Chapter 258

Chapter 258

Marshmallow paced back and forth in the living room for a while before clenching his fists. ‘I can’t just stand by!’

He knew just waiting around would yield nothing.

‘I need to find out for myself.’ Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com Chul-Soo was definitely in for a scolding. Marshmallow could not believe that Chul-Soo had not even bothered to say thank you in person when Marshmallow was the person who helped him get into the Arvis Server. It was only right for Chul-Soo to visit Marshmallow, greet the senior Streamer, and express his gratitude.

‘I am going to find you, Chul-Soo!’

Marshmallow’s informants were spread throughout Arvis. With the knowledge of which warp portal Chul-Soo had taken, pinpointing his whereabouts was an easy task.

Encyclopedia squinted and smiled. ‘I guess Marshmallow has finally made up his mind.’

It seemed Marshmallow’s patience had reached its limit. Since provoking him further was meaningless, Encyclopedia decided just to watch.

‘Even if I just spectate, I can get a direct insight into Chul-Soo.’

There was so much he wanted to ask Chul-Soo in person, like how a Player from a new Server could grow so rapidly, how he had attracted so many viewers in no time, and whether he truly possessed the Munchkin Trait.

‘Well, since Marshmallow is that desperate, I will meet him soon.’

Encyclopedia knew searching for Chul Soo would be difficult and cumbersome, so it was a relief that Marshmallow was taking the initiative

“Hey, Encyclopedia, I’m furious.” Marshmallow’s demeanor seemed to ask if it was okay for him to be this angry.

Encyclopedia replied, “Isn’t it outrageous for a junior Streamer to not even thank the senior for their invitation?”

“Exactly, right?”

“You should find him and give him a scolding.”

“Yes, you’re right. You’re so smart, Encyclopedia.” Marshmallow began tracking Chul-Soo.

***

Arvis was a Server that consisted of one vast continent governed by three empires: the Swordsman Empire of Swedeen, the Magic Empire of Mazique, and the Holy Empire of Helen.

Originally, these three empires were long at odds with each other, engaging in both large and small wars, since they all had the desire to unify the continent and become the one and true empire ruling over the continent.

However, much had changed after the appearance of the Demon King Garbinu. Born of the Demon race, the Demon King had forced the three empires into harmony with his formidable power.

“And... he unified the languages of the three empires and transformed the Server into a structure where they had no choice but to depend on each other.”

Subsequently, the empires became increasingly dependent on each other, reaching a point where they could no longer fight each other. They were economically, politically, and culturally interwoven, essentially operating as one empire. Citizens could move between the empires without any restrictions, sharing the same currency and language.

[In modern times, most citizens tend to view the three empires as one, and changing nationalities according to personal preference has become a natural phenomenon. For instance, individuals who favor swordsmanship might choose the Swordsman Empire of Swedeen, those interested in magic the Magic Empire of Mazique, and those concerned with philosophy and faith the Holy Empire of Helen, freely choosing and acquiring nationality in this new world.]

Lying on his bed, Cha Jin-Hyeok read information about Arvis on his phone with considerable focus. Previously, he had little interest in the history of Arvis, but now, he found it intriguing.

‘Is the Demon King that remarkable?’

The Demon King Garbinu was the one who had established and defined modern Arvis.

‘The ruler before the Demon King must have been Veselity, but there is hardly any record of her. Is this why they call it the Forsaken Queen or the Forgotten History?’

It seemed there were limits to what he could find just by looking it up on his phone.

‘Enough history lessons for now. Where was the office of Swampland No.1?’

As Wang Yu-Mi said, the Player Hunter Association website was operating normally. Information about the Swampland Crew was also prominently posted on the website.

‘So, it’s in the small city of Dion within the Helen Empire.’

Detailed location and contact information about the crew were also provided. He tried contacting them, just in case, but perhaps due to the late hour, no one answered the call.

***

The next morning, Jin-Hyeok was quite surprised. ‘The navigation service here is really well-developed!’

With just a few simple clicks, he could easily find out which warp portal to take and where it was. Augmented reality navigation services were also available for those who found the process challenging. It truly was an advanced Server.

“I will try using the navigation service.”

“Of course, they can!” The elderly man nodded and continued, “These days, the young ones lack perseverance. They don’t want to work at all! The youngest one here is seventy years old!”

“...”

The elderly man was chattier than Jin-Hyeok could handle, almost making him feel sorry for thinking Liling was talkative the day before. The man had many topics in his pocket, such as stories of the past and the present, today’s youth, crop yields from recent years, the neighbor’s dog, and the empire’s politics.

This interview was a new challenge even for Jin-Hyeok, who was gaining confidence in conducting interviews.

‘This is harder than I thought.’

Indeed, Arvis was not to be underestimated.

“In the past, I even raised a Golden Guardian Tree,” the elderly man said.

“...”

“If it weren’t for me, it would not have become the great Golden Guardian Tree it is today.”

“Do you know a lot about the Golden Guardian Tree?”

The elderly man seemed very excited to have a conversation with a youngster (?). “Oh, you want to hear my story?”

***

Once the elderly man started to talk, he showed no signs of stopping. He talked nonstop for four hours. Most of it was boasting about himself, and there was not much value in his words, but Jin-Hyeok did learn one thing.

‘The Golden Guardian Tree does not just grow on its own!’

He had thought it simply grew with time, but that was not the case.

“When it’s a young sapling, it’s fine. It grows well on its own. But as time goes on, it’s a different story,” the elderly man said. He said that the Golden Guardian Tree was very special, and as it aged, it required special care. Otherwise, it would gradually lose its strength and wither.

“If it weren’t for me, that Guardian Tree would have become just an ordinary tree by now! No, it would have died!” the old man added.

Just the thought of his Golden Guardian Tree dying made Jin-Hyeok feel a tightness in his chest.

“Is there a secret to growing the Golden Guardian Tree?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“You need to take care of it with dedication and love.”

It seemed that a lot of things were implied in that ‘dedication and love’ part. It had to involve numerous efforts based on the elderly man’s skills.

“Sir, I will definitely come back to learn more from you.” Thanks to the interview he had conducted on a whim, Jin-Hyeok had obtained valuable information.

The elderly man, having chatted to his heart’s content, seemed to be in a good mood. “Be sure to come! I will teach you everything I know!”

Jin-Hyeok nodded and headed toward the next warp portal. After paying an additional 1,200 Dias, he entrusted himself to the warp portal heading to the small city of Dion.

Soon after, he arrived at the central square of Dion.

“The city... looks like a European city from the Earth Server.”

While the center of Arvis resembled a world out of a sci-fi movie, the outskirts showed many charming and rustic scenes. It felt like a beautiful village in the Mediterranean.

“Here is where the Swampland Crew’s office is located. Let’s go find it.”

Jin-Hyeok did not want to make ordinary raids and assassinations part of this content. It was his first attempt at creating reverse Player-Hunting content, and he wanted to build it up in a traditional way. He had already thought of the title and structure of the content.

[01- Declaration of War]

Using the navigation system, he arrived at the office of the Swampland Crew. It was on the top floor of a four-story building made of red bricks. Upon reaching the top floor, he saw a young woman sitting at a desk.

“Is this the Swampland Crew’s office?” Jin-Hyeok asked.

“Yes, it is. How may I help you?’

“Is the boss around?”

“He is currently out. What do you need?”

“Ah!” Jin-Hyeok smirked. “I am here to kill your boss. Could you pass on the message on my behalf?”

“You want me to tell him that?” The woman’s face turned ashen.