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chapter 5
“Huh?”
At the call, Artsvel lifted her catlike eyes.
After confirming Hanbit, she slightly furrowed her brows and reacted.
“What is it? I’ve never seen you before.”
The same voice and manner as in his memories.
The claim of never having met him wasn’t shocking at all.
It was something he experienced every single time through regression, possession, and reincarnation.
‘Hoo.’
Even within that familiarity, his feelings were complicated.
After hesitating for a moment, Hanbit steadied his thoughts while looking at Artsvel.
‘Now I know the exact point in time.’
Which point of the world this game had taken from was an important matter.
If it were a timeline he hadn’t experienced, the information would be distorted.
Fortunately, this place was exactly the same as when Hanbit had first set foot in the other world.
Memories that were all too familiar, and a little nostalgic, came flooding back.
Ending the brief silence, Hanbit reset his expression.
“Of course you’ve never seen me. Anyway, I want to learn some magic.”
“Magic? Why would I?”
-Cut.
-Still prickly as ever;
-Got cursed out hard during the thief quest.
-But got caught, right?
-Yeah, falsely accused.
Hanbit paid no attention to the chat starting to argue again.
Artsvel’s refusal was completely expected.
But he had already completed the one necessary step to solve this problem.
“Wait… don’t tell me you’re Black Dragon?”
As Artsvel quietly examined Hanbit, her expression gradually changed.
It was something omitted by the cutscene.
The guards must have searched her shop, gathered various testimonies and evidence.
“That’s right. Julio tried to frame you as a thief.”
“That trash bastard… I knew it would happen someday.”
Grinding her teeth, she let out a sigh.
She had long sensed the malice Julio constantly radiated.
Running a hand through her hair, she changed to a relieved expression.
“Anyway, thanks. I didn’t have to see something that dirty thanks to you.”
“I hate him too.”
A light exchange accompanied by a shrug.
It was more than enough compensation for catching Julio.
Because it was important to narrow the distance with Artsvel, even a little.
“So, you said you were looking for a spellbook? But this is—”
“Wait.”
Hanbit cut her off as she tried to steer the conversation back.
To truly learn magic, this level of closeness wasn’t enough.
He needed to step much closer.
“What is it? Why?”
Artsvel looked at Hanbit with a puzzled expression.
After a brief pause, he casually asked,
“You’re looking for a cure, aren’t you?”
“…How do you know that?”
“It’s right there on your desk.”
On Artsvel’s desk were stacks of books on medicines and herbs.
It was obvious they weren’t for sale just by looking at their worn spines and covers.
“…Tch.”
As she tried to cover the desk with her hand, Artsvel lifted her head.
Slightly furrowing her brow, she spoke to Hanbit.
“Do you know a lot about medicine?”
“I do.”
“Confident, aren’t you. Then tell me this—symptoms where the pupils turn blue, accompanied by dizziness and vomiting. Do you know what that is?”
Narrowing her eyes, she asked in a sharper voice.
Meeting her gaze head-on, Hanbit asked a different question.
“Who’s suffering from it?”
“…My mother is.”
“Really? Then I’ll get you the cure.”
“A cure? Really?”
Artsvel stepped closer, her expression completely changed.
However, her emotions quickly cooled.
“You’re just saying that, aren’t you? Do you know how many times I’ve been deceived?”
Artsvel recalled her past memories.
Self-proclaimed experts who had come and gone, attempted treatments followed by repeated failures.
The money, time, and effort wasted were beyond calculation.
It hadn’t taken long to realize that hope itself could become poison.
Knowing that past well, Hanbit brought out another piece of information.
“She doesn’t feel hunger anymore, right? Potions and healing magic don’t work at all either.”
“How do you know that….”
At symptoms she hadn’t even mentioned, Artsvel’s eyes widened.
From that reaction alone, the desperation was palpable.
She had never met anyone like this before.
“Do you know what illness it is?”
“There’s no name for the disease. I just know how to cure it.”
“…….”
Conflicted, she tapped her fingers against the desk.
A moment of contemplation in silence.
Then, as if she’d made up her mind, she looked at Hanbit.
“Fine. If you really help me, I’ll make sure to repay you properly.”
Ding—
[Quest]
You have discovered the concern Artsvel is burdened with.
Find a way to treat the illness afflicting her mother.
Might there be something to obtain around Edlen?
Objective: Obtain the proper cure.
Reward: 2,000 gold, Artsvel’s Fireball Spellbook (Rank 1 – Heroic), 3 stat points, 500 experience
-Heroic?
-Heroic guaranteed?
-This is insane. LOL
-Damn you, Julio!
-Logging in right now.
-I’m going too.
In an instant, the chat ignited rapidly.
Judging by the reaction, it seemed to be a quest appearing for the first time.
The viewer count, which had been slowly increasing, had already passed fifty.
If Artsvel was still on the map, they would be eligible to try.
Click—
After pressing the accept button, Hanbit looked at Artsvel.
“I’ll bring it back.”
“…Alright.”
She was someone who had always tried to save her mother.
At first it had been difficult, but after learning the method, he had helped her every iteration.
That was why he knew how important this matter was to Artsvel.
“Ah, heroic guaranteed is just unfair!”
As they left the shop, Yeonwoo said with a pitiful expression.
If he’d already completed the thief quest, there was nothing to be done.
“What’s heroic anyway? There’s also something called rank next to it.”
Hanbit looked again at the notation in the quest window.
[Artsvel’s Fireball Spellbook (Rank 1 – Heroic)]
A game element different from the other world.
Since techniques there were simply divided into first-rate, second-rate, and so on, it felt unfamiliar.
“Rank is the stage tier, and heroic is the grade that represents rarity and performance. Items and skills all follow the same system.”
“So even the same spellbook can have different performance?”
“Of course! That’s why people go crazy trying to get higher grades.”
Rank tiers were similar to the stages used in the other world.
The difference was the grade.
According to his explanation, the types were as follows.
[Normal – Advanced – Rare – Heroic – Unique – Epic – Legendary – Mythic]
The eight-tier classification was commonly used in games.
Though it didn’t exist in the other world, it was easy enough to understand.
“How good is heroic?”
“Insanely good. I didn’t even know Rank 1 could have heroic grade! And it’s guaranteed! It makes no sense!”
The skill at the starting point of a skill tree was Rank 1.
In that range, no matter how hard you tried, rare was supposedly the absolute ceiling.
He’d have to actually use it to know how good it really was.
“As long as it’s good, that’s enough. Let’s go.”
“For a cure, we’re gathering herbs or something, right?”
“That’s….”
Thump! Thump!
At that moment, vibrations and noise shook Hanbit’s body.
Then came his mother’s urgent voice.
“Kang Hanbit! Why is the door locked! Kang Hanbit!”
“…Ah.”
He had completely forgotten about his mother’s return time.
Hanbit spoke to Yeonwoo.
“My mom’s home. Hold on.”
“Huh? Hyung, all of a sudden—”
Click—
The game ended abruptly with that notice.
Removing the equipment, Hanbit quickly unlocked the door.
“Mom, you’re home?”
“Hoo….”
Seeing her son’s face, his mother let out a deep sigh.
For a moment, she’d gone white thinking something had happened.
“Why was the door locked! You’ve never done that before.”
“Well… I got a gift.”
“A gift?”
“You know Yeonwoo? He gave me a game console as a discharge gift.”
When he pointed at the bed, his mother’s gaze followed.
A helmet-like device and charger lay sprawled out.
Rings were still attached to her son’s wrists and ankles.
“Is that that Record thing or whatever?”
“What, you know about it too?”
“It’s always on the news.”
His mother still had her bag slung over her shoulder.
Hanbit took it off and placed it on the table.
“I’ll just play lightly when I have time. I’m starting my internship tomorrow anyway.”
“Internship? You really did that?”
“I need at least one more line on my resume. The period’s short too, so if I job-hunt at the same time—”
Smack-!
A sharp palm struck Hanbit’s back as he was speaking.
“Ah, Mom!”
Twisting his body, he looked at his mother, who was frowning.
Then her hand flew again.
Smack-!
“You blocked it?”
“Blocked what!”
Smack-!
He caught one hand, but his mother’s other hand was faster.
It was enough to remind him of facing masters of hand-to-hand combat in the past.
“You say you’re job hunting, so why are you like this?”
Rubbing his back, Hanbit asked in confusion.
Letting out a sigh, his mother glanced at the uniform in the laundry basket and said,
“What kind of mother talks about employment to a kid who just got discharged? And on top of that, an internship starting tomorrow? Does that make sense?”
“Mom, it’s my graduation semester. I need to get a job early while I’m still a student—ah!”
Whoosh—
Just as she was about to strike his back again, his mother stopped her hand in midair.
She knew all too well how harsh the job market was from all kinds of media.
And since her son had grown up so quickly, she fully expected him to push himself without rest.
Still, she wished that her child, who had struggled so long, would indulge himself just once.
An impossible wish under such an inadequate parent, perhaps.
“Sigh.”
Faced with that sorrowful reality, his mother let out a deep sigh.
If she forcibly told him to quit, he’d surely push himself harder out of sight.
It was more reassuring to support him from his side.
“You said the company’s in Songdo, right? What time are you getting up?”
“Uh… there’s a bus that goes straight there, so 7:30 should be fine.”
Still wary of her hands, Hanbit nodded as he answered.
Looking at the clock, his mother walked over to the fridge and opened it.
“Wake up at seven. It’s your first day—you should arrive thirty minutes early.”
“Got it.”
“And don’t even think about skipping breakfast because it’s annoying. I told you, meals are the most important, right?”
“I won’t skip it, Mom. I got used to it in the army.”
“Used to what? You think I don’t know you didn’t eat today?”
The conversation, now back to everyday life, continued comfortably.
A moment later, after finishing tidying up, his mother picked up her bag and went into her room.
“Hoo.”
Relieved that the storm had passed, Hanbit let out a breath.
He understood his mother’s feelings, but it couldn’t be helped.
He had to get a job to really make a living.
“I should sleep early.”
Checking the time, Hanbit made a quick decision.
He wanted to explore the world inside RP more, but tomorrow was his first day as an intern.
Reality wasn’t forgiving enough to cut back on sleep.
“Come to think of it, we were streaming.”
The flow had been cut off abruptly just as the quest was about to begin.
Even if there weren’t many viewers, he was concerned about Yeonwoo being left alone.
“If I go back in now, it’ll just get awkward.”
Once he truly started helping Artsvel, there’d be no way to stop midway.
It would be better to properly continue tomorrow.
As for the viewers who’d have to wait a day, he could just give them something to pass the time.
Having finished his thoughts, Hanbit quickly began typing a message to send to Yeonwoo.
