Chapter 84

"The damage was more significant than I thought."

When he checked his HP, about 10% had evaporated.

It wasn't that high a place, and he had used the Harpy Queen as a cushion, yet it still happened.

Karpé thought that he should avoid jumping from high places as much as possible and got up from his spot.

-You just knocked her out. I thought you'd bring her to the brink of death and then persuade her.

According to the original plan, Karpé intended to beat the boss to near-death and then persuade her with a dignified and gentlemanly line: "Do you want to die like this? Or come with me?" But he had simply defeated the boss monster outright.

"My mind changed. After fighting her, it just didn't feel right."

What Karpé had expected was an AI that could grasp and apply information in real-time based on cold, rational logic, not an NPC like a wild beast.

"This thing should be much smarter. It would be even better if it had a good personality."

-Hmm. There are such monsters. The problem is that they only appear in high-level zones.

If that were the case, he couldn't just leave the relic until he reached a high level.

Somehow, he had to find a way to compromise...

"If I can't find one, I'll have to compromise. If that doesn't work, I'll have to call in Death Archdemon."

-...You should definitely look for one. Even low-level hidden bosses or event bosses can be quite intelligent.

"That's true. If there's a fragment of Sevengate, it would be perfect... Oh?"

Thinking about it, Karpé had encountered two event bosses so far.

The fanatical priest, Mainades.

And the fragment of Sevengate he met in the Elf Forest.

Both bosses possessed very high intelligence, and there was one more common point.

They were both essential gateways to obtaining the Mage King's relic.

"Then, could there be one this time too? A crazy-strong event boss."

Drek had said that the relic was stored in a safe place in the castle, so there was no need to worry, but Karpé couldn't easily agree with that.

From his experience, Lase was a game that often defied players' expectations, whether for good or bad.

-That's a very sensible attitude. You shouldn't trust these crazy Lase developers. I've been slapped in the face by them dozens of times over the past ten years. You have to constantly doubt them.

And from the perspective of Drek, a specialist in getting slapped, Karpé's suspicion was entirely justified.

"Then, if an event boss appears, I'll have to deal with it somehow."

-Right. I think that's the best option. But there's no guarantee it will work, so you should have a backup plan.

"Of course."

Thus, the next destination was set to be the 'Lamarque Kingdom,' where the relic was sealed.

"Whatever happens, it will happen when I get there."

-Hmm. Level 40s to graduate from Luana...

"What? Why? Is there a level restriction for going to other areas?"

Just as high-level players can't go to low-level areas, perhaps the opposite was also true?

-Not at all. There are no restrictions on going there. However, the timing is a bit early... But since it's you, it should be fine.

Most Lase players level up to 50 in the areas around Luana.

And after completing the secondary class quest at level 50, they move to other areas, which is a kind of unwritten rule.

"Why?"

-Once you leave the Luana area, the difficulty spikes. You need to complete the secondary class quest to make hunting manageable.

It's not for nothing that the community says you need to complete the secondary class quest to 'graduate from newbie.'

The moment you complete the secondary class quest, your HP/MP increases dramatically, and you gain a few new job skills.

Naturally, your combat power also increases significantly.

-Even with such inflated combat power, it's not easy. Leaving Luana before the secondary class quest? That's just suicide. It's a very rare case.

And Karpé was precisely that very rare case.

The dramatic increase in HP/MP from the secondary class quest? New job skills?

He already had more than enough power without them.

The term 'irregular' seemed to be made for such moments.

-Secondary class quest or not, your combat power is more than enough. You can go straight ahead.

"Great. Then I need to quickly resolve the remaining tasks. Let's start with the cleanup."

Karpé looked at the spot where the Harpy Queen had disappeared and found an item there.

Ding.

[Storm Scarf]

[Grade: Hero]

[Category: Pet Equipment]

[Equip Limit: Beast-type Pet]

[A beautiful scarf. Gift this to your precious pet to make it look even cooler. It flutters more beautifully in the wind.]

- Additional Option 1: 10% increase in effect when using wind or lightning attribute skills

- Additional Option 2: 10% increase in resistance to wind or lightning attribute skills

"Oh? Pet equipment?"

Karpé was surprised because he hadn't expected such an item to drop.

-You're lucky. Most pet equipment has a low drop rate. Besides, the Storm Scarf is quite a popular item.

"Really? The options do look good."

Two excellent options that simultaneously increase and reduce damage for two attributes!

Karpé nodded in approval.

[You have a pet that can equip this.]

[Do you want to equip it now?]

"Of course."

As Karpé agreed, the red scarf in his hand disappeared.

"Kyo?"

The scarf immediately equipped itself around Mokhyang's neck.

Mokhyang, intrigued by the scarf, poked around her neck with her short front paws.

"It suits you very well, Hyang. I can feel your dignity increasing."

"Yup. Hyang is cute. It's awesome."

"Kyo kyo!"

Praised by the two dolls, Mokhyang nodded in satisfaction.

The item description seemed a bit lacking in effort, but perhaps it had captured the essence very well.

"Since I already have a lightning skill, I should get a wind skill and give it to Hyang."

He had come to get a quest item, but this was an unexpected bonus.

Karpé smiled contentedly and moved on to the next location.

He still needed to gather herbs to cure the butler's granddaughter.

-Let's see... Ah, there it is. That rock that looks like a lion. If you look behind it, you'll see a narrow gap. Go through that.

Karpé followed the Death Archdemon's navigation.

The navigation was very accurate, and Karpé was able to obtain the target herb in no time.

[You have obtained 'Jeyros Herb'!]

"Great!"

It looked like just a common weed, but thinking that it was a 7-star skill, it couldn't look more beautiful.

-Now, since you've gathered everything, let's go back. There's no quest in Luana that you absolutely must complete.

There were still a few hidden quests left, but the rewards from those could be obtained in other areas as well.

Upon returning to Luana, Karpé went to the castle and found the butler, William.

"Wh-What?! How did you...?!"

William shouted when Karpé handed him the Jeyros Herb.

He grabbed Karpé's hand, tears streaming down his face.

"Even after searching everywhere, I couldn't find it... I am truly grateful. The hero who saved Luana from the demons has now saved my granddaughter as well."

[You have completed the hidden quest 'The Butler's Worry.']

[Butler William's affection is now maxed out.]

[You have obtained a guaranteed Skill Pack (7-star).]

"It's nothing. I just did what I had to do."

Karpé left the castle, with William bowing his head in gratitude.

There were still rewards to be claimed.

"Ha ha ha! To bring it back so quickly! As expected, my judgment of people is spot on!"

[You have completed Blacksmith Zik's request.]

Karpé headed to the blacksmith district and handed 'Wind Feather' to Zik, receiving the promised reward.

"Here's the blueprint as promised. May the blessing of the Blacksmith God be with you!"

[You have obtained all blueprints for 'Wind-Infused Equipment.']

[These blueprints are linked to the Magic Engineering skill. You can now craft the corresponding equipment.]

"Kuh."

Just looking at the notification made his stomach feel full. He couldn't just sit still after getting such items.

"I need to craft them right away. Once I wear the wind set and graduate from Luana, it will be perfect."

-I need to move to the room. I can open the 7-star pack there.

Karpé left the blacksmith and immediately moved to the room.

"Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've been here."

Karpé looked around the room, feeling a sense of novelty.

The management of the room was entirely entrusted to the Death Archdemon, and Karpé only entered the room when he needed to hammer something.

Even that hadn't happened recently, so it had been quite a while since his last visit.

-It has developed quite a bit during this time. I've stacked items from the mines and orchards in the warehouse. Check them out when you have time.

"Kuh. That's great. Then, let's open the pack first, and after that..."

At that moment.

Just as Karpé was about to open his inventory, a notification window appeared before his eyes.

[You have entered the room.]

[There is an item in your inventory that can replace the room upgrade.]

[Do you want to proceed with the upgrade?]

"Huh?"

An item that can replace the upgrade?

What was this all about?

Karpé checked the room upgrade requirements.

[Room Upgrade Level 3]

-Player Level (43/40)

-Ebonwood (20/20)

-Vitality Flower (0/1)

In fact, Karpé had been struggling with the room upgrade.

He could get Ebonwood from the Elf Forest, but he still hadn't obtained the 'Vitality Flower,' the last requirement.

Even the elves, known as the forest's inhabitants, didn't know about the Vitality Flower.

"Vitality Flower can be replaced?"

Was there such an item in his inventory?

Karpé opened his inventory to check.

And in one corner of the inventory,

The 'Second Leaf of the World Tree' that Altear had given him in the Elf Forest was blinking.

[Do you want to use the replacement item to proceed with the upgrade?]

"Uh, yes."

The moment Karpé nodded reflexively,

Boom!

The ground shook, and the terrain began to change.

[The room upgrade is in progress.]

[18%... 38%... 79%... 100%!]

[The room upgrade is complete!]

With the completion notification, a small tree appeared in the center of the room.

[A new facility has been opened.]

[You can now unlock the manager's 'Room-specific Skill'.]

[A 'Young World Tree' has been created due to a special item. The Young World Tree grants beneficial effects to the room as it grows.]

"...Wow."

A 10-star player who became stronger through luck.