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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 15
A message popped up, notifying him that he had acquired a clue.
This was a well-known trigger among Eternal World users, a signpost leading to a hidden piece.
All the hidden pieces Seonghyun had obtained so far were through the memories of ghosts or with their direct help.
This was the first time he'd earned one through normal gameplay.
Even though he'd been playing the game from the beginning, this was the first time it truly felt real.
With his heart pounding, Seonghyun looked at Village Chief Pam, his face slightly flushed with excitement.
Village Chief Pam chuckled softly.
"You can learn more about Garrick in Perthville."
It was his cue to leave.
Seonghyun bowed deeply in gratitude.
"Thank you. I'll be on my way."
His words were calm, but a strange fervor could be felt in his voice.
Village Chief Pam muttered as he watched Seonghyun depart.
"Heh heh, the world has changed, but this is still the Hero's Village. Forgive me for not being able to wholeheartedly celebrate your birth as a hero. But others will be different. They will gladly accept you and rejoice. I look forward to that day."
"Pardon?"
Seonghyun, about to open the door, asked back, but he was enveloped in light and vanished.
2.
Thud— Thud—
He opened his eyes to the jarring sensation of being tossed from side to side.
With a flash of bright light, the scenery around him whizzed by.
The sky was a clear blue, and the surrounding landscape was filled with meadows and fields.
The scent of soil filled the air, mingling with the fresh fragrance of grass.
As he marveled at the receding scenery, he realized he was in the cargo hold of a carriage.
It wasn't just him; several other users were also aboard.
Even the bumpy ride on the dirt road couldn't dampen the excitement, turning the discomfort into a charming experience.
"Whoa—!"
"Awesome!"
"A carriage ride just by opening the door at the Village Chief's house? This production is insane!"
"..."
Though he didn't show it, Seonghyun shared their sentiment as he looked up at the sky.
The production quality was quite impressive.
Stepping through the door and suddenly finding himself in a carriage after being engulfed in light was a very vivid transition.
It seemed the other users had arrived from different villages, just like him. He was the only one from Hindel Village.
Their faces were filled with the excitement of leaving the beginner village.
Seeing their lively expressions, Seonghyun felt his own heart flutter.
'I can level up and go anywhere.'
As Seonghyun thought with anticipation, the other users were having similar conversations.
"Hey! What class are you going to choose?"
"Heh heh! A mage, of course! The flower of the party! Mages with their firepower are the best!"
"You're just saying that because you can't handle it!"
"Ah, whatever! What about you?"
"I'm going to be a warrior, of course! Isn't that a man's job?"
Seeing them chatting excitedly with satisfied smiles, Seonghyun realized how quickly he had changed classes.
He was probably the first user to change classes in the beginner village.
His title proved it.
This meant that, unlike those people, he didn't need to immediately clear quests to change classes.
He also didn't need to spend any gold.
Changing classes required a whopping 10 gold.
It was roughly equivalent to 100,000 won, but in the early stages, you could earn up to 10 gold through various quests.
Besides, the strategy guides even said that it was easier to make 10 gold by hunting rabbits in the beginner village.
'I saved some money.'
He bypassed those tedious quests and saved money in the process.
Now he had something else to do.
'Gravedigger Garrick, huh?'
He'd obviously be at the graveyard, right?
Seonghyun didn't know what Garrick would have him do, but he was quite excited.
This was the first hidden piece he'd be finding on his own.
It would be nice to have it easy, but wasn't there a certain charm in searching for it like this?
Lost in thought, Seonghyun was startled by a shout.
"Perthville!!!"
"Ooh! It's real!!"
A fairly large-sized wooden fence came into view in the distance.
It was definitely a larger village than the beginner village.
That was Perthville, the first town you encountered after leaving the tutorial.
0.
The center of the village was like a bustling marketplace.
As if knowing that it was always crowded, everyone walked their own way without paying attention to anyone else.
The area was packed with people around a fountain, and various sounds filled the air, just like a marketplace.
But they weren't hawking goods.
Or rather, maybe it was similar?
"Goblin subjugation! Looking for a party!"
"Graveyard undead subjugation! Looking for a party!!! Level 7, focused on agility, haven't changed classes yet!!!"
"Hey, brothers!!! Future warrior!!! Amin's looking for a party!!! If you have a spot, let me in!!!"
"Looking for a party!!! Level 9, about to change classes!!! I'll be helpful!!!"
"Ah! Looking for a foreigner to catch orcs!!! Urgent!!!"
"Delicious apples! Very sweet apples! Only 1 silver!!!"
When you first arrived in Perthville from the beginner village, you were greeted by the central plaza.
It wasn't easy for newbies to keep their wits about them in this chaotic atmosphere.
The dizzying scene and overwhelming noise were enough to drain anyone's energy.
But Seonghyun calmly assessed the situation and left the central plaza.
He knew the center of the village would be like this, but it was worse than he expected.
Users looking for parties were everywhere, and among them, he could see NPCs also looking for users.
Even NPCs were doing business amidst the chaos.
Escaping the crazy, chaotic central plaza, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
'Whew.'
Though he moved calmly, he couldn't help but feel his energy draining.
Still, he had to persevere and find him.
Gravedigger Garrick.
The name alone suggested he would be somewhere in the cemetery. \
And for Seonghyun, a cemetery was a potential goldmine.
With a strange sense of anticipation, he headed towards the cemetery.
'Come to think of it, they said undead monsters appear in the cemetery, right?'
In the case of large villages like this, cemeteries were quite extensive.
And because of that, undead would sometimes emerge, wouldn't they?
So it was common to receive quests from gravediggers to exterminate undead in the cemetery.
He had just heard someone in the central plaza looking for users to help with undead subjugation.
It was a popular hunting ground with high demand.
Find Gravedigger Garrick in the vast cemetery.
'It doesn't seem that difficult.'
Even though it was large, he could just ask other gravediggers.
He wasn't worried at all.
Seonghyun was actually more excited about what he would find after locating Garrick.
Cemeteries were mostly located on the outskirts of villages.
Perthville was no exception.
It wouldn't make sense to have a cemetery inside a large village.
From the entrance, he could see the massive cemetery, two guards guarding the entrance, and a few NPCs nearby.
'Oh.'
They appeared to be gravediggers.
As he entered the cemetery, the guards didn't stop him.
It seemed their role was to prevent the undead from emerging, not to block the entry of users or NPCs.
Seonghyun entered the cemetery without any trouble and approached the NPCs who were chatting while holding shovels and various tools.
Who else would be holding shovels and tools in a cemetery if not gravediggers?
Seonghyun strode towards them and asked,
"Are you the gravediggers?"
"Huh? You're a foreigner?"
"Haha, what brings you to the likes of us?"
"Ah! Are you here for a request?"
They seemed to be asking if he wanted to receive a quest.
Unfortunately, none of them were named Garrick.
"Ah, may I ask you something?"
"Sure, if it's something we know. We can tell you."
"Ahem, what are you so curious about?"
Seonghyun was a little relieved by their rather friendly reaction.
It might have been more difficult if they were closed off, but thankfully, they weren't.
With this kind of response, it seemed safe to ask about Gravedigger Garrick's whereabouts.
Having made that judgment, Seonghyun asked,
"Do you happen to know a gravedigger named Garrick?"
"...Ah?"
"...Ahem."
"Old man Garrick?"
The atmosphere changed subtly.
It wasn't that he had asked something sensitive.
It wasn't hostile or negative.
The NPCs scratched their cheeks, looking rather troubled.
Had something happened?
Had he moved somewhere else?
If that were the case, it wouldn't be a problem, as he could just go find him.
"That... Old man Garrick is dead."
"He passed away last year."
"He was an inspiration to many gravediggers."
"Ah?"
Dead? Gravedigger Garrick?
As Seonghyun stared at the NPCs with a dumbfounded expression, a message appeared, like a death announcement.
[Gravedigger Garrick is currently deceased.]
[The clue continues.]
The clue continues.
It meant that his death wasn't related to the hidden piece.
Gravedigger Garrick was the clue, but his death wasn't connected to the hidden piece?
It was already puzzling.
For a moment, everything went dark as he wondered where to even begin searching.
'This is tricky.'
He quickly recalled various memories and experiences to grasp the situation.
In this kind of situation, Hunter Apik's memory proved useful.
"By any chance, would you know where Mr. Garrick lived?"
"Old man Garrick's room?"
"It's been a year since he died."
"Ah! Wasn't that room left abandoned?! I think they just left it as it was because there was no new gravedigger."
"Ah! That's right! That's right!"
As he listened to the NPCs, a message appeared.
[You have obtained a clue about the room used by Gravedigger Garrick.]
As expected.
Hunter Apik's memory was useful even in situations like this.
Seonghyun marveled at this and was about to express his gratitude when he overheard one of the NPCs.
"By the way, there was another foreigner looking for Old man Garrick."
"Indeed~"
"Excuse me?"
"Ah, there was one other besides you. It was a few days ago..."
"About five days, I think?"
Could he be too late?
No. The hidden piece was still there.
If someone had already taken it, this clue wouldn't have appeared.
However, it seemed that person was way ahead. It had already been five days.
'I need to hurry up.'
It would be incredibly frustrating to miss out on the prize right in front of him. As Seonghyun was about to hurry off...
A voice came from behind him.
-...looking for... ?
An old man, grimy and covered in dirt, holding a shovel, appeared before Seonghyun. His legs were blurry, like pixels in a half-transparent, broken image.
The ghost of an old gravedigger.
'Found him.'
It seemed he had found Garrick.
1.
What must it feel like to go to work on your day off?
What more needs to be said?
It's devastating and dreadful.
One look at Team Leader Jung Jihye's eyes and complexion was enough to tell.
TL/N: I assumed the Team Leader was a male character until now, but this chap confirmed that team leader Jung is a female character. So from this chap onwards I'll address the Team Leader as a Female character]
"Gasp! Team Leader Jung!? Y-you're on leave... Sob!"
"Gasp? Team Leader Jung?! H-how?"
"Eek!"
"Aaa!"
The other team members screamed as if they had seen a ghost.
Their team leader, who had said she was taking a day off, had returned.
In a way, she did resemble a ghost.
She was walking down the hallway with a murderous expression.
No one dared to greet her.
She clearly wasn't alright.
As soon as Team Leader Jung Jihye arrived at the User Management Team, the atmosphere froze instantly.
Everyone exchanged glances, wondering who had called her in.
Unable to even swallow their saliva, they watched as the faces of two people turned deathly pale.
'Ah, it's those two.'
'What to do?'
'Team Leader Jung is furious.'
'Don't make eye contact. It's overtime for us.'
They pretended not to know anything, exchanging wary glances.
Only Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong and Associate Oh Jinhyeok stood up to greet Team Leader Jung Jihye.
Team Leader Jung Jihye, who always came to work in a neat suit, was dressed more casually than ever.
She looked quite stylish in casual shorts, a shirt, and a short-sleeved t-shirt.
Only the bear ears headband she hadn't taken off revealed that she had just come from an amusement park.
"So, give me a situation report."
"H-here's the summary!"
Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong quickly handed over the pad containing the file he had just finished organizing.
Work as soon as she arrived?
While impressed, Lee Wonsong felt devastated that it was because of him.
Team Leader Jung Jihye's expression hardened as she silently read the file.
Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong would have reacted the same way.
"An unknown power, are you sure this isn't foul play?"
"Y-yes! We've already confirmed it through Immortal."
"...And he obtained a hidden piece without any foreshadowing?"
"...Yes."
"Moreover, a class change in the beginner zone, and it's an Almighty rank."
"..."
Assistant Manager Lee Wonsong's voice gradually grew quieter.
There was nothing he could do, but the achievements he had to report were truly astonishing.
He cautiously observed Team Leader Jung's expression, but it seemed to soften a bit.
Or rather, it changed from a frown to a neutral expression.
"Well, it can't be helped. Since it's not foul play, it's unlikely he obtained leaked information from one of our employees."
"Ah, yes. Immortal's calculations take that into account as well."
"Sigh, so what's that user doing now? It says he received a clue about Gravedigger Garrick from the Village Chief of Hindel Village..."
"Ah! Don't worry about that!"
Associate Oh Jinhyeok answered, interrupting Team Leader Jung.
She wasn't the type to scold someone for interjecting, so she looked at Associate Oh, signaling him to continue.
Associate Oh flinched momentarily when their eyes met, but he spoke calmly.
"That hidden piece has already been found by someone else. If you look here..."
"Oh!?"
"Hmm."
Associate Oh displayed a screen he had prepared beforehand, showing a user who was very close to obtaining the hidden piece.
Level 30.
Definitely a high level for someone still lingering in the first town.
However, this user had discovered the hidden piece and decided to stay there.
"Username Bejiron, level 30, a user who changed class to a black mage. Looking at his skill tree, it seems he's aiming for a necromancer build."
"Hmm, so the Garrick hidden piece?"
"It seems likely."
A level 30 black mage.
They acknowledged that Seonghyun was remarkable.
That was why Team Leader Jung had even returned from her leave.
However, it would be difficult for a level 1 user who had just left the beginner village to catch up to a level 30 user who was already at the final stage of obtaining the hidden piece.
No matter how powerful an Almighty class was, there was an order to obtaining hidden pieces.
It would be impossible.
Just as they were feeling relieved...
[User 『Seonghyun』 has permanently increased his stats through an 'unknown power'.]
A warning message from Immortal appeared on the screen.
It should have been impossible, so why was there a sudden sense of unease?
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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