76. Almost There
Joo-Yeon had rescued his old colleague.
He had also obtained the Artifact .
However, he couldn’t use it right away.
‘It’s sealed with savage magic.’
It was Karacen’s magic.
It must have been something he did before he lost consciousness due to the Demon King’s curse.
‘If he had the power of a relic, no one would be able to stop him.’
Even in that situation, he was thinking of his tribe members. It was a very typical thing for him to do.
It was fortunate for Joo-in.
‘If he had a relic, I wouldn’t have been able to subdue him so easily.’
If he had deflected the power of the relic, Karacen’s life would have been in danger.
Anyway, only one thing mattered now.
“We can figure out where the Grand Warlock is, but the entrance is the problem.”
The Grand Warlock must have entered the sanctuary in the mountain.
However, the problem was the entrance.
To enter, he had to find the exact entrance.
“If it’s not the designated entrance, you’ll either be swept away by all sorts of spells or become lost in a dimension. Once you find the entrance, it’ll be easy to chase him from there.”
Even for a Grand Master, it wouldn’t be easy to find.
“Warlocks might know, but…”
“Those who know the location are all unconscious.”
A few of the savage warriors had regained consciousness, but they seemed out of their minds.
It was because of the protesting spectators.
“Calm down. Right now, all of the higher-ups are unconscious…!”
“Who cares if you’re unconscious! I made a bet! Why aren’t you paying me my winnings!?”
“I don’t have any strength! Give me back my strength!”
“This is a scam! I bet all my fortune! Hurry up and give me back my strength! Strength!”
The spectators were rioting.
The savage warriors seemed preoccupied with controlling them.
However, they were secretly looking at Joo-in.
Hak-en, who was quick-witted, noticed what they meant.
“It seems like they’re asking for your help?”
“To sort out this mess?”
Dae-do laughed as if he found it absurd.
“Even if the savages are in chaos, it’s ridiculous to ask for help from someone they were trying to kill just a moment ago. It seems like those brutes have lost their minds.”
Dae-do looked at Joo-in with a sly expression.
“What are you going to do?”
If it were Ryu-jin, he would have definitely helped.
Joo-in also understood Dae-do’s intentions clearly.
‘If I were a hero, no, if I were Ryu-jin, I would have helped without hesitation.’
Above all, it was a matter related to the tribe of Karacen, the savage chieftain.
As a former comrade, he would have helped even more.
However, Joo-in was different from Ryu-jin.
He would definitely ignore it without looking back…
“I’ll help.”
“What?!”
Daedo was taken aback by the unexpected response, but Jooyeon laughed.
“You have to help me. In return for helping me with this mess, you have to give me this stadium.”
“…….”
……This damn bastard.
“This is the hero of this generation? Ryujin…… You shouldn’t be like that.”
“Why? A hero’s job is to help others. What’s wrong with helping?”
“…….”
Jooyeon’s expression made Jooyeon laugh out loud.
Actually, that was Daedo’s personality.
He wasn’t good at helping others, but he didn’t readily step forward either.
That’s why he liked Ryujin.
‘Whenever Ryujin stepped forward, I helped him from behind. It was a surprisingly well-matched combination.’
But even Daedo didn’t know one fact.
‘I wonder if that guy knows Ryujin’s secret.’
No, to be exact, it wasn’t Ryujin but the ‘Hero’s System’.
[The hero accumulates points by doing good deeds]
[You can strengthen your abilities with the accumulated points]
[You can also use points to learn skills from various professions]
[You can purchase special achievements]
The hero had a special system.
To be exact, it was called Hero Points.
‘Of course, even without such a thing, Ryujin would have done good deeds without expecting anything in return.’
On the contrary, it was he who forced him to use those Hero Points.
In fact, while he was developing other characters such as the Sword King, he had left him alone to train freely, and he had only done good deeds without using any points.
Literally, he had only done good things for others.
That’s why Jooyeon felt frustrated and included the use of points in his forced actions.
-Your points are disappearing! You punk! This precious thing!
He was definitely a good person, but it was hard from the player’s point of view.
He suddenly remembered a difficult memory, but this is what’s important.
‘It’s damn hard to raise a hero.’
Still, the Hero Point System itself was very useful, so if he was treated as a hero, he might get the system.
‘No, it will definitely happen.’
The Hero Point System can be activated separately if you meet the conditions of a hero.
One of those conditions is to activate all stages of the Holy Sword. It must be strengthened using a divine weapon.
‘I’ll get that and something that symbolizes a hero.’
With that, he could get the benefits of a hero with the job he wanted.
‘Then I’ll lift the curse of Karasen and get the job I wanted.’
And the most problematic entrance was…….
“I’ll take you there.”
“……!”
An unexpected person stepped forward.
* * *
“Is this really the right way?”
Haken looked at the man before him with eyes of disbelief.
The main party was climbing a mountain.
And the one guiding them was none other than the great warrior, Macho Man.
It was hard not to be suspicious when the one who had been their enemy suddenly offered to show them the entrance to the forbidden land.
“You keep saying ‘just a little further, just a little further’, but it’s been three hours already. If you’re trying to lead Lord Joo-eun into a trap…”
“I’m telling you, it’s real.”
Olson followed silently, but his eyes held no trust.
Eyes of complete distrust.
Olson kept one hand close to his sword hilt, ready to draw it at any moment.
Can I trust this guy?
Is he really not trying to lure us into a trap?
His eyes were constantly filled with worry.
However, Joo-eun didn’t seem to care.
So much so that he even scolded the great masters Haken and Olson.
“Relax, you guys! Why would a great warrior like him do something like that?”
“Weren’t the ones who attacked us in groups in the arena earlier great warriors?”
“That was because the Grand Warlock made them do it! He’s different!”
“How is he different?”
The great master fell silent.
However, Joo-eun knew what he couldn’t say.
‘When all the great warriors moved at the Grand Warlock’s command. He was the only one who didn’t move.’
That wasn’t all.
When the savage chieftain Karacen collapsed, he was the only one who showed killing intent towards Joo-eun.
It was a killing intent that wouldn’t have been strange if he had already charged in, if it hadn’t been for the fact that he was still alive.
From Noble mtl dot com
‘The reason he’s moving with us is probably because of Karacen.’
Karacen was currently being carried by Joo-eun.
Dae-do and Macho Man were carrying him together.
However, it seemed like Dae-do was finding it a bit difficult.
“Huff… huff… Do we really have to take this guy with us?”
A warrior of Karacen’s caliber would weigh more than one could imagine.
It was only natural that he would find it difficult…
“Don’t complain and hurry up and bring him. What do you think would have happened if we had left him there in the first place?”
There was no need to think about it.
Even though he was unconscious now, he would have definitely turned into a bloodbath.
The hero who had once saved the continent would have become a mere murderer.
“We have to keep him with us until the Grand Warlock’s spell is lifted.”
The Demon King’s curse had to be lifted as well.
‘Fortunately, unlike magic, sorcery and curses have something in common.’
Surely, if all the sorcery in the world remains [Forbidden], the Demon King’s curse could be lifted right away.
Of course, taking Karacen to the Forbidden wasn’t only for Haeju.
It was also necessary for Jooin.
‘To get that job, I definitely need the help of the Forbidden and the Barbarian Chief.’
Of course, there was something to take care of in order to do that.
Jooin suddenly stopped walking.
“Hey. I think we’re almost there.”
“……!”
Upon Jooin’s words, the macho warrior stopped as if surprised.
His face seemed to say that he couldn’t believe Jooin would say that here.
However, Jooin crossed his arms as if asking if he was just going to pass by.
“Isn’t the entrance here?”
The macho man who had been flustered slowly smiled.
“Yes. This is it.”
He gestured, and an astonishing sight unfolded.
Kugugug!
A cloud bridge slowly began to appear on the cliff where there had been nothing.
Everyone’s mouths dropped open at the sight.
“That’s!”
An old and worn-out cloud bridge that seemed to have been built long ago was laid out.
The macho man gestured.
“You just have to cross here.”
It was a bridge that looked extremely dangerous.
It seemed like the bridge could collapse if they tried to move the large Karacen.
However, there wasn’t much time to think.
Kwaaang!
A red pillar was rising from the village at the foot of the mountain.
Kugugugug!
Its energy was heading straight for the top of the mountain.