Chapter 230

The NPC who pressed the button looked at Ming Hu as if nothing had happened.
“Would you mind telling me your name?”
“Name?”
At the NPC’s words, Ming Hu raised his head and questioned.
“Yeah, I have a feeling you’re going to make it to Level D, but you have to engrave your name on the plaque for Level C.”
“Oh.”
Realizing why he had asked for her name, Ming Hu thought for a moment.
“I wonder if I can use a pseudonym…
There was something uncomfortable about using his real name. I wonder if he knows of your troubles? The NPC continued.
“You can use a pseudonym, not your real name. To be honest, most people use pseudonyms.”
“I see…”
Ming Hu nodded at the NPC’s words. There was no need to think about it. Besides, most of them used pseudonyms, so it didn’t seem to matter. Ming Hu looked at the NPC and continued.
“Malt.”
“Malt…you mean?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
The NPC nodded in understanding, and Ming Hu resumed his search for Grade D challenges.
49. Surviving the Ogre
Restriction: Grade D
Challenge Cost: 50 Gold
Reward: 70 gold and 5 elixirs.
Rules: 1. Challenge succeeds if you last 15 minutes
2. challenge fails when using paralyzing potions, etc.
3. challenge succeeds if you kill the ogre
“…Elixir?
Ming Hu squinted for a moment, wondering if he was looking at the wrong thing, and checked his reward again.
“Elixir?
But you weren’t wrong.
‘No. Maybe it’s not the elixir I think it is.’
It might not be the Elixir of Strength, the Elixir of Agility, or any of the other Elixirs that boosted Stats he knew. Ming Hu looked up and spoke to the NPC for confirmation.
“The reward says 5 elixirs… which elixirs are you referring to?”
“Elixirs that increase your strength, agility, and other abilities. When you receive an elixir as a reward, you can choose the type of elixir you want.”
“…let’s call it 49.”
At the NPC’s words, Ming Hu immediately opened his mouth to speak.
“If it’s 49…”
The NPC pondered Ming Hu’s words, and then looked surprised. He then looked at Ming Hu with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment.
“Survive the ogre… You mean you’re challenging me?”
“Yes.”
“…”
The NPC was silent for a moment at Ming Hu’s words. Then it tilted its head slightly and opened its mouth to speak.
“50…gold.”
Ming Hu immediately took out 50 gold and handed it to the NPC. He then naturally looked at the guide, who smiled and started walking ahead of him. Ming Hu walked behind the guide and soon arrived in front of the ring.
-Koohoohoohoo!
Inside the ring was a four-meter ogre, who let out a roar when he spotted the ushers and Ming Hu. Ming Hu turned his attention away from the screaming ogre and checked the perimeter of the ring.
“…?
Ming Hu looked around the ring and couldn’t help but wonder: there wasn’t a single person in sight.
“There’s less of it than there was in E. What is it?
There were a few people watching, not as many as there were in Grade E, but still. It didn’t make sense to me that there wasn’t a single Minghu.
“Whatever.
Whether there were onlookers or not, Ming Hu didn’t care. Ming Hu looked at his guide and said
“Let’s get started right away.”
Ming Hu walked to the entrance.
“That’s because…”
But as soon as he started to walk, he heard the voice of a guide, and Ming Hu stopped and turned to face him.
“Would you mind waiting a moment?”
“…?”
Ming Hu looked at the usher with a puzzled expression. At the usher’s words, the usher continued.
“Starting with D-ranked challenges, you can notify those in the arena that you have a challenger and give them 10 minutes to start.”
“Oh.”
At the receptionist’s words, Ming Hu realized why she had told him to wait.
Jumbled
Just then, Ming Hu heard the sound of footsteps. Ming Hu turned his head toward the source of the footsteps. A fat man dressed in luxurious-looking clothes was shuffling toward the ring. The man glanced at Ming Hu and sat down on the couch.
Jumbled
A few more onlookers showed up, starting with the company.
“Uh, he’s…
As Ming Hu watched the onlookers arrive one after the other, he couldn’t help but be slightly surprised when one of them approached the ring.
‘I’m pretty sure that’s when I said hello…’
It was the same nobleman who had come to greet him at the knighthood ceremony.
“Nice job on the mask.
-Currrrrrrr!
Thinking the mask was a good idea, Ming Hu looked out into the ring as the ogre roared once more.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
The ogre began to pace frantically around the ring as onlookers gathered around the ring.
“It’s time. Would you like to begin?”
As he watched the ogre roam the ring, Ming Hu heard the voice of an usher and turned to look at him.
“Yes. Let’s get started.”
He nodded and approached the entrance. The attendant opened the gate, and Ming Hu stepped through, approaching the bars.
-Currrrrrrr!
As Ming Hu approached the cage, the ogre let out a loud roar.
“I’ll open it.”
“Yes.”
At the usher’s words, Ming Hu nodded once more.
Siaak
[Start the “Survive the Ogre” challenge].
The cage opened and a message appeared.
-Currrrrrr!
At the same time, a frenzied ogre began to run toward him. Ming Hu leisurely walked past the cage and began to approach the ogre as it came toward him.
-Currrrrrrrrrr!
The distance quickly closed, and the ogre roared and extended his fist toward Ming Hu. Ming Hu stretched his fist out to meet the ogre’s fist as it flew at him.
Boom!
Soon, fist after fist crashed into fist, creating a massive roar.
“…”
“…”
The roaring crowd stared into the ring with bated breath.
-Ku…ugh.
Soon, the ogre began to slowly fall backwards.
Shake.
[Challenge Success!]
The ogre fell to the ground and a message appeared. When the message appeared, Ming Hu turned around and walked past the bars to the entrance.
“Please open it.”
“…Oh, yeah.”
The attendant closed the cage and opened the entrance.
“I’ll go first.”
Stepping out through the entrance, Ming Hu spoke to the usher, who was staring blankly into the ring, and began walking toward the building.
Sigh
But even then, Ming Hu was stopped in his tracks by someone blocking his path.
“…?”
Ming Hu looked at the man who stood in his way. He was a thin man in his mid-40s.
“Nobility?
Judging by the clothes he was wearing, he seemed to be a nobleman.
“…Why?
Ming Hu didn’t understand why the man was standing in his way.
That was the moment.
“Viscount Amung, you shouldn’t be doing this…”
The usher, who had been gazing blankly into the ring, pushed his way between Ming Hu and Viscount Amung, looked at Viscount Amung, and said.
“…I was hoping we could talk for a minute.”
Viscount Amung looked at the usher and said.
“That’s…”
The usher started to say something in response to Viscount Amung’s words, but when Viscount Amung’s expression turned sour, he closed his mouth and stepped aside. When the usher stepped aside, Viscount Amung smiled and looked at Ming Hu and said, “I’m sorry.
“Do you have a contract?”
“…Contract?”
What does that even mean?
“Oh, I guess I haven’t done it yet!”
Viscount Amung smiled brightly at Ming Hu’s words.
Sigh
“Viscount.”
He stepped aside, and the guide pushed through again. Viscount Amung’s brightly smiling face turned sour again, but unlike before, the guide didn’t move out of the way.
“What are you doing?
Ming Hu frowned slightly at the behavior of Viscount Amung and the usher.
“I don’t have time for this.
It wasn’t that he didn’t have time, of course, but he didn’t want to waste it this way. Ming Hu pushed past Viscount Amung and the usher, who were conversing wordlessly with their eyes, and began to walk back toward the building.
“Wait…. Wait!”
Viscount Amung, who hadn’t expected Ming Hu’s behavior at all, exclaimed in surprise. Hearing Viscount Amung’s shout, Ming Hu stopped walking for a moment and turned to look at him.
“If you’re going to make a deal, why not make it with me, with me?”
“Viscount!”
At Viscount Amung’s words, the usher exclaimed with a puzzled look.
“What’s the deal?
I don’t know exactly what the agreement means, but from their reactions, it seems like it’s pretty important.
“I’ll think about it.”
Once Ming Hu had said that, he started walking again. The usher quickly caught up to Ming Hu and said, “Ming Hu, I’m sorry.
“You can forget what you just heard. He’s a very bad human being.”
Ming Hu smirked at the usher’s disparaging remarks about Viscount Amung.
“…Hmm?
Arriving at the building, listening to the guide’s self-deprecating remarks, Ming Hu walked straight up to the NPC, opened his inventory, took out a proof plaque, and handed it over.
“…”
The NPC accepted the proof plaque and said nothing, just stared blankly at Ming Hu.
“It’s a C now, right?”
“Ah…yes. Congratulations on your success. Here… Your reward.”
Sobered by Ming Hu’s words, the NPC took out the challenge’s reward of 70 gold and a small chest and placed it on the desk. Ming Hu placed the gold in his inventory and opened the box.
“…Nice!
Inside the box were three elixirs of strength and two elixirs of agility. Ming Hu smiled and put the elixirs of strength and agility into his inventory. Then he looked at the NPC again.
“…?”
Ming Hu couldn’t help but frown slightly at the NPC. The NPC was still holding the D-ranked proof plaque and doing nothing, just staring blankly at Ming Hu.
“What are you doing?”
“…What?”
The NPC flinched at Ming Hu’s words, and asked, “What is it?
“Proof plaque.”
“Oh, that’ll have to wait, we don’t have the ability to issue plaques starting with a Class C certificate.”
Ming Hu frowned again at the NPC’s words.
Jumbled
“Ah, there you are.”
But the sound of footsteps, followed by the NPC’s words, made Ming Hu turn around and look toward the stairs. A large, burly man with jewelry dangling from his body was descending the stairs and approaching the building.
“Viscount Gennas?
Based on the NPC’s words and the information gleaned from the black nails, the man approaching was most likely Viscount Gennas, the leader of the Toren Viscounts who runs this illegal dumping ground.
“Hmmm, interest?”
The man continued walking, arriving in front of the building, or more precisely, in front of the NPC and Ming Hu, looked at Ming Hu, looked at the NPC, and said.
“Yes.”
The NPC nodded, and the man looked at Ming Hu and said.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Gennas, I run this arena.”
As expected, the man’s identity was Viscount Gennas. As soon as Viscount Gennas finished speaking, a message began to appear.
[Torren’s History Crystal: 100%]
[100%].
[You have earned the Viscount Toren’s Record Crystal].
[Quest ‘First Internal Crackdown’, Viscount Toren’s conditions have been met].