Nolbu and Hongbu Quest Guide
| Level | 37 or higher, any job |
|---|---|
| Start | Swallow in Korean Folk Town |
| Hunt | Moon Bunnies for the lost seed |
| Choose | Nolbu or Hongbu (only one) |
| Reward | A level 50 pair of shoes, from the list of the brother you choose |
| Repeat | The Lost Seed, if you lost the seed or gave up a gourd quest (see below) |
Nolbu and Hongbu is a quest line based on the Korean folk tale of the two brothers. A Swallow in Korean Folk Town has lost a magic seed, a gift from the God of Sky for the man who mended its broken leg, but it cannot remember whether that was Nolbu or Hongbu. You find the seed, pick a brother, plant the seed on his roof and open the gourd that grows there.
Part 1: The Lost Seed
- Reach level 37 and talk to the Swallow in Korean Folk Town. The Swallow is near the village shrine with a clipped wing. Accept The Lost Seed.
- Hunt Moon Bunnies (level 45) for Swallow's Lost Seed. While the quest is open, every Moon Bunny drops it (100%). They live in Entrance to Black Mountain, Black Mountain <Corner> and A Small Well.
- Bring it back to the Swallow. Reward: 21,000 EXP and a Magic Seed.
Part 2: Pick a brother
Both brothers stand in Korean Folk Town. Talk to either one while you hold the Magic Seed, and he offers his gourd quest.
When he asks "Did you fix a swallow's leg by any chance?", pick the answer that says the seed came from a swallow. The other answer turns him away.
You can only do one of the two. Once you take one brother's gourd quest, the other brother's is closed to you. Accepting takes your Magic Seed and gives you that brother's own seed: Nolbu's Seed or Hongbu's Seed.
| Nolbu (the greedy brother) | Hongbu (the poor brother) | |
|---|---|---|
| Quest | Opening Nolbu's Gourd | Opening Hongbu's Gourd |
| What comes out of the gourd | Warrant of Attachment | Box of Jewelry |
| EXP | 19,000 | 19,000 |
| Item | Storybook on Hongbu and Nolbu | Storybook on Hongbu and Nolbu |
| Choose one pair of shoes | Blue Goldwind Shoes (Magician), Brown Steel-Tip Boots (Bowman), Brown Double Boots (Pirate) | Mithril Hildon Boots (Warrior), Green Goni Shoes (Thief) |
All five pairs of shoes are level 50 and have 5 upgrade slots.
| Shoes | Class | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Goldwind Shoes | Magician | +1 INT, +2 LUK, 19 weapon defence, 9 magic defence |
| Brown Steel-Tip Boots | Bowman | +3 STR, 28 weapon defence |
| Brown Double Boots | Pirate | +2 STR, +1 DEX, 28 weapon defence |
| Mithril Hildon Boots | Warrior | +1 STR, +2 DEX, 30 weapon defence |
| Green Goni Shoes | Thief | +3 DEX, 28 weapon defence |
Part 3: Grow and open the gourd
- Climb onto the roof of that brother's house in Korean Folk Town.
- Drop that brother's seed from your Etc inventory onto the roof. A Gourd grows there.
- Break the Gourd. It always drops the Warrant of Attachment (from Nolbu's gourd) or the Box of Jewelry (from Hongbu's gourd). The Gourd has 10,000 HP. It does not fight back and does no damage when you touch it.
- Take the item back to the brother to finish.
Lost the seed?
If you gave up (forfeited) a gourd quest, or lost the Magic Seed before giving it to a brother, talk to the Swallow again. As long as you hold no Magic Seed and have not started or finished either gourd quest, the Swallow asks you to find the seed again: same Moon Bunnies, same reward, another Magic Seed.
Once a gourd quest is finished, the choice is final and the Swallow does not ask again.
Afterwards: the storybook
Both brothers give you the Storybook on Hongbu and Nolbu. Take it to Wiz the Librarian in Helios Tower <Library> for his quest Retrieving the Storybook : Hongbu and Nolbu: 28,000 EXP and 30 Melting Cheese.
If you no longer have the storybook, the brother you helped makes you a new copy any time you do not hold one:
- Nolbu: bring 2 Plastic Crowns, dropped by King Bloctopus.
- Hongbu: bring 10 Sunflower Seeds, dropped by Retz. Hongbu's copy is handed in to the Swallow.