The innkeeper greeted Seong warmly, and he nodded in return.
"Good day."
"al? Lodging?"
Straight to the point—just how he liked it.
Since he was eting Ashin here, it was for a al, not lodging.
"I’ll take a al."
"Puhehe! What’s on your nu?"
"Hmm, potato stew and rye bread, please."
"Got it! Sit anywhere you like and wait!"
"Thank you."
The friendly innkeeper shouted sothing into the kitchen as Seong moved to a seat further inside.
The inn was empty.
A fleeting concern about the quality of the food crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.
After all, he hadn’t co here to enjoy the food but to advance a quest.
In Eternal World, even the taste of food was ticulously crafted, and culinary exploration had beco a trend among players.
Co to think of it, this was the first ti Seong had eaten anything in Eternal World.
As he sat there waiting, it wasn’t long before the steaming potato stew and rye bread were served.
‘Oh? It’s better than I expected.’
The texture and flavor felt like real food. The potato stew was seasoned perfectly, salty but not overwhelming, and the rye bread was soft enough to dip into the stew.
He finally understood why so players ca to Eternal World just to indulge in gourt experiences.
Not long after finishing his al, the inn’s door creaked open as soone entered.
Due to the layout, the dining area was out of sight from the entrance, but Seong could hear the sounds clearly.
The innkeeper’s warm voice followed the sound of the door.
"Welco—oh, it’s you, Philip?"
The innkeeper’s tone quickly shifted to disappointnt.
The reaction piqued Seong’s curiosity.
"Hey, hey! I’m still a paying custor, you know?"
"What’ll you have today?"
"Well, I’m here for an errand, but since I’m here, I’ll have so potato stew."
"Your tone could use so work. Fine, sit tight. I’ll bring it to you."
"Yeah, yeah."
The sound of footsteps approached the tables, accompanied by the lazy, casual tone of the newcor.
When Seong turned his head, he saw a familiar face.
"We et again?"
Although the na "Philip" was new, Seong recognized the face and voice.
It was none other than the young apprentice blacksmith who had previously delivered a note for soone nad Ashin.
So, his na was Philip? Not that it mattered.
"Looks like we do."
"Ugh, if it weren’t for my debt, I wouldn’t have to run these errands. Debt, huh. What a pain."
Grumbling, Philip sat down across from Seong without waiting for an invitation.
Seong smirked subtly. Their objectives were the sa anyway, so he didn’t mind the lack of courtesy.
Philip chuckled and then asked, "So, did you really gather everything?"
"Of course."
Confidently, Seong opened his inventory and handed over 20 webbed feet from river trolls.
Philip’s eyes widened in shock, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His expression was priceless.
As Seong remained silent, Philip scratched his head awkwardly and muttered, "So that’s what they told you to get? Phew, that person must be out of their mind."
A notification appeared before Seong’s eyes:
[Hidden Quest: 『Treasure Goblin Kahku’s Assistant』 Cleared.]
[Rewards Granted.]
[You have gained Ashin’s trust.]
[You have not yet received the note.]
[The next quest will take so ti to unlock.]
It hadn’t been as difficult as expected. If anything, the chaos caused by eting Plinky midway had been more troubleso.
Still, he had gained a useful skill out of it, so there was no reason to complain.
When Seong handed over the webbed feet, Philip pulled out a sack to wrap them up, muttering to himself.
"How am I supposed to carry all this?"
His grumbling earned a silent stare from Seong, as if asking, Aren’t you forgetting sothing?
Philip’s expression shifted to realization, and he chuckled awkwardly.
"Haha, almost forgot. Here’s the note for this round."
As soon as Seong took the note, another notification appeared.
[Hidden Quest Condition t.]
[The quest chain continues.]
[Hidden Quest: 『Treasure Goblin Kahku’s Assistant 2』 Unlocked.]
『Treasure Goblin Kahku’s Assistant 2』
→ 《Hidden - Epic 》
→ Quest Chain.
→ Ashin is a cautious individual. To test you further, he has set the next trial.
Quest Objective:
Investigate the three forges in the village to uncover Ashin’s true identity and why he is hiding it.
Conditions:
Must possess 『Treasure Goblin Kahku’s Treasure Map』.
Must have completed 『Treasure Goblin Kahku’s Assistant』.
Rewards:
A key and a vital clue to the treasure map.
Failure Consequences:
Loss of both the key and the vital clue.
A continuation quest—just what Seong had been waiting for.
Seeing the rewards made him smile. Finally, he was close to obtaining the key.
As he read the quest description, Seong nodded to himself.
‘So the goal this ti is to uncover his identity.’
While the first trial had tested his strength, this second trial seed to focus on his wit.
But Seong smiled confidently, waving the note.
"Is all this really necessary, Ashin?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? I was just asked to—"
Philip’s eyes blinked in confusion, but Seong pressed on.
"Your young face doesn’t match the hands of a seasoned craftsman. Those are not the hands of an apprentice blacksmith."
"Haha, well, I work twice as hard as others—"
"And then there’s the timing. You couldn’t have known I was coming unless soone alerted you imdiately. But even then, you responded too quickly."
"That’s because—"
"And most importantly, the calluses on your hands suggest you work on small items, not large equipnt like weapons or armor. Sothing like… keys."
These were the reasons Seong had pieced together.
There were other factors, like Philip’s behavior and speech, which didn’t align with what one would expect from an apprentice blacksmith.
But this much was more than enough.
And most importantly—
‘I already knew his face.’
After all, Seong had absorbed Kahku’s mories and experiences.
He had pretended not to know anything earlier to cooperate with the quest for the sake of gathering materials.
But with a quest like this, it was a different story altogether.
As Seong laid out his deductions, Philip’s evasive deanor vanished, and he surrendered without further resistance.
"…You’re absolutely correct."
"I have a bit of an eye for details," Seong replied casually.
In truth, it wasn’t entirely his skill but the sharp perception inherited from Hunter Apik.
If the quest hadn’t required him to explain his reasoning, Kahku’s mories alone would have sufficed.
Still, having absorbed those mories and experiences, they were as good as his own now.
Without the keen observation passed down from Hunter Apik, uncovering the truth might have been much harder.
And one last detail—
The claim that there was no locksmith in the village? That was a lie.
‘Good thing Kahku’s mories told about the locksmith.’
Seong hadn’t had the ti to investigate thoroughly, but relying on Kahku’s knowledge had been a gamble that paid off perfectly.
[Hidden Quest: 『Treasure Goblin Kahku’s Assistant 2』 Cleared.]
[Receive your reward from ‘Ashin Philip.’]
As the final notification appeared, Seong felt a wave of relief.
Sure, Philip couldn’t exactly backtrack after agreeing, but it was reassuring to see confirmation.
While Seong basked in his satisfaction, Philip nodded as if impressed.
"Honestly, I didn’t think you’d manage it. Kahku may be gone, but his treasure isn’t sothing that could be handed over to just anyone."
"That’s understandable," Seong replied.
"I was only honoring a dear friend’s last wishes. I hope you don’t think too poorly of for it."
"I don’t," Seong assured him, and Philip’s expression softened slightly.
However, his face soon clouded over again.
"I apologize to the rightful successor, but it will take so ti to craft the key."
"Ah."
The news was disappointing to Seong, who had been eager to head into the raid imdiately.
Still, there wasn’t much he could do if it required ti.
Seeing his clear disappointnt, Philip hesitated before speaking in a calm voice.
"The materials are all here thanks to the webbed feet, but crafting the key will take so effort. If I start right away, it should be ready by tomorrow morning."
"Hmm, a bit of a letdown, but that’s fair. I understand."
Seong’s agreent seed to ease Philip’s nerves.
Not that Seong had any intention of causing trouble, but with Philip’s friendship with a goblin now out in the open, it was natural for him to feel a bit uneasy.
Seong wasn’t particularly bothered, though.
‘Guess I’ll have to co back tomorrow morning.’
As Seong thought that to himself, Philip spoke again.
"I’ll leave the key here at the inn in the early morning. The innkeeper is trustworthy."
"Got it. Thanks for letting know."
"I’ll do my best to make it perfect," Philip said, bowing slightly.
Seong replied with a nod and left the inn naturally.
Normally, he would have paid for his al, but Philip insisted on covering it, so he walked out without a second thought.
With the quest complete and nothing pressing until tomorrow morning, Seong considered hunting to pass the ti.
Just as he was about to head out, a voice ca from outside the capsule.
[You have a voice ssage from the external system.]
[Seong, co eat dinner~]
It seed his ti in Eternal World was up for the day.
[Eternal World will be waiting for you.]
Logging out, Seong found himself back in reality.
As he stepped out of the capsule, the enticing aroma of food filled the house, making his mouth water.
"Whoo."
It had been hours since lunch, and his stomach responded instantly.
Judging by the sll, tonight’s dinner was bulgogi.
The mingling scents suggested a lavish feast was prepared.
Drawn by the sll, Seong wandered into the living room, where his father, Yoo Gwang-jin, was unusually early and helping his mother, Lee Na-gyeong, set the table.
"Oh, Seong, you’re out."
"Welco ho, Dad."
"Yeah, work ended early today, so I ca ho early," Yoo Gwang-jin replied, looking slightly awkward under Seong’s gaze.
Seong chuckled, and Yoo Gwang-jin, realizing it, cleared his throat and resud helping Lee Na-gyeong.
Noticing her son, Na-gyeong smiled.
"Oh, Seong, you’re out already? Go wash your hands—it’s almost ready."
"Got it," Seong replied, considering helping but deciding against it since his father was already assisting.
Instead, he headed to the bathroom to wash up.
By the ti he returned, his sister, Yu Mina, had also erged from her capsule, yawning widely. Spotting their father, her eyes lit up—not because he was ho early, but with a mischievous gleam.
"Hey, Dad! Did you hear? Seong—"
Her tone left no doubt she was about to tease him.
Seong tried to stop her, but Yoo Gwang-jin beat her to it.
"I heard. First place, huh? Impressive. Well done."
"Uh… thank you," Seong replied, slightly embarrassed by the rare praise.
It was awkward, as father-son complints often are, but it didn’t feel bad.
Mina, however, was visibly disappointed that her plan had been thwarted.
"Go wash your hands," Seong said, glaring at her.
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, heading to the bathroom.
"Hurry up! Everything’s ready!" Na-gyeong called after her.
"Okay, I’m going!" Mina replied.
The family gathered for dinner, which felt oddly like a reunion despite having eaten together after Seong’s military discharge not long ago.
The conversation was lighthearted, touching on Seong’s gaming experience, Gwang-jin’s work, and Mina’s raid preparations.
At so point, Na-gyeong ntioned sothing more dramatic:
"Did you hear? Jimin’s husband ran off with another woman in a nightti elopent."
Well, maybe that was important, too.
As the chatter continued, Na-gyeong suddenly turned to Seong, curiosity in her eyes.
"Now that you’re discharged, aren’t you eting any friends?"
It seed like a polite question, but Seong happened to have plans.
"Actually, I do have plans to et so friends tomorrow."
"Oh, I see," Na-gyeong said, nodding.
Mina, catching on, smirked.
"Oh, you an that girl, right?"
At her words, both Na-gyeong and Gwang-jin’s eyes sparkled with interest as they turned to Seong.
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