CHAPTER 16
Quest Reward (2)
"Party Quest Assigned"
Quest Objective: Demonstrate awakened abilities.Time Limit: 1 hour 00 minutes 00 seconds.Reward: Strength Enhancement.Failure Penalty: Sleeping in the hallway.
[Do you want to assign this quest?]
[Yes / No]
"Huh?"
As soon as the experiment began, something unexpected popped up.
'A party quest?'
Rather than assigning quests individually to Moon Byung-ho and Kang Deok-soo, a system allowing them to form a party and complete a quest together had appeared.
'What does this mean?'
From past experiences, every function of this ability had a purpose. There had to be some advantage to party quests over regular ones, but for now, it was unclear what that was.
'Let's proceed for now.'
By trying different things, the difference between solo and party quests would eventually become clear.
'Assign quest.'
Kang Deok-soo stared at the quest window in front of him with a confused expression.
"So, Rehyeon, you're saying I've awakened? Like Dong-geon?"
"That's correct."
"A Knight of Steel? What kind of ability is that?"
"You can summon a suit of steel armor and a halberd."
"Excuse me?"
At that moment—
Whoosh!
"Wha—?!"
Moon Byung-ho suddenly appeared in the middle of the living room.
He had successfully used his awakened ability—teleportation.
Seeing this with his own eyes, Kang Deok-soo's eyes widened in shock.
Moon Byung-ho slowly looked around before realizing he had teleported.
At the same time, a pleasant notification rang out.
[Citizen Moon Byung-ho's trust has increased.]
[Citizen Moon Byung-ho's loyalty has increased.]
He bowed his head toward me in gratitude.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Then, suddenly, he headed toward the window.
It was obvious what he was thinking.
I spoke before he could act.
"Stop."
"Huh?"
"You're planning to teleport straight to your grandmother's house, aren't you? That might not work."
"Why not?"
"Your ability operates using mental energy as fuel. The farther you teleport and the more people you take, the more energy it consumes."
"Ah…"
"Even if you can see your grandmother's house from here, there's a high chance you won't be able to teleport there in one go. In the worst case, you might end up in midair."
Teleporting into empty space had only one possible outcome—falling to his death.
"So, first, you need to understand your ability. Figure out your maximum teleportation range and how much mental energy is consumed per use."
"…Understood."
While I stopped Moon Byung-ho from making a rash move, Kang Deok-soo also succeeded in activating his ability.
Vwoom!
A bright white light radiated from his body, quickly forming a shape.
A full-body suit of silver armor and a menacing halberd.
A Knight of Steel had appeared.
"I-It really worked?"
[Citizen Kang Deok-soo's trust has increased.]
[Citizen Kang Deok-soo's loyalty has increased.]
At the same time—
[Citizens Moon Byung-ho and Kang Deok-soo have completed the quest.]
[Quest cost: 212,317 KRW deducted.]
As the quest was completed, over 200,000 won was spent.
'So, about 100,000 won per strength enhancement.'
It was a hefty price, but considering that this investment boosted the strength of two key combatants, it was somewhat justifiable.
More importantly, it confirmed that quests could be used to enhance specific attributes.
'Endurance and stamina should work the same way. If that's the case…'
I decided to experiment further by assigning a solo quest to Moon Byung-ho.
"Quest Assigned"
Quest Objective: Use teleportation.Time Limit: 1 hour 00 minutes 00 seconds.Reward: Teleportation proficiency enhancement.Failure Penalty: Sleeping in the hallway.
[Do you want to assign this quest?]
[Yes / No]
'It works.'
Apparently, the system allowed for improving ability proficiency as well.
Moon Byung-ho immediately used his power and completed the quest with ease.
However—
[Citizen Moon Byung-ho has completed the quest.]
[Quest cost: 70,133 KRW deducted.]
'Huh?'
I had expected another 100,000 won deduction, but the actual cost was only about 70,000 won—30% cheaper than before.
'Could it be?'
I instinctively realized something.
The cost of a quest was linked to its objective and reward.
'I can control the cost by adjusting the quest details!'
Eager to test this new insight, I called out to Moon Byung-ho.
"How are you feeling?"
"I feel fine."
"Good."
I pointed to a nearby apartment building visible through the window.
"Do you think you can teleport to the rooftop over there?"
Moon Byung-ho carefully measured the distance and nodded.
"I think I can do it."
"Alright."
This time, I made the quest much harder.
"Quest Assigned"
Quest Objective: Teleport to the rooftop of Apartment Building 113.Time Limit: 3 minutes 00 seconds.Reward: Teleportation proficiency enhancement.Failure Penalty: Sleeping outdoors.
A significant distance, a short time limit, and a harsh penalty.
Despite our efforts to thin the goblin numbers, they were still lurking outside.
Sleeping outdoors effectively meant staying awake all night.
"This…"
Moon Byung-ho realized the difficulty had increased significantly and looked nervous.
I spoke with sincerity.
"You must succeed."
"…Yes."
He focused intently on the distant rooftop.
Meanwhile, I prepared for the worst.
If he ran out of mental energy mid-teleport and ended up in midair, I was ready to use my summoning ability to pull him back.
'Please succeed.'
About a minute later—
Whoosh!
Moon Byung-ho vanished from the house and reappeared on the rooftop railing of the apartment.
Immediately—
[Citizen Moon Byung-ho has completed the quest.]
"Phew."
He had succeeded, and the result was even better than expected.
'No cost this time.'
Since the quest difficulty was higher, the system had provided the reward for free.
'So that's how it works.'
But just as I was about to relax—
"!!!"
Moon Byung-ho staggered on the rooftop railing.
'Summon follower, Moon Byung-ho!'
I immediately used my skill, pulling him back just before he fell.
Whoosh— Thud!
'That was close.'
Had I hesitated for even a second, he would have fallen to his death.
'He passed out.'
Overexerting himself with such a long teleport must have drained his mental energy completely.
He had truly pushed himself to the limit.
I whispered to him.
"Well done."
Now I had proof—by carefully adjusting quest details, I could provide rewards without spending money.
I turned to Kang Deok-soo, who was still clad in silver armor, watching in awe.
"Can you move him to the sofa?"
"Yes."
After Kang Deok-soo carried Moon Byung-ho to the sofa, I asked him,
"Deok-soo, do you work out?"
"Huh?"
He hesitated, then nodded.
"A little."
I smiled.
"Perfect. Do 100 push-ups and 100 squats while wearing your armor."
"…What?"
"Quest Assigned"
Quest Objective: Exercise while wearing armor.Push-ups (0/100)Squats (0/100)Time Limit: 10 minutes 00 seconds.Reward: Strength enhancement.Failure Penalty: Sleeping outdoors.
Kang Deok-soo hesitated before realizing the consequences.
"…Oh."
He quickly got to work.