Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

Lee Kang-to threw the broom to the floor and began dancing clumsily in circles. That ecstatic vision he saw yesterday! To think he’d see such a thing in a place he was reluctantly dragged to.

“I must have truly received the blessing of black magic!”

Lee Kang-to’s cheeks flushed red with excitement.

“Should I report this, or not?”

The joyful dance was short-lived as Lee Kang-to suddenly came to a halt.

Han Cha-hyun’s face, threatening to tell Gyeon Ji-woon, flashed before his eyes. He seemed like someone not to be messed with… But if he could just keep it secret, he could have that all to himself. It was at least an A-rank, or maybe even an S-rank item.

“And that ominous aura…”

A sudden commotion pulled Lee Kang-to out of his deep contemplation.

“You dog bone bastards! Is there nothing to believe in?”

“What’s this uproar in the Great Temple? Please return at once.”

“Oh, Lady Yupeta! Forgive our ignorance!”

‘Ah, that person!’

It was the old woman who had been dragged away for causing a disturbance yesterday. A young knight standing before her rolled his eyes, unsure of what to do. He had been sent out by his seniors, but now what?

Remembering Han Cha-hyun’s instructions, Lee Kang-to rushed over like the wind and inserted himself between the old woman and the knight. Despite his confident entrance, Lee Kang-to bowed his head low and mumbled in a small voice.

“E-Elder, you shouldn’t do this here. This way, come this way.”

◆◇◆◇◆

Han Cha-hyun had given Lee Kang-to three questions to ask.

“Um, Elder. Who is the true god of this city?”

“That’s an interesting question. Young folks might say Helium, but that’s just because they don’t know any better. How could such an evil god be…!”

“Th-Then…”

“Yupeta. The god of creation and abundance born from heaven and earth, Lady Yupeta is the true master of Eidolon.”

Lee Kang-to shuddered at Han Cha-hyun’s insight.

‘How did Han Cha-hyun deduce this?’

The old woman’s face softened considerably compared to earlier, seemingly pleased with Lee Kang-to’s question. With his head buried in the note Han Cha-hyun had given him, Lee Kang-to asked the second question.

“Do you remember when this Great Temple was built?”

“Of course I do. It was when I had my second child, so about 50 years ago.”

Excited to find someone who would finally listen to her, the old woman spoke in an impassioned tone.

Originally, the Helium faith was preached in a corner of the square, but suddenly the number of believers swelled, and they built a large temple. According to the old woman, from around that time, Helium’s priests began to perform great miracles.

“Now they only show miracles during festivals, but it wasn’t like that then. Patients lined up around the square waiting to be healed.”

With these miracles as a catalyst, the Helium faith greatly expanded its influence in the capital, naturally decreasing the number of Yupeta believers. The old woman lamented that now even young people don’t know Yupeta’s name.

Just as Lee Kang-to was about to ask the last question, a priest passing by discovered the two. The stern-looking priest chased away the old woman before Lee Kang-to could say anything.

Looking back and forth between the priest and the note, Lee Kang-to cautiously began sweeping the floor.

◆◇◆◇◆

Bang! Bang!

“Mmm…”

My body felt as heavy as a waterlogged sponge. I covered my ears with a pillow.

The other party was persistent.

The loud knocking on the door didn’t stop. I buried my head in the blanket, rolled up like a cocoon.

“Please, please stop.”

Buried in the blanket, I finally couldn’t stand the continued noise and got up.

Last night, we safely returned to the house, avoiding the Shipowners’ Association. The relief of obtaining the first response was short-lived as the group fell into deep contemplation.

“Where could the other two people be?”

“We’ll have to come up with another method.”

The idea of using sound transmission was good, but we hadn’t considered the possibility of the delegation being outside of Shella. Even the conch shell had its limits.

“I don’t think I can make it reach outside of Shella. I’m sorry. It’s because my ability is lacking…”

“No, Atera. You’ve been a great help.”

“Atera, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have met Galatea!”

“They might be in Shella but unable to respond to the sound transmission.”

“Or they might be deliberately not answering.”

One way or another, it didn’t seem like we’d find them easily. We only had two days left. We’d barely make it if we found one person each day.

The meeting continued late into the night, but no pointed alternatives emerged. We dispersed just after midnight without much progress.

“Who is it at the crack of dawn?”

The knocking was so persistent that I had no choice but to get up. I left the room with my hair a mess.

Whether they heard my grumbling or sensed my presence, the knocking stopped as I approached the door.

“Who is it?”

“Yun Gaho, open the door.”

“Oh, it’s you?”

If I’d known it was him, I would have just ignored it and slept more.

The knocker was Yun Su-ho.

Yun Su-ho isn’t a member of Hwangya, so he doesn’t have access to the house. That’s why he must have just kept knocking on the door. Does he wear his hunter watch just for show? I opened the door while yawning.

“Ugh, why do you look like that?”

“Are you really asking that?”

My face clearly showed my displeasure. As soon as I opened the door, Yun Su-ho started nagging.

It was all meaningless chatter about how an A-rank quest was ridiculous, how he should send Choi Kwon-young to Ninea and come to Shella himself. I was already dying of sleepiness, and now I had to listen to this.

I nodded off while half-listening and responding perfunctorily to his words.

“Why didn’t you answer my message?”

“Message?”

“Yeah, the message I sent last evening.”

What message is he talking about? My sleep-addled brain turned slowly.

I think I saw something when we came out of the workshop. There must have been a flood of events. Belatedly, I operated my hunter watch to check Yun Su-ho’s message.

[- From: Yun Su-ho

(Photo)

Found this on the beach. Do you have these there too?]

As soon as I saw the attached photo, my sleepiness vanished. Could this place be…?

“Yun Su-ho. Where did you find this?”

“Ninea. Are you just checking now?”

“That’s not important right now. Did you really find this in Ninea?”

Yun Su-ho, furrowing his brow, nodded slowly.

This guy is actually being helpful for once! Without realizing it, I hugged Yun Su-ho and then stepped back a couple of paces.

Yun Su-ho looked down at me blankly.

“What are you looking at?”

Neighbors can hug when they’re happy, can’t they? Feeling awkward, I turned my attention to the photo.

A spire standing in front of a vast sea.

Isn’t this a building I’ve heard about somewhere? It’s that tower where Atera spent her childhood. I thought there were no spires around Shella and that they had been demolished, but to think it was in Ninea.

We’d have to confirm with Atera after she wakes up, but… If we go there, we should be able to find some clues, whatever they might be.

Yun Su-ho, not understanding why I was so happy, blinked his eyes while standing like a wooden block.

Usually, his behavior would irritate me, but today he looked somewhat cute. Right, he’s S-rank, so he should at least earn his keep. Thanks to him, a light appeared on the blocked path.

“Did you go inside?”

“Yeah.”

“Really? Was there anything special?”

“Not particularly.”

The excitement was short-lived. My spirit deflated at his subsequent answers.

“There was nothing? Really?”

I asked again, but his answer didn’t change. I thought we had finally found a clue… Maybe I had expected too much, as my heart sank.

“There weren’t any particularly noticeable objects. However…”

“Um, hello.”

“Yes, hello… Huh?”

“There was an unusual NPC, so I brought them along.”

A thin voice was heard from behind Yun Su-ho, who had been blocking the door the whole time. Then Yun Su-ho showed me his quest window.

[Subquest, A Long Journey Home (B)

– Clear condition: Escort NPC Akis to the special field ‘Cradle of the Sea People’

– Reward: Sea Person’s Scale (A)

– Penalty: Debuff ‘Sea’s Grudge’ (50% reduction in mana stat and mana recovery – lasts 72 hours)]

“What?”

“Am I, am I causing trouble?”

I pushed Yun Su-ho aside to check the NPC standing behind him.

A man wearing baggy clothes that didn’t match his slender frame was biting his lip. His gentle features were doll-like in their beauty. His dark blue hair, unkempt and simply left to fall, matched his eyes, which had a faint glow.

“You picked up a sea person?”

“Yun Gaho. It’s rude to Akis to say ‘picked up’.”

“No, that’s not the important thing right now!”

“What’s all this commotion in the morning?”

Choi Kwon-young, dressed neatly in uniform despite the early hour, came out of his room. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing Yun Su-ho, then raised his eyebrows when he spotted Akis standing behind him.

The sea person with dark circles under his eyes slowly hid behind Yun Su-ho, avoiding Choi Kwon-young’s gaze.

“Where did you pick that up?”

“I’m telling you, I didn’t pick him up…”

A meaningless argument ensued.

Meanwhile, I gathered my thoughts. As soon as I saw Yun Su-ho’s quest window, my head started throbbing.

It was helpful that a sea person had walked in on their own, but a subquest?

We were trying to enter a hidden quest through a chain quest that started with ‘Atera’s Wish’. We had been moving with the thought that the hidden piece would be at the end of the chain quest.

“A chain quest has only one starting point and one endpoint.”

But suddenly, Yun Su-ho appeared with a subquest related to Badadkkot. It seemed like this quest could also lead to a hidden quest depending on how it progressed, but what was going on?

Zing-

Feeling a vibration on my wrist, I checked my hunter watch. It was a message from Han Cha-hyun.

[- From: Han Cha-hyun

(Photo)

Found a sea person in the Great Temple.

Unable to confirm personal details as they’re unconscious,

but I’m attaching a photo in case it’s someone you’re looking for.

There seems to be something between the Helium faith and the sea people.

We’ll continue investigating here for the time being.

P.S. Unable to contact Yun Su-ho. Have you received any word from him?]

The attached photo showed a man collapsed in a dark room.

“There’s a sea person in Helium’s Great Temple too?”