[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 249
The sudden, massive earthquake caused chaos around the world.
These words appeared in the sky.
It was a phenomenon reminiscent of when the game became reality.
Since such phenomena hadnât occurred after the initial stages, it had been forgotten for a while. But why was it appearing again?
Furthermore, just like before, the message was transmitted through all electronic devices.
1%.
While it might seem small as a percentage, in numbers, it meant tens of millions.
This implied that the earthquakes would continue until those tens of millions perished.
People turned pale and trembled in fear.
âAre you kidding me?!â
âCanât you see weâre working like crazy to stop this penalty?!â
âYou bastards of New World!â
Even worse, it was stated that the penalty could not be halted.
âHow are we supposed to handle this damage?!â
âDamn it!â
The issue wasnât just the death of tens of millions.
The world had already been devastated by monsters.
Many places were still undergoing restoration efforts.
If continuous earthquakes were to occur now, not only would the restoration efforts fail, but the very infrastructure of society would collapse.
Greater damage.
Those who received the message clenched their teeth.
The large-scale earthquakes alone had already brought destruction, but if there were to be even greater damage, humanity could genuinely face extinction.
ââ¦This isnât the time to be completing a 4th Class Advancement Quest, is it?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYouâre rightâ¦â
Before starting the quest, Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo intended to share its details.
But with the sudden massive earthquakes, the message had come through.
âFor now, letâs contact Hoon.â
âUnderstood.â
Ha-Jin quickly tried calling Jeong-hoon.
The signal connected before the phone could even ring twice.
[Why are you calling instead of doing the quest?]
Jeong-hoonâs voice on the other end was remarkably calm.
âNo, it doesnât seem like the right time to be doing the quest.â
[You two just focus on the quest. Iâll handle this situation myself.]
âHandle it yourself?â
[Yeah. I already knew this large-scale earthquake was going to happen.]
âReally?!â
[Yes.]
As expected of Jeong-hoon.
Though it was unclear how he knew, if Jeong-hoon was speaking with such confidence, it meant he also knew how to resolve the crisis.
"Ah, got it. Then I'll trust you and head to complete the quest."
[Alright. Next time I see you, you better have completed your 4th Advancement. Got it?]
"â¦I'll try my best."
[Don't just try. Once you finish the 4th Advancement, youâll head straight to Rease.]
Rease.
It was the name of the village where Jeong-hoon had stayed before New World became reality.
The village was characterized by its formation of cities based on specific professions.
After reality and the game merged, Ha-Jin thought heâd never return, but Jeong-hoon brought up Rease again.
"Why Rease? Is there something good there?"
[Who knows? You'll have to see for yourself when you get there.]
"Huh?"
[Anyway, make sure you complete it.]
The call ended abruptly.
âWhat did Hoon say, hyung?â
"â¦He told us to finish the 4th Advancement, no matter what."
"Ah, I seeâ¦"
***
âThis should motivate them.â
Jeong-hoon had intentionally mentioned Rease.
While there wasnât an immediate reason to head there, humans tend to work harder when given a tangible goal.
âFor now, I need to deal with that penalty.â
Koo-goo-goong!
Another massive earthquake struck, toppling even the few buildings that were still standing.
Jeong-hoon walked forward, recalling what he knew.
The method to erase the forced penalty required clearing a specific number of dungeons.
âClear 2,000 dungeons to close them. Once all are cleared, a portal to the dungeon created by the Transcendent will open. Only by perfectly clearing that dungeon can the forced penalty be lifted.â
It was an extremely complex process.
In the early stages of the gameâs reality merge, penalties were erased through simpler tasks, almost like tutorials. But now, the difficulty had skyrocketed, making it significantly harder to remove penalties.
âI need to move as quickly as possible.â
Jeong-hoon stepped into a nearby shimmering portal.
Not just any dungeon would suffice.
The requirement was to clear dungeons of Lv.201 or higher. Only then would progress count toward the goal.
[Lv.245: Blood Snakeâs Den]
There was no time to waste.
Jeong-hoon entered the portal.
[Would you like to enter the Lv.245 Blood Snakeâs Den?]
***
The method to remove the penalty was revealed: clear 2,000 dungeons of Lv.201 or higher.
However, when the method was disclosed, the counter stood at only 127.
This meant that since the forced penalty began, only 127 dungeons of Lv.201 or higher had been cleared globally.
"Damn it⦠Why does it have to be 201 or higher?"
"This is going to drive me insane."
Dungeons Level 201 and Above
While the level was an obstacle, the real issue lay in the difficulty of the dungeons.
Starting from Level 201, the difficulty increased drastically.
Back in the days of New World, players could retry after death, but since reality merged with the game, death meant the end.
Even high-level players were reluctant to challenge high-level dungeons due to the risk.
The other problem was the significant number of players who hadnât reached Level 201.
Leveling up wasnât easy, and most impatient players quit around Level 100. This caused a sharp decrease in the number of players as levels increased.
Clearing 2,000 dungeons was no small feat.
â¦
However, as time passed, the count began rising rapidly.
Even though it was a global effort, the speed was unnaturally fast.
"Is it normal for the count to rise this quickly?"
"â¦Not really."
"Whatever! Just clear more dungeons!"
"Please⦠Just make these earthquakes stop."
Players below Level 200 could do nothing but hope that higher-level players would clear the dungeons.
***
[Master, arenât you overdoing it?]
âYeah. You could take it a little slower.â
Mukho and Anima voiced their concerns, their tones heavy with worry.
But despite their protests, Jeong-hoon had already cleared his 38th dungeon without resting.
Because he only tackled dungeons Level 201 and above, his level didnât increase, but the count steadily climbed.
"I'm fine. I have divine power."
Jeong-hoon recovered his fatigue and stamina using divine power.
To replenish his mana, he drank premium-grade mana recovery juice purchased from the achievement shop.
No matter how many dungeons he cleared, his condition barely wavered.
He glanced at the counter displayed in the sky.
Despite Jeong-hoonâs relentless efforts, the count was rising far too slowly.
This indicated that not all players were contributing to the effort.
"They'll regret this."
Jeong-hoon wasnât just closing dungeons to erase the penalty.
The forced penalty had been meticulously crafted by a transcendent being, likely of at least Demon King level.
This meant that those who cleared the most dungeons were bound to receive a reward.
If the final dungeonâcrafted with the utmost careâwas perfectly cleared, the reward would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
And one more thing.
The reward was highly likely to be connected to the Seven Deadly Sins.
âThat bastard has what belongs to me!â
The artifact tied to the Seven Deadly Sins had reacted.
This gave Jeong-hoon even more reason to clear as many dungeons as possible.
With determination blazing, Jeong-hoon entered yet another Level 201+ dungeon.
***
19 Hours.
Thatâs how long it took to clear 2,000 dungeons.
Of those, Jeong-hoon alone cleared a staggering 102âover 5% of the total effort.
"What? Itâs not over?"
"Are you kidding me!"
Outrage erupted among the players as they read the message.
In the 19 hours it took to clear the 2,000 dungeons, no fewer than seven earthquakes had struck, leaving catastrophic damage in their wake.
Reconstruction would take considerable time, but Jeong-hoon knew it was manageable.
âOnce this forced penalty ends, new items will be added to the point shop. Among them will be restoration scrolls.â
These scrolls could rapidly rebuild the destroyed structures, just as Jeong-hoon had used them countless times before during his regressions.
***
The next condition had been revealed: defeat the Colossus Ursus.
âBack then, they failed to take it down.â
Even when the worldâs top-ranked players gathered, they couldnât defeat Ursus.
This crushing defeat made many rankers acutely aware of their limitations. It also led countless players to ally with James Marcus, swayed by his recruitment efforts.
Sophia Stephanie Agarette, the Dark Mage of France, was one such case.
âLooks like Iâll be seeing most of them there.â
The path to Ursus was straightforward.
Thousands of crimson portals had appeared worldwide. Entering one would lead directly to the Grand Cavern where Ursus awaited.
Jeong-hoon used True Heavenly Demon Lord's Steps to swiftly locate one of the shimmering red portals nearby.
**
"Kill. Kill."
Alessandro Bryden seethed as he recalled the face of the Eastern man who had humiliated him.
He wanted nothing more than to tear the man apart limb by limb and throw him into a blazing inferno.
But his diminished power showed no signs of returning.
âAlessandro!â
âWow, itâs him!â
Everywhere he went, people recognized him.
And why wouldnât they? He had been the worldâs first Archmage to surpass Level 500.
But now?
âDamn it. Iâm no better than some third-rate nobody now.â
His mana was so depleted that he couldnât even cast proper spells. At most, he could manage 3rd-circle magic.
To recover, Alessandro needed to raise his mana levels.
But he had already exhausted every known method.
All he had left were his meager achievement pointsâ6,300 of them.
He couldnât even afford an elixir to increase his mana levels.
The cost of elixirs rose with each purchase, and Alessandro had already used most of his achievement points to boost his mana. Now, acquiring another elixir required a staggering 50,000 points.
âAlessandro! Please, defeat the Colossus Ursus!â
âYes! If itâs you, Alessandro, you can do it!â
Oblivious to his internal despair, the people who spotted him began chanting his name.
Their eyes shone with unwavering belief that Alessandro could lift the penalty.
âDamn it! Damn it!â
Overwhelmed, Alessandro fled from the scene as though running for his life.
âPlease, weâre counting on you!â
âMay the gods bless you!â
The onlookers assumed he was heading toward Ursus and cheered him on with all their might.
But Alessandro wasnât heading for Ursus. He was retreating to the safety of his home.
How could I possibly defeat the Colossus Ursus with mere 3rd-circle magic?
Going there would also mean confronting James Marcusâthe man who had abandoned himâand that insane woman, Amelie, who now clung to Marcus like a parasite.
âDamn it... Someone, anyone, just kill those bastards for meâ¦â
Curled up and burying his face in his hands, Alessandro felt tears welling up.
The countless hours he had poured into New World now felt utterly wasted.
A chilling voice echoed in his ears.
âW-What was that?â
Alessandro flinched, his entire body trembling. Slowly, he lifted his head.
And then, he saw it.
A massive, crimson eye staring back at him.
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]