Chapter 182

“Then have you ever heard of the name Piaro?”

Piaro?

As expected...

Jae-Hyeok had heard the name through Elder Gu Suk:

“If you survive for 24 hours in the World Tree Outskirts gate, a female elf will come to you.

She will give you a quest to find someone named Piaro. You can escape from the gate just by accepting it.”

“Who is Piaro?”

“

That, we don’t know.”

“Do you know Piaro?” the elven girl repeated. Seeing Jae-Hyeok’s slow response, her eyes glowed in anticipation.

This girl’s face is an open book.

Smelling an opportunity, Jae-Hyeok wore a guarded expression and questioned, “And who are you?”

He wouldn’t miss the chance to fish for information.

“Ah! I’ve offended you, Noble One. Allow me to introduce myself: my name is Heartmaru, a patrolman of Golden Walnut Forest!”

“Oh. Is this Golden Walnut Forest?”

“What? Nope. This is the World Tree Forest.”

“Then, why are you here?”

“Noble One, it’s terrible! I was here paying a visit to the high elves, delivering this year's golden walnut harvest, when I was unexpectedly swept into a disconnection! The world split from this land, which was then pulled into another dimension to become an instance dungeon. After that, I... ”

The more Heartmaru recounted her experience, the more her willowy eyebrows danced—at times rising in surprise, at others sinking in worry. Absorbed in her story, it was as if she were talking to an old friend and not some stranger in a strange place.

She's as pure as a piece of paper

. Jae-Hyeok almost sighed... almost.

He interupted, “I see, I see. Thanks. We’re aware of the disconnection as well. But I doubt anyone would offer something mundane to the noble high elves. Does that mean these golden walnuts are rare?”

“That’s right! It’s an excellent remedy. Every one of them is a treasure-level elixir!”

“Elixir!”

Jae-Hyeok’s eyes gleamed. An elixir was the only way to heal his father, so the golden walnut had to catch his attention.

The elven girl clapped. “Amazing, right? And the first one who succeeded in growing golden walnuts was Piaro!”

Piaro?

Jae-Hyeok thought. It seemed like he had to accept the girl’s quest.

Well, I was planning to accept it anyway.

“Noble person, I want to escape from this place with your help. Please deliver news about me to Piaro. He will find a way to help me.”

A System notification popped up.

[Main quest: Elf Trapped Inside the Gate.

Difficulty level: not measurable.

Having witnessed your valor against the cursed elves, one elf clings to a faint hope. Elves never forget to repay a favor; if you possess the strength, perhaps you could help.

Quest Reward: dependent on performance.

Would you like to accept this quest?

*Upon accepting, an exit warp will immediately appear.]

From fighting the dark elves to meeting Heartmaru to helping her find Piaro for golden walnuts—the quest flowed so naturally that Jae-Hyeok nearly accepted on reflex. Still, he caught himself at the last moment.

“How many golden walnuts do you have now?” Jae-Hyeok asked.

Indeed, first things first, he needed to see if the girl was pocketing a walnut or two.

If so, perhaps he could get his hands on one even sooner...

Even if the chance is small, Father might wake up.

At some point, Jae-Hyeok’s poker face had crumbled. A dangerous gleam sparkled in his eyes as his face flushed with excitement.

“Uh, I don’t have any.” Heartmaru averted her eyes from his hot gaze. “I fell unconscious during the disconnection. And when I opened my eyes next, all the walnuts were gone.”

“I... see...”

“Noble person, I don’t know the details, but you want a golden walnut, right? If so, please help me find Piaro. He cares about half-elves more than anyone. He will surely repay your kindness.”

There was tension in Heartmaru’s trembling voice.

She’s probably been rejected every time,

Jae-Hyeok thought.

After all, most parties enter gates with the purpose of clearing them, not getting sucked out halfway.

Jae-Hyeok silently gazed into the elf’s clear eyes. Do-Jin couldn’t hold back any longer and interjected.

“So where is that Pierrot, or Piaro, or whatever?”

“That... ”

Heartmaru hesitated.

“What?”

Heartmaru finally said, “T-that... I don’t know.”

“Huh? Are you joking? You don’t even know where this person is. How are we supposed to find him?”

“C-calm down, Senior! That person is pretty old, right...?”

“Since when does age matter? You never stopped Jae-Hyeok when he was speaking rudely to me despite my older age!”

Jae-Hyeok remained calm as Do-Jin lost his temper.

The quest was tied to an S-grade gate and only appeared after enduring twenty-four hours inside. Furthermore, the quest’s difficulty couldn’t be measured. It would be strange if it were easy to get a clue.

I wonder if the lack of clues is the crux of the challenge. If that’s what makes the quest hard, who knows when I’ll complete it...

Well, that was fine with Jae-Hyeok. He had nothing to lose by accepting the quest. Rather, he had to accept the quest anyway if he wanted to escape the World Tree Outskirts.

Jae-Hyeok was just about to calm Do-Jin down when Heartmaru explained.

“Piaro manages more than a few fields and farms, so he rarely stays in one place for a long time. That is why I don’t know where he is now...”

It was an explanation that only raised questions.

“Farmland? Is he a farmer?”

“Yes!”

“......”

Was this elf joking? The group gave her incredulous looks.

Heartmaru eagerly explained, “Everyone eats rice and bread, right? That is why farmers are great! The golden walnuts were grown by him!”

“Yes, farmers are great... ”

“T-that’s right.

Do-Jin and Da-Hee glimpsed the mad fervor in her eyes and nodded like a pair of chickens.

“Ahh! Even your friends recognize his greatness!”

Heartmaru was overjoyed. She hugged Do-Jin and Da-Hee like a cult leader welcoming their newest members.

“

Uwah

... ”

“Hehe... ”

“Shouldn’t you act in moderation?”

Jae-Hyeok frowned when he saw Do-Jin and Da-Hee’s eyes glazing over, drunk on the sweet body odor of the elf.

He was ready to draw his sword.

A slight smile appeared on Heartmaru’s face. “As expected, you truly are a descendant of Peak Sword.

Huhu.”

She separated from Do-Jin and Da-Hee and stepped closer to Jae-Hyeok.

“There is a place Piaro often visits, named Reinhardt. If you were an ordinary person, mentioning this would be useless. But since you are a descendant of Peak Sword, you must already know about it, right?”

“Of course... I do.”

He hadn’t expected to hear Reinhardt mentioned. Jae-Hyeok came to his senses and regained his poker face.

Heartmaru asked, “You should know how to get there, right?”

“What if I don’t?”

“That is a problem. It would mean that you are lying about being Peak Sword’s descendant.”

Heartmaru’s clear eyes turned frosty. Gone was the innocent girl. In her place was a Named being of the World Tree Outskirts.

“Did you deceive me?”

“No. I was just joking.”

“...Indeed! You are the owner of Iyarugt! I can trust you.”

Heartmaru beamed. Then, she brought her mouth close to Jae-Hyeok’s ear.

“If you go to Reinhardt, you will surely find him.”

“I understand. Still, it would be unpleasant to go there and end up empty-handed. In that case, I might lose my patience with you and forget about finding this Piaro.”

“Huh? Is it that serious?

“Of course. My time is valuable too.”

“......”

“So when I get there, can you introduce me to someone who can help find Piaro?”

“I’ve spent nearly my whole life in the Golden Walnut Forest and don’t have many connections. Noble one, you are a descendant of Peak Sword and must have more connections... ”

“Is it your personal nature to leave everything to others, or is it a racial trait of all elves?”

“Elves aren’t shameless! Fine, fine. It’s my mistake!”

“Then there is nothing to say. Please make a list of people there who can help me. Also, include something that can prove your identity, such as a seal or an item.”

“Yes... ”

I am lucky.

Jae-Hyeok couldn’t believe that he had found this connection just as he was about to visit Reinhardt.

A deep smile appeared on Jae-Hyeok’s face when he saw Heartmaru pull out a parchment paper that seemed straight from a movie and started to write.

Reinhardt and the golden walnut, just wait.

***

One hour later.

“Then, I’m going now.”

“

Kuek

! It was a pleasure!”

Jae-Hyeok’s group met up with the Guardian Guild and exited the gate through the warp gate opened by Heartmaru.

“I survived... ”

The Guardian Guild members saw the familiar scenery of the checkpoint and slumped in relief. Their pace slowed as they dragged their feet. This time, they had faced death several times and felt like they’d aged ten years.

Now I truly know how great this kid is.

Elder Gu Suk’s eyes were fixed on Jae-Hyeok’s back, who had saved the lives of his guild members many times.

“What a surprise. You came back alive and well,” someone said.

Elder Gu Suk shifted his attention and registered the middle-aged man standing in the center of the checkpoint lane. A cigar burned between his lips, which were curled in a sly smirk.

Before the middle-aged man stood fifteen players wearing navy suits and badges embossed with a half-drawn sword.

They were players from the Association.

“You took young students on a tour of an S-grade gate. Since when has Guardian been so bold, Gu Suk?”

“Heo Myeong-Hwi...” Elder Gu Suk muttered.

The middle-aged man was the Gyeongnam branch manager, Heo Myeong-Hwi. Everyone in the industry knew his sort; Heo Myeong-Hwi had reached S-class long ago and was anxious to be transferred to Seoul.

“And unexpectedly, you even brought the son of the Yaksha along. Is there a connection between Guardian and the Kang family?”

Elder Gu Suuk’s expression settled. “Even if that is the case, that’s Guardian’s business. It isn’t something the Association should be concerned about.”

“Who knows?”

Heo Myeong-Hwi’s piercing gaze moved past Elder Gu Suk and landed on Jae-Hyeok.

“You can’t say that it has nothing to do with the Association when the Kang family is involved. Every Korean citizen is aware of how much damage they have done to the country and the Association... ”

“What is this pig talking about?” Do-Jin suddenly interrupted.

“...What? Pig?”

The dumbfounded Heo Myeong-Hwi looked at the red-haired kid in bewilderment.

“You damn brat, are you talking about me?”

“Is there someone else with a fat nose making stupid sounds with their mouth?” Do-Jin looked left and right. “I don’t think so?”

“I’m going to kill you!”

Heo Myeong-Hwi had always been conscious of his nose; at Do-Jin’s words, his killing intent erupted.

Under the pressure of an S-grade player’s killing intent, not just Do-Jin and the other children but all of the Guardian players felt a suffocating sense of dread.

Only one person was different.

Jae-Hyeok stepped forward. “What did you say? When has the Kang family harmed the country? Are you willing to pay with your life for distorting the truth?”