Chapter 63: Chapter 63

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Chapter 63

“It’s a wonderful day! Please rest well until dinner!”

Blaine said, giving instructions to the butler, who then guided Jeong-Hoon to an empty room.

It was a rather luxurious room for a guest room.

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Yes.”

Jeong-Hoon sat down on a nearby chair and fiddled with the badge.

He had obtained the badge 1-2 weeks earlier than planned.

His initial plan was to subjugate the Ogre King.

To do that, he had to complete the prerequisite quest of helping the villagers, which he had bypassed thanks to Isaac.

There was no need to rush anymore.

‘Because the Radiant Star is in my hands.’

Originally, Alessandro, who had found clues about the hidden theme, would have taken the Radiant Star and opened the hidden theme.

Of course, he hadn’t subjugated the Ogre King himself. A BJ user who was broadcasting the content as a quest had subjugated the Ogre King and obtained the Radiant Star, which Alessandro then acquired.

[Radiant Star]

-Type: Material

-Grade: Epic

-A small star that shines on its own.

Of course, the BJ had no idea what the Radiant Star was or how to use it, so he handed it over to Alessandro, lured by the large sum of money offered.

In the end, Alessandro, having obtained the Radiant Star, discovered the hidden theme through it.

“Was it three weeks later that Alessandro found out?”

It must have been right, since the BJ subjugating the Ogre King happened about two weeks later.

Knock. Knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

Jeong-Hoon put the badge in his inventory.

“Who is it?”

“Yes. A guest has arrived. What should I do?”

“A guest?”

“It’s Knight Isaac.”

It seemed the news of the successful subjugation had reached him.

“Yes. Let him in.”

As soon as Jeong-Hoon gave permission, the door opened as if on cue, and Isaac entered.

“Are you alright?!”

Isaac fussed over Jeong-Hoon, checking him over with a worried look.

Jeong-Hoon laughed at his concern and said,

“Yes. I’m fine.”

As he said, Jeong-Hoon was perfectly fine.

Isaac clicked his tongue at his perfect condition.

“To be this fine after subjugating the Ogre King… You’re truly something else.”

“By the way, can I ask you a favor after the banquet?”

“A favor?”

“Yes.”

“Anything, just ask!”

* * *

The banquet was held in a grand manner.

“To the benefactor of Autobahn!”

And the protagonist of this banquet was Jeong-Hoon.

“Do you know him? He saved my life, and this time, he even subjugated the Ogre King without asking for any reward.”

Isaac tilted his glass and went around to different groups, preaching Jeong-Hoon’s heroic deeds.

“Huh? Really? He didn’t even ask for gold or items?”

“I’m telling you, it’s true! I’ve never seen anyone so righteous in my life.”

The eyes of those who heard his words were filled with respect for Jeong-Hoon.

Of course, there were some blockheads who were not easily swayed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I heard he received the Honorary Knight badge. The title of knight without a knighting ceremony? That’s absurd.”

Isaac’s eyes widened at the blunt voice.

“Hey, have you forgotten how cruel the Ogre King is?”

The knight who had made the remark flinched at his gaze and hiccuped.

“Hic… No, that’s not it.”

“He went and dealt with it alone. If it weren’t for our benefactor, someone here could have died. Am I wrong?”

“…”

“The badge was bestowed by the lord, who was moved by his chivalry. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand, so stop being angry.”

“Come on, listen. Let me tell you why our benefactor is a true knight.”

Isaac praised Jeong-Hoon with spit flying from his mouth.

“Was Isaac always so talkative?”

“No. He was the most taciturn one.”

“That means this stranger must have accomplished something truly remarkable.”

The groups that Isaac hadn’t reached yet glanced at Jeong-Hoon, who was sipping his drink.

A stranger who came from another place, not a resident of Autobahn.

Those people never moved without a reward.

That’s why it was hard to believe Isaac’s story.

“Have you heard my story?”

Isaac approached them before they knew it.

They were his next target.

“How could we not hear it when you’re shouting so loudly?”

“More than that, it’s amazing. If your story is true, isn’t he a true knight?”

“Oh! This group seems reasonable. Alright, then listen to my story.”

Isaac smiled brightly.

Jeong-Hoon, watching this, chuckled in disbelief.

‘He’s making me out to be a saint.’

For the record, this wasn’t what Jeong-Hoon had asked for.

It meant that Isaac was just doing whatever he wanted.

“Haha… Should we just let him be?”

Blaine asked with an awkward laugh.

He was drinking across from Jeong-Hoon.

“Yes, just let him be.”

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t embarrassed, but it wasn’t bad to have his reputation improved.

He had to stay in Autobahn for quite a while.

“By the way, how long are you planning to stay in Autobahn?”

“Well, I haven’t decided yet.”

“Then how about staying here until you leave?”

“In the room you gave me?”

“Yes.”

“Um, I’ll be going out a lot…”

It wasn’t a bad offer.

The buff you received while resting in the lord’s castle guest room was particularly good.

[Experience gain increased by 5% (24 hours)]

A buff that increases experience gained when resting for 3 hours.

Levels 100-150 were a period for focused leveling.

He had to follow his plan, but Jeong-Hoon couldn’t neglect leveling up either.

That’s why he couldn’t miss out on the experience buff.

“Yes! Of course! You’re free to come and go as you please.”

“Then I’ll do that.”

* * *

The next day, after the bustling banquet and a good night’s rest after logging out, Jeong-Hoon went out at the crack of dawn.

His destination was an abandoned dungeon located on the border between the western and southern parts of Autobahn.

An abandoned dungeon was a place where it had lost its function and nothing existed anymore.

The portal had also disappeared, leaving only traces.

“Hoon, you’re here?”

Isaac was standing in front of the dungeon.

It was because of the request Jeong-Hoon had made before the banquet.

‘I’ll visit the abandoned dungeon at dawn tomorrow. Please make sure there are no people around.’

Normally, even Isaac couldn’t do that.

However, Jeong-Hoon had been awarded the Honorary Knight badge by Blaine.

Although it was called an honorary knight, in terms of power, it was several steps above Isaac, who had completed the knighting ceremony.

This was because the badge was made by the previous lord to grant the wearer the authority right below the lord within the territory.

‘Abandoned dungeon? Why…?’

‘I have something to do at that abandoned dungeon.’

‘Hmm… You’re not planning on doing anything dangerous, are you?’

‘No.’

There was only one abandoned dungeon in Autobahn.

This was because dungeons usually disappeared without a trace when they lost their function.

However, this abandoned dungeon still had traces even though it had lost its function.

Contaminated mana remained where the portal had disappeared.

The concentration of mana was so high that those who hadn’t trained in mana would be poisoned and die if they approached it.

And they would die feeling extreme pain as everything in their body melted away.

‘In a way, it’s similar to radiation.’

Just like how the body breaks down when exposed to radiation.

Of course, it wasn’t safe even if you had trained in mana.

If you hadn’t reached a certain level, you would still be poisoned.

Even Isaac, an Epic grade Saber, couldn’t last long in the contaminated mana.

However, since the contaminated mana didn’t spread beyond a certain distance, this abandoned dungeon was fine as long as you didn’t get too close.

Therefore, the knights of Autobahn took turns blocking anyone from approaching the abandoned dungeon, and since Isaac had dismissed all the knights, only Jeong-Hoon and Isaac were around.

“Please step aside for a moment.”

“What are you trying to do…?”

“I need to check something.”

“It’s dangerous to get close!”

Jeong-Hoon tried to get closer, but Isaac quickly grabbed his arm.

“It’s okay. I’ve endured the contaminated mana before.”

But Jeong-Hoon was different.

He had entered the hidden dungeon in Idenharc and had endured the contaminated mana there.

“You endured it?”

“Yes.”

Jeong-Hoon nodded, and Isaac finally released his grip.

“Thank you. Then would you mind stepping aside for a moment, Isaac?”

“Alright. But if anything happens, I’ll intervene, so please understand.”

“Yes.”

Only after hearing the reply did Isaac move away.

Jeong-Hoon, left alone, approached the traces of the portal.

[Purifying contaminated mana.]

[Purifying contaminated mana.]

The contaminated mana attacked Jeong-Hoon, but his divine power instantly purified it.

‘Then shall we begin?’

Jeong-Hoon took out the Radiant Star he had stored in his inventory.

‘There was one abandoned dungeon in Autobahn. It was known that the dungeon had lost its function and disappeared, but that’s not true.’

Alessandro Bryden had once explained how to use the Radiant Star.

This abandoned dungeon was a hidden device of New World.

Many users had caught wind of it and tried to decipher the secret hidden in this abandoned dungeon, but they had all failed.

A single abandoned dungeon?

It was too strange.

But no one had been able to unravel the secret of the abandoned dungeon.

‘They planted a device and then unlocked it at the right time.’

And the key to that was this Radiant Star.

Jeong-Hoon placed the Radiant Star on the traces of the portal.

Then an amazing change occurred.

[The Radiant Star illuminates the blocked entrance.]

[The lock is released.]

Woooooo-

The Radiant Star vibrated slightly and purified the contaminated mana.

The contaminated mana was quickly purified, and the portal, which had only been a trace, began to form again.

That’s right.

This abandoned dungeon hadn’t lost its function; the entrance was just blocked.

The Radiant Star was the key to opening that blocked entrance.

“Huh…?!”

Isaac, who was watching from afar, widened his eyes.

How could the portal, which had only been a trace, be recreated?

“This is crazy… How did he recreate that portal?”

At this point, he was curious about Jeong-Hoon’s identity.

Not only had he rescued him from the dark streets, but he had also single-handedly subjugated the Ogre King and now restored an abandoned dungeon.

‘Could Hoon be the successor of the Knight King?’

The Knight King.

A legendary figure admired by all knights.

“Isaac.”

Jeong-Hoon’s call snapped Isaac out of his thoughts.

Isaac hurriedly approached Jeong-Hoon.

“Did you call me?!”

“I’ll be going in for a bit, so please keep watch and make sure no one approaches.”

“Here…?”

“Yes. I’m going to get rid of the abandoned dungeon.”

“Is that possible?!”

The abandoned dungeon was one of Autobahn’s headaches.

It was located right on the border between the west and south, and since it was inaccessible to most people, the surrounding area had been sealed off.

Not only that, but the knights had to take turns guarding the area.

But if the abandoned dungeon disappeared, there would be no need to block off this area anymore.

It would be a great welcome for Autobahn, as it wouldn’t waste manpower.

“I’ll try.”

“…You really are something else.”

How many times had he saved Autobahn, including Isaac himself…?

For him, Jeong-Hoon was a knight worthy of respect.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“You can count on me. I won’t let anyone approach me.”

Isaac pointed to the sword at his waist, expressing his determination.

If anyone ignored his words and approached, he would cut them down, no matter who they were.