The pub at the Espo City had a much wider space than the one at Act 1.
It was partially due to there being more residents in Act 2 than individual cities in Act 1. However, it was also because the food and drinks tasted great here.
Unable to get over the taste of food here, there were people who came by while taking breaks from years long training.
So, it was hard to even find any empty seats in the pub here.
Alando and Dabi were one of these people who came to the pub after a long time.
They finished four bottles of drinks and enough snacks to fill their stomachs. They looked satisfied as they sighed.
“Ugh. Oh my… We came here just to chat for a while, but we ended up overfilling our stomachs instead.”
“It’s always like that. The food here cannot be compared to beef jerkies. Whenever we visit here, we just have to eat until our stomachs burst.”
The two praised the new menus at the pub for a long while. After finishing talking about the food, only then they were able to get to the main conversation.
Alando sipped on a fruit wine and said,
“Now that I think about it, you said you just returned today, right?”
“Yes. After 50 years of training in isolation, when I broke out of it, this was the first place I wanted to come to. What is it? Did something happen?”
“Yes, there was something big.”
“Hm.”
With full of anticipation in his eyes, Dabi looked at Alando.
Alando hated dramatic pauses and dragging along like one of those storytellers, so Alando went straight to the point.
“I heard that Bae Su Jin was destroyed and all of the members died.”
“… What? Bae Su Jin? The one I know?”
“Yes, that Bae Su Jin.”
Dabi was speechless for a while.
It seemed he was absolutely shocked. He was just staring at Alando. Alando said,
“It is a big, right?”
“… No kidding. That is a huge incident. I thought those thugs will continue their villainy for thousands of years…”
Dabi chugged on the drink.
Alando considered the fact that they also had bad memories of Bae Su Jin as he continued.
“Well, that’s what happened. I heard they mostly died, including the bosses and their commander. Well, one or two of the members might be still alive, but they will die soon probably. Otherwise, they may need to stay cooped up somewhere for the next thousand years. There are countless people who suffered because of Bae Su Jin bastards…”
“I know. Those bastards… Ugh. I don’t even want to think about this. I’m glad they are dead. Really.”
Dabi was about to say something, but he decided not to. Instead, he cursed and cursed at Bae Su Jin.
Starting with sons of bitches, he cursed at their parents, the parents of their parents, their ancestors and even the lower dimension that Rex Ruburo used to live. Watching the man curse, Alando shook his head.
‘This guy, I never thought so, but he apparently knows a lot of foul mouthing.’
Of course, it was not like Alando could not understand how Dabi felt.
It was not like only select few knew about Bae Su Jin’s treachery. Their actions were so abhorrent that they made people puke.
Also, the fact that Bae Su Jin’s dirty work were limited to just the humans, the weakest of all beings in Act 2, was enough to turn people’s inside upside down.
‘Seriously, instead of helping fellow humans…. They didn’t even glance at Dragonians or High-elves in fear of retaliation, yet these bastards…’
As Alando also thought about Bae Su Jin, he felt the fury surging up inside him.
In the end, Alando forgot about how he felt about Dabi’s foul mouthing and instead join in the swearing parade.
For a long while, they bad mouthed about Bae Su Jin. Eventually, they calmed down and went back to the main conversation.
“Now that I think about it, I didn’t ask the really important thing. Who did it? It could not be a human being… By any chance, did those crazy buttholes mess with a Demi-god? If that was not the case, I cannot see how Bae Su Jin would have ended up in ruins in an instant like this.”
Dabi finally asked.
He had to. Bae Su Jin was no pushover organization.
It was not like there weren’t any other organizations in Act 2 that were more powerful than Bae Su Jin. However, among all human, Bae Su Jin was the group that possessed more power than anyone.
So, Dabi automatically assumed that it must’ve been some other beings besides humans, possibly a Demi-god. Dabi could not help but to be shocked to hear what Alando said afterwards.
“What? A human?”
“That’s right.”
“What the… Is that an accurate information? How could that be true…”
“It came from Oracle, so it is definitely true. According to rumors, the Bae Su Jin’s base was destroyed to the point where the surrounding area’s landscape had changed. It seems the people who wondered what happened all pitched in money and inquired the Oracle. I heard the man’s name is Vulcan. Have you heard of the name?”
“No, not at all.”
With shocked face, Dabi shook his head.
Alando nodded and said,
“I see. I never heard of the name either. I asked just in case.”
“Huh. How could this have happened… How could someone so strong live here for so long without ever getting his name known? To begin with, are you sure he is human? How could a human be that strong…”
“Well, in Act 2, occasionally, some people train in isolation for thousand years or two before coming back. It seems Bae Su Jin was seriously oblivious to the true power of this man. It turned out well for the rest of us. With our own powers, to deal a significant strike against Bae Su Jin…”
Alando blurred the end of his sentence. However, Dabi could guess the rest, so he didn’t wait for the rest.
Still surprised, Dabi said,
“Oh my… Incredible. With that much power, he is definitely the strongest human.”
“Don’t call him the strongest human. That sounds too weak. Although I cannot be certain, I bet even most of Dragonians or Demi-gods in Act 2 cannot beat him.”
“Really?”
“Of course. It is no easy task to destroy Bae Su Jin, especially when they were sitting on their asses inside their fortress.”
“Hm…”
Having heard what Alando said, Dabi drank about half of the new drink and said in passing remark,
“In that case, maybe we will get to see a human being clearing Act 2 for the first time in the history.”
“Um…”
The mood turned serious in an instant.
Both Dabi and Alando stopped what they were doing and instead furrowed their brows to focus on their own thoughts.
Like that, a moment passed.
With a shaky voice, Alando responded.
“That might really happen… Hm.”
He fiddled with his chin and said,
“He looks like a total newbie… I think this might be a great spectacle in hundreds of years.”
“Um? What are you talking about? This man named Vulcan… You saw him in person?”
Dabi looked surprised. Alando nodded,
“That’s right. He is at the Espo City auction site. Why? Do you want to go see him?”
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic
Dabi got up in a hurry, and the chair made unpleasant screeching noise.
He didn’t even look back. He promptly opened the pub door and got out.
Alando ended up alone in an instant. He looked at the door for a moment and muttered as if he fell for it,
“… You said you will pick up the check.”
“Huk… How could such an item…”
“Impossible! Such powerful energy is coming from the staff… Just how was the magic stone created…”
“Master, this blade, isn’t it incredible?”
“I don’t have the money to buy it for you, so stay put.”
“…”
The Espo City’s auction site was crowded with people because of the sudden wave of items.
The god at the auction site who examined and certified the items was extremely nitpicky, so the auction site usually had less than ten items per day. However, it was different today.
There were over 50 of various items on display at the site.
The items’ levels were quite high as well.
They were B+ at minimum.
Moreover, some were at A+. The people who visited the auction site could not get a hold of themselves from the excitement. They gathered up all of their money and participated in the auction.
The auction was done where the bidder who placed highest amount within 24 hours won the item. So, fearing more competitors, the participants kept their mouths shut about the auction. However, there was no way that the event at such a public place could be kept a secret. It didn’t even take five hours before the auction site became as busy as the pub.
Watching this, Vulcan smiled in satisfaction.
The auction bid prices were going up and up. It was thrilling to watch in a way that was different from leveling up.
‘I think I’ll have more than enough to buy the ingredients.’
The auction site was as busy as a traditional market. Vulcan looked around inside.
He nodded and thought there was nothing else to watch. He opened the building’s door and got out.
Feeling the nice wind, Vulcan walked the street. He found a bench, sat down and thought about Phantaero who left Act 2.
To the very end, Phantaero looked at Vulcan with a smile.
Vulcan was sad to see his most trusted ally leaving to the lower dimension. However, Vulcan could not stop Phantaero.
‘I’m sure he is living well there now.’
Phantaero was able to save his world in the very end. Envious of Phantaero, Vulcan was distracted for a few days. Now, he got a grip to some extent.
It was time for Vulcan to charge forward.
However, despite Vulcan’s motivated mindset, there was not much he could do at the moment.
Vulcan had to wait another ten days until the Blue Dragon recovered.
Also, Fowaru was still alive and well with his eyes wide open. It was too dangerous for Vulcan to leave Espo City when he could not summon Enlightened Gods at the moment.
‘Also… Just like Fowaru who suddenly got stronger, I don’t know what changed with Chimera Maker.’
Vulcan thought Chimera Maker may have created a bunch of new types of Chimeras to hunt him.
So, instead of heading straight to a hunting ground with higher level monsters, Vulcan decided to increase his stats through a different method.
Vulcan brought out five books from the inventory.
The binding of the books looked ordinary.
However, the contents were exceptionally unique kind, the ones that would be extremely difficult to find anywhere else.
The books contained knowledge developed through hard work by 200 of high level mages.
Vulcan put up a bitter smile as he thought about when he searched the Bae Su Jin’s main base a few days ago.
Back then, after finding five of legendary level skillbooks, Vulcan laughed out loudly to the point of bursting his wounds.
‘Unfortunately, only one of the books turned out to be useful…’
After sending Phantaero back to the lower dimension, Vulcan finally checked the detailed options of the books, and saw ‘the skill is incomplete.’
Vulcan remembered the sense of disappointment he felt. He shook as he tossed the four books back in the inventory as if he was tossing garbage.
He then held the last book and checked its description through the SYSTEM.
‘I’m glad I at least salvaged this one…’
[Legendary-rate skill – Secret method of body enhancement]
[Level limit: 600]
The book contains the secret method of body enhancement, which was created by Rex Ruburo and Bae Su Jin’s bosses. The enhancement makes a martial warrior’s body more suited for the internal energy art. The enhancement makes a mage’s body more suited for magic. The book contains the methods for the enhancement.
Success rate: 100%
Materials needed for the method: 1L of Commander tree’s liquid, 10 of Fallen fire lizard of hell’s heart, 15 of demon dragon’s eye, 100 of highest level magic stone that contains the power of lightning…
The ingredients filled the view.
Appalled by the long list, Vulcan cringed and shook his head.
‘It would be an insane idea to try getting all of these by myself. Yup.’
Of course, Vulcan had a few of the ingredients.
Vulcan had over 1L of Commander Tree’s liquid. Vulcan had so many of the hearts of the fallen fire lizard of hell that it would not have mattered if the list said he needed over 1000.
However, even though Vulcan was a Player, there was no way he would have had ingredients from hunting grounds where he had never been to.
Still, it was going to be inefficient for Vulcan to run around to gather all of these ingredients himself.
Also, there was no need for him to do so.
Vulcan checked the list of humungous amounts of items sleeping in his inventory.
He had countless number of armors, weapons and magical items, several times the amount he placed on the auction.
They were the side profit of the 100 year grinding.