Record of a Thousand Lives

They arrived at Riel after traveling for around four days, just as the sun rose over the tip of the city’s spire. Riel was not a city of trade or commerce, but it was a city famous for heavily investing in exploration and excavation.

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The pair passed through the checkpoint and entered the city.
Kang Yoon-Soo touched the wrist device and checked the legendary quest they were currently doing.
Shaneth, who was a Continental, could see the information window from the wrist device, and she was reading the contents of the quest too.

Shaneth was actually filled with excitement and expectation. They had a quest.

Multiple kinds of quests were available all over the continent.
These quests could range from petty requests such as delivery work to more prestigious and rewarding quests such as monster subjugation.
The quests were only given by Continentals, as the Travelers from another world had not been bestowed the right to give out quests.

Additionally, one could receive a predetermined reward upon successful completion of a quest.
A Continental who had not decided what to give as a reward could not give out quests to others.
A quest was an absolute promise between people.

A quest usually involved looking for specific items, but there were also rare kinds of quests that asked one to find the traces of a ruin or a hidden treasure chest. The quest Kang Yoon-Soo was doing was related to a legend—in other words, a legendary quest.

Not much was known about legendary quests.
However, most such quests carried extreme risks and hazards, and the time period for carrying out such quests could be very long.
Of course, one would be handsomely rewarded by such quests.

Numerous adventurers were scouring the continent trying to find rewarding rare quests, and the fact that one was doing a legendary quest was itself a reason to be proud of.

Shaneth was already shaking with excitement just from the thought of having one.
She remembered Kang Yoon-Soo saying that the purpose of their journey was to prevent a disaster that would fall upon the world in the near future, and she instinctively knew that the legendary quest was related to that goal.

What could be the start of such an amazing quest? Would it be hunting an extremely difficult monster? Perhaps a territorial war? Shaneth was confident in doing her best to successfully complete the quest.

[Legendary Quest: Missing History]

Look for clues regarding the missing portion of history from Henrick the drunk, who sleeps in the dumpster behind Riel’s military training center.

*Henrick is usually active in the afternoon.

“…” Shaneth could not hide her disappointment.

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“Let’s go,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Okay…” Shaneth replied.

Kang Yoon-Soo easily found his way around the city as if he had been there before. Numerous sweaty, muscular men were training their swordsmanship at the military training center, and the smithy across from it contained numerous female blacksmiths just like the one at Hiledan.

He went past the military training center and headed toward the back alley.

“Zzzzz…
Zz… Zzz… Zz…”

A middle-aged man was snoring heavily in a pile of trash, fast asleep.
His coat was ragged, and his beard showed signs of not being shaved for weeks at the least.
He was quite tall and well built, but he reeked of the smell of alcohol as if he had not taken a bath for days.
His coat pocket bulged with some unknown item.

Shaneth looked disgruntled and disappointed—this was just a homeless person! Could the legendary quest really start with this guy? She asked, “There must be something wrong with the quest window, right?”

“Not at all,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.
He added quietly, “We need him for the legendary quest.” He grabbed Henrick’s shoulder and shook him awake.

Henrick grimaced as he slowly opened his saliva-covered mouth.
He asked, “What do you want?”

“I came to get information on the missing portion of history,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Huh? From me? What are you talking about? Go ask somewhere else.” Henrick scratched his neck a few times before getting up from the pile of trash, then turned around and started walking.

Kang Yoon-Soo took out a silver coin from his pocket as Henrick was about to leave, and flicked the coin toward him. Henrick instantly turned around and caught the coin, remarking, “You guys must be pretty bored, huh? I’m already telling you, I don’t know much about anything.
The only things I know are things I’ve heard from people as I hopped from one pub to another.
If you’re so intent on listening to that at least, I need you to bring something for me.”

A new quest popped up.

[I Need Booze Money!]

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Henrick is interested in the treasure of the mudgems that live in the swamp south of Riel.
The shiny stone would fetch a hefty sum for him, although he would spend it all on booze.

*The quest will be gone after four days.

Rewards: Some information, Henrick’s empty praise.

“Here you go.” Kang Yoon-Soo passed the Mudgem's Treasure to Henrick.
He had passed through the home of the mudgems for that very reason.

Henrick was confused for a moment before his eyes sparkled. “Oooh! Thanks! I never imagined you would give it to me this quickly.
You’re amazing!” He quickly hid the Mudgem's Treasure in his ragged coat, and he cleared his throat a few times before saying, “The information you’re looking for is probably with Ramax from the Red Rock Excavators.”

“What? Didn’t you say you would give us the information if we brought you the treasure of the mudgem?” Shaneth protested.

“I told you I heard a few things from the pubs, right? I heard Ramax, that old man, talk about it once when he was drunk.
Don’t you think it would be better to hear it directly than from someone who just overheard it?” Henrick skillfully made excuses.
He added, “Come to think of it, that old man’s organization seems to have found a few strange things while excavating.
Anyway, I told you I didn’t know much from the start.
Wish you all the best!” He began to stagger away.

“Artisanship isn’t art,” Kang Yoon-Soo said as Henrick was about to leave.

Henrick stopped in his tracks.
He turned around and asked, “What did you just say?”

“Artisanship isn’t art,” Kang Yoon-Soo repeated.

“Why do you think so?” Henrick asked.

“Because it’s useless.
There’s no money in it, and it’s a pitiful profession.
The word ‘art’ is wasted on something like that,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“What did you say?!” Henrick shouted as he approached Kang Yoon-Soo.

Shaneth was perplexed by the scene.
She had never seen Kang Yoon-Soo provoke someone so openly.
However, she decided to observe the situation a bit more.

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Henrick glared at Kang Yoon-Soo before asking threateningly, “Are you telling me artisanship is a lowly profession?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Are you certain?” Henrick asked.

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo repeated.

“You punk, are you trying to kill me by making me laugh myself to death?” Henrick scoffed as he took out a sculpting knife from underneath his sleeve.

Shaneth grabbed the handle of her scythe as she stared at him.
However, it was just a normal sculpting knife.
The sculpting knife looked quite old, but the sunlight easily reflected off its sharp edges.

Henrick took out the Mudgem's Treasure from his coat pocket and spun his sculpting knife before starting to work on it.
The simple, shiny stone suddenly became a jewel that boasted extreme brilliance.

“That’s amazing!” Shaneth exclaimed.

Even skilled sculptors could not hold a candle to Henrick’s craftsmanship.
Henrick tossed the jewel up and down as he confidently smirked. “What do you think? Do you still think artisanship is a lowly profession?”

“It’s a mess,” Kang Yoon-Soo said coldly.

“What did you say, you punk?” Henrick glared at him as if he were about to stab him with the sculpting knife.

“The material was too lacking to match your skills.
You’re at too high a level to sculpt such lowly material as a Mudgem's Treasure, Henrick Elrickersson,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The anger in Henrick’s eyes disappeared.
He asked, “You… You know who I am?”

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“You were the artisan for the royal princess despite being a commoner—although you’re retired now,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Are you serious?” Shaneth asked in surprise as her eyes grew large and round.

One had to possess an overwhelming amount of skill and talent to be able to enter the royal palace as a lowly commoner.
Not to mention, if he had been the artisan for the royal princess, he would have to be the best of the best; that meant he must have reached the pinnacle of the Artisan class. A skilled artisan like him was rolling around and sleeping in a pile of trash, wasting away as a drunk?

Henrick let out a bitter laugh as he said, “Well, my specialty was puppet-making, but I worked as an artisan too.”

Shaneth was even more shocked.
The fact that he had worked at the royal palace was surprising by itself, but he was even a skilled puppet maker? Although Henrick was a normal middle-aged man, his skills were not something to look down on.

Henrick continued with a sigh, “However, my hands are stiff now. I used to be called the best on the continent, but that’s all in the past… It’s already been fifteen years since I stopped, and there are many others who are better than me.”

The moment Shaneth listened to the man’s rant, she realized Kang Yoon-Soo’s intentions. ‘So that’s it!’

Come to think of it, it was a very familiar scene.
The skills of a retired royal artisan were definitely going to be needed to complete the legendary quest.
That was why Kang Yoon-Soo had provoked Henrick by saying stuff like ‘artisanship isn’t art’ or that his work was a mess.
It was to provoke him into picking up crafting again.

‘Amazing.
He really is an amazing guy.’ Shaneth was certain that this was the moment Kang Yoon-Soo had prepared in his mind.
He was going to encourage the depressed Henrick to pick up crafting again.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo said, “You’re right; your skills have declined.
There are better artisans than you.”

‘What…?’ Shaneth was perplexed and confused.
Now was the time to comfort and encourage him, and convince the retired artisan to pick up his craft again!

Henrick stared at Kang Yoon-Soo and asked, “What are you trying to say?”

Kang Yoon-Soo slowly answered, “The heirloom of the Elrickersson family that you keep in the capital.
The one that can only be passed on to the most skilled artisan.
Give that heirloom to me.”

“Why should I?” Henrick protested.

In response, Kang Yoon-Soo simply declared, “Because I’m a better artisan than you.”