BXBX NOVEL Chapter 48
[Quest Completed.]
[Hidden Quest: Idenharc Lord’s Castle (2/2) can now be proceeded.]
Jeong-Hoon checked the new quest that appeared above his head.
[Hidden Quest: Idenharc Lord’s Castle (2/2)]
-Restriction: Idenharc Lord’s Castle (1/2) completed
-Reward: ? (Reward will be determined based on completion.)
-Description: Completely close the portal in the basement of the lord’s castle.
“Welcome. If you don’t mind, would you like to sit here?”
Juan greeted Jeong-Hoon with a friendly smile.
“Yes.”
Jeong-Hoon nodded, and the butler guided him to an empty seat.
“It’s mealtime, would you like to join me?”
“Yes.”
The food eaten in the game was all converted into buffs.
Soon, soup, rye bread, some meat, and a few vegetables appeared.
Contrary to his expectation of a luxurious banquet befitting a noble, it was a rather simple meal.
“Shall we eat?”
“Yes.”
The meal was conducted in a very quiet atmosphere from beginning to end.
Only after all the dishes were cleared did Juan bring up the main topic.
“First, let me ask you one thing. Are you a mage?”
His eyes scanned Jeong-Hoon up and down.
“No.”
He could use Magic Missile, but that was the only magic he knew.
Jeong-Hoon mainly fought with swords, bows, and fists, using magic only as a supplementary role.
“Is that so? Then how did you get a letter of recommendation from the magic tower master?”
“I helped him with something.”
“I see… Then can I take it that you are willing to solve the problem of the castle?”
The reason Sander wrote the recommendation letter.
It was because Jeong-Hoon could use both mana and divine power.
“I’ll listen first.”
“…There is a portal in the basement of the castle. It’s a portal that has been there for a very long time.”
The portal was located much deeper underground than the castle’s dungeon.
It was a portal created hundreds of years ago.
Currently, it was sealed, so no one could enter or exit. The portal went into a frenzy every three years, and this year was the third year.
The portal in the basement would soon start to go berserk.
And Juan wanted to get rid of that pesky portal.
However, there was one condition needed to close the portal.
‘Only those who have used mana before and can currently use divine power can enter.’
That was the condition.
‘That’s why Sander wrote the letter of recommendation.’
Jeong-Hoon was the only one who could use both mana and divine power.
“Do I just need to close it?”
Currently, they were blocking the mana overflowing from the rampaging portal to survive for three years.
However, the blocking process was not easy.
Those exposed to the rampaging mana would have their own mana go berserk and die before long.
The mana in the body becomes poisonous and eats away at the whole body.
Over 500 people have died while working in Idenharc.
Juan wanted to escape this tiresome portal.
That’s why he requested help from the masters of each class’s tower, but where would someone who could use both mana and divine power appear?
Then, Jeong-Hoon appeared.
“…That’s right. If you succeed in closing it, I will give you my best reward.”
Juan received a separate contact from Sander and immediately ordered people to investigate Jeong-Hoon.
And he learned what a good person Jeong-Hoon was.
Despite being a stranger, he took the initiative to solve the village’s problems, and Juan decided to trust him.
That’s why he had a meal with him as soon as he arrived.
‘The best reward.’
Jeong-Hoon smiled inwardly.
‘That lord, unlike the beginner zone, was very suspicious. He only opened up after I completely closed the portal.’
Even with that, he was given a tremendous reward, the Idenharc Potion, which explosively increased his level.
Thanks to that, Lewis Verdant achieved explosive growth by combining Richel’s potion with the Idenharc Potion.
In his early days, he had used mana and then walked the path of a priest, gaining divine power, which allowed him to meet the portal entry requirements.
‘But that wasn’t the best reward… Juan was a guy who valued ‘goodness’ very much. If I had used that, I could have gotten more…’
He didn’t know that Lewis Verdant’s lamentations about the past would be so helpful.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and close that portal.”
“…Thank you.”
Juan nodded with a gentle smile.
* * *
Idenharc Lord’s Castle Basement.
The basement door that Juan led him to was blocked by a double barrier.
As if to prove that the outburst was not far off, mana was leaking slightly through the cracks in the door.
“You could get poisoned if you get too close.”
Even the guards at the door were wearing special gas masks and protective suits.
Perhaps because they were made by alchemists, they resembled medieval European helmets and plate armor rather than modern protective suits.
“It’s okay.”
Jeong-Hoon approached the door.
The mana leaking through the cracks in the door rushed towards Jeong-Hoon.
Of course, the mana couldn’t harm Jeong-Hoon at all.
[Not affected by mana poisoning.]
That’s right.
This was why there had to be traces of mana.
Even if you could use divine power, you couldn’t resist it without the traces.
“Oh!”
“Are you alright…?”
Juan and the guards watched the situation with wide eyes.
“Yes. But what should we do about the barrier?”
Jeong-Hoon pointed at the barrier with his finger.
He could unseal this level of barrier himself, but that would risk the portal’s mana leaking out.
“…Please wait a moment.”
At Juan’s gesture, the mages who had followed them stood in front of the door and began to reconstruct the barrier.
Then, a barrier was erected behind Jeong-Hoon.
Simultaneously, the barrier on the door was lifted, and the closed door creaked open.
“Can you enter?”
The mage asked cautiously.
“Haha, are you asking someone who isn’t even wearing any protective gear?”
Unlike them, Jeong-Hoon wasn’t wearing anything.
Because he wouldn’t be poisoned.
“Then we will step back.”
As if he had asked out of courtesy, the mage stepped back and passed through the barrier.
“…Please, we’re counting on you!”
Juan’s voice came from behind.
“Yes.”
Jeong-Hoon nodded and entered the door.
Inside, a huge portal was shining eerily.
[Lv. 100 Ambiguous Boundary of Good and Evil (Hidden)]
*Without divine power, you will be punished with death.
A dungeon that couldn’t be cleared without mana and divine power, no matter how high your level was.
And it was a hidden dungeon, no less.
It was a dungeon where you could obtain rare rewards, like the hidden theme he had discovered before.
“Shall we begin?”
[Would you like to enter Lv. 100 Ambiguous Boundary of Good and Evil (Hidden)?]
As Jeong-Hoon pressed accept, the portal swallowed him.
* * *
Juan, the mages, and the guards watched Jeong-Hoon enter the portal from beyond the barrier.
Even though Jeong-Hoon had left, they couldn’t move.
Juan, in particular, was staring at the flickering portal with tense eyes.
‘Tower Master, do you think that stranger can destroy the portal?’
‘Don’t I?’
The answer that came back was very confident.
‘…He just looked like someone who met the entry requirements.’
The condition for entering the portal was to be able to use both mana and divine power simultaneously.
It was not a condition for closing it.
To close it, you had to do it purely on your own.
“Phew, I hope he doesn’t come back as a corpse.”
He couldn’t help but worry.
It had been a long time since he had seen such a kind stranger.
“He’ll be fine. He looked very confident.”
The mage, Frizen, who had built the barrier, said.
He couldn’t find any trace of nervousness in Jeong-Hoon’s expression.
That sight boosted his confidence.
Juan nodded at Frizen’s additional comment, who had worked in the castle for 13 years and had already experienced four portal outbreaks.
“I hope so.”
Juan didn’t leave the spot.
He was the first person since Richel, 600 years ago, who could use both mana and divine power.
Since such a person had entered the portal, he wanted to witness everything that happened afterwards.
* * *
[Hidden: Ambiguous Boundary of Good and Evil]
[Achievement Unlocked! ‘Pioneer of a New Path (1)’ completed. 2,000 achievement points granted.]
“Dense.”
Jeong-Hoon was surprised when he entered the dungeon.
It had been a long time since he had been in a space with such dense mana.
It was so dense that the mana settled in the air was visible to the naked eye.
Moreover, it was not a bright blue color due to contamination, but a dark navy blue that had settled in a hazy form.
It was somewhat similar to the ‘Abyss’ that he had cleared with difficulty in his previous life.
Of course, unlike the Abyss, where he had to avoid death, this place required the coexistence of mana and divine power.
Anyway, it wasn’t a completely unfamiliar space for Jeong-Hoon.
He took out the Dragon Anima Bone Bow from his inventory and held it.
“Long time no see.”
Anima appeared and greeted him briefly.
“Yes, it’s been a while.”
Jeong-Hoon responded with a greeting.
“But where are we? This place has a very unpleasant smell.”
Anima looked around and frowned.
It was because of the contaminated mana.
Indeed, every time Jeong-Hoon breathed, the air mixed with contaminated mana entered his lungs, and the contaminated mana quickly began to spread throughout his body.
[Purifying contaminated mana.]
[Purifying contaminated mana.]
If he had only mana, the contaminated mana would have quickly taken over and he wouldn’t have been able to push it out, but the divine power purified the contaminated mana, and the mana pushed out the contaminated mana.
Even though it was purified, the contamination level was so high that it couldn’t be absorbed into the body.
“Let’s start.”
He didn’t want to stay in this filthy space anymore.
Jeong-Hoon stepped forward.
[Lv. 100 Priest (Good)]
A monster appeared soon after.
It was a humanoid monster wearing a white robe pulled down low.
The benevolent energy flowing around its body made the viewer feel warm.
But Jeong-Hoon knew.
Behind the mask of good, evil had taken root.
“Disgusting. Shoot it to death.”
Anima hid behind Jeong-Hoon, as if even being seen by the monster was disgusting.
“That’s not something you should say, hiding behind me.”
“…I’m a weapon. I’m not hiding.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Jeong-Hoon nodded vaguely and pulled the bowstring.
“Human, do you dare try to harm good?”
The priest in the robe rebuked him in a stern voice.
[Priest (Good) uses ‘Brainwashing’.]
As the monster used its ability, Jeong-Hoon’s mind wavered.
The one who harms good is evil.
Then, if he let go of this, would he be branded as evil?
Even in his confusion, Jeong-Hoon chuckled.
He had come too far to be shaken by something like this.
“Laughing? Are you trying to mock a good man?!”
“Cut the crap. If you’re good, then I’m God.”
As Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring, the arrow shot out and pierced the priest’s head.
“Keuk…”
The priest, with an arrow lodged in his head, foamed at the mouth and collapsed, dead.
[Level up!]
[All stats increased by +1.]
[Bonus stat +1 granted.]
With that kill, his level rose to 92.
And next to the priest, a skill book was dropped.
A black skill book, no less.
“What’s that?”
Anima peeked out and examined the skill book.
“Brainwashing skill book.”
The skill book the monster dropped was for learning the Brainwashing skill.
The reason it was a different color from other skill books was that it was the only skill book of its kind in New World.
===
[Skill Book: Brainwashing (Unique)]
-Type: Skill Book
-Grade: Rare
-Using this skill book allows you to learn ‘Brainwashing (Rare)’.
===
Rare grade Brainwashing.
However, Lewis Verdant raised this Brainwashing skill to Legendary and used it very effectively.
In fact, the number of times he turned the tables using the Brainwashing skill was countless.
And now, that Brainwashing skill has come to Jeong-Hoon.
“Oh, it dropped something very good.”
Anima seemed pleased, recognizing the value of the skill book.