about it. For a bit, I really did get absorbed in the game. I checked the time thinking I had been playing for about 10 minutes, but an hour had already gone by. It was also dark outside. ¡®Wow! It¡¯s really fun! Then should I start making the skill now?¡¯ But do I need to erase the existing skill? Or is it possible to overwrite? I just need to test it out to see. I picked another jewel with a high creation index and dragged it out. [Jewel of Creation: Creation index 86 Will you make a skill?] [YES / NO] I pressed ¡®YES¡¯ and typed ¡®Focus¡¯ as the name again. A completely new window popped up. [Will you upgrade the focus skill?] [YES / NO] ¡®Oh! Even upgrades are possible?¡¯ You really do need to try everything to find out what is possible. I clicked ¡°YES¡¯. I set my alarm for 1 hour later. I only needed 1 hour to create the skill. I started to enjoy Battlefield again. [Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!] I came back to reality with my phone¡¯s alarm. I had to think for a bit before remembering my current situation. I had been playing and forgot about why I was playing the game. ¡®Ah! I was making a skill! But it has already been an hour?¡¯ I felt like only 5 minutes had gone by. That just shows how absorbed I was to the game. I had to be. The game was really fun, and most importantly, I was focused on being absorbed in the game. Let¡¯s see if the skill was created properly. I hope it is past beginner 50%. [Focus: Intermediate Level 4, 37%] Gasp! I was completely shocked! How is this possible? It became Intermediate level 4 at once. I tried making a lot of skills in the real world, but this was the first time something like this has happened. It always started at the beginner level, and after practicing, no matter how fast it went up, it took at least 10 years to reach Intermediate level 1. What would have caused this to happen? I could think of two reasons. First, it was because I was completely absorbed in the game. If it wasn¡¯t for my alarm, I would have probably continued playing without realizing that the night was over. The skill might have recognized it as being focused and immediately raised it to Intermediate Level 4. Second, it wasn¡¯t because I created a skill but ¡®upgraded¡¯ it. I can test this by trying it out again. I set my alarm for 1 hour later and used another Jewel of Creation [Will you upgrade the focus skill?] [YES / NO] ¡®Yes!¡¯ 1 hour went by quickly. I was able to get out of the game thanks to my alarm once more. I checked my skill information again. [Focus: Intermediate Level 4, 73%] It did go up a bit. However, compared to the first upgrade, it was extremely low. Then it should not be because of the upgrade. It should mean that my focus while I was playing the game was that great. Either way, I succeeded in creating a proper focus skill. Now just one more obstacle to overcome. ¡®Can I use this focus skill for studying?¡¯ I believed it would. If there was a restriction, just like the combo skill, there should be something like the ¡®Under 40%¡¯ behind the skill. I will know if I try it. I turned my computer off and opened the ¡®English Vocabulary 3000¡¯ again. I used the focus skill and started to read it. Once I started, something amazing happened. Everything else disappeared from my sight. The only thing I could see were the words in the English Dictionary. In fact, the words even looked bigger. It was almost as if the words in the English Dictionary were being absorbed into my eyes. Other thoughts? Didn¡¯t have any. My mind was extremely clear, as if there were no other thoughts in the world. It was like only the English dictionary and english vocabulary words existed in the world. That wasn¡¯t it. ¡®Wow! Why is this so fun?¡¯ Was studying always this fun? I felt like I was being absorbed into the English vocabulary words. It only took a moment to turn the page. Then another one. And another one and another one ¡­¡­ ¡®I can¡¯t stop myself!¡¯ Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 27 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 27: Goodbye Batoom Mines! At some point, the whole process of thinking disappeared. I just memorized the english vocab words as I turned the page. It was like I was a machine. Suddenly, I felt a ringing in my head and my concentration was broken. The focus skill was released. I was able to immediately determine the reason. ¡®My mana is all used up.¡¯ (TL: I guess now we know how he will use mana in the real world) How do I know? It¡¯s like asking how you know you are out of stamina. You just feel it with your body. Just as you would use stamina if you are using your body, when you use a skill, you use up your mana. I could see the bright sky outside the window. ¡®It¡¯s already morning?¡¯ It was around 1am when I set the alarm for the second skill upgrade. Somehow 5 hours had passed by since then. Holy crap! I can¡¯t believe I studied for 5 hours without taking a break. The more shocking fact was that I was not tired at all after that. Rather, I was overflowing with energy from my excitement. It was like adrenaline was rushing out of my entire body. It made sense, since it was as fun as when I was absorbed in a game. I also managed to get to the last section of the ¡®English Vocabulary 3000.¡¯ That meant that I managed to memorize the majority of this book in 5 hours. ¡®How much can I remember?¡¯ I turned back to the front and tested myself. ¡®Ability ability, this I don¡¯t know, absorb absorb¡­¡­¡¯ (TL: Seeing as how I am translating it to English, him testing himself on English means the word is repeated. So I put what the author had in English in italics) I remembered about half of it. The next page was the same way, and the following page as well. I could remember the meaning of about 50% of the English words. I couldn¡¯t believe it. I didn¡¯t know I was this good at memorizing. Of course it should be the power of the skill. If I use this properly, I should be able to be called an intellectual for the rest of my life. I checked the skill information. [Focus: Intermediate Level 5, 61%] ¡®Even the growth is tremendous!¡¯ The more inspirational fact was the range of the skill. This is a ¡®focus¡¯ skill. Memorizing English vocabulary would only be one aspect of this skill. Then what other abilities would it have? I didn¡¯t need to think hard before figuring out the answer. It¡¯s universal! Other than studying, everything, including sports, games, conversation, analysis, etc requires focus. When you add in a high level of focus to anything, the efficiency increases dramatically. I was especially focused on the possibility of using it with analysis. I will soon leave the Batoom Mines and develop the Northern Mines. Then my progression in the real world will start as well. Adding the focus skill to that? No matter what I do, I will be able to do it better than others. My heart is pounding again! If it keeps pounding like this, my heart will become weak. Either way, there was just one thing left to do. Until I arrive at the turning point, I need to look forward and run. I need to hurry up and develop the Northern Mines! But after pulling an all-nighter, I¡¯m really tired. It¡¯ll take some time until my mana fills back up as well. I guess I¡¯ll be able to sleep for a long time today. * * * Tunnel 99-1. Clang. Clang. Clang. ¡®It¡¯s finally tomorrow. Haha!¡¯ I faced a lot of terrible things in Royal Roader the game. However, those terrible situations turned into opportunities that helped make my character into the strongest warrior. I am doing pretty much what I can to get on that same train. However, there are some different aspects as well. In the game, I faced those terrible things against my will, almost like I was being pushed around into each of them. The fact that they turned into opportunities were all just good luck. However, I am creating every situation based on my wil. What difference does it make if the end result is the same? A lot actually. The situation is different. In this situation, I am going to change the victim and the beneficiary. I will transform myself from the victim to the beneficiary. Even for the incident that will happen tomorrow. However, I didn¡¯t show any signs to Jonnan or any of the team members in the tunnel. It will be a great day that will be my life¡¯s turning point, but to them, it¡¯ll seem like a nightmare. Of course it will only be that way for a little bit. After a few days, they will all turn from victims to beneficiaries as well. I just continued to swing my pickaxe. Clang. Clang. [98] [97] The green damage popped up vividly. The damage was pretty close to 100. It was a damage a regular pickaxe, and even Goo Chu¡¯s pickaxe could not make. It was happening because I was using ¡®Miru¡¯s pickaxe¡¯ which is known as a legendary pickaxe among miners. Thanks to that, I had a strong base damage, and every time I succeeded in a critical hit, it added an extra 200% of damage. It felt so refreshing watching the boulder crack apart into pieces every time I swung my pickaxe. But today, it wasn¡¯t as refreshing. I just keep thinking about Jonnan. Jonnan was focused on mineral collection. He worked hard normally, but he was working especially hard today. Although it was about time to get off work, I think he has been working all day without taking a single break. I know the reason. ¡°Go head home. I¡¯m sure by now they would have finished their treatment and arrived at home.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. No news is good news. If something happened, I¡¯m sure they will contact me. I¡¯m sure nothing would have happened.¡± Even while he was responding to me, he continued to break the rocks with his hand hoe. His movements looked almost mechanical. After working like this all day, his body must be extremely tired, but he continued to persevere on and worked even harder. I could feel a sense of determination coming from him. Should I call it a sincere prayer? You often see it on TV dramas. Mothers praying for their children, or a wife pouring some purified water and praying for her husband. Early morning prayers as well. Jonnan¡¯s movement seemed just like that. It looked like he was praying to some unknown god, saying ¡®I will overcome any type of trials you may throw my way, so please keep watch over my wife and daughter-in-laws and make sure they are safe.¡¯ I didn¡¯t push him to take a break anymore either. Jonnan must have his own way of doing things. Clang. Clang. Kang! Kang! There was only the sound of pickaxes in Tunnel 99-1. For quite a while. But suddenly, a different voice interjected. ¡°Father!¡± It was the voice of Jonnan¡¯s first son, Tago. Following that, we could hear his second son, Mano¡¯s voice as well. ¡°Father, we¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Where is the madam? And sister-in-laws?¡± I asked before Jonnan could speak. Truthfully speaking, I have been waiting for the news just as much as Jonnan. Of course I was 99% sure about what would happen. However, since it was really important for me as well, I needed to verify it. ¡°They are all safe. Mother, sister-in-law, and my wife as well.¡± ¡°Haaa, thank goodness.¡± I was relieved. Then tomorrow¡¯s events should progress like normal. Jonnan also nodded his head as if he was showing that he was satisfied as well. But he didn¡¯t say anything. No, he couldn¡¯t say anything. He was overcome with strong emotions that his throat was full of tears. Instead, tears started to pour down his cheeks. Since his face was dirty from the dirt of the mines, the path of the tears were clearly visible. I could feel myself getting teary while watching him as well. I know how he is feeling right now. When my mother was sick, I too put my hands together and prayed diligently. I approached Jonnan and put my hand on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s really great. Senior can now relax as well.¡± As I said that, Jonnan suddenly grabbed my hand tightly. He then kneeled on the floor full of rock fragments. ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much. You have saved my family. You are our benefactor. Even if I die, I will not forget the grace you have shown us.¡± That was the beginning. Jonnan¡¯s two sons, Tago and Mano, also kneeled towards me and started to kowtow. ¡°Thank you, tunnel supervisor! We will pay this favor back for the rest of our lives.¡± Aigo, this is not the picture I wanted! Plus, Tago an Mano are hyung-nims who are at close to 10 years older than me. Although our relationship is one of tunnel supervisor and team member, they also have more mining experience than I do. Most importantly, my intentions were not as pure as the Jonnan father and sons were thinking. Not that it caused any damage to them of course. I hurriedly approached them and stood them up. ¡°Senior, please stand up. Hyung-nims, why are you doing this? I didn¡¯t heal them, the magicians did. Even the money was just a loan.¡± ¡°No. It is because of you tunnel supervisor! If we don¡¯t know that we are mere dogs, no insects. Thank you very much.¡± I¡¯m getting embarrassed. The other team members also stopped their mining and looked towards us. Each of them had a bright smile on their faces. The more emotional ones were sniffling and some were even trying to hide their tears. Especially Jul Goo. He was crying even more than Jonnan. It was a like he had been hit by a bomb of emotion or something. Everybody except one person. Jose. He was one of the beginner miners Jonnan brought over during the Expert Miner Quest (TL: Pretty sure this was for the Best Miner quest¡­) and he has a good set of eyes. Even Jonnan was envious of his abilities that he has taken him as his disciple and passing on his experience and knowledge to him. That Jose kept looking towards me. It wasn¡¯t full of admiration like the others. Rather, he has this mischievous look on his face. Almost like he is saying ¡®I know the truth.¡¯ Today wasn¡¯t the first time. Now that I think about it, he¡¯s shown that type of look since quite a long ago. ¡®Has Jose realized something?¡¯ There¡¯s no way. Not possible. It¡¯s not like Jose has some type of mind-reading ability. Anyways, I need to end this quickly. Putting the fact that I was sorry second, I can¡¯t handle it anymore because it is so awkward. ¡°Okay okay, let¡¯s leave early today. First round of drinks are on me to celebrate the madam and sister-in-laws¡¯ successful treatments.¡± ¡°No. I need to buy it. I will buy it. Let¡¯s go.¡± Jonnan quickly waved his hand no. I guess on a day like today, it¡¯ll be okay to take a drink from Jonnan. ¡°Regardless of who buys, let¡¯s go.¡± We left the tunnel together. Oh! Wait a minute! Now that I think about it, this is the end. Once I leave here today, I won¡¯t ever come back. Of course, none of the team members knew anything about it. This place full of good and bad memories. It¡¯s still a little emotional. ¡®Good bye, Tunnel 99. Good bye, Batoom Mines! Thank you for everything!¡¯ Last Chapter for the week. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 28 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 28: You want to achieve your dream? Then stick with me! (1) ¡°Who cannot attend this gathering?¡± ¡°No matter what, I am okay with it.¡± ¡°Are we strangers? Something good happened to our family member. We must celebrate together.¡± This was the result of working hard together for a whole year. I liked this teamwork. Every single one of us headed toward the bar in Titan Square. But the way there was a bit uncomfortable. It was because of Jonnan. ¡°I don¡¯t know how I can repay you for this.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do much.¡± ¡°No, it is really because of you. You are my benefactor, as well as my family¡¯s benefactor. If you need anything, just let me know. If it is for you, I would even kill myself.¡± I kept feeling sorry for Jonnan. When I looked at Jonnan, I keep thinking ¡®I wish I had a dad like him.¡¯ Although they both had rough lives, how could he be the complete opposite when it comes to how he treats his family? In fact, I even thought that it would be great if Jonnan was my dad. ¡°As you know, I have no family. Senior, you are the only one who is like a family member to me. Your family is the same. It wasn¡¯t a big deal to let you borrow money for their treatment. Aren¡¯t we family?¡± ¡°Of course. We are a family. Yes! We are definitely a family!¡± While sharing sentimental words like that, we quickly arrived at the bar. From then, it was pour more, drink, and repeat, as we developed our bonds. Our really good teamwork seems to have reached another level today. ¡°Oo, I got to pee. Keep on drinking.¡± I stood up for a bit and headed to the restroom. When I did, Jose secretly followed me and started to pee as well. I¡¯m very conscious of him today. I¡¯m sure he had a reason for following me to the restroom as well. As expected. After looking around and verifying that nobody else was there, Jose cautiously asked with a meaningful smile on his face. ¡°Tunnel Supervisor-nim, you did it on purpose, right?¡± I felt guilty for a moment. I guess he really did realize something. However, I pretended not to know. Ignorance is bliss in these situations. ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Pushing Bae Doochi supervisor-nim in the competition, and letting Senior Jonnan¡¯s family get treatment on the last day of the competition. I feel like there was a reason for all of that.¡± I looked through my memories. When I worked in the mines in the game, was there someone called ¡®Jose¡¯? I have no recollection. That was how low his presence was. I¡¯m sure there were ten miners. However, now that I think about it, here, each of them are individuals with their own personalities. They aren¡¯t just miner 1 or miner 2, but Jose, Sam, Peter, etc. Jose is the most eye catching one of the bunch. But he seems to be really intuitive. Keeping someone like this nearby will be troublesome if he ends up betraying me. ¡°I believe in supervisor-nim¡¯s character. I¡¯m sure you have an important reason for doing it. But I really can¡¯t tell what that is. Can you just tell me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking a lot haven¡¯t you? You¡¯re saying a lot of weird stuff.¡± ¡°Hehe, I¡¯m just trying to show you my abilities. I¡¯m quite fast on picking things up. I really feel like supervisor-nim will become a great person. Please use me as you wish in the future.¡± Personally, I don¡¯t really like intuitive people or smart people. Mainly because there is a chance I will be playing on the palm of their hands. Jose had that exact type of image. Should I call it a double-edged sword? How he might end up useful to me depends on Jose himself. If he really is quick to pick things up, he¡¯ll be able to catch on to my intentions and take care of things properly. I will keep my eye on you. ¡°Keep drinking. And tomorrow, there is no reason to come to work early.¡± Jose seemed to have realized that there was a hidden meaning to my words. His expression changed instantly. ¡°Huh?¡± That should be enough, what more do you want? I¡¯m just showing you some of my abilities as well. ¡°Don¡¯t tell anybody else.¡± Then I headed back to where the team members were. Jose did not flap his lips for no reason. Even after coming back to the table, he just worked hard on setting a good mood. He definitely has good insight. Next morning. I did not rush. I slept in until the sun was high up in the sky and slowly headed toward the Batoom Mines. ¡°Let us in!¡± ¡°Go back!¡± ¡°I won¡¯t go back even if I¡¯m dead!¡± It was loud outside the Batoom Mines. Hundreds of miners were passionately arguing without being able to go into the mines. ¡°If I cant work here, my entire family will starve to death!¡± ¡°Is mining the only thing in the world? If you keep doing this, we will arrest all of you for causing a riot!¡± ¡°Then arrest us! Whether we starve to death or die in prison, it¡¯s all the same!¡± Many miners were trying to enter the mines. But there was a security force wearing silver colored Iron Armor blocking their path. There were even some physical altercations in some parts, with multiple people injured in the process. The miners had their minds set. They were willing to protect their jobs even at the cost of their lives. But the security force did not blink an eye. Jose saw me and hurried over. ¡°Tunnel Supervisor-nim, you¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Yes. But what is going on?¡± ¡°Bae Doochi ended up the successor. The first thing he did as the new owner was laying miners off. He fired all the other miners and is only letting in the miners who have been loyal to him.¡± ¡°That. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.¡± Jose looked at me with a curious gaze. ¡°Supervisor-nim, you knew about all of this beforehand didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°How would I know when I¡¯m not a fortune teller?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be shocked at all.¡± Ah! That¡¯s how I probably came off! Anyways, why is Jose so sharp? I can¡¯t even plot in the future because I¡¯m scared of him. But he has too good of an ability to just throw him away. Don¡¯t I need at least one person like this? I will need some more time to decide what to do with Jose. ¡°Jose.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I want to work with you for a long time. What about you?¡± ¡°Of course. Me too ¡­¡­ ah! I¡¯m sorry. I was being stupid. Hehe.¡± Jose quickly changed the conversation. He seemed to have understood what I was trying to say. He really is sharp. Anyways, I should probably take part in this as well. In order to show the miners that I am on their side, I need to at least pretend to be angry. I pushed through the miners and got to the front. ¡°I own the rights to the tax collected in Tunnel 99. Please open the way. And please let my entire team in.¡± ¡°You must be Kang Hwi Ram! Starting today, you are banned from this mine as well. So just quietly go back!¡± ¡°What? Who are you to get in my way? What about my tax collection rights?¡± ¡°I am Tarok, the leader of the new security force. Your portion of the taxes will continue to be distributed to you as promised. However, you cannot enter the mines.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if your name is Tarok or Porok, I must go in.¡± I forcefully tried to push my body in. However, once the security force blocked my way, it felt like I had met a giant wall. Seeing how strong they were, I realized that they must all have extremely high levels. No. It¡¯s just that my level is low. I¡¯m barely level 9. Someone suddenly shouted from behind me. ¡°It¡¯s Gildeon! Gildeon is coming!¡± I followed the miners in looking toward Gildeon. There is something that goes through my mind every time I see Gildeon. ¡®He really has a good physique.¡¯ A large body and fierce expression! Should I say he looks like a bear? Maybe that was why, but there seemed to be a lot of pressure as he walked toward the mines. Even those who don¡¯t know of Gildeon would probably think that he was the ¡®leader of the miners¡¯ if they saw him. Seeing him coming, I started to get greedy again. ¡®I do like him. He definitely needs to be under my control.¡¯ The miners settled down for a bit. They even opened up a path to the entrance of the mine for Gildeon. ¡°Bae Doochi! Where is he?¡± His voice is great as well. He¡¯s definitely a future general! A general!¡± Bae Doochi showed up at Gildeon¡¯s shout. ¡°What is it? Why did the loser show up here?¡± ¡°Are you really going to do this?¡± ¡°Starting now, I am the owner of the mine. I am making the decision on which miners to use. Why do you care?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t this go against your own interests as well?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not something you need to care about, and I have nothing more to say to you. So go back.¡± With that, Bae Doochi disappeared again. Gildeon tried raising his voice again, but Bae Doochi did not show up again. Instead, Security leader Tarok moved. ¡°Go back. Anybody who causes an issue from here will really be arrested.¡± They weren¡¯t all talk. The security force that was ready followed their leader¡¯s order and started to overpower the miners. The weak miners ended up being pushed back. ¡°Rather than doing this, let¡¯s go talk to Senior Batoom!¡± ¡°Yes! Senior might have some type of plan.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gildeon headed toward Batoom¡¯s house with the miners behind him. Of course I did as well. In the process, I met up with Jonnan and the rest of the team. Batoom was standing outside his house, as if he had been waiting for the miners. The miners were angry, but in front of Batoom, they could not be rough. They all had received a lot of help from Batoom these past years. Batoom pointed at Gildeon and me to come. ¡°The rest of you wait here. I have something to say to the two of them. Come on in.¡± I was suddenly nervous. The story was changed a bit. In the game, it was Bae Doochi and not Gildeon. Of course it ended up being a meeting with no gains. In the end, deputy mayor Donstar forced us to do the almost impossible and develop a mine. But now, it was Gildeon. Of course I was the one who changed the story. I changed the victim to the winner and the winner to the victim. Now I need to return the story to normal. That is the only way I can achieve my goal. If I fail, my future becomes cloudy without gaining anything. That was why I worked hard to develop many supporters as well. I can¡¯t go without my supporters. ¡°Senior, you should come as well. Hyung-nims as well.¡± ¡°Shall we?¡± I went into Batoom¡¯s house with Jonnan and his two sons. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 29 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 29: You want to achieve your dream? Then stick with me! (2) If you think about it, Jonnan and his two sons were not invited by Batoom to enter. However, once they entered, he didn¡¯t send them out. Batoom first asked Gildeon. ¡°Do you know why I relinquished the mine owner position?¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because of the deputy mayor?¡± Batoom had a surprised expression at Gildeon¡¯s answer. ¡°You knew?¡± ¡°I have known for a while that you¡¯ve been pressured by the deputy mayor.¡± ¡°Then I guess it makes this conversation easier! In fact, I think it is a good thing that Bae Doochi ended up the new owner. If you became the owner, you would not have been able to handle the pressure from the deputy mayor. Deputy Mayor Donstar. He actually had more influence than the mayor and was the most influential person in Titan Valley. He was a greedy fool who pretended like everything in Titan Valley was his possession. On one hand, he made me suffer quite a bit as an NPC in the game. Now it was my turn to make him suffer. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have been feeling it as well, but the Batoom Mines is already on a downward spiral. It did come back to life because Hwi-Ram was able to clear Tunnel 99, but it is too lacking to represent Titan Valley. Gildeon did not say anything. He knew what Batoom really had to say did not come out yet. Batoom now turned to look at me. ¡°It is time to develop a new mine! Won¡¯t the two of you work together to create a new path for Titan Valley?¡± ¡°I have been thinking about that as well. However, I don¡¯t know where to start.¡± The response came from Gildeon and not me. Batoom turned to look at Gildeon again. ¡°It is always difficult in the beginning. You must first gather like-minded people.¡± The order was wrong. You must first determine a goal. Who would step forward when there is no goal? ¡°You need to at least determine a direction¡­¡­¡± ¡°A path is likely to open once you gather people.¡± The story started to go in circles. Time was passing by without any progress. I guess it is time for me to step forward. I need to move the story back in the correct path. ¡°There is somewhere I have thought about.¡± ¡°You have?¡± ¡°Where is that?¡± Batoom, Gildeon, and even Jonnan and his two sons started to look at me. I only looked towards Batoom as I started to speak. ¡°The Northern Mines!¡± I spoke with a confident tone and voice. But the response it brought back was just the opposite. Batoom and Gildeon, as well as Jonnan and his two sons, jumped up in shock as soon as the words ¡®Northern Mines¡¯ came out of my mouth. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°Are you planning on killing all the miners?¡± The reaction was even worse than when I said I was going to clear Tunnel 99. I guess it¡¯s normal, since if I failed then, only I would have died. But developing a mine is a different story. Numerous miners have to put their lives on the line with me. ¡°If it is because of the monster, I will take care of it.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t look down on it. The mayor even ordered tens of the security force members to go subdue it, and they all failed. If it was easy, do you think he would have said that anybody who manages to get rid of the monster in the Northern Mines will be given 80% ownership of it? Even then, there is nobody who tries to do it! It is somewhere everybody has given up on. The thing that lives there isn¡¯t a monster, it is a ghost.¡± It¡¯s easy to think of it as a ghost. But once you see his real body, you¡¯ll change your mind. ¡°Either way, I will take care of it. Seniors and Tunnel Supervisor-nim can step forward once I get rid of the monster.¡± That monster is something I can hunt without anybody¡¯s help. No, that¡¯s what I will do. However, the situation after that is the problem. In order to earn a little more, and to maintain a steady gain, I most definitely need their help. However, Batoom, who did not know any of it, continued to reject it. ¡°Why can¡¯t you listen? It is on a different level than the monster in Tunnel 99.¡± Hold on. What is this about? On a different level? Now he¡¯s just saying whatever he wants. I know he doesn¡¯t like people who correct him, but¡­ ¡°Senior, how would you know that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hmm?¡± At my sudden question, Batoom couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°Have you ever tried hunting the monster in Tunnel 99?¡± ¡°Tha, that¡­¡­I haven¡¯t, but ¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you haven¡¯t seen the ghost in the Northern Mines either. So how would you know which one is stronger and scarier?¡± There¡¯s no way he had a response. Batoom just closed his mouth like a clam. ¡°I have experienced both of them. Although I failed when I tried to hunt the monster in the Northern Mines, I have faced it myself.¡± ¡°What? You have?¡± ¡°Is that the truth?¡± The response was as good as I expected. It was half a lie and half the truth. I did hunt it in the game. But I had enough information for it. I confidently nodded my head. ¡°Of course. Why would I make this up? If nobody else will step forward, I will challenge it myself.¡± I stopped there and looked towards Jonnan and his two sons. All three of them seemed to be feeling a bit guilty. They didn¡¯t know what to do. They were scared of the monster in the Northern Mines, but they needed to keep their loyalty to me. Even if I seemed really confident, I¡¯m sure their minds were complicated messes right now. ¡°You don¡¯t need to step forward to keep your loyalty. I won¡¯t curse you no matter what you decide. However, I can say this with full confidence. I am not an idiot who would push his family to their death. I know the method to hunt the monster. If you trust me and step forward, I can guarantee your safety 100%. I am especially asking the three of you because I consider you all as part of my family.¡± Jonnan leaned his ear in to my story. As soon as the word ¡®family¡¯ came up, his eyes changed. I could feel a sense of determination. As soon as I finished speaking, he replied back in a determined voice. ¡°What is that supposed to mean? Aren¡¯t we a family? Even if you said you were going to jump into a pit of fire, we would jump in with you.¡± His two sons were the same. The second son, Mago, must be emotional, since his eyes were starting to get teary. (TL: Second son¡¯s name is Mano. At least it was in the raw for ch 27. Now it is Mago¡­) ¡°We must also work together. I will try to convince the team members.¡± I guess the effect of yesterday¡¯s medicine is still alive. Then now it¡¯s time to feed them a stronger pill. This time, I looked towards Batoom. ¡°I will consider this my last quest to become one of the Best Miners. This should be good enough for not just the miners, but for all of Titan Valley to accept, right?¡± ¡°That is true, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then please give me the quest. It is my decision.¡± Batoom was not sure of what to do. However, he nodded his head having no choice. Then with a weak voice, he created the quest. ¡°I understand. If you really want to, I will make it the last quest.¡± Following that, the voice announcing the quest could be heard. I finally reached the last level. ¡®The challenge towards becoming a Best Miner!¡± But this quest was not just for me. As soon as I received the quest, I reached my hand out to Jonnan. Jonnan grabbed my hand. He didn¡¯t really know why I reached my hand out, so he looked at me with confusion. ¡°What¡­¡­what is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°The Best Miner. Senior, you stopped at the last level as well. This quest allows for a total of a 5 member party.¡± Instantly, Jonnan¡¯s jaws dropped. At the same time, you could see the vitality that had been sleeping for a long time starting to move in his now large eyes. ¡°Do you still want to achieve that dream? Then stick with me. I will help you achieve that dream.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 30 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 30: I will confront it with confidence! (1) I could feel Jonnan¡¯s hands suddenly becoming strong. It was as if his extremely thin hands that looked like only the skeleton was left, suddenly developed superpowers. ¡°Of course. Although my body may almost be dead, my heart burns as hot as it did when I was young. Thank you. Thank you.¡± I heard the voice announcing the creation of a party ring in my head. I presume Jonnan received a similar quest. Jonnan¡¯s even brighter face proved that was the case. Then is it time for Batoom now? With this much provocation, there is no way his mind isn¡¯t being swayed. I looked toward Batoom. ¡®As expected!¡¯ Batoom¡¯s butt was moving up and down. (TL: This sounds really odd but it was funny so I kept it). He looked restless, wanting to reach his hand out as well. If I said just one more thing, he would probably reach his hand out immediately. Then I should do it. ¡°I won¡¯t take anybody who does not want to go. Those who want to achieve their dreams, those who want to succeed, and those who want to change their destiny can come with me. But even out of those people, I will only take those who believe in me. If senior wants to achieve your dreams as well, stick with me.¡± I reached out. However, Batoom did not grab onto my hand. Instead, he started running toward the opposite direction. ¡°Ho, hold on a bit. If it is something like this, there is someone we absolutely cannot leave out. Is there anybody outside? Please hurry and call Goultan over. It is very important so please tell him to quickly get here.¡± Great! I planned on including Goultan in my party anyways. I need at least one extra Best Miner to mine even more Five-colored Jewels. They aren¡¯t party members, but people who will mine the hoards of Five-colored Jewels that currently rests in the Northern Mines on my behalf. Batoom is pretty much a benefactor to all of the miners. As soon as Batoom asked, someone ran over, and just a few moments later, Goultan came into the room. At the same time, I also called my slave Jul Goo into the room. It suddenly felt like the room was full. Goultan heard a pretty good amount of what was going on. Of course his eyes were sparkling with desire. But Batoom had the brightest eyes. It was almost to the point you really wondered if this was the person who ways saying ¡®The Northern Mines is not possible.¡¯ That showed just how passionate they were toward their desire of becoming a ¡®Best Miner¡¯. Although it had been a long time, that passion had been burning so hot that the seeds of the fire had never died out and remained flickering until today. I just poured some oxygen onto that flickering flame. I reached my hand out again. Batoom and Goultan each put their hands on top of mine. Even Jonnan, who had already become a party member, put his hand on top to symbolize our coming together for the same goal. And one more person. ¡°Jul Goo! Put your hand here as well!¡± ¡°Huh? Me, me too?¡± Jul Goo had a confused expression on his face. Batoom and Goultan were the same. ¡°Why Jul Goo¡­¡­? He¡¯s not even an Expert Miner yet.¡± ¡°Jul Goo only has the last quest left to become an Expert Miner. If he participates in this Northern Mines quest as a party member, that will take care of it.¡± In other words, catching two birds with one stone. They finally seemed to understand what I was doing. ¡°¡­¡­Ah!¡± Jul Goo needs to quickly become an Expert Miner. That is the only way I can pass on one of my treasures, Miru¡¯s Pickaxe, to him. Then he can carpet bomb the mine in my place and mine plenty of minerals. With that, Jul Goo put his hand on top of ours as well. ¡°Before we create this party, there are some things I need to confirm.¡± Everybody looked toward me. ¡°Even though we are creating this party, the 80% ownership will just be mine. Does anybody have any objections?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± That handles the biggest issue. Next one. ¡°I plan on naming Gildeon to watch over the mines. That should be fine right?¡± ¡°That is a great decision.¡± ¡°Gildeon is the right choice.¡± Third. ¡°When the Northern Mines are developed, the number of people will increase significantly. If I take someone to be a part of my family, no matter who it is, or what the reason may be, I want you all to accept them as family as well.¡± ¡°We trust you.¡± ¡°If they are your family, they are my family as well.¡± ¡°One last thing. I hope to mine the Five-Colored Jewels. If any Five-Colored Jewels come out of the Northern Mines, please immediately head over to the location. Seniors, only the three of you will be able to find them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not that hard.¡± ¡°We will do so.¡± Everything went smoothly. Now all we need to do is start developing the Northern Mines. ¡®We¡¯re almost there!¡¯ There are many things I need to prepare in order to develop the Northern Mines.Not only do we have to simply prepare to develop the mine, we need to prepare for what comes after that as well. We need to especially focus on buying the necessary supplies that we will use for the next few months. Once we finish developing the mine, we will not be able to buy anything for a while. I also need to pay some attention to Jul Goo as well. It has already been 1 year since he became my slave. I¡¯ve been keeping him under control by feeding him the carrot by talking about ¡®woman¡¯ and ¡®marriage¡¯ etc, but his loyalty and his desire to work both continued to fall. Even when I gave him Goo Chu¡¯s pickaxe, he was still not really interested in mining. But it¡¯s not like I can just beat him up. That would have a temporary effect, but thinking about the long term, it will actually make things worse. So I let him be for a bit. I was actually waiting for today. After going to Avangarde today, his loyalty and desire to work should be burning hot again. ¡°Jul Goo, go get ready.¡± ¡°Ready for what?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go visit Avangarde together.¡± ¡°Avangarde? Really?¡± Jul Goo must have heard a lot of stories about it as well. ¡°Yes. Hurry up and follow me.¡± We first went to Titan Square to get some nice looking outfits. It was fine to dress a bit shabby in a country town like Titan Valley, but in a city of art like Avangarde, if you look like a country bumpkin, it¡¯s easy to be scammed or ignored. I also got a nice outfit for Jul Goo. I even stopped by a beauty shop to make him look more handsome. ¡°Wow! Master, you look great!¡± It¡¯s because I don¡¯t put in much effort, but I do have a good foundation. But I¡¯m surprised at Jul Goo. Since he has a nice physique, even dressing up a little bit makes him seem like a Black Knight. Can¡¯t believe a guy like him is my property. ¡®I picked well. Hoho.¡¯ I went to the Magician¡¯s Tower with Jul Goo. The distance between Titan Valley and Avangarde is over 300km, and you have to go through the core of the Titan Mountain Range, so it¡¯s better to use the portal, even though it is extremely expensive. ¡°Where shall I lead you to?¡± ¡°Avangarde.¡± ¡°Please close your eyes.¡± I was acting calm in front of Jul Goo, but I was also slightly nervous since this was my first time doing this. I closed my eyes as instructed. In an instant, it felt like there was electricity running through my body before I heard a lady¡¯s voice. ¡°Welcome. This is Avangarde.¡± It was the Portal Greeter¡¯s voice. It felt like I just closed my eyes for a short moment but we were already at the Avangarde Magician¡¯s Tower. How great would it be if a portal like this existed in the real world? I stepped outside the tower with Jul Goo. Once we did, Jul Goo¡¯s jaws dropped. ¡°Wow!¡± I didn¡¯t have an expression like Jul Goo, but I was feeling the same way. In fact, internally, I was admiring it even more than Jul Goo was. ¡®It¡¯s like a completely different world!¡¯ I thought the view in Titan Valley was magnificent and cool, but taking a look at Avangarde¡¯s superb view with my own eyes, my thoughts instantly changed. Titan Valley was like a village with nothing to see. Avangarde was that beautiful. No matter which direction you looked, the extremely tall and grand Titan Mountain Range looked close enough to touch, and the Cobalt blue Rena River flowed next to it. In the spot where the Rena River stopped for a moment is the grand Lake Rena. On top of that, the Yerona Plains that are so extremely open! But that is just the beginning. The greatest view of Avangarde is the city and the people themselves. Avangarde is one of the most artistic cities in the entire continent. Because of that, many tribes and different races lived together here. That was also the reason Avangarde had three times the population of Oolbat, the capital of the Batoru kingdom. But the reason I was admiring it and the reason Jul Goo was admiring it was a bit different. Jul Goo continued to look left and right, back and forth, while being full of admiration. ¡°Wow, wow!¡± It was because of the women. Even to me, they are beautiful. Not only their faces, but their bodies as well. It wasn¡¯t just specific women who were like that. The majority of the women who were walking by were extremely beautiful. Rather than Avangarde, this place should be called ¡®Beauty Heaven¡¯. In addition, their outfits were all extremely erotic. There were actually more uncovered areas than covered areas. They looked like they could have jumped straight out of a painting. Jul Goo and I thought we were dressing up a bit to come here, but we aren¡¯t even dressed well enough to be at their coat tails. ¡°Jul Goo!¡± ¡°Yes, master. Hehe.¡± This punk. When your master calls you, you should look him in the eye as you answer! I¡¯ll just hold myself back for today. I brought him here to raise his loyalty anyways. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to date women like that?¡± ¡°Yes, hehehe.¡± ¡°What kind of men do you think those type of women like?¡± ¡°Men with a lot of money?¡± ¡°You¡¯re damn right punk! Someone strong and handsome like you, imagine if you also had a lot of money. Women like that will line up all the way from Titan Valley to Avangarde asking you to marry them. You¡¯ll just have to pick the lady that you like out of the bunch.¡± ¡°Wow!¡± He really was a bit stupid. His knowledge has gone up by 20 after getting the Miner occupation, but he is still showing just how simple he is. Will it change a bit once he becomes an Expert Miner? Either way, thanks to that, Jul Goo was feeling like he was floating on the clouds. ¡°You¡¯ve been doing well lately. You just have to keep doing well like I tell you to do. Then soon, I will get you married.¡± ¡°Thank you master. Hehe.¡± Even his responses are half-assed right now. He¡¯s too busy staring at the women passing by. Then I might as well steal his entire soul today. I was planning on getting a second slave anyways. A beautiful female slave. I immediately headed to Avangarde¡¯s Slave Store. ¡°What kind of slave would you like?¡± ¡°A pretty girl who can cook well.¡± Hearing me say girl, Jul Goo¡¯s eyes turned extremely wide. ¡°When you say a girl, what age range would you like?¡± ¡°Jul Goo, you are now nineteen, right?¡± ¡°Huh? Yes.¡± Jul Goo was extremely surprised at my question since it meant that I was matching the girl¡¯s age to Jul Goo¡¯s age. I¡¯m sure there is some pounding going on in his heart right now. ¡°Then between sixteen and eighteen.¡± ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± The Slave Trader went in and had the late teen girls stand in a straight line. Everything is bigger in Avangarde for real. There were over 30 girls who met my conditions. What a sight. I¡¯ve seen something like this on TV in the real world, but I¡¯ve never experienced it for myself. (TL: I¡¯m guessing he means a row of pretty girls, not slaves¡­) I¡¯ll have to try it once later. :¡±Please take your pick.¡± I had Jul Goo follow after me while I inspected the girls. All of them had pretty but erotic clothes on. For the female slaves, they must have to pay attention to their looks to charge a lot. Pretty, cute, extremely pretty, pure ¡­¡­ All of them looked beautiful. If they continued to grow like this for about 2 years, no matter which of them it is, they won¡¯t be lacking anything to be Jul Goo¡¯s partner. Jul Goo just couldn¡¯t stop smiling the entire time. Suddenly, one of the girls stepped forward and kneeled in front of me. ¡°Take me with you. I beg you.¡± ¡°That bitch, she¡¯s doing this again¡­¡­hurry up and step back!¡± It seemed like the Slave Trader was shocked more than Jul Goo or I was. With his eyes opened extremely wide, he glared at the girl and started to say some horrible things to her. But the girl did not move back. ¡°I beg you. Other than selling my body, I will do anything you ask me to do. Please.¡± ¡°What are you doing! Hurry up and drag that bitch away!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Two strong looking young men came over to drag the girl away. ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you. Please save me.¡± The girl roughly tried to resist, and her clothes ripped in the process. Because of that, the tattoo on her shoulder revealed itself. A three layered circle with embroidered points at the end. It almost looked like a hieroglyphic representing the sun. Once I saw that, I subconsciously raised my voice. ¡°Hold on!¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 31 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 31: I will confront it with confidence! (2) That tattoo on her shoulder! Where I have seen it before? It¡¯s very familiar. Was it on the Royal Roader homepage? Or was it in the guild cafe? I feel like it was one of the other users showing off their hidden quest. Or was it their failure. It¡¯s been too long for me to remember properly. I don¡¯t remember the quest information or if the results were good or bad. But I am sure about one thing. The fact that it remained in my memory after all this time means that it isn¡¯t a simple tattoo. That should mean that this slave isn¡¯t normal either. But what was it? How great would it be if I could search the internet here? Then I could find out information about any quest or the tips and rewards associated with it. Well, as long as I could find the postings that is. But that is impossible. And it¡¯s not like i could put off my decision for over 8 days until I return to the real world. I need to make the decision now but I keep hesitating. What if she ends up being an obstacle for me? Plus, if I keep making changes like this, it¡¯ll be difficult to maintain the story from before. That was what I was afraid of. But on the other hand, I wanted the challenge as well. In the game, I was a pretty successful character. If I had to grade myself, I would say at least 90 points? Although I was strong, I had to kneel in front of kingdoms and empires, so that score should suffice. When I first came into this new Royal Roader, I thought it would be great if I could be just as successful. That was because my life in the real world was so terrible. But now, I won¡¯t be satisfied with just that. I guess you can say I feel like my confidence has grown? If it goes as I expect¡­.. ¡®100 points!¡¯ I want to get full marks. I want to become an omnipotent presence that does not have to kneel in front of the strength of the kingdoms or empires. In order to achieve that goal, I cannot walk the same path that I walked before. I need to tweak the story a bit. I need to carry the successes I had in the past, while changing the failures into successes, and making other people¡¯s successes from the past mine as well. Just like how I changed the successor of the Batoom Mines from Gildeon to Bae Doochi. It¡¯s just adding on to that. When I come across moments of decision making like this, I can¡¯t cower in fear. I must confidently face it, defeat it, and overcome it. Of course I could fail. But do you not make gochujang because you are afraid of potential maggots? If you think about it like that, it¡¯ll be like not crossing the street because you are afraid of cars. Plus, no matter which slave I pick, change is bound to happen. Unlike in the game, the slaves here are all people with their individual stories. You never know who will bolt where. If you can¡¯t avoid it, you have to face it. Alright! Let¡¯s face it without fear. I must continue to train myself through opportunities like this. ¡°What is that girl good at doing?¡± ¡°I can do anything well. Cooking, laundry, cleaning, running errands, whatever you need, I can do it all well.¡± Although I asked the question to the slave trader, the girl answered the question. It was like she stole the opportunity to answer from the Slave trader. If you want to put it positively, she¡¯s savvy. If you want to put it negatively, she¡¯s not obedient. If I was planning on letting her just live as a normal slave, an obedient one is great, but if I am expecting more, a savvy one would be better. But I suddenly had a question. ¡°Why is it you want to come with me? I¡¯m sure there are many people who are willing to buy you.¡± Healthy and beautiful. No matter what, her eyes are overflowing with vitality. She was charming enough for any guy to want to possess her. ¡°I will soon turn 18. Then ¡­¡­ sob!¡± The girl finally started to cry. However, she immediately bit her lips to stop her tears. ¡°Even if I die, I don¡¯t think I can sell my body. If I need to do that, I would rather kill myself. Please save me. Then I will do whatever you ask me to do.¡± Pretty female slaves like her tend to be sold off into prostitution. Either that, or the slave trader will taste her first. If you think about it, it is a sad life for her. But I¡¯m going to close my eyes to such situations. If I start making decisions based on feelings, I will lose more than I gain. That won¡¯t be helpful to anybody. ¡°Who put the tattoo on your shoulder and when did they do it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I feel like I had it since I was very young.¡± I will have to return to the real world and search the internet. But I feel like it¡¯ll end up being a difficult problem to solve. ¡°You can do anything I ask you to do and do it well?¡± ¡°Yes. Other than selling my body.¡± Whether it was her tone or gaze, you could feel confidence throughout her body. Even if she wasn¡¯t a slave and was just one of my followers, I feel like she would still play an important role in the future. I made up my mind. ¡°How much for her?¡± ¡°As you can see, she is pretty and healthy. In addition, she¡¯ll turn 18 in five days. In other words, she¡¯s as pure as snow that has not been stepped on.¡± He must be busy trying to package all sorts of things to make her sound expensive. He should just get to the point. ¡°You¡¯ll need to pay 200,000,000 won for her.¡± Even in this world, if you give them whatever they ask, you¡¯ll end up getting scammed. I do have some experience in haggling in the great Republic of Korea. ¡°She¡¯s a girl who seems like she would really kill herself if she put her mind to it. She¡¯s also extremely prude. It¡¯s a girl that I won¡¯t be able to have in my embrace, so what is the point if she is pretty? Even 5,000 won is too expensive.¡± ¡°Who says she will die? She¡¯s all talk. Plus, personality is something you can fix. Just give me 180,000,000 won. You¡¯re getting her at an extremely discounted price.¡± ¡°If she dies, are you promising a refund?¡± ¡°Aigoo, Mr. Customer. Fine. 150,000,000 won.¡± I can see we¡¯re about to reach a compromise soon! In the end, we finished the trade at 110,000,000 won. Even so, it was much more expensive than when I bought Jul Goo. I need to make sure to get my money¡¯s worth with her. ¡®Let¡¯s put my hopes on that tattoo.¡¯ I put the 110,000,000 won in a coin and handed it to the slave trader. ¡°Please give me the quest.¡± ¡°I understand. You must complete a temple quest with a difficulty of A or greater. The duration is 6 months. Hmm? Why is the content like this?¡± The Slave Trader doesn¡¯t get to decide the content of the quest. It comes from the god that oversees the trade. They just use the slave trader¡¯s mouth to speak to us. That is the same for the occupation quest as well. Because of that, although you can predict about 90% of the quests, you can¡¯t ever be 100% sure. He was probably expecting a quest to hunt a wolf but instead, it said a temple quest of A grade or higher. Of course he was surprised. But regardless of the Slave Trader¡¯s will, the quest was already given. The Slave Trader ended up figuring out the reason. ¡°By chance, did you purchase your second slave before you hit level 50?¡± I didn¡¯t have a reason to explain myself to him. I just had to do the quest and the Slave Trader just had to sell the slave. ¡°It ended up that way. Anyways, since I already gave you the money, she is now my slave. Correct?¡± ¡°That is true, but ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Please take good care of her until I return. Jul Goo, let¡¯s go.¡± I left the Slave Trader who had a blank expression on his face and stepped outside the Slave Trade Post. ¡°Jul Goo. What do you think? Do you like her as your potential wife?¡± ¡°Whaaaat? My wife?¡± Jul Goo¡¯s eyes turned into the size of lamps. Of course his lips were smiling like an idiot. This punk! He¡¯s so happy! But it was too early to be happy. All it did was create the possibility. Nothing is for certain. Seeing the girl¡¯s personality, she¡¯ll probably want to pick her own husband. Even if Jul Goo manages to steal her heart, he¡¯ll have a rough life with her. But for now, it¡¯s good for him to let his imagination run wild. ¡°It all depends on your effort. Even if I want to put the two of you together, if that girl doesn¡¯t want to, then there¡¯s no point. So you need to woo her well. What do you think you need to do to do that?¡± ¡°I need to earn a lot of money.¡± ¡°You think money is enough? Women like men who are dedicated and passionate about their work. So mine like your life depends on it. That¡¯s what you need to do. Understand?¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°I will give you Miru¡¯s pickaxe in the near future. Then, you will become the Best Miner in the Northern Mines, following after my footsteps. Think about it! Isn¡¯t it cool? Women will love you so much!¡± ¡°Wow! I can see it. Hehe.¡± As we chatted like that, we arrived at the Magic Store. ¡°Is there something you are looking for?¡± Quite a bit. In fact, maybe a little too much. I don¡¯t know if it will all fit in my magic bag. ¡°First, 500 each of the weak potion and weakest potion, and 600 weakest mana potion. For the size, make them all XL.¡± ¡°What? Then you are ordering ¡­¡­ a total of 1,600 potions?¡± The worker¡¯s jaws dropped. With my shabby outfit, he thought I was here to buy a few cheap items. But the first batch of potions I ordered cost close to 1,300,000,000 won. Even if I manage to bargain for making a large purchase, it¡¯ll still be over 1,000,000,000 won. Of course it hurts me to buy all of this. However, is it more important than my life? If this can take the place of my life, even if it was not 1,000,000,000 won and it was 10,000,000,000 won, I would use it.¡± ¡°1,000 strongest pain relief potions, and 1 500km + distance personal portal.¡± ¡°Sir¡­¡­can you pay for this first?¡± ¡°How much is it? You¡¯ll give me a discount for ordering in bulk right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a worker¡­¡­¡± ¡°But you should still give me at least a 10% discount with this volume.¡± I had to haggle for quite a bit. Since the amount was large, even a bit of haggling was still in the 10,000,000 won area. In the end, we compromised at 1,520,000,000 won. ¡®Damn, I couldn¡¯t even haggle down 100,000,000 won.¡¯ But I still had over 14,000,000,000 won in my inventory. I don¡¯t need to care too much about small amounts of money. In return, I also received a lot of service. They gave me 100 of the weakest HP potion and 100 of the weakest mana potion that don¡¯t usually sell well for free. We then headed to the variety store to buy the weapon I will use on the monster in the Northern Mine. It is the most important item, but when looking at just the cost, it is the cheapest item I bought all day. Only 20,000 won. Then an item suddenly caught my attention. [Lovers¡¯ Promise] Durability: 9,999/9,999 Binding Power: 9,999 Binding Condition: TBD Release Condition: TBD It was a pair of bracelets that I had never seen before in the game. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It is an item used to make a promise with each other. If you cannot fulfill the promise, it turns into a handcuff. It will be the best gift for the person you love.¡± Kaicher, the Warrior of Light. A hunter of evil beings who serves Ares. Once I finish developing the Northern Mines, I should immediately run into him. It¡¯ll be the perfect gift for him. The name of it makes it kind of awkward to give as a gift between men, but the name was placed there for marketing purposes. Isn¡¯t the important thing its effect? For someone like Kaicher who is a priest of a temple, he shouldn¡¯t get the wrong idea with this. I also bought everything I thought I might end up needing. After all of that, it felt like my magic bag was full. The last place I headed to was the entrance of the Volcanus Temple. I placed one entrance of the personal portal there. This is an entrance only I can see. Once I install the other entrance somewhere within a 500km radius, I can return here at any time. ¡®Preparations complete!¡¯ Now it was time to develop the Northern Mines. ¡®Just wait for me Chief! Your master is heading to you!¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 32 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 32: I will confront it with confidence! (3) In front of Titan Valley¡¯s Northern Gate! ¡°There are more people than I expected.¡± There were a total of 39 people including myself. I had anticipated about 28. That was the number of ¡®bodyguards¡¯ I had made until now. Jose and the rest of the beginner miners in Tunnel 99-1, the 12 miners under Gildeon, and the couple miners I got to know through Jonnan. I had made all of them into my people. The method was easy. I was already someone the miners were calling ¡®hero,¡¯ and I also held the record for most daily profits. Because of that, even if I was just standing around, people want to get close to me. So once we shared some alcohol a couple times, the term ¡®our family¡¯ started to naturally come out. Of course it was too soon to label them as ¡®bodyguards.¡¯ They have simply promised to go with me no matter where I go. Plus, those promises were made while they were drunk. But the development of the Northern Mines will serve as the means to make our relationships a bit more clear. The leader of the group, and the followers who listen to that leader. ¡°Alright then, shall we head out?¡± I took the lead. Batoom, Goultan, Jonnan, and Gildeon followed closely behind me. But none of them really had a bright expression. They were trusting me and coming with me, but the Northern Mines had a really bad name. Gildeon¡¯s expression was especially dark. ¡°Are you really confident?¡± Surprisingly, I actually liked him like this even more. Gildeon was not worried about his own safety. He was considering the safety of his fellow miners. He definitely has the character necessary to be a leader. In fact, in that aspect, he is probably better than me. ¡°If I was not confident, I would not have started at all. Plus, there is no reason to get the miners nervous by saying something like that when we are already here.¡± ¡°I understand. I will just trust in you.¡± That¡¯s what I like to hear. And he will have no other choice in the future. But this is harder than I thought! Why is the terrain so rough? The Northern part of Titan Valley was pretty much the territory of gods. The natural condition itself made it difficult for people to approach it. There is probably nowhere else in the entire continent that is as dangerous as this Northern part of Titan Valley. There was a path to transport the minerals, but the terrain was extremely rough, and since it has been abandoned for such a long time, you couldn¡¯t tell whether this was a road or a mountain slope. It will take a lot of work to make it easy to transport minerals through here. We had been walking like that for probably about 1 hour? Suddenly a flat area that opened up your vision appeared. It was probably wide enough to make two large soccer fields. ¡°We are here! This is the Northern Mines!¡± Even without Jonnan saying that, it was easy to tell that this was the Northern Mines. At one end of the plain was a man made cliff, with a couple holes that looked like abandoned tunnels. In front of that were abandoned mining equipment as well. Even though it was the middle of the day, it looked kind of dark and creepy. The miners let out worried sighs. ¡°Sigh, finally¡­¡­¡± ¡°I suddenly feel really cold.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve finally reached this point!¡± They all looked like they were in front of the gates of hell or something. But I was just the opposite. My heart was pounding with excitement. ¡®There are a ton of Jewels of Luck packaged in here.¡¯ Even in the game, the Jewel of Luck was worth quite a bit. Just selling it got you between 3,000,000 won to 6,000,000 won per jewel. Of course it was in game money. It was also a very useful jewel to not sell and use myself. It increased the chance of receiving a good item from hunting monsters. But now, it was worlds beyond that level. I can use it in the real world just like the Jewel of Creation. I¡¯ve already even decided where I was going to use it. If I use the Jewel of Luck properly, I can even become omnipotent in the real world. And that¡¯s not it. Gold, mithril and other expensive minerals are all over this place as well. The Northern Mines was pretty much a treasure. Maybe that was the reason, but the Northern Mines looked extremely beautiful in my eyes. *Sound of water crashing* On one side of the cliff, there was a small waterfall with a small pond created underneath it. It wasn¡¯t really much of a sight, but it will be an important resting ground for the miners. Next to the water flowing from the pond was a fertile looking grassland. If I have the time, it might be good to turn it into a herb garden or something. I turned my eyes and looked toward the bottom of the mountain and could see the entire Titan Valley and a gorgeous view. Well, I really don¡¯t have the time to enjoy this view right now. ¡°Let us hurry.¡± ¡°Please prepare your assigned task by team. The fence team can go this way, the residence team over there, meal prep team to the left¡­¡­¡± All of the commands came from Gildeon¡¯s mouth. If you considered the age, experience, or social status, it would make sense for Batoom or Goultan to lead the team, but they all just closed their mouth and followed Gildeon¡¯s command. For now, they were just moving as members on the team. It was because of my request. ¡°From the moment we arrive at the Northern Mines, Gildeon will be the only one to issue commands. It is not easy to raise a new leader. Please think of it as raising his confidence and take a back seat.¡± Well that was what I told them at least. The real reason was a bit different. Should I say it is the same reason I want to make Jonnan, Batoom, and Goultan into Best Miners? These are people who will be mining the Jewel of Luck for me. That means that they must be active in the mine and swinging their pickaxes. For that to happen, Gildeon needs to be in charge of the mine. Of course everybody agreed with my opinion. ¡°That is a good idea.¡± ¡°Gildeon definitely has what it takes.¡± With that, the jobs were divided under Gildeon¡¯s supervision. Each team put in a lot of effort to complete their tasks. ¡°It should be good once we break that rock.¡± Clang! Clang! I was also taking part and went next to a pretty large tree. Then I used all of my strength to swing an axe. But it was really odd. Rather than the sound of a tree, it sounded like I was breaking a rock. Clang! Clang! ¡°Hey, that is a Fir Tree. It is too sturdy to chop without having a lot of strength. Go chop that Oak Tree over there.¡± ¡°I know. But it is important that I chop this tree.¡± One of the upcoming quests will require me to chop this Fir Tree on my own. I can¡¯t come all the way back here to chop a tree after receiving the quest from Avangarde. That¡¯d be a total waste of time. I need to take care of it now when I have the opportunity to do so. Clang! Clang! While I was wrestling with the Fir Tree, people were busy with their tasks as well. One side was clearing the ground while other side was chopping trees. Another group was working hard to create a wooden fence to prevent monsters from invading the space. Tap! Tap! Tap! Thanks to everybody hurrying, we were able to create a temporary fence before it got dark. The darkness finally started to spread across the area. The deeper you are in the mountains, darkness spreads much faster. The moment we felt like it was about to get dark, it started to get dark very quickly. By the time we were finishing dinner, it was pitch black. For humans, darkness has always been a source of fear. It was especially bad in the Northern Mines. It wasn¡¯t as bad during the day, but once it got dark, people couldn¡¯t help but think about words like ¡®monster¡¯ and ¡®ghost¡¯ that they were trying really hard to forget. Even though we made a large fire, it wasn¡¯t easy to push away the fear. No matter how big the fire was, it was just a tiny speck in the middle of the vast darkness. Looking around, it felt like everybody was afraid that the darkness might jump at them at any moment. ¡°Will it really be okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure we will safely make it past the night.¡± Everybody gathered inside our quickly made wooden fence. A couple of them were relying on me. ¡°I have faith in our tunnel supervisor-nim. Right supervisor-nim?¡± Jose was especially like that. I worked really hard to keep my chest up and show a confident demeanor. ¡°What do we have to worry about when we are with our Tunnel Supervisor-nim? I¡¯m not afraid of anything.¡± He seemed to know the kind of atmosphere I was aiming for. So he was working hard on my behalf to help make it happen. He feels like a perfect sidekick right now. I like what he¡¯s doing. At least for today that is. In situations like this, I really need to show them a confident demeanor. If there is someone you can confidently rely on, it is easy to push the fear away. I put my hand on Jose¡¯s shoulder as I spoke in a confident voice. ¡°Just trust me. I will catch that ghost tonight and show you just what he looks like.¡± It wasn¡¯t all talk. I got right up from my seat and started to leave the fenced area alone. ¡°Are you really going?¡± ¡°But why is he going empty-handed?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he at least take his pickaxe?¡± That¡¯s because you don¡¯t know the monster that is here. If you take a weapon with you, rather than monster hunting, you won¡¯t even see the tip of its fur. I just tapped the magic bag on my side. ¡°Everything is in here. Don¡¯t worry and just wait for me to return.¡± ¡°Sooob. Master!¡± Jul Goo grabbed my hand and started to cry. Is he trying to show concern for me as his master?¡± ¡°Did someone die? Just go to sleep you punk!¡± I lightly tapped Jul Goo¡¯s head. Then I left the fenced area and walked into the darkness. ¡®Shall I start making some allowance money?¡¯ My surroundings were already completely dark. There seemed to be a lot of clouds today that there wasn¡¯t even a source of light from the moon or the stars. It was so dark that you couldn¡¯t even see your feet. Well, of course that was the case for everyone else. I was able to clearly see through the darkness. It was thanks to the ¡®Owl¡¯s Eye¡¯ I received from the god Hades. I looked back and saw the wooden fence that was built at the opposite end of the cliff. Right underneath it was the slope down. I headed as far away from the fence as I could. While walking for a while like that, I quickly arrived right underneath the cliff. The ground around the cliff was really rough. There were many boulders popping out of it as well. ¡®This should be enough!¡¯ There were large boulders and trees growing however they want that it looked to be a completely different place than the rest of the world. If I was a monster, and I enjoyed hunting stealthily, this would be the greatest hunting ground. I laid down on my back. Although it was painful because of the rocks underneath my back, it wasn¡¯t unbearable. I slowly opened my bag and put the secret weapons I bought from Avangarde in my hands. It was a bit smaller than a tennis ball and kind of squishy. I kept my senses alert as I quietly waited. He will definitely show up tonight and attack me. I was waiting for that moment. Huuuuuuuuuuuuu! The Northern Mines, which was located at a high elevation, was always windy. The wind wasn¡¯t necessary strong, but as it whirled around the rocks and trees, it made quite an eerie moaning noise. Swiiiish. How much time must have passed? At least two to three hours must have gone by. If it was any other day, I would have already fallen asleep, but thanks to the rough rocks underneath me, I managed to not fall asleep. A long while continued to pass. Sshh. Sshh. ¡®¡­¡­!¡¯ I could feel a presence. The movement that didn¡¯t seem to follow a pattern was clearly different than nature¡¯s moan. ¡®It¡¯s here!¡¯ Last chapter for the week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? [Kobato usually updates the donation amount, but I haven¡¯t heard from Kobato in a few days. Current status is $35/$75! Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 33 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 33: The Only Way for You to Live (1) The direction of the presence was above my head. He moves so stealthily that it was difficult to know how far away he was, but I could tell that he was within 10 paces away from me. It was hard to see him from where I was laying down. ¡°Ah, this feels great.¡± I mumbled as if I was talking to myself and turned my body to the side. I could finally look toward the direction of the presence. The presence seemed to stop for a moment. But seeing me just continue to lay there, he slowly started to move again. Pitch black darkness. But I could see everything clearly. Except one thing. Wobble-wobble- It was like the air was moving. Something that looked like a haze was cautiously approaching my location. At the end of the haze was a hand hoe. Right now, it looked like a floating hand hoe. ¡®There he is!¡¯ Based on the location of the handle and angle, I can pretty much determine where he is. His movement was extremely cautious. He was moving as slow as possible in order to make sure that I don¡¯t notice his presence. The distance was approximately 5m. If he comes too close, I¡¯ll end up in danger. This distance feels about right. Jump! I quickly stood up. At the same time, I threw the secret weapon in my right hand toward the wobbling haze. Splat! ¡®It hit him!¡¯ But it wasn¡¯t a direct hit. The moment I stood up, he had quickly moved to the side. Caaaaaaw- He took three or four steps back in surprise. However, he stopped there without moving any further. Seeing that he wasn¡¯t hurt at all from the weapon that I threw, he was starting to get confident. ¡®Stand right there!¡¯ I moved the item in my left hand to my right and then threw it again. Swish- splat! It only grazed him again. His movement is faster than I expected. Of course he was fine again. There wasn¡¯t a single injury on his body. It would have been weird if he ended up injured. My secret weapon was something that can¡¯t cause any injuries. It was just your typical red paint! But thanks to it, his body, which was as transparent as haze, was clearly visible. Only a portion of his body had been hit, but that was enough for me to know where he was and what he was about to do. I continued to take paint out of my bag and threw it toward him. He continued to move around to avoid it, but in the end, I successfully managed to make him red from head to toe. He was a tiny little thing. If he stood up straight, he¡¯d come up to about my chest? His bent back made him look even smaller. The monster looked at his body and then made a devastated expression. He finally realized that his strongest weapon, the invisible (invisible) magic, was now useless. [1] A shocked voice followed. ¡°Caw! This is bad!¡± It was clearly human language. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just show yourself now!¡± The monster looked around us. It was trying to see if there was anybody else here. But everyone else was in the fenced area over 100m away. It meant that I was alone, and I was only level 9! The monster should have already confirmed my level. It would have only approached me knowing that I was weaker than it. That is this monster¡¯s method. If the opponent is stronger than itself, it never shows up. If someone weaker than it is separated from a group and ends up by themselves, it uses the invisible magic to approach and kill with a surprise attack. How is it possible to verify the level without the person¡¯s permission? People need permission to check other people¡¯s level, but that type of rule doesn¡¯t apply to monsters. ¡°Die! Human!¡± The monster flung itself toward me while swinging the hand hoe in its right hand. Swoooosh- He moves quite quickly! And he is pretty strong! But compared to when he was avoiding my paint, he wasn¡¯t as agile. In fact, he was at least a half step slower than me. And there was a large gap between our ability to see in the dark as well. Seeing the way it moves, it must have some type of ability that lets it see in the dark, but still, would it be as good as the ¡®Owl¡¯s Eye¡¯ which was a present from Hades? As long as I don¡¯t underestimate him, there shouldn¡¯t be a reason for me to lose. But I won¡¯t unnecessarily fight him. There is a way to hunt him without putting myself in danger like that. I just continued to avoid him. Once there was a decent amount of distance between us, I then picked up a few rocks from the floor and threw it at him. That was all I did. Even hitting him with the rocks cause some damage. Although it was extremely low amounts of damage. 2 1 [4] I managed to land a critical hit every so often as well. This monster was pretty sharp. After being hit by the rocks exactly 4 times, it finished assessing the situation. ¡°Caw! Your abilities are extremely high for your level! You tricked me!¡± It then started to hop hop hop and run away. But even if he runs, he¡¯s still on top of Buddha¡¯s palm. I kept a decent distance between us as I chased after him. I continued to throw rocks at him as well. Every so often, I also hit him with more paint. That way, even if I lose him, I can use the paint on the floor to track him down. Thanks to that, the monster could not run back to its hideout. It knew that the paint would give away the location of his hideout. But he couldn¡¯t run fast enough to lose me either. I don¡¯t know about his strength, but when it comes to agility, my agility is definitely higher. The monster just continued to go around in circles and I just continued to follow him and throw rocks at him. 2 2 [4] 1 [3] ¡°Fine! Just keep running away! I can do this for days without stopping.¡± It wasn¡¯t just a bluff. This chase that started in the early evening had continued past midnight into the early morning. Around 6 hours passed by. I¡¯m so bored just chasing him and throwing rocks at him, so how annoyed must he be? He probably wants to commit suicide right now. It continued like that for another hour. In the end, the monster stopped running away and lifted up both of its hands. ¡°Caaaw! Please don¡¯t kill me!¡± He even threw down the hand hoe that was in his hand. But I can¡¯t fall for his trick. If I show an opening, he will definitely attack. I glared at the monster as I picked up the hand hoe. I then pointed it at his neck. The end of this hoe was pretty sharp. ¡®Now I can relax a bit.¡¯ ¡°Name?¡± ¡°W$G%$$Y&%U%Y!#!F.¡± ¡°What the hell kind of name is that? Do you want to die?! I will ask again. Name?¡± I pointed the hoe closer to his neck. The monster was shaking quite a bit. ¡°Caw! That is my name! If it is difficult, just caw, just call me ¡®Master the Kobbit Village¡¯.¡± Even then his name was long. But his name wasn¡¯t that important. What mattered was that his name was the same as his name in the game. I wonder if his story would be the same as well. ¡°Where the hell did you come from? Don¡¯t leave anything out and tell me everything. Otherwise, I will kill you.¡± The extremely afraid Kobbit started to share his sad story. The content was pretty simple. This punk used to be the chief of the Kobbit tribe village. But he responded to a challenge from a competitor and lost, and following the rule of the Kobbits, he was banished from the village. After wandering here and there, he ended up here, and since then, he had been murdering weak miners and turning this into his territory. As expected, his story was the same as in the game. That made my heart beat even faster. In the game, there was a huge load of treasures hidden in his hideout. Please let it be here as well¡­¡­ ¡°Where is your hideout?¡± ¡°Caw! It is over there!¡± ¡°Slowly walk over there. If you try anything, I will kill you right there!¡± ¡°Caaw! Please don¡¯t kill me!¡± Kobbit started to walk in front of me. His hideout was about 20m up on the cliff. There was a very small cave there and even that was covered by a rock. I don¡¯t even need to look inside to know it¡¯s a complicated maze in there. There¡¯s probably multiple exits as well. But at the same time, there should be a large pile of treasure inside for sure. But confirming that is for later. If I¡¯m not careful, Kobbit can stab me in the back. ¡°Then it is now time for you to die!¡± I lifted up the hand hoe and tried to slice Kobbit¡¯s neck. Kobbit curled down and started to beg for his life. ¡°Caaaw! Please don¡¯t kill me! You told me you won¡¯t kill me!¡± ¡°When did I say that?¡± Of course I had no intentions of killing him. But I never said I wouldn¡¯t kill him with my own mouth. ¡°Give me one good reason I should let you live!¡± ¡°Caaw! There is a lot of gold inside. Mithril as well. I will give it all to you. Caaw. Please just don¡¯t kill me.¡± As expected! Hoho! ¡°I can take all of that after killing you. Not good enough. Next!¡± Kobbit¡¯s eyes were moving quickly trying to come up with an answer. But it wasn¡¯t easy for him to figure something out. It did take him a while in the game as well. As he was thinking, it started to get brighter outside. I had spent all night playing tag with Kobbit. It¡¯s annoying to wait. Since the result will be the same anyways, I will just give him the answer. ¡°Should I tell you the answer? Do you want to know the only way for you to live?¡± ¡°Caaw! That ¡­¡­ what is it?¡± _________________________________________________________________________ [1] Similar to before, since the author used English, I put the English in italics First chapter for the week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 34 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 34: The Only Way for You to Live (2) ¡°You need to become my second slave!¡± ¡°Caw! Slave?¡± Kobbit had a nervous expression on his face. Since his eyes were moving like crazy, he must be debating the pros and cons of it. Why does he even need to think about it? Even if he had to roll in a pile of dog shit, it¡¯s still better than dying. I helped Kobbit make up his mind. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s just kill you. What is the point of having a monster like you as a slave?¡± I forcefully started to lower the hand hoe toward Kobbit¡¯s neck. Kobbit quickly kneeled down. ¡°Caw! I will be your slave! Please take me as your slave!¡± Quite a few messages popped up. I liked each and every one of them. But there was one message that made my heart beat the fastest. ¡®42,000 bars of gold!¡¯ Gold is extremely precious in Royal Roader as well. Mithril is also expensive, but gold was the best. Each bar was worth about 100,000 won. 42,000 bars would be over 4,200,000,000 won. If you include the other minerals as well, it should total over 5,000,000,000 won. ¡®Aigoo, what a good boy!¡¯ And one more thing! Bogochan¡¯s Necklace! If you consider the value of this thing, it is just as important as gold. In fact, dwarfs would consider this item a treasure. It was because of the affinity to fire this necklace created. Durability: 96/96 Fire Affinity +10%, Earth Affinity +20%, Intuition +20 In addition to the stat window, skill window and expansion window, there is also a disposition window. I haven¡¯t had a reason to check it until now, but now it is time to start using it. I put Bogochan¡¯s Necklace around my neck. I then opened the disposition window. Hometown: Titan Valley (Batoru Kingdom) Disposition: Militant Fire Affinity: 12% Water Affinity: 2% Wind Affinity: 2% Earth Affinity: 81% Light Affinity: 100% Ice Affinity: 2% Everything other than the Earth and Light affinity were at the basic level. Light affinity was thanks to the ¡®Owl¡¯s Eye¡¯ I received as a gift from Hades. Earth affinity was of course because of working in the mines. I pretty much earned everything I had planned on earning. Ah, except one thing. There was still a window open in front of my eyes. It was the question about whether I was going to take this monster as a slave. I had been waiting for this moment from the instant I started to think about developing the Northern Mines. The selection was ¡®YES¡¯ for sure, and I had never even considered picking ¡®NO¡¯. But I had a sudden worry as I was about to click yes. The moment I take this punk as my slave, I will be forced to make one of two sacrifices. First option is a ton of pain! Pain so bad that just thinking about it makes me shiver. It wasn¡¯t too bad in the game because all I had to do was sit in front of the monitor and press some buttons on my keyboard. But if I had to feel that pain with my own body¡­ just thinking about it made fear fill my mind like a giant storm. ¡®I might not be able to handle the pain.¡¯ I did think of a backup plan for that case, but it still wasn¡¯t easy to get rid of the fear. The second option? Paying it off with money. But it costs too much. It¡¯ll cost at least 15,000,000,000 won. An amount much higher than what is currently in my inventory. If you consider the money I will make in the future, it isn¡¯t too big of a value, but it was still a hefty sum. Either way, I can¡¯t give up on this monster. There are too many things I need to give up on if I give up on him. First, whether I have him or not will determine the total amount of minerals mined from the Northern Mines. He knows this place inside and out. Second, I will need to give up on entering the Southern district. That is actually the biggest loss. The Southern district is a real gold mine that has not been found yet. Third, I will need to give up on developing a relationship with the dwarfs. There¡¯s quite a few other trivial things as well. He really is someone I need to get regardless of the cost. ¡®If I really feel like I can¡¯t handle it, I¡¯ll just compensate for it with money.¡¯ I closed my eyes and clicked YES. As expected, his infamy was extremely high. Now it was a fight against time. My infamy would have been immediately reported to the Tower of God, and Infamy Hunters will start arriving tomorrow morning to arrest me. There are only three methods to escape from the clutches of the Infamy Hunters. Complete a temple quest, donate an extravagant amount of money to the temple, or increase your fame to be higher than your infamy. My only option right now is the first one. I need to get rid of my infamy quickly. I definitely will not try to erase it by throwing money. In order to remove 1 infamy, it costs 20,000,000 won. In order to get rid of 731 infamy, I would need to pay 14,620,000,000 won. ($~13.3 million USD) I will do it as a last resort, but since I know a better way to get rid of it, there is no chance of me throwing money away for no reason. But no matter how rushed I am, I need to take care of the things I need to take care of first. If I hurry too much, I might lose the things I worked so hard to gain. Especially Kobbit! If his loyalty falls while I am gone and he ends up betraying me, my future path will be impacted heavily. ¡®How high is his loyalty?¡¯ ¡°Open Kobbit¡¯s stat window.¡± [Master the Kobbit Village Level 10] Dexterity: Intermediate Level 3, 26% Strength: 123 Agility: 28 Stamina: 221 Intuition: 613 Magic: 99 Vitality: 150 Mana: 852 HP: 1,486 Loyalty: 50 Faith: 0 Knowledge: 237 Charm: 12 Sensitivity: 661 Fame: 0 Respect: 0 Infamy: 0 His loyalty was exactly 50. It is at a dangerous level. If I let down my guard for just a second, he can instantly betray me. How can I leave this punk here and leave on my own? I need to raise his loyalty a bit and put it at a stable level before I head out. It is simple to increase loyalty. The Kobbit race enjoys precious minerals like gold, and tasty food. You just have to give them a lot of their favorites. It feels a bit like a waste, but you need to invest in order to make a profit. But was Kobbit¡¯s stats this high in the game? ¡°His knowledge is quite high!¡± I said it as if I was talking to myself. But once I said it, Kobbit must have liked the compliment as he folded his ear like a dog and enjoyed it. ¡°Caw! I was revered as a wise man while I was the chief of the Kobbit Village! Caw! Caw!¡± And something surprising happened after that. [Loyalty 52] A single compliment increased his loyalty by ¡®2¡¯. Was it really because of the compliment? It¡¯s not like it cost me money to say nice things. No reason to hold back. ¡°Your HP is over 1,000. And your sensitivity is even 613? You are much better than I thought you were!¡± I was able to confirm it. Every time I gave him a compliment, his loyalty went up. There definitely is a lot of power in giving praises. It even increases a monster¡¯s loyalty. I didn¡¯t hold back on giving him compliments. Each time I did, Kobbit was so happy he didn¡¯t know how to conduct himself. ¡°Caw. I am a natural at finding mineral deposits. Kekeke.¡± His knowledge was high, but, maybe because he was a monster, he was pretty simple-minded. Or is it because of his extremely high sensitivity? Either way, after complimenting him like that for a while, his loyalty, which was at 50, shot up to 62. But that was the limit. .It wouldn¡¯t go up any higher with compliments alone. Then time for phase 2. Maybe I won¡¯t need to waste things like gold. I pretended he was a person and hatched a plan. Plan Trust and Admiration! Although I don¡¯t know if it will go well. ¡°From now on, you are a part of my family. You are what?¡± ¡°Caw. Family.¡± ¡°I will also give you a new name. Let¡¯s go with something cool and to the point and call you Chief!¡± ¡°Chief?¡± ¡°It means the eternal boss of the Kobbit race. Chief! How is it? Isn¡¯t it cool?¡± ¡°Chief! It is a fabulous name. Keke.¡± It had an impact like I thought it would. His loyalty, which had been stuck for a while, increased to 64. ¡°Then I will introduce you to the people who will be your family. Everybody, please come over here. It is safe now.¡± I raised my voice and called the miners over. Maybe Chief was scared, but he hid behind me. He seems to be relying on me now that he has become my slave. The miners responded immediately to my voice. There was some chatter going on as they cautiously headed over this way. Everybody looked really tired. Even gathered together in the fenced area, the fear of the monster must have kept them up all night. They then became really surprised after seeing me. ¡°Ack! What is this?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this the feeling of infamy? What happened? How did you end up that way?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t get any closer to him!¡± A high infamy makes other people feel an evil aura. Especially for people with a high level of sensitivity. If your infamy passes 100, they won¡¯t even trade with you. But my infamy was over 700, so it was normal for some people to react that way. ¡°After taking him on as my slave, his infamy was transferred over to me.¡± ¡°Slave?¡± I pointed at Chief who was hiding behind me. The miners finally noticed Chief behind me. His body was so small that it was completely covered by me. But there were no miners who were scared or surprised. It was a weak monster that was fairly common. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a Kobbit?¡± ¡°Was that Kobbit perhaps ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°You are correct. This is the monster called the ghost of the Northern Mines.¡± I quickly explained the detail. There were some parts I learned just now from Chief, but the majority of it was information I learned through the game. The miners were all in disbelief. ¡°The monster that made everybody so scared is that thing? That tiny thing?¡± ¡°Then how come the high leveled security force members couldn¡¯t catch him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because of the Invisible magic. If a strong enemy appeared, he completely hid himself and only attacked the weak enemies.¡± ¡°That makes no sense. Even high leveled magicians came here many times but could never find the monster.¡± ¡°There is no way the magicians would have found him if he hid in the mines.¡± Anybody who had enough skills to be called a magician had to be at least level 30. [1] The miners finally nodded their heads. ¡°Now it all makes sense!¡± ¡°But why did you take a monster as a slave? Especially a unique monster with high infamy. You didn¡¯t know that the infamy transfers over when you do that?¡± It was something I had to do even though I knew that would happen. But even if I explained it to them, they wouldn¡¯t understand. ¡°I really had no idea. Either way, he is now my slave and a part of my family. I ask all of you to consider Chief as a part of your family as well.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t he a monster? Unlike human slaves, I heard monster slaves have no problem betraying their masters. It¡¯s like living with a ticking time bomb.¡± ¡°I will take responsibility for him. Please trust me.¡± ¡°Even so¡­¡­¡± None of them could push away their concerns. But they will have no choice but to follow my will. I already prepared for this beforehand and got a promise from them. ¡°I already took him as a part of my family. Chief! What is our relationship?¡± ¡°Caw! Family. Caaaaw!¡± Chief was trying to act cute as if he was asking them to take good care of him. Although it was terrible to look at. I looked back toward Batoom, Jonnan, Goultan, and the rest. Then I spoke with sincerity. ¡°I do not push away anybody who I have taken as my family. No matter who it is. If you really can¡¯t accept him, then I will remove my residence to outside of the mine.¡± ¡°N, no. Is there a reason to do all that?¡± ¡°We understand. We will consider him a part of our family.¡± I checked Chief¡¯s status one more time. Since he looked so ugly, it was hard to tell by his expression. But I could at least tell that it was much different than before. This punk must have been touched by what I said! I opened up the status window and checked his loyalty. [Loyalty: 71] Shouldn¡¯t this much be good enough to last 6 months? But it still wasn¡¯t satisfying. Both the way the miners were treating Chief, as well as Chief¡¯s loyalty. Still, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be hard for them to open up their hearts. The miners will need to accept him in order for Chief to open up to them as well. Then I have to help them get there. I know a method that will instantly open up the miners¡¯ hearts. The miners are people too. And as long as you are a person, you can¡¯t help but love money. In that aspect, Chief is like God¡¯s grace to not only me, but all of the miners as well. ¡°Chief knows the location of a large gold deposit.¡± ¡°What? Gold Deposit? Large?¡± ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [1] Remember, only Level 10 and below can enter the mines. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 35 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 35: Sometimes, the Stupid Method is the Best. (1) ¡°Not just gold deposits. Mithril, Azurite, Titanium, all of it. Chief knows this mine inside and out. With Chief¡¯s help, we can all quickly become extremely wealthy.¡± ¡°Is that for real?¡± It had an immediate effect like I expected. The miners¡¯ eyes instantly opened extremely wide. ¡°Chief! You tell them yourself!¡± I pushed Chief forward. Chief spoke with confidence. ¡°Caw! There are many gold and mithril deposits here. I know them all. Caw. Chief will show you where all of them are.¡± ¡°You heard him, right?¡± The miners all had bright smiles on their faces. Money truly holds a lot of power. But Jonnan¡¯s face was still very dark. He couldn¡¯t even be happy at the fact that he could become extremely wealthy. I was the reason. ¡°But what will you do now? How high must your infamy be for us to feel this much evil aura?¡± ¡°I believe it is slightly over 700.¡± ¡°Oh my gosh!¡± ¡°What can we do?¡± The other miners hid their joy about the money and started to worry about me again. Jonnan seemed to become more hopeful after that. His eyes started to shine as he started to speak for the miners to listen. ¡°Isn¡¯t this an extremely big deal? In order to erase that much infamy, you will need to donate a hefty sum. Sigh, what shall we do?¡± Everybody understood Jonnan¡¯s intentions. He wanted them to help pay my donation. It was no wonder that the expressions on the miners¡¯ faces quickly changed. That is human nature. When you are in trouble, you want someone to help you, but if someone else is in trouble, you do not want to sacrifice anything. I felt like the situation would turn awkward. ¡°There is no reason to do that. I have enough money to pay the donation. But I plan on getting rid of it through a temple quest.¡± ¡°In order to erase that level of infamy, you will need to do quite a few A grade temple quests. When will you complete all of them?¡± ¡°If I do an S grade quest, I can take care of it all at once.¡± ¡°That is even harder. I remember hearing that even A grade quests were almost impossible to complete. How will you handle an S grade quest?¡± It is extremely difficult indeed! I am about to go crazy just thinking about it. But this is the last obstacle. If I can get past this, it is smooth sailing from there. I will try it first, and if it really seems impossible, then I will have to take care of it with money. ¡°Leave me to worry about that. No matter how long it takes me, it won¡¯t be longer than 6 months. Since your safety is no longer an issue here, please finish developing the mines by the time I return. And please take good care of this guy as well.¡± I caressed Chief¡¯s head as I spoke to Gildeon. Gildeon will need to successfully take charge of this mine from now on. Every time my hand touched his head, Chief¡¯s ears happily folded down like a dog. ¡°I understand.¡± Seeing Chief act that way, Gildeon nodded his head. Although he was pretty ugly, thinking that ¡®this thing is a pile of money¡¯ made him bearable. Now it was Batoom¡¯s turn. ¡°Oh Senior! With this, shouldn¡¯t I have completed the final Best Miner quest? Is something still missing?¡± As soon as I mentioned the ¡®Best Miner¡¯ quest, Batoom slapped his hands as if he completely forgot about it. ¡°How could I forget! It¡¯s definitely enough! Definitely enough for sure! You are now a Best Miner!¡± A voice rang in my head at the same time. I had a wide smile on my face. It was not just me. Goultan and Batoom both had large smiles on their faces. The fact that I became a Best Miner meant that they also became Best Miners. Jonnan was the same. But Jonnan still could not smile in the end. The joy of becoming a Best Miner was still not as prevalent in his mind as my infamy. I lightly tapped Jonnan¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Senior, do not worry! I will return right away after getting rid of my infamy.¡± ¡°I understand! I believe that you will be able to succeed. Please, please return safely.¡± At that point, the others erased their smiles and started to worry about me as well. ¡°We will be waiting for you. Please make sure to return.¡± The happy moment quickly turned sad. It looked like they were sending someone off to die. Especially Jonnan. In the end, Jonnan could not hold back and tears started to pour out of his eyes. Ah, really! I¡¯m already scared enough! I can¡¯t stay here long. My heart will start to turn weak! I also didn¡¯t have the time to do so. These old men don¡¯t have time to be like this either. ¡°Seniors, there is something I need all of you to do until I return without my infamy.¡± It applied to Batoom, Goultan, and Jonnan. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If it is about getting this place running properly, you do not have to worry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Gildeon-nim will take good care of that. I need seniors to recruit miners. Around 200 miners with good skills.¡± With the three of their networks, they should be able to call over any decently popular miner in Titan Valley. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°I will only recruit talented miners with good character.¡± ¡°We can use them as soon as you finish developing the mine.¡± As we finished the conversation, I installed the other end of the personal portal. It was connected to the Volcanus Temple Gate, where I will receive the temple quest. Of course, only I could see this portal as well. Nobody else could use it either. ¡°We will plan to do so.¡± ¡°Then I will head out now. I leave the rest in your hands.¡± I pushed my body into the portal. Temples are open 24 hours a day. It is also open for anybody to enter. Even if you were a murderer who killed a priest, you would still be able to enter. Even someone like me who had 771 infamy [1] had no issues entering the Volcanus Temple. Of course that did not mean that everybody would be welcomed. The priests and bishops were people with emotions as well. I noticed a young priest nearby. It was still pretty early, but he was already out sweeping the grounds. He looked like an honest person. I headed toward the priest. ¡°Excuse me. Could I get a quest to remove my infamy?¡± The priest was shocked and took two steps back. He had an extremely disgusted look on his face as he looked toward me. ¡°Ugh. What is this?¡± It was because of the evil aura from my infamy. ¡°I somehow ended up earning a bit of infamy.¡± ¡°A bit?¡± Honestly, it wasn¡¯t just ¡®a bit¡¯. I guess it would be better to say ¡®a lot,¡¯ or ¡®a terrifying amount¡¯. ¡°However, I did not do anything bad. I want to quickly get rid of this infamy. Who can I receive the quest from?¡± ¡°It is going to take more than a couple quests to erase that much infamy. Please follow me. The bishop is over here.¡± I followed the priest into the temple. ¡®All of the money in the world ends up in the hands of religion!¡¯ It is not something I heard somewhere. It is just my personal opinion. All of the religions have a lot of money. Buddhists, Christians, Catholics, Muslims, all of them. Royal Roader was the same way. Temples that serve a god can gather money while just sitting still. They also do a lot of sales related to divine power. That is the reason all temples and their exterior are extremely gorgeous. This was especially the case for the temple of Ares, the god of war, and Athena, the goddess of wisdom. But this Volcanus Temple was different. It was far from gorgeous. Rather, it looked quite sloppy and shabby. It didn¡¯t feel like a temple; it felt more like a Korean sauna or a blacksmith shop. There wasn¡¯t much to see either. Once we passed through three doors, I saw a pretty large building. There was a rough looking man standing there. It was like I was looking at Zhang Fei of the Three Kingdoms. [2] But the clothes he was wearing was much fancier than the other priests. He must be the bishop in charge of this temple. The priest guided me to the bishop. ¡°Bishop-nim! There is someone requesting an Infamy Quest.¡± ¡°Infamy quest?¡± The bishop looked toward me before a frown instantly appeared on his face. ¡°Why is your infamy so high? Did you murder a priest of a temple?¡± ¡°I hunted a unique monster and turned it into my slave. If I knew his infamy was so high, I should have just killed him. I wish to get a quest that can get rid of my infamy at once.¡± ¡°Tsk. Tsk. I feel bad for you, but there is no quest that can erase such high infamy in one go.¡± You can¡¯t say no that easily. ¡°Won¡¯t it be possible with a blacksmith quest?¡± ¡°Even so, it won¡¯t erase even a tenth of your infamy.¡± He misunderstood me! ¡°Not the human ¡®blacksmith¡¯ anvil worker, but a real blacksmith.¡± I was trying to help the bishop understand me correctly. The bishop¡¯s already large eyes opened even wider at my statement. ¡°Hmm? Not an anvil worker? You really want to challenge a blacksmith quest that only dwarfs would manage to successfully complete?¡± ¡°Yes. If it is that, with the S grade difficulty, wouldn¡¯t it erase any infamy under 1,000 at once?¡± The bishop just stared at me instead of answering. He then showed an extremely wide smile. ¡°Oho! Now that you mention it, the aura coming off of you is not normal. Seeing that you smell like the earth, you give off the feeling of a dwarf. Can I take a look at your stat window?¡± In the game, my secrets were revealed quite a bit. My affinity to earth and light as well as the rest of my disposition window, and my endurance and toughness as well. I managed to achieve a lot because of it, but I also faced unnecessary burdens because of it as well. I will not let that happen this time. Even without doing so, I know the methods to earning everything I want. ¡°I will have to say no. But I am still confident in becoming a blacksmith. Please give me the quest.¡± ¡°Of course. Maybe we might have the first real blacksmith of the humans. First quest. A blacksmith must have a high level of understanding of minerals. Especially as it pertains to the seven minerals that are often used in a blacksmith shop.¡± The quest information was the same as the game as I expected. I just continued to listen with a laid-back expression. On the other hand, the bishop¡¯s eyes grew even larger after giving me the first quest. ¡°Oh! You have already become a Best Miner. There is nobody who knows minerals like a miner. First quest completed. Hoho, you really are different. You are truly special!¡± He¡¯s saying a lot of useless stuff. ¡°Second quest. A true blacksmith cannot only understand minerals with their brain. Only those who have mined minerals with their own hands can truly understand minerals. But you already have plenty of experience. Second quest also completed.¡± The blacksmith quest is a dwarf quest. All dwarfs have one of three dreams. Legendary Blacksmith, a warrior who reaches the level of ¡®One with The Sword,¡¯ and Legendary Miner! They always start as miners. That is why all dwarf quests start with mining quests. As someone who has reached the level of Best Miner, I was able to pass through two quests for free. Third quest. ¡°Good iron comes from good fire, good fire comes from good charcoal, and good charcoal comes from a good tree. The best tree for making charcoals is the fir tree. Find and chop a fir tree with your own hands.¡± A tree as strong as a rock that normal axes cannot even make a dent. That is why it is called the fir tree. Fir trees are numerous throughout the Titan Mountain Range. There are quite a bit of them around the Northern Mines that I just cleared. Plus, I already have experience chopping a fir tree. This quest was the reason I chopped that fir tree as soon as I arrived at the Northern Mines. ¡°Hoho, you have experience chopping a fir tree. Very good. Let¡¯s move right on to the fourth quest.¡± Now the real quest starts. Starting from here, the quests will not be easy. The gate toward hardship is now wide open. ¡°The reason humans can only be anvil workers and not full fledged blacksmiths is because they cannot handle the heat of the fir tree charcoal. Go and make charcoal out of a fir tree. If you can handle that heat, you can open the last gate toward becoming a blacksmith.¡± ____________________________________________________________________ [1] He earned 731 from Chief, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s had any prior. Might be an error from the author. [2] Zhang Fei was one of the generals under Liu Bei. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 36 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 36: Sometimes, the Stupid Method is the Best. (2) ¡°There have been no humans who have successfully completed this, but I have a feeling you just might succeed. Please guide him to the charcoal burner pit.¡± I followed the priest to the pit with the charcoal burner. It made me think about the past. It was about the time I became a blacksmith in the Royal Roader game. I automatically started to swear. ¡®Son of a bitch!¡¯ I did not choose to become a blacksmith on my own accord. It was because of Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s order. [They said it is easy for miners to become blacksmiths. Become a blacksmith and fix my weapon.] I could not say no. If I did, my school life would have been difficult. I headed to the Volcanus Temple to receive the quest. My infamy was just as high that time. It was right after I made the unique monster of the Northern Mines into my slave. The priest gave me the real blacksmith quest and not the anvil worker quest. I wanted it too, since they said the only way to get rid of such high infamy at once was that way. But I soon found out that the blacksmith quest was impossible for humans. It was because of the extreme heat. I had to make charcoal out of a fir tree, but I couldn¡¯t even handle the residual heat of a kiln that wasn¡¯t on. No matter how much I thought about it and tried, it was an impossible quest. So I went and told Hwang Joon Yul the truth. ¡°Even if I die, I can¡¯t do this. It is an impossible quest.¡± This is what Hwang Joon Yul told me back then. ¡°Then die, moron!¡± I was almost beaten to death that day. ¡°I will give you one week. If you cannot become a blacksmith by then, you¡¯ll be beat up again.¡± I thought I was going to go crazy. In fact, I even had the preposterous idea about killing Hwang Joon Yul and then killing myself. I really did put a utility knife in my backpack and looked for an opportunity. But I couldn¡¯t lead myself to do it. With no other option, I challenged the quest again. I didn¡¯t care whether my character died or not. If I died, I ran back and put the tree back in, if I died again, I ran back. After doing that for a while, I realized that my character could suddenly withstand the heat. In the end, I successfully completed the blacksmith quest. Thanks to that, I learned the secret of the blacksmith quest. At the core of it was your affinity to fire. Whether I was withstanding the heat of the fir tree or burning to death from the heat, my affinity to fire had slowly started to go up. But there was no reason to die like I did in the game. Nor could I afford to do so. Why do you think I worked my ass off in the mines to make the endurance stat. ¡°It is here.¡± Fir tree charcoal burner pit. I can already feel the blistering heat. I could see two dwarves not too far away. Dwarves and humans had a lot of disagreements that they do not mingle with each other. But Volcanus Temple was the exception. No matter what city you went to, there were dwarfs in the Volcanus Temple. That is where the tools that humans use are made. Of course that did not mean that their dislike for humans disappear as well. As soon as I appeared at the charcoal burner pit, the dwarves showed strong hostility. ¡°What the hell is a human doing here?¡± ¡°Leave before you burn to death by the flames of the fir tree.¡± I did not respond back. No matter how nice I was, I won¡¯t be able to buy the dwarves¡¯ friendship, nor could I get in their faces to fight then when I needed to learn how to make charcoal from them. In times like this, it¡¯s best to just think ¡®a dog is barking!¡¯ and ignore them. Then the priest will take care of the situation for me. ¡°He is someone who has received the blacksmith quest. Please teach this sir the charcoal recipe.¡± ¡°What? A human has received a blacksmith quest?¡± ¡°Ay. It must be an anvil worker quest. How can a human handle the heat of the fir tree charcoal?¡± ¡°I am certain it is the blacksmith quest. It is a special request of the bishop, so I kindly ask for your assistance.¡± The priest soothed the dwarves with kind words. No matter how much the dwarves hated the humans, they could not show that dislike to a priest of the Volcanus Temple. In the end, they nodded their heads. ¡°Since it is the request of the bishop, I guess we can help him.¡± ¡°But it is not our fault even if he ends up burning to death.¡± ¡°Then I leave him in your hands.¡± The priest said that as he turned around and left. I was left alone in the charcoal burner pit. The two dwarves looked me up and down. They had disgruntled expressions on their faces. Almost like they were saying ¡®where the hell did this shit come from?¡¯ After that, this is the first thing they said. ¡°Must be a crazy fool!¡± ¡°He must definitely be crazy. A human thinks he can become a blacksmith.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just itching to die.¡± What goes around comes around. Even if they are a race that has many issues with humans, their first words towards someone who came to do a temple quest is quite rude. It made me want to make them angry. ¡°Is it that hard to become a blacksmith?¡± ¡°Difficult. Very difficult.¡± ¡°It is impossible for a human like you.¡± I pretended like I knew nothing and tilted my head as I innocently started to speak. ¡°That¡¯s really weird. How hard could it be? You just need to make some charcoals, start a fire, and just casually hammer away.¡± The more I said, the more the dwarves started to frown. ¡°What? Just make charcoal? Casually hammer? You don¡¯t know jack shit! All you know how to do is talk!¡± ¡°Shall I teach you how hard it is for weak humans like you to become a blacksmith? In order to become a blacksmith, you must first be able to handle the heat of the fir charcoal. But you humans can¡¯t even last 1 minute. The moment you are exposed to the heat, your flesh starts to burn, until you die. Do you know how painful it is to burn to death¡­¡­¡± Does the dwarf race usually talk this much? They also speak really fast. I understand they are trying to scare me, but they were talking extremely quickly like a rapper on Show Me the Money. [1] In the end, the dwarves agreed with each other on one thing. The chances of my completing the blacksmith quest was 0%. I will just end up in pain before dying a dog¡¯s death. After hearing that, I was slightly amused. All dwarf blacksmiths have a lot of money. It is because talented blacksmiths can make high quality weapons and tools. If I play my cards right, I should be able to get a lot out of them. ¡°Why are you bluffing so much. If I put my mind to it, I can become a blacksmith within 1 year.¡± ¡°This punk really knows nothing!¡± ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t 1 year but 100 years, you still will not be able to succeed. If you manage to succeed, I will burn my own hands.¡± ¡°Really? Then shall we make a bet? If I manage to successfully complete the blacksmith quest within a year, take care of one of my wish.¡± ¡°Fine! What can¡¯t I promise since it is impossible anyways. However, what will you do if you fail or give up? There needs to be a gain for both sides in a bet.¡± ¡°I will give you this.¡± I took off Bogochan¡¯s Necklace from my neck and showed it to them. It was natural for the dwarves¡¯ jaws to drop. ¡°Wow! It increases fire affinity by 10%.¡± ¡°Earth affinity by 20% as well. And sensitivity by 20 points!¡± ¡°Where did you get this? Won¡¯t you sell it to me? I will give you 1,000,000,000 won.¡± ¡°No, sell it to me. I will give you 1,500,000,000 won!¡± I knew the dwarves would know the value of this necklace. Their first named price was 1 billion won. Of course I had no intentions of selling it. This item is extremely important to me. ¡°I don¡¯t need money. Let¡¯s make a bet.¡± ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s do it! What is it that you want?¡± This was perfect since I needed high quality pickaxes for the miners to use. It will be quite extravagant of a request, but seeing their reaction to the necklace, anything seemed possible. ¡°It¡¯s simple! I need you to make me 200 pickaxes.¡± The dwarves started to smile. For dwarves who are blacksmiths by trade, it would be easy to make 200 pickaxes. But their expressions started to change as I continued to talk. ¡°However, the attack strength needs to be over 10, and attack speed needs to be at least 8. There needs to be no level restrictions, and the strength requirement cannot be over 50.¡± ¡°C, crazy! How can you make a pickaxe like that?¡± It is not impossible. If you use a lot of expensive minerals, any veteran blacksmith should be able to make it. ¡°If you use a titanium and mithril mixed alloy from the head to the shaft, it should be doable.¡± ¡°Wh, what? Make a pickaxe out of titanium and mithril mixed alloy? And the entire thing at that?¡± ¡°You want 200 of those? You stupid idiot! You don¡¯t know the limits of stupidity!¡± I know I was pushing it. Titanium is a luxury mineral used to make high quality weapons. But to ask them to mix mithril as well to make pickaxes. It¡¯s not surprising that they are shocked. Especially since I was asking them to make the entire thing out of it! If you make a pickaxe like that, the ingredients alone will cost at least 2,000,000 won. If you tack on the expensive fee of having a dwarf make it, it should easily cost over 10,000,000 won. But the quality will be worth the cost. It will be light but have a high attack strength, making it at least three to four times more efficient than the average pickaxe. ¡°Why? Are you scared? I thought it was impossible for humans to become blacksmiths.¡± ¡°Of course. It is completely impossible.¡± ¡°Then why are you hesitating?¡± The dwarves will have no choice but to accept the bet. The contents were extremely favorable for them. Plus, I was dangling an extremely valuable item in front of their eyes. I showed them Bogochan¡¯s Necklace one more time. ¡°You don¡¯t want this?¡± The dwarves eyes were full of greed. In the end, they nodded their heads. ¡°Fine! Let¡¯s do it! Let¡¯s make a bet!¡± As I reached out my hand, one of the dwarves grabbed my hand to initiate the bet. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and start. I¡¯m sure you will give up before the day is up.¡± ¡°A day? He won¡¯t even last 10 minutes! Haha!¡± The dwarves were extremely excited. They probably were thinking that Bogochan¡¯s Necklace was as good as theirs. Of course I was satisfied as well. The pickaxes will help increase the gain from the Northern Mines. Then the Northern Mines will be worth much more. What I was aiming for was what comes after that. ¡®Once that happens, I should be able to sell the Northern Mines at three or four times the cost. Hoho!¡¯ I started to learn how to make charcoal from the dwarves. ¡°First change your clothes. Those clothes will catch fire easily.¡± I put on the leather outfit they handed me. ¡°Then let¡¯s start. Pile up the fir tree like this ¡­¡­¡± The dwarves were extremely nice. Since they were confident that I will give up in a short amount of time, they were trying to proceed quickly. Thanks to that, I managed to learn the basics really fast. ¡°Try it on your own now. If you have something you don¡¯t know, ask us as they come up.¡± ¡°You can use that charcoal burner over there. Go ahead. Quickly.¡± The dwarf even pushed my back. It was them telling me to hurry up and try so that I can quickly give up and hand over Bogochan¡¯s Necklace. I didn¡¯t want to prolong it either. I immediately headed to the burner. ¡°Keke. How many seconds will he be able to last?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®seconds¡¯? As soon as he enters into the burner, he¡¯ll turn around and run.¡± ¡°That makes sense! Once that punk gives up, Bogochan¡¯s Necklace is mine.¡± ¡°My ass! I agreed to the bet first so it is mine.¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying?¡± Stupid idiots. But it is normal for them to have that much confidence. A normal human wouldn¡¯t be able to even handle the residual heat of a charcoal burner that was turned off. They would die within 5 seconds. If they want to live, they must quickly run back out. Of course I wasn¡¯t an exception. It was just that I could last longer thanks to my endurance and toughness stats, and fire affinity. But if I use the effects of those properly, I should be able to last quite a while. ¡®Wow! I can already feel the heat!¡¯ I was only close to the entrance of the burner when it felt like I was surrounded by fire from head to toe. How much hotter must it be inside that black pillar? I took a deep breath! It was a breath to push away my fears. I first opened my stat window. I then clicked my HP and enlarged it. Once I did that, the other stats disappeared and only the HP stat remained as a bar to show me the status. I put a weak HP potion and mana potion in my mouth. Since they were the XL ones, I had to take many gulps. The XL potions restore close to 50,000 HP and mana each. Since they were the weak potions, it will take 30 minutes, meaning 28 HP/mana recovered per second. Of course it might vary a bit throughout the time. ¡®I should be able to persist with this much.¡¯ I bravely entered the charcoal burner pit. ¡®Ooo!¡¯ The fierce heat! There were no flames. It was only the residual heat that remained. But it was still so hot that I instantly got burns throughout my body. The pain was intense. That was the difference from the game. In the game, I didn¡¯t know about the pain, but here, I had to feel the pain with my own body. A danger signal immediately rang in my head. But the danger wasn¡¯t the only message. Some positive messages rang through at the same time. ___________________________________________________________________________ [1] South Korean TV show. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 37 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 37: Sometimes, the Stupid Method is the Best. (3) ¡®There is an effect as I expected.¡¯ But the pain is reduced by 32%? That seems like a total lie. It is still so painful. The pain of burning to death! This is not something humans could withstand. Sometimes in history books, it says that ¡®the monk burned his body and sacrificed himself¡¯ or something of the sort, but I think those are all lies as well. It would mean that they were able to overcome this type of pain. What I can confirm is that something like that is impossible. The pain is this bad even with a 32% reduction. How could anybody stand something like this? I quickly put another potion in my mouth. It was the strongest pain relief potion [1] Once I drank the pain relief potion, I had the feeling of ¡®I can live a bit now.¡¯ But it did not mean that all of the pain disappeared. It just lessened the pain. Of course it still felt like I was going to die. I can¡¯t relax because the pain reduced a bit. Although it reduces the pain, it has no healing properties. In fact, I have to be more careful. I could end up dead before I know it, due to things like inhaling too much smoke. I continued to pay attention to my HP bar that I still had open. The HP bar was continuously moving up and down. The weak HP potion was healing me, but since it was not of a higher quality, the healing wasn¡¯t at a consistent rate. But this heat is really scary. I have 16 endurance, 7 toughness, fire affinity 10%, and I was receiving healing from the weak HP potion, but my HP was still draining very quickly. It was being reduced at an average of 12 per second. It wasn¡¯t just my HP. My flesh was getting damaged quickly and the pain was intense. It almost made me question whether I should take another pain relief potion. ¡®Clench¡­¡­¡¯ I clenched my teeth and held on as I continued to stare at my HP bar. My HP was already reduced by close to 85%. My HP, which started at 278, was already down to 40. My heart was beating fast. Since I was losing 12 HP per second, I will be dead within 3 seconds. I can already feel my conscience faltering. I quickly got ready to run out of the charcoal burner. If I put my mind to it, I can rush out within 1 second. But I held on to the last possible moment. And then the message I had been waiting for finally showed up. ¡®Success! Mana suction!¡¯ It is one of the abilities of endurance. If your HP falls below a certain level, it absorbs mana to heal your HP. That certain level depends on how much endurance you have. Since my endurance is currently 16, once my life falls under 16%, it will use 16 mana to exchange it for HP using the mana suction. Thanks to the mana suction, my HP does not decrease anymore. The amount reduce by the heat was not as fast as the amount recovered through mana suction. Although my HP, which had fallen to 44, looked like it would continue to fall, it continued to maintain at that level. I did not have to worry about my mana either. Since I took the XL weak mana potion, I will be recovering 28 mana per second for the next 30 minutes. The only problem was my mental fortitude! Unlike in the game, HP was not just a number. As your HP went down, your strength and mental fortitude took a large hit. My mind kept becoming hazy. With the pain relief potion making me lightheaded as well, my eyes kept wanting to shut. It will be the end if I fall asleep like this. Although I will survive for 30 minutes due to the effect of the potion, once the effects of the potion stop, I will be dead. ¡®If I fall asleep, I will die. I must persevere.¡¯ I opened my eyes wide as I stared at the HP bar. ¡®Persevere! Persevere!¡¯ ¡°Hey! Did you die?¡± It was the dwarf¡¯s voice. He thought that I was dead because I had not come out for over five minutes. It was normal. It is close to impossible for humans to survive this long. I didn¡¯t respond back. The bright entrance then slightly turned darker. The dwarf must have entered to check my situation. My body was extremely curled in. I was ready to dart out within a second if a dangerous situation occurred. The dwarf was extremely surprised at my position. ¡°Wha, what the? You are still alive? Does this make any sense?¡± But the shock only lasted a moment. They were discussing amongst themselves and coming up with explanations before coming to a conclusion. ¡°We saw him take a HP potion earlier. If he used a strong one, it is possible.¡± ¡°He must have also used a pain relief potion. That is how he can survive. But he won¡¯t last long. There is no way he has prepared thousands of potions either.¡± ¡°Even if he did, the results will be the same. It is impossible without the endurance stat. Humans do not have the endurance stat.¡± ¡°Keke. Should not be longer than an hour now.¡± I pretended not to listen. Nor was I in a state to respond back. I just needed to show them with my actions anyways. The dwarves disappeared to the outside once again. I just continued to persevere. This was the recipe for success that I found for the Blacksmith quest. Just using your body to persevere! If you continue to persist for a long time, your endurance will go up, your toughness will go up, and your fire affinity will also go up. Especially when you push your body to the limit where mana suction happens. Once that happens, all of those increase even faster. After a while like that, you¡¯ll be able to work naturally even in this heat. It is the stupidest method ever. But it is the only method for a human to successfully complete the blacksmith quest. ¡®I just need to get past this hardship! Then I can walk on a path of roses! Hold on, Hwi-Ram! Win!¡¯ I just thought about positive things as I persevered and persevered some more. * * * ¡°What kind of magic is that crazy fool using?¡± ¡°Why is he still not dead? Does this make any sense?¡± The dwarves were peeking at Kang Hwi Ram who was inside the burner pit and tilting their heads in confusion. I can¡¯t think of how this is possible. A human can last this long? They then recalled something. ¡°How long has it been since he used a potion?¡± ¡°A bit over 20 minutes.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t he use a potion after about 30 minutes last time too?¡± ¡°He did. Huk! Then¡­¡­!¡± The dwarves¡¯ brains were spinning quickly. They were calculating the relationship between potions and HP. The amount of HP restored through an XL potion was 50,000. Using it every 30 minutes meant it was a weak potion. That meant he was recovering 28 HP per second. Humans lose close to 100 HP per second in the burner bit. Even if he managed to gain some fire affinity thanks to Bogochan¡¯s Necklace, it would still be about 90 HP per second. Which means that he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive using normal methods. Then there was just one reason that explains how he can survive like this. It was something all dwarves hoping to become blacksmiths went through, almost like a custom. ¡°Is mana suction happening?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way! That is only possible with the endurance stat. How would a human have the endurance stat?¡± ¡°But there is no other explanation.¡± ¡°You still have to come up with a reasonable explanation.¡± ¡°Why the hell are you getting angry at me? Did I give him the endurance stat?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you keep spouting nonsense.¡± The dwarves were staring each other down. It looked like they might even start throwing punches. Dwarves were usually extremely individualistic by nature, so it was normal for them to get into fights. In fact, there were times they would instigate something just to let out some stress. But today was not such a day. ¡°Congregation member-nims. Why are you fighting again?¡± It was the voice of the priest. The dwarves were about to throw a punch at each other, but seeing the priest, they slowly backed away. ¡°What brings the priest over here today?¡± * * * How much time must have passed? I was feeling lightheaded because of the pain relief potion. Even with that, it was still so painful that I felt like I was going to go crazy. It made me question whether I even took a pain relief potion. It was so painful that I debated about ¡®why did I start this?¡¯ to ¡®should I just give up and pay it off with money?¡¯ In the middle of my thoughts, I heard the voice of the dwarves behind me. ¡°Human! Can¡¯t you hear me? The priest-nim is calling for you.¡± He must have been calling me for a while. I turned my head and looked toward the dwarves with hazy eyes. ¡°You idiot, you¡¯ve been in here for more than 5 hours.¡± ¡°Hey, do you ¡­¡­ have the endurance stat?¡± They must have finally realized it. They had to. It is impossible to stand the heat of the burner pit without the endurance stat. I did not respond to him. I just showed a painful smile before reminding them of the bet. ¡°How is the preparation for the pickaxes going?¡± Shouldn¡¯t this type of response be enough? ¡°He does. He really does have the endurance stat.¡± ¡°You scammer. You tricked us.¡± Who tricked who? They just made assumptions on their own. ¡°If you think it is unfair, go report it to the temple.¡± Nothing will happen even if they reported it 100 times. I never mentioned anything about the endurance stat. The dwarves just started to frown. ¡°Hurry up and come out. Did you not hear that the priest-nim is calling for you?¡± Why is the priest calling me? Well, I felt like I was going in and out of consciousness anyways. If I end up blacking out, that would be instant death. I did need to take a break at least to recover some mental fortitude. I exited the burner pit with slow steps. My mind was still hazy because of the pain relief potion. ¡°What¡­¡­ is going on?¡± I¡¯m even slurring my words. I need to come back to my senses. ¡°There is someone looking for Kang Hwi Ram-nim. Please head outside.¡± Someone looking for me? Who could it be? Maybe it is because I am feeling lightheaded, but I can¡¯t seem to think of anybo¡­¡­! ¡®Ah, there is one!¡¯ It felt like my mind cleared up at once. ¡®Kaicher, the Warrior of Light!¡± The Infamy Hunter from the Ares Temple. An extremely handsome NPC who monopolized the love of all female users in the game. Of course the reason I kept Kaicher on my mind had nothing to do with his appearance. It was because of the bad relationship we had with each other in the game. I did not want to repeat that bad relationship here. ¡°He has already been waiting for over 30 minutes. But are you okay? Why are you moving so slowly? Should I help you?¡± ¡°No. I am okay.¡± I headed toward the main gate where Kaicher was waiting. But I did not rush. I can¡¯t show such weak side to Kaicher. I want to only show an unfaltering strong image. I took enough time for my mind to return to normal. I then combed my hair and fixed up my clothes before I headed outside the temple. The moment I stepped outside the main gate, I heard a trustworthy voice. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram!¡± I followed the voice and turned my head. At the same time, I had an ¡®I knew it!¡¯ type of feeling. The being that created this world must have been a woman. That goddess must have used Kaicher to show her ideal man. If not, there was no way he could have such perfect appearance. Sculpture like face with smooth yet firm body. Ah! I shouldn¡¯t look at his body. People might get the wrong idea. I lifted my eyes back up to look at his eyes. He had a strong gaze fitting his chiseled face. But how did he know my name? Ah, since he already met the priest of the Volcanus Temple, he must have heard from him. He would have also known I was Kang Hwi Ram by the aura of infamy coming off of me. ¡°Are you the Warrior of Light, Kaicher?¡± ¡°You hid at an unexpected spot.¡± ¡°I am not hiding. I just came here to erase my infamy.¡± ¡°I heard from the priest-nim. Take your pick. Will you peacefully come with me? Or will you try your luck and end up being dragged by me?¡± Yes. This was the beginning of the terrible relationship with Kaicher! I will change it. I will turn it from terrible to it becoming a destined meeting. Then one day, I will turn him into my most trustworthy ally. _________________________________________________________________________ [1] What I had as paralyze heals were cleared up to be pain relief potions. I went and changed chapter 31 as well, when he bought the potions. Last Chapter for the week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 38 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 38: Promise of Fate (1) ¡°We will be together in the end anyways. But only after I erase all of my infamy.¡± ¡°You must have a lot of money.¡± ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work then I can take care of it with money.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t planning to run away in secret while you have the protection of the temple are you?¡± It¡¯s normal for him to think this way. It is impossible for the average person to erase this level of infamy with a quest. Plus, once you receive an infamy quest from a temple, you get 6 months of protection from the temple. During that time, nobody can arrest me. It also becomes harder to track down my infamy. If you are nearby, you would be able to strongly feel the evil aura, but as you get further away, the Temple¡¯s protection makes it hard to feel the aura. Which means that while I am under the protection of the temple, I can run away to places where it will be difficult for Infamy Hunters to catch me. Of course, an experienced one like Kaicher won¡¯t let me slip by that easily. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll find that out after waiting 6 months.¡± ¡°Fine. I will wait. But you better prepare yourself. My anger will continue to grow every minute that I am waiting for you. And once the temple¡¯s protection is gone, I will use all of the power bestowed upon me by the gods to cause you pain. I promise that right here.¡± It wasn¡¯t an empty threat. Kaicher was being completely honest. His anger will really continue to build while he waits. Kaicher¡¯s title of Warrior of Light isn¡¯t actually Warrior of Light, but the ¡®Crazy Warrior.¡¯ [1] There wasn¡¯t anything I could do right now. I needed to wait for the right moment to help him relieve that anger. ¡°I will also make you a promise.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Before these 6 months are up, you will get rid of this misunderstanding you have of me. You will then start to respect me. I will make that happen.¡± I really didn¡¯t even need 6 months. No, I can¡¯t let it go that long. In the near future, the Chaos Battle will begin in the Ameri Kingdom. It is an event that happens once a year, but for warriors, it is the continent¡¯s greatest festival. I need to make sure I take part in that battle. There are quite a lot of things to earn from the battle, but most importantly, if I miss this moment, all of my plans may end up in smokes. Almost like how a sand castle without water crumbles down. I have less than 4 months until that Chaos Battle. Which means, I need to finish this blacksmith quest within 3 months. ¡°Hoho.¡± Kaicher laughed again. This time, the laugh was a bit stronger. You will end up laughing in front of me again. But the reason for it will be very different. But in order to make that happen, I need to quickly finish this blacksmith quest. * * * Tang. Tang. Tang. One of the dwarves started hammering early in the morning. The other dwarf showed up to the blacksmith shop a bit later and tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Hey, what are you making right now?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? A pickaxe. You hurry up and start too.¡± ¡°Damn it. How long will it take us to make 200 of them?¡± ¡°That is why we need to start now. We can¡¯t go against a promise made in front of the god Volcanus.¡± ¡°I should have known from the moment he asked us to mix mithril into the pickaxe. Especially when he wanted the whole thing that way!¡± ¡°This is bad. We don¡¯t have enough mithril. In fact, we are extremely lacking in mithril. Contact the other dwarves!¡± ¡°Son of a¡­.¡± Tang. Tang. Tang. The dwarves¡¯ hammering was much rougher today than usual. * * * ¡°Deputy mayor! Deputy mayor!¡± The secretary ran into the office in shock. Donstar glared toward the secretary. To interrupt his morning coffee and his peace. ¡°Why are you so frantic at this time of day?¡± ¡°They finished developing the Northern Mines.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± He had heard about a group of miners heading toward the Northern Mines. Of course he laughed. To think that a small group of people could develop the Northern Mines when nobody has managed to do so for so many years. He was going to wait until they failed before he put together another team. Since there were many miners kicked out of the Batoom Mines, this was the best time to do so. But to successfully completed the development? It hasn¡¯t even been that many days since they headed that way. It was impossible to believe. ¡°What about the monster?¡± ¡°They caught it. One of the miners took the monster in as a slave.¡± ¡°WHAT!¡± Donstar jumped up in surprise. His coffee mug ended up falling over and ended up spilling all over the table, but there was no time to worry about that. ¡°You¡¯re telling me that it really was cleared completely?¡± ¡°Yes. They said that miners were busy finishing things up. They should be able to start mining within 15 days at most. How could this unbelievable thing be the truth. ¡°God damn it!¡± This was just too unfair. Just how much had he spent to develop the Northern Mines until now. Of course it was always the Titan Valley public funds and none of his own personal funds. But in Donstar¡¯s perspective, Titan Valley¡¯s money was his money. But to lose the Northern Mines to some punk. He could not just sit still. He needed to do whatever he could to take it back. He then recalled something that was just said. ¡°He took that monster as a slave?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The monster in the Northern Mines should have an extremely high level of infamy. Donstar didn¡¯t know the exact number, but he knew it should be at least over 500. To take that kind of monster as slave ¡­¡­! ¡°He should have gained quite a bit of infamy.¡± ¡°You are correct. That is why he headed out to complete a temple quest and erase his infamy.¡± ¡°Temple quest? Hoho! That makes things easy.¡± With that level of infamy, he would need to do at least 10 A grade quests and if he wanted to take care of it at once, he would need to do an S grade quest. But the duration of the Temple¡¯s protection from the quest is only 6 months. There is no way he can erase that much infamy within that time. Donstar just needed to aim for that moment. As long as Hwi Ram had a stake in Titan Valley, there was a reason to capture him before the Infamy Hunters do. If Donstar can capture him and threaten him, the Northern Mines will automatically become his. ¡°Which temple is it?¡± ¡°Avanguarde¡¯s Volcanus Temple.¡± ¡°Send two security force members to make sure he does not run away. Make sure they capture him as soon as the temple¡¯s protection is gone.¡± Yes Deputy Mayor!¡± * * * 2 months later. The noise that started the morning off in the Volcanus Temple was quite unique. Tang. Tang. Tang. A clear and refreshing hammering noise. It is because dwarves were a race that preferred the morning. In return for going to sleep early in the evening, they woke up really early to start working. But the dwarves here at Avanguarde¡¯s Volcanus Temple were taking that to the extreme. No, they were working differently than the normal pattern of the dwarf race. They woke up really early and worked without resting until late at night. They were like dwarves poisoned by greed. Of course they weren¡¯t always like this. It only started a few days ago. The reason? It was because they had to work hard and make those pickaxes for me. Pickaxes made completely of titanium and mithril at that! Was that the reason? Listening to the noise of the hammering as I laid in the temple residence made me smile really widely. Tang. Tang. Tang. ¡®They are working hard.¡¯ Thanks to the dwarves, my day started earlier as well. Before I knew it, the sky outside my window was becoming brighter. ¡®Should I start moving as well?¡¯ I ate breakfast with the basic spread the temple provided for me and then headed straight for the Temple Gates. It was part of my daily routine. I started each morning with Kaicher. You are completely wrong if you think it is because of Kaicher¡¯s beauty. The reason I am doing this is to build a bond. Even a bond made from him hating me is still a bond. I need to keep seeing him like this for my presence to be vivid in Kaicher¡¯s mind. Just inside the temple gate was a small hut. The Volcanus Temple prepared it just for Kaicher. Kaicher was of course inside the hut. It was symbolizing that he would make sure I could not run away. The walls of the temple are protected by a divine force, so blocking the temple gate was blocking my only way out. But he really is amazing. His hips were straight and he was standing tall. It¡¯s been over two months already, but he doesn¡¯t even look a tiny bit disheveled. It made me remember that although he was the Crazy Warrior, he was still a priest of the Ares Temple. I even understood why they called him the pride of the Ares Temple. Kaicher should not know anything about the progression of my quest. Not only Kaicher, but the bishop and priest of the Volcanus Temple as well. As long as they were human, it would be almost impossible to become friendly with the dwarves. I¡¯m sure the dwarves did not tell anybody about it. In that aspect, I felt sorry for Kaicher. He¡¯s been waiting like this for two months for something he won¡¯t successfully accomplish. I guess it is better to be out here getting fresh air than being stuck in a temple. ¡®Have those fools not come out yet?¡¯ The security force that Deputy Mayor Donstar sent. At first, they were taking turns night and day and looked pretty dedicated. But it did not last more than 15 days. They started to leave their posts little by little, until now, when they were probably spending more time away than actually watching me. I guess I would be the same way. They¡¯re only doing it because they can¡¯t go against Donstar¡¯s orders. I got close to Kaicher¡¯s hut and sat down as if I was facing him. Then I waited patiently until Kaicher started to talk. ¡°Stop bothering me and go away.¡± His deep voice is charismatic no matter how much I hear it. Thank goodness I¡¯m a guy. If I was a girl, something definitely would have happened. Something definitely would have happened many many times. ¡°I am curious.¡± Kaicher did not respond. Nor did I expect him to. I¡¯ve talked to him with no response back for quite a while now. Kaicher only spoke when he needed to speak. But if I keep talking at him, he ends up responding at some point. ¡°Why do you hate me so much?¡± ¡°Because you are a criminal.¡± ¡°Is that so? Then if I prove that I am not a criminal, you won¡¯t have a reason to hate me!¡± No answer again. ¡°Not everyone with high infamy are criminals. You can earn infamy through an unavoidable situation.¡± ¡°I trust my experience more than your words. I have never seen anybody with your level of infamy that was a good person.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯d be the first! I am exactly that type of person.¡± Kaicher let out a deep sigh. It must mean that there was no reason to even respond. ¡°Either way, you are bound to fail and return empty-handed. I will soon complete this temple quest and erase all of my infamy.¡± Kaicher lightly snorted this time. After chatting with him like this for over two months, I can pretty much tell what he is thinking by looking at his expression. ¡°You¡¯re thinking that it is impossible. Then if I manage to succeed, I¡¯d be an amazing person who managed to do the impossible. Do you admit that?¡± No response again. But this time, he will have no choice but to respond. It was time to bring out the present I prepared for Kaicher. ¡°Then how about this? Make a bet with me.¡± Open your eyes now. ¡°I will first name the condition. Bind my wrist with this!¡± At the word ¡®bind,¡¯ Kaicher finally opened his eyes. He was looking at the item I took out of my bag. At the same time, the eyes that were glaring at me started to burn. ¡®Ay, that was shocking. Why is he like this?¡¯ ¡°What are you doing? You dirty ¡­¡­!¡± Dirty? Oh! The name! [Lovers¡¯ Promise] Durability: 9,999/9,999 Binding Power: 9,999 Binding Condition: TBD Release Condition: TBD Who cares about the name? Isn¡¯ the important part the ability? ¡°Don¡¯t get the wrong idea. What are you thinking. I prefer women, not men.¡± ¡°Then what is this?¡± Kaicher pointed toward the ¡®lovers¡¯ promise¡¯ with his chin, as if he was dealing with dirty poop. ¡°I told you. Bind my wrist with this. All you have to do is think of it as a promise of fate, not lovers¡¯. The binding condition is 10 days later! The release condition is either I complete the temple quest or you win! How about it?¡± [2] This is a handcuff with magical powers. Right now they are apart like two bracelets, but the moment the binding conditions are completed, they will attach to each other. They will then not release until the release condition is fulfilled. Which means, if I do not succeed in this temple quest, my wrists will be bound 10 days later. ¡°Tsk. Tsk. Why does the priest of a temple have such tastes in that direction? Does looking at the name make your heart beat faster?¡± ¡°Wa, what are you talking about? I have no interest in that direction.¡± Then why is your face red? Very suspicious! ¡°So? Are you saying no when I am saying I will let myself be caught?¡± I could feel the conflict in Kaicher¡¯s eyes. But the conflict did not last long. Kaicher focused his eyes as if he made a big determination. ¡°What is it you want from me?¡± ¡°Spend just four days with me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Wh, what?¡± Kaicher¡¯s gaze shook once more. This dude¡¯s imagining something weird again! Did he have some traumatic experiences as a kid? I can¡¯t believe it! ¡°I just want to show you the type of person I am. Why do you keep letting your mind wander off in a weird direction? Do you have a lot of interest towards that?¡± His face was getting red again. It is very disappointing. Seeing as how he was not disheveled at all after 2 months, I thought he was really well trained. But for his composure to be disrupted this easily. Was it because he was the Crazy Warrior? I guess you need to be able to explode your emotions quickly in order to bring out the most of your potential. ¡°I will ask something before agreeing. If you are so confident, all you have to do is erase your infamy. Why would you request such a deal with me?¡± ¡°Ah, that?¡± Of course there is a very special reason. ¡®I don¡¯t want to have to kill you with my own hands this time.¡¯ ________________________________ [1] The Korean word for light can also be used for crazy. [2] The korean word for lovers and fate is just the same words in opposite order. Lovers is ¡®yunin¡¯ where as fate is ¡®inyun.¡¯ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 39 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 39: Promise of Fate (2) Do you know how much it hurt me to kill you with my own hands? Do you know how much of a waste it was? It was like how I felt when Zhang Fei and Guan Yu died while I was reading the Three Kingdoms. I didn¡¯t want to do anything and just blankly stared at the screen for a while. I did not want to do that again this time. You are too important to waste like that. That is why I thought long and hard about a method. A method to keep you alive and make you one of my own. Getting a lot of infamy from making Chief my slave was something I had to do. Having the Infamy Hunter Kaicher come after me was also unavoidable. That is why I set my mind on changing what came after that. I wanted to change our terrible destiny to a good one. And one more reason. Now my goal is clear. It is not getting a 95, or 96 and getting satisfied. It is getting a 100 in this world. To not be under anybody else and becoming an omnipotent presence. In order to make that happen, people are the most important. In the game, even though I said I was going to attack the Demon Lord Heros, who was a common enemy to everybody, only about 10,000 supporters moved with me. If it was not the Demon Lord Heros and I just asked them to put their lives on the line for me, how many of them would have followed? Even if I included my slave brigade, it would have only been a couple hundred people. No, probably not even 100 people. I will make sure not to repeat such a situation. I will make soulmates who will share life and death with me. And not just your average people, but strong individuals who can represent the continent. I¡¯ve already made a list of people to snatch. Magician, warrior, dwarf, elf, bishop, merchant ¡­¡­ The first of them is this person in front of me. Kaicher. He¡¯s currently associated with a temple, but once the world changes, he¡¯ll need to break his vow. Then he will remove the priest outfit and stand proudly as just the Crazy Warrior Kaicher. I hope that this time we do not point our blades at each other, and instead, trust each other to protect our backs. With that in mind, I will flatter you this one time. I trained my flattery skills from the friendliness lessons at the carwash. I might as well put it to use like this every so often. ¡°I looked up to it. The name of Kaicher, the Warrior of Light! And I wanted to meet you at least once.¡± [1] Kaicher looked taken back. I hope he¡¯s not taking it the wrong way again. ¡°If I have the opportunity, I want to show you just what kind of person I am. I just want to make that opportunity for myself. Is that too difficult?¡± Kaicher just silently stared at me. He was trying to determine my sincerity through my eyes. A bit later. ¡°Fine. I can accept that kind of deal.¡± Kaicher took the lovers¡¯ promise from me. No, between us, it¡¯s more proper to say the ¡®Promise of Fate.¡¯ He put one on each of my wrists. And then he started to speak like he was chanting a spell. ¡°The binding condition is 10 days from now. The release conditions are either succeeding in the temple quest or my permission!¡± ¡°Agreed!¡± I answered without any hesitation. Once that happened, both pieces of the Promise of Fate turned red for a moment before it returned to normal. The magic on the hook was being activated. Now, if I cannot keep the promise, the two hooks will combine into one and bind my wrists. Of course something like that will not happen. Kaicher did not need to do a ritual of promise. A priest needs to keep any promise they make as it is made in front of their god. I lightly smiled. ¡°Then let¡¯s meet again in the near future. It¡¯d be nice if we can have a meal together and share some stories.¡± Kaicher remained emotionless. But I could feel a tiny tremble in Kaicher¡¯s eyes. He was starting to worry about my strong confidence. That worry will be confirmed soon. Today if I¡¯m fast, tomorrow at the latest. I headed back to the temple. Specifically, I headed back to the charcoal burner pit. The closer I got to the pit, the hammering noise became louder. The dwarves¡¯ blacksmith shop was right next to the pit. Tang. Tang. Tang. I could see the dwarves. They were swinging their hammers without stopping. I should at least greet them since they are working that hard for me. A friendly greeting. ¡°Good morning.¡± The dwarves stopped hammering and looked at me. No, they glared at me. With extremely rough gazes. ¡°Stupid human.¡± ¡°That dude isn¡¯t even a human. If we remove that mask on his face, I guarantee that there is a dwarf under there.¡± Their gazes were rough and so were their words. However, there was a different sentiment hiding underneath it. ¡°Acceptance!¡± They accepted that I would be able to be the first human to succeed in becoming a blacksmith. Something that was said to be impossible for humans. No, they had no choice but to accept it. I already finished making the fir tree charcoal and was reaching the end of the fifth quest. That was why they were melting titanium and mithril to make a pickaxe. They couldn¡¯t go against a promise they made in front of the god Volcanus. ¡°I think I will be able to finish the quest by tomorrow at the latest. How are the pickaxes coming along?¡± ¡°Do not worry. We¡¯ve already asked other dwarf blacksmiths for help. It should be completed by tomorrow.¡± ¡°Damn it. To think that we would end up making pickaxes out of mithril for a damn human.¡± The dwarves were grumbling. ¡°No need to hurry. I won¡¯t be taking it right away anyways. Take your time and slowly proceed. But instead, make sure the best effects are on them. Please.¡± The dwarf blacksmiths always try their best when it comes to blacksmith work. It won¡¯t be terribly made. After I finished my short morning greeting with the dwarves, I headed into the shop as well. The last step of the Blacksmith Occupation Quest. ¡®Melt a piece of mithril and make a mithril mass!¡¯ I first checked my stats. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 9] Dexterity: Advanced Level 2, 28% Strength: 96 Agility: 89 Stamina: 73 Intuition: 58 Magic: 8 Vitality: 35 Mana: 126 HP: 452 Endurance: 28 Toughness: 21 My vitality went up the most. Stamina went up quite a bit as well. Thanks to that, my HP was now over 450. But the thing that was even sweeter was that endurance and toughness went up. I can raise the other stats using the bonus points, but you can¡¯t do that with endurance or toughness. I needed to use opportunities like this to raise it as much as I could, so I was pretty satisfied with the growth. It was the saving grace that allowed me to persist through the heat of the Fir Tree Charcoal. I then checked my disposition window. Hometown: Titan Valley (Batoru Kingdom) Disposition: Militant Fire Affinity: 48% Water Affinity: 2% Wind Affinity: 2% Earth Affinity: 81% Light Affinity: 100% Ice Affinity: 2% My fire affinity was close to 50%. Endurance and toughness were important for completing this blacksmith quest, but the most important key point was fire affinity. Thanks to it, I could now proceed without getting severely burnt by the heat of the fir charcoal. Then shall I start again? I lit the fir coal and used the bellow to increase the temperature. Whooosh~ ¡®Wow! It¡¯s still really hot.¡¯ I kept my HP bar open and watched as it changed. My HP was not going down yet. I also wasn¡¯t getting any burns. But I could feel the pain. Pain that I needed to withstand on my own without the help of a pain relief potion. In order to make a mass of mithril, the temperature control is important. If it is too low it will not melt, if it is too high, it will evaporate. You need to maintain that perfect temperature for over 30 minutes to get a high quality mass. It is impossible to be so precise with the temperature with a hazy mind. So I just have to clench my teeth and withstand it. I almost succeeded yesterday. But the temperature went up too high with about 3 minutes left, making all of it evaporate. I¡¯ve already wasted over 20,000,000 won worth of mithril like that. It cost that much even though I only used the minimum amount of mithril possible. ¡®I will succeed for sure today.¡¯ I put more strength into the bellow. The temperature rose even faster as a result. Now my HP started to go down little by little. It seemed to be about 1 HP per 5 seconds. But my recovery speed was fast because of my endurance. I can withstand something at this level even without using a potion. ¡®Okay. This is the right temperature.¡¯ I didn¡¯t need a thermometer. My skin was pretty much a thermometer now. I put the mithril on top of the charcoal. I controlled the speed of the bellow to make sure the temperature remained consistent. Slowly, the mithril started to melt little by little. Now is the battle against pain. I need to maintain this temperature for over 30 minutes while feeling the heat with my skin. ¡®I¡¯m going to go crazy!¡¯ I clenched my teeth. If I fail this time, I need to repeat this pain again. I¡¯d rather do it once and get it over with. I didn¡¯t even care about the stat increase message. My full focus was on the temperature. 30 minutes passed by like that. The last piece of mithril finally melted completely. I quickly took it out and poured it into a mold. I then stretched my arms and cheered. ¡°Hooray!¡± Did they heard my voice? The hammering that was coming from outside suddenly stopped. Then the dwarf blacksmiths moved their heads into the shop. ¡°What? You completed it?¡± ¡°Really?¡± I made a O with two fingers toward the dwarves. I can laugh all I want in times like this. ¡°Ahahahahaha.¡± The eyes of the Volcanus Bishop were the size of a lamp. In his hand was a mithril mass three times the size of a sugar cube. I didn¡¯t finish it off so the color was odd, but it was a high quality mithril mass. ¡°This¡­¡­did you really make this yourself?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t believe me, please ask the dwarves over here.¡± The bishop looked toward the dwarves. The dwarves stopped working and came to see the bishop with me. The reason was simple. This was a historical moment the first ever human blacksmith was being born. To witness such a scene was a big honor for the dwarves. The dwarves nodded their heads. ¡°We don¡¯t want to accept it, but it is the truth.¡± ¡°Damn it. I¡¯m telling you, he¡¯s more like a dwarf than a human.¡± Their words were rough, but the way they were looking at me were full of approval. The dwarves had already accepted me as a blacksmith. The bishop smiled really widely. ¡°Wow. A human really became a blacksmith. Not an anvil worker, but a real blacksmith!¡± _______________________________ [1] I¡¯m not really sure whether it should be Warrior of Light or Crazy Warrior. So if it is official, I will leave it Warrior of Light. If it is Hwi Ram talking to himself or making fun of Kaicher, I will use Crazy Warrior. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 40 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 40: Promise of Fate (3) I felt something sharp at my wrist. When I looked down, there was a new tattoo on there. It was the mark to represent successfully completing the slave quest. ¡®I guess this is how they appear.¡¯ But to be the first human blacksmith. I wasn¡¯t the first because nobody has attempted it. Many people have, but they could not handle the heat of the fir tree charcoal and settled for being an anvil worker instead of becoming a blacksmith. That is why I am the first. If you think about it, I just did something amazing. Maybe that was the reason the reward message was short, but still full of stuff. My public ranking and fame were increased significantly. I opened my extended stats window. Faith: 6 Knowledge: 125 Charm: 6 Sensitivity: 6 Fame: 568 Reliability: 131 [1] Titan Valley Public Rank: 836 Batoru Kingdom Public Rank: 107 With this level, I should be treated well no matter where I go. Using my public rank, I should be able to lead the greatest amount of supporters when I try to develop the Southern district. ¡°O Lord, thank you very much. For the first ever human blacksmith to be born from our temple. It is the grace of our god.¡± The bishop looked like a crazy person raising both of his arms in the air and mumbling to himself. He then suddenly looked toward me. His eyes were shining. I already know what he is going to say. I already experienced it once in the game. ¡°Mr. Hwi Ram. You are a person selected by the god Volcanus. Challenge the Expert Blacksmith quest. You must do it.¡± I knew this would happen. I also planned to do so. The moment I tried to open my mouth, the bishop cut me off, as if to say something first. ¡°Do not think about rejecting it. If you do, I will make your infamy twice the amount of your fame to hold you captive at the temple. This is an order given by our god.¡± You don¡¯t know just how much I swore at my monitor when I heard this message in the game. But what good would that do? I didn¡¯t have a choice. To earn infamy that is twice the amount of my fame, then there was no point in doing the temple quest in the first place. In the end, I accepted the bishop¡¯s will and challenged the Expert Blacksmith occupation when I played the game. Of course I plan to do so again. But it is different than last time. I was already prepared. I guess you can say I had a plan to tread past the upcoming problems? First, I need to suck out everything I can suck out. ¡°In return, I have a request. If you can grant me this request, I will follow your will to challenge the Expert Blacksmith quest.¡± ¡°What is it? Just tell me what it is. If it is something I can do, I will do whatever it is.¡± ¡°I am currently developing the Northern Mines in Titan Valley. It is going to become the home of many miners. However, the access route is dangerous, so there are many complaints. Please help fix up the access route.¡± ¡°The development of a mine is something our Volcanus Temple highly favors. We should already have a budget set aside for it. I will soon send over some experts. Is there anything else you need?¡± Great. I was worried about how to fix up the access route but it was handled in one go. ¡°That is enough. Then please give me the quest.¡± ¡°First. Open a blacksmith shop with your name on it. If you tell me the location, I will give you full support in creating it.¡± ¡°I will of course build it in the Northern Mines.¡± ¡°Very well. I will have architects head right over to first build the shop.¡± Things were progressing smoothly. The bishop caressed my shoulder with a satisfied expression. It was almost like he was looking at his son. ¡°All of the pickaxes are ready. It is piled up in the shop so take it with you.¡± The dwarf¡¯s voice. They had not returned to the blacksmith shop just yet. ¡°I will use that as a surprise present. I will take it once I create the right atmosphere, so please hold on to it for me for a bit.¡± ¡°Surprise present? Surely you are not planning on giving these to the miners for free?¡± ¡°That¡¯s crazy. If you sell this in the market, you would get at least 10,000,000 won for each one. In total, that is over 2,000,000,000 won.¡± The dwarves misunderstood my words. Of course it will be a surprise present for the miners. Even if I sold these for money, mining with this pickaxe will increase the amount of minerals mined by multiple times. But the real recipient of the surprise present is someone else. You¡¯ll find out who it is soon enough. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that.¡± ¡°I guess it has nothing to do with us now.¡± ¡°When you are ready come on by whenever. I will open up the supply room for you.¡± ¡°Gracias.¡± [2] ¡°And you¡¯re not too bad. I looked down on you too much.¡± ¡°Seriously. We normally do not look favorable on humans, but for some reason, you don¡¯t seem too bad.¡± Dwarves were really the blacksmith race. As soon as I became a blacksmith, the way they treated me changed completely. If they are nice to me, I will be nice back. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No need to thank us. We just feel that it won¡¯t be bad to know one human as long as it is someone like you.¡± ¡°If you have a request for me, let me know. If I need a request from a human, I¡¯ll let you know as well.¡± I like this deal very much. I was planning on going to get the weapon I used in the game next anyways. Bunkai Cutlass. Two blades as a pair, perfect for the TBSA. It is not fitting for the dwarves who focus on strength as they grow. But it is a weapon that is considered a treasure in the Dwarf World. That was why I had so much trouble getting it in the game. I also got it after I hit level 200, making it not useful for that long. If I acquired it and used it from an earlier time, my growth would have been faster. I plan on trying to get it earlier this time. In order to do that, I need to first meet the Chief of the Dwarves. Plus, it doesn¡¯t do me any harm to get to know the dwarf race. Once you become friendly with them, it is easy to get high quality weapons, and you can rely on their support. The dwarves are strong warriors. ¡°Then can I make a request right now?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Although I managed to become the first human blacksmith, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the blacksmith is a dwarf occupation.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°You really do understand. So what is your request?¡± The dwarves expressions became brighter. No matter what race it is, if you compliment them and their surroundings, they will feel good. ¡°With that in mind, I want to get the last quest for the Expert Blacksmith Occupation quest directly from a dwarf. Wouldn¡¯t that be the way to show my respect?¡± ¡°Ohoho. This friend of ours knows about respect.¡± ¡°Hahaha. This friend is really different. That is indeed proper! So you want us to introduce you to our chief?¡± I lightly nodded my head. ¡°Right. A human cannot just waltz into a dwarf village. Can you write me an introduction?¡± ¡°Of course of course. I will write you one.¡± ¡°No. I will do it. Although you are a human, aren¡¯t you a blacksmith that the god Volcanus approves of? I¡¯m sure our chief will welcome you with open arms as well.¡± ¡°I said I will write him one first!¡± ¡°Why are you talking nonsense again?¡± These two fight whenever they can. If they were humans, they¡¯d probably become friends over this. But when dwarves are like this, they may end up having a big fight. Over something so trivial. I gave them a simple solution. ¡°Can¡¯t you each write one? Then I can show that I am friends with two amazing dwarves.¡± ¡°Amazing dwarf? Ahaha. Sure thing.¡± ¡°You really are a good human. I could tell from the first time I saw you.¡± The dwarves wrote the introduction message on the spot. The introduction included ¡®a really amazing human,¡¯ ¡®a friend with good character,¡¯ and other compliments of the sort. The power of compliments is truly amazing. I put the two invitations away safely. These will benefit me greatly in the future. ¡°I have one more request.¡± ¡°Humans really are greedy.¡± ¡°You plan on taking everything from us. What is it?¡± The dwarves grumbled. But contrary to their grumbling, they had a smile on their faces. Honestly speaking, the invitation cannot be considered a request. Wasn¡¯t it something that boosted their pride? Plus, it was their chance to show to their chief that they have a close relationship with the historic first blacksmith of the humans. You could even consider them benefiting off of me. The second request wasn¡¯t difficult either. ¡°Make me two pairs of cutlasses. One should have a strength restriction of 70, and the other should have a strength restriction of no more than 38. Shouldn¡¯t we have an item to commemorate our meeting? Of course I will pay for it.¡± ¡°Commemorate our meeting. I like the sound of that. But one needs to have a strength restriction of less than 38? Then the attack strength won¡¯t be as good.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to settle in that aspect. But I believe in the abilities of you dwarves. I can¡¯t do much about it if you don¡¯t have the abilities though.¡± The dwarves instantly looked at each other. You could see their competitive spirit in their eyes. The dwarves took a lot of pride in the blacksmith occupation. It was natural to have such competitive spirit. But the two of their competitive spirits should have passed that level. Why? Because I was the first human blacksmith. It is not a ¡®once in a while¡¯ type of deal. I was the first ever in history, and may be even the only one to ever achieve it. No one might accomplish this ever again. To be able to have a connection with such a person. For the blacksmith race, wouldn¡¯t that alone be a great honor? I was certain they will make it with care that went beyond the care they showed any weapon they made until now. WIth this, I shouldn¡¯t have to worry about the quality of the cutlass. ¡°Then I shall be on my way now.¡± ¡°Okay. We will meet again when your blacksmith shop finishes building.¡± I left the bishop and the dwarves and left the temple. There was still a hut in front of the temple gate. Kaicher was also sitting in the same position, protecting the hut. ¡°You¡¯re working hard!¡± Kaicher opened his eyes in surprise. I started a conversation with Kaicher like this for close to two months. But this was the first time he was so surprised. The reason was obvious. If he could hear my voice, he should also feel the evil aura, but there was none of it. Kaicher looked at me up and down with disbelief. ¡°What happened? How¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t you feel the evil aura? Obviously because I finished the quest. I told you it¡¯ll be that way.¡± ¡°Unbelievable. It was impossible.¡± ¡°Oho. Then I turned the impossible into the possible and showed it to you. Since I showed you something so amazing, buy me food in return!¡± Kaicher looked completely lost. He could not move and just continued to stare at me. ¡°I will help you put the hut away. Let¡¯s hurry up. I¡¯m so hungry I might die.¡± I started to move my hand to put Kaicher¡¯s hut away. But a different hand grabbed my hand. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram. You are under arrest.¡± When I turned my head, it was one of Donstar¡¯s security force members. He wasn¡¯t there just a moment ago. I guess he was screwing around and just came back to his spot. Not only is he not disciplined, he is also not very observant. By now, any normal people would have realized the change in my status. ¡°What am I being arrested for?¡± ¡°Of course your infamy¡­¡­hmm? What happened to the infamy¡­¡­?¡± Very slow. He finally noticed. ¡°Then there is no reason for me to be arrested right?¡± I moved my body to push away the security force member¡¯s hand. But the difference in our strength was too much. I moved with a decent amount of force, but he didn¡¯t move an inch. My level is indeed too low. My strength is very strong in comparison to my level, but I¡¯m still just a baby chick in front of a security force member who is over level 100. ¡°Can you let go of me now?¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, yes!¡± The security force member quickly let go of me. He then changed his attitude to one of request instead of force. ¡°The Deputy Mayor is looking for you. Come with me.¡± Even if he told me not to come, I will go see him. It is now time to pay back my debt from the game. Beyond that, I want to land a nice hit against someone like Donstar. But there is no need to hurry. Timing is everything. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I already have plans.¡± I looked toward Kaicher as I spoke. Kaicher was in the process of putting the hut away. ¡°I will go see him when I have time. If he needs to urgently see me, he can come to the Northern Mines and find me there.¡± ¡°How rude!¡± This is not called rude, it is more I have nothing to lose. Have you not heard that it is the thirsty people who dig the wells?[3] I didn¡¯t even pretend to listen. I just started to talk to Kaicher who finished putting the hut away. ¡°Now it is time for you to keep your promise.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Kaicher took the lead. I walked next to him as if we were walking on cadence. The Warrior of Light Kaicher is a really famous warrior. There is no way the security force members do not know about his respected name. Because of that, he could not be rude to me since I was companions with Kaicher. All he could do was stare at me as I walked away with him. ____________________________________ [1] I changed this to reliability since it seems to make more sense. [2] The author writes out the English Thank You in Korean. So in the spirit of keeping it different, I changed it to Spanish. [3] Korean saying that says the people that need something are the ones who do what it takes to get it. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 41 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 41: No Matter What it is, Having a Good Bait is Important (1) A fancy restaurant in Avanguarde. People keep looking this way. Especially women. I guess it is a weird visual. Kaicher, the priest of the Ares Temple is so cool that it wouldn¡¯t be surprising for him to be glowing, but me, the person sitting across from him, looked like a total bum. But neither Kaicher nor I put any thought into the gazes. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me from the beginning?¡± The reason I earned my infamy. I had been hiding it until now. This was finally the moment I told Kaicher. ¡°Rumors have a tendency to be twisted and exaggerated. I wanted to see if the rumors about you were like that too. In order to find out for myself, I needed to hide the truth for a while.¡± ¡°What a nasty person!¡± ¡°No need to feel wronged. It¡¯s good for you to get fresh air like this once in a while instead of being cooped up in the temple.¡± ¡°Is the cat thinking about the mouse?¡± [1] Is that how it ends up? But he should still be feeling refreshed on the inside. As long as Kaicher is human, he¡¯ll feel the same things. ¡°Either way, the promise was spending four days with me. You¡¯re not going to go back on your word now are you?¡± ¡°A priest does not break their promises.¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved. Let¡¯s eat.¡± Kaicher did not talk much at all. I was the same way. Rather than saying I didn¡¯t talk much, it was not my style to find small talk when there was nothing to say. So of course it was really quiet. But it wasn¡¯t awkward at all. Rather, both Kaicher and I enjoyed the quiet atmosphere as we finished eating. I then suddenly remembered something. I need to stop by the Slave Trading Post before returning to the Northern Mines. ¡°Have you ever seen this image before?¡± I put water on my finger and drew the three layered circle with embroidered points. No matter how many times I look at it, it looks like an hieroglyphic representing the sun. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. What is it?¡± What good will it do if you ask me? ¡°A tattoo on some slave¡¯s shoulder. I don¡¯t know the origin either. That is why I was asking.¡± ¡°Slave?¡± ¡°I need to stop by the Slave Trading Post anyways so come with me. Shall we get up now?¡± We left the restaurant and headed to the Slave Trading Post. The Slave Merchant was shocked after seeing Kaicher. The Warrior of Light Kaicher was really a famous figure. He then saw me and was surprised again. ¡°You are that person from¡­¡­!¡± At his response, I showed him the mark on my wrist that showed I completed the quest. ¡°Wait how¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Where is my slave?¡± ¡°Huh? Ah. Yes. Just a moment¡­¡­¡± A bit later, the girl from that time showed up. ¡°Go. This man is your master from now on.¡± The girl showed tears of joy as soon as she saw me. She kneeled in front of me and bowed her head. ¡°Thank you. Thank you very much.¡± It looks like nothing happened to her while I was away. ¡°You said you will do anything I order you to do, right?¡± ¡°Yes. Just tell me what to do.¡± ¡°Then this is my first order to you.¡± It¡¯s actually something I just thought about. It was the first thing I wanted to fix after seeing the girl. On one hand, it was also something I came up with thinking about Kaicher. I¡¯m sure he is evaluating me with everything I say and do. Of course I would have given the same order even if he wasn¡¯t here. ¡°Don¡¯t kneel.¡± The girl raised her head to look at me. She was confused as it was an unexpected order. ¡°My slaves do not kneel in front of anyone without my permission. That includes me as well. So stand up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes. Thank you.¡± The girl slowly stood up. ¡°No need to thank me. I will make you work your worth. Let¡¯s go.¡± I shared many stories with the girl as we headed to the Magician¡¯s Tower. The conversation was pretty much only between the girl and me. Kaicher, who was normally quiet to start, became even quieter once a dolled-up girl joined us. In fact, he started to leave some distance between us as we walked, almost as if he was avoiding women. Perhaps¡­¡­? Ay, how would that be possible? It must be because he is a priest. The greatest enemy to a training man is a young and beautiful woman. I didn¡¯t force Kaicher to talk or tell him to get closer. Everybody had their own way of doing things. It¡¯ll just push them further away if you try to change their method. ¡°Do you have a name you remember?¡± ¡°No. I heard that we lose all of our memories the moment we become a slave.¡± Is that how it works? That must be why none of the slaves know any information about themselves when I first buy them. I¡¯ve been living with Jul Goo for over a year; I can¡¯t believe I didn¡¯t find this out until now. ¡°Is there a name you want?¡± ¡°If you will permit it, I would like to be called Eruni.¡± ¡°What does it mean?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I just know that Eruni keeps popping up in my mind from a long time ago.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go with Eruni.¡± Northern Mines. Since I returned without sending a message, it should have been a surprise. But everybody already knew I was coming back. There was no shock and only joy. ¡°Hwi Ram, you¡¯re back? We were waiting for you.¡± ¡°Hey everyone. The Tunnel Supervisor-nim is here. Come on out.¡± What happened? I soon found out the reason. The architects from the Volcanus Temple had arrived before I did. There were even three of them. ¡°You must have been stalled. Where do you plan on building the Blacksmith shop?¡± ¡°Over here.¡± I first showed them the location of the Blacksmith shop. It was the grassland underneath the waterfall. ¡°It is not a bad location. Is there anything specific you would like to include? We will make sure to include it as we build it. You don¡¯t know how much the bishop asked us to take good care of you.¡± Why would the bishop ask them for such useless things? I¡¯m only building this shop to complete the quest. In reality, there won¡¯t be any hammering or fires being lit here. Not that I had a reason to tell them about this. ¡°I have nothing specific in mind. I just hope you can finish it quickly.¡± ¡°We understand. We will go as fast as we can.¡± I could finally have a proper reunion with the miners. It was naturally loud. Jonnan, Batoom, Goultan, as well as all of the other miners surrounded me and took turns touching my face and body. ¡°How hard was it the last few months?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really amazing. It¡¯s unbelievable.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°Oh mys. Your face is half the size it was before.¡± My heart keeps fluttering. I¡¯m getting teary as well. Their voices, expressions, and gazes, as well as the way they held my hand showed me they were being sincere. It¡¯s not good if they keep doing this. If I get too close, it will make it more difficult to make the difficult thoughts and decisions. But if you think about it, it couldn¡¯t be prevented. How much time have I spent with them in Royal Roader? In the real world, it was only around four months, but here, it was over 3 years. Especially going in and out of the roughest environment possible, the mines. It would be weird if we didn¡¯t build a bond. Thanks to that, I completely forgot about the ¡®I will ask them this first¡¯ question that I planned on asking as soon as I arrived. Each and every one of them held my hand and shared the joys of our reunion. This warm feeling that I had never felt even in the real world kept attacking my heart. Once I grabbed hands with Jonnan once more, I finally remembered the things I wanted to ask. ¡°Is the mine decent?¡± ¡°The quality? There are many high quality deposits. And as you mentioned, Chief has been playing a very important role. Thanks to him, each miner is mining approximately 3,000,000 won worth of minerals a day.¡± This is only the beginning stages of the development. As time goes on, the gains will only go up. But for it to already be 3,000,000 won a day per person. It looks like a greater jackpot than I expected will happen. ¡°Did you perhaps find anything like the Jewel of Luck?¡± ¡°Jewel of Luck? You still haven¡¯t let that go? That doesn¡¯t come out in this area.¡± I guess they haven¡¯t found it yet. But they will soon find it. Once they find a deposit, there should be quite a few in there. But Jonnan said something weird. ¡°Either way, it is amazing. How did you erase that much infamy so quickly? We¡¯ve been gathering money for nothing.¡± ¡°Gathering money?¡± ¡°How hard is a S grade temple quest? So we¡¯ve been setting aside a tenth of our gains for your donation. We¡¯ve already collected over 3,000,000,000 won but I guess I need to return it to everybody.¡± Ah, why! I¡¯m really weak with things like this! My heart that I just managed to calm was hurting again. Why do you keep shaking someone¡¯s heart like this? ¡°You did something unnecessary. If I needed that type of help, I would have let you know. But still, thank you.¡± ¡°No. Rather, we should be thankful to you. Thanks to you, we are all going to be rich! Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Yes. Of course. Plus, isn¡¯t this just a virgin mine that has barely started to develop? It should last at least 50 years.¡± At Jonnan¡¯s question, Batoom stepped forward speaking loudly. It must mean that the amount of minerals in the Northern Mines has been very satisfactory. ¡°I¡¯m glad.¡± ¡°But who are the people that came with yo?¡± The miners finally showed some interest to Kaicher and Eruni. But these miners were really simple. They couldn¡¯t even recognize The Warrior of Light Kaicher, whose fame should have spread throughout the continent. It¡¯s probably better for them not to know. Kaicher doesn¡¯t seem to like people treating him differently because of his fame either. ¡°He is my friend. And this is Eruni. I brought her from the Slave Trading Post.¡± ¡°Is that so? You¡¯ve come a long way.¡± ¡°If you are our Tunnel Supervisor-nim¡¯s friend, you are our friend as well. Welcome. Have you eaten?¡± ¡°Yes, I have.¡± ¡°But we can¡¯t just treat a guest like this. At least bring something out to drink.¡± The miners treated Kaicher very warmly. Almost like they were treating him as family from the moment he arrived. Of course they were the same way to Eruni. ¡°You met a great master. Just pretend everyone is family and relax.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Jul Goo here met our Tunnel Supervisor-nim at a Slave Trading Post as well.¡± ¡°Ah yes. I think we met last time. Right?¡± ¡°Yes. Hehe.¡± Jul Goo couldn¡¯t even look at her properly, but was already sticking to Eruni like gum. After introducing himself, he couldn¡¯t get away from her. Because of that, the other miners just focused on Kaicher again. It was only for the reason that he was my precious guest. But Kaicher surprisingly seemed to have a lot of feelings. Especially when he was shaking the rough as pine tree hands of the veterans. He showed a lot of emotions every time, as if he was holding his own dad¡¯s hand. I¡¯ve never seen Kaicher be this emotional around anybody. Not that I¡¯ve been around him for a long time. Still, I think it was a good idea to bring him with me. With this, he should have understood just what type of person I was, right? When I negotiate with Kaicher in the future, this image will help a lot. This should be enough for Kaicher. ¡®Then is it time to meet Humbley?¡¯ The colossus representing Avanguarde. Someone who has a sales network beyond the Batoru Kingdom and throughout the continent. But he has yet to reach the highest level and is forever stuck in second place. He is a man with determination who is always trying hard to become the greatest. If I can turn him from an imugi to a dragon, I can ride that dragon and ascend as well. [2] But to make that happen, I need to create an opportunity to meet Humbley, but I currently don¡¯t have the status to make that easy to accomplish. It¡¯ll be easy if Kaicher steps in, but Kaicher isn¡¯t the type to do that. So after thinking long and hard, I created another method. Although I don¡¯t know if it will work. ¡°Senior, do you by chance know a merchant named Humbley?¡± Batoom should know since he has spent many years as the owner of a mine. But an unexpected name came out of Batoom¡¯s mouth. ¡°Of course. Isn¡¯t he one of the greatest merchants in the continent? I think Parison is one of Humbley¡¯s people as well.¡± ¡°Parison?¡± ¡°The merchant in charge of trading the minerals from the Batoom Mines. He is a really good person. If you trade the mineral from the Northern Mines with him as well, it¡¯ll be good.¡± A good person my ass. But that scammer is one of Humbley¡¯s people? _______________________________ [1] Korean saying that means it¡¯s unbelievable, just like how a cat would not care about the mouse [2] Korean folk mythology states that most dragons were originally imugis, or lesser dragons, which were said to resemble gigantic serpents. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 42 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 42: No Matter What it is, Having a Good Bait is Important (2) There is a saying that says that birds of the same feather flock together. If he is going to use someone like Parison, I can pretty much anticipate Humbley¡¯s character as well. It¡¯s disappointing. But not enough to change my decision. He is still better than someone like Bandark. Bandark is someone who has been the greatest in the merchant world since a long time ago. But he¡¯s still so blinded by greed that he is sucking the citizens dry as a high interest loan shark. Compared to Bandark, Parison would be considered cute. ¡°I guess Humbley is a merchant in the end. All merchants are that way.¡¯ It is unreasonable to expect a merchant to have the moral of a benevolent adult. It might even be for the better that I know. No matter how much Humbley pretends to be a good person, I won¡¯t easily be tricked now. I can actually use him without feeling bad. First I need to see his face. ¡°Do you think there would be a way for me to meet Humbley through Parison?¡± ¡°Ay. You think a colossus like him would meet people like us?¡± ¡°He should still be able to at least deliver a letter right?¡± ¡°I would think Parison would do that much. But why Humbley?¡± ¡°I have something I need to tell him. Can you prepare a time for me to first meet with Parison?¡± ¡°He¡¯s already going to come to Titan Valley to trade the minerals from the Batoom Mines. Was it four days later? You can meet him with me at that time.¡± ¡°If it is four days later, it is the last day with Kaicher. My calculations were perfect. I need to meet with Deputy Mayor Donstar soon too. Not because he wants to meet, but because I want to meet. In order to create a jackpot trade, I need to lay out the bait properly. What I should do is meet Parison and Donstar on the same day before saying goodbye to Kaicher. Four days later. I headed toward Titan Valley City Hall in the late afternoon. Batoom and Jose came with me. As well as Kaicher. But I was the only one to go into the Deputy Mayor¡¯s office. ¡°What is your relationship with the Warrior of Light, Kaicher?¡± As expected, Donstar wanted to confirm my relationship with Kaicher first. Unlike the miners, he knows about Kaicher¡¯s fame. I¡¯m sure he feels anxious just from the fact that Kaicher came with me. ¡°Kaicher does not like others talking about him. I can¡¯t make Kaicher wait a long time so please briefly tell me what you need.¡± Briefly state your request. It is not something a mere miner can say to Donstar. If I came alone, I¡¯m sure he would have thrown a fit. But since Kaicher is part of my party right now, it went by without a problem. It feels like I¡¯m abusing his prestige for my benefit. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the hero who managed to successfully clear the Northern Mines? I really wanted to meet you. Not as the Deputy Mayor but as a fellow citizen, I applaud you.¡± Clap clap clap. You detestable bastard. Image is really important for people. He is clapping and pretending to show me respect, but all I see is a dirty person with a lot of greed. It isn¡¯t only because of the incident at the Volcanus Temple. Rather, the memories of the things he did to me in the game are more vivid. In the game, Donstar was part of the party that developed the Northern Mines. No, Donstar requested the party. And just for that reason, he stole complete ownership of the Northern Mines. That is why I twisted the story during the successor competition. I didn¡¯t want to suffer the same thing again. I pushed back my disgust as a lightly bowed my head. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°You know, the Northern Mines is now the mine representing Titan Valley. It is not proper for a person to own it. Won¡¯t you pass the ownership to the government? Of course I will give you plenty of rewards.¡± I knew that was what he wanted. I expected it. I plan on returning the ownership of the Northern Mines to Donstar anyways. That is the only way to bring back the twisted story. But I will not return it nicely. Just watch. See how I eat you up. I will scrape you dry and leave you penniless. ¡°Then give me 500,000,000,000 won.¡± I confidently said an amount as if I was throwing a light jab. But to Donstar, it wasn¡¯t a light jab. Seeing his eyes and mouth get big at the same time, he must be extremely surprised. ¡°Wha, what? 500,000,000,000 won? Are you crazy? How could you say such unbelievable amount?¡± Unbelievable amount? Is it really? Since I knew that is how he would come at me, I even brought the report of the daily totals. ¡°Currently, each person is making an average of 3,000,000 won a day and we can hire a maximum of 300 people. I get 20% of that. Then in one day, it is 180,000,000 won. If we say it last just 10 years, it is 650,000,000,000 won. But this is a mine that will be able to easily last 50 years. Shouldn¡¯t I receive at least that much? I even cut the price down to give you some face.¡± ¡°Hoho.¡± Donstar let out a fake laugh. He lifted up his tea cup and wet his lips as if he was clearing the thoughts in his head before lifting his head back up to look at me. ¡°Have you heard of the saying ¡®penny wise, pound foolish? There is nothing more important in the world than your life.¡± Penny wise, pound foolish huh? It is the perfect saying for Donstar. He has lived for hundreds of years using the immortality potion and hoarded everything in Titan Valley. He obviously made quite a huge amount of wealth. With that much already, shouldn¡¯t he let go of his greed by now? But instead, he was even eyeing the Northern Mines. He doesn¡¯t know that his greed will be what pushes him down the pit to his demise. ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°Of course not. You just don¡¯t know the legend of the Northern Mines. If you are too greedy, the ghost of the mine will find you and kill you before even the rats and the birds know. So stop being greedy and take only about 2 years worth of profit.¡± I¡¯m sure Deputy Mayor Donstar will be the person to send the ghost. Even an idiot would understand that much¡± ¡°Think hard about it. Since you said you are busy, you may leave.¡± I said everything I need to say as well. This much is enough to set the atmosphere. Now I just need to find the right time to put the noose around Donstar¡¯s neck. I headed outside. I could see Kaicher. Jose and Batoom were next to Kaicher as well. But the government workers at the City Hall must only be able to see Kaicher. They were fawning over Kaicher. Almost as if getting his attention was the highest honor or something. ¡°Would you like some fruit?¡± ¡°I brought a chair for you. Please sit here and rest.¡± ¡°Do you like black tea?¡± Kaicher showed no response. He just sat there in his characteristic stiff position and prayed like a stone Buddha. ¡°Tunnel supervisor-nim, you¡¯re out?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back?¡± Kaicher finally opened his eyes after Batoom and Jose greeted me. ¡°Let us go.¡± We left the City Hall together. The City Hall workers looked at Kaicher¡¯s back with disappointed expressions. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take anything they offered you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± This dude¡¯s ignoring me again. Everything is good about Kaicher except this. Although that is part of what makes him so charming. Titan Square is less than 300m away from City Hall. We quickly arrived at the meeting spot. Of course this was the meeting spot with Parison, one of Humbley¡¯s people. We drank some tea as we waited. But why is he so late? We¡¯ve been waiting for over an hour already but Parison did not seem like he was going to show up. But Batoom did not seem to care. It was almost like it was normal to wait this long to meet Parison. It meant that he always did this. In other words, Parison was ¡®gap¡¯ and Batoom was ¡®ool¡¯. [1] ¡°Does Parison make more than the market value for the minerals?¡± ¡°Of course. He¡¯s done a lot for me for a long time. Even now. Someday, I will need to return the favor.¡± He really is an innocent person. Maybe it is because he has only been swinging the pickaxe for his whole life, but he¡¯s just playing around on the merchant¡¯s palm. I already sent Jose to find out the price of minerals in Avanguarde. I had him carefully figure out the retail price as well as the wholesale price. Parison purchases the minerals at higher than market value? He doesn¡¯t know what he is talking about. He is actually getting 10% less than market value. Of course Parison had a justification to do that. It was the unique nature of the area called the Titan Valley. It is deep in the mountains, and you have to pass a large plateau to get here, making transportation fees quite large. Parison used that as the reason to drop the value of the minerals. The simple-minded Batoom fell for whatever Parison said. But now, the route is pretty well developed. It takes a while to transport things, but the cost itself should not be as high anymore. Realistically speaking, if you were to pay less for transport, it would make sense to cut about 4%. Plus, the mineral from Titan Valley are high quality. That needs to be taken into consideration as well. If you do that, it would be normal to trade it at a higher cost than other areas. For Batoom, we can say it is because he is simple-minded. ¡®Parison, you scammer. You¡¯re pretty much stealing in the open, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Isn¡¯t he pretty much a gangster vendor than a businessman? It¡¯s the same reason I devalued Humbley to the wholesale level now. Humbley is either the same type of scammer, or really lacking in controlling his minions. Wouldn¡¯t it be one or the other? The longer I had to wait for Parison, the more my disappointment in Humbley continued to grow. ¡®If I meet him and decide this won¡¯t work, I just have to throw him away.¡¯ There was nothing for me to be disappointed about. I didn¡¯t need to trade with Humbley. Bandark is fine, and the 3rd ranked merchant is fine too. No matter who it is, I will make a deal with the person who will give me the greatest gain. Then that person will succeed while their competitiors will crash. ¡°I guess I should remove myself. There is no good that will come out from my being here.¡± Kaicher stood up from his seat. ¡°Is there some kind of problem?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to influence your deal.¡± That ¡®influence¡¯ will not only be negative to me, but also be positive. Which means, he didn¡¯t want the trade partner to shrink in fear because Kaicher was with me. I had no desire to escort him out. Of course I will use him as much as I can, but that is for later, when Kaicher is one of my people. ¡°I will wait outside.¡± Saying that, Kaicher stepped outside. Parison didn¡¯t show up for another 30 minutes. Was he in his mid-40s? He looked decent and had a friendly expression, but maybe it is because of the things I¡¯ve heard, but he looked really grumpy. ¡°What is it? I am busy so please just quickly state your business.¡± There isn¡¯t even a sorry for being late. There¡¯s a lot of arrogance in the way he is sitting as well. Definitely the attitude of a ¡®gap¡¯ dealing with an ¡®ool.¡¯ Batoom quickly directed the attention to me. ¡°I wanted to introduce this person to you Mr. Parison. His name is Kang Hwi Ram. He cleared Tunnel 99 of the Batoom Mines and this time, he cleared the Northern Mines. He is Titan Valley¡¯s hero.¡± ¡°Oh, you are Mr. Kang Hwi Ram. I¡¯ve heard the rumors. You completed quite a feat at such a young age.¡± Parison showed interest in me. I should start nicely too. Until I make a final decision, everyone needs to be on my side. ¡°I was just lucky. I heard a lot about you from Senior Batoom. He said you¡¯ve done quite a lot of things for him.¡± ¡°Ay, it wasn¡¯t much. Just helping each other when things are tough. Haha.¡± Completely shameless. Very much like a merchant. But not the type to become a really successful businessman. ¡°The reason I asked to meet Mr. Parison today was to pay you back for everything you did for Mr. Batoom in his stead.¡± ¡°Oh, pay me back? How so?¡± Parison was curious. It was like watching a hyena salivating in front of a prey. I handed a letter I prepared beforehand to Parison. The outside was sealed, so he could not verify the contents. Parison tilted his head once he received the letter. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Please give it to Humbley-nim. Then he will praise you very much. He might even give you a reward.¡± He will definitely deliver it. If he doesn¡¯t, neither Humbley nor Parison will be able to avoid large damages. ¡°But I need to know the content ¡­¡­ Humbley-nim is very busy so I have to deliver this in person.¡± ¡°Someone like Humbley-nim will definitely read it once he sees the envelope.¡± If he doesn¡¯t even have that much insight, he won¡¯t have the qualifications to read the letter. You have to have good character to be one of my people, but you also need to have good abilities as well. Parison looked at the envelope. There was only a short message on the envelope. [The trends of the Jeppi and your future.] If you think about it, it is news at the level of a divine message. It talks about the future of the continent. But I don¡¯t know if a minor merchant like Parison will be able to understand the meaning of it. _____________________________________________ [1] This is from an old Korean method of counting dates. ¡®Gap¡¯ is the pronunciation of the first month and ¡®Ool¡¯ is the pronunciation of the second. Long story short, it means Parison is superior, but I thought I¡¯d keep the phrase in there. Last chapter for the week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 43 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 43: No Matter What it is, Having a Good Bait is Important (3) ¡°When you say the Jeppi race, isn¡¯t that the monster-like tribe in the southern continent? And your future. Does it perhaps talk about how he needs to trade with the Jeppi tribe?¡± Parison really will not become an important person. How could you interpret it that way? Trade with not just any tribe but the Jeppi tribe that serves the Demon Lord? If you do that, you¡¯ll be hated as the number one enemy of the continent. I guess it¡¯s normal that a person who spends all day trading minerals would not know about the trends of the Jeppi tribe. He doesn¡¯t have the qualifications to speak with me. ¡°Humbley-nim will know the meaning of it. Anyways, should we talk about things related to the minerals from the Northern Mines?¡± ¡°Ah, that? Since I have created a bond with the people here for a long time, I will give you the same deal as the Batoom Mines.¡± Trying to scam us again? To be able to talk about that type of theft in broad daylight with a straight face. I have to at least appreciate his poker face. Batoom, who does not know anything, bowed his head in thanks at Parison¡¯s words. Of course he didn¡¯t say anything. I am the person who has the ownership of the Northern Mines. Only I can talk about things related to the trade. And of course I would never be satisfied with such trade conditions. ¡°I do not like living indebted to someone else. I don¡¯t need to do that to eat and live. From here on, we will not have any reasons to owe any favors to Parison-nim.¡± Parison started to smile. He must have understood it as me planning on selling the minerals to him a bit cheaper. But then he must have read something else on my face as he quickly erased the smile. He eyes seemed to be moving around for a bit before he put on a stiff expression. He must have finally realized that there was a different meaning to ¡®no longer owe any favors to him.¡¯ Parison asked extremely cautiously. ¡°Just what ¡­¡­ are you trying to say ¡­¡­?¡± Oh, you want a clear answer, is that it? The shock will be quite big though. ¡°I plan on participating in the Avanguarde auction in the near future. Then I will be able to know the reasonable price for the mineral from the Northern Mines. I won¡¯t rely on Parison-nim anymore and trade at my price.¡± At that moment, Batoom¡¯s expression became stiff as well. What I just said meant that I will not be trading with Parison. But he looked like a gentleman compared to Parison. Parison¡¯s expression started to stiffen before he turned completely pale. There was no other option. Although the size of Titan Valley village was small, the amount of minerals mined here was not. Plus, the Northern Mines is pretty much a rising sun in the mining world. To lose that type of money bag, no wonder he can¡¯t sit still like he needs to pee. ¡°¡­¡­What? We¡¯ve been trading well for such a long time, why suddenly ¡­¡­¡± At Parison¡¯s question, Batoom nodded his head as if to say ¡®yes. Yes.¡¯ and looked at me. Almost like he was telling me to change my mind. Whose side is he taking? He must be brainwashed by Parison. I didn¡¯t even look toward Batoom. ¡°The trade that has been going well until now is with the Batoom Mines. You can talk about that with the new owner, Bae Doo Chi. As mentioned, I will not do something nonsensical as only receiving favors from you.¡± I focused on the ¡®nonsensical¡¯ portion. I was trying to let him know there was a hidden meaning here as well. ¡°You seem to have misunderstood something. Honestly, I have not done anything big for Senior Batoom. I have benefited a lot from Senior Batoom as well.¡± Did he somewhat understand my hidden meaning? He¡¯s finally starting to say the truth. But he still had a long way to go. Saying he hasn¡¯t done anything big means that there are still small things he has done. Plus, the direction of his response is wrong too. I don¡¯t care about that type of excuse, I just care about who can give me the most benefit. If you are going to be a merchant, your head should at least move that quickly. ¡°You can discuss that separately with Senior Batoom. I will get up now. If I¡¯m being honest with you, I made a friend wait over two hours because of Parison-nim.¡± ¡°You, you did? I wronged you very much. But could I ask you just one thing?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± I already got up. It was my way of saying I¡¯ll answer that question and then leave. Parison hurriedly asked. ¡°Is Kang Hwi Ram-nim perhaps the person who became the first ever human blacksmith? I remember hearing about it ¡­¡­¡± You don¡¯t have the qualifications to ask that type of question. If you¡¯re going to ask something like that, you need to give me something to look forward to. What can I expect from you to give you an answer? ¡°That is not related to this trade. I will leave now because of my friend. Senior, you can take your time.¡± ¡°No, I shall leave as well. Kaicher-nim must be on his way back, shouldn¡¯t I at least say goodbye?¡± Parison¡¯s eyes instantly grew large. ¡°Huh? Ka, Kaicher? Perhaps ¡­¡­are you talking about the Warrior of Light, Kaicher-nim from the Ares Temple¡­¡­?¡± Why is he asking? He can just verify it with his own eyes. ¡°My friend does not like people talking about him. Then, please excuse me.¡± I left Parison alone and left the shop. Parison might think that it was a bit rude, but it was nothing compared to making someone wait close to two hours. ¡°Why are you suddenly like this?¡± As soon as Batoom came outside, he urgently asked. Just how much did Parison brainwash him? It¡¯s hard to explain everything. Plus, he might not even believe me. ¡°You will find out soon enough.¡± I then started to walk toward Kaicher. Kaicher was not far away. He was just sitting still on a chair observing the beautiful scenery of the Titan Mountain Range. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Kaicher just silently got up. He then started to walk at my pace. I could see Parison looking at Kaicher from the back. He was like a stone statue with his jaws dropped to the floor. I guess it looks like I am escorting him again. This was not my intention. Not like that will change anything. I already have the lead in the mineral trading tightly in my hands. But there is one thing I can gain from this. Whether it is me or for Humbley. ¡®Thanks to Kaicher, the letter should be delivered properly to Humbley.¡± We left Parison behind and headed toward the Magician¡¯s Tower. It was now time to send Kaicher back. Kaicher grabbed Batoom¡¯s hand first. ¡°Thank you for the warm welcome. I already said goodbye to them, but please tell the other seniors thank you on my behalf.¡± ¡°It was nothing. If you have time, feel free to come whenever you like. Hwi Ram¡¯s friend is all of our friend.¡± Batoom treated Kaicher like a neighborhood kid. It was only possible because he didn¡¯t know about Kaicher¡¯s reputation. I¡¯m sure he figured enough of it out when Parison said ¡°The Warrior of Light, Kaicher-nim.¡± But their relationship has solidified in the few days Kaicher was here. So it wasn¡¯t like he could suddenly change the way he treated him. Kaicher seems to be happy with their current relationship as well. Kaicher then held my hand. ¡°I had a great experience thanks to you. It will be a memory I will not easily forget.¡± ¡°You will see me again soon. I plan on participating in the Chaos Battle.¡± Kaicher lightly laughed at my words. ¡°It¡¯s not bad to experience it at least once. But it will be difficult to meet me there.¡± The Chaos Battle is sanctioned by the Ares Temple of the Ameri Kingdom. Of course the priests of the Ares Temple will serve as judges. Kaicher is, most definitely, one of those judges. Since his skills and fame are so great, he will probably have the most important role among all of them. He¡¯ll be too busy to make time to see me. But it¡¯ll be different if I become the victor. He will hear my name and once the battle is over, he will be able to make plenty of time for me. ¡°You still don¡¯t trust the things I say. We will meet. See you there.¡± ¡°I hope that is the case.¡± With that, Kaicher disappeared into the portal. The next day, a flock of people came to visit the Northern Mines. It was the civil engineering specialists who will fix up the path to transport minerals. The specialists had complicated expressions when they arrived. ¡°Hmm. The situation is more severe than we expected.¡± But that was only for a bit. ¡°Let us try. Since it was a special request from the bishop, we will do our best.¡± Tap. Tap. Pound. Pound. Specialists were really different. We couldn¡¯t even determine where to start, but they started to work without any hesitation once they determined what they needed to do. The miners were watching them work. ¡°But this is probably expensive.¡± ¡°Right. Won¡¯t we have to give a tenth of our income to support it as well?¡± The ownership of the Northern Mines is currently 80% mine, and the remaining 20% belongs to the government. Of course the maintenance and development fees have to be split that way as well. But of the 80% that is part of my burden, the Volcanus Temple will cover 50%. So I will only need to deal with the remaining 30%. Although even that was not a small amount. ¡°I will take care of that. All of you just have to work hard at mining.¡± ¡°As expected of our tunnel supervisor-nim.¡± ¡°I¡¯m extremely blessed this year.¡± I¡¯m thankful if you think that way. Then shall I start my work too? I went back into the mine and starting swinging Miru¡¯s Pickaxe. I won¡¯t have to do this for much longer. I just need to rake in as many of the item I want before then. ¡®But why is it still not coming out?¡¯ I was grumbling inside as I continued to swing my pickaxe. But suddenly, I heard a welcomed message from right next to me. ¡°Hwi-ram. I found it. It is a Jewel of Luck!¡± It was Jonnan¡¯s voice. I was surprised and quickly ran over to Jonnan. ¡°Where?¡± ¡°This is the Jewel of Luck.¡± Jonnan pointed to the ground with his finger. As Jonnan mentioned, there was a single jewel down there. It was a red jewel, shining in the color of blood. It really was a Jewel of Luck. ¡°I haven¡¯t touched it yet. Hurry up and pick it up.¡± I lifted up the Jewel of Luck. Then the information related to the jewel popped up in front of me. [Jewel of Luck: Luck Index 5] If it has a Luck Index of 5, it wasn¡¯t that high. The average in the game was around 7. But what was important was the fact that we found a Jewel of Luck. It was proof that there was a Jewel of Luck deposit here. The important question is how good the deposit was. In the game, it was quite plentiful. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be the same here. ¡°Please accept this.¡± I put 2,000,000 won in a coin and handed it to Jonnan. Jonnan was really surprised and waved his hand like a fan. ¡°What are you doing? How can I take money from you? Take it as a present from me.¡± I wasn¡¯t giving this money for Jonnan but for myself. It was the way to make Batoom and Goultan mine for these jewels on my behalf as well. In order to gather as many Jewel of Luck as possible, I need to give something to motivate Batoom and Goultan. ¡°We have to keep business and pleasure separate. If you want to help me, please accept a different request instead.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± That gaze that seemed to say he¡¯ll do anything. Just seeing it makes me feel confident. ¡°Please go and ask seniors Batoom and Goultan to come to this tunnel as well. Anybody can mine the other minerals, but the Jewel of Luck is something only Best Miners can mine. I really need a lot of these Jewels of Luck.¡± ¡°I understand. Leave those two to me.¡± Jonnan quickly headed to the other tunnels. Within 20 minutes, he brought Batoom and Goultan over. ¡°Did a Jewel of Luck really come out?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I took the Jewel of Luck out and showed it to them. Batoom and Goultan came close to admire it. But they made sure not to touch it. The Five-Colored Jewels lose half of their abilities every time someone else touches it. ¡°Oh, it is real.¡± ¡°Then does that mean there is a Jewel of Luck deposit here?¡± ¡°Please. I will give you plenty of reward in exchange.¡± ¡°You little rascal. How can you talk about reward between us. Since you say you really need them, of course we will help.¡± From then, all of us started mining together. Of course I joined in. I was a Best Miner as well after all. But even though we were all Best Miners, the gap in experience showed. ¡°Oh, here it is. Found it.¡± ¡°I found one as well. The quality of this deposit is quite good. I feel like there are a lot of Jewels of Luck.¡± Jonnan, Batoom, and Goultan continued to find Jewels of Luck. They each averaged around one a day. Of course none of them touched it and let me know whenever they found one. But it was weird. I did not see any of them. It has already been 4 days since we found the deposit, but I haven¡¯t managed to find a single one. Not that it was a problem. Who cares who finds it? They all end up in my bag anyways. Thanks to them, little by little, my inventory started to fill up with Jewels of Luck. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 44 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 44: You Don¡¯t Reveal Your Hand That Easily (1) Clang. Clang. Clang. ¡®Alright, I finally found one!¡¯ [Jewel of Luck: Luck Index 9] The index was pretty high too. But it is nothing boast about. Jonnan, Batoom, and Goultan all find at least one or two a day; I¡¯m the only one who has finally found a single one. It has been 4 days since we first found the deposit. It is really weird. We are all Best Miners, so how come only I am having no luck? Does the Fairy of Luck prefer older men? Who cares. ¡®I don¡¯t care who finds it, so just keep coming out.¡¯ Clang. Clang. Clang. While I was swinging Miru¡¯s Pickaxe like that, I heard Jose¡¯s voice. ¡°Tunnel Supervisor-nim, there is a guest from Avanguarde.¡± Avanguarde? I instantly thought of someone. ¡®Humbley!¡¯ There¡¯s no way he came in person, is there? I don¡¯t think he has that much insight since he sends a gangster merchant like Parison to do important business. He probably sent an errand boy. Honestly, even if he did that much, we can say he has an eye for the way the world moves. The fact that he showed interest in me would indicate that he has been paying attention to the movement of the Jeppi tribe. It happened to be lunch time. Thinking we might as well take a break, I headed out with Jonnan, Batoom and Goultan. Jose lead us to the guest. ¡°These are the guests.¡± I flinched for a second. There were a total of ten guests from Avanguarde. Among them, there was a middle-aged man wearing flashy clothes while giving off a spectacular aura. Then it is one of two things. Either Humbley didn¡¯t send an errand boy and came himself, or this was a completely different guest. The middle-aged man looked toward me. His appearance and his outfit made me certain he was in charge of this group. ¡°Are you perhaps Kang Hwi Ram-nim?¡± He seemed to be around 60 years old. At least he looked that way. He seemed too old to be called middle-aged, but too young to be called a senior. But his tone, actions, and gaze all seemed to be sincere. ¡°Yes, Humbley-nim.¡± Once I answered, the old-fashioned middle-aged man quickly grabbed my hand. ¡°I came to the right place. I am Humbley. I was in the Ameri Kingdom and just got your letter yesterday. I¡¯m sorry I could not come see you any earlier.¡± There are quite a few things hidden in Humbley¡¯s words. The thing that made me happiest was the fact that he headed here as soon as he saw my letter. That meant that not only did he know the movement of the Jeppi tribe, he could predict the upcoming danger as well. I was very disappointed because of Parison, but this was enough to turn that disappointment completely around. As long as he has the abilities, I can¡¯t throw him away because he¡¯s lacking a bit in morality. ¡®First impression is a pass.¡¯ ¡°Let us head inside to speak.¡± We entered the residence together. It was a temporary residence we quickly made after chopping down the trees in the area. It looks a bit odd, but the scent of trees is so strong that just sitting here makes you feel like you are getting healed. Maybe that was why, but I preferred this temporary residence of the Northern Mines to any house in the real world. As soon as we sat down, he bowed his head which was full of salt and pepper hair. ¡°Let me first apologize about Parison. I left him alone to deal with the minerals, and did not know he was trading in that type of way.¡± I can clearly tell he is lying. The amount of minerals being traded from Titan Valley is not small. You¡¯re telling me that someone like Humbley had no idea about what was going on? Does he think I¡¯m an idiot? But I do appreciate his attitude. There is an order to doing things. Seeing as how he is apologizing first, Humbley knows the proper order. ¡®Fine. Let¡¯s try to understand where he is coming from. Although the quantity was large, in the end, merchants all seek to make a profit.¡¯ After all, I was looking for people who will help me out and bring me the most benefits as well. In some aspects, someone like Humbley who has the street smarts might be better than an upright citizen. Of course I need to sting him at least once. I need to show him that if he tries to stab me in the back, he¡¯ll be turned to dust. Just see what happens if you get caught. ¡°I believed that it would not be Humbley-nim¡¯s will.¡± ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just sorry that I did not recognize it sooner. I will make up for all the losses in some way.¡± That shouldn¡¯t be made up to me. It wasn¡¯t to Batoom either. Although Batoom worked as the overseer of the mines, he actually didn¡¯t have any ownership. [1] Then to Donstar? That¡¯s a definite no-no. If anyone is to be compensated, it has to be the citizens of Titan Valley. I will teach him the method a bit later. But Batoom¡¯s expression is quite funny. I guess he looks like he has no idea what is going on? His eyes are open really wide and he is tilting his head in confusion, probably thinking ¡®what is going on?¡¯ Based on the conversation, it looks like Parison did something wrong, but he can¡¯t tell what that is. He must be dying to know. But he didn¡¯t dare to butt in on the conversation. The other party was Humbley. Parison was difficult enough for Batoom, so how would he see Humbley? He just sat there with his eyes wide open while listening to our conversation. Humbley was a thorough person. If he¡¯s going to do something, he¡¯s going to do it very thoroughly. ¡°Parison is dismissed from his position as of today and demoted to a mineral transporter. In order to develop the correct mindset of a merchant, I thought he needed to experience what it was like at the bottom a little more.¡± Our personalities are similar. I like the way he handled it as well. But I don¡¯t care about what happens to Parison. I just need to focus on my own business. ¡°Then who will we be dealing with from now on?¡± ¡°The mineral trade with Titan Valley will be handled by this child.¡± Humbley brought forth a young lady. If I¡¯m being honest, her presence was very strong from earlier. It was because she was extremely beautiful. It was to the point my eyes kept going to her subconsciously. ¡°My name is Kaldera. Please take good care of me.¡± But what is this atmosphere? It is not the type of situation to bring out a beautiful lady. Is he trying to use her beauty to shake my mind up a bit? I also bowed my head in response, but I did not like this situation too much. Of course I didn¡¯t let that show. But Humbley was a very sharp person. Seeing my expression and action, he saw right through me. ¡°Please do not get the wrong idea. She is my granddaughter and she is very smart and seems to have a knack for business, so I plan on raising her as a merchant. I will make sure that she does not cause Hwi Ram-nim any harm.¡± So he¡¯s saying it is not her beauty but her abilities. I will find out if it is true in the future. ¡°Please take good care of us.¡± ¡°I should be saying that. But I heard that you planned on selling the minerals at the auction. If I gave you a good price for it, will you still not change your mind?¡± ¡°Auctions are annoying to deal with. If I can get the proper price for it without going through the auction, I wouldn¡¯t need to do such an annoying thing.¡± ¡°Then I will give you 8% more than what we gave the Batoom Mines. I believe that is the most fair value.¡± If you consider just the value of the minerals that is about right. But are things in the world that simple? If you add all sorts of conditions, the price of the minerals can change like a rubber band. No, from here on, the price of the minerals isn¡¯t actually important. Then shall we start the deep discussions now? It is better if less people know about this. ¡°We can slowly talk about the trade. But I have a blacksmith shop being built next to the waterfall, would you like to go take a look? I have something to tell you separately there as well.¡± At the words ¡®tell you separately¡¯, Humbley¡¯s eyes started to shine. ¡°Even without you saying that, I have heard the rumors. You actually went past the anvil worker level and became the first human blacksmith. To see that historic scene with my own eyes. It is a very large honor. Thank you.¡± ¡°Then let us go. Seniors, please keep the people here company.¡± ¡°We understand. Go ahead.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about us.¡± With that, I got up with Humbley to leave. Kaldera tried to come with us, but I gave a gaze to Humbley so he interjected. ¡°We have sinned greatly against the seniors here for a long time. Stay here and apologize to them and discuss how we can compensate for everything.¡± ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡± I moved to the waterfall with Humbley. The blacksmith shop was around 50 meters away from the waterfall. It was small, but it was still a waterfall. The closer we got, the mist hit us harder and harder. It was also really loud. Even though I was right next to him, I needed to talk loudly to have a conversation. This should be good enough to have a secret conversation. ¡°I plan on selling the Northern Mines.¡± When I said that, Humbley was so shocked that his shoulders moved up and down. ¡°What? Why would you sell this good mine¡­¡­? As time goes on and it gets larger, the price should go up.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll do me more good to sell it now.¡± ¡°Then I will buy it from you. I will give you a great price for it.¡± Humbley is one of the wealthiest men in Avanguarde and the continent. He would have no problem buying this mine. But that is only if the seller agrees with you. ¡°I will not sell it to someone who will work with me for a long time. In fact, I want to sell it to someone terrible. All Humbley-nim needs to do is spread the rumor that I am looking for a new owner for the Northern Mines.¡± ¡°Does that mean the future of the Northern Mines is dark ¡­¡­?¡± He doesn¡¯t seem to have completely understood the situation. By now, he should remember the letter I sent him. ¡°The future of the Northern Mines is very bright. However, it is the future of Titan Valley and the Batoru Kingdom that is dark. It is not just dark but pitch black.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah!¡± Humbley seems to have finally figured something out. Before I could finish speaking, he took out the letter he carefully placed in his inner pocket. It was the letter I sent through Parison. The seal was broken. Humbley opened the letter. [The Jeppi tribe is planning an invasion. Only those who know when to buy and when to sell can avoid this storm and survive.] That was what was written in the letter. Of course I wrote that. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting to speak to you about it. Is it connected to this message?¡± ¡°It is absolutely connected.¡± ¡°As I expected¡­¡­! I know a bit about the current situation of the Jeppi tribe. The tribe used to be broken into four separate groups, but now they have unified as one and their strength has gone up significantly. ¡°Then you should be able to anticipate their next movement.¡± ¡°Honestly, I came here to learn from you regarding that aspect. What and how should I prepare?¡± To learn. It reminded me the story of the Three Kingdoms. Liu Bei went to find a secluded expert in a cottage to learn Zhuge Liang¡¯s teachings. But this was the opposite. Humbley came to serve me as his master. Of course Humbley doesn¡¯t have that type of thought right now, but in the end, it will move in that direction. ¡°The Jeppi will soon invade the continent. If they don¡¯t have a way to waste their energy, they¡¯ll just end up having internal conflicts again. It will be better to take care of your belongings before then. If the Jeppi tribe shows up on the continent, they will rob you of everything they lay their hands on.¡± ¡°You indeed have the same thoughts that I have. But I just can¡¯t figure out around when that would be. Will it be next year or 10 years later?¡± ¡°Who could look into the minds of the Jeppi tribe? The attack timing will change based on the situation. There is nobody who can estimate the exact time.¡± Humbley¡¯s expression became dark. It felt like he could faintly make out the future, but he could not determine when to prepare for it. He came all the way here to get some insights about it, but he had yet to see any useful information. I threw a ray of light into the darkness. ¡°But there is a method to accurately anticipate when it will happen.¡± Humbley¡¯s eyes became extremely wide. ¡°What is that?¡± It is a very simple method. But it is also difficult and very dangerous. Only Humbley and I were here, but I cautiously lowered my voice. ¡°We set the field to make it happen.¡± ___________________________________________ [1] It might be a mistranslation on my part in the past, but since it was called the Batoom Mines, I presumed he was the owner. Looks like he was more of an overseer than owner. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 45 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 45: You Don¡¯t Reveal Your Hand That Easily (2) ¡°¡­¡­Ah!¡± If you think about it, it is a really dangerous proclamation. It could mean that you are the cause of the Jeppi tribe¡¯s invasion. But it is a future we cannot avoid anyways. So then, rather than getting hit from behind, it is better to guide the situation myself. If I open a path in advance for them and let them flow through that path, we can make the losses minimal as well. ¡°Then when are you planning on making it happen¡­¡­¡± Spring, 4 years later. Was it because the Jeppi tribe attacked in Spring four years later? That wasn¡¯t it. In the game, there was no way to accurate check time. You could only think ¡®it¡¯s been around 4 years.¡¯ So it could really be 3 years or even 6 years. The reason I can still confirm it¡¯ll be four years later in spring? I need around that much time to prepare for the Jeppi tribe¡¯s invasion. In fact, four years might not even be enough time. But if I take too long, I might miss my timing. I can only twist this to the way I want it to go if I move one step faster than the Jeppi. Of course I can¡¯t tell Humbley that. Humbley does not trust me just yet. I will slowly feed him information once I feel confident that he is one of my people. ¡°I think it is still too early to determine a time. When the right time comes, I will let you know.¡± ¡°Then is there a method you thought about?¡± Of course it is all in my head. But that is also a card I cannot reveal. If I reveal all of my cards, why would Humbley need to trade with me? In times like this, it is best to just avoid the topic. Just like how the high priests or wise men do so in TV dramas. I looked toward the thin but still powerfully falling waterfall. ¡°A waterfall is best watching from a decent distance like this.¡± Humbley must think I said something extremely meaningful. He started to look toward the waterfall with a serious gaze, trying to determine the hidden meaning of my words. I¡¯m feeling a bit bad. I just said whatever came to mind without thinking. But did Humbley come to his own epiphany from it? He suddenly opened his mouth and nodded his head. ¡°¡­¡­Ah. I see. Thank you for your wise teachings.¡± What is he saying? I just silently smiled at him. ¡°I will quickly proceed with your request as well. But ¡­¡­can I ask you something, teacher?¡± Teacher. Since when did Humbley use such formal title with me? He must think I am some sage or prophet. That won¡¯t be bad either. He needs to think I am big and difficult to follow everything I tell him to do. Should I start pretending to be a hermit who has lived for hundreds of years? Nah, that doesn¡¯t seem to fit my style. I¡¯ll just live my way. ¡°Please speak.¡± ¡°It is not that I am looking down on miners ¡­¡­ but these are all things that even I, someone who has been collecting information throughout the continent, do not know much about. How did teacher come across such information?¡± Of course he is doubting me. He needs to doubt me. This is like an adventure with your whole life on the line. I would have been disappointed if he didn¡¯t doubt me and wasn¡¯t careful. Knowing him, he will pretend to believe me while plotting something else in his mind. But too bad. I don¡¯t want to give a response to that. Nor do I have a reason to do so. This can be considered a part of the merchant¡¯s unsaid agreement. I lightly smiled. ¡°Humbley-nim, aren¡¯t you a merchant?¡± ¡°Of course I am but ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°How could someone like that ask me to reveal the secrets of my trade? Haha.¡± I lightly laughed as I responded. But the hidden meaning was not light at all. It mean I would allow him to hold my hand, but I will not permit him to cross the line. Should I say it so it is easier for him to understand? ¡®Just take the ricecake I give you and enjoy it.¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t say it like that. Thankfully, Humbley seemed to understand my meaning. ¡°¡­¡­Ah! I apologize.¡± No need to apologize. You just need to know where the line stands between us. ¡°No worries. But the compensation you mentioned earlier. Could I offer a suggestion?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Humbley even bows a bit every time he responds to my words. ¡°That compensation needs to go to the citizens of Titan Valley. However, if you compensate them right now, no matter how it is done, it is guaranteed to go into the pockets of a single person.¡± ¡°You must be talking about Deputy Mayor Donstar.¡± Humbley had a slight frown as he mentioned Donstar¡¯s name. As a experienced merchant, he had a good poker face, but I could see the slight change in his expression. I¡¯m glad he feels the same way as I do in regards to Donstar. ¡°There is one method to make it so that it does not end up in one person¡¯s pockets.¡± ¡°What is it? Please tell me.¡± ¡°Soon, I plan on buying the ownership of High Village.¡± Humbley¡¯s eyes became slightly bigger. ¡°When you say High Village ¡­¡­ isn¡¯t that the city ruined by the demonic aura? Why would you buy such a place¡­¡­?¡± There are many reasons. The biggest reason is of course to create a base for when I enter the Southern District. But it will be better to tell Humbley a different reason. ¡°In the current situation, when the Jeppi tribe attacks, there is nowhere for the citizens to run. That will be a shelter to run to, as well as the base for the future counterattack.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. If it is High Village, it can definitely become an impregnable fortress.¡± ¡°We do not have much time. I will soon bring the ownership and then I ask Humbley-nim to support me from there. A lot of manpower and equipment will be needed to restore the roads and the village. You can even consider it an investment for the future.¡± ¡°I will make sure to do so.¡± He answers properly. But I¡¯m sure he has his own ideas. It wasn¡¯t a promise made using divine power, so he can always go back on his word. Doesn¡¯t matter. If Humbley invests, it¡¯ll be much easier, but even if he ends up not investing,I can still handle it on my own. That should be enough about High Village for now. ¡°That¡¯s that. Now regarding the price of the mineral. I want to change the price by time, is it possible?¡± I slightly changed the topic as we continued our discussion. We talked more about business related issues than personal stories. Humbley¡¯s mind moved quickly, as expected of a veteran merchant. Plus we agreed on many things. Thanks to that, we were able to talk about a lot of things in a short amount of time. Thanks to Humbley, I think I¡¯ll be able to skin Donstar a little further. ¡°Do you like it?¡± The architect pointed to the completed blacksmith shop with a proud expression. There was a fancy sign as well. [Hwi Ram Blacksmith Shop] It was small and the shape was awkward. Since I just said ¡®make it fast,¡¯ they really only focused on doing it quickly. But who cares? I won¡¯t ever end up making anything in this blacksmith shop. The Hwi Ram Blacksmith Shop was only needed for the quest. That was why it was perfect for them to just quickly make it. In that aspect, I am 120% satisfied. ¡°Thank you. You worked very hard.¡± Now that this is completed, it is time to receive the next quest. I headed toward Avanguarde¡¯s Volcanus Temple as if I was accompanying the architects. The bishop, who looked like Zhang Fei, raised both of his arms and embraced me as soon as he saw me. It was like he had seen a long lost family member. ¡°Oh! The one who has received the blessing of our god Volcanus. You have finally returned. I have been waiting for you. Haha.¡± Disgusting. ¡°Please give me the next quest.¡± ¡°The second quest. In order to be an Expert Blacksmith, you need to have above average dexterity and intuition. Your dexterity needs to be at least Intermediate Level 5, and your intuition needs to be at least 50. Oho, but you already have stats above that level for both.¡± The second quest was done just like that. ¡°Third quest. To be an Expert Blacksmith, you need a unique special skill. Earn a unique skill with your own strength.¡± The bishop looked ready to answer questions about the quest. He was pretty confident that I would have questions about creating my own unique special skill. But there was no need to do so. I already knew which unique skill to earn and how to earn it. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Hmm? No questions?¡± ¡°Yes. None right now. If I come up with something I will come see you again.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­ sounds good.¡± I left the Volcanus Temple after that. Well, I tried to leave at least. But I heard a voice that seemed to hold me back. ¡°Human! Wait!¡± ¡°You came all this way and you¡¯re leaving without saying hello?¡± It was the dwarf blacksmiths. It is quite funny seeing dwarves be this friendly to a human. It must be the power of the blacksmith occupation. Their friendliness toward blacksmiths must be greater than their hatred for humans. I guess I do have a small task for the dwarves. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°When are you going to take the pickaxes?¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten about them have you? Do you know how hard we worked to make them?¡± How could I forget? They are very important to me. It is just not the right time yet. ¡°Please wait a little longer. It is to be used as a surprise present, but I have not set everything up yet. You know how important the atmosphere is to a surprise present.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°Anyways, don¡¯t forget to take it.¡± ¡°Thank you for thinking about me. Putting that aside, how are the cutlass? Are they done? I am suddenly curious as to whose is better.¡± It was a provocation to boost their competitive spirit. Of course it was obvious what I was doing. There is no way they wouldn¡¯t be able to tell even if they were dwarves. Nonetheless, based on the special trait of the dwarf race, there is no way they will not fall for it. The pride these dwarves have for the blacksmith occupation is beyond this world. The dwarves looked at each other. ¡°I am still working on it. I made some as practice, but the abilities are not coming out properly.¡± ¡°Same with me. Since I am done practicing, I will start today to make the real thing.¡± They must be giving it their all. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to it. I wonder how good these cutlass will be.¡¯ I¡¯m sure there won¡¯t be any extraordinary masterpieces. Their skills are only at the Expert Blacksmith level. But it should still be much better than ones found in the weapon store. ¡°Then work hard.¡± I left the temple and headed back to the Northern Mines. There was only one thing to do in the Northern Mines. Mine like hell to find even one more Jewel of Luck. Clang. Clang. Clang. ¡°Hwi Ram, it looks like we need to buy some more pickaxes. The Northern Mines is great except for the fact that the boulders are pretty tough.¡± ¡°I will send Jose.¡± ¡°Tell him to get a lot while he¡¯s at it.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I responded like that, but there won¡¯t be a need to buy that many. Just enough to last a month is plenty. I sent Jose to Titan Valley and started to swing my pickaxe again. ¡®Oho, found another one. Jewel of Luck!¡¯ It felt like my magic bag was full of jewels. I had over 100 Jewels of Luck, and couldn¡¯t even count the number of Jewels of Creation I had. It is probably over 5,000. I couldn¡¯t even throw the Jewels of Creation away. In the future this won¡¯t be enough and I will need to ask the dwarves. Looking at the jewels makes me full even without eating. About 10 days later. While I was swinging my pickaxe to find more Jewels of Luck, I heard Jose¡¯s voice. ¡°Tunnel Supervisor-nim. The Deputy Mayor is looking for you.¡± Is it finally time? I had been waiting long enough for him to contact me. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I headed to the City Hall with Jose. It was time to completely skin Deputy Mayor Donstar. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 46 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 46: I Hope You Like the Present We entered the Deputy Mayor¡¯s office. Donstar smiled as soon as he saw me and threw the first punch. ¡°I heard you¡¯ve been secretly looking for buyers to sell the Northern Mines.¡± Humbley must have spread the rumor quite well. Well, if he didn¡¯t, Donstar wouldn¡¯t have urgently called me in like this. I played along and put on a ¡®How did he know?¡¯ type of surprised expression, and the more I did, Donstar¡¯s smile became bigger. ¡°Hoho, remember that my eyes and ears are all around you. If I want to, I can take your life as easily as I can take something out of my pocket.¡± Donstar must be feeling a bit pressured. Now he is full on threatening me. That means the atmosphere has been set properly. The calculation was already there. I can¡¯t deal at set amount but at a flexible amount. It is best to deal using the amount mined as a basis. At the same time, I need to give him the image that he¡¯s pretty much stealing the Northern Mines. ¡°What is it that you want?¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t know? Since it is already like this, I will come flat out. I will give you a decent price. Sell it when I say I will buy it.¡± ¡°How much are you planning on giving me?¡± Donstar touched his chin with his hand. There should be a Maginot Line he thought about. But the thing is, the Maginot Line is something that is set to change based on the situation. If he can, he¡¯d try to lower the price even further. In order to do that, he needs to make the other party show their hand first. That is the only way he can direct the deal. ¡°You first make an offer. I¡¯m telling you this ahead of time, but it is like taking candy from a baby for me to take a simple mine like that. Get rid of any stupid greed and think wisely.¡± Great. Now I can direct the direction of this trade. I stayed silent for a bit before offering a price. ¡°Let¡¯s do it like this. Give me 20% of the monthly income for 7 years.¡± Based on current levels, it is around 180,000,000 won a month. If you calculate 20% of that for 7 years, that¡¯s approximately 3,000,000,000 won. I¡¯m sure the actual amount will be much higher since the amount mined will continue to grow as time goes on. But it was still less than the amount I mentioned last time. Since it is an installment plan, there isn¡¯t much immediate financial burden either. But it was never going to be enough for someone like Donstar who was full of greed. He touched his chin and rolled his brain for a bit before offering a counter offer. ¡°I will give you 40% of the monthly income for 2 years. However, the number of miners will not go higher than 200.¡± If I calculate Donstar¡¯s conditions, it is around 1,700,000,000 won. Even if we maximize the amount mined, it will not pass 2,000,000,000 won. If it is lucky, the Northern mines can even bring in trillions of won. To be able to buy it for 2 billion won is pretty much a windfall for Donstar. But we will have to see who receives the windfall in the end. Just watch how much I multiply that money. After just one month, your ass will start to burn. Enjoy this feeling while you can. That is the only way for me to take an extra present. ¡°Aren¡¯t you pushing a bit too much?¡± I retorted, but Donstar did not budge. He just glared into my eyes as if he was threatening me. ¡°No haggling. Just pick between yes or no.¡± I¡¯m sure within that is hidden a ¡®You want to die or live?¡¯ I think I¡¯ve set the atmosphere enough. I¡¯ll just take one more present and get up. ¡°Then I have a request as well.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hear it first.¡± ¡°Please give me ownership of High Village.¡± Donstar¡¯s eyes became sharp again. ¡°High Village? Why there?¡± ¡°I want to develop the abandoned mine there.¡± ¡°That makes no sense. There is no chance of success.¡± High Village. Although it is under Titan Valley¡¯s jurisdiction, because of the demonic aura that envelopes it, humans do not live there. Forget building a mine, there will not be any miners who want to go there. Plus, it is known that those mines are already completely exhausted. Anybody in their right mind would think it was a futile challenge. But as time goes by, they will know. All the citizens of Titan Valley will do whatever they can to go to High Village. ¡°They say that the dangerous deals rake in the most. I believe there is a possibility. Please give me the entire High Village. It is not like you will lose anything from it, will you?¡± It is an abandoned land anyways. Plus, if I end up succeeding, it will only be a benefit to Donstar. With his influence, he can always steal it back. Just like the current situation with the Northern Mines. ¡°Fine. I will consult the Mayor and guarantee you the ownership for 50 years.¡± ¡°I have one more request. Even if you get the ownership, please do not kick out the original miners. I do not want the incident of the Batoom Mines to happen again.¡± It was not a difficult condition. ¡°I promise.¡± There is no point to a verbal promise. Nor is there one for a written contract. With Donstar¡¯s influence, he can easily turn a piece of paper like that into toilet paper. ¡°Please make a contract using divine power.¡± Donstar started to smile. ¡°That is what I want as well. I don¡¯t want a headache if some oddball comes in as a competitor.¡± Donstar reached his hand out first. As soon as I grabbed his hand, there was a voice confirming the contract. ¡®It¡¯s done!¡¯ I subconsciously had a bright smile on my face. Seeing me smile like that, Donstar had a slightly bitter expression. If it is a trade that I am satisfied with, that means that he did not manage to take as much as possible. ¡°Is the ownership of High Village that exciting?¡± Of course that is good too. But you will soon find out what the really good part is. ¡°I will make an account with the Magician¡¯s Tower. Please deposit the money on the last day of the month starting next month.¡± ¡°I will do so.¡± I need to see Donstar¡¯s expression when he deposits the money. Unfortunately, I am a busy person. ¡°Then I shall make my leave. I need to swing my pickaxe at least one extra time to increase the value of the Northern Mines.¡± ¡°Hoho, work hard.¡± After leaving City Hall, I took Jose and a couple other miners and headed to Avanguarde. As soon as we arrived at Avanguarde¡¯s Magician¡¯s Tower, I handed Jose a letter. It was sealed so he will not be able to open it along the way. The message in the letter was simple. [Please increase it starting next month¡¯s first trade.] A 10% inflated rate for the next 2 years. After that, the trade conditions will change to 5% under the market price. ¡°Hand this to Humbley. You must hand it directly to him. Can you do it?¡± ¡°Of course. Just leave it to me.¡± Jose disappeared first. Of course, this is only the first step in controlling the income from the mine. The real thing starts from here. I headed to the Volcanus Temple with the rest of the miners. Not to look for the bishop, but the dwarves. Now that I think about it, I asked them for one other thing beside the pickaxes. For the dwarves, it was a battle of their pride. I¡¯m sure they put in much more care than when they made the pickaxe. ¡®I wonder what kind of works were created.¡¯ As soon as I entered the temple, the dwarves noticed me and quickly ran over. ¡°Oh, human! You are finally here!¡± ¡°Why did you take so long? Do you know how long we¡¯ve been waiting for?¡± I have a good feeling. There can only be one reason for the dwarves to be so hyped up to see me. Cutlass! Some pretty decent ones must have come out. Just as I was thinking that, the dwarves glared at each other before one of them couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and brought out his cutlass. ¡°A pretty decent one came out. Thinking about our relationship with you, I specially put my name on it.¡± I received the cutlass and checked the information. Two cutlass with different strength restrictions. [Bachu¡¯s Cutlass] Durability: 39/39 Attack Strength: 27 Attack Speed: 60 Requirements: Strength 37, Agility 97 [Bachu¡¯s Cutlass -1] Durability: 53/53 Attack Strength: 45 Attack Speed: 63 Requirements: Strength 72, Agility 196 If you consider just the attack strength or attack speed, it seems like a regular cutlass. But the important part is the requirements to equip them. It is not easy to get this much attack strength or attack speed with such low requirements. It made sense for dwarf Bachu to be proud. I was satisfied as well. But dwarf Pichu, who was standing next to him, started to smile. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. But it is not the best. If you want to call something the best, it needs to be at least this level.¡± Does that mean it is better than this? I took the cutlass from Pichu and checked the information. Pichu had two cutlasses as well. [Pichu¡¯s Cutlass] Durability: 34/34 Attack Strength: 29 Attack Speed: 57 Requirements: Strength 38, Agility 99 [Pichu¡¯s Cutlass -1] Durability: 54/54 Attack Strength: 46 Attack Speed: 62 Requirements: Strength 73, Agility 195 Compared to Bachu¡¯s cutlass, the attack strength is a bit higher and attack speed a bit lower. If you look at both of them together, it¡¯s pretty much the same. But it is a question of the dwarves¡¯ pride. Bachu quickly raised his voice and shouted out. ¡°Mine is much better. All you are is talk.¡± ¡°Are you blind? How can you say that after looking at my cutlass¡¯ attack strength?¡± ¡°You have to look at the attack speed and durability.¡± ¡°Human. Which one is better? Mine is much better, right?¡± I knew they would do this. It is a harder question than do you like mommy or daddy? But there was no need to worry. There was a simple solution. ¡°It is difficult to compare with just these. Don¡¯t you have other cutlasses? There¡¯s no way you only made two cutlasses to compare? That might be the deciding factor.¡± ¡°Of course there are others. In fact, many of them. One of them has better stats than this one, but the strength restriction was too high so it was sadly a failure.¡± ¡°I also have them. But this punk, why are you always copying my pieces? Why are your mistakes even the same as mine?¡± The dwarves took other cutlasses out of their bags. There were just two that caught my attention. [Titanium Cutlass] Durability: 59/59 Attack Strength: 57 Attack Speed: 64 Requirements: Strength 81, Agility 226 [Titanium Cutlass] Durability: 60/60 Attack Strength: 60 Attack Speed: 60 Requirements: Strength 82, Agility 207 I plan on developing my stats based on agility from here on. Not that I won¡¯t raise my strength at all. If you don¡¯t have a decent attack strength, depending on the monster, you might not even be able to do any damage. You need to cause some damage in order for critical hits to occur and for combo to be possible. Because of that, I need to raise my strength a decent amount as well. I need to first raise my agility to a decent level and then slowly raise my strength and exchange cutlasses as I go. But it is getting more ambiguous. Even with this, it is difficult to determine a winner. Not that it will do me any good to determine a winner. I¡¯m sorry to the dwarves, but I have no other choice. ¡°Tie!¡± ¡°Damn it! You can¡¯t do that!¡± ¡°No matter who says anything, this is my win.¡± Of course the dwarves were furious. In the end, I used a cheap method. ¡°Then I will say the one who complains more will be the loser. A magnificent blacksmith needs to be able to make high quality swords, but don¡¯t they also need a matching level of dignity?¡± ¡°Hmm? Is that so?¡± ¡°Of course dignity is important as well.¡± The dwarves could not say anything else. But their expressions still showed discontent. ¡°Honestly, it is difficult to determine who is better. Plus, I use the TBSA anyways. I will put the two cutlass together and call it the BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades.¡± ¡°BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades. That does sound like a decent name.¡± ¡°But why is my name in the back? You should call it PichuBachu¡¯s Twin Blades instead.¡± Dwarf Pichu was grumbling. But it was only light grumbling that I could ignore. If he complains more, I could just use the blacksmith¡¯s dignity and announce that Bachu was the winner. Then shall I take the item? Honestly, until now, this is just the appetizer. That is the main. Should I call it the nucleus of the Mine Income Control Operation? ¡°Anyways, where are the pickaxes?¡± ¡°Of course in storage.¡± ¡°Are you going to take it now?¡± ¡°I think the person who will receive the surprise present is ready now. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be so happy they¡¯ll jump up and down.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 47 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 47: Thank You Akto (1) ¡°Of course. Do you think this is just any old pickaxe?¡± The dwarves opened up the door to the storage room. The 200 pickaxes were piled up beautifully. ¡°Hurry up and take it. I need those to disappear from my eyes to feel better again.¡± ¡°Sigh, to think that I made that. Crazy.¡± The dwarves must have been bitter every time they looked at the pickaxes. Well, it wasn¡¯t about the cost. It was a question of their pride as dwarves. They had to use that precious mithril and titanium mixed alloy in a stupid pickaxe that will be used by the humans. On top of that, the entire thing was made that way. ¡°I will put it to good use. This present.¡± I handed the dwarves a magic bag full of mithril. They weren¡¯t refined so the purity was low, but it should definitely be enough to cover the cost of the titanium cutlass. The dwarves¡¯ frown loosened up a bit. ¡°Indeed a friend who knows how to act.¡± But the dwarves started to frown again. It was because of the miners who came with me. After checking out the stats of the pickaxes, their eyes turned the size of lamp posts. ¡°Wow! There are pickaxes like this in the world?¡± ¡°This is similar to the pickaxe that the tunnel supervisor-nim uses.¡± ¡°How many are here?¡± Why don¡¯t these men have any tact? Can¡¯t they see that the dwarves are starting to frown? It was already a heated situation since a bunch of humans, that dwarves do not like, had crowded into the dwarves¡¯ treasure storage. It will not be late to admire these back in the Northern Mines. ¡°Let¡¯s take them. Please hurry.¡± I poked the sides of a couple of the miners. It looks like the miners finally realized the expressions on the dwarves¡¯ faces. They finally started to move quickly. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The seniors will be waiting for us.¡± ¡°S, shall we?¡± After that, we put the pickaxes into a magic bag. ¡°Work hard.¡± I waved at the dwarves before returning to the Northern Mines. ¡°Everybody, gather around. The tunnel supervisor-nim has prepared a very special present for us.¡± ¡°Special present? What is it?¡± ¡°Wow. A special present from the tunnel supervisor-nim. I wonder what it is.¡± ¡°Whatever you are expecting, it is even better. Hurry up and come over.¡± The miners flipped their bags and the pickaxes poured out. Shame. To handle those precious pickaxes like this. Not that it will cause a single scratch on them. The 200 pickaxes clanged and clanged on their way out. ¡°It¡¯s just pickaxes.¡± Tsk. Tsk. They don¡¯t have much of a discerning eye. Definitely giving off that newbie feeling. But Batoom and Goultan were different as expected. Even without touching it with their own hands, they were able to see the pickaxes for what they really were. ¡°This is the noise that is made when titanium is mixed in.¡± ¡°No, it is an even clearer sound. It sounds like even mithril is mixed in. It seems to be similar to the Guchu¡¯s Pickaxe that I gave to Hwi Ram.¡± It was very similar to it. But there was no magic on it, so the basic abilities were a bit lower and there were no special skills. Nonetheless, it was in a different dimension than your average pickaxe. The miners each picked up a pickaxe and inspected the information. After that, they finally started to marvel at it. [Bachu¡¯s Pickaxe] Durability: 48/48 Attack Strength: 12 Attack Speed: 8 Requirement: Strength 49 Wow! The attack strength is all the way up at 12! And the attack speed is 8.¡± ¡°If I use this, my mining speed should be at least 3 times what it is now.¡± ¡°3 times? I think even 4 times is possible.¡± ¡°Oh my god. I didn¡¯t know pickaxes like this existed.¡± ¡°Tunnel supervisor-nim, are you giving these to us?¡± At someone¡¯s question, everybody looked towards me. Their gazes were full of anticipation. Of course I brought it to give it to the miners. But if they wanted it for free, there was just no way. ¡°Anybody who needs it can rent it for a fee. A monthly fee of 500,000 won.¡± ¡°500,000 won a month?¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind of expensive.¡± I¡¯m sure it feels expensive. The pickaxes they¡¯ve used until now would have been 500,000 at the high end. And that was the cost to own it, not borrow it. Honestly, there really wasn¡¯t a reason to this rental fee. I would only be getting 100,000,000 won a month. That¡¯s nothing compared to the amount of money I will make from here on. I¡¯m not thinking in the hundred billions but in the trillions. But then, why am I charging a rental fee? The important part isn¡¯t the rental fee itself. It is the image the miners will have of me! People have a tendency to get used to their surroundings. If I start giving things to them for free, they will think of me as someone who always gives. They will think that I am someone who is easy to take advantage of. That is not the right relationship for me, or for the miners. [If you stick to me, you can earn a large gain. But in order to earn it, you must be willing to spend as much.] That is what I consider to be our proper relationship. ¡°If you use this, you can earn a minimum of 5,000,000 won more than what you are earning now. Just using it one day will net you more than a year¡¯s worth of rental fee.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°Mithril is mixed into it after all. Mithril is a mineral that only dwarves can handle.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Our Tunnel supervisor-nim can do it too.¡± ¡°Anyways, it is an amazing pickaxe. Even if it was not 500,000 but 1,000,000 won, it is still a beneficial deal. I will pay.¡± ¡°I will pay as well. I will pay you in advance for a year¡¯s worth of rental.¡± ¡°Me too¡­¡­¡± The miners must have finally finished their calculations. All of them started to raise their hand to say they will use it. There was no need to rush. There were plenty of pickaxes. But it is not something anybody can use. My final card to control the Mine Income. Only those who agree to this can use the pickaxe. ¡°It was really hard for me to get these pickaxes. I do not want to rent it out to people who will not put it to good use. Just promise me one thing.¡± ¡°What is the promise?¡± ¡°That you will work more than 8 hours a day.¡± The miners in Royal Roader usually worked an average of 4 hours a day. Even those who worked really hard usually only worked about 5 hours. It made sense since it was a hard job. But it was also true that there was definitely room to work harder. ¡°8 hours?¡± ¡°I think that is a bit much. Just thinking about it makes me tired already.¡± ¡°Must we really do that?¡± The miners were grumbling. Of course they needed to work 8 hours. That was the way to make the amount mined much greater, and that was the way to increase the monthly total of the Northern Mines, and most importantly, that was the way I could even flip Donstar¡¯s panties inside out and take everything from him. Then what will the total be? They will be earning at least 3.5 times the amount thanks to the pickaxe, the deal with Humbley will raise it 10%, and the amount of hours they work will increase it by close to another 2 times. Then it should be at least 7 times greater than what Donstar considered. The monthly income from the mines should be over 100,000,000,000 won. I wonder if Donstar will have the means to make the monthly deposit. But he will make sure to make the deposit. If he doesn¡¯t have enough money, he will get a loan from a loan shark if he has to do so. Having a high income would mean that the value of the mine was that high. Which means, once he takes over the ownership of the mine, 100,000,000,000 won will be a puny amount. Of course he doesn¡¯t know that this is a controlled value. Once the mine is handed over to Donstar, the monthly income will return to normal. And then about 2 years after that ¡­¡­ ¡®Pffft. It will become a world where we don¡¯t need money. Forever.¡¯ ¡°Please work hard for just two years. I am trying to help you all become rich.¡± Plus, all of you hate Donstar. Work with me so that we can pull one over him. ¡°I know you may not meet the 8 hours all the time. I just say that to ask that you work that hard. But for those of you who manage to fill the 8 hours completely, I will lower the tax rate to 25%.¡± Since the amount mined is really high, a 5% difference in taxes is still a lot of money. The miners finally seemed to understand my wishes. ¡°Fine. Does it help anybody else for me to work hard?¡± ¡°I might as well become rich and do whatever I please.¡± ¡°If it is the Northern Mines, I¡¯ll be extremely motivated to work.¡± ¡°Fine! I agree!¡± It was not a surprise that the miners agreed to the condition. In fact, all of them agreed. Thanks to that, the 200 pickaxes disappeared instantly. The miners could not hide their anticipation while holding the pickaxes. ¡°Is it because mithril is mixed in? It feels like it is wrapping around my hand.¡± ¡°It is heavy as well. Will that level of attack strength really come out?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and go try it out.¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m so curious I might die.¡± The miners took the pickaxes and ran into the mine. They then swung the pickaxes as hard as they could. CLANG. CLANG. ¡°Even the sound is different!¡± ¡°Wow! Look at how the boulder is cracking. Was this boulder always this weak?¡± ¡°Pickaxes made by dwarves really are different.¡± ¡°Listen carefully. This is the sound of us becoming rich!¡± CLANG. CLANG. The miners all looked like they were full of strength. They seemed to be extremely happy with the present I prepared for them. I hope Donstar is happy as well. It made me think about Donstar¡¯s expression. What kind of expression will he make after seeing next month¡¯s income from the Northern Mines? Just thinking about that made me so happy the corners of my lips were dancing. But I could not laugh out loud. Although everybody was excited because of the pickaxes, just one person had a dark expression. It wasn¡¯t just dark, it was downright depressing. Jonnan. Even though the strength requirement was pretty low for the pickaxe, it was still too heavy for Jonnan. He was someone who used a small hand hoe because even the old pickaxe was too much. It was because of Akto¡¯s curse. That was why only Jonnan could not pick a new pickaxe. He just quietly used his hand hoe a bit away from the other people. It was very pitiful. But there was no reason to feel pity. Today will be the last day to see him like this. I headed over to Jonnan and put my hand on his shoulder. ¡°Now it is senior Jonnan¡¯s turn.¡± ¡°What do you mean by my turn?¡± Jonnan looked toward me. But his gaze still had no strength. ¡°I will remove Akto¡¯s curse for you.¡± ¡°Gasp! What did you just say?¡± Jonnan was so shocked his eyes were the size of lamp posts. Even his shoulder flinched very hard. It was not just Jonnan. Even Batoom and Goultan, who were swinging their pickaxes nearby, ran over in shock. ¡°What? Remove Akto¡¯s curse?¡± ¡°Is that for real?¡± Of course these two knew about it. In fact, they were probably more regretful than Jonnan. At one point, the three of them were the closest of friends. But once Jonnan became like this, they naturally started to drift away. It wasn¡¯t Batoom or Goultan, but Jonnan himself who created the distance. ¡°Please share Akto¡¯s Test with me. I will complete the test and remove the curse as well.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Akto¡¯s Test is not something anyone can pass. It is a test made by a terrible dwarf that was overcome by the demonic aura to destroy humans.¡± Jonnan does not know much about my abilities. The Owl¡¯s Eye, combo. I didn¡¯t really have a reason to let him know. ¡°I know the method to pass the test. So please give it to me.¡± ¡°Is that ¡­¡­ really the truth? You must really think hard about this. I was as strong as you when I was young like you. But I became like this instantly because of Akto¡¯s curse. If you fail, you¡¯ll end up like me.¡± I still needed to do it. Not for Jonnan, but for myself. Akto¡¯s Test has a reward that I really need. Jewel Alchemy. At least among the information I have, you can only earn it through Akto¡¯s Test. And the only way to take that test is by getting Jonnan to share it with you. I reached my hand out to Jonnan. ¡°I know. So please give it to me.¡± ¡°You really won¡¯t regret it? Please think it over one more time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± I answered as I reached my arm further and grabbed Jonnan¡¯s hand. Jonnan finally let out a sigh as he shared the test. Now I just need to walk into the mine. Then Akto¡¯s soul will show up and open the path to the Demon¡¯s Cave. Let¡¯s rest a bit first. Once Akto¡¯s Test starts, I will not be able to rest for at least a day. Early next morning. Jonnan grabbed my wrist. ¡°You can still give up. No matter how much I think about it, this is not it.¡± ¡°I am not being dragged there. I am doing it because I want to.¡± ¡®Just watch. See how I change from the moment I enter to the moment I leave.¡¯ I did not say that last part. That¡¯s the type of thing to show through my action, not through my words. Instead, I turned on the magic light on my helmet. ¡°The magic light will not be useful. It will be better to close your eyes.¡± I also know about that. But I am just pretending to use this in order to trick Akto. ¡°I understand. Then, I shall be on my way.¡± I waved lightly as I entered the mine. I walked alone toward the deepest part of the mine to the Demon¡¯s Cave. How much did I walk for? A voice that rang in my ear. I could not tell where it was coming from. This time, I heard the voice coming from behind me. I turned my head. At the same time, there was a FLASH! And a bright light flashed. It was so bright that it was hurting my eyes. ¡°Ack!¡± The magic light on the helmet went out as well. Once Akto¡¯s Test begins, all magic tools lose their abilities. Blindness from the sudden flash of light. The loss of the magic light. To mine in such a situation. Also, to need five different types of minerals. Even the most talented of miners would find it impossible. That is why Jonnan failed from this first test as well. But it was a really easy test for me. I stopped pretending to be blind and started to swing my pickaxe. Clang. Clang. Clang. ¡­¡­ To gather five types of minerals, I didn¡¯t need 10, no I didn¡¯t even need 5 minutes. I could hear some nervousness in Akto¡¯s voice that continued. There is no reason for me to help resolve his confusion. I just need to pass the test. Since I did not answer, he just came to his own conclusion. A very accurate conclusion at that. Akto¡¯s laughter was extremely loud. At the same time, I heard the earth rumbling as if there was an earthquake. It felt like something large was headed my way. I started to smirk. Deathworm! Two of them at that! Does Akto know exactly what he has done? I should start showing him. ¡®Thank you Akto. I will enjoy this meal.¡¯ It is now time to use the thing I have been saving until now. I took out an item I had been saving for a while out of my bag. [Drake¡¯s TBSA Textbook] Teaches you the foundation for TBSA. Instruction Time: 1 year Last chapter for the week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 48 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 48: Thank You Akto (2) In the game, I ripped this too early without preparing a decent training partner. Because of that, the skill did not go up properly, and I couldn¡¯t use it for my benefit in times like this when I really needed it. The results would have been completely different if I knew there were opportunities like this. Since the opportunity has come again, I plan to use it properly this time. I ripped Drake¡¯s TBSA textbook with my hands. Reusable textbooks are used by opening them, but this type of one-time use textbooks are used by ripping them. Riiiiip~ A silver powder started to float out before being absorbed into my body. At the same time, a new type of TBSA continuous movements flooded my mind. ¡®Then shall I play around a bit?¡¯ I first approached Deathworm. I made sure my presence was as low as possible. Deathworm did not notice my movement. It was thanks to the ¡®Stealthy Approach¡¯ ability from the Skyfox Leather Armor. Such a large monster. Looking at it up close, it feels like I am looking at a wall. I swung my cutlass. It was the expert cutlass I bought for 120,000 won from the weapon store. In other words, cheap goods. But the skill coming out of the cutlass was not cheap at all. Since it was the ¡®Drake TBSA¡¯ made by a legendary race. Papapat! [1] [1] ¡­ Drake¡¯s TBSA is the ultimate speed-based sword art. I succeeded in landing 8 hits in less than 3 seconds. Because of that, there is a lot of movements that twist your body. Almost like you are creating a hurricane with your body. But the damage was barely 1. Critical hits happened and I managed to land a 8 hit combo, but it still did not go over 1. But it still must be able to feel that it is getting attacked. Or at least feel a tickle. Deathworm became shocked and twisted its body. Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- I already moved away far enough. Deathworm isn¡¯t that scary of an opponent anymore. Even if there are two of them, if I really wanted to, I can take care of them within 10 minutes. If I get lucky and land a high level combo at once, it won¡¯t even take 3 minutes. Since my combo is at intermediate level 6. But I threw away any greed I had about combo. Right now, I don¡¯t need to increase my combo. I need to increase ¡®Drake¡¯s TBSA.¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t die and live a long time.¡¯ The continuous movement of Drake¡¯s TBSA has only 3 steps. But each and every one of those steps has between a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 12 hits. Extremely fast hits. The 8 hit attack ends in less than 3 seconds, and even the 12 hit attack ends before 4 seconds. This is what you call a carpet bombing skill. Every time that happened, critical hits happened naturally, leading to combos. I did not overwork myself. Nor did I have a reason to do so. Slowly but steadily, the number of continuous hits from Drake¡¯s TBSA started to grow. Eight to thirteen, twenty to thirty. The two Deathworms twisted their bodies this way and that way and worked hard to attack me back, but their movements were clear to me. As time went by, I got more used to Drake¡¯s TBSA. Even without overworking myself, the continuous hits continued to go up, and after about 10 hours, I could make a 40+ hit combo just using Drake¡¯s TBSA. Was that the reason? I felt like the two Deathworms¡¯ movements started to become slower. Were their HP always this low? Honestly speaking, I was feeling tired as well. I increased my stamina by working in the mines for a long time and doing the blacksmith quest, but I didn¡¯t have unlimited stamina like Deathworm. It wasn¡¯t like I could take breaks like I did back when I was clearing Tunnel 99. Plus, this wasn¡¯t the end of the test either. The hardest test was the third and last test. I created some distance from the Deathworms before checking the skill information. [Drake¡¯s TBSA: Intermediate Level 3, 36%] ¡®I just really want to reach level 4.¡¯ I was a bit disappointed, but I can¡¯t let my greed take over. I need to end it around here to keep enough stamina for the third test. ¡®Let¡¯s end it here.¡¯ I went in full force and started to land high level combos left and right. Of course while only using Drake¡¯s TBSA. Because of that, I couldn¡¯t hit the really high combos. But it was really surprising. If I used the ¡®Continuous Slash¡¯ skill, it would take at least 25 seconds to reach a 50 level combo. But using Drake¡¯s TBSA, it only took 14 seconds. I seemed to be attacking 3.5 times a second. The Deathworms ended up in terrible shapes almost instantly. Even though I took turns attacking them with combo, they still ended up this way. ¡®Please hold on a little longer.¡¯ 57 hit combo, 58 hit combo, 59 hit combo. ¡­ [28,805] [33,414] [38,760] That was the limit. It¡¯s been a while since I heard that voice. I thought I might be able to make a new record for combo since there were two Deathworms, but that was a failure. But I feel like I sucked them completely dry. Akto seems to have realized what¡¯s going on now. He must be a bit bitter. But it is too soon to be surprised. I did not talk back. It wasn¡¯t like my response would change the content of Akto¡¯s third test. No, I also can¡¯t let it change. It needs to follow the determined route to keep the potential after effects to a minimum. Akto, who was trying to give me a skill as a reward, stopped talking. He then realized another truth about me. It was something that¡¯ll make him jump up and down in anger even more than before. I quietly prepared for the next test. I didn¡¯t care whether Akto blabbed on or not. Since I didn¡¯t know where he was talking from anyways, there was nowhere to look either. ¡®I won¡¯t need this anymore.¡¯ I threw the two Expert Cutlass to the floor. I then took out the BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades out of my bag and held one in each hand. If it was training until now, this is the start of the real battle. I then equipped a wrist-belt that I can stick HP potions into. If a dangerous situation occurs, I won¡¯t need to look in my bag and just have to put my wrist to my mouth to use a potion. I also took a XL Weak HP potion to start. ¡®Let¡¯s put all of my available points to agility!¡¯ [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 11] Title: First Human Blacksmith (Do not show) Dexterity: Advanced Level 2, 31% Strength: 97 Agility: 130 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 89 Magic: 9 Vitality: 36 Mana: 268 HP: 493 Endurance: 33 Toughness: 28 I made enough preparations. Even so, I was feeling a bit afraid. It was because of my memory of the game. I attempted the third test, but I died without passing it. But I needed to win. ¡®You can do it. It is different than last time.¡¯ I had no information back then. All I knew was how to land high level combos, but I didn¡¯t know how to effectively use it. I didn¡¯t know how to fight, and most importantly, the level of Drake¡¯s TBSA was too low. But now? I know how to fight effectively. I also know when to approach and when to retreat. With Drake¡¯s TBSA at this level, it is enough to use it in real battle as well. Once my thoughts reached that point, I was no longer afraid and was now full of confidence. ¡®I will make another turning point.¡¯ Akto was still blabbing on until that point. He must be really angry. The cost of failure. Not curse but ¡®death.¡¯ ¡®Yes. I will really die. Focus.¡¯ Maybe it was the nervousness from the word ¡®death,¡¯ but I could feel some of my fatigue disappearing. As soon as Akto¡¯s voice disappeared, a large hole appeared under my feet. It was almost like a sinkhole suddenly appeared. I fell straight down like that. Of course I was expecting it. I entered the Demon¡¯s Cave by falling down in the game as well. The speed was not fast. It was like I was in an invisible elevator descending at a decent pace. ¡®This is the last part. Kang Hwi Ram. You can do it.¡¯ I clenched the BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades in my hands. Chuchuk. I safely landed on the ground completely prepared. This tunnel was so wide that even a tank could go through it. It should be pitch black, but I could see it as clearly as if it was the middle of the day. My surroundings were full of monsters. As they felt my presence once I landed, they responded and started to attack. I didn¡¯t have a moment to spare. Craaaaaaaaa- There were some weak monsters like my slave Kobbit, Kiiiiiiiiiiiiii- Deathworm that I just defeated, Shhhhhhhh- Shhhhhhh- And even a powerful Red Scorpion that can completely paralyze you by just touching you. The Red Scorpion¡¯s level is over 50. And I could see 3 of those Red Scorpions. If you consider all of the monsters, there are a couple hundred of them. And this is a Demon¡¯s Cave that I can¡¯t see the end. In this very twisted tunnel, I can¡¯t tell how many more monsters are hiding around the corner. At minimum, there are probably at least 1,000 monsters. But I will definitely succeed. Once I confirmed the monsters with my own eyes, my confidence started to increase. It wasn¡¯t a confidence without reason. All fights are bound to have advantages and disadvantages. This fight was one that was in my favor in that aspect. Why is that so? Just watch and you¡¯ll find out. Taaaat! I kicked the floor and flung my body toward the hoard of monsters. I first avoided the strong monsters and headed to the middle of the weak Kobbits. With my current strength, forget a level 50 Red Scorpion, I couldn¡¯t even handle a level 30 Jump Spider. Papapat! I spun my body and swung BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades. Drake¡¯s TBSA let out a magnificent light. Craaaaw- The beginning damage was not large. Even the weak Kobbit took 3 hits to finally take down. But combo¡¯s level instantly increased, and once it passed level 20, I was taking down a Kobbit per hit. I continued to spin my body as if I became a hurricane. Every time my body spun once, the twin blades landed five to six hits. This was the natural movement of Drake¡¯s TBSA. I continued to move deeper into the group of Kobbits. Drake¡¯s TBSA is focused on aggressively attacking, rather than defending. Because of that, I did receive some damage from monsters who attacked like a suicide squad. ¡®Ugh!¡¯ I need to ignore the small injuries. That is one of Drake¡¯s TBSA¡¯s biggest cons. Of course it didn¡¯t matter for the Drake race since their entire body was covered in hard scales that made it like they were wearing an extremely strong armor. It was a con only for humans like us. Because of that, it was difficult for most people to use Drake¡¯s TBSA even if they learned it. You become slower if you try to equip something to give yourself enough defense, and if you try to move quickly, you sacrifice your defense. But you can say I¡¯m an exception to that as well. With endurance and toughness, my body alone had a defense of over 100. Soon, once my toughness goes over 100, I will also be able to reflect attacks as well. Plus, I already took an HP potion in advance. I didn¡¯t care about the light injuries. I only focused on creating higher level combos. Papat! I continued to receive that message. Every time, I did not wait and used my bonus stat points. It was possible to use them by just thinking about it. ¡®Put it all to agility!¡¯ While I was doing that, my combo already passed level 40. My combo skill is intermediate level 6. When it is at the beginner level, every level increases damage by only 10%, but at intermediate level 6, the damage increases by 16% per level. If you can get it to advanced level 1, it will increase by a whopping 20% per level. Thanks to that, the damage was already over 6,000. No matter how strong the Red Scorpion¡¯s body may be, this should be enough to land a high level of damage. This was the fighting strategy I came up with. First, use the weak monsters as stepping stones to increase my combo to a decent level. Then continue the combo as I hunt the high leveled monsters. The reason I was certain that I had an advantage, and my confidence in my ability to win was all because of this. Then shall I see if my strategy works? ¡®Now it is time for the Red Scorpion!¡¯ I kicked the floor and launched my body toward the Red Scorpion. Taaaaat! Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 49 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 49: Thank You Akto (3) As expected, the Red Scorpion quickly approached me to attack. Its speed was really fast, just like its large body. All three of them rushed toward me almost at the same time. I needed to make good decisions. How long I will attack. When to retreat. The wrong decision means death. The factor that will determine that time is combo. The requirements for combo get more difficult the higher you go. First, the time you have to hit the next attack gets shorter. When you are under a 10 level combo, you just need to hit again in the next second to continue the combo, but after the 50 level combo, you need to do it within 0.7 seconds, after the 80 level combo, 0.5 seconds. Of course that wasn¡¯t a big issue for me. Drake¡¯s TBSA can hit 3.5 times in 1 second. The really difficult problem is the critical hit. As the combo level gets higher, it becomes much more likely for critical hit to fail. That is the principle for combo. Plus, the opponent wasn¡¯t an easy punching bag like Deathworm, but a ton of monsters running around in all directions. It is hard enough to chase after and accurately hit monsters that are moving unexpectedly, but I also need to worry about dodging. Although the Kobbits are weaker in comparison to the other monsters, if they hit me properly, the damage will not be low. Was it just the Kobbits? There were also Jump Spiders and Red Scorpions as well. If those hit me, even one hit will be critical. It is no wonder that my attention was split among many things. But that lowers the chances of a successful critical hit, which would mean the end of combo. I would need to restart from combo level 1. That is why the Maginot Line I determined is level 70. I will defeat all three Red Scorpions before reaching combo level 70. I need to take care of the strong monsters first while there are still weaker monsters for me to have a chance to succeed. I used the hoard of Kobbits nearby to continue my combo as I dug in to the side of a Red Scorpion. The Red Scorpion did not just sit there and get hit. It¡¯s sharp tail came down like a spear from the sky. Swiiiiish- Swiiiish- Even if that just manages to scratch me, I will be poisoned by a strong poison. But I should be able to evade a couple hits. Although the Red Scorpion may be fast with large movements, I am much faster with the small movements. I twisted my body to dodge as I launched combos at the Red Scorpion¡¯s side. It was a high level combo I had continued from earlier on. It should be at about level 50. Papapat! ¡­¡­ [10,192] [11,822] [13,714] ¡­¡­ It went past the tough skin¡¯s defense and hit over 10,000 worth of damage. Maybe it is because of the strength of the BachuPichu Twin Blades, but it felt great. Every time the cutlass swept by, the Red Scorpion¡¯s side started to open up. The cut was so large that it was hard to believe it came from such small and thin cutlass. It was almost like someone grabbed the cut and pulled it apart. Kiiiiiiii- In the end, the Red Scorpion could not last more than six attacks and fell over. Even though it was six hits, it was a short amount of time that was less than 2 seconds. For a strong monster over level 50, it was a bit boring. But the reward for killing it was not boring at all. A quite long message flooded my mind. I can¡¯t relax yet. There¡¯s still two Red Scorpions trying to stab me with their poison stingers. And the two of them came at me together like siblings. Thankfully. I completely ignored the reward message coming through my mind. I needed to kill the remaining two and move to a safe location before combo passed level 70. I used the Black Spider in the middle to continue my combo and flung my body toward the Red Scorpions. The poison stingers came down from above my head like darts. Swiiiiish- Swiiiiish- I twisted my body and used the rotation to slash the Red Scorpion¡¯s leg. I then followed up with an attack to the body. ¡­¡­ [44,962] [52,155] [60,500] [70,181] ¡­¡­ Kiiiiiiii- I took down another one. What level is it at now? Isn¡¯t it probably close to 70 by now? Maybe that was why but the damage was huge. It was over 70,000. It¡¯s time to step back now. But there was only one left. It was also really injured. I feel like I can finish it with one or two more hits. ¡®Please!¡¯ Papat! Kiiiiii- ¡®I did it!¡¯ Now it was really time to step back. But there was no reason to just stop my combo. I used the large but extremely slow Giant Spider as a connection point to move toward where the weak monsters were gathered. The Jump Spider jumped up and down to threaten me, but I dodged with a roll every time to increase my distance. In the midst of all of that, at some point, my damage color changed to red. I failed to land a critical hit and my combo ended. 76 level combo. It was a high level combo that I never managed to achieve in the game. My confidence started to shoot really high up. But it is not time to be drunk in joy. There are still a ton of monsters to get rid of in this Demon¡¯s Cave. There¡¯s no way there is a monster even stronger than the Red Scorpion hiding in the back, is there? For some reason, I feel like that is going to be the case. The Red Scorpion is strong, but it feels a bit lacking to be called the boss monster. I need to pull my level up as much as I can before that. ¡®All bonus stat points to agility!¡¯ I dove into the monsters once again. Papapat! How much time must have passed? Now I am really tired. Haaaaaa. Haaaaaa. ¡®Let¡¯s pull out the last of my strength.¡¯ I kept saying that over and over. It¡¯s probably been at least ten times. Now I feel like I don¡¯t have any strength left at all. But thankfully, I can see the end. There are not too many monsters left. Around 30 left? The majority of them are weak monsters as well. Yes ¡®the majority.¡¯ But there is just one exception. The problem is that this exception is extremely strong. ¡®Damn it, how can a Cave Troll come out at this point?¡¯ It is as large as a polar bear. Well, it is small for a troll. But a troll is a troll. Its HP and recovery rate must be scary. I mean I was expecting something like this. I was pretty sure that the Red Scorpion would not be the boss monster. I knew there would be at least one stronger monster. But this is just unfair. Wasn¡¯t this a miner quest with a level restriction of 10? How could a monster close to level 70 be a part of it? Of course there was still a way to succeed since my level was up to 30 now. I don¡¯t know how many hours has passed for sure, but I know I managed to gain close to 20 levels in less than 10 hours. ¡®It is now do or die. Put all bonus stats to agility.¡¯ [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 30] Title: First Human Blacksmith (Do not show) Dexterity: Advanced Level 2, 33% Strength: 97 Agility: 227 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 89 Magic: 9 Vitality: 36 Mana: 328 HP: 493 Endurance: 33 Toughness: 43 My agility is 227. This should be enough to overpower the Cave Troll at least when it comes to agility, right? I will not know until I face it first hand. I know about the Cave Troll¡¯s extremely high level, but I don¡¯t know details about its stats. Kwaaaaaa- ¡®Damn it, it doesn¡¯t give me any time to rest. I¡¯m tired and you¡¯re fresh, is that it?¡¯ I avoided the Cave Troll that was rushing roughly toward me and dug into the side of a slow Giant Spider. Of course it was to create a large combo. The Cave Troll approached me quickly. It wasn¡¯t extremely fast, but since I slowed down from a lack of stamina, it felt fast in comparison. But my combo continued to build. As it passed the 30 level combo, the Giant Spider was sliced in half with one hit, and every time I moved, a miraculous road was created. The Cave Troll also used that road to approach me. It was right on my heel. I could not run anymore. Now I needed to settle it. ¡®Fine, let¡¯s try it!¡± The Cave Troll swiped its hand trying to slash my back. I twisted my body to the side and changed directions at the same time. With a cutlass in one hand, I slashed the neck of a Kobbit that was bumbling around, and with the cutlass in the other hand, I increased the spin to cut the Cave Troll¡¯s thigh. Continuous attacking. Papapat! ¡­¡­ [3,606] [4,183] [5,629] ¡­¡­ Kraaaaaaaaa! ¡®It hurts, doesn¡¯t it? So let us rest a bit before fighting. Please.¡¯ But neither the Cave Troll nor I stopped attacking. The Cave Troll lifted up its nail-like fingernail and swung it around, while I forced my almost unable to move body to move and continued my combo. ¡®Aaah!¡¯ It scratched my back and shoulder. I thought it only skimmed me, but seeing as how the pain is severe, the cut must be deep. It is because I was focused on attacking rather than defending. It was an unfortunate but necessary sacrifice to use Drake¡¯s TBSA. It was only because of the defense from endurance and toughness that it ended with just this much damage. I did not stop my combo. Even though it hurt like hell, I did not die. But if my combo stops, then I will really die. Thinking about ¡®death¡¯ made it feel like I was subconsciously bringing out superhuman strength. When possible, I only aimed for the Cave Troll¡¯s leg. It was because I needed to stop it from moving in order to have a chance to succeed. 53 combo, 54 combo, 55 combo. ¡­¡­ [10,183] [11,834] [13,745] ¡°Ugh.¡± It scratched my side again. The pain was stronger than before. It was enough to make me lose 150 HP in one hit. My HP was already at about half, so it instantly reached close to the bottom. ¡®Dangerous!¡¯ I quickly put the wristbelt to my mouth. When I started, there were a total of 8 strongest potions, but now the last one disappeared just like that. The bigger issue was that combo was stopped. It was unavoidable in order to drink the potion. Thankfully, the Cave Troll couldn¡¯t move either. It was because the injury to its lower body was severe. It flopped on the floor and tried to get up, but continued to fall back down. But it¡¯s recovery rate is extremely fast. I know it is a troll, but for it to heal faster than a Strongest HP potion¡­ ¡®I can¡¯t give it any time.¡¯ I clenched my teeth and started to move again. I had to move. It wasn¡¯t like the Cave Troll was the only monster there. The Kobbits and Jump Spiders were rushing towards me trying to eat my flesh. Thank you for coming all the way here! Thanks to them, I was able to make a combo again. Once I reached a decent damage level with at least a 30 level combo, I returned to attack the Cave Troll¡¯s lower body. The Cave Troll that just got up after showing its extremely fast recovery speed, fell down again. ¡®I did it. This fight is over.¡¯ I attacked and attacked again. It passed 50 combo and then 60 combo. But this dude is really strong. Why won¡¯t you die! It really is a boss monster. I might end up fainting from fatigue before it dies. I wanted to give everything up and just lay down and sleep. But all I need to do is land a few more hits. Stay focused a little longer. I clenched my teeth and continued the combo. 76 combo, 77 combo, 78 combo. Papapat! [94,435] [109,545] [127,072] And then the sound that released all tension in my body could be heard. Grrrrrr. You have established a new combo record by landing a 78 level combo. As a reward, you have been given 1 bonus stat point and your fame has increased by 5. You have defeated the monsters in the Demon Cave with your own strength. You have earned the title of ¡®Guard¡¯ from the Ares Temple. Your fame has increased by 15. You have established a new record for lowest level to earn the ¡®Guard¡¯ title. As a reward, you have been given 3 bonus stat point and your fame has increased by 10. You have earned a Chaos Jewel.> ¡®Chaos Jewel?¡¯ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Wow. 49 chapters! 50 is right around the corner! Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 50 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 50: The Secret of Jewel Alchemy (1) My mind became completely clear at the unexpected reward message. In the game, I didn¡¯t make it this far. I was hit by the Red Scorpion¡¯s poison stinger and died early on. That was the reason I never expected the approximately level 70 Cave Troll to appear. That was why I was thinking it was going to be a shitty day as soon as I saw the Cave Troll. But for the reward to be a Chaos Jewel. ¡®Such a jackpot!¡¯ Now that I think about it, it was the same way in the Monster¡¯s Mine. The boss monster was a Bone Dragon that was over level 500. You don¡¯t know how much I cursed at the developers as I died, and died again. But once I finally managed to defeat the Bone Dragon, the rewards were huge. It was almost to the point that I almost felt sorry for cursing the developers. I was as happy as I was back then. The Chaos Jewel is the most precious of the Five-colored jewels. The Jewel of Luck is precious as well, but compared to the Chaos Jewel, it is considered to be common. In addition, because of its special ability, there is even a law that prevents a normal person from using it. The only ones who are allowed to use the Chaos Jewels are the Emperor and the Royal family. Of course banning it through the law is not as effective as using divine power to ban it. Although there are only a handful, you can still trade it for a hefty sum in the black market. I¡¯ve never mined one on my own, but I have purchased one from the black market and used it before. It is that precious. For something like a Cave Troll to spit one out for me. Plus the color is pretty intense. There are a lot of different colors wrapping around each other, but it was very clear. I have a good feeling. ¡®Verify jewel information.¡¯ [Chaos Jewel: Search Index 67] ¡®Wow, 67!¡¯ Just like the Jewels of Luck, the Chaos Jewels do not have much of the fairy¡¯s power. It is usually an average of 20? If you find one even at 30, you hear that it is a jackpot. But for it to be 67, whether I search a person or a thing, the accuracy will be very high. While I was being surprised by the Chaos Jewel, Akto finally revealed himself. Sssssssssst- I felt his presence and lifted my head. I could see Akto. Although he was trapped by the demonic influence, he still looked like a dwarf. In his hand was the weapon, a crystal sword, that he used while he was still alive. ¡°How is this possible¡­¡­?¡± A devastated expression. Even after seeing it with his two eyes, he couldn¡¯t believe it. If you think about it realistically, it was impossible. I was barely level 9 when I entered, but within a day, I was able to improve and hunt a level 70 Cave Troll. Along with a ton of level 50+ Red Scorpions. It was from the benefit of having a crowd. If there were no other monsters and just the Cave Troll, how would it have ended up? It didn¡¯t even need to be the Cave Troll. Even the level 50 Red Scorpion would have been enough. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to hunt a single one. Forget hunting, I wouldn¡¯t even have been able to cause a single damage. The Red Scorpion¡¯s shell is extremely high in defense, and it even has a property that bounces off any weak attacks as well. If I tried to attack it without a high combo, forget critical hit, I would have only gotten ¡®miss.¡¯ But the story changes when I use the weaker monsters as stepping stones. The first level of combo does only 50 damage, but at level 50, combo does over 20,000 damage. Which means, the surrounding monsters actually ended up being on my side. Although Akto knows nothing about that. ¡°For there to be someone like you among the humans. Just what are you? How much abilities are you hiding?¡± After putting the Chaos Jewel in my bag, I just looked at Akto with disinterest. I was so tired. It was annoying to talk and I had nothing to say anyways. Since the test was over, now all I had left was to get the reward. ¡°Now it is your turn. Keep your promise.¡± Akto must have admitted complete defeat as he let out a moan like sigh. ¡°Groan. What is the skill you want?¡± How long had I been waiting for this moment? There has only been one skill I wanted from the moment I entered here until now. ¡°Jewel Alchemy!¡± Akto¡¯s shoulders flinched back as he had a shocked expression. ¡°Wha, what? Jewel Alchemy? That is not a skill you should be greedy about. You can only use Jewel Alchemy if your dexterity is at the advanced level.¡± ¡°I will take care of that. All you need to do is give it to me.¡± Akto¡¯s eyes became even bigger. ¡°Then perhaps your dexterity¡­¡­!¡± Did he finally figure it out? I assumed he would expect it after seeing me land a 70+ combo. As I lightly laughed, Akto¡¯s shoulders fell as if he gave up on everything. ¡°I guess you wouldn¡¯t be able to land combos like that with low dexterity. As promised, I will hand over the Jewel Alchemy skill. But in order to use that skill properly, you will need a lot of training.¡± I will take care of that. I¡¯m someone who at one point raised Jewel Alchemy to Advanced level 1. Akto moved his hand toward me. At the same time, a satisfying message popped up in my head. . The Chaos Jewel was also a large reward, but it could not compare to the Jewel Alchemy skill. If the Chaos Jewel was a 500 won coin, Jewel Alchemy was a 50,000 won bill. There are no other variables. Just a question of time. One day, I will definitely arrive at the realm of One with the Sword ¡®But there is no new record message.¡¯ I should be the first ever human to learn Jewel Alchemy. That was why I was kind of expecting it. I guess in the end it is just one of the many blacksmith occupation skills. It is a common skill for the Peria tribe as well. I opened my skill window to confirm. [Skill] Dig: Intermediate Level 9, 1% Rock Breaking: Intermediate Level 7, 56% Mineral Selection: Intermediate Level 6, 16% Tunnel Construction: Intermediate Level 4, 88% Focus: Intermediate Level 2, 16% ¡­¡­ Continuous Slash: Intermediate Level 8, 11% Combo (Under 40%): Intermediate Level 7, 19% Smelting: Beginner 0% Drake TBSA: Intermediate Level 4, 36% Jewel Alchemy: Beginner 0% I had all sorts of skills. I even had the focus skill. Since I got a lot of benefit from it in the real world, I tried making it here as well. But there wasn¡¯t much effect. In Royal Roader, even without the focus skill, you can focus on anything you do. I tried making a couple other skills, but they were kind of useless and just made my skill window dirty. I¡¯ll watch it a little longer and if they really are completely useless, I will create a trash category and hide them there so I can¡¯t see it. Combo and Drake TBSA increased quite a bit. I used high level combos a lot in this Demon¡¯s Cave test. Especially against the Cave Troll. But I wasn¡¯t that interested in those skills either. Right now, my focus was only on one thing. ¡®I finally earned it! Jewel Alchemy!¡¯ Just looking at it made my lips dance up and down. ¡°If you are done with everything, you can go now.¡± The weak voice of the defeated. But I didn¡¯t feel bad at all. Our Jonnan has suffered so much because of his curse. Although that was the reason I made it this far. But to leave. That is not the proper order. I am not done with you just yet. Akto moved his hand as if he was going to send me out. I quickly shouted. ¡°Wait. I still haven¡¯t received the reward for passing the second test.¡± Akto thankfully stopped his hand. ¡°You already have the smelting skill as well as the Jewel Alchemy skill. What else do you want? I can¡¯t give you another skill.¡± Look at him. He knew but he was just going to bypass it. Isn¡¯t he taking me too lightly? ¡°Who asked for a skill? I will make a different request instead.¡± ¡°I will listen to it first and decide whether I will do it.¡± ¡°Increase the intuition of my party member.¡± ¡°I will not give a reward to someone who is not here.¡± ¡°I am not asking you to give my party member a separate reward. I am yielding my reward to them. Is there a problem? If so, then just raise my intuition more. I actually prefer that.¡± Akto looked like he was debating hard. Even if he debates all he wants, there is no other method. Since he promised, he does need to give a reward, but to give another reward, there really wasn¡¯t much else. On top of that, it wasn¡¯t like he was going to raise my intuition further when it is already at 89. In the end, Akto nodded his head. ¡°Fine. I will raise the party member¡¯s intuition.¡± Akto moved his hand into the air. Is it done? I thought about if there were any other rewards to receive, but I couldn¡¯t think of anything. I can leave satisfied now. But why is there no change? He needs to let me out of the Demon¡¯s Cave so that I can leave the mine or whatever. I can only leave if Akto lets me. ¡°Then let me out now.¡± But Akto did not let me out. Instead, he looked at me with a deep gaze and started to say something weird. ¡°If it is you, it might be possible.¡± What is he planning? I was so tired my eyes were about to close, but I paid close attention. If I make the wrong decision in a situation like this, things might become complicated. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You should know enough about how I ended up like this.¡± I remember seeing it on the Royal Roader homepage. I don¡¯t know all the details, but Akto was aiming for a higher level Jewel Alchemy and ended up under the demon influence and his soul was sealed. What about it? ¡°Can you save me? All you have to do is destroy the Stone Wall of Grief that my soul is sealed in.¡± My eyes suddenly opened wide. I have a good feeling! ¡®Continuation quest!¡¯ In most situations, the continuation quests get harder the further you go. Of course the rewards get that much better as well. Akto¡¯s Test was one where I received an enormous reward called Jewel Alchemy. If it is a continuation quest related to that, ¡®The rewards for that quest is certain to be huge!¡¯ But the difficulty will be above my expectations as well. I can¡¯t let my greed step forward and carelessly make a decision. I need to figure out everything I can before I decide whether or not I will accept the quest. ¡°Where is the Stone Wall of Grief?¡± Southern district Monster¡¯s Mine.¡± The Monster¡¯s Mine! It is a place I know about. It is in a land ruled by the demonic influence. Because of that, it is a mine where the level restriction forcefield using divine power was created. After entering the Monster¡¯s Mine, I was able to challenge Akto¡¯s Test once more, and after dying to the Bone Dragon and challenging it over and over, I finally managed to complete all of the tests. That was when I gained the Jewel Alchemy skill in the game. I have a good feeling about this! But first, I need to talk negatively about it first. I am the one holding the sword and Akto is the one asking for help. ¡°The Southern District is a place that we cannot enter. Forget the Stone Wall of Grief, I probably won¡¯t even be able to find the Monster¡¯s Mine. You need to at least give me a hint for me to find it.¡± I pretty much know how to get to the Monster¡¯s Mine. Well not me, but my slave Chief. But Chief¡¯s memory wasn¡¯t perfect either. I needed to look for a long time before I finally managed to find it. Can Akto help reduce some of that work? Of course even without Akto¡¯s help, I will be able to figure everything out soon. As long as things go the way I planned. But since everything has a ¡®maybe¡¯ to it, I need to take every opportunity to gather more information. ¡°Do not look to the sky but down to the earth. While I am restrained by the demonic influence, that is the only hint I can give you right now.¡± Do not look to the sky but down to the ground? It¡¯s like a riddle. ¡°It is difficult.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it is. But it is not impossible. In return, if you succeed, you will receive a reasonable reward.¡± I wonder what the reward is. I¡¯m looking forward to it. But it is not the time to ask that right now. I am still lacking too much information. ¡°How can I break the Stone Wall of Grief? I presume you can¡¯t break it with just any weapon.¡± ¡°If it is my friend Chubach¡¯s sword, it will be able to break the Stone Wall of Grief. Once I feel Chubach¡¯s power, I will use my power from inside as well.¡± The story is getting more entertaining. ¡®Chubach¡¯s Sword¡¯ is a quest I need to get from the Dwarf chief. It feels like the quests are overlapping. Which means, I should be able to see the results in two of them for taking care of one. Then what other information do I need? I don¡¯t think there is anything else. I also don¡¯t have much time left. Akto¡¯s body was starting to turn transparent. Was that why? Akto¡¯s voice started to become urgent. ¡°I am asking you. If you can save my soul, I will tell you the secret about Jewel Alchemy as a reward.¡± The secret about Jewel Alchemy? I had learned Jewel Alchemy in the game. I even got it to Advanced level 1. But there was no ¡®special secret¡¯ to get there. Does that mean it is related to a level of Jewel Alchemy I haven¡¯t experienced? ¡°How far did you get in Jewel Alchemy?¡± ¡°I failed at the cusp of the Master level.¡± That means he passed Advanced level 9. He was at a different dimension compared to me. Then does that mean the special secret he is talking about ¡­¡­ ¡®Is it perhaps the key to get to the master level for Jewel Alchemy?¡¯ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Miraclerifle Chapter 51 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 51: The Secret of Jewel Alchemy (2) If that is the case, it is a quest with an enormous reward. Even though I am tired, it is making my heart beat quickly. I might even be able to achieve the master level for Jewel Alchemy faster than I expected. I need some more hints. Seeing Akto¡¯s expression, he was really in a rush. If I can make him a little more nervous, I might be able to get a better hint out of him. ¡°I am starting to get interested. Tell me what kind of secret it is. Then I should be able to make a decision.¡± ¡°I do not have time. The demonic influence is affecting my soul¡­¡­¡± ¡°So don¡¯t drag it out and just answer me. I can¡¯t put my life on the line for something I have no idea about.¡± I raised my voice as I cut him off. The one in a rush right now was Akto, not me. Finally Akto started to give me some new information. ¡°I went to look for the Peria tribe once.¡± Peria is like the Drake, a tribe hidden under a veil. It is a tribe even I never managed to meet in the game. I knew that this was big! ¡°It was to reach the master level for Jewel Alchemy. But I learned a surprising truth. In the history of the Peria tribe, they had did not have a single person reach the master level in Jewel Alchemy.¡± Huh? Does that make sense? If the Drake tribe was a tribe that inherited Dragon blood, the Peria was a tribe that inherited the fairies¡¯ power. All jewels have fairy power in them. That is why Jewel Alchemy is called a Peria occupation instead of a dwarf occupation. But there are no members of the Peria tribe who reached the master level? No one in their entire history? ¡°Do you know the reason for that?¡± Of course I am curious. I am aiming for the master level in Jewel Alchemy as my end goal. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you are curious, then release my soul from the Stone Wall of Grief. Then you will find out the reason, and will be able to climb past the wall to the master level. Now you must decide.¡± Damn it, stopping at the climax. Now that I think about, this guy knows how to use his brain. Akto¡¯s body was extremely hazy now. If I were to drag it on any longer, I might not even be able to get the quest. As Akto mentioned, it was now my turn to make a decision. Of course even if it wasn¡¯t Akto, I could still gain that information. As long as things go the way I planned. But I should still take the quest. ¡°Fine. I will give it a try. But give me a long duration of over 10 years. I will only accept it with that condition.¡± Once I agreed, Akto urgently reached out his hand. At the same time, the message notifying me of a quest rang in my head. ¡°Wait a minute. Confiscate Jewel Alchemy skill? We never discussed that.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you have to put something on the line as well? I guess we are done here. Remember. 10 years.¡± My eyes became blurry for a minute before my surroundings changed. I had moved from the large Demon¡¯s Cave to a narrow and underdeveloped tunnel. That scammer of a dwarf. I said I was going to save his soul and he stabs me in the back like that? It was meaningless anger. Akto was already gone. Anyways, my body is about to break. I used the HP potion so the injuries have already closed up, but I desperately need some rest. I need to hurry over to the temporary residence and take a nap. I slowly moved my feet to get out of the mine. ¡®Anyways, I wonder what happened to Jonnan.¡¯ Before he was hit by Akto¡¯s curse, Jonnan was known as the Hercules of Titan Valley. Since Akto¡¯s curse was removed, he should regain his old self. Thinking about Jonnan made my heart flutter again. ¡°How will he have changed? Will he have instantly returned to normal? Or will he slowly recover?¡± Jonnan was pretty much family now. If I was asked to pick the person I was closest to in Royal Roader, I would not hesitate to pick Jonnan. So of course his joy was my joy. I want to quickly see Jonnan¡¯s changed appearance. Was that the reason? I felt like strength was returning to my legs that could barely move. As I continued to walk for a long time like that, I saw a light far in the distance. The entrance to the mine! Once I step out, I will not be able to return here. I have no regrets. In fact, I was satisfied. No, I was excited. This is the point where I start traveling across the continent and spreading my wings. Just like that, I threw my body into the bright world outside the mine. ¡®It¡¯s so bright!¡¯ Outside the mine was extremely bright due to the radiating sun. The time seemed to be just a bit past morning. I seem to have taken around 27 hours to complete all three of Akto¡¯s Tests. ¡°It¡¯s the tunnel supervisor-nim!¡± ¡°He¡¯s out!¡± ¡°Tunnel supervisor-nim~¡± Many miners were gathered in front of the mine entrance. Once I showed myself, they all crowded toward me. It was like they knew I would come out around now. I guess it made sense since I was in a party with Jonnan. The moment I finished all of the tests, Jonnan should have received a message as well. He also would have received the message that his intuition went up. And the message that he was no longer cursed by Akto. Anyways, hey you, why do you keep grabbing on to me? I don¡¯t even have the strength to stand right now. Ow, that spot is still hurting. ¡°Look at this injury!¡± ¡°Are you okay? Don¡¯t touch that!¡± Do you finally see the injuries? Oh, and I¡¯m sorry, but you move to the side as well. I don¡¯t need a giant dude like you blocking my view. I laughed lightly as I looked around the miners. I was looking for Jonnan. ¡°Hwi Ram!¡± Jonnan¡¯s voice came toward me first. It sounded extremely teary. I turned my head to the right. Unlike the other miners, he looked a bit worn out. As if he had been going through Akto¡¯s Tests with me. He must have not moved from this spot since yesterday. ¡°But why still¡­¡­?¡± There were no changes. He looked weak and his skinny body was the same. There¡¯s no way that he didn¡¯t escape the curse because of the continuation quest, is there? Jonnan was smiling although he was full of tears. ¡°I am no longer cursed. My strength has not returned yet, but I can feel it in my body. I feel like I can fly.¡± Now that you mention it, he has a different kind of feel to him. How do I put this? I can feel a lot of vitality coming from him. His waist seems to be a bit straighter as well. Even in his extremely teary voice, there was some unknown strength. I was finally relieved. ¡°I¡¯m glad. Take good care of yourself from now on. Eat well and exercise.¡± ¡°Sob. Thank you. Thank you very much.¡± Jonnan grabbed my hand as he kneeled right in front of me. But it was not just Jonnan. ¡°Thank you tunnel supervisor-nim. We will treat you as our benefactor for the rest of our lives.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± It was Jonnan¡¯s two sons, Tago and Mano. Alright. I understand Jonnan and his two sons doing this. But why are these old men like this? Batoom and Goultan also grabbed my hand and started to tear up. ¡°Thank you. You are our benefactor.¡± ¡°I feel like a ten year long congestion has finally been cleared. Thank you very much.¡± Let us talk after you let go of me. I don¡¯t even have the strength to stand right now. Whatever, I don¡¯t care anymore. I just flopped down on the ground as well. I had to lower my stance anyways. Jonnan, as well as his two sons, were both much older than me. ¡°You don¡¯t act like this with your family. Aren¡¯t we a family?¡± ¡°Family. We are indeed family.¡± Yes. Cry all you want. You need to shed tears of sorrow when you want to, but these are tears of joy. ¡°Anyways, your intuition should have gone up right? I¡¯m sure that criminal would not have broken his promise.¡± Once I mentioned the intuition stat, Jonnan finally started to wash away his tears. ¡°Ah, how could I forget! Since you mentioned it, I was feeling weird. The fact that my intuition went up that much for no reason must have meant that I received it as a reward from Akto.¡± That much? I¡¯m glad. ¡°How much did it go up?¡± ¡°It went up by 20.¡± He received less than I did. But 20 is still a lot. It will be very beneficial to Jonnan. ¡°Why did that happen? Why did you yield your reward to me?¡± Reason? That¡¯s simple. It was because there was no suitable reward for me. I¡¯m sure if I looked around carefully, there might have been something, but who cares about useless rewards like that? Plus, raising Jonnan¡¯s abilities is better for me since I can¡¯t go into the mine anymore. Jonnan will need to mine the jewel in my place. The jewels Jonnan mine are mine anyways. ¡°Aren¡¯t we family, as well as each other¡¯s soul¡¯s partner? Senior needs to get some rewards as well.¡± It wasn¡¯t empty words. I did have a tiny bit of feeling like that. But this dude¡¯s about to cry again. Oh? When I looked to the side, Jul Goo and Chief were crying as well. To sum it up, tears of admiration. I didn¡¯t mind this atmosphere. I hope their loyalty shoots up because of this as well. Anyways, let¡¯s relax a bit. ¡°I am tired. I will head in and take a nap.¡± ¡°We will take you there. Hey, let¡¯s all help him there.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± A couple of the miners crowded me before lifting me up in the air. Arm, leg, waist, head, once they all started to hold different parts of my body, it felt like I was laying on a bed made of hands. ¡°He is our master. Me too¡­¡­¡± ¡°Caw. This is my spot.¡± Since he was short, Chief crawled underneath and supported my back with his head and hand. Hey punk, you¡¯re hurting my back. Still, it felt nice. Right, you need to feel like this every so often in your life to really enjoy living. As I peacefully laid there and headed toward the residence¡­¡­ I think I fell asleep on the way there. I slowly started to open my eyes. The strong fragrance of the trees smelled wonderful. The temporary residence of the Northern Mines. The sky outside the window was slowly starting to get brighter. I looked at the Magic Clock. 5 am. Too late to call it dawn, too early to call it morning. Just how long did I sleep for? Anyways, thanks to that, I am feeling refreshed. My body felt as light as a feather. It felt like there was strength filling up my body as well. Maybe the source of my strength was not the rest but the anticipation and excitement. As soon as I opened my eyes, I thought of the Jewel Alchemy skill I earned yesterday. I was still half asleep. Trying to wake myself up completely, I sat down and checked my stats. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 32] Dexterity: Advanced Level 2, 38% Strength: 97 Agility: 230 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 89 Magic: 9 Vitality: 36 Mana: 328 HP: 493 Endurance: 33 Toughness: 44 *Available points: 10 ¡®Let¡¯s first put my available points to strength.¡¯ Since I need to switch to a cutlass with stronger attack strength. Anyways, my toughness went up quite a bit. I guess it makes sense since there were 14 Red Scorpions. A bunch of Deathworms as well. But the stats that caught my attention the most were dexterity and intuition. It is not yet at a really satisfying level, but with this much, I should be able to quickly raise the Jewel Alchemy skill. If Jewel Alchemy passes the intermediate level and reaches advanced¡­¡­ I¡¯ll be able to use a Jewel of Fortification as the medium to create a connection with the power of the fairy in the weapon. That is the same as making a connection with the weapon itself. Which means, I will be able to reach the level of one with the sword. I was able to reach that level not too long before the game ended. The reason I was able to defeat the Demon Lord Heros was because of that power as well. That is my true destination for learning Jewel Alchemy. Raising the strength of jewels is just an extra benefit. Although that extra benefit will be a tremendous help in the real world as well. Either way, it is an amazing skill that will change my life. I need to raise it to the advanced level as fast as I can. If possible, to the master level. ¡®Then shall I start my connection with the fairy¡¯s power?¡¯ I opened my bag and took out two Jewels of Creation that were shining in a light yellow color. [Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 27] [Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 31] I sorted them by their creation index and took out the two with the lowest indexes. Thinking back at my experience in the game, you had a higher chance of success when you used jewels with lower amounts of fairy power. But the first combination will fail. In the game, I failed close to 50 times before I finally managed to succeed. That was why I scoured through the internet to learn more about Jewel Alchemy. [Jewel Alchemy is the act of removing the power embedded in the jewel before putting it back into the jewel. In order to succeed in Jewel Alchemy, you need to create a strong connection with the power inside the jewel. The ultimate Jewel Alchemy can only be completed by having a conversation with the fairy.] There was a line that caught my attention every time I read this explanation. ¡®Conversation with the fairy.¡¯ The necessary requirement for the ultimate Jewel Alchemy. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that it is possible to communicate with fairies through Jewel Alchemy? It was something I never succeeded in doing in the game. I will make it happen in this Royal Roader. If I succeed, I might be able to find a new power beyond Jewel Alchemy. The powers of the fairies themselves. Of course it is just my speculation. Even if it was possible, it won¡¯t happen until far in the future. Let¡¯s throw away useless thoughts. Right now, I need to just focus on communicating with the fairy¡¯s power in the jewel. I put my hands together to clench the Jewel of Creation. Almost like I was praying. I then focused as much as I could. Although I don¡¯t know what the fairy power feels like, if I focus like this, I might be able to find a clue. My surroundings were completely quiet. Even without using the focus skill, I could put all of my attention on the jewel inside my hand. How much time must have passed? I started to feel warmth in my hands. Almost like it was springtime only in my hands. I felt a weird vitality coming from the jewel. ¡®The power of the fairy!¡¯ But that vitality was not all. I could feel a voice in my hand that kind of sounded like a woman¡¯s voice and kind of sounded like the wind. Very quietly. Sa- To feel a noise in my hand. Is this possible? But I was confident that I felt it. Since I was so focused on it, I knew I didn¡¯t get it wrong. I suddenly thought of a phrase. [The ultimate Jewel Alchemy can only be completed by having a conversation with the fairy.] Author¡¯s Note Starting [the next chapter], we will return to the real world. Originally, it was going to come out at least 3 chapters later, but I didn¡¯t like the storyline of the fights against monsters, so getting rid of that made it appear a little earlier. I hope your life is always wonderful ^^ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? I¡¯ve enlisted (Not so) Borderline Masochist to proofread. I hope you all enjoy his efforts! Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 52 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 52: The Secret of Jewel Alchemy (3) ¡®Is this perhaps the voice of a fairy?¡¯ A fairy might be trying to communicate with me. It is not something that I can determine with just speculation, I need to clash against it myself to figure it out. I started to focus more on the feeling. The more I did that, the more the feeling of warmth started to get stronger. At first, I only felt it from the jewel, but as time went by, it felt like it was covering my entire palm. But that feeling from before that felt like a woman¡¯s voice, as well as the sound of the wind did not come back. A few minutes later. The warmness slowly started to disappear. In the end, the only thing left was the feeling of the cold jewel. I open my palm to take a look at the jewel. One of the two jewels was still the same yellow color, but the other one became as transparent as a glass egg. It meant that I succeeded in gathering the power into one jewel. But I was not satisfied with the results. [Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 21] Although I had combined jewels with creation indexes of 27 and 31, it actually went down to 21. This was a regression. ¡®I failed.¡¯ No wonder the yellow color looked a little lighter. It is nothing to be disappointed about. I succeeded until the point of feeling the fairy¡¯s power during the combination. Plus, didn¡¯t the fairy try to communicate with me as well? Although I have no proof that that voice was actually the voice of a fairy. Either way, even though it had a terrible result, I still succeeded In communicating with the jewel. Next time I will do much better, and even better the time after that. ¡®Let¡¯s try again.¡¯ I combined jewels over and over. I had a whole bunch of jewels of creation anyways. The more I repeated the combination process, the warmth inside my hand started to get stronger. The resulting jewels also started to get better little by little. Sadly, the end result still had a lower creation index than the originals. But I could not hear the fairy¡¯s voice again. It was so quiet that it made me question whether I was hallucinating the first time I heard it. ¡®Did I really hear wrong?¡¯ But I continued to try. This was all I could do right now. Was it after about 10 times? As I tried to focus again to combine the jewels one more time, I felt an uncomfortable sensation. It felt like a nail. It was not very strong, but still make me feel off. ¡®What is this?¡¯ I did not know where the feeling was coming from. But one thing was for sure. ¡®It is not the power of the fairy.¡¯ I could not understand it. There¡¯s another power other than the fairy power inside the jewel? I had never heard about that. I focus my attention even more. I tried to look past that feeling of a nail and tried to focus only on the warm vitality and pushed to communicate with the fairy¡¯s power. But that nail-like feeling continued to show its presence. The more I tried to run away, the more it felt like it was increasing it¡¯s effort. In the end, I finished this terrible attempt at communication. [Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 16] As expected, it was the worst result. My focus was a mess. It was because of that nail-like feeling bothering me. So of course the combination would not go properly. I centered myself with some deep breaths before attempting another combination. But it was the same. This time, the nail like feeling showed itself much earlier on in the process to bother my concentration. Failed again. The creation index fell drastically. I could also feel mental fatigue. Now that I think about it, there was a similar result in the game. I did decently until about the tenth time, and then my success rate drastically fell after that. If I took a decent amount of rest and tried again, the success rate went back up. At that time, I just thought that ¡®the settings must be like that.¡¯ But now, I can tell that it was because of that-nail like feeling. ¡®Just what is this?¡¯ I suddenly remembered what Akto had said to me. [The Peria tribe could not develop a single Jewel Alchemy master. Do you know the reason for it?] ¡®Was it perhaps because of this?¡¯ I was sure it was a different power than the fairy power. It was the troublemaker getting in the way of my communicating with the fairy power. The Peria must have been weak against this other power. The fact that their purity was strong meant that they were weak against foreign powers. That should mean that the secret of Jewel Alchemy Akto mentioned might be related to this power as well. Once I tied that back to the information related to Jewel Alchemy, I seem to have come to a conclusion. [In order to communicate with the fairy, you must overcome the obstacle of this foreign power] Is this perhaps the key to become a Jewel Alchemist master? It is the most likely conclusion. But a speculation is, in the end, just a speculation. The accurate information might be further away than I think. I should try to get more information about this as quickly as possible. Either way, I could not just stubbornly continue to combine the jewels. Right now I needed to get some rest. I got in a comfortable position and checked the change to my Jewel Alchemy skill. [Jewel Alchemy: Beginner 21%] It went up by a tiny bit. If I try it about 40 more times, I should reach the intermediate level. Once I get there, I should be able to get a resulting index that is higher than the originals. Once I looked outside, it had become bright. It was now completely morning. The hard-working miners were already up and getting ready for their day. It made sense, since they had to fill up their eight hours. In order to do that and still end their work early enough to get a decent rest, they needed to start early. I headed out as well. Jonnan saw me and embraced me with a smile. ¡°Did you get some rest?¡± Jonnan¡¯s looked a bit different than yesterday. He seems to have some more fat on his bones. Looking past that, I can feel strength coming from his entire body. Should I call it vitality? ¡°Yes. I am feeling refreshed. But how are you, senior?¡± ¡°I am doing very well too. This is the first time my body has felt this light in tens of years. My appetite has returned, so I finished a whole bowl of rice this morning. I think it is because Akto¡¯s curse has been released.¡± He really looked that way. If a little more time passes by, he¡¯ll recover his old Herculean appearance completely. ¡°Congratulations.¡± ¡°It is all thanks to you. Thank you very much.¡± While I was sharing different stories with Jonnan, the other miners gathered around as well. Including my slaves Jul Goo, Eruni, and Chief. Now it was about time to take care of things at the Northern Mines. Although I will return shortly. ¡°Seniors. I must ask for your continued help with the jewels.¡± ¡°No need to mention it. Do not worry about it.¡± ¡°But where do you plan on using so many jewels? Plus, if it goes through our hands, the luck index or creation index will all be cut in half.¡± I didn¡¯t even mention Jewel Alchemy. It would become troublesome if too many people know about it. ¡°That is okay. I will give you a good price for them.¡± ¡°What price? No need to pay when we are so close. But are you leaving today?¡± ¡°Yes. But I will return soon.¡± Now it was time to address my slaves. All of their loyalty levels went up quite a bit due to yesterday¡¯s events. Eruni¡¯s was already high, but Jul Goo and Chief were recording in the late 80s as well. At that level, they shouldn¡¯t betray me even if I am gone for a while. But just in case, I need to raise it up as much as I can right now. ¡°Jul Goo, you can use this from now on.¡± Jul Goo¡¯s eyes became the size of lamp posts. What I was handing to him was Miru¡¯s Pickaxe. ¡°It means I am taking you as my successor. So work your butt off. Prove your abilities with your own hands.¡± ¡°Yes master. Thank you.¡± Jul Goo¡¯s loyalty finally hit 91. Chief was also looking at me with eyes full of anticipation. It was easy to win Chief over. There are just two things that Chief likes. ¡°This is for you Chief!¡± ¡°Caw. Gold!¡± It was 10,000,000 won worth of gold. Of course it was a very small portion compared to what Chief will continue to give me. ¡°When I finish my work and return, I will also buy you a lot of lamb meat.¡± ¡°Caw. Chief likes lamb meat! Keke.¡± Chief¡¯s loyalty only went up by 4. But it should be safe since it is at 88. I didn¡¯t need to worry about Eruni. From the moment I made her my slave until now, it had never fallen under 80. Plus, she¡¯s so tidy that she takes care of all of the chores, including cooking and laundry, for the entire Northern Mines all on her own. Because of that, whenever anybody sees Eruni, they all say this first. [You¡¯re going to get sick like that. Take a break as you work.] I wanted to say something to her before I left the Northern Mines for a bit, but that¡¯s the only thing that came to mind. ¡°Eruni, make sure you take some breaks so you don¡¯t get sick.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± Anyways, she is such a mysterious girl. It is covered by her clothes right now, but the tattoo on her shoulder is still vivid in my mind. The three layered circle with embroidered points in the shape of the usn. I sat in front of my computer and did some research every time I went back to the real world, but I still haven¡¯t found an answer. I feel like that post had been deleted. That was why I decided to approach it in a completely different way. Soon, I will be able to get accurate information about Eruni¡¯s identity as well as the tattoo on her shoulder. ¡°Seniors. Please take care of these children for me while I am gone.¡± I heard that goodbyes are best kept short. I waved as I left the Northern Mines. Avanguarde¡¯s Volcanus Temple. ¡°Oh my! How is this possible! Did you really learn Jewel Alchemy?¡± ¡°I was lucky. But bishop-nim, I have a request.¡± ¡°What is it? Speak.¡± ¡°Please keep the fact that I learned Jewel Alchemy a secret from the priests associated with the temple, as well as the dwarf blacksmiths.¡± I had asked to speak to the bishop alone for this request. ¡°But why? That skill alone can make you rich!¡± I am already making a ton of money without it. ¡°I have a situation that I cannot share. Please.¡± ¡°Of course. If it is what you want, of course I have to do so.¡± Since it was a bishop making a promise in a temple, I should be able to trust him. ¡°Then the fourth quest. Raise one of the skills you have to intermediate level 3 or higher.¡± A very simple quest. I just need to combine jewels until death. I should be able to reach that point by the time I finish the Chaos Battle. ¡®Then shall I go raise my level a bit?¡¯ For a low level like me, the best place to raise my level is Paksen Park. It is a place where Level 100+ Demon Caves frequently appear. I left the Volcanus Temple. But I suddenly started to feel dizzy. It was a dizziness I was already used to. ¡°Has it already been 10 days?¡± This dizziness will stop in less than a second. But in that second, I will have spent a whole day in the real world. Now that I think about it, today is that day. The day the money from Virtual Accounting finishes being washed and hits my bank account. They said it¡¯ll hit around 4pm. How will I feel after seeing the money in my account? I think it won¡¯t feel real. But once I go down to Daejeon and buy that house with a yard, it will start to feel realistic. Oh, tomorrow is mom¡¯s birthday. I might be able to give her a birthday present she will never forget. Shouldn¡¯t the information about my female slave Eruni come today too? I didn¡¯t have much faith since I had already failed twice. That was why I haven¡¯t been able to go down to Daejeon. But I need to go down tomorrow. I need to at least do something for my mom¡¯s birthday. I also need to sign the contract for the house with a yard. Quite a lot of things should happen between today and tomorrow. My heart was beating quickly with anticipation. While I thought about that, I quickly lost consciousness. *** I slowly opened my eyes. The simple LED light on the white ceiling let me know that I was in my room. ¡°Craaaack. Ah, I slept well.¡± It¡¯s really amazing. No matter how hard I move in Royal Roader, and no matter how tired I get, I don¡¯t feel a thing in the real world. I just feel refreshed like I got a good night¡¯s sleep. I first opened my cell phone. It is what I do first everyday. I logged in to the Royal Roader homepage and checked my information. But lately, that order has changed. I first checked my text messages and Katalk [1]. I¡¯ve been waiting for a message for the last few days. I had a few messages from my friends. It was about setting up a time to meet later today. But the message I was waiting for was not there. ¡°Is today another bust? Sigh. Why does it take so long?¡± I let out a light sigh as I checked my information. [Kang Hwi Ram] Dexterity: Advanced Level 2, 34% Strength: 133 (+11) Agility: 117 (+21) Stamina: 145 (+9) Intuition: 107 (+8) Mana: ¨C (+32) HP: 120 (+49) [Jewel Box] [Skill] I am still working out frequently. Swimming pool, health club, golf range, kendo, boxing, etc. In my opinion, I am working very hard at them. But compared to Royal Roader, the stats are not rising very quickly. When I first started working out, I thought they were going up quite quickly, but lately, there has not been any changes. I guess it is because the skills in the real world are in their final form. There is no level up system, and haven¡¯t I already raised them quite a bit? Most importantly, after making the focus skill,I have enjoyed studying quite a bit. Compared to before, I have had to cut down my work out time a lot. Based on that, just being able to maintain my current stats alone is a success. The fact that 10% of my Royal Roader stats get added is extra. ¡®Deposit at 4pm right? Shall I get a couple things done before then?¡¯ I left my room. But I got a long-awaited message on my phone after taking just a few steps. It was the one I had been waiting for this whole time. [I gathered the information as well as the developer¡¯s contact info. Please check your e-mail and contact me. Blue Sky Enterprise.] ____________________________________________________________________ [1] Katalk is short for kakaotalk, a messaging app frequently used by Koreans. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Last chapter for the week. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 53 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 53: I Have My Own Method (1) ¡®It¡¯s finally here.¡¯ I returned to my room and checked my e-mail. [Sender: Blue Sky Enterprises Content: I have sent only 1 file in advance. Please verify the contents and then contact me. The remaining documents will be delivered in person in a USB. You can provide the remaining balance at that time.] There was one attachment. [Royal Roader draft_715.hwp] ¡®Perfect. I can learn everything related to Royal Roader with this.¡¯ My lips were about to rip from smiling too much. I was getting goosebumps from being too excited. My first concern was the female slave Eruni, and the sun-like tattoo on her shoulder. I know I saw it somewhere. But no matter how much I scoured the internet, I couldn¡¯t find any of the related files. I debated about what to do. Then I came to a realization. This was a game made by someone. That meant there had to be a detailed developer¡¯s guide. So I decided to find the guide itself. If I can find that, then wouldn¡¯t I be able to know everything about Royal Roader? The female slave Eruni? The sun tattoo? Now that I think about it, something like that isn¡¯t even a problem anymore. Which people to meet, what weapons to find, where to get what quest and how to finish it. Things like that. Is that it? I could find the key to reach the master level in Jewel Alchemy, and I could even find out what Akto¡¯s secret about Jewel Alchemy is. I¡¯m sure it would have information related to monsters as well. No matter how strong a monster is, it is bound to have a weakness. If I can just figure that out, I can defeat it much easier. That was why I reached out to ¡®Blue Sky Enterprises¡¯ that takes on odd jobs. I paid them quite a bit. They finally reached out and said they got the guide. My heart was about to burst. I was so happy I wanted to hug my monitor and jump up and down. Wait. This is not the time to be like this. I quickly downloaded the attachment and opened it. Uh! But what is this? The file was 120 pages long, in size 11 font, with each page full of korean characters. The punctuation was all over the place as well. It was leagues away from the ¡®Well organized file¡¯ that I was expecting. The weirder part was the file name. It was giving off a scary vibe. [Royal Roader draft_715.hwp] What is that number behind it? I hope it doesn¡¯t mean that this is the 715th file. That would mean there are hundreds of files like this. ¡®No way.¡¯ I thought it couldn¡¯t be the case. No, I needed it to not be the case. But why do I keep having this bad feeling? ¡®Whatever. I don¡¯t know. Let¡¯s look for Eruni first.¡¯ I opened the file and typed in ¡®Eruni¡¯ as the keyword in the search bar. [No information found.] This time, I tried ¡®sun tattoo¡¯ as the keyword and searched. [No information found.] There is no way it is not there. Well, he did say he only sent one file as a sample. There is a good chance it is hiding somewhere in the remaining files. But I really hope there aren¡¯t a ton of files. 2 hours later. I ate breakfast, or really lunch, with my friend Bae Jung Ho before meeting with the worker from Blue Sky Enterprises. He¡¯s a friend I recently made at the swimming pool. We had promised to grab a bite to eat together, and I thought it would be better to meet with someone rather than alone. So I might as well combine the two. ¡°Here are the files. I brought my laptop, so please verify the content.¡± I turned on the laptop on and checked the files in the USB. I subconsciously dropped my jaw. ¡°Ah! Just how many are there?¡± There were many folders, and each folder had a ton of files. The scroll bar continued to move down endlessly like there was no end. ¡°How many total files are there?¡± ¡°I tried to take a count and got 27,458 files.¡± My head was spinning. This was too much to even just call it too much. The titles were all over the place as well. There were some titles such as ¡®Volcanus Temple Quest draft_7.hwp¡¯ that described the content of a specific quest, but there were also titles like ¡®Christmas Event draft_20151225.hwp¡¯ or ¡®Story draft_452.hwp¡¯ as well. The majority of the files started with the ¡®Story draft¡¯ title. But that wasn¡¯t the worst part. How was I supposed to decipher all of these files? Tyler Quest draft_013_v01.hwp Tyler Quest draft_013_v02.hwp Tyler Quest draft_013_v03.hwp Do these have the same content, or are there potentially different scenarios? If that is the case, things become really complicated. It is like there are three paths in the road for one quest. How am I supposed to know which was the decided plan and which were thrown away? ¡°Sigh, what to do?¡± ¡°Why? Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°There are way too many files.¡± ¡°Is that so? I just delivered what the game developer gave me. If you do not like the file, please directly contact the developer.¡± Finding the contact information for the game developer was part of my request. Having someone to ask questions to when you are stuck could be the difference between heaven and hell. I called the game developer. Maybe it was because he didn¡¯t know my number, but I only managed to get through after a couple rejected calls. ¡°I am the person who purchased the game guide.¡± -Ah yes. Did you receive the file? ¡°I did receive it, but there are too many files.¡± I grumbled, and the game developer explained why that was the case. -The company¡¯s firewall was breached so all the organized files were lost. I barely managed to collect those draft documents. After hearing his story, it seemed to be quite chaotic. Viruses, ransomware¡­¡­ According to the developer, they were suffering under hacking attacks for quite a while. It was as if a large power was dedicated to attack them. The reason Royal Roader, which was doing pretty well, suddenly started heading downhill ws because it couldn¡¯t survive those attacks. Not that I needed to know all of that. I tuned in and out of what he was saying. But wait, I suddenly recalled a word he said. ¡°Did you say draft?¡± -Yes. If you look at the names of the files, they should all say draft. ¡°That means that even if it is here, it may not have been applied to the game. There also might be things in the game that is missing from here.¡± -Yes. Why is he so arrogant? He sold this type of stupid file for 10,000,000 won. ¡°Even if the situation was that way, isn¡¯t there no sincerity in these files? You could have at least organized it.¡± -An error might have come out while organizing it. Plus ¡­¡­ Our continued argument. It was just a small argument. I am wasting time. I also think I am stupid to get angry like this over a mere 10,000,000 won. The important thing is that this file is the best I can get right now. There is no way to get a more accurate document. ¡°I understand for now. I can give you a call if I have any questions, right?¡± That was part of the deal. -Yes. But if possible, can you call me in the evening? I am a night owl so I am usually sleeping in the morning. ¡°I will do so when possible.¡± I finished the call and transferred the remaining balance on the spot. ¡°Thank you. If you need anything else, please give us a call at any time.¡± The worker from Blue Sky Enterprises left first. I then said goodbye to my friend Bae Jung Ho and returned home as well. The only difference from the morning was that I had an USB smaller than the size of my finger. I turned the computer on and loaded the USB. I was overwhelmed by the enormous number of files again. But for it to all be the draft. These types of files can only serve as a reference. ¡®Whatever. Let¡¯s still give it a go. It won¡¯t harm me.¡¯ I first searched for Eruni and sun tattoo. But I gave up in less than 5 minutes. ¡°Why am I doing something so crazy? What am I going to do with all my money?¡± I can hire a part time worker to do the search. It wasn¡¯t like I was in a rush to figure anything out right now. I closed the file and headed to a part time job website and created my request. I debated over putting 10,000 won an hour before deciding to raise it. I won¡¯t become any richer by saving this small amount of money anyways. I need to give a decent amount of money for them to do a good job. I know that this is true since I¡¯ve done part time jobs before as well. [Looking for 1 person to search and organize files] 20,000 won per hour Can work from home. Contact will be through phone or email. No need for interview. Qualifications: Someone who can quickly search and accurately organize this korean document. Contact info: [email protected][1] I debated putting my cellphone number before changing it to e-mail. If I was looking for a part time job, something like this was a jackpot. If I put my cell phone number, I might get hounded by hundreds of calls and texts. ¡®All done!¡¯ If I check tomorrow afternoon, I should be able to find a good part time worker. I looked at my watch. It was exactly 4pm. ¡®Hold on, didn¡¯t they say it¡¯ll be deposited at this time?¡¯ As soon as I was thinking that, I got a call. It was the call I had been waiting for. I quickly picked up. -The deposit is complete. Please verify and contact us if there are any problems. ¡®Oh, it is done!¡¯ ¡°Thank you for your work.¡± As soon as I hung up, I quickly checked my bank account. It was a new securities company bank account I made for this job. [Balance: 13,000,000,000 won] (USD: $11,957,871.50) It was such a large amount that I had to count the zeros for a while. Of course, it wasn¡¯t foreign to me. The amount in virtual accounting had been at this level for quite a while. But for this money to enter my bank account. And for it to be laundered cleanly so that I could use it however I pleased. I already had plans about how to use this money. I immediately gave a call to Jong Suk. He really is crazy busy. Even though I told him in advance that I would call him today at this time, it still took a while for the call to go through. He even answered in a really busy voice. -Oh, Hwi Ram, what¡¯s up? ¡°Why are you huffing so much? Are you working out?¡± -No, it¡¯s because of work. Sorry, but let¡¯s cut to the chase. I¡¯m kinda busy right now. ¡°I told you that I was going to call today. Don¡¯t you remember agreeing to hand over 30 stocks that your AI has deciphered?¡± -Ah, that? But you really are going to buy? You have that much money? I had even signed a contract with Jong Suk last time. What Jong Suk will give me is the 30 stocks that have been determined to increase the most. The thing I will give in return is money. I will give them 200,000 won for each stock that goes up, and take 100,000 for each one that falls. If all 30 stocks go up, I would need to give them 6,000,000 won. We decided to repeat that deal every day the stock market opened. For Jong Suk, it was a way to make over 100,000,000 won in a month, if he was lucky. Of course, it would have gains for his whole team. ¡°If I invest and make money, I¡¯ll have a greater profit.¡± -Isn¡¯t that easier said than done? Either way I understand. I will send you the results in an e-mail. But are you really planning on being a day trader? ¡°Yes.¡± -I don¡¯t know stocks that well, but there is a saying that states that it is better for a pumpkin to roll once than a sesame seed to roll 1,000 times. Just invest long term in an undervalued stock. I am honestly worried for you. It is a question about the methods you use. For the majority of people, that type of method is safe, but it is not the same for me. I have a special method that I gained through Royal Roader. ¡°I will think about it. Just send me the e-mail.¡± I received Jong Suk¡¯s e-mail not long after we finished the call. As promised, the stock trends were included as an attachment. There were a total of 30 stocks. 20 KOSPI stocks, and 10 KOSDAQ stocks. [2] Each stock was full of explanations such as how the company is structured, the trends of national and foreign investors, how their recent sales performance was, etc. There was even the estimated opening price for tomorrow. Just how accurate is this program? With that being the case, each stock had over 5 pages of details. There were many difficult terms and numbers that my eyes were about to roll over. ¡®They were very thorough.¡¯ Of course I didn¡¯t even take a look at those files. My method of investing in stock is kind of special. It goes against all logic I guess? I will spend tomorrow morning with stocks and go down to Daejeon in the afternoon. Then I can finally get the house with a front yard that I¡¯ve been dreaming about. The next morning. I woke a little earlier than usual. The time was 8:40am, 20 minutes before the stock market opened. I lightly washed my face and wrote down the list of the 30 stocks that Jong Suk had sent over. I didn¡¯t include any of the details, just the names. There were some names that I was familiar with, but the majority were foreign to me. ¡®Then shall I start?¡¯ I opened my smartphone and went into my information on the Royal Roader website. I didn¡¯t look at anything else. Right now, I just needed one thing. [Jewels of Luck: 196] __________________________________________________________ [1] Naver is a korean website, similar to hotmail. [2] The korean stock market indexes. Similar to the NASDAQ and S&P 500 Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 54 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 54: I Have My Own Method (2) If I click again, it shows each Jewel of Luck on a list. I could even sort it by the luck index. Luck index 11 Luck index 9 Luck index 9 ¡­¡­ Luck index 3 Luck index 2 There is a difference in the amount of fairy power in each of the five-colored jewels. The creation index for Jewels of Creation is on average around 60, but on the other hand, Jewels of Luck only average around 7. I do not know the reason behind it because it was not explained anywhere. Even the highest luck index I had was an 11, and the ones that the other miners touched first before handing it to me were all cut in half. I had quite a few of them with a luck index of 2. In the game, this was applied as a ¡®%¡¯. ¡®If the average person¡¯s luck was 50%, using a Jewel of Luck with a luck index of 11 would raise it by 11%, to make it 61%. It was most often used while using a Jewel of Fortification to strengthen a weapon. Low level fortification had a high success rate, but higher level fortification had a large chance of failure without using a Jewel of Luck. Would the ratio be the same in the real world? If so, then my attempt at stocks should be guaranteed to succeed. ¡®Let¡¯s give it a try.¡¯ I clicked the one with the highest luck index and dragged it outside the Jewel Box. [Jewel of Luck: Luck index 11 Will you use the jewel?] [YES/NO] I clicked ¡®yes.¡¯ A new message appeared on my smartphone. [Kang Hwi Ram-nim¡¯s luck index is raising by 11 starting now. The duration is 4 hours.] The duration was different than the Jewel of Creation as well. The Jewel of Creation only had a duration of 1 hour. There was not much time left before the stock market opened. I randomly selected twenty of the thirty from the list I was given. I completely ignored the details about the company, foreign influence, recent profits and loss, etc. I¡¯m sure it was all vetted by the AI program Jong Suk is so proud about. To be specific, I was just blindly selecting using my luck. I then confidently put in a purchase order. Jong Suk¡¯s information estimated the first trade price, so I put it slightly lower than that amount. The amount invested per company ranged between 500,000,000 won (USD $465,000) to 3,000,000,000 won (USD $2,790,000). The important thing was that I invested all 13,000,000,000 won (USD $12,090,000) I currently had. What if I end up throwing it all away? Whatever. I can just go get more money from Royal Roader. ¡®But I was certain that there was no chance of that happening. Although I might not be able to make a lot of money, I should not face a loss. Even if I do, the amount lost will not be that high.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m done.¡¯ I brushed my hands off and checked the time again. It was exactly 8:59am. The stock market will be actively moving in 1 minute. ¡®I¡¯m nervous.¡¯ I crossed my arms as I stared at my screen and waited. The market soon opened. At the same time, the purchases went through and the stock moved quickly. The beginning was terrible. As soon as the market opened, the composite stock price index went down to a low level. The decline continued. If you were to constantly looking at it, there were some ups and downs, but if you looked at in 10 minute intervals, they were all headed down. ¡®What about the stocks I invested in?¡¯ It hadn¡¯t even been 30 minutes since the market opened, but I was so curious I couldn¡¯t stand it. I maneuvered the program to check the current stock price. The first company was Hobang Products. ¡®Oh, the order went through.¡¯ And the price had gone up. It had even gone up by 5,500 won (USD $5.12). The purchase price was 63,290 won (USD $58.86), but the current value was 67,720 won (USD $62.98) per share. It had gone up by about 7%. ¡®Will it go up more?¡¯ This could still be considered a coincidence. It shot up as soon as the market opened, and seemed to be fixing itself as time went on. The stock price continued to move up and down. ¡®7% is already good. Sell.¡¯ I placed the sell order right there. In order for it to sell quickly, I put the price at 50 won (USD $.05) less for 67,670 won (USD $62.93). It sold instantly. The total amount I invested in Hobang Products was 600,000,000 won (USD $558,000). I made close to 40,000,000 won (USD $37,200) in just about 30 minutes. But this was not even 5% of the total amount I invested. I checked the other stocks as well. The results were surprising. ¡®It went up again. This one went up, and that one as well.¡¯ Of course the amount was all over the place. There were some that were at the upper limit, while others were only about 2% higher. 4 of the stocks were never purchased, and 3 was actually lower than the purchase price. Thankfully, the decline wasn¡¯t large. The majority of them were within 2%. I continued to buy and sell however I felt like doing. ¡®5% is good. Sell all.¡¯ ¡®I have a good feeling about this one. Sell only 1,000,000,000 won (USD $930,000) worth.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t think this will go up anymore. Sell.¡¯ I was focused on stocks like that for a while. It was very interesting. Every time I pressed the keyboard with my finger, money was coming and going, sometimes in small amounts of a hundred million won, and at the high amount, a couple billion won. No, it didn¡¯t even feel like that. It felt more like a game. Yes, game. A game that just makes your heart go wild. ¡°It is so fun. Much more fun than Royal Roader.¡± Somehow, it was already past noon. Now that I think about it, I was focused on stocks for 3 hours without even getting up once to get a drink of water. But I didn¡¯t feel tired or even hungry. That shows how much fun I was having with stocks. Well, it makes sense since I continued to make money. Whatever I bought went up in price, and whatever I sold fell in price. So how could I not have fun? Of course the opposite happened sometimes but that was just a tiny portion. If you look at the percentage, it wasn¡¯t even 20%. And the decline rate was low. I took an apple out of the fridge and just ate it with the skin. Of course I washed it cleanly. [1] It¡¯s supposed to be pesticide-free apple, and I don¡¯t really know why such an ugly looking fruit is so delicious. ¡°Oh, it went up again.¡± BiteBite. SwallowSwallow. I couldn¡¯t even tell how much time was passing. I was focused on stocks like a maniac. I finally came to my senses when my alarm went off. Riiiing- riiiiiing- I had set an alarm for 12:40pm earlier since the duration of the Jewel of Luck was 4 hours. It was time for the effects to fall. ¡°It is already almost 1pm. I guess I¡¯ll stop here for today.¡± I sold all of the stocks I still had possession of. How much would I have made? I checked the amount in my bank account. My jaw dropped at the same time. ¡®Wow!¡¯ [Balance: 14,040,136,740 won] (USD $12,994,652) I made close to 1,000,000,000 won [2]. That was even after the tax and processing fee. Approximately 8% profit. Just in one day. I¡¯m sure it helped that Jong Suk recommended good stocks, but the effect of the Jewel of Luck was huge. A luck index of only 11 was able to bring in this much profit. Of course, I still couldn¡¯t trust the data too much. It was just one day. I need to keep an eye out to see if this type of luck continues. But I had a good feeling. I¡¯ll figure that out as I keep doing it anyways. Of the 30 stocks, how many will rise and how many will fall? Right now, 19 stocks rose in price while 11 fell. But since the market has not closed yet, I need to pay attention a little longer. The composite stock price index keeps falling little by little, so the results might be different by the time the market closes. Then I will be able to verify the abilities of the AI program that Jong Suk is so proud of. Should I find a part time worker now? How many people will have applied? I opened my e-mail. ¡®Wow! Why are there so many?¡¯ I had over 200 new emails. Of course the majority of them were about wanting the part time job. When will I be able to go through all of this? I checked all of the subjects. THen I found a subject line that caught my attention. [Expert at Computer and Korean.] It is just manual labor anyways. They just need to organize a ton of files and quickly and accurately search for the information I ask for. Plus, it is not even 100% accurate. I will use it just as reference. So as long as it is a decently smart and sharp part time worker, it should be enough. Generally speaking that is. But I raised my expectations a bit more. If you¡¯re going to do it, you might as well do it right. If I get one good worker, the amount of work I will have to do will go down quite a bit. Then I can work with them for a long time. I got a good feeling from the subject of the e-mail. Should I say they have some sense? They were at least someone who knew what kind of subject would catch my attention. I verified the content of the e-mail. [Hello. My name is Kang Sung Ho and I am 20 years old this year. My family is going through some issues right now so I have given up on college and am preparing to take the government workforce exam, but I was looking for small jobs to do to help my family out. I am confident in anything related to computers. Korean [3], excel, PPT, photoshop, it doesn¡¯t matter. I am even confident at low level hacking. It seems you want to organize and search through documents, and I am a master when it comes to that. If you give me a call, I will be able to show you my skills. Phone number: 010-3*84-2*47] I¡¯m liking him even more. I also like the fact that I can be relaxed around him since he¡¯s so young. I like him. I looked at a couple other e-mails, but there was no one who sent an email that left quite as much of an impression as Kang Sung Ho¡¯s e-mail did. Just looking at the e-mail, it wasn¡¯t something to worry about for a long time. There is nothing better than meeting a person to figure out how they are. I can meet with him and look for someone else if I think it won¡¯t work. I gave Kang Sung Ho a call. ¡°I am the person looking for a part time worker.¡± ¡°Hello. Thank you for giving me a call. Please speak freely, boss-nim.¡± He has a nice voice as well. It happened to be lunch time and I had not made any other plans. I might end up eating alone. But it felt odd to speak casually without even having seen his face. In order to be treated well by someone, you need to treat them well as well. ¡°I will. Have you eaten lunch?¡± ¨C Not yet. I planned on eating soon, sir. ¡°If you have no plans, shall we grab lunch? Get a chance to meet face to face.¡± ¨C That will work for me. Where shall I go to meet you? ¡°I will go to you. Where is a good place to meet?¡± ¡°Thank you for the meal.¡± Kang Sung Ho rubbed his stomach with his hand to show that he was full. He is cuter the more I see him. I feel like I am looking at Jose from Royal Roader. His physique, sharp expression, and clear eyes. He responds quickly too. I was getting a different kind of greed as well. Well, the first step is for him to quickly and accurately search through the documents. ¡°Then shall we talk about work?¡± ¡°Yes. What is it you need me to do?¡± It is better to show him than tell him. I put my laptop on the table and plugged in the USB. Of course, it was a copy. I have 5 USB with backups at home. I also have it backed up on my computer. ¡°There are quite a lot of files, right?¡± ¡°Quite a bit. Wow, it is amazing that so many files even managed to fit into a single USB.¡± ¡°You need to find the information I want from all of these files. There are some duplicates, as well as ones with a different version, so there might be multiple with similar information.¡± ¡°I can see why you need a part time worker.¡± That was what he was saying, but he had an expression of confidence. I thought he would freak out after seeing the extreme amount of files. Maybe that was why, but I started to feel like I could rely on him even more. ¡°First, take the USB. And then first search for documents related to, ¡®Paksen Park,¡¯ ¡®Eruni,¡¯ ¡®Jewel Alchemy,¡¯ and, ¡®Monster¡¯s Mine.¡¯ How long will it take?¡± I first wrote down all the keywords I could think of. It should be easier to search for all of them at once instead of one at a time. ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Kang Sung Ho furrowed his brow a bit. He seemed to be calculating. This is actually my first test. If Kang Sung Ho gives a 100 point answer, he will receive a corresponding reward. But if he gives me a 10 point answer, he will only make that much money. I really hope he finds a 100 point answer. Then I won¡¯t have to go through the pain of finding another part time worker. Did Kang Sung Ho read my mind? After thinking about it for a bit, he gave a refreshing answer. ¡°I will find it in the duration boss-nim asks for. If you say 10 days, I will find it in 10 days, if you say 1 day, I will find it for you in a day.¡± I was shouting inside. ¡®Close to 100 points!¡¯ Well, honestly speaking, Kang Sung Ho¡¯s statement was impossible with human abilities. There were close to 30,000 files. Even if you took 10 seconds per file, it would take over 76 hours. Even if you worked 10 hours a day without even stopping to take a breath, it would take you at least 8 days. f But can you even search a file in 10 seconds? If the computer is slow, it¡¯ll take 5 seconds just to open a file. Plus another 5 seconds per keyword. Since there are 4 keywords, it should be at least 30 seconds per file. Even a computer master who works 24 hours a day will still take at least 15 days. And it¡¯s not like there is a special search function that¡¯ll let you search all of the files at once. I looked that much up on the internet. But it wasn¡¯t like there were no options. If there is no way to go straight through something, you just have to go around it. Is the path Kang Sung Ho found the same as the one I am thinking about? ¡°There are so many files. You really think you can do it in a day?¡± ¡°I can do it. However, the more you lower the time, the more you will need to pay.¡± ¡°How? You have a good idea?¡± Kang Sung Ho scratched his head. ¡°I will rope in my friends or hoobaes. [4] With the right amount of money, I have a good amount of people who will work with me. In that case, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to take care of it in a day.¡± I subconsciously started to smile. It was the exact answer I was looking for. ¡®Good. 100 points! No, 120 points!¡¯ ________________________________________ [1] Most Asian countries tend to peel fruits like apples. This is probably odd for the US based readers that he would say he ate it with the skin, so I thought I should make a comment. [2] The total USD gained was approximately $962,684 in case you were interested. [3] I¡¯m going to make an educated guess that in Korea, Microsoft Word is called Microsoft Korean. Now it makes sense why he would ask for someone with a good knowledge of Korean when he¡¯s in Korea¡­ [4] Hoobae is a term for those who are in a lower school grade than you. Sunbae is older, hoobae is younger. Sunbae is similar to the Japanese senpai. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? It¡¯s Maso¡¯s birthday (in about 12 minutes his time)! Everybody give him some love and say happy birthday to our proofreader! Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 55 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 55: Mother like Daughter (I) I had thought of the same method. Even if there are 30,000 files, if you divide it among 10 people, it is only 3,000 each, and 300 each if you divide it among 100 people. No matter how many files there are, as long as you are willing to pay, you can finish searching through them in an hour. It is a simple method anybody can think of. But the important factor is whether you have the abilities to utilize that method. Thinking about it and actually making it happen are completely different. Kang Sung Ho is just a part-time worker. A young 20 year old who shouldn¡¯t have much experience in the workforce. And based on the contents of the e-mail, he is from a poor family. So he had no other choice but to be passive and submissive. The type to just do the work assigned to them and take the money. As long as it is within his abilities. If it was something outside of his abilities, he would have just given up. It is hard for people like him to think about spending money to hire more people to supplement where they are lacking. But Kang Sung Ho managed to do that. He managed to do it without a problem. ¡®He¡¯s a gem!¡¯ Of course it might be too early to tell. The hardest thing in the world is to find out what is in people¡¯s hearts and making a decision about their character. But minimally, it doesn¡¯t seem like I will get frustrated working with him. If I just hire Kang Sung Ho, I wouldn¡¯t need to look for another part time worker either. If you think about it, Kang Sung Ho has been promoted to supervisor from the moment he was hired. Whether he can continue to get promoted in the future will depend on his own abilities. ¡°Alright. I will give you enough money. First, find information about ¡®Paksen Park¡¯ within five days.¡± None of the others were really rushed right now. It wasn¡¯t going to happen in the near future. But Paksen Park was a battle against time. I had already arrived at Paksen Park and started to level up at super speed. Once I raise my level to around 100, I will participate in the Chaos Battle. Since the Chaos Battle is in about 2 months, it will be about 7 or 8 days later in the real world. If I can find useful information before then, it will help, but if it comes afterwards, it would be useless. ¡°Paksen Park. 5 days.¡± Kang Sung Ho took out a notebook and jotted it down. Now the important thing is the money. ¡°For your first payment, I will give you 5,000,000 won (USD $4650).¡± As soon as I said the amount, I thought Kang Sung Ho would go ¡®Wow!¡¯ 5,000,000 won is much higher than the salary at most companies. But Kang Sung Ho was not surprised at all. He rubbed his chin with his pen and thought for a moment before having a complicated expression. ¡°Then, from the next time, please give me 200,000 won per keyword.¡± That means that 5,000,000 won is low for the job. He¡¯s pretty fast at calculating. In order to search through 30,000 files in 5 days while organizing it at the same time, how many part-time workers would you need? Probably at least 10. Even then, it would be hard to finish it within 5 days. Even if it is a student, since there is a lot of work, each person will need about 70,000 won a day. If you want to put them to work, you¡¯ll have to feed them as well. Then even if you are frugal, it will cost at least 3,500,000 won. If things go wrong, he might not have enough people and it¡¯ll cost over 5,000,000 won. He could come out in the negative from this. Kang Sung Ho managed to calculate this far. He also determined that he would be able to finish the job at 5,000,000 won. It makes me more curious about Kang Sung Ho. Or should I say more greedy? ¡°Then we will set the contract that way. But anyways, what is your family relationship like?¡± ¡°I have my parents and an older brother. My dad is a bus driver and my mom works in a restaurant.¡± ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have a terrible life. Why don¡¯t you just focus on the government workforce exam instead of doing part-time jobs?¡± ¡°I enjoy computers, but not studying. The only reason I am preparing for it or well, pretending to prepare for it, is because my dad is telling me to do it. Plus, my brother is a money-eating hippopotamus.¡± ¡°What does your brother do?¡± ¡°He used to do boxing and moved on to be a mixed martial arts athlete, but he quit that because he sucked. Right now, he is looking for another job.¡± His family didn¡¯t seem to be that special. But I can figure more of that out later. ¡°Tell me your account number. I will first give you 500,000 won to start.¡± I deposited 500,000 won to the account Kang Sung Ho called out. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But I will also need you to tell me which file the information is in, so that I can verify it on my computer as well.¡± ¡°I will do that, boss-nim.¡±¡± Once we finished our contract, I sent Kang Sung Ho back. Although I¡¯ve only known him for about an hour, I oddly felt like I could trust him. I went to the site that I posted the request and changed the status to filled. Then shall I head over to Daejeon now? Ding dong- ¡°Oppa, you¡¯re here?¡± As soon as I pressed the doorbell, my younger sister Minji darted out like a bullet. Of course I have the passcode for the gate as well. But I really enjoy Minji welcoming me by saying ¡®Oppa, you¡¯re here.¡¯ So I press the doorbell every time. If you think about it that way, I¡¯m a really mean brother. ¡°Did you forget the passcode again?¡± ¡°No, I am just holding a lot of stuff.¡± ¡°What did you buy this time? You really need a scolding, oppa.¡± She¡¯s getting on me for wasting money again. Although she¡¯s the one who eats the most when I take it out. ¡°Mom likes the King Crab.¡± ¡°You bought King Crab again? She mentioned she was eating dinner with someone else tonight.¡± Ah, right. She told me she was invited to dinner. It is really interesting. If it is my mom¡¯s birthday, it would be normal for us to invite other people to our house. Why would she be invited to someone else¡¯s house and be treated to a birthday dinner? The more interesting thing was how social my mom was. She hasn¡¯t even lived here that long. How could she make a really close friend already? ¡°Hurry up and come in. It¡¯s cold. Omo! It¡¯s heavy.¡± Minji tried to carry some stuff for me but stumbled a bit from the weight. I did go a little overboard. Minji and my mom are both so frugal that if I don¡¯t buy it, there won¡¯t be much at home. ¡°I¡¯ll carry it. Just go in.¡± ¡°Son, you¡¯re here?¡± My mom¡¯s voice always makes me feel warm inside whenever I hear it. But the air in the house was the opposite. It was extremely cold. ¡°Yes, but why is the house so cold?¡± ¡°It is not that cold. This much can be considered warm. It is not good for your health to raise the temperature of the place too much.¡± I feel like I heard such a thing before too. But there is a limit. My mom is not doing this for her health, but to save money in the gas bill. The funny thing was that both mother and daughter were the same way. ¡°If you¡¯re that cold, wear this.¡± Minji passed me a thick jacket and a sturdy tracksuit. If I wear this, I feel like I would say it is hot even if I was in Siberia. But my mom and Minji were wearing light clothing. They seem to be used to this type of cold. Sigh, these cheapskates. They really don¡¯t need to live like this anymore. ¡°Just run the boiler on high. It¡¯s not like this small house will cost over 100,000 won to heat up.¡± I grumbled a bit as I changed clothes. But I knew it would lead nowhere. ¡°A small house? It is over 30 pyeong. [1] (1,065 sq ft). If we run it however we want, it¡¯ll cost over 200,000 won. My son worked hard to earn this money, how can I just spend it like that?¡± I¡¯ve been putting 1,000,000 won into my mom¡¯s bank account. Not monthly, but weekly. Why do you think I did that? ¡°I sent you all that money to spend. Don¡¯t save it and just use it however you want.¡± ¡°Listen to you talk. What if something goes wrong?¡± I said the wrong thing. She¡¯s just going to bombard me with nagging. Well, I guess it is hard to change in an instant for someone like her who has saved every penny her entire life. I¡¯m sure she just let all the money I sent build up in her bank account. Not that I didn¡¯t expect this when I started sending her the money. That was why I sent Minji 1,000,000 won as well. Weekly for her as well. In addition, every time I sent the money, I encouraged her to use it. [Don¡¯t worry about saving it and spent it whenever you need it. Don¡¯t listen to mom if she tells you not to use it.] What if Minji ends up wasting it in something weird? Who cares? I¡¯m giving her the allowance for her to do that. She has lived her entire life without it. Shouldn¡¯t she try spending and wasting money at least once? It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have the money. I felt like Minji would spend the money. But for her to betray my trust like this. I feel like she¡¯s actually worse than my mom. When a girl is twenty four years old, it is the time they like to look pretty and be fashionable, but her makeup, clothes, backpack, and shoes are all generic brand. The only reason her fall coat and winter coat are decent brands is because I forcibly dragged her to the department store. But I was not satisfied. If our Minji dressed up, she is pretty enough to rival a celebrity. I might need to drag her to the department store again. ¡°Mom. I told you I¡¯m making a lot of money now. You don¡¯t need to save on the gas bill. It will be worse if you end up catching a cold.¡± ¡°Why would I catch a cold? This is actually healthier for you. And it is not like your luck will always be good. We need to save up a lot while you are earning a lot of money.¡± Nagging again. I understand. My mom believes that I won the lottery and invested that money in stocks to earn my money. Stocks are a dangerous gamble that can crash at any moment. Of course she would be worried. She¡¯s holding back a lot to not nag at me to stop doing stocks. But if she is like this, there is no point in my earning money. No matter how much money you have, what good does it do if it just sits in your bank account? Money is nothing more than a piece of paper if you do not use it. How can I make her spend refreshingly? At one point in my life, my mind was filled with worries about ¡®how can I save money,¡¯ but for me to be worried about the opposite. While I was worrying internally, a cell phone started to go off. Riiiiiiing- Is it my phone? It¡¯s Minji¡¯s phone. She has the same ringtone as me. ¡°Omo, sunbae. It¡¯s been a while.¡± Oh, who is she on the phone with? As soon as she picked up the phone, she went into her room like she was running away. I started to smile. ¡®Good. She should date someone.¡¯ But my sensitivity must have become better thanks to Royal Roader. I could faintly hear Minji¡¯s voice coming from the room. Honestly speaking, I was curious. I am an oppa after all. I wouldn¡¯t be able to watch my younger sister hanging out with a weirdo. But it¡¯s one thing for Minji to tell me herself, I shouldn¡¯t eavesdrop. I was trying to turn my attention somewhere else¡­¡­huh? I was trying not to pay attention, but I could not do so. The small bit of conversation I overheard was kind of weird. ¡°Omo. Sorry. I completely forgot. I will transfer it right now.¡± Transfer? Money problem? What is going on? The conversation did not continue. But she still did not come out of the room for a while. She must have ended the call and now transferring the money on her phone. Minji came out of the room about 5 minute slater. There must be something going on. I feigned ignorance as I asked. ¡°Who called? Your boyfriend?¡± ¡°No. One of my sunbaes in the department.¡± Minji is part of Chungnam University¡¯s Math Education department. She enrolled with the determination to become a teacher as soon as she graduated to lift our family¡¯s situation up. She¡¯s past the age to graduate but is still a student. She had to take a semester off during her sophomore year to take care of my mom and because of our family situation, and she¡¯s taking another semester off right now. ¡°Then he should be a teacher now.¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s a teacher at Daejeon High School.¡± But then why was she talking about transferring money? I can¡¯t put my finger on it. I¡¯m also worried about the fact that she ran away to her room as soon as she picked up the phone. It¡¯s not my style to dig into my younger sister¡¯s life like this, but I couldn¡¯t just let this one go. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing much.¡± She¡¯s avoiding the question. It makes me even more curious. I aimed for the moment my mom went to the sink. ¡°Come in here for a bit.¡± ¡°Omo, omo! What are you doing?¡± I took the shocked Minji into the master bedroom and quietly asked. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t planning on eavesdropping, but I heard a bit. DId you perhaps borrow money from your sunbae?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah!¡± Minji seemed to finally understand why I was like this. I was not expecting her response at all. Light laughter. The way she was looking at me was telling me she was thankful for my worrying about her. ___________________________________ [1] Korean unit of measurement. 1 pyeong = 3.31 m2 = 35 ft2 Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 56 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 56: Mother like Daughter (II) ¡°Honestly, I have a couple students that I am supporting.¡± ¡°Supporting?¡± What is she suddenly talking about? ¡°Mmhmm. I can¡¯t do much, but it¡¯s only about 50,000 won a month. I couldn¡¯t tell you earlier in case you got the wrong idea. I¡¯m not doing it with your money. Oppa¡¯s money is still in the account.¡± You punk, what are you saying right now? ¡°You punk, why is that, ¡® my money ¡¯ ? I gave it to you to spend however you want, so it is your money.¡± I wasn¡¯t disappointed about her not telling me about her supporting other students, but I was really disappointed at her saying, ¡°Oppa¡¯s money.¡± And that wasn¡¯t what I was asking right now. ¡°Why did you suddenly decide to do that?¡± ¡°You know how I received help from here and there starting from middle school.¡± She sure did. 50,000 won a month, 100,000 won a month, from this person and that person. Since we really had nothing, even those small amounts helped a lot. ¡°Since I started to make money, I should return the favor. So I joined a group called the Upright Teachers. It¡¯s a large national organization.¡± ¡°Since when do you make money.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been making a good amount of money through tutoring. Since oppa is doing well, I guess my luck has changed too. I suddenly got more students and I¡¯m making over 3,000,000 won a month.¡± She thinks just 3,000,000 won is making a lot. I guess for a student, that is a large amount. It makes sense. Unlike me, Minji was always good at studying. If our family situation was better, she would have easily made it into medical school. She¡¯s also pretty, has a bright personality, and her major is math education, so it makes sense for her to be popular as a tutor. But still. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just filling up some scammer¡¯s pockets? Don¡¯t you know how wicked the world is these days? Forget sunbae or hoobae, you can¡¯t even trust your own cousin in this world.¡± Recently, I read an article about an organization called the ¡®Seed of Hope¡¯ that used trillions of member funds to live a luxurious life. There was also an article about a gangster scammer named Uncle Molar. Minji is more knowledgeable about society than I am. I¡¯m sure that if I¡¯ve heard about it, she knows about it as well. ¡°It¡¯s not like that. Plus, I¡¯m scheduled to meet regularly with the students I am supporting. I¡¯ve already met them twice and I will meet them again soon. Oppa, do you think I am that gullible?¡± No, Minji is not that gullible. She grew up in an environment where she wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive if she was gullible. And since she meets regularly with the students she supports, it shouldn¡¯t be a scam. But they say that you don¡¯t carelessly take care of an animal with black hair. ¡°There is no guarantee that those students will grow up morally upright like you did. Just be prepared that you might be betrayed by them.¡± ¡°I know. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m helping them while expecting something in return. I just felt sorry for them because it reminded me of my old self. Lots of passion, but the environment doesn¡¯t provide the means to unleash that passion. So how could I turn a blind eye?¡± After hearing what Minji had to say, it made sense. Especially the part about how it felt like seeing her old self. But she should have just said one sentence and stopped. Instead, it feels like she¡¯s about to go into a monologue. ¡°It¡¯s not their fault that they were born and raised in a difficult family environment. It¡¯s so sad for their wings to get broken before they had a chance to follow their dreams even once. It¡¯s also a waste for society and the nation.¡± ¡®Society¡¯ and even ¡®nation¡¯ have made an appearance. Isn¡¯t she taking it too far? ¡°I believe it is the job of us as adults, and as teachers, to help lead those children to grow up properly. That is the only way for the nation to stand upright. I want to be that type of morally upright teacher.¡± She has such a cute dream. With that type of mentality, she might even become the Minister of Education. Anyways, if she is helping with that type of mindset, I am relieved. At least she won¡¯t be hurt by betrayal. I also understand why she feels bad for those students. But if there is one thing I was worried about, ¡°Don¡¯t let mom find out. She¡¯ll get angry.¡± ¡°Pfft.¡± ¡°Oi, why are you laughing?¡± ¡°Nothing. Oppa doesn¡¯t need to know.¡± Doesn¡¯t need to know? That means there is something. Something that I do not know and is a secret between Minji and my mom. But Minji stopped there and ran away to the living room. Fine. Let¡¯s trust Minji. If her own brother doesn¡¯t trust her, who will? Plus, the desire to ¡®return as much as I receive¡¯ struck me deep. People should definitely be that way. I came out to the living room as well. Our family chatted together for the first time in a long time. But then, ¡°Who turned the boiler on?¡± She¡¯s so observant. It hasn¡¯t even been 10 minutes since I secretly turned it on. I just scratched my head and my mom just gave me a look. Of course she was half smiling. ¡°Son, get ready and come out.¡± Is it time already? I changed into the clothes I wore when I came down from Seoul and came out to the living room. My mom and Minji were already ready to go. But, Oh! Who is this? ¡°Are you really Minji?¡± I subconsciously looked up and down Minji¡¯s whole body. Minji did a twirl as if telling me to look all I want. It was like she was doing a fashion show all on her own. ¡°Well? Isn¡¯t it pretty?¡± I usually don¡¯t say things like this to Minji that often. I don¡¯t want people to say I¡¯m just saying it because she¡¯s my sister. But this time, it just slipped out. ¡°It¡¯s stunning. Where did you buy it?¡± It is a one piece that feels like a hanbok [1], but is very luxurious and fashionable. Plus, when you add Minji¡¯s beautiful face to it, it is stunning. ¡°I didn¡¯t buy it. The designer made it just for me and stitched each stitch with their own hands to make it. A one of a kind piece of clothing.¡± ¡°One of a kind my ass.¡± Cheapskate Minji would not have custom ordered clothes from a designer. She must have gotten it off a website somewhere. But it does look good. It looks much better than an outfit you could buy at the department store. Good enough to claim it came from a designer. But my mom said something weird. It feels like my mom knows exactly where the clothes came from. ¡°Is it the clothes Soo Jung made for you?¡± ¡°Soo Jung? Who is that?¡± ¡°A student I¡¯ve been supporting since two months ago. She made this for me to say thank you.¡± I was surprised to hear that. She probably isn¡¯t supporting a college student. So then a high school student designed and made that? It is definitely worth supporting such talented individual. ¡°She made you all of that for just supporting her with 50,000 won?¡± ¡°Okay fine, I bought it. She said she would make it for free, but how could I let her do that? She¡¯s going to become a famous designer in the future.¡± A famous designer. Just looking at Minji¡¯s clothes was enough to believe it. Good seeds go on to become great trees. But it was too soon to tell. This outfit might be the first and last work of her life. The important factor is whether she can continue to create designs like this. But it does make me curious. ¡°Tell her to make me one too. I¡¯ll give her a good price for it.¡± ¡°Depends on how you act. But is it really that pretty?¡± Asking once is enough. Why ask again? But I will answer up to twice. Especially so that I can get one too. ¡°The shaul is okay but the clothes are really pretty. But it might be cold.¡± ¡°Tada, I have this as well.¡± It was a thick overcoat. Even when someone like me, who has no fashion sense, was looking at it, it matched perfect with the hanbok style one piece. ¡°That too?¡± ¡°I bought this one. Soo Jung helped me pick out one that goes well with the outfit. Guess how much it was?¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Seeeeecret~!¡± Minji just seems to want to tease me. Whatever. I¡¯m not curious at all. But I am a bit interested in the student named Soo Jung. How old she is, and how she came up with such a design. I want to go with Minji and meet her once. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry. We¡¯re going to be late. Hwi Ram, you hold the King Crab.¡± I guess we can¡¯t show up to someone else¡¯s place empty handed. I carried the King Crab and followed my mom out of the apartment. The place my mom headed to was the villa next to our apartment. The size was about the same as ours, but it was really old. ¡°Whose house is it?¡± ¡°Hayeon¡¯s house.¡± I heard the name before. Every time I came down to Daejeon, the name Hayeon came up every so often. But I was never really interested in who that was. ¡°You don¡¯t know how cute the kids in this house are. I don¡¯t even realize how much time is going by when I am with them. Our Minji and Hwi Ram need to get married soon and have some kids.¡± My mom does love children quite a bit. Even if we are walking down the street, if there is a baby, she¡¯ll stop walking and forget about everything. But still. Minji and I are barely twenty four and twenty six. Why is she talking about marriage already? We arrived at the entrance of the villa talking like that. But are there a lot of kids? We¡¯re not even in the entrance and I can hear the ruckus. Once we got up to the second floor, my mom pressed the doorbell. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Auntie.¡± ¨C Wah, it¡¯s Aunt Gongju. My mom¡¯s hometown is Gongju. That must be why she is called ¡®Aunt Gongju.¡¯ The door opened and a little kid who looked like they were in elementary school jumped out. No, kids. There are also some older students. There¡¯s a whole range of children from toddlers waddling around to middle schoolers. All of them ran over like they were seeing their own mom when they saw my mom. Even the little baby who looked to be about three years old followed their siblings and grabbed my mom¡¯s thigh. ¡®Ah, that little one is really cute.¡¯ The baby is like a koala. The way he looks, and the way he acts. Now that I think about it, all of the kids are cute. They must have some good genes. ¡°Unni, you¡¯re here? Please come in.¡± A lady¡¯s voice. I soon saw her and she seemed to be in her mid-40s. She must be Hayeon¡¯s mom that mom was talking about. The kids are all pretty because they look like their mom. They have great smiles as well. Hayeon¡¯s mom greeted my mom and Minji brightly before hesitating a bit after seeing me. ¡°Is this your son who lives in Seoul?¡± ¡°He¡¯s handsome, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Wow! He looks like a model. Please come in.¡± I entered the door and handed her the King Crab first. ¡°This¡­¡­¡± ¡°Omo, you brought something again? You should have just come on a day like today. But I¡¯m sorry the house is a mess. I cleaned a bit but it still looks like this.¡± It would actually be more abnormal if a house with a lot of kids was clean. I avoided the toys and dolls scattered all over the place and went into the house. There was a birthday feast in the middle of the living room. Seaweed soup was a given, and there was also kalbi, stir-fried baby octopus, japchae [2]¡­¡­ ¡®Isn¡¯t this too grand?¡¯ But the food wasn¡¯t the problem. The house was like a chaotic marketplace. There were kids running all over the place and it was so hectic. Some came out of the room. Some came out of the restroom. Why the heck is that one coming out of the closet? Scared me. Just how many of them are there? One, two, three¡­¡­ Gasp! There are seven of them. Oh, wait! Am I wrong? Who are those ladies who are cooking away at the sink? She seems like a full grown lady, but her dolled up face is similar to Hayeon¡¯s mom. ¡°We didn¡¯t prepare much. But our Hayeon and Jiyeon prepared it all.¡± ¡°Ay, Hayeon and Jiyeon must be good with their hands like their mom and dad.¡± So those lady-like students are Hayeon and Jiyeon. Then nine? Oh my gosh! It¡¯s not that these kids were from four or five families, but just one family has nine kids. Seeing my surprised expression, Hayeon¡¯s mom looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°There are quite a few kids, right?¡¯ ¡°Ah, yes. Haha.¡± I don¡¯t know why I am laughing. This is definitely not just ¡®quite a few.¡¯ But my mom¡¯s already in lalaland. Does she like children that much? I can¡¯t just sit still. I started to talk to the first grader who seemed to be the biggest pushover. ¡°Little kid. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°My name is Lee Min Young.¡± ¡°Your name is pretty too. Come over here.¡± I took my wallet out of my pocket. Min Young quickly put both hands in front of him and got close to me. ¡°Buy something yummy at school.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Just looking at the way he received it makes me feel like they were taught well. ¡°You come here too.¡± I called the kids one by one and gave each of them a 10,000 won bill. ¡°Since you are all grown up, 20,000 won for you.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Hold on, is it okay to give an allowance to ladies? They don¡¯t seem to be much younger than me. Eh, whatever. I¡¯m not giving it with ill intentions. I just have to pretend to be an adult at times like this. Plus, I heard that you are considering the parents when you give their kids an allowance. Since you can¡¯t give money to the parents, you give it through the kids. Thankfully, I had a 50,000 won bill. I went toward the sink and handed out the money. ¡°You two must be Hayeon and Jiyeon. This is for preparing the birthday meal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°You¡¯re supposed to take it in times like this.¡± I forced a 50,000 won bill in each of their hand and headed back to the living room. Thanks to that, my wallet felt empty. My heart was also just as light. Anyways, why is that little one so cute. I really want to hug him, but he¡¯s fast for just waddling around. Finally caught you. I lifted up the three year old boy. But I had to quickly put him down. As soon as I lifted him up, he started to cry really loudly. ¡°Waaaaaaaaaaa.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry. Sorry.¡± It was the same even when I put him down. He hid behind my mom¡¯s leg and looked at me with a cautious gaze. I guess 10,000 won wasn¡¯t enough to make a kid get over their shyness. I couldn¡¯t help but watch him from afar. But isn¡¯t this too loud? There is a mat for kids on the floor so it shouldn¡¯t be too loud, but the noise of the kids talking was ringing throughout the apartment. This wasn¡¯t the level of a family home. It was more like a children¡¯s playhouse or kindergarten. At this level, their downstairs neighbor, as well as their next door neighbor, and even their upstair neighbor would be complaining. Even me, who came here as a guest, feels uncomfortable just thinking about it. Just as I predicted. Not too long later, the doorbell rang. Dingdong- The elementary kid ran toward the door as if saying ¡®me first.¡¯ He then shouted loudly as soon as he saw the screen of the intercom. ¡°Mom, downstairs grandma!¡± ¡®Oy, it finally happened. I thought it would be like this.¡¯ I was getting nervous just sitting there. ____________________ [1] Korean traditional outfit [2] Japchae or chapchae (Korean glass noodle stir fry with meat and vegetables), is a very popular Korean dish. It is the number one sought after dish during the Korean festive holidays (e.g.New Year¡¯s day and Harvest festival) but it is also enjoyed on any other common day as well. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 57 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 57: Nonadad [1] Lee Man Bok But why is this family still like this? None of them were worried. In fact, they seemed to be welcoming them in. Even Hayeon¡¯s mom was the same way. ¡°Open the door for her.¡± The little kid shouted with excitement as soon as he opened the door. ¡°Wow, Dippin¡¯ Dots!¡± ¡°Such cute little things.¡± It was completely different from what I had expected. I assumed a gust of cold wind would dampen the festivities, but instead, she was giving them snacks and holding some of them up in her arms. Does their biological grandmother live downstairs? Based on the way Hayeon¡¯s mom [2] is reacting, I don¡¯t think that is the case. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. No matter how much I scold them, they don¡¯t seem to get it.¡± ¡°If they do everything you tell them to do, will they be kids?¡± I guess she is just a nice neighbor. I think this family has a lot of blessings. Just the fact that they can meet such a nice neighbor while raising a lot of kids is in itself a huge blessing. Or it is Hayeon¡¯s mom¡¯s abilities. It might be that because Hayeon¡¯s mom has such a good relationship with the neighbors that they are all understanding. ¡°You mentioned you were hosting a birthday party for the Gonju residence. Can I join?¡± ¡°Of course. I was going to go get you once we prepared everything.¡± ¡°How nice. The daddy is late again today?¡± ¡°Same as always.¡± It¡¯s a nice atmosphere. Really festive. Anyways, is my mom really that happy? She hasn¡¯t stopped smiling since we arrived. I don¡¯t even remember the last time I saw her smiling like this. They seem to finally be done setting everything up. The oldest daughter, Hayeon, put a large cake in the middle of the table. ¡°Quiet down and sit.¡± All of the children gathered around. The youngest is definitely the most dangerous. He immediately reached out. ¡°No, we need to sing happy birthday first before we can eat.¡± ¡°Un Gyeong, the accompaniment.¡± There¡¯s even an accompaniment? But what is that? The 3rd grader brought over an old melodion [3]. Once they turned off the lights, she blew into it as she relied on the candle light to press the right keys. ¡°Happy birthday to you~~????¡± It was so serious. Almost to the point of making me laugh. ¡°Happy birth~day dear Aunt Gongju~ Happy birthday to you~~????¡± ¡°Hoooooooo~¡± They put enough candles to match her 54 years of age, but with multiple people rushing in at once to blow them out, they were all blown out quickly. Clap clap clap The fidgety children finally quieted down once the cake went into their mouths. The adults finally lifted their spoons as well. ¡°Hayeon made the kalbi-jjim and Jiyeon made the baby octopus stir fry¡­¡­¡± Listening to them talk, there isn¡¯t anything Hayeon¡¯s mom made. Everything was Hayeon and Jiyeon¡¯s work. High school students can cook like this? Their cooking skills weren¡¯t normal. The kalbi-jjim and baby octopus stir fry weren¡¯t like the ones I was used to having either. It was normal to have all sorts of seafood and veggies, but it was a fusion dish with even cheese inside. The spicy smell and cute visual made it seem really tasty, but I¡¯m not sure how it will actually taste. After watching my mom take a bite first [4], I tried the kalbi-jjim. ¡®Wow, what is this? Did a student really cook this?¡¯ The taste was fantastic. Did she use a ladle to pour seasoning in it? The kalbi-jjim didn¡¯t feel greasy at all probably because of the seafood, and the baby octopus felt so fresh that it felt like ti was moving in your mouth. Everybody must have felt the same thing. ¡°Oh my. The kalbi-jjim is out of this world. Is it because of the seafood? Where did you learn to cook like this?¡± ¡°I thinly sliced some sea squirt and boiled it with the broth. If you add it in when you are cooking meat, it becomes refreshing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really good, isn¡¯t it? Our Hayeon made the recipe herself.¡± Hayeon lighted laughed as if she was embarrassed. That should mean that she really did come up with it. After knowing that, she looked like a completely different person. ¡°The baby octopus stir fry is really good too. DId you use live ones? Then it was probably expensive.¡± ¡°It¡¯s frozen baby octopus. If you put salt on it before you put it in, it becomes as fresh as the live ones.¡± ¡°Is it because their dad is a food researcher? Hayeon and Jiyeon really need to become cooks. What did you call it again?¡± ¡°Chef. I will go study abroad as soon as I save up enough money.¡± ¡°Me too. I will become a world renowned chef and become really successful.¡± Hayeon and Jiyeon seem to have determined their dreams. It felt like they were running with only their dream in sight. Well with this much dexterity and creativity, they deserve to have such dreams. No, they already felt like proper chefs. I¡¯ve been to quite a few famous restaurants in Seoul, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had anything as good as this before. But I was curious about something. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the culinary world, but do you have to go study abroad in the United States to succeed?¡± ¡°Status is really important in our country. If you graduate from the CIA [5] in the United States, they will give you recognition. There seems to be a lot of things to learn from there as well. ¡°There isn¡¯t a school like that in Korea?¡± ¡°Not one as well known as the CIA.¡± Hearing them talk made me a bit disappointed. We claim that our citizens¡¯ desire to learn is top class, but anybody with even a bit of ability always goes abroad. If you are smart, study abroad. Athletic, study abroad. Talented in music or art? Study abroad. And apparently we¡¯re a country where even chefs have to go study abroad to be recognized. What the hell are the rich people doing? Even if they created just one world renowned school, they would receive so much respect from society. ¡®Hmm? School? Respect?¡¯ Once I got to that point, I suddenly had an idea. I already had pretty much everything. I already made a lot of money, and I will continue to make much much more. I can grow my abilities to a level that I won¡¯t be jealous of others, actually to an overwhelming level. Since I have the skill ability. But there is one thing that I was lacking. Knowledge and experience. I didn¡¯t have a specialized area like Jong Suk that I could say ¡®I¡¯m the best in this,¡¯ and it wasn¡¯t like I was really smart either. Although I used the focus skill to learn the joys of studying late in my life, it still felt extremely lacking. What could someone like me achieve with my own strength? I¡¯m sure there is a limit. WIthout passing that limit, I won¡¯t be able to achieve my dream. I made a small goal of one day smothering Hwang Joon Yul to death with money, but even that will be hard to accomplish. What I realized from that was people. Although I may be lacking a lot of things on my own, couple hundred, couple thousand, no if tens of thousands of people were with me, what could I lack? The problem is how to earn those people. The first thing I thought about was golf. If I become a world class golf star, that fame will naturally grow my network. But I still felt like that had a limit. Golfers are just athletes. They are just rich people who play golf well. Nothing more, and nothing less. It probably would not be enough to say I surpassed the limit. But I think I found the answer to surpass the limit just now! The answer is school! Building the best school in the world with my own hands. There is no meaning to an average school. The purpose of establishment, the method of running the school, quality teachers, it¡¯ll need to be labeled as the best in all categories. The more overwhelming each aspect is, the faster and further the name of the school will spread. Then my fame as the founder will naturally go up, and many people will gather because of that fame. The fabulous individuals taught at the school will be extra additions. No, in the far future, the people I gathered through the school will become the core of my network. With those types of people, what will I not be able to accomplish? Alright! Let¡¯s create the ¡®Kang Hwi Ram Division.¡¯ I suddenly felt like my eyes were clear. ¡®Let¡¯s start now. Starting with a culinary school.¡¯ Food is something you can sell. Maybe we will be able to even set up a proper profit structure so that we can minimize the cost of running the place as well. For example, making something like a Food Theme Park. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to sustain itself if we can maintain 10,000,000 visitors a year? After that, design, music, science, medical, it won¡¯t matter what it is, I just have to broaden the scope. Once you properly create one, you¡¯ll be able to make a lot more based on the image of the first one. By that point, I will be able to pass the national level and spread my fame on an international level. Just thinking about it was making me happy. ¡°Son, what kind of deep thought are you having?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°Oppa, you¡¯re kind of weird these days. Every so often, you get this blank expression. Once you get that expression, you don¡¯t even respond when I call out to you. You also start randomly smiling for no reason. Do you have something bothering you?¡± It was because of Royal Roader. Or was it because of the focus skill? Once I start thinking about something, I fall deep into that thought. Almost to the point of forgetting everything else. To the point that I won¡¯t stop unless someone pokes me from the side. I guess I did that again this time. I guess I have no reason to reason to hide this Educational Foundation I¡¯m planning. In fact, I need to share information about these type of things as much as I can. It¡¯ll be much better if other people work on it with me. Especially Minji. Now that I think about it, she told me she joined that ¡®Upright Teachers¡¯ or something organization. Since she said it is a large national organization, it should help me alot when I create the school and need to bring teachers over. A good school is made with both talented and passionate students and teachers. ¡°I was thinking about creating a culinary school.¡± ¡°Culinary school?¡± All of their eyes became really wide. Even Minji¡¯s. ¡°In order to build and properly run a school, you¡¯ll need at least tens of billions of won.¡± Tens of billions wasn¡¯t that burdensome to me anymore. More important than money was the people. The people to teach and the people to learn. Once I have those, I am confident that I can handle the rest. ¡°People need to have big dreams. Minji, you haven¡¯t had dreams like that before?¡± ¡°Of course I have. But ones that can¡¯t be reached aren¡¯t called dreams. They¡¯re called daydreams.¡± Then just watch from here on. See how your brother changes that daydream into a dream. And then how he changes that dream into reality. I just laughed in response. Once I create the funding to contribute to the foundation of the school, I won¡¯t need to waste my time explaining. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first and talk later. But it is really tasty. Hayeon and Jiyeon, when you become chefs in the future, partner with me. I¡¯ll provide the funding. Okay?¡± No response. They just looked at each other and laughed as if it was funny. Do they think it is a joke? Or maybe they think I am bluffing? Their expression seemed to be saying ¡®what a funny ajussi.¡¯ Think hard on it and respond. I¡¯m making an offer right now that might change the two of your lives in the future. ¡°Why? You don¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°No. We will. Hoho.¡± ¡°Jiyeon, you too.¡± ¡°Hoho, I understand.¡± They keep talking like it is a joke. But they promised. Even a promise made as a joke is a promise. Good decision. This promise will change your futures. ¡°Thank you for the meal. I really enjoyed it.¡± ¡°Come visit whenever you would like.¡± After laughing and talking for a while, we finally stepped out of the door. Hayeon¡¯s mom came out as well. With some King Crab and Kalbi wrapped up. I was wondering where she was going, but she pressed the doorbell to the unit next door. As I thought, they can live without any trouble because she works to have a good relationship with the neighbors. I watched her while we were waiting for the elevator. ¡°Omo, Hayeon¡¯s mom. What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was really loud, wasn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only the early evening anyways. It¡¯s okay because they are quiet at night.¡± ¡°Please have some of this.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have.¡± Just watching it made you want to smile. I wanted to watch longer, but the elevator arrived so we had to leave the apartment. I can finally ask the question I¡¯ve been dying to ask. ¡°How did she end up having so many kids?¡± ¡°The mom and the dad both really like children.¡± ¡°But you should only have as many as you are able to support. Isn¡¯t it kind of irresponsible to just keep popping them out?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that when you don¡¯t even know their situation.¡± That is true. I shouldn¡¯t judge without knowing anything about Hayeon¡¯s family. I shouldn¡¯t have said that. Thankfully it is just the three of us. ¡°Their dad was doing really well in the catering business. But as soon as he grew his business, there was a large fire at the factory.¡± They had a situation like that. That probably put them under a lot of debt. Apparently they used to live in a nice house with a large yard in the past. But once the business failed, they had to sell the house and move to the villa. So sad. People get used to comfort easily, but tend to have a hard time getting adjusted to discomfort. To live a lavish life and then suddenly have to be really frugal, how hard must it have been? But they¡¯re persevering pretty well. In fact, the fact that she is still raising the children to be so happy is respectable. Was that why? I can¡¯t help but think favorably of them. ¡°Is that why you are helping them with their living expenses?¡± ¡°No matter how close you are, you don¡¯t carelessly trade money.¡± That is true. There is nothing more dangerous between people than trading money. But Minji is suddenly laughing from the side. Almost like she¡¯s saying ¡®I know mom¡¯s secret.¡¯ My mom was giving Minji a look. She then finally revealed her hidden secret. ¡°Honestly, I did try to help them out a bit, but their dad completely rejected it. So every so often, I give the kids some allowance or buy them toys.¡± ¡°You spend over 1,000,000 won just on that, don¡¯t you?¡± My mom gave Minji another look. ¡°Do you know how expensive kid¡¯s toys are these days? Plus, they¡¯re all still growing up so they eat really well. Anyways, I don¡¯t give them money like you do, Minji.¡± I¡¯m glad. There won¡¯t be any issues of things going weird because of money. ¡°They don¡¯t have any parents or sibling?¡± ¡°I think their parents are still alive. Every so often, she would take the kids and say she¡¯s heading to her hometown. But she doesn¡¯t talk about other family members. She just avoids it when I ask about it too.¡± Are there some issues within the family? Tsk. tsk. No matter how good you are at making neighbors, you¡¯re only going to suffer if your family relationships are not good. ¡°But the dad must have a large network. The have an endless amount of guests.¡± He¡¯s someone who failed a business and has a lot of debt. But people continue to come visit him? It is either one of two things. He really has a large network like mom said, or, ¡°It¡¯s not people trying to collect their money?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I thought so too, but it isn¡¯t. There were people that are famous on TV as food researchers and chefs. To have good relationships with such people. He really must have done well for himself in the past. Now that I think about it, I think I heard the name Lee Man Bok before. But it¡¯s just blurry and I can¡¯t remember. Either way, I can be certain that he was not just an average person. Once I got to that point in my head, the final knot seemed to become undone. The most important thing a culinary school needs is a cooking instructor. In order to make the best school, I need to bring in the best teacher. I was worried about that, but I can use Lee Man Bok as the connecting link. If Lee Man Bok¡¯s network is large, he should be able to pull in a good teacher. Or Lee Man Bok himself might be really talented in cooking. He was the one to raise his two daughters like that probably. Lee Man Bok. I have a feeling the two of us are going to have a deep relationship in the future. _______________________________ [1] Well, there is a Korean term called ¡®Dadoongyi¡¯ which means has a lot of children, but there isn¡¯t really an English equivalent, so I used Octomom as a reference and made it nonadad since nona stands for nine. [2] It might be best to explain that Korean tend to refer to mom¡¯s based on one of their kid¡¯s names (usually the oldest kid, but if the younger kid has an easier name, sometimes they go with that too). So if your name was Taylor Swift, and your kids are named Olivia and Meredith (these are the names of her cats), they would call her Olivia¡¯s mom or Meredith¡¯s mom instead of Taylor. In this case, probably Olivia¡¯s mom is easier than Meredith¡¯s mom so it¡¯d probably be Olivia¡¯s mom even though Meredith is older. I doubt most Korean ajummas know each other¡¯s real names other than so and so¡¯s mom. [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melodica [4] Korean etiquette is for the elders to take a bite first. [5] Culinary Institute of America Merry Christmas everyone! Last chapter for the week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 58 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 58: The Bundle of Gifts in Paksen Park (1) It was long past 8 by the time we got home. We were at Hayeon¡¯s place for over two hours. Once I entered my room, I started to think deeply. I was thinking about the culinary school I had decided to make at Hayeon¡¯s house. It needs to be the best culinary school in the world in all aspects. After that, I can develop the culinary school into a theme park. Something so grand that it would be a world-wide tourist attraction. The problem is definitely money. If I have enough money, the rest should naturally take care of itself. Thinking about money reminded me of Jong Suk. ¡®Ah, I need to send Jong Suk a text.¡¯ I opened my phone and sent a text message. [I deposited the money earlier, did you verify it? Send me tomorrow¡¯s stock info as well.] I sent 2,400,000 won through my phone before I arrived at the Daejeon house. That was the total since 18 of the 30 went up while 12 went down. Success rate of 60%. Looking just at that it is weak, but if you consider how the overall composite stock price index went down, it is pretty successful. Thanks to that, I made big money as well. I soon got a call from Jong Suk. ¨C You really sent money. I¡¯m not sure if I can receive this money. ¡°Of course you have to request it. I really wanted to give it as research funds for your team, but I didn¡¯t want to just give it for nothing. That is why I am doing it like this. Think about it that way and take it. I also earn some money through stocks as well.¡± ¨C Okay. It¡¯s your life so you¡¯ll take care of it. I will send you tomorrow¡¯s information through an e-mail right now. I soon received an e-mail from Jong Suk. We will continue dealing like this for a while. Early next evening. ¡°This much isn¡¯t bad.¡± My profits today were a little under 900,000,000 won. The profit was a little less than yesterday. About 6.4%. It is probably because of the Jewel of Luck. Yesterday, I used the one with the highest luck index at 11, while today, I used one that was two lower at 9. ¡®But still, this is good.¡¯ I was satisfied while looking at my bank account. [Total: 14,951,332,690 won] (USD $13,964,544.73) If I continue like this, it shouldn¡¯t be too long for me to have 100,000,000,000 won (USD $93,400,000), since this wealth of mine grows exponentially. Of course the money itself wasn¡¯t that important. No matter how much money you have, if you can¡¯t use it, it is just toilet paper. The important thing is how you use it. Today, I will make a stimulating withdrawal for the first time. Buying that house of our dreams. The one with a large front yard. ¡°Mom, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Are we really buying a house? Son, you don¡¯t need to go overboard.¡± ¡°I am not going overboard. Minji, come with us too.¡± We all headed to Bansuk-dong together. Thinking about how happy my mom would be after seeing the house, my lips were dancing up and down. Daejeon Bansuk-dong. ¡°Omomo! This house?¡± ¡°Kya! For real?¡± ¡°It¡¯s so nice.¡± Both my mom and Minji were so shocked that their eyes were wide open. I was the same. I thought, ¡®it should be a good house,¡¯ when I saw the picture, but it was so nice that it went beyond my expectations. The disappointing part was that the house was just too big. It was divided into a main house and a side house, and the main was so big three families could live together in it, while the side house was enough for our family of three to live without issues. It would have been better if the side house was here without the main building. But I still liked this house enough. ¡°The house is really nice.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve had this house for 3 years, and I really wanted to keep it as a getaway villa because it is so nice. I am only selling it because it is so hard to upkeep. Please take a look around the house. My family all live in Seoul. It¡¯s been a while since we moved out, so it might seem a bit empty.¡± We went into the main house together. It was even larger once we stepped in. The basement was huge and the attic that looked like it could be a whole third floor was big as well. They seem to have taken a lot of care to build this house. And even though they haven¡¯t been in here for over a week, it didn¡¯t feel empty at all. ¡°It¡¯s cozier than I thought.¡± ¡°They really built this well.¡± I guess there really is something called fate. The house in Daedong was not meant to be ours. We didn¡¯t like the house, and the owner tried to increase the contract price right before we signed it, so that was terrible as well. On the other hand, this house in Bansuk-dong seems to be meant for us. Almost like it was built for us. But I noticed that my mom has had a bitter expression for a bit of time now. Is there something she doesn¡¯t like about it? She kept looking my way for a while as well. ¡°Mom, is there a problem?¡± ¡°No problem. Just one disappointing fact.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It is too far from Hayeon¡¯s house. Lately, my daily joy has come from going over and playing with them.¡± Ah, Hayeon¡¯s family! I can see why my mom feels that way since I saw with my own eyes just how happy she was when she was with Hayeon¡¯s family. ¡°And the house is too big. I think I¡¯ll be scared to live in this house alone with Minji. Taking care of it will be hard as well. Should we rent it out?¡± There¡¯s no reason to beat around the bush like this. ¡°You want to bring Hayeon¡¯s family into the main building?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going to be used anyways. They¡¯re paying rent over there, so it¡¯ll be win-win if we let them live here for that money.¡± Honestly, it isn¡¯t that simple. There is an old saying that goes, ¡®you don¡¯t let an animal with black hair into your house.¡¯ It¡¯s easy to bring them in, but difficult to kick them back out. They¡¯ll become a problem if you decide you don¡¯t like them anymore. The bigger problem was whether or not Hayeon¡¯s family had any desire to move to this place. ¡°You have to think about the kids. All of them will have to move schools. How much of a shock would it be for them?¡± ¡°Omo. I didn¡¯t even think about that.¡± The disappointment in my mom¡¯s face grew even bigger. I felt a bit sorry as well. It feels like I was taking a large happiness away from her. I guess I need to bring it up to Hayeon¡¯s family in the future. But first, I need to buy the house. ¡°I want to sign the contract right away.¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the lawyer¡¯s office together. The documents are already prepared.¡± I headed to the lawyer¡¯s office with the owner. ¡°But the house is really big. There must have been a lot of families living together.¡± ¡°No. I was curious too, so I looked into it, and the former owner had a lot of children. So even though only one family lived here, this big house was full.¡± ¡°What? How many people were in that family?¡± ¡°When they were selling it to me, the madame was pregnant with her ninth child. You don¡¯t know how shocked I was when I heard that.¡± ¡®Ninth?¡¯ I was shocked when I heard that. It was because I thought about someone the moment I heard nine kids. ¡°Do you perhaps know what the former owner did for a living?¡± ¡°From what I heard, he was a food researcher ¡­¡­ factory fire¡­¡­¡± As I expected, it was Hayeon¡¯s family. ¡®Is there such a coincidence like this?¡¯ No, at this point, it¡¯s fate. Should I say it feels like I¡¯m walking down a path that someone has decided for me? I guess i need to find out more about Hayeon¡¯s family. Especially since we might all be living under one roof in the near future. I used the time I was alone to make a call. ¡°Hello, Blue Sky Enterprises, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to work. I won¡¯t be back until about midnight.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also going to head out.¡± Minji and my mom both went out. I was left alone in the house. ¡®But why is this punk not contacting me?¡¯ Just as I thought that, my phone started to ring. It was Kang Sung Ho. ¡®It¡¯s here!¡¯ I quickly pressed the talk button. ¡°Did you find the file?¡± ¨C Yes. But there are too many. There are 167 files with information about Paksen Park. Of course there were a lot. Paksen Park was one of the best places for users around level 200 to level up. There are bound to be many quests in locations that users gather. Good. I can pick the ones I like from the list of many quests. ¡°Send it to me in an e-mail. I will verify it and deposit 10,000 won per file. If you don¡¯t see the money deposited in 30 minutes, let me now.¡± ¨C Thank you, boss-nim. And I have already sent the e-mail. Punk, he sounds so excited. I ended the call and checked my e-mail. ¡®Paksen Park Quest¡¯ was the name of the attachment. I opened the file. I then subconsciously started to smile. ¡®Kang Sung Ho, this puk is more charismatic the more I get to know him.¡¯ He combined all 167 quests into one file, but the core content of each one was in a table of contents. There was even a link to each one, that if you click that specific one in the table of contents, it would take you directly to the information. The thing I liked even more was the way that he labeled the table of contents. [200 bars of gold] [Iron Sword of a Skeleton Warrior] [Magnis¡¯s Iron Armor] ¡­¡­ He chose to use the rewards you can get from the quest. Does he perhaps have some mind reading abilities? How could he organize it in a way that I love so much? I guess the reason for doing quests in a game is for the rewards. I liked it so much I debated sending him a bonus, but I held myself back. If I give him too big of a reward from the beginning, he¡¯ll get used to that quickly. ¡®Then shall I see what kind of information is there?¡¯ Honestly, I struggled quite a bit at Paksen Park in the game. Paksen Park is really wide and the majority of the area is out of the reach of divine power. Why is that a problem? That¡¯s because a lot of criminals are hiding there. If divine power cannot reach there, you cannot track infamy. So you won¡¯t realize you are with a criminal until they are in front of your eyes and you can finally feel the evil aura. I should be able to be a little safer thanks to these files. In addition, it would be great if I can take care of some quests with good rewards. I took a look through the 167 items. ¡®This is okay¡­¡­, I like this one. I¡¯ll do it if there isn¡¯t a better one. I like this one as well¡­¡­, what, they put this kind of trash as the reward?¡¯ I skimmed all the way down like that until my gaze stopped on the 158th subject. It was because the name was just too intense. [The Jeppi Tribe¡¯s Secret Plan] If it is something connecting the Jeppi tribe to the continent, there is only one conclusion. Continental Invasion. I don¡¯t really know what kind of information is in here, but I¡¯m certain it has to do with their secret plan to invade. I was already planning on using the Jeppi tribe¡¯s invasion as one of my turning points. I was trying to rush things because I was lacking concrete information. But that secret plan might help solidify my plans. It¡¯s not like I need to complete the quest to find out. Since this is a draft, the information should be inside as well. I clicked the name and it moved me to the correct location. [The Jeppi Tribe¡¯s Secret Plan] Quest Details: Defeat the criminal Ruan (Swordsman, approximately level 200) 3 comrades: Mistress (1), Swordsmen (2) *File Subject: Criminal Quest Draft_36.hwp He really organized it cleanly. Although there isn¡¯t any information about the secret information, the rest of the information is concise and easy to read. ¡®Criminal quest draft¡­¡¯ I searched through the files saved on my computer. There were a lot of files, but it wasn¡¯t hard to find after sorting it by name. [Criminal Quest Draft_36.hwp] I used the search function to move to the location of the secret plan of the Jeppi. I didn¡¯t need anything else. I just needed the secret plan. But, ¡®It¡¯s not here.¡¯ I spent some time to look for it, but the results were the same. Even the draft was missing the secret plan information. It only briefly described how the criminal Ruan ended up with the Jeppi tribe¡¯s secret plan. It stated that the Jeppi tribe was trading information in Paksen Park when the criminal Ruan happened to come across it and hunted them. To sum it up, a stupid story. I was suddenly starting to be filled with doubt. ¡®Maybe this quest didn¡¯t get used.¡¯ Even if it was used, the details might have changed.The rewards might have changed or even how to complete the quest might have changed too. I need to keep my mind open to all possibilities. This isn¡¯t the final plan after all. But I still need to look for it. If I can get my hands on that secret plan, my entire progression might change. For the better, of course. I looked through the files some more. The more information I have, the safer I can be when I complete the quest. ¡°Ruan¡¯s level is all the way up at 212?¡± Of course if you consider all of Royal Roader, it¡¯s not a high level, but for someone like me, who hasn¡¯t even passed level 90, it was as high as the sky. ¡®I still need to take it from him. Since he is a criminal, it is okay to take things from him.¡¯ But how will I take it? He won¡¯t just hand it over. I will need to kill him and take it from him. Is that possible? In the game, it was impossible. If the level difference is too large, you can¡¯t win no matter what method you use. But this Royal Roader isn¡¯t a game. Even if he was a level 400 swordsman, his neck won¡¯t be made of steel. Even if a level 50 swings a sword, if they hit the right spot, he will still end up dying. Isn¡¯t that the unique nature of reality where any variable can happen? I just need to create that variable. I also have the abilities to create that variable. Ruan is a swordsman who focused on strength, stamina, and HP. Since his level is high, his agility should be pretty high up as well. He also has three comrades. His mistress, named Amy, is a Fire Magician, while the other two are swordsmen. They are all around level 150. The comrades hide their identities and run a restaurant. Ruan usually hides out on the 4th floor attic of the restaurant. Their method of committing crimes is putting different poisons like sleeping pills in the customer¡¯s food and steal from them once they are asleep. If it looks like they will get revenge, they just kill them. Doing something like that, their infamy should be really high, but it is only around 100. They must have committed a lot of crimes where the divine power does not reach. If that¡¯s the case, their infamy would not go up that much even if they killed people. ¡®Okay. Got the answer.¡¯ I looked at other useful looking information as well. I still had some time after all. Since I used the focus skill, all of the information was easily memorized. After studying(?) like that for a long time, I finally went to bed deep into the night. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 59 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 59: The Bundle of Gifts in Paksen Park (2) Paksen Park. After I walked for a while, I saw a house made of wood. ¡®That is the criminal Ruan¡¯s restaurant.¡¯ It was right on the border of where the divine power reached. To be specific, it was right where divine power stopped reaching. Since the location wasn¡¯t very good, I didn¡¯t think there would be too many customers. I¡¯m sure it was done on purpose. If there were a lot of customers, it will be hard to commit crimes. I checked my preparations once more. I even went to the village to buy a new outfit for this. A pretty expensive one. I should come off as a rich young master. I took off my outerwear and carefully checked the Skywolf Leather Armor I was wearing underneath it. I made sure everything looked right. Finally, I checked my stat window. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 89] Dexterity: Advanced Level 2, 94% Strength: 123 Agility: 496 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 91 Magic: 9 Vitality: 36 Mana: 328 HP: 519 Endurance: 33 Toughness: 100 Guard Points: 93 I leveled up faster than I expected. I thought I would be around level 80 by now, but I was lucky. Demon Caves that were perfect for me kept spawning. Of course there were times the opposite had happened as well. That would be when caves at the A-grade or higher would open. These would have only a few low level monsters and a ton of high level monsters. Those types of caves are not good for me since I can¡¯t do much without using low level monsters as stepping stones to increase my combo. Anyway, at this speed, I should easily be able to reach level 99, my goal before the Chaos Battle. My Guard Points were up to 93 as well. Guard Points are something you earn when you clear Demon Caves on your own. It can also be called the ranking in the Ares Temple. Of course, the cave¡¯s level, grade, and size determine how many points you receive from clearing it. Even this much should be enough to get a decent weapon from the Ares Temple. Of course, my guard points will continue to go up. Rather than getting a few decent weapons, it is better to get one good weapon. ¡®But when will my toughness upgrade?¡¯ My toughness went up every time I hunted a monster at least 10 levels greater than me. Thanks to that, it reached the limit of 100 a long time ago. Now I just need to upgrade it. In order to do that, I need a new record for the level difference between myself and the monster I kill. That was why my expectations for the criminal Ruan were high. Since he is at least 100 levels higher than me, it will definitely allow me to upgrade toughness. As long as it is the same as what I saw in the ¡®Criminal Ruan¡¯s Draft¡¯ that is. One more thing. As long as I beat him. I won¡¯t know unless I fight him once. ¡°This should be enough. I have the magic light, magic breaker, and enough antidotes as well.¡± I then put my outerwear back on and fixed my sleeves. I waited nearby until it started to become dark before I entere Ruan¡¯s restaurant. I opened the door. The building looked old but the door opened without making a noise. ¡®Is this to commit crimes in secret as well?¡¯ This is why having some information is sometimes bad. Every little thing can be seen as a part of the criminal Ruan¡¯s plan. ¡°Welcome.¡± It was a woman¡¯s voice full of charm. A young lady, who was as beautiful as her voice, welcomed me. There were no female workers in the draft. It¡¯s also probably impossible to hire a female worker around here. That should mean that this would be Ruan¡¯s mistress Amy. Her beauty was one thing, but her extremely red clothes also caught my attention. Is she showing that she is a fire magician through the clothes? The two men sitting over there must be the other two comrades. One is dressed like a chef while the other is dressed like a waiter. There weren¡¯t many customers. There was just a group of six men sitting at a table by the window. They all looked at me with a sense of alarm. This was also one of the unique things about Paksen Park. You were always on alert around people, just like monsters. Since there were so many criminals hiding out over here, how could you tell who is and who isn¡¯t a criminal? I felt a magic hit my body. -Shhhhh Someone used a magic like ¡®View Level Force¡¯ toward me. Normal people wouldn¡¯t be able to feel it, but since my intuition was over 90, it was extremely clear. I¡¯m sure it is Amy who is standing in front of me. How can she use view level force without my permission? This is somewhere that is outside the reaches of divine power. There is no protection of the temples, so the actions banned by the temples aren¡¯t limited here. Even if that is murder. Of course that is true for both sides. I can also use view level force. That is something you can learn even with your magic stat at 5, if you have a high enough sensitivity. I carefully used it so Amy would not notice it. ¡®View level force.¡¯ But I had no choice but to be shocked. Amy¡¯s level was different than what I knew. No, different is too light of a word. [Level: 331] ¡®Ah! What is this?¡¯ I almost flinched my shoulders. The file clearly said they were around level 150. But her level was over 300. I managed to hide my shock, but I must not have hid it completely. Amy quickly smiled while looking toward me. Is she not Amy? Now that I think about it, there was another weird thing. ¡®Why can¡¯t I feel any evil aura?¡¯ At this distance, I should be able to feel it even if their infamy was low. That¡¯s because my intuition is at a whopping 91. But it was clean. That meant that her infamy was 0. ¡®Did I come to the wrong place?¡¯ Maybe this wasn¡¯t the criminal Ruan¡¯s restaurant. The plan itself might not have been used in the game. Another possibility was that they significantly raised Amy¡¯s level from the draft. Then the criminal Ruan¡¯s level should have gone up as well. I hope it is not over 300 like Amy. If that is the case, things will be difficult. I think I would be able to handle a magician over level 300, but I¡¯m not so sure about a level 300 swordsman. No matter what happens, let¡¯s trust the draft and proceed since I came all the way here. ¡®But where is Ruan?¡¯ Since his infamy should be around 100, if he was nearby, my intuition should be able to find him. So he must not be in the restaurant area. Well it makes sense. He needs to hide since his infamy is high. An Infamy Hunter like Kaicher might show up under cover. He must be hiding in the attic like the file said. He will show up soon. If Amy checked my level, she would assume that I am a safe meal to target. If he doesn¡¯t show up, I just need to call him out. Of course I have a plan in mind. That is why I paid so much to dress like this. That method should help me confirm how different this is compared to the draft. ¡°Please give me all of the tastiest food you have here.¡± ¡°Omo. You must be a rich young master. Our restaurant uses the meat from the animals hunted nearby, so everything is good. Please wait a bit. I will make you a delicious chicken soup.¡± I sat at an empty table. Bachu¡¯s Cutlass was placed on the table. It is the best sword made by the dwarf Bachu using a ton of titanium and mithril. It even looks different than the normal blades. *Sparkle Sparkle* After a bit, a hot bowl of chicken soup came out. It looked really tasty. I¡¯m sure they put something like sleeping pills in there. If I ate it without any plans, I would become their prey. ¡°Wow, it looks so good!¡± I ripped one of the drumsticks off and took a big bite. Chew chew. Amy watched from nearby, as if she was waiting for my opinion. But her real intent was to see whether I swallow it or not. I swallowed the meat without any suspicion and ate the rest of it as well. ¡°It is really delicious.¡± ¡°All of our food is delicious. Hoho.¡± Amy was smiling much brighter than before. ¡°Anyways, do you happen to know where the criminal Ruan usually shows up? I heard rumors that he is around this area.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He just suddenly appears and then vanishes. But you will be spending the night here right? We have an empty room on the 3rd floor.¡± It is both a restaurant and an inn. Of course I shook my head. ¡°No. I heard that there were many people who said they were robbed in this restaurant. If that happens, that would be bad.¡± ¡°Omo. Who would spread such false rumors? Then you can leave your valuables with me. I will return it to you in the morning.¡± Look at her. Isn¡¯t she trying to make it too easy for herself?¡± ¡°No. It is something that will lose part of its ability if someone else touches it. It cost me 1,000,000,000 won to buy all of this.¡± I lowered my voice as I took out one Jewel of Luck to show her. Once the jewel that was shining red showed itself, Amy¡¯s eyes started to glow red as well. ¡°Omo, is it a Jewel of Luck?¡± I quickly lifted my finger and put it to my lip. I then looked toward the guests eating at the other table. ¡°It is dangerous if word gets out. If it was one or two, it wouldn¡¯t be bad, but if they knew I had hundreds of them, the criminals will flock like a swarm of bees.¡± ¡°Omomo. You have that many on you?¡± ¡°It is only about 1,000,000 won per one. I can hunt much safer if I use the Jewel of Luck. So I end up profiting in the end.¡± ¡°But you still have to be careful. Our place is safe.¡± ¡°No. There is a cave outside I scouted. I think it will be safer there. Sigh, these days people are scarier than monsters. You just can¡¯t tell what people are thinking.¡± ¡°That is true. Be careful.¡± ¡°I need to quickly eat and leave before it gets dark.¡± I waved my hand as if to say I did not have any time to waste in chit chat. Amy finally moved away from me. I slurped down the chicken soup quickly. As if I needed to return to the cave before it got too dark. ¡°Thank you for the meal. It is already starting to get dark.¡± I paid the bill and hurried out of the restaurant. I then quickly started to walk toward the East. I made sure to make a lot of noise as I walked. Step. Step. I felt a presence tailing me at a distance. Step. Step. They were perfectly matching my steps. It was so precise that it was hard to tell even with my 91 intuition. Did I guess incorrectly? I made my step a little different just to see. Step. Step. Slide. Then I could tell a little clearer. Someone was mimicking my footsteps and tailing me. That means they could clearly feel my presence and they had enough skills to perfectly control their body. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this.¡¯ The distance was about 30m. I¡¯m sure they weren¡¯t tailing me with good intentions. If that was the case, they wouldn¡¯t need to tail me while hiding their presence. Only one conclusion. ¡®Criminal Ruan!¡¯ That means that, thankfully, the draft wasn¡¯t discarded and was actually made it to the game. But I didn¡¯t know whether to be happy or sad. Criminal Ruan¡¯s level seemed to be much higher than in the draft. But thankfully, it was just one person. I guess it makes sense, since I¡¯m not even level 90. I should be honored (?) that he didn¡¯t send a henchman and instead came himself. I pretended not to know and increased my speed. Ruan must have also increased his speed as the presence became a little clearer. I must have walked about 3km like that. ¡®This much distance is plenty.¡¯ Around here, no matter how much commotion we cause, there should be no one coming to the rescue. Even if Ruan realizes it is a trap and runs away, I should be able to take care of him before he reaches the restaurant. I¡¯m sure Ruan is thinking the opposite. He is probably thinking this is a good place to take care of me. Two people with the same thoughts but in reverse. We will soon know whose calculations were correct. My surrounding was already completely dark. If it wasn¡¯t for my Owl¡¯s Eye, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to tell that there were stones underneath my feet. I finally stopped and looked behind me. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 60 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 60: The Bundle of Gifts in Paksen Park (3) The presence became completely visible and quickly approached me. I could finally see Ruan¡¯s face. He looked good to the point that I even thought ¡®he¡¯s handsome.¡¯ I almost thought he was Kaicher for a moment. His body was large and muscular. With that type of look, it makes sense that a magician over level 300 like Amy would fall in love with him. Ruan should not be able to see me just yet. He is just following my presence and voice. That was the reason I slowed down after all. ¡°Hoho, you¡¯re pretty good for a little kid. You were able to sense my presence.¡± Ruan approached within 10m. At the same time, the magic light on his forehead turned on. The surroundings instantly turned bright. I started to subconsciously frown. Part of it was because of the laser-like light that pierced my retina, but it was more so the evil aura coming from him. Once he got closer, the aura started to get stronger. Maybe I felt it more because my intuition was so high. My mind was a bit chaotic because of it. I hesitated for a bit. I had killed many monsters, but I had never killed a person. Even if he was a criminal, it was normal to hesitate a bit before swinging a sword against another person. But the moment the evil aura hit my body, all of those hesitations disappeared completely. It was one of the effects of infamy. It makes you feel an intense hatred toward the person. I was starting to feel that way. I could now understand why Kaicher was so rude to me in the beginning. The problem is level. No matter how advantageous of a situation I create, if his level is so high that I can¡¯t do anything, I need to run away now. ¡°View level force.¡± I did not hide it. I made it loud enough for Ruan to hear as I chanted it. Ruan showed no response and just confidently laughed. A laughter full of confidence. [Level: 274] ¡®It¡¯s high!¡¯ It was high enough for him to be confident. If you consider all of Royal Roader, it is only in the lower end of the middle tier, but right now, I was comparing to my own level that was not even 90. But my response was a bit different. ¡°It isn¡¯t as high as I thought it would be.¡± Ruan must have been surprised at my response. He flinched his shoulders and looked around. He must be thinking that I set up an ambush before leading him here. Of course there was no ambush. There were only the two of us here. Ruan¡¯s magic light roamed around the area, but of course he didn¡¯t find anybody. Nor was there any presence. Ruan then glared fiercely at me. He must think he was fooled by me. ¡°You stupid punk. If you do not want to die, drop all your belongings and quietly leave. I want to avoid murder if I can.¡± Shhhhhhh- If he wants to avoid murder, why is he taking his sword out? It was a falchion. The fact that he uses a one handed sword means that he is capable of fast attacks. I need to be a little more careful as I hunt him. ¡°Hurry up and drop it! Do you want to die? You don¡¯t think someone like you who is not even level 90 can run away from me, do you?¡± Ruan reached out his empty hand and slowly approached me. I lightly laughed. ¡°I spent all that time leading you here to capture you, so why would I run?¡± ¡°Hoho, is there a hidden ally or something?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any help. This is all I need to hunt you.¡± I took a marble out of my bag. Ruan instantly crouched a bit out of wariness. While he did that, I chanted in my mind. ¡®Maximum!¡¯ ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°You must be blind. For you to see this and still not run away.¡± I pushed the marble toward Ruan. Ruan crouched a little more. He was ready to run away if he needed to do so, and carefully looked at the marble I threw. Seeing him like that, I chanted once more. Of course with my eyes closed. ¡®Light!¡¯ Instantly, a powerful light shot out of my magic light. It was a high efficiency magic light I spent a lot of money to buy. I also made it as bright as possible, so if I didn¡¯t close my eyes, I would have been temporarily blinded as well. ¡°Ah!¡± The extremely shocked Ruan let out a shout. At the same time, he flung his body toward me. He¡¯s probably thinking that if he manages to get a hold of me, it¡¯s game over. It¡¯s a pretty good idea. But the problem was that I was ready for such a thing. I quickly moved my body. Ruan¡¯s empty hand searched the area I was just standing in. Seeing him move, my agility was much higher than his. He really was a strength based swordsman. He also seemed to have put quite a bit of points in intuition. That should mean that his attack strength should be a bit lower compared to his level. Ruan¡¯s hand of course just grabbed the air. I put my magic light in my bag and took out another marble. ¡®Magic break.¡¯ I chanted internally and then felt the explosion of a strong mana force. At the same time, the magic light on both Ruan and my forehead lost its light at the same time. It is a weapon that makes magic tools useless. Strong magic break spells can even nullify low level magician¡¯s abilities, but this isn¡¯t that expensive. But it was enough to turn the area pitch black. I guess it¡¯s time to explain the situation to Ruan now. ¡°Welcome to my world.¡± As long as I have the Owl¡¯s Eye, the darkness is pretty much my world. ¡°You little punk.¡± Ruan swung the falchion in my direction. He was estimating my location based on my voice. But it was useless. As long as there is a difference in agility, it would not be easy to follow my movements even if he could see. So how could it be possible in the dark? I quickly moved and took off my outerwear. All that was left was the Skywolf¡¯s Leather Armor. Once I started to use the Stealthy Approach ability as well, Ruan really couldn¡¯t tell my location. I picked up a small rock and threw it to the opposite side of Ruan. Clack. Ruan swung his falchion in that direction. I used stealthy approach at the same time to close the distance. I then used Drake¡¯s TBSA. I was aiming for Ruan¡¯s right calf. Papapat! I landed a four hit combo in a short amount of time. ¡°Ah! You little!¡± He swung the falchion in my direction again. His movement was clearly visible. Plus, his speed was at a level I could easily avoid it. Although the combo could not be continued for a long time, that lessened the danger. I continued to tease Ruan using the same method. I only aimed for his right calf. No matter how high of a level he is, the human body is the same. He is just a bit stronger and can last a bit longer. Nobody is invincible. Ruan¡¯s right calf quickly became a mess. He couldn¡¯t even stand after the fifth time. Papapat! ¡°Ugh.¡± Flop! Once I attacked once more, Ruan finally fell down. At the same time, he regained some of his sight. But he was already a wounded bear. All he could do was turn his body using his butt whenever I got around him. But that was very dangerous for him. In order to turn his body while sitting down, he needed to press down with both hands. Which meant that he had openings everywhere. I had no reason to go easy when I see so many openings. I used the TBSA while aiming for Ruan¡¯s openings. This time, the focus was Ruan¡¯s neck. Ruan was extremely shocked and lifted his arm up to cover his neck. Clank! ¡°You blocked it? Let¡¯s see how long you can keep that up.¡± Clank! Papapat! ¡°Ahh!¡± Once his shoulder was wounded, Ruan finally dropped the falchion. He still did not give up. No, he could not give up. Giving up meant death. Whenever I got close, he swung his arm trying to grab me. I knew it would end up like this. That was why I took off the flapping clothes and only left the slick leather armor on. Every so often, Ruan¡¯s hand reached my body, but it slipped off because of the leather armor. It was normal for the injuries on his body to increase every time he missed like that. Papapat! ¡°Ugh!¡± Ruan could not last five minutes. In the end, his neck was stabbed by me and he fell over. A voice soon followed. ¡®What? Why is this it?¡¯ Reinforced toughness, new record, honor. I also received Ruan¡¯s bag. There should be quite a bit of stuff inside. If you put it that way, I earned quite a lot from this battle. But I can earn those things elsewhere as well. It didn¡¯t need to be now. But there is one thing I can only earn here. It was the reason I faced the danger to hunt Ruan. The Jeppi Tribe¡¯s Secret Plan. ¡®Why is it not here? Is it in the bag?¡¯ I looked through Ruan¡¯s bag. He really did have a lot of money. There was over 1,000,000,000 won. There were a lot of precious metals as well. He must have not trusted his mistress and carried all things of value in his bag. Healing potions, mana potions ¡­¡­ But I didn¡¯t see the secret plan. ¡®Shit, is it hidden in the house?¡¯ I guess it¡¯s possible, since it is not really useful to him. No, it¡¯s possible he doesn¡¯t even know what it is. The Jeppi tribe uses a completely different language. If he got it but did not even know it was their secret plan, what use would it be? Plus, it is not like a criminal would care about such a thing. Anyways, if it is not here, then it must be at the house. ¡®Shit, does that mean I need to defeat Amy as well?¡¯ I did not feel any infamy from Amy. She is an accomplice to Ruan, but it must mean that she never committed any crimes with her own hands. Then it wouldn¡¯t feel right to kill her. In fact, I might be the one to end up with some infamy if I did that. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ I could think of one method. If she is his mistress, she should care for him quite a bit. I need to use that emotion to my advantage. I put my clothes back on and headed back to the restaurant. The customers at the other table were still there. They were just drinking and chatting amongst themselves. Great. As soon as I entered the restaurant, I shouted as if I was out of breath. ¡°The criminal Ruan is over there. Someone please go take care of him!¡± The customers all got up at once. They were all holding their swords, spears, axes, etc. ¡°Criminal Ruan?¡± ¡°Is that true? Where?¡± ¡°Around 4 km in that direction. He was hurt by a monster and cannot move. If you hurry, you would be able to take care of him. My level is too low.¡± I felt the power of mana hit my body. One of the customers must have verified my level. ¡°Level 90. It¡¯s true. Let¡¯s go verify it.¡± They then quickly started to move. [Noise of rushed movement.] But there were some people who moved faster than them. It was Ruan¡¯s mistress Amy and his two comrades. Thanks to that, the restaurant was completely empty. I hurried as well. I first locked the entrance to the restaurant. If someone came in, I would be able to tell from the noise, and that will give me a couple extra seconds. Ruan¡¯s room is the 4th floor attic. If he hid the secret plan, it will naturally be there. I quickly ran up. ¡®It¡¯s locked.¡¯ But the entrance to the attic was not very strong. I kicked it and destroyed the door. Bang! The noise was loud, but I did not care. Where will it be? Is it that? Did he hide it here? Or maybe here? I quickly rummaged through everywhere. ¡®It definitely is here somewhere. What is this?¡¯ [Smokescreen Scroll] There is a scroll like this? As the name indicates, if you rip it, it probably creates a smoke screen. The chest was full of scrolls like that. I estimate there were at least 100. There were all sorts of different types as well. I thought the Jeppi¡¯s Secret Plan might be in there and quickly went through it, but there were just other items. [Wind Scroll] [Sleeping Scroll] [Increase Speed Scroll] ¡­¡­ The must use these scrolls when they steal. The wind scroll and smoke screen scroll probably work together, and the increase speed scroll was probably used if they were found by a high level player and needed to run away. They were just useless to me. But thinking that the Jeppi¡¯s Secret Plan might be hidden inside, I shoved them all in my bag. I could also use them later if needed. ¡®What is this?¡¯ There was another scroll that was glowing red. [Demon Cave Scroll] Level: 127 Grade: B Size: Medium This is a scroll that calls forth monsters. If you rip the scroll, a Demon Cave is established where you are and monsters start to come out. It is a scroll that followers of the Demon Lord usually carry. There were four of these scrolls. Ruan was a follower of the Demon Lord? There was no such information in the draft. It didn¡¯t mention that Ruan had these types of scrolls either. So why does he have things like this? But that is a problem for later. I need to find the Secret Plan and run away before Amy gets back. If I need to deal with Amy who is over level 300, I might run into some problems. But I can¡¯t leave without the Secret Plan after working so hard. But I could not find the Secret Plan in the end. I just ended up putting all sorts of scrolls in my bag. ¡®Did they maybe change the reward?¡¯ It was possible. The draft could always be changed. ¡®Shit. I wasted my time.¡¯ I needed to leave. I took too much time. By now, the customers and Amy probably found Ruan¡¯s body. I can¡¯t put my life on the line for a Secret Plan that does not exist. I quickly came downstairs. But at the same time, the entrance opened with a BANG! As if it was broken. At the same time, an extremely red clothes became visible in front of me. ¡®Shit, already¡­¡­!¡¯ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 61 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 61: There is so much stuff (1) It was Amy. She had a staff that I didn¡¯t see earlier as well. Her swordsmen buddies were with her too. But did she have that many comrades earlier? There are eight of them. Some of them were giving off pretty dense evil auras as well. There were too many differences from the draft. Their levels, the reward, the number of comrades, everything was different. If I start doing everything based on the draft, I might get into some serious trouble. No, I¡¯m already in serious trouble. A magician whose level is in the 300s, as well as eight level 150 swordsmen. It is not a battle I can win. ¡®Shit, if I had left just 5 minutes earlier, I could have disappeared without them seeing me.¡¯ They do say a little bit of greed causes a lot of trouble. But there was still a chance. If not the entrance, I can disappear through the window. I quickly flung my body toward the window. But there was no way my body was faster than magic. Once Amy pointed her staff, Crackle- A strong flame blocked the window. It was the only window in the restaurant, so with that blocked, there was no other way out. But if she does this, the restaurant will burn. But Amy did not care about that. ¡°You little rat-like bastard. You try to steal from me while my husband is dying?¡± It was a completely angry voice. She must be really upset that she lost Ruan. But forget about that, I¡¯m in a giant pickle! Should I trust in my fire affinity and jump through the fire? Probably not a good idea. She¡¯s a fire magician over level 300. Her casting speed and mana control are probably really good. She could probably anticipate my movements and accurately shoot out more fire. If I end up being surrounded by the fire, that¡¯s the end of me. Then that means there is only one option. Crash through the main entrance. Well, I will wait for the right moment and then charge. ¡°Die!¡± Amy pointed toward me this time. I could feel a lot of mana starting to move. Thanks to my high intuition, I could estimate where the fire magic will hit. ¡®Exactly where I am standing right now!¡¯ Once I felt the movement of the mana, I quickly flung my body away. But Amy was faster. My surrounding was full of fire before I could completely dodge. Crackle- I managed to avoid the majority of it, but I couldn¡¯t dodge all of it. A portion of the fire pillar wrapped around my body. ¡®Oh, but what is this?¡¯ The heat from the fire was not as strong as I thought it would be. In fact, it was decently bearble. The Skyfox Leather Armor also lasted pretty well. The outerwear burned away pretty much instantly, but the leather armor was still fine. It seemed to have a high resistance to heat. ¡®I might be able to turn this around!¡¯ I took a marble out of my bag and threw it toward the ceiling. ¡®Magic break!¡¯ All of the lights on the ceiling turned off. But it didn¡¯t help much. ¡°Magic light!¡± Once Amy shouted lights started to appear in all corners of the restaurant. It was not light from a magic tool, but light made of magic. It wasn¡¯t something I could take care of with magic break. If she does that, there was no point to make the lights all useless. No, there was still a benefit. In order to maintain the magic light, her casting speed will become slower and it¡¯ll also be weaker. In addition, the restaurant was starting to fill up with smoke. No matter how many magic lights she creates, it can¡¯t pierce through the smoke to help her find me. I started to move again, especially toward the dark areas full of smoke. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?!¡± Amy started to make another fire pillar. Crackle- I think she¡¯s trying to burn the restaurant down. I guess it makes sense. Now that Ruan is dead, they need to throw this place away and go find a new place. I sharply changed directions every time I felt the movement of mana. I was avoiding the center of the fire. Amy¡¯s angry voice starting to ring through the restaurant again. ¡°You little rat! Catch him!¡± The swordsmen started to chase after me, as if they had been waiting. Great. Come. I¡¯ve been waiting for you as well. I avoided the swordsmen and headed deeper into the restaurant. The swordsmen moved quickly to chase after me. Thanks to that, I was able to create a decent amount of distance between Amy and the swordsmen. It was exactly what I was aiming for. ¡®Now!¡¯ I turned my body once more and started to run toward Amy. The swordsmen swung their falchions to block my way, but they were moved slowly and they weren¡¯t very skilled. They should also be having some issues because of the darkness and the smoke. I showed the effects of my extremely high agility as I leisurely moved around the swordsmen. I could see Amy¡¯s face. She was so surprised after seeing me approaching like a fast arrow and urgently moved her staff. A fire pillar shot out like an arrow from the staff. ¡®Fire arrow!¡¯ It looks like it is going to be pretty strong. But I was already moving to the side. I didn¡¯t manage to completely get out of the way, but thanks to my high fire affinity, I did not receive much damage. ¡°Eek!¡± Amy flung another fire arrow urgently. But she could not hit me as I was moving left and right. I arrived in front of her face as I continued to dodge. ¡°How¡­¡­?¡± How can I be fine even though I was hit by fire? You can ask that once you arrive in hell! But it was weird. I could feel an evil aura from her that I did not feel before. It was faint, but it was definitely evil aura from infamy. It made me think of the other people. ¡®She must have killed those customers!¡¯ A criminal¡¯s lover is indeed still a criminal! Thanks to that, I started to feel hatred toward her. I should be able to slash her neck without feeling guilty. I swung the BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades. Amy tried to move away, but her movements were slow as she she was a magician. Every hit I landed was a critical hit, and it instantly moved up to a 15 hit combo. ¡°¡­¡­Ack!¡± Amy could not even shout properly as she fell over. She could not even last a 15 hit combo even though she was over level 300. That¡¯s probably because she put all of her stats toward magic so her HP was pretty terrible. There was nothing about honor. I guess it is because Amy¡¯s infamy was too low. At least she didn¡¯t give me any infamy for killing her. It was probably accepted as self-defense since Amy attacked me first. ¡°Sister!¡± ¡°Die!¡± The eight swordsmen ran toward me as if they were possessed. There really was no reason to fight here. The magic light had disappeared once Amy died, but the fire still lit up the area. I still need to take my rewards. I grabbed Amy¡¯s staff and bag and ran away into the darkness. Of course I moved at a speed the swordsmen could follow. ¡®This should be enough.¡¯ I was in an area that was pitch dark because the leaves of the trees in the forest covered the sky. It was so dark you could barely see the tip of your feet. That might be why the swordsmen who were chasing after me were starting to be cautious as well. Even though they were using a magic light to light the way, they were moving extremely slowly. But they were still bluffing loudly. ¡®You little rat-like bastard. Hurry up and come out.¡¯ ¡®I swear I will eat you alive today.¡¯ These swordsmen were barely level 150. They were also blind mice in this darkness. They must be really scared since the eight of them were moving together. Some of them had pretty high levels of infamy. If I keep them alive, they will continue to cause trouble wherever they go. It is doing the world a favor for me to take care of them with my two hands today. Anyways, they are really stupid. Didn¡¯t they see me getting rid of the lighting in the restaurant with magic break? Well, it does make my hunting easier. ¡®Magic break.¡¯ The magic lights instantly turned off. Once that happened, the eight swordsmen crouched in shock. ¡°Wha, what the? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s that punk!¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, he did the same thing back in the restaurant¡­¡­!¡± Now they remember it? Too late. But why are you all sticking so close to each other? Did they hear the story about how you need to stick together to survive? But today is the day you will die no matter what. I used Stealthy Approach to get close to them. Then I started to swing the cutlass. ¡°Aah!¡± ¡°Where?¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry!¡± One of them shouted while the other nervously answered at the unintentional team kill. So why did you stick that close to each other? Dangerous. You should start moving away from each other. But they did not do that. Instead, they just started to move their falchions more carefully, in order to avoid another team kill. Thanks to that, my movement became more fierce. I used stealthy approach to get close again and used combo to kill all eight of them together. I guess the other six had low or no infamy. My honor only went up by 2. Anyways, things were resolved smoothly. There is no good that will come from staying here for a long time. I gathered all of their bags and moved away from the restaurant. Chirp chirp- Squeak squeak- Before I knew it, I woke up to the chirping of the birds. ¡°Stretch. Ah, that was a nice rest.¡± The inside of a cave. Since I had a pretty good blanket and sleeping bag in my bag, I slept really well. The sounds of birds chirping continued to come in front outside the cave. Paksen Park really is wide and vast. The battle that happened in the middle of the night, and even the fire that destroyed the restaurant were all eaten up. ¡®Shall I see what I got now?¡¯ I emptied the contents of the bags onto the floor and checked the information for each item one by one. ¡®Why is there so much?¡¯ I took things out, and then more, and even more after that. There was especially a lot of the scrolls I just threw in front Ruan¡¯s restaurant. Please let the Jeppi¡¯s Secret Plan be here. I reopened each scroll to verify and sort. But unfortunately, the secret plan was not there. There were only scrolls. There were some useful scrolls like the smokescreen scroll and Demon Cave scroll, but the majority were trash that made me question why they even carried it with them. It¡¯s the pro and con of the magic bag. If is useful if you organize it, but it ends up a trash can if you just throw things in there. ¡®Put this in the main inventory because I can use it if I am in danger; this is completely useless. Trash!¡¯ After going through each item, I could finally start to get a feel for my gains. There were quite a few items that could be sold for a lot of money. Once I calculated it, it was close to 2,000,000,000 won and there were also potions and precious minerals. The thing that I really liked was Amy¡¯s magic bag. There were 128 inventory slots, and the limit for each slot was three times the size of mine. I was happy since I was planning on upgrading my bag soon anyways. But the greatest gain from this was the ¡®Demon Cave scrolls.¡¯ It¡¯ll be good if I can use it properly. ¡®Thank you. I will put it to good use.¡¯ Now it was time to take on the Chaos Battle. Since today is the end of May, there should be able a month and a half left. I wonder what kind of system they will implement In the game, it was a free for all battle. Once you get into the arena, there is nowhere to run. It is because the arena is small while there are many competitors. As the number of competitors go down, the arena becomes smaller as well. In other words, you need to keep fighting without taking a break until you are the only one left standing. But that was only possible because it was a game. Even if you died, you would be able to revive. But this was not a game. Death is the end here. Then not only would people not participate, they would also lose a lot of great warriors. But for thousands of people to participate every year, there definitely has to be a method to the madness. Whether that was using divine power or magic power. I wanted to participate quickly. I had quite a bit of fun during the Chaos Battle in the game. You can earn as much money as the number of people killed, and it is also counted as experience so you can quickly raise your level as well. The rewards given to the winner are even more attractive. Of course my prize will be of a lower quality as I am participating in the lowest tier for those under level 100, but you just have to pick right to find a hidden gem. I still had some time. By the time I clear some more Demon Caves and end up at the Ameri Kingdom¡¯s border, I should be minimally level 95, or if I¡¯m lucky I might make it all the way to 99. ¡®Then shall I start moving again¡¯ But hold on! By now, Donstar should have received the report about the Northern Mine¡¯s profits. So sad. I wish I was there to see his expression. ¡®I wonder how much he¡¯ll need to deposit?¡¯ *** Grin grin- Lately, it was difficult for Donstar to hold back his smile. Thinking about the Northern Mines made him smile even while sleeping. A value in the trillions. It might even go past 10 trillion won. Which means, the richest man in Titan Valley will become so wealthy his name will be known even in Avanguarde. ¡°Ah, so great!¡± Donstar felt like he had the world. Knock. Knock. The report from the Northern Mines must finally be here. He quickly put on his best poker face. ¡°Enter.¡± He started to frown as soon as the door opened. It was not the person responsible for the Northern Mines, but the one responsible for the Batoom Mines. Now that he thought about it, it was also the day for the Batoom Mines to report their earnings as well. ¡°This month, the Batoom Mines has earned 17,400,000,000 won.¡± ¡°What? Why is it less than last month when we hired 50 more miners?¡¯ ¡°Other than tunnel 99, the rest are not making as much money.¡± He did not like it. Since Kang Hwi Ram owned the rights to the tax collected in Tunnel 99, it did him no good even if there was a lot from there. It had his stomach hurt from jealousy instead. But there was no need to be disappointed. There was still the Northern Mines. The Batoom Mines were just scraps to Donstar now. Plus, he had already known that the deposits were running out from a while ago. ¡°You may leave.¡± A bit later, there was another knock. Enter. This time, it was the person responsible for the Northern Mines. Donstar felt excited and he was full of anticipation. ¡®I wonder how much it¡¯ll be?¡¯ He wanted it to be high. How great would it be if it was about 30,000,000,000 won and surprised him? Well he probably shouldn¡¯t set his expectations too high. Plus, the best scenario would be if it was low now, and many large deposits end up being found in the future. The face of the person reporting was really bright. Extremely bright. Donstar¡¯s expression was bright as well. ¡°So, how much did the Northern Mines make?¡± Happy New Year everyone! Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 62 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 62: There is so much stuff (2) ¡°It is slightly over 140,000,000,000 won.¡± ¡°What? How much?¡± Donstar thought he had heard wrong. Either that, or the person had misspoke. ¡®No way. It must be 14 billion won.¡¯ The reporter stated once more. Thinking that Donstar couldn¡¯t believe it, they added more details to be accurate. ¡°141,9¡­¡­¡± Donstar¡¯s eyes turned really wide. That amount made absolutely no sense. No matter how good it was, he never expected it to go over 20,000,000,000 won. At that level, he would only have to deposit about 8,000,000,000 won a month. And that would be the maximum. But for it to be 140 billion won. Where the hell did this amount come from? Of course it was good if it was high. That would mean he would become that much wealthier in the future. But this was just too much. ¡°How is something like that possible?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± The reporter explained the things he saw and heard at the Northern Mines. The reason was simpler than he expected. The equipment was better and the miners were gathering more minerals. As they started to see how much they were bringing in, the miners became excited and started to work even harder. They were also working twice the usual amount. ¡°They are working an average of 8 hours a day.¡± Working 8 hours a day meant that they were really working crazily. The miners in the Batoom Mines only worked an average of 5 hours a day. But even the reason for that was unbelievable. Especially the pickaxe. ¡°Pickaxes made of titanium and mithril mixed alloy? Isn¡¯t mithril a mineral only dwarves can handle?¡± ¡°Kang Hwi Ram seems to have a close relationship with dwarf blacksmiths. I heard that the dwarf blacksmiths personally made the pickaxes for him. They even made 200 of them.¡± Donstar was starting to feel lightheaded. That means that Kang Hwi Ram had planned all of this before the deal. It was like he was hit by a truck. ¡®What to do¡­?¡± He couldn¡¯t give up on the Northern Mines. Since they made a deal using divine power, there were too many unfavorable things that would happen if he gave up, and looking past that, the Northern Mines was something he really needed to make his own. After all, this mine could make him a trillionaire. But he still had no desire to deposit such huge amounts. He needed to do something about it. ¡°Where did you say Kang Hwi Ram is right now?¡± ¡°I heard that he went to Paksen Park.¡± ¡°What? Paksen Park?¡± ¡°He went to raise his level for the Chaos Battle.¡± Donstar¡¯s eyes opened extremely wide. ¡®The heavens must be helping me. Then there is a really simple solution.¡¯ Donstar lowered his voice as he instructed his secretary. ¡°Immediately send someone to Valtana.¡± The secretary was someone who had worked with Donstar for over 30 years. They were so close that the secretary could tell whether Donstar needed to pee or poop just by listening to his breathing. (TL: This is really weird but it is literally what it says) ¡°I understand, Deputy Mayor-nim.¡± A hidden corner in a fancy restaurant in Avanguarde. A rough looking man dressed luxuriously was casually sipping his tea. ¡°What is his level?¡± ¡°He was under level 10 just about 50 days ago. He was a miner. But I am not sure about now. He has been leveling up in Paksen Park so it should have gone up a decent amount.¡± ¡°50 days. Then no matter how fast he leveled up, he shouldn¡¯t be much higher than level 70. You¡¯re telling me you¡¯ll pay me 100,000,000 won to kill him?¡± ¡°He wants it done with certainty.¡± ¡°I understand. If he is planning on participating in the Chaos Battle, I have a pretty good idea about his upcoming movement. I will take care of it within a month.¡± ¡°There cannot be any mistakes.¡± ¡°What kind of mistakes will happen to take care of such weakling? I will show you his head so jus prepare the money. This will be good to teach the newbies.¡± ¡°Did you say ¡­¡­newbies?¡± The secretary had a nervous expression. The man started to laugh while waving his hand as if to say do not worry. ¡°A veteran problem solver will be with them. Do not worry about it. Hahaha.¡± *** Papat! Once it was hit by the damage of a 57 hit combo, the Death Cow could no longer stand it and fell over. Mooooooo- ¡®What the hell? It¡¯s still considered a cow? It looks more like an elephant.¡¯ As mentioned, the size of its body was the size of a small house. But it was not a difficult opponent. It was only level 167. The fact that it was so big for its level meant that it was lacking in other areas. The Death Cow is strong and has lot of stamina, but it was really slow. It also had a really weak spot on the bottom of it¡¯s stomach. It¡¯s probably a good comparison to say he is similar to Deathworm. (TL: Well it is deathworm and death cow¡­) Following that, I killed the rest of the weaker monsters. A voice appeared in my head again. My guard points were now over 100. If I earn about 100 more, I can buy Odin¡¯s Leather Armor which is only available in the Ares Temple. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 97] Dexterity: Advanced Level 3, 6% Strength: 123 Agility: 545 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 91 Magic: 9 Vitality: 36 Mana: 340 HP: 519 Endurance: 33 Reinforced Toughness: 100 Guard Points: 104 My level is good enough here as well. I really wanted to get it to level 99, but I have no more time. If I stall any longer, I might miss the registration window for the Chaos Battle. I need to give myself about 2 days leeway as I move to not end up regretting it. It was now time to leave Paksen Park. I quickly headed north. I must have ran for about two hours like that. ¡°Please help me.¡± I heard a girl¡¯s voice. When I turned my head, it was a lady in her mid-twenties. But for some reason, her clothes were ripped in many places. Her hair was in a mess as well. ¡°Please help me. My dad is dying. Please.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± I asked while checking the lady¡¯s level with ¡®view level force.¡¯ I was still in an area outside the boundaries of divine power. [Level: 96] ¡°He was severely injured while fighting a monster. We have no healing potions, and I am not strong enough to take care of the monster. Please help.¡± It wasn¡¯t that suspicious. But why do I have this weird feeling? ¡°Where is your dad?¡± ¡°He is on top of a tree and hiding from the monster. But I don¡¯t think he will last much longer. The monster is trying to break the tree down.¡± ¡°What kind of monster is it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know the name. It looks like a hog but it has two horns on its head. There are also a few of them.¡± Two horned wild hog. A monster that is at least level 100. It is not a hard monster to fight, but they are so wild that if they gather together, you have to be really careful when you hunt them. I couldn¡¯t just pretend like I didn¡¯t see her. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I moved with the lady. But why is she going so far? We moved at least 1 km. She did mention he ran away to the top of a tree, but we were heading to a really thick forest. A moment later. I suddenly felt a chill. It was so faint that I wouldn¡¯t have felt it if my intuition wasn¡¯t so high. It was something I was pretty used to by now. ¡®The evil aura of infamy! Above my head!¡¯ The feeling was getting stronger very fast. I could figure out what was going on without even raising my head. Someone with a lot of infamy was jumping down from a tree. With me being the target of course. Taaah! I kicked the ground as I twisted my body to the side and instantly moved from the spot. Once I moved, I heard the sound of feet landing on the ground. I could see a man. He was really nervous realizing that the longsword heading my way ended up missing. The situation was obvious. I didn¡¯t know who was behind it, but they led me here to launch a sneak attack. Their goal is probably theft. Paksen Park is full of criminals like this. Do I even need an explanation? I don¡¯t even need to ask ¡®why did you aim for me?¡¯ ¡®View level force.¡¯ [Level: 151] It wasn¡¯t that high of a level. If I can¡¯t even handle this level of strength, I shouldn¡¯t even participate in the chaos battle. I didn¡¯t give him a single opening. Since his weapon was a heavy longsword, his response speed should be slow. As soon as I twisted my body, I put some strength into my feet to move toward him. But he ended up showing an unexpected response. He threw away his longsword and took out a rapier that was hidden in his waist. He seems to have a decent knowledge of fighting. That means he has a lot of experience. But it didn¡¯t matter. I was overwhelmingly faster in speed. Papat! I created a large wound on his thigh. He jumped back in shock. ¡°Ack! You little¡­¡­!¡± What you gonna do by staring at me like that? It¡¯s good to end things quickly in situations like this. This time, I swung my cutlass toward his neck¡­¡­ Swiiish- ¡®Ah!¡¯ With a sudden noise, two short daggers were flying toward my body. Since I was not expecting it, I really was surprised. But it was not that powerful of a dagger attack. I twisted my body to avoid the two daggers. Tatak! The daggers passed me and got stuck in a tree. I quickly turned my head to the direction the daggers came from. ¡®Who?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t the girl. It came from the opposite direction of her. Someone revealed themselves as if they were admitting that ¡®I did it.¡¯ His face and his beard both really looked like a goat. ¡°Tsk tsk. You think you can eat rice with that level of skill?¡± (TL: You won¡¯t be able to make any money like that.) It wasn¡¯t directed at me. The punk with the wound on his thigh had managed to create some distance before taking a healing potion out of his bag and started to drink it. ¡°Hyung-nim, I think the information was wrong. His skills are much better than we were told. His level should be at least 150.¡± ¡°Even still. He¡¯s not that much higher in level than you and you were launching a sneak attack. How do you think you can be a problem solver with that level of skill?¡± I can see what¡¯s going on. Problem solver. In other words, a company that does other people¡¯s bidding. A hit man. Well, something like that. That means someone had asked them to kill me. ¡®Just who¡­¡­?¡¯ I did have someone in mind. If it was him, he would have no issues doing so. Anyways, that punk looks a little strong. ¡°View level force!¡¯ [Level: 209] ¡®Shit! Too high!¡¯ Well, it was much lower compared to the criminal Ruan or his mistress Amy. But the situation was different. I could defeat Ruan even with the level gap because I had the wonderful world of darkness. Right now was completely bright. It was still early morning. I wa confident in taking care of a 50 level difference, but it was impossible to overcome a 100 level difference. And it wasn¡¯t just the two of them. ¡°Block that side well. This punk¡¯s faster than we expected.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± There were four other people. They were split up in multiple directions to block all possible paths of escape. ¡®Wait! This changes things!¡¯ I might have a method. ¡®View level force.¡¯ I checked the rest of their levels. They were all between 120 and 140. They were much higher than me, but if you factor just pure stats, mine should be higher. And in a situation like this, things are actually in my favor. ¡°Did you perhaps bring the wrong person?¡± ¡°No Oppa. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s him.¡± At the girl¡¯s words, the goat-like man compared my face with the face on his paper. He then tilted his head. ¡°It really does seem to be the right person, but why is the level different?¡± They seem really laid back right now. It must be because they think they have me completely under their control. ¡°Who ordered it?¡± ¡°Hoho.¡± They just laughed at my question. I knew they wouldn¡¯t easily answer my question. In situations like this, there was only one method. First, show them who¡¯s boss. That¡¯s better anyways. I can just consider this as practice before the Chaos Battle. Hunting monsters and hunting people are really different after all. I¡¯ve actually never went face to face with anyone in broad daylight like this. Level 209 is a bit difficult, but the harder the opponent is, the more benefits I will get from the training. I need to first turn the atmosphere to one that is to my advantage. The ¡®atmosphere¡¯ I am talking about is of course gathering them together to use as stepping stones to increase my combo. I will use the same strategy in the Chaos Battle. There is only one way to create that atmosphere. Taaah! I quickly started to move. I headed directly for the one who looked to be the weakest. ¡°Aah! Hyung-nims!¡± The level 121 dude lowered his longsword in surprise. It was because I was aiming my cutlass for his thigh. Clang- The cutlass was blocked by his longsword. To be honest, I lowered my speed to let that happen. The goal of this attack wasn¡¯t to slash his thigh but to gather the rest of them here. ¡°Hurry up and help him! We can¡¯t let him escape!¡± As expected. They all headed this way in shock. Even the level 209 goat beard. I pretended to attack while buying some time. While I did that, the rest of them closed in on us. It looked like they had managed to trap me in their circle. To be specific, the stepping stones for combo had been completed. ¡®This is perfect!¡¯ Last chapter for the week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 63 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 63: Chaos Battle (1) Shall I start the hunt? The recipient of the first combo was of course the weakest one. Let¡¯s start with the level 121. I quickly flung my body and swung my cutlass toward his thigh. Drake¡¯s TBSA! Taaaat! He became really shocked and lowered his longsword again. However, my cutlass was much faster this time. The first strike hit his thigh before his longsword could come down, and the second strike struck his arm that was now clearly visible. Papapat- I managed to get a 8 hit combo in less than 2 seconds. The 8th and final attack accurately slashed his throat. ¡°¡­¡­Ugh!¡± ¡°Maknae!¡± [1] The cries of his peers. Do criminals still care about camaraderie? Then you shouldn¡¯t be standing like that. True friends live together and die together. ¡®Go join your maknae in death.¡¯ All of them had already entered into my attack range. I twisted my body and continued to use Drake¡¯s TBSA. My combo had already surpassed 10 hits and causing close to 100 damage, thus they were all dying within 3 hits. ¡°Ugh!¡± Three taken care of. 17th hit, 18th hit ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ [395] [462] ¡­¡­ I had already raised Drake¡¯s TBSA to intermediate level 5. The more the skill went up, the faster my attack speed became. If I really wanted to, I could even land 4+ hits in less than 1 second. Like right now. Shashat! They also swung their swords to attack me back, but at least, when it came to agility, I was much much faster. Of course their attacks skimmed me every so often. Each time, they would start to shout with joy. ¡°I caught him!¡± But that was just a scratch. Plus, I have reinforced toughness, so I don¡¯t take any damage from a scratch like that. ¡°¡­¡­Ugh!¡± Five defeated. Now just one left. My combo had already reached 27 hits. Papat! I quickly spun my body and slashed his thigh. A scream came out of his mouth instead of the laughter from earlier. ¡°Ah! Hailey! Help!¡± The girl¡¯s name was Hailey. But what is he hoping for? Does he think Hailey can do something about this current sit¡­¡­! ¡®She can!¡¯ Once Hailey started to move her hand, the man¡¯s body started to glow green. Protection magic. That would mean she is a support class magician. She can strengthen party member¡¯s attack or defense. Right now, she was strengthening his defense. There was some effect. The combo level continued to go up, but the damage was going down. However, it didn¡¯t do much good. The damage from my combo was already over 1500. On the other hand, protection magic could only provide a defense of about 70. It was because Hailey¡¯s level was so low. I swung my cutlass again. This time, toward his chest. ¡°Ugh!¡± I left the corpse of goat beard and flung my body toward the girl. The girl, who was about to run away, realized my speed and gave up on running away. Instead, she put her two hands together and started to beg. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me.¡± She was now a citizen who had given up all forms of resistance. If I kill her, I might end up with infamy. Then I would not be able to participate in the Chaos Battle. I also don¡¯t have a reason to kill her with my own hands. In times like this, it is best to hand her over to the authorities. But not before I learn everything I need to learn from her. ¡°Who sent you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just do as I am told ¡­¡­¡± People really are dumb. She should be able to tell how this will go, but she will pretend not to know until she gets hurt. I twisted the girl¡¯s arm really hard to the back. Then I pushed her in front of me. Just that alone should cause her a lot of pain. ¡°Let¡¯s just go to the security force.¡± ¡°Aaah! Valtana. He is a man of influence in the back alleys of Avanguarde. He sends us jobs here and there. I do not know anything else. Aah! My arm is going to break.¡± Valtana. It is a name i haven¡¯t heard of. But it¡¯s not like I have polygraph or anything to see if she is lying. I did not respond. I grabbed the magic bags of the two I defeated and continued out of the forest. ¡°It¡¯s true. Please believe me. Valtana.¡± She doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s lying. She just keep saying the same name over and over. But I don¡¯t have any reasons to let her go. Nor did I ever tell her I¡¯d let her go for providing information. I handed her over to the Paksen Park security force. They will handle the rest. ¡®Valtana? Let¡¯s at least remember his name for now. Right now, the Chaos Battle is top priority.¡¯ I quickly headed toward the Magician¡¯s Tower. ¡°Welcome to Arlington.¡± There was no one around, just a voice. It must be a greeting created with the macro magic. It makes sense. The Ameri Kingdom is the strongest kingdom in the continent, so Arlington can be considered the capital of the continent. Over 10,000,000 people live in Arlington. Because of that, they get a lot of visitors on a daily basis. Although that number should have increased quite a bit lately. Many people were heading here for the Chaos Battle from all over the continent. Maybe that was the reason it was so loud everywhere. I couldn¡¯t tell whether this was the Magician¡¯s Tower or the chaotic market. The streets were the same. All sorts of warriors wearing different types of armor filled the streets. I grabbed one of them and asked for directions. ¡°Do you know where the Gracia Statue is located?¡± I had asked about the Chaos Battle every time I came here. How to join, how the competition works, things to watch out for. The dude looked at me with a rough gaze. He then responded with a just as rough voice. ¡°Let¡¯s go together. I am also heading to go register for the battle.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°The name¡¯s Gardner.¡± ¡°Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°Did you come alone?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Short and sweet chat. That was it. I thought he was someone who talked a lot, but he was just the opposite. After the first few statements, he did not say anything until we arrived at the Gracia Statue. ¡®So this is Gracia Statue.¡¯ It was about 30 meters tall. It¡¯s face, neck and body were all really long. Almost like someone had taken and stretched the human body. Gracia, history¡¯s Greatest Grand Magician of the magical Shapir race. Her statue was created in many locations across the continent to revere her. In Arlington, the kingdom¡¯s capital, there were over 100 tall and short statues of Gracia. You were able to register at any of these statues. It was easy to register. Just place your palm on any part of the statue and say, ¡®Register for Chaos Battle,¡¯ in your mind. The Chaos Battle in the game had no rules. It didn¡¯t matter how you did it, as long as you were the last person standing. Equipment was the same. If you registered high quality equipment, that also gave you some advantage. That was why the majority of the winners relied on the strength of their equipment rather than their own strengths or strategies. This Royal Roader seemed to be the same. If there was a difference, it would be that you could only register one weapon and one armor. Potion and other items could not be registered. It shouldn¡¯t matter since everybody should have the same restrictions. ¡®Huuuu, there is only 21 hours left.¡¯ I left with about two days to spare to be safe, but time seemed to have moved quickly. There were so many people that every time I used a Magician¡¯s Tower, I needed to take a number and wait. It¡¯s a good thing I already set the registration fee to be delivered once I registered. I if didn¡¯t, I would have had to take another number and wait. But 3,000,000 won. It was pretty expensive for a registration fee. Although that makes me like it even more. The more expensive it is, the more I can earn from the Chaos Battle. Let¡¯s not get greedy and hunt exactly 1,000 people. Then I should be able to earn 1,000,000,000 won. Although other rewards won¡¯t matter aside from being the winner. Gardner registered the same way. Almost all applicants used this method. ¡°You are in the first level.¡± Gardner was in the third level. Which meant that his level was between 200 and 300. The holographic spear floating on top of his head proved that to be the case. Once you finish registering for the Chaos Battle, a different colored hologram pops up over your head. Mine was red and Gardner¡¯s was green. ¡°I wish you luck.¡± Gardner left after saying that. He talked so little that he let quite an impression on people. Now I just needed to wait. It was pretty loud all around me. ¡°Looking for a party member!¡± ¡°If you came alone, let¡¯s help each other out.¡± ¡°Hey you, don¡¯t die a dog¡¯s death and stick with us!¡± It was impossible to create a party because of the rules of the Chaos Battle. It was somewhere that everyone became your enemy once you entered the arena. But that is up to your decision. If you agree to not attack each other and work together, isn¡¯t that pretty much being in a party? Even in the game, there were people who went in with four other people they knew to work together and have an advantage over the other competitors. But it seemed to be even worse in this Royal Roader. Rather than 5 or 6 people, I saw quite a few parties with over 100 people. The largest ones even had a couple hundred people working together. Because of that, the majority of the people moved together with their parties, and the people who had yet to find a party moved around to try to join a strong looking party. But there was even a party that looked really unique. It looked like slaves or servants were part of his party. ¡°Hey. Stick with me. I have support magicians and defensive warriors and archers. If you stick with me, you¡¯ll make it pretty far easily.¡± People approaching me to talk were the same. The party members referred to him using titles such as, ¡®young master,¡¯ or, ¡®little lord.¡¯ The young man was wearing a very shiny armor. It was probably made of mithril. They seemed to have around 200 party members. Looking at the people behind him, he really did have magicians, archers, etc. like he said. Of course I shook my head. ¡°I fight alone.¡± ¡°Crazy bastard.¡± It wasn¡¯t just a few people who replied like that. ¡°Hey. Stick with us over here.¡± It¡¯s so annoying. Isn¡¯t there anywhere quiet? I pushed away all requests and turned my head to find a quiet area. I managed to find a spot with only a few people. I quickly moved over there. ¡®Huuuuu, I finally feel like I can breathe.¡¯ But who is that guy over there? He was already here before I got here. The young man had fiery red hair and a just as fiery gaze. The young man looked at me with that fiery gaze of his. But his expression is quite odd. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s trying to pick a fight, but it wasn¡¯t very friendly either. Almost like he was saying, ¡®I¡¯m watching you.¡¯ Seeing the red mark on his head, he is in the same first level battle with me. Is he trying to suppress me with his aura or something? I don¡¯t care. I am confident that I am the strongest among those under level 100. I¡¯ll just start slashing away at the people standing near me first. I paid no more attention to him. Instead, I took out two Jewels of Creation from my bag. Since I rested for a while, there was nothing better to fill up time. I started to focus and started practicing my jewel alchemy. Since I had a lot of time, I went as slowly as possible to give it the utmost concentration. <30 minutes left until the beginning of the Chaos Battle. All participants must be within 500m of the Gracia Statue.> It¡¯s finally starting. I checked my skill information. [Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate Level 3, 17%] Jewel Alchemy was already at intermediate level 3. I should be able to go look for the Dwarf Chief as soon as the Chaos Battle is over. After that, I just need to raise my level up to a decent level and head toward that Magman Continent. That is where Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade is located. But I need to finish the Chaos Battle first. I brushed my butt and stood up as I headed closer to the statue. Once I arrived again at an area full of people, it became loud once more. I had to hear all the chatter even though I didn¡¯t want too. There were quite a few interesting information amog it though. ¡°What? They are putting in five Valkyries?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t know? It was three until last year, but it is five starting this year.¡± ¡°Those damn Shapir punks. They are blinded by greed.¡± Valkyrie. I heard about them on my way here as well. They are not real players but participants made from magic. But their abilities are at a different level. The reason for that is because they were created with magic based on the strongest participants of all past winners. So it was no wonder that they were the strongest presence. To the participants, they were pretty much just like the grim reaper. Because of that, there was a winner every year, but it was not easy for it to have a champion. If you cannot defeat the Valkyrie, you cannot become the champion. I was starting to get nervous as well. ¡°What level would the strongest participants in history be at? Will it be difficult for me to handle them as well?¡± But it was a good nervousness. It was only a virtual death in the Chaos Battle. But there was a voice that brought me out of my trance. ¡°He¡¯s that punk from earlier.¡± I turned my head. It was the young man that asked me to be a a part of his party earlier. The one that had over two hundred party members of either slaves or servants. As soon as he made eye contact with me, the young man started to smile. ¡°I¡¯m glad I found you. I told you that you will regret it for rejecting my offer. Hoho, I will make sure you are sent back out as soon as we head in.¡± Once the young man signaled, some big dudes surrounded me. What is he trying to do? Ah, I think I figured it out. If we enter in close proximity to each other, we must start in a similar location in the arena as well. So he plans on keeping me near him and killing me as soon as we start the battle? ¡°Tsk tsk, you poor fools!¡± ______________________________________ [1] Korean term for youngest. I thought it¡¯d be weird to say youngest! So I put maknae. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 64 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 64: Chaos Battle (2) It¡¯s actually better this way. It helps me out if there are a lot of people gathered together. I can jump in between them and start using combo all I want. That was why I was wondering which group to jump into as soon as the battle started, but he took care of that problem at once! Gracias! [1] I just stood there without moving. All the people started to lay down on the street. For the duration of the Chaos Battle, we will all be lying down like this and only our minds will enter the arena. Weapon, armor, and abilities will all transfer with us. It is the greatest level of mental magic that the Shapir tribe knows. They say the Shapirs are a magical race different than humans, but that difference must be quite big. Although, thousands of Shapirs need to work together to make this magic happen. I could see the priests of the Ares temple as well. They will stand guard while the Chaos Battle is going on since the warriors will not be able to look after their bodies until the end of the Chaos Battle. I¡¯m sure Kaicher is standing guard like this somewhere as well. I just quietly laid down in that spot. ¡°Hoho, you must know that you cannot escape!¡± The young man scoffed at me before laying down not too far away. While he did that, my mind started to get hazy. *** There was a loud flash and the location changed. It was a large arena. It was so big that, ¡®large,¡¯ was not enough to describe it. It seemed to be at least 1km from one end to the other. The entire thing was surrounded by walls over 20 meters tall. It was full of people. There seemed to be quite a bit over 100,000 people. It was such a scary number. But the scarier part was that they were all wearing the same clothes and helmet. The difference was just the weapon in their hands. Well, their body sizes were different as well. But it was different to know who was who with just that. Which means, even if you promised to be in a party, you couldn¡¯t tell who was your friend and who was the enemy. That was why they all started to shout the names of their party members. To make sure they can all gather together. ¡°Blue!¡± ¡°Alpha!¡± ¡°Crow!¡± Since you can¡¯t actually create parties, it was just people gathering together to fight together. It was the same for the young man who was annoying me. But he had a different method to finding his party members. ¡°Hoffman Family party members gather here. Everybody pay attention. If I die in the first half, you will all die when we head back out.¡± I don¡¯t know whether they are his slaves, servants or underlings, but¡­ ¡®They must hate their job.¡¯ ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and prepare!¡± He must think I¡¯m one of his underlings as well. Just before we entered, he was making sure his party members were around me. ¡°Ah, you are that punk from earlier. Pay close attention to him. As soon as we start, I will kill him first.¡± He is asking for a beating until the end. Then a beating he shall get. I suddenly came up with a pretty good idea. I think it¡¯s going to be really fun. While I was figuring that out, I heard another message in my head. I guess I can start now. I started to move quickly. I made my way into this ¡®Hoffman Family¡¯ or whatever party gathering. Once I did that, I started to hear nervous voices all around me. ¡°Uh, pay attention to that punk. It¡¯s going to be bad if we lose him. Which one is he?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s him.¡± I quickly pointed at another member while I was hiding in the midst of the party. It was someone who was pretty similar in size to me. Once I did that, everybody started to get confused. Since the armor and helmet all looked the same, it was hard to figure out who was who. ¡°Which punk is it? Hurry up and find him?¡± ¡°I told you it¡¯s him.¡± Someone pointed at another person thinking it was me. I pointed at a completely different person. Even though I am the only person holding up the twin blades here, everybody was too nervous to figure that out. ¡°It¡¯s him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not me. I think it¡¯s him.¡± <11, 10, 9 ¡­¡­> ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Him!¡± ¡°No, him!¡± ¡°Ah, son of a bitch!¡± <2, 1. Chaos Battle has begun.> With the message announcing the start, a new information window appeared in front of me. [kill 0] It is going to count how many people I kill from here on. I started to swing my blades the moment the ¡®start¡¯ message was heard. I was using Drake¡¯s TBSA that had been raised to intermediate level 6. Papapat! ¡°Ah!¡± Drake¡¯s TBSA. The fastest sword art. Since the enemies were gathered together tightly like a pile of bean sprouts, my attack speed became even faster. Every time my blades were swung once, it hit two to three times. It was possible to hit even 7 times within 1 second. Every time that happened, my combo started to go up in level. Within just 2 seconds, i was already at 15 hit combo. Every time I swung my blades, I saw the blue damage counter pop up like firework. ¡­¡­ [111] [129] [151] ¡­¡­ Combo started with less than 10 damage, but by the 17th hit, it was already 10 times that damage at over 100. It was because of the growth of the combo skill. Raising it to intermediate level 8 made the damage jump 17% per level. My HP was 518. It was because my strength and stamina went up a lot from working for a long time in the mines and completing the blacksmith quest. But the other participants did not have such high HP. Once the damage was over 100, the majority of them fell into stun with one hit. Stun is a temporary body paralysis due to a large shock. It is a phenomenon where your body freezes if you get hit with an attack that is strong enough to take over 70% of your HP at once. Of course there were people with a strong will that did not fall into stun easily. But the results wouldn¡¯t change even for them. They all lost their lives with two combo hits. Papapat~ ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Kek!¡± [kill: 5] The counter went up every time I slashed someone. I turned to the left. It was about time to slash the leader of the Hoffman family party. Everyone has the same helmet and armor. Even I couldn¡¯t tell who was who. Even though their weapons were different, it wasn¡¯t like I had the time to see who had what weapon. But I know which one that punk was. It was because he revealed himself to me. ¡°Block that punk! If I die now, you will all die outside.¡± You think you can do as you please? But the party members still moved. They blocked my way even though they knew they would die. No, it looked like they were sticking their necks out asking me to kill them. That was the only way for them to claim, ¡®I tried my best,¡¯ once they got out. They must be really afraid of his retaliation. I didn¡¯t need to consider their situation. Who in the world doesn¡¯t have something going on in their lives? Just consider it the sin of meeting the wrong master. No, slashing them quickly might actually be doing them a favor. I continued to plunge in between them. They resisted pretty roughly, as if they were going to go down swinging . Swing- Their weapons attacked my whole body. But there were no proper hits. My over 90 intuition could sense their attacks coming, and each time that happened, my agility, which was now all the way up at 545, made me able to move my body to avoid it. Miss, light scratch, dodged to the side. Those types of attacks did not do any damage to me. One of the effects of reinforced toughness was nullifying low amounts of physical damage. I have a feeling the damage would need to be at least 50 for me to even feel a tickle. While I was thinking, my TBSA continued to land critical hits. Papapat- ¡­¡­ [243] [284] [333] ¡­¡­ Once combo passed level 20, the damage started to rise even faster. Now, there wasn¡¯t anybody who could lsat more than one hit. I was pouring out those attacks at 5 hits per second. Thanks to that, a path of miracles opened up everywhere I went. It was like I was a large and fast combine harvesting the grains across the Great Plains. There was someone who was shaking in front of this combine. ¡°B-Block that punk!¡± It was him. The one that keeps asking for a beating. I ran toward him without any hesitation, and, ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me?!¡± There was no hesitation in his voice. ¡°Ugh! Of course it was only one hit. Although he spent a lot of money to get a good deal on the best armor, it was not enough to defend against combo, which was doing over 400 in damage. I changed directions without any regrets once I slashed him. It wasn¡¯t like I decided to join the Chaos Battle to take out someone like him. There were still a ton of people I needed to kill. Papapat- ¡®Put all bonus stat points to agility!¡¯ I ran around the arena like a crazy person like that. It felt like this whole arena was my world. How much time must have passed? Ruuuuuuuumble- The walls of the arena moved once more. As the number of contestants remaining went down, the walls moved closer to make the arena smaller and smaller. Now the arena was only the size of half a soccer field. Which meant that there weren¡¯t too many contestants left. Maybe 1,000 at most. Everybody was moving slowly. Their breathing was rough as well. Haaaaa. Haaaaaaaaa. My stomach moved a lot every time I breathed in and out. But I could not stop. As the arena got smaller, the enemies I had to slash appeared in front of my face. Compared to them, I was not that tired. It has only been bout 30 minutes since the battle started. That just shows you the difference between their stamina and my stamina. Not much longer. Let¡¯s finish quickly. I did not stop moving. When it wasn¡¯t doing too well, my combo stopped at 40 while sometimes it reached all the way up to 70 as my kill count continued to go up. Papat! ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°A valkyrie! He¡¯s a valkyrie for sure. Ugh!¡± [kill 13,547] This should be a phenomenal number. I feel like I killed over 10% of everybody who entered the arena. Well, it makes sense since I continued to swing my twin blades without stopping. I also jumped around to the places where a lot of people were gathered together. I even managed to kill five to six people in one second when it was good. As I expected, the Chaos Battle really is an advantageous battle for me. There are so many low leveled players to serve as stepping stones for my combo. How many levels have I gained? I feel like I¡¯ve heard the message about 30 times already. I should be at least in the mid 130s. But it wasn¡¯t like I could open my stat window to find out right now. I just continued to put all my bonus stat points into agility. With the strength of my combo being so outstanding, is there a need to change how I have been using my stat points? Thanks to that, the gap between me and the other players continued to grow larger as time went by. While they were raising 2-3 levels, I had managed to raise over 30. They weren¡¯t my opponents at the start of the battle, but now, it was like I was roping them in with a noose. Pushing forward without being stopped! Well there were times that I was pushed back a bit. It was because there were some really strong people. They made my combo stop four times already. Since they said that the Shapir made five Valkyries for the battle, I even wondered if it was them. Not that it matters. I quickly restarted my combo and used a good strategy to slash them as well. Finally, there was only one person left. I could not continue my combo. The enemy had avoided my attack with an unexpectedly fast movement. The arena was now the size of a kickball court. It was the perfect size for us to utilize our speed and strength to the max. Although I don¡¯t know if the opponent has the abilities to last that long against me. I stood at a decent distance away. We both stopped moving as if to catch our breath. While I was catching my breath, I checked my stat window. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 137] Dexterity: Advanced Level 3, 32% Strength: 153 Agility: 715 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 91 Magic: 9 Vitality: 36 Mana: 340 HP: 549 Endurance: 33 Reinforced Toughness: 100 Guard Points: 104 Level 137. Agility 715. Thanks to mining and the buff I received for being a blacksmith, I have a total of about 300 more stat points than other people at the same level. Just considering the stats that strengthen your fighting ability, my strength and agility alone should be 200 points higher than normal. On top of that, my level has increase to 137. Who can stop me? This last contestant in front of me? I¡¯m sure he¡¯s a valkyrie. Someone who was created by magic based on the strongest past winners. He should be stronger than the others I have faced. But he shouldn¡¯t be stronger than me. ¡®Let¡¯s finish this.¡¯ I tightly clenched my hands around BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades. But the other guy suddenly started to talk to me. But what he said was so shocking. So shocking that my whole body froze in shock the moment I heard him speak. ¡°Whistle! I am curious to see how much you have grown.¡± Whistle! That was the nickname I used in Royal Roader. Not this Royal Roader but the game Royal Roader. I¡¯ve also never used the nickname, ¡®Whistle,¡¯ in this Royal Roader. ¡®How does he know about my nickname?¡¯ (Now we know why his e-mail is whistle_Kang) _________________________________ [1] Similar to before, he says thank you in English, so I made it Spanish Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 65 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 65: Chaos Battle (3) ¡°Whistle! I am curious to see how much you have grown.¡± Whistle! That was the nickname I used in Royal Roader. Not this Royal Roader but the game Royal Roader. I¡¯ve also never used the nickname, ¡®Whistle,¡¯ in this Royal Roader. ¡®How does he know about my nickname?¡¯ This is the Chaos Battle. There can only be one victor. There can be no compromises or deals. Because of that, there was no need to talk. But I couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°You ¡­¡­know who I am?¡± ¡°Responsibility and cost follow every opportunity.¡± It was like speaking to a wall. The opponent did not respond to my questions. But I couldn¡¯t help but be drawn in by his words. It felt like he knew everything about my situation that nobody else knew about. It made me get goosebumps all over my body. It feels like he¡­¡­isn¡¯t just a simple valkyrie. ¡°Who¡­¡­who are you?¡± ¡°I gave you plenty of chances. So you must not let me down.¡± No response again. But I couldn¡¯t not pay attention to what he was saying. He didn¡¯t say much, but those short phrases showed me his true identity. He is¡­¡­ ¡°If you want to continue having this opportunity.¡± The one who made this world and brought me here. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± I shouted toward him, but he didn¡¯t care about what I had to say. He just lifted up his longsword as if to say let¡¯s start the fight. ¡°Beat him. If you cannot do so, I will give you a punishment.¡± I was certain. It was him. No, since he said, ¡®beat him,¡¯ it must be someone else controlling him. ¡°Just who are¡­¡­!¡± I couldn¡¯t say anything else. The opponent started to approach ame and swung his longsword. Is he a God? Or a Demon Lord? Maybe a magician? My mind was in a mess. My confidence started to fall as well. This was someone the person who created this world sent to test me. How could I take him on with my level less than 150? But a single clash made me change my mind. Clang- ¡®Oh! I think it¡¯s possible!¡¯ I guess he must have balanced this person to meet my level. It makes sense, since this is the lowest tier of the Chaos Battle for people under level 100. There¡¯s no way he would have sent a level 500 into the playground of level 100s. That means the purpose of this battle is simple. A test for me. He wants to verify how strong i have become. I cannot give up. Tests are things that give you rewards if you pass and punishments if you fail. I clenched my twin blades tightly once more. ¡°Will you reveal your identity if I win?¡± ¡°You have no rights to ask for anything. You can only receive what I give you. That alone will require you to show me you deserve it.¡± Well, I guess that¡¯s how it has been this whole time. This is someone who managed to create a whole world. It wouldn¡¯t make sense if I could make demands to them. But this is not an easy battle. There are only two people in the arena. Which means, I have nothing to use as stepping stones for combo. I just need to rely on my stats and swordsmanship to fight. There is nothing else I can do. I can¡¯t make things appear out of thin air. ¡°Come on!¡± The enemy started to dart toward me in response to my shout. I couched my body. I was ready to move in any direction. If he created this opponent based on the requirements for the lowest tier of the Chaos Battle, my agility should be much higher. I will use that to my advantage as much as possible. Shwat- The opponent¡¯s longsword came toward me parallel to the ground. Just the sound of it cutting through the air was enough to tell me how strong it was. It was impossible to block it. I first flung my body backward. He stretched his arm further to extend the range of his attack, but the distance I created was a bit wider. The longsword slashed the air as it almost touched my chest. Now! The longsword is strong but it is hard to change directions. After a wide attack, it leaves a big opening. I dashed forward trying to dig in to that opening as I started to swing my cutlass. Papat! The opponent twisted his body to dodge. He also swung his longsword once more at the same time. But I had already moved back. It was the hit and run strategy. Although I failed at landing a critical hit and the damage wasn¡¯t big either, I still managed to hurt him. There is a chance. As long as I am not greedy. ¡®Alright! Let¡¯s be the hunting dog hunting a bear. Then I can win!¡¯ I did not let him get close. I focused on staying outside the range of the longsword. Unless he showed an opening, I did not approach him at all. And then at the right moment, I snuck in and swung my cutlass before retreating again. It was a boring repetitive battle and was not flashy at all. But this was the only way for me to win. The situation was moving the way I wanted it to go. After using this hit and run strategy for over 10 minutes, I managed to cause quite a bit of injuries. On the other hand, my body was still clear. Anybody watching would be saying that time was on my side. My opponent knew that as well. He seemed to be getting more anxious as the injuries on his body continued to grow. He started to use more drastic attacks. Shuwwwaaaaat- He quickly approached me while swinging his longsword as if to say he would make the distance needed to strike. Even with a lot of injuries, a bear is a bear. If I am caught even once, the situation will change completely. I did not meet him head on. I moved back as much as he moved forward. But suddenly, he attempted a pretty careless attack. He stabbed the longsword toward me with full force as if he was throwing his body at me. If that lands, that one hit would be strong, but if he misses, it would be hard to defend. It can be the once in a lifetime chance for me. Taaaaat! I pushed off the ground and moved my body to the side. The longsword that pierced forward like a spear ended up stabbing the spot I was standing in. At the same time, the opponent¡¯s side became perfectly visible to me. Completely defenseless. I twisted my body like I was dodging the longsword and struck my cutlass toward the opponent¡¯s side. ¡®This time I will land a critical hit and retreat.¡¯ Then the scales of battle will lean in my favor. But¡­¡­ ¡®Gasp!¡¯ The opponent suddenly threw away his longsword. He then pushed off the ground like I did and started to twist his body. He was surprisingly nimble. Impossible! How can he move like that? But the important thing was that he moved that way. And he was aiming right for me with his hand stretched out. It¡¯ll be difficult if he manages to catch even the corner of my clothes. His strength is probably overwhelming compared to mine. But I was already in full motion. Even with a high agility, once the center of your body is completely in motion, you can¡¯t turn your body. I could not dodge the opponent¡¯s hand. Then there was only one choice. The best attack is the best defense. The enemy was empty handed. I had a cutlass. ¡®I¡¯ll win!¡¯ Instead of stopping my momentum, I pushed it even further. I flung my body forward as if I was throwing it into my opponent¡¯s hand and slashed upward with my cutlass. At the same time, I twisted my body and swung the other cutlass horizontally. Shhhhhh- ¡®I hit him!¡¯ I landed a critical hit and my combo started. But the combo did not continue for a long time. Only level 3. And the damage was terrible. Barely 12. On the other hand, that one decision put me in danger. ¡®Ah!¡¯ It was a shrewd plan from my opponent. He had completely given up on defense. He took the attack of my cutlass with his whole body as he continued to charge at me. It was the give some flesh to get the bone strategy. And the direction was quite exquisite.It was as if he anticipated the direction I would move after pushing forward. And he was just too fast. His agility seemed to be on par with mine. ¡®Shit, how do I dodge this?¡¯ It was a terrible situation. I still tried to do whatever I could to dodge it. I kicked the ground and tried to change directions. But my opponent was a half step faster. He stretched out his arms to block my escape and ran forward. In the end, my forearm ended up getting caught. Unbelievable movement. It made it feel like his slow movement until now was a trick. His overpowering strength clenched so tightly on my forearm that it felt like it would break. He then pushed me down with his whole body. ¡°Ugh.¡± Flop! I lost my balance and fell to the ground. My opponent fell with me as well. It was like he was pretending to be a hunting dog and fell down on top of me. I was nervous. I couldn¡¯t do anything since I could not move after being caught. I tried to flail around, but I could not escape. ¡°Disappointing. Is that all you got?¡± Unbelievable! How am I supposed to defeat this thing? My opponent improved during our fight. In the beginning, he seemed to only have the stats similar to a level 140 player like me. Since he was really strong, his agility was low. But suddenly, it felt like his agility exploded. His movement was even faster than mine. There was only one thing I could think of. Since it looked like he was going to lose, he drastically increased his abilities. ¡°This is cheating!¡± But it was useless to complain. There was no referee between me and the opponent. All the rules were made by him and I just had to follow them. He didn¡¯t even pretend to hear my complaint. ¡°I warned you. If you disappoint me, you will be punished. I will give you a time restriction.¡± The opponent put his hand on my head. I flailed around to get away, but he didn¡¯t budge at all. ¡°Groan!¡± I felt like my head was going to break. What is he doing to my head? I am starting to get light headed. But I could still clearly hear his voice in my head. ¡°We will meet again. If you disappoint me again next time, I will give you a worse punishment than time restriction¡­¡­.¡± His voice started to become faint near the end until I could no longer hear what he was saying *** A location where light and darkness exists together. But there was a voice that was shaking both the light and darkness. *** I woke up in shock. At the same time, I scrunched my face and put my hands on my head. ¡°Oo, my head!¡¯ It felt like there was an earthquake in my skull. Thankfully, the pain did not continue for a long time. After about 10 minutes, it completely disappeared. ¡°Huuuuu.¡± I let out a sigh. The sweat that was on my lips dispersed like a fountain with my sigh. When I turned my head, I was in my room in Daejeon. 2:00 am. Since I went to sleep at 10, I woke up after only 4 hours. It had been exactly four days in Royal Roader. ¡®Was it him? The one who made Royal Roader and took me there.¡¯ He must definitely be a god. Then I guess I should be more respectful and call him that Sir. If I just give him a casual title, I might get some divine punishment. Plus, I was receiving a lot of benefits thanks to the good Sir. But just what does he want? Why did he create this world of Royal Roader and bring me there? We will meet again in the future? I wonder when that will be? The next Chaos Battle? Will it be a similar method of battling next time? Can I win next time? My mind was full of questions. But it was not like I could get any answers on my own. But the one thing I was sure about was that, ¡®At least we finally met.¡¯ And we will meet again to battle. Will I be able to win then? There¡¯s definitely enough chances. The reason I lost this time was not because I was lacking in abilities, but because I picked the wrong strategy. I guess you can say I lost in rock paper scissors? No. I lost the, ¡®battle of distance.¡¯ I should have maintained the distance that was to my advantage but I fell for his scheme and got too close. I will definitely not do such a thing next time. One more thing. I cannot rely only on combo. If there are no monsters to be the stepping stones, it cannot do a lot of damage. I need a one hit attack that causes a lot of damage so that I can fight without combo. I still can¡¯t become an average jack of all trades. I need to find a skill that will let me continue my agility-based build while still doing a large damage. It¡¯s still a long time before morning. Let¡¯s lay down and head back to Royal Roader first. I¡¯m curious to see how the Chaos Battle ended. I laid down and tried to go back to sleep. Thankfully, sleep came easily. I was asleep before I even knew it. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 66 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 66: The More You Hit Me, the Stronger I¡¯ll Get (1) Riiiing- Riiiiing- I woke up to the sound of my alarm. Surprisingly, I saw a white ceiling. I wasn¡¯t in Royal Roader but in my room in Daejeon. I subconsciously sat up. ¡®What! I wasn¡¯t able to go into Royal Roader?¡¯ When I looked at the clock, it was 7am. Since I fell back asleep a little over 4 am, I slept for about three hours. Then I should have spent about 3 days in Royal Roader. But I just slept before waking up. It was such a good sleep that I didn¡¯t even dream once. What is going on? I then remembered what I did and what he had said in the Chaos Battle. [I will give you a time restriction.] I was wondering what he meant by that but I guess this was it. He was going to restrict the amount of time I got to be in Royal Roader. It is a serious restriction. So scary that it is giving me goosebumps all over. I only failed to enter Royal Roader this once, but it is already filling me with fear. That¡¯s how important Royal Roader is to me. No, it is pretty much my everything. Without Royal Roader, I would still be so poor that I would worry about the price of a soondae gukbap. It¡¯s not much different now. My life is controlled by Royal Roader. I earn money in Royal Roader, and I get the benefits of the jewels that I get from Royal Roader. If those benefits were to disappear? I would just be an empty shell. I would just need to live like a pig with the money currently left in my bank account. That is the cold truth about my reality. There¡¯s nothing I¡¯m really good at yet or any skills that i¡¯ve really developed. Of course I was working on it. I was experiencing all sorts of sports to find the right one that fits my strengths and works well with the skill creation. Based on the results of my work, I could better understand the nature of the skill ability. Skill is something that helps you repeat something the same way over and over. Because of that, rather than a complicated movement, it is better to make multiple skills with simple movements. That is the way to make it increase the fastest. The most suitable sports were billiards and golf, especially golf. It is a sport where you hit a ball using the same movement over and over. The best golf players can always send the ball in the same direction for the same distance. In other words, it is the best sport to create skills for. If I do it right, I can also earn a lot of money. That was why I¡¯ve been spending a lot of time practicing golf these days. My goal is to be the world¡¯s greatest golfer in the future. But that was still far away. I needed more time. No, I need to decrease the time. Time isn¡¯t something someone can give me more of because I need it. Maybe God gave me this, ¡®time restriction,¡¯ to teach me that lesson. Regardless of what the reason may be, I need to work my ass off from here. If I can¡¯t change even after going through something like this, I don¡¯t have the right to succeed. But how long will I need to wait until I can get back into Royal Roader? I hope he didn¡¯t mean I can never go back. But that shouldn¡¯t be it since he said we will meet again in the future. I am certain I will be able to return. The problem is what comes after that. He said we will battle again. If I lose again that time, I would get an even stricter restriction. I don¡¯t want that. No matter what, I need to find a method to win. I feel like I could win if I came up with a good strategy. Honestly speaking, this battle wasn¡¯t one I should have lost either. As the situation moved in my favor, my opponent¡¯s abilities were suddenly upgraded. It was clearly cheating. But it was a battle without a judge. There was only a winner and a loser. In order to win a battle like that, I need to not give them the chance to cheat. I need to take care of them instantly before they can even tell there is a difference in ability. It is impossible with just combo. ¡®I need to procure a high damage attack.¡¯ But it wasn¡¯t like I could suddenly give up on agility and focus on strength or magic. Then I won¡¯t end up being good at anything. I need to find a way to continue my agility build while landing a strong hit. I wonder if here is a way. If there is an answer, it would be in the drafts. I gave Kang Sung Ho a call. ¨C Yes boss-nim. ¡°Find a method to cause high damage in one hit without raising strength or magic that much.¡± ¨C That¡¯s not something I can search with a keyword. It will take a really long time. Or I will need to use a lot of people. As Kang Sung Ho mentioned, it would take a lot of time. It is something you can only find by reading through each file one by one. But I could not wait that long. Even if he needed to hire 100 people, I needed him to find it as soon as possible. It¡¯s only money. I don¡¯t need to save it. I offered it to Kang Sung Ho in a different way. ¡°I will first deposit 50,000,000 won, so find it for me within a month. Every day you take less than a month, I will give you 2,000,000 won more. You figure out how to get it done.¡± It is a chance for him to earn 100,000,000 won at once if he¡¯s lucky. Kang Sung Ho¡¯s voice could not help but get louder. ¨C Wow, really? I understand. Ding- I received a text. ¡°Already?¡± I wondered if Kang Sung Ho was contacting me and opened my phone. It wasn¡¯t Kang Sung Ho. Of course it wouldn¡¯t be him, there¡¯s no way he would have found it in a single day. [Blue Sky Enterprises] Looking at the content, it was the research they did on Hwang Joon Yul. ¡®Ah, I asked them to look up some information about Hwang Joon Yul.¡¯ All of my attention was on Royal Roader that I had forgotten about my request. It was a message saying they will send the files through e-mail. I opened my e-mail. The file was 13 pages long. But I could not really pay much attention to it. It was because of Royal Roader. I couldn¡¯t go in yesterday either. Not being able to go there makes me nervous. I can¡¯t focus on anything. I can barely pay attention to things. ¡®I can¡¯t be like this. I need to be calm.¡¯ I thought that way in my head, but my mind would not work with me. But I still needed to be calm. It wasn¡¯t like I could control anything related to entering Royal Roader. Plus, I can¡¯t fall from such small obstacle. I need to win. I need to get tougher the more I get hit. That is the only way to see a better future. ¡®Alright. Let¡¯s not focus on the things that are out of my control. Let¡¯s just focus on the things I can focus on right now.¡¯ I took another look at the research information about Hwang Joon Yul. Every time my mind was distracted, I calmed myself and focused again. ¡°Wow, he is not a golden spoon but a diamond spoon.¡± ¡°Violence against the elderly? He really is a bastard.¡± And then something caught my attention. [Passed the Golf Semi-Pro test] Now that I think about it, Hwang Joon Yul played golf until middle school. We didn¡¯t talk much, but whenever he was talking to his underlings, the term, ¡®golf,¡¯ came up a lot. But for him to pass the semi-pro test. I¡¯m sure his dream isn¡¯t to be a professional golfer. He¡¯s set to take over his dad¡¯s business. But for him to still become a semi-golfer must mean that he really likes to golf. I suddenly had a new goal as well. ¡®Properly step on, no trample on Hwang Joon Yul through golf.¡¯ His shock would be much greater if I could trample on him with something Hwang Joon Yul really likes and is really confident about. I started to imagine the look of despair on Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s face once I destroy him in golf. Just thinking about it was refreshing. Thanks to that, my chaotic mind calmed down a bit as well. ¡®I will focus even more on golf starting tomorrow.¡¯ It was starting to get late. I headed to sleep. I was praying in my mind as I laid down. ¡®Please let me enter today.¡¯ *** I heard a loud noise. It wasn¡¯t the sound of cars or horns, but a noise made of only voices. I instantly thought to myself that, ¡®I¡¯m in!¡¯ There was a voice that verified that I was right. I opened my eyes. I could see the clear blue sky. There were no ceilings or high rises, just a perfectly clear sky. I looked around. I could see the fancy and beautiful buildings of Avanguarde. I also saw the Gracia Statue, as well as the many warriors all laying down around it. ¡°Son of a bitch.¡± I could hear someone swearing as well. For some reason, I felt like it was directed at me. I turned my head. It was the young man with the hundreds of party members that were either his slaves or servants. The punk who claimed he would kill me first for declining his party request. Unfortunately, he ended up being the one to die by my cutlass as soon as the battle started. He must know that I was the one responsible for killing him as well. But all he could do was grumble. He couldn¡¯t do anything to me. It was because the priest of the Ares Temple was protecting me. It was because I was the last one left in the arena. I was certain that I had returned to Royal Roader. I felt like a rock that was pushing down on my chest was lifted. How can I express this feeling? ¡®Haaa, thank goodness!¡¯ ¡°Kang Hwi Ram, please head to the castle. As the winner, you will be meeting with his royal highness. You just need to get on that stagecoach.¡± The priest from the Ares Temple pointed to a stagecoach. I didn¡¯t have time to think about anything else right now. My head was only full of the ¡®time restriction.¡¯ ¡°I understand.¡± I started to walk toward the stagecoach the priest pointed at. ¡°His name is Kang Hwi Ram? I will remember it. You just watch.¡± I don¡¯t care what you do. I don¡¯t have the time to care about someone like you right now. I got on the stagecoach. There was nobody else in it. It was a ride just for me. The stagecoach slowly started to move as soon as I got on. I returned to thinking about the time restraint. Until now, I was able to enter Royal Roader whenever I went to sleep. But I could not do that anymore. Because of the time restraint. ¡°How often am I allowed to enter?¡± If it follows a pattern, I think it is four days in here and two days out. I had spent four days in Royal Roader before I was kicked out, and I was only able to enter after 2 days i the real world. I¡¯ll need to experience it a few more times to get the specifics. Either way, it is quite a big loss. I want to return it to normal. If that is not possible, I want to at least avoid another restraint. There is only one way to do that! I need to increase my skills and make sure I win the next battle. ¡®I feel like as if can do it as long as I find a strong, one-hit attack.¡¯ I¡¯m sure Kang Sung Ho is working hard to find it right now. If he can¡¯t find it, I¡¯ll need to hire someone else to try to find it again. There was also a different method. Jewel Alchemy. If I can raise it to the advanced level, I can reach the level of One with the Sword where my mind is connected to my sword. The power of the fairies stored in the jewels would serve as the medium to connect my mind with the sword. The problem is time. It is something that would not happen until the far future. But I can only do as much as I can. That is the only thing I can do right now. ¡®Let¡¯s try it again.¡¯ My Jewel Alchemy skill was already at intermediate level 3. Not only did I meet the requirement for the blacksmith quest, I should be able to combine Jewels of Luck now as well. But my current skill level is not enough to raise the luck index up a lot even if I successfully combined it. I will attempt to combine Jewels of Luck only when I raise my skill level up a bit more. I opened my bag and took out a Jewel of Creation. I focused as much as I could in a shaking stagecoach and attempted to combine the jewels. ¡°Please get off. We cannot take the stagecoach from here.¡± Did we already arrive at the castle? Now that I think about it, I was about to attempt my fifth combination. Since each combination takes more than 10 minutes, we should have been moving for about an hour. Thanks to Jewel Alchemy, my mind, that was in chaos because of the time restraint, was calm again as well. I got off the stagecoach. At the same time, I felt like my eyes were becoming brighter. ¡®The place that the royalty live is really different!¡¯ Should I call it a difference in fanciness? It seemed to show me the wealth of the Ameri Kingdom. There were five other winners as well. Among them was also a champion. Winners represented the people who got 1st place among the participants of the level, while the champions not only beat out all other competitors, they also managed to overcome the valkyries and end up the last one standing. The champion¡¯s name was Kenyon. He is really amazing. He became the champion in the highest level Chaos Battle. 5 years in a row at that. One day, he will have to face me. Although I don¡¯t know if he will maintain the champion position until then. After walking for a long time, we arrived at the location of the king. It was a really wide hallway. There were people lined up on the left and right, and the king was sitting down at the end of the row of people. He was so old that it wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he was to die soon. His advisors on the side continued to whisper something in the king¡¯s ear. Every time they did that, the king just slightly nodded his head. We continued to walk until we arrived at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the king. ¡°Keyon. You are amazing. Stories of your abilities ring not only through the kingdom, but across the entire continent.¡± ¡°It is an honor to my family, your highness.¡± ¡°As the reward for being the champion of the highest level, you will be given permission to use the Imperial Palace treasury as well as an Emperor¡¯s Seal. Use your strength for the safety of the kingdom.¡± ¡°I will do as you command, your highness.¡± His majesty gave rewards to the other winners as well. Each level had a slightly lower reward. There is a prize for me at the lowest level as well. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram. You are the future of our kingdom. You will be allowed to enter the Warrior¡¯s Storage Room, so use it as a tool to continue to improve yourself.¡± The Warrior¡¯s Storage Room. It is the storage room with the lowest level of weapons of the palace. Even so, the weapons in it are still pretty high quality. If I picked well, I could end up with a cutlass that was even stronger than BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades. But my interest was in something completely different. I have already thought about what to get. It was the reason I joined the Chaos Battle in the first place. I can confidently say that it is even better than the reward the overall champion received. However, nobody knows the value of this item because humans cannot properly use it. It is an item that will show its true value onto to those who have the ability. I bowed my head with a happy heart. ¡°Thank you very much, your majesty.¡± ¡°Please follow me.¡± I followed the guardian to the Warrior¡¯s Storage Room. It was a large storage room. There were 5 guardians but even they would have a hard time knowing where everything was located. ¡°Please select just one item you like.¡± ¡°There is already something I have thought about, can I tell you the name of it?¡± ¡°Then we will be able to quickly find it. What is the name of it?¡± ¡°Bladestorm Scroll.¡± I kept it short and just said the name of the item. Once I did, the guardian tiled his head. It was as if it was the first time he had heard of it. ¡°Bladestorm Scroll? Is there such an item in the Warrior¡¯s Storage Room? Hey, do you know?¡± The other guardian seemed to know the item. ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard about it. Is it perhaps that special sword art that the Magic Swordsman Morris used?¡± I couldn¡¯t help but be shocked. ¡®What? There was a human who could use the Bladestorm skill? It¡¯s possible?¡¯ Bladestorm skill was a sword art that used mana, aka. a magic sword art. There are two restrictions to use it. First, your mana have to be over 50, and second, you had to raise any type of sword art to at least intermediate level 5. It is not that difficult of a restriction. But it was this restriction that made Bladestorm into a trash skill. It ended up a skill that neither magicians nor swordsmen could use. Swordsmen couldn¡¯t make it powerful because their mana was low. Magicians could make it powerful, but they couldn¡¯t raise a sword art to intermediate level 5. That was why Bladestorm was known as a skill that only the Drake race could use. But for there to be a human who uses this skill. It should have been difficult to even get his hand on the scroll. ¡®His name is Morris.¡¯ I wonder just who it is. Author¡¯s Note: Content Adjustment I changed a part of the content in chapters 22 and 23, ¡®Skill in the Real World.¡¯ It does not affect the direction of the novel so those who have already read it do not need to read it again. But I have decided to post this in case some people were interested as to what was changed. The content and reason for the change: I started to feel like it was useless for his first skill in the real world to be a swimming (butterfly) skill that serves no purpose in the future. As a result, I have changed the first skill in the real world to golf, something the MC will use frequently from here on. Thank you. Translator¡¯s Note: Just in case you were interested, one of the comments asked: Then did you change the part about how he meets his girlfriend at the pool (talking about the girl he picks up before he runs into his ex). Author¡¯s response: The content was adjusted a bit, but the context has not changed. Translator¡¯s Note: I wonder if that girl will ever show up again. We will have to wait and see. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 67 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 67: The More You Hit Me, the Stronger I¡¯ll Get (2) The other guardian also tilted his head. ¡°Morris? The name is familiar. Who was it again?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know about the Batoru Kingdom¡¯s Magic Swordsman Morris? He was so unique that he was pretty popular.¡± Pretty popular? Does that mean he is no longer around? ¡°Ah! The guy who was sent to the underground prison for declining his majesty¡¯s request. Tsk tsk.¡± ¡®His majesty¡¯s request,¡¯ and ¡®underground prison.¡¯ Both of them are pretty serious phrases. I feel like he is someone with a pretty interesting story. Just the fact that he used the Bladestorm skill alone was enough to get me interested in Morris. ¡°Just what kind of request did his majesty make that he declined it, even if it meant he would be sent to the underground prison?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? He wanted Morris to be a citizen of the kingdom but he rejected it. Doesn¡¯t he know that serving one kingdom is the same as serving another kingdom?¡± I can pretty much figure out what happened with that much info. To reject the title and honor that was directly requested from his majesty to remain within his kingdom. And then the angry king sent him to the underground prison. That means that the king was adamant about making Morris one of his people. He must be really valuable. It makes me even more curious. ¡°Which prison is he in?¡± ¡°How would we know that?¡± Do they really not know? Or is it too sensitive that they know but are pretending that they don¡¯t? Whichever one it was, I couldn¡¯t get any more information. It made me suddenly think about Kaicher. Since they said he was a talented individual from the Batoru Kingdom, Kaicher should know about Morris. I had planned on meeting Kaicher anyways. ¡°Hold on a minute. If that item is in the Warrior¡¯s Storage Room, it should be listed in the catalog. Let me take a look.¡± The guardian took out a thick catalog and started to look. Since there were a lot of items, the catalog was over 10 books long. The five guardians each took two to three catalogs and started to search. ¡°Oh, it does exist.¡± ¡°It does? Amazing. How did you know that the item was here?¡± ¡°I just hear rumors. I¡¯ve thought highly of it because they said it was a sword art of the Drake race.¡± ¡°Row C, number 836. Follow me.¡± I followed a guardian deep into the storage room. ¡°Here it is.¡± The guardian grabbed a scroll and handed it to me. [Bladestorm Scroll] A sword art created by the Drakes. Can use magic to create wind with the tip of your sword. Restriction: Magic 50, Any Sword Art at Intermediate Level 5 It matched the information I knew. If I just increase my magic a little bit, I could use it immediately. That means I will have upgraded a level. I put the scroll away and left the castle. Now it was time to head to Golan Park. Once I raise my level to around 250 over there, I will go to the Dwarf¡¯s Village that is just beyond the Park. I need to get the last quest for the Expert Blacksmith occupation. But there are things to do and people to see before that. The person first. I got back on the stagecoach and headed toward the Ares Temple. If the Volcanus Temple reveres blacksmiths, the Ares Temple reveres warriors. It made sense that, as a winner of the Chaos Battle, I received good treatment from them. A priest welcomed me with a bright expression. ¡°Great warrior, what help do you need?¡± ¡°I wish to meet the priest named Kaicher. He is a member of the Batoru Kingdom¡¯s Avanguarde Temple. I believe he has not returned yet.¡± ¡°Did you schedule to meet with him?¡± He really must still be here. I did not have an appointment to meet with him. But even if I said I did, it wouldn¡¯t be a lie. I told him back then that we will meet at the end of the Chaos Battle. ¡°Yes. Please tell him that Kang Hwi Ram from Titan Valley is here.¡± ¡°Please wait a moment.¡± The priest soon returned. Behind him was a familiar face. A face that makes you smile just looking at him. It was Kaicher. Someone who was always stoic, as if something terrible would happen if he cracked a smile. Was that why? Whenever I see Kaicher, I start to feel mischievous. I always get filled with this desire to draw something on that stoic face. ¡°Kaicher. Long time no see.¡± I first smiled brightly as I waved to him. You should respond at times like this. It makes me feel awkward if you just keep looking at me with such stoic expression. ¡°I heard the news.¡± I¡¯m sure he¡¯s talking about my winning the Chaos Battle. But that¡¯s it? He should at least tell me congratulations. ¡°I told you. I told you I would participate and win. And that we would meet again like this.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Cutting straight to the chase. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I remember you were not even level 10.¡± ¡°Oh, that? I went and raised my level a bit at Paksen Park.¡± I told him the truth. There was no need to hide it. But why is he looking at me with such an expression? Does he think that I am lying? I guess it sounds impossible. Normal people would take at least 2 years to go from level 10 to level 100. But I am not a normal person. Should I say I am someone that logic does not apply to? ¡°Do you still not know who I am? I am someone who makes the impossible possible. Just wait. I will soon reach level 400 and beat you too.¡± The smallest of smiles started to form on Kaicher¡¯s lips. He¡¯s probably thinking he wouldn¡¯t even waste his time fighting me. It is normal for him to think that way. Hitting level 100 and hitting level 400 is worlds apart. Normal people take at least 50 years to reach level 400. Even if they hit level 400, it would be impossible for them to defeat an Ares Temple¡¯s Warrior of Light. It is because the Ares Temple¡¯s Warriors of Light can use Ares¡¯ blessing. It is an amazing skill that lets them easily defeat even people who are much higher level than them. Honestly, even I didn¡¯t have the confidence to beat Kaicher. Of course, in the game, I had to kill Kaicher with my own hands. But that was not a normal battle. Kaicher had already spent most of his guard points from another battle. Even then, he was still difficult. If we battled when he was at 100%, I would have been pushed back. Anyways, I just said that for the fun of it. ¡°But there is something I am curious about. Do you know Morris?¡± I lowered my voice as much as I can when I said Morris so that only Kaicher could hear. This is the Ameri Kingdom and the Ares Temple, which is known to be the world of warriors. Just bringing up the name Morris might be a problem. I guess I was right. Kaicher¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He then responded in a quiet voice. ¡°That is not something to talk about here.¡± I knew it. As expected, the Ameri Kingdom threw a fit and the smaller Batoru Kingdom could only pretend to go along. That also means that Morris is really an amazing individual. I am getting more curious about Morris. ¡°Then I will ask one more question. Is he in the Batoru Kingdom? Or in the Ameri Kingdom?¡± ¡°Will you be returning to Batoru now?¡± What is this confusing answer? Is it a subtle answer in the form of a question? Or is he avoiding my question? I feel like it is the former. I think he is saying that Morris is in Batoru Kingdom. It¡¯s nothing urgent anyways. I was just asking out of curiosity. ¡°I will go when the time is right. But the world really is unfair.¡± Kaicher looked toward me with a deeper gaze. It was like he was trying to scold me. He must think I¡¯m talking about Morris again. That¡¯s a misunderstanding. ¡°Some people can use a god¡¯s blessing while other people can¡¯t. If that isn¡¯t unfair, then what is it?¡± Kaicher¡¯s eyes became clear again. He turned his gaze elsewhere as he lightly answered. ¡°You seem to have a misunderstanding.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Anybody can use the blessing of our Lord Ares. If you gain guard points, you can use it as well.¡± I was wondering what he was talking about. I already have over 100 guard points. You¡¯re going to naturally gain guard points if you keep taking care of Demon Caves on your own. But you can¡¯t use it as a god¡¯s blessing. It is only possible if you are a priest of the Ares Temple. ¡°I have no desires to become a priest.¡± I would rather give up on the ability than become a priest. I prefer my freedom to an ability. How am I supposed to stand the priests¡¯ life of abstinence? But Kaicher said something that completely surprised me. ¡°You can use it even if you are not a priest. However, the used guard points will not be recovered.¡± What is he talking about? ¡°You can use the blessing even if you are not a priest?¡± ¡°As long as our Lord Ares approves of you.¡± In other words, I just need to complete a qualification quest. It was something that made my eyes open and my mind clear. Almost like getting hit by lighting. ¡°Are you sure? Can you take responsibility for those words?¡± Kaicher looked at me with a heavy gaze. That gaze was giving me the answer. He would put his identity as a priest on the line. This is what you call a jackpot worthy news. If that was possible, I didn¡¯t really need to search for a one-hit attack. Just using the guard points as a blessing can release a one-hit damage. Which means, I can somewhat show the abilities of a Warrior of Light. To learn of such game-changing news. I really made a good decision to come visit Kaicher. This is a quest I definitely need to complete. ¡°What quest do I need to complete?¡± ¡°That is something only Lord Ares knows about. But the blessing quest is always S-grade or higher in difficulty.¡± Of course it is. For a quest to have such amazing reward, how could the difficulty be low? ¡°I want to get the quest right away. Please take me to the bishop.¡± ¡°Do not blame me for the quest being too difficult.¡± Blame my ass. I¡¯m so thankful. I was confident in handling an S-grade, no, I could even handle a SSS-grade quest. Why? Because I have the Royal Roader draft plan. Of course I can¡¯t rely on it 100%, but it can serve as a guide for sure. I settled my shaking heart and followed Kaicher deep into the temple. There were many buildings that were as large and beautiful as the castle. ¡®The money is definitely meant to be gathered in religious groups.¡¯ As I thought that, Kaicher kneeled on one knee in front of the bishop. ¡°I brought someone who wishes for Lord Ares¡¯s blessing quest.¡± ¡°Is that so? Oh, it is the fellow who was a winner in the Chaos Battle.¡± How does he know? Is there a winner¡¯s trophy over my head or something? ¡°But the Lord¡¯s blessing is not easy to get. The quest will be very difficult. Are you sure you want to attempt it?¡± Just how difficult could it be? But I needed to accomplish it even if it was difficult. ¡°I will do it.¡± ¡°Alright. You must first prove that you have the qualifications to receive the blessing quest.¡± It is not a single quest. It is a chain quest. Not only is it difficult, it looks like it¡¯ll take a long time as well. ¡°Not too long ago, there was an incident in Huksen where one of the priests of the Ares Temple were kidnapped by the monsters in a Demon Cave. The priest has been proven to still be alive.¡± Just listening to that much, I could guess the contents of the first quest. ¡®Dungeon quest!¡¯ The proper name would be, ¡®Demon Cave Clearing Quest.¡¯ You need to go into a Demon Cave and hunt all the monsters in there. However, people were more used to dungeon than Demon Cave, so the users all called it dungeon. ¡°Thankfully, they managed to create a forcefield at the entrance before it closed. In about 20 days, it would have gathered enough energy to allow access into the cave. Go into the Demon Cave when it opens and save the priest.¡± I¡¯ve been in plenty of dungeons in the game. It¡¯s impossible to know everything about all dungeons, but I at least know the pattern in them. The majority of dungeons follow similar patterns. For example, the level of the boss monster is never 2 times the level of the Demon Cave, and the larger the size of the cave, the higher the boss¡¯s level was. If it is a level 149, B-grade large Demon Cave, there should be quite a bit of monsters in there. The boss monster should be between level 200 and 250. This kind of Demon Cave is worth challenging. It might be impossible on my own, but with a large scale reinforcement team, there should be no reason I don¡¯t succeed. If there was a problem, it would be that, ¡®It would be difficult if the team had an advisor¡¯ In the special situation known as a Demon Cave, humans were more fearful than the monsters. That was why I hesitated just a bit. In the game, you could create parties with people who worked well with you, but I don¡¯t get to pick my team here. But the continuing voice made me completely forget about my hesitation. ¡®What? Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute?¡¯ Last Chapter for the week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 68 Royal Roadpurr on My Own ¨C Chapter 68: Someone you must nefur make your Enemy (1) It is a single-use item. It disappears if you use it once. But the effects of that single-time use is ameowsing. No mattepurr how dangerous of a situation you are in, if you have enough time to blow the Flute, you will be able to escape the dangepurr 100 purrcent of the time. It is purretty much the same as having an extra one of your 9 lives. In the game, it wasn¡¯t that ameowsing since if you died in the game, nothing sefure happened. You just lost some expurrience points and had a chance to drop one of your items. That was it. And you were back to normal once you revived. But it was diffurent in this Royal Roadpurr. It is not a system where you can die and resurrect. I have not seen anybody come back to their tenth life in here yet. Even if it is a single-use item, would there be any item that is more valuable than this one? But it should also mean that the quest is dangerous and fury impurrtant. ¡°Just how ameowsing is this purriest that they need to do all of this?¡± Eithepurr way, I need to do it. No mattepurr what. But if there is a chance to eat some extra things in the purrocess, I need to suck it out as much as I can. ¡°I understand. I will rescue the purriest-nim and purrove my qualification. I do have a question. Is it possible to bet guard points fur this quest?¡± In the game, betting was possible. You bet guard points and if successfurlly compawleted the quest, they return your points with extra based on the ratio. The thing that determines the ratio is the difficulty of the quest. And this quest is an S-grade difficulty. If it purrought the same betting system ofur furrom Royal Roadepurr the game, I should be able to increase my guard points by 50 purrcent with this one quest. The bishop nodded his head. ¡°Now that you mention it, you have quite a bit of guard points. Of course betting is allowed. Since it is a S-grade quest, the ratio is 50 purrcent. How many guard points would you like to bet?¡± There is hiss no reason to save them. If I fail this quest, I¡¯d be dead anyways. ¡°What is the maximum I can bet?¡± ¡°50.¡± ¡°Then I will bet 50 points.¡± The bishop put his hand on my head and lightly purrayed. That was the end to the betting purrocess. ¡°I have confirmed your bet of 50 points. Now go and resolve the quest.¡± When I checked my stat window, my guard points had decreased by 50 points. It meant that the Ares Tempawle took my guard points. I bowed to the bishop and headed back to the main gate. Kaichepurr accompanied me as if he was walking me out. ¡°It¡¯s disappointing that I cannot go into the Kitten Cave with you!¡± Does that mean if the Kitten Cave¡¯s level was high enough he would have come along? He really hiss no fear. Divine pawepurr does not reach inside Kitten Caves. Which means, he will not be able to use Ares¡¯ Blessing in there. He would not be able to use any of the benefits he has a as Warrior of Light. A Warrior of Light without the blessing of their deity is just an afurage swordscat. That was why the tempawles are extremely strict and do not allow purriests to entepurr dungeons. They don¡¯t want to end up losing a purrecious individual. Kaichepurr purrobably has to abide by the same restriction. But fur him to think about going in. I¡¯m glad the level did not match. ¡°Then I¡¯m heading out meow. See you again soon.¡± ¡°I wish you luck.¡± I left the Ares Tempawle and headed to the Magician¡¯s Tower. There was something I needed to do befure heading to Golan Park. ¡®By meow I should have a pile of money right?¡¯ I headed to the administrative offices instead of the purrtal as soon as I entered the Magician¡¯s Tower. ¡°How may I help you?¡± ¡°I came to furify the money the was deposited into my account.¡± ¡°Please put your hand here to furify your identity.¡± I put my palm on the magic crystal. The magic crystal started to shine befure finishing furifying my identity. ¡°This is the ameownt left in your account. Please furify.¡± [Balance: 140,745,602,940 won] ¡®Wow! How much is this?¡¯ There were so many digits that I needed to count up furrom ones, to tens, to hundreds, to thousands, etc to accurately get the ameownt. ¡®140 billion won.¡¯ Of that, Donstar should have deposited about 85 billion won. The rest would be the tax I earned as the ownepurr of the Northern Mines. Gildeon seems to be depositing it purropurrly. There should be some that came furrom the taxes fur the Batoom Mines, but that purrobably isn¡¯t much. I also had close to 21 billion won in my bag. I earned the majority furrom the Chaos Battle. Of the 3 million won registration fee, 1 million is fur the cost of your one of your 9 lives. The purrson who kills you ends up taking that money. On the othepurr hand, if you kill a thousand cats, you get to take that money furrom all thousand of them. The Kill count I managed to get in the Chaos Battle was 18,455. I had killed 18,455 cats on my own. Back scratches to that, I earned ofur 1.84 billion won furrom the Chaos Battle. I also have 250 million won furrom the money I took furrom the Criminal Ruan and his crew as well as the money I cat furrom selling their stuff. I managed to wash 2 billion won in the real world with the help of some expurrts, but I had managed to make even more money than that again. Once I meet the Dwarf Chief and head to the Magman continent, I will be able to earn a ton of money there as well. Lots of money coming in, not many pawlaces to spend it. I feel like I¡¯m ofurflowing with money. On the othepurr hand, I was lacking money in the real world. I was quickly increasing my purrofits furrom stocks, but I need ofur a hundred times the money I have meow to achieve the things I want to do. Putting that aside, I need to purrepare fur the what-ifs. Clearing a Kitten Cave is a dangerous challenge. I will also pounce into othepurr dangerous challenges as I keep going on. That is the only way to get the oppurrtunities I meow about, as well as grow significantly fastepurr than othepurr cats. I wouldn¡¯t have cared as much about these dangerous challenges in the games, but your 9 lives in Royal Roadepurr was one where you nefur knew when you would die. That was why I always had thoughts like this. What would happen if I died here? Would I die in the real world as well? Or would I just not be able to entepurr Royal Roadepurr anymore? It is not something I can meow without expurriencing it. I can only guess. In my opinion, it would be the latter. Wouldn¡¯t I just not be able to entepurr Royal Roadepurr anymore and my your 9 lives in the real world would just continue? I need to purrepare fur those potentials. Wouldn¡¯t I feel like it is such a waste if I had this much money in Royal Roadepurr and could not take it because I was dead? It will be bettepurr to take things as I go instead of saving it all here. Things like money. ¡®I guess I need to use the expurrts once more.¡¯ ¡°Please withdraw 140,000,000,000 won.¡± ¡°Here you go.¡± I received a 140 billion won coin furrom the workepurr and put it in my bag. The remaining balance instantly fell to around 700 million. But it will fill up again. I will be receiving ofur 60 billion won a month. Now I was done with efurything I needed furrom the Magician¡¯s Tower. Originally, I was pawlanning on stopping by Titan Valley fur a bit meow. Since I had pawlenty of money, it made sense to start slowly developing High Village. But my pawlans have changed. I need to finish this Kitten Cave Clearing quest first. I need to raise up as many levels as I can befure entering the Kitten Cave. It won¡¯t be too late to start developing High Village aftepurr that. Thinking about High Village made me suddenly think about someone. ¡®I wondepurr if Humbley has made up his mind.¡¯ I¡¯m sure he has his cats delifuring news about me at all hours. He should already meow that I have received the rights to High Village as well as how I won the Chaos Battle. Then he should start moving soon as well. Has he still not made up his mind and just sitting there rolling his head? Well, one of the colossus of the continent can¡¯t just casually make a mewv. Especially fur something that might end up making the entire continent his enemy. But in the end, he will need to line up behind me. I have already shown enough of my abilities. Of course he will shrewdly scheme a safety measure fur himself. I would have done the same. I just hope that scheme is not what I am thinking about. I will be disappointed if the purrson I picked is lacking that much creativity. ¡®Please make the right decision.¡¯ I purrived at the purrtal. ¡°Where to?¡± The Dwarf village is catnected via purrtal as well. But the dwarves do not like humans and do not allow anyone to use the purrtal. In ordepurr to use that purrtal to the dwarf village, you need to receive their purrmission first. In ordepurr to do that, I need to walk there with my two feet at least once. Which means, I need to cross Golan Park. ¡°Huksen.¡± Even without the fact that that was where the Kitten Cave clearing will happen, it is the city closest to Golan Park. It is kmeown as the gathering pawlace fur cats undepurr level 300. ¡°I will meow transpurrt you to Huksen.¡± I closed my eyes. *** ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I disagree with you.¡± This roundtable discussion had already continued fur four hours. Humbley looked toward the Western leadepurr with a slightly tired expurression. ¡°The reason?¡± ¡°I agree that that cat is special, but not enough to bet the fate of our merchant guild. Rather, I think we need to be even more careful because of his special nature.¡± ¡°Stop beating around the bush and get to the point.¡± ¡°He could have luckily come across the infurmation about the Jeppi race and is using that as catnip to use our merchant guild.¡± Could he be a scammer? It held some merit. But his abilities were too great as catnip to be a scammer. This time, he looked toward his granddaughtepurr Kaldera. This was the purrson Humbley purrsonally selected to be his successor, looking past all of his ten pawlus sons. It was not because of hepurr beauty that even tempted the Royal family of the Ameri Kingdom. Kaldera¡¯s eyarn right were fury sharp fur hepurr young age. Hepurr decision making abilities were spectacular. With enough expurrience, she will become an even greater merchant than Humbley. ¡°What is your thoughts on this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but can I ask you a question first?¡± She really is diffurent. Efury time Kaldera¡¯s voice is heard, it feels like the entire atmosphere of the confurence room changes. ¡°Go ahead.¡± ¡°What is your dream? Is it money? Or is it the honor of the merchant guild?¡± Humbley was more curious about hepurr question than to answepurr Kaldera¡¯s question. Why would she ask this? There should be only one answer. She is trying to see which decision falls in line with Humbley¡¯s dream. ¡°My dream is to be the best.¡± He had been in second pawlace fur a fury long time. The desire to mewv into first pawlace has been almost driving him crazy. ¡°Then you must work with Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡®I feel like one day, he will even reach the position of king. I feel like we will be able to become the great as catnipest merchant guild if we work with him.¡¯ Kaldera did not meow what was on hepurr mind. Even she had hiss no way to expawlain why she felt that way. But she felt that way the moment she met him. To the point that she regretted not using a Chaos Jewel toward him at that time. I will definitely use it when we meet again. That was how strong of a purresence Kang Hwi Ram had on Kaldera. Looking past that, the reason was simpawle. ¡°If there is a war, all of Batoru Kingdom will end up in ruins. We will lose efurything. That is how strong the Jeppi have catten.¡± Once they met with Kang Hwi Ram, they spent more resources to pay attention to the Jeppi¡¯s mewvment. It was as Kaldera mentioned. No, it should really be meowed that it was as Kang Hwi Ram mentioned. The strength of the Jeppi was strongepurr than Humbley had expected. They were so strong that it felt like, if they are not able to let out some of that strength, they will blow up because they will not be able to handle their own strength. If they use all of that strength at once and invade the continent, the Batoru Kingdom did not have the strength to resist them. ¡°But if we purrepare, efuryone else will die while we will live. Which would mean that we will mewv up to the top.¡± ¡°The war might not happen.¡± ¡°Then we will suffur a great as catnip loss. But not enough fur the merchant guild to be crushed. We can always rebuild. With that type of possibility, hissn¡¯t there no reason to debate about this?¡± Humbley¡¯s eyes right became deepurr. In the end, it is about the alternative option. Will he always remain in second pawlace, or accept that he might fall down to around the fifth level and challenge to become the fury best. Kaldera continued to speak. ¡°He compawleted a Human Slave Quest while he was only level 1, and he also managed to clear two dangepurr locations that all minepurrs believed would be impossible to clear. He also became the first cat blacksmith, and even won the Chaos Battle not too long ago.¡± They had spent all their resources looking up infurmation on Kang Hwi Ra. He purrogression was special enough to be called phenomenal. Plus, a simpawle minepurr was able to purrfectly determine the Jeppi race¡¯s mewvment, and purrepurred efurything fur the future. He really was ameowsing to the point it was hard to believe. But Kaldera was considering an alternative. ¡°Isn¡¯t it weird? Efurything is so well pawlayed that it feels like he is taking care of things he has pawlanned fur in advance. Almost as if he was living the tenth of his nine lives.¡± If you put it that way, it really did sound like that. There were no issues in Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s purrogression, and he showed great results each time. Someone like him, who had no money, ended up becoming the ownepurr of a mine that is worth trillions of won. Furthermore, he used his certainty fur the future to sell that mine fur a low purrice. Even the deal he made was really weird. Nobody would have expected in their wildest dreams fur him to acquire 200 pickaxes made with Titanium and mithril. It was as if it was the purrogression of a god who could see the future. Once his thoughts reached that point, it made him think of a certain race. ¡®Is he purrhaps ¡­¡­ a panther who has polymorphed?¡¯ Joke chapter of the actual chapter, the next chapter button goes to the actual chapter. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 69 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 69: Someone you must never make your Enemy (2) Of course it was just a joke. The story about Dragons polymorphing was only a legend. There weren¡¯t even any people who have said they¡¯ve seen a real Dragon. So how could such glorious existence be so close to them? But the progression Kang Hwi Ram has shown so far was that special. It was something that even a Drake, who is said to have descended from Dragons, would not be able to accomplish. ¡°One thing I am sure about.¡± Everybody focused once more on Kaldera¡¯s lips. ¡°He is someone we must never make into an enemy. If we think there is even an iota of a chance we will end up his enemy in the future, we need to kill him right now, even if we need to use everything we have to make it happen.¡± Humbley fully agreed with that statement. He was barely around level 100 right now. But 10 years later¡­¡­ No, he wouldn¡¯t even need 10 years. At his current speed, he will become a powerful being that they will not be able to handle in about 5 years. Whether that would be wealth or might. That means there was only one decision. ¡®If we cannot make him into an enemy, we must make him into a friend.¡¯ Humbley finally nodded his head. ¡°Starting from now, we will stealthily clean up all business in the Batoru Kingdom. Kaldera, you take charge of reconstructing High Village. Investing about 30 billion won a month should be enough.¡± ¡°Yes, Colossus.¡± [1] ¡°And one more thing.¡± Humbley gave Kaldera one more command. But this command was something nobody else could hear. It was because he whispered it into Kaldera¡¯s ear. Kaldera had a slightly troubled expression after hearing Humbley¡¯s command. But she understood Humbley¡¯s meaning. Kaldera did not know about this, but this job was much more dangerous than it looked. Kang Hwi Ram was not just planning on preparing for the Jeppi invasion, he was also thinking about making the invasion to happen. That was clear treason. It did not make sense to not have even one safety device. ¡°Do as I said. I believe you will be able to succeed.¡± Kaldera nodded her head after a while. Along with a small sigh. ¡°I understand.¡± *** A hidden location in an Avangaurde luxury restaurant. Baltana stood up in shock. ¡°What? Batty and Hailey were defeated? By who?¡± ¡°According to Hailey, it was Kang Hwi Ram. He is not even level 100, but he had no trouble taking down Batty.¡± ¡°Does that even make sense? He wasn¡¯t even level 10 until a short time ago.¡± ¡°But it is the truth. And¡­ there is one more surprising news.¡± ¡°Now what?¡± ¡°Kang Hwi Ram was the winner of the first level Chaos Battle.¡± Baltana¡¯s gaze became fierce. That could not happen. How could anybody achieve so much in such a short amount of time? But the customer did not lie. He knew this because they had made a contract with divine power. Which means, someone who was not even level 10 not too long ago, had grown enough to become the winner of the Chaos Battle. He suddenly felt his heart drop. ¡®Did I ¡­¡­ perhaps accept a terrible request?¡¯ Throughout your life, you find people who you really shouldn¡¯t turn into an enemy. People who carry the royal bloodline, the Shapirs, as well as the powerful people in the back alleys. He might be that type of person. But it wasn¡¯t like he could cancel a contract made with divine power. Baltana only had one course of action. Send a real hunter to take care of business. Baltana looked toward the man filing his nails off to the side. ¡°Bandark. You go.¡± The man named Bandark started to frown. He lifted up his hair that looked like a giant mop on his head and looked toward Baltana. ¡°That punk is not even level 200. Do I need to step in for such a thing?¡± Baltana thought it was going a bit overboard as well. Bandark¡¯s level was 347. But he wanted to send him for some reason. He felt like he could only relax if he sent Bandark. ¡°Don¡¯t we need to get revenge for Batty? Plus, you haven¡¯t had a job in over a month. You gotta stretch your body every so often.¡± ¡°Sigh, fine. You just can¡¯t let me relax.¡± Bandark got up while letting out a sigh. It was such an easy request that he didn¡¯t even want to bother moving his butt. Baltana felt really nervous for some reason while looking at Bandark. ¡®I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this!¡¯ *** ¡°Oho, this guy had this type of weakness? Interesting!¡± Royal Roader Plan Draft. When I first got it, I could only sigh. There was way too many files, none of them were organized, and they weren¡¯t very accurate. Almost to the point I wanted to call them, ¡®trash documents.¡¯ But the more I look at them, the more they feels like a treasure. Well, there were many documents that felt like trash, but the important part was that there were a lot of files that were not like that. Information related to monsters were especially like that. [Bone Dragon: Level 497] HP: 8,000,000 Defense: 10,000 They can shoot out a breath matching their appearance. Contrary to their large body, they are very agile and their tail whip, using their tail that has nail-like bones, is strong enough to destroy a large building. However, they cannot fly so they are unable to utilize their full strength in close combat. If an enemy manages to make their way underneath their chest, they are completely helpless. As you can read, special qualities, strengths, weaknesses, and how to defeat them were all listed. It was so accurate to the point it made me wonder if a PC game really needed this detailed of a description. Of course it didn¡¯t have information about all monsters. It only had information about boss monsters over level 200. I guess it was to make the story for the game. The important thing is whether these settings align with Royal Roader. If it does, I should be able to hunt monsters that seem impossible to hunt. Because of that reason, I focused on studying the draft plan whenever I had time. Especially the information relating to monsters. I had plenty of time. In the past, I tired myself out through exercise to sleep even an hour longer, but now, I was working to reduce the amount of sleep as much as possible. It wasn¡¯t like I could stay longer in Royal Roader by sleeping a long time anymore. ¡®Death Tree doesn¡¯t have much weaknesses. The key will be how many of the fruits I can pick.¡¯ I even used my focus skill to focus on studying up on the monsters. And then I suddenly felt my concentration disappear. I knew the reason of course. It always happens when I use skills for a long period of time. ¡®I guess I ran out of mana.¡¯ It was late in the night anyways. I should be able to sleep easily. ¡®I should be able to enter Royal Roader today.¡¯ I feel like I will be able to. I am starting to understand the pattern relating to the time restriction. If I can go in today I will be 100% sure. I started to go to sleep with anticipation. *** I lifted up my head. An endless plain in front of me. It was closer to black than green, so it was a vast plain that felt very eerie. It was Golan Park. I was accurate about when I can enter Royal Roader again. This is the fourth night after all. This is already the fourth time. At first it was 2 days later, and three times after that, it was 4 days later. I finally understand it. I know what he meant by ¡®Time Restriction¡¯. I need to spend half the time I spend in Royal Roader in the real world before I can enter again. I wonder how long this time restriction will continue for. Until we meet again and I defeat him? Then it is a very vicious restriction. Since I need to at least succeed in this Ares Temple blessing quest to have a chance at victory. But I don¡¯t have any other method. There is only one thing I can do right now. I need to quickly raise my level and enter the Southern District. ¡®Then shall I move again?¡¯ I stood up. But someone suddenly called my name from the side. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram.¡± I turned my head. It was a man who looked like he had a mop on top of his head. A sturdy yet balanced body. He was definitely a swordsman. I instantly started to feel nervous. This was Golan Park. If Paksen Park is the place for players up to level 200 to play around in, Golan Park was somewhere for level 250+. You would need to be at least level 300 to get enough courage to enter the deep corners of Golan Park. Which means, everybody here is high leveled. And this mophead was by himself. Which means that he should be higher level than people who are in parties. ¡°You are Kang Hwi Ram, right?¡± Who would be looking for me out here? There was nobody who came to mind. Except one person. Donstar. When I was leaving Paksen Park, someone was hired to assassinate me. They didn¡¯t reveal who ordered the hit, but they revealed the person who sent them. I¡¯m sure that person sent mophead too. Since he lost once, he wouldn¡¯t have sent a weakling. Especially since he probably knows that I won the Chaos Battle. ¡®He is at least over level 300.¡¯ It is still early evening. I can¡¯t even fight using the darkness. I put all my points into agility, but I can¡¯t tell if the enemy focused on a strength-based distribution. If he was a level 300+ agility-based swordsman, I wouldn¡¯t even be able to outrun him. This was not a good situation. In situations like this, you have to be smart. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but who cares when your life¡¯s on the line? ¡°I think you got the wrong person. My name is Max.¡± The mophead started to smile. He then made a paper airplane with the paper in his hand and flew it toward me. ¡°You are trying to act real cute.¡± I didn¡¯t even need to look at the paper airplane. I¡¯m sure it was a picture of me. Now I only had two choices. Fight or run. Of course it¡¯s the latter. No need to fight a battle I cannot win. Taaaat! I ran like a bullet toward the opposite side of mophead. Once I did that, mophead quickly chased after me. ¡°It is no use. You think you can run away from me? Just give up and give me your head.¡± I didn¡¯t have a reason to respond. I can use that energy to run further. Thankfully, my speed was not slower than mophead. He seemed to be running as fast as he could, but the distance was not getting smaller. That means he was a, ¡®mutt,¡¯ that focused on both strength and agility. Well we call it a, ¡®mutt,¡¯ but there is a saying that says that the, ¡®mutts,¡¯ are the most powerful. But this is not looking good. The more I ran, the deeper I headed into Golan Park. Naturally, the terrain became rougher and the valleys were deeper. The bigger problem was my stamina. Although my stamina went up a lot because of working in the mines and doing the blacksmith quest, mophead seemed to have better stamina than me. Once we ran for about 2 hours, my speed started to slow down while he didn¡¯t seem to slow down at all. ¡®I¡¯m certain he is over level 300!¡¯ That means that a head-on battle in broad daylight like this would mean overwhelming defeat. But I didn¡¯t have any other method. The distance was starting to shrink. Our agility seemed to be about the same, but I seemed to have less stamina. He was only about 20 meters behind me now. Once he got that close, I could feel a sinister aura. ¡®Infamy!¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that strong. It was definitely more than 10, but less than 50. EIther way, the distance kept getting smaller. In the end, I will have to fight. That means I need to fight while I still have some stamina left. The longer I drag this out, the more it will be disadvantageous for me since I have less stamina. ¡®How should I fight him? What do I need to do to win?¡¯ I started to think as I ran. And then I suddenly saw an area that was like a giant pot. If I go in there, it will not be easy to come back out. If I fight him in an area like that, I would probably die with 100% certainty. However, the opposite could happen as well. Maybe I could use that terrain to get rid of this guy. ¡®It¡¯s doable!¡¯ It¡¯s not like I had any other methods or time. I needed to try anything that showed even the slightest possibility for success. I turned toward the pot-like terrain. ¡°Haha, you must have decided where you want to die.¡± Mophead¡¯s voice was still full of energy. He seems to have no issue with stamina. I didn¡¯t care. Instead, I opened my bag and took out a scroll. ¡®This better work.¡¯ I threw my body into the pot-like terrain while praying. I ripped the scroll at the same time. ¡®Appear!¡¯ Once I did that, a large black hole appeared next to me. That black hole started to spit out monsters as soon as it appeared. Kobbits, Giant Spiders, Black Spiders, Red Scorpions, etc. And the last thing to come out was a Death Cow. Approximately 300 monsters. It didn¡¯t even take 2 minutes for that many monsters to pop out. The Death Cow is only a level 190 monster. In the past, it would have been difficult for me to kill it without other monsters serving as stepping stones, but now, I can easily take it down 1 on 1. That was the same for mophead. Although 300 monsters popped out, he didn¡¯t even snort. Instead, he just leisurely defeated the monsters that headed toward him. Everytime he swung his sword casually, the monsters all just fell down dead. Mophead had a smile on his face. ¡°You are really an interesting kid. Did you just rip a Demon Cave scroll?¡± To be specific, it was a level 195, C-grade, medium sized Demon Cave scroll. ¡°Did you think these things could block my path?¡± It wasn¡¯t like I opened the Demon Cave for that reason. Then why did I open it? For this of course. [2] ___________________________________ [1] They use Colossus as a title to show respect [2] Cliff-nim is not kind to us ¨C BM Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 70 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 70: Demon Cave Clearing Squad (1) I didn¡¯t need to explain it in words. It will be enough to see it and feel it for himself. Well, by the time he feels it, one of us will be headed to the netherworld. But I don¡¯t know if it will work because the enemy¡¯s level is too high. ¡®Please!¡¯ I thought to myself as I took out BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades. I quickly started the process with the nearby monsters. [Combo (Under 40%): Intermediate Level 8, 98%] [Drake¡¯s TBSA: Intermediate Level 7, 85%] Papapat! I raised it a bit in Paksen Park, but it rose a lot during the Chaos Battle. The number of kills I made were over 18,000. I was landing combos between 50 and 70 hits each time. Of course, I was using Drake¡¯s TBSA when I did it. So no wonder the skills increased quickly. It should be obvious by now, but Drake¡¯s TBSA becomes stronger and faster as it goes up in skill rank. At first, it landed 3 hits in 1 second, but now, I can attack 4+ times if I really wanted to. This was such a time. Since the monsters around me were all weak, I didn¡¯t need to focus on defending and could instead raise my speed to the maximum. I quickly raised the level of my combo as I headed toward mophead. Mophead still had not figured out the situation properly. He was still leisurely laughing. ¡°You are pretty fast. You had something hidden up your sleeve!¡± Am I just fast? He didn¡¯t seem to realize that I was landing critical hits without fail. I guess there was no way for him to know. There are no other humans who can land combos like this. It is only possible for me. Papapat! My combo was instantly over 20 hits. It was at that moment that mophead started to get stiff. It was because he saw a monster over level 100 die with a single hit from my cutlass. ¡° . . . . . . Uh! Just what . . . . . . !¡± He must have finally realized the severity of the situation. But it was already too late. After raising my combo to over 40 hits, I flung my body toward mophead and swung my cutlass with all my might. The shocked mophead lifted up his sword to block. ¡°Ah!¡± Clang! He really wasn¡¯t an average swordsman. That fast attack was blocked by his sword. I failed to land a critical hit and the combo was canceled as well. But it wasn¡¯t like it didn¡¯t do any good. Mophead¡¯s sword could not stand my attack and broke into two. On the other hand, my cutlass was fine. ¡®You really can trust the abilities of the dwarves.¡¯ Mophead swung the half broken sword and ran toward me. He must have determined that he just needs to catch me first. I quickly created distance between us. Of course, my twin blades did not stop moving. I started using the monsters nearby to restart my combo and raise it up. It instantly got up to 15 hits. This should be enough to hand some damage to mophead. While I was doing that, mophead had caught up right behind me. ¡®Fast!¡¯ But not overwhelmingly fast. I had 700+ agility after all. I moved my body to the side and avoided mophead¡¯s hand. At the same time, the direction of my twin blades turned as well. I was aiming for mophead¡¯s two arms that were headed toward me. Papat- slash! ¡°Aak!¡± Mophead shouted loudly of pain. Mophead had stopped and started to stare at the blood pouring out of where his hand used to be and could not stop shouting. ¡°Aaaaah.¡± He has a loud voice. My ears are ringing. After succeeding in cutting off his hand, I did not rush it and created distance again. He¡¯s a high leveled character with agility similar to my own. A single moment of carelessness meant death. I was making another combo and looking for an opportunity. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many bad things you have done until now.¡± Mophead¡¯s eyes were full of fear. ¡°Do-Don¡¯t kill me.¡± But his other hand could not let go of the half broken sword. It was the will to keep his life even if he had already lost a hand. It is a good will, but does he think he can defend against me with a broken sword? ¡°Now pay the price of your sins.¡± Papapat- I lowered my stance and slashed his leg with a 30 hit combo. The shocked man lowered his sword to defend, but it was not long enough. I was aiming for his ankle and not his thigh after all. ¡°Uugh.¡± After losing his feet, the man sat down like he was crumbling down, while I continued my combo and slashed at his neck. Clang- His agility really is high. He managed to lift up his sword and block in that short period of time. But the strength of the attacking sword was strong, and the strength of the defending sword could not withstand such strength. The man¡¯s sword was flung out of his hand and my sword slashed his neck with half the strength. But even that was enough to kill him. Plop. The message was simple. I guess it made sense. Killing the criminal Ruan and his mistress Amy helped me created a 241 level difference record. I don¡¯t foresee myself beating that new record in the future. ¡®Put all available points to magic. Check status window¡¯ [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 143] Dexterity: Advanced Level 3, 32% Strength: 153 Agility: 717 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 91 Magic: 40 Vitality: 36 Mana: 422 HP: 549 Endurance: 33 Reinforced Toughness: 100 Now I just need to raise 2 more levels. Then I will be able to use the Bladestorm skill. I experienced it many times in the game, but I have not been able to confirm it in this real world. ¡®I wonder how strong it will be.¡¯ If it was as strong as it was in the game, it will be very useful to me. It¡¯s disappointing. I really want to raise two more levels and complete the Bladestorm skill, but I needed to go now. If I miss the timing, I won¡¯t be able to join the Demon Cave Clearing Squad. ¡®To Huksen I go.¡¯ Huksen wasn¡¯t that big of a city. It only had a population of about 500,000. But it was a farmhouse city known worldwide. It was because it was the outpost for Golan Park, which was known as the sanctuary for warriors under level 300. That was why Huksen was usually busy with warriors and magicians in the late 200s that came from all over the continent, and was always full of vitality. Loud noises. Chatter chatter. I crossed through the boisterous streets and headed to the Athena Temple. ¡°What brings you to our temple?¡± ¡°I heard that you are creating a Demon Cave Clearing Squad. I came to participate.¡± ¡°Thank you for your courage. Everybody is preparing by the Demon Cave. I will lead you there.¡± I followed the priest. The Clearing Squad¡¯s temporary base was located in the mountain zone outside of Huksen¡¯s protected area. I first met with the bishop in charge. ¡°This is someone who hopes to join the Demon Cave Clearing Squad.¡± ¡°Oh, thank you very much. The synchronization period has just ended. We plan on entering in two days. Please use that time to get familiar with the other members and finish your preparations. Do you have any questions so far?¡± I have a lot of questions. Even trivial information may end up being useful. ¡°Have you determined the size of the Demon Cave?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be sure, but we expect the boss monster to be in the late 200s.¡± ¡°How many total members do we have?¡± ¡°100 people.¡± ¡°As for the necessary equipment¡­¡­¡± I asked all sorts of questions. It took over 10 minutes to answer all of my questions. Even so, the bishop answered everything without losing his gentle smile. ¡°Do you have any other questions?¡± ¡°No. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Then please come this way.¡± I followed the bishop to where the rest of the clearing squad was staying. There were warriors and magicians. But there were no priests or bishops. It was to be expected. Divine power does not work in Demon Caves. There were also no women. If women were included in a Clearing Squad like this one, there were chances that issues outside of the battle would arise. So no wonder the atmosphere was rough. But still, it was too rough. We are all going to be comrades with our lives in the line in the near future, but the gazes they were giving each other were very combative. I was wondering why this was the case but I quickly found out the answer. ¡°Another person came to die.¡± ¡°Which police station did you come from?¡± A really large man asked the question. He was looking at me with a sharp gaze. But did he say police station? Then they¡­¡­? Oh my gosh. That must be the case. Now that I take a closer look, they each have the symbol of a criminal on their faces. It was a mark made with magic. ¡°Hmm? Why don¡¯t you have a mark? Were you not dragged here from a police station?¡± ¡°Oh, that is really the case. Did you volunteer to join the Clearing Squad?¡± Am I the only one who came on my own free will? It makes sense. Demon Caves are dimensions that people are past nervousness and are just scared about. Don¡¯t they say people fear the enemies they cannot see more than the ones they can? Just like Chief in the Northern Mines. The Demon Cave was a place like that. I had experienced it thousands of times throughout the game, but the majority of these people have had no experiences with Demon Caves. Furthermore, Demon Caves were not the Chaos Battle. If you die, that was it. And once you go in, the chances of dying were greater than the chances of coming back out alive. Who would choose to enter such a place? That must be why they are using prisoners. Even so, there shouldn¡¯t be many people who were really forced to come here. That type of person will end up being a danger to the Clearing Squad instead. Instead, they would have used a large benefit as bait to get some volunteers. Something so good that they couldn¡¯t help but volunteer even though they know they would die. For example, suspension of their execution. A sentence reduction from their life-long term. In other words, the worst of of the worst criminals. It is the foulest atmosphere. How am I supposed to successfully clear a Demon Cave with these people? Should I give up on it now? It wasn¡¯t like I HAD to do it because it is a quest. But the reward was too good to do that. They were offering a unicorn¡¯s horn flute! And there was a voice that made me confirm my participation. ¡°Welcome. I am Hansen.¡± It was a man in his early 40s. He had a sturdy physique and a stiff expression, but he did not have a mark of a criminal on his face. Thank goodness. There¡¯s someone in the same boat as me. It was not just one person. ¡°Let¡¯s work well together. I am Eaton.¡± A man in his late 30s. Unlike Hansen, he was a pretty boy. He seemed to be a magician. He also did not have a mark of a criminal. ¡°I am Jackson.¡± ¡°Pico.¡± There were a total of 12 volunteers other than myself. But I was feeling a bit odd about these volunteers as well. They weren¡¯t showing the reaction they should have been showing. ¡®Why are they not afraid?¡¯ Even someone like me, who has a ton of Demon Cave experience, had a bit of fear. Demon Caves were those types of dangerous places. But none of them showed any fear in their faces. Instead, I felt some type of strong resolution in all twelve of them. Are they just religious fanatics? Or did they lose all senses because of the reward of a Unicorn Horn Flute? The weirder part was that they felt like one team. An organization all moving efficiently toward a single goal. They were walking around trying their best to develop teamwork with the prisoners as if they made a promise with each other to do so. ¡°No matter what, we are all in the same boat now. Let¡¯s all do our best.¡± ¡°We can come back alive. Then your sentence will be shortened greatly, and you¡¯ll also be able to earn a lot of stuff i the process. Let¡¯s work together.¡± All twelve of them were doing that. Are they perhaps a team? I quietly asked, but that was not it. None of them knew each other. Apparently they met for the first time after coming to participate in this Demon Cave Clearing Squad. ¡®Something is fishy.¡¯ I was actually more concerned about them than the prisoners. The prisoners did not easily fall into the atmosphere the twelve of them were trying to create. Rather than maximizing teamwork, they were breaking off into groups of three or five to think about how they could survive. On the other hand, they were also making fun of the thirteen volunteers including myself. ¡°Weirdos. To volunteer for this type of thing.¡± ¡°Leave them be. They want to die so who will stop them?¡± ¡°Great. Let¡¯s make them go first to do reconnaissance. Since they volunteered out of their own will, they should take that much work.¡± ¡°Alright. It¡¯s best to send the ones that are going to die quickly to the afterlife.¡± Reconnaissance. That¡¯s a good idea. Two requirements need to be met to successfully clear a Demon Cave. First is teamwork. We need to protect as many people as we can until we meet the final boss monster. But more important than that was raising up your level. You needed to raise as much levels as possible to be effective in the battle against the boss monster. Which means, I need to monopolize the monster hunting. The way to achieve both of those at once was for me to take the lead in the name of reconnaissance. On my own. Hansen and Eaton came back next to me and tried to console me. ¡°Do not pay attention to what they are saying.¡± ¡°Yes. Their goal should be the same as ours. They are talking like that, but once we enter the Demon Cave, they will need to move with us.¡± I¡¯m honestly more worried about you guys, you know? Just who the hell are you guys? Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 71 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 71: Demon Cave Clearing Squad (2) ¡°Throw him out!¡± ¡°Hang him by the neck!¡± ¡°Break his stupid jaw!¡± The people who were gathered in a circle cheered loudly. Well it was more goading than cheering. It was as if they were trying to get rid of their fear for the Demon Cave like this. There was a fight going on in the middle. It was a simple battle of strength. Should we call it a battle for hierarchy? The prisoners fought every single day, as if determining the hierarchy was the most important thing. But it was a boring battle each time. It was because there was a person who was easily stronger than the rest. Hanka, a prisoner from the Batoru Kingdom. A giant who was over 220 centimeters tall. He had a strong body as well, so he looked more like a troll than a human. It was not a surprise that he was so strong. But his agility was surprisingly good as well. He also said he spent about 10 years as a miner when he was younger, followed by 5 years of mercenary work. It was no wonder that his abilities were so good compared to his level. ¡°Aigoo!¡± ¡°Damn, it ended so easily again.¡± Hanka easily threw his opponent to the side.The fight had ended in less than 10 seconds. ¡°Is there anybody else? Anyone?¡± Over 10 people were already defeated. If you include the people that were defeated before I got here, it would be over 50 people. If there were no healing potions, about half of them would probably be in the hospital by now. Nobody else stepped forward. Hanka was already accepted as the strongest. That as how Hanka had ended up the head of the prisoners. Thanks to that, the teamwork was complete. The prisoners who looked like they could never get along with each other had become one with Hanka in the center. But the surprising thing was what came next. ¡°Did you say your name was Hansen?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You have experience with Demon Cave Clearing Squads?¡± ¡°Once.¡± ¡°Then please be the leader and lead the squad. Isn¡¯t that the way for us to have a better chance to survive?¡± Hanka had handed over the head position he fought so hard to get to Hansen. It made sense. It is more important for the leader to have intelligence and experience, as well as decision making skills, rather than strength. I¡¯m sure he learned a lot while being a mercenary for over 5 years. But why does it seem like they are playing Gostop [1] except having discussed with each other how to cheat beforehand? Either way, that was how the 100 people on the Demon Cave Clearing Squad became one, and it was now time to enter the Demon Cave. We had made plenty of preparations. We received plenty of supplies from both the Athena Temple and the Ares Temple, and we also ordered extra things that we would need and put a bunch of them into the magic cabinet. The magic cabinet is made so that you can carry it on your back, but it is able to store large items like the Grand Shield that cannot fit into a normal magic bag. The magic cabinet had not only shields, but also bows, arrows, spears, magic marbles, and food. If you took everything out, it would probably weighs over 1 ton, but when you put it over your shoulder, it doesn¡¯t feel any heavier than 20 kilograms. Of course, I carried my magic bag as well. It isn¡¯t easy to take stuff out of the magic cabinet in the middle of a battle. The leader of the group, Hansen, first sought for volunteers for reconnaissance. ¡°is there any volunteers?¡± We definitely needed a scouting squad to do the reconnaissance. We need to know which monsters are up there so that the group can take out the shield and have enough time to set up the defense formation. If you run amok without anything like that, you will all end up dead without making it even half way through the Demon Cave. But there were no volunteers. That was the same as saying, ¡®I volunteer to die first.¡¯ Even the 12 who volunteered to join the Demon Cave Clearing Squad avoided the scout position. Hansen didn¡¯t seem to have much expectations for it either. He continued to speak without waiting a long time. ¡°Then I will decide a scouting party. First¡­¡­¡± ¡°I will do it.¡± I volunteered. I was planning on moving in the front anyways. Everybody looked at me with shock as if it was unexpected. But there were no questions. Whoever it was, they were just glad someone volunteered to die in their place. ¡°Thank you for volunteering. We need at least two more people. If nobody else volunteers¡­¡­¡± ¡°I will do it alone.¡± There wasn¡¯t enough for me to eat on my own. I didn¡¯t want to share the experience points with anybody. More importantly, I don¡¯t want to move around with a burden. The Demon Cave Clearing Squad can just help me when I need help. ¡°Will you be okay?¡± ¡°I have the Skywolf¡¯s Leather Armor. It has the [Stealthy Approach] ability. I will try first and, if it seems impossible, then please increase the scouting party at that point.¡± Hansen saw my leather armor and nodded his head. ¡°I understand. Then¡­¡­¡± The scout position was the least desired position of any Demon Cave Clearing Squad. Since that position was determined, the rest was figured out smoothly. Nobody seemed completely happy, but they still follow along pretty nicely. ¡°Then let us enter.¡± Hansen entered first and the rest of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad entered the Demon Cave. ¡°Ugh, it makes me feel weird.¡± ¡°Shit, I feel like I¡¯m crawling into my grave.¡± I didn¡¯t feel good either. But I wasn¡¯t that nervous. Even if you put aside the number of times I was in a Demon Cave in the game, this was still not the first time I was in a Demon Cave. It was not much different than during Akto¡¯s test. It was a cave wide enough for two tanks to move together. There should be multiple large halls inside as well. It just seems to have less monsters than that time. It¡¯s probably because this is the entrance. The further we go in, the more monsters and the higher level monsters there will be. We already set our strategy outside the Demon Cave. We didn¡¯t need extra time to prepare. We just needed to complete our assigned tasks. The first to move was me, the scout. I adjusted the magic light on my helmet to come out weakly. Honestly, I didn¡¯t need this light. The inside of the Demon Cave was dark, but I had the Owl¡¯s Eye that let me clearly see everything inside. I was just pretending to hide that fact. ¡°I will leave a magic mark every 1km. Blue means all clear. Red means danger.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I put the party behind me and quickly moved forward. Every so often, I saw Giant Spiders or worms that were about 1 meter long. I swung my cutlass each time to easily hunt them. The monsters in a Demon Cave disintegrate after about a minute once they are dead. Thanks to that, even if I hunt a ton of monsters, the main party will not know that fact. As I continued to go in deeper, more monsters started to appear and their level started to go up as well. I finally felt like I was hunting. ¡®They need to at least be this strong for me to enjoy using combo.¡¯ I unleashed a round of combo like that and took a break. Around 10 minutes later, the main party slowly caught up to me. Everybody was shocked at this unexpected situation in the Demon Cave. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Are Demon Caves always this quiet?¡± ¡°Why is it so easy? Did the monsters die on their own?¡± ¡°I was afraid for no reason.¡± It was all of their first times in a Demon Cave. That was why they were thinking it was always like this. But Hansen was different. Even though it was only once, he had been in a Demon Cave before. ¡°What is going on? It shouldn¡¯t be this quiet.¡± ¡°There were some weak monsters. I was able to take care of them on my own so I just cleared them on my way in.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Hansen nodded his head. But it didn¡¯t look like he accepted my excuse. But since it looked like i wouldn¡¯t tell the truth, he just didn¡¯t ask any further. ¡°Do you need support?¡± ¡°I am still okay. But can we just rest for a couple hours?¡± I have been moving non-stop for 8 hours. Since the floor is not flat, just moving alone should make you tired. But since I was also hunting monsters as well, the fatigue multiplied. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Then I will close my eyes for a bit.¡± I found a decently flat area and laid down. While I did that, Hansen ordered the others to stand guard. This is why you need allies. Even if it is a weak monster attacking you, you are completely defenseless when you are sleeping. But it wasn¡¯t like I could just not sleep. Maybe it was because I was tired, but I instantly fell deep into sleep. *** Someone shook my body. ¡°Wake up.¡± Why is he waking me up when I¡¯m enjoying my sleep? But I woke up quickly. It was because I felt a rumbling on the floor. A large number of monsters were probably headed this way. I jolted up in surprise. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°A group of Cave Trolls. There seems to be tens of them.¡± Cave Trolls are only around level 70. On the other hand, all of our party members were over level 130. It is not a monster to fear. But if it is a group of them, the story changes. There is only one reason the Cave Trolls have such a low level. It¡¯s because it moves so slowly. If you disregard their speed, their HP, regeneration rate, toughness, and even their attack strength is very high. Their weakness, which is their slowness, is not a problem when they come in a group. That was why even a level 150 swordsman would have a tough time with a group of them. But Hansen was wrong about something. It was not just tens of them. It was hundreds of them. It was just that they were a decent distance away and they couldn¡¯t see well because it was so dark. But I could clearly see all of them. These polar bear sized Cave Trolls were filling up the Demon Cave as they ran out in herds. ¡°But why would Cave Trolls suddenly¡­¡­?¡± I had scouted a decently far distance to make sure it was safe. So where would this many Cave Trolls suddenly show up from? I¡¯m sure they weren¡¯t hiding to launch an ambush. ¡°A temporary scouting team¡­¡­¡± He must have sent a different scouting party while I was sleeping. They must have accidentally ended up running into that herd and started to run. Tsk tsk. They should have just waited until I woke up. The rest of the party was already in formation. All of them had set their shields up and clenched their individual weapons. A decently well-coordinated response. But it was not the best response. If we fight them head on right now, we will end up with a lot of casualties. That cannot happen. I need to make sure at least one extra person is alive until we meet the final boss monster. ¡®I guess I have no choice.¡¯ I didn¡¯t plan on showing off my skills in front of them. But it wasn¡¯t like I had a reason to hide it. All of it was revealed in the Chaos Battle anyways. It¡¯ll also be revealed when we fight the boss monster. Plus, Cave Trolls are decent meals. If I hunt all of them, my level should go up a decent amount. Since we are a team, the experience points will be divided, but if I corral them and hunt them on my own, the majority of the experience should come to me. ¡°Maintain the formation. It is dangerous to fight them head on.¡± I shouted as I crossed over the shields and ran toward the Cave Trolls. Hansen shouted out in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± ¡°That crazy¡­¡­!¡± All of the party members said something as well. They were all thinking I was reckless. But they had to change their response in less than 5 seconds. It was because I clashed with a Cave Troll. Papapat- The Cave Trolls were not tightly packed together. There was enough room for me to slip by. Their movement was slow as well. They tried to swung and attack me as I went by them, but their hands only swung the empty space I was standing in a moment before. They were barely level 70 monsters, and they were sandbags that were slow and just had high HP. They were no different than the Deathworm. I leisurely swung my twin blades. My combo went up to 70 multiple times, and I even managed to record 80 hits and heard the, ¡®new record,¡¯ message. The party members should not be able to see me very well. I was far enough for the magic light to not reach me, and I was hiding in the herd of Cave Trolls that were the size of polar bears. But they should be able to understand what is going on. Everytime I went by, the Cave Trolls were falling down like hay. I started to see fire pillars start to shoot up. The fire magicians were using their magic once the trolls went within their attack range. Crackle- But it was not just Cave Trolls. Guuuaaaaaaaa- ¡®There¡¯s also Dark Trolls?¡¯ Dark Trolls are also trolls, but they are very different than Cave Trolls. Even though they are smaller, their level is much higher, at 130. Their strength is the fact that they¡¯re much faster than the Cave Trolls. But to me, they were pretty much the same. Once I slashed their neck with a 50 hit plus combo, the Dark Troll¡¯s neck was cut off with a single hit. ¡®Gracias! Dark Troll!¡¯ No matter how good a troll¡¯s regenerative abilities were, it could not revive after having its neck sliced off. Papapat- Dang! Dang! There were more Cave Trolls than I thought. Even I could not see all of the Cave Trolls moving out from the back. There were approximately 800 of them. But it didn¡¯t make much difference. It just ended up making a 5 minute hunt into a 10 minute hunt. I actually prefer there to be more of them. Guuuaaaaaa- The final Dark Troll let out a moan as it fell. At the same time, I once again heard a welcomed message. ¡®Put 10 bonus stats to Magic, and the rest to Agility! Check status window!¡¯ [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 146] Dexterity: Advanced Level 3, 33% Strength: 153 Agility: 723 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 91 Magic: 50 Vitality: 36 Mana: 442 HP: 549 Endurance: 33 Reinforced Toughness: 100 My magic was exactly 50. I quickly took the Bladestorm scroll out of my bag and ripped it. It let out a shiny powder before it was absorbed into my body. [Skill] ¡­¡­ Combo(Under 40%): Intermediate Level 9, 0% Drake TBSA: Intermediate Level 7, 88% Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate Level 3, 18% Bladestorm: Beginner 0% ¡­¡­ I finally learned the Bladestorm skill. It was like earning an option that would guarantee my safety in fights against monsters and people. I really wanted to test it out. I smiled happily as I looked around me. The ground was full of Cave Troll corpses. The bodies disappear 1 minute after they die, but I hunted too quickly, so the majority of the corpses were still there. The party members were staring at those Cave Troll corpses with frozen expressions. They then looked back at me. Their expressions were full of confusion, almost as if they could not believe what they were seeing. Especially Hanka. Since he was so tall, his face was higher than the other party member¡¯s heads. His eyes were extremely wide and his jaws were dropped. ¡°This¡­¡­how¡­¡­?¡± ______________________________________________________________________ [1] Korean Card Game Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 72 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 72: Demon Cave Clearing Squad (3) Hansen approached me with a somewhat bewildered expression. The rest of the party was the same way. All of them looked like they were possessed as they came toward me. ¡°Just what happened?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. What did I just see?¡± ¡°Are you really level 130?¡± What¡¯s the point of trying to be modest after showing all of that? Nor did I have any reason to be modest. Since it ended up like this, I might as well reveal my identity and raise the morale of the party. ¡°I am a winner of the Chaos Battle.¡± ¡°Ah, right! You said your name was Kang Hwi Ram, right? No wonder I thought I heard the name before.¡± ¡°Ah, Kang Hwi Ram! I heard about it too. You are that Kang Hwi Ram?¡± They didn¡¯t know my face, but they must have heard my name. Well, to win the Chaos Battle was the dream for all warriors on the continent. Even though I only won the lowest level of the Chaos Battle, my name seems to have spread a decent amount. ¡°Hold on a bit. Then shouldn¡¯t we change the leader? We can¡¯t have a Chaos Battle winner being commanded by someone below him.¡± Why are you suddenly bringing up changing leaders? There¡¯s always someone like this who ruins the moment. The type of person who tries to suck up to the strong people to get some benefits. The type who have no abilities of their own, but use their words to pretend. We can¡¯t shake the chain of command right now. I didn¡¯t have any desire to do so, nor did I really want to pay attention to each member. Hansen did not have much response. He was overwhelmed with my strength just now that it was difficult for him to say he was going to continue to be the leader. But Hanka was different. He immediately requested a duel, as if two powerful people could not exist in the same place. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram. Fight me!¡± His huffing breath, loud voice, and the way he was looking at me were all burning with desire. I could clearly see Hanka¡¯s goal. Hanka and Hansen have the same goal. He wanted to step up in Hansen¡¯s place to maintain the current chain of command. Well, I could be wrong. But it was outside of my interest. I didn¡¯t have any desire to fight Hanka, and I had even less desire to be the leader. The scout position is the one that fits my style. ¡°I do not fight for no reason. I have no desire to be the leader either.¡± ¡°Why is there no reason? We need to figure out who is the best.¡± I was also not very confident. I didn¡¯t have any experience with physical battles and didn¡¯t have any skills for it either. ¡°Then you can be the best.¡± I kept relenting, but Hanka did not change his mind. He continued to stick to me, as if he would not give up until we fought once. In the end, it ended up as Hanka wanted. He was trying to grab my collar and lift me up, so how could I pretend like nothing was going on? ¡°Fine. First, let go. If we¡¯re going to do it, let¡¯s do it right.¡± With that, we created some distance from each other and started to fight. But I did not stupidly battle using our strength. This was a battle that would be easy even if I used only 10% of my abilities. I used a hit and run tactic to attack. Taat! Contrary to my concerns, the battle was one sided. Hanka was fast for his size, but he was pretty much a tree standing still in comparison to me. Hanka tried to swing his fist and grab my clothes, but he missed each time. On the other hand, my attacks were successful 100% of the time. Papak! After being beat up for a while, Hanka faced the shame of tripping over my leg as well. Plop- ¡°Aigoo!¡± It was my overwhelming victory, no matter who was watching. Once that happened, the prisoners started to push me as the leader. ¡°Then Kang Hwi Ram is the leader from here on.¡± ¡°Leader, give us our commands.¡± I don¡¯t think so. I told you I have no desire to be the leader. But the atmosphere suddenly became tense. All of the prisoners were taking my side and pushing for a leader change. Hansen looked like he had no choice but to agree either. Fine then. I will act as the leader. But not the type of leader you are all expecting me to be. I have my own method of doing things. ¡°Fine. I will give my first order. I will do the scouting. The rest of you follow after 5 minutes. Hansen will take charge of the main party. The end!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hmm?¡± All of them looked confused. It was because it was no different than when Hansen was the leader. But they had to follow it because that was my order. We started to move further into the Demon Cave like that. *** [Name: Lee Man Bok Current Occupation: Hanbat Garden Kitchen Manager (Korean Food Specialty Store) Specialty: Dish Development Experience: While running a large restaurant, he was developing all sorts of dishes. He developed a dduk-galbi [1] made with beans and developed a dduk-galbi factory¡­¡­] It was the file Blue Sky Enterprises sent me. I was wondering why it was taking them a long time, but it was because they were very thorough with their research. The file related to Lee Man Bok was over 10 pages. But there was something shocking in the middle. [Lee Hayeon age 19, Lee Jiyeon age 17, Lee Sarang age 15. Originally from Sarang Namu [2] Orphanage. Given new names after adoption.] ¡®Three of them were adopted children?¡¯ I didn¡¯t know. Especially since Lee Hayeon and Lee Jiyeon looked almost identical to their mom. I thought they must be her biological children. But now that I think about it, they did look a bit different. I only mistakenly thought they looked similar because they were all beautiful. Lee Man Bok put a lot of love to Sarang Namu Orphanage, aside from the three children, as well. When his business was doing well, he sent a monthly donation of over 1 million won, and even now, when his business has failed, he visits the orphanage with bags of gifts every so often. He must really like children. But as I continued to read the file, that must not have been the only reason. [Created the Han Sarang Scholarship Foundation] I was sure he had some thought put into it as well. Maybe he might even be having the same type of dream that I have. He was someone I became more curious about the more I got to know. It made me pay even more attention to the files related to Lee Man Bok. (TL: This is really stalkerish in my opinion) ¡®He really has a solid network as well.¡¯ There was no errors in what my mom had said. Famous chefs from tv, Broadcast Network PDs, and press reporters, he was close to all of them. Based on the network revealed in the document, he seemed to be more of a famous person in the broadcasting world rather than Food Researching world. Seeing the network of people around Lee Man Bok, I thought it was amazing. It didn¡¯t seem like he was that successful of a businessman. Looking at the information for the company he developed in the past, the capital net worth for it was probably no more than 5,000,000,000 won ($4675000 USD). Of course, this is a huge amount for the average person, but it wasn¡¯t enough to create such a network of people. ¡®What is his secret?¡¯ The explanation was near the end of the document. [Father: Lee Soo Bong, 72 years old, Poong Ryu Shik Gek] I don¡¯t know the name Lee Soo Bong, but I have heard a lot about, ¡®Poong Ryu Shik Gek.¡¯ They are famous for their organic cooking. They show up a lot on TV as well. Recently, I think I even saw an article about how the Blue House [4] invited Poong Ryu Shik Gek to prepare a luncheon. There was a picture included as well, and it was the face I had seen on TV. [Mother: Bae Gum Jah, 69 years old, Korean Royal Court cuisine specialist, originally started as a teacher] I don¡¯t know the name. But looking at the picture, I feel like I know who it is. I also saw her often on TV. I think I even heard something about how she is the most knowledgeable in Korea when it came to the Korean Royal Court cuisine. Which means, both of his parents are people who we can claim to be two of Korea¡¯s best. Can we call this a golden spoon into the culinary world? I felt like this was it. If I can make Lee Man Bok mine, his network would come with him, so it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to set up the Culinary School. I need to make some time in the future to meet with him. But that was not what was important right now. I needed to figure out my course of action first. If I cannot defeat him next time, all of these dreams will end up disappearing into thin air. I closed the file about Lee Man Bok and opened the, ¡®Royal Roader Draft Plan,¡¯ again. Specifically, I was looking at the information about, ¡®Monsters.¡¯ I needed to know a lot more about monsters in order to find the way to defeat him as well. I focused deeply on the, ¡®Royal Roader Draft Plan,¡¯ again. *** ¡°There are too many! Dodge!¡± I could hear Eaton¡¯s voice behind me. He¡¯s the support magician I added to the scouting party not too long ago. The monsters levels go up the deeper we go into the Demon Cave, and the number of monsters go up as well. Thinking about that, I felt like it might be too much on my own and started to bring him along. I also wanted to raise Eaton¡¯s level. That would make it easier to handle the final boss monster in the end. But Eaton was not that sharp. His magic level wasn¡¯t bad, but his mana control and adaptability was a bit lacking. Like right now. If it is dangerous, I will dodge on my own. I am continuing the fight because it is doable. So he should just shut up and properly provide the support magic. Every time he talks to warn me, I feel the effect of the mana shield getting weaker. ¡°Retreat.¡± Just shut up and provide support properly. I need to sit him down and train him again once I get rid of these guys. Like Eaton said, there really was a lot of monsters. They continued to push forward even though I was killing off three to four of them every second. They were like a pile of bean sprouts.There were so many monsters that my sword had almost nowhere to go. But I was not worried. There was something I had prepared for such a situation. My combo had already reached 70 hits. In that state, I stabbed the cutlass into the ground. [Bladestorm!] A strong wind came out of the sword. It was so strong that it could send everything around me flying. Crash! The monsters that were around me all got flung backwards from the wind. The closest ones got pushed back at least 2 meters. ¡®This is stronger than I thought!¡¯ My magic was only 50. If you use Bladestorm with just this much magic, only a light breeze strong enough to make your hair flutter will be created. (PR: Imagine using deadly sword/magic to make your hair flutter and look handsome) But with the 70 hit combo multiplying its effect hundreds of times, it created a strong current that was enough to push the monsters back that far. I finally had some space to relax. I quickly reached into my bag and took out some fire marbles before throwing them to the floor. Crackle~ A total of five fire marbles created pillars of fire around me. The monsters backed up in shock. The ones who could not back up because of the monsters behind them ended up burning to death while screeching in pain from the heat. Roooooooooar- Some more space was created thanks to the fire pillars. I quickly swung my twin blades again to create a combo. After about 5 minutes like that, there were no more monsters left to hunt. Eaton quickly caught up to me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I turned my head around and stared at Eaton. Almost to the point of glaring. ¡°¡­¡­Why are you looking at me like that¡­¡­?¡± You really don¡¯t know why? If there were two support magicians, you would have been fired already punk. ¡°I will decide when to retreat or not. Eaton-nim just needs to focus on providing support magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah! I understand.¡± Let¡¯s leave it there. Nothing good will come from making him feel really bad. Anyways, there shouldn¡¯t be too much left. If this follows the same pattern from the game, I should be able to meet the final boss monster today, or within the next three or four days at the latest. ¡°Let¡¯s rest a bit.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Only the two of us were here. Since we have spent a lot of time like this, I feel like I¡¯ve gotten much closer to Eaton. Almost to the point where we can share deep conversations. Of course, I won¡¯t be able to tell whether he really is being honest or not. That was why I wanted to test him once I got the chance. Just how much can I trust Eaton? Right now was the best time since the boss battle is near. I lightly asked. ¡°Have you been in a group with Hansen-nim for a long time?¡± ¡°No. this is my first time meeting him.¡± ¡°The rest of the members as well?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I did not ask further. I already knew he was lying. It happened a while ago, but I clearly remember what he said last time. [Leader Hansen-nim is a brilliant leader.] How would you know that if you just met him? Eaton¡¯s expression was too serious for it to be simple lip service. It also didn¡¯t make sense for him to provide that lip service to me, instead of directly to Hansen. That means that there is only one conclusion. They should have been working together for a long time. All twelve of them. Thirteen if you include Hanka, they are just hiding that fact. ¡®Just why are they hiding it?¡¯ I¡¯m sure they have their reasons. I just can¡¯t let my guard down until I know for sure what that reason is. More importantly, I need to thoroughly hide the fact that I am questioning their relationship. ¡°Since we have rested enough, shall we get back up?¡± I took the lead again. The speed was not that fast. It was hard to raise the speed since some difficult-to-handle monsters popped up here and there, and I also slowed my speed down to give the main party enough time to keep up with us. How long have I been walking for? ¡°Why are ¡­¡­?¡± I raised my hand toward Eaton. It was our signal to be quiet. Since we had already agreed on this signal, Eaton quickly stopped talking. He then followed me and lowered his stance. I did not start to speak. I sent a signal for Eaton to stay there and slowly moved forward. I think I moved forward about 100 meters? ¡®As I thought!¡¯ There was a giant hall. In fact, it was so large that, ¡®giant,¡¯ was not enough to describe it. It was big enough to put six soccer fields together. The ceiling was high as well, so it made it feel like a humongous dome stadium. I was sure. The main hall of the Demon Cave. Which means, the location the final boss monster is waiting for us. That means it was now time. Time to get out of this boring Demon Cave. Also, time for the party members who are hiding something to reveal their true natures. _______________________________________________ [1] A dish where you pound the meat to look like dduk (Korean word for ricecake) [2] Literally translates to Love Tree Orphanage [3] Literally translates to One Love Scholarship Foundation [4] Korean version of the White House (Presidential residence) Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 73 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 73: The Decision That Separates Life and Death (1) I couldn¡¯t stop wondering every time I saw the Hansen posse. Just who are they? Why would they choose to come into this dangerous Demon Cave? Based on their actions so far, their goal does not seem to be very different than mine. Clear the Demon Cave and get the reward. I was sure about that based on how much he was doing to make sure the teamwork was maintained. But the only reward that I could think of that was worth it was the Unicorn Horn Flute. This many people put their lives on the line for a single Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute? That makes no sense. ¡®Is there perhaps an amazing reward that I don¡¯t know about?¡¯ If that¡¯s the case, they will show their true colors as we defeat the final boss monster. I just need to make sure to keep my guard up all the way until the end. ¡®Do not get hurt. Always maintain enough stamina.¡¯ I thought to myself as I looked inside the giant hall. It was full of monsters. I wonder how many there are. There were at least tens of thousands of monsters. There were weak monsters among them like Cave Goblins, but the majority were over level 150. ¡®Shit, there is even a Red Snake!¡¯ It is around level 180. It always moves in a group, and not only does it crawl across the floor, it can freely crawl on the walls and ceiling. Which means, you need to keep your attention on all 360 degrees while you fight it. Thankfully, I was able to know its weakness thanks to the draft plan. ¡®What else is there?¡¯ Blood Dog, Big Cat, Death Monkey, Death Cow¡­¡­ It was like a gathering location for all sorts of monsters. They ranged greatly in size, color, and even level. But I did not see the boss monster yet. If it is a monster boss for something of this size, it will be, at minimum, in the late 200s¡­¡­ ¡®Oh, is that also a monster?¡¯ I saw a slick boulder in the center of the hall. But as I took a closer look, it was not a boulder. It was squirming around. ¡®Cave Octopus!!¡¯ I was certain. It was not a boulder but the octopus¡¯s head. I experienced many times in the game, and I memorized its information from the draft plan as well. Because of that, I was hoping it would be any other monster but the Cave Octopus, but damn it, why did it have to be him? It wasn¡¯t because he was hard to deal with. ¡®Shit, terrible luck.¡¯ There are two main reasons users entered dungeons in the game. One was for a quick level up, and the other was for the quest reward item or the items they could earn from defeating the final boss monster. I was the same way. The biggest reason was the, ¡®Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute,¡¯ but I couldn¡¯t ignore the item I may earn from defeating the boss monster. If I was lucky enough to have the boss monster be something like the Golden Turtle, I could have earned a rare item like the, ¡®Golden Scales,¡¯ and put it to good use. My anticipation had gone up because of the Hansen posse as well. If they were aiming for anything, that had to be it. But the Cave Octopus did not have anything like that. Well, one thing. It dropped the ¡®Light Breaker,¡¯ with a low probability. If something like that comes out, I would be saying gracias for sure. Anyways, just how tall is it? It seemed to be at least 10 meters tall. Then the legs should be at least three times as long. The tentacles would be over 50 meters long. It would be a terrible miscalculation to think it would move slowly because it was an octopus on land. Normally it is just lounging around like that, but once it turns to attack mode, the tens of legs move very quickly. The more dangerous thing is that there are a lot of different parasitic monsters around the Cave Octopus. The Bite Worm is smaller than your forearm, but they have sharp teeth that can rip off your skin with a single bite. The Blood Spiders are the size of a soccer ball but can easily jump close to 5 meters. Once they stick to you, it is hard to get them off. They stick to you and pretty much stick a straw in your body and suck your blood. The Juggle Ant hops around like a flea as they approach you. They are the size of a fist and also stick to your body and bite down with their teeth. They are pretty poisonous, so a single bite can be very painful. There should be at least ten thousand of those. ¡®It is not going to be an easy battle.¡¯ But I cannot avoid this battle. I need to figure out a way to defeat them all. I lowered my presence and moved away from the hall. Eaton had a curious look on his face, but he could not speak out of caution. The two of us went back to meet up with the rest of the party. ¡°Lower your voice. The boss monster group is approximately 500 meters away.¡± 500 meters should be far enough for most noise to be okay. But every so often, there are really sensitive ones, so it is smart to be cautious. ¡°What is the boss monster?¡± ¡°Cave Octopus.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°This is my first time hearing about it.¡± It is not a common monster. It is so big that it usually doesn¡¯t come out even if the Demon Cave is open. Which mean, it is a monster you can only see if you enter Demon Caves. ¡°It is close to level 300.¡± ¡°Heeeeek!¡± ¡°A level 300 monster in a level 149 Demon Cave.¡± ¡°We have no luck. Spit!¡± Everyone was feeling down. They must be thinking it will be impossible to return alive. The Hansen posse was the same way. They weren¡¯t saying negative things like the prisoners, but their expression also became darker. Which means, they would have had no prior information about the final boss monster. Then they shouldn¡¯t have the drop as their goal. I can¡¯t understand them even more now. ¡°Then what are we supposed to do from here?¡± ¡°Do we have to end up as fodder for the Cave Octopus like this?¡± That is if I wasn¡¯t here. ¡°We still have to try. We can¡¯t just give up.¡± ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± ¡°First, let¡¯s get rid of the other monsters. There shouldn¡¯t be any more than 100,000, but there is still too many.¡± ¡°Gasp! 100,000¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Shhh!¡± Are they trying to kill us? Why are they not cautious at all? I lifted up my finger to my lips and they finally quieted down again. There really wasn¡¯t a difference with the number of monsters. The important thing was how many strong monsters that would difficult to handle. The number of those strong monsters I saw were not that many. Which means, this was a prime chance to raise my level up a good amount. Not just me, but for our whole team. Although, the majority of the experience will go to me. ¡°We just need to set up in the right place. If we fight in a small area, even if it was 1,000,000 monsters instead of 100,000, we would be able to take them on.¡± ¡°If you are talking about a small area, that place we passed by earlier would be good.¡± There are many forks in Demon Caves. But it was not like a maze. They were made so that even though they split, they eventually end up coming back together. There was a fork like that not too far back, one that broke off into three areas. Right before that fork was a pretty large area that could almost be considered a hall. It was like the heavens created a fortress for us to take care of the monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s head there first.¡± *** ¡°Are you all ready?¡± Everyone nodded their heads at my question. All of their eyes were extremely wide with nervousness. ¡°Yes.¡± I really wanted to direct each of them to do this or that, but I have never led a team before. In that aspect, Hansen should be better than me. ¡°Hansen-nim. I leave it up to you.¡± ¡°I understand. Please be careful.¡± I looked at Eaton this time. ¡°Are you ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Eaton did not back away this time either. He changed the magic crystal in his staff to a fresh one and clenched it tightly. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The party members opened the door made of a shield for us. Each tunnel had about 30 of them stationed and prepared with a shield wall. Step. Step. I walked forward. Eaton followed me about 30 meters behind. It was the furthest he could be without being out of range to support me. The support magic should be weaker like this, but Eaton should be safer. I lifted up my hand at the entrance of the hall. The magic light on his helmet made it not possible to see Eaton¡¯s face. But I¡¯m sure he¡¯s very nervous right now. I took out my cutlass and clenched it tightly. I also drank a XL intermediate healing potion in advance. Next, I took out a fire marble and threw it into the hall. A fire pillar shot up from the marble. Crackle- I then started to hit the sidewall of the hall entrance with my cutlass. Clang- Clang- The sound of metal hitting boulder was pretty sharp. This Demon Cave that was completely made of boulder echoed the noise far far away. Growl- Caw! Squeak Squeak. The atmosphere in the hall instantly changed. I heard all sorts of noises before I heard a rumble and felt the ground starting to shake. Following that was a giant crowd heading toward us. ¡®They¡¯re coming!¡¯ The first monsters to come out were the Big Cats as I expected. They are similar to cats, but they are so skinny it looks like only their bones are left. I think it would be accurate to call them a large cat zombie. But their speed was super fast. With that kind of speed, they should be able to run 100 meters in less than 5 seconds. I took out 8 fire marbles and threw it around me. Crackle- Fire pillars started to shoot up in multiple locations. Crawwwww- The Big Cats twisted their bodies in shock. Thanks to that, their momentum disappeared. On the other hand, I was not affected that much. With the effect from Bogochan¡¯s Necklace as well as my own affinity, my current fire affinity was 56%. Even Amy¡¯s over level 300 Fire Wall did not harm me.These fire pillars should not be stronger than a level 100 Fire Magician¡¯s Fire Pillar. I also felt the flow of mana throughout my body. Eaton had put a mana shield on me from the back. Focus more on defense rather than offense. That was what I had asked him to do. I didn¡¯t need the attack help since I was going to rely on combo anyways to attack. I started to swing BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades. [Drake¡¯s TBSA!] The Big Cat was fast, but I wasn¡¯t much slower. I twisted my body to make the Big Cat¡¯s front foot that was attacking me go by, before landing my first combo. The Big Cat did not receive much damage. It was because the attack strength of the cutlass was not that high. But this was just the beginning. The combo level quickly went up. In less than 5 seconds, it was already over a 20 hit combo. Papapat- The Big Cat finally started to show a reaction. It seems to be in a lot of pain. Meow! ¡®I¡¯m hurting too!¡¯ The Big Cat¡¯s front feet scratched me in multiple locations. I could avoid one or two of them without getting injured, but with tens of them attacking me at once, I couldn¡¯t avoid them all. But it was not a dangerous level. Thanks to my intuition, which was over 90, I was able to dodge the majority of the attacks, and the ones that only skim me couldn¡¯t damage me because of my reinforced toughness. Every so often, I got scratched pretty badly, but the injury wasn¡¯t too bad because of reinforced toughness and Eaton¡¯s Mana Shield. But the same could not be said for the Big Cat. Once Combo passed 40 hits, they received a lot of damage with each attack, and died with a second attack. Shushushu- I did not start to retreat. No, it was not time to retreat just yet. I need to at least take care of all the Big Cats before retreating. It was because of Eaton. I could run as fast as the Big Cat, but Eaton, whose stats were focused on magic, would be caught in less than 100 meters. On one hand, I had some confidence as well. I could handle this level of fighting on my own without much injuries. There was also something I have not used yet. But there really are a lot of them. Now, the Blood Dogs joined in as well. Groooowl- ¡®Don¡¯t all come at once you freaking mutts!¡¯ My combo had already reached 70 hits. Each swing of my cutlass cut the neck, leg, or waist of a Big Cat or Blood Dog. It didn¡¯t really matter which it was. ¡®Shit! Critical damage fail! Restart!¡¯ My combo ended and I restarted from level 1 combo. As I continued to slash and slash again, I could not see anymore Big Cats or Blood Dogs. I managed to get rid of the ones with overwhelming speed. Not even 3 minutes had gone by since it started. But I had hunted over 500 monsters. It will be dangerous if I take any more time. If too many monsters show up, I will not have enough room to move around. Even if I manage to kill 10,000 monsters, it would be useless if my body couldn¡¯t handle it. I specifically need to be careful to not get injured. I need to be wary about the Hansen posse in addition to the monsters. I need to be prepared for the, ¡®what ifs,¡¯ at all time. I can¡¯t forget about Eaton as well. I need to give him enough time to run away. The Fire Marbles seem to have about 5 minutes left. I should start preparing now. I shouted toward Eaton. ¡°Run!¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 74 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 74: The Decision That Separates Life and Death (2) I could see Eaton running quickly after hearing my voice. I needed to make at least 2 minutes of time for him. That should be enough time for even Eaton to safely return to the main party. The fire marbles should keep running until then too. My surroundings were suddenly full of new monsters. ¡®What are the names of these ones?¡¯ They were monsters I never saw in the draft plan. Overall, they looked like monkeys, but their skin was like a frog¡¯s skin. If you leave the naming to me, I would probably call them, ¡®Frog Monkeys.¡¯ Those monsters were jumping like frogs, and they jumped forward about 6 to 7 meters every time they jumped. At that speed, they shouldn¡¯t be much slower than the Big Cats. Thankfully, they seem to really hate fire. A bunch of them tried to come forward, but as they moved while trying to avoid the fire pillars, sometimes they ran into each other as well. But I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this. No wonder. Papat! ¡°Ugh!¡± They were just like the Death Frogs. Once I slashed them with the cutlass, their poisonous blood spurted out. Some of it landed on my face. If it landed in my eyes, it would have been dangerous as I would have been blinded for a moment. I quickly took an antidote from my wrist belt and put it in my mouth. Thankfully, other than their jumping skills and poisonous blood, they didn¡¯t have much other strengths. I just needed to stand the pain. Since I am a master of tolerating pain, this shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I told myself, ¡®this is all experience,¡¯ and swung my cutlass even harder. Papat! But things were getting more difficult the longer I stayed. While I was taking care of the Frog Monkeys, a bunch of other monsters caught up to us. I felt like I was stuck in a pile of monster bean sprouts. I almost didn¡¯t even have room to move. No matter how high my intuition is, I still only have two eyes. And my 91 intuition isn¡¯t even that high. For example, I can¡¯t see the attacks that are flying at me from the back. I was twisting my body left and right, but the injuries continued to increase. Papat! ¡®Ugh!¡¯ It hurts. Not only did it hurt, it was also quickly lowering my HP. My HP was quickly filling back up thanks to the potion I drank earlier as well as my endurance stat, but it was going down at a much faster rate. If it wasn¡¯t for the multiple fire pillars I created earlier, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to handle it at this point. But I could not retreat just yet. I had to create a little more time for Eaton. I did not get nervous. I still had something up my sleeve. Isn¡¯t that the difference between a beginner and a veteran? Danger management and situational awareness. Although I haven¡¯t spent many years in Royal Roader, I was an extremely experienced veteran of the game. ¡®First, a combo!¡¯ Papapat! Since there were so many monsters around me, my combo instantly went up past 60 hits. 65 hits, 66 hits, 67 hits¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ [540,892] [632,844] [740,427] ¡­¡­ A strong damage that seemed to be impossible from such a thin cutlass. Thanks to that, monsters were falling down with every hit. I was starting to hunt three to four monsters in a second. But I can¡¯t believe there are so many monsters. ¡®Ugh!¡¯ I received a pretty heavy damage from the back. That one hit lowered my HP by 30. But I was finished with my preparations as well. [Bladestorm!] I stabbed my cutlass into the ground like I was planting a flag. A strong hurricane instantly appeared with me in the center. Kwakwakwa- The monsters nearby were swept away by the strong hurricane and fell backwards. But wind is still only wind. You can¡¯t defeat monsters with just wind. ¡®This should be enough for Eaton to reach safety, right?¡¯ I started to run while the monsters were down. Since I took care of the Big Cats and Frog Monkeys, there should not be any monsters that can catch up to my speed. I quickly arrived at the fork where the main party was waiting with their shields held up. But I did not merge with them. My battleground was the pretty large area in front of them. I threw multiple fire marbles in all directions. Once ten fire pillars shot up from the marbles, everything seemed to be dyed red. As I did that, the monsters arrived along with the rumble. Tang tang tang! A volley of arrows shot out from behind the shields. All of their levels were low, but their continuous shooting speed was pretty fast. Crackle- These monsters would not fall down dead from a couple arrows. These monsters were at least level 150 after all. But do you think we only prepared arrows? Crackle- We also had a Fire Wall. In fact, we had three layers of Fire Walls. Fire Magician is the most common class! Even our clearing squad had three of them. All of their levels were low so the heat wasn¡¯t that strong, but it was enough to lower the monsters¡¯ morale. The rest was left for me. I maneuvered around the fire pillars and gave the monsters a taste of my Drake¡¯s TBSA. Papapat- As my combo went up, the monsters were falling down like hay. It almost felt like not enough monsters were making it past the Fire Wall. I would have used the Bladestorm skill if I needed to, but I don¡¯t need it at this level of difficulty. My confidence was shooting up. I was excited. It was like I was subconsciously going crazy for blood. The party members were the same. Their arrows did not stop, and whenever a fire pillar was starting to get weaker, someone accurately threw a new fire marble to create a new fire pillar. I lost all my consciousness at some point. I forgot about everything else and was absorbed in my battle with the monsters. That message came up every so often. I didn¡¯t care about it and continued to swing my cutlass. Papapapat- I even forgot about putting the bonus stat point into agility. No, I thought that the message in my head was part of the battle. I moved around to the monsters that made it past the Fire Wall and used my Drake¡¯s TBSA like I was crazy. *** I finally came back to my senses. It was because there were no monsters left to hunt. Haa. Haa. Haa. Now that I think about it, I was out of breathe. That just showed how much I had moved. How much time must have passed? When I looked at my magic watch, it was about 30 minutes later. For me to be this out of breath after just moving for 30 minutes. It was because I was extremely excited. Excitement alone is enough to make you breathe faster. I was also moving vigorously. I hunted a lot of monsters as proof. I estimate I hunted about 30,000 of them. I probably received about 50% of the total experience. The rest should have gone to the support magician and fire magician, and then the party members who shot arrows at the monsters should be after them. How much did my level go up? I do remember hearing the level up message pretty frequently. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 164] Dexterity: Advanced Level 3, 32% Strength: 153 Agility: 749 Stamina: 90 Intuition: 91 Magic: 50 Vitality: 36 Mana: 422 HP: 549 Endurance: 33 Reinforced Toughness: 100 Available points: 27 My level went up 5 times while I was crazily absorbed in the fight. The number of available points proves that to be the case. Demon Caves really are the best places to raise your level. If I could guarantee my safety, I would go in them all the time. While I was doing that, my teammates approached me. ¡°Wow. You really are amazing! I was curious to know how well you can fight as a Chaos Battle winner, but you are pretty much a War God.¡± ¡°But are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± Can¡¯t you see for yourself? My body was covered with injuries. But the injuries can be healed in less than 5 minutes with healing potions. The problem is my armor. The Skywolf Leather armor became a mess. It was ripped and broken in multiple locations from blocking monster attacks. In this state, the stealthy approach probably won¡¯t work either. I don¡¯t even know if it can be fixed because it is so damaged. Anyways,I can¡¯t wear this anymore. Of course I had many other armors to use. I had prepared them prior to entering the Demon Cave. It was about time to change out of the Skywolf Leather Armor anyways. Stealthy Approach was important until now, but defense and attack strength will be important from here on. I took out a new leather armor from my bag. [Green Ogre¡¯s Leather Armor] Made of Ogre leather. The set contains armor, pants, and gloves. Durability: 196/196 Defense: 84 Restriction: Level 150 *Special abilities: It cost a whole 170,000,000 won for it. Ogre Leather Armors are usually expensive to start. They have the best defense of all leather armors and the special abilities are good as well. I managed to buy it cheap because it was a Green Ogre¡¯s Leather Armor. If it was a Battle Ogre¡¯s Armor, with the power-up at the S-Grade, it would have cost at least a billion won. Not that I could wear the Battle Ogre¡¯s Leather armor since the level restriction was level 300. I changed into the Green Ogre¡¯s Leather armor. The party member¡¯s responded to my appearance. ¡°Oh! Isn¡¯t that an Ogre set?¡± ¡°Wow, he must have a lot of money as well.¡± ¡°Let us be close friends.¡± All of them must have plenty of energy. They can waste their energy with a stupid joke like that. I guess I was pretty much the only one to run around. I need to always maintain enough stamina. I don¡¯t want to do it, but I may need to prepare to fight not just the monsters, but the other party members as well. ¡°Let us rest a bit before starting again.¡± *** ¡°Huuuu.¡± My whole body was covered in sweat. But I was still feeling good. After battling four times, there were not many monsters left to hunt. Of course there were still a couple hundred monsters left in the hall. I left them there on purpose. I needed a decent amount in order to use them as stepping stones for combo. I rested for a hour once more. I slept peacefully for 8 hours and then fought for 30 minutes, so this short rest was enough to restore all of my stamina. I should be able to respond to any emergency situations effectively. ¡°Shall we go now?¡± ¡°Huuu, I guess it is finally the boss monster.¡± ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s go. We will need to fight it at some point.¡± We headed to the large hall together. ¡°Where is the Cave Octopus?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡± They were whispering. Of course they couldn¡¯t see it. The hall was really wide and dark. The magic lights on their foreheads were just too weak. They also turned those off around the hall. The monsters would run toward us if they were irritated by the light. It was finally time to make a decision. What decision will the Hansen posse make? I first laid out the bait. ¡°The Cave Octopus is deep inside. Is there anyone who wants to attempt to hunt the boss monster?¡± I looked around before resting my eyes on Hanka. If he was also part of Hansen¡¯s posse, and if Hansen¡¯s posse had the final boss monster as their goal, Hanak would definitely step up. But Hanka did not step up. It was the same for the rest of Hansen¡¯s posse. They were all looking at each other, as if they were trying to pass the responsibility off to someone else. Someone suddenly spoke up at that time. ¡°I will try.¡± It was a prisoner named Gazni. I thought the Hansen posse would step up, but I surprisingly got a prisoner volunteer. His abilities were pretty good. I¡¯ve been watching him, and the way he moves his sword is very sharp and formulated compared to the others. I guess he looks like a well-trained soldier? Although I don¡¯t know why such a person would be among the terrible criminals. But this was not the time to dissuade him. It wasn¡¯t like he was going to listen anyways, but it would also only bring trouble. ¡°I understand. We will all try to distract the Cave Octopus. Is everybody ready?¡± Everybody bit down on their lips and nodded their heads. ¡°Turn on the light and approach!¡± Everybody turned on the magic lights on their foreheads. We all ran into the hall with me in the lead. Gazni entered last. He was also moving in a different direction. While the rest of the party was trying to distract the Cave Octopus, he was aiming for the Cave Octopus¡¯s blind spot. ¡°Aah, what is that?¡± ¡°Is that a monster or a giant boulder?¡± The party members finally saw the Cave Octopus in front of them. It¡¯s overwhelming size. ¡°Watch out. Those tentacles stretch out further than you¡¯d imagine.¡± The Cave Octopus had over 30 tentacles. As the party members started to approach it, it started to pressure them by stretching them out. There were so many tentacles that it was hard to find a gap to approach it. But it still only has two eyes. No matter how many tentacles it has, if you approach it from a blind spot, it won¡¯t be able to attack you. Crackle- A Fire Wall was created between us and the Cave Octopus, and a Fire Pillar was created on top of its head as well. Of course that wasn¡¯t enough to do much to the Cave Octopus. The magician¡¯s magic levels were too weak for that. But our plan was still a success. Our goal wasn¡¯t to hunt it, but to draw its attention. The Cave Octopus only looked at us while moving around. The other monsters were only staring at us from past the Fire Pillar. None of them were paying any attention to Gazni who was moving behind them. Well, that¡¯s what I thought. But suddenly. ¡°Aah. Sa, save me. Aaaah.¡± Gazni, who was sneaking up behind the Cave Octopus, was screaming. ¡°What? What happened?¡± ¡°Why¡­¡­?¡± I¡¯m sure they can¡¯t understand. But I had already anticipated it. It was because of the parasitic monsters around the Cave Octopus. The large ones are the size of soccer balls, and the small ones are the size of a fist, but there should be over ten thousand of them. Weak monsters that less than level 10. But even those monsters can injure you if they bite you with their teeth. You would at least receive 1 damage from them. So if tens of them all attacked you at once? Even if each of them only attacked once, you would receive a ton of damage. If they attack once every second, in ten seconds, you would receive hundreds of damage. Someone with a couple thousand HP would still not be able to last more than a minute. But would a warrior who is not even level 150 have that much HP? Gazni¡¯s scream did not last more than 5 seconds. He shouted because of the parasitic monsters, and that scream made the other monsters and the Cave Octopus attack him as well. ¡°Retreat!¡± We quickly ran out of the hall. The minion monsters did not chase after us. They stayed close to the Cave Octopus, as if they were his own set of guards. ¡°It is as I expected.¡± Everybody¡¯s eyes turned large at my words. They were filled with fear. ¡°As you expected?¡± ¡°There are many parasitic monsters around the Cave Octopus. I think Gazni-nim was attacked by them and killed.¡± ¡°Parasitic monsters?¡± ¡°Shit, then what are we supposed to do?¡± ¡°Should we burn them all with fire magic first?¡± It was possible. But there were too many places to burn up. And if we use the fire magic like that, we won¡¯t be able to retreat to the Fire Wall to defend against the monsters. There was no reason to do that either. I had a better idea. ¡°If nobody wants to attempt it, I will do it.¡± ¡°It is too dangerous.¡± Honestly speaking, I am not too worried about the Cave Octopus. I know how to catch it. But it is Hansen¡¯s posse that I am worried about. They still haven¡¯t made a move. I feel like they are aiming for the end of the Cave Octopus hunt. It is also possible that I have made a big misunderstanding. Either way, we still have to hunt the Cave Octopus first. Then they should show their true colors. The ones to pick death and the ones to pick life. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 75 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 75: Incomprehensible Identity (1) ¡°I have a method to hunt the Cave Octopus.¡± ¡°How?¡± How do I explain that? It¡¯s something I can only do since I have the Owl¡¯s Eye, Combo, and reinforced toughness. I need to show all of my cards. ¡°I will show you with my actions. All of you just have to do what you did earlier.¡± ¡°We understand.¡± ¡°We will just trust Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± All of them had no choice but to follow my suggestion. They had no other alternative. After resting for a bit, I got up from my seat. ¡°Then let¡¯s try again.¡± I had the rest of the party turn on their magic lights and enter the hall first. While they distracted the Cave Octopus, I also entered. I went toward the back of the Cave Octopus like Gazni had done before. Of course, I was able to move in a way that was worlds apart from how Gazni had moved. It was because i had the Owl¡¯s Eye. Crackle- The fires that the magicians created were rising up in multiple locations. All of them were working hard to draw the attention of the Cave Octopus . I matched the timing to approach the Cave Octopus. But, ¡®Shit!¡¯ The Cave Octopus had set up guards. Tens of Blood Dogs were stationed behind him. Growl- A Blood Dog spotted me and growled fiercely as it ran toward me. Thanks to that, the Cave Octopus noticed me as well. It¡¯s legs were already squirming around me. The parasitic monsters were running toward me as well. Some of them ran across the Cave Octopus¡¯s tentacles, while others hopped up and down to land on my head, chest, and back. They were really sticky monsters. I tried to fling them off with my hand, but it was pretty hard to do. Since it was like this, how could Gazni survive? The darkness would have made it hard for him to move just by itself. There was no way he would have been able to keep his life with the parasitic monsters attacking him as well. But I was different. Neither the darkness nor the parasitic monsters bothered me. I didn¡¯t even need to pick them off. It was thanks to reinforced toughness. I won¡¯t receive any damage from such weak attacks. I just have to watch out for one thing! I need to make sure to maintain my sight and breathing. So whenever I spotted one jumping toward my face, I moved my head to dodge or used my hand to remove it. I quickly approached the Cave Octopus while doing that. Growl- Rawr- The Blood Dogs ran toward me to block my way. I was thankful. The parasitic monsters were not useful in creating combos. You need to land a decent amount of damage for it to become a critical hit, but they were too weak for that. No matter how much I swung my cutlass, I couldn¡¯t land a critical hit. But the blood dogs were strong enough. And they weren¡¯t that fast in my point of view. Long story short, they were the perfect stepping stones for combo. Papapat- A combo finally started. The more Blood Dogs ran toward me, the faster my level of combo went up. The Cave Octopus moved its tentacles to catch me as well. But I was already in the octopus¡¯s blind spot. When no Blood Dogs were nearby, I used the Cave Octopus¡¯s tentacles as stepping stones to get closer and closer to the Cave Octopus. I used the moment the combo was stopped to take out a fire marble and to throw it under the Cave Octopus. Crackle- The heat wasn¡¯t that strong, but it was enough to annoy the Cave Octopus. The Cave Octopus, that was annoyed by the fire, squirmed much more vigorously. But each time it did that, openings were created in between the Cave Octopus¡¯s tentacles. I needed to be careful. Since the movements didn¡¯t really have any rhythm in them, if I get the timing wrong, I could end up being squashed by the Cave Octopus¡¯s body or tentacle. Still, I was able to get rid of the Blood Dogs thanks to that. A couple of them fearlessly chased after me before getting killed by the Cave Octopus¡¯s tentacles. I started another combo. Papapat- Since the giant Cave Octopus was next to me it was super easy to make a combo. As I continued to build up my combo like that, I used the moment the tentacles moved to head toward the Cave Octopus¡¯s head. I could finally see the Cave Octopus¡¯s eyes. The Cave Octopus looked me as well. I feel like the cave octopus¡¯s eyes suddenly got larger. It must have instinctively sensed danger. The Cave Octopus¡¯s biggest weakness is its eyes. Squirm squirm- The Cave Octopus moved quickly with the goal of protecting its eyes. But I was faster. I quickly approached it and used a 30+ hit combo deep into its eye. But, ¡°Ugh!¡± I felt a terrible pain on my back. When I turned my head to look, one of the Cave Octopus¡¯s long tentacles was stabbed into my back. The damage was reduced thanks to the Green Ogre¡¯s Leather Armor and reinforced toughness, but the tentacle¡¯s attack strength was still really high. The damage was so high that I almost lost consciousness for a moment. I quickly swung my cutlass to slice off the end of the tentacle. But it was already too late. I felt like I was losing all strength in my legs. It was hard to just stay standing. I started to run, thinking I needed to at least get away, but I fell to the ground after I took less than five steps. ¡°Growl¡­¡­¡± Thankfully, the Cave Octopus was falling down as well. But it was not time to relax. The real danger here is not the monster but the people. Especially in a situation like this when I don¡¯t have the strength to protect myself. I quickly turned my head to locate the Hansen posse. I also took out a healing potion from my bag and drank it at the same time. Drinking it was not enough, so I poured it onto my back. A portion of the healing potion that flowed down my back reached the injury. Thanks to that, I felt like the injury was healing pretty quickly. But I still could not put any strength in my legs. I wanted to stand up, but I could not do it. ¡®Hurry. Please.¡¯ I was waiting for my injuries to heal while praying. But then I heard a voice. It was Hansen¡¯s voice. He was quickly heading toward me. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram-nim! Where are you?¡± I felt like my heart was sinking. I worked so hard to avoid a situation like this. That was why I was working so hard to avoid any severe injury. ¡®Shit. I need more time.¡¯ But Hansen did not give me any time. In fact, it looked like he was hurrying even more to get to me. I clenched my twin blades thinking that I needed to prepare just in case. But the continued message was somewhat unexpected. ¡°He¡¯s over there. Let¡¯s hurry up and rescue him.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t get close because of the parasitic monsters.¡± ¡°Fire Magician! Please create a path. We must save Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± Hansen was urging the rest of them to try to save me. The rest of them were trying their best as well. Some Fire Walls were created to make a path toward me. Hansen, as well as a couple other people, used that path to run toward me. Hansen¡¯s expression was full of concern. I couldn¡¯t see any signs of trying to hurt me.He really was running toward me as fast as possible because he sincerely wanted to save me. ¡®Did I misunderstand their intention?¡¯ But not all of them were moving with the same intentions that Hansen had. A couple of them were only moving because of their greed. The majority of the prisoners were like that. They pretended to follow us until now to stay alive, but they showed their true colors once the final boss monster, the Cave Octopus, melted away. ¡°It¡¯s the priest!¡± ¡°I found her first. She¡¯s mine.¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s mine. Don¡¯t touch her!¡± ¡®Priest?¡¯ When i turned my head, in the middle of where the Cave Octopus melted away was the priest of the Athena Temple. She must have been trapped in the Cave Octopus¡¯s stomach. The priest was still unconscious. The party members all ran forward to try to save the priest. ¡°No! It is not over yet!¡± I shouted as loudly as I could. Some of them stopped moving at my shout. But the majority of them ignored it and ran toward the priest. Hansen shouted as urgently as I did. ¡°Do not touch the priest-nim. Hurry up and save the priest-nim! Kill anyone who touches the priest-nim!¡± The first command was probably to the prisoners while the latter command was to his posse. But the command to the posse was a bit odd. ¡®Kill anyone who touches the priest-nim?¡¯ Does that mean their goal has to do with the priest? The members who had stopped for a bit started to run toward the priest again as soon as Hansen gave his order. I can¡¯t let them all die like this. I don¡¯t know what their goal is, but I am at least certain they have no thoughts about harming me. ¡°It is not over yet. Watch out! That is just bait.¡± ¡°Bait?¡± Hansen¡¯s shoulders flinched at my words. He then urgently changed his command. ¡°Stop! Stop immediately!¡± The members stopped their movement again. They seem to follow all of Hansen¡¯s orders. ¡°Move back. Move outside the range of the Cave Octopus¡¯s remains!¡± ¡°Move back. Even further!¡± Hansen ordered as if he was delivering my message, and each time, the members followed accordingly. I¡¯m sure they are one team. And not just any team. If they have been trained to listen so well to commands, there is a good chance they are an elite team. It just made me even more curious. ¡®Are they perhaps a special forces team that the temple quietly hired?¡¯ That was a pretty unlikely hypothesis. If they were going to do that, they would have hired special forces for all 100 members instead of using prisoners. Then just what is their true identity? ¡°We need to get out of here first. Hurry!¡± Hansen and a couple other people supported me. The parasitic monsters jumped toward us in masses, but nobody really cared and continued to run. That image was pretty memorable. They were putting aside their own safety to save me. Of course, they probably drank some continuous healing potion in advance. But I still felt a bit sorry. I had been doubting these people. After they laid me down in a safe location, they started to take the parasitic monsters off of each other. ¡°Ow, it stings!¡± ¡°Disgusting monsters!¡± ¡°¡±Please take this one off too.¡± While they did that, I took a look toward where the Cave Octopus had melted. Things were progressing as I expected. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± ¡°Ugh! What is this?¡± ¡°Save me!¡± The members who ran forward to take the priest for themselves were all screaming in pain. The remains of the Cave Octopus¡¯s wreckage were encroaching on those party members. ¡°Stupid idiots. The Cave Octopus hasn¡¯t been defeated yet.¡± Once you stab the Cave Octopus¡¯s eye, it¡¯s body melts away. But that does not kill the Cave Octopus. It actually just divides itself into thousands of mini-Cave Octopi to get rid of its weakness. There are also over ten thousand parasitic monsters in the area as well. ¡®Running in without a plan is just committing suicide.¡¯ That is what I wanted to say. But it was already too late. Tens of clearing squad members ran toward the priest, and none of them survived. Annihilation. The remaining members were the ten who stopped moving at my shout, as well as the five next to me. As expected, Hansen, and the rest of the twelve volunteers were all included. Hanka was still here as well. And two prisoners were still here as well, which I did not expect. Hansen was tapping his foot. It was because of the priest. He seemed to be annoyed that she was right in front of us, but we could not save her. The rest of Hansen¡¯s posse was the same way. ¡°We need to quickly save the priest-nim.¡± ¡°Is there no method?¡± ¡°Fire Magician, create a path!¡± I guess their goal really was to save the priest. Then are they really the temple¡¯s special forces? That makes no sense at all. ¡°The Cave Octopus is pretty resistant to fire. The average fire magic will not kill it. Also¡­¡­¡± I briefly shared the Cave Octopus¡¯s characteristics. The short version is, ¡®You are too weak to kill it.¡¯ ¡°Then what should we do?¡± Isn¡¯t it obvious? I need to hunt it. ¡°I have a method.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°No matter what it is, we need to hurry. The Cave Octopus is starting to form its body again.¡± Hansen¡¯s posse urged me with worried expression. I was seeing it as well. The Cave Octopi, that annihilated the squad members, were slowly moving and gathering together. But rushing will not solve anything. I needed to heal my body first. I need to be able to move properly to do anything. Thankfully, the feeling in my leg was quickly coming back. Now I could start moving again. I picked up my twin blades and stood up. ¡°Please put a mana shield on me.¡± ¡°Will you be okay?¡± ¡°I need to do as much as I can. Fire Magicians, please cast fire magic on the Cave Octopi. That will help slow its merging speed a bit.¡± ¡°We understand.¡± I felt the mana shield surrounding my body as I ran toward the Cave Octopus. *** Huff. Huff. Huff. My breathing was pretty rough. I had moved a lot, and quite vigorously too. No matter how weak they were, there were over 10,000 of them. I still had some parasitic monsters and the Cave Octopi left. But there weren¡¯t too many of them left now. There is nothing more dangerous than thousands of them attacking in a group, but these sporadic monsters everywhere won¡¯t cause any type of danger. Hansen and his posse helped kill the rest. Thanks to that, the Cave Octopus and the parasitic monster corpses disappeared quickly. Once that happened, Hansen, who had been consistently wondering if it was now okay to approach the priest, finally ran toward the priest. Hanak, as well as a couple other members, surrounded him to protect him. ¡°Priest-nim! Please wake up.¡± His voice was full of concern I pushed my slightly tired body forward and headed to the center of the hall. I could finally see the priest¡¯s appearance. Since she was unconscious, of course she looked like a mess. ¡°Priest-nim!¡± Hansen grabbed the priest¡¯s arm again and started to shake it. But the way he looked was surprising. His gaze and voice was very passionate. Almost like he was begging her to open her eyes. On the other hand, his actions were very careful. It looked like he was worried that anything he did might end up hurting the priest. That is not something a stranger would do. The two of them must have some special relationship. From the looks of it, it felt like a princess and her servent. That was how cautious yet gentle each and every one of Hansen¡¯s actions were. But the priest was not moving. She was still completely unconscious. But she was not dead. Her chest and stomach were moving in a routine manner to show that she was breathing. While that was going on, I heard a voice in my head. The rest of the Cave Octopus¡¯s corpse must have finally disappeared. ¡®Light Breaker, eh? I guess I did get one.¡¯ But there was something that interested me more than Light Breaker. ¡®Piece of an old map? What is that?¡¯ No matter what it is, I¡¯m sure it is not a normal item. I should be able to get a pretty good reward if I find all of the pieces and complete the map. But that is a problem for later. A bright portal was created next to the priest. Since the final boss monster was completely defeated, the exit to the Demon Cave was created. ¡°Let¡¯s head out first.¡± Once I said that, Hansen finally noticed the exit portal. ¡°Sounds good. Let¡¯s all quickly leave. Hanka-nim, please carry the priest-nim on your back.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The tones were very formal, but no matter what anybody says, it looked like Hanka was following his boss¡¯s order. The priest was placed on Hanka¡¯s back. Hansen was very careful as he put her on Hanka¡¯s back. Almost too careful. Seeing that made me question the priest¡¯s identity as well. Maybe she was not just a priest, but also a woman with a very big secret. But that was not something I could figure out right now. Would I be able to get answers to all of my questions if I head out through that exit portal? While I was thinking to myself, Hanka threw himself into the portal first. The rest of the squad and I got in a line as we headed toward the portal. Last chapter for the week. See you all in a few days. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 76 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 76: Incomprehensible Identity (2) So bright! It must be around noon. The strong sunlight pierced our eyes as soon as we came out of the Demon Cave. Even though my light affinity was 100, it was still hard to open my eyes. Since it was this bad for me, how bad must it be for everyone else? As I barely managed to open my eyes and look around, all of them could not see in front of them at all. We could hear the voices of people. ¡°Oh, Shione!¡± ¡°Shione is back!¡± The priest¡¯s name must be Shione. ¡°They succeeded! The Demon Cave clearing squad succeeded! Hurry up and let the bishop-nim know.¡± ¡°Take care of Shione.¡± Bustling movement. The priest named Shione seemed like she was being moved somewhere else. The majority of the people were guiding the living clearing squad members who were still suffering from the bright light. ¡°Please come this way.¡± The Hansen posse did not seem to be doing anything special, nor did they seem like they were planning something. They all seem to be relaxing as if they achieved their goal. As a bit more time passed by, the Demon Cave Clearing Squad¡¯s sights came back to normal. They all patted each other¡¯s backs as they shared their joy from surviving. ¡°You worked hard.¡± ¡°Leader-nim worked hard as well.¡± ¡°I am especially thankful to Kang Hwi Ram-nim. We were able to be successful thanks to you.¡± ¡°It was only because everybody worked for the same goal.¡± They also gave us refreshments. I sat down on a chair and crossed my legs as I drank some hot tea and ate some cookies. I finally felt like I safely got out of the Demon Cave. After a long time went by, the bishop came into the barracks. ¡°Amazing. You all completed a marvelous feat. But where are the other members¡­¡­?¡± ¡°They all died. We are the only ones left.¡± Hansen explained the situation pretty clearly. Even the part where the prisoners went out of control at the end. No, he made sure to emphasize that part. Almost as if he was complaining. The message Hansen wanted to send was clear. If they ever needed to create another Demon Cave Clearing Squad, do not include any prisoners. That should mean that the Hansen posse is not the temple¡¯s special forces. ¡°He really must have a personal relationship with Shione.¡± I wonder what kind of relationship it is. After listening to everything, the bishop emphatically nodded his head. ¡°So something like that happened. We really didn¡¯t have many volunteers¡­¡­so we thought that it would be helpful if the prisoners at least helped fill the void¡­¡­¡± Hansen also nodded his head. He was showing that he understood the bishop¡¯s situation as well. Honestly speaking, the prisoners helped a lot. We had spent over half a month in there. If the prisoners did not stand guard, we would not have been able to sleep peacefully. Anyways, that¡¯s that. Now it is my turn to ask. I still haven¡¯t gotten what I came for. ¡°Is our mission completed?¡± In other words, are we qualified to receive the reward. The bishop quickly caught on. ¡°Ah, of course. Each of you will be rewarded based on your merit. The person with the greatest merit will receive the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute from the lord as promised.¡± As soon as the bishop finished speaking, I heard a voice in my head. Intelli Points are basically the public ranking for the Athena Temple. You can consider it to be the same thing as the Ares Temple¡¯s Guard Points. It is only at a low level right now, but it will be of great help to me if I gather enough. But the thing I am more interested in. ¡®Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute. Check information!¡± [Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute] Durability: 1/1 You can summon an unicorn. An extremely simple explanation. The durability was only 1 as well. Which means, it is a single-use item. But no matter when that one time is, it will save my life. It is a priceless and precious item. ¡°Thank you.¡± The other members received Intelli Points based on their contribution. While that was going on, a priest came into the barracks and whispered to the bishop. The bishop shared the message with us. ¡°They say that Shione has regained her consciousness. She wishes to thank all of you, can you give us some of your time?¡± No reason not to. It¡¯s not like it is going to take a long time. Who knows? She might also give a special reward. Or a better continuation quest might pop up too. The other members nodded their heads as well. Everyone¡¯s faces lit up hearing that Shione regained consciousness. ¡°Of course.¡± A moment later, Shione walked into the barracks. My eyes became really round for an instant. ¡®That lady really is that lady from before?¡¯ She must have taken a bath. She looked completely different from head to toe. The pure white priest¡¯s outfit was new as well. Was that why? Or was she just really beautiful? It felt like her whole body was shining. I¡¯ve dated tons of beautiful women since my Royal Roader life started, but Shione¡¯s beauty seemed to transcend that level. Tsk! Only if she wasn¡¯t a priest. At the same time, I took a look at how Hansen¡¯s posse was reacting. It wasn¡¯t much different than my reaction. They all were blankly staring at Shione as if she was a goddess. All of their faces were full of joy. ¡°I wanted to sincerely thank all of you.¡± As Shione bowed her head, everybody was so shocked and quickly started to be modest. ¡°It was nothing. We just did what anybody would have done.¡± ¡°We are glad that you are fine.¡± Shione made eye contact with each and every one of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad members. She then stopped her eyes on me. ¡°You must be Kang Hwi Ram-nim. I heard that you played the biggest role. I wanted to thank you once more. This is a small reward I prepared for you.¡± Her voice is really beautiful as well. Should I say it is like a fog? Just hearing it makes you feel calm. Shione approached me and directly handed me a nicely wrapped gift. When I took a look at what it was, it was a healing potion. Of course it wasn¡¯t a normal healing potion. It is a potion specially made in the Athena Temple with divine power. [Athena Temple¡¯s Healing Potion] Fully restores your HP upon use. Special ability: Raises your Max HP by 30% for 30 minutes. ¡°I am sorry I can only give you one.¡± Even one is a pretty expensive item. No, this is not something you can buy with money. They don¡¯t make that many of it, to the point that the general magic stores do not even sell them. It is only sold in the Athena Temple and you can only exchange it for Intelli Points. Shione gave the other members the same gift. But something is odd. Both Shione and the Hansen posse seem to be a bit awkward around each other. Almost like how a shy person would react to a stranger. That should mean just one thing. ¡®The Hansen posse is hiding their relationship with Shione from the Athena Temple.¡¯ But why? Does Shione not know Hansen? Or is she pretending not to know him like Hansen is doing? If it is the latter, Shione is a really dangerous woman. She would be deceiving the bishop as well as the temple while being a priest. But I pretended not to know anything. Since I had no proof, there was no reason to say something and end up in trouble. It wasn¡¯t like it was related to me. I will step forward if this ends up being related to a quest. Once Shione finished thanking everyone, the bishop stepped in again. ¡°I wanted to thank you all once more as well. Shione is known as the future of our Athena Temple. You have all saved the future of the Athena Temple.¡± Not only is Shione beautiful, she must be pretty special as well. I guess it makes sense, since the temple put a super reward like the, ¡®Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute.¡¯ Does she have some special power? The bishop started to explain about Shione, as if he had read my mind. But there was a hidden purpose for his sharing that information. ¡°Shione¡¯s communication skills is extremely amazing. Even while she was captured by the monsters, she was able to communicate with the Cave Octopus. Thanks to that, she was able to get some information on the Church of the Sun.¡± Church of the Sun? Sounds like some type of pseudo-religious group. But it is a new name. I have never heard about it in the game either. The bishop handed us a small piece of paper. ¡°This is a piece of a map that shows the location of the Church of the Sun.¡± Once I saw the map piece, I immediately thought of the reward I received for killing the Cave Octopus. We would need to put it all together to know for sure, but I feel like it was from the same map for some reason. ¡°Once we complete the map, we should be able to defeat the Church of the Sun. They are a common enemy for everyone in the continent. As a result, I will make a request to all of you.¡± They don¡¯t plan on asking us to go back into a Demon Cave, do they? I don¡¯t have a good feeling about this. ¡°Shione was able to find out from the Cave Octopus how to find other pieces of the map. Once we have created a Demon Cave Clearing Squad, we plan on opening a Demon Cave fitting their level. I knew it. It wasn¡¯t that good of a request. Demon Caves are really dangerous. And it wasn¡¯t like they were giving another amazing reward like the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute. But the bishop shared an even gloomier news. ¡°Shione will go in with you. Will you help once more? There will of course be fitting rewards, and the person to earn the most merit will be given a Holy Ring as an extra reward.¡± A Holy Ring. If I remember clearly, all it does is negate poison and curses. It¡¯s definitely useful, but not enough to put my life on the line. I can always use antidotes for poison, and curses can be lifted by priests traveling with me. The most bothersome part is the fact that Shione will be going with us. A priest using divine power will be very helpful for the party, but it is impossible in Demon Caves as divine power is not available in Demon Caves. Which means, the Demon Cave is already dangerous on its own, and we will have extra baggage in Shione. She also won¡¯t be just a normal baggage. Even without any abilities, wouldn¡¯t she try to still be treated like a priest? Is there any bigger baggage than that? I still gave them an answer. ¡°I will think deeply about it.¡± It mean that I will think about it and then not do it. The quest was respectfully declined by saying I will have to think about it. On the other hand, Hansen and the other members happily agreed. ¡°Please call us whenever.¡± ¡°If it is with Shione priest-nim, we will go anywhere.¡± ¡®They really must have a special relationship.¡¯ I should send Kang Sung Ho to research Shione later. Of course, right now, it has nothing to do with me. ¡°Then I will be on my way.¡± I said my goodbyes and started to leave the barracks. The bishop, as well as the Hansen posse and Shione, came out of the barracks as if to walk me out. ¡°I pray that our paths will cross again.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Until we meet again.¡± ¡°Are you really leaving like this? Can¡¯t you come with us in a Demon Cave Clearing Squad one more time?¡± Blasphemy. ¡°I have a promise to keep¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is disappointing. Let us meet again.¡± I shook everyone¡¯s hand like that before I was finally able to leave the barracks. *** Ares Temple. Kaicher used his identity as a priest to lead me to the bishop again. The bishop happily gave me the Guard Point reward. ¡°You have done a great deed for the safety of the continent. As a messenger of the lord¡¯s command, I will give you a separate reward.¡± Just like that, my Guard Points instantly became 139. The Guard Points I have now should be enough to buy decent equipment from the Ares Temple. If I was going with my original plan, I would have done that. But if I can use Lord Ares¡¯s blessing with Guard Points, I can¡¯t trade it for equipment. I will not use it until I complete the blessing quest. ¡°Then do I now have the qualifications to receive the Blessing Quest?¡± ¡°Of course. I will give you the quest. Please kneel.¡± I followed Kaicher and kneeled on one knee and bowed my head. I wonder what kind of quest it is. It should be an almost impossible quest. But I will definitely complete it. That is the only way to use Guard Points as blessing, and that is the only way to win in the next battle against the person that individual sends next time. The bishop put his hand on my head. Once he did that, a voice rang in my head to let me know the quest had been created. My eyes instantly opened widely. ¡®A Southern District quest!¡± I¡¯ve been busy this week so this update is late. I may not be able to do the 5 for the week, but I¡¯ll do my best to get as many as I can this week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 77 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 77: The Threshold They Have Created (1) A Southern District quest. It is a difficult quest. Almost close to impossible. That is why people consider any quests with the words, ¡®Southern District,¡¯ to be a SSS-grade quest. But they would change their thoughts if they knew the reason that it was rated as a SSS-grade. Nobody has yet to step foot into the Southern District. A ton of people have tried time and time again, and they are still trying, but all of them have failed. That was it. Looking past easy or hard, it was a matter that nobody had ever succeeded in doing. But me? I went there in the game. I developed a base there, and even fought against the Demon King there. I even had a guide for the Southern District. My slave, Chief. I also have the Royal Roader draft plan. I know the levels of the monsters in the Southern district, and I also know the dangers that lurk in the different areas. Which means, if I raise my level high enough, and go with highly talented teammates, it would be a super easy quest. I already knew when I would go there as well. First, I will meet the dwarves and go to the Magman continent. After that, I will immediately head to the Southern District. Following that, I will return to Titan Valley, just before the Jeppi Invasion. I should be able to complete the blessing quest by then. If I can¡¯t, there will be many chances in the future. As soon as I take care of the Jeppi issue, I plan on making the entire Southern District mine. I barely managed to prevent my lips from ripping from smiling too hard. I don¡¯t know whether the bishop knows what is going through my mind right now, but he had a heavy expression. ¡°As expected, it is a quest related to the Southern District. I wish you luck.¡± The bishop must also thinks it is an impossible quest to complete. Kaicher also had a heavy expression. What? Is Kaicher concerned about me? No need to do that my friend. I plan on taking you with me when I go to the Southern District. So just keep your sword nice and clean. Anyways, I need to make sure I take everything I can. ¡°I will bet Guard Points.¡± ¡°Alright. This quest is also S-grade. The pay rate is 50%, and you can bet a total of 50 points. How many guard points will you bet?¡± ¡°I will bet 50 points.¡± The bishop put his hand on my head and said a simple prayer. ¡°I have confirmed your 50 point bet. Now go take care of the quest.¡± ¡°Thank you bishop-nim.¡± I left the Ares Temple. Kaicher walked me out to the main gate. There is not much time left until the day I go to the Southern District with Kaicher. Although Kaicher will have no idea about it. Should I give him a hint? Although he may not believe me. Well, he might believe me since I¡¯ve proven a lot of things already. Shall I test it out? ¡°Do you believe the things I say now?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°The fact that if I say something will happen, it will happen.¡± ¡°Hoho, I guess it did end up that way.¡± Kaicher lightly laughed. I wonder if he can continue to laugh after I say the next thing. ¡°Then shall I predict one more thing?¡± Kaicher just silently looked at me. ¡°The contents of this blessing quest is to find the Warrior¡¯s Ring. The ring of the Archbishop Kamal-nim who disappeared in the Southern District. Kaicher¡¯s eyebrows flinched. It might be because it was a harder quest than he imagined, or because the term, ¡®Warrior¡¯s Ring,¡¯ made something light up inside of him. I pray that it is the latter. That is the only way for him to grumble less in the future. ¡°I will take you with me when I head to the Southern District to find the Warrior¡¯s Ring. How is it? Aren¡¯t you glad I am prophesying it like this?¡± ¡°That is what I want as well. But that is something for the bishop-nim to decide.¡± He still doesn¡¯t believe me. I told you, everything I prophesize becomes reality. Anyways, I¡¯ve done my part to tell him. ¡°Just be ready. You will have to work hard when we go to the Southern District.¡± I think I could kind of see Kaicher smiling. ¡°See you again later.¡± I said goodbye to Kaicher and left the Ares Temple. Then I immediately headed toward Golan Park. Once I raise my level a good amount over there, I will cross over to the other side to meet with the Dwarf Chief. In order to safely cross Golan Park, I should be at least level 250. It¡¯s going to take a long time even in Golan Park which is known as the, ¡®Level up heaven¡¯ Maybe I¡¯ll need around 2 years? I¡¯m already getting bored of hunting. But I still need to do it. I need to happily do it. ¡°The weather is nice. It is the perfect weather to hunt.¡± *** [Balance: 102,785,605,490 won] ¡®Wow! There are even days like this!¡¯ I almost shouted. I had less than 90 billion won in the morning. But it had instantly gone over 100 billion. That means I made over 10 billion in a day. My gains were over 14%. This is the largest profit I¡¯ve made in a day since I started doing stocks. I¡¯m sure the topics that my friend Jong Suk¡¯s AI picked out helped, but it was probably because the stock index price went up. Honestly speaking, my gains were up and down lately. On a good day, I could make over 10% in profit, but on a bad day, I even had some losses. Of course the losses were only around 2%. On average, I get about a 5% profit every day. But the more time went along, the less my profits became. It was because the luck index on my Jewels of Luck were falling, while the amount I invested went up quickly. ¡®I need to hurry up and raise Jewel Alchemy to Intermediate level 5.¡± Then I will start merging the Jewels of Luck. Then the luck index should go over 10, I haven¡¯t been able to use any jewels like that in a while. ¡°You¡¯re in trouble if I catch you!¡± ¡°Kekeke.¡± I could hear children laughing outside. When I looked outside the window, Hayeon¡¯s younger siblings were running around in the yard. My mom was also out there smiling at the children. Oh, Minji seems to be laughing at my mom. The atmosphere feels nice. I really enjoy seeing my mom so happy. At first, I was a bit worried. When you deal with people, there are good times and bad times. There would be nothing worse than things going bad right after letting them move in based on the joy from when things were going well. But Hayeon¡¯s family knew to be cautious. I especially liked Hayeon¡¯s mom¡¯s attitude. I could see how thankful she was about what we did and that she was trying to repay the giant favor we did for them. But most importantly, I liked making a connection with someone like Lee Man Bok. Lee Man Bok! At first, I thought he was just a Food Researcher who liked children. But the more I got to know about him, I learned that he was much bigger than that. When I asked him a simple question, ¡®What is hyung-nim¡¯s dream?¡¯ this is how Lee Man Bok responded. [I don¡¯t have much greed toward money. My dream is to create a new boom for Korean food. Just watch. One day, I will make that happen with my own hands.] I still can¡¯t forget the gaze he had when he said that. There was an unwavering will inside the gaze. I felt like with that type of gaze, you could achieve anything. That moment made me certain. [Lee Man Bok is someone who needs to go with me.] I had money but I did not have any knowledge, experience, or connections. Lee Man Bok has it all, but does not have money. Is there any greater partnership than this? If Lee Man Bok and I work together, the dream will become reality in the near future. That was why I made a suggestion to Lee Man Bok right there. [That Dream. Can I share that dream with you?] Lee Man Book was willing to listen to my story. I told him a bunch of things, as if I was revealing everything that I had been hiding in my mind. Things that I didn¡¯t even tell my younger sister Minji. Well, of course, it was only about things related to making the greatest school in the world. I didn¡¯t say anything about Royal Roader. Lee Man Bok was cautious. At first, he looked at me like I was a scammer. [There are many people in the world who look nice but their hearts are completely black. How can I trust that Mr. Hwi Ram is not that type of person?] He had a reason to be like that. Lee Man Bok and his parents had used all of their money to create the, ¡®One Love Scholarship Foundation.¡¯ It was the moment their dreams became a reality. But they did not take part in the daily operations of the foundation. They left it up to the experts, saying that they were just stupid chefs who did not know anything about running a scholarship foundation. That ended up being the root of the problem. The so-called experts left the family in the dark as they slowly embezzled the money from the foundation. The money was gone in less than 5 years. They were not experts, but actually scammers. The memory of that incident is making him question whether I was such a scammer as well. We had a really long discussion. In the end, I managed to convince Lee Man Bok. As I expected, the core issue was money. [I will provide all of the necessary funds. I leave the operations to you. Since it is a Culinary School, Hyung-nim will be in charge. I will not take part in the daily operations, as long as the mission of the establishment is maintained.] I also planned on hiding the identity of the founder. Of course, it will only be for a while. It will be used to make people curious. Wouldn¡¯t their curiosity get even bigger about the founder of the culinary school whose identity is covered by a veil the more the culinary school starts to shine? I will appear at that time. Then my image will shine even more. Then I will officially create the, ¡®Kang Hwi Ram division.¡¯ I will start my path of being the best, not just in Royal Roader, but in the real world. Of course, I didn¡¯t tell Le Man Bok all of that. And the most important thing [I will put a two-step safety measure to make sure nobody can embezzle the funds of the foundations. ] I told him about the safety measure right then and there. That was the final blow. Lee Man Bok finally shook my hand. We created our partnership right there. [Let¡¯s give it a try.] [We can do it.] We immediately started to gather people. Honestly, I expected us to have some problems. I didn¡¯t think people would easily agree to be a part of something like this. But that was my mistake. People were already ready. As soon as I brought it up, they were gathered almost in an instant. Almost like they were waiting for someone to pull the trigger all this time. The first to run to us were, of course, Lee Soo Bong and Bae Gum Jah, Lee Man Bok¡¯s parents. Even with the shock from the One Love Scholarship Foundation, the passion in their hearts was still burning hot. Following them were the people in charge of the, ¡®Upright Teachers.¡¯ I asked for their help through Minji, and they came as soon as they could. In addition, we had a lawyer, an accountant, as well as professionals in the field. In less than fifteen days since Lee Man Bok and I agreed to work together, we had gathered 33 people. I thought my heart was going to burst from seeing all of them. I was filled with emotion. I thought that the world was only full of terrible people because of the difficult life I had as a kid, but it was not that way. With these people, creating the greatest school in the world was not impossible. No, I was certain that it will succeed. I created the ¡®Dandelion Foundation,¡¯ in that spot. Since I transfered 100,000,000,000 won from Royal Roader, we had plenty of funds. Even after taking out the taxes and the fee for the professionals to wash it clean, we still had about 80 billion won left. I considered giving all 80 billion won to start the foundation, but thinking that we should start smaller, I put 50 billion to stocks and only gave 30 billion to the foundation. Minji was so surprised. ¡°Oppa, how the heck do you have so much money?¡± ¡°A sponsor who does not want to reveal himself provided it.¡± I just brushed it off like that. After that, I took my hands off the operations, as promised. The rest was left for Lee Man Bok and the Upright Teachers, working together with the professionals in the culinary field. Of course, I made sure to confirm the safety measures were in place. All of this was only possible because we were certain that nobody could embezzle the money from the foundation. Once the foundation was created, everything happened like a storm. Lee Man Bok must have had a place in mind, as he quickly rented two buildings. One for the academic instruction, and one as the dormitory. The Upright Teachers instantly gathered 36 students as well. Teachers from all over the country recommended students they had been watching with sad eyes because they had the talent, but lacked the funds to continue their education, and the foundation had selected the ones talented in cooking from those students. That was the situation about 15 days ago. And tomorrow, the first lessons start. They will finish a simple orientation, after which they will live and learn at the Culinary School. Of course, everything will be free for the students. Lee Man Bok asked me to come to the Dandelion Culinary School tomorrow. He wanted me to say something to those students as the founder. Of course, I declined. That is not a fitting role for me. Then do I just watch without doing anything? Of course not. Although it was not visible to the outside, my role was the most important. First, I was in charge of the funds. I deposited close to 50,000,000 won daily into the foundation¡¯s account. I will continue to do that. Of course it was done anonymously. Second, was that I was helping with promotion. They created many ways to promote the school, but I will find my own promotion method and make it happen. ¡°Minji!¡± I opened the window about half way and shouted. Minji looked toward me. I motioned for her to come over, and she skipped toward me. Her ponytail, that was swaying left and right, made her seem really young and full of life. ¡°What is it oppa?¡± ¡°Did you contact the sunbae[1] who is writing a novel?¡± ¡°Yes. They said, of course they will do it. But they won¡¯t take any money. Since they are part of the Upright Teachers as well, they can¡¯t take money for something done to help the students.¡± I was planning on giving her around 10,000,000 won for helping us. I guess I can donate it to the foundation under that sunbae¡¯s name. ¡°Tell her to emphasize Mr. Lee Man Bok¡¯s story. Talk about how he has nine children, gave money to the orphanage, and that, even after his business failed, he finally managed to succeed in building a culinary school. Tell her to talk about his persistence. If we can wrap it up nicely, a decent image will be created.¡± ¡°I told the sunbae about all of it.¡± ¡°You¡¯re looking for a student with a good story too right?¡± ¡°I am, but that is a bit touchy subject so I am not rushing you. Oppa, you said it wasn¡¯t very urgent right?¡± It wasn¡¯t very urgent. I plan on using it a year or two later. My plan was simple. Promotion through mass media. Then, even without me spend any money, the foundation will get funds from all over the place. So if I add my money on top of that, Dandelion can grow to be even bigger and better than I imagined. In order to do that, what I needed was the network of people related to broadcast networks. I already finished my investigation through Blue Sky Enterprises. It is much easier to befriend people if you know who they are. MBS station¡¯s Director of Cultural Affairs Han Sung Tak, and Director of Entertainment, Ji Sung Joon. It wasn¡¯t because they had something special to offer. It was just because it would be easy for me to get close to them. Both of them were known to be golf fanatics, and they were in the same golf club with Han Min Gyu, the original owner of our house. I felt like we were meant to get to know each other. ¡°Then I will be heading to Seoul.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I picked up my suitcase that was already packed and headed out. ¡°Mom, I¡¯m heading to Seoul now.¡± ¡°I guess you won¡¯t be back until the new year if you go up now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come down often.¡± ¡°Okay. Take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Bye bye, uncle.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± I put the bag in the car and started the engine. Brrroooooooom- The engine noise was pretty strong. I felt like it was signaling the start of a slightly different life. *** A korean restaurant in Gangnam. They said it was a pretty big Golf Club, and they were right. There were a lot of people. I felt like at least 50 people gathered today, and that wasn¡¯t even all of the members. ¡°First, come over here.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± I had been meeting with Han Min Gyu from about half a month ago. I used the fact that we were both doing stocks to call him, ¡®hyung-nim,¡¯ and act all cheesy. He must have liked it, since we were quickly in a brotherly relationship. Of course the connection from the, ¡®house,¡¯ was big. I followed Han Min Gyu to the front of the restaurant first. I needed to first greet the president of the club. ¡°This is our president.¡± He seemed to be in his mid-60s. His well-balanced salt and pepper hair was the first thing I noticed. The vibe he was giving off was one of a corporation¡¯s president. It is probably because of what he does for a living. I heard he was the president of a mid-sized company. ¡°Hello, my name is Kang Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°Ah, Mr. Kang Hwi Ram. I heard a lot about you from Han pro-nim. Welcome. My name is Kim Dong Suk. By the way, how did you say you two know each other?¡± ¡°This friend bought the house I used to live in down in Daejeon. Then I found out that he is a stock expert like me.¡± ¡°I am not an expert. I just do it for fun.¡± ¡°Either way, nice to meet you.¡± ¡°Over here is Lee Han Sung-nim, our secretary. This is Jung Hee Sung pro-nim¡­¡­.¡± Han Min Gyu introduced me to each person, one by one. But there were a couple people who looked familiar. Of course, my face would not be foreign to them as well. But my style is just completely different from back then, so they did not recognize me right away. But there were a few observant people. They had expressions of, ¡®Who was this again?¡¯ before realizing, ¡®Ah! That friend!¡¯ and slapping their knees. They were customers who tipped me well. When I was working at the car wash, they seemed to be really nice customers. But today, their expressions when seeing me didn¡¯t seem to be that friendly. ¡°Hold on! Isn¡¯t that friend the one from the car wash?¡± ____________________________ [1] Korean term for people from your school in higher grades or those who have graduated already Just a reminder, I may not be able to do the 5 for the week, but I¡¯ll do my best to get as many as I can this week. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 78 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 78: The Threshold They Have Created (2) ¡°Car wash?¡± ¡°The car wash that I used to go to often. It was called Oori Car Wash. [1] The really enthusiastic worker that kept me going suddenly disappeared so I changed to a different one.¡± ¡°Ah, Oori Car Wash! I used to go there often too. Now that you mention it, it is that enthusiastic worker. I didn¡¯t recognize him because his style has completely changed. Wow, he¡¯s pretty much a brand new person!¡± I remember that customer as well. He looked at me up and down before continuing to let out noises of surprise. But the customer who used to tip me well still seems like he can¡¯t accept it. ¡°Does a pumpkin become a watermelon just because you draw lines on it? Changing his style doesn¡¯t mean the person has changed. Anyways, why did you bring the part-time worker from the car wash here?¡± The atmosphere is odd. He¡¯s talking like someone like me shouldn¡¯t be here. What the heck does working at a car wash have to do with being a part of a golf club? But only I seem to have that kind of question. The rest of the members had the same, ¡®What the hell is a car wash part-timer doing here?¡¯ type of look. Even Han Min Gyu, who was introducing me had the same expression. ¡°Hwi Ram, you used to work at a car wash?¡± I had no reason to hide it. Plus, it wasn¡¯t like I could hide it. ¡°Yes. I worked for a couple of years at a car wash.¡± Han Min Gyu looked at me up and down. His gaze seemed to say, ¡®I need to evaluate people better.¡¯ ¡°But is that a problem? It is all in the past.¡± ¡°More than a problem¡­¡­¡± Han Min Gyu could not finish his sentence. However, there wasn¡¯t a change to his attitude which seemed to say he regretted it a bit. I understand how he feels. This golf club is only for people who are well off, so if someone like me joins, the water will get tainted. There were some people who were very forward about it as well. Yes, that customer who used to tip well. ¡°This is the Lions Golf Club. And that friend should just be a high school graduate. If we start accepting dogs and cows like this, it¡¯ll be an issue. We need to raise the threshold in order to maintain the pride of the club.¡± They are really just too much. We were all born the same way in the beginning. And I never expected that person to come at me like this. He was so nice to meet at the car wash. Maybe I¡¯ll just go join a different club. But that would be stupid. Our car wash was the best luxury car wash in Seoul so there will be people who know me no matter where I go. It¡¯s not like I can run away everytime. Furthermore, I knocked on this golf club¡¯s door to expand my network. Especially with the MBS station¡¯s directors. There is bound to be obstacles in everything you do. In order to do something big, you will need to overcome even greater obstacles. I can¡¯t falter from something like this. This stupid threshold, I will easily overcome it. ¡°Do I need to take some kind of test to enter this club?¡± I initiated the conversation for the compromise. I feel like I picked a pretty good compromise. I could see people nodding their heads everywhere. ¡°Test? That¡¯s not a bad idea. It won¡¯t be bad for us to create a entrance requirement.¡± ¡°Right. Entrance test. That is a good idea. Just denying people without any reason will not look good for us. Are you brave enough to take a test to see if you are qualified to join the club?¡± In other words, a quest. The reward is entrance into the club. I thought I¡¯d only get quests in Royal Roader but to get it like this here as well. Of course I¡¯ll Call. [1] I was confident that I could easily complete any type of quest. ¡°I understand. What do I need to do to show you that I am qualified to enter?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± A sudden decision needed to be made. The president rubbed his chin, as if he was put in a difficult position. He then passed the decision to the person who recognized me first and blabbed on about, ¡®Dogs or cows¡¯. Yes, the one who used to be the, ¡®Customer who tips well.¡¯ ¡°Jang pro, do you have a good idea?¡± His last name must be Jang. Jang pro answered as if he had been waiting. ¡°How about we make the new members pay for the meeting fee from here on? I don¡¯t think it will be bad as a tradition to accept new member.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea. How is it? Are you capable of paying the meeting fee for today?¡± All of them looked toward me. In simple terms, they were asking if I had the abilities to do that. To make it even simpler, they were saying they would not accept anyone without money. Whatever. I had a ton of money anyways. And I could always transfer this amount of amount any time I want through Virtual Accounting. ¡°I understand. I will pay enough for today and some extra so please eat as much as you would like. The remaining money can be used to eat next time again.¡± ¡°Oh, the car wash part timer seems to have hit the lotto or something.¡± ¡°I like your style. Haha.¡± I headed to the counter and looked for the boss. The boss was a member of the Lions Golf Club as well. There are around 50 people at the meeting today. The cost of the food is 69,000 won per person. Since they said they are planning on playing a game of screen golf [3] after the meeting, they won¡¯t be drinking alcohol. So even if I estimate on the high end, it should be around 100,000 won per person. But it¡¯s not like I could just give 5,000,000 won. ¡°10 million won should be enough right?¡± ¡°10 million? No, 5 million won should be enough.¡± ¡°Ai. It is still a new member initiation so how can I just do 5 million? Please give me your account number boss. I will deposit it now.¡± ¡°Haha, I like that a young friend is very forward.¡± I immediately transferred the amount into the boss¡¯s account. He¡¯s not the type to just stand still. Since I donated quite a bit to his profits, he¡¯s the type to return the favor. ¡°Our new member has provided 10 million won. Please eat all you want! We should also have enough for one more meeting next time as well.¡± ¡°Oh, good good. Test passed!¡± How is it so simple? They were talking about a threshold or whatever, but it was only worth 10 million? But Jang pro interjected. ¡°Alright. First round, pass.¡± ¡°Ai, Jang pro. Why you being so cheap?¡± The president was trying to coax Jang pro to just let me be. However, Jang pro did not step back. But after hearing what he had to say, it was pretty legitimate. ¡°We need to see his golf skills as well. Since we were planning on doing a round of screen golf, we can test his skills there. We can¡¯t let a newbie who has only been playing for a few months enter into our club.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, that is true. Newbie, do you ball?¡± (TL: This sounds so funny lol. It seems more like a basketball term) It¡¯s a hard question to answer. Depending on how you set the comparison, I can either, ¡®play well¡¯ or, ¡®suck.¡¯ No matter how much I can use my skill ability, I can¡¯t measure up to a pro player. ¡°I can do the basics.¡± This should be the smartest answer. ¡°Good good. We will test your skills later.¡± I could finally take a seat and sit down. But the power of money is really good. All of them were lookin at me like, ¡®A car-wash part timer,¡¯ earlier, but now they were looking at me like a, ¡®Successful young businessman.¡¯ All of them were handing me cups of alcohol. ¡°A young person like you must have made a lot of money.¡± ¡°Not too much. Compared to all of you sunbae-nims, it¡¯s probably just child¡¯s play.¡± ¡°You are being too modest. How did you earn your money?¡± ¡°I just did a bit of stocks. I suddenly became really lucky. The ones I bought went up while the ones I sold went down.¡± ¡°Yes. Money is luck. Anyways, welcome.¡± I was chatting with the people around me while looking at their faces. ¡®Not this person, not that person.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t easy to use a picture to find them, but I managed to find them. ¡®That person is Director Han Sung Tak, and that person next to him is Director Ji Sung Joon.¡¯ There are quite a few young people around them. Well, even if they are considered young, they are in their early 40s. I think they probably work at MBS station as well. There are around 100 members in the Lions Golf Club, and around 5 people are said to be a part of a broadcast network. I keep looking over in that direction. I finally managed to make eye contact with Director Han Sung Tak. I also managed to find an empty seat next to him. Someone must have gotten up to pour alcohol for people. I couldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. ¡°I will go pour some alcohol and then return.¡± ¡°Yes. Of course. Young people these days have such heavy butts at dinner meetings these days. Each step is an extra network.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± I took some alcohol and headed to the seat next to Han Sung Tak. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°Welcome. I am Han Sung Tak. Let¡¯s only drink a little bit. I still need to play a game later.¡± ¡°Newbie, control yourself too. You need to show us your skill.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I didn¡¯t bring up anything related to broadcasting. I can¡¯t let him realize that I approached him with a hidden agenda. I didn¡¯t need to rush, since it will be at least a year or two before things come into play. Instead, I talked about golf. Since all of them are said to be golf fanatics, I¡¯m sure we could spend days just talking about, ¡®Golf.¡¯ ¡°Do you go out to the field often?¡± ¡°If it is a nice day, who would want to go to a screen?¡± ¡°Golf is best on the field.¡± ¡°You seem to be the field type.¡± I didn¡¯t have any experience on the field. I didn¡¯t even know the atmosphere there. Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t have much experience with screen golf either. I¡¯ve only been there about six times total. The golf that I have experienced has mainly been in a indoor practice room or indoor driving range using the driver and iron. But I needed to bluff a bit to continue the conversation. ¡°I don¡¯t play well enough to say I¡¯m a field type. I just enjoy the atmosphere. Going out on the field makes it feel like your whole mind is clear.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head out once when the weather is better.¡± ¡°I dread that I will need to wait until April.¡± But he keeps offering me alcohol. In addition, the first few times he wasn¡¯t even filling the cup half way, but now he is filling the shot glass. It is with good intentions. It¡¯s like a sign that we have gotten that much closer. Director Han Sung Tak and Ji Sung Joon could not drink much alcohol, so I instead poured more for the department head. ¡°Kaa, the alcohol is better when drinking with like-minded people. I will pour a cup as well.¡± ¡°But did I give you too much? Your face is red.¡± I usually turn red with just three shots of soju. But it is different than getting drunk. In the past, I was able to drink two bottles easily, and since I started going to Royal Roader, my stamina has increased, so I can easily drink three to four bottles. ¡°Isn¡¯t it okay to get drunk on a day like this? Haha.¡± ¡°But control yourself. You need to show your skills later.¡± ¡°In order to be a part of the Lions, I need to be able to play decently even in this condition.¡± ¡°Maybe it is because you are young, but I like your ambition.¡± And with that, the dinner came to an end. Over half the people left after round one, and only about 20 people headed to screen. But since there were so many people, we got three rooms. My team got the biggest room. There were four people playing, and six people in the gallery. ¡°Phew, I am too drunk today. I will just watch.¡± Director Han Sung Tak and Director Ji Sung Joon decided to be a part of the gallery as well. The President, Kim Dong Suk, and Jang pro, whose full name is Jang Yoon Shik, were rounding in the same group as me. I guess he wanted to verify my skills with his own eyes. ¡°Kang pro, what is your average?¡± I haven¡¯t played enough to know my average. I¡¯ve only played about six times, and the course and difficulty were different each time. So it was no wonder my score went up and down. If I play an easy course at a close tee, I got a good score and if I played a difficult course at the far tee with a strong wind, I got a terrible score. I think my score during my first game was 79. The last three games, the worse score was 9, under par at 63. Which means, even if the difficulty is really high, I should be able to get under 70. But shouldn¡¯t I be a bit coy in a place like this? ¡°Around 80.¡± ¡°Then you should have a good foundation.¡± The president nodded his head. Then Jang pro hit the floor as if he had made up his mind. ¡°How about we do this? We pick a decently difficult course and accept him if he hits under 80.¡± ¡°That is good. Let¡¯s take a look. Where is a decently difficult course?¡± ¡°How about we go to, ¡®Master Island,¡¯ for the first time in a while?¡± The president¡¯s expression became a bit stiff at Jang pro¡¯s suggestion. ¡°It has been determined as the course for the upcoming screen competition. We might as well practice it today while testing that friend¡¯s skills at the same time.¡± ¡°Then go ahead and do so. But I better rest today since I have a shoulder injury right now.¡± Huh, what is this atmosphere? The president was definitely about to round just a moment ago. Is it because of the course? Just what kind of course is, ¡®Master¡¯s Island?¡¯ I don¡¯t have much experience with screen golf, so that was a brand new course for me. _______________________________________ [1] Oori is the Korean term for ¡®our¡¯ [2] Call like the term in poker [3] Screen golf is where you play golf on a simulator instead of at a real golf course Maso¡¯s been busy and hasn¡¯t been able to edit as quickly. Hope to get more chapters to you soon. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 79 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 79: Baseline Suppression (1) Anyways, the rounding members were determined. Jang Yoon Shik, who determined the course, as well as Jo pro and Lee pro stepped forward. Including me, there were four people. Everybody lightly started to warm up. They swung the wedge, long iron, wood, and driver as well. ¡°Kang pro, practice a bit.¡± Honestly, I don¡¯t need practice, since I hit using a skill. I usually just do some light stretching to loosen my muscles and get right to it. ¡°I will swing things just once each.¡± I sent the ball 30 meters with the sand wedge, 140 meters with the 7 iron, and 250 meters with the driver. They pretty much went in the direction and distance that I expected. ¡°Oh, nice form! You seem to be full of strength!¡± ¡°His head doesn¡¯t move, and he has a nice leg kick. You learned properly.¡± Of course. Even after the skill was created, I showed my form to the best pros to continue fine tuning it. Thanks to that, it is a textbook form with no issues at all. And the form that is created is saved in the skill, so it never changes. ¡°I am all prepared.¡± ¡°Already? Young people loosen up really quickly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how confident he is. Let¡¯s get started.¡± That ¡®young people,¡¯ business. If someone else heard it, they¡¯d think I was rounding with 70 year old grandpas. The boss came over to set the computer. But the difficulty must be high. The difficulty had 5 stars, which was the highest level, and the green difficulty was 4 stars. ¡°How should we set the mode?¡± ¡°The same as usual. Front tee with pro mode, three mulligans, concede 1 meter, wind ¡­¡­¡± Jang Yoon Shik continued to talk. The majority of the Lions members seemed to play with such a mode. But isn¡¯t it too close if it is the front tee? Other than my first two times, I have only rounded at the back tee. When compared to the front tee, it is approximately 40 meters further. I feel like today¡¯s game is going to be a breeze. Not that it matters. The conditions are the same. And if the mode is going to make me fail the entrance exam, I need to throw away any thoughts of making a name for myself through golf. ¡°How is it Kang pro? These settings are okay right?¡± ¡°I do not care about things like that.¡± ¡°You really are full of confidence. Your skill can match it right? I don¡¯t like people who are all talk without having any talent, so you have to do well.¡± Did he say his name was Jang Yoon Shik? Why is he being so annoying? Can he really not stand me becoming a member of the club that much? ¡°The rules are the same as usual. 10,000 won per tee, and multipliers approved.¡± They really were rich people. If it was 10,000 won per tee, and there is a large difference in skills, you could lose 1 million won in a single rounding. ¡°Should we empty our newbie¡¯s pockets a bit? I¡¯m not sure how full it is.¡± ¡°I expected it and made sure to bring enough with me.¡± The rounding started. The first hole is a 431 meter par 4 hole. But, because we are using the front tee, the actual distance is only 393 meters. But the course really was difficult. The course is shaped like a crescent moon with a lake to the left, and the fairway is really narrow. Just looking at it makes you feel stuffy. Jang Yoon Shik, who was the most senior in the club, stepped forward as the owner. But he grabbed the wood instead of a driver for his tee shot. ¡°If you get greedy and aim for a two-on in this one, you will fail. The method here is to approach it safely. I will be the guide, so just follow me.¡± Does he have some skills? There¡¯s a lot of arrogance in his movement. And the way he is showing off trying to teach the other members as well. Jang Yoon Shik swung the wood. The ball flew only about 170 meters. But it was where the fairway was the widest. As he had mentioned, it was the safe, but accurate path. He seems to be at least good when it comes to accuracy. The ball flew in a straight line and landed in the middle of the fairway. Jo pro and Lee pro followed Jang Yoon Shik and used their wood to hit 170 meter. Almost as if that was normal in this course. But unlike Jang Yoon Shik, they could not stay on the fairway. Their balls landed in the rough. Especially Jo pro, whose ball went into the out of bound (OB) area before hitting a tree and bouncing back in. Even the system had something to say about it. To break it down, he was about to get screwed, but survived thanks to the tree. ¡°Wow. Jo pro, you are lucky today.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. There isn¡¯t much difference between the rough and fairway in screen.¡± Jang Yoon Shik also consoled Jo pro. Next was my turn. I debated while the other members were hitting their shots. ¡®Do I land it in one shot? Or do I follow what they did?¡¯ Honestly, I am still a beginner in golf. I don¡¯t have much experience, and most importantly, my putting is weak. I can control my strength to a decent level, but reading the line is so difficult that I usually never manage to sink the ball with a single putt. But it was a different story for the driver and iron. If you hit it with the same strength and same form, the ball always goes in the same direction and the same distance. Thanks to that, I am confident that I am pretty good with at least the driver and iron, even with direction and distance. Especially when it comes to the driver, I don¡¯t think I would lose even to a real pro. The course seemed pretty easy too. The distance is 393 meters, but since it is curved like a crescent moon, a direct line is only about 360 meters. In addition, the wind is moving forward at 4.7 meters per hour, so it will push the ball further ahead, and the downward slope is fairly steep, at 12 meters. If I think about sending it 310 meters, the wind and slope will affect it enough that I think it will land on the green. ¡®Ah, I am lacking 10 meters.¡¯ The maximum distance with my driver is 300m. There is only a 3% chance of error. If it hits really well, it can go a little further, but there is also the chance it will go less. Which means, if I am unlucky, it will not go far enough and the ball can land in the lake. I did not debate for a long time. ¡®Whatever, I¡¯ll just take a hazard and continue on.¡¯ Even if that happened, I would only have a single stroke penalty. Plus, seeing the way everyone else was hitting, they were aiming for a 3 swing on-green. There was plenty of chances to recover. ¡®I might as well give them some baseline suppression.¡¯ Unlike the other members, I grabbed the driver. And then I cautiously asked. ¡°Can we use the mulligan?¡± A mulligan is something where if you don¡¯t like the shot, you have a chance to say, ¡®one more time.¡¯ I verified that they put 3 of them in when they set up the game. But Jang Yoon Shik cut it down as if there was no chance. ¡°We don¡¯t use mulligans. The reason we put 3 of them in there was if there was a miss-shot not related to the game that happens.¡± Honestly, I didn¡¯t really need the mulligan. I was confident I could recover even with a hazard. But the reason I asked about the mulligan was to create an effect. I wanted to set the mood that there was a chance I would fail, but I was still attempting it. ¡°Is that so? If there was a mulligan, I was thinking about trying for a one-swing on-green.¡± The gallery¡¯s eyes turned wide at my words. ¡°What? On-green in one shot?¡± ¡°Is that possible in a 393 meter course?¡± ¡°He¡¯s saying he¡¯s going to send it past the lake. He must be a distance hitter.¡± ¡°Wow. We might be able to see something good for the first time in a while. Should we allow him to use the mulligan once?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s let him. Since he¡¯s a new member, let¡¯s give him one mulligan. Let¡¯s see a refreshing shot for the first time in a long time.¡± ¡°I approve of the mulligan.¡± The atmosphere was created. That was how crazy of a challenge they considered this tee-shot on-green to be. Jang Yoon Shik happily nodded his head. ¡°Okay. But there is a fine. OB or hazard, 30,000 won, Bunker, 10,000 won.¡± Pssh, you think I¡¯d be afraid of 30,000 won? ¡°I understand.¡± I changed the direction of the screen. Almost as if I was sending the ball to the middle of the lake. I needed to completely cross the lake to land on the green. ¡°Wow, he really is planning on getting it there in one shot.¡± ¡°Cool!¡± Since there were so many gallery members, it was loud. But they did not have bad manners. Once I finished my practice swings and got in position, they became completely quiet. [Driver 300 skill: Intermediate level 6, 14%] This is the longest distance I can hit with my driver. It wasn¡¯t 300 meters from the beginning. The name of the skill was originally just, ¡®Driver skill,¡¯ but once I managed to control the distance, it became, ¡®Driver 230 skill.¡¯ Which means, when the skill was first completed, the maximum distance was 230 meters. But as I continued to practice, the skill level went up, and I received help from the experts to fix my swing form, the distance slowly started to increase. There was no other way. My form was slowly adjusted as I noticed that, ¡®If I do it like this, it goes a bit further,¡¯ and the muscles required for the driver continued to develop. Thanks to that, the maximum distance, which was 230 meters, became 250 meters, and then 270 meters, until it finally reached 300 meters. Each time that happened, the skill name continued to change. I opened the skill and swung the club as strongly as I could. Even while using the skill, a slight power control is still possible. Booooooong- A strong noise of wind. Following that a refreshing noise could be heard. Bang ¨C Pheeeeeeeeeeeeew! The moment the club hit the ball, the speaker let out a, ¡®Bang!¡¯ noise that sounded like a gun. It is the charm of screen golf. If the impact is properly delivered, it creates sound effects like this. A really enjoyable noise. I waited until I finished my follow swing and then turned my head to look at the screen. There was only one thing I was looking for. ¡®Screen, change!¡¯ Did it feel my desire? As the ball flew straight forward, the screen suddenly changed. Almost like a heli-cam was used to follow the ball from about 10 meters behind it. This is also a charm of screen golf. If the ball looks like it will land in a safe location and not in an OB or hazard area, the screen changes and shows you a new view. Which means, the fact that the screen changed means that the ball safely crossed the lake. The galley was cheering as well. ¡°Wow! The screen changed!¡± ¡°Wow, he crossed that thing?¡± ¡°Oh, I think it¡¯s going to get on the green.¡± ¡°It¡¯s on the green!¡± They¡¯re really loud. But having them shout on the side makes it feel like I really am playing golf. As the gallery mentioned, the ball continued to fly forward until it rode the wind and slowly turned to the left. It was the exact distance and direction I was aiming for. The ball barely managed to cross the lake and landed in the rough area, before taking a pretty high bounce and rolling on top of the green. The following situation was broadcasted by the gallery. ¡°Wow, the distance is the only disappointment. If it rolled a little more, it was an eagle chance!¡± ¡°This is an eagle chance as well. A 14 meter putt is doable if you are lucky.¡± The ball stopped around 14 meters away from the hole. It was further than I had expected. But this is still good. I was ready for it to fall in the lake, but it landed on the green so it 100% is a success. Clapclapclap- The gallery clapped for me without reservation. ¡°Wow, nice shot!¡± ¡°For a shot like this to come out here!¡± ¡°He needed one shot to prove his skills! I feel like I¡¯m going to get a good show today!¡± The atmosphere made it feel like I was successfully in. But I didn¡¯t manage to break the wall of one person. Jang Yoon Shik. He seems to have made up his mind to be my anti from beginning to the end. ¡°The distance really was amazing. However, the important thing is consistency. Do not show off too much from getting lucky once.¡± You¡¯ll find out whether it is just luck or not as we continue. I waited until the other members hit their balls. The rule of golf is that the ones who have the most distance left hits first. All of them took two more hits to land on the green. Jang Yoon Shik¡¯s skills were the best, as expected. It was a 30 meter short approach, and he managed to put the ball just 3 meters from the hole. Jang Yoon Shik was being arrogant again. ¡°Did you see that? Golf is all about the finish. No matter how well you hit with the driver, it is just one hit. If you make a mistake, you can lose a lot of points after that.¡± You won¡¯t know whether it will be one hit or two hits or even three hits until you actually hit it. Anyways, it was my turn again. The system clearly described the situation. ¡°There is some break.¡± ¡°Even more important than the break, you need to calculate the distance well. There is a high slope.¡± As the gallery mentioned, there was a decent slope. The green tilted a bit to the left and the slope was 50 centimeters. Which means, I need to send it about 5 meters further than usual to get the same distance. Honestly, putting is the part I am least confident about. It is because I am lacking real life experience. I also have the least amount of putting practice. Since it isn¡¯t as refreshing as the driver, I am not motivated to do it. But my distance is accurate. It is thanks to creating putting skills at the 3 meter, 5 meter, 7 meter, 10 meter etc. for all kinds of distances. Thanks to that, even if there is a bit of an error, I would be able to get it from 20 meters to 2 meters without a problem. But I was not satisfied with that much. It was because of Jang Yoon Shik. The way he is acting is annoying me. I might as well succeed this eagle putt to shove it in his face. ¡®Let¡¯s try it. You can do it.¡¯ I just need to pretend that the hole is about half a club¡¯s distance to the right. I prepared my address, [1] and opened the skill. [Putting 20 skill: Intermediate level 2, 16%] ______________________________ [1] starting form for golf PR: So much golf terminology¡­ T.T Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 80 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 80: Baseline Suppression (2) Tap- ¡®Oh, shit!¡¯ The ball was rolling in a slightly different direction than I wanted. This was the problem with putting. Even when using a skill, it can move differently than I planned. It was the same right now. In my mind, I was hitting it to go about 10 centimeters to the right of the hole, but the ball was not heading in that direction. ¡®I screwed up again¡­¡­Oh! Maybe not?¡¯ The image on the screen suddenly changed. It is a good sign that the screen changed. That means that the ball will at least be close to the hole. It might even go in. The gallery was starting to get anxious as well. ¡°Is it perhaps heading in?¡± ¡°The direction is good! The strength is also good!¡± I could feel my heart drop. The hole was extremely large on the screen, and the ball was heading directly towards the cup, different from what I had expected. And then a moment later. With a, ¡®Clang!¡¯ I heard celebratory noises on the speaker. Pang! Pang! Pang! ¡°Wow! An eagle!¡± ¡°Unbelievable! An eagle on Master¡¯s Island!¡± Even I couldn¡¯t believe it. I thought I had hit it wrong. That means there was only one explanation. I had misread the direction for the putt. But that mistake ended up putting it on the proper line to roll into the hole. Which means, the error ended up becoming a blessing. ¡°Fantastic!¡± Clap clap clap. The gallery showered me with applause. Jang Yoon Shik could not do anything about it this time. He forced himself to smile and clap, and even did a high five with me. While we did that, Jo pro and Lee pro each attempted their putts. They were both about 10 meters away. They accurately moved their putter, but they failed at a hole-in. Jang Yoon Shik was the same way. It was only a 3 meter putt, but the break was too severe. The ball looked like it was rolling straight, but it tilted to the side right in front of the hole and stopped. ¡°Ah. Shit. I was a bit short.¡± Jang Yoon Shik let out a sigh in disappointment. Once we finished a hole, one of the gallery members played the role of banker. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s balance your accounts. An eagle gets you three more. The rest of you got a bogie, so it is 50,000 won each. You all know the next hole is a multiplier hole right?¡± ¡°Wow, thank goodness this wasn¡¯t a multiplier hole. I might have lost 100,000 won in a single hole.¡± ¡°Next hole, I need to retrieve the money that has left my home.¡± Jang Yoon Shik made up his mind. The 2nd hole was a par 3 hole around 151 meter from the front tee. This one had a head wind blowing at 4.5 meters per hour. The wind will make the ball go shorter than we expect. There is a slight downward slope, but I should be able to ignore that. But the course difficulty is high in every hole. I don¡¯t mind the fairway being narrow since it¡¯s a par 3 hole, but the green is small and completely surrounded by bunkers. It¡¯s as if they made the green to look like a castle in the middle of a sandy desert. Of course, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. My accuracy with the iron is even better than the driver. I¡¯m confident that my chance of error is less than 2%. WIth this distance, I should be able to get the ball within 3 meters of the hole cup. When I played on my own, I barely missed the hole cup in the majority of the par 3 holes. I felt like, if I played ten times, I would get a hole-in-one at least once. But I have yet to experience a hole-in-one. It made sense though, since my experience is still short. A newbie, who has played screen golf only seven times, can¡¯t be talking about a hole-in-one already. ¡°Near and birdie each get one point, an eagle gets three point, and a hole-in-one gets five points. We have a prize for a hole-in-one, so put it right into the cup. Boss-nim, there¡¯s quite a bit of prize money, isn¡¯t there?¡± ¡°We should have around 3,000,000 won.¡± Each screen golf location has a hole-in-one prize bin. If you put 1,000 won into the prize bin and make a hole-in-one in your game, you get all of the money in the bin. But for there to be 3 million won, they must not have had a hole-in-one in a long time. Of course, we put 1,000 won each into the bin before we started the game. ¡°Oh, it seems good enough to take. Newbie, put it right in the hole. If you can put that in, your admission will be confirmed, no question about it.¡± I started to smile. Is there anyone in the world who wouldn¡¯t like a hole-in-one? Everybody wants one, but the ball doesn¡¯t go into the hole. I was the same way. It was always close, but never went in. That made me want it even more. But today, I had a good feeling for some reason. I feel like I will get one today. Maybe it is because of the, ¡®Lucky eagle,¡¯ putting from Hole 1. Luck tends to travel in a group. I might as well play it up, since I¡¯m feeling good. That¡¯ll make the atmosphere lively as well. Since I was first place in the last hole, I am the owner. I stood at the tee first, and got the gallery going. ¡°Member-nims, would you like to see a hole-in-one?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see it.¡± ¡°Show it to us.¡± Everybody started to raise their voice as if they had been waiting for this moment. Some of them must be quite drunk since they even lifted their hands way up in the air. ¡°Alright then, here comes a hole-in-one. The ball will suddenly disappear from the green, so keep your eyes open wide and pay attention.¡± Of course, I was joking. The members all knew I was joking as well. But everybody knew how to enjoy the atmosphere. ¡°Here goes the 3 million won shot.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see it!¡± I seriously got in position and readied myself. Once I got there, everybody had good manners and quieted down. The head wind should decrease around 10 meters, so I need to think about sending it about 160 meters. It is my favorite distance. I can send it exactly 160 meters with the 5-iron. [5-iron 160 skill: Intermediate level 4, 16%] Clang- Bang! The screen changed again as soon as I hit my shot. ¡°Wow! The screen changed again!¡± ¡°Wow, your iron shot is killer too. Just what can¡¯t you do?¡± Nothing to be surprised about. I haven¡¯t played much screen golf, but the screen changes like this every time I hit the ball. Because of that, I wasn¡¯t expecting much. It always looked like it would go in like this before the distance was a bit off or the direction was a bit off. But today, something felt a bit different. The direction and speed both seemed right on the mark. The gallery was really anxious. They stood up and started to shout without realizing they were losing their voice. ¡°Wow! Isn¡¯t it going in?¡± ¡°It might go in!¡± I could feel my heart tremble as well. It was because the screen changed with the hole cup in the middle. The ball that was rolling toward it was accurately heading for the cup. And then a moment later, the speaker blasted out a whistle noise and celebratory blasts. Boom! Boom! Boom! ¡°It went in.¡± ¡°Unbelievable. A predicted hole-in-one?¡± ¡°Continuous eagles from the beginning. Especially on Master¡¯s Island. Crazy.¡± Even I couldn¡¯t believe it. To experience a hole-in-one on my seventh time playing screen golf. And a continuous eagle. Today must be my lucky day. I guess it was about time a hole-in-one came out. I just barely missed it every time i was on a par 3 hole. There were three or four times that it was really really close. It would be weird if it never went in. I can just say all of the luck I have been gathering in those near misses has been redeemed today. The boss counted the money in the prize bin and handed it to me. There was a total of 3,120,000 won. ¡°Wow, we finally have a owner for the prize money.¡± ¡°Newbie, you should pay for another dinner.¡± Why not? I can even pay for ten of them. That¡¯ll all just help grow my network. ¡°Of course. Just pick the date.¡± ¡°He really is a good one. Haha.¡± I instantly became the focus of the gathering. Everybody was looking at me, and all of their conversations revolved around me as well. With that being the case, the other members couldn¡¯t help but feel alienated. Jang Yoon Shik, who was supposed to go after me, felt that way for sure. ¡°Alright, let me hit as well. Give me some attention too.¡± The atmosphere finally calmed down a bit once Jang Yoon Shik raised his voice. Jang Yoon Shik was still grumbling. ¡°Even if I make a hole-in-one, it¡¯s useless. There¡¯s no more money in the bin.¡± Stop talking about putting it in, and worry about getting it even close to the cup. Even though he was talking like that, he was really focused. Almost like he was determined to really get a hole-in-one. And then, he finally swung his wood. Clang- Bang! It must have made a proper impact. The sound is refreshing. But the end result was not that good. He hit it so well that the ball looked like it would shoot past the green. But there must have been a hook on it, as it finally tilted a bit to the left. Puuk! ¡°Shit! I need to bring the money back home, but it looks like more will leave instead.¡± Jang Yoon Shik paid the bunker penalty of 10,000 won, as he grumbled. But he really shouldn¡¯t¡¯ be grumbling. It was because he hit really too well. If it didn¡¯t fall in the bunker, it would have gone into the forest past the green and ended up as an OB. The other two people were not much different. It was just that their distance was short, so they fell in the front bunker. But they were all pretty good with their bunker shots. They got it within 6 meters, and finished the hole with two putts. All three of them recorded a bogie with a +1. ¡°Time to pay up. Since he had a near and a hole-in-one, he gets an extra six points, so it is a 9 swing difference for each of you. Since this was a multiplier round, it is 180,000 won each. Since all of you got a bogie, next hole will be a multiplier hole as well.¡± I earned 520,000 won in just that hole. If it continues like this, I should be able to earn a couple million won after all 18 holes. Although it would still be less than half of the hole-in-one prize money. But that was my mistake. Golf is a mental sport. If your mentality breaks, your swing breaks down so badly that it becomes disastrous. Jang Yoon Shik was that way. Maybe he was aggravated by my continuous eagles, but his swing suddenly started to break down. Topball, shank, duff shot, he hit them all. It wasn¡¯t too bad in the first half, but it completely broke down in the second half. If there was a lake, he fell into all of them, and if it looked like he avoided the lake, it went into the forest. He must have been completely suppressed by me. Puuk! [1] ¡°Ah! I¡¯m about to go crazy. Why am I so bad today?¡± Jang Yoon Shik angrily scratched his head. It makes sense for someone with that type of personality to be completely annoyed. After finishing all 18 holes, he was 27 over par, at 99 strokes. The other two were the same way. Once Jang Yoon Shik broke down, they were affected by him, and fell apart as well. But they were still better than Jang Yoon Shik, and only went 18 over par, for 90 strokes. Since it was like that, I didn¡¯t have any desire to play well either. It was like if a pro soccer player was playing against an elementary student. Because of that, I kept attempting outrageous shots. Like thinking it might be possible to send the ball 360 meters with a driver. There were a total of five OB or hazards because of that. Since I kept having those, even with a ton of eagles and birdies, I was only 4-under par by the 17th hole. And the last 18th hole. Everybody had holed-out, and I was the only one left. It was the last 3.2 meter putt. Is the last hole a bonus hole? The course is difficult, but the green was easier than I thought. There was a slope up and down, but none left or right. I just need to send it straight for 4 meters. I carefully pushed the putter, and the ball quickly fell into the hole cup. Bang! Bang! Bang! My final score was 5 under par, at 67 strokes. It was the worst I¡¯ve done lately. But the members thought differently. They were causing a ruckus, saying 5 under par at Master¡¯s Island was a terrific score. ¡°Wow, he is a total pro.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone do so well at Master¡¯s Island.¡± ¡°Did our Lions finally get a good player? You¡¯re amazing, Kang pro.¡± For them to think so highly of me for such a score. I can tell the level of the Lions Golf Club. But I should be modest in a situation like this. ¡°I was just lucky. The ball traveled really well today.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t luck. We can tell. Kang pro is the real deal. I think your average strokes must be under par.¡± I guess I can¡¯t hide it. They are all golf fanatics anyways. They would be able to tell by just looking at my swing. I just lightly laughed. Director Han Sung Tak and Director Ji Sung Joon seemed satisfied as well, like they had seen something good for the first time in a long time, and were clapping their hands. But they must be calm people. They weren¡¯t causing a big ruckus like the rest of the people. But the atmosphere suddenly started to change. The thing that changed it were two words; ¡®Winners¡¯ and, ¡®Revenge.¡¯ ¡°Hold on, we might be able to get our revenge in the exhibition against the Winners.¡± ¡°Ah! We have that exhibition next week!¡± All of the members opened their eyes really wide, as they had expressions of anticipation. Han Sung Tak and Ji Sung Joon were the same way. Those two calm people suddenly became really excited and became more aggressive than the rest. ¡°Right. Revenge. Director Bae from K headquarters said he was coming as well.¡± ¡°We really need to get our revenge this time. How much longer do we have to watch Director Bae rub it in?¡± DIrector Han Sung Tak even grasped my hands tightly. ¡°Kang pro. Please show us your true skills.¡± Director Bae from K headquarters? It must be the director from KBC station, MBS¡¯s competitor. Not only were the stations competitors, it seems the competitive spirit between staff members is severe as well. Well, that is the world of men. You can¡¯t take the competitive spirit out of men. The competitive spirit between Han Sung Tak and K headquarter¡¯s Director Bae seems to be really serious for that calm Han Sung Tak to make an expression like this. Then I can¡¯t stay out of this. If I helped them with this revenge, I can get much closer to Han Sung Tak and Ji Sung Joon. And there is also a pretty famous screen golf competition in around a month. That was one of the reasons I wanted to join the Lions Club. You can¡¯t join as an individual. You can only join that competition as a member of a club. If it is an exhibition between golf clubs, it should be pretty good practice for the real competition. The thing that I am lacking the most in is experience. ¡°I understand. I will go and destroy all of them.¡± ¡°The rest of them are not that good. You just have to beat Hwang pro.¡± ¡°Who is Hwang pro?¡± ¡°He is the Winners¡¯ ace. If you can beat that friend, I will treat you to a nice meal.¡± ¡°Is he that talented?¡± ¡°He is amazing. Any time he hits, he gets under par. We have lost four times in a row because of that friend. Now that I think about it, he should be pretty similar to Kang pro in age.¡± ______________________________________ [1] When you swing double the amount of par. I.e. in a par 3, you had 6 strokes. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 81 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 81: The Opportunity that Came Earlier than Expected (1) They all seemed to sincerely desire a win in the revenge game. I could see that desire in the way they were looking at me. It made me think of a question. All of the members were people with a ton of money. That should mean that they could easily handle this issue. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just hire a pro with good skills?¡± ¡°That¡¯s cheating. It is a battle between official members. We all know each other.¡± ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be able to say we won if we won that way.¡± Which means, they need to win fairly, and they need to win with official members. If that is their rule, I guess i have to follow it. Either way, if I do well in the revenge game in a week, I should be able to solidify my place in the golf club. I should also be able to quickly get close to Han Sung Tak and Ji Sung Joon as well. ¡°I guess I should start living at the screen starting today. Haha.¡± ¡°Alright. Time for the third round. We can¡¯t just leave like this. Since we got a young friend who is full of energy, shouldn¡¯t we spend some time with some ladies?¡± I had no reason to reject. The justification was good as well. ¡°Since I got a hole-in-one, it will be my treat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good too. But how much did you win today Kang pro?¡± Now that I think about it, we haven¡¯t calculated the money yet. The money tin was full of 10,000 won and 5,000 won bills. It took a while to just count the money. The other members stepped forward to help me as well. The total was finally determined. It was exactly 2,870,000 won. It was more than I expected. There were a lot of multipliers, and it became a 4x multiplier every time I got a birdie, so it went up significantly. I guess I can¡¯t just take it like this right? ¡°How much did you lose?¡± ¡°Why do you want to know?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I came here to earn money. I will return it all to you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of making a bet if you¡¯re going to do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m okay as well. It¡¯s fine as long as we had fun. Just spend it on the third round.¡± They really were rich people. I did my part by asking once. It wouldn¡¯t be respectful to offer two or three times to these type of people. ¡°I understand. Then everybody has to go to third round. I will not let anybody go home until I spend all of this money.¡± I was trying to be friendly. But the majority of them said it was too late, and started to head home. Han Sung Tak and Ji Sung Joon started to pick up their jackets as well. ¡°I promised my wife that I would be home before midnight. She will nag a bit even if I go back now.¡± ¡°I have an important meeting tomorrow, so I have to return early.¡± It probably isn¡¯t respectful to drag people who say they are going home as well. ¡°I understand. Then I will properly treat you all next time.¡± *** One week later. ¡®I failed again. Why isn¡¯t this working?¡¯ [The driver is the show and the putting is money.] Which means, it is more important to be good at putting to lower your stroke rate than being good with the driver. But I was weak in that important putting. Especially in the greens that have a slope to the left or right. It is really hard to accurately find the direction on those greens. That was why I kept using Jewels of Creation to try to make it into a skill. Including the ones I used today, I¡¯ve probably used over 20 of them. But I failed again! I really can¡¯t figure out why. ¡®Shit, whatever.¡¯ Honestly, my current putting skills weren¡¯t bad. If it wasn¡¯t too difficult of a course, I can almost always do a 2-putt hole in. I checked my skill information. Since all golf related skills were gathered in the golf category, I can see all of them at a glance. [Driver* Intermediate level 4 87%] Driver 200: Intermediate level 5, 27% ¡­¡­ Driver 300: Intermediate level 6, 18% Driver 330: Intermediate level 4, 20% [Wood* Intermediate level 2, 66%] #3 Wood 190: Intermediate level 4, 16% ¡­¡­ [Putting* Intermediate level 1, 98%] Putting 20: Intermediate level 2, 21% Putting 25: Intermediate level 2, 19% ¡­¡­ #5 Iron 160: Intermediate level 4, 17% #6 Iron 150: Intermediate level 4, 38% ¡­¡­ Even though I only gathered golf skills, there were a ton of them. Of course I also had categories. The ones that have a * next to it like, ¡®Driver*,¡¯ and, ¡®Putting*,¡¯ are category skills with many skills grouped together. I can use a category as a skill itself. For example, I can open the Driver* skill and control my strength on my own. In the beginning, that¡¯s how I made skills. Putting was the same way. However, since there were irons from 4-iron to 12-iron, I made each iron into a different skill. Then I realized that there was a huge difference in the speed of growth. Even though I practiced more with the driver, the iron was increasing level much faster. That was why I broke it down and created other skills. Once I did that, the driver level shot right up. Now, the driver skill level was even higher than the iron skill level. Of them, the 300 meter skill, the one with the furthest distance, was at the highest level. It was more refreshing to swing as hard as I could and send the ball all as far as possible, so I ended up practicing that the most. As I continued to do that, the distance slowly went up as well. Today was the same. I was getting advice from the teaching pro and trying to change the weight on each feet, grip, etc. As I made slight changes and continued to hit the ball, the distance suddenly shot up. So I quickly made it into a 330 meter skill. Even though it hasn¡¯t been long since I made the Driver 330 skill, it instantly shot up to intermediate level 4. It was because there wasn¡¯t much difference compared to the other driver swings. Thanks to that, the skill increase grows as set as well. Which means, if I practice the 330 meter skill, the 200 meter skill goes up as well. Although, there is a slight difference in the rate of increase. The iron was the same way. If you practice the 5-iron, the 4-iron, 6-iron, and 7-iron skills go up as well. Thanks to that, the majority of the driver skills were Intermediate level 5 or higher, and similarly, the iron skills were mostly over Intermediate level 4. With this much skill, I shouldn¡¯t lose to a typical amateur. Riiiiing- Riiiiing- It¡¯s starting again. It is Director Han Sung Tak from MBS station. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± He was about 30 years older than me. But when I asked, ¡®Will it be okay for me to treat you as a hyung-nim?¡¯ he said, ¡®Great!¡¯ and we became brothers. ¨C Are you on your way? Why is he being so nervous? I guess that¡¯s how sincere he is about bringing the Winner¡¯s club down a notch. ¡°I am about to leave.¡± ¨C Hurry up. Everybody is going crazy waiting for you. ¡°I understand. I am heading there now.¡± I quickly headed to the promised location. [Khan Screen] ¡®Is it here?¡¯ I opened the door and went in. There were already a lot of people gathered inside. ¡®There is a screen room like this too?¡¯ The room was extremely large. In addition, there was a separate viewing area to the side. I think I saw something like this on TV when they were doing a screen golf competition. I guess it wasn¡¯t a temporary fixture for the competition. But then I heard something I never expected to hear. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that bastard Kang Hwi Ram?¡± Seeing their selection of words, it must be someone who knows me really well. And the voice is really young as well. ¡®Who is it?¡¯ It definitely isn¡¯t one of the Lions Club members. I am close enough to some people to call them brother, but none of them would speak like that. That means it is one of the Winner¡¯s Club people. I turned my gaze toward the origin of the voice. And then I saw a familiar face. No, it was not enough to say it was a, ¡®Familiar face.¡¯ Someone I could never forget. Someone who appears in my nightmares. He was sitting there. My heart sank the moment our eyes met. ¡°¡­Hwang Joon Yul!¡± Why is he here? Is he perhaps the, ¡®Hwang pro,¡¯ they were talking about¡­¡­! That must be the case. He did say he learned golf all the way from elementary school. I recall hearing that he was so talented that the teaching pro recommended him to become a golf player. But since he was set to succeed his father¡¯s business, he wouldn¡¯t have had time to try to become something like a golf player. I¡¯m sure he is busy getting business lessons right now. I guess he must be a part of a lot of different clubs, since building a network will be part of business lessons as well. ¡°Hahaha. Lions, what are you doing? You allowed a stingy guy like that to join your club to win this battle? He¡¯s not at my level, so I cannot play with him.¡± Hwang Joon Yul was mocking me and the rest of the Lions Club. The Winner¡¯s Club members all made surprised expressions. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is it someone Hwang pro knows?¡± ¡°Of course I know him. I took care of him in middle school. His family was so poor he lived in a greenhouse. I felt so bad for him that I gave him 1,000 won every so often.¡± Everybody turned their gazes to me. President Han Sang Joon as well as the rest of Lion¡¯s club members were the same. Their gazes were full of questions. ¡®Is that the truth?¡¯ That type of question. But it was only for an instant. It¡¯s all in the past anyways. Rather, isn¡¯t it more amazing that I was able to defeat such a terrible life and succeed like this? Maybe not enough to be called, ¡®Amazing,¡¯ but definitely not something to be embarrassed about. Actually, shouldn¡¯t Hwang Joon Yul be the embarrassed one? Just how many students did he bully by relying on his father¡¯s wealth and influence? ¡®Right. That is something he should be embarrassed about, not me.¡¯ At least, any normal person would think that way. Once I thought that far, I started to become confident. My slightly stiff face started to turn into a smile again. ¡°That was the case back then.¡± I cooly confirmed it with a bright smile on my face. On the other hand, the faces of the Lions Club members became even stiffer. It was a past they would have never expected. But it is too soon to be surprised. That is less than 1% of my past. Just listen carefully. This is the real thing. ¡°Do you remember that one time? You beat me up for over an hour for not bringing enough mithril. I still feel sore all over whenever I think about that, you punk. Haha.¡± I brightly said it as if I was recalling nostalgic memories of the past. Like I had brushed away all terrible things of the past. But the people should be able to accurately make a judgement. They should be tell that the content inside it is not something light. Their gazes proved that to be true. They all turned to look at Hwang Joon Yul with the same, ¡®Is that the truth,¡¯ type of gaze. At the same time, Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s smirk started to disappear. He tried to move his lips as if to respond. But I was not done yet. ¡°But you really were terrible. I expected it to end after about a week. But how could you continue that for a whole year? I couldn¡¯t get any sleep at night trying to complete the things you made me do. I always fell asleep in class. Hahaha. We really were immature back then. Whether it was you who ordered me to do it or me, who frantically tapped away on my keyboard without getting any sleep to take care of it.¡± ¡°Just what do you mean take care of it?¡± Director Han Sung Tak asked. A very sensible question. ¡°Joon Yul was obsessed with Royal Roader in middle school. At that time, he ordered all of the people in our class to find him different items. He made me go mine a mineral called mithril.¡± ¡°When you say Royal Roader¡­¡­ a game?¡± ¡°Hey! What kind of nonsense are you spewing right now?¡± Hwang Joon Yul raised his voice. He must want to stop me from talking. But I just laughed it off. I wanted to emphasize the fact that I was not lying to make him look bad, but that it was a conversation between old friends discussing past memories. ¡°Hahaha,it¡¯s okay punk. It is all in the past. We were both immature back then.¡± ¡°I never did such a thing¡­¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not be shameful like that. It is really shameful for a grown man to lie and not know about reflecting on his past actions.¡± Hwang Joon Yul jumped up from his seat. But he could not say anything else. He was just busy trying to make me stop talking. ¡°You little punk, why you¡­¡­¡± I just smirked at him. ¡°Punk, I guess you still have an image to maintain. If I were you, I would just say I¡¯m sorry and end it. Mature up a bit now that we are older. I am saying things like this because I am your friend, punk.¡± ¡°You want to get beat up?¡± His attitude hasn¡¯t changed a bit since back then. The majority of the people here are over 40, but he¡¯s talking like he doesn¡¯t care about anything. Almost as if he feels like he¡¯s untouchable. Is his standing in the golf club that strong? No, it must be his father¡¯s standing. He is the CEO of a large company. Golf gatherings probably place you based on money as well. Anyways, the atmosphere is pretty interesting now. No matter how brightly I talk, Hwang Joon Yul is getting so angry like that. All of them are looking at him and then at me with stiff expressions. Almost as if they were all waiting for this cold awkward atmosphere to end quickly. Honestly, this atmosphere is not what I want either. It doesn¡¯t help me at all. The reason I joined this golf club was to develop a network. Especially with people related to broadcasting stations. In order to do that,I need to create a happy atmosphere. It will be killing two birds with one stone if I can stomp all over Hwang Joon Yul at the same time. There is one method. Of course there is no certainty that it will work, since I don¡¯t know Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s golf skills. It is probably amazing, since they said it was enough for him to try to be pro. Based on what people had to say, it has to be amazing. Will I be able to beat him? But it wasn¡¯t like I had any other methods. All I could do is face him, and break him down. That was the reason I came here today in the first place. I accepted Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s angry rant with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but today, you are actually the one who will die. Honestly, the reason I came here today was to stomp all over you. With this.¡± I pointed to the golf club that was leaning against the wall. PR: MiracleRifle is currently having a few family issues, so he will be back at it and getting chapters out at some point, but it will be fairly slow for a bit of time. Sorry for the delays. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 82 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 82: The Opportunity that Came Earlier than Expected (2) Hwang Joon Yul started to laugh in disbelief. ¡°Haha, you playing golf? The kid cooking ramen in a greenhouse has succeeded.¡± He¡¯s talking about that again. I told you, that is spitting in my face. ¡°I practiced with a hungry desire. But now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever gone against you one on one. You always pushed your minions forward to win by numbers. I don¡¯t even know if you have the courage to go against me.¡± ¡°Why would I lose face by playing golf with a beggar like you? Come at me when you have the courage to bet 1,000,000 won per stroke.¡± If it was the old me, forget a million won, I would have lowered my tail even if it was 100 won per stroke. But things were different now. Honestly, if we were talking about personal wealth, I was probably multiple times wealthier than Hwang Joon Yul. It wasn¡¯t like he had a lot of money. His family was just wealthy. Just a freeloader who gets a lot of allowance. It made me quite curious. How much would I need to take from him for him to reach rock bottom? It might be fun to figure that out too. I answered without an ounce of hesitation. ¡°Call! You seem to have gotten some allowance from your daddy, but I will take that money as a lesson fee to teach you a life lesson.¡± ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯m about to go crazy. Do you even have the money?¡± If it was a million won per stroke, then for the entire rounding, it could be tens of millions at the low end, and even in the hundred millions on the high end. Who carries that much cash on them? That should be the same for Hwang Joon Yul. But there is an easy solution. ¡°Boss-nim. I will deposit 50 million won to your account right now, so please give me 50 coins. At the end of the competition, you can return 1 million won per coin.¡± ¡°That sounds like a good idea. But will 50 milbe enough? Shouldn¡¯t you at least put 500 mil?¡± You¡¯ll find out once we start the rounding. I will not make it an overwhelming victory. It will be a slim victory, with only a one or two stroke difference. That will make Hwang Joon Yul boil even more. Then, he will challenge me again and again, and I can step on him over and over. If I step on someone who has already been stepped on, it would multiply the satisfaction. Of course, I plan on taking as much money as I can. Even if it is a single stroke victory, if I use the multipliers correctly, I can still earn a lot of money. It is not a matter of amount, but a matter of feeling. Today¡¯s goal is to shove Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s feelings down into the dumps. We first received the boss¡¯s account number and each deposited 50 million won. While we did that, we determined the rules. But Hwang Joon Yul must be full of confidence. He¡¯s being very pushy with the rules. Especially the multiplier rules. ¡°Birdies and eagles will be 2x and 4x. Triple bogey, or if three people or more tie, the next hole will be a multiplier.¡± I can¡¯t lose in this momentum battle. I pushed even more, as if I was shouting at a race. ¡°Multipliers can layer on top of one another, right?¡± ¡°Of course, dumbass.¡± ¡°If an eagle is 4x, then is a hole in one 8x and an albatross 16x?¡± ¡°Haha. You even know what an albatross is. You must have heard a lot about golf. Fine. Sure.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy to get an albatross or a hole-in-one, but since there were some chances, I needed to make the rules right now. While we did that, the boss brought over the coins. There were exactly 50 of them each. ¡°Should be fun. Then, shall we start?¡± Everybody must have been waiting for this moment, since the atmosphere between Hwang Joon Yul and I was very tense. It was to the point that the revenge battle between the Lions and Winners was pushed to the back. Was that the reason? Once it looked like we were about to start, one of the gallery members quickly stepped forward to be the moderator. He was someone from the Winners club who was in his early 40s. ¡°Wow. I can feel the flame. Should be a fun game. What course should we pick?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do the easiest course. How does Highwin sound?¡± Hwang Joon Yul sounded off, as if he had thought about it in advance. I¡¯ve been to Highwin once too. It¡¯s actually known as a pretty difficult course. The fairway is narrow, so even the slightest miss shot can end up giving you a penalty stroke. But it didn¡¯t matter to me. Since my driver and iron skills passed intermediate level 4, the ball doesn¡¯t go far out of my control. In fact, the course it pretty short, so there should be a lot of eagle chances. The problem is how skilled is Hwang Joon Yul. No matter how well I play, it won¡¯t matter if he plays better than I do. I need to pay close attention today. ¡°I don¡¯t care where it is.¡± ¡°Then please make it Highwin. Make all of the difficulties as high as it goes. Back tee with no mulligans or concede and strong winds.¡± ¡°If we are going to do that, should I set it for the hole-in-one competition mode? Highwin is in the preliminary course anyways.¡± ¡°That is good. Please set it as competition mode.¡± I let Hwang Joon Yul pick as he pleased. The conditions would be the same for both of us anyways. Plus, the only weak aspect of my golf is putting. The rest doesn¡¯t really matter much, no matter how hard the settings are. With that, the game settings were completed. ¡°Then let¡¯s start.¡± There were a total of four people rounding. But the other two were just the sideshow, and the main was Hwang Joon Yul and myself. The 1 million won per stroke bet is only between Hwang Joon Yul and I as well. ¡°Wow, there¡¯s quite a lot on the line.¡± ¡°It¡¯s making me nervous and I¡¯m not even playing! Sigh, my heart is shaking.¡± ¡°Shh! They¡¯re starting!¡± I was the owner. There was no special reason. The boss inputted data as he pleased, and I just ended up hitting the first tea shot. Hwang Joon Yul was trying to get on my nerves from the beginning. ¡°Boss, good sense! Since he won¡¯t be the owner for any of the other holes, you put him in there as the owner for the first hole so he can experience it at least once.¡± Will that really be the case? I pretended to not hear him, and grabbed my driver before stepping up to the tee. The first hole is a 319 meter par 4 hole. But there is such a significant downhill slope that the green is located at -30 meters. The headwind (TL: blowing toward you) is strong, at 5.9 meters per hour, but it is still possible for a one stroke on-green if you send it about 300 meters. Hwang Joon Yul started to distract me once I started my address. ¡°You won¡¯t split up this short of a distance, will you? Boss, do you have a skirt and lipstick? I want to give it to him as a present if he breaks it into two 200 meter shots.¡± His manners are dogshit! But it wont work on me. I¡¯m using a skill to hit anyway, so that kind of distraction wouldn¡¯t shake my shot. Plus, once he started trying to distract me, I suddenly came up with a bright idea. A method to break Hwang Joon Yul down with certainty today. Since Hwang Joon Yul started it, I just need to follow. Then I should be able to send his mental to Andromeda, like I did to Jang Yoon Shik at Master¡¯s Island last time. If I create the right atmosphere, I could even gift Hwang Joon Yul his worst score. I turned my head and looked toward Hwang Joon Yul. I then responded shortly. ¡°Of course you punk. I will show you what a man¡¯s shot is so pay close attention.¡± ¡°Punk, talking big. Hurry up and hit. Don¡¯t stall for time.¡± I started my address again. I then enlarged the skill. [Driver 300 Skill: Intermediate level 6, 18%] I refreshingly swung my driver. Well, rather than saying I swung it, it was more accurate to say the skill read my intentions and controlled my body. Clang- Pangya! Good sound! Fishermen often talk about, ¡®Feel.¡¯ When a fish bites, they can tell what kind of fish it is based on the feel. Golf was the same way. You get a feeling the moment you hit the ball. Based on that, you can draw an image about how far and in what direction the ball will fly. At least, it as that way to me. That may be because of the skill too. ¡®It was a good hit. It¡¯s going on the green.¡¯ I properly finished everything, including the follow swing as the skill guided me. Only after that did I finally turn my head and look at the screen. The screen image had already changed. So it meant the ball was not dead at the very least. The gallery¡¯s response was already starting. ¡°Wow, good distance!¡± ¡°As expected of Kang pro! Fighting!¡± The ball fell on the fairway in front of the green. It then had a big bounce and continued to move until it rolled about 15 meters onto the green. After that, the system sent out a congratulatory message. There was only about 8 meters left to the hole. It was further than I expected. I thought, if it hit this well, it would be only about 3 meters away from the hole. Well, the driver has more chances of error than the iron. In order to lower the chance for errors, I need to raise the skill level even more. Hwang Joon Yul was up next. Now it was my turn to cause a distraction. I was just returning what Hwang Joon Yul had done to me. ¡°Boss, you haven¡¯t brought the skirt and lipstick yet, have you?¡± Hwang Joon Yul looked toward me before heading up to the tee. But he could not say anything since he started it. Just this much should be enough. Since he was the one to throw around, ¡®Skirt,¡¯ and, ¡®Lipstick,¡¯ first, he would be too embarrassed to cut it into a two-on. Whether it ends up as porridge or rice, he will aim for a tee shot on-green. [1] ¡°But president-nim. What does owner mean in golf? Does it mean it is mine?¡± Hwang Joon Yul was loud when I was up, but I lowered my voice as much as possible as I asked. This much should still be loud enough for Hwang Joon Yul to hear. Plus, whispers are more distracting than loud noises anyways. I was keeping my manners while getting my revenge. The president responded in a similarly quiet whisper. ¡°It is not owner to say it is yours, but to say it is an honor. Which means, you have the honor to make the first swing.¡± ¡°Ah, that is why the person who wins the last hole becomes the owner. Then I should keep being the owner.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s quiet down.¡± It came from the gallery. When I looked at the person, he was someone in his early 40s, but I didn¡¯t know who it was. He must be one of the Winner¡¯s Club people. Is he one of Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s minions? But he wasn¡¯t wrong. When a player is getting their shot ready, it is proper manners to be completely quiet. But you can¡¯t be selective when enforcing that manner. That is where you are wrong Mr. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that when Joon Yul was blabbing on earlier?¡± To turn red at that one sentence. If you were going to back away that easily, you shouldn¡¯t have said anything in the first place. While that happened, Hwang Joon Yul made his swing. He does have some skills though. Even with all this distraction, the impact was properly in the ball. The bullet-like noise proved that to be the case. Clang- Pangya! I went for a straight shot while Hwang Joon Yul went for a fade shot. And his shot was pretty accurate. It went in an odd direction at first, but it rode the wind and turned toward the direction of the green. ¡°Wow, the screen changed!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going on! Nice shot!¡± I could feel my heart drop as well. The ball beautifully landed on the green and went close to the cup. ¡®Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s skill was this good?¡¯ I¡¯m going to have to stay alert in order to not be embarrassed today. Hwang Joon Yul showed his skills in the 2nd hole as well. I did pretty well too, but we ended up tying again. Then the 3rd hole. I was the owner again. I grabbed my driver and stepped up to the plate. Once I did that, Hwang Joon Yul continued his distractions. ¡°It¡¯s finally a multiplier round! Is it time to empty a beggar¡¯s pockets?¡± I didn¡¯t even pretend to listen. I just focused on the game. A 358 meter distance with a 14 meter downward slope. The wind was blowing fast, at 5.7 meters per hour to the right. There¡¯s was some wind blowing in reverse as well. With the distance being so far and the wind being so strong, it would be very difficult to get the ball to the location you want. The more thrilling part was that the size of the green was the size of a fist, and right behind it was an OB area. If you hit too weak of a shot, you¡¯ll fail your on-green, but on the opposite end, if you hit it a bit too far, it will automatically end up in OB. There is a high chance of making a mistake when aiming for a one stroke on-green. Which means, it was a chance to send Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s mental flying. I shouted for everyone to hear. ¡°On-green challenge!¡± The gallery started to waver. Especially the Lions Club members. This was a battle between Hwang Joon Yul and I, but also between Lions and Winners. ¡°You¡¯re going to do a one-on here?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push it too much. There aren¡¯t any mulligans.¡± ¡°Ai, this is not somewhere to aim for an on-green. Just cut it into two¡± Everybody was pushing for safety. Of course, Hwang Joon Yul wasn¡¯t going to miss this opportunity. ¡°A man needs to keep his word. Are you going to say two things with one mouth? If you want to cut, put on the skirt and lipstick before cutting.¡± He was trying to put a period on my chaotic atmosphere. ¡°If you are a man, you have to do a one-on. I am someone who does what I say I will do.¡± I then took the strong wind into consideration,and turned the tee shot enough to the left. That was followed by a thrilling shot! [Driver 330 skill: Intermediate level 4, 20%] I sent a refreshing shot without an ounce of hesitation. The resulting noise was that much more refreshing as well. Clang- Pangya! Everybody¡¯s eyes turned toward the screen as if they would fall out. It was followed by sounds of awe. ¡°The screen changed!¡± ¡°Impossible. It¡¯s so narrow!¡± ¡°Is it really going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s going on!¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to stick! Oh, it stuck!¡± The ball stopped on the green with the system¡¯s congratulatory message. As the gallery mentioned, the ball was about 3.2 meters away from the cup. Taking a quick look, the green slope wasn¡¯t too bad either. There wasn¡¯t much slope to the left or right, just a pretty heavy uphill. With something like this, there is a good chance for an eagle. ¡°Wow, so amazing!¡± ¡°You truly are a man, a man!¡± ¡°The Lions got a bundle of luck!¡± ¡°Winners, what are you going to do? You¡¯re not going to cut, are you?¡± Now, I didn¡¯t even need to step up. Everybody was berating Hwang Joon Yul for me. It meant he had to attempt a tee shot on-green like I did. Of course, the Winners were feeling very differently. ¡°A real pro has good mind control. Do not be swept up by them.¡± ¡°Of course. A pro plays based on their skill, not luck.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s safely cut. The wind is too strong.¡± They said that last thing very well. I added a couple things to it. ¡°Our Joon Yul is always safety first. Even in middle school, he was a coward, so he never fought 1 on 1. So just cut. That is more like you.¡± ¡°You son of a¡­ Shut up.¡± Hwang Joon Yul was glaring at me. He must think I would get scared if he did that. But why am I laughing? ¡®He¡¯s finally starting to get affected!¡¯ Golf is a mental sport. No matter how skilled you are, if your mental shakes, you cannot hit a good shot. That was the reason I was looking forward to Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s next shot. If he screws up once, I can send his mental to Andromeda. Hwang Joon Yul turned the screen to the left like had done. It was the right decision after calculating the wind. Then he put a lot of strength into the practice swing. No matter who looked at it, he was definitely aiming for a tee shot on-green. ¡°You really should cut.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t get drawn in by them.¡± The members of the Winners started to raise their voices. But Hwang Joon Yul had already made up his mind. ¡°I am swinging. Please quiet down.¡± Only then did they all quiet down. Hwang Joon Yul took a long time even after that. I feel like he did at least five empty swings. Finally, he put all of his strength and swung his driver. But the sound of it hitting was weird. Puk! ______________________________ [1] a metaphor to mean for better or for worse. If you put too much water into your rice, it ends up porridge. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 83 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 83: The Opportunity that Came Earlier than Expected (3) The gallery was describing the situation for us. But we knew what had happened just by listening to the noise. ¡°Ah, a duff [1]!¡± ¡°There was too much strength in his shoulders.¡± While they said that, the ball created a large arc like a Howitzer[2]. It fell into the forest that was far from the fairway. The system confirmed the results of the shot. ¡°Ah, fuck!¡± Hwang Joon Yul threw his driver in anger. What can he do? He chose to do it and he also made the mistake. The atmosphere instantly turned toward the Lions Club¡¯s favor. With Hwang Joon Yul grumbling, it seemed to affect the other Winner¡¯s player as well. But he didn¡¯t hit it as stupidly as Hwang Joon Yul did. He lowered his strength and sent the ball safely flying about 200 meters. The Winners members tried to convince him again. ¡°Just cut through. If you make a mistake, you might even get an onion!¡± I contributed as well. Of course, it was to irritate Hwang Joon Yul. ¡°Listen to them punk. Think about your skill. How can a tiny sparrow try to be a stork? Stay within your skill level and safely cut your way through.¡± Hwang Joon Yul suddenly pointed the driver toward me. ¡°Nobody let out a single peep from here on. I¡¯m about to blow up!¡± He really thinks highly of himself. There isn¡¯t anybody here who is younger than him. But he can still talk like a jackass? I guess it¡¯s okay. Everybody closed their mouths, as if to say they weren¡¯t going to let out a peep. Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s dad must have a lot of power. Hwang Joon Yul swung his driver again. Clang- Pangya! This time, the impact was on point. But the direction was wrong. There was a large slice, and it turned to the right. The distance was a bit short as well. Last time, it was the left forest, but this time, it went to the right forest. He couldn¡¯t go back now. Should we say it was a lost cause? The Winners members seem to have given up as well. All they could do was let out sighs that you could barely hear, but did not say anything. While that happened, Hwang Joon Yul swung his driver again. He had practiced a couple times before carefully making the second swing, but for this third swing, he swung without a single practice swing. It was as if he was cursing, ¡®fucking bitch!¡¯ with the driver. It was a hard course if you carefully swung, so why did you think it would work if you just half-assed it like that? This time was an OB as well. Once he got another OB like that, he had hit double par without even getting a second shot. Which means, he had recorded a +4 in this hole alone. ¡®Hold on. Then how does the calculation work?¡± This round was a multiplier round. In addition, with an eagle, it becomes a 4x multiplier. So minimally, it is a 8x multiplier. If I get an eagle, there is a 6 stroke different with Hwang Joon Yul. If it is 8x 6 million¡­¡­ ¡®48 million won!¡¯ Of course in Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s point of view, it was chump change. But the money wasn¡¯t the important part. Isn¡¯t there a saying that says that it is a matter of emotion even if you fall into a pile of poop? [3] I will be able to create enough distance to keep making fun of him from here on. ¡®No matter what, I will succeed in this eagle!¡¯ While I thought that, it was already my turn. 3.2 meter eagle putting. Unlike the first time I looked at it, there was a slight tilt to the left. I carefully calculated the direction. ¡°Shit, stop dragging time and hurry up and hit!¡± That was Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s angry voice. That just shows how much his ass is burning. I didn¡¯t even pretend to listen. I even used my focus skill to focus only on calculating the direction. I took enough time as well. Once I did that, I suddenly felt something. ¡®It should be good if I send it about 1 cup¡¯s distance to the right. Then I just need to hit it thinking the hole cup is over there.¡¯ I decided to trust my intuition. I finally finished my calculation and stood on the plate. I imagined that the hole was where I decided to aim, and pushed the putter as if I was sending it about 4 meters further than the hole. The ball started to roll and turned slightly to the left. It was accurately aiming for the cup. The gallery was the first to respond. ¡°It¡¯s going in!¡± ¡°Wow! Eagle!¡± Following that, the system made noises in celebration. Pop! Pop! Pop! You can enjoy moments like these. It was not easy to get eagles. Only then could I irritate Hwang Joon Yul even more. ¡°Alright! Joon Yul, did you see that? This is how you play golf punk! Hold on. How much was this eagle putt worth?¡± Hey person who volunteered to run the game. Why are you not saying anything? He must be hesitating because the amount is so large. Well, he is a member of the Winners as well, so he must be wary of Hwang Joon Yul, no, Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s dad. So I did the calculation for him. ¡°A 48 million won putt! Oh I¡¯m so sorry. I made our Joon Yul a beggar with one shot. You want to give up?¡± ¡°What kind of shit are you saying? It has only been three holes. There are still 15 holes left.¡± He then took his phone out and put more money into the boss¡¯s account. ¡°I deposited 50 mil. Please give me more coins.¡± Will you be able to finish the game with only 50 million? It¡¯ll be gone with two good shots. IT doesn¡¯t matter. No, it is actually better. It¡¯ll cause him more pain to keep losing money and having to deposit more. The fourth hole to the ninth hole were not very fun. The course was a bit difficult, but there was nothing special, so even Hwang Joon Yul could safely finish it. It could have made his mental fly away, but he managed to hold on. In return for being greedy about the chump change of about 4-5 million won, I controlled my strokes. On the holes that were not multipliers, I sent my ball to the OB area to lose some strokes. Thanks to that, the 6 strokes I had over Hwang Joon Yul became reversed. He was actually leading by a stroke. It was natural for Hwang Joon Yul to gain some confidence back after he had shriveled up. ¡°Punk, you aren¡¯t much. For me to be playing golf with someone like him.¡± Then the 10th hole. It was a 342 meter, par 4 hole. Which means, it was a chance to send the barely regained mental of his back away. I need to set the mood first. ¡°Wow, my natural instincts as a man are starting to wiggle!¡± The gallery was the first to understand what I meant. ¡°You¡¯re aiming for a one-on again?¡± ¡°Ow, I can¡¯t watch because my heart is shaking.¡± ¡°The green is too narrow. If you go even a bit over, it will be an OB.¡± ¡°Luck doesn¡¯t always find you, Kang pro!¡± I smiled brightly toward the gallery as I answered. ¡°This is a revenge battle, but it is also a battle of pride between Joon Yul and I. I¡¯d rather get an OB than face the shame of cutting my way through.¡± Once I said that, Hwang Joon Yul suddenly tried to provoke me. ¡°Then should we do a fiery bet this hole?¡± ¡°What bet?¡± ¡°Whoever gets the ball closer to the hole cup gets 50 million won. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you make it on the green or not. Just whoever is closer.¡± Now that I think about it, Hwang Joon Yul was still down about 40 million won. He was trying to earn all that money back and reverse it with this one shot. I had no reason to hesitate. ¡°Call!¡± Hwang Joon Yul put up 50 coins first. I put my 50 coins next to his. Wow! This is 100 million won! Which means, this driver shot was worth 100 million won. I need to make sure to eat this one. It is not a problem of money, but pride. I pray that this one shot can create an unforgettable pain for Hwang Joon Yul. Although it won¡¯t compare at all to the pain he has caused me. I got into position and opened the ¡®Driver 330 skill. There is a strong headwind, so the distance will not go as far as it should, but I can send it close to the green. If I am lucky, it might even be on the green. That should be enough. This was a battle of pride, and not skill, anyways. Clang- Pangya! The ball, that flew forward with a refreshing noise, fell far away from the green as I expected. But it made a pretty large bounce and barely managed to make it onto the green. It just barely missed the bunker. But luck must be on my side today. The hole cup was in the front of the green. Thanks to that, there was only 4.5 meters left, even though it only rolled about 6 meters. Almost as if I noticed the hole being up front and hit it short on purpose. ¡°Wow, crazy!¡± ¡°Did he really aim for that?¡± ¡°This is a really fun competition.¡± All of the Lions members were excited. There was a lot of energy in their voices. On the other hand, the Winners members just quietly clapped. It was a very weak clapping. I responded to the gallery¡¯s awe and looked toward Hwang Joon Yul. ¡°What do you think? Scared? Just call me hyung-nim once and kneel.¡± ¡°Kneel my ass. I just have to get it closer than 4 meters.¡± Hwang Joon Yul was huffing as he grabbed his driver. The Winner¡¯s members could not help but be worry after seeing his appearance. Some of them were shaking their heads, as if they could already see the future. While they did that, Hwang Joon Yul swung the driver with all of his strength. Clang ¨C pangya! At the same time, the Winner¡¯s members were starting to feel good. ¡°Wow! Good hit!¡± ¡°Great!¡± Even in my eyes, this shot was hit well. The sound was good, and the direction shown on the screen was good as well. It was aiming perfectly for the green. It was honestly surprising. I didn¡¯t know Hwang Joon Yul had this much skill. But there was just one problem. The screen image still had not changed. All of the winner¡¯s members were tilting their heads in confusion. ¡°What? Why is it not changing?¡± ¡°It looks like it¡¯s going to go perfectly onto the green. Perhaps¡­¡­?¡± ¡®Perhaps,¡¯ really is the devil. This time, he had hit it way too well. The ball had fallen directly onto the green. It then took a large bounce, hopped over the green, and fell into the forest behind it. ¡°Ah, son of a bitch! Why is it so bad today? It sucks even when I hit well?¡± Hwang Joon Yul threw his driver again. It was the perfect atmosphere to make fun of him. I couldn¡¯t let this pass. ¡°That is called skills punk. Who cares if you send it 500 meters? You need to land on the green.¡± ¡°You better shut that trap of yours!¡± Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s glare toward me seemed like a burning laser. It was a laser that was making me smile. ¡°You¡¯re the one who hit terribly, so why are you getting angry at me?¡± The atmosphere in the game room was chilly. It was because of Hwang Joon Yul. He didn¡¯t know where he stood, and had bet two more times. They were 100 million won bets each time as well. Of course, I lightly stepped on him each time. Thanks to that, Hwang Joon Yul became tame as well. Now, even if a pretty easy looking par 4 hole came out, he couldn¡¯t bring up a, ¡®bet,¡¯ anymore. It was the same even if I lightly provoked him. ¡°Should we do another 100 million won bet?¡± Hwang Joon Yul was quiet. He closed his eyes and mouth, as if he could not hear me. That image seemed like a calm before the storm, like a land mine that was about to blow up. That was why everybody was careful to not get on his nerves. But it was still amazing. Even in a situation like this, he kept his mentality until the end. It felt like it was going to crumble, but it never did. He was leading after the 13th hole, at 5 under par. And then the 14th hole. Hwang Joon Yul, who was quiet this whole time, suddenly opened his eyes wide and challenged me again. ¡°One more time. Near.¡± I think I figured out his thoughts. This hole was a 195 meter, par 3 hole. Which means, he determined that he couldn¡¯t defeat me in a long distance drive focused on accuracy, so he was waiting until we reached a par 3 hole. But the headwin was super strong, at 5.6 meters per hour. That means you needed to send it at least 200 meters to get close to the cup. Of course, I had no reason to object. ¡°I will accept it if you want to challenge me.¡± In other words, I am the champion, and you are the challenger! Hwang Joon Yul must have understood, as he started to frown. However, he increased the bet even more. ¡°This time, 200 million won. Or, you can give up if its too much for you.¡± The bets keep getting bigger. I guess he want to earn back all the money he lost at once. Of course, I was thankful for it. But there was something that was on my mind. If the amount kept getting bigger like this, there may be people who look at me with a different view. Even the people who I¡¯ve tried to get close to, like Director Han Sung Tak and Director Ji Sung Joon, might feel that way. Then they will think I am a bad person and try to keep their distance. It could end up being terrible for me. I need to make sure that kind of situation does not happen. But there was a way. A method to change that perspective at once. If I use that method, my image will actually get better the bigger the bets get. ¡°I am okay with anything! I planned on giving all the money I earned today to a scholarship, and our Joon Yul is helping me increase that donation!¡± ¡°Donation to a scholarship?¡± ¡°Ah, that was his plan! I misunderstood.¡± As I expected. Some people started to smile, as if they finally got rid of the misunderstanding. They had looked down on a game with such high bets. But talking about, ¡®donations to a scholarship,¡¯ made them get rid of that negative thought. Director Han Sung Tak was smiling brighter than before as well. I decided to stick the nail in completely while it was hot. ¡°I promise in front of all of our members. Whether I win 1 billion won or 10 billion won, I will donate it all to a scholarship for students in need. Joon Yul, help me out a lot. It¡¯s fine if you bet 1 billion won.¡± ¡°Shut your trap and hit your ball, bitch.¡± The distance seems to be growing slowly. The distance between our images. I am the good dude while Hwang Joon Yul is the terrible one. [Driver 200: Intermediate level 5, 27%] I opened the skill and swung the driver nicely. Clang- Pangya! It sounds great! The direction is great! Oh, the distance is great too! The gallery anticipated something, and all stood up. ¡°Oh, what is this?¡± ¡°Perhaps¡­¡­¡± And then a moment later. Clang! The speaker started to let out celebratory noises. Pop! Pop! Pop! Today really is my lucky day. It seems like I will really earn a lot today. Hwang Joon Yul lowered his head. It was not because of fear. It was because of anger. If a person gets too angry, they just look like they¡¯re really down in the dumps. If it is not a moment like this, when can I get my revenge on him? ¡°Stand tall you punk. You¡¯re a man. You can¡¯t let losing some chump change put you down like that.¡± I pretended to console him as I put 100 coins in a bin and tried to hand it to him. It was a lot of money, being worth 100 million won. Although it was still only about ? of what I won off of him today. Hwang Joon Yul suddenly lifted up his head. ¡°Take that dirty hand away from me.¡± That shaky gaze. The expression that seemed to say he wanted to kill me. It made sense, since I had won over 600 Million won, but the stroke difference was only 5. I had originally planned on winning by one or two strokes, but Hwang Joon Yul completely broke on the last 18th hole. I know how to kill him once more in a situation like this. ¡°Bastard, look at that anger of yours. Fine, punk. Here!¡± I put 100 more coins and handed 200 coins toward him. Hwang Joon Yul bit down on his teeth. He then rushed out of the game room as if he could not hold it in anymore. The Winner¡¯s members quickly chased after Hwang Joon Yul. Only then did some of the Lion¡¯s members start to celebrate the win. ¡°We won. Haha.¡± ¡°In my 15 years of playing golf, I¡¯ve never seen such thrilling and cool victory.¡± ¡°A great competition, a great competition. Shouldn¡¯t we have to pay admission for it?¡± ¡°I could feel my 10 year long constipation going down.¡± This is what a victory is. It is not fun if there is a large gap between the two of you. It needs to be a close match like this until the very end for it to multiply the excitement. Especially one where each of you keep taking the lead back and forth. That¡¯s why they say that the greatest baseball games happen when the Kennedy score [4] is created. ¡°Lets go. Round 2 is on me.¡± ¡°No, no. Kang pro worked hard, so it should be our treat. Let¡¯s go.¡± We left together. I had dinner with the members and we had another round of screen golf with just the members to celebrate. Thanks to that, it was close to midnight when I arrived home. But I seem to have gotten some texts while we were having fun. I must have missed the sound of the texts while were were drinking. The majority were useless texts. But one was the exception. It was from Kang Sung Ho. I always have a lot of expectations for Kang Sung Ho¡¯s texts. He only gives me good news. He must have found something again. ¡®What good news will he have today?¡¯ I checked the contents of the text. [I sent the results of the, ¡®one hit damage,¡¯ search via e-mail.] My eyes instantly opened wide. ¡®Finally!¡¯ ______________________________________________________ [1] Duff ¨C a shot that is hit so poorly that the ball only travels a short distance [2] A short gun for firing shells on high trajectories at low velocities [3] I have no idea [4] Have you ever heard about the Kennedy score?? I heard it originated when JFK said, ¡°8-7 score is the most interesting game.¡± The Kennedy score is a frequently used term in Korea. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 84 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 84: Priest Shione¡¯s Secret (1) Kang Sung Ho¡¯s contact always makes me happy. I had been waiting for this for so long. Of course, I found out about using Guard Points to increase the damage. But that is for the distant future. I need to raise my level quite a bit to challenge the Southern District quest. Plus, isn¡¯t it, ¡®the more the merrier?¡¯ The more methods there are, the more options I¡¯ll have, and if I am lucky, I can use two methods in a row to create an even stronger damage. I opened my email and opened the, ¡®One hit damage.hwp,¡¯ file. ¡®Wow! There are this many?¡¯ It was over 30 pages long. That means there was a lot of information. That should mean that there were some groundbreaking methods in there as well. I turned the page with anticipation. [Blood Attack] I know of this skill. If it succeeds, your damage doubles. But it is based on your base damage. Which means, if your strength is low, 2x damage still does not do much damage. [Storm Strike] [Critical Spear] [Power Slayer] ¡­¡­ ¡®I know about this one, that one ¡­¡­¡¯ I was feeling weaker by the second as I read it. All of these were skills I knew about it. They were the type that needed you to raise your strength or magic to land high amounts of damages. Which means, these were not the files I was looking for. But it wasn¡¯t Kang Sung Ho¡¯s fault. No matter how attentive he is, it¡¯s not like he could find something that does not exist. I guess I could say it was good work to even verify that something like that did not exist. Then I won¡¯t have any expectations for something that doesn¡¯t exist. I guess I was being too greedy to get an attack that does a lot of damage without raising my strength or magic. If you think about it, ¡®Guard Points,¡¯ weren¡¯t different. It was just using the points to increase your strength or magic temporarily. I haven¡¯t even gone through half of the file, but I was already sighing. But he seemed to have really worked hard on this. The majority of the skills that I know about were included in this. It even included the Guard Point Ares Temple Blessing Quest. It was exactly like the one I received from the Ares Temple. That was how diligently he searched through the files. I was suddenly proud of Kang Sung Ho. I can tell how hard he worked. I was so thankful, that I felt like I needed to look through the whole file. Who knows? There might be something I don¡¯t know about hidden¡­¡­! ¡®Ara? What is this?¡¯ There was something that came into my eyes. [Using Spirit Energy to increase damage] This is something I¡¯ve never heard of. I¡¯ve never heard about it even while playing the game. I opened my eyes wide and looked through the information that Kang Sung Ho had compiled. [Spirit Energy comes from nature, and is available in all living beings. It is most plentiful in beings with strong vitalities. The White Knights of the Orthodox Church of the Sun gathered Spirit Energy and then let it explode to cause damage. White Knights with high amounts of Spirit Energy and strong souls can absorb Spirit Energy from nature, while White Knights with weak souls can absorb a portion of the Spirit Energy from monsters they have hunted. The absorbed Spirit Energy will want to return to nature, and thus must be used within 1 minute. The damage unleashed is proportional to the amount of Spirit Energy gathered, and is added to the base damage.] ¡®Hoo, look at this!¡¯ It felt like the exact type of skill I was looking for. But there was a problem. [The Orthodox Church of the Sun disappeared from the earth 1,000 years ago, when the last remaining believers were decimated by the attack of the Demons.] ¡®Damn it. Then there is no use for this.¡¯ But it was too soon to be disappointed. That was not the end of the details. [The Orthodox Church of the Sun was continued by the Church of the Sun. The gospel was significantly changed to the point that they were shunned by the world, but the location of the Altar of the Sun can be found through the Church of the Sun. The method to use Spirit Energy can be learned once the Altar of the Sun is found.] I feel like there is still a path to find the method of using Spirit Energy. No matter what, the Church of the Sun holds the key to the, ¡®Guide to Spirit Energy.¡¯ Now that I think about it, the phrase, ¡®Church of the Sun,¡¯ was not foreign to me. ¡®Shione!¡¯ The priest of the Athena Temple that I saved from the Demon Cave not too long ago. They said she had gathered information on the Church of the Sun. The piece of map I got from there was also supposed to show the location of the Church of the Sun. That means I need to change my plan. ¡®I need to take part in the Demon Cave Clearing Squad.¡¯ If we gather all of the map pieces and get rid of the Church of the Sun, I should be able to get the thing I am looking for. I feel like the frustration is clearing up. I suddenly thought of Kang Sung Ho¡¯s face. I could imagine just how hard he worked to look through these files. I finally checked the contents of the e-mail itself. [I¡¯m sorry. You seemed to be in a rush, so I tried to find it as fast as possible, but there are too many files. I hired over 30 people, but it still took almost a whole month. If you are going to want this type of file search again in the future, I think you will need to give me some more money. I paid my friends, so they helped me out, even with a low wage, but I don¡¯t think they will help me again if that continues. If there is anything else you need, please contact me again.] I¡¯m sure he¡¯s not faking it. The file really was large. He should be rewarded for working hard. That is the only way he will continue to work hard in the future. I took out my smartphone and transferred 50 million won to Kang Sung Ho¡¯s account. It might seem like a lot of money if you include the amount I sent to him in advance. But I wanted to clearly show Kang Sung Ho what kind of person I was. As Kang Sung Ho mentioned, I am the type of person who will be the, ¡®Goose laying golden eggs,¡¯ for my people. If you put your trust in me, you will receive a lot of benefits. I also sent him a text. It was late at night, but it will be a happy message for Kang Sung Ho. [You worked hard. If the money is not enough in the future, contact me right away. You figure out the wages for your friends and the rest is for you. Don¡¯t be cheap, and treat them to a meal or something since you will need to rely on them in the future again.] [I will make sure to do so. Thank you very much, boss-nim.] I received a response in less than 10 seconds. It¡¯s pretty late, but I guess he was still not sleeping. I was feeling good thinking about how happy Kang Sung Ho might be right now. But why is there still nothing about, ¡®Eruni?¡¯ Did Kang Sung Ho perhaps forget about it? I sent another message. [What about Eruni? It¡¯s not urgent, but please search for it when you get some time. Shione as well. Honestly, Shione is more urgent than Eruni.] [There is no information on Eruni. I will search Shione, and then look for Eruni again.] ¡®Ah, there was none!¡¯ Even Kang Sung Ho cant find files that do not exist. But why doesn¡¯t it exist? Is Eruni perhaps just a regular slave with nothing special? I am a bit disappointed that there is nothing. Then shall I enter Royal Roader now? These days, I¡¯ve only been going into Royal Roader once every four days. Since it was like that, I felt a sense of excitement every time I entered. *** Huksen¡¯s Athena Temple. ¡°What brings you to the temple?¡± ¡°I came to participate in the Demon Cave Clearing Quest with priest Shione-nim.¡± ¡°Omo!¡± The priest was surprised once I said ¡®Demon Cave Clearing Quest.¡¯ ¡®There must not have been anybody who volunteered.¡¯ It made sense. The difficulty would multiply by multiple degrees while having a female priest with us. Even a normal Demon Cave Clearing Squad didn¡¯t have enough volunteers that they needed to use use prisoners, so it wasn¡¯t a surprise. But it will be different now. Since I am here. The winner of a Chaos Battle. Someone who successfully cleared a Demon Cave Clearing Quest. It was a title that should give people a sense of hope. People who want to change their lives will aim for the large reward and apply. But, if we are still lacking members, we will need to use prisoners again. ¡°Please come this way.¡± I followed the priest and headed to the bishop. Next to the bishop was Shione, who had heard the news and came out as well. They both recognized my face. It had only been about half a month since I left the Athena Temple last time. The joy on the faces of both Shione and the bishop multiplied when they saw it was me. ¡°Oh, it is you. We are very thankful that you chose to participate again like this.¡± ¡°However, I have a request.¡± ¡°Please speak.¡± He was speaking in a way to say he¡¯ll listen to anything. Then I should be able to say a couple things. It would be stupid to be humble and not say anything in a situation like this. ¡°First, if possible, I would like to take it as a quest from the Ares Temple.¡± ¡°Is there a special reason?¡± ¡°I want to bet Guard Points.¡± ¡°Our Athena Temple is giving Intelli Points as a reward as well. Of course, betting is allowed as well.¡± I knew about that as well. However, Guard Points were more useful to me than Intelli Points. I would also need to do a Athena Temple Blessing Quest to use Intelli Points as well. ¡°I will think about that in the future.¡± ¡°I understand. I will discuss the next Demon Cave Clearing Quest with the Ares Temple.¡± ¡°Second, please put me as the leader of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad.¡± I had experience with successfully clearing a Demon Cave once already. That alone was enough to be the leader. ¡°That is not difficult. We will do as you asked.¡± Can I get one more? There really wasn¡¯t anything else I had thought about. But since there was nothing to lose, let¡¯s just ask anything that I can think of. I happened to remember the items that the Athena Temple treats like treasures. One of them subconsciously slipped out of my mouth. ¡°I heard that the Gaia¡¯s Armor Set is stored in the Athena Temple.¡± The bishop¡¯s face suddenly hardened. ¡°Gaia¡¯s Armor Set!¡± Shit! I must have said something wrong. The bishop¡¯s expression seemed to say it was an, ¡®Item that can never be lent out.¡¯ It is an amazing armor set. Helmet, armor, pants, gloves, boots, and a ring. It is a set with a total of 6 items, and if you have the entire set, the extra option is amazing. The more attractive part is that the restriction is, ¡®Level 150,¡¯ and nothing else. Even so, it shouldn¡¯t make the bishop show that type of reaction. Is there perhaps something else? ¡°That is an item we have specially received from his highness. This quest is important, but it is not something we can give as a reward.¡± That makes sense. Do I need to give up like this? Well, it is not like I didn¡¯t expect it. But I was still a bit disappointed. I quickly changed my words. I was hoping it would work. ¡°Then please let me borrow it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Borrow?¡± ¡°I will return it after using it for the Demon Cave Clearing.¡± After I said that, I felt like it was a really good idea. The bishop wouldn¡¯t be able to say no. No matter what, I at least had irrefutable qualifications. Come at me bro. [1] ¡°But if you fail the Demon Cave Clearing¡­¡­¡± ¡°I am asking to borrow it so that we can succeed. Bishop-nim wants us to succeed as well. Are you perhaps hoping that we fail?¡± ¡°Of, of course not. Still¡­¡­¡± ¡°I also have this.¡± I took out the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute out of my bag. It was the reward I got for successfully clearing the last Demon Cave. ¡°Even if we fail the quest, I will be able to return alive no matter what. Which means the Gaia¡¯s Armor Set will be 100% guaranteed to be returned as well.¡± Shouldn¡¯t this be enough? The bishop did not have anything else to say. He hesitated for a moment, before finally nodding his head. ¡°I will ask the main temple.¡± ¡°Then please contact them. I will accept the Demon Cave Clearing Quest as soon as we are able to secure the Gaia¡¯s Armor Set.¡± This wasn¡¯t my original goal. But I am the one with the knife. The success of failure of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad will be determined by whether I am there or not. ¡°I understand. I will make sure to secure it. Please accept the quest first. I don¡¯t think we will be able to fill the rest of the squad without it.¡± He was planning on selling my name to gather members. The bishop is a quick thinker as well, it seems. ¡°I understand. Please give me the quest.¡± The bishop quickly put his hand on my head. __________________________________________ [1] It wasn¡¯t literally, ¡®Come at me bro,¡¯ but it was fitting Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 85 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 85: Priest Shione¡¯s Secret (2) The perfect conditions. ¡°I will accept. And if you would allow me to do so, I would like to make some suggestions about the composition of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad. After experiencing it once, I feel like I have a good idea about the team composition that would have the highest success rate.¡± ¡°We would be thankful if you did that. Please discuss that with priest Shione.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The bishop left the area first. ¡°Please come this way.¡± I moved to a different location with priest Shione. The majority of priests do not talk much. Although, I can¡¯t say that with certainty since I have not met too many priests, however, all of the priests that I have met until now were that way. They were especially quiet to outsiders like me. In fact, if it was not something they absolutely needed to say, they just kept their mouths shut most of the time. But Shione was different. She started to talk to me first. ¡°I heard that Kang Hwi Ram-nim is from the Batoru Kingdom.¡± Her voice that settles down like a fog. I could feel some unknown type of charm. ¡°Yes. I am from Titan Valley.¡± ¡°I am from Batoru Kingdom as well. But I don¡¯t know about Titan Valley. Where is it located?¡± ¡°To the south of Avanguarde¡­¡­¡± This feels like a date for some reason. We even made eye contact every so often, as we talked about all sorts of things. It was mostly Shione asking the questions and I answering with short responses. I couldn¡¯t do anything else. It would be complicated if people started to say I was trying to hit on female priests of a temple. Shione walked really slowly. Almost like she was walking slowly on purpose, just to chat with me a bit longer. Thanks to that, the short distance of 200 meters that we were walking took us very long time to traverse. We discussed the composition of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad with the administrative team. I did the majority of talking. I was the only one with experience clearing a Demon Cave in this group. ¡°Swordsmen do not help much. Please focus on people who can use shields and fire arrows at the same time, and please increase the ratio of magicians. You can even raise it to about 30%.¡± ¡°That much?¡± ¡°In narrow areas like Demon Caves, that is more advantageous. In addition¡­¡­¡± I continued to make suggestions. I wanted them to create the best team to support me. But it is really weird. Why is my heart beating like this? Why is that guy down there acting up like this so much? It was because of Shione. Shione only stared at me the entire time. Although it made sense, since I was the only one making suggestions. But I felt like Shione¡¯s eyes were sucking me in. Even though I was calming myself down, I kept having some lustful thoughts. I felt like I was possessed by a ghost. I was pretty confident that I could control my emotions around any woman, no matter how beautiful they were, but I was helpless in front of Shione. It was true that Shione was extremely beautiful, but still, why can¡¯t I control myself at all? I still managed to successfully finish the discussion. Now I just need to wait for the Demon Cave Clearing Squad to be formed. ¡°Then I will be training in Golan Park. Please let me know once the squad has been formed.¡± ¡°If it is somewhere that divine power can reach, we will contact you through the Divine Tower. We will contact you soon.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I headed back to Golan Park. But I still had some longing, even after I left the Athena Temple. Almost like Shione had taken a place deep in my heart. ¡®Why am I like this? It¡¯s really weird!¡¯ *** Everybody has a turning point in their life. And that turning point does not end at once, but continues to visit frequently. It was the same way for me as well. Royal Roader was one turning point, and the Chaos Battle was another. To be specific, losing in the Chaos Battle and getting the time restriction. Tap! Roooooooooooll- Until that happened, I was sleeping close to 10 hours a day. I even wore myself out physically with swimming and working out to sleep as much as possible. But since the Chaos Battle, I have been living the opposite life. I had no reason to sleep a lot. If I slept 10 hours, I would need to wait 5 days to re-enter Royal Roader, and if I slept 8 hours, I needed to wait 4 days. So the decision I came to was sleeping exactly 6 hours a day. And a 30 minute nap. That was enough. I don¡¯t know whether it was because I¡¯ve been sleeping a lot until now or because of the vitamins I was taking, but I never really felt tired. Tap! Roooooooooooll- ¡°This is really weird. It feels like it¡¯ll work, but it doesn¡¯t.¡± My day changed since the amount of time I was sleeping had gone down. 2 hours swimming and working out, 4 hours studying English and current events. Even then, I still had enough time to practice golf 7 hours a day. The majority of golf practice was putter practice. Of course, I swung the driver and iron from time to time, but over 50% of the time was spent on putter. I stared endlessly at the screen. To be specific, I was looking at the gridlines and the speed and slope. I was researching how the ball will roll, and in which direction I needed to send it in with what strength to send it directly into the hole. ¡®3 balls distance to the left of the cup.¡¯ [Putting 10 Skill: Intermediate level 3, 25%] Tap! Rooooooooooll- ¡°Ah, another fail!¡± I missed just barely each time. The more frustrating thing was that a skill was not created. I even used a jewel with a creation index of 89, but it still failed to create a skill. ¡®Sigh, is it really not possible?¡¯ Riiiiing- While I was sighing, I got a text from Kang Sung Ho. [I have sent the results of the Shione search.] It was late at night anyways. If I go home and read a book for a bit, it¡¯ll be midnight. I went home and opened my e-mail. I didn¡¯t have too much expectations. It was a priest of a temple after all. And one that was associated with the Ameri Kingdom. There was pretty much no chance we would be connected. But my thoughts changed completely once I read through the file. I found an unexpected name from it. [Morris] Morris was the name I heard from the guardians of the Warrior¡¯s Storage Room not too long ago. The Magic Swordsman who used the Bladestorm skill. The one who was imprisoned in the underground prison for declining the emperor¡¯s request. The more surprising fact was the relationship between Morris and Shione. ¡®Shione is Morris¡¯s granddaughter?¡¯ The content was pretty specific. The creators of Royal Roader seemed to have created quite a lot of stories revolving around Shione. The more I saw it, the more surprised I got. She was not just a priest. She was a priest and a magician. A level 146 support magician at that. But it was too soon to be surprised. The more shocking information was behind it. [Is a genius level talent both as a magician and a priest] [Specialties: Communicating with all things, mind control] ¡®Mind control!¡¯ I could finally understand the reason why I was so drawn to Shione in the Athena Temple. Shione had used mind control magic on me. ¡®I knew it was weird.¡¯ The information about Shione continued past that. There was so much information. I was completely absorbed in reading Shione¡¯s file and didn¡¯t realize the time going by. *** ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± As soon as I entered the Athena Temple, Shione approached me with a welcoming expression as if she had been waiting for me. It was a different reaction than the reactions most priests had. The majority of priests do not show their emotions on their faces. Especially against the opposite gender. But Shione was the exception. She felt like a new wife greeting her husband who had just returned home from work. An especially beautiful new wife at that. Almost to the point that I wanted to lift her right up and lay her down on a bed. Thump. Thump. My heart was beating loudly. But I was not nervous. I knew the reason now. ¡°The Demon Cave Clearing Squad has been formed?¡± ¡°Yes. It is exactly 100 people including the two of us. The composition¡­¡­¡± This type of thing is something the administrative team can explain to me. But Shione stuck right next to me and personally explained it to me. Almost like she didn¡¯t want to miss an opportunity to chat with me. Everytime she did that, lust was peeking its head up again. ¡°When will the Demon Cave finish its synchronization?¡± ¡°Around five days later. We plan on entering as soon as it finishes the synchronization. But there is one problem.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It is a level 171, extremely large Demon Cave, but the boss monster seems to be a Midnight Black Alligator.¡± My eyes instantly opened wide. Even Shione had a worried expression after seeing my response. But that was only for an instant. ¡°It is probably going to be difficult¡­¡­hmm?¡± Shione had a slightly confused expression. Her mind control ability is very strong. She accurately read my emotion. Right. The reason I was surprised was not because of a fear of the Midnight Black Alligator. The Midnight Black Alligator isn¡¯t that large, but it¡¯s level is close to 330. If you throw one aspect away, you¡¯re bound to gain another. If the level is high even though it is small, it means that it has a different strength. The Midnight Black Alligator has extremely strong defense. Any average attack cannot cut through its leather. In addition, the Midnight Black Alligator¡¯s Black Scales have reflective abilities that cause weak attacks to just bounce right off. Which means I can be hurt by my own attack. But the most dangerous aspect is that it is extremely fast and good at camouflaging, so much so that it was hard to see. Especially in a dark area like a cave. You lose track of them when you blink, and before you know it, they¡¯ll approach you from behind and rip you into pieces with its teeth. But the reason I am happy about it? ¡®I can gain some Black Scales. If I am lucky, I can also earn a Fairy¡¯s Tear.¡¯ The Black Scales are the reason for the Midnight Black Alligator¡¯s defense and reflective abilities, as well as its camouflaging abilities. If I use it on my armor, I can use the strengths of its scales for myself. The Fairy¡¯s Tear is pretty much a treasure for the Peria tribe. If I bring it to them, they will gift me some magic stats in return. ¡°So are you planning on changing Demon Caves?¡± ¡°Depending on the situation, we thought we may have to. However ¡­¡­Kang Hwi Ram-nim does not seem to be that scared.¡± I had no reason to be afraid. No matter how strong a monster was, if you know it¡¯s weakness, it was not hard to hunt it. Thankfully, I read a lot of information related to the Midnight Black Alligator in the draft plan. There was even a record of the dwarf Chubach solo hunting a Midnight Black Alligator when he was barely level 200. It was a record that was considered a legend in the dwarf world. It may be impossible in the computer game, but there was a method we can use in reality. If I used that method, I would be able to hunt it as well. Although, I do need to prepare for it. I smiled brightly toward Shione. ¡°I do not fear much in general. But five days is not enough time. Can you give me about 10 more days worth of time?¡± ¡°Are you planning on raising your level?¡± I must absolutely not do that. My level was already 171. In fact, I was pretty close to leveling up as well. If I accidentally leveled up, the Demon Cave clearing goes up in smokes. Which would mean that I would not be able to gain any Black Scales. ¡°No. I need to go get a weapon to take care of the Midnight Black Alligator.¡± Shione still had a confused expression. Since she wouldn¡¯t have much information about the Midnight Black Alligator, there is no way she would know. But since it was a request from me, the core of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad, she happily answered. ¡° understand. We will enter the Demon Cave as soon as Kang Hwi Ram-nim is ready to go.¡± ¡°Then I will return soon.¡± Huksen may be a small city, but it still had a pretty large Volcanus Temple. That was because this was the base of Golan Park, the mecca of leveling up. I immediately headed to the Volcanus Temple. ¡°What kind of weapon would you like?¡± The priest was taking orders for the dwarves. The dwarves have a lot of issues with humans so they don¡¯t even like to talk to humans. ¡°I wish to personally meet with the dwarves.¡± ¡°They do not want to meet with anyone.¡± ¡°They will meet with me if you show them this.¡± I handed over the letter of introduction that Bachu wrote for me. Since it was folded, unless you purposefully opened it up, you will not be able to tell what was written on it. I also gave the priest a 100,000 won coin as well. Just because they are priests doesn¡¯t mean they hate money. It wasn¡¯t that large of an amount, but he quickly hid it in his chest pocket, and took the letter with him as he disappeared. A moment later. ¡°Please enter.¡± I followed the priest to the smithy. I could clearly hear the sound of the hammers. Clang. Clang. Clang. The priest had low fire affinity, and could not enter past the entrance. I walked into the smithy alone. ¡®Wow, this heat! It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ There were three dwarves in the smithy. They all looked toward me with a frown. ¡°Are you Kang Hwi Ram?¡± ¡°It said you were a human blacksmith. Amazing. You are the first human to visit us in here.¡± I didn¡¯t want to talk to them for a long time. The dwarves probably don¡¯t want a long discussion with a human either. Even if it was a human blacksmith. ¡°Make me a shield. A pretty large one.¡± ¡°A shield?¡± *** I returned to the Volcanus Temple one week later. I thought it would take at least 15 days, but they finished it in just one week. I checked the completed shield. It was exactly the style I wanted. You really have to give them credit for their attention to detail. ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°It used quite a bit of titanium and mithril. Normally, we should be charging at least 300,000,000 won, but we will only charge you 230 million won.¡± It was cheaper than I had expected. It will definitely be worth more than the cost. I put the money on a coin and handed it to them. ¡°Let¡¯s meet again, human blacksmith.¡± I lightly shook hands with them and headed back to the Athena Temple. We pulled up our start date and decided to head in tomorrow morning. I first met with the bishop. There was something he promised me. ¡°Please let me borrow the Gaia Armor Set.¡± The bishop still didn¡¯t look like he wanted to do it. But he could not go against our promise. He personally headed into the storage room and brought the Gaia Armor Set with him. The Gaia Armor Set was finally in my hands. [Gaia¡¯s Mithril Armor Set] It is made of mithril, and the full set is made of the helmet, armor, pants, gloves, boots, and a ring. Durability 358/358 Defense: 254 Restriction: Level 150+ *Attack Strength 10% Increased *Magic Resistance +75 *Strength +11 *Poison Resistance +38 *Special Ability: Stamina Reduction Speed 17% Decreased The options are as good as I thought. I like each of these options. Plus, it was a set that the emperor personally handed to them. It makes sense that the bishop is careful with it. ¡°You must return it.¡± ¡°Of course. Then, I will be heading out now.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 86 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 86: Priest Shione¡¯s Secret (3) Early next morning. All of the members of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad were gathered together. It was exactly 100 people, including Shione and myself. It is the maximum number of people that can go into a Demon Cave. As I had requested, there were a lot of shield wielders.There were a total of 70 of them. The rest were magicians. But the majority of them were prisoners again. Even the news about my participation didn¡¯t seem to draw many people. There were no returning members from the last Demon Cave Clearing Squad. It¡¯s better that they are not here. They were all less than level 150. It would be a waste to use people who are less than level 150 when anybody up to level 171 can enter it. Even if they had experience clearing one Demon Cave, it still wasn¡¯t enough to cover the 20 level difference. Plus, I was enough as someone with Demon Cave experience. The synchronization had finished a long time ago. We were here for about a week simply fine tuning our team work. Some of them fearlessly challenged me and were crushed. If we did not have any healing potions, they would probably still be whimpering in pain. ¡°Priest-nim, please do not leave my side.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Then, let¡¯s go!¡± We all entered the Demon Cave. *** They said it was an XL Demon Cave, and it is disgustingly large. It¡¯s already been 10 days since we entered, but the monsters are still only around level 200. The boss monster¡¯s level is 340. That means we will need to still go about 20 days to meet the Midnight Black Alligator. The thankful thing is that Gaia¡¯s Armor Set is keeping my stamina reduction low. Even though I was in the lead and taking care of monsters, I never really felt like I was tired. In addition, Shione, who formed the scouting party with me, had really strong abilities. Once I stopped walking and raised my hand, Shione, who was following behind me, crouched down as well. ¡°Is there something again?¡± Shione should not be able to see anything right now. The magic light is very dim, and the monsters are around 100 meters away. ¡°The herd is quite large.¡± I looked around the whole area. I saw a boulder that was sticking up. The size and location was perfect for Shione to hide behind. ¡°Priest-nim, please stay here. Once I signal, you know to run toward the supporter squad, right?¡± Different than last time, I divided the team into three squads. 20 shield-wielders were formed as the supporter squad. I had them following about 300 meters behind us. At that distance, Shione would be able to quickly run to them in case of emergencies. ¡°Yes.¡± Shione quietly answered. But it was still a very seductive voice. My heart still shook every time I heard her voice. I probably need to have a deep conversation with her after this hunt. I don¡¯t know what may happen if I do not warn her in advance. I headed toward the herd of monsters on my own. If I had the Skywolf¡¯s Leather Armor on, I would have been able to get right in front of them. However, that type of approach was impossible without the, ¡®Stealthy Approach,¡¯ ability. I stopped about 30 meters away from them. At this distance, I was about 50 meters away from Shione, and since this was a location where the cave started to narrow, it was great place to block their path as well. I took some fire marbles out and threw them in multiple directions. Shione would be in danger if the monsters managed to get past me, so I created a wall of fire behind me with the fire pillars. As long as I protect this middle area, not a single mosner will be able to get past me. Of course, I threw three to four fire pillars in front of me as well. It was to lower the monsters¡¯ morale. The monsters instantly realized I was there, and started to run toward me. The combo hunting has begun. Fire marbles and combo hunting was now almost mechanical for me. I repeated the action every time we ran into monsters on our way here. I could feel the mana that Shione was controlling. Support magic. To be specific, Mana Shield. Since I was relying on combo to hunt anyways, I had her only focus on defense. The fire pillars were in excellent locations. There were quite a lot of monsters, but not too many managed to make it through the pillars at a time. I chaotically swung my twin blades. Papapat- I was satisfied with the damage. You could clearly see the 10% damage increase I got from the Gaia Set. But why are there so many of them? It must have been over 30 minutes, since I saw the fire pillars were slowly disappearing. I had managed to hunt over 3,000 monsters in that time. But there were still quite a few monsters remaining. There must have been more monsters than I had expected. I knew this was an extremely large cave from the moment we entered, but it was bigger than what we had expected. It suddenly made me afraid. If it was a cave this large, how strong must the final boss be? I took out another magic crystal and rolled it. There were so many monsters that I had to roll 10 of them. Huuuu, crackle- But what are those? Something bad was approaching from farther away. It was a new monster. Every time it moved, I could hear the bones cracking against each other. Almost like they were breaking bones with their chin. It finally revealed itself underneath the light. ¡®Twin Stinger Scorpion!¡¯ It looked similar to a scorpion, but its reverse facing stinger looked completely different. It was long like a snake, and moved on its own while looking for its prey. If it is like this, it would be hard to anticipate the location of the attack. Normal scorpions need to move their body first in order to move the tail. Because of that, you can use the movement of its body to anticipate the movement of its tail. But the Twin Stinger Scorpion¡¯s tail moves separate from its body. In addition, since it moves silently in the air, it is even harder to deal with. Since there were also Dark Snakes that quietly move on the ground, it was even harder to know how it was moving. It also has pincers to worry about. ¡®Ah!¡¯ Four tails attacked me from different directions at the same time. I quickly rolled my body away to dodge. ¡®Shit! My combo got cut off!¡¯ I used the monsters nearby as stepping stones to restart my combo, but it was broken up again. I had to roll my body in multiple directions because of the unanticipated attacks by the scorpion tails. In the end, I was hit on the shoulder by one of them. It was the first dangerous situation since we arrived in this Demon Cave. Tatak- ¡®¡­¡­Hmm?¡¯ I instantly felt the flow of mana becoming stronger. The mana shield ignored everywhere else and started to focus on my shoulder, the place where I was hit by the poisonous stinger. My eyes opened wide in shock. ¡®This is point mana control!¡¯ It is focusing all of the mana in one location. It is a very complicated mana control that only the best magicians can use. To focus your magic in a narrow area like this, you need to have at least 1,000 magic points. Shione showed that type of amazing mana control. ¡®How is this possible?¡¯ There was only two possible answers. Shione is a magician of an extremely high level, or a mana genius who can grow to become a Grand Magician. It must be the latter. If her level was high, she would not have been able to enter the Demon Cave. It made me remember the information in the draft plan. [Genius in magic!] When I read it the first time, I just thought she was talented. But she is beyond that, and really must be a genius. In addition, since I was wearing the Gaia Armor which was made of mithril, the damage was reduced significantly. It was reduced to the point my reinforced toughness could reflect the damage. In the end, I did not take any damage at all. I suddenly became really confident. If the Twin Stinger Scorpion¡¯s attack was only this much, it won¡¯t do any critical damage even if I get hit once or twice. Shione¡¯s point mana control was also reliable. I started to attempt some more dangerous attacks. I didn¡¯t even dodge when a tail came to attack me from above. I just used the 20+ hit combo to attack the tail. Papapat- Tatak- I opened my back up for attack by the tail, but the Twin Stinger Scorpion was injured as well. Within minutes, I was able to chop of all four tails. On the other hand, I did not have any damage at all. Shione once again used point mana control to strengthen the mana shield. I used the momentum to rush toward the body of the Twin Tail Scorpion. Papapat- The battle continued for about 10 minutes. Kiiiiii- The final monster, the Twin Stinger Scorpion, let out a shriek as it fell. The fire marble was still gushing out a strong fire pillar, however, there were no monsters rushing past it. ¡°Huuuu.¡± I let out a sigh before waving toward Shione. Shione got out from behind the boulder and came toward me. ¡°Omo! You were hurt. Here as well¡­¡­¡± Now that I looked around, my body was full of injuries. Elbow, back, the injury on my thigh was the worst. Both Shione and I were only focused on the Twin Stinger Scorpion¡¯s attack. We both forgot about the other weaker monster¡¯s attacks that were hitting me. ¡°Please take it off.¡± Shione approached me to take the armor off. At the same time, a mysterious fragrance was attacking my heart. To be feeling lustful at a time like this. This is why Shione makes me feel uncomfortable over and over. I grabbed the hand Shione reached out to me in a slightly cold manner. I then started to speak in a just as cold tone. ¡°Do not do that to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Huh? Do what?¡± Shione blinked her large eyes and looked toward me. Seeing her doing that right in front of my face, I felt another shock in my heart. Now it was Shione¡¯s turn to be shocked. ¡°If you want to be on the same side as me, and if you want my help to rescue your grandfather. Do not use the Mind Control ability on me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Shione¡¯s eyes opened extremely wide. She tried to not show any signs of shock, but I saw her shoulders flinch for a moment. She could not hide that. ¡°Using Mind Control on me is the same as attacking me. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Shione could not say anything. She probably could not figure out what to say. She was probably not expecting me to know about her Mind Control ability. The bigger shock was that I know about Shione¡¯s grandfather Morris. ¡°The only way for me to resist the Mind Control is to go against you, Shione. Is that what you want?¡± ¡°N, no.¡± ¡°Then we have our answer. I am also someone from the Batoru Kingdom. I respect Morris as well. Even if you don¡¯t control me, we are already on the same side.¡± Shione became like ice for a moment. WIth her entire body stiff, she was looking at me with her eyes endlessly quivering. She then dropped her gaze and lowered her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± That one sentence was enough. There was a lot of meaning inside of it. She was admitting to using Mind Control on me, and was now apologizing for it. She was also agreeing to the, ¡®How we can be on the same side,¡¯ plan that I had just proposed. At the same time, the lust that had filled my heart disappeared like snow melting away. ¡°Can we be more honest with each other now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes.¡± ¡°The supporter members behind us. The majority were sent by your dad, right? Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry. I am someone from the Batoru Kingdom. Don¡¯t forget we are on the same side.¡± I was trying to reassure Shione. Was that why? Shione started to nod her head. ¡°That is correct. The people led by Hans-nim last time were also ¡­¡­¡± Shione spilled all of the truth. It was as I had expected. However, there was one thing I still had not figured out. More than a question, it was better to say it was unbelievable. ¡°But how is point mana control possible? I¡¯ve heard it is not possible unless you have a significant amount of magic skills.¡± ¡°It is a family trait. Our family has been very talented with mana control for generations. I am a little more special in that aspect though.¡± She really is an amazing genius. I felt like I had found a treasure. It wasn¡¯t perfected yet, but if I help Shione grow, she could be a reliable partner. In addition, behind her was Morris and the influence of the Batoru Kingdom. I don¡¯t know how strong that influence is, but it should be a pretty decent strength for me. Since we were going to take a break anyways, Shione and I shared quite a lot of stories with each other. Maybe that was the reason, but it felt like Shione¡¯s expression was much brighter than before. ¡°Then shall we start again?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m ready.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 87 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 87: The Reason You Can Trust It (1) ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The Demon Cave Clearing Squad members all clenched their teeth and nodded their heads. Shione was among them as well. The 100 members had dropped down to 73. You could say that 27 casualties was a lot of people who died, but the members were thinking the opposite. ¡®73 of us managed to live.¡¯ That was how difficult this trek was. Just the fact that we have been in this Demon Cave for over 3 months was enough to explain the, ¡®Difficulty,¡¯ of this journey. But thanks to that, I was full of confidence. We were able to fine tune our teamwork for over 3 months, and, more importantly, we got quite the level boost. Especially for me and Shione. I went up to level 206 when I came in at 171, while Shione jumped up to 189 from 148. The other members went up a minimum of 5 levels to a maximum of 15 levels. But we could not let our guard down. The enemy was a Midnight Black Alligator that was close to level 340. There were also hundreds of Cave Alligators around it, as well as thousands of other monsters. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I took the vanguard position. A dark area with close to no light. But I could see in there like ti was daytime. The monsters started to roughly jump around once I appeared. I started to slash the monsters to quickly approach the Midnight Black Alligator. The other members threw fire marbles in front of me. Crackle ¨C Crackle- Thanks to the fire pillars, I was able to rush in even faster. A giant hall about 500 meters in diameter. The Midnight Black Alligator that was chilling in the middle finally started to move. It wasn¡¯t as big as I thought it would be. From the tip of the nose to the tail, it was only about 15 meters. But it was fast. As soon as I became visible to him, he started to quickly rush toward me. His momentum was quite heavy. But I did not step back. I knew how to easily hunt the Midnight Black Alligator. You just needed two things. Timing and guts! I slashed through the monsters coming through the gaps in the fire pillars and stood face to face with the Midnight Black Alligator. The Midnight Black Alligator didn¡¯t even care about the fire pillars. It just smashed the bright red fire pillars with its stomach and instantly arrived in front of me. It then opened its large mouth. The mouth opened widely, greater than 2 meters. It was enough to eat me up in one bite. It rushed to me as if it was trying to swallow me in one bite. ¡®This is it!¡¯ I quickly took the shield out of my bag. I then stood the shield straight up, protecting my body. The Midnight Black Alligator bit down at the same time. Crunch! The shield was over 2 meters tall. The strength of the Midnight Black Alligator¡¯s jaw was quite strong, but it was not able to bend or break the shield. The shield was too strong for that. It was a shield made with a mix of titanium and mithril. In addition, it was made in a a way to stand a lot of weight. If you look down from above, you would see the right angled lattice formation. With this strength, it was strong enough to be used as a pillar for large buildings. At the end of the shield were sharp spears. These spears were made so that they could move up to 1 meter away from the shield. The end of the shield was made of a barb similar to a fish hook. Those spears stabbed the inside of the Midnight Black Alligator¡¯s mouth. The Midnight Black Alligator that could not close its mouth tried everything it could to spit the shield out. However, every time it moved its mouth, the spears at the end of the shield came with it and maintained its position. Just like that, it strong jaw and teeth became useless. It still had a weapon in its tail, but it was not that dangerous. I could manage to avoid it pretty easily. I raised my combo using the monsters nearby and started to destroy the Midnight Black Alligator¡¯s side with a damage over 10,000. Whimper- A very simple message. But a very fulfilling message. I would have considered it a jackpot to get either a Black Scale or a Fairy¡¯s Tear, but I managed to get both. (PR: MC has not been introduced to plot convenience-sunbae yet) ¡®That¡¯s the end!¡¯ The portal connecting to the outside was created. The rest of the monsters were like an after-meal exercise. The squad members created fire pillars and put up their shields to hide behind, while I moved around the fire pillars and hunted as fast as I could. The 20+ Fire Magicians helped as well. Thanks to that, the hunt was finished in less than 10 minutes. ¡°Wow! We lived!¡± ¡°Hurray!¡± Everyone was shouting in joy. Our 3 month journey was finally over. But, can¡¯t we be happy outside the Demon Cave? I may have the Owl¡¯s Eye, but I¡¯m tired of this dark, stuffy, and humid cave. If you think about it that way, I don¡¯t even know how I managed to survive years as a miner. Shione and I walked into the portal. *** I put some saliva on my finger as I flipped the page of the book. I printed the monster data file and turned it into a book. Reading it in a book like this was more comfortable and easier to read than reading through the monitor. It would be perfect if there were pictures of them as well. However, that type of file was minimal in amount. ¡°Dungeon Hydra. Why did they make it so hard to fight?¡± It still had a weakness. If I got help from the squad members, I think I should be able to take it down in about 5 minutes. ¡°What else is there?¡± As I flipped the page once more, my cell phone started to ring. It was Director Han Sung Taek. It¡¯s really true when they say effort does not betray you. We were close enough that Han Sung Taek would even be the first to call me. I should be the closest person to Han Sung Taek in the Lions Club. Even closer than his colleague Director Ji Sung Joon. (PR: ¡­Do people not call people nowadays?) I worked really hard for it. I¡¯ve visited his house over 10 times, and I¡¯ve spent the night there at least three times. They are a family of five, with his elderly parents and college freshman son, and I was pretty close with all of his family now. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± ¨C Yesterday was quite refreshing. Yesterday was another competition with the Winners¡¯ Club. It was the third battle since I joined the Lions. It was because of Hwang Joon Yul. After losing to me multiple times by one or two strokes, he was so annoyed that he kept challenging me. Of course, I earned between 300,000,000 won to 500,000,000 won each time. Hwang Joon Yul always had a lot of money, so even if you lightly scratch his nose, money came out in piles. Thanks to that, Han Sung Taek was feeling good as well. Of course, we drank together many times as well. ¡°Those so called Winners aren¡¯t a match anymore. I don¡¯t know why those idiots keep challenging us.¡± ¨C Of course. Anyways, are you attending the lightning [1] today? There was something I had been preparing to show at a meeting. If it is a lightning meeting, we might have a lower attendance rate, but it did not matter. All I needed was for Director Han Sung Taek to be there. ¡°Of course. How can I miss a Lions meeting?¡± ¨C Then give me a ride. I drank so much last night and left my car there. Director Ji is busy and cannot attend. ¡°I understand. I will be at the main gates on time.¡± *** I entered the Japanese Restaurant with Han Sung Taek. We were about 20 minutes late because I had to pick Han Sung Taek up. A lot of people were already gathered. As soon as we entered, we could hear a raucous crowd. There were many pairs of shoes neatly organized in front of the door as well. [2] ¡°We must be really late. Let¡¯s hurry in.¡± ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± I opened the door and headed in first. ¡°Oh, Kang pro, you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°Hwi Ram is here!¡± ¡°Why were you so late?¡± They were rapid fire greeting me. I almost felt bad for making Han Sung Taek feel like a nobody coming in behind me. ¡°Sit over here.¡± Multiple people were offering up the seats next to them. I sat down together with Han Sung Taek. ¡°Let¡¯s take a shot now that Kang pro is here.¡± There were around 40 people. Even though it was a lightning meeting, quite a few people were here. Multiple people were making toasts, starting with the President. They must have prepared in advance, as the toats were quite eloquent. There really are a lot of people who like to stand out. And then the toast came to me. ¡°Our maknae Kang pro should say something too.¡± ¡°Of course. He is the face of our Lions.¡± I didn¡¯t prepare anything for a toast. However, there is something in place of it. I was waiting to share it in front of everybody anyways. I was just thankful that they were laying down the red carpet for me to do so like this. I took out a gold envelope and stood up. ¡°I have prepared a present worthy of the Lions¡¯ celebration.¡± ¡°Oh, a gift!¡± ¡°I¡¯m excited. Kang pro is very generous.¡± ¡°What could it be?¡± Once everyone had their gazes on me, I took the item of the envelope. It was a certificate framed in a red frame. ¡°What is it? Is it an invitation of some kind?¡± ¡°Or an acceptance document?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way its a pro license is it?¡± People were trying to guess what it was. I waited for the voices to die down before starting to speak. ¡°I will read the contents for you.¡± Everybody quieted down. I heard small noises to the side, but everyone was focused on me. With a loud voice, I slowly started to read the message. [Thank you letter to the Lions Golf Club. We sincerely thank you for your 2 billion won donation for students who have the passion but cannot achieve their dreams due to their family situations. This will be used to support these students achieve their dreams. Dandelion Foundation CEO Lee Soo Bong] There wasn¡¯t much to it. It wasn¡¯t that complicated either. Anybody who could hear my voice would have been able to understand it. But all of them had odd expressions. Especially the President. ¡°Donation? 2 billion won at that?¡± ¡°When did we make such a donation?¡± ¡°Dandelion Foundation? What kind of foundation is it?¡± Everybody must have forgotten about it. Every time I earned money from Hwang Joon Yul I said I was donating it. I said it again just to clarify. ¡°Every time we went against the Winners, I won over 300 million won from Hwang Joon Yul. I said each time that I would donate all of that money in our Lions Club¡¯s name to a good place.¡± ¡°Ah, that? Now I remember.¡± ¡°You were being serious? I thought you were just saying it for fun.¡± ¡°But you gave all 2 billion won?¡± ¡°Hold on, even if you add up all the money he earned, it wouldn¡¯t be close to 2 billion won at all. At max, it was 1.6 billion won.¡± ¡°It was a bit lacking, so I filled it up with some money I had lying around. Since it was for a good cause, might as well make it a nice looking amount.¡± ¡°Kang pro really has a big heart. He is amazing for a young person.¡± ¡°Send it around. I want to take a look at it too.¡± I passed the letter to the left. The majority of the members were going, ¡®Wow!¡¯ and showing their approval. But there were some who were looking at it distrustingly. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this Dandelion place is a trustable place. Lately, there are a lot of scams to take your hard earned money.¡± I knew someone would say something like that. No, it was natural. I had the same type of doubt. That was why I made sure that Dandelion could not have something like that happen. I wanted to show that off to the members and, thankfully, Jang Yoon Shik set it up nicely. He was the one who was against me joining at first because I worked at the car wash. There was someone who seemed to be my age sitting next to him. He must be Jang Yoon Shik¡¯s son, who is said to be my age. His face was really ugly, like his dad. ¡°We can trust Dandelion.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± ¡°They are very transparent about how the funds are used. Embezzlement is practically impossible.¡± ¡°You are too innocent. How could there be something like that? They may look like they are good on the surface, while they actually embezzle your money on the inside.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be the case for Dandelion.¡± I urged them. Jang Yoon Shik started to laugh like I was stupid. ¡°How can you be so sure? Did Dandelion show Kang pro their books or something?¡± It was a tone that seemed to say there was no way that happened. But I confidently nodded my head. ¡°You are exactly right.¡± ______________________________________________ [1] A sudden meeting seems to be called a lightning meeting or lightning for short [2] Asians don¡¯t wear shoes indoors Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 88 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 88: The Reason You Can Trust It (2) ¡°What? They showed that to you, Kang pro?¡± ¡°Not only me, but anybody who is curious can take a look. They are showing everything through their homepage.¡± ¡°Does that make any sense?¡± Is there a reason it wouldn¡¯t? All they do is make the donations and expenses public and put a simple explanation for each line item. It was easy. I took my smartphone out and loaded the Dandelion homepage. It was a steamy new homepage that was made less than one month ago. But it had quite a lot of information. A picture and introduction of CEO Lee Soo Bong and the teachers, as well as the 36 students. Not only that, it also had the information about their asset management. It was the part I paid especially close attention to when I created Dandelion. ¡°Look over here.¡± I opened the Asset Management information and showed it to Jang Yoon Shik. Since he is one of the people who opposes me the most in our Lions, if Jang Yoon Shik accepts it, everyone else will as well. ¡°Let me take a look.¡± Jang Yoon Shik looked through the Asset Management information on my smartphone. The information was pretty thorough. How many donations they received on any specific date, how much was used for a expense, and the current remaining balance. Of course, information about the donations were present as well. Included in that donations list were donations made by the Lions club as well. In fact, there were 3 of them. Donation Date: Jan. 17 Donator: Lions Golf Club Donation Amount: 51,000,000 won Donation Date: Jan. 27 Donator: Lions Golf Club Donation Amount: 330,000,000 won Donation Date: Feb. 9 Donator: Lions Golf Club Donation Amount: 410,000,000 won That wasn¡¯t it. I pretty much deposited money into the Dandelion account every day from the Virtual Accounting money. Sometimes it was 10 million won, other times 5 million won, etc. All of those were listed as well. Donation Date: Jan. 20 Donator: Anonymous Donation Amount: 14,393,000 won The expenses information was the same way. Rent for the building, cost of supplies for instruction, salary for the employees. Everything was listed on the website down to every penny. In terms of supplies, there was even a separate list to show which items were purchased and how much was spent for each item. Jang Yoon Shik¡¯s jaws dropped down. ¡°Is this real? You sure it isn¡¯t fake?¡± ¡°If you want to test it, donate some money to them right now. Then it should be up there by tomorrow morning at the latest.¡± ¡°This is a groundbreaking innovation.¡± ¡°I think it is more stupidly brave than groundbreaking. There should be many things that foundations need to use money for that they can¡¯t show. But if they work like this, it would be difficult to embezzle money.¡± ¡°What did you say the name was?¡± ¡°Dandelion. It is a culinary school for students with difficult family situations. All expenses are covered for the students.¡± ¡°They are doing a good deed. I should set up a recurring donation for them, even if it is only 100,000 won a month.¡± Yes. This was the type of atmosphere I was looking for. If the Dandelion name keeps spreading like this, it will be able to quickly grow. ¡°Anyways, Kang pro, you¡¯re going to participate in this upcoming Screen Golf competition, right?¡± Hole In One Screen Golf Competition. It is a national competition for all golf clubs around Korea, with a large prize of 100 million won. The 1st round is in 5 days. I made it through the preliminaries so far. But my score was not that good. It was because they set the competition stage to be the same course that I faced off against Hwang Joon Yul. Each time I played him, I controlled my strokes to barely manage to defeat him. I couldn¡¯t suddenly do much better. Thanks to that, my average stroke was only 6 under par. ¡°Of course I will take part. I can create my own uniform, right?¡± ¡°Of course. It just needs to meet the regulations. We would be thankful if you put our Lions name on it. But why are you talking about uniforms? Our members were going to make a couple outfits for me.¡± You¡¯ll find that out once the competition starts. ¡°I will reveal it to you as it comes. Anyways, putting is killing me. Do you know any good putting instructors?¡± ¡°Kang pro, your putting is good.¡± That¡¯s compared to you, Mr. You don¡¯t know how much pain I¡¯m going through these days because of my putting. I want to just scream out in frustration. If I could even develop a line reading skill, I could probably easily lower 3 to 4 strokes. ¡°Putting is my weakness. I¡¯m under 50% for 5 meter putting success rate.¡± ¡°That much is pretty good.¡± ¡°It is not good enough for me. If I was good at putting, I could even attempt to win the Screen Golf Competition.¡± ¡°True, with Kang pro¡¯s skill level, you can definitely challenge for the win.¡± Everybody nodded their heads as if they agreed. At that moment, Director Han Sung Taek, who was sitting right next to me, mentioned a foreign name to me. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you learn from Han Sul Yi pro?¡± I had never heard that name before. But it wasn¡¯t like I had much knowledge about golf players. I¡¯ve only been interested in golf for about a couple months. The only reason I can play well is because of the skills I created. ¡°Who is Hal Sul Yi pro?¡± ¡°Han Sang Ho pro¡¯s daughter. You do know Han Sang Ho pro, right?¡± I¡¯m sorry to say this is the first time I¡¯ve heard that name. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard that name before.¡± ¡°Young people these days are always like this. How can your golf skills be so good without knowing about Han Sang Ho pro, the living legend of Korean Golf?¡± Director Han Sung Taek started to list Han Sang Ho pro¡¯s profile. Seeing him recite his record like this, he must be a big fan. But once I heard about him, he was not that amazing. He had 45 wins in the Korean Tour and holds the record for the most wins. He has no record in the PGA. I don¡¯t think he ever made it there. If he did, he must have had really bad records. But since Director Han Sung Taek is saying he is an amazing player, I need to play along. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s amazing. Then shouldn¡¯t I learn from Han Sang Ho pro? Why his daughter¡­¡­?¡± ¡°His daughter is talented as well. Especially when it comes to putting, she is probably one of the best in the world. But surprisingly, her iron is weak. Especially her approach. If it wasn¡¯t for that, she would be making her name in the LPGA tour right now.¡± After hearing what he had to say, I felt like we would compliment each other very well. Plus, Director Han Sung Taek was a very cautious person. He doesn¡¯t like to say things that he¡¯ll be held responsible for. So for someone like that to, ¡®Say with certainty,¡¯ then they really must be talented. I was suddenly full of anticipation. ¡°Then I must ask for your help to get us introduced. I will treat you to a refreshing round of alcohol for it.¡± ¡°Good. I will prepare a meeting soon.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I suddenly felt a sharp gaze looking toward me. It was someone staring at me and Han Sung Taek from the other side. It was Jang Yoon Shik and his son. Did he says his son¡¯s name was Jang Gun Ho? Jang Gun Ho¡¯s gaze was especially sharp. He was glaring at me and Han Sung Taek with a gaze full of grudges. Han Sung Taek finally felt the two of their glares as well. But he did not know the reason they were looking at him like that. ¡°Why¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Why does it have to be Han Sul Yi pro?¡± ¡°Just what¡­¡­?¡± Han Sung Taek has an even more confused expression. I was the same way. Why do the two of them care about who I learn putting from? But Jang Yoon Shik¡¯s continued explanation explained it all. ¡°Director Han, you know that my Gun Ho fancies Han Sul Yi pro.¡± Han Sul Yi pro must be quite a beauty. Of course I wasn¡¯t interested in a romantic relationship. I don¡¯t know how pretty Han Sul Yi might be, but I don¡¯t want to cause an issue in the gathering because of a woman. (PR: How much you wanna bet he does the EXACT OPPOSITE of this.) I just want to learn to putt. But the continued discussion made me understand that it was not a simple issue. A completely unrelated person was dragged into it. ¡°Didn¡¯t the Winners¡¯ Hwang pro claim Han Sul Yi pro to be his?¡± ¡°Just because Hwang pro, ¡®Claimed,¡¯ her doesn¡¯t mean that she is his woman. Furthermore, Hwang pro, that bastard, just wants to toy with Han Sul Yi pro. We can¡¯t hand Han Sul Yi pro to a bastard like him.¡± The only Hwang pro in the Winners was Hwang Joon Yul. I was suddenly interested in this woman named Han Sul Yi. But Jang Gun Ho must really be head over heels about Han Sul Yi pro. Once he started talking, it was like a dam was overflowing. ¡°What am I lacking compared to Hwang pro? Other than the fact that the bastard has a rich mom, what else does he have going for him?¡± Isn¡¯t that spitting on your own face? If you want to put it that way, Jang Gun Ho only has a rich dad and nothing else going for him. Although I don¡¯t really know anything about Jang Gun Ho. Han Sung Taek was speechless. No, he probably doesn¡¯t want to get wrapped up in such a situation. He started to wave his hand to settle the situation. ¡°Don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I am just introducing her to Kang pro because he wants to learn putting. Isn¡¯t that right, Kang pro?¡± I didn¡¯t want Han Sung Taek to be put in an awkward situation. Half the reason I came here was for Han Sung Taek. I also don¡¯t want relationships I¡¯ve built to get complicated because of women issues. I smiled brightly toward Jang Gun Ho. ¡°I¡¯m already seeing someone.¡± *** The next morning. Hwang Joon Yul was about to go crazy from anger. ¡®Son of a bitch. I can¡¯t believe I can¡¯t beat that beggar.¡¯ Yesterday was the third time. He lost by 1 or 2 strokes each time. There was nothing he could do. Kang Hwi Ram surprisingly had luck on his side all the time while he never had the luck going for him. Golf was a sport where one¡¯s mental was more important than any other sport. Once it starts to break, it becomes impossible to recover. He was going through that right now. He felt like, if he could focus his mental, he could defeat Kang Hwi Ram. The even more angering part was that he lost close to 1,600,000,000 won to a punk like Kang Hwi Ram. 1.6 billion won was pretty large of an amount even for Hwang Joon Yul. ¡°Hey, fix your face.¡± It was his father, Hwang Chi Gook. Now that he thought about it, this was not the time to get angry over personal issues like that. It was a special meeting that the Golden Dragon Group¡¯s Chairman Jung Man Yong was taking apart in. If he gets on the Chairman¡¯s nerves, the shares for the Golden Dragon Medical Center that he had worked so hard to get might disappear. Thankfully, the atmosphere in the meeting was not bad. The company did well last year, and the forecast for this year was pretty bright as well. In addition, the Royal Road project focused on the Golden Dragon Kids officially starts this year. Honestly, Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s focus was more on the, ¡®Royal Road Project,¡¯ than running the group. By now, he should be pretty full of excitement and anticipation for the Golden Dragon Kids to enter the PGA. ¡°Secretary Bae. The Royal Road project is going well, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve finished discussions with the PGA office. If our kids can properly show their skills, there will be no issues with heading to the PGA.¡± ¡°Great. President Hwang. There should be no issues, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Chairman. We will make sure to make the Chairman¡¯s dream come true. You can rely on us.¡± Hwang Chi Gook responded with a vigorous voice. Hwang Joon Yul became nervous as well. In some aspect, this was something so trivial that you couldn¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®Do we have to go this far?¡¯ All they were doing was sending a single golf player to the US stage. But that trivial issue was something that could make or break a company¡¯s future. If the Mo Group stopped supporting them, all of his father¡¯s companies would start to crumble at once. They would also take back the shares for the Golden Dragon Medical Center. ¡°I like it. I will be waiting for the good news. Let¡¯s end today¡¯s meeting then.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong got up first. After he stood up, the rest of the people got up as well. Hwang Joon Yul followed Hwang Chi Gook out of the meeting room. Hwang Chi Gook casually asked Hwang Joon Yul a question. ¡°How are the kids conditions?¡± ¡°Their conditions are as good as can be.¡± Hwang Chi Gook was in charge of the Golden Dragon Kids, however, he left the less important issues for Hwang Joon Yul. Hwang Joon Yul was actually one of the Golden Dragon Kids as well. He was talented in golf since he was young, and since Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s love for golf was very strong, Hwang Chi Gook had Hwang Joon Yul focus on golf. Thanks to that, Hwang Joon Yul was the Golden Dragon Kids¡¯ caretaker and leader. And Hwang Joon Yul was pretty good at the work. He had raised seven talented newbies. Among the seven, there were 5 Golden Dragon Kids that they had special expectations about. If it is them, they were certain that they could enter the PGA through the Royal Road project. It would be even better if they could win at the PGA stage as well. ¡°I will leave it to you.¡± ¡°You do not have to worry. Starting from this hole-in-one competition, our Golden Dragon Kids will sweep every golf competition.¡± Hwang Joon Yul smiled brightly. It was overflowing with confidence. Thinking about the Golden Dragon Kids helped him release some of the stress he got from Kang Hwi Ram. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 89 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 89: The Reason You Can Trust It (3) ¡°Is Han Sul Yi pro really that pretty?¡± ¡°She could easily be a celebrity. That is why both single and married guys are head over heels for her.¡± After hearing what Han Sung Taek had to say, I realized it was not just Jang Gun Ho and Hwang Joon Yul who were interested in Han Sul Yi. Anybody who had something to show off has roamed around Han Sul Yi and vied for her attention. I guess both bees and butterflies will flock to a beautiful flower. For her to be pretty enough for a Director of a broadcasting company like Han Sung Taek to speak so highly of her beauty, she must be as pretty as most celebrities. I suddenly became full of anticipation. ¡°Here it is.¡± I went into the Hannam Golf Practice Center with Director Han Sung Taek. It had both an indoor practice are as well as an outdoor practice area. One side even had a pretty large screen golf range. I waited in the lobby with Han Sung Taek. ¡°She should be pretty busy these days. She¡¯s always participating as the expert on the broadcast panel for every screen golf competition to explain what is going on.¡± ¡°I thought she was only 23?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how pretty she is. If Han Sul Yi pro joins on the panel, they say that they get about 5 percent more viewers. There is also the influence of her father, Han Sang Ho pro. That is how hard it was to get this meeting together.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± While I was chatting with Han Sung Taek, I heard a refreshing woman¡¯s voice from behind us. ¡°Director, you¡¯re here?¡± Han Sung Taek seems to know who it is just based on her voice. He was already starting to smile without even looking at her face. ¡°Aigo, Han pro-nim, it has been a while.¡± We stood up together and I turned my head. There was a tall woman with white skin and large eyes.[1] She looked like a typical Korean beauty. But it was just the face. Underneath her neck she was a western-styled beauty. She was wearing skin-tight athletic gear, and she was both voluptuous and skinny. It was quite a tempting appearance. Han Sung Taek was absolutely correct when he said she looked like a celebrity. ¡°How is your father¡¯s health these days?¡± ¡°The same as usual.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disappointing. I need to visit him at some point. Ah, this is Kang Hwi Ram, the friend I was talking about.¡± I matched Han Sung Taek¡¯s timing and introduced myself by slightly bowing my head. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°I heard a lot about you. He says you are very talented.¡± Her smile is beautiful as well. Maybe this smile might be Han Sul Yi¡¯s greatest charm. Most guys will forget about anything else if they were attacked by that type of smile. ¡°Director Han must have exaggerated. I have played golf for less than 1 year.¡± ¡°Ay, liar. How could someone with less than 1 year of experience record 5 under par at Master¡¯s Island? I heard you also defeated the Winners¡¯ Hwang Joon Yul pro multiple times.¡± Just how much did he share for Han Sul Yi to know all of that? ¡°I must have a knack for golf.¡± ¡°Omo! Then have you really been playing golf for less than a year? You never even swung a golf club before that?¡± The discussion is heading in an odd direction. What is important now is not my golf experience. ¡°I am still a fresh newbie. That is why my putting is especially weak. Please tell me what my problem might be.¡± ¡°Ay, I feel like you would be good at putting too.¡± Han Sul Yi gave me a look like she couldn¡¯t believe me. It was a very mischievous expression. It felt like she was playing up her charm to get close to me? No wonder many men would get the wrong idea and roam around her. If this continues, I might end up just like them. Let¡¯s hurry on to business. ¡°When can I start learning from you?¡± ¡°Omo, quite rushed, aren¡¯t you? Let¡¯s head in first.¡± I followed Han Sul Yi into the screen room. We set the mode to putting practice and started the lesson. Han Sul Yi selected the green and put the putter in my hand. ¡°Try putting first.¡± The distance was 7 meters. The slope was around 12 centimeters, but there was a slight angle to the left as well. I could see the lines flowing downward with the slope. I tried to calculate the distance. ¡®Around 3 balls distance to the left of the cup.¡¯ I finished my calculation and lightly tapped the putter. With a tap- noise, the ball started to roll. The distance was accurate. However, the direction was the problem as I expected. It missed the hole cup by about half a ball and stopped about 50 centimeters away. Why is this so hard? But Han Sul Yi seemed to think differently. ¡°Omo! You¡¯re pretty good.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t read the direction.¡± ¡°It¡¯s pretty accurate for an amateur. Are you trying to go pro?¡± Of course. In fact, I want to surpass Korea and become a world-ranked pro. I feel like my driver and iron skills are already sufficient. The only problem is putting. If I can figure putting out, I could probably become a pro now and not be embarrassed. ¡°Yes. I want to join the PGA and take down Tiger Woods.¡± ¡°Hohoho.¡± Han Sul Yi covered her mouth with one hand as she started to laugh. She must think it was such a funny joke. ¡°Try it again. You are pretty good, but I do see the problematic point.¡± Is that so? I¡¯m glad. The fact that there is a way to improve would make today¡¯s time off worth it. Han Sul Yi controlled the screen. This time, it was somewhere without any slopes. A perfectly flat area. If you send it forward, a hole in is possible. But the distance was really far. The cup was 25 meters away. No matter how straight it is, the accuracy goes down the further it gets. When I hit with the driver or iron it flies straight, but the putter was really weird. It moved differently from what I expect. I focused on proper form and cautiously swung my putter. I hit it a little harder to travel 25 meters. The direction was wrong this time as well. Quite significantly I should say. The distance was right but the ball stopped about 1 meter away from the cup. I thought I was sending it forward, but my hand seems to twist as I hit it. I tried four times like that but I didn¡¯t manage to sink it even once. No, the direction itself kept going in odd ways. ¡°It¡¯s even worse today.¡± But my strength control was perfect. Even though the distance was far, there were no times the ball went further than 2 meters away. ¡°Even that is already pro level. Most pros cant even control their strength that accurately. But just one issue¡­¡­¡± Yes. Tell me. What is my problem? Han Sul Yi showed with her action instead of words. ¡°I will put in two different ways, so please compare the difference between the two.¡± Han Sul Yi putted two times in a row. The first putt was normal. On the other hand, the second putt felt a little frustrating. It moved really slowly, almost as if someone was holding the putter from behind. ¡°Do you get it?¡± ¡°I can tell the difference, but I don¡¯t know which is the good putting.¡± ¡°Of course, it is the second. When you swing like a watch moving, you move with the weight of the head of the putter so the direction will not twist. However, if you move a stopped putter with your strength, it is easy to get the direction wrong. Putter needs to be slowly moved forward while feeling the weight of the head. Is that the case? ¡°Try again. Do it very smoothly, like you stop for a moment and let it down.¡± I did as Han Sul Yi instructed. My backswing was slow and I made it feel like it stopped at the apex before smoothly letting it down. Once I did that, it rolled straight forward. Then, a refreshing clack! Noise sounded as the ball went in. ¡°Oh? This is amazing!¡± ¡°That is the basics of putting. If your backswing is rushed, you can¡¯t send it in the right direction. Try again. Your direction should be at least a little bit better.¡± I tried again. I missed this time. However, it was very accurate and only barely missed the cup. Since I was not using a skill right now, it should be difficult to get a perfect accuracy. ¡®It¡¯s a chance!¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sorry. One moment.¡± I apologized to Han Sul Yi and Han Sung Taek and quickly took my smartphone out. I dragged out a Jewel of Creation with a good Creation Index. [Jewel of Creation: Creation index 69] [Will you create a skill?] [YES/NO] ¡®YES!¡¯ [Please enter the skill name] > Line Reading I finished setting up the skill and tried again. I moved my backswing as slowly as possible like Han Sul Yi had taught me and stopped it at the apex before letting it down. The direction was accurate this time. It was so amazing that I kept trying without stopping. After barely missing the hole cup four times in a row, I succeeded in another hole in on the fifth try. I felt something at that moment. Should I call it, ¡®Feeling the weight of the putter head in my hand as I hit it?¡¯ I tried to remember that feeling from before and tried again. It went into the cup again. I tried it three more times just like that and they all followed the line and into the cup. Han Sul Yi was extremely surprised and started to clap. ¡°Omo! It¡¯s very accurate! How do you learn so quickly? If you have this much feel for it, I can believe that it has been less than 1 year since you¡¯ve learned golf.¡± ¡°Our Kang pro is very athletic.¡± Han Sung Taek was also very happy, as if he was the one to make the putt. But I was not ready to be happy yet. The important thing was accurately sending the ball into the cup with a side slope. ¡°Please teach me how to read the slope as well.¡± ¡°You are already reading it accurately. The ball just didn¡¯t roll the way you wanted it to because the putter was shaking.¡± Han Sul Yi said that while controlling the computer. It was a green with a significant side slope. ¡°If it is about this much, you should send it about one clubs distance to the left of the cup.¡± Han Sul Yi controlled the computer again. Once she did that, a white line showed up on the screen as if to show how the ball should move. It was a slope prediction program that was only possible in screen golf. ¡°It is difficult for me to be extremely accurate too. You just have to use your intuition. I get a feel for it the more I practice.¡± In the end, the only way to see the path is through experience. ¡°I understand.¡± I continued to putt with Han Sul Yi while Han Sung Taek watching us. Of course, it was on a green with a significant slope. I read the line each time and sent the ball in what I believed to be the right direction. With the backswing slowing down, the direction definitely improved. The only downside was that I still could not see the line properly. That was why I kept trying it. I even used the focus skill and worked to read the flow of the ball before I hit it. There really is no better teacher than experience. At first I was over 50 centimeters away from the hole during a 10 meter putt, but after about an hour, I started to get a feel for it and the ball started to barely miss the cup. I continued to imagine the flow of the ball as I putted. Han Sung Taek said he had an important meeting and left early, while Han Sul Yi remained to keep helping me. About 30 minutes after that. Clang- ¡°Wow! You made it again.¡± Han Sul Yi was even happier than I was. My lips were about to rip from stretching too far from my smile as well. It was because I managed to land three putts in a row from 10 meters away. But it was not time to rejoice just yet. I felt like I had a good grasp, but if it is not made into a skill, I will forget this feel the next time. ¡®I just need it to become a skill.¡¯ I took my smartphone out and checked the skill information window. [Line Reading : Beginner 0%] ¡°Asa!¡± I shouted out loud without meaning to do so. The skill was finally created. I was hoping it would be created before the screen golf competition started, but for it to be created with such perfect timing. But Han Sul Yi¡¯s cell-phone started to ring at that moment. ¡°Omo. I¡¯m sorry. I thought I put it on vibrate.¡± Han Sul Yi took her phone out in shock. Her face stiffened up after seeing who was calling. She debated whether to pick it up or not before quickly heading out to pick it up. Who is it that is making her have that type of expression? I had no desire to eavesdrop. It wasn¡¯t something for me to get myself involved in. Unfortunately, even without wanting to listen, I could hear everything. It was because of my increased sensitivity. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m a bit busy right now. ¡­¡­ I understand. I will go this evening.¡± It must be someone she does not want to meet. It felt like she had to agree because the other person offered her something she could not reject. Is it a relationship? Or money problems? Once she came back in after finishing the call, Han Sul Yi had a slightly complicated expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Something came up. We¡¯ll do it again next time.¡± ¡°Thank you for today.¡± Just like that, my short meeting with Han Sul Yi was over. But for some reason, I had a strong feeling that I would meet her again. Well, she is supposedly on the panel for the screen golf competition. If I do well there, of course we will meet again. I continued to practice my putting alone. Even skills can get into a groove. ¡®I will make it intermediate by the end of the day!¡¯ Until now, the driver and iron were my trusted shots, but from now on, the putter will become my trusted shot. [1] Both of these are considered to be standards of beauty in Korea Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 90 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 90: Today¡¯s Main Character (1) Hwang Joon Yul looked through the documents. It was the list of Golden Dragon Kids they would be supporting through the Royal Road project. There were many whom he had high expectations for, however, there was one person for whom he had the most expectations for. ¡°Park Min Kyu needs to do well.¡± He was 22 years old this year. He even pushed back his military service to focus on the Royal Road project. If he can perform to the best of his abilities, he should always be able to hit at least 7-under par regardless of the competition. Oh Jae Sung and Kim Sang Joon were also cards he did not want to discard. The three of them would be the Troika[1] for Korean Golf. He was sure of it. They would bring on the golden age of Korean Men¡¯s Golf. Knock knock. There was a knock on the door. He could pretty much tell who it was. He had called them over. ¡°Enter.¡± As soon as the door opened, a refreshingly beautiful woman entered. It was Han Sul Yi. She became more charming every time he saw her. Her face and body, she was exactly Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s type. ¡°Sit.¡± Han Sul Yi sat down on the couch across from Hwang Joon Yul at his request. ¡°I chatted with the doctor. You do not need to worry about your father.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Maybe it was this cold expression of hers that made her seem even more charming. She had a will that did not bend easily. That was why he felt like it would be even more satisfying when he managed to break it down. ¡®How to break her down?¡¯ ¡°Haha, we do not need thanks between us. I heard you are doing commentary again for this hole-in-one competition?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You know our kids are participating as well, right? The Chairman may be watching, so please make sure to push them properly.¡± ¡°You do not need to worry about that. They are all talented. They are already known as stars.¡± Choi Sung Ook and Shim Sang Chun. They were also Golden Dragon kids grown through the Golden Dragon Golf Academy. The only difference they had with Park Min Kyu and crew was that they were specialized in screen golf instead of the field. They had no choice. Since they had over 100 kids, some of them had to spend more of their time practicing with screen golf. But for screen golf to develop this much. Thanks to that, Choi Sung Ook and Shim Sang Chun were more popular with the public than Park Min Kyu and crew. Especially Choi Sung Ook. He already had quite the popularity. It was because of his enormous range. If he put his mind to hit, he could even hit 400 meters with his driver. Every so often, he shocked people with that distance. You tack his manly appearance on top of that, and it was no wonder why he had so many female fans. Of course, Chairman Jung Man Yong knew about these two as well. In fact, his affection for Choi Sung Ook was extremely high. It was to the point that the chairman was pushing them to get him used to the field so that they could send him into the PGA as soon as possible. That was why this hole-in-one competition was going to be his last competition before putting him on the Royal Road project. ¡°I trust that Miss Sul Yi will do well. Putting that aside, have you had dinner yet? Let¡¯s go. I made a reservation at a great place.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have another appointment¡­¡­¡± He knew it would be like this. She should know to say yes at least once when he¡¯s putting in so much effort. (TL: She owes you nothing you bastard.) He had no other choice. He had to use a method only Hwang Joon Yul could use. Hwang Joon Yul raised his voice as if to cut Han Sul Yi off. ¡°You¡¯re too much. I said let¡¯s get dinner, not go to a hotel. Why are you acting so snobbish about a single meal?¡± Han Sul Yi sighed internally. Then, she nodded her head as if she had no other choice. ¡°I understand. My appointment ¡­¡­I will cancel it. But only dinner¡­¡­¡± *** The competition four days later. I arrived at Golf Heaven a bit earlier than the promised time. This was where the hole-in-one screen golf competition was to take place. The size of the building was huge. It was surprising that this large land and building was created just for screen golf. I let out a sense of awe as I entered the building. The Lions Golf Club members should have already arrived. They told me they were going to head down earlier this morning. Unfortunately, neither Han Sung Taek or Ji Sung Joon could come due to work. ¡°Kang pro!¡± It was the Lion¡¯s Golf Club President Kim Dong Suk. Alongside him were Han Min Kyu and six other members who came to cheer me on. ¡°Oh, the athletic gear you have on is unique and pretty.¡± ¡°Is it Dandelion? Where did you buy such an outfit?¡± They all started to talk about my outfit as soon as they saw me. ¡°It is something a student who dreams of becoming a designer personally made for me.¡± Kim Soo Jung. Just like my sister Minji said, her design skills were amazing. I asked her to make a golf outfit that will make you think about dandelions and she made a top and bottom set like this one. The design was so stylish that I would stand out even in a middle of a crowd. ¡°Is that so? Her skills are amazing. It feels like it was made by a professional. Is Kang pro supporting that student as well?¡± ¡°No. My sister is the one who is supporting that student.¡± ¡°Wow. What a cool set of siblings. Could I order a set as well? I will, of course, pay plenty for her work.¡± ¡°One for me as well. It¡¯ll be so refreshing to go out on the field wearing something like that.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± I was feeling good internally. One of the most important things when someone does anything is the mind. If you think, ¡®I¡¯m an amateur,¡¯ as you work, the final product would look very different than if you are thinking, ¡®I¡¯m a pro.¡¯ The sense of responsibility changes based on your thoughts. Kim Soo Jung still has the mind of an amateur. Even if Minji or I give her money for the clothes, she just treats it as donation. However, her thinking will start to change once she gets more customers. In other words, if the clothes she designs start selling for a lot of money, she will start to develop a business mind and focus even more. The additional income coming from that increased focus would just be extra. Of course, she may also be burdened by it, but that is something she needs to overcome on her own. It¡¯s something she will have to deal with at some point. ¡°I paid 1 million won for this one outfit.¡± ¡°Really? Then I will also pay 1 million won.¡± (PR: Thats a $934.70 set of athletic gear¡­) ¡°Of course. If we are thinking about sponsoring student, we should at least give that much.¡± They really have a lot of money. They can easily spend 1 million won for a set of athletic gear. But if you think about the future, 1 million won is not that expensive. If Kim Soo Jung becomes a world-renowned designer, then the clothes she makes now will all go down in history. They could even become clothes you can¡¯t buy with 10 million won. Her design skills are that amazing too. But there was just one issue with these clothes¡­ ¡°But Kang pro, were you always this fit? You must have worked out quite a bit!¡± ¡°Look at those muscles. Amazing. He¡¯s like a bodybuilder!¡± It shows off your body too much. I even feel like the design emphasizes the muscles even more. Of course, it is because I have a fit body. It was already fit from manual labor, but it became even better once I started going into Royal Roader. That was why I lightly grumbled to Kim Soo Jung too. I asked her why she focused on the body so much. But she told me she did it on purpose. It was the way to show off my positive points to the max. I had nothing to say to that. It wasn¡¯t like I got embarrassed easily or anything. ¡°Did you practice a lot?¡± Of course I did. Especially putting practice. After working my ass off, I increased my line reading skill to intermediate level 2. It¡¯s not where I wanted it to be, but I was still confident that I could do the basics. ¡°I just need to do like I usually do.¡± ¡°Yes. Kang pro has good skills, so if you do like you¡¯ve always done, you can rank near the top.¡± ¡°Just don¡¯t be nervous. Relax.¡± ¡°Yes. Relax. Take deep breaths. I brought an energy drink, do you want it?¡± They even brought energy drinks? I really wasn¡¯t that nervous. My preliminary score wasn¡¯t that good, so I was in squad 15. The people playing with me should not be that good. That might be why the booth didn¡¯t have any cameras. If it is like this, it will be difficult to achieve my goal. I need to show up on TV as much as possible to show this Dandelion uniform to as many people as possible. (PR: Shouldn¡¯t have purposefully done bad in the tryouts then.) I guess it¡¯s not possible with the first round. But things will change in the second round. They said the second round pairings will be based on your scores. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay.¡± The competition finally started after a long time. The competition started from hole 1. As expected, nobody cared about the 15th squad. The broadcast didn¡¯t mention us either. I listened to the broadcast through headphones fairly often, but the announcer and commentary were all focused on squad 1. Especially so on two individuals, Choi Sung Ook and Shim Sang Chun. They were both in their 20s, but their ranking, prize money, and average stroke count was overwhelmingly higher than the rest. It was no wonder people predicted one of them to be the winner of this competition. They¡¯ve also been rivals since freshman year of high school, so much so that they have always fought a fierce battle against one another. This additional aspect made the two of them pretty well known amongst amateur golfers. They were very marketable. The other thing going for them was the fact that there were no other players who were as marketable. That was the same for me. In order for me to draw any attention, I need to overwhelmingly take first place. However, I was not able to achieve that yet. The biggest reason for that was the fact that I blew my back to back eagle chances on the first and second hole. I missed an 8 meter putt on each hole. (PR: Looks like those putting practices paid off.) I even missed a birdie on the third hole and was tied fourth place. Who would pay attention to such a person? It was natural for everyone to focus on Choi Sung Ook and Shim Sang Chun. But that atmosphere started to slowly change from the ninth hole. I was finally starting to show my existence. Even if nobody could see me, the rankings were shown on the screen. It was Han Sul Yi¡¯s voice. Her voice was so refreshing that I knew it was her as soon as I heard her voice. But her voice suddenly changed tones. Thanks to my sensitivity increasing due to Royal Roader, I could hear that slight change in my ear. It felt like I could see Han Sul Yi . She must have been surprised suddenly seeing my name pop out. But she did not talk about our meeting the other day over the broadcast. She continued on as if we didn¡¯t know each other. Pfft- I suddenly started to laugh. It felt like this broadcast was created to push Choi Sung Ook and Shim Sang Chun. I understand the other person, but for Han Sul Yi to be doing the same. ¡®Did she gets some money from the two of them?¡¯ No matter the reason, it will change from the back 9. I researched the course yesterday, and, compared to what the panel is thinking, the back 9 is actually more advantageous for me. I pulled the headphones out of my ear. Kim Dong Suk, as well as the rest of the members, were all listening to the broadcast. They all seemed to be satisfied once they heard my name. While all of that happened, booth 15 finally got a camera. Was that why? The expressions on the people I was rounding with started to change. Their natural smiles disappeared and they all started to look awkward. They must be nervous after seeing the camera. I was the same way. Once the camera faced toward me, I started to feel awkward. ¡®This is going to make things complicated.¡¯ I am going to be bombarded with cameras from here on. I need to get accustomed to that pressure quickly to reach my goal as fast as possible. I closed my eyes and started to control my mind. ¡®Pretend there is no camera. There is no camera.¡¯ Time flew by after that, and we started at hole 10. As the announcer mentioned, the fairway was really narrow. It seemed to be even more narrow than Master¡¯s Island or Highwin. Almost to the point of suffocating you. But for me, it was pretty much a bonus hole. The distance to the cup was 406 meters, however, the course swerves to the left, so a direct route was only about 350 meters. There was a 7 meter slope upward, but the wind was flowing in my favor. It was pushing forward strongly from behind me, so if I send it exactly 350 meters it should be perfect. Which means a tee shot on-green is possible. Since I hit an eagle on the 9th hole, I was the owner. I turned the screen far left. I aimed it so the tee shot would aim directly for the cup. I could hear the gallery start to whisper to each other. Everyone was speaking quietly, but thanks to my intuition going up by 10 percent of my Royal Roader intuition, I was able to hear everything. ¡°Is he perhaps aiming for an on-green?¡± ¡°Is he crazy?¡± ¡°He¡¯s overdoing it because he¡¯s on tv.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll end up embarrassing himself like that.¡± Who cares if someone else is picking their teeth with an electric pole? Just care about yourself. I didn¡¯t really pay attention to them. With the accuracy of my driver skill, I really didn¡¯t need to worry about OB or hazard dangers. In fact, I had a greater chance of an albatross. ¡®How great would it be if this would just go right in?¡¯ A shot like that would turn everyone¡¯s attention to me for sure. I paid attention to the diagonal win and figured out the right direction. Then I prepared the shot. [Driver 350 skill: Intermediate level 6, 17%] I swung my driver hard. So hard that you could hear the wind as the driver head went across. Booooooooong- Clang! Pangya- This killer feel! I really shouldn¡¯t be surprised by this feeling. When I use the skill to hit the driver, I always get this feeling. The gun-like sound representing a strong impact was also the same. After finishing my shot, I turned my head to look at the movement of the ball. The ball flew toward the forest. Everyone was still iffy until that point. The forest is that deep. The cup is that far. There is no way he could make it that far. But they had to change their minds less than 3 seconds later. The screen changed to heli-cam mode. There was only one thing that symbolized. ¡°Wow, he must have gone over it!¡± ¡°Great direction! Is he going to succeed in landing an on-green?¡± I answered internally. ¡®One hundred percent chance!¡¯ While I did that, the ball passed the forest and landed in the rough in front of the gree. It then took a large bounce and rolled onto the green. ¡°Wow! It made it!¡± ¡°What did I just see? That¡¯s possible?¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± But it was too soon to be surprised. It was because the screen changed again. This time, the screen focused on the hole cup. The gallery¡¯s reaction instantly changed as well. ¡°There¡¯s no way?¡± [1] fancy name for a trio Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 91 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 91: Today¡¯s Main Character (2) ¡°The direction is good! It might go in!¡± ¡°Wow, what is this?¡± ¡°Wow! It went in! Albatross!¡± ¡°Woooow!¡± Clap clap clap- The inside of the booth was full of shock and excitement. Everybody stood up and high fived one another. The reaction of the Lions members was especially passionate. They clenched their fists and were extremely happy, as if they were the ones to record the albatross. [1] I automatically started to smile. ¡®Great! Now I should be able to get on the broadcast!¡¯ I returned to my seat and put the headphones into my ear. As soon as I did that, I could hear the excited voices of Han Sul Yi and the announcers. What? It¡¯s already over? Why is the ment [2] so short even though I recorded an albatross? The ment about my uniform that I was looking forward to did not happen. I guess I still don¡¯t have much of an existence. There is nobody who knows about me, and more importantly, there should be nobody among the viewers who are interested in me. ¡®Even still, I recorded an albatross.¡¯ I guess that was not enough. It just means that I need to keep drawing interest toward me. That is the only way for each and every thing about me to go viral. ¡®I will make it so even my farting will become hot news.¡¯ I will definitely make that happen. Yes. It¡¯s like I just sewed the first button on. If I keep on playing well, there is no way they can keep me off the camera. There were enough chances for it. As the announcers mentioned earlier, the majority of the back 9 are short holes. Of course, having a short distance did not mean that it was easy to do a tee shot on-green. The 14th and 16th holes were like that. I swung my driver in a refreshing way any time I got a chance to do so. Each time i did that, the gallery was full of excitement. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s quite the long-distance hitter!¡± ¡°How can he be so accurate while sending it 350 meters?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an eagle chance!¡± However, the ball was not in a good location. The slope to the sides were so steep that I failed the eagle putt. The two shot on-green and one put hole-in during the par 5 hole 15 was the first eagle I got in the back 9. Maybe I was on a roll, but I managed to do another tee shot on-green on the 17th hole and landed a 5 meter eagle putt to raise my score to -21. The final 18th hole. This hole was pretty long. It was a 407 meter, par 4, hole. But it was a Dog Leg course that turned significantly to the right. If you considered a direct path, it was about 360 meters. The upward slope was slightly severe, at 9 meters, however, the wind was moving forward. In fact, it was moving forward quite quickly, at 5.4 meters per hour. It was blowing slightly at an diagonal angle, however, I just needed to calculate the direction properly for that. The problem was the distance. Would I be able to safely land an on-green in one shot? It¡¯s a slightly questionable distance. An upward slope with overgrown trees in a forest in the middle. If the ball accidentally gets caught in a branch, it could land in the OB area. I was the owner again this tee. I grabbed my driver and went up to the spot. ¡®Should I just safely cut through?¡¯ I did not contemplate it for long. If I think about my goal for joining the screen golf competition, I must definitely not cut through. Grabbing people¡¯s attention was more important than winning. Which means, I needed to go for the all or nothing shots to make people¡¯s hearts go crazy. Then, even if I fail and land an OB, it would still cause more of a commotion than safely cutting through. The screen image was pointing completely away from the green at a fairway 250 meters away. It was showing that the safe way to cut through was normal. However, I turned the screen away. I made it point towards the deep forest to the right. If you follow that direction straight through, the green was at the other end. The gallery started to mumble again. ¡°Wow, he¡¯s planning on landing it on the green in one shot again.¡¯ ¡°His long-distance is quite good.¡± ¡°How is his direction so good when he is hitting it past 350 meters?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he going to record a 49 stroke round like this?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, if he makes another eagle, he¡¯ll be 23 under par! Wow! I think this score might go down in golf history!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the end of it. It might cause an international sensation and get him introduced to other countries. Wow! To be able to see such a scene in person with my own eyes.¡± ¡°My heart is fluttering right now.¡± *** ¡®Ah, son of a bitch. Does this make any sense?¡¯ Hwang Joon Yul was about to go crazy. He sat down and put the headphones in as soon as he finished his shot, but he kept hearing a despicable name. Kang Hwi Ram! ¡®Shouldn¡¯t they test this guy for steroids or something?¡¯ But he could not do that. If he did that and ended up getting on the wrong side of Chairman Jung Man Yong, his whole life could break into two. But it wasn¡¯t like he could just let it be. He couldn¡¯t even hit properly because he was focused on Kang Hwi Ram. His normal skills would have recorded at least a 7 under par, but his mental broke down in the middle and he somehow ended up at par. ¡®He really is a bastard. Was he my sworn enemy in a past life or something?¡¯ *** Han Sul Yi could feel her heart beating crazily. It was because of Kang Hwi Ram. 21 under par after 17 holes. If he could land another eagle on the 18th hole, he will have 23 under par. 49 strokes. It could be a historic day for screen golf broadcast. However, the thing that was making her heart beat so fast Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s golf skills itself. She was using her tablet PC to see Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s performance every chance she got. She was looking at his swing and his direction. In simple terms, she was extremely shocked. The driver distance was close to 350 meters. Of course, there were many long-distance hitters. There were even people who could send it past 400 meters if they wanted to. The world record was 551 yards, or over 500 meters. Because of that, you couldn¡¯t say a driver distance of 350 meters was very shocking. Since there was also a downward slope and a backwind, it would be possible to easily send it 400 meters. However, the important factor was the direction. Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s shot never faltered. He had also never failed an on-green he aimed for. It was not just his driver. Wood, long iron, approach, no matter what it was, he seemed to be a master of all clubs. The more surprising fact was that Kang Hwi Ram was a newbie who had been playing golf for less than 1 year. Of course, it was possible that he was just joking. Either way, it was an amazing talent and an amazing score. It was so amazing that it made no sense that they would not send such a competition on TV. ¡°It is player Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s last hole. Shouldn¡¯t we at least send this hole out on broadcast?¡± She turned her microphone off and quietly whispered. ¡°The producers felt the same way. However, they could not make the decision.¡± ¡°The Lead PD will not let us send it out.¡± It was because of Golden Dragon Group¡¯s Chairman Jung Man Yong. Since he might be watching, they were told to focus on the Golden Dragon Kids. Truthfully speaking, Han Sul Yi had been given the same special command. Even still, this was not it. It was a moment that an overwhelming first place, and one that may go down in history was about to be made. If she was Chairman Jung Man Yong, even if she treasured the Golden Dragon Kids, she would definitely want to see this history in the making. At least for anyone who loves golf that is. ¡°I will ask the PD-nim.¡± Thankfully, it was time to run some advertisements. She quickly made a call to the lead PD. ¡°Please send out player Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s image. We need to.¡± ¨C But Chairman Jung will see it. ¡°The Chairman will want that too. The chairman is someone who wants Korean Golf to lead the PGA. He is not looking for a special person¡¯s success.¡± ¨C You think so? ¡°Think about it. If he makes this eagle, he will be 23 under par and finish at 49 strokes. This could be the moment that Korea¡¯s Golf Hero might be born. Wouldn¡¯t we get in trouble if the Chairman cannot see such an image on live broadcast?¡± The PD seemed to be contemplating for a bit. He then seemed to have made up his mind as he confidently answered. ¨C I think Miss Han Sul Yi is right. The ads are over. We will send the image of booth 15. The TV image turned on. It as Kang Hwi Ram in booth 15. He had stood up to take his shot for the final 18th hole. Han Sul Yi felt like her eyes became bright for an instant. ¡®Beautiful!¡¯ She had seen many men until now. She had received many advances from them as well. There were some athletes, celebrities, singers, and even the son of a large business president. Of course there were some with great physiques and some that were extremely handsome. However, she had never felt like they were ¡®beautiful.¡¯ But the moment she looked at Kang Hwi Ram, she almost said that out loud. Was it because of the Dandelion designed uniform? Or is it because of the muscular body that was emphasized by the uniform? Or is it just because of his handsome face? If it is not even that, was she blinded by the fact that she was shocked by this historic golf score? No matter what, she felt like he looked more charming than any other man she had seen before. Why didn¡¯t she get this feeling when they met last time? The announcer next to Han Sul Yi lightly tapped her forearm. He was telling her to quickly start commenting. Only then did she realize she blanked out for a moment. The dice had been cast. She didn¡¯t know whether Chairman Jung Man Yong of the Golden Dragon Group would like it or not, but she needed to do her best. She was sure that even Chairman Jung Man Yong would be happy to see the birth of a new golf star. And making that happen was the responsibility of the announcers and the commentator. ¡°This is player Kang Hwi Ram who is currently in first place with an overwhelming score of 21 under par. He only has this final 18th hole left.¡± ¡°He has already recorded an albatross as well as multiple eagles. Will player Kang Hwi Ram aim for an eagle on this hole as well? Han Sul Yi expert-nim, what do you think he will do?¡± ¡°If you think about the straight distance, it is about 360 meters to the hole cup. Even though there is an uphill slope, if he uses the backwind, he could aim for a tee-shot on-green with a 350 meter shot. If you think about this player¡¯s play style until now, I believe he will aim for it.¡± Han Sul Yi said that as she shouted in her mind. ¡®You have to do it. If you are a man. Please.¡¯ While she said that, she paid attention to Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s movement through the screen. Kang Hwi Ram moved without any hesitation. As soon as he got up on the plate, he moved the screen. It was not directed to the fairway but to the deep forest. Han Sul Yi¡¯s heart was about to burst. ¡®Yes, just like that! Please get it on! Leave a mark in history!¡¯ The announcers were chatting loudly next to her. They were talking about how this was a historic moment, how this was a dangerous challenge, etc. to rile the audience up as much as possible. They also kept sending signals to Han Sul Yi to say something as well. But Han Sul Yi could not say anything. It was as if her lips were frozen. No, this was a situation that needed no comment. Anybody who was watching this right now would be focused on Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s shot and not the ments themselves. While she was thinking that, Kang Hwi Ram finished setting his direction. He lightly took one practice swing before setting up his address. ¡°Please!¡± Han Sul Yi subconsciously started to mumble. She did not know that her voice was flowing through the broadcast. Kang Hwi Ram swung his driver. There was no hesitation in the shot. It was a strong swing that was full of confidence. Clang- Pangya! ¡°It was a good hit! The sound was good!¡± Han Sul Yi shouted again. It was not meant for the program. It was a subconscious comment that just popped out. The TV screen showed the screen in booth 15. The screen showed the ball that was flying forward, before suddenly changing. It had changed into heli-cam mode and started to follow the ball. There was one thing that this meant. It was at least not an OB or hazard. ¡°Kyaa!¡± Han Sul Yi let out another shout. It was not a response fitting an expert announcer. The announcers next to her tapped Han Sul Yi¡¯s shoulder as if to tell her to get it together. But Han Sul Yi could not come to her senses. She subconsciously shouted once more when the ball made a good bounce before rolling onto the green. ¡°Oh my! It is on. Just look at it! It caught a great run! The strength and direction is great! There is no way ¡­¡­ again¡­¡­?¡± _____________________________________________________ [1] It¡¯s a hole-in-one¡­not an albatross¡­but whatever¡­ [2] Short for comment Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 92 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 92: Today¡¯s Main Character (3) ¡°Is he going to record another albatross?¡± ¡°Is he really?¡± The announcers stared blankly for a moment. They didn¡¯t even know what they were saying as they mumbled on while staring into the screen. The ball that landed on the green was rolling toward the cup at a decent speed. However, the ball lost strength with about 3 meters left to the cup. That was where the severe uphill started. ¡°Ah, it was a bit weak. The direction was really good.¡± ¡°So close, yet so far. If it rolled just 3 meters more, he could have had another albatross.¡± ¡°Is an eagle still doable?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a short distance, but the break is pretty severe so it will not be easy.¡± ¡°This is so thrilling! Will player Kang Hwi Ram be able to record this dream-like 49 stroke round?¡± *** Thump. Thump. I felt like my heart had moved up to my ear. My heart was beating like a drum in my ear. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have listened.¡¯ I shouldn¡¯t have put my earphones in at all. I ended up hearing what Han Sul Yi and the announcers had to say and now the nervousness had multiplied quite a bit. It was because they kept saying, ¡®Dream-like 49 stroke.¡¯ I took the earphones out of my ear. I then closed my eyes and started to mumble to myself as I calmed myself down. ¡®It¡¯s fine. Just do like you¡¯ve always done. If you miss it, oh well. You¡¯ll be golfing a lot in the future. Do not feel burdened.¡¯ I was still greedy. I even debated using a Jewel of Luck. But there shouldn¡¯t be a reason to do that. Even if it is not today, I can always hit 23 under par for 49 strokes in the future. More importantly, I did not have many Jewels of Luck left. I barely had enough to use on stocks. In addition, if I was planning on using the Jewel of Luck, I would have used it in the first half of the rounding. They last for 4 hours. It would be a complete waste to use it right now when the rounding is almost completely done. The other players went up and hit their shots. I felt a bit sorry for them. I created such a situation for myself that the other players must feel like they don¡¯t even exist. They all seemed to be just waiting for my turn to come back around. After waiting a bit, it was my turn once again. The other players recorded a par and birdie to hole out and it was left with just me in booth 15. Just me and my eagle putt. Everybody¡¯s gaze was focused on me even more. Was that the reason I feel like my heart was beating even faster? ¡®Do not be nervous. You¡¯re just hitting with a skill anyways.¡¯ I grabbed my putter and stepped up to the plate. I closed my eyes and calmed myself for a bit. Everybody was being respectful. There were quite a lot of people in the gallery, but I could not even hear them breathing. That was how much they were looking forward to this historic moment. ¡°I can do it.¡¯ I opened my eyes and clicked on a skill. [Line Reading: Intermediate level 1, 16%] I worked so hard at it for the last couple of days, but it was still only intermediate level 1. This skill improved much slower than any other skill. But I was just thankful that the skill was even created. I activated the skill and calculated the direction. The break was pretty severe. It was a green that significantly tilted from the right to the left. Maybe it was thanks to the skill, but I felt like I could see the path the ball needed to follow. ¡®It should be fine if I send it about 40 centimeters to the right.¡¯ Of course, it was not accurate. The skill level was still too low. But for some reason, I felt good about it. My luck had been pretty good today. I opened the second skill. [Putting 5 skill: intermediate level 3, 36%] I picked up my putter and started the back swing. Make it feel like it stops at the top and let it down smoothly. The ball started to roll with a tap! Noise. It curved significantly to the left following the slope. My eyes became large at that moment. ¡®I did it!¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just me who felt that way. The gallery behind me started to shout like fireworks going off. ¡®It¡¯s going in!¡± ¡°It went in!¡± ¡°Wow, an eagle! 49 strokes!¡± They were extremely excited. Some of them even started to hug each other. The other players crowded me and started to give me some high fives. Personally, I felt a bit out of it. I feel like I achieved something amazing, but it did not feel real. I just responded to each of the people who came up for a high five. ¡°He really is our Lions¡¯ ace.¡± ¡°Good job, Kang pro!¡± ¡°I would have lifted you up in the air if I was even 10 years younger. Hahaha.¡± ¡°Thank you for the thought. Haha.¡± Han Sul Yi personally arrived at booth 15 while I was sharing the joy with the club members. It was not for personal reasons. It was an interview with the winner of the first round. Other sponsors and the cameramen came with her to prove that was the case. Behind them, I could see a tent full of the Golden Dragon Group logo. This was my first ever interview. I didn¡¯t know what kind of questions would be asked or how I should answer them. Han Sul Yi seemed to be in the same boat. She had a notepad in her hand, but the questions were not organized. The writing seemed like she was rushed. It seemed like she quickly wrote them down. I guess nobody would have expected me to finish with such a record in the first round. In fact, even I did not expect this type of score. ¡°You did something amazing today. Many viewers are probably curious about Mr. Kang Hwi Ram. Please give us a short introduction.¡± How should I introduce myself? I couldn¡¯t come up with anything. I just answered with whatever came out of my mouth. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll edit it if I say something weird. ¡°My name is Kang Hwi Ram and I am part of the Lions Golf Club. I came out here for experience since I have not been golfing for a long time, but I never expected to get such a good score.¡± ¡°When did you first start golf? Was there a special reason?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s been about 7 months. There was no special reason I picked it up, I was just curious.¡± ¡°Omo! Has it really only been 7 months?¡± Han Sul Yi¡¯s eyes opened widely like she was completely shocked. Is she just a good actress? I doubt she forgot about it since it has only been a few days since I told her. Then maybe she thought I was lying when I said that last time. Other people must feel the same way. It is almost impossible for a newbie who started 7 months ago to finish with this dream-like 49 stroke score. That was why I needed to emphasize this fact even more. That was the way to leave a really lasting impression on people. No, if I play this card right, different portal sites or even media websites would fight to publish this information. Then it would be good publicity for sure. ¡°I had never even held a golf club before then.¡± ¡°Is that really possible? Normal people would have a hard time even getting under par after 7 months.¡± ¡°I agree. I think I just might have a knack for golf.¡± ¡°Even still, it is hard to believe. You went a whole whopping 23 under par today. Did you expect this type of score?¡± ¡°Of course not. I just told myself, ¡®Don¡¯t worry about OB or Hazard and just play a refreshing game,¡¯ and that led to getting a good score.¡± ¡°What score do you anticipate in the second round final tomorrow?¡± ¡°Since it is like this, I will attempt to finish an overall 40 under par.¡± ¡°I look forward to another great performance tomorrow.¡± What? That¡¯s it? Is the interview short because we only finished the first round? I was a bit disappointed. I wish she would have said something about the uniform. Then more people would have been interested in this Dandelion uniform during tomorrow¡¯s broadcast. But Han Sul Yi must have been feeling disappointed as well. She added one last thing before finishing the interview. ¡°And¡­¡­¡± What is she trying to say? She seemed to be hesitating while looking into my eyes. She then just said it like, ¡®Whatever, I have nothing to lose.¡¯ ¡°Your uniform is so cool.¡± Did Han Sul Yi read my mind or something? I started to smile really widely. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± *** ¡°It¡¯s great for the whole family to have dinner like this.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong seemed to be very happy. The smile did not disappear from his face throughout dinner. Hwang Joon Yul was smiling brightly as if he was responding to the chairman. Of course, this was a very uncomfortable situation. In addition, this was a big family meeting with close to 30 family members. His uncles and others took all the good seats while Hwang Joon Yul barely had any room to stretch his legs. That made it difficult for him to even get any of Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s gaze. But a single mistake can bring the reaper¡¯s scythe. He had to maintain his bright demeanor in case Jung Man Yong ever looked his way. His mom Jung Hee Sook was the same way. She was grumbling all morning but was doing her best to keep Chairman Jung Man Yong happy. ¡°Dad, prepare a gathering like this more often.¡± ¡°We should. Let¡¯s do something like this at least once a year.¡± ¡°Oh, I heard you hit under par last time? You must be getting younger, dad. Hoho.¡± ¡°Getting younger my ass. I was just lucky. Huhuhu. Anyways, is Joon Yul hitting the ball these days?¡± He finally got Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s attention. It was thanks to his mom Jung Hee Sook. Once they started to talk about golf, the attention came to the only Golden Dragon Kid in the room, Hwang Joon Yul. Hwang Joon Yul quickly responded. ¡°Yes. I am playing whenever I have some time.¡± ¡°I heard you participated in the screen competition today?¡± ¡®He knew about it.¡¯ It was not good news. His score during this screen competition was very bad. In addition, the other Golden Dragon kids did not get good scores either. Well, their scores themselves were fine, but they did not manage to get first place. It was because of Kang Hwi Ram. If it was not for that bastard, he could have proudly answered. ¡°Yes. I did not do well though.¡± ¡°Is your condition bad these days? I heard you didn¡¯t do well in the club rivalry competition either.¡± Hwang Joon Yul almost dropped his spoon. For Chairman Jung Man Yong to know about the match against the Lions. That means that lying would just bring his wrath. He also had a decent excuse as well. ¡°They brought in a very talented member. I tried to do what I could to beat him, but I have not had any luck yet. I seem to have fallen into a slump after that.¡± ¡°Is that so? How well must he be playing for our Joon Yul to say such a thing?¡± ¡°That friend won the screen competition today.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s eyes opened wide almost instantly. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram who recorded a 49 stroke game?¡± He really is a golf maniac. It hasn¡¯t even been 2 hours since the screen competition ended. For him to know about it even with his busy schedule. He even accurately remembered his name at that. I guess there was no way the secretaries would have missed that news. ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡± ¡°Huhu, No wonder you fell into a slump playing with an expert like that. So, did you build up a friendship with that friend?¡± Friendship my ass. He¡¯s a bastard I want to rip to shreds if he was in front of me. But this was not the time to bring up his personal feelings. This was a business and politics. Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s head started to spin quickly. He decided it would be better to make this situation advantageous for himself. ¡°To be honest with you, he is a friend I have been close to for a long time.¡± ¡°Friend?¡± ¡°Yes. He is a classmate from middle school. I knew he would do something amazing someday, but I didn¡¯t know it would be like this.¡± The lie came easily once he started to talk. Thanks to that, Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s expression became bright. He was not disappointed, even though two Golden Dragon Kids did not manage to leave an impression for themselves. Instead, you could even see the anticipation for a new star. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s course is difficult, right?¡± ¡°It is Master¡¯s Island.¡± ¡°Then we will be able to know that friend¡¯s true abilities tomorrow. If he does well tomorrow as well, engrave that Golden Dragon logo on that friend¡¯s hat. I can rely on you for that, right Joon Yul?¡± Hwang Joon Yul felt his heart drop. ¡®God damn it!¡¯ This could end up becoming a complicated situation. If Kang Hwi Ram thinks about his relationship with Hwang Joon Yul and say something like, ¡®Over my dead body,¡¯ when offered a Golden Dragon sponsorship¡­¡­ just thinking about him made him cringe. But this was a command from Chairman Jung Man Yong. His lips moved on autopilot. ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡± *** ¡®Sigh, how am I going to engrave the Golden Dragon logo into that bastard¡¯s hat?¡¯ Hwang Joon Yul thought it would be impossible. No, even if someone else was sent to do it, it would still be difficult. Even Kang Hwi Ram knew that Hwang Joon Yul was one of the Golden Dragon Group¡¯s people. Because of that, Kang Hwi Ram would have a lot of negative feelings about the Golden Dragon Group. There were only two methods. First, give him a giant sum of money to break down his hatred of the Golden Dragon Group. But he did not like that method. The other method was to prevent such a situation from even happening. He just had to make sure Kang Hwi Ram could not get a good score tomorrow. ¡®I need to make sure that happens. But why are these bastards so late?¡¯ He finally heard a knock on his door. Knock knock. ¡°Enter.¡± The door opened and two young men around 20 years old entered. Hwang Joon Yul kicked their shins as soon as he saw the two of them. ¡°Ahh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± The young men fell down. Hwang Joon Yul was even more angry after seeing that. This time, he was beating at the two of their backs. ¡°It hurts? Hmm? You sons of a bitches, does it hurt?!¡± The two young men quickly got up and stood up straight. ¡°No, not at all.¡± ¡°We apologize.¡± ¡°You think that is enough? Do you know how much money we spent on the two of you? How could you screw things up like that. Hmm?¡± Slap Slap- The young men¡¯s heads moved to the side with the noise before returning to their spots. ¡°Focus. Tomorrow is the only chance. I will personally kill the two of you if you cannot recover the Golden Dragon Kid¡¯s fame. You understand?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°Get out. Damn bastards. I don¡¯t even want to see you.¡± *** ¡°Sigh, what are we going to do?¡± Shim Sang Chun let out a deep sigh. Truthfully speaking, Choi Sung Ook and Shim Sang Chun did not get bad scores. They each had 12 under par and 10 under par. WIth that kind of score, it should have been an overwhelming lead compared to third place. That was indeed the case. Fourth place was 6 under par, so they would have been in the lead by a landslide. Furthermore, Hwang Joon Yul himself was from the Golden Dragon Kids program but he recorded an over-par. So how could he tell them they did terribly? But none of that mattered. Someone else who was not part of the Golden Dragon Kids was currently in first place. He was there with an overwhelming lead that wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say he was stepping all over the Golden Dragon Kids. A dream-like 23 under-par. An 11 stroke difference compared to Choi Sung Ook in second place. No matter how much they thought about it, there was no way to catch up. But they had to do something. Even if they overdid it a bit. Choi Sung Ook who had made up his mind looked toward Shim Sang Chun. ¡°I will take one for the team, so you push forward.¡± ¡°What do you mean take one for the team?¡± ¡°Golf is a mental game. Since he¡¯s only being golfing for 7 months, if his mental breaks once, it will completely break down. If that happens, it is possible to overtake him.¡± Shim Sang Chun could tell what Choi Sung Ook was planning at that point. That was the only method in Shin Sang Chun¡¯s mind as well. Since Choi Sung Ook said he¡¯ll take the bullet, he couldn¡¯t be more thankful. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s try it.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 93 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 93: Here are My Conditions (1) [Kang Hwi Ram writes a new chapter in golf history.] [Super rookie Kang Hwi Ram causes a stir in the golf world,] [Shocking score appears in the golf world.] The content and even the expressions were all different. It felt like they were doing whatever they could to put out an eye-catching phrase to draw readers. Either way, this was good. I wanted people to focus on me. Just looking at all of the news about me made me smile. ¡®I guess I can consider the first round a win.¡¯ The hole-in-one screen golf competition was pretty large, however, it was not very popular. Even though there were a lot of competitions, it was rare to find any articles about it. But there were still so many articles pouring out. It was even in the nation¡¯s best portal sites and newspapers. There were also a lot of pictures of me in the dandelion uniform. Thanks to that, I was looking forward to the 2nd round today. If I can record a similar score to the first round, I might be able to gain as much popularity as some of the average ranking pros. ¡®Today¡¯s course is Master¡¯s Island, right?¡¯ I experienced it at the club meeting. But that experience did not matter much since we competed on the front tee. The distance grows by at least 50 meters when you change to the back tee, so it will feel like a completely different course. That was why I stayed up late last night practicing at Master¡¯s Island. I put the conditions as the same ones we would face today. My best score was 19 under par, and the worst score fell to 11 under par. It really was a difficult course. If my driver distance was just 50 meters further, I could at least lower it by another 4 strokes. But there was no need to be greedy. The reason I got the worst score was because I was being greedy. I tried to do something beyond my abilities and landed in the OB or hazard. Which is what led me to my decision. ¡®I will only compete within the limits of my skill.¡¯ That was my goal for today. I headed to the competition area. Of course, I was in the first squad and booth 1. I was playing together with Choi Sung Ook and Shim Sang Chun, the second and third place from yesterday. I should at least be able to get quite a bit of camera baptism today. Shim Sang Chun greeted me first. ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Shim Sang Chun.¡± ¡°Kang Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°You had quite a magnificent score yesterday.¡± ¡°I was just lucky.¡± I then shared a handshake with Choi Sung Ook. But compared to the warm gaze Shim Sang Chun gave me, Choi Sung Ook had a very competitive gaze. Even his handshake was very firm. ¡°My name is Choi Sung Ook. Let¡¯s determine the true victor in our booth today.¡± What is he saying? The competition is pretty much over already. Even if Choi Sung Ook plays well, it is almost impossible to beat me. Thanks to that, the focus of today was not who will get first place. It was focused on how many strokes I will win by. It wasn¡¯t just me. Everybody else was focused on that as well. I just laughed it off. ¡°Haha, yes.¡± The competition soon started. I was the owner after finishing in first place yesterday. 431 meter par 4 hole. A distance that was impossible for me to do a tee shot on-green. I decided to cut like I practiced yesterday. Next up was Choi Sung Ook who got second place yesterday. But Choi Sung Ook looked toward me as he went up to the plate. It was a very competitive gaze. He then immediately proceeded to turn the screen. The place he was aiming for was not a fairway but the lake in the middle. He was attempting to pass the lake and go for a tee shot on-green. ¡®Isn¡¯t he crazy?¡¯ Even if you look at a straight distance, it was close to 400 meters. With the wind blowing hard from the side, you would have to send it at least 370 meters because of the downward slope. Is that really possible? The gallery was thinking the same thing. They lowered their voices as much as they could for Choi Sung Ook, but everybody thought it was a rash decision. But Choi Sung Ook had no hesitation. He immediately swung his driver hard, as if he had already made up his mind. A shot so strong that his whole body twisted like a bow. Clang- pangya! The sound was good and the velocity was good as well. The sound was louder and more clear than when I hit my 300 meter shot. My eyes opened up instantly. It was because the screen image had changed. The gallery was cheering loudly. ¡°Wow! It looks like it¡¯ll pass the lake!¡± ¡°He really is an amazing long distance hitter.¡± ¡°That player was the Asian Long Distance King right?¡± ¡°I heard he sent it 407 yards to make an Asian record.¡± ¡°Wow. Amazing.¡± The ball easily crossed the lake and bounced once before landing onto the green. It was 10 meters away from the hole cup, but at least he succeeded in the on-green. Choi Sung Ook clenched his fist in joy. But then he looked toward me again. He proceeded to smirk after that. It felt like he was challenging me to try the same. I think I understand what he is aiming for. He was trying to provoke me. He was provoking me to go against him like a man and compete in a long distance match. He was probably trying to use that to make me make a mistake. It was difficult to lower your strokes by 20 in one hole, but it was not difficult to gain 40 strokes in one hole. ¡®Why do I need to do that?¡¯ Today¡¯s goal was not a pride battle with Choi Sung Ook. It was to get the lowest score possible to get the nation¡¯s interest. Do I look that stupid to him? I lightly laughed. Choi Sung Ook continued to focus on his long distance hits for the competition. But luck must be on his side today. He did not record a single OB or hazard until the 11th hole. I feel like his average distance today was at least 350 meters. On the other hand, I just continued to rely on the safe shots. If it was less than 350 meters, I would have challenged it as well, but there were no holes like that so far. Was that the reason? I could feel the gallery¡¯s gaze more than usual today. They were looking at me with eyes of, ¡®He¡¯s different than yesterday,¡¯ and, ¡®Why is he being so careful.¡¯ It almost felt like they were mocking me. Then the 12th hole arrived. I felt like it was a chance as soon as I checked the course. 359 meter par 4 hole. It swings widely to the right, so the actual distance was only about 320 meters. And it was a light wind, but it was a back wind of 5.4 meters per hour right now. With all of these conditions, it should fall right on the green if I use my 300 meter skill. The problem was the pretty high hill blocking the way. Choi Sung Ook did not care about anything again this hole. He turned the screen and immediately swung his driver as if to say this is how to do it. But he couldn¡¯t be lucky all the time. The distance was good, but the direction shook a bit and he ended up landing in the bunker next to the green. Then it was my turn. I calculated the wind and focused on getting the direction right. It was the first time I was aiming for a tee shot on-green in the second right. I could hear the gallery quietly whispering in the back. ¡°Oh, finally!¡± ¡°I guess he is finally getting started.¡± I started my address once I set the direction. [Driver 300 skill: Intermediate level 6, 27%] I swung my driver very hard. Clang- pangya! The ball refreshingly flew away. Of course the screen changed. ¡°Wow, the direction is perfect! It¡¯s going to go in.¡± ¡°The ball is too fast!¡± It really was a difficult course. The ball rolled quickly across the green. At its current speed, it will end up rolling about 10 meters past the cup. I could tell the break was also pretty severe by looking at the green. Both the up/down and left/right slopes were pretty steep, so much so that a 10 meter eagle putt will be close to impossible. However, Clang! ¡°Wow! It hit the flag!¡± ¡°It stopped!¡± The ball hit the flag in the hole cup. It didn¡¯t go into the cup after that, but it only bounced back about 1 meter before stopping. ¡°Wow, if there was a concede, it would be an automatic eagle.¡± ¡°He is finally showing his skills!¡± ¡°¡±I guess the distance until now was too far. It¡¯s best to be safe instead of going for impossible challenges.¡± I was satisfied as well. The result was, of course, an eagle. In comparison, Choi Sung Ook hit a bad bunker shot and settled for par, while Shim Sang Chun managed another birdie this hole. A similar situation repeated itself in the 13th hole. Then the 14th hole, where I was the owner again. It was a par 5 hole, but the distance was a whopping 530 meters. But the problem wasn¡¯t the distance, but the set-up of the course. It was the most difficult course on Master¡¯s Island, and a course that only the most modest golfers can survive without failing. It was because the fairway was made up of islands. It was made of three small grassy islands that looked like stepping stones to the green. You will fail if you grab your driver in this hole. That is the evaluation of your typical golfers. If you want to be safe, you will use your iron or wood. But I grabbed my driver. There was a bit of a head wind, but I felt like I could aim for the second island 320 meters away. ¡°It¡¯s such a rash decision.¡± ¡°No matter how good his driver skills are, this is impossible.¡± ¡°Shh, quiet.¡± The murmurs of the gallery quieted down as soon as I finished setting the direction. I had no worries. I used my driver 350 meter skill and swung as hard as I could. Of course, the ball accurately fell where I was aiming for. My driver might not fly as far as Choi Sung Ook, but the accuracy was much higher. It was such a narrow island that it made you feel like you were going to suffocate, but my skill¡¯s error range was within the size of the island. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± The gallery was clapping for me and cheering. Next up was Choi Sung Ook. Choi Sung Ook bit his lips. He let out a small sigh after looking at the fairway made of islands. I¡¯m sure you have a lot to think about. Your plan until now will feel like a waste to safely cut across, but the success rate was too low to be greedy. But he¡¯ll have no other method. WIth the win already out of his reach, he¡¯ll also lose his fame if he plays it safe now. Choi Sung Ook altered the direction a bit before doing some practice swings. Booooong- Boooooong- The sound of the wind as his driver cut through was pretty strong. I feel like he would be able to send it at least 400 meters with that kind of swing. He did his actual swing pretty similar to that. No, it was actually even stronger than the practice swing. However, Puk! He must have put too much strength into it. The club head did not hit the ball accurately and ended up hitting the bottom of the ball. The ball made a high arc like a howitzer. It then flew about 150 meters before landing into the lake with a plop! ¡°Aaah. He was doing so well¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the problem with long distance hitters.¡± The gallery was disappointed. But would they be as disappointed as Choi Sung Ook himself? He lifted up his chin and swallowed his disappointment. Looking at the terrible frown on his face, the mental damage seemed to be pretty big. Was that the reason? His shots continued to break after that. He aimed for a fairway 200 meters away with the 3 wood, but it ended up in the water again. Continuous string of miss shots! In the end, he recorded a 5 over par in this hole and lost all the points he had gained until now. On the other hand, Shim Sang Chun played like an Ice Man. He safely cut through and recorded the first part of this round. It was the same after that. Choi Sung Ook¡¯s mental must have completely broken down as he could not even swing properly. The miss shots continued to come. He gained 4 strokes in the remaining four holes to make his score plummet down the charge. On the other hand, I recorded another eagle in the last 18th hole and finished the game with a total of 17 under par. Combining the two days, it was exactly 40 under par. Shim Sang Chun recorded 16 under par today, for a two day total of 26 under par for second place. Choi Sung Ook fell so far that he didn¡¯t even matter. He had been doing well until the middle of the back 9, but he had fallen too far starting from the 14th hole. But it wasn¡¯t like anybody was paying attention him right now. All of the attention was currently on me. ¡°Wow! 17 under par at Master¡¯s Island! His total for the 36 holes is 40 under par. Is this really possible?¡± ¡°Amazing. It definitely is not luck but skill to play this well.¡± ¡°Where did a player like that come from?¡± The gallery¡¯s cheering did not stop. Of course, the interview was mine as well. Han Sul Yi came down to the booth to conduct the interview like yesterday. ¡°Congratulations. You didn¡¯t show us many long distance shots today. Was there a special reason for that?¡± A basic question. I just casually answered back. ¡°My driver is still limited to 350m right now.¡± The continuing questions were the same. I just gave short answers while waiting for the question I wanted to come to arrive. And then Han Sul Yi finally asked that question. ¡°You have won 20,000,000 won in prize money. Have you decided how to use it?¡± ¡°Of course, I have a special plan for it. That was the reason I participated in this competition in the first place.¡± I put some strength into my answer as if I had been waiting for this. I¡¯m sure everybody felt the change in my tone. Han Sul Yi was the same way. She quickly asked about it. ¡°What is that special plan?¡± ¡°There are students who have the talents but cannot let it blossom because of their family situation¡­¡­¡± I advertised the Dandelion Foundation as much as I could. Why it was created, what they were attempting to do, and how big their ambitions were. ¡°I plan on donating all of the prize money from today. That¡¯s why I participated in the competition and tried so hard to win.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, your uniform has dandelion patterns as well.¡± ¡°These clothes were also made by a high school student who dreams of becoming a designer. I asked her for a special outfit to advertise the Dandelion School. I plan on competing with Dandelion Uniforms for any other competition as well.¡± ¡°I see. Your skills and character both seem to be very good. But do you have any plans on competing in field competitions?¡± ¡°Of course. If possible, I want to surpass Korea and even make it into the PGA.¡± The interview continued on after that. After that, they started to interview Choi Sung Ook and Shim Sang Chun. *** The next day. The Lions Golf Club members gathered once more. We had a short gathering yesterday, but there were only a few people that we had round 2 with a lightning meeting. Naturally, I was the focus of the meeting. Even the toasts were focused on the things I said yesterday in the interview. ¡°Here¡¯s to Kang Hwi Ram pro¡¯s entry into the PGA!¡± ¡°Cheers!¡± I don¡¯t know how much we¡¯ve drank already. I only had half a shot each time, but I¡¯m already feeling lightheaded. Riiiiiing- Riiiiiiing- It is my phone again. When I took a look, it was a classmate from high school. It really was chaotic right now. The impact of TV is really amazing. Yesterday¡¯s screen golf competition win was announced not just on portal site news, but also on national broadcasts as well. Originally, it was not big enough of a competition to be broadcast on the news, but it was because of my score. 23 under par after 18 holes and 40 under par after 36. Thanks to that, they briefly mentioned it every time the news came on, even though there were no special segments for it. My name was the number 1 in the search ranking on the portal site and did not seem to fall from there. Thanks to that, everybody was trying to contact me. ¡°Yes, thank you. Let¡¯s grab some food soon.¡± One of the club members started to talk again once I got off the call. Even Director Han Sung Taek and Ji Sung Joon who were usually quiet were quite loud today because they were drunk. ¡°Amazing.¡± ¡°Our Kang pro did something big.¡± ¡°I recognized his talent from the beginning.¡± ¡°Hold on. You said Dandelion School right? Give me their account number. I will start donating 100,000 won a month starting today.¡± ¡°Me too. I can¡¯t miss out on something like this.¡± ¡°Instead, why don¡¯t we gather donations throughout the club. Since it is a place that is extremely transparent and even show their account information, I think we can donate without any concerns.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good too.¡± The majority of the members were either Presidents or high-ranked employees of companies. That was why it was pretty easy to do something they put their minds to doing. It was the same right now. As soon as the conversation came up, all of them started to take out their phones and donate to the Dandelion Foundation. Each time someone donated, the homepage verified the donation. ¡°Wow, it is verified almost instantly. There is no way they can embezzle money like this.¡± ¡°This is really a good method. All of the charities in our country should run like this.¡± ¡°Thank you Kang pro. You introduced a place like this to us.¡± I really should be the thankful one. Thanks to them, I could already see my goal approaching quickly. Looking at the account history, it was blowing up with donations. The donations from 10 minutes ago were already moved to page 2 that it was hard to find. This was really the power of a broadcast. BIts and pieces of the interview were broadcasted, and people who watched it were looking up the Dandelion School on the internet. So then, of course, they would have looked through the homepage. The homepage had everything about the Dandelion School. Bios of the teachers, the stories of the students, and even the fact that donations were all transparent were all visible on the website. That was why everybody was not worried as they donated. I¡¯m sure there were people who donated to see if the donations really were displayed on the website. Regardless of the reason, a ton of people were donating to it. But it was not like a huge amount was pouring in. The majority were between 5,000 and 10,000 won, and there were even some people who were sending 1,000 won. But was the amount important? I think the atmosphere is much more important. I¡¯m sure the people who are donating 1,000 won are your average blue collar workers. They could feel good about their donation while the donation can be used to help the students continued to develop their skills. If the students go on to successful careers, that feeling can multiply as well. Then the tradition of donating will grow even more. Isn¡¯t that the cycle of virtue? ¡°Kang pro. Take a shot.¡± But we really are drinking way too much today. *** Clang- pangya! The ball flew in a straight line. It was a good shot, going over 300 meters. But Jung Man Yong was looking at the person and not the ball. To be specific, he was looking at the driver, iron, and wood swing form. Next to Jung Man Yong were four experts. Three of them were golf experts while the last one was a computer expert. All of them were watching the screen with eyes wide open. ¡°What do you think?¡± Each of them made a remark at Jung Man Yong¡¯s question. ¡°His swing is very clean. There is nothing to pick on.¡± ¡°The amazing thing is that each swing is the same. I feel like the swing will be exactly the same even if we overlap multiple shots of his.¡± Jung Man Yong thought the same thing. No, he wanted to verify if it really was the case. ¡°Make the computer overlap the videos.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The expert quickly tinkered with the computer. The videos quickly overlapped each other into one. He then played all of them at the same thing. Once they did that, something amazing happened. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 94 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 94: Here are My Conditions (2) It aligned perfectly. The height of the back swing, the amount of time stopped up top, the angle and speed of the swing, the twist of the hips and legs, even the follow swing. It was so perfect that it was almost as if one video was divided into multiple clips before being put back together to overlap one another. Even Chairman Jung Man Yong, who was not easily surprised, was in disbelief. ¡°Is he a robot or something? Is this really possible? Try matching yesterday¡¯s video as well.¡± The computer expert tinkered with the video once more. It was the same. It was hard enough to make the same day¡¯s swing the same, but even the day before¡¯s swings were perfectly synced without even 1 millimeter error. It was not just the driver. The iron was the same. There was absolutely no difference at all. ¡°Isn¡¯t this an amazing skill?¡± All of the experts nodded at Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s question. ¡°It definitely is an amazing ability. If you could always create the same swing, it would be weird for you to not succeed in golf.¡± ¡°He will definitely succeed in the field as well if he can recreate such perfect swings. In addition, if a 350 meter driver shot is this accurate, it would not be a dream to surpass the KPGA and conquer the PGA.¡± Jung Man Yong¡¯s eyes were sparkling wildly. There was only one thing on his mind. ¡®We need to grab him no matter what. We need to put the Golden Dragon logo on him and send him to the PGA.¡¯ It made him think of a face. The connection that could help them secure Kang Hwi Ram. ¡°Contact Joon Yul right away!¡± *** I swung the driver as hard as I could. Clang- The sound was not bad, but the hit itself was a mess. There was a giant hook, so that it swung wildly to the left. It also did not go further than 300 meters. ¡°I guess this is not it either.¡± There was something I realized through this hole-in-one screen golf competition. In order for me to surpass Korea and enter the PGA, and then to succeed in the PGA, there is something I need to make sure to get. The first is my driver¡¯s distance. If I can safely send it 400 meters, I should be able to get a lot of eagle chances for most par 4 holes. Second is putting. Although the skill has been created, it still was not at a level I was satisfied with. It was this way on the screen, so how bad would it be on the field? I hear the field is much harder. Now that I think about it, the the KPGA pro qualifying rounds start in a few days. Of course, it will not be hard to pass the qualifications. I¡¯m confident my current skills are more than enough for that. But my goal was not just passing the qualifications. It is because a lot of people are looking at me right now because of the hole-in-one screen golf competition. I¡¯ve already received a lot of interviews from the press and different magazines. Each of them were interested in how amazing of a score I will get in the pro qualifying rounds. Of course, there were people talking about the opposite as well. [Someone who is only good in screen golf] [He¡¯ll be terrible out on the field] That was why I¡¯ve been practicing golf nonstop for 10 days. I wanted to show them that I was not only good good in screen golf. I wanted to let them know that someone who can rule the world of golf has appeared in Korean men¡¯s golf as well. That is how to keep the attention on me as well as let it expand even more. I swung my driver once more. Clang- ¡®It¡¯s not that easy.¡¯ The distance and the direction was a mess. I checked the video once again on my phone. It was a video for the driver swing Choi Sung Ook showed at the hole-in-one golf competition. Choi Sung Ook is both shorter and skinnier than I am. But his driver distance was 400 meters. That means his distance is based on the swing and impact, and not his own strength. That was why I was trying to copy his driver swing form. If I can make that into a skill, I feel like I could safely land a 400+ meter driver shot. ¡°You do it like this¡­¡­ ah, the hips turn first!¡± I¡¯ve been working on this for close to two months. I also viewed my changed swing and compared them as well. Maybe that was why I felt like I was starting to get a feel for it. Choi Sung Ook¡¯s hips seem to support his body well. But my swing seems to be missing that support between the hips and the body as they move. ¡®Is it like this? Or like this?¡¯ I took another look at the video of Choi Sung Ook and fixed my swing. After doing that for a while, I felt like I knew what to do. Of course, I shouldn¡¯t have high expectations. Even though I have felt like this many times, when I try it out for real, it feels a bit awkward. I got into position and tried a practice swing. The address was definitely different than the driver 300 skill. You put your weight much further back for this swing. There is also a lot more hip motion in the practice swing. As for the backswing, it was stupidly large. Booooong ¨C Boooong ¨C ¡®Oh! This doesn¡¯t feel too bad!¡¯ It felt really natural for some reason. I felt like my hips were moving properly as well. I tried hitting the ball like that. Clang- I did not put much strength in to it. I just swung the driver with the swing movement. But the ball was still flying far away. The distance was 270 meters. My eyes opened instantly. ¡®This is it! It¡¯s finally right!¡¯ I was certain that I had figured out Choi Sung Ook¡¯s swing. I tried hitting the ball once more. I already used a Jewel of Creation, so the feeling from the last swing still remained in my body. I chased after that feeling and swung the driver with much more strength this time. Clang- The sound of the impact was so clear. After finishing my driver swing, I turned my head to check the screen. The screen was currently set to practice lounge. It was enlarged to show the 200 meter area. But the ball did not seem to want to fall down, even as it went by the 200 meter area. It continued to fly further. It was also flying perfectly straight. It then fell around the 340 meter mark and continued to roll. The total distance was 371 meters. ¡°Alright!¡± I shouted out as I clenched my fist. I finally got it right. It still was not my goal distance, but it will slowly go up as I increase the skill level. I need to practice this while I have the feel for it. I set up my address once more. Riiiiiing- Riiiiiiiing- ¡®Who is calling me at this important time? Is it Miss Han Sul Yi?¡¯ I was supposed to learn putting from Han Sul Yi today. But there was still some time left. I didn¡¯t care whether my phone was ringing or not. Even if it was from Han Sul Yi, this driver skill was much more important right now. I continued to practice this new driver swing. The direction still had an error rate of 5 percent, but the distance easily went to 370m. I filled the full 1 hour that way. I opened my phone and checked the skill window. [Driver 370 skill: Beginner 3%] ¡®I knew it.¡¯ The skill experience level was very low. If the basic skill and swing was similar, the experience would have quickly risen as soon as the skill was created. But since the swing itself changed quite a bit, I needed to increase it like I was starting all over. As I do that, there will come a day I can change the name to Driver 400 skill. Riiiiiiiiing- Riiiiiiiiiiing- The phone was ringing again. I started to frown as soon as I saw who was calling. ¡°These people again¡­¡­!¡± It is the Golden Dragon Group people. They¡¯ve been annoying me over and over for the last two months. They wanted me to sign a contract with them and put a Golden Dragon Logo on my hat. Of course I declined. Unless I am stupid, there was no reason to sign a contract with a sponsor right now. I was still a complete nobody. They just approve of my potential because of the screen competition. But that will change soon. Once I complete the pro qualifying round and other public competitions, they will approve of my abilities and not just my potential. And it will be out in the real field, not just a screen. Then wouldn¡¯t I be able to easily get more than 10 times my current worth? It was not something to rashly make a decision. I still picked up the phone with a slightly rough voice. ¡°Hello.¡± ¨C We hope you are doing well¡­¡­ ¡°I am not well because you all keep bothering me from practice so just quickly tell me what you want. Why do you keep annoying me?¡± ¨C What are your conditions? If you are sponsored by our Golden Dragon Group, entry into the PGA¡­¡­ The same repertoire. You should at least change your method if you keep getting rejected. Then I should give them a condition that will be hard for them to accept. ¡°Contract year 1 year. Contract amount 1,000,000,000 won. Please donate it to the Dandelion School in my name. That is my condition.¡± ¨C What? 1 billion won for 1 year¡­¡­ Can we at least meet up¡­¡­ He seems a bit down. The way he is talking makes it sound like ¡®how could you call out such an improbable amount.¡¯ That was why I said that number in the first place. It wasn¡¯t like I was playing golf because i had no money. ¡°I am busy enough practicing. I have no desire to come to a compromise so call me if you accept. If not, don¡¯t call me. I am hanging up now.¡± ¨C Wait¡­¡­ I just hung up. It definitely wasn¡¯t respectful, but they were the ones to not be respectful first. I grabbed my driver and started to practice again. Han Sul Yi came into the room about 30 minutes later. It happened to be the moment my hit reached 380m. She started to shout in shock as soon as she entered. ¡°Omo! You can send it 380m with your driver?¡± ¡°I get a good hit every so often. Your uniform is so cool.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it? I like it very much too.¡± Han Sul Yi lifted her arms up and spun around once as if she was saying take a good look. It was a Dandelion Uniform. We asked the female high school student Kim Soo Jung who dreams of becoming a designer. But where should I look? Han Sul Yi¡¯s large chest was even more visible today. Kim Soo Jung¡¯s design preference seems to emphasize the body. I quickly turned my gaze elsewhere. ¡°Shall we go practice?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We left the building together. This practice building had areas for screen, indoor practicing, as well as putting greens. The grass was well-kept so even pro players frequently used it. That was why I pretty much lived here the last two months. I practiced my driver and iron at the screen and spent the rest of the time crouched on the green practicing line reading. Of course Han Sul Yi helped out quite a bit. Thanks to that, I felt like I was getting pretty good at line reading. ¡°I¡¯d say about 2 cups to the left?¡± Once I stated my thoughts, Han Sul Yi commented on it. ¡°I would say another half cup to the left.¡± We¡¯ll find out who is right once we hit it. I moved my putter. My distance anticipating was pretty perfect even on the field now. I could almost always send it within 1 meter of the cup.. The problem was the direction. As expected, Han Sul Yi was a little more accurate. It missed the hole cup by about 5cm and continued to roll. ¡°Ah, why is this so hard?¡± ¡°This much is pretty accurate already. Most pro players will not be able to hit like this.¡± Han Sul Yi started to console me. But it did not do much for me. I wasn¡¯t playing golf to be like most pros. If I am going to start, might as well dominate the PGA. In order to do that, I need to be much more accurate than now. I started to move my putter again. *** ¡°How did it go?¡± The promotion team members lowered their heads at Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s question. They needed to at least meet face to face to talk about a contract, but Kang Hwi Ram would not meet with them. But it wasn¡¯t like they could go look for him at the practice range. The last time they did that, they ended up building up a lot of negative feelings and ended up being chased away. They were just thankful he was willing to tell them his conditions over the phone. They had no choice but to at least tell Hwang Joon Yul about that. ¡°He wants 1 billion won for 1 year.¡± ¡°In other words, we think he has no plans on making a deal with us.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m about to go crazy!¡± Hwang Joon Yul could not hold in his anger and chucked the files in his hand. The sheets of paper falling down looked like Kang Hwi Ram was making fun of Hwang Joon Yul. No matter how much he thought, he couldn¡¯t understand it. It was actually Hwang Joon Yul who first offered Kang Hwi Ram a contract. It was a really good deal at 300 million won for 1 year. Even the best players in Korea would find 1 year 500 million won to be good. So to offer such a deal to an amateur was really good. But why would he decline it? There was only one thing Hwang Joon Yul could think of. ¡®This bastard is trying to get back at me.¡¯ That was why he did not push it and sent the promotion team. He felt like it would only be worse if he showed his face. ¡°When did you say the pro qualifying rounds were?¡± ¡°It is in exactly one week.¡± He needed to put the Golden Dragon logo on Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s hat before then. It did not matter what he needed to do to get that done. That was the homework Chairman Jung Man Yong had given him. But he might end up being yelled at if he gave in and agreed to the 1 year 1 billion won deal. They needed to make a contract that was as frugal as possible. ¡°Wow, this is really an impossible mission. Hmm? An impossible mission?¡¯ Once his thoughts got to that point, he suddenly came up with an idea. ¡°Agree to the conditions.¡± Hwang Joon Yul started to speak to the promotion team members. They all looked at him in disbelief. ¡°What? Then 1 year for 1 billion won¡­¡­?¡± ¡°But put some conditions in.¡± ¡°What kind of conditions¡­¡­?¡± ¡°We will only deposit the money if he places in the top three of the qualifying round. If he fails, 1 year for 100 million won. However, we will give 200 million extra if he passes in first place, another 300 million won if he passes the actual test in first place, and an extra 500 million won whenever he makes a new lowest score record, whether it is the qualifying rounds or the main round.¡± The promotion team all looked dazed. No matter what, that seemed to be impossible. But it wasn¡¯t like they could dare to talk back since they knew of Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s personality. ¡°What are you doing? Hurry up and go get him to sign the contract. We need to get him no matter what. It is a special request from the Chairman.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes. We understand.¡± The promotion team exited the office as if they were getting chased out. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? PS For those of you wanting golf to be gone¡­chapter 96 returns us to the RR world. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 95 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 95: Here are My Conditions (3) One week later, at Incheon Grand GC. This is the place where the KPGA Pro Qualification Preliminaries are taking place. A lot of the Lions members came to cheer me on. Han Sul Yi came to the Grand GC as well. But she was here to be the expert announcer, not to cheer me on. But that alone was enough to give me a sense of how high my fame was right now. This wasn¡¯t even the KPGA tour. This was just the KPGA Pro Qualifications, and the preliminaries at that. It is not often that such a competition is broadcasted on TV. But the main golf cable broadcast station bought the rights to this competition. They even had to go through a pretty brutal competition with other cable companies to get it. What would be the reason for that? Wouldn¡¯t it be the interest the general public has for me? I even felt like I was starting to become a little arrogant. I can¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m supposed to dominate the PGA, I can¡¯t become too excited for just this. But I could not help the smile starting to form on my face. Han Sul Yi started to smile as well after seeing my expression. ¡°Your condition must be good today.¡± ¡°I am always in good condition. Haha.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad. Hoho. Omo, I just noticed, are you sponsored by the Golden Dragon Group now?¡± Han Sul Yi looked really surprised after looking at my cap. I don¡¯t know how many times I¡¯ve already had to share this story. Every time I have met up with one of the Lions members in the past, they have all asked about the Golden Dragon Group logo on my cap. ¡°Yes, it ended up that way.¡± This is what you call a dramatic blow. The Golden Dragon Group PR team came to visit me at the practice range yesterday. They then agreed to the contract conditions I gave them. But they added a qualifier. [We will deposit the money if you pass the preliminaries and the actual qualification. However, you must place in the top 3 ¡­¡­] Well, there were actually quite a few different qualifications. There was a lot of information, but there was really one core meaning behind it all. [We are going to give you an impossible mission to cut the cost down.] It is obviously Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s doing. Hwang Joon Yul is also part of the Golden Dragon Group and the Golden Dragon Kids. I also heard he¡¯s gotten on Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s good side through golf. Furthermore, we may hate each other, but wasn¡¯t he my middle school classmate? I am curious as to why Hwang Joon Yul offered such good terms, but I had no reason to reject the offer. With my current skills and network, there would be no way for me to get an even better sponsor. I now had enough money to not have any regrets, but there was no reason to turn down free money. If I¡¯m going to get free money, I might as well get as much as possible. That was why I changed the conditions a little bit. The changed part is pretty simple. We kept the reward for first place and new record the same, but we cut the sponsor amount in half. In return, the contract duration was cut down to just 6 months. Of course the Golden Dragon Group¡¯s PR team accepted the offer. In fact, they happily accepted it. I¡¯m sure they think that it is beneficial for them. My skills will be fully visible in six months and they were only spending a small amount of money just in case I was a dud. But they¡¯ll find out when we get there. They¡¯ll realize just how conservative my 1 year 1 billion won request was. They¡¯ll realize that they will need to pay a significantly higher amount at that time to get me to resign with them. And one more thing. I will make sure to call Hwang Joon Yul to personally come to the next round of negotiations. I will then thoroughly enjoy the privilege I will have as the advantageous party. I will make sure Hwang Joon Yul feels the nervousness of being the lesser person. Just thinking about it is making me happy. (PR: Sadist alert) Anyways, that was how I came to wear the Golden Dragon Group¡¯s hat. But there was no way I would change the Dandelion uniform. ¡°Please do well. You must pass.¡± Of course. I will not only pass the preliminaries, I will also set a new record for lowest amount of strokes in 36 holes. The current KPGA record is 12 under-par for 18 holes and 17 under-par for 36 holes. It might be hard to get 12 under-par for 18 holes, but 17 under-par for 36 holes should be a breeze. ¡°Thank you. Miss Han Sul Yi should work hard as well.¡± ¡°Thank you. Fighting!¡± I high-fived with Han Sul Yi as a symbol for both of us to do well. That was how the rounding started. *** ¡®Ah, shit. I¡¯m nervous! Why is that bastard so good?¡¯ Hwang Joon Yul could not straighten his back while watching TV. It was because of nervousness. Kang Hwi Ram was alone in first place after 9 holes. His current score was 5 under-par. His current score was scary enough, but the thing that worried Hwang Joon Yul even more was the fact that Kang Hwi Ram was starting to get it together. He recorded a par after making a putting mistake in the first three holes, but started to get only birdies from the fourth hole onwards. His driver was amazing as well. It was a par 4 hole, with close to 400 meters to the hole, but he managed to land a tee shot on-green. It wasn¡¯t like he did it just once more twice. As long as it was a par 4 hole with less than 400 meters of distance, he always aimed for a tee shot on-green. Although he missed the first two times, he has succeeded in all of them after that. At this rate, it would not be impossible to record a minimum of 8 under-par for the back 9. That would mean he would create a new record for the KPGA lowest strokes for 18 holes. That alone will make Hwang Joon Yul lose 700 million won. Was that it? If Kang Hwi Ram managed to record another new record in the second round, that was another 800 million won. They would also need to give him an extra 500 million won in sponsor fees as promised as well. ¡®Then how much is it? Ahh! 2 billion won!¡¯ What would happen if Chairman Jung Man Yong found that out? He would definitely dock points for unnecessary overpay. It would be great if it ended there. If things go terribly wrong, he might even say that he can¡¯t leave his company to a useless bastard and take away all authority that Hwang Joon Yul currently has. Just thinking about it was scary. While Hwang Joon Yul was thinking like that, Kang Hwi Ram had stepped into the tee box for hole 10, the first hole in the back 9. Hwang Joon Yul prayed as he focused on the TV. 326 meter par 4 hole. The course and the green were extremely narrow, so much so that even a slight miss in the shot would land the ball in the OB. Kang Hwi Ram set the direction and got into position. The announcers were already starting to get excited. Kang Hwi Ram finished his address while they were chatting and swung his driver with all of his strength. Hwang Joon Yul also clenched his fists at that moment. ¡®Please let it be an OB. Please!¡¯ A moment later. Hwang Joon Yul pushed the table away with his foot. ¡°Ay, son of a bitch! How can that bastard never hit an OB?¡± He could hear the announcers start to speak on the TV. ¡°¡®Looking forward to it,¡¯ my ass!¡± Hwang Joon Yul clenched the ashtray in front of him. He even almost chucked it at the TV. ¡°Ahh, so frustrating!¡± *** Finally the 18th hole. ¡°Do not overdo it. Just recording a par on this hole is enough to tie the record for lowest strokes.¡± It was the caddy. The caddy was not my own, he was there to help all four of us in our squad. Of course, I would not listen. If I lower it by just one stroke, I can set a new record. That means that there is 500 million won on the line with this hole. Why would I give up when I would make it through the preliminaries even if I make a mistake, and earn 500 million won if I hit well? It really wasn¡¯t an easy course though. It was a par 5 hole, but the distance was a whopping 583 meters. It is a straight course so there was no shortcuts, and a head wind has been blowing pretty hard for a while. But I have my 400 meter driver shot. I don¡¯t have enough experience with it, but since the fairway is really wide, there should be no chance of the ball going into the OB area. I got into the tee box and set up my address. I looked like I was about to swing a baseball bat. Once I did that, some of the gallery members noticed it and started to whisper to each other. ¡°He must be aiming for a long distance shot.¡± ¡°If it is this player, he has enough accuracy to get a second shot on-green if he gets it within 200 meters.¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, he has two different driver stances. I feel like he gets into this baseball-like stance whenever he hits it really far.¡± He was spot on. The address for my 300 meter and 400 meter shots were very different. I¡¯ve already used it many times as well. The gallery finally quieted down. I looked toward the ball and opened my skill. [Driver 400 skill: Beginner 31%] Clang- So far so good. It felt right when it hit the ball. But I cannot see where the ball is flying. I cannot turn my head until I completely finish the swing. That was how the swing form was set when I created the skill. I finally finished the swing and looked for the ball. Sadly, I could not figure out where it went. With no other options, I decided to ask the caddy. ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± ¡°It flew well. I think it should be fine.¡± Even the caddy did not seem certain. Well, the ball did fly really far, so much so that it would be hard to verify with just your eyes. But we got the results almost instantly. Since the camera installed on the green was following the shot, we were able to see it on cable TV. I then heard some of the gallery start to scream. People watching the station on their smartphones were able to get instant notifications. ¡°Wow! He did it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s so close!¡± ¡°Wow, if it rolled a little more, it would have been an albatross!¡± I subconsciously started to smile really widely. ¡°Hoho, game over!¡¯ *** Hwang Joon Yul was pulling at his hair with his hands. ¡°Ahh! I¡¯m ruined!¡± The ball was just 1 meter away from the hole cup. He was so shocked that it really may have ended up an albatross. Either way, this was the worst situation. At that distance, it was almost a given that he would land the eagle putt to end up with 14 under-par. It was the creation of a new record. If he manages even a 2 under-par tomorrow, it would be another new record. It would cost him 1 billion won in just new record rewards. And then another 200 million won on top of that since he was guaranteed to get first place in the preliminaries. ¡®Ah, my head!¡¯ A moment later, he heard the cheers on TV. Kang Hwi Ram had succeeded on his eagle putt. ¡®Shit. I¡¯m about to go crazy from my heart beating as well.¡¯ How should he share the news to Chairman Jung Man Yong? He had already lost 1.2 billion won. Plus, at this rate, it was just a problem of time for them to lose 2 billion won. How could things go so wrong like this? His phone went off at that moment. Hwang Joon Yul could feel his heart sink after verifying the caller. It was Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s secretary. He could not avoid it. He needed to face it and defeat it. ¡°Hello.¡± ¨C The Chairman is calling for you. How fast can you get here? He could not make Chairman Jung Man Yong wait. ¡°I should be able to get there in 20 minutes.¡± ¨C I will let the Chairman know. Hwang Joon Yul rushed out. He was barely able to knock on the Chairman¡¯s Office door right at the 20 minute mark. ¡°Enter.¡± He opened the door and entered. In the office was his father, Hwang Chi Gook. They were looking at the TV on the wall together. It was a broadcast related to the KPGA Pro Qualifications Kang Hwi Ram participated in. Jung Man Yong smiled brightly once Hwang Joon Yul arrived and opened up his arms as if telling him to come give him a hug. Today, that looked like hell for Hwang Joon Yul. He still went and gave him a hug. ¡°Haha. Good job. You found a really good player.¡± ¡°Even I could feel my ten year old congestion flush itself out of my body. That final driver shot was really amazing.¡± ¡°Ah yes, thank you very much.¡± Hwang Joon Yul quickly bowed his head. He needed to tell him now. If the Chairman hears about it from someone else, he might even be misunderstood as having hidden the truth. But the Chairman¡¯s expression was really bright. He must be really happy right now. Chairman Jung Man Yong was known as a, ¡®Feelings guy.¡¯ If he said the right things, it might end up going well. He might be able to turn this terrible situation around. No, he needed to go one step further than that. He needed to emphasize that it was him who had fired Kang Hwi Ram up to do so well. If you think about it, that¡¯s how the contract was set. ¡°I made a bet with that punk. I think that he was able to get a good score because he was fired up about it.¡± ¡°What bet?¡± ¡°We set it up that he would get extra sponsorship money if he finished the qualifications in first place or set a new record¡­¡­¡± Hwang Joon Yul accurately explained the set up of the contract. His heart was beating fast. It was because the contract price was too high for an amateur. That was why he decided to add one last sentence at the end. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wanted to do my friend a favor¡­¡­¡± ¡°Puhaha. So that¡¯s how it was. Good. Good.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong suddenly started to laugh really loudly. Thanks to that, Hwang Joon Yul started to relax as well. It felt like things were going well. But the problem was what came after that. Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s continued words made Hwang Joon Yul fall into despair. ¡°I have a feeling he is going to swallow the whole PGA. No matter what, you must get him to sign with us for at least 5 years. Since you did him a favor this time, isn¡¯t it time for him to return the favor?¡± Hwang Joon Yul started to feel nauseous at the word, ¡®Favor.¡¯ Kang Hwi Ram probably has the phrase, ¡®Bitter enemy,¡¯ in his head. ¡°Yes, Chairman.¡± Hwang Joon Yul wanted to cry as he bowed to Jung Man Yong. ¡°At least 5 years. How am I supposed to convince that bastard?¡± WE ARE OFFICIALLY HALF WAY DONE WITH THE SERIES! The author just ended the novel at 190 the other day so 95 more to go! Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? PS For those of you wanting golf to be gone¡­chapter 96 returns us to the RR world. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 96 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 96: Dragon Fear (1) [The birth of a super rookie who will bring forth the golden age of Korean Golf!] [Kang Hwi Ram scored 12 under par today. Along with his 14 under par yesterday, he created a new record for lowest strokes in both the 18 and 36 hole for the KPGA.] [We¡¯ve seen it happen in the LPGA, so is it finally the age of Korean Golfers in the PGA as well?] Portal sites, newspapers, satellite tv and cable tv, everything was discussing my new record. The thing that I enjoyed even more was that each time they discussed my achievement, they took the time to describe the Dandelion School in detail. Of course it was because I had made it a condition for an interview. I gave them a lot of information about the Dandelion School and made the deal to interview with them only if they shared all of the details in the articles. The Golden Dragon Group played a big part as well. They put their full PR team to work to promote me. Since they invested a ton of money on me, I guess they made up their mind to suck out what they can. [The Golden Dragon Group has completed a main sponsor contract with Super Rookie Kang Hwi Ram.] [Kang Hwi Ram donates all of the contract money from Golden Dragon Group to the Dandelion School.] [Dandelion has received a 2 billion won donation for Kang Hwi Ram, who recorded a new record for the lowest amount of strokes. They will receive a 500 million won donation every time he records a new record.] There were a lot of articles that just introduced the Dandelion School without making a deal with me as well. Actually, it would be better to say people went to the portal sites to find information on the Dandelion School. What kind of school it was, how it was run, things like that. They also shared the information they found with other people. As I expected, the aspect that caught fire was the fact that they were completely transparent about their finances. Maybe that was the reason, but the donations section, which was quiet after the screen golf competition, started to blow up again. It also could not be compared to the last time. The majority were only between 1,000 won and 100,000 won, but it totaled to over 100 million won in less than an hour. That was not the end. We also had an explosion of students wanting to attend. They wanted to know how they could apply for the Dandelion Cooking School. That was why we needed to create a pop-up window on the Dandelion homepage. [The Dandelion Cooking School selects new students every January. Students who wish to attend should prepare and submit the application next January. We will share the selection criteria in the future.] Things seemed to be going well. Looking at the articles made me just start to smile. Riiiiiing- Riiiiiiing- Another call. My phone has been blowing up lately. Even people who never contact me have been contacting me. Who could it be this time? I checked my phone, but did not know the number. Even still, I could kind of tell who it was. ¡®It must be the Golden Dragon Group PR team again!¡¯ They¡¯ve been calling me over and over for the last few days. The reason was simple. They wanted to increase the sponsor contract that I shortened to 6 months to 5 years. Of course, I immediately declined it. It wasn¡¯t like Hwang Joon Yul personally called me or anything. That was why I just told them that I will discuss the matter after the 6 month contract was completed before hanging up. But they just kept on calling to the point that I needed to block their number. Once I did that, they just started to call with new numbers. I clicked the decline call button. I had no reason to answer a number I didn¡¯t know. But a few moments later, I got another call. ¡°Goddamn these people.¡± I picked up my phone with the intention of turning the power off. But the caller was different this time. It was Kang Sung Ho. My Santa Claus like friend who only has good news for me. ¡°Hey Sung Ho.¡± ¨C Congratulations, Boss-nim. You are really amazing. ¡°Punk, you¡¯re really good with the business life to know how to suck up like that.¡± ¨C I mean it. I am really proud to be working with someone like Boss-nim. But my friends won¡¯t believe me no matter how much I tell them. Please buy my friends a meal at some point. I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll believe me otherwise. ¡°Haha. Now that you mention it, it has been a while since I bought our Sung Ho a meal. Let¡¯s make some time soon.¡± ¨C Also, you said to look for files related to Golan Park, right? I was planning on leaving Golan Park and heading to the Dwarf Village after reaching around level 250. I expected it to take at least two years. But in less than 8 months, I was already close to level 300. It was because of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad. Even if Golan Park has a lot of monsters and is known as the mecca of leveling up, it could not measure up to a Demon Cave. You would need to run around Golan Park for about a month to meet the same amount of monsters you meet in a day in a Demon Cave. Of course, it is that much more dangerous as well. I faced many near death situations. Hundreds of Demon Cave Clearing Squad members died as well. I couldn¡¯t protect all of their lives. Either way, it was now time to head to the Dwarf Village. I still haven¡¯t collected all of the map pieces related to the Church of the Sun, but that was the Athena Temple¡¯s responsibility. There was no reason for me to rush it. Shouldn¡¯t I do my own things as well? That was why I ordered the search. Since Golan Park was the mecca of leveling up, there should be a lot of really good quests. ¡°Did you find anything good?¡± ¨C There¡¯s so much that searching through is hard. But I saw something Boss-nim mentioned last time so I called. ¡°What is it?¡± ¨C DIdn¡¯t you tell me to look for the Shadow Wolf if I had time? I could feel my heart sink. ¡°Shadow Wolf? Did you really find it?¡± ¨C Yes. There are a couple of them hiding in Golan Park. I organized the related information, should I send it to you now? Or should I wait to organize it with the other information? There was no need to stall. Today was the day I return to Royal Roader anyways. I will then immediately start hunting monsters. I guess I can head to Golan Park as soon as I finish clearing this Demon Cave. ¡°Send it now.¡± ¨C I understand. And please buy me a meal. Hehe. ¡°I will make some time within a week. Gather all of your friends and try to empty my wallet.¡± ¨C Thank you CEO-nim. I will send you the file within 5 minutes. I received an e-mail not long after finishing the call. I quickly checked it. I then went to the original documents to look at the information related to the Shadow Wolf. I was smiling like a madman. The information was pretty detailed. Where they live, what their strengths and weaknesses were, and even things like what to look out for and how to easily hunt them. They were all there. ¡°Perfect. I just need to catch them now!¡± *** Grrrrroooooooowl ¨C Even though it was at least 500m away, the roar was so clear it sounded like it was right next to us. ¡®Dragon Fear!¡¯ It is one of the Bone Dragon¡¯s strongest attacks. Just this roar alone is enough to instill fear in his enemies. Even I felt myself flinching and my movement slowing down significantly under the Dragon Fear. There¡¯s more. Dragon Fear is more of a controlling mechanism than an attack. It overwhelms the nearby weak monsters with fear and makes them move according to its will. A battle against a dragon-type monster is not a battle against a single dragon. It is a war against a brigade of monsters surrounding the dragon. It was that type of skill that made their level much higher than their individual strength, and the reason it was hard to hunt them even with them having such a critical weakness. ¡°I absolutely cannot go in there.¡± ¡°Holy shit, my legs won¡¯t move.¡± The entire clearing squad was affected by the Dragon Fear. Each of them started to curl up in fear. I was no different. It ward hard to get myself back up even though I knew this fear was not real. Blocking your ears did not do anything. The Dragon Fear is a fear you feel with your entire body. It wasn¡¯t enough to completely knock me down like it did to the soldiers, but I could still easily pee my pants. ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Our preparations were done. We killed most of the monsters and just need to defeat the Bone Dragon¡¯s security brigade. In order to do that, we need to enter the hall. But the members would no move no matter how much I tried to persuade them. At that moment, Shione suddenly put her lips to my ear and started to whisper. It was in a quiet voice that nobody else could hear. ¡°I will try something. Please let me know when you are ready.¡± ¡®Just what is she¡­¡­?¡¯ I did not say anything and just moved my lips to ask. Shione was very observant and quick-minded. We were able to get our message across just like that. ¡°I will remove their fear.¡± I suddenly remembered Shione¡¯s ability. ¡®Mind Control!¡¯ Shione lightly nodded her head. Why didn¡¯t I think of that? But there are over 80 clearing squad members. We did not even lose 20 of them all the way here. ¡®Is Mind Control possible with this many people?¡¯ Shione read my lips and put her lips close to my ears once more. It felt like a fragrant air blowing through my ear every time she did that. ¡°I think it will be possible to do just once. But it will not last long. After that, I will not be able to use any magic.¡± So she will put all of her effort to make it happen. We had no other choice right now. We can¡¯t just sit here cradling ourselves forever. It wasn¡¯t like any other method to overcome the Dragon Fear would suddenly appear. The only thing I was thankful for was the fact that the Dragon Fear had a very long cooldown time. After using it once, it takes a minimum of 10 minutes to use it again. We just need to use that time wisely. ¡°Let¡¯s head close to the hall first. They won¡¯t come out of the hall anyways.¡± I stood up first. Shione followed after me. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± Shione¡¯s two legs were shaking nonstop. Shione was affected by the Dragon Fear as well. She was just using her strong mental strength to resist. Seeing Shione getting up like that made the clearing squad members seem stupid to me. They were not prisoners. Once Shione and I successfully cleared a Demon Cave, the number of volunteers exploded. Each of them had to compete against others to be selected for this. Only about a third of the volunteers made it in. But they were bigger cowards than Shione. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Are you all deaf?¡± The clearing squad members¡¯ shoulders started to shake. All of them put their fingers to their lips as if telling me to be quiet. ¡°Shhhh!¡± Some of them looked toward the hall with scared expressions. Funny, since it is over 500m away and they shouldn¡¯t be able to see anything. Stupid idiots. ¡°If they were the type to come out because I yelled, I would have already called them out to finish the hunt. All that is left is for us to go in.¡± ¡°Go in there?¡± ¡°Absolutely not! I can¡¯t do it!¡± Shione looked toward me. She was asking whether right now was the right time to try her mind control. She told me that she could only do it once. If that is the case, I need to calculate the Dragon Fear¡¯s cooldown time before deciding when to use it. ¡®Not yet.¡¯ I silently shook my head. Instead, I looked toward Bowchi who was in front of me. Bowchi was a member who had been proudly talking about his four year old daughter Susan throughout the journey. ¡°I wonder how much Susan will be longing for her dad right now.¡± As soon as the name ¡®Susan¡¯ came out, Bowchi¡¯s shoulders flinched. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s asking every night when daddy will be back. Then sister-in-law [1] will probably console her and say just one more night. But Susan will wake up and her daddy will still not be back. Don¡¯t you want to go home and give Susan a hug?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Susan.¡± ¡°Jones. How long do you plan on leaving your mother alone? Think about how much trouble she must be having right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Mother.¡± ¡°Pedro. You said you wanted to be a proud father. Is this the appearance of a proud father?¡± The people gathered here were all Demon Cave Clearing Squad members. They were not prisoners who were forced to come here like last time. Each of them had their own situation and put their lives on the line to change their lives around. The majority of their situations revolved around family. Son, daughter, mother, wife! They wanted to sacrifice themselves to protect their family. They wanted to be a son, father, husband that their families can feel proud about. That was why they had put their lives on the line to come into the Demon Cave. That alone was enough to say they were courageous people. The Dragon Fear was just hiding that courage right now. But lightly touching on their families¡¯ memories seemed to have let that courage lift its head again. The fear slowly disappeared from the members¡¯ eyes. Some of them started to tear up as well. ¡°Stupid. What the hell am I doing as a father when my daughter is suffering as she waits for me back home?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Mother. I will return home soon.¡± Fear was contagious, but so was courage. As some of them started to become more courageous, the others started to clench their fists as well. ¡°Just sitting here will not solve anything.¡± ¡°Whether it becomes porridge or rice, we need to give it a go.¡± [2] End _________________________________ [1] Not real sister-in-law, just a term Koreans use [2] I¡¯d say best comparison would be ¡°You won¡¯t know unless you try.¡± I¡¯m back from my honeymoon! I thought I had posted a message on the website but it seems I did not¡­:3 My bad. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 97 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 97: Dragon Fear (2) ¡°Leader, do you have a plan?¡± Of course I have a plan. The problem is that we do not have much time. After about 5 more minutes, another Dragon Fear will come out. Then they will start to crouch in fear once more. I need to finish the preparations before all of this becomes useless. ¡°We need to first head to the Hall entrance. I will explain on the way.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± Everybody got up from their seats. Shione and I took the lead while the members followed behind us. There were some members who were still afraid, but they followed once the majority of the group moved up. I explained the plan briefly as we moved. ¡°You understand?¡± The members vigorously nodded their heads. ¡°We understand.¡± ¡°We will just trust leader-nim.¡± We reached the hall entrance while discussing like that. We had just over 1 minute before the Dragon Fear came out once more. Everyone was crouched in front of the hall entrance waiting for the next order. ¡°Let¡¯s drink a potion first.¡± I first took out a potion and drank the entire bottle. It was an antidote and a healing potion. The other members drank the potions like I did. I used the remaining time to put my available points to agility. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 296] Dexterity: Advanced level 6, 89% Strength: 250 Agility: 1,317 Stamina: 96 Intuition: 126 Magic: 62 Vitality: 39 Mana: 492 HP: 674 Endurance: 35 Reinforced Toughness: 100 Guard Point: 396 Intelli Point: 350 I changed my cutlass not too long ago. Avanguarde¡¯s dwarves Bachu and Pichu sent it to be as a gift saying they made new ones. [Bachu¡¯s Cutlass-17] Durability: 99/104 Attack Strength: 86 Attack Speed: 78 Restriction: Strength 98, Agility 376, Level 200 [Pichu¡¯s Cutlass-21] Durability: 96/103 Attack Strength: 89 Attack Speed: 76 Restriction: Strength 100, Agility 371, Level 198 Seeing the numbers behind the names, they must have tried many times to make them. They sent it to me with a happy heart as if they were competing with each other. I thought that they were great pieces. Both the attack strength and attack speed were much higher than the average cutlass. Bachu and Pichu¡¯s skill must have increased significantly as they competed with each other. If they can make swords like this, they should be able to challenge for the Best Blacksmith in the near future. Either way, I raised my strength to 250 to pass the strength restriction (TL: Why 250 when it was 100¡­). I also put some points into magic and intuition to make hunting a little safer. Even so, my agility was over 1,300. With these stats, I should have a good chance of success. The question is whether I can make it to the underbelly of the Bone Dragon, but that really depended on the teamwork with my peers. It was only possible to achieve in one try. I clenched my fist and pushed it out in front of the team to show my resolve. The team members bit down on their lips as they clenched their fists as well. Grooooooooowl- The Dragon Fear was used once more. It really was a fearful noise that was hard to overcome. ¡°Ah, shit. I can¡¯t put any strength in my legs.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t move.¡± The members sat down as if they all made a promise to do so. Bowchi, Jones, Pedro and others who had sob stories clenched their teeth and tried to persevere, but there was no more than 10 people like that. Even I could feel my legs losing strength for no reason. But I needed to overcome it. I glanced over to Shione. ¡®Start.¡¯ Shione nodded her head before sitting down and cupping her hands. Once she did that, I could feel a warm sensation filling my body. I could clearly tell that the Dragon Fear became much weaker. Now we really had no time. We needed to finish this before the next Dragon Fear came out. ¡°Everybody get up! We only have one chance. If we miss this, we will all die here!¡± I shouted out loudly. I even grabbed some of them by the collar to get them up. Once I did that, the members started to regain their strength as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Even if we die, we have to die fighting.¡± ¡°Who says we will die? We need to kill that bastard.¡± There was still enough fear to make their legs shake, but it was not enough to prevent them from fighting. ¡°Shields, out!¡± I shouted out loudly. Everybody took the shields out of their bags. The shields were large enough to cover their entire bodies. Only I did not have a shield. Instead, I had BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades in both hands. ¡°Arrow Formation!¡± The members moved behind me. However, not all of the members were able to regain their courage. About 15 of them could not overcome the Dragon Fear. Those types of people won¡¯t be helpful even if they took part. It is better to move with a smaller group. The members moved in rhythm. They ran quickly and created an arrowhead with me in the vanguard. It was an extremely pointy formation. ¡°Charge!¡± We ran while maintaining the formation. We could see the large Bone Dragon. It seemed to be the size of an average 5 story villa. Kwraaaaaaaaaaawl- The Bone Dragon let out a roar. The sound was similar to the Dragon Fear, but it was not the Dragon Fear. I did not feel much fear from it. Instead, the monsters nearby started to run toward us. There were still thousands of monsters left. In addition, all of them were strong monsters close to level 300. ¡°Throw the Fire Marbles!¡± The fire marbles the members threw made a crackling noise as they started to create fire pillars. However, the fire was not that strong. It would be pretty useful against level 100 monsters, but these monsters were close to level 300. Even so, it succeeded in suppressing their momentum. ¡°Prepare for a hit! Support!¡± Everyone readied their shields as they stood shoulder to shoulder. They then pushed forward with all of their strength. Bowchi and the support magicians following behind them controlled the mana. Boom! Booooom! The monsters smashed directly into the shields. All of the defenders with shields were strong individuals. I was looking for strong individuals instead of talented attackers when I was selecting the team. Although that was the case, they still let out a groan at the strong impact. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Kek!¡± I personally did not feel much impact. I hid my body between two defenders right before the moment of impact. That was our plan from the beginning. I am not much help when it comes to defending. People around level 150 have similar strength to what I have, but now, I am significantly lower in strength. ¡°Hold on! Push!¡± The defenders used all of their strengths to push the monsters back. The pointy arrow seemed to pierce through the monsters as we moved forward at a pretty fast speed. While we did that, I glared at the Bone Dragon. We quickly reached up to 20m in front of it. Now the defenders should be able to see the Bone Dragon past their shields. I could see the Bone Dragon taking a deep breath. This was the moment I was waiting for. ¡°Gather the shields!¡± I also took a shield out of my bag. The magicians did the same as well. Everybody took out a shield and covered above like we were making the roof of a building. The defenders closed in so that there were no gaps in the, ¡®roof.¡¯ It was like we were making a turtle shell out of the shields. At the same time, the Bone Dragon¡¯s Breath came out. Kwa Kwa Kwa- It was a poisonous breath. The majority was blocked by the shields, but there were some that made it through the cracks, as well as some that bounced off the ground and attacked from underneath. It was painful. Each time it hit your skin, it felt like you were being stabbed by a knife. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Hold on a little more! Then you¡¯ll live!¡± I was being honest. This was the last hurdle. ¡°Open the shields!¡± I shouted out loud. The two defenders who replaced me as the point opened a path for me. I threw my shield to the side as I ran swinging my twin blades. [Combo (Under 40%): Advanced level 1, 13%] [Drake¡¯s TBSA: Intermediate Level 9, 79%] Papat- Thanks to my increased agility and skill level, combo became even faster. With the right conditions, I could even attack over 5 times in one second. In addition, there were so many monsters that I was slashing two to three monsters with each hit. The combo went up in count very quickly. Within 3-4 seconds, it was already at a 25 hit combo. Similarly, the damage exponentially went up as well. Once Combo hit the advanced level, the damage raised 22% per hit. ¡­¡­ [2,364] [2,884] [3,518] ¡­¡­ I was causing 3,000 damage at 25 hit, and close to 8,000 damage at 30 hit. And at barely a 43 hit combo, I was causing over 10,000 damage. It didn¡¯t even take 10 seconds to get to a 43 hit combo. It was pretty much one hit KO from there. The monsters that were close to level 300 could not stand even a single hit of the cutlass. Papapat- ¡­¡­ [103,395] [126,321] [153,423] ¡­¡­ ¡°Forward!¡± I became the point of the arrow and created a path between the monsters, and the rest of the arrow pushed through the gap to move forward. The Bone Dragon¡¯s Breath has a cooltime of only 30 seconds. I need to make it under him before 30 seconds is up. If not, I will end up facing the breath right in front of me. We lost 3-4 people because of the breath at 20m away. I¡¯m sure a breath attack from right in front of us will be much stronger. ¡°Run if you don¡¯t want to die!¡± I swung my cutlass like I was crazy. I needed to first make a large gap for the members to be able to push through. I could feel pain all over my body. I even almost fell down when a Death Dog bit my thigh. I could hear the groans from the members behind me as well. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Gaah!¡± I think around 10 of them died already. There should be less than 60 of them left. But we cannot stop here. If we do, we will be massacred. There is less than 10m left. Just a few more steps. I really want to use Bladestorm, but in this situation, that could end up just causing a team kill. ¡°We¡¯re almost there! Push!¡± I led the group. I restarted my broken combo and pushed forward. A Death Dog took a good bite out of my thigh and a strong poison spread through my body, but I did not stop. Creeeeeeeeak- The Bone Dragon¡¯s resistance became rougher as well. It swung its large tail. The tail was so strong it even took some of the nearby monsters as well. The members were not safe either. Around 10 members fell over with their shields. I barely managed to dodge it by rolling on the ground. I then started to create my combo again. ¡°Get up!¡± The only thing I could do to help was shout at them. Everybody needed to take care of their own lives. As I moved along like that, I finally ended up under the Bone Dragon¡¯s chest. There were a lot of monsters down here as well. But there were no strong monsters down here. The majority of the monsters were small but agile monsters like the Death Dog or Bone Cat. Even so, their agility could not even measure up to the tip of my toe. They were pretty much just there to serve as stepping stones for my combo. Which means, this was my world. ¡®I need to stab the Bone Dragon¡¯s heart!¡¯ The Bone Dragon¡¯s heart was in the center of the chest like humans. It was the Bone Dragon¡¯s most critical weakness. I created my combo against the Death Dogs and Bone Cats as I started to run toward the Dragon¡¯s chest. The Bone Dragon was still moving roughly. It continued to swing its tail to attack the members that got close to him. Every time it did that, the members and nearby monsters were swept away before getting back up and repeating it. Over half of them were dead already. The remaining members were less than 30. I needed to hurry. I must have moved about 10m like that. ¡®There it is!¡¯ I could see the Bone Dragon¡¯s heart beating underneath its ribs. My combo was already at 50 hits. I had no reason to hesitate. I ran underneath the heart, kicked off the ground, and stretched my cutlass forward. Puuuk! The heart bursted like a water balloon and red blood poured all over me. Ugh- I started to feel dizzy and wanted to vomit. I knew the Bone Dragon¡¯s blood was poisonous, but it seemed to be stronger than I expected. But I needed to persevere. The Bone Dragon was crumbling while shouting out in pain. If I lingered here using the dizziness as an excuse, I will end up being crushed. Kwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaa- I quickly rolled my body to get away. But something weird happened. Every time I moved, the monsters became shocked and ran away from me. I didn¡¯t think it would be easy to create a combo because of my dizziness, so I was thankful for it. But what would the reason be? Is it because of the Bone Dragon¡¯s blood? I didn¡¯t even have the time to think. But I was able to think about a way to use this to my advantage. I used all of my strength to run toward the few remaining team members. Only about 20 of the managed to survive. Even so, they had a lot of injuries on their bodies. With the injuries on their body, they had their shields out to defend against the monsters as best as they could. ¡°This way!¡± I shouted loudly as I ran toward them. Every time I did that, the monsters made a miraculous road as they ran away from me. The members clenched their teeth and ran toward me. I could finally find some time to relax after reuniting with the members. Everybody opened their bags and quickly drank a HP potion. The ones we drank earlier were Intermediate potions that look a long time to completely heal you, while we drank the highest grade potions that instantly healed you right now. ¡°What happened?¡± The members looked toward the Bone Dragon that fell over to the side and flailed around. On the outside, it did not seem to be hurt at all. ¡°I stabbed the Bone Dragon¡¯s heart. It should die soon.¡± As soon as I finished saying that, I could hear a message in my head. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 98 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 98: Dragon Fear (3) ¡®Wow! Dragon Fear scroll!¡¯ I almost said that out loud. It was that shocking of a reward. This was a scroll I didn¡¯t even manage to get in the game. But it was not time to be happy yet. Since it is such a strong skill, it might have a significantly high requirement. What would I do if I had something like, ¡®Magic over 1,000,¡¯ as a requirement? I wanted to quickly check the information. But I held back. There would be no good letting the other members know about this. If it is a skill I can learn, I needed to make my hidden card. Thanks to the healing potion, my injuries were pretty much healed. The other members seem to be feeling better as well. We could see the exit not too far away. If I really wanted to, I could instantly leave the Demon Cave. But I needed to go grab Shione before we did that. ¡°Let¡¯s leave the hall first.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± We didn¡¯t have a reason to put our shields up. The monsters started to run away as I stood in the front. ¡°Why are they acting like this?¡± ¡°I think it might be because of the Bone Dragon¡¯s blood.¡± The smell was still very pungent. But I don¡¯t think it will last very long. As time went on, the blood started to become faint. Just like how the corpses of monsters disappear quickly in a Demon Cave, the blood must follow the same rule. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry over.¡± We quickly headed out of the hall. Outside the hall were a total of 16 members. Other than Shione, the other 15 were the ones who could not overcome the terror of the Dragon Fear and could not take part in the attack. They will receive the punishment for that once we leave the Demon Cave. The bishop will take care of the means to punish them. But at this point, they were all healed. The Dragon Fear disappeared once the Bone Dragon died. But Shione¡¯s face was still pale. She must have used up a lot of strength to use mind control on close to 90 members. ¡°Can you move?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Shione bit down on her lips as she stood up. However, she still had issues moving around. I gave her my back. ¡°Get on.¡± ¡°Hwi Ram-nim needs to open a path.¡± ¡°Just get on. I will explain later.¡± Shione quietly got on my back. I started to run in front of everyone else. It wasn¡¯t as strong as before, but the Bone Dragon¡¯s blood still had some effect. The monsters looked like they would attack us before slowly moving away. A path to the exit was created just like that. ¡°What is going on?¡± I could hear Shione¡¯s voice in my ear. ¡°Bone Dragon¡¯s blood¡­¡­¡± I maintained my speed and shortly answered. While we did that, we all arrived at the exit. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and get out of here.¡± I had Shione move to another member. I then waited until all of the members safely exited the cave. The effect of the Bone Dragon¡¯s blood seemed to wear off at that moment. The monsters were slowly closing the distance before finally launching their attack. Grroooooooowl- To be honest, I had no plans to leave like this anyways. I needed to raise my level. In order to do that, I need to go look for a large herd of monsters. With that being the case, why would I throw away all this valuable experience? It wasn¡¯t like there was a really high leveled monsters that would cause me any issues. I also recovered from my injuries and had no issues with my stamina. My nausea from the Bone Dragon¡¯s blood was gone as well. There was also no more baggages like Shione to protect. I just need to casually dance around. ¡®Then shall I have some fun?¡¯ I first threw a couple fire marbles around. The monsters whose morale was pushed down were attacked by my Drake¡¯s TBSA. I even used my still high mana to launch a Bladestorm as well. There were around 3,000 monsters left. But the battle was not long. I completely killed all of the monsters in less than 20 minutes. Once I killed the last monster, I even heard a wonderful noise. I put away my twin blades and took a deep breath. I was now used to this sight of being surrounded by the corpses of monsters. If I join the Demon Cave Clearing Squad one more time, I should be able to hit level 300. ¡®But the Dragon Fear scroll.¡¯ Since nobody else was here, I should be able to safely inspect the scroll. [Dragon Fear Scroll] Dragon Magic. A strong mind control magic to instill a strong sense of fear or force a movement. Restriction: Magic 70, Level 300, basic stats totaling 1,500 My eyes instantly opened wide. ¡®Wow! Why are the restrictions so low?¡¯ I thought the magic restriction would be really high, but it is just 70. The biggest number was the total amount of points I have in my stats, but I was already past that level. ¡®I just need to raise just two more levels.¡¯ Then both my magic and level will meet the restriction. I wanted to quickly try it out. What kind of impact will it have on the monsters? Will I be able to have the same effect that the Bone Dragon had? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s not possible. I would be satisfied even if it had just half the effect. ¡®Anyways, I should head out now.¡¯ I threw my body into the portal. *** ¡®Did it work?¡¯ I opened my hand. [Jewel of Creation: Creation Index 76] I combined two jewels with creation indexes of 47 and 51. I was pretty satisfied with the results. ¡®Check Skill.¡¯ [Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate level 4, 98%] Intermediate level 5 is right around the corner. Once that happens, I should be able to get a high luck index with Jewels of Luck, and if I raise it even further up, I should be able to use the Jewel of Reinforcement as well. ¡®Should I do it once more?¡¯ I had used it nine times continuously. My focus was a bit scattered. Still, I was planning on trying it one more time before I heard a knock. Knock Knock. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened and Shione came into the room. This was a residence inside the Athena Temple. Temples usually never provided a residence like this for outsiders. I just got this special perk for continuing to participate in Demon Cave Clearing Squads. All of the services were the best. Living here made me feel like I was the emperor or something like that. In addition, Shione personally took care of some things like my maid. It might be because of the after effect of the Mind Control, but getting serviced by Shione like this felt pretty good. Of course, Shione has not used the mind control on me since then. Even still, I could feel my heart shake from time to time. It was especially the case when Shione¡¯s beautiful face came into view. Like right now. Shione really suited the completely white priest outfit the best. ¡°I brought some Canaba Tea over. It will warm your body and clear your mind.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I took a sip of the Canaba Tea. It tasted a bit like papaya tea, both sweet and refreshing. The fragrance felt like it was clearing my head. ¡°Have the rewards and punishments been determined for the squad members?¡± ¡°I know another meeting is happening tomorrow about it. The bishop-nim will let us know when the decision is made.¡± ¡°We need to take good care of the members who were sacrificed in the battle with the Bone Dragon.¡± That wasn¡¯t it. We also needed to clearly distinguish between the members who were able to overcome the Dragon Fear and those who could not. I¡¯m sure they will do it right since I told them enough times. ¡°Yes. When should we plan the next Demon Cave Clearing to begin?¡± We¡¯ve barely come out for a day and she¡¯s already talking about the next one. In addition, we¡¯ve been continuously clearing Demon Caves until now. We rested only about an average of three or four days before going into another one. By now, there should be three or four Demon Caves getting ready to open at the same time. There should be at least two that are ready to enter as well. I held back from answering for a bit. Once I did that, Shione must have felt something weird as she quickly consoled me. ¡°We should be able to complete the map with about 5 more pieces. I know it is hard but please help us a little more.¡± Of course I will help until the end. I had a just as important reason to enter compared to the Athena Temple or Shione. The use of spirit energy that was the specialty of the Orthodox Church of the Sun. In order to gain that, I needed to find the Church of the Sun, and I needed to complete the map for that to happen. But I had no reason to rush it. To be completely honest, the hunting became harder and harder as we continued with the clearing. Even this past Demon Cave resulted in a lot of casualties. If I didn¡¯t know the critical weakness of the Bone Dragon, I doubt we would have successfully completed it. It will only continue to get harder from here. I mean it was obvious. It has to be much harder to hunt level 500 monsters when you are level 300 than hunting level 200 monsters when you are level 100. If we continue clearing squads like this, we will face a failure at some point. We needed time to prepare. I also had something to do right now. I had originally planned to do this when I was level 250. I needed to go to the Dwarf Village and get the final quest to become an Expert Blacksmith. OF course I have one more thing to do as well. ¡°I will rest for about 1 year.¡± ¡°What? Why all of a sudden?¡± I don¡¯t need to tell her about the Dwarf Village. It is not normal for a human to go to the Dwarf Village, and I might even need to mention the Jewel Alchemy skill. I had enough reasons other than the Dwarf Village to push the Demon Cave Clearing back. I put my lips close to Shione¡¯s ear and whispered as quietly as I could. This was something only Shione needed to know. ¡°I plan on visiting Arlington.¡± Shione¡¯s face instantly turned pale. She knew what I meant by Arlington. Shione responded in a just as quiet voice. ¡°Why all of a sudden¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t always stay under the Ameri Kingdom¡¯s banner. Your grandfather needs to come back out as well. I plan on discussing that issue. Priest-nim, please send someone ahead to inform them in advance. Only then will there be no misunderstanding.¡± I could read the concern in Shione¡¯s eyes. It was an expected response. It was the same as saying I was going to go against the Ameri Kingdom. ¡°I am just saying we need to prepare. You cannot expect any type of future if you do not prepare. Isn¡¯t the reason priest-nim is putting her life on the line to clear Demon Caves following the same logic?¡± Shione still was not able to say anything. The concern in her eyes did not diminish either. It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t understand Shione¡¯s concern. In Shione¡¯s point of view, she could think that I was asking for some information. For example, something like where Shione¡¯s father Harrison was hiding right now. If I was a spy in the Ameri Kingdom who was hiding their identity, wouldn¡¯t there be nothing more dangerous than this? However, I don¡¯t need information like that. The Royal Roader draft plan included all of the information including his location. Of course, there was a chance the information was wrong. ¡°Do not worry. I do not plan on asking priest-nim for more information. But I am a bit disappointed in your father. I would have expected him to try to approach me at least once by now.¡± ¡°My father has passed ¡­¡­¡± Shione stopped there. She read my smiling expression as, ¡®I know everything.¡¯ ¡°Since your father is not making the first move, I have no choice but to go visit him myself. All priest-nim has to do is let him know that someone named Kang Hwi Ram will come to visit him. That is enough.¡± Shione finally seemed to settle down after that. ¡°But 1 year to do that¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Of course I have other reasons as well. Lately, I feel like we are reaching the limit of my abilities. If we continue like this, we will end up being completely decimated at some point.¡± Shione had to agree to this as well. The last three clearings were all extremely close calls. In the Demon Cave before this one, only 14 people managed to come back alive. There were many dangerous situations that it was thankful that all of us did not perish. But Shione thought a bit differently than I did. ¡°Will the situation change from taking 1 year off?¡± Normally, not much will change. At most, we would be able to select the members and train together to develop their teamwork. But I am different. In 1 year, I could definitely increase my strength. Of course it was a way to increase my strength without raising my level. I just need to tell Shione one of those methods. ¡°I gained some information that Shadow Foxes were found. If I can hunt them and make an armor out of them, the Demon Cave Clearing will become much easier.¡± ¡°Ah, Shadow Fox!¡± The Shadow Fox Leather Armor surpasses even the Gaia Armor Set that the Athena Temple treats so dearly. Shione lightly nodded her head as if she approved. But her concern was not completely lifted. ¡°Will it be possible?¡± Shadow Foxes were known as monsters that were impossible for people to hunt. It would be the same situation even if level 400 hunters went in a herd. The Shadow Fox was something only the Dwarf and Elf races could hunt. Unfortunately, the Elves do not hunt the Shadow Foxes, and the Dwarves as a tribe prefer metal armor over leather armor, so they do not put their lives on the line to hunt Shadow Foxes. That is how difficult it is to hunt a Shadow Fox. But it was possible for me. I know the method to do so. I also have abilities that are comparable to an Elf or Dwarf. ¡°My hobby is making the impossible possible.¡± I said it like a joke. But Shione did not laugh. She must be worried about what would happen if I did not return. ¡°I will return in 1 year at the latest. Priest-nim should take it easy and relax for that time. It is better to take it slow and be certain than to rush it and fail.¡± ¡°Will you promise ¡­¡­ to return?¡± Shione¡¯s eyes were starting to tear up. At the same time, I could feel my heart sink. I had not felt the Mind Control for a long time. But I didn¡¯t mind it. This was a clearly visible use of it. I guess I can say it was her way of showing just how much she didn¡¯t want me to go? I started to laugh and joke with her. ¡°Depends on how priest-nim does.¡± Shione finally started to smile as well. Dragon Fear (3) End This chapter was so long¡­ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 99 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 99: Dwarf of Steel (1) Deep in a forest in Golan Park. Huff. Huff. I could feel my extremely heavy breathing. My stamina was low even though I have not been moving that much. It is because of this really rough terrain. The mountain slopes were all steeper than 45 degrees and full of boulders and trees to avoid. I¡¯ve already been walking this type of path for half a month. Golan Park is the mecca of leveling up, so there are a lot of people, but this area is desolate because it is a really isolated area of Golan Park. I climbed up on top of a boulder and looked around. ¡®Over there is Elephant Mountain, that is the Falcon Boulder, that is the General Boulder. That should mean that down there is Allan Creek. It should be around here.¡¯ It lined up perfectly with the locations in the draft plan. Now I just needed to wait. I walked down toward the bottom of the creek. It was going to take more than just a couple of days, so I built a small tent. Afterwards, I put out the female fox fragrance I prepared outside of the tent. And then the waiting began. Shadow Foxes only move in the night anyways. I roamed the area hunting monsters by day and arrived before dark to wait for the Shadow Foxes. Once it become completely dark, I came out of the tent to wait. I was trying to make it easy for the Shadow Foxes to attack me. That was the only way to make the Shadow Foxes take the bait. Late at night on the sixth day. ¡®I can¡¯t fall asleep.¡¯ I tried biting my lips and widening my eyes to push away the sleepiness, but it just kept coming back. ¡®Just when are these things going to appear? Are they even really here?¡¯ Not everything in the draft plan was carried over to the game. It is just a draft after all. If this did not carry over to the game, I just wasted all of this effort for nothing. But I had already put in so much time and effort for this. ¡®Let¡¯s just wait four more days. I need to at least fill ten days.¡¯ Anyways, I can¡¯t let my guard down. Shadow Foxes are really skilled in, ¡®Stealthy Approach,¡¯ meaning that it would be difficult to notice them approaching even if I was fully alert. Furthermore, they have an attack that is deadly. This attack is the reason it is really difficult to hunt Shadow Foxes. But I have at least three trump cards. First is Dragon Fear. I hunted quite a lot of monsters on my way here. Thanks to that, my level was exactly 300, and I successfully raised my magic to 70. Second is The Unicorn Horn Flute. But both the Dragon Fear and Unicorn Horn Flute are useless if I am asleep. I needed to remain fully alert. I tried my best to prevent my eyes from closing as I looked around. Suddenly. Swiiiiiiish- The darkness suddenly surrounded me. It was so dark that even I could not see in front of me with the Owl¡¯s Eye. ¡®Shadow Foxes! It¡¯s here!¡¯ But I recognized it too late. The moment I noticed the deep darkness, there was an impact that shocked my entire body. Pow! ¡°Ugh!¡± At the same time, I heard an ominous voice in my head. The strong attack of the Shadow Foxes! I was hit by the, ¡®Dark Force.¡¯ It is a skill that gathers all of the darkness in its body to shock the opponent. It also ignores any of the opponent¡¯s defenses. The result is stun. This is the reason humans can¡¯t hunt Shadow Foxes. No matter how high your level is and how good your equipment may be, you can¡¯t avoid the Dark Force. If you are caught you will definitely become stunned, and you will be a punching bag until the stun disappears. This is the reason Elves and Dwarves can hunt the Shadow Foxes. The two tribes have the endurance stat and can easily get out of the stun status. That is my last trump card. That is also the reason I was confident that I could hunt the Shadow Foxes. In addition, I also have the reinforced toughness. The attack should impact me less than any other person. The Dark Force ignores defenses, but it cannot ignore my reinforced toughness because it is a stat. I soon heard a welcoming voice. Once the stun was removed, my stiff body became loose again. Of course there was still the aftereffect, but it was still enough to pick up the cutlass and swing. But I did not move. I pretended to still be stiff from the stun. I just moved my eyes to look around. ¡®Over there!¡¯ I did not see a fox. But I did see a fox-like shadow blob. There was no way to describe it other than a shadow blob. It felt like a blob of darkness was moving around. Around 5m in front of me. The size was the size of a cow. The Shadow Fox should be hiding underneath that shadow blob. The draft plan said the size of the Shadow Fox was about the size of a wild boar. I thought about using the Dragon Fear, but that was my last trump card. Even if it is the same Dragon Fear, there will be a difference when I use it compared to when the Bone Dragon used it. In addition, the Shadow Fox is at least level 300. Using it at the wrong moment can make the Shadow Fox run away without achieving any result. The Shadow Fox did not rush. It just watched me as if it was trying to verify that the Dark Force worked. I was waiting for the perfect opportunity. I continued to act like I was stunned. After feeling that its attack had succeeded, the Shadow Fox flung its body toward me. It was a quick and sharp attack. Swiiiiiiiish- At the same time, I grabbed my cutlass and swung. ¡®It should be around here?¡¯ The Shadow Fox seemed to be completely shocked. It stopped the attack and quickly changed directions to run away. It was as cautious as Chief Kobbit. But I was a bit faster. No, I should say I successfully aimed for the moment the Shadow Fox let its guard down. I could feel the end of my cutlass hit something. The noise of a fox soon followed. (TL: What does the fox say¡­) Whimper- But it will not be over until it was dead. I swung the cutlass again. There was less than 0.3 seconds of a difference between the first and second attack because I used Drake¡¯s TBSA. I felt something at the end of the cutlass one more time. I¡¯m confident I landed a good hit. Thanks to that, I could feel the Shadow Fox slowing down. I can¡¯t verify for sure while just staring at the shadow blob, but I feel like it is staggering. ¡®The final hit!¡¯ I continued my combo and stabbed my cutlass toward the spot that seemed to be the middle. Stab- It felt right once more. At the same time, the shadow blob started to get weaker and I could finally see the real body of the Shadow Fox. I didn¡¯t even need to use the Dragon Fear. It wasn¡¯t the size of a wild boar, but it was still pretty big for a fox. It was still staggering. I stabbed the cutlass into its neck and made sure it was dead. ¡®Huuuuuu, can¡¯t believe it was this hard to hunt a single one. This is the end of the Shadow Fox hunt.¡¯ I sat down and started to skin the fox. It really is a unique type of leather. It was still letting out blobs of darkness even though it was dead. I will be able to use this ability when I turn it into a leather armor. I¡¯m already getting excited just thinking about it. ¡®It¡¯s time! On to the Dwarf Village!¡¯ *** I could see multiple animal skulls hanging on trees. It was a warning sign. Starting from here is the Dwarf territory. ¡®Stay away.¡¯ I was starting to feel a bit nervous. I had the introduction letter from Bachu and Pichu, but the Dwarves are a really rough and aggressive race. I really don¡¯t know what might happen. Furthermore, the introduction letters do not guarantee 100% that I will not die. But I needed to go. There are too many things I need to earn from the Dwarf Village. I also have something other than the introduction letter to protect my life. I started to walk once more. The Dwarf territory was really wide. The terrain was really rough as well. I guess it makes sense since this is the border to the human territory. I walked like that for around two days. I suddenly heard a weird noise in my head. It is a message from the temple that only people with, ¡®Guard,¡¯ points can hear. I quickly checked the coordinates. ¡®It¡¯s nearby!¡¯ It seems to be about 3 km from here. I quickly started to move. Of course there was a desire to monopolize the monsters coming out of the Demon Cave, but more importantly, I wanted to meet a dwarf. Since the Demon Cave information was announced, someone should definitely appear to clean up the monsters. The terrain was rough, but it was not much issue for me. Once my agility passed 1,000, I could run across rocky terrains and dense forests like the wind. I ran across the 3 km in an instant and arrived by the Demon Cave. As soon as I got there, my eyes became extremely wide. ¡®Wow! A Golden Alligator!¡¯ It looks pretty much the same as the Midnight Black Alligator. The only difference was that it was a bit bigger and golden in color. Of course it was harder to hunt than the Midnight Black Alligator. But you hunt the Midnight Black Alligator around level 170. With my level at 300, this was not a very difficult opponent. This was also not a Demon Cave. It was a rough mountain path with sharp rocks and large trees. There were too many obstacles for the Golden Alligator to move freely. There were also many monsters nearby to serve as stepping stones. I need to hurry if I want to get rid of it before the Dwarf hunters arrive. I grabbed my BachuPichu Twin Blades and ran toward the herd of monsters. *** Crackle ¨C Crackle ¨C My bonfire was burning well. Next to it was alligator meat on wooden skewers starting to sizzle. ¡®Wow. I get to try Golden Alligator meat.¡¯ You can¡¯t eat most monster meat. But every so often, there are ones that are edible. Golden monsters in general tend to be edible. Among the golden monsters, the Golden Alligator meat is said to be one of the top class meats. If you are lucky, it is said to even raise your magic. I turned the meat on the skewers around and continued to skin the Golden Alligator hide. ¡®Why is this so difficult?¡¯ The side of the Golden Alligator hide was already damaged. Each hit created a large injury because I was using high level combos. But it was almost impossible to skin this thing without using the strength of my combo. No matter how much strength I put into it, I couldn¡¯t even cut it 1cm. At this rate, it is going to take a couple months just to skin this thing. ¡®Whatever, give up!¡¯ It was a bit disappointing, but my time was worth more. If I earned money instead of skinning this thing, I can even earn enough to buy 10 Golden Alligator hides. Of course Golden Alligator hides were not easy to buy. I heard a loud voice from the side at that moment. ¡°Human! Why is a human here?¡± ¡°Is it a crazy person?¡± I turned my head. I could see a group of dwarves. There seemed to be around 15 of them. ¡®But is he a dwarf as well?¡¯ People think that the Dwarves are a short race. But in reality, they are not that small. They just have really broad shoulders and their lower body is short compared to their developed upper body. That is why they feel short. They are actually about the same height as humans. But that one was different. He was at least three heads taller than the rest of the dwarves. In fact, he seemed more like a troll than a dwarf. Thanks to him, I could not see any of the other dwarves. It made me think of a name. ¡®Is that dwarf perhaps¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡°Isn¡¯t that a Golden Alligator?¡± ¡°Did that human hunt it?¡± ¡°Impossible! It was a super large Demon Cave. How can a human hunt all of those monsters and the Golden Alligator as well?¡± ¡°His level must be high.¡± The Dwarves were talking amongst themselves. At the same time, they were approaching me and seemed to be trying to surround me. It was as if they were trying to hunt me instead of the monsters. I need to be alert. With my current strength, I will not be able to win against the Dwarves. I needed to make the first move in a time like this. ¡°Are you the Great Patriarch Bangart-nim¡¯s son Goonto?¡± The dwarves all flinched. They all then looked toward the troll-like large dwarf. The large dwarf put some strength into his eyes as he asked. ¡°Do you know me?¡± I subconsciously started to smile. ¡®He really is Goonto! The Dwarf of Steel!¡¯ End Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 100 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 100: Dwarf of Steel (2) The apex of the Dwarves was about 1,000 years ago when the monsters invaded through the dimensional wall. There were a total of three Dwarves who were about to become Legendary Blacksmiths at that time. Akto, Bito, and Chubach. However, it seemed like their fame was cut after that. There were a lot of Best Blacksmiths, but they were far in comparison from Legendary Blacksmiths. The Dwarves put the responsibility of that on the three heroes. It was because they had all disappeared without leaving behind a proper heir. That was why it was believed that the dark ages of the Dwarf race had continued for a long time. But finally, a dwarf that could end that dark age was finally born. Goonto, the son of the Great Patriarch Bangart. He was already a Best Blacksmith while not even being 40 years old, and not only that, he had already successfully completed the first Legendary Blacksmith quest and was close to finishing the second quest. The second quest to become a Legendary Blacksmith! If he succeeds, he can understand the Secret of the Sword. Of course there were many dwarves after the three heroes who figured out the Secret of the Sword. Unfortunately, they were all old people over the age of 100, that they could not challenge an even higher level. There were no dwarves who reached that level at a young age like Goonto. By the looks of it, he also had really good physique. Not only was his body large, he was both tough and strong that the dwarves gave him the nickname of the, ¡®Dwarf of Steel.¡¯ That was why I had my eyes on him from the moment I came into Royal Roader. He was someone I wanted to make a part of my team. If I succeeded, it would be like gaining a thousand soldiers. Of course it would only be possible after I raised my skills a bit more. ¡°Of course I know. I heard a lot about you from my dwarf friends. I came to meet Great Patriarch Bangart-nim. Please guide me to him.¡± I said that while handing over the introduction letters from Bachu and Pichu. Goonto motioned to a dwarf who quickly came and took the letters before handing it to Goonto. After reading the letters, Goonto took another look at me. However, the look of hostility in his eyes did not disappear. Rather, it looked like a different type of hostility had filled that spot. ¡°You are the blacksmith that Lord Volcanus has approved?¡± The other dwarves were shocked at Goonto¡¯s words. ¡°What? Not an anvil worker but a blacksmith?¡± ¡°A human can become a blacksmith?¡± To be shocked at just that. There are plenty of things to be shocked about still remaining. ¡°Somehow it ended up that way. Anyways, come over her and eat some meat first. It¡¯s still fresh because I just caught him.¡± The dwarves were even more surprised at my words. ¡°What? You hunted this thing?¡± ¡°Unbelievable. You must have other party members.¡± ¡°Tell the truth. Where are the rest?¡± The dwarves were very hostile. It looked like they were about to grab my collar any moment. I just twisted the meat that was roasting in the fire. ¡°What kind of person would be crazy enough to enter the Dwarf territory? I am alone. Take a seat.¡± The dwarves gathered around me as I said that. All of them looked to be on full alert. However, they did not attack me. Maybe it was the effect of the letters from Bachu and Pichu. After debating it for a moment, Goonto sat across from me. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first. It is not like it is easy to find the meat of a Golden Monster. Haguchi and Magochu, go cut off some more meat.¡± ¡°Sure. I know the tasty part. When it comes to alligator meat, the tail is the best.¡± The dwarf named Haguchi look out a large sword and headed toward the tail of the Golden Alligator. I was a bit worried looking at him. The tail had almost no damage to it. The weak points of an alligator are their head and side, so I didn¡¯t attack the tail at all. Which means, they needed to cut through the perfectly fine Golden Alligator hide to get to the tail meat. ¡®It would be good for him to not try.¡¯ But there was no way for Haguchi to know what I was thinking. He confidently swung his sword as if he knew exactly where to strike. Clang. Of course there wasn¡¯t even a small scratch. I don¡¯t know how amazing of a dwarf Haguchi may be, but there was no way to make over 5,000 damage without even using a skill. He could probably make a scratch with the help of a support magician or a skill that allows you to do two times the damage. ¡°Why won¡¯t this cut?¡± Haguchi seemed to be shocked as he swung the sword even harder. However, no matter how hard he tried, the results were the same. ¡°Why are you so weak? Give it to me. Let me try.¡± One of the other dwarves clicked his tongue and stepped up. But it was the same. He even tried to stab it with a large sword, but it just left a small scratch. He could not get any meat out of it. The dwarf blamed the innocent sword. ¡°Damn it. Is the sword too dull?¡± He then looked toward me with a complicated expression. The other dwarves were the same way. They subconsciously started to pay attention to me. It was like there was a battle between dwarves and humans right now. It was reasonable, since I managed to make the side completely shabby. In comparison, the dwarves could only make a small scratch. No wonder their pride was hurt. Other dwarves stepped up to try to regain their pride, but the Golden Alligator tail still did not reveal the meat inside. Goonto could stand it no longer and stepped forward. ¡°You must all be tired from yesterday¡¯s battle. I will try.¡± ¡°You¡¯re probably right. Sigh, my shoulder is still stiff.¡± ¡°For me, it¡¯s my hips. If I was in prime condition, I could cut through this kind of tail with a single strike.¡± ¡°Yes. Goonto should step up for something like this.¡± The dwarves were staring at Goonto with anticipation. They were hoping Goonto could restore the pride of the dwarves. To be honest, I was anticipating it as well. Since he was so amazing that they called him the Dwarf of Steel, shouldn¡¯t he be able to show amazing strength? ¡®Yes. Hurry up and try. That way, I can verify whether you have the qualifications to be a part of my team.¡¯ Goonto swung his large sword toward the Golden Alligator tail. Swiiiiiiiish- A refreshing sound of wind. He really seemed to be strong. Paaaaat! As expected, he made a larger dent than the other dwarves. It was a decent sized cut. Amazing strength! He really deserved the nickname of Dwarf of Steel. However, Goonto was not satisfied. No, he must be angry. In comparison to the injury on the side of the alligator, it was like kid¡¯s play. Goonto swung his sword again. He must have put a lot of strength as it managed to cut through that thick hide, and I could see the veins in his forehead. Paaaaaaat! But it was the same. He could not make a cut larger than the size of a palm no matter how many times he tried. Paat! Paat! I was embarrassed for him. At least get some help from the support magician. If he received attack strengthening magic, he should be able to do twice the amount of damage. But Goonto wanted to fight it out with just his strength. Why is it so important to prove you are strong that you need to work so hard? I decided to say something. I felt like I needed to give him a way out for him to stop. ¡°The hide is really tough in the tail so it is hard to cut. Just eat the meat from the side.¡± ¡°I am almost done.¡± He really is a stubborn fool. But after trying over ten times, he finally managed to create a large cut. It was big enough to slice off enough meat for the dwarves to eat. Goonto cut off a large chunk of tail meat and brought it over. He seemed to be very pleased with himself. ¡°Stop eating that tasteless side meat and let¡¯s eat this.¡± ¡°Our Dwarf of Steel!¡± ¡°The tail is always the best for alligators.¡± At least we all gathered around the bonfire. We shared all sorts of stories. Goonto did most of the asking, while I focused on responding as if I was in the hot seat. Thanks to that, Goonto and the other dwarves should have gotten a good idea of my situation. Of course it wasn¡¯t that their hostility completely disappeared. In fact, they even seemed more hostile than before. ¡°It is unbelievable. A human blacksmith who also learned Jewel Alchemy?¡± ¡°I do not believe things that humans say. In addition, it is rare to even find a dwarf who knows Jewel Alchemy. But a damn human is going to challenge the Expert Blacksmith quest with Jewel Alchemy? Do you think us dwarves are idiots?¡± ¡°Humans are not trustworthy. You liar!¡± Tsk tsk, have they been scammed their whole lives? I didn¡¯t want to beg them to believe me. It would be useless in a situation like this. Instead of responding, I took out two Jewels of Creation that were lightly shining. They only had creation indexes of about 30. I handed them over to Goonto. After verifying the creation index, I received it back. In that short moment, the creation indexes fell to 7 and 8. It had gone down to a half of a half after going through Goonto¡¯s hands. It didn¡¯t matter. I had a ton of Jewels of Creation. I showed them Jewel Alchemy on the spot. Since their creation indexes were so low, it was easily completed in about 5 minutes. I opened my hand and showed them the result. One was still shining while the other became as transparent as a crystal. ¡°Oh, he wasn¡¯t lying!¡± ¡°A human Jewel Alchemist.¡± The dwarves were all shocked. However, their hostility toward me still remained. It was to be expected. Being a blacksmith was the pride of the dwarves. But as a human, I had stepped on their pride by successfully becoming a blacksmith. In addition, a human also learned the Jewel Alchemy skill which was rare even amongst dwarves. No wonder they would start to detest me even more. Now it was time to suck up a bit. ¡°I may have become a blacksmith, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the blacksmith is a Dwarf occupation. That was why I really wanted to receive the final quest for Expert Blacksmith from the Great Patriarch-nim of the Dwarves.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you came all the way here?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that enough to put my life on the line? It is the path of becoming an Expert Blacksmith.¡± I was praising the dwarves and the Blacksmith profession as much as I could. Especially the Blacksmith portion. Maybe that was why, but I could feel their hostility dying down just a bit. ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°At least it is a human who knows how to be respectful.¡± ¡°I can see why Bachu and Pichu would write you introduction letters. The meat seems to be cooked. Let¡¯s eat together.¡± I ate the Golden Alligator meat with the dwarves. I then heard a message ringing in my head. The dwarves had a satisfied smile on their faces as well. Of course there was a disappointing part as well. I wished that my magic went up proportionally to the amount of meat I ate, but that wasn¡¯t the case. No matter if you ate 10 portions or 100 portions, it only went up by 1. This extremely large alligator was at least 20m long. We only managed to eat a small portion, and there was quite a lot of meat still remaining. We can¡¯t just waste all this precious meat. Furthermore, the Golden Alligator hide had more value than the meat. ¡°What about taking the meat to the village before it goes bad?¡± Once I suggested it, Goonto¡¯s eyes started to sparkle. ¡°Are you saying you will let the dwarves in the village eat the meat as well?¡± ¡°It¡¯d be a waste to just throw it away. The hide as well. This monster is ranked in the upper half of the Golden Monsters. I¡¯ll give it to your for cheap.¡± Goonto nodded his head. ¡°It is a good idea. Chupato, go to the village and gather as many Dwarves as you can. We will start dividing up the meat and roasting it.¡± ¡°That is a good idea.¡± ¡°Make sure to bring Beringka-nim¡¯s sword on your way back as well.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The dwarf named Chupato quickly started to run. The Dwarf Village must be in that direction. Goonto and the other dwarves started to cut apart more meat and roast it over the fire. While they did that, a herd of Dwarves headed toward us. ¡°It is here.¡± ¡°Oh, they really did hunt a Golden Alligator. Amazing.¡± There were at least 100 of them. It is not common to see so many Dwarves moving together. ¡°Goonto. Beringka-nim¡¯s sword.¡± It was an extremely large sword with the blade alone being over 2m long. Just looking at it, you could see how sharp the blade was.¡± ¡°Abique. Increase my attack strength.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± There were magicians among the dwarves as well. If you are born with a weak body unlike most dwarves, they are supposedly trained from an early age to become magicians. Abique was a dwarf like that. He seemed very weak in comparison to the other dwarves. Goonto picked up Beringka¡¯s sword and attacked the side of the Golden Alligator once more. An injury the size of three palms was instantly created. All of the other dwarves were full of admiration after seeing that. ¡°Oh! The Golden Alligator¡¯s hide truly is amazing. Goonto using Beringka-nim¡¯s sword can only cause that much damage.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he also getting Abique¡¯s support? It really is not a normal monster.¡± The dwarves must have been shocked at the Golden Alligator¡¯s sturdiness as they continued to let out their noises of admiration. There was also something else that caught their interest. ¡°But who made that large injury on the side?¡± ¡°Who hunted the Golden Alligator?¡± ¡°Goonto wasn¡¯t the one to hunt it?¡± The dwarves that recently joined us started to ask. The response was up to Goonto¡¯s crew. One of the dwarves looked toward me and explained the situation. ¡°That human hunted it.¡± ¡°What? That human?¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, why is a human here?¡± I didn¡¯t have to explain once more. The dwarves naturally shared information with each other. They even brought up how I was the first Human Blacksmith, as well as the fact that I knew Jewel Alchemy. The dwarves all responded the same way. They were all amazed, but also full of hostility toward me. Some of the dwarves even clenched the large swords in their hands. ¡®This is annoying. Do I need to crush the dwarves¡¯ spirit at least once at this point?¡¯ End Woohoo! We made it to 3 digits! Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 101 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 101: Dwarf of Steel (3) If you considered just physical strength, my skills were much lower. Dwarves were stronger than humans from the moment they are born, and they have been mining and blacksmithing for fun since they are young. I¡¯m sure there are probably only a handful of dwarves here who are weaker than I am. But I still had a way to crush their spirits. I know of the dwarves¡¯ critical weakness. I have the skill to attack that weakness. However, just like Goonto and his crew, none of the dwarves tried to attack me. Then I should hold back as well. There is a lot for me to earn from the dwarves. I just need to hold back until I hold the advantage in our deals. The dwarves gathered everything they could. They filled their stomachs with the Golden Alligator meat. They all seemed to be happy with the increase in their magic. Nonetheless, they all still rolled their eyes whenever they made eye contact with me. I didn¡¯t know the dwarves were such an irritating race. While that was going on, Goonto and the group quickly cut apart the Golden Alligator. Well, all they really managed to do was cut the hide off the side and take out the internal organs. ¡°Help if you have stuffed yourselves. We plan on dragging this to the village.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Should I use some strength now that I am full?¡± All of the dwarves gathered around and started to move the Golden Alligator. The size of the alligator was huge, but after taking out the internal organs, close to 100 dwarves were able to move it pretty quickly. I headed to the village with the dwarves. Even though it was called a village, the only buildings visible were the Magician¡¯s Tower, a temple, and a few other buildings. However, there should be at least 5,000 dwarves residing in this village. It is a unique characteristic of the Dwarf Village. The majority of the dwarves live in tunnels underground. ¡°Human, come this way.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¡°To meet the Great Patriarch-nim.¡± ¡®Ah, Great Patriarch Bangart! Goonto¡¯s dad.¡¯ Bangart was as huge as Goonto. Goonto briefly explained the situation to Bangart and even showed the introduction letters from Bachu and Pichu. Bangart¡¯s expression became darker and darker as Goonto continued. His already rough looking face looked even rougher with that frown. ¡°A human blacksmith?¡± He finally asked his first question to me. ¡°Yes. I put my life on the line to come all the way here because I felt that it was only right to get the last quest for the Expert Blacksmith from the Great Partriarch-nim of the Dwarves.¡± Bangart could not easily answer. He seemed to be deep in thought as some wrinkles started to form on his forehead. ¡°This is not something for me to decide on my own. Call our dwarf brothers to the Volcanus Temple.¡± ¡°Yes, father.¡± I have a bad feeling about this. I knew I would not be welcomed, but I didn¡¯t expect their resistance to me would be this strong. Do they have so much hatred at the fact that a human became a blacksmith? Anyways, the dwarves started to have a meeting at the Volcanus Temple at Bangart¡¯s summoning. Of course, I was at the meeting as well. But the atmosphere was turning even worse than before. ¡°A human blacksmith. That is not possible.¡± ¡°This is going to be a black mark on the history of the dwarves. We must kill him right away.¡± ¡°We cannot let him live. If he is the first of many more human blacksmiths to come, then us dwarves would not have a place to stay anymore.¡± This isn¡¯t what I was expecting. No matter how strong their pride was as blacksmiths, it should not be like this. How can they treat me like this when I am a blacksmith accepted by Lord Volcanus? A couple dwarves opposed their proclamation, but the majority of them agreed that I must be killed. Bangart made up his mind after contemplating it for a long time. He then looked toward me. I could feel my heart sink. I saw the look in Bangart¡¯s eyes. He was swift with his action. As soon as the decision was made, he put it to action right away. He pointed his finger toward me and commanded the others. ¡°Get rid of him.¡± Once he said that, Goonto as well as the other dwarf warriors clenched their swords at the same time. They had already been surrounding me for a while. I could feel my mind going blank. You mean to tell me I¡¯m going to be killed by dwarves after even managing to hunt a Bone Dragon? I thought the worst case scenario would be getting exiled out of the dwarf territory. ¡°Human. You have learned something you should not have learned.¡± ¡°I will give you the opportunity to resist against the warriors. Pick up your sword.¡± Do I really need to pick up my cutlass and fight? That is a stupid idea. The dwarf race easily overpowers humans when it comes to battle. That is especially the case for blacksmith dwarves. In addition, Goonto is the strongest of these blacksmith dwarves. He¡¯s even reaching the territory of Best Blacksmith. Even if I was 100 levels higher than right now, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to win in a 1 on 1 situation. Plus, it¡¯s not like defeating Goonto would keep them from killing me. I guess it is time to use the card that I have been hiding. If even that fails, I will need to reveal all of my hand. I looked toward Goonto and asked. I really hoped it worked. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t want to find Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade?¡± ¡°What? Chubach-nim¡¯s Solar Blade?¡± All of the dwarves surrounding me flinched in shock. Goonto seemed to be the most shocked. ¡°You know where Chubach-nim¡¯s Solar Blade is located?¡± Goonto thankfully stopped his sword. The other dwarves stopped their murderous intent as well. It¡¯s not like they had any other choice. Goonto was almost at the apex of reaching the Best Blacksmith, and Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade was the key to get him over that final obstacle. ¡°Of course. I promised to find that sword and release Akto¡¯s Soul.¡± ¡°What? Even Akto-nim?¡± ¡°Lies. How would a human know the location of the Solar Blade that even the dwarves do not know?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he is making up everything about Akto-nim as well.¡± The dwarves all started to shout out. They then said they needed to kill me right away and urged Goonto on. But Goonto could not recklessly move. There was no reason to rush killing me anyways. ¡°Show me some proof.¡± Proof? That¡¯s easy. I reached my hand out to Goonto. ¡°If you can¡¯t believe me, verify it yourself.¡± Goonto cautiously grabbed my hand. At the same time, I heard the voice in my head. I¡¯m sure Goonto heard it as well. His shocked expression verified that he did. Goonto looked toward Bangart. The Great Patriarch Bangart seemed to understand the situation after seeing Goonto¡¯s expression. ¡°It¡¯s the truth?¡± Goonto nodded his head. ¡°Yes. I confirmed Akto-nim¡¯s quest.¡± ¡°Oh my lord.¡± ¡°It was the truth.¡± ¡°Does it make any sense? Why would Akto-nim give to a stupid human¡­¡­?¡± The dwarves fell into chaos once again. It was natural that they started to discuss it again. But the atmosphere was still not good. There were more people saying they shouldn¡¯t kill me, but there was still quite a lot more people saying they couldn¡¯t let me live. Bangart had a lot to think about. Goonto tried to convince Bangart. ¡°Maybe it is the will of Lord Volcanus. I think it would be better for us to get him to swear in front of the lord that he will not share the blacksmith skill with anybody else and let him live.¡± Bangart was on Goonto¡¯s side as well. He knew about Goonto¡¯s situation better than anyone else. In addition, if Goonto could overcome that final obstacle using Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade, that would go beyond the father-son relationship. That would be a blessing for the entire Dwarf race. In fact, his son Goonto might bring back the peak era of the Dwarf race. Bangart made up a decision once again. ¡°We will put some conditions and let the human live.¡± The meeting area became chaotic once Bangart made up his mind. ¡°I will never agree with it. A human blacksmith?!¡± ¡°Absolutely not. Let¡¯s kill him now!¡± ¡°It is the decision of the Great Patriarch-nim. Let¡¯s follow his decision.¡± ¡°The Great Patriarch should think more like a dwarf. I cannot abide by this decision.¡± There were quite a lot of dwarves sharing their opposition. There was one specific dwarf that was showing the most opposition. Umbach. He seemed to have as much respect as Goonto did, but he was on the opposite side of Bangart from the beginning. If it was not for that bastard, things might not be this bad. ¡°Umbach. It is the decision of the Great Patriarch. Follow the decision.¡± ¡°I will not accept it. Since when did the Dwarf Great Patriarch act like the human king? You are not a king.¡± ¡°He¡¯s right. He thinks he¡¯s all that because we accepted him as the Great Patriarch!¡± ¡°I will follow Umbach-nim.¡± ¡°I also cannot accept this decision. Bangart does not have the right to be the Great Patriarch!¡± The atmosphere was starting to turn even worse. The scariest part was that there seemed to be more dwarves that were willing to follow Umbach than Bangart. If it gets any worse, the dwarves might start a civil war. For the Dwarf race that was extremely violent and proud, it was absolutely possible. ¡°Hand over the human. I will kill him with my own hands!¡± ¡°Kill the human. Protect the blacksmith occupation.¡± ¡°Protect the pride of the dwarves!¡± The group following Umbach pressured Bangart. There were even some who took out their swords and started to head my way. The dwarves following Bangart and Goonto took out their swords as well. Unfortunately, the two groups did not clash. Every time Umbach¡¯s group took a step forward, they took a step back. In the end, they did not seem to want to kill their fellow dwarves and decided to give me up. ¡®I really didn¡¯t want to have to do this.¡¯ If I use this and it still doesn¡¯t work, it will be difficult to ever become friendly with the Dwarf race. It is the thing the dwarves hate the most. But it will work. The dwarves are a race that has a lot of fear. While I was thinking things through, Umbach¡¯s group almost reached me. They lifted up their swords as if they wanted to break my head open. I opened up my skill window. [Dragon Fear: Beginner level 11%] Roooooooooooooooar- The sound of a dragon roar came out of my mouth. At the same time, the dwarves in front of me fell backwards in fear. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± It was not just the dwarves right in front of me. Bangart, Goonto, and Umbach, the chiefs of the two factions, as well as the rest of the dwarves all stepped back two or three steps. Their eyes were all full of fear while looking my way. I have now used all of my cards. If it still doesn¡¯t work, I will have to use the Unicorn Horn Flute. In that case, I don¡¯t need to shrink back in fear. I need to push forward and use the dwarves¡¯ fear to my advantage. ¡®Show Bone Dragon Slayer title!¡¯ Now that it is activated, the dwarves will recognize me as a, ¡®Bone Dragon Slayer,¡¯ whenever they look at me. That alone should give them quite the pressure. I confidently opened up my shoulders and stood up. I started to scold the dwarves in an angry voice. ¡°I have followed the will of Lord Volcanus to become a blacksmith. I also followed his will to come here to become friends with the dwarves. Yet you try to kill such a person just because he is a human blacksmith? Is that the way dwarves treat their friends?¡± My voice rang across the meeting area. However, the dwarves were more interested in my title than what I was saying. The, ¡®Bone Dragon Slayer,¡¯ title seemed to be giving the dwarves quite the shock. ¡°Bone Dragon Slayer!¡± ¡°A human hunted a Bone Dragon with his own strength?!¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, he hunted the Golden Alligator on his own too.¡± ¡°Not just the Golden Alligator. He must have destroyed all of the monsters of the Demon Cave. An extra large Demon Cave at that.¡± ¡°Did you see the injury on the Golden Alligator? I don¡¯t think any of us dwarves could leave such an injury. But that human made it happen.¡± They started to say all sorts of things about me. They did not want to accept it until now, but they had no choice but to do so at this point. The more it happened, the dwarves¡¯ impression of me started to change. In the end, they came to a single conclusion. ¡°He is an amazing human!¡± ¡°There is such an individual among the humans as well!¡± End Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 102 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 102: Dwarf of Steel (4) There was fear in the eyes of the dwarves looking at me. I¡¯m sure the dwarves will deny it. The fact that they fear a human will create an emotional scar on their pride that cannot be washed away. But I could clearly feel it. Of course, the fear was not directed at me. It was just the effect of the Dragon Fear. As well as the strength of the, ¡®Bone Dragon Slayer,¡¯[1] title. Without swinging my sword even once, I made the dwarves believe I was an, ¡®invincible warrior.¡¯ I needed to use this atmosphere to my advantage. If I miss this opportunity, I will need to give up quite a lot of the things I want to do. I put some strength in my stomach and raised my voice. ¡°All I am trying to do is follow the will of Lord Volcanus and tread on this path of a blacksmith. Yet you all want to make me your enemy. I guess I have no choice but to kill the dwarves that try to harm me. So make up your mind. Will you be my friend? Or will you be my foe?¡± To be honest, it was an empty threat. What kind of ability did I have to kill a dwarf? But the dwarves felt a strong pressure. None of the dwarves were able to step forward. It was the same situation for Umbach who created this issue in the first place. Maybe it was because of the fear from the Dragon Fear, but he actually took a step back. I looked toward Goonto once more. Only Great Patriarch Bangart, Goonto¡¯s dad, could resolve this issue right now. ¡°Goonto, I have received a divine message from Lord Volcanus to be friends with the dwarves. You tell me. What do I have to do to be friends with the dwarves?¡± Once I did that, Goonto stepped forward as if he was saying I asked a great question. He still seemed to be feeling the effect of the fear, but he still managed to look at me and state his request pretty confidently. ¡°In that case, make this promise in front of Lord Volcanus. The blacksmith occupation will remain with the dwarves. You will not pass on the blacksmith techniques to any other human, and cannot take any human on as your successor.¡± I can make a promise like that even a hundred times if I needed to do so. I have no desire to have a successor, nor the time to pass on my skills. I answered in a style that Goonto and the dwarves would really like. ¡°The only reason I have become a blacksmith is due to the grace of the Lord Volcanus, and another human blacksmith will require the same grace to achieve this success. There will be no human blacksmith successor. I give you my word.¡± ¡°Also promise this. You will select a dwarf successor and pass on your Jewel Alchemy.¡± Now what? This is annoying. On the other hand, it was a pretty good thing if you think about it. To take on a successor means taking them on as my subordinate. How well will they listen to me? In addition, dwarves have quite a lot of uses. They should be more useful than even ten human slaves. It will also make the dwarves treat me as their peer. ¡°Alright. I promise. If there is a dwarf that wants to learn Jewel Alchemy from me, any of them can step forward. I will pick a few of them and make them my successors.¡± Seeing me answer so easily, Goonto shouted out to the dwarves. ¡°Did you hear him? The blacksmith is a dwarf occupation. This human is someone Lord Volcanus made a special exception to become a human blacksmith. He is not our enemy but our friend.¡± ¡°A human being friends with the dwarves?¡± ¡°No way.¡± Umbach tried to recreate that tense atmosphere with a few dwarves who listened to him. However, the number of voices died down quite a bit. They just ended up being scolded by Goonto. ¡°Are you planning on going against the will of Lord Volcanus?¡± The meeting area seemed to be on Goonto¡¯s side now. Umbach slowly lowered his shoulder. The dwarves were sending signals that they will no longer go against Goonto. Once Umbach stepped back, there were no other dwarves who tried to go against it. I could finally let out a sigh of relief. But I wasn¡¯t completely out of the woods. Umbach. One day, he will be another hindrance to me. Right now, I have no way to deal with it, but I will figure something out in the near future to make him get rid of that idea for good. Goonto put his hand out in front of me. ¡°Human. Make sure to keep your promise. And let¡¯s look for Chubach-nim¡¯s Solar Blade together. Let¡¯s also rescue Akto-nim¡¯s soul together as well.¡± I heard a voice in my head at the same time. ¡®Huh? What is this fool saying? How dare he try to get a free meal?¡¯ I can handle finding Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade on my own. Someone else will just be a hindrance, even if it is someone like Goonto who is stronger than me. I need to use Goonto¡¯s skills elsewhere. ¡°I will find the Solar Blade. However, if you help me, I will include you as a party member to rescue Akto¡¯s soul.¡± Goonto had a slightly disappointed expression. ¡°What kind of help do you need?¡± ¡°Help me proceed with the quest to become an Expert Blacksmith.¡± That was not something Goonto could do. Only Great Patriarch Bangart had the power to let me proceed with the quest. Goonto looked toward Bangart. Bangart had just been watching the situation in silence until now. ¡°That is the will of Lord Volcanus. As a dwarf, I cannot go against the will of the lord. I will help you with the quest.¡± Bangart put his hand on my head. ¡°You are currently on the fourth quest. But your Jewel Alchemy is already over level 5. You are clearly a human who has been blessed by Lord Volcanus. I hereby confirm that you have completed the fourth quest.¡± ¡°This is the final quest for Expert Blacksmith. I never even dreamt that I would be giving this quest to a human. Make a contribution that all dwarves can approve of. As you already know, us dwarves would not approve of a human for any random task.¡± ¡°Will it be enough to find Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade?¡± ¡°If you succeed, all of the dwarves will sing of your contribution. They will also accept you as a brother and help you out with anything you need.¡± I like this reward quite a bit. If you think about their skills, the Dwarves or the Shapir are probably the best. Of course the Drake and Peria races might be stronger, but they are pretty much forgotten in the world so we can ignore them. To be accepted as a brother by these dwarves would be great help for me. ¡°I accept. However, in order to accomplish it, I need some help from all of you first.¡± ¡°What kind of help do you need?¡± ¡°Please use these to make me a leather armor.¡± I took out the hide of the Shadow Fox and the Black Scales from my bag. All of the dwarves¡¯ eyes opened really wide. Both the Shadow Fox hide and Black Scales were extremely precious materials. ¡°What! Where did you get such precious materials?¡± ¡°Demon Cave and Golan Park. It was quite difficult to get it.¡± ¡°I never thought I would get to touch a Shadow Fox hide.¡± ¡°And look at how many Black Scales there are! At least 30 of them! Just how many Midnight Black Alligators did he hunt?¡± I probably hunted around 100 of them. They used to drop pretty often at first, but lately, only one dropped after killing five of them. I still managed to get a lot of Fairy¡¯s Tears so it was a pretty decent haul. ¡°Of course you¡¯ll use a good amount of the Golden Alligator hide too, right? Around how long will it take? I will definitely pay for it.¡± ¡°Shadow Fox leather armor is extremely complicated compared to other leather armors. It is difficult for even me to handle. It will take at least 6 months of work.¡± ¡°Then it should be ready by the time I return with Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade. And one more thing. I heard that the dwarves can make a weapon that was personalized to a single individual.¡± A personal weapon. You put in your magic into the weapon¡¯s materials so it becomes personalized to you. If you do that, even if there are two weapons of the same quality, the personalized weapon can unleash between 5 to 15 percent extra impact. It was something I did not really use in Royal Roader the game. Mainly because you could not sell personal weapons to other people. In addition, you needed to change your weapon when your stats went up as well, so there really was no point. There were also a lot of updates with new weapons as well. But my situation is different this time. My weapon will always be a cutlass. I will not have any reasons to change weapons. Also, if the weapon is good, I will soon have the ability to upgrade it on my own. Goonto nodded his head. ¡°It is possible. But personal weapons require Jewels of Fortification, so they are very expensive.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°At least 500 million more than other weapons.¡± ¡°As you can see, I use two cutlasses. How much will it cost to make two personalized weapons? Also include the cost for the Shadow Fox Leather Armor. I will pay it all now.¡± ¡°1.6 billion won. I gave you a discount because you will be finding Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade. I also gave you a discount for giving us the Golden Alligator meat and hide.¡± Makes sense. The Jewel of Fortification was much more expensive than even the Jewel of Luck. If you also consider the cost of labor from Goonto who is at the edge of becoming a Best Blacksmith, 1.6 billion won definitely is not expensive. I put 1.6 billion won into a coin and handed it to him. ¡°I should be able to verify the abilities of a Dwarf Blacksmith this time. Please show me the pride of the dwarves. Show me that it isn¡¯t all talk when you say you are the Blacksmith race.¡± I lightly egged him on. Of course I had no reason to do that. All dwarf blacksmiths always give their best in their work. ¡°Just leave that to me. I will make you the greatest armor and cutlass. What kind of restrictions should I set the weapons to?¡± There was no issues with any agility restriction. No matter how high it may be, it would not be over 1,000. The problem was strength. How high could a strength restriction for a cutlass be? I have no issues investing that many points into strength. ¡°Do not worry about restrictions, I will match it. Just make the attack strength and attack speed as best as possible.¡± ¡°I understand. But it will take at least two months to complete it.¡± That was plenty of time. I needed to go deeper into the south for about two to three months anyways. Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades should be completed by the time I return. ¡°I will come back in about two to three months. But which direction do I need to go in order to reach the Perry Desert?¡± ¡°Perry Desert? Is there a reason you are looking for the deserted land?¡± ¡°I have something to do there. I know the general direction, but not the exact direction It would be great if someone could serve as a guide.¡± ¡°Even us dwarves do not enter there because of the Desert Ants.¡± Goonto shook his head as if he was trying to stop me. Someone who was trying to kill me a moment ago was now worried about my life. ¡°I have received Lord Volcanus¡¯s blessing. I am not worried about some stupid Desert Ants.¡± ¡°The decision is yours. Go up the large mountain in the south. No matter what mountain you climb, you will be able to see Perry Desert. You won¡¯t even need a guide to find it.¡± ¡°Is that so? Thanks.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head to the smithy first. I need to use the Jewel of Fortification to put your magic into mithril.¡± Goonto took the lead. I followed behind him. There were a lot of dwarves in the meeting area, but nobody could stop Goonto or me. Everytime we moved, the dwarves even moved to the side as if a miraculous road was created. The smithy was of course in the Volcanus Temple. I managed to arrive at the smithy in a few steps. Goonto moved around efficiently as he finished the preparations. The preparations were simple. He just needed to gather some refined steel, a Jewel of Fortification with a Fortification Index of at least 6, and a Jewel of Luck with a Luck Index of 9 percent to help increase the success rate. Of course all of these were expensive items. ¡°Put your magic into here.¡± It was a simple process to put magic into it. Just put your hand on it and use magic. Mithril is the material that absorbs magic the best, and the Jewel of Fortification multiplies it by six times. However, there was an issue. I put both the Jewel of Fortification and Jewel of Luck together and used my magic, and it felt like all of my strength was being sucked into the mithril. ¡®So difficult!¡¯ It also took a really long time. I didn¡¯t realize personalizing minerals was such a hard job. I was able to finish it in one go because cutlasses tended to use a lot less minerals in comparison to other weapons. If I was trying to make a personal greatsword or something large like that, I would have had to do this at least two or three times. I put all of my magic into the mithril before moving my hand away from it. It took over 10 minutes to get it done. But it was really hard. It drained all of my strength that I was even feeling lightheaded. ¡°It is dangerous to move in your current state. Make sure to get a good rest until at least tomorrow morning. I will ask the temple to prepare a residence for you.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I managed to get a residence in the temple with Goonto¡¯s help. As expected of a Dwarf Temple, even the residences were in underground tunnels. However, once I went in, it was so clean and organized that it was hard to believe I was underground. That, and the fact that I was completely exhausted, made me just want to quickly go to sleep. ¡®Should I get some rest?¡¯ But there was a noise that interrupted my sleep. Knock. Knock. Even the dwarves knew to knock on doors. ¡°Who is it?¡± The door opened and a pretty young looking dwarf entered. Well, by young looking, they are still at least twice my age. ¡°I want to learn Jewel Alchemy.¡± It was not just one. Once this one left, someone else entered as if they had been waiting, and then another one after that. A total of twenty one dwarves visited me like that. This was quite a large village, but I didn¡¯t expect so many dwarves to visit me. There were probably no more than 5,000 total dwarves in this village. So for so many dwarves to desire Jewel Alchemy to the point they were willing to be a human¡¯s successor¡­ They really were the blacksmith race. Each time someone came, I recorded their name and gave them a general response. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Haguchu.¡± ¡°Haguchu. I will remember it. If you become my successor, I will contact you separately, so go back and wait.¡± The storm-like successor requests were resolved like that. ¡®Now I should be able to get some rest.¡¯ I put the blanket down and laid down on the floor. Even blankets made my dwarves were spectacular. It seems to be made of bird feather, but it was extremely light and fluffy. Just laying down made me feel like I would fall asleep. But. Knock. Knock. ¡®What? There¡¯s still more? They should have all come at once if they were going to come.¡¯ This is the last one. In fact, I should probably put a note on the door that says ¡®resting, do not disturb.¡¯ ¡°Enter.¡± The door slightly opened and a dwarf entered. But it was a dwarf that I did not expect to see. ¡°You¡­¡­are Umbach?¡± __________________________________________________________ [1] Author only put Bone Dragon. So I inserted Slayer as it seemed to be what he was referring to. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 103 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 103: Dwarf of Steel (5) It was the person responsible for trying to get me killed at the meeting earlier. So how dare he show himself here? I thought about kicking him out before observing Umbach¡¯s body language and expression. He seemed to be somewhat apologetic. That means that he is aware of his sin. He also knows that I will have a lot of negative things to say to him. Nonetheless, he still came to see me. What would that mean? Wouldn¡¯t that mean there was something extremely important? If I could use that to my advantage, it could end up bringing me a lot of benefits. It wasn¡¯t like I could really do much by getting angry at him. Can I slap him or cuss him out? Rather than doing that, I should turn this in a way that will benefit me in the future. I softened the frown on my face and asked in a calm voice. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°Ahem. I am a Jewel Alchemist as well.¡± I didn¡¯t know that at all. Now it kind of makes sense why Umbach acted the way he did in the meeting area. Jewel Alchemy is a rare occupation even amongst the dwarves. I presume there are less than 100 of them in the entire Dwarf race. So naturally, it is an unrivaled occupation in this village as well. He probably has quite a bit of pride as a Jewel Alchemist. But having to share that limelight with a human? It is no wonder he was much angrier than the other dwarves. I¡¯m sure his skill level is significantly lower than mine as well. ¡°I see. Nice to see a fellow Jewel Alchemist.¡± I had a sincere smile on my face as I said that. That was the only way to get Umbach to open up to me and for me to find a way to use Umbach to assist me. ¡°Ahem. I was wondering if you could teach me how to raise my Jewel Alchemy level. Based on what I heard, you only have the last quest for Expert Blacksmith left.¡± I knew that would be his goal. I felt my head clearing up. If I play my cards right, I could use Umbach and the other dwarves that follow him while getting revenge for what happened earlier at the same time. I put on an even brighter smile. ¡°It is not that difficult. I was planning on raising my skill level. Do you want to try it with me?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll let me do it with you?¡± Of course I will. I was lacking someone with a strong attack strength, but I feel like I don¡¯t need to worry now. ¡°Sit over here.¡± Umbach quickly approached me and sat down. *** Next morning. ¡°The Peria Desert is somewhere even us dwarves cannot enter. It is that dangerous. Are you really going to go there?¡± Goonto came over early in the morning to try to stop me. Of course, it did not change my decision. I was very aware of how dangerous it was. I also knew that the danger in the desert was not dangerous for me at all. ¡°I told you I am being protected by Lord Volcanus. Would I have come to the Dwarf Village without anything to keep me confident about my safety?¡± ¡°Please reconsider it.¡± Goonto continued to try to stop me. Of course, I didn¡¯t even pretend to listen. I then heard an unexpected voice from the side. ¡°You are going to the Peria Desert?¡± It was Umbach this time. Goonto put on a fierce expression. He then stepped over in front of me, as if he was saying he was going to protect me from Umbach. He was showing his back to me to protect me. Surprisingly, that back felt really reliable. But it was Goonto¡¯s misunderstanding. Umbach¡¯s hatred of me disappeared completely after last night. In fact, Umbach probably trusted me more than Goonto right now. ¡°The Peria Desert is very far. If you walk, just getting there will take a full two months.¡± ¡°Do you have another method?¡± I lightly pushed Goonto to the side and asked. ¡°I have prepared a horse. I heard that most humans are good at riding horses. If you take the horse, you should get there in less than a month.¡± ¡°Oh, a horse? I thought the Dwarf Village did not have many horses?¡± Dwarves had short lower bodies in comparison to their upper bodies, so they are weak at riding. Their personalities don¡¯t mesh well with horses either, so they barely use horses. Because of that, not many dwarves raised horses. ¡°Dwarves farm as well. That is why we raise a couple of them.¡± Either way, this was unexpected. I didn¡¯t know he would give a rare horse to me like this. Especially since it was Umbach. Goonto was even more surprised. He had a surprised expression that seemed to be asking what was going on, as he looked back and forth between me and Umbach. However, the events of last night are a secret between Umbach and me. We cannot share it with anybody else. That was the promise we made with each other as well. ¡°Thank you.¡± I thanked Umbach before getting on the horse and heading out of the village. For being a horse of the Dwarf Village, it was pretty well domesticated. *** ¡°That is the Peria Desert.¡± I arrived there pretty quickly because of the horse Umbach gave me. Even then, it took almost the whole month. I had to ride the horse for about 20 days, and then walk through a rough mountain terrain that the horse could not go through for another 10 days. However, I still had quite a distance to go. Probably about half the distance is left since my destination is in the center of the Peria Desert. This second half is probably the more difficult part. I immediately headed into the Peria Desert. As Goonto had warned me, the Desert Ants started to cause an issue as soon as I entered. These bean sized ants rushed toward me and started to stick to my body. There were probably at least a couple thousand ants. Any normal person or dwarf would have already been killed. You lose a couple thousand HP every time one of these bastards bite you. That is why it is called the Deserted Land. But this issue did not pertain to me at all. My reinforced toughness easily took care of that level of damage. I brushed away the Desert Ants that were sticking to me and continued to move forward. But I was still worried about the Sand Soldiers. Well, Sand Soldiers have low attack strength and are easy to handle, but the problem was that you did not know where they will pop out from until they surprised you. Sometimes, they would even grab your ankle while you are walking. They were the reason I could not let my guard down. This pressure made me use more energy compared to if I was just leisurely walking. That was why I gave myself some breaks every so often. Since I needed to use the stars to find the direction, I just slept during the day and only walked during the night. After walking like that for another month, I finally arrived at my destination. It was a forest and oasis in the middle of the desert. It had to be the Peria Oasis. This is because all of the oases in the Peria Desert were the Peria Oasis. ¡®I will know once I verify it.¡¯ Both the forest and the oasis was pretty small. However, the water in the oasis was very clear, and the forest was beautiful. I presume somewhere in the distance is the Peria Mountain as well. The water in this oasis would be flowing down from that mountain. I took out the Fairy¡¯s Tear from my bag. It was like a crystal. If it was not circular and smooth, I might have even thought it was a Jewel of Creation with the fairy energy. I had 32 of these. I carefully lowered the Fairy¡¯s Tear into the Peria Oasis with a praying heart. Once I did that, the Fairy¡¯s Tear started to sparkle as if it was full of sunlight, before turning into a small strand of light. It then became a Peria¡¯s Soul with beautiful wings like a butterfly or a bee, and flew up into the sky. Flutter- The Peria Souls were all the size of sparrows. However, other than the size, they looked exactly like people, and all of them were women. The Peria Souls that were confined in the Fairy¡¯s Tear had been released. They may be small, but when it comes to their abilities, they are even stronger than the Shapir race. However, unlike the Shapir, the Peria did not reveal their abilities to outsiders without good reason. I started to smile seeing the Peria Souls that were happily revolving around me. ¡°I am glad.¡± ¡°You must be the one who saved me. I give you a Kiss of Luck to show my gratitude.¡± The Peria Souls flew around me before lightly kissing my forehead or cheeks. I heard a message in my head every time one of them kissed me. After receiving kisses from 32 Peria Souls, my magic had increased by 32 in an instant. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No, we thank you. Thanks to you, we were able to escape from the confines of the Demon Cave.¡± ¡°And you even rescued a whole 32 Peria Souls. However, there are still many Peria Souls confined by the power of the Demon King.¡± ¡°We need your help. Please save even more Peria Souls. If you do, you will receive a great reward.¡± Peria Quest. The reward is a Guardian Spirit. Of course I must say yes. That was the reason I came all the way out here. You can earn a Fairy¡¯s Tear by hunting Midnight Black Alligators. Needing 68 more can feel like a lot, but it shouldn¡¯t take too long. Demon Caves higher than level 300 are full of Midnight Black Alligators. Then my magic can rise even more. Of course, it does not continue to rise without a limit. The maximum increase in magic you can get with the help of the Peria Souls is 100. ¡°I understand. I will make sure to do so.¡± ¡°We will take you safely out of the Peria Desert. Where do you need to return to?¡± ¡°I came from the Dwarf Village in the East.¡± ¡°Then we will escort you to the border of the Dwarf Village.¡± As soon as the Peria Souls finished speaking, I light flashed in front of my eyes, as if I was using a Magic Portal. Paaaat! When I could see once more, I was on top of a mountain. I could see the Peria Desert to the west, and a rough mountain terrain to the East. I got back on the horse and rode for a while before I finally arrived back at the Dwarf Village. The dwarves still had frowns on their faces when they saw me. I could feel the strong disgust in their eyes as they looked at me. This was especially the case for the dwarves who experienced the terror of the Dragon Fear the other day. It was still much better than last time. At least there were no dwarves who tried to cause an issue for me. It is probably thanks to Umbach. Once Umbach, the person who was the leader of the opposition, changed the way he treated me, a lot of the other dwarves changed their ways as well. It still wasn¡¯t at a satisfactory level of course. The Dwarf race is one that is much stronger than humans when it comes to attack strength. I need to gain a much higher level of friendliness in order to utilize their strength. ¡®I need to quickly finish the quest.¡¯ Once I do that, all of the dwarves will accept me as a friend. I headed toward Umbach¡¯s house to return the horse. Once Umbach was alone with me, he quietly asked in a hurry. ¡°When can we proceed with it?¡± ¡°We will need to wait at least another year.¡± ¡°That long?¡± ¡°Do you think it is easy to raise the level of Jewel Alchemy? I need to put my life on the line as well.¡± This was not a lie. The Church of the Sun was a large organization that had the strength to go to war against the entire continent. If I don¡¯t fully prepare, even a dwarf brigade will fail. Failure will of course mean death. ¡°Just who are we fighting against?¡± I cannot reveal that just yet. If the information is somehow leaked, both the Church of the Sun and the Ameri Kingdom will get in my way. Of course there was a low chance of the information leaking because of the dwarves. They hate humans quite a bit. Only the few dwarf merchants interact with human merchants. But it doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful. ¡°Did you already forget your promise with me?¡± ¡°Ah, alright. I will wait.¡± ¡°Raise your skill as much as possible, and create a team of strong dwarves while you wait. That is the only way for us to succeed.¡± ¡°I will do so.¡± ¡°I will be on my way now.¡± I left Umbach¡¯s house and headed for Goonto¡¯s house. Goonto treated me differently compared to last time as well. Umbach¡¯s friendliness was a calculated friendliness because he wanted something from me, but Goonto showed me sincere friendliness like Avanguarde¡¯s dwarves Bachu and Pichu. At least that¡¯s how it felt to me. ¡°You have returned safely.¡± ¡°Thanks to you. Are the twin blades completed?¡± ¡°Humans really are always in a hurry.¡± Of course I am in a hurry. My heart was beating wildly during the entire trip because I was excited about how amazing the Twin Blades created by the current greatest blacksmith Goonto would be. I also wanted to leave the Dwarf Village as fast as possible. There was no reason to stay here if I was not going to be welcomed. ¡°It took longer than I expected. But I did barely manage to finish the pair. I think they are pretty good.¡± Goonto handed over a wooden box. My heart started to beat even more. I took a couple of breaths before I opened the lid of the wooden box. The pair of cutlass that was glowing silver because of the high quality mithril were sitting inside of the box. Once I lifted it up, the information showed up. End Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 104 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 104: The White Corona (1) [Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades: Personalized for Kang Hwi Ram] This cutlass was made by Goonto, the current greatest blacksmith in the world. Two blades were created as a pair. Durability: 103/103 Attack strength: 97 Attack speed: 80 Restrictions: Strength 121, Agility 671, Level 250 *Attack strength is increased by 8% when used by Kang Hwi Ram I thought, ¡®as I expected,¡¯ once I saw the information. Goonto¡¯s skills were a completely different level than Bachu and Pichu who barely reached the beginning of the Expert Blacksmith occupation. Of course, BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades were weaker because they had to meet the strength restrictions, but this was still two times as strong. It was even much stronger than the, ¡®A Master¡¯s Cutlass,¡¯ that had the 109 level restriction that I saw in the Titan Valley Weapon Store [1]. The attack speed was even 10 points higher than that one. With this type of stats, it would not be wrong to call it the greatest cutlass ever. The only issue was the strength restriction. I was thinking that there was no way a strength restriction for a cutlass would be that high, but it was much higher than I expected. I put all of my bonus stat points into strength, but I was still lacking quite a bit. Only if you calculate the 40 percent strength decrease for using combo. [2] How much more do I need? [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 303] Dexterity: Advanced level 6, 89% Strength: 278 Agility: 1,317 Stamina: 96 Intuition: 126 Magic: 102 Vitality: 39 Mana: 572 HP: 704 Endurance: 36 Reinforced Toughness: 100 Guard Point: 451 Intelli Point: 381 In order to use the under 40% combo, I needed a total of 303 strength points. ¡®I just need to raise 5 more levels.¡¯ Now it was time to stop by Avanguarde and Titan Valley for a bit before heading to the Magman Continent. ¡°It really is different when a dwarf makes it. I couldn¡¯t make a good cutlass like this even if I died and came back to life.¡± ¡°But you are a Jewel Alchemist.¡± No need to bring that up. I was just giving you some lip service to feel good. ¡°Anyways, the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor has no issues so far, right?¡± ¡°I still need a lot of time, but you can look forward to it.¡± I should be able to trust him since he is so confident. ¡°Then I will leave now. I should be back in about 6 months.¡± ¡°By then, you should be able to see the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor. I presume I will be able to see Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade as well?¡± ¡°As long as I am lucky. I will do my best.¡± ¡°I wish you luck.¡± ¡°Ah, will I be able to use the portal in the temple?¡± ¡°I will ask the Great Patriarch-nim. However, it will take some time. Registering a foreign user to the temple portal will require a meeting of the elders.¡± I wasn¡¯t in a rush. I wasn¡¯t planning on using the portal on my way back anyways. I will walk through Golan Park so that I can raise some levels along the way. The portal will be used when I return to the Dwarf Village next time. I would think the registration will be completed by then. ¡°I leave it to you. I will be on my way now.¡± I immediately headed for Avanguarde. There was someone I needed to take care of in Avanguarde. I pushed it back until now because I didn¡¯t have the skills to take him out, but it was time to get my revenge. Baltana. The one who controls the back alleys of Avanguarde. The one who sent assassins to kill me after the Chaos Battle. Twice. But they failed both times, and he did not send any new assassins after that. I would think he is still monitoring my movements though. I don¡¯t know how far his reach is, but he probably has connections in the Avanguarde Magician¡¯s Tower. He probably bribed the staff at the Magician¡¯s Tower to monitor my movement. That was why I used a fake name when I used the Magician¡¯s Tower¡¯s portal. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°Jenga.¡± ¡°Your reason for visiting Avanguarde¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Travel.¡± I gave a couple textbook answers before heading out of the Magician¡¯s Tower. ¡®Avanguarde. It¡¯s been a while.¡¯ I already had all the information on Baltana and his goons through Humbley. I had him focus on Baltana of course. He resides in a secret room of a fancy restaurant during the day, and stays in one of his five houses at night. But lately, he¡¯s been smitten by a woman and stays in the same place at night. I spent my time shopping in different stores, waiting for the sun to go down. I only started to move once the night was deep. ¡®Is it here?¡¯ There was someone guarding the entrance. I could feel the trace of infamy coming from him. ¡®It must be the place.¡¯ The guard was not very disciplined. He just blocked the narrow entrance with his body while dozing off. I used Stealthy Approach and entered without any noise. Swiiiish- ¡°¡­¡­Hmm?¡± The ones who felt something as I went by opened their eyes and turned their heads to look around. But they did not manage to find me. They then leaned their heads back on the wall and closed their eyes. There were quite a lot of rooms in the building. However, it was not hard to find the room Baltana was in. Only that room had a guard in front of it. ¡®It¡¯s over there.¡¯ ¡®¡­¡­Ugh!¡¯ I covered his mouth and hit the back of his neck. He could not let out a single peep. But the problem came after that. Click! The door was locked, so there was some noise when I opened it. A light sleeper would have heard it. ¡®I need to hurry from here.¡¯ I moved a bit faster as I rushed into the room. Baltana was sitting up on the bed. He must have woken up because of the small noise. He must be a light sleeper because he has committed so many sins. Now I will let you sleep without any worries. It was dark inside the room. In addition, I was still using Stealthy Approach. No matter how much he tried to focus his eyes, I will just seem like a dark shadow. ¡°Who is there?¡± I silently approached closer. I then made him faint with a single hit. I didn¡¯t need to use my fist. I had a perfect skill to use in times like this. [Dark Force] ¡°¡­¡­Ugh!¡± *** ¡°Grandpa, have you heard the news?¡± Kaldera was out of breath when she rushed into Humbley¡¯s office and asked. ¡°What news?¡± ¡°Kang Hwi Ram. He is returning to Titan Valley right now.¡± Humbley¡¯s eyes instantly opened wide. He had sent a lot of men to send news about Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s movements, but his granddaughter Kaldera got the news before he did.¡± He probably needed to discipline his spies. ¡°Is it verified?¡± ¡°Yes. I heard from our informant at the Magician¡¯s Tower. I don¡¯t know why, but he used a fake name. He should have reached Titan Valley by now and will most likely be heading toward the Northern Mines.¡± Using a fake name would explain why his spies would have missed it. But Kaldera¡¯s people didn¡¯t miss it. She must have given them a picture so that they would recognize his face. Since the information came from Kaldera, it must be right. ¡°He must have passed by the Avanguarde Magician¡¯s Tower in order to reach Titan Valley, but I guess he did not stop to meet with our merchant guild.¡± ¡°Seems that way. I heard that he stayed in Avanguarde for two days before heading to Titan Valley. I wonder why he did not stop by.¡± ¡°He stayed in Avanguarde for two days?¡± ¡°Yes. I think he went to look for Baltana.¡± ¡°Ah, Baltana.¡± Then Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s goal was obvious. The important thing was that he stayed in Avanguarde for two whole days but did not come to see Humbley. Humbley was a bit disappointed. He was ignored even though he was spending billions of won every month to reconstruct High Village. But in Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s point of view, he could think that the construction was not for him, but for Humbley¡¯s merchant guild. That was the truth anyways. ¡°Will it be okay for me to go meet with him?¡± Kaldera asked very cautiously. But compared to her voice, her eyes were full of desire. Kaldera had enough qualifications for that. She also had enough skills. However, there was some issues with leaving it all up to Kaldera. Kaldera was so beautiful that it might give Kang Hwi Ram the wrong idea. Humbley didn¡¯t want that because Kang Hwi Ram was a very important person for him. ¡°Let¡¯s go together.¡± ¡°yes, grandfather.¡± *** Kaldera could feel her heart beating fast. It was not because of the rough terrains of the Northern Mines. Of course that had her short of breath and had her heart beating, but this was a different type of feeling. ¡°We have arrived. It is over there.¡± The guide pointed his finger. They could see a large plain on top of a decently paved road. The Northern Mines was one of the best not just in Titan Valley, but in the entire Batoru Kingdom. However, it was just quiet from the outside. They could not even see any miners. It was because all of the miners were currently busy mining inside. ¡°Is Kang Hwi Ram-nim perhaps ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°That should not be the case. You cannot enter the mines after passing level 10.¡± It was as Humbley mentioned. The wooden door of the residence opened and a group of people came out. He seemed to have confirmed Humbley¡¯s groups arrival through the window and came out to greet them. Kaldera¡¯s heart was beating even faster than before. It was because she saw the person in front of that group. ¡®Kang Hwi Ram-nim!¡¯ This was the second time. She thought that he was handsome when they met last time, but this time, it felt like their was light radiating from his entire body. There were around seven or so people behind Kang Hwi Ram, but Kaldera¡¯s eyes were only focused on Kang Hwi Ram. Humbley started to walk forward to approach Kang Hwi Ram. Kaldera moved with him. She could see Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s face even clearer now. The closer she got, Kaldera¡¯s heart just started to beat like crazy. But Kang Hwi Ram did not even glance at Kaldera. He was only looking at Humbley, and only reached out to shake Humbley¡¯s hands. ¡°It has been a while.¡± ¡°I rushed over as fast as possible once I heard that you were back.¡± ¡°Humbley-nim¡¯s network is really amazing. I used a fake name every time I went through a portal. In addition, it has only been about three hours since I arrived here. I did not expect you to arrive so quickly.¡± ¡°Haha. Information is the most important tool to be a good merchant. But to be honest with you, I am a bit disappointed. I heard you stayed in Avanguarde for two whole days. Couldn¡¯t you have made some time to stop by our guild?¡± ¡°I had some urgent business to take care of. I was planning on visiting you on my way back.¡± ¡°Ah, that was the case. Haha.¡± They shared pleasantries with each other. Of course the atmosphere was good. They entered the residence together and shared a cup of hot tea. But neither Humbley nor Kaldera could feel at ease. They knew very well what Kang Hwi Ram meant by, ¡®urgent business.¡¯ Baltana. Someone who was pretty famous in the back alleys of Avanguarde. He was murdered in the middle of the night. It was done by his subordinates. They then took control of the organization in his place. All of that happened in just two days. Although that was the story, they both knew the real story was that Kang Hwi Ram killed Baltana. He killed him as soon as he determined Baltana was an obstacle in his way. It would not be different for Humbley or Kaldera. If they try to ride the fence in their relationship with Kang Hwi Ram, they might be hurt in the future as well. They needed to make up their minds. They needed to decide whether to share the boat with him, or to get rid of him when an opportunity arrives. That was the reason Kaldera came to the Northern Mines. ¡®Focus. This is not the time for you to be like.¡¯ Kaldera secretly put her hand into her bag. She grabbed a cold and hard stone. She had put it here secretly before they came here to use it when she met Kang Hwi Ram. Right now was the perfect chance since Kang Hwi Ram was deeply engaged in a conversation with Humbley. A Chaos Jewel with 43 percent detection index. This was about the highest index the public could get. All of the Five Colored Jewels get their indexes cut in half when it touches multiple people¡¯s hands. Other than Jewel Alchemists of course. She clenched the jewel and poured in her magic. Just 1 magic stat was enough to use the Chaos Jewel. She felt a warm sensation in her hand. That sensation traveled up her body and gathered at her eyes. Kaldera only looked toward Kang Hwi Ram. Soon, she could see the strands of light surrounding Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s body. Red, blue, gold, black, white, there were many different strands. There were some that were moving horizontally, some moving vertically, and some even moving diagonally. There were over 100 strands. Each color represented a different trait. Red was for positivity, green was for wealth, blue was for intelligence, gold was for influence, black was for aggression, purple was for diplomacy etc. If you used a Chaos Jewel toward emperors or crown princes, you will a large gold strand symbolizing influence, while Humbley or Kaldera will have a large blue strand to represent their intelligence. The stands of light were small to start. But as time went on and more of the detection index exploded, the size of the strands started to grow. At first, all of the strands were about the same size. But slowly, they started to become different. The stronger ones started to grow faster. There were some that were growing much faster than others. Almost overwhelmingly compared to the rest. Those were the influences that would determine Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s future. ¡®Omo! What is this?¡¯ Kaldera¡¯s eyes slightly became larger. It was because the growing speed of this strand was extremely fast. There were also a lot of them. ¡®Just how many are there?¡¯ There were at least six of them. She felt like he really was not a normal person. He might be even greater than what Humbley or Kaldera was thinking. But Kaldera saw something weird. There was a strand that was glowing uniquely compared to the rest. ¡®Light¡¯ was not enough to describe it. It looked like there were small explosions that were continuing to explode as it grew. It looked like the energy was wiggling because it wanted to explode. Kaldera almost choked on her own spit. It was because she knew the identity of that light. ¡®Oh my god! That ¡­¡­ is a corona!¡¯ ___________ [1] Refer to chapter 13. But of course it should be much stronger than a cutlass with a level 109 restriction¡­this has a level 250 restriction [2] So that Under 40% next to combo is FINALLY explained (or the author twisted it to fit his need. It decreases the user¡¯s strength by 40%.) Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 105 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 105: The White Corona (2) The Corona symbolizes rebellion. It also means revolution, or the Mandate of Heaven. So someone with a strong Corona means that they are fated to lead the world to a revolution. They will break apart the basic order of the world and create a new world order. They are the Light of Hope in a chaotic world, and a Light of Terror in a peaceful world. For a king or an emperor, there is nothing worse than finding someone with a strong corona. That is why the Chaos Jewel has become restricted for the king or emperor¡¯s use since a long time ago. There are bound to be many people who have an issue with the laws of the land. They are always plotting a revolution and looking for someone to lead them. The law was created so that they cannot use the Chaos Jewel to find a leader to lead the revolution. At the same time, there are some emperors who actively seek out those individuals. They use them to their advantage as much as possible, and if they show even the slightest sign of a Corona, the emperor¡¯s kill them before it gets bigger. Of course that doesn¡¯t always have to be the case. Rebellion and revolution does not just have to be political. It can be in economics, science, or even history. But those kings or emperors want to get rid of any possible threats as soon as possible. But for Kang Hwi Ram to be someone who had a Corona¡­ And not just a basic Corona. It was a White Corona that shone so bright you could barely stand to look at it. The white color is only made when red, blue, green, yellow, etc, when all colors combine into one. Which means, he was someone who would cause a revolution in all aspects of the world. He was the main character of a Mandate of Heaven. Speaking of the strands, each of the individual strands within the Corona were really large and bright as well. Blue, red, gold¡­¡­ Normal people would not even have one of those strands that large and that bright, but Kang Hwi Ram had a total of six strands like that. ¡®No way. How could a human have a strand like this? How could someone have such an amazing Corona?¡¯ Kaldera could feel chills throughout her body. She suddenly remembered something that Humbley happened to mention in the past. [Is he perhaps a dragon that has polymorphed?] Of course there was no chance of that being true. Dragons only existed in legends. However, if dragons really did exist, and that dragon polymorphed to live amongst humans, wouldn¡¯t it be living a life similar to Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s life? Maybe the legendary dragon finally started to move to change the world. At least that was one of the things Kaldera was thinking about. Anyways, she was now certain. She needed to make a firm decision one way or another. They either get on the same boat as Kang Hwi Ram, or get rid of Kang Hwi Ram even if they need to unite all of the powers of the world. While Kaldera was being shocked at Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s Corona, Kang Hwi Ram and Humbley¡¯s discussion was coming to an end. ¡°Then tomorrow, let¡¯s go take a look at the High Village construction site.¡± ¡°Yes. We will be residing in Titan Valley.¡± ¡°I will not walk you out very far. Please travel safely.¡± Kaldera left the Northern Mines with Humbley. They could finally get on a cart after walking down for a while. The largest cart was reserved for just Humbley and Kaldera. Humbley asked in a quiet voice once they were finally alone. ¡°Did you use a Chaos Jewel?¡± Kaldera was completely shocked. She had used it without Humbley¡¯s knowledge. ¡°Omo! You noticed?¡± ¡°How could I not when you were so shocked?¡± ¡°Then Kang Hwi Ram-nim too¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It is possible. However, it is fine since he pretended not to notice. What was the result?¡± ¡°Gold, green, red, purple, multiple strands were extremely large. The green one was even larger than yours, grandfather.¡± The green strand was even larger than Humbley¡¯s. That meant that he was an individual who would do something much greater than Humbley. ¡°He really isn¡¯t a normal person. How was the purple strand?¡± Purple was the color of diplomacy. Someone with a large purple strand meant that they would make not just themselves, but the others around them successful with them. ¡°The purple one was really large and bright as well.¡± ¡°Then I am relieved.¡± Humbley quietly nodded his head. But he was not that shocked, as if he had expected it. But Kaldera had still not gotten to the core of her investigation. ¡°But I feel like I saw something I should not have seen.¡± ¡°What do you mean something you should not have seen?¡± ¡°I saw a Corona.¡± ¡°Wh, what? ¡­¡­Gasp!¡± Humbley subconsciously raised his voice before quickly covering his mouth. If any news about a Corona was to spread, a tornado of blood was soon to follow. The Batoru Kingdom was obvious, but even the Ameri Kingdom would put in all of its resources to get rid of Kang Hwi Ram. Humbley first opened the window and looked around. He wanted to make sure there was no one around to eavesdrop on them. After making sure it was safe, Humbley made sure the doors and windows were completely shut before asking in a very quiet voice. ¡°Are you sure that is what you saw? No chance you saw something else?¡± ¡°I am certain. It was an amazing Corona. It was a White Corona that was so bright it could almost blind you.¡± Kaldera¡¯s voice was slightly shaking. Chills had filled her body without her even realizing it. It wasn¡¯t her fault. He could end up becoming someone that was not just an enemy of the kingdom, but of the entire continent. Working with him was like throwing your body into the river of death. But Humbley was surprisingly calm. ¡°As expected. I knew he wasn¡¯t an average person, but for it to be that much. A White Corona.¡± Neither Humbley nor Kaldera knew what to say next. It was such an amazing and shocking situation. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡­is he really a polymorphed dragon?¡± ¡°I am not sure. But I am certain about one thing. He is not someone we can partially commit to. What should we do?¡± The question was about whether they will kill Kang Hwi Ram or let him live. Humbley¡¯s eyes became even gloomier. ¡°I believe we will need to go visit Arlington in the near future.¡± The capital of Batoru Kingdom was Oolbato, but it would not be wrong to say the powers that really move the Batoru Kingdom was located in Arlington. The fact that Humbley was going to Arlington meant that he had made the decision of his life. Kaldera could not miss out on that either. ¡°I will go with you.¡± ¡°Yes, come with me. But make sure not to mention the issue about the Jeppi at all.¡± ¡°Yes, grandfather.¡± *** ¡°Here are the Jewels of Luck and Jewels of Creation.¡± Jonnan, Goultan, and Batoom each handed over two magic bags. If you count the total that the three of them have mined together, there were over 600 Jewels of Luck. Of course the luck index were all five or less. But if he used Jewel Alchemy to combine them, he should be able to raise the luck index to be higher than ten before using it. There were so many Jewels of Creation that he did not even need to count it. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I took a coin out of the bag and handed it to them. The Jewels of Luck ranged from 1 million to 3 million each depending on the luck index, while the Jewels of Creation were each 50,000 regardless of the creation index. That alone was already close to 2 billion won. But all of them stepped back and waved their hands. ¡°Didn¡¯t we promise not to take any money?¡± ¡°What do you take us for?¡± ¡°I still need to pay you for it.¡± ¡°If you put it that way, what about the blessings we received from you?¡± Batoom put some strength in his voice and answered once more. Once he did that, Jonnan seemed to agree and tagged on. ¡°Right. I received a blessing so amazing that even paying you trillions of won will not do justice. Do not ever think about giving something like this to us again.¡± It does make sense for Jonnan to feel that way. But is that really Jonnan? I didn¡¯t recognize him when I came back yesterday. His skeleton of a body was now full of muscles, and there was vitality in that previously wrinkled face as well. 10 years, no, he seemed to have gotten about 30 years younger. Even his frame seems to have changed. It would be normal for him to keep his frame even if his body and face became younger, but it was so different I could barely recognize him. Even now, I think it is someone else when I look at him. It¡¯s like a 40 year old ahjussi is pretending to be Jonnan and there is a hidden camera watching my reaction. Anyways, I lost and could not pay them. ¡°I understand. Then I will find a different compensation for the jewels.¡± ¡°No need for compensation.¡± ¡°There really is no need. You just need to make sure you return safely.¡± ¡°Haha, I understand.¡± I answered like that, but I will not let this go. I need to return as much as I received to feel good about myself. Of course I will use my own method to repay them. ¡°Then I will head out now.¡± ¡°Be careful.¡± ¡°Have a safe trip, master.¡± ¡°Kyaaaaak.¡± My slave, Jul Goo, and Eruni bowed toward me. Chief also seemed to be very sad to say goodbye after such a short visit. It was thanks to raising their loyalty by a lot while I was here the last two days. The method was easy. Chief just needed to be given gold, while I just needed to mention, ¡®woman,¡¯ to Jul Goo. I didn¡¯t need to pay special attention to Eruni. Even though I was gone for a long time, her loyalty did not fall at all. But I¡¯m still curious as to what her identity is. Kang Sung Ho has not found any information on it yet. He hasn¡¯t found anything even though he has thoroughly looked through the Royal Roader draft plan multiple times. She might just be a regular female slave. The tattoo on her shoulder might be something someone just put without any reason. I still did not feel like I wasted my money on her. She¡¯s smart and works really hard, and her loyalty has not fallen at all after all this time. ¡°I will be back soon. Work hard while I am gone. I will reward you based on your work when I get back.¡± ¡°Thank you, master.¡± ¡°Kyaaa. Chief will work hard as well.¡± I said goodbye to my family at the Northern Mines and left. I met up with Humbley¡¯s crew at Titan Valley. We traveled to High Village and took a look around the construction site together. But the road was really good. We road the cart until about 20 km south of Titan Valley, but it was smooth like we were driving on paved road. Humbley really seems to have invested a lot of money into it. ¡°You don¡¯t need to make the entrance this good. It is fine as long as one cart is able to cross it at a time.¡± ¡°To be honest with you, the road was already this wide and well-paved when we got here. We just touched it up a bit.¡± I guess it makes sense since it is close to Titan Valley. The problem is from here on. The terrain becomes rougher and the original road was heavily damaged. Humbley opened up a map and explained the progress until now, as well as their plans for the future. I don¡¯t know where he got it from, but the map was very big and accurate. It showed the path to High Village, as well as the nearby mountains and plains, and even the small streams. ¡°We should be finished until here by the end of the year. Starting next year, we should be able to officially start the reconstruction of High Village.¡± ¡°We just need it to the point the citizens can escape to High Village. You do not need to put in too much money into it.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°In exchange, if there is time, please give the workers some military training. The really strong people should be trained as shield bearers while the weaker ones should be trained as archers.¡± ¡°That is a good idea.¡± I did not need to say much to Humbley. He was very quick to catch on, so I just needed to briefly mention the things I wanted. ¡°Shall we go back now?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Humbley¡¯s group and I returned together to Titan Valley. We were a pretty large group because Kaldera and the rest moved together with us. It was now time to head to my next destination. The last place I needed to visit before heading to the Magman continent. It would be good if Humbley can come with me. Then it would be easier to achieve my goal. ¡°Are you busy right now? There is somewhere I wish to go with Humbley-nim.¡± I lowered my voice and quietly asked. Humbley was definitely interested. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°I plan on making some other fortresses like High Village. It requires secrecy, so if you do go, it will have to be just the two of us.¡± Humbley¡¯s expression became serious. He looked at me before thinking about it and asking. ¡°Is it somewhere Kaldera cannot go with us? She is my granddaughter, and the person I will pass on my merchant guild to.¡± I peeked toward Kaldera. I guess there aren¡¯t any secrets between Kaldera and Humbley. ¡°It should be fine for Kaldera-nim to go with us. But will it be okay to go without any protection?¡± ¡°What is going to be the problem when Kang Hwi Ram-nim is with us?¡± Merchants are really good at lip service. It was still nice to hear. ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡± I first headed to Avanguarde with Humbley¡¯s group. We then used another portal at the Magician¡¯s Tower. At that point, only Humbley and Kaldera came with me. ¡°Where are you headed?¡± ¡°Arlington.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 106 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 106: The White Corona (3) I casually answered the portal manager¡¯s question. But I could feel Humbley and Kaldera flinch as soon as I answered. They were trying to hide it, but I could tell because I was paying close attention to their reactions. ¡®They know about it as well.¡¯ I guess it makes sense. With Humbley¡¯s network, there is no way he does not know about the location of the underground prison where Morris is imprisoned. The important thing is the other part. ¡®Do they perhaps know about Harrison as well?¡¯ I will find out once I meet with Harrison. Arlington is a small city to the south of Avanguarde. The population is only about 50,000. But it¡¯s strategic location in the middle of the Arlington gorge makes it both a center for the military and commuters, making it always filled with activity. Humbley quietly asked me once I headed toward the streets of Arlington. ¡°Is it still difficult to reveal your destination?¡± Is he asking because he really doesn¡¯t know? Or is he pretending to not know? For some reason, I felt like it was the latter. It was because of Kaldera¡¯s expression. It really had to be one or the other. They had either been here before, or it was their first time. If they had been here before, they would have said something. But there was nothing. Which should mean that this was their first time in Arlington. In that case, even subconsciously, they should be looking around. Even if it was not for the beautiful scenery in front of them, your mind would subconsciously make you look so that you can know where you are. But Kaldera only looked forward as she walked. ¡®They do know.¡¯ Of course I could be wrong. I treated Humbley and Kaldera like they didn¡¯t know anything. That would be more natural for bot hsides. ¡°You can think of it as the Batoru Kingdom¡¯s hidden strength. They are people who will be great help to us in the future.¡± ¡°It makes me even more curious about what kind of people they are.¡± ¡°We are almost there. You absolutely cannot reveal anything about our plan. You know that, right?¡± ¡°Is there a reason to even ask?¡± Humbley answered back as if that was obvious. ¡°I¡¯m getting a bit hungry. Should we stop to eat before continuing on?¡± To be honest, it was a bit early for dinner. But both Humbley and Kaldera followed me into a restaurant without any questions. It was a pretty large restaurant. There weren¡¯t too many customers because it was really early. It almost felt a bit chilly in there. ¡°Can I take your order?¡± ¡°Please give me this and this. And will you please let your boss know that someone named Kang Hwi Ram is here to see him?¡± I watched the worker¡¯s reaction as I ordered. There was nothing odd. They weren¡¯t even shocked after hearing the name Kang Hwi Ram. I¡¯m sure Shione did not forget to let them know before hand. Then it is one of two options. I either came to the wrong place, or the worker has no knowledge about Shione and Harrison¡¯s dealings. ¡°I understand.¡± The worker disappeared after taking my order. A moment later, a manager who seemed to be higher ranking than the worker quietly walked over and bowed. ¡°There is a cozy location on the third floor with a great view. If it is okay, may I escort you there?¡± I felt like this was it. It had to be the location that Harrison selected. ¡°Great. It did feel a bit cold down here.¡± I followed the manager up to the third floor. As the manager mentioned, it was a cozy hall.There were just two tables. You could even see the stars in the sky, and it was refreshing because you got a clear view of everything. ¡°Your order will be out soon.¡± The manager headed out. Only the three of us were left in this small hall.¡± ¡°It really is a great view. We got lucky.¡± ¡°We did.¡± Humbley quietly responded to my comment. He tried to smile, but there was some hesitation within it. Kaldera was the same way. She was trying really hard to act natural, but there was definitely a difference with her normal self. I just pretended to not notice. A moment later, the door opened and another team of customers walked in. There were three of them just like us. The only difference was that they were all buff men. They sat at the other table and ordered a couple dishes. The atmosphere was pretty quiet. We all just ate in silence as if trying to scope out the other side. The only change was when we would gaze out to take in the scenery. But there was some tension in the air as well. This was especially the case for Humbley and Kaldera who peeked at the other table every so often. The other side was the same way. They did not say much, but you could tell they were looking our way. We still peacefully finished our tense but quiet and awkward meal. ¡°Then shall we leave?¡± ¡°What? ¡­¡­Ah, yes.¡± Humbley seemed to be a bit shocked. He expected some type of conversation, but we were just going to get up. I stood up first. I grabbed the jacket that I hung on the coat rack. I then casually threw out some words. ¡°I guess he has nothing he¡¯s disappointed about. Either that, or he does not have the qualifications to work with us. Tsk tsk. It is always difficult for the subordinates when the boss makes the wrong decisions.¡± I then opened the door to head out. The other table finally had a reaction. ¡°Hold on.¡± I gladly stopped moving. But since I didn¡¯t know Harrison¡¯s face yet, I didn¡¯t know who I should look toward. ¡°How can we trust you?¡± He said ¡®you¡¯ and not ¡®all of you.¡¯ Of course it could have been on accident. But is that man Harrison? There is a good chance it is not. In fact, Harrison might not even be here. He is probably hiding in another room eavesdropping in on the conversation. ¡°If I was an enemy, would I have come to visit like this? I could have easily sent the soldiers to wipe this place out.¡± ¡°What is it that you want?¡± ¡°I do not talk to people I do not know. Then, good bye.¡± I left the hall with no remorse. I needed them to need me. I didn¡¯t need to hold on to their legs to ask for their help. I quickly walked down the corridor. Humbley and Kaldera just followed right behind me without knowing what was going on. The manager from earlier was present when I got down to the first floor. ¡°Please come this way.¡± I guess I can finally meet the real Harrison. I followed the manager. There was a hidden path in a corner room on the first floor. The underground secret path took me to a completely different building. Only after walking a lot further after that did I finally arrive in front of a small room door. Knock. Knock. Knock knock knock. ¡°I have brought the guests.¡± The door opened from the inside. I followed the manager into the room. It was a pretty large office. There was a long table in the center, and there were six chairs to each side of the table. Six men were sitting on one side. I sat on the other side with the rest of my group. ¡°I am Kang Hwi Ram. Which of you gentlemen is Harrison-nim? I have heard your respected name, but have not had the pleasure of meeting you in person.¡± ¡°I am Harrison.¡± He seemed to be in his mid-forties. Now that I think about it, he does look similar to Shione. Rather than a rough manly appearance, he feels more like a pretty boy. ¡°How did you know?¡± A vague question with no details. You need to clearly state the topic of the question. Not that I would answer even if he did. But Harrison peeked over at Humbley as he asked. His gaze was a bit weird as well. It seemed more like blaming Humbley and not questioning him. Almost as if he was saying ¡®how can you bring an outsider here?¡¯ And scolding him. Am I just being overly sensitive? It is something I won¡¯t get an answer to right now anyways. I will know for sure when I ask when the time is right. If he is hiding something from me, he will need to expect a reward(?)[1] for it. I landed the first blow by asking a question back at Harrison instead of answering the question. ¡°What do you mean? The location of this place? Or Harrison-nim¡¯s situation? Or are you talking about the relationship with the third emperor?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± As expected. Harrison¡¯s expression became pale after hearing the ¡®Third Emperor.¡¯ Even Humbley and Kaldera flinched as well. Although they were trying really hard to look calm. ¡°Please watch your words.¡± Harrison lowered his voice and scolded me. Almost like it would be dangerous if someone overheard us. Does that mean he is not confident in the security of this location? Or is he thinking that one of his people could be a spy? ¡°Is it that you cannot trust your group of people? At least the people I brought with me and trustworthy.¡± ¡°Do not mock our brothers. We have shared life and death together. I am just saying that no matter who it is, they all have only just one life.¡± He¡¯s saying you can die for speaking without thinking. At minimum, I¡¯m an exception to that. Of course Humbley or Kaldera could do that, but that is none of my concern. ¡°Then let¡¯s cut through the useless questions. We are all headed in the same direction anyways.¡± ¡°What direction are you heading in?¡± They are still cautious. But it will change soon. I will fall under the umbrella of the ¡®brothers¡¯ Harrison is talking about. ¡°Of course it is the complete independence of the Batoru Kingdom.¡± ¡°Our Batoru is a completely independent nation.¡± ¡°You mean to tell me a country like that lets their hero Morris-nim rot in an underground prison? You mean to tell me you sent a once in a generation genius like Shione-nim to the Ameri Kingdom for fun?¡± Harrison started to frown. His father Morris and daughter Shione was Harrison¡¯s most painful finger. Well, it is probably more than a finger. The pain probably is strong enough to pierce his heart. But he really was not an average individual. He held in that pain by biting down on his lips once. He then fixed his expression as if it was someone else¡¯s business. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend that is the case. Then what does a successful merchant like Humbley-nim have to do with all of this? Why is he here with you?¡± He¡¯s finally bringing Humbley up. But he is still talking like they don¡¯t know each other. Just how long are they planning to keep up this facade? I¡¯ll play along for now. That¡¯s not the important thing. ¡°Is there anything in the world that does not cost money? A big opportunity will come in the next few years. In order to prepare for that opportunity, we need Humbley-nim¡¯s assistance.¡± ¡°A big opportunity?¡± I was talking about the upcoming Jeppi invasion. It is possible they have a decent idea about the situation because of Humbley. But it is more likely that Humbley did not say anything. If someone extremely patriotic like Harrison knew about it, he would try to go in a completely different path. Of course he would put his life on the line to defend the Jeppi¡¯s procession. I¡¯m sure they would have a full on clash using the entirety of the Empire¡¯s strength. If that happens, the Batoru Kingdom will be destroyed with no chances of revival. The current Batoru Kingdom does not have the strength to defeat the Jeppi. What can you earn from a destroyed land? In the end, Humbley would become broke as well. Someone at Humbley¡¯s level probably considered that much. I didn¡¯t mention the Jeppi either. ¡°The Ameri Kingdom will fall into a big state of chaos. That is the perfect opportunity for the Batoru Kingdom to shout their proper independence.¡± ¡°What is the evidence that supports your thoughts?¡± ¡°That is a secret. We are not brothers yet. However, that will definitely happen. If we do not prepare for it, forget independence, our Batoru Kingdom will fall as well.¡± Harrison looked toward me with shaky eyes. It was like he was trying to determine my trustworthiness through my eyes. ¡°And the reason you came to find me?¡± ¡°It is of course so that we can prepare together. The first preparation is secretly building a couple fortresses in certain locations. Something like that is not possible without the help of the royal family.¡± ¡°Fortress?¡± Even if they fall into a state of chaos, the Ameri Kingdom is too strong for our Batoru to handle. We need to prepare for when the Reina River defense is broken. If Harrison-nim can get the royal family¡¯s permission, we will take care of that.¡± ¡°Is that all you want from me?¡± To be honest, I needed a lot more help. But that help can only be brought up if I mention the fact that the Jeppi will invade. If I do that, everything will become a mess. Harrison will definitely think differently than what I¡¯m thinking. ¡°That is all I need.¡± There was nothing for Harrison or the Batoru Kingdom to lose from this. Even if they sit back and watch, Humbley will take care of building the fortress. ¡°We will do so. If I get permission, who should I send a message to?¡± ¡°You can send it to Humbley-nim over here. Avanguarde¡­¡­¡± ¡°I already know. We will do so.¡± Our conversation was not long. It is because we are still lacking trust in each other. Especially Harrison. He is being extremely careful because he considers himself the last line of defense for the Batoru¡¯s resurgence. Becoming ¡®brothers¡¯ with Harrison seems to only be possible after the Jeppi invasion in a few years. I left the restaurant with the Humbley crew. ¡°For Harrison to be alive. It is amazing.¡± Humbley started to speak. Is he going to keep up this act until the end? Or was I thinking too much into it? Let¡¯s pretend to be tricked for now. Nothing will change either way. ¡°It would be best for you to forget everything you heard today. Something accidentally said could change the future.¡± ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°IN addition, if you are worried about the funds, you do not need to invest. The money I have is enough. I am just giving you an opportunity because I feel like we are on the same boat. ¡°Not at all. Our merchant guild has already made up our mind to go with Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± With that, we got back in the portal and arrived back at Avanguarde. ¡°It is late. Please spend the night at our place tonight.¡± I had no reason to decline. I needed to sleep anyways. I also wanted to give Humbley an opportunity. He has been hiding something from me since last night. That much I am certain about. I saw that Kaldera became shocked for no reason. His relationship with Harrison as well. A day¡¯s time should be enough. Then he should be able to finish debating and make up his mind. Spill the details and walk down a path of trust, or hide it and walk a dangerous path. I really hope it is the former. I followed Humbley and walked into a luxurious residence that could rival a palace. _________ [1] This is how it is in the RAW. I assume it has a question mark because it says reward but it really means a punishment Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Had to post on phone. I hope formatting is okay. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 107 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 107: The White Corona (4) He was guided to a room with a soft bed. The attached bathroom was luxurious as well, and the taste of the fruits after a warm bath was just out of this world. Even the pajamas were so light and soft that you couldn¡¯t even tell you were wearing it. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll be able to sleep well tonight.¡¯ But I did not go to bed early. I spent time doing Jewel Alchemy and waited until deep into the night. But there was still no news. Are they still debating it? If not, have they decided to go the way I don¡¯t want them to go? It would be disappointing if Humbley was thinking about the final third direction. I actually kind of liked him. But I guess I have no choice but to look for someone else. While I was thinking like that, I heard a knocking on the door. Knock. Knock. I could feel myself starting to smile. It was a bit late, but the important factor was that they had made up their mind. I quickly fixed my expression. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°Kaldera.¡± This is surprising. I expected Humbley to come but it is actually Kaldera who is here. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened and Kaldera entered. I could feel my heart sink once I saw Kaldera¡¯s appearance. Her clothes were too erotic. On TV, a lot of the western women where clothes where their shoulders and cleavage are completely visible, and it was exactly that type of outfit. On the other hand, the lower half was simple. It was made of a thin and semi-transparent outfit that made it feel like you could see her outstanding curves. But I cannot get the wrong idea. The women of this house all dress like that. The women who moved around with their bodies hidden were mainly the servants. But I could not help but feel aroused, thinking about how she came dressed like this late in the night. ¡°I brought you something to drink. Please drink it if you get parched while sleeping.¡± An extremely fancy cup was on top of a just as fancy tray.¡± But she was alone. There was nobody else with her in the room nor in the hallway. Once she entered, she closed the door. Guess she¡¯s not afraid. Kaldera approached me and put the cup and tray on the small table next to the bed. I could feel a light fragrance as well. It was a great fragrance that could raise Kaldera¡¯s charm even higher. ¡°Is there anything else you need?¡± Something I need? Of course, there are. Quite a lot I may add. The most important thing is of course Humbley¡¯s decision. But you can¡¯t poke someone on the side to get them to bow. Humbley needs to make his decision and tell me on his own. ¡°No. Nothing. Is there anything Kaldera-nim needs to say to me?¡± ¡°Then may I speak with you for a bit before leaving?¡± Kaldera answered as if she had been waiting for me to say that. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I¡¯ve spent time alone with Kaldera. But for it to be so late at night in this type of atmosphere. Especially in pajamas. Of course, I was the only one in pajamas. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Then first, I need to apologize. I¡¯m sorry. I used a Chaos Jewel on Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± Kaldera hugged the tray to her chest as if she was covering up. She then bowed deeply. It was unexpected, but not enough to be surprised. It was just giving me an answer to one of my questions. ¡®The reason she became surprised yesterday was because of the results from using the Chaos Jewel. Just what kind of result showed up, I wonder.¡¯ I didn¡¯t need to ask. Since she brought it up, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll finish the story. There is also something I am more curious about than that anyways. I didn¡¯t even move an eyebrow. I responded as soon as Kaldera apologized. ¡°That¡¯s okay. There is no need to apologize. I would have done the same thing if I was Kaldera-nim.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± ¡°But is that it?¡± I nudged her on. Kaldera stopped in the middle of getting out of her bow and had an odd expression. ¡°Huh? What ¡­¡­.?¡± Shit! Does that mean she didn¡¯t prepare anything to say about Harrison?¡± Disappointing. I wanted to go with them but they keep trying to go in a different direction. Then I should give them a nudge. If they still don¡¯t come back to the right path, there is nothing I can do about it. ¡°Is there nothing else you need to tell me other than that?¡± Kaldera could not say anything. She seems to not have figured out what I was asking. This is their last chance. She will need to listen carefully and answer. ¡°For example, anything to do with Harrison¡­¡­¡± Kaldera¡¯s shoulders flinched. She seemed to have understood. She should have understood since she is a sharp woman. That¡¯s good enough. I just need to wait for an answer now. A short duration of silence followed. But it probably felt really long for Kaldera. I used my eyes to push for an answer the whole time. In the end, Kaldera¡¯s red lips finally opened. ¡°We have been looking after Harrison-nim for a long time.¡± As I expected. Morris and Harrison may be magicians and swordsmen, but if you consider their overall role, they are close to politicians. The Batoru Kingdom¡¯s hidden power. If a merchant sticks to a politician or a person in power, what other relationship could it be? The merchant provides the money from the back while the person in power provides the merchant benefits in return. Of course, they could invest thinking about the future benefits as well. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. That is something only a few people know even in the merchant guild. I could not tell you.¡± I understand. But she¡¯ll still need to be punished. Although I haven¡¯t determined what punishment to give her. But to be honest, Humbley and Harrison¡¯s relationship itself is not that important. Our future actions will be unrelated to the past. The important thing is something else. ¡°Did you perhaps tell them about the Jeppi¡­¡­¡± ¡°Never!¡± Kaldera cut me off as if she was cutting radish with a knife. She then bowed her head as if she suddenly remembered her mistake. ¡°Omo, I¡¯m sorry. But that is a big misunderstanding. We have not told them anything related to the Jeppi.¡± ¡°There is no way Kaldera-nim would know everything Humbley-nim does.¡± I was trying to tell her that Humbley could have revealed the information without her knowing. Kaldera sternly shook her head once again. ¡°For something that important, he always consults me first. Furthermore, my grandfather is not that shortsighted of a man. If Harrison-nim knows about it, he would fight against them even if it meant destroying all of the Kingdom¡¯s strength. It would be extremely difficult to restore the kingdom, and the stage for us to stand back up will disappear as well.¡± She is thinking the same way as me. I¡¯m sure Humbley has thought that far out as well. And Harrison looked like he didn¡¯t know anything about the Jeppi movement when we chatted earlier. ¡°Then I am relieved. I would have had to completely change my plan if you had revealed it.¡± As I seemed to believe her, Kaldera let out a sigh of relief. Then should we talk about the Chaos Jewel story now? ¡°Wow, I¡¯m really sorry. I still have not asked you to sit.¡± I quickly pulled over the chair next to us and put it next to her. Kaldera did not decline and sat down. But shit. I put the chair too close. Once I sat back down at the edge of the bed, our knees were almost touching. The chair was also lower than the bed. I had to look slightly down while Kaldera had to look slightly up. I didn¡¯t know where to look. Once she moved the tray away, her half-covered breasts seemed even more visible than before. But Kaldera did not seem to care at all. Maybe she seemed to consider showing skin to be another form of fashion, but she did not even try to cover her chest. Instead, she seemed to want to take control of the conversation back and threw out a question. ¡°But aren¡¯t you curious?¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°The Chaos Jewel. The results that came from it.¡± I was planning on asking you, so thanks! But I did not any expressions of curiosity. The fact that Kaldera brought it up means that she wants to talk about it. I just acted modest. ¡°I sure hope it didn¡¯t tell you that I am a useless fool.¡± Kaldera lightly laughed. She then shook her head. ¡°It was just the opposite. I saw a really big future. Big enough that both grandfather and I have decided to risk everything with Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± It¡¯s making me feel good. But can I trust what she is saying? It was so good to hear that I was subconsciously getting suspicious. But that wasn¡¯t the important thing anyways. The important factor is the direction Humbley and Kaldera want to develop their current relationship with me. I just quietly listened. I¡¯m sure that was the reason Kaldera came to my room so late at night. Maybe the fact that Kaldera came at this time was the answer itself. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask me? Why don¡¯t you ask which color was the largest and brightest?¡± I was not that curious about it. I am not someone who believes in fate. I will determine my own future. There are things that I have already planned out and the direction of my fate is something I will push forward on my own. ¡°Must I ask?¡± ¡°If you could know the direction of your fate, you could live a much safer life.¡± ¡°I think a little differently. If my fate points in a weird direction, I will twist that arrow to the direction of my choice. No matter what my fate says, I will walk down my own path.¡± Kaldera seemed to want to say something as her lips slightly moved. But then she stopped herself and closed them back. She then opened them again. ¡°I guess that is why that happened.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Kang Hwi Ram-nim¡¯s future that the Chaos Jewel showed me. I saw a Corona. An extremely bright White Corona.¡± Corona. To be honest, it is a word I did not know about in the game. I only used the Chaos Jewels on items in the game. I never used it on a person. That was why I studied a bit more using the draft plan. So of course, I know the meaning of the Corona. How dangerous it is, and even the reason behind why the kings and emperors monopolize the Chaos Jewels. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on changing Kang Hwi Ram-nim¡¯s path. It¡¯s not like you are the type of person who would change your path because I try to change it anyways. But I wanted to make sure I had a chance to tell you this.¡± Her words made me curious. I guess it won¡¯t be bad to listen to this with an open heart. ¡°Please speak.¡± ¡°You must be cautious. If you continue to be as eye-catching as you have been, an emperor will become curious at some point. Then they will naturally use a Chaos Jewel. And¡­¡­¡± I could already anticipate what would happen after that. Kaldera paused, as if she was trying to emphasize the next part, before she continued. ¡°They will never let Kang Hwi Ram-nim continue to live. They will try to get rid of you even if they needed to use the strength of the entire nation.¡± There is merit to her words. To be honest, I had not thought that far out. No, I did not even think anyone would use a Chaos Jewel against me. I got a good lesson thanks to Kaldera I bowed to Kaldera to show my thanks. ¡°Thank you for your warning. I will keep it in mind.¡± Kaldera may have been surprised, as she bowed with me as well. Shit! You should at least cover your chest with your hand if you are going to do that. My gaze subconsciously went down to her chest before I quickly raised my head to look at Kaldera¡¯s face.¡± ¡°I may be stepping out of line to say this, but ¡­¡­¡± What else is she trying to tell me? I really want to spend more time with Kaldera today. I want to hear more stories as well. ¡°Please speak. I will listen attentively.¡± ¡°The strength of the nation is much greater than what Kang Hwi Ram-nim thinks it may be. Until you have the strength to fight against them, you should lay low.¡± Naturally, that is what I should do. For myself, as well as for Humbley and Kaldera who had decided to accompany me. ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°And if you need it, we will help you. We will help Kang Hwi Ram-nim to get that much strength as well.¡± I am thankful for what she just said. She is only telling me things that are nice to hear. I just quietly nodded my head. ¡°Then we ¡­¡­ should be able to be together for a very long time, right?¡± Suddenly, Kaldera gazed into my eyes. There was some hidden emotion in her gaze. Almost like she was asking me to accept her heart. She then cautiously finished her statement. ¡°¡­¡­Like family.¡± That seems to be what Kaldera wanted to say the most. She had spent all this time setting the mood to say just that. And that is probably Humbley and Kaldera¡¯s decision. They are choosing to share my fate with me. Very closely to the point they would use the term ¡®family.¡¯ But family¡­ Isn¡¯t that too much? A family is a relationship made by heaven. ¡°A family is a relationship where you can share everything you have. Can we really do that? We each probably have things we cannot give up.¡± ¡°I can do it.¡± Is she being serious? There could be some sincerity in her words. But wouldn¡¯t her thoughts change if she hits the wall called greed? ¡°If I wanted all of the wealth that Kaldera-nim has, would you be able to share that as well?¡± ¡°If you want, I can give you even more than that.¡± ¡®Oh! Just what is she saying?¡¯ Kaldera answered without an ounce of hesitation. She answered so confidently that I was getting nervous even though I asked the question. But even more than that? What could that be? Kaldera seemed to have read my mind. She lightly bit down on her red lips with her white teeth before raising her hand as if she had made her resolve. But the direction of her hand was unexpected. It went to the sash that was tightly holding her clothes together. ¡°If you would like, I can even prove it to you right here.¡± *** Next morning. Humbley, Kaldera and I walked side by side as we left the residence. It was now time to say goodbye. ¡°When will you return?¡± ¡°1 year if I am early, but no later than two years at max.¡± ¡°Will you continue to remain in Huksen during that time?¡± Humbley was not saying anything. He was just watching us talk, as if he was leaving everything to Kaldera. ¡°I have somewhere to go for one or two months. After that, I will most likely be staying at Huksen¡¯s Athena Temple.¡± ¡°Can I ¡­¡­visit you every so often?¡± ¡°I do not think that is a good idea. As you mentioned, the Ameri Kingdom may be watching my movement. They may already be watching me as well.¡± Kaldera lightly bit down on her red lips. ¡°I understand. Please be careful.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way now.¡± I said goodbye to Humbley as well. I then did not look back as I got on the cart. I could feel Humbley and Kaldera¡¯s gaze until the cart got further away. Do I just need to go find Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade now? I immediately headed toward the Magman continent. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Finally back from the trip and got down to translating a bit. Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 108 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 108: The Magman Continent (1) Port Jaksen. It is a small port at the north most point of the Muon Continent. However, it is a pretty famous port for its size and number of visitors. It is because it is the only path to enter the Magman Continent. Portals do not exist in the Magman continent, so you can only enter by taking a ship from here. ¡°It¡¯s pretty stuffy.¡± The northern part of the Muon Continent is winter all year and extremely cold, but Port Jaksen was warm like a spring day. It was because of its proximity to the Magman Continent. The Magman Continent is extremely hot, to the point that it is called the ¡®Land of Magma.¡¯ That heat has traveled through the air and arrived all the way here. The distance from here to the Magman continent takes four days by ship, so the fact that this much heat can make it here should help you anticipate just how hot it is on the Magman Continent. I first headed toward the harbor. I then found a pretty aged sailor and asked. ¡°I wish to head to the Magman Continent. Can I get a ride?¡± ¡°Hoho, just what is going on? The Magman Continent is suddenly extremely popular. Five ships will leave again tomorrow. You can join them tomorrow.¡± Five ships will leave? But there was something even more shocking than that. ¡°Leave again?¡± ¡°They left about half a month ago with a load of people. Tomorrow is the second load.¡± That means it is a total of ten ships. I heard that about 20 people can fit on a ship, so if I do the math, close to 200 people are heading to the Magman Continent. Why would so many people be heading there? Well, the reason is kind of obvious. Every so often, there are people who head to the Magman Continent. They all have just one goal in mind. The Herb of Immortality. It is a required ingredient to create the Immortality Potion. One stem of the Herb of Immortality can create 100 bottles of the Immortality Potion. As you probably expect, the quality of the Herb of Immortality is what determines the quality of the Immortality Potion. Because of that, they sell for quite a hefty sum. High quality Herb of Immortality trade at an average of 1 billion won. An expensive stem can even sell for over 5 billion won. So if you can even find ten stems of it, there would be plenty of money for even 200 people to share. But it is a futile challenge. It is not like just anyone can find some Herbs of Immortality by going to the Magman Continent. They would be lucky to just safely return alive. It is none of my concern. It¡¯s not like they would give up because I try to convince them. ¡°The ships will leave at 7am tomorrow morning. Please do not be late.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I finished most of my preparations. But since I still had some time, I stopped by a Magic Store to buy a Magic Bag and a wooden box. Just in case. ¡®And another pair of clothes just in case.¡¯ I also stopped by the general store in case there was anything else I needed to prepare. But suddenly, someone called out my name. ¡°Aren¡¯t you Kang Hwi Ram?¡± There¡¯s someone who knows me all the way out here? It was welcoming and amazing, so I quickly turned my head. It was a guy with a long beard. The face was familiar. Although I only met him once before, I received quite the impression from him that time. ¡°Kenyon?¡± ¡°Hoho, you remember me!¡± How could I not? He was the only champion of the Chaos Battle. He was the champion at the highest level of competition at that. Which means, he is currently the strongest human alive. Of course that is not counting the Ares Temple¡¯s Warriors of Light. ¡°What are you doing out here¡­¡­?¡± I had an idea as I asked. I was right. ¡°Is there any other reason for a warrior like me to come to Port Jaksen? Of course I plan on heading to the Magman Continent to look for some Herbs of Immortality.¡± I guess you wouldn¡¯t have any other reason to come here. The 200 people must all be part of Kenyon¡¯s team. That should mean that their aim is not money, but that they probably got a special order from the Emperor or someone important to ¡®go find some Herbs of Immortality.¡¯ ¡°And what about you? Seeing as how you are alone, I do not think you are here to look for any Herbs of Immortality.¡± The Herbs of Immortality are not my goal. But I do have thoughts of getting some Herbs of Immortality while I am over there anyways. But I could not tell him the truth. I will be moving separately from them as soon as we arrive at the Magman Continent. ¡°The Magman Continent is so famous that I came to take a look at it.¡± ¡°What? Hahaha. You are really an idiot. That is somewhere you can easily lose your life. It is not somewhere for a low level like you to visit.¡± At that time, I participated in the under level 100 Chaos Battle. In Kenyon¡¯s point of view, I am probably a really low leveled character. ¡°I know. Thanks for worrying about me though.¡± ¡°You still plan on going. I will wish you luck. Hahaha. You really are a funny person.¡± Kenyon laughed out loudly as he left. Shit. I didn¡¯t expect to run into Kenyon here. That means that there will be a fierce battle between Titans and Humans on the Magman Continent. ¡®Things could go wrong.¡¯ I needed to move faster than I expected. The next day. I headed for the harbor as soon as it got bright. There were quite a lot of people gathered here. They were all Kenyon¡¯s team. They were all waiting to head to the Magman Continent as well. The Titan race rules the Magman Continent. It will take a long time to fight against them and secure some Herbs of Immortality. They will need a lot of equipment and food as well. But nobody seemed to be carrying much of anything as they were all in the magic bags. I was the same way. Other than the magic bag on my side and the magic cabinet on my back, I did not need anything else. I could see Kenyon as well. But he did not seem to care about me as there were a lot of people he needed to control. The ship set sail like that and after four days, we ended at the tip of the Magman Continent. Since there were no harbors on the Magman Continent, you could only swim the last 50 meters or so. The waves were quite rough. But any warrior who would travel to the Magman Continent would average higher than level 400. Although I raised my level to 305 on my way to Jaksen, I am probably still the lowest leveled person here. Everybody easily swam through the waves and arrived at the beach. ¡°Ah, hot! You might burn your feet if you walk around barefoot.¡± ¡°It definitely lives up to the rumors.¡± ¡°Stop whining and move quickly. Each squad do a head count.¡± ¡°Contact the teams that arrived on the first trip.¡± ¡°Stay alert. You¡¯ll die if you don¡¯t.¡± Kenyon¡¯s group started to move quickly. But some of them already looked exhausted. Both the air and the ground were hot. It made your face feel sweaty, and every breath felt like breathing in fire. So it was no wonder they were exhausted after less than 10 minutes. Of course it was different for me. My fire affinity was up to 59 % already. It went up without my knowledge while I was fighting in the Demon Caves while resisting the heat of the Fire Pillars. Thanks to that, I did not feel uncomfortable at all. ¡®My feet feel perfect right now.¡¯ I did not move once I arrived at the beach and just sat there. I waited until Kenyon¡¯s group completely disappeared. That was the only way for them to not know where I was going. The beach became quiet after about an hour. Kenyon¡¯s group disappeared further in while the ships returned back to Port Jaksen for the next trip. A messenger ship will come around once every ten days to see if there are any news. ¡®Then shall I start moving now?¡¯ It may be called a continent, but the Magman Continent is really just a large island. Of course size-wise, it is larger than most countries. The layout consists of thousands of mountains called the Immortal Mountain Range in the center with swamps in the West and a desert in the East. I followed the shoreline to the Immortal Desert in the East. I ran as fast as I could in order to reduce the time as much as possible. My pattern consisted of running for about two hours before taking a 30 minute break and practicing Jewel Alchemy. After running like that for four days, I finally arrived at the entrance of the Immortal Desert. The endless Immortal Desert. I could see the shore far to the right, while the left side was filled with a large boulder mountain with sharp cliffs. ¡®It is around there!¡¯ Chubach, one of the dwarves¡¯ third generation heroes. He was a hero in both the Dwarf world and the Human world. It was because he was someone who surpassed the Best Blacksmith and was challenging the quest to become a Legendary Blacksmith. The high-quality weapons that he made are still shining brightly in the world. But what a sad ending for him. He came to this Magman Continent for the Legendary Blacksmith quest. Although we don¡¯t know the actual contents of the quest, his destination seemed to be the top of the Immortal Mountain. But the Immortal Mountain is not somewhere you can enter. It is protected by the Titans who have overwhelming fighting abilities. That was why his choice was to use the naturally created secret pathway underneath the mountains. Chubach headed down the secret pathway. And that was the last anyone ever heard of him. He had died in this Magman Continent where neither humans, dwarves, or elves live. His grave should be inside a cave that is most likely hidden somewhere around that cliff. That is the direction I should go. I took out BachuPichu¡¯s Twin Blades from my bag. I have the blades that Goonto made for me, but I needed to raise two more levels in order to use combo. By the time I get through the Immortal Desert and fight the boss monster inside the cave, I should be able to use it. ¡®Let¡¯s go!¡¯ I took my first step into the desert. As soon as I entered, the extremely small Desert Ants slowly crawled over and attached themselves to my legs. The hot sand felt like it was at least 70 degrees. [1] And then these thousands of ants that bite at you without any regards. No wonder humans cannot get through this area no matter how high their level may be. But this was not all of the dangers in the Immortal Desert. Psssssssssh- Pssssssssh- Multiple sand pillars started to shoot up into the sky. These sand pillars quickly started to take shape. Sand Warrior. A human made of sand with a sword made of sand. But you cannot take them lightly. Although the blades may be dull, you¡¯ll still receive a lot of damage if they hit you. In addition, there were quite a lot of these Sand Warriors. At least one every 2 meters. It was almost like all of the sand in the Immortal Desert was the material for the Sand Warrior. Another reason the Sand Warriors are so scary is the fact that they just come right back to life once you kill them. Within 5 seconds at that. No matter how much stamina you may have, your stamina will run out if you fight in this area for just 1 hour. There are only two methods of surviving in the Immortal Desert. You either get through before you get tired, or you retreat before you get tired. Taaaaaht! I naturally picked the former. I kicked off the sand that was deep enough for my ankles to sink in and started to run forward. I used Drake¡¯s TBSA as I started to swing my blades against the Sand Warriors that filled the area like a bamboo forest. Papapat- The Sand Warriors that managed to last five or six hits at first started to crumble after just one hit as my combo went up. But another Sand Warrior shot up in the same spot. But I was already quickly past that area. The surroundings were full of Sand Warriors. There were so many that I could probably land a critical hit even with my eyes closed. As I continued like that, my combo started to endlessly go up. Since they moved slowly, they were even better sandbags than Deathworm. Papapat- ¡­¡­91 combo, 92 combo, 93 combo! ¡®Bladestorm!¡¯ I started another combo as I continued on. I continued to hear messages about a new combo record. After running for about 30 minutes, I had even managed to land a 126-hit combo. I seem to have at least 9 bonus stat points from new combo records alone. The end was right in front of me as well. As I ran toward the cliff while slashing the Sand Warriors, I could see the entrance to a large cave. The distance was about 300 meters. It shouldn¡¯t take more than 10 minutes to get there. Do good things happen together? I heard a nice message as well. I started to smile. ¡®Alright! I can change my weapon¡­¡­ah!¡¯ I knew things were going too well! The moment I started to cheer, I felt an emptiness under my feet. ¡®A trap!¡¯ I quickly pushed my body back in surprise. However, it was already too late. Even though I wanted to push myself out, there was nowhere for me to push off. I fell forward just like that. The sand was just an illusion. My body pushed into the fake sand and started to fall straight down. I still made sure not to let go of the blades in my hand. These were my lifeline. In addition, I could still see clearly in the completely dark area. It seemed to be a sink hole that was created in the middle of the desert sand. The depth was about 20 meters. I could see the bottom down below. I put some strength into my legs and fixed my center of gravity. I then bent my knees to reduce the impact as I landed. I quickly looked around as soon as I landed. Swiiiiiiiiish- I could hear the sound of wind. It did not seem to be a natural sound. It was as if a large monster was making the noise with its mouth. __________________________ [1] 70 C ~ 156 F Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader : Borderline Masochist Chapter 109 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 109: The Magman Continent (2) I turned my head and saw a spider the size of a house. ¡®It was you!¡¯ Hell Spider! It¡¯s a level 407 monster. But it is not really too dangerous. The reason its level is so high is not because of its attacking abilities, but because of its surroundings. Pitch darkness where you cannot see anything. No matter how strong a warrior may be, they cannot show their full strength in the darkness. It is also close to 90 degrees Celsius down here. [1] Normal people would immediately die from the heat. They would become the Hell Spider¡¯s food even if it did not attack. But it didn¡¯t do anything to me because of my high fire affinity. Chubach would have been in the same boat, and he would have overcome the darkness with a magic light to easily take care of the Hell Spider. Sshhhh- Shhhhhhhht- The Hell Spider quickly ran over and tried to bite me with its large mouth. But I could see everything. I turned to the side and slid to the bottom of the Hell Spider¡¯s body. I then used Drake¡¯s TBSA to create a combo. The Hell Spider tried its best to avoid it, but I just followed its movements and continued my combo. The Hell Spider was killed in less than a minute. I couldn¡¯t let my guard down yet. There could be more monsters nearby. But this was the only one. Other than the Desert Ants crawling on me, there weren¡¯t any other monsters around to attack me. Of course, the Desert Ants¡¯ attack strength was not strong enough to break through my reinforced toughness. I swiped them off with my hand and looked around me. The hall was pretty large. There were also many caves leading from the hall. Since I was stuck underground, I did not have any sense of direction. There was no way to determine which cave was connected to the cliff. ¡®Is it that one? Or maybe this one?¡¯ I looked around the hall, but I still could not figure it out. ¡®Ah, it¡¯s this way!¡¯ One of the caves was letting out a significant amount of heat. That should mean that it was headed to the center of the Immortal Mountain Range. Chubach should have gone into that cave. He probably ran into a monster he could not handle in there and perished in its hands. I will not follow Chubach¡¯s story. I will use every ability I have to overcome the challenge and rescue Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade. ¡®I need to change my weapon first.¡¯ I put my bonus stats in and finally took out Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. Just this made me feel really secure. Once I put on the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor, I will probably feel invincible. I moved into the cave without any hesitation. In the game, I failed the Dwarf Great Patriarch¡¯s quest. I made it out to the Magman Continent, but I could not find Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade. No, I didn¡¯t even manage to find this cave. That was why I had Kang Sung Ho investigate the draft plan for this quest, but he did not manage to find any information about Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade. I don¡¯t know if he couldn¡¯t find it, or if it doesn¡¯t exist. But the moment I saw this cave, I had a good feeling about it. I don¡¯t know why I felt that way, but I am confident that Chubach died somewhere in this cave. The reason is simple. His fire affinity was high, and his sword mastery was almost at the peak. For Chubach, the most disadvantageous situation would have been this darkness where he could not see anything. He might have had a magic light, but that can become useless with a single light breaker magic. Wouldn¡¯t the boss monster hiding in there have that skill? In the end, it is just my speculations. If I do things with just speculations without any real proof, it could all be for nothing. I needed to be thorough. I decided to become Chubach. That was the only way to know the direction Chubach moved, and also the only way to predict where he would have died. I put a magic light on my helmet and turned it on. This was what Chubach would have done. I put myself in Chubach¡¯s shoes and started to walk into the cave. It was a naturally created cave; the ground was very rough. I can walk through this rough terrain like it was flat because of my 1300+ agility, but Chubach would not have been able to do that. So, I moved slowly. It was a really long cave. I¡¯ve already been walking for two days, but I still cannot see the end. I don¡¯t even know how deep I am. The cave was full of turns, and I spent more time because monsters started to attack me in herds. All of them were heat-based monsters. But other than their extreme heat, they really didn¡¯t have any other strengths. That was why it was really easy to hunt them even though they were over level 300. Chubach would have been able to take care of these monster easily as well. He was a dwarf who was closed to perfect sword mastery. He would have been a much stronger warrior than I am right now. I walked like that for another day. Once I did, the narrow cave suddenly became really wide. I arrived at a hall the size of a basketball court. But it was not just one hall. If it was not for the giant stones that were like pillars being present every so often, it probably would have been the size of a soccer field. Yet there was only a limited area that I could move. The majority of the ground was made of boiling magma. ¡®Wow, it¡¯s pretty hot here.¡¯ It was so hot that even I felt a bit uncomfortable. But it was not enough for it to start lowering my HP. Suddenly, something shot up from the middle of the lava. ¡®Magma Giant! This monster was here!¡¯ I remembered seeing it in the draft plan. Naturally, I remembered all of its traits, strengths, and weaknesses. I always used the focus skill whenever I studied monsters. Paaat! My magic light suddenly went out. It was as I expected. The Magma Giant must have used Magic Break magic. It was making my heart start to beat faster. I was getting excited. I was considering everything going on in Chubach¡¯s point of view. Chubach would have faced the same situation. Which means, he would have suddenly lost all sight at this moment. He might have been close to the peak of sword mastery, but would he have been able to battle properly without being able to see? In addition, the Magma Giant was level 450. Although it was slow and the attack strength was not high, it had an almost infinite stamina. That means that no matter how strong Chubach may have been, it would have taken him at least 30 minutes of attacking to defeat the Magma Giant. That is impossible to do in the darkness. He also would not have been able to avoid the Magma Giant¡¯s attack. I came to a conclusion. ¡®This was Chubach¡¯s grave!¡¯ Then that Magma Giant should have Chubach¡¯s Sword. I just need to verify it. I first used a Jewel of Luck. It was not so that the Magma Giant would drop the Solar Blade. That was not something that would change because of a Jewel of Luck. It was just for the battle. Similar to how a mouse can die from a cow just moving backwards, I used the jewel to prevent having an unlucky encounter with the Magma Giant. I also drank a HP potion in advance. The Magma Giant arrived in front of me while I did that. This means that he was able to see me clearly in the darkness. But he would just be my sandbag anyways. Other than the heat, he was slow and his attack was weak, making him not much different than Deathworm. Based on his movement, he was much slower than I expected after reading the draft plan. Taaaaat! I used Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades to perform Drake¡¯s TBSA. Even though the attack strength was much higher than Bachu Pichu¡¯s Twin Blades, the beginning damage was still just 1. Should mean that the Magma Giant¡¯s defense is that high. But that doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is whether I manage to land a critical hit or not. Papapat! [1] [1] [1] ¡­¡­ All of them were green damage, which meant critical hit was landing properly. After just 11 hits, the damage started to rise significantly. ¡­¡­ [19] [46] [78] ¡­¡­ My combo skill was at advanced level 1. The level slowed down a lot once it reached the advanced level, but it continued to go up as I managed to land high level combos against hordes of monsters in the Demon Caves. It should be able to reach advanced level 2 soon. Anyways, having it at advanced meant the damage increased much faster. At first it didn¡¯t even leave a scratch on the Magma Giant¡¯s skin, but it started to make large injuries once it hit 20 hits. The Magma Giant had amazing recovery as well. Even though I managed to create a decently large injury, it looked like magma just flowed down to mend it. But time overcomes all. It was just a 30 hit combo right now. Let¡¯s see if it can recover the combo damage of 50 hits this easily as well. Papapat- The injury started to grow in size as the combo hit went higher. Drake¡¯s TBSA was also advanced level 1, so it took less than 10 seconds to reach 50 hit combo. Raaaaaawr- The Magma Giant made a noise. I had no idea what it was trying to say, but it seemed to be getting nervous. But the situation did not change. I managed to land combos over and over and defeated the Magma Giant in less than a minute. Boom- ¡°Hooooo.¡± Compared to the Magma Giant, it was overwhelming attack strength. Furthermore, the heat from the Magma Giant wasn¡¯t that strong either. It reduced less than 3 HP per second. It was not a concern because of my endurance stat and the potion I drank in advance. But. ¡°What? That¡¯s it? What about Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade?¡± I did not see it anywhere. But there was a reason for that. Raaaawr- Another Magma Giant was shooting up over from the magma over there. Two of them at the same time this time. No, three. ¡®Shit, it wasn¡¯t the boss monster?¡¯ Then who is the boss monster here? The Magma Giant was not an easy enemy. It was level 450. Then the boss monster would be stronger than that. ¡®It¡¯s not going to be easy.¡¯ But I could not give up after coming this far. Since I have the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute, I will challenge it until my last breath. It doesn¡¯t matter whether there are three or four Magma Giants. I just need to find a narrow area and fight. Then I just need to fight them one at a time. Huff. Huff. Huff. Just how many are there? I already defeated over 200 of them. But they continued to shoot out from the magma. I was just thankful that there was a time gap between them. Only about one was shooting up every 30 seconds. But because of that, I had to fight without resting for close to 2 hours. At full strength at that. Although the heat itself wasn¡¯t strong, I lost a lot of HP if the Magma Giant even touched me. My stamina was at the bottom. It would be great if I could rest just 10 minutes. I couldn¡¯t rest. If I did, there would be a lot more Magma Giants to defeat at once. I might even need to give up and retreat. But it wasn¡¯t like I could just continue to fight without an end in sight. ¡®Let¡¯s just push through!¡¯ Thankfully, I could see the Magma Giants¡¯ pattern. As soon as the Magma Giants started to move, I could now predict what they were going to do. One of the Magma Giants slightly moved its shoulder. It was starting the movement where it raises its arm high and slams it down. ¡®Now!¡¯ The moment the Magma Giant raised its arm, I ran through the gap. Raaaawr- The Magma Giant lowered its arm quickly, but I was much faster. I had already rushed past it and started to run. There were five other Magma Giants behind it. But it was a pretty wide area, so I moved around to avoid them. The Magma Giants chased after me, but they were so slow that it shouldn¡¯t hinder my escaping the hall. But I had to stop after taking only a few more steps. There was a Magma Giant that seemed to be much stronger than the others standing in front of me. It was twice as large, and a different color. It seemed to be much hotter than the other Magma Giants. ¡®That is the boss!¡¯ The more surprising thing was¡­¡­ ¡°Human. You have the Owl¡¯s Eye!¡± Was the fact that the Magma Giant could speak human language. It also figured out about my Owl¡¯s Eye almost instantly. ¡®What is its identity?¡¯ ¡°This is an area only Titans are allowed to enter. You who have entered without permission, pay for it with your life.¡± I did not need to know its identity. The important thing was that I would die if I did not manage to kill it. No, there was something more important. ¡®That bastard has Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade!¡¯ For some reason, I felt confident that this was true. _______________________ [1] ¨C 194 F Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 110 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 110: The Magman Continent (3) Now that I think about it, the Magma Giant in the draft plan must have been this one. I knew those other ones were too easy. It is disadvantageous for me the longer this goes. The fake Magma Giants are continuing to chase after me. It is going to be tough enough facing one of them, it will become even more complicated if I need to take care of those small fry as well. I kicked off the ground to launch the first attack. Taat! ¡°You stupid human! You think you can defeat me?¡± The Magma Giant mocked me and started to swing its hand toward me. It was much faster than the other ones. But whatever. It was all the same to me. I twisted directions and easily dodged the Magma Giant¡¯s hand. I then approached it and started to swing my twin blades. Papapat- The damage was, of course, just 1. But the important thing was that I was landing critical hits. A combo was started. ¡°Human! You are fast!¡± The Magma Giant let out an admiration in shock. It talked quite a bit for something its size. The Magma Giant tried to step on me this time. Boom- But it was useless. I instantly moved and continued my combo. ¡­¡­37 hit, 38 hit, 39 hit ¡­¡­ Papapat- Roar- Finally, instead of talking, it let out a groan. It must be feeling quite a bit of pain now that the damage was over 5,000. But this was just the beginning. I moved left and right to dodge as I continued to increase my combo. I could see each of the Magma Giant¡¯s movement. It was bigger, faster, and hotter than the others, but the movement pattern was not very different. I specifically targeted the Magma Giant¡¯s thigh as I attacked. Since it was so tall, its thigh was right in front of my eye. That made it very easy to attack. Papapat- But time truly does overcome all. Even though it had a very strong recover rate, once I landed two 80 hit combos, one of the legs looked like it was about to get cut down. In the end, the Magma Giant fell down. Slam! But I could not relax just yet. The magma flowing from the top was quickly healing the injury on the thigh. This time, I started to attack the Magma Giant¡¯s neck. Once it sat down, the neck ended up in a good spot to attack. Furthermore, the Magma Giant¡¯s lower body was in a fixed position, making it difficult for it to turn its body. All it could do was flail its arms once I went behind it to attack its neck. Papapat- It¡¯s neck quickly started being damaged. I should be able to cut its neck if I swing a couple more times. At that moment, the Magma Giant started to say some unexpected words. ¡°Enough! I have lost! Please don¡¯t kill me.¡± ¡®Oh! This is similar to something I¡¯ve heard before.¡¯ Why am I suddenly thinking about Chief Kobbit? But I did not stop my cutlass. It was because I did not hear a message in my head. Which means, this could be it trying to trick me. It¡¯s trying to buy time to heal itself and gather together with the small fry to gang up on me. Most importantly, there was no reason to keep it alive. It¡¯s not like I could take him around like Chief. ¡°Why should I let you live?¡± The combo ended while I hesitated, but I quickly restarted it. In less than 4 seconds, I already had a 20 hit combo going. The neck that was quickly recovering was getting thinner once more. At this moment, the Magma Giant started to speak again. It was much more urgent than last time. ¡°I will be friends with you.¡± I heard a voice in my head at the same time. I started to smile once I heard the message. ¡®I finally found it! Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade!¡¯ I quickly verified the information. [Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade: Personalized for Chubach] It is the Solar Blade created by the Best Blacksmith Chubach. Durability: 387/593 Attack Strength: 401 Attack Speed: 35 Restrictions: Strength 953, Agility 71, Level 360 *Attack strength increases by 11% when used by Chubach. It is Chubach¡¯s personalized weapon as I expected. But the personalized effect increases the attack strength by 11%? He really was an amazing blacksmith. Of course, it has nothing to do with me. It¡¯s not a sword that I can use. I also had many other gains in addition to the Solar Blade. 3 Herbs of Immortality and even a Chaos Jewel. All of this was enough to say this trip was a success. ¡®But, a friend request?¡¯ It must be different than a slave. One decision may change the entire future. It would be fine if it was something good, but it may go in a bad direction. ¡°What will I gain by being friends with a monster like you?¡± ¡°If I die, all of the magma warriors will rise up at once. I know that you are talented, but will you be able to survive past a horde of magma warriors?¡± It is a pretty sharp threat. Although they may be slow, there were already over 100 small fry Magma Giants. No matter how fast I am, it is close to impossible to get past all of them unharmed. But the the Magma Giant had another condition as well. ¡°If you let me live, I will also give you a special gift.¡± ¡°A special gift? What is it?¡± ¡°The Flame Fairy¡¯s Breath.¡± I have never heard about it before. I never saw it in the game and I don¡¯t recall seeing it while studying the draft plan either. But more important than benefits is the penalty. It was like that when I took Chief Kobbit as a slave. I earned a lot of things thanks to Chief, but didn¡¯t I get a ton of infamy because of him? If I earned that kind of infamy without having a plan, terrible things would have happened. It is wise not to take unnecessary risks. I can always come back later if I go back to the human world and determine that there is no issues with it. ¡°I will decline your friend request. However, if you promise me my safety, I will promise not to kill you.¡± ¡°Fine. I promise.¡± I heard the voice in my head as soon as the Magma Giant agreed. In that instant, all of the Magma Giant¡¯s injuries were healed. Its thigh and neck returned to normal as well. The Magma Giant stood up. It was about three times taller than me. I had to crank my head back really far to see its head. The Magma Giant lowered itself for my sake once more. He then stared thoroughly at my neck. ¡°By the way, it seems that you have Bogochan¡¯s Necklace.¡± I earned this when I made Chief Kobbit my slave. ¡°You know about this?¡± ¡°Of course. Will you trade it with me? If you give me Bogochan¡¯s Necklace, I will gift you the Flame Fairy¡¯s Breath I mentioned earlier.¡± I wonder what this Flame Fairy¡¯s Breath is. Based on his tone, it seems to be better than Bogochan¡¯s Necklace. ¡°Show me this so called Flame Fairy¡¯s Breath.¡± The Magma Giant opened its palm. I could see a shining red jewel on its hand. The color was the same as the Jewel of Luck, but the shape was completely different. [Flame Fairy¡¯s Breath] Permanently raise fire affinity by 20%. Permanently increase friendliness with fairies by 20 points. You can use your sword to create a Fire Storm. It can be used once every 24 hours. Based on just the fire affinity, it is not much better than Bogochan¡¯s Necklace. Bogochan¡¯s Necklace gave +10% to Fire Affinity, +20% to Earth Affinity, and +20 to Intuition. But the other information was very important. Fire Storm and friendliness with fairies. Even more important was that it was not an item you equipped like Bogochan¡¯s Necklace. It was something I absorbed. That means that I can find another good necklace and equip it. If I wear Bogochan¡¯s Necklace, I can¡¯t put another necklace on for the benefits to stack. It was a trade where I had nothing to lose. ¡°Fine.¡± I took Bogochan¡¯s Necklace off and handed it to the Magma Giant. I decided I might as well take a break and opened my status window and skills window to see the changes. Hometown: Titan Valley (Batoru Kingdom) Disposition: Militant Fire Affinity: 61% Water Affinity: 3% Wind Affinity: 3% Earth Affinity: 66% Light Affinity: 100% Ice Affinity: 3% [Fire Storm Skill (Cool time 24 hrs): Beginner 0%] It is a satisfactory trade. I can easily find a good necklace in an accessory store and buy one. Furthermore, I also solidified my safety in the Immortal Cave, so I have nothing to worry about on my way back. It was almost like the Magma Giant was my helper on the Magman Continent. ¡®Hmm? Helper?¡¯ Now that I think about it, the Magma Giant is the boss of this place. It might not know about the entire Magman Continent, but it should know more about this Immortal Cave than anyone else. I was in a difficult spot because of all these forks in the road. Even this place had multiple paths. How am I to know which of the caves leads to the Immortal Mountain Range? ¡°Which path leads to the Immortal Mountain Range?¡± ¡°That cave over there.¡± The Magma Giant pointed its finger to tell me. So easy. It felt like my whole vision was getting brighter. Why should I stop at it being my guide? It will be good to suck out any information I can from it. Especially about Chubach. Since the Magma Giant had Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade, its should have more accurate information than anyone else. ¡°You know Dwarf Chubach right?¡± ¡°I know of him. He was the only individual to make it here before you.¡± ¡°Then do you know where Chubach¡¯s other belongings are? Such as his bag or his armor.¡± ¡°Chubach dropped his Solar Blade here while fighting against me. He was running away from me when he was caught by the Titans. If he had any other items, I¡¯m sure the Titans have it.¡± That means that it will be almost impossible to recover any of his belongings. There is no way the Titans will happily hand it over. And it wasn¡¯t like a Titan would agree to a trade with me. That¡¯s disappointing. I heard Chubach¡¯s Armor was a really good item as well. But it should not be as good as the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor. It¡¯s something I wouldn¡¯t use anyways. No need to go on an adventure like that for money. I rested enough. My stamina had recovered a decent amount as well. Now it was time to move. ¡°Thank you! I¡¯ll be on my way now.¡± ¡°There are many Titans in the Immortal Mountain Range. Titans do not forgive foreigners trespassing into the Immortal Mountain Range. Be careful of them.¡± Even I know that. The Titans become two to three times stronger in the Immortal Mountain Range. Fighting with Titans there is a stupid idea. In order to avoid them, I need to hurry up. ¡°I understand.¡± I quickly moved to the cave that the Magma Giant had pointed out. There were many magma pits as well as Magma Giants that looked like they were enjoying a hot bath. But they did not respond to my approaching them. Maybe it was due to my peace treaty with the Magma Giant. They even answered me if I asked questions every so often. ¡°What direction do I need to go for the Immortal Mountain Range?¡± ¡°Over there.¡± I finally saw the sky through a hole after walking like that for four days. It felt almost like a chimney. The hole was pretty wide. The wall was rough, so there were many places to use to climb up. ¡°Oorachacha.¡± I crawled up the path. The hole was so high up that it took quite a while to climb all the way up. But I finally managed to crawl out. ¡®Ah, how refreshing!¡¯ The inside of the cave smelled like sulfur. Although the heat was a problem, I was getting a headache from all that sulfuric smell. On the other hand, it was a pretty wide forest outside the hole. Beautiful trees that seemed to be at least 200m tall filled the area. I took a deep breath and appreciated the fresh air. But it was not time to relax. The Titans are always patrolling the Immortal Mountain Range. Especially in the middle of the day when the sun is shining. In addition, I¡¯m sure I smell like sulfur after staying in the cave that long. Although I can hide my body using Stealthy Approach, I cannot hide the smell of sulfur. ¡®Let¡¯s wait until it gets darker.¡¯ I went back into the chimney-like path. There was a small bump around the middle where I could sit and rest. I sat there and practiced my Jewel Alchemy and waited for time to pass by. But I felt something weird when I checked my skill information. [Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate level 5, 86%] ¡®Huh?! When did this go up so high?¡¯ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 111 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 111: Upgrade (1) The last time I checked was just before entering the Dwarf Village. I remember that it was barely at level 5, 10 percent at that point. But now it was at 86 percent. How did it get so high in such a short amount of time? I suddenly remembered something. When I received the Flame Fairy¡¯s Breath, it said that my friendliness with the fairies will permanently go up by 20 points. The core of Jewel Alchemy was raising the ability to communicate with the fairies within the five-colored jewels. That must be why it suddenly went up. But it would not have raised that much with just that. ¡®There has to be something else.¡¯ I suddenly remembered that something else. I was kissed by the Peria Souls at the Peria Oasis. My magic went up by 1 point with every kiss. Maybe those kisses also raised my friendliness with the fairies as well. ¡®That makes sense! When you get involved in fairy-related issues, your friendliness must go up as well.¡¯ Then you¡¯ll be able to communicate well with the fairy energy inside the jewels. This explains why my skill level suddenly shot up. Once I thought that far, I remembered the quest I received from the Peria Souls. I had to gather more Fairy¡¯s Tears to release 100 Peria Souls. If can do that, I will receive a Guardian Spirit as a reward. If I succeed, wouldn¡¯t my friendliness with fairies rise even more? Then Jewel Alchemy may instantly jump up past intermediate level 7. Jewel Alchemy Intermediate Level 7. That means that I would be able to use the Jewels of Fortification as I please. Which means that I can strengthen all of my equipment by one level. That alone will raise my abilities a minimum of 5 percent. The dwarves should have a lot of Jewels of Fortification in storage. Even though it is more expensive than the Jewel of Luck, if I make the right deal, I should be able to get them for free. My heart was already beating really fast. ¡®No matter what, I must successfully complete the Guardian Spirit quest.¡¯ I also need to put even more effort into combining jewels. More effort will make the skill level go up even faster. I opened my eyes. It was already dark. The light that came in from the top of the path was not visible anymore. I was so tired after finishing my jewel combinations that even though I thought I closed my eyes for a moment, I must have fallen asleep. ¡®I hope I didn¡¯t sleep too long.¡¯ I climbed up the wall again. The outside of the path was also dark. Fortunately, it was not too dark. It seemed to be just around the time when darkness begins to spread. I woke up at the perfect time. My condition was also very good thanks to that nap. I put away Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades and picked up a pickaxe instead. Now I just needed to find and gather the Herbs of Immortality. I heard that Titans do not have much activity at night. Furthermore, this place was deep in the Immortal Mountain Range. It is almost impossible for an intruder like me to get in here to while avoiding the eyes of the Titans. So there should be less Titan patrols over here. In other words, I can search in peace until the morning. ¡®Where could it be?¡¯ I started to wander through the forest in search of the Herbs of Immortality. I already memorized enough of the information. What terrain it grew in and what shape it would be around this time of year. The shape of the leaves were extremely unique, and, right now, it should have red fruits, making it easy to find. ¡®Oh, I found one. Another one over there. Oh! They¡¯re forming a community!¡¯ It felt like a farm that was growing Herbs of Immortality. Over 100 Herbs of Immortality with red fruits were growing in a narrow area. Of course, it was not a field. I heard that Herbs of Immortality were impossible to grow, and I have never heard that Titans grow crops. It was just that this place was so deep in the Immortal Mountain Range that there were no outside intruders for thousands of years, thus the Herbs of Immortality have grown large enough to become such a colony. I still have a conscience. I left the small ones alone. The number of branches that are outstretched can be used to roughly estimate the age of a Herb of Immortality. The ones with many branches are said to be over 3,000 years old. Of course, those guys were not common. ¡®Woah, how many branches does that one have?¡¯ Six branches were shooting out from the base. Each of the six branches were then each divided into three branches. With that many branches, it was easily over 1,000 years old. ¡®That one is the same, and that one as well¡­¡­¡¯ There were at least ten Herbs of Immortality that were at least 1,000 years old located here. I picked up the pickaxe and started to dig. I tried my utmost to make sure I did not hurt a single root. How much would Herbs of Immortality over 1,000 years old be worth? Most of the Herbs of Immortality on the market are around 500 years old. Even those are so precious that they can cost 500 million won per root. Then these guys will be at least over a billion won. No, it would be up to the bidder. Since nobody has seen a 1,000+ year old Herb of Immortality before, if it meets the right owner, would two billion be a problem? If you think about it that way, it¡¯s like I instantly earned close to 20 billion won. In addition, there were a plethora of Herb of Immortality colonies here. Just moving a little bit would lead me to a new group of Herbs of Immortality. Naturally, I was excited. I forgot about the time as I continued to swing my pickaxe. Before I knew it, it was starting to become light again. ¡®Has it already been that long?¡¯ Since I was deep in the mountains, it will quickly get dark and quickly get bright. That means that the Titans will start their patrol soon. It is disappointing, but I need to stop here. I quickly started to move. ¡®Where was the path I came from? Oh, over there. ¡® After being lost for a moment, I finally found the path that led to the underground cave. At that moment, I heard some movement above as well as someone speaking in a deep voice. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Someone gathered up the Herbs of Immortality. Ah! Over there as well!¡± ¡°Oh. My. God. They dug up the whole mountain. It is an intruder! And there must be a number of them.¡± ¡°Quickly, ring the alarm! Dispatch the Titans to search the area.¡± It would have been really bad if I was even just a bit slower. I quickly jumped into the path and ran through the cave. ¡°Did you finish your business?¡± It was the voice of the Magma Giant. ¡°Thanks to you.¡± ¡°I can smell the scent of the Herb of Immortality. Did you dig up some Herbs of Immortality?¡± ¡°A couple.¡± It was actually not just a little. I managed to gather over 200 roots overnight. And all of them were over 1,000 years old. I knew there would be a lot of them, but I never expected there to be that many Herbs of Immortality. ¡°The Titans treasure the Herbs of Immortality as much as they treasure their own lives. All of the Titans are my friends. If you come back with the intention to dig up more Herbs of Immortality in the future, I cannot allow that.¡± It is just an herb that is good for your body. The Titans just do all of this because they want to monopolize them. The fact that I took 200 roots would not have any impact on the Titans. I also had no intentions of coming back here for more Herbs of Immortality. My goal this time was Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade, the Herbs of Immortality were just extra. The Titans will also be on their guard much more next time anyways. I had no reason to put my life on the line for something like this. ¡°I will remember your words. But which path leads to the outside? I fell in through a pit in the desert on my way in, but it will probably be difficult to go back up that way.¡± ¡°This way.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± I gently waved as I started to run toward the direction the Magma Giant pointed toward. I could see the magma warriors around the area as well. They were happy to provide directions whenever I was confused. Thanks to them, I was able to get out of there pretty quickly. It still took me about two full days. It was because the cave was long and had a lot of twists and turns. Outside the cave was the Immortal Desert. Thankfully, there seemed to be less than 2 kilometers to the plains. I started to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades once more to take care of the Sand Warriors as I ran out of the desert. I had placed all of the Herbs of Immortality in a magic bag and then placed that magic bag in the magic cabinet, so there were no issues with my movements at all. The Sand Warrior¡¯s Voice. As the name indicates, it just lets out a noise. All it can do is gather the interest of low leveled monsters. It is a pretty useless item. But that wasn¡¯t a reason to just throw it away, so I just gathered them inside my magic bag. ¡°Phew, all done now!¡± Avanguarde. ¡°Gasp! This¡­¡­?¡± The Herb of Immortality appraiser dropped his jaws. His eyes were opened so wide that his eyeballs might fall out. It was not a bad sign. I just showed him the best Herb of Immortality that I had on me. He¡¯s probably so excited that he is speechless. ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked with a face full of expectation. Even Humbley and Kaldera next to me were full of expectation. ¡°A-Amazing. I have inspected many Herbs of Immortality as I traveled throughout the continent, but I have never seen such high quality Herb of Immortality in my life.¡± The appraiser¡¯s voice was shaking. He was full of admiration. ¡°How old do you think it is?¡± ¡°How much do you think it could sell for?¡± Humbley and Kaldera started to ask questions at the same time. Extremely old Herbs of Immortality were hard to purchase even if you had billions of won. Which means, it was more useful for lobbying purposes rather than selling it for money. ¡°In my opinion, it is definitely over 2,000 years. I believe it is close to 3,000 years old.¡± My jaws dropped unintentionally. I knew it would be over 1,000 years old, but I never expected it to be close to 3,000 years old. It was amazing that Herbs of Immortality could even live for that long. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare to put a price on it. Something like this would not ever come out to the market. With the right buyer, even 10 billion won would be considered cheap.¡± ¡®Wow, 10 billion won!¡¯ I almost said that out loud. But it was not that unreasonable if you thought about it. Even I had hundreds of billions of won on me. It would not be hard to spend 10 billion won to get a rare item like these Herbs of Immortality. It is probably even better for a successful merchant like Humbley. He could probably make 10 billion won in a day. On the other hand, a Herb of Immortality like this could not be bought for even 100 billion won. ¡°You will naturally keep this a secret?¡± ¡°How could I not? If my mouth was light, I would not have managed to survive until now.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The appraiser received his appraisal fee and left. Once the appraiser was gone, Humbley finally asked the difficult question. ¡°Where did you find such a precious item?¡± He wouldn¡¯t believe me even if I told him. It wasn¡¯t that important right now anyways. I pretended not to hear Humbley¡¯s question and brought up the more important question. ¡°I have quite a lot of these types of Herbs of Immortality. Will you be able to take care of them?¡± ¡°When you say a lot, just how many¡­¡­?¡± I was planning on slowly getting rid of them. However, Humbley is many levels higher than me when it comes to business. It wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t trust Humbley. So I decided to leave it all to Humbley at once. Well, not all of it. I have my own plans for a couple of the oldest roots. So I decided to leave it all at once. Of course, not all. I am the best person in the world, and I have plans to write a few roots apart. ¡°It¡¯s roughly two hundred roots.¡± Humbley and Kaldera both instantly seemed to blank out. ¡°How many roots did you say?¡± ¡°Two hundred roots. Of course, it is not urgent. But I think it would be better to dispose of it before the Jeppi enter the continent. ¡± ¡°Kang Hwi Ram-nim, just what ¡­¡­?¡± Huh? Why is he looking at me like I am a monster? * * * I arrived at the Volcanus Temple in the Dwarf Village. Goonto ran over as soon as he heard that I was back. ¡°Oh oh! human! You¡¯re back! ¡± It was not just Goonto. The Great Patriarch Bangart, as well as many dwarves flocked to the temple. The temple was quickly full of dwarves. People would be surprised to see the dwarves welcoming a human like this. Of course, they were not welcoming me. Fitting the hasty nature of the dwarves, the Great Patriarch Bangart quickly got to the point. ¡°What happened with Chubach-nim¡¯s Solar Blade?¡± I responded with my action. I took Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade out of the magic cabinet and handed it to Bangart. Bangart carefully received the Solar Blade as if he was receiving a gift from the gods. ¡°Oh, it really is Chubach-nim¡¯s Solar Blade. Unbelievable.¡± ¡°Is it really? A human managed to complete that difficult task? Something even us dwarves could not complete?¡± ¡°Amazing. I knew he was amazing since he took care of the Golden Alligator.¡± ¡°It is a day to be recorded in the dwarven history.¡± All of the dwarves were amazed and started to chatter. But Goonto could not say anything. The Solar Blade was much more special to Goonto than the other dwarves. Goonto was a Best Blacksmith who was aiming to become a Legendary Blacksmith. Right now, he was at the level of almost reaching the peak of Sword Mastery. The Solar Blade held the key for him to succeed. That was why I had also taken a good look at Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade. I wanted to see if I could find the key to achieving Sword Mastery. But it was impossible for me. I was just a blacksmith specializing in Jewel Alchemy. Only a dwarf who specialized in metalsmithing could read that key. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like there was no chance for me at all. The story can change in the future when I can use the Jewels of Fortification. But it is impossible for now. ¡°Great Patriarch-nim. May I touch it?¡± Goonto asked in a shaking voice that did not fit his persona. Bangart had no reason to reject him. Wasn¡¯t this an opportunity for his son to get one step closer to becoming a legendary blacksmith? That would be a blessing to all dwarves. Bangart quickly handed the Solar Blade to Goonto. ¡°Be very careful with it.¡± ¡°Yes, Great Patriarch-nim.¡± Goonto received the Solar Blade even more carefully than Bangart. I was flabbergasted while looking at them. It was a strong sword that would not have a single scratch even after even slamming it down on a boulder. Was there a reason to be so careful with it? Either way, what happens next did not matter to me. I just needed to take what I earned. I looked toward Bangart. ¡°I successfully completed the quest, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 112 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 112: Upgrade (2) Fortification skill! I had earned the right to use the Jewels of Fortification. Of course just getting the right did not mean I could freely use the Jewels of Fortification as I pleased. Even if I used it now, there is a high chance of failure because my skill level is too low. [Fortification Skill: Beginner 0%] There are two methods of raising the fortification skill. The fastest way is to use Jewels of Fortification and attempt to strengthen things. But you have to waste too many Jewels of Fortification for that. The other way is to increase the skill level of Jewel Alchemy. Then the fortification skill¡¯s level will rise together with it. And if Jewel Alchemy gets past level 7, the success rate for fortification will exponentially increase even if the fortification skill is at a low level. ¡°Human. I am guessing you plan on challenging to become a Best Blacksmith?¡± Bangart asked the question. Is there even a need to ask? I nodded my head without hesitation. Bangart immediately handed me the first quest for the Best Blacksmith occupation as if he had been waiting for my response. ¡®Oh, friendliness with the fairies!¡¯ A friendliness of 100 is an extremely high amount. Just raising it by 20 made my Jewel Alchemy level shoot up. But I need to push this quest back a bit. If I wanted to do it I could fortify my equipment now, but the chances of failure are too high. Jewels of Fortification are too precious to waste like that. I will go do some more Demon Cave clearing until I get the guardian spirit for the Peria quest. My success rate should go up significantly at that point. I will attempt to fortify a weapon at that point. Then shall I head back to Shione? But there was something I needed to take care of first. It was related to Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade. Goonto was still completely mesmerized by the Solar Blade. He was even caressing it with extreme sincerity. I extended my hand out to Goonto. Goonto saw my hand and lifted his head up. He did not seem very happy. He must have finally remembered something after a bit. ¡°Ah, Shadow Fox! It has been completed for about a week.¡± Goonto took the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor out of his bag and handed it to me. [Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor Set] Armor, pants, gloves, boots, and helmet make the set. Made with the Shadow Fox¡¯s hide, as well as the Golden Alligator hide and Midnight Black scales. Durability: 186/186 Defense: 115 Restriction: Level 300 *Agility +41 *Magic Resistance +28 *Toughness +50 *Special ability: Stealthy Approach S-Rank, Evasion S-Rank *Special skill: Dark Force (Cooltime 1 hour) I started to smile after reading the information. It was an upgraded version of the Skywolf¡¯s Leather Armor in all aspects. In addition, the fact that it has the Shadow Fox¡¯s special skill, Dark Force, makes it ranked even higher. Most importantly, I liked the +50 to toughness. It is a perfect addition for me. How could I remain stoic when it was such a good armor? If I go into a Demon Cave wearing this, the clearing time will significantly decrease. I immediately changed into the Shadow Fox¡¯s Armor Set. I was never happy with this current armor because I just randomly bought it at a store. ¡°Feels nice. Thank you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad that you like it.¡± Goonto had a satisfied expression. It was a common trait in dwarf blacksmiths. If they manage to create a great piece, they feel just as happy as the person using it. Then there is just one more thing. I reached my hand out back to Goonto. Goonto had a confused expression. ¡°What else? Is there anything else I need to give you?¡± I pointed at the Solar Blade in Goonto¡¯s hand. ¡°That¡¯s mine. You have to return it if you are done looking at it.¡± Goonto¡¯s face turned pale almost instantly. ¡°What? This is a Dwarf Treasure.¡± ¡°You seem to have the wrong idea. I told you that I will find it, I never said I will give it to the dwarves. Nor did the quest tell me I had to give it either.¡± ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°This¡­¡­!¡± Not only Goonto, but the rest of the dwarves including Bangart could not close their dropped jaws in shock. They finally recalled the quest information. All of them looked anxious. Goonto seemed especially anxious. This was the first time I¡¯ve seen him not looking confident. Goonto hesitated for a long time before hiding the Solar Blade behind him. ¡°How much will it be?¡± What the heck? I already have plenty of money. ¡°I¡¯m not selling it.¡± ¡°I also cannot hand this over to a human.¡± ¡°What do you mean hand over? I am just asking you to return what is mine. Are you planning on stealing a friend¡¯s belonging?¡± ¡°Then what is it you want? Please. This is a Dwarf treasure. You know that as well.¡± Of course I know. Furthermore, I really don¡¯t have any interest in the Solar Blade. It may be an amazing treasure for the dwarves, but it is a useless piece of metal to me. Of course the story will change later. I really need that Solar Blade when I go to rescue Akto¡¯s Soul. I just need to briefly use it for that. I¡¯m just acting in order to get a couple more things from the dwarves. ¡°If you want it that much, I can let you borrow it with some conditions. However, you cannot forget that the ownership lies with me.¡± They still do not seem happy. But they cannot reject this offer. At least the dwarves will get to keep the Solar Blade. ¡°What are your conditions?¡± ¡°I was able to recover something that the dwarves were unable to find. So the dwarves need to get something that I cannot get on my own.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± ¡°The Five-Colored Jewels.¡± The Dwarves are a race that specialize in mining and blacksmithing. They are much more skilled at finding the Five-Colored Jewels. With the Dwarves¡¯ help, I should be able to get enough of the jewels I want. But they did not seem too happy. Even dwarves could not find the five-colored jewels that easily. Of course, they have no issues getting Jewels of Creation of Jewels of Luck. But the Chaos Jewel and Jewel of Wisdom are difficult to find even for dwarves. [TL: Guess it really should have been Jewel of Chaos to go with the rest¡­whoops] ¡°Of course, I will pay the normal price for them. And I will extend the loan period based on the number of jewels you find. I can even hand over ownership if you find a lot of good jewels for me.¡± ¡°What? You will transfer the ownership?¡± Goonto¡¯s expression instantly changed. Those jewels were just, ¡®money,¡¯ related things, but the Solar Blade was not something that you could buy with money. ¡°I am still friends with the Dwarves. I do not only think about my own greed.¡± ¡°Fine. Come with me.¡± ¡®What? They¡¯re going to give it to me right now?¡¯ I followed behind Goonto. Bangart and some other dwarves walked with us as well. Goonto headed to a pretty deep underground cave. The long cave had many doors with numbers on them. It seemed to be an underground storage room. Dwarves holding weapons were lined up throughout the cave. Goonto stood in front of door 185. A dwarf blocked their way, but opened the door after Goonto and Bangart spoke with him for a while. ¡°Enter.¡± I entered through the door. It really was a storage room. The walls and ceiling were finished well to look like a human basement. There were shelves on the walls and color-coordinated boxes were stacked up on the shelves. Goonto opened up a red box and opened the lid. ¡®Wow! These are all Jewels of Luck?¡¯ There were over 1,000 of them. There seemed to be at least 10 of those red boxes. That should mean the color of the box should be the color o the jewel, and the spotted one should be Chaos Jewels while the blue boxes should have Jewels of Fortification. Goonto looked at my expression and asked with expectation. ¡°Will this be enough?¡± What? Does he really think he can take Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade with only 1000 jewels of Luck? Of course it is a lot, but I can buy a ton of these in the human world as long as I have money. Furthermore, I also brought back a ton of Jewels of Luck that Jonnan, Batoom and crew mined for me when I went to visit the Northern Mines. I still have plenty to last a while. ¡°I can easily get these on my own.¡± Goonto started to frown. ¡°Then what about this?¡± This time, he opened up the spotted box and the blue box. They naturally had Chaos Jewels and Jewels of Fortification. But there were not many of them. There were only one of each box as well. There were especially low number of Chaos Jewels. The box was large but there were only six jewels in there. ¡®I guess they really are precious in the Dwarf Village as well.¡¯ There were a decent number of Jewels of Fortification, about 100 of them. You could never have enough Chaos Jewels. But I didn¡¯t need that many Jewels of Fortification. I won¡¯t need it once I fortify my equipment. But I do need ones with high fortification indexes. ¡°I do like the Chaos Jewels. I can extend the Solar Blade¡¯s loan period based on the search index. But I cannot hand over the ownership rights with just this.¡± ¡°Then what do you need?¡± Why do you ask when you already know the answer? There is only one type of jewel left. ¡°Two Jewels of Wisdom. With that, I will hand over the ownership rights.¡± ¡°Jewels of Wisdom! Even we do not have any of those in stock.¡± ¡°Talk to the other villages. This isn¡¯t the only Dwarf Village. Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade is the treasure for all Dwarves. Shouldn¡¯t you work together for something like this?¡± ¡°But ¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be easy. The Dwarves would not be living like this if they could work together. But I did not give them a chance for compromise. I am the one holding the blade right now. ¡°If you don¡¯t have the ability, you can only give up on the Solar Blade.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand. I will contact the other villages. However, leave the Solar Blade here.¡± ¡°Then I will take those Chaos Jewels and a couple Jewels of Fortification for now.¡± ¡°Leave two Chaos Jewels behind. There are times we need them as well.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I grabbed four Chaos Jewels and twelve Jewels of Fortification in my hand. [Chaos Jewel: Search Index 14] [Chaos Jewel: Search Index 13] ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 9%] [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 9%] ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ The Jewels of Fortification were pretty good. The Fortification index never goes higher than 20%. Since it would have been reduced by half by coming in contact with my hand, the fortification index would have been close to max to start. But I was extremely disappointed by the Chaos Jewels. ¡°What? Why are all the search indexes so low?¡± ¡°Chaos Jewels are normally like that. There are not many Chaos Jewels with a search index higher than 30.¡± I know that the search index for Chaos Jewels are generally low. But they averaged at least 30. Plus, aren¡¯t the dwarves a tribe of miners? I thought they would be able to mine much better Chaos Jewels. The already low search index dropped by half by coming into contact with my hand. Disappointing. I also could not use Jewel Alchemy on it. Chaos Jewels have a low success rate, so it would not be a good idea. Nothing I can do about it. I can only be satisfied with this since I pretty much got it for free. ¡°I will come back soon. By then, I should be able to fortify equipment, so if there are any equipment you want fortified, have them ready.¡± ¡°I understand. Where will you be heading now?¡± Why are you asking someone else¡¯s plan? You think I have nowhere to go? I just have one place to visit before going back to meet up with Shione and restart the Demon Cave Clearing Squad. ¡°Just wherever the wind blows wherever the clouds go.¡± I casually said that as I jumped into the temple¡¯s portal. The Dwarf priest in charge of the temple portal asked. ¡°Where is your final destination?¡± Ah! I heard that the Dwarf Temple¡¯s portal can take you to your final destination at once. Even the magic tribe Shapir needed the Dwarves¡¯ high blacksmith skills so they gave them this perk. This is great. Normally I would have had to use multiple portals to get there. I simply answered. ¡°Oolbat.¡± ¡°W, what? Where is your destination?¡± The Dwarf priest asked again as if they heard wrong. It makes sense since that is not somewhere just anybody can go. It is somewhere you will quickly be chased out of if you went there by mistake. But I confidently answered once more. ¡°Oolbat. The village of the Shapir Tribe.¡± [1] ¡°You are going to go there? Why?¡± Is there a reason for you to know that? You think I¡¯m going there just for fun? ¡°Just send me there. I will pay enough for the portal usage.¡± ¡°Groan. Fine. It is not my fault if you get chased away. There is no refund.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The Dwarf priest activated the portal. Wiiiiiiiiiiing- With that odd feeling, the light shone brightly in front of my eyes. __________ [1] Oolbat was supposedly the capital of the Batoru Kingdom back in chapter 30¡­let¡¯s see what happens Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 113 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 113: Upgrade (3) Damn, that was really expensive. The portal usage fee was a whopping 100 million won. This is the same as telling the poor people to stay away. But if I think about it more, I can¡¯t really say that it is very expensive. If it is someone capable of coming here, they will all consider 100 million won to be chump change. ¡°What is the reason for your visit?¡± A clear voice. I had to tilt my head up extremely high to see the face of the owner of the voice. It was because they were close to 3m in height. I came to the right place. Shapir, the magic race. They were all extremely tall. However, their bodies looked so weak that they would fall over if the wind blew on them. Their clothes were also very unique. The majority of human magicians wear a robe that covers them from head to toe. It was not to show off the fact that they were magicians. It was because they could draw in many magic circles to protect themselves, as well as the fact that robes had many hidden compartments to hide their magic tools. However, the Shapir, although they were the magic race, did not wear robes. They were wearing what seemed to be a white bathrobe. At the center of their body were all sorts of magic circles. But it was not just the center. Their face, hand, neck, all had magic circles as tattoos. There were so many that it was hard to find an empty part of their skin. It is as rumored. It is said that the Shapir tribe¡¯s hobbies, specialty, and occupation are all magic. Studying, researching, and creating magic related items are their definition of fun and work. That was why they spent their time testing their researched magic on their clothes, body, swords, and even buildings. ¡°I came to add some magic to my equipment.¡± To be honest, even human magicians could add magic to equipment. However, the magic that the magic race Shapir add to equipment is at a different level. If a human magician could increase attributes by 10, the Shapir could provide at least five times as much. But not just anybody can earn the rights to such benefits. The Shapir are an extremely prideful race. ¡°The Shapir does not trade with individual humans. If you need the help of the Shapir, please make an official request through your continent¡¯s royal¡­¡­!¡± The Shapir could not finish his sentence and stopped. It was because I took an item out of my bag. It was a small wooden box. I¡¯m sure it already knows what is inside. Even with the lid closed, the unique fragrance of the item was leaking out. I opened the lid of the wooden box. The Shapir¡¯s eyes instantly grew wide. ¡°This is¡­¡­!¡± ¡°It is an Herb of Immortality that I barely managed to obtain. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to tell if you check it out, but it is about 1,500 years old. I will give this to you if you help me out.¡± The Shapir race likes Herbs of Immortality more than any other races. It is because their magic is strong, but their bodies are extremely weak. In addition, the Shapir race probably has more money than all of the other races combined. As a result, it could be said that the majority of the Herbs of Immortality end up in Shapir hands. However, even the Shapir have probably never seen Herbs of Immortality over 1,500 years old. The majority of the Herbs of Immortality sold on the market are less than 500 years old, so they probably have never even seen a 1,000 year old one. ¡°Oh, if it is this, it may be possible.¡± Why is an answer so vague? I wanted to grasp the Shapir¡¯s mind with a bit more certainty. ¡°I will give you an Herb of Immortality like this for every equipment that is fortified. Of course, you need to fortify it to provide the highest level of performance.¡± The Shapir¡¯s eyes grew even wider. ¡°Please follow me.¡± The power of an aged Herb of Immortality really was great. Especially to the Shapirs. I headed out of the Magic Tower behind the Shapir. I made sure to take a look around at the buildings and the other Shapir citizens as I walked. I have heard a lot of rumors related to the Shapir. But rumors are bound to be exaggerated. That was why I only believed about half of what I heard. However, after seeing it with my own eyes, those rumors really weren¡¯t exaggerated at all. When people talk about the best artistic city on the continent, they tend to think about the Batoru Kingdom¡¯s Avanguarde. The city is put together in a very beautiful way. After visiting many different cities on my own, I have no issues with that opinion. Well, I didn¡¯t. Until I came here to Oolbat. My opinion changed after seeing what Oolbat looked like. Oolbat really was the most beautiful city on the continent. At least it looked that way to me. There were magic circles on buildings, clothes, windows, and even the ground. Each of those magic circles gave off an aura of artistic beauty. These magic circles were drawn in a variety of colors and even letting out a feint light because of their magical properties. Maybe it feels even more beautiful because of the mysteriousness of the magic circles. The more surprising fact was that I felt like I was extremely light and walking on clouds as I walked down the street. Even though I was walking extremely fast, I felt like I was using only about 30 percent of my usual strength. It was because of the magic circles inscribed on the ground. It used mana to lightly lift you up, making it possible to walk quickly without spending much energy. In some areas, magic pushed me forward even if I was standing still. In those situations, it felt like I was sliding across a piece of ice. I guess it felt like riding on an extremely fast-moving walkway? I was surprised that these types of magic circles were all over the city. It made me really awe at the greatness of the Shapir race. On the other hand, I also felt like it was really stupid. They made magic circles for useless things like this. ¡®No wonder the Shapir end up very weak.¡¯ The Shapir may be the strongest race when it comes to magic, but they are the weakest when it comes to physical strength. That was why they were bad at reproduction. Even though the Shapir race was a peaceful one, they had less than 1 million members. Well, it¡¯s none of my concern. I need to respect their way of life. I moved about ten minutes while feeling like walking across clouds. There were many magic moving walkways every so often that I moved over 5km even though I felt like I stood in place. ¡°This way.¡± Things progressed smoothly. I got a free pass wherever I went as long as I showed them a Herb of Immortality, and the best of the Shapir magicians were gathered to add magic to my equipment. The items I was getting fortified were the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Amor Set and Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. I needed three Herbs of Immortality for it. ¡°Are there any special abilities you¡¯d like to request?¡± ¡°For the armor, it would be great if it had both the damage absorption ability and damage reflection ability. For the weapons, it would be great if you could add some lightning magic to cause stun as well as an ability that will increase magic by over 100%.¡± Once I finished my order, the Shapirs¡¯ expressions instantly changed. They originally looked like they could make anything happen after seeing the Herb of Immortality, but now, they seemed to be concerned. ¡°It is not difficult to add damage absorption, but damage reflection is difficult. This is also the case for the magic increase.¡± ¡°Do you need more Herbs of Immortality?¡± I can easily give more if they want it. If I need more, I just have to go visit the Magman Continent once more. The Magma Giant comes to mind, but I¡¯m sure I can convince him. But the Shapir still had frustrated expressions on their faces. ¡°The Herb of Immortality is not the problem. Damage reflection is extremely unique and require blood from a Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s heart. It also needs to be extremely fresh. Magic increase also requires blood of a level 500+ golden monsters. However, we do not possess such items.¡± ¡°Then if I am able to bring those items, you will be able to add damage reflection and magic increase later on?¡± ¡°It is possible as long as you have the ingredients. If you want to put magic increase on both of your blades, you will need to bring two different golden monster bloods for them.¡± Blood from the heart of a Golden Bone Dragon. It will not be easy. It will be difficult to even find a Golden Bone Dragon let alone hunting it. But I¡¯m sure the opportunity will come at some point. I just need to bring it here as soon as I hunt it. ¡°I will bring it over in the future if the opportunity comes up. Please add what you are able to add right now. If the levels of fortification are beyond my expectations, I will add another root of an Herb of Immortality.¡± I did not care to save my Herbs of Immortality. I had as much Herbs of Immortality as I had money. It was better to get equipment with higher stats than saving some money. Once I opened up another wooden box to show it to them, the Shapir¡¯s eyes grew even wider. ¡°I understand. Please take a rest as it will take a while.¡± I spent a whole day at the Shapir territory. It did not seem easy to add magic to equipment. It was late next evening that the Shapir came to look for me. ¡°It has finished. Please take a look.¡± I checked my upgraded equipment with anticipation. [Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor Set] Armor, pants, gloves, boots, and helmet make the set. Made with the Shadow Fox¡¯s hide, as well as the Golden Alligator hide and Midnight Black scales. Durability: 260/260 Defense: 136 Restriction: Level 300 *Agility +41, Strength +12 *Magic Resistance +98 *Reinforced Toughness +50 *Special ability: Stealthy Approach S-Rank, Evasion S-Rank, Stamina Reduction 20% Decrease, Damage Absorption 21% *Special skill: Dark Force (Cooltime 1 hour) ¡®Wow!¡¯ I almost shouted out loud. It was definitely beyond my expectations. At this rate, it was better than any armor that exists on the continent. Of course, the defense itself could not go higher than the limits of a leather armor, but 136 was a level similar to most metallic armors. Furthermore, it even had 21% of the damage absorption that I specifically asked for. I also took a look at Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. [Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades: Personalized for Kang Hwi Ram] This cutlass was made by Goonto, the current greatest blacksmith in the world. Two blades were created as a pair. Durability: 231/231 Attack strength: 101 Attack speed: 80 Restrictions: Strength 121, Agility 671, Level 250 *Attack strength is increased by 15% when used by Kang Hwi Ram *30% chance of adding 230 lightning damage *11% chance of causing Stun *Special Skill: Nullify 30% of Enemy Defense (Use 50 MP) They definitely lived up to the cost of the Herb of Immortality. The attack strength went by a lot and it also adds 230 lightning damage. It also now has a special skill that I was not even expecting. How great would it be if I can add damage reflection and magic increase to this? No, this alone was good enough for my heart to go wild. I wanted to quickly call out monsters to test out my new equipment. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± As promised, I gave another Herb of Immortality to the Shapir and headed right back to Huksen. Since I was using portals, it took me less than 20 minutes to get from the Shapir territory to Huksen. I immediately headed to the Athena Temple once I returned to Huksen. But I was subjected to surprising news once I got there. ¡°A Demon Cave Clearing Squad has already left?¡± ¡°You would have been able to join them if you arrived about four days earlier.¡± The bishop looked very disappointed. But that was it. Shione went with them to clear the Demon Cave, but he did not seem worried about Shione at all. ¡°Isn¡¯t it too dangerous?¡± ¡°There is no need to worry. A winner from the Chaos Battle brought twenty of his peers over to participate. He was the one who won the third level of the Chaos Battle.¡± The third level of the Chaos Battle would mean that it was the battle between warriors from level 200 to 300. Since it has been about a year since the Chaos Battle, their level should be slightly over 300. That means that the Demon Cave should be over level 300. The boss monster will be at least level 400. It might even be a level 500 boss monsters. ¡°What did they say the boss monster was for the Demon Cave?¡± ¡°Shione predicted that it would be a Bone Dragon.¡± My heart instantly sank. I then let out a sigh in disappointment. How great would it have been if ¡®Golden¡¯ was in front of its name? But a Bone Dragon? Then why is the bishop so calm? Does he think a level 300 Demon Cave Clearing Squad will be able to defeat a Bone Dragon? It seems to be my fault. They must think a Bone Dragon is easy to handle after I easily took care of the last Bone Dragon. ¡®Tsk tsk, I can¡¯t even gloat in front of the bishop.¡¯ No matter what the reason was, I had to go in. I cannot let Shione die. Then my plan to use Harrison and Shione¡¯s influence will go up in smokes. ¡°I will enter.¡± ¡°It is not possible. There will be more monsters spawning in the Demon Cave if we attempt to recreate the entry point.¡± But that still won¡¯t change the boss monsters. ¡°Those minion monsters will not be a problem. The problem is the Bone Dragon. Unless you know its weakness, you cannot defeat it.¡± The bishop¡¯s face turned pale as he listened to my story. He had been thinking that the Bone Dragon was an easy monster for its level, but he finally realized that it was not that easy. The bishop¡¯s voice quickly turned urgent. ¡°What can we do? We filled up the 100-person quota for this Demon Cave Clearing Squad as well. Even if we manage to recreate the entry point, you will not be able to enter unless someone has died.¡± So, it is a situation where I have to hope that someone has died? This is quite ironic. I guess I can only leave that up to luck. ¡°Let¡¯s first recreate the entry point and see.¡± ¡°I understand. We will quickly start the process. It should be completed within the next four days.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 114 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 114: Upgrade (4) ¡°Sigh! Again¡­¡­!¡± Shione let out a deep sigh after seeing the Demon Cave Clearing Squad members laying on the ground. It has only been about six days since they entered the Demon Cave, but five people have already died. How will they handle the monsters deep inside the cave if they have so many losses in the beginning stages? ¡°There is no need to be so sad. They were all criminals.¡± Demetri reached an arm out and lightly hugged Shione¡¯s shoulder. Shione dodged to the side in shock. It was not just because of the physical contact. Other than mind control magic, Shione was also talented in sensing people¡¯s emotions. She had instantly felt a negative emotion from Demetri. It was lust. Demetri was not looking at her as another member of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad but as a woman. It did not matter that they were in a dangerous Demon Cave filled with monsters. Shione kept regretting her decision. She should not have come in here with these people. Every time she regretted her decision, a single person¡¯s face kept popping up in her mind. ¡®Kang Hwi Ram-nim was right. I should have waited like he told me to do.¡¯ But it was already too late. Since they have come into the Demon Cave, they needed to do everything they could to finish it. Shione could see Demetri starting to frown. Shione could feel a different emotion coming from Demetri at this time. It felt like anger and also frustration. Demetri was clearly annoyed with Shione¡¯s reaction just now. Fear started to creep into Shione¡¯s mind. If it continues like this, Demetri might be a more dangerous existence than the monsters. She even thought that she might have to use the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute that she had been keeping extremely hidden. Of course, she would do her best to make sure such a situation did not occur. Shione used all of her strength to activate her mind control magic. The mind control she used on Kang Hwi Ram in the past was to increase his desire, but it was the opposite against Demetri. She then stood up. ¡°I understand. Let us go.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The scouting party which consisted of the non-prisoner volunteers headed forward again. There was a total of 20 people in the volunteer squad. They had all come together with Demetri. She felt a little safer with all of them around. There was no way he would try to do something in front of all of these people right? They must have walked for about 30 minutes like that. Demetri suddenly stopped walking. ¡°Felix. Tell the rear to stop for a moment. Tell them not to come no matter what commotion they hear up here.¡± ¡°Hoho. I will.¡± Shione instantly felt chills running down her body. It was because she felt strong lust coming from Felix¡¯s laugh just now. He wasn¡¯t the only one. She felt strong lust coming from all over. Not only Demetri and Felix, but all twenty members of the volunteers¡¯ quad were having the same thought. That could only mean one thing. ¡®They all talked about this in advance!¡¯ Of course, the topic of that discussion would have been Shione¡¯s body. The only difference would be regarding who went first and who went later. Shione subconsciously put her hands up to her chest. She then started to move backwards. It was a naturalistic movement to protect her body. But she could not take more than two steps back. Demetri had tightly grabbed onto both of Shione¡¯s wrists. ¡°Please let go.¡± Shione used all of her force to use her mind control magic. She tried to make Demetri feel both fear and aversion. But it did not work. There was no way it would work. Mind control magic was not something that could completely change a person¡¯s mind. You needed to put in the effort for a long duration of time to slowly increase the effect of mind control. ¡°Please don¡¯t do this. You can¡¯t do this here. Are you planning on killing all of your teammates?¡± ¡°Who says anything about dying? Teamwork is something you build by bumping bodies with each other. Plus, even if you are a priestess, aren¡¯t you also a woman? You need to enjoy it while you still can.¡± Shione could feel her heart beating like crazy. Her head felt like it was completely frozen. But she needed to remain alert especially in a situation like this. How many obstacles had she endured and overcome since she was young? She could not break down here. She needed to clench her teeth and win. That was the only way to save her father, her grandfather, and even her home country of the Batoru Kingdom. ¡®What can I do?¡¯ The only thing she could think of after knowing that her mind control magic was not working was just one thing. ¡®Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute.¡¯ That was her only chance of survival. But she had no way to retrieve it because Demetri was holding onto both of her wrists. She needed to free her hand first. Then she would be able to blow the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute. ¡°I understand. Please give me some time. Please let me at least come to terms with it. Please let go of my hands first. It hurts.¡± ¡°Pfft, just what are you planning? You think I am that dumb?¡± ¡°I just need a moment. Please. Then I will do whatever you want me to do.¡± Shione used whatever strength she had left to use mind control once more. She knew that it would not work, but it was the only thing she could do right now. As expected, it did not work. Demetri also did not give Shione any openings at all. ¡°Do we really have to do this the hard way? It would be so much easier if you just did as you were told. Hey you, come hold her hands up.¡± ¡°Keke, we can finally see her bare skin!¡± Two people came forward and held down Shione¡¯s wrists and her hips. They were extremely strong. She could not move at all. She was upset at the fact that she had only learned support magic. She should have at least learned one attack magic even if it was going against her grandfather¡¯s wishes. Then she would have been able to at least try to resist. ¡°Don¡¯t do it. I¡¯m going to kill ¡­¡­aaah!¡± Someone forcefully put something like a cloth inside Shione¡¯s mouth. At the same time, Demetri was using his now free hands to take Shione¡¯s clothes off. She tried to resist, but it was to no avail. There was too much difference in strength for her to resist. Her clothes started to come off one by one without Shione being able to do anything about it. ¡®What do I do? What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?¡¯ Shione was doing everything she could to remain alert in such a chaotic situation. But she could not figure out a plan no matter how hard she thought about it. ¡°By the time we are done with this Demon Cave clearing, I¡¯m sure priestess-nim will like us too. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be longing for a man¡¯s body every night. Keke.¡± That laughter. It gave her chills. She hated it so much. But the only thing Shione could do was try to shout even though she knew it wouldn¡¯t work and do anything she could do to rest. ¡®Don¡¯t do it. Please don¡¯t do it.¡¯ ¡°Sob. Sob.¡± Her clothes continued to come off as she cried. First the priestess robe, followed by the leather outfit underneath, and even her underwear. Her upper body underwear came off first, and the moment her lower body underwear came off, Shione¡¯s mind became completely white. It was as if she had lost consciousness. ¡®Aah! I¡¯m going to kill myself!¡¯ ¡°Sob. Sob.¡± Demetri became even more excited the harder Shione tried to resist. He was about to go crazy looking at her white skin that was no longer covered by even a single strand of thread. He quickly started to strip off his own clothes. All he had left was his pants, but looking at Shione¡¯s beautiful naked body made him rush and make mistakes. ¡°Just wait a moment. I will let you taste heaven. Hehehe.¡± Demetri¡¯s group urged him on from the side. ¡°What they hell are you doing? You trying to make us suffer?¡± ¡°Wow. What a hot bod.¡± It was at that moment. ¡°¡­¡­Ugh!¡± There was suddenly a grunt. It was very quiet, but Demetri was someone who was used to fighting monsters. He could easily tell what that noise was. It was the moan of someone losing their life. It was followed by the sound of someone falling over. ¡°Hmm?¡± Demetri, who was taking his pants down past his knee at this point, turned his head around. The other volunteers looked toward the same direction at the same time. They could all feel the hairs on their body stand up as they became nervous. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°What was that sound?¡± But that was just the beginning. ¡°¡­¡­Hak!¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Ack!¡± The members started to fall like flies. And it looked like they were falling for no reason. ¡°Just what ¡­¡­?! Ah! That¡­¡­!¡± Demetri finally saw something dark. That dark blob was moving left and right, taking down the other members as it moved. ¡°Be careful! It¡¯s a shadow monster!¡± He quickly pulled his pants back up. But it was too late. In that short moment, over half of their members were killed. It must be a really strong monster to take out eleven members in less than five seconds. And more members were getting killed as well. ¡°Catch it!¡± ¡°Attack it!¡± The remaining members quickly took their weapons out and started to swing them around. Demetri picked up his large sword and defended. But it was all for naught. The shadow moved at an unbelievably fast speed and took out the members. In addition, the Demon Cave was too dark. They were able to light it up with the magic light on their helmets, but all it could do was brighten up a small area in front of them. Multiple members looking around everywhere made it even worse, as there was no consistent source of light. In the midst of the chaos, the darkness came for Demetri. ¡°Heeek!¡± Demetri swung his large sword toward the shadow. No, he tried to swing it. But with a sudden spark, his whole body felt a thunder-like shock. Crackle- ¡°¡­¡­Ugh!¡± That was the last thing Demetri remembered. It was the same for the two men who were holding Shione down. The Lightning Spear that created the spark had divided up and attacked all three people at once. Shione¡¯s mind was still blank at the time. Her mental fortitude was developed from overcoming all kinds of hardships for many years, but it was hard to come back to her sense after it crumbled once. The only thing on Shione¡¯s mind was that she wanted to die. But suddenly, she felt the strength of the people holding her down disappear. Shione could finally look around to try to figure out what was going on. The twenty volunteers were all killed through getting their necks slashed or their hearts stabbed. The ground was full of blood. Next to them was a dark shadow. The shadow slowly started to head toward Shione. Shione unconsciously let out a shriek. ¡°Kyaaaaaa!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t need to be scared anymore.¡± She recognized this sudden voice she heard! A face appeared in Shione¡¯s mind. ¡°¡­¡­ Kang Hwi Ram-nim?¡± The shadow disappeared, and Kang Hwi Ram revealed himself. The moment she saw him, she felt a strong sense of safety and all of her strength gave away. She did not even have the strength to remain standing up. Shione started to cry. She then flung herself toward Kang Hwi Ram and jumped into his arms. ¡°Sob. Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± *** ¡°You¡¯re okay now. You can relax.¡± I gently patted Shione¡¯s shoulder. I could perfectly feel Shione¡¯s bare skin even though I was wearing gloves. It is a unique trait of a Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor. The other parts are pretty thick for defense, but the gloves are made to maintain as much normal feeling in your hands. Not only was it thin, it also had magic imbued to intensify the feeling. Because of that, it was even more realistic than touching it with my bare hands. This is awkward. Put some clothes on before hugging me or something. Shione was a mess right now. Although she wasn¡¯t injured anywhere, those bastards had removed all of her clothes. There was not a single thread covering her naked body. But it isn¡¯t like I can push away this crying Shione. Since things were like this, there was nothing else I could do. I just hugged her back and waited until she calmed down. After a moment, Shione¡¯s shaking shoulders started to die down. She seemed to stop crying as well. I consoled Shione with a quiet voice one more time. ¡°It¡¯s okay now. They¡¯re all dead.¡± Shione lightly turned her head and looked toward the volunteer group¡¯s corpses. ¡°Did you really ¡­¡­ kill all of them?¡± To be honest, I hesitated a bit too. There were 20 of them. If I kill all of them, there would only be about 70 people left in the Demon Cave Clearing Squad. That was why I thought about killing only the core few and bringing the rest along. But I changed my mind just 1 second into it. I decided to kill them all. But the last three should not be dead yet. My lightning spear magic is not that strong. Furthermore, all three of them had mithril-based armors. It should have strong magic resistance, including resistance against my lightning spear. ¡°Those three should still be alive. What should I do?¡± I pointed to Demetri and the other two with my chin. Shione did not need long to think. She turned her head away and started to speak. ¡°I heard that enemies on the inside are more dangerous than enemies on the outside. It will be better to be without them than to carry danger with us.¡± I had the same thought. It was not that I wanted to let them live, but I just used magic because I thought Shione might end up in danger. I gently pushed Shione away. Shione must have finally realized her current situation. She quickly got embarrassed and used her arms to cover her body as she quickly turned around. I turned away from her as well. I then used Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades to stab Demetri¡¯s neck. ¡°¡­¡­Ugh!¡± A faint moan. At the same time, I heard a message in my head. It was a surprising unexpected gain. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 115 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 115: Let¡¯s Talk Between People of the Same Level (1) ¡®Omnipotent Portal?¡¯ Shione was still busy putting her clothes on. Her rustling was tempting my ears. I confirmed the details of the item with my back still turned toward her. [Omnipotent Portal] Can create a portal anywhere to teleport to the nearest Magician¡¯s Tower. A maximum of 5 people can use the portal. ¡®Those punks were relying on this!¡¯ I really was curious. Someone like Demetri is a decently skilled individual. He¡¯s sure to have a lot of experience as well. He should know how dangerous a Demon Cave can be. But he still chose to make a team on his own and volunteered for the Demon Cave Clearing Squad. Furthermore, he was trying to rape Shione, the core of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad. That is pretty much like committing suicide. It is difficult enough to clear a Demon Cave when everyone is working together, so why would you do something that would break your teamwork? But he must have acted like that because he had already prepared a way out. Three or four others probably knew about it along with him, while the rest of the people were probably going to be left for dead. ¡°But why do you think those people acted that way? There is no way to make it out of the Demon Cave alive if the teamwork is broken.¡± ¡®Damn, she surprised me.¡¯ Talk after you finish getting dressed. Why do you have to keep making me imagine things? You want me to turn around and look? ¡°Yeah. I guess there was something they were relying on.¡± ¡°But what do we do now? The Demon Cave Clearing Squad is so small now.¡± The rustling changed a bit. She seemed to be putting her leather outfit on now. ¡°The current members are enough. Just trust me.¡± I killed the remaining two people while chatting with Shione. You need to make sure to do it right when you are taking care of business. ¡°Did you succeed in hunting the Shadow Fox?¡± The Shadow Fox, Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades, and the magic points I earned from Peria. I also added magic to my equipment with the help of the Shapirs. My level was not much different compared to last time, but my abilities were incomparable to the last time she saw me. Of course, there is no reason to tell Shione about everything that happened to me one by one. All Shione needs to know is this. ¡°There is nothing for you to worry about.¡± ¡°But this Demon Cave will be harder than you think. I¡¯m done getting dressed now.¡± I turned my head around. Shione was fixing the sleeves of her priestess outfit. But Shione¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t as bad as I expected it to be. She seemed pretty calm for someone who went through something like that just now. Normally, girls who suffer like that would be crying their eyes out, unable to overcome the shock of the whole thing. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s doing her best to look calm. She¡¯s clenching her teeth and pushing herself so that she doesn¡¯t break down. It made sense for someone like Shione. She¡¯s someone who has had to overcome a lot of different things since she was young. Just the fact that her grandfather is Morris and her father is Harrison probably put her in situations where she had no choice but to get stronger. ¡°Why do you think it will be harder?¡± ¡°There are a lot of Midnight Black Alligators. We¡¯ve had two or three attack us at once even though we are only in the beginning stages of the Demon Cave. I think there will be even more as we keep going in.¡± Eh, so it was just Midnight Black Alligators. The old me would not have been able to hunt them without having a giant shield. But that is not the case anymore. It is actually better. Midnight Black Alligators have Midnight Black Scales and Fairy Tears. I should be able to get lots of both if I hunt a bunch of them. I even thought that it would be better if the much stronger Golden Alligators came out in droves instead of the Midnight Black Alligators. I smiled brightly toward Shione. ¡°That is really good.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Shione had a confused expression. Is there a reason to explain with my words? I will show her with my actions soon enough. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± ¡°I will just trust Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± *** The Daily sports page was continuously covered with articles about me. They had no other choice. I was showing them skills worthy of such coverage. In the KPGA Pro preliminaries two months ago, I recorded 15 under-par for the 18 holes and 26 under-par for the 36 holes, surpassing the new record I just set for the KPGA. And I had an overwhelming victory in the Albatross Golf Tournament that ended yesterday. The Albatross Golf Tournament was the first step in the Golden Dragon Group¡¯s Royal Road for rookies. The winner is given the chance to participate in the Alondis KPGA Championship in Jejudo [1] three months later, and if you win that one, you will be invited to participate in the Golden Dragon Cup PGA tournament. And if you win there once again, you will be able to immediately enter the PGA next year. That is what people call the Royal Road. And they are all expecting that, if a Korean person manages to become a Royal Roader, I would be that main character. It will naturally be that way. I will make people talk about my name even more virally at that point. There was a large picture of me on the newspaper. As you probably expected, I was wearing the Dandelion Uniform in the picture. ¡®I wonder if a lot of donations are coming in.¡¯ The donations had been blowing up lately. The foundation was receiving close to 1 billion won(~$887,170) in donations a day, even though most of the donations were less than 10,000 won each. So, it wasn¡¯t that a select few were donating to it. All of the citizens were getting interested and sending their donations with a joyful heart. I presume it is because of the transparency of the account activity. Donors could at least be sure that the Dandelion Foundation would not use their donations for useless things. I operated my computer and entered the Dandelion homepage. Knock knock. I heard a knock on the door. I looked at my watch and saw that it was already 3:00pm. I had an interview scheduled for that time. ¡®Time sure flies by.¡¯ ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened and a very refreshingly beautiful lady walked in. She was wearing a mini skirt that showed off her white thighs, so it felt even more refreshing. Three men followed behind the beauty. They had a camera and even a few lights. ¡°Hello. My name is Im Sarang of K-Sports channel. Thank you for agreeing to do this interview with us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thankful you want to interview me. Please take a seat here.¡± I offered her the chair I had prepared in advance. ¡°Thank you. You are even more handsome in person than what I saw through the screen. Have you received any offers to be an actor?¡± To be honest, I did receive quite a few, especially from the KBC Broadcast Station¡¯s Director Han Sung Tak in the Lions Club. Not only did he want me to make an appearance in an entertainment show, he also wanted me to make a cameo in a drama. But I declined all requests. I¡¯m still not a fully cooked bowl of rice. I may be getting famous, but people might not look at me too kindly if I already start making TV appearances. And my fame and Dandelion¡¯s PR is already enough as is. Making TV appearances will not be too late after becoming the best in the PGA. That is probably what people expect from me as well. ¡°I am not yet at a level to do that. Right now, my focus is on entering the PGA.¡± ¡°I see. You have been donating all of your winnings from the competitions. Do you plan on doing the same thing once you enter the PGA?¡± There were a lot of interview questions. But I had already prepared answers for all of these questions, as they had sent me the questions in advance. I was getting used to these kinds of interviews now too. ¡°Thank you. See you again soon.¡± ¡°Yes, please drive safely.¡± Im Sarang and crew left my office. I heard another knock not too long after they left. Knock Knock. I subconsciously started to smile. ¡®You bastard. You are finally here.¡¯ ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened, and familiar faces entered. The people in the front were the Golden Dragon Group PR people that kept calling me and even came to visit me like stalkers. And the last person to enter was Hwang Joon Yul, the person who could be called their manager. I had finally managed to get past Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s stubbornness. He was trying to avoid meeting with me as best as he could, but he had no choice but to come himself since, forget about signing the contract, I didn¡¯t even care to look at it. I really was curious what kind of expression Hwang Joon Yul would have when he came into my office. I may have been the one to suffer in Middle School, but I¡¯m sure Hwang Joon Yul doesn¡¯t have a good impression of me either. I¡¯ve been returning the, ¡®favor,¡¯ as much as I could since we met again not too long ago. Not only did I win a bunch of money off him at the exhibition match, I¡¯ve also continued to reject Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s sponsor offer. But he¡¯s probably still looking down on me. He was a part of the large Golden Dragon Group while I was just a basic golf player. At least that¡¯s probably what Hwang Joon Yul is thinking. Then he will naturally act snobbish. He might even threaten me with something like, ¡®I came in person, but you still won¡¯t sign the sponsor contract? Do you want to die?¡¯ But he showed a completely unexpected attitude. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. How have you been?¡± A friendly smile. He looked like someone who came to visit a close old friend. I could even sense a bit of humbleness in his smile. I could easily anticipate Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s current situation based on that expression alone. ¡®I guess he¡¯ll really be in a pickle if he can¡¯t get me to sign the contract!¡¯ I¡¯m sure Chairman Jung Man Yong is in the background of that. Even I know how much Chairman Jung Man Yong loves his golf. He probably got orders to make me sign no matter what. Hwang Joon Yul probably talked about our, ¡®old classmate,¡¯ relationship to claim that he can get it done. But his ass must be on fire because I continued to reject the contract. That means there is only one course of action for me. ¡®Might as well let you experience hell.¡¯ Hwang Joon Yul reached out his hand as if he wanted to shake my hands after not seeing each other for a while. Sure, I can shake your hand. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m signing the contract by shaking your hand. ¡°You¡¯re still the same.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You have a dirty expression.¡± Hwang Joon Yul started to lightly frown, but it quickly disappeared. It was as if he was trying to tell me, ¡®I normally smile like this.¡¯ ¡°Haha, let¡¯s only talk about good things since we haven¡¯t seen each other for a long time.¡± ¡°Would you be able to say good things if you were me?¡± I decided to be blunt about everything today. I was now at a spot where I could do that. I was prepared to win even if I went face to face with Hwang Joon Yul now. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re like this because of the past, but it has already been over 10 years. You¡¯re still bitter about all of that?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? I forgot about the past a long time ago.¡± Of course, it was a lie. But I did not want to seem like a petty person. ¡°Then why are you being like this?¡± ¡°You really asking why? You think you are at the level to sit at the negotiation table with me? Someone like you who only relies on his daddy¡¯s allowance?¡± Hwang Joon Yul frowned even more, but he still held himself back. How bad must his situation be for the extremely terrible Hwang Joon Yul to be holding back like this? Every time he held himself back, I just pushed even further forward. ¡®I can really send him packing today.¡¯ ¡°Then what about you? Are you a chairman of a company or something?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m glad that you asked. I¡¯ve actually taken the role of a Chairman of a small company as of yesterday. I naturally have business cards ready as well.¡± I took out a business card and handed it to Hwang Joon Yul. ¡°You can call me Chairman Kang from now on.¡± Hwang Joon Yul looked at the business card. ¡°AFC?¡± It is a Vietnamese business specializing in food ingredients. The business was pretty large and cost me 230 billion won to buy 60% of the stocks. Of course, I had never heard about this company before. How would I know about a company in Vietnam? Lee Man Bok recommended it to me. That was why I hired someone to collect information on it for a while. They are a pretty skilled company that is profitable and is competitive on the world level when it comes to food ingredients. They have locations not only in Vietnam, but also in Indonesia, Thailand and even India. But the greed of the Chairman destroyed the company. He has been expanding the company an absurd amount the last few years, making it difficult to manage. That was why a lot of people were looking for a way out. As such, the person who paid 230 billion won took over the food ingredient company, as well as three other companies that were not looking too good. To be honest, it might have been too much to pay for a business of that size. But the specialists all agreed that it was a company that one should invest in. And I also needed to spend some of my money. My money had already increased to close to 3 trillion won($2,662,997,700). Korea¡¯s KOSPI was too small, so I have been trading in the US, Chinese, and even Japanese stock markets. But the size of my investments were so large that the earning rate was not so great. That was why I was looking for another way to invest, other than stocks, when this came into my radar. It took close to two months to take over the company. But it still has not been finalized. I put food company specialists in place as CEOs of each company and have been receiving daily reports from them. But anyways, it is true that I have become a Chairman of a company. ¡°Is this ¡­¡­ real?¡± ¡°You think I¡¯m you?¡± Hwang Joon Yul still didn¡¯t seem like he believed it. He could only look back and forth at the business card and my face. ¡°Negotiations need to be done by people at the same level. Someone like you is not qualified to sit at the negotiation table with me. Or you can go and go find a fake business card somewhere I guess.¡± ¡°Then you want me to bring my dad or something?¡± I wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with that. Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s dad won¡¯t make Hwang Joon Yul feel that burdened at all. Someone who can make Hwang Joon Yul beg on his knees. I need to personally meet that person. ¡°Now that I think about it, I have never met Chairman Jung before. I heard he really likes golf. Why don¡¯t you create that bridge for me?¡± Seeing me casually say that, Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s eyes became extremely wide. I was worried his eyeballs might pop out if he kept that up. ¡°What? Our chairman?¡± ____________ [1] Name of a Korean Island Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 116 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 116: Let¡¯s Talk Between People of the Same Level (2) The more Hwang Joon Yul is shocked and feels burdened, the better it is for me. That is exactly what I am trying to do. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t want to. There are plenty of corporations that want to sponsor me. Or, I can always play with my company, AFC¡¯s logo, as well. You still don¡¯t get it? I¡¯m not that interested in chump change anymore.¡± Hwang Joon Yul could not respond. He just rolled his eyes back and forth. I¡¯m sure he is calculating the chances of his being able to do what I asked. ¡°Give me a day.¡± ¡°Do whatever you want. You can leave now if you¡¯ve said what you needed to say.¡± Hwang Joon Yul started to frown even more. I¡¯m sure he felt like he was getting kicked out by me. But this is just the beginning. The moment I meet Chairman Jung Man Yong, you will board a one way train to hell. * * * ¡°Ah, he¡¯s driving me crazy! Damn it!¡± Hwang Joon Yul was clenching his hair while sitting on the couch. But he could not come up with a solution. Even after he offered a really good deal that could get him in trouble, Kang Hwi Ram didn¡¯t even budge an inch. But it wasn¡¯t like he could really get Chairman Jung Man Yong to personally negotiate with him. ¡®Do I just kidnap the bastard and threaten him?¡¯ He really wanted to do something like that, but knew that he couldn¡¯t. Riiiing- Riiiing- ¡®What bastard is calling me?¡¯ He was so frustrated that he wanted to let out his stress and anger to anybody. If it was someone he could afford to offend, he was planning on finding any excuse to cuss them out. But his thoughts completely changed after seeing who was calling him. It was Chairman Jung¡¯s secretary. Even the servants of a lord¡¯s household can pull rank over others. Hwang Joon Yul had to be extremely respectful to this secretary. His attitude quickly became respectful. ¡°Hello, Mr. Secretary-nim. What can I do for you¡­¡­?¡± ¨C The chairman has called for an emergency meeting. He has indicated that he wants you there. How long will it take for you to get here? Chairman Jung Man Yong personally said he needed to be there. That alone made his heart sink. ¡°I will be there within 20 minutes.¡± ¨C I will inform the chairman. The secretary finished what he had to say and hung up. It was always like this. The secretary¡¯s tone was also as cold as possible. Hwang Joon Yul grinded his teeth internally every time. ¡°Let¡¯s see how long you remain his secretary. No matter when it is, I will punt your head as soon as you are out of that position.¡± But right now was not the time. He needed to run as fast as possible in order to survive. Hwang Joon Yul quickly headed to the conference room. Company conference room. The discussion of the conference was about the Royal Road for Korean golfers to enter into the PGA. There were no other company business discussed at the meeting at all. Because of that, there were only a few people gathered together, and the important shareholders naturally were not present as well. It was to the point that Hwang Joon Yul was the center of the discussion. Even Jung Man Yong had a lot of questions for Hwang Joon Yul. ¡°What happened with Kang Hwi Ram? Did you get him to sign?¡± Hwang Joon Yul had been thinking about it as he ran over. Just what could he do to get out of this dangerous situation? He only had one method. He needed to make Kang Hwi Ram the criminal. ¡°Apparently that punk is extremely ungrateful. He has continued to refuse our offer saying that many companies have offered him sponsorships.¡± ¡°Tsk tsk, his personality is not as good as his skills. Don¡¯t care about the money and give him more. We¡¯ll make enough back if he wins a PGA tournament even once.¡± This isn¡¯t what I was expecting. Hwang Joon Yul was expecting a completely different response. Chairman Jung Man Yong is someone who cares more about personality than abilities. That was why he would never make someone one of his people if they had the skills but lacked the proper personality. That was why he thought the chairman would tell him to get rid of Kang Hwi Ram. But the fact that he would throw away his style to get Kang Hwi Ram showed just how obsessed the chairman was with him. Then he had no other choice. ¡°I understand. But that bastard keeps throwing a fit saying he wants to meet with you, Chairman-nim.¡± ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yes. He says he has respected you for a long time and really wants to meet with you. To be honest, that is one of the reasons he has put off signing the contract.¡± ¡°Ahahahaha.¡± It really isn¡¯t what you say, but how you say it. You lather on a bit of compliment and Chairman Jung Man Yong is this happy. Even Kang Hwi Ram won¡¯t be able to do as he wishes when he meets with the Chairman. He might act cocky now, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be groveling at the Chairman¡¯s feet when they meet. Just like every other businessman in our country. ¡°To be honest, I am also curious to see what kind of character he is. Don¡¯t I have a rounding in a few days at the Icheon GC? Take Lim-pro out and throw him in.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± * * * Four days later. I headed to Icheon GC early in the morning. My golf outfit was, of course, the Dandelion uniform. I also prepared couple outfits for Chairman Jung Man Yong as well. I had these made a long time ago. Of course, I already verified the sizes with the Golden Dragon Group people. I arrived there an hour before our scheduled time. Chairman Jung Man Yong and group arrived while I was practicing my putting on the practice green. I was as respectful as possible. Although I have a lot of hatred for Hwang Joon Yul, I have no negative emotions for Chairman Jung Man Yong. In fact, I have a very positive image of the guy. He is investing a lot of money for the progression of Korean golf, and I also heard that he is a respected businessman who donates a lot to educational, medical, and social welfare institutions. It is only natural to be respectful to people who do good work. ¡°Nice to meet you, Chairman-nim. My name is Kang Hwi Ram.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong looked up and down at me before smiling with satisfaction. ¡°You are even better looking than I expected. If your skills are good enough, you really can be a hit product. Hoho.¡± He really has a business mindset. He sees everything in relation to money. ¡°Thank you for looking so kindly on me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do anything like that. I just see what I see. But you¡¯ve got a good thing going for you these days.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just been lucky.¡± ¡°No need to be humble in front of me. I would be disappointed if it was just pure luck. Be honest with me. Is it skill or is it luck?¡± Of course it is skill. I haven¡¯t used a single Jewel of Luck until now. But it¡¯s still embarrassing to say it with my own mouth. And I have many ways to show it without actually saying it myself. ¡°I will show you through our rounding today.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good too. Don¡¯t think you need to go easy because I am here. Just show me your full skillset. That is the reason I called you here today.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I will clearly show you how talented I am today. Well, ¡®What level my skill is at,¡¯ is probably more accurate. Our rounding started. To be honest, there are many methods of showing off your skills in golf. The most certain way is to hit strong but accurate shots to create the best score. But I did not want to use a method like that against amateurs like Jung Man Yong. Then how do I prove my skill? Like this. I refreshingly swung my iron. The ball didn¡¯t land in the fairway and went into the rough instead. It would have fallen into the OB area if it rolled a little further. Of course, this was where I wanted it to go. I used my skill to accurately send my ball there. Jung Man Yong started to laugh after seeing my shot. ¡°Haha. I was expecting it, but it really wasn¡¯t a coincidence. You are hitting it like that on purpose.¡± I just quietly smiled before walking forward with Chairman Jung Man Yong. There were two more people rounding with us. But Jung Man Yong and I were stuck like glue while the other two frequently walked a different path. It was because of my golf skills. Every time I hit a shot, I made sure it only went about 5 meters further than Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s ball. It was always exactly in the same direction. Because of that, the direction and distance I needed to move to prepare the next shot was the same as Chairman Jung Man Yong. We naturally would end up walking together and talking along the way. If my ball¡¯s location was in a different direction or much further than Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s ball, we would need to move in different directions to prepare for the next shot. Then we will not have much time to chat. And if I hit the ball shorter than Jung Man Yong, I have to hit first, making it impossible to match my next shot with Chairman Jung Man Yong. That was why I was making sure that Chairman Jung hit before me, and then made sure I only sent my ball about 5 meters further. It is something that is impossible to do unless you are very accurate with your distance and precise with the direction. I was showing my skills by consistently making my shots go like that. ¡°Your skills really aren¡¯t ordinary. You also know how to maneuver the world.¡± ¡°Thank you for looking kindly upon me.¡± I acted humble once again. But then Chairman Jung suddenly said something weird. ¡°So why would a person like that be so greedy with sponsorship money?¡± I was greedy? Nonsense. I haven¡¯t negotiated since the first 6 month sponsorship contract. You have to at least sit at the table to discuss an amount. But the fact that Chairman Jung was saying that meant someone made me some like a terrible person to him. Naturally, it was probably Hwang Joon Yul. My goal today was to send Hwang Joon Yul away, so this is actually good. And I¡¯ve set a good foundation already. We¡¯re already at hole 11 and drank three or four shots of makgeolli [1] after the 9th hole as well. ¡°Who said such a thing? Who said I was greedy for money?¡± ¡°Are you saying its not true?¡± ¡°I have no reason to be greedy. I donate 100% of my sponsorship money anyways.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t just a comment for TV? You really are donating that much money?¡± I am a bit disappointed. I thought someone like Chairman Jung would have taken the time to look up some information about me. The fact that he said, ¡®that much money,¡¯ about the puny sponsorship amount shows that he doesn¡¯t even know the basics about me. I wonder why. He should have thoroughly researched me after I showed that much skill. ¡°Chairman-nim, do you know what my net worth is?¡± ¡°Is there a reason for me to know such a thing?¡± You¡¯ll feel like you need to know it once I tell you. ¡°It is approximately 3 trillion won.¡± ¡°Wh, what?¡± Chairman Jung must be really surprised. He almost fell down from shock. ¡°I thought you would have at least researched that much since you wanted to be my sponsor. But it seems you had no interest in me at all.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t have a reason to. Joon Yul was confident that he could get you to sign because you were former classmates. What kind of fisherman puts in effort into a fish he already caught?¡± I see. He trusted Hwang Joon Yul to take care of everything. That is why he probably thinks Hwang Joon Yul and I are really close. Now it is time to tell him the truth. ¡°Chairman-nim, it seems that Hwang Joon Yul completely tricked you.¡± ¡°Trick me? Then you weren¡¯t classmates?¡± ¡°No, we were classmates. There are two reasons why I am currently pushing back on signing the contract, and one of those reasons is because of the fact that I am old classmates with Hwang Joon Yul.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t get what you are trying to say.¡± Jung Man Yong stopped walking, as if he wanted me to explain thoroughly. There were no teams coming behind us anyways. He rented out the entire Icheon GC all day. Which means, the four of us were the only people to round here today. ¡°I have no desire to negotiate with a punk like Hwang Joon Yul at the table.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± I briefly explained the things that happened in middle school. I didn¡¯t exaggerate or remove anything, I just told him the raw facts. I also told him about the recent events as well. It was natural that Chairman Jung¡¯s face became stiffer and stiffer as I continued to speak. ¡°So there was such a thing. But wasn¡¯t that all in the past when he was immature? Sometimes you have to let bygones be bygones.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I am kind of a petty person. Whether it is grace or revenge, I cannot sleep well at night if I don¡¯t return it back. I do not want to sell my name to a company with a punk like Hwang Joon Yul.¡± ¡°I understand what you want.¡± I wonder what that means. Does it mean he will give up on signing me to a sponsorship? Or is he saying he will get rid of the obstacle to get me to sign? I¡¯ll just have to wait and see. I have nothing to lose. If I show more of my strength, there will be plenty of sponsors who want to sign me for much better conditions. ¡°But didn¡¯t you say there were two reasons? What is the other reason?¡± ___ [1] Korean alcoholic drink Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 117 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 117: Let¡¯s Talk Between People of the Same Level (3) ¡°It is because I want to include some other contract stipulations other than money.¡± ¡°What is it that you want?¡± ¡°I have decided to be all in when it comes to supporting the Dandelion School. That is why I want to use this opportunity to spread the Dandelion name even further.¡± ¡°I am a busy person. Get to the point.¡± Chairman Jung started to walk again. I concisely explained the core of my request as he wanted. ¡°Please publicize the Dandelion School as best as possible. The method that I have come up with is to create a documentary based on a student or a teacher and broadcasting this documentary on the air.¡± ¡°A documentary?¡± ¡°I am asking for you to create a way for even more people to have a positive image of the Dandelion Foundation and want to donate. Then, wouldn¡¯t it also raise the image of the Golden Dragon Group as the creators of the documentary?¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong just quietly nodded his head. ¡°I understand what you are trying to say. But.¡± He stopped moving after saying that and looked toward me. His sharp gaze seemed to be piercing through my soul. ¡°Do you have some type of special relationship with the Dandelion School?¡± Someone like Chairman Jung Man Yong will be able to easily investigate and find out that I am the creator of the Dandelion School. There is no point in lying. But there is also no reason to tell him everything. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is that important right now.¡± Chairman Jung slightly smiled. If he can¡¯t get the information from me, he just needs to use his network to figure it out. ¡°I understand. I will think about it. Shall we speed up a bit now? We¡¯ve taken too long.¡± ¡°Yes, Chairman.¡± A bit late in the evening. It was still a little early for dinner. Because of that, other than the really popular restaurants, most restaurants would not have many customers at this time. But today, this Japanese Buffet restaurant was full of customers. There was not an empty seat to be found. All of them seemed to be students in their late teens to early twenties. Even just briefly counting, you could tell that there were a lot more than 100 people here. They were all Kang Sung Ho¡¯s friends or hoobaes [1]. He brought all these people after I said ¡®bring whoever you can bring.¡¯ They all had large appetites as well. Seeing them eat made me feel full even without eating anything. ¡°Boss-nim, you must be nervous.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The championship is the day after tomorrow. Do you have time to treat us like this?¡± He was talking about the Alondis KPGA Championship. Of course, I had time. I¡¯m someone who competed with preset skills anyways. Of course, my condition does play a factor, but I don¡¯t need to put in the effort like other people to maintain my feel. ¡°People are more important to me than something like golf.¡± ¡°Haha. Thank you very much. But still, fighting!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± I called Kang Sung Ho over after we finished dinner. ¡°The reason I called you over today was because I had something I wanted to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Do you have any interests in working for the Dandelion Foundation?¡± Kang Sung Ho¡¯s eyes turned round at that moment. He immediately answered without any hesitation. ¡°Of course. I will put all of my effort into whatever you want me to do.¡± But there was a condition in order to do that. Kang Sung Ho¡¯s biggest role was the searching of the Royal Roader files. ¡°You can still quickly search through the files even while doing another job now right?¡± ¡°Of course. I just need to send a talk [2] to my friends and a keyword can be searched within 30 minutes. It won¡¯t take long to go through the information after that.¡± Based on what Kang Sung Ho is saying, he already has a pretty solid system going on. ¡°They will post an ad for new workers on Monday. Turn in your application at that time and I will do whatever I can to get you hired. However, you need to keep it a secret that we know each other.¡± I plan on having Kang Sung Ho secretly inspect the Dandelion Foundation. I have them being transparent with the account information, but you still never know when someone might go astray. It is natural for people to get greedy in front of money. More people like that will appear as the Dandelion Foundation gets bigger and bigger. With Kang Sung Ho¡¯s level of friendliness, he should be able to get close to a lot of the Foundation¡¯s people. I can also raise him as one of the Foundation¡¯s staff at the same time. Of course, I won¡¯t leave a secret inspection like that to just Kang Sung Ho alone. It¡¯ll be difficult for him to have deep conversation with the older people because of his age. I plan on also including someone in their mid-40s. I already have a trustworthy person in mind. ¡°You can do it, right?¡± I explained the situation to Kang Sung Ho and he vigorously nodded his head. ¡°I won¡¯t let you down.¡± ¡°Work hard. If you do, the Dandelion Foundation can be your workplace forever.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± *** Two days later. ¡®Sigh, why is my heart beating so much?¡¯ Han Sul Yi could not calm herself down. The person actually playing golf was so calm, but Han Sul Yi felt like her heart was on fire. But she knew he would do well. No, he needed to do well. Only then will the days that they spent figuring out the course be worth it. ¡®But he really is so cool.¡¯ Kang Hwi Ram had a charm that drew you in the more you looked at him. It was not because of his handsome face. After being hit on so much by celebrities, a handsome face felt more like a burden to her. Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s charm was something completely different. Is it his mysterious nature? Or his unpredictable personality and skill? Or is it because of his lack of interest in her? She didn¡¯t know the reason, but her heart always went crazy whenever she was with him. She kept wanting to get him to talk, and even wanted to poke his side for fun. ¡°Miss Han, the broadcast is starting.¡± The announcer sitting next to her lightly tapped her shoulder. She found herself daydreaming a lot these days, especially about Kang Hwi Ram. ¡®Omo! Again ¡­¡­! I¡¯ve never been like this before.¡¯ She quickly focused on the task at hand. The Alondis KPGA Championship was taking place on Jejudo¡¯s Lake Hills CC. This was a very large competition, with the total prize money being 2 billion won, and the winner taking home 500 million won of that 2 billion. But neither the staff, nor the viewers, were very interested in the prize money. They were more interested in seeing whether Kang Hwi Ram could continue to walk down this Royal Road to the PGA. The broadcast comment naturally started with Royal Road as well. ¡°Miss Han Sul Yi, please explain the importance of this competition.¡± ¡°This year¡¯s Alondis Championship is not only important because of its size, but also because of its role in the Royal Road to the PGA.¡± ¡°A lot of people still don¡¯t know much about the Royal Road to the PGA, so can you please explain to us what that is?¡± ¡°In order to make it into the PGA, you need to first complete the Web.com Tour which is so difficult that it is called the, ¡®Race from Hell.¡¯ That is why it is so difficult for amateurs, and even KPGA players, to participate in the PGA. But if you ride on the Royal Road, you earn the right to participate in the PGA next year without going through the Race from Hell.¡± ¡°Then what is included in the Royal Road?¡± ¡°The first obstacle is this Alondis Championship. The Golden Dragon Cup PGA opens in three months, and the Golden Dragon Group can designate one player to enter the Golden Dragon Cup PGA using their identity as the sponsor.¡± ¡°And the winner of the Alondis Championship will naturally be that designated player?¡± ¡°Yes. They announced it will be that way a long time ago. And if they can win the Golden Dragon Cup as well, they will be able to enter the PGA.¡± ¡°Even if it is not player Kang Hwi Ram, I hope that one of our Korean players can earn the benefits of the Royal Road. Those players called the Golden Dragon Kids are very talented as well.¡± ¡°It will definitely be that way.¡± Han Sul Yi was confident that the main character on the Royal Road would be Kang Hwi Ram as she said that. The first squad started to tee up as they discussed the Royal Road. The owner of the first squad was Kang Hwi Ram. Han Sul Yi subconsciously clenched her hands in front of her chest. ¡®Please do well.¡¯ *** ¡®Please. Please.¡¯ Hwang Joon Yul was mumbling as if he was praying. There were enough chances. The distance was a short 343 meters, so a tee shot on-green was possible, but the downward slope was 35 meters on this course. Golf was not something you could be good at just because you could hit a long distance. There were times you ruined your game because you hit the ball too far. If you accidentally hit the ball even a little bit stronger than normal, it will end up being an OB as it would enter the forest that was behind the 343 meter green. The wind was really strong to the left today as well. There was probably a strong gust of wind up in the air. That should make it so that nobody can tell where the ball will land. Which meant that controlling your strength was not enough. You needed to accurately read the wind that you could not see, as well as have luck on your side. Only then will an on-green be possible. That was why most of the golfers were giving up on a tee shot on-green today. But Kang Hwi Ram should be different. He has never cut on a distance where an on-green was possible. Kang Hwi Ram finally swung his driver. Tang- It was a strong swing, as expected. He was definitely aiming for a tee shot on-green. That should mean that his chances of mistake should be that much higher. ¡°Go past it! Go! Go!¡± Hwang Joon Yul immediately started to shout as if he was cheering the ball on. It was a nervous moment. If he successfully completed a birdie on this hole, it will be 17 straight holes with at least a birdie. Three of those holes were completed with eagles. That meant that he currently had a total of 20 under-par. How he plays on the 18th hole could determine whether he breaks another world record. Hwang Joon Yul could not bear to see that happen. Hwang Joon Yul continued to shout like there was no tomorrow. ¡°Go past it~~~~~!¡± Unfortunately, the ball accurately fell 15 meters in front of the green. It then took a high bounce before landing on the green and rolling forward. Hwang Joon Yul could feel his heart sink. The ball was accurately rolling toward the hole. It seemed to be the right amount of strength as well. Even the announcers were saying things that were terrible for him. ¡°Will he finally succeed this time?¡± ¡°He had multiple opportunities throughout the game, but barely missed a couple shots, thus causing him to sadly not record an albatross all the way up until here. This shot seems very accurate, so maybe it is time we finally see it.¡± ¡°Omo. Look. It looks like it is going in.¡± He could hear Han Sul Yi¡¯s moan-like voice. Hwang Joon Yul felt like he was about to go crazy. ¡°No! No!¡± But the ball sped up before suddenly disappearing from the screen. It had landed inside the hole. ¡°Wow!¡± Whistle- ¡°An albatross!¡± He could hear people cheering and whistling on TV. Even the announcers were going crazy. ¡°Oh my! It¡¯s an albatross.¡± ¡°Amazing. He missed four albatross chances until now, but he has finally succeeded!¡± ¡°Kang Hwi Ram is an amazing player! He is personally writing the next chapter of Korean golf!¡± ¡®Damn it, shut up you f*ckers. Whose side are you on?¡¯ He really wanted to go and take away all of their microphones. He will need to pressure the station to fire both the announcer and the expert panelist. ¡°Damn it, fuck, fuck!¡± Hwang Joon Yul started to kick the couch in the office to let out his anger. The door then burst open without a knock. Normally, he would be anxious. Someone who would dare to open his office door without knocking would naturally be a person more important than himself. But he didn¡¯t even have the luxury to properly think right now. He was so angry that he just let out his frustration. ¡°Which bastard is coming in without even knocking ¡­ ¡­! Oh, dad?¡± It was Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s father Hwang Chi Gook. But Hwang Chi Gook¡¯s face was odd. Bloodshot eyes and clenched teeth, he was clearly angry. But that anger seemed to be directed toward Hwang Joon Yul. He glared at Hwang Joon Yul as soon as he entered the office and stomped over. His father Hwang Chi Gook was a gentle man, especially to Hwang Joon Yul. No matter what kind of trouble he caused, he only repeated this phrase, ¡®your dad is on your side.¡¯ Naturally, he had never had such an expression toward Hwang Joon Yul before. Never. But why today? ¡°Dad, what brings ¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Shut up you bastard!¡± Hwang Chi Gook smacked Hwang Joon Yul on the back with his palm as soon as he approached him. Smack- It was so strong that the sound was very loud. It showed just how angry Hwang Chi Gook was at this moment. Hwang Joon Yul started to tear up. The pain was one thing, but the fact that he was hit by his father who was always on his side hurt him even more. ¡°Why¡­¡­are you doing this?¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t know why? Just what the hell were you doing outside that you messed things up like this. Huh?¡± Hwang Chi Gook continued to hit him every time he said something. Hwang Joon Yul was hit five times during that short statement. Five extremely hard hits at that. Smack- Smack- Smack¡­¡­ What could have happened? Why was his dad so angry? Hwang Joon Yul decided to quietly take the beating for now. Talking back right now would just result in a longer beating. Hwang Chi Gook stopped after about ten more hits. ¡°Did something happen?¡± That question seemed to make Hwang Chi Gook angry again. He lifted his hand, that had finally dropped down, back up again. Smack- ¡°The Chairman said he is giving the Medical Center leadership to someone else. Not to us.¡± Hwang Joon Yul felt his heart sink. It was a shock that was multiple times worse than watching Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s albatross shot. ¡°Huh? Why?¡± ¡ª [1] Korean term for underclassmen [2] Kakaotalk ¨C a Korean messaging app Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 118 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 118: This is a Quest Chain (1) ¡°You really don¡¯t know? It¡¯s because of you, you damn bastard.¡± Smack- Hwang Joon Yul felt pain on his back once again. It was not just because of difference in their size. Anybody could see the amount of strength Hwang Chi Gook was putting into the hits. That was why Hwang Joon Yul had to clench his eyes every time he was hit. He was worried that his eyes would fall out from the impact. ¡®I wonder how many more times he needs to hit me before he feels better?¡¯ But he was at least able to piece together what was going on. Chairman Jung ordered a change in leadership immediately after meeting with Kang Hwi Ram. But the majority of that change in leadership was the Golden Dragon Medical Center and a couple other companies that were under Hwang Chi Gook¡¯s leadership being transferred to someone else. When he looked into the reason, Kang Hwi Ram urged Chairman Jung to do that as retribution for all the terrible things Hwang Joon Yul had done to him in the past, and the Chairman ordered it in anger. This was the information he managed to gather after being hit on the back at least 30 times. Hwang Joon Yul clenched his teeth. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram, you son of a bitch!¡± ¡°You bastard, you still haven¡¯t come to your senses?¡± His dad swung his arm again. This smack was even harder than the last one. And he hit the same spot once again. Smack- This time he really thought his eyes were going to pop out. ¡°Issues like this happen because you live your life like that. Don¡¯t you know that making Kang Hwi Ram your enemy right now is making the Chairman your enemy?¡± Then what can he do? Things were already like this. ¡®You can¡¯t put spilt milk back into the container.¡¯ But Hwang Chi Gook had a different type of thought. ¡°Go kneel in front of Kang Hwi Ram and beg for forgiveness or something.¡± Hwang Joon Yul could feel his heart sink. Both of his eyes became the size of lamp posts as well. How could his dad give him such a preposterous order. ¡°What? That bastard has a lot of grudges against me. He won¡¯t forgive me just because I do something like that.¡± ¡°It was all in the past when you were immature. If you apologize, a bad relationship can turn into a good relationship. Immediately go and kneel down. I don¡¯t care about the method, just return things to the way they were, you stupid idiot!¡± Hwang Joon Yul had to leave his office as if he was getting chased out. His dad even managed to hit his back five times and kick his butt as he rushed out. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really going to go crazy.¡± ¡°Then just go out and die, stupid bastard.¡± ¡®Heek! He has such good hearing. But this is a serious situation. What am I supposed to do?¡¯ He had no other options. He knew his father¡¯s personality very well. Hwang Chi Gook was a very emotional person. He was really nice when he was happy, but once you got on his bad side, you were in for trouble. Of course, Hwang Joon Yul had never seen this side of his dad before in his life. But this was a serious situation. If he did not do as his dad ordered him to do, he might receive punishment that transcended his expectations. It would not matter that he was his son. He could only at least pretend to apologize. How hard could it be to apologize? You just close your eyes and mumble a couple things you don¡¯t really mean. ¡®Shit. How am I supposed to deal with his cocky attitude?¡¯ Hwang Joon Yul started to walk away as he let out a sigh. *** ¡°Player Kang Hwi Ram, congratulations on your victory.¡± It was Han Sul Yi¡¯s refreshing voice. Even her smile was refreshing today. It was a sincerely happy expression and not a forced smile. But I was not that satisfied. Recording an eagle on the last hole would have given me 59 strokes to reach the 50s that people only dream about. 60 strokes and 59 strokes. It was just a single stroke difference, but the distance between the two was significant. It could have even gone viral worldwide. I just need to be satisfied with the fact that I recorded a new KPGA record. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°The next competition is the Golden Dragon Cup in three months. How do you plan on preparing for it?¡± ¡°My golf experience is short so I lack instinct out on the field. I plan on participating in every tournament possible to build up my experience.¡± ¡°There is no better training than the real thing. Then do you have a goal for the Golden Dragon Cup?¡± ¡°What is the current record for lowest strokes in the PGA?¡± ¡°I believe it is Jim Furyk¡¯s 58 strokes.¡± ¡°I will try to change that record.¡± ¡°Wow, just listening to that goal makes my heart start to beat. I believe it is possible for a player like you, Mr. Kang Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°Not at all. I just believe it is important to set my goals high¡­¡­.¡± I chatted with Han Sul Yi as if we were on a date. The answers came out easily because I had received the list of questions in advance. I could also see Hwang Joon Yul in the back during the interview. I didn¡¯t know how long Hwang Joon Yul had been there, but he was looking this way like he had something to say to me. Of course, I pretended to not see him. The interview went on for quite a long time. There were so many stations waiting to interview me that they all formed a line and interviewed me one by one. Hwang Joon Yul waited through all of that, as if he was the last interviewer. I could anticipate the reason he was here. ¡®I guess Chairman Jung has already made his move.¡¯ I couldn¡¯t tell just what move he made. But the fact that the extremely prideful Hwang Joon Yul was humbly waiting for me like this made me know it was a pretty heavy move. At least heavy enough for Hwang Joon Yul to boil inside. But it was still lacking to my standards. Hwang Joon Yul, that bastard, needs to really experience what it is like to crawl on the ground. I immediately started to leave once I finished all the interviews. Hwang Joon Yul quickly followed behind me as if he had something to say, but I was faster. I instantly got into the car and closed the door. I then watched Hwang Joon Yul through the window. I could see him venting his frustration. He was kicking at the innocent grass underneath his feet. Watching him act that way made me smile. I immediately started to drive away. ¡®Hmm, I need to move some money. Should I just stash it in some blue-chip stocks?¡¯ I¡¯ve been making an average of 70 billion won a day through stocks. My total assets were worth 3 trillion won, so it is approximately a 2% gain every day. But the amount that I used in stocks was only about 1 trillion won. My stock trading style was one where I only bought while I was lucky and sold before the effects were over, so it was difficult to invest a lot of money. That was why I had close to 2 trillion won just sitting there without having anywhere to go. ¡®Or should I buy some land?¡¯ That might be the best method. I can also receive some rent if I bought some land. I was currently in the middle of having some people look for good areas around Korea. I¡¯ve been buying small amounts if I ever found anything that interested me. But I¡¯m sure that there is a better way to spend my money if I looked further into it. ¡®Where should I invest it?¡¯ I happened to get a call at that time. ¡®It is President Kim In Hwan.¡¯ He is the president of a medium-sized company that manufactures Lithium-Ion Batteries. He was pretty active in the Lions Club meetings until recently, and his honest personality made it easy to like him. That was why I had built a close relationship with him, a relationship almost as strong as my relationship with Director Han Sung Tak. But I haven¡¯t seen him at the meetings lately. Based on the rumors I heard, his company was facing some financial hurdles. ¡°Hello, hyung-nim.¡± ¨C Ahoo-nim [1], it¡¯s been awhile. Congratulations. ¡°Thank you very much. It is entirely because all of you hyung-nims pushed me to do more.¡± ¨C What are you talking about? It is because ahoo-nim has such amazing skills. But, are you busy? Can you give me some of your time? I had a feeling he was going to ask about money. I would have immediately rejected it if it was someone else. But Kim In Hwan was someone who you couldn¡¯t help but be drawn toward. I wanted to at least hear him out, even if I could not help him. And I could always make as much time as needed. ¡°Of course. Where are you? I will head over right now.¡± ¨C Sigh, I was planning on going to see you. ¡°That¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t have anything on my schedule, so I was just going to take a nap.¡± ¨C Even still. I am at my factory right now. ¡°Then I will head there right now.¡± I immediately headed to Eumseong in Chungcheong Province. Kim In Hwan¡¯s company, which was called, ¡®Energy One,¡¯ had its office and factory in this location. Kim In Hwan was waiting for me at the company entrance. He rushed over as soon as I entered through the entrance. ¡°Aigo, I¡¯m so sorry for making such a celebrity come all the way here.¡± Kim In Hwan bowed deeply. I guess I have enough fame to be called a, ¡®star,¡¯ now. This was all through golf, of course. Didn¡¯t he make me come all the way from Seoul to Eumseong? Of course, I came on my own accord, but he probably feels burdened as he is trying to ask me for something. ¡°Hyung-nim, it is so hot. You didn¡¯t have to wait out here.¡± ¡°Ahoo-nim came all the way from Seoul. It was nothing. Let¡¯s hurry on in.¡± I was literally being treated like royalty. I even felt like Kim In Hwan was being very subservient today. He must really be in a bind or something. But I did not bring it up first. Kim In Hwan will naturally bring it up when the time is right. ¡°Ahoo-nim, I was wondering if you had some extra cash right now.¡± He finally got to the topic. As expected, it was money issues. I will not answer without thinking things through. If I say I have it, he will misunderstand as, ¡®I will let you borrow it,¡¯ and if I say I don¡¯t it will make it seem like I have no intentions of letting him borrow it. ¡°Why do you ask? Do you have something that requires money?¡± Kim In Hwan looked outside the office door before answering. He seemed to be making sure there was nobody who could eavesdrop on us. After making sure the door was locked, he came and sat really close to me. Not only that, he started to quietly whisper it in my ear. ¡°To be honest with you, I¡¯ve developed an amazing item. It has never been made before, so if it succeeds, I can grow our Energy One to a world-wide company. I am confident that it can grow into Korea¡¯s greatest company in the next 5 years.¡± The Kim In Hwan I know is a researcher-turned-businessman. He is also someone who is very cautious with his words and actions. For someone like that to say something like this means that he is that confident about it. But I was suspicious as well. ¡®Isn¡¯t this a scam?¡¯ I heard that the really scary scammers are so thorough they almost trick themselves. Maybe the image Kim In Hwan has created until now was all fake and prepared for this moment. Although that does seem to be stretching it. But the fact that he is requesting money from me must mean that it is not a small amount. Wouldn¡¯t it at least be a minimum of ten billion won? I won¡¯t lose out by being cautious. ¡°What is this technology?¡± ¡°The secondary battery industry is current full of Lithium-Ion batteries. There are many new technologies coming out in the market, with Sodium-Ion being the best of the bunch so far. The efficiency and price are both much better than Lithium, but there are a couple different issues that is preventing it from being useful. I resolved that issue. This is 100%.¡± Ever since I started traveling to Royal Roader, I studied a lot of languages and read a lot of books. I always used the focus skill, so a lot of the information remained in my mind. But I haven¡¯t had enough time. I do not have much knowledge in science or things like batteries. I have a good idea about what he is saying, but I have no way to verify whether it is true or not. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get an investment from a large company? Aren¡¯t there many companies interested in the secondary battery industry?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use a large company. They will just steal the technology before pushing you out. And if possible, I want to grow independently.¡± Kim In Hwan¡¯s eyes were full of sincerity as he looked toward me. I would be lying if I said that it didn¡¯t interest me. If what Kim In Hwan was saying was true, this really would be a jackpot of an investment. It would be my goose that lays golden eggs. ¡°How much money do you need to commercialize it?¡± ¡°I would initially need about 90 billion won to create a prototype. In order to mass create it afterwards, I would need about 300 billion won.¡± My jaws dropped a bit. I was expecting him to ask for maybe ten or twenty billion won, but 300 billion won. Kim In Hwan must have noticed it, as he quickly continued. ¡°I am not asking ahoo-nim to invest all that money. I plan on looking at different places for investments as well. But ahoo-nim is the person who I feel the most connected with ¡­¡­¡± 300 billion won really wasn¡¯t much to me. If it really was a good investment, I could even invest 1 trillion won. Actually, I have close to 2 trillion won sitting around. If it was a really good investment, why wouldn¡¯t I invest all 2 trillion? I was just worried that I might get scammed. ¡°Think about it. If it succeeds, we would be the first in the world to successfully commercialize it. There are many places researching this, but they will need at least five years to bring it to market. It might even take ten years, in my opinion. We can monopolize this amazing market. ¡°If we start before it becomes big, our materials will only cost about 30% of the norm while our sales volume will be at least five times as much. Sodium is also easy to acquire from anywhere in the world ¡­¡­¡± Kim In Hwan suddenly started to share everything. He was going on and on about how amazing this Sodium-Ion battery that he perfected was and what it could mean. Of course, it was in a very quiet voice, so that nobody else could hear us. Okay, I get what you are trying to say. It is a blueprint for a very profitable business. The question is whether this blueprint can become a reality. ¡®How can I verify this?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t ask an expert. Kim In Hwan was demanding confidentiality. But I also cannot just blindly invest without any certainty. Then I suddenly remembered. ¡®Ah! I have that! The Chaos Jewel!¡¯ ¡ª [1] Ahoo ¨C Korean term for someone younger than you. Can treat it as the counterpart to hyung. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 119 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 119: This is a Quest Chain (2) Of course, the Chaos Jewel cannot be used like a lie detector. It also cannot show the potential success of an item or the worth of an item. All Chaos Jewels can do is show the aura and influence of the person or item you use it on. That was why I only used it in the game to analyze sealed swords or armors to figure out their hidden abilities. Some items required a lot of time, effort, and money to remove their seal, but once you finally unseal the thing, you could find out that it is actually worthless. But even using it for that was not easy. Chaos Jewels were so precious that most users would never even see it throughout their entire time playing the game. That was why I only used it on items with really ancient seals. Either way, using a Chaos Jewel should let me get a good idea about whether I can believe Kim In Hwan¡¯s words or not. ¡°Do you have a finished sample by chance?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Kim In Hwan opened a locked cabinet and took a battery out of it. In contrast to his, ¡®amazing item,¡¯ talk, it was really small and looked terrible. It looked like he picked up a broken battery somewhere and dissected it. ¡°I haven¡¯t done any cosmetic improvements to it because it is still in development. But although it looks like this, I can guarantee its performance. I also conducted many tests. Like this ¡­ ¡­ hmm?¡± Kim In Hwan stopped talking and looked nervous once I took my smartphone out. I could even see him slightly hide the battery with his hand. He did say this had to be confidential. There is probably nothing more important than secrecy for Kim In Hwan right now. ¡°Ah, I am not trying to take a picture of it. I am just looking something up so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± I said that as I opened the Jewel Box in my information page. [Chaos Jewel: 6] I do not have many of them. In addition, four of them are really terrible with search indexes of less than 15. It will be hard to make a determination with such low index scores. I picked the one with the highest search index. [Chaos Jewel: Search Index 67] I then stopped my hand. I suddenly felt like this was not it. What I want to know is how much money I could make with this item. Then I need to know the cost of production, cost of sale, competitiveness with other products, size of the market, etc. The Chaos Jewel cannot show me all of those things. In addition, something like a battery does not give off much influence or aura. It only stores energy based on scientific principles. On the other hand, the Chaos Jewel shows only the aura or influence of the object. These two really don¡¯t work with each other. If I use it on this battery, I might just waste a Chaos Jewel for no reason. ¡®Then what to do?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t invest without knowing anything, but I couldn¡¯t just coldly reject Kim In Hwan¡¯s request either. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Seeing me looking concerned while looking at my smartphone, Kim In Hwan asked in a worried voice. I looked up and saw his face. At that instant, it was like I had an epiphany. ¡®Right. Chaos Jewels can be used on people.¡¯ Kaldera used it on me in Royal Road. That one use made both Kaldera and Humbley completely become my people. That was how much positive aura I was giving off, probably. I should be able to inspect Kim In Hwan in the same way. If Kim In Hwan is someone who is going to be successful in the future, the Chaos Jewel will show me his potential. And if I invest in someone who will succeed, I will also gain the benefits. ¡®Let¡¯s try it.¡¯ I finally used the Chaos Jewel. The smartphone turned into camera mode. At the same time, an input box appeared for me to put the name of the target. I focused the camera on Kim In Hwan¡¯s face and put, ¡®Kim In Hwan,¡¯ in the input box. As soon as I did that, the smartphone started to show information related to Kim In Hwan. It was not just information like name or age. It was information related to Kim In Hwan¡¯s aura and influence. [Wealth: 98/100] [Intelligence: 53/100] [Health: 46/100] [Morality: 79/100] [Politics: 51/100] [Violence: 31/100] ¡­¡­ *Human average/highest value: 50/100 I didn¡¯t need to look at anything else. I only focused on wealth and morality. Wealth was at 98 out of 100 and morality was at 79 out of 100. If an average person is at 50 and the highest value is 100, you could call both values really high. Which means, Kim In Hwan is someone who will become extremely wealthy, and is also someone who is more upright than most people. That also means he is someone who is worth investing in right now. I didn¡¯t have to worry about it anymore. Of course, the future shown by the Chaos Jewel was not going to happen 100%, but there is no investment that has a 100% probability of success. I closed my smartphone and looked toward Kim In Hwan. I could see the anticipation in Kim In Hwan¡¯s eyes. He saw the smile on my face. Now it was time to turn that anticipation into reality. ¡°I understand. I will help you out.¡± ¡°Oh, Ahoo-nim! Thank you!¡± Kim In Hwan grabbed my hand. Actually, I should be the thankful one. I¡¯ve been worrying about how to spend the rest of my money. I can invest all of it into Kim In Hwan¡¯s business. ¡°Is 100 billion won enough to create the item?¡± ¡°Based on my current calculations. But no need to feel burdened. I will continue to secretly gather other investors like this.¡± ¡°There is no need to do that. I will take on all necessary funding. Hyung-nim can stop worrying about money and just focus on creating the item.¡± Kim In Hwan¡¯s eyes turned really wide. 100 billion won was a ton of money. How could he not be shocked after I decide to invest that much money so easily? ¡°Ahoo-nim has that much money?¡± ¡°I can manage that much.¡± I confidently answered. But there was something odd about Kim In Hwan¡¯s response. He seemed more concerned than excited. ¡°Mm¡­¡­ Then what about ownership ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Ah, because of that?¡¯ He was worried that he would do all the work and I would take all of the profit. ¡°We can discuss that in detail. But I will promise you this. No matter how much ownership I have, I will not try to control what you are doing. If there is a meeting of the board or anything of the sort, I will always be on hyung-nim¡¯s side. I can even sign a contract if you want.¡± Kim In Hwan¡¯s expression became a bit brighter. ¡°If you¡¯ll do that, I won¡¯t have any worries at all.¡± Kim In Hwan and I continued to talk some more after that. Kim In Hwan was still really excited to show off his new invention. Honestly speaking, it was difficult for me to understand everything he was saying. All I could understand was that it had a different type of competitiveness than other items in the market. But I wasn¡¯t really interested in that. I already used the Chaos Jewel to look into Kim In Hwan¡¯s future. In my point of view, that alone was enough. Instead of talking about the product, I started to talk about things related to the ownership of the company. After talking about it for a while, we came to a conclusion. Kim In Hwan and I will have equal 5:5 stakes. This was because there was a significant amount of necessary investment to start. Part of the deal was my raising my investment to 200 billion won. 200 billion won was not that important right now. Kim In Hwan¡¯s wealth stat is all the way up at 98 out of 100 points. 200 billion won can easily become 20 trillion won in the near future. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a pretty good meat place nearby. They specialize in Hanwoo, [1] and their meat is high quality.¡± ¡°Shall we go?¡± We headed to the restaurant together. I know what good quality meat tastes like now. It really was high quality meat like Kim In Hwan mentioned. It probably tasted even better because of my joy in finding a good place to invest my money. ¡°Wow, it really is good.¡± ¡°This place is a famous place. But did something happen with the Winners¡¯ Hwang-pro? He seems to be going crazy trying to track you down these days. Apparently he¡¯s been calling our Lions members asking for your whereabouts as well.¡± It made me smile. Guess his ass is really on fire. Guess that shows just how harsh Chairman Jung¡¯s punishment is on him. ¡°It is nothing much.¡± ¡°I do know a bit about the relationship between you two, but don¡¯t be too rough on him. You never know what someone might do if they have evil in their heart.¡± I was being cautious as well. But I will not let it easily pass by. I can¡¯t stand letting someone like Hwang Joon Yul do well. ¡°I understand, hyung-nim. Ah, I¡¯m so full. I should be heading back now.¡± ¡°Thank you very much for today. Come down to visit whenever you want.¡± ¡°Thank you hyung-nim.¡± I received an almost overwhelmingly good treatment from Kim In Hwan before I got in the car to head back to Seoul. The traffic was pretty bad on my way back to Seoul. I only arrived at my house very late at night. But I could not immediately head inside. An unexpected voice called out my name outside the house. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram.¡± It was a voice I would never forget, but for all the wrong reasons. I turned my head. As expected, i saw Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s face. He slowly started to walk toward me. ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡± I didn¡¯t really feel like it. To be more accurate, I had nothing to talk about with Hwang Joon Yul. It¡¯s fine if he suffers a little more. ¡°I¡¯m tired today. Next time.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much? It¡¯s already been half a month. Please forgive me now.¡± His words made me stop moving. I never expected the word, ¡®forgive,¡¯ to come out of Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s mouth. For someone as prideful as Hwang Joon Yul to say that. He really must be in a rush. I guess it¡¯s been long enough. It is now time to take this to a new direction. But there was no reason to move somewhere else. I still have no desire to spend a long time together with Hwang Joon Yul. ¡°Speak. Briefly.¡± ¡°What do you want from me?¡± ¡°Nothing. You live your life and I¡¯ll live mine.¡± ¡°Then why are you doing this to me?¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°Why did you say something weird to the Chairman to put me in this situation?¡± Hwang Joon Yul raised his voice as if to say, ¡®Don¡¯t change the subject.¡¯ But I could also see him trying to hold himself back at the same time to make sure not to make me angry. That was why it started off rough, but became weaker as he continued to speak. ¡°What is wrong with talking about what happened in the past? You should have acted properly or apologized properly when it happened ¡­¡­huh?¡± Plop- Hwang Joon Yul suddenly bent one of his knees. I never expected Hwang Joon Yul to do something like this. I¡¯m sure he was debating it over and over while waiting for me. To kneel or not to kneel. And he must have come to the conclusion of ,¡®Let¡¯s close my eyes and just do it.¡¯ But you think I care about what he thinks? Does he think his knee is worth a million won or something? ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°Apologizing.¡± I guess Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s apology is only through his knees. His tone and gaze didn¡¯t seem to be apologetic at all. But he¡¯ll have something to tell Chairman Jung. ¡®I even apologized on my knees and he still didn¡¯t forgive me. I tried my best but it was impossible.¡¯ Then Chairman Jung might lift the punishment. He can¡¯t ask Hwang Joon Yul to do the impossible. I need to make it something that is possible for him to do. I need to make him believe that we can become close if Hwang Joon Yul puts in the effort. Of course, I have a plan. ¡°Are you really reflecting on the things you did in middle school?¡± ¡°I am. I really was in the wrong.¡± Although he was saying that, his tone and gaze told me a different story. It was like he was saying, ¡®I¡¯m only giving you this response because I know it is what you want to hear.¡¯ You will never get what you want that way. ¡°Then prove it to me.¡± ¡°How can I prove it?¡± ¡°Go find all the kids who were harassed by you in middle school, apologize to them, and get their forgiveness. I will objectively think about it if you get a letter of confirmation and their contact information.¡± ¡°What?¡± Hwang Joon Yul raised his voice, as if to say that it was preposterous. I knew he would act this way. But he will have no other choice. I definitely gave him a path, and it will be his decision to walk or not walk down this path. ¡°Whatever then. I don¡¯t want to see your face either.¡± That¡¯s all I said before turning around. I then quickly walked into the house. I heard Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s sigh behind me. But he will need to do it. With Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s information network and money, it will be easy for him to get a piece of paper and contact information. But he doesn¡¯t know this. ¡®This is a quest chain, and this is only the first quest.¡¯ ¡ª [1] The Hanwoo, also Hanu or Korean Native, is a breed of small cattle native to Korea Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 120 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 120: The Completed Map (1) I came into the house and looked out the window. Hwang Joon Yul was already gone. He really doesn¡¯t know what persistence means. If he really was desperate, he should have tried to grab onto the bottom of my pants or something. That just shows he¡¯s not completely desperate just yet. Yes, he hasn¡¯t been punished enough. I should go to my house in Insadong tomorrow so that Hwang Joon Yul cannot find me at all. If he finds the Insadong address as well? I just need to go to another house. I have seven officetels around Seoul. I just need to go to the one that I feel like I¡¯m in the mood for. Riiing- Riiiing- ¡®Oh, It¡¯s Kang Sung Ho!¡¯ By now, he should be busy trying to learn everything in the Dandelion Foundation. But he might be in a good spot already, because he¡¯s a sharp kid. But why would he call me so late? ¡°Hey Sung Ho. Are you enjoying the job?¡± ¨C Yes, boss-nim. The people here are very nice. Thank you very much. I will be loyal to you forever. ¡°You punk, you have to suck up in moderation for it to be believable.¡± ¨C I am not trying to suck up. How can I not be loyal to you after receiving such grace? In addition, if I do well for you, I won¡¯t have any problems about finances in the future. I will do my best no matter what you tell me to do. That¡¯s true. If he doesn¡¯t disappoint me, his life will definitely be easy. ¡°I already gave you a task. Just make sure to do that one well. But, what¡¯s up? I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t have called me at this time just to say that.¡± ¨C I had some extra time, so I was looking through the Royal Roader draft plan. But then I remembered what you asked me to look up last time. Didn¡¯t you tell me look for a girl named, ¡®Eruni?¡¯ Eruni. I haven¡¯t heard that name in a while. I did see her face when I visited the Northern Mines a couple months ago, but I haven¡¯t really thought much about her after deciding, ¡®she¡¯s just a normal slave.¡¯ But Kang Sung Ho was talking about her again. ¡°I did. Why? Did you find any information on Eruni?¡± ¨C Is the name maybe, ¡®Erona,¡¯ and not, ¡®Eruni,¡¯ by chance? ¡°Erona?¡± It sounded similar, but the feel was completely different. Erona sounded like a stripper¡¯s name or something rated M like that. ¡°No. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s Eruni.¡± ¨C You also mentioned in passing that she was a female slave from Avanguarde and had a sun-like tattoo on her shoulder. Oh? Something¡¯s definitely here. ¡°Yes.¡± ¨C Then it is Erona and not Eruni. The female slave named Erona meets all of the other information. What?! Kang Sung Ho wouldn¡¯t be making this up. It might be best if I verified it in the draft plan myself. ¡°Which file is it in?¡± ¨C File 36 page 295. Kang Sung Ho had organized the files I sent and divided them up into 100 files before sending it back to me. It was naturally much easier to search through than the original. That was why I always used Sung Ho¡¯s files when I browsed. I ended the call and opened the file. I was able to find the information on Erona as Kang Sung Ho mentioned. But it was shocking from the beginning. ¡®Woman who is supposed to be a sacrifice for the Church of the Sun?¡¯ I could not take my eyes off the file. The file was very long, but the important information was simple. [It was her destiny from birth to become a sacrifice for the church. The tattoo on her shoulder is the symbol for the Church of the Sun¡¯s sacrifice. All of her memories were erased when she turned 16 and was about to be offered as sacrifice. However, Erona¡¯s parents put their lives on the line to find a way for her to escape. She ended up being caught by a slave hunter and sold to the Avanguarde Slave Trader.] I don¡¯t know anything before or after that, but it definitely was information about Eruni. I felt like the mysterious identity of Eruni was finally solved. But the information that continued was even more shocking. [Erona¡¯s erased memory holds the blueprints of the Church of the Sun.] ¡®The blueprints of the Church of the Sun? She really was a treasure.¡¯ I will soon finish with the Demon Cave Clearing. Not just the new cave that we entered, but there will be no need for any future Demon Cave Clearings. It is because I am almost done collecting the map pieces. There are only two pieces left. Then I should be able to find the location of the Church of the Sun. I will make a move before the Ameri Kingdom will have a chance to do so. That was the secret agreement between Shione and me. I will, naturally, need to do it quietly. The Ameri Kingdom must absolutely not find out about it. I will need to take care of it with a small number of elites. So, it will, naturally, be filled with danger. But that danger will significantly decrease if we can verify the layout of the Church of the Sun through Eruni. The problem is that she has forgotten the information. There is no guarantee that her forgotten memory will suddenly return to her if I take her to the Church of the Sun. It might require something special to trigger it. But I could not find out about that. There was nothing about it in the draft plan. ¡®Well, no choice but to tackle it head on.¡¯ * * * ¡°Stand the shields up!¡± The Demon Cave Clearing Squad members clenched their teeth and lifted up their large shields to stand up straight. But, it wasn¡¯t strong enough on its own, so they also used sticks to support it as well. Rumble rumble- The loud noise of the Stone Cows charging toward them could be heard. Boom- Boooom- The Stone Cows rammed into the shields with their strong skulls. The Demon Cave Clearing Squad couldn¡¯t help but groan through their clenched teeth. ¡°Ugh!¡± They were able to last this long thanks to the sticks they were using to help support the shields. Without the help, at least half of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad members would have been flung aside. ¡°Hold on! Fire! Defend!¡± I shouted out loudly as I jumped up. Crackle- Crackle- The tens of Fire marbles that some people threw turned into Fire Pillars, and there were even multiple Fire Walls that the mages around level 330 created. Shione was using all of her strength to put a mana shield around me. Everything happened in an instant. I instantly jumped past the shields and rushed into the herd of Stone Cows. These Stone Cows were level 410, and there were 40+ of them. On the ground were also a ton of Hell Snakes that were at least level 300. But there were no monsters that manage to notice me there. It was because of the Stealthy Approach on the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor that was extremely useful. I started to go wild in between the monsters. Each time I swung my arm, Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades slashed through a Stone Cow¡¯s leg. Papapat- Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades randomly started to create sparks. It was because of the 30% chance of lightning damage. In addition, damage was increased by 15% because it was a personalized weapon, making it even stun the Stone Cows and Death Snakes every so often. That was why both the Stone Cows and Death Snakes continued to fall easily once I reached a 30-hit combo. I didn¡¯t even need to use Dragon Fear. I finished the hunt in less than 10 minutes. Our surroundings instantly became silent, and only the fire marbles that still had some magic left in them continued to create fire pillars for no particular reason. ¡°Casualty count?¡± ¡°None.¡± This is pretty much a new record. We arrived outside the hall of the boss monster without losing a single person. We just need to overcome one more obstacle. I gave the members plenty of time to rest. ¡°Everybody ready?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± All 100 Demon Cave Clearing Squad members ran into the hall at the same time. The hall was large, but there were not many monsters left. I counted a maximum of 1000 monsters. This was the result after luring monsters out of the hall for the last five hours. And, finally, the boss monster appeared. I was full of expectation from the moment I entered this Demon Cave, because the boss monster of this Demon Cave was a golden monster. It is really difficult to find a golden monster. The fact that I found the Golden Alligator in the Dwarf Village could be considered hitting the jackpot. There were extremely low chances of finding one in a Demon Cave that is created naturally, and even participating in a Demon Cave Clearing Squad like this only gave less than 3% chances of finding a golden monster. I cannot miss this rare opportunity. I need to make sure to gather some golden monster blood today. But, it will not be an easy battle. This Demon Cave¡¯s boss monster is a Golden Sphinx. It is a monster that is half monster and half demon. It even has a large spear in one hand. But, for being a boss monster, it is not that large. It is slightly smaller than an average sized elephant. But, that is the problem. The fact that it is so small but is close to level 540 shows that it is hiding many scary surprises. The scariest thing about the Golden Sphinx is that spear, as it can release extremely strong lightning magic. Thankfully, the range of the lightning magic is only 50 meters. Which means, we are safe as long as we do not approach closer than 50 meters. The other scary thing is its extremely fast speed. The lower half of the Golden Sphinx¡¯s body looks like a horse, so, once it starts moving, it speeds up very quickly. Even if we maintain a 50 meter distance from the Golden Sphinx, it can instantly reduce the distance and use the lightning magic. That was why I did some extra research on the Golden Sphinx. I looked up every single piece of information in the draft plan regarding it. Thanks to that, I was a bit more confident. The rest of the members did not enter further and only stayed around the entrance of the hall. This was so that they could quickly retreat if the Golden Sphinx seemed to head their way. ¡°Oowaaaaaaaa!¡± Bang Bang Bang- Boom Boom- The members were shouting and bashing their shields with their weapons. It was to draw the monsters over to them. The monsters looked ready to attack and started to growl. But none of them rushed toward the shouting Demon Cave Clearing Squad members. Just like in the other Demon Caves, they just remained around the boss monster to protect it. While that was going on, I was moving closer to the Golden Sphinx while sticking closely to the wall. Stealthy Approach made it so that none of the monsters could notice me. Even the Golden Sphinx was only staring at the Demon Cave Clearing Squad members at the entrance. It looked prepared to start darting forward at any moment. Shhhhhh- I moved quickly to move to the other side of the hall. I then started to approach the Golden Sphinx. Stealthily. Every time I did something like this, my heart started to beat faster. I could end up in a seriously dangerous situation if I was noticed by the monsters too early on. Of course, I could use the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute, but then the rest of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad members will end up decimated. But I was worried for no reason. None of the monsters, including the Golden Sphinx, noticed me until I was about 10 meters away. This is enough. It¡¯s better to start my attack here, rather than trying to get even closer and getting noticed. I kicked off the ground and pushed myself forward as I used Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades to perform Drake¡¯s TBSA. At the same time, I used the skill I had been saving up until now. [Dragon Fear: Intermediate 3%] Rooooooooooar- Once the Dragon Fear was released, the monsters nearby cowered in fear. They couldn¡¯t react even though I revealed myself and swung my blades. It was the same for the Golden Sphinx. It subconsciously crouched down and could only turn its head toward me. The Golden Sphinx¡¯s biggest weakness was it¡¯s fear of dragons. It was not as bad as the dwarves, but it still had a significant amount of fear for the Dragon Fear, to the point that its body would freeze for a moment. This was my opportunity! The distance between the Golden Sphinx and I was only 10 meters. I instantly decreased that distance and used the combo that was already past 30 hits to attack the Golden Sphinx¡¯s left rear leg. [Special Skill: Ignore 30% of Enemy Defense] It is a skill that uses 50 mana per usage. But it was definitely worth it. The large amount of damage was directly transferred to the leg, causing a significant injury on the ankle that was as thick as a giant tree. The ankle was cut off after just three attacks. I did not stop my combo, instead,I used the monsters that were still cowering in fear from the Dragon Fear as stepping stones to move around and cut off the left front ankle as well. My combo was now up to 50 hits, making the ankle cut off with a single attack. Swing-boom! The Golden Sphinx lost its balance and fell over to the left. But it was not done yet. The Golden Sphinx had a recovery rate that was almost as fast as the trolls. If I don¡¯t utilize this opportunity, it will become a really difficult battle. I quickly ran to the front of the Golden Sphinx. I then used Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades to stab toward its chest. [Special Skill: Ignore 30% of Enemy Defense] The twin blades pierced through the ribs that were as strong as metal, and the 70-hit + combo damage landed directly onto the Golden Sphinx¡¯s heart. Rooooooar- ¡®Oh! A necklace!¡¯ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? And back to the game world! Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 121 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 121: The Completed Map (2) I had traded Bogochan¡¯s Necklace to the Magma Giant. Since then, I haven¡¯t found a necklace that I liked. Of course, I bought a necklace with strong magic resistance from the Accessories Store and am currently wearing it, but it wasn¡¯t at a satisfactory level. But, ¡®The Necklace of the Golden Sphinx?¡¯ Even the name alone made me feel like I hit the jackpot. I also received a piece of an old map. I needed just one more piece, and that came out today. In other words, the Demon Cave Clearing to earn map pieces is finally over. Of course, I cannot let the temple know about this fact. The temple is connected to the Ameri Kingdom, so only the shell of the Church of the Sun can remain when the Ameri Kingdom attacks the headquarters of the Church of the Sun. Either way, it is not the time to be thinking about that right now. The map is already in my hands. Right now, I need to aim for the things that are not in my hands yet. Something I cannot get if I don¡¯t get it right now. I quickly took out the magic bag and filled it with the Golden Sphinx¡¯s blood. ¡®Thank God. I was lucky.¡¯ When will I be able to meet a golden monster again? That was why I bought 10 magic bags in order to gather as much blood as possible whenever I saw one. But I was being too greedy. After gathering the blood up, it barely filled up a single bag. I did open up the second bag, but it didn¡¯t manage to fill even 10% of it. It is because the magic bag had a large storage space while the amount of blood flowing from the heart was less than I expected. The monsters around the area were to blame as well. They continued to attack me while I was gathering the blood, making it impossible to focus. They forced me to swing my sword with one hand while gathering the blood with the other, which meant that a lot of it was spilled to the side. ¡®Ah, so annoying! You damn monsters!¡¯ I quickly tied up the bag and started to properly swing my twin blades around. It was my angry slashing toward the petty(?) monsters. The Demon Cave Clearing Squad members also helped by using fire marbles, fire magic, and support magic, allowing us to get rid of all of the monsters in less than 5 minutes. ¡®Aww, what a waste!¡¯ I looked down at the blood that was on the ground next to the Golden Sphinx. I probably could have filled three whole bags if I had been able to save all of that. It started to slowly disappear as time went on. I suddenly felt someone¡¯s gaze on me. When I turned around to look, Shione was looking at me with a meaningful gaze. She was asking if I found the piece of the old map. I laughed lightly. That was enough of a response for her. Shione also had a extremely subtle smile before it quickly disappeared again. ¡°Let¡¯s head out now.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± In the middle of the night. I was still staying at the luxurious guestroom of the Athena Temple. Thanks to the extreme hospitality from Shione, as well as the other female priestesses, I felt like royalty while I was here. Maybe that was why I always started to smile whenever I came in here. But today, that smile was wider than usual. It was because of the drops from this Demon Cave. [The Necklace of the Golden Sphinx] Magic +50 Vitality +30 Magic Resistance +20 Lightning Sphere Skill: Cooldown 10 seconds I had been feeling that my vitality and magic were both not where I wanted them to be. I just held back because I wanted to raise my agility to the maximum level first. The thing I liked the most was the Lightning Sphere skill. It should be very useful when I am in danger. Anyways, it was making me feel like I made a smart decision to trade Bogochan¡¯s Necklace with the Magma Giant. Even if I had Bogochan¡¯s Necklace, I would have picked this Golden Sphinx Necklace over it. That was how much I liked the effects of this necklace. I heard a knock on the door while I was smiling by myself. *Knock Knock* I quickly put the necklace on my neck. ¡°Come in.¡± The door opened and Shione entered. Shione really looks the best in this pure white priestess outfit. The Leather armor and robe combo she wore in the Demon Cave was pretty as well, but it did not measure up to the priestess outfit. It felt like my eyes were being purified. Would you like some Cannaba Tea?¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Shione poured two cups of Cannaba Tea. While she did that, I pulled over the chair on the side for her. Shione offered me a cup as she sat down on the chair. ¡°Did you find the last piece?¡± Instead of responding, I took a small piece of the map out of my bag. Shione¡¯s face lit up with a bright smile. She then took out all of the map pieces she was hiding under her robe and handed them to me. ¡°Please quickly put them together.¡± Shione¡¯s voice lightly shook as she said that. My heart was pounding as well. I will finally get a path to utilizing Spirit Energy. I put the map pieces on the bed. There were a total of twelve of them. I put the pieces together like I was completing a puzzle. Suddenly, I saw a dim light coming from the map. Shione grabbed my hand. ¡°I think this is it.¡± I saw it too. Within the dim light, the pieces came together to show a completed map. I stopped moving my hands and Shione and I both looked over the map. All of the lines on the map were really faint. The map was also not in good quality, with some areas looking like they were erased. Most importantly, it was written in strange characters, making it extremely difficult to make anything out of it. ¡°Where do you think it is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure. It doesn¡¯t look like a terrain I¡¯ve crossed. All I can tell is that there is a large mountain range.¡± I can see the mountain range as well. But this Muon continent has way too many mountain ranges for that to be any help as a clue. I need to look for another clue. Shione and I looked through the map for a while longer. We were extremely close to each other, with our faces being able to easily touch, but both Shione and I were completely focused on the map, not leaving any time to feel any weird emotions. Then, suddenly, something caught my eye. ¡°What do you think this is?¡± ¡°Is it a river?¡± I thought it was a river at first too. But the more I look at it, the more I feel like it isn¡¯t a river. ¡°Then why would it cut off here? And this ¡­¡­ hmm?¡± I was following the squiggly line that seemed to mark a river, before stopping at the end. There seemed to be some type of stain right there. But when I took a closer look, it was not a stain. It was a city. Well, it was too small to be a city, but too big to be a village. As I took a look at the roads and villages as a whole, it suddenly made me think of a place. But it doesn¡¯t seem like Shione has realized it yet. ¡°Why? Do you think you might know where ¡­¡­ omo!¡± We both turned our heads toward each other and became shocked. Our faces were so close that our lips almost touched. Both Shione and I stepped back to created some distance. But it was not the time to be caught up in that type of atmosphere. My beating heart was also beating because of the map, not because of Shione. I responded to her as quietly as possible. ¡°I think I know where it is.¡± Shione¡¯s eyes opened extremely widely. ¡°Where is it?¡± I debated telling her the name of the region before quickly changing my mind. There was no advantage in Shione knowing where it is. It wasn¡¯t like Shione could accompany me there. She needs to remain in the temple and prepare for the next Demon Cave Clearing. The temple still thinks that we have not found the last piece of the map. ¡°I think it would be better if priestess-nim didn¡¯t know about it. I will go and verify the location of the Church of the Sun. Once I go there and get rid of the evidence, the Ameri Kingdom would not be able to progress any further even if they do find the location.¡± Shione had a slightly disappointed expression. But she was not stubborn about it. Neither Shione nor I would benefit if there was a conflict and we clashed with each other right now. ¡°Please trust me.¡± ¡°I understand. I will trust you.¡± I split the map into pieces again. Since it was only gathered together with a magic force, putting just a little bit of strength broke it apart into the original pieces. The next morning. The bishop looked extremely shocked. ¡°Again? Where are you going to go this time?¡± The bishop seems to be misunderstanding something. Well, that is human nature. If you are always nice to someone, they are going to think, ¡®That person is always a nice person.¡¯ The bishop was the same way. Since I always participated in the Demon Cave Clearing Squad without many conditions, he seems to be thinking that I am a, ¡®Pawn associated with the temple.¡¯ Maybe that was why, but the slightly respectful tone was gone and he was talking very informally with me now. Which means, he is thinking lightly of me. Might as well change that mentality around right now. ¡°Is there a reason for me to report my every move to you, bishop-nim?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hmm? T, that ¡­¡­¡± The bishop looked like he was smacked in the face. He was so shocked at my sudden verbal attack that he could not even speak properly. ¡°Honestly speaking, is there a reason for me to continue being a part of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad? It isn¡¯t like the temple has given me a proper reward or anything.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t we given you a reward every time?¡± Of course, they did give out rewards. I always received Intelli points, and I managed to raise the amount even further by gambling it each time. I also receive the, ¡®Athena Temple¡¯s Healing Potion,¡¯ as a special reward from time to time as well. However, those rewards are things any Demon Cave Clearing Squad members can receive. Which means, the fact that they only give those types of rewards to me shows that they do not consider me to be special. I nodded my head at the bishop¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re right. You did reward me. And I don¡¯t need that type of reward anymore. So I don¡¯t need to participate in any more Demon Cave Clearing Squads now right? It¡¯s not like the temple will lose anything from my not taking part.¡± The bishop¡¯s expression turned pale. ¡°No, that ¡­¡­ did you have an issue with the reward? Then why didn¡¯t you tell me your concerns?¡± He seems to finally understand my value as a Demon Cave Clearing Squad member. His tone returned back to the old respectful tone as well, and he was the one to bring up a discussion about a proper reward. I wonder if he will be able to bring out a reward that would satisfy me. Of course, I still plan on coming back to participate in the next Demon Cave Clearing Squad, even without the reward, for Shione. Since we have said that we have not collected all of the map pieces, Shione will need to go into the Demon Cave once more. However, since the bishop does not know about that, I hold the knife in this negotiation. ¡°Is there another reward you would like?¡± He wants me to name it? To be honest, I didn¡¯t bring up the issue because of the reward. I just mentioned it because I wanted the bishop to see the reality of the situation. I also wanted to create a reason to be away for a while. But if you¡¯re going to lay down the red carpet, I will gladly dance for you. What kind of reward should I bring up? There¡¯s nothing that comes to mi¡­¡­! ¡®Ah! There is one!¡¯ But the question is whether the temple will hand that over. It is an extremely special item. Having it is like having an extra life. Might as well give it a go. I had nothing to lose. ¡°Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t we already give you one of those?¡± Indeed, you have. I still have it in my bag. But did you know this? ¡°Isn¡¯t the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute the type of thing that is ¡®the more the better¡¯?¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡± The end of the bishop¡¯s sentence trailed off. That mean that he was extremely conflicted. ¡®Oho! Take a look at this!¡¯ The fact that he is extremely conflicted means that, depending on the negotiation, I really might be able to receive a Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute as a reward. Then it is a jackpot. I am the one with the knife here anyways. I can be a bit pushy in a situation like this. ¡°Anyways, I am tired right now. Even if you said you are going to give me a Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute, I will need to take a break for at least a couple of months. You can leave a note for me with the Magician¡¯s Tower if you make up your mind.¡± The bishop could not say anything back. His mind seemed to be full of the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute right now. It made sense, even the Athena Temple did not have an unlimited supply of the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute. It would also need the approval of the headquarters of the Athena Temple as well. I¡¯m sure many things will require a long time for him to come to a decision. ¡°And I am saying this because I am worried, but I¡¯m sure you remember what happened with the last Demon Cave Clearing Squad. If you plan on creating a Demon Cave Clearing Squad without me, make sure you pay a significant amount of attention to the members you select.¡± I¡¯m sure that was enough for him to understand. If they pick incorrectly, the entire Demon Cave Clearing Squad will be killed. The most important thing is, of course, Shione¡¯s sacrifice. She might be able to save her life because of the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute, but it will be better to give that Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute to me than to create such a situation. ¡°Then I will be on my way now. Thank you for everything until now.¡± I stopped there and started to walk away. ¡°That ¡­¡­ you see ¡­¡­¡± I could hear the bishop¡¯s extremely weak voice behind me, but I did not even look back. There was something more important to deal with right now. ¡®The headquarters of the Church of the Sun.¡¯ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 122 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 122: A Pretty Strong Team (1) The Church of the Sun is the enemy of, not just the Ameri Kingdom, but the entire continent. That showed just how evil the Church of the Sun is, but, on the other hand, it also could mean that they were just that strong. Strong enough to put the entire continent in danger. The headquarters of such a group would probably be heavily guarded. I¡¯ve leveled up a lot and upgraded my equipment, but it was still impossible for me to do alone. Of course, Shione¡¯s father, Harrison, and his forces will help out, but, in order to keep this quiet, we will only be able to use a small number of troops. That is the reason I don¡¯t have much expectations for them. I needed to gather a few strong individuals to create a team. ¡®Who would be good?¡¯ The first person to pop into my mind was the Warrior of Light, Kaicher. But I shook my head soon after thinking that. I was doing this secretly, without the Ameri Kingdom or the Athena Temple knowing about it. The Ares Temple and Athena Temple were well connected, and are said to share information a lot. Kaicher was also not someone who would throw away the Ares Temple for me. It would be hard to keep this a secret with him helping me out. ¡®Sigh, just how many years have I been living in this Royal Roader world? How can I still not have some strong individuals as part of my crew? I¡¯m such an idiot.¡¯ It is because my skills are still lacking. I need to first show off some type of overwhelming strength in order for strong warriors or magicians to be my friends. There was nothing I could do about it. I needed time to get stronger. ¡®Let¡¯s think about it slowly as I head there.¡¯ I immediately headed to the Magician¡¯s Tower. ¡°Please tell me your destination.¡± ¡°The Dwarf Village.¡± ¡°Huh? Where?¡± The magician in charge of the portal asked in shock. The Dwarf Village portal was something only people who have the dwarves¡¯ permission can use. ¡°Please send me to the Dwarf Village. I have their permission.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± With a flashing light, I arrived at the Dwarf Village Temple. The dwarf protecting the portal recognized me. ¡°You are that human from before. What brings you here?¡± I didn¡¯t come here because I needed something from the dwarves. I just needed to pass by this place to take care of something else. ¡°To head to the Peria Desert.¡± ¡°I see. Go ahead.¡± Coming to the Dwarf Village made me think of a specific dwarf. ¡°Where is Goonto?¡± ¡°He went Demon Cave hunting. It should be a few days before he returns.¡± I was going to say, ¡®Hi,¡¯ since I was here anyways,but I didn¡¯t want to waste time by waiting for a few days. ¡°Can I borrow a horse?¡± ¡°You are a friend of the Dwarves. I will ask the bishop-nim.¡± A horse was prepared for me after a bit of time. It seemed to be a very strong and fast horse. I quickly headed to the Peria Desert. Once I got to a spot where the horse could not pass anymore, I walked with my own two feet. I was able to quickly get there because I had already been there once before. It really was a magical place. The surrounding was a heated desert that felt like the land of the dead, but, once you take a single step forward, it suddenly turns into a green forest. It was a small area, but it was so cool that it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to describe it as, ¡®heaven.¡¯ It might seem even more refreshing because it has the desert heat right next to it for comparison. I opened my bag and took out a Fairy¡¯s Tear. The quest I got last time was recovering 100 Fairy¡¯s Tears. I only needed 68 more when I left last time. However, I have hunted a lot of Midnight Black Alligators since then. Even though I hadn¡¯t planned for it, I had collected 123 Fairy¡¯s Tears. Including the ones from before, that was a total of 160. Will there be an extra reward? I put the Fairy¡¯s Tears into the oasis. Once I did that, the Perias that were released from the Fairy¡¯s Tears flew up into the sky. Each time one flew up, it thanked me before gently kissing my face. The Perias¡¯ kisses continued 123 times. But my magic stat stopped rising after raising 68 points. No matter how many more kisses I got, I did not hear the message about my magic stat rising anymore. Once all 123 of them kissed me, the Perias started to circle around me. ¡°Thank you very much. You have been of great help to the Perias.¡± There were so many of them that I didn¡¯t really know which one was talking. ¡°As promised, we will put our powers together to gift you a guardian spirit.¡± ¡°We pray that your life will be filled with blessings.¡± The Perias circled around me a few more times before floating up to the sky. They were probably heading towards the Peria Mountain. I wanted to follow them to check it out, but that wasn¡¯t possible. The Perias were a race that was as covered in a veil as the Drakes. No matter how much friendliness I may have with the fairies, I will still not be welcomed in. ¡®A guardian spirit.¡¯ I opened my bag, but it was not there. ¡®Where is it?¡¯ The moment I thought about the guardian spirit and questioned its location, a white light appeared in my hand. Not only that, I could feel the existence of that light. It was a light that only existed for me. I could even see its information. [Guardian Spirit] Spirit Energy: 1,000/1,000 Damage Absorption: 20% Connection Level: 64% The Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor also has a 21% damage absorption option. Then I should now have a total of 41% damage absorption. But this was not the only benefit of a guardian spirit. ¡®Fly.¡¯ Once I thought about it, the guardian spirit read my thoughts and flew up into the sky. I could see the entire oasis in front of my eyes. This was because I could use the guardian spirit¡¯s eyes like my own. I could use the guardian spirit to figure out the situation of places I could not see with my own eyes. Of course, it was impossible to do this at incredibly far distances. I sent the guardian spirit up as high as possible, but it seems like it can¡¯t go more than 30m away from me. It was because of our connection level. Since our connection level was only at 64%, it could not be very far from me. But even this will be very helpful for me. I wonder what my magic stat is at now. [Kang Hwi Ram, Level 351] Dexterity: Advanced level 7, 34% Strength: 340 Agility: 1,558 Stamina: 96 Intuition: 126 Magic: 170 Vitality: 39 Mana: 708 HP: 766 Endurance: 37 Reinforced Toughness: 150 Guard Point: 2,451 Intelli Point: 2,381 My magic had instantly shot up to 170. My strength and agility were much higher as well. I did use some bonus points for them, but it was because the options for strength and agility on the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor were pretty large as well. With these kind of stats, I will probably have no issues with the restrictions, even if I fortify Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. ¡®Ah, Jewel of Fortification!¡¯ I suddenly recalled the Jewel Alchemy skill. When I received the Flame Fairy¡¯s Breath, my Jewel Alchemy skill shot up significantly. I believed that it was because my friendliness with the fairies shot up. My friendliness with the fairies supposedly increased by 160 by rescuing the Peria. Fairies and Peria may be different, but there are some similarities, so it probably had some effect. The existence of the guardian spirit probably plays a role too. I quickly checked my skill. [Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate Level 7, 9%] ¡®Wow! Instantly jumped up to intermediate level 7!¡¯ It is possible to use the Jewels of Fortification once Jewel Alchemy reaches intermediate level 5. I just held back because the success rate is low and since it is difficult to find Jewels of Fortification, especially ones with high fortification indexes. That was why I was waiting to reach intermediate level 7. At that level, the success rate will be at least 70%. Now it was time to use my Jewels of Fortification. I took the Jewels of Fortification out of my bag. [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 9%] [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 9%] ¡­¡­ It would be stupid to use the jewels as they currently are. If you fortify with one that only has a 9% fortification index, your equipment will only strengthen by 9%. I need to raise the fortification index as much as possible before fortifying, in order to bring out the most of the equipment¡¯s abilities. I used Jewel Alchemy to combine the Jewels of Fortification. After spending some time, I was able to turn 9 jewels into three. Only then did I have Jewels with satisfactory fortification indexes. [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 18%] [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 18%] [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 18%] This is about the highest fortification index I can create with my Jewel Alchemy skill right now. I took out Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. [Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades: Personalized for Kang Hwi Ram] This cutlass was made by Goonto, the current greatest blacksmith in the world. Two blades were created as a pair. Durability: 231/231 Attack strength: 101 Attack speed: 80 Restrictions: Strength 121, Agility 671, Level 250 *Attack strength is increased by 15% when used by Kang Hwi Ram *30% chance of adding 230 lightning damage *11% chance of causing Stun *Special Skill: Nullify 30% of Enemy Defense (Use 50 MP) The current stats were already extremely satisfactory. However, it would become much stronger once I use the Jewels of Fortification. I have two blades. One jewel is required per blade. That means, I need to use two Jewels of Fortification to fortify both blades. I grabbed one of the blades and put the Jewel of Fortification on top of it. I then pushed down on it with my palm and started to focus. It looked like I was trying to push the jewel into the cutlass. However, it was very different compared to combining two jewels. It required a significant amount of focus. It also took a really long time. It took only about 30 minutes to combine nine Jewels of Fortification into three, but it took over an hour to use the Jewel of Fortification on the weapon. It also took an intense amount of focus to the point that I even wanted to give up in the middle because of the pain. But I clenched my teeth and persevered. It is not that easy to get a good weapon. After continuing like that, I finally felt it. It felt like there was a warm storm brewing in my hand. The fairy¡¯s power was leaving the Jewel of Fortification and started to move. ¡®Alright. Now go into the weapon!¡¯ I focused even harder, convincing myself that this was the final hurdle. After about ten more minutes, the fairy¡¯s power slowly started to disappear. I let out a deep breath. ¡°Huuuuuuu.¡± I seem to have sweated a lot during the process. The beads of sweat that were on my lips bursted out like a fountain with my breath. My clothes were damp as well. I was covered in sweat from head to toe. Maybe that was why, but I felt extremely tired. I wanted to just lay there and take a nap. But my curiosity for the final product overcame my exhaustion. ¡®Did it work properly?¡¯ [Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades +1 Fortification: Personalized for Kang Hwi Ram] This cutlass was made by Goonto, the current greatest blacksmith in the world. Two blades were created as a pair. Durability: 273/273 Attack strength: 119 Attack speed: 80 Restrictions: Strength 138, Agility 790, Level 273 *Attack strength is increased by 15% when used by Kang Hwi Ram *30% chance of adding 230 lightning damage *11% chance of causing Stun *Special Skill: Nullify 30% of Enemy Defense (Use 50 MP) It seems to have worked properly. Both the durability and attack strength have increased by 18%. The restrictions regarding strength, agility, and level increased as well. However, they did not increase by 18%. If it remains like this, I should be able to still equip it after fortifying it three levels. Of course, i need to increase my Jewel Alchemy level to fortify it more than twice right now. I still needed to fortify the other blade, but I had no desire to do so. I was completed exhausted right now, so how was I supposed to stand the fortification process for over an hour? ¡®Let¡¯s take a break first.¡¯ This was a safe spot anyways. It was right next to the Peria Oasis. I just laid down where I was sitting. ¡®My forces are too weak. Who else can I take with me?¡¯ Shione¡¯s father, Harrison, should be able to recruit a large number of soldiers. However, this was not a battle of numbers. In order to stealthily complete this, we needed a small group to strike quickly and disappear. But it wasn¡¯t like we could rescue Morris from the underground prison. It was too early for that. Just thinking about it was giving me a headache. I had been thinking about this the whole time I was riding the horse over here as well. I suddenly heard a voice while I was laying there thinking. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram. Long time no see.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 123 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 123: A Pretty Strong Team (2) A thick and recognizable voice. I turned my head to find Goonto standing there. I had been thinking about including Goonto into the Church of the Sun attack team since he is one of the strongest among the people I have built a friendship with. He is probably as strong as Kaicher, the Warrior of Light. If he figures out the secrets of sword mastery, he might even become stronger than Kaicher. There are also a large group of people who follow Goonto. All of them are strong warriors. If I can borrow their strength, it will not be very difficult to attack the headquarters of the Church of the Sun. But there is a problem. They are dwarves. They are not likely to help out in human affairs, even if we have become friends. They will definitely not want to be in a team with humans other than me as well. But it wasn¡¯t like I could just use the dwarves as mercenaries. The dwarves consider being a, ¡®mercenary,¡¯ as selling their body. They find it to be extremely shameful. That is why the term, ¡®mercenary,¡¯ holds a very negative connotation with them. Unless I have an offer that Goonto cannot resist, unfortunately, using the dwarves would be like trying to eat a cake in a photo. It still did not change the fact that I was happy to see him. ¡°Goonto. Nice to see you again. I heard you went to clear some Demon Caves. Everything go well?¡± ¡°Of course. Chubach-nim¡¯s Solar Blade has made monster hunting much easier.¡± Goonto proudly pointed at Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade that was on his back. But can you use the solar blade like that? It is one of the dwarves¡¯ treasures. I still remember how carefully he was treating it when I first handed it to him. Yet he is using it for hunting monsters now? Well, a sword really has no purpose if you don¡¯t use it. That solar blade is also super strong, such that it won¡¯t even get a scratch after smashing a boulder. But his completely different treatment of it was so weird. ¡°Do you like your twin blades?¡± Like them? I¡¯m sure it will be extremely difficult to find a better set no matter how hard I try to look for one. I was also able to fortify it. ¡®Hmm? Fortification? Solar blade?¡¯ Thinking about that suddenly gave me an idea. It was an idea that would allow me to use Goonto¡¯s strength. Dwarves are an extremely prideful race. That is why they will break a contract no matter the price if you use words like, ¡®mercenary,¡¯ that they find to be shameful. However, if you use the right words, words that makes them proud, a contract can easily happen. If I use the ability I have in addition to that, he probably won¡¯t reject my request. Goonto had an odd expression after seeing my expression. ¡°What is going on? Is there an issue with the twin blades that I made for you?¡± ¡°No, no problem at all. The stats are a bit different than before, but no problems.¡± ¡°Stats have changed? That¡¯s not possible. Let me take a look.¡± Goonto was in disbelief as he reached out his hand. I just silently handed him both blades. Goonto checked the information of the blades before his eyes opened wide. ¡°Why did it become like this? Why are the two blades different? Did one of them lose some stats? ¡­¡­Ah! It was fortified!¡± He finally seemed to have looked at the name of the blades. One blade was fortified successfully while I have not attempted to fortify the other one just yet. Using the Jewel of Fortification makes me so tired that I am unable to defend myself properly. That was why I pushed the fortification off until I went somewhere safe. Goonto looked at me once again. ¡°You really are not a normal human. You managed to successfully use a Jewel of Fortification and raise it by 18% at that!¡± ¡°I did struggle quite a bit to make it happen.¡± Goonto¡¯s expression suddenly changed. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but that it was hard to spit it out. His mouth just opened and closed. I could already tell what Goonto wanted. There was only one thing Goonto would want in this situation. But I was not the first to bring it up. I planned on using it to trade for Goonto¡¯s services. Although, I didn¡¯t know if it would work. Goonto finally managed to spit it out. ¡°I have a request.¡± ¡°A request? What is it?¡± I asked like I had no idea what he would ask. ¡°Can you fortify the solar blade for me?¡± Just like I expected. I¡¯m sure it wouldn¡¯t end at just the solar blade. He will probably bring all of the strong weapons in the Dwarf Village and ask me to fortify them. Of course, I am unable to fortify all of them. There is a limit to my mental strength. No matter how hard I work, my limit right now is two to three fortifications in a day. I strategically pretended to decline. ¡°Sigh, no. Do you know how exhausting it is to use the Jewel of Fortification? I was completely exhausted after fortifying the one blade that I spent the whole day like a corpse.¡± ¡°I will pay you handsomely. How much do you want?¡± ¡°I already have a ton of money.¡± ¡°Then I will give you jewels.¡± ¡°I can buy plenty of jewels with my money.¡± Goonto started to list a lot of different options. Some of them were very tempting, since one offer was to make cutlasses that were even stronger than Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. But what I wanted was something bigger. Of course, there was no way Goonto could read my mind. It should be about time for him to ask what I want since I¡¯ve rejected everything. ¡°Just what is it you want?¡± Ah, just the question I had been waiting to hear. I put my hand on my chin and pretended to think. Then I snapped my fingers like I suddenly came up with an idea. ¡°Can you and your dwarf friends help me out with something? It is something impossible to complete with my level of strength.¡± His response was positive. The fact that I praised his strength made him interested. ¡°Something that is impossible with your level of strength? What is it?¡± ¡°There are some really evil villains. I want to punish them.¡± ¡°Villains? Human villains?¡± ¡°Of course. They have a lot of followers, but I can¡¯t use the military to take them down. It is something that needs to be completed stealthily.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Goonto caressed his chin, as if he was thinking things over. ¡°If you help me, I will stay in the Dwarf Village for a couple days and fortify five weapons. In return, five dwarves, including you, have to help me out.¡± ¡°It is not a decision I can make on my own. We will need to ask for the Great Patriarch-nim¡¯s opinion.¡± I had to go meet with the Great Patriarch Bangart anyways since I successfully fortified a weapon. ¡°Then let¡¯s go to the village.¡± I headed to the Dwarf Village with Goonto and immediately went to look for Great Patriarch Bangart to explain my situation. Once I offered to fortify weapons as compensation, even Bangart seemed interested. ¡°Who are the villains that you wish to punish?¡± This information had to remain a secret. However, it should be fine to tell the dwarves about it. There were no routes for the information to go out since they hate humans anyway. Furthermore, as long as I get their promise to keep the secret, their identity as a prideful race will prevent them from sharing the information. ¡°The Church of the Sun.¡± ¡°It sounds like a name I¡¯ve heard before. However, it is up to the temple to decide whether us dwarves will get involved in human affairs. Wait here. I will go ask the bishop-nim about it.¡± It sure is complicated. However, it did not take long for Bangart to return. He came back in less than an hour. I felt like it was successful the moment I saw Bangart. His expression was very bright. ¡°The temple has given us permission.¡± ¡°Great! But, please keep it a secret. The Church of the Sun¡¯s minions may cause chaos on the continent if this information is leaked.¡± ¡°I give you my word. Human, you must keep your promise as well.¡± ¡°I understand. Oh, and please give me the next quest.¡± ¡°Ah, right!¡± Bangart smacked his head as if he had forgotten about it. I then heard a voice in my head. I checked my skill window as soon as I heard the quest completion message. [Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate level 7, 98%] ¡®I was right!¡¯ It instantly jumped to the edge of intermediate level 8. I should be able to raise it that 2% by combining around 100 Jewels of Creation. Bangart continued with the next quest while I was doing that. I soon heard a voice in my head confirming the quest. Raising my friendliness with the fairies by 100 increased my skill from intermediate level 7 to the edge of intermediate level 8. So, what would happen with 300? Then Jewel Alchemy should easily jump to the advanced level. But the quest was going to be difficult. ¡®Combine two jewels without losing any of the stored fairy¡¯s power.¡¯ Which means, I need to take two jewels with creation indexes of 30 and create a Jewel of Creation with a creation index of 60. A lot of the fairy¡¯s power was being lost right now. If I was to use two jewels with creation indexes of 30 right now, I would probably end up with no more than a creation index of 50. It will be a long battle. However, there was nothing I can do about it. I wasn¡¯t a god who could fast forward time or anything. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll eventually see the end if I take it one step at a time. Then shall I get started? I looked toward Great Patriarch Bangart and smiled brightly. ¡°Now please bring the equipment to be fortified. Ah! You will naturally supply the Jewels of Fortification, right?¡± One week later. ¡®Ow, so difficult.¡¯ I finally finished fortifying the fifth equipment. It took longer than I expected. It was because I had to combine the Jewels of Fortification before using it on the equipment. Combining Jewels of Fortification to increase their fortification index. Shouldn¡¯t I do my best if I was going to fortify things anyways? That was why, on average, I combined three Jewels of Fortification to create fortification indexes of at least 18%. One even had a 19% fortification index. I also fortified all of my equipment as well. Well, ¡®all of my equipment,¡¯ was really only the Shadow Fox¡¯s Armor Set and the other cutlass. Anyways, I successfully fortified all seven pieces of equipment with a success rate of 100%. I thought it was smart to do the fortification after increasing my Jewel Alchemy to almost intermediate level 8. I also had an unexpected gain in the process. One was my experience level for Jewel Alchemy. The Jewel Alchemy skill experience went up quickly with every successful fortification. Jewel Alchemy had already reached intermediate level 8. I thought I would need to combine at least 100 jewels to get there. Experience really seems to increase proportionally with the more difficult tasks. The other gain was that the amount of mental strength required to fortify went down. The first day, I felt like I was not at 100% even after resting a full day, but by the time I fortified the seventh piece of equipment, I was fine after taking a good nap. Anyways, I was now done with everything I needed to do. Now it was Goonto¡¯s turn to keep his promise. ¡°It needs to be the strongest dwarves.¡± ¡°My friends are all the best of the best.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure they are. Would the Dwarf of Steel carry around weak dwarves? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll get to see what the abilities of the best dwarves are soon enough.¡± I lightly riled Goonto up. I¡¯m sure that it worked. Dwarves are just as prideful about their strength as a warrior as they are of the blacksmith occupation. He will create a team with the best of the best in order to make sure he does not show a human like me any weakness. In that case, even just the five of them will add a significant amount of strength to my team. ¡°Should we leave with you now?¡± He really had a rushed personality, like most dwarves. Goonto seemed ready to go, and it looked like he already knew which four dwarves he would take with him. But it was not the right time just yet. ¡°I need to gather some more people.¡± ¡°Are you saying that it is not enough with us?¡± Goonto seems to be thinking too lightly about this situation. The Church of the Sun was a group that even the Ameri Kingdom, the overlords of the continent, felt threatened by. ¡°Can you defeat 10,000 humans with just five dwarves?¡± ¡°What? 10,000 humans? They have that many people?¡± ¡°They probably have more.¡± It was not a joke. But the number of minions should not matter to really strong warriors. ¡°Gather at the Batoru Kingdom¡¯s Avanguarde Volcanus Temple in exactly two months.¡± ¡°Two months. Got it. Dwarves keep our promises.¡± ¡°Then see you in Avanguarde.¡± I said goodbye to the dwarves and jumped into the portal. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 124 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 124: A Pretty Strong Team (3) A large restaurant in the center of Arlington. ¡°It has been a while.¡± Harrison seemed to be nicer as he shook my hand. It probably means that his wariness of me has lowered by a lot. It is not because it is our second meeting. He must have received communication from Shione. He was probably anxious until now since it was possible that I attacked the Church of the Sun headquarters with another group, stabbing Shione and Harrison in the back. So of course, he was happy to see that I showed up as promised. In addition, only I know the location of the Church of the Sun headquarters that was drawn on the map. Well, at least for a little longer. I put some strength into my hand that was shaking Harrison¡¯s hand as well and shook. ¡°Yes. Nice to see you again.¡± ¡°The people with you last time have not come with you?¡± Humbley and Kaldera. They may be plotting with me, but that is currently limited to things regarding the Jeppi race. There is no reason to include them in this as well. ¡°It is best to have the least amount of people knowing about this.¡± ¡°That is true.¡± ¡°Have you gathered your team?¡± ¡°Here is the team roster.¡± Harrison handed a list to me. The document included the team member¡¯s name as well as a brief description about them, their levels and specialties. However, there seemed to be at least 100 people on it. It was too many people. It will be difficult to move stealthily with this size. ¡°There are too many. Can you get it down to about 20 people?¡± ¡°The Church of the Sun is a very strong organization. I personally think it will be difficult even with everyone on this list.¡± It definitely is lacking in number. However, that is only if there are no other means of support. ¡°There are others who will help us out. I thought our only chance of victory will be through stealthily taking care of it with a small number of people and prepared a couple of the strongest warriors.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He doesn¡¯t seem to like my suggestion very much. It makes sense that he¡¯s not happy that I included a third party in this secret mission. But he will have no choice. This is something I need to be at the center of to complete. Harrison thought about it for a moment before finally answering. ¡°Then we will only select 20 people. The rest will be ready for support. Shouldn¡¯t we prepare a backup in case our plan fails?¡± I¡¯m sure what he really is thinking about is a backup plan in case I betray them with the third party. It doesn¡¯t matter. Something like that will not happen. Preparing a backup plan is not a bad idea. As long as it doesn¡¯t get discovered by the Church of the Sun or the Ameri Kingdom. ¡°Can they move without being noticed?¡± ¡°Everyone on the list is the very best. You can trust them.¡± ¡°Even Shione-nim will be placed in danger if things go wrong. You are aware of that, right?¡± ¡°I am.¡± His daughter¡¯s life was on the line. Seeing Harrison still confidently answer was good enough for me to trust them. Harrison started to pick 20 people out of the list. ¡°The combination is very important. We will need at least one or two extremely talented magicians.¡± ¡°We have one of the best magicians in the entire continent on our side.¡± That was nice to hear. I was worried that we were lacking magicians. ¡°Really? Who is it?¡± Harrison pointed to a name in the middle of the list and answered. ¡°Bernard.¡± I had no choice but to be shocked. It was the same as the name I knew about. And he is one of the best magicians in the continent? There is no way there are two great magicians with the same name. I confirmed Bernard¡¯s information in shock. [Bernard (147 y/o): Level 527 Fire Magician from Avanguarde. Nickname: The Incarnation of Fire] All of the information matched the person I knew, but one thing made me certain it was the same person. Bernard, The Incarnation of Fire. Kaicher, the Warrior of Light. Goonto, the Dwarf of Steel. Just like the two of them, Bernard was someone I was planning on eventually making one of my own. However, my skills were still low to approach him. I need to be at least level 400 to hand my business card to Bernard. But that Bernard was close to Harrison and on the same side? ¡°Are you close to Bernard?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°May I ask how you know each other? I just want to properly confirm that we can trust him.¡± ¡°He is my ancestor¡¯s sworn brother and my father¡¯s magic master. He is one of the most loyal individuals to the Batoru Kingdom and our hero.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah!¡± We should be able to trust him then. But there was something I was worried about. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t someone that amazing be on the Ameri Kingdom¡¯s list to watch?¡± ¡°The Ameri Kingdom believes that Bernard-nim is dead. He is residing in a safe location right now so there is no need to worry.¡± I was feeling great. If a magician like Bernard joins us, our strength will rise significantly. I don¡¯t know how strong the Church of the Sun headquarters may be, but this operation will definitely succeed. ¡®Then I should be able to modify the plan a bit.¡¯ Harrison finished selecting 20 people while I was modifying the plan in my head. Along with Bernard was one attack magician and three support magicians. The rest of the team was made with warriors who focused on agility. ¡°That should be fine.¡± ¡°Great. Now will you tell us where the Church of the Sun headquarters is located?¡± Why is he so rushed? We¡¯re going to go there together. Is he worried that I will die? It will be best to at least give him the approximate location. ¡°Please go to a location approximately 100 km west of Titan Valley and wait for me there.¡± ¡°Titan Valley?¡± Harrison seemed to be shocked. He probably never expected the Church of the Sun headquarters to be within the Batoru Kingdom. I was initially shocked as well and verified it multiple times to make sure I was reading it correctly. But I was certain. I verified the path between Titan Valley and High Village on another map. Not only that, I also checked the terrain around it. Humbley had managed to get his hands on a very large and detailed map. That was why I visited Humbley once more to check the map. It was a perfect match. The path, surrounding terrain, and even the small stream of water. Everything that was on the combined map was on Humbley¡¯s map. ¡°We will talk the details after meeting up there. Let¡¯s plan on meeting there in exactly four days.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I immediately headed to Avanguarde after leaving Harrison. Humbley or Kaldera probably figured out my location by now since my movement will be reported to them every time I used the Magician¡¯s Tower portal. They should be waiting for me. Kaldera will probably be dying to see me right now. But it was not the time to meet with them right now. This operation needs to remain a secret from them as well. I headed for the Volcanus Temple as soon as I arrived in Avanguarde. ¡°Oh, look who is here! Kang Hwi Ram-kun, the one blessed by Lord Volcanus!¡± Avanguarde¡¯s Volcanus bishop really is a memorable figure. He definitely has to be a reincarnation of Zhang Fei from the Three Kingdoms. ¡°Nice to see you again.¡± ¡°Hoho, it has been quite a while. Did you finish the Expert Blacksmith quest?¡± He was someone who knew my secret and managed to keep it under wraps until now. Nothing will change even if I let him know a little more. ¡°Yes. I am currently attempting the Best Blacksmith quest.¡± ¡°Oh! Already? You really are amazing. My eyes were not wrong. Muhahaha.¡± The bishop was as happy as if he had become the Best Blacksmith himself. He was a very affectionate person compared to his appearance. ¡°By the way, did my friends arrive?¡± ¡°Ah, you mean the people from the Dwarf Village. They have already arrived about five days ago. They should be in the smithy right now.¡± As expected of the blacksmith race. The bishop personally guided me there. I knew the way since I pretty much lived here for a while, but the bishop insisted on going with me. But he could only go to the entrance of the smithy anyways. ¡°Oh my, this heat. I don¡¯t think I can go in any further.¡± ¡°Then I will return after meeting with my friends.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. Hoho. A human who has become friends with the dwarves. You have definitely received Lord Volcanus¡¯s blessing. Muhahaha.¡± I could hear the bishop¡¯s laughter as I walked into the smithy. Clang. Clang. Clang. I could hear the sound of hammers as I walked. You could only hear two people hammering in the past, but right now, it was extremely loud as if ten people were hammering at the same time. I could tell the sound apart better as I got closer. It was too much for it to be only five or six people. ¡®What is going on? Are there really around ten of them?¡¯ This was weird. The original two dwarves plus Goonto¡¯s five would only add up to seven. But even seven dwarves hammering at the same time wouldn¡¯t lead to a sound like this. Am I unable to tell apart the sound of seven people hammering at once? I started to speed up. I could finally see the dwarves who were focused on hammering. ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t have enough mithril.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think the temperature is too high?¡± ¡°The balance is not right. In order to make it stronger, you need to either increase the amount of mithril or lower the temperature a bit.¡± ¡°That was it!¡± They definitely looked like dwarves. They were sharing their own experiences to support each other. But why were there so many dwarves? There was a total of twenty of them. Ten of them were focused on hammering while the other ten were looking around and trading information. My ears were not wrong. But there was something else that was weird. There were a lot of dwarves, but the dwarf that was supposed to be here was missing. ¡°Where is Goonto?¡± The dwarves stopped working after hearing my voice and turned their heads. ¡°Oh, Kang Hwi Ram. Long time no see.¡± ¡°We heard the news. You accomplished something great. Haha.¡± It was Bachu and Pichu. It really had been a while. I visited Avanguarde every so often, but never stopped at the Volcanus Temple. ¡°You still look just as ugly.¡± ¡°This is a manly look for us dwarves. Haha.¡± Casually joking to say hello can stop there. ¡°But where is Goonto? I don¡¯t see him.¡± ¡°Goonto could not leave with us.¡± I remembered his face. Was his name Chupato? He was the dwarf that followed Goonto around like a shadow. But what does he mean Goonto could not leave with them? This is bad. All dwarves were stronger than humans, but Goonto¡¯s strength was overwhelming. Furthermore, in a plan like this where we needed a small number of people, a single Goonto was better than twenty average dwarves. ¡°Why? Is he not coming at all?¡± ¡°He was training with the fortified solar blade when he had an epiphany. He has been focused on hammering away in the smithy since about a month ago.¡± It didn¡¯t matter to me whether or not Goonto had an epiphany. What was important to be was whether or not I could utilize Goonto¡¯s strength in this plan. ¡°So, he will not be coming?¡± ¡°He said he will meet up with us before the promised date. However, even I don¡¯t know whether he will be able to completely comprehend whatever he figured out by then.¡± In other words, even Chupato did not know whether Goonto will be joining us. If Goonto¡¯s right hand Chupato doesn¡¯t know, there was no way any of the other dwarves would. ¡®Shit, this complicates things a lot.¡¯ But it wasn¡¯t like I could just wait for Goonto to arrive. Harrison was currently moving with his team. I need to first meet up with Harrison. It won¡¯t be too late to decide whether we should wait for Goonto or not at that point. ¡°Is that why all of these dwarves are here? To replace Goonto?¡± ¡°That is not the case.¡± ¡°No? Then why are they here?¡± ¡°Please fortify our weapons as well. We will pay you handsomely for it. We will naturally help out with this task as well.¡± ¡°Mine as well.¡± Shit! That was their goal? Honestly speaking, there was no reason for me to reject it. I need to train Jewel Alchemy whenever I have time anyways. If I¡¯m going to train it, I might as well use the most efficient method. It is better to combine Jewels of Fortification two or three times than to combine Jewels of Creation 100 times. Since I can gain something else at the same time, it was like killing two birds with one stone. But the person with the advantage cannot move that easily. ¡°It is difficult to fortify all of them. However, I will promise to fortify the weapons of three dwarves who perform the best in this task.¡± The dwarves¡¯ eyes started to sparkle. It was like they were determined to make sure they would be selected by Kang Hwi Ram. If it is like this, they should be able to properly fill the missing Goonto¡¯s spot. I took out a note and sealed it so that nobody else could open it and handed it to the bishop. ¡°A dwarf named Goonto might arrive here. Please give this note to him if he does.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I left the same note with the Magician¡¯s Tower since Goonto will definitely need to use the portal at the Magician¡¯s Tower if he wants to come to Avanguarde. Then he will be able to receive my message without wasting time to head over to the Volcanus Temple. ¡°Shall we go?¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 125 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 125: A Pretty Strong Team (4) Crackle- Clang. Clang. Clang. Endless hammering. He had been focused on this for over a month. He just focused on the furnace, hammer, and this sword, that was starting to take form, without thinking about how much time was passing by. Clang- ¡®It¡¯s finished!¡¯ Goonto picked up the large solar blade that was finally completed. He had used Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade as a model to make a new weapon that was most suitable for himself. He naturally put a lot of his mana into the mithril before he started. Because of that, this solar blade was personalized for Goonto even before it was finished. [Goonto¡¯s Solar Blade: Personalized for Goonto] This is a solar blade made by the Best Blacksmith Dwarf Goonto. Durability: 501/501 Attack Strength: 381 Attack Speed: 33 Restrictions: Strength 1,108, Agility 81, Level 353 *Attack strength increases by 9% when used by Goonto. This was a decent weapon. But the important thing was not the abilities of the sword itself. ¡®Indeed!¡¯ Goonto lifted up the solar blade and swung it around. He then had a smile on his face. ¡®I did it! I can feel the heart of the sword!¡¯ He could read the sword¡¯s movements, even with his eyes closed. Not only that, the heavy sword suddenly felt extremely light. It was as if he was not swinging a sword, but an elongated arm. He had finally reached sword mastery. He was just disappointed that he was inside such a tiny smithy. He would be able to swing this weapon all he wanted if he was in a larger area. He quickly headed out. He wanted to let his father, the Great Patriarch Bangart, know about it. He also wanted to swing this sword around in an open area. Bangart happened to be rushing toward the smithy at the same time. ¡°Father. I have reached sword mastery.¡± Bangart¡¯s face instantly lit up. ¡°Oh, is that true? Good job. Very good. Ahaha.¡± Bangart and Goonto hugged as they jumped up and down. ¡°But what are you doing all the way out here?¡± Bangart remembered his reason for being there at Goonto¡¯s question. ¡°Right. Don¡¯t you need to keep your promise with the human? The promised date has already passed.¡± ¡°Ah! Kang Hwi Ram!¡± Goonto finally remembered his promise. He had been hammering away to reach sword mastery for the last month, so much so that he had forgotten about everything else. But it was a promise he could not break. He had promised to help Kang Hwi Ram in front of Lord Volcanus. ¡°What day is today?¡± *** 250km Northwest of Titan Valley. It was approximately 100km away from the construction site for the path between Titan Valley and High Village. Harrison¡¯s group had arrived in advance, and was waiting for me there. There were the 20 people for the operation, as well as the 80 reinforcements, for a total of 100 people. They were all hiding their bodies using different methods, and, as Harrison mentioned, they were all trained well. Even a sensitive person like me found it difficult to notice them until I was right in front of them. ¡°Over here.¡± Once I got close, Harrison was the first to reveal himself. The rest of the members slowly started to appear as well. ¡°Did you wait a long time?¡± ¡°We arrived yesterday.¡± ¡°You spent the night out here.¡± ¡°It is fine. We are all used to something like this. I am just sorry we had to make Bernard-nim do it.¡± Ah, Bernard was taking part in this as well. One of the strongest magicians in the continent. Someone I need to make one of my own people in the future. Based on Harrison¡¯s gaze and expression, the middle-aged man next to him must be Bernard. He was close to 150 years old, but his appearance was that of someone in his mid-40s. Bernard must be frequently using Immortality Potions. ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Kang Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°Bernard. Didn¡¯t you say there were people with you? I heard extremely strong warriors would be taking part¡­¡­. The young lady behind you is that warrior?¡± Bernard looked toward Eruni and had a confused expression. Eruni definitely did not look like a warrior. She did have pretty expensive leather armor I got from the store, but her subservient demeanor gave away the fact that she was a slave. Her shoulders were closed, even though she did nothing wrong. She seemed to be finding the gazes of the people to be burdensome. ¡°This child is my slave. The warriors will be coming separately.¡± ¡°Slave? How can you bring a slave to a secret operation like this? And a female slave at that ¡­¡­?¡± Bernard seemed to be looking down on me. Harrison was the same. They seemed to be thinking that I brought Eruni to serve me. They might even be thinking I brought her to satisfy my lust at night. ¡°Please do not get the wrong idea. Although she cannot take part in the battles, she will play a pivotal role in this operation.¡± ¡°A pivotal role?¡± ¡°Just what ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°That is difficult for me to explain right now. It is something I am not even 100 percent certain about.¡± Their expressions were full of doubt. But I could not just say it. I still haven¡¯t figured out what I need to do to get Eruni to remember her forgotten memories about the Church of the Sun. I¡¯ve already tried a lot of different things. I asked her questions, tried drawing a map, and even told her stories about the Church of the Sun. However, she still has not remembered anything about the Church of the Sun. ¡°Just make sure she does not cause us any problems.¡± ¡°Of course. She is stronger and stealthier than she looks.¡± However, Bernard and Harrison still seemed to be full of doubt. They were sending Eruni sharp gazes, even though she did nothing wrong. Eruni¡¯s shoulders seem to curl up even further as they did that. I think it is time to change this atmosphere around. I need to bring down their ego, while boosting Eruni¡¯s confidence up. One of Harrison¡¯s members created that opportunity for me. ¡°Then where are the strong warriors you mentioned?¡± Bernard and Harrison also looked behind me. There was nobody there. The dwarves were slightly interested in me, but still hated humans. That was why I pushed the meeting back a bit. It will have to happen sooner or later though. It will be better to have them meet and try to get along before things get started. ¡°They are down by the creek.¡± ¡°Let us go and meet them. Trust is very important when we are trying to do something big like this.¡± Their ego will go down once they meet the dwarves. Although Goonto was not here, the other dwarves were all at least level 500 as well. In addition, dwarves were naturally strong warriors. They can easily handle humans who are 100 levels higher than them. ¡°Then let¡¯s go together.¡± The moment I was about to turn around to lead them there, Harrison saw something that shocked him. He jumped up and clenched on the handle of his sword, ready to start a battle at any moment. It was not just Harrison. Everyone else tensed up after looking at where Harrison was staring. Even Bernard. My back was turned to the area so I could not figure out what was going on. But I was getting anxious because of the atmosphere. I jumped up and quickly grabbed Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. Just as I did, I heard a familiar voice. ¡°Finally found you.¡± The voice was rough and deep even though he was trying to be quiet. His voice seemed to ring through the surrounding area. I started to smile as soon as I heard the voice. When I turned around, the face that I saw made me extremely happy. ¡°Goonto!¡± ¡°Is it someone you know?¡± Harrison and Bernard asked at the same time, as if they planned it in advance. I gave a short and honest answer. ¡°He is my friend.¡± ¡°What? A dwarf is your friend?¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Everybody looked at me like I was telling a lie. Although humans did not detest dwarves, it was not the same for the dwarves. They detested humans quite a bit. But for someone to be friends with a dwarf. It was too soon for them to be shocked. The other dwarves started to appear one by one behind Goonto as well. ¡°So frustrating. Just how long do we have to wait?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just bulldoze through.¡± They really don¡¯t like to listen. I told them to hide until I came back. But I didn¡¯t even have a chance to scold them. Harrison, Bernard and crew gasped as if they were about to faint. ¡°Huk, w,what is going on? How many dwarves are there?¡± ¡°Are they all¡­¡­.¡± They all seemed to be feeling a significant amount of pressure. It was rare for 20 dwarves to move around together, and it was even rarer for them to be in human territory like this. But they will be working together with such dwarves. It must feel like they are dreaming. On the other hand, the dwarves¡¯ reactions were a bit different. They all started to frown as soon as they saw Harrison¡¯s crew. ¡°Humans really do smell terrible.¡± ¡°Huh? Just a 100 men. What kind of help can they bring? It¡¯ll be fine if we just take care of it ourselves.¡± ¡°Well, that magician might be useful.¡± They were pretty much ignoring all of the humans. However, Harrison¡¯s crew could not say anything about it. Dwarves were too strong. I¡¯m sure Bernard had already used, ¡®View level force,¡¯ or some similar magic to verify Goonto¡¯s level. You can¡¯t be egoistic in front of a dwarf who is far past level 500. Will things be settled once I show them where I stand in all of this? ¡°Hekto! We are all on the same team, no matter how weak or strong someone may be. If you say anything else to ignore a teammate, I will remove you from the operation.¡± ¡°Who was it?!¡± Hekto pretended like he wasn¡¯t the one to say it. Being removed from the operation meant losing the chance to get his weapon fortified. Which means, I was in the position of power, with the dwarves under me. Harrison¡¯s crew seemed to be shocked even more at this and just stood there, staring blankly. I guess this should be good. ¡°Since everybody is gathered together, let¡¯s take care of the introductions.¡± I tried to get the two sides to come together. But it was not easy. The humans were feeling pressured by the dwarves, while the dwarves did not want to greet these, ¡®weak humans.¡¯ We eventually somehow managed to get through brief introductions. That should be enough. ¡°How much longer do we have to wait?¡± Goonto asked the question. The one who arrived last had the loudest voice. However, all of the dwarves were on Goonto¡¯s side. They seemed to be itching to fight, as they kept on clenching and unclenching the weapons in their hands. ¡°Right. What else are we waiting for? Goonto is here now too.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s start our attack right away. No matter how many enemies there are, it will be fine as long as we kill a couple of their leaders.¡± Blasphemy. Based on the information in the draft plan, the Church of the Sun is stronger than people expect. It was because of the unique characteristics of religious groups. The believers of the Church of the Sun were all influenced by demonic aura, and did not know how to give up, all the way up until their deaths. No, they would throw their own bodies like suicide bombers to achieve their goal. That is why the Church of the Sun is extremely scary. ¡°You will get in trouble if you take them too lightly. Just wait a bit. We will see something happen on the other side.¡± ¡°What will happen?¡± ¡°Is there another attack team other than us?¡± Of course there is. However, it was difficult to talk about it in front of Goonto and the dwarves. Why? Because I was sacrificing their fellow dwarves. Although the two sides may not like each other, they will still have a grudge against me if they find out the truth. In fact, all of the dwarves might even end up thinking I am their bitter enemy and not their friend. ¡®Just wait and see.¡¯ Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 126 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 126: The Church of the Sun (1) Both Harrison¡¯s crew and the dwarves¡¯ crew seemed confused. However, neither of them asked any more questions. ¡°Anyways, everybody knows what they have to do, right?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that.¡± ¡°Our side is completely prepared.¡± The eyes of both sides sparkled as they nodded their heads. ¡°Harrison-nim and Bernard-nim, please take care of this child. It is possible that she will play the biggest role in this operation. This child must survive, even if we have to sacrifice everyone else.¡± I emphasized Eruni once more. Neither Harrison nor Bernard had anything to say this time. The weight of my words seemed to have changed significantly as soon as the dwarves appeared. After seeing the dwarves, they couldn¡¯t look down on Eruni either. They did not ask any more questions about Eruni at all. ¡°Understood.¡± We waited for more time to pass by. Based on the night sky, it seemed to be about 2-3 am. ¡®It seems to be about time, so why is there no news yet?¡¯ At that moment, I noticed something happening far away. It was really far away, but since it was hundreds of people moving quickly, people like me, who had very high sensitivity, were able to feel it. Harrison was the same way. ¡°Lower your bodies.¡± There was no reason to do so. They were not headed in this direction. I did the opposite and stood up. ¡°It is time. Let us move.¡± ¡°What is going on? Where are those people going?¡± ¡®You don¡¯t need to know. Actually, it is critical that you don¡¯t know.¡¯ ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We just need to focus on our part. Eruni, do not leave Bernard-nim¡¯s side.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I took the lead and started to move. Harrison¡¯s group and Goonto¡¯s group stealthily moved behind me. *** ¡°Who is there?!¡± ¡°You smelly humans. How dare you try to fight against a dwarf brigade like ours.¡± It was a deep and rough voice. All of the humans could not help but be shocked. ¡°Why are there dwarves here¡­¡­?¡± ¡°No need for you to know! Just die!¡± ¡°Dwarves have invaded! Kill them! Protect the church!¡± The humans clenched their teeth and started to charge toward the dwarves. Based on just the numbers, they definitely had the advantage. However, the dwarves had much more momentum. Swoooooosh- ¡°Aaaaah!¡± ¡°Muhaha. How long has it been since we last hunted humans like this?¡± The thirty-plus dwarves swung their swords with frenzy. Each time they swung their swords like that, numerous humans fell. They tried their best to resist, but the skill difference was too much. The only thing the humans could do was request for reinforcements. ¡°We cannot handle this dwarf brigade on our own. Hurry up and ring the bel¡­¡­ugh.¡± And a moment later. Ding. Ding. Ding. A loud bell started to sound in the distance. However, the dwarves did not even snort. They just continued to kill the humans in front of them, and moved farther into the area. ¡°We will head to the center. Take care of the leader, and then hunt the rest.¡± The dwarf in the lead was Umbach. Umbach¡¯s attacks were the fiercest of them all. He already had a ton of anger toward Kang Hwi Ram. Umbach had bowed his head to learn Jewel Alchemy from Kang Hwi Ram, but he could not prevent the anger that built up inside of him every time he needed to do that. That was why he kept saying to himself that, if the opportunity rose, he would personally take Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s head. But it was not time for that just yet. That was why he was taking out his anger on other humans for now. He felt himself feeling better just by plowing through these humans. But suddenly, something weird happened. Rumble- The ground seemed to shake, before a bunch of black things rushed toward them from a direction. ¡°Umbach. Monsters. They are Midnight Black Alligators.¡± Umbach saw them as well. Monsters had suddenly appeared in this human territory. And all of these monsters were high leveled monsters. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Are they demons and not humans?¡± They did not have time to figure out what was going on. ¡°No matter. Kill them all.¡± Umbach led the dwarves to clash against the monsters. It was an overwhelming victory for the dwarves. They only lost three dwarves while killing a hundred monsters, including Midnight Black Alligators and the Death Trolls. The dwarves were both the blacksmith race and the warrior race. Nobody had any fears or sorrows about dying while fighting valiantly on the battlefield. That was why Umbach and the other dwarves were able to enjoy this victory, even though some of their friends were killed in battle. ¡°Haha, too easy.¡± ¡°Did you see the strength of the dwarves?¡± But that happiness could not last very long. It was because the ground was shaking once again. Following that tremor was another group of black monsters heading their way. Umbach started to frown. ¡°What is that now? Why are there so many monsters?¡± ¡°Is this a demon cave or something?¡± ¡°I have a bad feeling about this.¡± But it was too late to retreat. They were already in too deep. There was only one thing the dwarves could do right now. Fight, and win. This continued until they finished a brutal battle with the fifth herd of high level monsters. The dwarves won each time. However, Umbach could not be happy. There were only a total of 14 dwarves, including himself, left after those five herds of monsters. But the battle was still not over. No, it was actually just beginning. The human reinforcements had arrived. And these were not just normal reinforcements. A couple of them had shiny scrolls in their hands. Umbach knew what the scrolls were. Every time they ripped open a scroll, a dark demon cave opened up and spit out monsters. ¡°Shit, another demon cave scroll.¡± * * * Rooooooooll- Paaaat- Magic force shot out of the marble rolling on the ground. At the same time, the magic lights lighting up the corridor went out. A magic breaker was used to get rid of the light. Once it happened, voices could be heard coming from the inside of the corridor. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Why did the magic lights suddenly do this?¡± They seemed anxious. It was only normal for humans to get anxious when they suddenly lost their sight. But I was not like that. I used stealthy approach to rush through the darkness. I used Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades on the flailing idiots. Papat- ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Kek.¡± The followers of the Church of the Sun all died without even knowing what happened. Even the more sensitive ones could only recognize that a dark shadow was heading toward them quickly, only letting them flinch before they died. It didn¡¯t make a difference. Each person fell in a single slash. I did not feel any remorse for killing these people. These people were more like mutants whose bodies and minds were corrupted by the demonic aura. That was the reason the believers of the Church of the Sun were not attacked by the monsters they summoned. In other words, they were pretty much monsters themselves. The message I heard every time I killed a believer confirmed this theory. ¡®They have so many.¡¯ I was averaging 2 to 3 per believer. (TL: The author does not reveal 2 to 3 of what.) No wonder all of the empires and kingdoms of the continent consider the Church of the Sun to be their mutual enemy. I quickly rushed toward the center of the area. Harrison, Goonto, and the rest followed behind me. ¡°Damn it. Why did you ask me to come if you were going to take care of everything?¡± I could hear Goonto¡¯s grumbling voice. I was hunting everyone while Goonto and the dwarves just chased after me. However, their role was important as well. Every time a fork appeared in the road, they needed to block the path we didn¡¯t take for me. ¡°Please block this side.¡± ¡°Gabito, go.¡± ¡°Damn. No fun! Fine.¡± I started to run again while controlling my pace for the slower Bernard and Eruni to keep up with me. ¡®But just how large is this place?¡¯ I had been walking in a straight line for close to 20 minutes, but still could not see the end. It felt like I had entered a large demon cave. Actually, that was a pretty accurate description, since this was pretty much a demon cave with human-shaped monsters. I then suddenly stopped. The path had come to an abrupt end, and a large hall appeared. It was the size of a basketball court. In the middle of the hall were a bunch of rocks in what seemed to be an altar. ¡®What is this place?¡¯ The only thing the map revealed was the location of this place. It didn¡¯t tell me anything about how many people were inside, what the layout was like, or even what this kind of hall was used for. I just ran straight ahead without thinking about it. I was praying that Eruni¡¯s memories would be unsealed and she would be able to guide me in the right direction. If that fails, I will have to do whatever it takes to find something that might give me a clue, no matter how long it takes. But, in order to do that, I would need to get rid of all the believers here. But, suddenly, I heard Eruni¡¯s sharp scream from behind me. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaa!¡± I turned around in shock. Eruni was clenching her head as if she was in pain, and crouched down on the floor. Harrison, Bernard, Goonto, and the others next to her was shocked as well, and tried to help her back up. ¡°What? What is going on?¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Hey! Snap out of it! Are you okay?¡± ¡°Leave her alone!¡± I urgently shouted out. They all flinched and moved away from Eruni. I quickly ran toward her and waited until she overcame the pain. Of course, I was praying internally. A bit later, Eruni lifted her head and looked toward the rock altar. Her body then started to shake in fear. ¡°DId you remember something?¡± Eruni nodded her head. ¡°That is where the rituals of the church took place. And ¡­¡­ and ¡­¡­¡± Eruni had a painful expression on her face. The unsealed memories must have been quite difficult for her to handle. However, I didn¡¯t need those memories. What I wanted was the secrets for things like the Altar of the Sun. ¡°You don¡¯t need to think about that. Think about something else. How can we find the Altar of the Sun?¡± Eruni turned her head at the phrase, ¡®Altar of the Sun.¡¯ There were many exits in the hall. She had turned toward one of the routes. It was the opposite side of the route we took to enter. The door was closed tightly. However, the moment I turned my gaze toward it, it started to open, and a group of people wearing red priest robes entered. None of them seemed to notice that we were in here. They were looking very relaxed. They then saw our group and collectively flinched, before stopping. ¡°Who¡­¡­?¡± There was no need to answer them. All of the people we met here needed to die anyways. If we kill one of the believers of the Church of the Sun, we will be saving hundreds of people who will end up dying by their hands in the future. [Stealthy Approach] I hid my body and rushed toward the believers of the Church of the Sun. Unfortunately, Stealthy Approach was not very successful, as the entire hall was lit up with magic lights. Although I was hidden, the blob of shadow that was hiding me was completely visible. ¡°Danger!¡± ¡°Intruders!¡± ¡°Open the Demon Caves!¡± At that moment, a couple of them took out red scrolls. ¡®That is ¡­¡­!¡¯ I was familiar with the scroll. It was the same as the Demon Cave scroll I earned in Paksen Park after defeating the villain, Ruan. I suddenly recalled the information in the draft plan about what kind of organization the Church of the Sun was. They were followers of the Demon Lord. They hid all around the continent and opened up Demon Caves, throwing the world into chaos. They were trying to open up that kind of Demon Cave right here, right now. I couldn¡¯t allow that to happen. I could easily keep myself safe, but the problem was Eruni. If Eruni dies here, it would be difficult to find the Altar of the Sun. ¡°Protect Eruni!¡± I quickly shouted while swinging my blades at the believer. ¡°Ugh.¡± I was slightly faster than him. I managed to cut both his arms off right before he cut the scroll. His two hands fell to the ground while still holding onto the scroll. However, the situation went in the way that I dreaded. I couldn¡¯t stop all of the believers who had a Demon Cave scroll in their hands. Rip- Rip- I could hear the sound of about four scrolls being ripped at the same time. (PR: Well shit.) Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 127 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 127: The Church of the Sun (2) ¡®I wonder what level scroll it is.¡¯ It was a Demon Cave scroll used by someone at the Church of the Sun headquarters. It is probably at least a level 400 Demon Cave scroll. But I wasn¡¯t that worried about it. Everybody I gathered here are strong people. Goonto and the dwarves especially should have no issues dealing with a Demon Cave of this level. Eruni was the only one I was concerned about. ¡°Goonto! Take responsibility and protect Eruni! Then I will consider it as you having kept your promise!¡± ¡°Damn it! Human girl. Get behind me.¡± Goonto, who was just about to take out his large sword, grumbled as he stepped back. I was a little more relieved now. With Goonto focusing on protecting her, Eruni will definitely be safe. Now all that is left is to take care of this place. ¡®Alright! Might as well raise my level while I¡¯m at it!¡¯ Papapat- *** Huff. Huff. Huff. Umbach was huffing loudly. The situation was terrible. They had won the battle, but there were now only three dwarves alive, including himself. And even then, they were all covered in injuries. ¡°We cannot do this anymore. Let¡¯s retreat.¡± Umbach had the same idea. Staying here any longer would be committing suicide. Unfortunately, even that did not go the way they wanted. They had been wanting to retreat for quite a while, but monsters continued to pour out of their only escape route. And then another person came in through that door. It was not a monster this time, but just three normal looking humans. But they were not relieved. The atmosphere around these three humans was odd. The believers they had seen until now all wore red robes. However, these three were wearing black robes. They also were not scared after seeing the dwarves. Instead, they started to smile, as if they found some interesting prey. ¡°Quite interesting to see dwarves all the way out here.¡± The voice was really weird. It was as if they were speaking through the vibrations in the air instead of using any vocal cords. All three of them were the same way. ¡°We need to hurry up and take care of them. We got an emergency message from the headquarters.¡± ¡°Does that mean these dwarves were bait for us to empty the headquarters?¡± That made Umbach¡¯s eyes open widely in shock. It was not because of the abnormal voice. ¡®This is not their headquarters? I was used as bait?¡¯ He finally realized that he was tricked by Kang Hwi Ram. Umbach was certain that this was their headquarters. Now that he thought about it, Kang Hwi Ram never said anything about this being their headquarters. He just told Umbach about the location of the Church of the Sun, and told him to attack it. But it still did not change the fact that he was tricked. Anybody in his shoes would have understood Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s request as asking them to attack the Church of the Sun¡¯s headquarters. ¡®Kang Hwi Ram! You bastard!¡¯ Umbach wanted to get his revenge. But that would only be possible if he defeated the three humans in front of him. Umbach and the dwarves clenched their fists tightly onto their weapons. At the same time, the black robed humans ripped open black scrolls. It was another set of Demon Cave scrolls. But the Demon Cave scrolls used until now could not compare to the Demon Cave scrolls that were just ripped by the black robed humans. Umbach and the dwarves started to swear as soon as they saw the monsters popping out of the Demon Caves. ¡°Damn it!¡± They did not have any desire to fight. The only thing they could do was accept the shadow of death approaching them. The screams of the dwarves soon followed. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡± The black robed believers did not stay to watch the end of the dwarves. It was obvious how it was going to end. No matter whether it was humans or dwarves, there was nobody who was able to survive a black Demon Cave scroll until now. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back.¡± The black robed believers started to run as fast as the wind. *** ¡°Dirty bastards.¡± Harrison started to frown while looking at the corpses of the monsters laying on the ground in front of me. The actions of the Church of the Sun¡¯s believers were definitely dirty, but there was also a terrible stench that forced people to frown. It was a Giant Ghoul. They even managed to summon undead monsters. Well, the Church of the Sun¡¯s believers were no longer considered humans anyways. Their minds were completely corrupted by the demonic aura. They themselves could be considered monsters. ¡°But what is your true identity? It wasn¡¯t even a regular ghoul. How did you defeat a Giant Ghoul on your own¡­¡­?¡± The Giant Ghoul was close to level 600. It also has strong endurance and vitality, making average attacks to be unable to cause it any damage. Furthermore, even if it was injured, Giant Ghouls wouldn¡¯t go down with just a few small injuries. However, it was possible with the strength of combo. No matter how strong a monster is, how would it be able to survive 100,000+ damage per hit for over 100 hits? But I did not answer their question. Instead, I approached Eruni. ¡°Can you remember anything?¡± Eruni was still shaking in fear. She also had a severe migraine. She could only continue to point at the door from before without saying anything else. ¡°Snap out of it. I will protect you. You have nothing to worry about. Will I be able to find out information about the Altar of the Sun if I go over there?¡± ¡°Sniff sniff.¡± She seemed to be really overcome with fear. Eruni could not respond with words, and just started to cry. ¡°Now I feel bad.¡± As I said that, Harrison quietly approached me and lightly pushed my shoulder. ¡°Let me try.¡± I suddenly thought about Shione. ¡®Ah, mind control magic!¡¯ Harrison was Shione¡¯s father. Shione¡¯s abilities must have come from him. It was as I expected. Harrison put his hand on Eruni¡¯s head before closing his eyes to concentrate. Once he did that, Eruni¡¯s shaking shoulders slowly started to calm down. ¡°She should be okay for a little bit.¡± I asked Eruni once more. This time, Eruni was able to give me a proper answer. ¡°There is a hidden room deep inside that corridor. Inside the room is a large map drawn on the wall. I remember someone saying that the map was the key to finding the Altar of the Sun.¡± Perfect. I started to run toward the hidden room without any hesitation. The rest of the party followed behind me, making sure Eruni was safe. I found the room not too long after running down the corridor. Rather than it being a secret room, it was actually a storage room. There was a stack of boxes to the side. However, I cared more about the wall. As Eruni had mentioned, a large map was drawn on the wall. Everybody entered the secret room and inspected the map. I could see it without any issue, but everyone else needed to use the magic lights on their foreheads to light up a small area of the map at a time. ¡°Where do you think this is?¡± Harrison asked the question. Honesty speaking, I was able to figure out where it was as soon as I saw the map. It was because one of the emphasized areas on the map was not far from somewhere I had recently visited. But there was someone else who knew about it as well. Goonto spoke as if he was muttering to himself. ¡°This is the Peria Desert. That must mean the Altar of the Sun is located in the Peria Mountains! Shit, it is not somewhere we can go.¡± ¡°The Peria Mountains?¡± Harrison did not seem to know about the Peria Mountains. That meant he also did not know why it was somewhere they could not go. There was no reason to explain it. It wasn¡¯t like Harrison could approach the Peria Desert, even if I told him. You needed to get past the Dwarf Village to do that. But we still had not figured everything out. ¡°Just where on the wide Peria Mountain Range is it located?¡± As visible on the map, the Peria Mountain Range was extremely wide. It was close to 300 km from end to end. We needed to find the Altar of the Sun in that large area. In simple terms, it was like finding a needle in the desert. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°Sigh, just mountain after mountain.¡± At that moment, I heard a voice coming outside the secret room. It was not one of our team members. There was no way one of our team members would shout that loudly. The voice also sounded very weird. ¡°They are already in the secret room!¡± ¡°They are not normal!¡± It was a very raspy voice, similar to the sound of the wind created by a wind elemental. ¡®Believers of the Church of the Sun!¡¯ I started to think about the dwarves we stationed outside. We had left some dwarves behind at every fork in the road until we got here. They shouldn¡¯t have been able to get here without getting past them. That meant¡­¡­ ¡®Shit! Did they all die?¡¯ But it was too fast. How did they manage to get past the strongest dwarves so quickly? That meant that every one of the believers outside the entrance to the secret room were very strong. Goonto seemed to have the same idea. He clenched his large sword and worried about his fellow dwarves. ¡°They would not be beaten that easily.¡± It was possible that they used a secret passage. The corridor was very complicated as we walked here. Anyways, the safety of the people in this secret room was most important right now. This secret room was pretty large, but there was nowhere else to retreat. We needed a safety net, just in case the worst case scenario happened. That meant that we needed to deal with this outside of the secret room. I started to run almost on instinct after hearing the voices outside. ¡°Goonto! I leave Eruni to you!¡± ¡°Leave that to the humans.¡± Goonto did not listen to me. In fact, he was running out of the secret room faster than me. It was probably because he was worried about his fellow dwarves. It should be fine since Eruni would be safe as long as we prevented the believers from getting to the door to the secret room. There was no reason for a strong warrior like Goonto to waste his skill and strength for no reason. And, as Goonto mentioned, there were many other skilled individuals. ¡°Harrison-nim, please!¡± I shouted as I followed Goonto out of the secret room. I could see many people outside the secret room. But their outfits were different from the other believers up until this point. They were wearing black robes. They must hold special positions in the Church of the Sun. ¡°Intruders!¡± ¡°There are dwarves here too?!¡± It was still that windy raspy voice. That seemed to be their actual voice. But their voice was not very important. ¡®There are dwarves here too?¡¯ There was a lot of meaning in that short phrase. I sent Umbach to a branch of the Church of the Sun nearby. They must have seen Umbach. The fact that they still managed to appear here meant that they must have defeated Umbach¡¯s group, which also meant that they were very skilled. And one more thing. ¡®They must not have seen Goonto¡¯s fellow dwarves in the corridor.¡¯ If they had to deal with the dwarves in the corridor, they would not be reacting like this right now. But I did not feel very good about it. It was because the black robed believers took out black scrolls and started to rip them. I presumed Umbach¡¯s group lost because of that black scroll. Goonto must have also felt danger, as he quickly rushed forward to try to stop them. But we were one step too late. Some of the black robed believers had already ripped their scrolls. Not only that, they moved at an unbelievable speed to avoid Goonto and my attacks. ¡°Why is a human so fast?¡± I was shocked as well. They were moving almost as fast as I was moving. But the other side was shocked as well. ¡°That human¡¯s movement is not normal.¡± ¡°Is it possible that that human can use Spiritual Energy as well?¡± ¡°Not possible. Now that the Orthodox Church of the Sun is gone, there are no other humans who can use Spiritual Energy other than the knights of the Church of the Sun.¡± These stupid idiots were just spilling information. (PR: That¡¯s the role of idiotic villains.) That meant that their identities were the knights of the Church of the Sun. The reason they could move so fast was because of the Spiritual Energy that was a special skill of the Knights of the Sun. I suddenly started to feel hopeful. If I could catch a few of them alive, I would be able to learn how to gather Spiritual Energy. But it was not that easy. Goonto was especially in a dangerous situation. He might even lose his life if he messed up. This was because of the Demon Caves that were created by the scrolls that they ripped. Monsters like Dark Trolls and Death Cows were popping out, but some unexpected and strong monsters were quickly crawling out of there as well. The ground was starting to become black because of them. It was as if the Demon Cave was vomiting out black fluids. Goonto started to frown and move backwards. ¡°Damn it, Desert Ants!¡± The supposed Knights of the Church of the Sun started to laugh in eerie voices. ¡°Kekeke, now you understand? These are not just Desert Ants but Undead Desert Ants. This place will be your graves. Muahahahaha!¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 128 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 128: Spirit Souls and Spirit Energy (1) Undead Desert Ants! A single bite from an Undead Desert Arts would result in getting seriously poisoned. You would lose at least 5 HP per second for a minute. If even ten of those Desert Ants bite you at the same time, you would not be able to even last one minute. It would not be different, even for dwarves, who were known for their high HPs, including strong warriors like Goonto. But I was different. The Undead Desert Ants¡¯ teeth could not pierce through my reinforced toughness. That meant that I was the only one who could defeat these monsters. ¡°Goonto! Go into the secret room! Bernard! Fire Wall! They are Undead Desert Ants!¡± Although Bernard was over 100 years older than me, I did not have time to use respectful speech right now. ¡®I¡¯m sure Bernard will understand.¡¯ Either way, my message was received, as a fire wall was created as soon as Goonto rushed into the secret room. It was an extremely hot fire wall. Bernard was, after all, one of the strongest magicians on the continent. No Desert Ant should be able to make it into the secret room, as long as that fire wall is maintained. I just needed to go and take care of them. The real question was how strong these Knights of the Church of the Sun were in comparison. Even if they used spirit energy, it should not be unlimited. It might not be bad to test that out right now. I ignored the Desert Ants and rushed straight toward the Knights of the Church of the Sun, whether they stuck to me or not. Taaat! They seemed to be very surprised by this decision of mine. All of the knights looked shocked as they retreated backward. ¡°W, what? What is going on? Why is he fine?¡± ¡°The Desert Ants don¡¯t work on him?¡± ¡°Who is this guy?¡± ¡®Ask that question when you get to your favorite place! Hell!¡¯ I quickly approached them and swung Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. Papat- ¡°He¡¯s fast!¡± All of the Knights of the Church of the Sun still looked shocked. But they were also unbelievably fast. It made it difficult to create a combo. Even if I managed to create one, it continued to get cut off before I could even reach a 10-hit combo. But, thanks to that, the Knights started to rush toward me. After feeling the effects of the twin blades, the knights were starting to get confident. ¡°He is not that strong. Do not retreat, go kill him.¡± The knights, who used to retreat a couple steps each time I rushed forward, quickly started to fight me instead. ¡®Yes, this is what I want.¡¯ I first focused on dodging them. Maybe it was because of the spirit energy, but the movements of the Knights of the Church of the Sun were very fast. But, as expected, it did not last very long. After less than 1 minute, their movements suddenly became much slower. All they could do was continue to rip open more scrolls. Each time they did, even more Undead Hell Ants rushed out of the summoned Demon Caves. But it could not do anything to me. ¡®Time to finish this! I am a busy person!¡¯ Papat- I created another combo and approached the knights. Now that their movements were much slower, I managed to land a critical hit every time I attacked. In less than five seconds, I managed to defeat the first Knight of the Church of the Sun. ¡°Ugh!¡± At the same time, I heard a message in my head. [Spirit of the Elemental Sync Rate 1%] ¡®Spirit of the Elemental?¡¯ This was a reward I had never heard about in the game. ¡®But sync rate? What would happen once I raised the sync rate to 100%?¡¯ It made me think about the skills of the Knights of the Church of the Sun. All of them showed superhuman abilities for a short duration of time. ¡®I wonder if the, ¡®Spirit of the Elemental,¡¯ is what allows them to move like that.¡¯ Anyways, I had a good feeling about this. Since it was a reward with the word, ¡®elemental,¡¯ in it, it should have a positive influence on Jewel Alchemy. While I was processing things in my head, the Knights of the Church of the Sun were urgently talking to each other. ¡°He is not normal!¡± ¡°Dodge!¡± ¡°Rip open a Gold Scroll!¡± One of the Knights of the Church of the Sun took out a scroll. As the name described, it was a completely golden scroll. ¡®A Golden Scroll! It must be a Demon Cave scroll that can summon a strong Golden Monster.¡¯ ¡®Sorry, but I will be ripping that for my own use later.¡¯ I aimed for the one with the Golden Scroll first. He tried his best to dodge my attack while ripping the scroll, but, now that he had used up all of his spirit energy, he could not dodge my attack. I instantly approached him and shoved Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades into his neck. Paat! ¡°Ugh!¡± My combo was currently close to a 30-hit combo. Just a single attack was all it took for him to scream and die. The Golden Scroll fell to the ground once he died. ¡°Quick! Grab that and rip it!¡± The Knights of the Church of the Sun rushed to grab the Golden Scroll. But, thanks to that, the hunt became even easier. I did not pick up the Golden Scroll on the floor because I wanted it to be used as bait to draw the rest of the Knights of the Church of the Sun toward me. There were thirteen Knights of the Church of the Sun, but I managed to kill all of them in less than 5 minutes. I also got the message that I gained a ¡®Spirit of the Elemental,¡¯ every time I killed one of them. That made me disappointed that there weren¡¯t any more of the knights. I could have gained so much more Spirits of the Elemental if there were about 50 of them. The more disappointing part was that I had failed to capture any of them alive. I tried my best to make the last one faint, but, no matter how hard I tried, he would not faint. But there was no way for me to make someone who was stronger than me faint with my strength alone. I increased the strength of my attacks little by little to make him faint, but he died in the end. Oh well. There¡¯s nothing stupider than lamenting upon something that was not possible. It was time to get the rest of the party back now. I took out a ton of fire marbles from my bag and threw it around the room. There were at least 50 of them. Undead Desert Ants were scary creatures, but they were not invincible. They were especially weak to fire, so they all sizzled and died as soon as they touched one of the pillars. I threw myself into one of the fire pillars. Once I did that, all of the Desert Ants on my body quickly died. ¡®Much better now.¡¯ I got rid of the rest of the Desert Ants as well. The group inside the secret room threw out a lot more fire marbles, and Bernard used his magic to create some more Fire Walls to destroy the ants. The, ¡®sync rate,¡¯ continued to rise as I did that. [Spirit of the Elemental Sync Rate 87%] The sync rate raised at a fixed rate. It did not speed up or slow down based on whether I collected Spirits of the Elemental or killed a knight. It seemed to be going up at a steady rate of 1% every five seconds. While that was going on, Harrison, Bernardo, Goonto and crew came out of the secret room. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eruni was the only one to worry about me. Harrison¡¯s mind control magic seemed to still be in effect, as she was able to overcome her fear and look through my injuries. There were only minor injuries though. They were so small that I didn¡¯t even need to use any potions. The rest of them looked toward me as well, but they soon saw that I didn¡¯t have any major injuries and thus stopped caring. ¡°Let¡¯s head out first.¡± ¡°Right. Let¡¯s go.¡± Goonto started to walk forward as if he had been waiting for my suggestion. He was probably worried about the condition of the dwarves who were watching the entrance. Harrison was the same way. The dwarves were guarding the pathways inside the headquarters, while Harrison¡¯s group was guarding the outside. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± But we had to stop moving after only a short time. When we entered the large hall, we heard a lot of voices. ¡°Intruders!¡± The Knights have been defeated! They are not normal!¡± ¡°Open the Demon Caves!¡± These believers were wearing the red robes, which meant that they were just regular believers. There had to be secret paths around the area, as the dwarves would not have lost to these regular believers. That was the case, even if they opened up Demon Caves. But there was quite a large number of them. They were rushing toward us from two different directions while ripping open a bunch of scrolls. I wanted to ignore them and quickly leave, but we could not do so. They just happened to be blocking the only path we knew about. We needed to first open up a path. I looked to the left and right quickly. To the left was the path we needed to take. The Demon Cave that opened there was at least a level 400 C-grade cave. Death Trolls poured out like a herd of dogs as soon as the Demon Cave opened. But the right Demon Cave was a bit odd. The thick color and strong demonic aura coming from it made it obvious that it was over level 500, but nothing was coming out of the cave. Suddenly, a large foot appeared out of the Demon Cave and slammed down onto the ground. Boom! ¡®Shit! A Stone Golem.¡¯ It was a monster that was over level 550. Of course, level 550 was not that difficult. The issue was that this monster¡¯s defense is extremely high. Without raising up my combo to a high hit combo, I have no way to kill it. Forget critical hits, I wouldn¡¯t be able to even damage it at all. And there were five of them. The even more difficult part was that there were no monsters around them. Only Stone Golems came out of this Demon Cave. Which meant that there were no stepping stones to create my combo. Even Bernard¡¯s magic was not very useful against the Stone Golems. That meant there was only one group who could take on the Stone Golems. ¡°Goonto! Take the rest of the dwarves and fight the golems! I¡¯ll take this side!¡± ¡°Damn it. That side looks more entertaining!¡± It probably seemed that way because there were a lot more monsters here. No matter who was looking at it, they would think this side was the main while the Stone Golem were just extra. But we have to be logical. I can easily take care of this side because of the stepping stones for my combo, but I am unable to hunt that side. ¡°No time! Hurry up and start!¡± [Spirit of the Elemental Sync Rate 93%] I first threw out a fire marble. Crackle- Bernard used his strongest attack, the Fire Wall. But that did not help me at all, since it would just kill the weaker monsters that I needed for combo. This is why teamwork is important. ¡°Bernard! Please use point attacks!¡± I urgently shouted. Bernard understood my intent and started to use Lightning magic attacks like Electric Bolt instead. This type of magic was used to target strong monsters instead of attacking many monsters at the same time. We finally seemed to be on the same page. ¡®Then shall we play a bit?¡¯ Papapat- It was a large Demon Cave, but this was my world. Since there was not much room to move, the monsters were all gathered in small areas. The monsters were not able to see me clearly because of, ¡®Stealthy Approach,¡¯ and my combo quickly rose every time I swung my twin blades. The monsters that happened to get by me every so often were taken care of by Harrison¡¯s crew. Thanks to that, we were able to get rid of all of the monsters without any casualties. The sync rate that had been going up in front of my eyes reached 100% while I did that. [Spirit of the Elemental Sync Rate 100%] [Spirit Energy 50] ¡®Huh?! What is this?¡¯ The sudden information in front of me surprised me so much that my 40-hit combo was interrupted. Spirit Energy! I kind of expected it, since the Knights were using Spirit Energy, but seeing the words, ¡®Spirit Energy,¡¯ actually pop up in front of me still shocked me quite a bit. But would it be the same as the Spirit Energy I had read about? My question was quickly answered. My Spirit Energy went up every time I hunted a monster. [Spirit Energy 53] [Spirit Energy 59] ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ The draft plan described in detail how the Knights of the Church of the Sun used Spirit Energy. The knights who were very sensitive to their surroundings could absorb Spirit Energy directly from nature, while the others absorbed it by hunting monsters. Which made it obvious that this was the Spirit Energy I had read about. That was why I had even more questions. ¡®This is odd! I thought it said you can only gain it through the Altar of the Sun. What is going on?¡¯ (PR: Has he already forgotten that the draft plan is not the actual plan for the game?) Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 129 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 129: Spirit Souls and Spirit Energy (2) But that is not important right now. The important thing is that I can use Spirit Energy. ¡®I wonder how high I can raise my Spirit Energy.¡¯ I hunted monsters as I checked the changes to my Spirit Energy. It did not go up without a limit. There was a maximum cap. [Spirit Energy 124] My Spirit Energy did not change after that no matter how many monsters I hunted. That meant that this was different than the Spirit Energy I was thinking about. It was similar, but there was too much difference in strength. ¡®It is always easy to tell a fake apart.¡¯ I will only be able to get the real Spirit Energy by using the Altar of the Sun. Either way, I can at least get a taste of how Spirit Energy works. ¡®Let¡¯s see how strong it is.¡¯ I also didn¡¯t know whether I could use Spirit Energy like stats. I did experience it with the Knights of the Church of the Sun, but it will not feel real until I use it myself. ¡®How should I try it out?¡¯ I thought of an appropriate skill to use. I had come in too far to the point that I was surrounded by monsters. There were so many of them that it was difficult to even move around. I waited until my combo got to level 90, which was easy to do because there were so many monsters around me. I got there in no time at all. ¡®Put all Spirit Energy into magic!¡¯ I used the skill at the same time. [Bladestorm!] I stabbed the ground with one of Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. At the same time, a strong wind rushed out of the cutlass. Paaat! ¡®Swiiiiiiiish!¡¯ It was a much stronger wind than I expected. All of the monsters around me were pushed back like they were hit by a strong punch. Some of them even ran into each other and ended up killing each other. That was how strong the wind was. About 3m around me instantly became clear. I was certain that this was the result of a high combo as well as the increased magic from using Spirit Energy. Just using 124 Spirit Energy made it this strong. ¡®Amazing.¡¯ Then something even more surprising happened. Instead of starting back from 0, my Spirit Energy restarted from 50. Once I started another combo to hunt monsters, my Spirit Energy started to go back up as well. [Spirit energy 52] I don¡¯t know how it works, but I was sure about one thing. ¡®Oh! This is pretty good!¡¯ The only disappointing thing was that my Spirit Energy still had the same cap. It stopped at 124 again. Most skills go up at least a little bit every time you use it, but Spirit Energy did not seem to have any change. But it wasn¡¯t too disappointing since I still haven¡¯t unveiled all of the secrets of Spirit Energy. Plus, right now was time to focus on hunting monsters. I was surrounded by weak monsters until now, but as time went on, stronger monsters started to pour out. I could get hurt if I let my guard down. I focused and used a high hit combo to hunt the monsters. Papat- I stopped moving Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades as I heard that wonderful message. There was a pile of monsters in this wide hallway. Goonto and the dwarves were almost done with the Stone Golems as well. There were only two stone golems left, but these two were full of injuries as well. ¡®But what is that?¡¯ ¡°Raaaaaawr!¡± Goonto was swinging his sword like he was crazy. But his skills were surprising. I knew that Goonto was strong even amongst the dwarves, but I did not know he was this strong. Boom! A large injury was created every time Goonto¡¯s Solar Blade struck a stone golem¡¯s leg. It seemed like a high amount of damage was coming through with each attack. But Goonto¡¯s movements were the flashiest of them all. The Stone Golem tried to resist, but it could not even touch a hair on Goonto¡¯s head. It also looked like Goonto had eyes on the back of his head. He was able to dodge another Stone Golem charging at him from behind without even looking and swung his solar blade. While he did that, the other dwarves worked together to destroy the Stone Golem¡¯s leg. Then then moved on to cut its neck off. Goonto wiped his hands off then headed toward me. ¡°Shit, you were faster than us! I was going as fast as possible!¡± His relaxed and confident demeanor made it sound like he was showing off saying something like ¡®did you see my strength? I haven¡¯t given it by best yet.¡¯ I played along with him. ¡°Whaaaat? Goonto, your strength was at this level?¡± Goonto started to smile widely and started to blab. Unlike how they look, the dwarves had loose lips. ¡°To be honest with you, I reached the level of one with the sword right before coming here. I¡¯ve been dying to try it out. I feel so much better after trying it out. Bahahaha.¡± ¡°Oh! One with the sword!¡± That was a really surprising news. Even with Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade in his hand, I expected it to take a long time for him to get there. But already? Anyways, this might complicate things in the future. If it is like this, Goonto might not have a reason to go with me to the Southern district. But I should at least congratulate him for now. ¡°That¡¯s why you were a bit late. Congratulations.¡± ¡°Haha. It is because you found Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade that it was possible. And it is too soon to be congratulated just yet. I¡¯ve only gotten a taste of being one with the sword. I need to really open my eyes to how it works now. In order to do that, I need Chubach-nim¡¯s soul.¡± (Raw say Chubach, but I wonder if he meant Akto.) ¡®Oh, that¡¯s how it works? I didn¡¯t know being one with the sword had different levels as well.¡¯ Then I¡¯m glad. If I ask correctly, he¡¯ll be desperate to go to the Southern district with me. ¡°I wish you luck. Then you will rewrite the history of the dwarves.¡± ¡°Rewrite the history of the dwarves. I like the sound of that. Bahahaha.¡± Goonto started to laugh in joy. To be honest, I was envious. I really wanted to reach that level quickly as well. But I wasn¡¯t far from it. I would soon reach advanced level for my Jewel Alchemy and will be able to understand the concept of One with the Sword as well. Once that happens, I shouldn¡¯t be at a disadvantage going 1 on 1 against Goonto, no matter how strong he is. But anyways. Based on the situation, it was not time to rejoice. The results of the battle were not that great. One of the dwarves was ripped to pieces that we couldn¡¯t even really tell who it was. He received a direct hit from a Stone Golem¡¯s fist during the fight. However, the dwarves were not sad. The dwarves believed that a warrior who dies in a fierce battle would go to the warrior¡¯s grave of Valhalla. That was an honorable thing. The dwarves all raised their swords to show their respects to their fallen comrade and then left the body there. ¡°Let¡¯s go. The other dwarves may be in danger.¡± They were really a difficult race to understand. They showed no care for someone¡¯s death but cared that others may be in danger. ¡®Is it the difference between the dead and someone who is still alive?¡¯ Either way, there is no reason to allow more people to die than necessary. All of us quickly ran through the halls. A bit later, a welcoming voice could be heard. ¡°Goonto!¡± ¡°Oh! Rubato! You¡¯re alive!¡± ¡°It was so quiet here. Everything done?¡± As expected, the believers must have used a secret passage. Either that, or there is a path we don¡¯t know about. After Rubato, the rest of the dwarves were fine as well. They were all just fidgety because they didn¡¯t get to fight anyone. ¡°Everything is done. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Already? I didn¡¯t even get to swing my sword once!¡± ¡°We¡¯re already here, let¡¯s destroy them all.¡± ¡°We need to at least take some loot.¡± ¡®Loot.¡¯ To be honest, I wanted some as well. I also wanted to kill more of the knights to gather more spirits of an elemental. (Yes, this is an item.) I only managed to gather 17 of them so far. Only a few more¡­ ¡®Huh? Where did it go?¡¯ I looked in my bag but three of the spirits were missing. I was certain I had 17, but there were only 14 left. Suddenly, I came up with an idea. I had used Spirit Energy exactly three times while hunting the monsters. That meant there was only one explanation. ¡®Spirits of an elemental are single use items!¡¯ That was so sad to think about. If it was an item like this, I didn¡¯t need to put my life on the line to get more. Earning it through the Altar of the Sun would be the best method. In addition, this plan required a lot of stealth. If the Ameri Kingdom found out about this, they would use all of their strength to find our identities and track us down. It was best to hit fast and run. ¡°We will have opportunities in the future. Just don¡¯t back out later saying its annoying. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Damn it. So disappointing.¡± The dwarves looked toward the direction of the Church of the Sun headquarters and clicked their tongues. But they did not act stubbornly to disagree. We quickly headed out of the church of the Sun after that. Now it was time to say goodbye to Harrison¡¯s group. Humans and dwarves could not continue to travel together. I had no regrets, but Harrison was not that way. He did see the map on the wall but could not get a good answer from it. Harrison asked me a question. ¡°Did you say the Altar of the Sun is in the Peria Mountains? Where is this Peria Mountain?¡± ¡°It is somewhere you cannot go even if you knew where it was.¡± ¡°I will make that decision. Why do you think Shione suffered so much to keep clearing demon caves? It is somewhere I need to go even if it will cost me my life.¡± It made sense that it would be difficult for Harrison to give up. I also wanted them to get stronger. I would need to go against the Demon King eventually and would need their strength when the time comes. They would be more help to me if they got stronger. But that was not something that will alone will make possible. ¡°You need to pass through the Dwarf Village to get there. Can you do it?¡± It was a very simple first question, no, first obstacle I should say. ¡°Did you say ¡­¡­ the Dwarf Village? Is there no other path?¡± ¡°None.¡± Of course, there was another one, but that was much more difficult to go through. In fact, they would have a better chance convincing the dwarves to let them through. But that wasn¡¯t important since the next obstacle was much more difficult. ¡°Even if you manage to get through the Dwarf Village, you will then need to spend months crossing through a desert filled with Desert Ants. Can you do it?¡± There were no humans who could overcome the Desert Ants. There were some people who had the toughness stat, but nobody else had the reinforced toughness like I did. There were barely any dwarves who had the reinforced toughness stat as well. Even a strong warrior like Goonto has not developed Reinforced Toughness yet. But these were still the easy obstacles. The real difficult obstacle comes after that. Something that is at least ten times harder than crossing the Peria Desert. ¡°If you somehow successfully cross through the desert, then comes the Peria Mountain. However, it is somewhere that only people who have gotten permission from the fairies are allowed to enter. Even I do not know whether I can climb the Peria Mountains.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡± Harrison finally let out a long sigh. He realized that will alone would not be enough. But he had not given up just yet. He looked toward me again and asked. ¡°Is there no way?¡± Of course, there was a way. I came up with an idea as I was explaining the obstacles to Harrison. But I did not know whether it was possible or not. ¡°To be honest with you, it should be pretty easy to get across the Dwarf Village, the Peria Desert, and arrive at the entrance of the Peria Mountains. I just need to install a portal there. However, climbing Peria Mountain is the issue. I will go there first and try to find a way.¡± Harrison quietly looked toward me. He probably didn¡¯t trust me that much. I could say all this and not keep my end of the bargain. But he had no choice in the matter. He also had no way to threaten me or something like that. I had dwarf friends. One of them was even a dwarf that reached the level of one with the sword. ¡°I understand. I will be waiting for you.¡± ¡°I will contact you as soon as possible. Let¡¯s go.¡± I left with Goonto and the other dwarves. I could feel Harrison and his group¡¯s gaze on my back as I left. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 130 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 130: Altar of the Sun (1) At the entrance to Titan Valley. Goonto suddenly stopped walking. He then looked through his magic bag and casually asked. ¡°Hey! Kang Hwi Ram! Did you get any loot?¡± Loot. I guess I could call the Spirits of an Elemental loot. I also managed to get a good number of Demon Cave scrolls, including a Gold Scroll. However, in Goonto¡¯s point of view, I didn¡¯t get any loot. ¡°There was no time to do so.¡± ¡°Keke. I did manage to get some.¡± ¡°Really? When?¡± ¡°That last room with the Peria Mountains map. Did you not see all of those wooden crates in there?¡± I remembered. Inside that large secret room were tens of large wooden crates. However, I didn¡¯t have the time to pack any of them away, nor even take a look at what was inside. But Goonto seemed to have grabbed some. He took out three wooden crates out of his magic bag. ¡°When did you manage to grab it?¡± ¡°I had some time while you and the human magician were taking care of the Desert Ants. Why waste my time doing nothing when I couldn¡¯t even help?¡± It was not just Goonto. Each of the five dwarves who were inside the secret room had taken 3 wooden crates each. They really are a unique race. It was a dire situation where we could have all died, but they had no sense of anxiety. But, if you think about it, that was a wise decision. They used the time they had to take what they could. ¡°But what is inside?¡± ¡°We have not checked yet. I hope there are some useful things inside.¡± The other dwarves were curious as well. They all gathered around Goonto to watch. Once Goonto used some strength, the sealed lid of the wooden crate easily opened. Goonto sighed as soon as he looked inside. ¡°WTF! What is this?¡± The Other dwarves were the same way. ¡°Damn it. Why did they store all this crap?¡± I started to smile. Black, red, blue, yellow, there were all sorts of different colored scrolls. However, they were all the same type of scroll. [Demon Cave Scroll] If you think about it, it made sense. The Church of the Sun went around the continent opening demon caves to cause chaos in the world. For such an organization, Demon Cave scrolls were the most important item. On the other hand, it was completely useless to the dwarves. They probably had ways to use it if they wanted to do so, but it was not something they cared much for. He could only be depressed after bringing back three crates of such items. But it was different for me. Unlike the dwarves, I could put those Demon Cave scrolls to great use. In addition, the wooden crates were very large. Each crate had approximately 200 Demon Cave scrolls inside. Since the five of them each brought 3 crates with them, there should be around 3,000 Demon Cave scrolls total. ¡°Hey, Goonto! Should I buy that off of you?¡± ¡°You want to buy these? Where are you going to use it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. What do you think? I will buy all fifteen crates from you.¡± Goonto and the four other dwarves started to get excited. ¡°What will you give me in return? Can you fortify my sword once more?¡± ¡®You scammers! How dare you try to get your weapons fortified for these scrolls.¡¯ However, deals were all about haggling. ¡°If you bring me some Jewels of Luck or Chaos Jewels, I will fortify your weapon before anybody else¡¯s.¡± ¡°Oh, really? Then great. They are all yours.¡± Goonto took out the rest of the crates and handed them to me. The other dwarves took out their crates as well. Thankfully, I had multiple magic bags on me. Each bag was capable of fitting ten crates. ¡°Then head back to the village first. I will return to the Dwarf Village after taking care of some business.¡± ¡°Where do you plan to go with those?¡± ¡°Do humans not have any problems carrying such dirty items around?¡± Of course, there could be issues. I could be arrested as a supporter of the Church of the Sun. But I didn¡¯t need to worry about it that much since my fame was extremely high and even the king had deemed me as a trustworthy person. Which meant that they had no reason to doubt my character. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it. Just don¡¯t go around yapping about how I have them and go wait for me in the village. Don¡¯t do anything stupid if you want your weapons fortified later.¡± ¡°Ah, I understand.¡± There really was no better condition for the dwarves than fortifying their weapons. The dwarves left first. ¡®Then shall I head out as well? I didn¡¯t expect to get such a good item.¡¯ Dwarf village. ¡®Ah, so hard!¡¯ I put down the fortified solar blade. The dwarf that had been anxiously waiting next to me quickly grabbed the blade. ¡°Oh, amazing! You really are a great friend.¡± The dwarves actually had a pretty cute side to them. The way they treated their weapons made them look like children. ¡®Is it really that exciting?¡¯ Then another dwarf came in. This time, it was a bastard sword. ¡°Mine too please. Will this be enough for compensation?¡± The dwarf brought 7 jewels of fortification and 30 Jewels of Luck. This was already the eighth weapon I¡¯ve fortified like this. I was exhausted after each one and had to rest for a long time. However, it was much better than before. I could fortify up to three weapons a day now. However, I could not continue to get delayed like this. This was already my third day in the Dwarf Village. I also didn¡¯t have a reason to agree to all of the dwarves¡¯ requests. ¡°No more.¡± ¡°Is this not enough compensation? Didn¡¯t you fortify Habachu¡¯s weapon for the same amount?¡± ¡°It is more about who came first. My original plan was to leave after fortifying just eight weapons.¡± The dwarf¡¯s face turned into a frown. ¡°How can you do that?¡± ¡®How? Because I can. It is my decision whether I fortify weapons or not.¡¯ ¡°I am too tired to do anymore. I also have somewhere I need to quickly go. If you really want it, wait a few months. I will fortify exactly 10 more weapons when I get back.¡± The dwarf¡¯s expression brightened once again at that statement. ¡°How long do I have to wait?¡± Even I didn¡¯t know the answer to that. I didn¡¯t have enough information about the Peria Mountains. Kang Sung Ho was fervently looking up information, but so far he has only found the term, ¡®Peria Mountains,¡¯ without any more relevant information. ¡°I won¡¯t know until I get there. Two months if I¡¯m fast, a couple years if it takes longer than I expect.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Peria Mountains.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah!¡± The dwarf nodded his head as if he understood. ¡°Then please include me in the ten when you get back.¡± ¡®Why do I need to give you special treatment? You seem to not know this, but everything in life is a battle.¡¯ I was going to use this opportunity to teach that to him while making sure to get a good reward for giving him the lesson. I already had enough Jewels of Fortification and Jewels of Luck, so I was going to ask for something else. ¡°I will fortify the weapons of the dwarves who give me the most Chaos Jewels, no matter who it is. The minimum number of Chaos Jewels will be 5.¡± In other words, it was an auction. If the dwarves really were obsessed with fortifying their weapons, I should be able to gain quite a number of Chaos Jewels. ¡°Damn it, you greedy humans.¡± You¡¯d think dwarves were not greedy after hearing him say such a thing. ¡°Anyway, I need to head out now. Any later and I will need to wait until tomorrow morning.¡± I got up and headed to the horse Goonto had prepared for me. Goonto, who happened to be nearby, noticed me and quickly ran over. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram, do you happen to know anything about this?¡± Goonto took a small jewel out of his bag to show me. I was used to this jewel. I had 14 of them. [Spirit of an Elemental] But what was he asking about? He should have gotten the message about the sync rate the moment he got one of them. Then he would have used Spirit Energy as well. ¡°You didn¡¯t get the message about the sync rate?¡± ¡°Sync rate? What is that?¡± Dwarves were not a race that were used to joking around. They definitely would not joke around a human like me. But he had no reason to lie to me, so he probably really had no idea. ¡°Then you probably don¡¯t know about Spirit Energy either.¡± ¡°I heard about it, but I don¡¯t know what it is. Do you?¡± To tell him or not to tell him. (PR: That is the question.) I didn¡¯t know what to do. But after thinking about it for a bit, I thought it would be better to reveal it rather than to hide it from Goonto. I was able to use Spirit Energy while Goonto was not able to do so. That meant there was only one reason for it. My friendliness with the fairies was high while Goonto¡¯s was low. There may be a different reason for it, but it was a question of what I would lose and what I would gain. There was nothing I would lose by telling him about it. However, I could earn Goonto and the dwarves¡¯ trust if I tell him. I needed to say the right things though. ¡°What are you thinking so hard about?¡± As I stood there silently without speaking, Goonto urged me to speak. ¡°I¡¯m debating whether I should tell this to you or not. It is something that I may need to keep a secret.¡± Goonto¡¯s eyes got a bit bigger. ¡°A secret?¡± ¡°But since the dwarves are now my friend, I feel a deeper bond with the dwarves than my fellow humans. That is why I will only tell this to you, so don¡¯t tell anybody else.¡± Goonto¡¯s eyes started to sparkle. I was a special existence among humans. At least Goonto and the other dwarves saw me in that light. Since it was a secret that someone like me was willing to tell him, he probably expected it to be something very important. ¡°You can use Spirit Energy if you successfully sync with the Spirit of an Elemental. By using Spirit Energy, I am able to raise a single stat of my choice by the amount of Spirit Energy I have. Didn¡¯t you see my battle in the Church of the Sun headquarters?¡± I was being very specific about Spirits of an Elemental and Spirit Energy. I also made sure to include the fact that you needed a high friendliness level with the fairies to use it. Goonto silently nodded his head. ¡°Then I cannot use it because I have 0 friendliness with the fairies.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll change if you study Jewel Alchemy. Jewels are filled with the fairies¡¯ powers, so it will naturally increase your friendliness with them.¡± ¡°Anyways, that is useless for me.¡± I expected it to be this way. That was why I had no problem explaining to Goonto about Spirit Energy. ¡°But thank you. I¡¯m sure it was not easy to share such a secret.¡± ¡°We are friends. Just consider it a gift.¡± I smiled brightly. Once I did that, Goonto handed the Spirit of an Elemental in his hand to me. ¡°Then I will give this to you as a gift as well.¡± ¡®Oh, really? This is an unexpected gift. It may be a single-use item, but I can put it to good use when the time calls for it.¡¯ ¡°You won¡¯t¡¯ regret it? This is more precious than you think.¡± ¡°It is still something I cannot use. Since you can use it, it is only right to gift it to you as a friend.¡± ¡°Then thank you. I won¡¯t reject your gift. Then I am off to Peria Mountain now.¡± ¡°It will be dangerous. Do you need someone to go with you?¡± Goonto, as well as the majority of the dwarves, were much stronger than me. However, they will not be able to defeat the Desert Ants of the Peria Desert. It was something I needed to do on my own. ¡°Thanks, but it¡¯s okay. Just this horse you lent me is enough.¡± ¡°Then be careful.¡± I got on the horse and waved to Goonto before riding toward Peria Desert. Peria Oasis. It always felt interesting whenever I came here. Comfort? Safety? I didn¡¯t know what it was, but it felt like I was at the most relaxing resting place in the world. It is probably because the feeling of being the only person here was strong. Thanks to the Desert Ants in Peria Desert, almost nobody could get to this spot. In other words, not only the Peria Oasis, but everything around this area was kind of reserved just for me. Some Peria souls may be hiding around, but it didn¡¯t matter since I couldn¡¯t sense them. My fatigue was completely gone once I took a nap. ¡®Then shall I get started?¡¯ I opened my bag and took out all of the, ¡®Spirits of an Elemental,¡¯ from my bag. I didn¡¯t know if this would work, but I had to stop by here to get to the Peria Mountains, so I was giving it a go since I was here anyways. There was a chance that it would work. I dunk the Spirits of an Elemental into the Peria Oasis. As soon as I did that, something started to happen. There was a large vibration in the oasis and a fog-like substance from inside the Spirit of an Elemental rose up to the sky. ¡®It really does work!¡¯ I looked toward this fog-like mysterious object with satisfaction. This was probably the real Spirit of an Elemental that found its way out of the jewel. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 131 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 131: Altar of the Sun (2) The voice seemed to resonate inside of my head. ¡°Who was it that imprisoned you inside that small jewel?¡± I¡¯m sure that was the case. It was like we were exchanging completely obvious information. That wasn¡¯t what I was really curious about. I just asked it because I thought it would be better to get closer to the spirit before asking for something. That is the human way. Now that we¡¯ve had some small talk, it was time to get down to business. ¡°I have a request to ask of you. Could you please help me?¡± ¡°I need to go to the Altar of the Sun. However, I have heard that the altar is in the Peria Mountains. Can you help me get there?¡± < I can guide you there.> Oh! That means that I can enter the Peria Mountains! I thought I wouldn¡¯t even be able to take a step inside, but it feels like things are progressing too easily. Almost to the point that I am getting worried. I was right. The elemental was not done speaking. I knew a bit about it as well. But to disappear like dust? Does that mean there was no way to fight back? I started to be afraid. Am I doing something unreasonable? Is this where I¡¯m going to die? ¡°How high does my friendliness have to be? It is at around 960 right now. Is this not enough?¡± As soon as the elemental said that, I heard a different voice in my head. Oh! A whole 100 points! This was an unexpected gain. Thanks to that, my friendliness with fairies was now at 1,060 points. I¡¯m sure that my Jewel Alchemy went up along with it as well. ¡°Then are we good now?¡± I had only dunked one of the spirits of an elemental into the oasis. Just in case it didn¡¯t work. The rest of the spirits of an elemental were next to me. I picked up one of them and showed it to the elemental. ¡°Yes. There are still 14 of them left.¡± Of course, I will do that. I dunked them all into the oasis without any hesitation. Once I did that, the same phenomenon from earlier happened again. Fifteen elementals were now in the air. The elementals made a giant circle and started to move around like they were singing, ¡®Ring around the rosy.¡¯ The size of the circle slowly decreased until they combined into one. Maybe that was why, but the very transparent elemental became visible. It was visible enough for me to verify that it was the appearance of a woman. Just one month? I thought it would last longer, since fifteen of them gathered together. I had less time than I expected. ¡°Then let us head out right away.¡± That was nice to hear. I could just feel Jewel Alchemy¡¯s skill rate shooting up. But it will lessen the pain? That means that no matter what, there will be some pain. ¡®Tsk, nothing I can do about it.¡¯ When it comes to enduring pain, there is nobody who can reach my level. I managed to endure the burning pain from the smithy for a month in order to become a blacksmith. Nothing can be as painful as that. I immediately stood up and followed behind the elemental. I was feeling lucky, such that I decided to sleep first before leaving. The elemental flew pretty quickly, but I was able to follow right behind it. I didn¡¯t care whether it was day or night. I was strong against light and heat, as well as the darkness. I stopped to quench my thirst every so often, and, if I found a safe boulder that wouldn¡¯t be attacked by a Sand Soldier, I took a short nap before continuing on. But the Peria Desert really was wide. Even though I was walking in a straight line without getting lost thanks to the elemental, it still seemed to take forever. We could finally see the Peria Mountains once we walked a full month¡¯s worth of time. It finally seemed within reach after running five more days. But it was still far away. I was still in the middle of the desert, even after leaving the Peria Oasis 40 days ago. It seemed that way to me as well. The elemental had turned fainter the longer we traveled. Now, it looked like a single gust of wind would make it disappear. That made me feel rushed as well. However, I could not go any faster than this. I was already rushing as fast as possible. ¡°It might be better for you to go wait for me there. Let¡¯s meet at that boulder over there.¡± ¡®Shit, I¡¯m already exhausted.¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t avoid it, so I could only push through. The issue was my stamina. Thankfully, I saw a large boulder nearby. I didn¡¯t have any reasons to hurry anymore. The reason we hurried until now was because of the Elemental¡¯s energy level, but since I sent it ahead, it won¡¯t matter, even if I take a few more days. I climbed onto the boulder and took a nap. One I woke up and filled my belly, my condition recovered by a good amount. ¡®Shall I go then?¡¯ As the elemental mentioned, the number of Sand Soldiers increased as I got closer to Peria Mountain. Even the slightly stronger Sand Warriors appeared in large numbers as well. But it was still nothing compared to the Magman Continent¡¯s desert. They were not that difficult to destroy. There were a lot of large boulders every so often as well, so I was able to rest as needed and arrived at the Peria Mountain in five days. But these stupid Sand Warriors kept trying to attack me. Papapat- I swung Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades and advanced the last spurt of desert. I then threw my body toward the Peria Mountain. However. ¡®Ugh!¡¯ What an intense pain! It was like I threw myself into a patch of thorns. No, that was not enough to describe this pain. It was like millions of needles relentlessly poking my body. It was so bad that I felt like I really might die here. (PR: So like whenever my leg falls asleep.) I was so shocked that I quickly opened my status window to check my HP. My HP was going down quickly, losing about 20 HP per second. At this rate, I wouldn¡¯t even last more than 30 seconds. The pain the elemental talked about must have been about this. Then I should be able to survive. Well, as long as I manage to cross the border completely before my HP hits 0. ¡®Should I have drunk a HP potion in advance?¡¯ I clenched my teeth and pushed forward. I didn¡¯t know how long this border was, but I was ready to push through with my perseverance. ¡®Ah! It¡¯s not that long!¡¯ The pain completely disappeared after I walked about 10 meters. My HP, that was cut down to half, quickly recovered as well. I could finally feel relief and had the luxury to look at the scenery around me. ¡°So, this is the Peria Mountains!¡± It was a very amazing sight. Although a hot desert was right next to it, this mountain was full of lush green trees and grass. There were also all sorts of colorful flowers as well. It was like two different worlds were placed next to each other. ¡®I really get to see a lot of beautiful sights in Royal Roader.¡¯ The view of the Titan Mountain Range, Peria Oasis, Peria Mountains¡­ The scenery in Royal Roader really was so beautiful that it was hard to put into words. All of the most beautiful sights in the real world would need to bow down to the sights in Royal Roader. After recovering while enjoying the scenery, I started to walk again. I soon arrived at the boulder we promised to meet at. ¡°Are you okay as well, elemental-nim?¡± I could tell based on the elemental¡¯s appearance. It was much more visible than when the fifteen elementals gathered as one at the oasis. But it was a bit awkward because the elemental was naked. The long hair that went down past its butt covered all the risqu¨¦ parts, but it was still quite erotic. But the elemental didn¡¯t seem to feel anything like embarrassment. ¡®I should not make it obvious either.¡¯ ¡°Congratulations.¡± I followed behind the elemental. Contrary to my concerns, the mountain itself was not very harsh. It was just so full of life that it felt like I was walking in the same place over and over. ¡°Is there nobody here? I heard it was the home of the Peria, but I can¡¯t see any of them¡­¡­¡± ¡®No wonder I felt like someone was looking at me.¡¯ They were secretly watching us from somewhere we could not see. I¡¯m sure I would have been in big trouble if I was not with the elemental. I continued to follow the elemental, who seemed to be getting stronger as we continued on. It was almost completely visible now. It would not be wrong to call it a real woman. But that made it hard to keep following behind it. Although the long hair was covering it, her firm butt was revealed every so often as we walked on this rough mountain terrain. I had no choice but to walk next to her. We must have walked like that for another month. Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 132 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 132: Second Monster Slave (1) The elemental stopped moving and started to point. I could see a large stone structure in the distance. It was about 500m away. It felt like it was an Inca pyramid that was hidden in the mountains. ¡°Why did we stop here?¡± < It is difficult to approach from here because the fairy-nim¡¯s powers are clashing against the Demon King¡¯s strength. Right now, the Demon King¡¯s strength is getting stronger, so we cannot approach unless we break through this barrier. > I could not understand it. This was the Peria Mountains, the land of the fairies. So how could there be a spot that was controlled by the Demonic influence? And a barrier created by the Demon King? Where is it? I couldn¡¯t see it. There was no such thing visible in front of me. However, I could feel the barrier that the elemental was talking about when I walked forward a few more steps. I could not move any farther. It was as if a large and invisible balloon was pushing me back. It didn¡¯t matter how hard I tried. Since the strength of the barrier at the starting point was this strong, it was probably much much stronger closer to the altar. I could lose my life if I just try to force my way in. ¡°How can we break through this barrier?¡± < The source of the power supporting the Demon King¡¯s barrier is the Demonic Relic. You must enter the Demon Cave over there and destroy the relic. > I looked once again to where the elemental was pointing. I could see the Demon Cave entrance. It was small, but I was certain that it would be full of high leveled monsters. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be possible to clear the Demon Cave if the Peria worked with the elves? Why have you not done so yet?¡± Just how strong were the monsters inside this cave? Based on the elemental¡¯s story, it sounded like I needed to clear this Demon Cave to approach the Altar of the Sun. However, it sounded almost impossible to do. But the elemental suddenly offered an unexpected proposition. < Please help us take the demonic relic and destroy it. Then the fairy-nim as well as all of the existence who share her bloodline will consider Kang Hwi Ram-nim to be their friend. > That was followed by a voice in my head. < Peria Mountain¡¯s Demon Cave Clearing Quest.Please enter the Demon Cave and find the Demonic Relic.If you successfully deliver the Demonic Relic to the fairy, your friendliness with the fairies will increase by 500. > Friendliness with the fairies increasing by 500! It might not seem like much, but if you think about it deeply, it was an amazing reward. It was because Jewel Alchemy automatically increased in level when my friendliness with the fairies went up. I quickly opened my skill window. [Jewel Alchemy: Intermediate level 8, 85%] ¡®I knew it!¡¯ IT was already at an amazing level probably because I freed the elemental spirits. If my friendliness raises by another 500, my Jewel Alchemy should be very close to reaching the advanced level. Advanced Jewel Alchemy. The benefits of reaching that level was more than just combining jewels very well. It will allow me to use Jewels of Fortification to add some fairy power into my equipment. Once I do that, I will be able to communicate with the fairy power inside the equipment. So, if I could communicate with the fairy power I imbue into a sword? That would mean reaching ¡®One with the Sword.¡¯ It is step one in the things I want to achieve in Royal Roader I guess. But the question was whether it was possible. If I get greedy without having the skills to back it up, I could easily die in the Demon Cave. ¡°Do I need to go in alone?¡± < Yes. However, if you go into the Demon Cave, you will be able to gather some of the elves to help you out. They are all currently imprisoned inside. > In other words, rescue the elves inside the Demon Cave and have them help me out. But it will not be easy since the fairy power is not very strong inside the Demon Cave. That was why I was hesitating so much. The elemental must have read my mind because she cupped her hands like she was trying to gather rainwater, closed her eyes, and started to gather energy from our surroundings. The elemental¡¯s prayer ended in about 5 minutes. The elemental then handed a ball of light to me. < Please take it. It will help you out inside the Demon Cave. > The information popped up once I received the ball of light. [Natural Power] The source of life for the elves and the elementals. Energy: 2,464/2,464 I feel like I received an amazing gift. ¡°How do I use this?¡± < Elemental Energy is not very useful inside the Demon Cave, but Natural Power is not affected. If you put some of the natural power into the Stone Elves that were created by nature, they will be able to help you out.Please use this Natural Power to awaken the sleeping Stone Elves.> Ah! Stone Elves! You could call them the Stone Golem of the Elves. They are smaller and weaker than Stone Golems, but they are much faster and tougher, so they should be able to help me out. < You can also retreat if the situation does not look good. However, you will need to sacrifice the elementals or elves you free in order to do that. > I didn¡¯t really care about whether I sacrificed them or not. But it swayed me that retreating was an option. I would get a large reward if I succeeded, and I could at least save my own life if I failed. In addition, I also had the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute as well. I want to save it as a hidden ace if possible, but this was too good of an opportunity to let go. I finally made up my mind after debating it for a while. ¡°I understand. I can¡¯t just go back after coming all the way here to the Peria Mountains. I will go into the Demon Cave and destroy the Demonic Relic.¡± *** Four days into the Demon Cave. The beginning stages were easy as I expected. I only found monsters around level 150. There were some monsters close to level 300 every so often, but I didn¡¯t have any issues so far. In fact, it felt a bit too easy. At least for now. I killed another group of monsters and walked farther into the Demon Cave. It was pitch dark without even a magic light, but it was as bright as day for me. After I walked another 30 minutes, I felt an ominous feeling coming from in front of me. Duuuuuuuuu- Duuuuuuuuu- It was the sound of stones grinding against each other, kind of like a millstone. I thought of something as soon as I heard the noise. ¡®Stone Elves!¡¯ I lowered my presence and continued to walk. They should not be able to see me even if I walk quickly because I was using Stealthy Approach. After walking another 50m, I was able to see the cause of the noise as soon as I turned a corner that was made of a large boulder. It was definitely Stone Elves. They seemed to be about 2m in height, so not very tall. However, they seemed tough and durable, as if they were made of granite. Stone Elves were created with Spirit Energy [Natural Power], so they were more like the fairy and elementals¡¯ weapon than a living existence. (TL: Author put Spirit Energy, but I think it should be Natural Power (as mentioned earlier), so I will be putting Natural Power instead of Spirit Energy from here on.) There seemed to be about 30 of them. These Stone Elves were lined up by the wall and seemed to be flinching. I thought they were all going to be stiff like statues, but that did not seem to be the case. However, they were unable to move as they pleased. It looked like their movement was restricted by a strong force. Either that, or they were lacking in energy and could only move their arm or their wrist. ¡®I just need to put some Natural Power in them.¡¯ But I needed to get close to do that. I needed to directly touch the ball of light onto the Stone Elves for the Natural Power to be transferred. ¡®Are they the guards?¡¯ There were two guards walking back and forth and keeping watch on the Stone Elves. On first glance, they seemed to be human. They were about the same size and figure. The only difference was that their faces looked a bit different. They had streaks going either vertical or horizontal on their faces as if they were wearing face paint. I had seen some of them in the game. ¡®Dark Elves!¡¯ Thy seemed small and weak, but they were all at least level 450. Some Dark Elves were even over level 500. They were also very experienced with fighting that they could easily take on a human of the same level. Even Dwarves would probably find it difficult to hunt a Dark Elf of the same level. Long story short, I could not take this lightly. ¡®What to do about them.¡¯ I might have a chance if there were monsters nearby to use as fodder for combo, but a 1:1 battle was a bad idea. I might win, but the important thing was that the chances of losing was much higher. I only had one option. I needed to lure the Dark Elves elsewhere before quickly reviving the Stone Elves. I would be able to suppress them with the help of the Stone Elves. I started to calculate my movements. ¡®Alright. Let¡¯s go!¡¯ I first used Stealthy Approach to get closer. If I succeeded, I would be able to kill one of them without even luring them away. However. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Intruder!¡± Unbelievable. There was still about 20m left and I was using Stealthy Approach in pitch darkness, which made it multiple times stronger. How were they able to spot me so easily? The following situation was not very good either. I needed both of them to approach me to find an opportunity to reach the Stone Elves, but one of them remained in place while the other one stepped forward. ¡°I will get him!¡± Tatat! The Dark Elf seemed to lightly kick off the ground but instantly closed the 20m distance and ended up right in front of me. I had no choice but to be shocked. It was moving much faster than I expected. It also looked very strong that I definitely felt like I could not win a 1:1 fight. Thankfully, my speed was slightly faster. The Dark Elf¡¯s weapon was also a pretty large and heavy longsword, affecting its speed. I could at least keep myself safe by forgetting about attacking and just focusing on dodging Swish- Each swing of the Dark Elf¡¯s longsword cut through the air with a loud noise. And every time the elf swung, I dodged it like an eel. The Dark Elf became shocked at my movement. ¡°This bastard is quick!¡± ¡°Change your weapon!¡± That was the other elf¡¯s suggestion. The one that was attacking me threw its longsword to the side and took out a blade from its side. It was a pretty small and light falchion. Swish- Its attack became much sharper. It could attack at least a half step quicker than it could with the longsword. At the same time, the strength of the attack was about the same. Dark Elves were very strong that even a single attack could put me in serious danger. However, the situation did not change. It was because there was quite the gap between the Dark Elf and my agility. Although the Dark Elf¡¯s attack was a half-step quicker than before, my dodging was still a half step quicker than this attack. ¡°You stupid eel-like bastard. All you know how to do is dodge. Hey! Hurry up and help me!¡± That was exactly what I wanted. I would use the opening to wake the Stone Elves. However, the Dark Elves were not that stupid. ¡°Then the Stone Elves will become dangerous. Use a different method.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Maybe this one was dumb while that one was smart. That one seemed to be the one dictating their strategy. I really wanted to shut that one up but this one¡¯s attack was so dangerous that I could not approach the other one. This allowed the other elf to share its plan. But that plan actually seemed to be one that would benefit me. ¡°Call the monsters as reinforcement. You will win if you can restrict his movement.¡± Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator : Miraclerifle Proofreader :Borderline Masochist Chapter 133 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 133: Second Monster Slave (2) ¡°That sounds good! Hurry up and call them.¡± Oh? That sounds great for me too. I can use them as stepping stones for my combo. The Dark Elf continued to attack me. While he was attacking me, the other one took a black horn flute out of his pocket and blew into it. Beeeeeeeeeep- It was only the size of an average palm, but the noise was very loud and deep. It was the type of noise that would reach a far distance. A moment later, I heard some rumbling in the distance. It wasn¡¯t a few loud rumbles, but a group of light rumbles. That gave me a good idea about what monsters were coming toward me. ¡®Perfect!¡¯ The monsters soon arrived. As expected, there were no large monsters. Instead, there were a large group of Cave Trolls and Death Dogs-like monsters that were all less than level 200. There were even really weak monsters, like Cave Goblins. My reinforced toughness made it so that I didn¡¯t even recieve any damage from their attacks. ¡°Try to run away now, kekeke.¡± The Dark Elf started to laugh as if he had guaranteed his victory. Why were they so terrible even though they had the word, ¡®elf,¡¯ in their species¡¯ name? His laugh was even worse. It was so terrible that I wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible. ¡®Then shall I teach him the reality of the situation?¡¯ I started to create a combo with the monsters nearby. [Combo (Under 40%): Advanced Level 2, 96%] [Drake¡¯s TBSA: Advanced Level 2, 6%] Both combo and Drake¡¯s TBSA were at Advanced Level 2. Now I could land critical hits even with my eyes closed and reach a 30-hit combo in about 7 seconds. Papapat- My combo went up to 30-hits in the blink of an eye. The Dark Elf finally seemed to have finally realized something was odd. I could clearly see his white pupils widening on his black face. ¡°W, what? Why did he suddenly change?¡± No need for someone who is about to die to know that. I continued my combo and quickly approached the Dark Elf. I was on the run this whole time, but things would change now. The Dark Elf clenched his teeth and blocked my attack with his falchion. Bang- He really wasn¡¯t below average. He was able to block my 40-hit combo damage with his falchion. Of course, the falchion was not able to last. It instantly broke upon impact with my cutlass. Crack! My combo ended. I quickly moved back for my safety while restarting my combo with the surrounding monsters. The Dark Elf must have felt danger, as he rolled to the left to dodge. He then picked up the longsword he had thrown earlier in order to replace the broken falchion. The other Dark Elf shouted toward us. ¡°That is Drake¡¯s TBSA! And his combo instantly reached over 40-hits! Be careful!¡± That one really seemed to be more dangerous than this one. But the situation should not change, since there are so many small monsters around. Suddenly, an unexpected situation happened. Beeeeeeep- The Dark Elf blew the horn flute again. That made the surrounding monsters start to return. ¡®Damn it!¡¯ I understood the Dark Elf¡¯s plan. He had accurately determined what was going on. He realized that the surrounding monsters were actually more helpful to me. But things will not go as he planned. There were too many monsters in the area, while the path they needed to go through was narrow. It created a bottleneck and slowed the monsters down to give me enough time to get rid of at least one of these Dark Elves, as long as I don¡¯t waste any time. I swept the surrounding monsters like I was using a broom and pushed forward. My combo went back up to 30-hits in a very short amount of time. Now it was time for the Dark Elf. Taaat! ¡°It is dangerous! Dodge!¡± The Dark Elf who blew the flute was shouting. However, it was for naught. The surrounding monsters disturbed both my movements as well as the Dark Elf¡¯s movements. I was able to cut through the monsters with my combo, but the Dark Elf was unable to do that. I lowered my body as low as possible as I rushed forward. Papapat- My distance with the Dark Elf instantly decreased. With the situation being so dangerous, the Dark Elf stopped running and started to swing his longsword. Each of his attacks were very strong, like he was planning to end this with a single hit. Swiiiiish- But his attacks were too wide. I could easily see the longsword¡¯s movement and pushed off a monster in order to dodge the Dark Elf¡¯s attack. Boom- The longsword hit the ground while my twin blades slashed the Dark Elf¡¯s waist. The shocked Dark Elf moved his longsword to the side to defend. The fact that he could move like this was surprising. Clang- The longsword managed to defend against my attack. However, it wasn¡¯t completely successful, since my combo was already at 60. In addition, my cutlasses were different from regular weapons. They are the greatest weapons created by a Best Blacksmith Dwarf who was on the verge of becoming one with the sword. It also had magic embued by the Shapir, the strongest magic tribe in the world. Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades easily cut through the longsword and then the Dark Elf¡¯s waist. Crackle- I also got lucky. The 30% chance of lightning damage happened to strike at that moment as well. ¡°Aaak!¡± The Dark Elf felt the electric shock and his legs and arms opened up in shock, revealing his stomach and heart. Although my combo was over, I could not miss this great opportunity. I used one of the skills in Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades to stab the Dark Elf¡¯s heart. [Ignore Enemy Defense!] Stab- Goonto¡¯s Twin Blade stabbed deep into the Dark Elf¡¯s chest and heart. The Dark Elf immediately stopped moving and fell to the side in disbelief in his eyes. Plop! Now only one Dark Elf was left. I lifted my head up to look at him. His eyes were the size of lamps. He could not help but look back and forth between the fallen Dark Elf and me. I didn¡¯t need to drag this out. This was a Demon Cave, a place where he had the advantage. He would do his best to create favorable settings for him if I gave him the time. Taat! I flung my body toward him again. There were still a lot of monsters nearby, but there were not many between me and the Dark Elf. I probably would not be able to use any combos while fighting him. However, I did have a few other cards in my hand as well. [Spirit Energy 124] My Spirit Energy was at max thanks to hunting all of those monsters. ¡®Put it all into agility!¡¯ I also used another card as well. [Dark Force] Dark Force did not need to directly attack. Once I use the skill, a dark aura shot out, allowing me to attack even something in the distance. Even the Shadow Fox used Dark Force against me from at least 10 meters away. However, my Dark Force was not as strong. Even the strength of the attack was only about half of the Shadow Fox¡¯s attack. I was about 5 meters away from the Dark Elf when I used Dark Force. Boom! I could feel the invisible force shooting out and the Dark Elf dropping his falchion. ¡°Ugh!¡± The Shadow Fox had failed when it used Dark Force against me. That was because its extremely wary nature gave me enough time to recover. Thanks to that, I was able to overcome the stun and find an opportunity for a counterattack. I would not repeat the Shadow Fox¡¯s mistake. I shot forward without any delay and rushed toward the Dark Elf like I was an arrow with the cutlass as the point. Taat! ¡®Huh? Already?¡¯ The Dark Elf quickly rolled to the side. He managed to get out of the stun in less than 1 second. But if you think about it, Dark Elves are Elves as well, so they probably have high endurance stats. It is only normal for them to recover quickly. He also moved fast enough to dodge my attack, even after I had used spirit energy to increase my agility. I was at a loss since those were my two strongest cards. Since I had failed after using those two methods, it would be difficult to win 1 on 1 without them. ¡®What to do? Ah!¡¯ I suddenly came up with a good idea. I would use the Dark Elf¡¯s methods against him. ¡®Stone Elf!¡¯ The Dark Elf needed to roll to the side in order to dodge my attack, so he will need some time to get back up. On the other hand, I quickly moved toward the Stone Elf. My speed did not decrease at all. In fact, I started to move forward even faster, like this had been my plan all along. So it was only normal that the distance between the Dark Elf and me quickly increased. That helped me buy some extra time. I took the Light Orb out of my bag. At the same time, I could hear the Dark Elf¡¯s scared voice. ¡°Natural Power!¡± He also seemed to know how this thing worked. I guess it made sense that he knew how to wake the Stone Elves up since he was their guard. But it was too late. I was already in front of a Stone Elf and quickly touched the Natural Power to the Stone Elf¡¯s chest. At the same time, two strands of light shot out from the Stone Elf¡¯s face. The Stone Elf had opened its eyes. There were about 30 Stone Elves the Dark Elf was guarding. The fact that I took out the Natural Power did not wake all of the Stone Elves up. I needed to go up to each Stone Elf individually and transfer some energy. The thankful thing was that it took less than 1 second to wake them up once I did that. ¡°You punk! Stop!¡± The Dark Elf shouted as he rushed toward me. However, he could not reach me instantly. I moved to wake up two more Stone Elves and the three of them got in his way. However. Boom- ¡®Why is he so strong?¡¯ The Dark Elf cut off one of the Stone Elf¡¯s arms with a swing of his falchion. It was a very scary level of strength. If they have that much difference in strength, I would not be able to take him on with only a few Stone Elves. But things will change once I join the fray as well. The Stone Elves were there to hold him still while I did the actual attacks. The chances of success increased even further if I added another option to that as well. I quickly used Natural Power to wake up all 30 Stone Elves. Boom- Boom- The Stone Elves were very heavy because they were made of stone. The ground shook every time they moved. The Dark Elf started to frown. He stopped attacking with his falchion and slowly started to move backward. Trying to run? I could not allow him to run. One or two of them were fine, but I would be in danger if a group of them attacked together. Taking them down one by one was the best course of action. But I didn¡¯t know whether it would go as I planned. ¡°Block his escape route.¡± I ordered the Stone Elves while controlling their movements with my mind. The Stone Elves accurately understood my thoughts and started to move. Twenty of them moved to block his path while the other ten moved with me to launch a joint attack. The Dark Elf started to frown again. He had, at some point, changed his weapon to a longsword, but the fact that he was biting down on his lips showed that he had made up his mind. It looked like he was ready to put his life on the line to fight. However, I¡¯m sure that things will change once he sees this. I sure hope it works here as well. I took a scroll out of my bag and quickly ripped it. [Demon Cave Scroll] Level: 246 Grade: B Size: Small At the same time, a black hole appeared. ¡®Success.¡¯ A second Demon Cave entrance had appeared inside the Demon Cave. At the same time, puny monsters like the Dark Trolls started to pour out. They were perfect to serve as stepping stones for my combo. The Dark Elf¡¯s eyes opened wide once again. The monsters pouring out were on his side, but he could still tell that the situation was not favorable to him. However, this was not the end. There was one more thing added to the situation. I put some strength into my stomach as I used my mana to shout toward the Dark Elf. [Dragon Fear] Rooooooar- Sponsor chapters are now open for Royal Roader! If you would like to support my translation and want more chapters released quickly, please help out! Thank you all in advance ???? Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 134 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 134: Second Monster Slave (3) ¡°Ugh!¡± The Dark Elf could not stand the pressure of the Dragon Fear and plopped down on the ground. However, the effect was just temporary. The Dark Elf was able to put some strength into his shaking legs to stand back up. ¡®He really isn¡¯t an easy opponent.¡¯ However, I still managed to get rid of the Dark Elf¡¯s desire for battle. The Dark Elf started to run toward the exit that was blocked by the Stone Elves. Trying to run? I can¡¯t let you do that. ¡°Block with everything you got! Don¡¯t let him through!¡± The Stone Elves all gathered in one spot and created a thick wall. I could see the Dark Elf flinch. However, he seemed to have realized that there was no other method as he courageously started to swing his longsword toward the Stone Elves. But who was this guy? His skills were amazing. Each time his longsword landed, he took off a Stone Elf¡¯s arm or leg. He was so strong that it seemed as if Dragon Fear was practically useless against him. It seemed like this Dark Elf was almost immune to the negative status penalty from Dragon Fear. Maybe that was why, but the attacks of the Stone Elves did not have much effect on the Dark Elf. The Dark Elf¡¯s movements were so quick that they could not catch up to him. It was a one sided battle in the Dark Elf¡¯s favor! An escape path will end up being created if it continues like this. I didn¡¯t have much time. If I took too long, the Dark Elf would be able to run away, and I would also lose all of the Stone Elves who were supposed to be my partners in this Demon Cave. Then it will be close to impossible to destroy the Demon Lord¡¯s relic. I used the weak monsters as stepping stones as I rushed toward the Dark Elf. Papapat- My combo quickly went up. The Stone Elves held up well enough. Although six of them had already lost some limbs and three were completely destroyed, they still managed to hold the Dark Elf in place. Thanks to that, I was able to reach the Dark Elf¡¯s back. My combo was already over 50 hits. I stabbed my cutlass toward the Dark Elf¡¯s back. At the same time, the Dark Elf turned around and swung his longsword toward me. He had read my movements accurately, as if he had eyes on the back of his head. However, I had expected this as well. I knew he would not go down so easily. His agility was not as high as mine. I lightly ducked to dodge the longsword and stabbed him once again with my cutlass. Stab- ¡°Ugh!¡± Success! Thanks to the Stone Elves getting in his way, he was unable to dodge and ended up getting stabbed. However, I did not manage to stab a vital point. The Dark Elf dropped his longsword and rolled to the side. I thought this was a chance, and so I ordered the Stone Elves to move. ¡°Squash him!¡± The Stone Elves seemed to accurately understand my intentions and jumped toward the Dark Elf. They dogpiled the Dark Elf with their heavy bodies. ¡°Uggh! Eek!¡± The Dark Elf flailed around trying to get out. However, he could not move, as there were fifteen Stone Elves piled on top of him. The surrounding monsters all started to attack the Stone Elves in an attempt to rescue the Dark Elf. Each attack created some minor injuries on the Stone Elves¡¯ bodies, but since their bodies were made of stone, their endurance was amazing. They should be able to resist such attacks with their bare bodies for a while. However, I still needed to protect the Stone Elves. Having an extra one alive would only benefit me. I ordered the remaining Stone Elves to help me get rid of the other monsters. The size of the Demon Cave that I had opened was a small one, so there were not too many monsters. We quickly got rid of the majority of the monsters. Although there were still a few left, the Stone Elves would take care of the rest. I finally relaxed and approached the Dark Elf. The Dark Elf was still underneath the pile of Stone Elves. Although this Dark Elf was strong, the weight of the Stone Elves was too much. Since fifteen of them were piled on top of him, he seemed to have given up flailing around as well. ¡°Just kill me!¡± I would have already killed him if that was my plan. However, there was no need to hurry. I might as well suck out everything I can before killing him. The thing I needed the most was information related to this Demon Cave. I cared most about information regarding the existences in the Demon Cave that could be my helpers, like the Stone Elves. ¡°Where are rest of the Elves and Stone Elves imprisoned?¡± ¡°You think I will tell you?¡± The Dark Elf clenched his teeth. His appearance and voice both seemed vicious. It didn¡¯t seem like it would be easy to get information out of him. However, if there is a will, there is a way. I started to torture him using all sorts of methods. I recalled cruel torture methods that I had watched on TV or heard about from others and tried twisting his fingers and even poking his neck with my cutlass. However, the Dark Elf did not budge. Even when I was torturing him quite severely, he just continued to clench his teeth and did not even groan once. ¡°I¡¯m sure there is something this guy is afraid of as well.¡± I mumbled to myself. Once I did that, the Stone Elf next to me started to speak in response. ¡°Natural power.¡± It was not a normal voice. It sounded like stones grinding together, but I was able to understand what it was trying to say. I turned my head to look at the Stone Elf. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Dark Elves are afraid of Natural Power.¡± The Stone Elf was moving its mouth. I guess this was their way of talking, since their entire body was made of stone. Whatever. It was fine as long as they could get the message across. This was very useful information for me. ¡°Is that so?¡± There would be no harm in giving it a try. I took out the Natural Power from my bag. The light seemed a bit dimmer after bringing all of the Stone Elves back to life. However, it was still shining brightly. But it really seemed to work. As soon as I took the Natural Power out, the Dark Elf started to frown like he was in pain. ¡°Ugh.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me there was such a great method earlier?¡± I brought the Natural Power closer to the Dark Elf¡¯s face. The Dark Elf started to frown even more. He tried all he could to turn his head away. ¡°Stop, please stop.¡± Did you know that people want to torture you even more if you say stop? (TL: The sadist in him is coming out. Run Maso, wait, Maso would run toward him. (PR: I don¡¯t want my fingers twisted tho T.T)) The closer I brought the Natural Power to the Dark Elf, the more the Dark Elf seemed to be suffering. The Dark Elf looked worse every time I moved the Natural Power closer, starting to groan when even breaking his fingers did not get him to groan earlier. ¡°Uggggh.¡± He really seemed to be in a lot of pain. He seemed to be struggling so hard to hold back the pain that the veins on his forehead looked like they were going to pop. But there was some bad news as well. The as the torture continued, it felt like the Natural Power was slowly getting weaker. ¡°What is going on?¡± I asked the Stone Elf who told me about the Natural Power torture method. The Stone Elf moved its stone mouth and slowly explained. ¡°Natural Power is purifying the Demonic aura. The Natural Power will get weaker depending on how much Demonic Aura it purifies.¡± Now it made sense. However, I suddenly had another question. ¡°What happens to the Dark Elf once all of the Demonic Aura is gone?¡± ¡°It dies.¡± So simple. However, I was going to kill him anyways. I just wanted to get some information out of him beforehand. I was disappointed about the Natural Power getting weaker, but it would still be a win if I could gain some information about the Demon Cave. ¡°Then let¡¯s see how long he can struggle before he dies. Let me know if you change your mind.¡± I moved the Natural Power all over. His head, neck, chest, waist, legs, I moved it everywhere to test which part would cause him the most pain. There definitely seemed to be different levels of pain based on the area. He seemed to feel the most pain around the heart. The Dark Elf started to scream like he could not hold it any longer when I placed it there. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± ¡°Ah, right here.¡± I put the Natural Power on the Dark Elf¡¯s chest. The Dark Elf started to flail like he was suffering, however, he was unable to overcome the weight of the 15 Stone Elves. Furthermore, the Dark Elf became weaker as time went on. Even though it had only been 10 seconds, he seemed to be slowly dying. At that moment, the Dark Elf said some surprising words. ¡°I ¡­ ¡­ have lost. Please save me.¡± That wasn¡¯t it. Once the Dark Elf shouted, I heard a voice in my head. < The Dark Elf has lost all desire for resistance. This can be considered as successfully hunting the Dark Elf.You have earned the rights to the Horn Flute of Darkness in the Dark Elf¡¯s possession. > ¡®Hmm? What is this?¡¯ It was a familiar dialogue. Chief had said something similar when I took him as my slave in the Northern Mines, and the Magma Giant had said something similar in the Magman Continent¡¯s underground cave as well. I quickly moved the Natural Power away. That allowed the Dark Elf to stop frowning. ¡°What did you just say? Say it again.¡± ¡°Please save me. I lost. What is it that you want?¡± This was a bit different than what I had expected. If possible, I wanted a second monster slave after Chief. ¡°What is it that you can give me?¡± ¡°I can give you the information you want.¡± ¡°That is obvious. I was planning on getting the information before killing you. But don¡¯t you want to live?¡± I tried egging him on. However, I did not have much expectation for it. It was because he had persevered so well against all sorts of torture earlier. But the Dark Elf¡¯s response was surprising. He let out a deep sigh before speaking with a gaze that showed no hope. ¡°I will not be able to live after giving you information about the Demon Cave, as I would become an enemy of the Demon world. Please just make it quick and painless.¡± ¡°But there is a way for you to live.¡± A small glimmer of hope filled the Dark Elf¡¯s eyes. ¡°What ¡­¡­is the method?¡± I moved closer to the Dark Elf¡¯s face and looked right in his eyes as I started to speak. ¡°Become my slave.¡± ¡°S, slave?¡± The Dark Elf¡¯s eyes became the size of a lamp. His pupils were shaking significantly as well. I could feel a lot of anger. He then bit down on his lips, as if he had come to a decision. However, it didn¡¯t seem to be the answer I wanted. There was a lot of hate in his gaze. Maybe he decided that it would be better to die than to live his life in shame? But that wasn¡¯t what I wanted either. I just wanted to take what I could. I started to speak before the Dark Elf could say anything. ¡°Just 10 years.¡± ¡°No¡­¡­huh? What?¡± The Dark Elf tried to say something before stopping. His pupils started to rapidly move as he thought through what I had just said. I decided to make it clearer for him. ¡°I will free you if you become my loyal slave for 10 years. Then you will be free and no longer under the rule of the Demon world nor even me. Completely free.¡± ¡°Is that ¡­¡­the truth?¡± To be honest, I wouldn¡¯t need the Dark Elf¡¯s strength in about 10 years. By then, I would be significantly stronger than I am now. If I continue to progress at my current speed, I would probably not lose, even if I went against the Demon Lord. Once I get that strong, someone like this Dark Elf could only be used for menial labor. ¡°I will create a contract. What do you say?¡± The Dark Elf¡¯s pupils started to shake again. He seemed to debate it for a while before nodding his head. ¡°Fine. However, you must make me the deal you just said.¡± ¡°I promise. However, you must do your best as my slave as well.¡± The Dark Elf nodded his head as well. At the same time, a message rang in my head. < A slave contact with the Dark Elf has been created.You have taken the Dark Elf as a slave. Please be careful and do not allow the slave¡¯s loyalty to fall under 50%.You have received the Dark Elf¡¯s fame and infamy. Your fame has increased by 341 and your infamy has increased by 27.The duration of this slave contract is 10 years and the Dark Elf will be free after 10 years. > I could finally relax. Infamy was what I was most worried about, but it was not that much. I could erase this much infamy by doing a single Temple Quest. I could also just donate some money if I am feeling lazy. The problem was his level of loyalty. I already knew what to expect, but I still needed to check it. ¡°Open stat window.¡± [Rohas, Level 516] Dexterity: Advanced Level 1, 36% Strength: 1,456 Agility: 967 Stamina: 567 Intuition: 105 Magic: 305 Vitality: 421 Mana: 989 HP: 4,346 Loyalty: 56 Faith: 0 Knowledge: 453 Charm: 23 Sensitivity: 13 Fame: 0 Respect: 0 Infamy: 0 Not sure what happened but chapter is properly up now! I was on vacation for a bit so chapters got delayed but should return to normal now. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 135 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 135: Gained A Special Ally (1) ¡®His name is Rohas!¡¯ Like I expected, his loyalty was not high. The fact that it was not exactly at 50 and was at 56 was already a blessing. However, it was still a dangerously low amount. He could always betray me if I let my guard down. Having someone like him tagging along while I clear this Demon Cave might end with me being stabbed in the back. The invisible enemy is more dangerous than the visible enemy. I need to keep him locked up somewhere until I finish clearing this Demon Cave and raise up his loyalty before putting him to use. Of course, I need to gather some information first. Even if his loyalty is low, he will not lie to me as long as it is above 50 and he is my slave. ¡°Now Tell me everything you know about the Demon Cave. What is the layout? Where Are the other Stone Elves or Elementals?¡± I kept the Dark Elf¡¯s stat window open to keep an eye on his loyalty as I asked. ¡°The layout of the Demon Cave¡­¡­¡± The Dark Elf drew an image on the ground to explain. The fact that his loyalty did not change told me that it was the truth. However, it was not very detailed. It just gave me a basic overview of the Cave. It really was an extremely large Demon Cave. I presume it would take about two to three months just to get to the location of the Demon Lord¡¯s relic. It is not something I could do on my own. I was able to get a better picture after hearing him explain for a while. ¡®I guess the success and failure of this Demon Cave Clearing depends on how many allies I can earn.¡± I can only plan the rest of it as I run into them. That was all I needed from this Dark Elf right now. Now I just need to find a place to lock him up until I finish clearing this Demon Cave. ¡®Where should I put him?¡¯ I looked around before stopping my gaze on the wall of the Demon Cave. It was where the Stone Elves had been tied up. There were some weird devices over there. ¡°I wonder if I can tie Dark Elves up like the Stone Elves over there.¡± I was mumbling out loud to myself hoping that the Dark Elf or Stone Elves would give me some information. ¡°It is possible.¡± Like I thought! It was one of the Stone Elves. It heard my question and made those grinding noises to inform me. ¡°How?¡± ¡°We will help you. A net can be created with Natural Power.¡± Natural Power seems to have a lot of different uses. I took the Dark Elf named Rohas to the wall. Once he was there, the Stone Elves used some of the stones on the ground to make what seemed to be an image. ¡®Ah! A magic circle!¡¯ They quickly finished making it while I figured it out. ¡°Put some Natural Power in here.¡± I put the Natural Power in the magic circle as the Stone Elf indicated. The magic circle absorbed some of the Natural Power and started to activate. ¡°Ugh!¡± The Dark Elf seemed to be in pain. He didn¡¯t even last five seconds before tilting his head to the side and fainting. ¡°Now he will be fine until you release the magic net.¡± ¡®So simple!¡¯ I can release him on my way back. Then I will earn a very useful slave. I put some more Natural Power into the Stone Elves. Their injuries closed up every time they absorbed some of the Natural Power. However, the four completely destroyed Stone Elves were gone for good. I also had used up a lot of Natural Power. I needed to start using it sparingly from now on. But thanks to that, I now had 26 Stone Elves helping me out. They can be great help if I use them properly. I will also gain more helpers as I go on. And one more thing. I verified the information of the item I just gained from the Dark Elf. This might end up being very useful. [Horn Flute of Darkness] Can stimulate monsters and send them into a frenzy. Can decrease monsters¡¯ abilities by a maximum of 20% for 5 minutes based on your friendliness with the fairies. Can increase monsters¡¯ abilities by a maximum of 20% for 5 minutes based on your friendliness with the Demon King. Can control monsters if your friendliness with the Demon King is high. ¡®Oh! I like it!¡¯ My friendliness with the fairies was pretty high. Thanks to that, I should be able to decrease monsters abilities by a good amount. Furthermore, the Stone Elves probably had higher friendliness than I did. If I make a Stone Elf blow the horn flute the results should be even better. ¡®Ah! They probably can¡¯t blow this flute!¡¯ However, the other elves should be able to do so. There are supposed to be regular elves trapped in this Demon Cave as well. I also liked how it could send monsters into a frenzy. If I get into a good spot and send them into a frenzy, the battles should be much easier. I wanted to quickly try it out. ¡°Shall we head out now?¡± I led the now free Stone Elves as I moved forward. I found a decent battlefield after walking for a bit. It was an area where the entrance starts to become narrower. It would be perfect to set the Stone Elves up like walls and move between them to hunt. Each of the Stone Elves had a giant shield on their backs. These shields were made of stone. The fact that the Dark Elves took away all of their weapons but could not take away the shield must mean that it was pretty much a part of the Stone Elf¡¯s body. ¡°Create an L shaped formation here and put your shields up ¡­¡­yes just like that. Give enough room for me to move here and close the gap when I give the command¡­¡­¡± I gave a basic rundown of the plan to the Stone Elves. They were not that dumb for being made of stone. They were able to understand the plan after a single explanation. ¡°Then shall we call over some monsters now?¡± I blew into the Horn Flute of Darkness. Beeeeeeeeeeep- It was not as loud as I expected it to be. I wondered how far this quiet noise could travel. It seemed like the noise would disappear after traveling about 100m. However, it only sounded that way to my ears. I heard some rumbling in the distance that sounded like at least thousands of monsters rushing my way. ¡®Oh, quite effective!¡¯ I¡¯m sure that it wasn¡¯t as effective as it could be. The monsters heading my way were Blood Dogs, Dark Wolves, Death Trolls, all those monsters around level 250 and lower. They were the perfect level for me to play around. ¡®Then let¡¯s have some fun.¡¯ I took an HP potion, an antidote, and a mana potion in advance. I also threw some Fire Marbles to slow the monsters¡¯ momentum down. I waited until the monsters got close and then blew the Horn Flute of Darkness again. Beeeeep- I then rushed through the gap the Stone Elves left for me and started the battle with the monsters. But these monsters were so weak. I could clearly feel that they were not as strong as usual. ¡®Oh! This is great!¡¯ It felt like I really was in a world of my control. I unleashed combos to my liking and vented out some frustration against these monsters. One month later. Success! I finally managed to overwhelm the Dark Elf and release nine Stone Elves and 50 Elementals. The elementals were kind of transparent like they were made of green fog. It made me wonder how they could fight with such an appearance. Do they use some strong elemental magic? Anyways, it was now time to take care of the remaining Dark Elf. Some Stone Elves were piled on top of him like I did with Rohas. ¡°Why don¡¯t you give up?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather die!¡± The Dark Elf glared at me. It was disappointing. I killed the other Dark Elves without any regrets, but this one made me very disappointed. That was how special this one was. He managed to completely disappear for a moment while fighting with me. It almost made me think that the Dark Elf was wearing a Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor like I was. It almost got me killed as well. However, it was not perfect. His whole body turned invisible, but the sword in his hand did not. If he aimed for my neck with his bare hands, I would not have been able to dodge. That was why I was very greedy to make him mine. I even debated using Natural Power to turn him into my slave. But I failed even after torturing him with a good amount of Natural Power. I could not waste any more Natural Power. It was already so much weaker that I questioned whether it could serve its actual purpose. I still had a lot of Stone Elves to save and heal. ¡°Then I had no other choice. Die.¡± I stabbed my cutlass into the Dark Elf¡¯s neck. The Dark Elf who was underneath the pile of Stone Elves could not resist. He let out a groan before dying. ¡®I gained something again.¡¯ I ended up finding a lot of loot since I was hunting high leveled monsters. However, I didn¡¯t expect much for it since they were all useless things. It would be more of a hassle to even go sell them. This Ring of Darkness is probably the same. Although the name sounds fancy, I¡¯ll probably just sigh after seeing the details. I still checked it out. [Ring of Darkness] Can disappear into the darkness for 1 minute. Cooldown time of 1 minute after usage. My eyes opened wide in shock. I recalled how the Dark Elf had disappeared during our battle. It was like another version of the Stealthy Approach. Although Stealthy Approach did not completely hide my body, it was able to be used for a long duration of time. On the other hand, although this Ring of Darkness had a short duration, it allowed me to completely hide my body. Exactly one second. Even that was long enough to cause serious damage in the middle of a battle. ¡®Oh, this is actually pretty good.¡¯ I put it on my finger without any hesitation. Now it was time to heal the Stone Elves. ¡®Huh? What is going on?¡¯ The Stone Elves¡¯ injuries healed on its own while I was dealing with the Dark Elf. In addition, they also seemed to have gotten stronger. Their confidently open shoulders gave them a different feel than before. I suddenly realized the reason. The Stone Elves¡¯ gazes were now different. The eyes that were originally white were now glowing green. They were similar in color to the Elementals I had just saved. I asked to verify. ¡°Elemental-nims, are you in the Stone Elves?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± The Stone Elf Grinded its mouth to answer. I actually did not know much about Elementals or Stone Elves. I rarely ran into them during the game and I haven¡¯t been able to study the draft plan just yet. Kang Sung Ho is probably working hard on it right now. I should have more information when I return to the human world. ¡°Are you stronger now that you have fused together?¡± I didn¡¯t know whether fuse was the correct term, but it didn¡¯t matter as long as the message got across. Thankfully, they understood exactly what I meant. ¡°The Stone Elves are very useful tools for us Elementals. We can bring out twice the strength we can separately. Compared to the strength of a Stone Elf, we are probably four times stronger when we are fused together.¡± That was good news. I was a bit disappointed that the strength of the Stone Elves were not up to my expectations. Of course, they were helpful against small monsters or the Dark Elves, but we needed to face stronger monsters from here on. They were not strong enough to do much against those stronger monsters. However, I¡¯ll give them another chance since they will be four times as strong now. ¡°Are there any more allies?¡± ¡°There is a place with Elves if you go about a day¡¯s distance.¡± Oh! Not Elementals or Stone Elves but just regular Elves. They should be more useful than these Stone Elves. ¡°Shall we go then?¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Missing Chapter 136 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 136: Gained A Special Ally (2) I now had 63 Stone Elves with me, with 51 of them being combined with elementals to become even stronger. I wonder how much stronger they are with the elementals. I was able to verify it with my own eyes soon enough. Ssssssssss- We ran into a group of Hell Snakes. They were small, at only about 2 meters in length, but they were pretty stealthy and fast. They also had an extremely dangerous poison that even I had trouble dealing with. I have a very high poison resistance now, but the Hell Snake¡¯s poison is still pretty painful. The even scarier thing is that they can shoot their poison toward an enemy in the distance. That was the reason I always needed to drink an antidote before dealing with these bastards. Even that didn¡¯t completely negate the effects of the poison though. ¡®Still better than not drinking an antidote first.¡¯ I took out a highest-grade antidote and drank it right away. I also prepared three more in my wrist belt since they did not last very long and I would need to keep drinking them during the battle. I also blew into the Horn Flute of Darkness in order to lower their abilities, even if it was only by a small amount. Beeeeeeeep- ¡®Then let¡¯s quickly take care of them.¡¯ I took out Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. However, there were some creatures that were one step ahead of me. Boom. Boom. Boom. They were the Stone Elves. They rushed forward without any fear as soon as we found the Hell Snakes. They then stomped and punched any and all Hell Snakes they could. My eyes opened extremely widely after witnessing that. ¡®The Stone Elves were this fast?¡¯ That was how they were able to fight against the Dark Elf. But it was never to this extent. They were at least twice as fast as when we were fighting the Dark Elves. They were punching at about one punch a second. The Stone Elves with the Elementals stood out for sure. They were fast, accurate, but most importantly, their movement seemed very fluid. It was definitely easy to tell the regular ones apart. Another benefit was that the Hell Snakes¡¯ attacks had no effect on them since they were made of stone. The poison was obviously useless, and even their bites would only result in their teeth breaking. In short, the Stone Elves were kryptonite for monsters like the Hell Snake that relied on poison to attack. As such, there wasn¡¯t a reason for me to do anything. Although it would be much faster if I fought as well, there was no reason to shorten the time if I was going to suffer under the Hell Snakes¡¯ poison afterward. I just had to blow the Horn Flute of Darkness every so often to cut down the Hell Snakes¡¯ strength. However, it seemed that there was more to the Horn Flute of Darkness than cutting their strength. The Hell Snakes seemed to flinch every time I blew the flute. It was like they were afraid of it. They started to move slower, making them more susceptible to the Stone Elves¡¯ attacks. The number of Hell Snakes quickly dwindled. ¡®This is better than I thought.¡¯ I continued to blow into the Horn Flute of Darkness. Beeeeeeeeep- ¡®I wonder how long it will take. Oh! So fast!¡¯ They killed off all of the Hell Snakes in about 10 minutes. Some Hell Snakes managed to get through the Stone Elves and come at me every so often, but I could easily hunt one or two without getting poisoned. The battle soon finished without any Stone Elves dying. In fact, none of them were even hurt. They deserve a round of applause. Clap clap clap- ¡°Amazing.¡± Shouldn¡¯t they at least smile when I¡¯m praising them? I know that the Stone Elves have no emotions, but shouldn¡¯t the ones with Elementals have some emotions? ¡°Would you like to rest, or shall we continue?¡± ¡®Whatever! Let¡¯s just work.¡¯ ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything to deserve rest. Let¡¯s keep going.¡± A Stone Elf took the lead, well, the Elemental in the Stone Elf took the lead to be more specific. Anyways, it was pretty cool to watch 60+ Stone Elves walking in front of me like a sturdy wall. We ran into another group of monsters soon afterward. ¡®Oh! I finally found it!¡¯ There were about 20 Elves chained off to the side. They all seemed to have their powers restrained, as they were sitting there with their heads down. My Demon Cave Clearing Squad will become even stronger if I can rescue them. However, the monsters this time were not like the Hell Snakes. There was a good variety of them, but the core of the group was made up of Death Ogres. They were so strong that a single punch could even destroy boulders. The Stone Elves may be kryptonite for the Hell Snakes, but it would be the opposite with the Death Ogres. A Stone Elf might die from a single punch. Thankfully, I had a solution for that. It was just a matter of how effective I was with my commands. There was no reason to be respectful in such an urgent situation. I started to speak as quickly and concisely as possible. ¡°Get back! Formation! Put your shields up!¡± The Stone Elves were now like highly trained soldiers. They were smarter and faster thanks to the Elementals. They also moved without any complaint every time I gave an order. Thanks to that, they were able to create a decent formation and put up their shields in almost no time. I quickly blew the Horn Flute of Darkness. Beeeeeeep- I then charged past the wall of Stone Elves. Death Ogres were so strong that even I would die with a single hit. However, there are always going to be strengths and weaknesses for any monster. They were so big that they moved pretty slowly. They continued to miss as they tried to hit me. It was even worse for them because I would use Stealthy Approach and the Ring of Darkness to disappear every so often. I also put out some fire marbles to create fire pillars around us. The Death Ogres could only scratch their heads, as they could not find me. It was like I was in my own world. I just had to be cautious about one thing. ¡®I can¡¯t stay in one spot for too long.¡¯ I continued to move around the Death Ogres while continuing my combo. Even the strongest Death Ogre could not handle the damage from a 50 hit + combo. In addition, Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades also increased my strength, had a 30% chance of lightning damage, and an 11% chance of stunning the enemy. A Death Ogre would jump back in shock every time the lightning damage activated and stopped moving for about 3 seconds if they were hit by the stun. My weapon also ignored 30% of the enemy¡¯s defense. The only thing I was disappointed about was the Horn Flute of Darkness. ¡®I wish there was someone who could blow it in my place.¡¯ It was impossible for the Stone Elves. They couldn¡¯t do it because they were made of stone. There was only one solution to this. I needed to quickly save the Elves. Of course, that wasn¡¯t the only reason to hurry. I could see that the Stone Elves were getting weaker as time went on. Bang- Bang- It was because of the Death Ogres¡¯ strength. The shields were breaking down every time they were hit by a Death Ogre¡¯s punch. The Stone Elves lost strength every time their shields were damaged. I could tell how much weaker they were getting based on the brightness of their green eyes. The shields really must be a part of their body. Anyways, I needed to hurry. Papapat- ¡­¡­50, 51, 52 ¡­¡­ ¡¤¡¤¡¤ [422,013] [523,297] [698,888] ¡¤¡¤¡¤ I still couldn¡¯t kill them with a single hit because their vitality was so high, but the amount of damage the Stone Elves were receiving was quickly going down. I was finally able to one hit KO a Death Ogre once I reached a 60-hit combo. A Death Ogre let out a groan as it fell. Roooooooar- The Stone Elves were not just sitting around with their shields up. If they saw a Death Ogre that was hurt badly but not dead, they quickly rushed over and stabbed them with their shields or punched them to death before they could recover. After about 20 minutes of fighting, there were no dangerous monsters left except for the Dark Elf leading them. The Dark Elf was pretty easy to deal with as well. I was able to defeat it in less than 3 minutes, since I had tens of Stone Elves preventing it from running away. ¡®Done!¡¯ I used Natural Power to release the shackles. There were exactly 21 of them. They really lived up to the beautiful race¡¯s description, as both the male and female Elves were all stunning. The Elves seemed pretty lively as soon as they got out from the chains. ¡°Thank you very much. I never expected to be rescued by a human.¡± I never expected to rescue Elves like this either. ¡°It somehow ended up this way. We will start moving after getting some rest. We will reach the Demon Lord¡¯s Relic in about half a month, so let¡¯s not hurry. We will move once we are at our strongest.¡± ¡°I understand. We will follow your command while we are in here since you saved our lives.¡± The Elves bowed in unison. It felt a bit awkward. However, I will be able to use them very effectively if they¡¯ll listen. ¡°Please take these weapons.¡± I had a good number of weapons that I had collected off of the monsters in the cave. There were some light weapons that the Elves could use in the pile as well. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The 15 days passed by quickly. The Elves rushed toward me as soon as the battle ended. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡®Okay? I almost got cut in half.¡¯ But I managed to twist my body at the last moment to minimize the damage. Thanks to that, I was able to avoid receiving a critical injury. I still looked like a mess. My torso getting cut made me slower, and five Dark Elves focused on me thinking that it was an opening. I had injuries all over my body because of them. Although I managed to save my life by clenching my teeth and doing everything I could to ignore the pain, it was still really close. I don¡¯t want to experience something like that ever again. ¡°Please do not move.¡± It wasn¡¯t like I could move. There were some things I still needed to get done, but I would need to put it off for now. I just laid down and closed my eyes. The ground was cold and hard, but I wasn¡¯t in a spot to worry about that. However, something started to happen. ¡®Huh?! What is going on?¡¯ The pain suddenly disappeared. I opened my eyes and looked to the side to see what was going on. I subconsciously gasped. ¡®Gasp!¡¯ It was just an Elf, but a bright light was covering the Elf¡¯s body. Well, it wasn¡¯t actually there, but it seemed that way to me. The Elf seemed to be glowing. I knew the Elves were beautiful, but how could anyone be so stunning? The Elf had flawless white skin and ears, eyes, nose, and mouth that all seemed to be straight out of a painting. That beautiful face was completed with dark brown hair and bright red lips. Just looking at the Elf made me a bit lightheaded. If they used the term, ¡®Absolute Beauty,¡¯ for a single person in the world, it would have to be used for this female Elf in front of me right now. However, she was an unfamiliar face. ¡°Who¡­¡­?¡± ¡°My name is Haeph. I was able to regain my freedom thanks to you. I thank you on behalf of the Elves.¡± It was painful to listen to her voice. Her voice was so beautiful that I couldn¡¯t help but feel lustful, even though my body was a mess. She seemed to be one of the Elves who were imprisoned in this area. However, she did not seem to be a regular Elf. I suddenly recalled a race that I had never even met in the game, but heard that they definitely existed somewhere. A race that was as mysterious as the Drakes. The race that was said to represent all Elves! ¡°Excuse me ¡­¡­are you a High Elf?¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Missing Chapter 137 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 137: Gained A Special Ally (3) The High Elf named Haeph slightly nodded her head. ¡°Yes, I am. Please do not move. You will heal faster if you stay still.¡± ¡®I see.¡¯ The High Elves were said to be the most beautiful of the Elves, who were known to be the epitome of beauty. Now it made sense why she was so shockingly beautiful. However, High Elves were special for more reasons than just their beauty. Haeph was healing my injuries right now using healing magic. She was very talented. My injuries were healed in less than 10 minutes. I still felt some pain, but there were no more visible injuries. I also used some highest-grade potions as well, but I still expected to be down for about half a day. The legendary High Elves were said to be talented in magic and I could see that being true based on her healing magic. ¡°Haaaa, all done.¡± Haeph let out a small sigh with her beautiful red lips. Even her sigh was sexy. Her outfit tempted me even more. She must not feel cold because she was wearing a thin white garment that was very revealing. But it was really weird. Looking at this extremely beautiful Elf was not making me feel any lust at all. Although really beautiful women made men become extremely lustful, this Elf was so beautiful that she seemed to suppress my lust because she felt so out of my league. ¡°You did something really amazing. Many Elves and Elementals tried to clear this Demon Cave and failed.¡± ¡°We are not done yet. We still have one last hurdle to overcome.¡± We will arrive at a large hall if we walk about 5 km from here. The Demon Lord¡¯s Relic is located there, along with the boss monster protecting the item. ¡°I believe we can do it. This is the first time so many Elves have made it this far. But most importantly, we have a talented individual like you with us.¡± She didn¡¯t need to praise me like that. I wouldn¡¯t have come this far if I didn¡¯t plan on going to the end. I also believed it was possible to successfully complete this Demon Cave Clearing. No, I needed to make it happen. How unfair would it be if I make it this far but I¡¯m unable to overcome this final hurdle? I needed to attack with full confidence about our chances. However, the problem was that I did not have any information. ¡°Do you know what monster is guarding the Relic?¡± The High Elf shook her head at my question. ¡°No. Nobody has managed to get near the relic until now. Our Clearing Squad made it the farthest, but this was as far as we got.¡± It meant that everything from here was a world of mystery that nobody had seen before. It was disappointing since I would be able to plan accordingly if I knew the identity of the boss monster. Oh well, I could only find out with my body. ¡°Let us rest a bit before we go.¡± ¡°I think it will be difficult to do that.¡± The High Elf shook her head at my suggestion. She then looked deep into the Demon Cave. ¡°Excuse me?¡± I wondered if she heard something I could not hear. That seemed to be the case as I quickly started to hear noises from where the High Elf was looking. The noise started to get closer, letting me figure out what it was. Squeak, squeak, squeak ¡­¡­ ¡°Rats?¡± ¡°Zombie Rats. Everybody, please gather together.¡± The High Elf instructed as she moved to a corner of the cave. She stopped at a nook with the wall behind us. It seemed to be the perfect spot to set up a wall and defend. But why was she going there? Was there a reason not fight with our lives on the line? I¡¯m sure she had her reasons. The High Elf continued to quickly lead the others while I questioned what was going on. ¡°Everyone, hurry! Stone Elves, guard!¡± She seemed to be very charismatic. Her abilities to lead the Elves and Stone Elves seemed to be higher than my own. But she had to be this way since High Elves were known for being the leader of the Elves. The Elves followed the High Elf to the nook while the Stone Elves surrounded the Elves and set up a wall. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram-nim, please head over here as well.¡± I followed the High Elf¡¯s command for now since I had no information on the Zombie Rats. I just felt like they wouldn¡¯t be much since I assumed they would be like the Desert Ants that were not very strong but used their numbers advantage to overwhelm you. I was correct. The Zombie Rats soon arrived, and they seemed to be just like regular rats other than their appearance. But there was something that was different than what I expected. ¡®Why are they so fast?¡¯ They seemed to have motors on their feet. The rumbling quickly got louder as they traveled about 30 m almost instantly. Seeing that made me a bit worried. ¡®Will the Stone Elves be able to keep up with the Zombie Rats¡¯ speed?¡¯ The close to 100 Stone Elves had set up a wall, but the Zombie Rats could probably get past them if they really wanted to do so. The Elves behind the Stone Elves were packed too close to each other to move around. That meant that this location was more advantageous for the Zombie Rats than the Elves since they were small enough to move around freely in this area. Which meant that this was the worst possible spot for our side. ¡®Why would the High Elf pick such a plan?¡¯ I soon found out I was wrong. The moment the Zombie Rats got close to us, a dim light started to surround us. ¡®Ah! Mana Shield!¡¯ It was a very large mana shield that was large enough to cover the area the Elves were gathered in. The Zombie Rats could not get past the mana shield and stopped right outside the shield. Squeak- squeak- The Zombie Rats then tried to attack the shield. As they pushed at the shield, other Zombie Rats climbed on top of them. This continued on until it seemed like there was a small Zombie Rats hill. The Elves would not just stand by and watch. They swung their weapons toward the Zombie Rats making up the hill. The Stone Elves were the same. They wouldn¡¯t be able to stop any Zombie Rats from getting past them, but it was easy for them to attack the Zombie Rats piling up like a hill outside the mana shield. They punched and stomped and started to kill the Zombie Rats. That sight was pretty disgusting and made me feel like I needed to vomit. However, now was not the time for me to be lost in such thoughts. The High Elf showed me something unexpected, but our situation was not very good. It would be fine if we could last like this forever, but I knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Although the High Elves may be very skilled in magic, there still was a limit to their mana. I could tell by looking at the High Elf¡¯s expression. Her face was becoming stiff even though it had been less than 5 minutes. This mana shield was large and being attacked by thousands of Zombie Rats at the same time. In addition, an endless number of Zombie Rats continued to appear from the corridor. It felt like 100,000 no, maybe even 1 million of them would come to attack us. It would take over a day even if the Stone Elves hunted them as quickly as possible. I needed to find a different method. The Elves and High Elf probably had more information than I did, so I just fired away with a bunch of questions. ¡°Where are they all coming from? Is there a King Rat? Is there a way to quickly handle them?¡± ¡°There should be a Liche controlling them somewhere up there. We just need to get rid of him ¡­¡­¡± There was no relief in the High Elf¡¯s voice. She seemed to be having quite a bit of trouble maintaining the mana shield. Anyways, I didn¡¯t need to hear the rest. The Elves did not have the ability to cut through the Zombie Rats and attack the Liche. Although the Elves had the endurance stat, they did not have the reinforced toughness stat. Even those small Zombie Rats would damage them if they were bitten, and they would probably die right away if those thousands of Zombie Rats each bit them once. That was why they could only defend in a corner like this. But I was different. ¡°I will go out and try to take care of the Liche.¡± ¡°It is dangerous outside the mana shield.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m going now.¡± I would be able to jump up more than 5m if I really wanted to do so. My strength and agility helped me with my vertical. I kicked off the ground and jumped up into the air. My goal was the shoulders of two of the Stone Elves. To be more specific, I used the Stone Elves¡¯ shoulders and kick off again. Taaaat- Once I did that, the two Stone Elves had to take a step back. That was how strong I was. Thanks to that, my body shot forward like an arrow and quickly crossed about 20m. Swiiiiish- tatatap! I rushed forward as soon as I landed back on the ground. At that moment, I thought I heard the faint sound of a bell. Jingle. Jingle. At the same time, a portion of the Zombie Rats who used to only rush toward the Elves rushed toward me. They were very scary because of their numbers. They covered both the ground and the side walls and made it look black. It seemed like the Zombie Rats had become a flower river. There was no way to dodge their attack because they were all rushing toward me at once. No matter how quickly I moved, some of them started to climb up my legs. That wasn¡¯t the end of it. The Zombie Rats piled up in front of me, creating a wall Taaat! I kicked off the ground and jumped up again. I was trying to get past the Zombie Rats¡¯ wall with my high vertical. But it was impossible because the Zombie Rats moved their wall in response to my movements. I couldn¡¯t kick off the air and attempt it again. My body started to come down due to gravity and I fell into the Zombie Defense. Squeeeeeeak- Tens of Zombie Rats were stepped to death underneath my feet. However, tens of hundreds seemed to have been waiting for me to move as they started to rush up my legs. It looked like I had become a Zombie Rat human. ¡°Come back.¡± Either and Elf or the High Elf was calling out to me. It probably just looked like I was in danger to them. I would be fine even if thousands of Zombie Rats stuck to me like this. As expected, they were not very strong. Their sharp teeth were trying to rip me to pieces, but it did not cause me any damage at all. The only issue was that I could not move very well with them on me like this. There was a method to get all these Zombie Rats off of me, but I could not use it right now. I didn¡¯t want to Liche to be afraid of me and run away. I had to catch the Liche off guard and hunt him in that moment. In order to do that, I needed to first figure out his location. I knew approximately where the Liche was based on the bells from earlier. He seemed to be behind that pillar over there. He would run if I personally went, so I needed to send a second set of eyes to check behind the pillar. It was about 30m from here. My affinity with the guardian spirit was already at 80%, so I was able to look through its eyes even at about 45 m away. This type of distance was not very hard for me anymore. ¡®Guardian Spirit, go take a look!¡¯ My connection with the spirit was perfect that it flew out after reading my mind. But it was too bright. ¡®Hide your light.¡¯. The Guardian Spirit¡¯s glow became fainter. It was still a bit bright, but it was impossible to lower it any further. I sent the guardian spirit forward and continued to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. I was able to kill about ten of them each time I swung my weapon because there were so many of them. The Guardian Spirit headed behind the pillar as I did that. My eyes were pitch black because of the Zombie Rats, but I could see behind the pillar because of the spirit. Although it was a bit blurry, I could still verify what was behind the pillar. However, ¡®Not there!¡¯ I used the guardian spirit¡¯s sight to look around. There were many other places for the Liche to hid as well in addition to this pillar. ¡®Go to the left! Now right!¡¯ I started to slowly move forward while killing the Zombie Rats. At the same time, I sent the Guardian Spirit all over the place to locate the Liche. ¡®Ah! Over there!¡¯ Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Birthday Boy Chapter 138 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 138: The Demon Lord¡¯s Relic (1) It was deep in the right side. Based on the fact that there seemed to be another area over there, there must be a fork in the road. Which meant that it could escape in either direction once it senses danger. However, it did not seem to be very fast. The Liche was a robed magician who seemed to be a weakling. ¡®But what is that monster?¡¯ The face inside the robe was slightly visible and it was ugly. It had a pointy snout that made it look like a monster with a human body and a rat¡¯s face. All I could tell for sure was that it was not human. However, he seemed to have noticed my Guardian Spirit. The red eyes of the Liche was staring right at it. Ring. Ring. The Zombie Rats underneath the Guardian Spirit started to shoot up like they were building a tower. The Zombie Rats were so fast that they would have almost instantly reached the Guardian Spirit if I let my guard down. Of course, the Zombie Rats would not have been able to do anything to the Guardian Spirit. I still moved the Guardian Spirit away quickly. I moved a good distance away and hid the Guardian Spirit behind a pillar so that even the Liche would stop caring about it. Now it was my turn to move. In that case, I could use a card I¡¯ve been saving until now. [Firestorm!] It was the skill I got from the Flame Fairy¡¯s Breath. [TL Note: This was the item he received from the Magma Giant for Bogochan¡¯s Necklace] I tried using it a couple times to test it out, but this was my first time using it in battle. I couldn¡¯t use it often because there was a cool time of 24 hours after usage. I always saved it until I desperately needed it. And it was now time to use this skill. I stabbed into the ground with Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. At the same time, intense heat started to explode from underneath my feet. It shout out in all directions and covered my body as well. ¡®Ow! It¡¯s hot!¡¯ It was worlds apart compared to the fire pillars created from the fire marbles. I would probably have been covered in burns if my fire affinity was any lower. But the mountain of Zombie Rats was all taken care of thanks to the skill. My view that had been obstructed was now clear as well. I did not have much time. The Zombie Rats will rush toward me again shortly. More importantly, the Liche might run away in fear. If that happens, we will temporarily be safe but will consistently have to be on guard. I needed to take care of him now. Tatat! I kicked off the ground and rushed toward the direction of the Liche. The Liche was still in my view thanks to the Guardian Spirit. It was observing him at a distance. The Liche became shocked and tried to run. ¡®Can¡¯t let you do that!¡¯ I changed my direction a bit to aim about 10m to the left of the Liche. Thanks to that, the Liche stopped and started to observe the situation. I can instantly close in on a distance of 30 meters or less. I could finally see the Liche. He hid behind a pillar, but it was not wide enough to cover him completely. ¡®Caught you!¡¯ I changed direction and rushed toward the Liche. At the same time, I stabbed Goonto¡¯s Twin Blade toward the Liche. There was still some distance between us, but I had many skills I could use. [Lightning Spear!] Crackle! Lightning Spear is not an AOE skill but a magic skill that focuses on a single point. Of course, I could make the skill attack three to four targets at once, but the strength of the skill will go down if I do that. Right now, I was aiming the skill at the Liche. That made it so that the full impact would be felt by the Liche. Furthermore, it was a very accurate skill. A strand of light flashed and shot toward the Liche. At the same time, the Liche started to shake and let out a scream. Keeeeeeeee- But it was not over yet. It would not do enough damage since my magic stat was not very high. Even a human like Demetri only fainted for a short duration of time. A Liche was a monster with very high magic resistance. It was not an existence that would be killed with a single Lightning Spear. However, it was enough to stun him for a moment. The Liche could only stand there and shake in fear until the lightning wore off. The Zombie Rats nearby started to turn chaotic as well. They didn¡¯t know how to act after the strong power that was guiding them suddenly disappeared. I did not miss this moment. I rushed toward the Liche with everything I had. However, the Liche showed extremely fast recovery skills. He started to move in less than 2 seconds after being hit by my Lightning Spear. However, 2 seconds was plenty of time for me. I shortened our distance and stabbed the Liche¡¯s neck. Gwek- I didn¡¯t stop moving my blade. Papapat- You couldn¡¯t kill a Liche like this. The form in front of me was just an image made with the Liche¡¯s power of darkness. The Liche¡¯s real body is a heart that he would have hidden somewhere. I cannot kill the Liche completely unless I find that heart. However, I could make him lose his strength. It required a lot of power to maintain this image. If I turn this image into a mess, it would take him a long time to recover his power of darkness. That should give me enough time to defeat the boss monster and destroy the Demon Lord¡¯s relic. That is enough. Drake¡¯s TBSA slashed through the Liche¡¯s body tens of times in just a few seconds, leaving the Liche¡¯s body looking like minced meat. The Zombie Rats that lost their commander started to run wild. Some of them continued to try to attack the Elves and High Elf, but they were just moving based on instinct. The majority of them ran away in all directions while some of them even started to attack each other. The Stone Elves started to attack them fiercely noticing the situation. I also helped hunt the remaining Zombie Rats. Thanks to our efforts, we were able to destroy the remaining Zombie Rats in less than 5 minutes. The High Elf took a deep breath. It must have been hard on her. ¡°Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± The High Elf gently smiled. However, her smile seemed weak. ¡°I am okay. Just a bit tired.¡± She had used a mana shield that required a lot of mana for a long time even though her energy had not recovered. It would be weird if she wasn¡¯t tired. ¡°Please take a seat here and relax.¡± I pointed to a large rock to my side. However, the High Elf did not sit down. Instead, she got up and bowed toward me. ¡°Thank you very much. I was able to stay alive thanks to you.¡± The other Elves then approached me and bowed as well. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I guess it really was true about how the High Elves are the Chiefs of the Elf race. I gently smiled at them. ¡°Let¡¯s save the thank yous for after we destroy the Demon Lord¡¯s relic together. We should have enough people to do it, right?¡± The High Elf seemed to be energized once I started to talk about the Demon Lord¡¯s relic. Her eyes started to sparkle as she nodded her head. ¡°We definitely have enough. The reason we could not proceed any farther was because of the Zombie Rats. We did not have a solution for them. However, we seemed to have found a way now.¡± It was more like you earned reinforcements by the name of Kang Hwi Ram. The Zombie Rats¡¯ attacks don¡¯t work on me. Either way, it meant that there was hope. Now we just needed to recover our strength and push forward. The High Elf recovered very quickly. She seemed full of energy after about thirty minutes. She was the first to stand up. ¡°I am ready now.¡± ¡°There is no need to rush. We can move after you have rested enough.¡± ¡°I have rested enough.¡± I had nothing to say since that was her response. However, I still made the group progress slowly to give her some extra time just in case. However, the deeper parts of the Demon Cave were full of monsters. The monsters did not work with me to give the High Elf time to rest. But the High Elf really was skilled. She was like an upgraded version of the genius magician, Shione. She was better than Shione in all aspects: accuracy, speed, strength. At the same time, she was not lacking in physical strength. She had to dodge monster attacks every so often and I could see that she moved much faster than the other Elves. It was just that her magic skills were stronger than her physical strength, so she just focused on assisting me with her magic. Thanks to that, I was able to run wild. Most attacks were blocked by the High Elf¡¯s point mana shield, so I could rush into the middle of a pile of monsters and use Drake¡¯s TBSA. I moved so much that I was running out of breath after less than 30 minutes. But we were able to quickly clear the monsters in front of us. The High Elf approached me with admiration. ¡°You are so amazing. How is such a quick sword art possible?¡± ¡°Haeph-nim, you are more amazing. I would not have been able to fight so freely if it was not for your point magic.¡± The High Elf smiled brightly at me. She¡¯s driving me nuts. Everything is fine but the way she smiles at me is too dangerous. I¡¯m having more trouble with Haeph¡¯s smile than the monsters. I quickly turned my gaze away and looked at our destination. ¡°How much longer do you think we need to go for the Demon Lord¡¯s relic? It seems pretty close based on what the Dark Elf told me.¡± Haeph looked in the same direction and looked a bit nervous. ¡°We are almost there. It is near.¡± ¡°How do you know? You said you have never come this far.¡± ¡°I can feel that the Demon Lord¡¯s relic is about 3 km away.¡± In that case, it really was right in front of us. That must be the reason all of the monsters were stronger than before. The majority of them were level 400 and above. We lost a lot of the Elves because of that. We especially lost a lot of Stone Elves. I had close to 300 of them when we rescued Haeph, but now, there were barely a bit over 150. The Elves went down from 100 to 90. However, there was a bigger issue than the lost party members. We still didn¡¯t know anything about the boss monster. Even Haeph did not know the answer to that question. We couldn¡¯t make any plans because we didn¡¯t know the enemy¡¯s identity. I wish Shione was here. One of her abilities was using divination to anticipate the boss monster. In the end, the only option was to find out myself. ¡°Shall we go?¡± I got up and spoke to the group. However, we needed to stop after taking a few steps. It was because the boss monster made his presence known through a loud roar. It was so loud that we could hear it from 3 kms away. Roooooooar- At the same time, the entire Elf brigade stopped moving. Haeph¡¯s expression was not good either. She looked toward me and started to mumble. ¡°My goodness! It is a Bone Dragon.¡± I could tell as well. I recalled hearing the Bone Dragon¡¯s roar before. Furthermore, it was not just any type of roar. The Bone Dragon was using Dragon Fear. It left such a strong impression that I would never forget it even though I only heard it a few times. But why were they all so stiff? I would understand if they were Dwarves that had a strong fear of Dragons, but Elves were not known to have that type of fear. I soon found out the reason after Haeph explained some more things to me. ¡°It is not a regular Bone Dragon.¡± I started to get excited at the possibilities. ¡°Then what¡­¡­?¡± ¡°A Bone Dragon¡¯s Dragon Fear only has a range of approximately 1 km. Something like that would not affect the Elves. However, the Dragon Fear we heard is clearly different. In my opinion ¡­¡­ it seems to be a Golden Bone Dragon.¡± ¡®Oh! A Golden Bone Dragon!¡¯ I had been praying for him to appear. It was because the Shapir promised to add damage reflection to my armor if I take the blood from a Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s heart. They can also add a 100% magic increase on Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades if I take them the blood of two different golden monsters. This is a chance that may not come again. When else would I be able to see a Golden Bone Dragon? Furthermore, I was with the best assistance possible. No matter how strong a human may be, they would not be as useful as a group of Elves, Stone Elves, and a High Elf. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get a chance to go to a Demon Cave Clearing with a group like this ever again. I was probably the first person to go clear a Demon Cave with other races. The most important thing was ¡­¡­ ¡®A Golden Bone Dragon is probably similar to a Bone Dragon.¡¯ It was probably just a bit stronger and faster. But it should still have the same weakness. I had a good chance of success if I have Haeph supporting me as I go toward the monster. The important thing was to give the Elves some confidence. It was not as bad as the Dwarves, but they were all extremely anxious right now after hearing ¡®Golden Bone Dragon.¡¯ This was same for the High Elf as well. But I had a method to deal with this! I made the title that I had been hiding become visible. [Bone Dragon Slayer] PS, I really hate this new updated wordpress editor Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Lazy Boy Chapter 139 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 139: The Demon Lord¡¯s Relic (2) The High Elf, as well as the rest of the Elves, all looked shocked. ¡°Omo! How¡­¡­?¡± ¡°A human managed to hunt a Bone Dragon?¡± ¡°Is that ¡­¡­ even possible?¡± It is not surprising that they find it to be impossible. Honestly speaking, it is not impossible to defeat a Bone Dragon. If thousands of people were trained to work well together, humans could definitely hunt a Bone Dragon. However, you cannot earn this title by doing something like that. There is only one way to earn the ¡®Bone Dragon Slayer¡¯ title. You need to hunt a Bone Dragon on your own. You can receive support magic and get some help, but you will not get the title if you do not play a pivotal role in defeating the Bone Dragon. That is almost close to impossible for humans. Of course, the story changes if you know the Bone Dragon¡¯s critical weakness. Anyways, this should be enough to give the Elves some hope, right? ¡°I will hunt it down, but I need your help. It is definitely possible with your help.¡± ¡°What do you need from us?¡± Success. The High Elf as well as the rest of the Elves had a different look in their eyes. All of them seemed ready to give it a go. That was enough. ¡°Please gather around. I will give all of you a role.¡± *** ¡°Close it!¡± I shouted while rushing between two Stone Elves. The Stone Elves moved their shields together to close the ¡®door¡¯ they created for me. The herd of Hell Hounds that were rushing behind me rammed into the shields. There was a loud bang each time they rammed into the shields, making the Stone Elves move back little by little. The strength of the Hell Hounds was scary. However, the Stone Elves were still stronger. They were able to maintain their position with their feet firmly on the ground. ¡°Spears!¡± The Elves who were positioned behind the Stone Elves stabbed their spears between the Stone Elves at my command. The Elves were not very strong, but they were talented in using Elemental Energy. They made the tips of their spears sharp with the Elemental Energy to cut through the Hell Hounds¡¯ tough hides. Rooooooooar- The Hell Hounds started to roar in pain. They were ramming into the Stone Elves with less strength too. ¡°Haeph! Horn Flute!¡± Beeeeeeeeep- It definitely had a different result with a High Elf using the flute. It may have something to do with her friendliness with the Fairies, but the monsters instantly became weaker as soon as they heard the noise. ¡°I¡¯m going in! Cover me!¡± I jumped on top of a Stone Elf¡¯s shoulder and rushed back into the herd of Hell Hounds. The Hell Hounds did not notice me because of Stealthy Approach until I got to the middle of the herd and started to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. Rooooooar- One of the Hell Hounds swung a rusty Falchion to attack me. However, I quickly dodged and continued to increase my combo, hunting the Hell Hounds one by one. Haeph was using point magic to amplify my attacks. Thanks to her help, I managed to kill all of them in less than 20 minutes. ¡°Huff. Huff. Huff.¡± I didn¡¯t notice it while I was moving, but my breathing was very rough. My heart was beating like crazy as well. We had been at it for two hours. I would go lure a herd of monsters for us to kill before heading back to lure another herd of monsters. But our efforts paid off as we managed to hunt most of the monsters in the hall. There should be less than 1,000 monsters left. Maybe that was why, but we did not see any more monsters coming out even when we blew the Horn Flute of Darkness and had the Stone Elves banging on the ground. We just continued to hear the Dragon Fear used by the Golden Bone Dragon every so often. Roooooooooar- A Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s Dragon Fear was different than the regular one. Even someone like me who could also use Dragon Fear felt a bit of fear. It was worse for the Elves. They all plopped down on the ground every time Dragon Fear was used. But they were much better than humans. They were able to get back up in about 30 seconds. It was thanks to their ¡®endurance¡¯ stat. Anyways, it was now time to go for the final battle. We had plenty of time to rest. The Elves recover quickly so they just had to wait for me. ¡°Is everybody ready?¡± The High Elf as well as the rest silently nodded their heads. They were a smart race, so I was confident they did not forget about our strategy. Furthermore, they are also a race that doesn¡¯t have much fear. They will not give up their role because of fear. ¡°We will rush in 30 seconds after the next Dragon Fear.¡± We only had about 5 minutes because a Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s Dragon Fear only had a cool time of 5 minutes. We will have too much losses if we get hit by a Dragon Fear while we are in the hall. The Elf Brigade knew about that as well. They all had looks of determination on their faces. Our attack started a few minutes later. Roooooooooooar- Plop- The Elves dropped to the ground with another round of Dragon Fear. However, they quickly got back up. It was now time to go! ¡°Charge!¡± Haeph blew into the Horn Flute of Darkness as soon as I shouted. Beeeeeeep- That was our signal. The Stone Elves took the vanguard position as we planned. The Elves followed behind them, with Haeph and I rushing in at the end. Bang. Bang. Clang clang clang- The Stone Elves and the Elves banged their weapons against each other to draw the attention of the Golden Bone Dragon and the other monsters. While they did that, I used Stealthy Approach to move to the rear of the Golden Bone Dragon. Haeph supported me from a distance, but I did not need it thanks to Stealthy Approach. A few moments later, I successfully reached the bottom of the Golden Bone Dragon. The Golden Bone Dragon finally seemed to have noticed me as it started to flail around. Roooooooar- It was roaring while flailing around to get away. However, it did not give us any shock as it was not a Dragon Fear. I was also much faster than the Golden Bone Dragon. I continued to increase my combo as I rushed toward the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s chest. ¡®Aah!¡¯ The Golden Bone Dragon suddenly dropped to the ground. It felt like it was trying to squash me with its entire body. Thanks to that, the sound of the Golden Bone Dragon crashing to the ground echoed in the hall. Boom! If that was the plan, it was a good one. I also got crushed. However, I managed to survive thanks to my high agility. I quickly rushed in to a gap between the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s ribs to avoid getting killed. All it managed to do was hurt itself. It crashed to the ground so hard that a couple of its ribs were cracked or broken. However, that was only temporary. A Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s recovery rate was at the level of a troll. I could see the broken ribs quickly healing. The Golden Bone Dragon continued to crash to the ground. It seemed to know exactly where I was hiding as it moved its body around to try to crush me. Boom! Boom! ¡®This is getting dangerous!¡± The broken ribs made me lose places to hide. The Golden Bone Dragon will get its wish and crush me if I stay in the same place for too long. ¡®It¡¯s all or nothing now!¡¯ I used the moment the Golden Bone Dragon raised its body again to move to a new location. Tatat! Boom! Thankfully, I was a bit faster. I just barely managed to hide in a new gap. I continued to use that method to move forward little by little. After doing that a few more times, I could see the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s beating heart. I rushed forward without any hesitation and stabbed the heart with Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. Roooooooar- A Dragon Fear shot out right after I did that! However, it was too late. Blood started to pour out of the stabbed heart and the Dragon Fear quickly lost power. I also heard a noise at the same time. < Your level has increased.You have hunted a Golden Bone Dragon on your own. You have earned the title of Golden Bone Dragon Slayer. Your fame has increased by 200. The title can be displayed or hidden based on the user¡¯s will.Your Dragon Fear¡¯s effect has significantly increased.You have gained a Dragon¡¯s Eye.You have gained the Demon Lord¡¯s Relic. > ¡®I did it!¡¯ I was quite satisfied with the rewards. However, this was not the time to focus on that. I would probably never meet another Golden Bone Dragon. I quickly took out a magic bag and started to gather the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood. I only managed to gather a bag¡¯s worth of blood again. It would be easy if it poured out like a faucet, but it was not easy to gather when it was spurting in all directions. But I still managed to gather one bag. I carefully tied the magic bag that was now full and put it back into my bag. However, I could not rest. There were still monsters to take care of in the hall. I once again flung my body toward the monsters. A similar phenomenon occurred like last time. The Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood on my body made the monsters run away from me. They did not dare to come attack me. I could not use this properly because Shione was with me last time, but it was different this time. I continued to rush toward the monsters while turning left and right. The monsters could not help but retreat as I did that. ¡®Good! Move that way!¡¯ The monsters continued to get pushed back to one location. It was the smallest corner of the hall. ¡°Surround them!¡± The Elf Brigade finally seemed to have figured out my plan. The Stone Elves surrounded the monsters with their shields up while the Elves used their long spears to attack. There were monsters that managed to get out of the barricade every so often, but the Elves quickly hunted those monsters down as well. We were almost done dealing with the monsters in a few moments. The rest were cornered and unable to get out from the Stone Elves¡¯ shield barricade. At the same time, the effects of the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood disappeared as well. The monsters were no longer afraid of me. However, I still had a card up my sleeve. This would give a slightly different type of fear than the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood. [Dragon Fear!] Rooooooar- This was not a noise that was made with your mouth. It was a vibration of mana sent out from the body. Of course, it was nothing like the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s Dragon Fear. My Dragon Fear was only at the beginner level. But this was already strong enough. The monsters that were rushing toward the Stone Elves with their fangs out all curled up in fear. Some of the stronger monsters did not curl up, but their movements definitely slowed down. It was like they had stiffened up in fear. They say that people need to relax when they work out. For example, golf requires a smooth swing instead of a powerful one to send the ball a far distance. However, the monsters were all stiff now. They could not move properly anymore. This was a chance that would not come again since my Dragon Fear had a cool time of 10 minutes. I rushed in toward the monsters as soon as I used Dragon Fear. I used Drake¡¯s TBSA and instantly raised my combo to over 50 hits to destroy the remaining monsters. The Elves actually became more confident after hearing my Dragon Fear. This was because Dragon Fear had a different effect on enemies and allies. It was like how the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s Dragon Fear made the Elves scared but raised the morale of the monsters. That was the reaction the Elves had right now. Papapat- They set up teams to take down the monsters. The number of monsters quickly started to go down until we got rid of all of them. The moment the last monster was killed by my blade, the Elves raised their arms in joy. ¡°We won!¡± ¡°The Demon Cave is cleared!¡± The High Elf approached me and bowed. ¡°Thank you very much. Peace will return to Peria Mountain thanks to your help.¡± ¡°We are not done yet.¡± ¡°¡­Excuse me?¡¯ The High Elf¡¯s pretty eyes opened up even wider as if she was confused. I opened my bag instead of responding and took out one of the rewards from hunting the Golden Bone Dragon. The High Elf took a few steps back in shock. ¡°That is ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Yes. It is the Demon Lord¡¯s relic.¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Lazy Boy Chapter 140 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 140: I¡¯ve Always Been A Bit Special (1) The shape looked the same as a Spirit of an Elemental, however, the color was different. This was a black jewel. I would have thought it was a Spirit of an Elemental if it was red.The aura it gave off was completely different as well. It felt so evil that just holding it in my hand made me want to frown.It was probably even worse for a High Elf like Haeph, a race that were known for their purity. She kept her distance, as if she feared coming near me.¡°But why have you not destroyed it yet?¡±¡°I would like to, but I do not know how.¡±¡°Wouldn¡¯t it break if you slam it down on the ground?¡±I had already tried that. I tried to destroy it as soon as I got it.But it had no effect.I didn¡¯t want to explain it, so I demonstrated for her.¡°Like this?¡±I threw the Demon Lord¡¯s Relic as hard as I could toward one of the walls. However, it did not even leave a scratch.¡°Or like this?¡±This time, I put the relic down on the ground and smashed at it with a large boulder. I made sure to get the largest and strongest boulder to demonstrate.However, the boulder just ended up breaking in half while the relic was still flawless.Haeph finally nodded her head.¡°It really is not a normal item. Then please take it to Peri Mountain. The fairy-nim will be able to teach you how to destroy it if you take it there.¡±¡®Oh! Fairy! Can I finally meet with a fairy?¡¯¡°I will do as you said.¡±A normal Demon Cave would have created a portal for us to leave once we defeated the Boss Monster.However, that was not the case with this one.Of course, I would have gone back the way I came, even if a portal had opened, since I had someone to pick up on the way.The Dark Elf Rohas.My second monster slave and the one I plan to put to good use for a while.I quickly started to leave the Demon Cave with the Elf Brigade.We ran into some monsters on our way back, but they were not even strong enough for a warm-up exercise. We moved about three or four times faster than we had when entering the Demon Cave.I could finally see the Dark Elf Rohas after walking for a while.Rohas was still imprisoned the way I had left him. He was just sitting there like a statue with his eyes moving around.I took out the orb of natural power.It was almost completely transparent now, such that I questioned whether I would even be able to release Rohas.But thankfully, it still had some power left. The seal was removed once I touched Rohas¡¯s body with the orb.¡°Huuuuuuuuu.¡±It must have been difficult, as Rohas let out a deep sigh as soon as the seal was removed.¡°Stop your whining. Let¡¯s go.¡±The Elves and Stone Elves headed their own way once we returned to Peria Mountain. Only the High Elf Haeph remained by my side to guide me higher up the mountain.The Dark Elf Rohas was calmer than I expected. I thought he might try to make a run for it, but he didn¡¯t seem like he intended to do that.There was not much change to his loyalty either. In fact, it went up by a bit even though I didn¡¯t do anything.It seemed like he started to accept that he was now my slave.The three of us walked together for a while.Our destination was the supposed location of the fairy. The thought of finally being able to personally meet the Fairy made my heart start to beat faster.¡®But I wonder how much farther we have to walk.¡¯Did she read my mind? Haeph suddenly stopped walking.¡°It is right here.¡±¡®Wow! There¡¯s a lake this high up the mountain?¡¯It reminded me of Heaven Lake on Mt. Baekdu. It was a large lake located on top of the mountain peak.It looked to be very deep as the water was clear, but I could not see the bottom.¡°What a beautiful place.¡±¡°It is the Fairy-nim¡¯s residence. Please put the Demon Lord¡¯s Relic on the altar over there.¡±I could see a pile of rocks to the side. It looked more like a rock tower than an altar, however, that was the only thing here that could be considered an altar.I walked over and placed the relic on the pile of rocks.¡®Will the Fairy appear now?¡¯However, the Fairy did not show up. Instead, I could hear a voice in my head.The reward was excellent. My jewel alchemy should have increased by another level with this reward.But that was not the end.¡®Huh? That¡¯s it? The Fairy didn¡¯t even show up?¡¯I was a bit disappointed.However, something that I just heard was enough for me to get over my disappointment.¡®Command over High Elves!¡¯It meant that I would be able to make a High Elf my subordinate.I¡¯ve already confirmed the abilities of a High Elf inside the Demon Cave.Their physical strength was not very high. Although they were much stronger than Elves, it did not seem enough to be reach the level of the Chief of the Elves.However, their support magic was amazing. It was impossible to compare it to the abilities of a human.Even the magic genius Shione would be an ant in front of a High Elf. Shione at level 600 would not even be half as competent as a High Elf.That was how great a High Elf¡¯s support magic was.That wasn¡¯t it either.The High Elf was the leader of the Elves. An Elf Brigade was bound to follow behind a High Elf.That would give me a strong army that would be as strong as thousands of human soldiers.Furthermore, this quest was related to the Southern District.I was planning on heading to the Southern District anyways. I just need to catch another Golden monster first but now that was done.But that¡¯s that.There was something I needed to ask since I was meeting with a Fairy. Although I could not see them, I knew they were around here somewhere.¡°Fairy-nim, may I ask for a favor?¡±But would she answer my request? Would I be the only one that can go?Thankfully, I heard the Fairy¡¯s response.I quickly stated what was on my mind.¡°I have human companions who wish to climb Peria Mountain. They wish to use the Altar of the Sun to learn how to use Spirit Energy. Could you allow them to enter?¡±I was relieved. The fact that the possibility was still there was important.¡°Thank you very much. But what quest would I need to complete?¡±¡®The Stone Elves¡¯ souls?¡¯I still did not know how to gather those. However, I should be able to figure that out easily because I have the Royal Roader draft plan.¡°Thank you very much. I will gather a lot of the Stone Elves¡¯ souls.¡±I left the Demon Lord¡¯s Relic on the altar and backed away.The High Elf was waiting for me with a bright expression. She was already extremely beautiful but seeing her smiling so brightly made it feel like I was being purified.I almost wanted to just blankly stare at her face for a while.My heart jumped thinking about how this beautiful race could be my subordinate once I complete this Fairy¡¯s Quest.However, I needed to focus. I could not forget my reason for coming to Peria Mountain.I still have not accomplished that goal yet.It was because I still did not manage to approach the Altar of the Sun. I could not get through the demonic aura around the altar even with the Demon Lord¡¯s Relic in my hand.But it should be different now.¡°Haeph-nim. Do you think we can approach the Altar of the Sun now?¡±¡°The Demon Lord¡¯s Relic will be sealed by the Fairy¡¯s power for a while. The demonic aura around the Altar of the Sun should be gone as well.¡±¡°Then I wish to head there right away.¡±¡°I will guide you there.¡±I followed Haeph toward the Altar of the Sun.Everything was fine as Haeph mentioned. The invisible force that was pushing me away was no longer there.The two of us got close to the Altar of the Sun.Once we got there, I noticed a string of words that I could read.[Only the permitted can climb the altar.]¡°Whose permission do we need to get?¡±¡°You¡¯ll find out once you go up.¡±Haeph pushed me forward instead of answering my question.I assumed she knew what she was doing.I cautiously climbed up the altar.This Altar of the Sun reminded me of the Incan pyramids. It was a square pyramid base with a stone staircase at the center.There was an altar for rituals at the top.I slowly climbed the stairs one by one.There was no resistance. Nothing stopped me until I made it to the top.I heard a voice in my head once I approached the altar at the top of the pyramid.I guess you needed the Elemental Lord¡¯s permission.Then there was just one question left.Some of the Church of the Sun believers were using Spirit Energy. Based on how the Demon Cave was connected to the Altar of the Sun, I would guess they earned their power from the altar.But how was that possible? There was no way the Elemental Lord would have given them permission to approach the Altar of the Sun.But that was not very important. What was important was that they were able to use Spirit Energy.Anyways, I kneeled as the voice indicated.¡®Huh? That¡¯s it?¡¯I thought there would be some big changes because I was getting access to a strong power, but there wasn¡¯t anything other than that one line.I waited for a moment just in case, but nothing happened.I needed to verify it worked.¡®Status window open!¡¯[Kang Hwi Ram, Level 359]Dexterity: Advanced level 7, 67%Strength: 340Agility: 1,561Stamina: 96Intuition: 126Magic: 180Vitality: 39Mana: 728HP: 766Endurance: 33Reinforced Toughness: 150Guard Point: 2,516Intelli Point: 2,429Spirit Energy: 300*Available Points: 40¡®Oh! There was a change!¡¯I didn¡¯t need to see anything else. The only thing I could earn from the Altar of the Sun was Spirit Energy.That definitely changed.My basic Spirit Energy was at 50 and only went up to a maximum of 124 when I hunted the believers of the Church of the Sun.But now it was at 300.This was probably the base level. It would go up if I hunted monsters.I wonder what the maximum value was.Logically speaking, since the base went up to six times the original, the maximum probably went up about the same to a bit over 700.But I would not know until I tried it out.Anyways, I finally completed my original reason for coming to Peria Mountain. Now it was time to go back to the Shapir and have them reinforce my equipment.That shouldn¡¯t take too long.I climbed back down to see Haeph smiling as widely as I was.She really was beautiful. I could not get used to it even though we¡¯ve spent a lot of time together already.She reached her hand out to me as I continued to enjoy her beauty. Her flawless hand seemed to be holding something.¡°What is this?¡±¡°Many Elves were saved thanks to you, Kang Hwi Ram-nim. This is a reward for your help.¡±A reward from the High Elf. I was wondering what it could be.Haeph put some small red jewels in my hand.The information appeared as soon as the jewels landed in my hand.[Stone Elf¡¯s Soul]You may summon a Stone Elf¡¯s Soul and turn a nearby rock or boulder into a Stone Elf. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Half Awake Chapter 141 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 141: I¡¯ve Always Been A Bit Special (2) ¡®A Stone Elf¡¯s Soul!¡¯ I had already verified the strength of a Stone Elf in the Demon Cave. It isn¡¯t the strongest out there, but they were quite useful depending on the situation. They will be able to help me a lot if I use them properly. I had twelve of these Stone Elf¡¯s Souls. It reminded me of the Fairy¡¯s Quest. They would allow people into Peria Mountain based on the number of Stone Elf¡¯s Souls in my possession. I already had twelve of them. And I¡¯m sure this was just the beginning. As long as I figure out how to gather more Stone Elf¡¯s Souls by looking through the draft plan, I should be able to get hundreds or even thousands of Stone Elf¡¯s Souls. I had a feeling that my future was bright. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°No, we should be the one to thank you. Kang Hwi Ram-nim, we will remember you forever.¡± She talks like we¡¯re never going to meet again. She doesn¡¯t seem to know the contents of the Fairy¡¯s Quest. Not like she has a reason to know. Once I complete the Fairy¡¯s Quest, this High Elf will have to be my subordinate whether she wants to or not. By that point, she¡¯ll get tired of seeing my face. I¡¯ll let her enjoy her freedom until then. ¡°Then I will be on my way now. Rohas, let¡¯s go.¡± No response. He doesn¡¯t know that a slave should respond ¡®Yes, master!¡¯ when his master gives him a command. Is it because he is a Dark Elf? Acting all pompous like that. It feels like he¡¯s trying to seem cooler than me, his master. I¡¯ll need to beat him up when I get to chance to teach him how to act properly. Oolbat, the city of the Shapir. I thought that the Shapir would be an amazing race, but I was filled with disappointment after meeting them once. They may be talented in magic, but they all act like kids. It was that way when I showed them the Herb of Immortality, and even worse when I showed them the Golden Monsters¡¯ blood this time. ¡°My goodness.¡± ¡°Is this really a Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood?¡± All of their jaws had dropped. They seemed to have never expected me to acquire the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood. No, based on their reactions, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve ever seen a Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood before. ¡°Wow, to get to see a Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood with my own eyes.¡± ¡°I heard you would be lucky to see it once in your lifetime.¡± I guess I was right. They had never seen a Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood before. Hold on, then how will this work? I¡¯m suddenly feeling uncertain about all of this. ¡°You said you¡¯ll be able to add damage reflection magic on my armor if I brought back some Golden Bone Dragon blood. You¡¯re certain about that, right?¡± ¡°Excuse me? Ah, of course. Please don¡¯t worry about that.¡± How could I not worry? How could people who¡¯ve never even seen Golden Bone Dragon blood use it properly? However, there was nothing I could do other than trust the Shapir. ¡°My armor is a set of five pieces. Is this one bag enough to add the magic to all of it?¡± ¡°It is enough.¡± I was relieved to hear that. Now all that was left was to wait. ¡°Then please take good care of it.¡± ¡°We will return it to you as quickly as possible. Please get some rest while you wait.¡± The Shapir provided the best possible lodging for me. They were nice to Rohas as well, which was surprising, because even though he is my slave, he is still a Dark Elf. They treated me even better than when I had given them the Herbs of Immortality. That must be how precious Golden Bone Dragon blood was to them. It made sense, since I never got to hunt a Golden Bone Dragon when I played the game. No, in fact, there were no users who managed to hunt a Golden Bone Dragon. I saw some posts about how people ran into a Golden Bone Dragon, but everybody failed the hunt. All the posts talked about was how they died so many times that their levels dropped significantly. That was how precious this ingredient was. *** ¡°Hooray! Success!¡± I subconsciously raised my arms in the air and cheered. [Jewel of Luck: Luck Index 22] This was the highest luck index I ever received from using Jewel Alchemy to combine jewels. But this was not the only one. I combined jewels twelve times in a row and all of them had luck indexes higher than 20. Jewels of Luck with luck indexes higher than 10 were considered to be very high. So, it would not be an exaggeration to say this was the highest luck index ever. Of course, getting a Luck Index of 30 will probably be possible once my skill proficiency goes up. But that was not why I was so happy. The important thing was the reason that such amazing combinations were possible. [Jewel Alchemy: Advanced Level 1, 0%] My Jewel Alchemy finally reached the advanced level. The difference between intermediate and advanced was like the difference between Heaven and Earth. Although intermediate level 9, 99% and advanced level 1, 0% only had a one percent difference numerically, the effects at the advanced level was at least three or four times greater than the intermediate. That was why it meant a lot that the proficiency reached the advanced level. First of all, I was able to fortify my equipment an extra time, which meant I could upgrade my weapons and armor another level, to the point that I could reach the point of being One with the Sword. I wonder how it feels to be One with the Sword! It naturally did not feel any different in the game. You just received a special skill or an increase in your damage. It was just numerical benefits once you reached the level of One with the Sword. However, this was now reality. I would be able to feel it with my body. Just thinking about it was making my heart beat faster. But this was not the time to try it. My concentration was gone after doing twelve jewel combinations in a row. I need to get plenty of rest before I try it out. Knock. Knock. I heard a knock on the door while I was celebrating. It was the Shapir. ¡°We have finished the alterations. Please follow me.¡± The process of adding magic to my equipment took longer than I expected. It only took a day last time, but they took three days this time. But thanks to that, I was able to raise my Jewel Alchemy level and chat with the Dark Elf, Rohas. I called Rohas over from his room next door and headed to the Shapir workstation. A Shapir magician handed me my sword and armor as soon as I got there. Unfortunately, only one of my swords were able to be upgraded. [Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades +1 Fortification: Personalized for Kang Hwi Ram] This cutlass was made by Goonto, the current greatest blacksmith in the world. Two blades were created as a pair. Durability: 273/273 Attack strength: 119 Attack speed: 80 Restrictions: Strength 138, Agility 790, Level 273 *Attack strength is increased by 15% when used by Kang Hwi Ram *30% chance of adding 230 lightning damage *11% chance of causing Stun *Increase basic Magic Level by 100% *Special Skill: Nullify 30% of Enemy Defense (Use 50 MP) [Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor Set] Armor, pants, gloves, boots, and helmet make the set. Made with the Shadow Fox¡¯s hide, as well as the Golden Alligator hide and Midnight Black scales. Durability: 260/260 Defense: 136 Restriction: Level 300 *Agility +41, Strength +12 *Magic Resistance +98 *Reinforced Toughness +50 *52% chance of reflecting 31% of Damage *Special ability: Stealthy Approach S-Rank, Evasion S-Rank, Stamina Reduction 20% Decrease, Damage Absorption 21% *Special skill: Dark Force (Cool time 1 hour) Damn! I was a bit disappointed. I thought I would get other abilities, or the basic abilities would increase by a bit, but there was no change. All it did was add the magic increase and damage reflection magic. I guess they would have added any other abilities the first go around if it was possible. Especially since I was dangling the Herbs of Immortality in front of them. Either way, this was satisfactory. If I fortify them once more using Jewels of Fortification, the effects will increase again. ¡°This is satisfactory. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°Kang Hwi Ram-nim, you are welcome here any time. But may I ask you a question?¡± I doubt there are any other humans that the Shapir are so respectful to. Even the Emperor of the Ameri Kingdom probably does not get this level of respect. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°How did you gather the Golden Bone Dragon¡¯s blood? That is such a unique item that is difficult to find.¡± To be honest, I was just lucky. I didn¡¯t know Peria Mountain had such a Demon Cave or that a Golden Bone Dragon would be inside. But I could not tell the Shapir about what happened in the Peria Mountain. ¡°That is an occupational secret.¡± ¡°Ah, I see. Kang Hwi Ram-nim really seems to be a special human. May we make a request?¡± Is it a quest? I¡¯m sure a Shapir quest would give a hefty reward. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Please gather one more bag of Golden Bone Dragon blood. Then we will add more magic to Kang Hwi Ram-nim¡¯s weapon and armor.¡± What? That¡¯s it? It was not that tempting of a reward. But I had no reason to say no. It wasn¡¯t as if there was a time limit or I absolutely needed to do it. ¡°I understand. I will hunt another one if the opportunity arises.¡± I left Oolbat with Rohas. Rohas was still quiet. He didn¡¯t seem to be curious about where I was going as he didn¡¯t ask any question. I left Oolbat and immediately headed to Huksen. My goal was the Demon Cave Clearing. Of course, the map was finished. However, I needed to do a clear a few more Demon Caves to trick the Ameri Kingdom. That was the only way for me to get the right timing to announce that the map was completed. My level was not satisfactory yet either. My next destination was the Southern District. I would also need to fight against the Jeppi as soon as I get back. I would be able to have easy battles only if my level was over 400. ¡°Oh! Kang Hwi Ram-nim! Welcome back! ¡­¡­Hmm?¡± The bishop rushed out after hearing that I had returned. But he became shocked after seeing Rohas who was standing behind me. Although Dark Elves were called Elves, they were actually monsters. Humans only saw them as monsters and not Elves as well. Of course, different situations change things. Like right now. ¡°There is no need to be shocked. He is my slave.¡± ¡°Ehhh? A Dark Elf ¡­¡­as a slave¡­¡­!¡± The bishop¡¯s eyes turned wide. Dark Elves were at least level 500. You needed overwhelming strength to take such a monster as your slave. Even then, it was not easy to take a monster as a slave. The fact that someone like me who was barely around level 300 when I left was able to make a Dark Elf over level 500 my slave was definitely shocking. But he had to believe me since Rohas did not react negatively when I said that he was my slave. ¡°Did you complete the map?¡± I asked, pretending not to know, even though I knew what the answer would be. The bishop¡¯s expression turned grim. ¡°To be honest with you, we have not been able to enter any Demon Caves while you were gone.¡± ¡°Ehh? Why not?¡± ¡°Priestess Shione was against it. She said the chance of failure was too high without Kang Hwi Ram-nim. IT was also difficult to gather members who would want to go in. We¡¯re really glad to see that you are back.¡± The bishop¡¯s expression brightened up again. He seemed certain that they could start again now that I was back. But you can¡¯t decide things like that on your own. Did he forget what I said when I left last time? Let¡¯s remind him. ¡°Then did you think about it?¡± ¡°Think about what¡­¡­?¡± ¡°The reward for the Demon Cave Clearing. I recall saying that I would participate until the map was completed if you would put a Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute as the reward.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± They still did not make a decision? Why is it so hard when you¡¯ll agree in the end? ¡°Then I guess I came for no reason. I stopped by to check but I guess I really shouldn¡¯t have come back. Then I must be on my way now¡­¡­¡± I turned around without any hesitation. This scared the bishop and he quickly shouted out. ¡°However, we will give a reward that is similar in value.¡± I guess a Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute really was not possible. To be honest, I had no plans on stopping these Demon Cave clearings. We completed our goal already, but now I had a new goal. I needed to be at least level 400 to clear the Southern District. And the place to raise my level the fastest was the Demon Caves. Furthermore, I needed to go back into the Demon Caves to give Shione the excuse for when the map was completed. I guess I can give in a bit at this point. I turned around like I was curious. The bishop looked like he was about to cry. IT was because he knew that they would not be able to continue if I just left like this. His voice was a bit shaky as well. ¡°I asked the headquarters multiple times, but they continued to say that they could not give out a Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute as a reward. They do not have many of them left.¡± I guess they really don¡¯t have a choice. ¡°Then what is the reward of equivalent value?¡± ¡°We will give you a Blessings Quest. Don¡¯t you already have a lot of Intelli points? You¡¯ll be able to use it as bonus stats if you complete the quest.¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Will Eventually Catch Up Chapter 142 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 142: I¡¯ve Always Been A Bit Special (3) Oh! A Blessings Quest! To be honest with you, I¡¯ve been asking for this Blessings Quest from the Athena Temple for a long time. My Intelli points were stacking up but I couldn¡¯t do anything with them. It was inevitable. I wanted to do most of the quests through the Ares Temple to gain guard points instead, however, I needed to do every other quest through the Athena Temple. The bishop declined my request every time. Unlike the Ares Temple, the Athena Temple prohibited anybody other than their priests using their divine powers. That was why I was frustrated and couldn¡¯t help but sigh whenever I looked at my growing amount of Intelli points. Of course, there was a way to use the Intelli points even without the blessings quest. I could use them to purchase the special items sold by the Athena Temple. I could also use it to recruit priests of the Athena Temple to help me with my personal quests. However, I was not satisfied with using it for such things. If I complete the Blessings Quest, I would be able to use Intelli points like stat points. Although there were restrictions on it, it would still be beneficial. That was why I really wanted this Blessings Quest even if my desire for the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute was greater. I couldn¡¯t let such an opportunity go. ¡°I understand. I will give in since even you are saying it is very difficult to do so, bishop-nim.¡± ¡°T, thank you. I will immediately contact the headquarters and get permission. I will absolutely make sure to get them to allow you to have the blessings quest.¡± I guess he needs permission for that too. How complicated. ¡°Then I will wait for a bit. I will join the Demon Cave clearing as soon as I receive the Blessings Quest.¡± ¡°I understand. I will tell a priest to prepare a residence for you.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± The bishop moved quickly to get me a residence. A priest soon guided me there. The service from the temple was the highest degree possible once again. It was the same for Rohas even though he was a slave. Slaves really need to meet the right masters. But a slave is still a slave. I better work him like a dog. ¡°Rohas, guard the door. I have something to do so do not let anybody even knock on the door until I tell you otherwise. Got it?¡± Rohas was still silent. He only gave a short response when I asked him questions. I didn¡¯t like it at first, but I decided it was better than him annoying me all the time. Especially like right now. He didn¡¯t show any curiosity even though he probably wanted to know what I was doing inside. He just nodded his head in response. ¡°A priestess named Shione might come looking for me. Tell her to come back after two hours¡± Rohas nodded his head once again. However, he seemed respectful so I didn¡¯t have a reason to get angry. I left Rohas outside the door and came inside the room. ¡®Then shall I get started?¡¯ I first took out some Jewels of Fortification. [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 17%] [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 16%] ¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤¡¤ I had close to 20 Jewels of Fortification. All of them had fortification indexes higher than 15. I received a bunch of them from the Dwarf Village for fortifying the weapons, and then I used Jewel Alchemy to combine them and raise the fortification index. However, it was still not at a satisfactory level. The good ones could have fortification indexes higher than 20. Even if I don¡¯t reach 25, shouldn¡¯t they at least be over 20? I am an advanced level Jewel Alchemist after all. I focused while trying to combine the jewels with high fortification indexes. It was not difficult to combine jewels now. I finished one attempt in about five minutes. [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 22%] ¡®Oh! A 22% fortification index!¡¯ It was not that good because I combined a 19% with a 9% jewel, but the important thing was that 22% came out. I tried combining two more of them. I got another 22% result. I continued to attempt jewel combinations. I needed 12 jewels to fortify all of my equipment. There were the pair of Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades, and the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor Set was a set of five pieces. That was why this was not something that would be completed in a day. I could not focus anymore after combining twelve Jewels of Fortifications. I could do it if I clenched my teeth and tried to fortify my weapons, but the results would not be as good. It wasn¡¯t like I was at a rush for time. I could fortify my weapons tomorrow or the day after that. ¡°Rohas.¡± Rohas opened the door and looked at me as soon as I called for him. He should at least say something like ¡®yes sir¡¯ when I call for him. ¡°Did anybody come looking for me?¡± ¡°The priestess named Shione came looking for you.¡± It¡¯s so hard to get him to talk. ¡°And?¡± ¡°I told her to return later as you instructed.¡± ¡°Good job. I¡¯m done for now, so you can go rest.¡± Rohas lightly nodded his head before closing the door and disappearing. But then I heard a knock less than one minute later. It was probably not going to be Rohas. ¡°Who is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± It was Shione. She seemed to have been waiting for me nearby. She waited until Rohas disappeared and knocked right away. ¡°Please come in.¡± The door opened and Shione walked in wearing her pure white priestess outfit. She was alone as usual. ¡°Omo! What were you doing that you are sweating so much?¡± I wasn¡¯t sweating anymore, it was just dried sweat. It tends to happen when I am focused with Jewel Alchemy. However, I haven¡¯t even told Shione about Jewel Alchemy yet. There was no reason to do so. ¡°Nothing much. Just think of it as mental training.¡± Shione pulled a chair and sat down close to me. It was so close that there was some erotic vibe to it. ¡°Did you successfully complete everything you were planning to do?¡± ¡°Yes. I suppose so.¡± In Shione¡¯s point of view, I should have said ¡®no.¡¯ I found out the location of the altar of the Sun, but I could not take Harrison¡¯s group there just yet. But I had to be satisfied with finding a way to get them there. I spent a lot of time explaining a lot of things to Shione. She would share the contents of our discussion with Harrison. I had to spend a lot of time on the things related to the Fairy¡¯s Quest. I had to tell her things like how only people who are in a Quest Party with me can climb the Altar, as well as the fact that I needed the Stone Elf¡¯s souls for that. Shione nodded her head after listening for a while. ¡°Do you know how to find the Stone Elf¡¯s Soul?¡± ¡°I will need to do some research. Anyways, we are a part of the same team. I will gather as many as possible to bring as many people as possible up the altar.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°When can we restart the Demon Cave clearing?¡± ¡°We have stopped it for a while now. I didn¡¯t know when you would come back.¡± The bishop should have contacted the headquarters by now. The headquarters will have no choice but to agree to my request. It will only be two or three days before we get a response. ¡°Let¡¯s get ready to go back in as quickly as possible. I¡¯m not sure about this, but I have a feeling that it will be easier to find the Stone Elf¡¯s Souls inside a Demon Cave than out here.¡± ¡°I will inform the bishop-nim and get right on it.¡± Ten days later. ¡°The Demon Cave is almost open. The team has been created as well so we should be able to enter in two days.¡± I also figured out how to gather the Stone Elf¡¯s Souls during this time. Unfortunately, you could not find it in your average Demon Caves. However, this was not something to be disappointed about. I will be able to gather a lot of them once I go into the Southern District. It was only a matter of time before I collected enough. ¡°I understand. I will be ready.¡± Shione delivered that message and then left the room. The time had come. I just needed to upgrade my equipment and I would be ready. My mind was clear as well to the point that I felt like I was at 120%. Maybe that was why, but my heart started to beat faster. ¡®Will I be able to reach the One with the Sword level? How would it feel to get there?¡¯ There was no such thing as feelings in the game. All it did was raise the level of my stats. It raised my attack speed by 10 percent and my damage by close to 30 percent. But that was it. Of course, that alone was a significant upgrade in the game. But this was an alternate reality. I felt like there would be something else other than just an increase in stats. I wanted to start right away. ¡°Rohas! Guard the door.¡± Rohas nodded his head before closing the door. I took out my equipment as well as the Jewels of Fortification that I had combined to raise the fortification level, as well as some Jewels of Luck. I first fortified Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. If I was to reach the level of One with the Sword, it would happen through my weapon, not my armor. I used both the Jewel of Fortification with the highest fortification index, as well as a Jewel of Luck with the highest luck index. I closed my eyes and focused only on the feeling inside my hand. ¡®Please let me feel it!¡¯ A warm feeling started to arise in my hand. I was able to tell which jewel it was based on the feeling it caused. The luck energy first broke through the jewel and started to ram into the Jewel of Fortification, eventually leading to the fortification energy pouring out of the jewel as well. The luck energy was then absorbed by the fortification energy, and the fortification energy that was now even warmer than before, started to become absorbed by Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. I was used to this feeling. I had felt the same thing when I was fortifying my equipment in the past, as well as when I was fortifying the Dwarves¡¯ weapons. But it did not feel any different than those times. Although the feeling was stronger than before, it was not to the point where I would call it ¡®One with the Sword.¡¯ ¡®Is there something else¡¯ But that was it. The warm feeling that was surrounding the blades disappeared, leaving just the cold sensation of metal in my hand. ¡®Is it done?¡¯ I felt a bit empty. However, I wasn¡¯t completely disappointed just yet. One with the Sword might happen when I swing the weapon and not when I fortify it. I looked through the information about the blades with anticipation. [Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades +2 Fortification: Personalized for Kang Hwi Ram] This cutlass was made by Goonto, the current greatest blacksmith in the world. Two blades were created as a pair. Durability: 301/301 Attack strength: 127 Attack speed: 80 Restrictions: Strength 144, Agility 819, Level 288 *Attack strength is increased by 17% when used by Kang Hwi Ram *30% chance of adding 286 lightning damage *11% chance of causing Stun *Increase basic Magic Level by 100% *Special Skill: Nullify 30% of Enemy Defense (Use 50 MP) There was an increase to my attack strength, but not to the level of meeting the standards of ¡®One with the Sword.¡¯ There weren¡¯t any other obvious changes either. Stun, magic increase, and nullify enemy defense all remained the same. ¡®Well, numbers aren¡¯t everything.¡¯ I picked up Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades and stood up. Although the room was too small for me to get serious, I should be able to do some light exercises. ¡®Please!¡¯ I was praying as I started to swing the blades around. I focused on it to make sure I did not miss any communication coming from the blades. But it was the same as usual. Nothing had changed. ¡®Did it fail? Am I still not meeting the requirements of ¡®One with the Sword?¡¯ What is missing?¡¯ I then suddenly thought about something. ¡®Ah! Akto¡¯s Quest!¡¯ [Destroy the Stone Wall of Grief and rescue Akto¡¯s soul. If you succeed, you will earn a special secret related to Jewel Alchemy.] The ¡®special secret¡¯ Akto was talking about must be related to reaching the ¡®One with the Sword¡¯ level. At least I could only hope for it to be related. Anyways, there was only one thing for me to do right now. I needed to fortify my equipment with the Jewels of Fortification. Then eventually, I will reach the level of being ¡®One with the Sword.¡¯ Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Will Eventually Catch Up Chapter 143 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 143: I¡¯ve Always Been A Bit Special (4) I then proceeded to fortify the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor Set. Since it was a set of five items, I needed to fortify each of them separately. [Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor Set +2 Fortification] Armor, pants, gloves, boots, and a helmet make the set. Made with the Shadow Fox¡¯s hide, as well as the Golden Alligator hide and Midnight Black scales. Durability: 288/288 Defense: 156 Restriction: Level 324 *Agility +41, Strength +12 *Magic Resistance +132 *Reinforced Toughness +50 *52% chance of reflecting 31% of Damage *Special ability: Stealthy Approach S-Rank, Evasion S-Rank, Stamina Reduction 20% Decrease, Damage Absorption 29% *Special skill: Dark Force (Cool time 1 hour) The armor didn¡¯t change that much either. The basic defense, magic resistance, and damage absorption went up by a bit, but there were no changes to damage reflection nor reinforced toughness. I was hoping for those. But I shouldn¡¯t be too disappointed since I had expected it to be like this. Jewels of Fortification have restrictions to what they can improve. Now it was time to allocate the extra stat points I had left. I had left about 40 stat points behind because Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades could have required a much higher strength requirement with the fortification. My current strength was at 340. In order to use Combo (Under 40%) with a weapon that has a strength restriction of 144, I needed to have over 360 points in strength. ¡®I just need to put 21 into strength.¡¯ I put 21 points into strength and put the rest into agility. Two days later. The bishop gave me the quest in front of the Demon Cave. The quest was given to all of the members of the Demon Cave Clearing Squad. I could not help but be shocked. ¡®Only the greatest contributor for the duration of the Demon Cave Clearing will be given Athena¡¯s blessing?¡¯ Even Shione was shocked at the details. I didn¡¯t expect for the Blessings Quest to be this easy. Even the Ares Temple, that had no problem giving me a Blessings Quest, was still having me clear the, ¡®Southern District Quest,¡¯ in order to complete it. But the Athena Temple that had been so stingy with the Blessings Quest would give it to the greatest contributor in the Demon Cave Clearing Squad? This was pretty much giving it out for free while saying, ¡®here¡¯s a blessing for you.¡¯ I guess the Temple had no choice but to do so. They can¡¯t proceed with the Demon Cave Clearing without me and doing this will make me have to stay until we finished everything so that I can be the greatest contributor. I happily accepted the quest and headed toward the Demon Cave. Shione soon walked up next to me and quietly asked. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I have never seen the Athena Temple give a Blessings Quest to an outsider. That is restricted, even at the headquarters level.¡± I guess the bishop did not tell Shione anything about the Blessings Quest. It would be a long story if I was to explain. Well, we¡¯ll have plenty of time to chat once we are inside the Demon Cave. I¡¯ll tell her then. I¡¯ll just give her a short answer for now. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a bit special. Shall we go in?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Of course.¡± I took the lead, with Shione and the others jumping into the Demon Cave behind me. ¡®Please let it be another Golden Bone Dragon.¡¯ * * * ¡°Hey Lutz, did you hear about it?¡± ¡°Hear about what?¡± ¡°The Golden Dragon PGA Cup that is taking place in Korea. Apparently, there is a super rookie among the monkeys participating.¡± Lutz started to frown. He had no issues with Robert other than his racist mindset. Robert hated all Asians, especially Koreans. He hated Koreans for most of his life, however, it became even worse after seeing the Korean women succeeding in the LPGA these past few years. ¡°Is he Korean?¡± ¡°I think so. Damn cockroach bastards.¡± Why are you participating in the Golden Dragon Cup if you hate Korea so much?¡± ¡°It still has the title of being the largest PGA tournament. I can¡¯t let such mutts win such a competition.¡± That was true. That was the reason Lutz was participating in this Golden Dragon PGA Cup as well. Furthermore, it was a competition with the special title of Royal Road. The chance to earn that title was bringing golfers from all over the world to the Golden Dragon Cup. How could Lutz, who was known as one of the four horsemen of the PGA, not participate in such a tournament? ¡°Did you say that monkey¡¯s name was Kang? Anyways, he seems to be quite talented. He always records less than 60 strokes. The last tournament he had a 26 under par for a 36 hole and averaged 25 under par for another competition as well. Lutz¡¯s eyes opened wide. It was difficult to get 10 under par, even on an easy course. The PGA all-time record was 14 under par on an 18 hole. But this guy was averaging 51 under par for 72 holes? That meant that he averaged greater than 10 under par every time. ¡°I¡¯ll need to stay focused. Otherwise, I might end up being embarrassed by a monkey.¡± Something like that really could happen. However, the chances of something like that happening were low, especially since two of the PGA¡¯s four horsemen were participating in this competition. ¡®But I¡¯m curious as to what kind of person this Kang is.¡¯ * * * Jejudo Masters Golf Course. I finished my preparation and then looked through the body mirror to look at my full body. It really was cool. Not me, but the uniform that I was wearing. It was a uniform specially designed by Kim Soo Jung, who may become a world-renowned designer in the future. Han Sul Yi was looking at herself while standing next to me as well. Kim Soo Jung also designed Han Sul Yi¡¯s caddie uniform. The dandelion design was naturally on both of them. It was the perfect couples look together. Maybe that was why, but rather than a golfer and his caddie, we looked like a pair of lovers. ¡°You look more handsome than usual today.¡± ¡°Miss Sul Yi, you are the one looking extremely beautiful today.¡± ¡°Hoho, thank you. Your cap seems to be a bit twisted.¡± Han Sul Yi came over and fixed my cap. The Golden Dragon Group logo was still on my cap. Of course, that will change soon since my own company has been created. The Stepping Stones Co. Ltd. I decided on this name after debating it for quite a while as it was most representative of what I planned to do. It was not known publicly just yet, but it will soon be revealed. The moment that it is revealed that I am the creator of the Dandelion School, Stepping Stones Co. will be revealed as well. ¡°Then shall we go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The two of us left the lounge together. Fall was quickly approaching, with not a single cloud in the sky and the leaves slowly changing colors. It was the perfect conditions to play some golf. The only issue would be that the wind was blowing pretty strongly, but if you consider the fact that we are in Jejudo, it was not that bad. Han Sul Yi was taking good care of me today. She kept brushing my shoulder in order to brush away dust that doesn¡¯t even seem to be there. ¡°No need to be nervous. Just do what you have always done.¡± But the funny thing was that her expression seemed to be stiffer than mine. ¡°Miss Sul Yi, you seem to be more nervous than I am.¡± ¡°Omo, really? Hoho. To be honest with you, it¡¯s been a while since I last served as a caddie. I¡¯ve also never caddied for a male player before. This is also the largest competition that I¡¯ve ever attended as well.¡± But she still seemed extremely nervous. She was much more nervous than me, the player. Then why did she agree to be my caddie? But she was still reliable. My biggest weakness is reading the green to putt, but Han Sul Yi was known as the best in the country when it came to reading the green. We also worked well together. I would have probably asked her myself if she didn¡¯t offer. After waiting for a while, the rounding finally started. ¡°Anyways, please take good care of me today.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can be of much help, but fighting!¡± (TL: Fighting is a Korean way of hyping up before an event.) We high-fived each other. Many famed golfers were participating in this Golden Dragon Cup competition. Two of them, Lutz and Robert, are so skilled that they are known as part of the PGA¡¯s four horsemen. There¡¯s a lot of focus on me because I continue to break all sorts of records, but it is still nowhere near the level of Lutz or Robert¡¯s popularity. That was why the focus was on Squad 1 with Robert and Lutz and not as much attention was given to my Squad 17. However, things changed after about 30 minutes once I completed the fourth hole. No matter how popular Robert or Lutz may be, the person in first place was bound to get the attention. * * * ¡°If it was me, I would not be greedy and safely cut. The spot behind the green is too short.¡± Han Sul Yi couldn¡¯t hide the concern in her eyes. She didn¡¯t have a very positive attitude. To be honest, one of the caddie¡¯s most important roles was to calm the player. They needed to tell the player things like, ¡®you can do it,¡¯ even in a difficult situation. But for her to say such ominous things¡­ It was understandable. Han Sul Yi was not just a caddie, she was also one of my strongest fans. But it looks like I need to show her my skills at least once. ¡°Miss Sul Yi.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I will listen to your advice on the green. Please refrain from giving me any advice when I have a driver or iron in my hand.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Han Sul Yi seemed to have realized her mistake as she quickly stepped back. I then got into my address. Starting from hole 10, the course was extremely long until hole 13. It was impossible to land an on-green from a tee shot, so I had to safely cut across. However, it was much more doable starting from hole 14. It was especially the case with this hole 14. There was a tailwind as well, so hitting it around 350m would put the ball close to the cup. Of course, the fact that the back of the green was short made it possible to get an OB. However, I was not too worried. My 350m Driver skill was at Intermediate level 9. It was very accurate. I carefully calculated the direction. [Driver 350 skill: Intermediate Level 9, 17%] Bang- I could not lift my head until the swing was completed as that was how I set the skill. I finally turned to look after the swing was completed. It felt great when I hit the ball, so I knew that the ball flew out properly. The question was how close it would end up by the hole cup. A moment later, the cheering from the gallery let me know the results. ¡°Wow, it went on!¡± ¡°It seems to be within 3 meters. An eagle seems to be possible.¡± ¡°The Kang Hwi Ram show has finally started!¡± Yes, the Kang Hwi Ram show. I don¡¯t know who said that, but it was nice to hear. I will show them a proper show from here on. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Actually Edited This One Up Chapter 144 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 144: Kang Hwi Ram Show (1) An eagle putt that was less than 3m. There was a slight slope to the green, but it was not that difficult once I used the putting skill. This was my first eagle in this competition. That seemed to be the beginning. Maybe my luck turned for the better, but my momentum shifted from there. However, I did not manage to do the perfect rounding that I would be satisfied with. It was because of the wind. Although Jejudo was known for its wind, today seemed to be worse than usual. The biggest issue was the wind up high that we could not see. The direction and strength of the wind continuously changed but not being able to see it made it impossible to calculate accurately. It would not be wrong to say that a long-distance hitter¡¯s greatest enemy is the wind. If it starts to ride the wind incorrectly, it may swing in a completely odd direction. Specifically, it was the worst for people like me. Since I averaged 350m per shot, calculating the direction of the wind even slightly wrong ended up resulting in OB or Hazard. However, the rankings did not change based on the overall results. I finished the rounding in first place at 9 under-par. Robert and Lutz, two of the PGA¡¯s four horsemen, and the two Golden Dragon Kids who had been the center of attention from the beginning of the tournament, as well as four other people were at 6 under-par or 5-under par to compete for second place. The interview would definitely be for me ¡­¡­ Or so I thought. Especially since this was taking place in Korea. However, all of the reporters focused on Robert and Lutz. That happened throughout the rounding. The camera had no choice but to follow me because I was in first place, however, the majority of the gallery was with Robert and Lutz. Even the network may have been upset at the fact that I was in first place. Or they might be thanking me for providing good TV by providing the unexpected. Either way, the main characters for the first day¡¯s rounding were Robert and Lutz. The level of interest in me in comparison was probably about 50 percent of the interest shown to them. However, the Korean reporters did show me some interest. They gave me almost as long of an interview time as they gave to Robert and Lutz. ¡°You finished today¡¯s rounding in first place. Were you expecting this result?¡± Interviews are just a different type of show. I needed to use these opportunities to create my image and increase my presence. That means that rather than saying the truth, I should say something that might appeal to the people a little bit more. What kind of image will I create? A modest one? I probably would have done something like that 20 years ago. During that time, Koreans thought that being modest was the way to live. However, it is easy to get buried in the sand if you act modest. You needed to promote yourself. And you needed to do it well. It might actually be better to lean toward cocky than modest. It wouldn¡¯t work if you were cocky without the skills to back it up, but I knew I had to skills to back up my words. It would also irritate the people competing with me. ¡°To be honest with you, it was not that great. I am not satisfied with my results today.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t 9 under-par and being first place good enough? You are more than 2 strokes ahead of second place.¡± ¡°I do not compare myself to anybody else when I play golf. This is a battle against myself.¡± ¡°Then can we expect a better score tomorrow?¡± That was something that could not be guaranteed. Tomorrow¡¯s weather might be even worse than today. However, the weather forecast did say it will not be as windy. Anyways, I¡¯ll deal with the fallout tomorrow. I also had a card in store for emergencies. It was something only I could do, and something that I had never used in golf before. I will use that card tomorrow. ¡°You can look forward to it. I will control my condition to create a fiery showtime for you.¡± ¡°Then it will be the Kang Hwi Ram show. We look forward to an amazing performance.¡± *** ¡°What the hell is that bastard saying?¡± Robert started to frown. Lutz did not feel good either. Honestly speaking, Lutz was in the best condition today. Recording a 7 under-par was a fabulous score. If he performed like this for the remaining three rounds, he may even get the record for the lowest strokes in history. However, there was someone who was two strokes ahead of him, and it was an unknown Korean rookie who was claiming that he was in his worst condition. The last thing the Korean said was the most annoying. ¡°Showtime? Kang Hwi Ram show? He¡¯s super cocky after having one good rounding.¡± ¡°Hey. Lutz. We¡¯ll become the laughingstocks of the world if we hand him the winner¡¯s trophy.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let that happen. I don¡¯t know how the groups will be separated tomorrow, but I hope I can complete in the same group with him. I want to kick his ass.¡± ¡°They said the top rankers will be grouped together so one of us is definitely going to be with him. Regardless of which one of us it is, we need to shut him down.¡± Robert confirmed their plan with Lutz. However, he felt like that would not be enough. Based on what he saw of Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s rounding today, he felt like today¡¯s results were not just from luck. ¡®I need to prepare another plan as well.¡¯ *** The next day. ¡®Is that guy Lutz Hill?¡¯ He is known as one of the PGA¡¯s Four horsemen. He¡¯s in his late thirties but has been sitting at the top of the PGA world for ten years. ¡®He seems pretty strong.¡¯ He was over 190 cms tall and his body and legs were thick. Based on his appearance, people would believe it if you said he was a retired fighting champion. He was a long-distance hitter. He could easily reach 400 m if he used his whole strength to swing. His short game skills were amazing as well. However, he is lacking a bit in the stability area that his shot breaks down in the middle of the rounding quite often. That was all information that Han Sul Yi provided for me. However, something like that was not important to me. How Lutz hits the ball doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is how I hit the ball. I was just a bit focused on it because Han Sul Yi kept talking about Lutz. However, Lutz seemed to be wary of me as well. He kept looking at me while I was stretching before our rounding started. His gaze was a bit competitive. It was as if he was burning up with the thought of stepping all over me during this rounding. ¡®Tsk tsk, that just makes it easier for him to break down in the middle.¡¯ I started to ignore him after that. It was time to officially start the showtime. The sky was clear without a single cloud. The wind was definitely less than yesterday as well. The weather forecast seems to have been accurate for once. However, there was still some wind based on how the leaves were shaking. If I take the time to accurately determine the direction of the wind, my goal for today should be achievable. The rounding finally started. The owner for the first shot today was me. However, the competitiveness started in the first hole. It was a 403m long par 4 hole, but it was a dog-leg course with a significant curve to the left that the direct distance to the cup was only about 370m. There was a headwind blowing so it might not go as far as I expect, but it would only impact it about 10m at max. If I swing while thinking about hitting 380m, I should be able to get on-green. This first hole was where I had recorded an OB yesterday. The wind was stronger than today and there was a small gust of wind that was invisible that made my ball fly in an odd direction. In order to make up for yesterday¡¯s mistake, pressure the other players, and aim for a new record, I aimed for another tee shot on-green. ¡®Then shall I use my final card?¡¯ I took out my smartphone. I then immediately went into my Jewel Box and took out one Jewel of Luck. I decided to use the one with the highest luck Index. [Jewel of Luck: Luck Index 22] This was one that I successfully combined in Royal Roader not too long ago. I attempted to combine more of them afterwards, but I was not able to get any higher than a luck Index of 22. However, it will continue to go up in the future. And Jewels of Luck were things I could easily buy with money. I was overflowing with money in Royal Roader anyways. I dragged the Jewel of Luck out without any hesitation. [Kang Hwi Ram-nim¡¯s luck Index will increase by 22. The duration is for four hours.] ¡®Done! Now shall I get the showtime started?¡¯ [Driver 380 skill: Intermediate Level 4, 66%] The farthest distance I can hit with the basic driver skill is 360m. Anything farther than that required this new driver skill where I swing the club like a baseball bat. That was why the skill level was not that high even though I¡¯ve been practicing it quite a bit. However, there shouldn¡¯t be much issues because the chances of error were not that high. I swung my driver without any hesitation. Tang- The gallery¡¯s amazed gasps could be heard after I hit the ball with a clean sound. With hundreds of people in the gallery, even all of them gasping quietly created a bit of noise. I then heard some cheering. ¡°Wow, the direction is accurate! It went on!¡± ¡°Oh oh ¡­¡­ Is it going in?¡± People in the gallery were using their smartphones to see ahead or looking up at the TV screen. It allowed us to see live footage of the green that was not visible from here. My heart was beating quickly as well. ¡®Did they say going in? Ay, no way.¡¯ And it was as I expected. ¡°Aww, what a pity! He used too much strength. A little less and it would have gone in.¡± ¡°At least it is within 2 m. At that distance, an eagle is almost a given.¡± ¡°He really meant it when he said he¡¯ll give us a showtime today!¡± I started to smile. ¡®What a good start.¡¯ It was Lutz¡¯s turn next. Lutz did not easily swing after putting the ball on the pin. He was a bit away from the ball doing some practice swings to control his condition. He seemed to be contemplating something. It was obvious what he was contemplating. Will he take the safe route, or will he attempt a one shot on-green? His decision was to go with a safe shop. It was because the sides of the green were narrow, making it easy to get an OB or a Hazard. It really didn¡¯t matter to me what he did. After recording an eagle on the first hole, I continued my dominating ways. However, although I successfully managed a tee shot on-green starting from the second hole, I had to be satisfied with birdies because I did not get the balls close enough to the hole. Then we arrived at hole 4. It was a 179m long par 3 hole. However, there was a slight downward slope, so you would be able to accurately place the ball next to the cup if you aimed to send it flying 170m. I barely failed a hole-in-one yesterday by 30cm. There is also a 1 million won hole-in-one prize on this hole as well. If it is 170m, I could use my 4 Iron without pretty much any error. It was because the skill level for the iron was almost as high as the driver. I also used a Jewel of Luck today. ¡®Please, go in ¡­¡­¡¯ I activated the skill while praying for success. [4 Iron 170 skill: Intermediate Level 7, 55%] I swung the iron. There should be no error in my swing because I used a skill. The only issues were how accurately I judged the direction and if the ball changes course as it flies. The gallery was the first to respond again. They must have had a good feeling after seeing my shot. ¡°Wow, great!¡± ¡°Direction is good. Strength is good as well.¡± I could see the movement of the ball as well. I could see the white ball safely land on the green and start to roll toward the flag. It was slightly tilted to the left, but I had a good feeling about it. It was because there was a small break on the green. This green was slanted to the right. The ball slowed down and started to turn to the right as I expected. The gallery¡¯s voice became louder as it happened. ¡°Oh oh. It¡¯s going in. The direction is perfect!¡± Then I heard the cheers and whistling. ¡°Wow! It went in!¡± Whistle. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram hooray!¡± Even Han Sul Yi screamed and raised her arms in the air. She then gave me a high five. ¡®Hole-in-ones really are thrilling!¡¯ That was the beginning. I was more aggressive with my tee shots from there. I did record one OB and one Hazard because I didn¡¯t accurately predict the wind, however, I got at least a birdie in most holes and even had one eagle. Thanks to that, I had a score of 14 under-par by hole 17. Then we arrived at hole 18. My heart was beating fast. Today would have been perfect if I finished properly. However, I was not the only one feeling that way. I listened to the broadcast as I walked around the course, and the broadcasters seemed to be even more excited than I was. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Said I Would Edit but Never Did Chapter 145 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 145: Kang Hwi Ram Show (2) Just listening to them made me laugh. I thought I showed just who I was in this past year, but they still did not seem to know me well. Then I should make it very clear this time. I could not be satisfied with the lowest score. I will make a new record for the lowest score ever. However, the course really was difficult like the broadcasters were saying. You needed to hit at least 330m to aim for a two-on, but the fairway was as narrow as an ant¡¯s waist from there. Furthermore, there was a large hill as well, making the entire distance at least 560 meters. However, I was confident. It was because there was a spot you could aim for. That area was narrow as well, but it was possible as long as I used a driver skill with high accuracy. Furthermore, the Jewel of Luck was still in effect. I was the owner of this hole as well. I walked up to the tee box and swung the driver around for some practice swings. The gallery started to notice my actions. ¡°Oh! That swing form means he¡¯s aiming for a long-distance shot.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I remember he hit over 370 meters every time he used that swing form.¡± The gallery seemed to be decently skilled at golf. They were able to tell my intentions by looking at only my practice swings. But I guess it is easy to notice. There was a significant difference between my regular swing and my 370 meter long distance swing. My body was straight for my regular swing while my long-distance swing had my body leaning to the right a bit as if I was playing baseball. Now shall I finish this show-time? I finished my practice swings and finished my address. * * * Lutz could not believe it. ¡®He is a monster.¡¯ Distance, accuracy, putting, and even stability, almost all aspects of his golfing were close to perfect. He recalled what Robert had told him. [Apparently, he¡¯s always hitting under 60 strokes. He recorded a 26 under-par for 36 holes last competition and had 25 under-par in the competition before that.] It meant that he was not doing so well right now because he was lucky. Kang Hwi Ram showed this level of skill in every competition he participated in. It gave him the chills. This could even be the moment that the greatest golfer in history was born. Not only that, but this guy was also handsome. He seemed to be the perfect person to become a star. He also had guts. A par at this hole would let him tie for the lowest score but he was aiming for something even bigger. In a difficult course like this. ¡®I guess he doesn¡¯t know the definition of fear.¡¯ That was what Lutz was most envious about. It was something that he did not have. The reason Lutz was able to succeed in the PGA was because he limited unnecessary risks. He always chose the safest route, even if it meant that he would end up adding an extra stroke to his score. Thanks to that, he was able to put his name in the upper ranks of the PGA but he did not have any outstanding scores. He was always either second or third. That was why he had a bit of a complex about his lack of an adventurous mentality. It was no wonder that Kang Hwi Ram would seem wonderful to him. It was to the point that his thoughts about suppressing and stepping all over Kang Hwi Ram were starting to melt away like snow. No, those thoughts had already melted away a long time ago. It was because, after these two days, Kang Hwi Ram had an overwhelming lead at 23 under par. In comparison, he had a total of 12 under par. Although there were still two rounds left, the atmosphere made it almost impossible to flip the script. This was also the case for Robert who was in second place. He had done pretty well in the second squad today but he was still at only 14 under par. That was a great score on its own, but Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s score was so overwhelming that even 14 under-par seemed terrible. That momentum would only continue from here. The PGA might even end up becoming Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s world. He started to get greedy once his thoughts reached that point. ¡®I want to have Kang Hwi Ram.¡¯ There were many ways for someone to gain fame. You could make a name for yourself with your own abilities or you could do so by taking such talented individuals as your disciple. Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s teacher. That title might end up becoming a more popular title than his current title as one of the, ¡®Four Horsemen.¡¯ ¡®Yes. Let us fly together. I will become your teacher and open up your path to the PGA for you.¡¯ This shot would determine everything. If Kang Hwi Ram was able to record at least a birdie in this hole, he¡¯ll be able to earn a teacher named Lutz. ¡®Please do well. Do it for your future. And do it for me.¡¯ Lutz watched Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s shot with a gaze that was full of anticipation. Kang Hwi Ram stepped up and swung his driver. Tang- A clear noise. At the same time, the gallery cheered as if they already knew the results. ¡°Wow!¡± Lutz could anticipate the results as well. It was landing exactly at the fairway 370 meters away where it was slowly getting wider. Lutz could not close his mouth. ¡®Unbelievable! That means he was aiming for that spot. He was able to accurately determine the direction and distance for that far away spot? He really is a monster.¡¯ * * * ¡°Wow! That was so cool.¡± Han Sul Yi stuck close to me and continued to share her amazement as we walked over to the second shot location. I was lucky. I thought that it might end up in the rough because the fairway was really narrow, but it landed accurately on the middle of the green. It was a great location to hit my second shot. I¡¯m sure it was thanks to the Jewel of Luck. However, it was not yet time to get shocked. To be honest, the second shot was the one that I was looking forward to. It was because the remaining distance was less than 160 meters. Hitting it 160 meters should land it right by the cup because of the uphill slope. 160 meters is one of the iron skills that I am most confident in. [5 Iron 160 skill: Intermediate Level 7, 22%] There should be almost no error with the distance. The important thing was the direction. How accurately I predict the direction would determine the results of this shot. I carefully calculated the direction. The luck was on my side as there was barely any wind. It would only be a max of about 50 centimeters if the ball was affected by the wind. I stood behind the ball and created an imaginary line from the ball to the cup. I then stood perpendicular to that line. ¡®Direction is set. Please don¡¯t get windy.¡¯ I lightly did a practice swing before activating my skill. Tang- The swing had no choice but to be perfect. This was because there was no chance for errors with the skill. I completed my swing and turned my head toward the direction of the ball. The ball created a low parabola as it started to fly. There was no influence from the wind. It did not tilt to the right nor left as it continued to fly straight to the front. I had a good feeling about this. I even got chills knowing that it was a good shot. ¡®Great!¡¯ However, things could still change. The ball¡¯s direction may change if there is an uneven area in front of the green or if it hits the edge of the green. The ball could be much farther from the cup than expected if something like that happens. ¡®Please¡­¡­!¡¯ The ball landed on the fairway in front of the green and made a large bounce as it continued to roll forward. It did not tilt to the side. It directly went on top of the green. I could not see what happened after that. However, I was pretty certain that it was aiming directly for the flag. The gallery should start to respond by now. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s going in!¡± ¡°What is this? Is it that?¡± ¡°Omo. Oh my gosh!¡± I couldn¡¯t help but think that I did it. ¡®It worked!¡¯ A moment later, Han Sul Yi shrieked and started to jump up and down. ¡°Wow! It went in! It is an albatross!¡± I raised my hands in the air. Although this was not my first albatross and I had even landed a hole-in-one during this rounding, I had never felt such a thrilling sensation before. It was disappointing that this was not the Royal Roader world. If I was in Royal Roader, I would have gotten a, ¡®new record,¡¯ message. Han Sul Yi took the spot of the message as she explained the significance of this shot. ¡°That means that your record today is 17 under par for 55 strokes. You know that is a world record, right?¡± Of course I do. I just smiled back at her. However, Lutz approached me and started to speak. ¡°Congratulations.¡± This much English was something even middle schoolers would understand. I was now confident enough with my English that I could watch Hollywood movies without subtitles now. Although my pronunciation still needed some work, reading and listening were easy. But why did his attitude suddenly change? His gaze was cold at the beginning of our rounding. It was as if he was telling me that he was going to teach me a lesson today. It was that way at the last hole as well. He seemed to be shocked that I continued to hit great shots, but his gaze was cold whenever we made eye contact. However, his gaze was warm now. It was as if he was saying, ¡®I approve of you!¡¯ It really didn¡¯t matter to me what he did. Although Lutz was famous as one of the PGA¡¯s four horsemen, he was just a so-so golfer in my eyes. Rather than a mountain I need to eventually climb over, he was just a loser that I had already stepped over. I just needed to give a short response. ¡°Thank you!¡± I lightly responded and turned away. However, Lutz pulled my attention back to him. ¡°I think you have potential to be great. What do you think about being my disciple and properly learning golf?¡± Disciple? What kind of bullshit is this? Ah. That must be the reason! Lutz¡¯s plan was obvious to me. He could tell that I would succeed as soon as I made it into the PGA, so he wanted to get on the tiger¡¯s back and earn some benefits as well. To be honest, I would not lose out from doing this. Learning from an expert like Lutz would make my skills increase at a much faster rate. However, I had no reason to do it either. I had enough confidence to do well in the PGA even without learning from Lutz. Then the question becomes what I can earn from him outside of golf. That needed to be greater than what Lutz would get by riding on my coattails. Only then would it be balanced. It was not something that I could decide on a whim. I had no way of knowing what I could earn from Lutz right now. ¡°I¡¯ll think about it.¡± Our conversation could not be long. Although I had finished my rounding with the albatross, Lutz and the other players still needed to hit a few more shots. Flash. Flash. Flash. Cameras were flashing all around me. They were so bright that it was difficult to even open my eyes. I could not help but feel respect for the announcers who could continue the interview without even having a change in expression. ¡°How do you plan to use the prize money for hitting a hole-in-one?¡± It was an obvious question. How would a selfish person who planned to use it for themselves respond? Would they have to lie? Of course, I was thankful to get this question. I would have had to bring it up myself if they didn¡¯t ask. My answer was obvious. ¡°I am donating all of it to the Dandelion School.¡± ¡°Omo. You¡¯re doing that again? I believe that you have given away all of your prize money to the Dandelion School. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°It somehow ended up that way.¡± ¡°Then are you planning to donate all of the prize money to the Dandelion School if you happen to win this tournament?¡± Of course. That was one of the reasons I played golf. However, I would not be satisfied giving a simple answer of, ¡®yes.¡¯ Such a short answer would not live up to their expectations. I needed something a bit more captivating. Something that would excite them and raise their expectations. I suddenly came up with a response. ¡°There is no, ¡®happen to win.¡¯ I give you my word that I will be victorious. Then I will deliver the prize money to the Dandelion School. If I somehow do not win, I will donate twice the amount of the prize money out of my own pocket.¡± This should be exciting enough, right? The announcer¡¯s pretty eyes opened wide as if she had heard an unexpected but wonderful promise. ¡°It is wonderful to see such confidence. I also think that you have the skills to back it up. I really hope you win.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡ª Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 146 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 146: Kang Hwi Ram Show (3) ¡°What am I going to do with that bastard? He¡¯s driving me nuts!¡± Robert was going crazy thinking about how this monkey that he did not even want to consider as a fellow human was beating him. Those damn Koreans who were sweeping the LPGA were now looking down on the PGA as well. The thing that made him even angrier was the fact that things seemed like they would go exactly the way Kang Hwi Ram described. Robert had recorded an eagle on the last hole today to have a combined two-round score of 16 under par. This would normally be a fabulous score. However, he was still 10 strokes behind Kang Hwi Ram. He needed to gain 10 strokes in the remaining two roundings. It wasn¡¯t an impossible feat to accomplish. However, that was not something that would happen if he alone did well. Kang Hwi Ram needed to do terribly in order for that to be possible. The chance of that happening was low, especially looking at Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s current condition. It was more likely that the gap between them would continue to increase. But he could not just sit around and let that happen. He could not be shamed by an oriental bastard. (TL: Someone has got serious issues.) Even if the LPGA was a lost cause, he could not allow the PGA to open its doors to these damn orientals. There were many things he could do to resolve this issue. He had met many formidable opponents in the past and this method had resulted in positive results each time. Honestly speaking, it felt like a waste to use this method against a stupid oriental. However, you have to sacrifice the small things in order to earn the big things sometimes. Robert started to frown. * * * ¡°Thank you very much! It is such an honor to be able to be a caddy for someone like you, Mr. Hwi Ram! Wow! A new record for the lowest strokes!¡± Han Sul Yi clenched the spoon in her hand as she put her hands over her chest. Just thinking about it again was getting her excited. ¡°It is an honor for us as well. A member from our Lions¡¯ Club accomplished such a record. Thank you very much.¡± The President of the Lions¡¯ Club shared similar sentiments. That was why the atmosphere around the table was great right now. Everybody was happy and smiling. Five of us had a wonderful dinner like that. ¡°You just need to do well for two more days. Please head back and rest early tonight. Maintaining your condition is the most important thing right now.¡± ¡°I understand. Then I will see all of you tomorrow.¡± I exited the restaurant and said goodbye to the rest of the group. It was too early to go home, even if maintaining my condition was important. It was only 8 PM right now. There is also something I did around this time every day as a routine. It would probably be worse if I broke my routine. ¡®I¡¯ll just do it for a bit.¡± I headed to a nearby swimming pool. There were a lot of people at this Jeju-do swimming pool. I preferred swimming in a crowded pool like this over an empty pool where I am by myself. I changed back and forth between freestyle and butterfly as I cut through the water. I was so used to swimming that I wasn¡¯t tired, even after an hour. I continued to swim up and down the 25-meter swimming lane. This naturally made me the focus of everyone¡¯s attention. There were not many people who recognized me though. Although I was more famous now, wearing goggles and a swimming cap made it difficult to recognize me. ¡°Omo! Look at that oppa!¡± ¡°Is he a competitive swimmer? How cool!¡± I just ignored them. A brave woman would hit on me every so often while I was swimming in Seoul. I never responded to them. It was because I didn¡¯t want to reveal my identity. If one of two people started to recognize me, it would not be long before a lot more people go, ¡®Ah, Kang Hwi Ram!¡¯ and draw more attention. There would be a lot of annoying issues if that happened. I already had to switch swimming pools many times for that exact reason. There was a brave woman today as well. She approached me when I stopped to rest for a moment. However, it was a different style of woman than usual. ¡°Hello, Mr. Kang.¡± She was not Asian, but a Westerner with beautiful white skin, radiating blonde hair, and beautiful blue eyes. I subconsciously could not help but look at her. My natural instincts took over and I checked her out. ¡®Beautiful!¡¯ Her face and her body were stunning. Although she was not wearing a very revealing swimming suit, the way her swimming suit emphasized her voluptuous curves was amazing. Maybe that was why, but, ¡®beautiful,¡¯ seemed to not be enough to describe her. Her beautiful face, slim figure, and the colors of her skin and eyes made it feel like I was looking at a High Elf. Most importantly, her skin seemed flawless, unlike most Western women. You couldn¡¯t see a single pore on her skin. I would probably have ignored her if she was anybody else. It didn¡¯t matter if they said I was rude. I needed to hide my identity in order to visit this swimming pool for a while. However, I could not do that to this woman. It was not because she was beautiful. The fact that she called me, ¡®Mr. Kang,¡¯ let me know that she already knew my identity. ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯m your biggest fan!¡± ¡®Biggest fan,¡¯ eh? I couldn¡¯t help but be suspicious. Even my friends would not be able to recognize me with my goggles and cap. How could someone I¡¯ve never met recognize me? Regardless of the reason, I was done swimming for today. Chatting here will make other people recognize who I am. ¡°Shall we talk outside? I don¡¯t like people recognizing me.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I quickly changed and headed out. I had a cap and large sunglasses to cover my face. The western lady was waiting outside. She seemed to have hurried to make sure she was out before me. But it shouldn¡¯t have been too hard, since, while she was wearing a swimming suit, she never actually went into the water. But she really was beautiful. Maybe it was because of her white skin, but the red one piece she was wearing and the jewelry she had to compliment it made her look even more stunning than in the swimming suit. But I needed to be careful. She was definitely a rose hiding her thorns. The most beautiful roses had the sharpest of thorns. ¡°How do you know me?¡± ¡°I am a huge golf fan. I fell for you after watching you golf.¡± I noticed this earlier, but she had a slight accent to her English. She didn¡¯t seem to be a native English speaker. Of course, she was much better than I was at speaking English. Anyways, her reason was passable. There were many women who became my fans that way. There¡¯s no reason that a foreigner could not become my fan for the same reason. But there was something I did not understand. ¡°How did you know I was here? I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t a coincidence that we met here.¡± The woman¡¯s face turned pale as if I hit the nail on the head. But it was only for a moment. She let out a short sigh before starting to smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. To be honest with you, I followed you from the golf course. I was sitting in a nearby booth in the restaurant as well. Did you not see me?¡± I did not see her at all. Furthermore, the guards did not react either. I have a contract with a security company to have two guards around me at all times. They would have let me know if they saw someone suspicious nearby. ¡®Are they not doing their job properly?¡¯ Anyways, it was time to send her back now that I knew the reason. ¡°I did not. Thank you for being my fan. Would you like a picture?¡± ¡°Could we chat over wine instead? I flew over from Belarus to meet you, Mr. Kang.¡± Belarus? I had read about this country in the past. They are more famous for their nickname of White Russia. It is famous for having many beautiful white women. That must be why her English has an accent. ¡°That¡¯s a bit troublesome. I may not be a celebrity, but I still need to maintain my image. I can¡¯t drink because I need to maintain my condition as well¡­¡­¡± ¡°My hotel is not far from here. Wouldn¡¯t that be stealthy enough? We can enjoy other things instead of wine if Mr. Kang wants.¡± The woman put on a seductive smile and put a hand on my chest. Now I was certain. Of course, a beautiful foreigner could want to sleep with me, but the chances of that were slim compared to someone sending this woman to mess with my condition. Who could it be? I had a pretty good idea. There were only a few people who would benefit from my condition going down. Especially when it came to people who were suffering because of my golfing abilities. Anyway, how should I respond to such a situation? I don¡¯t know who sent her, but I should at least pretend to fall for their plan. If I don¡¯t fall for this one, they will try something else. It could be something much more devious than just sending a woman after me. Plus, I was drawn to this woman. I didn¡¯t even know her name yet, but her entire body was exuding charm. I had not slept with anyone for five days in order to maintain my condition. That might be why I was finding it so difficult to resist her. Maintaining my condition? Honestly speaking, my golfing did not rely on my condition since I used skills to do it. Although there might be slight differences, I doubt it would be by much. Plus, shouldn¡¯t I let out some pent up lust in order to prevent that from affecting my condition? ¡°Shall we head to my car first?¡± The woman put on a bright smile seeing me respond positively. ¡°Sure.¡± We quickly got in my car that was nearby. I secretly turned on the recording function on my cell phone. I always maintained evidence like this when I went to a hotel with a woman. They might accuse me of rape if I didn¡¯t use this security measure. ¡°I am staying at Jeju Beach Hotel.¡± She was staying at a pretty nice hotel. But we will not go to that hotel. I still did not trust this woman. They might have done something to her room in advance. ¡°How about we go to my hotel? You don¡¯t need to go if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°No, that is fine. I don¡¯t mind where it is as long as I¡¯m with you, Mr. Kang.¡± Holy shit. She seemed to be turned on already. She moved her hand to my thigh as she said that. Was this the difference between a Western woman and Eastern women? She¡¯s trying to introduce herself with her body first. But it wasn¡¯t like I needed to know her name. Anyway, I should increase the number of guards tomorrow since I don¡¯t know what the person behind this might attempt next. We immediately headed to my hotel. * * * [Natasha went into the hotel with Mr. Kang. They are not at Jeju Beach Hotel, but the RainBow Hotel that Mr. Kang is staying in.] Robert smiled after looking at the text. ¡°All of these monkeys are the same. Both the males and females lose all rationality when they see a white person.¡± Natasha would do well. Robert had promised to give her three times the usual amount of Kang Hwi Ram performs terribly tomorrow. Furthermore, Natasha¡¯s beauty and her ability to seduce men would mean that Kang Hwi Ram would not get any sleep tonight. However, Robert was still disappointed, as he had originally brought her to sleep with him. Just thinking about Kang Hwi Ram rolling around while embracing Natasha¡¯s naked body made Robert¡¯s lower part go limp. ¡®Should I have some fun tonight too?¡¯ He longed for a woman today. The Korean women that he saw were extremely beautiful. There was talk about how they were all, ¡®plastic beauties,¡¯ but who cared about that? It was fine as long as they were beautiful. Sleeping with a Korean woman right now would be fun in its own way. However, he needed to control himself until the competition ended in a few days. His game always suffered when he slept with a woman. ¡®I¡¯ll wait until the competition is over. Then I will sleep with two, no, three women at once.¡¯ But he was looking forward to tomorrow. He couldn¡¯t wait to see Kang Hwi Ram start to break down. The next day. Robert observed Kang Hwi Ram as soon as he headed out to the field. Kang Hwi Ram seemed to be tired, as he continuously yawned. ¡°Yaaaawn.¡± Robert couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡®Pfft, Natasha did her job properly. I should reward her well.¡¯ The rounding soon started. Robert was in a squad with Kang Hwi Ram today. The owner was Kang Hwi Ram. He picked up his driver and stood inside the tee box. The first hole was a 400-meter, par 4 hole. The distance was 370 meters, but there was a slight uphill slope and a headwind, so you would need to send it at least 400 meters to do a tee shot on-green. But Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s practice swing was for a long-distance hit. He always hit at least 370 meters when he did this baseball-like swing. The sound of the wind was loud as well. Boooooong- Booooong- Robert started to smile even more. ¡®Stupid idiot, he doesn¡¯t even know his limits. Yes, be greedy like that!¡¯ Golf was a sport where it was hard to recover once you started to mess up. If you messed up on the first hole, you could even record a 20 over par by the end. The chances of a beginner like Kang Hwi Ram doing that was even more likely. Robert¡¯s heart started to beat faster. ¡®Yes! Hit it as hard as you can. Destroy yourself! Please! Then I will be the focus of this competition.¡¯ Chapter 147 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 147: Even Politicians Have Their Use (1) ¡®W, what the? What happened?¡¯ Robert¡¯s jaws could not help but drop. This would be a difficult shot based on distance and environment, even when he was in regular condition. That was why Robert had expected the ball to widely miss the fairway and fall into the forest. However, the results were completely opposite to his expectations. The swing was clean and the impact was perfect. Furthermore, Kang Hwi Ram had accurately calculated the wind as well, making the ball create a beautiful parabola and land on the green. It was such a clean shot that he even wondered if it would end up being an albatross. ¡®Is he just lucky?¡¯ He could not think of any other explanation. Kang Hwi Ram had not had such an accurate shot when his condition was in perfect condition yesterday. Furthermore, was Natasha a regular woman? Robert and Natasha had known each other for two years now. Although they only slept with each other every so often, he had personally felt Natasha¡¯s scariness each time. She was like a succubus who you couldn¡¯t help but fall under her magic after tasting her once. Kang Hwi Ram probably had all of his energy sucked dry last night as well. (TL: Energy he says¡­pfft) There was no way he could maintain such perfect conditioning after such a night. ¡®Yes, he just got lucky! It¡¯ll be terrible starting from his next shot.¡¯ Robert consoled himself and focused on his own play. It wouldn¡¯t matter even if Kang Hwi Ram did terrible if he did not do well. However, the situation did not change, even during the second hole. Kang Hwi Ram attempted another risky shot and the result was a perfect birdie. The third and fourth holes were the same. In fact, Kang Hwi Ram was in the lead after 5 holes with a score of 6 under-par. Robert had done pretty well and had 3 under-par, however, his score looked terrible compared to Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s amazing play. This continued on as Kang Hwi Ram continued to hit amazing shots. Robert even got chills while watching Kang Hwi Ram play. He had faced many experts in the past, but there was no one like Kang Hwi Ram. ¡®Did Natasha lie to me?¡¯ There was no way. Natasha had always properly carried out Robert¡¯s orders. There were many tournaments he had won by relying on Natasha¡¯s charms. That meant that there was only one conclusion. ¡®That monkey has that much stamina?¡¯ Regardless of the reason, Robert had failed. Kang Hwi Ram¡¯s showtime had continued throughout all 18 holes and ended the day with a great score of 11 under-par. He had a total of 37 under-par after three rounds. This was also a new record for the PGA. No, even outside of the official PGA tournaments, this was probably the lowest score in history. That was how amazing this score was. It was so amazing that it made Robert lose any desire to do something about him. He had no choice but to accept it. This tournament was a platform for Kang hwi Ram. He was the lone main character while himself, as well as the others, were just extras in the back. ¡®Damn it, I shouldn¡¯t have participated in this tournament.¡¯ * * * Clap clap clap. Whistle. ¡®Kang Hwi Ram, hooray!¡¯ The gallery could not stop their cheering. It was so loud that he could not even hear the announcer¡¯s voice. Flash! Flash! The cameras continued to flash as well. Thanks to that, the interview ended up being twice as long as usual. The celebration continued after the interview, to the point that I only managed to leave the golf range late in the evening. One of the men on my security detail got into the driver¡¯s seat. I could finally let out a deep sigh. ¡®Haaaa, it is harder to deal with everything afterward than actually playing golf!¡¯ I leaned into the comfy seat of the chair. The ride was smooth, probably because it was an expensive car. However, it looked like I would not be able to rest today either. My phone started to go off less than 5 minutes after we left. Riiiiiing- Riiiiiing- ¡®I wonder who it is.¡¯ It was Chairman Jung Man Yong from the Golden Dragon Group. Although he was not physically here, his gaze was probably locked on Jeju. He probably saw me win while achieving a new record for the lowest strokes day after day. He probably slapped down on the table with joy each time because I played with the Golden Dragon Group logo on my cap. This tournament was broadcasted worldwide and I was at the center of it. Most importantly, my records were so amazing that they would go down in the history of golf, making it big news abroad as well. In terms of PR, this was probably worth over ten billion won. So how could he not think that I¡¯m wonderful? I welcomed Chairman Jung¡¯s call as well. He should have finished what I requested him to do by now. ¡°Hello, Chairman-nim! I hope you are doing well!¡± ¨C Of course I am doing well. I feel like I am ten years younger now thanks to you. Congratulations. ¡°It is all thanks to your support, Chairman-nim.¡± ¨C You are being overly modest, unlike your usual self. I deserve such praise from our Golden Dragon Kids, but not from you. Anyway, let¡¯s grab a meal together. ¡°I think it will be difficult today. I have already reserved a plane to Cheongju International Airport in order to visit my house in Daejeon.¡± ¨C Of course, not today. Open up some time tomorrow evening. He really was the Chairman of a giant corporation. He expects anybody to make time if he asks for it. He seems to be looking down at me, even after I¡¯ve told him how much I am worth. However, was there a reason to make things difficult? I¡¯ll benefit from this discussion as well. ¡°I understand. I will head up to Seoul tomorrow for dinner.¡± The call ended but I got another call right afterward. It was my friend Kim Jong Suk this time. Just looking at his name made me start to smile. My wealth had expanded to close to 9 trillion won. Approximately 5 trillion of it was from stocks, 2 trillion from real estate throughout Korea, and 2 trillion in the Sodium-Ion Battery factory and the Vietnamese Company. (PR: 9 trillion won is a bit under 8 billion dollars. To put things in perspective, Bill Gates is worth 97.4 billion dollars and Trump is worth 3.1 billion dollars.) I was still gaining about 100 billion won a day. The person who made that possible was Kim Jong Suk. His AI Stock program was bringing in a lot of money. That was not all. I recently created a fund company with Kim Jong Suk and his colleagues as the core. I personally invested 3 trillion won and left the remaining 2 trillion won to the fund team. However, their profit rate was not bad. Although it had been only about three months, they were making approximately 10 percent profit every month. This was all thanks to Jong Suk. ¡°Hey Jong Suk!¡± ¨C Congratulations. I had a good chat with Jong Suk. Jong Suk sounded happy as well since our profits were averaging 3 million won a day. This made both of us excited. My phone rang again after I finished my call with Jong Suk. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡®It looks like I¡¯ll just be answering phone calls until I go to bed.¡¯ But I couldn¡¯t turn my phone off. I was currently using two phones. One was a number that had been given to most people while the other was a phone number just for important people that I could not ignore. However, it was this second phone that continued to go off. I guess I networked quite a bit until now. ¡®Let¡¯s just deal with it today.¡¯ ¡°Hello President Kim.¡± I arrived at Daejeon while answering call after call. I received so many calls that my throat was parched. However, I started to relax after getting close to home. ¡®Let¡¯s get a good night¡¯s sleep tonight.¡¯ However, that did not seem possible. Forget sleeping, I couldn¡¯t even rest properly from the moment I arrived at my home. There were people camping outside my house. The majority of them were reporters. I was swamped with questions and flashing cameras once again. That was not it. I had been responding to questions for a while, but I did not see my mom or sister. I didn¡¯t see Lee Man Bok¡¯s family either. The house seemed to be empty. There was apparently a reason for that. ¡°Ah, they are all at the middle school field. There is a celebration going on.¡± It was my next door neighbor. I was wondering why he was standing by while I was giving the interviews, but I guess he did that so that he could tell me where my family was. ¡°A celebration?¡± ¡°How can we not do anything when such an amazing thing happened in our neighborhood? Hurry on over.¡± There were a ton of banners up everywhere. [Congratulations! Daejeon Banseok-dong¡¯s son, Kang Hwi Ram, has taken over the world with golf!] (TL: Banseok-dong is the neighborhood) ¡®My goodness. Who came up with that?¡¯ Just looking at it was making me embarrassed. However, I could not take down this banner that my neighbors had worked hard to create. ¡°What are you doing? Let¡¯s go. They are all waiting for you.¡± The ahjussi started to pull my arm. ¡°I understand.¡± The middle school was approximately 500 meters away from my house. It was chaotic around my house, but it was even worse by the field. I had expected some of it, but it was even bigger than I had expected. ¡®Just how many people are here?¡¯ I never knew that so many people lived in our neighborhood. ¡°Wow, oppa! Congratulations!¡± My sister Minji noticed me first and ran over.My mom soon followed. ¡°Aigoo, my son! I¡¯m so proud of you! You did great!¡± ¡°Haha, thank you mom. What is up with all of this by the way?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t help it. The mayor-nim got involved and it became this big.¡± ¡°The mayor-nim?¡± Was she talking about Daejeon¡¯s mayor, Ahn Jung Hee? I don¡¯t really like politicians, but there were a few that I did like. The most representative of the group was Daejeon¡¯s mayor, Ahn Jung Hee. Although I had never met him in person, the information I had heard about him made me feel like, ¡®that type of person is a true politician.¡¯ I heard that he had helped out a lot when I was creating the Dandelion School as well. Of course, he could be so sly that he created this image for us to see. Either way, the citizens had a good image of him. He was good at his work and had a high approval rate that people even talking about him running for president in the future. I presume he¡¯ll be our next president or the one after that. I haven¡¯t had a chance to meet him, but I guess I can see his face today. ¡®But where is the mayor?¡¯ A middle-aged man in a suit walked over and reached his hand out to me as I looked around. ¡°Congratulations. I am mayor Ahn Jung Hee. Thank you very much for letting our Daejeon shine so brightly.¡± I had seen his face on TV before. His character and political decision making were good, but he was a handsome man as well, making him have a lot of female supporters. Even a man like me felt good while looking at his face. ¡°Ah, yes. Thank you very much. I¡¯ve always wanted to meet with you. I heard that you helped out a lot with the creation of the Dandelion School.¡± ¡°Haha, I just did what I should do as the mayor. In fact, I should be the one to thank you for giving me such an opportunity to help.¡± He also knew the right things to say. Most importantly, mayor Ahn had a warm smile. Although he could have learned this as a politician, his smile seemed very genuine. That was why his next words came across as very sharp. ¡°But it seems to be as I expected.¡± ¡°Expected? What do you mean¡­¡­?¡± ¡°The Dandelion School. I had suspected that teachers Lee Soo Bong and Lee Man Bok were probably not the founders. I had often wondered who the true founder could be.¡± I could feel my heart drop. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be too bad if it was revealed that I was the founder. In fact, it was something I had to reveal in the future. That was the only way for me to benefit from this Dandelion School that I had struggled to create. However, I was just waiting for the right moment. Revealing it now would only end with, ¡®Kang Hwi Ram is a good person.¡¯ In other words, I was not prepared to use that good image. That was why I was working hard to prepare it. I bought a company that had potential but had financial issues and was currently bringing in experts to put them to use as needed. If I reveal the information that I founded the Dandelion School after that, the PR will be amazing. The Dandelion School will soon become a world-renowned Educational Institution in the near future. That was the reason I needed to hide the fact that I was the founder. But Ahn Jung Hee had figured it out. ¡®How should I deal with this?¡¯ Just flat out denying it would not be good. The fact that I had such a conversation with Ahn Jung Hee would also gather quite a lot of interest. Then it would become a big issue and people would ask me about being the founder every time I have an interview. It isn¡¯t like I could lie to them in such a situation. I needed to avoid it if possible. But Ahn Jung Hee was a sharp person. He started to laugh as soon as he saw my expression and shook my hand. ¡°Haha, I do not know who the founder is, but I¡¯m sure they have a reason for not revealing themselves. Anyway, the founder is an amazing person.¡± In other words, he was saying that he knew the truth but had no plan on revealing it if I did not wish for him to do so. I knew I liked this guy. I felt like good things would happen if I got to know this man. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 148 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 148: Even Politicians Have Their Use (2) ¡°You really deserve my respect, mayor-nim. I feel like I made a good decision voting for you at the last election.¡± ¡°Ahaha. Thank you very much for that. I look forward to your support again at the next election.¡± ¡°Absolutely. I am your fan, mayor-nim. Haha.¡± We naturally had a good conversation for a while. There were things Ahn Jung Hee wanted from me, but there were also many things that I could earn from him as well. But he was not the only politician here tonight. ¡°Aigoo, player Kang Hwi Ram! Congratulations! My name is Goo Bok Hee and I am the governor of Chungnam-do.¡± ¡°Ah, governor-nim. What brings you here¡­¡­?¡± ¡°And I am Kang Sang Moon, a member of the National Assembly. It looks like player Kang Hwi Ram and I share the same ancestors.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so? Haha.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. I am the mayor of Gongju¡­¡­¡± Politicians continued to introduce themselves to me. I thought that the mayor of Gongju and the congressman had traveled far, but there were Congress members from even farther away, such as in Cheonan. It almost felt like a gathering of politicians from around Korea. This made me feel good. ¡®Yes! This is exactly what I wanted!¡¯ I was not happy because I was networking with many politicians. There were two ways of getting to know people. One was for me to go find them while the other was for them to come to find me. I was hoping to use the second method. Once I become a celebrity and they get to know that I am a generous person, I wanted talented individuals to gather around me. I would not reject them just because they were politicians. I would welcome anybody who could be of assistance. I bowed and firmly shook all of their hands. ¡°Thank you for coming all this way. I should have visited you first. Please forgive me for my ignorance.¡± ¡°Haha, not at all. You are probably the busiest person in all of Korea right now.¡± Maybe it was because they were politicians, but they were all great with their words. The conversation never seemed to end. Furthermore, with so many politicians gathered together, the time quickly went by. Two hours had passed by without my realizing it. ¡°Mayor-nim, it is time to go.¡± ¡°Ah, is it already time?¡± All of the politicians slowly started to leave once mayor Ahn Jung Hee left. Thanks to that, I was able to escape from the rowdiness. The people I really wanted to chat with were pushed to the back while I was chatting with the politicians. The representative for all of them was Lee Man Bok. I asked my sister Minji where he was. ¡°Where is teacher Lee?¡± ¡°Over there in the kitchen.¡± I quickly headed over. Lee Man Bok was walking around while wearing a white chef¡¯s outfit. He was responsible for the meal for this celebration. It was not just Lee Man Bok. The students and teachers of the Dandelion School were all participating in making the food for the crowd. ¡®Oh? That person is¡­¡­!¡¯Teacher Lee Soo Bong of Poong Ryu Shik Gek was present as well. (TL: This group was described in ch 72: ¡®They are famous for their organic cooking. They show up a lot on TV as well.¡¯) He was over 70 years old, but still personally handling the ingredients along with the students. I could not stand still. I had to go and greet him. ¡°Hello, senior!¡± ¡°Oh! Welcome, President Kang. Long time no see.¡± ¡°What are you doing here? Leave the cooking to the students and get some rest.¡± ¡°Hoho, I am a chef. A kitchen is heaven for chefs. Please do not get in the way of my doing what I enjoy.¡± They really were good people. Most importantly, their passion and dedication to their work were amazing. I am certain that students learning from them will inherit this mindset. That alone should allow the students¡¯ futures to shine brightly. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here.¡± Someone was calling for me. I turned around to find two people dressed up in suits. They had chatted with me earlier. However, there were so many people that I couldn¡¯t remember who they were. But I think they were either congressmen or a mayors. ¡°Ah, yes.¡± ¡°Our Gongju truly must be the hometown of world-renowned athletes. Player Park Chan Ho dominated the Major Leagues, Player Pak Se-ri dominated the LPGA, and now player Kang Hwi Ram is going to dominate the PGA.¡± Ah right, they were the mayor of Gongju and the congressman. I thought they left with Mayor Ahn, but I guess not. They probably wanted to show their faces to Mayor Ahn, who is expected to run for president. They then escorted him out and then came back. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°There are many festivals planned in Gongju. The closest one is the Baekje Cultural Festival in November. Could you please stop by and shine some light on the festival?¡± (TL: Info on Baekje Cultural Festival: http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=1057670 ) He seems like a very hands-on person. That type of request could have been made through the related department. He probably just brought it up to have something to talk about it and build up his relationship with me in order to use me during the next election. I did not look at it too negatively. Although I was saying, ¡®use,¡¯ recruiting celebrities to create his image and raise his popularity was something that all politicians sought to do. I also did not have a bad image of these two people to start previously. And, as the mayor mentioned, Gongju was my mother¡¯s hometown. People might look down on me and say that I don¡¯t know how to treat my roots if I ignore him. But beyond that, Gongju was a special place for me. One of the candidates for the expansion of the Dandelion School was Wonnam-myeon in Gongju. I had already purchased a large amount of land in a part of Wonnam-myeon. I bought any land that became available and paid extra in order to convince the current owners if there were any that I was really interested in. I had 50,000 pyeongs worth of land already. (TL: 1 pyeong = 3.3 sq meters = 3.5 sq ft so 50,000 pyeongs is approximately 163,000 sq ft. In comparison, the largest home in the US, the Biltmore Estate, is about 176,000 sq ft.) But I have not bought any important pieces of land yet. It would be the best place for the Dandelion School if I could manage to buy that land. I suddenly felt a lightbulb go off in my head at that moment. Maybe the politicians could help resolve my headaches. It was because that land was public property. ¡®Ah, the Governor of Chungnam-do was here. I could probably talk to him!¡¯ However, it was only right to speak to these two first because it was a part of Gongju city. ¡°Gongju is my mother and my hometown. Of course I will help out for a festival back home.¡± ¡°Ahaha. Thank you very much. You really do have a big heart.¡± ¡°But may I also ask for a favor?¡± ¡°Of course. Please go ahead.¡± They said that, but I could sense the nervousness. Both of their expressions changed slightly when I said the word, ¡®favor.¡¯ I felt like they would say it is complicated if I started with the talk about the land. However, I planned to give them an offer that they could not resist. It was the reason I wanted this land in the first place. ¡°To be honest with you, I have a close relationship with the Dandelion School. I heard that they plan to soon increase the number of students to over 10,000 and expand the school.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so? They will probably need a large amount of land for that.¡± ¡°Our Gongju is probably the best place to build such a school.¡± They¡¯re setting it up for me. Perfect. ¡°I hope that the Dandelion School can be in my hometown as well. I think that it is possible to make it happen.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± ¡°Oh, what great news¡­¡­!¡± The mayor and congressman¡¯s eyes opened wide. They had come to develop a relationship with me, but now had a chance to return with a big gift. ¡°But there is just one issue. If we can resolve that issue, it will pretty much be guaranteed to be built in Gongju.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°We are the people you should discuss such issues with.¡± The two of them seemed as if they were willing to take care of any issues for me. It looks like I set the right mood to ask my request. ¡°The area they have selected for the Dandelion School is public land. Please help me purchase that land for them.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so? Where is it and how large of an area are we talking about?¡± ¡°It is in Jeongan-myeon. The area is a little more than 500,000 pyeongs.¡± ¡°500,000 pyeongs?¡± Their eyes opened wide once again. The area seemed to be much larger than they had expected. I knew that it wouldn¡¯t be an easy issue to fix, even if the governor was here. But when there is a will, there is a way. The question is whether the will is there rather than if there is a way. My job is to help motivate them to develop that type of will. ¡°Please do not worry too much about it. They seem to have about 30 locations in mind for the Dandelion School. I¡¯m sure that they¡¯ll find somewhere that is willing to take them in if they look around.¡± ¡°Does that mean ¡­¡­ that the Dandelion School may go elsewhere outside of our Gongju¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It is all in the great Republic of Korea in the end. Although I would be disappointed that it is not in my hometown, the future of the school and the students are more important than my greed for it to be in Gongju. Whether it is in Gangwon-do or even Jeju-do, that doesn¡¯t really matter.¡± It was not just a comment to threaten them. That really was the plan. I just thought that Jeongan-myeon would be the best place to build it. ¡°We will ask our governor-nim about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that the governor-nim will seriously consider it. The province benefits from having the Dandelion School remain here as well.¡± Then I shouldn¡¯t need to personally speak with the governor. I guess the governor may ask to meet with Lee Man Bok, Lee Soo Bong, or me in order to talk about it though. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± * * * The next evening. I headed into a luxurious restaurant in Seoul. They took me down a fancy corridor to a beautiful room, but it was empty. I seemed to have arrived first. Chairman Jung Man Yong arrived about five minutes later. A man and a woman who both seemed like secretaries followed him into the room, but I didn¡¯t pay much attention to them. ¡°Oh, you are already here? Haha!¡± Chairman Jung gave me a big hug right away as if we were family members who had not seen each other for a long time. ¡°Thank you very much. The image of our Golden Dragon Group shot up thanks to you.¡± It didn¡¯t seem real. I just had their logo on my cap while I played. Furthermore, I only won one PGA tournament in the country. Of course, I became the focus of the world every time I established a new record, but I didn¡¯t think that was enough to raise the image of a global corporation like the Golden Dragon Group significantly. It felt as if he was giving me lip service. But I didn¡¯t care. Chairman Jung wouldn¡¯t try to cheat me, so I¡¯ll gratefully take the compliment and say thank you. ¡°I need to return the favor for you doing something big for our group. That is why I wanted to see you today. You two can put that on here and wait outside.¡± The pair of secretaries left a tablet on the table before quickly exiting the room. ¡°When you say return the favor¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Check for yourself.¡± Chairman Jung pointed toward the tablet with his chin. The power was on, so I could immediately see what was on it. There was an eye-catching title in the background. [Dandelion School Documentary] ¡°It is already completed?¡± ¡°What do you mean already? It has been a few months.¡± I guess it is long considering how it would have been a special order from Chairman Jung himself. But the documentary production team would have worked their butts off to make sure it was a great piece after knowing who wanted it done. The short time it took to produce it shouldn¡¯t affect the quality because of that. But I should still check the documentary for myself. I started the video. It was 50 minutes long. Chairman Jung started to laugh once I clicked play. ¡°Haha, what is the rush? Are you planning on watching the whole thing now and forget about me?¡± ¡°Ah, I apologize.¡± I wasn¡¯t really curious about the contents since I knew that it would be well-made. Chairman Jung seemed to have ordered in advance, as food started to come out as well. I pushed the tablet off to the side. ¡°Let me know if you ever need something like that again. I can make as many of those as you want.¡± I could do it as well if I spent some money. But his name has more clout than mine right now. Using his name would make sure that the final product is a high-quality item. Of course, that will change in the future. The Dandelion School would significantly expand in the near future. It would start recruiting production and acting students, as well as develop a curriculum for agriculture, massage therapy, martial arts, electrical engineering, and architecture. Then we will go on to build satellite campuses in China, Vietnam, India, and Russia. By then we should have over 100,000 students in total. All of this was still flexible. It could end up being bigger or slightly smaller as well. However, the Dandelion School was certain to have a positive future. By then, I will not need Chairman Jung¡¯s help at all. ¡°I understand. Thank you very much.¡± ¡°But keep the Golden Dragon Group logo on your cap. That is the condition.¡± That¡¯s a bit complicated. He wants to keep using my image with just one documentary? Shouldn¡¯t I use him some more? There was actually something I needed to get from him. ¡°I will do so. But I will add a condition as well.¡± ¡°What is it? Is it related to that punk Joon Yul?¡± Why would you bring up Hwang Joon Yul¡¯s name during this important meeting? Do you really think I am hellbent on getting revenge for something that happened in middle school? He¡¯s looking down at me too much. This world is one where money is power and influence. How much money do I have? Someone like Hwang Joon Yul is far down in the food chain of society. Chairman Jung will soon be under me as well. So why would I offer revenge on Hwang Joon Yul as the condition? There were still a lot of things that I needed to do. My net worth will be close to 10 trillion won soon. How I use that money would change my future for better or worse. One of the things I need to do was to develop a proper company. Chairman Jung has one of the companies that I have my eyes on. Well, it is more accurate to say that it is the company that President Kim In Hwan has his eyes on. It is a company that would work perfectly with the Sodium-Ion battery. ¡°I wish to purchase one of your companies.¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 149 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 149: Trustworthy Comrades (1) ¡°My company? You want to buy one of them?¡± Jung Man Yong looked shocked. It seems as if my condition was completely unexpected. I guess it makes sense since Jung Man Yong just sees me as a typical athlete. A businessman and an athlete are completely different paths, even if you have a lot of money. Furthermore, it was one of Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s companies. But I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be interested after hearing my proposal. ¡°I believe that it is a company you are trying to sell off. It¡¯ll be beneficial for both of us if a deal is made.¡± Jung Man Yong¡¯s gaze slowly changed. ¡°A company that I want to sell off? Which one are you talking about?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you acquire an automobile company in India about 5 years ago? I¡¯ve been told it is returning a loss year after year.¡± ¡°Ah, you are talking about HI Motors. Not all automobile companies are large. HI Motors is so small that the loss isn¡¯t a big deal for me.¡± Even I know that much. I have been gathering information on it for close to three months now. Thanks to that, I know the financial structure of HI Motors, as well as personal information about the staff members. HI Motors is better described as an electric car company. It only creates small electric cars. (TL: An Indian Tesla?) The yearly production is less than 1 million vehicles. But the Golden Dragon Auto had invested in the company while expecting a profitable future. They thought that the knowledge base and skill set of the Golden Dragon Auto¡¯s team working with the cheap labor costs in India would help them be competitive in the small electric car market. However, the results were not as they had hoped. The growth of the Chinese competitors was so fierce that the difference in skill set did not allow them to have an overwhelming advantage. Furthermore, it was hard to get past the stigma of the fact that it was, ¡®made in INDIA.¡¯ Most importantly, it was not very cheap either. It was cheaper than the Chinese models, however, the consumers didn¡¯t care about the slightest of savings. This led to the thought of HI Motors creating the future for Golden Dragon Auto falling to the ground. It was not just HI Motors. The Golden Dragon Auto¡¯s own electric car business was not doing well. Although electric cars were the path to the future, it was still hard to be competitive based on cost and required skill set. This was why the Golden Dragon Group talked about letting go of Golden Dragon Auto as well. Of course, Chairman Jung Man Yong threw a fit every time it was brought up. Anyway, it was at least certain that the electric cars were choking the Golden Dragon Group. Keeping the company would just make the deficit continue to grow, and that may eventually end up affecting the entire Golden Dragon Group in the future. I would think Chairman Jung Man Yong would want to sell it as long as someone was willing to pay a fair price for it. ¡°I will give you 300 billion won for it. I will take over any remaining loans that need to be paid off as well.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s eyes turned vicious. He had turned from a senior who enjoys golf to an experienced businessman. ¡°You are looking down on business too much.¡± If you think something is simple, then it is simple. If you think something is difficult, then it is difficult. In addition, I was jumping into the battlefield while knowing that it was a battle I was going to win. ¡°I can take the Golden Dragon Auto¡¯s Electric Car Factory as well if you would like me too. The decision is yours, Chairman.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong could not easily respond. I¡¯m sure he has nothing prepared for the sale of HI Motors or the Electric Car Factory. He¡¯ll need to put together a task force in order to deliberate the pros and cons. He¡¯ll then create a negotiation team in order to try to raise the price I pay for the companies. But that would be difficult. That is because I have no thoughts of negotiating. ¡°I would like a YES or NO answer for at least HI Motors. I will take it as a NO if you want to negotiate the price, so I hope that you do not waste our time. Oh, and one more thing. Whether or not I play with the Golden Dragon Group¡¯s logo depends on whether I can purchase HI Motors or not.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong was rubbing his chin with his fingers. ¡°Hmm. Then I will ask you one question. I¡¯m sure that is allowed?¡± ¡°Please ask.¡± ¡°Why do you suddenly want to purchase HI Motors? I heard that you purchased a Vietnamese Food Company, but food and cars are extremely different.¡± ¡®Does he think I don¡¯t know even that much?¡¯ All of this was President Kim In Hwan¡¯s request. He had brought it up as soon as I agreed to invest in the Sodium-Ion Battery. Of course, he didn¡¯t bring up HI Motors right away. He just told me to purchase companies that would be competitive based on the price and capabilities of batteries, such as electric cars, drones, and cell phones. It made sense after he explained it to me. I thought that it was best to go with electric cars. The battery is what determines an electric car¡¯s performance and price. Of course, the skill set when building the vehicle is important as well, but the main reason people avoid electric cars is because of the cost and lack of charging stations. As long as we have the cheap yet reliable Sodium-Ion battery in our hands, we will be able to create better and cheaper electric cars than any other company. Furthermore, President Kim In Hwan is currently developing a Sodium-sulfur battery as well. The Sodium-sulfur battery is supposed to hold eight times the charge of the Sodium-Ion battery. It would allow us to increase the duration of usage while keeping the battery the same size. President Kim In Hwan thinks that he could develop it in the next year or two. I had already checked his future with the Chaos Jewel. That meant that Kim In Hwan will definitely succeed. He will also continue to develop much greater things. Where else would I find such a good investment? ¡°My goal since I was young was to own an automobile company. Plus, won¡¯t electric cars dominate the future? I want to turn it into a world-renowned automobile company, even if it requires my entire wealth.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡­ I will think about it. Anyway, let us eat. I don¡¯t like to talk about business when there is food in front of me.¡± I had no reason to rush. Although I have already done a lot of research, I still didn¡¯t know everything about HI Motors nor the Golden Dragon Auto¡¯s Electric Car Factory. I need to do even more research from here onward. That is why I presume the actual purchase will be in about a year. Today was just the tape cutting to get it started. So, this much discussion is already good enough. ¡°Ah, my apologies. Thank you for the delicious meal.¡± * * * Boom! A Golden Troll fell over with a loud noise. I heard a refreshing voice as soon as it fell. [Golden Troll¡¯s Blood Essence] Consuming this item will increase your recovery rate by 300%. ¡®Golden Troll¡¯s Blood Essence?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t bad, but it was not a very useful item. Human recovery rate was so low that three times the norm would not make much of a difference. It would be better to use healing magic or drink a potion. However, it still was too precious to randomly give to someone else. I¡¯ll just put it in my bag for now. I had a more important task to take care of right now. I quickly opened a magic bag and collected the Golden Troll¡¯s blood. There was a lot that was spilled onto the ground, so I only managed to fill one bag. But it was still a Golden Troll¡¯s blood. I¡¯m sure that it will be worth a lot. ¡®The magicians will go crazy if I bring it to them.¡¯ But I had no plans on taking it to the magic tribe, the Shapir. I had already finished upgrading my equipment. I had no reason to take any more Golden monster blood to the Shapir. I was planning on taking it to someone else. Avanguarde¡¯s colossus, Humbley. He will put it to its best use, whether it would be selling it off or making a magic item with it. ¡®It has been a while since I¡¯ve seen his face.¡¯ I had been focused on clearing Demon Caves for almost a year now. It made me think about Kaldera as well. She was someone whose beauty overwhelmed even Shione¡¯s beauty. Of course, I didn¡¯t think she was that beautiful anymore. This was bad. My perspective of beauty has gone up quite a bit since meeting the High Elf. Will I even be able to get married at this rate? Anyway, I managed to reach my desired level after working hard for a year. ¡®Status window open!¡¯ [Kang Hwi Ram Level 400] Dexterity: Advanced Level 8, 95% Strength: 400 Agility: 1,803 Stamina: 101 Intuition: 145 Magic: 201 Vitality: 41 Mana: 770 HP: 848 Endurance: 41 Reinforced Toughness: 150 Guard Point: 3,598 Intelli Point: 3,256 Spirit Energy: 396 Level 400 wasn¡¯t necessarily that high. The Dwarf Goonto was already past level 500. However, this should be enough to safely enter the Southern District. My greatest strength is the fact that my skills allow me to attack with strength way beyond my actual level. [Combo (Under 40%): Advanced Level 4, 7%] [Drake¡¯s TBSA: Advanced Level 3, 57%] I have been working to raise my combo¡¯s proficiency. Combo becomes stronger the higher you raise it. And, after a long time, I finally managed to reach Advanced level 4. The exponential damage increased from 26% to 28% at advanced level 4. This means that the damage will double every 3 hits. Then I should be able to hit a monster with at least 10,000 damage with just a 30-hit combo. That would be 170,000 at a 40-hit combo and 2,000,000 at a 50-hit combo. It is damage that cannot be created with just strength, agility, or magic. Most importantly, I have reliable comrades. I have Goonto and the Dwarves, as well as Harrison¡¯s forces that also had Bernard. ¡°I think we¡¯re all done.¡± Shione¡¯s voice brought me out of my thoughts. The rest of the team had cleared the remaining monsters once I took down the Golden Troll. My slave Rohas played a pivotal role. He showed off his overwhelming abilities from the moment we entered the Demon Cave, and he showed us his strength in the final battle. Seeing him fight like that made me wonder how I had managed to take him in as a slave. I couldn¡¯t help but wonder about it. Shione¡¯s level should have gone up a lot as well. She also had built up a lot of experience participating in the Demon Cave Clearing Squads with me. She¡¯ll help a lot if she goes to the Southern District with me. It was now time. I needed to tell Shione about it as well. ¡°I gathered the final piece of the map.¡± Shione¡¯s beautiful eyebrows slightly twitched. This was the secret code we had determined a long time ago. It meant that we were done with the Demon Cave Clearing and that it was time to prepare for the restoration of the Batoru Kingdom. Shione¡¯s expression turned bright. ¡°That¡¯s great. Let us leave.¡± We went through the portal and headed out of the Demon Cave. The bishop looked as if he was going to cry after hearing that we completed the map of the Church of the Sun. ¡°Oh, we can finally restore peace to the continent!¡± ¡®Peace to the continent?¡¯ That was too extravagant of an expression. All we did was figure out the location of the Church of the Sun¡¯s headquarters. Although the headquarters is important, the fact that there are over a few thousand of branches of the Church of the Sun throughout the continent made it so that they would not accomplish much by just taking the headquarters out. It would just allow the Ameri Kingdom¡¯s strength to grow a bit. Finding the Church of the Sun¡¯s headquarters meant that they can figure out the location of the Altar of the Sun and develop stronger forces. However, even that would be impossible. There was no way that they would be able to climb the Peria Mountains. But that was none of my business. I just needed to take my reward. ¡°Then is the quest completed?¡± ¡°Ah, the quest! Reward! O, of course!¡± The bishop seemed to have forgotten about it for a bit. I guess it made sense since it has been close to a year. However, the quest does not disappear, regardless of how long you take. The bishop put his hand on my head. I soon heard a wonderful reward message. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 150 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 150: Trustworthy Comrades (2) ¡®Awesome!¡¯ I thought that I would get to use Guard Points first, but, unexpected, I am able to use the Intelli Points first. Intelli Points are not as useful as Guard Points because they can only be used for magic. However, that was still very good. I had already experienced what it was like to increase the strength of my magic using Spirit Energy. The Dragon Fear will see a vast improvement from the increase in magic points. It could be very helpful in clearing the Southern District. I couldn¡¯t help but smile in joy. The bishop smiled as well. ¡°Congratulations. Our Athena Temple will now work together with the Ares Temple in order to clear the headquarters of the Church of the Sun. Will you help us out again? A fitting reward will be given based on your merits.¡± The bishop looked at me and started to smile even more. He seemed confident that I would not reject his offer. The chance of personally being rewarded by the king would be considered a great honor by any of the Kingdom¡¯s citizens. However, I had no interest in such a thing. I would soon erase the Ameri Kingdom from history. I may completely get rid of it, or, if that doesn¡¯t seem possible, at least reduce it to the size of the Batoru Kingdom. So why would I care about being rewarded by the king? I still respectfully declined. ¡°It is disappointing, but I have urgent business to attend to, so I am unable to accept that quest.¡± The bishop looked completely shocked. ¡°Urgent business? What could be more urgent than this?¡± ¡°It is a personal matter. It will take at least two years. Is it possible to push back the attack on the Church of the Sun until then?¡± ¡°That is not possible.¡± I knew that it would be impossible. I asked just so that he could shoot me down. I sighed as if I was really disappointed. ¡°Haaaa, I really wanted to grasp this opportunity, but oh well. I can only give up on something that is not meant to be mine.¡± ¡°Hoo, how disappointing.¡± The bishop sighed as well. ¡°Then I will be leaving now as my matter could use every extra second I could give it.¡± ¡°Go ahead. Do come back if your matter ends up being resolved earlier than expected.¡± ¡°I understand, bishop-nim.¡± I immediately headed out of the temple. Shione walked me out. Nobody questioned Shione being alone with me because of our long partnership in the Demon Cave Clearing Squads. ¡°Anybody over there will be able to tell you the location of High Village. But I am wondering whether you will be able to escape. Can you do it?¡± ¡°I will have to do it. The bigger issue is what is waiting afterward.¡± It was an issue related to the Southern District. She had every reason to be afraid. No priests have yet to successfully complete a quest related to the Southern District. The Southern District was still a mystery that was known to be a region of impossibility. I had chosen to head to such a location with Shione, as well as Harrison¡¯s group that could be considered the future of the Batoru Kingdom. Harrison¡¯s group had agreed to go with me to the Southern District. They had to do so in order to be allowed to ascend the Altar of the Sun. It would be a pretty serious adventure. If we fail and Harrison¡¯s group ends up being decimated, the Batoru Kingdom would lose its future. It would be weird if she was not worried when nobody has completed a Southern District quest yet. However, I was confident that we would succeed since it was all within my calculations. I was also much stronger now than when I had tried it in the game. ¡°I also know how to value my life. Do you think I would attempt such a thing if I had no confidence? You at least have no reason to worry for Harrison-nim. I plan to lend the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute to him for the duration of the quest, as we discussed.¡± ¡°I understand. He should have received the quest from the temple by now. Please meet up with him as quickly as you can.¡± ¡°Then I will be waiting for you in High Village.¡± ¡°Yes, see you there.¡± I said goodbye to Shione and left Huksen. ¡®I knew they were good at information gathering.¡¯ I could see Kaldera waiting for me even though I had not contacted her in advance. I was certain she got the information of my return through the Magician¡¯s Tower. She kind of hopped over as soon as she saw me before flinching after seeing my travel buddy. ¡°You¡¯re here ¡­¡­omo!¡± It was because my travel buddy was the Dark Elf, Rohas. He really causes issues wherever we go. His entire body and face were covered by a robe, but he still gave off such a strong presence. I had to waste my time explaining the situation every time. However, there was no need to do so with Kaldera. ¡°Ah! This sir must be Rohas-nim, your new slave.¡± She really had a strong information network. Not only did she know that I took a Dark Elf as a slave, but she even knew his name. But how can I fix this punk Rohas¡¯s personality? He should at least slightly bow to show some respect at this point. He had his head up like a supercilious person. ¡°That is correct. He¡¯s a rude punk, so please understand if he is not very respectful.¡± ¡°That is okay, I have heard about it. But it really has been a long time. I¡¯ve stopped by Huksen a couple times but I could never see you because you were always in a Demon Cave.¡± I had heard about Kaldera coming over as well. She had left me messages every time she came. But I never replied to any of them. But seeing her made me recall our night together: She took off her shirt and climbed onto my bed.I unfastened her stockings and slowly rolled them off. Her pants were next and then her underwear. She shivered and closed her eyes as I left the garter belt on to confirm her nakedness. Her hand touches my chest and began to fall in excruciating slow designs while I laid there, as still as a rock. We could not get enough of each other that night. She continued to make me hard over and over again as I rolled her over and put it in once again. This time, she was wild. The bed began to creak and her breath became short. I even had to brace my hands on the wall as I hooked her knees around my torso to drive myself deeper. ¡°Oh,¡± she moaned, ¡°just like that.¡± April fools! Everything beyond the : never happened. ???? To be honest, Kaldera was a bit burdensome. I could enjoy a night with other women and say goodbye, but I didn¡¯t think that would work with Kaldera. I felt as if enjoying her body once would chain me down for good. (TL: Now we know they didn¡¯t do it last time.) I felt really sorry about what I did last time as well. Kaldera had thrown away her pride and took off her shirt, but I still did not take her. But the way she was looking at me still did not change. That was even more of a burden. I guess I¡¯m not ready to be chained down to one woman for the rest of my life just yet. ¡°Is Humbley-nim inside?¡± ¡°He is currently in the Ameri Kingdom. He should be back in about 5 days. Won¡¯t you please come in?¡± ¡°No thank you. I have a lot of thing to take care of. I will be back in 5 days.¡± Kaldera looked extremely disappointed. I understood why she would feel that way. She had already revealed her feelings for me and even showed me some skin, even if it was covered by her underwear. That is why it is probably difficult for her to just pretend as if nothing happened. Furthermore, Kaldera and I have to keep seeing each other for business reasons. In that case, she probably decided to go all in and keep coming at me until I buckle. But then my only choice is to keep running away. I only see Kaldera as a trade partner. ¡°Then I will be back in a few days.¡± I turned away from Kaldera¡¯s sad gaze and headed toward the Ares Temple. There was chaos at the Ares Temple as well because of the Dark Elf Rohas. Well, I may be exaggerating as it was just a moment of nervousness before I explained it in detail. Of course, I kept the important details like the Peria Mountains, the Altar of the Sun, Spirit Energy, etc. out. I just said I took him in as a slave while clearing Demon Caves in Huksen. The priests finally let me in after what felt like an eternity of explanation. ¡°Normally we are not allowed to let a Dark Elf enter, however, we will make an exception for you, Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡± In simple terms, my high fame, involvement in the Demon Cave Clearing Squad in Huksen, and the fact that I was granted an audience with his majesty allowed them to give me special treatment. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I entered the temple with Rohas. Thankfully, Kaicher was inside the temple. Kaicher was also wary of Rohas. Maybe I should leave Rohas behind next time I go anywhere. However, I was able to calm Kaicher down with a shorter explanation than the priests at the entrance. ¡°I see! Anyway, long time no see. Have you been well?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He really has not changed at all. His handsome face that makes me jealous, the flawless skin, and even the priest robe and the length of his hair had not changed at all. I guess it has only been 2 years. He should be taking the Immortality Potion every so often, so these two years to Kaicher would be no different than just a few days or a few months, at max. His expression and tone were the same as well. He was the type who would not speak unless there was something he needed to say. He would just look off to a distant mountain, thus making it difficult to figure out what he was thinking. Maybe that was why, but it felt as if we had just said goodbye yesterday. ¡°Did you make your preparations?¡± Kaicher turned toward me and looked confused. ¡°I told you that you¡¯ll need to go to the Southern District for a quest with me in a few years. Did you forget about it?¡± Kaicher was still silent. The fact that his expression didn¡¯t change much should mean that he remembers my comment. Does this mean he didn¡¯t think I meant it? Was my presence that low at that point? I thought I had made a decent impression on him by then. It didn¡¯t matter. There was nothing for Kaicher to prepare. I just needed him to be healthy. ¡°Get ready. We are leaving in half a month. Oh, where is the bishop-nim?¡± ¡°Are you really heading into the Southern District?¡± It¡¯s so hard to get him to talk. It was my turn now. I ignored his question in order to give him a taste of his own medicine. ¡°Is he over there?¡± This was not my first time in the Avanguarde Ares Temple. I clearly remembered the last time I was here, and so I confidently started to walk toward the same location as last time. Kaicher started to walk with me. ¡°Is it for the Blessings Quest?¡± Keep eating this bitter medicine. Do you know how boring it is waiting for an answer that will never come? But that wasn¡¯t my style at all. It was hard for me to stay quiet whenever Kaicher asked me a question every so often. In the end, I raised the white flag of defeat first. ¡°It will be hard to recruit people. The Southern District is too dangerous for just the two of us.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. I already have a lot of trustworthy comrades. All you have to do is follow me.¡± ¡°Trustworthy comrades?¡± He would be shocked if I told him about it. It was extremely rare for a human to have Dwarves as comrades. Even if they did, it would usually be one or two Dwarves at max. Nobody would be like me and have twenty-ish Dwarves, with one even at the level of One with the Sword. There was also Harrison¡¯s group. They promised to only send the best warriors of the Batoru Kingdom when I told them about the Altar of the Sun and the Fairy¡¯s Quest related to it. But it was not time to reveal all of that just yet. It would not be smart to spread the news about traveling with Dwarves. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡± Kaicher¡¯s eyes were full of curiosity. However, he could not ask further because we finally saw the bishop. Kaicher seemed to want to ask something before he closed his mouth. Instead, the bishop approached me and asked a question. ¡°You are the one who received the Blessings Quest! It doesn¡¯t look like you have completed the quest yet, so what brings you to the temple?¡± ¡°I am about to head to the Southern DIstrict to complete the quest. That is why I wish to make a request to you, bishop-nim?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I wish to take priest Kaicher with me.¡± Kaicher might be my most trustworthy comrade. Goonto is probably stronger than him, but Kaicher can use his divine powers to help us in many other ways. The bishop looked toward Kaicher, who walked in with me, while Kaicher was looking at me with a slightly deep gaze. The bishop did not contemplate it too long. ¡°There is no reason that he cannot go with you. However, the Southern District is such a dangerous place that I cannot force him to do so. Priest Kaicher, the decision is your own to make.¡± Do I need to convince Kaicher again? I do have a few strategies I have prepared, but I don¡¯t know if any of them will work. However, there was no need for me to do so. Kaicher answered almost immediately once the bishop gave him the power to decide for himself. ¡°I will go.¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 151 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 151: Trustworthy Comrades (3) ¡®I knew that we understood each other well.¡¯ It was possible that he remembered what I had told him a few years ago. I had told the bishop that, at some point in the future, I would take Kaicher with me to the Southern District. Everything thankfully progressed smoothly. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are aware of it, but you need to pay for a priest in order for them to accompany you for a quest, whether it be with money or with Guard points.¡± ¡®Oh! It was possible to do it with money? I thought it was limited to just Guard Points.¡¯ Then, of course, I would pay for it with money. Guard Points would become important to me once I complete the Blessings Quest. ¡°I wish to pay for it with money. How much will it cost?¡± ¡°Your fame is very high and you have completed a large number of Ares Temple and Athena Temple quests. His majesty looks favorably on you as well, and since this is related to the Blessings Quest, you will only need to pay 20% of the normal fee. It will be 1 billion won a month.¡± 20% of the normal amount is 1 billion won? Then it is 5 billion won a month without the discount. What an exorbitant amount. However, it was not that expensive when compared to Kaicher¡¯s abilities. And the most important thing was what came next. ¡°The deposit is for 4 years worth of time at 48 billion won. If it takes longer than 4 years, Kaicher will return right away. You will need to put down a higher deposit if you need him for longer than 4 years.¡± It¡¯ll take 2 years if it goes quickly, but no later than 3 years at max. I needed to handle it within 3 years because of the Jeppi tribe. Any longer than that and the damage from the Jeppi tribe will be too much for the Batoru Kingdom to recover from. ¡°I will return with him within 3 years.¡± ¡°The basic deposit is still 48 billion won.¡± It looks like I need to pay it right now. No worries, 48 billion won was basically pennies to me. I had about 1.5 trillion won at the Magician¡¯s Tower. I also carried about 50 billion won in my bag with me. I immediately put 48 billion won into a coin and handed it over. My actions made both the bishop and Kaicher¡¯s expressions change. They seemed to be shocked that I could take out 48 billion won on the spot. ¡°It will take me about half a month to prepare. I will take Kaicher with me at that point.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I walked away from the bishop with Kaicher. Kaicher finally started to speak again. The amount that he spoke went up just slightly since I stopped talking. ¡°Are you confident?¡± ¡°Of course. I do not attempt things that are impossible. However, it is possible that you may find some of our team members make you uncomfortable. You can deal with it, right?¡± ¡®This punk isn¡¯t responding again.¡¯ Whatever, not like he can do anything about it. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem since there won¡¯t be anyone that will be going against the rules of the Ares Temple. ¡°Be prepared. I¡¯ll come to get you soon.¡± I left behind Kaicher, who only answered back with his gaze, and exited the temple. ¡®I¡¯m finally going home.¡¯ It felt really weird. There wasn¡¯t really a place to call, ¡®home,¡¯ in Royal Roader. I¡¯m always on the move, so anywhere I lay down with a blanket was pretty much my home. However, thinking about this place always made me think of it as, ¡®home.¡¯ It didn¡¯t matter that it was the shabbiest place I had stayed in. Comparing it to Huksen¡¯s Athena Temple would be like comparing a palace with a tent. However, I longed more for this place than the Athena Temple¡¯s residence. ¡®Why do I feel this way?¡¯ It probably had to do with the people there rather than the fanciness of the place. These people right here. ¡°What?! Look who it is! Is that you, Kang Hwi Ram?¡± ¡°Huh? Kang Hwi Ram is back? Where? Oh! Hwi Ram!¡± It really has been a while, but I still remembered the faces of all of the miners. There were some faces that I especially longed to see. ¡°Master, sob, sob.¡± ¡®Ah, yes! I did want to see you too, Jul Goo. Although it was just a tiny amount.¡¯ ¡°Caaaw, Chief did a lot of work while you were gone, master.¡± I had thought about Chief more than Jul Goo. This was because Chief was going to be the main character for this journey to the Southern region. I needed to make sure that Chief was alive, no matter who I needed to sacrifice in order to make that happen. ¡°Welcome back, master.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but smile after looking at Eruni. Her expression had been dark when we had attacked the headquarters of the Church of the Sun, but it was much brighter now. In fact, it seemed even brighter than before the attack. She seemed like a normal 20-year-old young lady and no longer seemed to have something weighing her down. The pain in her heart must have been healed in this past year. She really had no more use now that we took care of the Church of the Sun. She was just a normal slave now. But looking at her still made me happy. However, Eruni was not the one that I was looking forward to seeing the most. ¡°You¡¯re finally back!¡± Yes! This voice! The voice had changed a bit since before. It used to be one of someone who was about to fall over and die at any point, but now it was much deeper. However, the warmth and tone had not changed at all. I raised my head to see Jonnan¡¯s face. His appearance had changed a lot as well. He had changed a lot last year when I saw him, but now he looked even stronger and healthier. It looked as if he had aged backwards to his forties. However, his gaze was still the same. Seeing his eyes tearing up as if he was releasing the year¡¯s worth of longing all at once made me start to get emotional as well. ¡°Have you been well?¡± Jonnan grabbed my hand and patted my shoulders, arms, and waist. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we be well staying at home? We¡¯re more worried about you. How hard was it traveling around for another year?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been doing well. It is good to see all of you doing fine, seniors.¡± Batoom and Goultan had walked up and had the same look in their eyes as Jonnan. The other miners were the same as well. Although we had only worked together for a short duration of time, there was something special that was binding us together. I guess it was the Northern Mines that were binding us together. ¡°B, but who¡­¡­who is this person?¡± There was fear in the miners¡¯ voices. It must be because of Rohas again. I debated leaving him alone in an inn or something at Titan Valley, however, I do not trust him completely just yet. His loyalty is only at 67 as well. I would be held responsible if anything happened while I left him alone. It was easier to just take him with me rather than risk something happening. That was why I had him wearing a thick robe that is covering his entire body, but the vicious presence he gave off could not be hidden. I briefly explained for them to relax around Rohas. Of course, I could not completely get rid of their nervousness. The aura that a Dark Elf gives off is not at a normal level. They all still smiled for me since it had been a while since we had last met. I needed a long time in order to greet everybody one by one. It took about two hours for the joy of our reunion to end. However, there was a voice that destroyed that great atmosphere. ¡°Kang Hwi Ram, why are you here?¡± It was a grumpy voice.I turned around to see a familiar face. However, it was hard to remember his name. ¡®Ah, I remember! Tarok!¡¯ He was one of Titan Valley¡¯s Guards. In reality, he was the leader of Deputy Mayor Donstar¡¯s lackies. He was the same one who had prevented the miners from entering the Batoom Mines once Bae Doochi became the owner. It looks like he came back to cause another scene. ¡°Is there a reason I cannot be here?¡± ¡°You are banned from the Northern Mines. Get out.¡± ¡°Banned? Who gave you that power?¡± ¡°Did you forget that the Northern Mines now belong to the Deputy Mayor-nim? Only people who have his permission are allowed to enter.¡± ¡®Ah, right! I forgot!¡¯ I had received over 1 trillion won by selling the Northern Mines to Donstar. Since the two years we had discussed had passed, it was rightfully his. Gildeon was still watching over the mines, but he seemed to have no authority. ¡®I guess that is the case.¡¯ I could see that Gildeon was frowning. Donstar seemed to have made Gildeon into a scarecrow supervisor. He really is asking for a beating. Whatever, it is just one more year. Donstar will pay for his sins at that point. I also had nothing to be disappointed about. I wasn¡¯t here because I had any longing for the Northern Mines. It didn¡¯t matter where I was, as long as I was chatting with Jonnan and the miners. ¡°Let¡¯s all go to Titan Valley. A round of drinks on me.¡± ¡°Sounds good.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± The 200 miners all rushed out of the mines. Even the supervisor Gildeon followed me to Titan Valley. This shocked Tarok and made him get in our way. ¡°It is currently work hours. Where are all of you going?¡± ¡°Work hours my ass. Four o¡¯clock passed a long time ago.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you all usually work until after 6?¡± ¡°It is up to us whether we choose to work after hours or not.¡± Tarok tried to raise his voice, but logically he could not win against the miners. He had no choice but to get out of the way. It wasn¡¯t even 5pm yet, so we got to Titan Valley in the early evening. ¡°The snacks can come out slowly, so bring the alcohol out first.¡± ¡°Yes sir. Coming right up.¡± The waiters moved quickly in order to fill all of our glasses. We all cheered and drank until the snacks came out soon after. However, it was obvious that they had rushed it. ¡°Why is the meat so stiff?¡± ¡°Who cares about the snacks, man? The alcohol is still great.¡± ¡°Of course it is great. Think about who we are drinking with! Hahaha.¡± ¡°Please drink all you want. It¡¯s on me today.¡± ¡°Good, good. Haha.¡± Everybody happily continued to drink. Jonnan was the same. He seemed to have developed a higher tolerance once his body recovered from the curse. ¡°Ah, so good. By the way, what are your plans from here onward?¡± Jonnan wiped the alcohol from his mouth as he asked. He must be asking what I planned to do since I could no longer enter the mines. Jonnan and the other miners were probably wondering what kind of relationship we would maintain from here on as well. I had prepared what I was going to say. It was related to their futures. ¡°To be honest with you, I am more curious about all of your futures. Are you planning on staying at the Northern Mines?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jonnan seemed a bit shocked. It was because my tone was saying, ¡®Isn¡¯t it about time to leave the Northern Mines?¡¯ It was the same for Goultan, Batoom, and the other miners as well. All of them looked as if I had said something completely unexpected. ¡°Where else would we go if not the Northern Mines?¡± ¡°To be honest with you, I don¡¯t have much attachment to the Northern Mines. If you want to create a new path for us, I am willing to leave this behind and follow you right away.¡± Batoom was the one who made that comment. Once he did that, Jonnan quickly added on as if he could not lose to Batoom. ¡°That is only natural. We¡¯ve made a lot of money already. There¡¯s no reason we would be focused on the Northern Mines. But is that the case? Did you find a new path for us?¡± I looked at Jonnan, Goultan, and the rest before I gently smiled. ¡°My future path might be difficult. Do you still wish to go with me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t pick a difficult path for no reason. Wouldn¡¯t our gains be worth the pain? I will go with you no matter what.¡± Jonnan was first this time. Goultan, Batoom, and the other miners all agreed with Jonnan. ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°Of course you have to count me in.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t forget about me.¡± ¡°Hyung-nim, I am here too.¡± Over 200 miners were all of the same mindset. That showed just how much they trusted me. I felt as if things would progress smoothly now. ¡°Then please head to High Village at some point. The construction has been completed, so it shouldn¡¯t be hard to get there.¡± ¡°Hmm? High Village?¡± All of them were shocked, just as I had expected. However, it was only for a moment. They all exchanged meaningful gazes with each other. They had known about my development of High Village for a long time. They would understand it as there being a jackpot they don¡¯t know about in High Village. ¡°Was a new mine developed in High Village?¡± ¡°No. I want you to reopen one of the old mines.¡± ¡°An old mine? Wouldn¡¯t all the veins of ores be exhausted in those?¡± I chuckled. ¡°My goal is not to mine for ores.¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 152 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 152: Trustworthy Comrades (4) Change in term: It finally clicked in my head for some reason that it was west and not south. It will be called the Western District from here on instead of the Southern District. ¡°Then what is your goal?¡±¡°I plan to develop the dead mine into an underground city.¡±¡°An underground city?¡±¡°Why build something like that in abandoned land¡­¡­?¡±¡°I¡¯ve actually been curious for a while. I didn¡¯t say anything because I assumed you had a reason, but I¡¯ll ask since it was brought up. Why are you even developing High Village? That place is covered in demonic aura, so people cannot live there.¡±It is difficult to live there because the sun never sets, however, it will not be difficult to live there for only a couple of years. It will be even easier if we build the city underground instead of above ground.That was why I was planning on developing the dead mine into a city. There were no better people to develop the dead mine than these people here.¡°I cannot tell you the details, however, a large number of people will flock to High Village soon. Furthermore, the veins are not completely dry. There will be a decent amount of mining profit as well.¡±¡°I really don¡¯t get it.¡±¡°Me neither. I don¡¯t know what you are trying to say.¡±I was frustrated as well. I really wanted to at least tell Jonnan the secret information.However, that would not be beneficial for Jonnan.And someone like Jonnan wouldn¡¯t need me to explain to follow me. Goultan and Batoom should be the same.At least I hoped that was the case.¡°Anyway, the decision is up to all of you. Whoever wants to stay can stay and whoever wants to go to High Village can go. Of course, I will give the first ones there the best positions.¡±¡°I already told you. I will go with you no matter what.¡±It was Jonnan, as expected. He raised his hand before I even finished my statement.Batoom and Goultan soon followed.That was just the beginning.¡°Me too.¡±¡°Hyung-nim, me too.¡±¡°And me¡­¡­¡±Huh? What¡¯s this? Over 200 miners were here and they all wanted to go with me. Nobody said, ¡®No thank you.¡¯With all of them going there, I probably won¡¯t need to worry about High Village.Well, it wouldn¡¯t have been an issue if the miners did not come with me I guess. Humbley is putting a lot of money into it.* * * Knock knock.I opened my eyes after hearing the knocking.It was still early morning. Jonnan wouldn¡¯t normally wake me up this early.¡°Come in.¡±The door opened and Jonnan came in.¡°You have a guest.¡±¡°A guest? At this hour? Who is it?¡±¡°Humbley-nim.¡±¡°Ah! Humbley!¡±It had already been 5 days since I met with Kaldera. I planned on heading to Avanguarde in the evening in order to see him, but it seems that he¡¯s saved me the trouble.¡°I will be right out.¡±I did a quick wash and got dressed.I then walked down the stairs.This was Jonnan¡¯s house at the edge of Titan Valley. He sold off his old house that looked ready to crumble at any moment and bought this new three-story house.My slaves Jul Goo and Eruni also stay here on their off days twice a week.I could smell something delicious being cooked.I then heard Humbley¡¯s voice as well.¡°Long time no see, Kang Hwi Ram-nim!¡±¡°Why did you make the difficult trek? I was planning on coming to see you today anyway.¡±¡°I wanted to see you sooner. Hahaha.¡±Kaldera was with Humbley as well. She was in her usually tidy outfit. Damn, she really was born a beauty.¡°Please sit. Food is ready.¡±Jonnan¡¯s wife Amelia walked up to the stairs and guided me to the table.There was a feast set up on the table.¡°You didn¡¯t have to do all this. I¡¯m always causing you more work.¡±¡°Not at all. You are our savior. I¡¯m just happy that I can repay the favor like this.¡±¡°Thank you for the meal.¡±We all sat down and started to eat.Humbley took a bite before complimenting Amelia¡¯s cooking.¡°Oh! The food tastes amazing!¡±He wasn¡¯t just trying to be courteous.Humbley, Kaldera, and I were all people who traveled a lot of the time. It was only natural that we had been to many famous restaurants and tasted delicious foods.However, this food was just as good as those meals.The more amazing thing was that these dishes were cooked by Eruni. I was so shocked when they told me about it.¡°I think Eruni was born to cook. Her cooking skill is already past Intermediate Level 6.¡±¡°Eruni?¡±This is probably Humbley and Kaldera¡¯s first time hearing about her. Eruni, who was wearing an apron and serving from the side, blushed as if she was embarrassed as soon as their gazes landed on her.¡°She is Kang Hwi Ram-nim¡¯s slave.¡±¡°Ah, I see. She is very talented for someone who looks so young.¡±It was because of how hard she worked in the Northern Mines. Her skill went up without her knowledge because she was responsible for cooking meals for all of the miners.She also went to the Titan Valley library and learning about brewing in her free time. Thanks to that, she is able to brew alcohol that gives you a small temporary stat boost.The pretty girl continues to do pretty things. [ref] This is the literal translation, I kept it because of the repeated use of pretty. Basically, it means that she does things that are praise-worthy. [/ref] We headed to the side building after the meal. It was just a small building off to the side, but it was a good location to have a private chat.Only Humbley and I were in the building.We could finally get down to business.I asked the first question.¡°Are the preparations going well?¡±¡°We have done as you asked and hired 3,000 men who have worked as miners for over 10 years each to train. They are all leveling up quickly and all have reached close to level 200.200 levels in one year. That was an amazing speed.Of course, it was because I created a good environment for them.¡°They should be able to participate in battles in about a year. We need to raise their levels as much as we can until then.¡±¡°I understand, but we do have a problem. I do not think we have enough Demon Cave scrolls.¡±I had given all 15 boxes of Demon Cave scrolls we got from the Church of the Sun to Humbley. That should add up to approximately 3,000 scrolls.Harrison¡¯s group had taken even more boxes. Putting those together, there should be no reason that they do not have enough.¡°Why¡­¡­?¡±¡°Harrison-nim seems to be using the Demon Cave scrolls in order to train soldiers as well. I offered to buy them at almost any price, but he would not sell me any of them.¡±¡°Ah, I see.¡±People really tend to think similarly. Harrison must have also realized that he could use the Demon Cave scrolls to train soldiers as soon as he saw them.It was fine since Harrison¡¯s forces were pretty much my forces as well.¡°Then there is nothing we can do about it. It seems that it is time to start our plan. Is the defense line properly constructed?¡±¡°There are five defense lines, just as you asked. All of them are fortresses with natural barriers, so it should be stable no matter how strong the Jeppi tribe¡¯s attacks are.¡±¡°Perfect. Then I will head to the Western District within this month. You should be able to start as soon as Harrison-nim leaves.¡±¡°But will Harrison-nim really leave?¡±That was already determined. Shione had delivered the message of their decision.He will probably only bring the most talented individuals within his forces. He needed to do so because only those who are partied with me can climb the Altar of the Sun and learn how to use Spirit Energy.¡°It will end up that way. If it fails¡­¡­¡±I did not finish that sentence.If that happened, hundreds of soldiers would lose their lives for no reason. The revitalization of the Batoru Kingdom would take much longer as well.I don¡¯t see this happening, but there was one thing that I was worried about. I was worried that there might be an issue getting Shione out.If that happens, things could get a bit complicated.I could only hope that they arrive at High Village with Shione.¡°Anyway, I will take care of that. All you have to do is take care of things based on our timeline. I¡¯m sure that you are already aware, but timing is the most important thing. If we miss the timing, we will lose more than we gain from this plan.¡±¡°Of course.¡± ¡°And please take this.¡±I handed a magic bag to Humbley.¡°What is this?¡±Humbly was about to open the magic bag, however, he stopped after hearing my response.¡°A Golden Troll¡¯s blood.¡±¡°Excuse me? Did you just say a Golden Troll?¡±¡°I luckily ran into it while clearing Demon Caves. I heard that Golden Troll blood was more useful than regular troll blood.¡±¡°Quite a bit. But you are fine after running into a Golden Troll? The heavens must have helped.¡±What is he talking about? I¡¯ve even hunted a Golden Bone Dragon before. It was a bit difficult to hunt a Golden Troll, but it was nothing compared to the Golden Bone Dragon.Well, there was no need to flaunt that in front of Humbley.¡°I debated selling it to the Shapir before thinking that Humbley-nim would be able to put it to better use. Please consider it a small gift.¡±¡°Excuse me? You are giving me this precious item?¡±Money didn¡¯t mean much to me anymore. I had over 4 trillion won at the Magician¡¯s Tower, and more was flowing in.I also had one of the main colossi of the continent with me. With our partnership, Humbley¡¯s money was pretty much my money.¡°We¡¯ve gotten on the same boat anyway. Humbley-nim needs to do well in order for me to have stronger support.¡±Humbley¡¯s expression brightened up. It seemed to be his way of showing his joy for working together with me.¡°I understand. I will use it in a way that is beneficial for your plans, Kang Hwi Ram-nim.¡±20 days later.¡°So this must be High Village!¡±Goonto looked around before starting to frown.It was not just Goonto. All of the other Dwarves were frowning as well. They frowned the most while looking up at the sky.¡°This really is an eerie place.¡±It was bright without a single cloud. This exact type of weather continued every single day. In fact, it was like this 24 hours of every single day.The sun remains at the apex and does not move even 1 millimeter. That was why there could be no night nor seasons.However, the temperature was not very high. A thermometer would show that it was approximately 40 degrees Celsius.That itself was very hot, but it was cool if you considered the fact that the sun was up all the time.¡°But is this it? Isn¡¯t it too much to go to the Western District with just this small group?¡±The Dwarves seemed to have some fear about the Western District as well.However, there was no need to worry.This was not it.I happened to notice some people looking at us at that moment. They were all hiding while looking at us with concerned expressions.But they soon revealed themselves.I couldn¡¯t help but smile. It was because some familiar faces were in the front.I started to speak in order to calm the Dwarves down.¡°They¡¯re here. They will be heading to the Western District with us.¡±It was Harrison¡¯s group. There were approximately 100 soldiers, as well as Bernard.Shione was next to Harrison as well. She had taken off her white priestess robe and was now wearing a gray robe. Seeing her safe made me let out a sigh of relief.¡°You¡¯re here.¡±¡°It took some time getting Shione out.¡±¡°I¡¯m sure that it must not have been easy.¡±¡°It was thanks to you sharing the layout with us.¡±Shione smiled brightly before I continued to speak.Anyway, I was relieved.¡°Everybody is here. Please come this way. The rest of the party is waiting for us.¡±¡°You have others as well?¡±¡°Just a few of them.¡±Harrison¡¯s soldiers moved to the shade underneath the building. I started to walk with the others. We headed toward a building not too far away.Since the sun is so strong, it looked as if the other side of the shade was a completely different world. The atmosphere changed as soon as you headed into the shade.It wasn¡¯t an issue for me, but others felt as if this side was too dark, to the point that you could not even recognize people.Five people were waiting inside of the building. Maybe it was because they were weird, but none of them were talking.However, that silence had to be broken.¡°Ah! Dark Elf!¡±It was Harrison. He had taken out his sword in shock. Bernard also started to chant a spell.However, they soon stopped moving. It was because everyone other than Harrison¡¯s group was abnormally calm.I guess I still need to explain it a bit.¡°He is my slave, so¡­¡­¡±You really get better at things if you keep doing it. I could quickly explain the Dark Elf situation now.Thanks to that, Harrison and Bernard could stop being anxious.However, their shock did not end that quickly.¡°By the way, is that person perhaps¡­¡­?¡±He really is famous! Harrison and Bernard easily recognized Kaicher.Of course, Goonto and the Dwarves had no idea who he was.With that going on, Chief did not draw much attention. If you took a good look, it was actually Chief who did not fit in the most.However, they would all soon know about him. They will quickly learn how important Chief is to this Western District mission.My other slaves, Jul Goo and Eruni, were pretty much just baggage. (PR: Well that is rude to Eruni. To Jul Goo that is perfectly true.)¡°Then shall we get started?¡±¡°Sure. There is no reason to waste time here.¡±That was how our group of over 130 people headed toward the West. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 153 Royal Roader on My Own ¨C Chapter 153: Conditions for a Jackpot (1) The soldiers that Harrison brought with him were the best that the Batoru Kingdom had to offer. He was planning on turning them into Knights of the Sun and having them be at the vanguard of the Batoru Kingdom¡¯s revival.Although there weren¡¯t too many of them, they still were probably one of the strongest armies in existence.There was nothing that needed to be said about the Dwarves. As a warrior race, they had no fear to start with, but these were also the greatest experts that Goonto had personally selected.Even then, they all seemed to be nervous.That was how dangerous the Western District was known to be. It was this thought that made people believe that, ¡®Western District Quests,¡¯ were, ¡®Impossible Quests.¡¯So what originally gave the Western District this title of, ¡®Impossible?¡¯I was able to experience it with my own body soon enough.It was not because of the sun that continued to shine down on us. Although the sun made it so difficult that I wanted to sit down and do nothing, it was actually the terrain that made it hard to move.¡°What is going on? Didn¡¯t we just pass by here?¡±I was certain of it. I had been paying close attention to the details as we walked. I might have forgotten about it if we had passed by here a long time ago, however, there was no way I would get a spot we passed just 30 minutes ago confused with something else.Especially because of this extremely unique boulder that resembled a bird. I felt as if we had seen this boulder two or three times already.That meant that we were going around in circles.I was a bit worried as well. The current situation was quite different than what I had experienced in the game.First of all, the timing was off. Although it wasn¡¯t possible to get an accurate timeline, my entrance to the Western District was brought forward by about 2 years.My party was different as well. None of them, Harrison¡¯s group, the Dwarves, the Dark Elf nor the Stone Elves were with me in the game.I was with a group of people that I would not meet until much later. That was why it had been so difficult.Furthermore, seeing the terrain and weather through a screen and experiencing it with my own body were extremely different from each other. Even though I had been through here in the game, walking through with my own body made it feel completely foreign.I had no choice but to get angry at Chief.¡°Chief! What is going on? Are we going around in circles?!¡±¡°Caw! No sir. We are continuing to go west.¡±¡°Then why do we keep seeing the same things?¡±¡°That is because of the unique nature of areas affected by demonic aura. Caw! The majority of what you are seeing are illusions.¡±¡°Ah! Illusions!¡±I quickly understood after hearing Chief¡¯s explanation.In simple terms, the demonic aura was making it so that we could not find our way through.However, not everything was made of demonic aura. Approximately 30 percent of it was made with divine power.The reason was simple. Both the god of the continent and the Demon Lord needed a boundary in order to prevent the other from invading their territories.This was the area where the god of the continent was cutting off the demonic attack while the Demon Lord was cutting off the continent¡¯s advances.These obstacles ended up being created as they were wary of each other.¡°So then how are you certain that we are going west?¡±¡°Caw! There is always a fragrant scent coming from the west. Chief can smell that scent.¡±¡®Is it similar to a salmon returning to its birthplace?¡¯Anyways, I had no choice but to trust Chief. I can only hope that he guides us properly.However, not everybody felt the same way. I knew about Chief after experiencing it through the game, however, nobody else in our group had that experience.Harrison¡¯s group was the most suspicious.¡°Can we really trust that monster?¡±Of course not. Even I do not trust my slave Chief as the master.Chief is guaranteed to betray me. He did that in the game as well.The situation could change because the story has become twisted, but I am still preparing for that moment.But everything has a time and place.I know exactly when Chief is going to betray me. It shouldn¡¯t be too big of a problem since I know when it will happen.But there¡¯s no reason for them to know about it.¡°If you can¡¯t trust Chief, please trust me.¡±¡°Ugh, I understand. We will trust you.¡±* * *¡°These are the items that showed most promise during the judging.¡±Director Kim Sang Bin showed me the business plans.It was a list of ten most promising ideas in the Dandelion School¡¯s ¡®Entrepreneurship Challenge.¡¯There were 11 judges who were all experts in their respective fields.They were all more talented than I was in their fields. Although I could easily predict the future if I used some Chaos Jewels, I couldn¡¯t use them as I pleased because I had less than 20 of them left.Anyway, the fact that these experts seriously looked through it doesn¡¯t mean that they will all succeed. That was why I had to be careful about making any large investments.¡°How much is the investment amount?¡±¡°The cheaper ones are 100 million won while the expensive ones are a bit over 10 billion won.¡±So then they should be about 50 billion won total. I can easily invest that much.¡°Please invest in all of them.¡±¡°I understand.¡±Director Kim Sang Bin exited the office.My intercom went off as soon as he left.¨C Director Bae Young Man-nim is waiting for you.¡°Please let him in.¡±The door opened and Director Bae Young Man entered.Kim Sang Bin was responsible for the venture capital company I created called, ¡®Fulfill,¡¯ while Bae Young Man was responsible for the overseas corporate investment for the Dandelion School.Bae Young Man sat down on the couch and handed over a document.¡°I have completed the legal documents for Venezuela. We will start recruiting students early next month and start operating in two months.¡±Then the lessons will start around June.It didn¡¯t matter. The overseas locations did not follow a normal school schedule anyway. Whether they start in June or September depended on each individual school.¡°What about the school in China? Did they finish the selection process?¡±¡°They just finished.¡±I had been a bit nervous. We were planning to recruit 1,000 students for the Shanghai Dandelion School, but we received 90,000 applicants.We were accepting students at a 90:1 ratio.That was why the selection process had been very difficult.¡°Li Xiang Nan-nim helped us out quite a bit.¡±If Li Xiang Nan was involved, he probably ordered them to admit some students.There was nothing I could do about it. I needed to maintain a good relationship with Li Xiang Nan in order to do something in China.If that relationship goes awry, I may need to fold everything in China.¡°Please send a gift to Li Xiang Nan.¡±¡°Li Xiang Nan wishes to meet with you rather than receive any presents.¡±I had no reason to reject that meeting. Everything will be smooth in China if I maintain a good relationship.However, I¡¯ve just been too busy lately to make any time for a meeting.I will meet with Li Xiang Nan soon.I wrote a letter on the spot. Of course, I used red paper and hand wrote it.It was a short message.[ I will come to pay you a visit soon. ]¡°Please deliver this letter along with the gift.¡±¡°I understand sir. Is there anything else you need?¡±¡°Not right now. I do not need to worry with you taking care of everything, Director Bae.¡±¡°Haha, you are praising me too much. I will make my leave then.¡±Director Kim Sang Bin exited the office.Like last time, the intercom went off right away.¨C Teacher Lee Soo Bong is here.¡®Wow, look at the time!¡¯I really didn¡¯t have any time to rest. I finished day trading and came to work at 2 pm and have been meeting with people ever since then.It¡¯s because I started too many things at once. The businesses related to the Dandelion School have been growing at a scary pace.The original Dandelion School was expanding their teaching subjects from just cooking to also include design, acting, arts, medicine, eastern medicine, and programming for a total of eight subjects. We also increased the number of students significantly as well. The number of new students we took in this year ended up being 3,600 students.The reason Teacher Lee Soo Bong was here was probably related to that as well.The Dandelion School¡¯s overseas branches were even worse.Vietnam, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela now all had a Dandelion School. The total number of new students for all of these countries was 6,000 students.There were many other countries asking us to create Dandelion Schools in their countries as well. We already had three countries we promised to build a school in next.But building the school wasn¡¯t everything. There was more to it.The thing that I was looking forward to was the venture capital support department. Regardless of whether they are 10 years old or 50 years old, anybody can enter as long as they have their own unique entrepreneurship idea.They would prepare their business while receiving the support of the experts, while I would provide the funds in order to help them get started.We also needed to prepare restaurants and whatnots for the graduates.The employees took care of most things, however, they still reported to me and I took care of the final decision for all transactions. I needed to make sure everything was thorough, even though it was annoying to do so as we are just getting started.However, I will leave each site in charge of their own things starting next year. Everything should be going smoothly by then.Anyway, I¡¯m starting to feel hungry. I guess I can eat with teacher Lee Soo Bong.¡°Please welcome him inside.¡±I then got up as I could not greet someone like teacher Lee Soo Bong while sitting down.The door soon opened and teacher Lee Soo Bong came in.I tried to quickly walk over and shake his hand, but he was holding something. The fact that it was wrapped in cloth made it look like a lunchbox.I helped him with the bag instead of shaking his hand.¡°I would have come to you if you had given me a call.¡±¡°How can I ask such a busy person to come and go as I please? I have more free time, so I should come to you. You have to move more the older you get.¡±¡°Please sit over here.¡±I offered him the better couch and he shook his hand.¡°No need. That is your seat.¡±He then sat down in the guest couch and we were looking eye to eye.¡°By the way, what is that?¡±¡°A lunchbox. Didn¡¯t we agree to eat dinner together today?¡±Lee Soo Bong responded and opened up the cloth.It really was a lunchbox. He opened the lid and I could see rice mixed with chestnut, jujube, and pine nuts, as well as tteok-galbi and other side dishes. (TL: Tteok-galbi is galbi that is beaten down and then formed in the shape of a rice cake (or tteok in Korean). It was generally eaten by Kings, as it does not look regal for a King to be ripping galbi off the bone.)¡°I was planning on treating you to someplace nice.¡±¡°I like this more than eating out. Take a bite, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be shocked.¡±Lee Soo Bong lifted his spoon first.We chatted about all sorts of things as we ate. The meal that Lee Soo Bong prepared really was different. I doubt I would be able to experience such a delicious meal even if I went to an extremely fancy restaurant.There would be no better meal if you set the right atmosphere.¡°How is it?¡±¡°Do you even need to ask? Your skills are known around the globe, teacher.¡±¡°Don¡¯t use such cheesy words and be honest. Contrary to what it looks like, this is not your average meal. The world can end up changing based on your evaluation.¡±Lee Soo Bong did not look like he was joking. I took another look around the meal. It seemed quite normal to me.I then noticed the tteok-galbi. It looked as if it was made of meat, however, there were slight differences.Most people wouldn¡¯t be able to notice it, however, my senses have been improved thanks to my Royal Roader stats such that I was able to notice the faint differences.I also recalled how Lee Man Bok had once had a business where he made tteok-galbi with meat made out of beans.However, this was different than tteok-galbi made with beans. I¡¯ve tried it many times already, including the newest one that Lee Man Bok had created.That one was still extremely easy to tell that it was made out of beans.But this was different.I paid more attention to it as I took another bite.¡®It feels like meat, but something is a bit different.¡¯But I was certain about something.¡®It tastes almost the same as regular meat.¡¯At least the regular consumers would feel that way.And if this was made of beans or something similar?¡®It¡¯s going to be a jackpot!¡¯ Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 154 - Conditions for a Jackpot (2) ¡°It¡¯s not bad. It feels more luxurious than the tteok-galbi sold in the markets.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m relieved. What do you think are the ingredients?¡± I was curious about that as well. I knew it wouldn¡¯t be made of meat. If it was made of pork or beef, Lee Soo Bong would not be asking this question. However, I decided to make his day and gave the wrong answer on purpose. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. It is a mix of meat and beans?¡± ¡°No. None of the meat that you know of is inside it. If we are talking about costs, this would probably cost about 300 won.¡± There was no meat inside, just as I had expected. It didn¡¯t even have chicken in it. Furthermore, the cost is only around 300 won. Now I was certain that this would be a jackpot of a creation. But I was really curious. Taste-wise, it tasted very similar to regular meat. Just what kind of ingredients must he have used in order to create such a taste? Did he maybe put some artificial flavoring to make it taste like meat? I don¡¯t think Lee Soo Bong is the type to cook that way. ¡°Then what is it made of?¡± ¡°The main ingredients are beans, wheat, potato starch, and coconut oil.¡± Lee Soo Bong suddenly lowered his voice as he answered me. At the same time, he took out a document that he seemed to have prepared in advance. It listed the main ingredients in the tteok-galbi. As Lee Soo Bong mentioned, there were no types of meat listed on there. All of the ingredients were vegetables or grains. If you made food with these kinds of ingredients, it would probably be good for the body as well. However, there was an ingredient that I could not recognize. ¡°Heme protein? What is this?¡± ¡°It is the thing that gives us the taste of meat when we eat meat. Some American researchers developed and patented their method of making it, however, our team was able to create a new method to make it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that there was such a thing.¡± ¡°The American team had developed a vegetable heme protein, however, we developed an animal heme protein. We used stem cells to artificially culture the protein, making us able to produce a large quantity for a cheap price.¡± Listening to Lee Soo Bong made me think that it really was an innovative method. In simple terms, we can create a delicious, ¡®meat,¡¯ that is good for your body for 80% less than regular meat. We can help reduce the destruction of the environment in the process. But that was not all. After listening to Lee Soo Bong¡¯s explanation, I quickly learned that the market we can enter was expansive. ¡°We can make more than just tteok-galbi. We can make hamburger patties or even just slabs of meat to barbecue. We can replace more than 50% of all meat dishes we eat with this meat. Once the research develops further, we may even be able to replace 100% someday.¡± If the artificial culture process using stem cells is solidified, we would be able to make meat of the highest quality. But it is still in the experimentation phase, so we will need a lot of time until we reach maximum production. But it was still amazing that they could create such a taste with such low costs. If I used a Chaos Jewel on someone related to this business, I¡¯m sure their value related to money would be extremely high. ¡°We cannot lose the team that developed this protein. We can give them whatever they want, so please make them our people.¡± ¡°Of course. They are people who have a deep relationship with me ever since a long time ago. They are just waiting for your investment.¡± I felt as if the room suddenly lit up. I still had over 3 trillion won laying around, but it looked like I finally found the perfect investment. ¡°How much is needed? I will supply them with the entirety funding.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it will be better for us to discuss that with them in person. Let¡¯s meet them for drinks after dinner.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Ding dong. I had been waiting for the doorbell to ring. I could see teacher Lee Soo Bong¡¯s face through the interphone. He was with a middle-aged man who seemed pretty old. I quickly opened the door for them. ¡°Hello. I am Kang Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you. My name is Park Sung Joon. It is weird seeing someone I¡¯ve seen on TV in person like this, haha.¡± His image was different than I had expected. The fact that he enjoyed being in a lab and researching stem cells made me think that he¡¯d be an extremely old-fashioned person, but his clothes and his speech all seemed quite hip. ¡°I thought my officetel would be better than a bar, so I brought you here. I thought secrecy would be of the utmost importance.¡± ¡°You made the right decision. I don¡¯t usually drink, so I don¡¯t like bars too much. I also get to visit such an amazing officetel in the process. Isn¡¯t this great?¡± Is that so? Then I will give him a nice gift. ¡°I will change the deed for this officetel to be in your name then, Mr. Park.¡± I answered without any hesitation. Scientist Park Sung Joon¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°Haha, maybe it is because you are still young, but I like how refreshing your way of doing things is. But it seems burdensome to receive such a house as a present.¡± What is there to feel burdened about? This type of officetel is nothing compared to the money we will make with his invention. Just wait. I will make it so he can live in a much better place in the future. Even a castle might be possible. ¡°Please take a seat over here. I prepared a few things, so I hope you like it.¡± I had called over the most talented cooking student from the Dandelion School in order to prepare something for us. There wasn¡¯t too much alcohol. I had heard in advance that he didn¡¯t like to drink much. Furthermore, what was important right now was not alcohol or the food. Park Sung Joon must be thinking the same thing, as he got right down to business. ¡°I do not know much about business. I also don¡¯t know how much it would cost to market this item. That is why I just put together a list of equipment that we would need to mass produce it.¡± I wasn¡¯t really an expert in that area as well. But that wouldn¡¯t be a problem. I¡¯ve been able to gather quite a lot of experts after putting my hand into multiple businesses. And the investment amount wasn¡¯t an issue either. What I cared about most was this person named Park Sung Joon. No, I guess saying that I care the most about his character and future is more accurate. Although I was so certain I didn¡¯t need to verify it, it is always best to be certain. Plus, this wasn¡¯t just any type of new creation. I wouldn¡¯t feel like it was a waste to use a Chaos Jewel. In fact, wasn¡¯t this the reason I saved them up? ¡°Excuse me for a moment.¡± I took out my phone and used a Chaos Jewel. Information related to Park Sung Joon quickly popped up on my phone. [Wealth: 97/100] [Intelligence: 87/100] [Health: 43/100] [Morality: 58/100] Politics: 41/100] [Violence: 36/100] ****** * Human average/highest value: 50/100 ¡®I knew it!¡¯ His stat related to wealth was at 97. If you consider how the highest possible value was 100, it was pretty much at the peak. Now that I think about it, President Kim In Hwan¡¯s wealth was high at 98 as well. It means that President Kim In Hwan will also be extremely rich. His morality wasn¡¯t bad either. It was at least higher than average. I just needed to use common sense with him. Then there was just one issue remaining. ¡°I will be responsible for the funds as well as the creation of the business. Then I guess the only thing remaining is the individual shares. Have you thought about it?¡± It could be the most sensitive issue. However, the conversation went in an unexpected direction. Both Park Sung Joon and Lee Soo Bong seemed to be handing me the reins. ¡°To be honest with you, I¡¯ve focused my whole life on research, so I do not know much about that side. That is why I debated it for a little bit before dropping it. Teacher Lee Soo Bong mentioned that Chairman Kang is a benevolent person and that you will give us the best treatment if we leave it to you. That is easier for me.¡± ¡°Same with me. Wouldn¡¯t we be off to a bad start if we had issues with dividing up the shares in the beginning? I trust you as well, so please just give us a fair share.¡± These guys are experts. It sounds even harder than asking me flat out, ¡®give me this much.¡¯ I need to know at least what they are thinking in order to know what is considered fair. Furthermore, they could be saying this but thinking about something else in their minds. Are they thinking that I will give them a better deal by saying that they will leave it to me? Then I will go with a similar strategy. I will speak as if I¡¯m not very greedy about money at all. I will be able to see how they react and go from there. ¡°Then how about we do it this way?¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± See. Both Lee Soo Bong and Park Sung Joon¡¯s eyes were sparkling as they waited for me to answer. It meant that they were full of anticipation. I still kept to the same strategy. ¡°I will invest 500 billion won and divide the shares 1:1:1. In other words, I am valuing your respective expertise at 500 billion won each.¡± Both Lee Soo Bong and Park Sung Joon¡¯s eyes opened extremely wide. ¡°500 billion won?¡± What is the meaning of that reaction? Are they shocked because they think it is too much? Or are they shocked because they think it is too little? Thankfully, it was the former. Park Sung Joon was first to nod his head. ¡°I am absolutely fine with that.¡± ¡°Me too. But do you think we will need 500 billion won to create the business?¡± That would depend on the size of the factory. Based on the document Park Sung Joon handed to me, it looks like 50 billion won might be enough to get us started. On the other hand, it could even cost 5 trillion won if we start with a large factory. I was thinking about choosing a path that was neither of those two. To be more specific, I was thinking about doing a mix of the two paths. ¡°I plan on opening factories in multiple locations to start. I think ten different countries are good to start with for now.¡± Lee Soo Bong and Park Sung Joon¡¯s eyes opened even wider. ¡°Ten countries?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that is too much to start? Shouldn¡¯t we look at the market response first?¡± There was no need to do that. I already confirmed it with the Chaos Jewel. This business is guaranteed to succeed. But beyond that, the product itself is amazing. It is delicious, healthy, and helps with a diet. It has no chances of failing. Well, there is just one thing that concerns me. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. I will do whatever I can in order to turn this into a hit item around the world.¡± ¡°But we will need a significant amount to start at ten countries at once¡­ I don¡¯t know if 500 billion won is enough.¡± There are over 40 million people in Korea alone. Even if only 10% of them become our customers, that is still 4 million people. That means that we would need to create at least 1 million pieces a day. China or the US would probably require ten times that amount. 500 billion won is not enough to create enough factories to support that much production. However, that is for when it becomes a hit product. Which means, there is the condition that it becomes a hit item first. That is why I had been thinking about it as I waited for Park Sung Joon and Lee Soo Bong to arrive. How could we turn it into a hit product? Taste, nutrients, and cheap cost. It was perfect in all aspects. However, there was just one thing that could become an issue. I came to the conclusion that we need to overcome that issue. Would Lee Soo Bong and Park Sung Joon be thinking about that as well? If so, would they have come up with the same solution? I was curious to know. I also wanted to compare their solution with my method. ¡°What do you think we need to do in order to turn this into a hit product? Have you thought about that?¡± ¡°For food, the taste is the first priority. Being nutritious is important, but it cannot be a hit product if it doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± Lee Soo Bong was speaking as if it was obvious. Technically, he wasn¡¯t wrong. However, it was still just a basic answer. Park Sung Joon did not seem to have any thoughts about it. I guess he hasn¡¯t thought that far ahead. The conditions to turn this item into a jackpot. I cautiously brought up something else. ¡°We need something else in addition to that.¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 155 - It’s Time (1) ¡°One more? Are you talking about it being healthy?¡± Lee Soo Bong was trying his best to find the answer. Park Sung Joon looked as if he had given up though. He didn¡¯t look as if he was even trying to find the answer. It was as if he was saying that all he needed to do was continue his research on stem cells. I guess I should give the answer. We didn¡¯t gather together to play a guessing game. ¡°No matter how delicious and healthy our food is, people will not buy it if they feel repulsed by it.¡± ¡°Repulsed?¡± ¡°It is definitely possible. This is not real meat made in nature. It is pretty much artificial meat.¡± ¡°That is indeed a bit repulsive to hear.¡± Lee Soo Bong started to frown. Artificial meat sounds like it was created in a lab and would do some weird things to your body. But it was kind of true. Depending on how you described it, the ingredients for this item are, ¡®artificial meat.¡¯ That is what most people are going to think. No matter how we package it nicely, the term, ¡®artificial meat,¡¯ will be stuck to it as soon as the item becomes popular. Why? ¡°We will have many enemies as soon as this item becomes a hit. There will be a lot of people who suffer losses because of this item. They will do whatever they can to lower the image and value of this item. The best way to do that would be to use the term, ¡®artificial meat,¡¯ to drive people away.¡± It was an obvious future if you thought about it deeply. There¡¯s no way Lee Soo Bong wouldn¡¯t understand the situation when I¡¯m describing it in so much detail. Lee Soo Bong let out a frustrated groan. ¡°Mm¡­¡­¡± Now that I pointed out the main issue, it is time that I provide the solution. ¡°We just need to make something negative, such as being artificial meat, become attached to the product. We need to make it so that the majority will not feel that way, even if someone tries to shift the perspective.¡± ¡°What can we do? Is there a method?¡± ¡°It is simple. We just don¡¯t make it popular.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± It did not make logical sense. You needed to sell a lot to make a lot of money, and you needed it to be popular in order to do that. However, there was a different approach if you looked at it from another direction. ¡°How much do you think one portion of tteok-galbi made from the highest-grade hanwoo beef costs? Let¡¯s say you are buying it from the fanciest restaurants.¡± ¡°Then whatever they want to charge. Anybody who goes there will have money, so they won¡¯t say it is expensive even if they charged 50,000 won.¡± ¡°Then I plan on making the cost of our tteok-galbi more than 50,000 won per portion.¡± Lee Soo Bong and Park Sung Joon quietly looked at me. They seemed to understand what I was thinking. ¡°Why do you think caviar or shark fin are expensive? Why do you think mandarin fish or truffles are expensive? Is it because they taste better than other food?¡± ¡°Because it is precious.¡± The answer came right away this time. He was correct. Lee Soo Bong finally understood the point I was trying to make. ¡°That is correct. There is not much supply of them available, thus making only a few people able to eat it. That is why this mentality of only special people get to eat these special foods was created. If oyster mushrooms or tofu became extremely difficult to find for some reason, they will also become precious and expensive. Am I right?¡± Lee Soo Bong and Park Sung Joon silently nodded. ¡°We will make our product into such an item.¡± We need to produce as little as possible in order to do that. We will make it so that people believe it is difficult to make and impossible to mass produce, making only a few people able to enjoy it. The general population will find out about it through word of mouth. Then the image that is created afterward will be difficult to destroy. We can create the market we want for it afterward by increasing the production rate. The investment amount I came up with after thinking about that was 500 billion won. It will probably cost less than that. However, you never know what will happen when you are doing business. You always need extra money in order to handle any problems that may arise. ¡°It sounds like you have thought a lot about it.¡± Lee Soo Bong nodded his head. However, Park Sung Joon still did not seem to care. ¡°I do not know much about it. I will leave the marketing to you. I will just focus more on the stem cell research.¡± There were a few other things I had thought about. However, that was something I couldn¡¯t start right away without getting too far ahead of myself. Most importantly, it was something I had to do, not something the two of them had to do. ¡°I understand. I will take responsibility to handle these. Please just pay attention to keeping things a secret.¡± Both Lee Soo Bong and Park Sung Joon nodded their heads again. Chapter 156 - It’s Time (2) # It¡¯s Time (2) I had no desire to discuss the shares of Energy One. Chairman Jung Man Yong seemed to understand my intentions. He started to smile. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll have to end our conversation for today.¡± Talking with Jung Man Yong anymore would be a waste of time. It would just increase our dislike for each other. ¡°I will be heading out now. I am currently extremely busy preparing for the Masters Tournament in a week.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong did not say anything. He just quietly looked at me. It was as if he was trying to pressure me or something. Whatever, it didn¡¯t matter to me. I lightly bowed my head and left the office. Driver Han was waiting for me in the parking lot. He peeked toward me when I got into the car. ¡°Shall I take you to your house, sir?¡± It was not time to rest at home right now. Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s power was still greater than mine. Much greater than mine. I needed to move at least one step ahead of him in order to be capable of taking him on. The most important thing was Energy One. I could not talk about secretive information on the phone. I¡¯m sure that Chairman Jung Man Yong has not reached everywhere yet, however, it doesn¡¯t hurt to be careful until I am certain about the secrecy of the situation. ¡°Please take me to Eumseong.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Driver Han started the car. I called President Kim In Hwan in order to ask him where he was right now. It was possible that he was not at the Eumseong Factory. ¨C Me? I¡¯m at the Eumseong factory research lab. Why? Thankfully, he was at the factory. But what does he mean, ¡®why?¡¯ The only explanation for Chairman Jung Man Yong having so much information about Energy One was his having talked to Kim In Hwan. Then isn¡¯t it normal to think about Chairman Jung Man Yong as soon as he got my call? I felt as if things were going in an extremely weird direction. ¡°I had some time so I wanted to have dinner with you hyung-nim. I will head to Eumseong right now.¡± ¨C Dinner? Hoho, how does someone who will be playing in a major competition in the US next week have time to come here? Well, alright. I don¡¯t know what is going on, but we will chat once you get here. He didn¡¯t seem to be hiding anything regarding Chairman Jung Man Yong. It was as if he didn¡¯t know anything about that at all. Did that mean it was not Kim In Hwan? I guess I¡¯ll find out once I meet with him. I ended that call and called someone else. ¡°Department head Yim. We need to increase our security team. Please make it quick.¡± I¡¯ve actually been preparing for that for a while. I have a lot of things to protect now. I was just increasing the speed of it. ¨C When you say increase, how much are you thinking¡­¡­? ¡°Enough to easily protect everything, even if the Golden Dragon Group comes at us with everything that they have.¡± ¨C Haaaaa, something at that level will take a lot of money, sir. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about the cost and instead just prepare a plan and send it to me. We might as well not be cheap and go for the best if we¡¯re going to do it.¡± ¨C I understand sir. Next up was to call the Stepping Stones Co. financial team leader. My Stepping Stones Co. mainly focuses on financial support for startups. However, it was just as important in maintaining my wealth. The financial team is responsible for that. ¨C Yes, representative-nim. ¡°I may need to withdraw a large sum soon. Please prepare for it in advance.¡± ¨C Approximately how much should we prepare for¡­¡­? To be honest, there would be a lot of things that I will need to spend money on in the future. I¡¯ll need to buy an auto company, a cell phone battery company, as well as build artificial meat factories around the world. The security team issue would be like buying a pack of gum in comparison. ¡°I¡¯m thinking approximately 4 trillion won.¡± ¨C I understand. I also called the Stepping Stones Co.¡¯s venture capital team leader as well. ¡°You said that there were a lot of applications from obesity management and diet-related startups?¡± ¨C Yes, sir. There were 11 startups in Seoul alone and over 100 startups if you include the international ones. We plan on choosing two to support as a test. ¡°Please increase it to 10 companies. However, focus on the companies that will target the affluent community. Please look into the international ones focused in the United States and Europe as well.¡± ¨C I will do so. I also called MBS station¡¯s Director Han Sung Taek and Director Ji Sung Joon one by one. ¡°Hyung-nim. You have a lot of reporters you are close to in the press, right?¡± ¨C Of course. Why? Do you have a good story? ¡°I have something I wish to quietly spread to the press. I don¡¯t know the origin and it hasn¡¯t been verified yet, but it is 100% the truth.¡± ¨C How interesting. What is it about? ¡°I want to slip the name of the Dandelion School¡¯s founder to them.¡± ¨C Oh! That is big news. But why are you suddenly willing to reveal it when you have been hiding it for all this time? Did you have a fight with the founder? Both Han Sung Taek and Ji Sung Joon knew that I had strong ties to the Dandelion School. It was because I donated to the Dandelion School so much. However, they did not know that I was the founder. As Han Sung Taek just mentioned, I have been keeping my lips shut on that one. I wanted to pop the champagne at the best moment. Preferably when I had the world¡¯s attention gathered on me. Only then would the thrill be higher and allow me to draw in others with similar goals to join my team. But now that I thought about it, it was about time. The Masters Tournament, one of the PGA¡¯s four major competitions, starts in a week. This was the reason I have been golfing nonstop ever since I won the Golden Dragon Cup in October. You need to be ranked within the top 50 of the world rankings to be invited to the Masters¡¯ Tournament. Thanks to that, the world¡¯s golf fans were all focused on me right now. I entered 11 PGA competitions in 5 months and won all 11 times. And that wasn¡¯t all. I also had fabulous records each round. My scores were always unreachable by the others. And finally, I managed to get invited to the Masters Tournament. If I win there as well, even people who do not follow golf actively will know my name. I¡¯ll be like Michael Jordan, the king of basketball, or Tiger Woods, the king of golf. Announcing this news on that day would be the best scenario. The reason that I was asking Han Sung Taek and Ji Sung Joon for help was to set the mood prior to that moment. In other words, it is like actors doing things to promote their shows before it starts. ¡°Can you give me some time tomorrow?¡± ¨C I¡¯d need to make time even if I don¡¯t have any for my little bro. Then see you tomorrow. I also called multiple other places. Before I realized it, I was at the Energy One factory. I never knew that Seoul and Eumseong were so close. I could not trust Kim In Hwan¡¯s office. Chairman Jung Man Yong probably hasn¡¯t reached there yet, but there¡¯s no harm in being cautious. We went to a restaurant quite far away from the factory. Kim In Hwan¡¯s expression became worse the farther we went. ¡°Just what is going on?¡± I kept my mouth shut. I finally got down to business once we were in a private room in a restaurant. ¡°Chairman Jung Man Yong¡­¡­¡± Kim In Hwan¡¯s expression instantly stiffened up. He calmly listened to my story from start to finish before he shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never shared any of that information. Forget meeting Chairman Jung, I¡¯ve never even talked to him on the phone.¡± I knew this might be the case. Then what was going on? Who sold that information to Chairman Jung Man Yong? ¡°Chairman Jung knew very specific information. Unfortunately, it sounds like someone around you has been playing the part of a mole, hyung-nim. Is there anybody that comes to mind?¡± ¡°In that case, there are some people that I suspect. Oh! I¡¯m certain that it¡¯s that bastard.¡± Kim In Hwan seemed to think of someone. He was huffing and clenching his fists, making it seem as if he had been suspecting it for a while. ¡°So, what are the results? Do we have to give a portion over to the Golden Dragon Group?¡± ¡°Of course, I rejected him.¡± ¡°Then the Golden Dragon Group will soon start to pressure us.¡± I don¡¯t think it is at that level just yet. Chairman Jung Man Yong sounded confident. He is probably thinking that there is no way that Kim In Hwan nor I will not fold if he pressures us. Thanks to that, we should have some time before he starts to actively attack us. ¡°I might be overthinking it, but which businessman wouldn¡¯t be greedy for something like the Sodium-Ion battery? Even I would have nagged in order to get some shares.¡± ¡°Then can we relax?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying that we shouldn¡¯t give an opening. We can¡¯t give them the opportunity to rob us. Any thief will aim for the moment when we don¡¯t lock our door properly. We need to let them think that it won¡¯t be easy to touch us so that they question even trying to rob us.¡± Kim In Hwan¡¯s expression was still stiff. It was because he was thinking that Chairman Jung Man Yong would not just let it go now that he knew about the Sodium-Ion battery. And it will end up being like that. However, it was just a matter of when Jung Man Yong would actually actively start messing with us. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ve thought of a way to buy us some time for the just-in-case situation.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Honestly speaking, this was a bit overboard as well. I¡¯m already thinking about how to stab him in the back before he¡¯s even made a move. But there was a need to prepare in advance. That way, we can react right away if Jung Man Yong starts to move. ¡°Have you read about the Three Kingdoms? Sun Quan put forth his trusted Huang Gai and used a desperate countermeasure.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t think straight right now. Just get to the point.¡± ¡°We are going to create a fake developer that will be enough to trick the Golden Dragon Group. Then they will not do anything until it is found out that the person they have is a fake.¡± ¡°But then that person will be in danger.¡± I¡¯m sure that will be the case. That is why we need to do a good job when picking this fake developer. ¡°The person who gave the information to Chairman Jung. If it is that person, we don¡¯t need to worry about that, right?¡± ¡°But will that bastard move as we want?¡± ¡°We just need to slip the fake stuff to him. Things will go as planned if we give him a chance to steal a glance at our fake blueprints. The problem is whether there is such a fake blueprint for us to use¡­¡­¡± I trailed off and looked toward Kim In Hwan. His expression had become much brighter. That made me relieved. The core of this plan depended on whether we could trick the Golden Dragon Group with a fake. It wouldn¡¯t work if the Golden Dragon Group took a look and realized right away that it was a fake. But it seemed like Kim In Hwan will take care of that. ¡°But how is the electric car company acquisition going? Is that not possible now? Well, there aren¡¯t many issues with just making batteries either.¡± ¡°I have a plan for that as well.¡± There are many paths in the world. You never know which the safest and quickest path is without walking down them yourself. This may actually end up being a much safer and quicker path. ¡®Now it is time to properly get things started.¡¯ * * * Four days later. Some articles with odd titles started to appear on different internet portal websites. [Dandelion School¡¯s founder is pro golfer Kang Hwi Ram?] [Dandelion School¡¯s administration. Silent regarding the identity of founder.] [Why is player Kang Hwi Ram silent about the question regarding the Dandelion School¡¯s founder?] People didn¡¯t care much about it at first. However, the information became more detailed day by day with interviews with people related to the Dandelion School popping up as evidence as well. People could not help but change their reactions as well. With nobody flat out saying, ¡®no,¡¯ the atmosphere started to lean toward one direction. ¡°Is player Kang Hwi Ram really the founder?¡± ¡°No way, how could a person who just became a pro golfer create such a large school?¡± ¡°It was small at first. It¡¯s also weird how he always donates everything to the Dandelion School. I think it might be right.¡± ¡°Then why would he hide it? It¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about.¡± ¡°I find that weird as well. Why doesn¡¯t he just say yes or no? It would be so much better if he just gave a direct answer.¡± As with any rumor, this rumor regarding me and the Dandelion school got wilder by the day. There was even a rumor about how I dated a wealthy man¡¯s daughter and used his wealth in order to create the school. It was only natural for the reporters to come to me in order to ask for interviews as well. ¡°Player Kang Hwi Ram, are you the founder for the Dandelion School?¡± ¡°If you are the founder, why are you hiding that fact?¡± ¡°Please say something.¡± I was nice, smooth, and detailed with all of the interviews. However, I was mum on anything related to the Dandelion School. All I told them was this. ¡°I will reveal everything if I am able to wear the green jacket of the Masters¡¯ Tournament.¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 157 - It’s Time (3) Of course, the reporters did not give up that easily. They continued to shove their mics in my face as if they wanted a clear answer even if it was just a single word. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell us right now?¡± ¡°Yes, no. Please tell us at least that much.¡± However, I did not tell them anything related to it. The Masters Tournament started like that. The US Augusta National Golf Club. There were close to 100 participants. Each of their skills were above average. It made sense since this was a tournament with such strict qualifications that even most famous golfers could not attend. Maybe that was the reason. Han Sul Yi seemed much stiffer than usual. The way she kept looking around made it seem as if she was observing all of the famous golfers. However, her mouth was still alive. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous. They are all great players, but you are the best, Mr. Hwi Ram.¡± ¡°You seem to be more nervous than I am, Miss Sul Yi. Stop looking around and focus.¡± I had participated in many golf competitions after winning the Golden Dragon Cup. My caddie had always been Han Sul Yi. I¡¯m sure that there were more talented caddies around, however, I didn¡¯t feel the need to change caddies. It wasn¡¯t as if I lost any tournament with her as my caddie. I¡¯m sure that this Masters Tournament would be the same. Only the world¡¯s greatest players were gathered here, however, my reputation was pretty high as well. I¡¯ve participated in 11 tournaments and won 11 times since I earned the qualifications to round in the PGA. I¡¯ve also recorded a shockingly low number of strokes at each competition as well. Even when I was at my worst, my total score for four rounds was 20-under par. Thanks to that, many experts had selected me to be one of the favorites to win. I was an oppressive top dog, even amongst the world rankers. That was the reason that the largest gallery was stuck with me, along with the most cameras. The Masters Tournament started like that. I satisfied everyone¡¯s expectations and led in first place with an overwhelming difference. I recorded first place in the first round with an 8-under par, while I recorded 6-under par on the second round in order to finish the cutoff in first place. I then recorded 5-under par and 7-under par in the third and fourth rounds respectively in order to finish with a total score of 26-under par. It was a new record for the lowest strokes at the Masters Tournament. Not only that, it was 8 strokes less than the former record of 18-under par. Whiiiiiiiiiiiiistle- Clap, clap, clap! ¡°Daehanmingook hurray!¡± (TL: Daehanmingook is full name of Korean Republic in Korean) There was whistling, cheering, and clapping once I finished the final champion putt. I was serenaded by the camera flashes as well. Flash! Flash! Flash! Honestly speaking, I was confident about winning the Masters Tournament. This was because I put in so much effort to use Jewels of Luck with high Luck Indexes each round. Thanks to that, I wasn¡¯t really satisfied with the score of 26-under par. I thought I¡¯d get at least 30-under par after using so many high index jewels. Anyway, I managed to easily become the star of the day, just as I wanted. The interview immediately started. There was no need for a translator. I had used my focus skill to study English whenever I had some time so that I could now speak fluently without much of an accent. (PR: But the accent is the best part of learning any language!) It started with the typical questions. How it felt to get a new record, how it felt to go wire-to-wire in first place, how it felt to win, who was the first person I thought about when I finished my champion putt, etc. Simple things like that. The question I had been waiting for came up near the end of the interview. ¡°The prize money for this tournament is 1.9 million dollars. Are you planning on donating all of your winnings to the Dandelion School again?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°There are many places you can donate to other than the Dandelion School. Is there a special reason you only donate to the Dandelion School? The rumors say that it is because you are the founder of the Dandelion School, player Kang Hwi Ram. Can you say something regarding those rumors?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± I kept it short and sweet. However, I guess it was too short and sweet. The reporter did not seem to understand. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I promised to reveal everything if I won the tournament today. That is why I will borrow this platform to announce it. I am indeed the founder of the Dandelion School. I did not reveal it until now because I did not want people to get the wrong idea about my intentions.¡± I had spent a lot of time to come up with this response. I was researching how to say it so that it could touch as manypeople as possible. That was how I came up with this response. ¡°My childhood was a difficult one. Although I had a chance to go to school, I lived a life without knowing what my talents were, what I should do with my life, nor what kind of person I should be. Because of that ¡­¡­¡± ¡®Studying is something you do on your own. Whether it is English, Math, Science, or even if you are learning something technical, the most important thing is your desire to learn. ¡®However, I thought that it was the job of adults to instill that sense of desire in young children. ¡®I thought their job was to tell me why I should study and what I should study. I also thought they would help me want to study. ¡®I did not have such opportunities. I just closed my eyes and did what I had to do in order to avoid a dark future. ¡®I am certain that there are still students like that. There are a lot of students who are talented and would study harder than anybody else if they had the means, however, they cannot do so because they do not have the means.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sure that I cannot save all of them. However, as long as it is possible, I wish to provide children like that the opportunity to thrive. That¡¯s the only reason.¡± It was a pretty long interview. Other reporters wanted to interview me afterward as well. Naturally, there were Korean newspapers that wanted to interview me as well. Thanks to that, it took about an hour to complete all of the interviews. But I felt refreshed after finishing all of them. Now I just needed to go back to my lodging and rest. ¡°Miss Sul Yi, shall we go? Hmm?¡± Han Sul Yi was looking at me, however, her gaze was different than before. She seemed to be half out of it. Seeing as how she wasn¡¯t responding when I was calling her, she seemed to have been like this for a while. Han Sul Yi was not the only one like that. The gallery surrounding me seemed to be in awe as well. Some people even whistled and clapped for me. This was the same for the other players. They had been giving me angry glares the whole tournament because I was in first place by an overwhelming advantage, but they were all looking at me warmly now. Yes! This was the type of atmosphere I wanted. Now it was time to reveal more about myself. I plan to reveal that, in addition to being a pro golfer, I have shares in many companies and that I am a businessman seeking out talented individuals. Then people who can help me should flock to me like clouds. At least I hope that happens. ¡°Miss Sul Yi. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Ah, yes. Let¡¯s go.¡± Riiiiiiiing- I sat up as soon as I heard my phone ringing. It was because it was Energy One¡¯s President Kim In Hwan. Kim In Hwan had been extremely cautious these days as well. He contacted me using a new phone that he purchased in secret rather than using his original phone. Of course, my phone was a separate newly made phone as well. ¡°Yes, hyung-nim.¡± ¨C I think we did it. That employee submitted his resignation as soon as he came in this morning. That meant that he must have taken the bait. However, we can¡¯t relax just yet. ¡°Please drag it out as long as possible. You need to almost beg for him to stay in order for him to not question those files, hyung-nim. The Golden Dragon side may question things if it goes too easily.¡± ¨C I will do that. Oh, and congratulations. I was 100 percent certain that you would win, however, it was thrilling to watch. ¡°Haha, thank you very much.¡± It was already a wonderful afternoon. However, both my body and mind felt even better after the call with Kim In Hwan. ¡®What a beautiful day!¡¯ It was a nice spring day. I could also see heat shimmers in the yard. The thing that made me feel even better was the laughter of children. Eun Kyung, who was now in fourth grade, had brought friends over and they were running around that yard. Just watching them filled me with energy. However, the thing that made me feel the best was, of course, my mother¡¯s voice. ¡°Isn¡¯t it still a bit cold? You¡¯ll catch a cold like that. Come inside.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not cold at all because it is sunny. I¡¯ll come inside in a bit.¡± Now that I thought about it, the sun was shining brightly today. It was the perfect weather to read the newspaper. I sat down on a chair and opened up a newspaper. I could easily see all of the hottest news on my smartphone, but reading a newspaper was more entertaining. It was nice to feel the pages in my hands and it wasn¡¯t bad for my eyes either. Every single newspaper had articles about me on the front page. Some were all over the front page, while others had extra pages because the front was not enough. It was thanks to the PGA tournament that ended a few days ago. After winning the Masters Tournament which was one of the major tournaments, I won another competition as well, making it impossible to not talk about me. The information on them was pretty similar. They were all made with the information I sent around or from the interviews. There was nothing about golf because there was nothing fresh about my golfing anymore. I participated in two or more competitions each month and won every time. The reporters had already written about that plenty of times. That was why they had been looking for something to write about me other than golf. So, it was no wonder that they bit onto the information I sent around. [Everything about Kang Hwi Ram.] [He is the founder of the Dandelion School. However, he has not meddled in the administration of the school after creating it. Talented culinary mastermind Mr. Lee Soo Bong, as well as other experts, have full control to run it. In order to be transparent about the foundation¡¯s use of funds, they display all donations and expenses on the website. This was also an idea that came from Kang Hwi Ram. Kang Hwi Ram is also the owner of many businesses. The one that stands out the most is a Vietnamese food ingredient company called AFC. He invested 230 billion won last year in order to gain 60 percent of the shares of that company. He has also invested heavily in startup companies, having shares in over 20 promising small businesses. The following is an interview with player Kang Hwi Ram.] > What is your secret to being able to own so many businesses when you are so young? You are not even 30 years old yet. ¡°There is no special method. Whether it is stocks or real estate, I just happened to succeed wherever I invested money. All I can say is that I got lucky.¡± > They said that you do not involve yourself in the administration of the Dandelion School at all. Will you continue to do that in the future? ¡°There was a reason I founded the Dandelion School. ¡°I wanted to get away from the educational system that train students to focus on getting into college. ¡°I wanted each student to be able to find their hidden potential and to teach them based on that potential. I also wanted them to learn something they could immediately use in the world. ¡°As long as the teacher stay true to that goal, there is no reason for me to intervene in the administration of the school when I do not know much about education.¡± > I heard that you are continuing to buy shares in many companies. Do you have a goal in mind? ¡°Both talented individuals and promising businesses face the same issue of a lack of funds in the beginning. Even if they have amazing abilities, many of them fail due to a lack of funds. ¡°I hope to continue helping those businesses out if I am able to do so.¡± > Is there anything else you¡¯d like to tell us? ¡°There are a lot of good people in the world, but also some who are not so good. There are people who approach you with bad intentions even if you try to help someone with good intentions. ¡°Many passionate businessmen end up getting hurt because of those people. ¡°I lack the eyes and knowledge to tell those bad people apart from the good. ¡°That is why I need a lot of advice and experts. I wish to team up with many talented individuals to pick out the bad intentions and support the passionate and determined entrepreneurs. ¡°I look forward to many recommendations from everyone.¡± ] The conversation did not move away from how I had intended it to go. It seemed as if they had decided to be my hands and feet. Maybe that was the reason, but I had heard that my startup support company, Fulfill, had been bombarded with calls ever since the article was released. There were people asking them to support them, as well as others who wanted to recommend someone they knew. Fulfill¡¯s head of human resources team contacted me immediately if any special individuals popped up. That was what I told them to do. Riiiiiiiing- I got another call from Fulfill¡¯s head of human resources. I was always full of expectations whenever I picked up the call from him. He had called about five people so far, and they were all nationally known instructors. They¡¯ll play a big role in telling the duds from the jewels. ¡®I wonder who it is this time.¡¯ Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 158 - What they want and what I want (1) I picked up the call. However, it was someone with an unexpected set of skills. ¨C Representative-nim. What should I do about this person who says he has a big influence on China¡¯s Communist party? China was a place that was still full of corruption. No matter how well you follow their regulations, it was difficult to survive if you got on the Communist party¡¯s bad side. On the flip side, nothing you did could get you in trouble if you had good relationships with the Communist party. In Chinese, they call it guanxi. That is why having a big influence on the Chinese Communist party was a significant thing. ¡°How big is his influence?¡± ¨C He¡¯s mentioning names like Li Peng and Jin Cuoqiang and, according to this person, he is apparently close to one of the directors of the party. That person is supposedly seventh in command. He must be talking about State Councilor Jin Cuoqiang that is seventh in command of the Communist party. Honestly speaking, I have some connections with the Chinese Communist party as well. It was important to build those connections as I was trying to take control of a Chinese company, so I used my fame as a golf player as well as a lot of money in order to buy that connection. The most important one of those connections is Li Xiang Nan. She is an actress. However, that alone is not enough to explain Li Xiang Nan. She debuted at the young age of 12 and received the nickname of the, ¡®nation¡¯s younger sister,¡¯ which helped her grow. She has never lost her popularity ever since her debut. She has been the most famous celebrity in China for over 30 years. The source of that was her connections with China¡¯s most influential people. She used her stunning beauty, excellent conversation skills, and her intelligence to build some extremely amazing connections. She was now one of the hidden power players in China. In simple terms, she was the most loved woman of Wang Kun, the first ranked Vice Premier in the Chinese Communist party. I was able to connect with Wang Kun as well as many other influential people thanks to her. Jin Cuoqiang was one of those people. However, he wasn¡¯t a very reliable connection. Although I was pretty close to Li Xiang Nan, I was not that close with the others. I barely had time to get to know them better. Basically, Li Xiang Nan is like my fan while the others take care of me every so often because of her. That was why someone who was close to the high-ranked individuals in the Chinese Communist party would be very helpful for me. That is, as long as that person is not bluffing. Well, I was planning on going to China soon for the golf competition on Hainan Island. Li Xiang Nan asked me to participate during early February and I happily agreed to do so, knowing that it was a chance to expand my connections. I can figure out this person¡¯s level of influence at that time. ¡°I plan on participating in the Chinese Hainan competition at the end of the month. Please ask him for a list of people he can introduce me to at that time.¡± ¨C I understand. I got another call as soon as I ended that call. It was Fulfill¡¯s executive director, Kim Sang Bin. Although Fulfill is a startup support company, it is also responsible for the acquisition of other companies as well. All of the experts were gathered within Fulfill. I had been waiting for this call. I had given him some tasks related to the acquisition of an Electric Car Company almost immediately after discussions with Chairman Jung Man Yong went terrible. Kim Sang Bin is a cold person. He just gave a brief greeting before getting right down to business. > We have a meeting with the Chinese Hanam Motors. ¡°That¡¯s great. The meeting with the US GM is in four days, right?¡± > That is correct. ¡°I will participate in that meeting as well. Please send me over the related documents.¡± I will e-mail it to you right away. You should be able to open it in about 10 minutes. Four days later. ¡°I think our employees can discuss the fine details later.¡± I reached my hand out first. GM¡¯s Vice President shook my hand with his hairy hand. ¡°I look forward to good results.¡± I hoped for that as well. But I didn¡¯t have that high of an expectation for it. We may agree on the big picture, but GM did not want to give up on having a monopoly. A world-wide monopoly deal. GM wanted to be the sole recipient of the Sodium-Ion battery. This was the case for the other companies as well. I have talked to three other companies prior to GM, and all of their number one conditions were having a monopoly. However, something like that would never happen. Energy One was the only one who managed to successfully create Sodium-Ion batteries. In other words, we had the advantage and had the rights to make the conditions. But they think that they could ask for something so preposterous because they are a world-renowned auto company. They were basically kicking away their opportunity. However, I didn¡¯t cut off the negotiations just like that. There was a reason that I was negotiating with GM and the other companies. ¡®I¡¯m sure that his ass is on fire by now. Why hasn¡¯t he contacted me yet?¡¯ Riiiiing- Riiiiiing- I knew he would call. Chairman Jung Man Yong was personally calling me. It was obvious what he wanted. If I successfully negotiate with another auto company, Golden Dragon Autos¡¯ situation would become even worse. He probably wants to at least get some scraps while he still can. Riiiiing- Riiiiiing- I waited until the phone rang a few times. Chairman Jung Man Yong kept calling as if he was trying to see who would win, while I slowly picked up after waiting for a long time. ¡°Ah Chairman-nim. Hello.¡± ¨C It¡¯s so hard to get you on the phone. ¡°I apologize. I¡¯ve been busy with golf and going around negotiating with companies. Did you need something?¡± ¨C Let¡¯s talk in person. Give me some time. The sooner the better. ¡°As you probably know already, the US Open is less than a month away. Can we meet after the US Open?¡± ¨C The Open Championship is a month after the US Open and the PGA Championship is half a month after that. I¡¯m sure that you plan on participating in other tournaments as well. Are you planning on making me wait that long? Oh, he¡¯s quite well-informed. Honestly speaking I didn¡¯t plan on dragging it out that long. The Energy One factory will be created by this winter at the latest. I needed to hurry and gain ownership of an Electric Car Company prior to that. However, Chairman Jung Man Yong was the one who was freaking out. It meant that I could do whatever I wanted. ¡°Is there something that is urgent?¡± ¨C Let¡¯s meet in person. I won¡¯t take much of your time. I¡¯ll go to you. ¡®Wow, the esteemed Chairman is willing to do the traveling.¡¯ I guess he really is desperate. ¡°I understand. Then I will see you in my office.¡± My office in Stepping Stones Co. Chairman Jung Man Yong got right down to business as soon as he sat down. ¡°I¡¯ll hand it over to you.¡± There was nothing else. I just quietly sat there. I wanted him to tell me everything he had planned to say. ¡°I¡¯ll hand over the Golden Dragon Autos¡¯ electric business, as well as the Indian factory. There¡¯s no reason to go around meeting with GM nor any other foreign companies. Do the nation a favor and rescue a Korean company.¡± Nation? For someone talking about the nation, he sure had no problem stealing things from promising startups in the past. Of course, I didn¡¯t plan to bring that up. I didn¡¯t care much for patriotism either. I only moved for my own benefit. That would be the same for this deal with Chairman Jung Man Yong as well. I don¡¯t care if I become enemies with Chairman Jung Man Yong, I will take away anything that would benefit me. At the lowest possible cost, of course. There was something else that I wanted from him right now. ¡°Why don¡¯t you add one more onto that since you¡¯re taking care of things?¡± ¡°Which one are you talking about?¡± ¡°Bi-on. The drone company you acquired five years ago. There¡¯s no chance of reviving it because of the Chinese dominance anyway. Let me take it and try to save it.¡± ¡°Hohoho.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong laughed as if he couldn¡¯t believe it. I wonder why. Anybody could tell that Bi-on was a lost cause. In that case, he should be happy to hand it over. Chairman Jung Man Yong didn¡¯t have a reason to laugh like that. However, the reason for it came from somewhere completely unrelated. ¡°You seem to be buying up a significant amount of businesses these days. The ones I know about are already collectively worth over two trillion won. Where did you get so much money? And what is the reason for acquiring so many companies? You can lose everything at once like that.¡± Is that why he was laughing like that? I guess it could seem that way to Jung Man Yong. He might think that I am greedily gathering businesses without having any plan. But that would be completely wrong. He doesn¡¯t know how many experts I have gathered for this. Most importantly, I have plenty of money. I do admit, there are some risky investments I am making to most effectively handle that money. ¡°That is my problem. You don¡¯t need to worry about that, Chairman-nim.¡± ¡°Haha, I understand. Anyway, if I¡¯m willing to give that much, shouldn¡¯t you give me something as well?¡± Give? He sure has the wrong idea. The Golden Dragon Group and Chairman Jung Man Yong should be thanking me for taking on their failing businesses. Of course, Jung Man Yong probably wants to revive these two companies by developing new technology, but greed alone won¡¯t make that happen. But why don¡¯t I play along for now. Getting at each other¡¯s throat won¡¯t do us any good anyway. ¡°Is there something you want in particular?¡± ¡°Phone battery.¡± If it is that, I¡¯ll definitely make a deal with him. Energy One¡¯s first products will be phone batteries and car batteries. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll let my team know.¡± I nodded my head. However, Chairman Jung Man Yong was not done yet. The important part was what came next. ¡°Only to Golden Dragon Electronics.¡± These businessmen really like the word, ¡®only.¡¯ All of them talk about having a monopoly as if it was a hit song. ¡°You are being too greedy.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be beneficial for Energy One as well.¡± I think I understand Chairman Jung Man Yong¡¯s plan. I think I also understand what he means by it being beneficial for Energy One as well. But I just kept my mouth shut. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to say what I had to say after hearing him out first. ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°There is a limit to how many batteries a factory can create anyway. It¡¯ll take at least two years to expand the factory. Our Golden Dragon Electronics will increase our production to match you. I¡¯m saying let¡¯s be partners in regard to the cell phone industry. Of course, I will give you a good price for it.¡± Honestly speaking, it was more beneficial for Energy One to partner with Golden Dragon Electronics than to sell a few to multiple companies. We can use it to increase the value of our product. However, that is only when the production rate is low. Energy One will be able to create at least twenty times what it is creating right now within 3 years. Well, as long as things go as I¡¯ve planned. When that time comes, we would be supplying over 60 percent of all cell phones in the world. There would be no need to have a monopoly contract with one company. We would actually be able to not sell to companies that try to bring down the value of our product. ¡°I will give you a monopoly for one year from production for now.¡± ¡°1 year? Go big and do 10 years.¡± ¡°Just one year. Please significantly increase your share in the world market during that time. Then I would have no choice but to partner with Golden Dragon Electronics.¡± Jung Man Yong raised his voice in order to try to persuade me to change this time period, but I did not show any signs of budging. ¡°I apologize, but I have another appointment to get to. You¡¯ll need to speak with my team about the details of that issue.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Chairman Jung Man Yong lightly sighed as if he was frustrated. Chapter 159 - What they want and what I want (2) Beep- A large limousine honked at me when I came out of the Hainan Airport. The car and the windows were all black, making me unable to see inside. However, I walked toward the limousine without any hesitation. The middle door opened and a beautiful woman¡¯s face became visible. ¡°Mr. Hwi Ram. Long time no see.¡± It was Li Xiang Nan. I quickly entered the limousine and sat across from Li Xiang Nan. ¡°Long time no see, jiejie. You seem to have gotten even prettier. Are you really the jiejie? Are you sure you¡¯re not her younger sister?¡± Li Xiang Nan really liked me calling her jiejie. It means older sister in Chinese. Seeing me sucking up like this made Li Xiang Nan start to giggle in joy. But it really was amazing. Her face should show some signs of her forty-two years of life, however, she still looked to be in her twenties. No matter how much medical help she may have received, it wouldn¡¯t be possible without having some natural beauty from the start. Her actions were lively and full of energy as well. Chatting with her always makes me feel like she¡¯s full of knowledge. It¡¯s no wonder the leaders of the Chinese Communist party go crazy for Li Xiang Nan. ¡°Then how about we have a drink together tonight?¡± Someone with Li Xiang Nan¡¯s level of beauty could get any guy, regardless of her age. I wasn¡¯t an exception. However, I can¡¯t do it with her. Li Xiang Nan was not just any woman. I have to consider the powerful people behind her. Doing something wrong with her would make me end up on those people¡¯s bad side and cause me to need to close up shop in China. ¡°How could I show myself in front of Vice Premier Wang Kun-nim if we did that.¡± ¡°Hoho, fine. I set the appointment for ten days later. You should be able to meet about four days after the tournament.¡± ¡°Thank you very much, jiejie.¡± ¡°I should be thanking you. Thanks for participating in this tournament. I saved a lot of face thanks to you.¡± ¡°Please let me know if you need my help in the future. I can happily do it once or twice a year.¡± ¡°Hoho, thank you.¡± The Hainan PGA Tournament started four days later. But it looks like I¡¯m pretty famous in China as well. There were a significant number of people in the gallery. I had expected some fame, but it was much more than the number I had expected. It was not just the gallery. All of the press had just followed me around while asking for interviews. I felt like I was a top star even though I had only been a pro golfer for less than a year. Actually, I suppose I am a top star. I¡¯m already am ranked 15 in the world ranking. I¡¯ve won a Major Tournament well. Most importantly, I¡¯ve participated in 14 tournaments and lifted the Winner¡¯s Trophy fourteen times. I have a 100 percent success rate. I had an overwhelming record. It did lead to some issues with famous players trying to avoid the tournaments that I was playing in. They knew that first place would be impossible if they played with me. That made me wonder if I should control my stroke count to a decent degree. Maybe I should control my stroke count in not as important tournaments and be satisfied with second or third place. I haven¡¯t done that yet, but it might be necessary for future success. However, I couldn¡¯t do that in this Hainan Tournament. Li Xiang Nan will be watching. I also needed to make more Chinese people know my name. * * * I played my hardest until the end of the fourth round. We finally arrived at the 18th hole on day 4. It was a 399 meters par 4 hole. It was a wide fairway with green trees on the side that left you feeling refreshed. Now I was going to make that refreshing feeling even more intense. [ Driver 400 Skill: Intermediate Level 7, 31%] Tang! There was some wind blowing sideways, but I hit my shot while considering the wind. The ball flew slightly toward the left, but turned right toward the fairway by following the wind. It then fell in front of the green before bouncing and rolling onto the green. ¡°Wow!¡± Whiiiiiiiiiiiiistle- The gallery started to cheer. The ball stopped 1.5 meters away from the cup. I finished the tournament off with a clean eagle putt. I had a total score of 43 under par after four rounds. I was once again breaking the lowest stroke record that I had set at a previous tournament. Flash! Flash! Bang! Bang! I heard the sounds of flashes and celebratory confetti going off. I also saw reporters running toward me as if they were competing with each other. I was too used to this sight by now. * * * Four days later. The restaurant was completely silent. It should have been full of people around now, but there were no customers. It was just full of the staff members. They were all wearing clean uniforms and waiting in a line. One of the staff members who seemed to hold some power ran over to me and bowed as soon as I entered. ¡°Hello, we will be heading to the third floor. Please follow me.¡± I followed that staff member to the third floor. The third floor was empty as well. ¡®I¡¯m glad I wasn¡¯t late.¡¯ I sat down and waited for the other party to arrive. That same staff member came back up about ten minutes later. I could see two people behind him. One of them was Li Xiang Nan, the woman in her forties who still managed to maintain her twenties-like beauty. However, I bowed toward the middle-aged man standing next to her. He was a big dude that made me think of a fat Goliath. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, sir.¡± ¡°Oh, player Kang Hwi Ram. Long time no see. You killed it out there during the Hainan Tournament. What do I have to do in order to play golf that well?¡± Vice Premier Wang Kun happily shook my hand while patting my shoulder with his other hand. ¡°Thank you very much. I can look over your form sometime if you have the time.¡± ¡°Haha, that sounds good. Let¡¯s sit. I¡¯m so hungry that I feel like I¡¯m about to die.¡± I felt a bit hungry as well. The staff members quickly brought the food in. There was a lot of food on the large table, including Wang Kun¡¯s favorite freshwater shrimp dish and xiao longxia (crawfish). There were so many dishes that just tasting each one was about to make me full. The taste was naturally the best. Maybe that was the reason. I had this battle instinct appear in my mind. ¡®I will quickly make food developed from our Dandelion School fill this table.¡¯ ¡°Why are you not eating anymore?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve eaten quite a bit, sir.¡± ¡°Eat some more. Young people shouldn¡¯t get full so easily.¡± Well, it was Wang Kun who had a seriously large appetite and not that I had a small one. He seemed to have eaten at least five people¡¯s worth of food, but his chopsticks were still moving. Wang Kun gobbled up food for a while longer before finally stopping his chopsticks. We then got down to chatting about business. Wang Kun was a no-nonsense type of person. He didn¡¯t beat around the bush and instead bluntly led in with the most important question. (PR: No-nonsense but talked about gold and had a massive meal before getting down to business. Kek.) ¡°So, what is it that you want from me?¡± ¡°There is an auto company called China Lancer. It is a company with a factory in Guangzhou.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard about it. But what of it?¡± ¡°I wish to purchase that company.¡± Wang Kun looked toward me with a bit of a flustered expression. ¡°Are you asking me to forcibly hand you that company?¡± It wasn¡¯t impossible. There weren¡¯t many companies that could survive the pressure from someone at Wang Kun¡¯s level. But that would be an unreasonable request. We¡¯ve barely met three times. The only reason we met was because of Li Xiang Nan as well. He has a decent impression of me because Li Xiang Nan talked me up, but we¡¯re not at the relationship level where he would do something this big for me. I quickly waved my hand. ¡°Of course not. I am almost done convincing the representative for China Lancer. They¡¯re having a lot of financial difficulties because of a lack of talented technicians, so I can easily have things settled even tomorrow if I just give them a good price.¡± Wang Kun¡¯s expression that had stiffened a bit relaxed once more. ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t look like you need my help for it.¡± ¡°The issue comes after I purchase China Lancer. I promise I will make China Lancer into China¡¯s greatest, no, the world¡¯s greatest auto company. But I need your help to do that, Vice Premier-nim. You know how it works. It is difficult for a business to succeed if the government starts putting a lot of different obstacles in front of it.¡± The person I met not too long ago didn¡¯t actually have that great of a connection in China. He was pretty useful, but his connections weren¡¯t at the level that I needed to run a couple of businesses here. I still took him on for now. He seemed slightly like a scammer when I met him, but his sociability was amazing. He was extremely talented at understanding how the Chinese people were feeling and doing what he needed to make them feel good. I thought that he might be able to quickly build up his connections in China if I supported him well from behind. If Wang Kun also becomes one of my supporters, then there would be nothing for me to worry about in terms of doing business in China. ¡°Ah! Haha. Is that it?¡± Phew. Wang Kun¡¯s expression brightened up. He seems to have figured out exactly what I¡¯m looking for. In simple terms, I was just asking him to help me make sure that the government doesn¡¯t interfere with my business. That¡¯s all I need. But I might as well go big if I¡¯m going to do something. The business can become more successful if Wang Kun puts in a little more support. But there was no need to ask him for it. I just had to make it so that Wang Kun would have a reason to support me. How you ask? I just need to make him have the mentality of an investor. ¡°I will provide you with 10 billion won worth of stocks if you help me. It should grow to ten times that amount in around three years once I start to grow the business.¡± Wang Kun flinched as he tried to move his chopsticks again in order to eat some more food. Wang Kun had a net worth of over a trillion wons, but receiving 10 billion won worth of bribe money wasn¡¯t small. Furthermore, I was saying that it would grow to 100 billion won in three years. Wang Kun put down his chopsticks. He then reached his hand out toward me. ¡°Hao. (Chinese for good.) You¡¯ve got guts for a youngster. You are qualified to be one of my people.¡± I reached both of my hands out to grab his hand. Li Xiang Nan clapped from the side as if she was extremely happy. Yes, this was great! This was really good. I finally had the foundation to sell to the world¡¯s largest automobile market. 200 million vehicles in service. 3 million new automobile registrations per year. And the internal combustion locomotives would be banned starting in 2030. It¡¯ll become a world for the electric cars. In other words, it¡¯ll be my world. Of course, things could always change. China itself was a variable. They may try to take away all of my Chinese businesses sometime in the future. However, it won¡¯t be easy. Only the body of the vehicles would be built in China while the core components, such as the battery, will be built elsewhere and imported in. Basically, the Chinese company is just a shell of a company on its own. But there was an unexpected development. ¡°Then can I ask you for a favor now?¡± I knew it. I had a feeling that things were going too well. A request from Wang Kun, the number two person in China. I¡¯m sure that it wouldn¡¯t be an easy thing to do. I started to get nervous. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I, as well as the President-nim, are very interested in the Dandelion School that you established in Shanghai. As such, we were wondering if you could create some more branches throughout China.¡± I was wondering what kind of favor he would ask for. Something like that is obviously fine. I can gather more talented individuals the more Dandelion Schools I build and also create a lot more new businesses. Most importantly, I could use the Dandelion School to quickly build my connections with the Chinese power players. The fact that my image would become even better is just an extra bonus. ¡°I will open at least ten more within the next five years. In terms of students, there should be about 50,000 students. I ask for your continued support, Vice Premier-nim.¡± ¡°From me? Of course. Hahaha.¡± * * * ¡°Huff. Huff.¡± Everybody was breathing heavily. That was how rough the terrain was. Even well-trained soldiers were like this, so how would someone like Eruni, who has never had any training at all, fare? I¡¯m sure that she probably feels like she¡¯s about to die. But Eruni was doing better than I had expected. She bit down on her lips and didn¡¯t complain even once as she followed us. Of course, I helped her out by carrying her in almost impossible to cross areas. But the issue was Bernard. He was a magician and maintaining his youth with the Immortality Potion, but there was no way his stamina was at that same youngster level. ¡°Huff. Huff. How much farther do we have to go?¡± How would I know? I don¡¯t even know how long it has taken us to get here. The sun is always at its peak and there is no night, day, nor different seasons here. That is why I don¡¯t know if it has been one year or two years. I just know that it feels like it has been quite a while. It had to have been at least over two years already. (PR: Couldn¡¯t you have tracked using the time you¡¯ve slept in reality?) I was completely wrong to think that we could take care of things within one year if we were fast. That got me a bit worried. It was because Humbley would spin things into motion when the time comes. Then the Jeppi tribe will try to take over the continent and I needed to cut them off before it was too late. ¡®Do I need to create a portal here and return?¡¯ There should still be some time left. But it will be dangerous if we waste too much time. The only thing I could do was badger Chief. ¡°Chief. Is there still a far way to go?¡± ¡°Caw! We are almost there. There is cave once we get up there. Caw! The Demons¡¯ Mine is past that cave. That is Chief¡¯s hometown. Caw!¡± I raised my head toward where Chief was pointing. Chapter 160 - Still on top of Buddha’s palm (1) It was pretty much a cliff that was over 100 meters in height. ¡®He¡¯s saying that something is over there?¡¯ However, I noticed an extremely rough path following the side of the cliff. Of course I would have no issues going through it, but it would be impossible for Eruni or Shione. No, it would be dangerous for the magician Bernard and the regular soldiers as well. ¡°Is there no other path?¡± ¡°Caw. This is it.¡± Then I guess there was no other choice. I do remember something like this during the game. I remembered getting to a point where the weaker soldiers were unable to move forward. We had no choice but to divide the team into two. And then we arrived at the Demons¡¯ Mine almost instantly. This seemed to be that moment. That should mean that we weren¡¯t very far from our destination. ¡°How much farther to the Demons¡¯ Mine?¡± ¡°Once we climb this cliff, caw! We can get there in one month.¡± Did it take a whole month last time? I didn¡¯t have a very good sense of time because I experienced it during the game. But it seemed that I had no choice right now. ¡°Why don¡¯t we do it like this? I will follow Chief on my own. Everybody else can wait here.¡± Harrison¡¯s group and the Dwarves all seemed shocked by my suggestion. ¡°You¡¯re going to go alone?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be dangerous?¡± Of course it would be dangerous. But it was nothing to worry about. I already know what dangers await me once I get up there. I also know how to handle that dangerous situation. In fact, I was more worried about the people who will have to wait here for me. We sacrificed a lot to get here. A lot of people were lost along the way. The 100 soldiers were reduced to 71 and we even lost a Dwarf. The strong monsters played a part, however, the most dangerous issue were the Red Snakes. They would silently crawl up from the boulders while we were resting or sleeping, and it was instant death once you were bitten. We couldn¡¯t afford to lose any more people. They were all people who would be extremely helpful to me in the future. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be in much danger because I have the Unicorn¡¯s Horn Flute with me. I will open a portal at a good location.¡± I purchased 10 two-door portals before we left from Titan Valley. All ten were the ones that allowed an unlimited number of people to go through a distance within 50 kilometers. I already used six of them, but that meant I still had four left. Weren¡¯t these the kind of reasons I bought them for? Harrison and Goonto nodded their heads. ¡°Then it should be fine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn and immediately open a portal if you end up in a dangerous situation.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± I casually responded and started to climb the cliff with Chief. Chief was an expert at cliff climbing. This punk didn¡¯t have much agility, but he was walking up this cliff as if he was walking over a flat plain. Of course, I was able to keep up with him. We almost instantly climbed the 100 meter tall cliff. I saw an unexpectedly beautiful sight once I got up there. ¡®Wow! It¡¯s like paradise!¡¯ There was a pretty wide grassland on top of the cliff. There were all sorts of colorful flowers, as well as delicious looking fruits that made me want to run over and eat them. I didn¡¯t expect to see such a beautiful sight in this rough Western District. You would never dream of something like this being here when you were looking up from the bottom of the cliff. ¡°Caw! You cannot eat the fruits! All of them are poisonous!¡± I had some knowledge about that as well. I had studied a lot about the Western District through the draft plan. The majority of the fruits here would give good results if you turned them into alcohol, however, your life could be in danger if you ate them raw. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hurry up. Lead the way! Stop dilly-dallying and let¡¯s go.¡± Chief started to run as fast as he could. However, he was not as fast on this flat plain as he had been on the cliff. Well, it¡¯s not that Chief was slow, but that I am fast. There was another large cliff on the other side of the grassland. It was extremely tall and steep. This cliff was one that I wouldn¡¯t be able to climb even if my agility was at 100. But Chief led me to a small cave entrance at the bottom of that cliff. ¡®This is that place!¡¯ I remembered this place from the Royal Roader game. It was something that happened long ago and was not as fresh in my mind because it had happened during the game, however, I still remembered it clearly. That was how memorable the Western District was even during the game. That was especially the case for what happens after this cave. I followed Chief into the cave. ¡®There should be a submerged path soon.¡¯ And it was just as I expected. Chief suddenly stopped walking in shock. ¡°Caw. The path is submerged in water. We need to pass through the bottom in order to get to the other side of the cave. Caw.¡± I could feel that the water was flowing gently. However, the water will be flowing much faster once I get to the bottom. ¡°Then we will need to dive in. Chief, can you dive?¡± ¡°Chief hates water. Caw!¡± The Kobbit race hated water. They especially felt significant fear for their entire body being submerged under water. I was able to easily take care of this issue during the game. I was able to summon and unsummon him. I just unsummoned Chief and passed through the submerged path. However, it is not possible to unsummon a slave in this real-world Royal Roader. Then how would I get through this spot? Wouldn¡¯t it be great if there was a magic bag that you could put humans, monsters, or slaves inside? Then I could carry the slaves in the bag and call them out when I needed them. But such a bag did not exist. That was why I prepared something in advance since I knew this would happen. I took a sack out of my magic bag. ¡°Then go in here.¡± This sack did not have any magical properties. It was just a sack that was large enough for Chief to fit inside. He won¡¯t get wet if he is inside here, and would be able to have some air as well. ¡°Caw!¡± Chief stepped back as if he was scared. He could easily imagine what would happen once he went inside the bag. ¡°Chief. Don¡¯t you trust me?¡± ¡°Caw! But I still hate water!¡± His fear of water really was significant. He continued to step backward even with me glaring at him. Then I guess there was no other choice. Forced entry! Chief¡¯s stats weren¡¯t that high. He was someone I could hunt when I was not even level 10. Chief tried to run, but I easily grabbed him and put him inside the sack. ¡°Caw! Please don¡¯t kill me.¡± Chief flailed around to get out, but it was not possible. I used my strength to put Chief completely inside the sack. ¡°Don¡¯t flail around. Water will get in if you rip the sack. You could die if that happens.¡± ¡°Caw! Someone save Chief!¡± I gave him one last warning before I tied the sack up. ¡°Take a deep breath.¡± Chief finally seemed to give up. He took a couple breaths so that he could hold his breath for a longer duration of time. ¡°Hua. Hua. Hua.¡± ¡°Now take a deep breath.¡± Chief¡¯s eyes were full of fear. ¡°Huaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry punk. You won¡¯t die.¡± I then tied the bag up. I grabbed the sack with Chief and dived into the water. I then reached the deepest part of the water as quickly as possible. It was extremely deep. It continued to go down even though I felt as if I had already gone at least 10 meters underwater. However, I suddenly felt something sweep me away. It was the current. There was an extremely fast current deep underwater. ¡®Aaah!¡¯ I quickly started to be swept away as if I was on an express train made of water. It was so fast that I couldn¡¯t even see where I was going. I had to work hard in order to make sure that I didn¡¯t lose the sack with Chief inside. ¡®But this is too fast!¡¯ It seemed to be moving over 10 meters per second. The shock from hitting the cave wall every so often was intense as well. The more worrisome thing was that there seemed to be no end to this cave. It had been over three minutes already, but all I saw was this dark cave. ¡®Just how long does it go?¡¯ Another three minutes went by. Now I was running out of breath. I was able to hold my breath for over ten minutes here because my physical traits were much better than in the real world, however, it was hard to do that when I was placed in a dangerous situation like this. I don¡¯t think I will be able to hold my breath for ten minutes. I felt like I would suffocate if I did not take a breath right now. I also became envious of the sack Chief was inside. Chief should be able to take some breaths with the air left inside the sack. Should I open up the sack and try to breathe with that air? However, the current was so fast that I didn¡¯t even think I could do that. I continued to lose air as I thought about that. I could feel my mind starting to fade away. ¡®Please hurry!¡¯ I was almost praying for it to end. My surroundings suddenly lit up at that moment. That extremely strong current disappeared as well. That wasn¡¯t it. It felt as if my body was floating in air. ¡®¡­¡­Huh? What the¡­?¡¯ I turned my head to look around. I felt my heart sink as I did that. ¡®Right! The end of the submerged cave!¡¯ There was an extremely high waterfall at the end of that cave. I couldn¡¯t tell the exact height because it was in the game, however, there was an extremely painful impact when I fell even though my stats were extremely high. ¡®I¡¯m going to fall soon!¡¯ A long time passed since I had that thought. Well, I¡¯m sure it was actually a short period of time, but it felt like a long time to me. Anyway, the only thing I was sure of was that it was an extremely tall waterfall. The amount of water flowing through was also so much that the noise of the water crashing at the bottom was loud as well. Crash, crash, crash- I then felt a sudden shock throughout my entire body. Boom- It didn¡¯t seem like I had died since I could hear a message in my head. However, I could not think about anything else. The stun state was removed and my life quickly recovered thanks to mana suction, but my mind was unable to handle the shock of losing 698 HP at once. I blacked out like that. Shake shake. What the¡­?¡¯ I opened my eyes just slightly after feeling something weird. The world seemed to be flipped over. No, I was hanging upside down. My body was shaking left and right while being upside down. I was able to figure out the reason as I stealthily peeked out. Around eight Kobbits had tied me up against a log and were carrying the log on their shoulders. They looked like Kobbit Indians who had hunted a hog in the field. ¡®These bastards are treating me like a pig?¡¯ I heard a familiar voice at that moment. ¡°Caw! Kirookookoorookoo!¡± It was hard to understand, but the voice definitely belonged to that bastard. I turned my head slightly to the side. It was an awkward movement because my entire body was tied up, but I could see him. ¡®Chief!¡¯ I was certain of it. My slave Chief seemed scared as he was urging the other Kobbits. ¡®Status Window Open!¡¯ I quickly tried to open up Chief¡¯s status window. However, nothing happened. There was only one thing that could mean. Chief¡¯s loyalty had fallen under 50 and he had betrayed me. That meant that he was no longer my slave and had returned to the unique monster that he used to be in the past. I wasn¡¯t anxious. This was going as I had expected. It was going just the way it happened in the game. However, I could not think about anything else. I felt something prick my butt before my mind became blurry again. ¡®Damn it, poison!¡¯ I had a pretty high poison resistance level now. I could even survive the extremely strong poison of a Death Snake. But that poison resistance seemed to be useless against the Kobbits¡¯ poison. Just how strong of a poison did they use that my mind was blanking out this quickly? Chapter 161 - Still on top of Buddha’s palm (2) I finally woke back up. I could hear a lot of things I couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Caw!¡± ¡°Kweh. Kikikoo. Kiroo. Kirooroo.¡± ¡°Kwellrooroo. Kikoorookookoo.¡± ¡®Why is it so loud?¡¯ However, I didn¡¯t open my eyes to look around. I had a pretty good idea about who they were. I¡¯m sure they were being wary of me right now as well. Especially Chief. I opened my eyes just slightly to peek around. The first thing I saw was an extremely tall cliff. There was a wide plaza at the bottom of the cliff with tents that seemed to be made with long grass. I could also see Kobbits walking to and from. Phew. A lot of things were different compared to the story in the game, but this part seemed to be following the story properly. That meant that everything from here was as clear as if it was happening on top of my palms. However, there were a large number of Kobbits. I could see at least 400 of them when I peeked out. There were probably close to 1,000 total Kobbits. ¡®The Kobbit Village is bigger than I expected.¡¯ I cautiously looked around. A bonfire was burning right next to me. I then found Chief. Chief was observing me at that moment as well. He seems to have remained alert as he knew how dangerous I could be. Chief jumped up in shock as soon as we made eye contact. ¡°Kirooroo. Kirookookoorookoo. Kirookirook. Caw!¡± I felt something prick me by my waist again. My mind then started to fade away. I guess they used the poison again. But why is it affecting me so much? I wasn¡¯t this weak against poison in the game. ¡®Ah! That¡¯s actually not the case!¡¯ My consciousness quickly came right back. I seemed to have quickly become resistant to the Kobbit poison. I was fine after less than one minute. The ropes around my hands and feet weren¡¯t very strong either. I put some strength into it, and it seemed ready to break. This meant that I could easily break out whenever I felt like it. But where are my stuff? The fact that my body felt so light meant that they moved my magic bag and Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. I didn¡¯t have my Shadow Wolf¡¯s Leather Armor on either. But I wasn¡¯t in much danger. Kobbits are barely at level 10. Of course, the Kobbits here were different than normal Kobbits. They were stronger because of the demonic aura. If you compare them in terms of levels, they were probably stronger than regular Kobbits at level 100. That was why Chief could not defeat them and was kicked out of here. But it didn¡¯t matter. My level reached 450 as we crossed through the Western District to get here. In terms of abilities alone, I should be able to easily handle monsters up to level 500. So, would a level 100 Kobbit be dangerous? It was no problem even without my weapon or armor. But I just quietly waited. My goal was not to obliterate the Kobbit herd. I needed to use them to complete the Western District quest. I needed to meet their leader to do that. The Kobbit leader had the Warrior¡¯s Ring that I needed to complete the first quest. He would hide elsewhere if I acted too early, making it difficult to find him again. ¡®Where are you? Hurry up and show yourself.¡¯ I continued to wait. I felt a prick at my side or butt every so often. The Kobbits seemed to be using the poison on me at regular intervals. Thanks to that, my resistance to their poison continued to grow quickly. Now my mind didn¡¯t even feel hazy after getting pricked. I just didn¡¯t like the feeling of being pricked over and over. A moment later. ¡°Caw! Kiroogoroogooroo.¡± ¡°Kiki.¡± The Kobbits started to act weird. They seemed to be a bit excited. I peeked out to see what was going on. The fire next to me had gotten much stronger than before. The Kobbits were all gathered around the fire and jumping up and down as they moved around it. Some of them came over and picked up the log that I was tied too. They then put me directly on top of the bonfire. ¡®These punks are trying to roast me?¡¯ I scoffed. They were thinking lightly about a Best Blacksmith recognized by Lord Volcanus. Naturally, I was fine. This kind of bonfire was nothing compared to the heat of the cedar tree coals. It didn¡¯t even feel hot. However, I pretended that it was hot. I twisted my body and pretended to be in pain. That was the only way for me to move my body and look around without causing any suspicions. ¡®Where is he? Is he still not here?¡¯ I noticed a Kobbit that was dressed differently at that moment. He was dressed fancily almost as if he was a shaman. He was also much bigger than the other Kobbits. ¡®It must be him! I got him!¡¯ It was now time to cut the ropes tying me down. But I didn¡¯t even need to put in any effort. The large bonfire gobbled my body up, burning the ropes in the process. They loosened easily with a short noise. I was almost right above the fire once I did that. I tensed my entire body up. Riiiiiip- The ropes that had burned from the fire instantly ripped. I was completely free now. I grabbed the log with both hands and did some acrobatics as I threw my body out of the fire. The Kobbits all jumped back in shock. I didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to the others. I rushed toward the Kobbit Chieftain who was wearing that fancy outfit. Papat! The Kobbits started to urgently speak to each other as I made my move. ¡°Caw!¡± ¡°Kirooroo.¡± ¡°Kiroo. Kiroo!¡± Poison darts started to fly toward me at the same time. Of course, the majority of them could not hit me. I was using my extremely high agility to move around very quickly. Some of them did hit me but didn¡¯t affect me at all. I was already completely immune to that poison. The Kobbit Chieftain started to run. He didn¡¯t even try to fight against me. However, it was useless. The Kobbit Chieftain looked like he was crawling like a baby in my eyes. I instantly narrowed the distance between us and grabbed him by the neck. I then shouted toward Chief. At least Chief was able to understand human language. ¡°Chief! Tell them to surrender! Otherwise I will twist this punk¡¯s neck off.¡± Chief and the other Kobbits flinched. They started to talk to themselves. Of course, they were talking in the Kobbit language I did not understand. ¡°Caw!¡± ¡°Kirooroorook!¡± ¡°Kiroo. Kiroo!¡± What the hell are they saying? I think I could tell based on the atmosphere. They were full of anger and seemed to want to challenge me rather than being afraid or concerned. They started to tightly clench their sticks or axes in their hands which showed me I was probably right. ¡®They¡¯re just asking for a beating, huh?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t have a method. I could also see some things to the side that I was happy to see. I could see my magic bag, Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades, and the Shadow Wolf¡¯s Leather Armor. They were a bit of a distance away, but all of them were gathered together. ¡°Caw!¡± The Kobbits seemed to have made up their minds. They all started to charge toward me. I broke the Kobbit Chieftain¡¯s arms and legs. I then punched his head with my fist. I controlled my strength enough that he wouldn¡¯t die. Otherwise, I would have received a message that I acquired the Warrior¡¯s Ring in his possession. He¡¯s just fainted. It wouldn¡¯t matter even if he woke back up. He won¡¯t be able to escape quickly even if the other Kobbits helped him because I broke both his arms and legs. Now it was time to show these bastards some pain. Taat! I quickly started to move. Chief saw me and shouted in shock. ¡°Kiroorooroo. Kiroo. Kiroo.¡± His finger was pointed at my equipment in the distance. He was probably telling them to stop me before I got my hands on Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. But I was much faster. It was a bit away but only about 30 meters away total. I instantly shortened the distance. Some of the Kobbits got in my way but they all flew away with a single punch. I then got my hands on Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. I was finally fully confident. I could indeed defeat these Kobbits without Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades, but there¡¯s a big difference between having these and not having these. ¡®Great! Shall I show them what they got themselves into?¡¯ [Drake¡¯s TBSA] I charged in toward a group of Kobbits and started to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. It was a one-sided massacre. They just became massacred faster and faster when more of them gathered together. Over 300 Kobbits had turned into corpses within 2 minutes. It was over half of the visible Kobbits. The Kobbits finally seemed to have figured out how urgent this situation currently is. They could no longer approach me and slowly started to back away. I didn¡¯t have any need to catch any of the other ones. I only needed two of them. One was the Kobbit Chieftain. He was still unconscious. The other Kobbits didn¡¯t seem to have the luxury of trying to save the Kobbit Chieftain. Then there was just one Kobbit left that I needed. ¡®Chief, you bastard! Now it¡¯s time to come back!¡¯ Chief really was a witty one. He had already started to run after seeing the atmosphere around the fight become one-sided. He was about 100 meters away from me. Meh, only 100 meters. I kicked off the ground again and charged toward Chief. The shocked Chief ran toward the forest. He became invisible as he ran. ¡®Invisible magic.¡¯ I was expecting this. It was a pretty effective method. I could see through the darkness with my Owl¡¯s Eyes but I could not see through invisible magic. But no worries. There¡¯s a way to look through the invisible magic. ¡®Guardian Elemental! Go!¡¯ A bright orb inside my chest shot out. I used the Guardian Elemental¡¯s eyes instead of my own to look around. The Guardian Elemental uses the flow of mana to see things instead of using light. And invisible magic is unable to hide the flow of mana. I could soon see where Chief was standing. His silhouette was very hazy as I was using mana to look. However, I could at least be certain that he was there. He was hiding behind a large tree. The tree was surrounded by tall grass as well, making it so I would never be able to find him with my eyes. I put my hand inside my bag. I grabbed something squishy. It was the paint that I used in the Northern Mines to hunt Chief. I threw my body toward the grass behind the tree where Chief was hiding. Chief started to run in shock. I could faintly make him out as he ran. I threw the paint toward where he was running. Splat! The paint hit him and now I could see him without the Guardian Elemental¡¯s help. Chief stopped moving once he saw what happened. He removed the invisible magic and revealed himself. He then looked toward me and kneeled. ¡°Caw! Master, please don¡¯t kill me!¡± I didn¡¯t have any plans on killing him. I needed Chief to make it easier to complete the remaining Western District quest. Furthermore, it would make it easier to make this Western District mine. I needed Chief to be my slave again for that. ¡°So that you can betray me again?¡± ¡°Caw! I will never betray you ever again. I will serve you forever and be your loyal slave, master! Please give me just one more chance.¡± The first and second times really were different. I heard a lot of different messages the first time I took Chief in as a slave, but this second time was too simple. There wasn¡¯t anything to gain from it either. ¡°Fine. I will give you one more chance.¡± I heard a message once I agreed to it. Chapter 162 - Demons’ Mine (1) It was just a simple message this time as well. There was nothing about fame or infamy this time though. It made sense. I had already absorbed all of the infamy and fame when I took him in as a slave the first time. ¡®Status Window Open!¡¯ [Master the Kobbit Village Level 10] Dexterity: Intermediate Level 3, 27% Strength: 123 Agility: 28 Stamina: 221 Intuition: 613 Magic: 99 Vitality: 150 Mana: 852 HP: 1,486 Loyalty: 89 Faith: 0 Knowledge: 327 Charm: 12 Sensitivity: 661 Fame: 0 Respect: 0 Infamy: 0 His loyalty was extremely high. He¡¯s such a sly little bastard that I can¡¯t completely trust the loyalty level, however, he probably will not think about betraying me at least for the time being. Chief didn¡¯t betray me twice in the game either. ¡°Your name is Chief again.¡± ¡°Caw! Thank you very much, master. I will do my best to support you.¡± Okay, now that I got Chief back¡­ I turned my head to see that the other Kobbits were still warily looking at me. None of them were thinking about attacking me because they were afraid, however, there were none that were trying to be my slaves like Chief had done. Of course, I could not take them in as slaves. Monsters need to meet certain requirements in order to become a slave. First of all, they needed to at least be a unique monster. The rest of these Kobbits were not at that level. However, I still had a method to turn them all into my subordinates. It was simple. I started to walk toward the Kobbit Chieftain. The other Kobbits flinched like scared kittens and moved away with each step I took. The Kobbit Chieftain had woken up. However, he was in a lot of pain from his broken arms and legs. I grabbed him by the neck again. ¡°Translate this word for word. I will kill you and all of the other Kobbits in this village and around this area if you don¡¯t surrender. But if you swear your loyalty to me, I will completely clean out the Demons¡¯ Mine.¡± ¡°Kiroo. Kirooroo. Kikikookoo¡­¡­¡± Chief translated my sentence into the Kobbit language. The Kobbit Chieftain¡¯s eyes opened wide once it reached the point about the Demons¡¯ Mine. ¡°Kirooroogoorooki?¡± ¡°What is he saying?¡± ¡°He¡¯s asking if you can really destroy the monsters in the Demons¡¯ Mine.¡± ¡°Of course. But he needs to swear his completely loyalty to me.¡± Chief repeated what I said once again and the Kobbit Chieftain nodded his head. ¡°Caw!¡± ¡°Master, the Chieftain has sworn his loyalty to you.¡± A complete surrender. However, I didn¡¯t receive any message about how he had lost all will to resist or to take him in as a slave. This meant that I shouldn¡¯t trust him even though he claimed to promise his loyalty. He would be able to betray me at any point regardless of his loyalty. However, it will not be easy to do that. I showed too overwhelming of strength for him to do that. ¡°Fine. Then I will heal his wounds.¡± I used a potion to heal the Kobbit Chieftain¡¯s wounds. The Kobbit Chieftain then bowed his head multiple times and promised his loyalty once again. I put on my Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor and my magic bag. I had returned to my original settings. Shall I take a look to see how loyal he is to me? I reached my hand out toward the Kobbit Chieftain. He looked at me with confusion. He didn¡¯t seem to understand what I wanted. ¡°Tell him to hand over the Warrior¡¯s Ring.¡± The Kobbit Chieftain put on an awkward expression once Chief translated it to him. However, he could not say no. He seemed to have given up any thoughts of resistance after hearing me specifically ask for the Warrior¡¯s Ring. The Kobbit Chieftain led me over to his house. The Chieftain¡¯s house was not in the common area, but inside of a cave on the side of the cliff. The cave became wider as you went in and divided into multiple rooms. The Chieftain¡¯s room was definitely larger than the other rooms. There was even a storage room to the side. The Chieftain went through the storage room and brought out a wooden box. He then handed the whole box to me. ¡°Caw!¡± I opened the lid to find all sorts of items inside. However, the only thing that caught my attention was the ring. It was the only item that was clean and shiny in the box full of rusty old items. The information popped up as soon as I picked up the ring. [Warrior¡¯s Ring] A ring made by the Ares Temple specifically to fight against the power of darkness. Divine powers related to Ares will increase by 60%. It had only one effect. However, it was an amazing affect. The fact that divine powers increased by 60% meant that any priest from the Ares Temple who wore this ring would see all of their skills increase in strength by 60%. I debated putting it in my inventory before putting it on my finger. I immediately felt something ominous along with a message. ¡®Ah! The Ring of Darkness!¡¯ I quickly took off the Warrior¡¯s Ring. It wasn¡¯t like someone like me, who wasn¡¯t a priest, would be able to use this ring anyway. It wasn¡¯t like the ring increased my number of Guard Points nor anything like that. ¡°Then shall we head toward the Demons¡¯ Mine now? How far is it from here?¡± ¡°Caw. We can get there in 20 days if we run as fast as we can.¡± 20 days. Do they understand the meaning of days when there are no days nor nights here? But Chief¡¯s loyalty was close to 90 so he was probably not lying. I¡¯m sure they had their own ways of calculating time as well. I will just call Kaicher and the others at the entrance of the Demons¡¯ Mine. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I had two Kobbits lead the way. I had the Chieftain stand to my left along with Chief. It was because this was a dangerous area where something unexpected could happen at any moment. The other Kobbits didn¡¯t matter, but I needed to keep the Chieftain alive until we find the Demons¡¯ Mine. I naturally didn¡¯t want Chief to die either. Slither- ¡°Caw!¡± I knew this would happen. We were in a regular cave and a group of Death Snakes suddenly popped out. There were five of them. The two Kobbits leading the way were poisoned by the Death Snakes before they even had a chance to respond. It would have been terrible if the Chieftain and Chief were leading the way. I quickly got rid of the Death Snakes. There was nothing we could do about the two Kobbits who were poisoned. Even if there was something that I could do, I wouldn¡¯t use those precious potions on these Kobbits. I still had a lot of Kobbits who could be used as sacrificial lambs. ¡°Put those two in front instead.¡± Chief told my message to the Chieftain who then ordered the Kobbits. Two Kobbits looked scared, but they could not go against the Chieftain¡¯s orders. ¡°Run faster.¡± ¡°Caw!¡± The Kobbits in the front raised their speed. Maybe they were moving in order to get rid of their fear, but they were running much faster than I expected. Not that I minded, as this was better for me. We ran like that for about 15 days. The exit of the cave finally appeared. However, that was just the start of a new cave. Outside the cave was a large cliff with a wide grassland underneath it, with ten cave entrances at the edge of the grasslands. The Kobbit Chieftain pointed to one of them. ¡°Caw. Kooehhehh.¡± ¡°He says that one is the entrance to the Demons¡¯ Mine. Caw.¡± ¡°Lead the way.¡± The Chieftain put some other Kobbits in the front to lead the way. However, they were reacting differently than they had until now. Their shoulders were curled in and they had their necks down, making them seem completely terrified. They even stopped moving once they got to the entrance. ¡°Caw!¡± ¡°He says that they cannot go inside here. Caw.¡± ¡°Why? Is there some kind of barrier?¡± ¡°Caw! Apparently none of the Kobbits who went into this cave came back out alive, caw.¡± In other words, they were just too scared to go in. Then I know what I need to do. I just need to lead the way. I will have the Chieftain follow behind me with Chief. Of course, I don¡¯t plan to lead the way on my own. A large number of allies who cannot be seen right now were just waiting for me to call them. I created a portal at the cave entrance. The red portal was created in less than 3 seconds and the others soon came through from the other side. The brave Dwarf Goonto was naturally in the lead. ¡°What took you so long? I was so bored.¡± The other Dwarves soon arrived before Rohas, Harrison, Shione and the others all showed up. ¡°Huh, why did your numbers go down?¡± Two of Harrison¡¯s group had died. There were 71 when I left them but only 69 came through. ¡°Do you think we were chilling in some kind of paradise? There were so many monsters.¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t even sleep properly because they appeared at night.¡± ¡°Ahaha. Didn¡¯t you sleep all you want during the day?¡± I understood what happened. I did leave them in the middle of the Western District that was known as one of the most dangerous areas. ¡°But where is this place? Is that perhaps¡­¡­?¡± Goonto glared at the large cave entrance. He looks like he would be slow, but he seems to be quite sharp. ¡°You¡¯re right. That is the Demons¡¯ Mine. You¡¯ve been taking good care of Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Goonto touched his scabbard. He had brought his own solar blade that he had made along with Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade to hunt the monsters. ¡°Then let¡¯s get started. I will lead the way. Goonto, you stick behind me with all of them.¡± Goonto finally turned his head to see the group of Kobbits. There were approximately 60 of them. We had started with over 100 Kobbits, but they had kept dying along the way. The Kobbits became stronger due to the demonic aura, but they were still less than level 200. On the other hand, Dwarves were the warrior race that were known to be strong. The Kobbits all flinched as the Dwarves glared at them. ¡°Why do we need these weak ass monsters?¡± ¡°Pathfinders. They are from the area.¡± That was enough explanation. Goonto nodded his head in understanding. ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry up. I want to finish this and head home.¡± That was my plan as well. But I still needed to put some precautions in place. The Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor should make it difficult to find me in that dark cave. However, it would still be better to put another set of eyes in front of me. ¡®Guardian Elemental, lead the way.¡¯ A shining orb popped out of my clothes as I gave the order. The Guardian Elemental uses a bit of Spirit Energy. That was why I might not be able to use Spirit Energy in a time of need if I kept it active for a long period of time. But I really needed it right now for safety reasons. I was able to see 20 meters ahead of me thanks to the Guardian Elemental. I quickly started to move after confirming it was safe. Goonto, Harrison, and the others placed magic lights on their foreheads and followed behind me. Kiiiiiii- Two Hell Spiders suddenly popped out from behind a large boulder. They seemed to have been waiting to strike. They were aiming directly at my face. ¡°Watch out!¡± ¡°Dodge!¡± I heard Goonto and Harrison¡¯s concerned shouts coming from behind me. However, they had no choice but to gasp. Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades moved as soon as the Hell Spiders popped out. Slash- The two Hell Spiders quickly turned into corpses and fell to the ground. I had sliced them in one hit. ¡°What is going on? You easily took care of the sneak attack earlier as well.¡± ¡°Did you know that the monsters were here?¡± Of course I knew. Why else would I be using Spirit Energy in order to keep the Guardian Elemental in front of me? But there was no reason to let them know about the Guardian Elemental. I just told them it was a floating magic light. As for how I was able to notice these sneak attacks? ¡°I already told you. I¡¯m a bit special.¡± It wasn¡¯t really telling them how, but they just nodded their heads. I had shown them enough surprising things for them to not question this. ¡°What are you doing? We still have a long way to go.¡± I took the lead once again. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 163 - Demons’ Mine (2) The amount of times we ran into monsters became more frequent as we went farther into the cave. The difficulty level of each group of monsters went up as well. Honestly speaking, I was thankful for that. I had used up a lot of Spirit Energy in order to maintain my Guardian Elemental, so the monsters appearing every so often allowed me to refill my Spirit Energy. However, I did feel burdened by them starting from some point. It was because monsters like the Stone Golems started to pop up. It would have been fine if they had showed up along with weaker monsters for me to use as stepping stones for combo, but the Stone Golems tended to move on their own. My level was higher and my weapons were fortified, however, my strength is still low such that there is a limit to the damage I can do without using combo. My current situation was that I could barely leave a scratch on the Stone Golems without using combo. I stepped back whenever a Stone Golem appeared while Goonto and the Dwarves stepped in to fight. Dwarves really were strong. This was especially the case for Goonto, who had reached the level of One with the Sword, who was using his personally crafted Solar Blade in order to cause significant amounts of damage. Because of that, Harrison and the other humans were kind of useless. Only Bernard could do something by using support magic to help Goonto and the Dwarves. Crumble- The final Stone Golem broke down. Goonto wiped some sweat off of his forehead with his sleeve. ¡°Damn bastard. He kept coming back alive every time we broke him apart.¡± That really was the case. They would use strong attacks to destroy it into pieces, but those pieces would just gather together in order to create another Stone Golem. It revived at least twenty times like that. ¡°It won¡¯t revive again, right?¡± ¡°Let it try. I¡¯ll completely turn it into dust this time.¡± The Dwarves continued to swing their swords at the destroyed remains as if they were venting their anger. The sounds of their swords clanging echoed throughout the cave each time. But something was weird. I could hear something else along with the clanging noises. ¡°Hold on! Be quiet for a moment!¡± The Dwarves stopped their swords after hearing my shout. The others became tense and looked around as well. The entire area was filled with silence for a moment. I could hear the sound more clearly now. Kuruuuuuruuuuu- It was the sound of a monster. However, I was not familiar with this cry. I had faced a significant number of monsters through the Demon Cave clearings, but I had never heard this type of cry before. Furthermore, it was not just a cry. Kuruukuuriiit. Kakuruubaruuruu. That was definitely monsters talking to each other. Those noises were also quickly approaching us. I couldn¡¯t help but become nervous. I guess I should say that I could feel the power of darkness? Anyway, it was a creepy feeling. I was certain that they were monsters that were at a different class than the ones we¡¯ve faced until now. It could even be those bastards. ¡°Battle formations!¡± The others seemed to have gotten the same feeling. It made sense since all of them have also spent their lives fighting against monsters. Their survival instincts probably developed even without them noticing it. Clang! We picked an area where the cave narrowed to put up a wall. The Dwarves took out large shields from their magic bags in order to create the shield wall while Harrison¡¯s group took out long spears to point between the shields. The horde of monsters were now visible to us. They were not at a distance where the magic lights could reach them, however, I could clearly see them with the help of the Guardian Elemental. My heart sank the moment I saw them. ¡°That¡­¡­!¡± Goonto who was next to me with a shield up urgently asked after hearing me mumble. ¡°What is it? What kind of monsters are they?¡± I didn¡¯t need to tell them. They moved extremely quickly and had gotten much closer in the short duration it took Goonto to ask me those questions. Now they were at a distance where the magic light could reach, making Goonto and the others able to see the monsters. But I guess I should answer the question since I was asked. ¡°Demons!¡± In simple terms, they were not monsters. Demons were different than monsters, similar to how humans, Dwarves, and Elves were different than deer, dogs, tigers, etc. In simple terms, you could say that they were a different race that was supposed to live in the Demon World. I guess I should have expected them to show up. This cave was called the Demons¡¯ Mine after all. I also met some Demons in the Western District when I played the game. That was why I knew that I would eventually run into them. I just never expected to meet them so early like this. ¡°Demons? Then we need to capture them. What are you doing?¡± Goonto raised his voice. It allowed me to come back to my senses. Honestly speaking, I was a bit afraid of the Demons. I had died quite a bit hunting Demons in the game. That happened when I was close to level 500. But my current level was barely over 400. I must have subconsciously thought that it would be impossible to hunt the Demons with my current abilities. However, it wasn¡¯t something that could be avoided. As Goonto mentioned, we needed to fight and win, or at least go out fighting. Furthermore, I had reliable party members unlike during the game. I also had Spirit Energy that I did not have in the game. ¡®Alright! Let¡¯s do it!¡¯ Thankfully, there were not many Demons. There were only four of them. I had decent information about the Demons. I knew their strengths and weaknesses. It was because of how many times they killed me in the game. Their most dangerous trait was their speed! ¡°They are fast! Be careful!¡± I shouted as loud as I could. The Demons seemed to want to prove what I had just said with their bodies as they closed the gap between us at extreme speeds. Tatat! However, their movement was even faster than I had expected. They were running on the walls as if they were defying the laws of gravity. Some of them were even walking on the ceiling as if it was the floor. Doing that didn¡¯t slow them down at all either. Tatat! ¡°What the! What the fuck are those?!¡± ¡°Defend!¡± ¡°These bastards!¡± Goonto and the Dwarves moved their shields toward the direction of the Demons. Harrison and the humans were attacking with their spears as well. Bernard was in the back shooting Fire Arrows toward the Demons. For Bernard, who was extremely talented in fire magic, Fire Arrow was the strongest attack in his arsenal. However, none of the attacks could cause any damage to the Demons. How could they when all of them missed because the Demons were too fast? But they still had some effects. The Demons could not properly launch attacks as they were trying to dodge our attacks. The wall made by the Dwarves¡¯ shields was especially sturdy. The Demons would be stabbed by the spears at least twice if they tried to sneak in through the gaps. Kuruuuuuruuuuu- The Demons moved away from us as if they were performing a strategic retreat. However, they did not stop their attacks. They were glaring at us from a distance. They seemed to be talking to each other about how they could effectively attack us. Kuuruubiiiruukuukii. Karuukijuujuuch. Kikuruukuukii. ¡°What the fuck are those bastards saying?¡± How would I know? I had nothing to respond back. ¡°I have a bad feeling for some reason. Should we just go up and get them?¡± The Dwarves seemed a bit nervous. I knew that their personalities were like fire, but this seemed more like wanting to move out of nervousness rather than because of their personalities. ¡°Wait!¡± ¡°Why? Do you have a solution?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about it right now.¡± I brushed aside Goonto¡¯s question and started to think. There were not many strengths and weaknesses about the Demons that I knew about. I didn¡¯t face them too many times in the game. However, I definitely have experience hunting them. That experience alone would allow me to come up with a plan to defeat them. First of all, Demons have extremely high magic resistance. Spells related to fire, ice, or light cannot cause them any damage. I¡¯m certain that they would have been completely fine even if they were hit by Bernard¡¯s strong Fire Arrows. But I think I remember that Lighting magic worked on them. However, it was only enough to make them flinch. ¡®What were the Demons weak against¡­¡­¡¯ ¡®Right! The only thing that worked was overwhelming strength!¡¯ The only successful method to defeat Demons in the game was when my party members and I had suppressed them with overwhelming strength. And one more thing. ¡®Spirit Energy!¡¯ Spirit Energy and Demonic aura were opposing forces, so pure Spirit Energy should be able to cause them damage. However, there was nobody here who could use Spirit Energy. I could use Spirit Energy to change it into stat points like strength or agility, however, I could not use pure Spirit Energy either. Those were the only options. I needed to use those two facts to come up with a way to defeat the Demons. Let¡¯s increase the strength of my party members first. ¡°Kaicher. Take this.¡± I took something out of my bag and handed it to Kaicher. ¡°What is it?¡± Kaicher had a confused expression as he received the item. He was so shocked after looking at it that he almost jumped. ¡°This is¡­¡­!¡± ¡®We will talk about it later. Put it on for now.¡± ¡®The Warrior¡¯s Ring!¡± It was a ring specifically made to fend off darkness. Any abilities related to the Ares Temple would increase by 60 percent as well. Kaicher would benefit significantly by using the ring. Kaicher did not ask more questions. He quietly put the ring on as he agreed that dealing with the Demons was the biggest issue right now. I then felt an odd aura coming out of Kaicher. His divine powers seemed to have been activated to fight against darkness. I¡¯m sure that the Demons must have felt it as I could feel it. They suddenly stopped talking and started to glare at Kaicher. ¡®Kaicher might be in a bit of danger.¡¯ On the other hand, it meant that I could use Kaicher as bait. It was kind of dangerous, but anything we did right now would be dangerous anyway. ¡°They will aim for Kaicher. Protect him.¡± The Demons started to move even before I could finish speaking. As expected, they were aiming for Kaicher. They were all running toward him. They seemed to have agreed that they needed to get rid of Kaicher first. But how are they so fast?! But I at least had a plan. ¡°Bernard. Other spells will not work. Only use lightning magic. Or just support from the back.¡± Bernard responded with his actions. He changed his attack from Fire Arrows to Thunderbolts. Honestly speaking, support magic would be more helpful, but Thunderbolts were decently helpful as well. Crackle- crackle- The Demons had to change directions every time a Thunderbolt charged toward them. It forced them to slow down. It was my turn now. I first opened up a Demon Cave scroll. It was a mid-sized Demon Cave under level 100. We shouldn¡¯t feel any pressure from the monsters coming out of a Demon Cave if it is this low level. Harrison shouted in shock as the Demon Cave opened up. ¡°What are you doing?!¡± I didn¡¯t have time to explain. Every second was important right now. Now it was time to lower their abilities. This was the case for the Demons as well as the monsters coming out of the Demon Cave. I put a significant amount of Intelli Points into my magic. I wanted to put all 3000+ points into magic, but that was impossible. The maximum amount you could use at once was 50 percent of the total. There was also a cap of 1,000 points at once. But that was not it. ¡®Put Spirit Energy into magic as well!¡¯ Thanks to that, my magic stat was raised by close to 2,000 all at once. This should be enough. I tightened my core and pulled out as much mana as possible. [Dragon Fear: Intermediate Level 4, 21%] Rooooooooooooar- The Demons had made it past the gaps of the shields at some point and were charging toward our formation. However, they all stumbled after hearing my Dragon Fear that was at least five times stronger than normal. The ones running along the walls and ceiling fell to the ground as well. The problem was that my party members were affected as well. They weren¡¯t as shocked as the Demons because we were on the same side, but they seemed to have blanked for a moment at the sudden shout. I needed to hurry. They will only be affected by Dragon Fear for a moment. There would be no chance of victory if I missed this opening. Dragon Fear¡¯s cooldown time is so long that it would be difficult to get another opportunity like this. The Demons were already squirming and starting to get back up. They seemed to have already overcome the effects of Dragon Fear. ¡°Bernard! Thunderbolt!¡± Bernard quickly snapped back to his senses. He then raised his staff and launched more Thunderbolts. Crackle- crackle- He really is a talented magician. His cooldown time was so short that he launched four Thunderbolts in less than two seconds. He then continued to launch more Thunderbolts. The Demons who had barely managed to overcome the Dragon Fear buckled once more after being hit by the Thunderbolts. Is it my turn now? However, I heard an odd shout coming from next to me. ¡°Haaaaaah!¡± It was Kaicher. I could not help but smile. ¡®It¡¯s finally here! The real Kaicher, the Warrior of Light is finally here!¡¯ Chapter 164 - Demons’ Mine (3) This Kaicher was different than normal. It was similar to a volcano that had been gathering its energy for a long time suddenly exploding. It was pure yet violent. He had both unbelievable speed and extreme strength that made me feel like he could even slice a boulder in half. I¡¯m sure it was thanks to the Warrior¡¯s Ring. Kaicher¡¯s strength seemed to have increased to at least twice the normal level thanks to the ring. He had also put all of the Guard Points he had into strength and agility as well. In addition, he even activated Life Suction, which is a unique skill that only Warriors of Light can use. With Life Suction, he can increase his strength or agility by sacrificing his HP. Maybe that was the reason. He seemed to be much stronger than even Goonto, who was the strongest of the Dwarves who were known as the warrior race. Kaicher caused a gust of wind as he charged toward the Demons. The Demons flinched at the pressure coming from Kaicher. However, they quickly recovered and then twisted their bodies to dodge Kaicher¡¯s attacks. Kaicher swung his body following their movements. However, the Demons really were strong. They did not seem to be being pushed back even though Kaicher was giving off such pressure. In fact, I was even feeling that Kaicher was in danger after jumping in between four Demons. It really was time for me to step up. I needed to do something to protect Kaicher. ¡°Stone Elves, come out!¡± I activated the souls of the Stone Elves. They were connected to my mind thanks to my friendliness with the fairies, so all I needed to do was think in order to summon them. Crrrrrrrr- Crrrrr- The boulders by the walls of the cave started to twitch before twelve Stone Elves appeared. The rest of the people with me pointed their swords in shock. ¡°Aah! Stone Golems!¡± Such idiots. Did they not hear me just shout for the Stone Elves? ¡°They¡¯re on our side! Stone Elves! Catch those guys!¡± I calmed the others down while giving a command to the Stone Elves. ¡®Squash them with your bodies like last time!¡¯ I didn¡¯t need to tell them out loud. They could read my mind, so they started to move toward the Demons as soon as they appeared. The Dwarves quickly figured out the situation. They started to charge toward the Demons to squash them as well. Harrison and the others were not just chilling either. They were using their long spears to stab the Demons. However, the Demons had very strong defenses. They could not cause a serious injury no matter how hard they stabbed. Goonto swung his Solar Blade with all of his strength as well, however, the Demons¡¯ bodies were as hard as rocks. That was why I had opened the Demon Cave. The only way to quickly and effectively destroy these Demons was to hit them with an extremely high amount of damage at once. I put my remaining 260 Spirit Energy into agility. I then activated the strong weapon in my arsenal. [Combo (Under 40%): Advanced Level 5, 57%] [Drake¡¯s TBSA Advanced Level 4, 35%] I started to create a combo using the monsters of the Demon Cave as stepping stones. Papapat! Drake¡¯s TBSA that had risen to Advanced Level 4 could now hand up to five critical hits within one second while combo being at Advanced Level 5 increased my damage by 30 percent every hit. Thanks to that, I had a combo of over 40 hits in less than 10 seconds that could cause over 500,000 damage per hit. I don¡¯t know how strong the Demons¡¯ defense and toughness may be, however, I doubt they can handle over 500,000 damage. I quickly charged toward the Demons. ¡°Move! Bernard!¡± These party members had been working with me for over two years already. We traveled through this Western District with strong monsters together. They quickly understood my intentions once they heard my voice. The Dwarves and the Stone Elves who could read my mind all quickly moved out of the way. The Demons instantly became free as they moved away. However, they could not dodge my combo. It was because Bernard launched a thunderbolt at the right time. Crackle- I poured my combos on the Demons at the same time. Papapat! 48 hit combo, 49 hit combo, 50 hit combo, 51 hit combo¡­¡­ ¡­¡­ [2,099,216] [2,866,965] [3,880,394] [5,218,120] The damage really shot up exponentially. It was only at 500,000 at the 40 hit combo, but it was over 5 million damage at the 50 hit combo. Based on how it was affecting the Demons, it seemed as if their defense was slightly over 400,000. However, their vitality was not very high. Their bodies split into two without being able to resist a single hit beyond 400,000 damage. I heard a refreshing voice as soon as a Demon died. Demon Slayer. What kind of expression would people have if I revealed this title in front of them? I¡¯m sure it would be much more shocking than even the Gold Bone Dragon Slayer title. Anyway, my gains were quite awesome. I received a Stone Elf¡¯s Soul that I thought I would only be able to gather once I got past the Wall of Grief, and most importantly, Reinforced Toughness went up by 10 points. However, it wasn¡¯t over just yet. I only managed to get rid of one of them so far. I did not stop my combo. Bernard was continuously casting spells to hold the Demons in place while I continued to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades at about one swing per 0.2 seconds. All four Demons were killed in an instant. It seemed like an overwhelming victory, but honestly speaking, there were many dangerous moments that made my heart beat wildly. The Demons were still moving pretty quickly even with Bernard launching thunderbolts as fast as possible. The situation was so serious that I didn¡¯t even have time to blow the Horn Flute of Darkness. I could have lowered the Demons¡¯ strengths by 10 percent if I had managed to blow it. I was only able to overcome the Demons¡¯ agility because of the Spirit Energy I put into agility. I couldn¡¯t help but sigh in relief. I was not the only one. Everybody let out sighs as they plopped down on the ground. This was the same even for the Dwarves who were known as the battling race. ¡°Huuu, I never expected to meet Demons here.¡± ¡°By the way, your twin blade sword art gets more amazing every time I see it. Did you say that it was called Drake¡¯s TBSA? I want to learn it too.¡± What nonsense. Each person has sword arts that are suited for them. Drake¡¯s TBSA is something only suited for people whose agility is at the max. The Solar Blade suits a warrior like Goonto, whose stats have focused on raising his strength. ¡°Just focus on what you already know. Anyway, it is probably best to step back for a bit.¡± I started to head out of the cave. Goonto looked at me with a confused expression. ¡°Uhh, why?¡± Kaicher was trying to catch his breath as he looked as me as well. ¡°I think the Wall of Grief is right in front of us.¡± ¡°Then we should go forward. Are you thinking about giving up now?¡± Of course, that wasn¡¯t the case. Our goal was right in front of us. I just wanted to buy us some time. It would be too dangerous to go up against any more Demons in our current state. Honestly speaking, we didn¡¯t have many casualties during this battle thanks to luck. We would have lost if our teamwork was even slightly less perfect. We also don¡¯t know how many more Demons might be inside. We might even have to go up against tens of Demons at once. I would have raised my level to 500 if I knew this would be the case. However, we have to see to the end of it since we came all the way here. Of course, we need to find the safest method possible. ¡°We will come back after devising a plan to handle the Demons.¡± ¡°You think you¡¯ll be able to come up with a good plan?¡± Even I had no idea if I could do so. I wasn¡¯t sure if the Royal Roader draft plan had any information on the Demons. I knew it wasn¡¯t in the Monster draft plan at least. However, information might be located elsewhere since they were different than monsters. ¡°Just give me four days.¡± Then I should be able to return to the human world. I would have found out the Demons¡¯ weaknesses by the time I return if they exists. ¡°Sure. Nothing will change because we wait for four days.¡± ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s move first. They might appear again if we stay here.¡± I took the lead and headed toward the opposite side of the cave. I then took a look at the Demon¡¯s Ring that I received after killing the Demons. I was full of anticipation that it would be good since they were so hard to kill. It definitely lived up to my expectations. [Demon¡¯s Ring] Increase movement by 50 percent for 10 seconds. Cannot use for 1 minute after usage. ¡°Oh! Fifty percent!¡¯ Now that I thought about it, one of the Demons earlier did seem to be moving quite quickly. It only happened for a short duration and it was so sudden that I had thought that I had mistaken it, but it must have been because of this ring. Good. I think it would make a good pair with the Ring of Darkness. I put the Demon¡¯s Ring on my left hand. Unlike the Warrior¡¯s Ring that had holy powers, the Demon¡¯s Ring did not clash with the Ring of Darkness. I also found four more Stone Elf¡¯s Souls for a total of 16 of them. My party members were all reliable as well. ¡®It¡¯ll be fine as long as I find some information related to the Demons.¡¯ Four days later. I opened my eyes. I was at the Demons¡¯ Mine. I had spent six days in the human world. Now I was back to Royal Roader. ¡®It really is hard to get used to this.¡¯ It has been almost two years since I started to transport to Royal Roader, but in Royal Roader time, it was over seven years. I still felt some discomfort transporting back and forth between the human world and Royal Roader. It was as if my mind in the human world could not easily adjust to my body in Royal Roader. But it was only for a moment. It took me over a minute in the beginning to adjust, but now I only need about five seconds. I looked around. Everybody was doing their own things to pass time. Kaicher was focused on praying while the Dwarves were doing maintenance on their weapons. Harrison¡¯s group was sparring and training while my slave Jul Goo was helping Eruni who was busy cooking. Chief and the Kobbits were sleeping in a corner while the Dark Elf Rohas was sitting still in a different corner as if he was mimicking Kaicher. I¡¯m sure they were all bored. It was now time to put an end to their boredom. ¡°Shall we go kill some Demon bastards now?¡± I casually asked the group. Goonto, who was working on his Solar Blade, jumped up in response. ¡°What is it? Did you finally come up with a good method?¡± Thankfully, the draft plan had information on Demons. In fact, it had quite a lot of information. I was able to come up with a way to easily defeat the Demons thanks to that. Not all Demons were the same. There were many different races of Demons similar to how this world had humans, Dwarves, Elves, Peria, and the Shapir. The draft plan did not distinguish them by name. Instead, they were distinguished by traits. Battle Demons, Magic Demons, Curse Demons, etc. There were a total of five different types of Demons. Each of them had different strengths that it would be terrible if different types of Demons gathered together in order to make up for each other¡¯s weaknesses. However, all Demons shared a critical weakness. I don¡¯t know whether it was fate or coincidence, but I had the weapon to attack that weakness. I don¡¯t know how effective it would be, but it should be enough if everything was as the draft plan described. ¡°I think I have a pretty good idea.¡± ¡°Oh, really? How?¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 165 - Akto’s Reward (1) ¡°Everybody, gather around.¡± All of them quickly gathered around me. I thoroughly explained the traits of the Demons. What kind of Demons there were, as well as unique appearance traits of the different Demons. I also explained how to defeat the Demons. It was not very hard. It would be a problem if more than three different types of Demons were together, however, the Demons¡¯ Mine only seemed to have the Battle Demons, so I focused on them. The explanation was extremely detailed but difficult to remember after hearing it once, so I repeated myself three or four times. I left the most important weakness that all of the Demons shared until the end. ¡°I can shake them up. However, it will not last even one minute, so you need to aim for that opening.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Is there anything else you have questions on?¡± ¡°That much is enough. Everybody just needs to do their part properly.¡± I nodded my head at Goonto¡¯s comment. I then looked back toward Harrison. ¡°That is indeed the case. What do you think? Can you do it?¡± ¡°We have no choice. But how do you know so much about the Demons?¡± It¡¯s only natural for them to be curious. No humans have fought against Demons since the great war against the Demon World 1,000 years ago. Few people probably know anything about Demons at all. However, you could find information if you looked for it. There are historical texts in Royal Roader as well. Someone was bound to leave some records behind. ¡°I read it in a book. I purposely looked it up while thinking that we might run into Demons here.¡± ¡°Oh, there¡¯s such a book? Where did you find it?¡± I didn¡¯t expect for him to dig so deep. I¡¯ll need to keep lying to answer his questions, but that might end up coming to bite my ass later. Let¡¯s cut it off here. ¡°I borrowed it from a traveler while I was going through the Ameri Kingdom. I was lucky. Now then, is everybody ready? How about we head out now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. My body has been itching for a while.¡± ¡°We can finally stretch a bit. Hahaha.¡± The Dwarves were naturally the first to move. Harrison, who wanted to ask more questions, shut up and got up as well after seeing me getting up with the Dwarves. We headed back into the deep parts of the Demons¡¯ Mine. Of course, I was in the front. I felt like I was wasting Spirit Energy, but I made my Guardian Elemental go in front of me just in case. We kept our presence hidden as much as possible. It slowed us down, but it will allow us to move as safely as possible. We walked for quite a while. It happened once we walked about one kilometer farther than where we fought against the Demons last time. ¡®Something¡¯s here!¡¯ I wasn¡¯t certain about it, but I had a feeling. I raised my hand and crouched down, making the others behind me quickly crouch down as well. It was extremely silent. I tried to focus as much as possible. I could faintly hear the voices of some Demons in front of us. It was so faint that I could not determine how far they were. However, they were at least within 200 meters. I needed to make a decision now. Will we stealthily approach where the Demons are and ambush them? Or will we set up in an area with advantageous terrain and draw the Demons there? It will probably be difficult to stealthily approach them. The Demons ran more than one kilometer last time in order to attack us. That showed that they were very sensitive. It would be fine if I was on my own, but we probably could not even reach within 50 meters of them if we all moved together. ¡°Let¡¯s find a spot.¡± Harrison responded back to me in a quiet voice. ¡°What about that spot we just passed by?¡± That was the spot I was thinking about as well. It was an area where it became extremely narrow on all sides. We should be able to last a while if we stand in that area and block with shields even if my methods don¡¯t work. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there.¡± We moved back about 50 meters. The Dwarves took out their shields and covered up the narrow pathway. But the Demons seemed to have noticed us already. I could hear something quickly running toward us. I could hear the Demons¡¯ voices as well. Their senses are really good. They must have heard the quiet clanking when the Dwarves were moving their shields. It didn¡¯t matter. We were done with our preparations. I took out my Horn Flute of Darkness as well. I couldn¡¯t use it last time, but we should be able to benefit from it this time. I could see the Demons on the other side of the cave. There were more of them than I expected. There seemed to be at least ten of them. It was so dark in here that neither Goonto nor Harrison and the others could see them yet. They were about 60 meters away from us. They¡¯re so quick that they could probably get here within 5 seconds. Then shall we get started? I blew the Horn Flute of Darkness right as the Demons reached 30 meters away. Puuuuuuuuuu- I could feel the Demons flinching. However, their speed did not go down. They quickly closed the gap before they started to slam onto the Dwarves¡¯ shields. Boom! Boom! The Demons were both quick and strong. Dwarves were known to be the strongest race, but even they were being slowly pushed back. But this will change it. [Dragon Fear: Intermediate Level 4, 21%] Rooooooooooooar- It was as effective as I had expected. The Demons¡¯ movements instantly became dull. They also became weaker. They might have been affected by the Dragon Roar more than usual because they were already weakened by the Horn Flute of Darkness. The Demons must have realized their status as well, as they stopped attacking and tried to move back. ¡®I can¡¯t let you do that.¡¯ I put a hand into my bag. I grabbed some things that felt like acorns. It was the Demons¡¯ weakness that I learned through the draft plan. [Sand Warrior¡¯s Voice] I took some of those out and sprayed them toward the Demons. ¡®You¡¯re all free now!¡¯ I sprayed over twenty of the Sand Warrior¡¯s Voices at once. Souls appeared from those acorn-like jewels and started to float around. They were making some eerie noises as well. Oooooooooo- Hoooooooooooooooo- Huuuuuuuuuuuu- The Demons stopped moving in shock. They all started to wildly swing their falchions in the air. ¡®It really is effective.¡¯ Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t think it would work. The Sand Warrior¡¯s Voice was actually just a voice and did not have any material aspect to it. But the draft plan had said that the Demons react sensitively to the Sand Warrior¡¯s Voices. It was similar to a person who is afraid of bugs being surrounded by a horde of flies or cockroaches. However, it would only be effective for a short duration of time. The Sand Warrior¡¯s Voices only last for about three minutes. They will disappear into thin air after three minutes. ¡°Now!¡± I shouted and activated 16 Stone Elves. The Stone Elves who popped out of the cave walls as if they had pulled the wall apart to appear blocked the Demons¡¯ escape route. Goonto and the Dwarves charged at the Demons and swung their shields while Harrison¡¯s group used their spears. Kaicher and Rohas shined as expected. The Dark Elf Rohas was actually the strongest before, however, they were pretty similar in strength after Kaicher put on the Warrior¡¯s Ring. With their movements and strengths, they could easily take down a Demon together. However, the two of them were not enough to kill all of the Demons. Combo was the only solution after thinking about how tough the Demons were. I quickly took out and ripped a Level 100 Demon Cave scroll. I then created my combo and started to hunt the Demons. Thankfully, the plan was a success. One Stone Elf and two Dwarves worked together to dogpile a Demon while Bernard was able to use stronger thunderbolts than usual thanks to Shione¡¯s support magic. Of course, it was not perfect. One of the Demons flailed and got out from under the Stone Elves once he came back to his senses. That one bastard made us lose five of our teammates. They were all from Harrison¡¯s group. He seemed to have attacked the people who seemed to be the weakest. But there was nothing we could do about it. The other Demons would get out as well if we took longer than we needed. They were so strong that the Stone Elves and Dwarves¡¯ bodies were moving up and down each time they flailed. I took care of the squashed Demons first. None of them could survive a hit from a 40+ hit combo. I heard a message that made me feel good each time I killed one. ¡­¡­ And finally, there was one left. But I didn¡¯t expect the last one to give us so much trouble. The Dwarves and humans worked together to corner him, but he was so fast that it was hard to catch him. Bernard¡¯s thunderbolts couldn¡¯t land a hit on him either. It was hard to catch him while chasing after him. Guarding the escape paths was the only way to catch him. I had no choice but to use some bait. ¡°Chief! Rally up the Kobbits!¡± ¡°Caw! They¡¯re all scared and cannot move!¡± ¡°Tell them that I will protect them. Those who don¡¯t listen will be killed by me. They just need to pretend to attack!¡± The Kobbit Chieftain had no choice but to move after Chief delivered my message. The Kobbits seemed to have some brave ones as well, as three of them moved along with the Chieftain. Naturally, they were the weakest of our group. They were also away from the rest of us since they would be easy prey for the Demon. And just as I expected. The Demon moved in a way that made it seem like he was trying to confuse us before quickly charging toward the Kobbit Chieftain. This was the moment I was waiting for. The area was full of our people such that there was only one path for the Demon to reach the Kobbit Chieftain. I put all my Spirit Energy into agility. I then activated the skill in the Demon¡¯s Ring. [Increase movement by 50 percent for 10 seconds.] I felt power flowing through my body even though I hadn¡¯t put any points into strength. My body moved unbelievably fast once I kicked off the ground. Taat! The Demon who had been over 5 meters away was instantly in front of me. Although I could only maintain it for 10 seconds, it was enough to make me faster than the Demon. The Demon seemed to realize that as well as he didn¡¯t even try to dodge. Instead, he changed target to me and swung his falchion. However, I didn¡¯t approach any closer than that. This was close enough for me to hit the Demon. [Dark Force] The power of darkness inside the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor shot out toward the Demon. ¡°Ugh!¡± The Demon seemed to have received a good amount of damage. His body stiffened and he fell to the ground. I could not miss this opening. I was able to overcome this Dark Force within 2 ¨C 3 seconds, so the Demon will probably do it even faster. ¡°Hurry up and squish him!¡± The Stone Elves who were connected to my mind had started to run even before I had given the command and plopped down on top of the Demon. Two or three of them were not enough, but the Demon couldn¡¯t do anything after four of them were on top of him. I guess it was enough to say that he was not getting away. I suddenly became greedy. ¡®Is it possible to make this bastard a slave like I did with Rohas?¡¯ However, I had no good way to do it. There was no way to communicate with him. In addition, his gaze was full of malice. All of the other Dark Elves except Rohas had rejected my offer to be my slave until the end, and this Demon¡¯s glare was even more vicious than theirs. It meant that he would not succumb to me. ¡®Just die!¡¯ I used the monsters nearby as stepping stones to increase my combo. I then immediately slashed down at the Demon¡¯s neck. The Demon¡¯s head split apart from his body and he died without being able to make a sound. Chapter 166 - Akto’s Reward (2) # Akto¡¯s Reward (2) There were no more moving Demons. I could finally let out a deep sigh. ¡°Huuuuuu-¡± ¡°Vint, Karaman, Razel¡­¡­¡± Harrison and the others walked over to the corpses of their dead friends. They lamented over their deaths for a while. However, they were not completely entrenched in their sorrows. This wasn¡¯t the first time they lost people along the way. They all knew the dangers before coming here. Most importantly, it was not done yet. We had gotten rid of ten Demons, but we were still not at the Wall of Grief where Akto¡¯s soul is sealed. I was certain that there would be Demons guarding that place as well. There might even be more than ten of them. The fact that they haven¡¯t appeared probably means that they plan on greeting us at the Wall of Grief. We needed to worry about that battle right now. ¡°Let¡¯s maintain our formation, but rest for 30 minutes.¡± Everyone sat down and started to maintain their equipment. [Kang Hwi Ram Level 453] Dexterity: Advanced Level 8, 95% Strength: 415 Agility: 2,015 Stamina: 103 Intuition: 148 Magic: 203 Vitality: 42 Mana: 802 HP: 873 Endurance: 41 Reinforced Toughness: 160 Guard Point: 3,598 Intelli Point: 1,956 Spirit Energy: 95 *Available Points: 50 My Intelli Points had decreased a lot. It was because I put it toward Magic in order to strengthen the power of my Dragon Fear. My Spirit Energy fell to under 100 points as well. There was an easy way for me to recover my Spirit Energy, but it was different for Intelli Points. I only had enough left to use it two or three times. But I had no intention of saving it. A mediocre increase in Magic won¡¯t help much, so I plan on using a lot each time. I still had about 80 Sand Warrior¡¯s Voices as well. I should have plenty to use during this clearing. If I end up using all of them, then I just need to go back to the Magman Continent and hunt some more Sand Warriors. I now had 26 Stone Elf¡¯s Souls. The Stone Elves are actually much stronger than Harrison¡¯s group in terms of strength and tactical benefits. Because of that, our overall strength went up even though we lost 10 people during this battle. Thinking like that made me a bit sad. I was thinking in such a calculated manner when my party members had just died. But I couldn¡¯t help it. I had to do what I needed to do in order to keep the living alive until the end. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what the dead would want as well. ¡®But I wonder how many Demons will be guarding the Wall of Grief.¡¯ I feel like the next battle will be a serious one. Unlike the other ones, the Demons will be prepared and we will need to go to them rather than have them come to us. ¡®What should we do?¡¯ I did have a method that came to mind. But I didn¡¯t know how it would go. Demons had very high intuition levels. But I had no other choice. ¡°Shall we head out now?¡± ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s go. We need to finish this.¡± Goonto and the others all got up. I first recovered my Spirit Energy. It was simple. I just needed to open up a decent-sized Demon Cave and hunt the monsters. My Spirit Energy became full after hunting about 500 monsters around level 200. [Spirit Energy: 1,564] I cautiously started to walk. We must have walked about 2 km. I could see anther group of Demons. The Demons noticed us as well. They were all looking toward our direction and seemed wary. However, they did not come charging at us. It seemed as if there was something there for them to protect. ¡®That must be where the Wall of Grief is located!¡¯ I should be able to rescue Akto¡¯s soul if I got rid of those Demons. Thankfully, the number of Demons was not as much as I thought. I could only see six of them over there. Was it possible that others were hiding? There were large pillars, so I would not be able to see them if they were hiding. However, I could easily check that. We first needed to create a formation. We would be at a disadvantage if we started to fight without a plan. ¡°Create the wall!¡± The Dwarves put up their shields to create a wall. ¡°Maintain formation and move forward one step at a time.¡± All of them followed my directions well. We slowly approached the Demons while looking as if we were pushing a castle wall made of shields one step at a time. ¡®Guardian Elemental. Go take a look.¡¯ I used the Guardian Elemental to check behind the pillars. There were no Demons hiding behind the nearest pillars. The Guardian Elemental checked the other pillars as well, but there were no Demons. Did that mean there were only six of them? ¡®This could be easier than I thought.¡¯ We still needed to be cautious. I cannot forget that a single Demon that made it through the formation had killed a lot of people. I continued to move the formation forward. We were moving very slowly. We got to a point where we were about 30m away from the Demons. However, the Demons still did not move. They stood with a large pillar behind them and glared at us viciously. ¡®Is that pillar the Wall of Grief?¡¯ I could not confirm it here. I¡¯m sure that I¡¯ll see something if I take a close look after defeating the Demons. ¡°Shall we get started? Bernard!¡± We had already discussed the plan. Everybody knew what they needed to do and when they needed to do it. Shione used point magic to buff Bernard¡¯s attacks. Bernard sent out fortified thunderbolts. Crackle- The Demons moved side to side to dodge the thunderbolts. However, they did not move far from the pillar they were guarding. They seemed to be on a mission to defend the pillar no matter what. Thanks to that, Bernard¡¯s thunderbolts were hitting the Demons at least one out of three tries. I took out the Horn Flute of Darkness and blew into it. Puuuuuuuuuu- The Demons started to frown. Their movement speed slowed down a bit and Bernard¡¯s thunderbolts started to hit fifty percent of the time. However, they still did not move away. It seemed as if they were waiting for us to get closer. I couldn¡¯t let that happen. We didn¡¯t have a reason to do that either. We stayed in place as well. I played the Horn Flute of Darkness whenever I had a chance while Bernard continued to throw thunderbolts that were fortified by Shione¡¯s support. ¡®They¡¯re still not moving?¡¯ I knew they wouldn¡¯t be sitting ducks forever. They seemed to have decided something needed to be done as Bernard¡¯s thunderbolts continued to hit them, as they started to attack. They were extremely tough once they started to attack. They were slamming away at the Dwarves¡¯ shields as if they were venting all of their frustrations. B, b, boooom- ¡®Good!¡¯ I took out the things I had prepared as well. I ripped up a level 100 Demon Cave scroll while putting all of my Spirit Energy into Agility. I then used Dragon Fear and threw a bunch of Sand Warrior¡¯s Voices toward the Demons. ¡®Stone Elves, come out!¡¯ The Demons looked like they were caught in a snare. They were waving their falchions in their slowed state to shake away the Sand Warriors¡¯ Voices. Yes! This was a trap for them indeed. I had verified the effectiveness twice already and saw how effective it was once again. Twenty-six Stone Elves and many Dwarves flung their bodies toward the Demons. Harrison¡¯s group were all attacking the Demons with their weapons. The finishing touches were left to me. I created a combo and cut off the Demons¡¯ necks one by one. ¡­¡­ The last Demon¡¯s neck was cut away from its body. Harrison¡¯s group shouted in joy once that happened. ¡°Hooray!¡± However, Goonto was different. He urged me on with a slightly excited expression. ¡°Let¡¯s quickly finish the quest!¡± Goonto had not forgotten. He remembered the reason we suffered so much to get here. I was just as excited. I should get a pretty big reward for saving Akto¡¯s soul. The special secret related to Jewel Alchemy. My Jewel Alchemy was already at Advanced level 1. It was frustrating since the level hasn¡¯t moved at all since it hit Advanced Level 1, but someone at this level would normally need to have reached the One with the Sword level. It felt as if I had hit a wall. I was thinking that I needed some kind of key to get past this point. I was certain that the key to it was located here. And I will verify that now. I reached my hand out toward Goonto. Goonto and I seem to be on the same page today. I didn¡¯t even need to say anything for him to hand Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade to me. ¡®This should be the Wall of Grief, right?¡¯ I¡¯ll know once I break it. I swung Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade toward the thick stone pillar. Clang- Clang- It felt as if I was using a pickaxe on a rock. What is this made of for it to be this sturdy? I couldn¡¯t even leave a scratch even though I thought I was swinging the Solar Blade as strong as I could. I tried to use every ounce of strength, but nothing changed. I even wondered if I would end up just breaking Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade in the process. Of course, a famed sword like this would not break that easily. ¡°What happened to all of that strength you used to fight against the Demons? Hand it over. I will try.¡± That was possible because I had a combo going. I could do the same if I used some monsters as stepping stones right now, but it was a bit complicated to use a Demon Cave scroll just for that. I quietly handed Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade to Goonto. Goonto should be much stronger than me when it came to physical strength and sword arts. Goonto was an expert who reached the One with the Sword level after all. ¡°Ptooie. Ptooie. Haaaaaa!¡± Goonto spit on his hands and then swung Chubach¡¯s Solar Blade as strong as he could. Clang- Clang- Craaaaack! It really was different. The stone pillar started to crack as Goonto swung the Solar Blade. The stone pillar suddenly crumbled into pieces after he swung a few more times. The Dwarves let out a gasp as that happened. ¡°Woah! It¡¯s a Dwarf!¡± ¡°Are you¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Are you Akto-nim?¡± I was shocked as well. I didn¡¯t think a Dwarf would be imprisoned inside this kind of stone pillar. He must have been stuck in there for a very long time. Hundreds, no, maybe even a thousand years. But his outer appearance looked fine. It was as if he had just woken up from a long slumber. Anyway, this made me certain. This stone pillar was the Wall of Grief and that Dwarf is Akto, one of the legendary Dwarves. Goonto seemed to be shocked as well, as he stopped swinging the Solar Blade and took a few steps back. Akto who was now free slowly looked around at Goonto and the others surrounding him. It was as if he was checking each person¡¯s face. He then focused his gaze on me. ¡°Are you the human who passed my test?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± ¡°How amazing. I gave you this quest knowing that you might just be able to do it, and you really did save me. I give you my thanks.¡± Akto lightly smiled. I then heard a voice in my head. I started to smile as well. The special secret related to Jewel Alchemy. I was certain that the secrets to reaching One with the Sword were hidden within that as well. ¡°I am happy as well.¡± I did not urge Akto for the reward. However, Akto, like most impatient Dwarves, did not drag it out. He reached his hand out as if he wanted to shake my hand. ¡°Come here and receive your reward.¡± Is he going to transfer the secrets through my hand? I¡¯m sure Akto knows what he is doing. I just needed to eat what he gives me. I quickly went over and grabbed Akto¡¯s ha¡­¡­! ¡®¡­¡­Huh?¡¯ Translator: Miraclerifle Chapter 167 - Akto’s Reward (3) I know I grabbed Akto¡¯s hand, but I couldn¡¯t touch it. It was as if it was a soul that could not be touched. I guess you could say it was like a hologram with no physical body? I tried again, but the same thing happened. However, Akto did not take his hand away. It was as if he was telling me to find a way to do it. ¡°Do not give up and shake my hand. Then the reward I promised will naturally become yours.¡± I felt something after hearing that. There was a similarity between the two. Akto was a soul without a physical body. Similarly, Fairy Energy existed inside the jewels without a physical body. I think I get it. He means that I can only make Fairy Energy my own if I can grab his soul with my hand. That¡¯s the way to reach the real apex of Jewel Alchemy. I calmed myself. Then I focused. I was treating Akto¡¯s soul as if it was an ingredient for jewel combination. Then I reached my hand out again. I still couldn¡¯t grab Akto¡¯s hand. However, I made myself believe that Akto¡¯s physical body was there and continued to focus. I then suddenly felt an unknown source of warmth at some point. It felt as if a source of heat was coming out of Akto¡¯s body. This change meant that things were going well. I focused even more. I made sure to focus on the warmth coming out from Akto. It started to get stronger the longer I focused. Especially the warmth coming from his outstretched hand. And that warmth slowly turned tangible. I could feel our hands starting to touch. ¡®I can feel it! I can grab it!¡¯ I lightly shook Akto¡¯s hand. I definitely felt it. It felt like Akto¡¯s skin touched mine. I could also feel Akto tightening his grip like I did. That was how I shook hands with Akto. Akto started to smile even brighter. ¡°Amazing! I didn¡¯t expect you to realize it this quickly! Is it the difference between Dwarves and humans? Or are you just special?¡± I could not respond. I was too busy focusing on not losing the feel Akto¡¯s hand was giving me. The feeling was not perfect. I did manage to grab Akto¡¯s hand, but it was extremely faint, like a mirage that could disappear at any moment. I was worried that putting even a bit more strength would turn it into smoke. I focused and focused some more. The feeling became even stronger as I continued, and I could feel the strength in Akto¡¯s grip better as well. I heard Akto¡¯s voice again in a moment. ¡°That much is enough. That¡¯s about as far as I got. I am really amazed. You took less than five minutes to learn something that took me tens of years!¡± There was no more progression as Akto mentioned. Akto removed his hand as well. It turned into an illusion again even though I didn¡¯t let go. I had no choice but to pull my hand back in. Akto turned his gaze again. He looked toward the Dwarves with an affectionate gaze. He was especially paying attention Goonto. ¡°You already reached One with the Sword at such an early age. I¡¯m shocked at your achievements.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. It is an honor to meet you in person like this, Akto-nim.¡± ¡°You came all the way here to rescue me. Thank you very much. But it¡¯s too bad. I wish to give all of you rewards as well, but I do not have anything. Is there something you want from me?¡± ¡°You are the hero of all Dwarves! I got to meet THE Akto-nim in person! Being able to rescue you with my own hands is both an honor and a reward in itself.¡± I could feel that Goonto meant it. Akto should have felt it as well. Maybe that was why his expression softened even more. ¡°But I still wish to give you something. The only thing I have is information about this Demons¡¯ Mine. Feel free to ask me anything about this place.¡± Oh, that¡¯s really nice to hear. There¡¯s still things for us to take care of here. We were kind of stuck because we had no information. It was also a chance to make Akto owe me a favor. I quickly cut into the conversation. ¡°I will give the Dwarves rewards on your behalf, Akto-nim.¡± ¡°You will? How?¡± Akto, as well as Goonto and the Dwarves, looked toward me with gazes full of expectations. Giving the Dwarves a reward was simple. I knew what Dwarves liked the most. ¡°I will fortify their weapons one level more.¡± ¡°Oh! You mean a two level fortification is possible?¡± ¡°Holy crap! Will you really do that?¡± All of the Dwarves¡¯ eyes opened wide in joy. It was as if they had received the best present in the world. Akto was very satisfied as well. ¡°It is indeed the best gift you could give them. You are already friends with the Dwarves as well. Don¡¯t argue with each other and stay friends with the Dwarves forever.¡± ¡°Of course. I keep all of my friends for a very long time.¡± ¡°Hahaha. Thanks. I¡¯m guessing there is something you want from me in return. Tell me.¡± ¡°I wish to know about the Demons¡¯ Mine.¡± ¡°Which aspects?¡± Can¡¯t he just tell me everything? For example, how many Demons are left, what is at the end of the Demon¡¯s Mine, what treasures are hidden here, etc. Well, I¡¯ll ask him one by one if he prefers that. But what should I ask first? He doesn¡¯t sound like he¡¯s going to give me an unlimited number of answers. There was something that came to mind. The Western District quest still was not completed. Maybe the solution for it could be hidden here as well. ¡°I am looking for the Fairy¡¯s Orb. Do you know if it is hidden inside the Demons¡¯ Mine?¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting much. The chances of the Fairy¡¯s Orb being in the Demons¡¯ Mine when it could be anywhere in the Western District was low. Even if it was here, Akto probably doesn¡¯t know about it. I asked just in case he might know something. However, a shocking answer came out of Akto¡¯s mouth. ¡°It¡¯s deep inside!¡± ¡°Excuse me? You mean it is here?¡± ¡°This is the place where the most brutal battle happened 1,000 years ago against the Demon World. The allied forces of the humans, Dwarves, Fairies, and the Shapir fought the final battle here in order to push the Demon Lord out.¡± Akto shared a very old story. The final battle ended with the allied forces winning. The Demon Lord had to take the Demons and the forces from the Demon World and return to the Demon World. That passageway is this Demons¡¯ Mine. However, the Demon Lord¡¯s powers were not completely withdrawn. The Demon Lord¡¯s power are still maintained at a high level in the Western District. That means that the Demon Lord could always return through the Demons¡¯ Mine. The Fairy sealed some of her powers in the Orb and hid it in the Demons¡¯ Mine in order to lower the chances of that happening. As long as her powers are maintained, the Demons¡¯ Mine would not be able to serve as a passageway to the Demon World. I had an odd thought after hearing about that. ¡°Then the passage to the Demon World will open again if the Fairy¡¯s Orb disappears?¡± ¡°I suppose so.¡± ¡°Then why would the Fairy tell me to retrieve the orb? Is she planning on opening this path for them?¡± ¡°That probably means that there is no point in blocking this path any longer. For example, another passage might have been created.¡± I understood what he meant. There was no reason there had to be only one passage to the Demon World. The Demon Caves that randomly spawn count as a passage of sorts as well. A passage could even open in the middle of Peria Mountain. A Demon Cave had already opened there once. Considering that situation, sealing just this passage would leave us vulnerable to the power of the Demon World coming through the other passages. The Fairy is trying to recover her strength in order to prevent those variables from coming into play. That is the only way to respond to the power of the Demon Lord that could come through any passage. ¡°Then where is the Fairy¡¯s Orb? I need to retrieve it and take it back to the Fairy.¡± ¡°I will lead you to the location of the Fairy¡¯s Orb. But you will need to be careful. There are many Demons hiding inside the Demons¡¯ Mine.¡± I was a bit worried about it. I learned how to fight against the Demons, however, we would be at a disadvantage if they are in a large group. We still needed to do what we could. ¡°I understand. We will rest here for a bit before continuing on. I need to fortify the Dwarves¡¯ weapons as well.¡± ¡°Oh, right here?¡± I didn¡¯t know whether I should. I¡¯m not picky about where I do it, but the problem was that Demons or monsters could attack us at any moment. I looked toward Akto. ¡°Nobody will interrupt us, right?¡± Akto started to laugh. ¡°There are no Demons or monsters nearby, so you don¡¯t need to worry.¡± The Dwarves then started to shove their weapons to me. ¡°Please do mine first.¡± ¡°What do you mean? Haven¡¯t you heard the human idiom about how even cold water has a top and bottom? Mine is first.¡± (TL: Korean idiom for respect your elders.) I¡¯m going to fortify all of their weapons. The chances of retrieving the Fairy¡¯s Orb go up if the Dwarves become even a bit stronger. But it¡¯s quite funny. The later I fortify their weapon, the stronger it will be. My skill will go up with each fortification. Of course, there probably won¡¯t be much of a difference. I sat down on the ground. I then randomly grabbed one of the weapons being shoved toward me. ¡°Be quiet from here on. The fortification can fail if my focus is disturbed.¡± Everybody quickly became quiet. The Dwarves were also glaring at each other. It was as if they were saying that they wouldn¡¯t forgive anybody who made a peep. Thansk to that, it was easy to focus. I first checked the status of my Jewel Alchemy skill. I then almost shouted out. [Jewel Alchemy: Advanced Level 3, 99%] ¡®Wow! When did this happen? When did it go up to Advanced Level 3?¡¯ But that was not it. It was Advanced Level 3 at 99 percent. Advanced Level 4 was right around the corner. I knew that the secret of Alchemy that Akto taught me would increase my skill level significantly, but I didn¡¯t expect it to be this much. ¡®Then should I see the effects of Advanced Level 3?¡¯ My bag was full of Jewels of Fortification. It was because I received Jewels of Fortification and Jewel of Luck each time I fortified weapons in the Dwarf village. I had probably over 100 Jewels of Fortification. Goonto and the other Dwarves each had at least five on them as well. They brought it so that they could ask me to fortify their weapons if there was a chance. Of course, there was no point to use them as they were. All of them had low fortification indexes. ¡°Give me the jewels you have.¡± [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 9%] [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 9%] I grabbed two of them and tried combining them. But combining them felt much different than before. First of all, the time it took shortened a lot. The last time I combined jewels it took at least five minutes, however, I finished combining them in less than 30 seconds. It also felt nice. It felt like something that was completely cleanly. I carefully looked at the results. [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 17%] ¡®Wow!¡¯ I had to question my eyes for a moment. I got a 17% jewel after combining two 9% jewels. That meant that I only lost 1 percent in the combining process. Maybe I could do a perfect combination if I try a bit harder. Furthermore, a fortification index of 17% was very high. The highest one I¡¯ve managed until now was only 19%. Maybe I could reach a much higher fortification index this time. ¡®Let¡¯s try it! Focus!¡¯ I picked up a jewel with a fortification index of 7%. I then tried to combine it with the 17% jewel. Harrison and the others were suppressed by the presence the Dwarves were giving off that they couldn¡¯t even approach me. The Dwarves were also very curious after seeing my expression, however, they stayed far away in order to not hinder my fortification or combination and instead focused just on making sure that everyone remained quiet. Maybe that was the reason. I could easily focus and I finished combining them in less that 30 seconds once again. I checked the results with a heart full of anticipation. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 168 - Akto’s Reward (4) [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 22%] ¡®As expected!¡¯ It went up to 22%. A fortification index of 22% was the highest value I had ever seen. I did lose 2% in the fortification process, but the fortification index is so high that I can¡¯t even consider that to be a loss. I suddenly became greedy. ¡®Is an even higher fortification index possible?¡¯ The strength of the equipment goes up along with the percentage of the fortification index. The slightest difference in strength could be the difference between life and death. If possible, it is best to use multiple Jewels of Fortification to create the highest fortification index before using it. It would be beneficial to attempt it even if it only goes up by 1%. I tried it once again. I used a low 6% fortification index with the 22% one in front of me. However, the results were not good. It did not even go up by 1% from the 22%. I just ended up wasting a 6% Jewel of Fortification. ¡®I guess 22% is the limit.¡¯ But this was already amazing. Nobody else in the world should be able to raise the fortification index this high. I combined the other Jewels of Fortification as well. The results were all the same. The loss from fortification was only around 1% and the highest fortification index was 22%. As I continued, I was able to create Jewels of Fortification with 22% fortification indexes every time I combined three jewels together. ¡®But this is a bit odd.¡¯ I already created five Jewels of Fortification with 22% fortification indexes. Since I needed to combine twice to make one, I had already combined a total of ten times. I should be feeling a bit tired by now. The fatigue goes down as the Jewel Alchemy skill goes up, but I had felt extreme fatigue after 20 consecutive combinations in the past. But I was fine right now. I didn¡¯t feel tired at all. In fact, I was feeling refreshed as if I had just woken up. If it continues like this, forget 20, I should be able to combine 200 times in a row without any issues. ¡®I wonder what the reason is.¡¯ There was only one thing that came to mind. Akto¡¯s quest. The secrets of Jewel Alchemy I learned as a reward. My Jewel Alchemy rose to Advanced Level 3 thanks to that. Thinking up to that point made me think about shaking hands with Akto¡¯s soul in the end. It was a very odd experience. I couldn¡¯t touch it when I tried to grab it, but Akto¡¯s hand felt realistic when I focused like I do when I combine jewels. Akto had said that was the hidden secret of Jewel Alchemy. ¡®Ah! In that case¡­¡­!¡¯ I finally felt something. Rather than just raising the skill level, it would be raising the entire Jewel Alchemy to a whole new dimension. I felt like I knew how to confirm this as well. ¡®Let¡¯s try it!¡¯ I tried to combine two Jewels of Fortification once again. I thought about my handshake with Akto as I did that. ¡®I can feel it! I really can feel it!¡¯ If my suspicions are correct, I should be able to feel the Fairy Energy inside the jewels similar to how I felt Akto¡¯s hand. Is it possible? No, I couldn¡¯t doubt it. I worked hard while telling myself that it was definitely possible. It was not easy. I tried over and over but I continued to fail. I succeeded in the combination but I didn¡¯t feel the Fairy Energy¡­¡­ ¡®¡­¡­Huh?¡¯ I felt it. It was very faint, but I felt something light on my hand. That was the beginning. That sensation became stronger the more I focused, with the sensation becoming clear at some point. ¡®It feels like a squishy jelly.¡¯ The combination continued as I did that. I had already made thirty Jewels of Fortification with 22% fortification indexes. I did not stop combining them. I didn¡¯t have a reason to stop. I pretty much combined 60 times already and I did not feel tired at all. It seemed as if the fatigue penalty had disappeared completely. ¡®Just a bit more realistic!¡¯ I didn¡¯t have many Jewels of Fortification left. I had already used up all of the ones that the Dwarves had brought along and there were only about 20 left in my bag as well. I tried combining all of them without leaving any behind. The sensation of the Fairy Energy continued to get firmer. It had now moved from a squishy jelly to a hard ball. ¡®How disappointing. I felt like I could reach a higher level if I kept going.¡¯ However, I did not have any Jewels of Fortification left. I quickly opened my skills window. It was because I felt certain that there were changes. [Jewel Alchemy: Advanced Level 4, 1%] ¡®As expected!¡¯ My skill experience rate had gone up in that short duration of time. However, raising the skills experience level didn¡¯t seem to be the only thing that changed. I wasn¡¯t certain, but I felt like there was a different change as well. ¡®Did I maybe reach the One with the Sword level?¡¯ I wanted to know with certainty. It was simple. I just needed to fortify my weapon. Then I would be able to feel it with certainty. I first fortified all of the Dwarves¡¯ weapons. ¡°Hand them to me one by one.¡± ¡°Yes. Here!¡± ¡°Mine next!¡± The Dwarves were picking orders as if they were fighting. But it didn¡¯t matter who was first. I just fortified the first weapon that was pushed in front of me. Of course, I tried my best to remember the feeling from before. ¡®Oh! It worked!¡¯ I put the Jewel of Fortification on the weapon and focused and I could feel the Fairy Energy coming out of the Jewel of Fortification. It felt as if a small baby bird was moving on my hand. ¡®It¡¯s warm! It¡¯s soft!¡¯ Fairy Energy was a source of life. It squirmed and continued to move. Eventually, it disappeared into the weapon. I continued to fortify the weapons. I raised them all by 1 level. I had 37 jewels with 22% fortification indexes, while I still had 20 of them left after fortifying all of the Dwarves weapons. Harrison and the others were looking enviously from the other side. However, they didn¡¯t dare to ask me to fortify their weapons as well. It was because they knew how amazing fortification is. They also didn¡¯t have anything to give me in return for fortifying their weapons. I also didn¡¯t have enough jewels to fortify all of their weapons. It was time to fortify my weapons now. Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades and the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor were both set items, so fortifying them once took 7 jewels. I focused more than ever before and attempted a fortification. I still didn¡¯t feel tired. The fortification process became shorter as I continued to fortify items as well. It took less than 10 minutes to fortify all seven pieces. All of my equipment had finished their third fortifications now. ¡®Is a fourth fortification possible?¡¯ I¡¯ll find out once I try. Failing would mean that I will have wasted a Jewel of Fortification, but I can get plenty of those from the Dwarves Village. I started to focus again. I was smiling so widely a moment later. ¡®It worked!¡¯ One of Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades was easily fortified a fourth time. I did the same for the rest of the equipment. ¡®Maybe a fifth fortification is possible too?¡¯ I only had 6 Jewels of Fortification left. However, there was no need to save them. It would be fine to use them all here. I put a Jewel of Fortification on one of Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades once again. A moment later. I suddenly shouted in shock. ¡°Wow!¡± ¡°What is it? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± The Dwarves all looked toward me in shock. I couldn¡¯t even respond back. One of my twin blades had successfully been fortified five times. Since I¡¯m here anyway! Let¡¯s see how far I can go. I attempted a sixth fortification on it. However, the sixth level was too much. The feeling in my hand became cold in less than 10 seconds. I guess the fifth level was my limit right now. But this was already amazing. I did a fifth fortification on the other blade and four pieces of the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor. I then took a good look at the completed equipment. [Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades +5 Fortification: Personalized for Kang Hwi Ram] This cutlass was made by Goonto, the current greatest blacksmith in the world. Two blades were created as a pair. Durability: 999/999 Attack Strength: 189 Attack Speed: 89 Restrictions: Strength 179, Agility 1,089, Level 398 * All restrictions decreased by 30% when used by Kang Hwi Ram. * 50% chance of adding 498 lightning damage * 21% chance of causing Stun * Increase basic Magic Level by 100% * Special Skill: Nullify 30% of Enemy Defense (Use 50 MP) * Attack strength and chances of special skill increased by 100% each when used by Kang Hwi Ram ¡®It changed!¡¯ It was not just a simple change either. It was such a big change that it almost felt like a different weapon. Not only did the damage go up, but the special skills had changed as well. The restrictions also went down. It was natural for restrictions to go up as weapons get fortified, however, it went in reverse. Now I could use my available points however I want instead of saving them to meet the restrictions. ¡®What happened to the armor?¡¯ [Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor Set +5 Fortification] Armor, pants, gloves, boots, and helmet make the set. Made with the Shadow Fox¡¯s hide, as well as the Golden Alligator hide and Midnight Black scales. Durability: 673/673 Defense: 237 Restriction: Level 416 * Agility +71, Strength +33 * Magic Resistance +217 * Reinforced Toughness +90 * 71% chance of reflecting 63% of Damage * Special ability: Stealthy Approach S-Rank, Evasion S-Rank, Stamina Reduction 40% Decrease, Damage Absorption 48% * Special skill: Dark Force (Cool time 1 hour) * All abilities increased by 50% when used by Kang Hwi Ram. ¡®Holy crap!¡¯ The basic abilities fortified by a lot. The defense, agility, and strength increase naturally went up, and things like magic resistance and Reinforced Toughness that I thought would never change went up as well. Significantly at that. Those numbers had not changed until the third level fortification. But that was not it. All of these abilities increased by 50% when I used it. Overall, it was as if the abilities went up by 300 percent. No other armor set in the world is probably as great as this. However, I was not satisfied yet. What I really wanted was not just increases in the equipments¡¯ abilities. I put the Shadow Fox¡¯s Leather Armor back on. I then grabbed Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades and got up. ¡°Are we moving now?¡± Goonto and the Dwarves got up as well. They seemed antsy to use their newly fortified weapons. I was getting antsy as well. However, there was no need to rush. ¡°Wait one second. I have something I want to verify first.¡± The Dwarves sat back down. I focused on Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades in my hands. I was trying to feel the Fairy Energy that I felt when I was combining the jewels. I was certain that the Fairy Energy would be inside the blades. I was also certain that I would be able to control it. However, it was not easy. I tried for a while, but forget a squishy jelly, I didn¡¯t even feel a warm sensation. ¡®It won¡¯t work like this.¡¯ I guess real battles experience is most important. I would need to use Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades on monsters. There was a simple way to do it. I needed to refill my emptied Spirit Energy anyway. I took out a level 200 medium sized Demon Cave scroll. I walked a good distance away from the others and ripped the scroll. The group didn¡¯t even flinch when I did something like this anymore. None of them even grabbed their weapons in case something went wrong. They just calmly looked at me with gazes that seemed to be saying, ¡®here he goes again.¡¯ Then they just sat back and watched. Cave Trolls, Giant Dogs, and other monsters popped out of the Demon Cave. I started to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades toward the monsters. Then I felt something definitely different than before. ¡®The sword naturally moves even without me thinking about it!¡¯ It felt kind of like the sword was controlling me. Once I started to think that I need to attack a certain monster, it would figure out the best route and lead my body in that direction. It made me think about sitting and typing on a keyboard. I average around 400 characters per minute. If I just type without worrying about typos, I could probably type 800 characters per minute. (TL: For reference, I type 515 characters per minute at 99% accuracy¡­so he¡¯s not that fast lol. (PR: Bragger, lol) (TL: Maso apparently types only 100 characters per minute)) It would be impossible to do this if I had to think about where ¡®h¡¯ or ¡®t¡¯ or any letter was located on the keyboard. My fingers just move on their own when I think about what I need to type. I guess you could say they move on their own as well. That was exactly the case right now. There was no thoughts in my mind such as, ¡®I will slash this way and then stab from the left.¡¯ The blades automatically moved toward any openings and blocked any dangers before I even had a moment to respond. It allowed me to move a half step faster than before. For someone like me who used a speed-based sword art such as Drake¡¯s TBSA, this half step was extremely beneficial. It meant instead of attacking 5 times in 1 second, I could now attack 7 times. I even wondered if this was the secret to, ¡®One with the Sword.¡¯ It also gave me the chance to focus on other things. ¡®Fairy Energy. I can definitely feel it!¡¯ Chapter 169 - The Fairy’s Orb (1) I called forth the Fairy Energy within the twin blades as I slashed a monster. I was trying to make it so that I could feel it in my hands again. However, it failed once again. The movement of my twin blades was stellar to the point it could be called, ¡®One with the Sword,¡¯ however, I couldn¡¯t feel the Fairy Energy again until the end. All of the monsters quickly died. I used to be able to get a decent feeling of hunting with a level 200 mid-sized Demon Cave, however, it went by almost too quickly this time. I didn¡¯t even feel like I got a good warm-up completed. That showed the effectiveness of the upgrades to my equipment. No, the changes to my sword art were probably the reason. My swords felt as if they were moving on their own. It was like the sword was making me move instead of my making the sword move. I debated opening another Demon Cave before deciding not to do that. My Spirit Energy was full anyway. I didn¡¯t think much would change by practicing with monsters. I guess it is now time to face off against the Demons. ¡°Shall we go find the Fairy¡¯s Orb?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± It was Harrison¡¯s group who got up first this time. The quest to save Akto¡¯s soul had to do with the Dwarves while the Fairy¡¯s Orb quest had to do with Harrison¡¯s group. All of them looked ready to go. We all moved deeper into the Demons¡¯ Mine. I was naturally in the front along with the Guardian Elemental. We walked for about 1 km like that. ¡°Kwaaaaaaa!¡± A group of Demons suddenly popped out. It felt as if they knew we were coming and were hiding in order to surprise us. However, neither the Dwarves nor Harrison¡¯s group were shocked. They quickly put up their shields in a wall and got into a defensive position as if they had been expecting it. It was because I had given them the signal in advance. The Guardian Elemental had let me know they were hiding there in advance. There were only three Demons. I didn¡¯t want to waste my Dragon Fear that had such a long cool time for these idiots. I instead used the Horn Flute of Darkness that I had prepared in advance and threw five of the Sand Warrior¡¯s Voices. They were enough to tie the Demons down. I should be able to easily hunt them if I called forth the Stone Elves. But I did not call them out. I opened a Demon Cave scroll and personally ran toward them with Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. ¡®500 Spirit Energy to agility!¡¯ The impact of 500 points to agility was amazing. I was so fast that my body did not feel like my own body. In fact, it was so fast that it was hard to control. Even still, the sword did not shake even a tiny bit. Now that I had reached the One with the Sword level, the sword was automatically finding where to go. The Demons were running wild at high speed but it was enough to catch them. The damage was significant as well. I was reaching 20,000 damage at just a 20-hit combo, probably because my base damage increased by 500 percent. I needed at least 100,000 damage to make it through the Demons¡¯ defense. I reached 120,000 damage at 27-hit combo. I used one of the special skills imbued within the twin blades at that moment. [ Nullify 30% of Enemy Defense! ] Papapat! ¡°Kwaaaaaaa!¡± The Demon took over 60,000 damage. Lightning damage was added as well. The Demon became stunned with one hit and lost its neck after the second attack. There were only two left. There were still many monsters nearby to serve as stepping stones. I was confident that I could easily kill any of them with one hit if I hit properly. The Demons seemed to have realized that as well. They were quickly retreating as if they realized that getting away from my range of attack was the best decision. It might also be because they felt fear after seeing that I was even quicker than them. However, I was faster than them because of all of the Spirit Energy I put into agility. I approached them faster than they could retreat. My combo had also continued without stopping. But then I felt something weird in my palms that were holding the twin blades. How do I put this¡­ I guess I thought that I could feel the will of the blades? Or maybe the will of the Fairy Energy within the blades? It was squirming around. There were no voices that spoke into my mind, but I felt its strong desire to quickly burst out of the blades. ¡®Why are they suddenly acting like this?¡¯ I was afraid. I thought that all of the fortifications might be lost if the Fairy Energy burst out of the blades. ¡®Please don¡¯t do that.¡¯ However, the Fairy Energy did not care about what I wanted. It just continued to show its desire to leave the blades. The desire was so strong that I was almost convinced enough to let it out. Trying to avoid the Fairy Energy¡¯s will like this for a long time will probably break my concentration and not allow me to fight properly. ¡®Fine! Get out and spread your wings!¡¯ I no longer forced the Fairy Energy to stay inside the blades. I swung the blades with a strong force to help the Fairy Energy leave. The Fairy Energy shot out like a ray of light through the tip of the sword before slamming into an empty wall of the cave. But the results of that slamming was unexpected. Paaaat- ¡®Huh?!¡¯ There was a large scratch on the wall. It was as if my blades were guns that had shot Fairy Energy as bullets. The more shocking thing was that my twin blades were still full of Fairy Energy. The amount of energy did not even decrease. ¡®Then what is it that I shot through the blades?¡¯ There was something that came to mind. ¡®Is it perhaps Spirit Energy?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t check in my current situation. My Spirit Energy was going up every time I killed a monster to keep my combo going. I couldn¡¯t tell if Spirit Energy was being used because I couldn¡¯t compare the before and after amounts easily. ¡®Let¡¯s try it once again.¡¯ I first confirmed the amount of Spirit Energy I had. [Spirit Energy: 984] The Fairy Energy in the blades were still running wild. They seemed to want to run out of the blades at any moment. I had nothing to fear. I experienced it once already. I looked toward a Demon. He was running around dodging my attacks even as his soul was in pain because of the Sand Warrior¡¯s Soul. I swung Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades once again. The only difference was that it was pointing at a Demon instead of the wall this time. Paaaat! I felt some type of spark that I did not feel before. I guess it was the feeling of something leaving? It felt like a rotting tooth finally getting pulled out. The energy shot out through the tip of the blades at that moment. I couldn¡¯t see it with my eyes, but I could feel it. The Demon received a big shock and fell backward as well. ¡°Ugh!¡± I quickly checked the changes to my Spirit Energy. [Spirit Energy: 784] ¡®It decreased!¡¯ It had decreased by exactly 200 points. That verified that the energy shot out through the end of the blades was Spirit Energy and not Fairy Energy. The Demon who was hit by the Spirit Energy was quickly getting back up. However, his movement was slower than before. He seemed to have received quite the shock. The attack using 200 Spirit Energy even when my combo was canceled had this much impact. What would happen if I shot this while a combo was still active? Would the increased damage thanks to the combo effect this as well? I¡¯ll find out once I try. I used the stepping stones monsters to recreate my combo. Drake¡¯s TBSA is such a fast sword art that I had reached 18-hit combo in less than 3 seconds. I wasn¡¯t greedy to reach an even higher combo. This was just a test after all. I swung Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades toward a Demon after reaching 19-hit combo. I felt like the Spirit Energy was almost visible as it shot out without making any noise. My enemies will probably want to label me the Silent Killer if they were killed by the Spirit Energy. ¡°Ugh!¡± The Spirit Energy accurately hit the Demon again. It moves so quickly that I doubt that anyone could dodge it. However, the damage did not meet my expectations. The Demon fell backward again but was able to get back up easily, just like last time. ¡®I guess the combo damage does not get included.¡¯ It was disappointing, but there was nothing that I could do about it. It¡¯s not like everything in the world would go my way. I needed to follow the laws of the world. This alone was already extremely useful. It was a strong enough shock that even a Demon with high toughness was flung backward. That means that some monsters might even be killed by it. It would also be very useful during the Demon hunt as well. How? Like this! I shot the Spirit Energy toward a Demon without creating a combo. I summoned some Stone Elves at the same time. ¡®Crush him!¡¯ The Demon that was hit by Spirit Energy flung backward again and could not move for one second. That was enough time for the Stone Elves. They quickly rushed over and crushed the Demon, giving me time to create a 20-hit plus combo and finish him off. Goonto, Harrison and the others all gathered around me once the final Demon was killed and all of the monsters from the Demon Cave were destroyed. ¡°What was that just now?¡± ¡°What happened? Did you shoot mana from your sword?¡± There probably wouldn¡¯t be any issues with telling them, but there was no need to tell them. I didn¡¯t feel bad because Harrison probably had more secrets than I did. I just unsummoned the Stone Elves and lightly smiled. ¡°I heard that everything has a place and time. I will explain it to you in the future if the opportunity arises.¡± ¡°Tsk! You¡¯re being so secretive!¡± Goonto clicked his tongue as if he was disappointed. Honestly speaking, Goonto should have a decent idea about what I did. He was someone who has reached the ¡®One with the Sword¡¯ level as well. In fact, he got there before I did. However, he seemed to just be keeping the information to himself after seeing that I didn¡¯t want to reveal it. Akto was the same. He had an odd smile on his face but he did not say anything. ¡°Shall we keep moving?¡± We all moved deeper into the Demons¡¯ Mine. Demons were hiding every so often as Akto had mentioned. Most of them were never alone. They moved in groups of at least three and large groups had over ten Demons moving together. However, hunting Demons were not that hard anymore after learning how to shoot Spirit Energy from my blades. The only thing to keep in mind was to make sure that my Spirit Energy didn¡¯t deplete completely. We met another group of Demons and hunted them in the same fashion. The Stone Elves and I pretty much dominated the hunts. The Dwarves did their best to help but they weren¡¯t that useful. But they still were not bored. Demons were not the only things in the Demons¡¯ Mine. ¡°Leave those bastards to us!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t just sit back and watch the whole time.¡± Papapat! Crackle! Goonto¡¯s group and Harrison¡¯s group almost seemed as if they were competing with each other any time hordes of monsters appeared. Of course, I didn¡¯t relax either. I needed to use these opportunities to absorb Spirit Energy. Otherwise, I would have to use up my remaining few Demon Cave scrolls. We ended up hunting another group of Demons after that. ¡°Shall we rest for a bit?¡± Goonto and the Dwarves naturally gathered around me to sit once I sat down. It was as if they were treating me as a Dwarf and not a human. It forced Harrison¡¯s group to sit at a distance. We had been working together for over two years already, but there was this invisible wall between Dwarves and humans. That wall was difficult to break. ¡°But how far do we need to go inside?¡± The other Dwarves also chimed in once Goonto started. ¡°Are you certain that Fairy¡¯s Orb or whatever is really in here?¡± These funny punks. Their hero Akto is right next to them. Even though he only had his soul left, wasn¡¯t he still one of the Dwarves¡¯ role models? Akto was the one who had said that the Fairy¡¯s Orb was in the Demons¡¯ Mine. But they were still suspicious. I felt that Akto¡¯s pride might have taken a hit. I peeked toward Akto. He was surprisingly stoic. He was looking at somewhere else as if he had not even heard the statement. I was the one to ask Akto this time. ¡°Akto. Where do you think the Fairy¡¯s Orb is located?¡± ¡°All I know is that it is in here. I don¡¯t know the exact location. But I think you should be able to tell. Your friendliness with the fairies is much higher than mine, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡®Me?¡¯ Now that I thought about it, something did feel off since a bit earlier. Chapter 170 - The Fairy’s Orb (2) The Fairy Energy I could feel from Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades became stronger the deeper we went into the Demon¡¯s Cave. I had thought it was because my skill level was going up little by little. I thought it was going up quickly because it had not been long since I could feel the Fairy Energy. But it was moving too fast for me to accept that it was just that. How could it be when it improved to two times its original strength in less than half a month? Now I could tie Demons down for almost five seconds by shooting out Spirit Energy. This may be related to the Fairy¡¯s Orb. The Fairy Energy could be getting stronger as we get closer to the Fairy¡¯s Orb. But that¡¯s just my hypothesis. ¡®Shall we give it a go?¡¯ ¡°I think we¡¯ve rested enough.¡± ¡°Already? We barely sat down.¡± ¡°Five minutes is most appropriate for a break. And what have you done to grumble like that? I hunted the most monsters until now.¡± Was that too much? But it was true. I tied the Demons down by shooting out Spirit Energy, then I hunted them with combo once the Stone Elves sat on them. The other team members supported me as well, however, it was just like sprinkles being added onto a cupcake. ¡°Ugh.¡± The Dwarves got up and were soon followed by Harrison¡¯s group. I moved forward while focusing on Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. It wasn¡¯t dangerous for me to focus on other things instead of the cave because the Guardian Elemental was about 30 meters in front of us looking around. ¡®There really is a difference in the feel.¡¯ It was faint but I could feel the difference. The Fairy Energy was becoming stronger as we moved. We walked for about 3 km like that. ¡®It¡¯s here!¡¯ I could not see the Fairy¡¯s Orb, but the Fairy Energy in Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades was telling me this was the place. I was certain that the Fairy¡¯s Orb was around here. I slowed down and moved forward. I soon stopped walking. ¡®Is it over there?¡¯ I could see a group of Demons gathered together. They were different than the Demons we have met along the way. The colors of their skin varied and they even had large horns on their heads. They seemed to be Demon leaders. There were normal Demons with them as well. I saw about three Demon leaders and over twenty Demons. The Demons were looking toward us as well. Their senses are so sharp that they probably noticed us before I noticed them. However, they did not come charging at us. They were similar to the Demons at the Wall of Grief who seemed to be protecting something. That gave me even more certainty. ¡®It must be there!¡¯ My Spirit Energy was full. Everybody was at peak condition because we got plenty of rest along the way. It was still going to be a difficult battle. The Demon leaders looked extremely dangerous. ¡°We have to stay alert.¡± ¡°Looks that way. They look really strong!¡± Goonto sounded very nervous as well. Maybe that was why, but the other Dwarves and Harrison¡¯s group curled their bodies forward and looked anxious. I made sure my preparations were thoroughly completed. I had the Dwarves put up their shield walls and summoned about 50 Stone Elves in advance. Even after that, I still had 400 Stone Elves that I could summon. We had hunted over 500 Demons on our way here, giving me close to 500 Stone Elf¡¯s Souls. I lost a good number of Stone Elves in the battles against the Demons, but the number of Stone Elf¡¯s Souls in my possession grew as time went by. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Everybody nodded their heads. ¡°Then let¡¯s get started! Forward, march!¡± I blew the Horn Flute of Darkness as we moved forward. The Demon leaders were similar to the Demons. They charged at us without maintaining their positions once I used Dragon Fear and the Sand Warrior¡¯s Voices. Once that happened, it was similar to all of our other battles. I continued to harass the Demons with the Horn Flute of Darkness, Dragon Fear, and the Sand Warrior¡¯s Voices before using Spirit Energy and then having the Stone Elves work together to hold them down. Naturally, I hunted them down with combo afterward. The Demon leaders were stronger than the regular Demons, but they still could not overcome the shock of Spirit Energy. I summoned 300 more Stone Elves and the battle ended up in our victory once I had five or six Stone Elves team up against each Demon leader. ¡°What is our casualty count?¡± ¡°Barookoo and Baanto are dead.¡± ¡°We lost over ten soldiers as well.¡± I lost 50 Stone Elves as well. This was the most damage we had suffered until now. However, it could not be helped. That was how strong the Demon leaders were. We should be relieved that we were able to win with just this many casualties. ¡°Please gather their bodies.¡± Dwarves don¡¯t gather the bodies of the dead. It was because they believed that the bodies were just a shell and that their souls would go to Valhalla. That was why only Harrison¡¯s group gathered the bodies of the dead and gave them a short funeral. I looked around while they did that. I tightly clenched onto Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades to feel the Fairy Energy. I was certain that it was in this area. It was because the strength of the Fairy Energy was changing every time I moved. I continued to move around while feeling the Fairy Energy. I then stopped. ¡®Here?¡¯ There was a large boulder in front of me. It looked so big that I thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to move it even with the Dwarves¡¯ help. I had a feeling that the Fairy¡¯s Orb would be under this boulder. ¡°Can you move this?¡± Goonto and the Dwarves stepped up once I asked. ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Urachacha!¡± It really didn¡¯t move. They would feel motivated if it even showed signs of moving. Goonto started to shake his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can move this even if we had 100 Dwarves!¡± ¡°Then what should we do?¡± ¡°Should we break it?¡± Goonto picked up his Solar Blade. The Dwarves thought that was a good idea and picked up their weapons as well. It didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea. But hearing them say we could destroy the boulder made me think of a better idea. This method needed no one to put in any effort. ¡°Step back a bit! Stone Elf, come forth!¡± I looked toward the large boulder. Then, the large boulder started to move as I expected. It then turned into a Stone Elf and started to move. The body truly suffers if the head is dumb. ¡®It was so easy!¡¯ The boulder was so large that one Stone Elf was not enough. I summoned five more Stone Elves. The boulder became smaller with each Stone Elf until there were no traces left. But I did not stop there. I continued to summon Stone Elves such that I was now creating a pit in the ground. Goonto shouted in shock after a bit. ¡°Ah! What is that?¡± It was closer to a jewel than an orb. It was the size of a handball and shining brightly as if a magic light spell was cast on it. He wants to know what it is? It¡¯s the Fairy¡¯s Orb of course. The Fairy Energy in Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades was telling me that this was it. It was running wild. I walked into the large pit. I then carefully picked the Fairy¡¯s Orb up with both hands. Brrrrrr- Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades were shaking. To be more specific, the Fairy Energy inside of them was reacting to the Fairy¡¯s Orb. That was how strong the energy inside the Fairy¡¯s Orb was. I looked up to see the others looking at me with gazes full of anticipation. I smiled brightly at them and started to speak. ¡°Let¡¯s go home!¡± ¡°Wow! How many years has it been?¡± ¡°My child must have grown up so much!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been missing my wife so much. I started this journey two months after getting married.¡± I was longing for home as well. I was more of a wanderer in this world but I still wanted to go back to Titan Valley, the home of my heart. Most importantly, I was tired of this place where the sun did not move. I wanted to return to a normal place that had days and nights and mornings and evenings. But there was someone who could not go with us. ¡°I guess it is time to say goodbye. Thank you. I can obtain eternal rest thanks to you.¡± It was Akto. ¡°Is there no way for you to go with us?¡± ¡°Akto-nim. Please come with us to the Dwarves village. All of our Dwarven brethren would cheer for the return of the hero.¡± Goonto and the Dwarves gathered around Akto in shock. But Akto did not respond to them. He just smiled at them. He then looked back toward me. ¡°I have nothing to give you, but I guess I can leave you these words as a gift. Don¡¯t get too excited about small achievements. It is your turn now.¡± ¡°My turn? I¡¯m not sure what you mean¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough. I hope that you do not end up like I did when the time comes.¡± ¡®End up like Akto?¡¯ I could now tell what he was talking about. I would be fated to fight against the Demon Lord. Achieving victory will bring me true power while defeat would make me trapped under the Demons¡¯ strength like Akto. I will not become like that. I plan on fighting directly with the Demon Lord in the future. But only once I have the necessary strength for it. ¡°Thank you for your advice. I will keep it in mind.¡± He seemed to be satisfied with my response. He smiled slightly brighter and nodded his head. That was the end. Akto slowly became blurry before he completely disappeared. ¡°Ah, ah, Akto-nim.¡± ¡°He truly did leave us.¡± The Dwarves stared at the spot where Akto disappeared with sad expressions. I had never seen Dwarves looking like this before. They seemed extremely emotional and unable to snap out of it for a while. It looks like I needed to give the Dwarves some time. There were things for me to do as I waited. I had wanted to do it earlier, but I had pushed it back because making big changes in the middle of an important task didn¡¯t seem right. We finished one big task and were about to start another. This was the perfect time to do it. I first looked toward Jul Goo. ¡°Jul Goo.¡± ¡°Yes, master.¡± I couldn¡¯t see the old stupid look on my slave Jul Goo¡¯s face anymore. Chief¡¯s influence helped raise his intelligence a bit and he now seemed reliable. ¡°It is time for me to let you go. You are now free. You don¡¯t need my permission to do anything nor go anywhere once we return to Titan Valley.¡± Jul Goo¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡®Look at this punk pretending to be shocked.¡¯ He should have expected it for a while. I promised him that I would let him be free at the right time. ¡®But don¡¯t get the wrong idea, little guy. I¡¯m not completely letting you go. No, you will personally choose not to go.¡¯ Why? He¡¯ll find out once we go back to Titan Valley. He would soon understand that it was the safest and happiest around me. I took a coin out of my bag and handed it to Jul Goo. There was 1 billion won in the coin. It was a trivial amount compared to everything Jul Goo had done for me until now. ¡°This should be enough for a wedding. Find yourself a nice girl as soon as we return to Titan Valley. It is time for a new beginning for you.¡± Jul Goo started to cry. ¡°¡­¡­Master.¡± ¡®Enough. That¡¯s enough.¡¯ Doing anything else would ruin the moment. I acted cool and turned away. ¡°Eruni.¡± ¡°Yes, master?¡± Eruni was so shocked at her shoulders flinched. It was because she had heard my conversation with Jul Goo. She could expect what was coming since I turned to her right after that and called her name. I did not disappoint her. I handed Eruni a coin as well. It was not much. She was not with me as long as Jul Goo. It was 500 million won. ¡°You are also free.¡± ¡°N, no thank you. I like things as they are right now. Please take it back.¡± Eruni shook her head to say no. Whatever, it didn¡¯t matter to me. I freed Jul Goo and Eruni from their positions as slaves. ¡°Now you both can freely go wherever and do whatever you want. You don¡¯t need to ask for my permission.¡± But it wasn¡¯t as if they had places to go. In the end, they would choose to stay by my side. However, they would choose to do that not as my slaves but as my trusted subordinates. That will make them want to do well for their own reasons. It was fine if they didn¡¯t. If they can¡¯t do that, there was no need for them to stay anyway. I had many people around me now. I turned away from Eruni and Jul Goo. It was my way of saying I would not influence their decision in any way. Instead, I started to plan out something else. The next important task that would start now. ¡®I hope Humbley is taking care of things properly.¡¯ The plan should have started by now. Humbley would have lobbied quite a bit to put General Suani in prison and the Jeppi tribe would use that opening to aim for the continent. I might even be a bit late. The Jeppi tribe¡¯s current strength was enough to take care of the Batoru Kingdom in less than three months. They have probably taken over the Batoru Kingdom and are deep in the Ameri Kingdom by now. It is fine if I am a bit late. I don¡¯t want to run into the Jeppi tribe¡¯s full force by returning too early. I opened up a teleportation portal. This was the type that would take you to the closest Magician¡¯s Tower no matter where you were, which meant that this would take us to the Titan Valley Magician¡¯s Tower. You could teleport as many people as you want for one year. It cost a fortune, but it was worth it thinking about taking control of the Western District. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go home now!¡± I took the head. It was because I didn¡¯t know how it would be on the other side. The Jeppi tribe might even be controlling the Titan Valley Magician¡¯s Tower now. The worst-case scenario would be ending up in a fight against the Jeppi tribe as soon as I teleported. Harrison¡¯s group came next with Goonto and the Dwarves in the rear. Chapter 171 - Who Owns This Place (1) Flash! The white flash disappeared and my sight returned. I lowered my stance while remaining alert. I was ready to take out Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades at any moment. However, my worries did not come true. I heard a human voice instead of a Jeppi tribe member¡¯s voice. ¡°Ah! Kang Hwi Ram-nim! You¡¯re back!¡± It was the Titan Valley magicians. They seemed happy, shocked, and concerned once Harrison¡¯s group and the Dwarves came through as well. Some of them hunched forward and looked around as well. It was as if this current situation could not be noticed by someone. I could sort of understand the current situation after seeing the magicians¡¯ expressions. ¡°Did something happen?¡± I feigned ignorance and asked in a quiet voice. A magician responded in a just as quiet voice. ¡°That¡­¡­ This place is currently under the Jeppi tribe¡¯s rule.¡± ¡°W, what? The Jeppi tribe?¡± Harrison was jumping up and down. This should be shocking news to him since I didn¡¯t tell him anything about the Jeppi tribe. I pretended to be shocked as well. ¡°Does that make any sense? How could the Jeppi tribe be here?¡± ¡°We thought so as well. We thought that the Jeppi tribe was divided into four or five factions and were busy fighting each other, but they had gathered together long ago under a strong leader. They had been waiting to attack the continent and used the opening created in the sea route when General Suani was imprisoned.¡± Harrison became even more furious at the magician¡¯s explanation. ¡°General Suani was imprisoned? How could such a thing happen? The General is one of the kingdom¡¯s top heroes, so how¡­¡­?¡± ¡°It seems like he secretly sold off military rations. I do not know the complete details, but I think this was a ploy by the Ameri Kingdom.¡± ¡®Actually, that was my ploy.¡¯ General Suani is the greatest hero in Harrison¡¯s Batoru Kingdom as well as the continent¡¯s greatest naval commander. Listening to General Suani¡¯s achievements is like hearing about Admiral Yi Sun-sin¡¯s merits in the Japanese invasion of Korea. The Jeppi tribe is well aware of General Suani¡¯s fame as well. He was the one who always ruined the Jeppi tribe¡¯s attempts at piracy on the sea route. He had a record of no defeats in one hundred battles. That was why General Suani was the Jeppi tribe¡¯s eternal enemy. They would never even consider attacking the Batoru Kingdom as long as General Suani protected the sea routes. However, General Suani will die in a few years. He was imprisoned after being framed by the Ameri Kingdom and then eventually executed by the Jeppi tribe after their invasion. At least that is how it went down in the game. That is why I changed the future a bit. I did the same thing to him that the Ameri Kingdom would have done, but I did it first. That way, I could protect General Suani and the Batoru Kingdom. Of course, this is something Humbley, myself and only a select people know about. I jumped up and down in anger as if it made no sense. ¡°General Suani is not someone who would do something like that.¡± ¡°That is why I think he was framed.¡± ¡°Then where is the General located right now?¡± ¡°I believe he is in the Bellincher prison.¡± ¡°Then we need to hurry up and go free him.¡± Harrison raised his voice as if he was frustrated. This made the magician jump in shock before shushing him and looking around. It was as if the Jeppi tribe was guarding the area. That seemed to be the case. They heard someone coming toward them and speaking in a voice that sounded extremely nasal. ¡°What seems to be the issue? Snort.¡± ¡°This is why we shouldn¡¯t be nice to these human bastards. Snort.¡± I turned my head to see monsters who looked as unique as their tone. But should I call that a monster or a human? They looked like chimpanzees with a lot of hair pulled out. Their arms were so long that they almost touched the ground. This was the Jeppi tribe that lived on another continent south of this continent. The Jeppi noticed us. Their few remaining hairs stood up straight like needles as they became alert. ¡°Snort. There are some weird individuals!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a Dark Elf? There¡¯s even a Kobbit! Snort.¡± ¡°Are they rebels? Snort. Hurry up and contact the soldiers!¡± ¡°Snort. Everybody down to the ground. We will kill anyone who resists!¡± There were a total of four Jeppis. One of them suddenly ran out as if to call for reinforcements while the other three pointed long spears at us and carefully started to approach. The magician waved his hand in anxiety. ¡°Not at all. These people are just traveler¡­¡­ugh!¡± However, the magician could not say much more. It was because all three of them suddenly died. One died from the Spirit Energy I launched, while the other two were killed by Dark Elf Rohas¡¯s sword and magician Bernard¡¯s lightning magic. The magician¡¯s expression turned to one of despair. ¡°Damn it! How can you kill the Jeppi?! This is the end of this town now.¡± According to the magician, the Jeppi were extremely cruel and violent. They killed anybody who showed even the slightest signs of going against their will. The Magician¡¯s Tower had lost five magicians already as well. Furthermore, there were so many of them that nobody could even think about revolting. ¡°Are the Jeppi tribe¡¯s forces that strong?¡± ¡°There are over 30,000 Jeppi that came to Titan Valley. Everybody surrendered in less than a day.¡± ¡°Then now¡­¡­?¡± ¡°There are about 1,000 Jeppi left in Titan Valley. However, there are over 5,000 currently attacking High Village¡­¡­¡± According to the magician, the Jeppi tribe charged in like a tidal wave and quickly left like the tide. However, there were many Jeppis nearby that they could gather over 30,000 Jeppi warriors at any moment¡¯s notice. The most important thing was that there were less than 1,000 Jeppis in Titan Valley right now. ¡°What happened to the citizens?¡± I quickly gathered information on Titan Valley¡¯s situation from the magician. The situation was not much different than I had expected. Humbley¡¯s people moved most of the citizens to High Village as soon as the Jeppi tribe started their attack. High Village then closed its gate shut and fended off the Jeppi tribe¡¯s attack until now. Humbley would naturally be at High Village with Kaldera. Then is it my turn to make a move? ¡°Let¡¯s wipe them out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Excuse me?¡¯ The magician seemed shocked. She seemed to think it was easier said than done. I guess that¡¯s how scared they are of the Jeppi tribe¡¯s strong abilities. But there was no need to listen to the magician anymore. Everything was already planned and we just needed to do things according to plan. ¡°The mercenaries that I have prepared will be in High Village. We will first meet up with them and regain Titan Valley first.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s do that.¡± Harrison nodded his head. His confident expression made it seem like we had already taken care of all of the Jeppis in Titan Valley. It made sense. We had easily defeated even tens of Demon at once. There was also the large number of Stone Elves I could summon. The issue was the Dwarves. ¡°What do you think? Will you help us?¡± The Dwarves did not easily respond. They had a rule not to get involved in human affairs. However, there were always exceptions. And unlike the Shapir, they showed their fighting abilities every so often even in human affairs. ¡°Didn¡¯t you guys say that I am your friend? You can help a friend out. Furthermore, this is a battle with the Jeppi tribe who are pretty much monsters.¡± The Dwarves looked refreshed after I reinforced the part about the Jeppi tribe. ¡°That makes sense. We would not be Dwarves if we ignored our friend¡¯s issues.¡± ¡°Ahaha. I¡¯ve been waiting for you to ask for our help. I think it¡¯ll feel wonderful to destroy some Jeppi bastards¡¯ heads!¡± ¡°Goonto, let¡¯s do that. Isn¡¯t the battlefield where we belong?¡± Goonto stopped contemplating after hearing the other Dwarves. ¡°Fine. But how long do you need our help for?¡± ¡°One month is enough. That should be long enough to get rid of all of the Jeppis in the Batoru Kingdom.¡± He would have the strength to fight against the Jeppi tribe even without the Dwarve at that time. ¡°Fine. We will help out for a month.¡± Goonto nodded his head. They would go all out since they said they would help. ¡°What about you?¡± I gave the magician a chance to decide as well. Honestly, there was no need to ask. In terms of abilities, even ten of these magicians were not as strong as Bernard alone. Most importantly, the fact that they were still alive in the Magician¡¯s Tower even though the Jeppi tribe took over Titan Valley is an issue. They should have died while resisting with their lives. But they would indeed be helpful if they were around. I would gather many of these magicians to create a large unit. ¡°Are you planning on continuing to be a Jeppi pawn?¡± Then they would be branded as a traitor and could be killed by the residents later. Actually, that is not a could, it would be that way. ¡®They should make a smart decision.¡¯ Did the magician manage to read my thoughts? She bit down on her lips before nodding her head. ¡°Please wait for a moment. I will go gather all of the magicians remaining in the tower.¡± There was no time to do that. It was just important that they will fight with us. ¡°We will head out first. Please follow behind us once you gather all like-minded magicians. Then we should be able to meet up on the way to High Village.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± The magician quickly started to run up the tower. ¡°Then shall we head out as well?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The Magician¡¯s Tower was located at the center of Titan Valley by the Titan Plaza. This was a street that was normally crowded even at night time. But it was empty right now. It felt as if it was a deserted city. We did see some residents every so often. But they all seemed to not want to be seen by the Jeppi as they were curled up and walking quickly. Someone flinched after seeing us and approached us. ¡°Wait, aren¡¯t you Kang Hwi Ram-nim?¡± They know my face? Am I that famous now? Anybody in the real world should be able to recognize me if they¡¯ve seen me through TV or the internet, but they didn¡¯t have something like that in here. So how could he know? ¡°Do you not remember? We were at the Batoom Mines¡­¡­¡± Oh, it was one of the miners. Then of course he knows my face. Perfect. ¡°Do you know where the Jeppi soldiers are gathered together?¡± ¡°Of course. They are using the inn next to the plaza as their headquarter. But why do you ask about that? Perhaps¡­¡­?¡± The miner looked toward Goonto¡¯s group and Harrison¡¯s group. His eyes then filled with anticipation. Yes. It¡¯s time for you to stand back up. That was necessary for Titan Valley and the entire Batoru Kingdom to heal faster. ¡°Please spread the news to others. My friends and I will recover Titan Valley. Tell them to gather at High Village as quickly as possible once things are safe here.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head out!¡± I took the vanguard as we started to run toward Titan Plaza. This was the beginning. We will almost instantly kick out the Jeppi tribe that was taking over the continent like a tsunami. Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 172 - Who Owns This Place (2) The area around Titan Plaza was the Jeppi tribe¡¯s headquarters as the miner mentioned. The Jeppi were moving around in groups of 20. It was obvious why the Jeppi were moving around. It was something that naturally happened during wars. Plundering and rape. The Jeppis were kidnapping any and all women, from children to old ladies. That was why we could hear women screaming all around us. ¡°Kyaaaa. Please don¡¯t kill me.¡± ¡°Snort. Can¡¯t you shut up? Do you want me to kill you?¡± You¡¯re the one who needs to die. I didn¡¯t even need to signal the others. I took out Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades and shot out Spirit Energy as soon as I found some Jeppis. My accuracy with the Spirit Energy has gone up as I continued to use it. Now I could hit everything within 30 meters of me with 100% accuracy. ¡°Kwaaaaaaa!¡± ¡°Rebels! Snort. Attack!¡± ¡°There are a lot of them. Call our comrades!¡± Beeep- Beeeep- One of the Jeppi soldiers blew into what looked like a whistle. I didn¡¯t mind. It meant that I didn¡¯t need to waste time looking for others. Papat- My teammates started to move as well. These past two years together have made the two teams into one. Who would ever expect Dwarves and humans to show such skilled coordination? I didn¡¯t need to divide tasks for them to know what they needed to do. The Dwarves charged toward the Jeppi tribe while Harrison¡¯s group blocked off any escape paths. Our numbers were similar to their numbers right now. However, there was a significant difference in skill. I guess I should say that they were no match for us? Each Jeppi monster was over level 300, but how could they compare to Goonto and the Dwarves? This group of fewer than 20 Dwarves could probably wipe out the Jeppi tribe alone if they wanted to do so. Harrison¡¯s group was made up of the Batoru Kingdom¡¯s most skilled individuals as well. He had gathered the best people to turn into Knights of the Sun. In other words, they were the true strength of Harrison and the Batoru Kingdom. Each of them were easily over level 500. It was to the point that I didn¡¯t even need to summon the Stone Elves. I was relieved. I wanted to save them if possible. They needed a long period of rest because they were seriously injured in the battles against the Demons. But the Jeppi tribe had a hidden card up their sleeve as well. ¡®Take a look at them!¡¯ It was a Demon Cave scroll. Well, I guess it wasn¡¯t a hidden card. I already knew about the fact that the Jeppi could use Demon Cave scrolls like the people from the Church of the Sun. But it wasn¡¯t very dangerous. The Demon Cave scrolls that the Church of the Sun had ranged from low level to high level, however, the Jeppi tribe¡¯s Demon Cave scrolls were all less than level 200 caves. The Jeppi were almost instantly defeated. ¡°Let¡¯s head to High Village right away. Our first priority should be rescuing the citizens.¡± I did not hear anyone oppose my decision. The Dwarves just enjoyed fighting while Harrison¡¯s group wanted to quickly take care of things so that they could climb the Peria Mountain. However, there was an exception. It was someone whose existence I could not ignore. ¡°I will return to Avanguarde.¡± It was Kaicher. I remember the story from the game. Kaicher had ended up dying in my hands. I also had to kill other NPCs related to Kaicher a few months later. That included a pair of young siblings who were extremely innocent. They were the children of the Archbishop who followed Kaicher as if he was their father. I had no choice. That was the quest that had been forced on me. [Obliterate the descendants of the Ares Temple¡¯s Archbishop.] I can¡¯t even explain how terrible that felt even though it was just a video game. This was how that terrible incident had started. The Jeppi tribe¡¯s invasion. The Ares Temple¡¯s thorough opposition. The death of the Archbishop. Kaicher¡¯s anger after confirming the Archbishop¡¯s death too late. The Archbishop was a father figure for Kaicher who had grown up as an orphan in the Ares Temple. No, he was even more important than his biological father. He was almost like a god to Kaicher. That was why Kaicher would have been unable to control his anger. He had immediately run out of the temple to fight against the Jeppi tribe. He had defeated thousands of Jeppis by himself. He wasn¡¯t pushed back in the process. He had let out a ton of power as he massacred the Jeppi tribe. He ended up going crazy in the process. That was when Kaicher, the Warrior of Light, had changed to Kaicher, the Crazed Warrior. In the game, I didn¡¯t know about that fact and had no choice to kill Kaicher who was trying to kill me for no reason. The descendants of the Archbishop who found out I killed Kaicher then tried to kill me to get revenge. The same thing could repeat itself if Kaicher went to Avanguarde on his own right now. No, I¡¯m certain that would happen. I need to stop him. But it wasn¡¯t like I could set aside the things here and head to Avanguarde first. The story had twisted already, so I had no way of knowing what was going on in Avanguarde right now. I might end up having to fight vicious battles for a long time without being able to leave. Then this place became an issue. Now that we fought against them once in Titan Valley, thousands of Jeppi tribe members will soon return here. Then High Village will be in danger as well. ¡°There is still some time left to the contract.¡± ¡°This is a time of war. The safety of the Temple is the top priority for a priest.¡± Kaicher glared at me as if he was trying to show me his will. ¡°Then you have to think things through properly. Please give me some time. Then we will resolve the issues here and go with you to Avanguarde. I will make it so you can make it to the Avanguarde temple within four days. I promise.¡± Kaicher¡¯s eyebrow twitched. This was probably a better deal for him as well. His heart probably wanted him to head to Avanguarde right away because he was worried about the Archbishop, but he would not be able to handle hordes of Jeppi tribe members on his own. Kaicher made a logical decision fitting for a priest of the Ares Temple. ¡°Four days.¡± Then we needed to hurry. Honestly speaking, I was as desperate as Kaicher. It would be beneficial for me if the Archbishop didn¡¯t die as well. Of course, there was a high chance that he was already dead. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± We quickly headed West toward High Village. We ran into some Jeppis along the way, but that was terrible news for them rather than us. It was because they were always in small groups. We saw some in groups of five while the largest group we saw was a group of 30. Such hordes continued all the way until High Village. We probably hunted over 1,000 of them by the time we got to the entrance of High Village. We stopped on a hill overseeing High Village for a moment. In front of us was a decently high wall covering High Village with thousands of Jeppi tribe members underneath it. The battle was still going on. High Village was holding firm even with the Jeppi tribe¡¯s constant attacks. However, the casualty count was high. It was because of the Jeppi tribe¡¯s long-distance weapons. People on top of the wall continued to fall one after another. Seeing that made me more desperate. I¡¯m sure that some of those people who were dying were people close to me. I was especially worried about the miners from the Northern Mines. They would have all evacuated to High Village and those healthy and strong miners were probably helping out to guard the place. Beyond that, I needed to lessen the casualty count for my side. Only then would our counterattack be as strong as possible. ¡°Bernard! We¡¯re going to plow through. Please use an AOE spell to make a path for us.¡± Bernard responded to me with his actions. His fingers started to move as he chanted a spell. It felt chilly for a moment and I heard some rumblings along with some flashes of light. Flash! Flash! It was a thunderstorm. A huge one that was over 50 meters wide. The pros and cons of AOE spells are obvious. You can attack many targets within the range of the spell all at once, but the damage was not high. It was naturally not enough to kill the Jeppi tribe members. But this was enough. The injured Jeppis were all shaking from the shock. It would take them at least one minute to get over the shock and their strength would plummet during that time. ¡°Please keep it going. Let¡¯s go everyone!¡± I ran ahead of everyone. The rest of them got into formation without my having to give any commands. Dwarf Goonto and Dark Elf Rohas supported me to my left and right while the other Dwarves stuck right behind me. That was enough to create a path through the Jeppi tribe. Harrison¡¯s group made the path even wider and the magicians and civilian soldiers who met up with us followed through there. ¡°Snort. Block them!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let them merge together! Snort.¡± The Jeppi tribe did their best to block our way. Although they lacked the fighting strength, they were at least at the Dwarves¡¯ level when it came to belligerence. None of them feared death as they charged toward us. However, a battle was not something that could be won with will alone. In fact, I was very happy to see them moving that way. No matter how they gathered together, they wouldn¡¯t charge as stupidly as a horde of animals. They needed a decent amount of space to move. It was the perfect setting for me to run wild. I used Combo to my heart¡¯s content as I massacred the Jeppi. I even managed to kill two or three of them with a single slash at times. That allowed me to have an 80-hit plus combo in less than ten seconds, creating new records for combo without meaning to do so. 105-hits, 106-hits, 107-hits¡­¡­ ¡°Kwaaaaaaa!¡± The only thing I could hear was the screams of the Jeppi. There was no way people on the walls would not be able to see this. I could hear voices as I approached the gate. ¡°It¡¯s Kang Hwi Ram-nim. Open the gate!¡± Ggggggg- The gate made of steel slowly opened. The walls looked very thick. No wonder the Jeppi could not get through it. ¡°Hurry up and go in!¡± I continued to use combo around the castle gate. ¡°Hurry up and go in! Run as fast as you can!¡± Goonto and the Dwarves helped me keep the path open for people. Harrison¡¯s group must have felt some responsibility as well, as they helped the Dwarves with getting the civilian soldiers safely inside first. ¡°Hurry up and go. Run!¡± The magicians and civilians made it through the door. Jul Goo, Eruni, and Chief made it inside as well. Next was Harrison¡¯s group, then Goonto and the Dwarves before I entered the gate last with Rohas. ¡°Hwi Ram!¡± A familiar voice called out my name. The person sounded excited. The person¡¯s face was even warmer. It was Jonnan. ¡°Senior!¡± ¡°Oh no! You have a lot of injuries! Get those treated first.¡± I had a few arrows stuck in me. Their attacks were focused on me since I was in the front. Their attack was extremely tough around the gate. However, they were not in very deep thanks to my Reinforced Toughness. They were at max 2 centimeters inside. There was a bit of pain but this was just like getting scratched. They would all disappear in a minute if I used a healing potion. But I didn¡¯t even need to use a potion. Shione came over and personally pulled the arrows out and used healing spells on me. Other people gathered around me as she did that. They were all people who were in power at Titan Valley. Their influence seemed to have continued in High Village. Their representative was Deputy Mayor Donstar who had a higher position than the mayor. ¡°Oh, Mr. Kang Hwi Ram! Perfect timing. You also brought such amazing warriors with you. Thank you.¡± It felt weird hearing Donstar thank me. I had no desire for Donstar to do well. In fact, I didn¡¯t like the fact that Donstar was acting like he was in control of High Village. However, Donstar didn¡¯t seem to understand his position at all. In fact, he made another stupid move. He proceeded to order me as if he was the commander. ¡°We are doing pretty well guarding the wall, so you should go out with a special team and take down the enemy commander. Based on what I¡¯ve heard, the Jeppi will easily fall back into their factions if the commander is killed.¡± He seemed to have dome some research on the Jeppi tribe. He knew the Jeppi tribe¡¯s weakness. However, the important thing was that I didn¡¯t want to chat with Donstar. And one more thing. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 173 - Who Owns This Place (3) ¡°What¡­¡­ Do you mean by that?¡± Donstar had a blank expression after hearing my question. Was my question that hard to understand? Then I will ask in a simpler way. ¡°High Village is under my jurisdiction. I never gave you permission to come in here. So why are you in here? Who gave you permission?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± Donstar couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. His eyes were just quickly moving. There was no way he had anything to say. It was because I had given Humbley special instructions. I told him to let everyone in except Donstar and the other infamous power players from Titan Valley into High Village. In other words, Donstar and the evil power players had forced their way into High Village. There was only one type of punishment for those bastards. I gave the order without even waiting for Donstar¡¯s response. ¡°Get out.¡± ¡°W, what?¡± ¡°You are not qualified to be here. So get out of the city.¡± Donstar looked anxious. He was so shocked that he was unable to say anything. He didn¡¯t even seem to realize that I was speaking informally him. Donstar finally snapped out of it and seemed to have organized his thoughts. He seemed to be angry as he suddenly started to shout like a dog. ¡°Who the hell are you to tell me to leave?!¡± Makes sense. He probably finds this to be unbelievable. He is the Deputy Mayor for Titan Valley after all. And technically, High Village fell under Titan Valley¡¯s jurisdiction. But that¡¯s because he doesn¡¯t know something. ¡°Who am I? High Village¡¯s temporary Commander.¡± I was someone who could take control in special situations like this. In other terms, I was pretty much king inside High Village right now. It made sense why Donstar would not believe me. In fact, he raised his voice even more. ¡°What? Temporary Commander? Who would give a damn miner like you such title? On what grounds?¡± Someone answered on my behalf from behind Donstar. ¡°Here is the decree from his majesty.¡± It was Humbley. We had already expected such a situation. That was why we got the ball rolling as soon as things started to happen. One of those things was making me the temporary Commander for High Village. Things went smoother than we had expected. The sick king handed power over to the first prince during this emergency situation, but the first prince and the second prince both knew that they were lacking and pushed the third prince into power. The third prince who came into power was close with Harrison. He knew about how I was helping Harrison out as well. Furthermore, he had heard that the fortresses I had created in High Village and Arlington for emergency situations were playing pivotal roles against the Jeppi invasion. They were two of the few remaining safe areas as the Jeppi tribe aimed to take over the entire Batoru Kingdom. That was why he had no issues granting Humbley¡¯s request to make me the temporary commander. In other words, I was no longer a miner turned businessman but an influential person at the level of the king. At least within High Village that is. I took the decree from Humbley and showed it to Donstar. The decree also stated that any territory I took back for the kingdom fell under my command as well. Of course, Humbley had requested that as well. I then revealed a title I had not shown until now. [High Village Temporary Commander] Now does it make sense why I would talk down to Donstar who was the highest ranking person in Titan Valley at one point? He seemed to understand. Donstar looked as if a cat got his tongue. Donstar was rolling his eyes left and right trying to find a way out of this. ¡°B, but there is no reason to kick me out?¡± ¡°No, there is a clear reason I should.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Is he really asking because he doesn¡¯t know? Well, he probably wouldn¡¯t have acted that way if he did know. It was time for me to teach him what he did. Not that he would realize his mistakes even with me teaching him. But it was time for him to pay the price for all of his sins until now. ¡°You hinder the harmony in High Village!¡± ¡°W, what?¡± Do you think the people in Titan Valley followed Donstar because they wanted to do so? They were just scared because of all the power he had. It was not just Donstar. Donstar had a lot of lackeys as well. And those bastards were trying to swing their influence around even in High Village. They weren¡¯t doing anything except giving orders. The citizens were serving as fodder just because they didn¡¯t have any money or backing. How would they have any favorable opinions about him? They were holding back because they were suppressed by his power and influence, but if something allowed them to release their anger¡­they will probably be scarier than the Jeppi. However, I could also create the reverse situation if I use that situation properly. Of course, Donstar did not accept it. ¡°Such unbelievable¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then you tell me. Is there any reason you should be in High Village?¡± ¡°I am also a citizen like them.¡± ¡°You want to be treated like the other citizens?¡± Donstar quickly nodded his head as I asked back to confirm. ¡°Yes.¡± Then I have no reason to say no. However, I had a condition. It was the same condition I had for anybody benefiting from being in High Village. ¡°Fine. You can stay if you have such a mindset. Humbley-nim. There is something we need to do right away.¡± ¡°Please tell me what you need.¡± Humbley quickly came over with a notepad as if he was going to personally be my assistant. ¡°The most important thing for us right now is harmony. We must all gather together with the same mindset in order to overcome this terrible situation.¡± Everybody nodded their heads. It was because I was right. ¡°That is why we will make everything equal for everyone. Past wealth and titles do not matter. Anybody who wishes to rely on the safety of High Village must hand over their entire wealth and be a commoner. After the war, we will redistribute the wealth depending on the person¡¯s merits during the war.¡± I heard some gasps around the room. It was obvious. The people who ran over as soon as I entered into High Village were all people who had wealth and power in Titan Valley. The poor commoners had no time to come here. They were all on the walls throwing rocks and fighting against the Jeppi. In other words, the people fighting on the walls will be able to improve their status because of this tribulation while the majority of the people here will lose status. ¡°Please create a contract. Only those who write their name and sign on the contract will be able to stay in High Village.¡± ¡°I understand. I will take care of it right away.¡± Humbley quickly started to move. We didn¡¯t have any time to waste. The Jeppi were continuing to attack while we wasted time here, and the number of people dying on the walls were increasing. Most importantly, I was concerned about Kaicher next to me. Kaicher¡¯s mind is probably filled with only the Avanguarde Ares Temple right now. We needed to take care of the Jeppi tribe outside the walls as quickly as possible. Humbley created a contract right there and handed it to me. The contents were so simple that it took less than five minutes to create. I was the first to write my name and sign it. Then I handed it to Humbley. ¡°Please write your name and sign it.¡± Honestly speaking, Humbley was the one who would suffer the most from this contract. He was the one with the most wealth here. Donstar couldn¡¯t even compare to him. Humbley wrote his name and signed it without any hesitation. That was how strong his trust in me was. No, he probably already considers me to be a part of his family. Kaldera who was standing next to Humbley wrote her name and signed it as well. Then I handed it to Donstar. ¡°Sign it. Otherwise, I will send you outside the walls.¡± ¡°That unbelievable¡­¡­¡± I guess he doesn¡¯t want to sign it. I wasn¡¯t losing anything from it. Donstar¡¯s wealth will naturally belong to High Village once he dies. Honestly, he probably doesn¡¯t have much on him. The majority of his wealth was probably in Titan Valley and that was already conquered by the Jeppi. So, it was the Jeppi tribe¡¯s wealth and not Donstar¡¯s right now. But the fact that he was still hesitating showed how greedy he was. Then there was only one thing left for him. ¡°Rohas. Send him outside the wall!¡± My slave, the Dark Elf Rohas. He had no sympathy for humans. Rohas did not respond with any words. He just slightly bowed his head and quickly started to move. He grabbed Donstar by the back of his shirt with overwhelming strength and climbed to the top of the wall. ¡°P, please save me.¡± Donstar probably has reasons why he thinks he should survive, but I had no reason to save him. He needed to quickly make up his mind if he wanted me to save him. I ignored him and Rohas continued to drag him up to the top of the wall. Now all that was left was to throw him over. Donstar finally shouted. ¡°I, I¡¯ll sign it.¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Rohas seemed like a machine that only listened to my orders. He stopped mid-motion of throwing Donstar over the wall once I gave the order. His loyalty wasn¡¯t very high, but he was the best slave when it came to usefulness. ¡°Bring him back.¡± Donstar¡¯s entire body was shaking once Rohas dragged him back in front of me. He wrote his name and signed it with shaking hands. ¡°Next is you. Hurry up because we have no time. Rohas! You can throw anybody who objects over the wall even without my order from here on.¡± Everything went smoothly from there. They were all as greedy as Donstar, but they all quickly signed the contract because there was nothing more valuable than their lives. Of course, there were some who objected. They seemed to think that I wouldn¡¯t really throw them over the wall. That person was thrown over the wall. He begged for forgiveness on top of the wall saying he will sign, but I didn¡¯t even pretend to listen. I didn¡¯t have time to waste on things like that. I needed at least one person as an example anyway. He quickly turned into mincemeat by the Jeppi tribe¡¯s spears as soon as he was outside the wall. ¡°Humbley-nim. Please create hundreds of these contracts and get all of the commoners to sign them as well. Of course, please explain so they understand where I am coming from.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Honestly speaking, it really wasn¡¯t necessary to get all of the commoners to sign it. They never had much wealth to begin with. Well, other than Jonnan, Batoom, Goultan and the other miners who worked with me in the Northern Mines of course. However, they will all follow my will as well. ¡°Humbley-nim. Are the mercenaries ready?¡± ¡°Yes sir. We have 300 talented mercenaries ready to go.¡± That should be enough to take care of the Jeppi tribe. ¡°Please bring them over right away.¡± Humbley motioned in a direction. 300 Mercenaries quickly came down toward the gate. They seemed to have come when Humbley got here and were ready to go at any moment. I could feel Humbley¡¯s attention to detail. ¡°Then shall we get started?¡± Goonto and the Dwarves picked up their weapons once I grabbed Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades. Harrison¡¯s group and the newly gathered mercenaries seemed to wait for my orders as well. I quickly explained the plan. I didn¡¯t need to do this for my usual teammates, but the new mercenaries joining us could hinder our teamwork if they do something weird. The core of the plan was simple. ¡°The mercenaries don¡¯t need to over do it. Please just take care of the ones that make it past us. That is enough.¡± ¡°Yes sir!¡± The mercenaries responded in a loud voice. They were full of confidence. They must have seen how we made it through the Jeppi encirclement to get inside High Village earlier. They all got into position. They formed a half circle similar to the Hakik-jin. (16th century Korean naval commander Yi Sun-sin¡¯s one of the most famous strategy in the Hansando battle. This formation is designed to look like a crane with its wings open.) The gate opened once I gave the signal. Chapter 174 - Who Owns This Place (4) The ground outside of the walls was covered with Jeppis. There were so many gathered together like heads of bean sprouts. The ones who were by the gate charged forward once the gate opened. I shouted toward the soldiers standing in formation with their shields up. ¡°Maintain your positions!¡± But I did not do that myself. The soldiers had their roles while I had mine. I moved away from the formation and charged into the cluster of Jeppis. Papapat- The Jeppis did not dare to approach me. I was dashing out significant amounts of damage because Drake¡¯s TBSA and Combo were at Advanced levels 4 and 5 respectively. Furthermore, with One with the Sword helping me have fluid movements, the Jeppi were falling like hay every time I moved. People on the walls were shooting arrows down as well. The others who were set up in the shape of an arch on the walls were not forgiving as they launched their arrows. Goonto and the other Dwarves seemed to be getting riled up by my actions as well that they would move out of their spots every so often to swing their swords. That made the formation break once in a while but it didn¡¯t affect the overall formation too much. It was because the mercenaries that Humbley trained were supporting us in the rear. And the Dwarves were qualified to do that. Thanks to that, the Jeppis who made it into the gate were all killed. We soon had a hill made of the Jeppi corpses. That made the Jeppis wary of entering into the gate as well. They would slowly move back even if we opened the gate widely for them. They just gathered to a different side and continued to attack the city walls. That meant it was time for us to head out now. ¡°Now! Let¡¯s go!¡± I took the lead similar to how we had broken through the Jeppis to get inside. Goonto and Dark Elf Rohas were to my left and right while the Dwarves created a clamp-shaped formation behind us. Harrison¡¯s group and the mercenaries supported us as well. The Jeppis started to charge toward us as soon as we made it out of the gate. They still significantly outnumbered us. There seemed to be at least 3,000 of them. They all seemed to be high on morale a well. Was it because there were so many of them that I didn¡¯t have much room to move? Or was it because of their morale? I didn¡¯t know why, but I felt slightly frustrated. But I was not afraid. I had not properly shown my skills yet. ¡®Should I give them a small taste of it now?¡¯ I took a deep breath while looking at a spot that was filled with Jeppis. I then released the energy I gathered together. [Dragon Fear!] Rooooooooooooar- It was not a loud roar that would burst their eardrums, instead, it was a strong fluctuation of mana that would dig deep into their hearts. The Jeppis charging in the front immediately stumbled and plopped on the ground while the ones behind them curled up in fear. The Jeppis¡¯ high morale instantly fell to the ground. ¡®That¡¯s a bit better.¡¯ I started to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades again. Goonto and the Dwarves, Dark Elf Rohas, and Harrison¡¯s group did not sit still either. They knew when to move in and when to step back based on our long duration of working together in the Western District. Papapat! They widened the clamp formation and spread out to kill the Jeppis. It was a one-sided massacre. The clamp formation tightened once the Jeppis made it out of the effects of Dragon Fear. However, the massacre resumed once the cooldown time ended and I used Dragon Fear once more. The morale of the civilian volunteer soldiers in High Village went up because of our actions as well. They were shouting on top of the walls and sending down arrows and rocks. The number of Jeppis decreased quickly. It went from 3,000 to 2,000, then to 1,000 until only a few remaining Jeppis lowered their tails and started to run away to Titan Valley to the East. ¡°Chase them!¡± I didn¡¯t give them the opening to run. I continued to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades in between the escaping Jeppis. The Jeppis could not run away from me because I had higher speed and stamina than they did. It was the same for Rohas. He ran wild in between the Jeppis as if he had become my clone and showed them the scariness of a Dark Elf. But the Jeppis could not stop running to try to fight against Rohas and I. It was because the Dwarves, Harrison¡¯s group, and the mercenaries were right behind them. The only thing the Jeppis could do was run and run some more. But that did not last very long. We probably ran for about 30 minutes. People shouted from both sides of the gorge once the Jeppis entered a path within the gorge. ¡°Waaaaaaah-¡± They were the civilian soldiers who I hid here on our way to High Village. There were only 100 of them, we should be able to see quite the positive result from this ambush. They sent boulders rolling down and launched volleys of arrows. There was also a fallen tree that was blocking the path in the gorge. They could make it over the tree if they struggled, but more soldiers were waiting for them there. I had stationed 50 of them on top of the gorge and the other 50 on the other side of the tree. The few remaining Jeppis all perished. None of them managed to survive. ¡°We need to take back Titan Valley right now as well. Let¡¯s go.¡± The size of my army grew as time went on. The remaining mercenaries Humbley trained and the rest of High Village¡¯s civilian soldiers met up with us as well as other civilian soldiers who were hiding along the way. Thanks to that, the army was over 2,000 people by the time we arrived at Titan Valley. There were less than 1,000 Jeppi soldiers remaining in Titan Valley. They seemed to have noticed something was wrong as they were all gathered together. They probably thought that they could work together to take us down. However, it ended up helping us. The Jeppi were already low in morale because of the difference in our numbers. They didn¡¯t even last 30 minutes when I used Dragon Fear and had the Dwarves attack in front. ¡°Hooray!¡± The civilian soldiers raised their weapons into the air and started to cheer. However, it was too early to pop the champagne. There were more Jeppis outside of Titan Valley. I urged the cheering civilian soldiers once more. ¡°We need to take the final location to solidify our position.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The Jeppi tribe won¡¯t be able to even think about taking Titan Valley if we take back that last location.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± There were close to 3,000 civilian soldiers now. We all ran toward the final location, the gateway into Titan Valley. We met small groups of Jeppis along the way, but they posed no danger. We ran through the night to arrive at the gateway by noon the next day and successfully set up our wooden fences. ¡°Goonto! Please protect this spot with your Dwarf brethren.¡± Me Goonto looked at me with a confused expression. ¡°What about you? Were we not moving together?¡± ¡°There¡¯s somewhere I need to urgently go. It is not somewhere you guys can go.¡± ¡°Where would that be?¡± ¡°First, I am going to Avanguarde.¡± I looked at Kaicher instead of Goonto as I responded. Kaicher¡¯s eyes that were already sparkling lit up. He shouldn¡¯t blame me even if the Archbishop is already dead at this point. I had promised to go in four days but we were going in just two. Then I felt some sharp gazes from a different direction. They really are impatient. Of course, I had not forgotten about them. I also want to quickly take care of that issue. ¡°Then, I am going to Peria Mountain.¡± I looked at Harrison as I said that. Harrison¡¯s eyes lit up as well. He knew that it was finally time for him and his soldiers to become upgraded to Knights of the Sun. ¡°How long will it take for you to finish all that and come back?¡± Goonto was the one grumbling this time. The more places I had to visit meant the longer Goonto had to be bored here. But I shouldn¡¯t need that much time. I already created a portal at Peria Mountain. We just have to make sure there aren¡¯t any unexpected situations in Avanguarde and that we don¡¯t run into the Jeppis at the multiple Magician¡¯s Towers we need to pass through to get the Peria Mountain. ¡°Four days if I¡¯m fast, ten days if I¡¯m slow. Let¡¯s run wild and fight together after that.¡± ¡°Ahaha. That sounds good.¡± ¡°Then I leave it to you. And what is your name?¡± ¡°My name is Jackson.¡± I¡¯ve been paying attention to him for the last few hours. He is one of the mercenaries Humbley raised, but he was both strong and strategic. ¡°What did you do in the past?¡± ¡°I was a mercenary who wandered across the continent. I returned to Titan Valley around five years ago because I wanted to come home after wandering around for 30 years.¡± That kind of experience was enough. ¡°I name you the temporary administrator for this gateway. Fortify the wooden fences more and protect this place with the civilian soldiers.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Jackson saluted me and received his orders. I left Rohas and my other slaves at the gateway and returned to Titan Valley. But something odd was going on at Titan Valley. There were guards in shining silver armor roaming through Titan Valley. What were they doing here instead of running to the gateway to help prevent the Jeppis from coming in? No, I was more curious about the identities of these guards. Where were they hiding until now? ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am Tarok, the leader of the Titan Valley security force.¡± ¡®Tarok?¡¯ Now that I think about it, I remember his face and his name. He was Donstar¡¯s right-hand man. He was being decently respectful to me because of my position. But that wasn¡¯t my question. ¡°Leader of the security force? I haven¡¯t named a leader of the security force yet.¡± ¡°The mayor position is vacant so the Deputy Mayor is acting as mayor right now.¡± What is he talking about? He was basically saying that Donstar decided he was going to act as the mayor as soon as he got to Titan Valley and created this security force. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll let him do as he pleases. ¡°Acting mayor? Don¡¯t you know that this area is under my control already? I will be the one to create a security force and to name a leader for it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Excuse me?¡± Tarok had a blank expression on his face. Whatever, it didn¡¯t matter to me. He seems to be thinking that he is the leader but he¡¯s just trash with a terrible personality. I looked around at the young men who were wearing security force uniforms. I did need a security force and would need to name a leader. I noticed a decently older guy. The insignia on his shoulder let me know he was the highest ranking person there. ¡°You, what is your name?¡± ¡°My name is Smith.¡± ¡°Smith. I will name you the temporary leader of the Titan Valley Security Force. Will you accept this role?¡± Smith¡¯s eyes opened wide. It was not just Smith. The other security force members¡¯ eyes opened wide in shock as well. The person who was the most shocked was naturally Tarok. He tightened his grip around his scabbard and started to glare at me. ¡°What are you doing? Are you trying to commit treason?¡± Treason? Oh, great choice of words. ¡°Smith. Answer me! Are you prepared to be loyal in your position as leader of the Security Force?¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡± Smith had a complicated expression on his face. It makes sense since Smith has not seen the decree from the king. I showed the decree to Smith. It indicated that I controlled any location we took back as we expanded the influence of High Village. That meant that I was in control of Titan Valley since I took it back and placed it under the influence of High Village. Smith saluted me as soon as he confirmed the details of the decree. ¡°Thank you very much. I will dutifully carry out the responsibilities of the leader role.¡± Next, I needed to form the security force for Smith to lead. ¡°I will allow the rest of you to be official members of the Titan Valley Security Force as well. Those who will accept the position stand next to Smith while the ones who will not will remain in their place.¡± The young men did not need to think about it for a long time. They immediately moved next to Smith. Tarok was now left alone as his pupils were moving trying to figure out what was going on. He then seemed to have realized the atmosphere as he moved toward the others. This damn eel-like bastard. ¡°Not you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Excuse me?¡± ¡°I cannot let someone who was acting as an informant for someone committing treason to be on the Security Force.¡± ¡°Excuse me? T, treason?!¡± Tarok¡¯s eyes opened wide. But it was true. Tarok might have only known that I was the temporary commander and had not read the details of the decree, but Donstar was different. He had thoroughly looked through the decree. That meant that he knew that my position as the temporary commander gave me control of Titan Valley right now. Yet he still placed himself in the position of acting mayor and selected a Security Force as well as a leader for it on his own. Those were clear acts of treason. ¡°I should make you all pay for your sins for being informants for a traitor as well, but I will give you all a chance as we are in an emergency situation. Make some achievements to wash away your own sins.¡± ¡°Yes, sir! Please give us your order!¡± ¡°Good! Then I will give you your first order. Run over immediately and arrest that traitor, Donstar. Oh, lock this guy up too.¡± ¡°Excuse me? W, why me¡­¡­?¡± Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 175 - Kaicher Goes Berserk (1) Is he really asking because he doesn¡¯t know? His sin is serving the wrong person without knowing who truly owns this place! But I didn¡¯t have the time to explain something like that to him right now. Can¡¯t he see the look on Kaicher¡¯s face? He was trying his best not to show it, but he was clearly anxious. He was concerned about the Archbishop who was pretty much like a father to him. Honestly speaking, I wanted to find and take away Donstar¡¯s hidden wealth as well. But I can do that later. Most of the influential people signed to give up their wealth, so I can take care of them all at once later on. I needed to focus on Kaicher right now. ¡°Why are you all still standing there?¡± ¡°Yes, sir! The four of you arrest Tarok! The rest of you, come with me!¡± His experience as a mercenary did come in handy. Smith showed a leader-like demeanor and started to lead the Security Force members after I gave the order. I named Humbley the Vice Commander of High Village. He would do a better job than I would in leading this place. ¡°Then I leave it to you.¡± ¡°Yes, Commander-nim. Please return safely.¡± ¡°Now then, shall we go?¡± I led Kaicher and Harrison¡¯s group to the Magician¡¯s Tower. We then immediately teleported to Avanguarde. Avanguarde had quite a few Jeppis guarding the Magician¡¯s Tower, unlike Titan Valley. There were over 20 of them as soon as we finished our teleportation. The Jeppi had blank expressions on their faces after seeing our group suddenly teleporting over. I¡¯m sure they were confused. They couldn¡¯t tell if we were rebels or the Jeppi tribe¡¯s informants. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t seem as if they had heard about what happened in Titan Valley. You really have to take care of these things quickly before information spreads. I confidently started to walk toward the Jeppis. The Jeppis finally seemed to have noticed the serious atmosphere. They all clenched their weapons and had vicious glares on their faces. ¡°Snort. Who are you? Stop there.¡± I pretended not to hear him. I then kicked off the ground and charged toward the Jeppis. The others quickly started to move as well as if we had planned it in advance. Kaicher and Rohas¡¯s movements looked especially cool. They were quickly moving as if they were competing to see who could move faster and stronger. However, nobody was faster than me. I instantly approached them and started to chop off their necks. It happened so quickly that the Jeppis could not resist properly. Of course, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if they did since there was such a gap between our abilities. All of the Jeppis on the first floor of the Magician¡¯s Tower were killed in less than a minute. It would be easy for us to clear the Magician¡¯s Tower if we wanted to do so. However, our goal was not the Magician¡¯s Towers nor was it hunting the Jeppis. It was confirming the safety of the Ares Temple and the Archbishop. It would be even better if we could save the bishop and the priests as well. ¡°We will move as quickly as possible!¡± We charged toward the Ares Temple at full speed. Kaicher and Rohas ran as fast as possible as well. We were moving so fast that we caused gusts of wind as we ran. Swiiiiiiiiiiiiiiish- That meant that the group ending up breaking up into two. Harrison¡¯s group could not keep up with our speed. Magician Bernard was especially the problem. ¡°Wait for us.¡± There was no reason for us to move together. There was nobody here who did not know the location of the Ares Temple. A normal person could run from the Magician¡¯s Tower to the Ares Temple in 30 minutes. Bernard could move pretty quickly if he used magic as well. They would arrive about 10 minutes after us. ¡°We will head over first. Let¡¯s regroup at the Ares Temple.¡± I increased my speed even more. I could see Kaicher and Rohas doing their best to keep up. I saw Jeppis every so often. There were not many of them. Avanguarde was already conquered, so they had only left the minimal amount necessary to keep it in check while the rest of the Jeppi soldiers headed toward the Ameri Kingdom. I¡¯m sure there were over 30,000 still left in Avanguarde, but that was only if they were all gathered together in one spot. We killed the Jeppis in front of us as we ran. Thankfully, we were able to arrive at the Ares Temple quickly. I couldn¡¯t help but frown after seeing the status of the temple gate. ¡®Shit!¡¯ I could see the bishop and the priests. To be more specific, I could see their corpses. They were all pierced from head to toe by large wooden spears and hanging in the air. Things had progressed similarly to the game story. They resisted until the last moment, making the Jeppi kill them in the cruelest method possible and hang them outside the gate like this. They were showing this as an example of what happens to whoever resists against them. There was a familiar face among them. I could see the Archbishop who Kaicher treated like family. It was a terrible sight. How would Kaicher who considered them as family be feeling when even a third party like me was feeling this way? ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡± Kaicher pulled at his hair and started to cry as he stood in front of the bishop and priests¡¯ corpses. This was shocking because Kaicher was someone who would not lose his calm even in the fiercest of battles. The important part came from here. I couldn¡¯t let Kaicher turn into a crazed madman. I needed something to focus Kaicher¡¯s mind on. I guess you could say that I needed to find a reason for him to want to live? ¡°Snort. Rebels. Attack.¡± The Jeppis inside the temple ran out after hearing Kaicher¡¯s scream. I couldn¡¯t see the bishop nor any of the priests. Neither the bishop nor any of the priests had surrendered to the Jeppi. Actually, there was one person. I could see a person wearing the Ares Temple¡¯s priest outfit hidden within the Jeppi. He was definitely human and not a Jeppi. It was a face that Kaicher knew well. Kaicher let out his anger after seeing him. ¡°You bastard! Pavinson!¡± ¡°Kaicher-nim! That¡¯s not it. Please listen to me.¡± The priest named Pavinson desperately waved his hand. However, everything would just be an excuse in this situation. The fact that he was standing so freely within the Jeppis proved his betrayal. Kaicher let his divine power explode out. He furiously started to run toward Pavinson. The Jeppis did not sit back either. They started to swing their weapons toward the running Kaicher. However, the Jeppis were no match for Kaicher. They were easily taken down by Kaicher¡¯s sword. it was not because the Jeppis were weak. I¡¯m sure they were all warriors who were at least level 400. It was just that Kaicher was amazingly strong. His divine power had exploded and taken him beyond his limits because of his uncontrollable anger. It would be an extreme level of strength even without the Warrior¡¯s Ring strengthening him. This also meant that Kaicher was starting to go crazy. Letting out anger isn¡¯t bad. It¡¯s better to let it out than to hold it in. However, you should not go overboard. Anybody would be able to tell that Kaicher¡¯s current explosion of emotions was going overboard. If the Jeppis overwhelm him with numbers right now? Kaicher would continue to squeeze out divine power beyond his limits. That overloading of divine power would end up exploding and destroy Kaicher¡¯s mind. He would no longer be Kaicher, the Warrior of Light. Instead, he would change into Kaicher, the Crazed Warrior. Just like how it was in the game. I needed to prevent that from happening. ¡°Rohas! Help Kaicher!¡± Rohas quickly started to move as if he had been waiting for my order. He started to charge toward the Jeppis with swift movement that made it seem as if he was flying. However, he seemed a bit concerned. It was not because of the Jeppis. It was because of Kaicher. The already half-crazed Kaicher might think Rohas was his enemy as well. ¡°Don¡¯t stick too close to Kaicher!¡± I helped out as well. However, there were quite a lot of Jeppis in the Ares Temple. They continued to pour out from the building as they heard the commotion. There were at least a few thousand of them here. They seemed to have taken up the Ares Temple as one of their bases because this place was a symbol for battle. ¡®I need Harrison¡¯s group to hurry up and show up.¡¯ Kaicher continued to quickly advance. He was heading toward the traitorous priest Pavinson. He was so strong that he had already cornered Pavinson. ¡°Please wait for a moment. Please listen to me. Kaicher-nim, I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Kaicher did not care. Pavinson shouted as loudly as possible but Kaicher made it past the Jeppi wall and swung his sword toward Pavinson. Pavinson grabbed one of the Jeppis¡¯ fallen weapons to defend. However, he was no match for Kaicher. Even if they both had the same position as priests in the Ares Temple, Kaicher was the greatest warrior of the Temple whose fame was widely spread to the other kingdoms. Pavinson¡¯s shoulder was cut without being able to defend against even a single attack. Kaicher¡¯s sword then stabbed into Pavinson¡¯s heart. ¡°Ugh!¡± Pavinson crumbled just like that. The Jeppis did not miss that opening. They charged forward like a horde of dogs and swung their weapons toward Kaicher. Kaicher moved his anger toward the Jeppis after killing Pavinson. ¡°You bastards!¡± However, there were too many of them. They seemed to have decided to take care of Kaicher first as they were all aiming for Kaicher. This was too dangerous of a situation. ¡°Rohas! Do everything you can to help him!¡± I started to run toward Kaicher as well. That allowed a path of life for Kaicher who used the opening to massacre the Jeppis. I heard a faint voice next to me at that moment. It was Pavinson whom Kaicher had just killed. Well, I thought he was dead, but he was still alive. I don¡¯t know how he is still alive, but he was doing his best to say something before he died. I paid attention to what he was trying to say. I heard some shocking information coming from Pavinson¡¯s mouth. ¡°The Archbishop-nim¡¯s descendants¡­¡­must save them¡­¡­¡± The Archbishop¡¯s descendants! I did a lot of research on Kaicher using the Royal Roader draft plan. I was trying to find out how I could fully turn Kaicher into one of my people. One of the methods I found was the Archbishop. However, the Archbishop had died following the original storyline. The alternative I found was through the Archbishop¡¯s descendants. They were people who would give Kaicher a reason to live. I quickly approached Pavinson. Pavinson was only able to move his eyes and lips. He struggled to look at me and continued to speak as his voice died out. ¡°The Archbishop-nim¡­¡­his descendants¡­¡­gave his life to save them¡­¡­let them live¡­¡­underground prison¡­¡­¡± I got the gist of what he was trying to say. Pavinson had not betrayed them, he was only pretending to have betrayed them. He was trying to deliver this information to someone. He then looked toward Kaicher with his fleeting gaze. ¡°Kaicher¡­¡­please¡­¡­¡± Those were Pavinson¡¯s last words. I don¡¯t know if he was using his divine powers or what he was doing, but his life that he was trying so hard to maintain was completely gone now. I then heard a voice in my mind. < Pavinson¡¯s Quest has been activated. Please save Kaicher from going crazy. You will receive a gift of thanks from Pavinson¡¯s soul should you succeed. > Translator: Miraclerifle Proofreader: Borderline Masochist Chapter 176 An unexpected quest. ¡®But a thank you gift from Pavinson¡¯s soul? What could it be?¡¯ Honestly, this issue with Kaicher was something I needed to do even if it wasn¡¯t a quest. I knew what I needed to do as well. The only issue I had was locating the Archbishop¡¯s descendants, but Pavinson gave me the answer to that at the perfect time. ¡°Kaicher! Where is the underground prison?¡± Kaicher didn¡¯t even act as if he heard me. He had fallen into such severe madness that he couldn¡¯t hear anything. But he might slightly return to his senses if he hears this. ¡°The Archbishop¡¯s descendants are still alive! We need to save them!¡± Shit! Kaicher still had no response. Was it too loud around him? I shouted once more. I emphasized on the part about the Archbishop¡¯s descendants. However, it was useless. My voice was loud enough for Kaicher to hear but there was no reaction. Kaicher already seemed to be a mad man. He had already turned into the Crazed Warrior. ¡®This is bad.¡¯ But it was too early to give up. I needed to try everything. There was only one thing for me to do right now. ¡®Find the underground prison and rescue the Archbishops descendants.¡¯ But where could the underground prison be? It would make sense for it to be inside the Ares Temple, but it would take a long time to find it on my own since the Ares Temple is large. It would have been great if Pavinson told me where it was. I looked toward Pavinson with disappointment. However, I then felt chills down my back. The dead Pavinson¡¯s finger was pointing somewhere. It was not a natural movement. He had done it intentionally. He was pointing to the building behind him. He had given me a final hint as he died. I didn¡¯t have any time to waste. I needed to find the Archbishop¡¯s descendants and bring them here before Kaicher¡¯s mind broke any more. ¡®I really hope it is that building¡¯s basement.¡¯ ¡°Rohas. Keep Kaicher safe!¡± I quickly started to move as I shouted. I sent the Guardian Elemental into the building in front of me. I could see the Jeppis. Some of the Jeppi soldiers had remained here even with Kaicher causing a ruckus. That meant that there was something here they needed to protect. I became a little more certain. ¡®They¡¯re here!¡¯ The scattered Jeppis were no match for me. However, I tried my best to not run into them. I was here to save people not to hunt Jeppis. I only got rid of the ones getting in my way as I quickly headed down into the basement. The Jeppis coming up from the basement blocked my way, but I jumped down past them. The stairs continued quite far. I found an iron gate once I went about four floors down. ¡®That must be the underground prison!¡¯ ¡°Snort. Close the door!¡± The Jeppis chasing me from urgently shouted. The Jeppis down below quickly started to close the iron gate. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t let them do that. I started to swing Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades toward the Jeppis as I jumped down the stairs. There was still about 20 meters left, but it didn¡¯t matter. There was a skill I learned after reaching One with the Sword. Spirit Energy shot out from the tip of my sword. One and then another. Papat! The accuracy was 100%. Furthermore, the damage was strong enough to shock the Demons. The two Jeppis trying to close the iron gate fell backwards as soon as they were hit by the Spirit Energy. They seemed to have died instantly as they did not get back up. A short corridor appeared once I got through the iron gate. There were about eight rooms on each side. Thankfully, there were no Jeppis guarding the corridor. ¡°I am Kaicher¡¯s friend. Is there anybody here? I came to save you.¡± I shouted out loud. My voice echoed through the corridor. I then heard a response from over there. ¡°Over here! We¡¯re over here!¡± ¡®They¡¯re over there! The cell was naturally locked. There was a thick lock on it. Goonto¡¯s Twin Blades might have high damage but my strength was weak so it didn¡¯t seem easy to break this lock. Of course, there was a method. It would take longer, but I guess it¡¯s better to do something that¡¯s certain to work. I ripped a small Demon Cave scroll for monsters under level 100. I used the monsters coming out of the Demon Cave as stepping stones before hitting the lock that I sliced through as if it was tofu. There were three young men inside the cell. Thankfully, none of them were seriously injured. They were moving normally as well. ¡°Are you perhaps the Archbishop-nim¡¯s descendants?¡± ¡°Yes. Where is Kaicher-nim?¡± There were no other people in the cells. I just needed to take them out and show them to Kaicher. Approximately 30 Jeppis had blocked the corridor while I chatted with them. They seemed to be saying there was no way I was going to make it out of them. This was not a difficult number to deal with, but the narrow corridor made it seem like there were quite a lot of them. But all it did was make it annoying. ¡°Please use divine power to protect your minds.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± It seemed like an odd request but the young men did as I asked. This was not the time to be asking questions. I also didn¡¯t have the time to answer it even if they asked. Kaicher was going crazier with every passing second. I charged toward the Jeppis. They weren¡¯t very far so I was in front of them with just a few steps. I could see the Jeppis clenching their weapons. ¡®You think you bastards can survive through this?¡¯ [Dragon Fear!] Rooooooooooooar- My condensed mana exploded with the presence of fear. The aura seemed to be multiple times stronger than normal because it echoed through the narrow underground corridor. Some of the Jeppis standing in the front coughed up blood before fainting while the ones behind them all plopped down on the ground. The way they were shaking made it seem as if they were seizing. They should not be able to move for a few seconds. That was enough time for us. ¡°Run!¡± The young men and I started to run. We just had to quickly rush past the Jeppis. I saw some Jeppis as we were running. All of them were shaking on the ground because of the Dragon Fear. We just rushed past them. Thanks to that, it took less than 1 minute to get out of the building with the young men. I could see Kaicher. Rohas was helping out nearby but most Jeppis were still charging toward Kaicher. But there was no need for me to step in. It was because Harrison¡¯s group was finally arriving at the temple. Craaaaaaaaaaackle- Harrison¡¯s group attacked the Jeppis starting with Bernard¡¯s AOE lightning magic. Kaicher and Rohas were still swinging their swords like maniacs and the confident Jeppis instantly crumbled once I joined as well. There were no more enemies to fight. However, Kaicher¡¯s desire for battle had not disappeared. Huff. Huff. He was huffing as he looked around with glowing eyes. His eyes seemed full of madness. Kaicher then noticed Rohas. Kaicher¡¯s blue eyes started to glow even more. ¡®Shit!¡¯ That was what Rohas¡¯s expression was saying. Kaicher started to run toward Rohas as if Rohas had guessed correctly. C,c,clang- Kaicher¡¯s sword and Rohas¡¯s sword clashed in the air. Rohas had the edge when it came to skills. Even if Kaicher used his divine power, it would be difficult for him to defeat a Dark Elf like Rohas 1 on 1. However, the results were different than expected. Rohas continued to be pushed back. Rohas might be going easy on Kaicher. He knows Kaicher is special to me. However, he still looked as if he was in danger. Kaicher¡¯s sword looked ready to slash Rohas¡¯s neck at any moment. ¡°Kaicher! Don¡¯t do it! He¡¯s on our side!¡± I urgently shouted but it was no use. However, there were some voices that managed to get Kaicher to stop. ¡°Kaicher-nim!¡± It was the young men. They shouted loudly before running between Rohas and Kaicher. They were putting their lives on the line. They would not survive if the crazed Kaicher did not recognize them and swung his sword. That actually happened. Kaicher started to swing his sword toward the young men who got in his way of getting to Rohas. ¡°Kaicher-nim!¡± The young men shouted once more. Kaicher suddenly stopped moving as if he had received an electric shock. Pages: 1 Pages ( 1 of 2 ): 1Kaicher¡¯s eyes were observing the young men. He slowly observed them for a long time. He looked from their head to their toes. He then slowly started to speak. ¡°Magni? Neal? Ramos?¡± ¡°Kaicher-nim. You need to return to your senses.¡± Kaicher lowered his sword. He then quickly rushed over and touched the young men¡¯s faces with his hands. ¡°You guys were alive!¡± ¡°We¡¯re sorry. Everybody else is dead but we are still alive.¡± ¡°No. Thank you. Thank you for being alive like this.¡± Kaicher hugged the young men. I heard a wonderful message in my head at that moment. ¡®Huh?! What does that mean? His soul has integrated with mine?¡¯ Doesn¡¯t that mean Pavinson¡¯s soul will possess my body for a moment? I don¡¯t like the sound of that. However, it wasn¡¯t like things would change based on what I wanted. I felt cold air by my scalp before I heard someone¡¯s voice over my head. ¡°Kaicher-nim. I¡¯m sorry.¡± It was Pavinson, the guy who died not too long ago¡¯s voice. But it seemed to not be just his voice. Kaicher looked toward me with a vicious glare but he was looking above my head. It seemed as if Pavinson was sitting on top of my head. ¡°Pavinson! I will not listen to the words of a traitor!¡± ¡°I do not wish for your forgiveness. However, I had to carry out the Archbishop-nim¡¯s order. Please lift the stone plate underneath the maple tree over there.¡± Everybody turned toward the maple tree at the corner of the temple. Pavinson seemed to be pointing toward it. There was an old stone plate next to the maple tree. ¡°The Blue Clouds Sword is over there. The Archbishop-nim gave his life to protect it and I had to prolong my life to pass it onto you.¡± So, there was such a story. Kaicher seemed to have felt something too as his gaze became slightly more gentle. He then walked over and moved the stone plate underneath the maple tree. It was such a heavy stone plate that he could only move it aside after about ten of Harrison¡¯s people helped him. A sword with a fancy design that was a mix of silver and blue appeared. Every temple was bound to have a divine item that was the source of their divine power. The Athena Temple had a lot of books, the Ares Temple swords, and the Volcanus Temple anvils. The divine item for this Avanguarde Ares Temple is this Blue Clouds Sword. Each divine item would have different levels of divine power within them. Even two similar swords would have differing levels of divine power. In that aspect, the divine power imbued inside the Blue Clouds Sword was immense. That was why it was able to sustain the Ares Temple in a large city like Avanguarde. ¡°Kaicher-nim, you are our only hope now. You must use the Blue Clouds Sword and revive the Ares Temple.¡± That was saying Kaicher should no longer be a priest and become the new Archbishop to restore the Ares Temple. This was not the story that I had planned. Kaicher was supposed to stop being a priest and become my ally. He would probably not go out very often if he was an Archbishop who needed to stay inside the temple. What should I do? Kaicher was deep in thought while looking at the Blue Clouds Sword as well. He then raised his head and looked toward my direction. Specifically, he was looking at Pavinson¡¯s soul above my head. ¡°I will help a new Archbishop-nim take position. I will destroy evil and bring justice to this land until then.¡± Was he saying he was going to destroy the Jeppis with the Blue Clouds Sword? He would then pass the Blue Clouds Sword to the new Archbishop once peace was restored. That direction aligned with my goals. But was that it? What about his promise with me? ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you would give me a gift?¡± I openly asked Pavinson. Pavinson responded from above my head. It felt weird chatting with someone I couldn¡¯t see. ¡°I will give you my divine power. However, only a portion will be transferred to you. That alone will be enough to help you bring justice to this land.¡± ¡ª Chapter 177 ¡®Oh! Divine power!¡¯ This was not an issue of the value being high or low. The fact that I now had the divine power stat itself was an amazing gift. Having just 1 in that stat allowed me to use Ares¡¯s power. Furthermore, he also gave me 500 Guard Points. I felt a warm sensation starting from my head where Pavinson was as soon as the message in my head ended. The warm sensation covered my body before disappearing along with Pavinson¡¯s soul. I quickly checked my Status Window. [Kang Hwi Ram Level 456] Dexterity: Advanced Level 9, 1% Strength: 415 Agility: 2,037 Stamina: 103 Intuition: 148 Magic: 203 Vitality: 42 Mana: 802 HP: 873 Endurance: 41 Reinforced Toughness: 160 Guard Point: 4,098 Intelli Point: 137 Spirit Energy: 589 *Available Points: 50 It wasn¡¯t in my basic Status Window. ¡®Extended Stats open!¡¯ Faith: 11 Divine Power: 50 Knowledge: 247 Charm: 31 Sensitivity: 27 Fame: 2,563 Respect: 980 ¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t even pay attention to the other stats. The only thing I could focus on was the divine power stat near the top. Now I should be able to use some healing abilities using divine powers as well. My resistance to curses will also go up, and divine power would be added every time I use magic as well. This meant that I would become stronger against not only monsters, but Demons and the Demon Lord who have dark auras as well. And that wasn¡¯t it. My Guard Points will recover on its own now. However, I didn¡¯t know what the maximum amount was set to be. ¡®It was an unexpectedly large gift.¡¯ Pavinson had disappeared as I did that. Kaicher seemed to have calmed down as well. He had the Blue Clouds Sword in one hand while caressing the hair of the Archbishop¡¯s descendants with the other. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about anymore. I will protect you.¡± That was a good mindset. However, we couldn¡¯t idly stand around like this to do that. Every second mattered to resolve the situation if we wanted things to go our way. This was an important time right now. The reason we could get here so quickly and easily take back the Ares Temple was because the Jeppi tribe¡¯s forces were focused on the Ameri Kingdom. However, things will change now. The Jeppi would have enemies on both sides if something happened in Avanguarde. Most importantly, they would have an issue with their supply route. They would focus on resolving the issues in Avanguarde first. We can consider the battle to be ninety percent completed if we can prevent that from happening. ¡°Kaicher, we need to prevent them from getting past the Reina River first. Humbley-nim has already set the walls around the river so it is possible if we destroy all bridges and focus our forces. We should be able to last at least a month.¡± ¡°I will also focus our troops by the Reina River.¡± Harrison stepped up as well. Honestly speaking, there were a significant number of soldiers following Harrison. He should be able to gather tens of thousands of soldiers if he gathers the soldiers stationed throughout the Batoru Kingdom. Just gathering the forces around Avanguarde will give us 5,000 people easily. The chances of success were high if we drafted the civilians as well. Kaicher nodded his head as well. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°Then I will head to Peria Mountain now. I should be able to return by tomorrow if I hurry.¡± ¡°I wish you luck.¡± Kaicher turned around as if trying to hurry to leave. But I couldn¡¯t let him leave like that. There was something I was supposed to earn here. Kaicher seemed to not be thinking about that at all. ¡°Kaicher. You need to complete my quest before you go.¡± Kaicher stopped and gasped as if he finally remembered. He then came over and put his hand on my shoulder. I heard the voice in my head. I got some in addition. That means that I have 5,000 Guard Points. It will be extremely beneficial to me whenever I end up using it. Kaicher announced the end of the quest before quickly starting to move. ¡°Shall we move as well?¡± I headed toward the Magician¡¯s Tower with Harrison¡¯s group. Harrison sent messengers with orders as we did that. Most of it consisted of defending the walls surrounding the Reina River. And one more important thing. ¡°Hurry and inform his majesty to restore General Suani to his position.¡± There should be no need to hurry in that regard. I had already asked for it as soon as I arrived at Titan Valley. The third prince who is ruling in the King¡¯s place probably already gave the order to release General Suani. There were also the 20 battleships Humbley had prepared for this. That should be enough to completely seal off the Jeppi tribe¡¯s sea supply route heading to the Batoru Kingdom. That meant that we were cutting the Jeppis off at the top and the bottom. *** Pages: 1 Pages ( 1 of 2 ): 1Harrison¡¯s group gasped in shock as soon as they came out of the portal. ¡°This is the Peria Mountain.¡± They should consider it an honor. No other humans other than myself have been here before. Ah, I guess the old people from the Orthodox Church of the Sun were probably here. The people from the Church of the Sun were probably here too. It can still be considered very special. ¡°You¡¯re here!¡± I heard a familiar voice. It was the Elemental who served as my guide in Peria Mountain. She seemed to have been guarding this spot the whole time. The Elemental revealed itself as soon as I appeared with Harrison¡¯s group. ¡°I brought the Fairy¡¯s Orb. May my friends go up to the Altar of the Sun now?¡± ¡°Please take the Fairy¡¯s Orb to the Fairy-nim. Then you should be able to get permission.¡± ¡°I understand. Please wait here for a bit.¡± I left Harrison¡¯s group there and followed the Elemental to the Fairy¡¯s Lake at the top of Peria Mountain. I placed the orb at the altar in front of the Fairy¡¯s Lake. A portion of the lake started to tremble before the water took the form of a person and started to move toward the altar. It was as if a person made of water was moving toward the altar. ¡®That must be the Fairy.¡¯ The Fairy hugged the Fairy¡¯s Orb. The water that had been transparent changed colors and shape before it turned into the shape of a woman. The Fairy turned semi-transparent and shot into the air as soon as she finished changing shape. < You have successfully completed the task assigned to you. Now all those who follow me will consider you to be their friend. > I heard the Fairy¡¯s voice as well as the voice announcing the end of the quest. < You have completed the Fairy¡¯s Quest. You have received the High Elf Command Order as a reward. Your friendliness with the Fairies has increased by 1,000. You have received the title of, ¡®Friend of the Fairies,¡¯ from the Fairy. Your fame has increased by 500. The title can be revealed according to your will. > ¡®Wow! Friendliness increased by 1,000!¡¯ That was an unexpectedly large reward. I guess this quest was that hard. Most importantly, I was able to help the Fairy out with this quest. Furthermore, all who follow the Fairy will consider me to be their friend. I guess friendliness increasing by 1,000 isn¡¯t much if you consider that fact. But a High Elf Command Order¡­ It wasn¡¯t like a piece of paper was given to me. I lifted my hand and looked at my palm. It was because I felt something warm on my hand when I heard the quest completion message. There was some foreign text on my palm. This seemed to be the High Elf Command Order. ¡°Now there is no need for me to be by your side. You can go anywhere on Peria Mountain. Please ask the High Elf if you do not know the way.¡± The Elemental left those words before disappearing like fog. But how do I summon a High Elf? Is it like this? ¡°High Elf?¡± I looked around. I then felt something gathering in one spot. It was as if that spot was sucking in the air and particles in the area. That spot slowly took form before turning into a High Elf. They must be able to appear and disappear like this because they were created by the forces of nature. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, sir.¡± The High Elf respectfully kneeled in front of me. She still was crazily beautiful. I would probably put my life on the line to make her my woman if I met someone like her in the human world. But this was Royal Roader. Furthermore, this was a creature created by the aura of the Elemental. I can¡¯t think of weird thoughts about it. ¡°Nice to see you again. You don¡¯t need to kneel like that in the future. Please stand up.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Please feel free to give me any orders as needed.¡± She was talking as if she was a slave and I was the master. I guess it makes sense since I summoned her with the Command Order. ¡°Let¡¯s first head to the Altar of the Sun. My friends are waiting for me.¡± ¡°I will lead the way.¡± I followed the High Elf toward the Altar of the Sun. ¡°Gasp!¡± ¡°Wow!¡± Harrison¡¯s group all seemed shocked. It was probably because of the High Elf. They weren¡¯t as rare as the Drakes, but they still did not reveal themselves to humans. Furthermore, her beauty was something no humans could ever achieve. Even the Elves who were known for their beauty were nothing compared to the High Elf. Thankfully she was covering the important parts with what looked to be leaves because if she showed up the way she showed up the first time, some of them would already be drooling. I should give her some clothes as soon as we get to the city. ¡°We have received the Fairy-nim¡¯s permission. You may now proceed up to the Altar of the Sun.¡± There was no limit to the number of people. That was because I earned close to 1,000 Stone Elf¡¯s Souls at the Demons¡¯ Mine. In comparison, Harrison¡¯s group had less than 100 people. Harrison¡¯s group went up to the Altar of the Sun one by one. They soon hugged each other in joy. Harrison¡¯s face was turning red as well. Even though there were less than 100 of them, the fact that they could use Spirit Energy meant that they could show significant strength in battle. ¡°Thank you. I will not forget about your help.¡± ¡°I¡¯m relieved. Let¡¯s go recover the Batoru Kingdom now.¡± ¡°Of course. But could I ask you for one more request?¡± What is he trying to ask me now? I helped him enough that it should be Harrison¡¯s turn to help me. ¡°It is something very important. However, I will reward you handsomely for it.¡± Harrison was someone with absolute power in the Batoru Kingdom. He had received that power from the king that even the third prince treated Harrison as his teacher. Furthermore, that was even more so for his father, Morris. Morris has probably been released from the underground prison as well and is working to recover the Batoru Kingdom. Basically, it meant that I could have anything I want if I used Harrison properly. It wouldn¡¯t be bad to have him owe me a favor in a situation like this. Well, depending on what the request is, of course. ¡°Please tell me what you need.¡± ¡°Can you fortify our weapons as well?¡± Ah, that was it! I remember how envious they looked when I was fortifying the Dwarves weapons at the Demons¡¯ Mine. That was easy. It wasn¡¯t like my focus went away if I combined jewels or fortified weapons anymore. The problem was that I had no Jewels of Fortification on me anymore. ¡°I understand. Please head to Avanguarde first. I will meet up with you after gathering as many Jewels of Fortification as possible. However, I cannot fortify everyone¡¯s weapons. It is not easy to gather Jewels of Fortification.¡± ¡°Thank you. I will wait for you at Avanguarde.¡± Harrison¡¯s group disappeared first through the portal. I unsummoned the High Elf before jumping into the portal as well. Translator: Miraclerifle Chapter 178 # Friend of the Fairies (2) ¡°Oh! The friend of the Dwarves! Long time no see!¡± It was the voice of the Dwarves¡¯ Great Patriarch, Bangart. Bangart welcomed me while looking behind me. ¡°But why are you alone?¡± He was asking about the other Dwarves who had accompanied me to the Western District. I¡¯m sure he was worried. Humans were not the only ones who fear the Western District. Dwarves despised going there as well because of the demonic aura. I heard that there were some Dwarves who challenged the Western District and died too. We lost some of our friends during this trip as well. ¡°Goonto is safe. He is helping me out in my hometown right now.¡± Bangart who had been worried relaxed his expression again. ¡°Ah, is that so? Haha. Then why are you here on your own?¡± Of course, I was here to get some Jewels of Fortification. Nobody had more Jewels of Fortification than the Dwarves. There was also something I wanted to test out. ¡°I came here because I need Jewels of Fortification.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you take a lot of them with you last time?¡± I did. They probably don¡¯t have many left here if I consider the ones Goonto¡¯s group brought with them as well. However, was this the only Dwarf village? Although Dwarves were very independent, they gathered together well for two things. Those two things were mining and blacksmithing. They should be able to get more Jewels of Fortification from the other villages if they need it. ¡°I used them all fortifying my brothers¡¯ weapons two levels. I used all of the ones I had on me. It is now time to fortify them another level, but I cannot do it as I do not have any more jewels.¡± ¡°W, what? Three levels? Is that even possible?¡¯ Why would three levels be a problem? My weapon and armor set have both already been fortified five levels. Honestly speaking, I was looking forward to the sixth level fortification as well. It was because my friendliness with the fairies increased significantly after finishing the Fairy¡¯s Quest. Thanks to that, my Jewel Alchemy experience level exponentially shot up as well. It had instantly shot up from level 4 to level 5. [Jewel Alchemy: Advanced Level 5, 21%] ¡°I¡¯ll know if I try. But I am lacking jewels. I think I would need a significant amount of them to challenge the third level.¡± Bangart¡¯s lips were pretty much curled up to his ears at this point. The ¡®brothers¡¯ I was talking about were the Dwarves, and Bangart¡¯s son Goonto was included in that group. Even Dwarves had a similar paternal love for their children. ¡°Good thing I asked our neighboring villages for some jewels not too long ago. Feel free to take as many as you need.¡± I followed Bangart into the underground storage room. It was full of jewels as Bangart had mentioned. They were not all Jewels of Fortification. There were a lot of Jewels of Luck and Chaos Jewels as well. Honestly speaking, I didn¡¯t care for Jewels of Luck anymore. I can get as many of them as I want now. It was the same for the Jewels of Fortification. Although they were rare in the human world, they were quite common in the Dwarf world. And I was already a brother of the Dwarves. But Chaos Jewels were different. This was a precious jewel for the Dwarves as well. It was also the most precious item when trading with humans. Even the king of the Ameri Kingdom has to work hard to find a Chaos Jewel. There were a total of 31 of those Chaos Jewels here. I wanted to take them all for myself. No, I wanted all of the Chaos Jewels the other Dwarves Villages had as well. How could I make that happen? I looked at the jewels for a moment and suddenly came up with a decent idea. However, I wonder if I can haggle for a bargain? I need to keep a poker face if I want to haggle. I need to make the Dwarves get nervous first. Then I need to show them my abilities first. ¡°620 Jewels of Fortification. This should be enough to have some left over even after fortifying the brothers¡¯ weapons. Should I fortify the other brothers¡¯ weapons as well? Of course, that would include your weapon, Great Patriarch-nim.¡± ¡°Oh, will you do that? I¡¯m sure all of the brothers would work together to give you a fitting reward if you do.¡± That doesn¡¯t sound bad. However, I never said I would fortify the weapons of the Dwarves here. It¡¯s not like all of my Dwarven brethren were gathered in this village. ¡°I wish to make a deal with the other Dwarf Chieftains as well if possible. I will fortify five weapons from this village and five weapons for the five other Chieftains. Great Patriarch-nim, can you send the invite to the other villages?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not hard. All of the other Chieftains are curious about you after hearing stories. I¡¯m sure they will be here in a moment if I invite them.¡± Stories about me have already spread? I suppose it makes sense because Jewel Alchemists are rare even for Dwarves. My skill level is overwhelmingly high as well. ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry. I¡¯m sure Goonto and the other brothers are waiting for me with their eyes almost popping out by now.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll send the invites right away.¡± The Dwarf Village¡¯s Volcanus Temple. Dwarves soon started to almost stampede out of there a few minutes later. But there were too many of them. I said I would fortify a total of 10 weapons, but over 100 Dwarves had gathered. But that was not it. Other Dwarves continued to gather inside the temple. I looked toward Great Patriarch Bangart. ¡°I thought I said that I was only going to fortify ten people¡¯s weapons.¡± Great Patriarch Bangart had a slightly awkward expression on his face. ¡°I know. But how can I stop them from coming? Just treat the other Dwarves as spectators.¡± I then noticed exactly ten Dwarves gathering together away from the others. Based on the fact that they each had a weapon on them, they must be the ones who were chosen to have their weapons fortified. I wasn¡¯t losing anything from it. In fact, this was good for me. The reason I invited the other Dwarf Chieftains was so that I could show them my abilities. That way, many Dwarves would be desperate to receive my fortification, bringing many Chaos Jewels to trade with me. That meant that this was a chance to raise my value! ¡®I need to make their eyes pop out with this chance.¡¯ ¡°Then shall we get started? Did you all bring Jewels of Fortification with you?¡± The Dwarves each handed over Jewels of Fortification. However, they all had different expressions on their faces. The Dwarves from Bangart¡¯s village all looked excited while the other Dwarf Chieftains looked at me with suspicion. Just wait a moment, you¡¯ll see. I didn¡¯t rush. I should hurry if I considered Harrison¡¯s group waiting for me in Avanguarde or Goonto¡¯s group waiting for me in Titan Valley, but I needed to take advantage of an opportunity given to me. ¡°The first fortification is free. However, you will need to bring Chaos Jewels if you want the second level or higher.¡± The other Dwarf Chieftains looked slightly shocked after hearing my comment. ¡°Something past the second level of fortification is possible?¡± ¡°The rumors must be true!¡± ¡°I knew that would be the case and brought a Chaos Jewel with me. I will definitely confirm if this human¡¯s words are true today.¡± Why don¡¯t you have those conversations where I can¡¯t hear it? This atmosphere felt as if they were threatening me. Of course, I didn¡¯t even pretend to listen. Bangart just waited at the end of the line as if he didn¡¯t hear anything either. I received the Jewels of Fortification from one of the Dwarves. There were a total of three of them. [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 8%] [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 7%] [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 7%] ¡®Oh, what the hell? Why are the Fortification indexes so low?¡¯ The three Fortification indexes combined was only at 22%. Of course, the highest fortification index I can combine right now was 22%. But that was after 1 or 2 percentage points were decreased in the combination process. Combining these three jewels would at max give a 20% limit. ¡°Do you not have any with higher fortification indexes? This is only going to be disadvantageous for you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t those three enough to easily get past 15%?¡± ¡°15% is easy. But are you satisfied with that? Don¡¯t you want to fortify it with something over 20% while you are at it?¡± ¡°Hmm? Something over 20% is possible?¡± They seem to be looking down on my abilities. I guess it makes sense since Jewel Alchemy is a rare skill even for the blacksmithing Dwarves. They probably don¡¯t believe that I can combine jewels to get past a 20% fortification index. But they were not stupid. He quickly took another Jewel of Fortification out of his pocket and handed it to me. [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 7%] This should help me reach the highest fortification index possible. I had to combine one extra jewel, but I didn¡¯t use any mental strength combining jewels anymore. I first combined an 8% and a 7% jewel. The combination was quick. It was over in less than one minute. ¡®Is it at about 14%?¡¯ I opened my palm to check the results. [Jewel of Fortification: Fortification Index 15%] ¡®Oh! 15% came out. Hmm? 15% came out?¡¯ I was satisfied with the good results before my mind jolted awake. This meant too much to just be satisfied. I had succeeded in a 100% combination without losing even 1%. That meant that I managed to combine jewels without losing any Fairy Energy at all. I quickly called Great Patriarch Bangart over. ¡°Great Patriarch-nim. Could you please come here?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Bangart quickly came over. I quietly showed him the results. Bangart just checked the information with his eyes as the fortification index would cut in half once he touched it. There was no need to compare it with the beginning materials. The blacksmith occupation quest was something given by Volcanus. Bangart just worked as a proxy. That was why Bangart was able to quickly figure out what happened. Bangart smiled so much his lips looked ready to rip. ¡°You finally accomplished it!¡± I then heard a voice in my head. Pages: 1 Pages ( 1 of 2 ): 1 My friendliness with the fairies had increased by 1,000 just now at Peria Mountain. That was why I wasn¡¯t too excited about it going up by 300. However, there was significance to the fact that I had completed the quest. The other Dwarves dropped their jaws in shock as well. The fact that I was challenging the Best Blacksmith title using Jewel Alchemy was shocking. However, I had already completed the second quest and was waiting for the third. Bangart seemed anxious as well. He quickly delivered the god¡¯s message. ¡°I will immediately give you the third quest. Go up to Peria Mountain and complete at least one of the Fairy¡¯s Quest.¡± ¡®Huh? What the heck?¡¯ Bangart¡¯s jaws dropped as soon as he gave me the quest. ¡°My goodness. You have already completed a Fairy¡¯s Quest. Then the third quest has been completed.¡± ¡®Oh, a Chaos Jewel!¡¯ I had gathered a good number of Chaos Jewels already. However, both Jewels of Luck and Chaos Jewels were things that were the more the merrier. Furthermore, I had received it as a quest reward. The quality should be different than ones that miners had mined from the ground. I quickly checked it out. [Chaos Jewel: Detection Index 91] ¡®Wow! A detection index of 91!¡¯ I had over 50 Chaos Jewels already. However, the highest detection index was barely 67. Honestly, 67 was very high and I shouldn¡¯t say barely. Most Chaos Jewels only had detection indexes of under 20. There was nothing I could do about it. The miners mined them with 30-40 detection indexes but it fell by half as soon as it changed hands. That was why it was impossible to get Chaos Jewels with high detection indexes unless I mined it myself. Even then, it would be hard to find one higher than 50. But 91¡­ ¡®I need to use this at a very important time.¡¯ Bangart gave me the fourth quest while I was doing that. But the atmosphere was serious this time as well. ¡°This is the fourth quest. Go visit the Fairy on Peria Mountain and earn the title of ¡®Friend of the Fairies.¡¯ Gasp!¡± Bangart gasped. He was not the only one. My ¡®Friend of the Fairies¡¯ title that was hidden was temporarily revealed once the quest was given. The Dwarves who saw the title almost fell down in shock. ¡°How is this possible?¡± ¡°A Friend of the Fairies!¡± ¡°Who is this human?¡± ¡°Is he a Dragon pretending to be a human?¡± This feels odd. It¡¯s definitely good, but I can¡¯t hold it in because it¡¯s so good. It¡¯s really hard to maintain a calm expression. I wonder what the reward would be this time. Translator: Miraclerifle Chapter 179 I was used to regular Elementals, but a Fire Elemental? I had never heard of it. I opened my bag to see a small orb the size of a fingernail inside the inventory. I picked it up and the information popped up. [Fire Elemental] The soul of an Elemental with the power of fire. It can absorb the power of fire from nature. Infusing it into a Stone Elf will evolve it into a Fire Stone Elf. I couldn¡¯t tell a lot about it, but I was certain about one thing. ¡®Fire Stone Elf!¡¯ I had never seen it in the game. That was how fresh the term was to me. However, I had personally experienced the Stone Elves in Royal Roader. I had also seen how the Stone Elves became much stronger once the Elementals went inside them. That was why I was able to easily imagine a Fire Stone Elf. It should be at least stronger than Stone Elves with the regular Elementals. ¡®Jackpot!¡¯ However, there was something I was looking forward to even more. This was already the completion of the fourth quest. I just needed to complete one more quest to reach the level of Best Blacksmith. Using Jewel Alchemy at that. Then I would be at around Akto¡¯s level. No, I might even be at a higher level than Akto was when he was alive since I already know the secret of Jewel Alchemy. ¡°Then is the final quest the only one left?¡± ¡°Oh, indeed!¡± Bangart who was standing there with a blank expression quickly snapped out of it. He then closed his eyes as if he was receiving a message from Volcanus. The other Dwarves quietly watched us as if they were thinking that they might witness a historic moment. I was praying as I waited for Bangart to speak. ¡®Please let it be a quest that I¡¯ve already completed.¡¯ Bangart finally opened his eyes. ¡°This is the fifth and final quest to become a Best Blacksmith. You must overcome a lot of obstacles to become a Jewel Alchemy master. One of those obstacles is to find out the secret of Jewel Alchemy.¡± I almost screamed in joy after hearing that. I had already completed that as well. Of course, that was only if the ¡®Jewel Alchemy¡¯s secret¡¯ that Akto taught me was what this was talking about. And that was indeed the case. Bangart showed an extremely shocked expression as he blanked out. ¡°You are truly an amazing human. You completed three levels of the Best Blacksmith quest at once.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always been a bit special. Haha.¡± I heard the voice again in my mind at that moment. < You have completed the fifth Best Blacksmith Occupation Quest. You have received natural power as a reward. > < You have completed the 15-part continuation quest and all your stats of increased by 3. > Pages: 1 Pages ( 1 of 2 ): 1It definitely lived up to my expectations. I was thinking that the rewards would get better as the quests progressed but wow, natural power. The one I had last time was useless because the energy was completely spent and it wasn¡¯t like the energy restored itself. Was this one similar to the other one? [Natural Power] The power of nature that is the source of life for Elves and Elementals is within this item. The energy can be restored by hunting monsters. Energy: 999/999 It was slightly different than the last one. No, it was much better than the last one. Although there was only half the energy as last time, I could restore this one through hunting monsters. That meant that I could use it forever. ¡°Hahaha. To be able to have such a great honor. I was able to create a Best Jewel Alchemist.¡± Bangart raised his chin and happily laughed. I¡¯m sure it is an honorable moment for him. Although he was just the proxy of a god, he was still able to include his name in a page of the history of blacksmiths. ¡°You can finally challenge the Legendary Blacksmith level. You grew to stand side by side with my son in almost an instant. You truly have the qualifications to be friends with the Dwarves.¡± It was truly a historic moment. I felt like the time I invested in the Dwarves Village today had exploded in my favor. ¡°Then this is the first step to becoming a Legendary Blacksmith.¡±