Hyun-soo set out to meet Dang.
As he knocked and entered, Dang, who was in his office, looked regretful.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Yes.”
“Have you decided where to go?”
“I’m thinking of going to the Kingdom of Goyard.”
“Goyard Kingdom, huh? Do you have a special reason for going there?”
“I plan to participate in the Super Rookie Competition.”
“Interesting…”
Dang smiled slightly at Hyun-soo.
Until now, no blacksmith had ever won the Super Rookie Competition, so it was exciting.
“Aren’t you still lacking the qualifications to participate there?”
“There’s about a week left until the competition, so I plan to raise my level to the required standard on the way.”
A spark of interest appeared in Dang’s eyes, as if a good idea had struck him.
“Do you have any plans to visit the Cassel domain, located on the border with the Kingdom of Goyard?”
“Cassel domain?”
“Yes, the Cassel domain is constantly at war with the undead. If you join the fight against them, you might quickly reach the level you desire.”
Dang stroked his chin as he spoke.
“I’ve heard that the lord of that place possesses some exceptional minerals.”
“Really?”
Hyun-soo’s eyes sparkled. From playing Ares, he realized one thing.
There’s a limit to crafting outstanding artifacts with just his own skills.
The way to surpass that limit was by using superior materials.
Since Hyun-soo had to level up to 50 anyway, the prospect of aiming for these minerals was appealing.
“I’ll give it a try. Thank you for the advice.”
“Of course. We’ll meet again someday.”
Hyun-soo could infer from Dang’s words.
Once he reached a certain level, he would meet Dang again.
Hyun-soo bid farewell and stepped outside.
***
Having set his destination to the Cassel domain, Hyun-soo paid the warper.
‘Dang must have a clear reason for sending me to the Cassel domain.’
Of course, Dang mentioned that the lord had good minerals.
But that alone wasn’t enough of a reason.
Considering Hyun-soo’s level, he knew that he couldn’t just ask to meet the lord.
‘Is he suggesting I perform well enough to earn a meeting?’
Immediately after leaving the tower, Hyun-soo did some research on the Cassel domain.
The Cassel domain was a place where domain battles could be fought.
There are two types of domain battles.
The first is defending against monster invasions.
The second is domain battles through war.
Since Dang mentioned the domain was under constant undead invasion, it was likely a defense battle against the undead.
As soon as Hyun-soo warped, his vision was engulfed in a bright white light.
[You have entered the Cassel Domain.]
When Hyun-soo opened his eyes, he saw an arrow flying straight at him.
“Be careful!”
Just then, a man rushed towards Hyun-soo, trying to push him away.
But Hyun-soo quickly drew his sword and sliced the arrow in half.
“…?”
The man, named Render, looked confused.
‘Why did it split…?’ he wondered.
And Hyun-soo could see his name.
[Centurion Render Lv.76]
Render, looking flustered, chuckled.
“An outsider with great reflexes. Are you here to support us from the capital?”
Having already researched the Cassel domain battle, Hyun-soo knew saying ‘yes’ would involve him in the battle, and ‘no’ would mean he could opt out.
“Yes.”
[You have joined the Cassel Domain Battle.]
“Then follow me!”
Hyun-soo hurriedly followed the rapidly moving Centurion Render. Arrows, seemingly from the undead, were flying everywhere.
Render quickly explained.
“If you’re here for support, you know that recently, more undead have been pushing in than usual.”
“More than usual?”
“Yes.”
Soon, Render led Hyun-soo up to the ramparts.
Upon reaching the ramparts, Render pointed out the undead.
A horde of undead was charging towards the ramparts.
[Zombie Lv.18]
[Skeleton Lv.22]
The levels of the undead in front of Hyun-soo were generally low.
But as he looked around, he saw other undead with higher levels.
‘Ah, they’re guiding me according to my level? Do I just need to deal with these undead here?’
It seemed like a convenience for beginners in the domain battle.
Then Centurion Render started explaining why more undead were appearing than usual.
“Originally, our domain had an object imbued with divine power called the Bell of Ramas. Just possessing it weakened the power of the undead by about 20%, and when it rang, they suffered and fled. But not anymore.”
Render looked distantly with a look of despair.
In the place believed to be where the Bell of Ramas originally stood, Render spoke gravely.
“The Bell of Ramas has been destroyed, and the undead are seizing this opportunity to launch a full-scale attack. If this continues, our domain might fall.”
Then Render seemed ready to assign him a task.
“Stranger from the capital, please help us by hunting the undead in our domain…”
“But if it’s broken, can’t it be repaired?”
Render looked puzzled by the unexpected question.
Such questions were rare.
Most outsiders, or players, would just assume it was part of the game’s setting and move on.
Render replied smoothly.
“Unfortunately, it cannot be repaired. Some artifacts are beyond repair, and the Bell of Ramas was utterly destroyed.”
Hyun-soo asked another question.
“Then why not obtain something else imbued with divine power?”
Render chuckled.
Such a curious outsider!
“You seem unfamiliar with the Prime Kingdom. Do you know why the undead inhabit the areas near the Cassel domain?”
Render sighed as he looked at the undead.
“There are many churches in this land, the largest being the Church of Ares. Each kingdom and empire has established such churches within their borders, but not the Prime Kingdom.”
Render leaned on the rampart’s railing with a bitter expression.
“Our Prime Kingdom rejects all churches. No church is allowed within our borders. Moreover, divine power, potent against undead and evil, is limited to artifacts imbued with it, and only a few can create such artifacts.”
“How are they limited?”
“Only those who use materials imbued with divine power or the blacksmiths of the churches can create them. In the Prime Kingdom, it’s impossible to create anything with divine power. For instance, we even asked the Tower Master of the Swordsmith’s Tower.”
Hyun-soo perked up at the mention of Dang.
‘Could this be why he sent me here?’
“Though we asked Dang to create something with divine power, he refused, due to reasons like these.”
Hyun-soo nodded, understanding the situation.
‘What could be a way to meet the lord?’
The answer seemed simple.
“May I see the bell?”
“…What?”
To meet the lord, he needed to achieve a significant feat.
And that feat had to be substantial.
The reason Dang sent Hyun-soo here.
Perhaps it was because Hyun-soo might be able to repair or do something with it.
The problem was, even Hyun-soo wasn’t sure.
Could an artifact deemed irreparable be fixed with enough skill?
If not, it wouldn’t be a lack of Hyun-soo’s skills, but the system limiting him.
Render’s face was filled with incredulity.
‘He asks to see the bell when he should be fighting undead?’
It was absurd.
Hyun-soo spoke calmly.
“Lord Dang suggested I visit the Cassel domain.”
“…Lord Dang?”
Render’s face was conflicted.
This seemed beyond his authority to decide.
He noticed a commander not far away.
“We should probably speak with the commander. Let’s go together.”
“Yes.”
The two of them moved together.
***
“Damn it…”
Commander Karl gritted his teeth as he watched the approaching undead.
‘Is there no one who can create something to replace the Bell of Ramas?’
Many outsiders had come to the Cassel domain.
All of them arrogant and proud.
Some boasted, ‘I am a top-tier blacksmith!’ with confidence.
But upon seeing the Bell of Ramas, they all had the same response.
‘Ah, it’s clearly marked. An irreparable artifact. This can’t be fixed.’
‘An irreparable artifact? Nobody could repair this, not even a dwarf.’
Those who first talked about money sighed in disappointment.
Karl was astounded.
The survival of a domain was at stake, and they were upset about not making money.
‘There’s one decent blacksmith, but she said it would be difficult…’
Karl’s heart sank.
Then.
“Commander, this outsider asks if he can see the Bell of Ramas.”
“…”
Karl almost facepalmed.
Another outsider? Honestly, Karl had seen similar reactions so often he had little hope.
But then Render said.
“Lord Dang recommended he visit here.”
“Lord Dang?”
Dang, the Tower Mast of the Sword Blacksmith Tower in the Prime Kingdom, was the best blacksmith, wasn’t he?
He felt a flicker of hope.
“Can we determine his level of expertise among blacksmiths?”
NPCs also learn.
They knew outsiders were obsessed with levels.
“If you’re asking about my level, it’s 13.”
“?!”
Upon hearing this, Karl’s face twisted in frustration.
‘This one or that one…’
Karl decided to apply the usual tactic he used when dealing with such individuals.
“I can’t just let anyone touch the Bell of Ramas. Do you see those ghouls over there?”
“Yes.”
“Ghouls are thrice as strong as the zombies or skeletons you’re supposed to hunt. They’re around level 40. Bring me 10 of them, and I’ll give you 20 gold for each.”
Render, the centurion, looked perplexed. He whispered in a low voice.
“Commander, this individual is a blacksmith and only suited for hunting zombies.”
Karl rolled his eyes in a ‘what-can-you-do’ manner.
What Karl just did was to give an impossible challenge.
In polite terms, it was a ‘kindly leave’ message, and in harsher terms, a ‘get lost.’
But then the outsider asked.
“You’ll give 20 gold for each one?”
“Yes. Of course, if you bring 10, I’ll let you see the Bell of Ramas.”
“If I bring more, will I get more?”
“That’s right.”
The outsider, Hyun-soo, grinned widely.
***
Ding!
[Quest: Hunt 10 Ghouls]
Rank: A
Eligibility: Those who accept Karl’s offer.
Reward: 20 gold per ghoul
Penalty if Failed: Cannot view the Bell of Ramas.
Description: Karl has deliberately assigned you the task of hunting ghouls, which are difficult to hunt at your level. Hunt the ghouls.
High risk, high return.
This is a principle in Ares.
If the difficulty is deemed high relative to the level, the rewards are usually substantial.
Though partly up to the NPCs, this is a common rule.
Hyun-soo’s level is 13.
“Grrrrrrrrr!”
[Ghoul Lv.41]
The ghouls, a more formidable version of zombies, roared below, averaging level 40.
The reward given for this high difficulty is 20 gold per ghoul, equivalent to 20,000 won per ghoul.
Hyun-soo pulled out a buffalo horn bow from his inventory, looking down at the howling ghoul.
[Accuracy increased by 60%.]
Then he fitted an arrow onto a half-sized bamboo.
Click-
Standing on the rampart, Hyun-soo drew his bowstring and smiled.
‘How many can I hunt?’
Cliche Novel 
Thanks for the chapter!!!!
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why is there my surname!
‘rama(s)”
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