Chapter 27: Arrival at Boredos: The Calm Before the Storm

“Yeah, about 20.”

“If you give me 20, we’ll only be able to use Speed Boost five more times. Is that okay?”

Currently, Kim Seokju held 25 Passion Stones.

If he gave up 20, even with the desire to use Speed Boost, he’d be limited to just five more uses.

“……”

Kang Juho let out a sigh.

Speed Boost, which increases all movement speed, was an extremely useful skill in combat.

Not only for battle— it also significantly reduced travel time to Boredos.

Kang Juho pondered.

‘Speed is better than cooldown reduction, right?’

They hadn’t even gotten out of the thick grasslands yet.

There was still a long way to go.

‘Yeah, it’s not like we’re hunting non-stop.’

The skill Relentless only shines when fighting without pause.

But right now, there were long gaps between battles.

After a brief pause, Kang Ju-ho spoke.

“I’ll learn it once we reach the city.”

“Okay!”

With that, Kang Ju-ho and Kim Seokju resumed their journey.

[You have entered the Eragan Rockfields.]

Before long, they emerged from the overgrown grasslands and stepped into the Eragan Rockfields.

“We’re almost there,” Kim Seokju said, reading the system message.

Once they got through the rockfields, it would take less than 20 minutes to reach the gates of Boredos.

They were close.

“Yeah, but now’s when we need to stay alert,” Kang Juho replied, scanning their surroundings with wary eyes.

The monsters inhabiting the Eragan Rockfields were Roskers, level 90 to 100.

Roskers were mole-like creatures that lived underground.

But unlike moles, they had two distinct features:

1. They were over 2 meters tall when standing.
2. They had sharp spines on their backs they could launch as projectiles.

“Still, taking on one should be doable, right?” Kim Seokju asked.

“Yeah, because of the tattoo.”

Even though the level difference was steep, Kang Juho had the Hydra Tattoo, which allowed him to take on a single Rosker.

“The problem is we won’t just be fighting one.”

Roskers weren’t solitary creatures— they lived in groups.

Meaning, encountering just one was extremely unlikely.

If a fight broke out, it was essentially a death sentence.

“Keep a close eye out for holes.”

Despite the danger, they chose to cross through the Eragan Rockfields because, with enough attention, combat could easily be avoided.

Once a Rosker claims a territory, it rarely moves.

And near their nests, there are clear signs— massive holes over 2 meters wide.

Avoiding areas with multiple such holes meant they could cross the rockfields without a single fight.

The two carefully made their way forward.

“There.”

“There’s another on the right. Let’s go left.”

Focused on the terrain, they pressed on.

[You have entered the Boredos Plains.]

Thankfully, they managed to leave the Eragan Rockfields without a single encounter.

Now in the Boredos Plains, their expressions relaxed.

Unlike the previous zone, this area was a safe zone.

Being tense here would be strange.

Before long, they saw the massive walls of Boredos.

“This place is way beyond Villeme,” Kim Seokju remarked.

“Seriously…”

Even though Boredos was classified as a major city, they didn’t expect it to be this different from Villeme.

The wall wasn’t just longer— it was over twice as tall.

Snapping out of their awe, they headed toward the city gates.

People were passing in and out in droves.

They lined up and entered, heading straight for city hall to complete their delivery quest.

“Wow, maintenance’s gonna take forever here.”

“Better to do it thoroughly.”

“Yeah, we should.”

As they suspected from the size of the wall, Boredos was enormous.

Even doing basic maintenance would take considerable time.

They finally arrived at city hall and stopped.

“This whole area is city hall? There are a lot of buildings.”

Unlike Villeme, which had only one city hall building, Boredos had three.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to search— the quest gave a clear instruction.

“It said the building with the green flag… I didn’t get it at first, but now it makes sense.”

They entered the five-story building on the left, which had a green flag.

The delivery counter was on the third floor.

That floor was reserved for player use only.

Perhaps because not many players had reached here yet, it was quiet.

“We thought we’d be the first, but nope.”

There were a few players, but it wasn’t empty.

“Well, we left a bit late.”

If they had left right at level 50, maybe they’d have found an empty floor.

“Let’s finish this!”

Kang Juho said as he approached the counter.

“Hello.”

He greeted the NPC, Pyra, at the desk.

“Oh! Hello! Haha…”

Startled from a nap, Pyra awkwardly smiled and returned the greeting.

“These are from Villeme.”

While quest items could be received through a delivery window, they had to be turned in manually.

Kang Ju-ho opened his inventory and placed the items on the desk.

Pyra began inspecting them.

“Thank you for the safe and timely delivery.”

Once verified, Pyra bowed and expressed her gratitude.

[Quest ‘Delivery – Arcane Letter’ completed.]

[Quest ‘Delivery – Lesser Health Potion Box’ completed.]

[Quest ‘Delivery – Lesser Mana Potion Box’ completed.]

[You received a 450 gold deposit refund.]

[You gained experience points.]

[You obtained 5 Delivery Reward Boxes.]

A stream of messages appeared.

“Take care.”

Kang Ju-ho had no plans to repeat delivery quests, so he simply bowed and stepped away.

While waiting for Kim Seokju, he checked the reward boxes in his inventory.

<Delivery Reward Box [Common]> [Non-Tradeable]

Open to receive delivery rewards.

‘Yeah, just common.’

The delivery quests were easy.

It would’ve been strange if a special grade reward popped out.

He opened all five boxes.

[You received 8 Lesser Health Potions.]

[You received 180 gold.]

[You received a Worn Iron Sword.]

[You received 232 gold.]

[You received 5 Lesser Health Potions.]

Kang Juho frowned slightly.

‘Ugh…’

He didn’t expect anything amazing from a common-grade box, but it still stung.

“Didn’t get anything good?”

“Just meh. You?”

“Same.”

Kim Seokju gave a bitter smile.

“So, are we grabbing hunting quests now?”

City hall offered more than delivery quests— there were also hunting and bounty quests.

In Villeme, they had skipped the hunting quests due to the sheer number of players and long wait times.

The rewards weren’t worth it.

But Boredos was different.

The monsters were higher level, and there were fewer players, making it more efficient overall.

“Yeah, it’s downstairs. Let’s go.”

The hunting quest counters were on the second floor.

They went down— it was quiet, just like the third floor.

“Don’t forget to take the quest with the biggest number of Lizardmen.”

“Got it.”

Their next hunting ground would be Coban’s Marsh, populated with level 75–95 Lizardmen.

They planned to stay there for a while, so they needed the most challenging version of the quest.

Each went to a different counter.

“How can I help you?”

The NPC Kafran asked in a clear voice.

“I’d like to see requests related to Coban’s Marsh.”

“Just a moment!”

Kafran opened a drawer and handed him some paperwork.

A quest selection window appeared—

Just like the delivery one:

Left: quest list

Top right: quest details

Bottom right: Kang Juho’s rank and number of quests he could accept.

He was rank 1, of course.

And unlike delivery quests, he could only take one.

He scanned through them, looking for the hardest one.

‘200 Lizardmen is the max, huh.’

A bit disappointing, but it was what it was.

[Quest ‘Hunt Lizardmen’ has been created.]

Kang Juho accepted and stepped out.

Kim Seokju was already waiting.

“You got 200 too?”

“Yeah.”

Both had accepted the Lizardman 200 hunt quest.

They stepped outside together— and suddenly stopped.

Not just them—

“…?”

“…What?”

They stared forward in confusion.

A huge crowd was murmuring, blocking the road.

But no one was blocking them—

Everyone was staring in the same direction.

“Looks like something’s happening up ahead.”

“Yeah… what is it?”

They moved closer and focused on nearby conversations.

“Why is the Marquis of Rodegas here?”

“No idea. But if he’s moving quickly, maybe it’s not that serious?”

“If it weren’t serious, he’d get the report at home! Why come to city hall?”

“Wait, so it is serious?”

“Important and urgent, probably!”

Through the chatter, Kang Juho figured out what was happening.

It was because of Marquis Rodegas, ruler of not just Boredos but the entire surrounding region.

He looked toward the city hall’s gate.

A carriage was passing through.

‘That emblem… Marquis Rodegas…’

The carriage bore the marquis’ sigil—

A lion with its mouth wide open.