Chapter 132

The real Midgard starts at level 100.

That brief sentence started the last part of the guide written by Union Master Robert of Ironblood, and,

At least that's the case in the Kingdom of Valaran. I'm not sure about other countries, but almost all the players in Valaran are using the Korean service, right?

By limiting the scope to Valaran, he increased the credibility of the information further.

Realistically, how many people would actually go abroad and play the game? And once they started, that was it. To move to another country from Valaran, one had to level up considerably.

Robert had detailed these reasons in his lengthy strategy article.

From that point on, you obtain something called League. League is given as a reward for the class quest you get when you reach level 100. Just leveling up brings tremendous effects…

Raising League alone increased the respect players receive from NPCs, brought about positive changes in quest rewards, and even increased stat bonuses.

After reading all the strategies, Seojin closed the community page.

"Okay, that's it for now."

Until now, Seojin had ignored Robert's guides almost entirely, or did the complete opposite.

However, this time was different.

'This is just bait.'

Bait. Literally, content that makes the readers think, 'I want to get through this beginner section quickly.'

And it was also something that players could experience for themselves in due time.

'So, he had no choice but to write it honestly. He might have even made up something and added it.'

The most effective lies are said to contain 10 percent truth.

And this guide represented the 10 percent truth in Robert's lies.

"Are you done?"

Just then, a bright voice spoke from beside him. It was Flappy, the elemental spirit had just returned after completing what Seojin had tasked her with.

"Did you just now find it?"

"It's over there. The innermost area. Similar to Erzebet."

"Closest to the royal palace?"

"Seems so."

Flappy was talking about the location of Master Ferguson's forge.

The city where the king resided was naturally vast. There was an area dedicated to the blacksmiths district, but it would have taken quite a bit of time to find it on foot.

"They're probably placed there for the convenience of the high-ups. Though in Erzebet, it was all about maintaining honor," Flappy said, her words full of sarcasm.

Seojin chuckled. "Sometimes, you sound like a human who has experienced all of life."

"I am…."

"Of course, I know that you are being objective. Because you're not human, you can see humans more accurately than anyone else. That's what you were going to say, right?"

"…Right."

"I was just saying that you sound that way on the surface. Shall we go? You said it was the innermost area, right?"

"I feel like I've been tricked again."

Despite grumbling, Flappy didn't look displeased. She perched herself on Seojin's shoulder with a secretly smug expression.

Seojin cut through the noise.

The sound of hammering, symbolic of blacksmiths; the sound of players crying in frustration after dealing with a harsh bargaining session; the equipment displayed in the stalls, of which none looked cheap…

While really noting the difference between the capital and ordinary fiefs, Seojin spotted a familiar face. "Master Ferguson!"

"Which rascal is making all this racket in front of my forge?" an angry voice responded.

Ferguson's boisterous nature seemed to have remained unchanged.

If Seojin hadn't heard from Flappy that he was taking a break from work, he would have called out to him more cautiously.

"Let's see, who is the foo that… Huh? You?"

Ferguson Diselheim.

The master blacksmith's eyes widened in recognition upon seeing Seojin's face, then filled with delight.

"It's you!"

* * *

"How dare you make me wait like this?"

"Sorry, I've had a lot of work to do."

"I've heard the news. You've been causing trouble all across the land. You impudent lad."

"Not exactly trouble, but…."

Ferguson chuckled. "Just joking. But I didn't expect you to arrive this early. Most adventurers usually take months before they set foot in this land."

"Fortunately, causing a stir here and there helped."

"You're not disappointed, are you, great adventurer?"

"Of course not."

Seojin smiled back in response to Ferguson's question, asked in jest. It was a sign of the familiarity built between them. Having established a relationship where they could exchange such banter, Seojin felt reassured.

"Anyway, I knew you were remarkable since the start. It seems that incident back then wasn't just a fluke."

"It wasn't anything special."

"Being humble is a good attitude for someone who knows their place, but for someone like you, being overly modest might come off as condescending."

"Then it was an amazing feat."

"I don't mean for you to go around blabbing about your greatness."

"…Yes."

"So." Ferguson looked at him warmly, like the eyes of a grandfather seeing his grandchild after a long time. "What brings you here?"

"Of course, I came to…"

"A brave adventurer like you wouldn't have come all this way just to see me. Even if you were holding orichalcum as collateral."

Ferguson saw right through Seojin.

He was a true master smith. Being an expert in his field, he naturally had a good eye for people.

Seojin did not deceive him.

"I came for two reasons. To see His Majesty the King, and to see you, Master Ferguson."

"…To see His Majesty?" Ferguson's eyes widened again. "You?"

"Yes. It's related to what I did this time… and I have something else to tell him."

"Alright. It should not be a matter I should dare stick my nose into. But to see His Majesty… as expected, it must be something quite important for you to invest your time into it."

"If it was just that, I wouldn't have come here. I came because you're here too, Master Ferguson. I could have easily seen to the matter with His Majesty using this."

Seojin showed the communication device he got from Morgan.

"Ha, you dare to handle matters with His Majesty through such a thing?"

"I'm an adventurer. According to the laws of the kingdom, I'm not a citizen of the Kingdom of Valaran, now am I?"

"That is true but…"

"Now that I mention it, seeing you might have been the biggest reason. After all, it has been such a long time since we've seen each other."

"Impudent!" Ferguson shouted as if was angry, but he couldn't hide his smile, "Stop your irreverent talk and take what you came here for. I've kept it aside for you."

"The orichalcum, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, well I don't need it right now. But I have something to show you."

"What is it? Oh ho."

Seojin showed Ferguson an item that piqued his interest.

"It's imbued with divine power. Divine power, huh? Ah, adamantine? The craftsmanship is crude, but not bad."

A necklace imbued with divine power. Fascinated by the combination of gold and divine power, Ferguson then looked at Seojin again.

"Whose work is this?"

"Erze… ah, Dunkehr's Trail. He was the best blacksmith in Dunkehr."

"Excellent. Hey!"

An apprentice smith hurried over at Fergusen's booming call..

"You called, sir!"

"There's a guy named Trail in Dunkehr. Tell him to come here if he wants to start over from the basics with me."

"Understood!"

Ferguson truly displayed the dignity of a master. Even with a casually thrown instruction, his apprentice was eager to carry it out.

"Will you personally teach him?"

"He's somewhat decent. If I teach him the basics again, he'll be pretty decent."

This was good news for Seojin. He had formed a close relationship with Trail after all.

Moreover, how would he react if he found out that Ferguson called him over after listening to Seojin's story? Another competent blacksmith would be added to his inner circle.

'…Might be worth a serious challenge later.'

He felt like he had just found something good to do over a long time.

But that was only for a moment.

"Ah, Master Ferguson. There's this too."

"What else?"

"Something I obtained from Churai Island. I couldn't find anyone appropriate to process it…"

"You sure have a knack for making a guy feel special… Wait, you're right."

Murmuring contentedly, Ferguson was startled.

The material Seojin presented to him was indeed worthy of such a reaction.

Perhaps even Ferguson himself couldn't guarantee that he could perfectly process it.

Demon's Horn (2)

They resembled goat's horns in appearance. But they were pitch-black, robust, and subtly emitting an evil aura.

"You got these yourself?!"

"Yes, I got them myself."

"And you wish to entrust it to me?"

"If you permit it."

"No, I believe it is I who should be asking for permission. Especially since there are two! Even with the qualifications of a master, these are not materials that I can easily come across."

He was clearly astonished, almost as much as when he saw orichalcum before.

"If not for you, I wouldn't have anyone else to ask to do this for me. Thank you, Master Ferguson."

"No, I should be the one thanking you. Although I've been thanked a lot before in my life, you're the first to ever receive gratitude from me twice."

"I'm grateful to hear that, Master Ferguson. Ah, and one more thing."

Seojin hinted at changing the subject.

Naturally, Ferguson was ready to oblige any request.

"I have a colleague. I daresay he has the makings of a fine blacksmith… remember Redrix?"

"I remember."

"You mentioned to Redrix before, that if he finds someone usable, to send them to you."

"I did say that. Hmm, you mean there's such a person among your colleagues?"

"Fortunately, Redrix thought so. I'm not asking you to look favorably on her because she's my colleague."

"Then what?"

"I request a strictly impartial evaluation. I'm concerned that my involvement might somehow interfere…"

"A request fitting of you, Seojin." Ferguson chuckled lightly. "Don't worry. If it's unreasonable, I won't accept it, even if it's a royal decree. At least not when it comes to matters involving this hammer."

These words offered a glimpse into the master blacksmith's determination. It seemed sincere, and Seojin was satisfied.

BunnyRabbit's skill was more than sufficient. She had already received her class change quest and was steadily progressing through it.

Since it was categorized as a "system," the class change would likely happen unless something unusual occurred.

The recent conversation had casually revealed BunnyRabbit as his ally.

"Oh, right. There's one more that thing I wanted to ask."

"What now?"

"I'm not yet qualified to meet His Majesty. And I heard that I need to visit the Tower of Qualification first, so I was wondering if you knew anything about it."

"Tower of Qualification? What about the tower? You need to tell me what exactly you want to know."

"I've heard that there's a condition that needs to be met in order to enter the tower. Is there anything that I will need?"

It was common knowledge that ordinary adventurers must obtain a recommendation from their class guilds to enter the tower.

There were no special conditions; a visit was enough to get one.

"A recommendation letter, you mean."

Surprisingly, Ferguson was well aware of this and even provided a clear answer.

"A recommendation letter is just that, a recommendation. Anyone in the capital is qualified to issue one."

"That means…"

"I can write one for you. Surely you didn't think a master holds a lower position than that of a class guild leader, did you?"

"No, of course not! It simply didn't cross my mind what it entailed."

Seojin commented with a mischievous smile, in turn making Ferguson laugh.

"I'll prepare it for you soon. And I'll live up to my name as a master, and take good care of what you entrusted to me. Oh, I suppose this is a good opportunity to use the orichalcum as well."

"Together?"

"…Wait, yes, that's a better idea. I just had a great idea. My hands are itching to start the work, so I guess I need to hurry you out first?"

"…For you to say so, I can't help but feel excited."

Seeing the genuine excitement on Seojin's face, Ferguson also wore a similar expression.

"Same here. I can't even imagine what marvel will happen. It's truly exciting."