Chapter 34

A message popped up on the ATM screen.

「Your transfer has been successfully processed.」

After reading the message, Tae-Sung realized that two hundred million won had truly just left his bank account, so he couldn't help but let out a sigh.

"Haaa…"

"So I only have a hundred million won left…?" he muttered.

Of course, the hundred million won was not his only remaining debt because that was only the debt he had with Ma Dong-Po, the illegal loan shark. In fact, he still had two hundred million won worth of loans with a bank that he took during his heydays.

"A hundred million won with Ma Dong-Po, and two hundred million won with the bank… I only have three hundred million left to pay back. Let's pay it all back soon, but I should never borrow money to play games ever again…" Tae-Sung muttered. He finally realized how horrible one's life could become at a momentary misjudgment.

To be frank, he wanted to sell the Mercedes Workshop 100% +12 Enhancement Coupon and pay off his debts, buy a nice house, and drive a nice car, but he knew very well that doing that would be akin to killing a goose that laid golden eggs.

"I'll eventually pay off my debts, and I'll eventually start making money, too. Let's just suffer for now," Tae-Sung muttered as he steeled his resolve. He would pay off his debt as long as he managed to become stronger.

He knew very well that there were a plethora of ways to make money on Brave New World. He could sell items or gold for real-world cash, or he could open his own channel on 'G-Tube' and make money out of it by live-streaming or uploading his videos on top of the sponsorships he would receive if he ever became famous. In addition, he could run a service helping lower-leveled users clear a dungeon or power level them, and there was also the possibility of becoming a pro gamer and receiving a huge salary, as well as bonuses from large conglomerates.

However, time was the main problem.

Tae-Sung had to be at least Level 200 to accomplish the money-making methods he could think of. His level was going to be very important if he ever decided to become a streamer since most viewers would lose interest if his level were too low.

"As expected… there's no other way other than to level up…" he muttered as he left the bank with leveling up, leveling up, and leveling up in his mind.

***

Two days later, Tae-Sung moved out of his one-bedroom unit and moved into the two-bedroom unit he leased for a thirty million won deposit and 1.5 million won rent a month. He managed to move so soon because his previous landlord gave his deposit back.

The moving did not take long since the only things Tae-Sung possessed were himself, a few clothes, worn-out appliances, and the Ogre.

"The installation is finished, Han Tae-Sung-nim," said Lee Jae-Sung, a mechanic from V-Lounge.

He was the same mechanic who installed the Ogre in Tae-Sung's previous apartment.

"Thank you for your hard work," Tae-Sung replied.

"Not at all; we are just doing our job. Ah, but you moved quite earlier than expected. I think it hasn't even been a month?"

"I will be moving quite often from now on," Tae-Sung replied with a smile, and then he added, "I plan to slowly expand you see."

"Then, I guess we will meet each other more often from now on," Lee Jae-Sung replied.

"Maybe? I should wish to meet you more often since frequently meeting you would mean that my gaming career is going well."

"Haha! I hope that you can move into a duplex penthouse soon then!" Lee Jae-Sung jokingly said as he cheered Tae-Sung on.

"I hope so, too."

"I'm sure you will..."

Lee Jae-Sung no longer questioned Tae-Sung when he discovered that Tae-Sung was a V-Lounge VVIP customer.

'I'm sure there's something special about him for the main office to sponsor him the Ogre. I'm sure a person of his caliber will definitely make it to a penthouse unit. Ah… I'm jealous… If I were discovered to have some gaming talent in me, I would quit this job as soon as possible and earn tons of cash...' Lee Jae-Sung inwardly lamented.

"Then, we shall take our leave since the installation has finished."

"Thank you very much once again for your hard work," Tae-Sung said as he bowed toward the mechanics and saw them off.

"So I finally managed to move…" Tae-Sung muttered while looking around his new place with a big smile.

The house was not luxurious at all compared to the expensive rent he was paying for it. After all, how good could a forty-square meter two-bedroom unit be?

However, it was still a hundred; no, a thousandfold better than the previous one-bedroom unit he lived in. His old place reeked of mold with yellowed walls.

Tae-Sung was already satisfied by the fact that he could have a separate room to install his VR capsule because he no longer had to sleep in the fetal position beside his VR capsule.

"Yeah… Let's work hard and live in a penthouse one day," he thought as he recalled the mechanic's jest before placing his hand on the Ogre to boot it up.

He immediately dove back into BNW without even enjoying his new sanctuary.

***

A message notifying Siegfried of his current location popped up in front of his eyes.

[Outskirts of Biermann Territory: In front of the 33rd gateway of the Macallan Kingdom.]

The gateways were warp gates installed all over different kingdoms, and this made it easier for the players to move around the vast Nürgburg Continent. However, it was not possible for the players to go anywhere they wanted just because they could use the gateways, and that was because the gateway of each kingdom had a different magic frequency that depended on whether one kingdom's frequency matched with another kingdom's. On top of that, there were a lot of areas where the usage of gateways was limited due to security concerns, so the gateways weren't the answer to all of the players' traveling needs.

"Let's see… Where should I head next…" Siegfried muttered as he looked at the hologram that popped up when he stepped onto the gateway.

The hologram showed him the places he could access with the 33rd gateway.

[1. Vermouth Territory]

[Suggested Level: 20 to 30]

[2. Sohoca Ruins]

[Suggested Level: 40 to 60]

[3. Demeter Forest]

[Suggested Level: 150 to 170]

[4. City of Pleasure, Dondegiri]

[Suggested Level: 40 to 50]

There were four areas accessible through the 33rd gateway.

"I'm sure that only horrible death awaits me as soon as I enter Demeter Forest. The Vermouth Territory is no different from the Biermann Territory, so the only choices I have left are either Sohoca Ruins or Dondegiri…" Siegfried muttered before he opened 'Web Surfing' from his user interface and accessed 'New World,' which was the largest BNW Community forum to check for any information related to Sohoca Ruins or Dondegiri.

The reason why Siegfried scoured the Community forums to gain information on these two places despite being a seasoned BNW veteran was that BNW was simply too vast. The BNW world map area was a gigantic thirty million square kilometers, which was three times the size of China in real-life.

It was impossible for a player to be perfectly aware of everything going on in the Nürburg Continent despite their experience in the game.

"The City of Pleasure, Dondegiri—there's nothing much to it aside from pleasure and entertainment. I'm sure it's going to be full of those looking for adult content," he muttered while checking the City of Pleasure's information on the Community forum.

BNW's adult content was accessible only to players 19 years old and above, and they would have to pay to have sex once a week in the game.

"Let's check Sohoca, then," he muttered as he crossed Dondegiri off his list and focused on getting more information on the Sohoca Ruins.

[Best Post: Area Information on 'Macallan Kingdom, Sohoca Ruins': 99,999 Hits!]

Siegfried clicked on the post with the highest upvotes and comments.

Sohoca Ruins was where the Level 500 super high leveled monster, 'Python' fell thirty years ago based on the game storyline, and it was a hunting ground frequently visited by adventurers Level 40 to 60.

[Aronami18: This place is a hell crawling with thunder attribute monsters (??;) I don't recommend those using the lightning attribute to come here.]

[(!???!): It's the best place to just shut up and hunt all day. There are a ton of monsters here;;;]

[Mong9: This place is really for grinding only. The mob regeneration speed is crazy, and you will crawl out exhausted after hunting all day. Kekekeke!]

[hatachi05: This place is filled with mobs. I suggest coming as a party.]

Siegfried could tell from the comments that Sohoca Ruins was the best place if Level 40 to 60 Adventurers wanted to power level.

"This is it…" Siegfried muttered without a hint of doubt. He was certain that this was the next place he had to go to.

He planned to hit Level 60 as soon as possible at Sohoca Ruins and move on to the next place.

"The fee is… ten gold," he grumbled after checking the 33rd gateway fee to go to Sohoca Ruins.

Clang…! Clang…!

He threw ten gold into the magic circle.

[Alert: You have paid the gateway fee: 10 gold!]

[Alert: The gateway is activating!]

[Alert: Your destination: 'Sohoca Ruins'!]

The magic circle unleashed a bright light.

[Warping in… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…]

[Warp!]

Siegfried disappeared along with the magic circle's bright light shortly after the final notification message appeared.

***

[Sohoca Ruins Entrance: In front of the Mercenary Guild]

Siegfried arrived in front of the Mercenary Guild located at the entrance to Sohoca Ruins.

"What the heck?" Siegfried looked around and grimaced before muttering, "Why is it so crowded?"

The entrance to Sohoca Ruins was so packed with people that it resembled a marketplace more than the entrance to a ruin.

"Looking for party members! We have two DPS and one Healer! We need one Tanker!"

"Buying Shard of Lightning in bulk!"

"Power leveling services for ten gold an hour! I'll boost you to your specific level in an instant so come, come!"

"Swordsman with a Unique weapon looking for a party! I'm good at killing mobs! Invite me ASAP!"

The entrance to Sohoca Ruins was filled with those looking for a party, merchants, and boosters looking to give low leveled players a bus ride, as well as many other players and Nürburgians alike that it resembled a bustling marketplace.

"They said it's a place where you shut up and grind the whole day… I guess that was true…" Siegfried confirmed the information he read on the New World Community forums before heading into the Mercenary Guild.

"Take a number," a guild staffer said as he passed a numbered ticket to Siegfried at the entrance.

"671? How long do I have to wait?" Siegfried asked.

"Around two hours?"

"Huh…?"

"Customer number 281 is currently inside, so it's going to take around that long for your turn."

Siegfried was speechless at the amount of time he had to wait to receive a quest.

"You can go and hunt while waiting for your turn," the guild staffer said.

"Huh? Don't I have to get a quest first?" Siegfried asked, seemingly confused.

"There are no such rules here," the guild staffer replied with a shrug, and then explained, "The monsters in this place drop a small shard when they die. If you find it bothersome to wait, you can just bring those shards later and get them acknowledged to complete the quests."

"Ah…" Siegfried muttered. He finally realized what the Community forums members meant when they said that this place was only for grinding.

'I guess the quests are just going to be those useless repetitive ones,' Siegfried thought as he realized that the quests wouldn't be anything special.

Now that he thought about it, it was expected since there would be no quest worth giving at a place where monsters endlessly spawned.

'I should go hunt first and collect those Shard of Lightning or whatever they call it before coming back,' Siegfried thought as he left the Mercenary Guild to start hunting according to the guild staffer's suggestion.

'I'll go around alone for now…'

While he was thinking of his next move, someone suddenly grabbed his hand.

'What the hell?'

Siegfried was taken aback by the sudden grab.

"Hello," an Adventurer with the ID 'Gosran' greeted Siegfried.

"Ah, yes, hello," he replied.

"Are you in a party?" she asked.

"I'm not since I just came here and I don't plan to look for one—" Siegfried replied.

However, she suddenly cut him off and said, "Do you mind partying up with us then? We have one slot left, and I thought that you are suitable to fill the spot up."

"Hmm…"

"Let's party together, please? We will be nice to you," Gosran pleaded earnestly before some other people showed up behind her.

"Let's party up. We are a pretty good team."

"Come on, join us."

"Welcome, welcome! Come and party with us!"

Gosran's other party members appeared while looking at Siegfried with big smiles on their faces.

'What the heck…?' Siegfried wondered why they were so intent on recruiting him.

However, those thoughts lasted only for a minute because he instantly noticed the real reason they were trying to recruit him. After all, Siegfried was quick to catch on.

"Looking for a Buffer!"

"We are looking for a Physical Buffer!"

"Looking for a Priest!"

"Urgently looking for a Buffer! Experienced DPS are waiting!"

Numerous shouts desperately looking for a Buffer or a Priest could be heard all over the place.

1. There are a lot of cases where the landlord will stall for time before returning the deposit or just refuse to give it unless there is a court order which takes a long time.

2. To ride a bus usually means to get carried