[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 287
After Jeong-hoon left, Harphael had to be mindful of Baal’s reaction.
Baal hadn’t left and was silently glaring at Harphael.
“I’m sorry…”
“……”
It was maddening.
How could a human have possibly defeated Perlis’ puppet?
Harphael was dying to know, but the human left without giving any answers.
Fortunately, Baal left after saying those words.
“I… I survived…”
Only then could Harphael finally let go of the tension.
***
‘She must have been so worried.’
While procuring the materials, Jeong-hoon had cut off communication to save ti.
He had assured her not to worry, saying there wouldn’t be any danger, but he never expected it to take this long.
‘First, I need to see my mother.’
He needed to deliver the Celestial Engraving Stone to Rigriner, but that could wait.
Relieving his mother’s worries ca first.
After contacting his mother to find her location, Jeong-hoon imdiately headed there.
“Jeong-hoon! You’re safe!”
As soon as he entered the building where his mother was, her voice reached him.
“Mother!”
It was their first reunion in two months.
His mother embraced him tightly, and Jeong-hoon hugged her in return.
“Jeong-hoon! Do you know how long we’ve been waiting for you?”
“Hyung! We were so worried about you!”
Following that, Ha-jin and Bong-goo rushed over.
“You guys have been doing okay, right?”
When Jeong-hoon asked, both of them nodded.
“Of course!”
“We were so shocked, thinking sothing might have happened to you!”
“Really? Bong-goo seed to be hoping for bad news about , though.”
“Ha-jin hyung! What are you saying?!”
Bong-goo turned pale and frantically waved his hands.
“Is that true?”
When Jeong-hoon gave Bong-goo a light glare, he awkwardly smiled and backed away.
“I was just… worried about you…”
“So, it’s not entirely wrong, huh?”
“……”
“Just kidding. Did you make any gains?”
“Yes! As I ntioned before, I obtained sothing very rare!”
With a grin, Bong-goo proudly revealed a Legendary-grade dagger.
The Legendary-grade dagger was the Claw of Ruin, once wielded by Tyrant, the King of Thieves.
Crafted from the claws of a demon that brought ruin, it was a highly suitable weapon for Bong-Goo, the King of Assassins.
But that wasn’t all.
“What about the skills?”
“Yes! I also acquired the skills!”
Before cutting off communication, Jeong-hoon had inford them of their next destination.
As a result, each of them had obtained two rewards.
Even Ha-jin raised his fingers in a V-shape.
“I got everything, too.”
“I see. By the way, what about Min-Ji and the Guild Leader?”
Yeo Min-Ji and Yeo Sunwoo were nowhere to be seen.
“They had sothing to take care of and stepped out for a bit,” Jeong-hoon’s mother answered on their behalf.
“I see.”
“Don’t worry. Everyone has obtained two fortuitous encounters.”
“That’s a relief.”
It was about ti for the path to Darvis to open.
Before that, the remaining fortuitous encounters needed to be obtained quickly.
Of course, stabilizing the Celestial Engraving Stone to upgrade Mukho and Anima would take priority.
***
Jas Marcus’s party successfully defeated the Death Knight.
They spent over two months clearing all of Rease and finally managed to subjugate the Death Knight.
“Phew, great work, everyone.”
Jas Marcus lowered his sword, signaling the end of the battle.
His companions eased their tension in response.
“Hah… Soone defeated this monster alone?”
Louis Verdan clicked his tongue in disbelief.
Death Knight (Awakened)
A monstrous foe boasting a staggering level of 1,100.
And yet, HoneyTube’s “Honey1” had casually taken down this beast.
What’s more, the strategy wasn’t just one thod—it had exceeded over ten different approaches.
In other words, Honey1 had killed the Death Knight multiple tis just to upload the video.
Without the video he uploaded… even imagining the alternative was horrifying.
“Then let’s head straight to Darvis.”
“Jas, why the rush? Now’s the ti to rest.”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they hadn’t had a proper break throughout the process of defeating the Death Knight.
Clearing all the paths in Rease was no easy feat.
Now that they had earned the qualifications to move on to Darvis, it was ti to tend to their minds and bodies through rest.
However, Jas’s face was filled with anxiety.
“The subjugation took too long.”
“Is this because of HoneyTube?”
“……”
HoneyTube.
They had already crossed over to Darvis.
In other words, they were continuing to grow stronger there.
Jas wanted to cross over as quickly as possible to chase after them.
‘I want to get closer, even just a little. That way, he’ll recognize .’
He realized it during the battle against the Colossal Automaton Ursus—
The gap between himself and the Korean who had single-handedly defeated Ursus was like heaven and earth.
That was why he wanted to grow stronger, even a little faster, to earn his recognition.
However, Jas Marcus’s companions couldn’t understand his thoughts.
“Jas, if this continues, I’ll go my own way.”
Sophia, who had finally reached her limit, brought up leaving the party.
She had knelt before the Colossal Automaton Ursus.
Facing her limits, she had no choice but to accept Jas Marcus’s recruitnt.
But if Jas couldn’t properly fulfill his role as a leader, there was no reason for her to stay in the party.
“…Jas, if you keep this up, everyone here will leave you.”
Alie Reyna shared the sa thoughts as Sophia this ti.
Due to the lack of proper rest, subjugating the Death Knight had been exceptionally grueling.
If they hadn’t studied the strategies dozens or even hundreds of tis, everyone present might have been annihilated.
“What… what are you saying…?”
Jas murmured in shock.
“Jas, they’re right. Look at the state we’re in.”
When even Louis Verdan sided with them, Jas finally took a closer look at his companions.
None of them were in good shape.
It was the aftermath of their struggles against the Death Knight.
‘What the hell have I been doing…?’
Jas felt his heart sink.
In his impatience, he hadn’t paid attention to his surroundings.
And yet, he thought he could lead his companions like this?
‘You idiot…’
Jas quickly bowed his head to his companions in apology.
“I’m sorry! I was wrong… I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
His heartfelt apology softened the expressions of Sophia and Alie.
“This is your last chance.”
“Make sure we get proper rest before heading to Darvis. Is that clear?”
Jas nodded.
“Understood.”
***
Jeong-hoon excused himself and hurried toward the Alchemists’ District in the Märchen Kingdom.
Just like his previous visit, he had to use a green portal to enter the district.
Crossing through the portal, Jeong-hoon was greeted by a familiar sight.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
When he first visited the Alchemists’ District, it had been so devastated that no trace of its forr self could be found.
It had been so terrible that it was hard to believe anyone could live there.
But now, as the district entered its recovery phase, it had regained so vitality.
After briefly reminiscing, Jeong-hoon headed straight to the house where Rigriner was staying.
“Oh?”
“Benefactor?!”
The alchemists recognized Jeong-hoon and waved at him enthusiastically.
Jeong-hoon waved back at them as he quickened his pace.
Knock, knock.
After he knocked on the door, it didn’t take long before it opened, and Rigriner peeked out.
“Who is… Oh?!”
Rigriner, who was about to greet casually, widened his eyes in surprise.
“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yes! Have you also been doing well, Benefactor?”
“Yes, I’ve been fine.”
“That’s a relief! But, what brings you here?”
“Do you rember stabilizing the Engraving Stone for last ti?”
“Of course! That experience was… unforgettable, truly.”
Jeong-hoon smiled faintly and nodded.
“I see. Then I assu you can succeed this ti as well.”
“Pardon? Succeed with what…?”
“The Engraving Stone. I’d like you to stabilize it again, just like last ti.”
With those words, Jeong-hoon pulled out three Celestial Engraving Stones from his inventory.
“Hm? These look a bit different from last ti.”
The Celestial Engraving Stones he had worked on before emitted a radiant light.
However, the ones Jeong-hoon brought this ti were releasing a dark, murky glow.
That was to be expected.
These weren’t just Celestial Engraving Stones; they were Shadow Celestial Engraving Stones.
“Can you do it?”
“Hm… saying I can’t wouldn’t really be an option, right?”
To be honest, Rigriner wasn’t confident.
He still wasn’t sure how he had succeeded last ti, and with these being different from the previous stones, he couldn’t guarantee success.
“You can absolutely do it. You succeeded last ti, after all.”
“Ah, understood. Since you have so much faith in , I’ll give it a try!”
Rigriner nodded energetically.
How could he refuse when he was being trusted so deeply?
“Then, is it alright if I wait inside?”
Just like before, all that was required was infusing the stones with mana.
Once he got the feel for it, it wouldn’t take long.
As Jeong-hoon entered, a hint of nervousness appeared on Rigriner’s face.
If Jeong-hoon had told him to take his ti, he could have experinted with different approaches.
But with him waiting nearby, it felt like he needed to finish as quickly as possible.
“Um, this might take a bit longer. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes. I think it’ll be done soon anyway.”
“Soon, you say…”
“You can do it.”
“…Haha, with such confidence in , I’ll try to finish this quickly!”
Rigriner confidently accepted the engraving stones.
As Jeong-hoon suggested, it wasn’t long before Rigriner stepped back outside.
“Did you succeed?”
“Yes!”
Judging by his proud expression, it was clear that he had succeeded.
“Thank you so much. How much should I pay you for your services?”
“Oh, co now! Paynt? Think of it this way—by saving us, you’ve already paid for everything in advance!”
Rigriner had no intention of accepting any paynt.
Without Jeong-hoon, the Alchemists’ District would have fallen, and they wouldn’t even be alive today to breathe freely.
Owing him their lives, how could he possibly accept compensation?
From Rigriner’s resolute expression, it was obvious he wouldn’t accept money, no matter how much Jeong-hoon insisted.
With no other choice, Jeong-hoon picked up the engraving stones.
“…Alright, I’ll accept them with gratitude.”
“Of course! If you ever need anything, please visit us anyti! We’ll repay you with the best results possible. Haha!”
With these engraving stones successfully stabilized, Rigriner felt confident he could handle any task that ca his way.
“By the way, would it be possible to extract enhancent stones?”
“Enhancent stones?”
“Yes.”
Jeong-hoon pulled out a piece of equipnt he had collected from the armory and handed it to Rigriner.
“This isn’t damaged equipnt, is it…? Oh! It’s an enhanced piece of equipnt?!”
Rigriner specialized in handling enhancents as an alchemist.
“Yes, it’s enhanced equipnt. If you extract it, you can retrieve about half of the enhancent stones.”
“Ah, I see. So, you’d like to extract this equipnt?”
“Not just yet.”
Jeong-hoon then pulled out all the equipnt he had brought from the armory.
The unending flow of items left Rigriner with his jaw dropped.
“Wh-why is there so much?”
“It’s a lot, isn’t it?”
“This isn’t just ‘a lot’…”
“I’d like you to extract all of these.”
Even extracting a single piece of equipnt could take a considerable amount of ti.
But with this sheer quantity, just how long would it take to finish?
Rigriner already felt a sense of suffocation at the thought.
Still, he couldn’t refuse a request from his benefactor.
With great difficulty, Rigriner nodded.
“Alright, I understand. Please leave it to …”
“Thank you.”
“Will you be waiting here while I extract them?”
“No. I waited for the engraving stones because they wouldn’t take long, but this is different.”
During the extraction, Jeong-hoon planned to seize the opportunities he hadn’t yet taken in Darvis.
Leaving this task to Rigriner, a specialist in enhancent extractions, was much more efficient than doing it himself.
If Jeong-hoon handled the extraction himself, he could manage, but it would take up too much ti.
“Understood.”
“I’ll leave it in your hands. If you successfully complete the extraction, I’ll make sure to compensate you.”
While the engraving stones were completed quickly and received for free, Jeong-hoon felt it necessary to pay for the extraction of the equipnt.
“No need. I’m happy to do it for free…”
“No, please accept it this ti. I wouldn’t feel right taking this service for free too.”
Of course, Jeong-hoon didn’t mind receiving free services.
But exploiting soone’s ti and effort without compensation weighed on his conscience.
Faced with Jeong-hoon’s firm tone, Rigriner finally nodded in agreent.
“Alright. Then, please allow two months to finish.”
Two whole months.
It wasn’t a short period.
“Understood. I’ll be counting on you.”
Jeong-hoon nodded and left the Alchemists’ District.
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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