Chapter 229: Chapter 229

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 229

Previously, the Alchemist’s Street was a special dungeon with a green portal.

Now, the dungeon leading to the Serpentid was marked by a black portal.

Transitioning from a black portal to a special dungeon was unusual.

Yet, strangely enough, it actually happened—three times, no less.

While two of these special dungeons weren’t important since they weren’t part of any collection, the special dungeon opened through the Serpentid was different.

"Should I start right away?"

Baal’s eyes curved into a crescent shape.

The wager’s timeline was half a year.

Within that half-year, Jeong-hoon had to clear the 10 dungeons Baal presented.

Currently, nearly two months had passed.

In other words, Jeong-hoon had roughly four months left.

“I know. Just remember that you need to present all 10 within that half-year as well.”

If Baal proposed them too tightly spaced, it would put Jeong-hoon at a disadvantage.

“We’ll see about that.”

Jeong-hoon smirked and carried the unconscious Aditya out of the dungeon.

Outside, a Crusader was waiting with a grave expression.

"You’re out! You devil... Aditya!"

He looked ready to charge, but upon seeing Aditya slung over Jeong-hoon’s back, his face turned pale.

Aditya’s right shoulder, where his arm should have been, was missing.

“If you’re itching to get beaten up, go ahead.”

Jeong-hoon grinned, and the Crusader halted his steps.

“L-let go of Aditya!”

“I was already planning to.”

Jeong-hoon gently lowered Aditya and shook him by his left shoulder.

“Ugh, where am I...?!”

Slowly regaining consciousness, Aditya quickly sat up.

“Are you awake?”

“Huh… Huh? Am I alive?”

“Yes.”

“Ahh!”

At Jeong-hoon’s words, Aditya broke into sobs.

“Aditya… what in the world happened in there?”

Now speaking more respectfully, the Crusader cautiously questioned Jeong-hoon.

With the Crusader showing proper courtesy, Jeong-hoon responded accordingly.

“We were wiped out by the Serpentid. Of everyone who entered, he’s the only survivor.”

“Impossible…”

The Crusader’s legs seemed to give out as he slumped to the ground.

Jeong-hoon looked at him incredulously and asked, “What on earth made you think it was a good idea to enter an unranked dungeon?”

The portal exuded such intense magic that just approaching it should have been out of the question.

Did they take their lives as a joke?

“I’ll have you know, our guild master has a legendary-grade detection skill. That skill assured us that the dungeon was safe.”

“Wasn’t it a failure to detect rather than declaring it safe?”

“…….”

“A foolish leader drove everyone into a death trap.”

“Don’t insult our guild master!”

“So, if that guild master hadn’t called this dungeon safe, you wouldn’t have thought of going in, right?”

“That’s…”

The Crusader fell silent, unable to refute Jeong-hoon’s words.

“He’s right… if it weren’t for the guild master, things wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

“Aditya…”

“Thank you for saving me… If not for you, I would have died as well.”

Aditya expressed his gratitude to Jeong-hoon.

Jeong-hoon waved it off.

“It’s fine. But could you guard this ship a little longer?”

“Huh? Why?”

“There’s still a dungeon I need to clear inside.”

“I see…”

“The inside is safe, so you can move the bodies onto the ship.”

“Thank you.”

After moving Aditya onto the ship, Jeong-hoon re-entered the portal.

* * *

As the Asian man said, Serpentid lurking within the dungeon had been eliminated.

Beyond that, a green portal shimmered.

He was likely entering there to complete the dungeon.

“Aditya, I should have listened to you… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. It would’ve been strange for anyone to heed my warning in there.”

Aditya blamed the guild master Vikram but didn’t hold any resentment toward the other guild members.

“It’s really safe inside, right…?”

“Yes. Otherwise, how could I have survived?”

“That makes sense.”

Crusader Arundi entered the dungeon with Aditya.

Inside, the scene was horrific.

‘My god…’

Arundi was at a loss for words in the face of the massacre.

There wasn’t a single body with all limbs intact.

“Let’s move them quickly.”

Aditya, somewhat accustomed to the sight, grimaced and started moving the corpses.

“Y-yeah.”

Arundi followed him.

* * *

The place he crossed into through the portal was atop an iceberg.

The iceberg was so massive that the ocean was barely visible, and in the distance, a gate to a city leading to the capital was visible.

Jeong-hoon touched the ground with his hand.

It was so lukewarm that he barely felt the cold.

“A preservation spell.”

It appeared that preservation magic was keeping the iceberg from melting.

Plants were even growing on it.

They were all unfamiliar species, and the ice was so transparent that their roots could be seen extending below.

[Starting the first episode.]

[EP.1 The Past of Riadolf]

The episode begins.

As soon as it starts, the city gates open, revealing three soldiers.

“Phew, why are things so hectic these days….”

“Tell me about it.”

“Wait! Intruder!”

In the midst of their idle chatter, one soldier pointed toward Jeong-hoon.

All three soldiers drew their swords and slowly approached him.

Jeong-hoon calmly raised his hands to show he had no intention of fighting.

A question mark blinked above the head of the soldier in the center.

[Episode Quest: The Powerful Nation of Riadolf]

- Condition: Defeat the Serpentid

- Reward: Ability to proceed to the next quest + EXP

- Description: Enter Riadolf.

The first quest was to gain entry into Riadolf.

“Kking.”

At that moment, Sloth, who was nestled in Jeong-hoon’s arms, tried to wriggle out.

Jeong-hoon held him back to prevent him from emerging.

‘Not food.’

One must be discerning with what they consume.

These soldiers were NPCs necessary for the episode’s progression.

Upon accepting the quest, the guards became even more hostile.

“Show your identification.”

“Failure to do so will mean we’ll consider you an enemy.”

Identification.

Of course, Jeong-hoon had none.

‘How should I handle this…?’

Jeong-hoon pondered briefly.

The quest required entry into Riadolf.

In other words, he just needed to get in by any means necessary.

“I apologize.”

“What… ack!”

“Hup! Ugh!”

“Who does he think he… gah!”

Jeong-hoon swiftly subdued the guards with hand strikes using his Celestial Martial Art.

All three collapsed in an instant.

[Can you really just barge in like this…?]

Mukho asked in disbelief.

“There’s no other reasonable way.”

It was clear from the look in the guards’ eyes.

Their vigilance toward outsiders was unusually high.

Trying to persuade them to let him enter Riadolf would’ve been impossible.

Subduing them to slip into the city was his best option.

Jeong-hoon quietly passed them and crossed Riadolf’s gates.

“W-who’s there!”

Of course, it was only a matter of time before he was noticed.

But Jeong-hoon, using his Celestial Martial Art, easily eluded them.

Jeong-hoon noticed a beggar sitting on the street, a blinking exclamation mark hovering above his head. It seemed that entering Riadolf through this unconventional route was, indeed, the correct approach.

---

[NPC Information]

- Nickname: Patrick

- Level: 50

- Class: Beggar

---

Jeong-hoon approached the beggar.

[Quest completed.]

[You have gained 3,000,000 experience points.]

[You may now proceed to the next quest.]

Above the beggar’s head, a question mark began to blink again.

[Episode Quest: Crawford]

- Condition: Entry into Riadolf

- Reward: Access to the next quest + EXP

- Description: Meet with a Crawford guild member and enter the guild headquarters. (The passcode is ‘@$%#@!’.)

The next quest was to infiltrate the guild. For some reason, the beggar wasn’t a mere beggar after all.

Accepting the quest, Jeong-hoon approached and quietly asked, “Are you a member of the Crawford Guild?”

“Huh? What’s that? Can’t you just spare some money…? I haven’t eaten in days, and I’m really about to starve….”

The beggar rubbed his stomach, pleading with Jeong-hoon.

With a small grin, Jeong-hoon took out paper and a pen from his inventory and wrote down the passcode from the quest.

It was a series of symbols converted into special characters when the quest was granted—he didn’t know what it meant, but it was clear this was needed.

“Could you lead me to Crawford?” he asked, showing the slip of paper.

The beggar’s dull expression shifted dramatically.

“...Follow me.”

He stood up quietly, glancing around with caution.

---

[NPC Information]

- Nickname: Patrick

- Level: 250

- Class: Crawford Guild Member

---

The NPC’s info updated, and his level shot up from 50 to 250.

Without pausing his wary glances, he led Jeong-hoon to a tavern along the road heading north from Riadolf.

“Is it here?”

“Yes.”

Patrick nodded and opened the tavern door.

As they entered, a man at one of the tables, who was enjoying his drink, jumped up with a scowl.

“Hey! What’s a beggar doing here, ruining the mood!”

Shone.

No matter how convincingly Patrick acted, his performance appeared riddled with awkwardness to Jeong-hoon.

“What’s wrong? Can’t I come in here?” Patrick shot back defiantly.

In response, the man grabbed him by the collar, sneering, “You think you’re allowed to talk back, huh? Say goodbye, you’re dead today.”

As he began dragging Patrick out, Patrick discreetly signaled Jeong-hoon with a small hand motion—an invitation to follow.

Jeong-hoon obediently trailed behind, and they made their way to a narrow alley beside the building.

“He’s the one who spoke the passcode,” Patrick said quietly.

The man nodded, releasing Patrick’s collar with a respectful nod.

“Yes. Understood.”

“I’ll guide him to the guild. Make sure everything’s in order behind us.”

“Yes.”

Patrick led Jeong-hoon to a small door at the back of the building. A few men lounged there, idly smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, clearly stationed to guard the entrance. As Patrick approached, they stubbed out their cigarettes on the ground and stood up, bowing in greeting.

“Sir, you’ve arrived!”

“Yes. Open the door.”

“Understood.”

With a loud creak, the door opened.

“Let’s go inside.”

Following Patrick, Jeong-hoon stepped through the door and found himself descending a steep staircase that seemed to stretch on forever. Finally reaching the bottom, they arrived at another door. Patrick placed his hand on it, causing a soft glow to emerge as the door smoothly swung open.

“What is this place?” Jeong-hoon asked.

“The guild headquarters,” Patrick replied, gesturing at the expansive area beyond—a space large enough to justify the title of a guild’s main base. Inside, seven people were busy at their stations, and above one individual, who appeared to be the guild master, an exclamation mark blinked.

Approaching the guild master, Jeong-hoon completed his quest.

[Quest completed.]

[You have gained 4,000,000 experience points.]

[You may now proceed to the next quest.]

Once again, a question mark blinked above the guild master’s head, signaling the next step.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]