2) Final Secret Sculpting Technique Quest

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

Pale was carrying a bow in the mountains.

“I knew it would become like this.”

Weed wasn’t among them so it was common to separate for adventures. But this time, they had to recover one of the four treasures of the Niflheim Empire! Mapan had obtained a clue that led towards the Halmerun Mountains and after patrolling it, the environment was really no joke.

His companions had their own opinions.

“We need to sneak into that tree fort.”

“We don’t have a profession that can secretly infiltrate it. It would be hard work even for someone with the profession.”

“Yes… Someone needs to draw their attention.”

And everybody’s eyes fell onto Pale.

Romuna said.

“An a.s.sa.s.sin won’t be easily caught but….”

Irene nodded her head.

“We need someone who won’t die if hit multiple times. If a person has low health then they can’t be the bait.”

Surka felt remorse for 0.3 seconds before saying.

“A counterattack should also be possible! I think that Pale oppa is the only one possible.”

Pale’s name was mentioned directly!

Hwaryeong and Bellot took it for granted.

“I will feel very rea.s.sured if Pale-nim is the one to do this. A man should do this much.”

“Leaders.h.i.+p in adventures can be very attractive….”

Pale was always surrounded by women so his senses were quick.

‘They are pus.h.i.+ng everything to me. Bellot-nim, your tone of voice right now is like when you are acting in a prime-time weekend drama.’

Other men were usually envious of Pale. Gazes were often stuck to him when he was drinking in a tavern in Morata.

‘He is a sought after b.a.s.t.a.r.d.’

‘He must be from a family of independence fighters.’

‘How happy he must be. I would like to be so popular. Well, that probably won’t happen.’

Ironically, the person they were envious of didn’t think it was a good thing. The women ate food while making him pay for it and talked about complex or boring things he didn’t understand.

In particular, the atmosphere when talking about handbags was so serious it was like they studied tannery or leather craftsmans.h.i.+p at university. The women would also nag him about ch.o.r.es.

His girlfriend Maylon also recommended him to undertake the dangerous task of acting as an a.s.sa.s.sin to lure the enemy.

“I believe that you will come back alive and unharmed.”

Maylon was a ranger so she could also undertake this mission. That’s why she wanted Pale to do it instead.

Another man surrounded by the gorgeous women was just drinking water quietly. A fisherman had high health but low movement speed so he wasn’t suitable for the role of luring the enemies.

Zephyr normally came to the front in battles.

Cheerful whispers were sent towards him.

-Take them far away.

It will be risky if we’re nearby!

–

I believe in you.

-Show a cool appearance.

No matter how the girls cheered or complimented him, Pale realized something. Pale was an unfortunate man among pretty girls! But his true character became known once he was alone.

“Regression Arrow.”

Pale ran forward while shooting an arrow. The arrows heading in front of him suddenly changed to the opposite direction. The arrow shot into the heart of an enemy chasing Pale.

“Kyak!”

They were a tribe similar to humans but with blue skin.

Pale shot five arrows at once while running. He had experience with repeatedly inserting arrows into his bow. And he only felt a moderate tension.

‘This crisis is nothing. When I’m with Weed, every moment is like the crossroad between life and death. This degree is only a little dangerous.’

Then the guy next to him grew larger.

“Dispersion Fire!”

Pale turned like lightning and aimed the arrow in the direction of the a.s.sa.s.sin. 20 arrows covered the a.s.sa.s.sin that had grown.

“Keet!”

“Kwaack!”

Pale listened to the screaming as he dodged poison daggers, chain scythes and poisoned arrows.

Pale used the trees and bushes as obstacles. Quick judgement as well as speed was very important.

‘Those fellows aren’t simply pursuing.’

More than 10 people among the a.s.sa.s.sins headed elsewhere. It was to form an encirclement.

‘Left, right? Left side.’

Pale made a short decision after a.n.a.lysing the terrain. He had improved his improvisation and accurate judgement from battles and adventures.

An a.s.sa.s.sin jumped out of a tree and stabbed a dagger towards him.

“Kuhit, die human.”

Pale retreated one step and fired an arrow at the head.

“That will be you!”

And an a.s.sa.s.sin appeared right under his nose!

Archers were known to be weak at close range. Therefore they usually had an additional weapon apart from the bow. Elves used elementals while humans selected magic or daggers.

But archers didn’t invest a lot of stats into strength so the power of their dagger was much lower. It was unusual for someone to have Weed’s outrageous stats in both strength and agility.

So it was preferable to stay at a favourable distance while shooting arrows. It was considered a failure if they needed to life their dagger in combat. Their swordsmans.h.i.+p had barely grown so it was rare for them to be able to beat a monster. That’s why high level archers collapsed when it came to close combat.

Pale had a lot of experience running quickly while using his bow and arrows. He didn’t tremble and prepared carefully for an opportunity. And he learned how to deflect a monster’s attacks.

When fighting with Weed, it felt luxurious to sit back in a safe and comfortable spot while pulling his bow. In order to pull his weight, he worked hard when hunting alone. Other archers would be unable to use such fearless movements.

Shooting arrows through the trees and branches! And it hit the side of an a.s.sa.s.sin prepared to ambush him.

“Kuek!”

The a.s.sa.s.sin was. .h.i.t in the chest by the arrow and pushed back.

“Goodbye.”

Pale managed to escape while packing the j.a.ptem.

He felt like it was a waste to not collect the items dropped from monsters or enemies. In fact, j.a.ptem didn’t have anything to do with increasing a person’s level but it could be helpful in future quests.

‘I think I can escape to this side.’

Pale believed in his own judgement despite being ambushed by the a.s.sa.s.sins. It would be different if the encirclement was perfectly organized but they were unprepared for his arrival.

And Pale wasn’t actually being surrounded by the a.s.sa.s.sins.

“Twenty one, twenty two, twenty-three!”

He subdued the a.s.sa.s.sins pursuing him one after another! He predicted the a.s.sa.s.sins hiding behind bushes and trees and shot the arrows.

“Piercing Arrow!”

“Kuuk!”

There was a moaning sound as the arrow pierced through a tree. A high level archer shooting accurately at this distance was detrimental. The a.s.sa.s.sin had similar defense to a knight but their health fell greatly.

“Deceleration Arrow!”

The arrow fired at an a.s.sa.s.sin slowed down. Power wasn’t the only thing necessary when dealing with concealed a.s.sa.s.sins.

“Continuous Arrows!”

He predicted the path the a.s.sa.s.sin would use to avoid the slowed arrow and would defeat them with the next attacks.

Pale took care of the a.s.sa.s.sins in the forest like he had a panoramic view on the plains. He lured those guys back and forth while attacking them.

One attack from an a.s.sa.s.sin would lead to his death. The vicious poison, bleeding, hallucinations or paralysis would all eventually cause death.

These dangerous and important moments were what caused his heart to jump. But he needed to stay calm and impersonal in order to handle the a.s.sa.s.sins!

Pale’s mood was like a small and firm mountain.

Ddiring!

-You have wiped out all the a.s.sa.s.sins chasing you on Halmerun Mountain.

63 a.s.sa.s.sins have fallen to your bow.

Your arrow hit ratio is 49.7%.

52 deadly attacks.

24 people received critical strikes.

You have achieved a miraculous victory without any a.s.sistance.

Fame has risen from dealing a big blow to the a.s.sa.s.sins.

The t.i.tle ‘Hunter of Halmerun Mountain’ has been obtained.

Agility has increased by 1 when accurately hunting.

Pale ran towards the a.s.sa.s.sin’s fort as soon as he achieved victory.

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

There was no time to enjoy it since his companions might be in danger.

Fortunately the majority of the a.s.sa.s.sins had died chasing Pale so his companions safely obtained Ivanstein’s secret records in the fort. As they predicted, they were able to easily take care of the remaining a.s.sa.s.sins patrolling the fort.

Romuna turned to Pale who looked like a ghost.

“You are alive!”

“That…”

“I thought you were dead.”

“How did you live?”

His companions were the ones who entrusted him with the dangerous role yet they questioned why he hadn’t died. They were confused because they never expected Pale to survive the a.s.sa.s.sins chasing him.

However, Pale quickly woke up and took care of the a.s.sa.s.sin chasing Maylon. The a.s.sa.s.sins could strike at Maylon at any time so he couldn’t just watch.

Zephyr came up to him and asked.

“You managed to handle the a.s.sa.s.sins chasing you alone?”

“I did.”

Pale was proud and wanted to show off his heroism to his colleagues. It was a thrilling crisis and he had also gained decent experience.

“But….”

“Has unni made the reservation?”

“I tried 37 times as soon as I heard the limited edition came out. I won’t be able to obtain the Chanel bag until autumn.”

“Absolutely envious. I’ve tried 71 times.”

Hwaryeong and Bellot were having a serious conversation.

It was expected. The singer and actress only paid attention to shoes and bags as it was a source of energy for them. Confidence was an important a.s.set for celebrities.

He looked over at his long-time friends Surka, Romuna and Irene.

“You fight well. Completely lucky. It is annoying.”

“I will ask again the next time something dangerous happens.”

“Wow, I’m disappointed that you didn’t give me any work to do as a priest.”

“……”

His last resort was his girlfriend Maylon. As he expected, Maylon looked him over from head to feet.

‘She is worried about my injuries. Indeed….’

Pale was thrilled.

“Where is your stash?”

“I don’t have any.”

“Did you find some good items that you are keeping to yourself?”

“……”

Pale felt desperately alone.

??????????????????????????

The broadcasting stations that were showing Weed’s adventures!

Each room that had a television showed the daily broadcast.

On the second day, the damage to the Sea G.o.d’s forces on the Central Continent and Seo-yoon’s rescue from the Portu Kingdom was broadcasted. The stations increased the tension with background music, brilliantly placed subt.i.tles and special effects.

-Ah…a complete drama.

-This is the so called power of love. It was really dangerous.

-Where did Weed disappear to after carrying Hilderun through the portal?

-That’s why we need to wait for tomorrow’s broadcast.

-I didn’t know the story of Nodulle and Hilderun was so deep.

The bulletin boards were all filled with Weed’s adventure.

However, some fans of Weed were bored. A romantic atmosphere by the sea and a rescue from a collapsing castle.

“I’m bored. This is revolting.”

Weed normally overcome risks with a dazzling performance in battle.

-It is disappointing to see him go around with a woman. He is being lazy. There is no excitement in a dull adventure like this. I didn’t find the rescue from the castle interesting.

-I didn’t see any of Weed’s combat scenes. He is too busy trying to avoid things.

-I didn’t want to see a weak and insignificant appearance.

-Who is the man helping Weed?

-He appears to be a master swordsman.

-His connections are enormous.

Fans of Royal Road were professionals with considerable knowledge. Even the Gra.s.s Porridge members just starting in the north had deep knowledge of beginner adventures.

This wasn’t a typical case where the body followed the head! They were tired and disappointed dozens of times during Weed’s adventure. Of course, they were still fans but their satisfaction with this adventure was extremely low.

-This isn’t the look we wanted to see.

-There are still days left. We’ve only seen two days so let’s wait a little longer.

-The desert cities and destruction of cities in the Central Continent. In order to increase the impact of the adventure, this won’t be shown quickly.

-Gra.s.s Porridge! Gra.s.s Porridge! Gra.s.s Porridge!

The broadcast schedule was five days. Viewers were burning with excitement.

The second day of broadcast was a Sunday. That evening, the individual stations each received the highest ratings for the 8 p.m. show.

Weed and Seo-yoon were walking through a desert. The viewers watching the video had different thoughts as they watched him suffering in the desert.

-Well, he won’t die in the middle. They’ve decided to broadcast for five days.

-I figured Weed would do well.

-He went into the desert like that.

-He has gone to various places. It is like the real quest has been abandoned. I wonder what compensation will be received for the suffering.

-It aired at 8 p.m. today but isn’t it ending a little early? I gave up dinner in order to wait for this.

-Ah, it can’t end early. The evening broadcast schedule said it would end at midnight.

The viewers’ opinions started to be plainly expressed.

And then!

Weed’s quest that was in progress suddenly flowed back to the beginning.

-This is the beginning of Weed’s great adventure. The unknown story.

The scene changed to Weed receiving a quest from the Sculptor’s Guild in Rhodium. It was the conversation with the old man about the Stellar Tear.

“Welcome. Since the Stellar Tear is welcoming you, a person who knows Moonlight Sculpting has come.”

“I want to know a way to express radiant beauty.”

“Rhodium has existed for hundreds of years and I finally found someone to speak to about radiant beauty.”

-W-what is this? The atmosphere changed out of the blue.

-Eh, a way to express radiant beauty? I think it is to learn a skill.

-Sculpting? Has Weed mastered sculpting? It must be a tremendous secret technique. He can create disasters and also transform into several species.

The adventurers and fans suddenly seemed to wake up from their sleep. It felt like having water poured on them after experiencing temperatures of -40 degrees Celsius.

The impact of the video coming from the broadcasting stations was enormous.

-The stations are all uniting to play the same scene. I suddenly have an exhilarating feeling.

-This isn’t like Weed’s usual adventures. But it is replaced with something else.

-It is fun just watching it… I think this will be a long and dangerous quest. The atmosphere feels like there is something big!

-This isn’t a joke. The tension escalating was enough to fry an egg.

Weed’s conversation with the old man continued.

“Do you want to hear the story about radiant beauty?”

“Of course.”

“I want to go back to when I heard about the radiant beauty. Can I do that?”

“I would like to hear about the radiant beauty.”

“This is something I heard a long time ago. This is a legend about sculpting pa.s.sed down through the mouths of the people. I don’t know about the feasibility. Almost no one believed the story.”

-Now they are Nodulle and Hilderun and are facing a huge, difficult quest in the desert.

-I’m not sure but I can see that it will be epic.

-Now a scene of Weed flying around the continent as a hummingbird is emerging.

-I don’t know what he is trying to do.

-My heart has started pounding.

-Ah, that’s right! The last time Weed produced a disaster. Is that also a.s.sociated with this quest?

-I can’t imagine where this quest is going to lead.

Using a sword of light in a storm and creating a natural sculpture. The viewers became more curious as Weed’s early adventures were broadcasted.

The compensation for the Nodulle and Hilderun quest wouldn’t just be average. It was a scale that was like a sculptor’s h.e.l.l!

They couldn’t even imagine changing the channel.

Weed’s enthusiastic fans had a separate place where they could talk.

-I was lacking in faith. Gra.s.s Porridge!

-I shouldn’t even ask questions. This is Weed’s adventure.

-Orc Karichwi might reappear. Or maybe more!

-The expression of radiant beauty. A skill. Is Weed trying to obtain a secret sculpting technique?

-Most secret techniques are acquired through the master quest or adventures.

The skill is hard to obtain but should the adventure be this long? This seems like n.o.body can obtain it.

-Just watching it is enough to make me tired and feel like giving up. Doesn’t it require devoting your life to obtain it?

-The stations haven’t showed it yet but Roderick’s Labyrinth is also an incomprehensible dungeon. I would die entering that place.

-It doesn’t make sense that Roderick’s Labyrinth is just a stepping stone in the middle of this quest.

-I feel like this is too much labour for a sculptor.

-I don’t understand the old man’s words. What does he mean about the legendary sculpture?

The large fans, adventurers and high level users gathered at the discussion boards to talk about Weed’s adventure. Then in the end, someone with deep knowledge about Royal Road said some difficult words.

-Doesn’t this feel like the final secret technique?

“The final secret technique?

-No way!

-Who would say something like that? Hahahaha.

-I heard that you need to gather all the other secret techniques of that profession first… It is impossible.

-The labyrinth and changing the past… Doesn’t the difficulty of the quest appear to be on that level?

-Why can’t it be true? This is Weed!

The possibility of the final secret sculpting technique spread through each community.

-Final secret sculpting technique quest?

-Completely amazing.

-Ah…I’m feeling dizzy.

-Indeed Weed, really Weed, Weed who makes me feel sick!

-I will be nervous in the future when hearing about Weed’s adventures. I never thought this adventure would be so huge.

-It is not yet confirmed this is the final secret technique. Getting ahead of ourselves when it might be a false rumour!

-If this quest is for the final secret technique… Will he really succeed in such an adventure?

-A huge existence?

-Hey, perhaps…

-I’m not sure since we have no idea wat the skill is.

-It won’t be easy. He might fail.

-When have Weed’s adventures ever been easy? After seeing the broadcast of Weed yesterday and today, who else can succeed in an adventure like that?

-I’m envious. Although I still want him to succeed.

The bulletin boards heated up with stories of the final secret technique.

It varied from people praising Weed, speculations about the final secret technique and pessimistic viewers.

And at 9 p.m., the broadcasting stations made an announcement to put an end to the controversy.

“There has been much speculation about Weed’s adventures. Can Oh Joo-wan ssi tell us anything about the quest?”

“Yes. The viewers have been demanding more detailed information about the quest on the various forums. Excuse me, I just received a note from the station.”

s.h.i.+n Hye-min and Oh Joo-wan talked about the current stories on the Versailles Continent. This time the largest number of viewers were watching the broadcast. Oh Joo-wan’s face instantly became stiff as he unfolded the note.

Weed’s adventure is linked to the grand quest of obtaining the final secret sculpting technique.

This will be broadcasted later but it involves the destruction of the Embinyu Church in the warring period.

And there is the high possibility of hunting a Chaos Dragon.

Millions of people saw Oh Joo-wan’s expression change and it didn’t recover. He was a commentator so he didn’t know in advance that Weed’s adventure was related to the final secret technique.

Besides, the quest also involved a full scale war with the Embinyu Church and the appearance of a Chaos Dragon. The contents were more than a commentator of Royal Road could imagine.

“What is it about? The viewers are also wondering so I think it needs to be read quickly.”

s.h.i.+n Hye-min gazed at Oh Joo-wan and sighed lightly. She knew in advance since she was Weed’s friend. However, she had to use a woman’s acting skills to occasionally seem surprised.

“Um…the viewers must be very curious about the contents of this note. Shall I begin with the conclusion? Or make it longer….”

“Did Oh Joo-wan ssi know that your anti fans just increased by 1 million people?”

“I will announce it quickly. King Weed of the Arpen Kingdom is currently on a quest for the final secret sculpting technique.

And it involves destroying the Embinyu Church and hunting a Chaos Dragon.” s.h.i.+n Hye-min laughed lightly at Oh Joo-wan.

“Are you joking? Joking at such an important moment. I guess Oh Joo-wan ssi really wants to be cursed.”

“s.h.i.+n Hye-min ssi really didn’t know?”

“Yes, I don’t know the details. Ah, really?”

“That is the complete truth.”

s.h.i.+n Hye-min was also surprised.

She knew there was risk involved with the final secret technique but she didn’t know about the Embinyu Church and Chaos Dragon!

Currently the Embinyu Church was enormous on the continent. They were expanding their influence on among the residents every day. The activities of the users were reduced and it was common to see deformed monsters and fanatics in broad daylight.

But to defeat the Embinyu Church and hunt a Chaos Dragon in the warring period!

‘Ugh…the end.’

She knew that the Embinyu Church was much more powerful in the warring period.

The viewers felt the same shock as s.h.i.+n Hye-min as well as amazement and delight. They were ecstatic at the thought of watching Weed’s adventure.

-I knew Weed didn’t go back to the past and destroy cities with a bad intention.

-It is probably necessary to fight the Embinyu Church. It is to decrease some of the influence of the Embinyu Church.

-What will happen between Weed and the Embinyu Church? Will they just disappear like the cities? The occupied areas might return to normal?

-KMC Media has a separate description. In the original history, the Embinyu Church was defeated by Nodulle but didn’t suffer significant damage. Depending on the result of Weed’s actions, the Embinyu Church might shrink or grow more explosively. We will be able to see in tomorrow’s broadcast.

-It is Monday so I will ask my company for my monthly leave.

-I am on summer vacation. I won’t leave the television for the next three days.

-Ah…I wish that Weed’s adventure would continue through the night.

-I only use the television to watch Royal Road.

And posts of regret!

-I lived my life raising cattle and I feel a chill at the thought of experiencing such an adventure.

-I am just doing the dishes for 1 silver a day.

-I’m getting rid of horse dung.

-A rabbit killed me three times. This is the first time the rabbits have beaten to death so many people.

-I’ll tell you a secret. I was killed by Tokkung-nim seven times. I’m still hopeful for a good adventure.

-Isn’t Tokkung-nim part of the Toadstool Unit of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult? He pulled me onto a gra.s.sy hill yesterday and killed me!

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