Chapter 64: The Library Proxy

The place where Revan opened his eyes was the inn room he’d last logged out in.

Revan stretched lightly, then immediately brought up his status window.

[Revan]

-Level: 63

-Divine Seat: Rubix

-Class: War Mage

-Affiliation: #Herum #Freedom

-Stats

Strength 178 (+5)

Perception 19 (+5)

Intelligence 47 (+20)

Dexterity 14

-Special

Movement speed +10% during combat

Movement speed +5% outside combat

Skill cooldown -20%

-Remaining stat points: 0

‘Solid. Absolutely solid.’

No matter how many times he looked, his status window was always satisfying.

As Revan checked his status, he thought to himself.

‘I’d love to rush straight to the second floor of the Tower of Infinity right now...’

He’d obtained a ticket to meet the master of the second floor directly.

But Revan decided to hold back.

Now, after all, everything he did could be used as streaming content.

‘I have to be strategic with my streams. I’ll try the second floor once off-stream, and save the ticket for a live broadcast.’

Currently, Revan was level 63.

The entry cap was level 69, so he still had some leeway.

Besides, he’d only just finished a nine-hour challenge a few days ago and didn’t feel like going right back in.

So Revan decided to take on the Cube Quests he’d been putting off.

‘It’s been a while, Cube Quests.’

Without hesitation, Revan started solving the Growth Cube and Epic Cube in order.

[You have successfully solved Rubix’s Growth Cube.]

[A quest has been generated.]

[You have successfully solved Rubix’s Epic Cube.]

[An epic quest has been generated.]

[Hunting the Ruffians of the Marshlands]

-Rank: Special.

-Condition: Drive out the Grey Trolls from the ashen marshlands near Gald Castle.

-Reward: Rubix’s Growth Cube, Rubix’s Skill Cube Fragment, Rubix’s Treasure Cube Fragment.

[The Nameless Exiles]

-Rank: Epic, Special, Unique.

-Condition: Find clues regarding the exiles who have been stripped of their names.

-Reward: Rubix’s Epic Cube, Rubix’s Skill Cube Fragment, Rubix’s Treasure Cube Fragment.

“Hmm.”

Seeing the two quests pop up before his eyes, Revan fell into thought.

He knew where Gald Castle was.

Back in his days as a Blunt Warrior, he’d hunted there aiming for level 100; it was a hunting ground for those in the 90s.

But there was far too little information about the Nameless Exiles.

‘These quests are getting more and more complicated.’

Of course, it wasn’t like there were no hints at all.

Over the course of clearing Cube Quests, he’d realized that the two types of quests were closely intertwined.

So for now, he decided to head to Gald Castle as the growth quest required.

‘Still, just in case, I should return to the Tower of Infinity once I hit level 69.’

The quests were important, but clearing the second floor of the Tower of Infinity was an even bigger priority.

So he resolved to be careful about leveling up as he tackled the quests.

Fwoosh!

Revan used the teleport scroll he’d received from Oh Jaehyun.

---

[Gald Castle]

Upon arrival, the map name popped up before his eyes.

Revan took in the characteristic damp scent of Gald Castle and nodded to himself.

‘It’s been a while here, too.’

Until he reached level 100, he’d come and gone from Gald Castle whenever he had the chance to level up.

So it was only natural that he felt nostalgic visiting again after so long.

First, Revan took out his animal mask and put it on. Then he wrapped himself in a large cloak.

‘It’d be a problem if someone recognized me.’

People’s eyes were keener than expected.

Fame was all well and good, but he didn’t want his gameplay interrupted.

Having finished his disguise, Revan headed to the library within Gald Castle, the Gray Memory.

[Gray Memory]

As he stepped inside, the map name appeared before his eyes.

Without delay, Revan went straight up to the third floor.

There, he opened the auction house, purchased an item, and sought out the librarian in charge of the third floor, NPC Hagon.

“Excuse me.”

“And who might you be?”

“I’m the adventurer Revan. I’ve come to Gald Castle because there’s something I’d like to know, and people told me the wisest person here was Sir Hagon. So I sought you out.”

“Something you’re curious about? Well, I am the oldest in Gald Castle.”

The reason Revan sought out Hagon among all the NPCs was, as Hagon said, because he was the oldest in Gald Castle.

‘Old NPCs are the best at riddles like these.’

It was a tip all Warlord players knew.

Revan continued with the flattery.

“If being wise was just a matter of age, wouldn’t every old person in the world be a sage? I didn’t come to you just because of your age, Sir Hagon. I simply followed everyone’s recommendation.”

“Hmph, a young man who’s not afraid to butter me up. So, what is it you’re so curious about?”

Truly, a silver tongue can rule the world. Pleased by Hagon’s response, Revan smiled and asked,

“Do you happen to know anything about the exiles who’ve had their names stripped from them?”

“Exiles stripped of their names?”

“Yes. That’s the only clue I have.”

“Hmm, normally exiles are just driven out of the castle, not stripped of their names... Ah, perhaps you’re talking about the prisoners of the marsh?”

“Prisoners of the marsh?”

“As an outsider, you might not know. Here in Gald Castle, when someone commits a crime, they’re sent to the marsh prison outside the castle. Of course, once they’re there, they’re known by prisoner numbers instead of names. So, in a sense, they’re both exiles and people whose names have been taken.”

“Hmm, I see your point. Then, do you know how I might meet these prisoners of the marsh?”

“The marsh prison, you mean? It’s not hard to tell you, but if an outsider lingers near the prison for no reason, there could be misunderstandings.”

“Isn’t there any way? Since I’ve come all this way, I’d like to meet the prisoners at least once.”

“Well, it’s not like there’s no way...”

Hagon trailed off.

Even though there was a way, he clearly didn’t want to share it so easily, probably because Revan’s favorability wasn’t high enough.

So Revan pulled out the item he’d bought before meeting Hagon and offered it to him.

“Oh, I was so caught up in talking, I almost forgot to give you this, Sir Hagon.”

“And what’s this?”

“It’s a supplement that’s become quite famous among us adventurers.”

What Revan handed over was a red ginseng extract called ‘General Ganjang,’ made by a player.

He tore open a pack of the red ginseng, inserted a straw, and offered it. Hagon hesitated briefly, then put the straw in his mouth.

His eyes widened.

“Oh! Ohhh!”

Hagon gulped down the ginseng.

Truly, he’d never met an adult who disliked red ginseng.

Revan smiled with satisfaction as he watched both the ginseng disappear and his favorability bar rise.

Revan said, “They say this is especially good for men.”

“For men, you say?”

“Yes. I take it regularly myself, and the effects are just...”

As Hagon questioned him, Revan gestured to show how energized he felt, and Hagon’s eyes widened again.

Hagon said, “Hmph, you’ve given me such a precious thing, I can’t just ignore your request. Here, take this.”

“May I ask what this is?”

“It’s a library inspection authorization. The marsh prison might be a place for locking up criminals, but the castle tries to provide at least a minimum of entertainment for them. There’s a small library inside the prison, which we from Gray Memory manage. Once a month, someone is sent to check the books there. This time, you can go in my stead.”

“Eh? Is that all right?”

“There’s no problem. Honestly, how many prisoners in the marsh are really reading? If they get any free time, they probably just try to nap.”

“Why’s that?”

“The marsh prison puts all the inmates through grueling labor every day. You didn’t think it’d be comfortable in there, did you?”

“Ah, what a fine system...”

“Well, I was going to send someone anyway, and since you need to go, you can take care of it for me. They call that mutual assistance, don’t they?”

[Quest generated.]

[You have obtained Hagon’s Library Inspection Proxy Letter.]

[Sign the Library Inspection Sheet as Proxy]

-Rank: Normal.

-Condition: Sign the inspection sheet provided by the prison librarian inside the marsh prison.

-Reward: Experience points.

A quest notification appeared, and he obtained the authorization letter.

At the same time, a minimap displaying the prison’s location appeared in his field of vision.

As expected, it was outside the castle walls.

But when he checked the minimap, it was an area Revan didn’t recognize at all.

‘As expected of Warlord. I can’t believe there’s still a place around Gald Castle I don’t know.’

Even though he’d run all over the area in the past, the prison’s location was unfamiliar.

Revan bowed politely to Hagon as he accepted the letter.

“Thank you. I’ll be back soon.”

“Take it easy. All you need to do is sign the sheet.”

With the quest accepted, Revan left the library and headed outside the castle.

As he checked the minimap, Revan thought,

‘Cutting straight through is fastest.’

Monsters around Gald Castle were mainly in the 90s. Plus, the area’s theme was muggy jungle and sticky marshland.

Not ideal for solo play.

But Revan didn’t care much.

After all, that very environment was why, as a Blunt Warrior, he’d chosen it as his hunting ground.

‘The fewer eyes watching, the better.’

Before leaving the castle, Revan bought a few items at the auction house.

Once the package arrived, he sprayed the “Water Strider Spray: Mudflat Flavor” he’d just bought onto the soles of his shoes.

[You have used Water Strider Spray: Mudflat Flavor.]

[You gain surface tension on marsh terrain for 3 seconds.]

There’s a lot you need to prepare for at Gald Castle.

One is the spray he’d just used.

With the surface tension effect, Revan set foot on a squishy marsh that no sane person would ever willingly walk on.

[Surface tension activated.]

Revan’s feet stood firmly atop the marsh as if he were standing on solid ground.

Three...

Two...

And the three-second countdown began. Before it ran out, Revan quickly moved forward.

The three-second count reset, and Revan could leisurely walk across the marsh.

‘All right, let’s get going.’

With surface tension, Revan glided smoothly across the marsh like a skater.

And just after crossing the first stretch of marshland—

Gruk?

Gruruk?

He was confronted by Frogmen, the most common type of monster in the marshlands.