LS 82

“Ah!”

Moonhyuk let out an exclamation as he read the quest. Dohee, who had just clicked the accept button, turned his head. Moonhyuk was facing Dohee, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

“I think this is that jade-colored box from Saena’s Diary.”

The memory came back, the strange, old jade-colored box that one day arrived at the doorstep of Jubite’s parents. That story had been mentioned in GM Saena’s Diary. The box the one-armed merchant was asking them to find seemed to be that same item.

“Sounds like it. You remembered that well.”

“Ah, well, I’ve always liked reading the story content…”

Dohee gave Moonhyuk a warm smile. It was a smile that meant “well done.” Moonhyuk sheepishly rubbed his forehead, his ears tinged a bit red. It wasn’t even a big deal, but still, it made Dohee feel proud. Like some kind of parent. But still, it really was impressive. The clueless newbie who used to be all over the place had grown this much. Yes. Definitely.

Before a new world raid opened, the official website would always publish GM Saena’s Diary. And those diaries often contained meaningful clues. It had been a while since a pre-raid quest tied so directly to Saena’s Diary. Progressing by piecing together the overall picture and linking the clues was something familiar to veterans, but to a newbie like Moonhyuk, it might have felt overwhelming. Thankfully, whether because he genuinely enjoyed the story or just had a good memory, Moonhyuk didn’t seem to be struggling with it at all.

Meanwhile, the guild chat was lively with everyone talking about the quest they’d just picked up.

[Party] YeohooHae: So this ties into Saena’s Diary lol

[Party] 4EvilPrettyGirl: This NPC talks kind of like me

[Party] SiblingSpicyNoodle: ???? Bruh you’re just a roleplay freak **

[Party] Tando: That jade-colored box must be a big deal in this raid haha

[Party] SiblingSpicyNoodle: I knew that even without you pretending to be smart~~~

[Party] Tando: I bet you were the last one to figure it out ^^

[Party] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Seriously, why’s it always me getting dragged ** I’m not that dumb, okay?

[Party] Tando: Yes, next up, Stonehead~ ^^

[Party] SiblingSpicyNoodle: Ugh ** this is bullshit

[Party] SoftRiceCake: LOL look at this noob acting like a boss now

[Party] YeojinHae: “Adventurer~ Adventurer~” NPCs that rope you into errands like this are pros at it lol

[Party] GoingSupporter: Enough chatting, let’s go

After wandering around checking the nearby NPCs, they spotted an old woman with an orange question mark floating over her head. The guild members rushed to speak with her.

[NPC] Blind Old Woman: …A foreboding energy… a dark omen fills the air…

:I have a question

▲ Answer

[NPC] Blind Old Woman: It’s been a while since an outsider came through. So, what is it you wish to know?

: Have you seen a jade-colored square box?

▲ Answer

[NPC] Blind Old Woman: Heh heh, this old woman can’t see, you know…

….

[NPC] Blind Old Woman: But children are always curious. Turn down the second alley, and you’ll find a sandy lot. Why not try there?

Got it

Dohee suddenly had a bad feeling. Not from the creepy NPC, but from the ominous sense that this pre-raid quest was not going to end quickly. As they turned down the alley the old woman mentioned, they passed a few other players. Probably others doing the Demon Hunter prelude quest too.

[Party] SoftRiceCake: Lucky we didn’t run into those Xeno jerks while doing this lmaoo

[Party] Tando: I heard they finished it as soon as it dropped haha

[Party] Tando: Would’ve been fun if we ran into them ^^

[Party] SoftRiceCake: Right??? If we saw them here, I’d have dragged ’em into a PvP zone

[Party] SoftRiceCake: Or just challenged them to a duel and wrecked ’em

[Party] SoftRiceCake: Those Xeno dudes are so hot-tempered, they’d follow us instantly lool

[Party] YeojinHae: Gotta say, RiceCake is real dependable when it counts lol

[Party] Tando: For real, too bad we missed the chance haha

[Party] PrettyHealerHyung: [Crying emote] RiceCake… you’ve been corrupted by GoSupp…

[Party] GoingSupporter: ?? Healer, go do some PvP

[Party] PrettyHealerHyung: Why is it always meee ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Party] SoftRiceCake: Our guild’s lowest-ranked PvPer is a scaredy-healer~ lolol

[Party] PrettyHealerHyung: No I’m not ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I just prefer PvE, that’s allㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Party] Oreckthat: Recktat can’t do either one! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

[Party] Oreckthat: Awww our little extras are here~ (:3 」∠)

Oreckthat, who had been leading the group, was the first to find the children mentioned by the old woman. Among them, one had an orange question mark over their head. Clicking on that child continued the quest.

[NPC] Village Kid 1: Haven’t seen you folks around here before! Hello!

: I’d like to ask something

▲ Answer

[NPC] Village Kid 1: Uh… My mom’s gonna be back soon… What do you want to ask?

: Have you seen a small jade-colored square box?

▲ Answer

As the quest window closed, the child turned their head, and a short cutscene played. It showed the village kids burying a box in the sand dunes and playing around it. Once the scene ended, the quest window popped back up.

[NPC] Village Kid 1: Maybe it’s that one…?

: I think it is… Could you give it back?

▲ Answer

The NPC’s expression darkened. Soon, other children began to gather around Village Kid 1. One of them spoke up.

[NPC] Village Kid 3: But we’re the ones who found the box!

…

[NPC] Village Kid 4: Finders keepers!

: It belongs to the Bark Trading Company

▲ Answer

[NPC] Village Kid 2: But… then, could you bring us something fun to play with instead? We’re bored…

: Alright. What do you want?

▲ Answer

[NPC] Village Kid 1: Really!? Then could you bring us some Yam Fruit? We can use it to play hopscotch!

: Yam Fruit?

[NPC] Village Kid 3: Wow, good idea! Yam Fruit comes from the cactus plant called Yam. We’re too short to pick them ourselves. If you bring us some, we’ll give you the box! We like Yam Fruit more than the box anyway.

: Got it

“They’re really asking for everything, huh…”

Dohee muttered out loud in disbelief. He heard Moonhyuk chuckle softly beside him.

“Looks like this quest might be longer than we thought. Just a feeling…?”

“Yeah, I think so too. Let me know if you’re hungry or tired, okay? I’ll grab you a snack or something.”

“A-ah, no! I’m good for now.”

“Alright. Don’t feel like you have to hold back.”

“Okaaay.”

Since most of the guild members, including Dohee, were used to long play sessions, he was worried Moonhyuk might get tired. Dohee glanced sideways at him. Moonhyuk was cheerfully typing in chat, trying to calm down the grumbling guild members. He looked like he was having fun, and that was enough for Dohee. He turned his eyes back to the monitor. Despite their complaining, the guildies were all eagerly heading to Wornan Hunting Grounds 1 to gather Yam Fruit.

Collecting Yam Fruit was easy. It was a simple quest: just walk up to the large cactus in the hunting grounds and press the gather key. Once they brought the Yam Fruit back, the village kids happily thanked them and handed over the jade-colored box.

[System] You have obtained the quest item ‘Old Jade-Colored Box’.

Returning to the village entrance, they saw the orange question mark floating over the one-armed merchant’s head again. When they spoke to him, the quest continued.

[NPC] One-Armed Merchant: Oh! I didn’t expect you to find it so quickly.

: The village kids had it

▲ Answer

[NPC] One-Armed Merchant: They say the darkest place is right beneath the lamp… Haha. I’ll reward you shortly. Could you wait just a moment?

: Alright

The quest window closed with a click. Dohee thought, “Is that it? That ended quicker than I thought…” – but just then, a new orange exclamation mark appeared above the merchant’s head. The merchant now wore an awkward expression. Dohee tilted his head. Of course. No way it was going to end that easily. When he spoke to the merchant again, a new quest window popped up.

<Lost Demon Hunter>

Let’s Repair the Old Box!

? This quest is a prelude to the world raid “Lost Demon Hunter.” Please assist the NPC “One-Armed Merchant.”

! Note:
▷ All party members must complete this quest to enter the Demon Hunter raid.
▷ This is a chain quest, follow the NPCs with orange question marks to proceed.

Now he wants us to repair the damn box? Even as they grumbled, the guildies dutifully spoke to the NPC. As the one-armed merchant held the box out in front of him, the next part of the quest began.

[NPC] One-Armed Merchant: Could you take a look at this box? Some sort of black smoke seems to be leaking out…

:?Let me see it closely

[NPC] One-Armed Merchant: The lock looks pretty badly damaged, probably from the kids playing rough with it.

: Seems that way

Black smoke was visibly wafting from the box the merchant held out. It was clearly suspicious-looking.

[NPC] One-Armed Merchant: Could you perhaps find a new lock for it?

: Any lock will do?

▲ Answer

[NPC] One-Armed Merchant: Hmm… Do you recognize the symbol engraved on this lock?

: A symbol?

A moment later, the lock on the box enlarged and filled the screen. It bore a symbol that veteran SoGod players would instantly recognize.

“What’s this…?”

Moonhyuk muttered, and Dohee casually replied,

“It’s probably the crest of the Kelathus Temple.”

“Kelathus Temple?”

“Yeah. You haven’t gotten to that part of the main story yet, but there’s a goddess named Kelathus. She was mentioned in Saena’s Diary too, I think.”

“Oh! I remember that!”

“Items made in the Kelathus Temple are engraved with that symbol.”

“That’s so cool…”

“There are a bunch of temples in SoGod, and each one has its own emblem. Once you play more, you’ll start recognizing them too.”

Of course it was unfamiliar to Moonhyuk. But for longtime players like Dohee and the others, the symbol was instantly recognizable. Just as Dohee said, the NPC continued.

[NPC] One-Armed Merchant: This looks like something made in the Temple of Goddess Kelathus. Fortunately, the temple isn’t far from Wornan… Would you be willing to go in my stead and find a new lock? I can’t really leave due to my responsibilities at the trading company.

: I’ll do it