Chapter 171

A radiant light of divine power erupted from Jeong-Hoon's hands. It was a brilliance far surpassing anything the priests could muster, drawing every gaze in the room towards him.

Unfazed, Jeong-Hoon focused solely on the patient's treatment. While he couldn't restore the man's missing arm and leg, his labored breathing gradually eased. The internal injuries that had tormented him were healed.

"It's done. He'll regain consciousness in time."

Jeong-Hoon finally withdrew his hands. The man would be confused at first, waking up to a missing arm and leg, but that was a trial he'd have to overcome.

"Th-thank you! Thank you so much!" The woman, the patient's guardian, expressed her gratitude through tears.

"Can you please treat us too?!"

"Us as well!"

"We beg you!"

Witnessing this, the other guardians rushed towards Jeong-Hoon, clamoring for his attention. It didn't matter whether he was an archer or a priest. The healing he'd just demonstrated was proof enough of his abilities.

"Yes, I understand."

Jeong-Hoon readily agreed and began treating the injured one by one.

***

At the Archer's Sanctuary

"Is that really true?"

Acting Commander Roscantor couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes. After defending the west gate from the Titan Rhinoceros, he's now personally treating the wounded in the infirmary."

"Huh..."

Was that even possible?

A level 201 Ranger had effortlessly subdued a charging Titan Rhinoceros, then proceeded to clear its dungeon lair. And now, instead of returning to the Sanctuary, he was in the infirmary, putting those useless priests to shame.

But that wasn't all.

Even more astonishing was that he was using healing magic to treat critically injured patients.

'I'll go and wipe out the monsters myself.'

At first, they'd dismissed his words as absurd.

Could it be that he was telling the truth all along?

"He'll probably return to the Sanctuary once he's finished with the treatments."

"...But how can he use divine power?"

"That's the question. According to Cedric, the arrows this outsider shot were clearly filled with mana."

The coexistence of mana and divine power was unheard of. The two forces were fundamentally incompatible.

Yet this outsider wielded both.

"It seems I'll have to go and see for myself."

Roscantor hastened towards the infirmary.

"Gasp... Commander."

"The Commander is here... Everyone, rise!"

The injured patients, who had been lying in bed, attempted to get up upon seeing the acting commander.

Roscantor quickly raised his hand to stop them.

"Absolutely not! Don't even think about getting up! Your recovery is the top priority."

"Yes, sir..."

"How are you feeling? ...You all did an amazing job. We wouldn't have been able to hold the city without you."

Roscantor went around the infirmary, checking on each of the wounded, offering praise and comfort.

The injured were in much better shape than when they were first brought in.

It was a relief.

'There he is.'

As he checked on the wounded, he spotted the outsider in the distance.

Just as he'd heard, the man was personally treating the injured.

***

"Hey there!"

Jeong-Hoon turned his head at the familiar voice coming from behind him.

Roscantor was rushing towards him.

"Oh? What brings you here?"

Jeong-Hoon feigned surprise at Roscantor's visit.

"...I have a few questions. Is it true that you wiped out the Titan Rhinoceros?"

He asked, his voice trembling.

"Yes."

Jeong-Hoon nodded.

"And that's... divine power you're using, right?"

"Yes."

Jeong-Hoon continued casting Advanced Healing on the injured person in front of him.

The light of divine power shimmered from his hands.

Roscantor was stunned.

"This is insane..."

Exclamation marks flickered above his head.

[Quest complete.]

[High contribution! Recalculating rewards.]

[You have acquired the Archer's Mark.]

[NPC Roscantor acknowledges you!]

[NPC Roscantor's trust in you has greatly increased.]

Perfect.

The Archer's Mark, typically only obtainable with over 95% contribution and acts of goodwill, was now his.

But Jeong-Hoon wasn't done yet.

'Completing all of Litton's quests will reward me with a Fragment of the Ancient Archer's Mark.'

The completed Archer's Mark must be the result of combining these fragments with the Archer's Mark.

He was certain, having completed the Warrior's Mark in a similar fashion.

But then, a red question mark flickered above Roscantor's head once again.

'Hmm? Another hidden quest?'

Jeong-Hoon tilted his head and checked the quest details.

[Hidden Quest: Altair von Askenstone]

- Restriction: Must be acknowledged by Roscantor

- Reward: ??

- Description: Roscantor is handling affairs on behalf of the ruler of the City of Archers. This is due to an issue concerning the ruler's safety. Please resolve this issue.

'So that's what it was.'

Jeong-Hoon realized why this quest had triggered.

It was because of the Advanced Healing he'd just demonstrated.

Witnessing the powerful healing, so different from that of ordinary priests, a glimmer of hope sparked in his heart.

'Should I accept the quest?'

He hesitated for a moment.

The ruler of the City of Archer had fallen into a cursed slumber while preparing for war. That's why Roscantor was acting as the temporary commander, overseeing the war preparations.

However, according to the game's storyline, the war would be thwarted by the intervention of the allied Rogue City. The absence of the ruler, Altair von Askenstone, was the problem.

If he accepted this quest and lifted the curse on the ruler, the chances of the canceled war breaking out would increase significantly.

In other words, Jeong-Hoon's actions could trigger a war.

But he couldn't just give up on a hidden quest, could he?

'Alright. Let's catch two birds with one stone.'

He would complete the quest while simultaneously eliminating the possibility of war.

Having made up his mind, Jeong-Hoon accepted the quest.

As soon as he did, Roscantor spoke cautiously.

"Could I... ask you a favor?"

"A favor?"

"It's difficult to talk about it here. Could you accompany me somewhere else for a moment...?"

"Sure."

Roscantor's face brightened at his ready agreement.

"Thank you!"

He led Jeong-Hoon to the reception room of Altair's residence.

Jeong-Hoon took a seat, and Roscantor sat opposite him.

"The reception room is quite tidy."

"Thank you for the compliment. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine."

Jeong-Hoon wanted to get straight to the point.

"I see."

Understanding his intention, Roscantor dismissed everyone else from the room.

Now, only Jeong-Hoon and Roscantor remained in the reception room.

"Why don't you tell me now? Why did you bring me here?"

"The truth is..."

Roscantor slowly began his story.

He started with the strained relationship between the City of Warriors and the City of Archer, then explained how a dungeon had recently been discovered in the City of Warriors, attracting many users.

That territory originally belonged to the City of Archer, and they had been preparing for war for the past six months to reclaim it.

The problem was that their leader, Altair, who had ordered the war preparations, was suddenly struck by a curse, and that curse persisted to this day.

"So you want me to lift the curse?"

"Yes... Those damn Holy City bastards are demanding 1 million gold to lift the curse."

1 million gold.

They were already financially strained due to the war preparations. How could they possibly come up with 1 million gold so quickly?

"Hmm, well... I'll have to examine it, but I should be able to lift the curse."

"Really?!"

"Yes."

Roscantor's face lit up.

If that was true, then waking up the leader might not be impossible.

"Then can you go right now?!"

"Of course."

Roscantor guided Jeong-Hoon to Altair's bedroom.

[NPC Information]

-Nickname: Altair von Askenstone

-Level: 200 (Level lowered due to curse)

-Occupation: Head of the City of Archer

Having been bedridden for a long time, he was emaciated, nothing but skin and bones.

His face was also stained black.

'He's definitely cursed.'

[What kind of curse is it?]

Mukho showed interest.

'I've seen this kind of curse before. The symptoms are the same as when he was affected by the Sleeping Rose.'

Anima gave the answer.

Sleeping Rose.

It resembled a rose but was characterized by its overall black color.

Consuming a large amount would induce a curse that prevented one from waking up, causing them to slowly wither and die, hence the name Sleeping Rose.

'He must have eaten a lot.'

'Indeed. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a deep sleep.'

Altair had been asleep for three months.

The reason he was still alive was the potion on the bedside table.

A potion he had obtained from the Holy City a while ago remained, and they had been keeping him alive by dripping a small amount into his mouth at regular intervals.

Jeong-Hoon reached out towards Altair.

[Using Detoxification.]

As the Unique-grade Detoxification activated, dark red blood flowed from Altair's nose.

"Cough...! Cough!"

Soon, he began coughing up dark red blood.

"Leader..."

Roscantor's eyes trembled as he watched.

"It's part of the recovery process, so don't worry too much."

Jeong-Hoon reassured Roscantor, who was watching from behind.

"That's recovery?"

Altair continued to vomit dark red blood.

"Yes."

Jeong-Hoon nodded and repeatedly cast Detoxification on Altair again.

'It seems he didn't just consume a large amount at once, but rather ingested it in small doses over a long period.'

'It seems so. Just how much did he have to eat for this to happen?'

If he had consumed a large amount in a short period, the curse should have dissipated after vomiting a couple of times.

However, the amount of blood Altair was spewing was abnormally large.

This meant that he had been consuming the Sleeping Rose for a very long time.

[Using Advanced Healing.]

Jeong-Hoon also used Advanced Healing.

There was a possibility that Altair could die during the Detoxification process if left as is.

After repeatedly casting Detoxification and Healing, the curse that had taken root in Altair's body finally dispersed completely.

"Ugh... Where am I...?"

Altair slowly looked around, his face dazed and confused.

"Don't come any closer yet."

Jeong-Hoon told Roscantor not to approach and then gently held Altair's chin, making eye contact.

[Using Brainwashing.]

[Brainwashing level has increased.]

The level of Brainwashing increased upon activation.

'I need to max it out and upgrade it to Unique quickly.'

Like Blackfield, skills acquired through serendipity required reaching their maximum level to be upgraded to Unique.

Currently, Brainwashing was at level 6.

Therefore, its grade was still Epic.

However, Altair was not in his right mind at the moment.

Regardless of the skill's grade, he was in the perfect state to be brainwashed.

Altair stared blankly at Jeong-Hoon, his pupils dilated.

The brainwashing was complete.

"Never start a war. Withdraw all war preparations and start seeking a peaceful resolution."

Jeong-Hoon whispered into Altair's ear, softly enough that Roscantor couldn't hear.

"Yes..."

Altair nodded.

Only then did Jeong-Hoon release him and continue with the healing.

"Le-leader? Do you recognize me...?"

At Roscantor's words, Altair's head turned towards him.

"Yes..."

As Altair nodded weakly, Roscantor's eyes welled up with tears.

"Thank you... Thank you so much..."

The leader, whom he thought would never open his eyes again, had awakened.

It was all thanks to Jeong-Hoon.

He sobbed, repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Jeong-Hoon.

***

As time passed, Altair gradually regained his senses.

"...How long was I asleep?"

"Three months, sir."

"I see..."

Altair tried to hide his confusion.

Ever since he became the leader, it had been difficult to fight off sleep.

At first, he dismissed it as overwork, but as the days went by, his sleep grew longer and longer, and there were times when he slept for two days straight.

And on that day, an unusually strong drowsiness had come over him.

His eyes kept closing, and he couldn't keep them open.

Eventually, he stopped working and went to bed earlier than usual.

That was his last memory.

'But to think I was asleep for three months...'

According to Roscantor, it was because of a curse, but when did he get cursed?

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure it out.

"How are you feeling?"

The outsider next to Roscantor asked.

He heard that it was thanks to this outsider that he was freed from the curse.

Altair nodded.

"I feel much better than before."

"You were bedridden for three months. The curse is gone, so you should recover quickly."

"I'm truly grateful. But can you tell me what kind of curse I was under?"

"You were afflicted by the Sleeping Rose."

"Sleeping Rose...?"

He had never heard of it before.

"Yes. And it seems the culprit is within this very city."

"Someone here cursed me...?"