Lee Hyun wanted to yell out in joy.
‘Finally it’s over.’
With the last exam taken care of, it was the start of the winter breaks.
The campus was covered with romantic white snow but he was just happy that he didn’t have to come back here until spring.
Other students were chatting in the hallway.
“How was it?”
“Introduction to virtual-society was way too hard. I totally messed it up.”
It was all irrelevant to Lee Hyun.
‘As long as I don’t fail.’
He was pretty optimistic about his grades.
Lee Hyun saw Seo Yoon sitting on a bench as he was trying to head home in a hurry.
Even in her winter outfit, her beautiful looks drew the male students toward her.
Incomparable lineage, outstanding looks, attractively tall and guaranteed future lying ahead.
Lee Hyun didn’t feel at ease hanging around with Seo Yoon.
“Some freshman named Lee Hyun in faculty of Virtual Reality is having a meal with her?”
“He is a freshman but I heard he’s a little too old to be a freshman.”
“Why in the world is she hanging out with guy like him?”
There were so many rumors floating around the campus.
Even the seniors in the faculty of Virtual Reality looked at Lee Hyun with discomfort.
But Lee Hyun wasn’t someone who gave in to these kinds of views about him.
He just hoped this dream of her wouldn’t last so long.
‘She doesn’t deserve a guy like me.’
Someday, an awesome guy that would be perfect for her will appear.
All he had to do was making sure she talks and protect her until she did not fear human interaction anymore.
Seo Yoon spotted Lee Hyun and stood up.
She walked toward him with rosy cheek perhaps caused by cold weather.
“Were you waiting for me?”
Seo Yoon nodded at his question and then spoke.
“Because of the winter trip.”
Her words were becoming more natural.
Lee Hyun didn’t mind it so much but to her he was the very person who grabbed her hand and pulled open her heart to the world.
Every time Seo Yoon spoke to him, she embraced the expectation and romance.
“Yeah, trip, huh.”
Lee Hyun clearly remembered what he said before.
Seo Yoon said she want to go on a trip with him.
It was a simple trip heading to seashore but he told her it would cost a million Won, which was complete nonsensical excuse to avoid the trip.
“Well, promises exist to be kept.”
Seo Yoon nodded in agreement.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I wanted to take a trip anyway. Plus I’m on a break now with plenty of time.”
She smiled in a happy, yet awkward way.
Of course Lee Hyun was planning to devote all of his time in Royal Road.
The hunting speed in Kapua Village was super fast compared to any other hunting grounds.
With plenty of quests, it was the best place to raise experience.
Lee Hyun continued softly.
“A promise is a promise. I’m just as sad as you are but I guess I’m going have to give you a rain check.”
Lee Hyun was trying to delay this trip indefinitely.
Suddenly, Seo Yoon opened her bag and grabbed out money.
“I earned expenses for the trip.”
It was at least 600 million Won.
To think that she earned this much in just little bit more than one month!
“Did you sell your items?”
He didn’t think of it when he made his promises but if Seo Yoon sold her equipment in Royal Road, it would be a piece of cake to earn that much.
“I earned by selling packed lunches.”
Seo Yoon earned this money purely with labour.
On her hand where she was showing the money, he could see blisters.
And some scars from getting cut and burning herself while cooking.
A woman who never had a hard time got hurt and exhausted for money.
“Will you go with me?”
With mixed feelings Lee Hyun couldn’t possibly reject her.
____________________________________________________
Lee Hyun decided to go on the trip after 4 days.
Now that he was really going, there were so many things to pack.
“A frying pan, a pot, a burner… It would be nice to make Kimbap and boiled eggs in advance. And sikhye in a plastic bottle just in case we become thirsty.”
If he was on a trip alone, he could just bilk a restaurant. He didn’t want a way-too-luxury trip.
She earned the money in a hard way. He couldn’t possibly have the luxury of wasting it.
Sesame oil, kimchi, seaweed, fresh vegetables and a fishing rod should be enough.
If he catches some fish on the spot, then meal was ready.
“I should prepare some more just in case I think of something.”
Even in a deserted island, it was more than enough to survive!
Leaving your house was suffering, it also costs money.
He couldn’t possibly understand why she would want to take a trip but to save as much as he can, 4 days later was just ok.
“Monday should be less expensive avoiding the weekend peak prices.”
After he arranged everything, he went into the capsule.
It was time for Royal Road.
_____________________________________________________
Weed spotted scibbles while wandering in Kapua castle.
.I saw something shiny.
.Why are there… so many things that humans enjoy, dumped?
.There is a path next to the bookshelf…
It was an enigmatic scibble about hidden treasures in the castle.
If you can solved the mystery then you could find the treasures!
‘I guess it’s worth coming here first.’
Before other players came, Weed scouted the castle.
Collecting information from maids and servants, finding treasures in chimneys, sewer, and stable.
These relics were as old as it can possibly get so you can call it antiques if you wanted to!
Treasures worth hundreds, thousands of gold gave great satisfaction to Weed.
‘Ghost’s body is just perfect for a scavenger hunt.’
As long as you knew the exact location, it was easy to find it since he could just go through any obstacles.
He found items in between bricks and behind a staircase using ghost’s specialty.
.The girl I saw at dawn, what did she lose that she cried so sadly?.
With this quote in mind, he met a female ghost child running down the hallway fast.
And by finding her lost doll, he got an enchanted necklace in return.
· Necklace of the Undead
Durability: 29/43
- Necklace that contains strength of Undead’s growth
Restrictioin: Necromancers Only
Option: Necromancers skill level +1
Effect of Summoned Undead +8%
Items that benefits Necromancers were very rare.
That was why Necromancers often equip magician’s equipment but Weed just obtained an item that increase Undead summoning skill.
After sunrise, Weed turned into human and came back to Morata with Yurin’s help.
After making sure Kapua castle was safe, he used Picture Teleportation in a small room to move about.
But as he gained more Power of Undead, he stayed as Undead longer even after sunrise.
“Power of Undead increase a lot with the quests and battles.”
Weed didn’t consider Power of Undead to be a burden except when he was making sculpture it was a minor discomfort.
But in fact, it was truly dangerous stat that made the Necromancers special.
He learned exactly what the Power of Undead did in a conversation between Necromancer players.
“My Power of Undead increased again.”
“Already at maximum? At first I thought it was an awesome stat…”
“The dizziness made me fail Undead summoning spells.”
Not only does Power of Undead enhance Undeads, it strengthens the power of black magic.
Black magic was much stronger and complicated compared to normal magic.
That is why Black Mages are treated with more respect among magicians.
In case of Weed, it enhanced his strength and agility when he was hunting as Undead.
Superior stat that grows on its own with quests and battles!
Necromancers had Powe of Undead and Black Mages living in their own world had authority of darkness. That made them much stronger than normal magicians.
But both Power of Undead and Authority of Darkness causes serious curses and illness if it exceed one’s faith and willpower.
In worst scenario, one became wicked, raised up Undeads without being able to control their own spells and body and hurt those around them.
In case of Dark Mages, devils could steal their bodies!
When one reaches that point of ruin, not only did they loses substantial amount of mana, they suffer from all kinds of curses that were hard to cure.
That was why you need to raises stats such as health, strength, willpower for overall balance.
If you didn’t raise enough faith and willpower thinking it was a waste of points, it would seem fine at first but as time goes, side effects will be critical.
Necromancers and black mage become stronger quicker than normal occupations but they are moving back and forth on a dangerous border.
Weed felt it was a waste to invest stats into faith or willpower so he collected floral and grass leaves and built a sculpture.
Petals weren’t a fit material for a sculpture.
It was too tender and it withers fast. But if Nature Sculpting was used, materials’ freshness stays unchanged for a very long time and it challenge Weed with a new kind of work.
“Looking at just the materials, this sculpture is harder than any of my previous works.”
During night, he hunted and in the morning he sculpted.
The completed work created with such an effort was a real-sized chariot led by eight horses.
Even horses and horseman were decorated with pretty petals. It expressed a beauty that only existed in a fairytale.
Inside the chariot, he sculpted his little sister when she was a little lady.
The finished sculpture was truly romantic and beautiful.