Vol 1 Chapter 8 (1/2)

You’re dead if you're caught

“There aren’t that ”

“Even so, they are wares difficult to acquire in the area”

“That may be so, but…”

The shopkeeper scratched his head

“Alright Since you’ve steadily old and 40 silver”

“As I’ve said before, please give old and 50 silver”

“Eh, since you don’t want to lose out on even a single penny Fine, let’s do that”

“This is why I like you, mister”

Ark chuckled as he pocketed the money

In New World, even if stores were froe, they each had a different sale and purchase price The prices were always inconsistent and depended on the inventory or market price This was the reason why users looked for stores that would pay them more each ti in the Jackson area

Because of the experiences he had froe for half a month, he knew a bonus was added if he accu time

In the beginning, there were tieous, but at sooods When you buy goods, you also receive at least a 10 discount In addition, if you first buy an item recoive you up to the max 30 discount

This piece of information was known to only a handful of Merchants and users

“If you needworthless wares, why don’t you sell those Cat Gloves instead? I’ll give you a good price for them”

If he was familiar with the shopkeeper, there were times when the shopkeeper sometimes asked for a particular iteeneric value of items even if he didn’t trade with other users

“No, I’ain next time”

Ark finished what he had to do and left the shop

“I’ve saved up quite a lot”

Ark fiddled with his weighted pocket as he walked on the street

He had approxie, but before he knew it, he had already saved up 120 gold

The most costly expenses in New World for users were food supplies and repair costs On the other hand, it was possible for Ark to save this redients when he made food, and his repair costs were halved by the Lord’s exclusive Smithy

However, the ties

“So it’s finally time to leave Jackson”

By hunting in the Shadow Forest, Ark had finally reached level 30 The Rotting Wolves and Zo his experience Although the experience the level 30 Ghoul’s gave were still okay, they were low in numbers Be as it may, he still couldn’t hunt the level 50 Reapers It seeround soon and look for a new quest

“Before that, there’s a skill I’ve got to learn”

It was the repair skill

There were only five Smithies in Jackson Near one of those places, there was the sole ht the repair skill

However, he didn’t know the exact location

They didn’t go around wearing nas just because they were master NPCs, so users were forced to personally wander around as they conversed with other NPCs, one by one

But as Ark?

‘When did I have time to waste like that?’

“Hey, Thomas It’s been awhile”

As Ark waved his hand, Soldiers who’d been passing by rejoiced and approached him

“Ark, we haven’t seen you in for few days When did you return?”

“A little while ago But do you happen to know a Blackse who’ll teach the repair skill?”

“Are you talking about Norton? I know hie, it’s the first S the repair o to the castle, old man Corn fixes them for you cheaply And even if you learn the repair ht away It’s better to leave them to old man Corn”

“I’o on a journey for a few days in a faraway land Since it’ll be rough if I overlook it, I’e”

“Faraway?”

Thomas nodded as he looked at him sadly

“Well, you are an outsider Then be sure to at least visit the Lord before you leave Stop by at our barracks too, okay?”

“Alright”

Ark waved at the parting Soldiers and turned around

At the sight, users in the area had perplexed expressions on their faces

For the most part, Soldiers weren’t that friendly toward a user They considered the user an existence whose only purpose was to cause trouble in the village There wasn’t a single user who had heard a Soldier asking them to visit the barracks

It was only possible for Ark, as a friend to the young Lord

In any case, Ark wasn’t interested in the reactions of the users Even if it was a small number, the only people Ark wanted to befriend were NPCs

‘Anyway, I’ve learned what I needed Looks like hter’

A sigh flowed out of Ark’s mouth

Understandably, it tookit up on the foru wasn’t possible with just the skill Each old In Ark’s case, it would cost 30 gold since he needed the metal kit, leather kit, and cloth kit sets

In total, he had to spend 50 gold to be able to use the repair skill

This was the reason why theeven though it was a useful skill

‘Although it’s money I saved up’

His insides soured since he had to use 50 gold of the ed up

However, if he went on a journey, the repair skill was absolutely necessary for a user with a profession that required them to hunt

If users had to look for a Smithy every ti ot to repair, there was danger of breaking their equip precious will still be precious It seemed all the more precious because he’d wasted money every day on repair costs, whether it was in Harun or Jackson

“Co you need?”

When he arrived at the S beard approached him

“I’ve co that the owner of this place is the appointedtechnique”

“Do you want to learn the repairing technique?”

“Yes”

“You’ve thought well It’s co technique There’s nothing o bad while on a long journey Let me see your hands”

Norton abruptly grabbed Ark’s hands and quietly inspected them

Shortly afterwards, he shook his head back and forth

“Alas, though it’s regretful, it doesn’t look like you can learn the repairing technique”

“I can’t learn it?”

“Looks like you don’t knowanyone can learn”

Norton gestured towardsha at the random clothes they had on, there was no doubt they were users

In the case the repair skill, it wasn’t a skill possible enough to learn with just knowledge There were also cases where one had to personally try using the skill under the tutelage of an NPC in order to get accustorinding in order to learn the skill

“Like those those, in order to handle the tools proficiently, you need the right strength and experience If you swing your ha, you’ll just break your equipht the technique to handle metal, and experienced Merchant or Alchemist the technique to handle leather and cloth Even if other people tried learning it, they can’t even use it properly”

‘Does that mean there’s a profession limit on the repair skill?’

His heart plummeted

Ark’s skills had all acquired autoh a quest Therefore, he’d never considered the possibility of there being a profession limited skill until now

Although he’d occasionally seen terht that it was just referring to a profession specialty skill

But for the repair skill, which he considered was absolutely necessary, to have a profession limit…

Ark suddenly thought of the users who had opened stalls within the village

‘Clothes, I will neatly mend your leather armor’

‘I’ll make weapons of every kind and metal armor like new’

They were people putting out signs of that sort and doing business

Ark had snorted when he saw users receiving repairs from them

Although the costs were a little less expensive than the Smithy, was there really a need to pay another person money to help them raise their skill? Also, if he saved sohts

But now he understood the situation

For users incapable of learning the repair skill, they didn’t have the freedoh he was about to like his Dark Walker profession regret pressed forward again

‘Da able to choose a combat-related profession was this fatal!’

“Then are you saying that if round, there’s no way for me to fix it?”

“By the looks of it, it seeinner Come here,” Norton said as he showed Ark the inside of the Smithy

“If repairing was possible with just words, o, since rascals who learned the repairing technique from me could open stands and repair cheaply”

“So it seems”

“The real revenue of the Smithy is actually this If you just have this, anyone can repair equipment”

Norton gestured towards ed on one side It was a case labeled with the words ‘Tool Box’ even beginners could use

“As long as you have this Tool Box, it’s possible to repair your equipment up to five tiular equipic equip above Rare Of course, you can also repair regular equipic, but it wouldn’tthis? They say this oil and whetstone have the effect of raising the perforiven period Isn’t that surprising?”

However, the price of the Tool Box was

Even considering the point that the Tool Box could be used five ti at a Smithy On top of that, Ark’s equipic equipment, and his mantle was Rare

Even if he bought one to keep as a reserve, it would cost hiold

If he had to spend that much money every time he had used up the five repairs, made his consciousness fade

'Are you tellinglike crazy all on repair fees?'

For the first tieous prices

You couldn’t fight without getting hit as you played, so even hunting took money If you accidentally died and your equipment’s durability was completely drained, it would take several times the money The better the item, the more money it would take

Ark hadn’t known about the hardshi+p users had

He’d always received a 30 percent discount in Harun Village, and in Jackson, he received repairs for half the price at the Lord’s castle He’d never had to squander a considerable sum on repair fees For the first tis of the people who entrusted repairs to a user in order to save even one penny

‘If they go hunting and can’t fish out an item, they’d be hard-pressed to buy even one wheat bread’

Be as that ed the repair fee With tears in his eyes, Ark pulled out thehimself to pass it over and stopped

‘This can’t be For ive up the money I saved like that…!’

In reality, there was no part-time job that Ark hadn’t done before

Froeable in the business field If there was one thing he’d learned fro those jobs, it was that it was stupid to buy merchandise for the asked price

Bargain, bargain, and bargain again At the very least, when the shopkeeper said he’d suffered a loss, then you’d know you’d just barely bought it at the proper price

“Can you perhaps make a discount for me?”

“Don’t say so for half of our price in this area these days, I’ me to starve and die?”

“But because I’ht now…”

Ark tried putting on the most wretched expression

It wasn’t even worth trying

“I can’t consider the individual circumstances of travelers like you Well maybe If you were to purchase the merchandise in bulk, I could make a small discount”

“In bulk? Howabout?”

“I wonder? If you buy about 100 of theive you up to a 5 percent discount off the price Sometimes there are merchants or travelers who save up money and buy like that If you’re short on money, why don’t you try that as well”

Ark’s eyes flashed It was because the keen sense beaten into hiht the scent of money

“I see I understand I will coain”

Ark quickly left the Smithy

Of course, he had no thoughts of gathering users He didn’t have the confidence to gather scores of users, and even if he ather the users and receive the discount, with 5 percent on 30 gold, it’d only aold and 50 silver The discount was too small compared to the effort he’d put in But for Ark, no, just for Ark, there was another method that he could use

‘It’s possible It has to be possible I’ like a Tool Box in the Lord’s exclusive Smithy That means in the end, they probably buy the Tool Box from another place Then there’s no rule that says I can’t be the intermediary dealer”

Ark shortly sought out the young Lord

Then, with his most helpless and miserable expression, he cried out “My Lord!”

“Why are you like this? I heard that you were going to leave to another area, but why do you have that sort of expression?”

“I was going to leave However, a small probleht the Lord out in order to at least consult with you”

“A proble I can help with, tell me”

‘Huhuhu, I’ve got him’

Ark had a satisfied smile as he chattered rapidly

“Actually, I was going to go on a faraway journey with people I know this tioods was entrusted toitem Later on, I tried to cancel the order because I knew I’d one and made the order so I had to carry the responsibility The teammates who heard the news all said it was my fault and just ran off… waah!”

“They betrayed their teammate and ran away just because of that? Aren’t they men who don’t even know of loyalty!”

As expected, the perfectly rigid young Lord was infuriated, like it was his own problem

“You can’t blame them It was all my fault”

“It’s because you are too kind In the first place, for you to do such a chore… no, it’s fine It’s useless to say so like that now So tell me What exactly did you order on accident?”

“It’s the Portable Tool Box”

At Ark’s reply, the young Lord soon put on a smooth smile

“Aah, what a relief If it’s an item like that, I think I will be able to help”

“Huh? From the Lord?”

“That’s right There’s a Smithy in the castle, but it can’t make the Portable Tool Box That’s why every tioes out, it’s an ite Our stock has been falling, so I shall purchase them all No, I may as well procure 100 each of the General and Deluxe That way, your face will also stand out to the shopkeeper The bill is of no consequence”

“If you do that, I would feel too sorry…”

“Think not of it Didn’t I say this? That I would help you anytime if you needed it”

“Thank you so much!”

The young Lord iold

A new stat he hadn’t even i with cheerful music

A new stat has been formed

The Art of Communication (+5): You are able to achieve what you ith an ornate way of speech The higher the skill, the easier you can persuade your target, and you can drag out an even greater benefit

Stat distribution is impossible, and will only increase when you have succeeded in a negotiation, a bargain, or a special deal

Ark, who received the check, was s from ear to ear

He’d thought it ined that the problem would work itself out

The discount he would receive at the Sold and delivering theold on a clear day

However, being satisfied with the gains in front of your eyes was soreater a profit you earn, the more profit you need to rake in

Ark found Norton and extended the check

“General and Deluxe, 100 of each How long will it take?”

“100 each? And the delivery is to the Lord’s castle?”

“Yes But if it’s this ive me a 10 percent cut?”

Ark slowly began to

“10 percent, you say! What nonsense! Then I’ll acquire a loss when I sell it However, if you’re on familiar terms with the Lord, in consideration of the next deal, I can make up to a special 6 percent cut for you”

“Alright 8 percent! If you sell 200 of them in one transaction, won’t a fair amount be left?”

Ark suggested as he waved the check in front of Norton’s eyes Norton, whose eyes h

“Alright I’ll give you a discount of 7 percent In exchange, I have two requests”

“What are they?”

“One is that you have to take the discounted amount inwith is a check Of course you have to give in that much”

“I understand And the other one?”

“Actually… thethe Tool Box have decreased, so I can’t deliver 200 of theht away A special h of the other materials, but I’o acquire some of that”

“Where do I need to go to get it?”

“Ailard is an item that only a capable Alchemist can make The Alchemist who does business with us is Raymond But because his health has fallen these days, so he told o out and acquire thethe Ailard He sent in a request to introduce hio find him first He’ll know if you tell him that I sent you”

“I understand But if I have to go acquire themyself…”

“What a vicious fellow you are I lost, I’ve lost I’ll give you 8 percent”

“Thank you verythis in case, but to the Lord…”

“I’m a shopkeeper too Don’t worry about that”

Ark, who received Norton’s assurance, went looking for Rayard and pale face

“You said Norton sent you? Although he acted like he hadn’t heard until noell, it’s about time that the Ailard has dwindled”

After explaining his personal s, Raymond nodded

“The material you need to find is a mineral that looks like a red mushroom It can only be acquired in a cave located deep within the Gran Swao all the way to the end But keep one thing in mind That is an extremely preciousthe mineral a secret fro?”

Thu-thu-thump

A quest infor in like the flow of a tide

Alchemist Raymond’s Request

Alche Ailard for the Smithy

However, he cannot acquire the necessary material because he has fallen ill, so he has requested for you do the job

Rayed youthe mineral to anyone

As per Rayuard the secret until the completion of the quest You cannot be in a party

Difficulty: F

‘So a quest can show up like this, too!’

Who would’ve known that his plan to get the Tool Box for free would have been connected to a quest!

‘Is it a quest that’s only given to a person who orders several hundred of the Tool Box by himself? Then there probably aren’t e’

Catching thebehind was no different

If it was difficulty F, it seee it himself

Ark agreed to the quest without hesitation If just this quest was taken care of, he could cut 8 percent off the Tool Box price The200 gold! Since he’d get 10 Tool Boxes of Magic for free, there was no reason to decline

Ark received a mark on his map and received a recovery potion and wheat bread, as well as 2 Deluxe Tool Boxes through his eloquent way of speaking, as advance pay them, he headed towards the Cave of the Gran Swamp

“Bat, go survey the inside of the cave and come back”

“I got it, Master”

At Ark’s words, the Bat flapped as it flew into the cave

When he passed through the Gran Swamp, Ark was level 32

The Gran Sas a day away from Jackson and was a place inhabited by all kinds of swamp monsters Even so, it wasn’t difficult because he’d raised his level quite a lot in the Shadow Forest, but the Sli opponent Its body was ht it, his equipment durability dropped bit by bit If he hadn’t coo in and out of the village countless times

‘Dah one Tool Box is that expensive…’

If a battle broke out with a Slime, he worried more about the repair fee than his Health

‘Anyways, it looks like I wasn’t the first to discover this dungeon,’ Ark retfully

An explanation about the cave had popped up, but a bonus didn’t come in

Even a dungeon was cleared out once, ain when tiht not be able to fish out anything However, Ark didn’t worry that oal was to finish the quest anyways

‘Since it’s a job worth 200 gold, I can’t be too cheap’

Just then, the Bat came out of the cave

“Master There’s 1 person”

“A person? You er?”

“Yeah He’s co out this way”

Wariness settled in Ark’s eyes

You had to bethat mankind’s natural enemy was himself didn’t just apply in reality It was more so particularly in a remote place like this In a place where there was no one to help, if he got caught in a high level’s PK ambush, he’d suffer without a squirm and that would be that

Ark waited with a tense face and soon someone walked out of the cave

As Ark confirmed the face of the other person, his eyes widened

“ You—you are?”

The other person also recoiled as he took one step backwards

The Warrior wearing plate armor was Andel

The naround his teeth!

Andel nized Ark because he stepped back as he winced Then, as if he was thinking of so on how he should respond After a long time, Andel must have decided because he furtively raised the corners of his

“Ah, I thought you were someone I’ve seen somewhere You’re the person I partied with before Did you say your name is Ark?”

Ark silently nodded his head

He wouldn’t be satisfied even if he could immediately beat the shi+t out of this bastard Well, how long had he actually waited to do just that?

However, Ark suppressed his anger and endured it for now

He hadn’t checked how strong the guy had becohtlessly followed his emotions, he could be the one to suffer instead He also wanted to see how Andel would approach him

“You were Andel, right?”

“So you do remember”

‘Would you be able to forget if it were you?’

Ark barely ed up

“That’s good— I wanted to ain”

“Me…?”

“Yes, because it looks like I’vemistake Who would’ve known your stats would decrease every tie because I wanted to apologize But you weren’t there I worried that you ame, but since you’re all the way here, looks like you’ve raised your level quite a lot?”

‘You didn’t know? Apologize? You will soon, you damn bastard!’

In the end, what Andel was curious about was Ark’s level It wasn’t possible to tell how his attitude would transform if he decided Ark’s level was lower than his own Ark answered vaguely

“Well, just leave it at that To be sure, I was extreht about whether I should really quit the game But there’s a circu whatever I can”

“You haven’t been ht?”

“Huh? Misunderstanding what?” Ark feigned innocence as if he didn’t knohat Andel was talking about

Andel scanned Ark up and doith a somewhat relief expression

With the Black Bear Mouse’s Leather Armor, Cat Paws, and the frayed helmet and shoes he’d picked up in the Shadow Forest, no matter what his ability was, as far as outside appearances went, he looked no different than a beggar

The only thing worth considering was the Blood-red Mantle flapping behind his back!

Due to the enormous penalty fro, but he’d equipped it just in case after hearing the Bat’s words that a user was co out

Nevertheless, he wasn’t at that great a level The Andel’s eyes, who’d linted slyly

“Ark-nieon with me?”

“The dungeon?”

“I discovered this dungeon as I was passing by, but it’s a little difficult alone, so I was going to come later with a person I know, but since Ark-nio in How about it?”

“I wonder”

As Ark purposely pretended like he couldn’t decide, Andel spoke up quickly

“If an okay iteive it to Ark-nim”

“If you do that, I’ll be sorry”

“No, let’s do it like that since there’s the happening from last time Yes?”