The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
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chapter-99
The ring Mira showed Seol was extraordinary.
“This is…”
[[Ring of Rushed Pact]
Quality: Treasure
Recommended Level: 20-30Resistance: 40
Durability: 70/70
Weight: 0.1kg
A ring imbued with a dangerous shamanic spell of the Sulfur Skull Tribe.
The crystal, made through the solidified blood of many, supports its shamanic powers.
Basic Effect: +10 Wisdom, +5 Constitution, +5 Spirit
Bonus Effect: +20 Resistance]‘It’s good. No, it’s excellent.’
It was a ring that was faithful to the basics.
Furthermore, all of the stats it gave were beneficial to Seol.
“Are you trying to exchange this with the Wolf’s Warning?”
“...Yeah.”
“Hm…”
Seol wasn’t someone who was driven by his feelings.
As such, it was natural for him to evaluate the value of both rings.
Wolf’s Warning was an excellent ring for anyone.
After all, a warning effect is quite a useful effect.
However, Seol realized two faults through using this.
First, a few of the stats were wasted on him.
It gave bonuses to Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence, all stats that didn’t help him.
Second, the effect didn’t always activate.
In fact, the ring hadn’t activated even once during his fight with the Sulfur Skull Tribe.
Even when Magra directly attacked Seol, which was clearly a dangerous situation, the ring didn’t activate. The ring’s effect was flawed.
‘And an effect which doesn’t activate all the time is worth less.’
After weighing the value of the two items, Seol handed Wolf’s Warning to Mira.
“Take it.”
“Thank you.”
Seol then asked Mira, who was enjoying seeing the ring on her finger, a question.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“I thought about it, and… I plan on staying in Gulia for a bit longer until Kibo recovers.”
“And after that?”
“I’ll probably return to Nobira. Even though it went to ruin, it was my main base, after all. And who knows… the surviving members of the faction could come back.”
“I see.”
“By the way, Seol…”
Mira gave Seol an affectionate look.
“I’ve received so much help from you… If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it back.”
- Th-this mood… don’t tell me…
- Th-this is???
Mira stood up from her seat.
Grate…
“Let me know if you ever need help. I’ll pay you back as much as I received from you.”
“...I’ll see you again.”
“Yeah.”
- Ah…
- So it wasn’t that…
- It was just a simple goodbye LOL.
Seol watched Mira leave before ending the Adventure.
[You have moved to a different location. The ‘travel luck dice’ are rolling.]
[Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 3.]
[You are decently lucky.]
[The Adventures you undertake near Gulia now will proceed normally.]
[The Adventures you undertake near Gulia now will have normal difficulty.]
[The Adventures you select near Gulia now have a low chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.]
[Your luck is decent enough to take on the Adventures nearby.]
Decently lucky.
It wasn’t too important since Seol didn't plan to stay here for long.
And then, another message popped up.
[Next is the Points Leaderboard up to Adventure 14.]
* * *
Not all transferees attempted to settle down in a single location.
Just like Seol, some transferees only took on the key Adventures at a location before leaving, and there were other transferees who moved to a different location after each and every Adventure.
And for most people who traveled often, they often had a set, consistent party instead of traveling alone.
“Man… there really isn’t anything here because it’s a border city… They don’t even have a Class Training Center.”
"Oppa, let's not linger here for too long. Let's just handle that investigation party thing Patrick is forming and then leave."
"Yeah, I agree. Nothing good would come from staying here for long."
"Still, it's a relief that the Sulfur Skull Tribe or, whatever they're called, backed off. If they hadn't, we wouldn't have ventured anywhere near the north."
“Apparently, they dispatched scouts around Yognatun the moment the survivors arrived in Gulia. They said that the Sulfur Skull Tribe is all good. In the end, it’s just good news for us.”
“We’ll earn points while guaranteeing our safety! This is what’s great about working with Nevenia. I’m pretty sure knights and magicians will also be in the investigation party, right?”
“I heard there was.”
Adventures given out by kingdoms, like Nevenia, were considered highly efficient amongst transferees.
It was because most transferees still prioritized survivability over growth.
It was also normal for most people to avoid dangerous situations as much as possible while growing.
Transferees like Seol, who prioritized getting stronger over safety, were the small, small minority.
Because of that, a lot of transferees came to Gulia after hearing rumors about Patrick forming an investigation party for Yognatun.
This party was just one of many.
“Hey… Hey! What is this?”
“What is what?”
“Gulia’s Points Leaderboard…”
“We just looked at it, why?”
“I’m talking about the updated one, you idiot.”
“Updated one? Let me see.”
The warrior, often a class that was the pillar of the party, looked at the Leaderboard and slowly spoke.
“Hold on… How does this make sense?”
“Right? Isn’t it strange?”
“2.9 million points? Are they out of their minds? How is that possible?”
“There was a monster like this in Gulia? Why weren’t there any rumors about them, then? I heard some people had abnormally high points in Kongory and Nobira, but…”
“Ah! What the hell…”
“Why?”
“The person with the point total disappeared.”
“Disappeared? Let me see.”
The party member who mentioned it first rubbed their eyes while looking at the updated Leaderboard.
“You’re right… Was it an error?”
“Do you think this is a game? Why would there be an error?”
“I mean, it’s a system, it’s practically a game… Well, that would explain it, though. How could someone reach 2.9 million points in such a short amount of time?”
“How many points do you have?”
“450 thousand. You?”
“470 thousand, loser.”
* * *
Translator - goguma
Proofreader - Karane
* * *
Not too long after arriving in Gulia, Seol left immediately.
The monster with 2.9 million points that the recently arrived transferees were referring to disappeared because Seol left Gulia.
And Seol had only one reason for leaving Gulia so quickly.
“We must go to Nobira.”
“What?”
“My smithies were spread throughout the city. Even if the city burned down, I’m sure at least one of them survived.”
Since Seol hadn’t gone through Nobira himself, he wasn’t sure whether Hamun was telling the truth or not.
“And I can only make Karen’s equipment there. My precious materials are all there, too.”
“I see… I understand.”
“We must hurry.”
So, for this and that reason, Seol headed immediately to Nobira. But in truth, Seol also had no reason to stay in Gulia.
Gulia did not have a Class Training Center, and joining Patrick’s investigation party was not a worthwhile Adventure for Seol.
In fact, it would be funnier if Seol did join the investigation party. After all, Patrick was trying to investigate what Seol did himself.
‘Also, Rests aren’t that important for me.’
During his one-month-long Rests, Seol realized that he did not need to rest that long.
After sleeping in the wilderness and camping for so long, he found it more comfortable to sleep outside than in a comfortable bed.
Though Seol had lived a comfortable life in Seoul, exercising only a couple of times, he had now become a fully-fledged Adventurer.
Obviously, though, he only believed that one month was too long. He still recognized the importance of resupplying.
He also knew that resupplying properly required a proper amount of time.
Time was essential to repair equipment or buy new equipment to use.
Seol also knew that resupplying would only become increasingly important in his future Adventures as well.
This was also why Seol had spent his Rests busy while other transferees relaxed. He continuously kept himself busy out of necessity.
Seol and Hamun traveled quickly during the Rest before finally arriving in Nobira.
Seol spent over a week traveling from Gulia to Nobira. Though most people would consider it a shame, Seol didn’t mind it at all as he had to go through Nobira anyway.
After arriving in Nobira, they were all shocked.
“Huh?”
“It’s… less destroyed than I thought?”
“It’s not that. It’s because people were rebuilding it.”
“Ah, so they took down the burned houses and built on top of them.”
“I see a lot of people!” shouted Karen excitedly.
Seol anticipated a desolate city, but what welcomed him was a gathering of people in Nobira, all dreaming of a new beginning.
[Your Rest location has changed to Nobira.]
[You have moved to a different location. The ‘travel luck dice’ are rolling.]
[Travel Luck Dice has rolled a 3.]
[You are decently lucky.]
[The Adventures you undertake near Nobira now will proceed normally.]
[The Adventures you undertake near Nobira now will have normal difficulty.]
[The Adventures you select near Nobira now have a low chance of forcibly changing to a Sudden Adventure.]
[Your luck is decent enough to take on the Adventures nearby.]
After that, Seol looked at the Points Leaderboard in Nobira.
[Your information is set to Private.]
[You have 2,900,100 Points.]
[Adventurer Points Leaderboard
1. Private (2,900,100)
2. Private (628,010)
3. Neoguri2Kelp (589,360)
4. LumpyLumpy (572,210)
5. I'mLonely (550,140)]
Just like in Gulia, Seol’s point total was on another level.
However, the disparity appeared even more pronounced because most skilled individuals had left Nobira when it was destroyed.
[You begin your Rest.]
[Your Key Location Rest is starting.]
[Break 6. Destroyed Nobira.]
[Break 6. ‘Destroyed Nobira’
In The World of Eternity, Nobira the Ruins City, located in South Pandea.
Nobira once was a thriving center for exporting valuable items due to its proximity to ruins. However, after an ambush by the Sulfur Skull Tribe, it was destroyed.
Despite its current lack of prosperity, the recently returned residents of Nobira are diligently working to gradually restore the city back to its original form.
Adventurers must take plenty of rest and training here, or at another rest location, before preparing for the next Adventure.
Objective: Rest and maintenance.
You will be tired upon failure.
Remaining Time: [About 20 days]]
‘So the residents came back. No wonder…’
Seol then had a thought. He believed that it wouldn’t take long for Nobira to regain its original form.
Regardless, after arriving at the city, Hamun quickly looked for his hidden smithies.
“...So this one’s gone.”
Wherever Hamun went, the only thing he saw were buildings, burnt to ash.
And as Seol was starting to get worried, Hamun laughed.
“How fortunate. This one’s still fine.”
“Then…”
“Yes, come in.”
Was it because the smithy was located far from the center of the battle?
Luckily, one of Hamun’s smithies was still fine.
- This is why diversification is important for your portfolio.
- Hamun may be smiling, but he isn’t really smiling…
Hamun asked Seol a question after looking through a couple of his items.
“So, shall we continue with our delayed matter?”
“Yes, sure.”
Seol handed Hamun Atarak’s Blood.
“You’ve gathered quite a lot. With this much, you won’t ever have to worry about Karen’s equipment getting damaged by her flames.”
“Is it enough?”
“Yes, I plan on mixing this with spirit powder to create an oil. And if I dilute that, apply a thin coat of it to Karen’s equipment, then let it dry, Karen should be able to use it fine.”
Karen smiled at Hamun’s words.
“Am I finally going to have proper equipment now, too?”
“That would be the case. However… Didn’t you also leave me with your sword?”
- Then could I leave this sword to you?
It happened quite a while ago, but those were the words Seol said to Hamun long ago.
“The sword you gave me then… well, its handle and destroyed blade… I have stored them well.”
“You didn’t lose it?”
“Of course not. That was the only job I had. Obviously, I wouldn’t store it carelessly.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried that it went missing with the events in Nobira. So, are there no longer any issues?”
Hamun shook his head.
“In truth, there’s one more thing.”
“What…”
"While you may have obtained the spider's blood, acquiring the fire spirit stone, the other crucial component for this, has now become the challenge."
Nobira was a city with a massive auction house.
Fire spirit stone was a rare material, but it wasn‘t impossible to acquire.
However, that was a thing of the past. Given the impossibility of Nobira's auction house surviving the attack, the only feasible option for Seol to obtain the fire spirit stone was by venturing out to acquire it himself.
“Haah… so, fire spirit stone…”
“If you’re okay with other materials instead, I could use something else and try to maximize…”
“Fire spirit stone… fire spirit stone…”
“Snowman?”
“Fire spirit stone!”
Seol abruptly looked at Karen.
“Huh? What?”
“Can’t we use that?”
“That… Ah, this?”
Karen pulled out Fire Serpent, Magra’s former weapon.
It was a massive weapon with a strange shape that was also filled with fire energy.
However, Fire Serpent was also notably made out of fire spirit stone.
