Chương 89

Deep inside one of the Eternal Kingdom's five forbidden zones, a young man with messy black hair stared at a literal mountain of treasure. Swords, spears, and heavy armor glowed in brilliant shades of yellow and purple. Shin Youngwoo—known in the virtual world of Satisfy as Grid—reached out with a trembling, greedy hand to grab a beautiful silver breastplate. [This item cannot be obtained.] The armor snapped back to its original spot like a mirage.

"How stingy and dirty," Grid grumbled, his shoulders slumping. He didn't care about the lore. He had spent the last three months dying, suffering, and losing almost all his equipment's durability just to reach the end of the Northern End Cave. He just wanted to get rich. Forcing himself to look away from the untouchable mountain of gear, his eyes landed on a shiny gold table in the center of the room. Resting on top of it was a single, dusty old book.

All the miserable hardships he had experienced over the last ninety days flashed through his mind. His nose started to run. Tears dripped down his face.

"Finally," Grid laughed, his voice cracking.

"I finally found it! Oh, yeahhh!" He snatched the book off the table. [You have acquired the legendary craftsman's rare book!] [It isn't in a proper state. You can check the details using the Eye of Pallalian.] Grid hesitated. The Eye of Pallalian was the most expensive appraisal item in the game. He had bought it six months ago, foolishly hoping he'd hit a jackpot, and it had been burning a hole in his inventory ever since. He looked at the book.

He had to deliver it to Earl Ashur to clear his S-rank quest, but the curiosity was eating him alive.

"Appraisal," Grid said, pulling out the expensive monocle. [Pagma's Rare Book] [Rating: Legendary] [This is a book that contains the techniques of Pagma, the blacksmith who transcended human limits. The person who opens the book can become a legendary blacksmith.] [Effects: Become Pagma's Successor.] [Conditions: None. * The level and stats will change when used.] [A legendary item has been found!] [Reputation will rise by 500 across the continent.] Grid's entire body started to shake violently.

"Jack... pot," he whispered. He read the description again. It wasn't a hallucination. It wasn't a joke. It was a class change item with absolutely zero conditions to use. And it was Legendary. Tears freely flowed down his cheeks. For the past year, his real life had been an absolute nightmare. He took a leave of absence from school, his loan interest was drowning him, and his friends ignored him because he was a pathetic gaming loser. But this?

A legendary class change item could be sold on the real-world auction sites for tens of millions of won. Maybe even hundreds of millions.

"I can finally say farewell to this nightmarish life!" Grid screamed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Mother! Father! Your freeloader son finally made it! I'm going to drive a foreign car! Ahyoung will finally look at me!" He didn't care about Earl Ashur's quest anymore. Affinity with an NPC meant absolutely nothing compared to a mountain of real-world cash. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Logout!" Grid shouted confidently. A red notification window flashed in front of his eyes. [You cannot log out of the game here.] [Earl Ashur has appeared.]"......?" Before Grid could even process the warning, heavy boots echoed through the cavern. Dozens of heavily armored knights marched into the room. Stepping through their ranks was Earl Ashur, a Level 300 great magician. The Earl's expression was twisted with pure disgust.

"Foolish traveler. You all have the same greed." [The quest 'Earl Ashur's Secret Request' (S) has changed to 'Earl Ashur's Anger' (SS).] [Quest Clear Conditions: The deaths of Earl Ashur and his escort knights.] [Quest Failure: Level -2. You will no longer be able to enter Patrian. Any Patrian soldiers will kill you on sight.] Grid panicked. He had spent his entire playtime building up max affinity with Patrian's residents just to get a 20% discount at the stores. Now, he was a wanted criminal.

"You bastard!" Grid screamed, spitting curses at the high-level noble.

"You forced me on a quest where you weren't even sure the item existed! You lied to me!"

"You already decided to betray me before you knew you were deceived," Earl Ashur sneered coldly.

"I will punish you for your ignorance. But as a reward for your patience, I will kill you as painlessly as possible." Grid looked at the menacing swords of the Level 180 knights. He was only Level 73. He didn't even have a chance against the weakest guy in the room. If he died, he would drop the book, and the Earl would take his millions of won away. Shit! Grid thought, his eyes darting frantically. If I'm going to lose it to him anyway... He hated production classes.

He wanted to be a warrior who swung a sword, not a sweaty laborer hitting iron with a hammer. It sounded like actual real-world construction work. But out of pure, unadulterated spite, he refused to let the Earl win.

"It's better to use it than to lose it to him!" Grid yelled tearfully, ripping the book open. The shocked Earl Ashur hurriedly stretched out a hand to cast a spell, but a blinding light had already enveloped Grid.

"It's too late, you jerk," Grid ridiculed him. [You have become Pagma's Successor.] [Your level has dropped.] [You are now level 1.] [All skills and stats have been reset.]"......?" Grid couldn't believe his eyes. Weren't class changes supposed to keep your old stats? He had completely lost every single one of his warrior skills. Even worse, the levels he had spent a miserable year grinding were entirely gone. [All blacksmith skills have been mastered to the level of the Pinnacle.] [The Legendary Blacksmith's Craftsmanship skill has been created.] [Title, 'One who Became a Legend', has been acquired.]"Why is there a quest like this?!" Grid screamed, tears flying from his eyes as he unleashed a string of horrific Korean curses. A knight's sword rapidly swung forward. [You have suffered catastrophic damage!] [You have died.] The Level 1's low health dropped to zero with a single hit. [Quest failed!] [Your level has dropped by 2.] [You are now level -1.] [There is no registered residence. Do you want to resurrect at the nearest temple?]"Yes," Grid sobbed, hitting the prompt. A few kilometers away from the location where Grid died, the setting sun beat down on a wide, dusty road. Rudra casually stepped off a grassy ridge, his boots hitting the packed dirt. He stretched his arms over his head, listening to the satisfying pop of his shoulders. The air here didn't smell like the salty ocean or the freezing pine forests of the north.

It smelled like dry earth, roasted grains, and bustling trade.

"Well, Kratos," Rudra said, looking down. The half-gold, half-black divine beast trotted happily by his side. Now the size of a large dog, Kratos didn't need to hide inside a cloak anymore. The cub let out a deep, demanding bark and nudged Rudra's leg.

"I know, I know. You're starving," Rudra laughed, resting the heavy bone shaft of the Staff of the Fire Lord comfortably on his shoulder.

"I could use a decent meal too. Let's see what we can find around here." Before heading toward the nearby settlements, Rudra raised his free hand. He wanted a layout of the land.

"[Abyssal Sonar]." A massive, invisible pulse of mana erupted from his body. It rippled outward through the moisture in the dry earth, expanding rapidly across a five-kilometer radius. Instantly, a mental map formed in Rudra's head.

"Okay, there's a small village just up ahead," Rudra muttered to himself, processing the feedback. But right at the very edge of his sonar's range, something else pinged violently. It was a massive, dark underground structure hidden deep within a rocky canyon. The sonar wave bounced off an overwhelming, foul concentration of demonic mana. It was a Yatan Temple. Rudra's red eyes lit up. He remembered the Yatan cultists he encountered before.

They always hoarded dark magic catalysts, rare herbs, and mountains of gold. If he was going to explore the Eternal Kingdom and look for Piaro, raiding a dark magic cult was the perfect way to warm up his staff swings.

"Change of plans, Kratos," Rudra grinned.

"We're going to crash a cult."