Chapter 18 : The Quest of the Regent

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, a notification caught Jaeho’s attention.

“Can I create a quest myself?”

[Would you like to design a quest?]

“Of course, I have to try it.”

It was a skill that could come in handy over and over again.

[Please set the quest objective.]

“Let’s see… The goal is for the Elves to build a city…”

Jaeho recalled the quests he had received before and started filling in plausible content.

[Please set the reward.]

“Reward? I don’t have anything to give.”

[Rewards are an essential part of quest settings. Players judge whether to accept or reject quests based on the reward.]

This was a tricky problem.

At the moment, Jaeho had no high-level rewards that would tempt veteran users…

“Ah!”

Suddenly, Jaeho remembered an item.

“This should be appropriate.”

[<The Wall of Twilight]

If Usster found out, it would be a bloodbath!

But what else could he do?

From Jaeho’s perspective, he had to throw out a reward big enough for the other party to accept this quest.

Building a city wasn’t easy!

The only valuable reward he had to offer was the Wall of Twilight.

Besides, it was more comfortable to get rid of this suspicious item quickly rather than holding onto it.

[Basic quest setup is complete.]

[After system adjustment, the final quest will be output.]

[*City Construction Quest*]

[Elves aiming to establish a new foothold in the desert.

No one knows how many more Elves will migrate here.

You must design a massive city that can accommodate all of them!

If you succeed, you will earn the great favor of the Elves.]

[Reward upon completion: <Twilight Barrier> ]

The quest was finally complete.

“Seems legit.”

Jaeho was satisfied as he presented the quest.

Giants who received it gawked.

Having been around the New World long enough, Giant understood the significance of Jaeho’s quest offer.

“A play— A player proposing such a large-scale quest?!”

Of course, players with territories or domains or those with equivalent authority could create system quests.

But those were limited to their areas of influence.

No one had ever heard of a massive quest on the scale of city construction.

“If it’s a quest of this magnitude… Could it be… Hyeok?! No way!!!”

He realized.

The recent heated debate about the authenticity of the “Title of First King among Players.”

That truth was right in front of him…!!!

“N-no… That’s just excessive speculation. Don’t get too excited.”

That was none of his concern when it came to his own work.

“But what is this Wall of Twilight?”

Late to check the reward information, Giant spoke.

“It’s definitely a very rare item.”

“If it’s a quest that’s growth-oriented, it’s classified as top-tier.”

However, it was an item he had no use for.

“Well… Even if not for the reward, it’s a quest that will help with promotion.”

“I’ll give it my all.”

[<Giant> has accepted the quest.]

“You can count on me.”

Jaeho shook hands with Giant’s trembling hand.

***

Giant quickly began the design.

He had never planned such a large-scale construction before, but based on his experience so far, he believed it was entirely possible.

But that thought was soon shattered.

“Hmm, first, I need to understand the Elven architectural aesthetics, right?”

[Elf <Shu-an> is mocking you.]

[There is no further increase in favorability.]

“Where do they get off calling these barren stone blocks a house?”

[Elf <Shu-an> is mocking you.]

[There is no further increase in favorability.]

“Wh-what?!”

Giant flinched.

He had been acknowledged by many nobles for his skills, yet these clueless Elves were mocking him.

Moreover, their attitude toward him—someone trying to help—was brutally cold.

“Why does favorability drop just because I said a single word?!”

But that was just the beginning.

Rumors spread quickly, and just being nearby triggered notifications of dropping favorability.

He couldn’t even speak.

With no progress in city design, it was impossible to proceed with the quest.

“Why on earth…?”

Giant sat beside the Oasis, staring enviously at Jaeho.

Wherever he went, Elves greeted him with bright smiles and warm hellos, overlapping with how he was treated as an excellent architect.

“If I give up here, my reputation will be ruined!”

He recalled how many hardships he had overcome to get here!

He had endured people’s contempt and slow progress.

“This is the only place where I can rebuild my pride and comfort!”

Here was nothing but a barren wasteland, and he was just a beginner himself.

It was no different than starting anew from scratch.

“I’m a level 1 newbie now. Starting from the beginning.”

Giant straightened his resolve.

***

“What is this…”

Samantha and Mei returned from a trip afar.

“Uh… We only heard about the Elf Great Migration… but I never imagined it’d be this massive.”

“You’re lucky to have so many Elves around.”

“Hehe.”

Spending time alone together brought the two closer.

They shared various stories and learned quite a bit about each other.

Mei even began calling Samantha “unnie” (older sister).

“By the way, there have been huge changes recently. As expected of Alicia.”

As Mei said, a vast grassland had now formed over a wide area.

Who could have imagined this was once nothing but desert?

Of course, the scattered camps reminded them of refugee settlements, but…

Chuck-

At that moment, an Elf stopped the two women on their way to Jaeho’s flower shop.

“Stop. Who are you?”

The Elf’s gaze fixed on Mei.

“Hmm… You carry the scent of pure nature.”

“I’m the assistant to the Spirit Healer!”

Mei said proudly, and admiration appeared on the Elves’ faces.

“Impressive! A normal human wouldn’t have such a strong scent!”

“…Isn’t an assistant just a regular human?”

Samantha thought.

“Then who is this woman?”

The Elf asked, turning to Samantha.

“You smell unpleasant.”

‘Dog?’

But in this Elf-occupied area, she couldn’t voice that thought.

“I’m Alicia’s knight.”

Samantha gave a vague answer.

“Hmm…”

The Elves narrowed their eyes, glaring at Samantha.

Clear suspicion!

“Hey, tell us the truth!”

—!!!

Samantha’s lie was interrupted by Mei stepping forward.

“This person is not bad! She’s not exactly a knight but…”

—Hey!!

Mei’s personality was such that she couldn’t lie.

“But she really is an acquaintance of Alicia! She left with me on the expedition and just arrived!”

“Expedition?”

“To get the Flower Compendium and Seeds.”

“Hey!!”

The Elf burst out in amazement.

“So you left to enrich this desert even more!”

“Y-yes!”

“Good. Then we will let you in. But you should be careful.”

The Elf warned Samantha.

“There was a troublemaker here recently claiming to build a house. If you don’t want to end up like him, watch your behavior.”

“Gangster talk? What a punk.”

Muttering, Samantha entered the refugee village but stopped walking as a thought crossed her mind.

She realized who the Elf had mentioned earlier.

And soon, she caught sight of “that person.”

Wiiing—

Though the surrounding parrots bothered Giant, he sat down quietly, showing no reaction.

“That…”

Samantha couldn’t find words after seeing his shocking appearance.

“It’s not like I did that.”

Jaeho, standing beside him, quickly explained.

“I asked the Elves for help, but they refused. They generally harbor hostility toward humans!”

Elves only listen to clear commands but never hear unpleasant talk.

“Even Alicia’s words didn’t work?”

“No use. Otherwise, Samantha would have been much closer with the Elves by now.”

Jaeho answered Samantha’s question.

In fact, Mei, who was second to Jaeho in being close to the Elves, had a similar experience.

Even when recognized as Jaeho’s assistant, the Elves didn’t show a favorable response.

Only after continued support and communication through flowers did their treatment change.

It wasn’t something that could be solved by mere logic.

“I… I know why they act like that.”

Mei said softly, looking at Giant with pity.

Giant’s broken appearance was something she had witnessed before.

“Alicia… probably doesn’t understand, but…”

“Hmm? Why do you suddenly hesitate on her name?”

Samantha asked, noticing Mei’s stutter after firmly pronouncing “Alicia” moments before.

“Uh, it’s just…”

Standing in front of Jaeho, she couldn’t say it casually.

“Everyone in the Jerluck Association goes through this. The Elves have a colder personality than you think. Alicia was an exception though…”

“Ah! Those people.”

Though Jaeho hadn’t talked directly with them, he was familiar with Jerluck.

“Oh? So Mei, you were part of Jerluck too?”

“Of course. If you wanted a meal even once in Trian Village, joining Jerluck was mandatory. You could learn a lot about the accumulated knowledge on homelessness and begging.”

Jaeho and Samantha’s expressions grew grimmer each time they looked at Giant.

“So, Giant has mentally broken down and lost control.”

“A famous person? Then the shock must be even greater?”

It certainly seemed so.

“But to reach that state in just two days…”

Not an ordinary fragile mind.

“No, it’s not a mental problem.”

“Hm? But Jerluck people live well in Luxi Forest, don’t they?”

“They have already adapted—to that life…”

It was a heartbreaking story.

“Well… just in case, should I ask for help?”

“Help?”

“Yes, they would teach know-how. How to communicate with the Elves.”

“Hmm, if it works, that’d be great. But do you still have contact?”

“Yes, I’m still a Jerluck member…”

Mei wasn’t one to easily break ties, so she hadn’t cut off relations.

In fact, she still received numerous greetings (which were basically help requests) recently.

– “Mei? You’ve been missing from Luxi Forest lately. Did you leave with that monster you met?”

– “Seems like a decent person… What? You’re still together? Hmm, can I get some help too?”

– “Oh? The desert? Ah, is this outside the desert? I’ve never seen it…”

– “Mei, recently Luxi Forest’s been noisy, and something’s happening nearby… Could it be Bola?”

– “Mei… I love you… No, I like you… Please help me…”

And so on.

Mei showed Samantha the countless messages with a naive expression.

“Hmmm…”

Samantha fell silent, looking at the messy messages.

Meanwhile, Jaeho was upset that Mei’s messages referred to him as a “monster.”

“Do we really need to help these people?”

“Huh? Weren’t they the ones asking for help, not the other way around?”

“Oh, right.”

Jaeho came back to his senses.

“But if we can help, it’d definitely be good. There are a lot of hands needed here anyway.”

“…Hey!!”

Jaeho marveled at Mei’s words.

“That kind of thinking…”

***

Jerluck was no longer just a homeless gathering.

It was a group with history and tradition!

While Jaeho and Mei left to complete various quests and level up, they had also grown significantly.

As a result…

“The favorability with the Elf resident Stra has become neutral.”

Clap clap clap

“Wow, amazing! As expected of Breeze!”

“Is this the first time in Jerluck?”

Jerluck members gathered on the outskirts of the village clapped and congratulated.

“Haha, thank you. Really… I can’t believe it… Sniff!”

Breeze even shed tears.

“Why are you crying on such a good day?!”

“That’s right! Though our faith is poor, still… Sniff…”

One by one, they started to cry.

“Let’s… be strong!”

—Hello? Breeze?

“Uh…? Mei?”

At the right moment, a call came to Breeze, who was struggling to hold back tears.

“Mei’s been playing the game properly lately, right?”

“Yes. There’s nowhere to retreat to anyway. I should have just begged that monster too…”

“Didn’t the Prime Guild reject your request?”

Among the sarcastic murmurs, Breeze’s eyes grew wider.

“E-everyone!”

“Whoa, that scared me!”

Everyone focused on Breeze, who suddenly shouted.

“There is a chance for Jerluck too!”

“?”

“What do you mean?”

“A chance to go out into a wider world!!!”

“Wha—?!”

Just as everyone was shocked…

“This is way too noisy at this hour!”

[Elf resident <Stra> is displeased with you.]

[Favorability is dropping.]

[No further favorability increase is possible.]

All the favorability he had painstakingly built reset to zero.

But that was just the prelude.

The long-awaited opportunity to leave this bothersome forest had finally come!