GAVS33

Chapter 33 Lost Land 16

About an hour had passed since Dojun set off to find Gandalf.

After crossing a mountain, a chilly breeze swept past him.

Dojun marveled again at how even sensations like this had been replicated—another testament to the sophistication of the virtual reality technology.

In the distance, in the direction the wind blew, he saw a long stretch of coastline. Moored along the shore were boats of various sizes, clustered together.

“That must be Laila.”

Yep

Finally arrived

Honestly thought just watching him travel and grind monsters would be boring, but this has been insanely fun

The way he throws that dagger… it always hits the forehead dead-on, how is that even possible?

Now that he’s near Laila, monster density really dropped off

The monsters along the way were tougher than expected.

It was only because it was Dojun that he reached the destination this fast. For most players, the journey to Laila took at least three hours.

“You folks who figured out this location—props to you. That couldn’t have been easy.”

No doubt it was one of the many desperate measures people had taken for the 100 million won prize.

As he approached the city, he saw that although the walls weren’t tall, they were solid enough to fend off monster attacks. Guards stood at the gate, but when Dojun showed his royal travel pass, they let him through without issue.

Following the directions from his viewers, he soon found a shabby house near the outskirts of the port.

“This must be it. Let’s give it a try.”

Knock, knock, knock.

“Is anyone home?”

There was no response from inside.

“Huh? Maybe no one’s home…”

Just as Dojun raised his hand to knock again—

“Who are you, loitering outside someone else’s home?”

Dojun turned around to find an elderly man with flowing white hair, clad in a gray robe.

Floating above the man’s head was a nameplate: [NPC Gandalf].

As soon as Gandalf was recognized, another cutscene began to play.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Master Gandalf.”

Hearing his name, Gandalf’s eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.

“So, you know who I am.”

“Of course. The kingdom needs the wisdom of the former Royal Court Mage, Master Gandalf.”

“I’m a retired man now.”

But as Dojun explained the situation with Likel and the kingdom’s current plight, Gandalf’s stance slowly shifted.

“So, what is it you want from this old man?”

“I want to know more about the ancient gemstones.”

At the mention of ancient gemstones, Gandalf’s expression shifted.

“Hmm… ancient gemstones, you say… Well, this isn’t the sort of conversation we should have while standing outside. Come in.”

Once Gandalf stepped inside, Dojun’s character followed.

Dojun had expected a shabby interior—but the moment he stepped in, the scene flipped entirely, revealing an entirely different space.

What had seemed like a rundown house now transformed into a laboratory, filled with vials, reagents, and walls lined with dense rows of books. The entire place radiated the feeling of a proper research facility.

Whoa… was it always like this inside?

Nope. Normally it’s just a plain old shack. Probably because Phantom brought the right quest item.

Another first clear, lol

┗ Is anything this guy does not a first clear?

┗┗ So true lmao

Quiet, guys!! The ancient gemstone secret is about to be revealed!!

Some of Dojun’s viewers were deeply invested in Lost Land.

They weren’t just after the 100 million won prize—they wanted to become top-ranking players once the main scenario progressed. And to them, the game’s core revolved around the ancient gemstones.

If it turns out ancient gemstones are worthless, I’m dropping this trash game immediately

For real. This game’s difficulty is brutal, and if there’s no payoff, it’s doomed

I’m convinced the gemstones hold the key

So far, the Ancient Gemstone system hadn’t proven very useful. At best, it allowed players to “imprint” additional stats on regular weapons. But the kicker? You could only imprint them on common-grade weapons.

Lost Land had a hierarchy of gear—Magic, Rare, Unique—but none of these could receive gemstone imprints.

So unless something changed, ancient gemstones were nothing more than quest junk.

That’s why so many players had their eyes locked on Dojun’s stream.

Even top-tier streamers on SwitchTV rarely pulled in more than 40,000 viewers during peak hours.

For a rookie streamer to hit over 30,000 viewers by himself—unprecedented.

“This is my lab. Feel free to look around.”

As Gandalf spoke, the cutscene ended, and Dojun regained control of his character.

“Alright, I’ll take a look.”

It was a clear sign: now the player had to uncover the Ancient Gemstone gimmick on their own.

Dojun examined the lab thoroughly. But oddly, he didn’t see a single gemstone resembling the ones he’d obtained from defeating the demon cultists.

“None of these match the ones I have.”

Gandalf’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s strange. Every known gemstone within the kingdom should be here.”

“But I’m serious. Take a look.”

When Dojun pulled out his gemstone, Gandalf’s eyes widened in shock.

“This… this is…!”

He scrambled off to grab a book and began flipping through it at lightning speed. When he stopped, he looked between the gemstone and the book in disbelief.

“I can’t believe this actually exists…”

“You recognize it?”

“Yes. As I said before, all the gemstones here come from within this continent. But more precisely—these are all the gemstones that can be found in this continent.”

Dojun immediately understood what Gandalf was getting at.

“You’re saying mine isn’t from this continent?”

“Exactly. More accurately, it likely came from another continent altogether.”

The audience watching the stream finally saw the pieces fall into place.

Ohhh, so that’s why clearing the early chapter is required to move on

The key to progressing—and growing stronger—is getting new gemstones from other continents

Also means the game’s story opens up to new lands once the first chapter is cleared

┗ Story doesn’t matter! Just tell me whether these stupid gems are trash or not!!

With the story mechanic finally clarified, viewers leaned in with renewed focus.

“I always suspected there was more beyond this land. I decoded some old texts and found evidence of other scripts… and other nations.”

But the origin of the gemstone wasn’t the main concern.

“Master Gandalf, I’m not here for the history. I want to know one thing—can these gemstones actually help defeat the demons?”

Dojun knew exactly what his viewers wanted.

Gandalf paused for a moment, then spoke.

“In short—yes. These gemstones are not merely vessels of power. Each one is carved with a symbol—a shape representing a concept. On their own, they are weak. But…”

Gandalf picked up a small dagger from the table and swung it at the wall. The blade merely left a faint scratch.

“This is a basic dagger. Now, watch what happens when we imprint it.”

He picked up two gemstones.

“These two are called [Dex] and [Lance]—meaning ‘Faster’ and ‘Stronger.’ I’ll imprint them into this dagger.”

The blade glowed as the stones fused in.

Gandalf swung again—but the result was only marginally better than before.

“A bit more damage, but hardly impressive. Why? Because the gemstone’s full potential wasn’t unlocked.”

“There’s a way to unlock it, then?”

Dojun asked, and Gandalf nodded.

“Yes. One of the keys is will. Watch again. This time, it will be different.”

Gandalf gripped the dagger and held the stones again.

“[Dex] and [Lance], I wish to grant this blade power enough to pierce the wall. Enchant!!”

This time, the gemstones radiated a brilliant light as they sank into the weapon.

“Now, look.”

He swung once more.

Schlunk.

The dagger sliced cleanly into the solid wall and stuck there, stopped only by its hilt.

“This isn’t just an imprint—it’s a new form of power. I call this effect: [Pierce].”

“Wow… that’s insane.”

Dojun was impressed, and so were the viewers.

HOLY SH*T!! THIS IS IT!!

It really was the gemstones all along!!

With a weapon like that, mobs are toast

Not over yet. Stay focused, guys!!

Gandalf began to explain more.

The symbols inside each gemstone represented unique meanings. These were glyphs shaped after ancient ideals, and their combinations were what produced truly powerful effects.

“Our ancestors believed the order and pairing of these glyphs would produce entirely new forces. I call this phenomenon… ‘Enchant.’”

[You have discovered the hidden secret of Ancient Gemstones.]

[Skill acquired: <Enchant>]

“Enchant?”

“Exactly. This is not just about imbuing power—it’s about resonance. The effect depends on timing, intent, symbolism, arrangement. Even reversing the order of Dex and Lance would have made the blade merely ‘slightly stronger.’”

Now that he understood the system, Dojun had one more question.

“Can other gemstones be combined to create different Enchants?”

“I’ve discovered a few such combinations. But the ones you carry… I’m not familiar with those. Still, the moment I saw them, I was sure of one thing.”

Without warning, Gandalf retrieved a leather armor from subspace.

“Normally, armor on this continent can be imprinted with a maximum of three gemstones. But this—this one is different.”

“What’s different?”

Dojun asked.

“This armor is the only one I know that can be imprinted four times.”

That was all Dojun needed to hear.

“So that means… the four gemstones I’ve collected—Sharde (Falsehood), Zephe (Oblivion), Relle (Life), and Der (Confusion)—can be used on it?”

“Exactly.”

As Gandalf spoke, a system message appeared.

Ding—! You’ve completed [Main Quest – Find Gandalf!!]

Main Quest Updated

◉ Main Quest – Combine the Four Ancient Gemstones!!

Enchant is a powerful technique that activates when multiple gemstones are combined under the right conditions. However, the full truth behind Enchant has not yet been discovered.

Solve the mystery and use the four gemstones—Falsehood (Sharde), Oblivion (Zephe), Life (Relle), and Confusion (Der)—to create the Enchant: [Mirage].

“Adventurer, bring forth a new hope to resist the demons’ grasp.”

And with that, Dojun knew one thing for certain.

The story was nearing its climax.