Chapter 138: I Didn't Even Touch It (3)

"...So, it's a rumor? Is that what you're saying?"

"Strictly speaking, it is a rumor, but it came from a fairly reliable source."

At Adria's words, Kim Hyunwoo raised an eyebrow and spoke.

"So, they really self-destructed?"

"It's not irrevocable evidence, but the war, which had been quite balanced, has significantly tilted towards the Holy Kingdom. Moreover, the monsters have completely disappeared."

"The monsters...?"

At Kim Hyunwoo's question, Adria nodded and continued.

"As you know from facing them several times, Norba Kingdom's basic strategy was overwhelming numbers with their monsters. But those have disappeared."

"...That would certainly put the demon side at a great disadvantage."

"Not just a disadvantage. Right now, Lord of Tesnoka is reclaiming territories in Norba Kingdom one by one. The recovery rate has already exceeded 50%."

Listening to Adria's words, Kim Hyunwoo nodded.

After hearing her, he could roughly predict how the current situation was unfolding.

However, Kim Hyunwoo couldn't shake off his doubts due to what he had heard from the Red Merchant and the Blue Merchant.

'...No matter how I think about it, self-destruction seems strange.'

At least as far as Kim Hyunwoo knew, the demons had a goal of resurrecting the Demon King.

Moreover, the Blue and Red Merchants had listed them as one of the three races whose invasion he had to stop.

They even offered him a wish as a condition.

So the idea of such a race simply self-destructing seemed odd, and Kim Hyunwoo asked with a puzzled expression.

"Is there any other news besides that?"

Kim Hyunwoo's question.

Adria seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded and began to share one or two of the rumors circulating.

As Kim Hyunwoo silently listened to Adria's story.

"Ah."

Adria, as if suddenly remembering something, let out a low exclamation and spoke.

"Come to think of it, there's another peculiar rumor about the demons."

"A peculiar rumor...?"

"I heard that the demon stronghold in Norba Kingdom is shrouded by something black."

"...Something black?"

"Yes, they say it's something like a pulsating egg."

"That sounds extremely dangerous..."

When Kim Hyunwoo showed a slightly concerned expression, Adria smiled lightly and spoke.

"I thought so at first too, but according to the wizard who went to investigate the black sphere, it's not particularly dangerous."

"...Really?"

"Yes. They say it seems to be a powerful binding spell... It has no chance of breaking anytime soon, and that's the reason why people think the demons self-destructed."

Seeing Kim Hyunwoo's puzzled expression, Adria continued to explain.

"They say the demons are inside that binding spell."

"Inside the binding spell...demons?"

"Yes. So people think the demons self-destructed for some reason. Besides, the demons naturally return to the demon realm over time."

Kim Hyunwoo nodded, wearing a curious expression at Adria's words.

It indeed seemed like the demons had self-destructed amongst themselves after hearing her explanation.

'...If that's the case, it's actually great for me.'

With that thought, Kim Hyunwoo shrugged and spoke to Adria.

"Anyway, it's very good news."

"Right? It's tough to conduct business when the demons are rampaging. I'm looking forward to things getting easier once Norba Kingdom stabilizes."

Nodding with a very satisfied expression, Adria continued talking with Kim Hyunwoo about various matters before he got to the main point.

"By the way, there's something I'd like to ask."

"What is it?"

"I'm looking for an item called the Yggdrasil's Branch and another called Eldra's Warmth. Do you happen to have them?"

After pondering for a moment at his question, Adria spoke.

"Hmm... I can get both Yggdrasil's Branch and Eldra's Warmth, but I don't have them right now."

At Adria's words, Kim Hyunwoo showed a slightly disappointed expression but soon spoke.

"Then, could you possibly bring them the next time you come?"

Of course, Kim Hyunwoo knew how to obtain those two materials, but it would take a long time if he did it himself, so he asked her for the favor.

"That shouldn't be too difficult. But, given the nature of the materials-"

"Of course, I'll pay accordingly, so don't worry."

At Kim Hyunwoo's words, Adria nodded and spoke.

"By the way, why are you suddenly looking for Yggdrasil's Branch and Eldra's Warmth? As far as I know, those are used in magical potions..."

Adria cautiously asked, subtly gauging whether this was a probing question.

Listening to her, Kim Hyunwoo pondered for a moment and then spoke lightly.

"It seems like a simple spell is cast on me, so I'm trying to dispel it."

"...A spell?"

"Oh, it's nothing serious. It's just that the materials needed to dispel it are those I mentioned."

Adria stared at him for a moment at his words.

"...?"

When the gaze lasted a bit longer, making him feel puzzled, Adria looked away and spoke.

"Excuse me, it's just a bit fascinating to hear that a spell is cast on you."

With an awkward laugh, Adria stood up and spoke.

"Anyway, since you've mentioned it, I'll bring those materials the next time I visit. It shouldn't take too long."

"If it doesn't take long, when do you think?"

"Hmm... About three weeks? I have other territories to visit, so it might be around then."

"That's pretty quick. Then I'll leave it to you."

"Don't worry."

The very next day, after Adria had left the Lartania territory.

Kim Hyunwoo began to manage the territory as usual.

In fact, Kim Hyunwoo hadn't been spending much time managing the territory lately.

Of course, this didn't mean that Kim Hyunwoo had neglected the territory.

In fact, Lartania was running smoothly even at this moment.

However, as the administrative district started functioning properly, most of the paperwork was automated, except for very important tasks, so Kim Hyunwoo was thinking of a new business item.

The 'Jewel System'.

'This will definitely make money.'

The jewel system in Arteil refers to refining jewels with specific potions and inserting them into weapons to enhance them.

That's really all there is to it.

There's no other complicated explanation.

But even so, people go crazy over the jewel system.

The reason is that the performance of the weapon increases significantly with each successful enhancement.

Especially for artifact weapons, each enhancement significantly changes their level.

Moreover, this jewel enhancement doesn't break the weapon if it fails.

Does the enhancement level drop? No, it doesn't.

Does it cost a lot to enhance? No, it doesn't.

In fact, the cost of enhancement changes with the grade of the weapon, but ultimately it's about 1 Gold Coin per attempt.

Additionally, the maximum enhancement level for Arteil's weapons is 7 stars.

So, you can stop at 7 successful enhancements.

This seems like a very generous system, but since Arteil's business model was created by money-hungry devils, there was a trash condition attached.

That is, the probability of weapon enhancement is absurdly low.

To the point where you wonder if it's even possible.

However, once an enhancement succeeds, the weapon's performance skyrockets, so people go crazy for it.

...Besides, players could easily gather about 50,000 Gold Coins in a single day if they played properly.

...The problem was that even investing 50,000 Gold Coins often wouldn't get a single weapon 3 enhancements.

Anyway, as Kim Hyunwoo was racking his brain to introduce the new enhancement system.

On a hill in Lartania.

"...Today is the decisive day. Boss, keep your head straight."

"...Hoo- Hoo-"

Merilda was preparing for the battle.