Light of Arad: Forerunner

Chapter 57

Jinseong was trembling all over, mustering all his strength.

“Huuuup…!”

“Grrrr…!”

Beside him, Tako also tried to mimic his master, sticking out his tongue and flexing.

The Dark Knight’s pale face turned red, but Jinseong kept pushing on, undeterred.

‘Open… Open up!’

However, what Jinseong desired did not come to pass.

Jinseong’s face quivered as he thought to himself.

‘Is it because my level is too low? But I did reach level 40 while coming and going through the Dimensional Rift.’

The required level for the First Awakening Quest was 50, so Jinseong wondered if he wasn’t achieving the desired result because he hadn’t reached that level yet.

But considering that Dark Knights do not have an Awakening.

‘Instead of Awakening, they gain Awareness… But there aren’t significant changes in name for the First and Second Awareness. You gain a passive skill during the First Awareness and an active skill during the Second.’

The only noticeable change is the [True Awareness] that comes after reaching level 100, resulting in [True: Dark Knight]. Jinseong also wondered if he wouldn’t be able to achieve that result until he reached level 100.

In the office that doubled as Jinseong’s temporary quarters in the [Emergency Measures for Abnormal Phenomena] committee of the Mage Guild, only his sighs echoed.

‘Or maybe… Was it impossible from the start? Back then, it was not purely my power; something else intervened-.’

The meaningless actions continued for a while longer in the office, which had a small mattress tucked away in the corner.

Knock, knock, knock.

It was only when someone knocked on the door that Jinseong exhaled and stopped.

“Phew… Who, hoo, is it?”

“Mr. Jinseong? I’m coming in.”

“Ah, yes! Come in.”

Sharan entered and saw Jinseong, whose face was still flushed red, showing a slightly surprised expression.

“Oh my? Were you working out?”

“No, not really, I was just… Hehe, what’s up?”

Jinseong waved his hand awkwardly.

There was no need to say something like, ‘I was trying to open the Dark Knight’s “Time Gate” again, but there’s no progress. How did I open it back then?’

Sharan shrugged and pulled a chair next to Jinseong before sitting down.

“Do we need a reason to meet?”

“Hmm… As the Guild Master and the Emergency Committee, our relationship is quite delicate. Normally, the Committee would step in if the Guild Master did something wrong, so it’s not unusual for us to be at odds-.”

“Stop with the unfunny jokes! Come on, sit down.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Jinseong quickly sat across from Sharan.

Sharan stared at Jinseong, then let out a soft laugh.

“Seriously, I can’t tell if you’re ambitious or not… You’re such a curious person.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Jinseong tilted his head.

Looking at him, Sharan raised her voice as if she found it ridiculous.

“The epidemic! Don’t you remember our conversation? I was anxiously waiting, thinking you’d immediately come to me with demands to do this and that.”

“Oh~ the promise? Of course, I remember. I knew you were busy with the follow-up measures, so how could I bother you? Haha, I was just waiting.”

Jinseong responded with a gentle smile.

Whether he remembered or not, his response was just right.

“I really can’t figure you out. Hmm, anyway… First, let me express my gratitude on behalf of Queen Meia of the Kingdom of Penneth. Even though the Queen and Elder Saffron aren’t aware of your existence, Jinseong… I felt it was necessary to express thanks not only personally but also in the name of my homeland, for helping me preventively save it.”

Sharan bowed her head toward Jinseong.

Jinseong immediately stood up, received her bow, and bowed in return.

“No need for that. The peace of the Kingdom of Penneth and the establishment of friendly exchanges with the Duchy of Bell Meyer are in the best interest of the entire continent of Arad.”

Sharan glanced up at Jinseong briefly before turning her head.

Jinseong noticed her eyes were slightly moist.

“Even at 509 years old, I still feel a pang in my heart when I hear things like this-.”

“So, the gratitude is done. How is our Guild Master planning to repay me? I believe you promised me unlimited support.”

Creating this kind of atmosphere was intentional.

Sharan quickly wiped her eyes and snorted.

“-Just when I was getting into the mood! Ugh, fine. Moving on to practical matters! As the Guild Master of the Mage Guild, I will keep my promise to provide full support to Jinseong, the [Emergency Measures for Abnormal Phenomena] Committee member… but.”

“But?”

“You’ll need to tell us what you need help with, Jinseong. It’s not like you just want gold, right?”

The atmosphere between the two quickly turned serious.

Yet, Sharan’s eyes started to shine with anticipation, likely because she was eager to see how Jinseong would use this support.

Jinseong was not flustered by the counterproposal.

Instead, he opened the office safe next to his seat.

Creak…

“My… my goodness!? What is this?”

The gold coins and gold bars taken from the Dwarves’ Golden Cavern.

Sharan was speechless, staring at the pile of shimmering gold.

“As you said, gold isn’t really a pressing matter for me anymore.”

“How did- Jinseong? Did you rob a safe or something? That gold?”

Sharan asked with wide eyes.

Jinseong responded with a relaxed smile.

“Ahem, well, let’s not ask where it came from. The first thing I want is an appraisal of all the gold in here under the name of the Mage Guild Master.”

“That’s not too difficult, but… There’s a lot of it. Where did you get this from-.”

“You shouldn’t be surprised yet. Let’s see…”

The main scenario quest didn’t just yield gold.

Achieving level 40 in the Dimensional Rift wasn’t the only thing Jinseong had gained.

There was another reward Jinseong obtained when he realized during his conversation with Diregie that Diregie was stuck and had to cooperate with him.

Jinseong pulled something out from his [Inventory].

When he placed it on the office desk with a thud.

“Kyaaa!? !”

Sharan screamed in shock.

The swift creation of a protective barrier to guard herself was certainly a testament to her quick reaction as a Guild Master.

“Uh? I expected you’d be startled, but not this much-.”

“Are you crazy?! Jinseong! I can’t overlook this, even for you-.”

“No, no, ahem, it’s not as dangerous as it seems.”

“Not dangerous? Not dangerous! This is exactly what nearly shook the entire continent of Arad!”

Sharan had every reason to scold Jinseong.

On the desk lay five pieces of plated equipment.

Chest,

Legs,

Shoulders,

Belt,

Shoes,

Equipment from the Dimensional Rift, made using the aura of the 6th Apostle, Diregie, who was perpetually being crushed and regenerated—the set.

Jinseong quickly spoke to calm the excited Sharan.

“The acquisition method was a bit indirect. It’s about whether to call it unsealing or making it properly usable? Anyway, I was hoping you could check and appraise it. And if it were dangerous, I’d be the first to be affected, right? Don’t you think so, Guild Master?”

Indeed, the Black Disease’s aura was present, but it wasn’t spreading or causing harm.

At least from the moment Jinseong took it out from his [Inventory], he hoped that fact would be acknowledged.

“Acquisition method? Where did you even get something like this? It seems infused with Diregie’s aura.”

“Yeah, it’s like that. From the Apostle Diregie directly, should I say? That’s how it is.”

“You can’t just brush it off like that! This- oh dear… .”

Rational Sharan was hesitating between emotion and reason, having understood this.

-Guild Master, what happened?

-Sharan? May we come in?

-We heard screaming, are you alright?!

“Ah, I-I’m fine! I’m fine, so go about your business.”

It was such an event that the Guild Master of the Mage Guild screamed, startling the guild members.

Even the renowned Mage Guild Master found it difficult to manage the situation.

“Can you do it?”

“…A promise is a promise, so I have to keep it. Hmm, now that I hear Jinseong’s story, I’m slightly curious, too. Equipment imbued with Diregie’s aura… making it usable… I would like to take a closer look, considering its magical reaction.”

Jinseong’s question made the corners of Sharan’s mouth curl up.

Being the Mage Guild Master requires more than just skills.

One must have a natural curiosity about the unknown.

“Hehe, I thought you might. Oh, take your time with the appraisal, but I’d appreciate it if you could quickly assess the gold. Also, I need you to admit me somewhere.”

There was nothing particularly urgent for Jinseong.

The required level for the set was 71.

Even with the level reduction provided by ,

it was still 61 before he could equip it, so Jinseong’s immediate concern was the accurate valuation of the gold and finding a place to use it.

“Admit? Where to?”

“Next door.”

“Next door…?”

“I’ll cover the gold, so. Hehe, just let me in. It seems I can’t enter by myself.”

* * *

Jinseong left the Mage Guild with something given to him by Sharan.

There was no need for lengthy explanations.

After acquiring gold from the Golden Cavern, one of the places Jinseong wanted to visit the most.

However, he couldn’t enter because he wasn’t a ‘user,’ a zone that required ‘special teleportation.’

“You want to enter my boutique? Normally, entry is prohibited to the general public.”

The person standing at the entrance scrutinized Jinseong from head to toe.

Jinseong grinned and handed over what Sharan had given him.

“A certificate of guarantee from the Mage Guild Master. As a member of the Emergency Measures for Abnormal Phenomena committee of the Mage Guild, I request permission to use Miss Hills’ Avatar Market.”

Jinseong had arrived at the [Avatar Market].

A space accessible only to users, where NPCs were generally barred from entry.

* * *

‘I figured it would be like this. Utilizing in-game systems like shortcuts is impossible! But maybe, just maybe, you can do something through an NPC!’

Pressing F5 to access the Cera Shop was impossible.

Using the auction house by pressing the B shortcut didn’t work.

However, the [Avatar Market] was different.

A special zone accessed through the NPC Hills.

Jinseong had been watching Hills from the vicinity of the Mage Guild, and after his trip to the Dimensional Rift, he gained a certain confidence!

But it was clear they didn’t admit just anyone. From NPCs shown in the game to even ordinary citizens of Arad who lived this world as reality, entry was denied, which is why Jinseong requested this as his reward from Sharan.

“Hehehe.”

At last, his plan was coming together.

Jinseong didn’t bother to hide his smile.

It didn’t matter.

The Avatar Market was, in a sense, the space most frequented by users in the game Dungeon & Fighter.

“Urgent purchase of avatars at high prices. Recognizing up to 90% of market price.”

“-Market No.1- Buying all kinds of avatars ssssss”

“****Available 24/7**** Buying avatars at the best price!”

“☆Highest price guarantee☆ Just come trade!”

Jinseong’s murmurs were drowned out by the traders’ shouts echoing across the map.

‘Technically, it’s not the users speaking, but rather their creatures, ‘Bobo,’ doing the talking, but still.’

It was practically a space solely filled with users. For Jinseong, this was his first time experiencing a place with so many users gathered together.

An NPC wearing an eyepatch at the market center called out to Jinseong.

“A lot of new products have arrived! Please, come this way!”

Her name was NPC Dalbi, a maid serving NPC Hills.

Jinseong naturally approached Dalbi and spoke.

In the game Dungeon & Fighter, countless avatars allow you to customize your character’s appearance through various combinations.

However, Jinseong wasn’t after just any avatar.

“I’m looking to see the ClrAp.”

What he needed was the ultimate performance item, the .