Chapter 72 072

World Quest: Stop The Invasion!

* Evil demons are about to take root in Midgard right before your eyes. They must be stopped by any means possible!

* Basic Reward: Gold, Favor of Demon Hunters.

World Quest: Stop The Invasion!

* The evil demons ran into the Adventurer of Valaran. Their threats were grand from the very beginning, but you gave them a humble ending.

* Reward: Demon hunters favor you.

* Reward: Every religion in Calevania feels your presence.

* Reward: The Church of Luna is flustered.

* Reward: EXP based on your contribution score!

* Acquired: Intact Skillbook (2)

* Reward: King Valaran remembers your existence more clearly - "Oh, that fellow?"

* Acquired: Demon's Horn.

"Wow."

"Wow…"

"...."

The trio was speechless as they stared at the consecutive reward messages. Of course, most of it belonged to Seojin, who had contributed the most.

<LEADERBOARD>

1. Seojin: 1,833

2. Odie: 721

3. Roth: 121

4. Haydall: 99

The difference was over double even after Odie destroyed the tower.

However, the rest of the reward alone was big enough for the trio.

'I didn't know that achievements boosted your stats this much.'

All of the achievements Odie had acquired up until now were really common, and they didn't really do much for her stats. The ones she acquired today, however…

Achievement: Victory of Light

* No evil presence may step on this land! You won't allow evil to grow before your upright will.

* All stats increases by 3.

Achievement: How Did You Find Out?!

* The leader of the foul ones got his ass kicked. You hit his weak spot exactly, didn't you? Great job!

* AGI increases by 6.

…gave her stats a hefty boost. Considering that three points were given per level up, and even taking into account that not all stats were useful for her, the boost was huge

'A skillbook too! I thought they were worth more than one hundred million won per book!'

Good relationships with major NPCs, skillbooks, and tons of gold. Odie had her finger on the pulse of the market price that one could only expect from online auctions.

'Six hundred gold was nothing as he said, huh?'

A sense of shame surged all of a sudden, however, as Seojin didn't seem all that impressed by the rewards.

"Hm, two skillbooks and…"

It was just another Tuesday for Seojin.

'Perhaps he's even richer than me?'

Odie shook her head, telling herself that was impossible. Odie was the celebrity of all celebrities in real life.

Haydall didn't like her spending money, but that was not because of the amount, it was because he was afraid that her cover might be blown. Nobody said a thing when she spent millions and billions of won during an auction. If people saw that she spent so much money investing into another person, however, it could leak out and even expose her identity.

'The image of me would go down.'

She always insisted because the game was the only place where she could do such things. Her soaring worth wasn't solely hers. It was a "product" created by the media and her company using both money and time, and she was obligated to protect the quality of that product.

'It must be nice for him.'

That must have been why Odie was envious of him. He didn't need to think about his real life and could just do as he pleased. Or maybe he wasn't that normal in real life either, as exceptional people were bound to shine at any time and in any situation.

"Hey."

Odie's voice sounded different from before. It didn't carry a tone of jealousy, but acceptance that she was lacking and lagging.

"Yes."

Seojin replied without even glancing at her. He was still looking at the reward screen, but Odie didn't act out according to her ego any longer.

"Can I register you as my friend?"

"Odie!"

"I don't think that's a good…"

Odie looked back, giving the two a sharp glare.

"Remember what I said back then? You'd better."

She was talking about Macau, threatening that she'd stream herself gambling in a casino. Roth stopped right before pressing the disconnect button and Haydall twisted like a balloon doll, begging her not do to so.

"I don't accept friends, sorry."

Odie wasn't discouraged at the clean refusal as she knew this guy didn't know who she was. He'll probably take her as a whining, annoying deadweight.

"I'm Kim Hyesun."

"Jesus, Odie! I told you to quit your pathological lying! What would you do if her agency sued you?!"

"He's a manager from my agency. Pretty high up. He wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for me."

"I know you're stressed out, but impersonation isn't good."

"…And Roth is an ordinary manager who occasionally makes me rather angry."

Haydall and Roth felt like their hearts were going to explode.

'This is why I told the CEO it wasn't a good idea!'

'I'll have to look for another job.'

The bomb had already exploded but Haydall was there to deal with such situations, so he was obliged to sort it out somehow.

"I'm sorry, Seojin. My sister is actually a little mentally deficient…"

"Oh, you are Kim Hyesun."

"You know, right?"

"I do."

As expected! Hyesun, or Odie, smiled internally and took out a pen, expecting him to ask for her autograph.

'I'm glad I brought it with me. I seem to have a habit of carrying it around.'

It wasn't like it was an overindulgence. She was the most popular K-actress these days and had to risk her wrist practically disintegrating if she held an autograph event.

"Anyway, I'll be on my way. Did you all get your rewards?"

"…What?

"Yup, that's everything. GG, everyone."

Seojin has left the party.

There was no time to stop him as Seojin tore a Return Scroll, vanishing in less than a moment. The once-zen Odie made an expression similar to when she had met Seojin for the first time.

"…He's gone."

Haydall and Roth flinched as she let out a creepy laugh.

"I got dumped, right? I got dumped real good?"

"Wait, it's…"

"Odie…"

"I got dumped again! ME! KIM HYESUN!"

An angry shriek filled the empty island.

* * *

'So, she's that kind of person.'

Seojin knew well who Kim Hyesun was. It was harder to not know her actually, as nine out of ten would say her name when asked who the biggest Korean actress in the world was right now.

Nevertheless, Seojin refused her proposal, which would have shredded her ego to pieces.

'I'd have begged her to give me her autograph and made it a family heirloom if this was real life.'

However, Seojin had met Odie, not Hyesun, and she was just a mediocre Midgard player.

'No, mediocre is a bit too harsh. Perhaps a mediocre player with tons of money.'

She wasn't as attractive as a companion in this game. Things might have been different if she could reveal her identity, as she'd be a great help in building up relationships with Hailstorm, as well as a reputation in the communities.

'It seems she's not allowed to. I guess her agency is preventing it.'

It shouldn't be forced on her, given her status, so it'd be more like they were begging her not to do so. Either way, she wasn't a big help to him for now. However, since her attitude had changed greatly over the last few hours, Seojin thought about giving her a chance next time.

Seojin didn't think that would be his last encounter with them. They were at a similar level and she also said she had a lot of free time. She also mentioned something about not having work for the time being.

'She must be pouring a lot of money into the game, so she should be able to keep up with me even if I go a little ahead. And given that personality of hers… she might even search for me.'

By that point, he would reconsider his relationship with her, but before that…

'I gotta do what I gotta do.'

Used: Skillbook (2)

Skill: Negotiation Table.

* A negotiator said he needed only ten minutes to convince you, but he didn't have ten minutes.

* Effect: Summon a table for ten minutes. Players and targets are forced to sit at the table and are not allowed to leave until they cancel their skills.

* Cooldown: 24 hours.

Skill: Wing It

* "Oh, it was you in the photo? No wonder it looked good on you. The clothes don't look by themselves, but man, you make it look a hundred times better!"

* Effect: Receive help escaping from an awkward situation with a certain probability.

* Greatly influenced by LUK.

'They're good. I finally have a use for LUK, too. Negotiation Table looks pretty useful, too.'

The reward from the World Quest was no less than what he gained from the previous world quest. There was no additional gold, but the value of the skill book alone must have been three thousand gold.

He had also left an impression on the King and every religion in Calevania, along with winning the favor of demon hunters, even though he had no idea who they were. However, the most important thing was none other than…

Demon Horn (2)

* The horn of a demon. Used as a very valuable material that can be obtained at a low rate by hunting rare demons.

The two thick horns resembled that of a mountain goat. The cut surface was rough, and it had a darkish aura to it.

The description even said "very valuable", "low rate", and "rare"!

'That Vales guy knew how to do business at least. Who'd have thought he'd have given me one of his horns?'

He received one as a reward for the quest, plus, he had the one that the demon gave him, which made two.

'This shouldn't be something that's obtainable this early on in the game.'

Seojin laughed sinisterly as he knew those demons weren't easily encountered until one reached a high level.

'They also only show up in related quests, extremely rarely.'

He could get a fat check if he sold it off through an auction, but that wasn't his plan.

'I wonder what kind of gear would come out of this.'

He didn't care if it was exclusive or normal gear, as he was planning to entrust the item to Ferguson, the master blacksmith.