Chapter 31 031

'No, this doesn't make sense. Did someone plant him on purpose? To screw me over?'

Rousseau was racking his brain hard as he sat in a top-notch carriage headed to Ilynea.

'Is it an enemy guild… or someone from the Ironbloods? Maybe they didn't like how I work or… maybe I got caught faking the report.'

Rousseau could not take the fact that a novice player came out of nowhere, controlled the entire situation, and threatened him. So, he was now getting himself into conspiracy theories, even down to the idea that the Ironbloods were behind all of this.

"What should I do, then? Should I kneel and beg? Or is it too late to do anything? If I'm being honest about everything, maybe… I'll have to report it first.'

While he didn't know who planned it or what their purpose was, he had to deal with the situation.

'I'll have to meet the Baron one last time.'

Soon after arriving in Ilynea, Rousseau ran over to the Baron's mansion, however…

"The lord is ill, so if you have something to say, you can tell me."

Steward Thompson met them with a cold expression.

"Damn it, what the hell are you talking about? Just tell him I'm here already!"

"I have told you that the lord has fallen ill, please leave now. I won't say it twice."

"Cut the crap or I'll…"

Relationship: Relationship with Region — Bolton Barony decreases by 1

"…"

Rousseau gave up. There was no turning back if he even lost his relationship score. Returning to his base, Rousseau opened the guild menu. He sent a message to his direct superior, the 42nd Sword.

"…Please read it."

However, there was no reply. It was impossible to contact him immediately due to the reporting system and procedures that were put in place. Rousseau swept over his face, feeling every drop of blood in his body dry up.

"Read it already! Every second counts, damn it!"

* * *

"Faster! Make as many as possible, Haley!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Fill the stand with the coolest-looking rare-grade gear!"

"Right away!"

Berne became rather busy right after Rousseau left. Seojin walked around and spewed out instructions without taking a single breath.

"First of all, a bright smile! Second of all, the quality of the product! Third of all, reasonable rewards for quests! These are the three principles that will capture the heart of any adventurer!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Check everything again, whatever we've prepared right now will create our first impression."

"Roger that!"

Seojin watched the blacksmiths run as he gave Mac an order.

"Notify the townspeople handling quests. Don't change the content and only give exactly what I gave them."

"All right."

"Those who refuse me yet must be recruited by this evening. Gather resistant ones to the side. I'll deal with them myself."

Mac ran off as well. The most important thing right now was the items of the smithy, but they might leave a bad impression if basic services were insufficient.

'Quest and blacksmith's stock. These two need to be at best conditions.'

The residents' faces were even twitching because they had already practiced laughing.

Seojin worked hard on the quest, so it was fun to clear it, and the reward was a happy smile

Side Quest: Troubleshooting!

* Reduce the Goblin population near Berne by at least 90%: (88%)

* Morgan Feriah, leader of the Royal Human Resources Team of Valaran, has prepared an appropriate reward for your services.

'Pest control has almost finished too.'

Most of the quest was completed thanks to his thorough preparation.

Main Quest: The End of The Story

* The end of your long journey is just around the corner. Your final choice will decide how this story ends.

* Main Objective: Reach at least 320 visitors per day (3)

* Optional: Gain support from over 90% of Berne's residents: (83%)

* Achieved: Gain support from Baron Bolton.

* Achieved: The more supplies, the better. Make sure to secure enough supplies.

* Default Reward: 1800%

'It's just around the corner.'

Seojin smiled. After glancing at BunnyRabbit working without realizing that he had entered, Seojin returned to the second floor of the quiet inn.

'Okay, okay. Let's focus.'

This was the real game and a challenge that Seojin had to overcome.

'Let's make a good clickbait title first…'

Seojin connected to the online communities and looked for some popular information threads. Then, he pasted in the paragraphs that he had written earlier and uploaded them.

They're selling rare-grade gear in Berne right now, is this normal?

Click. Seojin spammed the refresh button as soon as the post was uploaded.

Their grand marketing campaign had started.

* * *

Berne is different from what it's known for

The stone that someone threw caused a small ripple in the tranquility of the lake known as the community.

Here, Seojin followed up by throwing several big rocks into the pond.

Rare Equipment Options and Prices

List of Quests and Rewards in Berne

This is the "Real" Berne! Walkthrough Collection!

After throwing out some juicy bait, he finally introduced the walkthrough. The content was flawless as he was the one designing it.

-What a determined troll this is lol!

-Wonder what kind of apes will fall for that…

-Still, maaaaaybe…?

About ninety percent of the initial comments didn't believe Seojin, but the response had dramatically reversed only around five hours later.

-It can't be real? Oh, but it is!

-First come first served in Berne now, no lie! 100% real.

-Damn, now there's a purchase restriction. Wanted to empty their stock.

No surprise as Seojin had only stated the facts. The players who came to Berne walked around wide-eyed.

-I wonder how much the guy that wrote the walkthrough earned from the town.

-I'm damn jealous. I should've tried too.

The first wave of players all said the same thing: It was a hidden goldmine! The only problem is how many of us can share it. In other words, the sooner you come, the more profit you can take.

The blacksmith shops now only allowed one purchase per day, and the special potions from the alchemy workshop was the same. Even the general stores were sold out in an instant due to the endless wave of players. However, Seojin wasn't planning to let the chance go.

"Let's unpack everything in the warehouse! No holding back!"

New items filled the empty stands. At the same time, a hundred men were dispatched to Ilynea to stock up on the low supplies. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before investments turned into profit. Seojin smiled and checked Mac Gray's report.

The high-end equipment from the blacksmith's shop was a bait product. The actual profit came from the general store. It was a mutual benefit. From the player's point of view, buying just one rare piece of equipment was a huge achievement.

Berne was merely a settlement for players level 10-20, a rare-grade item at these levels was practically akin having the One Ring. The expenses spent in the process were nothing compared to the output.

'I can't give everyone rare items, though. We'll go bankrupt. Selling it via auction instead will make room for a lot more profit.'

Eventually, Seojin decided to put the devilish mechanism in place.

"Make it a lottery."

"What?"

"Lottery. The odds should be… what were the odds of making rare-grade equipment again?"

"About ten percent, sir."

"Then let's half it, make it a five percent chance of getting a piece of rare equipment. You can adjust the price accordingly."

"So, what happens to the other ninety-five percent?"

Seojin taught the innocent blacksmith about the harsh reality of the world.

"Well, nothing. Make sure to buy their common equipment back at a tenth of the normal price. And give players one rare gear right away if they draw a blank more than twenty times, understood?"

"…Is it really okay to do that?"

"This is a conscientious price. Adventurers would still buy it even if we raised the price."

So, it was basically a loot box. Seojin was planning to attract adventurers using those means, a loot box that gave them a five percent chance of obtaining rare gear. The effect was immediate.

"Ahhhh! I failed again!"

"There can't be any idiots who still haven't won rare gear by now, am I riiiight?"

"Hahaha! Two gachas and got a rare gear! I'm done!"

"Anyone broke, join us! Money grinding party, tanks only!"

Those kind of parties became prevalent, and hunting-related items naturally flew off the shelves like they were on fire. More and more players were visiting the town. Seojin couldn't hope for anything more. The main quest would be completed within three days if things kept going like this. The side quest had already been completed and the additional reward was already at 2100%. Now, all he had to do was sit down and wait to collect it. However, he also had to prepare for the sabotage that might occur.

* * *

Two men were having a conversation in the office of the 7th Knight Guild. One looked as if they were almost dying, and the other one looked as if he wasn't impressed. Of course, the former was Rousseau, the Guild Master of the 42nd Shield, and the latter was Henrite, the Guild Master of the 7th Knight Guild.

"I'm sorry. I have no words to offer in apology."

"Of course, you should be sorry. It's not like you don't know what a chain of command is, right?"

"I had to excuse myself as it was urgent business."

"Hey, who are you to excuse yourself? I don't remember allowing it. Heidi!"

Henrite called someone with a gentle lilt to his voice. Soon, a woman wearing a mask entered.

"At your command."

"Go and replace the guild master of the 16th Sword. Rebellious kids need punishment."

"What should I do with the existing leader?"

"Well… kill him once, then demote him to a regular guild member, just put him in any empty spot."

Heidi nodded and left. Rousseau side-eyed her and gulped nervously.

'She's wearing unique gear… that guild master is dead meat.'

He couldn't believe that a regular member was at that level. That was the difference between the knights and the shields. Then a soft voice pierced his ear.

"You'd better focus when you're talking with me."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Consider yourself lucky that I'm just interested in your story. What did the kid do, again?"

Henrite supported his chin atop his clasped hands.

His blinking eyes looked sweet, but that made Rousseau even more nervous.

'I must sate his interest.'

Henrite was that kind of character. If he could overcome that difficulty, he could keep his neck and the noob who screwed him over would face the woman who just passed by.

"It was definitely a Level 10 player. He went to Berne about ten days ago, and in that short time…"

With the heart of a medieval minstrel, Rousseau spoke emphatically.

"He brought the dying town back to life."