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Chapter 217

The darkness that had clouded Jeong-hoon's vision lifted.

Woooong—

The Guardian of Märchen resonated even more powerfully. It shook violently, hanging from Jeong-hoon's ear.

"Where am I?"

Jeong-hoon looked around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Thick black mist enveloped everything, leaving him blind to his environment. The only thing visible was a brilliant light shining directly in front of him.

The source of that light was a single, floating artifact.

===

[Märchen: The One Who Resists Fate]

- Type: Necklace

- Grade: Unique

- Special Ability (1): None

- Special Ability (2): None

===

That was it.

The artifact that would unlock the set bonuses of the Guardian of Märchen.

A question mark hovered above the glowing necklace.

===

[Episode Quest: Märchen Kingdom's Salvation (4)]

- Condition: Complete Märchen Kingdom's Salvation (3) Quest

- Reward: ??

- Description: Obtain the artifact.

===

The quest seemed straightforward—obtain the artifact.

‘It won’t be that easy,’ Jeong-hoon thought. He had learned from experience that quests involving item acquisition were never simple.

‘But I have to do it.’

That necklace was crucial. Without it, he wouldn’t be able to complete all the episodes of the Märchen Kingdom successfully.

Jeong-hoon accepted the quest.

Woooong—

The necklace began to resonate in response. Then, a man suddenly appeared before Jeong-hoon, walking out of the mist.

"You're qualified."

"What?"

"You may take the artifact."

Contrary to his expectations, the man laughed heartily and pointed at the necklace.

"...You're just going to give it to me?"

Jeong-hoon furrowed his brow. It seemed far too easy for the final quest.

"I have a feeling you might be able to change something."

It was then that Jeong-hoon realized who the man was.

"Ah, you’re the artifact itself, aren’t you?"

"Bingo."

The man clapped his hands, smiling broadly.

The fact that the necklace could communicate in human form, of its own will, meant one thing—it was the master of this strange space.

"...So, did you create this entire episode dungeon?" Jeong-hoon asked.

"That's right. I poured everything I had into creating this setup. Used up all my power in the process, though."

"Why go to such lengths? If you’d just waited quietly, someone would’ve taken it eventually."

Jeong-hoon looked disappointed. The artifact's power was now zero, thanks to the device it had set up. Though it was still a useful item, the loss of its original abilities was regrettable.

"I wanted to show something. The world as it was destroyed."

"Is that the final memory of the Märchen Kingdom?"

"Yes. It fell, just like that."

The history the necklace showed was different from the one Jeong-hoon experienced in the episode dungeon. In contrast to the narrative where Kaiserk V and others delayed the kingdom’s downfall by making a pact with demons, the memory the necklace revealed was of the kingdom collapsing almost instantly, a penalty for their sins.

‘That’s probably the real history.’

The exaggerated backstory of people gaining strength by offering their souls to demons was likely twisted by transcendental beings to allow Earthlings to experience and complete the episodes.

"So, why show me all of this?"

"...I didn’t want it to happen again."

"I see," Jeong-hoon nodded in understanding. There was no need for further discussion. Their goals aligned.

"Just one last question," Jeong-hoon said.

"Go ahead."

"Can you change this damned fate?"

The man's expression hardened, his teeth grinding.

"Yes. No matter what, I’ll change it."

Jeong-hoon nodded firmly, his face serious.

"...Good answer," the man said, before dissolving into smoke.

A notification appeared above the necklace.

[Quest Complete.]

[You have obtained 'Märchen: The One Who Resists Fate.']

[Episode Dungeon Clear Progress: 100%.]

[You have cleared the Episode Dungeon.]

[You have gained 40,000,000 EXP.]

[Level Up!]

[All stats have increased by +1.]

[You have gained +1 bonus stat point.]

With the completion of the episode dungeon, Jeong-hoon had fully assembled the Guardian of Märchen's necklace set.

He stepped through the portal that appeared in front of him, leaving the dungeon.

---

Palesman Barony.

Caryan paced around the mansion, his anxiety palpable.

"Baron, are you alright?" the head butler cautiously approached.

"Ah... I'm fine, don't worry."

What truly concerned him was the outsider who had entered the cursed forest.

Caryan saw it with his own eyes—the barrier around the forest was disappearing.

He wasn’t sure why His Majesty had entrusted the key to this outsider, but there must have been a reason behind it.

"...He will bring back good news," the head butler murmured, almost as if trying to hypnotize himself.

It made sense—the outsider who ventured into the cursed forest was their only hope, not just for them, but for the entire Märchen Kingdom.

"Raaaaargh!"

Suddenly, the monsters that had quieted down began to pour out once again.

"What the...!" Caryan's face turned pale.

It hadn’t been long since they cleared out the previous wave of monsters, and yet they were already appearing again.

"Baron!"

"Get inside the mansion!"

At Caryan's order, the head butler rushed indoors.

‘The intervals are getting shorter... at this rate, we won’t last much longer.’

Caryan drew his sword. The blade was worn from countless battles with the monsters.

He had a feeling this might be his last fight.

Among the incoming horde was a Lv. 270 Iron Orc, clad in iron armor and wielding a massive axe.

Even at Caryan’s level, Lv. 300, the sheer number of them was overwhelming.

‘If there are any gods, please protect our kingdom,’ Caryan prayed silently as he charged forward.

Thwip!

Out of nowhere, an arrow flew and struck the Iron Orc right in the neck.

Then a rain of arrows followed, showering the monsters.

"Raaaghhh!" The Iron Orcs collapsed under the barrage of arrows.

"What... what is this?"

Caryan looked up in surprise, only to see Jeong-hoon standing there.

"Are you alright?" Jeong-hoon asked as he quickly moved to Caryan's side with blinding speed.

"...You returned from the forest?"

"Yes. Quite successfully, I’d say," Jeong-hoon replied, grinning as he fiddled with a necklace in his hand.

"And that is...?"

"A necklace I retrieved from the forest," Jeong-hoon said.

It was the necklace Märchen: The One Who Resists Fate.

===

[Guardian of Märchen]

- Type: Earring

- Grade: Legendary (Legendary)

- Special Ability (1): When the earring's magic is activated, you can designate one of your attack skills, increasing its activation chance by 4% for 1 hour. (Cooldown: 12 hours)

- Special Ability (2): When the earring's magic is activated, it increases the wearer's attack power by 4% for 1 hour. (Cooldown: 12 hours)

- [Set Option Activation (1)]: Increases the effects of special abilities by 3 times.

- [Set Option Activation (2)]: Automatically activates Passive: Guardian of the Kingdom.

===

With the gathering of two accessories, the grade of the Guardian of Märchen had risen to Legendary. Along with that, the set option activated.

===

[Guardian of the Kingdom]

-Type: Passive

- Removes all threats to the Märchen Kingdom. (All stats increase by 1.5 times)

===

Jeong-hoon drew his bowstring again, aiming at the Iron Orc.

“You can rest easy now,” he reassured Caryan before releasing the arrow.

***

It wasn't just the set that had come together; he had also fulfilled the conditions to complete the episode.

‘The condition for clearing this episode was to gather the accessories and eliminate 1,000 monsters.’

Jeong-hoon spread the Heavenly Bow and began to exterminate the monsters.

Thanks to the set effect, the count of 1,000 was quickly filled.

As soon as he hit the target, the previously overwhelming monsters vanished in unison.

He had completed the final piece of the episode's puzzle.

“With this, we should be okay for a while,” Jeong-hoon muttered, watching the area where the monsters had disappeared.

He couldn't say he had saved the Märchen Kingdom just yet; the game wasn't fully complete.

He knew that he couldn't predict when trouble might strike again, but for now, this was the best outcome.

‘Time to go back.’

It was time to collect the remaining rewards.

Jeong-hoon prepared to return to the royal palace.

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate it,” Caryan said repeatedly, grateful for being saved from the Iron Orcs.

He faced monsters he could never have defeated with his dull blade.

Had Jeong-hoon not appeared in time, it was clear he would have lost his life.

“It was the right thing to do,” Jeong-hoon replied.

“The right thing… So that’s your knightly way, is it?” Caryan smiled faintly.

He remembered dreaming of being a just knight when he was younger.

Of course, the realities of life had gradually distanced him from that ideal.

“I should be going now. Stay safe,” Jeong-hoon said.

“Be careful,” Caryan replied, maintaining his smile.

But Jeong-hoon could see that it was forced.

‘Of course, he would be putting on a brave face after nearly losing all his vassals.’

After receiving his barony not long ago, he had faced the worst situation possible.

Jeong-hoon left the barony and headed straight to the royal palace.

The palace was bustling with the knight order conducting searches throughout the streets.

“Hun!”

Ragan, leading the knight order, spotted Jeong-hoon and called out loudly.

He hurried over, concern etched on his face as he checked Jeong-hoon’s well-being.

“I'm fine, so don't worry too much.”

“Fine, you say… So that means...?”

“Yes. The monsters tormenting the kingdom will no longer emerge.”

“Is that really true?! How?”

“It’s thanks to this necklace,” Jeong-hoon said, pointing to the one around his neck.

“What’s that necklace…?”

Ragan looked confused, clearly unfamiliar with it.

That made sense; this necklace was an item revealed only after the reality shift.

“It’s an item that pairs with the Guardian of Märchen.”

“Gasp!”

Ragan inhaled sharply, astonished.

Jeong-hoon continued calmly, “Without this, it would have been impossible.”

“I-I see…!”

“Yes. Where is His Majesty?”

“He’s inside! He’s been anxiously waiting for your return.”

“Understood.”

As Ragan had said, Kaiserk V was indeed anxiously waiting for Jeong-hoon.

Upon hearing the news of Jeong-hoon’s return, he rushed out to greet him.

“Hun! I’ve been waiting!”

Seeing him dash out, Jeong-hoon smiled warmly.

“Yes. I’ve returned safely.”

To prove that, an exclamation mark flashed above his head.

[Episode: Completed all of Märchen Kingdom.]

[Episode Collection System is now open.]

[Included in the episode collection.]

[The episode’s rating is ‘S’.]

[The episode has been registered in the collection.]

[Synergy with the Monster Collection has been established.]

[Stage 1 synergy is applied.]

[All stats increase by 2%, damage increases by 2%, all skill damage increases by 2%.]

Stage 1 synergy.

There were still not enough episodes registered in the collection, making the options somewhat disappointing.

However, as more episodes were added to the collection, the synergy would become stronger, and important options would be added.

‘Now that I’ve cleared the Märchen Kingdom, the rest should be a breeze.’

Having cleared the most crucial aspect, he felt he had achieved the primary goal of his plan.

***

‘Are you really leaving so soon?!’

Kaiserk V felt a sense of regret at Jeong-hoon’s departure.

However, given that the Märchen Kingdom was on the brink of collapse, the idea of holding a celebration was out of the question.

“Yes. I have things to do.”

With Jeong-hoon stating that he had tasks to attend to, there was no reason to hold him back.

‘I see… When will you be back again?’

‘I’m not sure yet.’

With the episode wrapped up, what remained was in the hands of the survivors of the Märchen Kingdom.

Jeong-hoon bid farewell to Ragan and the knights before returning to the Alchemist's Street to check on the status of the Celestial Seal he had entrusted to Ligriner.

“Are you here?!”

However, instead of focusing on the stabilization work, Raigliner greeted Jeong-hoon with a beaming smile.

“It seems like the results are good?”

“Yes! Let’s go check right away!”