Chapter 14: The Scent of Shinaga

People’s personalities are all different.

The same goes for their values.

You can’t always say what’s right or wrong, but as you go through society or school life, there are definitely personalities you like and those you don’t.

Just as much, I wished that all the NPCs in the game would be friendly to the users, but unfortunately, Shazam fell into the latter category.

He was so notorious that people called him ‘Daewongun (prince of the great court)’ instead of his real name, and he was extremely exacting and difficult toward outsiders and users alike.

Whenever a post about Shazam popped up now and then on Community 5, it would get flooded with responses.

-Shazam Daewongun slammed the door shut just because I was 3 seconds late. Makes me want to quit for real.

-Got hit by Shazam’s isolation policy again today. Seriously, even if I laugh it off, the bad taste lingers in my head all day.

-Do you think you just need to enter? No. Shazam Daewongun only shows his true colors after you enter Shinaga. If he thinks even the smallest thing could affect the city’s security, he’ll interfere right away.

With a reputation like that, it was impossible not to be nervous.

I swallowed the dry spit pooled in my mouth and opened the door to go in.

Creak—!

With the sharp sound of metal hinges, I saw Shazam, who had been waiting inside.

I greeted him as politely as possible so he wouldn’t find any fault with me.

“Hello, my name is Dahav. Alkas always said you were an honest person who works hard for the citizens of Shinaga. It’s an honor to finally meet you in person.”

In truth, it wasn’t quite to that extent, but I deliberately exaggerated a little.

As expected, the muscles on Shazam’s face twitched, and then a pleasant laugh burst out.

“Khaha! Alkas never praises outsiders, so it was strange to see him fill his letter with praise about you. Now that I see you myself, I understand. You’re a very polite young man.”

“Thank you for seeing me in a good light.”

“My eyes are just as sharp as Alkas’s, you know. I said that because I like you, so don’t feel pressured.”

Contrary to his usual nickname, he spoke in a gentle tone.

“Just in case, could you show me the Recommendation Letter? Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s just a verification step, and I don’t particularly like it either, but it can’t be helped.”

I took out the Recommendation Letter I had stored in my inventory and handed it over.

Shazam took the letter, glanced over its contents, and nodded as he spoke.

“It’s genuine.”

[You have completed the Alkas’s Recommendation Letter Quest.]

[You have gained 1,000 experience points.]

It seemed small, but the real reward started from here.

After confirming the Recommendation Letter, Shazam looked up and asked a question.

“So, did Alkas tell you about the task?”

“I only heard that there was a problem and you were looking for someone to help.”

Shazam rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment, then asked,

“In that case, do you know about the stench in Shinaga’s main street?”

“I heard it’s extremely foul.”

I’d watched plenty of videos about Shinaga, and I’d just experienced it myself, so I could answer easily.

“Then, do you know what’s causing it?”

For a moment, Dahav’s eyes widened slightly.

‘The selection window has opened.’

Even if the line between reality and the game blurred at times, the core was still a game.

In other words, like an NPC, if you say a keyword, NPC will respond accordingly.

By Dahav’s action, the selection window had opened, and depending on what I chose, the details, rewards, and even the future chain quests would all be completely different.

‘The answer for the best reward is probably…’

After quickly organizing my thoughts, I parted my lips.

“It’s caused by the Amorphophallus.”

The light in Shazam’s eyes sharpened for a moment.

“Ho? Tell me everything you know.”

“Shinaga is literally a slum city built in the Late Zone. The Titan Arum is a demonic flower that grows in the Late Zone. Even if you remove the Titan Arum’s bud, the roots remain, so you can’t completely get rid of it. Despite this, us outsiders only hunt the Titan Arum…”

Worried I might have picked the wrong answer, I trailed off and watched Shazam’s expression.

But seeing Shazam listening intently, I became confident.

“This is the right answer.”

I pushed forward, speaking with more conviction.

‘In reality, it’s just that the Titan Arum is easier to hunt, so everyone targets it. But since this situation is harming Shinaga’s citizens, the priority should be eradicating the rapidly increasing Amorphophallus.’

As soon as I finished speaking, a smile bloomed on Shazam’s face, and then he burst out laughing.

“Khaha! Alkas sent me a real gem! I’ll have to buy him a fancy drink later!”

“I just told you honestly what I know.”

Shazam clapped his bony hands together.

“In reality, there are always more liars who ignore the truth. But you faced it head-on. With that courage alone, you’re worthy of being called a great man.”

[By earning Shazam’s recognition, you have achieved the ‘Recognition from the Exacting One’ achievement.]

Seeing the achievement window pop up, I clenched my fist without realizing it.

“Nice! Getting this achievement means…”

It meant I’d chosen the right path, the path I wanted to take.

Shazam spoke again.

“There’s no need to test you. It’d be a waste of time for someone as talented as you. To the point, as you said, the Lord has ordered the hunting of Amorphophallus. Will you help?”

Ding—!

• Pending Task
• Rank: Grade E
• Quest Details: In Shinaga’s main street, the citizens’ safety and livelihood are threatened by the foul-smelling Amorphophallus. Therefore, Shinaga’s Lord, Alexandra, wants to strengthen city security by reducing the number of Amorphophallus. Hunt Amorphophallus in the area and bring back 50 Amorphophallus Untorn Wings’ as evidence.
• Quest Reward: 15,000 experience, 1 Shinaga military supply pack, +15 favorability with Shazam, +15 Shinaga reputation, unlocks chain quest ‘Investigation of the Cause’

Looking at the quest window, the corners of my lips curled upward on their own.

It was only natural—the true beginning for summoner types could be divided into before and after clearing Shinaga’s chain quests.

‘At the end of the ‘Investigation of the Cause’ quest…’

Lost in thought, I didn’t answer right away, so Shazam spoke with a slightly disappointed tone.

“So… it seems even you find this difficult. In that case, let’s see, I have other tasks as well.”

Of course, Dahav was startled and hurriedly objected.

“No, no! I’ll go deal with the wicked Amorphophallus threatening the citizens right away!”

Worried the quest details might change, Dahav rushed out the door.

Watching him leave, Shazam muttered with a satisfied expression.

“Young people with this kind of passion are rare these days.”

***

In a game, guides are inevitable.

There are always users who want the easiest and fastest path from the start.

Of course, if it’s the same level of monster, it’s only natural to hunt the ones that are easier and faster.

That’s why people only hunted the Titan Arum in Shinaga.

Titan Arum and Amorphophallus are monsters of the same level, but the difficulty gap is like heaven and earth, so the latter was inevitably avoided.

“That’s only the case until the monster research video from Märchen was released.”

Just like with the Albino incident, even though Shinaga was a beginner city where it was hard to get rare items, Märchen kept releasing hit videos.

Hunting Amorphophallus using gear made from the Giant Toad’s jaw.

ASA continued the RPG’s legacy and had a clear advantage in type matchups.

So, the insect-type monster Amorphophallus was completely powerless against the toad-type monster, the Giant Toad.

While it might not seem like a big deal to hunt regular monsters in Shinaga, at the time, it was called a ‘revolution.’

Previously, it took about ten days to graduate from Shinaga at level 20, but after Märchen released the information, people were graduating in just five days.

Even so, the leveling speed couldn’t reach its full potential because of the limited number of Amorphophallus.

“Of course, the problem now is that I don’t have that kind of gear…”

Back then, thanks to Märchen’s video, there were some gear made from Giant Toads at the brokerage, but up until now, no one had ever thought of making gear from the soft tongue of a Giant Toad, so there was nothing available.

But there was no need to be disappointed.

In fact, I had an even better method.

Dahav grinned as he held the Giant Toad Head he’d bought from the brokerage.

“If I attach this head to a Ghoul, that’s all I need.”

As a summoner, there was no need to go out of my way to get weapons.

I could just use ‘Rebirth’ to modify corpses.

“All right, let’s get to work. Come forth.”

Ghouls appeared from the black magic circle, and then Dahav laid out the corpses he’d bought from the brokerage and used his skill.

“Rebirth”

[You have exceeded the maximum number of minions (3). You can only craft after releasing a minion, or modify an existing one.]

As if he expected this, Dahav immediately spoke.

“I’ll modify it.”

Ping—!

[Would you like to receive system assistance for the Rebirth Skill?]

If you accept assistance, the best you can get is a ‘Great Success,’ but since this was his first attempt at modification, he wasn’t confident yet.

If I got greedy and failed, I might lose even more stats, which would be the worst.

“Greed only brings disaster.”

I nodded to indicate my decision.

[Please select the part to modify.]

[With Rebirth, you can modify: Head, Torso, Arms, Legs.]

The message appeared, and the parts I could choose from were highlighted.

Now that I was actually trying, I felt a bit greedy.

‘If I swap the body for a Troll Goul, its durability and strength would increase…’

If I used better corpses for the arms or torso, the stats would go up significantly, and I might even get a new skill.

If possible, I wanted to replace everything here, but my ‘Leadership’ stat limited me.

“I’ll have to get leadership gear and change everything later.”

Regretful, but as I thought earlier, greed only brings disaster.

Leaving it for another day, I pressed the button to change the head as planned.

[You have selected the ‘Head’ part.]

A light burst from the head, and the ‘Lizardman’s Head from the Late Zone’ that had been attached went into my inventory.

When I picked up the Giant Toad Head I’d bought from the brokerage, a blue line appeared.

‘If I just follow the guide line, I’ll only get a Great Success.’

Since I was making it anyway, I wanted to aim for a step higher—a ‘Great Success.’

‘Isn’t it enough to be precise? Maybe there’s a part that needs more strength, or some technique I should use.’

Steeling myself, I picked up the needle.

The guide line and a translucent hand began to move.

“This part needs to be more delicate, and the front part needs to be tied tighter.”

I poured all my skill and concentration into my hands.

Sssuk, chiiik—

With the heat rising from my body, even the temperature of the workshop went up, and my back grew damp with sweat.

After about twenty minutes, just as my back was soaked with sweat, Dahav stopped his hands and shouted.

“It’s done!”

Ding—!

[With a successful modification, the Ghoul’s completion rating has increased to Great Success!]

[Congratulations! First Great Success! A splendid Ghoul has been completed! While your skill isn’t quite enough to call it excellent, your persistence and technique have made up for your shortcomings, resulting in a Great Success!]