Chapter 5

In New World, quests are distinguished by color.

Ordinary quests have a white question mark.

Epic quests have a purple question mark.

A red question mark signifies a "hidden" quest.

Hidden quests appear when a player meets certain hidden conditions, allowing them to undertake the quest.

The rewards for hidden quests vary greatly—sometimes offering excellent rewards, and other times providing less than a regular quest.

The NPC before Jeong-hoon fell into the former category.

Jeong-hoon approached the old man to check the quest.

[Hidden Quest: The Mysterious Old Man]

- Restriction: Chosen by the old man.

- Reward: [Skill] King's Fist

- Description: The mysterious old man seeks a successor for his dojo. Earn his recognition to become the heir.

Yes!

That's the one!

Jeong-hoon inwardly celebrated.

To obtain this reward, he had spent his own money to buy cleaning tools and had been cleaning the dojo.

'I had to clean it meticulously. If there's any dust left, the old man won't appear.'

But something was odd.

He had heard that cleaning the dojo thoroughly was the condition for the old man's appearance. Why did he show up now?

Also, the quest details seemed different.

The original hidden quest was supposed to involve relieving the old man's grudge.

'Am I mistaken?'

Regardless, the quest reward was exactly what Lee Hwarang had mentioned.

[Where did you learn those moves you just showed?]

The old man was interested in the PVP match between Jeong-hoon and the low-tier warrior.

Jeong-hoon realized why the old man had appeared.

The battle he had just fought was flawless, with no extraneous movements.

It was unusual to find a flaw in Jeong-hoon's fighting, considering he retained the experience of an All-Master.

"I taught myself."

[Self-taught? Interesting.]

The old man stroked his white beard, laughing.

For many years, he had no suitable successor, and his dojo remained empty, becoming a source of regret.

He had waited for someone with the right talent for hundreds of years, but the dojo eventually became deserted.

Watching his beloved dojo fall into disrepair was heartbreaking.

Just when he had forgotten how time passed, Jeong-hoon appeared.

Seeing him clean piqued the old man's curiosity, but not enough to reveal himself. However, witnessing the battle with a low-tier warrior brought him to attention.

'I found him!'

The child before him had the qualities of a successor.

If he trained properly, he would undoubtedly reach the pinnacle.

This belief prompted the old man to reveal himself.

"So, what do you want from me?"

[I want you to be my successor.]

"Your successor?"

[Yes, but there are conditions.]

"Conditions? Let's hear them."

Jeong-hoon's eyes shone with determination.

He had to get that hidden skill.

According to Lee Hwarang, the hidden quest involved promoting the dojo.

[Oh! My eyes were right!]

Seeing the eagerness in Jeong-hoon's eyes, the old man was delighted.

'He's so eager to become my successor! I'm glad I stayed.'

Ding—

[You have accepted a hidden quest.]

[Clean the dojo thoroughly.]

...Clean?

Although the old man revealed himself early, cleaning the dojo was a necessary step.

Jeong-hoon nodded in understanding and resumed mopping.

Time in New World flows the same as on Earth.

Thus, Jeong-hoon spent an entire day cleaning the wooden floor.

"Time to go."

"Yeah."

Ha-jin logged out in sync with Jeong-hoon.

It was already 11 PM.

Although he had informed his mother he would be home late, he hurried home, thinking of her waiting.

"Hey, did you level up?"

"Yeah. I'm level 11."

"Oh, you leveled up more than I expected."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It usually takes about two days to reach level 10."

There are various ways to level up in New World, but the process is generally slow.

For example, some users take nearly three months to reach level 30 due to the slow leveling pace.

Typically, it takes one to two months to reach level 30 and start job change quests.

"I was lucky."

Jeong-hoon didn't spend much time leveling up.

His level 11 was purely thanks to the tutorial rewards.

"I see. By the way, I forgot to ask. What class did you choose?"

"You're asking that now?"

"It just came to mind."

"Martial Artist."

"...What? Why would you pick such a trash class?"

"It's manageable."

Ha-jin couldn't understand Jeong-hoon's choice.

He knew his friend had strange ideas, but picking a class everyone warned against?

Still, he didn't argue.

Jeong-hoon always had reasons for his seemingly odd decisions.

"By the way, I saw Hwarang today."

"Hwarang?"

Jeong-hoon's eyes widened.

Ha-jin tilted his head, preparing to explain.

"What? You know Hwarang?"

"...I've just heard of him."

Of course, Jeong-hoon knew him.

Lee Hwarang, also known as Hwarang, was famous among New World players for his celebrity-like appearance.

He was the pinnacle of archers, compensating for the close combat weaknesses of his class.

How did Jeong-hoon know him?

Lee Hwarang was the one who told him about the dojo.

He was also the one who shot Jeong-hoon in the back.

Just thinking about him made Jeong-hoon grit his teeth.

"Then no need to explain! Anyway, he was in the Kalroks region today. I was shocked to see a level 300 player in a village with level 100s."

"Really? Do you know why he was there?"

"He seemed to be looking for something."

So, this was the time Lee Hwarang acquired his skill.

If Jeong-hoon had been any later, he wouldn't have gotten the hidden quest from the old man.

Now he needed to speed up his schedule.

To leave the dojo before Lee Hwarang arrives.

"Ha-jin, I think I'll stay up all night."

"Stay up all night?"

"Yeah."

Jeong-hoon called his mother to inform her he would be staying out.

[Alright. Have fun and come back safely.]

Getting permission was easy.

Since becoming an adult, his mother respected his decisions.

"Wow... My parents freak out if I stay out past midnight."

Ha-jin sighed.

Despite serving in the military, his parents still worried excessively.

Other families, like Jeong-hoon's, allowed overnight stays with just a phone call, but his didn't.

"Anyway, I'm heading back to the capsule room."

"Lucky guy... See you tomorrow."

"Yeah."

Back at the capsule room, Jeong-hoon logged in immediately.

After a night of cleaning, the dojo was spotless.

'Whew, that was tough.'

Restoring the dojo after years of neglect was no easy task.

[Oh! The dojo is clean... sniff.]

The mysterious old man looked around the clean dojo, tears welling up.

The dojo was his life's work.

Even in death, he couldn't find a successor, leaving it as his regret. Just cleaning it touched his heart deeply.

"Do you like it?"

[Of course. Despite your talent, you didn't hesitate to clean this filthy dojo. You are worthy of being my successor.]

With the old man's words, the question mark turned into an exclamation point.

'Really?'

Cleaning was the condition for the old man's appearance. Afterward, reviving the dojo was required to obtain the King's Fist skill.

Despite the unusual order, as long as he received the reward, it didn't matter.

[You have completed the hidden quest.]

[You have acquired the 'King's Fist' skill.]

He now had the King's Fist skill.

A skill that covered Lee Hwarang's weaknesses.

Simultaneously, the title 'Mysterious Old Man' disappeared, replaced by 'King's Fist Dokgo Joon.'

Yes.

The creator of the King's Fist was Dokgo Joon, the master of martial arts.

[King's Fist Lv.1]

- Type: Active

- Grade: Unique

- Description: Unleash the King's Fist created by Dokgo Joon.

- Maximum Level: 8

An active skill of unique grade.

Even epic active skills were impressive, but this unique grade skill was beyond that.

In just one day in New World, an 11th level player had obtained a unique skill.

Jeong-hoon clenched his fist in triumph.

"Great!"

[Can I ask one more favor?]

A red question mark appeared above the old man's head again.

Jeong-hoon's eyes widened.

'A consecutive hidden quest?'

[Hidden Quest: Successor of Dokgo Joon]

- Restriction: Recognized by Dokgo Joon.

- Reward: [Skill] King's Fist Enhancement

- Description: Become the successor of Dokgo Joon and revive the dojo with him.

'Strange... The one he had was unique.'

The unique King's Fist didn't pale in comparison to legendary skills.

Enhancing it meant upgrading it to legendary.

Feeling his heart pound, Jeong-hoon clenched his fist.

Not only had he obtained a skill that should have gone to Lee Hwarang, but he could also upgrade it to legendary.

Obtaining a legendary skill in the starting village was a game-changer.

[Having chosen a successor, you know what to do next, right?]

"Yes."

Lee Hwarang was famous.

He kept the King's Fist a secret, but by revealing some skills learned at the dojo, he drew players to the abandoned dojo.

The dojo was renamed 'Hwarang Dojo.'

[If you're going to be a Martial Artist, go to Hwarang Dojo.]

- At Hwarang Dojo, there's a ghostly old man. You can learn skills from him. Newbies should visit, complete quests, and learn skills! Quest success rates vary, but don't expect more than a common grade.

Thanks to Hwarang's promotion, Dokgo Joon's dojo thrived, with over 90% of players learning skills from the old man.

Jeong-hoon had visited this dojo before his regression to acquire skills.