Episode 202
'Update?'
It was a task commonly performed in an ordinary game.
However, the case of the Record Project was different.
After all, they had heard that there hadn't been a single update since its release.
“An examiner from the Investigation Team will arrive sometime tomorrow. Until then, please stay in the royal capital and rest.”
“…Understood.”
Having finished their conversation, Hanbit and her party immediately left the audience chamber.
This was because the King’s duties were still piled high.
“Black Dragon!”
Just then, Leon followed Hanbit out into the hallway.
“What is it?”
“I haven’t been able to properly express my gratitude yet. Even if I am flustered, that is something that should not have happened.”
Leon, who spoke like that, was also spending an incredibly busy time amidst the situation where even the Knight Commander had disappeared.
It was truly typical of her to go out of her way to follow and stop her like this.
“My goal was to be nominated for the Investigation Team as well. Just obtaining that qualification is enough.”
“I believe that is a reward that deserves to be given.”
Shaking her head, Leon took a step back.
Then, paying the respects of a knight, she spoke.
“I speak on behalf of the members as the interim commander of the Royal Guard. I sincerely thank you for your assistance in defending the Kingdom from foreign invasions and internal rebellion.”
“…You have worked hard, too, Mr. Leon.”
Memories of the past flashed through his mind at the thanks he had received so many times before.
“Vice-Commander!”
In the meantime, a knight ran up from a distance.
Leon straightened his posture and spoke with a light smile.
“I suppose I must go now. Please rest well, and I will see you again when the situation stabilizes. I hope we can talk slowly then.”
With those farewells, Leon left with his subordinate.
Hanbit and his party went straight out of the royal palace.
“I should part ways here as well. Please come visit if you have business in Temosha.”
Zenith and the criminal group members established residences in Temosha and nearby cities.
Having had all their crimes cleared by royal decree, they returned to their hometowns or began new lives.
Of course, the real criminals were still being apprehended or were in the process of being tracked down.
“I’m going too. I was planning to hang out with you for a bit, but I keep seeing Atsubel.”
Riventia, having finished her investigation, also decided to return to Edlen.
Since she had been forced to neglect her training, she must have a lot of backlog.
“Then I’ll see you next time. Riventia, could you please give my thanks on my behalf?”
“Alright. But please make sure to stop by.”
With that, the two of them left to prepare for their departure.
Watching their retreating figures, Hanbit turned his gaze to his companions.
“We have quite a lot to talk about. Let’s head to Guild Headquarters.”
***
“Welcome!”
The Guild Headquarters in Althea, a city in southern Raven.
Kenji, who had been waiting there, jumped up to greet Hanbit’s party.
“Huh? Where is Momo?”
Haneul looked around, searching for his younger sibling who was nowhere to be seen.
Then Kenji pointed to the kitchen and said,
“It looks like she wants to try cooking.”
“Really? Then can I come help too?”
He asked, looking at Hanbit.
Since there were no urgent matters yet, he nodded.
“It’s fine. You can go.”
“Yes!”
Haneul replied quickly and headed straight for the kitchen.
The remaining people moved to a space newly decorated to resemble a conference room.
“First of all, congratulations. No one would have thought you could reach the position of Investigation Team candidate this quickly.”
“It’s just thanks to my extensive experience. But I really can’t quite grasp the update.”
They had successfully ascended to the Investigation Team candidate status, and the forgotten private zones had also reappeared.
However, nothing specific to the update came to mind.
“Is there anything different from the other world you’ve been in for so long? If we consider a typical update, I would expect game-like elements to be added.”
“Well, like me, what players have done so far is only a fraction of the whole picture. Just the Investigation Team’s territory alone is vast.”
Access to most areas covered in the community, as well as the guidebooks, was not difficult.
While there were places requiring quests, items, or procedures, they couldn’t compare to the forbidden zones.
“What about the top advance party? Are they already part of the Investigation Team?”
Kim Jae-ha asked, having been listening to the conversation.
A top-tier player whose name and everything else were unknown.
Although it could not be confirmed, it was highly likely that they had reached the investigation team.
Especially with a player from the Holy Kingdom appearing, it was difficult to even easily predict what might happen.
“If they were in the top tier, they would have easily made it to the Investigation Team. Perhaps they have achieved even more than I did, having been tossed around in another world.”
Hanbit never believed his own abilities were extraordinary.
He had merely gone through 55 iterations because of the Goddess.
It wouldn’t have been strange if someone out there truly were the epitome of talent.
“The community is in an uproar.”
At Avantgarde’s words, Hanbit also logged into the RPG.
All sorts of screenshots were spreading across the community RPG and Astra.
It was the golden message that popped up after clearing Episode 6.
<Breaking News) RP Update Appears>
I cleared Black Dragon Episode 6, and an update message popped up.
An announcement is up on the homepage too, so go check it out.
-Is this real?
-What else is coming out here?
-*nervous
* -Are they expanding the map?
└There are so many Investigation Team zones that there are tons of places that aren't open to begin with.
-Isn't this just a balance patch?
└Magic buffs?
└Yeah, melee characters are getting a buff.
└We are nerfing the Player Black Dragon for such and such reason.
└Bullshit. It is our Master who distributes guides.
└No one hasn't joined the membership yet, right?
-Pioneers on alert
-Companies are going to be super busy. Lol.
The community was rife with all sorts of speculation.
Hanbit shifted his screen and examined the announcements on the Record Project homepage.
<Notice>
<Announcement regarding the 1st Update>
Hello. This is Record Project.
We are proceeding with the 1st update upon the fulfillment of specific conditions.
This update will begin at the upcoming midnight and is expected to take approximately two days.
Access will be unavailable during the maintenance period, so please exit the game in a safe area.
Thank you.
“…….”
An announcement containing only a brief schedule.
Ultimately, there were no detailed contents regarding what was actually happening.
However, there were clearly points of concern.
“I am worried about the game being down for two days. I hope it doesn't affect your daughter, though…….”
Kenji expressed his concern during the time when access was impossible.
The inability to see his daughter was one thing, but the real issue was whether the system would provide protection during the update process.
Since this was something Hanbit had also pondered, he decided to share his thoughts.
“If my predictions hold true, there shouldn’t be any problems. After all, Momo has escaped the realm of the Goddess of Turmoil.”
“If you speak of a realm…”
“I believe Momo is a victim caught in the power wielded by that goddess. That conclusion was reached after considering her namelessness, her assigned role, her abilities, and the treatment she was treated. I don’t know the extent of the authority of the developers on the side of the Goddess of Serenity, but they wouldn’t put an innocent child, who has escaped the hands of the Holy Kingdom, into danger.”
Hanbit’s image of the two deities was simple.
The Goddess of Turmoil represented destruction and chaos.
The Goddess of Serenity represented protection and stability.
The goddess he had met in person valued life highly.
He was convinced of this, even as a victim who had undergone 55 reincarnations.
Those who followed her would surely stand with that will.
There would be no way the update would put Momo in danger.
“Of course, blind faith is also strange, so it would be best to keep a close eye on Momo’s condition in the real world during the update. If a problem arises, we might as well storm into headquarters. I have a feeling there might be a way to threaten them.”
“…Hearing you say that makes me feel so reassured.”
Kenji lowered his gaze slightly and smiled faintly.
He seemed to think it was a comforting remark, but Hanbit was sincere.
After all, it felt like the RP developers absolutely needed Hanbit.
“Anyway, now that a player from the Holy Kingdom has appeared, there will be more information and variables to deal with. It would be good to check on Momo’s issues one by one. Minho might discover something in the Gear, too. This isn’t something that can be resolved urgently, so let’s take a long-term view.”
“Yes. I will keep that in mind.”
Lee Minho had already gone to Japan to check on Momo’s condition.
Wouldn’t he be able to find at least a small clue?
“Ah, come to think of it.”
A thought suddenly crossed Hanbit’s mind.
“How did the lawsuit against Adventurer A go? I did contact Yeonwoo, though.”
“The law firm’s influence is quite significant. Fortunately, the filing schedule was moved up considerably, so I hear the police investigation started quickly. They say they are also focusing on locating him, so the outcome looks promising.”
“That’s good.”
Adventurer A, a fellow veteran of the other world.
If he were a truly excellent player, I might have tried to maintain a good relationship with him to obtain information.
However, judging by his guidebooks and his character, he is honestly useless.
It would be best if he just paid for his crimes and disappeared into prison.
“Let’s let the Adventurer A case proceed. For now, we’ll have to wait until the update news comes out. We’ll decide on our future course of action then.”
“Understood.”
After finishing their brief conversation, Hanbit purchased Spirit Stones and a few other items at the exchange.
As items piled up one by one on the table, everyone’s eyes were drawn to them.
“What are you using these for?”
“Aren’t these Spirit Stones?”
“There are monster loot items here, too.”
Amidst the growing questions, Hanbit rose from his seat.
He found a spacious area and began to slowly arrange the items.
*Rustling* —as he
finished tidying up, a light began to flicker from the Spirit Stones.
At the same time, the spirits shimmered and revealed themselves.
“You guys stay here with Momo.”
[Okay!]
The three spirits, including the Sylph, comfortably settled into their respective spots.
*Grrr*
—Cheonho, who had been burrowing into his arms, peeked his head out.
Then, wiggling his front paws, he came out and approached the spirits.
It seemed he just wanted to play with them.
Hanbit turned his gaze to the people watching the work from behind.
“I’ve set up a space similar to a Spirit Garden. It’s nothing more than an imitation, though.”
Even if it was a makeshift measure, it should be able to fend off most variables.
It was a better option than leaving Momo alone indefinitely.
“Thank you, Lord Black Dragon.”
Kenji greeted him once again with sincerity.
Despite his status as the chairman of a major corporation, he was a man without a shred of entitlement.
Of course, his face remained grim, creating a significant disconnect.
“Not at all. I hope you get through this safely.”
Just as they were wrapping up this heavy conversation,
Momo and Haneul stepped out of the kitchen for a moment.
“Hello.”
Momo, noticeably more composed, looked like an ordinary city girl.
“Hi. Did you make something?”
“Yes. It was fun doing it… But what is that?”
Momo showed interest in the makeshift Spirit Garden.
It was only natural, given that stones and bushes were placed in the empty space out of the blue.
“It’s like a resting place for the spirits. Play with them once in a while.”
“I’ll finish right away!”
Momo hurriedly returned to the kitchen and continued cooking.
Seeing how well she had played with the Sylph, it seemed like it would be fine.
Ding—
Just then, an alarm rang in Hanbit’s ears as he was about to sit back down.
It was a message from Yeonwoo.
“Hyung, I got a call from the CEO of Vestige. Ms. Grace, the manager of Astra, wants to meet you. What would you like to do? She says she is available starting tomorrow afternoon.”
