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chapter 85
[You have received a message from Team Zero.]
“…….”
Hanbit’s eyes widened as he read the message that appeared.
A message from the developer he had tried to contact, even sending an inquiry.
And it had arrived in a place like this, at a timing like this.
‘So it really is only visible to me.’
Neither the two people nearby nor the chat showed any reaction.
If they could see it, things would have erupted in all sorts of ways.
Team Zero was an unknown existence with that much value.
“I’m not really sure what it is. Let’s look around a bit more.”
“Yeah? Then I’ll check over there.”
“I’ll see if there’s anything similar too!”
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde rekindled their resolve and headed off again.
“I’ll look around a bit as well.”
Left alone, Hanbit walked casually and opened the received message.
[Congratulations on liberating the first unreleased area. We contacted you to provide a small amount of information.]
‘Information?’
Team Zero went straight to the point.
The next message followed immediately.
[Unreleased areas are spaces that contain the goddess’s atonement and dreams. The development of these places will become a foothold for reaching her, so we ask that you continue to put effort into liberating the remaining areas.]
‘They’re bringing up the goddess right away?’
Hanbit had somewhat expected Team Zero to be connected to the goddess.
But he hadn’t thought they would reveal it themselves first.
‘My messages aren’t going through.’
Hanbit tried to respond, but his messages were blocked.
The goddess’s atonement and dreams.
And even a path to reach her—his questions only grew.
Tiring—
[An opportunity to speak with us will also be arranged before long. This space can be used as a ‘portal,’ so please make good use of it together with your companions. Until we meet again.]
With that message, the contact was cut off.
Before even the part about meeting again, a single word caught his attention.
‘…A portal?’
A portal—a shortcut that connects various parts of the world.
They were so rare that Hanbit himself only knew of a few locations.
[Players who have liberated the 1st unreleased area are granted entry qualifications.]
[First Liberator]
Upon first liberating an unreleased area, you gain authority to manage all entry qualifications for that area.
Targets added to the blacklist will have their entry qualification revoked.
Reading it again, the meaning became clear.
If it was a portal, those conditions weren’t excessive at all.
‘That’s something worth boasting about.’
The world of the Record Project was so vast and complex that it was difficult to describe.
Even within the game system, spending a long amount of time traveling was only natural.
But if unreleased areas could be used as portals, travel would be completed in just a few seconds.
RP players would surely flock to it with fire in their eyes.
Tiring—
While he was thinking that—
An alarm rang in his ears.
[Cuckoo has donated 1,000 won.]
[Breaking news) Unreleased area entrance opened. Spectators are starting attempts.]
-So it’s real. LOL
-We can’t see anyone here though?
-The trial map seems completely different?
-Yeah, you have to clear it to come here.
The news delivered by the viewers was exactly as expected.
Now that a first liberator had appeared, it was natural for trials for qualification to be opened to everyone.
Whether it was actually possible to clear them was a completely different matter.
And the only reward obtainable would be entry qualification.
‘I want to keep collecting first-clear rewards, though.’
He already held the authority to manage entry to all unreleased areas.
But there was a chance that other spaces also held special first-clear rewards.
Since the developer had mentioned the goddess, he needed to succeed in clearing them first no matter what.
“There wasn’t really anything special.”
“Same here.”
While he was organizing his thoughts, the two returned.
“Was there a gravestone?”
“I didn’t see one.”
“Neither did I.”
They gave the same answer to Hanbit’s question.
He was curious about the gravestone with the emblem, but it seemed there had only been one.
Perhaps that too would only be understood after liberating more unreleased areas.
“What do you want to do? Should we look around more?”
“No. This is enough.”
Shaking his head, Hanbit took one last look at the city wall.
Then he pointed at the central clock tower and said,
“Let’s leave here.”
***
“Huh? Over there!”
“They’re out!”
The three who exited the cave were met with an enormous crowd.
Even accounting for the challengers who had entered the unreleased area, it was far too many.
“It’s still this packed?”
“Even just the dropouts and spectators must be a huge number.”
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde reacted similarly.
“…You finally came out.”
And then, a man’s voice.
Turning his head, Hanbit saw Ranger approaching.
“What, you didn’t go in?”
“Of course not. There’s no way something related to you would work with ordinary methods. Throwing yourself in recklessly is meaningless.”
-?
-Scared?
-Is this really the vanguard frontliner? LOL
-He got farmed hard by Black Dragon.
-Subdued.
At the casual question, Ranger replied immediately in a firm voice.
It seemed his caution had piled up layer upon layer.
“If you’re at frontliner level, you might clear it quickly.”
“I’ve learned more than enough that there’s an information gap. The unreleased area is the same. And you’re planning to make the strategy public anyway, aren’t you?”
“Sounds like you left something with me.”
“This is an event that could shake the RP world. Looks like you’ve started a new company—this will be great publicity.”
“Coming from Rashten, that actually sounds convincing.”
“…….”
-LOLLLL
-He stabbed him right back. LOL
-Just sell it for money.
-Then what about us?
-Abandon the viewers?
-Someone will donate later anyway.
-True LOL
Even after being lightly provoked, Ranger kept his mouth shut.
But he showed no sign of backing down.
The people openly glancing from around them likely felt the same.
They wanted information about the unreleased area and its strategy.
He did intend to make it public, but this time he decided to add conditions.
He didn’t want to waste time being bothered.
“I already recorded the video of clearing the unreleased area. If you don’t bother me until this episode ends, I’ll release it.”
“Be specific.”
“Judge for yourselves. And viewers, remember this too. If anyone crosses the line, the video will never be released. It’s entirely up to me.”
After answering briefly, Hanbit pushed through the crowd and moved on.
Seeing those blocking the way hesitate and scatter, it seemed to be effective.
“It really worked?”
“Of course. No one knows how valuable an unreleased-area strategy is…….”
As they walked away from the cave, the two following behind spoke in amazement.
Information about the portal would naturally be revealed when the second unreleased area was opened.
For now, it was enough that things wouldn’t get troublesome afterward.
“You both know Ifrit well, right?”
“It’s the place I’m most familiar with. I’ve been around a long time.”
“I’ve stayed there quite a while too.”
Kim Jaeha and Avantgarde were players who started in Edlen.
Neither had progressed the Ifrit episode, but due to their own circumstances, they seemed to have sufficient experience.
Especially Kim Jaeha, who had wandered endlessly in search of hidden skills, knew the place better than anyone.
“Let’s head over there for a moment.”
After walking for about ten minutes,
Hanbit stepped into an untidy forest.
Avantgarde, following behind, asked with a puzzled look,
“Weren’t we heading to Ifrit? This direction leads to the snowy mountains…….”
“There’s something I need to check. Avantgarde, have you met almost all the NPCs in Ifrit?”
“Of course. I even know who’s related to whom, and who gets along or doesn’t.”
Avantgarde added the explanation as if it were obvious.
Since it was his area of pride, there was no falsehood in it.
“Is that so?”
Nodding, Hanbit continued walking straight ahead.
And when a winding hill came into view, he stopped.
“Then you should know that person too, right?”
Turning back, he pointed at the bushes.
Avantgarde followed the direction with his gaze.
Something came into view.
“That is……”
In the slightly dark gap between bushes, cast in shadow,
someone wearing a shabby robe emerged.
[Dwarf Gorik]
“Gorik?”
The unfamiliar NPC name floating above his head.
Though it was a completely unknown face, something flashed in Avantgarde’s memory.
“Could it be the Gorik mentioned in the episode you cleared, Black Dragon-nim? The one who made magical tools for Kamon…….”
“…But why is that NPC here?”
-Oh?
-That’s right.
-Kamon’s helper?
-I’ve never seen him in Ifrit.
Everyone who recalled the same thing reacted in surprise.
Hanbit nodded and replied,
“That’s right. It’s the Gorik you all know.”
Gorik the dwarf, Kamon’s friend and helper.
He was the most important figure in everything that would happen in Ifrit.
That was why Hanbit hadn’t missed him tailing them for the past five minutes.
Step—
At some point, Gorik stopped walking.
He stood directly in front of Kim Jaeha.
“Hand it over.”
“What?”
The sudden demand left Kim Jaeha flustered.
The commanding tone continued.
“I said hand it over.”
“What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?”
“Do you intend to play dumb before me? I can clearly feel the token in your possession.”
“A token?”
Anger was embedded in the firm voice.
But Kim Jaeha didn’t understand its meaning at all.
“What nonsense? What token?”
“Still denying it to the end…….”
Slide—
At that moment, the robe slipped down from the dwarf’s head as he reached out.
The face revealed in the light filtering through the trees drew everyone’s gaze.
Unkempt yet flowing black hair like the night sea.
Deep eyes filled with sorrow, a straight, long nose, and a sharp jawline.
Rather than a dwarf, he looked like an exotic human—an exceptionally handsome one at that.
Snap—!
Gorik quickly grabbed the robe and pulled it back over his head.
But it was already too late.
“…Huh?”
Avantgarde, who had been watching from the side, stared in shock.
Stepping closer, he extended a trembling hand and said,
“Could it be… royalty?”
-Royalty?
-He was royal?
-Isn’t he human?
-No, that’s definitely royalty.
-And he’s insanely handsome too.
[ExplanationNerd has donated 1,000 won.]
[Info) Dwarven royalty have appearances closer to humans. Their population is extremely small, and so few players have seen them that they can be counted on one hand.]
“…….”
At Avantgarde’s question, Gorik fell silent.
It was a fact beyond any excuse.
“Well, I suppose it had to come out eventually.”
Letting out a short breath, Gorik removed the robe again.
Then, looking at Avantgarde, he said,
“As you said, I am dwarven royalty. And I am also the owner of the token that man possesses.”
Gorik’s finger was pointing at Kim Jaeha’s chest.
“What token are you talking about? I don’t have anything.”
“Absurd. I’ve never seen someone as shameless as you. Do you think those foolish lies will fool me?”
“Is this guy just picking a fight?”
At the continued accusations, Kim Jaeha’s expression hardened slightly.
Even if it was an NPC, annoying ones were still annoying.
“Hm.”
Watching the short exchange, Hanbit spoke to Kim Jaeha,
“Hyung, take it out.”
“That?”
“The iron plate you got in the snowy mountains.”
“…Ah.”
Understanding immediately, Kim Jaeha nodded.
Opening his inventory, he took out a thin iron plate.
“Now we’re finally communicating. Bring it here.”
Seeing the item, Gorik nodded with satisfaction.
And just as he leisurely reached out—
Snap—!
Hanbit snatched the iron plate away.
“……?”
“Huh?”
Everyone’s gaze moved at once at the unexpected action.
Hanbit lightly opened his palm and said,
“Shall we get straight to the point?”
