[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 399

After handing notebooks to his mother, Yeo Sunwoo, and Yeo Min-Ji, Jeong-Hoon set out for Arandis.

Using the transit station, this would be his final departure from Atlas.

The uncharted land of Arandis wasn’t directly connected. One had to pass through a linked portal first, and then cross over using a specially crafted ferry.

“Hm? This river is full of dangerous monsters. You can’t just cross on a whim…”

The old man seated at the pier tried to stop him, but when he saw the identification badge Jeong-Hoon presented, he fell silent.

The badge, crafted in Atlas, served as proof of the bearer’s strength.

It was a requirement for anyone seeking passage to Arandis, and without the old man’s permission, no one could board the ferry.

“You’ll let me pass, won’t you?”

“My apologies for the offense. You may use it as much as you like.”

The old man quietly stepped aside.

“Thank you.”

Jeong-Hoon chose one of the ferries waiting at the dock and boarded.

A message immediately appeared before him:

[Do you wish to travel to ‘Arandis’?]

‘Proceed.’

[Travel authorized.]

[Row diligently to cross.]

[*Warning! There is a high probability of monster attacks.]

‘Unbelievable. They ask as if it’s teleportation, then tell me to row hard?’

‘Calm down. That was just the travel authorization notice.’

Mukho and Anima’s banter drew a faint laugh from him.

“Alright, let’s get moving.”

Jeong-Hoon took up the oars and began rowing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hajin and Bong-Goo had headed toward Reas.

Their first destination was a small chapel within the holy city.

“Hyung, do you really think a ritual is being carried out here?”

“If Hoony said so, then it must be true.”

Jeong-Hoon had no reason to lie about something like this.

Even his mother, Lady Na-yeon, Guildmaster Ho-Yeong, and Min-Ji were all mobilizing.

That alone was proof enough that the ritual was real.

The problem was that defeating the demon involved wouldn’t be easy—the creature’s level was expected to be quite high.

Even so, for the sake of growth, it was a quest they absolutely had to take on.

Hajin knocked twice on the chapel’s front door.

“Who is it?”

The door creaked open, and a nun stepped outside.

“Ah, we just came to offer a brief prayer.”

First, they needed to get inside.

“I’m sorry, but outsiders are not permitted to enter at the moment.”

The nun was firm.

If a ritual truly was in progress, strangers would be barred from entry. That meant the two would have to find a way in, by any means necessary.

If it came down to it, even killing the NPC was an option.

Thud!

Without a moment’s hesitation, Bong-Goo drove his dagger straight through the nun’s throat.

“Khuk!”

Her eyes went wide at the sudden strike before her body collapsed limply to the ground.

[NPC eliminated.]

[NPC Laura’s role has been removed.]

“Kim Bong-Goo!”

Hajin exploded in anger.

Even if it was necessary, how could he just kill an NPC like that…?

“Hyung-nim, if the ritual is underway, they’ll never let us inside no matter what we say. It’s better to deal with it before the commotion spreads.”

Was it because this was still a game?

Bong-Goo’s hand showed not the slightest hesitation.

Hajin rubbed his forehead with a sigh.

“…Haa. Fine. You’re right.”

The list written in the notebook was long enough that one had to flip through multiple pages.

They couldn’t afford to waste time here.

With her role lost, the NPC Laura vanished into nothingness.

Hajin and Bong-Goo stepped into the chapel.

“Hyung-nim, give me a moment.”

Bong-Goo, who had advanced to Dark King by his fourth class change, stepped forward.

He hadn’t expected it—he had only begun the fourth advancement boldly, but it auto-completed on its own, leaving him stunned.

Of course, once he saw the result, he had shouted in joy.

And it wasn’t just Bong-Goo.

Hajin, too, had skipped through his advancement in record time and gained astonishing results.

They were no longer the Hajin and Bong-Goo of before.

“Don’t make too much noise.”

“Don’t worry!”

Bong-Goo slipped deeper into the chapel.

“Ghk!”

“Khuk!”

Soon after, the death cries of NPCs rang out one after another.

“I told you not to be noisy…”

Hajin shook his head and followed inside.

[NPC eliminated.]

[NPC eliminated.]

[NPC eliminated.]

A flood of messages appeared as the NPC corpses disintegrated.

“Hyung-nim, it’s done.”

Just as Bong-Goo said, every NPC inside had been killed.

“…You should have left at least one alive, shouldn’t you?”

They needed someone to interrogate, to gauge the progress of the ritual.

“It’s fine. Over there, in that inner chamber, I saw two children.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. It’s similar to the quest Hyung-nim Hoon carried out.”

“Okay. Let’s go inside.”

Hajin moved with Bong-Goo toward the inner chamber.

But the door was plastered with talismans.

“Looks like this chapel was taken over after driving out the original occupants.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Look over there.”

Bong-Goo pointed deeper inside.

They could see a child, but what stood out even more was the corner.

Six corpses lay lined up on the ground.

Judging from their attire, they seemed to be worshippers who had originally served at this chapel.

“See those dark blue bruises on their faces and necks.”

“Yeah. Could those corpses have been used in the ritual too?”

“Not sure. Hoon’s notes said there should only be two.”

“Then I guess not.”

“For now, let’s get rid of the talismans first.”

Hajin reached out toward them.

[Would you like to remove the talismans?]

“Remove.”

As soon as Hajin tore them all off, he flung the door open.

Instantly, a mass of black smoke surged out as though it had been waiting for this moment.

“…!”

“…!”

Startled, Hajin and Bong-Goo fell backward onto the floor.

“D-damn, that scared me…”

It was written in the notebook, but in the process of removing the talismans, they had momentarily forgotten.

Hajin summoned his knight for protection.

‘The Unknown Being’ rages, demanding to know if you dare disrupt its ritual.

Thump—

Their hearts sank, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

‘Hoon actually faced something like this…?’

Hajin swallowed dryly as he struggled to stand.

His legs shook so much he could barely hold his balance, but giving up here meant losing their chance at the Fragment of the Beginning.

“Bong-Goo.”

“Yes, Hyung-nim…”

Bong-Goo’s voice, too, was unsteady under the crushing pressure.

“They said physical attacks work. That means we can handle it.”

“Yes.”

Just by looking at it, it seemed like physical attacks wouldn’t land at all, but Hoon’s notebook had explicitly stated they would.

Which meant they could definitely bring it down.

“Hey! Apostle!”

Hajin shouted boldly, trying to overcome the crushing dread.

At his words, the black figure advancing toward them stopped in its tracks.

‘The Unknown Being’ asks if you know about us.

“How could I not! You’re trapped in New World, thrashing around just to break free!”

In truth, Hajin didn’t know all the details.

It was simply written in the notebook Jeong-Hoon had given him.

Still, the provocation was very effective.

‘The Unknown Being’ tells you to shut your mouth before it rips it apart.

“Hyung-nim!”

At that moment, Bong-Goo darted forward, slipping past the black figure’s side.

A deep gash split open along its flank.

Even if it was an Apostle-class transcendent, the ritual wasn’t yet complete.

That’s why Hajin and Bong-Goo’s strength alone was enough to suppress it.

‘The Unknown Being’ urgently proposes a deal.

“A deal? Forget it.”

Hajin let out a scoffing laugh while directing his knight.

The summoned knight charged at the black figure, unleashing a furious barrage of attacks.

Arandis.

The ambushes began once Jeong-Hoon had rowed a fair distance across the waters.

No one else could have made the crossing—monsters attacked relentlessly without pause.

[Lv.520 Giant Fish]

[Lv.544 Mutant Poison Snake]

But obstructing Jeong-Hoon was impossible.

Without pausing his rowing, he wove spells with ease, dispatching the monsters effortlessly.

[Whisper / zlHajin12 - Hoon : We did it!]

As soon as he safely arrived at Arandis, a whisper came from Hajin.

‘That was quick.’

[Whisper / Hoon - zlHajin12 : Good work.]

[Whisper / zlHajin12 - Hoon : …We did end up killing quite a few NPCs, but still—we managed to get 2 Fragments of the Beginning here.]

The reason Jeong-Hoon had told them it was fine to kill NPCs was simple: delay wasn’t an option.

Because the ritual was still in progress, they could fight an Apostle-class transcendent now.

But once the ritual was complete and the sacrifice fully possessed, not a single person besides Jeong-Hoon would be able to face it.

[Whisper / Hoon - zlHajin12 : Do the same with the rest. If you gather them all, it might even be possible to break through the Level 1,000 wall.]

[Whisper / zlHajin12 - Hoon : Whoa… Level 1,000?]

[Whisper / Hoon - zlHajin12 : Exactly. Milk it while you can. Once those rituals hit 100%, you won’t get the chance.]

[Whisper / zlHajin12 - Hoon : ㅇㅋ, then we need to move fast.]

Looks like he wouldn’t have to worry about that side anymore.

Jeong-Hoon stepped into Arandis.

Unlike Atlas, this place had seen little development.

High-level monsters swarmed everywhere, preventing the kind of progress Atlas had achieved.

[Lv.535 Mutant Giant Bear]

A massive bear, level 535, prowled the streets.

And it wasn’t just one—there were over twenty of them.

The beasts moved in packs, yet strangely, they didn’t so much as touch the NPCs.

But if anyone so much as stepped into their territory, the beasts would savagely tear them apart.

“Grrr… human!”

The Giant Bears all turned at once, fixing their gaze on Jeong-Hoon.

He stood in the roadway between two buildings.

The street was wide—wide enough for all twenty of the bears to charge him at once.

“What a nuisance.”

Jeong-Hoon gripped Titan and swung it mightily at the Mutant Giant Bear blocking his path.

Slash—

With a chilling sound, the beast’s body split cleanly in two.

Rip—Thud.

Seeing their comrade felled, the other Mutant Giant Bears hesitated for a moment.

Jeong-Hoon didn’t give them the chance. He slashed, and slashed again, cutting them down without mercy.

It took barely a minute to kill all twenty.

[Level partially restored.]

[Attributes partially restored.]

Was it because he had crossed into Arandis?

His level and attribute recovery felt noticeably faster here.

“Ohh, at last, a true powerhouse appears.”

“Outsider! Could you lend us a hand?!”

The NPCs had peeked out, emboldened after seeing the Mutant Giant Bears slaughtered.

But they could not step freely into the streets—at this hour, everything outside the buildings belonged to the monsters.

“I’ll come back later.”

Jeong-Hoon hadn’t come to Arandis just for quests. His priority was to seek out an angel and claim his second Virtue.

“Don’t leave just yet—please, help us. You’ll be handsomely rewarded.”

Above the NPC’s head, a question mark blinked.

[Normal Quest: Extermination (1)]

Requirement: Entry into Arandis

Reward: Chapel access restriction lifted

Description: Help the villagers of Arandis.

Jeong-Hoon let out a dry laugh after checking the reward details.

So, they’d made it impossible to even approach the place without clearing this quest first.

‘Finishing it quickly will be the best option.’

With no choice, Jeong-Hoon accepted the quest.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]