by Park Saenal
The white phosphorus tree was as hard as dragon iron. Cutting it? It was impossible unless the best people in the Hwan Kingdom came. There weren’t one thousand year old white phosphorus trees for nothing.
“You are the friend from this morning. You’re aware that I don’t want ordinary firewood, right?”
“Of course. I am well aware. This is very remarkable firewood.”
Grid was beaming. White thought it was ridiculous.
“Yes, it isn’t a firewood that anyone can obtain.”
Saying that he came to deliver firewood?
‘Did this person paint oak wood white?’
White wouldn’t be deceived by such a cheap trick. Grid grinned at White and raised a thumb.
“Amazing. Did you see my skills with one glance and gave me a hard task? You knew it from the beginning. I’m able to chop down the white phosphorus tree.”
“…?”
White couldn’t understand this nonsense. They were talking face-to-face, but a conversation couldn’t be established. White was in the shade so only his dark skin was visible. Grid pulled out the white phosphorus wood.
“I studied many things thanks to you. Here. It’s what you requested.”
‘This isn’t an ordinary trickster.’
This was one of the typical characteristics of a scammer. It was to use ambiguous or distracting words to make a person less vigilant.
‘Hrmm, it won’t work on me.’
White never trusted anyone since being betrayed by his wife. He was convinced that Grid was a scammer and started to look at the firewood with distrustful eyes.
‘Trying to trick me by painting oak wood white… Heok? Heooook!!”
White’s face became darker. He looked at the firewood with a disbelieving expression and started looking through them. Then he became more and more shocked.
‘T-This is really white phosphorus wood?’
He was certain. There was no doubt. Thus, White was confused.
‘H-He really cut down the white phosphorus tree?’
The white phosphorus tree wasn’t hard to cut down just because of its hardness. It was the nature of the white phosphorus tree to emit flames as soon as it was hurt. Even if a person managed to cut down the white phosphorus tree, death was waiting for them.
It was impossible to obtain firewood from a living white phosphorus tree. But this black-haired youth in front of White. To be honest, White didn’t catch his name, yet this unknown young man had cut down the white phosphorus tree.
‘…It can’t be!’
The astonished White came to a conclusion. Maybe this man in front of him…
‘A legendary woodcutter!’
Handling gold and silver axes!
‘Once a person reaches the peak in one field, they will become a daoist! Is this a daoist who is about to leave for Shangri-La?’
Yes, it was White’s own mistake when he thought this young man was interested in becoming an apprentice blacksmith. In fact, he wasn’t a blacksmith, but a great woodcutter.
‘Ahh…! Who knew that my smithy would have such a person helping them?’
Perhaps his father had made a deal with this person to help the White Hammer smithy. He must’ve thought about the old ties with the White Hammer smithy and ran over.
“Thank you! I really appreciate it!”
White was caught in a big misunderstanding and bowed to Grid. Bowing all of a sudden? Grid’s expression stiffened.
“…Thanking me like this, does that mean you didn’t expect it? Don’t tell me that you’re trying to decrease the value?”
Grid’s eyes changed the moment he spoke these words. He also lowered his voice. It was to express a threat about what would happen if White took away some rewards.
‘Ohh! This pressure!’ White felt a big thrill as he looked at Grid. ‘This is really a daoist. In fact, he doesn’t need a reward. But I will feel burdened if he helps me without receiving anything in return.’
The heart was like a sea. White felt really thrilled.
“No way. Of course I will give the appropriate rewards.”
Ttiring~
Then a notification window flashed in front of Grid.
[The quest difficulty of ‘Chop Firewood!’ has been revealed.]
[The quest difficulty of ‘Chop Firewood!’ is SS+.]
[The clearance compensation for Chop Firewood! has changed.]
[The character experience and experience of all skills will increase by 40%.]
[The Legendary Blacksmith’s Breath is now Lv. 7.]
[Blacksmith’s Rage is now Lv. 7.]
[The level of Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Link, is now Lv. 8.]
[The level of Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Kill, is now Lv. 7.]
[The level of Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Wave, is now Lv. 6.]
[The level of Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Pinnacle, is now Lv. 6.]
[The level of Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Restraint, is now Lv. 4.]
[The level of Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Transcend, is now Lv. 4.]
[The affinity with White, the master of the White Hammer smithy, has reached the peak!]
[In the future, you can buy all items in the White Hammer smithy at a 20% cheaper price. The goods you sell will be bought for a 20% higher price.]
“…Wow.”
The quest was really difficult. He was convinced when he saw it was an SS+ quest.
‘No, what constitutes an SSS quest?’
Grid thought he was probably the only player able to clear the white phosphorus tree logging quest. It was a quest that only one out of two billion users could clear. Considering the difficulty, he felt like 40% character experience and skills experience was actually less than he deserved. At the very least, he should’ve gained one level for each. Grid felt regret.
Then White looked at him and asked carefully.
“Perhaps… What is your name?”
“…” This man didn’t even know his name? “Grid.”
Grid replied with an absurd expression and White grabbed both his hands.
“Do you know the famous battlegear production competition of Pangea?
‘Battlegear production competition?’
Grid didn’t know. He couldn’t answer as White shouted towards him.
“Grid! Please come to watch the competition! In order to repay your hard work, the White Hammer smithy will definitely win this year!”
“Oh…”
Grid’s mouth curved upwards. He couldn’t resist an opportunity to see the skills of the blacksmiths of the East Continent.
“When is the competition?”
“In three days.”
‘Okay’
He could spend three days adjusting to the hunting grounds near Pangea and return with loot to sell. Grid made a decision and nodded.
“I understand. I will expect to see something good in three days.”
Chapter 516
Chapter 516
“Then I’m going.”
The first thing Grid did after leaving the smithy was to set an alarm. It was an alarm so that he would return in time for the battlegear production competition held in three days.
“I’m anticipating it…”
Grid definitely had to watch the competition.
White said that the skills of the blacksmiths participation in the competition were great.
‘The Black Anvil smithy specializes in tanning, the Red Tongs smithy in quenching, and the Blue Flames smithy in the furnace processes?’
It was just like the blacksmiths of the White Hammer smithy being exceptional in forging.
‘This will be a good study.’
Grid had inherited Pagma’s techniques, but his overall experience and knowledge tended to be lacking. The blacksmiths of the East Continent had built up their know-how for many years. Just like with the White Hammer smithy, Grid was expected to be able to learn new things from the competition.
‘I can’t be conceited despite being a legendary bla
cksmith!’
The proud Grid wanted to learn from less talented blacksmiths in order to reach a higher ground. He puffed up his chest and walked in a dignified manner through the streets.
“Hmm?”
Grid received information that a monster community existed to the north of Pangea and headed to the north gate. He suddenly stopped walking. It was because he heard a familiar name in his ears.
“Try it once! Just one bite of our orc cream pie will have your juices flowing! The combination of the fragrant orc fat and the refreshing cream is perfect! It’s a dish that Pangea’s little hero, Kraugel, admired for being delicious!”
‘Kraugel? Pangea’s little hero?’
The chef was talking about the same Kraugel that Grid knew?
‘Of course.’
Kraugel was the 1st ranked user and created a sensation wherever he went. Not only was he strong and fast at levelling up, he was also famous for his understanding of the quests.
“Kraugel’s name resonates through all the villages and cities that he visits…”
It wasn’t something just spoken between players. Grid smiled bitterly and approached the middle-aged chef.
“One orc cream pie please.”
He was curious to taste the dish that Kraugel praised. In addition, he wanted to know what types of activities Kraugel did here.
‘Why is he called the little hero?’
Grid wasn’t suspicious because he didn’t believe that the word ‘orc’ in front of the name meant the monster orc. He paid 1 silver to pay for drinks service and looked at the pie with anticipation. At first glance, the pie was an orange cream pie. The outside pastry looked crisp and the inside looked moist.
“Ohu.”
Grid thought that 1 silver wasn’t a high price as he took a bite of the pie. His face distorted.
‘Not even a dog would eat this.’
It was cream without the freshness of fruit and was sour like vinegar. It wasn’t smooth and stuck to the tongue. The mean inside was too tough and chewy. The pie looked crisp on the outside and moist on the inside? More like it was burnt on the outside and poison on the inside.
‘How can this be called food?’
Rather than the ingredients used for this dish, the oxygen consumed by the chef was a waste. The chef approached the angry Grid and asked.
“How is it? Delicious?”
“…”
He was asking sincerely? Grid closed his mouth and the chef, Idan, spoke unabashedly. “Did you know that Kraugel ate four of these pies? They are really delicious!”
“Is this true?”
“Yes, hundreds of people saw it.”
“Crazy…”
Grid felt sympathy towards Kraugel. What type of tasteless food did he grow up with that he would praise this garbage pie? Grid hurriedly asked Idan a question. He had lost 1 silver, so he intended to get as much as possible from stepping foot in this restaurant.
“Who is Kraugel? What did he do that made him be called a little hero?”
“Ah, you are an outsider. I noticed that you didn’t know the taste of my pie.”
‘I know.’
Grid barely suppressed the words that tried to come out.
“Pangea was originally a rich and peaceful city for hundreds of years. But two years ago, that peace suddenly ended. Our great lord suffered an illness and his aide, Arube, was appointed as temporary lord.”
“Then Arube was a bad person and Kraugel defeated him?”
“Hat… Hum hum, it’s similar but different. Excuse me, this person. Please listen to everything I have to say first. I want to talk.”
It felt like Idan had a lot of say.
“Anyway, the story is as you predicted until the middle. Arube, who was famous for his good behavior, became a tyrant after being appointed as the lord. He came out from time to time to harass women, took away land from farmers using all types of excuses, and raised the taxes.”
It was too obvious. Grid’s ears pricked with interest as Idan’s story entered a new phase.
“One day, monsters started to infest the areas near Pangea. Pangea, where monsters have never showed up for hundreds of years!”
“Is it the monster habitat in the north?”
“Right, right. They were really frightening. The monsters moved systematically like an army and dealt tremendous damage to Pangea. People grumbled and hated the monsters that seemed to fall from the sky. We couldn’t resist them and were trampled on helplessly.”
“Then Kraugel appeared?”
“Yes! Our little hero appeared! As if he fell from the sky, he appeared and took down one or two monsters.”
‘One or two? The sky above the sky?’
Grid thought that it would be something amazing, but it was surprisingly simple.
‘Usually stories are exaggerated when talking about heroism… Ah.’
Grid realized.
‘The monsters on the East Continent are extremely strong.’
The monsters that invaded Pangea. Even Kraugel could barely deal with one or two. That’s what the chef said.
“Despite Kraugel’s presence, Pangea couldn’t escape from the crisis. The monsters were too strong. The cavalry and strategies that Pangea are proud of didn’t work… Yes, it was like someone was directing them to attack Pangea.”
“Was that person Arube?”
“Huh?” Idan couldn’t help feeling admiration. “How are you able to infer the story so easily and accurately? Are you perhaps a detective? Can you find the puppy that disappeared from my house?”
“…”
It was a tiring style. Grid remained silent and Idan went back to the main point.
“Yes, the monsters were controlled by Arube. More than 2,000 monsters were controlled by one person. Isn’t it truly amazing? Arube was just an ordinary civilian before this!”
“Wow, amazing.”
The story was so obvious that it wasn’t anything special. Grid felt irritated because he had to eat unpleasant food and thought this was a waste of time.
“In fact, there was a reversal here. Arube wasn’t Arube. It was a wicked demon who killed Arube, disguised himself, and then tried to destroy Pangea.”
‘This is the true story.’
Anyway, things had become clear. The daoist priests of the East Continent were completely different from the magicians of the West Continent.
‘A legendary great magician wouldn’t be able to control 2,000 monsters like limbs, right?’
‘Right. It is impossible even for a taming master. Not all of them are strong, but it’s better to be on the lookout.’
‘Yes, let’s go.’
Grid rose from his seat after Braham’s answer when Idan blocked him.
“That’s why. Find traces of the great hero who helped kill the evil daoist priest that the little hero Kraugel couldn’t defeat alone.”
Was this a quest? Why else would it go back to the true story? Grid had just come to a conclusion when a quest window appeared in front of him.
[Find the Traces of the Great Hero!]
Difficulty: A
The evil daoist priest revealed his identity. The small hero Kraugel fought with him and tasted despair. Pangea seemed to be on the verge of destruction.
But then a mysterious hero appeared. Later, the people of Pangea praised him as the great hero. The hero instantly defeated the evil daoist priest and saved Pangea from the crisis, but he didn’t disclose his identity and left. This made the residents of Pangea feel sorry. They have a strong desire to find the great hero and give thanks.
In particular, chef Idan has a duty to find the great hero. It is to regain the frying pan that was passed down through the family’s chefs for generations.
Quest Clear Conditions: Find the frying pan somewhere in the monster community.
Quest Clear Reward: Free lifetime use of Idan’s restaurant. 30% character experience.
Quest Failure: Idan, who is famous for his mouth, will talk about your fa
ults all over Pangea.
“The place where the great hero was last seen was the north! But it has long been famous for the wild beasts and since the monsters arrived, it’s hard for me to head there directly. Please find the great hero’s trail and get my frying pan back!”
“…Ah.”
It certainly wasn’t a bad quest. Grid planned to hunt in the north anyway, so he was in a position to look for the frying pan. If he could find the frying pan, he would receive 30% experience for free. The only disagreeable thing was the free lifetime pass to Idan’s restaurant.
‘…Well, I don’t have to eat there, so there’s no reason to refuse.’
Grid made a decision and nodded.
“I understand. It’s very hard, dangerous, and troublesome, but I will do my best. But I have one question. What is the correlation between the great hero and the frying pan?”
Idan gritted his teeth.
“When he appeared, the evil daoist priest… I was cooking in the kitchen and ran out onto the street with my frying pan. Then I bumped into the damn hero. He took my frying pan and beat the evil daoist priest with it?”
“…He beat the daoist priest with a frying pan?”
“Yes! It was great when the hero hit him with my frying pan! Wonderful and invigorating! But what? He left without returning the item he borrowed! He left with my frying pan!”
“…”
“For a chef, a frying pan is like the soul! It’s like that hero stole my soul! Then he threw it away somewhere without a thought!”
There were really too many words. Just listening to the high voice was tiring. Grid quickly left the restaurant. Then he immediately left by the north gate.
Chapter 517
Chapter 517
“Magic Detection.”
Magic Detection (Enhanced) Lv. 2 had a casting time of 5 seconds and a cooldown time of 8 minutes. It was significantly shortened compared to the Lv. 1 Magic Detection.
“Magic Detection.”
After leaving the north gate.
Grid used Magic Detection every time the cooldown was over on the way to the monster community. Thanks to the reduced skill cooldown time option attached to Braham’s Boots, Grid was able to use Magic Detection every 5 minutes and 30 seconds.
Why did he keep using Magic Detection? It was to increase the level of Magic Detection while preparing for any unknown danger.